Chevrolet selling inferior vehicles in India?

That thick black smoke always catches my attention on the highway. It doesn’t ooze out from any industrial chimney, and not even from any garbage pile on fire. It blows out of a Chevrolet vehicle - the Chevrolet Tavera.

Everyday I commute from Delhi to Gurgaon in Haryana as I am working there in one of the Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) firms in Global Business Park, a built-up commercial area with lot many MNC’s running their offices. The road taken for office is the National Highway-8 (NH-8). My cab picks me from my place in Delhi and just after 15 minutes of commuting, it reaches NH-8. I like the traveling time. Our cab, after crossing the busy Delhi area now speeds on the broad, open six-lane highway. The morning air seems refreshing with mild sunshine.

A few white-colored giants zoom ahead our cab and wake me up from my dreamy world. It is the Chevrolet Tavera that speeds away with a thick black smoke behind, right before my eyes. This vehicle is mostly used as a taxi to fare passengers like me to offices in Gurgaon. I always wonder; how come an American vehicle manufacturer is selling a vehicle so poor in quality that its exhaust pipe always oozes out a heavy black trail with it. It’s not that no other vehicle is used as a taxi. There are many, Maruti Omni (Petrol or CNG), Tata Indica (diesel), Toyota Qualis (diesel) and a few others.

I regularly drive my Maruti Alto, so I am not an amateur. Then I apply my brain….. What can be the reason behind the smoke coming out of Taveras?? Every time the transmission level is changed (gear shifted), a huge ball of black smoke is seen. Why can’t I see the same phenomenon in other vehicles used as taxis? All vehicles are manufactured by reputed car makers, then why only Tavera?

Tavera is manufactured by one of the biggest automobile manufacturers in the world and that’s Chevrolet. I wonder how an American manufacturer can be so poor in technology. I can’t understand all diesel vehicles running on the same quality of diesel don’t emit the same thing. Is the engine faulty? Is the technology substandard? Can any inferior quality vehicle be sold in India that doesn’t even comply with the vehicular emission norms??? And there are thousands of Taveras running daily….

Only the manufacturer knows the truth…I can only come out with guesses and interpretations each day.

Recession: The Winning Companies

We all are aware that the credit crunch and global economic downturn has badly hit the businesses. As a result, we have seen companies closing down plants and reducing their scale of operation and even going bankrupt. We have heard of job cuts in all kinds of companies as theirs sales slump and they report of record breaking losses.

But amidst all this, some smart players have emerged. Some proactive companies have turned the tide in their favor and milked even the most dreadful economic times. They have not merely survived economic slowdowns and recessions, but have made the best of it. Few of the global winners are listed below:

1. McDonald’s – Many expensive restaurants are going out of business. On the contrary, McDonald’s has plans of expansion. It intends to open 240 new branches across Europe and create around 12000 jobs. If you are wondering how, then the secret lies behind the affordable menus and sound management of the firm. The world’s largest chain of fast food restaurants saw its sales rise 8.2% in October compared to last year’s sales figures of the same month.

2. Apple Inc. - Defying the gloomy economic conditions, Apple Inc. recorded its best quarter ever as the company reached the $10 billion mark in a quarter for the first time since the company’s inception. Its quarterly profits were $1.61 billion, up against the previous $1.58 billion. The company also has a more than impressive cash balance making it more resistant to economic doldrums.

3. Amazon.com – On 29th January, 2009, Amazon.com announced that net sales increased 18% to $6.70 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $5.67 billion in fourth quarter of 2007. The online store earlier announced that its 14th holiday season (year 2008 holiday season) was its best ever. For Amazon.com recession is an opportunity of cheaper acquisitions and lesser competition.

We hope to see more companies clearing the dark clouds and emerging as stable, profitable and employment generating companies.

BIONIC EYE: A Ray of Hope for the Blind!

British Doctors have brought a ray of hope for the millions of blind people throughout the world. They have been successful in implanting the artificial “bionic eye” to two people suffering from total blindness. They are now making efforts to make the ‘eye’ capable of sensing the difference between light and darkness.

