A friend of mine sent me this link.. so cute! 

I read the book, fortune at the bottom of the pyramid and loved it. There's so much to learn from economics and what the univerisity teaches is indeed so archaic. I think CK prahalad is really someone who is able to think outside the box. I would love to take a class under him.

 

C.K. Prahalad

Sep 19th 2008
From Economist.com

C.K. Prahalad (born 1941) is an unlikely guru. Born one of nine children in the teeming Indian city of Madras (now Chennai), he was once described by Fast Company magazine as “a moustachioed, bespectacled, slightly round man” with a rich baritone voice. He first studied physics at university before being persuaded by his father, a senior judge and a noted Sanskrit scholar, to work for Union Carbide, a chemicals company. He stayed there for four years, a time he has described as a major inflexion point in his life.

Then he went to Harvard Business School before returning to India to teach management for a number of years. But he found the protectionist Indian economic environment of the time unaccepting of his ideas about multinational companies and multinationalism. He returned to the United States to teach with, as he once put it, $18 in his pocket. A quarter of a century later he had topped at least one widely respected poll of the world’s leading management gurus.

He first made his reputation with work he did with Gary Hamel, then a colleague at the University of Michigan. Their 1990 Harvard Business Review article on core competencies (see article) is one of that magazine’s bestselling articles of all time. More recently, Prahalad has become best known for his ideas about what he has called “the bottom of the pyramid”, the idea that poor people around the world can be a good and profitable market for businesses and should not be ignored.

More...

This real life story of Kajal brings tears to my eyes, so much struggle for such a small kid... makes me want to adopt her myself :-(

 

Kajal's Story
Text and photographs © Dipti Vaidya

 

 

[Note: The story of a blind orphaned girl's journey from India to the United States for surgery and adoption ran in the Tennessean, with photos by Dipti Vaidya (see the original story here). The SAJA Photo Forum asked Dipti to write a personal account of her involvement in what should have been a very happy story but remains one of hardship and disappointment.]

 

I first met Kajal Zaidi in February 2007. A compact 5-year-old with a bowl cut and a disarming sweetness, she has had a tumultuous journey through her short life.
Completely blind, Kajal had been found, malnourished and ill, wandering in a train station in Allahabad, India and was taken in by a charity organization, the Society for Underprivileged People, founded by Joy and Grace Zaidi. She was living in their shelter home for abused or trafficked children when I piggybacked a trip to India with a trip to Allahabad to follow her story and upcoming journey to Nashville, Tennessee, for medical treatment.

After her mother died when she was young, she said she became a frequent target of abuse by her new stepmother. She recounts the day that her stepmother sprinkled powder in her eyes and held a washcloth over them. When she woke she couldn’t see and has no sight in either eye. No one is sure why she had been blinded. She was later abandoned by her father, possibly a migrant worker, on a train to New Delhi.

 

Back in my Philips job days, I went to UTMB for their inpatient go live. Galveston was extremely humid but the go live went very well. At looking at the destruction that IKE has brought its really sad, I wish I could be there to help the hospital prepare for these calamities. It is such a nice little town with some really good cafes and probably the best british style hotel that I stayed at.

 

Gina Hadley walks through what's left of her home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 in Galveston, Texas. Thousands of people returned on Wednesday for the first time since their island city was blasted by Hurricane Ike nearly two weeks ago. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

GALVESTON — Twenty-seven newborns in intensive care were among 355 patients evacuated from university hospitals on Galveston Island Thursday to avoid the expected tidal surge from Hurricane Ike.

Hospitals from as far away as Fort Worth and Arkansas loaned ambulances and specially trained nurses to help move 51 newborns from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to hospitals in San Antonio and Austin, said Joan Richardson, UTMB emergency preparedness officer.

"They are our most vulnerable, most fragile patients," said Marsha Canright, a UTMB spokeswoman. "(The medical staff) is the most nervous about the evacuation of those patients."

Officials ordered the evacuation at 9 a.m. Thursday after learning that the storm surge could put as much as 2 feet of water in the first floor of UTMB's six hospitals at its Galveston campus,

"I'm sure we could make it through the storm, but the aftermath, the three to five days after, would just be miserable and it would just be horrible for the patients," Richardson said.

