A movie becoming a hit or flop cannot be the only guideline to declare its worthiness. The right method would be judging by its content and the narration style, I mean the script and the screenplay. Without these, the very purpose of making a movie would not be properly served. More than two hundred movies get released every year and their quality:quantity ratio does not look very convincing. None would have imagined that we would be delivering such mediocre movies when compared to the black and white period.

With the demise of the legends from the Shivaji Ganesan era, Tamil cinema has shifted focus from script oriented movies to profit making movies with some exceptions. In the 60s and 70s, the movies used to have a strong script and we could see actors emoting with passion and it feels like seeing ourselves on the screen. This is missing in today’s films. Either we get inspired from a Hollywood movie (or even Korean movies) or remake from other languages but never inspire people around the world to follow us. Even the name Kollywood (a word which is not even in the dictionary) is inspired from the west. We still love our Tamil movies, thanks to our limited exposure to Hollywood.

Right now Tamil cinema is in a mould with a predefined template that specifies the mandatory number of songs, fights, comedy, love and sentiment in a movie. And we call it the “perfect mixture” for a blockbuster. Apparently, the actors too got into this mould, which becomes a safe bet for hits. So the directors stopped trying and got along with what the audience wanted. In Kollywood, each actor is associated with certain kinds of roles. There are mass heroes, romantic ones, action kings and so on. Therefore, an actor is repeatedly forced to chose a role according to their fan’s expectations. Our actors are very talented. They are, much better than us criticizing them, but it’s the expectation of their fans, that stops them from trying different characters. So whom do we blame? fans? actors? directors? I would say everyone, in the same order. A movie has to be consistent at the first place. If it’s a comedy movie, then it be a complete comedy treat. If it’s a thriller, it should be jam packed with twists and thrills. I don’t understand the need of a romantic song in a thriller movie or fight scenes in comedy flicks. No more unnecessary songs unless the situation demands one, and on the whole, we don’t want to see 2 hour 40 minute movies anymore. This template based movie concept has to change.

The reason why there are not much futuristic films is that the directors don’t see a future. Except some passionate directors who put their soul into their movies, other directors think movie making as a profession. Movie making is an art and if one makes it a profession, then we lose that magical charm, which is found in yesteryear movies. A director needs to visualize the outcome of a movie, which is really important as it creates a road map for his team and motivate them. A director needs lot of grit to project such visionary ideas. There are lot of compromises a director has to make to satisfy lot of people on the way and when he looks back, the movie might have been a little/lot different from what he intended to create. To think, make a movie and stick to your theme takes a different kind of courage, which only few directors have. A director needs guts to stand with his script and not change according to the hero’s image or fan’s expectations. If this small change is made, then am sure quality would increase by leaps and bounds.

Nowadays the success of a movie in the opening week depends on the extensive marketing by the movie promoters. They flood the TV channels with the trailers that contain only good scenes in the movie. Deceived by the trailer, we walk to the theater to find the real story. And that’s how the distributors make money in the opening week. Cant blame them, they are pure business people. They are doing their job and accordingly even the directors need to stick to their job, which is creating quality movies and not worry about profits and opening sales. Overall, everyone has to stick to their jobs and try not poking their noses around.

There has to be movies like Kahaani & Arundathi that are heroine oriented. It’s high time we don’t use our ladies just for songs and romance. The directors need to pen down scripts for these talented ladies to show their skills. Making an Indian movie is more difficult than the Hollywood ones because of the very existence of sophisticated masala factor in every frame. Directors need to concentrate on a single storyline in an effective manner. Even the stunts in Indian films looks very unrealistic and unearthly. In a nutshell, both Indian and Hollywood movies are of the same theme, good fighting against the bad, good trying to save the nation, with few fights n few kisses. But the way of bringing it out as a package is different. It means the method of conveying the same message in a gift wrapped box. If you take movies like Xmen, harry potter, they could be illogical but that’s fantasy. Though illogical, the western people know the knack of presenting the most dumbest things on earth and still get away with a huge applause from the audience. May be it’s all with the presentation. Even if we fantasize, it would still contain songs, fights and the main ingredient “masala”.

I feel devastated when Tamil audience stand and clap for characters like superman, batman or any-man. Actually, we are not envious of them but it makes us wonder when such an ovation is going to happen to our actors. Am sure our script writers are very talented to think out of the box but they are redirected by the hero’s image who are in turn redirected by their fans. How long are we going to keep watching mass masala movies, which has no quality script? Moreover, it’s the matter of audience being educative enough to accept the creativity of the directors. It’s the very fear of not being accepted by the audience that is driving away many talented directors from innovating their scripts and screenplay. As long as the audience don’t change their perspective and accept all sorts of good movies, quality is not going to improve.

People are busy fighting who is the next superstar but not worried about the future of Tamil cinema. We cant bat,yet we criticize Sachin, we cant lead, yet we mock our Prime Minister, all we can do is to speak inside the four walls in front of the TV. Salman Rushdie has once quoted Indian film industry as “Epico-Mythico-Tragico-Comico-Super-Sexy-High-Masala-Art”. So complicated and so true! Thanks for adding the word “Art”, sir.

