text:
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Rusty's Comments On Newman Will Not Go Away
It certainly was a shame that Rusty Wallace took the opportunity to speak about Ryan Newman and Roger Penske on this Indy weekend. Certainly, the ESPN executives were hoping to go through the Saturday and Sunday races with Dale Jarrett being the big name and the race coverage being the focus. Sadly, it is not.
The long-simmering feud between Wallace and Newman re-surfaced, even through Rusty is well over a year removed from his active driving days. Last season, Wallace had a very tough time handling the pressure of the ESPN broadcast booth for one reason. He simply could not control what he sometimes said. That is key on TV.
In 2008, Wallace was retained by the ESPN team but given a new role as Infield Pit Center commentator. This released Wallace from the tough pressure of the high-profile play-by-play role but allowed him to step into the booth when Dale Jarrett was on vacation. With Allen Bestwick guiding his on-air activities, Wallace has flourished this season on multiple ESPN programs and this change was noticed by TV viewers.
This week, Wallace stepped-out on a limb again at the worst possible time. Stories like this one in the IndyStar and this one at the Sporting News told the tale. Out of the blue, Wallace declared to the working media that Ryan Newman had been fired by Penske at the end of the season.
"I'll clear the leaving thing up first," Wallace said Friday at an ESPN press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "That didn't happen. He didn't leave. Roger Penske called Ryan Newman up to his office and said, 'I don't need your services next year.'
"Ryan Newman didn't come to him and say, 'I'm leaving.' OK? You all need to write about that. That's exactly how it went down. Obviously, there was some bad blood there when it happened. I love Roger Penske, so I'm going to clear the story up for him."
To have this happen at an ESPN press conference that was supposed to focus on the upcoming coverage of the Sprint Cup Series by the ESPN family of networks did not go over well. As has happened many times throughout Wallace's career, his timing could not be worse and dragging Roger Penske into the conversation was a big mistake.
Saturday on ESPN viewers are going to see the trio of Dr. Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree featured. Bestwick, Wallace and Brad Daugherty worked on Thursday and Friday filing reports for SportsCenter and NASCAR Now.
It will be Sunday when the network grits its teeth and turns the camera on the Infield Pit Center for the NASCAR Countdown pre-race show. In a move that now seems terribly ironic, it will be NASCAR owners Wallace, Daugherty and Ray Evernham who will be joining Bestwick on the panel. It should be very interesting to see if Bestwick raises the Wallace vs. Newman incident.
The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page. Thanks for stopping by.
33 comments:
- Lou, from NY said...
Thank you JD for this to let us vent on this. This is a repost of my comment on your other column.
Too bad for Rusty Wallace. I agree, by now after last season and the currnent. I think I saw this comming. I would think he would have known better. Did he not have someone coach him? At least I have an excuse, which I will keep to myself, he does not. Mr.Wallace had an accomplished career. I hope this does not destroy his legacy in NASCAR. But it may hurt his broadcast career. How sad stuff like this comes to the cream of the crop
- July 26, 2008 at 12:10 PM
- Newracefan said...
JD thanks for letting me know where Rusty made his bonehead comments. The fact that he did it at an ESPN press conf makes it even more ridiculous. He lost my respect last year when he began slamming Jeff Gordon gained it back at the beginning of this year but started down that slope when he took sides (very vehemently) and slammed Toyota's engines now this Ryan mess. He's burned my last bridge and it will take a lot to build another, he is supose to be a broadcaster not a former racer with a biased agenda something he has obviously forgotten. Hey Rusty I know you are all about the money (since you bring it up all the time), I wonder if ESPN has fines like NASCAR's determental to stock car racing.
- July 26, 2008 at 12:27 PM
- Newracefan said...
oops that's detrimental
- July 26, 2008 at 12:28 PM
- Geez said...
Call a bonehead a bonehead. :-) Even
Roger Penske issued a statement that he didn't fire Ryan.
I would be shocked if anyone other than Wallace brought this up on Sunday. And then just to apologize.
- July 26, 2008 at 12:34 PM
- Geez said...
Another thing I'm curious about. Was he asked a question about Newman at the press conference, or did he just say this on his own.
- July 26, 2008 at 12:38 PM
- red said...
hey jd! thanks for bringing this topic forward for comment. i posted this earlier today and still feel the same way so i did the copy/paste moment! thanks, again, jd!
red said...
anon 12:54AM: i agree with your observation about rusty wallace. when i first read his remarks, i was annoyed by not only the inaccuracies but by the assumptions he was making, especially when it became clear that wallace hadn't spoken with penske at all and was basing his comments on "knowing" how penske thinks and works.
once i moved past being irritated by that part of all this, i started getting really annoyed. wallace is now a commentator on espn and, if being an owner isn't enough of a bias for that position, he now carries on a feud from his driving days and presents a factually thin series of statements. and he was just cleared to do cup race broadcasts, wasn't he?!?
a shame, really. i felt for him when it came to sitting in that booth when he son would have "a moment" on the track. and i was ok with him being cleared for cup broadcasts as well b/c i do believe he has a knowledge base which would be interesting to hear. but now, these most recent comments will be front and center in my head and that's a problem.
in my opinion, he crossed that line between racer and broadcaster and he has elimintated whatever credibility he had built with me this season. he's made significant improvement and we've commented on what a refreshing change it's been. sadly, that's now been compromised for me. someone should have had "the talk" with him and explained that he simply cannot put his opinions out there the way he did now that he's supposed to be part of a broadcast team. his every word will now be heard by me through a filter of doubt.
i don't expect anything to "be done" by espn but he's lost my respect and it will take an effort of some magnitude on his part to gain that back.
July 26, 2008 8:05 AM
- July 26, 2008 at 12:39 PM
- Anonymous said...
I said this on the other column comment-
As far as cRusty - he has shot himself in the foot with me. I want him now to join Brent Suzy & Co. His credibility is toast.
He is an owner who unlike Kyle P. cannot set his owners agenda aside while on TV.
Now I will add the rest - it is truly sad to see anyone repeatedly self destruct, it is difficult to watch cRusty grind axes that are completely worn down & should have been buried when his driving ended. He is not professional in the slightest, he regularly butts in where he has no business, talks on things he has NO first hand knowledge of. In the article on Nascars site he admits he did not speak to Roger directly about RN leaving , yet he claims to "know" & wants to "clear the air" for Roger.
Excuse me I do not believe Roger Penske is a shrinking violet, he would clear the air if HE wanted to.
IMO Penske & Newman handled this with class and dignity ( 2 things cRusty lacks)- they agreed to seperate, and took the high road, leave it to cRusty to get it to the gutter.
BTW now that Penske has issued the statement I DEMAND Crusty apologize to RN on air!!!!!
When he is on air and Steve is on the track we get not a drop of unbiased comment from daddy - we get excuses, not the type we get for other racers from cRusty, we get daddy isms.
He routinely bashes Toyotas to the point of mania. I'm not a fan of them I'm happy my driver will be back in a bowtie next year. But he really needs to give it a rest. NOW. Since Nascar stepped in he will probably be crowing all weekend. So in advance can someone let him know 1 time is enough?
Why he still is on air is beyond me, at what point is enough enough with him?
- July 26, 2008 at 12:41 PM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- July 26, 2008 at 12:45 PM
- Anonymous said...
I think after this incident, we'll only have to put up with Rusty for the rest of this season (hopefully) or perhaps one more. By then, other drivers who might be retired or retiring should be hired as his infield countdown program replacement.
Rusty was the big "name" driver available when ESPN was coming back to NASCAR two years ago, but there are other, better options now. Based on his behavior and inability to control his thoughts in a media setting, he hasn't earned the right to be a regular ESPN analyst.
- July 26, 2008 at 12:57 PM
- SophiaZ123 said...
ok..having a slow brain day. You mean to tell me Rusty made these comments on his own with OUT PROOF?
A fantasy comment in his own alleged mind?
Wow, Ray Evernham is lookin' better to me everyday.
ESPN needs to clean out their on air personalities. This is amazing.
I remember the hammering on J Gordon..and the Toyota's..and now this??
I am so done with these guys.
- July 26, 2008 at 1:06 PM
- Anonymous said...
I think Rustys comments have really cost him his job. He may not be "fired". But we may only see him next season on shows like NASCAR Now and SportsCenter. Not actual race coverage.
- July 26, 2008 at 1:15 PM
- Patrick said...
I have never been a fan of cRusty's (nod to Jo). He is extremely arrogant, self-centered and unprofessionally biased. He talks out of his backside more than half the time. I could be appeased with the removal of him, Daugherty and Brewer. This trio contributes nothing beneficial to the broadcasts. I think Dale Jarrett took the Dale Carnegie course on public speaking and each of the current trio could benefit from the same, but I don't want them to improve. I want them to go away.
- July 26, 2008 at 2:09 PM
- Kenn Fong said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- July 26, 2008 at 4:22 PM
- Kenn Fong said...
I wonder if ESPN will do anything to Rusty for this. They are leaving poor Dr. Jerry Punch to twist in the wind instead of moving back to a position where he excels.
On the other hand, my experience with management is they are usually reluctant to admit they've made a mistake. Switching Dr. Jerry Punch and demoting or firing Rusty would be a tacit admission.
Kenny - Alameda, California
- July 26, 2008 at 4:23 PM
- Ken said...
When I watch a race, I want objectivity. Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip are so far over the line, I DVR at least half the race so when they mouth off, I can skip past their comments. I hate that both the beginning and the end of the season is being damaged by retired drivers who can't control their personal feelings. Rusty is more damaging than the others because he is more personal and mean spirited with his drivel.
- July 26, 2008 at 4:39 PM
- Lisa Hogan said...
I have been disappointed at the tone of some of the comments about Rusty. Also, comments that Rusty is letting personal bias get to him seems to fit some of the posters here. I thought for a minute that I had wandered onto the SPEED forum. :)
I am in the minority here. I just don't feel that upset that Rusty made the comment. I take it with both a shrug and a grain of salt. :)
- July 26, 2008 at 5:11 PM
- Reedsgran said...
Rusty had no business opening his big mouth on this subject.
What happened is between Ryan and Roger. It was rude and shows a lack of class for Rusty to say what he said -- and without even being asked!!!
Rusty is useless on ESPN -- actually a distraction. He needs to be let go at the end of the season.