The hospital would likely lose power and air conditioning, she said, and the blood bank and pharmacy could be flooded.

The 27 newborns with the most serious problems, many of them in incubators or attached to breathing machines and other specialized equipment, were flown out in fixed-wing aircraft, Richardson said.

"It's kind of exciting, but it is hectic," said Renae Taggart, a Teddy Bear Transport nurse from Fort Worth's Cook Children's Medical Center, who was coordinating much of the work.

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This is the funniest video number ever!!!!

 

I am an avocate of cross cultural adaptations like Bombay Dreams, but this takes it to another level, I couldnt stop laughing. It's just really sad that this song may set the standard of hip hop in India..

   Does is want to make you jump and say 'Aye Hip Hopper!'

Giving advice in adversity

Sep 25th 2008 | SAN FRANCISCO
From The Economist print edition

Wall Street’s woes are yet another headache for the consulting industry

WHEN even consultants suggest that companies might want to spend less on consultancy, you know the industry is in for a difficult time. A recent article in the McKinsey Quarterly argues that Wall Street’s ailing banks could slash up to $2 billion each from their bloated overheads without damaging employee morale. The authors, who work for McKinsey, a leading strategy-consultancy, highlight several areas that bankers could cut—including fees paid to consulting firms. Presumably this includes McKinsey, which has advised most of America’s once-mighty investment banks at one time or another.

Convulsions on Wall Street and elsewhere are grim news for the global consulting industry, which boasted $309 billion in revenues last year, according to Kennedy Information, a research firm. Financial institutions are some of the industry’s biggest customers. But revenues are also under pressure in other areas. The credit crunch has cut the number and size of deals by private-equity firms, which are also big consumers of consulting services. And a decline in mergers and acquisitions means there is less demand for the nitty-gritty work of combining computer systems, a mainstay of some consultancies.

Consultants say they have fared pretty well in the first half of 2008. But consulting revenues are not immune to a downturn (see chart). The impact may simply be delayed because firms such as Accenture (which was due to unveil its latest results as The Economist went to press) and IBM (which earned 55% of its $98.8 billion of revenue in 2007 from consulting-related services) have multi-year contracts that protect them from sudden slumps. But consultants will feel the pinch next year, as clients cancel or delay projects.

Some consultancies are already sounding cautious about the rest of this year. “I would expect the second half of 2008 to be slow,” says Shumeet Banerji, the head of Booz & Company, a strategy consultancy. Industry observers agree. “Consulting firms will be anaemic for a while,” reckons Christopher McKenna of Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, who is the author of a history of consulting.

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Guess who sent me this, my mom!!!

 

 
A mother is driving her little girl to her friend's house for a play date.

' Mommy ,' the little girl asks, 'how old are you?'

'Honey, you are not supposed to ask a lady her age,' the mother replied.
'It's not polite.'

'OK', the little girl says, 'How much do you weigh?'

'Now really,' the mother says, 'those are personal questions and are really none of your business.'

Undaunted, the little girl asks, 'Why did you and Daddy get a divorce?'

'That's enough questions, young lady! Honestly!'

The exasperated mother walks away as the two friends begin to play.

' My Mom won't tell me anything about her,' the little girl says to her friend.

'Well,' says the friend, 'all you need to do is look at her driver's license. It's like a report card, it has everything on it.'

Later that night the littl e girl says to her mother, 'I know how old you are. You are 32.'

The mother is surprised and asks, 'How did you find that out?

'I also know that you weigh 130 pounds.'

The mother is past surprised and shocked now.
'How in Heaven's name did you find that out?'

'And,' the little girl says triumphantly,'I know why you and daddy got a divorce.'

'Oh really?' the mother asks. 'Why?'

 

 

'Because you got an F in sex.'

uh oh... Financial crisis may hit home, I am scared for my money in Wacovia, even though its FDIC insured, should I take all my money out? hmm....

