Melbourne Airport…New Domestic Terminal ….Ready for Take Off By 2015 !!!!

Melbourne Airport

Artist’s impression: Melbourne Airport’s new terminal extension.

A NEW domestic terminal at Melbourne Airport will ease congestion and help drive economic growth, the federal government says.

The terminal, capable of handling up to 10 million passengers a year, is part of the $400 million first stage development of the airport’s long-term southern precinct project.

The project, due to open in mid-2015, will include 17 new aircraft parking bays, extra car parking, ground transport facilities and road upgrades.

Approving the development on Tuesday, federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said expanding airports is necessary to connect Australia to the world and drive economic growth.

He said increasing capacity will help the airport deal with an expected doubling of its annual number of passengers to 64 million by 2033.

“What that means is jobs and economic growth and positioning Australia in the Asian century,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

Melbourne Airport chief executive Chris Woodruff said the development will create jobs and provide a boost to the Victorian economy.

He said the expansion was driven by strong domestic passenger demand and will provide for further growth.

The works will focus on the area south of terminal 3 and around terminal 4.

source::: news .com.au

Natarajan
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/new-melbourne-airport-terminal-approved/story-e6frfq80-1226622194511#ixzz2QhAfHtaT

Princie Diamond: Rare Indian Gem Sells for $39m !!!!

The Princie Diamond

 
All four of the world’s top pink diamonds have been found at Golconda…

One of the largest pink diamonds in the world has been sold at auction for more than $39.3m (£25m).

The Princie Diamond was purchased by an anonymous collector bidding by phone, Christie’s in New York said.

The 34.65 carat diamond’s origin can be traced back to the ancient diamond mines of Golconda in southern India.

It once belonged to the royal family of Hyderabad, rulers of one of the wealthiest provinces of Mughal India.

“The Princie Diamond carries a fabulous provenance, which brings together the legendary names of Golconda, [the] Nizam of Hyderabad, and the Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda,” said Christie’s jewellery department head Rahul Kadakia before the sale.

“The most beautiful stones discovered in Golconda were always reserved for kings and rulers as they represented the highest power, which was then magically transferred to the owner.

“It was a widely regarded belief that God’s gift to India became India’s gift to mankind and the Princie is undoubtedly one of the greatest gifts of Golconda.”

The diamond was once owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was proclaimed the richest man in the world by Time magazine in 1937.

It had not seen in public since 1960 when Sotheby’s sold it as the “property of a gentleman”.

All four of the world’s top pink diamonds have been found at Golconda, Christie’s says. The area has the earliest known diamond mines in the world, producing the stones as early as 800BC.

In 2010 a diamond known as the Graff pink was sold in Geneva by Sotheby’s for $44m. At the time it was believed to be the most expensive gemstone bought at auction in history.

The two largest pink diamonds – the Darya-I Nur, weighing 175 to 195 carats, and the Nur ul-Ain, weighing about 60 carats – originally formed part of the Iranian Crown Jewels.

Experts say it has since been determined that they were cut from a single pink diamond weighing 242 carats.

Christie’s say that the Princie Diamond is believed to be the third largest pink diamond in the world and was found 300 years ago in the Golconda mines.

SOURCE:::bbc.com.news

Natarajan

 

 

” பணத்துக்கு நீ சொந்தக்காரன் இல்லை”…மகாபெரியவர் சொல்கிறார் !!!

ஆடிட்டர் ஒருவர் தர்மகாரியங்களில் ஆர்வமாக ஈடுபடுவார். ராமநவமி, கிருஷ்ணஜெயந்தி, சங்கர ஜெயந்தி என்று எந்த விழாவாக இருந்தாலும் அவர் முதல் ஆளாக முன்னிற்பார். ஏழை எளியவர்கள் மீது இரக்கம் கொண்டு உதவி செய்வார். அவரை ஊர்மக்கள் “பெரியவர்’ என்று தான் அழைப்பர். காஞ்சிப்பெரியவரிடத்தில் ஆடிட்டருக்கு நல்ல மதிப்பும் மரியாதையும் உண்டு.
ஆடிட்டரின் மூத்த மனைவி காலமானபின், பெரியவரின் ஆசியுடன் இரண்டாம் கல்யாணமும் செய்து கொண்டார். நான்கு பையன்களும் ஒரு பெண்ணுமாக ஐந்து பிள்ளைகள் இருந்தனர். பெரியவரைத் தரிசிக்க வரும்போதெல்லாம் , ஆடிட்டரைப் பார்த்து,””கர்ணன் மாதிரி எல்லாருக்கும் தானதர்மம் செய்றே!” என்று அன்போடு சொல்வார். காலம் ஓடியது. ஆடிட்டரின் பிள்ளைகளும் ஆடிட்டர்களாகவே பணியாற்றினர். பெண்ணும் ஒரு ஆடிட்டரையே திருமணம் செய்து கொண்டு செல்வச்செழிப்போடு வாழ்ந்து வந்தார். அவருக்குப் பிறந்த பையனும் ஆடிட்டர் தான்.
பெற்றோர் மறைவுக்குப்பின், பிள்ளைகள் எல்லாம் தானதர்மம் செய்வதில் ஆர்வம் காட்டவில்லை. ஆனாலும், அப்பா வகித்து வந்த தர்ம ஸ்தாபனப் பதவிகளில் மூத்தமகன் இருந்து வந்தார். தான தர்மம் என்று யாரும் கேட்டால், “”அது என்ன விலை? எந்த கடையில் கிடைக்கும்?” என்று கேட்கும் அளவுக்கு அவருடைய நிலை மோசமாக இருந்தது.