A Ray of Hope: Doctors from Moorefield’s Eye Hospital carried out the experimental operation in April 2008, in which they successfully fixed Bionic eyes to two blind people. This operation was a part of an international research and development program. Under this, at least 15 people from five countries will be operated upon and fixed with bionic eyes that will lead the path to develop this technology to help fight with blindness. The mission of this program is to make people who suffer from total sightlessness capable of distinguishing between light and darkness. This initial achievement filled the doctors with more enthusiasm that compelled them to say that if this experiment proves to be a success, it will be a great victory against blindness.

That’s how the technology works: The identities of the two people operated in Moorefield’s Eye Hospital have been kept secret. Both have been provided spectacles that are fitted with cameras and transmitters. And through these devices, messages are transmitted to a very thin electronic receiver that is implanted at the rear portion of the eye. This receiver is attached to the retina of the eyes. The images by the camera and the messages picked up by the receiver stimulate healthy tissues of the retina. A final message is sent to the brain via optic nerves. Doctor Lindon Da Cruz, who conducted the operation, told that the operation was successful, but the bionic eye is yet to be tested. He said if the eye works, then it will prove to be a ray of hope for people suffering from blindness due to any reason. This technology, named Argus II, has been developed by experts from the United States. The experts are now focusing to reduce the size of camera to an extent that it fits in the pupil of the eye.

Taj to get a facelift

A type of mudpack known as Multani Mitti will be applied on the Taj Mahal to get rid of the corrosive effects of industrial pollution on the monument.

Multani mitti is an ancient face-pack recipe consisting of soil, cereal, milk and lime. Women in the Indian subcontinent use this mud pack for doing facial. It acts like a cleanser.

Similarly, Multani Mitti is expected to remove the yellow stains on the marble and restore its luster. When applied, the mud extracts pollutants like sulphates and carbonates, leaving the surface pearly white.

This isn’t the first time that archaeologists are relying on mud pack for the beautification of Taj Mahal. It was first experimented in 2002 and the results are encouraging.

The use of mud pack to whiten the "monument of love" seems inspiring. Scientists from Rome and Florence are studying the process so that they can rejuvenate discolored statues of their country.

Tiny camera implanted in mouse’s brain

Japanese researchers have implanted a small camera inside a mouse's brain to monitor brain activities and to know about memory formation, in an experiment. It is hoped that some day it can be applied on humans to treat illnesses such as Parkinson's disease.

The research was conducted at Nara Institute of Science and Technology in western Japan. Professor Jun Ohta, along with researchers at Kinky University, used a camera with dimensions 3mm long, 2.3mm wide and 2.4 mm deep. The camera was put inside the hippocampus of the mouse's brain. It is designed in such a way so that a screen flashes blue light whenever the camera captures memory being recorded by the brain.

A substance was injected into the mouse’s body that lights up whenever there is brain activity. The camera then captures that light and the visuals appear on a screen.

According to Ohta, it would take a very cautious approach and at least 10 more years for such micro cameras to be implanted in human brains.

So watch out! Who knows, if such a camera is put inside your brain, it may tell a lot about you that you wouldn’t reveal otherwise!

Mobile phones disrupt sleep

A research funded by Mobile Manufacturers Forum has challenged the safety of cellular phones. It holds that radiation emitted from mobile phones can cause insomnia, headaches and confusion. It may also lessen the amount of deep sleep; hence one may feel disturbed even after waking up.

The research was jointly done by Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Wayne State University in the US. It examined 35 men and 36 women between ages 18 and 45.

One group was exposed to radiation equivalent to that received when using a mobile phone. The other group was kept in the same conditions, but given only artificial exposure.

Those exposed to radiation took more time to enter the first of the deeper stages of sleep, and spent less time in the most profound one.

The scientists concluded: "The study indicates that during laboratory exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals components of sleep believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear are adversely affected.

Researcher Professor Bengt Arnetz said: "The study strongly suggests that mobile phone use is associated with specific changes in the areas of the brain responsible for activating and coordinating the stress system."

Researchers also advise not to keep mobile phones nearby during sleep. During evening, it is better to use land lines for making phone calls.

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