Bad Dream for some and a Dream come true for some

Uninsured in America

Was looking over data from census.gov relating to Health Insurance in United States from 2005-2007. Texas tops the list with approx. 25% of the population without health insurance. Michigan does better with 10.8% of its population without health insurance (Better? Nothing to be proud of!!). (Source: census.gov).

Sad state of affairs and our presidential candidates are bickering over PIGS and LIPSTICK!!

Here's a Google Maps View of "Uninsured in America".


View Larger Map

Invitation to Youth in our Community!

The Upcoming Presidential elections on November 4th is probably one of the most important elections in our lifetime because of variety of reasons:

(Current Economic Indicators)

	Inauguration Day(2001)	Now
Unemployment Rate	4.2%	6.1%
Budget	$281 B Surplus	$357 B Deficit
Debt	$5.7 Trillion	$9.7 Trillion

• Financial Crisis, which is really scary (any parallel in history? maybe borderline "The Great Depression?"
• Ofcourse the Economy is Tanking!!
• Property prices don't seem to have hit the bottom
• IRAQ war - End in sight anytime soon?
• After IRAQ/Afghanistan who are we going to POLICE! next

So I am extending an invitation to the Youth in our community to share your thoughts here at "Michigan Indian Community Blog" as to what you are looking for in our 44th President. What are the issues which are most important to you. Send me a note.

Whether it is Obama or Mccain

• who will steer our country out of recession (are we in recession? I think so)
• In future which leader will venture into war as a last (absolutely last) resort.
• which leader will restore our image overseas
• Which leader will work towards affordable education
• Which leader will work towards affordable Healthcare

MI Indians - Alka Jupudi, professional singer from Canton

Alka Jupudi of Canton, MI is a professional playback singer and Bharathanatyam dancer. Alka teaches Indian classical and folk dances as well as classical and light music in all languages to kids and adults. She performs all over the US and in India.

If interested in learning Indian classical/folk dances please get in touch with Alka at al_rima [at] yahoo [dot] com or you can call her at (734) 340-4715

Here's Alka (Great Voce!!)

Indians in Forbes 400 Richest Americans List

Four men of Indian origin have made it to The Forbes 400 Richest Americans list. They are

• Kavitark Ram Shriram (ranked 281st)
  Net Worth $1.7 billion
  Chennai, India-born entrepreneur started at Netscape 1994. Created shopping site Junglee; sold to Amazon in 1998. Founded Sherpalo 2000, went on to back Yodlee, Zazzle.com (custom T-shirts, mugs, posters, stickers). Early investor, board member of Google still owns 1.3 million shares worth $600 million.
• Bharat Desai and family (ranked 321st)
  Net Worth $1.5 billion
  Born in Kenya, moved to India at age 11. Studied engineering at Indian Institute of Technology, moved to U.S. in 1976 for programming job at Tata Consultancy Services. Founded Syntel with wife, Neerja Sethi, while earning M.B.A. from University of Michigan.
• Amar Bose (ranked 321st)
  Net Worth $1.5 billion
  Started repairing radios in high school after WWII depressed father's import business. Fulbright scholar earned Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT. Began research on hi-fi sound. Started Bose Corp. 1964
• Vinod Khosla (ranked 355th)
  Net Worth $1.5 billion
  Green-tech advocate studied engineering at Indian Institute of Technology. Failed at attempt to start soy milk company catering to Indians without refrigerators. Earned biomedical master's at Carnegie Mellon, then Stanford M.B.A. Cofounded electric design automation company Daisy Systems in 1980. Two years later joined Andy von Bechtolsheim, Billy Joy, Scott Nealy to form Sun Microsystems.

US bans 30 drugs from India

About 30 drugs manufactured in India at various Ranbaxy plants have not met US standard of safety and quality. This has led to FDA banning those drugs which include generic versions of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s cholesterol drug Pravachol and cephalexin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections.

The FDA's ``import alert'' barring entry of Ranbaxy drugs isn't related to a U.S. criminal investigation examining whether the company fabricated data to get its medicines cleared for sale, according to the FDA.

