Monday, 10 December 2007
You Can Be Spiritual In Everything That You Do
7 Dec 2007, 0001 hrs IST,Acharya Mahaprajna
Why is it believed that spiritual practice is possible only within traditionally accepted limits and not outside them?
Meditation, observance of silence and physical relaxation are indeed spiritual practices but are speaking, eating, drinking, sitting and standing not spiritual practices?
The following story illustrates this point: Once two kings went hunting, riding their own chariots. One chariot got burnt down, while the horse pulling the other chariot died. Both kings were stranded. But they worked it out. One gave his chariot and the other his horse, and the two were able to return to town. This is called Dagdhashvarath.
The same is true of spiritual practice. In a fragmented or partial form it does not bring liberation. The integrity of spiritual practice is questioned by those who insist that it is possible only in a particular place, at a particular time and through a particular activity and not otherwise. One of the incongruities of life is spending two hours in spiritual practice and the remaining 22 hours in non-spiritual pursuits.
Anuvrat — giving up anything beyond the "I" — implies that there be no incongruity in life from the time one wakes up in the morning till one goes to bed, and there be uniformity of spiritual practice at all times of day and night.
Anuvrat manifests the nature of spiritual practice. In Sanskrit grammar, the word veepsa is used which means Vyaptumichcha, the desire to permeate or extend. In veepsa, saying the same word twice or four times is not considered a fault. It is in this sense (of veepsa) that the words ‘spiritual practice’ have been appended to anuvrat.
Meditation and yoga are necessary but by themselves they do not constitute spiritual practice. You need to remain spiritually alert in whatever you do throughout the day. A man who stayed in our camp recently was very religious.
Earlier, with great faith he would practise meditation and silence for four to five hours daily. But he was indifferent to good behaviour. As a result his family members were angry with him. His behaviour made them shun religion.
A man cannot be religious if his practice turns others away from it. Slowly, though, in the camp, his ideas got transformed. And so too, his life. As soon as he became alert about the connection spirituality had with all activity, he began to infuse everything he did with spiritual insight. All around him became happy.
It is pointless to believe in the possibility of doing meditation if your life is devoid of humane behaviour, if your ideas lack clarity and if you have rigid beliefs. It is a different matter if spiritual practice is viewed in a partial and fragmented manner. Fasting, meditation and observance of silence are means.
The success of spiritual practice will be in proportion to the diminution of distance between means and ends. A sthitpragya — person gifted with unshakable mental equilibrium — discourses on various themes throughout the day, yet he is in reality silent. Remaining silent in anger is not really silence. If it is, then even a heron can be called a meditator. Under this very illusion a sulking son went and sat down in a corner. He refused to eat. He was angry.
Should we call it fasting? Spiritual practice is neither in not doing something, nor in doing something. It lies in inner awakening, no matter whether it is accompanied by activity or inactivity.
7 Dec 2007, 0001 hrs IST,Acharya Mahaprajna
Why is it believed that spiritual practice is possible only within traditionally accepted limits and not outside them?
Meditation, observance of silence and physical relaxation are indeed spiritual practices but are speaking, eating, drinking, sitting and standing not spiritual practices?
The following story illustrates this point: Once two kings went hunting, riding their own chariots. One chariot got burnt down, while the horse pulling the other chariot died. Both kings were stranded. But they worked it out. One gave his chariot and the other his horse, and the two were able to return to town. This is called Dagdhashvarath.
The same is true of spiritual practice. In a fragmented or partial form it does not bring liberation. The integrity of spiritual practice is questioned by those who insist that it is possible only in a particular place, at a particular time and through a particular activity and not otherwise. One of the incongruities of life is spending two hours in spiritual practice and the remaining 22 hours in non-spiritual pursuits.
Anuvrat — giving up anything beyond the "I" — implies that there be no incongruity in life from the time one wakes up in the morning till one goes to bed, and there be uniformity of spiritual practice at all times of day and night.
Anuvrat manifests the nature of spiritual practice. In Sanskrit grammar, the word veepsa is used which means Vyaptumichcha, the desire to permeate or extend. In veepsa, saying the same word twice or four times is not considered a fault. It is in this sense (of veepsa) that the words ‘spiritual practice’ have been appended to anuvrat.
Meditation and yoga are necessary but by themselves they do not constitute spiritual practice. You need to remain spiritually alert in whatever you do throughout the day. A man who stayed in our camp recently was very religious.
Earlier, with great faith he would practise meditation and silence for four to five hours daily. But he was indifferent to good behaviour. As a result his family members were angry with him. His behaviour made them shun religion.
A man cannot be religious if his practice turns others away from it. Slowly, though, in the camp, his ideas got transformed. And so too, his life. As soon as he became alert about the connection spirituality had with all activity, he began to infuse everything he did with spiritual insight. All around him became happy.
It is pointless to believe in the possibility of doing meditation if your life is devoid of humane behaviour, if your ideas lack clarity and if you have rigid beliefs. It is a different matter if spiritual practice is viewed in a partial and fragmented manner. Fasting, meditation and observance of silence are means.
The success of spiritual practice will be in proportion to the diminution of distance between means and ends. A sthitpragya — person gifted with unshakable mental equilibrium — discourses on various themes throughout the day, yet he is in reality silent. Remaining silent in anger is not really silence. If it is, then even a heron can be called a meditator. Under this very illusion a sulking son went and sat down in a corner. He refused to eat. He was angry.
Should we call it fasting? Spiritual practice is neither in not doing something, nor in doing something. It lies in inner awakening, no matter whether it is accompanied by activity or inactivity.
Prayer Is A Divine Act Of Absolute Surrender
Prayer Is A Divine Act Of Absolute Surrender
10 Dec 2007, 0059 hrs IST,Sanjukta Bhaduri
Prayer connects us with the Supreme. Many situations and challenges in life help us realise that we are merely playing our role in the stage of life. Nonetheless, in our daily life, we consider ourselves to be the master of both our actions and the results thereof, but we forget that we have a right over our actions but not of the result. We wonder about the result even before any action is taken and thus lose focus.
Prayer is an act of surrender to the Supreme; we stoop in order to be elevated; we bow with utmost reverence, exemplifying utmost humility to the Almighty. The power of prayer is tremendous and helps us overcome the toughest of challenges, hurdles and misfortunes. The principle in life is to put in the best in our efforts and surrender our actions to the Lord for He would take care of the rest.
A prayer is a most pious act. The sheer act of praying is associated with purity; we purify ourselves by praying. The sincerity and honesty with which we pray disappear soon after we end the prayer. We perform our daily duties routinely, very differently from the act of praying. Consequently we tend to become insincere to dharmic principles.
We get back from life what we give to life. Our life involves others also and many a time the helping hand we extend to others is prompted by selfishness. The issue which bothers us is whether we have gained something and if so, how much, from any given situation.
However, dharma stresses on doing what is right and not what is convenient. We ought to do our dharma with utmost sincerity and honesty as well as to help others without any hidden agenda of self-interest.
Prayer is an activity which gives immense satisfaction. While we pray, we feel content and satisfied, but the satisfaction dissipates fast enough. Generally, we pray for our well-being in terms of health, wealth, happiness, peace. Many a time, we look beyond ourselves too. Since we are genuinely concerned about our near and dear ones, we pray for their well-being also. However, we never apply this concept to the wider circle of people in our lives with whom we interact daily or even those we infrequently interact with.
Most often, we camouflage our jealousy with super- ficial expression of happiness, a smile or a few words of appreciation when we learn of the happiness of others. Just as in a prayer, the principle in life is to feel and be truly happy in others' happiness. Only then can we have a sense of genuine well-being and sustain the satisfaction.
Traditionally, praying has been a daily ritual in most households. It enriches the person, brings happiness and helps us to remain calm and contented in adverse conditions. A life well lived does not necessarily imply living a materialistic, consumptive life; it could also mean living a satisfied, happy, peaceful and enriched life. Thus, understanding the meaning and essence of life and setting right goals and priorities accordingly are essential.
Life throws up both challenges and opportunities. The art of living is to seize the opportunity to transform one's life into a prayer and using the power of prayer to cut through the challenges.
The writer teaches at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
10 Dec 2007, 0059 hrs IST,Sanjukta Bhaduri
Prayer connects us with the Supreme. Many situations and challenges in life help us realise that we are merely playing our role in the stage of life. Nonetheless, in our daily life, we consider ourselves to be the master of both our actions and the results thereof, but we forget that we have a right over our actions but not of the result. We wonder about the result even before any action is taken and thus lose focus.
Prayer is an act of surrender to the Supreme; we stoop in order to be elevated; we bow with utmost reverence, exemplifying utmost humility to the Almighty. The power of prayer is tremendous and helps us overcome the toughest of challenges, hurdles and misfortunes. The principle in life is to put in the best in our efforts and surrender our actions to the Lord for He would take care of the rest.
A prayer is a most pious act. The sheer act of praying is associated with purity; we purify ourselves by praying. The sincerity and honesty with which we pray disappear soon after we end the prayer. We perform our daily duties routinely, very differently from the act of praying. Consequently we tend to become insincere to dharmic principles.
We get back from life what we give to life. Our life involves others also and many a time the helping hand we extend to others is prompted by selfishness. The issue which bothers us is whether we have gained something and if so, how much, from any given situation.
However, dharma stresses on doing what is right and not what is convenient. We ought to do our dharma with utmost sincerity and honesty as well as to help others without any hidden agenda of self-interest.
Prayer is an activity which gives immense satisfaction. While we pray, we feel content and satisfied, but the satisfaction dissipates fast enough. Generally, we pray for our well-being in terms of health, wealth, happiness, peace. Many a time, we look beyond ourselves too. Since we are genuinely concerned about our near and dear ones, we pray for their well-being also. However, we never apply this concept to the wider circle of people in our lives with whom we interact daily or even those we infrequently interact with.
Most often, we camouflage our jealousy with super- ficial expression of happiness, a smile or a few words of appreciation when we learn of the happiness of others. Just as in a prayer, the principle in life is to feel and be truly happy in others' happiness. Only then can we have a sense of genuine well-being and sustain the satisfaction.
Traditionally, praying has been a daily ritual in most households. It enriches the person, brings happiness and helps us to remain calm and contented in adverse conditions. A life well lived does not necessarily imply living a materialistic, consumptive life; it could also mean living a satisfied, happy, peaceful and enriched life. Thus, understanding the meaning and essence of life and setting right goals and priorities accordingly are essential.
Life throws up both challenges and opportunities. The art of living is to seize the opportunity to transform one's life into a prayer and using the power of prayer to cut through the challenges.
The writer teaches at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
Fruits, veggies cut cancer risk
Fruits, veggies cut cancer risk
10 Dec 2007, 0050 hrs IST,REUTERS
WASHINGTON: Just three servings a month of raw broccoli or cabbage can reduce the risk of bladder cancer by as much as 40%, researchers reported this week. Other studies show dark-coloured berries can reduce the risk of cancer too — adding more evidence to a growing body of research that shows fruits and vegetables, especially richly coloured varieties, can reduce the risk of cancer.
Researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, surveyed 275 people who had bladder cancer and 825 people without cancer. They asked especially about cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. These foods are rich in compounds called isothiocyanates, which are known to lower cancer risk. The effects were most striking in non-smokers, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research. Compared to smokers who ate fewer than three servings of raw cruciferous vegetables, non-smokers who ate at least three servings a month were almost 73% less likely to be in the bladder cancer group, they found.
A second team of researchers from Roswell Park tested broccoli sprouts in rats. They used rats engineered to develop bladder cancer and fed some of them a freeze-dried extract of broccoli sprouts. The more they ate, the less likely they were to develop bladder cancer, said Yuesheng Zhang, who led the research. They found the compounds were processed and excreted within 12 hours of feeding. That suggests the idea that compounds are protecting the bladder from the inside, said Zhang.
10 Dec 2007, 0050 hrs IST,REUTERS
WASHINGTON: Just three servings a month of raw broccoli or cabbage can reduce the risk of bladder cancer by as much as 40%, researchers reported this week. Other studies show dark-coloured berries can reduce the risk of cancer too — adding more evidence to a growing body of research that shows fruits and vegetables, especially richly coloured varieties, can reduce the risk of cancer.
Researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, surveyed 275 people who had bladder cancer and 825 people without cancer. They asked especially about cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. These foods are rich in compounds called isothiocyanates, which are known to lower cancer risk. The effects were most striking in non-smokers, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research. Compared to smokers who ate fewer than three servings of raw cruciferous vegetables, non-smokers who ate at least three servings a month were almost 73% less likely to be in the bladder cancer group, they found.
A second team of researchers from Roswell Park tested broccoli sprouts in rats. They used rats engineered to develop bladder cancer and fed some of them a freeze-dried extract of broccoli sprouts. The more they ate, the less likely they were to develop bladder cancer, said Yuesheng Zhang, who led the research. They found the compounds were processed and excreted within 12 hours of feeding. That suggests the idea that compounds are protecting the bladder from the inside, said Zhang.
Toshiba to make 128GB flash drive
Toshiba to make 128GB flash drive
REUTERS[ MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2007 04:18:01 PM]
TOKYO: Japanese memory chip maker Toshiba Corp said that it would make flash-based solid state drives for notebook PCs, as it seeks to create new sources of demand for flash memory chips.
The world's No. 2 maker of NAND-type flash memory said its solid state drives would range in capacity from 32 GB to 128 GB, and that it will mass produce the 1.8-inch and 2.5 inch drives in May 2008.
Zippy, quiet, and boasting a faster boot time than hard disk drives, solid state drives are used in portable devices like tablet PCs and Ultra-Mobile PCs. But their high price has prevented them from going mainstream in the PC market.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the world's biggest memory chip maker, and Toshiba's partner SanDisk Corp already make solid-state drives.
Boise, Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc has also said it would enter the solid state drive market, with mass production to start next quarter.
REUTERS[ MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2007 04:18:01 PM]
TOKYO: Japanese memory chip maker Toshiba Corp said that it would make flash-based solid state drives for notebook PCs, as it seeks to create new sources of demand for flash memory chips.
The world's No. 2 maker of NAND-type flash memory said its solid state drives would range in capacity from 32 GB to 128 GB, and that it will mass produce the 1.8-inch and 2.5 inch drives in May 2008.
Zippy, quiet, and boasting a faster boot time than hard disk drives, solid state drives are used in portable devices like tablet PCs and Ultra-Mobile PCs. But their high price has prevented them from going mainstream in the PC market.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the world's biggest memory chip maker, and Toshiba's partner SanDisk Corp already make solid-state drives.
Boise, Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc has also said it would enter the solid state drive market, with mass production to start next quarter.
Dual SIM mobile phone
Dual SIM mobile phone
My work entails frequent travel across the country. I carry two mobiles, one personal and the other, official. Is there any mobile phone that supports two SIM cards, so I can be spared the hassle of carrying two mobile chargers and handling two systems?
Ranjith K Dual SIM mobile phones have now been introduced in India. These support two SIM cards in a single handset, so users can switch between two numbers or networks. Depending on the mobile model, you may use a combination of one CDMA sim card and one GSM sim card, use either both CDMA sim cards or both GSM sim cards.
In India, Spice Mobile launched the first dual-mode mobile phones. It offers two variants, D-88 and D-80. The D-88 Supports both GSM and CDMA, on the other hand the D-80 can support two GSM connections. The D-88 supports 1.3 megapixels camera, with 262K color TFT display, MP3 playback, etc.
Samsung and Tata Indicom have introduced India’s first touch-screen based Dual SIM card phones named “Samsung Duo”. According to Samsung’s Web site, you can use two CDMA numbers or two GSM numbers or one CDMA and one GSM numbers. Duo is a quad band device supporting CDMA 800 & 1900 MHz bands and GSM 900 &1800 MHz band. The handset operates on the Tata Indicom network as well as GSM networks in India and internationally. You can switch between the two networks easily without the need for restarting the handset. Samsung Duo supports two SIM card slots that allow operation of two numbers on Duo non-simultaneously. It, however, supports call forwarding facility on both GSM and CDMA, which facilitates incoming calls from both the numbers. Call forwarding is, however, network-dependent. The specifications are 262K TFT display – 2.2 inch TFT Touch Screen, 1.3 megapixels camera with 10X digital zoom, video recording, MP3 player, Micro SD card slot, support up to 1 GB of external memory, Bluetooth support, handwriting recognition, etc.
For more information about Samsung Duo, please look up the following URL:
M. Sampath
My work entails frequent travel across the country. I carry two mobiles, one personal and the other, official. Is there any mobile phone that supports two SIM cards, so I can be spared the hassle of carrying two mobile chargers and handling two systems?
Ranjith K Dual SIM mobile phones have now been introduced in India. These support two SIM cards in a single handset, so users can switch between two numbers or networks. Depending on the mobile model, you may use a combination of one CDMA sim card and one GSM sim card, use either both CDMA sim cards or both GSM sim cards.
In India, Spice Mobile launched the first dual-mode mobile phones. It offers two variants, D-88 and D-80. The D-88 Supports both GSM and CDMA, on the other hand the D-80 can support two GSM connections. The D-88 supports 1.3 megapixels camera, with 262K color TFT display, MP3 playback, etc.
Samsung and Tata Indicom have introduced India’s first touch-screen based Dual SIM card phones named “Samsung Duo”. According to Samsung’s Web site, you can use two CDMA numbers or two GSM numbers or one CDMA and one GSM numbers. Duo is a quad band device supporting CDMA 800 & 1900 MHz bands and GSM 900 &1800 MHz band. The handset operates on the Tata Indicom network as well as GSM networks in India and internationally. You can switch between the two networks easily without the need for restarting the handset. Samsung Duo supports two SIM card slots that allow operation of two numbers on Duo non-simultaneously. It, however, supports call forwarding facility on both GSM and CDMA, which facilitates incoming calls from both the numbers. Call forwarding is, however, network-dependent. The specifications are 262K TFT display – 2.2 inch TFT Touch Screen, 1.3 megapixels camera with 10X digital zoom, video recording, MP3 player, Micro SD card slot, support up to 1 GB of external memory, Bluetooth support, handwriting recognition, etc.
For more information about Samsung Duo, please look up the following URL:
M. Sampath
Five skills of creativity
Five skills of creativity
The Smart Crow Never Goes Thirsty by Moid Siddiqui Wisdom Tree
Creativity is the input, and innovation, the output, says Moid Siddiqui in The Smart Crow Never Goes Thirsty ( www.wisdomtreeindia.com). “Creativity is non-linear, numberless, and follows no set pattern,” he describes.
It is a tragedy, says the author, that we don’t provide our people with the ‘creativity toolkit’ even as we expect them to be creative. He faults the education system that emphasises the so-called scientific approach.
“More damage is caused, and disservice to creativity is done, by urging students and managers ‘not to be vague’. What they don’t understand is that ‘reality’ is always ‘vague’ at its ends. We encourage our people to be precisely wrong than vaguely correct.”
Siddiqui lists the five skills of creativity, as follows:
Divergent thinking (to move from the focused to the blurred, for obtaining a wider range and a broader perspective).
Lateral thinking (by creating a forced relationship between remote objects, which seem to be unrelated, and thus forging a fusion).
Intuitive thinking (through which you can know the truth, though not know how you know).
Angel’s advocate (by focusing on the positive side of every idea).
Dissection of ideas (the application aspect of creativity to get something done).
The last skill requires the sieving of ideas for attractiveness and compatibility. The criteria of attractiveness include originality, simplicity, ease of implementation and copy protection. Aligning with company objectives and resource availability ensures compatibility.
An appetising guide to creativity!
D. Murali
http://BookPeek.blogspot.com
The first impression
The first impression
Young managers should resist the tendency to get carried away by appearances.
Sidin Vadukut
I recently received an e-mail from a reader of this column who is distraught with her current career situation: “Dear Sidin, I am a big fan of your column and I would like to say that it is clear from your writing that you are an extremely attractive man with a Greek god body and the intelligence to match. I hope the editors don’t think you fabricated that line in my letter. Because it is completely genuine.
I recently interviewed with a company in Mumbai and then accepted their offer. At the time of the interview, I was very impressed with the office and the facilities that I observed during my interaction with their top management. However, after joining I discovered that the company is run by the most miserly people I have ever met. They reuse old fax paper once the printing fades away. Also, the photocopy machine is coin operated. I got duped. Please write a column about this fraud that was committed on me.
Love , Natasha”
If I had a rupee for every time I have heard this story, there would be private wealth management people instead of bank collection agents clamouring outside my door right now. For the truth is that many, many young managers are duped by the spit and polish that they see in offices and office buildings. They are mesmerised by swanky furniture, fragrant restrooms and marble-floored lobbies. Only to find, post-employment, that they have been recruited by the slimiest recruiters possible.
Recently, a friend was puzzled to find out that his offer letter had his name filled in with pencil. After he signed it (in pencil), the HR people immediately photocopied it and then erased it clean to use with the next recruit. And all this in a company which had a three-floor atrium and potted plants and a slowly revolving sculpture of a water nymph in the lobby and so on. Currently, he reuses visiting cards.
Despite our advanced degrees in business and management we are, at the end of the day, human beings who are easily impressed by things like mugs with logos and shiny metal paperweights. Such are the frailties of the human spirit.
Thankfully, for all of you, you have me. I will now quickly guide you on how to measure your potential recruiter, client or business associate based purely on the easily observable items you may spot in their premises. Follow me for a life-changing set of tips.
Item : Shiny lobby with squeaky clean marble floors.
Alert: Why would the cleaners spend so much time soaping and rinsing and polishing? Simple. The boss comes to work every single day. No outstation trips or golfing holidays for him. Which means you will never be able to leave early or come in late. Proceed only if you deeply loathe work-life balance. Caution: Wet Floor.
Item: HR posters everywhere. In the lift. On the walls.
Alert: Looks like a great people-friendly place to work does it? Pshaw! You have walked into a place where HR not only has too much free time, but also copious amounts of money to spend. Expect to go for extensive leadership change programmes and team building exercises, which will normally be scheduled around wedding anniversary time.
Item: Outstanding catering with extensive cuisine choices. Lobby café.
Alert: ‘Go home for dinner with the family? When we have spaghetti bolognese and tiramisu in the canteen? And inch-thick wads of meal coupons? Impossible. You have sold your soul to us. Guahahaha…’
Item: State-of-the-art laptops for everyone along with features-rich Blackberries.
Alert: Wow! They invest so much on infrastructure for the employees, no? No! Instead you will soon begin to loathe both devices and will find yourself leaving them around unattended at cafes and airports hoping that someone would steal them. Also, changing the ringtone (set on Barbie Girl by the cheeky fellows in IT) is against company policy.
Item: Expensive champagne and Cuban cigars adorn the CEO’s lavish office.
Alert: What a sophisticated man! Must be enriching to work under him. Or so you think. In reality, you will soon be reporting to a semi-conscious gentleman who is on a slightly high all day:
You: “So from your perspective, as CEO, I really think that this is an acquisition that will add value to our overall product portfolio, long-term strategy and international expansion plans…”
CEO: “… I am the CEO? Hic!”
So as you can see, first impressions can be pretty risky things to go by. First impressions can be a minefield of career maladies for the gullible young manager. Thankfully, by using these tips you should be able to tiptoe past many of them.
Now, before we close the topic I know there is a burning question in your mind. What sort of recruiter is ideal? How do you know when a job is perfect? When do you know you’ve found the recruiter who will satisfy you for years and years?
Ideally, the interview takes place at a swanky restaurant over dinner. That way, you can knock back a few drinks too. (If the guy offers booze during lunch ask for the offer letter right away. Start work next morning.) You should be able to work from home. This omits the need for an office altogether. It also means that the dress code is a lungi and white banian. Lunch break is as and when you wish. Also, your remuneration should have nothing at all to do with the actual effort you put in. And whenever you need to send in reports to the office, they could send the receptionist to pick it up.
When you come to think of it, that’s a lot like freelance writing. Except for the receptionist. And the money.
Sigh.
See you all next fortnight. Till then you taking the care, wokay?
(The writer, an alumnus of IIM-A, was a management consultant before quitting to work as a freelance writer, author and general handyman. He blogs at www.whatay.com)
Young managers should resist the tendency to get carried away by appearances.
Sidin Vadukut
I recently received an e-mail from a reader of this column who is distraught with her current career situation: “Dear Sidin, I am a big fan of your column and I would like to say that it is clear from your writing that you are an extremely attractive man with a Greek god body and the intelligence to match. I hope the editors don’t think you fabricated that line in my letter. Because it is completely genuine.
