Thought for the Day

We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.

- Anne-Sophie Swetchine

Love in the Middle of Hate

As everyone knows, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a never-ending story. It affects everyone in both countries (yes I feel Palestine is a country or should be one) in many facets of life.

It also affects love stories. This love story, between an Israeli woman and Palestinian man, is very unique and sad. Both are married, but have not been accepted by either society, and are forced to stay separately. Their marriage has also become a political issue. But now a new dawn for their relationship seems to be on its way.

Read more about it here

Color Me Red: Mr. Red

With Baseball's Spring Training looming upon us, I always feel the excitement that leads up to Opening Day. I also reminisce about the times when I grew up following my beloved hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds. So I have decided throughout the 2007 season, to dedicate some postings to my team called "Color Me Red".

In my lifetime, they have only won 3 World Series Championships (of which only one I can remember). If they were only the New York Yankees. But a storied franchise nonetheless.

One thing I do remember is going down to the old Riverfront Stadium with my parents during the summer watching great and not so great players come and go. Getting to witness Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, and many other greats is something special to me.

The other thing that I remember is meeting the Reds mascot, Mr. Red. Although the Reds have added another mascot to their line-up, Gapper (just think what would happen if Elmo, the Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Grimace had a genetically enhanced child), there's nothing like the original, Mr. Red.

Mr. Red is a mascot with a human body and a baseball head. He was cool to go up to and shake hands with. Kids adored him. He would also come out during the 7th inning stretch and do some silly things like run around the bases the wrong way.

Well over time, the look of Mr. Red has changed considerably. When I grew up, Mr. Red looked "human" enough. But if you look at he latest Mr. Red, he looks like some alien being. His eyes are just frightful. It's as if he stepped out from a horror movie or something. If I were a kid, I don't think I would like to go down to Great American Ball Park, cause seeing him would give me nightmares, let alone the way the Reds have been playing the past few years.

I think if Mr. Red looked like this when I was growing up, I think I would've had to turn to other alternative "sports" like NASCAR (thank God that didn't happen).

Rumor has it that Mr. Red will be changing his look, especially with the new uniforms the Reds have gotten for this year. It seems he will adopt the old Mr. Red look with a handle-bar moustache. Nice for nostalgia, especially for those baseball purists.

Now with these changes, if only if the Reds could add more pitching and one more power hitter.

Speaking in Tongues

Over the past few years, I've been noticing a cultural shift in language around this area. I know for a fact that such things aren't so foreign in cultural aspects especially in the NY/NJ, Chicago, Toronto and other multi-ethnic based metropolitan areas, but here it's really changing.

With the gradual influx of Hispanics/Latinos the past few years I have been seeing dual signs posted in many places of business. Where you once had an English-only speaking clientele, you now have even a Spanish speaking one. Also, I often overhear a conversation taking place in Spanish whenever I visit a store nowadays. It's become a common thing.

Likewise with the Indian community growing here day by day, the cultural language impact is changing some of your typical norms. One place I've noticed this is at work. Being in IT, you naturally will come across the 'Desi' diaspora, especially the ones who have migrated here recently. And with the offshore projects my company handles, there's more to the speaking in different tongues than usual.

Case in point, was just the other day where I was in the office, and the guy behind me started speaking in Hindi and Marathi with some colleagues over in India on the phone. They were surely talking about work cause he was using the typical jargon that we use in our IT projects. Then a cube just on the other side I could hear a conversation going on in a South Indian language. I couldn't tell what the heck they were saying, but it had to do with work.

Later I got up to go out for lunch and as I was passing by, I could hear a project team speaking in Hindi and some South Indian language discussing the milestone on a project.

It was totally turning into a culture shock for me. A few years back I didn't have the "luxury" to listen to people speaking in different languages at the workplace, especially Indian, but now its commonplace at my office. Even the English-only speaking crowd doesn't find it odd anymore. It's the part of the business they say.

For me though, it's cool. Sometimes I can imagine I am working from India.

The Changing Food Culture in India

Ahhh....coffee...one of my favorite drinks...and my favorite place to get it is of course Starbucks. Not that I drink Starbucks everyday (as it would be expensive), but if I am in the mood for a caffeine rush, it's where I turn to first.