ஒருசமயம், அவருக்கு உடல்நிலை பாதிக்கப்பட்டது. பரிசோதித்ததில், “கேன்சர்’ என்று சொல்லிவிட்டார்கள். அவருக்கு பேர் சொல்ல ஒரு பிள்ளையும் இல்லை. அவரது மனதை கவலை வாட்டியது. குடும்பத்தின் மதிப்பிற்குரிய மகானான காஞ்சிப்பெரியவரைத் தரிசித்து வருவதென்று முடிவெடுத்து காஞ்சி மடத்திற்குப் புறப்பட்டார்.

“”சுவாமி! அடியேனின் பணிவான நமஸ்காரம்! எனக்கு ரத்தஅழுத்தம், சர்க்கரைநோய் ரொம்ப காலமாக இருக்கு! இப்போ கேன்சரும் வாட்டி வதைக்குது! மனசாலும், உடம்பாலும் நான் படும் அவஸ்தைகளை சொல்லி முடியாது. பெரியவா நீங்க தான் எனக்கு நல்வழிகாட்டி அனுகிரஹம் பண்ணணும்!” என்று சொல்லி அழுதார்.

“”உன்னை ரொம்ப நன்னாவே எனக்குத் தெரியும்! உங்கப்பா தானதர்மங்களை கர்ணன் மாதிரி செய்து வந்தார். அதனால் ஜனங்களெல்லாம் “பெரியவர்’ என்று அவரை மதிப்போடு கூப்பிடுவாங்க. விதியை யாராலும் மாத்தி எழுத முடியாது.
கிணத்திலே தண்ணீர் இருக்கு! ஆனால், அது தண்ணீரை தன்னுடையது என்று சொல்லி சொந்தம் கொண்டாடுவதில்லை! மரத்திலே பூக்கள் அடுக்கடுக்கா பூத்துக் குலுங்குது! ஆனால், பூவெல்லாம் எனக்குத்தான் என்று மரம் ஆர்ப்பரிப்பதில்லை! பசு பால் தருகிறது. பால் முழுவதும் தனக்கு தான் என்று பசு உரிமை பாராட்டுவதில்லை! உனக்கும் பட்டம் பதவிகள் இருக்கிறது. ஆனால், அந்த பதவியின் பயனாக நாலுபேருக்கு நீ நல்லது செய்யவில்லை. அதனால் தான் இந்த வேண்டாத கஷ்டமெல்லாம் உனக்கு வந்துவிட்டது. பணத்தோடு மனுஷனுக்கு குணமும் மிக அவசியம். உங்கிட்ட இருக்கும் பணத்துக்கு நீ டிரஸ்டி மட்டும் தான். சொந்தக்காரன் இல்லை என்பதை புரிந்து கொள்,” என்று அவரது மனதில் பதியும்படி எடுத்துச் சொன்னார்.

அந்த ஆடிட்டர், தான் நடத்தி வந்த வாழ்க்கை முறையை எண்ணி வருந்தியதோடு இனிமேல் தந்தையைப் போல தானதர்மங்களை செய்து வாழ்வது என்ற முடிவுடன் அங்கிருந்து கிளம்பினார்.

SRI KANCHI MAHA PERIVA SARANAM

source:::periva.proboards.com
Natarajan

Read more: http://periva.proboards.com/thread/4049/sri-paramacharya-on-dhanam#ixzz2QbChwEzs

Warren Buffett Pays Bill Gates $1,800 !!!

There’s something almost silly in the fact that Buffett, one of the world’s richest men, earns a salary of $100,000 at Berkshire—and then cuts a check for $50,000 to reimburse Berkshire for “minor items such as postage or phone calls that are personal.”

