Archive for January, 2009

What is recession?

January 31, 2009

This Story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside.

He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio.

His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs.

He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up.

He ordered more a more raw material and buns and use to sale more. He recruited few more supporting staff to serve more customers.

He started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove.

As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from College, joined his father.

Then something strange happened.

The son asked, “Dad, aren’t you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?” The father replied, “No, but tell me about it.” The son said, “The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times.”

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV. He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colourful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic.

He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly, same is the profit.

The father said to his son, “Son, you were right”. “We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time.”

Moral of The Story: It’s all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think

Facts about 81st Annual Academy Awards.

January 27, 2009

The nominations for the 81 Annual Academy awards are out and the predictions are pouring in. Check out some Facts and figures.

    *Awards will be presented in 24 categories.

    *More than 6,000 members of the Academy — including actors, directors, producers, studio executives, composers and behind-the-cameras crew — cast secret ballots to determine the Oscar winners. Ballots will be mailed out to voters on January 28 and are due back by February 17.

    *The Oscar statuette presented to each winner is made in Chicago of gold-plated britannium, a metal alloy. Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statue is 13 1/2 inches tall and weighs 8 1/2 pounds (3.9 kg).

    *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” led the field with 13 nominations, including best picture, best director and best actor for Brad Pitt.

    *”Slumdog Millionaire” scored 10 nominations and “The Dark Knight” and “Milk” had eight each.

Barack Obama swears on Lincoln’s bible

January 27, 2009

Barack Obama became the first US president to swear on Lincoln’s bible. Obama’s choice of Lincoln’s bible is seen as a powerful choice to note an historic occasion. Obama is also reported to have lunched on Lincoln’s lunch menu after his inauguration.

It is not constitutionally required for US presidents to be sworn in using a bible, though most of them do so. Theodore Roosevelt is the most notable exception in this regard.

So far, George Washington’s Bible has been a popular choice, used by Warren Harding, Dwight Eisenhower and George W. Bush.

Other presidents have opted for personal Bibles – Richard Nixon used two belonging to his family, and Bill Clinton chose his grandmother’s.

It’s disheartening to see small children fall victim to political wars

January 11, 2009

A total of 660 Palestinians, including 215 children and 98 women, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its military offensive on December 27, Gaza medics said.

Another 2,950 people have been wounded, according to Gaza emergency services Chief Moawiya Hassanein. A United Nations agency says nearly fifty percent of those killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip are women and children.

As the whole world debates over whose fault is it, the real sufferers of Israeli strike are the local innocent civilians women and children.

Sing for Peace this Christmas Season

January 1, 2009

Silent Night, Holy Night’, the worlds famous Christmas carol is celebrating its 190th birthday this year. Born as a German composition, the carol has reached great heights and has been sung over and over again to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. Let’s celebrate the birth of Jesus and this carol, that epitomes the peace that has transcended earth, by singing our hearts out this Christmas season too.