Well now the first Starbucks will be opening up in India in December. This will add to the American food/retail outlets in India which have found a great following by the freely spending Indians. McDonald's, Subway, TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut and Domino's are a few that have been tasting success in recent years.

On my trips to India I have had McD's a couple of times and it is quite different. Not the typical menu items from here. Quite tasty. And one thing I had noticed long time before it was made public here......the fries tasted different. It wasn't until the infamous case a few year's back against McDonald's by an Indian person that the truth was revealed that the fries in North America were flavored with beef flavor enhancers. So that means a lot of people who were eating the McD's fries over here as a veggie snack have been converted to something or rather.

I even had a chance to peruse the menu for Subway at a mall in Mumbai and it was very Indian in comparison to its American counterpart. But the aroma of the baking bread smelled the same.

Actually when I was in college a friend of mine (an Indian from Kenya; we called him and such fellow students a politically incorrect term, African-Indian-Desi Student or "AIDS" for short; yeah that was MEAN) had this idea of taking Taco Bell (aptly named "Toxic Hell" in our college days) to India, as a lot of vegetarian people would love the concept of eating 'rotis' filled with mushed beans. He used to say he would contact Pepsi (now owned by YUM! Brands) and get a marketing plan going for it and obtain franchise rights. He was very serious about it. I don't know what happened to his plan, and have never asked him. I should ask him whenever he comes to the States on his occasional visits.

Since all these food and retail outlets are coming into India, I wonder IF I ever went there on an extended stay or even lived there, would I miss the USA? Not that I eat this crap regularly, but with almost everything American popping up in the lifestyle of the country it seems you would not feel like you left home. Then again there are some things that I would miss.

For one thing, this food trend is like the outsourcing of getting a heart attack that you would potentially get from your typical fast food from over here. That I would like to miss!

Well with Starbucks opening up in India, I will have a familiar place to go to when I go next time. The other cafe places I had been to just last year were not so impressive.

That however brings me to the question. It would be odd, but would they have Chai/Chai Lattes ????

The Battle of the Babas

I felt that I wanted to write about the current yoga phenomenon happening in India, which I had been putting off for sometime now. Thanks to a friend's post, I have finally decided to delve into the subject matter.

Yoga is enjoying a revitalization in India. The popularity is growning day by day. Yoga hasn't disappeared in India, but as old customs and practices do, they kind of fall to the way side in the popular culture. Don't get me wrong as yoga is still practiced by many people in India, but a vast amount of people seem to forget what's good for them. Well thanks to two men, the practice of yoga has become a mainstream media event in India, and some parts of the world.

One person is the saffron robe wearing Baba Ramdev, and his Divya Yoga Trust. The other is the white robe wearing Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (not to be confused with Anoushka and Norah Jones' dad), and his Art of Living Foundation.

Both are promoting yoga as a science to alleviate one's personal trauma caused by stress or even health related matters. Both are even doing their part in making lives easier to live, especially charitable work.

Both are also showing breathing related techniques which in their words should revitalize the body and mind. Baba Ramdev does his pranayama, while Sri Sri Ravi Shankar does his Sudharshan Kriya (which is patented suppossedly).

Both give lectures about basic living and ways to improve it.

Both of these fads have reached everyone in India and the desi diaspora from the top to bottom of the social order.

I have some friends who are involved in the Art of Living. They say they like it. I even know a couple of girls who I was talking to, on separate instances, who were trying to get me involved in it. Both of these girls were acting as if I was missing a big thing in my life in not taking these courses. Believe it or not, I was admonished. It felt as if they were in some cult or something. Thank God those two girls didn't work out.

My mother has caught on to the fad as well. One of her sisters is really into this thing and has been sending her VCDs of Baba Ramdev and his yoga techniques. Since then my mother has been become a fan of this yogi. She keeps telling me to join her in the exercise routine the Baba does.

So I sat down with her a couple of times, watching this video showing the Baba demonstrate his pranayama. But one day started this freak show. The guy was able to suck his gut to the point that it seemed as if he was touching his spinal cord. Quite impressive I say, but I am not sure if I really want to see something weird like that. My mom all excited was like, "Wow! Amit, if you did this regularly you will be able to do that!!!"

Uhhh.....Mom, I don't want to be able to do that. A six-pack would be good enough!!!

Not a fan of either schools of yogic thought, but I must say the breathing techniques are relaxing.