We need to change, for them to change and make better movies.

The movie We are Marshall tells the story of the rebuilding of the Marshall University football program after a tragic plane crash in 1970 that killed nearly the entire team and the coaching staff.   The university president came close to suspending the program when he was persuaded by students and the community to rebuild. Matthew McConaughey plays the coach who is brought in to rebuild the program.

In one scene in the movie, McConaughey throws out the old playbook and designs a new offensive scheme. He realizes that the playbook was designed for a different time and a different team with different skills. His current team needs a different approach to have a shot at success, as they are clearly failing using the old playbook. As the coach, he makes a swift decision and rapidly implements a new playbook which immediately begins to build the confidence of the team. While it takes a few games for the team to get it, they ultimately win again.     While the story of Marshall is about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of tragedy, this scene also holds a great lesson for leaders in today’s uncertain environment. If the environment has changed and we are to succeed, it implies that old behavior will not work. If you are the leader, you must do more than cast a vision or rally the troops with a motivational speech. You must identify what new behavior is required and help your team learn that new behavior as fast as possible.    In the past few months, I have heard leaders at several different companies make bold pronouncements that “failure is not an option.” Upon hearing this message, do you feel your morale, confidence, and optimism improving? Do you feel better about your company’s prospects? I don’t either.    Here are four reasons why this approach is a big mistake:

• First, it is intellectually dishonest, so no one believes it. Failure is, in fact, a possible outcome. The intent of this statement is to assure employees that the business will survive and that employees will be ok, but this may not be true.   Failure may not be a likely outcome and it is certainly not a desirable outcome, but it is within the realm of possibility. 
• Second, it insults the intelligence of your employees. Why go to all of the effort and expense to recruit knowledge workers, who are supposedly very smart, but then treat them like idiots? Smart people understand that uncertainty exists. Pretending otherwise is insulting. 
• Third, because this statement is often presented with great confidence and swagger, it shuts down meaningful dialogue. This approach suggests that by the sheer will of the leader, we will prevail. By saying “failure is not an option,” the leader is really trying to have the final word on the subject. The leader is frankly tired of dealing with the question and would prefer that people really just get back to work.
• Fourth, this statement absolves employees of responsibility. By taking the weight of the option off the table, its puts it all on the shoulder of the leader. This approach is the exact opposite of empowerment and actually increases stress among employees. Stress occurs in high-demand, low-control situations, and increasing demands on people without giving them a reason to believe they have control doesn’t work.

So how can leaders use the lessons of We Are Marshall to deal with economic uncertainty and anxiety more effectively? 

1. Acknowledge the pain, frustration and fear of the situation. While a business failure or job loss is not life or death like the Marshall tragedy, it is immensely painful.   Recognize that employees are wondering about their future but sitting idle in the face of fear is not a solution. 
2. Acknowledge that we face significant uncertainty and it will likely continue for some time. There are multiple contingencies that depend on the overall economy, customers, competition, regulatory changes, and possible mergers or acquisitions. There may be several scenarios which we can envision, some good, some not so good. It is up to us to make decisions and to take action to capitalize on the best opportunities available. 
3. Honestly assess your current situation and communicate the truth. Clarify your current cash position and how your long you can operate under your current structure. Do you have weeks, months, or years of cash?   Demonstrate that you have adequate resources to operate without being paralyzed by fear. This approach will help everyone in the organization grasp reality and move forward. 
4. Like the coach at Marshall, make sure you have the right playbook and right team for this environment. Clarify your best market and customer opportunities to focus on during this period. Based on your current product and service capabilities, where do you focus? For example, if you have an installed base of customers, evaluate how to maintain or expand your business with them. If you are pursuing new customers, make sure that your value proposition and lead generation activities are focused on the best opportunities.   Make sure that you have the right team in the right roles, and make decisions quickly if changes are needed.
5. Accelerate your operational planning process so that every single person in your organization knows their roles, responsibilities, and objectives for the near future. Instead of long term plans, these should be ninety-day plans which are revised a quarter from now. It is essential that each person have clear direction on their contribution. Hold your direct reports accountable for ensuring that each person they supervise has an individual action plan.
6. Specify what you will NOT do. Clarify which markets, customers, and opportunities you will not focus on during this period.   It is essential to focus all of your time, energy, and resources only on the best customer opportunities in this environment. Identify specific ways of operating that may have served you in the past, but which will not work in this environment. “Keeping doing what you’ve been doing” is a recipe for disaster.

So how do you handle the question  “are we going to survive?”   Let me suggest a blueprint for what you can say. My recommendation is to outline very specific actions that are required to succeed. The time for big sweeping vision statements is not now. Try something like this: “I understand that all of you are concerned about the current environment, how it will affect our business, and what it means for you. You may be expecting me to say that bankruptcy is not an option. We are currently generating (or burning cash), so our risk level is high/medium/low and we are confident that we can operate for at least a year. Technically, failure is always an option if we fail to execute our plan – that is the nature of business. So let’s focus on the specifics of our plan: We will focus on specific customers and offerings. Make sure to name them here. This means that our sales and marketing organization must immediately refocus our lead generation, prospecting, and sales activities on this set of customers. We are going to not focus on other opportunities for the near term.  

