A load of crap from an idle brain

Finished the one week ISMS course and on the last day had an exam too. Wrote well.  Hope to pass. Came back to work after a week to a mountain of emails and things to catch up on. Wish i could take a few days off and relax at home, but with so many things happenign at work simultaneously, i kept that thought on the backburner for now.

The new team, work is exciting.  Lots to learn and so less time.  Things move very fast here unlike at my previous position.  Hardly have time to procastinate, which only leads to things getting escalated to the other people in the team.  Its been fun, but ya tiring at the same time too.

Blogging has taken a back seat as of now.  So much to write, but i find so little time.  Also realise that i havent checked my equity portfolio properly in a week.  The sad events in Japan have really shook up the markets not to speak of the Japanese people.  But am sure their resilience will come to the fore and Japan will once again rise from the ashes as it has always done.

Maybe the Japanese govt will finally open its door to the immigrants who will now be very much needed for the reconstruction work.  Nuclear plans will be on hold all over the world.  That would mean more reliance on fossil fuels.  Oil prices are sure to shoot up.  The previous record of $147 per barrel could be broken.

People (both pro and anti nuclear) will play out their agendas.  But lets keep it in mind that nuclear power for all that has happened in Chernobyl, Japan and the Three Mile island incident is still the cleanest way for us to produce electricity.  Lets face it, the other methods like wind or solar are no patch to the quantity and quality of electricity that can be produced through nuclear power.  Ya, its risky and a lot of checks and safeguards need to be in place.  Proper mechanism for disposing off the spent fuel rods must also be in place.

The commies and the jholawalas are sure to raise muck about the numerous nuclear power plants that are coming up around the country.  The chaddis as usual will try to fish in murky waters.  But let the rhetoric not make us take our eyes away from the goal.  That is clean power which is an absolute must if India is to grow above 9% per year.

Countries like France generate almost 75% of their electricity from nuclear power.  Japan also generates almost 30%.  Its easy to take the path of using dirty fuels (fossil fuels) to achieve our economic growth and end up with disastrous consequences as China’s environment has faced.

So lets take a step back, clear our mind of all the rhetoric and take a call.  What lies ahead is nothing but our future.  Let’s learn it from the experts who have done it and done it well.

Meanwhile my deepest condolences to the thousands of Japanese killed and the millions whose lives have been affected by this triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear accident.

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Like someone mentioned, the only places of mourning after the NSG nod is Beijing, Islamabad and the headquarters of BJP and Communists. The BJP was the one who started the whole deal by starting talks with the US.  The BJP was on the verge of  signing the NPT which succesive Indian governments have vehemently opposed signing saying that its a discriminatory treaty.

What the Congress has managed is a far far superior deal than what BJP could do.  No wonder the heart burn among the chaddi gang and the name calling of the Prime Minister.  They simply cant believe that the wily sardar has simply stolen the thunder from right under their nose.

As for the commies, no comments.  One doesnt need to bother much about mad barking dogs.  Prakash Carrot Karat, Bardhan, Raja (all are on the Chinese payroll and hence loyal pets to their masters). They thrive in the gutters and are better left there.

Meanwhile i would love to see Advani’s sorry face.  He’s nowhere to be seen these days.  Maybe he’s reconciled to the fact that he might never be able to become the Prime Minister of India

The group of nations which regulates the global nuclear trade has approved a US proposal to lift restrictions on selling nuclear technology to India. The controversial deal now needs to be ratified by the US Congress before it can be implemented.

India says the deal is vital for it to meet its civil energy demands. The approval came after India pledged to keep its nuclear non-proliferation commitments and to uphold a voluntary moratorium on testing atomic weapons.

The real leaders in the whole deal has been none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and George Bush. Though Bush had nothing to lose even in case the deal fell through, it was Manmohan Singh who staked his career and reputaion at the altar of the nuclear deal.  He’s been called the “weakest Prime Minister” by the eternal Prime minister in waiting LK Advani (he never will sit on that seat).  After decimating the opposition in the no confidence deal, the Prime Minister has marshalled his troops for a fine victory at the NSG.

For months, the oscillation continued till Manmohan Singh upped the ante saying he could not renege on this international commitment on a deal he firmly believed was the best for India. Despite critics from within his party, the support of the Gandhis gave him the backing he needed and it was a transformed prime minister who faced Parliament this July in a dramatic vote of confidence.

Eventually the government emerged victorious with a new ally and without the Left. Closely watching India’s domestic battle over the deal was the White House, the deal a personal legacy for an embattled President Bush. After the Iraq fiasco, the Indo-US nuclear agreement was seen by him as a foreign policy coup and a huge opportunity for American business, something he was willing to go the extra mile for.

On Saturday, as China threatened a walk out, President Bush picked up the phone and called his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, a toned down version of his infamous, ‘you are with us, or against us’ rhetoric.  A pact clinched by two men who couldn’t be more unlike each other, one a flamboyant Texan known for his foreign policy gaffes, the other a mild mannered economist turned politician.

In the end however, the two men came together to push through a historic deal for India amid huge domestic and international opposition.

Above pictures and news courtesy: IBNlive, NDTV, Atomic Archive

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Reliance Industries Limited, RIL is looking to foray into nuclear power generation, reports CNBC-TV18 quoting sources. RIL is in talks with a French nuclear power company. RIL and the French company is looking for eight-ten sites in India. RIL has said that it will not comment on market speculation, and has strongly denied a foray into nuclear power generation at this point.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, RIL had said at the company’s Annual General Meeting that, “The second potential avenue for growth and transformation is in alternative energy. This is a natural extension of our conventional energy portfolio. I will be happy to share with you details once we have a concrete value creating plan in place.

It is not yet known who RIL is talking to, but the company does tend to go and forge partnerships with the largest companies in the world.

Rest of the article here

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