Anyway, I really think both men are doing a very good job in conveying their message of peace and harmony, and keeping oneself fit and fine thus reducing the stress caused by our everyday lives. Kudos to them. We need many more people like the Baba and Sri Sri, sans the freak shows.

Justice Served?

Last summer, here in the Cincinnati area, a gripping story hit the front headline news on a daily basis which pretty much is playing out the last few days. Reading about the story makes you shed a tear. It definitely has for me.

Foster parents David and Liz Carroll along with their live-in girlfriend, Amy Baker reported that their foster child, Marcus Fiesel, was missing as they had gone to a park.

The concerned community came together, joining in a massive manhunt for little Marcus. The Carrolls even went on TV holding press conferences and demanding the return of Marcus. However it was going nowhere.

A few days later, the trio was charged with murder (upgraded from manslaughter) and inducing panic among with other slew of charges.

The string of events that led to the Marcus' death and how the Carrolls went about hiding it makes the story even more gruesome.

The story goes that the Carrolls and Baker left Marcus, bounded and locked in a closet while they went to a family reunion over the weekend.

Marcus, the blue-eyed boy, lived with a cute adorable smile, but his life was anything but happy. At age 1, he lived in a flea-infested home that reeked of mold and feces.

More than once, police had come to the house when Marcus' mother, Donna Trevino, called to complain about abuse from her boyfriend.

On one visit, the house smelled so horrible that police asked his mother where the animals were. There weren't any, she told them.

By the time Marcus was 2, police were still responding to domestic abuse at his mother's home.

Child welfare workers were also investigating complaints from Trevino about physical abuse, too.

As he approached his third birthday, a foster family in Clermont County offered Marcus a safe, new life away from the turmoil with his mom.

Unfortunately that transfer didn't offer any safe haven.

The 3-year old little boy who was left behind by his foster parents, didn't make it over the weekend. Cincinnati summers are humid and hot. And being locked in a closet for 3 days, without any food or water, he ultimately died.

Upon the family's return from the weekend celebration, they found the little boy's body.

The trio, as with any perpetrator, made up plans to hide their guilt. David and Amy proceeded to take Marcus' body to a remote area in a park and burn it repeatedly until it was pretty much gone. Then the Carrolls went to the police and public claiming that Marcus had disappeared while he was playing in the park with their own kids.

But the stories they made up didn't make sense. The police found doubt, and eventually the case was cracked.

The cases against the Carrolls went ahead. Liz Carroll was tried and convicted this week. David Carroll is to go on trial in a few days time.

And as for Amy Baker, she has been set free. The reason, is because she was offered immunity by prosecutors to testify against the Carrolls. But according to many sources, Ms. Baker's involvement in Marcus' death was more than what she is getting off for. The talk is that it was her idea to keep the boy behind, and also to burn his corpse. Liz Carroll, not an innocent bystander by any means, wasn't the main culprit here.

What makes me sick is that the prosecution isn't really using the law as it should apply. They know that Amy Baker was involved directly in Marcus' death, yet are letting her go. Now they are giving David Carroll about 15-20 years if he pleads guilty. And for Liz Carroll, who probably wasn't the main villian in the whole scheme of things is eventually going to end up dead in prison as she was sentenced to 54 years.

No, I don't feel sorry for her, as to me her maternal instincts should've known better what to do for Marcus instead of listening to her husband and girlfriend and leaving him in a swealtering closet over the weekend. What I don't agree with is the justice that is being done for Marcus. Two people involved directly with his death will be set free (one being already) one day, while one pays for their heinous act. To me all three should be given the maximum.

Sometimes these trials just don't make sense. I really wish there were prosecutors for prosecutors.

Regardless on how this case goes, no child should be made to suffer this way. I cannot understand how people can be so ruthless and selfish to sacrifice even a kid's life.

May God have pity on your soul, Marcus.

Blog Like An Egyptian (rather don't)

To all my fellow bloggers, just be happy that you live in a country that allows freedom of expression (or at least it seems so).

Today an Egyptian court sentenced Abdel Kareem Soliman, a blogger, to 4 years of imprisonment for criticizing the country's top Islamic institution, al-Azhar university and President Hosni Mubarak, whom he called a dictator.

