Don't donate to charitable organizations

I almost never give any money to charity because most charities are useless; some are even harmful.

The main beneficiaries of a charity are not the recipients, but the givers. People donate because of feeling of guilt or shame. Some givers get tax benefits, some boost their ego of being better than others. Charity primarily exists to make the donor feel good. It assuages the guilt people accrue over their life, for real or imaginary reasons. In most cases, philanthropy doesn't arise from the love of one's fellow man, but from a need to assuage guilt, a need to show off and a lack of imagination.
Many film stars and famous personalities associate themselves with a charity because of their pride. It is not about improving life of others; it is about being more famous. They buy fame by giving away the money that was either easily earned or undeservedly received.

A charity is corrupting to both parties involved. The recipient of the charity usually does not deserve it. People should have/get things because they deserve them, earn them. People should contribute to improving the state of the world. Rewarding people because they have had bad luck or are stupid, is actually immoral.
A person receiving charity usually does not improve fast. The charity causes an urgent situation to become non-urgent. It takes away the incentive to improve. So charity is a not a virtue; it is a vice.
Poverty is not a function of bad luck, in most cases. Poverty is usually a sign of bad habits. In a free country, it is usually an inability to save i.e. unwillingness to produce more than you consume.
Poverty indicates a lack of self-discipline. Most poor people dream of being rich, but indulge in sloth. Most poor people are not victims of anything other than their own bad habits.

Charity transfers wealth from creators of wealth to consumers of wealth. Money should be in hands of most competent and productive people; the people who create wealth for others. Any effort to take wealth from wealthy (productive) to the poor (non-productive) is counter-productive.

Take the example of UN that accepts donations. The UN is a corrupt club of governments. It should be abolished, but stupid people donate to it.
Let say that there is a natural disaster. Many people donate. Charities rush with food, medicines, etc. Does this help the recipients? Free food hits the market; the price of food falls; so local farmers can't produce profitably. Local farmers go out of business. There is no crop next year. Food shortage becomes worse. The very act of charities trying to help a famine stricken area, prolongs the famine.
Now, consider charitable organizations going round the world treating diseases. Countries have terrible diseases that kill many people, because they are economically underdeveloped. So giving free medicines is like putting band-aid on smallpox. It does not help in solving the problem.

A charitable organization will have secretaries, assistant vice-presidents, etc. Lot of money is wasted on bureaucracy. This is in addition to charities doing more harm than good for recipients.

Governments helping the poor is worse kind of charity because the money comes from taxes. People are forced to pay the taxes and hence are left with less money to give to people who genuinely need help. The idea that "Government can deploy wealth better than people who create wealth " is ridiculous.

When should we give in charity?
I give in charity only to people I know for a long time. These people sometimes need a helping hand. I should feel good about helping; not give because of any guilt. Charity should never be institutionalized, because it creates distortions in marketplace. Charities also tend to attract corrupt people.

We should abolish all charitable institutions and government handouts. Don't replace them with anything. Instead, reduce taxes and regulations to permit more wealth creation. To select few desperate deserving cases, individual conscience would suffice.

Charity should be strictly individual, a one-on-one transaction.

What is happening in Syria?

Basically, there are some power-hungry people in this world, who want Muslims to create terror, and use that as an excuse to extend their military power. Now, for the detailed history.

America has had a long-term plan to destabilize seven countries (Reference). This strategy involves the USA military-industrial complex and the Elite (a select extremely rich and powerful group of people). The strategy aims to control Europe and China; indirectly Russia. The idea is to break up the Monarchy created after World War I, and to replace them with Muslim brotherhood groups, which are under the control of USA.

Muslim Brotherhood was created in Egypt in 1927 as a "Death Cult". It has had assassin squads. In 1950, they were brought by CIA into Saudi Arabia. The Monarchy of Saudi Arabia was convinced by USA, that Muslim Brotherhood would be valuable to Saudi Mosques. This was the fusion of ideologies i.e. political Islam and ultra-conservative Islam. The Saudis financed the Muslim Brotherhood to setup Madrasas in Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. The CIA watched this.

In 1979, USA provoked a Russian invasion on Afghanistan. CIA trained Mujahideen caused a collapse of Russia. Osama Bin Laden, financed by Saudi's, was responsible for recruiting Jihadists (terrorists), training them in Pakistan and then sending them to Afghanistan. CIA helped Osama Bin Laden in this task. These Jihadists fought against Russia and ultimately bankrupted Russia. In 1991, CIA controlled Yeltsin became President of Russia.

CIA then sent the Mujahideen to Chechnya, where an Soviet Arab oil pipeline sent Baku's oil to Europe. USA wanted a different pipeline that was controlled by USA and European oil companies. USA caused a coup in Azerbaijan (whose capital is Baku) and set up a pro-America rulers. These rulers then routed the Baku's oil to Turkey. So Russia lost control over this pipeline. At that time, Russia was a financial wreck and therefore in no shape to oppose this. This was the CIA-Muslim Brotherhood project in Chechnya.
CIA then used Muslim Brotherhood terrorists to create in Iran an terror squad called ISIS (Islamic state in Iraq and Syria). ISIS is a terrorist proxy army of USA.

