Total Posts : 412 posts
Kamala Harris is the new pick of Democratic ticket as the VP nominee. She is an interesting woman. Her mother was a Tamilian Hindu from India, while her father was a black Christian from Jamaica. Her father, Donald Harris, did not really raise her. It was her mother who raised
In the Annual predictions for 2018, we had said that by the end of that year, credible voices will start asking if “Democracy is really relevant” anymore. Given the spate of books that have come out recently by mainstream voices, the question that needs to asked is – Is Democracy Dead?
Biden warned that if Russia continued to interfere there would be «a real price to pay» if he wins the November election against Republican President Donald Trump. It is unclear when Biden began receiving the intelligence briefings, which are normal for major-party presidential nominees. Biden said at a June 30
US presidential hopeful Joe Biden has wandered into a swamp where UK’s Labour Party leader and defeated prime ministerial candidate Jeremy Corbyn’s ankles got stuck and he could never recover. The Democrat nominee wants India to «restore the rights of Kashmiris», and is disappointed over the Citizenship Act
As Xi Jinping was getting ready to take over power from Hu Jintao, he was also bringing about another change to the entire geopolitical strategy that China was to follow. The focus on soft power. The 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party devoted a whole plenary session to
America is burning today because one half of America believes they don’t matter. And they are crying as their young men are killed and all they are saying is that they matter – that Black lives matter… too! That is the legitimate part of the situation. But not the whole
The Libya war is raging as we speak. The oil rich country is now in a big mess. And, it is becoming the main war theater in the Middle-East along with Syria. The way the geopolitical chess is being played, this promises to be another Afghanistan. Read Af-Pak historical account.
Joe Biden has a problem at hand. No not his melting brain, which makes him says and forget things that he has to. Check that here. So, no, not his brain meltdown, but that he is being called out for inappropriate actions with women. Several inappropriate touching cases by Joe
Corona Virus has locked down most of the countries in the world. And everybody seems to have his/her own expert opinion – as was the case with Fareed Zakaria this week in GPS. Now, Fed Minneapolis President, Neel Kashkari suggests that in absence of a real vaccine for the problem,
COVID-19 US deaths have reached almost 2000 yesterday. As per our earlier post, this figure will go up to 3000s before it starts going down. The scary part is that even these numbers for the deaths due to Corona may not be correct. In one twitter thread, Mark Levine – Chair
As Corona rages around the world and deaths start mounting, most of the countries are unable to deal with the deaths. Spain, for example, now has drive-through funerals. The blessings to the dead before the burial or cremation are being provided just like people get their Starbucks latte. Spain has
Corona or COVID-19/COVID19 is on a path to devastated the Western world in unprecedented ways. John Burn-Murdoch of Financial Times shared some very insightful charts and inferences from them. Some high-level things: While Italy and Spain have plateaued while France and Germany possibly seem like joining that trajectory as
(Disclaimer – all the characters in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to anyone real is just a coincidence) Tequeela Riyajal rushed into the makeshift office extremely angry. “Hey, what happened Ma’am?” asked the new intern Sue, a bit concerned. “How dare he!!” – she shouted. Sue was perplexed – “Who dared.
The Lautenberg Amendment, was first enacted as law in 1990. It was an attempt to enable resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union using part of the U.S. foreign operations budget. The aim was to save thousands of lives and bring them to the safety of the US.
On Tuesday thousands of Iran-backed militia had stormed into the US embassy in Baghdad and laid siege on the embassy. They were said to be supporters of Kataib Hezbollah militia. The siege ended on Wednesday after the embassy had received extensive damage. The retreat signaled an end to a crisis
A summit was organized in 1996, sponsored by National Association of Evangelicals – which is an umbrella group of 42,000 Evangelical Churches. The gathering was the handiwork of Nina Shea, the director at the right wing Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute. The summit ended with the pledge
The United States House Foreign Affairs Committee held a US Congressional hearing – euphemism for ‘witch hunt’, a Hinduphobic witch hunt to be honest. It was dishonestly termed as a hearing on “Human Rights in South Asia”. In a region, where one country has been the fountainhead of terrorism, genocides, pogroms
The blitzkrieg of media opinion pieces from Pakistan’s narrative in many publications and sites in US for Kashmir has been unprecedented. While there are many who surely have joined hands with Pakistan to help their cause (including some may say, Congress Party), it is very interesting that a lot
“Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures,” is the program being organized by Texas India Forum (TIF), a Houston-based non-profit body, at the NRG Stadium in Houston on September 22, 2019. The event was fully sold out with 50,000 registered attendees, at least a month in advance with thousands in
Last year, the Canada wing of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) was suspended for a year effective Sept. 12 and ordered the Mississauga-based charity to pay a $550,000 penalty by the Canada Revenue Agency for transferring $136,000 to terror organization backed by Pakistan against India, Hizbul
There is no doubt now how Russia targeted the Americans with social media ads during the 2016 elections. And this has come out during the Mueller investigations. Democrats on the House intelligence committee have released more than 3,500 Facebook ads that were created or promoted by a Russian internet
This is as bizarre as it gets. So remember how Donald Trump had declared in a press conference with Pak PM Imran Khan that Indian PM Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in Kashmir? The only time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump recently was
Imran Khan had changed his earlier ambassador to US, Ali Jehangir Siddiqui and brought in Asad Majeed Khan. He later realized that Ali was a good friend of Jared Kushner. And that could be one way to get an invite from the White House. So, he installed Ali back as
Imran Khan is visiting the US. He will be meeting US President Donald Trump on July 22. Interestingly, the visit started off in a rather bizarre way. The Pakistani Prime Minister arrived not in a PIA (Pakistan’s official carrier) flight, but in a Qatar Airways commercial flight. Worse, there
In the largest election ever in the history of mankind, over 600 million people voted. Close to 50% of them for one man. Narendra Modi. Ever since the concept of democracy was conceived by man – a process where people, and not some elite or powerful few, decide who will govern
The Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan suggested in his interactions with Pakistani media recently that an interim government should be installed in Afghanistan to help smooth the talks process. This did not go well with Afghanistan. And their foreign ministry summoned the deputy ambassador of Pakistan to protest over those
The U.S.’s continued insistence on talking directly to the Taliban without the involvement of the Afghan government, has worrying implications for the region and especially India. In conversation with Ashwin Ahmad, SNI Editor Surya Gangadharan and Associate Editor Amitabh Revi say that the suspicious motives of U.S.
We have discussed this practice of shadow-banning by Twitter of not just ONLY Modi followers in India but even tampering with the engagement of Prime Minister Modi’s tweets himself earlier. (Read Twitter Directly Targets India’s PM Modi and his Supporters as Dorsey Attempts a Putin in India and
In a path-breaking action, California’s GOP Rep. Devin Nunes has slapped a lawsuit seeking $250 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages against Twitter. It is because he accuses Twitter of “shadow-banning conservatives” in the run up to the 2018 elections as it was done to
The shooter in New Zealand killed 49 people in two mosques. In a vigil in New York University, when Chelsea Clinton – who is pregnant with her third child – showed up, the students there berated her in that state! The senior Leen Dweik was the one who confronted her. Now Dweik
United States of America is a miracle and a curse when it comes to business, money and wealth. It is the largest economy in the world, which means it uses the most resources in the world as well. Let us get a glimpse at its size. Many in the US
There is a Sunni terror-group in Pakistan called Jaish ul-Adl (translated as Army of Justice). It operates on the Iranian border with Pakistan. It is supported and backed by Pakistan (and also funded by Saudi Arabia) and operates mainly in south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan of Iran and has
In Houston, during a local event at the home of an influential Indian in 2010 I met a young politician from Hawaii named Tulsi Gabbard. Strong, soft spoken, and a person who talked substance, this lady from Hawaii was not quite how I viewed politicians. Tulsi Gabbard for 2020 Presidential
Every year, we make predictions for the next year on Drishtikone. These predictions relate to world at large but specifically to three countries – India, US and Pakistan. The idea is to look at the socio-economic and political trajectory of these societies and see where it will lead them to. Drishtikone's
In the last post we had discussed how Pakistan’s economy is headed for the doom. The reasons are many and the options limited. Here is one video from the Wall Street Journal which explains Pakistan’s dilemma from the perspective of how it is again becoming a proxy for
When Donald Trump leaves office and US sits back and gets a chance to look at itself – most will not recognize what kind of tragedy hit them. Worse, what they allowed to be done to them! Humiliated, scorned, played with, subjugated, forever lying and spinning – the administration officials and the
In an explosive book “Fear: Trump in the White House“, Bob Woodward, the respected journalist, who brought down Richard Nixon’s presidency through his stellar work, has written another book which might end up doing it all over again. @realBobWoodward nails Trump in his explosive new book and may bring
Any society, specifically a democracy, is run by two sets of rules – written laws and unwritten norms. When any ruler or ruling elite starts to play with the unwritten norms, although they do not break the law, they set into motion the downward trajectory of that society. Because what happens
The whole performance of Rahul Gandhi after a disastrous call for the No-Confidence motion – ostensibly done to embarrass the Modi Government – and his lies will go down in the history of Indian governance as legendary. Here is a party which was the only real national party for over 60 years
Evangelicals have decisively bent the American polity towards a regressive path of anti-reason, anti-science, anti-harmony. But they are not satisfied just by their control in the US. Their sights are across the world – to become the new Colonial power in the coming decades and centuries. We will discuss the extent
Annual Predictions are a ritual at Dristikone. We look at what we discussed last year and then look at how the next year will pan out to be given the socio-economic situations, trends and events. We will do so again this year. In last year’s prediction, we had suggested
On Monday, Bill O’Reilly, the Fox Anchor and the person who has done not one but several multi-million dollar sexual harrassment settlements lamented about how “God” is not protecting him enough. “You know, am I mad at God? Yeah, I’m mad at him,” O’Reilly said on the
In Anthony Bourdain’s Lagos related program, there was a discussion with a local TV anchor – someone who also anchors the Presidential debates there. She made a stunning comment that hit me hard. She said – and I am paraphrasing – Blacks in Africa and the African-Americans in the US will never
Drones are being used more and their use will increase in the coming years. The poster-boy for the drone attacks has been Pakistan. US – and even Pakistan – have used it to great effect. Sometimes, there have been great misgivings, and the career-activists have been crying hoarse on the impact of
Idea of Supremacy did not take birth with KKK or Hitler. Nor was it reborn in Charlottesville. It has been as old as the Old Testament. It is ingrained in Quran and the larger Christian scriptures. It wasn’t the “love of God” that took the White man to Africa,
Pakistan is a bankrupt country and even though now it has come to the brink of major economic default, it was always kept afloat and even prosperous at some point through manipulations and foreign help. In so many decades, it neither had any world class educational institutions nor any industry.
59 years ago today, a B-47 bomber took off from the Homestead Air Force Base in Florida with a 7,600-pound (3,400 kg) atomic bomb on board. It was on a simulated combat mission. At 2 AM in the morning, an F-86 fighter plane collided with the B-47 bomber.
There is an unrest brewing in the US. And this unrest is from the high-handedness of Trump and his ways which are already threatening to unravel US and its international relations. Hackers and Rogue Twitter Handles Join Growing Unrest Against #Trump Click To TweetAnd those who express their unrest are
Christian and Islamist supremacist ideologies are two sides of the same coin. One wants us to swear by Jesus and the other by Mohammad and the ways of his Allah. If you spite or reject any, you will officially burn in hell and in reality be fair game for killing.
