Grand Canyon Monuments

Grand Canyon 068
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

This is another recreated monument on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. One thing strikes me about the US. When the Europeans started arriving in droves into this continent, they hated native Americans and started killing them without question. This resulted in bloody wars and lots of people were killed, especially on the native American side.
But now few hundred years later it is a fashion among European-Americans (White Americans) to say that part of their ancestry is "Choctaw" or "Cherokee" or "Apache" or "Pueblo" or something like that. Another thing that has been done to get more money and attract tourists is to rebuild the old monuments along tourist spots such as Grand Canyon. This will accomplish twin purposes... one successfully covers up the Atrocities meted out to native american populations by invading Europeans and two generates tourist revenue. It is a total "WIN-WIN" situation.

Search Engine for Offers and Deals

Marketing ideas and concepts are what makes the US a unique place. Here one can conceive an idea and turn it into a successful business thanks to the vibrancy of the society and free market economy. One such uniquely innovative business idea is to offer discounts for coupon holders. Everyone likes clipping coupons and saving on their shopping bills. How would it be if you could find hundreds of coupons on one place? Welcome to the world of Offeretti - Offers, Deals, Coupons, Savings, Specials and more.

All you need is to search for the product or service on the Offeretti website and you are all set to go. You can be assured of finding tons of great deals on Offeretti.

River View @ Grand Canyon's South Rim

Grand Canyon 073
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

This is perhaps the most fascinating view of the Grand Canyon that I got to see. I shot this picture at the far end of the South Rim of the canyon near the "Native American" Watch tower and other monuments. The unique feature of this view is that the can yon can be seen in its full glory. Not only can one see both the rims but one can also see its depths where the Colorado river swirls along.
Taking in this view I wish I could just jump into the Colorado river for a refreshing swim to escape the desert heat of Arizona. The azure waters of Colorado are definitely inviting.

Watch Your Favorite TV Shows Online - Free!!!

I am not a major TV buff but there are certain shows I would like to watch. But getting cable to watch one show could be way too expensive. I had to find a medium where I could watch TV and still not have to pay a lot. After some searching I found Spreety TV Online : Watch TV Shows Online Free. This is a website where one can watch thousands of TV shows free and it is completely legal. For example I love travel shows and as I browsed through the Spreety TV online website I can catch my favorite show the Tattoo Highway Online. Apart from the travel shows there are over 5,000 shows from all genres. The best part is that every show is free.

Ancient Monument or Modern Store?

Grand Canyon 051
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

I shot this picture at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The first impression I got when I saw this building was that this must be some ancient, Native American ruins. But on getting closer I noticed that this is actually a recent construction or rather a recreation of an ancient building using the materials found here.
Currently a part of the building hosts a souvenir shop where all kinds of Made in China trinkets are sold to visitors and tourists.

Worried about property? Need efficient management?

One of the biggest challenges both individual home owners and real estate investors face is how to manage their property without getting into the details of it. If a home owner has to move to another city, then the home has to be leased and someone has to make sure that the house is kept in order. While for investors they are busy turning money around and don't want to get into managing their assets.

To bridge this gap, Real Property Management has been set up to offer management support. Irrespective of whether you own a single home or hundreds of properties they will service you and fulfill your needs. Real Property Management (RPM) has been recognized and awarded on several occasions for its great service to clients. Their awards and recognitions include, "Franchise of the Year Honarable Mention" award; the Bizjournal of Cincinnati and Columbus featured RPM Midwest.

Their great service is evidenced by the fact that owners of over 20,000 units nationwide have trusted RPM with their properties. RPM Midwest has been striving towards attaining higher standards and recently joined the National Association of Residential Property Managers.

Tusayan Museum, Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon 052
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

This is picture of the entrance of one of the several museums located on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. When I first saw the building, I thought that this must be a very old building renovated to house the museum. But I was wrong, according to a local official, this building was re-built in the style of the ancient buildings using locally available material and some debris of the old ruins.
Though the exteriorl of this building makes it appear like a ramshackle hut, the insides have all the modern comforts such as fire place, air conditioning etc. It is definitely worth a visit.