The Middle east was run by three groups: Egypt's El Mubarak, Syria's Al-Assad family and Saudi Arabia. Mubarak was destroyed by USA using the Arab Spring revolution. Then USA put a Muslim Brotherhood puppet government in Egypt. Now, Syria has a stabilizing role in Middle East. Multiple religions live peacefully in Syria. Also, Syria is important Geo-politically. In 2009-2010, Iran was in negotiation with Syria to build the Iran Iraq pipeline. This would bring Iranian oil to Europe. Qatar (another USA puppet) wants Saudi Arabian oil to go to Europe via Syria. Al-Assad decided to continue his relations with Russia and permit Iran Iraq pipeline through Syria. Al-Assad did not want close relationship with USA.

As soon as Assad decided not to support USA pipeline, all hell broke loose in Syria. Saudi and Qatar financed terrorists to create havoc in Syria. Assad is a thorn in USA path. Russia has a military base in Syria and so Russia decided to support Assad. Russia was destroying terrorists in Syria. Then a false flag of Paris bombing occurred. This allowed Western countries to counter Russia's attack and support terrorists in Syria.

Now, Russia and China are supporting Assad. The Western counties are violating international agreements by supporting terrorists in Syria.
ISIS is getting financed because of oil through Turkey. So Turkey is supporting Western regions and shooting down Russian airplanes near its border.

So the Syrian war will continue till one of the sides is defeated. On one side we have China, Russia and Assad. On the the other side we have ISIS (Muslim Brotherhood), Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Western nations.

Why have a Guru?

Some people call a living person as their Guru; some call a book as their Guru; some a dead person; and so on.

I don't have a Guru. I think that we can learn from a living person, a book, a dead person's actions, a tree, a bird, a stone, etc. So why limit ourself to one person or one book?

So, in other words, I have many Gurus. I try to learn from everyone I meet. Today, we are meeting. Have a good day, Guruji!

Why I don't read (Hindu) Scriptures anymore?

I have spent many years reading many Hindu scriptures like Bhagwad Gita, Upanishads, Vivekchoodamani, etc. Now, I don't read them anymore for the following reasons:

1. Hindu scriptures are written in Sanskrit, which is a difficult language for me. So after reading the Sanskrit verse, I have read the translation. Here lies the first problem. Different experts interpret the same Sanskrit verse in distinct ways. So which one is true?
2. Even if most experts interpret a Sanskrit verse in similar way, how do we know that the statement is true. The scriptures say, "Because it is said in scriptures"; so the proof of scriptures being true is the statement in Scriptures itself. This is like saying, "I am speaking the truth, because I say so." No intelligent person should accept this reason as valid.
3. Some statements in Scriptures are obviously false. The commentators try to hide the flaws by interpreting the words in a different way than actual e.g. Bhagwad Gita says, "Among Karma yoga and Sanyasa yoga, Karma yoga is better." Now how can one path be suitable for everyone?
4. What is the guarantee that the scriptures is true? In Bhagwad Gita, Krishna shows his Vishwaroopa to Arjuna. Why did no one else on the battlefield see the same? Was it just a hallucination for Arjuna? If yes, then what is the guarantee that remaining Bhagwad Gita is valuable.
5. Most people, who quote scriptures, are egoistic and arrogant. Their actions totally differ from words. They quote specific verses to show off or manipulate others.

Instead of reading scriptures, now I use my own intelligence to decide. It is more difficult, but the results are more satisfying.

Why are people bored?

There are 3 primary reasons that people get bored.

1. Lack of opportunity
   A person living in Libya will have lack of opportunities because Libya was bombed and it has lacks infrastructure. So even intelligent people will tend to get bored.
2. Lack of courage
   Opportunities exist but the person has a lack of courage. The person constantly postpones doing things by giving excuses e.g. today its raining, it is too difficult, etc. At the end of life, the person usually repents having achieved little in life.
3. Lack of connection
   Person lacks passion. There is a general lack of connection with people around. We are social animals. The idea of a James Bond working individually against an organization, is usually a myth in real life. The people around us determine our success. If people around us think of us a failure, then it is likely that we will fail. We cannot achieve anything significant without the people around us cheering us on.

If we are facing, "Lack of Opportunity", then we should consider changing the country/place. If we are facing "Lack of courage", then we need to convince ourselves that the activity is not that difficult; and take small steps towards our goal. If we are facing "Lack of connection", then either change the people around you or CHANGE the people around you. Then, say goodbye to boredom.

The cycle of terrorism

The following is an infinite cycle
A) Bombs are dropped on a country.
B) The economy of the country is destroyed. There is no education for children; no jobs for young and no care for old.
C) People take to terrorism.
D) Terrorist strike in countries that had supported bomb drops on their country.
E) Go to Step A.

The Crash Course of Chris Matenson

In the crash course, Chris Matenson says during the next 20 years,

• Our currency supply
• Our fuel consumption
• Our use of environmental resources

cannot keep growing exponentially.

