What the hell was the strange blue spiral over Oslo, Norway the night of Obama's Nobel Prize awarding ceremony?

Guys did you hear about the strange spiral over Oslo, Norway the day Obama attended the Nobel award ceremony? It is so strange and I just don't buy the explanation that it was a Russian missile that caused this. People living in Oslo said they have experienced Russian missile tests earlier and nothing ever caused this ...mysterious spiral. Obama also left Oslo in a big hurry without even meeting the King for lunch which is a customary event. Does he know something we don't? Was he in some kind of danger? Just what the hell is going on. Incidentally, Earth entering into the spiral core of some kind is part of the 2012 lore.

President Barack Obama's speech at the Acceptance Ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize

President Barack Obama's speech at the Acceptance Ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize

Salahis gatecrashing White House dinner was a threat to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also

Everyone is talking about how the Salahis 'gatecrashed' the White House during the State Dinner in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Not only was it a threat for President Obama, but has anyone even thought that it could have been a serious threat to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well. What if some LeT operative 'gatecrashed' the party. Even if no weapons were brought inside, there was plenty of fancy knives and forks to choose from.

It is surprising that the US Secret Service allowed this serious breach of security.

Creative Writing - Fiction

Creative Writing - Fiction

A nice article on Creative Fiction by Patrick Dent

Water on the moon

NASA just had a press conference in which they stated that there is a 'significant' amount of water found in the polar region of the moon. It is an interesting day for science and for humankind. One wonders what other secrets are still to be unravelled on the moon. If there is water, could there be life?

It is also a big step towards the establishment of some kind of permanent establishment on the moon.

Wealth Lessons From Joseph Kennedy

Wealth Lessons From Joseph Kennedy

Interesting tips on making money from the life of Joseph P. Kennedy, father of US President John F. Kennedy.

Prashant Solomon (prasol) on Twitter

Prashant Solomon (prasol) on Twitter: "Most matter is nothing but void. An atom's volume is 98% void. The nucleus has almost 100% of the mass but only 2% of the volume. Think."

Investing wisely in the stock market in India - some rules to follow

Investing in the stock market is one of the best ways to make money. However, it is something that needs to be done wisely and requires patience. These are some rules to remember while investing. While this is primarily focussed towards investing in India, these rules apply everywhere.

1. Invest for the long term - investing should always be done with a long term view in mind (between three to five years is a good time span). Investing for the long term allows enough time to sway through the volatility that often accompanies the stock market. However, it is also important to keep investing regularly as well. The power of compound growth can only occur over a long period of time. This approach also creates discipline in the investor.
   


2. Invest regularly in small amounts - investing should be a way of life - just like exercise - and should be done regularly. Instead of investing a large amount at a time, it is better to invest small amount at regular intervals of time. A monthly investment is a popular option. This helps in neutralizing the effects of volatility in the market, so that you get more shares when the price is low and less shares when the price is high. Over time, the average cost of accumulation of shares levels out. This also creates a sense of discipline.
   


3. Invest in businesses not just stocks - when you invest in a company's shares, you are buying a little piece of ownership in that company. Buy a business, not just a stock. This approach will make you more aware of the type of business the company is engaged in, its growth prospects and the quality of the company's management. The management of a company is important and an investor should be familiar with at least a few of the people behind the company. This is not a rocket science though. You do not have to know the complete ins and outs of the company, but you should have a fair idea based on research, news items, word of mouth and plain old common sense. Investing in stocks ultimately is about investing in the future prospects of that company and it is always necessary to know something about the nature of business, the products or services, the growth history, management and future plans of the company.
   


4. Do your own research - with the growth of the Internet, it is now possible to do research on companies very easily. Sites like Google finance, yahoo finance, money.rediff.com, moneycontrol.com and economictimes.com are good places to start. The basic things to look at are the PE ratio, growth of EPS, book value, growth of profits, profit & loss, dividend paying history among others. It is better to shortlist companies based on your own research. Look for companies that have lower PE ratios. A company with a low PE ratio generally means that the company's shares are available at a good bargain. However, there are some exceptions. Not every company with a low PE ratio is a good investment. The PE ratio is more about how much of a bargain you are getting on your purchase and does not necessarily indicate anything about the quality of the company itself. But it's a good place to start, along with looking at the profit growth over a few years and growth of EPS (Earnings per share) [PE ratio by the way is -- price of the share/EPS].
   


5. Never invest based on tips - for every 'tip' there are more than a thousand people who lost money. Never invest in any company based on a tip alone. Information is everywhere, but there is also a lot of misinformation. Tips are like rumours, they spread like wildfire and could be with some vested interest behind them. Never believe them. Tips are different from suggestions or tips based on some bona fide research and suggestions received through such sources can be explored by doing further research and then considered.
   


6. Invest only risk capital - never invest money in the stock market unless you have a comfortable amount of money saved up in a bank account. Money invested in the stock market should only be that which is left over after paying all the monthly dues such as children's school fees, rent, bills, etc. As mentioned earlier, invest small amounts regularly.
   


7. Know the risks before investing - while stock markets can be very rewarding, there is an inherent risk in investing in the markets. Stock prices can crash and leave most of your capital wiped out. Know this before investing. If you are willing to take this risk, only then invest. However, like all risks you can say that the greatest risk of all is not taking any risk. Higher the risk, higher the return. Know this and be prepared for what goes with the territory.
   


8. Diversify your investments - Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Buy stocks of companies across sectors. Do not over-diversify. Scattering your capital across too many stocks is as bad as not diversifying. A basket of 10-15 stocks is ideal.
   


