Thieves in California now know what thieves in India knew all the time – the Gold obsession of Indians. Even the most secure places to hide gold, like the kitchen are no longer safe.

The burglars break into homes while families are out socializing on Friday and Saturday nights. They know where to look, and they waste little time: They grab the cash and the gold jewelry and split.
Some of the families were gone for only an hour, some for the evening.
Since December, the homes of at least 14 Indo-American families have been burglarized on weekend nights in Silicon Valley. The families fear they are being targeted because of their preference for 22- and 24-karat gold jewelry.
Police in some of the communities, including San Jose and Sunnyvale, said they have yet to see a trend of Indian homes being burglarized. But in interviews with the Mercury News, five of the victims said they are now so afraid, they don’t want their names used. They all expressed concern that different burglars would come for what was left behind the first time: laptops, camcorders and digital cameras.
`They ransacked the master bedroom and found jewelry in every place in my house where I had it,” said the man, a Santa Clara resident. “It looks like they know where to look. There are some subcultures in India where it’s pretty common to hide jewelry in the kitchen, and these burglars are also looking in kitchens.”[Burglaries raising fear]

When I used to live in Los Angeles, the evening news used to filled with stories of high speed car chases and shootings on the freeways. Compared to L.A, Silicon Valley is a sleepy place filled with immigrant geeks. Since these geeks cannot behave as characters in Jerry Bruckheimer movie, like L.A residents, they make up for it in various innovative ways on the freeways.

I work with the woman caught using the breast pump while driving down the freeway (she once told me what a great idea this was so she could multitask on her way to work, etc). I showed her your article and she was highly embarrassed. She never thought that someone would actually be looking at her while she was doing the pumping down the freeway (of course, driving so much slower usually welcomes dirty looks and gawking). Judging from her humiliation, I guess that her days of multitasking while driving are over.[Drivers give new meaning to the words ‘road show’]

I have seen people reading newspapers and shaving while driving, but looks like that is nothing.

Move over Gangsta, its time for Geeksta rap. When it comes to cultural activities most Indians in the Bay Area stick to the traditional art forms from the motherland. But here is someone different.

It’s all because of Rajeev Bajaj, a 39-year-old chemical engineer from Fremont who is either going to become the def jammer of the science and technology domain or the poster boy for excruciatingly embarrassing nerdiness.
Bajaj recently spent $15,000 of his own money forming an independent record label and hiring musicians to perform four rap and hip-hop songs he wrote in praise of the engineering profession. He hopes his debut album, “Geek Rhythms,” will convince America that engineers indeed are cool.
The album consists of four songs: “Free Energy” is an electronica rap explaining chemical engineering principles; “Geek Dreams” glorifies engineers with a tune reminiscent of a cartoon soundtrack; “Enjoy The Ride” is a techno track about computer geeks (and the only song in which Bajaj joins in on vocals); and “Metamorphosis” is a high-energy, hip-hop look at the mastery of mechanical engineers.[Geeksta rap]

In California, to get an escape from the busy lives, people go to many of the wonderful State Parks for hiking, biking or camping. But what if someone wants to file his tax while he is in a state park ? Don’t worry, the State of California has signed a deal with SBC to provide wireless Internet access from areas that were till now called “wilderness”

The Internet access – provided through Wi-Fi technology – will be available mostly in central spots in the parks. The first access point became operational in a state park in San Diego last week; the other access points will be in place by May, in time for the summer camping, hiking and e-mailing season.
“If you wanted to, you could file your taxes from the beach,” said Clark Keslo, the chief information officer for the state of California. But he added, “I don’t recommend it. [Wireless Deal for California Parks]

Right now if I step out of my home, I can get a Wi-Fi connection from McDonalds, Starbucks or even the local public library. Even some local mom and pop cafes are offering Wi-Fi. The City of Cerritos is planning for a citywide Wi-Fi access. Soon, wherever you are in California, you should be able to receive all your important mails like

My Dear,
I am Mariam Abacha, widow to the former military head of state,late general Sani Abacha, who died suddenly as a result of cardiac arrest.
One early morning, I was called by my late husband General Sani Abacha who at that time was the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he took me around the apartment and showed me three metal boxes of money all in foreign currency.
My husband told me he was to use the money for the settlement of his personal royal guards on his self-succession bid and campaings.
Upon his tragic and unexpected death, the new civilian government has insisted on probing my family’s financial resources and has gazettedall our properties. Also, they recently seized all the family known funds abroad with the assistance of the British Government. It is only this money US$60,000,000.00 (sixty million us dollars only) he deposited with the security company vault at Togo (Lome) that they cannot trace because the funds were deposited as an (antiquity) African artwork from Nigeria art gallery, the family intends to use this money for investment purpose to enable the family to start life all over again.

