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Literary Gems

John Wayne ~You have got to be a man first before you can be a gentleman

John Wayne  in ‘McLintock’ ~“You’ve got to be a man first before you can be a gentleman”

Whoa! Resonates strong with me !

Here’s Dan Steele’s take on it …an interesting extract below

“Gentlemanliness presupposes manliness. It’s a softening, a harnessing of the core characteristics of masculinity: strength, courage, mastery, and honor. A gentleman, as scholar Harvey Mansfield put it, is a manly man with polish.

The respect given a gentleman is thus premised on constraint.”

Reclaim Your Life Now !

Reclaim Your Life Now !

What inspired me to blog this on a lovey cool Sunday Morning were two interesting news articles today ~ one in the Sunday Mid-Day and one in the Mumbai Mirror

Sunday Mid-day : Smartphones: The new homebreakers ~ Imagine waking up and hugging your phone instead of your children or spouse just to check if you missed any calls or messages or emails while you slept at night ! ~ Get a Life Guys ! ~ just junk your Smartphone and go back to one that allows you only to simply make or receive calls and sms and throws in a games like building bricks ! ~ “But Dad ! you send me a Smiley Hug everyday from your Smartphone !” retorted my Son  ~ “That’s different Son,I use it well ! and how else can I hug you when you go and come at odd hours  as an upcoming Sound Engineer !” I justified

Mumbai Mirror : ‘I had played far too long with money’ ~ This is about a Share Broker Shripal Morakhia of SSKI (Sharekhan) who exited to IDFC and Citibank believing that Financials Services is the worst business to be in ~ no matter if you’re good or bad,finally greed takes over !  ~ Loves Mumbai and it’s pulse,just like I do, but says he would not like his grandchildren to stay here as it’s a decaying city ! ~There is more than a modicum of Truth in what he believes in !

Also Inspiring and makes me feel warm and nice are good English Romantic Comedies ~ am a sucker for these~ and simply love this TV Channel ‘Romedy Now’ that airs them ~ saw two back to back day before night ‘Hall Pass’ (2011) starring   Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Stephen Merchant, Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate and ‘The Ugly Truth’ (2009) starring Kathrine Heigl and Gerard Butler

Had a  good Sunday Early Morning Walk  in our Building Garden listening to ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ and other great Music ~ Amusingly a Pug from my Building wanted to walk with me ! despite it’s young owner coaxing it to move into the Car to be taken for his walk elsewhere ! he finally had to carry the dog into the car!

Came back home to  lovely Old Hindi Songs on FM and Hot Masala Dosas with Steaming Sambhar for Breakfast which has become our  Sunday Norm now

Alright so  I eat  Dosa with a Knife and Fork ! ~ Don’t chuckle or snigger ! ~ Learn how to from me ! ~ my wife thinks I’m mad and I must reveal this was the reason of our first post marriage argument on our honeymoon in Pahalgam after I ate a Gujarati Thali with my hands ! ~ her sarcasm,she calls it wit, spilled over  ” Why don’t you eat the Thali with a Fork and Knife !” read more

Driven into an Isaac Asimov Mode for a reason ….and Enjoying it

I’m simply aghast and how intensely all the TV News Channels are now in General Election Results Prediction Mode ~ thrashing around permutations and combinations and probabilities and possibilities and airing two bit sound bytes of  every political hue and person with propoganda and profanities clearly standing out Profound Prognostication by Psephologists and Politicians ~with Anchors plugging some as Prophetic ! I’m more aghast at how  even the Intelligentia are glued to these loud coverages and want to discuss them ! ~ I started to hum a Classic Song I love to put off one such discussion that was threatening to begin last evening when I met up with a few Took me to Isaac Asimov ~ his quotes and my brief interpretation  below reflects my mood and mindset currently “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that’my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’” ~ there’s a scarcity and a premium on those who are truly intelligent, wise ,selfless,moral and visionary ~ anybody living  that comes instantly to your mind ! “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”  ~ It’s not restricted to just West Bengal ! “I write for the same reason I breathe … because if I didn’t, I would die.”  ~ Reason I blog  to express my anguish at times ~ at most other times I’m an Optimist ! “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”  ~ It’s a humble submission that many of us are far wiser and intelligent and mature and knowledgeable and understanding  that those who assault our senses on TV News Channels day in and day out Of course Isaac Asimov’s Atheism or as he puts it ‘Rationalism’ is a matter to ponder on another day !

Tap Dancing To Work ~ Warren Buffett on practically everything from 1966 to 2012 ~ compiled by Carol Loomis

For Warren Buffett Fans this Book is a Must Possess

Carol Loomis’s “Tap Dancing To Work ~ Warren Buffett on practically everything from 1966 to 2012”

I read it this week end in one sitting till 2 am Sunday Morning !

Warren Buffett ~ Tap Dancing To Work

How Warren Buffett got his first Stock Book at Age 8 and his first Share Purchase at Age 11 ! ~ how he was rejected by Harvard ~ and got accepted at Columbia to study under his ‘Intellectual Father’ Benjamin Graham ~ tried all stock trading methodologies including technical ~ how he returned funds to investors in 1969 and suggested they invest in municipal bonds as he saw no returns from Equities ! ~ how he never invests looking at macros~ how he invested US $ 500 Million in Petro China on just reading the Annual Report ! and got out inside years at superb gains before the fall  but how these gains set off the Loss suffered on another Petrol Share purchase of Conoco at a high cost in 2007 and 2008~ how he met Bill Gates who only came for the day spend gathering of a few at his Mothers because he had promised her !

