Free Web-based teleconferencing feature!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Speek. All opinions are 100% mine.

When technology is so advanced as here in the US it is often difficult for people to be physically present at meetings. Executives are increasingly multitasking while going about their daily lives. For example a busy executive may be driving his son to the football game and attending an important business teleconference call, else answering e-mail through a hand held device.

Innovative inventors are unleashing newer and newer technologies to speed up communications and increase convenience to end users. One such new tool to hit the market is Speek, currently in in private beta this is a FREE web-based teleconferencing system. The company is currently inviting users to register for private beta and evaluate their service quality. The unique selling proposition of this system is that the system will dial out to the participants. The system is compatible with land lines, mobile phones and voice-over-internet applications like Skype and GoogleTalk.

Speek invites all businesses, non-profits and other users to visit their website and get Free registration for the beta service. If you have been using teleconferencing facilities from commercial operators and paying hefty fees, here is your opportunity to get the same service for free. The biggest advantage with speek is the fact that it supports dialing to Skype and GoogleTalk also.

Rise in Marijuana Use among American Seniors

A strange and rather surprising trend was reported in today's news. The headline screamed out "Marijuana Use by Seniors Goes up as Boomers Age". These were the same folk who enjoyed the magic drug back in the 1960s and 1970s. Now they are back at it after retirement, to have some senior fun and relaxation.
I wonder if this is the example today's youth should be emulating? What will be the future of today's youth if the trend continues? During the 1960s and 1970s the communications and transportation was not so rapid. Drug trafficking was not so rampant, even if that generation was hooked on "grass" it was not this easy to get it, I suppose. Now with the proliferation of markets and easy availability of the drug and with so many senior people to emulate, I wonder what lessons the youth will learn when they read this article.
Too many questions and too few answers...

US set to allow guns inside national parks - The Boston Globe

I read a news report titled US set to allow guns inside national parks - The Boston Globe and this is quite a news. I am pretty sure that the happiest people as a result of this law will be in the state of Texas. Living here I have come to know that most native Texans love their freedom and their guns. This the land of cowboys and the wild west where not too long ago people survived by the law of "Who shoots first lives".

Personally speaking I would say this is indeed a victory to personal choice, but a defeat to humanity. Victory for personal choice to carry guns is sad because that means the crime in National parks has gone up forcing the authorities to enable visitors to arm themselves for self defense. Defeat to humanity because despite all this modern development, prosperity and improvement of quality of life people still resort to crime to make a living.

I wonder if we as humans are on retrograde motion. Humans are the only animals that can choose their actions and if crime is increasing that means more and more humans are giving up their thinking ability and just becoming like animals, grabbing what they want, whether it belongs to them or others. I wonder whether this madness will ever end.....



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Enjoy an Italian Weekend right here in the US

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love to travel whenever I get the opportunity: spring break, summer vacations, winter holidays, long weekends and any other time I have a few days on hand. One of my most favorite holiday hotspots within continental America is Branson, Missouri. Why do I love visiting Branson? The answer is pretty simple this is one location that offers something for every member of the family. This is one place that probably offers the largest number of live shows, concerts, and theater entertainment options. Some people call it the Live Music Capital of the world.

When we go to Branson the hotel of choice is of course either the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel or the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. I recently came to know that the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel is putting together this wonderful Italian Food Festival the last weekend of February. Titled Italian Culinary Weekend this event is scheduled to be staged from Friday, February 26 2010 through Saturday, February 27, 2010. Friday’s inaugural reception will feature antipasto and hors d’oeuvres paired with tongue tickling Italian wines. The most entertaining/ interesting part of the event is going to be on Saturday when participants will get an opportunity to try their hands at cooking their favorite Italian food.

Hilton is offering several wonderful packages starting from $429.00 (excluding tax and gratuity) for two. This is something that is not to be missed, especially since the package includes a five-course dinner and a goodie bag on Saturday. The only catch however is to make reservations before February 23, 2010.
Time is of essence if you want to take advantage of this opportunity. Go ahead and enjoy the Italian weekend, it is time for some post-valentine celebrations.

Amazing Giant Crystals

I came across this article titled The Mega Crystals of Naica Mine on Yahoo. The picture looked amazing hence I read the entire article. This is one place I'd love to visit and I am pretty sure every caver would love to explore. I have seen crystal caves in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in India but none of them this huge. These crystals are easily the largest in the world and it proves once again that nature is capable of wonders that human mind can't even imagine....



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Match-making based on your disease

I read this news article online and was pretty surprised at the way in which the human brain works. Apparently this dating website is aimed at hooking up people with same diseases. Hitherto dating sites attempted to match people based on their preferences, astrology, likes and dislikes, activities, etc. I guess this is the first time a site has been floated to specifically match people based on their ailments.
Interesting indeed, when your partner gets sick with a disease divorce him/ her so they can find someone with the same disease.

Shocking News: Parents Imprison Teen girl in bathroom

Every once in a while I come across strange and often shocking news, which illustrate the worse-than-beastly character of human beings. According to an article I read a 14-yr-old girl was imprisoned in the bathroom of a residence by her father and step-mother because she had allegedly stolen some food and cheated on a home school test. Locking her up, beating her with metal rods and making her exercise was the punishment. This has been going on for the past two months.

Come on guys she is 14 and as all teens are I guess she has a robust appetite. She must have eaten some food from the refrigerator between meals. Why home school her when there are wonderful schools in the US. For god's sake, you are not living in some underdeveloped sub-Saharan African nation. This guy is living in US of A, the world's richest nation. Same goes for food. Food wasted in the US can feed 27 small nations in the world. So there is absolutely no food scarcity.

I think this man is simply sick.. mentally ill. He and his wife should be safely locked up and the girl should be adopted by someone who really cares for her well being. But in this country where lawyers are more powerful than justice, will this happen?

