The World Cup Finals : Beyond Paul

Paul, the Octopus, has already spoken, er.. predicted Spain's victory over Netherlands. For Paul's sake, I hope Spain wins the finals. If not, the Spanish may do what the Germans only threatened to do - have Paul for dinner.

My analysis of the finals is as under:
Date of Match : 11th July, 2010 which is the compound number 12 and the single number 3.
Time of Match: 20.30 hours which reduces to the Vedic number 5
Netherlands: Totals to the compound number 42 and the single number 6. Six is the Vedic number for Venus - the planet for beauty and arts.
Spain: Totals to the compound number 18 and the single number 9. Nine is the Vedic number for Mars.
Johannesburg: The city where the finals will be played totals up to 9. Again the number of Mars, which is the same as the number for Spain. Great chemistry here!

The captain of Netherlands is Giovanni Van Bronckhorst. This totals to the compound number 11 and the single number 2. The Spanish captain is Iker Casillas whose name totals to the compound number 10 and the single number 1.

The single number for the date of the match - 3 is in harmony with both 6 (the single number for Netherlands ) and 9 (the single number for Spain). This indicates that both teams are evenly poised with respect to the date of the match.

The Vedic single number 5 (time of match 20.30 hrs) represents Mercury. In Vedic astrology Mercury is friendly with Venus ( 6 is the number for Venus - the single number for Netherlands). Mercury (5 from the time of the match) is the enemy of Mars ( Mars is no.9 - the single number for Spain). Thus, here, Netherlands has a marginal advantage over Spain.

The match is scheduled to begin at 20.30 hours which is the period of Moon with the sub-period of Mercury (beginning at 20.20 hours and ending at 20.32 hours). Moon ( the period at the commencement of the match) has a neutral relationship with both Mars and Venus. This places both teams on an equal footing.

Spain totals to 9 (Mars). The place of the match, Johannesburg also totals to the number 9. This places Spain in a powerful position to win the game.

The Captain of the Netherlands is Giovanni Van Bronckhorst whose compound name number, 11, represents a lion muzzled - a person who will have difficulty. Bronckhorst's date of birth number is also the compound number 11 (5th February,1975) making it doubly difficult for him to win this match. The Spanish captain's name compound number is 10 which is symbolized (in the Tarot card system) by the Wheel of Fortune. It is a fortunate number for carrying out plans. This gives gives the Spanish team a big advantage over the Dutch.

Thus from the Vedic numerology perspective, Spain will win this match.

Let us now examine the game from the Vedic astrology charts:
The Rasi chart (Sign chart) for Spain is as under:

This chart been cast with Spain's creation taken as the 22nd November, 1975 - 12.24 pm at Madrid. This coincides with the ascension of King Juan Carlos to the throne. The Ascendant is Makara (Capricorn) at 10 degrees. 10, as mentioned earlier. symbolizes the Wheel of Fortune as also in tune with the Spanish captain's name compound number.

The Rasi chart for Netherlands is as under:

For the purpose of this chart, the creation of Netherlands has been taken as the 26th July,1581 at 12.00 hours at The Hague. The event was signing of the declaration of independence, on this date, by the State of the Union of Uterecht under the name of the United Provinces. The Ascendant (Lagna) of Netherlands, as per this chart is at 13 degree Virgo. 13 is the number of the warning of the unknown or the unexpected. It is not unfortunate but indicates a change of place and plans.

For Spain, the Lord of the Year is Shukra (Venus) which is powerful this year indicating success for Spain. For Netherlands, the Lord of the Year is Guru (Jupiter) which is moderately powerful, indicating moderate results.

Thus from an Vedic astrological view point too, it appears, that Spain is poised to lift the cup.

Spain may win this game by a margin of 2-0 with both the Spanish goals coming in the second half.

While it does appear that the stars favours a Spanish win, stars give way to great human effort. Efforts can overcome Karma.

May the Better Team Win!

The Foreign Secretary's New Clothes or Hips May Lie

        

























      


                        

Editor-in-Thief : A Short Story

It was Asin's fifth day at the Indian Age. After completing her course in Mass Communications from the Asian Institute of Journalism in Bangalore, she had accepted the offer from Indian Age to join them at their main editorial office in Bangalore. The first four days had been spent reading multiple editions of the Indian Age. As part of her induction programme - she along with other freshers were advised by the Editor to read and imbibe before beginning to write for the newspaper. 

However, on the fifth day, the newspaper had been tipped off by its sources at the Bangalore International airport about Air Ndia flight XI 810 encountering turbulence over the Middle Eastern skies. After the crash of Air India Express flight at Mangalore, there was heighten public interest in stories pertaining to "incidents-in-the-air".  Earlier, news of injuries to passengers due to Clear Air Turbulence would be routinely filed in the inner recesses of the  newspaper. However,  post Mangalore, public interest made editors give more coverage to "air incidents.