Our product development organization will focus on these specific projects for future growth, name them.   Our operations groups will ensure that we are meeting all of our commitments effectively and efficiently.   We are all responsible for managing our cash effectively. All of these specifics require each person in the organization to play a specific role. In the next thirty days, we will make sure that these specifics get translated into individual action plans for everyone – and each one of you will be asked for your best thinking about how we can innovate, execute, and thrive in this environment. My direct reports are accountable for making this planning process happen. I welcome any further questions on any aspect of the business and commit to communicating on a weekly basis as events unfold. I appreciate the commitment each of you is making to the company.”    The coach of Marshall challenges the players to “lay it on the line until the final whistle blows, and if you do that, we cannot lose.” As the leader, you cannot ask for this commitment until you work through a specific game plan that can win. Do you have a specific game plan? If not, it’s time to get to work.   

Copyright © 2009 Aligned Action, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Everywhere we look, change is happening at ever-increasing rates.  This is not new news.  However, what is not so broadly reported in the mass media, or acknowledged in our mainstream culture, is that the collective consciousness-the sum total of our collective thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, perspectives, actions, and choices-is also rapidly evolving.  From where you stand in any particular moment looking at the current challenges facing our world on so many levels, this evolution may not seem so obvious.  Yet if we pull back and look at the big picture of what has shifted in our world over the last few decades, not to mention the last several hundred years, there is clear evidence of evolution in technology, knowledge, and yes, even higher awareness and an expanding consciousness.    This is not to say that we don’t still have a long way to go.  When compared to the arc of the life cycle, many leading thinkers in the realm of human development and consciousness studies say that we as a western culture are right in the middle of our adolescence.    The questions become:  How do we continue our forward evolution with clear intention and awareness? How do we recognize the potentials that are rapidly emerging in all areas of our lives-home and family, community, business, and government-partner with them, and become stewards for their continued forward and rapid evolution? What is our part, both individually and collectively, in creating sustainability for a positive evolutionary process?

Three words have been rolling around in my awareness for some time now:  unleash, focus, align.  I’ve talked about them in keynote lectures and am now recognizing that perhaps they represent a simple three-step formula for ongoing sustainability, regardless of the project or potential at hand, especially in times of rapid evolution and change. 

Let’s take these three words one at a time to explore what each of them means as a part of the formula.

Unleash

Regardless of where you are in the world, if you ask people to point to themselves, almost without fail they point to the center of their chest-to their heart center.  We have an instinctive knowledge that the essence of who we are lives somewhere in the core of our being, not in our intellect.  It is very rare that someone points to their head.  The Institute of HeartMath in Boulder Creek, CA, has shown through their research that the electromagnetic field of the heart is 5,000 times greater than the electromagnetic field of the brain.  In their research on coherence between the heart and the brain, they have shown a number of physiological processes in which the brain actually takes its direction from the heart rather than the other way around as we have been conditioned to think.  We access our true wisdom and deep knowledge through the heart much more than through the intellect.  The intellect then takes that information gathered through the heart and organizes it.  But that’s getting ahead of ourselves-we’ll get to that when we talk about “focus” in a moment.

Unleash as the first part of the formula is about unleashing the wisdom, truth, intuition, and understanding of the heart.  As an individual, it’s about unleashing the essence of who you are, of your soul.  It’s about unleashing your soul mission, the reason why you are here, your life purpose, so that it can be free to reach its greatest potential-your greatest potential-the greatest gifts you came into this life to give.  For a project, it’s about unleashing the greatest potential for that project-what’s really wanting to happen through this project in service of something bigger.  For organizations and governments, it’s about being clear about its soul and soul mission, and unleashing the potential of what is wanting to unfold for the greater good through policy, legislation, or projects. 

Unleash means paying attention to dormant or emerging potential, asking “What wants to happen?” and becoming one of its allies or stewards to help it cross the bridge from idea to reality.  It takes courage to truly unleash potential.  Once it’s unleashed it will begin to take on a life of its own.  The greater the potential, the greater the wave of energy behind it.  When it is first unleashed, the energy can be overwhelming.  It may feel like you don’t know how to harness this huge energy, much less be able to control it, organize it or know what to do with it. 

Here is where, whether in our personal lives, business or government, we too often abandon the potential or try to contain it in some way that allows us to put it neatly in a box where we can feel safe, comfortable and in control.  Here’s where we get caught up in “fixing” something, solving a problem or trying to make everything be okay again, instead of paying attention to what is trying to happen and ushering in a new reality.  Admittedly, everyone may breathe a sigh of relief when that happens-crisis averted, problem solved, or so it seems-yet in truth we’ve just patched something up and slowed down the forward evolutionary process.  We’ve chosen comfortability and convenience for the short term over transformation and evolution.

To unleash something implies that whatever it is we are unleashing was being held back, trapped, subdued in some way.  The word itself carries a lot of energy.  As the first step of our sustainability formula, “unleash” calls us to set free that which is wanting to happen and see what happens next.

