Where There Isn't A Will

Online will services:

1. Ezeewill: https://www.ezeewill.com/pricing.html
2. HDFC Securities: http://www.hdfcsec.com/EWill/DynamicForms_ewill.aspx?type=ewill&id=ewill
3. WillJini: https://www.willjini.com/

http://www.financialexpress.com/personal-finance/nsdl-warmond-to-offer-online-personalised-will-preparation-and-estate-planning/357566/

Additional  reading:

1. http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/planning/a-comparative-analysisonline-will-services_1200323.html
2. Sample Will document:http://www.relakhs.com/write-will-sample-will-india-draft-will/
3. Guidelines: https://www.ezeewill.com/guidelines.html
4. Difference between RTGS and NEFT: http://profit.ndtv.com/news/your-money/article-rtgs-vs-neft-the-differences-you-need-to-know-1450791?site=full

Japanese Movies

What is it about Japansese movie?

1. Akira Kurosawa's movie: Seven Samurai: Sholay's precursor
2. The devotion of Suspect X: Precursor of Drishyam
3. Roshomon: Precursor of Andha Naal 

How many more?

Friend (or Enemy) Of The State

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3971214/The-48-organisations-entire-online-browsing-history-delete-it.html

Growth Because Of Adversity - Either Grow Or Sleep

A friend sent me this video:

Interesting isn't it?

Male Or Female Name?

I  was wondering. How does one figure out whether a person is male or female from his (or her) name? I refer to Chinese, Japanese and Korean names.

• Japanese: https://www.spinjapan.net/how_to_know_gender_from_japanese_names/
• Chinese: http://blog.tutorming.com/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/difference-chinese-male-and-female-names-gender

Movie Quotes

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Movie_Quotes

Quotes from the movie As Good As It Gets Gets: 
https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/As_Good_as_It_Gets

Tap Dance

Tap dance scenes: http://time.com/107712/best-movie-tap-dance-scenes/ (some of the video links may not work)

Tap dance legends: http://www.tapdance.org/Legends

Misinterpretations

A friend sent me this video

Kailash Manasarovar (KM)

A friend sent me this photo. Apparently when it was a special full moon - somewhere near Manasarovar at about 13000 ft altitude.

Here is a video.

A friend of mine once had visited the place and showed me photos and I fell in love with KM.

Here is a page dedicated to KM.

Privileged Banking And Wealth Customers

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/portfolio/net-worth/a-privileged-banking-experience/article7774726.ece

Digging Into Sindhi Surnames

https://sindhisbysurnames.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/digging-deeper-into-sindhi-surnames/

Judaism, Islam

I had earlier written about Judaism and Islam. Wanted to read some more about these two and their close sibling Christianity,

1. http://www.judaism-islam.com/similarities-between-judaism-and-islam/
2. https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Jews-and-Muslims-hate-each-other-so-much
3. http://www.diffen.com/difference/Islam_vs_Judaism
4. https://gotquestions.org/Jews-Arabs.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic%E2%80%93Jewish_relations

Getting Bank Balances Through SMS

A friend sent me this:

These are the numbers to know your bank balances. You should call from the registered mobile number.

தற்பொழுது ஒரு மாதத்திற்கு 5 முறை மட்டுமே இலவசமாக ATM எந்திரம் வழியே பணம் எடுக்கவோ அல்லது வங்கி கணக்கில் உள்ள கையிருப்பு பணத்தை பார்க்கவோ முடியும்.

🔴அதற்கு மேல் பார்த்தால் ஒவ்வொரு முறைக்கும் 20 ரூபாய் பிடித்துக்கொள்ளப்படுகின்றது.

🔴 இதனால் சாமானிய மக்கள் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

🔴தற்பொழுது இலவசமாக வங்கி கணக்கில் உள்ள கையிருப்பு பணத்தை அறிந்து கொள்ள இலவச நம்பர் சேவை அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

🔴கீழே கொடுக்கப் பட்டுள்ள இலவச எண்ணிற்கு கால் செய்தால் போதும், உங்களுடைய போன் எண்ணிற்கு கையிருப்பு தொகையை SMS அனுப்பிவிடுவார்கள்.

🔴உங்கள் நம்பர் பதிவு செய்யப்பட்ட நம்பராக இருக்கவேண்டும்.

*

1. Axis bank-------------------- 09225892258

2. Andra bank------------------ 09223011300

3. Allahabad bank-------------09224150150

4. Bank of baroda-------------09223011311

5. Bhartiya Mahila bank----- 09212438888

6. Dhanlaxmi bank----------- 08067747700

7. IDBI bank-------------------- 09212993399

8. Kotak Mahindra bank--- 18002740110

9. Syndicate bank------------ 09664552255

10. Punjab national bank---18001802222

11. ICICI bank----------------- 02230256767

12. HDFC bank-------------- 18002703333

13. Bank of india------------- 02233598548

14. Canara bank------------- 09289292892

15. Central bank of india-- 09222250000

16. Karnataka bank-------- 18004251445

17. Indian bank-------------- 09289592895

18. Union Bank of India---- 09223009292

19. UCO bank---------------- 09278792787

20. Vijaya bank--------------- 18002665555

21. Yes bank------------------ 09840909000.

22. State Bank of india- Get the balance via IVR 1800112211 and 18004253800  

23. Corporation bank------- 092-688-92688.  

24. South Indian Bank----- 092 23 008488
25. OBC -------------------------- 08067205767

From Europe

A friend sent me this. 

