Worldcat.com !

I just chanced upon this really helpful website http://worldcat.org/ .
If you are in US and an avid reader , then I guess this is where you should head to.

It has a very friendly search that can tell you which library in the US has the book that you wish to read.Actually, if you key in your Zip code, then it would list out the libraries that has this book in the increasing of order of distance from your home . Simple, yet powerful idea.

And yep,it can of course search for videos, music , articles or anything that you find in a typical library.Better, it can actually take you to the library page and tell you whether the stuff is on the shelves or checked out.

Don't know for sure how long it has been around or how popular it is, but yep, sharing the info for the benefit of people who haven't heard about it.Happy reading & happy new year @!

Where have all the leaders gone ?

They say a good book should be timeless i.e it should continue to excite and make sense to readers even ages after it gets published.
I just finished reading the book 'Where have all the leaders gone' by Lee Iacocca.Lee of course breaks the rule bluntly in the beginning and towards the end of the book by concentrating just on the upcoming US elections. But believe me, all the pages in between are a treasurehouse of leadership wisdom.

You can easily make out the difference between reading a book of a self-help guru and that of someone like Lee who has seen it all himself. As the president of Ford and the head of Chrysler , he led both the companies during some of their most amazing times in history.He almost did a U turn at Chrysler by bringing back the company from the brink of bankruptcy.

Lee strictly believes that good leaders are made, not born. He outlines a 9-C methodology to recognise quality leaders from the rest of the crowd.
He also gives beautiful ways in which we can nurture our leadership skills while outlining why today's gen-x crowd in America doesn't get it quite right.

A fabulous read for anyone who is interested in leadership development skills. Actually, a small handbook of useful suggestions from somebody who has made it big (real big) in the world and in Lee's own words, wanting to give something back to the people to whom he owes all his success.

Highly recommended : The Astronaut Farmer.

Oh boy, and have I watched as many films after landing in America as I have in my entire lifetime in India !

Yep, but this one caught my particular attention and I would highly recommend it for everyone, from all walks of life. A must watch for students and youngsters though. It shows how we all should have dreams and then strive relentlessly to achieve them.

I won't divulge any details about the movie here but it's all about a farmer trying to build a spaceship and trying to go into space.Directed by Michael Polish and starring Billy Bob Thornton, it sure would be fun learning all the way. And yep, try to infer the subtle messages that are present all over the movie...I particularly liked the one that went something like this ' No matter I succeed or fail, I would have left a positive message to others in this world to try one's best to achieve our dreams and make them a reality'

Schools for India - 'ICR on ECR', Jan 31st, Chennai,India.

6000 schools by the year 2020 across the country, to provide standardized infrastructure to every one who needs it. - Schools for India !

When you hear a mission statement like that, you know that theres some serious work that has gone behind it.

Schools for India is a non profitable charitable Organisation, involved in creating the best in class schools across India, with the aim of providing education for the people of rural India.

6000 schools across the country have been planned. Each of the schools will have the capacity to teach 945 students, including up to 15 special children from Primary to secondary school.

Schools for India is embarking on a magnificent infrastructure building plan with the aim of providing the best schools for rural India, with facilities on par or superior to that of city schools for students from rural India.

And in order to increase awareness about it's activities, the trust is planning an International Cycle race titled 'ICR on ECR' on the scenic East Coast Road (ECR) in Chennai, India. The race is scheduled on 31st Jan 2008 and would cover a distance of about 140 kms from Chennai to Pondy.

Get more details :
http://www.schoolsforindia.org/ICR/2008/index.html

There are different categories for School/College/Corporate & Amateur cyclists.Choose your category and get ready for the fun.Cycles,energy drinks, refreshments would be provided for most categories by the trust.

So what are you waiting for... Strap on ! and yep, you might be actually helping a small kid somewhere to get the right quality of education that we all deserve.

Pic courtesy: Schools for India. 'A still from the 2007 edition of ICR on ECR'

'The bomb and the plane'..together they changed the course of this world.

The plane that dropped the 'Fat boy' atom bomb in Nagasaki. The capsule like thing behind me is a life size replica of the original atom bomb (de-weaponized and same as the the series of 'Little boy' dropped in Hiroshima.) Now, don't ask me how's the thing sitting here when it has been already used in 1945.