Ram, considered to be incarnation of the Divine, did everything that you and I do. He ate, he drank, he slept, he walked, he fought and killed, he romanced and loved and even had sex and had kids. He was as human in actions and deeds as any is. That
Donald Trump banned the entry of citizens of 7 countries into the US by signing an executive order. They have been barred from entering the US for at least the next 90 days. The administration officials also said that they are looking to add more countries to the list. The
The current popular American narrative is that the jobs that US has lost have happened due to the various Trade policies, the negative trade deficits with Mexico and Canada (bad impact of NAFTA) and China’s subsidy policy. How American Jobs were Lost and Why they will Never Come Back
If there is anyone who is busy deconstructing his own nation in front of a bewildered world it has to be Donald Trump. This rule has to be the fastest ever to descend a perfectly fine country into complete devastation. Just two events that happened in the last week are
Back on July 16, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr, released a statement where he said: How Martin Luther King Predicted the Dangers of Trump Bigotry in 1964 #Trump #MLKDay Click To Tweet“The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism…On the urgent issue of
There is a 35 page private report sanctioned jointly by Republicans and Democrats on Trump as part of their “Oppositional Research” – which used an MI6 agent with strong connections and sources in Russia. That, had NOTHING to do with the US Intelligence. And then there is a 2 page memo
Republicans opponents initially started off an “oppositonal research” on Donald Trump by hiring an MI6 agent who had been in Russia in the 1990s and had strong connections there even now. After the GOP primaries, the funding of the effort was then taken up by Democrats. What that led to
The power struggles of South Asia will define the future of the terrorism in the world in the next 4-5 years. And the cards are stacked heavily against India at the moment. Despite the best efforts of Doval and Modi to counter Pakistan, the Pakistani establishment has once again aligned
I had a tradition every year where I would make predictions on India, Pakistan and US based on socio-political situations and my understanding of its nuances. I can happily say that a lot of my earlier predictions did turn out to be correct – including the victory of Obama (both times)
In June, when it seemed very difficult that such a result will actually happen, it did. Britain voted – with a 52% vote – to leave the European Union. It was a referendum of the British people to see where they stood on this issue. In the run-up to the Brexit vote,
In the run up to partition of India and Pakistan, Jinnah’s main argument was for “separate electorates”. Muslims and Hindus were separate and per him, they needed to have guaranteed electoral representation. One of his points was “Central Legislature the Muslim representation should not be less than one- third”
Heinz-Christian Strache, is the head of Austria’s anti-immigrant Freedom Party. A party pushing for revival of the Nazi White Supremacist movement in Europe. It was founded by former Nazis after the World War II. On Dec 19, Strache shared something extremely explosive on his Facebook page. That, he had
A non-profit conveniently named Opening Day Foundation registered in Texas with the two Trump sons as the Directors is selling a sort of inauguration package deal for a million dollars. The money they say will go to charities involved in “conservation” but no specifics have yet been shared. This has
One doesn’t know whether Trump is just a dangerous joker who thrives on and lives off of juvenile naivette of some disgruntled idiots or does he have a plan which he is camouflaging with his rather amateurish and stupid behavior. Joker #Trump: How to Screw Up Global Politics With
In an innocuously named – Stability and Democracy for Ukraine Act (or STAND for Ukraine Act) bill – there are provisions that deter Russia from overstepping the line of aggression. It intends to convert into law the Obama measures of sanctions against Russia for capturing Crimea. This would have made it very
While the intelligence community is telling us how Russian government had hacked into the servers of the DNC and even RNC, while they released only those emails that would hurt Hillary, we have some kids writing letters to President-elect Trump. They have advise of their own. Can’t say whether
The election victory of Donald Trump was an unprecedented one in many ways. The type of campaign he ran was just one part of it. Now, despite losing the popular vote by 2.84 million, he has won the math for the electoral college to be the next President-elect. However,
IN this morning’s Fareed Zakaria’s GPS, French Presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron said something simple but very remarkable. In a question about how does France see itself in the world with Trump as the US President, who is critical of NATO and other such coalitions and deals. He said
The Constitutional Convention in 1787 met behind closed doors and no one outside knew what had transpired in there. As Benjamin Franklin left the Independence Hall on the final day of deliberations – Mrs Powel of Philadelphia asked him “Well, Doctor, what have we got – a Republic or a Monarchy?” Is
The 7th Vice President and the 16th Secretary of State of the United States, John C Calhoun was an avowed defender of slavery and owned “dozens of slaves in Fort Hill, South Carolina”! Throughout his life, Calhoun – who is often called a “statesman” in many history books in US – fought
The Guadacanal is an island in Solomon Islands, a small nation. During World War II, a major battle was fought here called the Guadalcanal Campaign, or theBattle of Guadalcanal. It was code-named Operation Watchtower. Solomon Islands is a country over 28,400 square kms with 6 major and 900 smaller
When you are a citizen of a country, you are receiving far more than just a label of citizenship. You are responsible for the integrity and security of the country and society itself. And these aren’t things that some can be allowed to just compromise. At the same time,
When Mayflower came to the American land, they anchored near Cape Cod and after a month they crossed the Massachusetts Bay and settled in a village in Plymouth. They went through the winter here. During Spring in March, they met an Abenaki Indian who talked to them in English. Not
July 15-16 this year saw a coup in Turkey ,where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government was being overthrown. As luck would have it for Erdogan, the coup did not succeed. At that time, one man – President-elect Trump’s National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn had applauded the coup.
The world is seeing a strange situation develop. There is a transfer of power happening in the US. A transfer which has been manipulated and impacted to a large extent by the Russians (the hacking and exposes on Hillary Clinton’s emails by Wikileaks were engineered by Russia!). And, as
There are many reasons that many do not think Trump has been a good choice for President by the Americans. We have a range of articles where we have shared our reasons and we will share our concerns further as well. For now, I wanted to share something that to
When I looked at what Arvind Kejriwal had to offer to Delhi with his so-called “revolutionary” ideas, I knew they didn’t make any sense. If he tried to implement even one of them, it would bankrupt Delhi completely. His perfidious ways were all over his demeanor. He knew he
During the debates and otherwise, Donald Trump has emphasized a few positions on Iraq and Mosul that his supporters find to be “stroke of a genius”. That these positions were downright idiotic was known to any moderately astute person. Isn't Trump the Modern Day Muhammad? #Trump2016 #Hillary2016 Click To TweetFrom
In today’s political climate in the US, where divisions are so wide that one can often get confuse whether the two camps are citizens of the same country or representatives of two enemy countries! USofA has been known as the beacon of hope and opportunity the world over for
As the morning of November 9th 2016 dawns on the US, the election results show that Hillary Clinton has won 375 electoral votes while Donald Trump has won only 125. This is a moment of reckoning – as strange it may seem – for the US. The rout of Trump has been
When you listen to the decidedly racist rants of Donald Trump – and in the recent past of many Republicans – one wonders where America has come to? Past has a trick called nostalgia by which it can make the worst of crimes seem like “Good ole days”! America’s past is
To understand the utter imbecile utterances on “bringing jobs back to America from China” by Trump, all you need to do is drive down to your nearest Walmart to see where almost 90-98% of the products are manufactured. Of course, if you stop at any other store on the way
In the recent US Presidential town-hall debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the former very clearly and openly threatened his opponent with a special inquiry and prosecution to jail her. If some non-American would have gotten confused whether s/he was watching a tinpot despot from a Banana Republic
Let me just say this like it is – a women’s “pussy” is now a mainstream “banter”. Offended? Who cares?!! And if you have a daughter or a mother listening to prime-time news, please help explaining it to them, because collectively, Americans – millions of them – have chosen a bigot and
Since 2004 when the drone strikes were started by US in Pakistan, an estimated 158 to 965 civilians have been killed, which includes 172 to 207 children. Military documents have claimed that only 13% of deaths being the intended targets in Pakistan! Amnesty International, a US based Human Rights organization
In the recent fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, a young man was killed within a few seconds, because (1) police thought he had a gun, and (2) he didn’t seem to be complying with the police. The story seems eerily similar in most
Trump is unraveling and the meltdown has begun to accelerate. Time magazine has covered this as the main story now. 5 Reasons Why Trump Is a Danger to US and the World #TrumpTrain #HillaryClinton Click To TweetFor anyone who was observing, which apparently is a very rare thing these days,
Don Lemon’s Town Hall on CNN titled “Black, White and Blue: America 2016” on July 13, 2016 was indeed path breaking in many ways. I moved to the US in 1997 and since then, I have seen issues regarding politics, religion and race being pushed under the carpet and
LGBT Muslim Girl @YxxngHippieA young Muslim girl – who is a Lesbian as well – shared some tweets which have become viral. She introduces herself as “Muslim, Feminist, Desi, Bi+, Disabled, Trans* (they/them), Writer, Speaker, @NUS_LGBT+ officer-elect, Mum to Kitty“. Her tweets below show her confused state of mind and
There was once a man who called himself – Guillermo Eliseo. A Mexican he said he was. And a very wealthy and rich one at that. He came over to US and bought a luxury apartment looking over the Central and had a successful Wall Street Office. In Mexico, he had
London has a Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan. And, the Republican Party’s preumptive nominee Donald Trump in the US has called for a ban on all Muslims from coming to the US. So someone asked Trump as to what will happen if Khan comes calling to the US? An exception
Henry VIII’s love for Catholicism during his early years was undeniable but when in May of 1533, his love life collided with the religious dictum of his time that flowed from the Church in Rome, his opposition to the Pope and the Roman Church was fierce. For a simple
Most of the World’s leaders have some extremely complex issues to tackle with. How to fight poverty, get the economy on track, hackers starting a national security crisis. But there is one Presidential hopeful in the US – and if he can do what he has done, may be the
If belief in one and only ideal and ideology is the sine qua non of one’s identity, then how does one evaluate one’s progress or worth versus others? If you have heard or read anything, you will understand that whatever you “gather” of what you have heard or
Everyone has got India’s Caste System completely wrong. Castes – the four: Brahman (teacher/intellectual), Kshatriya (fighter/Law Enforcement), Vaishya (Businessman/Trader) and Shudra (Blue-collar worker) – have been prevalent in every society in all times. Never has a society existed without these four predominant roles and people who fall in
In mid-1980s, Abdul Qadeer (AQ) Khan – Pakistan’s infamous Nuclear scientist – provided the design for the P-1 (P stands for Pak) nuclear plant to Iran. A plant that contained 5,832 P1 centrifuges in 38 individual cascades, four sets of cascades would be producing enriched uranium in stages up to
Every year, at Drishtikone, we analyze the coming year for three nations – Indian, US, and Pakistan. In my view, for our purposes, these three nations are very important. One, because it is the Indian perspective that this blog shows while discussing and talking of Hinduism. US, because it is the
Flexible and just systems and societies always have two types of social contract – Laws (that you have to abide by as per the letter) and Traditional Guidelines (that aren’t set in letter but abided by in spirit). Democracy is a system that needs both. But more than the rigid
Joe Kernen mimicking the Indian AccentRecently – on Sept 20th – Reserve Bank of India (India’s Central Bank) raised the interest rates to combat rampant inflation in India. That came up during the discussion on Currencies on CNBC’s Squawk Box. Co-hosts Joe Kernen, Becky Quick, and Andrew Ross Sorkin started