I agree with almost everything Chris says in this course, but in his entire course Chris fails to consider "human ingenuousness". There is no limit to the imagination of human mind e.g. Maybe during the next 20 years, humans will

1. come with a Thorium generator, that can power entire cities.
2. come up with cars that run on hydrogen, which is produced from water.

etc.

Humans can and will continue to evolve e.g. most humans can easily reduce their calorie consumption by half and still survive. Most humans can work harder and increase dramatically their production. Education is spreading via the Internet. Today, in developing world, a person with Internet access can have the same knowledge as a person studying in developed world.

The next 20 years will be different from the last 20 years, as Chris says. But, the change need not be for worse. It can be change for better.

Significance of Diwali

Diwali is a festival celebrated in India. People burn crackers, wear new clothes and eat sweets. What is the significance of Diwali?

We are burdened with thoughts about the past. These thoughts can be regrets about our past actions, unfair treatment meted to us by others, etc.These thoughts act as a huge weight chained to our feet. They stop us from performing our best in the present moment.

Diwali signifies burning the past like crackers. We will no more repent our split milk, in past. Of course, we will learn from the past, but there is no point is continuous replay of past in our minds.
Diwali signifies staring fresh with new clothes. Now we are ready to face our current challenges with mental vigour.
With this attitude, sweet success will be ours.

Burn the past, start afresh and live in sweetness. Happy Diwali.

Why did BJP lose in Bihar?

Different people give different reasons for BJP's defeat e.g.

• BJP is a Hindu party and there are many Muslims in Bihar.
• Nitish is better than Modi for leadership.
• etc

In my opinion, all the above reasons may have some impact but they did not play a decisive role. The real reason that BJP lost is that BJP had promised more development as compared to Congress, etc. But they have failed to keep their promise at national level e.g. As soon as Bihar's election were over

• Petrol and Diesel prices were hiked.
• Service tax was hiked.
• Duties on Gold were not reduced during the festival season.

Development means falling prices, which leads to higher consumption. More taxes, rising prices, etc all lead to falling consumption and fall in rate of development.

Why would people vote for a party that has been the cause of rising prices for many months?

Bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is a debt-trap for India

Indian government wants to build a bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, two major cities of India because it will be of convenience to people. This is the official reason. The on-official (real reason in my opinion) is different.

For this bullet train, Japan is offering India a loan of US $15 Billion (about 100,000 crores Indian rupees). A percentage of this amount will go as bribes to politicians and bureaucrats. A small percentage of a huge amount is also huge e.g. 10% of this amount is 10,000 crores. Any businessman in India will tell you, that a bribe of 5 to 10%, in a project, is normal.

If there was really a need for this bullet train, some private company could build it. But the Indian government knows that no private company will build it because this is a loss making proposition. There already exists airline routes and highways between these two cities. How many people will travel by the bullet train in India? The rich prefer airlines or car normally; the poor cannot afford bullet train.
Now, assuming that Indian fares are same as in other countries, then a second class travel by this bullet train, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, will cost Rs 2,300. So to recover the investment, we need about 3000 crore travelers. Assuming that there are about 50,000 people interested in traveling daily, then it will take 27,400 years to recover the investment. The life of a bullet train with track is probably a few hundred years at the most, if well-maintained.
If the fare is increased, fewer people will use the bullet train. So increasing the fare will not benefit much. Overall the entire project is a loss making proposition. The tax payer will be left footing the bill.

So in this project, the winner is Indian politicians; the loser is Indian tax payer.

What is the significance of Dussehra?

In an epic story, on this day, Rama killed Ravana. At surface level, it seems, that Dussehra signifies the victory of good over evil. But when we study the epic story (irrepective of whether it is true or false) Ramayana, the significance of Dusshera is much deeper.

Rama's wife was abducted by Ravana. Rama searched day and night for his wife. He gathered an army with the help of his friends and well-wishers. Then, he attacked Ravana. In a fierce battle, Rama defeated Ravana. Note, here Rama did not sit idle and cried when his wife was abducted. Rama did not consider the task of defeating a powerful deamon Ravana as immpossible.

In life, victory does not go to the good or bad. Victory always goes to the one who is most intelligent, most industrious, plans his/her actions well and executes it fearlessly. This is the significance of Dussehra.

Myths in Philosophy

Myth 1: There is no God.
Fact: If I were to say, "There is no intelligence behind your mobile. Some metal and plastic parts, by accident, came together to form your mobile."; people would laugh at me. An Atheist says, "There is no intelligence behind this world. The human beings, animals, plants, earth, sun, seasons, etc are a result of pure accident/evolution."; yet some people believe the atheist. There exists some kind of intelligent creator. We don't know anything about this Creator. For convenience we can give any name to this Creator. One of the names given, for the sake of convenience in conversation, is God.

Myth 2: Meditation bliss is hallucination.
Fact: Across the world, in different ages, the meditation bliss is described by meditators in the same way; a hallucination is not experienced by different people, at different times, in exactly the same way.

Myth 3: This Ram or Krishna or Allah or Jesus is God.
Fact: No such evidence exists; When it is proven scientifically, we shall believe it.

