Mumtaz Haque to interview Terri Lyn Land on Februrary 3rd, 2008

Just got a email from Mumtaz informing me about her upcoming interview with Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lyn Land on Mumtaz's Manoranjan Show on February 3rd, 2008. You can tune into Manoranjan show every Sunday on WPON 1460 AM from 9 AM to 11 AM.

Note: Mumtaz will also interview Director Cooley of Department of Labor & Economic Growth, this Sunday (02/03/2008).

Have something to say about State of Michigan's controversial Driver's License issue? Then this is your chance. Send in your comments/concerns to Mumtaz via her website.

No Address required to find Tandoori Chicken Location on Google Maps

Google LatLong Blog is reporting that

Now you can type in any location where you want to go -- whether it's a specific street address, a business name like Fuzzy Buddy's Dog Daycare, or even something more general like "florist" -- and we'll help you get directions. We'll even automatically try to find the closest results for you.

Say for example, its lunch time and couple of desis working at General Motors Headquarters (downtown Detroit) are craving for Tandoori Chicken. Now they don't have to look up the address of that Indian Restaurant to get the directions. All they have to do is type in "300 Renaissance Center, Detroit to tandoori chicken" in the Search Maps Box. Here's what the results look like: (Sizz'l-N-Spice is the 1st restaurant in the list) (you are provided with options from which you can choose to get directions)

Michigan Driver's License only to Permanent Legal Residents

Michigan will now issue Driver's License to those who have a Permanent Legal Resident Status. So this means that if you are here LEGALLY on a WORK visa (H1) you are out of luck. Also if you are on a Student Visa (F1), no Driver's License for you.

Michigan Secretary of State's website states

"This is one more tool in our initiative to bolster Michigan's border and document security," Land said. "It also puts Michigan's procedure in line with those of most other states. The department will maintain its highest standards of customer service by sharing information with the public and working with applicants so that they understand the requirements. We all share the goal of a safer Michigan and America."

Wait a Second! Those on H1/F1 - they are already here legally. They went through the scrutiny by US Consulate in their Home Country. Why deny them Driver's License. Something does not look right here.

Have something to say on this? then contact any of the following folks:

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox
Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land
Michigan State Senators
Michigan State Representative

Free Health Fair at University of Michigan Medical School

University of Michigan Medical School, United Asian American Medical Association and Michigan Association of Physicians of Indian origin bring to you a Free Health Fair.

Date: February 2nd, 2008
Screening: 9AM - 12 Noon
Lunch: 12 Noon - 1 PM
Workshops: 1 PM - 3 PM

Location:
University of Michigan Medical School
Medical Science Building II
1301 Catherine Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0624

For more details on this event please visit United Asian American Medical Association of University of Michigan website

Miss Michigan is Miss America 2008

Detroit News is reporting that

Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund, a 19-year-old aspiring Broadway star, was crowned Miss America 2008 on Saturday in a live show billed as the unveiling of the 87-year-old pageant's new, hipper look.

Haglund, of Farmington Hills, Mich., sang "Over the Rainbow" and walked a crowd-pleasing strut in a black and gold bikini to clinch the title. She beat Miss Indiana Nicole Elizabeth Rash, the first runner up, and Miss Washington Elyse Umemoto, the second runner up for the $50,000 scholarship and year of travel that comes with the crown.

Congratulations to Kirsten Haglund!

Happy 59th Republic Day

The contributors here at MIBAZAAR wish Indians in Michigan and around the GLOBE a Happy 59th Republic Day.

Enjoy this song, one my all time favorites. This is "Mere Desh Ki Dharti" from UPKAR. It takes me right back to India whenever I listen to it.

michiganindia.mibazaar.com moves to indians.mibazaar.com

I have decided to move michiganindia.mibazaar.com to indians.mibazaar.com

I have shortened the name to indians.mibazaar.com which makes it easier to remember and type.