12 years from now on the early morning of morning of September 11, 2001, 19 Islamic hijackers took control of four commercial airliners (two Boeing 757 and two Boeing 767) en route to California (three headed to LAX in Los Angeles, and one to San Francisco) after takeoffs fromBoston, Massachusetts;
We have been off air on Drishtikone for the new transition to complete. In this time, a lot has happened – in India and the world. India: IPL Betting controversy:Led by the Indian Pacer Sreesanth, players and bookies have been caught cheating on teams and throwing matches to get pay
Two interesting pieces of information on the Boston Bombers have emerged. First is that none of the Bombers (younger was less than 21 years old anyway) had licenses to buy firearms. Yet they had a large cache of arms to carry out many attacks! And this comes right after the
To place a lot of importance to the debt that the US has accumulated is to ignore the other strengths from which the US comes to table with. The impact of debt in case of US specifically is the sum total of its economic, military and political clout. Fortunately for
Using the footage from Lords & Taylors’ surveillance camera, FBI has arrested a “brown-skinned” man for the Boston Bombings. The evidence that was available from the scene is very intriguing. Here are some pictures from the crime scene which tell a story of their own. Second Bomb: Photos sent to
Yesterday I was watching this program on Canada’s Rawal TV from Toronto, where the gentleman Munir Sami, who is the guest on the program explains the depth, the breadth and the viciousness of the deep rooted ideology of violence and Jehad embedded in the Muslim community of Canada, specifically
Is the American economy doomed? An ex-White House Budget Director, David Stockman, thinks so. He thinks US is compromised economically, morally, and intellectually. 1980s White House budget director David Stockman was a right-hand man to his boss Ronald Reagan. Deep in the heart of the Reagan revolution. In 1985, Stockman
Kal Penn is an actor of Indian descent. Here is the story of how he changed his name and what it did for him in Hollywood, which is said to be full of liberals and multi-ethnic people. Yeah right! Read Quote of Ben Parr’s answer to Personal Branding: What
It has now been 50 years since it closed. Alcatraz, the legendary prison in California, remains etched in every person’s mind who has seen it once. Only 3 people ever escaped that place. No one knows if they ever made it to the other side of the bay.. on
In a time when broad spending cuts are jeopardizing schools and airports in the US, one finds a rather interesting and creative or bizarre scenario. A US Government program is financing a “Reality Show” in India! In India, one of the most-talked-about television programs is the reality show “Let’s
There are two holidays in the US, which are based on myths and genocidal suffering of a very large population of humanity: Thanksgiving and Columbus Day. Columbus was anything but a normal human. If you look at what he did to the unsuspecting people he encountered on the land here,
Very interesting statement and here is the justification for it: The U.S. started with no stars. In fact, it started with a completely different flag. The last two were added in 1959, Hawaii and Alaska. Until there’s a President born after ’59, that dies with no change in
Hillary CLinton was earning $186,000 a year as Secretary of State. Now that she is no longer the Secretary of State, she will be giving speeches on the International circuit. But to have the pleasure of listening to her is going to be expensive! How much? She has put
Interesting. Didn’t know that an apex news organization would have a deliberate slant on a controversial issue. AP wants to play the role of an activist in this whole drama that has gripped only US really. I don’t know of any other country, where this issue gives a
On Point Radio’s Tom Ashbrook looks into the Global profile of American adoption of kids. Russia, Guatemala, and more are slamming the door on American adoptions. Is the great age of international adoption behind us?Americans know international adoption well. Look around. There are families all over with adopted
An interesting and one-of-a-kind study done on the involvement of the Asian-Americans in the elections throws up some interesting insights. The study was done by Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF). It did a nonpartisan multilingual exit poll of 9,096 Asian American voters in the November 2012
Washington Post is lamenting that US can’t seem to act in a crisis fast enough. At least not as fast as India can. Although the Sandy Hook shooting happened 2 days before the Delhi Gangrape, a law is already there to take care of the issue. Yes, it is
Robert Ingersoll, was an agnostic of the 1800s. He was probably the greatest American Orator of that time. Does his message resonate today? An interesting discussion on On Point Radio with two guests: Susan Jacoby, author, “The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought.” Dale McGowan, writes the secular parenting
There are many benefits to outsourcing work to out of US, but this is by far the most brilliant of them all. A person living in the US, hired a Chinese firm to do his day job while he would be on Reddit and eBay. He would pay the Chinese
A very interesting talk with PhD candidate in statistics Panos Toulis about his work with the Obama campaign and the increasingly quantitative nature of elections in America. The podcast also discusses an effort to eliminate gender at a Swedish preschool where there are no boys or girls, only “friends.” Very
A very interesting infographic showing a comparison between the Indian Weddings and the market vs the Weddings in US. The figures show the market/trends and social direction. Very interesting! Source
A world where every country is for itself and no relevance of the “blocks”. As the world becomes more dynamic and growth diversifies, the nations are for themselves. The GZero – G0 – world
Anonymous is a Hackers Group. It has mostly been controversial earlier. But one case – a Rape case in the US – brought out its vigilante and “Good Samaritan” character. In that rape case, the football team boys raped a drunk and semi-drugged girl who was dragged from one place to another
She is 32. A woman. A Hindu by choice. A War Veteran already. And yesterday, she became the first Hindu American Congressional Leader to be sworn in. On her own copy of the Bhagwad Gita. Tulsi Gabbard. That is whom I am talking about. A month and a half back,
US is an immigrant nation. Although lately there has been xenophobia towards Hispanics specifically from the religious and political right. Here is an interesting conversation which takes a peek into the lives of immigrants and see what can be learnt from these cultures. Journalist Claudia Kolker has written a book
Vikas Khanna is an Indian chef, restaurateur, food writer, filmmaker, humanitarian and the host of the TV Show MasterChef India. He has been in the People’s list of “Sexiest Man Alive” as well as been called the Hottest Chef in the world! In a dinner ceremony last year, he
One piece of information in an article on the coming trends intrigued and concerned me. As per a study, the Americans will be left with very less money at the end of their retirement. This is pretty serious. Without a big enough retirement fund, someone may not be able to
An Indian man, a Hindu, was pushed onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train – which crushed him on the spot – at Queens subway station in New York by a lady because she hates Hindus and Muslims after 2001 (9/11)! In a statement released by the district attorney’
An new study – “2010 U.S. Religious Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study (RCMS)” by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) – looks at the congregations and the religious adherents across the US. The statistics for Hindus are very interesting. (link) Approximately 641,200 Hindu adherents and 1,
Swami Vivekananda was a remarkably adept and intelligent being. He was not just well versed with the spiritual intricacies but also with Shastras and the worldly reality. He found himself in a world that was ruled by powers whose entire wealth and prosperity were predicated on the loot of others’
“For three decades, consecutive US administrations, Republicans and Democrat, as well as the governments in Britain and other European countries, had allowed Pakistan to acquire highly restricted nuclear technology. In a disastrous epoch, ket state assets were then misdirected and countermanded in order to disguide how Pakistan had sold it
Fred Rogers whose show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ran from 1968 to 2001, was a legend in kids’ programming. A truly amazing person. His photograph with a kid and message on how to handle kids has become viral. This is an interesting discussion around that. Related articles from External SourcesMr. Rogers
Paramahansa Yogananda once said: “Anger gives birth to jealousy, hatred, spite, revengefulness, destructive instinct, wild ideas, brain paralysis, and temporary insanity – any of which may lead to terrible crimes.” Ironically, Adam Lanza, the infamous shooter of the kids at Sandy Hook Elementary School, lived at 36, Yogananda Street. I am
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life released a new report, “The Global Religious Landscape,” which provides a comprehensive look at religious affiliation by country and worldwide. (Link to the report) Some of its highlights are given below. (Link) Men are significantly more likely than women
This is a very sensitive and a very brave account written by a mother with a 13 year old son (I am Adam Lanza’s mother), who is displaying behavioral patterns where he threatens to kill and harm her and himself. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, he is brilliant and a
Daily Beast has an interactive map of all the shootings they could lay their hands on from the news reports. This is what the website says: Through media reports, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit lobbying group, has compiled a list of 431 shootings with more than
Lindsey Lohan hasn’t really handled herself well through her life. So, it was nice to see her go to India and do something useful. Here is a tweet by Lindsey Lohan’s mom and the video on her work against Child Trafficking in India So proud of my daughter.
America is changing. And it was obvious in this year’s election as the African American and Hispanic vote beat the majority of White vote (70% of it) to elect Barack Obama as the President. By 2024, it is projected to become a country of minorities, when the Whites will
Interestingly, Hillary Clinton has recently hinted that it may be happening. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States was trying to prevent Russia and its allies from turning into something resembling the Soviet Union under the guise of economic integration.“There is a move to re-Sovietise the region,
Have you heard about “Honey Laundering”? Well, its a complete operation and art that the Chinese have now perfected. And countries like India are sitting ducks! So China is exporting honey to US with label “Made in India” to escape anti-dumping duty! A torrent of illegal Chinese honey labeled in
Guglielmo Marconi – the father of long distance radio transmission, developer of radio telegraph system and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 1909 was offered a free passage on Titanic which floated off on Wednesday 10 April 1912. But he had something to finish and needed to have a stenographer
Paris Hilton seems to be having fun in India – dancing around and doing some spiritual stuff for herself. American Socialite Paris Hilton grooved to Kareena Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan’s song Chammak Challo at an orphanage in Mumbai on Monday. And soon after, deglammed and covered up quickly for
I came across this very interesting hijacking incident, where the hijacker not only hijacked the plane, but also got his ransom and then, of all surprises, jumped from the plane using a parachute and has never been heard of ever again! Not just that, even the money wasn’t recovered
While indicting their suspect for a terror plot, where four men – Sohiel Omar Kabir, Ralph Deleon, Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales and Arifeen David Gojali – were on their way to train in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers; FBI has used a interesting evidence. Facebook likes and shares. They actually counted the
For the last few years, US consulates across India have excessively scrutinized visa applicants in the H-1B and L categories. These refer to highly skilled professional workers and inter-company transfers, respectively, who can work on temporary visas subject to renewal for a maximum of five to seven years. But last
This video is very instructive in where the health care is headed, if US hospitals and health care system doesn’t get its act together. Just like the IT programming, the Health Care will be outsourced to India and the docs, Insurance companies may end up in a soup. If
Hawala is a transaction where a person gives the operator money in Indian Rupees and his agent collects money in another currency at a special conversion rate. Remember Indian laws do not permit depositing more than Rs 50,000 a day in an account. So, HSBC was upto a lot
Richard Salva talks in his book “Soul Journey: From Lincoln to Lindbergh” about an interesting statement by Paramahansa Yogananda where he discussed Abraham Lincoln and his past birth, as well as subsequent birth: Abraham Lincoln had been a yogi in the Himalayas who died with a desire to help bring
Today Thanksgiving is being celebrated throughout the US. Here is an interesting infographic on Thanksgiving and its history.
