The Pepsi Boys

Aside from the fact that some of the laborers pictured here are underage, the other
thing that's astonishing is how they have to adhere to such low standards of quality
and cleanliness. I got these pics as an e-mail forward and the Getty watermarks make
them quite believable. When abroad, drink more Pepsi, folks. Then go get sick !

Roosevelt Residence Gets Meera's Anglo-Indian Touch

You know that old saying, "Behind every great man there's a great woman".
In this case, there was a great man sitting behind the woman in their classroom
at the Cathedral and John Connon school, Mumbai. He's an Indian, Vikram
Gandhi and she's Meera Teresa (Agarwal) Gandhi,

daughter of Irish mother Ellen Mary McCarthy and an Indian father,
Admiral Perbodh Nath Agarwal. That would make her an Anglo-Indian by birth.
The best of two worlds, Indian and Anglo-Saxon.

Now take these two out of out of their Indian upbringing, educate him at Harvard
and her at Boston U., and what you get is Credit Suisse's NY-based Managing
Director and Global Head of their Financial Institutions Group, right alongside
Meera the Humanitarian, Diplomat, Businesswoman, Socialite, Mother of three
and on and on....this lady seems to have plenty of time to be Superwoman not
only in the States but all over the globe. The best of two worlds, Indian and
Anglo-Saxon now gets globalized.

Like the Roosevelts, another power couple before them, these two often play
host to the famous, the wealthy and the power brokers of the world...and do it
in the same building as the Roosevelts. Yes, they purchased the famed Roosevelt
Residence on Manhattan's upper-crusty Upper East Side

for over $4 million, renovated it and now it's up for sale, for close
to $20 million as of Dec. 2007 ! According to her personal website, Meera
'knows every nut, bolt and screw' in the famed residence since she personally
oversaw the entire renovation and redecoration project. Being an avid collector
of Indian Art but highly aware of the society she has evolved into she has given
the place an unique ambiance that you cannot find elsewhere. One of the girls'
rooms has a roomful of assorted percussion instruments, the other girl has her
guitars and amps strewn all over while the son indulges himself in the
World Wrestling Federation and everything in between.

I caught an interview of Meera Gandhi on Pan Desi Prime Time via ColorsTV
but you can view direct YouTube coverage here.

If you want to learn more about the Eleanor Roosevelt Mansion -or buy it-
just visit Brown Harris Stevens Properties and tell them I sent you. I promise
I won't make a cent off the sale :-)

Isaac Hayes and Me. Really !

Imagine the man who made the long black leather jacket famous decades
before 'The Matrix', a musician, actor and towering presence in the world
of Blaxploitation films like 'Shaft'. A 'bad mutha' in my book ever since
I met him one day in the mid-'90s. The late Isaac Hayes.

Now imagine me, driving the streets of New York City with this man in the
back seat of my car (okay, my Limo) and I have the radio set to 'zero' volume
and he still recognizes the song as one of Al Green's. I wait outside on Greenwich
Street for hours as he records some tracks for his new album and then
when he emerges in the evening he introduces me to an additional passenger,
a statuesque Nubian- princess-looking type who is rather nice and friendly to me
and obviously in awe of The Man in the long black jacket. After all, she is
accompanying a legend while in the process of acquiring legendary status herself.
I drive them to the center of Times Square, the heart of NYC and I'm holding that
black jacket for this man, handing him a bottle of water to sip in between takes for
a magazine photoshoot he's doing with the long-legged lady, whom I get to stand
with and make small remarks about the weather (cold). She's 6' plus with the heels
so I literally look up to her from my 5'6'' frame. Throngs of passers- by are busy
taking their own NYC pics and doing their own thing and a few shout out in typical
New Yorker seen-it-all fashion, "Hey Isaac!" "You The Man!" "What's up, my Brother?!"

That was a day and a night to remember because that man was the late Isaac Hayes
and his leather jacket, and the lady posing behind him was Supermodel Roshumba,


most remembered for her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition cover.

I was treated in a friendly and respectful manner by these two and that's what I
took away at the end of a totally awesome day as a Limo driver in New York city.
That and the theme music from Shaft....