Myth 4: God is all powerful. There is hell or heaven after death.
Fact: Again, this has not been proven scientifically. So any such belief is superstition.

Myth 5: God created religions (Hinduism, Muslims and Christianity)
Fact: Religions were created by Humans. Idols (Ram, Krishna, etc) were made by humans. The Bhagwad Gita and Vedas of Hinduism, were written by some human. The Koran of Muslims is a product of human mind. The Bible of Christians was written by some human(s). So to ask questions like "What does Gita/Vedas/Bible/Koran say about this? What is the meaning of this sentence in these books? etc" are meaningless; because they assume that the Gita/Vedas/Koran/Bible is perfect, cannot be improved and we have to follow it.

Myth 6: A Guru is necessary of Spiritual progress.
Fact: An inquiring mind can learn from a bird, forest or nature.

Myth 7: God punishes or rewards us for our actions.
Fact: Every action has a reaction e.g. If I jump from a tree, I will fall down and likely hurt myself. So why involve God here?

Many more myths exist, but I have mentioned the common myths above. Religion is primarily used to exploit the weak. Any spiritual leader or religion, who/that propagates above myths, is either ignorant or a fraud.

Governments like war

Nations like enemies, that way people are distracted from the real enemy i.e. "Their government" e.g. India keeps saying that Pakistan is causing terror in India; Pakistan keeps saying that Muslims are harassed in India. Who benefits from these allegations? The answer is both the governments for India and Pakistan. The people tend to tolerate the tyranny of their own governments, when they are distracted by external threats. So all governments, all over the world, almost always are at war (in some form) with some country. It benefits the governments, at the cost of the people.

John Lennon had a wonderful song, where he says "Imagine a world without countries"

Governments encourage "desh-prem" or "nation love", because it allows the governemnts to exploit the citizens. Leo Tolstoy said, "In all history there is no war which was not hatched by the governments, the governments alone, independent of the interests of the people, to whom war is always pernicious even when successful."

Replace "Touching of feet" with "Namaste"

At one time, India had the practice of "Sati". Now this practice is almost extinct. We need to constant change for the better. I suggest one more improvement here.

India has the custom of "touching the feet" of elders and religious people. This practice is humiliating. I personally feel embarrassed, when someone bows before me to touch my feet. I dislike touching the feet of any person. So I suggest that we replace this ancient practice with saying "Namaste" with folded hands. Elders seldom discourage "Touching of Feet" because many of these sadistic individuals enjoy humiliation of others.

"Namaste" means "I bow to the divine in you". So any person can say "Namaste" to anyone e.g. a father to child, a child to father, a mother to daughter, a daughter to mother, a saint to criminal, a criminal to saint; etc.

Let us commit to replacing "Touching of Feet" with "Namaste". A change always begins with one person. Even if the entire group is following the humiliating practice of "Touching the feet", let us try not to follow the group.

Let us improve the world, one small change at a time. I commit not to touch the feet of anyone else, nor allow anyone else to touch my feet.

Vedanta vs Atheism

A father had a small conversation with his five year old daughter.

Dad: I have NOG!
Daughter: Where is it?
Dad: You can't see it. It is invisible.
Daughter: Can I touch it?
Dad: It cannot be felt by the skin. It is untouchable.
Daughter: Can I smell it?
Dad: It has no smell.
Daughter: Can I hear it?
Dad: Nope.
Daughter: Can I taste it?
Dad: It is tasteless.
Daughter: Describe NOG to me.
Dad: NOG is so subtle that is beyond thoughts. Your thoughts cannot think of it. NOG is beyond understanding of humans.
Daughter: What does NOG do?
Dad: Nothing.
Daughter: There is no NOG.

Children are unbiased; they tend to arrive at truth sooner than biased adults.
Vedanta is traditional Hindu philosophy. Vedanta says God (Brahman) cannot be seen, touched, smelt, heard or tasted. God is beyond mind and intellect. So humans cannot think about it or understand it. God is doerless (akarta) i.e. God does not perform any action.
Atheism says there is no God.
What then is the difference between Vedanta and Atheism? None, as far as our behavior in this world is concerned. So the comparison, "Vedanta vs Atheism", is meaningless. What really matters in this world is, "Is the person virtuous?"
A virtuous person, sooner or later, thinks "Who am I?" In meditation (both a Vedantin and Atheist) experience the answer. Then again, there is no difference between the two.

RBI drops interest rates

Today RBI dropped interest rates by 0.5%. In India M3 money supply or inflation is 11.2%, during the last 12 months, as per RBI. Dropping interest rates means higher inflation. So was dropping interest rates the right action?

There is deflation in the world. Governments hate deflation because it means lesser tax revenues. Foolish people hate defaltion because their income falls. Smart people like deflation because the purchasing power of their existing currency rises.

Governments all over the world e.g. Russia, Brazil, Venenzuala, etc and now India combat deflation by devaluing their currency; lower interest rates means that currency will become less valuable. Inflation is a form theft; it steals from savers to the benefit of debtors. The only way to protect yourself is by investing in physical assets like gold and silver.

