Bostonians still tell the story of the respectable society matron who was crossing the Common one day and ran into an old college chum she hadn’t seen for years. The matron was dismayed to see that her friend was obviously engaged in the world’s oldest profession. “My dear,” she said, “whatever has happened to you?” “Well,” said her friend, “it was either this or dip into capital.”
A lovely song for all traders/investors/speculators out there !
On a warm summer’s evenin’ on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin’ out the window at the darkness
‘Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.He said, “Son, I’ve made my life out of readin’ people’s faces,
And knowin’ what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you don’t mind my sayin’, I can see you’re out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I’ll give you some advice.”So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, “If you’re gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.Now Ev’ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin’
Is knowin’ what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
‘Cause ev’ry hand’s a winner and ev’ry hand’s a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.”So when he’d finished speakin’, he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.
if you are contemplating buying an apartment on the city outskirts of Bangalore, it’s better to abandon the plan.
This cautionary advice comes from none other than V Balasubramaniam, additional chief secretary (retired), who in many forums has spoken about the impending water crisis staring Bangalore. And Balasubramaniam has a point.Around 90 residential projects slated to come up on the outskirts are either getting delayed or not taking off for their failure to get the ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
The BWSSB has stopped issuing the NOC for major residential projects in BBMP limits, citing builders’ failure to identify a water source to supply water to the apartments.
T Venkataraju, chief engineer, BWSSB, said they were withholding issuing the NOC to builders planning apartments in areas where there was no infrastructure to supply water.
As per norms, without the NOC residential projects will not be granted environmental clearance from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, without which the builder cannot start the construction work.
According to Balasubramaniam, the BWSSB has provided water connections to only seven lakh houses, while the total number of properties, excluding the apartments that have sprung up recently, in the city is 18 lakh. “Supplying drinking water to thousands of apartments on the outskirts or in the newly added areas of the BBMP will be a daunting task for the BWSSB,’’ Balasubramaniam said.
Advising public not to invest their hard-earned money in apartments on the outskirts, Balasubramaniam said builders will bear no responsibility after handing over the apartments to their customers. “Getting clean water will be a problem. They can’t rely on borewell water since groundwater has been contaminated,’’ he said.-from DNA
Some off beat reads for the weekend:
The Network Effect (Caravan)
A Scam by any other name (Newslaundry)
Mahesh Tutorials:Looking beyond classrooms (ForbesIndia)
The Broken Estate (Caravan)
Anna Hazare:The Man Who Could’ve been (Open)
Bikram Yoga’s embattled founder (VanityFair)
Nelson Mandela:A Life in Photographs (NewYorker)
A potato battery can light up a room for over a month (Smithsonian)
Maoists,Ousted (ForeignAffairs)
Nelson Mandela:The view from South Africa (Atlantic)
Lingua Fracas in Nayakan and Inglourious Basterds (JaiArjun)
A Death at Tough Mudder (Outside)
How the American Worker has got screwed (Prospect)
Indian garment factory sends thugs after American journalist (MotherJones)
How radioactive poison has become the assassin’s weapon of choice (Medium)
From Bangalore to Bhutan (TeamBHP)
NRI Desi Facts (GreatBong)
What to do when you are broke and building your startup? (Rodinhoods)
Travelogue:Shillong & North East India (Ghummakar)
The Last days of President Johnson (Atlantic)
Movie Review:Bullett Raja (VigilIdiot)