Basic Travel Conveniences get a price tag!!!

I have seldom traveled in air. The longest air journey I have undertaken thus far in my life was when I came from my home country. Since then I have flown three times within the US, once each to California, New Jersey, and Detroit. Every time I flew I was offered a courtesy blanket and pillow to relax in the pretty basic economy seats. Today I read on MSN that one of the leading airlines in the US, American is going to charge a fee of $8 for this basic necessity.

Luckily this is only applicable for domestic flights. International travelers, specially my compatriots who have to endure the 14-18 hour flight will get these basic necessities without having to pay more. This is apparently an "economic decision"... of course to make more money at the passengers expense. In the recent decade more airlines have come into the market and hence large airlines like American had to drop prices. I don't know whether this price drop is hurting American or not, but I definitely understand that the financial guys are smart. They know how to make money on the sly and they will do it.

Fighting to Save the Whales

Most wildlife on Earth have become endangered species thanks to human greed. Most of these animals are consumed as food, medicine, clothes, etc in various countries. One such mammalian species that has been attracting attention is the Whale. In countries like Japan the whale is consumed as food and its oil is used in numerous applications.

There are several environmental groups that are fighting to prevent commercial whaling by Japanese ships. Recently there was a mid-sea collision of a Whaler and an activist ship off the coast of Antarctica. This is the second clash that is taking place this year. The whaler ships are quite ruthless in their operations, they just crash into opposing boats and try to sink them.

The activists on the other hand are quite dedicated and are willing to fight for their cause - saving the whales from being hunted. These people are mostly volunteers who are out there on the high seas with nothing to gain. I wonder when the human race will become responsible consumers of earth's resources.

Real Life Sleeping Beauty in Britain

How would you like to sleep for 13 days at a stretch??? I am quite sure lot of us would like to get some more sleep than we are getting now, but 13 days... that sounds a tad too much. I read about and watched a video about this British girl who is afflicted with a rare medical condition that makes her sleep for days at a stretch. It is so rare that only about 1,000 people in the world of 6 billion could have this condition.

Statuettes at Kimbell

Last Sunday we visited the Kimbell art museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Here are pictures of some interesting artworks in their permanent collection. There are many paintings in the collection, but I am interested in sculptures so I captured only those that appealed to me. I am not so enamored by European sculptures because in my opinion they are too boring. Sculptural art from South America, Africa and Asian countries are much more vibrant and interesting. There is some kind of intrigue, mystery, and rugged aesthetics.

Sculpture from South America

Sculpture from Africa

Visiting Kimbell Art Museum

Visiting museums in the US of A is usually an expensive affair, entry fees, parking, membership, etc... etc.. are associated with every art gallery/ museum. Of course most of these museums are state owned. Then there are few private collections of super rich Americans, which are accessible to everyone free. Kimbell museum in Fort Worth, Texas is one such free art space which is accessible to everyone. There are two collections one is a permanent collection and the other is the private collections. The permanent collection is free while the private collection is ticketed. We visited the permanent collection today.

Entrance to the museum

Mayan Sculpture on display in the Kimbell Museum

Blog About Bangalore

When I was back home in Bangalore I made an attempt to compile all the information about interesting spots around the city. One of the reasons was that there were too many people criticizing my home town as being a boring place with nothing interesting. I wanted to compile data and publish a book as a response to these nay-sayers. Something that never happened, perhaps my efforts were not true enough. Well I recently came to the conclusion that instead of just sitting on the data and pictures that I have collected I would just upload all of it online.
That led me to promote another blog titled "Our Bengaluru". It is right now has only few posts and very little information. So I have made it only on invitation. If someone wants to know more about the blog they need to write to me to provide them access to the blog.

Happy Republic Day 2010

It is India's 60th Republic Day tomorrow (January 26), of course Indians in Dallas already celebrated the event on Saturday. The true celebration and the fantastic parade of the Indian army can be seen on TV. It is one of the grandest events in the Subcontinent. I have never attended one of the parades personally but have watched it on TV for several years.
Due to the terrorist threats from across the border the security measures have been heightened in Delhi in the past few years. I wonder why our neighboring country which got its everything from our country is so hell bent on fomenting terror. It is ironical that they broke away from India and instead of becoming a richer, prosperous nation they have degenerated into terrorism, regional strife and poverty. While India though experiencing hostile neighbors in all sides, terror attacks from more than one neighbor, and numerous internal problems has tread the path of national development and is slowly but surely emerging as a economic power. I wonder when the fanatic neighbors will realize this and start improving the quality of life of their citizens.
Anyway for now it is a very happy Republic Day to all of you.

Three weeks into the new year....

The new year is usually time for resolutions and this time around people usually start wavering from theirs. Well as for me I have never made New Year Resolutions in my life and so this is not something significant. I did start on a new course in my career and life this new year, hopefully this will be a smooth transition into what I will ultimately be doing. Only time will tell whether it will be or not.

A New Beginning!!!

In the past 30-odd years of my life I have had a job for over 10 years. I have been working on odd jobs, freelance writing, etc... in short being self employed for sometime also. Since arriving in the US smack in the middle of the economic downturn I have been struggling to land a "proper job". The struggle continues...

The new beginning which I talk about in the headline of this post is a career switch. Something that I have done in the past but not something this radical. I have moved from being a graphic designer to a writer-editor but the industry remained the same publishing/ newspapers.

I will be starting a new course tomorrow. This semester will be aimed at providing me the necessary job-skills for a specific profession. I sure hope this new beginning will get me a step ahead towards my final goal. It is like Neil Armstrong said "A step on moon is equal to a giant leap to mankind" or something like that. Tomorrow's beginning I hope will be something like this.