How to access a blocked site?

Indian government has blocked access to many web sites. The official reasons are piracy, anti-national, etc. When you access these web sites, you will get a message similar to "Your requested URL has been blocked as per the directions received from Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. Please contact administrator for more information."

If you are still interested in accessing that web site, then please download and install Tor Browser. This browser accesses the web site via a network of other computers. So no governemnt can track or block access via this browser.

Nitin Gadkari's plan will make India poor.

Nitin Gadkari, transport minister of India, is borrowing a huge number of dollars (Reference). He will use these dollars to build roads, highways, tall skyscapers, etc. Reference. This act will mostly benefit Gadkari and his close friends; the indian citizen will be stuck with a huge debt to be paid back in foreign exchange.

I would have no problems with these constructions if a private party was building them; because then the Indian citizen does not have to repay the loans. I would have a much smaller problem, if Gadkari was borrwowing in rupees and payment was to be made back in rupees. This way at least the profits will remain in India. But, Gadkari is borrowing in foriegn exchange. This is a big problem. Indian rupee has been falling. It will likely continue to fall. So this means Gadkari's plan will drive India to bankruptcy.

Highways, tall buildings, etc primarily benefit a select few; while the whole country is laden with debt. So Gadkari's plan needs to be discussed in more detail before implementing the same.

Unfreedom movie banned in India

The movie has two parallel stories.

1. A Muslim terrorist uses violence against a Muslim liberal. The intention here is to convert the Muslim liberal.
2. A father uses violence to force marriage unto his lesbian daughter. The father thinks that being gay/lesbian is a disease.

The message of the movie is: violence does not solve problems in the long run.

Unfortunately, the movie fails to convey an important message: violence is perfectly fine for self-defence, in fact it is the right path.
In the movie, the characters don't use violence even for self defence. They continue to suffer (like Gandhi) at the hands of their violent perpetrators.
Gandhism works only in public; in private Gandhism fails miserably. In private, violence has to be countered with violence.
Hence, the movie is only average.

Did China actually devalue its currency?

The headlines are screaming that China has devalued its currency. But let us go into details. China has devalued its curency by 0.2%. When we look at long term picture below, Indian rupee has lost nearly 50% value against Chinese currency in last 7 years.

When we look at the long term picture, China's currency has strenthened against most currencies. Currently, China is facting a stock market crash and housing bubble burst. Devaluing its currency, it a way to lessen the pain for the people. China is afraid of a revolution should so many of its citizens suffer. It is likely that China will continue to devalue its currency in coming months.

Indian government wants to ban Child Porn

Indian government wants to put in regulations on the use internet. Then they will be able to restrict access to any site. The reason given for this is "Child Pornography".

I think that this is a fake reason. Internet is self-regulated. Anyone, who has searched or seen porn on the internet, will tell you that there is no child porn on the internet. Should someone keep such a video, immediately there is hue and cry from other viewers. So the maker of that video is literally forced to take down the video.

"Banning child porn" is an excuse used by many governments including India to put in more controls. Under the guise of preventing child porn, the Indian government can now block any site. More powers to government means lesser freedom for individuals.

People should oppose Indian governments "Child Porn restriction", not because they are for child porn, but because this rule is a trick by government to usurp power at the cost of Citizen's freedom.

First Deflation, then hyper-inflation

Now (Aug 2015) we are seeing deflation. The proof is

• Falling Copper prices. Copper is also known as Dr. Copper. It tells us the state of world economy. When consumption of copper falls, it s price falls. Falling consumption of goods is deflationary.
• End of real-estate boom in China. China is the production hub of world. If Chinese are not buying factories and houses, then it idicates falling consumption (deflation) in the world.

During deflation stock, real-estate and commodities fall in value. So intelligent investors move to cash, bonds, gold, silver, etc in a deflation. During this period, the dollar will grow stronger. The deflation will last between 3 to 12 months.

Governments cannot tolerate deflation because tax revenues fall. Also most governments are heavily indebted. Defaltion makes paying back debts difficult. So governemnts will try every trick to counter deflation.
Governments will essentially increase money supply (by reducing interest rates). The tsunami of money supply ultimately ends deflation and causes high inflation. During hyper-inflation, cash and bonds loses in value. So intelligent investors move to stocks, real-estate, commodities, gold, silver and other hard assets.

Prepare youself for this roller-coaster ride.

Father's Day

Today is father's day. Express your love to your father, if when you were young, your father

• Never hit you.
• Never threatened you.
• Never raised his voice with you.
• Also did not allow your mother/anyone else in the family to abuse you.
• Ensured that at least one parent was with you always till you reached the age of five.
• Did not impose his will on you, but helped you to choose a career of your liking.
• Negotiated peacefully with you.
• Apologized for his mistakes.
• Regularly took feedback from you regarding how he could do better.

If your father, did not do the above actions, then he is just another abusive person. This is just another day for you. Don't bother expressing thanks/love to these abusive fathers. By expressing love/thanks to an abusive father, you will be insulting all fathers.

Financial markets in next 18 months

Today is 12-June-2015. How will the financial markets behave in the next 18 months. Here is my prediction.

