I had written about the controversy between Orient Express and Tatas for the OEH Hotel in UK. The OEH executive (CEO Paul White) had written about how an Indian brand name association will "devalue" the OEH brand. He had also raised several other issues. Krishna Kumar (Vice Chairman of Indian Hotels) wrote a stinging reply (see attachment for the complete letter). Here is the last para - which ends with a befitting line: ...those with fossilized frame of mind risk being marginalized The world is changing... and changing rapidly. What was good yesterday will not be good enough today... and same going forward. Those who cannot, or will not, understand this verity will be history. Read more
Interesting compilation of things that offend the Muslims. And it is not just that "I dont like this, but you do, so be it" type of a deal. It is like "You like this, I dont, so I will not let you live peacefully with it" kinda thing! Like in one of the "debates" or discussions between Zakir Naik and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Zakir mentions that if Hindus take God to be a One entity, that is fine.. but he has strong objections when the Hindus create many "Gods" and worship. Now, he is talking in an seminar for bringing "together" the two communities and then talking of how he objects to someone else's practice instead of trying to understanding it. The thing is pretty simple, if he has objection to what I do in MY home.. then I have an objection to HIS "objection". For, in my eyes, I have an objection to everything that he stands for! So, where does that take us? Tolerance is a negative term - conveying "I don't like you, but will still tolerate you" - but it is still one that leads to let others live with their own idiosyncracies. You cannot and should not change the world... but you cannot start issuing objections, threats and throwing tantrums for what others believe UNTIL they start hurting you personally! British flag-Australian flag-Israeli flag-American flag-Buddha statues-Bahai religion-the Dalai Lama-Nike sneakers-piggy banks-Pokemon-ThePassion of the Christ [the movie]-a play by Voltaire-The Chinese Year of the Pig-Guide Dogs-Women who let themselves get raped- teddy bears named Mohammed-Harry Potter-Italian soccer team shirts-gays-Holocaust remembrance-Bluetooth-Polio vaccine...the north freize of the U.S. Supreme Court bldg . . .etc etc Source Read more
Newsvine is one of my favorite social news networking sites, where I usually write as well! It has changed so much in the last two years. Yet it is not stopping at growing further on. It intends to go on with its innovative ways. Btw, it has been acquired by MSNBC and a lot has happened since: - Speed Gains - Newsviners on National TV - Original reporting from Iraq - International Users and Tax Considerations Here are some of the features it intends to add in the coming year, reports Cyberjournalist: - New customizable and extensible user columns - Completely new public and private groups Read more
I had written an entry on "Benefits of Dividends to Stock Investing" and somehow - unbeknowst to me - it lands up on Wall Street Journal's web site below an article redirected by "Sphere". That is the beauty of blogging and internet.. when an ordinary guy like me gets to have his story links directly on the Journal itself!! Cool huh! Read more
Now, after all these years of Shahrukh being in the limelight, the lady in his life - "The First Lady of Bollywood" - is finally coming out on her own. She will be donning the cover of Vogue India issue of January 2008! Priya Tanna, editor Vogue India, describes Gauri as "as a 'true Voguette', who offers delightful peeks into her life, her wardrobe and her man," said the report. "It is her first solo cover and a coup of sorts for Vogue. That she is stylish, enigmatic and poised is known, but at the shoot we saw another side of her, that of a cover girl. Even in the frames she shares with Shah Rukh, she holds her own impressively," Tanna said. Gauri is quoted as saying she "hates tight and revealing clothes", but that does not stop her from appearing on the cover in a red strapless low-cut dress, which ends about a foot above her knees. Read more
Either you need to be really strong or be completely idiot to do such a thing... The image above is completely real - the photograph was taken in Lysefjorden, Norway. Read more
There are idiots and then there are grander idiots. This lady is at the top I feel... Read more
This is the year end time and time for the lists and remembering the year gone by. Amongst the clutter of so many stories during the year Foriegn Policy mag has listed a "Top 10 stories" that most of the folks missed. Here is an example: In the run-up to the 2006 U.S. midterm elections, conservative lawmakers—desperate to show supporters they were making progress on immigration and border security—easily passed the Secure Fence Act, authorizing the construction of 700 miles of double-layered, reinforced fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. Lost in the shuffle was the fact that Congress had only earmarked enough money to build 370 miles' worth of wall. Give it another budget year, the barrier's strongest backers said, and the rest of the cash would surely make its way south. Read more
Tata is buying the American luxury car brand Jaguar. There is expectedly a huge hue and cry. People believe that association of a luxury brand with an *Indian* company will dilute its appeal. It is all about perceptions after all. The Indian brands, this writer argues, are not up to the snuff as of now! Is that true? The knowledge or advertising may not be there but the quality coming out of India in terms of manufacturing is pretty good. In fact, I have heard from many that on the quality front, Indian manufacturers beat the Chinese hands down, and if they can invest enough can become a serious challenge to the Japs and Koreans within Asia. Ken Gorin, chairman of the Jaguar Business Operations Council, which represents Jaguar car dealers in the U.S., has said that Ford should sell the two brands to another bidder, One Equity Partners, a private equity arm of J.P.Morgan Chase (JPM). He’s reportedly concerned that the American public won’t accept a luxury-car brand such as Jaguar “out of India.” Gorin, of course, doesn’t get to decide who buys the brands, and the deal is still open - with Tata being tipped to win in some reports. But he has a point: Indian manufacturing is only starting to gain acceptance internationally. Foreign car companies are increasingly looking to India for supplies of components and even complete cars – Suzuki Motor announced last week that a factory near Delhi will supply its planned A-Star car to Europe and elsewhere. But A-Star is not a luxury model. Read more
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