Traits of Bill Gates

Well, he has been ranked the World's Richest Man for 12 years in a row. Apart from this, Bill Gates has an interesting thing associated with him:
- He hardly carries a WALLET.

Value of Education

Countries with poor educational standards cannot really achieve the level of sophistication, for its citizens, at par with those bestowed in developed nations.

With the growing popularity of education and its association with a better life (better standard of living conditions etc), there are numerous other issues that I can think of.

- Well educated individuals are usually busy because they have better paying jobs which typically carry greater responsibilities. This means less time for patience, less time for kids and most importantly less time to locate a compatible spouse.

Here is a clear indication of this:
Group dating takes off in China

- Apart from education, rapid innovation in science & technology has also put stress on the society. With gadgets at one's disposal - an individual is always connected with the world (be it business, be it social). This means less time for personal introspection. Less meditation implies agitated personalities. Peer pressure, office politics etc are clear side-effects.

- An issue that I can think of (which may not apply universally) is the constant friction between couples due to logic (Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus type of syndrome), views that are not coherent/synchronized.

What do others think?

Tribute to Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Hrishida was a great director of Indian Cinema. Anand, Abhimaan are among his most memorable movies. His legacy lives on.

Dangers of Medicine

Sometime medicine can prove the wrong choice. A drug to combat morning sickness yielded deformed children in the 1960s/70s.
Deformed Children
1972

Mother returns home

How safe are we?

Drinking Tea is good for you

Have you ever worried that you drink too much Tea? Well, I always used to do, until this research report published on BBC.

Tea healthier drink than Water

Now have a few sips. Don't forget to drink water.

Secret of Success

If you want to know more about Rene Godfroy, please see:
Rene Bio

The meat of the blog entry is here:
===========================================================================

Most of us have, deep at the center of our hearts,some things we would like to accomplish. But few of us dare to start on the journey.

We sit around blaming our circumstances on others andmaking excuses for our shortsightedness, then we go to our graves with unfulfilled dreams. Underneath it all, the real reason we don’t get the promotion, succeed in the business, or raise a happy, self-confident family is that we fail to prepare. We leave it to chance,
hoping somehow things will turn out all right. We float on the ocean of life until we run aground and wreck ourselves.

No Excuses: It’s Up To You!

In 1983, I left Haiti with a Haitian Theater company
to perform in Montreal, Canada. After a few
appearances, I escaped from the troupe. Because the
immigration department in Canada had no pity on
immigrants, I faced the threat of going back to Haiti,
and, believe me, that was not an option for me.
Instead I paid a truck driver to smuggle me into the
United States.

I remember how I had to wedge myself underneath the
tractor-trailer, between the rear tires, in a push-up
position. I was covered with dust, smoke and ashes. I
had cramps in my legs, and I was shaking. I wanted to
give up. But when I remembered my family and my
friends back in Haiti who were counting on me for
help, I had to hold on.

I finally made it to what I call the Promised Land —
America. The truck driver literally dumped me in
Brooklyn, New York. I was excited on one hand and
confused on the other. It was as if I were swimming in
a sea of change, and I had just two choices: Swim, or
die. My only possessions consisted of one pair of
pants, two shirts, and five dollars. In addition to
that, I was unable to speak English. The only thing I
knew for sure was that life was never going to be the
same again!

I share my story with you to impress one thing upon
you: No matter where you start in life, you can become
a leader the moment you realize that if it’s going to
be, it’s up to you.

Five Ways to Prepare Yourself for Success

1) Become an Avid Reader

"Good leaders are good readers" —Jim Rohn

Abraham Lincoln once said that if he were given eight
hours to chop down a tree, he would spend six hours
sharpening his ax and two hours chopping down the
tree. That is one of the true characteristics of a
leader. We all should take time to sharpen our axes —
by reading!

Believe it or not, the average American reads just one
book a year. What that means to you and me is that if
we only read one book a month in our field, we will be
twelve years ahead of the average person!

The late Earl Nightingale, in his book, The Strangest
Secret, said that if we read for two hours every day
on any subject, in five years, we would become
national experts on that particular subject. And in
ten years, we would have the equivalent of a Ph.D!

To me, reading quality books is the ultimate joy in
life. It rekindles my hope and takes me to new
heights. It rejuvenates me and gives me a boost. We
can no longer make excuses about not having time to
read. Today we can even buy most books on tape,
thereby turning our cars into a university on wheels
while commuting to and from work!

On the road to success, we must gather a lot of
information through quality reading.

2) Network with Successful People

In America, there is an association for continuing
education in every line of business. If we want to
meet the movers and shakers directly, we have to
become joiners. It’s amazing how accessible the "big
dogs" are when we attend the networking events. It’s
like being a small fish in a big pond. It allows us to
bypass the gatekeepers — the assistants — and go
straight to the decision-makers.

The best way to find out which associations you can
join is to go to the library and ask for the
Encyclopedia of Associations. Another great way to
network is to join the local Chamber of Commerce.
First, however, you must learn how to network and
build strong referral systems. There are many books on
the subject. One of them is by Harvey Mackay: Dig Your
Well Before You’re Thirsty.

3) Find a Mentor

Every great athlete, celebrity, and business executive
can point to a mentor — a coach. They each had people
who helped them to get where they are. One of the best
methods of preparation is to find a mentor — a person
who has been there, done that, and has gotten the
T-shirt — to guide you along the way.

