Category: Reality Bytes

Are You Doing Your Part?

Story #1: Giri is flagged down by cops for a traffic violation & levied a formal fine of INR 300 for speeding. Giri picks out his wallet & realizes he has only INR 10 in his pocket. He shows his wallet to the cops & explains his predicament – he has only INR 10 on him. The cops, in a hurry to handle the bunch of other offenders, pocketed the 10 bucks & let him go. Back on the road, Giri smiles to himself & pats his socks into which he moved all his money just before getting out of his vehicle to face the cops. 

Story #2: Mala, the speed maniac, touches a 100 kmph on her way to office for an early morning meeting. Though she sights the police van with the speed gun, she speeds to 110 kmph – a personal best on this stretch. She is confident of her strategy – just in case the cops get interested in her speeding. On that day, they were & stopped her dutifully. In a practiced manner, Mala first finds the cop in-charge & notes down the name. Next she starts creating a scene, vowing never to pay single rupee fine & yelling about the bad quality of roads. While the cops try to get a handle of unusual feminine aggressiveness, she starts dropping a bunch of politician’s name & threats to call them. Within the next few minutes, Mala is back on the road with a satisfied smile. 

These were stories narrated (proudly if I may add) by Giri & Mala to their co-workers – all well educated & highly paid professionals. Not only were there some adulatory nods, but more than one person made a mental note of the smart strategies used by these individuals.
Street smart & quick on the feet, these citizens used conniving means to beat the system for their own benefit. Much like the CWG 2010 sports administrator who almost got away (might yet) with procuring $180 per roll toilet paper with tax payers money? What moral right do Giri & Mala have to question corrupt politicians or government officials if they themselves use their ways? What can YOU do to stop this play of double standards?

Links of Interest – 15Oct2010

  • As Nations Age, a Chance for Younger Nations: Pick any age cohort above the median age of 28 and you’ll find its share of the global population rising faster than that of any segment below the median. Will the world ever grow young again? Read the full The New York TImes article here.
  • Tata Group has given America’s prestigious Harvard Business School a $50 million donation, the largest gift the school has received from an international donor in its 102-year history. Read article here.
  • Nice advice applicable to almost all aspects of our lives: What is celebrated is repeated! Celebrate the wins! Check out some more thoughts on this here.
  • Paulo Coelho derives five life lessons for us from the characteristics of a pencil.
         #1 Never forget there is a hand guiding your steps – God
         #2 Now & then, stop writing and use a sharpener
         #3 Correcting ourselves helps keep us on the road to justice
         #4 What matters is not the wooden exterior, but the graphite inside
         #5 Always leave a mark!

Related Posts:
     ~ Links of Interest – 12Oct2010
     ~ Links of Interest – 02Jul2010

China Strategy for Electric / Hybrid Cars

GreenEarth
(Photo courtesy Joana Roja)

Its old news that there is a race on amongst a few countries to take a lead in electric & hybrid car technology. Here is the latest move in China towards this …

China to Invest Billions in Electric and Hybrid Cars

SHANGHAI — The Chinese government, determined to become a world leader in green technology, says it plans to invest billions of dollars over the next few years to develop electric and hybrid vehicles.

Firstly, an admirable future oriented strategy by China to try & get a lead in this area. It is also a positive & constructive move to counter the pressure they face from the developed nations on their green efforts. Secondly, good to see the Chinese state taking such strategic & deliberate steps in support of their strategy. It augurs well not only for China & Asia, but also bodes well for a greener Earth.

PS: Looking forward to hearing more about plans of the Mahindra – Reva venture.

Facts that make you go hmmmm…

In the 1400’s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have ‘the rule of thumb’

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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was
invented. It was ruled ‘Gentlemen Only…Ladies Forbidden’.. .and thus, the word GOLF entered
into the English language.

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It is impossible to lick your elbow.

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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.

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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%.
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321

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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter ‘A’?
A. One thousand

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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.

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Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?
A. Honey

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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father’s Day

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In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase…’Goodnight , sleep tight’

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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.