learnings

Diary With a Difference… Standing out as A Guide To Value System !!!

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” We learn from the Best” is the theme of Diary 2013 brought out by VNC Group of industries , Tamilnadu .

IN The foreword, the Management Team of VNC …leading manufacturers of welding electrodes …..state ” At VNC, our lives are driven
by values. Values that we have risen with. Values that are the Best guide and also the Best measure of Success… Values which are best learnt from the stalwarts of Humanity, who inspire us Everyday !!!”

What an wonderful message conveyed thro their Annual Diary!!!

Team at VNC has zeroed in on the following great personalities and highlighted the respective individual ‘s core personal attribute in the Diary.

1. Charlie Chaplin…..What made Charlie Chaplin the greatest comedian ever was the HONESTY with which he essayed his roles.

2.Guru Gobind Singh …. Even today Guru Gobind Singh is reveredfor having provided PURPOSE to his followers by creating the” KHALSA”.

3.Thomas Edison…. The world thanks Thomas Edison for the lesson in PERSEVERENCE that he taught by failing and trying again and again several times before inventing the Light Bulb.

4.Adi Shankaracharya…. India is indebted to ADI SHANKARACHARYA for bringing about UNITY among the various schools of thought

and the revival of Hindusim..

5.Martin Luther King Jr…..Respect follows Martin Luther King Jr. in USA and the world because of his relentless fight for the

EQUALITY OF Human beings…

6. Saint Joan of Arc…. The warrior Saint Joan Of Arc won freedom for French people against all odds only because of the

CONVICTION..she had in her duty towards GOD..

To sumup, TEAM VNC has conveyed and reconfirmed their core values as under…

1. HONESTY

2. PURPOSE OR GOAL

3.PERSEVERENCE

4. UNITY and Uniformity

5. EQUALITY

6. CONVICTION towards ACCOMPLISHMENT OF SET GOAL

Next comes Iceing on the top of the Cake !!!! TEAM VNC has posed a question … ” What possibly can be common between a certain thin

HALF naked gentleman { MAHATMA GANDHI } who woke up a Great Nation India and “Best Wire” ? ”

Best Wire is one of the products of VNC…. The answer to the question is …INNER STRENGTH !!!

I must say that VNC diary is not a mere diary reflecting routine features ….It is a perfect guide for those who wish to follow the value system in whichever profession or business they pursue .

Last but not least, the Diary is a good Hand Book for the younger generation of today to understand and appreciate the value system in their life.

Source::: VNC Company Diary received from my Friend Shri.Vijayakumar of VNC

Natarajan

Ref…www.vncgroup.com email to …info@vncgroup.com

Why Do The Rich Get Richer !!!!!

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You often hear the saying ‘The Rich are getting Richer….’ have you wondered why?

Five main reasons:

a. The power of compounding
b. Income far, far greater than expenditure
c. Understanding the Wealth Virtuous Cycle
d. Ability to take risk
e. Deep wealth buckets ensuring no asset class is ever reduced to zero

In the real world the word Rich and wealthy are used interchangeably, so in that context I will use the word rich here to mean and include the wealthy too.

a. The power of compounding: When the real rich invest they can let each asset class compound
without touching them for real long periods of time. If you had invested Rs 100 in the Sensex in 1979 it would be worth about Rs 20,000 today – 200 times in 33 years – amazing by any standards. However, if you were not really wealthy all the gyrations in the Sensex would have worried/bothered / scared you. That may have sent you running to the broker to liquidate. However, if you were really rich you could have invested a portion of your assets and seen a fantastic growth in that part of the portfolio.

b. When a person (family) is really wealthy the income has no connection at all with the expenditure. You just operate like 2 different machines – one wealth creating machine and one spending machine. It helps that your income is say 10 times of your expense. So an increase or decrease (inflation) does not have any impact at all on your life style. Since you are saving/investing a big surplus of your income, you are able to compound faster too.

