Happy New Year Y'all !

Love and Luck, Peace and Joy !
Have a Blessed 2007 !

Fred / Mike / Rudy

To VP Bloggers

Hey Guys,
Just got back to the computer after a long break. Reason being the signal from the ISP is very weak at times and also needed to extend the length of the LAN cable so at to extract a better signal. Have a feeling that aim has not been achieved, as I find that I still have to disconnect/connect many a time till I get some response from the remote computer. So much for IT, Hi-Tech, WI-Fi and what have you in India. A country that boasts of 9% growth in GDP and leader of the IT industry in the world. They still cannot provide you with a decent signal so that you stay online.
This is my first time on this new Blogger and I still gotta get a hang of it, but I hope that Virtual Poona gets back in action and things were like they used to be. Mike if you read this please tell Pom that Xara (Angie's daughter) is visiting Bangkok & Thailand from 4th Jan 2007 for about 10 Days. Would he kindly send or provide his phone number just in case she may need help. Thanks buddy.
Rusty (Nayles)

India reacts to Saddam's death

Some images from Yahoo

Rot
In
Purgatory

R I P: JB

The ultimate King of Funkiness finally made it out of this world and on
to the next ! James Brown passed away early on Christmas Day 2006
at the age of 73.

Michael Jackson, Prince, Miles Davis, Bootsy Collins,
Jimi Hendrix and Maceo Parker are just some of the superstars
he influenced.

You can check out his details at Wikipedia ,
the BBC online and of course YouTube videos
like this one

How Have You Bean ?

Dear Family and Friends :

It's the most wonderful time of the year......
for some of us......

Many, many thanks for the Birthday greetings
and all the Friendship, Love and support
throughout the year.

Hope the spirit of this Season fills your hearts
with Goodwill, Peace and Happiness, and that
you have a blessed, prosperous and fun New Year !

Love, Luck and all that,

Fred/
Mike/ Rudy

Mr.
Bean - Christmas sketch

Uploaded by beautifulcynic

Yamuna Gently Weeps

Released in September 2006, Ruzbeh Bharucha's
Yamuna Gently Weeps is both a documentary and
book on slum demolitions through the eyes of the
Yamuna Pushta (Delhi) episode of 2004, where the
High Court ordered demolition of 40,000 homes.

India Together's Anuradha Miraji chatted with
Bharucha on the film and his take on filmmaking.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/nov/ivw-weeps.htm

Warning to the West

West must prepare for Chinese, Indian dominance:

Sun Nov 26, 5:32 AM ET
from Yahoo News

Western nations must prepare for a future dominated by China
and India, whose rapid economic rise will soon fundamentally
alter the balance of power, former World Bank chief James
Wolfensohn has warned.

Wealthy countries were failing to understand the impact of
the invevitable growth of the two Asian powerhouses, Wolfensohn
said in the 2006 Wallace Wurth Memorial Lecture at the University
of New South Wales at the weekend.

"It's a world that is going to be in the hands of these
countries which we now call developing," said Australian-born
Wolfensohn, who held the top job at the global development bank
for a decade until last year.
Print Story: West must prepare for Chinese, Indian dominance: Wolfensohn on Yahoo! News

Scott Carney

Following up on a previous post.....

http://virtualpoona.blogspot.com/2006/01/sadhus.html

Scott Carney has a widely-read blog that covers the path
India faces in today's Tech-driven world.
The link below caught my eye because I witnessed
first-hand much of what he writes of.....for better
or for worse:
Trailing Technology: Sadhus, Hippies and Old-Fashioned Junkies: Drug Culture in India

My MySpace is spaced out 2

There's much to be said and done here and at
my space at MySpace, like the Blogging at
http://www.myspace.com/fredundant

Virtual Subservient Programmer

Click the link below, type in a single word like
sleep, jump, eat, etc. into the box.

A link is instantly created for you to click on.
Now you can watch your command being
carried out via Windows Movie Player.

Too neat !!

At your Command

Stop the Machismo !

Quote of the Day from wife-beater Sanjay Kumar after The
Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act
took effect in India :
"It's a noose around my neck and the end of the rope is
in her hands, to pull or not to pull," he complained, as he
and his wife, Maheshwari – still badly bruised – attended
a compulsory marriage counselling
clinic in Delhi.

"Men have no power left. At this rate, we'll be wearing bangles."