What an interesting set of images chronicling the changed skyline of New York City. Courtesy: Lee @ tier1dc.blogspot.com
It appears very likely that when all the votes are counted, Mitt Romney’s final take will be 47 percent to President Obama’s 51 percent. Post Opinion writer Greg Sargent calls it poetic justice: Romney will have won the 47 percent — just not the 47 percent of Americans whose
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has again fired up in Middle East and the violence is ever the more terrible. The “intellectual liberals” around the world are projecting the strikes by Israel as “terrorism” and parading the casualties in Palestine of the men, women and babies as cruelty. Of course, these sections
Over 100,000 Americans from 20 states are petitioning to SECEDE from the United States of America. Must have been sponsored by China? Or Al Qaeda? Right?!! Naaaaah! Because they VOTED for Mitt Romney, and their little pup lost the race. Fairly and Squarely, one might add. When I was
Mitt RomneyIn a very interesting and informative essay in The New Yorker, there are two paragraphs which sum up the entire change that is coming in the American politics and the complete disbelief or lack of understanding by the Republicans, as well as their memories of the “glorious past”, which
While Cold War with USSR has long been over thanks to Gorbachev; but is it intelligent to wish all that will never come back? Or is Russia, in a nostalgic flashback trying to get its colonies back? Russia agreed to provide military and technical support to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in
Obama embraces Michelle after his VictoryBarack Obama’s election victory for the 2nd term is historic, at least that is obvious. But there are many insights that one can get if one was to look at the election, the issues being fought for and the implications of the results. Making
President Barack Obama has won the US Presidency for the second time. While some would argue about the campaigns and the “Ground games” and the ads brought out etc, my focus is on how the basic constituencies have changed for the country. This election was won by Obama because of
In the final analysis, Obama may consider the coming of Superstorm Sandy as the greatest boon for his second term of Presidency. These past few days, Obama has impressed a lot of people through his leadership. But most importantly, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may have substantially turned the tide
The devastation by the Super storm Sandy has been mindboggling. A recap: 90 people are dead (link). Worst hit was Staten Island amongst all the boroughs. 36 in New York City, and 14 from Staten Island.(link)At one time 8.5 million homes and businesses didn’t have power.
Obama and Michelle dance with School kids in India during the President’s India visit in November 2010The last Presidential Debate in the US on Monday (10/22) was on Foreign Policy. One wanted to know what the candidates thought of their countries ties and relationships with the main countries
In today’s program by Fareed Zakaria, I saw something very interesting – discussion on corruption in China. China has been hit by corruption scandal involving a high ranking official Bo Xilai. Fareed’s guest Evan Osnos – reporter for New Yorker based in Beijing. Evan Osnos: Last year, there was a
Yesterday, Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney sparred in the 2nd Debate, which was in Townhall format. Candy Crowley of CNN anchored the debate and her one Fact Check of Mitt Romney’s rather offensive remarks on Obama’s assertion about what he said in the Rose Garden, the day after,
Open Republican RacismIt is no secret that Republicans have a huge number of supporters who are racist to a point of being mean and even violent. While I have seen some effects of racism in Texas (with some neighbor’s kids scribbling racist stuff on my drive-way; but parents reprimanding
In a very influential online magazine, there is an interesting article on the Operation Neptune Spear – where the US Navy Seals killed Osama Bin Laden. This is what the article says: The fourteenth page of images in No Easy Day contains a map showing the routes taken by the two
Neil Armstrong, First man to set foot on MoonAt 20:17:39 UTC on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, stepped on the Moon. With his feet on the moon surface, he said – “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” First human feet had touched the surface of moon. Last
US has already stationed three large aircraft carriers – USS Enterprise, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Abraham Lincoln – in the Persian Gulf. It is sending another one – USS John C Stennis – to join this fleet in August. Not just that, US is also sending a new kind of
One is trying to understand Infosys and where it is going. Honestly, I cannot make out the logic behind some of what is happening in there. Read the following and contemplate: Lost a major transmission client in Europe (portfolio worth $15 mn)Pricing and Currency Fluctuations: Lost $13 mn on
36 yr old Rajiv Shah who serves as the Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics (REE) and Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Obama’s Administration.Indian Americans have a rather strong family orientation. From strong family ties to education to marriage, the Indians score
One of my bosses once said, “you should give people a long enough rope, so they can go and hang themselves”. When the rope is being given, it seems like a cruel joke on ones ownself. But then the guy who is predisposed to stupidity eventually succeeds for you. Pakistan
University of South California is doing a first. USC School of Religion is establishing the first chair of Hindu studies in the United States. The Chair has been established thanks to Dharma Civilization Foundation, which has given a grant of $3.24 million to the school. The USC Dornsife College
Obama’s biggest national security concern is Pakistan. This was revealed by a book “Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret War and Surprising Use of American Power” written by David E. Sanger, chief Washington correspondent of The New York Times His biggest worry is that its Nukes may be taken
Where is Pakistan going? Towards assured ruin I would suggest. Consider the events: A major terrorist attack happens on Indian soil – Mumbai in November 2008, perpetrated and organized by some senior Intelligence and Army officials – both retired and serving. The world watches in horror. Pakistan denies any link.David Headley
The American President race is heating up and so is the fund raising as well as focus on every line that the two candidates – President Obama and Mitt Romney – utter in public. Well, Obama this week said something that seemed off color and double entendre, which some people – specially women
Yousuf Raza Gilani during CNN InterviewRecently, there was an interview by CNN with Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani. Two particular portions of that interview have become extremely insulting for the Pakistanis. 1. “Look me in the eye”: In one part, the anchor asks the Pakistani PM “The states seem to
It is a tradition in White House that a departing staff members get to have photographs taken of their family with the President. So, Carlton Philadelphia, a Marine and member of the National Security Council, brought his family to get photographed with President Obama. Carlton, Roseane, and sons, Jacob and
Pakistan seems to be digging a greater hole for itself. It has played its hand way over its “pay grade” by going after US and snubbing them openly. First it was a snub to Obama – where the US President had given an invite to Pakistan’s Zardari at the last
America’s capital – Washington DC – will be the first place to allow turbaned Sikhs to join the police department. Washington DC’s police chief on Wednesday gave the green light for turbaned Sikhs to serve as officers, making the capital the first major US city to accommodate the religion’s
Most people are not satisfied with where they are. They would like to move out of their present countries to “greener pastures”. It seems of all the destinations in the world, US of A is the most desired. 150 million of the world’s adults would like to move to
Sometimes you find that news these days tests one’s sanity. Here are two pieces of news that made me wonder a bit: Lady Gaga gets an Osho tattoo: The pop diva Lady Gaga is now playing around with things profound. So as an extension of that, she thinks Osho
Neena Malhotra, the Abusive Consulate EmployeeLet me share a realization that most have in the US. No one treats Indians as bad as the Indians themselves. Through our actions, we literally shout to others – “Indians are 3rd rate group of people, please do not waste your time trying to treat
The Anonymous HacktivistsUnbeknownst to many, there is a virtual war going on. Hackers vs the US Government. Recently, computer hacking group LulzSec has been brought down by the FBI, when they arrested some of the top guys in that group. They did so by introducing a mole named Hector Xavier
Steve JobsVery few people in the history of technology have impacted the world as profoundly as Steve Jobs had done. Until his death recently, he had reinvented the world of computing many times. From Apple to NeXT to iPod and iPAD and iPhone. It is always interesting to listen to
Osama Bin LadenThe latest Wikileaks expose of emails by Stratfor’s VP for Intelligence Fred Burton shed interesting light on Osama Bin Laden and also Pakistan’s role in it. For one, it seems that Osama’s body was never consigned to the sea, but brought all the way back
Was talking to a colleague who just joined the company and had just left Greece. He was telling us about how the Greeks are lining up at the banks to withdraw their money and the cashier ladies were sitting with loads of cash giving out. As he put it “Greek
Admiral Robert WillardThe US Pacific Commander Admiral Robert Willard spoke in a Congressional hearing on March 1, that India and US teams were working together to get a handle on the Lashkar-e-Taiba for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Along with that, he also said that US teams were stationed in India
Interesting finding from a survey conducted by IPSOS and Google about the smartphone usage by customers in US and India. It seems that when it comes to using the Smartphones to access the internet, more in India are using it and more frequently, than those in the US. 94% Indian
Close on the heels of Dr. Singh’s statement about the US NGOs behind the protests against the Nuke plants, comes this revelation from the Wikileaks. Indian activists fighting for the victims of the Bhopal gas leak disaster are being monitored by an American strategic affairs company contracted to Dow
Impact of a bad economy and job market is seen everywhere. Americans are keeping their vehicles longer and postponing their buying. Which means that new car sales will be impacted in the coming months. Americans are holding onto their new vehicles for about six years — 27 percent longer than before
The future of US is being dented like never before. It is becoming harder and harder for lower income kids to get better educated than that more affluent. This is the beginning of a caste system of its own kind, where the kid of a highly educated / well to do
If you are an Indian or Chinese student, the chances are you are discriminated when it comes to College Admissions in the US. This is being proved by repeated studies and also from the complaints against some premier colleges like Harvard and Princeton. The explanations offered try their best to
Cindy Tien-Cin WuThe American Classical music scene is a strange and interesting game of musical chairs when it comes to the audiences. The White American audience, which predominated the classical music halls is dispropotionately older (45-54 yrs). And as this older generation moves out due to death, disease to non-attendance
The Dead in a pot – Cremated.Unbeknownst to many who don’t live in the US, Death is a very lucrative industry. And if the Indians think that the Haridwar-based Sati-Ghat side Panda (pandit) is asking for too much when he demands Rs 2000 (~$40), then one has to look
2012This year, 2012, is a significant year in many ways. There are enough doomsday-sayers, who believe that 2012 will be the end of the world. World, as per the great mystic and yogi Sadhguru is poised to see a surge in ability of people to touch their inner self. World
As the Americans take off for the Thanksgiving, I just got an email from Congressman Pete Olson (Pete Olson’s website), who represents the Sugarland district in Texas (Houston area). He has been becoming part of the Indian community occassions and celebrations more and more. I last saw him at
George Bush was in Mumbai to meet the business tycoons. And he had some interesting information to share. Three interesting observations were: China’s #1 target is US. #2 is India.If the US had not befriended Pak, Pak would have become more dangerous. But now US patience is wearing
It is a common whine by many so-called “Political and Defense analysts” of Pakistan that US is after their Nukes. And, for that – actually in order to facilitate such an eventuality, US has been trying to suggest that Pakistan’s Nukes are vulnerable and will be using that as a
I was a new immigrant to America, just barely two years old, trying to assimilate into the culture, still trying to comprehend the significance of my skin color and my place in society, but still fully conscious that I was indeed a ‘resident alien’ – that this was not just my
People from Jharkhand are on rampage to downgrade everything they represent. While MS Dhoni’s – the guy from Jharkhand – not so stellar captaincy has led to big losses in the current series in England, another man from Jharkhand is behind the very controversial and stunning downgrade of US Credit Rating
The unthinkable has happened! US Credit Rating has been downgraded from AAA status by S&P. Even the Debt Ceiling deal last week wasn’t enough to help in this case. Why? Because, Standards & Poors says that the US not only had to raise the debt ceiling but
An interesting news broke out yesterday. Two ethnic Pakistanis have been indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on charges that they failed to register with the Justice Department as agents of Pakistan, as required by law. There is strong evidence and records of calls between these two gentlemen
When a person eats food, one doesn’t really care about what is in the food that one eats. Specifically, in the western countries. But should one? Is our food good? Or is the food the very source of disease that is affecting the health of people in the developed
In the past one week or so – after the operation to eliminate Osama Bin Laden – a strange response, belligerant and one removed from reality has come forth from Pakistani analysts and the estbalishment. DItto from most common people as well. The response is a combination of denial of Osama’s
CNN confirmed that Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmed, the Head of Pakistan’s Intelligence agency (ISI) in 2001 (at the time of 9/11), had used Omar Sayed, the slayer of Daniel Pearl, to wire $100,000 to Mohammad Atta – the leader of the 9/11 hijackers. And, at the fag
When I look at the operation that killed Osama, this is the main question I have right off the bat: First of all, one needs to find who owned, constructed, financed, allotted the place where he lived. It was a “custom-built, over a million-dollar home in a rich neighborhood of
China’s Defense Minister said recently that his country is preparing for conflict “in every direction”. As per him, “our military will push forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction.” Why because: “We may be living in peaceful times, but we can never forget war, never send the
Recently hackers went into NASDAQ’s system and put in some suspicious files which were later found by a team of forensic experts including FBI team members. The markets in North America, Europe and in many countries of Asia – including India – are electronic. If hackers could get in to probably
Lure of life in US has been very strong in some particular communities in India. One of those are the Punjabees. Some how the Punjabees make it to US from their small town and villages – many times illegally – and work hard to make it big. Some do but many don’
The situation of Tri-Valley University admissions, specifically with regards to admissions of Indian students, has snow balled into a large issue. In fact, it has become a diplomatic issue between India and the US because of the tagging done on the students and the remarks of the US consulate members.