9. Book profits regularly - it is important to book profits at regular intervals. Whenever your investment reaches a predefined target, it is good to book partial or full profits. You can always buy again later at a lower price. No money can be made until you sell. The idea is to buy low, sell high and then repeat.
   


10. Cut losses - always remember not to hold on to losing stocks for too long unless you have a very good reason to. The feeling of not wanting to be wrong is not a good reason. We all learn from mistakes and everyone including investing legends like Warren Buffet and Rakesh Jhunjhunwala also have made their share of mistakes. Learn to acknowledge your mistake and cut your losses by selling your losing shares. Consider it as a price for tuition.
    


11. Patience is a virtue - small drops form an ocean, fortresses are made brick by brick and so it is with building wealth. Do not entertain dreams of becoming rich overnight. Start investing early and regularly and keep doing it over years. It takes years to build wealth. Over years you can accumulate good quality stocks that will earn you great riches. But it takes time. Do not be impatient. Enjoy the ride.
    


12. Enjoy yourself - investing is a lot of fun and everyone has their own style of investing and their own choice of portfolios. Invest in companies that you are interested in and enjoy the ride. Remember this always - never let success get to your head and never take failure to your heart. Keep trying and enjoy!
    

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Prashant_Solomon

Bangalore visit

Just returned from a one day trip to Bangalore or should I say Bengaluru, India's "garden city". I must say, weather wise in India, you cannot beat Bangalore. The new airport is great and the flight was very smooth. Air India is pretty good.

The children of the Mughal empire

The Mughal Empire has always fascinated me. What would India be without the Taj Mahal or Red Fort? It is the Taj Mahal that is India's wonder of the world and the most attractive tourist destination in the country. It is the Red Fort from which the Prime Minister of India addresses the nation every August 15th. These are also two of the greatest monuments of the Mughal period, windows into a time that the Mughal empire was perhaps the greatest on Earth.

Tales of Akbar and Birbal are an old time favourite. The Mughal emperors hold a certain grand aura about them that most other kings, queens, emperors and empresses of the world do not match up to (with the possible exceptions of Ashoka, Alexander the Great, Victoria and maybe a few more).

Notable Bollywood films like Mughal-e-Azam and more recently Jodha Akbar have captured the story of the greatest Mughal emperor Akbar in reasonable detail. The Mughals are a part of our history and of our modern day culture.

But what ever happened to them? We know that Bahadur Shah Zafar was the "last Mughal emperor" although the empire had been decaying for one and a half centuries before him. This is a link to an interesting story I found about the conditions that the last Mughal emperor's descendants are living in today. I thought you might find it interesting.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/31340-mughal-emperors-descendants-penniless

Cattle class and Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor

OK, it is now a matter of debate. Was Mr. Shashi Tharoor, India's minister of state for external affairs right or wrong when he made his famous 'cattle class' tweet? He justified his online remark by saying that he was referring to the way economy class passengers are treated by the airlines. But then again, Mr. Tharoor follows his 'cattle class' phrase with 'the other Holy cows' in reference to other politicians like Mrs. Sonia and Mr. Rahul Gandhi who are also on this so-called 'austerity drive'.

Whether what Mr. Tharoor says is true or not, he needs to realise that while politicians and ministers also enjoy freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 of the Constitution of India, they also have certain duties as public servants and one of these would be to respect the actions and views of their political parties and government and think twice before tweeting. Mr. Tharoor needs to understand that he is now no longer a 'normal tweeting citizen', he is a minister in the government of India and needs to refrain from making such silly remarks that too for the whole world to read. Considering that he worked in the United Nations and almost become the Secretary-General, who needs to learn a little more about diplomacy towards his party and to the Indian public.

Delhi lashed by rains. Roads jammed

Well, it finally rained! Correction - it rained like Hell! But along with the rain came the utter chaos on the roads in New Delhi. It is absolutely ridiculous that the nation's capital gets completely screwed with just one rain! The roads are completely jammed. Traffic is in total chaos and it takes hours to travel barely a few kilometres.

Why? Obviously, the drainage system in Delhi is an utter failure. Is anyone cleaning the drains? We pay taxes to the government and so money should not be the problem. Maybe the problem is with honesty and the sense of duty in our public servants - which include the safai karamcharis by the way!

The next time you want to walk on the moon and visit one of the craters, don't bother applying to NASA. A walk down one of the roads in Delhi will give you a good enough idea. The roads have craters in them, obviously from the poor quality of materials being used in them.

I believe next year there is a certain Commonwealth Games happening in this same city. God forbid if it rains. I know for a fact that we will not win the Gold Medal for civic infrastructure.

We are spiritual beings

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

UberTwitter is cool

I was looking for a good Twitter client to install on my Blackberry. So, after some surfing around, I found Twitterberry. I installed it and used it, but it was not too user friendly and was very confusing when it came to uploads photos. So, I did some more surfing and found UberTwitter. This is a very cool application for a single interface between Twitter & your Blackberry handset. It is very user friendly and uploading photos is very easy. I recommend UberTwitter.

Indian real estate begins to pick up

It looks like the real estate sector is getting better in India, especially in the NCR area. Reports of increasing prices and renewed interest in buying of houses indicate that the worst may be over for Indian real estate players. Real estate companies on the stock exchanges have also been the main beneficiaries of the recent stock market rally.

Is this the beginning of a new 'bull market'. I think it is. Recent market surveys indicate that the NCR will see a surge of demand in residential real estate in the next five years. The study indicates that there will be a demand of about 1.5 billion square feet of residential real estate alone in the NCR. This is good news for real estate developers. Let's wait and watch.