So here comes the counter-response by the macho losers :

they form the All-India Harassed Husbands Association !

Read Amrit Dhillon's coverage at the Telegraph.co.uk

Blogger.com Updates in progress

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

We’ll be doing planned maintenance on the new
version of Blogger in beta tomorrow (Thursday).
This will require two small outages, one at
12:30PM PST and the other after 3PM PST.
Neither outage should last more than 10 minutes.
beta.blogger.com and Blog*Spot blogs on the new
version of Blogger will be unavailable during the outages.
We apologize for these interruptions.

NPR.org - The Gaddi People of Dharamsala

....thought you would be interested in this story by
Xeni Jardin of Boing Boing, the world's most successful Blog
NPR : The Gaddi People of Dharamsala
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5625318

To Listen to this story :
Please click on the headline to the story using
a RealAudio or WindowsMedia player.
For players or technical support, please visit NPR's Audio Help page.
http://www.npr.org/help/index.html?showdiv=100.

Mo' Mumbai Mishaps for Brangelina

(AP Photo/Rajesh Nirgude)


This just in from AP news
Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie leaves after filming
a scene for 'A Mighty Heart' at Anjuman-e-Islam
school in Mumbai, India, Thursday,
Nov. 16, 2006.

The bodyguards of Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and
Brad Pitt were in the news for the wrong reasons
Thursday after they allegedly manhandled some people
during a film shoot in the school. The parents filed a
complaint with police against the school's management
and an unnamed bodyguard who allegedly attacked and
abused people, the Press Trust of India reported.

Related post :
http://virtualpoona.blogspot.com/2006/11/brangelina-pune-to-mumbai.html

The Cat is Back

The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens
still has his chops and proves it on his new
CD An Other Cup
You can check it out at Amazon.com

Watch (Cat) Yusuf Islam in an
exclusive interview and performance
from the BBC special Imagine.

Watch or download the superb 49 min
BBC special Imagine in its entirety

Fun with Powerpoint

Links to some Powerpoint presentations I like:

You dirty dog

Compare Ferraris: Italy vs. India (with sound)

Brangelina : Pune to Mumbai trainspotting

Following the previous Virtual Poona thread
Pune : Mo' Better Brangelina

The principals stood in line to buy a ticket
to ride a crowded Mumbai train (is there any other kind?)
accompanied by heavy security (of course), stopped in at
a beauty salon and a club where Danny frequently jammed,
(probably Indigo)

here's a link to Yahoo re: filming progress of Jolie's new
movie based on an adaptation of Mariane Pearl's book,
"A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death
of My Husband Danny Pearl."

Here's a link to the coverage by Rediff where
the usual gang of idiots post their comments
and questions about the intent and purpose of this news.

Hollaback NYC Nov 8th

Click pic to enlarge

Caught in the act

submitted by Ivy

posted by hollabacknyc at 10:13 AM

Holla Back NYC empowers New Yorkers to
Holla Back at street harassers

Battle of the Album Covers

Some famous album covers battle it
out via great animation
from http://www.uglypictures.us/

frdmill sent you a video!

YouTube™ – Broadcast Yourself

frdmill wants to share the following video with you:

Video Description

Personal Message

Dog attempting suicide after being cheated on

Darshan : The Embrace

Amma, one of the world’s most famous spiritual guides

and “Mahatmas”, is known internationally for her

charitable donations, fight for peace, and work with illiteracy.

This intimate documentary captures her charisma and loving

spirit through conversations with Amma and those close to her.

Read about her Oct. 2006 visit to Munich here

Watch the Quicktime trailer of Darshan here

Solla Solla Enna Perumai

I must admit I was fascinated and amused by the
wild and wacky shenanigans contained in this clip,
even though I didn't understand a word of the
South Indian dialect (notwithstanding my own
South Indian roots) . More to follow.......I hope !

PUNE : Siesta Manana

A few things to do in Pune between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. if you're
not working and have no PC at your disposal......

* Catch up on reading the Mid-Day edition papers.

* Watch TV in between frequent Power Outages a.k.a.
'load shedding'.

* Go stand in line for a movie matinee.

* Have a late lunch date and stretch it out till the restaurant staff
inform you that they will be serving items from a limited Menu
until the evening hours since the cooks are on (extended) break.

* Turn on some music and take an extended Power Nap. This will
help you get your groove on till the next City Curfew, which occurs
after midnight in most areas, 2:00 a.m. in other places.