 

Updated: Wachovia has begun preliminary talks with Citigroup about a potential merger, people briefed on the matter said Friday afternoon.

Feelers have also been extended between Wachovia and Wells Fargo and Spain’s Banco Santander, these people said.

These talks are early, however, and no deal may emerge from them. But it appears that Wachovia is seeking out potential alternatives should the financial rescue package being debated in Washington is not quickly passed, or fails to provide enough help.

Wachovia, the big bank headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks amid the turmoil gripping the banking sector. It took additional fire on Friday after JPMorgan Chase acquired virtually all of Washington Mutual, until Thursday evening the nation’s largest savings and loan, in a government-brokered sale.

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And he is badder than ever.. I love this guy, he is now going to be the Austrian Homosexual Fashion Journalist character that he plays sometimes in the show, for his new movie based on this guy. Here's some havoc in Milan's fashion scene that he just caused:

Wow, its been a while since I posted, last time I did post something it disappeared! It was an article about doing business in Atlanta through Economist.. oh well..

 

So I spent last weekend in Kauai: what an awesome awesome island, loved the roads and the empty spaces... you can never feel totally trapped there because of that.. not dense at all and there were very few tourists. Lots of white people tho, amazing number of houlis... not sure what they are doing there but this is totally a hippie haven.

 

Day 1: Friday. Got there early morning, hotel I stayed in was the resort quest one, about 100 bucks/day with ocean view, our private beach, swimming pool and jacuzzi, with a bar and restaurant at Kamaina rate, it was the cheapest deal ever!!!

 

ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa
Thats exactly my view!!! First they gave me a 444 room but that in cantonese means die, die, die .. so then we changed the room :-) First evening we drove to Hanapepe and spent the evening in Hawaii's biggest little town visiting about 10 art galleries and having dinner in this really expensive but fancy looking cafe Hanapepe. We met some really friendly people and saw some very cool paintings and sculptures, huge tiki's and 100 year old maps and dried flower prints. More From their website: "HANAPEPE ART NIGHT (HELD EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT) Hanapepe, HI 96716 (West Side) Friday night is Art Night in Hanapepe and every Friday night is unique. Participating galleries take turn being the weekly "host gallery", offering original performances or demonstrations which become the theme for that art night. All the galleries are lit up and decked out giving the town a special atmosphere. Enjoy a stroll down the streets of quaint, historic Hanapepe Town and meet the local artists." Day 2: Saturday Morning - I attended my first PMP Exam Prep class remotely in the morning. More about that in the next post. Then spent the whole day going to Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the pacific... once we reached the end of the road, we took a hike on the Pihea Trail for about couple of miles all the way to the end of the valley. We did not go to the hike that takes you to the wettest place on the planet (Alakai Swamp) because that was a much longer one and we didnt want to drive down in the dark. Dinner at Roy's (my new fav hawaiian food restaurant chain) in Poipu, the drive is not safe from Kapaa to Poipu because the headlights blind you and there are no street lights, BEWARE of local truck drivers, they drive fast and very rash. Restaurant wasnt as nice as I expected but my portobello mushroom dish and molten chocolate cake totally made it worth it! Day 3: Early on Sunday morning, I drove to the Shivaite Monastery, and went to the temple for the morning prayer. Got bitten alive by the mosquitoes, but whats a prayer without some penance. Beautiful and serene temple, with some really good areas for meditation. Monks were in a retreat so I couldnt go in for the tour of the facility but it was still a great experience to find a hindu temple in kauai. Continuing on with the day, I took a drive to North Shore, to the Kilauea Lighthouse ,Princeville: Westin Timeshare, Princeville resort, Hanalei Resort    and then Ke'e Beach: in Ha'ena State park: We slept on the beach for some time and then back to the hotel, relaxed a little and the flew back to Oahu. The trip was really fun but tiring considering we were on the road most of the time. I liked the island better than Maui but it is remote and not a lot of good places to eat or things to do, very unlike Maui which is super touristy (and very accessible, lots of things to do) or Oahu which is very very dense (but a real city, shopping heaven). This is a place to relax, play some golf in princeville or do a lot of hiking!