- July 26, 2008 at 5:21 PM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
Look for changes in the off-season just like they did last year. I had the "Rusty is out of the booth" story last October, and got roundly criticized for it. ESPN even denied it and made some very bad statements about me and this blog.
Lo and behold, everything we predicted came true and ESPN even threw Ray Evernham in the mix just to make it interesting.
Jerry Punch has already done a lot of TV this weekend. He has NASCAR Now, NASCAR Countdown and then a multi-hour race that is rapidly turning into another Goodyear train wreck.
Sunday afternoon should be very interesting.
- July 26, 2008 at 5:21 PM
- Richard in N.C. said...
On the other hand, most of the comments seem to assume that Rusty does not know what took place. In all likelihood Rusty has better contacts with Roger P. and with Penske South than anyone else in the media since he drove for Penske for many years ( & before Newman showed up) and owned 25% of Penske South until his last year.
Despite his apparent giant ego, I find it hard to believe Rusty would make such a comment unless he had some basis for its validity. There is substantial evidence that Rusty's comment may be true. Penske South was much more successful before Newman showed up and has been less successful since Rusty retired. Also over the years I read several reports that one cause of the friction was that Newman & Borland would not share advances they found with Rusty, even though Rusty had much, much more experience and owned 25% of Penske South. Roger P. has been very successful in every other racing series except NASCAR and I do not ever remember there being such infighting on his Indy car teams.
Even Newman has been quoted as saying (referring to Penske) "Our goals didn't align,..." How could their goals not align? Sounds like an admission of friction within Penske South to me.
If you give Rusty the benefit of the doubt that he at least believes he has an adequate basis for his comment, as a journalist should he have kept such "knowledge" to himself - unless he had been told confidentially?
I am not a Rusty "fan," as I am an Earnhardt fan and for years Rusty was the enemy. But from all I have read he had earned and deserved more respect than Newman showed him - and I still cannot understand why Roger P. never put an end to the infighting.
Maybe Rusty should have kept his comment to himself and, yes, he probably could have made his comment in a better way - but, it is news and in effect defends Penske.
- July 26, 2008 at 6:33 PM
- Anonymous said...
Rusty didn't get along with Mayfield either, so the "Newman didn't respect Rusty and caused infighting at Penske" argument is invalid. Rusty's the common denonimator there.
It's not a Penske issue, it's an issue of an ESPN analyst popping off at an inappropiate time (a press conference supposed to be about ESPN coverage, not about Rusty or Penske), and the way he denigrated Newman while popping off - and Penske has not confirmed that any or all of Rusty's statements are true, so I don't belive anything Rusty says. Rusty took a very personal tack with his comments.
If Rusty felt sure that his allegations were true, why didn't he go to the many reporters at ESPN/NASCAR and ask them to look into it? I'll tell you why: because Rusty wanted to be the center of media attention. He himself had to be the one to "defend Roger", who is a multi billionaire and really doesn't need defending. Penske's not-very-good NASCAR record speaks for itself.
Rusty could have gotten Massaro or Smith to confirm the story if he felt so strongly about it. If he didn't have such a big ego, he'd realize the story would have more validity coming from them than from him.
- July 26, 2008 at 7:19 PM
- Adam T. Martin said...
Well, Rusty really did dig a hole today.
Me? I have a like/dislike mentality towards him as a driver back in the day.
As an analyst, he needs to be careful of what he says. Rusty isn't as annoying as DW, but what Rusty said was completely unprofessional.
- July 26, 2008 at 8:25 PM
- Anonymous said...
RW does not need to be on the air at all. He obviously can't maintain a professional and neutral demeanor when it comes to others in the sport.
I think this is Rusty Wallace's way of getting back at Ryan Newman for their time together as teammates. One of my friends works for one of the major Cup teams and when I asked him about Ryan Newman and how everyone in the garages felt about him, my friend told me that everyone likes Ryan and that he is well-respected. Over the years, I have NEVER heard one negative thing about Ryan Newman from anyone. I can't say the same about Rusty Wallace and have heard from several people that he's quite arrogant and rude to the fans.
Perhaps RW is jealous of Ryan. Or feels intimidated by him. Whatever it is, it's a shame that RW can't let it go and move on. Doesn't he know that it's not healthy to hold grudges?
- July 26, 2008 at 8:28 PM
- Richard in N.C. said...
I see that Rusty is quoted as saying Friday that Penske said "I don't need your services next year." Later Friday Penske is quoted as saying "I have read Rusty's comments and it is important for everyone to understand that I did not fire Ryan. His contract runs through 2008 and we sat down and agreed that we were not going forward beyond this year." In a most diplomatic manner, Roger P has affirmed what Rusty reported.
While Rusty often appears to be arrogant and is often irritating and probably enjoyed what he said about Newman more than he should have, that does not mean what he said was not true.
- July 26, 2008 at 10:42 PM
- Anonymous said...
To richard in nc, I suggest you go to thatsracin.com and see the David Poole story. Here is a pertinent quote:
Former Penske driver Rusty Wallace, now a TV commentator, made some waves earlier this week when he said Newman had been fired. Newman denied it on Friday and Penske followed suit Saturday.
"(Newman) made a decision, we made it together that he'd move on," Penske said. "There was no issue between the two of us. There's some reports that there was and that's not the case."
That dripping you hear is Mr. R Wallace being hung out to dry!
- July 26, 2008 at 10:48 PM
- Anonymous said...
Edit: I said it was a David Poole story at thatsracin.com, it's actually an Associated Press story on that site.
- July 26, 2008 at 10:51 PM
- SallyB said...
Whether Rusty's comments were correct or not, it certainly seems he now suffers from 'The Mayfield Syndrome', where airing the 'dirty laundry' of your employer, former or otherwise, will only get you into trouble.
- July 26, 2008 at 10:52 PM
- Richard in N.C. said...
I still cannot find anywhere that Rusty is quoted as saying Newman was "fired." But now Penske's statement quoted saturday by the AP seems to be somewhat in conflict with his statement Friday quoted by Terry Blount on ESPN.com - I guess that will teach me not to quote Terry Blount. 1 for Rusty and 1 for Newman.
- July 26, 2008 at 11:17 PM
- Anonymous said...
Since when does an ESPN on-air talent come out and make statements about a team's personnel issues at a press conference?
And to "correct" Newman, who was the actual person involved in the deal--"You all need to write this?"--my God, Rusty needs to be fired.
I'm glad Penske stepped up and put Rusty in his place.
Rusty clearly doesn't know his current role. Put an end to this.
- July 27, 2008 at 10:22 AM
- Renata said...
I admit I had my doubts about Rusty being able to temper his own agendas against his professional obligations even before he started his ESPN gig last season. However, this incident along with the others(shots at Jeff Gordon, Toyota engines, etc.) have pushed it beyond the point of no return. He crossed over that line the same way Boris Said did earlier this season. The only difference is Rusty had more NASCAR credibility to lose than Boris did.
- July 27, 2008 at 11:36 AM
- Anonymous said...
Diane said....
In the Corporate world we would never let on if some one was let go. Of course many would suspect, but we always had the courtesy (unless it was something illegal) to allow that individual to resign and give 2 weeks notice. For someone, Rusty, who was not directly involved to speak for either party was totally unprofessional and in my opinion, disrespectful to Roger Penske. What is the point? Other than Rusty trying to validate himself that when he and Ryan were "teammates" he was the good guy. Drivers and teams part ways all the time. We don't need the dirty laundry aired. (Unfortunately, the JR thing was to the nth degree! A JR fan who hated that it happened the way it did.)
- July 27, 2008 at 11:51 AM
- Anonymous said...
I have never been a Rusty fan and after these comments, I will never be a Rusty fan. It is a shame that he is such an arrogant jerk that just shoots his mouth off and he needs to to take some lessons from younger brother Kenny who is a delight to watch and it is a shame that ESPN cannot hire Kenny. I think that Rusty is as irritating as DW got this year and would love to see him replaced and judging from what I have read, that might not be really far off and I for one would welcome it. I would love to See Sllen Bestwick as the lead announcer int he bootha nd put Jerry Punch where is at his best on pit road.
- July 27, 2008 at 12:51 PM
- Anonymous said...
I think that Rusty has a problem with envy. He has never gotten over the fact that he would never get as many wins, endoresements, media attention that Jeff got from day one.
And then he had to work with Ryan, who looked like he was going to be as competative as Jeff. During the time that Rusty raced head-to-head with Ryan, Ryan left him in the shade. During their time together, Ryan had over 30 poles to RW's 1. I'm sure it got his goat that the media made such a big deal that Ryan was a college grad.
I imagine RW is green with envy that the buzz that Tony might be chosing Ryan to join him.
I can only hope that ESPN does something about this latest incident.
- July 27, 2008 at 9:12 PM
- Desmond said...
I can't believe I am only seeing this story now, 10 days after it happened!
This is another example of the media not covering itself well.
- August 5, 2008 at 7:07 PM


text:
I get asked a lot who does the cooking for my kids (the first most common question is who takes care of my kids during the day when Joe and I are at work, to which I am tempted to answer: the TV) (actually we have a nanny) (a human one, not just a euphemism for the TV) and while I will occasionally give some bullshit answer about doing some cooking on the weekends and trying to have a lot of fresh fruit around, the real answer is that without Trader Joe's, we would all be dead.
I don't mean to turn this into an ALL REVIEWS, ALL THE TIME blog, but I know many of us are busy, and though most of us probably cook better than I do (all my "cooking"--I used that term loosely--must be able to be completed in a single pot or saucepan or else I am simply not interested), I just wanted to review some of the new things I've tried at Trader Joe's that the kids like. Maybe this can be a recurring blog topic--I know they had a similar segment on some of the earlier episodes of "Jordan Jesse Go!", but while those segments were used to comedic effect, these reviews are deadly serious.
The other thing is that I know Trader Joe's has the sometimes annoying, usually revitalizing habit or rotating certain items in and out, so there's usually one or two things that I happen across in the frozen or ready-made aisle that I would like to try, though I'm not sure if I'm willing to take the risk. I am risk averse. So anyway, I'll review some of the new products that I tried and liked, you can reciprocate in kind in the comments section, and so we will all prosper.
Mainly, my main considerations when shopping for food at Trader Joe's are this:
- Will the kids eat it?