Rolex Watches at Discounted Prices

Every connoisseur of wrist watches has one desire, to buy and wear an original Rolex Watch. Well Rolex watches are among the world's most expensive and exclusive time pieces. It is hard to even imagine spending thousands of $$$s on a wrist watch, but several of us would happily spend that money on a Rolex. But now thanks to www.bestoftime.com aka Alex Jewelry, proud members of Better Business Bureau (BBB) are providing a unique opportunity for everyone to own a Rolex. They have received the A+ rating (the highest) from the BBB.

Best of Time aka Alex Jewelry has some amazing Rolex Watches at real low prices. Don't worry all the watches here are 100 percent genuine, certified and authentic and come with a 3 year warranty. The store invites you to visit their premises at 3180 Presidential Drive, Suite J, Atlanta, Georgia or call them on Tel: 888-721-1979 to fix a suitable appointment to view their fantastic Rolex collection. If you don't live in Georgia, you could simply visit their online store @ BestOfTime.com and browse through their collections. For further information you could e-mail them @ customerservice@bestoftime.com also.

How is it possible for Best of Time to sell Rolex watches at prices lower than the manufacturers suggested retail price? The company claims that they are an independent dealer and can decide on their pricing and margins and hence they prefer to sell more at lower prices than few at high prices.

If you are planning to buy a Rolex, just to to Best of Time.

Grand Canyon: A preferred getaway

Grand Canyon 019
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

Since early adolescence I had been awe struck by the sheer beauty and enigmatic presence of Grand Canyon. The frothing Colorado river beckoned me to raft on its waters and the deep ravines and remote crevasses along the Canyon has held some kind of mystery to me.
In 2007 when I landed in the US one of the first major destinations I visited was Grand Canyon.

When I saw the extreme level of commercialization and urbanization that have been put in place around the Grand Canyon, I was rather disappointed. I expected to find some Native Americans still attired in traditional clothes, riding horses and manning visitors. But things have changes quite a bit and I don't know whether it is for the better.

One way to look at it, with modern infrastructure, lot more people visit the place and the state and hundreds of people earn their living thanks to this. This provides access to the old, weak and challenged. But on the other side, considering the nature and the original inhabitants (Native Americans), the commercialization has pretty much uprooted them people and transformed the nature. I wonder what it will be like after 20 years.

Ultimate Online Employment Reference Guide!!!

In this economic scenario the biggest challenge faced by most college graduates is to find a suitable job. For those already employed retaining their jobs is posing a true challenge. Thousands have lost jobs due to recession and are scrambling to find alternative employment. Some have gone back to school in the hope of acquiring new skills and becoming employable in this economy, while others are contemplating becoming self employed.

Under these circumstances it becomes imperative that one needs to be of informed about important factors affecting their careers such as, best cities for specific professions, Job Salary Information, what extra skills needs to be acquired to get ahead, etc.

The internet is a great resource for such articles. The Career.QandAs.com offers some great information and resources in the form of over 1,000 articles on employment related topics such as, salary, career progression and interviewing. If you are in the market for a job or contemplating a career switch, this is where you go before taking the plunge.

World's longest motorcycle

While browsing the internet I found this interesting video and thought I'd share it on my blog. It is about how the World's Longest Motorcycle was built. This motorcycle was created/ engineered by Colin Furze of United Kingdom and measures 14.03 meters (46 ft 3 in) in length. Colin had to ride the home-grown motorcycle for about 100 meters to be accepted for the record. Nevertheless I think this is a spirited effort. Technologically it is nothing of any use to the human race but in terms of personal achievement, I think he has gotten there. Good for Colin.

Visit the Blu World and Win Fantastic Prizes

Online contests are fun, they offer opportunities to win really cool prizes. The best part of the online contests is the fact that some of them are absolutely free and don't even involve purchases. Now the latest such contest to open its doors for entries is "It's a Blu World Contest" by BluFrog.

Participants can walk away with cool prizes including a BluGamer - the ultimate gaming package, Happy Blu-Year - a trip on New Year's eve to NY, Blullapalooza: a trip to Lolapalloza in Chicago, BluStreak: a Richard Petty Racing Experience and of course XtremeBLU: A trip to the Winter X Games in Aspen. Now how would you like to be one of the winners to walk away with any one of these cool prizes? I bet every one of us would love to be in fray for the rich pickings.

You the funny thing is that entering this contest and winning is very easy. It is as easy as sending a Tweet. Yes! You could win this contest by Tweeting, commenting on their blog or by posting a note on your blog about the contest.

