Ramanisblog

Category: lifestyle

  • RTI can’t be used to question court orders: SC

    When on appeal,many lower courts’ orders have been reversed, many a times on ‘non application of mind on the part of the judges’What does it mean?
    Judges are not Gods.What is wrong in giving out the reasons for arriving at a particular judgment?Either you are misinterpreting law,the law is not clear or both or your reasons for arriving at a conclusion is wrong.
    As a member of the Society, judiciary is also accountable.First reluctance to declare assets,now this!At this rate judges may simply deliver the verdict with out details whatsoever.Shameful.
    The Right to Information Act (RTI) cannot be used for questioning orders passed by courts, the Supreme Court on Monday said and expressed its displeasure that such pleas are made under the transparency law.

    “There is no right to anybody to demand such informations. Such plea are perverse and not maintainable,” a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B S Chauhan said.

    The orders passed by the lower courts cannot be questioned before any other forum and has to be challenged in the higher courts, the bench said noting that instead of choosing to appeal, the petitioners preferred to resort to RTI

    Act.

    “In the RTI application, the petitioner wanted to know why his legal submissions were not considered and what was the basis for the order. The petitioner wanted other sources of information…and also wanted to know so many other extraneous matters which amounts to contempt of court,” the bench said.

    The bench was hearing an appeal of one Khanapuram Gandaiah who was denied such information under the RTI Act.
    http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rti-cant-be-used-to-question-court-orders-sc/108183-3.html

  • Most Expensive 2010 Cars

    Got some extra change in the bank? Blow it on one of these pricey rides.
    Last month, sales of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (MSRP: $90,000 to $202,000) were up almost 12% from November 2008. That’s unusual: Overall, the luxury segment was down 8% year-over-year, and is down 27% for the year to date.

    It turns out that while it’s tough to sell top-end luxury cars in a time of high unemployment and an uncertain economy, there are exceptions to the rule. Buyers will still flock to special cars with a lot of cachet and the price tags to match.
    http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/23/expensive-2010-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-luxury-cars.html?partner=forbeslife_newsletter

  • Most Affordable 2010 Cars

    Pay attention to more than price when looking for a wallet-friendly vehicle.
    In 2010, three tailor-made Bugattis–the Veyron Sang d’Argent, the Grand Sport Soleil de Nuit and the Veyron Nocturne–will hit the road. The supercars, which get to 60 mph in under 2.5 seconds, will be available next spring. Price? More than $2 million apiece.

    For the driver looking for speed at a less-racy price, a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro or Jaguar XF will still roar (the Camaro’s V8 SS gets to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, the Jaguar’s supercharged V8 in 4.7) but won’t break the bank in the process.

    Those performance cars join the Toyota ( TM – news – people )Avalon, Lincoln MKS and Nissan Maxima on our list of the most affordable vehicles in their segment. They may not have the lowest manufacturer suggested retail prices on the lot, but over years of ownership, their value becomes readily apparent.

    Behind the Numbers
    To identify 2010’s most affordable vehicles for their segment, we used Vincentric data to determine the total cost of ownership for a vehicle, including five-year totals for fuel costs, maintenance, repairs, average national insurance rates, depreciation, interest, opportunity costs and taxes. (Vincentric is an auto consulting firm based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)

    The data assumes an annual rate of 15,000 miles driven per vehicle and a price of $2.60 for regular fuel, $2.86 for premium, and $2.75 for diesel. It also applies an inflation rate for fuel prices, since the calculations predict costs over five years. We evaluated affordability based on the percentage of each vehicle’s total five-year costs compared with its total costs, including base price and one-time fees. MSRPs are adjusted for fees and destination charges, in accordance with Vincentric data.

    Toyota and Chevrolet each did well on our list, with entries like the $27,670 Toyota Prius, $27,075 Toyota Tacoma, $65,588 Chevy Silverado, and $68,280 Chevrolet Corvette all leading their segments.

    Sales last month for each of those automakers reflect their appeal: Toyota posted gains of 1% over November 2008; Chevrolet gained 4.8% year-over-year. Overall, the industry broke even in sales year-over-year. Asian brands gained 6.8% total; domestics lost 6.8%.

    From our list of affordable cars, the Prius sold 9,617 units last month, up 11.1% over November 2008. While Prius owners can expect to pay $4,296 on fuel for five years, and $915 on repairs, owners of vehicles in the same segment can pay as much as $12,300 and $1,240, respectively.

    Education Pays
    Experts say cars like the Prius and BMW’s X6 (up a respectable 7.8% last month) appeal to consumers because they offer a whole package of value, not just a cheap sticker price. Prospective buyers are smarter than ever about determining which vehicles are affordable.

    Two things automakers are doing to improve the affordability of their cars–besides lowering the price, of course–are improve reliability and efficiency. (The combustion engine alone could improve its efficiency by as much as 20%, according to engineers at Bentley). Maintenance, repairs and fuel comprise a large chunk of expenses over five-years’ time. The less often a car has to be at the gas station or in the shop, the more money it saves.