As the aviation correspondent of the newpaper was on leave, Asin had been asked to speak to the "source" at the airport to get more information on the turbulence that XI 810 encountered and to file a report before 10 pm. Asin looked up Wikipedia, askcaptainlim.com and earlier newpaper reports on other such incidents, before speaking to her "source". She submitted her report to the Copy Editor - Divya Desikan well before the deadline. Her report:

Air Ndia XI 810 encounters turbulence over Middle Eastern airspace

Bangalore: It is reported that Air Ndia's flight XI 810 encountered strong Clear Air Turbulence over the skies of Jordan. It is reported that the aircraft lost height when it encountered turbulence at 37,000 feet. An Air Ndia spokesperson has clarified that Clear Air Turbulence is normal for this time of the year and occurs when the wind at high altitudes suddenly changes speed and direction causing the aircraft to mildly wobble. In some case the aircraft also loses height. The spokesperson also clarified that turbulence lasted for under one minute as the pilot, upon reporting turbulence to the ATC, was moved to a different altitude.

Under twenty minutes of her hitting the send button, Asin's intercom buzzed. It was Divya. " Asin, come over", she said curtly.

" Do you think your story  is interesting, Asin?"  "Pre Mangalore, we would have carried this on page 7". 

" Now, it is our attempt to put out all aviations stories on page 1. Your story is completely inadequate for a page 1 lead". " I have completely recast the story". " I expect all your future filings on aviation stories to be of this standard". She then handed over a sheaf of A4 sheets, which Asin noticed had the re-written story, with her initial story as part of the trailing mails. Asin commenced reading - with great interest:

Plucky pilot recovers Air Ndia flight from a nose-dive seconds before a certain crash into the Dead Sea

Bangalore : The shocking story of how 231 passenger on an Air Ndia flight escaped an almost certain crash can now be told. Indian Age has compiled this story with never before details on how flight XI 810 was saved due the skill and presence of mind of its commander, Captain A.I. Dastur.


Till an hour after takeoff, it was a routine flight. The Pilot Flying, the co-pilot in this case, had put the aircraft on auto-pilot. Captain Dastur had gone to the wash-room. As the he was washing his hands he felt the aircraft wobble, mildly. Captain Dastur knew that the aircraft was on auto-pilot and the co-pilot was in the cockpit. The auto-pilot itself would  take corrective action. Then, captain Dastur banged his head against the toilet door as he felt the aircraft banking sharply to the starboard side. Instinctively, Captain Dastur knew that all was not well. He hurriedly rushed out of the toilet. What he saw shocked him. People who were not seated were sprawled on the floor knocked out by the sharp banking of the aircraft. Childen were crying and there was a look of terror in passenger's eyes. The cabin crew were valiantly trying to restore order among the passenger and were helping others back to their seats.


Captain Dastur frantically buzzed his co-pilot on the intercom - to get him to open the cockpit door. However, there was no response from the cockpit. Captain Dastur then realized that either his co-pilot was incapacitated or was busy trying to get the aircraft back in control. The Captain then punched in on the number pad, just outside the cockpit door - the memorized code, for an emergency opening of the bullet proof steel door. While the Captain was waiting for the door to open, it is programmed to open in 35 seconds, he could hear the clacker from the GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) indicating that the aircraft was less than a safe distance from the ground. He realized that there was no time to lose.


As Captain Dastur yanked the door open on the 35th second, he was horrified to see his co-pilot incapacitated - perhaps being hit on the the head when the aircraft had banked steeply. He realized that there was no time to waste - not even enough time to take his  seat. Even before sitting down - he pushed the Auto-Pilot bar down to disengage the auto-pilot. Then, in a split second, he pulled back the Flight Control Column with considerable force and got the aircraft out of its dive. Next, he alerted the air traffic controllers. He wasn't done yet. The aircraft had gone into a 30 degree nose dive - at this angle, the plane was flying at higher than its permitted speed - a perfect recipe for structural damage.  In order prevent any structural damage, Captain Dastur  rolled the aircraft more than 90 degrees in order to take the pressure off the control surfaces until it was safe to switch the hydraulic controls back on. As he got his breath back, he realized that he was only 10 seconds away from crashing into the Dead Sea.


He then flew to his destination at slower than normal speeds in case the aircraft had suffered some structural damage.


Aviation experts, contacted by this reporter, were fulsome in their praise for Captain Dastur whose skillfull airmanship saved the lives of 231 passengers and crew.