Getting Impatient Now

I have tried unsuccessfully for weeks to get into the Dashboard to create new posts and am always faced with a white page with no options to upload anything except type words. I know that Google somehow managed to get thousands of Blogs marked as 'Spam', deleted and then reinstated them. Looks like I'm stuck in between.
I can view my Blog and so can you but the missing functionality is beginning to get to me.
I suppose I'll be back to announce the sad demise of this Blog and the birth of the Son of Virtual Poona. One of these days....

RealAge Update

RealAge : My online Health advisors are Indian-inspired again

A Spice That’s Nice for Your Pancreas

Wake up your taste buds, and protect your pancreas while you're at it,

with some Indian food this weekend. Or try a Thai dish.

Turmeric -- the spice that gives curry and other Far Eastern fare its

strong, distinctive flavor -- may lower your risk of pancreatic cancer.

So find that takeout number.

It's Good to Be Yellow
Curcumin, the yellow stuff in turmeric, may do in tumor cells. When

researchers added the substance to cancerous pancreas cells, production

practically shut down -- thanks to a clampdown on cytokines, chemicals

linked to tumor growth and cell survival. (Find out why Indian food

after a workout may make you feel a whole lot better.)

Pancreas-Protective Foods
When you want a healthy, happy pancreas, you've got plenty of foods to

choose from. Try these, for instance:

• Onion and arugula. They're darn tasty on sandwiches
• and pack these special cancer-clubbing flavonols.
• Fish, eggs, and poultry. Find out why these are better
• choices for your pancreas than processed meats.
• D-fortified cereals and dairy. This key vitamin could really give
• you protection. Find out the optimal amount in this tip.

Recipe Corner
This scrumptious EatingWell recipe, Potato Curry with Peas, can
complement your main course or make a satisfying (and heart-healthy)
main meal. Either way, it's sure to please!
RealAge Benefit: Making healthful substitutions when cooking can
make your RealAge 3 to 12 years younger.

3 Feel-Better Postworkout Foods

What's the best snack to grab after a major workout? How about a bowl

of whole-grain cereal, a bite of Indian takeout, or a big nonfat latte.

Each nosh option has a special ingredient that may help your body

recover better and nip postworkout pain in the bud.

The 3 Cs
What, exactly, do these snacks have that others might not?

The three Cs: carbs, curcumin, and caffeine. A carb-rich snack like

cereal can help you overcome fatigue by restoring glycogen -- that

stuff your muscles use for energy. Curcumin, a substance found in the

Indian spice turmeric, may help quell muscle inflammation. And caffeine

from coffee may help block muscle-pain-producing substances.

(Coffee has other health benefits, too. Read about them here.)

More Pain-Free-Exercise Tips

• Warm up first. (Here's the step-by-step way to do it.)
• Stretch, stretch, and stretch some more. (Check out the
• stretches recommended by Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen.)
• Take an aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug 2 hours before
• heavy physical activity (if your doctor says it's okay).
• (Find out which pain relievers are best for postworkout pain.)

Hindi Urdu Flagship Austin Texas

Texas has long been a favored destination for Indian immigrants seeking to
become Doctors, Nurses, Businessmen, professionals in the fields of
Computer and Internet Technology, etc. And then there are those like

Arun Prakash, a Bellaire, Texas teacher whose labor of love has now come
to being in the form of 'Namaste Ji', the first-ever Hindi textbook for students
in the U.S.

The Houston Chronicle reports, ' The novice teacher invented his own lessons,
writing them by hand until he got a computer equipped with a Hindi font...
as India becomes a bigger economic power, interest in its native tongue
is growing and Texas state, with the fourth largest Hindi-speaking population
in the US, is poised to become a leader in Hindi instruction....''

Have to admire Arun Prakash for his ingenuity and steadfastness : it took
him eight years to get 'Namaste Ji' into the Hindi Urdu Flagship Program
at the University of Austin Texas, and now all he needs is some financial
momentum and the open hearts and voices of the governing boards.
From the look of things in the current US political climate, diversity of this kind
is not just an election issue but also at the root of a need for a deeper
understanding and knowledge of the world outside, post-9/11 and beyond.

Read the whole Houston Chronicle article about Prakash here
and also check out the neat 8 min. video below. It gives a brief
glimpse into the University of Austin campus and its beautiful surroundings,
the Program and the students.

Live and learn, and learn to live. A little at a time.