    Consumers are catching on. Auto sales are projected to hit 11 million by year end (down from 13.2 million in 2008)–but Internet traffic related to buying is way up, says Chip Perry, CEO of Autotrader.com. The Atlanta-based automotive marketing company lists local dealer inventories, buying and selling tips, comparison tools, reviews and pricing and incentive information for prospective buyers. It has gained a 35% year-over-year increase in on-site traffic for the past 10 years. Perry doesn’t expect it to let up anytime soon.

    “Our average monthly total audience was 15.3 million [unique visitors] through September,” he says. “You would expect that our numbers are going down, but we’re up 8% over 2008. We expect to grow next year.”

    Seventy-five percent of car-buyers shop online, according to AutoTrader data, with the average buyer spending 55 minutes a month researching vehicles on the site. Chevrolet is the No. 1 shopped-for car brand on AutoTrader.com. Toyota is No. 3. (Ford is No. 2).

    David Wurster, who leads product development and industry analysis for Vincentric, says the exponential growth in online research is no surprise. Self-education is the key to finding something affordable.

    “Just intuitively, you know that in a down economy that is what consumers need to be doing,” he says. “This is how you really determine how much it costs to operate the car, as opposed to just the payment.”

    That’s small consolation to would-be Bugatti owners. No amount of research will make those cars affordable.

  • 15 Signs American Society Is Coming Apart at the Seams

    These indicators relate to Economy.
    But the real danger to American Society lies in loss of Family Values,Loss of Faith,too much Materialism,Spending beyond means, break up of Families,Gun culture,Drug addiction,Unwed mothers and living life to the full for the day as if there is no tomorrow.
    If these fundamental misconceptions are corrected, Economy will take of itself.Time to wake up.Don’t go the Roman Way.

    Story:

    The following is an edited excerpt from the Amped Status report, “The Critical Unraveling of U.S. Society.”

    The economic elite have launched an attack on the U.S. public and society is unraveling at an increased rate. You may have missed it in the mainstream news media, but statistical societal indicators are reading red across the board. Let’s look at the top 15 statistics that prove we are under attack.

    1) The inequality of wealth in the United States is soaring to an unprecedented level. The U.S. already had the highest inequality of wealth in the industrialized world prior to the financial crisis. Since the crisis, which has hit the middle class and poor much harder than the top 1 percent, the gap between the top 1 percent and the remaining 99 percent of the U.S. population has grown to a record high.

    2) As the stock market went over the 10,000 mark and just surged to a 13-month high, the three big banks that took taxpayer money and benefited the most from the government bailout have just set a new global economic record by issuing $30 billion in annual bonuses this year, “up 60 percent from last year.” Bloomberg reported: “Goldman Sachs, the most profitable securities firm in Wall Street history, had a record profit in the first nine months of this year and set aside $16.7 billion for compensation expenses.” Goldman Sachs is on pace for the best year in the firm’s history, and it is also benefiting by only paying 1 percent in taxes.

    3) The profits of the economic elite are “now underwritten by taxpayers with $23.7 trillion worth of national wealth.”

    As the looting is occurring at the top, the U.S. middle class is just beginning to collapse.

    4) Workers between the ages of 55 to 60, who have worked for 20 to 29 years, have lost an average of 25 percent off their 401k. During the same time period, the wealth of the 400 richest Americans went up by $30 billion, bringing their total combined wealth to $1.57 trillion.

    5) Home foreclosure filings “hit a record high in the third quarter (of 2009)… They were the worst three months of all time… 937,840 homes received a foreclosure letter” in this three-month period; “3.4 million homes are expected to enter foreclosure by year’s end, with some experts estimating that next year will be even worse.”

    President Obama has enacted a $75 billion taxpayer funded program that has been a spectacular failure in stemming the foreclosure crisis and has proven to be another massive waste of billions of taxpayer dollars.

    6) 25 million people are unemployed or underemployed.

    This means we have 25 million people who urgently need to increase their income, and they’re quickly running out of options. The unemployment rate is expected to rise further and remain high for several years. “The president’s chief economic adviser warned that the nation’s unemployment rate could stay ‘unacceptably high’ for years to come.”
    http://www.alternet.org/story/144109/15_signs_american_society_is_coming_apart_at_the_seams?page=1

  • Enjoy Life.

    1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
    2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
    3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
    4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
    5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
    6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
    7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
    8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
    9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
    10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
    11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
    12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
    13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
    14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
    15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
    16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
    17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
    18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
    19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
    20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
    21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
    Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
    22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
    23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
    24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
    25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
    26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
    27. Always choose life.
    28. Forgive everyone everything.
    29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
    30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
    31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    33. Believe in miracles.
    34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
    35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
    36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
    37. Your children get only one childhood.
    38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
    39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
    40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s,we’d grab ours back.
    41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    42. The best is yet to come.
    43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    44. Yield.
    45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”