He also called the institution "the university of terrorism" and accused it of suppressing free thought.

The university expelled him in 2006 and along with that pressed prosecutors to put him on trial. What's even sillier is that the whole trial lasted only 5 minutes.

So I wonder what would happen to me if we were that strict here, cause I've made fun of Dubya on my blog many a times, and rightfully so.

To Lead By Example

Usually when old nations or kingdoms went to war, the leadership, especially the king or queen would lead the forces onto the battlefield. Nowadays such examples are very rare, and are pretty much nonexistent.

Today, a part of the monarchy of the British people has decided to step into the battle front. Prince Harry has been called to duty into Iraq, and will join his fellow compatriots commanding a tank squadron.

Prince Harry graduated from Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy, last April and qualified as an armored reconnaissance troop leader in October.

In a statement made by the Prince last year, he said: "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country."

Well done Prince Harry! Keep yourself safe, and lead your nation. You are truly doing your duty. May God Save the Prince!

I'm King for a Day!!!

Or was rather!

Yesterday we had a Mardi Gras party at work. Not many places you will find those kind of parties at the workplace, but it was much more subdued than the celebrations you have down in New Orleans.

Well we had some Cajun-Creole food for lunch, and with that we had something called the King Cake. The King Cake, as some of you may not know, is a tradition that came to New Orleans with the French settlers around 1870, continuing a custom dating back to twelfth century France. Similar cakes were used then to celebrate the coming of the three wise men calling it the feast of Epiphany, Twelfth Night, or King's Day.

The New Orleans tradition is that each person takes a piece of cake hoping to find a plastic baby inside. The recipient of the plastic baby is then "crowned" King or Queen for the day.

As luck would have it, I found this teeny tiny plastic baby (as you see in the picture above) before I could bite into it. That wouldn't have been nice. Well when one of my co-workers found out that I had the baby, I was proclaimed to be "King of the Day". Sounded very pleasing to the ears. Was I to be a director or some other upper level management person for the day? Was I being given the permission to go home early that day?

Well, what I was told next really put me in a state of shock. I was told that since I was the King for the day, I would have to buy the cake for next year's Mardi Gras party!

Eh? So for becoming a "King" for the day, I get punished for next year??? I don't mind buying the cake, but c'mon, this is silly. What would be worse, is that I buy the cake next year, and find the baby again!!!! And one thing I noticed that a barrage of people went to get the cake AFTER the baby was found by yours truly! How fitting. As we say in Marathi (the Indian language I speak), "Mala Uuloo Banavla!" (I was made a fool!).

But really, if you were made "King" or "Queen" for the day, what would you do?

Do You Guys Have Nothing Better to Do?

First we went into Afghanistan to stop the rise of Al-Qaeda and remove the stronghold of the Taleban. Granted it was a worthwhile exercise, but it's still unfinished business.

Next we go after Iraq, cause Dubya wanted to accomplish his personal vendetta against Saddam. It worked with toppling Saddam, but the country is now in disarray and our men and women are being sacrificed for a senseless war. All excuses to go in were all but lies, and now there's no way of turning back from the mess we have created.

And now we have on the horizon, Iran. Yes our biggest enemy from the 1980's is rearing its ugly head by trying to enrich uranium, ultimately creating a nuclear device. A big threat in that Iran could supply this material to any terrorist faction and all hell could break loose is somewhat of a reality.

Now according to the BBC we are now finding out that the US government has put in a contingency plan to attack Iran, IF it doesn't yield to our demands. The attack could also be launched if there is a link between the terrorist activities in Iraq and Iran. Rightfully so, but this makes this 'war' a neverending battle. Quite sad.

So that brings me to the biggest question in regards to our current Middle East adventure......where did Al Qaeda go in all of this???? Wasn't that our main reason for the war on terrorism?

When the Land Down Under Goes Down Under

For the first time since the inception of the One-Day rankings for Cricket in 2002 the Australians are not on the top anymore. Thanks to England and New Zealand's sudden domination of the usual dominator, the Aussies slipped from the top spot as South Africa took over.

Australia's defeat to the Kiwis (NZ) couple days back was their fourth consecutive loss - the first such sequence since 1997 - and fifth in their last six matches. South Africa on the other hand, have been in stunning form, having won seven of their last eight ODIs. What's worse is that the Aussies are without their top 2 batsmen (Ponting and Gilchrist), on a respite before the World Cup, and 2 other stalwarts who are off injured, and still doubtful for the tournament.