As a reminder the blogs currently I maintain are:

• mibazaar.com (A Web Log of Current News, Events, Education, Entertainment News expressed via Google Maps and Google Maps Mashups.
• indians.mibazaar.com (India related news/events for Indians in Michigan)
• usindians.mibazaar.com (Web Log of Indians in the news in United States)

Quicken Loans from Livonia, MI one of the Best Companies to work for in 2008

Fortune has come out with its list of 100 Best Companies to work for in 2008. Michigan has just 3 companies listed. And the winners in Michigan are:

• Quicken Loans - Ranked #2 (Livonia, MI)
• Plante & Moran - Ranked #44 (Southfield, MI)
• Herman Miller - Ranked #96 (Zeeland, MI)

Note: Quicken Loans had already announced that it would be moving its Headquarters to Detroit, MI soon. Take a look at this Google Maps Street View of Quicken Loans offices in Livonia, MI (For Lease sign is already up :-))

Super Tuesday Predictions - O'Reilly style

I'm watching Bill O'Reilly more and more and am really enjoying his commentary. As obnoxious as he is, and as arrogant as he is, the man does make some good points. Today he said "too bad politics isn't like football, where candidates win solely on skill". He has a point there. Wouldn't it be great if we could select our candidates based on their skill rather than by process of elimination of the worse candidate?

Super Tuesday is coming up and it will be a fun day to be glued to the television and watch how the candidates fared. Super Tuesday is on February 5th, 2008 and is the day when more than 20 states will hold their primaries. This year the following states will hold their primaries on Super Tuesday:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho(D), Illinois, Kansas (D), Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico (D), New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah

I don't think it will really be a surprise as to who will win and who will plan their exit from the race. In my humble opinion, Fred Thomson, John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani have little if any chance of winning enough primaries to make an impact.

That leaves us with Mike Huckabee, Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, Mitt Romney, and Senator McCain as the truly viable candidates. I won't even both mentioning the rest (Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, et. all).

So exciting times are here, I cannot wait till Super Tuesday. But it's a long way until August 2008 (when the national conventions will take place) so what will the candidates (and people like me do) between Super Tuesday and August 2008?

(More on the national conventions later...)

Anamika Chaudhary of Assam, India singing Maiya Maiya

I have not been following SA RE GA MA PA Lil Champ's competition. But I happened to see Anamika Chaudhary (SA RE GA MA PA participant) singing Maiya Maiya. It was a unbelievable performance. She is just 12 years young. Wow! what a future she has in front of her.

FDA Recalls Skin and Hair Products Imported from India

Check this link out. The recalled products (SWAD Brand) have been sold in Michigan also. FDA Recalls Skin and Hair Products Imported from India

Congratulations to Rajiv Sanghvi on the 22nd Anniversary of "Swar Bahar" Radio Program in Michigan

On January 19, 1986, Swar Bahar Radio Program aired its first program on WNZK. The hosts at the time were community leaders, Dr. Bharat and Jaydevi Sanghvi of Livonia, Michigan. Their son Rajiv was not hosting the show at that time. He just announced all commercial advertisements and the hourly station identification. Little did listeners know that Rajiv was running the mixing board every week. Later that year, when Dr. Sanghvi was significantly traveling for Ford Motor Company, Rajiv took to the microphone on his behalf. The rest as they say is history and now Swar Bahar Radio Program is hosted by the second generation, American Born, Rajiv Sanghvi.

Over the years along with local community leaders and political dignitaries, the show has interviewed many Bollywood personalities, which include: Shahrukh Khan, Rekha, Aishwariya Rai, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Asha Bhosle, Sunil Dutt, Amir Khan, and the list just continues.

The Sanghvi’s chose WNZK as a radio station due to its tremendous listening radius and clarity on the radio. It was the only Ethnic Station in Detroit that did not fade under overpasses on the expressway and could be heard in a near 70-mile radius of the Greater Metro Detroit Area. Windsor Ontario and Toledo Ohio listeners also enjoy the weekly program since 1986.