- Can it be prepared in under ten minutes? Preferably via microwave? I will skillet things and suchlike, but my nanny is even less cook-y than I, so if I'm not the one preparing (read: heating up) dinner, it's got to be microwave, toaster oven, or, you know, vichyssoise.
- Can I at least pretend that it has some nutritive value?
- Does it cost $10 or less? (Luckily almost everything at Trader Joe's is $10 or less, so the answer is usually yes.)
OK, first up, this turkey bolognese sauce:
Look, I have that Prego sauce in a can too. (Yes, I know it's easy to make your own spaghetti sauce, shut up already, Racheal Ray, GOD.) But sometimes you want a little protein in there so your kids don't get kwashiorkor. Also, meat sauce tastes good. Plus, pasta and kids = success. I got this turkey bolognese for the first time last week. Three days later, I went back and got three more boxes for the freezer. Guys, it's good. And it's frozen, so you can keep it for months, ready to unthaw and spoon over your fusilli or what have you at the drop of a hat. Put some fresh parsley over it if you're fancy like that--I'm not, but I do appreciate that this sauce has a somewhat finer flavor than your usual prepared pasta sauce, which is usually just like a can of Hunt's tomato sauce with lumps in it. It's also not too salty, a major fault of many other brands of prepared pasta sauces. You can probably get four to six kid-sized meals out of this serving of sauce (depending on how big your kids are), or feed two hungry adults.
Next up, this beef bourgignon:
(How do you say that anyway? I've been pronouncing it bore-zheen-YON, but then I kind of mumble it in case I'm saying it wrong so no one notices that eight years of French class in my formative years taught me nothing.)
I know what you're thinking. Red wine sauce? Kids won't eat that. I had the same concerns, so I just got one figuring that if the kids hated it, at least Joe and I could eat the remainder. But it actually isn't that red-winey--actually much less so than the beef shortribs that TJ's occasionally pedals in the refrigerated ready-made foods aisle, but which Cal LOVES--so I think that on the kid front, it's highly palatable. It also doesn't come with quite as many giant meat chunks as depicted on the box, and with somewhat more sauce (which, as mentioned, is not winey but still very meaty) so it becomes quite an ample meal spooned over noodles or rice or potatoes or what have you. I would consider cooking a side vegetable--the only identifiable vegetable I saw were pearl onions--but overall, I was impressed with this entree. Maybe four meals for kids, depending on how much starch you serve it on top of. I know it's probably supposed to be two adult servings, but I could easily finish this whole thing myself if I was really hungry.
Finally, not a new product, but an old standby in our household:
Look, I'm not going to pretend that this is healthy. It's not. It's elbow macaroni and a lot (A LOT) of cheese. But kids like it. Serve it as a side, save some for leftovers, and it won't be overkill. We always have a box or two lying around for emergencies. At least it's better than that powdered orange stuff. Pro tip: after you heat it up in the microwave for six minutes, give it a stir, and then (if you're kids aren't howling for blood because they're so hungry Mom OH MY GOD SO HUNGRY MOOOOOOOM) stick in in the toaster oven on toast for another few minutes. Gets a nice crust.
What do you like at Trader Joe's? And more importantly, do your kids like it? I got these new curry panang sticks there this past weekend, but I'm under no illusions--that one's for me.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Someone broke into a house in the 2200 block of East Adams Street and stole three televisions and a couch.
The thief got in through a bedroom window sometime between April 14 and Friday.
The three TVs had a combined value of more than $675, and the couch was valued at $1,000.


text:
The wonderful people from Spot Shot are so excited about the sweepstakes that they would like to give one of my readers a $25 Wal-Mart Gift Card to get started on that living room makeover!!!
Mandatory Entry:
Like the Stain Fighting Community on Facebook, then come back here and leave me your email with this entry!!!


text:
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Ajeeb Mumbai Ki Ghazab Kahani
The lines have totally blurred now. Most of the old players are either dead or dying. The new laptop 'Dadas' wear Versace ( itself a dying brand, but who's to tell these designer goons?), and crack mega real estate deals with smooth talking builders in shiny suits. Most of the ghastly construction one sees in suburban Mumbai, is the product of these scumbags who have stripped Mumbai of all aesthetics, in their greed to make a fast buck. I was told by an erstwhile royal who is a globe trotting , card holding member of the Luxe set, that a top Italian designer who visited Mumbai in search of good locations for his stores, actually held his head in his hands and wept after a drive through the city. He couldn't accept its ugliness. He was appalled by the hideous 'development' that lacks character or taste. He kept repeating, " How could anybody do this to such a historic and important city? Why doesn't someone stop this horrible growth?" He fled vowing never to return. Yes, he was that traumatized. Mumbai's 'ghazab' story can only get worse. There are no real stakeholders left to protect it from marauders who are determined to exploit every last inch of space available. And these marauders are not the feared 'outsiders' , but insiders themselves, who want to hang on to the booty. Helping them in their sinister design are the greedy worker ants of Mumbai – those who sign 'no objection' certificates, okay crazy plans, are a part of this dirty nexus . From lowly staffers in the BMC, to hangers- on of MLA'S and ministers, they are all in the conspiracy to own India's most valuable real estate – Mumbai.
What does the average Mumbaikar do to protect the city… his\her own interests? Very little. The cynicism is so wide spread, the Mumbaikar shrugs resignedly and life goes on. Every time there is a crisis, Mumbaikars are reminded about their 'resilience' and the great 'spirit' of the city. This is nothing but a cheap alibi that excuses those who are responsible for the safety and prosperity of India's premier hub. Mumbaikars shrug, laugh and get back to work after each devastation, knowing that if they don't, they'll be finished. They read exposes on corruption in high places, in low places, in virtually every place! And are not shocked. They accept that most of the netas they themselves have voted into power are goondas. They don't react. Nobody wants unnecessary 'lafdas', they say tiredly. As long as the goondas get them water in the taps, it's okay. It's all a big joke – just like in the current Ajeeb-Ghazab hit movie.Serial blasts, terror attacks, David Headley and whatever else might befall Mumbai in future, one thing is certain – politicians will never get poor. Today, Mumbaikars are willing to say sportingly, " It's okay, baba…. paisa banao. Loot maar karo. No problem. Grab what you can while in power. But at least make sure the public also benefits a little." Is that too much to ask??
I think it is very fair and very practical. It's time to do a deal. Maybe Mumbaikars should talk turkey with those who are busy plundering Mumbai and work out a formula. We have some of the canniest financial brains in the country in this overburdened city History tells us Mumbai came as part of a 'dowry' for a Portugese princess in the early 17th century. Time to file a dowry harassment case, in that case?? It can't get more ghazab than that for this ajeeb city.
30 comments:
- Alex Engwete said...
Your description of real estate gone mad in Mumbai sounds exactly the same as the one about Moscow I recently watched on Aljareeza TV channel: historic buildings left to die their slow death so that city officials could peddle them to real estate agents; beautiful neighborhoods that used to feature jewels of Russian architecture are now dotted pell-mell with monstrous high-rises, etc--and, yes, all this against the backdrop of universal corruption... The moral of this resemblance of re-emerging and booming historic cities: citizens must take political action by voting for politicians willing to reform governance at all levels and to tackle corruption head-on... In fact, Ms Shobhaa De, why don't you run for office in Mumbai?
- November 22, 2009 at 9:29 PM
- obssesor said...
Times of India!
- November 22, 2009 at 9:30 PM
- Theyoginme said...
Perhaps there are many dowry cases to be filed across the country...why limit it to Mumbai.. I have seen the city of Pune being wrecked the same way in the last 12 years.
- November 22, 2009 at 9:36 PM
- ZB said...
very true about mumbai. Or most cities in India. Certainly The cities here are the worst and ugliest in the world. We compare ourselves to China, but have a look at Shanghai and you would stop comparing.
Is there a way out of this mess that India is in? Sometimes i feel democracy is our biggest drawback. Nice post.
- November 22, 2009 at 10:42 PM
- cmpershad said...
"These old Bollywood- style dons were soon replaced by a new breed - the political dons – but the objectives remained the same – buying Mumbai. And selling it, piece by piece to the highest bidder. Dhanda"
Dhanda with a Danda is replaced by sweet smile tactics- but the result is the same :)
- November 22, 2009 at 10:48 PM
- Jogeshwar said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 23, 2009 at 12:26 AM
- Sidhusaaheb said...
The 'resilience' and the great 'spirit' of the city have been created by the NDTV 24x7-, Times Now- and CNN IBN-types, I suspect.
- November 23, 2009 at 12:37 AM
- Aditya said...
I have seen the prog on timesnow today and you were on the panel.
I share your anger and frustration.
Please read this that I had written last year after 26/11
- November 23, 2009 at 1:46 AM
- kala said...
Mumbai problems are due to the super rich and super poor. The hardworking middle class is crushed by both. Super rich grab land with their super money and create artificial hike in real estate prices. While the so called poor make the city filthy besides occupying land without paying single paisa as tax. Middle class has to take loans at high interest rates even to own a matchbox.
And Arnab and Times are repeating the same formula of inviting you along with almost same set to air views. Are you that desperate to attend all these shows which are just popcorn stuff? And why blow out of proportion Sachin's statement and Thackeray's statements? Are they not forcing Sachin to take a stand or moving away from it? Why dont they just report and forget? Why do they stoke and make a big fire? We should rather extinguish fires like what the much criticised politicians are doing. Like Ashok Chavan asking for preference for locals(not necessarily marathis) and Mamata Banerjee initiating local languages for railway exams which is a step needed to cut out separatist forces.
- November 23, 2009 at 9:01 AM
- ms said...
mz de, after reading this, i feel like one of those who see a beached whale and helplessly sit beside it, watching it die a slow and painful death. most cities are dying, but to see a beautiful princess harried to death, devastating. i am surprised when maharashtrian politicians go blue in the face screaming, "amchi! amchi!" and do nothing about its destruction. then it is also true, no undertaker knows CPR! if my city was notorious as a hotbed of terrorism and my people, leaders in every crime and shamelessly involved in aiding and abetting murder and killing - i would be so overcome with grief, i would die. but look at the great leaders of this state, they have time to create useless controversies, incite racial violence and join in the looting. next time i read a statement by these keepers of all things maharashtrian about how great their heritage is and how it only belongs to them, i will say, "keep it. because your heritage also has elements of terrorism, corruption and treason".
- November 23, 2009 at 10:22 AM
- Illkilya said...