This leaves the World Cup wide open. Just maybe. You never know with Australia. We have faves like South Africa, the current number one and all perinnial chokers; the West Indies, the home team but very unpredictable, and even India (who might do it this time around). But I have friends making comments (and know cricket more than I do) that New Zealand might pull it off. The other lot of England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka might have a chance, but I personally don't think so. And the other minnow teams....they are just that...minnows. Hmmmm.....let's wait and see.

Also, this March the Cup will be played on this side of the Western Hemisphere for the first time in the West Indies. So thank God we don't have to stay up during un-Godly hours watching a match. The only problem.....it's gonna be during work time!!! :(

Let's hope there are some desi (South Asians) managers at the clients sites!!!

When Comfort Food Gets Too Comforting....

With the snow and ice that's been blowing into Cincinnati the past 2 weeks,
you hope for some warmth in some fashion or the other. Cozying up to a significant other is a very good option. If you don't have one currently, like me, here's the next best option:

Comfort Food

Ahhh yes, food that "takes you away", sort of like those old Calgon commercials using the ever so popular catch phrase, "Calgon, Take Me Away". Actually that does bring me back to some old memories, which my mom used to use as a scare tactic when I was a kid.

Whenever my height of mischievousness went past those bearable limits, my mom would tell me that she would like to have "Calgon to Take Her Away". Mysteriously that commerical would come on the same time on the TV (maybe she knew the people working at the network; maybe I should ask). Mommie dearest being the closest thing to me, as usually sons are attached to their mothers, I started hating Calgon. I even used to complain to my father about it as if my mother was going to do something horrendous. I would turn off the TV when that commercial came on air. Eventually I grew out of those silly scare tactics. But I still wonder can Calgon really take people away?

Anyway, getting back to what I was writing about, comfort food. If you read my previous blog post about the Maggiano's dish me and my cousin created, I did realize that some of these foods are too 'comforting' for the body (as one fellow blogger pointed out with her comment). The alcohol-fat-carb laden dish was just too tempting to say no to, and it's a once in a while kind of thing that you have at home or even at a restaurant.

But, then again you do need to call upon these mind and soul saving foods just to elevate your senses. For me, chocolate is one. Can't resist it. I can't resist it at all! And those of course, are not good for you. And the same goes for ice cream. For some reason I detest a lot of Indian sweets. And the few that I like fall into that 'comfort' zone.

Well yesterday with the cold still lingering, I decided to cook up some of this magical stuff. Cajun was the fare. So I decided to make some etoufee. I had to cheat, as I wasn't going to go from scratch, and used some ready spice/rice mix where I had to add some ingredients to make it a dish. I guess I didn't read so carefully when I picked up the box, but when I was going through the process my eyes were bulging out of my sockets. It was asking for a stick and a half of butter!

My mind was in shock. Is this the way this dish is really made? Is this what they use in Louisiana? Is this what they dump in at restaurants??? What the f*@$!?!?!?!

To follow the 'rules,' so I wouldn't mess up the dish, I decided to cut back on the butter a bit, and crossed my fingers hoping I didn't screw it up. At the end all in all, the dish was fantastic.

So what was the deal for adding so much butter if it really wasn't needed in that capacity? No wonder our country has so many overweight people!

I guess it really depends on what we choose as to comfort us while in need. But I don't see people snacking on rice cakes, low-fat chips and other such marketed items for "comfort". And salads in the winter don't cut it. I guess we savor the stuff which we love to indulge in, and say, "Who Cares?" for that moment. It's for that moment you cherish it. Seduction by food is sensual indeed.

As it is, comfort food, can be too comforting.

Oops!...I Did It Again

Celebrity status is something one earns through many possible ways, be it through talent, a faux paux, or even being related to someone. Regardless on how you do it, maintaining that certain status is key to keeping you on that 'list'.

Right now pop-star/ex-teeny bop sensation Britney Spears is going through some transformation, mentally and physically. And those changes are certainly keeping her on the list, without singing or acting. Her list of odd choices continue to build up. I dunno what's going on in this poor girl's head, but she has to get some help, badly, if she's really going in and out of rehab. And to top it all off, she gets a haircut a la Sinead O'Connor. Maybe my Great Clips coupon would've been better off used by this guy (Phil Spector), or the guy in the story.