Quoting Rajiv

The hardest thing about the show is that no matter what happens in your life the show must be on the air every Sunday Morning

Rajiv has experienced this first hand when his 2 1/2 year-old son was diagnosed with Cancer over 5 years ago. Throughout the treatment process locally and in New York, the show did air each and every week.

As for future of the Swar Bahar Radio Program, Rajiv has this to say

We are fortunate to have been on the air for so many years. When we started the program there were only two other shows and none on Sunday Morning. Now we have eight programs in our community. We all cater to the same demographic and same advertisers for the most part. I am pleased to say that we have some sponsors that have not missed a week since we started in 1986. That’s about 1,144 shows and the cost to produce over the past 22 years has been over $340,000 in making the show happen every week. The other shows cost less than half as they transmit at 20%-25% of the power we do. So trying to convey to the sponsors that we reach more people is always a challenge as our cost to produce is double due to our air time, listening audience, and range. Financially the commitment is large for an hour long program. Which in reality is a community service and not a business proposition.

Rajiv's Swar Bahar Radio Program can be heard every Sunday Morning from 11:00 a.m. to Noon (EST/EDT) on WNZK 690 AM and on the web at www.wnzk.com. For Comments, Requests, and Community announcements, email Rajiv Sanghvi at: mydesimusic@gmail.com

Oakland County Executive traveling to India to drum up business

Detroit News is reporting that

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and members of his economic development staff are headed to India on Saturday with the Detroit Regional Chamber to drum up business. Patterson will travel to Mumbai and Pune for one-on-one meetings with "people that want to invest money and hire people in the state," said Maureen Donohue Krauss, the county's deputy economic development director. "We've worked them until they are focused on Michigan. We are trying to lure them to Oakland County." The trip is funded by the chamber and county. The taxpayers' portion is $6,000.

How things have changed! Didn't it used to be the other way around - folks coming here from India, seeking investment.

University of Michigan and Michigan State - Best Values in Public Colleges

Kiplinger.Com has come out with their list of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges. Michigan has just 2 colleges in the list - Michigan State University and University of Michigan

I have mashed up the list at Kiplinger's with Google Maps. For a look at the entire list of 100 Colleges click here.

Click here to look at the methodology used in coming up with the rankings.

Michigan Presidential Primary - January 15th 2008

Well folks, the time's here. I wish I had posted this blog sooner but hopefully it's not too late.

Tomorrow, January 15th is the Michigan Presidential Primary. The Democrats don't really have much of a Primary since Senator Clinton is the only candidate on the ballot.

On the Republican front, everyone predicts a pretty tough race between have Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain.

Governor Mitt Romney has a personal connection with Michigan due to his father being the a three-term Governor and a presidential candidate one-time. Senator McCain on the other hand has received endorsements from both the Detroit newspapers (Freep and News) and also from Michigan's longest-serving Governor, William Milliken.

Polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. Voters will be asked if they want a Democratic or a Republican ballot. If you are a Democrat, by now you must know that Senators Obama and Edwards will not be listed on the Democratic ballot. It is important for Obama and Edwards supporters to vote for "uncommitted" on the democratic ballot. Do NOT write-in the candidate's name because write-in votes will NOT be counted under the Michigan State law.

So get out there Indian Americans, and let your votes count. We impact the economy in a big way (and a positive way), so let your votes show your support for the candidate of your choice.

Why Is The Time To Refinance now?

This post contributed by Rajiv Sanghvi.

Even if your loan isn't going to reset in the near future, there are good reasons not to wait. Declining home values eat into your equity, making it harder to get a new loan.

Rates on 2 million mortgages are scheduled to rise by the end of 2008. If yours is one of them, consider refinancing now -- if you still can.

Falling home values are eroding people's equity rapidly enough to the point that a favorable refinance may not be possible soon. Even some who have plenty of equity now will face limited options and higher costs in the coming months.

