My Digital Thoughts : Shashi's Diary

Yesterday I got a chance to spend some down time at the library and picked a few iraq war themed books. The book Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover) published in 2006 had been on my mind for a long time. I admired Washington Post's Rajeev Chandrasekaran and his coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. From the book it would seem that the reconstruction of IRAQ could have been planned safely in the US rather than in Baghdad as it was virtually isolated from the reality of Baghdad. The split in the Bush cabinet and its effect on this war is evident. The Army comes out good here as they were in the forefront and mingled with the citizens of IRAQ. A doctorine that may have salvaged the US efforts in the period after Rajiv's book. Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover) After reading the book I feel like a lot of is in America have watched the war with the eye of a indiff...

I watched the movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan today (Sunday Nov 25th, 2012) at the AMC Loews Rio Theatres in Gaithersburg, MD. In the Washington DC area AMC Lowes Rio, Gaithersburg has regular shows of Bollywood movies and it is a pleasure to be able to see Bollywood movies on the big screen and I am thrilled that a few days after the film's release in India I could see it on the big screen here. Globalization FTW. This was the last movie that Director Yash Raj Chopra made before his death almost a month ago and this year marks the 50th anniversary of his career in Bollywood. 5 Thoughts on Jab Tak Hai Jaan:   Homage to Yash Chopra :  If you are a Yassh Chopra fan wait to see the bloopers from the movie at the end and you will see Yash Chopra in action One of the best things that Yash Chopra has done fo Bollywood movies is to shatter the image that only movies with violence will succeed. No wonder he is called the "King of Romance" Age of the Product placement : ...

A decade or so ago when travellers from India came to Washington DC they had to choose a European stopover and mostly an itinerary that included at least 3 flight segments- Either New York or an additional flight to Bombay or New Delhi. On my first flight to the US I flew Air France. In the past few years Washington DC flying to Asia specially the Washington Dulles Airport has become more convenient. This month on September 12 th Emirates is beginning a daily flight from Washington Dulles to Dubai. United Airlines already has a direct flight to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) , Kuwait, Manama( Bahrain) with a stopover in Kuwait and Doha (Qatar) with a stopover in Dubai. Qatar also has a daily flight from Washington Dulles to Doha and Etihad is starting a daily flight from Washington DC to Abu Dhabi from March 2013.  Saudia has a flight to Riyadh from Washington DC. Air India had started flights to Washington DC connecting in New York but these were discontinued after ...

I smile a lot and think it is very healthy. In fact it might have been Dale Carnegie's book " How to win friends and influence people" that may have inspired me to smile even under pressure. The topic I want to talk about is a half smile. At first I was offended when people gave me a half smile and abruptly wiped the smile off while you were looking. Now I think there are some secret rules that I am not privy to about the situations where a half smile is warranted. Here is my guess about what the rules for a half smile are : When a stranger is smiling at you.  You think you know this person but you are not sure you will get a smile back If you don't smile the situation can get nasty It's polite to give a half smile  I want to acknowledge the person but do not want to show familiarity  In my humble opinion if there is a situation where a half smile is warranted then a full smile is better. What do you think are the situations where half smiles ar...

From NPR : Former astronaut Neil Armstrong, known for his words "that's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind," has died. He was 82. Armstrong had cardiac bypass surgery earlier this month, as Mark wrote, and at the time, his wife said he was "doing great." Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin tweeted that he planned on joining Armstrong at the 50th anniversary of the famous Apollo 11 mission in 2019 Source: npr.org via Shashi on Pinterest

 It has been a year since my last visit to Hyderabad and the difference in the traffic this visit is noticeable. The ride from the airport was smooth with the PV Narasimha Rao Expressway and I stay in the Ameerpet area and last year the area was always jam packed  and the difference was noticeable. The traffic peak hours in areas like Hyderguda, Somajigud, Begumpet , Tarnaka was more orderly and travel time was reasonable. I am impressed with the way the Hyderabad Traffic Police is using technology and tools to make traffic better.  5 Things that stand out in making Hyderabad Traffic better Cameras to catch red light runners and those abusing one way traffic rules. Savvy use of social media. HTP ( Hyderabad Traffic Police) has a Facebook page that is run well and uses media to spread awareness and attract attention. They also integrate Facebook on their website  http://www.htp.gov.in/ Traffic Policemen themselves : Standing in the heat, dust and noi...

The Washington Post's  Outlook section has an article Five myths about the Dream generation  that gives you a good picture about who is affected. I heard about the DREAM act not from the press or social media but from a friend. He is a legal immigrant and has applied for his green card. An application is never a guarantee for approval and the green card process in the US is long and involves several years of waiting. His kids are in high school and looking forward to college. His options are: a) Assume the best about his green card application and put his kids in college here and live happily ever after. b) For whatever reason the green card application gets rejected and then his kids who will be in college will lose their legal status and have to leave college a risk any parent may hesitate to take c) Choose to migrate to Canada where he can get permanent residency and citizenship if they live for 3 years  in Canada If the DREAM Act has been passed, even if ...

"Flirting is all about making someone smile - do it right and they'll come back for more!" Here are her tips on flirting and how women should follow: - IT'S ALL IN A SMILE: It's the oldest advice ever - smile! You have no idea how it even changes the way you talk! - ENGAGED MUCH? At least pretend like you are listening. Everyone wants to feel like someone is paying attention to them. - WOLFPACK WOES: Break away from the pack - most people feel intimidating approaching a group to talk to someone.  - HUMOR IS HOT!: Don't take yourself too seriously.   -  THEIR  BIGGEST FAN?: Leave his friends alone - if you start flirting with his wingman, he wont think you are into him (or worse)! And when all of the above can't allow you to muster up the strength to be as present as you'd like…pick up Rachel's  FlipMe !   FlipMe Revolutionizes "How to Date" Rules & the Online Dating Scene ...