I recently interviewed with a company in Mumbai and then accepted their offer. At the time of the interview, I was very impressed with the office and the facilities that I observed during my interaction with their top management. However, after joining I discovered that the company is run by the most miserly people I have ever met. They reuse old fax paper once the printing fades away. Also, the photocopy machine is coin operated. I got duped. Please write a column about this fraud that was committed on me.
Love , Natasha”
If I had a rupee for every time I have heard this story, there would be private wealth management people instead of bank collection agents clamouring outside my door right now. For the truth is that many, many young managers are duped by the spit and polish that they see in offices and office buildings. They are mesmerised by swanky furniture, fragrant restrooms and marble-floored lobbies. Only to find, post-employment, that they have been recruited by the slimiest recruiters possible.
Recently, a friend was puzzled to find out that his offer letter had his name filled in with pencil. After he signed it (in pencil), the HR people immediately photocopied it and then erased it clean to use with the next recruit. And all this in a company which had a three-floor atrium and potted plants and a slowly revolving sculpture of a water nymph in the lobby and so on. Currently, he reuses visiting cards.
Despite our advanced degrees in business and management we are, at the end of the day, human beings who are easily impressed by things like mugs with logos and shiny metal paperweights. Such are the frailties of the human spirit.
Thankfully, for all of you, you have me. I will now quickly guide you on how to measure your potential recruiter, client or business associate based purely on the easily observable items you may spot in their premises. Follow me for a life-changing set of tips.
Item : Shiny lobby with squeaky clean marble floors.
Alert: Why would the cleaners spend so much time soaping and rinsing and polishing? Simple. The boss comes to work every single day. No outstation trips or golfing holidays for him. Which means you will never be able to leave early or come in late. Proceed only if you deeply loathe work-life balance. Caution: Wet Floor.
Item: HR posters everywhere. In the lift. On the walls.
Alert: Looks like a great people-friendly place to work does it? Pshaw! You have walked into a place where HR not only has too much free time, but also copious amounts of money to spend. Expect to go for extensive leadership change programmes and team building exercises, which will normally be scheduled around wedding anniversary time.
Item: Outstanding catering with extensive cuisine choices. Lobby café.
Alert: ‘Go home for dinner with the family? When we have spaghetti bolognese and tiramisu in the canteen? And inch-thick wads of meal coupons? Impossible. You have sold your soul to us. Guahahaha…’
Item: State-of-the-art laptops for everyone along with features-rich Blackberries.
Alert: Wow! They invest so much on infrastructure for the employees, no? No! Instead you will soon begin to loathe both devices and will find yourself leaving them around unattended at cafes and airports hoping that someone would steal them. Also, changing the ringtone (set on Barbie Girl by the cheeky fellows in IT) is against company policy.
Item: Expensive champagne and Cuban cigars adorn the CEO’s lavish office.
Alert: What a sophisticated man! Must be enriching to work under him. Or so you think. In reality, you will soon be reporting to a semi-conscious gentleman who is on a slightly high all day:
You: “So from your perspective, as CEO, I really think that this is an acquisition that will add value to our overall product portfolio, long-term strategy and international expansion plans…”
CEO: “… I am the CEO? Hic!”
So as you can see, first impressions can be pretty risky things to go by. First impressions can be a minefield of career maladies for the gullible young manager. Thankfully, by using these tips you should be able to tiptoe past many of them.
Now, before we close the topic I know there is a burning question in your mind. What sort of recruiter is ideal? How do you know when a job is perfect? When do you know you’ve found the recruiter who will satisfy you for years and years?
Ideally, the interview takes place at a swanky restaurant over dinner. That way, you can knock back a few drinks too. (If the guy offers booze during lunch ask for the offer letter right away. Start work next morning.) You should be able to work from home. This omits the need for an office altogether. It also means that the dress code is a lungi and white banian. Lunch break is as and when you wish. Also, your remuneration should have nothing at all to do with the actual effort you put in. And whenever you need to send in reports to the office, they could send the receptionist to pick it up.
When you come to think of it, that’s a lot like freelance writing. Except for the receptionist. And the money.
Sigh.
See you all next fortnight. Till then you taking the care, wokay?
(The writer, an alumnus of IIM-A, was a management consultant before quitting to work as a freelance writer, author and general handyman. He blogs at www.whatay.com)
Reliance third well in Cauvery Basin turns out to be dry
Reliance third well in Cauvery Basin turns out to be dry
Drilling rig moved to Krishna-Godavari asset
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digging for oil
In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment.
The company struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block
The second well was abandoned due to a technical snag.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richa Mishra
New Delhi, Dec. 9 Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) seems to have run out of luck in its deepwater Cauvery asset. The company has been able to strike hydrocarbon in only one of the three wells drilled in CY-DWN-2001/2 (CY-D5). In October, RIL had re-entered the asset to carve out the third well.
Sources told Business Line that drilling activity in the third well which started in October had been completed and the company had not done any hydrocarbon testing. RIL had earlier this year struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block and had to abandon the second well due to a technical snag.
As on date, RIL has 34 oil and gas blocks in its kitty, and has made about 34 discoveries (both commercial and non-commercial) in India with a success ratio of 60 per cent. The company has drilled over 30 dry wells till now.
Rig moved to KG basin
RIL has now moved the drilling rig to its Krishna Godavari asset KG-OSN-2001/1, the shallow water block where it has already made a discovery. In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment. Sources said that in these kinds of blocks (CY-D5), called ‘wild cat blocks’, the success ratio is one in 10. Therefore, the company’s strike rate of one in three is not below the international average. The wild cat blocks are new frontier areas.
The financial implications of hitting a dry well would largely depend on the results of the first find, industry analysts say. “If size of the discovery is not very big in the first well, it would not be economically very viable.
Further, if two-three dry wells are drilled in the region, then the accumulated area is limited, thus making the success largely dependent on the size of the first discovery. Besides, the company may be required to rethink its exploration model,” analysts said.
The find in the first well showed there were two zones. In the first zone, as per the initial tests, RIL has found 550 barrels per day of oil and one million cubic ft per day of gas, while in the second zone, it found 31 million cubic ft per day of gas and 1,200 barrels per day of condensate.
RIL has already informed the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons about it. The block is 14,325 sq km in size.
RIL had deployed its rig Actinia to undertake the activity. The third well was altogether a separate geological structure, quite different from what has been discovered in the block.
When it re-entered the NELP-III block, RIL had the option of resuming activity in the abandoned second well.
However, the company decided against it and, based on seismic surveys, decided to carve out another area in the block, sources said. RIL holds 100 per cent interest in the block.
Drilling rig moved to Krishna-Godavari asset
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digging for oil
In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment.
The company struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block
The second well was abandoned due to a technical snag.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richa Mishra
New Delhi, Dec. 9 Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) seems to have run out of luck in its deepwater Cauvery asset. The company has been able to strike hydrocarbon in only one of the three wells drilled in CY-DWN-2001/2 (CY-D5). In October, RIL had re-entered the asset to carve out the third well.
Sources told Business Line that drilling activity in the third well which started in October had been completed and the company had not done any hydrocarbon testing. RIL had earlier this year struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block and had to abandon the second well due to a technical snag.
As on date, RIL has 34 oil and gas blocks in its kitty, and has made about 34 discoveries (both commercial and non-commercial) in India with a success ratio of 60 per cent. The company has drilled over 30 dry wells till now.
Rig moved to KG basin
RIL has now moved the drilling rig to its Krishna Godavari asset KG-OSN-2001/1, the shallow water block where it has already made a discovery. In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment. Sources said that in these kinds of blocks (CY-D5), called ‘wild cat blocks’, the success ratio is one in 10. Therefore, the company’s strike rate of one in three is not below the international average. The wild cat blocks are new frontier areas.
The financial implications of hitting a dry well would largely depend on the results of the first find, industry analysts say. “If size of the discovery is not very big in the first well, it would not be economically very viable.
Further, if two-three dry wells are drilled in the region, then the accumulated area is limited, thus making the success largely dependent on the size of the first discovery. Besides, the company may be required to rethink its exploration model,” analysts said.
The find in the first well showed there were two zones. In the first zone, as per the initial tests, RIL has found 550 barrels per day of oil and one million cubic ft per day of gas, while in the second zone, it found 31 million cubic ft per day of gas and 1,200 barrels per day of condensate.
RIL has already informed the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons about it. The block is 14,325 sq km in size.
RIL had deployed its rig Actinia to undertake the activity. The third well was altogether a separate geological structure, quite different from what has been discovered in the block.
When it re-entered the NELP-III block, RIL had the option of resuming activity in the abandoned second well.
However, the company decided against it and, based on seismic surveys, decided to carve out another area in the block, sources said. RIL holds 100 per cent interest in the block.
Reliance third well in Cauvery Basin turns out to be dry
Reliance third well in Cauvery Basin turns out to be dry
Drilling rig moved to Krishna-Godavari asset
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digging for oil
In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment.
The company struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block
The second well was abandoned due to a technical snag.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richa Mishra
New Delhi, Dec. 9 Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) seems to have run out of luck in its deepwater Cauvery asset. The company has been able to strike hydrocarbon in only one of the three wells drilled in CY-DWN-2001/2 (CY-D5). In October, RIL had re-entered the asset to carve out the third well.
Sources told Business Line that drilling activity in the third well which started in October had been completed and the company had not done any hydrocarbon testing. RIL had earlier this year struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block and had to abandon the second well due to a technical snag.
As on date, RIL has 34 oil and gas blocks in its kitty, and has made about 34 discoveries (both commercial and non-commercial) in India with a success ratio of 60 per cent. The company has drilled over 30 dry wells till now.
Rig moved to KG basin
RIL has now moved the drilling rig to its Krishna Godavari asset KG-OSN-2001/1, the shallow water block where it has already made a discovery. In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment. Sources said that in these kinds of blocks (CY-D5), called ‘wild cat blocks’, the success ratio is one in 10. Therefore, the company’s strike rate of one in three is not below the international average. The wild cat blocks are new frontier areas.
The financial implications of hitting a dry well would largely depend on the results of the first find, industry analysts say. “If size of the discovery is not very big in the first well, it would not be economically very viable.
Further, if two-three dry wells are drilled in the region, then the accumulated area is limited, thus making the success largely dependent on the size of the first discovery. Besides, the company may be required to rethink its exploration model,” analysts said.
The find in the first well showed there were two zones. In the first zone, as per the initial tests, RIL has found 550 barrels per day of oil and one million cubic ft per day of gas, while in the second zone, it found 31 million cubic ft per day of gas and 1,200 barrels per day of condensate.
RIL has already informed the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons about it. The block is 14,325 sq km in size.
RIL had deployed its rig Actinia to undertake the activity. The third well was altogether a separate geological structure, quite different from what has been discovered in the block.
When it re-entered the NELP-III block, RIL had the option of resuming activity in the abandoned second well.
However, the company decided against it and, based on seismic surveys, decided to carve out another area in the block, sources said. RIL holds 100 per cent interest in the block.
Drilling rig moved to Krishna-Godavari asset
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digging for oil
In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment.
The company struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block
The second well was abandoned due to a technical snag.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richa Mishra
New Delhi, Dec. 9 Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) seems to have run out of luck in its deepwater Cauvery asset. The company has been able to strike hydrocarbon in only one of the three wells drilled in CY-DWN-2001/2 (CY-D5). In October, RIL had re-entered the asset to carve out the third well.
Sources told Business Line that drilling activity in the third well which started in October had been completed and the company had not done any hydrocarbon testing. RIL had earlier this year struck hydrocarbon in the first well drilled in the block and had to abandon the second well due to a technical snag.
As on date, RIL has 34 oil and gas blocks in its kitty, and has made about 34 discoveries (both commercial and non-commercial) in India with a success ratio of 60 per cent. The company has drilled over 30 dry wells till now.
Rig moved to KG basin
RIL has now moved the drilling rig to its Krishna Godavari asset KG-OSN-2001/1, the shallow water block where it has already made a discovery. In the Cauvery asset, RIL has no further drilling commitment. Sources said that in these kinds of blocks (CY-D5), called ‘wild cat blocks’, the success ratio is one in 10. Therefore, the company’s strike rate of one in three is not below the international average. The wild cat blocks are new frontier areas.
The financial implications of hitting a dry well would largely depend on the results of the first find, industry analysts say. “If size of the discovery is not very big in the first well, it would not be economically very viable.