The reason is the 'refinance math' lenders do depends on how much equity you have in your home. More than 212 lenders have stopped lending altogether (www.mortgageimplode.com) and have ceased to exist since the last quarter in 2006. A recent casualty was National City Mortgage (12/31/07) on the wholesale lending side. Think these simple facts through:

• If your mortgage and other home loans equal 80% or less of your home's worth, you'll typically have the most choices and be offered the best rates, contingent on your credit scores and the loan amount being under $417,000.
• As your equity shrinks, though, rates tend to get higher and terms get stricter. Every time you slip over an equity benchmark -- 85%, 90% and 95% -- rates tick up and your options decrease.
• Once you owe more on your house than it's worth, your alternatives pretty much none, at least in today's mortgage market. Lenders who were once eager to make 100% or more loan-to-value mortgages have either exited the business or turned away from these high-risk loans.

Risk is in the waiting, not acting
Recently, only those who had to worry about not having adequate equity were those who purchased with zero or little money down. Even that was a temporary situation, as ever-rising home values continued to supply more equity.

Now that home prices are dropping in many areas, due to the foreclosures on the rise and excess inventory, the easy equity gains have turned into equity erosion. Someone with a $400,000 mortgage would have an 80% loan-to-value on a home worth $500,000, but if that home drops 10% in value, to $450,000, the same loan now represents about+/- 89% of the home's value. At this point the rates are usually higher or you may need to take out a second mortgage which is at a higher rate. This is usually done to avoid PMI or private mortgage insurance.

If you should be refinancing and are sitting on the sidelines, waiting for lower rates. That might be a gamble worth taking if real-estate values are still strong in your area and the supply of unsold homes isn't building. As prices in major markets continue to decline and there's more than a six-month supply of homes on the market, common sense says to refinance now as 30 year mortgage rates are at their lowest rates in recent years. Especially if you are currently have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage that will expire in the next year or two.

Also debt consolidation has its advantages as once you pay off your credit cards/loans with a home mortgage the effective rate drops and your interest paid is usually tax deductible. Taking equity out of your home in terms of, 'cash out' is beneficial if you will invest those funds at a higher rate of return than you are borrowing. Ideal scenarios are education or other investment opportunities that net you a higher return. Some purchased luxury or high ticket items and deducted the interest on their taxes.

Raj Sanghvi has been a licensed real estate professional since 1989 and has been in the mortgage lending industry for over 11 years. Contact: aofloans@gmail.com or call 800-950-6452. He is a mortgage banker and can lend in 23 states across the USA. Raj is also Host/Producer of Swar Bahar Radio Program which can be heard every Sunday from 11.00 AM to 12.00 noon on WNZK 690 AM and also at www.wnzk.com .

Here comes Tata Nano - Cute and cheap, it's Wal-Mart as wheels.

I loved that line from Detroit News columnist Laura Berman who describes "Tata Nano" as "Cute and cheap, it's Wal-Mart as wheels".

Tata Motors unveiled "Tata Nano" which priced at $2500 is the world's cheapest car. The Nano might have put a smile on millions of faces across India as people who ride the 2 wheelers can now switch to a affordable 4 wheeler. But what will this do to the chaotic traffic situations in cities across India. I think it will become a nightmare with tons of "Tata Nano's" hitting the streets every day. And what about "fender benders", deafening sound of horns.

Now what about "Tata Nano" in United States. My personal opinion it will not get thru stringent regulations here. Even if it does - will you drive it say on mackinaw bridge where couple of years ago a yugo got blown away due to 50MPH gale winds.

The specs of Tata Nano are as follows:

• Length: 3.1 metres
• Height: 1.6 metres
• Width: 1.5 metres
• Engine: Rear-wheel drive, 2-cylinder, 623 cc, multi-point fuel-injection petrol engine. Engine is rear mounted. Tata said it was the first time a 2-cylinder gasoline engine was being used in a car with single balancer shaft.
• Safety: Tata said the Nano has an all sheet-metal body, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat-belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tyres are tubeless.
• Environment: Tata said tailpipe emission performance exceeded current regulatory requirements, and the Nano had a lower overall pollution level than two-wheelers made in India. It said high fuel efficiency (20 km/litre) ensured low carbon dioxide emissions.