Snow outside Tchorzem's house. About 1C

And here is outside my house now

30C, Very little snow.

Tougher Than Air Force

I read this today in https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/us/163858-COMIC-RELIEF

Beautiful.

You’ve all heard of the Air Force’s ultra-high-security, super-secret base in Nevada, known simply as Area 51. Well, late one afternoon, the Air Force folks out at Area 51 were very surprised to see a Cessna landing at their ‘secret’ base. They immediately impounded the aircraft and hauled the pilot into an interrogation room. The pilot’s story was that he took off from Vegas, got lost, and spotted the Base just as he was about to run out of fuel. The Air Force started a full FBI background check on the pilot and held him overnight during the investigation. By the next day, they were finally convinced that the pilot really got lost and wasn’t a spy. They gassed up his airplane, gave him a terrifying ‘you-did-not-see-a-base’ briefing, complete with threats of spending the rest of his life in prison, and sent him on his way. The day after that though, to the total disbelief of the Air Force, the same Cessna showed up again. Once again the MP’s surrounded the plane. But this time there were two people in the plane. The same pilot jumped out and said, ‘Do anything you want to me, but my wife is in the plane and you have to tell her where I was last night!’

Very Interesting on Removing Rs 500 And Rs 1000 As Legal Tender

19th Jun 2017: http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/06/17/how-i-knew-demonetisation-was-going-to-be-a-disaster-right-from_a_22417571/?ncid=NEWSSTAND0010

Updated  on May 29, 2017: This is a telling description of Modi's performance: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/india-second-most-complex-tax-jurisdiction-deloitte/article9714344.ece

Updated on May 11, 2017: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/WUuVPSzFeYteHE7AKmphNM/Making-sense-of-Modinomics.html - Interesting summary

Updated on Feb 23rd 2017: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/RGZgD70N5ogk88Q8dwTNgO/Income-Tax-dept-to-launch-second-phase-of-bank-account-scrut.html

Updated on Feb 1st 2017:
A very nice article: https://scroll.in/article/827887/understanding-demonetisation-why-theres-a-war-on-cash-and-you-are-in-the-middle-of-it and http://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/how-has-india-fared-since-2016-what-tax-data-tells-us-about-the-state-of-the-economy/525606/

Income tax department asks taxpayers to verify their deposits online: http://www.livemint.com/Industry/PWNo4r01CdQcYafliQcnlM/Tax-department-asks-taxpayers-to-everify-deposits-post-demo.html

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/banned-notes-what-jaitley-revealed-is-important-but-what-he-hides-is-crucial/articleshow/56953396.cms -  Some number crunching

Updated on Jan 18th 2017: 
https://qz.com/886094/silently-indias-supreme-court-has-set-off-a-chain-of-events-that-could-torpedo-narendra-modis-demonetisation-move/
The gentleman now strikes against gold: http://www.ap7am.com/lv-240877-spotlight-modis-surgical-strike-on-domestic-gold-holdings.html. Is he going to ask every woman to show what she is wearing or what she is hiding under her pillow or open up every locker? And dig under every tree? Another article: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-tax-on-jewellery/gold-purchased-out-of-disclosed-income-Finance-Ministry/articleshow/55724734.cms

We have already unearthed lots of black money based on the November 8th 2016 announcement. And created enormous mess in the life of people. Let's see where we go with the gold announcement..

Look at that: http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/it-rejects-declarations-rs-2-lakh-crore-rs-13000-crore-revises-ids-amount/463770/ A family of 4 deposits 2 lakh crore. Huh, what?

http://scroll.in/article/821113/in-one-stroke-demonetisation-has-shaken-the-trust-our-monetary-system-is-based-on

Unfortunately the country's economy has not been made cashless nor is there any immediate push to make the economy cashless. The plan to introduce Rs 2000 note makes it obvious. Now people can horde those notes.

Look at all the gas agencies or hospitals or booking offices of trains, buses etc and see how much cash they deposit at the banks. Have we tried to minimize cash usage?

The vegetable sellers with their push carts plied their wares today without taking cash. They made me a debtor. Far better to have accounts receivable than let vegetables rot.

As on Nov 12th morning after reading the morning papers I understood this: That a lady could not be cremated in north India because cash was not available. Another man in Triplicane, Chennai had huge difficulty in getting his daughter married because cash was needed everywhere from flower vendors to beauticians and cards were not accepted and the lines outside & inside banks are  too long even on 12th morning. Trucks have come to a stop in Tamil Ndu because truck drivers do not have the new currency nor cards. Gives us an idea where cash is still king and professions which are beyond the realm of income tax.