The authorities though state that there is no evidence the medicines are harmful, though the violations could lead to defective products,(source Bloomberg)

MI Indians - Vinay Gupta of Ann Arbor

Looking to start your business? You might want to take some pointers from Indian American Vinay Gupta (46) of Ann Arbor, MI. Katherine Yung of Detroit Free Press writes that Vinay Gupta

is one of Michigan's most successful serial entrepreneurs, but few people outside the venture capital community know of him because Michigan has traditionally embraced auto barons and car guys, Gupta represents a different kind of future.

In 2000, at the height of the Internet bubble, Gupta and his partner, Hal Davis, sold their Ann Arbor online bill payment software company, BlueGill Technologies, to CheckFree Holdings Corp. for $250 million.

Today, Gupta is hoping for another big hit with Janeeva, which makes software that helps Fortune 500 companies manage their outsourcing relationships. It's named after Geneva, the Swiss city famous for its neutrality, because the software acts like an independent third-party tool.

Gupta grew up in New Delhi, India, and first came to the United States in the 1980s to earn a business degree.

"I love the environment in Ann Arbor," he said. "The university adds so much value."

But he admits, "These days in Michigan, it's become harder finding money and customers. As an entrepreneur, you go where the money is."

Though Gupta is neither an engineer nor a software developer, he's fascinated by how technology can be used to solve business problems.

To dramatically increase venture capital investment in Michigan, Gupta says the state needs its own version of Google or Dell, a company so wildly successful that it becomes a household name.

"You need one big success," he said.

Gupta also believes Michigan can help foster a more entrepreneurial culture by providing incentives for large companies to buy products and services from local start-ups. Another idea: hold forums for start-up businesses to meet with potential customers.

So what does it take for a person to make it as an entrepreneur? "Persistence," Gupta says.

General Motors begins 2nd Century today!!

Congratulations to General Motors as it turns 100 today. General Motors (GM) was founded on September 16, 1908 in Flint, Michigan and currently employs approximately 284,000 people around the world. GM's global headquarters is the Renaissance Center located in Detroit, Michigan.

Here's Oldsmobile Curved Dash - from early 1900'sand here's the future - Chevy Volt!!

Please do vote on November 4th.

We have heard people complaining about 1 or more of these issues, but what are we doing about it?

• The Economy Sucks!!


• Jobs are Disappearing


• You are 1 paycheck away from financial nightmare


• College Tuition is skyrocketing


• There is no end in sight to the IRAQ war


• Health care costs are ridiculous.


• Gas is below $100 (barrel) and still we in Michigan are paying $4+/gallon even though we get gas from refineries in Midwest. (Hurricane IKE is just an excuse!)

This is our chance to elect people who will govern this country and bring about changes which addresses the concerns.

So don't squander your power. Here's a proof that your vote can make a difference. In the infamous 2000 presidential vote in Florida, Bush won by just 537 votes. A change of only 269 votes from Bush to Gore would have resulted in a victory for Gore in the Florida popular vote and amounted to another 25 electoral votes.

Visit VoteForChange.com to register to vote and find the nearest polling location.

IKE in our neighborhood?

Hurricane IKE which is going to batter the Texas coast tonight might be in our neighborhood by early Monday morning, though with much less intensity. The current path has IKE just south of Toledo by Monday morning. I have put together a page which pulls in latest information on Hurricane IKE from National Hurricane Center + YouTube + Twitter.

This though does not look good for folks in Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast. Let's all pray for them.

Food Inflation being passed down to us the consumers

Just saw this at CNN

Consumers are starting to notice a few less snaps, crackles and pops in their Cocoa Krispies lately. That's because cereal boxes - and the amount of cereal inside - are shrinking along with most food packages in the grocery store.

Has anyone noticed this. Next time I go I will, but then what will I compare it to. I think that's exactly what the companies thought would happen. Gradual change so that no will notice.

Cereal Boxes:


Orange Juice:


Ice Cream


Peanut Butter


Tuna Fish

Governor Jennifer Granholm to help Joe Biden prepare for VP Debate

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has been tapped by the Obama campaign to help Joe Biden prepare for the VP Debate. As soon as this was announced Michigan Republicans had this response:

"It's going to be a stretch for her," said Bill Nowling, spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party said of Granholm. "Because she's going to play a governor who has cut taxes, has returned money to taxpayers, has created jobs and has the highest approval rating of any governor in the nation."