May God help Britney Spears!!!

The Iceman Cometh

No, I'm not talking about the play. I'm talking about the situation we are in over here in the Midwest, especially in Cincinnati. And the ice is already here. With the huge winter storm we've had over the past few days, daily life has changed for a lot of people.

For me working from home is an option at times, and it does save me the trip of getting caught into absurd driving related traffic delays. But I do like getting out of the house, as being at home causes distractions.

Well with the way things are right now, stepping out of the house gives you the feeling that you have stepped into something new. The tree branches are all ice filled (at least a 0.5-1 in. glaze) giving the look as if they are from some alien world. The beauty of these glistening arbores are a sight to behold, especially with the sun rays glowing through them. The beautiful reddish hue from the sunset makes even more of an impact as you witness this part of our nature's infinite allure.

But not all is fine and wondrous as it seems. The ice on the trees are causing many of the surrounding elements to be destroyed. House and car insurance claims are up. Tragically a 10 year old girl died while walking her dog, as huge tree branch fell on her. And power lines being down, have left thousands of people without electricity for days. It might even be by next week when that problem is sorted out. What makes it even worse is that we have sub-freezing temperatures keeping the ice intact, and also we are expecting more snow over the weekend.

Yipeeeeeee....more snow and ice to shovel! FYI...you people on the East Coast, enjoy as it's on your way! :P

INDIA RISING (cont'd)

As promised, I am posting the last two links to this documentary which was featured on the BBC last week.

Part Four: Can It All Hang Together? Is the new rapid rising economy in India causing a gap between the haves and the have nots?


Part Five: Debate A debate between social, industrial, and consumer experts on the rapid rise of India

For Valentine's Day

Poems on Love
------------------

Love adorns itself;

it seeks to prove inward joy by outward beauty.


Love does not claim possession,

but gives freedom.


Love is an endless mystery,

for it has nothing else to explain it.


Love's gift cannot be given,

it waits to be accepted.


- Rabindranath Tagore

You Do For Me, I Do For You

Being friendly, trustworthy, and understanding are three great ingredients in creating a great relationship, regardless if it is in love, friendship, or even business.

Being from the consulting world of the top 4 firms, such matters are of importance and they should be the top most priority for people like me to build rapport and in essence grow the business for our company.

The typical world of business exclaims, "The customer is always right", and rightfully so, if you are the service provider. But why is it so that the client can't behave to make things work right from their end as well? Is it that since the client is "KING" we have to bow down to his demands? There is no level of sanity at times, which ultimately drives you insane along with the process. As one of my good friends tells me, and to say this with some loss of dignity, "Consultants are glorified prostitutes". A bit harsh, but true nonetheless.

Mind you, not all clients are bad, and you sometimes meet one of the best people or group of people on earth. A mixed bag of fun I say! The dynamics of the field are just that.....DYNAMIC.

But this does bring me to the thought of a saying in Sanskrit which is still prevalent in Indian culture around the globe. The saying goes, "Athithi Devo Bhava". The translation basically means, "A guest is divine". Not to say that a consultant needs to be given that "Godly" status, but should be made to feel as if they are respected. In fact, if such is done, that respect is given back. It goes both ways.

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

Hmmm....if the world was so idealistic in such a way, maybe we wouldn't need those back scratching tools.

Maggiano's at the Gogwekar's

Ah, yesterday was a good day to bring back "not too old" memories and test my culinary prowess (yes I cook), as my cousin was over here in Cincy on a business trip. As he is a former University of Cincinnati alumnus, he pretty much used to come over to my place every other weekend.

On these weekends, we used to concoct delicacies which weren't typical in an Indian home (nor am I good in cooking Indian food mind you; can't compare to mom's cooking). He would help do the nitty gritty tasks (I guess you can call him the sous chef) and I put it together.

Yesterday on a frigid night, it was our try on Maggiano's Rigatoni "D" pasta dish. If you haven't had it, just think about Chicken Marsala put together with pasta. The taste just kept lingering on in my taste buds since I had this specialty from the Italian chain restaurant a few weeks back. So after some 'research' on the web (Google, is your friend), I found a recipe which fit the description off of the menu. And voila, the result was amazing! The 'cloning' experiment worked. Dunno if Maggiano's will sue me for copying their dish, but I must thank them for having such an item on their menu. Maybe a little more Marsala will give it more of a flavorful taste, but at the end, it's all good.