Senator John McCain seeks Indian American support

As you know, Indian Americans are being solicited by all the candidates who are seeking the 2008 Presidential nomination. And Indian Americans have been providing support to many candidates through grass roots efforts at various local and national levels.

In Michigan, I've looked high and low and cannot for the life of me get connected to Indian Americans supporting the Republican party. I'm familiar with the Michigan Indo American Democratic Caucus (http://www.miadc.org/) but have been unable to locate the Republican caucus supported by the Michigan Indian Americans.

But in my role as the founder of the Michigan India Chamber of Commerce (www.miicc.com), I've been approached by a member of the McCain Asian American Coalition group and have been asked to help spread the word out to Michigan Indian Americans about Senator McCain's campaign.

So here it is.

The Michigan Republican primary is on Tuesday, January 15th and Mr. McCain seeks Indian American support. He has scheduled a ton of events in Michigan between now and then and you can view them by going to his calendar: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Calendar/ And if you wish to participate in the Asian American coalition for the McCain party, contact Mr. Kishan Putta at kputta [at] mccain08hq [dot] com.

Please note: The Michigan India Chamber of Commerce (www.miicc.com) is a non-partisan business and professional organization. This blog is not to be construed as an endorsement of Mr. McCain by the Michigan India Chamber of Commerce. The Michigan India Chamber of Commerce's vision and mission is to help promote news and information to the Michigan Indian American community.

India Spice celebrates one year serving the Indian American community in Michigan

If you aren't looking around while you are driving down 12 mile Road between Orchard Lake Road and Middlebelt in Farmington Hills, Michigan, you are sure to miss this restaurant located in a large strip mall. And that means that you are sure to miss out on some wonderful dining experiences.

India Spice, located at 30701 West 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 recently celebrated one year in business. They are located behind the car wash that is prominently located on 12 mile, just east of Orchard Lake Road.

They serve wonderful south and north Indian food, although their expertise is really in all the wonderful Dosas that they serve. And if you were sitting around in my family room tonight you would have heard my 18 year old daughter exclaim "I love their chutney, can we get a big box of it mom" about the sweet tamarind and the green cilentro chutneys that my daughter was literally pouring like soup over the pakoras from India Spice.

India Spice does a wonderful job with email marketing, sending out well written newsletters announcing their specials like "all you can eat dosas" and other. So, if you aren't on their email distribution list, I would recommend that you call them and get on it asap.

India Spice offers Michigan India Chamber of Commerce (www.miicc.com) members a 10% exclusive discount that is good towards dine-in orders up to $500. Some limitations may apply so check with MIICC or India Spice.

India Spice restaurant has good food and friendly service. So what are you waiting for? Check this restaurant out soon and learn more about them by visiting www.indiaspice.us.

Richa Gangopadhyay of Northville Township, MI

It was on December 31st, 2007 that I had blogged on Richa Gangopadhyay being crowned the 27th Miss India USA at Royal Albert's Palace in Fords, N.J., on Dec 28th. Since then I have seen practically every other day, Google Alerts in my inbox on Richa Gangopadhya. By now every major Indian Newspapers both in India and overseas has covered Richa.

And yesterday I get a email from Rajiv Sanghvi (organizer of Festival of India) that Richa had won Miss India USA. The other piece of information which Rajiv passed on to me which I was not aware of was that Richa was crowned Miss India-Michigan last August at the Festival of India in Downtown Detroit at Hart Plaza which qualified her for the Miss. India-USA pageant to represent Michigan.

