My Plans While Looking For A Job

My tentative - in the loosest sense of the word - plans while I'm looking for employment are as follows:

• Finish reading all the books that I have yet to complete and, in the process, up the total of books read to 15 for 2008.
  
• Watch a lot of movies, documentaries, and television shows.
  
• Do some technical training, hone some skills, and maybe pick up some new ones.
• Lose more weight by exercising more.
• Concentrate more on my health without having to worry about work. Always nice to have.
• Learn about investing and explore the possibilities of being a day trader (crazy, I know).
• Hopefully, blog more (my lowest priority, sorry).

Indians To Play Baseball?

You might be seeing some desis playing major league baseball:

The Pittsburgh Pirates hope Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel really do have million-dollar arms.

The two 20-year-old pitchers, neither of whom had picked up a baseball until earlier this year, signed free-agent contracts Monday with the Pirates. They are believed to be the first athletes from India to sign professional baseball contracts outside their country.

Singh and Patel came to the United States six months ago after being the top finishers in an Indian reality TV show called the "Million Dollar Arm" that drew about 30,000 contestants. The show sought to find athletes who could throw strikes at 85 miles per hour or faster.

It's gimmicky, to be sure, but it would a nice thing, indeed, to see desis play professional sports in a country where there is a paucity of brown professional athletes.

I'm Getting The Pantech Matrix

My next phone:



I'm always two generations behind far as cell phone technology is concerned. I'm just not willing to pay for instant gratification many people are so compelled to pay for because of some fetish they have (think iPhone), or trying to keep up with the Joneses.

The Pantech Matrix seems like nice compromise wise both in terms of it's price point and functionality.

Listen To Duffy

I haven’t written much about music on this blog. The fact is, I haven’t been really listening anything worthwhile to spend time writing about it. But I’m really digging British (actually Welsh) chanteuse Duffy. She is one in a long line of soulful British imports, including Amy Wimehouse, Joss Stone, and Lilly Allen (who is more poppy but interesting, nevertheless. There is nothing in the United States that is close tocomparable, at the moment.

My favorite song, of course, is “Mercy”, which is getting heavy rotation on my music player. A song so classy, so silky, you could swear it came from the 1960s. Check out the official video, and its U.S. version, on YouTube.

India Comes To The Rescue

India finally flexed some of its military muscle by defending sea lanes that traverse the Gulf of Aden:

An Indian naval vessel sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden and chased two attack boats into the night, officials said Wednesday, yet more violence in the lawless seas where brigands are becoming bolder and more violent.

This move by the Indian Navy has significant implications for India: it has raised the country's profile among the comity of nations. India should take a more active role in policing the trade routes from the Straits of Hormuz and the east coast of Africa to the Straits of Malacca. As we have seen, there is no need for over-the-top fire power, but a small naval flotilla, with accompanying helicopter support, is all that is needed.

The Indian government should come out with a comprehensive strategy to keep trade routes safe, and take the lead in creating a multi-national coalition to fight piracy in all its forms.

A "Like, Duh" Moment

I know I’m coming to this realization a bit late (shoot me for being slow), but it would have been better if John McCain picked either Mitt Romney - his devout Mormonism aside - or Bobby Jindal as his running mate. Unlike Palin, neither of them are dummies.

Who To Blame?

Did Palin cost McCain the election? According to FOX News, it sure looks like it:



I cut McCain a lot of slack for choosing Palin, but he should have at least talked to her and asked a few simple questions - like whether Africa is a continent or not. I know most American can't find their own country on a map, but even a third-grader knows that Africa is a continent.

(via hit & run)

...The Day After

Congratulations to Barack Obama for winning the presidency. His victory was not a complete surprise given the mood of the voters, but the margin of victory was wide, to say the least. I, for one, expected a much narrower race.

Nevertheless, it is a historic moment in U.S. history: a black man has attained the highest position in the land. Historic in that the Civil Rights Movement is not even 50 years old, but in a space of three generations the United States has made headway in race relations, epitomized by the election of Barack Obama.

Good luck, President Barack Obama!