Kashmiri Hindus Suffering Silently since two decades

Islamic Terror reared its ugly head in India way back in the late 1980s. It was masquerading in the guise of freedom fighters of Kashmir who wanted to separate the state of Jammu and Kashmir from the republic of India. It was and probably continues to be supported by the Muslim majority of the state.

On 19th January 1990, terrorism became so rampant that hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus didn't have any option but to leave their homes and become refugees in their own country. Their homes were plundered by marauding neighbors, Hindu men were killed mercilessly and women were raped and tortured in the most inhuman manner possible. The then ruling congress government instead of taking stringent military action against the terrorists told the Kashmiri Hindus to move to makeshift refugee camps in Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the country.

A majority of these refugees continue to live in these camps as refugees in their own country. The local and national government or the human rights agencies doesn't seem to be concerned about the plight of these displaced people.

Now across the world this day is being celebrated as the Kashmiri Hindu Exile Day I wonder when the world will stand up and take notice of the untold atrocities being inflicted upon Kashmiri Hindus by the Islamic terrorists in their homeland and the apathetic government in India. These people certainly deserve to be given their basic human rights.

Happy Makara Sankra & Pongal

Today is Makara Sankranti and Pongal Festivals, a festival that is associated with the movement from darkness to light. Today is the day when the sun begins its northward motion. When I was in India I didn't really bother to celebrate the festival to the fullest extant, but now being in the US there is little opportunity to participate. Moreover whatever one does the ambiance is never right here. A Hindu festival is best enjoyed in the land where it originated, i.e. Bharat/ India.

I can only make a resolution that next time I visit my home and if it is providentially during a festival I should participate complete in the celebrations. Here it is limited to customary temple visit, possibly eating out and maybe visiting some friends.

Neglected Hero Stones - Ignored History

For my school project I made a PPT on the ancient Indian tradition of installing Hero Stones in memory of those who sacrificed their life in defense of their community, village, kingdom or country. As I compiled the presentation I realized that I have a pretty good repository of pictures of different types of Hero Stones. I thought it would be a good collection to share on this blog.

Hero Stone in Tumkur district, Karnataka, India

Damaged Hero Stone in Tamil Nadu

Cold Wave Hits DFW

Today has been by far the coldest day in Dallas since I moved here two years ago. The precipitation was so high that there was black ice all over the roadways which resulted in couple of accidents. Our college closed for the day so as all the schools and few offices. Driving was supposed to be a pain in the metroplex... I was wondering how it would be in far northern parts of the US where it snows for 6 months and there is freezing temperatures.

Longest Car Jump on New Year Eve

I received a link to this video as an e-mail forward. This video shows the amazing dare devil car driver Travis Pastrana jumping 269 ft in his car to make a new world record on New Year eve. An amazing feat indeed, something that needs courage, confindence and of course a fantastic car... and youtube to make it popular in the internet.

Letter to Bill Gates - totally hilarious

I received this Banta Singh joke as an e-mail forward and thought I'd post it here. This is completely hilarious and only a totally innocent and naive individual can think so much out of the box. The writer of the joke displays a child-like innocence in this letter to Bill Gates.

Dear Mr. Bill Gates,

We have bought a computer for our home and we have found some problems, which I want to bring to your notice.

1. There is a button 'Start' but there is no 'Stop' button. We request you to check this.

2. One doubt is whether any 'Re-scooter' is available in system? I find only 'Re-cycle', but I own a scooter at my home.

3. There is 'Find' button but it is not working properly. My wife lost the door key and we tried a lot trace the key with this 'find' button, but was unable to trace. Please rectify this problem.

4. My child learned 'Microsoft Word' now he wants to learn 'Microsoft sentence', so when you will provide that?

5. I bought computer, CPU, mouse and keyboard, but there is only one icon which shows 'My Computer': when you will provide the remaining items?

6.. It is surprising that windows says 'MY Pictures' but there is not even a single photo of mine. So when will you keep my photo in that.

7. There is 'MICROSOFT OFFICE' what about 'MICROSOFT HOME' since I use the PC at home only.

8. You provided 'My Recent Documents'. When you will provide 'My Past Documents'?

9. You provide 'My Network Places'. For God sake please do not provide 'My Secret Places'. I do not want to let my wife know where I go after my office hours.

Regards,
Banta


P.S.
Last one to Mr. Bill Gates: Sir, how is it that your name is GATES but you are selling WINDOWS?

Protect your iPhone, iPod and BlackBerry devices

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Pexagon Technology. All opinions are 100% mine.

I just read online that in the last quarter alone over 8 million iPhones were sold. I am pretty sure an equal number of iPods and BlackBerry devices were also bought by enthusiastic youngsters and geeks. Well these devices are by no means cheap or sturdy, these are delicate darlings in electronics.

After investing 100s of $s I wouldn't want my iPhone to fall and get damaged. But most protective cases/ boxes are bulky and take away the style quotient that surrounds the device. This was the case until recently and iPhone enthusiasts were risking their devices by handling them without protective cases.

The New Year comes with new innovative products, the first of them being personalized Apple & BlackBerry cases. These cases cost a mere $5 and protect your investment with style. The new cases are available in multiple colors and the manufacturers are offering FREE personalization and it gets even better, the shipping and handling is also FREE.

For a small sum of $5 you can get a personalized case for your iPhone 3G or for a BlackBerry Curve 8300, shipped free to your home. These cases are made out of resilient silicone rubber or plastic for apple while the BlackBerry cases are made of silicone. The rear end of the case will be have your name/ text/ logo engraved. The best part of the deal is that there are no minimum order requirements, you can order only one for yourself and it will cost you only $5 for the case, personalization and shipping.