I've watched Bangalore also die its slow death. Every beautiful bungalow with bougainvillea garden is replaced by an ugly glass facade. Story of every developing city in India!
- November 23, 2009 at 11:46 AM
- krish said...
hi ....
True to each word....its a bone left to the dogs who will chew it dwn....the suburbs have and are being developed without any thought..... and south mumbai is following .....from whr did mr raj thacker get 400 crs to buy kohinoor mill land at dadar is a big question...from whr does all the money come for sena.....and same for all toher parties......being from the construction feild its a said rule at BMC ..every file that moves in has loads of cash in it with cuts ....right from the CM to the peon and yes thy ask with all right....
In this doomed democracy we have the right to shout screm play to the camers...but no power ..will toc chage the system....bec the system does not want to change...bec the system is perfect for the system handlers.... thr likes a fauly with the people....
- November 23, 2009 at 12:37 PM
- mahatru said...
Truly wonderful post...i think same is with Bangalore too.
I remember when we last visited Bangalore way back in 1997 it was like "city beautiful" so thickly populated with dense trees, gardens and parks but now when i am settled here since 2006 Bangalore is entirely different no trees & gardens without plants n flowers.
Traffic n concrete jungle are mushrooming here like "some viral disease"
popular venues in Mumbai
popular venues in Pune
- November 23, 2009 at 1:46 PM
- kala said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 23, 2009 at 2:17 PM
- kala said...
This post reminds me of The Deserted Village by Oliver Goldsmith.
Poona and Bangalore are the other 2 beautiful cities going to dogs, if not already.
Every city is turning into gutter city with mountainous plastic trash.
The strict visa system and vigilance is preventing the entire Indian population turning even world cities into trash cities.
Our celebrities go ga ga over filthy streetfood and stray dogs in the same breadth and our newfound prosperity invites the plastic monster.
- November 23, 2009 at 2:18 PM
- Balvinder Singh said...
Thackereys keep questioning the contribution of others to Maharashtra, in particular to the city of Bombay.
Shobhaa, through your blog (which has a large following) may i ask that whether somebody can put me wise on the contributions of Balasaheb Thackerey and his clan to Maharashtra and to the city of Bombay. The changing of name of this great city from Bombay to Mumbai (after which its actual down fall started) seems to be the only one to me. Any one please?
- November 23, 2009 at 6:08 PM
- NIM said...
it is really a shame whats hapenning to mumbai today...every street has a new development in process and it has completely changed, nay distroyed the charm that mumbai had earlier. I'm just a 20year old but my family has been living in mumbai for generations and this is our hometown. But when i see in pictures what the city used to be like, i only wonder how could it change so drastically. Its all our fault in the end. The people who actually sell the real estate to all these "goondas" that u describe in most of ur posts. Its really a pity...
- November 23, 2009 at 6:10 PM
- Vinu said...
Superb penning of thoughts..true to the heart..It's just unbelievable to see city like Mumbai tearing apart like this..More painful is to see least of efforts coming from the elite and reverred section of the society...
- November 23, 2009 at 10:18 PM
- Nipun said...
awesome post mam!!
i am 2 small 2 judge the spirit of the city..
Can;t be critical 2 at this point of time..
Kudos 2 u..
- November 24, 2009 at 12:45 AM
- vijju said...
Great Writeup.Its time people take up the matter more sriously...I wonder what the netas in the center were doing from ages even after knowing such " " and so called protectionists of Maharashtra existed
- November 24, 2009 at 12:48 AM
Bihar is developing/progressing? News?
- November 24, 2009 at 9:22 AM
- Romulus said...
'Kala' is most definitely on the ball.
- November 24, 2009 at 9:41 AM
- Bijoy said...
Dear Blogger,
We are a group of students from cochin who are currently building a web portal on kerala. in which we wish to include a blog roll I found your Blogs interesting so inviting you to join our new venture you could find our site here: http://enchantingkerala.org
the site is currently being constructed and will be finished by 20 of Dec 2009
we wish to include your blog located here
we'll also have a feed fetcher which updates the recently updated blogs from among the listed blogs thus generating traffic to your recently posted entries.
If you are interested in listing your site in our blog roll; kindly include a link to our site in your blog in the prescribed format and send us a reply to email@example.com and we'll add your blog immediately. Ypu can add to our blog if you have more blog pls sent us the link of other blog we will add here
pls use the following format to link to us
Write Back To me Over here firstname.lastname@example.com
hoping to hear from you soon.
warm regards
- November 24, 2009 at 12:38 PM
- Peter Williams Amalraj said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 24, 2009 at 1:59 PM
- Peter Williams Amalraj said...
The article was a real eye-opener.. Never ever did i imagine the 'Real Estate' to be the real reason behind all these reel like acts.. But their counterparts in TN often come up with similar acts terming them to be true patrons of Tamil language and culture.. Now that after reading this, it leaves me exploring for real reasons behind these ones.... :)
BTW.. thank you Ma'am for the piece of information..Mumbai came as part of a 'dowry' for a Portugese princess in the early 17th century
- November 24, 2009 at 2:52 PM
- Mukesh Bhatia said...
Its in our hand to make or break Mumbai, a real real estate. Let there be some platform to blow the bigule. I would be the first blow it out.
- November 24, 2009 at 7:45 PM
- *Aham* said...
Making an issue over a nonissue. I have nothing against either tackrays scoring brownie points by sending the wave of Hatered, but if they did this strategically and smartly, id sit back and appreciate it.
Look how smart and strategic was terror tourist guide vilasrao, he left mumbai and headed delhi. Smart chap. Smart move.
Varan baath naahi tarr sarson da saag hi sahi. He would be eating pot bhar... and listening to heavy metal.
resilience is followed by a re silence- A repeat of the silence and inaction.
We are largely choiceless, if i dont go to work the next day, i lose a days salary. I go to work for that. Is that resilience? No.
yes, we have this thought ki paise banao, but bhalai bhi karo...
the deadly headly was a might spank on the butt of the bhatt... and that thappad was so loud that mumbai was shaken.
And our goverment. drama bazi.. and
vaade and neak iraade...
fir, abhi thanda... but we know yehi dhandha.
- November 25, 2009 at 9:28 PM
Hi Shobhaa. I love your blogs. Also, like your inputs on TV. My thoughts on Mumbai are on my blog. Hope you agree. http://samsondsouza.blogspot.com/2009/11/2611-and-mumbai-few-thoughts.html
- November 26, 2009 at 8:21 PM
- krutika said...
who buys these lands...65% live in slums thats funnybecuz these real estate agents dont really make much towards the end
- December 3, 2009 at 2:18 AM
- Siva Cool said...
A truly motivational and life changing book
This book is really a good book which shows us right path. but i read
one more book named "ONE BOOK FOR LIFE SUCCESS" which is truly
motivational and life changing . .The writer has described in Plain English with lot of examples which is easy to understand...For More
Please watch the videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biORjS8ngv0
- July 3, 2014 at 12:52 PM


text:
Book Tour and Activities on the Go!
About the Destination:
Despite of being smallest state in the country, Goa, with its rich history and stunning range of offerings, has become one of the highest visited states in India. Bestowed with picturesque beaches, captivating shorelines, myriad list of marine life and water activities, this quaint little state entices a plenitude of tourists from different corners of the globe.
Be it for the beach lovers, water sports enthusiasts, the history buffs, or those looking for adventures in Goa, this party capital of the country serves as a true treasure trove. Also, the salubrious climate and favourable ecological ambience around Goa encourages the growth of enchanting marine life like the dolphins, coral reefs, exotic species of fishes and much more.
While on this tour, you can cruise through the fascinating Goan waters and witness the playful dolphins, marine life and several major landmarks. Within the tour, you can also visit the Monkey Beach, which is nestled away from the usual rush of tourists and make some of the most memorable moments of your life with snorkelling and bottom fishing.
About the Activity:
The call for this splendid and delightful trek begins with your pick-up from the hotel at around 08:30 in the morning and a drive towards the boat jetty. Hereafter, the real adventure in Goa begins within an hour sail that gets you the stunning views of the common dolphins and the black finless porpoise. If luck favours, you can also catch a glimpses of the Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins as well. While on this tour, you will be promised with these kinds of promising views; make sure you are always ready with your camera!
Enhancing the fun and excitement of this tour are the spectacular views of the mighty Arabian Sea and the Millionaires Palace that overlooks the Goa Central Prison. Sailing past the prison, witness the magnificent Governor's Palace from the boat and navigate towards a nearby island.
Arriving at the island, get engaged in bottom fishing and discover the enchanting beauty of Goa's rich marine life by indulging in snorkelling. Witness some of the rare and exotic coral reefs, colourful fishes and other marine life while snorkelling in the island trip. Post this; cruise towards the Monkey Beach, where a delicious barbeque lunch will be ready for you. Enjoy the Goan traditional buffet lunch on the secluded Monkey Beach and have some fun sunbathing, swimming or lazing around the island.
By late afternoon; around 03:30, depart the Monkey Beach and sail towards the boat jetty from where you had started your journey. Arriving at the jetty and with your drop at the hotel, this exciting island trip in Goa will come to an end.
About the activity:
Ask a Question
Ask Question


text:
Eleanor Rubino – June, 1997
The United States Dancesport Hall of Fame Award was given to Eleanor Rubino in recognition of her devotion, dedication and unselfish pursuit to elevate the art of dance. Eleanor not only produced many professional dancers and teachers through her teaching but has served as an ambassador for dance throughout the world as Medal Test Chairman on behalf of the National Dance Council of America.
A former Performing Arts Director for the Council, Eleanor has proven herself a leader in our profession and a shining star to those who follow in her footsteps.


text:
It's funny how time off from work tends to bring out familiar indolent patterns of behavior in (these two) academics. Raiding my parents fridge for chocolate-covered apricots? Yes. Playing Scrabble til the wee hours of the morning? You better believe it. Spending a little extra time on making stupendous dinners? But of course. Watching films in a bulimic kind of way? Bring it. My mother nagging me for
The Darling Resident Husband (Notice the change in nomenclature. He's been renamed due to the incredibly generous Christmas present of an iPhone which signals his capitulation to the surrounding culture. Principles be damned! I love this man!) became very teary watching a Truffaut film (a change as he's normally a Godard kinda guy) and noted that the director "just loved what he did". We contemplated this concept and decided that doing what you love is of no small importance.
