Friday, November 30, 2012

Do more harm than good. Read on!

While Delhi basks in the glory of post-Marathon mania, it turns out that running might just do more harm than good. Read on!

If one follows a certain amount of discipline before the run, marathons can be what they’re supposed to be – harmless, and a lot of fun. All that is required is consistency in workouts before the marathon and increasing the stamina by following the 10% formula, i.e., to never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% over the previous week. Jumping more miles than this would be a mistake that the body will pay for in the not-so-distant future. In fact, high intensity workouts every day does not allow the body to recover. Accommodating an easy workout in-between is definitely a far better plan.

While most people practice running in the parks, it is important to avoid uneven surface. On the other hand, slanting surface causes one foot to roll inward and the other outward, leading to a bad posture. If the surface is hard and concrete, and not made of grass and packed dirt, it can cause further injuries to the joints. So that makes looking out for the flattest and softest surfaces a worthwhile task.

Whoever came up with the phrase ‘run for your life’ obviously was oblivious to the perils that can come your way if you don’t do it right!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Bouquets & corruption BRICbats

Transparency International’s corruption index kills Russia’s image

Corruption, bribery and nepotism are the three pillars on which some modern economies are being based. The well known Berlin based anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), has come out with its annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) to measure corruption on a scale of 0 [zero being the lowest rate of corruption] to 10. Expectably, poor countries like Somalia and Burma lie at the bottom of the table close to a perfect ten. Whereas small trouble-free and rich democracies of Western Europe like Denmark and Sweden lie at the top.

Another BRIC nation Brazil is placed somewhere in the middle of the table, at a mediocre – though relatively better – 62 [up from 70 last year]. Brazil could have scored magnificently better, but last year’s corruption charge –the ‘mensalao’ episode – where President Lula’s Worker Party is alleged to have bribed lawmakers in return for their support to the party in the lower house of the Parliament, played spoilsport!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Defeat Corruption

What’s the dirtiest secret about corruption? Just how little we know about it. Treasuries are plundered and kickbacks are paid, but the nature and scale of the world’s shady transactions largely remain a mystery to us. Luckily, a little economic detective work is all that is needed to expose the smuggling, cheating and bribing that is hiding in plain sight.

It was the odd uniformity of the suitcase’s contents that tipped off the baggage inspector: six thick, identical rectangles. They could have been books, but then again, they could have been six bundles of cocaine. And in August 2007, security was tight at Buenos Aires airport; the country was in the midst of a presidential election. The suitcase’s owner, a Venezuelan businessman just in from Caracas, hesitated briefly when asked to open his suspicious luggage. Out tumbled $800,000 in cash. It was, according to US investigators, an illegal campaign contribution from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez intended for Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, wife of Argentina’s former president & candidate for presidency herself. What better to grease the countries’ friendship, investigators alleged, than a suitcase full of cash?

Such tales of bribery and corruption are as old as politics. Try as we might to rid officialdom of crooks, extorting senators, vote-buying presidents and judges for sale remain all too common. Whether it’s the $90,000 in cold cash that turned up a few years ago in a US congressman’s freezer, the “Versailles in the jungle” built with the billions embezzled by Zaire’s Mobutu Sese Seko, or the bank balances of oil autocrats in Central Asia, venality and excess remain the scourge of modern global politics.

But corruption is not simply a moral concern. It’s blamed – perhaps rightly – for many of the world’s ills; widely accused of being an endemic barrier to economic development, responsible for Africa’s lasting poverty and Latin America’s perennial stagnation. It is, says conventional wisdom, what makes poor countries poor. It undermines the rule of law, distorts trade, and confers economic advantages on a privileged few. It prevents aid money from reaching victims, topples buildings thanks to shoddy construction, and strangles business with constant burden of bribes and payoffs. Yet the truth is that we have very little idea about how corruption works or how pervasive it is. We have anecdotes about rotten individuals – a Ferdinand Marcos, a Robert Mugabe, or Charles Taylor – but this tells us almost nothing about the breadth and depth of global corruption. After all, when bribery and embezzlement is done right, it’s invisible. Economists haven’t even resolved if and when corruption is really a problem: East Asian economies have boomed in recent decades under reputedly corrupt regimes.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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PROFILE: B.S. YEDDYURAPPA

Karnataka Chief Minister needs to quell Bajrangi hate mongers and ensure safety to minorities

After being criticised by every corner, the state government had to arrest Bajarang Dal Chief, Mahendra Kumar. The Centre has issued a notice to the Karnataka government to control the law and order. The Central team and the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) have both, in their respective reports, rapped the government of Karnataka for failing to protect the attacks against the Christian community. This forced Yeddyurappa to order a judicial probe, a opposition demand that he had earlier refused.