Once again congratulations and best wishes to Richa!!. Adjacent image of Richa courtesy of Observer and Eccentric Newspapers

Aaja Nachle features on Disney Channel

No, this is not the latest Madhuri Dixit film, Aaja Nachley. This is a pop album composed by the Shankezloy trio (Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, I call them Shankezloy, pyar se), apparently inspired by All for one from High school musical 2. The indianized version is way cool with bhangra beats and colorful choreography. I liked it a lot, for its punch. The video is choreographed by the famous bollywood choreographers Bosco-Ceaser.

The songs are sung by Raja Hasan, who is a Saregamapa runner and several other debutant(e) singers. With our singing talent shows, it is always apparent that the losers of the show are more in the lime light than the actual crown winners. After all, king khan said "Haar kar jeetne walon ko baazigar kahte hai" (Translated to - The one who looses and still shines is the true trooper). For example, Karunya who lost Indian Idol to Sandeep Acharya has bagged more singing contracts and we do not even hear a hush about Sandeep these days. Like wise, Raja Hasan, despite loosing the competition has won many a heart and is aiming steady in the music industry, working with big names.

Aaja Nachle, the hindi version of All for one, from High school musical - 2 is currently being featured on Disney channel commercials. Be sure to check it out. Here is the music video for Aaja Nachle.

Upcoming Events - January 2008

MIICC
Michgian Indian Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday January 9th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Marx Layne Company located at 31420 Northwestern Hwy, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. Meeting Agenda:
5:30 pm to 6:00 pm - General Networking
6:00 pm to 6:10 pm - MIICC overview and new Alliance Overview - Benefits Review
6:10 pm to 6:30 pm - Lee Anderson, a fitness trainer who will present tips for a healthy lifestyle
6:30 pm to 6:45 pm - Ross Sanders, Executive Director of Bizdom U presenting Bizdom U for entrepreneurs
6:45 pm to 7:05 pm - Round Table Introductions - Ask the folks in the room how they may assist you in your quest for new connections or opportunities
7:05 pm to 7:30 pm - General Networking

The Shanti Project
The Shanti Project of University of Michigan School of Social Work presents Gujarati Family Communications Workshop on Saturday January 26th, 2008 from 1 - 4.30 PM. This event will be held at Costick Community Center – Belfast Room, 28600 Eleven Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48336. Call 1-888-4SHANTI or email shantiproject[at]umich.edu for more details. This from the event flyer:

Have you ever felt as if you are not being understood or
you seem to have the same conversation over and over
again? If so, then this workshop may be right for you.
Learn about effective ways to communicate feelings,
needs, dislikes?

New years bash at Ashoka Restaurant, Canton MI

New years eve was celebrated at many locations in the detroit meto area. I went to one so,thought of sharing the experience from that.
Ashoka restaurent had a new year's party organized by a planner and it was a private party for those who were an acquaintance to the planner.The evening kick started with DJ Keshav spinning cool bolly tracks and the party kick started slowly. Raffle tickets flew in, while wine and shine was poured down. We got there around 10 PM. Buffet was open all along and dancing started pretty soon.

DJ Vinny slipped in with a dhol and everyone went crazy for "Punjabi touch" with live dhol. Vinny and Keshav rocked the night with music and live dhol, while I danced merrily around.At 12, we blew out a huge hour glass onto the screen and did a count down mix, had dazzlers flying hand held spinners that show happy new year, when you spin them, it was totally jazzy.

The outside world had nothing to do with the heat on the dance floor. It dumped around 6-8 inches of snow just between 12 and 1 AM. When we left the party at 1AM, the roads were packed with snow and so, we decided to stay at our friends place that night. Some of our friends that drove back to Troy spent 2 hours on road, so, if you were one of those who stayed in, I would say, you missed a great party but, did not miss driving in that snow !

This is how our driveway looked when we got home. Pretty crazy, huh !

Barackabee in Iowa - What will happen in New Hampshire?

