Yet another kind of marriage proposal

This one where both of them are news anchors on national TV. Check out the video of Matt Laubhan proposing to Emily Leonard. The expression on her face is so funny and him so adorable.



Full video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIMi5lx9Rls

PS. That's the first time I saw an American name with 'bh' in it. I thought they were never able to pronounce that sound. :P

Go Home Ike, Tina's Not Here!

Source

This photo made me chuckle for a moment and then worried.

I've been reading the news and looking at the photos and just freaked out. It looks horrible. I'm glad my loved ones have left Galveston.

Mother Nature is taking her course and we just got to hold on, hold on to anything that we can.

God bless everyone.

Offensive or Effective?

Photo: In Vogue India magazine, an old woman missing her upper front teeth holds a child in rumpled clothes — who is wearing a Fendi bib, which costs about $100.

Images Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

This one along with more such photos have created a havoc among certain Indians. And I can see why. It is because people get offended when the attention is brought to something that they don't have. Forget what ALL they have, as soon as the topic turns to something a person doesn't have, they are going to feel hurt and won't be pleased regardless of how much explanation you give or excuses you make. That's exactly what Vogue has done here. They went to sell of more-affordable-fashion but in turn displayed it in a very poor manner. They ended up pointing finger at the poverty of India.

Is this the way to market new fashion? I don't think so. I only have one question for Priya Tanna who has a lot of justification for these distasteful photos: "Just what were you thinking?"

Here's what Ms. Tanna has to say in the article:

Vogue India editor Priya Tanna’s message to critics of the August shoot: “Lighten up,” she said in a telephone interview. Vogue is about realizing the “power of fashion” she said, and the shoot was saying that “fashion is no longer a rich man’s privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful,” she said.

“You have to remember with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously,” Ms. Tanna said. “We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world,” she said.

Nearly half of India’s population — about 456 million people — live on less than $1.25 a day, according to World Bank figures released last week.

Source - The New York Times

Well, Ms. Tanna, I'm sorry to say the "power of fashion" just went out, and the quality of your magazine along with your reputation has just downgraded to rock bottom with this edition.

Years ago, I used to dislike these brand names for the same reason that they are abusive towards the poor and needy, but eventually I became more forgiving towards them. Now after reading this article I find them just plain disgusting. I have no respect for them.

San Francisco Bay Oil Spill

Since last Wednesday, November 7, 2007, there has been some more than 58,000 gallons of bunker oil spilled in the San Francisco Bay because of human error when a Cosco Busan container ship hit the protective bumper around the second tower of the bay bridge. This has been a worst spill in last twenty years. Because of the oil in the water, the wildlife in the bay and the ecosystem has been affected in worst possible manner and the food chain has also been contaminated with the extremely harmful chemicals.

It is very sad to know that professionals who are given such high responsibility do not take it seriously and cause troubles that not only affect themselves but so many other lives around them. There is no way this harm can be undone but there are ways to help.



Want to help? Click for more info: http://www.baykeeper.org/

Some tips from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network:

Oiled Wildlife Care Network - Call (800) 228-4544. Team members require specific training.

If you see oiled wildlife, don't approach it or pick it up. Instead, report it by calling (877) 823-6926 or (415) 701-2311 and ask for a search and collection team to come to the area. Teams are going out frequently.

If you've already collected an oiled bird, record the name of the beach and the time and the date it was collected. Wear Nitrile gloves (not latex). Put the birds in paper (not plastic) bags. Put only one bird in a bag.

To report oil sightings: Call (985) 781-0804.

Why?

Why are majority of the news in newspapers, and online news sites always about things that are sad and bad? It's always about who died, who got murdered, who got some deadly disease, who killed whom, who dumped whom, who bombed where, who is doing drugs and getting raided, who lost a game, and what other bad things are happening around you and else where on this planet. Enough already!

Why is it always about bad things? Why is there nothing positive written any where to lift your spirits? UGH! I am so sick of bad and sad news every where. :(

The Powerful Mother Nature

Right now as I type this post, some of the close family members are being affected by the fires that are burning in Southern California right now.

Everyone is calling in to find out how is everyone doing down there. Are they safe? Is their home safe? Are the kinds of questions you get. Some of the photos are very scary looking and I just hope that mother nature will have mercy on us. I pray to God for the safety of all.

As I sit here thinking about them, helpless, not being able to do anything but pray and worry, it makes me think... that it is only at times like these certain people call up to check on their family/relatives. Why is it that they wait for an emergency to show that they care? Why do we let feelings like grudge, jealousy, anger take over us so badly that we forget we are humans first. Why is it that only an emergency can make us pick up that phone and ask our loves ones we care? I still wonder...

But at the end of it all, I am glad that these people do care and come together to support each other, to support the people, people they love and people who love them.

May God help the ones in need!


Wild fire photos:







Thanks to Kumar, I am able to link up these wild fire photos on here.

More wild fire photos:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3


Image Source URL Wild fire smoke as seen from the space.

General Motors Reply to Bill Gates

Got this in a forwarded email. It was a fun read!