TNT Mamas via Abduction

Here's a look at the results of the Mozilla Firefox Add-on called
Abduction. I was trying to spread the word about a group of runners
in my area: TNT Mamas.Org


and their noble cause but was stumped about what to say since I had already
blogged about it on MySpace earlier


Plus, I wanted to use some pics to dress up a plain but nonetheless very
serious bit of info about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and
their connection to the Nike Women's Marathon.
Since I had just installed Abduction, no problem - all I had to do was
click on 'File' on the top left of my Browser and pick 'Save Page as Image'
and Voila ! I had not just a screenshot but a fine image saved in the
resolution of my choice. Now I had a pic that could be sent as an image/
attachment via email and the receiver could view it full size by clicking.
Click on the images above and see for yourself. It's more fun than just
sending a plain old link to a web page and your friends will love you for it.

LINKS
The Official Nike Running Blog - where you can learn more about
running for a cause and other questions related to Blood Cancer.

TNT Mamas.Org - the Clear Lake, Texas chapter of TNT
(Team In Training) who need YOUR help to make it to San Francisco
for this year's Marathon. If you can't donate, show some love and support
by posting a comment. It'll help them go the extra mile !

Natalie Portman-Devendra Banhart Masala

Bollywood claims another victory or victim, depending on your view.
Now it's talented Hollywood star Natalie Portman's

turn to take a stab. I think it's partly her boyfriend's fault she's getting all
mixed up, Bollywood-style in 'Carmensita'. Devendra Banhart is a
Venezuelan-American who first came to prominence in San Francisco, creating
music that perfectly reflected the local artsy mish-mash. From that cultural
stew emerged a sound and style that tangents the Blues, Brazilian pop, Acid
Folk-Rock Punk, Latin, Worldbeat and everything in between. A lot like
Bollywood's crazy-dazey take on life on another plane of consciousness.
Which is what you get in 'Carmensita'.

The way I see it, the result of her collaboration with Dev B. on this music
video has worked wonders for all concerned. By casting Natalie as
an Indian Princess her natural good looks are showcased as never before,
Devendra literally gets the girl (and her star power to boost his music project),
and Bollywood earns more buzz from international media - without being
directly involved in the project. Carmensita is weird and funny and cool and
just the kind of nutsy YouTube video you can expect me to share.

Wayn.com is MySpace Lite ?

click to enlarge

U.K. member uses Summer Rickshaw for his Wayn.com profile.

Somehow I now find myself a member of more than one social networking
site. I had to join MySpace because my friend Madooo invited me and
I'm always glad to show support for family, friends and musicians. Although
I don't do much there thanks to this Blog, I have made some new and
interesting contacts and also hooked up with some old ones. But now that
I'm a member of Wayn.com I'll say unreservedly it seems somewhat more
sane and cultured than MySpace, which is often overrun with garish and
tacky template designs vying for your (short span) of attention. Blame it on
the vast majority of MySpace members who are 20-somethings and part of
the 'must-have-it-now' generation. Instant trashy webpages included.

Wayn.com is an acronym for Where Are You Now and that's mainly what
makes it a different kind of social network : members' past, present and future
locations are pinpointed, tagged and tailored so deeply that you could plan an
entire trip overseas using this site. Let's use the picture above as an example
of (better) Wayn members' activities, like the Rickshaw Run adventure :

'Three wheels, half a horse power and more fun than any other vehicle on
planet earth the humble Rickshaw is undoubtedly the ultimate long distance,
off road machine, despite being designed for short distances on road....'

'The Rickshaw Run is all about raising huge amounts of wedge for a great cause
or two, so each team has to raise a measly £1000 for charity....'

Visit The Adventurists where you can join in the 2009 Run which starts in
Pondicherry in South India and winds up in Shillong in the Northern state
of Assam. But first - see what fun they had in 2008.

Oh..... and don't forget to check out if any one of your Contacts is also secretly
a member of the laid-back Wayn.com. Surprise them !

Outsourced: The Movie Is Out

Just got wind of this upcoming flick that's creating a buzz of sorts worldwide.
Already out in theaters in Europe and Australia, premiering in the USA on
July 11, but oddly won't reach India (where a major part of it was filmed) till
sometime in August.

Outsourced the movie directed and co-written by John Jeffcoat
humorously tells about what happens when an American novelty products salesman
is forced to travel to India to train his replacement after the entire department in his
Seattle, USA company is outsourced.



If you liked this trailer, why not just go to the source of 'Outsourced' now-
it's loaded with more clips and fun stuff like a chance to win a free trip to Goa !