BTW she will also play the role of a "Foreign Policy Expert" because Russia is just a stone's throw away from Alaska.

So let's all tune in on October 2nd when the real thing takes place at Washington University Campus, St. Louis, MO and find out for ourselves as to how good Jennifer Granholm was in helping Joe Biden prepare for the debate.

So will we see this line in the debate. Hillary Clinton's name comes up in the debate and Joe Biden responds with this: Governor Palin! I know Hillary, Hillary is a friend of mine, and governor you are no Hillary!!

Great Cricket by a 4 year old

Here's a video of Krishna Narayan a 4 year old from India showing off outstanding batting (cricket) skills. I wish him all the best. Looks like he has a great future ahead.

Community Events - September 2008

Here are some of Indian Community events scheduled for September 2008:

Michigan India Chamber of Commerce:
Monthly Meeting scheduled for September 10th at:
440 Burroughs St, Detroit, Mi 48202-3429
Time: 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm

MIICC has formed an alliance with Tech Town and to celebrate this alliance, we will be holding our first joint meeting at the Tech Town facilities in Detroit. The Theme for the September 10th meeting is "Doing Business with India". Harry Whalen, a Manager in the International Trade Development office for the State of Michigan, will speak about his responsibilities related to developing trade between India and Michigan. To register for this meeting please visit MICC

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Indian Ocean Event
September 20th (7.00pm) at Ford Community and Performing Arts Center located at 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI Ph: 313-943-2354.

This fund raising event benefits the Isha Foundation, an international nonprofit focused on enhancing well-being through global greening efforts, education for rural children and Inner Engineering Yoga programs. For more details and ticket pricing visit Isha Foundation website.

About Indian Ocean:
Fusing traditional Indian folk music with Western rock, Indian Ocean is one of India's most successful and acclaimed groups. From their inception in 1984 as an instrumental duo, to their evolution into a full band, Indian Ocean has become an international phenomenon. The release of the group's CD "Kandisa" catapulted them to stardom, and was one of the biggest selling CDs ever by an Indian band. Indian Ocean received further recognition for their soundtrack to the Bollywood hit film "Black Friday" Currently, Indian Ocean is working on a full-length documentary feature about their creative journey, along with a live-in-concert DVD release. Both are firsts for an Indian band.

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Stride With Asha, 5k charity run/walk (you don't need to be a runner to participate!)
When: Sunday, September 14th.
Where: Gallup Park, Ann Arbor.

Asha for Education - Ann Arbor chapter is proud to introduce 'Stride With Asha', a 5k charity run/walk to raise funds to educate underprivileged children in India.

Come and spend a Sunday morning with friends, enjoy the breeze, and help a child's education. Please register at AshaNet. First 50 people to register will get free T-shirts.

Who is Sarah Palin?

Want to know more about Sarah Palin? Check out the bio map of Sarah Palin I have put toghether with a YouTube embed. Listen to her speak on "being offered a VP spot" at 2.50 into the video. That's a Dan Quayle moment!!

Double Standard!!

Here's a video from Daily Show which might just end up as a ad being run by Democrats. Here Jon Stewart showcases the double standards from the likes of Bill OReilly, Karl Rowe, Sarah Palin. When its your candidate even a mayor of a small town of 9000 counts as great executive experience but when Tim Kane a former mayor from Richmond, Virginia a town of 200,000 was being considered as a VP candidate --- "Oh Richmond, Virginia is ranked 135th, it is just too small". Anyway here's the video.

Get Into Shape this Fall - Bollywood Dance Style

Anuja Rajendra of Bollyfit is bringing to you this fall (2008) Fitness program through Bollywood Dance. She has made it very convenient for Suburban Detroit residents. She is offering classes in the Ann Arbor, Saline, Plymouth area. Hey she is offering special pricing when you take 2+ classes and/or when your friends take BollyFit classes with you!

Check out the schedule and pricing at bollyfit.com

After you enroll, this might become way too easy :)