* Make those leisurely phone calls you've always wanted to.

* Make room in your stomach for 'High Tea' .....

"Despite the advent of modern day malls and 24x7 shopping mania,
from 1 pm to 4 pm, most shops in this wondrous city continue to
remain closed" says Kalyani Sardesai of expressindia.com

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=207211

The Blues Professor wants the Poona Blues

Rolf Heimann a.k.a. The Blues Professor
has an important bit of news to share from
Deutschland :

.....maybe you haven't received my recent mail
in which I said I have difficulty in posting**
something to the blog (I am nothing like a pc nerd).

The reason was that finally I AM going to Poona
on a time travel after more than 40 years and I don't
have a clue what to expect, in which reasonably priced
hotel to stay, etc. So I wanted people to give me advice.

Perhaps you can help.

Take care,

Rolf

Visit the Blues Professor's Homepage here
and look at Rolf in his previous incarnation as a
Bishops' School boy in POONA/PUNE

difficulty in posting**
As an anti-spam measure, I receive posts via e-mail
and then post to the blog. So please e-mail me here:
frdmill.2005 at blogger.com or view Virtual Poona
Blogger Profile in top right-hand corner of this Blog
for contact info.

Little India, N.J. and Beyond

Roughly one out of three persons in Edison, New Jersey
is of Asian-Indian ancestry these days, according to an
article by the Associated Press writer Erin Texeira:

Not only is the Indian community burgeoning, it's maturing.
Increasingly, after decades of quietly establishing themselves,
Indians are becoming more vocal in the American conversation
— about politics, ethnicity and many other topics.....

After the Sept. 11 attacks, many Indian Sikhs, who wear
turbans as part of their faith, were mistaken for Muslims—
and terrorists. Hundreds were harassed or worse:
In Mesa, Ariz., a Sikh gas station owner was shot and killed
on Sept. 15, 2001, by a man who told police
"all Arabs had to be shot."

Few knew their rights because few had been engaged politically,
said Amardeep Singh, executive director of The Sikh Coalition
in New York. "We were caught with our pants down," he said.
"Sept. 11 created a confrontation. We realized we now need to
actively involve ourselves in the policy-making process.
Otherwise policies will be made that exclude us."

Link to the AP article via Yahoo

Pune: Mo' Better Brangelina

October 8th, in a previous Virtual Poona post :
Stay tuned, I believe this to be the event that puts Pune
in all the Gossip magazines.......

The current issue of People magazine here in the U.S.A.
as well as the other tabloids are hacking around and have
come up with a few factoids and some decent pics**
What I liked was the little graphic map of India showing
the approximate location of PUNE, complete with trivia.....

** Click on the pics above to enlarge
Related Angelina link

More Importantly Related : The Journalist and the Jihadi **
I watched the HBO documentary** and was deeply touched by
the Pearl story, even more since I have a musical background
and 'jammed' with Joe Alvarez, a superb vocalist who is
interviewed briefly in the film while a clip of Daniel Pearl
jamming on electric violin plays in the background...
I also noticed that the story Concept was by the illustrious
Farrukh Dhondy, (Salaam Bombay, The Rising, etc.) who like
myself attended The Bishops' School in Poona a.k.a. Pune.
But that was many years ago and many miles away....

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) Heaven On Their Minds

Carl Anderson R.I.P.- the definitive Judas along with Ian Gillian as Jesus. This was Heaven in my mind....

Daniel Pearl remembered

AP pic via BBC Online

Previously on Virtual Poona we learnt of Brangelina fever
in Pune surrounding the filming of a tribute to Daniel Pearl.
But it's not all gossip here. Today Yahoo reports :
'On Oct. 10, 2006, slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl
would have turned 43. News of his assassination in Pakistan at
the hands of Muslim extremists in early 2002 reverberated around
the world. Pearl's parents, Ruth and Judea Pearl, spoke to
Yahoo! News recently about the HBO documentary
"The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl"
and an annual global musical tribute, which coincide with their
son's birthday. They also provided photos of Pearl, some of which
have never been seen publicly.'

Link to exclusive slideshow at Yahoo :
http://www.yahoo.com/s/409862

Meanwhile, E!Online now reports on the photog who got roughed
up by Brangelina bodyguards:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20061010/en_celeb_eo/20191

Madooo's Toronto Gig

Hi again!