This is a funny joke for anyone who has been following indian politics for years... its silly and simplistic, but quite on the mark.

 

An Old Story:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

 

The Indian Version:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter and is out in the cold.

The shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.

Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.

Mayawati states this as "injustice" to Minorities.

Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper
(many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).

Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' and Kerala demands a Judicial Enquiry.

CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.

Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the 'Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.

Arjun Singh makes a 'Special Reservation' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.

The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.

Arundhati Roy calls it 'A Triumph of Justice'.

Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'.

CPM calls it the 'Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden'.

Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

 

 

Many years later...

The Ant has since migrated to the US and also recently set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley .

1000s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India .
.
..AND

As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the Grasshoppers...
.

India is still a "Developing Country!!!"

Economist has come out with a list of etiquettes to be followed when doing business in ATLANTA, as usual.. its right on the mark!

 

Georgia Technique

Posted by:

Economist.com | LONDON

Categories:

Etiquette

TRAVELLING to Atlanta is not difficult: its airport, Hartsfield-Jackson, is the busiest in the world, with annual passenger traffic in excess of 80m. And doing business in the city is not too tricky either: avoid silly redneck jokes and you'll be fine. But just to ensure smiles all round, you should read these tips below (part of a series). Locals can let us know what we've missed out.

• Atlantans are generally quite friendly. A bit of small talk is typical before a meeting. But friendly does not mean informal: it is best not to address your business acquaintances by their first names until invited to do so.

• Atlantans are not particularly fond of hearing how things are done differently in other cities: if you must compare, balance criticisms with compliments. A sure way to lose goodwill is to talk about how much nicer and less commercial the Sydney Olympics were.

• Take the usual care when discussing topics that might touch on race and politics. Play it safe and ask about an alma mater. Many Atlantans are fiercely proud of the university they went to, especially the local favourites: the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Morehouse College and Spelman College. Atlantans can also discuss traffic, and routes to various destinations, endlessly.

• Running a little late is tolerated, but try to plan for traffic. If you get stuck, try to call from the car and give your location and the severity of the traffic; the person taking the call should be able to estimate how much more time you will need.

• Avoid scheduling Friday afternoon meetings during autumn, as people may be travelling to see their favourite college football team play.• During the summer months, when Atlanta’s heat is at its most punishing, it can be particularly challenging to keep from wilting. Locals, however, will look perfectly pressed and put together. Take extra shirts to change into mid-afternoon.

• Don't be surprised if your contacts lack a southern accent: many Atlantans grew up outside the South, or were told not to sound like yokels as children. Exclaiming over an accent, or the lack of one, is uncouth.

• Despite the above, “y’all” is the inescapable second person plural. Everyone in Atlanta, from the third-generation native to the newcomer who lived in New Jersey six months earlier, uses it. Don’t feel the need to adopt it if it doesn’t trip off the tongue, but don’t react strongly to it either.

• Jokes about rednecks, moonshine, trailers, marriages between cousins, men named Bubba or women named Betty Sue Linda Jean are only acceptable from those who can actually point to such occurrences within their own families.

• A bottle of wine is usually a welcome gift at a dinner party, but some of your contacts may eschew alcohol (ask first). Buy before Saturday at midnight; Georgia does not permit the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

• Atlanta is far more politically correct than it used to be; ten years ago it was still acceptable to hold business lunches at strip clubs. Nonetheless, older businessmen may still take more liberties with female colleagues than their counterparts in New York or San Francisco. If someone calls you “darlin’”, it is better to accept it as a compliment than to take offence.

• If you ask for tea, especially between March and October, it will probably be served over ice; if you want it steaming, you must order “hot tea”. When ordering tea, specify “sweet”, which can be tooth-melting, or “unsweet”.

This whole weekend was overcast, and coming from Seattle, I thoughtl it happens..

 

..... but not in Hawaii!

 

This wasnt a FOG at all, they call this phenomenon a VOG, here's what the trust Wiki has to say:

 

Vog is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog," and a volcanic smog is formed when sulfur dioxide and other gases emitted by an erupting volcano mix with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The term is most often applied to the island of Hawaii, where the Kīlauea volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983. Kilauea emits an estimated 2,000 tons of vog every day.