The FED is tightening. So stocks will fall during the next few months. Once the stock market has fallen significantly, there will an cry for next round of QE. Central banks all over the world will release trillions of dollars. This will cause a spike in the price of stocks, gold, silver and commodities. Inflation all over the world will rise for essential commodities like food. Prices for non-essential products (Mobiles, TVs, etc) will fall, because people are spending more on essential commodities.
To profit during the next few months short the stocks; or remain in cash to avoid losses. To profit after the stocks have crashed, go long stocks, gold and silver.

BJP crippling RTI

RTI, in India, has exposed many frauds. It has limited corruption of bureaucrats and politicians. RTI was brought about by Congress. Now, BJP is trying to cripple RTI. Reference.

This proves that BJP is as corrupt as Congress, if not more.

Do not support Net Neutrality; it is anti-market.

When I purchase a laptop, the laptop vendor gives me a deal e.g. USB internet dongle at 50% discount provided I use it for minimum 6 months.
When I purchase a phone from my operator, the operator gives me a discount and low EMI provided I don't change the operator for next few months.
Different businesses join together to offer better deals to their customers. It is normal; it is not an exploitation of customer; it is not big-business killing small-business.

Similarly, Airtel can offer a deal for facebook users; Vodafone should be able to offer a deal for BlackBerry/Google users; and so on.

Net neutrality means all network traffic to be created equal. So these deals from Airtel and Vodafone will become illegal.
The government should not interfere with market. Let the free market decide. If most customers want net neutrality, Telecom operators will be forced to offer the same.
Net neutrality means lack of freedom for Telecom operators and hence customer. Net neutrality means more rules and regulations to govern Telecom operators. Net neutrality means more power to government, instead of market.

Do NOT support net neutrality.

Theist vs Atheist vs PK

A theist says, "I believe in my God."
A atheist says, "There is no God."
PK says, "Universe exists; so there must be a creator. I don't know anything about this God."

Theist

A theist says "This is my God. I have full faith in this idol/picture."
The theist worships his/her God with enthusiasm e.g. pujas and various other rituals. An example of theists are followers of "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" mission.
A theist hates any intellectual discussion on topics like, "What proof do you have that this idol is God? Where does you God reside? Why cannot we see your God? What will your God do if I don't pray? Will my work get achieved, if I just pray, but perform no action?"
Advantages of being a true Theist:

1. He/She will not over-indulge in violence, drugs, extra-martial sex and many other vices.
2. He/She can usually quieten his/her mind easily by throwing all worries on his/her God e.g. "Bhagwan ki marzi", "May thy will be done", etc.

Disadvantages of being a true Theist:

1. He/She usually pesters the people around him/her to do the same rituals, even if they are not theists or theists worshiping a different idol.
2. He/She is usually easily exploited by so called religious leaders or so-called saints because most Theists is not intellectually sharp.

Atheist

An Atheist says, "I know for sure that there is no God." He/She does not (willingly at least) perform any significant rituals, prayers, etc. He/She usually makes fun of Theists as being stupid. He/She would with friends say, "Why is God hiding? Is he afraid? Did God create humans or did humans create God?"
Advantages of being a true Atheist:

1. He/She is usually logical and intellectually sharper than an average person.
2. He/She is usually successful in material world because the material world is based on contracts/deals and not on faith.

Dis-advantages of being a true Atheist:

1. He/She usually indulges in vices like over-indulgence in violence, drugs, extra-martial sex, etc.
2. He/She usually does not get true love/respect from friends and family members, because all these people around him/her are aware of his/her low morals.

PK

PK says, "This beautiful Universe cannot be a product of some accident. There has to be an intelligent creator. This creator is God. So the Atheist is wrong." Also, PK adds, "The idol/painting that Theist worships was created by human mind. All religions were created by humans. All rituals, religious practices were created by human mind. I am comfortable with acknowledging that I don't know God. Hence I don't need any idol/painting, religion, ritual, etc to calm my mind."
Advantages of being a PK:

1. PK does not waste his time in rituals, worship, etc.
2. PK is logical and intellectually sharper than an average person.
3. Success is usually easy for PK in material world because of his sharper intelligence.
4. A PK with high morals will never over indulge in violence, drugs, extra-martial sex and other vices.
5. PK is able to quieten his mind with logical introspection and doesn't need the support of an idol or religious practice.
6. PK cannot be exploited by religious leaders or so-called saints, because he is able to see their tricks.

Dis-advantages of being a PK:

1. Unless PK has high morals, he will have all disadvantages of an Atheist (vices and lack of love).
2. PKs are rare; so most people don't know of PK; they think that the world has only Atheists and Theists. So most people mistake PK for either confused or ignorant or plain Atheist.

In my opinion, few people are true Theist or true Atheists. Most people are ignorant or confused i.e. they have not given enough time and thought to this issue.

What should Greeks do?