But no number is sillier than the $1,800 that board member Bill Gates was paid for his service to Berkshire last year.

The average board fees for companies in the S&P500 was around $241,000 in 2011, according to executive compensation experts at Equilar. So the fees paid by Berkshire are low no matter who’s cashing the check. But with Gates, $1,800 is especially small.

Forbes earlier this month estimated the Microsoft co-founder was worth $67 billion. That means his fees from Berkshire amount to 0.000003% of his net worth.

To put that in context, the average American family’s net worth is about $80,000. So $1,800 for Bill Gates is the equivalent of two-tenths of a cent for the average family.

Gates, of course, has other reasons to sit on the Berkshire board. The charity Gates runs with his wife, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is getting billions of dollars in Berkshire shares from Buffett. And Gates and Buffett are longtime friends.

But Gates certainly isn’t doing it for the money. He’s a man who may have more than $1,800 under his couch cushions!!!!!!!!

source::::wall street journal

Natarajan

Money Saving Tips From Our Grandparents !!!!

Live within your means
Living within your means is something easily said and a lot harder to follow. To do it, it is just a question of making a budget and spending less than what you earn (net after taxes). The main thing is to focus on your needs, not your wants, because it is easy to let our impulse spending get out of control. In addition, our grandparents certainly knew how to avoid lifestyle inflation. If you have already lived happily with a set amount of money before, why change now? You will not really miss the extra income if you do not get used to it and it is a lot more satisfying to see your retirement account grow.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
This rather catchy phrase was used quite a number of times during the Great Depression and is the perfect counterpart to the word ‘frugal.’
Use it up
As a society that enjoys stockpiling, trying different things and always being dazzled by the next new must-have, it can be hard to shut out all the marketing noise. However, if you’ve stockpiled a whole range of products such as shampoos, use up your stash before trying a new brand or going out to buy yet another 10 on sale.
Wear it out
The best example of this would be an automobile purchase. When you buy a car, buy it until it is absolutely worn out and destined for recycling at the junk heap. Don’t fall into the trap of wanting a new car every 3 years just to keep up with the Joneses.
Make it do
What you have may not be perfect, but if it is able to do the job with a little coaxing, don’t bother buying anything. For instance, let’s say you run out of your favorite brand of ketchup in the house, but you have an old generic bottle that has been sitting around for a while that you don’t really like. Make it do by adding flavorings such as spices to change what you don’t like about it.
Do without
If you simply have nothing that is usable, find a creative way to do use something else. Perhaps you ran out of that commercial fertilizer for your plants. Why not try making your own at home by using egg shells, which are full of calcium, or your old coffee grounds? It would certainly help the environment.
Cook at home
During the Great Depression, eating out was a rare treat. Today, it has turned from a treat to a routine habit, as seen in 2011 where 40.6% of American food budgets in general was spent on eating food away from home. If you must go to a restaurant, at least cut back on how frequently you go. Ask for water rather than an overpriced alcoholic beverage.
Free things
There’s no need to feel like staying at home is a punishment rather than a treat. Our grandparents were just trying to keep food on the table and didn’t have the luxury of big-box malls to shop at. It can be nice to wind down and relax rather than always being on the go. Find free things to do like playing a sport with your friends, trying a new recipe at home, taking a book out of a library, or learning a new skill such as a new language that could potentially increase your earning income in the future.
The bottom line
Being frugal doesn’t mean being cheap, it means being smart with how you spend your money so you are able to save more for your future. After all, you spent a lot of time earning it. Our grandparents know best.
Money saving tips from your grandparents
source::::yahoo finance
Natarajan

Meet Neal Mohan…Google”s $100 Million Man !!!!!

Neal Mohan

Google global vice president for display, Neal Mohan

HE’S not a screamer. He doesn’t like long meetings. He responds quickly to people. His name is Neal Mohan, and he’s the brains behind Google’s display advertising cash cow.

How did a man who started out working for $60,000 a year become a $100 million man?

Mohan worked for internet startups Accenture and NetGravity in the late 1990s after graduating from Stanford with qualifications in electrical engineering. In 2003 he returned to complete his MBA.

His big break came when NetGravity was acquired by DoubleClick, the company he would eventually take with him to Google to drive the world’s biggest online advertising engine.

Mohan brought with him a wealth of knowledge in online consumer behaviour and an innate curiosity. He devised a 500-page powerpoint presentation in 2005 that is still used today as a blueprint for ad work.

That powerpoint presentation alone tripled the value of DoubleClick from $1.1 billion to $3.1 billion, the amount Google paid to acquire the company.

Such was Mohan’s skill-set that Google ad exec Susan Wojcicki put a broom through her department to allow the DoubleClick team to move straight across.