Speaking for myself I'd love to win the Happy Blu-Year prize, because this will help me accomplish two things. One of course being in the most happening place on New Year's eve and two visiting my dear brother who lives in NY. It would be a grant surprise for him and a very happy one at that. Me and my brother could get together and head to the Time square and have a blast with the Blu World.

So now if you want to win some cool stuff, just sign in and enter. The contest ends soon and you will be disappointed if you don't take action right now.

Tank in Texas Military History Museum

Tank in Texas Military History Museum
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

Since childhood I have always been attracted to these large weapons/ vehicles of destruction. I don't know why, but I have been impressed by these vehicles sheer powerful and scary looks. When I was a kid I used think of becoming a soldier and work in the tank regiment and fight the enemy if an eventuality arises.

As I grew older, life took me on a totally different path and here I am in the US studying business management and looking for a job. The only thing I do which gets me close to war machines is when I visit military and war museums.

Play Multiplayer Games Online

Online gaming is the biggest craze since internet speeds rose and high end graphics came into being. Starting from young children to seniors everyone is slowly but surely getting hooked to online gaming. The most popular online games include Billiards, Word games, fighting games etc. Speaking of Billiards I recently came across a fantastically graphic website http://www.8c1.net which lets people play multiplayer games online.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of online gaming websites, what makes this different? In my opinion it is the high-end graphics, 3-D feel of the games, fast downloads and amazing sound effects is what sets this site head and shoulders above the rest of the crop.

My verdict is simple, if you are into online gaming just go to www.8c1.net and you will not go anywhere else.

Efficient Resource Management

houston-oct-4- 024
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

One of the things I like about the US is the way they manage their natural resources. Take for example rivers, streams, creeks, brooks, lakes and other water bodies. I have traveled to several different cities, both large and small across the US and no where have I seen a water body being killed to make way for commercial or residential development. Town planners always leave certain amount of space around the water body so that the natural elements are not hindered and earth retains at least some of its moisture and ground water content.

Take for example this river which flows right by Downtown Houston. If it were elsewhere it would have probably been closed down and buildings built atop its dried up bed. Or perhaps they would have used this as a natural sewage line and emptied untreated domestic sewage into the water body thus killing it slowly.

But in the US most water bodies are usually left alone and development takes place along side. Of course the river does get polluted, but not as polluted as it would get if wastes were directly emptied into them.

I think back home in India town planners need to realize this and learn to conserve resources so the future generations can have water, the elixir of life.

Contact Lenses or Lasik, which is cheaper?

People with eye problems often face several dilemmas. The first being choosing between spectacles and contact lenses. Spectacles if not created to suit the user can mar the beauty of the wearer. Contact lenses are expensive and need continuous care and replacement. Now with advancement in eye care and medical therapies, there is a new dilemma contact lenses or LASIK. In this case also the primary concerns are the cost.

In the short term it appears that contact lenses are cheaper compared to Lasik. According to a new quantitative research, wearing contact lenses could actually prove more expensive over a lifetime. For example the research states that a 25 year old wear extended wear contacts will spend over $20,000 through his/ her life. That is a very steep number, my sister and brother both wear contact lenses and I need to tell them about these costs.

I feel that with iLASIK one can completely avoid contact lenses and eliminate recurring costs. The savings will prove phenomenal in the long run.

Historically we are living in tough economic times and every penny saved is a penny earned. It is time we let eye care experts take care of our eyes and junk those contact lenses and go in for the most modern LASIK. This procedure is covered by most health savings accounts which provides a tax deductible method to pay for better vision.

Patients who have had the LASIK procedure done are extremely happy with the results and they feel that the costs are not as high as they thought it was. Moreover the elimination of recurring contact lens costs came as a big boon.

Collin Classic 2009

Over the weekend I participated in the Collin Classic 2009, a bicycling event which took me along with about 2,000 other riders through the rolling hills of Collin County. One thing I have realized after participating in couple of bike events is that country roads in Texas are not as big or good as the highways. Country roads are narrow and often potholed. The villages are quite similar to Indian villages barring couple of differences, which are actually quite significant.

The first and primary difference between an American village and Indian village is the road infrastructure. Many Indian villages don't have proper roads, and often times the roads are just mud tracks. Another difference is the housing, here the houses are built of wood and some are mobiles homes and trailers. Barring difference in material the quality of homes seem quite the same as in most prosperous villages in India. The biggie in terms of difference is the fact that every home has couple of cars/ trucks. A fact which is impossible to see in India.

