Electronic Cigarette Hurt Too!!!

In America the latest fad among smokers who are trying to quit the habit is to smoke electronic cigarettes. These battery operated gadgets claim to have no health risk, sold in several flavors, and are advertised as being a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes. Unfortunately for a Florida man trying to use this option to give up smoking this didn't hold good. His electronic cigarette exploded in his mouth due to a faulty battery and he is now injured, disfigured, and suffering. I bet he will probably go back to smoking regular cigarettes... after all in his case that seems to be the safer option :).

'Just crazy': Up to 30 people fight at funeral

Funerals are solemn occasions where people usually remain in quite reflection and memories of the departed. I have not attended many funerals in my life because in my culture, people whose parents are alive are prohibited from attending one. My knowledge of funeral traditions in the American Judeo-Christian culture is that they are very solemn occasions of prayer and reflection.

Unfortunately one of the funerals in Arizona didn't happen to be like that. It became worthy of news, even though the departed was a common individual. How did it happen? Some of the mourners started fighting amongst themselves and the cops had to come and break up the scuffle. This happened in the Developed Western nation of America who claim to be the most advanced civilization on the earth.

Read More: 'Just crazy': Up to 30 people fight at funeral

A great new way to organize your life!!!

I am a very organized individual, I like to have everything classified into categories and in their right place where I can find them. Some of my friends call me a control freak but I am just particular about having all the things I require at hand. One of the things I had been struggling with was how to save and organize my favorite websites and online links. The bookmarks/ favorites toolbar in my browser is simply inadequate to cater to all my wide interests. I found out about clipix while browsing online and I am totally convinced that this tool will help me organize my life totally.

Clipix is an online organization tool, it is like having an ever expanding clipboard where you can continuously place the stuff you like, want to look at later or even would like to remember always. I love way clipix lets me organize my links I can create different clipboards for each of my interests, say I have a clipboard for my vacations, another for my school stuff, a separate one for the movies I'd like to watch, etc. I will never get disorganized with this tool.

I have started to clip my favorite sites, links, articles and other stuff that I want to have constant access to. I will share it with my friends and family so they know what I am interested in and if we share common interests they can clip the links too. That is what I call being super organized. You can see one of my clipboards below.

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Cars Cops Fear

In America your status in life is determined by the car you own, the house you live in and the clothes you wear. It doesn't matter if you are eye deep in debt, so long as you pay the minimum amount due on your credit card nobody bothers you. Miss a payment and everyone is after you to recover their debt and you will be on a downward spiral.

I found this article/ slide show titled Cars Cops Fear interesting. Cops in America have good cars and nice motorcycles but like in India their cars are simply not fast enough to out run some of the cars that fly on the roads here. At least cop cars here can out run most cars. The slide show lists a fleet of four wheelers that could easily outrun the fuzz. But in America it is not easy to run with these cars also, simply because not many people own them and cops will trace out the owner and ticket them.

Savings on Prescription Medicines at Walgreens

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As healthcare costs skyrocket the prices of prescription medications is also rising. There seems to be no way of getting around this price rise. Now with unemployment at 8.4 percent and continuing economic recession this high cost of prescription medications is hurting millions of Americans.

As a responsible pharmaceutical retailer Walgreens has come forward to do its bit and support the people and operate a sustainable business. Walgreens has a unique offering for those of you who depend on prescription medication for our daily health maintenance. The Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens enables members to save on over 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications. Just imagine the amount you will be saving over a years time if you are filling your prescriptions regularly. That is not members get discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic testing supplies.

If there are so many benefits you must be wondering that the membership must cost dearly. That is not true Walgreens is right now offering a special discount on annual membership for the Prescription Savings club. Your entire family including a spouse and dependents under 22 and pets are included in the club membership for just $35 a year. If you are a single person then the membership is only $20 for a whole year.