Focus

As soon as we have unleashed the potential and given it freedom to fly, the next step of the formula is to focus on that energy-to pay attention to it, listen to it, follow it, see what it has to tell us about how it can be realized in form for the best possible outcome for all.  This part of the process begins by focusing our intuition-entering into constant intuitive dialogue with the potential, and letting it show us the way.  From there we take the information we have gathered and focus our intellect in service of that potential.  Intellect is the great organizer.  It knows how to get things done.  The heart isn’t so good at the organizing and action part, yet without its big picture awareness and intuitive guidance, the intellect will not necessarily be in touch with the great potential trying to emerge.  Without that awareness, the intellect can get caught up in the individual steps or pieces of the puzzle and lose sight of the bigger picture.  The intellect by default will often attach itself to smaller waves of energy that seem more manageable, safe, less  threatening or unpredictable and more comfortable, and lose the momentum and inspiration of the big energy wave.

So focus is all about listening, observing, and responding to what the potential is asking of us as each step continues to unfold. 

Align

The third step of our sustainability formula is “align”.  This step asks us to align our thoughts, feelings, emotions, perspectives, habits, decisions, actions, and practices with the greater potential that is emerging.  Something big is trying to happen here.  When we are not in alignment with that big energy, chaos can reign supreme because we are “out of sync” with what is trying to happen.  The more quickly we focus on what the potential is asking of us and on what is trying to happen and then align ourselves on every level with that emerging potential, the faster we move from chaos into order, the faster synergy and synchronicity come into place, and the smoother the ride all the way around. 

Alignment is all about creating congruence-about all the parts of who we are and of how we think and act being congruent with the emerging potential.  Through this process, we live in service to our continuing forward evolution.  We serve the evolution of our collective consciousness, and continue to move humanity forward in its evolutionary process.

A non-linear process

Unleash, focus, align as a formula is initially a linear process: unleash the potential, focus intuition and intellect, and then align all energies in service of the emerging potential.  However, the more facile you become in using the formula, the faster it moves from being a linear to a non-linear process.  With some practice, as soon as you unleash the potential you find yourself immediately focusing and aligning.  And as you focus and align, you continue to unleash the potential even as the potential itself continues to evolve and unfold. 

Unleash, focus, align join together to become three things happening at the same time.  In full practice, unleash, focus, align is a simultaneous and ongoing process.  And precisely because it is ongoing and simultaneous, it becomes a powerful model for evolutionary sustainability.  Sustainability comes from growth, evolution, and a constant flow of energy feeding all elements of the project or idea.  Things cease to be sustainable when there is no growth and evolution-when we try to impose limitations, conditions, or restrictions on the flow of energy in an effort to control or manipulate an outcome.  Because life is energy in motion and therefore constantly changing and evolving, it can only be sustainable if we live in such a way that supports and serves that ongoing natural change, transformation, and evolution.   Unleash, focus, align as a sustainability model is about serving the greater good.  This formula will not work when applied to something that is in service of only one person or a select group, organization, or society.  Energy and potential do not recognize hierarchy of one group over another, one person over another.  Energy and potential do not work selectively.  Whether in businesses, governments, or family systems, anything that is in service of a select few will ultimately not be sustainable.  While anyone can focus and align energy in a certain direction and successfully manipulate outcomes for a period of time, in the long term only forward and positive evolution for the greater good is sustainable.  We can see this as we look back in human history. 

Systems of abusive power, dictatorship, and manipulative control ultimately do not survive, nor has there ever been an ongoing mass desire for such systems. Yet the yearning, call, and actions for peace among the human race have never ceased to exist.    We are learning.  We are evolving.  When we can let go of our personal ideas of what we want to happen, how we think things should look, or what we want because it would best serve our particular family, country, or lifestyle-when we can instead tune in on a higher level of awareness to what wants to happen for the greater good of all-we will move forward with much greater grace, ease, and flow.  Will there be missteps, discouragements, disappointments?  Yes.  Yet if we keep unleashing the potential and listening to the deeper message within the missteps, discouragements, and disappointments; if we continue to focus on that greater potential and what it is asking of us as the next step and respond accordingly; if we align our thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions, habits, and decisions with that unfolding potential we will be in service of the increasingly rapid evolution of the mass consciousness that is trying to happen.

Data scientists handle time series data on a daily basis and being able to manipulate and analyses these data is a required part of the job. SQL window functions allow you to do just this and is a common data science interview question. So let’s talk about what time series data is, when to use them, and how to implement functions to help manage times series data.

What Is Times Series Data?

Time series data are variables within your data that have a time component. This means that each value in this attribute has either a date or time value, sometimes they have both. Here are some examples of times series data:

• The daily stock price for companies because each stock price is associated with a specific day

• The daily average stock index value over the last few years because each value is mapped to a specific day

• Unique visits to a website over a month

• Platform registrations each day

• Monthly sales and revenue

• Daily logins for an app

LAG and LEAD Window Functions

When handling time series data a common calculation is to calculate growth or averages over time. This means that you’ll need to either grab the future date or previous date and it’s associated values.

Two WINDOW functions that allow you to accomplish this is LAG and LEAD, which are extremely useful for dealing with time related data. The main difference between LAG and LEAD is that LAG gets data from previous rows, while LEAD is the opposite, it fetches data from following rows.