 

More...

 

Recently, I have been complaining a lot about how stressed out at work I am... trying relaxation techniques, pranayama, massages and nothing's been helping.. today I came across this in my mailbox, not sure if it will help but it does want to make me stop complaining!

 

A real story ...A gossip between a Soldier and Software Enggr in Shatabdi Train.

                       

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves.
He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!

                        He opened his case and took out the laptop,
                        determined to put the time to some good use.

                        "Are you from the software industry sir," the man
                        beside him was staring appreciatively at the
                        laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in
                        affirmation, handling the laptop now with
                        exaggerated care and importance as if it were an
                        expensive car.

                        "You people have brought so much advancement to the
                        country, Sir. Today everything is getting
                        computerized."

                        "Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the
                        man a look. He always found it difficult to resist
                        appreciation. The man was young and stockily built
                        like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely
                        out of place in that little lap of luxury like a
                        small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a
                        railway sportsman making the most of his free
                        traveling pass.

                        "You people always amaze me," the man continued,
                        "You sit in an office and write something on a
                        computer and it does so many big things outside."

                        Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded
                        reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that
                        my friend. It is not just a question of writing a
                        few lines. There is a lot of process that goes
                        behind it."

                        For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire
                        Software Development Lifecycle but restrained
                        himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very
                        complex."

                        "It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly
                        paid," came the reply.

                        This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A
                        hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable,
                        persuasive tone. "

                        “Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the
                        amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have
                        such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we
                        sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our
                        brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we
                        exercise the mind and believe me that is no less
                        taxing.”

                        He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and
                        it was time to drive home the point.

                        "Let me give you an example. Take this train. The
                        entire railway reservation system is computerized.
                        You can book a train ticket between any two
                        stations from any of the hundreds of computerized
                        booking centres across the country.

                        Thousands of transactions accessing a single
                        database, at a time concurrently; data integrity,
                        locking, data security. Do you understand the
                        complexity in designing and coding such a system?"

                        The man was awestuck; quite like a child at a
                        planetarium. This was something big and beyond his
                        imagination.

                        "You design and code such things."

                        "I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am
                        the Project Manager."

                        "Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed
                        over,

                        "so your life is easy now."

                        This was like the last straw for Vivek. He
                        retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as
                        you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings
                        more work.

                        Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I
                        do not do it, but I am responsible for it and
                        believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is
                        to get the work done in time and with the highest
                        quality.

                        To tell you about the pressures, there is the
                        customer at one end, always changing his
                        requirements, the user at the other, wanting
                        something else, and your boss, always expecting you
                        to have finished it yesterday."

                        Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence
                        fading with self-realisation. What he had said, was
                        not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was
                        the truth. And one need not get angry while
                        defending the truth.

                        "My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't
                        know what it is to be in the L ine o f F ire ".

                        The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as
                        if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it
                        was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.

                        "I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the
                        Line of Fire......."
                        He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no
                        train existed, just a vast expanse of time.

                        "There were 30 of us when we were ordered to
                        capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night.

                        The enemy was firing from the top.

                        There was no knowing where the next bullet was
                        going to come from and for whom.

                        In the morning when we finally hoisted the
                        tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."

                        "You are a...?"

                        "I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on
                        duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have
                        completed my term and can opt for a soft
                        assignment.

                        But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because
                        it makes life easier.

                        On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues
                        lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while
                        we were hiding behind a bunker.

                        It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to
                        safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission
                        and went ahead himself .

                        He said that the first pledge he had taken as a
                        Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare
                        of the nation foremost followed by the safety and
                        welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own
                        personal safety came last, always and every time."

                        "He was killed as he shielded and brought that
                        injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning
                        thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him
                        taking all those bullets, which were actually meant
                        for me . I know sir....I know, what it is to be in
                        the Line of Fire."

                        Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to
                        respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop.

                        It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word
                        document in the presence of a man for whom valour
                        and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense
                        of duty which he had so far attributed only to
                        epical heroes.