I had a blast at the Toronto Beatles Celebration,
last month. I took a bunch of exclusive pix there which have
been posted on their official site.....put together as a slide show
by the producers at Toronto.

I was very well received by the producers and now find out that
I may even get on the main stage as a performer next year.
I happily find myself in some of the pix too. The ones I specially
like of me are sitting on the actual car that was used in
Paul McCartney's "BroadStreet Movie"
From my perspective I recall : Paul Saltzman who has this
tremendous book with photographs of the Beatles In India,
who has now become a friend. So has Bruce Spizer, historian
and writer of multiple Beatle books (He is the ultimate authority
on Beatle-facts!) Then there was Pete Best, the original drummer
of the Beatles and Terry from the Hollies.
May Pang was getting great response for her interview and books.
And Pete Bennett, producer for "Concert for Bangladesh"....
with writer and producer Doug Thompson interviewing them all
And Chris...The MellotronMan, who gave us all an in-depth
explanation on how the Mellotron was used in songs like
"Strawberry Fields Forever" Canada's very own: Hal Bruce and
Host: Greg, also an author, doing a great job. And even
the Mayor of Toronto was there, whom I had a privilege of
meeting and he graciously accepted my "Beatle Tribute from
India" CD Fab Four" the great Tribute Band, which above all
were so close to resemblance besides the music of
The BEATLES And in the end you'll see pix of the producer
David Goyotte, with his beautiful wife Victoria with champagne.

(Madooo)
Madhu Dhas

By the way, if you view any of the 8 videos on YouTube at
the links below, pls rate it: Good or Bad.
Thanks

http://www.myspace.com/madooocom http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Madoooker

Watch "We. Featuring the words of Arundhati Roy" on Google Video

Fast-paced musical documentary that visualizes the words of
Arundhati Roy, specifically her famous Come September speech.
Download the entire film for free or get a DVD copy at weroy.org

We. Featuring the words of Arundhati Roy

1 hr 4 min 19 sec - May 3, 2006
Average rating: (68 ratings)
Description: Fast-paced musical documentary that visualizes the words of Arundhati Roy, specifically her famous Come September speech. Download the entire film for free or get a DVD copy at weroy.org

Want to see more cool videos?
Go to video.google.com/

Think you have an even cooler video?
Add it at video.google.com/videouploadform

If you're having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4100322562082185221&pr=goog-sl

Little Superstar Fightin'

Earlier we had the Little Superstar dancin'.
Now we get to see his fight moves, equally impressive !





Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Brangelina in Pune Rickshaw !!

Now a follow up to a previous Brangelina post :
Yes, it's true, they are in my old hometown of Pune, India !
Angelina is to play the part of Marianne, wife of
journalist Daniel Pearl, who was abducted and killed by
militants in Karachi in 2002.....


They toured Pune by Autorickshaw, during a spell of torrential
rain while media and the masses alike being true to form
braved the weather and the heavy security* to get
a glimpse of the world's most famous celeb couple.
Stay tuned, I believe this to be the event that puts Pune in all
the Gossip magazines.......

Pune rocks, say Jolie, Pitt
- It’s what two lucky fans were told when they asked
the celebrity couple how their stay in Pune was
by Sachin Haralkar, the Mumbai Mirror

The most coveted destination continued to be the Le Meridien
in Pune on the fourth day of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s stay
in the city. There were no signs of the hysteria ebbing, and
Sunday saw the maximum number of people surrounding the
place to catch a glimpse of the celebrity couple.

Continuing to roam the streets in a rickshaw, the couple had a
different agenda on Sunday. They changed their rickshaw on
reaching the Inox theatre to give people the slip. But not before
acknowledging the crowds by waving and shaking hands with them.

For call centre employees Sandeep Mahadik and Bhupendra Tenisari,
who trailed the couple on their bikes, it was a ride they will always
treasure. “I shook hands with Brad and greeted both of them.
Both were very friendly and gave us the victory sign. We asked them
how they were finding their stay in Pune, to which they replied,
‘Rocking’.”


* Jolie's bodyguard assaults photographer
-from Midday.com

My MySpace Space is Spaced Out

It's Cross-pollination time.
I'm finally sucked into the MySpace thing by a couple of
friends who are intent on 'Networking'. Hope it all works out
for them and MySelf. I'm here for the wonderful ads they
keep dumping all over my MySpace pages. **

Below is the link to my MySpace. Period.