Apparently the plan has fallen apart: http://indianexpress.com/article/blogs/pm-narendra-modi-demonetisation-note-recall-narrative-fallen-apart-4406642/

Another view of this: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/uzvIE84KGXy1xvp06pTazM/Demonetization-is-a-hollow-move.html

A traveling salesman's diary here: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/pN22OadikDCzoRcrB87UxH/A-travelling-salesmans-diary-in-the-days-of-demonetisation.html

A rather unfortunate fallout of the issues with lack of cash availability in ATM's long queues in banks is the fact that the government is trying to find more avenues to reach cash to the common man (disbursing thru petrol pumps) and having more establishments accept old Rs500, 1000 notes instead of getting more people and establishments covered though debit cards or electronic payments. Imagine if we had succeeded in the latter... We would have largely got rid of cash.. Now that has to wait. 

Interesting articles on this subject:

• How to transfer from PayTM to bank account: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/features/paytm-bank-transfer-charges-how-to-account-wallet-1629798
• http://www.financialexpress.com/economy/widespread-distress-as-demonetisation-hits-small-medium-businesses-hard/454911/ - I wonder why sales of noodles to  potatoes, gems and jewelry should fall. Cant they use PayTM?
• http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/the-big-deal-in-abruptly-ending-swapping-of-notes-1630162
• View from across the border: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/167982-How-dangerous-is-Modi
• http://m.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/banks-pos-to-report-cash-depositsover-rs-25-lakh-to-i-t_7973661.html
• http://wap.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/indians-are-rushing-frantically-to-launder-their-black-money-after-demonetisation-116112100084_1.html
• A nice jovial article in the newspaper: http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/life-without-500-and-1000rupee-notes/article9333775.ece
• Letter to Kejriwal http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/explained-how-rs-2000-note-will-curb-black-money-gujarat-cas-open-letter-to-arvind-kejriwal-breaks-internet-must-read_1949522.html
• http://m.dinamalar.com/detail.php?id=1647589
• http://scroll.in/article/821599/demonetisation-will-do-what-illness-accident-eviction-funeral-or-drought-do-to-poor-families
• http://scroll.in/article/822268/comrade-modi-has-clearly-not-learnt-from-1991-when-licence-raj-ended-as-did-the-soviet-union

A friend sent me this:

An approximate translation:
A person in the street asks another for directions: 

Where is the bank?    It's a kilometer away. Can I walk or do I need to hail a taxi?    :@. Just stand behind me in the line.

Another image in a lighter vein: only if you can read Tamil. https://scontent-sin6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15055716_771632739656880_8057270732405090431_n.jpg?oh=89d8ddf2b74c76f147b3210c4708dfe6&oe=588773A0 

A MNC company gets hit: https://scroll.in/article/826796/a-ceos-tale-how-demonetisation-halved-the-profits-of-a-cashless-multi-national-company

Additional reading:

• FAQ: https://www.icicibank.com/Personal-Banking/faq/withdrawal-of-bank-notes-faqs.page?
• https://www.valueresearchonline.com/story/h2_storyview.asp?str=32447&utm_source=2016-11-17-fundline&utm_content=Thu-1130&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fundline
• For a change a Sindhi who can write instead of being in fashion or movie industry!! http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/vQ1MspwGVCBbZR5zrOH7XL/I-am-not-ready-to-take-the-leap-from-connected-to-cashless.html
• http://scroll.in/article/821128/five-things-to-note-about-the-demonetisation-of-rs-500-and-rs-1000-notes
• http://scroll.in/article/821105/modis-move-to-scrap-high-denomination-notes-is-more-about-politics-than-economics
• http://scroll.in/article/821096/front-page-headlines-how-indian-papers-reported-modis-currency-note-move
• http://www.amitbhawani.com/blog/why-i-think-the-new-rs-500-rs-2000-notes-is-a-great-idea-to-curb-black-money/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AmitBhawani+%28Amit+Bhawani+Tech+Blog%29 - a counter point

The Other 9/11 Disaster - Trump Wins

There was a 9/11 disaster many years back.. And today there seems to be one more in the 11th month of the year. The first one hit the US. The impact of today's one may be felt across the world - by women,  by Muslims, by Mexicans.

Or may be it won't be a disaster. Only time will tell.

No matter who won there would have been a randy guy in the white house or either the president or the the first spouse.

Additional reading:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/presidential-election-2016-results-live-updates/:  Where I heard the news...

Work Spouse Makes One Happier And More Productive

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161106-having-a-work-spouse-makes-you-happier

Why Indians Evade Taxes

http://scroll.in/article/820397/why-people-evade-taxes

Additional reading:

• http://calmisc.blogspot.com/2015/10/trusts-and-tax-in-india.html

Earthquake Simulation In Romania

http://www.romania-insider.com/earthquake-scenario-romania-1500-dead-4000-injured-bucharest/

Does India do anything of this sort?



Additional reading:

1. http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2015/12/when-all-is-said-and-done.html

Unbelievable Precocity

A friend sent me this video of a little girl answering questions. Amazing...

Beautiful Goal

A friend sent me this video of a goal.