Currently cases are available for the following BlackBerry® devices Curve™ 8300 and 8900; Bold™ 9000 and Tour™ 9630. Cases for iPhone 3G/3Gs
and iPod touch 2G are available. This product promises to become the hottest accessory of 2010.

Happy New Year 2010

Today is the first day of the New Year 2010 and the second decade of the 21st century. The next few decades will be momentous in terms of the direction they are going to steer the world. Whether the world will be a peaceful place or a turbulent strife-torn land mass will be decided in the next couple of decades. Whether global warming will pose greater threats to human existence or whether new technologies will help rejuvenate the earth's biosphere, time alone can answer.

I would simply say enjoy the present with what you have because the future may turn out in any way and we may not enjoy what we can today.

Movie Review: Venkata in Sankata

Laughter all the way
Cast: Ramesh Arvind, Mukhyamantri Chandru, Umashree and others;
Director: Ramesh Arvind

All through my college days I would hear about the loss of quality in the Kannada cinema. I was never a big time movie watcher and hence it didn't do much to change my opinion. Now after coming to the US I actually started watching movies of all types, primarily out of boredom. Being a poor student I can't afford to do many of the cool things such as bowling, going to the movies, eating out, etc. So what is the best form of entertainment. Yes watching movies on youtube. As I watched English, and Hindi movies I decided to look for recent Kannada movies and watch them.

Yesterday I watched this notoriously hilarious Kannada movie Venkata in Sankata. Out of the 2 hr 21 minutes, if I said I laughed for 2 hrs it would not be false. The movie is completely funny and every scene has a bit of humor. Ramesh is a great actor and he has proved that he is a great director too.

The movie traces the professional life and adventures of police sub inspector Venkata whose fate always seems to be against him. His colleague somehow always seems to take credit for his actions and a frustrated Venkata is yearning to do something about it.

There is a terrorist attack in the city and Venkata is assigned the case. The way he goes about doing it and win forms the gist of the story. In between there is the heroine and few songs which add the necessary "oomph" factor to the movie. Even without these added gimmicks the movie is a good entertainer.

If you have lost hope about Kannada Cinema, watch this and I am sure you will change your opinion.

Post Christmas Slump

Yesterday was Christmas with lots of snow and ice and most shops were closed after heavy festival sales. One would naturally expect the sales to continue through new year. But today's shoppers got a rude surprise when they hit the stores... the prices were back to their highs and only the clearance items were cheap and low priced. American retailers sure know how to get customers into their stores and make them spend more than they expected to.
At least it is good for the economy, someone is making money.

Christmas Snow

This is the first snowy Christmas in the past 3 years that I have been here. It started off as a mild rain yesterday morning and soon turned into a snowfall and by nightfall it was a full blown snow fall. The roads were covered with a carpet of snow and it was dangerous to drive.

Online Knowledgebase

The internet is a huge repository of information. How much of it can be considered knowledge is a big question. General searches will throw up millions of websites that contain related data. It is very difficult to find authentic, relevant and correct information/ data/ knowledge on the subjects we are searching for. Looking at this chaos entrepreneurs have come up with their solutions. One of the recent developments is the springing up for websites which contain articles on various subjects.

For example a search on Health Weight Loss would yield thousands of responses on a search engine. But by visiting this dedicated site which contains articles by experts on the related subject it would be lot easier to find the information we are looking for.

One might argue that there are so many websites that contain articles on all subjects, what is the big deal about another one that is joining the web. Well I agree that there are several websites that features articles on various subjects but how many of them feature articles that are written by experts? How many feature articles with references and further reading on the research?

These are some of the things one needs to look for while looking up for an article base on the internet.

Vistas of Meteor Crater

Yesterday I blogged about our visit to Meteor Crater and how the private owners have created a swank shopping and educative space in the desert. This is a very successful business model which benefits the individual, visitors and the government. The individual owner of the property preserves, maintains, and promotes the place. Visitors get the opportunity to learn about meteors and other space phenomena and the government gets its taxes. It is a win-all situation from all aspects.
Here are some more pictures of the Meteor Crater. I wish they would allow visitors to go down into the depths of the crater, but since they have done some mining in the past looking for precious metals at the site of the meteor fall, they are little wary of letting people inside the crater. For now visitors have to content themselves looking over the rim of the crater and the museum does offer some guided hiking tours which take visitors half-way round the crater.

Meteor Crater, Arizona

Meteor Crater in Arizona is one of the largest craters in the world formed as a result of impact of meteor showers. Surprisingly this crater is not a government owned national monument, but a privately held museum which offers tours, and allows visitors to look around for a fee. One good thing though is that the private owners of this crater have not modified it or exploited the land for commercial purposes. The location continues to be one huge crater located amidst the rugged desert/ arid state of Arizona in the US. This location has been used by the NASA to train astronauts in the past. There have been allegations that the original moon landing by Neil Armstrong, et al was a hoax and that it was filmed here. I don't know about those conspiracy theories, all I know is that I visited this huge crater and stood on its periphery. The attached exhibition is a great place to learn about space explorations, meteors and comets. It would be a great place to take kids to educate them in a fun filled way about space.

Holidays are here, are you ready to make tantalizing Gravy?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Club House. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every year during Christmas season many women and men get stressed out on a seemingly inconspicuous part of the festivities. These people are worried about making good gravy which is a very integral and tasty part of the traditional Christmas meal. What is the big deal about making Gravy? It is a big deal because making gravy from a scratch is a very time consuming and tedious process. Sourcing the right quality ingredients in the correct quantity can be quite stressful.

I was watching a gravy tips video which provides amazing hints about how to save time and still make the best possible gravy for this festival season. For all those who are worried about their Christmas feast I recommend you watch this educative and entertaining video before you start your cooking. I am sure you will feel relieved at the end of it.

