MD -

"Yeah, I’d prefer if she had more experience. Ditto for Obama."

I am thinking the same thing. How can the Democrats criticize her lack of experience with a straight face, and the same goes for the Republicans henceforth.

On the other hand, isn't it interesting that, the candidate who claims to be for change picked the ultimate establishment insider for his V.P, while the establishment candidate chose a real deal change candidate, who actually has challenged her own party on ethics.

Tiger Yogiji,

Not according to the Washington Post - "However, Palin has shown receptivity to gay and lesbian concerns about discrimination, and as governor she vetoed legislation that would have barred Alaska from granting state benefits to same-sex couples."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/29/AR2008082901112_2.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2008082901128&s_pos=

I read somewhere that Kamala Harris could be Obama's Attorney General.

"His pick is the devout leader of a socialist petrodollar state"

Are you saying that sharing oil profits with the state's citizenry is socialism?

"Biden will school Palin on foreign policy in the VP debate, but he’ll have to do so respectfully to avoid a backlash."

Vice Presidential debates don't matter.

Dukakis's Vice pick, Loyd Bentsen embarrassed Dan [Potatoe] Quayle in the 1988 V.P debates, and still lost the election.

Zardari is fast turning out to be the smartest guy in the room.

Just curious - If McCain picks Jindal as his running mate, would any of the ABD Deomcrats here consider voting Republican this election or for a Jindal for President ticket in 2012?

Even though I lean left on social issues, were I an American citizen, I would vote for a Jindal in 2012.

In a world where substance trumped style, Biden would be on top of the ticket.

Congratulations Sushil....

I wonder how well Indian athletes will fare if they actually receieve the money alloted to them by the government, let alone funds at par with what the Chinese athletes are granted.

I guess the British commonwealth comment means that Google can be compelled to reveal a bloggers identity in Australia, Canada and England. Right?

Kajol and her replacement, if not twins, could be sisters.

Rest in peace Sam Bahadur.

Q. What happened when a Parsi [Manekshaw], a Sikh [Arora] and Jew [Jacobs] walked into a War in 1971?
A. 98,000 Pakistani Soldiers surrendered unconditionally and Bangladesh was formed.

Prakruti - All Brahmins are not vegetarian. Kashmiri and Bengali Brahmins for example consume meat, excluding beef of course.

shouldn't it be padma's foodie?

Congratulations.
Do all Sepia bloggers, at least the original founders, get to attend the convention?

another desi rock star - archis tiku of maximo park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d11t0c--yJ0

and the surprising part is that archis also happens to be a trained medical doctor. go figure.... who would have thunk?

thanks, manish.

Konnie should be ashamed.

sanjay is also a common nepalese name. so, ms. chetry must surely have heard it pronounced right at least a few times either on trips back home; in bollywood movies; at desi parties or when she was introduced to the good doctor for the first time.

otoh, since we are on the topic - in grade school a desi friend of mine named, anil bhat, almost changed his name because he was tired of people reading his name as - aneel butt or anal butt.
i have also heard of a dr. named, upinder bhat, which in americanese translates, up in der butt.

Why doesn't Obama react by saying - So F%^in what?
As a Harvard trained lawyer he should know that a Muslim, too, is eligible to run for the President of these United States.

Ikram - While one expects the Indian paper of record to publish "news" sans research, I hoped you would know better -- Birmingham born Adnan Ghalib is of Afghan extraction, not Pakistani.

The dus lakh rupaiya question is whether Obama can win in November 08?

Prakruti - "BTW Iam so so glad that finally Manmohan singh became the PM..He is such a great man, so well read, so clean, the man behind India’s liberalised economy…"

Manmohan is not responsible for India's [i assume you are referring to the 91 reforms, which stemmed from the balance of payment crisis?] economic reforms. That singular honor goes to the then Prime Minister - Narsimha Rao.

thanks, manish. great links.

somebody should pen an essay on india's rising soft power. particularly, its potential in the west.

thought you guys might be interested: justice p.n.bhagwati, who sided with the majority in the "habeas corpus" case, happens to be the elder brother of columbia university's resident free trade guru, jagdish bhagwati.

baljeet - while some [most penned by one illiterate a hole] of the comments are disgusting, it's heartening to note that the majority of comments are civil and compassionate.

otoh, i sugegst we write india abroad [popular local desi news paper] and urge them to highlight mr.singh's plight. i am sure there is one desi store/restaurant owner out there, who would gladly hire the hero.

benarsi kaka - even i, a card carrying ["ayn-rand-type" sorry, ashvin] republican, don't understand why you consider the post "bigoted". please elaborate.

