I visited the London Business Show at Custom House today.  It is such a beautiful and photogenic area, a film could be made here.  It is right in the centre of everything.  The City, whose banks  stand next to the cable cars in the horizon, as well as neat houses which are not far from City airport.  There are cafes, winebars, sauna and massage places, boxers' gyms as you would expect to find in the East End, as well as new buildings going up all the while, although I didn't see too many cranes today. 

 

It is good that Abu Dhabi has invested in this venue; it was quite busy with an Accountancy exhibition as well.

 

First speaker I went to listen to is the Property Mermaid, Vicki Wusche.  She guides people who wish to invest in property, helping them source suitable investments which will produce good returns.  She charges a fee of nearly 7,000 for sourcing each property.  Her ideas and assistance would be quite valueable for someone with good amount to invest, say 100K to 500K.  I haven't got anything like that, so I could only be appreciative of Mrs Wusche's direct and interesting presentation.

 

Second speaker was Philip Bryan of Senfori, who made a very important point.  Namely, that a lot of people don't believe in their own idea, they will listen to one-hundred-and-one ideas from other people and still have doubts.  There you have it, a statement that is an absolute gem.

 

I thought I'll try and see if Angels Den could help me raise some funds.  Half an hour told me it was good listening to Bill Morrow, who gets 140 business funding proposals a day at 8 branches of Angels Den worldwide.  Out of these, 138 are rejected.  The other two get the pleasure of being trained to pitch their proposal to a group of angel investors.  The charge for the presentation is £800, which will include solicitors' fees for the equity share documents.  And then, the Entrepreneur gets 4 minutes flat to explain his proposal.  Fewer men get the funding, because they often look for £250,000 or £750,000 or a million.  Ladies seem to go over their business plans with much rigour, and will often have worked out why they need £55,864.91 exactly, and how they are going to invest it in a pin-cushion factory and double the investment in 3 years.  And consequently, women seem to get the funding, which they richly deserve. 

 

Also an sad fact : that angel investors die at 52 (perhaps out of ennui).  So if there is an angel investor who would rather look at something interesting, I hope s/he gets in touch with me.  Either to make a film (for which I can certainly write a script) or back one of my business ventures, please let me know.

 

It was a great show, with many different services, especially creating websites, like Mr Site. Today there are a few more companies doing the same thing.  What was missing was the lollipops and the jellybeans.  Some stands were keeping the chocolates like they would prefer to take them home.

 

I filled in a form for the Guardian.  Should I win some free publicity for my website, I would be happy.

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beverley Hills is one cool place, quite expensive, but you like it none the less.  It's that vibration of energy, of dreams, of works in progress that gives Beverley Hills its buzz.  It's a city of Sundays, of leisurely lunches at the restaurants, a sedate stroll down the Wiltshire Boulevard, where, if money is no object, you're the King.  Or Queen, or Rockstar, or Celebrity, or the hopeful wannabee. 

 

Some of the streets seem to run for miles, so it is very useful to have precise locations.  Taxi fares are quite expensive, with add-ons after certain times of night or bank holidays.  Try using buses to make it cheaper?  Not enough time to figure it out on a short visit.  Taxis from the hotel always seem to have a surcharge added.  The ones you hail charge what's on the meter.  Big difference.

 

There is so much to see and do in L.A.

 

One morning, I and my companions headed to the Walk of Fame.  There's a star that says Cubby Brocolli.  Another says Burt Reynolds.  Another, oh yes, Jane Fonda!

 

There's a cinema school opposite, that does guided tours. 

 

I opt to buy a few trinkets from the shop. There's a nice golden Oscar, that reads 'For Achievement'.  That's a gift that will be appreciated by somebody. 

 

Our stay at the Pasadena Hilton was comfortable.  It has that home-from-home charm, from where we visited the Santa Anita Park for the races, the Breeders Cup; Chateau Marmont, a funky nightclub; The W, or should I say the famous W, which has a breath-taking all-round view of L.A.; a reasonably priced drinking place called Mastros; and the Beverley Hills Hotel, famous in an Eddie Murphy film. 

 

As movies are once again starting to make good returns, and audience numbers starting to improve, I believe the talents of Hollywood will have a hand in contributing to the revival and Recovery. 

 

When I saw a railway line was being laid from Pasadena, I realised this place is still young, and still growing, and huge potential lies in this place.

 

With this short write-up of my very short visit to L.A., I can only say that I do hope to visit there again in the future.