We can use either one of the two functions to compare month over month growth for example. As a data analytics professional, you are very likely to work on time related data, and if you are able to use LAG or LEAD efficiently, you will be a very productive data scientist.

A Data Science Interview Question That Requires A Window Function

Let’s go through an advanced data science sql interview question dealing with this window function. You’ll see window functions commonly being part of interview questions but you’ll also see them a lot in your daily work so it’s important to know how to use them.

Let’s go through one question from Airbnb called growth of Airbnb. If you want to follow along interactively, you can do so here.

The question is to estimate the growth of Airbnb each year using the number of hosts registered as the growth metric. The rate of growth is calculated by taking ((number of hosts registered in the current year – number of hosts registered in the previous year) / the number of hosts registered in the previous year) * 100.

Output the year, number of hosts in the current year, number of hosts in the previous year, and the rate of growth. Round the rate of growth to the nearest percent and order the result in the ascending order based on the year.

Approach Step 1: Count the host for the current year

The first step is to count hosts by year so we’ll need to extract the year from the date values.

SELECT extract(year

FROM host_since::date) AS year,

count(id) current_year_host

FROM airbnb_search_details

WHERE host_since IS NOT NULL

GROUP BY extract(year

FROM host_since::date)

ORDER BY year

Approach Step 2: Count the host for the previous year.

This is where you’ll be using the LAG window function. Here you’ll create a view where we have the year, number of hosts in that current year, and then number of hosts from the previous year. Use a lag function for the previous year count and take the last year’s value and put it in the same row as this year’s count. This way you will have 3 columns in your view — year, current year host count, and last year’s host count. The LAG function allows you to easily pull the last year’s host count in your row. This makes it easy for you to implement any metric like a growth rate because you have all the values you need on one row for SQL to easily calculate a metric. Here’s the code for it:

SELECT year,

current_year_host,

LAG(current_year_host, 1) OVER (ORDER BY year) AS prev_year_host

FROM

(SELECT extract(year

FROM host_since::date) AS year,

count(id) current_year_host

FROM airbnb_search_details

WHERE host_since IS NOT NULL

GROUP BY extract(year

FROM host_since::date)

ORDER BY year) t1) t2

Approach 3: Implement the growth metric

As mentioned earlier, it’s much easier to implement a metric like the one below when all the values are on one row. This is why you perform the LAG function. Implement the growth rate calculation round(((current_year_host – prev_year_host)/(cast(prev_year_host AS numeric)))*100) estimated_growth

SELECT year,

current_year_host,

prev_year_host,

round(((current_year_host – prev_year_host)/(cast(prev_year_host AS numeric)))*100) estimated_growth

FROM

(SELECT year,

current_year_host,

LAG(current_year_host, 1) OVER (ORDER BY year) AS prev_year_host

FROM

(SELECT extract(year

FROM host_since::date) AS year,

count(id) current_year_host

FROM airbnb_search_details

WHERE host_since IS NOT NULL

GROUP BY extract(year

FROM host_since::date)

ORDER BY year) t1) t2

The use of ironmongery in constructing buildings is centuries old. Iron is known for its durability and an outstanding quality that makes it ideal for desirable shapes and structures. It can be combined with other metals to make unique structures and shapes. It is a fact that in the recent times, architectural ironmongery is playing an important role.

It is used for decoration and restoration of dull and old houses or buildings. So, we can say that ironmongery plays a significant role in the modern world. If you want your house to look unique and precious, ironmongery is the best option to be included in fixtures and fittings. You can even use ironmongery inside your offices.

If you want to decorate the interior of your office, try using carved ironmongery products. They will give a very appealing appearance. You can even change the appearance of the dull looking door knobs, handles, locks and hinges by using ironmongery material. The presence of ironmongery products increases the worth of the building, while giving it an aesthetics view.

Ironmongery can be found at various places like hospitals, schools, factory, houses and many other places. It has a great influence on every home owner, contractors or engineer. The most prominent benefit of ironmongery is that it provides safety to your building and property and also gives a pleasant appearance. The major function of architectural ironmongery is its use in decorating and ornamentation of a dull house or building.

In modern times, ironmongery is used in every home or building. This is due to the fact that it is durable and people demand such reliable products. It has great significance, because metal works are attractive and appealing to the eyes. With the increasing level of the demand of ironmongery, it is expected that it will become the major part of every home decoration.

It is affordable and adds beauty to life. It is used widely in construction of houses and buildings. The use of ironmongery in construction has become more simple and trustworthy. The casement windows are widely used ironmongery products in the recent times. It has many distinctive features and makes the overall look of a house more classy and elegant.

The casement window has many glazing options, and one side of the window is also hinged. You can even polish the windows. Ironmongery is also used for door sets. Door sets include many products, and you can easily purchase ironmongery door sets. These door sets are considered as more reliable as compared to other door sets.

Some commercial buildings are also going for ironmongery products as they are becoming more aware of its importance in architectural design. But, in some commercial offices, ironmongery products are not preferred. This is because in modern public offices, the presence of large number of people can spoil the designs of the architectural ironmongery.