Whether you want to move up in your company or
establish a solid business of your own, a mentor can
make a significant difference. And you don’t
necessarily have to have just one mentor; you can have
many. This may sound simple, but it is powerful!

No matter what line of business you are in, you need a
coach — someone you talk with about your failures and
successes, someone who can advise you. How do you find
a mentor?

Just ASK!

People normally love to talk about their successes and
how they accomplished them. They are eager to help us
if we courteously ask them. For many years I failed to
put into practice the old advice in the Bible: "Ask
and ye shall receive." Don’t let that happen to you —
ASK!

4) Attend Continuing Education Classes

Our minds are like leaky buckets; what we know is
constantly dripping out. I read a story about a man
who was working for a company for about twenty years.
It seems like they always passed over him for
promotions. Ironically, he had trained new hires who
would eventually become his boss!

One day he confronted the president of the company
about the situation. He told his boss that he was
being treated unfairly, especially since he had had
twenty years of experience with the company. The
president sat the man down and told him, "No!

You only have one year of experience repeated for
twenty years."

How long have you been in your line of business?

Are you getting new knowledge, or are you applying old
knowledge?

If we are going to thrive and survive in these
turbulent times, we must expand our minds. And one of
the best ways of expanding is to attend adult learning
classes at the local colleges, universities, and
technical schools. They are very affordable, and they
also have flexible schedules. There are no excuses:
IT’S UP TO YOU!

5) Find Time for a Quiet Reflection

The great philosophers, thinkers, scientists, and
business gurus always find quiet time to be alone — to
ponder, recharge, and flood their minds with images of
their future goals. We should never be so busy chasing
a dream that we are no longer able to visualize it in
our minds. There are times when the burdens are heavy,
but this is when we need to enter our inner world and
examine our lives. Socrates once said to his students,
"An unexamined life is not worth living." Quiet
reflection is a time to get to know the invisible
power that sustains our lives. Starting today, take a
few moments every day to reflect.

A Final Note

I would love to meet you personally to find out what
you are doing to prepare yourself for success. The old
adage says that the road to success is always under
construction. It is the same for our self-improvement.
If you are not constantly adding new tools to your
toolbox, you will always be where you are today. I
urge you to read, find a mentor, network with other
leaders, and find

time for a quiet reflection.

I wish you incredible success!


Rene Godefroy
======================================================================

Money and Happiness

Interesting blog entry on Money and Happiness.

Money and Happiness

American winning Sitar Competition

A cricket in court of Akbar

In the winter of 2003, New York-based musician Andrew Mendelson won the gold medal at the largest music competition in Rajasthan, India — becoming the first American to ever win the title of Sur Nur champion. He is now set to return to India to defend his title and capture this spectacle on film. Along the way, he will explore and celebrate the rich tradition of North Indian Classical Music.

David Copperfield Essay: "The Gift of Kindness"

Heard this essay on NPR. You can read the essay here (but listen to David reading it)

The Gift of Kindness

Want to be a Cricketer and have a family too?

Every boy in cricket-playing nations have had a hero in the national team (and aspired to be a cricketer playing for their country). I did.

Now comes the question: what are the perils of International Cricket?

Derek Pringle, who played for England has written an excellent article on the perils of marriage when associated with International Cricket.

Read it here: Don't marry a cricketer

What do you say?

Ordeal of Asians in Uganda of the 1970s

Asians in Uganda were troubled a lot by Idi Amin. History is their proof:

Links:
To UK

Expelled from Uganda

In 2003 on this day, Idi Amin died.
Idi Amin

Massive Dell Battery Recall

If you have a Dell laptop, you may be affected by this:

Dell Battery Recall

Please check if you are affected:
Check Recall

Interesting take on India

Look at this interesting perspective on somebody's feelings on INDIA.

10 Things to Hate

10 Things to Love

Some saints living in India.Saints

Take a Stand, Take a Step

I attended the "Music Without Borders" concert series last evening at the Millenium Park in Chicago. Anouska Shankar, daughter of Pandit Ravishankar was the artist at the concert.

The concert was very good.

But what attracted me most was the punch line on some guy's T-Shirt: "TAKE A STAND, TAKE A STEP".

Does that tell you something? It did for me.

Silver Jubilee to the IBM PC

How many of you have never used a Personal Computer? If you say YES, I will be surprised because you may be peeking at green terminals that are dumb.

Quarter Century of PC

Review: "Sau Jhooth Ek Sach"

This movie by Bappaditya Roy, an NID Alumnus is an awesome movie. The director has done a great job in maintaining suspense throughout the movie and has a well-knit story.

After "Being Cyrus", this was a good intellectually simulating movie.

Here is Bappa's discourse: Screenplay

America must stay competitive in a global economy

An initiative has to be driven at the grass roots level to make technical education attractive to the youth. This is one way by which the American competitiveness/supremacy can be maintained in the global economy.

Wells Fargo is opening a technology centre in INDIA. The reason is lack of talent in the US.
Wells Fargo to open technology center in India

Many will argue that this is just a ruse to save costs. I cannot comment on that.

Another way by which the American technical supremacy can be maintained and nurtured is through smooth immigration process for people with advanced degrees in Science and Technology.

For this reason, I support ImmigrationVoice. ImmigrationVoice

Become members.