And now, on to the knitting content!
Recently I've been on a scarf kick, which is odd because normally this garment is way down on my knitting list as a. they are frequently tedious and b. always take longer than you think they're going to take. If you can identify with these sentiments, might I suggest the Child's Rainbow Scarf from LMKG? I have seen plenty of these on Ravelry and elsewhere that encouraged me to give it a whirl. This project is ultra-fast (about a day and a half, off and on) and affords one the ability to be ever surprised by the changing colors of the Kureyon. Sometimes the colors go together in the most pleasing way imaginable (blue + green, blue + orange, both combos are so right on...) and sometimes the colors just completely clash and make you ill (purple + brown, anyone?), but the overall result has strong visual appeal due to the mistake rib and vibrant colors.
The Specs
Pattern: Child's Rainbow Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, colors 40 & 54
Needles: Size 9
Time: About a day and a half
Next up: Wendy Bernard's Drive-Thru for Peeper-Lou. Knit completely out of stash yarn!


text:
Properties in Falls Church $350,000 to $375,000
Search Criteria
Refresh This Search
$365,000 : 5505 Seminary Rd #2211n, Falls Church 22041
2 beds, 2 full baths
Living area: 1,463 sq. ft.
Lot size: n/a
Year built: 1987
Days on Market: 3
$359,900 : 2230 George C Marshall Dr #518, Falls Church 22043
2 beds, 2 full baths
Living area: 1,069 sq. ft.
Lot size: n/a
Year built: 1987
Days on Market: 13
$375,000 : 7025 Haycock Rd #N, Falls Church 22043
2 beds, 1 full baths
Living area: 878 sq. ft.
Lot size: n/a
Year built: 1994
Days on Market: 23
$359,000 : 2230 George C Marshall Dr #905, Falls Church 22043
2 beds, 2 full baths
Living area: 1,074 sq. ft.
Lot size: n/a
Year built: 1987
Days on Market: 31
$357,000 : 3701 George Mason Dr #2505n, Falls Church 22041
2 beds, 2 full baths
Living area: 1,712 sq. ft.
Lot size: n/a
Year built: 1973
Days on Market: 45
$364,900 : 3021 Nicosh Cir #1204, Falls Church 22042
2 beds, 2 full baths
Living area: 1,108 sq. ft.
Lot size: n/a
Year built: 2000
Days on Market: 52
Thinking of Selling or Renting Out your Falls Church property?
Home Buyer's Resources
Water Oriented
Water-view homes for sale in Northern VA
With Garage
These neighborhoods have that special mixture of luxurious homes with a desirable location. Many of these neighborhoods are served by the area's best public schools.
- Arcturus -- Along the Potomac River near George Washington Parkway
- Arlington Ridge -- Overlooking the capital's river valley
- Belle Haven -- An established neighborhood of distinctive homes
- Chesterbrook -- Elegant homes on quiet streets in Mclean
- Clifton -- A place to find your micro-mansion
- Great Falls --- Impressive residences with large lots
- Langley -- Great schools, quiet neigbhoods
- Rivercrest -- Stately homes on the Arlingwood bluff
- Seminary Hill -- Impressive homes on large lots close to town
- Yacht Haven -- Boater's paradise on the Potomac
Foreclosures and bank-owned homes for sale
There is a certain charm to a historic neighborhood that you cannot find elsewhere. Many of these neighborhoods date to the colonial era.
- City of Fairfax -- Old Town Fairfax has some of the oldest buildings in Northern Virginia
- Downtown Falls Church -- One of the oldest settlements in Northern Virginia
- Fort Hunt -- Fort Hunt Park is at the center of this community
- Lyon Village -- One of the areas first real estate developments
- Manassas -- Only the site of two major battles in the US Civil War
- Occoquan -- Overlooking the Potomac River
- Old Town Alexandria -- Colonial architecture is standard fare
- Mount Vernon -- George Washington's hometown
- Woodlawn -- Home to several historic structures
Are you looking for a home or condo near a metro station? Use our site to find properties close to Metro stations.
- Aurora Hieghts --- Near the Pentagon at the center of the region
- Ballston --- Ballston Common Mall is at the center of this community
- Clarendon --- Market Common Clarendon has many shops and restaurants
- Fair Lakes -- Home of the Fair Oaks Mall and many nearby restaurants
- Old Town --Well-known for boutiques, shops and restaurants
- Pentagon City -- The Fashion Center at Pentagon City is a multi-level indoor mall surrounded by shops and restaurtants
- Springfield -- Springfield Mall is being renovated and replaced by a brand new shopping center
- Reston -- Reston Town Center is one of many shopping attractions here.
- Tysons Corner -- Home to Tysons Corner Mall and the upscale Tysons II Galleria


text:
Sunday News Round-Up, Vacation Wind-Down Edition
(Medical Librarian Geek Alert!) There's new MeSH! I may do a separate post later on terms related to women's and sexual health and/or neat things for searching. Things that immediately catch my eye for being miscellaneously cool are ageism, breakfast, brown recluse spider, crowdsourcing, drug overdose, Fukushima nuclear accident, genocide, homophobia, literature based discovery, metal-on-metal joint prostheses, patient medication knowledge, public health surveillance, racism, and sexism. And, yeah, we're gonna have to talk about "transgendered persons." And send NCBI more emails. Which they love.
Via Colorlines, D.C. Launches First Ever Transgender Respect Ad Campaign
By Jodi Jacobson at RH Reality Check, Virginia Board of Health Succumbs to Threats From Cuccinelli, Passes Medically-Unnecessary Restrictions, on abortion TRAP laws intended to close clinics and reduce access.
I haven't seen it yet, but caught a link to this film, Two Spirits, that aired on Independent Lens, and apparently explores various Native American perspectives on gender.
I don't read Daily Kos, but I somehow stumbled across this post which highlighted more in white male Republican ignorance about abortion. In a video for Al Jazeera's U.S.-focused Fault Lines, an interviewer asks Ohio Republican state Rep. Jim Buchy, who reportedly co-sponsored abortion-restricting "heartbeat" legislation, "What do you think makes a woman want to have an abortion?"
Although discussion of the restrictions starts earlier, the specific question and Buchy's response start at 12:43. He actually chuckles at first at the idea of putting himself in those shoes, laughing, while insisting, "I'm not a woman…I'm thinkin', if I'm a woman…" He concedes that economics are an issue, before confessing, "It's a question I've never even thought about."
So here's a man who has co-sponsored legislation that could ban abortions at a point in pregnancy at which many women don't even know they're pregnant yet, effectively barring them from having abortions. And he's never even actually thought about why they might need or want to have them. That's just awesome.
Jaclyn Friedman has some strong thoughts about Naomi Wolf's new book, "Vagina." I haven't read it yet, but what Jaclyn says makes me think I shouldn't bother:
Despite the title, this is a book explicitly and exclusively about straight vaginas. Lesbians and bisexual women? They're a mystery to her, beyond the scope of the book. Women of color are rarely referenced, appearing mostly as victims, goddesses, or Josephine Baker. Women who don't have vaginas, and people with vaginas who aren't women? Never heard of 'em.
Amy Poehler gives advice on loving your body (transcript included), which is awesome. I didn't really like the turn at the end that's basically "and don't worry, somebody will love you!" I get the sentiment, but you should make peace with your own body even if you deeply hate other people and plan to live out your days in a cat-filled shack. I'm just saying.
Relatedly, Renee at Womanist Musings talks about Kate Middleton and body policing.
Oh, Missouri. What are we going to do with you? Are you jealous that nobody thinks of you when they think of the South, is that it?
Do you all listen to Science Friday? It's pretty awesome. That is all.
My posts at the Our Bodies Ourselves blog include Task Force Update: Routine Ovarian Cancer Screening Not Recommended for Most Women, a conference announcement for medical students interested in reproductive choice and health, and an observation of the first ever Global Female Condom Day. Don't forget to check out the Our Bodies Our Votes campaign while you're there!
Yet another librarian/feminist crossover situation: Nashville's Mayor Karl Dean announced the first citywide read selection, and its The Handmaid's Tale. No, I'm completely serious. Like Aunt B, I'm caught somewhere between applause and wondering if our Mayor actually knows what the books is about.
Reading notes: Vacation reads finished included A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (entertaining, with lots of references to a library and manuscripts in this one, but I'm still not thrilled about the treatment of the lead character and the "romance"), The Wind Done Gone by local Alice Randall (picked up at East Side Story), A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris (in the Aurora Teagarden series, which I won't read any more of – I like Harris's supernatural and Lily Bard stories much better).
Because I'm a reading grazer, I also looked at bits of Risk, Reproduction and Narratives of Experience (out of our university press, and which I intend to give a complete serious read in the near future), Engendering Genre: the Works of Margaret Atwood by Reingard Nischik, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow, Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality by Hanne Blank, and Sister Outsider by Audre Lord. I failed to finish The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, which I started before vacation – of all of the above, it's the one I have the most doubt about eventually finishing.
I also read a lot at Tor, The A.V. Club, and WoW Insider.
And that's it for this Sunday, because I am gonna go catch up on Boardwalk Empire.
September 21, 2012 10:30 am
Not so far. I haven't been willing to cough up the $$ to try any new releases so far this year because I got burned pretty good on Star Wars: The Old Republic. I hear good things about Guild Wars 2, especially in comparison to WoW.
My hook is mostly exploration so the games that have been around longer and have larger worlds/lore is what I like to try. Right now I'm playing DC Universe Online, which is the opposite of a large world but it's pretty cool if you like comics.


text: Filled with 100% natural materials. The scents of lavender and chamomile help you relax, while the therapeutic moist heat can be used to help alleviate the discomfort of sore throats, earaches, arthritis, cold hands or feet, sinus problems, menstrual cramps and back pain. Place in the freezer until chilled for a cool compress, or microwave for warm relief.


text:
Wills for Heroes Clinic - Sauk Prairie Police Department
Wisconsin Wills for Heroes
Saturday, November 12, 2016 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (CST)
Event Details
Wills for Heroes needs volunteer attorneys, notaries and support personnel to put on a successful clinic.
We have two roles for volunteer attorneys. If you specialize in the area of estate planning, you can volunteer as a clinic estate planning specialist. As the clinic estate planning specialist, you will be the expert that other volunteers and first responders go to with estate planning questions. You will also be responsible for overseeing the operations of the clinic on the day of the clinic. Each clinic will have an estate planning specialist.