The delicate iron structures can be spoiled. The ability of ironmongery to improve the architecture of the house or building is still admired. So, it is anticipated that the use of ironmongery will become the central part of home and building decorations in the coming years.

LUCK.

This one word is the most liked word in English for Kumar.

He was a lucky man from birth onwards. His paternal uncle who died on the day he was born, left all his assets to him. Thus, a child born to penniless parents was able to get a sizeable wealth overnight. In education also he always stood first not because of hard work, but because of sheer luck. (The questions would be just from the little portion, he prepared for the examination). He got a good job, that of a manager in a multinational company at the age of twenty in his first interview itself.

No doubt he was a handsome person. Added with his own luck, ladies were just behind him. But he wanted a pristine pure lady and after a long search got married to Lakshmi. He was utterly disappointed that he was not so lucky in that aspect. She was not a modern girl modern, in his opinion. No doubt she was beautiful, but not at all gorgeous he expected from his wife.

Secondly, she was not convent educated. She had studied only up to tenth standard in a local school.

Barring the first week after their marriage, he did not show interest in having sex with her.

Lakshmi did not understand the reason for his attitude towards her. However she reconciled to the situation stating that “even if the husband is a stone he is the boss and grass leaf he is the God” which is the common attitude of domestic ladies of South India.

Kumar was waiting in New Delhi airport for the return flight to Mumbai. Unfortunately. His ticket was not confirmed. He just fired his travel agent who booked a first class air-conditioned train ticket and they rushed to the railway station.

The train was about to start and he just pushed in. He was accosted to his seat by the conductor with all respect.

The train started picking up speed when he removed his coat and had a glance of the cabin.

My God! It seemed that good luck started smiling at him once again.

It was a coupe and the other occupant was a ‘blonde bonanza’. She extended a welcome smile at him and he started flying in air.

“Hello, I am Hema” she extended her hand and in return Kumar introduced himself and caught hold of the hand.

For just fifteen minutes they were chit chatting and Kumar told “Excuse me, madam.” So saying, he opened his briefcase. He picked up first class scotch bottle and two glass cups. He extended one to her and without hesitation she took it.

The drink removed all the hesitation. He hugged her with full force and she never objected to any move he made.

That night he realised the meaning of paradise. He got what all he missed with his wife Lakshmi.

Next day when they parted with each other “Hema, please leave your address to me”

“Sorry Sir, It is one time affair. Let me join my husband”

In Mumbai C.S.T station her husband was waiting to receive her. Kumar was shocked to see him. My God, absolutely no comparison!

He was unable to forget her company even after he reached office.

There was another surprise for him waiting.

His boss Mr Sundar, M.D of the company called him inside. When he entered he was taken by surprise to see a very beautiful dame sitting in front of him.

“Welcome Kumar. Please take your seat.” Then he told, “Meet my daughter Mala. She has just returned from U.S. Shortly she will be taking over this company”. Then, he turned towards his daughter and told. “Mala, Kumar will introduce you to all the nuances of this business. He knows all the ins and outs”

“Whether I show all the ins and outs of business, I will show the ins and outs of human sex” Kumar was planning how to conquer her.

He thought it was not a very difficult thing for him. They found lot of privacy while visiting various places of Mumbai. They drank and danced together. They even had long kisses. But for full sex she did not oblige.

“Mr Kumar. I know that you are already married. Unless you give me the legal status of wife I will not allow to have sex with me”.

Kumar was ready even to murder his wife Lakshmi. But he had to do it in a very sophisticated way that nobody should suspect him. He was waiting for the opportunity.

His luck opened another totally new area of opportunity for him. He was asked to go to New York for two years to work with their promoters. As per their company rules only married people are eligible for such assignments. The company would take care of all their needs. They were instructed to give the medical reports and keep in readiness to start.

Scenes moved fast. Kumar postponed his plans for murdering his wife. Their medical examination was over in a week and he was waiting for the report. Doctor’s P.A informed him that it might take ten minutes and he was asked to wait in the lounge.

The lounge seat was very comfortable and he settled on it. Within minutes, the reports were ready and a junior doctor brought it to him. “I am sorry Mr Kumar, your wife can not accompany you”

Kumar was unable to believe his ears. “What! Am I going alone?” His heart was jumping with joy. But with an artificial concern he asked, “What is the reason Sir?”

“Sorry sir, She is infected with bone tuberculosis, a rare disease. She has to take immediate treatment”

“My God, My luck has started working” he was happy inwardly. His mind started to calculate immediately. “The slow poisoning had its own effect. Let her die here itself. Somehow or other I shall go to States. Once she dies, let me marry Mala without worrying about others”. Virtually he was flying in air.

“Mr Kumar” a nurse shook him to wake up. My God! It was only a dream in his half sleep.

“Mr Kumar, the senior doctor wishes to meet you”.

“Mr Kumar, please take your seat”, the senior offered him a seat and then continued, “Mr Kumar I am very sorry to say this”

Kumar was anticipating what would follow. His luck is patronising him again.

“Kumar, you could not go to U.S. I am very sorry about this. But it is a fact.”