Anyway I didn't carry a camera to the ride and hence I have had to depend on the internet to scout for pictures of Collin Classic. I found a trove of pictures shot by Ateupamateur on Flickr and thought I'd post them in here.

Uniquely Refreshing Ideology

Reading all kinds of non-fiction and non-science books, literature, articles and websites is one of my big passions. Recently I came across The Voluntaryist Website, which presented a totally ideology to me. The idea and thought of Voluntaryism. Feeling interested I browsed through the site reading the various articles posted online. The site belongs to the Voluntaryist newspaper which propagates the idea of Libertarianism or voluntaryism, meaning live freely and responsibly. Voluntaryists don't want government or any other body controlling their freedom and tell them what to do or what not to do.

One of the articles in the website defines freedom as a "Mental condition - a condition of the spirit". Another article on the website by Carl Watner describes the Pennsylvania Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 and how the US Government handled the situation.

It is a different thing whether I agree with the idea of Voluntaryism or not, but one thing I definitely say is that this website is a treasure trove of human knowledge and everyone interested in free society, true liberty and responsibility must read it.

Campus Rumpus

Summer classes started on Monday and things have become atrociously busy since then. Six hours of classes every evening with at least one quiz, test or exam every day. This semester is short, just five weeks, 20 days of classes and in that we need to cover 10 quizzes, 5 tests, 3 exams and one comprehensive final exam. What does this mean? 18 out of 20 days we will be having something or the other. The only way to excel or get an A grade is to obtain 90-100 in every one of the test, quiz or exam.

When I first started college in the US last year somethings were shocking. For one thing students never address professors as sir/ madame, it was by their name. On the contrary some professors address students as sir and madame. Something almost impossible in India... at least in my college days.

When I told people that I was studying, they would ask me "Which school do you go to?" Initially I wondered whether I look like a high school kid or are they pulling my leg. But later I came to know that here, a university is referred to a school and a PhD research scholar is also going to "school".

Students come in and go out of classes whenever they please, no need to ask permission of the faculty.

Most students come into class carrying bottles of cool drinks, tall mugs of coffee/ tea, snack boxes, sandwiches, etc. Classes are like picnic spots, students can eat, drink, chew gum, etc. The only requirement is to listen to the lecture and not disturb other students. Even professors bring drinks and sip on during the lecture. This never happened in India. I remember in my college days if anyone was found eating in class, he/ she would be sent out.

There are hundreds of similar differences I could write about. For now this is enough I guess. Would like to know your thoughts.

Harley Davidson - My Dream Motorcycle

Every biker's dream would be to own a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The deep throaty thumping beat of the motorcycle generates flutters in everyone's heart. I have been attracted to this big V-twin motorcycle ever since my teen years. At that time I was in India and it was impossible to even see a Harley, let alone ride or own one. But being a great fan of this legendary motorcycle, I bought several Harley Davidson Accessories such as a jacket, key chain, cigarette lighter, etc.

I moved to the US 18 months ago and now I live in Texas, the big state where one can ride motorcycles almost round the year. Here is where I got an opportunity to ride a Harley and also visit a showroom. I now understand that the cost of owning a Harley is quite high. Buying a new Harley is quite expensive and in this country, insuring one is even more expensive. Then there is the cost of maintenance. HD Parts can be expensive if bought at the wrong place.

One thing I must say here is that Texas is definitely an out and out Harley Davidson state. On clear days one can see hundreds of Harley riders enjoying their ride on the highways. These guys attired in leathers, astride on gleaming motorcycles, ride on without a care in the world enjoying the sun and winds blowing against their faces. Sometimes I do stop by and have a chat with the owners of these beautiful motorcycles.

Somehow or the other the topic moves to maintenance and I have gathered that most people don't patronize a mechanic or repair shop. They work on their motorcycles and fix problems, if any were to occur. One owner was very candid and said he would simply go online and order Discount Harley Parts because it is a lot faster than fixing a repair appointment and taking the motorcycle to a shop. I guess the high labor costs at official Harley Davidson shops could be quite a deterrent. But looking at the other side, I'd say it gives the owners immense pride to say that the motorcycle is self maintained.