c. Understanding the wealth virtuous cycle – protecting the wealth (insurance), managing it well (when you have a net worth of say Rs. 100 crores you can afford a Family Office to look after the family wealth) , and learning to live sensibly are all part of the wealth cycle.

d. When you have a lot of money in different baskets you can take a chance with each basket. I know of a top industrialist who used to use his personal money for lending to movie making. Movie funding is a one or all kinda game – you can get 100% p.a. return or be wiped out. You also need to fund in multiples of Rs 10 crores – thus keeping the retail guys out. Such opportunities are not even available for the common man! Similarly I know of one person who bought 1 lakh shares of Infosys at Rs. 90 (discount at the time of issue, remember it devolved!!). He was holding till the listing of TCS and at that stage sold off. Only because he had (has) a networth in excess of 3 digit crores, he could hold on without getting excited about the prices. For a person with lesser networth there would have been a great pressure to ‘book’ profits.
Take the case of a boy earning Rs. 12 Lakhs at age 28 – on this salary is it possible to commit to a Rs. 35000 EMI for a house? Hardly. It is almost impossible. However, when the father has a huge networth it is possible to do so. I know of a father who has told his son ‘the month you CANNOT pay the installment, I will. Thus the son has a FREE risk transfer mechanism – if he were to lose his job, his DAD is the safety net!

e. If you have say a big portion of your money in equities, technically it is possible that you panicked and sold off EVERYTHING in 2008. This would have meant that in 2009 when the market revived YOU would have had nothing in equities – thus the fantastic growth of 90% would have been missed. You would be kicking yourself, right?So now when you hear the Rich get Richer….you know it is not emotional, it is mathematical!

source::::Article by Mr.P.V.Subramanyam in yahoo finance

Natarajan

Success is A State of Mind !!!!!

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An Incredible poem about success…..

This has been taken from a book that was originally published in 1926…YES 1926!!!!

“If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don’t;

If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t;

It’s almost a cinch you won’t;

If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost,

For out in the world you’ll find,

Success begins with a fellow’s will,

It’s all in the state of mind.

Full many a race is lost,

Before even a race is run,

And many a cowards fail,

Before even his work’s begun.

Think big, and your deeds will grow,

Think small and you fall behind,

Think that you can, and you will,

It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You’ve got to think high to rise,

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before,

You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battle doesn’t always go,

To the stronger or faster man,

But sooner or later, the man who wins,

Is the fellow who thinks he can.”

Now if you can image that this kind of positive mind mentality was around in the late 1920’s, Just imagine what is possible for you Now!

source:::: siliconindianet

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Air Koryo….North Korea”s One Star Airline !!!

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Not many Westerners get to visit North Korea, and it’s a good bet most don’t realize the secluded country has its own airline.

 

The airline, Air Koryo, is the only airline in the world deemed bad enough to earn a 1-star rating from leading airline reviewer SkyTrax.

Why? Customers cited the strange experience on the flights, which include cordial but distant attendants, propaganda newspapers and state-approved music. There’s also the food, which looks nearly inedible.

Nonetheless, the airline hasn’t had any safety problems in years, and it functions quite well. While it is banned from flying in European Union air space, Air Koryo has regular international flights to Moscow, Vladivostok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and even Kuwait, according to the International Business Times.

And for tourists heading into the country to see it with their own eyes, Air Koryo is one of the few airlines that actually goes to Pyongyang. Its fleet of Russian-made planes fly out of Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang.

Mark F., a biomedical engineer from Australia, flew to Pyongyang on the notorious airline in August 2011 and put up some pictures on Flickr. Here’s what he, and a few others who decided to whip out their cameras while on other flights into the closed nation, saw on their trips.

 

This is an Air Koryo Ilyushin Il-62 P-885, a version of the Il-62 that was originally designed in the 1960s.

This is an Air Koryo Ilyushin Il-62 P-885, a version of the Il-62 that was originally designed in the 1960s.
Air Koryo also flies two Ukrainian-Russian An-148s; the first arrived in its fleet last month.