On display in the Museum of the US Air force at Dayton, Ohio.You can catch more info about it here.

Kolkata to KGP...in 3 days flat !

Paulo Coelho in his best selling book "The Alchemist" states "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true".

Ah, well I experienced this first hand the other day. One of my very dear friends (who is a student in KGP) was pretty upset at not bagging a job offer at her college placements. Naturally the point came up during one of our usual chats.She was saying how almost everyone around her was getting placed and she was still sitting pretty. :)

I really felt concerned about her and told her 'Don't worry buddy, Your job is just round the corner..actually,I think it's in Kolkata. It's on it's way and it would be some time when it would reach KGP. Relax till then.'

And boy, in 3 days flat, she pings me up and tells that she got placed in a huuuuuge multinational bank. And I almost got the surprise of my life.

Ah well, sometimes life is just that.The best way to cherish it is to sit back and enjoy it's vagaries.

Black Friday !

I had written in on my earlier posts about 'Black Friday', the huge retail showdown that overtakes America post the thanksgiving day.
This year, it happened within a week of my landing in this country , the weather was horrible with sub zero temperatures and snow. I was thinking against going out and standing in the snow just for the sake of buying something cheap , but then decided to take the plunge when I saw the newspaper Ads on the thanksgiving day. I couldn't believe that someone could give a Sony Vaio Laptop for about 350 $, so decided to try out the hype and hooplah firsthand. And boy, never would I regret that decision.

We had out dinner and reached the mall at about 12 pm the previous night thinking that we would be the early birds. Please keep in mind that the shops were to open only at 5 the next morning. And guess what, I saw almost a 100 strong crowd already in front of the stores , armed with tents, comforters, blankets etc... Junta had pitched their tents in their position in the queue and were gung-ho about crashing into the store and grabbing as much as they can.

One amazing thing was the discipline with which people were standing in the queue . No jumping the lines, no artificial barricades, no proxies. By now , it had started snowing and still people stayed put at their place and enjoyed the party. Some of them were really excited about the event and could be seen screaming with joy & excitement.

We stayed put for sometime in the queue , but the weather worsened with time and we decided to crash into the car and sleep some time. We got up at around 2 in the morning and headed to the queue. That was the time when we realised what a dumb decision we had made. The queue now encircled the huge mall and beyond. Boy, the mall itself was an imposing structure, and imagine people all around it , standing and braving the snow. Anyways, we too stood at the end hoping for some lady luck to smile on us.

The shops opened at around 5 in the morning for the sales. We had plans for laptops and some other electronic stuff. Ne'er even got to see them though :)
I grabbed a camcorder and a watch from the sales. Nothing takeable was left in the shops anyways.

I don't really know how the retailers make up for the losses incurred .Is it made up by the volume of sales incurred ? or is it just a tactic to increase brand awareness and make people walk into their respective malls. Anyways, some of the consumers did make away with awesome deals . And why not, anything and everything from blankets to huge TV sets were out on offer, something to satisfy everyone's taste.

Tinku Ram in AmriKaa !

Tinku Ram one day goes to gas station (petrol pumps yaar) in Amrikaa...
And since in Amrikaa, all gas stations are self operated, Tinku fills gas himself. Though Tinku was always taught by his science teacher in class 3 that no gaseous substances have fixed volume, this 'gas' seemed to have one. Tinku anyways ignores his class teacher and fills the tank.(Ahemm, Amrikaa is land of plenty, so we always fill full tank)

Now Tinku puts the gas pipe back in place and walks back to his car. He is suddenly called by an Amrikan mem who says something to him. Tinku, new in the great county couldn't understand a word of it. So Tinku asks his knowledgeable friend (who is sitting inside car) what language she was speaking in. Tinku's friend gives a matter of fact look and tells him 'I think it's Spanish' . So Tinku immediately gathers all his courtesy and tells the mem 'Madam, i don't understand Spanish' . The lady replies in plain English 'Hi, I was trying to talk in Hindi, I thought you looked Indian' .

P.s : For all those, who guessed up that I was Tinku Ram, ah..well, think again !@