Governing Karnataka has turned out to be a litmus test for Yeddyurappa. In a political career spanning over decades, Yeddyurappa has been at the helm of many political posts. As a grass-root politician he has headed a town municipality, has repeatedly been to the two houses of state legislature and has been the leader of opposition in Karnataka.

This his first stint in power. He needs to put his experiences to use. Long innings within the RSS and Jan Sangh may have streamlined his philosophy and focussed his approach when it came to contesting elections. However, he now needs to realise that a CM''s job is not to appease his coterie even if they collectively stimulate horrendous wrongs. Karnataka has led India to its IT fame. The recent attacks are a blot on the state''s face. Yeddyurappa needs to realise that his progressive electorate may not forgive him for the recent attacks even if they practice the same religion as his.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Monday, November 26, 2012

JAPAN: PM RESIGNATION

Japan urgently needs a worthy successor after Fukuda's resignation

The upper and lower houses of Diet (Japanese parliament) have been paralysed for around a year and the country is expected to see some stability only if Aso becomes Fukuda’s successor. Aso commands a popular support within Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is known for his straight talking. If he comes to power, things may change for better for LDP.

Having a strong person is the need of the hour not only for LDP but also for Japan. Indecisiveness in politics is something that Japan can’t bear anymore. The economy is feared to be galloping towards recession. The whole messed up issue of selection of governor for the Bank of Japan has dented the image of Japan. Other areas also need proper consideration. Japan's foreign policy needs people who can continue with the vocal presence that Koizumi had shown and people need reforms on the pension, health insurance and gas tax front. LDP has failed to deliver on every front and people's disappointment is evident now. This is bad for the party since the opposition, Democratic Party (DPJ) would now want to carry out elections as soon as possible. Things would be tough for whoever comes to power after Fukuda. He has to resolve all the conflict within LDP and also keep Japan outside the grip of recession.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Can reduce the usage of personal vehicles?

Only an efficient public transport system can reduce the usage of personal vehicles

“Indian cities are in the grip of motorisation which is why smooth mobility on roads is increasingly becoming a distant dream,” Anumita Roy Chaudhary, expert on transport in Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) shares with B&E. If one considers Europe, (known to have one of the best public transit system in the world), the whole economy depends heavily on efficient road transport, where 85% of the people travel by buses or coaches; which leads to less motorisation of roads.

Though there are big plans like setting up of 16 new flyovers and monorail in Mumbai, other Indian cities still don’t have such roadmaps. Indian policies, too, are not very supportive to public transportation. In other words, they encourage purchase of private cars. In India, one pays road tax only once during the purchase of car which is much less than the annual road tax paid by a public bus owner. Contrary to this, in Singapore, one has to bid for getting a licence even before buying a car.

‘More’ is increasingly becoming ‘less’ in India. However, not many want such a thing to happen. With fuel prices going up and inflation surpassing two digit figures every now and then, it is getting tough for Indian consumers to buy a car and maintain it. So, it’s only investment in public transit system that can substantially reduce this burden.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

INBEV: BUSCH ACQUISITION

20% premium makes a great sell...

For AB’s shareholders, there could be no better news. With the combined entity expected to earn $36.4 billion in revenues and control more than 50% of the US beer market, expected cost synergies of around $1.5 billion by 2011 too don’t look too faint a mirage.

Juli Niemann, CFA, Smith, Moore & Co., also explains, “Synergies are there as the duo would create an excellent end-on-end brewing, distributing & marketing powerhouse worldwide.” However, InBev should not do away with the theme parks that AB owns (which clocked revenues of $1.3 billion, 7% of AB’s total revenue in 2007) in the name of cost-cutting. Having become a global power now, the combined entity should also not get complacent on the marketing front as Ann Gilpin Analyst, Morningstar asserts, “If InBev cuts on advertising or marketing it will pay the consequences...” Amongst this hullabaloo, there is SAB Miller which has now been dethroned from the numero uno spot in the beer-making business; and it won’t be long before we hear of a SAB Miller bid for... errr.... watch out for this space!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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