I’ve been doing a lot of driving in the America these past few days. It has been quite instructive to notice the differences in driving habits with how things work in India. In one word, lame. No sense of adventure whatsoever. Sample this – they actually stop their cars for pedestrians. They’ll stop a...
Check out the following picture to, well, get the real picture. (Click on the link to go to the original graphic. It’s bulky, at over 2 mb) Mike Flynn, Shikha Dalmia, and Terry Colon bring us the entire story of US Immigration. Check out the original post here. Basically, you are screwed if you...
This made an interesting news report. The Indian government has placed an order of 12 AW01 helicopters that will be used for ferrying our VIPs, at a jaw dropping cost of EUR 560 million. By my calculation thats about Rs 4000 crore. The huge order for VVIP helicopters from Agusta Westland could save upto...
Eighty years later, life comes full circle. Two pictures, same struggle. 1929 Hungry Americans waiting in line for food during the great depression. (Image courtesy: reformation.org) 2009 Desperate job seekers waiting in line just to get into a bursting-at-the-seams job fair in New york city. Picture taken on 24 Feb 2009 in midtown Manhattan...
In Central Florida lies this little town called Orlando. Orlando’s claim to fame – Amusement Parks. Walt Disney started the trend a few decades back with Disney World, and since then this city has become an entertainment hub with Disney, Universal studios, and myriad other amusement parks and other attractions. Disney world is spread...
Here’s how it used to work. You come to the US on a work permit (most often the H1B visa). You work for a few years and find an employer willing to file for your green card, which sorta makes you less of a bonded laborer. Once you get the green card and have...
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then number 99 is going to be my longest post yet. Me and the missus decided to beat the retreat to that tropical heaven called Miami. Our anniversary week was spent in Florida in a bid to escape the New York chill. As luck would have...
Big day for America, and potentially, all mankind. America’s first black president got sworn to office today. The still underway inauguration gala is a huge show, run at a cost of some $160 million, and witnessed by several million people live in Washington, besides many more viewers of the televised event. Funnily enough, Obama’s...
2008 was an eventful year. America went into an economic depression. Indian firms started feeling the heat, and layoffs are a routine affair now. Mumbai saw the worst terror attacks India has ever seen. America got a new and very dynamic leader in Barrack Obama. India sent a mission to the moon. India managed...
…do not do as the tourists do. Unless you want to stick out like a sore thumb. Like Arundhati Roy at an RSS morning meeting. Like Jaya Bachchan in Raj Sabha. Like, umm, a tourist in New york. New Yorkers are cruel people. They will bite you. They will trample you. They will take...
The onset of fall season brings out a phenomenon i believe doesn’t happen in India, we being a semi tropical country. The colors of fall. Vibrant hues of red, yellow, orange, green. A smorgasbord of colors. Leaves on trees start acquiring bright, beautiful colors. It is their way of saying goodbye. In a few...
Readers might rewind their brains to many years ago, when there was this huge outcry about an American company acquiring patent rights over Basmati rice. Yes, the very same Basmati rice that we Indians have been cultivating for, for, forever. How dare they? Basmati is India, spelt in seven letters. Well, they were told...
They say a picture is worth a million words. This one was discovered in a discount household store in Newyork. So far we had only seen Indian stores selling stuff with prices printed in rupees. A non desi store selling Tide detergent for Rs 23 was, let’s just say, exciting.
Today is a historic day for America. The country just elected it’s first Black president after 43 White ones. The US has come of age. Leave alone the glass ceiling, the steel door has been blasted open. Makes me think of India. When will we Indians rise through petty barriers to appoint leaders based...
One of the highlights of our Las Vegas vacation was a trip to the Grand Canyon. Special enough to get its own post. The Grand Canyon is one of the great natural wonders on the planet. It was formed by the Colorado river cutting through the surrounding terrain, over the course of millions of...