Air Koryo also flies two Ukrainian-Russian An-148s; the first arrived in its fleet last month.

source::::businessinsider.com

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Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/go-inside-north-koreas-1-star-air-koryo-2013-3?op=1#ixzz2NPhrAPXW

Message For The Day….Know Yourself First and Experience The Bliss!!!

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The greatest defect today is the absence of Self-Inquiry (Aathma Vichara), which is the root cause of all restlessness. If you are eager to know the truth about yourself, then you will never go astray. All pots are made of mud, all ornaments of gold, and all clothes are of yarn. Here, even though you see so much diversity, there is a unity. The basic substance of everyone is the Supreme Self (Brahman). It is your basis too! Just as a river’s flow is regulated by the bunds, and flood waters are directed to the sea, so too the Upanishads regulate and restrict the senses, mind and intellect, to help you reach the Divine and merge the individual in the Absolute. Scanning a map or a guide book will not give you even a fraction of joy of the actual visit! Scriptures are only maps and guidebooks. Act in accordance and experience bliss.

source:::::Swami Sathya Sai …

” That is What I am Doing Now ” !!!

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Short story with Great Morals 
One day a rich Westerner who had made sqillions from speculating on the stock market was strolling along the beach and saw the fisherman pulling in his boat with his meager catch.
The rich Westerner stopped and remarked “not much of a catch today”. The fisherman replied “yes not much” but explained that his small catch was enough for him and his family.
The rich Westerner asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
“I sleep late, play with my children and have an afternoon’s rest under a coconut tree. In the evenings, I go to the local pub to see my friends, play some music, and sing a few songs….. I have a full and happy life.” replied the fisherman.
The rich Westerner ventured, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you…… You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.
With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have a large fleet. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to a city from where you can direct your huge enterprise.”
“And after that?” asked the fisherman.
“After that? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the rich Westerner, laughing, “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stock in your company and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?” pressed the fisherman.
“After that you’ll be able to retire, move out to a small village by the sea, sleep in late every day, spend time with your family, go fishing, take afternoon naps under a coconut tree, and spend relaxing evenings with friends…”
At this the fisherman exclaimed  “that is what I am doing now.”.!!!!!!
If you ever get a chance, think about the moral of the story..Dont get so engrossed in making profits that you lose the people who matter the most to you.. Dont get so busy in making your future so bright that your present becomes dark..Dont run so fast that your not able to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful nature around you. Dont ever make the mistake of thinking that money can buy everything because money still does not have the power to buy love or true friendship..Counting money might seem great but counting your blessings is even greater . And living a life with happiness, love, peace of mind and God’s devotion in your heart is the greatest of all..Think about it , you might not agree with me today but may be someday- this story will definetly make sense..
source:::::: input from a Sai Devotee…
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Is IKEA a Home Away From Home !!!!

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Ikea hotel     First, Ikea transformed apartments around the world with its stylish and affordable furniture. Now the Swedish furniture giant wants to design your home away from home.

Ikea’s parent company, Inter Ikea Group, is teaming up with Marriott International to develop Moxy, a new chain of stylish budget hotels for the European market.

Their plan is to open 150 hotels in 10 countries over the next 10 years – including Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and of course, Sweden – starting with a debut in Milan in early 2014.

With rooms starting at around 60 euros a night, Moxy is clearly aiming for much the same audience as Ikea. But don’t expect to stow your belongings inExpedit cubbies before drifting off to sleep on a Sultan mattress. Moxy won’t use Ikea furniture. Nor will the hotels be cavernous warehouse spaces decorated in bold blue-and-yellow colour schemes. Guestrooms in the 150- to 300-room hotels will feature large flat-screen TVs, wall socket USB ports and free wi-fi, designed in a colour palette of calming neutral tones instead.