                        The train slowed down as it pulled into the
                        station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to
                        alight.

                        "It was nice meeting you sir."

                        Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

                        This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the
                        trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if
                        by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right
                        hand went up in an impromptu salute.

                        It was the least he felt he could do for the
                        country.

                        PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of
                        Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil
                        war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying
                        to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was
                        within sight. For this and various other acts of
                        bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the
                        nation's highest military award.

                        Live humbly, there are great people around us, let
                        us learn!

                        Winners are ......
                        too busy to be sad,
                        too positive to be doubtful,
                        too optimistic to be fearful
                        and too determined to be defeated

I spent last saturday at the NA Ho'ola Spa, with a lomi lomi massage which was so rejuvenating.

Lomilomi, (Hawaiian: masseur, masseuse) is the word used today to describe Hawaiian massage, traditionally called lomi (Hawaiian: To rub, press, squeeze, massage; to work in and out, as the claws of a contented cat).

I decided to spend this weekend in Oahu itself doing some hiking and diving.

 

Manoa Falls hike: This was a messy hike and the waterfall when I went was just a trickle but its a beautiful place, so full of flora that it almost looks like someone's garden because the trail just passed through the most wonderful undergrowth. The trail is a bit muddy and sometimes difficult, but overall a fun place for a hike.

 

Useful Information: Easy 1 ½ mile hike along a well-worn path Wear proper footwear - the path may be slippery and muddy Bring water - there are no facilities along the trail Use mosquito repellent Do not leave valuable in car Flash floods may occur at any time Do not cross the lookout barrier, violators may be cited. Link to important information.

Dive: I did two dives this morning, airplane wrek at 110 ft and koko crater dive at about 40 ft. The water was very choppy so getting in and out was a real task. Once we were in it wasnt too bad. I lasted for 13 minutes in Corsair and about 38 minutes at Koko Head. The Corsair is one of the deepest regularly visited wrecks on Oahu at 110ft. Besides the obvious attraction of visiting a sunken W.W.II era plane, the dive site has the added bonus of being the only Oahu site where one can visit a field of garden eels.

Excellent article from The Atlantic, sometimes this magazine comes up with some really good gems. I have noticed that Google is making my ability to concentrate on things longer than couple of pages difficult.

 

Excerpts:

The human brain is almost infinitely malleable. People used to think that our mental meshwork, the dense connections formed among the 100 billion or so neurons inside our skulls, was largely fixed by the time we reached adulthood. But brain researchers have discovered that that’s not the case. James Olds, a professor of neuroscience who directs the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study at George Mason University, says that even the adult mind “is very plastic.” Nerve cells routinely break old connections and form new ones. “The brain,” according to Olds, “has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions.”

As we use what the sociologist Daniel Bell has called our “intellectual technologies”—the tools that extend our mental rather than our physical capacities—we inevitably begin to take on the qualities of those technologies. The mechanical clock, which came into common use in the 14th century, provides a compelling example. In Technics and Civilization, the historian and cultural critic Lewis Mumford  described how the clock “disassociated time from human events and helped create the belief in an independent world of mathematically measurable sequences.” The “abstract framework of divided time” became “the point of reference for both action and thought.”

The clock’s methodical ticking helped bring into being the scientific mind and the scientific man. But it also took something away. As the late MIT computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum  observed in his 1976 book, Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation, the conception of the world that emerged from the widespread use of timekeeping instruments “remains an impoverished version of the older one, for it rests on a rejection of those direct experiences that formed the basis for, and indeed constituted, the old reality.” In deciding when to eat, to work, to sleep, to rise, we stopped listening to our senses and started obeying the clock.

The process of adapting to new intellectual technologies is reflected in the changing metaphors we use to explain ourselves to ourselves. When the mechanical clock arrived, people began thinking of their brains as operating “like clockwork.” Today, in the age of software, we have come to think of them as operating “like computers.” But the changes, neuroscience tells us, go much deeper than metaphor. Thanks to our brain’s plasticity, the adaptation occurs also at a biological level.