It was a risky move because one of the men Wojcicki let go, Gokul Rajaram, now heads Facebook’s lucrative display advertising team.

But Mohan made good on his word and with hard work and the shrewd acquisition of tools, such as the display platform Invite Media, his team made $5 billion for Google in 2011.

It’s little wonder Google paid him $100 million in stock to keep him from joining Twitter. He’s proving every bit his worth.

So how does a man known by clients as “the quiet assassin” go about his work? Surely he’d slam his fists on tables and terrify his colleagues.

Not according to sources who say he’s “not a screamer”, doesn’t “waste time in meetings” and “listens” to what his clients want.

Oh, and perhaps most importantly, he “doesn’t bullshit”.

Are you taking notes?

source::::news.com.au

Natarajan

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/biztech/neal-mohan-googles-100-million-man/story-fn5lic6c-1226614833332#ixzz2PrZOSEL9

 

 

A Mom Buys A Multi Million Dollar Apartment in Manhatten For Her Child !!!!

An artist’s impression of how the completed One57 apartments will look. Picture: Supplied.

 
 
 

MOST toddlers are given soft toys or parties to celebrate their milestones. Others get multi-million-dollar apartments in Manhattan.

A woman in China has done just that, buying a $6.5 million apartment at the Uber-luxury building One57 in Manhattan for her daughter, the International Business Times reports.

The woman’s daughter will be in wealthy company as the building, which will be finished next year, will also be the future home to several international billionaires.

According to the New York Times, the billionaire buyers include at least two others from China, a Canadian, a Nigerian and a Briton, as well as several wealthy Americans.

The building’s developers said that a handful of buyers were “significant Forbes billionaires”.

Kevin Brown, senior vice president for Sotheby’s International Realty, told China’s state-run news channel CCTV News this week that he was touring Manhattan with the mother when he asked her why she wanted to buy.

“She said that it had to do with her daughter, who was either going to go to Columbia or NYU, maybe Harvard, and so she needed to be in the centre of the city, and that was the reason why she was picking this one particular apartment,” he said.

“I said, ‘How old is your daughter?’ And she said, ‘Well, she’s two.’ And I was just shocked.”

The building previously made headlines in New York during Superstorm Sandy when a crane dangled from the roof due to strong winds.

Formerly known as Carnegie 57, One57 is a 90-storey skyscraper at 157 West 57th Street. 
 

source:::: news.com.au

Natarajan

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/realestate/buying/mum-buys-65m-apartment-for-toddler-in-new-york/story-fndban6l-1226608433089#ixzz2OowBQNhQ

Budget Airline Easy Jet Follows Ryan Air in Removing Airport Check in Counters !!!

Passengers flying with EasyJet will need to check-in online after the airline removes all its check-in desks from airports.Passengers flying with EasyJet will need to check-in online after the airline removes all its check-in desks from airports. Photo: Bloomberg

European budget airline EasyJet is to close all its airport check-in desks, in an attempt to encourage more passengers to check in online.

The desks will be replaced by bag-drop desks, for those flyers wishing to travel with checked luggage, from April 30.

Passengers who forget to check in online will still be able to do so at the airport free of charge, but it is hoped the facility will only be used in “exceptional circumstances.”

Low-cost rival Ryanair abolished check-in desks in 2009 and currently charges passengers £70 ($A102) per person at the airport if they don’t check in online, or if they fail to print out their boarding pass. Last year a British woman, Suzy McLeod, received the backing of more than half a million Facebook users after she was charged £240 (the fee at the time was £60 per person) at Alicante airport after she forgot to print out four boarding passes. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary responded in typically confrontational style, branding Ms McLeod “stupid”.

 

An EasyJet spokesman said an unspecified “transition period” would give passengers time to adapt to the new policy, but claimed that no plans were in place to charge a similar fee if they forget to check in online, or to print their boarding pass.

“We try to be a bit more customer friendly than Ryanair, and hope passengers choose to check-in online without the threat of punitive charges,” said a spokesman.

“EasyJet is always looking to make travel easier and more affordable. Online check in has proved popular with passengers, for whom it saves time queuing at the airport, and has helped easyJet keep its costs, and therefore its fares, low.”

He added that 80 per cent of passengers already choose to check in online, and that the move was aimed at making the airport journey quicker for all.

EasyJet passengers can check in online up to 30 days before they fly. They are currently permitted to travel with one piece on hand luggage, no bigger than 56 x 45 x 25cm. It charges customers £25 to travel with a single piece of hold baggage.

– The Telegraph, London

source::::brisbane times…australia

Natarajan A

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/easyjet-to-remove-all-checkin-desks-20130325-2gpak.html#ixzz2OWAuOaCC