Greece has debt that it cannot repay. What should Greeks do? I believe that Greek have following options:

1. Have more austerity measures; Continue to remain in Euro. More wealth will be looted from Greece. Greeks will become more impoverished. The debt can never be repaid; so Greeks will keep suffering, as long as they choose this option.
2. Default on the debt; abandon Euro and adopt Drachma; let the Syriza (newly elected party) implement its socialist policies. Greece will see hyper-inflation. Greeks will suffer for a few years till they abandon socialist polices for capitalist ones. The pain in this option will likely be lesser than option 1.
3. Default on the debt; continue to use Euro if so permitted by other European countries or else abandon Euro for Drachma; adopt capitalist polices. The elected party Syriza will not choose this option. This option offers minimal pain to Greeks; it ensures a long term prosperity for Greeks.

The option chosen by Greeks impacts other European nations also. If Greece abandons Euro, the savings in Euro of Greeks will likely be seized by Greece government. The Greeks will get Drachma, which will be worth less than Euro. If Greece abandons the Euro, the European union is broken. Many banks in Europe will be bankrupt. Europeans can save their wealth by moving their savings to physical gold and silver. Expect Gold and Silver to rise by more than 30% in Euro terms in the next 2 years.

Conversations with PK

Here is an imaginary Question/Answer session with an evolved being.

Question) How many countries are there on your planet?
PK) We don't have any countries; in other words, whole planet is one country. This way there is no expense on armies, weapons, military, etc.

Question) What does the government do?
PK) There is no government. So no taxes. Every person manages the money he/she earns. Every person is responsible for his/her own safety and well-being. There are no elections world-wide, but voluntary groups are free to hold elections to choose security in-charge, transport in-charge, etc. Roads, Railways, Airports, etc are built by private companies for profit.

Question) Who takes care of the poor?
PK) Charities exist to take care to the under-privileged. People are free to donate to the charities.

Question) What does the police do on your planet?
PK) We don't have any police. The rich are free to hire security personnel for their safety. When a crime occurs, private investigators can be hired. When the criminal is known, the elders of victim's neighborhood get together and decide on the punishment for the criminal. There are no jails; private parties can be hired to restrain criminals temporarily. We don't have any judicial system.

Question)What about cigarettes, liquor, drugs and prostitution?
PK) There is no demand for cigarettes, liquor and drugs. So they are almost non-existent. We understand that these hide the symptoms of the problem, but don't solve any problem. Prostitution is rare because of poor demand.

Question) Do you have sports?
PK) Yes, voluntary teams are free to play with other teams. However, there are no world-wide competitions because few are interested. Sports is just a way of keeping fit and active.

Question) What industries do you have?
PK) We generate mostly clean electricity from sun, wind, water, nuclear, etc. It is used for transport and making other goods.

Question) What is money on your planet?
PK) Gold, Silver and Copper coins are used as money. Private banks exist that will store these coins safely. The banks are audited by independent parties to ensure that they really hold the coins.

Question)What is inflation?
PK) There is no inflation. Prices regularly fall because of rise in productivity. The total money supply is almost constant for centuries.

Question) How is parenting different on your planet?
PK) Children are raised with love. No one shouts or hits a child. The child is taught reasoning skills and communication skills. The child chooses any other skills for learning.

Question) How are your schools different from ones on earth?
PK) We don't have schools. Parents teach their children, when they are young. Later on tutors are hired to teach children depending for the subject the child loves. There are no common exams, but tutors are free to conduct tests. There are no colleges, but recommended subjects to be studied for various skills. While hiring an employee, the employer tests the person for necessary skill. Third-party independent certification agency exist for someone, who wants to publicize his/her skills.

Question) Do people fall in love?
PK) Yes! People, who love each other, decide to stay together (similar to husband and wife on earth). They are free to celebrate (similar to marriage on earth) their new relationship. They are free to break existing relationships.

Question) How is divorce managed?
PK) Should a husband and wife decide to separate, the elders of both families meet. A mutually acceptable solution is chosen regarding with whom will children stay, will any monthly maintenance be paid, etc.

Question) Is abortion legal?
PK) Parents are free to decide the future of their unborn child. If they cannot take care of the child, there are usually other couples who are willing to adopt the child. Parents are also free to abort the unborn child; but this choice is exercised rarely because these parents would normally use some form of birth-control. Sex education is imparted to teenagers; so unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are rare.

Question) Who builds roads, railways, etc?
PK) Private companies are free to build roads, railways, airports, buses, etc. People who use roads pay toll. Passengers travelling in railway/bus/airplanes purchase tickets. Profit incentive ensures good transport.

Question) What do you people eat?
PK) We are raw vegans. We eat raw fresh fruits and vegetables. We don't consume meat, diary, eggs or any animal product. We almost never use oil, sugar and salt. We rarely cook food. Most diseases of earth e.g. heart attack, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc are rare on our planet. We live much longer than people on earth.

Question) There seems to be no philosophy on your planet?
PK) Philosophy is about living virtuous life. Usually religion and philosophy don't go well together. We teach children to live virtuous life and value virtues more than money/race/religion/gender/country. Our philosophy is about kindness, non-violence (unless attacked), happiness, peace, etc.