INDIA RISING

India's latest ascent as a major global player is something that is making a huge impact on the economy of the world. Being this new force, it is vital for the country's success in the future. As for those who do read my blog, they must have noticed that I do write about India's good as well as bad news. Being of that origin, my ties to the country keep me close to its future, and which can even affect me in some manner. I did mention about Mira Kamdar's book in an earlier post, which talked about the sudden rise of the country.

Pleasantly, this recent success of India has not gone unnoticed in the main media. The BBC World Service, which I do listen to regularly, is currently running a documentary about this phenomenon. It examines the recent boom and how it is transforming the population into a culture with greater spending ability. But are things as rosy as they seem?

I'm posting links here to the stories that are being featured in this series. You can go to the Beeb's site to download the podcast (GO GET AN IPOD IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE; WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR????), or listen to it online.

Part 1 : New Wealth The expanded ability of the general Indian consumer's spending habits.

Part 2 : India's Heart of Darkness A look into Bihar, and the unfortunate way people live in this state; Do listen to this, as I have, and it is very very sad to hear the conditions some of these people live in.

Part 3 : TV Nation The spreading of the "new" culture in India, via the tube.

I will post future updates in this series as they become available.

My Ode to Super Bowl XLI

On a chilly February night in Cincinnati,
not much was there to keep the warmth,
with the wind chills feeling like old man winter having no change in heart
but lo and behold, there yet was a celebration taking place
an annual finale
to mark a sports premier event,
who cares about the fireplace

many throw a party, with plenty of food to gorge
bets taking a plenty, while those nonchalant trying not to be the spoil sports

A game of firsts, historical indeed
with two African-American coaches, having never before attain this feat
This game took place in Miami-Dade,
heavy downpours, reminding some of a monsoon rain
the game was set with the high power offense of the Indy Colts
against Da Chicago Bears "D" as strong as a bolt,
then Devin Hester went all the way, on the opening kickoff
the game was underway

But Peyton and friends took the lead into the first half's end
Halftime entertainment came, with Prince Rogers Nelson
singing around a sign of a gender blend

The second half started, and Rex Grossman knew
it was up to him, to bring back the Chicago crew
But the Colts kept coming with veteran kicker
Adam Vinatieri
adding up the points, at a time with three
the game was going away from Chicago's D

then came the blow, on Grossman's throw
Kelvin Hayden ran it back, by then you could've said the lady who sang
was very fat
It ended on a nice note for Peyton, after previous years of misery
now an MVP
and for Tony Dungy, overcoming a personal tragedy
with a deserved win, basking in this glory

Now my neighbors up to my northwest are in the revelry of being Champions, joyful with glee,
but be aware, my hometown Cincy Bengals will be right there, hopefully next year,
just wait and see

Journalism: Outsourced

Over the past few years, as everyone knows, outsourcing has become the name of the game in IT, call centers, and other jobs as a cheaper alternative.

Well if you were wondering what the heck was that analyst in New York writing about in the stock market section today, think again. Your daily Reuters financial news for the States comes from the "Silicon City" of India, Banglore. Indian journalists are now the main story writers for what gets published on Reuters financial news articles.

However Reuters Editor-in-Chief, David Schelsinger, doesn't believe this is outsourcing. He claims that this is just another branch of the agency which can cover quick in and out stories related to financial news. I don't know who he is kidding (maybe himself) but I think he's forgotten the definition of outsourcing it seems.

Thanks to IT, a lot of this 'over seas' journalism can be taken to full advantage by these agencies due to low cost factors. It's no surprise that nationally known news media outlets have started to implement such changes into their common day functionalities.

Although journalism is being outsourced, the huge difference remains in regards to cultural norms. Indian English grammar and spellings are not so close to the American brand of the language. Such differences have been causing issues, and to 'correct' such problems, the otherwise adept Indian journalists are being re-taught English, American style. Yes, the Americanization of India continues.

Even with this said, the economy of India continues to flourish thanks to the internationally based investment into jobs like these. Many more jobs to follow......