When there is a problem, there is bound to be a solution. The solution in this case is to use some readily available raw materials to prepare gravy. I am talking about the Club House Gravy mix which gives the option to add roast drippings and make great gravy. This is one of the most dependable mix with which you can make wonderful gravy which will be cherished the memories of your family and friends.

This year there will be no tension about preparing the Christmas meal because Club House Gravy mix is here and your cooking time will be greatly reduced. Club House Gravy products bring out their periodical newsletter which offers tips to culinary enthusiasts on cooking and also a contest has been announced on their website. Winners get fabulous prizes, so don't wait just log on and visit the newsletter sign-up and contest entry page. You never know, your lucky day might be just here.

Walnut Canyon: The Grand Finale

I have posted three blogs about Walnut Canyon and I am pretty sure some of you may be quite irritated about it. Anyway here are the final set of pictures I would like to share with you all about Walnut Canyon, next we will talk about Meteor Crater in Arizona, which is famous among many "Moon Landing Fake Theorists" as the location where the entire moon landing was filmed. Anyway that will come later, for now let us look at few more pictures of Walnut Canyon.

Walnut Canyon continued....

The ancient peoples that lived in Walnut Canyon continue to haunt me and I would like to write a little more about them. Looking at their homes, and the surroundings I would conclude that they lived in perilous, hostile and rough areas. The Canyon was surrounded by wilderness and they pretty much built homes on the steep slopes of the canyon. Far below in the valley bed is the flowing river which is the only source of water for these people. To get their regular meal they had to struggle and work hard cultivating corn and hunting in the wilderness. Water had to hauled up from the stream below. I am sure the community lost some of its members because of accidents, they would have just fallen off the path into the ravine and gotten washed away in the river.
Anyway coming back to this post I would like to present some pictures of the steep slopes where the homes were built. A cursory look at the image would not reveal any dwelling/ construction. This I guess provided them a natural camouflage. Look at the pictures and see if you can identify any of the ancient homes.

Views of Walnut Canyon, Arizona

I introduced Walnut Canyon in my previous post and how it was a thriving settlement of Native Americans during the 1200s. In this post I would like to present images of the buildings in which these early peoples lived. The way they innovated and used natural rock surfaces as walls and roofs and built just one wall to create a home amidst the most hostile and precarious surroundings. Here are a few examples of the homes and dwellings of Native Americans in the Walnut Canyon of Arizona.

Arizona's Walnut Canyon

When I was in India America/ US meant couple of things such as New York, Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, etc. Till the time I landed here I hadn't known that there exist several natural, historical and heritage locations in this country. I got first hand knowledge about this conglomerate of states when I first traveled from Los Angeles to Dallas stopping at several interesting locations enroute.

One of the locations we stopped at was Walnut Canyon, a narrow and deep gorge like valley in the middle of Arizona. This was the site of large native American settlement as recently as 1200 CE. These native Americans were either killed or forced out of their location by invading immigrant Europeans, let us not get into that for now. Today Walnut Canyon is a national park and preserved location. The pre-historic dwellings, artifacts and other heritage items have been protected and signage installed to educate visitors about the location. Here are a few pictures of the Walnut Canyon and the ruins found there.

Visual Travel Guides!!!

Travel guides traditionally have been books, then came the era of VHS, then CDs and the internet. PDF downloadable guide books were next and then there are Blogs, websites, promotional webpages etc hit the market in a big way. But now the latest product to hit the market is Visual travel guides from Magellan. The USP of these guides is that travelers can get the real feel of a place before they decide to go there. If after seeing the Visual Travel guides don't appeal to anybody they will not visit that destination. These guides come at a price though, for $20 you could visit a popular city like San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and many other places. This may well be the next wave of travel publications.

Painted Desert and Petrified Forest

Arizona in the US is quite similar in terrain to the cold Himalayan desert region of Ladakh in India. One national park I particularly liked in Arizona is the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest national park. This is one place where nature's beauty and power of transformation along with the human destruction can be seen vividly. The park features colorful hills formed by flooding, then we can see trees turned into stone of myriad colors and textures. Then lastly we can also see how humans have destroyed several of the natural heritage by cutting them and carting them off for private and commercial uses.

Colorful hills in the Painted desert

Cross section of a petrified wood block

Blocks of petrified wood strewn around in the desert

Cold, boring but hectic winter days

The best thing about blogs, they just keep going. Hence I continue to blog about what's happening in my life even if it is most boring even for me to write about. I have been raving and ranting about winter and how the cold windy weather is preventing me from getting outdoors and doing something. Something good about winter though is that there is a lot of part time/ temp jobs available... so I am at least able to make some money during the holiday season... I hope the job streak continues into spring and summer....

World's Friendliest Countries: A Rigged Survey???

I found this news article on MSNBC. I must say that I am quite sure that this survey doesn't reflect the ground reality of the state of nations across the world. I say this because I have several questions about the survey. The study was conducted with only 3,100 respondents, in a world of 6 billion people, and several million living as expatriates in various countries this number is just too small to be of consideration. Second even among the nations studied the number of respondents differed. For example only 35 respondents were surveyed in Bahrain (ranked 1), while more than 450 people were surveyed in UK.

The media is calling the results surprising, but I call it fixed for one of the two reasons. Either HSBC has some vested interest in promoting Bahrain as a great country for expatriates or someone among the researchers want to aggressively market Universal Healthcare proposed by Obama Administration. Most of the respondents from Bahrain praised the public healthcare system highly.

Save on Name Brand products!!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

The festival-holiday season is coming up. Are you wondering about how to buy all the name brand stuff for your kids, loved ones, and family? The economy is down and money is tight, but there are opportunities to save and celebrate well. There is a new auction site Bidazzled, where one can buy name brand products for 80% off of the retail price.