Question) Why do you think that your planet is better than earth?
PK) No religion, No wars, No government, No taxes and No police. In short, more freedom for individual. The individual is not sacrificed for the collective (group, race, religion, nation).

Question) Leaving aside religion, what is the next biggest improvement that we should do on earth?
PK) Discard fiat currency and accept Gold, Silver and Copper as money. This will eliminate almost all wars because wars will have to be paid for immediately, and not with inflation. A limit in physical money implies limit in the powers of government, police and judiciary.

Question) Other than religion and real money, what improvement would you suggest for earth?
PK) Peaceful parenting. Children raised with violence become introvert or criminals. Children raised with love tend to achieve more in life.

Question) Why don't you help our planet?
PK) If most people desire something, it will get done. Your world is in its current shape, because most people don't want it to change. When majority desires a change, the change will be inevitable. I cannot change something by force, without the consent of majority. That would be violence and lack of empathy. I am showing you a path; if you are ready, walk it.

Thank you PK.

What should parents teach children?

Parents should teach only following skills to their children.

1. Scientific thinking / logical thinking / critical thinking: Most parents don't teach this skill to their children because they want children to do as they say. If children think independently, they may come to different conclusion than their parents. These parents usually dislike their children questioning them. They usually bully their children into silence.
2. Communication skills / social interaction skills: Most parents don't teach this skill to their children because it undermines their authority. How can a parent, who loves to bully his/her children, sit and have one-on-one talk with his/her child as an equal?
3. Adults lie: Children never lie. Adults almost always lie. Children are in sync w.r.t. thought, word and action. Adults usually think one way, say another and do something else. Children are unselfish by nature; adults are selfish. Children have to be taught that most people are cheats or plain stupid. Most parents don't teach this to their children because children would immediately recognize their parents as selfish and/or stupid.

The rest children can figure out by themselves. Parents tell their children to become a doctor/engineer. They never ask their children what they would like to be because a child may choose a profession that the parent thinks will lead to lesser income in life (so less indirect benefit to the parent) or more expenses on education or greater effort for parent or some other inconvenience for the parent.

Comments on Chetan Bhagat’s book “What Young India Wants”

The main good points of this book (as per myself) are:

• Laws are strict in USA, China, etc; Laws are poorly implemented in India. In India, a criminal case normally goes on for many years. People die before they can be punished. India needs fewer laws and a swift justice system to implement them. Justice should be same for the rich and poor.
• True long-lasting wealth is money plus virtues. Indians place a wealthy immoral person on a higher pedastal than a less wealthy moral person. (A virtuous person should also be smart; the thieves surrounding him shouldn't be able to cheat him.)
• Most successful businesses in India owe their success to corrupt practices. The bigger the government, more the rules in country; greater is the corruption. Government should stay out of businesses like railways, public transport, education, banks, insurance, telecom, airports, etc. The government should not even have regulators here, because these can be bribed. Competition is the best regulator.
• The benefits of liberalization is reaching 10% of the citizens; 90% of Indians are left untouched. These 90% lose their savings to inflation; their land is stolen by corporates with the aid of politicians making land-reform laws; they don't have a voice in media that is controlled by corporate houses and government. This leads to "Naxalism"; young people are willing to take arms against the state. We don't need CRPF or military to fight Naxals; we want reforms that treat rich and poor equally in terms of rights.
• Australia produces 5 times rice per acre than India. China produces twice the rice per acre than India. The government rules make the farmer inefficent in India. On one hand the government gives subsidies to farmers; on the other hand the government decides the prices of farmer's produce, where will it be sold, etc.
• India has a draconian tax structure. We need to cancel many taxes and reduce the remaining.
• Anyone looking for RDX in China would land immediately in jail. In India, a newspaper sting operation obtained RDX in few hours. Law and order should be independent of politicians.
• Indian are not smart when it comes to voting. They vote based on caste and emotion. They should vote based on scientific facts. Only vote for party that
  1. Reduces taxes
  2. Privatizes heavily
  3. Reduces government regulations e.g. reservations based on caste, forms to be filled for any permission, etc.
  4. Cuts subsidies and deficit
  Everything else is likely insignificant.
• Most education in India is of poor quality. We need privatization and termination of government controls in education.

The main incorrect points of this book (as per myself) are:

• The book says, "USA values wealth, competition, individualism and religion." If that were true, USA would not have huge deficits, banks too big to fail in 2008 would not have been saved, Obamacare (collectivism) would never have passed in Senate and there would be mostly god-fearing people in USA.
  A country cannot have a set of values for all its citizens. Each person had to decide values for himself. The values of all its citizens together defines the values of the country.
• The book says, "Kids are encouraged to discuss issues with their teachers." This is partly true. Most parents also don't encourage their children to question. The book blames the teachers and education system. I feel parents should take a major portion of the blame.
• The book says, "87% of Indian women are stressed". The book does not mention how many Indian men are stressed. So it creates an impression that Indian male is exploiting Indian women, without giving any scientific data. This is a big mistake. A writer like Chetan Bhagat should keep his personal views separate from facts. Here, he has made the gross misatek of expressing an opinion as a fact.