As Asin came to the end of Divya's racy piece, Divya snatched back the sheaf from Asin. As the papers were being pulled out of her hands, Asin's sight fell on another trailing mail below Divya's piece:


--- On Wed, 2/6/10, A.I.Dastur @xi.com> wrote:

From: A.I.Dastur @xi.com>>
Subject: XI 810 - Details for lead story
To: "'Divya Desikan'"
Date: Wednesday, 2 June, 2010, 8:57 PM

Dear Divya,

I have suitably amended the write-up by Asin, that you forwarded earlier. I have spiced up the incident for your including it as part of  the page 1 lead story  tomorrow.


I look good, don't I!

AID

There are some things MasterCard can't buy - keep cash handy!

Take the Nilgiris heritage Mountain Railway for instance. A second class one way  ticket, from Coonoor to Ooty, costs Rs. 3/- for the 60 minutes trip. A first class ticket costs 35  times this - Rs.101/-. Try flashing your MasterCard!

This is the Coonoor Railway Station

This is the queue to board the heritage Nilgiris Mountain Railway at the Coonoor Station

This is just not done in India - except, perhaps, in Coonoor. Queuing-up to board the train. Unless, ofcourse, you are travelling first.

This was the most sought after photo op spot - where the guard stands at the head of the train

Take your seat before the guard decides to signal the commencement of the one hour trip from Coonoor to Ooty (Udhagamandalam for those who can manage this tongue twister). The guard stands here waving a red or green flag to the locomotive driver - the locomotive  pushes the train up from behind. The locomotive driver has to be alert for any red flags from the guard. The locomotive driver cannot see the track and what's ahead. He is completely dependant on the guard to navigate the train.

The Coonoor signal cabin. No different from the signal cabin of  any other railway station

First, the push back to change the track.  The train then moves forward after being put on the right track

The toy train moves through a quaint and green topography 

Approaching Wellington station

The lonely Wellington station. The train picked up the lone family waiting to board

It chugs to Ooty through twist, turns and curves

Over an aqueduct...

... which the passengers hoped was strong enough...

  This one was destroyed by a mudslide a few months back. The train crawled over this under-repair structure

  Through a natural narrow passage...

.... and Eucalyptus plantations

The green tea gardens signifying that Ooty was close. Nearing the end of the trip

Passengers taking the return trip have 30 minutes to buy the ticket for the return trip. Only one way tickets are issued at Coonoor and Ooty. There's a long queue to buy the return ticket. 30 minutes is just about adequate for the job. And, of course, you cannot pay with MasterCard!

India - Getting Ready to Draw the Curtains

India is a very challenging market. For a new entrant in the luxury furnishing fabrics segment, the market holds special challenges. 

First, home textile retailing  itself is still in its nascent stage. Sustainable luxury retail evolves from the saturation of the market for premium products. The opportunity for a market for luxury products is perceived when the aspirations of consumers are not satisfied by premium brands. As many luxury brands, particularly in the apparel segment  have discovered, market dynamics are very different from markets statistics. They cannot  be the basis to enter and  build a sustaining market for luxury brands.

Second, the correlation between income and demand is much lower for luxury furnishing fabrics compared to apparel and accessories.   Only a small segment of Indian customers, who can afford luxury products,  are open  to spending   on luxury furnishing fabrics.  Luxury apparel, accessories and automobiles  offers them  a superior platform to display their  wealth.

Third, a study done by the Italian Trade Commission in  2009 estimates the size of Indian market for curtain fabrics  to   be about USD 340 million and that  for  upholstery  fabrics to be USD 373 million.  While this may be true from a macro perspective,  the actual market size available for a luxury brand is unlikely to be more  than USD 18 million which includes sales of  imported fabrics accounting for about USD 5 million.

Roadblocks to  Market Growth

Supply Issues

A dearth of Indian producers  of  the luxury furnishing fabrics  forces Indian retailers to depend significantly on imports. Import duties  are as high as 40 to 60 percent of the FOB value. Depending on the country of origin and the urgency of requirement, freight and allied charges could add upto 10% to FOB costs making these products even more expensive. Frequent and unexpected transit delays lead to customer dissatisfaction on account of non-adherence to committed deliveries

Demand Issues

The Indian consumer is very new to the idea of luxury furnishing fabics.  Even a well-to-do customer is  happy dabbling with low and medium priced products.  She invests in an Italian sofa set. However, when it comes to curtains, she is not always as discerning.  It’s only the very evolved consumer, with an income to match, who realizes the value of luxury furnishing fabrics and recognizes the difference it make to décor.   