**....not ! !

http://tinyurl.com/l2p96

Madooo now on MySpace

Hi again! Just an update with more details as to the contents of the
videos and more specific links!!

If you have down time over the weekend, I've updated some info,
please spend a moment and check out my videos at 
http://www.myspace.com/madooocom in the video area.
There are 8 videos in all, 4 of them from Deutsch Talent Contests
listed below.

1) Elvis Impersonation, from 2000 at the Commons
2) Jim Morrison Impersonation from 2001at the Commons
3) Deutsch Inferno from 2004 at the ROXY
4) A Beatle Tribute from my CD, at Deusch Contest 2006 at the Commons

The others are:
5) "Spill The Wine" singing at CGBG's Gallery 2 weeks ago, with
Lucille's Mixed Nuts
6) "Start It Up" a Robben Ford Blues Cover, at ACE with Blue Rooster
Pie
7) The 9/11 Memorial Song which I wrote and sang. I put the video
together to help us 'Never Forget"
8)  Another Beatle Cover from 1988 where I tried to come across as a
cross between KISS and a singing Maharajah from India. Scary! So gave up
the idea.

The videos are also on YouTube as MADOOOS VIDEOS
all of them in the 1st link below
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Madoooker
or individually below as in the same order:
1)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RRIe6eehfY
2)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PGJCtBPpJw
3)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsB-So2yMmg
4)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPJje5twrI
5)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1y7Pthl-bc
6)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIdYSpl09FQ
7)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opTc6c6gihw
8)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opTc6c6gihw

So if any of them are to your liking, could you please forward the
links to your myspace friends, who may enjoy them too.
And if you have a myspace account and like what you see, I like to be
added as a friend. and we can support each others hobbies, and network
when not at work. Sorry if some of this information is a repeat.

And my website is: www.bigdooker.com

Sincerely

Madhu Dhas 
Deutsch Studio NY

Stevie Wonder and Ultimate Divas Jam

Stevie is joined by Pop Divas Shania, Whitney, Jewel,
Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, J. Lo and more in a medley of
his greatest hits, raising their 'legend' status more than
a few notches. Must see !

whitney,beyonce,stevie..
Uploaded by bibiche1300

Brad and Angelina : Pune Prepares

Yes, the Brangelina show is coming to Pune according to
The Times of India article dated Oct. 5th. Angelina Jolie
is scheduled to film 'A Mighty Heart' based on the story
of slain journalist Daniel Pearl. Filming will take place
in Nayansukh Bungalows on Baner Road in Aundh.

Link to the Times of India article

Madooo downloads now at MySpace

Hi!

I just got myself on myspace.com for music. below is the link:
http://www.myspace.com/madooocom

Please view it when you get some time, you might have seen the elements before.
If you have a "myspace" account, I'd love to link up with you on your friends page.
And if your friends share common interests, please pass on the link to them so we can network.
Won't that be cool??

Madooo

---

All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

Little Superstar Dancin'

YouTube Findings

It seems YouTube is up to any challenge
I can throw its way.
Yesterday's searches included Englebert,
Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Shakti, Jobim, Santana, etc.
and all yielded excellent results.

So today I offer you a music clip from a '71
Zeenat Aman/Dev Anand movie,
Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Dum Maro Dum


Then get ready to laugh at
The Beatnik Guru
(B/W South Indian oldie, probably '69)

Una Video Malo

A no-holds barred funny video from Comedy Central
and the mind of Mencia. Enjoy !

These Dreams - Jim Croce

Sept. 20 1973 is the day Jom Croce and his guitar accompanist were killed in a plane crash in Louisiana. I am always in awe of the pure talent these two men possessed.....Sept 20th is my sister Dawn's Birthday and she is a big Croce fan too........

Lest We Forget

Here's to the memory of Hurricane Rita from
something I posted a year ago. Since then I've
changed residence twice, not by choice and definitely
not due to Hurricanes.

The Laughing Yoga

The Laughing Yoga believes the old 'Laughter is
the best Medicine' adage and this video demonstrates
his approach to relieving stress by laughing.

Watching him will make you laugh, for whatever reason.
The point is if he can make you laugh then you have
already taken the first simple step towards relaxation.