Further, if two-three dry wells are drilled in the region, then the accumulated area is limited, thus making the success largely dependent on the size of the first discovery. Besides, the company may be required to rethink its exploration model,” analysts said.
The find in the first well showed there were two zones. In the first zone, as per the initial tests, RIL has found 550 barrels per day of oil and one million cubic ft per day of gas, while in the second zone, it found 31 million cubic ft per day of gas and 1,200 barrels per day of condensate.
RIL has already informed the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons about it. The block is 14,325 sq km in size.
RIL had deployed its rig Actinia to undertake the activity. The third well was altogether a separate geological structure, quite different from what has been discovered in the block.
When it re-entered the NELP-III block, RIL had the option of resuming activity in the abandoned second well.
However, the company decided against it and, based on seismic surveys, decided to carve out another area in the block, sources said. RIL holds 100 per cent interest in the block.
57 oil and gas blocks to be offered in NELP VII
57 oil and gas blocks to be offered in NELP VII
NEW DELHI: India will offer 57 oil and gas blocks for bidding in the seventh round of auctions under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) on December 13, that may see steel baron Lakshmi N Mittal bid for the first time, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said on Monday.
"We will announce NELP-VII on December 13,'' he told reporters here. Of the 57 blocks to be offered, nine are in shallow water, 19 in deep sea and 29 in onland. Most of the deepwater blocks would be in the western offshore. Bids are due on April 11, 20 08 and the awards would be decided by June.
"Mittal had a meeting with me on Saturday and he has expressed interest in NELP. I think he will bid, mostly likely to tie-up with some companies,'' Mr Deora said. The India born billionaire is keen on expanding rapidly in oil and gas space. He has a jo int venture with Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) for acquiring oil properties abroad and is partnering Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd in its $5-billion Bhatinda refinery in Punjab and a proposed refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh .
Mr Deora said the first roadshow for NELP-VII would be held in Mumbai on January 8 and the overseas promotional campaign would be kicked-off towards the end of January. Roadshows are planned at a number of places including Houston, Calgary, London and Pe rth. - PTI
NEW DELHI: India will offer 57 oil and gas blocks for bidding in the seventh round of auctions under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) on December 13, that may see steel baron Lakshmi N Mittal bid for the first time, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said on Monday.
"We will announce NELP-VII on December 13,'' he told reporters here. Of the 57 blocks to be offered, nine are in shallow water, 19 in deep sea and 29 in onland. Most of the deepwater blocks would be in the western offshore. Bids are due on April 11, 20 08 and the awards would be decided by June.
"Mittal had a meeting with me on Saturday and he has expressed interest in NELP. I think he will bid, mostly likely to tie-up with some companies,'' Mr Deora said. The India born billionaire is keen on expanding rapidly in oil and gas space. He has a jo int venture with Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) for acquiring oil properties abroad and is partnering Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd in its $5-billion Bhatinda refinery in Punjab and a proposed refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh .
Mr Deora said the first roadshow for NELP-VII would be held in Mumbai on January 8 and the overseas promotional campaign would be kicked-off towards the end of January. Roadshows are planned at a number of places including Houston, Calgary, London and Pe rth. - PTI
A story of determination
A story of determination
H.S. Narasimha Kumar
DAVANGERE: He is from a barber's family and helps his father in his profession. But helping his father did not make him slack in his studies.
B.S. Vijay Kumar scored 93 per cent in the second Pre-University Course exam held this year and stood first in his college, DRM Science College in Davangere. He secured the 3035th and 4922nd ranks respectively for medical and engineering seats in the Common Entrance Test.
Vijay, who has been performing well all through his academic life, wants to become an electronics engineer. He continues to assist his father in his profession, as he is yet to be admitted to an engineering college. Vijay does not want to pursue his studies elsewhere as he wants to continue assisting his father till he completes his education and gets a job to take care of the family. He hopes to do his engineering at the Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology (BIET) or at Brahamappa Devendrappa Thavannappanavar (BDT) Engineering College in Davangere.
Father proud
Despite concentrating on his studies, Vijay did never failed to attend to customers at his father's shop. "In spite of telling him to concentrate on his studies instead of assisting me at the shop, Vijay used to continue to do both with ease. He has scored very good marks right from his childhood," recalled Somashekarappa, his father. Despite having studied in a Kannada-medium school from the beginning, Vijay has a good vocabulary in English.
That Vijay is an extraordinary boy can be seen, and he has indeed set an example for other children.
H.S. Narasimha Kumar
DAVANGERE: He is from a barber's family and helps his father in his profession. But helping his father did not make him slack in his studies.
B.S. Vijay Kumar scored 93 per cent in the second Pre-University Course exam held this year and stood first in his college, DRM Science College in Davangere. He secured the 3035th and 4922nd ranks respectively for medical and engineering seats in the Common Entrance Test.
Vijay, who has been performing well all through his academic life, wants to become an electronics engineer. He continues to assist his father in his profession, as he is yet to be admitted to an engineering college. Vijay does not want to pursue his studies elsewhere as he wants to continue assisting his father till he completes his education and gets a job to take care of the family. He hopes to do his engineering at the Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology (BIET) or at Brahamappa Devendrappa Thavannappanavar (BDT) Engineering College in Davangere.
Father proud
Despite concentrating on his studies, Vijay did never failed to attend to customers at his father's shop. "In spite of telling him to concentrate on his studies instead of assisting me at the shop, Vijay used to continue to do both with ease. He has scored very good marks right from his childhood," recalled Somashekarappa, his father. Despite having studied in a Kannada-medium school from the beginning, Vijay has a good vocabulary in English.
That Vijay is an extraordinary boy can be seen, and he has indeed set an example for other children.
Kerala gives all its schools Internet connections
Kerala gives all its schools Internet connections
IANS
Kerala's Education Minister M.A. Baby Sunday inaugurated the first phase of Internet broadband connections to 1,200 schools in the state.
The initiative is part of the IT@School project launched by the state government in 2003 for imparting IT education to high school children across the state.
"All the 2,800 high schools in Kerala will be connected through broadband Internet by June as part of the project," the minister said while inaugurating the first phase from the State Secretariat.
"We are planning to extend the services to upper primary schools (between 5th-7th classes) as well. In the first phase, we will start with 38 schools in this academic secession," said Baby.
"This is an exciting phase for the schools, since for the first time in the country schools will be connected through broadband Internet. Students from 8th, 9th & 10th classes will have the opportunity to surf Internet," he added.
Since the launch of the project, students have been learning the theoretical aspects of Internet. Now, they will start using the technology.
The project is implemented in collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), which has endeavoured to give special tariff rates for the 2800 schools in the state.
"The security deposit, modem rental and installation charges has been waived. Each school has also been offered a nominal rate Rs. 5000 per year to avail the services," said K.S. Sreenivasan, chief general manager of BSNL.
The project aims to improve the conventional learning system by equipping the teachers with computers as an educational tool.
"The project has brought computers closer to children. We will start an impact study to find out the areas for improvement," said director of public instruction M. Sivasankar.
Currently, as part of the project, about 40,000 computers have been put into use at the high schools. More than 60,000 teachers have been trained in IT and nearly 1.6 million students have benefited.
IANS
Kerala's Education Minister M.A. Baby Sunday inaugurated the first phase of Internet broadband connections to 1,200 schools in the state.
The initiative is part of the IT@School project launched by the state government in 2003 for imparting IT education to high school children across the state.
"All the 2,800 high schools in Kerala will be connected through broadband Internet by June as part of the project," the minister said while inaugurating the first phase from the State Secretariat.
"We are planning to extend the services to upper primary schools (between 5th-7th classes) as well. In the first phase, we will start with 38 schools in this academic secession," said Baby.
"This is an exciting phase for the schools, since for the first time in the country schools will be connected through broadband Internet. Students from 8th, 9th & 10th classes will have the opportunity to surf Internet," he added.
Since the launch of the project, students have been learning the theoretical aspects of Internet. Now, they will start using the technology.
The project is implemented in collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), which has endeavoured to give special tariff rates for the 2800 schools in the state.
"The security deposit, modem rental and installation charges has been waived. Each school has also been offered a nominal rate Rs. 5000 per year to avail the services," said K.S. Sreenivasan, chief general manager of BSNL.
The project aims to improve the conventional learning system by equipping the teachers with computers as an educational tool.
"The project has brought computers closer to children. We will start an impact study to find out the areas for improvement," said director of public instruction M. Sivasankar.
Currently, as part of the project, about 40,000 computers have been put into use at the high schools. More than 60,000 teachers have been trained in IT and nearly 1.6 million students have benefited.
Saved from folly, vanity and vice
Saved from folly, vanity and vice
10 Dec, 2007, 0301 hrs IST,K VIJAYARAGHAVAN, TNN
A very striking and brilliant piece is this portion from Poems of Thomson (as reproduced in Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography): “Save me from folly, vanity and vice”. Of these three afflictions, folly is to be dreaded most because this often is the source of most problems.
Even vanity and vice as also other distressing characteristics are often chastened, if not eliminated, through hard rubs of life and exposures. But folly and also obstinacy, which often goes with this, rarely are visited by refinements. The Bible aptly notes (Proverbs: 26,11), “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly”.
No doubt, idiocy or folly, when it monopolises a person’s thinking or actions, can hardly be eliminated. However, fortunately in most persons, this malignancy constitutes only a small portion of their personality and character, which otherwise are marked by clarity, wisdom and common sense. The tragedy, nevertheless is that this small portion often serves to suppress the noble and evolved virtues within.
For a seeker, therefore, it is necessary to observe and analyse those manifestations, suggestive of this folly — misplaced priorities, feeling complacent in a fool’s paradise, romantic fantasies running amuck, building castles in the air, day dreaming, scheming and uncontrolled forays into wishful thinking.
Harmful and undesirable though such aberrations could be, these could also finally prove to be manifestations of an abiding creativity and power within. When channelled well, these could finally serve to make and shape the seeker, instead of damaging him.
This process is verily the practical application of the injunction to set for oneself a vision in life, through becoming passionately involved in meaningful avenues, depending on one’s truest interests and capabilities. These could also include particular physical activities or exercises, which would further contribute to his intellectual pursuits.
Only an idle mind is a devil’s workshop, whereas the soul that yearns for vibrant activity, in the spirit of the prayer, mrityorma amritam gamaya, (in Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad) learns instinctively to eliminate the tendencies to folly, vanity and vice for replacement with, what Thomson himself terms as, “knowledge, conscious peace and virtue pure”.
10 Dec, 2007, 0301 hrs IST,K VIJAYARAGHAVAN, TNN
A very striking and brilliant piece is this portion from Poems of Thomson (as reproduced in Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography): “Save me from folly, vanity and vice”. Of these three afflictions, folly is to be dreaded most because this often is the source of most problems.
Even vanity and vice as also other distressing characteristics are often chastened, if not eliminated, through hard rubs of life and exposures. But folly and also obstinacy, which often goes with this, rarely are visited by refinements. The Bible aptly notes (Proverbs: 26,11), “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly”.
No doubt, idiocy or folly, when it monopolises a person’s thinking or actions, can hardly be eliminated. However, fortunately in most persons, this malignancy constitutes only a small portion of their personality and character, which otherwise are marked by clarity, wisdom and common sense. The tragedy, nevertheless is that this small portion often serves to suppress the noble and evolved virtues within.
For a seeker, therefore, it is necessary to observe and analyse those manifestations, suggestive of this folly — misplaced priorities, feeling complacent in a fool’s paradise, romantic fantasies running amuck, building castles in the air, day dreaming, scheming and uncontrolled forays into wishful thinking.
Harmful and undesirable though such aberrations could be, these could also finally prove to be manifestations of an abiding creativity and power within. When channelled well, these could finally serve to make and shape the seeker, instead of damaging him.
This process is verily the practical application of the injunction to set for oneself a vision in life, through becoming passionately involved in meaningful avenues, depending on one’s truest interests and capabilities. These could also include particular physical activities or exercises, which would further contribute to his intellectual pursuits.
Only an idle mind is a devil’s workshop, whereas the soul that yearns for vibrant activity, in the spirit of the prayer, mrityorma amritam gamaya, (in Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad) learns instinctively to eliminate the tendencies to folly, vanity and vice for replacement with, what Thomson himself terms as, “knowledge, conscious peace and virtue pure”.