Attorneys are also needed to meet with first responders on an individual basis, review the estate planning questionnaires completed by them and generate their estate planning documents with the use of a laptop and HotDocs, a document assembly program. No estate planning experience is required in advance (but attorneys must attend an OnDemand training prior to volunteering as attorneys at a clinic).
Notaries are needed to notarize the signatures of first responders when they execute their estate plans.
Wills for Heroes also needs volunteers to enter the estate planning questionnaire information into the computers and to witness the signatures of first responders when they execute their estate plans.
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions document for volunteers here.
When & Where
Sauk City Fire Station
505 Van Buren Street
Sauk City,
Saturday, November 12, 2016 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (CST)
Add to my calendar
Wisconsin Wills for Heroes
Through Wisconsin's Wills for Heroes program, volunteer attorneys, notaries and witnesses serve in clinics scheduled at the request of first responder organizations around the state. At these events, volunteer lawyers prepare wills and other basic estate planning documents at no charge for eligible first responders and their spouses or domestic partners.
We use Eventbrite to schedule volunteers. First responders who want to set up an appointment to have an estate plan created should contact the site coordinator at the organization hosting the cliinic.
Wills for Heroes in Wisconsin is sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin pro bono program with support from Foley & Lardner LLP, LexisNexis, HotDocs and the State Bar of Wisconsin's Young Lawyers Division.


text:
Welcome Back
To give people more of a chance to play along with The Virtual Crafting challenge, in case they are going away or have kids around The Virtual Crafting Challenge theme for August 2011 continues the July theme of;
Great I hear you say, but now what? Well for those of you who would like a few ideas to get you started, here are some colours, products and techniques to help you choose, where you could go with this month's theme. Feel free to use your own ideas for the theme.
- Try new colours or paint effects
How about trying a different type of paint than you usually use, or adding a different paint into your projects?
- Water colour
- Acrylic
- Oil
- Iridescent paint
- Metallic paint
- Florescent or neon colours
- Glass Paint
- Ceramic Paint
- Watercolour Pencils (its only the 'holder' that's different, it's still watercolour paint).
- Water soluble wax crayons (its only the 'holder' that's different, its still watercolour paint).
How about using your paint in a new way or on a different surface?
- Paper
- Card
- Ceramic
- Glass
- Metal
- Wood
- Fabric
How about trying different techniques with your paints
- Glass painting
- Decorating a ceramic object, a mug or plate, perhaps a tile
- There are lots of metal objects available to decorate.
- How about painting on wood? There are lots of blanks available to 'alter'
- Mix your stamping and other types of craft with the paint
- There are lots of fabric things to decorate and alter too. How about a t-shirt or shopping bag. Old jeans or jackets.
- How about getting napkins and table mats and decorating those for the patio?
- Decorating terracotta could really brighten up a dark area of the patio.
The most important thing about this challenge is that you have fun and explore. Don't feel pressured to have a finished item at the end of the month. Explore different styles and techniques either in person, if you have the supplies, or through research, looking online.
You learn so much more when you take away the rules and just PLAY. Adapt this challenge to a creative style that interests you. Enjoy
Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon


text:
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The real 'Queens' of Bollywood..
I shall refrain from commenting further since it is unethical to reveal more before the film's commercial release. Is John's butt all that it is cracked up to be? To find out, get to the movie theatre on time.... the butt is right up there as an amuse bouche.... not even an appetiser. Blink and you miss the bulge. Which one?? Awww... come on.... go figure. Jo dikhta hai, woh bikta hai, said Rakhi Sawant. John's butt has crores riding on it.... let's see if the butt delivers impressive returns at the box office.
Just finished nibbling on a delicately flavoured, rose petal sandesh from Sweet Bengal. I use it like a creamy cheese spread over a kadak, jeera seasoned khakra, while enjoying my evening cup of Darjeeling leaf tea. Blissssss!
47 comments:
- Priti said...
Thats a good mix-n-match (Sandesh and Khakra)
Interesting... will try it! :)
- November 12, 2008 at 6:39 PM
- Neha said...
I have to have to have to see this movie! Ever since i've seen the first teaser-trailer, Dostana has aroused a lot of interest. Is India finally ready for an out-and-out gay themed comedy? I can't wait to find out!! Plus, John looks fantabulicious!!
- November 12, 2008 at 7:13 PM
Hmmm,Private screening eh? So this is how the other half lives:-)You've got me all excited now. Cannot wait to watch the movie myself but, I do wish that you had "revealed" a bit more here than what you have!! Obviously the likes of John do not agree with you about it being unethical;-)By the way, I also notice no mention of the two bikini babes...iss ka matlab bilkool thanda, right?
Cinematically Speaking
- November 12, 2008 at 7:51 PM
The time of the Queens starts now.
Really ???
Multiplex - House-Full, ***star
Single theatre ?
Paisa vasool - YES.
Next movie subject ?
- November 12, 2008 at 8:36 PM
- •♥•♥[V]♥•♥• said...
so mam..should i go and spend my 150 bucks on it???
- November 12, 2008 at 9:50 PM
- haritha said...
heya.hmm seems the box office sets to push in bucks with tht butt..hehe
wil see the movie.....still den do visit ma blog n i keep blogging with typin in poems..
haritha singh
- November 12, 2008 at 10:15 PM
- Rhett said...
I dont like gay movies. Brokeback Mountain left me thanda. I think its because I am straight. I think its gay to make and watch gay movies. They just dont register on the heart or in the mind...
- November 12, 2008 at 10:45 PM
- Pritesh Patel said...
Is it a good attempt in spreading awareness about homosexuality amongst the aam junta or is it just another gay caricature...?
- November 12, 2008 at 10:51 PM
- Nimit said...
i love cardamom one (tea) most, may be with ginger &/or mint in winters but cardamom is there till the end of the world... ;~)
btw, got to read REAL shobha aft so many post, reflects some recent personal uplift-ment?!? whatever it is, good for us...
- November 13, 2008 at 12:16 AM
- *Aham* said...
De, Naughty Naughty desi girl you are... I understand the bulge you are talking about :) I have been drooooling over that obvious "thing" tooo...lol. yellow is the colour of the season.
I was just trying to imagine... what a disaster it wouldve been if it was abhishek in yellow trunks.. instead of john.yiekesss!
yeh dosti to yeh Dostana, mard ka dard for the other mard is the new trend. Im sure, there are many gay love triangles, quadrilaterals and pentagons in the offing.
WE had several movies about undying male-male bonding.. but it was all in the disguise of dosti... now it is coming of age.
:-) good good... saath saath lage haath sec 377 ko bhi amend kardo na bhai...
Regarding the butt toh i dont know... but i hope we homosexuals dont become a butt of jokes... im cocksure though, after kantaben, the next gay word is Dostana.
Karan, now atleast... come out.. i mean out of the closet.
- November 13, 2008 at 12:39 AM
- K said...
I am worried.
I am worried about this film that you describe. And what worries me is the line in your review that says, "Every conceivable gay stereotype is featured in the movie, including a limp-wristed, foppish Boman Irani in really bizarre clothes."
Allow me to think aloud. I think there is a significant difference between "comedy" and "comic mockery"; and while the art-of-cinema universally has brilliantly portrayed the former; the commerce-of-movies has made bucks on the latter. I wonder then where will Dostana feature? Is it a comedy-provoking-thought or is it a comedy-lacking-in-thought?
Then there is also the obvious danger of too much spotlight burning the issue (in this case, that of homosexuality) entirely. And this reminds me of a brilliant campaign in the UK, the lines of which read "People are gay. Get over it". Straight, simple and to the point.
Finally, its the stereotype as a social construct that disturbs me to the T. Limp-wristed, lip-biting, colorful clothing, pink cadillac - all such perceived externalities made out to be the descriptives of what it is to be "gay" (sic).
The reality is much more complicated. I would rather wait to watch the film "Milk" instead.
- November 13, 2008 at 5:28 AM
- K said...
...Oh! on a much brighter note however, gay marriages officially began in Connecticut today (Nov.12).
With their 3-month-old daughter Willow, in tow, Ms. Oliveira and Ms. Vickery became one of Connecticut's first same-sex couples to wed.
The landscape is surely changing...slowly.
- November 13, 2008 at 8:27 AM
- Maddy said...
Half said. Is it another way of creating curiosity for the people to go and watch?.
You are going to get Stomach upset!!!LOL Thats what people say in southern India when you don't share with people while eating!! Your recent posts talk more about foodies!!
Have a nice day De!
- November 13, 2008 at 12:29 PM
- D writer said...
all said...m excited to watch the movie...never heard of such an exotic combo...sandesh and khakra
- November 13, 2008 at 12:58 PM
M'am 'De,
Upload anything from mobile on http://onkia.mobi/addfiles.asp and share with your friends on http://onkia.mobi/Onkiavideo.asp on any cell phone.
Vinod Agarwal - Added new feature.
- November 13, 2008 at 8:21 PM
- Ashish said...
It seems bollywood is on the track of Hollywood and soon it might encourage the non-existent gay society of India.
Oh god!! Save India!!
Somebody please help the vulnerable country.
- November 14, 2008 at 12:34 AM
Methinks this is KJo's surreptitious attempt at encouraging a gay culture, and showing that it's hip to be gay...
Maybe he is defending gays , or maybe he is defending his own orientation.
Whatever it is, he is trying to change the social make-up and telling us- Look, its OK to be gay.
I have nothing against gays, but I do feel that the entertainment industry is moving away from entertainment and into the realm of "brainwashing".
something here does not gel..what say Shobha?
- November 14, 2008 at 2:46 AM
- Double Seven said...
As soon as I realized that Shobhaa De is speaking about Dostana and its infamous male-bonding sagas, I immediately made it a point to scroll down to look for comments made by my friend *Aham* and also, K! lol.
- November 14, 2008 at 7:42 AM
- Oxy said...
Just came after watching the morning show. Let me write something on that. Meanwhile Why don't u check latest entry in my blog which talks of Aamir, PC and other stuff and tell me what ya feel of my take on current Aamir.
- November 14, 2008 at 4:33 PM
Having sat through Dostana I can now vouch for KJo's not being gay for you cannot have a gay person misrepresenting the gay community so haughtily and thoroughly. A nasty piece of work this film is to the homosexual cause in India, to be honest.