Have reviewed the book in much more detail on my company website ~ Check it Out

Better Yet  is you read the Book

And those who want Warren Buffett’s latest Investment Insights and our extensive take on his 2012 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter that was issued earlier this month on March 1,2013 and whether Shareholders have benefited,  you can visit the coverage here 

Cheers !

Richard Branson’s ‘Screw Business As Usual’ is fairly interesting but not as racy and peppy as his earlier books

Richard Branson’s  “Screw Business As Usual” ~ Is written in first person in his signature racy style ~ yet found it not as racy and peppy as his earlier books ~ more an encouraging pat for many he believes are making a difference to Planet Earth and the Species,including Humans,on it  and for some a clear ‘plug’

Many of those who read it may view it more like a Compilation Endeavour of Social,Economic and Environmental Issues that dog our World and how these are being tackled by enterprising and concerned Individuals and Entities,including Branson and his Virgin Group

One of his earlier efforts ” Screw It,Let’s Do It” changed my view of Richard Branson ~ in fact it charged me up as there were a host of situational similarities I saw between Branson and me ~ for instance both of us have cheated Death more than once ! ~ the only difference is that his adventures over the Ocean &  in the Air were out of Choice and mine out of Chance in Bomb Blasts,Sahara Desert and in a Road Accident !

In the Preface itself of “Screw Business As Usual” one gets a sense of what the Book is all about ~ “It’s at moments like these one realises how unimportant ‘stuff ‘  is” says Branson when he along with Family & Friends that included Kate Winslet of ‘Titanic’ fame ,watch as the House on his Necker Island was reduced to ashes in a fire caused by lightening that struck the Balinese Roof ~ Yet the Positive Energy radiates ~”The future is still ours to hold and share”  says Branson as he rallies all to come around and have breakfast and pitch in with ideas and discuss how to rebuild the House

The Book is all about exploring this next great frontier where the boundaries between work and higher purpose are merging into one,where doing good really is good for business

It’s a Long Read ~ 372 Pages,not counting the 12 pages that include the Preface ~ Seven Chapters that begin with Capitalism 24902 and ends with Power of Communities

The Essence is to turn typical corporate business culture and philanthropy on it’s head,and move away from just the ‘golden cheque’ philosophy to leveraging everything in the business to drive change ~ Capitalism 24902 conveys that every single person on earth is responsible for taking care of the 24902 circumference miles of our planet  ~ it’s not just ‘doing good’ but it’s ‘doing better’ and having fun along the way read more

Mahatma Gandhi ~ We Love you Bapu !

Gandhiji's Quote on Humanity

Dear Bapu,

We Love you and Need you Now more than Ever !

Incredibly through AHIMSA you successfully challenged the British to Quit India and our great nation became Free !

How do we successfully challenge these Domestic Demoralising ,Devastating ,Destructing,Disillusioning Demons of Corruption!

You fought for the Harijans and the Downtrodden and against Untouchability ~ but those who govern us have not left a single element untouched to corrupt ! ~ Air has been corrupted by the 2G Spectrum Scam ~ Earth has been raped by Coalgate Scam ~ Water has been evaporated by the Irrigation Scam ~Fire has been tainted by Defence Scams !

You tell us not to lose faith in Humanity! ~ We have not ! though even the United Nations are as un-united as never before ! and therefore helpless to really make a difference and prevent the crimes against humanity being committed in all continents even as this post is being expressed ~ Men,Women & Children are being killed senselessly that we are in grave danger of losing our senses !

You tell us that an Eye for an Eye will only make the whole World Go Blind ~ We can See this !

You tell us that we can be judged by how we treat our Animals ! ~ But what when Humans become Animals !

You tell us that we must be the Change we want to see ! ~ It’s Happening Bapu though frustratingly slow and I hope I live to see it  !

You tell us that first they ignore you,then they laugh at you,then they fight you and then you win! ~ We shall Win Bapu so that future generations enjoy the shade of the trees that we are planting now !

You tell us that True Happiness is when what we think,what we say and what we do are in Harmony~though we seem to be living in a state of perpetual chaos,we are moving towards being in sync on this!

You tell us that Non Violence is an indestructible creed and we must remain Non violent even when there is Violence all around us

~ Very Difficult Bapu! ~ often we feel the only way to rid evil is to get a ‘Shahenshah’  (Amitabh Bacchan Movie) do the job for us !,one way or the other !

You tell us that there is no Higher God than Truth ! ~ We Swear By God that the Truth is Mind Boggling Corruption at the Highest Level! ~ and there are no Gods there Bapu !~ only Shameless & Blatant & Naked Lies and Untruths !

You tell us that the Weak can never Forgive ~ We are Strong Bapu ! for  Suffering has made us so! So should we forgive those who we elected to govern us and who are shamelessly corrupt to the core ! ?

You tell us to Hate the Sin and Love the Sinner !~ So do we Love those who are Corrupt !? read more

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