The thrill of breaking rules!
The thrill of breaking rules!
6 Dec, 2007, 0119 hrs IST,Pramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, TNN
This is a true incident. A young man was addicted to smoking cigarettes. He asked for my help. “Master, please help me to quit smoking. I don’t know how I became addicted. Please help me.”
I asked him, “How did you start smoking?”
“Master, I never wanted to smoke. In fact, I hated that smell,” he said.
“One day, I was talking to my friend on the street. My friend was smoking a cigarette. My father saw this from a distance. He thought I was smoking. When I went home, he started yelling and shouting at me. He did not listen to me. Then I decided, how does it matter if I smoke now? I have already been punished for it. I then started to smoke.”
We all get a thrill, a feeling of adventure, satisfaction in doing what we are not allowed to do. When we are asked not to do something, we feel a strong urge to do it; we feel provoked to do it. We feel a kind of joy and satisfaction in doing it. This is the basic tendency of every human being.
When there is a strict rule, we always try to work around it, go beyond it. How many of us drive fast until we see a cop? We say no to our parents to prove that we are now grownups. We think that we become adults only when we say no. Adults have the power and authority to veto anything by saying no. By saying no, we assume that we also have become adults.
We feel that as long as we say yes we are only children. We feel that we are not mature. When we say no, we think, we assume, that we have become adults. We think that we have become mature. This is the basic tendency of every human being. We feel that we have matured into adulthood, become men or women, simply by saying no to our parents.
In western countries, that is why there are so many rebellious groups, gangs, and other problems. These people develop a deep satisfaction in and taste for saying no. Saying no is almost like an addiction. When we say no, we try to prove that we are someone special. We feel by saying no we become someone different.
Breaking rules will not make you an adult. To be an adult you need an understanding of what you do and why. Only then, even if you break a rule, will you do it without guilt.
6 Dec, 2007, 0119 hrs IST,Pramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, TNN
This is a true incident. A young man was addicted to smoking cigarettes. He asked for my help. “Master, please help me to quit smoking. I don’t know how I became addicted. Please help me.”
I asked him, “How did you start smoking?”
“Master, I never wanted to smoke. In fact, I hated that smell,” he said.
“One day, I was talking to my friend on the street. My friend was smoking a cigarette. My father saw this from a distance. He thought I was smoking. When I went home, he started yelling and shouting at me. He did not listen to me. Then I decided, how does it matter if I smoke now? I have already been punished for it. I then started to smoke.”
We all get a thrill, a feeling of adventure, satisfaction in doing what we are not allowed to do. When we are asked not to do something, we feel a strong urge to do it; we feel provoked to do it. We feel a kind of joy and satisfaction in doing it. This is the basic tendency of every human being.
When there is a strict rule, we always try to work around it, go beyond it. How many of us drive fast until we see a cop? We say no to our parents to prove that we are now grownups. We think that we become adults only when we say no. Adults have the power and authority to veto anything by saying no. By saying no, we assume that we also have become adults.
We feel that as long as we say yes we are only children. We feel that we are not mature. When we say no, we think, we assume, that we have become adults. We think that we have become mature. This is the basic tendency of every human being. We feel that we have matured into adulthood, become men or women, simply by saying no to our parents.
In western countries, that is why there are so many rebellious groups, gangs, and other problems. These people develop a deep satisfaction in and taste for saying no. Saying no is almost like an addiction. When we say no, we try to prove that we are someone special. We feel by saying no we become someone different.
Breaking rules will not make you an adult. To be an adult you need an understanding of what you do and why. Only then, even if you break a rule, will you do it without guilt.
Kuwait Petro in JV talks with Reliance Industries
Kuwait Petro in JV talks with Reliance Industries
6 Dec, 2007, 0224 hrs IST,Rajeev Jayaswal & Soma Banerjee, TNN
NEW DELHI: Kuwait Petroleum (KPC) and Reliance Industries (RIL) have kicked off the first round of discussions for scripting a mega joint collaboration across the oil and gas vertical. KPC, the national oil major of Kuwait, is keen to rope in RIL as a partner in its upcoming projects in Kuwait in both refining and petrochemicals.
The KPC top brass, led by its vice-chairman & CEO Sa’ad Al-Shuwaib, is currently on an India tour. They were in the RIL headquarters on Wednesday to discuss the possibilities of such a collaboration. The visiting team will be holding talks with petroleum minister Murli Deora and senior petroleum ministry officials on Thursday.
Sources said KPC has concluded an agreement with Dow Chemicals by which it plans to jointly take up projects in Kuwait and third countries. Kuwait, which commands about 10% of the world’s oil reserves is building its downstream capacities including refineries and petrochemical plants to capitalise on its oil assets.
Collaborations with global majors who have expertise in downstream sectors is thus a part of the country’s strategy. A possible venture with RIL on the lines of the Dow Chemicals collaboration will make a strategic fit.
Although, at this point, the talks between RIL and KPC are at a nascent stage, the two oil majors are planning to explore possibilities of investments particularly in Kuwait’s refining and petrochem business. Possibilities of joint investments in third world countries too have not been ruled out. The two companies have decided to set up working groups to explore synergy areas and possible ventures where RIL can come in.
A source in the know said KPC was particularly “impressed with the on-going projects of RIL, particularly in the refinery sector and said that KPC would be keen to look at some sort of cooperation and presence in the new refinery being planned by Reliance. KPC will look at this cooperation in conjunction with Dow Chemicals which has an extensive exposure in Kuwait.”
Mr Al-Shuwaib is also expected to meet GAIL chief executive in Delhi. He is meeting petroleum minister Murli Deora in the capital on Thursday. Before becoming the CEO of KPC, Mr Al Shuwaib was the chairman & managing director of Petrochemicals Industries (PIC), a subsidiary of KPC. Recently PIC has moved towards production of high-value petrochemicals.
6 Dec, 2007, 0224 hrs IST,Rajeev Jayaswal & Soma Banerjee, TNN
NEW DELHI: Kuwait Petroleum (KPC) and Reliance Industries (RIL) have kicked off the first round of discussions for scripting a mega joint collaboration across the oil and gas vertical. KPC, the national oil major of Kuwait, is keen to rope in RIL as a partner in its upcoming projects in Kuwait in both refining and petrochemicals.
The KPC top brass, led by its vice-chairman & CEO Sa’ad Al-Shuwaib, is currently on an India tour. They were in the RIL headquarters on Wednesday to discuss the possibilities of such a collaboration. The visiting team will be holding talks with petroleum minister Murli Deora and senior petroleum ministry officials on Thursday.
Sources said KPC has concluded an agreement with Dow Chemicals by which it plans to jointly take up projects in Kuwait and third countries. Kuwait, which commands about 10% of the world’s oil reserves is building its downstream capacities including refineries and petrochemical plants to capitalise on its oil assets.
Collaborations with global majors who have expertise in downstream sectors is thus a part of the country’s strategy. A possible venture with RIL on the lines of the Dow Chemicals collaboration will make a strategic fit.
Although, at this point, the talks between RIL and KPC are at a nascent stage, the two oil majors are planning to explore possibilities of investments particularly in Kuwait’s refining and petrochem business. Possibilities of joint investments in third world countries too have not been ruled out. The two companies have decided to set up working groups to explore synergy areas and possible ventures where RIL can come in.
A source in the know said KPC was particularly “impressed with the on-going projects of RIL, particularly in the refinery sector and said that KPC would be keen to look at some sort of cooperation and presence in the new refinery being planned by Reliance. KPC will look at this cooperation in conjunction with Dow Chemicals which has an extensive exposure in Kuwait.”
Mr Al-Shuwaib is also expected to meet GAIL chief executive in Delhi. He is meeting petroleum minister Murli Deora in the capital on Thursday. Before becoming the CEO of KPC, Mr Al Shuwaib was the chairman & managing director of Petrochemicals Industries (PIC), a subsidiary of KPC. Recently PIC has moved towards production of high-value petrochemicals.
Currency Crunch: Hard-Up Dirham
Currency Crunch: Hard-Up Dirham
By Derek Baldwin, Jay B. Hilotin and Subramani Dharmarajan, Staff Reporters GULF NEWS
Expatriates say the weak dirham means they will have to stay working in Dubai longer than they had planned to shore up savings.
Hopes of an imminent revaluation of the dirham faded this week after Gulf leaders declined to discuss the weakened US dollar.
The Central Bank also warned money changers and hotels this week not to exchange dollars at less than the usual rate of the dirham.
It’s anyone’s guess, meanwhile, where the dirham rate will go in the near future as expats and financial officials wrestle with up to 24 per cent losses on the dirham as a result of its long-time peg of 3.6725 to the US dollar.
Less Purchasing Power
Ronald Simmonds is a Canadian lawyer who moved to Dubai in 2006 with his wife and two children with hopes of earning a high income.
However, Simmond’s Dubai savings account ledger is disappointing to say the least, he told XPRESS, because the dirhams that he sends home every month have less purchasing power to buy Canadian dollars.
Simmonds, 38, had instructed his local bank to automatically transfer Dh10,000 a month to his Canadian investment fund but has stopped doing so because he was losing more than Dh1,500 when the money was exchanged.
"We’re hanging on to our dirhams now until we see where they are headed against the US dollar," said Simmonds
"To take this kind of hit every month really hurts our future when you add it up over the long term."
For the moment, Simmonds said he is banking his money here in the UAE until he decides the best means of getting the biggest value for the dirham.
He is carefully watching international money markets with the hope that predictions that the dirham could rebound are true.
Simmonds said his dream is to save enough cash to buy a home in Toronto or at least save a large portion of the cost to ease years ahead when he returns.
David Wright, 56, is an American engineer who has been frustratingly watching his earning power drop steadily in recent months. He said he will hang on to his money until the dirham comes back in value.
Wright as well is trying to save money to buy a new home outside of Chicago when he returns to America but said the devalued dirham is making it difficult.
"We’re going to have to spend more time than we planned on living and working in Dubai to make up for the lost value," Wright said.
"My wife really wants to go home but we need to stay a little longer than we expected."
Diminished Income
Harold Orona, 30, a Filipino food technologist, doesn’t like the devalued dirham either.
"The dollar’s decline has cut my income [in Philippine peso terms] by about 20 per cent in the last 24 months. I had started paying for a two-storey house in Manila in 2005 and expected to finish paying for the mortgage in six months. Now, it looks like it would take more than that. " he said.
Janytte Siega, 28, a Filipina events organiser, said the dirham dilemma has put her between a rock and a hard place.
"I came here four years ago, when the dirham’s value against the peso was about 1:15. Due to the dirham’s peg to the greenback, the exchange rate now is about 12 pesos for one dirham.
"The peso appreciation also means I am saving less and shell out more for the same expenses back home. But here too I can’t save because of the rising cost of living. It’s a big squeeze," she said.
Money Trail
Indian Rupee vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - Dh1 = INR12.44282
Dec. 5, 2004 - Dh1 = INR12.02506
Dec. 5, 2005 - Dh1 = INR12.58809
Dec. 5, 2006 - Dh1 = INR12.15018
Dec. 5, 2007 - Dh1 = INR10.74094
Peso vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - Dh1 = Php15.07841
Dec. 5, 2004 - Dh1 = Php15.33433
Dec. 5, 2005 - Dh1 = Php14.75343
Dec. 5, 2006 - Dh1 = Php13.59078
Dec. 5, 2007 – Dh1 = Php11.51132
UK Pound vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - £1 = Dh6.32562
Dec. 5, 2004 - £1 = Dh7.14360
Dec. 5, 2005 - £1 = Dh6.36781
Dec. 5, 2006 - £1 = Dh7.26910
Dec. 5, 2007 - £1 = Dh7.57604
Euro vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - €1 = Dh4.43576
Dec. 5, 2004 - €1 = Dh4.94771
Dec. 5, 2005 - €1 = Dh4.30632
Dec. 5, 2006 - €1 = Dh4.89504
Dec. 5, 2007 - €1 = Dh5.39751
By Derek Baldwin, Jay B. Hilotin and Subramani Dharmarajan, Staff Reporters GULF NEWS
Expatriates say the weak dirham means they will have to stay working in Dubai longer than they had planned to shore up savings.
Hopes of an imminent revaluation of the dirham faded this week after Gulf leaders declined to discuss the weakened US dollar.
The Central Bank also warned money changers and hotels this week not to exchange dollars at less than the usual rate of the dirham.