Membership rewards include bonuses on Walgreens products and photo services too. In this economy I don't think things can get any better. You can find out more by liking Walgreens on Facebook and of course if you follow Walgreens on Twitter you will be instantly updated about the latest offerings, schemes and discounts.

US, Taliban talks on prisoner swap?

I read this news article online on MSN.com titled US, Taliban talks on prisoner swap falter. I am amazed that America is even talking to Terrorists. These inhuman people should be eliminated and not negotiated with. The Taliban by far is one of the most cruel militias in the world and they pose a threat to the human race itself. They wouldn't bat an eyelid before taking the lives of innocent civilians including children and women. I don't think their cadres should be shown any mercy, let alone the respect they are getting from the most powerful country in the world.

I wonder why America is doing this. They should simply issue a counter threat: "For every American soldier killed in captivity by the Taliban, US will eliminate a 100 Taliban operators on field and in prison." This will ensure elimination of this nemesis on the earth. In order to establish civil society across the world, thugs like these should be taken out.

Healthcare Gap in US impoverishing families

Having lived in the US for over 4 years I have come to understand several nuances of this society and culture. The infrastructure such as roads, parks, libraries, sporting arenas, etc are astounding and accessible to everyone. These are important amenities for the citizens but there is one more important need that remains largely unfulfilled is healthcare. There is pretty much no government hospital in the US. If you are one of the 50 million odd people who don't have health insurance then god help you if you fall sick. A simple emergency room visit could run into couple of thousand dollars and that is serious money for the average middle class family in the US.

While browsing the internet I came across an article titled Iconic skier’s death points out U.S. health gap which gives some hard facts about the health gaps in the US. According to the article over 700,000 families file for bankruptacy in the US every year because of healthcare bills. This includes several senior citizens who don't have any income other than social security and savings, they end up having to sell/ mortgage their homes to pay medical bills.

When I studied psychology we were taught the Maslow's hierarchy of needs in which the most basic need for every living being is physiological needs and then followed by safety. The safety is addressed pretty good with a efficient law enforcement and defence sectors. But the physiological needs unfortunately is not being addressed by the society in the US. If you don't have money and/ or insurance you are simply doomed to lose everything in case you have a health emergency.

Your Messy Cubicle can win you $1200 Office Makeover!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you think your cubicle/ office space is the worst in the world? Can you prove it by making a video showing what makes it the most pathetic cubicle? If you can do it, you have a chance to win a $1200 office make over.

Yes it is true, you can enter the Pimp My Cube Contest on Contest Factory and if you are the winner you will get a $1200 office makeover. How do you go about it? It is pretty simple, all you need to do is to make a video of your office/ cube and explain to the world why it is a horrible place to work. The next step is to upload it on Contest Factory website and invite your friends, family and associates to login and vote for your video.

Everything you do on Contest Factory site will earn you sweepstakes entry points. Contest Factory judges will watch all the videos and select the grand winner as per their criteria which includes the maximum number of votes, best video and most compelling story.

Now for the prizes the grand prize is valued at $1200 and can be used to upgrade your office/ cube with one of the three packages that include: a brand new high end computer system, or new office furniture and decorations, or you could even get a high end entertainment package which includes a stereo, espresso machine, etc.

The contest ends on January 31, 2012. If you are worried that your video may not be the best to win $1200, there is a second sweepstakes prize of $200 gift card which will be awarded to a randomly chosen winner.

So now don't delay your contest entry, there is very little time but enough to make you a winner. As I said before just make a video of your pathetic office, upload it and invite everyone you know to vote for it. You may be the winner of $1200.

Happy Republic Day 2012

Image by Akshay Shah via Flickr

Today's is India's Republic Day - the day when India became a sovereign republic day with its own distinct constitution. India's Republic Day Parade is one of the most famous events that takes place in the Capital. I have never attended one in person but I have watched the live telecast on TV several times in my life when I was in India.

Next time I am in India I hope it is during this time so I can go to Delhi and watch the parade with my own eyes.