 

Wishing you all a Very Happy New Year, and may Joy and Good Health be with you.

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.

 

Every so often, someone looks up the search phrase ' Stephanie Ruhle stockings' or hosiery or suchlike, and they end up being listed as enquirers for my website.  I wrote up a short recap of the interview on CNBC in which the journalist interviewed Eike Batista, said to be the 10th richest in the world.  Stephanie Ruhle must have given the nylon and hosiery industries a boost, my enquirers seem to have that frame of the picture in their minds.

 

People who are hopeful and talk something positive are the people who are remembered, they inspire people to try harder, like Robert the Bruce's spider.  Enthusiasm is infectious, it is a wealth creator.  Listen to an interview of Warren Buffett, do you ever feel bored?  No, even when he's talking about everyday items such as McDonald's burgers or Ketchup or Coca Cola, he whets peoples appetite for food and drink and the good times, of well-performing companies making healthy products and healthy profits.

 

I hear some people are organizing a boycott of Wal-mart shops around 23rd November, feeling that the walton family are big beneficiearies of government subsidies for the jobs they have created in their nationwide chain of superstores.  My argument is : how otherwise can companies survive in the hard times and people also have jobs?  Subsidies are a good solution, preserving jobs, and thereby the community centre shops and superstores.  It costs less than social security, and prevents people becoming jobless.  And jobs at minimum wage rates are better than no jobs, which cost so much in social security, having a knock on effect on housing and in turn other businesses in the community.

I believe subsidies are a very sound idea, as well as small businesses getting together and forming co-operatives.  It is a good experiment.  It is good for people to take a small risk and try their hand at running a business.  If the momentum picks up, more shops will remain open.  If shops assistants give service with a smile, I am sure people would prefer to go to real shops than shop on-line.  Life is about people, and it is better for there to be more employment and people being purposefully busy. 

 

Not all people enjoy shopping online, nor reading on the internet or kindle.  People still like real shops, and real newspapers. 

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.

 

 

Yesterday, my website had 304 visitors from Oakland, California.

Over the last week, a lot of visitors also from various parts of China.

Unusually high number from Germany.

 

Thanks to Search Engines for listing me and letting people find me :-

 

 

 

 

 

Popped in today to Waterstone's local branch, looking for some inspiration for my blog.

 

Dambisa Moyo has a couple of books prominently displayed.  Winner take all - about China's quest for dominance of global resources.  Dominance is not a word I associate with the Chinese personality.  Amibitious, yes, but dominant, no.  But seems an interesting read, penned by the journalist who is billed as one of the 100 most influential women in the world.  Words have an impact, I guess.  I look forward to reading Miss Moyo's books.

 

Actual paper-and-cardboard books are a joy to handle.  Kindle versions are cheaper, but I cannot afford the eye-strain.

 

Anyway, I picked up one book on Maths, and saw a free Preview booklet of Terry Pratchett's Dodger.

Amusing and entertaining, it seems, and nice pictures to refresh the eyes.

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.

 

 

It seems all the media moguls and magnates are gathered in Sun Valley, Idaho, for what seems like a weekend retreat.  They play golf or go horse-back riding, and wear their best designer casual clothes, but apart from that they seem to work hard, getting up at the crack of dawn at 5 a.m. to be up and about and to be doing their top-secret meetings.  Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch, Marc Zuckerberg and other company owners are there, together with invited friendly media personnel.

 

Are they going to jettison the print media, or expand it with even more titles?  How can they monetize the huge footfall they have on Facebook?  Some of the old and new economy models are going to be mish-mashed and integrated, to come up with a workable whole that will make more impact for the media moguls, adding to their kudos, as well as perhaps adding to the world growth picture. 

 

Just like they like to do and achieve success, so too do they know that their employees and subscribers aspire to the same values.  The world has to be a growth story, of an expansionist agenda by creating opportunities for more and more.  All these ultra-successful folks know the Law of Attraction, that God has given the driving force to each and all, and, as a new chapter opens in this new world Digital Economy, it may be possible to create work and leisure and fun for all.  But just how?  That is the question they are all exploring.  With all the giant brains brainstorming, they'll come out of Sun Valley with a lot of new ideas for growth, to create heatmaps of happiness and joy.

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.

 

 

Today is a day of great celebration for mankind, the day when they have revealed the finding of the God Particle, the sub-atomic structure that is the DNA of the beginning of Creation.  It is a milestone, like the landing of the First Man on the Moon, or the discovery of penicillin... or even hearing Vivaldi's Four Seasons for the first time.