It’s anyone’s guess, meanwhile, where the dirham rate will go in the near future as expats and financial officials wrestle with up to 24 per cent losses on the dirham as a result of its long-time peg of 3.6725 to the US dollar.
Less Purchasing Power
Ronald Simmonds is a Canadian lawyer who moved to Dubai in 2006 with his wife and two children with hopes of earning a high income.
However, Simmond’s Dubai savings account ledger is disappointing to say the least, he told XPRESS, because the dirhams that he sends home every month have less purchasing power to buy Canadian dollars.
Simmonds, 38, had instructed his local bank to automatically transfer Dh10,000 a month to his Canadian investment fund but has stopped doing so because he was losing more than Dh1,500 when the money was exchanged.
"We’re hanging on to our dirhams now until we see where they are headed against the US dollar," said Simmonds
"To take this kind of hit every month really hurts our future when you add it up over the long term."
For the moment, Simmonds said he is banking his money here in the UAE until he decides the best means of getting the biggest value for the dirham.
He is carefully watching international money markets with the hope that predictions that the dirham could rebound are true.
Simmonds said his dream is to save enough cash to buy a home in Toronto or at least save a large portion of the cost to ease years ahead when he returns.
David Wright, 56, is an American engineer who has been frustratingly watching his earning power drop steadily in recent months. He said he will hang on to his money until the dirham comes back in value.
Wright as well is trying to save money to buy a new home outside of Chicago when he returns to America but said the devalued dirham is making it difficult.
"We’re going to have to spend more time than we planned on living and working in Dubai to make up for the lost value," Wright said.
"My wife really wants to go home but we need to stay a little longer than we expected."
Diminished Income
Harold Orona, 30, a Filipino food technologist, doesn’t like the devalued dirham either.
"The dollar’s decline has cut my income [in Philippine peso terms] by about 20 per cent in the last 24 months. I had started paying for a two-storey house in Manila in 2005 and expected to finish paying for the mortgage in six months. Now, it looks like it would take more than that. " he said.
Janytte Siega, 28, a Filipina events organiser, said the dirham dilemma has put her between a rock and a hard place.
"I came here four years ago, when the dirham’s value against the peso was about 1:15. Due to the dirham’s peg to the greenback, the exchange rate now is about 12 pesos for one dirham.
"The peso appreciation also means I am saving less and shell out more for the same expenses back home. But here too I can’t save because of the rising cost of living. It’s a big squeeze," she said.
Money Trail
Indian Rupee vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - Dh1 = INR12.44282
Dec. 5, 2004 - Dh1 = INR12.02506
Dec. 5, 2005 - Dh1 = INR12.58809
Dec. 5, 2006 - Dh1 = INR12.15018
Dec. 5, 2007 - Dh1 = INR10.74094
Peso vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - Dh1 = Php15.07841
Dec. 5, 2004 - Dh1 = Php15.33433
Dec. 5, 2005 - Dh1 = Php14.75343
Dec. 5, 2006 - Dh1 = Php13.59078
Dec. 5, 2007 – Dh1 = Php11.51132
UK Pound vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - £1 = Dh6.32562
Dec. 5, 2004 - £1 = Dh7.14360
Dec. 5, 2005 - £1 = Dh6.36781
Dec. 5, 2006 - £1 = Dh7.26910
Dec. 5, 2007 - £1 = Dh7.57604
Euro vs. Dirham
Dec. 5, 2003 - €1 = Dh4.43576
Dec. 5, 2004 - €1 = Dh4.94771
Dec. 5, 2005 - €1 = Dh4.30632
Dec. 5, 2006 - €1 = Dh4.89504
Dec. 5, 2007 - €1 = Dh5.39751
Fog diverts flights from Abu Dhabi
Fog diverts flights from Abu Dhabi
By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief, and Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: December 09, 2007, 23:20
Abu Dhabi/Al Ain: Thick fog on Sunday shut Abu Dhabi International Airport for more than five hours resulting in a diversion of at least 14 flights to other airports.
An official at Abu Dhabi International Airport disclosed that the airport was closed for five and a half hours owing to bad weather conditions.
"The airport was closed from 4am until 9.30am. Ten passenger flights and four cargo flights had to be diverted to other airports," he told Gulf News.
Security first
While seven passenger flights were diverted to Doha, two were diverted to Muscat and one to Al Ain. All four cargo flights were diverted to Al Ain airport. Al Ain airport received a total of 17 diverted flights on Sunday, four from Dubai, eight from Sharjah and five from Abu Dhabi.
Senior airport officials reiterated that they were working towards alleviating disruptions to air traffic due to bad weather as much as possible.
Khalifa Al Mazroui, Chairman and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), said: "Although we understand the frustrations passengers go through, our first and foremost responsibility as airport operators is to the safety and security of our passengers.
"ADAC is currently upgrading the existing runway from CAT II to CAT III, which will enable landing and take off at a visibility level of 50 metres. The work will be completed before the end of 2008."
With visibility reduced to 100 metres in most areas, particularly in Abu Dhabi, motorists had a tough time on the roads. However, the traffic police did not report any major accidents.
Officials at the UAE Meteorological Department yesterday said the early morning fog would continue to blanket different parts of the UAE along with a general slide in temperature and reduced visibility.
Describing fog as a regular seasonal phenomenon, a weatherman said it was the result of low overnight temperature and humidity.
on Sunday, the average temperature in the country was 26-29 degree Celsius. Over the next two days partly cloudy weather is expected with a slight fall in temperatures over most areas.
The weatherman said fresh shamal winds would cause dust storms this evening. The weather would remain rather cool at night and hazy over scattered areas by this morning.
Wind speed would be between four to 12 knots, stronger in the evening. It will gain strength by this morning reaching 28 knots over the sea. The sea will be moderately rough with waves as high as seven feet.
Reckless motorists 'will be forced to clean roads'
Reckless motorists 'will be forced to clean roads'
WAM Published: December 09, 2007, 23:20
Abu Dhabi: Stunt drivers and motorists who violate road manners in Abu Dhabi will be punished by being forced to clean the roads and school for 48 hours in addition to one week behind the bars, an Interior Ministry official said yesterday.
Brigadier Nasser Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Interior Minister's office, revealed Abu Dhabi Police would crackdown on violators who abuse the roads and obligate them to work for two days in cleaning up the schools and roads.
The decision, which took effect on Sunday, aims to intensify punitive measures against offenders who drive dangerously and recklessly with no respect to safety.
"Although we appreciate the public celebrations of national and religious holidays, that does not mean people can take this as a chance to break the law, endanger their lives and those of others, breech the privacy of road users and tarnish the image of the UAE," Brigadier Al Nuaimi said.
He warned against negligence of public safety, which will be monitored by a team of security men, who will be assigned to cover all parts of the city including roads and public places, to put an end to this menace.
Awareness
Al Nuaimi said an awareness campaign would shortly be launched to raise awareness among the public about the security, health and cultural dangers of such practices and their negative impacts on the nation.
The decision came in the wake of violations committed during the National Day celebrations, as some drivers were caught driving recklessly, making loud noises and using firecrackers.
WAM Published: December 09, 2007, 23:20
Abu Dhabi: Stunt drivers and motorists who violate road manners in Abu Dhabi will be punished by being forced to clean the roads and school for 48 hours in addition to one week behind the bars, an Interior Ministry official said yesterday.
Brigadier Nasser Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Interior Minister's office, revealed Abu Dhabi Police would crackdown on violators who abuse the roads and obligate them to work for two days in cleaning up the schools and roads.
The decision, which took effect on Sunday, aims to intensify punitive measures against offenders who drive dangerously and recklessly with no respect to safety.
"Although we appreciate the public celebrations of national and religious holidays, that does not mean people can take this as a chance to break the law, endanger their lives and those of others, breech the privacy of road users and tarnish the image of the UAE," Brigadier Al Nuaimi said.
He warned against negligence of public safety, which will be monitored by a team of security men, who will be assigned to cover all parts of the city including roads and public places, to put an end to this menace.
Awareness
Al Nuaimi said an awareness campaign would shortly be launched to raise awareness among the public about the security, health and cultural dangers of such practices and their negative impacts on the nation.
The decision came in the wake of violations committed during the National Day celebrations, as some drivers were caught driving recklessly, making loud noises and using firecrackers.
Top Asian business leaders honoured
Top Asian business leaders honoured
Staff Report GULF NEWS Published: December 09, 2007, 23:20
Dubai: A number of businessmen were honoured at the first Asian Business Awards Middle East (ABA ME) held at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening.
The ABA ME has been instituted to recognise and award business excellence within the Asian community and nurture economic relations between Middle East and the sub-continent.
The public had a clear and definite participatory role in the ABA ME awards process. The debut award year had 200,000 registrations. While the grand jury finalised the three nominees in each of the six categories, the public were once again imperative in the choice of winners.
The awards process this year had some of the prominent business personalities of the region on the grand jury panel. These include Michael J. Stevenson, senior partner Middle East region, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Abdul Aziz Sager, chairman, Gulf Research Centre, and president of Sager Group Holding in Saudi Arabia; Alex-ander John Andrakis, executive director, sales & marketing, Emaar Properties; Sultan Saoud Al Qasimi, managing director of the Al Qasimi group of companies and chairman of Barjeel Securities and Dr. Fatima Saeed Al Shamsi, secretary general, UAE University, Al Ain.
List: The winners
Lifetime Achievement Award: N.R. Narayana Murthy, chairman of the board and chief mentor, Infosys Technologies.
Global Asian of the Year: Lakshmi N. Mittal, president of the board of directors and chief executive officer, Arcelor Mittal.
Outstanding Asian Businesswoman of the Year: Renuka Jagtiani, chief executive officer, Landmark International.
Outstanding Asian Businessman of the Year: Sunny Varkey, chairman, GEMS Education and Welcare World.
Asian Rising Star of the Year: Ramesh Prabhakar, managing director, Rivoli Group.
Young Asian Achiever of the Year: Madhu Koneru, managing director, RAK Minerals and Metals Investments.
Outstanding Asian Contribution to the ME Development: Syed M.Salahuddin, managing director, ETA Ascon and Star Group.
Asian Business Leader of the Year: Yousuf Ali, managing director, EMKE Group.
The Arab Honour Awards
ABA ME The Arab Rising Star Award: Salah Salem Al Shamsi, president, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce.
ABA ME The Arab Business Excellence Award: Mohammad Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, honorary chairman, Al Fahim Group.
ABA ME The Arab Lifetime Achievement: Obaid Khalifa Jaber Al Merri, chairman, Al Jaber Group.
Oman plans mangrove protection against storm
Oman plans mangrove protection against storm By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief GULF NEWS Published: December 09, 2007, 23:20
Muscat: In the wake of tropical cyclone Gonu in June, environmentalists have intensified efforts to create a natural wall of mangrove forest to thwart any tidal threat along the country's 1,700km coastline, said Badr Al Baloushi, an expert in mangrove plantation.
"Mangroves protect the coast from erosion, surge storms, especially during hurricanes, and tsunamis," Al Baloushi, who works for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA), told Gulf News on Sunday.
He said he has visited mangrove plantations in Indonesia, which protected an entire village against tsunami in 2004.
He also pointed out that mangrove forests' massive root system is efficient at dissipating wave energy.
"In Oman," he added, "we have mangrove plantations but most of them are in-land and not facing the sea.
"The basic problem we have is that the saline soil close to the shores is not suitable for growth of mangroves," he said.
Limits damage
According to him, the experts with the Environment Ministry were striving hard to work out a solution so that mangrove forests can be grown facing the sea. "That could help protect areas around shores in case of high tides or cyclones like Gonu."
Al Baloushi said the thick mangrove forest at Qurum in Muscat helped limit the damage in the area when it was flooded by wadi waters and high tides.
"The sediment is different in Oman and hopefully when international experts gather in Oman we will be able to exchange some ideas to explore the possibility of growing more mangrove forests facing the sea," he said.
Al Baloushi said MECA is hosting a three-day regional workshop from today on Transplantation Methodologies and Data Information Management of Mangroves in collaboration with the Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME).
"Representatives from all the six GCC members states, Iran and Iraq are taking part in the workshop, which will discuss issues related to mangrove plantation and management," he said.
The delegates will also exchange ideas on the advanced methods used in planting mangrove trees in the ROPME area and the importance of a database in scientific management of the trees, he said.