 Luxury brands are bought by customers who can afford it and also by those who cannot.  For the evolved customer, luxury is not about flaunting the logo. The number of customers who intrinsically understand luxury is small.  For the nouveau rich, the logo is the  luxury.  This is the larger segment  for luxury products.  Luxury furnishing fabrics offers little scope for flaunting the brand thus cutting out a segment of the population which can afford the brand but trade cheaper in the absence of product branding.

Strategies for Market Growth

Centralized Store Locations

Luxury brands  realise that physical presence in multiple cities may not necessarily convert into a larger customer base. In fact,  infrastructure and operating costs could make a larger chain less profitable than a smaller retail chain. The best way to reach target markets  is to set up stores only in key cities.  The target audience for luxury products, from smaller cities,  travel frequently to these key cities  for several reasons.  It makes perfect sense to have an impactful central presence instead of spreading  resources thinly.

Educating  Consumers

 To generate greater demand in any luxury product segment, including furnishing fabrics,  retailers need to familiarize the consumer with their products. Effective means of spreading awareness in these times are websites and virtual stores.  While these cannot replace the touch and feel facility that physical stores offer and which is crucial for a luxury brand,  these mediums are especially useful for customers who may not have easy access to stores. However, these need to be backed  by efficient delivery and a customer complaint redressal system.

Avoiding Imports

Heavy duties imposed on imported fabrics do not add realizable value for the consumer. Therefore, it is very essential for the retailers to develop a vendor base of domestic manufacturers of luxury furnishing fabrics if they have to address the Indian market on a profitable  basis.

Joint Generic Marketing

It is beyond the scope of a single company to expand the market size.  Furniture and furnishing retailers should initiate   joint action to expand the overall market size. Such alliances would not only create a better market but would also make shopping a more fulfilling experience.  Both segments will equally benefit from the expanded market base.

Co-opetition*, not competition is required to address small market segments which have the potential to grow significantly.

* Cooperative competition as defined by Edward De Bono

Go ogling

Google to move out of China?

Vacation Monologue, Holiday Dialogue

7 days to go:
0500 hrs: Hong Kong, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand, Indonesia. There are too many to choose from.
0600 hrs: Hmm. No visa required for Hong Kong, Indonesia, Bhutan, Thailand, Sri Lanka. If I club Shanghai with HK? The Maglev is important. So is HK Disneyland.
0630 hrs: Why can’t they standardize visa photo requirements. Why should the requirement vary by country?

6 days to go:
0500 hrs: Oh man! These visa forms are never ending.
0700 hrs: Finally all done!
0930 hrs: Will you dispatch it to the Embassy today?

5 days to go:
1000 hrs: Hello! Did you courier my visa application to the Chinese embassy? You did! Thank you. May I have the tracking number? Thank you. Still in transit. “Damn! Tracking sites are very useful.

4 days to go:
1000 hrs:  Hello, I had sent you a document yesterday – it could not be delivered today as there was no one to receive it – are you closed today? Oh! Chinese New Year. Ok. Are you working tomorrow – oh great!

3 days to go:
1000 hrs: www.trackyourvisa.com   Still under processing. Oh god! Let it get processed today.
1400 hrs: www.trackyourvisa.com   What is this?  Under scrutiny?  No! What there to scrutinize? I am not a resident of J&K. Wish I were – they would have processed it faster.
1700 hrs: www.trackyourvisa.com   Under dispatch. Whoopee!

2 days to go:
0600 hrs: www.trackanything.com.  In transit. Good!
1000 hrs: www.trackanything.com  Still  in transit. How long does the flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru take?
1325 hrs: www.trackanything.com  Still  in transit. Damn!
1400 hrs: Hello! Dodart Express. My airway bill No. 987653321. What is the status?
1400 hrs: Oh no!
1400 hrs: Can I get it today?
1400 hrs: Can I collect it from your hub?
1400: Yes? There goes 3 hours.
1400 hrs: Thank you


1 day to go:
1000 hrs: Hello! Is it Get Forex?
1000 hrs: I need some of the USD that you gave me on Wednesday to be converted to Hong Kong Dollars and Chinese Yuan.
1000 hrs: Do I really need to come over? Can’t you send someone across? No? Oh, you have an airport counter. OK, I will get the currency converted at the airport.
1900 hrs: There is too much luggage to lug. Didn’t realize that lug was derived from luggage.
2100 hrs: Let me have dinner before completing this never ending packing.
2300 hrs: Almost done.
2345: The bags look neat and packed.