The results are in and Senator Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee win in Iowa in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses. I was surprised because I expected (and many polls predicted) a stronger showing for Senator Clinton. Mike Huckabee’s win was not a surprise but Senator Clinton’s not winning Iowa was.

An Indian American friend sent me an email after the Iowa results stating "Obama might just do it". Whether he will or not, I decided to check out what stances Senator Obama and Mike Huckabee have taken on issues that are near and dear to Indian Americans in the US.

Although I searched high and low, I was unable to find information online about Mike Huckabee’s stance on Indian American issues or on US policy towards India. If someone has seen it, I would love to get a link to it.

Senator Obama on the other hand has published a list of his stances on Indian American issues. He states that he looks forward to strengthening his relationship with the Asian Indian community in the US. Senator Obama’s campaign has published a long list of his stances on issues that are of Indian American interest and it can be found by clicking here.

But as you read Senator Obama’s stance on Indian American issues in the US, you may recall the attack by Senator Obama’s campaign on Senator Clinton, who has strong ties to the Indian American community. Obama’s campaign had circulated a memo in which Senator Clinton was dubbed the Democrat from Punjab.

Well, all eyes are now on New Hampshire Primary to be held on Tuesday, January 8th. Poll results immediately after the Iowa Caucus results show that Clinton and Obama are tied in the lead for the Democratic Primary and McCain is expected to lead the Republican Primary.

P.S. Senators Biden (of Indian accent derogatory comment fame) and Dodd have abandoned their campaign after a poor showing in Iowa.

School Shootings in India

School Shootings which were never heard of in India, have now taken place back to back.

Last month (December 2007) school shooting occurred in Gurgaon, India where 2 students shot dead a fellow student - 14 year old Abhishek Tyagi at Euro International School (via). And now yesterday a 10th grade student in rural Madhya Pradesh (Satna District) shot dead a 8th Grade student at a government run school (via).

Take a look at this Google Map view of all recent world wide school shootings. Now India shows up on the map.

Were you traveling on a American Airlines flight 293 from New Delhi to Chicago on December 13th?

A nationwide search has been launched by United States Health Authorities for 44 airline passengers who were sitting near a California Woman who was infected with multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis.

The 30 year old Sunnyvale California woman was traveling on a American Airlines flight 293 from New Delhi to Chicago. The passengers who the health officials are looking for continued their onward journey to Texas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.

For more on this story check out Houston Chronicle.

Indian American Sam Singh - Former Mayor of East Lansing, Michigan

Sam Singh an Indian American Former Mayor of East Lansing, MI has a BIG and I mean real BIG Agenda planned. Lansing City Pulse is reporting

Come March 2008, 12-year East Lansing Councilman and two-year mayor Sam Singh will finally find himself in a place where zoning and economic development are not on the agenda: Antarctica.
(Note: Keep checking Sam Singh's journey for the next 16 months which will take him to over 25 countries by visiting his website/blog.)
Instead of analyzing bike lane proposals, wooing developers or smoothing university-city relations, Singh will be running a half-marathon along pristine shores thronged by penguins and seals at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The Antarctic Marathon is one of the more exotic stops in a 16-month, globe-girdling trip Singh began Dec. 31.

Singh, 36, has dreamed of the trip since he was a teenager, when he started an ambitious list of places to visit before he died.

“For a long time, I thought this would be the type of experience I’d do when I retired,” he said. “Then you get fears of ‘Will I be healthy enough?’ or ‘Will I be able to do it because of family situations?’”

Sam Singh is going to mix Community Service along with his travels. This quote from his website

A major component for my travels will be to work with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations throughout the world. I will use this section to highlight groups I work with as well as compiling the trends in the field of international volunteering.

Happy New Year

Happy and Prosperous New Year to all. Mother Nature helped us welcome the New Year by dumping 8-10 inches of snow in the Metro Detroit Area.

Sure this looks pretty but its no fun shoveling the white stuff. I do have a snow blower but it does not like this much snow so I had to shovel.