There's nothing to this film - it's just open season on gays and gay bashing as captured through the lens of a homophobic film maker.
The trouble with his films is they all fall flat on their face when it comes to artistic value. Take away the signature leitmotif of Caucasian eye-candy with a good measure or two of his Bacchan arse licking and the exotic locations his movies are filmed in,and what have you?! Disgust, emptiness and a quantum of boorishness.
- November 15, 2008 at 7:31 AM
- കിഷോര്:Kishor said...
Watched Dostana at a Boston theater today.. Loved it.. very funny..
The movie has lots of gay humor and stereotypes but all done with good taste. None of them are offensive. But I want to say that this movie, which is set in Miami USA, does not represent the gay life in India. But it does create a positive message about being gay, about accepting people as who they are. But I didn't like dialogues like "gay is a lifestyle choice" -- just not true.
And Jonny boi, what a butt!
- November 16, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Karan Johar is a self-hating homosexual - who refuses to comment on his sexuality in public why?? Because he is himself ashamed of it - and I have reasons to believe that he hates other gay men too - perhaps due to a problem he has acquired from being homosexual.. and this MOCKERY of a film he made - is to get back at the gay community for what they did to him.
If he was proud to be gay then he would firstly have no issues accepting the fact he is gay himself and secondly he would make a movie which truly depicts gay life - rather than all the negative (or positive) Stereotypes on gay people.
I don't think this movie is an eye-opener for Indian audiences - I think this is going to make things even worse for Gays in India - this is not a country where homosexuality is ACCEPTED - so its ok to laugh at homosexuals. In Europe, gays are treated like everyone else - so making a gay comedy does no harm in those countries - but in India gays are not treated like everyone else - making a gay comedy on such a delicate subject will emphasize more negative attitudes and poke fun at gay people in India.
Its the same as making a movie on handicapped / crippled people and poking fun at them... SICK.
- November 18, 2008 at 4:40 PM
- Double Seven said...
@ Anonymous above my comment-
So basically you have already taken for granted the fact that Karan Johar indeed IS homosexual.
You are sick man! and not Karan Johar. I am not supporting his public body language which is perceived by many to be quite 'gay-oriented' but to call and to assume and to infer that he is gay is something which is highly preposterous.
May be in reality he isn't gay. May be he's just a bit too feministic or something. That doesn't make a person gay man.
Stop being so depressed dude. Enjoy life. By the look of it, it seems as though you are one of those gays in India suffering because of your unacceptablity. I don't have any thing against gays.
If you think Europe is more tolerant toward gay culture then why not settle there?
Why crib about being in India and still having to watch Indian movies and eat Indian food!?
Man you are one crazy sample piece.
All in all I can only say that howsoever his behavior may seem like, such as his speaking style for instance but to call him gay just by your own interpretation just doesn't work.
Dostana is one hell of a movie. It's pretty dope!
- November 18, 2008 at 5:39 PM
To Double Seven above - this is Anonymous again. What makes you think I don't live in Europe?? And what makes you even think I am Indian?? Did I say that anywhere?? Can't a westerner be on these blogs and interact here or keep up with gay films in the world?? I came accross this movie as a topic of discussion everywhere and am just endorsing what Shobhaa De has also written - i.e. the movie portrays all the gay stereotypes that exist. As for being repressed - I don't need that in my life - this is the reason I do not like most Indians including you for assuming so many things and calling gays "repressed", effeminate and frustrated - alas another image that has been created in your mind by movies like Dostana.
Lastly - I happened to be visiting India and saw Karan Johar's interview last night on 60 minutes or some program like that - where he refuses to comment on his sexuality - which makes it obvious he is gay. If he were straight he would say very easily - I am str8... like John Abraham went on to say on several interviews... so please get a life.. its quite useless even trying to talk sense to some people in this country - they are quite brainwashed and opinionated about everything - and display such utter arrogance.
And now you can write whatever you wish to - don't expect any further responses from me because I love to ignore people like you... merci.
- November 18, 2008 at 6:46 PM
- Double Seven said...
@ Anonymous above this comment of mine now!
Well no shit there was no need for you to mention that you addressed your message to me, it was highly implied. How dumb of you!
Looking at your dumb-factor, my guess is you are from (Great?) Britain, isn't it?
(You can not be from India, there are smart people in India) :D
And by looking at your hatred towards Indians, I claim this time that you ARE from (Great?) Britain. British hate Indians more than they hate their ex-girlfriends. :P
What makes you think that I am from India?
I don't go about hiding my identity from anyone- go have a look at my Blogspot profile to know where I actually am from!
You are probably suffering from 'identity crisis' in your homeland also- that's why you thought of spending and diverting your time to this blog. But let me warn you man- Shobhaa De LOVES INDIA TOO MUCH, SHE LOVES INDIANS TOO MUCH (Refer to her last book Superstar India for further information). So your openly expressing desire of not liking Indians and their mindsets wouldn't work here. This blog is for people who like Shobhaa De's writings. So that means that people must have liked Superstar India (weird exception of you because you haven't read the book yet) and that's probably why many people started following De's blog.
I am not writing this to make you read but instead writing this to make others read and enable them to make their own judgements regarding the mockery I have made off you/ your thinking/ your 'small' mindset.
I think you are probably in love with Karan Johar. Hence, you think that he should forcibly admit that he is gay like you. So that you can have midnight anal pleasures thinking about him. :P
I never said that you are 'repressed'. As a matter of fact I don't even know what that means!
I think you need some psychiatrist, not making fun of you man but I think you should deal your depression with him/her.
We Indians are not brainwashed or anything man (I didn't even get what you meant there!).
Rather you Europeans are highly influenced, opinionated and brainwashed by American culture; you think of America as being THE ultimate of this world, without having to realize the crisis that both Europe and America are going through currently.
I am actually bored now.
- November 19, 2008 at 2:07 AM
@double seven - another rude 20 yr old Immature, arrogant stupid Indian living in the US who thinks he knows it all...and pulls the race card everytime.. no wonder indians have such a bad reputation all over the world and its getting worse.
- November 19, 2008 at 1:53 PM
- Double Seven said...
Oh so that means you have already been scapegoated before- by other 20 year old immature, arrogant, stupid Indians living in the US who think they know it all?
I love to play my 'Brown' card man. But with you I didn't feel the need to do so because you are REALLY a weak target I thought. :P
Whom have you met in your life that makes you think that Indians have "such a bad reputation all over the world and its getting worse" thing?
I would really love to know that.
Well this is for you-
You know that the world is really getting flat and India is arriving finally when-
1) Indians are the best-educated and highest-earning people among all major ethnic groups in the US.
2) 60% of Indians are in management or professionals like doctors, engineers, architects, etc.
3) Indians have started almost 26% of all immigrant-founded companies in the past 10 years in the US.
4) Indians own nearly 40% of all small and mid-size hotels in the US.
5) 4 out of 10 Silicon Valley startups are run by Indians.
6) All the major Slicon Valley software giants have their second most important global headquarters in Bangalore (Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle, Adobe, etc.)
7) 4 of the top-10 richest people in the World are Indians (2 Americans, NO Chinese, NO British, IN THAT TOP-10 list)
8) India is the second fastest growing economy of the world (7% growth in GDP on average, p.a.)
9) By 2020, if current trends continue, India is poised to surpass Germany as having larger GDP.
10) Of the Fortune 500 companies, 220 outsource their software-related work to India.
11) There are nearly 200,000 Indian millionaires in the US, the richest immigrant class in the country.
12) India has the second largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world.
13) India has the third largest investor base in the world.
14) Indian students have the number 1 slot in US university enrollments.
15) Indian doctors, over 35,000 of them, constitute over 5% of all physicians in America.
16) 10% of all medical students in the US are from Indian origins.
I am actually free 24/7 in order for boasting about the greatness of my India.
So, shoot me an email or something for any clarifications, or for that matter if you'd like to know more about my India.
- November 19, 2008 at 5:02 PM
- Double Seven said...
Oh so that means you have already been scapegoated before- by other 20 year old immature, arrogant, stupid Indians living in the US who think they know it all?
I love to play my 'Brown' card man. But with you I didn't feel the need to do so because you are REALLY a weak target I thought. :P
Whom have you met in your life that makes you think that Indians have "such a bad reputation all over the world and its getting worse" thing?
I would really love to know that.
Well this is for you-
You know that the world is really getting flat and India is arriving finally when-
1) Indians are the best-educated and highest-earning people among all major ethnic groups in the US.
2) 60% of Indians are in management or professionals like doctors, engineers, architects, etc.
3) Indians have started almost 26% of all immigrant-founded companies in the past 10 years in the US.
4) Indians own nearly 40% of all small and mid-size hotels in the US.
5) 4 out of 10 Silicon Valley startups are run by Indians.
6) All the major Slicon Valley software giants have their second most important global headquarters in Bangalore (Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle, Adobe, etc.)
7) 4 of the top-10 richest people in the World are Indians (2 Americans, NO Chinese, NO British, IN THAT TOP-10 list)
8) India is the second fastest growing economy of the world (7% growth in GDP on average, p.a.)
9) By 2020, if current trends continue, India is poised to surpass Germany as having larger GDP.
10) Of the Fortune 500 companies, 220 outsource their software-related work to India.
11) There are nearly 200,000 Indian millionaires in the US, the richest immigrant class in the country.
12) India has the second largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world.
13) India has the third largest investor base in the world.
14) Indian students have the number 1 slot in US university enrollments.
15) Indian doctors, over 35,000 of them, constitute over 5% of all physicians in America.
16) 10% of all medical students in the US are from Indian origins.
I am actually free 24/7 in order for boasting about the greatness of my India.
So, shoot me an email or something for any clarifications, or for that matter if you'd like to know more about my India.
No peace; rot already!
- November 19, 2008 at 5:20 PM
@seven eleven.. sorry double seven...
you said - "NEED I SAY MORE?
I am actually free 24/7 in order for boasting about the greatness of my India"
If it is so great then what are you doing in the US?? Studying there?? Working there?? Why not go back to your country and add to its greatness rather than escaping from it and then talking about how wonderful it it...
and now i am extremely bored
- November 19, 2008 at 5:32 PM
- Double Seven said...
hehe, seven eleven!
You have really nice sense of humor man.
Honestly I am very glad to know that.