---

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,

"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:

"If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part, esp 7th point and 10th point):"

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
   
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
   
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
   
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
   
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would ! run on only five percent of the roads.
   
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed an Illegal Operation" warning light.
   
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
   
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
   
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
   
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
    

Speeding kills!

Two tragic accidents in less than four days. Some drivers have gone crazy in San Jose, I say.

First one was on Monday 7/23/2007 8:20 PM, when a 19-yr old Erik Satterstrom rammed his Nissan 350Z at 80 MPH on a 35 MPH road in Almaden area of San Jose killing innocent pedestrians Inder Paul Batra, 65, Physics professor and his wife Uma Batra, 57, Dietician and then crashing into trees causing the car to burst in flames and killing himself along with his passenger Max Harding, 18.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6451806?source=most_viewed

Images

Second one on Thursday 7/26/2007 7:40 AM, on I-280 South in San Jose, where a 68-year-old Guadalupe Gomez of Redwood City rammed his car at more than 100 MPH in another car, injuring Jedidiah Lee Dooley, 27, of Los Gatos. And then hit another car who was being driven by a 39-year-old father of five daughters from San Jose - Troy Edwin Johnson. The latter burst into fire killing the driver on the scene. Gomez is facing manslaughter charges for his reckless driving spree.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6476959?source=most_viewed

Images

It is just too sad to see people are speeding without caring about others and taking innocent lives. Innocent people who are loved by their loved ones and will sorely be missed. What a price to pay for the innocents and their loved ones! May their souls rest in peace.

To all who drive out there: Think twice before speeding and realize, you might make others suffer along with yourself for a fun that lasts few seconds.

Two Articles

Yesterday, I was browsing archives of Gujarat Samachar to find some article, and while searching for it I came across a couple of other articles that really made me think.

The first one was about a 17-yr old 12th standard student and another 22-yr old young man getting heart attacks in Vadodara. I was appalled to read this article. It might be the pressure from parents and/or family that might have lead to the stress that the 12-standard kid felt but at the same time I couldn't help thinking what might be the diet of these youngsters. The new Indian generation has adopted a lot of Western traits and life styles but are they aware of it all? Are they aware of how these new fancy living styles and eating habits might be causing a lot more problems for them health wise and socially? Smoking, drinking, eating out, eating junk foods, no exercise or workouts and many other things could have been responsible for this type of case. Partial knowledge about anything is dangerous. Those kids don't realize that these life styles have caused so many problems for people living in the Western world - child obesity, adult obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, lung cancers and all. At the end of the article, there was a quote by one of the doctors, which said "in coming next ten years, among the there heart patients and diabetic patients Indians and specially Gujaratis will be in leading numbers". I know a lot of it could be genetic also but the current life style also matters a lot. I wish the new generation gets more awareness about all these from their convenient interaction with the rest of the world.

Another article was about three women commiting suicide by burning themselves because of problems with in-laws. First thing I had to check was I was browsing this article in correct century. Gujarat Samachar doesn't even have newspapers before year 1998 in their archives but the headline of this news took me aback. In this age? Women are still so backward in my state that they can't get up and do something about their own lives to make them better? I mean don't they have any guts? Just last week I was reading the poetry titled "ChaaraN Kanyaa" by Zaverchand Meghani. It's about a 14-yr old girl who chases after a lion because the lion tried to attack her calf and eventually she drives him off. And then reading this made me think, how powerful a woman can be. And if they come together, they can do even better but here I read something totally opposite - three of them killed themselves together. What a sorry case! It's a shame to even read something like this. There are so many programs out there to help battered and abused women and still the word is not getting out there. I know this because I've heard of stories from my sister in India, who works for such an organization that helps women all over the state of Gujarat to help make their lives better. The volunteers and employees go to villages and town to spread the awareness but I guess more efforts need to be put in to spread this message. *sigh*

Mauli’s big day

MEAL TO REMEMBER: Mauli Dave

Over the weekend, Bappi Lahiri invited his favourite Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 contestant Mauli Dave (from Gujarat) to his house.

Bappida had Neetu Kapoor, Rakesh Roshan, Jitendra, Randhir Kapoor over for dinner.

Neetu mentioned that she had started watching the Zee show after she heard the song Maiyya Maiyya being rendered by Mauli.

Bappida, being the man with the big heart was suddenly very excited since Mauli belongs to his gharana.

So he called her and asked her if she could join them for dinner. An overwhelmed Mauli went over to Bappida’s house and had dinner with the people she had only so far ‘heard’ about.

Source: http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/may/157404.htm

The Inhumane Act

There's probably a hundred things to do on my tasklist, but my mind can't stop thinking about it. Restless mind knows things are not OK at the other end of this land. I start a prayer, and can't finish it. And I'm trying to imagine how much distracting it will be for the people whose lives have been affected by this tragedy. The news from all over drives you crazy and leaves you confused. I've stopped reading the news now. Hope I can stay away from it until I click on that link yet again. http://ntcoolfool.livejournal.com/

My God give courage to those who are weak, and strength to those who are affected in these difficult times.

Om Shanti.