This letter was written as a school assignment. It involved writing a letter from the battlefield by an American Mother who is fighting, to her daughter. Dear Bravest Daughter, I hope everything is fine at home. I am on a short break for the moment. The disguise we made is
As has been a tradition on Drishtikone, we review the past year and make predictions for the coming year – not astrologically, but logically – based on how the world is and what it can be given the alignments. We did it last year as well. India From India’s front, if
Man is a wretched animal. It can mess nature up for his own benefit. Nature is still bountiful. It just gives. Recently, in probably the worst Oil disaster in history, millions of gallons of oil spilled all over the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil leak. With such a
This at present is a million dollar question. And the beauty is that everyone seems to have an answer, yet nobody knows what’s happening, including the ‘gurus’ – the economists and the Feds. Sample this – an extract from the statement (paraphrased) from the latest meeting (on August 10) of the
Democrat Senator Charles E. Schumer says Indian companies like Infosys are like “Chop Shops”, who send their employees to US, have them learn the work that Americans do and then take them back to India. Something like taking cars and dismantling to make their own cars. It is a gross
Very interesting… the judge who struck down the Obama administration ban reportedly has extensive investments in the Oil and Gas companies. Does that count for conflict of interest?? The Louisiana judge who struck down the Obama administration’s six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has
A lot has been said about the Obama administrations ban on Deepwater drilling in Gulf of Mexico and the overturning of the ban. Both sides have emotional, socially relevant and interesting arguments. I am not a technical Oil and Gas guy, so I have no idea about which side is
I saw this quote on the facebook wall of my friend. Worth quoting here: “If (BP CEO) Hayward gets kicked out, he’ll walk away with a generous pension entitlement of nearly $900,000 a year.To jaded American eyes, these figures may not seem that large. But that’s
This is why I like democracies! Its allows the three branches – Executive, Judiciary and Legislature to keep checks and balances on each other. After the BP oil spill, Obama administration had made the very unpopular decision to ban any more offshore drilling. There was a large hue and cry on
Close on the heels of the Iranian Nuke coup with Turkey and Brazil, comes the news of the Chinese and Turkish coup in Iraq’s Oil fields…. both right under the very noses of the US and West. Interestingly, an article in a Beijing site says that China and Turkey
Something has gone horribly wrong with the Nuke World. While all the way from 1970s to 90s, US literally handheld and shielded Pakistan so they got their Nuke technology and later weaponize it with support from China and Missiles from North Korea (also of Chinese vintage); the Governments have turned
In the recent case of NY failed bomb attack, a Pakistani Muslim – Shahzad Faizal – was caught. He was trying to leave the country on Monday night from JFK airport when the Customs and Border Protection agents arrested him. As per the reports, he was flying to Dubai. He had recently
So, according to Hillary Clinton, if any attack – specially with a WMD originated in a country.. then “All bets are off”. Hmmm.. according to me and to many Terrorism experts, the 9/11 actually originated from Pakistan really. It is a fact that ISI Chief instructed Omar Sayed, the killer
Charles Munger is the Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the legendary company led by the "Oracle of Omaha", Warren Buffett. Both Munger and Buffett are perhaps two of the greatest investors that the world has known and are renowned for their discipline. They are also fiercely patriotic Americans. I have read
You can fault these guys for anything, but for having nerves and being blatant. These guys are standing right in front of the White House and mouthing all sorts of stuff against US and Obama. And then they proceed to invite Obama into Islam because that will “save” him. It
This is Sarah Palin addressing attendees at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010. She is preparing for her Presidential bid in 2012. Given her past record in 2008 race, one would have thought that she would work very hard at getting her information right and
(written by PRC) Yet a little more “insight” as to why I stopped “supporting” the Republican Party years ago. It’s a long list…but this mentality says much about GOP standards in general. For the past 6 months I’ve been one of those “stray dogs” , an American dependent
A lot has been said about Afghanistan, Taliban, Russia and how Pakistan has “sacrificed” there. How Taliban beat the Soviets et al. Sometimes it is important to go deep into history and facts and know the truth. This is one attempt to do so. “We used them to the Hilt’
This is an especially incredible ad this thanksgiving. PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) have come out with this ad where the little girl who says the Grace at the family dinner at Thanksgiving recounts the maltreatment to the Turkey – like many others – that they are about to devour.
Today I was listening to the toast from Dr. Singh and Barack Obama. Both of them emphasized on the quality of diversity and the Universal rights. Both, Dr. Singh and Obama stand where they are because of the rights of the minorities that their societies afforded them. Diversity and equal
In one of the worst shooting in Army history today in the US, a US soldier – psychiatrist – shot 12 of his colleagues and injured over 30, some seriously at Fort Hood in Texas. His name was Nidal Malik Hasan and he was, according to his local Masjid’s imam “a
An American Soldier – Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl – has been captured by Taliban and is being brandished in a propoganda video. While US and its Army is trying its best to get him back, some right wing guys are not in a mood to have him back. Instead some analyst on Fox
Obama is not only deliberate as his speech represents, but is a quick draw and very fast in the air as well. How do we know that? Well, look at how he swats a fly sitting on his hand during an interview with CNBC in White House. Great shot, eh!
Barlow is now destitute and living in a trailer[1] So said Danielle Brian, executive director, Project on Government Oversight (POGO), in a Congressional hearing last week. Now who is this Barlow? His name is Richard Barlow. Once upon a time he was a rising star and a decorated analyst
Yesterday, Barack Obama was in Green Bay, Wisconsin to discuss his health care plan. John Corpus got up to ask a question in the Town Hall about the Obama’s health care reform and mentioned that his daughter was skipping her last day in school to attend the event. And
It is telling and indeed intriguing that three religions, coming from the same root have such deep-seated animosities. Even though all the three religions acknowledge half a dozen protagonists as their founding fathers, still Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have developed such deep rooted enmity. In fact, every strain of these
Today we heard Obama’s speech in Cairo to the Muslims of the world. Here is a wordcloud of all the words used. It is interesting that the word which was mentioned the most was the word “People”. How emphatic he was on things can be viewed from the use
This is the speech that Obama gave in Cairo today. Without doubt, Obama is THE most effective communicator of modern times. I have rarely seen anyone who can articulate extremely complex concepts, diametrically opposite viewpoints and address differences and similarities as effectively as he can. Here is speaks fearlessly about
How are Muslims perceived and treated in the US? An interesting experiment and discussion by ABC news. Not that it would decide how Americans or even other cultures behave with Muslims, but I would be curious if someone in say, Saudi Arabia or even Pakistan ever gives thought or does
Here is an interesting scene – a Pink Chaddi Soldier! The guy’s name is Zachary Boyd. He woke up to a Taliban assault on his platoon and only had time to grab his weapon, helmet and body armor before he could rush out to fight.. in his pink boxers and
Obama is pushing credit card reform legislation that will hit at the predatory practices of the credit card companies. Not so say that all are bad, but there are enough companies which lure people in with low initial rates and then raise the rate even on past purchases and without
We have reported time and again, with the ONLY report links available in the media, on this revelation – i.e; that Lt Gen Mahmood had directed Sayeed Sheikh to wire $100,000 to Mohd. Atta.[Report #1]. The tremendous effort that went in to obfuscate the truth by the Republican
Today is the completion of 100 days for Barack Obama. How do you think he has done?
For last two days, Hillary Clinton has been making statements that I never thought any US administration official could ever make. But today’s statement below is completely astounding as it comes from the highest foreign policy official from Obama Administration. It might be music to many in Pakistan and
Chinese are smart and have made the US play into their hands – from the economy to manufatcuring to defense. And for some reason, the Americans have played happily along. Over the years, the Chinese have penetrated US’s cyber networks and also pushed counterfeit equipment parts so deep that they
We all know Lehman Brothers – the investment banking firm – got nuked due to toxic assets. Figuratively speaking.. right? WRONG! The investment bankers were actually sitting on a stockpile of 450,000 lbs of uranium “yellow-cake”. It could theoretically speaking, be used to power a nuclear reactor or even make a
North Korea’s missile launch lately has been in the news. But North Korea’s missile indulgence has a “rich” past. A lot of it was encouraged by a certain masochist mindset on part of the US itself. Let’s go back to 1971 – just 10 weeks before the India-Pakistan
HIllary Clinton’s visit somehow has gone un-noticed in the large Desi press, which is surprising. For, this visit revealed more than all the eloquence of Obama did. It fundamentally underscores that the geo-political and economic considerations of post-Bush era may be pushing the Indo-US relationship on the back-burner. The
Two teachers in the same school – ironically named Bountiful Junior High School – have been arrested because they had sex with a teenage kid. Both indulged with the same male student. One, Linda Nef, 46, is married; and second Valynne Bowers, 39 is divorced. Both have teenage kids. In both cases
Here is a stunning statistic: One in 50 American children in the course of a year are Homeless! Southern states are the worst affected. But to be fair the following are included in this list: When the young parents move in with their parents (doubling up) – their kids are also
Ok, guys its not to do with Valentine anymore.. its about cash… After California and New York – it is the turn of two other states to be in financial mess: Kansas and New Jersey. Garden State, NJ has now increased its projected deficit by a some… 71% from the projection
The 780 Billion Stimulus plan has been signed into history. In Denver. The person used as an example of what this would do was the CEO of Namaste Inc. – a company that provides Solar panel energy solutions. He is now in the hiring mode. So, hopefully things will change. Let
Three companies are in a soup because of H1B fraud and inconsistencies: Vision Systems, Worldwide Software, and Sana Systems. Officers of Vision System have been arrested. Vision Systems Group an IT company with offices in South Plainfield, NJ and Coop Rapids, Iowa has been indicted on 10 federal counts, including
Obama has asked Bruce Riedel to conduct an inter-agency review of American policy towards Pakistan and Afghanistan. Who is Bruce Riedel? Well, he has a very interesting background and his history gives some insight into the direction in to where Obama may be headed as regards his policy to South
UPDATE: The COBRA Subsidy Plan (under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)has been implemented and it retroactive to Sept 2008. You need to contact your HR/Benefits department you are now to pay only 35% of the premium for 9 months and the employer has to get
British Pakistani community is being seen as the greatest threat to the US post 26/11 by the CIA. The President has been informed by the CIA that it has started a vast spying operation in the UK to keep a tab on the LeT linked people in that country.