“Why Sir?” Kumar was shocked.

“I am sorry that YOU are infected HIV positive. As per company rules, you can’t continue in their service also because of your HIV infected status”

Kumar was visibly shocked. After a long pause, he asked, “Sir, can’t you avoid reporting this to them and help me in retaining the job?”

“I am sorry Kumar, I am paid heavily by the company for this work, I am their staff and not yours. I have to report my findings. I am sorry, now you can go”

Kumar got up totally dejected. Even at that pitiable stage, the devil in him asked the question, “Sir, my wife?”

“She is perfectly O.K. Though she is your wife, she is not infected with HIV.”

Yes. Kumar did not have sex with her for the last several years. “How did I get it?” Kumar was confused.

Suddenly the flash came. The train lady, with whom he had sex happily in the train. That was the reason for infection.

“Sir, Sorry to disturb you. May I ask a few questions?”

Yes, but be brief”

” Sir I was cheated by a very beautiful girl. Could such a beautiful girl have HIV?”

“Why not? HIV will not have any external symptoms. I can show hundreds of people who are positive but appear very handsome and healthy. I need not search anywhere, You are a handsome man, but now you are HIV affected.”

“Sir”, Kumar was about to cry. “Sir, Have I lost everything?”

“I won’t say you lost every thing. You should take care that no opportunistic infection like T.B reach you. For that you should live in a clean atmosphere, breath fresh air and inhale healthy food. It is better you admit yourself in a good Ashram and start taking treatment in the above fashion. There are several such Ashrams conducted by AIDS specialists”

“Sir, finally only one question. What about sex activities?”

“Definitely, you can have sex either with your wife or others. But one condition, you should never have un-protected sex. You should protect with a quality condom. Don’t have sex with unknown people. They may have HIV infection. Use of condom alone will avoid spread of the virus. Also you should never take to intoxicating drinks, which will induce to sin.”

Kumar came out in a totally upset mood.

LUCK will not favour always. Even a single slip may end in disaster.

Kumar did not want to obey any of the advice given by his physician.

His body was found ashore in marina beach a week later.

The company was gracious enough to give a job to his wife Lakshmi.

After two years she got married to a colleague and within a year, she had a baby boy.

The baby was named KUMAR, in memory of the poor man whose dreams were shattered by sheer bad luck, this time.

In 2007 I read a fascinating book by Nassim Taleb called The Black Swan. Taleb describes a black swan as a highly improbable event that is unpredictable and carries a massive impact. The 1987 stock market crash was a black swan. So was 9/11. And so were the extraordinary financial and economic events of 2008.

So here we are in 2009 having to deal with economic circumstances that most of us would never have predicted a year ago. What can we do to give ourselves an edge in leaner times where several competitors are scrambling for fewer opportunities? In developing proposals, here are four factors to which you might want to pay extra attention.

1. Recognize the client’s issues

More than ever we need to know what challenges the client is facing:

* What is the reality of their present situation?

* What is the state of their specific marketplace?

* What steps are they taking to address issues in their marketplace? And how can we, in making a proposal, assist this client in dealing with these issues?

* What competition do they face?

* What advantages or disadvantages do they have over that competition?

Empathy helps. Your ability to take the time and effort to fully understand the present situation, its challenges and issues, is something that clients appreciate. Clients have no time for uninformed or unrealistic assessments of their situation.

2. Bend over backwards to support the client in achieving their goals

This is all about going that extra step. So many times we say (and I’ve done it) “that’s good enough”. Guess what. In this climate that’s simply not a good enough answer. You have to go an extra step. What is that step? You have to find that out when you interact with the client. Look for it. Is it:

* Something that solves an immediate problem for the client?

* Something that will be important for the client in six months time. i.e. you might do something today that will make a difference to their business next month or next year?

* Something that will be positive for their bottom line, or at least minimize the extent of potential damage? That might come under a heading of what’s the minimum you could possibly do to help get the job done for the client.

3. Be prepared and be patient

This is a tough one for any organization whose business is dependent on winning proposals. Client tendency, and it’s in the news every day, is to put off planned activities and projects to a more favorable time, when cash flow is better, when sales pick up, when it’s summer or whatever.

A client who has had to lay off personnel is not likely to spend funds on a proposal unless they can see a payoff. There are going to be pauses – if and until or whether the client decides to go ahead. What should you do?

If there’s a proposal in the offing, or they’re telling you that yes, we are going to proceed, but later on, what could you do now so your proposal is up and running when the client is ready to go. Or, is there something you could do for the client at minimal or no cost to that client, that would put you in a favorable position when things turn around?

4. Be proactive

I was at a seminar recently where the attitude among participants was this – some people may experience a recession but there’s no reason for me to have one. Optimistic? Sure. Realistic? Maybe. Looking for an opportunity? Essential.

Where are the opportunities in times of a downturn? Where is government likely to invest money? Where are businesses going to invest money? Which businesses have money to invest? For example, energy efficiency for both commercial and residential applications is likely to see increased demand as home owners and businesses look to reduce costs in these areas. We know that infrastructure is going to be a buzz word over the next few years. What opportunities does infrastructure present?