Moxy’s decision to forgo Ikea’s furniture and colour scheme raises the question: is the Ikea association a double-edged sword? For some travellers, an Ikea-inspired hotel sounds like a stylish, affordable option. But others might be haunted by one too many experiences with 13-page instruction manuals, dozens of oddly-named screws and mammoth assembly sessions (not to mention horsemeat-tainted Swedish meatballs and contaminated almond cakes).

However, Moxy looks to be entering the hotel market smartly and strategically. For starters, it isn’t targeting all travellers – just younger, budget-conscious ones who appreciate technology and design. And in so doing, it’s actually filling a void in the market.

Though Europe is rife with budget hotels and hostels, the vast majority are known more for their sober, no-frills approach than their style quotient. It appears that Moxy plans to bridge that gap, bringing affordability and style to a design-savvy continent ravaged by austerity measures. It’s also targeting clever locations around office parks, airports, and bus and train stations, ideal spots to snag budget-minded business travellers and backpackers alike.

Cooking Oil Powers TransAtlantic Flights !!!!!

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KLM cooking oil commercial flights Dutch airline KLM has begun powering some commercial flights on an eco-friendly fuel mix that includes 25% cooking oil and 75% jet fuel.

The same oil that fried up your lunch might be powering your next flight to Europe.

Dutch airline KLM has begun powering some commercial flights on an eco-friendly fuel mix that includes 25% cooking oil and 75% jet fuel. The cooking oil-fuelled Boeing 777 flights will be tested on 25 roundtrip transatlantic flights between New York’s JFK and Amsterdam’s Schiphol every Thursday for the next six months.

The leftover waste oil comes from restaurants in the southern US state of Louisiana, where it’s used to fry up cracklins, catfish and other Cajun treats before being refined at a plant near Baton Rouge and trucked to New York to fuel the flights.

Though some say the fuel smells like fast food, the cooking oil is safe for powering jumbo jets and provides exactly the same flying experience. Even better, it reduces carbon emissions by up to 80%.

It’s indistinguishable on a molecular level from regular kerosene jet fuel, Captain Rick Shouten, who piloted the maiden flight last week, told the New York Post. “For pilots, it’s totally transparent. It’s as if you’re flying a normal aircraft.”

KLM has been offering biofuel-powered flights for years, with its first demonstration flight fuelled by a mix of 50% biofuel made from camelina (an oily member of the mustard family) in November 2009. And while the Dutch airline started regularly using recycled cooking oil on some commercial flights between Amsterdam and Paris in June 2011, this latest usage represents the first time biofuels will be used on a regular weekly schedule on transatlantic flights.

What’s the future of cooking oil-fuelled flights?

In the near term, it’s more likely cooking oil will by frying up your French fries and falafels rather than fuelling your flight. That’s because biofuels made from recycled cooking oil are expensive – about $10 per gallon, or roughly three times the price of regular jet fuel – largely due to the costs of refining and preparing the oil for use on jumbo jets.

Most recycled cooking oil today is used to power diesel trucks or mixed with home heating fuel, a simpler conversion process. One innovative company,Grease Lightning, based in New York City, has been purchasing used cooking oil from local restaurants to convert into biodiesel fuel since 2011. And several Boston hotels, including the Saunders Hotel, Lenox Hotel, and Ramada Inn Boston, are using recycled vegetable oil to fuel their laundry trucks and hotel shuttle buses.

Although the sustainability of these alternative biofuels makes it an environmentally friendly option for progressive airlines, widespread adoption of recycled cooking oil requires that usage spreads, making the fuel more affordable for budget-strapped airlines.

The air travel community is hoping for financial support from the governments where major airlines are based in the form of subsidies, research grants and tax benefits.

“A lot still has to happen before biofuel will be available on a large scale and for it to be economically competitive in relation to fossil-fuel kerosene,” KLM said in a statement. “We cannot achieve this alone. We absolutely need the commitment and support of all the relevant parties: business, government and society.”

source:::::bbc.com.travel

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