In Hindu mythology, often the annointing of a new king – if he was benevolent and good – was joined in by the people of “other worlds”. Now, that was mostly, logicallly speaking, a figure of speech with perhaps wide poetic license. But it seems that in the case of Barack Obama,
Pakistanis in the US are worried about the Indian “influence” and so they want to counter it. They think that Obama’s thinking and actions on Pakistan are based on what Indian Americans tell him. Strange for a guy who has lived in Pakistan and not in India! The newly
Today, Barack Obama took his oath as the 44th US President. A new chapter was started in the US and the world. I caught some of the oath taking and the full speech. Obama and Michelle then walked Bushes to their copter – the first time this had happened. I wanted
Going further on the racist attacks on the Sikhs, here is how the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) helped prosecute 4 youth assailants who attacked a Sikh family. [sent by Ms S. Sahni] In October 2007, SALDEF was contacted by a Sikh family in San Jose who
An old Sikh man in California was waiting for his second package to be delivered, when he accidentally looked at the first package’s receipt on UPS website. And what he saw was shocking! Instead of his name in the “Signed By” section, he saw the UPS driver had entered
A Beautiful video forwarded to me by Katie… “Yes, we can”
I am sure everyone saw this video but I wanted it to be on Drishtikone just for record…btw, he dodged it pretty well 🙂 at least he has practiced it well enough!
If I was the US Intelligence Chief or that of India, I would be very furiously and strongly preparing to take out the Nukes of Pakistan… RIGHT NOW! I am not sure why, but I fear that this is “watershed”!! A few reasons why: – Pakistan has recently threatened to retaliate
There is a lot of discussion of failure and bailout or otherwise of the US Auto industry. Here is a video as well with Peter Schiff discussing this thing. I agree with a lot of what he says. It can’t be denied that lot of people will be affected
In the midst of the 20 nations who came to meet in US for the session to solve the current economic problem, I saw George Bush kissing the Saudi prince on the cheek on both sides, which is the popular custom in the middle east between men. Now as a
When Hillary Clinton’s name was being thrown in as the Vice President for Obama ticket – I strongly felt that she would be downright STUPID to become a VP!! If I know her mind even a wee bit as an observer I would think that she would like to be
A 71 year old Detroit grandmother Leola Brock-Reese came to Chicago with her best friend Freddie a 77 year old. They went all over the city and in the evening they went to Grant Park hoping to catch Barack Obama’s speech. They sat on the steps in the Park
There is an Obamania in the US and around the world but somethings are hard to change…. specially WITHIN the US! It seems some school authorities are unhappy with Obama in Mississippi.. so much so that the word “Obama” is banned. Kids cannot UTTER the word Obama not have any
Kitne Viraano se guzarein hain to jannat paayi hai… How many deserts have we traversed before reaching the heavens…
I think of all the commentaries and criticisms of the Rescue Plan passed recently in the US pushed by Paulson and George Bush, this is probably the most eloquent of all!
I found this exhibit very powerful! It traces the progress of blacks through the US History. With the Presidency of Barack Obama, this becomes a very powerful story to tell!
This was a prank played on Sarah Palin – who was so close to becoming the VP of the US! It must have been so embarrassing for her.. but the way that guy was talking and the sort of remarks he was making, it was pretty clear that he certainly NOT
Some behind the scenes stuff that had not come out during the long Presidential campaign between Obama and McCain. — Sarah Palin didn’t know which countries were in NAFTA, and she “didn’t understand that Africa was a continent, rather than a series, a country just in itself.” — Sarah Palin
This is McCain’s speech that he gave last night after he realized that Barack Obama had won. I think it is by far one of the best concession speech’s I have heard.. and certainly the best speech that I have heard from McCain. Pity that it was his
It took long years and fights of values and unfailing spirit, but today the United States of America finally caught up with its Humanity. Aspirations are wishes that cannot be seen or even contemplated. Commitments are promises that one makes with ones spirit. Meeting one’s commitments are important for
CNN Pronounces Barack Obama as the next President of the United States!! They broke this projection JUST NOW. He now has enough electoral votes to be the next US President. He just won Virginia – a state that has not gone Republican for last 40 years since LBJ. Congrats!
A friend has sent this message, so I could share with all. I think the link for the Galbraith interview is very informative, although I do not necessarily agree with his decision. Reason: A vote is not a policy statement but a decision on who will be the choice for
Ok.. Let’s continue with our love with Sarah Palin. Here in an answer to a kid’s question as to what is the job of a US Vice-President, she tells Brandon (the kid) that the VP is “Incharge of the Senate”! REALLY?!!! She never had much of brains – despite
One thing for sure.. our guy McCain seems real hungry. I won’t get into his culinary indulgences on this blog though.. but it doesn’t sound very appetizing! Any comments? PS: in all fairness – seriously speaking – this was taken after the third debate. McCain had “strayed” on Obama’s
Sarah Palin has achieved very little in her Government service. One of her biggest achievements seems to be the $40 billion pipeline in Alaska to Lower 48 (states) – the 1715 mile pipeline. Now, it turns out that the bidding process for granting that $40 billion project was actually tampered and
Ostensibly this kind of logic doesn’t sicken many in the world today but I feel this kind of thinking is completely nauseating! In March, under Palin, the Alaskan Board of Game authorised the shooting of wolves from helicopters – something which hadn’t been done for twenty years.This led
If you wanted to know what is wrong with the American hospital and health care system then this case amply demonstrates it. A woman while playing volleyball fractures her foot. Goes to the hospital. The receptionist sees her and “assesses” her so she can sit in a line. She waits
Republicans are basically sick minded these days. But this was something that even took me by surprise!! Al Austin – a former Finance Chairman for the National Republican Party sent out an email – which he now calls a “joke” – where in a cavalier manner said that …. if an airplane carrying Obama
People have said that Barack Obama is a very humor loving and funny guy although that does not come out in his appearances and speeches. Finally, in the “Alfred E Smith Charity Dinner” he came out in his own and in the act also simply beat the heck out of
Thoughts on tonight’s US Presidential debate: – Strange, but both Obama and McCain are left handed. So, they BOTH are leaning to “left” whether they like it or not! 😉 – McCain suggested that the Defense officers should come back and teach in schools – without certification! I hope these troops don’t
Today is the last of the three debates between the Presidential hopefuls in the US. Obama is already way ahead in the lead and many indicators say that he is all set to get to the White House. McCain is trying hard now… and in the last few days has
US will regret these elections of 2008 forever in its existence here on! Hatred is a pandora’s box and Palin and McCain have fallen so low that they – knowingly – started throwing stuff that was patently false and openly challenged the character of Obama. Their rallies have now deteriorated into
The current financial crisis has created a very interesting situation where not only the government and quasi-government institutions have underperformed, but more importantly, the different founding principles of a modern western state have been at odds with each other. Lack of regulation enforcement While the businesses were doing what they
I saw the Obama-McCain debate tonight. IMHO – Its GAME OVER … for McCain. Unless something totally untowards happens, McCain is History as far as his Presidential ambitions are concerned. He might as well quit rather than go into attacks that he will regret when he looking back at his life after
Since I have been picking on the VP-babe Sarah Palin, lets see how she did when she was questioned on laws of the land – specifically the Supreme Court decision – which is incidently the favorite fodder of the conservatives of the land. I would have expected a very passionate answer from
This was written by my friend, Kavita Chhibber. She writes on KavitaChhibber.com and has shared it with all. Troy Davis, is an inmate who was caught for inadequate reasons and was on schedule to go to the Electric Chair. Luckily due to activism by people like Kavita, the US
It seems this week in another cross border attack on Pakistan’s Waziristan area using a drone US forces killed 5 more people. Frustrated by an intensifying Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, U.S. forces have in the past month carried out seven missile strikes by pilotless drones and a commando
Sarah Palin will have a debate with Biden in a couple of days. So far she has been shielded from interviews and interactions from the media.. because she needed “help”! Quite obviously she does seem very scary. As Fareed Zakaria says – it is very irresponsible of McCain to choose her
Here is Sarah Palin in a swimsuit competition for Miss Alaska. When you can’t take out other countries’ “WMDs” – unleash yours! I am sure Sarah Palin would be a great distraction for most world leaders as our friendly neighborhood President Asif Ali Zardari adequately demo’ed.
The first US Presedential debate was held last night. I did not see the full debate but whatever I saw I thought of the two – only Obama made sense! But those VERY issues where I think Obama makes more sense… most of the American analysts gave that point to McCain!
Here is a cartoon on the debate suspension. Just a reality check – the debate is ONLY 90 minutes long! And anyone who knows even an IOTA about the financial crisis… knows that it has been brewing and happening for last several years! If the ENTIRE Government machinery could NOT do
This elections and the conduct of McCain and Palin has been the most weird. It is surprising that such acts by them can even be accepted and go on without challenge! First Palin stopped interacting with media (Q&A types) because she felt that media wasn’t treating her
Image via Wikipedia In between a lot of work, I had the CNN on. And Wolf Blitzer was discussing the current financial crisis. It seems that the Federal Reserve is coming up with a plan to save the US financial system! Chris Dodd came and he said – that last night
I do not want to be sensationalist about this issue – but it IS a BIG deal! I have been writing about the various financial institution and bank failures and how things are going down in the financial market. Now, FDIC’s Dallas office is expanding 5 times! From the currently
Ok, just a little news-flash: American Capitalism quietly passes into history. Federal Reserve is bailing out AIG – and American International Group … well is now true to its name! It is owned by the Government of US and has subsidiaries worldwide. The Fed will extend a 24-month bridge loan of $85.