What are the opportunities in any area? This is the time to brainstorm for opportunities. It’s not the time to sit back and wait for things to happen. This is particularly true for those in very small businesses – home-based businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs – who’ve decided to break out on their own, or been let go from salaried jobs and wondered what it would be like to start up their own business.

This is where the ability to write compelling proposals comes in. You have to have an edge. That edge comes from the skills you bring to the marketplace – in proposal language your USP – your unique selling proposition. Very importantly, it also comes from your skill in encouraging the client, through your proposal, to buy your services or your products.

We live in extraordinary, unpredictable times. I suspect that those who succeed, whose proposals will be accepted by clients, will best exhibit the characteristics required by the four factors outlined above.

Milk, butter and cheese represented a significant part of the Anglo Saxon diet. They were also used as payments and dues: making up part of the Feorm handed over to a lord or King. Milk was frequently an ingredient in medicines as the basis for drinks, whilst butter was occasionally used to make oily poultices and cheese consumed to treat asthma.

Cows, Goats and Sheep

In Anglo-Saxon times, milk was frequently used not only from cows, but also sheep and goats. Milk from these animals is mentioned in many sources. One example listed the rights of a cowherd to the milk from a cow for seven days after she had calved; a shepherd to the milk of his herd for a week after the equinox; finally a goatherd could have the milk from his goats for a period after Martinmass and to a share of the whey beforehand

What is clear from this is that not only did milk get used from all these animals, but also just how tightly the Saxon’s lives were regulated by reference to rules laid down by Kings and others, to tradition and to the dates and calendars of the year.

The animals were typically looked after in the fields by men who often milked their beasts.

A sour taste in the mouth

Even in the modern era we struggle to keep milk from going sour, especially in the warm summer months. Over a thousand years ago they had no refrigeration and the problem of sour milk was very pertinent. Indeed, such trouble did it cause, that St Columba once rebuked a follower for not casting out the devil at the bottom of the milking pail!

Various remedies were suggested, including putting bundles of herbs in the pail and hanging the pail up or standing it on a stool for a week. Perhaps the herbs had some antiseptic effect or maybe the pail just dried out

Butter

Making butter and cheese was usually done by the womenfolk. Indeed some charters and codes of law specify the payments these women had to make to sell their products at the markets around Christmas: e.g. a penny. This suggested it was common place for these women to be selling the cheeses at market.

The Saxons did not usually drink cream. Instead this became the basis of butter. The rest of the milk would be separated from the cream and the cream churned to make butter. Butter was usually salted for, as with all dairy products its life was short, so this helped to preserve it. This was accomplished but mixing the salt through the butter then pressing it down between layers of salt in a barrel to keep air away.

Cheese

The Saxons were quite advanced at the production of cheeses.

Walk milk would be curdled to make junket which was then cut up. The lumps of curds would make the cheese. The liquid whey was sometimes used for more butter.

The Saxons relied on different methods to curdle milk. Firstly, as they used wooden utensils which were not sterilised, the build up of bacteria upon them would assist this process. They also had access to a natural curdling agent still used today: rennet. This is produced in the stomachs of mammals e.g. cows. It is also present in certain plants such as thistles and safflower. Vinegar could also be used to help curdle milk.

Fresh cheeses were usually eaten by the poor, whereas mature cheeses, which needed more careful preservation, fetched a higher price making them mostly consumed by the wealthier members of society.

Although blue cheeses are mentioned in French records there is little evidence for them being made in quantity by the Anglo-Saxons.

Further reading

In my articles on Food and Drink I am reliant primarily on the excellent books by Ann Hagen published by Anglo Saxon Books. I mention a number of Anglo-Saxon meals in The Amber Treasure: my novel of Historical Fiction set in Dark Age Northumbria. In my next article I will look at how food was cooked in the Saxon Era. This article is one of a series of articles looking at life in Anglo Saxon times: An Anglo Saxon Survival Guide. This guide was produced In writing The Amber Treasure I have tried to remain faithful to the historical facts.

You want to be able to be the best that your girl has ever had in bed. You want to give her orgasms that are going to absolutely blow her mind but the only problem is, is that you don’t know how to do that. If you are a man who doesn’t know how to make a woman orgasm, then you need some help.

Even though your girl says that she doesn’t need to have an orgasm in order to feel pleasure with you, she is lying. She wants to feel that connection with you and she really, really wants to feel some pleasure. She is tired of feeling disappointed constantly when you cannot make the magic happen. Maybe she thinks she deserves better and that she should find someone else to be with. You don’t want this. It is time that you made your girl orgasm multiple times in one night.

Men need to know a few things before they dive right in and try to make a girl climax. A woman’s body is a lot more complex than that. It requires great attention and fragility. You must be gentle with her body and patient. A great way to ensure that you are gentle enough is to use your tongue on her clitoris and use your fingers to stimulate her g-spot. A lot of women have orgasms through oral sex and oral sex only, so this is a great way to know that you are going to make her orgasm. To make it happen multiple times, right after she climaxes, wait 30 seconds and do the same thing but faster. You can keep doing that all night until she can’t take it anymore.