The unique features of this website is that there are no winners and losers in this auction. If you lose the auction you get a 50 bonus bids as a note of thanks. If you don't have the patience to bid and wait for the auction to get over you can purchase the items for lesser price also. In case you win and decide that you don't want the product, Bidazzled will make an offer to buy it back for cash (paypal or check). Last month two participants won Nintendo Wii's with just 5 free bids.

Still unsure how this whole auction thing works? Let me do something for you I will give you 15 Additional Bids, until January 15. All you need to do is to enter this code (BBP1202A) on the registration page, there is no obligation or cost of any kind.

Apart from all this to encourage you to spread the word among your friends Bidazzled has started a lucrative Viral Referral program too. Here is how it works
*A refers B. A receives 5 Bonus Bids
*B refers C. A receives 4 Bonus Bids
*C refers D. A receives 3 Bonus Bids
*D refers E. A receives 2 Bonus Bids
*E refers F. A receives 1 Bonus Bid.

Are you all excited? Just go to Bidazzled and get your stuff for the holiday season. Hurry you might miss some great goodies if you delay.

Fall and Winter chills!!!

Image by brewbooks via Flickr

It is that time of the year when I regret being in Dallas. It doesn't snow and transform the surroundings to milky white complexion, the sun never shines through the misty, foggy and cloudy atmosphere. The trees shorn of leaves and brown grass make the already bleak scenery appear duller. There is nothing one could do during the fall other than go out and eat. Winters in Dallas are punishment for outdoor lovers like me. Three more months of pain before I can go out and enjoy activities... unless there is a sudden miraculous burst of sunshine, which can happen in Dallas.
Most outdoors people in Dallas survive the winter with this hope that there will be some days in between which are warm and sunny...

Online Education - The Way Forward

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

To remain ahead in our career it is important that we get trained and retrained so that we keep abreast of the latest happenings in the job marketplace. Often times it is necessary to go back to school and take some classes to equip ourselves with new skills to advance our career at the work place. With a full time job and family most people find it difficult to go to school. The best solution for these people is online education.

I recently came across this superbly interactive online education course which combines theoretical knowledge with on-the-job experiences. The program information says that it is being offered by the USC Rossier School of Education. The school's MAT@USC is a great place for teachers offers both current and aspiring to earn a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree. The best part of this offer is that one can set their own schedules for classes and study, because the entire program is online.

There are several perks of studying online at USC, the first thing being the program being online and accelerated so what would take 2 years in a traditional brick and mortar classroom setting, you will complete in just 12 months. They have a tuition reimbursement program to help you to pay for college.

Well what is so great about USC you might ask. For starters what does the fact that USC has been ranked #22 in the US and #9 among private universities by the US News and World Report? Impressive! The school has been teaching teachers since the past century. The school is extending all the benefits and status of regular full time students to its online students also, including free lifetime Alumni Association memberships.

I would say this is a great opportunity for anyone who wishes to become a teacher. Explore the unlimited learning opportunities at USC and advance your career.

Snow and Ice Heralds Winter in DFW

The weather in Dallas is quite similar to Delhi, searing hot summers and freezing cold winters. It rarely snows and usually towards the end of winter sometime in January/ February. This year was an aberration, it snowed this morning. I woke up to see the roofs and lawns of our apartment swathed in white powdery snow. The cold and white brought memories of my stint in the Himalayas rushing back to my mind. I smiled as I thought of those footloose days when I would just quit the job and head off to enjoy the unending mystic of the snow capped Mountains. It was so easy to land a job those days. Today the picture is quite different... almost a decade older, with lot more responsibilities... my life has certainly changed....

A Not-so-Happy Thanksgiving

This is the festival season in the US and this year the cheer has not been very high. Yesterday was Thanksgiving day and today is the much acclaimed Black Friday. Retailers and corporations across the country gear up for this one day of extensive shopping by consumers. A phenomenon which did not happen today, at least not as much as it happened last year or the year before.

The economic downturn which resulted in massive job losses is starting to show its effect on retail industry as well. People simply can't afford to buy as they used to in the past. I wonder whether the US as a nation and the people will learn from this economic downturn and save. It would be interesting to see where America heads in the next half-century. With so many threats looming for this "immigrant nation" including that of home grown Islamic terrorism (the Fort Hood Shootout is a classic example) and the Iraq and Afghanistan war, it is definitely the stage where the world's drama will be played out.

Charter's Smashing End-of-the-year offers!!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter Communication. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of things I love about Charter communications is their creativity in coming up with new and innovative deals and offerings. Since the past two years Charter has been one company which has been giving away fantastic gifts such as a HDTV every day, a brand new eco-friendly Toyota Prius for greenhorns and a fancy 2010 Chevy Camaro 2SS for the speedsters, for the gaming aficionados Charter gave away Xbox 360s. It is a wonder that this company gave away expensive prizes even in this economy.

As the year comes to an end Charter has decided to make one big bang before the year comes to a close. There are two easy ways to win great deals on charter cable, internet and phone services. There are gift cards and special deals which would enable you to win really cool prizes.

Check out this snazzy Thanksgiving offer, starting Black Friday and going on through Cyber Monday, Charter is offering $200 gift cards for those who sign up for their special online deals. The gift cards are from major retailers, clothing, home, accessories, electronics and even restaurants. This would save you money during the festivities.

The specials don't end on Monday, they are just beginning and will continue through the next 38 days. Every single special deals and prizes and great gifts will be given away to Charter customers. So if you want prizes you need to check out Charter’s Daily Deal Web Site
more often. Prizes and gifts include iPods, camcorders, TVs, GPS units, webcams, photo frames and lots more. There are lots of Big Love and Entourage box-sets too.