This is a news item that many missed. Lehman Brothers went down today. What many don’t know is that on Sunday afternoon, in a session only for the Wall Street dealers – these vultures who had already profited from the mess in the market, were allowed to reduce their exposure
Last night Hurricane Ike hit Houston and its surrounding areas. This was my first experience of a hurricane. We had decided to ride it through. My analysis was very simple – First, I went to all the sites which gave the speeds that would hit our area and the number of
US Government has bailed out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae – the two main organizations for mortgages. Their debt and useless mortgages had reached an unsustainable level. This has put the future of finance industry to question. As far as effect of this action is concerned, the following are some macro
Today John McCain is so shocked at the way the media is talking about Sarah Palin’s daughter and asking everyone in media to keep off limits. But does this guy ever follow his own “rules”?? In 1998, he went on to make such a derogatory and bad remark on
Here is an interesting video on how Sarah Palin’s “executive experience” is being touted around by the Republicans. She was a mayor of a town of 9000 people. And THAT also, it seems, gave her enough foreign policy experience! As many Americans will soon find out, that world has
John McCain has launched a campaign calling himself as a “regular” guy whose heart beats for the blue collar worker. Well his wife’s heart beats a little faster for good things in life ostensibly. Last night she came in stuff that was ~$300k. Below is an estimate of the
The Republican convention is on right now. And Joe Biden has been charging into George Bush recently. Yesterday he suggested how Bush and co had lost the chance to unite the world and the country… leave alone the mistakes he obviously made. But more astonishingly, Biden also suggested that if
Former Democractic Presidential candidate John Edwards has admitted that he was having affair with a 42 year old female who recently gave birth to a daughter on Feb 27, 2008. So, the Mr. Clean was not all that clean. When his wife was under health issues and he was running
Indians don’t eat beef much (mainly Christians and Muslims – along with some Hindus eat). Americans – specially in South – love their steaks and beefs. No connection? There is. In 1849, Dr. James Bolton Davis of Fairfield County, South Carolina – first imported cattle from India. The 3 main breeds were “Guzerat”
All that horse trading was ultimately for useless gains in the Nuclear deal. It was just a smokescreen from the US afterall. So it now seems. The chief negotiator of the India-United States nuclear deal Nicholas Burns has categorically said: “No aspect of this deal recognises India as a nuclear
Image via Wikipedia A lot is said of the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo and shame is expressed at the human rights violation and blamed on the contractors who all acted “inappropriately” as Prison guards. As if suddenly the national pratcices of treating prisoners took a nose-dive in a foreign
Today another person went down to cancer – colon cancer. Tony Snow was the press secretary in Bush’s White House and was fighting cancer for last year or so. Today he died. He was also at Fox Channel. Its not been very long since he was diagnosed with this instance
Image via Wikipedia Today a USD 20 billion IndyMac bank went down. Got an email from a friend who gave an account of how it affects at the personal level.. Indy Mac bank based in California was taken over by FDIC on 7/11/2008 at 3:00 PM PDT
This is as shocking a comment as can be from a US presidential candidate. John McCain is known to shoot from his hip… but this is nonsensical. What he is implying is that he will be happy to see Iranians killed or dead! Is he equating the Iranians with the
The entire Persian belt (Iran and Iraq) is a big mess! Iran had been getting its nuke technology from AQ Khan and the North Korea (well to be precise – from CHINA).. while the US and others in the West had ostensibly no freaking idea. And then when Bush came in
US is supposed to be very liberal in men and women relations. But if one were to go strictly by the letter of law then a lot of laws will make you amazed! Its not just about homosexual relations that the conservatives in the US are touchy about. These laws
Finally, the US democratic institutions have shown that they have a semblance of democratic ideals still left in them!! The US judiciary is tied to its executive as the US President chooses at least some US Supreme Court judges during his tenure. Bush has been pushing Guantanamo agenda and making
Last night Obama won North Carolina (56/42%) and lost Indiana (51/49%). He leads in the Super Delegates tally and the delegates. Now, he looks like the favorite to win. Even if Hillary won all the remaining states by 65-35% (something that she has never been able to do)
I very rarely find a book that I cannot keep down, specially when it comes to politics. This book by Michael Levin is a revelation. Not many analysts really do serious research before writing. Levin is different. He is a serious analyst who has had long stints in Soviet Union/
Here is an article which gives some extremely interesting stats that I wanted to record on drishtikone for future. This clearly shows that Americans eat more PER CAPITA than people of any other nationality! Not only that, they have been consuming at an increasing rate for the last few years.
Why are the food prices rising? According to the clueless Bush administration it is because the poor have started eating more. He and Condi Rice do not or cannot attribute it to the tons and tons of grain that is dumped in sea by countries like US or by the
Got this link and picture from a facebook contact. Thought it was interesting enough to share. Beneath the photo from the REAGAN DIARIES is an actual quote that Reagan wrote about George “W” in his diaries, recently edited by author Doug Brinkley and published by Harper Collins “A moment I’
3000 flights of American Airlines were cancelled this week – 570 on Friday! Alaska Airlines, Midwest Airlines and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines joined the wave, each canceling a small number of flights on MD-80 aircraft on Thursday. The CEOs must be happy! See, they can’t make profits anyways.. so now
In 1848, the Mexican-American war was the culmination of the hostilities between the two nations after the US annexation of Texas from Mexico. After Mexico gained independence from the Spanish Empire at the end of its War of Independence in 1821, the Mexican Empire inherited the provinces of Alta California,
Dharavi, in Bombay, is the second largest slum in Asia (after Orangi Township in Karachi). It has a million people in there. Slums are a common problem in poor countries. People, who cannot make it in a big city but cannot leave that city either somehow end up in slums
Here is another guest article for Drishtikone. John Hammergren is CEO of McKesson Corporation, the Fortune 18 health care services leader. McKesson serves customers at every point of health care and is helping transform the industry into a modern, efficient, and quality-driven system. McKesson has seen industry-leading performance under Hammergren’
A first-term Democrat, built his political reputation on rooting out government corruption, and made a name for himself as attorneygeneral as crusader against shady practices and overly generous compensation. He also cracked down on prostitution. He was known as the “Sheriff of Wall Street.” Time magazine named him “Crusader of
What is wrong with the US? First it tells everybody and his brother to go democratic and when they have the elections, which do not go along the person US is backing – then it starts all sorts of bullying and lobbying! It is as if US had no idea of
Is US inflating its way into Recession? Lowering interest rates > Lower Dollar > Inelastic demand for foreign goods > Sticky (Real) Deficit > Ballooning nominal Deficit > Run away Inflation. Makes sense? Here is a sampler: -Gold soared $26 -Platinum exploded $91 –Iron-Ore Prices Up 65-71% -Copper surged 20
Musharraf’s party lost terribly. Rejected by people. But Mushy was backed solidly by the US. So, did he lose because US backed him. Or did he lose anyway and US was backing the wrong guy? Given US’ history of foreign policy its probably the latter.
Look at this resume of this Republican politician in the US. He is considered a political moderate, has sponsored bills this year dealing with minors, including the Child Protection From Predators Act and a proposal to collect DNA samples from sexual predators.For decades, he has been involved in youth
Like I said earlier in the post, Religion colors everyone’s logic and rationale. Whatever one could see through easily, is lost to him when the extra layer of religion comes through. I had discussed in this post (Two Millenia of India’s Economic Journey) that the first casualty when
Another prisoner has a broken ankle. He can’t crawl fast enough so a guard jabs a stun gun onto his buttocks. The jolt of electricity zaps through his naked flesh and genitals. For hours afterwards his whole body shakes.Where do you think this scene is from? Abu Gharaib,
I have had a lot of discussions with people who uphold the primacy of morals. I really think Morals are subjective listings of things that a bunch of people believe in “a” space and “a” time. They change in time and in space. What to Mr. X is Moral, to
As an update to my earlier post, I wanted to point out that Warren Buffett has offered to provide a second level of reinsurance to the bond insurers upto $800 billion. Also six mortgage lenders are teaming up with nonprofits to help avoid more foreclosures. This is very interesting. Irrespective
Here is an interesting scenario: A person buys a house for $185,000 in 2006 and keeps paying his mortgage month after month. Now, in early 2008, he owes the bank – $192,000! What’s wrong with this picture? Well he did a payment-option adjustable rate mortgage. He owes $1300
Someone once said to me that you should have successful friends – because your salary is an average of the combined salaries of your friends. I guess the same works for Intelligence and Integrity Quotient – or your “IIQ” (new term!). For a guy who finds Pakistani Prez Musharraf to be a
A study by two non-profit journalism organizations now shows that Bush administration issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from 2001 to 2003. The statements, 935 in all, were made with an intention presumably to convey a risk that did not exist. For example, the study says
Over the years, US has changed.. right? The Civil War. The Civil Rights. The rights to women. The end of Cold War. Many things right? Well guess what, the minds still remain as they were. In the roughly 150 years since the Civil War, the distribution of minds seems to
There are election speeches and then there are HISTORIC SPEECHES. Speeches that come out from the heart and reach the heart. Speeches that have a purpose and a vision. Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” was one such speech. These days such speeches are hard to come by.
A few policemen in New York city saw a homeless Guatemalan immigrant dying on the roadside. What do you think they did? (i) take him to hospital emergency (ii) stood around joking about him and laughing away while he was dying? Well, it was the second! They were taped chuckling
What is the US of today and what did it start as? There is a big difference. If you read through the thoughts of the founding fathers of the US, the discrepancy between the reality of today and back then is HUGE! See some of these statements below from Thomas
I am a vegetarian, but I do not believe that the non-vegetarians rot in hell. Yes, killing animals is cruel.. but each to his/her own. However, killing animal and eating is one thing.. but to take some small harmless thing like squirrel and fry it like popcorn is quite
Just in…. after so many other scandals.. here is another scandal that involves the thoroughly corrupt Bush Administration! See the process below in a Drishtikone presentation…. What is happening is this: The lucrative arrangements are known as “monitorships,” unusual contracts in which an outsider comes into a troubled company with
Two Indian Doctoral students at the Louisiana State University (LSU) were found dead – shot and strangled in their apartment complex. The deaths was found by the pregnant wife of one of them: The two slain students, Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam, were found at Edward Gay apartment complex,
Two Indian Doctoral students at the Louisiana State University (LSU) were found dead – shot and strangled in their apartment complex. The deaths was found by the pregnant wife of one of them: The two slain students, Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam, were found at Edward Gay apartment complex,
This Christmas this guy is going to sell his “soul” to bidders with bids starting at $1 million. Well thats fairly silly and useless aint it? What is someone discovers that there is no such thing as a soul? How does any know that there is a soul in the
This Christmas this guy is going to sell his “soul” to bidders with bids starting at $1 million. Well thats fairly silly and useless aint it? What is someone discovers that there is no such thing as a soul? How does any know that there is a soul in the
This is the lowest any employer can possibly get to! And who do you expect but WALMART! Walmart is the lowest of the lowest in human principles… it just looks at its profits. PERIOD! This one company is so much responsible for totally upstaging US with China as the major
This is the lowest any employer can possibly get to! And who do you expect but WALMART! Walmart is the lowest of the lowest in human principles… it just looks at its profits. PERIOD! This one company is so much responsible for totally upstaging US with China as the major
Here is this guy predicting the end of US Dollar. He thinks that there is a big mess out there in the financial markets and it will only get worse and worse… resulting finally in an implosion. What do you think? The great debate among those of us on the
Here is this guy predicting the end of US Dollar. He thinks that there is a big mess out there in the financial markets and it will only get worse and worse… resulting finally in an implosion. What do you think? The great debate among those of us on the
Despite the conservative wave in the US for last 8 years, things have not gone well for the umarried and teen pregnancies. They are on the rise! The birth rate for teenagers increased in 2006 in the United States for the first time since 1991, while childbearing among unmarried women
Despite the conservative wave in the US for last 8 years, things have not gone well for the umarried and teen pregnancies. They are on the rise! The birth rate for teenagers increased in 2006 in the United States for the first time since 1991, while childbearing among unmarried women