Diwali - As American as Apple Pie! Who Knew?

MLK would have been happy, I hope.

burbak - don't mean to pour cold water on your blossoming relationship with chachaji, but i just have to point out - it was not, as you suggest, the "the machinations of the British ", which led to the partition. it was the elite muslims led by jinnah who resolved not to live in a democratic state where the once ruled would be their rulers.

ps - in light of gujarat and the general second or third class status afforded to the muslims of india, i can hardly blame them.

the picture in the middle of the cover photo looks like our old friend, "rage boy" who happens to be a kashmiri from india, not pakistani.
photo shop?

few days back, i saw an ad for a manhattan [lex ave.] "saree palace" in the metro newspaper, urging people to consider sarees and even men's sherwanis etc as haloween costumes.

Until reading some of the comments above, I never understood why some non-desi friends allege that....desis lack a sense of humor and iorny.

Even if Jenna, whose family I despise, did travel to India to highlight abuses, the Manmohan-Sonia government, unlike the Americans, would be summoning Mulford and make allusions to how they couldn't "guarantee her safety"...and how...."this is for jenna betis own good"..etc

ps, i too wonder, whether ms.singh has looked or will ever look into her father's machinery, which is crushing innocents in kashmir and elsewhere.

Rohin - "I find it quite sickening how Indians are still so desperate for accolades that they happily associate themselves someone who I find morally repugnant, simply because of the colour of his skin."

In order to stem future affronts to your sensibility, why not send those inferior Indians a list of people, whom you do not find "morally repugnant"?

"For five points of electoral share, these two parties just sold their own country down the river. Who will ever again go to the mat for India when it rejects a deal jury-rigged in its favor?

This colossal debacle reminds me of the parable of the dog gnawing a dry bone, too stupid to realize the blood it tastes is its own. This isn’t nationalism. It’s rank stupidity."

Very well said, Manish

Now, the only question remains - Will Al Gore become the second Nobel recipient to reside in the White House.

* the first was Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett, who won the nobel for economics.

No Republican candidate, except Rudy, stands a chance against Hillary in 08.
However, if the US and France or NATO bomb Iran following the end of the primaries, a likely scenario if the status quo on the Persian nuke issue endures, I would bet the farm on Guiliani - if he emerges as the Republican nominee.

one of the best and always ahead of the times...not to mention, he bravely went where other filmmakers feared to tread.

Manish - While Ahmadenijad may not have been directly responsible for inciting a riot in Iran where more than a thousand people were massacred, he and his regime do own Hezbollah, a [very nasty] group responsible for far more deaths than the number of people killed in the Gujarat riots.
So, do we now afford the same privilege to Modi?

Nina, If you live in the NYC metro area, I can hook you up.

That the British use the word Mutiny to describe the Indian uprising for Independence, but don't dare use similar terminology to describe the American uprising speaks volumes on how they perceive us brown folk.

benny hin is not the problem, belief in god and the attendant mumbo jumbo is the problem.
until reasonable people do not stand up and loudly procaim...there is no god, benny and ilk will alwys find gullible souls to save and relieve of hard earned rupees.

i met her in manhattan at a party for the indian movie star, aamir Khan a couple of years back. she is much more gorgeous in real life...and oozes class from every pore.

despite congress being in session, she flew in from dc [bearing gifts for the khan] to meet with aamir, who at first glance was quite smitten with her.........he is only huma..n?

Sorry, I meant - affect an arrest, not effect.

NotSure - Balochistan and the NWFP are two very, very different scenarios. Had Nawab Bugti been a NWFP tribal chief, Mushy would have a war on his hands.
As for your other points - Yes, the Pakistani establishment does go into the tribal ares to handle dirty business, but only when it involves non-tribals [read - people not under tribal protection] . To wit - the American journo, who the tribals did not trust either.
If the Govt., for example, has reason to believe that a tribal chief is helping Al-Qaeda, the only way they can effect an arrest is by going in heavy and expecting a mini war.
Witness the massive troop movement into Waziristan and other tribal areas.

Amit Verma for Prime Minister or at least, Finance Minister.

Zakaria is pragmatic, of the opportunist kind. He was born into one of India's most powerful family. His father, Rafiq Zakaria, was very close to Indira Gandhi, even during the emergency.
When at Yale, he joined the Skull and Bones Society, and followed that by becoming a disciple [by choice and with much conviction] of Sm Huntington at Harvard.
Post Harvard, he was mentored by none other than Kissinger, with who Zakaria still remains very close.
In sum, If Zakaria is anything but an opportunist Neo-Con, then Cheney is Aishwarya Rai.