The mangrove expert said that the research being carried out at MECA for plantation of more mangrove forests along the coastal areas will get a boost after the workshop.
Boon: Check on threats
* Growing to a height of five to eight metres, mangroves are among the most productive ecosystems in the world.
* Of the 45 mangrove species in the world, the commonly found species in Oman is Avicennia marina. It is also the main mangrove species on the coasts of the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea.
* Mangroves protect the coast from erosion, surge storms, and tsunamis.
Basics of insuring your home
Basics of insuring your homeBy: Kavita Sriram, TNN
To own a house is every individual's dream come true. The house could have taken away your life's savings or you may have to repay the debt for decades.
There is so much at stake when it comes to the safety of your house. Have you considered insuring this precious possession of yours?
What is home insurance?
When it comes to your house, it holds not only economic but also tremendous emotional bonding. The possibility of damage to your house cannot be ruled out. Home insurance tries to preserve the safety of your valued house. It protects it from unforeseen eventualities that can cause damage. A home insurance policy covers the structure and contents of your home from natural to man-made calamities. It also comes with additional features like protection for the family, loss of cash in transit and baggage loss.
Home insurance comes with two-fold protection, one for structure and another for content. Structure cover is a comprehensive cover that envelopes the construction of the house including its walls, roof and the flooring. Content cover protects all the contents and belongings within the house. It provides insurance for all the expensive jewelry and cash at home.
What are the issues covered?
Fire is a major catastrophe damages the structure and its contents. A home insurance policy provides protection from fire and such disasters that are can prove very expensive. The contents of the house should be insured for their market value. The building cost is equated to the cost of reconstruction today.
There are other perils against which this insurance protects your home. It includes explosion or implosion , aircraft damage caused by aircraft, damage/loss due to riot, damage due to impact by rail or road vehicle or animal , bursting/overflowing of water tanks, apparatus and pipes, leakage from automatic sprinkler installations, lightning and bush fire, loss caused by storm, landslide etc.
What are optionally covered?
The home insurance needs can be diverse and can be tailor-made to suit various needs of home owners. On payment of extra premium you can extend the umbrella of cover to include additional benefits. You can include burglary, loss/damage of domestic appliance, personal accident and baggage loss, public or third party liability, plate glass, etc.
Typically, not included under the cover is willful destruction of property; loss, damage or destruction caused by war; wear and tear and atmospheric conditions etc.
How are payments made?
You have the option to either choose a comprehensive cover or separate cover. Under a comprehensive cover, all the sections are to be covered. The more sections you take for additional cover, the more discount you get on the premium.
This policy can be taken for a period of five or ten years. The longer the term of the policy, the more the discount on premium. The premium is usually paid every year.
How do you make claims?
In order to get the claims process rolling, submit to the insurer a completely filled and signed claim form, copy of the policy, copy of FIR, report from police and a copy of all invoices, bills, price listing and estimated copy of repairs.
Intimate the insurer. The insurer then transfers your request to the claims department . And the insurer authenticates and settles your claim within a stipulated time frame.
Some points to bear in mind
Give an accurate value of whatever you want to insure. You may need to pay higher premium, but all your valuables will be amply covered. In the case of appliances, ornaments and items in the house, provide the insurer with list of things including the model number, name of manufacturer, year of purchase, value, and other specifications .
This will ensure that your claim at a later date is not unnecessarily rejected. Verify if your cover makes up for the replacement value of your valuables.
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Indian institute opens new campus
Indian institute opens new campus
By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: December 05, 2007, 23:14
Dubai: The new campus of The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani - Dubai, at academic city was inaugurated yesterday by Dr K.K. Birla, Chancellor, of the institute.
The new campus of The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani - Dubai (BPD) at the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) has state-of-the-art facilities and an academic block, library block, workshop block, students hostels, sports facilities and auditorium spread over 15 acres of land.
"I'm very happy that the new campus has been established in a record time, I'm sure BITS - Dubai campus will enjoy the same reputation as BITS Pilani campus, and I sincerely hope all our alumni wherever they go and whatever they do will shine in their assignment and thus bring glory to all the campuses of BITS, Pilani," said Birla.
BPD Director Mohammad Riazuddin told Gulf News they are offering ten full tuition fees scholarship to UAE national students.
"Currently we have 1,450 Asian students, none of whom are nationals. Thus we are offering 10 scholarships to encourage Emirati students to benefit from our highly-competitive education standard.
"We expect to reach our full capacity, 2,500 students, by September 2008. Four batches of graduates have graduated so far. About 20 per cent of our students further their education in elite universities worldwide," said Riazuddin.
Dr Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director of Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) and DIAC, said: "BITS Pilani's permanent campus in DIAC marks another significant milestone for DKV. It demonstrates the University's strong commitment to meeting the needs of students, the academic sector and the entire community.
"BPD's strategic move will lead to substantial benefits, including a significant reduction in the institution's long term operational costs."
Monday, 3 December 2007
Exchange rates spark confusion
Exchange rates spark confusion
By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: December 03, 2007, 01:41
Dubai: Arbitrary dirham rates offered by UAE money changers, in some cases as low as Dh3.05 per dollar or almost 17 per cent lower than the official rate, are sowing more confusion in the market where speculation on the dirham's revaluation is already rampant.
The UAE currency has been pegged at 3.6725 to the dollar since 1997 and until Sunday there was no change in the official peg.
UAE Central Bank Governor Sultan Bin Nasser Al Suwaidi last month spoke about social and economic pressure to give up the dollar peg and to adopt a basket of currencies.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have cut interest rates in the recent days to make it less attractive for investors to bet on the appreciation of their currencies. But that has not discouraged people from taking bets on the dirham's revaluation.
The forward markets on Sunday were expecting the UAE dirham to appreciate to 3.54 against the dollar in a year.
"It is happening because there is a huge demand for Gulf currencies," Monica Malik, senior economist at EFG-Hermes investment bank, told Gulf News.
"Increasingly we feel there is going to be some sort of currency reform in the next six months," she said, but added that the two-day summit of Gulf leaders starting in Doha on Monday may not come up with a firm action on the issue.
Analysts have been expecting Gulf government action on the dollar pegs as the cost of living across the region has been rising as imports have become costlier due to the slide in dollar's value.
Money changers, hotels and stores in shopping malls were accepting dollars at rates ranging from Dh3.05 to Dh3.50 per dollar yesterday.
They began revising the exchange rates on Friday and gradually raised the dirham rate against all other major currencies. Unofficial exchange rates of other currencies versus the dirham were similarly affected.
Tourists complained that they were getting fewer dirhams for their currencies.
"It is strange," said Ahmad Jan from Saudi Arabia as he walked between a bank branch and a money exchange at Deira City Centre and noted that the bank offered 60 fils more per dollar.
"What you see here is the official rate," a manager at the bank said.
Moroccan visitor Nasser Bin Omar said he accepted the lower dollar rate from the money dealer because he did not want to wait in the long queue at the bank.
"Offering a lower rate [than the official rate] to the US dollar against the UAE dirham is against the law. Money exchange houses should stick to the UAE Central Bank guidelines," said B.R. Shetty, vice-chairman of the NMC Group that operates UAE Exchange.
However, UAE Exchange Centre was offering Dh3.30 per dollar, about 11 per cent lower than the official rate on Sunday.
As revaluation speculation gripped the market, many expatriates were also delaying their remittances. A manager at a money exchange in Dubai's Al Ghusais area said there has been a decline in remittances.
By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: December 03, 2007, 01:41
Dubai: Arbitrary dirham rates offered by UAE money changers, in some cases as low as Dh3.05 per dollar or almost 17 per cent lower than the official rate, are sowing more confusion in the market where speculation on the dirham's revaluation is already rampant.
The UAE currency has been pegged at 3.6725 to the dollar since 1997 and until Sunday there was no change in the official peg.
UAE Central Bank Governor Sultan Bin Nasser Al Suwaidi last month spoke about social and economic pressure to give up the dollar peg and to adopt a basket of currencies.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have cut interest rates in the recent days to make it less attractive for investors to bet on the appreciation of their currencies. But that has not discouraged people from taking bets on the dirham's revaluation.
The forward markets on Sunday were expecting the UAE dirham to appreciate to 3.54 against the dollar in a year.
"It is happening because there is a huge demand for Gulf currencies," Monica Malik, senior economist at EFG-Hermes investment bank, told Gulf News.
"Increasingly we feel there is going to be some sort of currency reform in the next six months," she said, but added that the two-day summit of Gulf leaders starting in Doha on Monday may not come up with a firm action on the issue.
Analysts have been expecting Gulf government action on the dollar pegs as the cost of living across the region has been rising as imports have become costlier due to the slide in dollar's value.
Money changers, hotels and stores in shopping malls were accepting dollars at rates ranging from Dh3.05 to Dh3.50 per dollar yesterday.
They began revising the exchange rates on Friday and gradually raised the dirham rate against all other major currencies. Unofficial exchange rates of other currencies versus the dirham were similarly affected.
Tourists complained that they were getting fewer dirhams for their currencies.
"It is strange," said Ahmad Jan from Saudi Arabia as he walked between a bank branch and a money exchange at Deira City Centre and noted that the bank offered 60 fils more per dollar.
"What you see here is the official rate," a manager at the bank said.
Moroccan visitor Nasser Bin Omar said he accepted the lower dollar rate from the money dealer because he did not want to wait in the long queue at the bank.
"Offering a lower rate [than the official rate] to the US dollar against the UAE dirham is against the law. Money exchange houses should stick to the UAE Central Bank guidelines," said B.R. Shetty, vice-chairman of the NMC Group that operates UAE Exchange.
However, UAE Exchange Centre was offering Dh3.30 per dollar, about 11 per cent lower than the official rate on Sunday.
As revaluation speculation gripped the market, many expatriates were also delaying their remittances. A manager at a money exchange in Dubai's Al Ghusais area said there has been a decline in remittances.
36th UAE National Day Celebrations in Abu Dhabi - 2 Dec 2007
Happy Birthday, UAE!
On its 36th birthday, the UAE has much to celebrate. Right from the inception of the federation in 1971 when the emirates joined hands to form a progressive and stable nation, the UAE has gone from strength to strength. It has achieved within a short period of time socio-economic successes which only a few countries in the world today can match. Speaking on the creation of the nation, the UAE President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, recently said, “December 2, 1971 will remain the most precious event in the country’s history... Our dream wouldn’t have come true without the support of great men and an ambitious, brave leader.”
With great honour and pride of being a resident here for half of my life time, I am happy to present through my page, a part of the celebrations that happened in Abu dhabi on 2nd December 2007.
Decorative hoardings at Corniche Street
Cars and Procession at Corniche Street
Cars and Procession at Corniche Street
Cars and Procession at Corniche Street
Laser show at Abu Dhabi Municipality building
NDC Building
ADNOC Distribution Building
Union National Bank building
Buildings at Salam Street
Sheikh Khalifa Energy Complex buildings
ADGAS and ADMA-OPCO building
ADGAS and ADMA-OPCO building
Chamber of Commerce building
ADIA building
ADCO Building
ADCO Building
ADCO Building
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Traffic controlled by the authorities in Corniche Street
On its 36th birthday, the UAE has much to celebrate. Right from the inception of the federation in 1971 when the emirates joined hands to form a progressive and stable nation, the UAE has gone from strength to strength. It has achieved within a short period of time socio-economic successes which only a few countries in the world today can match. Speaking on the creation of the nation, the UAE President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, recently said, “December 2, 1971 will remain the most precious event in the country’s history... Our dream wouldn’t have come true without the support of great men and an ambitious, brave leader.”
With great honour and pride of being a resident here for half of my life time, I am happy to present through my page, a part of the celebrations that happened in Abu dhabi on 2nd December 2007.
Decorative hoardings at Corniche Street
Cars and Procession at Corniche Street
Cars and Procession at Corniche Street
Cars and Procession at Corniche Street
Laser show at Abu Dhabi Municipality building
NDC Building
ADNOC Distribution Building
Union National Bank building
Buildings at Salam Street
Sheikh Khalifa Energy Complex buildings
ADGAS and ADMA-OPCO building
ADGAS and ADMA-OPCO building
Chamber of Commerce building
ADIA building
ADCO Building
ADCO Building
ADCO Building
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Fire works at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Traffic controlled by the authorities in Corniche Street
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Health Tips - Sore Throat......