I am studying over here; as soon as I am done I seriously can not wait to go back to Bombay. Because - home is where the heart is, and my heart still beats in Bombay. :)
I am not "escaping" escaping man.
My family is really wealthy. So they thought may be I should go visit America, and have international exposure thereby.
As a matter of fact dude, my entrepreneurship professor (Oh! I forgot you wouldn't know what entrepreneurship really is, because you White folks like to work for someone/ under someone and that you guys don't really possess enough acumen to actually be able to start your own businesses! :P)
Yeah he was also telling me the same thing- to me and to my Chinese friend- I shouldn't be staying here and that I should run back to India asap, otherwise I would miss much of honeymoon that's taking place there between the people of India and its economy; sort of like a gold rush of 1800s!
So you need not worry about me regarding that man- I have enough entrepreneurial acumen to think in that sense.
I don't really give a shit if you are bored or extremely bored man. :P
So you don't have to mention that- you were born bored and a born loser.
- November 19, 2008 at 7:23 PM
- Double Seven said...
For The Anonymous Man-
'Indian billionaire club to be world's biggest'
New York, PTI:
Ten years from now, India will have more billionaires than any other country in the world, says a poll by American business publication Forbes.
According to the Internet poll being conducted by the magazine, which lists the world's richest billionaires every year, more than half of respondents believe that India will have the maximum number of billionaires in 2017.
As per the latest Forbes list of world's billionaires, published last month, India is the fourth largest in the world in terms of billionaires population, while US continues to top the rankings However, according to the online poll on Forbes' website, where over 11,800 votes were cast at the last count, only 17 per cent of respondents believe that the US would have the most billionaires in 2017.
Latest data
In comparison, the maximum — 53 per cent — believe it would be India at the top in terms of number of billionaires. The second highest number of votes has gone in favour of China at 20 per cent, while the US comes at the third position, according to the latest poll data.
None of the other countries has so far managed to garner a vote of more than 10 per cent. Russia comes at fourth position with three per cent, while Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom have one per cent each. So far, virtually no vote has been cast for France having the maximum billionaires in 2017.
The Americans now account for 42 per cent of total 1,125 billionaires in the world, down from 44 per cent last year. Their dominance seems to be diminishing, Forbes noted, saying that half of world's 20 richest were from the US two years ago.
- November 19, 2008 at 7:40 PM
- Double Seven said...
- November 19, 2008 at 7:43 PM
YAWN.. sad how Indians keep boasting about money... well honey all the money in the world cannot buy you any "CLASS".. not even a bit.. enjoy your freedom in the US... while it lasts.
- November 19, 2008 at 10:00 PM
- Double Seven said...
don't yawn so much man. i know people like you who don't brush their teeth stink when they open their mouth!
Well you are right money can't buy you class.
I mentioned money and wealth because you attempted to confront me by 'seven eleven'.
and don't generalize your 'Indian' perspective every time man, it's not that every Indian boasts about having money or something.
you neither have money nor class, no wonder I keep saying that you are a born loser in life.
US is a free country, the land of opportunity, to achieve the 'american dream'. but my land of opportunity actually is India and i intend to achieve 'indian dream' once I am back.
enjoy the wealth of India (pun intended) while your stay in India. I wish you a pleasant stay. We are the most welcoming of any country any way; so you will enjoy it I am sure.
*yawns with fresh mouth*
- November 19, 2008 at 10:24 PM
- Rambunctious WhipperSnapper said...
Can you believe KJo & NDTV trying to pass this off as the Indian Brokeback Mountain???
- November 20, 2008 at 2:38 PM
- Crazy Sam said...
OMG Whippy!! The media would do anything for money. I wish I could stop Karan from doing more damage than he already have done! Shobhaa De, can you do something? People listen to you. At a time when homosexuality is debated whether it needs to be decriminalized, we don't want society to be mislead by such money-crazed goons!
By the way, this is what I have to say about Dostana.
I so badly wanna whip Karan's ass now! Grr!!
- November 21, 2008 at 9:26 AM
- nobabu said...
Being a responsible writer ,i think you should be shamefull of not avoiding children from viewing an adult film,what kind of a respect do you give to rules and regulation? and you shamelessly say "Relax.... they won't get it,".how far are you correct .you have done something illegal and irresponsible.you cant encourage children to see such kind of films and you publicly confirm that you allowed children to see an adult film,but you should have stopped them .Your Journalist degree or qualification is a worthless achivement,you brought disgust to that profession.this is my honest comment .
- November 22, 2008 at 11:44 PM
- Double Seven said...
I am gonna seriously stop defending Shobhaa De, but after this comment.
Simple as it gets nobabu- what the heck are you doing over here man? IF YOU DONT LIKE SHOBHAA THEN WHY FOLLOW HER ALSO?
that's a simple question- I hope you'd be happy to answer it your own ignorant orthodox way. go on... first of many that is...
- November 22, 2008 at 11:47 PM
- *Aham* said...
@ mr. NO Babu
relax. its not my blogdost De who has wronged itys You. Get your facts right before you make allegations, so vehemently. Dostana has a U/A certificate. Rightly so. Kids grow up pretty fast these days. And Dostana is no Porn.
- November 23, 2008 at 12:14 AM
- Double Seven said...
Aham Bhai,
His/her servant-like name says it all...
he/She is shallow minded. conservative ignorant fuck.
- November 23, 2008 at 12:49 AM
Double Seven - you are the most obnoxious example of a nouveau riche Indian I have ever seen on any blogs. You are attacking and abusing and insulting so many people everywhere - its not even funny... grow up and learn some class. You sound uncouth, mannerless and stupid - I bet the Americans hate you just as much... you are the kind of Indians who give India a bad name outside the country.. and I bet you are dark brown skinned with a deep inferiority complex... just get over it... thats all.
- November 23, 2008 at 4:59 AM
Double Seven said...
Aham Bhai,
His/her servant-like name says it all...
he/She is shallow minded. conservative ignorant fuck.
---- servant sounding name?? What a pathetic loser - you've been showing off your little money on other posts as well....lol.. and u think you are the only wealthy person on here?? What is it?? new money and new transplant to America?? They call you FOB - Fresh off the boat.. and run miles away from people like you... oh and I hope you learn how to use a deodrant... you are the servant types from some ugly part of ugly India - and no one here likes you... i'm sure. Keep licking Shobhaa de's 60 yr old ass - even she doesn't care about what you think..LOL.
- November 23, 2008 at 5:03 AM
- Double Seven said...
I dont know about my dark-skin and inferiority complex man; although what I am sure to know is your plight in social life everywhere in the world.
You are in deep shit man. Look before you leap. And if you really don't like Shobhaa De, I must ask her to block you forever, that way it would be good for you and good for the people of this blog, including many of my friends here.
I don't consider myself as rich. As a matter of fact, I am JOBLESS! I am still 20 years old and I have not started working yet. So until I am 23 or something I won't work. I need education first, the thing which your parents couldn't give you.
After that you can call me nouveau-riche or refer to me with other such fancy words! :P
i don't know if you'd believe me- I am considered by many including non-Indians as being the most harmless, humble, down-to-earth guy around campus.(that is when I care a shit about whether you'd believe that lol. just fyi that is)
I have made some good connections because of that.
but when I look at you- your constant attacking against India, Shobhaa De and barack Obama, I feel disgusted- because you know why? - I CARE a lot about those three things.
I can see who needs some class- I can see from the way you write- that way you can call me a psyche who can judge your mind by the way you write (i actually forgot what '-logist' it's specifically called, please help me with that)
There is no point actually fighting over and over through this medium of communication. I'd need to meet you personally to make my arguments and make you realize thereby the dickhead that you are! Oh sorry I forgot you are so anti-social and so afraid of disclosing your identity (I don't even know whether you are male, female, shemale, etc)
if the latter would be the case then forget about our meet; I am too scared of such animals!
More about Me-
as soon as you make an assumption about me, you'll be wrong. I defy explanation, and confound definition. I love confrontations, I love healthy arguments and I can absolutely go on and on if I think I am gonna win the argument in the end. I'm many things all wrapped into one, and yet characteristic of none of them. I'm confident enough to accept my mistakes and strong enough to learn from them and move on. As soon as you make up your mind about me, you'll be the least likely to have it right. I live floating in a sea of uncertainty defined only by the limitations of my understanding, everyday is a new adventure, and every challenge is a new drop of water, blending together to form my world. Life is not about the drops, its about what those drops create.
- November 23, 2008 at 5:20 AM
- Double Seven said...
Why feel so J man!?
THAT IS not even funny...
babu is my servant's name.
Dont teach me what they say in America man.. and who They are you actually referring to anyway?
Those Theys are already in deep shit because of the current economic crisis.
I am guessing that you have had experience of bad odour exhausting out from your boyfriend's armipits, who himself can't afford to buy a deodrant man!
Why do you relate the servant issue with the rich class of India?
There are servants in middle class also! :P
unlike you I went to a highly reputable convent school in Mumbai- my guess is you went to a municipality school.. hehehe... so if I go to America is different than if you go to America- people in America will laugh at your behavior just because of your government funded education. You actually referring to people like yourself who will be called FOBs over there. Dont worry I have had some misfortune of meeting people like those and like you in my time here. Fresh Off the Boat- sounds Christopher Columbus to me! :P
- November 23, 2008 at 5:36 AM
"Shobhaa can arguably stake a claim to almost single-handedly creating the Indian mass market segment and emerging as its strongest brand," said Thomas Abraham, president of her publisher, Penguin India.
"All of her recent books have crossed the 10,000 copy mark in the first year of publication. This one has done it again, with one difference. It's crossed 10,000 copies in just three days."
data entry jobs in london
- February 3, 2009 at 3:41 PM
- imessolution said...
Kolkata web design company, IMESSOLUTION provides Custom Web Design, Web Development,E-commerce website design development and Search Engine Optimization at affordable prices. Our high-end services are
incomparable to other competitor in the sense that our web design services are excellent while we provide best services without compromising with the quality of the
- September 19, 2012 at 11:25 PM
- Siva Cool said...
A truly motivational and life changing book
This book is really a good book which shows us right path. but i read
one more book named "ONE BOOK FOR LIFE SUCCESS" which is truly
motivational and life changing . .The writer has described in Plain English with lot of examples which is easy to understand...For More
Please watch the videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biORjS8ngv0
- July 3, 2014 at 10:45 AM