Link to video on Yahoo

Iraqis Master the English Language

This is a pretty interesting WMV file that shows how
the Iraqi insurgents are coping with the American
' liberation ' of their country....


Watch Video Clip

The Burglar and the Beatlecam

An American helped foil a burglary in northern England whilst
watching a Beatles-related webcam over the Internet,
police said Friday.

The man from Dallas was using a live camera link to look at
Mathew Street, an area of Liverpool synonymous with the Beatles
and home to the Cavern Club where the band regularly played.

Madooo Visits Chicago Beatlefest

Madooo generously sent these exclusive first-look pics
taken at the recent Beatlefest in Chicago. Some of you
may ask, "Who are all those people with Madooo ?
Should I know them?"

So for the uninformed , here are the answers from wikipedia:

Horatio Sanz is from the cast of Saturday Night Live
Mark Hudson is a record producer, musician and songwriter living in Los Angeles, California. He was a member of the Hudson Brothers [1], and has produced albums for Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, Hanson and the
Baha Men. Hudson co-wrote the Aerosmith hit "Livin' On The Edge" as well as co-writing and producing Ringo Starr's last three albums
Vertical Man, Ringo Rama and Choose Love. In 2003 he formed a record label with Ringo Starr called Pumkinhead Records [2] Klaus Voorman
a German artist, musician, and record producer who was associated with
the early days of The Beatles in Hamburg and later designed the cover of their
album Revolver. He also played Bass guitar for Manfred Mann,
the Plastic Ono Band), George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Lou Reed, James Taylor
among others.

Madooo made it to number 1 again on AOL's John Lennon downloads :

http://tinyurl.com/zp29l

http://tinyurl.com/k5zt3

Zappa on YouTube

YouTube™ – Broadcast Yourself

frdmilltx at yahoo dot com wants to share the following video with you:

Frank Zappa - Dinah-Moe Humm

Hey Guys, this one's especially for you

and for the VC daze.

You know who you are !

Fred

John Mclaughlin: Remember Shakti: Ma No Pa

I remember seeing John live at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai in 1997 with Hariprasad Chaurasia and his old Ghatam player from Shakti. So finding this amazing video at You Tube was an absoute delight !

Das ist Blunderbar !

Where's Mel Brooks when you need him ?
This article from Reuters says it's like if 'The Producers'
had opened an eatery.....

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A new restaurant in India's financial hub,
named after Adolf Hitler and promoted with posters
showing the German leader and Nazi swastikas, has
infuriated the country's small Jewish community.
'Hitler's Cross'**, which opened last week, serves up a wide
range of continental fare and a big helping of controversy,
thanks to a name the owners say they chose to stand out
among hundreds of Mumbai eateries.

"We wanted to be different. This is one name that will stay
in people's minds," owner Punit Shablok told Reuters.

**I don't think Hitler's cross. In fact I think he may be saying
to himself, " It's a gas! "

Watch this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoIm7OdKkVU

Nerd, Geek or Dork ?

On occasion, I come across an Ask Yahoo question worth sharing........

Dear Yahoo!:
What's the difference between a nerd, a geek, and a dork? -
- Josh, Michigan

Dear Josh: We've been called all three, and to be honest,
we always assumed they meant the same thing. However,
according to the cool kids, there are differences.
Official definitions for nerd, geek, and dork each use the
words "inept" and "foolish."

Nerds have the added distinction of being "unattractive." Ouch.
While it's hard to argue with the dictionary, we sought out
definitions from the Internet at large.

According to Whatis.com, nerds are people of above-average
intelligence who place little importance on their appearance.
Nerds are often aware of their status, but they don't mind.
In fact, many take pride in the putdown, as it means they're
smart and not wrapped up in superficial worries. Geek is a more
specific term. Back in the day, geeks worked at carnivals, and
(according to the dictionary) "bit the heads off live chickens."
Thankfully, the term now has a different connotation.
Like nerds, geeks are smart, but they tend to focus more on
technology. As Urban Dictionary explains, these are the
people you make fun of in high school and later work for as an adult.

Being called a "dork" is the biggest insult of the three. There's no
way you can spin it into something positive. After all, even the
dictionary writes that dorks are "stupid" people. And to make
matters worse, dorks assume they're cool. Oh, and they smell, too.
So, to sum things up, if someone calls you a geek or a nerd,
thank them. If someone calls you a dork, consider going back to
school and investing in some new deodorant.