If you think that visiting their website everyday is a hassle then just become a fan of Charter on Facebook and you will be kept updated of all the new deals, offers and gifts. Now is this enough reason to celebrate or are you still waiting for something magical from Charter???

Volunteer and help Exotic Cats in Texas!!!

I had blogged about Insync Exotics, a non-profit organization based out of Wylie, Tx which is working towards providing safe, decent, and healthy homes to abandoned, ill treated and diseased exotic cats. I volunteered at this place on two occasions and though I would like to do more the paucity of time has prevented me from spending more time working with these regal cats. I do hope that sometime soon I will be able to make the time to volunteer at the shelter.

Anyway yesterday I got an e-mail from the volunteer coordinator which I would like to append for all my readers so if any of you are free you could help out.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!!

In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and care of abused and neglected exotic cats. We are building three new enclosures for several of our cats and need people willing to help with construction. All materials and equipment are supplied; you only need to bring yourself - and any willing friends! This is a great opportunity for service groups or individuals looking to meet community service requirements or simply wanting to be involved in something great!

For more information about volunteering or to make a donation, feel free to “take a tab” and give us a call or visit our website at http://www.insyncexotics.com or call on 972–442-6888

Fantastic iPod/ iPhone Acessory

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ever since I bought the iPhone I have fallen in love with the gleaming electronic gadget which offers a world of possibilities. Prior to getting the iPhone I was of the firm belief that phones are for talking and there is no need for other features. All this changed after I set my eyes on the iPhone. When I first handled a friends iPhone I was totally impressed by its games, movies, internet, and other facilities.

In a matter of few days I bought one for myself and now me and my iPhone are simply inseparable. I use the iPhone for everything, talking, e-mail, internet browsing, games, videos, listening to music, radio, etc. The possibilities are simply endless. If at all I want something more from the iPhone, it would be greater volume for its sound applications.

This gap is effectively being filled up by the Yamaha PDX-60 Speaker Dock, which comes equipped with he yAired (tm) wireless technology. According to what I read about this new gadget, it connects with the iPhone/ iPod seamlessly and instantly. There will be no buffering or delay in the sounds and the quality will be the same deep, rich bass. Another great feature is its dual charging facility which means that both iPhone and iPod or two iPhones can be charged at the same time.

I am simply enamored by the brand new Yamaha PDX-60 and definitely look forward to check it out soon.

Book Review: Wanna Study in the U.S. 101 Tips to get you there!

Guide to US-bound students
Wanna Study in the U.S.? 101 Tips to get you there! by Natasha Pratap; Rupa & Co, Price: Rs.395; 302 pp

According to recently published US student enrollment statistics, India has surpassed
China as the No.1 country of origin for foreign students in American universities. Last year (2000-09) the aggregate Indian student population enrolled in institutions of higher education (95,000) topped the Chinese total. With a large and growing number of Indian students hell-bent on pursuing at least a part of their education in the US, this aggregate number is expected to grow by 20-25 percent annually. But making it into the US of A for higher study is easier said than done. With half the third world’s population fleeing communism, socialism, dictatorship and plain socio-economic mismanagement, aspiring to enter this fabled land of opportunity, the US immigration and naturalisation service is working overtime to keep out the scrambling hordes – especially after 9/11. Unsurprisingly the admission process is tedious and difficult questions are raised about adequacy of funding. Visa procedures too have become complicated.

For the swelling number of hopefuls fleeing India’s dumbed down institutions of higher education, Natasha Pratap’s maiden book Wanna Study in the US? 101 Tips To Get You There! is a boon. This easy-to-read volume written in simple English is a comprehensive compendium of accurate information and useful guidelines to students and professionals on ways and means of accessing American universities and institutions of higher education. “There is so much to be gained from a US education, that I continue to be grateful for it every day. Studying in the US is about pushing your boundaries: academically, intellectually, geographically and emotionally. The best thing is fearlessness and confidence I developed from my own experience. Choose to study in the US because it is better. Go because you will be the better for it,” writes Pratap an alumna of the blue chip Cambridge (UK), Stanford and Boston universities.

The merits of this chatty and unapologetically how-to book apart, a striking achievement is that she has persuaded Mukesh Ambani, chairman & managing director of the telecom, textile, petroleum and IT behemoth, Reliance Industries Ltd to write the foreword. “All these years, information on studying in the US was limited to a privileged class of Indian students, by virtue of their advantaged school, teacher and peer group environments. This book would democratise this advantage to a much wider cross section of Indian students,” says Ambani, himself a Stanford alumnus.

Though the information, data and procedural guidelines provided in this deliberately casually titled book is by no means novel, the fact that it has been collated, sorted and compiled into a one-point, well-laid out compendium is its unique selling proposition. “When friends asked me questions on their applications or essays I realised that what seemed obvious to me was not to others. Book stores in Mumbai had little information on the application procedure, and even prospectuses of colleges say little. The internet is too vast and some information is misleading. Since I had experienced the system first hand I decided to write this book,” says Pratap explaining her motivation to write this valuable guide.

Though the author claims to have completed this comprehensive volume in just seven weeks, this 302-page compendium is well organised into 11 main chapters each offering valuable nuggets of information and advice. The main chapters are: top 10 reasons to study in the US; 101 tips on the application process; scholarships from Indian sources; visa Q&A in consultation with the US Consulate, Mumbai; interviews with Stanford and Harvard university heads; application datelines; a special section for parents titled ‘heart to heart with indian parents’ among others.