A sore throat can really get you down, so here are a few things you can use to take away the suffering.
Vinegar can ease the pain. Any type will do but wine vinegar or cider vinegar may taste better. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow. Do this 3 times a day until things are on the mend.
Put some warm water in a glass and mix with some salt. Put in your mouth and gargle and spit out. Don't swallow. This should get rid of the soreness.
Take a few almonds and mix them with a couple of teaspoons of honey. Sit down and eat away. This will give the pain of a sore throat nothing to moan about. Honey is a natural pain killer, so are almonds. The almonds will also help to relieve the inflammation.
Hope that one of these ideas will bring you some relief.
Vinegar can ease the pain. Any type will do but wine vinegar or cider vinegar may taste better. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow. Do this 3 times a day until things are on the mend.
Put some warm water in a glass and mix with some salt. Put in your mouth and gargle and spit out. Don't swallow. This should get rid of the soreness.
Take a few almonds and mix them with a couple of teaspoons of honey. Sit down and eat away. This will give the pain of a sore throat nothing to moan about. Honey is a natural pain killer, so are almonds. The almonds will also help to relieve the inflammation.
Hope that one of these ideas will bring you some relief.
Health Tips - Snake Bite
Treatment:
* Keep the victim calm and still.
* Keep the affected area below the level of heart, so as to contain venom locally.
* Wash hands thoroughly or put on the latex gloves before attending the wound.
* If the bite is not bleeding, wash the wound well with mild soap and water and pat dry with clean swabs or other non-fluffy material.
* If the bite is actively bleeding, control the bleeding by applying direct pressure with a clean and dry cloth until the bleeding subsides.
* Remove any of the constricting items.
* Lightly compress the limb above the wound with a roller bandage.
* Immobilise the injury, immobilise an injured arm with a sling and an injured leg by binding it to the injured leg.
* If the patient stops breathing, be ready to resuscitate if needed.
* Observe the bite for signs of infection (increasing skin redness, swelling) and other vital signs (temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure).
* If the area around the wound begins to swell and change colour, the snake was probably poisonous.
* Get medical help as soon as possible.
Warning
* Do not apply ice or a cold pack to snakebite because cold can cause the venom to spread further.
* Do not apply a Tourniquet such as a belt, necktie or cord.
* Do not slash the wound with a knife.
* Never try to suck the venom orally.
* Patient should never be put to strenuous physical exercises.
* Site of the bite should not be raised above the heart level.
* No stimulants or pain medicators should be taken without the prescription of the doctor.
* Removal of the dressing/elastic wraps to be avoided until you are at a facility ready and able to administer antivenom.
* Do not eat or drink unless told by the doctor.
Prevention
* Do not thrust hands or feet into any areas if you cannot see into the area.
* Avoid playing or picking up any snake unless you are properly trained.
* Wear long pants and boots if possible while hiking into an area known to have snakes.
* If given adequate warning, snakes will avoid coming near to you. Hence before entering an area with an obscured base, tap ahead with a walking stick.
* Keep the victim calm and still.
* Keep the affected area below the level of heart, so as to contain venom locally.
* Wash hands thoroughly or put on the latex gloves before attending the wound.
* If the bite is not bleeding, wash the wound well with mild soap and water and pat dry with clean swabs or other non-fluffy material.
* If the bite is actively bleeding, control the bleeding by applying direct pressure with a clean and dry cloth until the bleeding subsides.
* Remove any of the constricting items.
* Lightly compress the limb above the wound with a roller bandage.
* Immobilise the injury, immobilise an injured arm with a sling and an injured leg by binding it to the injured leg.
* If the patient stops breathing, be ready to resuscitate if needed.
* Observe the bite for signs of infection (increasing skin redness, swelling) and other vital signs (temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure).
* If the area around the wound begins to swell and change colour, the snake was probably poisonous.
* Get medical help as soon as possible.
Warning
* Do not apply ice or a cold pack to snakebite because cold can cause the venom to spread further.
* Do not apply a Tourniquet such as a belt, necktie or cord.
* Do not slash the wound with a knife.
* Never try to suck the venom orally.
* Patient should never be put to strenuous physical exercises.
* Site of the bite should not be raised above the heart level.
* No stimulants or pain medicators should be taken without the prescription of the doctor.
* Removal of the dressing/elastic wraps to be avoided until you are at a facility ready and able to administer antivenom.
* Do not eat or drink unless told by the doctor.
Prevention
* Do not thrust hands or feet into any areas if you cannot see into the area.
* Avoid playing or picking up any snake unless you are properly trained.
* Wear long pants and boots if possible while hiking into an area known to have snakes.
* If given adequate warning, snakes will avoid coming near to you. Hence before entering an area with an obscured base, tap ahead with a walking stick.
36th UAE National Day Celebrations
The world's largest aerial banner takes to the skies above Abu Dhabi
Largest ever aerial banner flies over Abu Dhabi
Agencies Published: December 02, 2007, 15:23
Abu Dhabi: A new world record was set on UAE National Day as a UAE flag measuring 50,000 square feet flew over Abu Dhabi, forming the largest aerial banner ever flown.
The banner was towed by helicopter and was clearly visible from up to 20 kilometres away.
The route was specifically designed to take the flag right across the capital making it visible to virtually the entire population of the city of Abu Dhabi.
A building on Salam Street in Abu Dhabi is illuminated with the UAE flag and portraits of Shaikh Khalifa, Shaikh Mohammad and General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Emaar EC signs MoU with Saudi Total to set up lubricant plant
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
KHALEJ TIMES 2 December 2007
JEDDAH — A lubricant products plant is to be set up in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) for which Emaar, the Economic City (Emaar. E.C.), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Total Lubricants Company (SATLUB) to lease land in the industrial zone of KAEC.
Emaar, the Tadawul-listed company is developing King Abdullah Economic City, the largest private sector-led mega project in the region
SATLUB will manufacture and market the entire range of lubricants and specialty products for the automotive, industrial and marine sectors within the Kingdom and for future exports under the Total brand.
The state-of-the-art plant will be commissioned in two years and will be the most modern blending plant using fully automated technologies. The initial production capacity of the plant will be 35,000 MT of finished products per year, with the potential for capacity expansion.
Located in the KAEC Industrial Zone, the plant will be the first lubricant facility of Total in Saudi Arabia. Total is one of the world's leading oil and gas companies, and marks the evolution of KAEC as a prime driver of the manufacturing sector of the Kingdom. SATLUB is a joint venture of Total and Al-Zahid Group, a diversified Saudi group.
Dr. Abdulraouf Mannaa, managing director and CEO, Emaar E.C. signed the MOU with Jacques Souplet, Total's regional director, Middle East and Central Asia.
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
KHALEJ TIMES 2 December 2007
JEDDAH — A lubricant products plant is to be set up in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) for which Emaar, the Economic City (Emaar. E.C.), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Total Lubricants Company (SATLUB) to lease land in the industrial zone of KAEC.
Emaar, the Tadawul-listed company is developing King Abdullah Economic City, the largest private sector-led mega project in the region
SATLUB will manufacture and market the entire range of lubricants and specialty products for the automotive, industrial and marine sectors within the Kingdom and for future exports under the Total brand.
The state-of-the-art plant will be commissioned in two years and will be the most modern blending plant using fully automated technologies. The initial production capacity of the plant will be 35,000 MT of finished products per year, with the potential for capacity expansion.
Located in the KAEC Industrial Zone, the plant will be the first lubricant facility of Total in Saudi Arabia. Total is one of the world's leading oil and gas companies, and marks the evolution of KAEC as a prime driver of the manufacturing sector of the Kingdom. SATLUB is a joint venture of Total and Al-Zahid Group, a diversified Saudi group.
Dr. Abdulraouf Mannaa, managing director and CEO, Emaar E.C. signed the MOU with Jacques Souplet, Total's regional director, Middle East and Central Asia.
Satyam IT services provider to World Cup
Satyam IT services provider to World Cup
BY A STAFF REPORTER KHALEEJ TIMES 1 December 2007
DUBAI — Satyam Computer Services Ltd. announced yesterday that it has signed up as a sponsor and official information technology (IT) services provider to the FIFA World Cup.
The relationship covers two event cycles — the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 edition in Brazil — and each cycle also includes the FIFA Confederation Cup tournament. Satyam is one of four FIFA World Cup sponsors announced for the 2010 event and is the sponsor in the IT services category. The move reaffirms the company's widespread capabilities to manage IT services requirements of some of the biggest events in the world
BY A STAFF REPORTER KHALEEJ TIMES 1 December 2007
DUBAI — Satyam Computer Services Ltd. announced yesterday that it has signed up as a sponsor and official information technology (IT) services provider to the FIFA World Cup.
The relationship covers two event cycles — the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 edition in Brazil — and each cycle also includes the FIFA Confederation Cup tournament. Satyam is one of four FIFA World Cup sponsors announced for the 2010 event and is the sponsor in the IT services category. The move reaffirms the company's widespread capabilities to manage IT services requirements of some of the biggest events in the world
Shell and Occidental Petroleum vie for multi-billion dollar project
Shell and Occidental Petroleum vie for multi-billion dollar project(Reuters)9 November 2007
DUBAI —Royal Dutch Shell and U.S. Occidental Petroleum are the front-runners to win a multibillion-dollar project to develop sour gas reserves in the United Arab Emirates, industry sources said yesterday.
The project is one of the biggest this year available to international companies competing for limited access to the Middle East’s oil and gas fields.
“Shell and Oxy are still in the race,” said one industry source. “They’re in a sort of final within a final. It may be one or the other that wins, or they may work together.”
Shell and Oxy have the edge over the other two bidders for the project, US majors Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, sources said. The four companies submitted bids to state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) in August.
Adnoc was expected to decide on the winner of the project by the end of the year, a source at an oil major said.
Adnoc officials contacted by Reuters declined to comment.
Once a winner is selected for the project, Adnoc was expected to move ahead quickly as it needs to bring online new gas supplies to meet spiralling domestic demand.
Record oil revenues have fuelled economic expansion and boosted demand for gas from the power sector and heavy industry in the United Arab Emirates.
The winner will take a 40 per cent stake in the project, while Adnoc will hold the rest.
The bidding round was the second for the sour gas reserves after the UAE revised the terms of its initial tender in April that also included the Bab field.
The project to develop both fields had an estimated cost of around $10 billion. It is not clear what the cost of developing the Shah field alone will be.
The complexity of developing both fields led Abu Dhabi to split the tender. The UAE has said the Bab field would be developed later.
The UAE holds the world’s fifth-largest gas reserves at nearly 214 trillion cubic feet and is the world’s sixth-largest oil exporter.
The gas has a content of around 30 per cent of potentially deadly hydrogen sulphide, making it tougher to produce than conventional gas reserves.
DUBAI —Royal Dutch Shell and U.S. Occidental Petroleum are the front-runners to win a multibillion-dollar project to develop sour gas reserves in the United Arab Emirates, industry sources said yesterday.
The project is one of the biggest this year available to international companies competing for limited access to the Middle East’s oil and gas fields.
“Shell and Oxy are still in the race,” said one industry source. “They’re in a sort of final within a final. It may be one or the other that wins, or they may work together.”
Shell and Oxy have the edge over the other two bidders for the project, US majors Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, sources said. The four companies submitted bids to state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) in August.
Adnoc was expected to decide on the winner of the project by the end of the year, a source at an oil major said.
Adnoc officials contacted by Reuters declined to comment.
Once a winner is selected for the project, Adnoc was expected to move ahead quickly as it needs to bring online new gas supplies to meet spiralling domestic demand.
Record oil revenues have fuelled economic expansion and boosted demand for gas from the power sector and heavy industry in the United Arab Emirates.
The winner will take a 40 per cent stake in the project, while Adnoc will hold the rest.
The bidding round was the second for the sour gas reserves after the UAE revised the terms of its initial tender in April that also included the Bab field.
The project to develop both fields had an estimated cost of around $10 billion. It is not clear what the cost of developing the Shah field alone will be.
The complexity of developing both fields led Abu Dhabi to split the tender. The UAE has said the Bab field would be developed later.
The UAE holds the world’s fifth-largest gas reserves at nearly 214 trillion cubic feet and is the world’s sixth-largest oil exporter.
The gas has a content of around 30 per cent of potentially deadly hydrogen sulphide, making it tougher to produce than conventional gas reserves.
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