Take the Nerd Test- if you dare- here

Badmash TV

Funny Desi videos
Call center newbie
http://badmash.tv/ButterfingerCallCenter/

Aunty G's a Big Bad Mama !
http://badmash.tv/movies.php?v=Aunty

New Low Budget Indian Airline

KERALA AIRLINES

On the menu for your eating pleasure :

1 masala dosa and tender coconut puh-lease,
freshly prepared on board by pilot/cook -
seen entering cockpit in picture above -
and served immediately by most charming
flight attendant!

Make your reservations now at 1-800-HOT-DOSA

Sent in by Manvel from Panvel

India by Maciej Dakowicz

Why do non-Indians produce such amazing
galleries of India ?

http://maciekda.smugmug.com/

Nostalgic chain-mail

I got this from a cousin in Minnesota....chain mail
that I actually took the time to read :

I got this from Canada, it is long but cute.
Print a copy and read it at lunchtime. Not all of this was
in my time, but I can relate, can you? A little bit of nostalgia....
you might want to pass on to everyone who is eligible and
also those who are not!

To the wonderful kids who were born in India and
survived the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's.......

First, we survived being born to mothers, some, whose
husbands smoked and /or drank while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate whatever food was put on the table,
and didn't get tested for diabetes. They were mothers who
did not check their blood pressure every few minutes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs and bassinets were
covered with bright coloured lead-based paints. We were put
in prams and sent out with ayahs (maids) to meet other children
with ayahs, whilst our parents were busy. We cried, were
picked up and cuddled by the ayahs" ( maids) and were quiet
again. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or
cabinets, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets,
not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking or going out on
our own. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts
or airbags. We sat on each other's laps for God's sake.
Riding in the back of a truck or jeep on a warm day was always
a special treat.

We drank water from outdoor taps and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle,
and NO ONE actually died from this.
We would share a dosa, dip a chapatti into someone else's plate
of curry without batting an eyelid. We ate jam sandwiches or
pickle on bread and butter, raw mangoes with salt that set our
teeth on edge, and drank orange squash with sugar and water
in it. We ate at roadside stalls, drank water from tender coconuts,
ate everything that was bad for us from mumfalees to Bhel Puri
to bhajias, puckhas and samosas, but we weren't overweight
because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! There was
never a child - not one single child -who was obese!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day during the
holidays, we were never ever bored, and we were allowed freedom
all day as long as we were back when the streetlights came on, or
when our parents told us to do so. No one was able to reach us all
day by mobile phone or phone. And we were O.K. We would spend
hours making paper kites, building things out of scraps with old
pram wheels or cycle rims, inventing our own games, playing
traditional games called hide and seek, kick the can and rounders,
ride old cycles and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot
the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to
solve the problem. We swam with an inflated tube which we got from
somebody who was replacing their car tyres, in creeks and rivers.
We ran barefoot without thinking about it, if we got cut we used iodine
which made us jump. We did not wash our hands ten times a day.
And we were OK. Our parents trusted us to go on picnics with
everyone and anyone, a friend of a friend would be OK and we survived.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at
all, no tv, no videos, no surround sound, no mobile phones,
no personal computers, no I-Pods, no internet or internet chat rooms,
BUT WE ALWAYS HAD MUSIC!!

We did not have parents who said things like "what would you like for
breakfast, lunch or dinner". We ate what was put in front of us and best
of all , there were never any leftovers. We polished the lot.
WE HAD FRIENDS, great friends, whose parents we called Uncle and Aunty,
and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees numerous times, got cut, broke bones and teeth
and there were no compensation claims from these accidents.
We ate fruit lying on the ground that we shook down from the tree
above. And we never washed fruit.

We had a bath using a bucket and mug and used Lifebuoy soap.
We did not know what conditioners meant. We made up games with
sticks and tennis balls. We rode bicycles everywhere and someone sat on
the carrier or across the bar to school or the pictures not cinema, or you
walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell,
or just walked in and talked to them!

Not everyone made it into the teams we wanted to. Those who didn't had
to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent
bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of - they actually sided with
the law! This generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers,
problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an
explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success
and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If you want to, pass this on to others who have had the luck and good
fortune to grow up as kids in India, before the lawyers and the government
regulated our lives ostensibly for our own good, who changed what was
good into bad and what was bad into worse.

Those were the days, my friend !!