Day 0:
0600 hrs: Hello! Easy Cab. Need a cab for the airport at 1900 hrs. Have to report at 2000 hrs.  Is it confirmed. ?
1915 hrs: Hello! Easy cab. Where the cab which I had asked at 1900 hrs.
1915 hrs: Hello! How long will you take to reach my place? The pickup was at 7 – it’s 7.15 now.
1919 hrs: Please drive faster. Reporting at the airport is at 8pm. The departure is at 11. Can’t be late.
2115 hrs: What recession! This queue is never ending.
2200 hrs. Boarding pass. Finally!
2330 hrs: No. 7 in the take off sequence? There are too many people flying overseas. Can’t they space takeoffs better so that takeoffs are on time.
00.30 hrs: No thanks No meal. Please put a do not disturb on this seat.


Day 1
0555 hrs : Hmm… looks like we are landing. Heck – I wish the flight was longer – so sleepy.
0615 hrs: In a queue of 30 at 6.15 am. What a way to start a vacation!
0625 hrs: Thank goodness queues move faster here.
1200 hrs: Oh hell! Its noon! Oversleeping is such a waste of a vacation.
1300 hrs: I’ll die of hunger if I don’t find edible vegetarian food soon.
1335: Thank goodness for MacDonald’s! So what if it’s just the bun and lettuce sans the non-vegetarian Patti.
1340 : No point in going to Disney today! The day is more than half over.
1425 : Tsim Sha Tsui. Thank goodness for air-conditioned shopping.
2025 : Surprising that shops close so early in Hong Kong too.


Day 2 :
1000 hrs: Shouldn’t have walked all that much in the malls last evening.
1300 hrs: Disneyland is too much hype.
1600 hrs: You need the enthusiasm of a teenager to get around here. Not my cup of Chinese tea.
1730 hrs: This foot massage feels like heaven.
1900 hrs: What a pleasure to tuck in early – also what a waste of vacation time.

Day 3:
0400 hrs:  Why do international flights take off so early?
0500 hrs :  The good thing about early morning flights is reduced travel time to the airport. There are more planes in the air than cars on the road.
0600 hrs: The worst things about vacations are early morning queues. No sunrise-from the-air is worth these red eye flights.
0700 hrs: I feel safer with Air India. God, please make this plane shake less. Mummy!!
0730 hrs: Finally this contraption’s stopped shaking. What a relief.

0745 hrs: But, this is not in English. How do I fill in a form in Mandarin?

0820 hrs: What is this? A border skirmish with India?



0821 hrs: God, please let there be no war. At least not till I get back.
0842 hrs: What an airport. Thank god for the sign boards in English.
0950 hrs: Getting to the hotel was a breeze. Something’s telling me that getting around from here is going to be stormy.
1200 hrs:  Great wall of China. Need to put these pictures on my Facebook wall.
1222 hrs: O there’s Rahul Dravid. What luck. Hello Rahul! May I have a photo with you?
1330 hrs: Beef in a roti. What do I eat?

1340 hrs: Ray Croc, thank you for spreading MacDonald’s far and wide. The great wall is only 8,851.8 kilometers long.
1400 hrs: These cow hide shoes are no good for the calf muscle. Can’t walk any more.
1600 hrs: Beds at Westin are the best. But to travel half way across the world to plonk on bed?
1900 hrs: Where would I be without hot corn soup at, where else, Macdonald’s?

Day 4 :
0800 hrs: Whew! This Maglev is fantastic.

1030 hrs: Commercial Street is better than Nanjin Road. Thank god for small mercies.
1300 hrs: Thanks again Ray Croc.
1400 hrs: The weather here is better than in Banglaore. Only if hadn’t been for the continuous drizzle.
1700 hrs: Wonder how they make the beds at Westin.
1730 hrs: Good beds are bad when you have to rise early.
1900 hrs: Yes thanks. At 4 am please.

Day 5 :
0400 hrs : Thank you.
0500 hrs: I am now certain that no sunrise is any match for a glorious Westin bed.

0600 hrs: I look forward to a directionless world. They overdo directions and instructions here.
0700 hrs: No Clear Air Turbulence this time. The pilot must be cat’s whiskers.
0930 hrs: What do they mean that Chek Lap Kok is an announcement free airport? Do they expect everyone to be literate?

Day 6:
0140 hrs : Not bad. On time.
0220 hrs : Thank god for Meru. Else, at this hour…
0330 hrs: My bed is better than Westin.


Day 6 (continued)
1230 hrs: “How was your vacation? Am sure you had a fabulous time”.
1230 hrs: My head’s splitting. Legs aching. I am jet-lagged.
1230 hrs: Spiders accomplish a lot in 6 days. I am dreading the cleanup.
1230 hrs: I NEED A  HOLIDAY TO GET OVER MY VACATION.