 

The announcement came amidst palpable excitement amongst the scientists and other observers alike, from the Cern laboratory in Switzerland.  There, in the tunnel of 27 kilometers that houses the Collider, the Higgs Boson particle has been isolated.  What benefits this discovery brings to Mankind, remains to be seen.  It has certainly brought joy to Dr Higgs and his team, which has consisted of 8,000 scientists from over 100 nations, working in co-operation.  The project is said to have cost about $30 billion, and it seems money well spent.  I don't know what was Professor Higgs' inspiration all those 40 years ago when he first proposed the idea, but I have read in the Bhagvad Gita that when the boys and girls playing with Lord Krishna looked into His open mouth, they saw a galaxy... It is virtually as if the God Particle may have fallen out of that vision. 

 

It is naturally fitting that the name of Dr Bose is associated with this project and this particie, for Dr Bose's name is the foremost in super-magnification.  The Higgs-Boson particle, the God particle.  Today is a day that shall inspire many more visions of what there can be, to be found which already exists in Nature, waiting for mankind's curiosity and persistence to unearth it. 

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.

 

 

 

 

As the world awaits what the ECB Chairman Mario Draghi will announce on Thursday, a rate cut or some additional stimulus, the question that needs to be asked is :  what is really needed?

 

With overnight deposits at the ECB running at around Euros 820 Billion, and withdrawls hardly Euros 320 million, I think it is self-evident that the wherewithal for growth in Europe is already there... 819 Billion Euros plus parked in vaults is a fantastic figure!  As to a rate cut, it does not seem necessary.  At one percent, it is pretty low -  otherwise the banks would not find it profitable to lend vigorously, they'll just do inter-bank deals, collect their cut and go for lunch. 

 

The solution which is taking place with improving numbers for the manufacturing indexes (although below the 50 level) is a return to confidence, the confidence to borrow, the confidence to lend, the confidence to spend and the confidence to grow, a confidence to try and balance the books with China and India and Brazil and OPEC, and a confidence to create jobs, confidence to fill up the empty houses, and a confidence to acknowledge that the world system has always existed on credit for further growth, and this generation cannot be any different. 

 

If this generation is fine and we pull ourselves out of this sticky patch where lack of confidence has slowed things down, then austerity will be replaced by an ambience of happiness and growth, sustaining people to their expectations and dreams of a more fulfilling, more promising, more prosperous future.

It is a natural agenda.  People on welfare benefits will be happier if work is given to them, which would fill up the empty offices and factories and warehouses and the idling computers. 

 

The world has to fully awake and arise, and not have another recession in the midst of plenty.

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.

 

While over a billion people the world over sleep hungry most nights, and children grow up stunted because of malnourishment, it is a glaring absurdity that while enough food grows in India to feed all, a lot of it is wasted due to lack of proper administration and storage. 

 

Perishable food becomes wasted because there isn't adequate preservation and packing and refrigeration, or else the food is stored in godowns in India and it almost becomes forgotten while the price on the market goes up, so who can be bothered to cart out more when you're getting the same money for less, adding to inflation, given as the primary cause why the government cannot lower the RBI repo rate. 

 

Obviously added power supply would help so refrigerated storages can be built, as well as canning factories to preserve the delicious fruit and veg.  If foreign direct investment is not too welcome at this stage, then maybe the Indian merchants can put up the capital to build what is needed.  Either way, with FDI or increased capital investment by the local communities, the potential is huge for improvements. 

 

The distribution network needs to be added to, with more hardened roads that hopefully can see refrigerated trucks carrying yummy desserts and delicacies to different parts of town, to modern supermarkets that have the necessary storage facilities.  Those of course should be built.

 

If the Reserve Bank actually cuts the repo rate (I am suggesting a bold 125-150 basis points this month to stave off disaster in the weakening economic picture) it could help utilise the natural wealth that India is blessed with and feed the people and raise their standards of living, which would naturally register on an increased GDP.  When a nation has such an abundance of gifts, is it asking anything to use the silver bullet for the economy?

 

If we learn the lesson from the global slowdown in 2008, and apply the solutions today, then we can avoid such a scenario tomorrow.  Wherever the interest rates are unsustainably high and are affecting growth, there they have to lower them, in consultation where necessary with the IMF and the World Bank.  Elected politicians and bankers should try to find happiness in growth, and thereby in the happiness of the people they serve.  For that, I pray. 

 

Kind regards,

Duru-darshan.