Particularly useful is the chapter which includes the essays (SoPs) of Indian students which dazzled admission evaluators of blue-chip universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Columbia. The essays are discussed and dissected with the plus and minus points highlighted. “Many applicants tend to borrow SoPs from others and then modify it (sic). You may not be exposed to the kind of introspection and writing that applications to US universities demand. For many, the idea of writing itself is overwhelming and the nature of the questions makes them apprehensive. By including the essays of people who have gone through the process and written everything themselves, I want to illustrate that the task at hand may be different, but is not incredibly difficult,” explains the author, no mean correspondent herself who has written for publications such as The Asian Wall Street Journal, The Economic Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express, Mid-day, Verve, Man’s World and Elle.

The overwhelmingly major preoccupation of Indian students aspiring to education abroad – scholarships and bursaries – is also addressed. There seems little awareness that the natural instinct of institutions of higher education in the industrialised nations is to levy higher tuition fees on foreign students than payable by natives. Nevertheless there is widespread belief that scholarships are available in plenty. Wanna Study provides a list of trusts and foundation which offer (usually grudging) scholarships and bursaries to merit students.

Though a useful guide to the growing number of students driven to foreign universities by the abysmal and declining Indian institutions of higher education being relentlessly dumbed down by politicians and educrats, the publication and reportedly enthusiastic reception to Wanna Study is a wake-up call to Indian academia. That a rising number of Indian students are ready to pay relatively huge tuition and residential costs abroad and endure the rigours of incrementally humiliating visa and admission processes is a severe indictment of India’s higher education system. Quite evidently Indian educationists and academics need to get their act together and canalise the huge annual outflow of hard currencies into their own cash-starved institutions. But this requires the practice rather than mere preaching of excellence in Indian academia.

Canadians: $20,000 Kitchen Makeover can be yours!!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dr. Oetker. All opinions are 100% mine.

How would you like to win a $20,000 Kitchen Makeover??? Imagine what all you could add to jazz up your kitchen with $20,000. It is easy to enter this contest, there is not entry fees or forms to fill in. All you have to do is to pick up a PIN from specially marked packages of Cass Di Mama Pizza and enter it in the website. Lo you will be automatically entered into the Dr. Oetker Kitchen Makeover Contest, the best thing about the contest is that there is no limit to the number of PINs you could enter. The more you enter the higher your chances of winning are.

Don't worry if you don't win the $20,000 grand prize you could walk away with one of the eight second prizes which include Whirlpool appliances: a fridge/ freezer, freestanding electric range, dishwasher and microwave. Then there are 2,000 consolation prizes which is a Cass di Mama Pizza or a pizza cutter. Like all other good things this contest too has some limitations. The first is that it ends on January 4, 2010. Secondly it is open only to Canadians.

While entering the contest it would be a great idea to become a member of Savoury Moments. The membership will entitle you a periodical newsletter full of fun information, more contests, tips and great savings.

Personally speaking the first thing I'd do with the $20,000 kitchen makeover would be to install fancy new counter tops, appliances and of course a large new refrigerator. This would give my kitchen a new look and also help me cook faster and better.

Movie Review: Mandinga

Slavery, Sexploitation and Incest

I would never have come across this flic if not for youtube's new movie channel. This a movie about the slavery era of United States of America, when being a white man was the most privileged status one could aspire for. The movie starts off with the arrival of the sister-in-law of a plantation owner from England. The guest's sister had died mysteriously and she pretty much comes to take her place in the plantation. The plantation owner as like every other white man lusts after the female slaves, though black and considered beneath animals.

One such slave girl is the virgin daughter of the chief of Mandinga tribe. A group of hardy, strong and supposedly exotic black people. She is raped by the plantation owner and predictably becomes pregnant and delivers a baby. The infant is hidden away by the other slaves who fear that the owner might kill it. Despite a long winded search the owner is unable to find the baby.

Meanwhile the white woman is lusting after slave men to satisfy her carnal cravings. A few years pass and the only son of plantation owner, Clarence, returns from England after completing his education. The white woman immediately latches on to him and starts a torrid affair with him. Clarence while at the market meets the daughter of the pastor and promptly falls in love with her and decides to get married. A fact detested by his aunt and paramour, who is awaiting for revenge.

The newly wedded bride gets pregnant and delivers a bonny baby boy but the infant is black and not white. This confounds everyone and they all decide that she has indeed cheated on her husband and hence a black child was born. Clarence returns and what takes place forms the crux of the story. If you can digest watching the gory sex scenes and sights of a woman forcing herself on a imprisoned man you will get to the part when the plot is revealed.

The movie is one of the several C grade flics churned out from Hollywood and clearly exposes the desire of white people to show off their superiority. Even the slave girl who is raped is supposed to be the daughter of a chief, a princess in short. Why? an ordinary slave girl couldn't have gotten pregnant from the rapacious owners??? Or is the director attempting to show that even when slaves were raped their social class was considered???

Affordable Weight Loss Surgery in Mexico

One of the biggest obsessions, especially of women, in America is to look young, beautiful/ sexy and desirable for as long as one lives. There is nothing wrong with the desire to look good and feel beautiful. In fact this entire culture of wanting to look young and beautiful has spawned a whole new industry in the healthcare field: surgical weight loss and body enhancing programs. The exorbitant cost of these surgeries have kept people away from them. There is hope now with clinics in Mexico offering low cost of lap band surgery.

This is a great opportunity for those wanting to lose weight but who don't have the time to exercise or the inclination to diet. The cost of a lap band surgery in Mexico is now affordable and easily accessible. In the US it costs around $14,000-25,000 for a lapband surgery. The same procedure would cost less than half the price in Mexico and other countries. Surgery prices start from $5,000-$7,000 and this is all inclusive.

I would say this is a great opportunity with several benefits. You could travel to Mexico, get a surgery done and with the money saved you could take a relaxing holiday and come back home feeling completely rejuvenated. That would be a great holiday gift for yourself wouldn't it?