At a time when the air travel is back up .. and people are travelling more than ever again in the US, this is a rather grim reminder that high volume does pose a threat! I have always considered the North East corridor to be one of the worst areas for
At a time when the air travel is back up .. and people are travelling more than ever again in the US, this is a rather grim reminder that high volume does pose a threat! I have always considered the North East corridor to be one of the worst areas for
I landed back in Houston from my trip to India yesterday. I will write in detail on my trip later.. this post will be about my journey back home. I went through three airports – IGIA Delhi, Charles De Gaulle Paris, and Bush Intercontinental Houston. All had their own lessons. It
I landed back in Houston from my trip to India yesterday. I will write in detail on my trip later.. this post will be about my journey back home. I went through three airports – IGIA Delhi, Charles De Gaulle Paris, and Bush Intercontinental Houston. All had their own lessons. It
See this picture of Barrack Obama standing with his hands down during his National Anthem? Well, it seems he broke the US Law.. and he is running for the President of the country! 🙂 According to U.S. law, a civilian like Obama is supposed to stand up when the anthem
See this picture of Barrack Obama standing with his hands down during his National Anthem? Well, it seems he broke the US Law.. and he is running for the President of the country! 🙂 According to U.S. law, a civilian like Obama is supposed to stand up when the anthem
Sometimes history is made and even the underdog shines. It does not happen too often in politics – where power rules. In the 1948 Presidential elections in the US, Harry Truman was that underdog. Thomas E. Dewey was the frontrunner. And a big one! IN the last few months, Truman traversed
Sometimes history is made and even the underdog shines. It does not happen too often in politics – where power rules. In the 1948 Presidential elections in the US, Harry Truman was that underdog. Thomas E. Dewey was the frontrunner. And a big one! IN the last few months, Truman traversed
The competition for talent is heating up around the world. Now, EU is starting a scheme that mimics US’ green card (permanent residence card) scheme that gives permission to people skilled in areas of high demand. The EU says it needs 20m skilled workers over the next two decades, and
I was thinking of saying this myself .. but when I read this at Eternalsoul’s site I finally came to the point of writing about it! Every one in the Indian media is gloating over the victory of Bobby Jindal. But who is this Bobby (Piyush) Jindal? He is the
So the Oil in US hit a new high this morning as it went beyond $90 a barrel (it fell later though). Dollar hit a new low against the Euro at 1.425 $/Euro. On the one hand the clout of Chinese trade is growing. On the other, Chinese Yuan
Ok, this is got to be the most amazing political story! French, who are the eye sore for many conservative Americans are responsible for yet another political battle in the US. One of their guys gave birth to a family tree that was ultimately responsible for two characters – totally different
What if your closest friends run your country – whom you feel are the best suited to do so…. and they screw like no other team ever before? Well that is an interesting scenario. Here is a guy who actually happened to articulate such a wish and then lived to regret
It took US until 1960’s to give women permission to vote, while India gave it as soon as we were independent! Here is a mad woman, Ann Coulter, as crazy as they can possibly come – who is the toast of Republican crowd – who believes that women should not vote
One of my friends, let’s call him "V", had written this analysis in an email to me in reaction to my question to my friends on the danger to the US economy. I thought he had done a good analysis and wanted to share with every one else. Read
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Morning in America, originally uploaded by cjdavis. What a picture! I would have called it “When the robes collide”! One chastity freak “goes down” on another one!! That makes you wonder if the
I have been talking of the impending US Dollar crash. Well, today a record of sorts was created when the US Dollar for the first time in 30 yrs, fell below the Canadian Dollar. Today, for the first time in thirty years, the U.S. Dollar sank below the value
There is still things that happen in the US that people of science cannot possibly explain. In a Houston middle school – Francis Scott Key School, teachers are custodians have been falling sick. So much that they have to be taken to the hospital. Strangely, though parents say that kids have
Corey mentions in his comment that he has been wondering on the situation of falling dollar looking at it from Canada. A friend of mine, Raj, from Canada also had a similar view. He was ecstatic that they could now shop in the US for cheap! US, he says, is
My friend, Sanjay Goel, has been warning about the falling dollar! He rightly says that while the Americans are busy about Iraq and Religious nonsense, it is the falling dollar that they are un-aware of.. when THAT is exactly what they should be looking at! Tonight I tuned into Glenn
Something is going terribly wrong with the religious sensibilities in the US. And its not just the right-wingers, but the so called liberal media as well! Humor and critique is not as free as it used to be in the US not long ago. Kathy Griffin won this Emmy award
Not many people realize that the economic relationship between China and US is a quid pro quo that is just meant to prop up the feeling of wealth. Despite the fact that I am nowhere near to as economic-savvy as most of the world economic gurus, I do believe it
The harmless toilet seems to be emerging as the number one spot for celebrities for sex in the US! First it was Larry "I am not Gay" Craig senator of Ohio, who was soliciting sex from a guy in the adjoining cubicle through deft and subtle maneuvers, but got busted.
Are you surprised why?? 😉 What an answer! No wonder Indian beauties have a slam dunk chance in such pageants!
My friend, Vish sent in: The American troops in a friendly gesture decided to distribute Soccer balls to Afghan people. In the Spirit of the International presence in Afghanistan, (unlike Iraq, there is NATO presence there) the Soccer balls have flags of various countries. In the spirit of inclusion, the
I thought such things would only happen somewhere in the middle east! Well.. how America is changing – it is becoming very much like the Taliban ruled state. Now, no part of underwear can be exposed in public.. not even a bra strap .. or boxers under sagging jeans. This ordinance has
Nandi told me about this lady and her talk.. so I thought I will look it up. Man, does she have fire? Well, you cannot fault her for saying what she is saying.. for all that is correct. I personally, am tired of the "moderate Muslims" saying that Islam is
Look at this video – how Dick is arguing against invading Iraq. All the reasons he gave then…. came out to be TRUE… and I wonder why or how he changed his mind to fight an unnecessary war? There is a saying in Hindi: “Vinash-kalya Vipreet budhhi” (when one’s time
Sometimes state and God – both need an extra hand. Vatican and CIA are busy trying to do their bit to put some color into the information available around the world via Wikipedia. A US hacker’s homemade program to pinpoint origins of Wikipedia edits indicates that alterations to the popular
US consumption – US production = Brazil’s annual output. And Brazil is the 10th largest economy on planet earth! So, the Americans take on a debt that is close to the entire annual output of Brazil!! Is that a cause for concern? Well, some economists with twisted logic say no. But
These days, when everything seems to be made in China… well at least everything that we buy in the US really comes from China – it does come as a jolt when something like toys are recalled en mass by the largest toy manufacturer!! First Mattel did a massive recall (this
Iran is a friend of Afghanistan against Taliban/Al Qaeda and an enemy of US in a war against Al Qaeda. Go figure! These two lines explain why US is in such a mess and why this mess would not stop! The Bush administration considers Iran to be a dangerous
The Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed yesterday evening, It was built in 1967 and was undergoing some repairs. And it just collapsed like a house of cars. So, 7 people died. Now, what could lead to the collapse of a very "healthy" bridge – as it was given a "clean bill of
This is an interesting question that a lot of people are asking. The burden of being at the top also brings skepticism and vulnerability! Iraq war and its failure is bringing out that vulnerability and exposing things about America that no one could believe would be true one day. The
Hmm.. it takes a lot to get up there in space these days! So, we some going up after getting a little tipsy. "Interviews with both flight surgeons and astronauts identified some episodes of heavy use of alcohol by astronauts in the immediate preflight period, which has led to flight
This is a new one! I have seen many thoughts on future.. but this New Jersey town (Ocean City) is taking the current technology to a .. well .. new frontier! Here is how the "Beach of the Future" will look like: At the beach of the future, high tide will meet
Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana has a wife and four children. His phone number was found in the diaries of the "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Just read his "apology". These republicans have made a mockery of their God! "This was a very serious sin in my past for which
6 years back I had remarked that Iraq war will go down in the history of the US as the Worst Mistake EVER! Many military personnel dead and thousands of Iraqi civilians murdered… and the world is now in a situation which is worse than where we started off from.
Like I discussed on my blog this week that things in Pakistan are not looking too great as the Lal Masjid students had fought with the Pakistani Army right there in the capital itself. Now the things are getting worse. Yesterday, as Musharraf took off in a plane from a
Here is yet another comment on Intentblog – which I thought was pretty telling! While in Germany my wife started to take a picture of a sculptor. An artist we met said "No, do not photograph this one. It was in memory of Hitler, we are ashamed" Then he asked if
Har Shaakh par uloo baitha hai; anjaam-e-gulistaan kya hoga. Barbaad-e-gulistaan karne ko; bas ek hi uloo kaafi hai. (There is an owl on every branch; wonder what is the future of such a garden. For to destroy a garden completely; Only ONE owl will suffice!) Yesterday US President George Bush
A teenager was standing outside his school in an event not in his school premises but on public property with a banner "Bong Hits 4 Jesus". He was called by his principal and reprimanded, banner torn and he was suspended. Reason: The slogan was encouraging drug use. The kids (Joseph
Congress has led and governed the country in a very questionable fashion since our independence. Even now. If this story is true then some senior ministers and, indeed Indira Gandhi were on the payroll of the CIA! Throwing out the communists from Kerala was a good thing.. but there were
Another piece of news about the strange ways that US has behaved in the “War of Terror”….. FBI were aware that Osama bin Laden may have chartered one of the flights that took members of the bin Laden family out of the United States immediate after the 9/11 attacks,
I have got to blog this! US is at it again! It just doesnt want to do anything worthwhile where the problem is…. but goes around killing innocent civilians and then howling that those poor folks with no power are not taking "charge" of their country!! US earlier helped the
There is this weather satellite called QuickScat launched in 1999 and past its lifetime. Now it could go away anytime. US though does not have any thoughts of replacing it. Loss of QuickScat diminishes the ability to predict hurricanes in the US by ~16%. When the Director of National Hurricane
In this very interesting analysis, Col. Athale now talks about the scenarios that can unfold pretty soon given the tense situation in Pakistan. With Musharraf in jeopardy, Osama still at large, and religionists still pushing… chips could fall in any direction! So, the scenarios can include total anarchy to terrorist
People in India complain about the cost they have to pay to the Engineering college to become Engineers! In NY, you and I cannot even THINK of getting a license to DRIVE A CAB!! Guess how much it costs? The price of a licence to operate a New York taxi
This article has been printed with permission from the author. It first appeared in India AbroadNow that the Indo-US nuclear treaty has passed both houses of Congress and President Bush has signed the bill, it is time to reflect on the reasons why India and many other countries are pursuing
“We need to keep the terrorists from entering our borders and deal with them where they are…” Bush and his coterie kept saying something to this effect time and after time for last so many years! Did they? Instead, if you were to carefully look – the villain of middle east
It has become so fashionable to talk of peace these days and blaming the World.. yes.. actually the West and the others in the world for all the mess in the Islamic world and the direct connection between Poverty and Terrorism that it nauseates me no end!! This argument of:
It is the same pattern isnt it? The Government and the Indian Prime Minister gets all of a peacenik and just when the Indian PM wears the Peace-Clothes, there is a big terrorist attack in India. And then despite the newly worn peace-clothes, the Indian PM gets to eat his
“We need to be treated as special kids in special schools” Shonya (name changed) said to the Cultural Diversity Manager. The Cultural Diversity Group (CDG) had been set in this Big Four Consulting firm and the Manager was in Texas to kickstart one chapter here. We had come together from
The remains of the two American soldiers have been found in Iraq. Apparently, they were tortured before they were killed. It is not quite apparent what kind of torture they underwent.. but it would have been fairly brutal. The military says the remains were found late Monday night by forces
I have seen and met a lot of folks from all countries and a lot from India who keep talking about how BAD the other person is! I have been following a discussion going on a topic called “Asian Nationalism” on Intentblog – where nationalism and victimhood were discussed. Victimhood is
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