In India Shiv Sena is the exclusive watch dog of Indian Culture. Since the billion strong population is dumb to decide what is good for them, Shiv Sena decides what movies should they watch and what cards should be stocked in Hallmark. Not to be left behind, the American conservatives too have decided to fight against the decaying moral values from — SpongeBob Squarepants.

But James Dobson, founder of right-wing Christian group Focus on the Family, singled out SpongeBob at a black-tie dinner in Washington in the run-up to President Bush’s inauguration, the New York Times said.
SpongeBob – who appears on the children’s cable channel Nickelodeon – is seen as an icon for adult gay men in the US, apparently because he regularly holds hands with his sidekick Patrick.
His creators deny that he is gay, but he is not the first such character to cause controversy.
In 1999 conservatives claimed handbag-carrying Teletubby Tinky Winky, an import from the UK, was a bad role-model. [US right attacks SpongeBob video]

Thank god people like James Dobson are around to prevent us from getting morally corrupt from cartoon characters. He should also attack shows like Tom and Jerry which shows both the characters totally naked. I don’t think both the Coyote and the Road Runner wear much clothes either and there is lot of body contact as well.
Ok, now back to watching a morally uplifiting episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Till now I had encountered only very decent Americans. But now here is someone who is a disgrace to this nation. Calling a woman a bitch and rat eater and threatening to choke her can come only from a retarded mind.

Star, whose real name is Troi Torain, initiated the call under the pretext of inquiring into an order he had placed for a product known as ‘Quick Beads’, hair beads marketed primarily to girls outside the black community (Star and Bucwild are black). Midway through the call, Star became aggressive with the call centre representative, Steena.
Star: This call has been outsourced to India?
Steena: That’s right.
Star: Well, ma’am, what the eff would you know about an American white girl’s – uh, uh – hair, and quick beads?
Steena: Just to inform you, ma’am, we’re a national chain services company. And we’re just taking calls on the opposite.
Star: Listen, bitch! Don’t get slick with the mouth! Don’t you get slick with me, bitch!
Steena: Now if you continue to speak this language, I will disconnect the call.
Star: Listen to me, you dirty rat eater. I’ll come out there and choke the eff out of you (laughter).
Star: You’re a filthy rat eater. I’m calling about my American six-year-old white girl. How dare you outsource my call? Get off the line, bitch (laughter, applause, end of call). [US RJs threaten Indian BPO worker]

Here are the stations

Richard Boucher, the State Dept spokesman will even put Baghdad Bob to shame. He is known to make insensitive statements. Now that Pakistani all-in-one CEO Musharraf has decided to stay on as the Army Chief, the State Dept had no official condemntation of it. Isn’t it the policy of the current administration to promote democracy in Islamic countries ? Isn’t that why we invaded Iraq ?
But Richard Boucher, the Washington Bob said that United States will continue to promote democracy in Pakistan, by rewarding the dictator with money and arms.

There is a considerable decline in the number of foreign students entering United States and it is going to affect the country seriously.

Some Americans might say, “Good riddance, it’s their loss.” Actually the greater loss is ours. American universities benefit from having the best students from across the globe. But the single most deadly effect of this trend is the erosion of American capacity in science and technology. The U.S. economy has powered ahead in large part because of the amazing productivity of America’s science and technology. Yet that research is now done largely by foreign students. The National Science Board (NSB) documented this reality last year, finding that 38 percent of doctorate holders in America’s science and engineering work force are foreign-born. Foreigners make up more than half the students enrolled in science and engineering programs. The dirty little secret about America’s scientific edge is that it’s largely produced by foreigners and immigrants.

Americans don’t do science anymore. The NSB put out another report this year that showed the United States now ranks 17th (among nations surveyed) in the proportion of college students majoring in science and engineering. In 1975 the United States ranked third. The recent decline in foreign applications is having a direct effect on science programs. Three years ago there were 385 computer-science majors at MIT. Today there are 240. The trend is similar at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and the University of California, Berkeley. [Rejecting the Next Bill Gates]

Defence Contractors need engineering graduates (non-software), who are US Citizens and can get clearance. Already it is tough to get plain engineering graduates and with conditions like Citizenship and it will be impossible to get employees who match this criteria. On top of this you restrict foreigners who want to study and you aggravate the issue. The solution for this specific problem is not outsourcing as it pertains to national security. I hope someone pays attention.

The American elections are a time when Indian Editorials come up with snarky remarks. For example, the editor at Times of India wonders on what will happen if Ohio takes time to come up with the results.

Last time it was Florida, and this time it’s Ohio with its pesky provisional votes that are causing the constitutional logjam which could take 11 days to unclog. Can the world’s most powerful nation $(O n(Bot to mention the rest of us insignificant others $(O a(Bfford such a political impasse? Suppose, God forbid, an international crisis were to erupt, a major terrorist attack, a nuclear confrontation or a global financial convulsion? Without a clear figure of authority in the White House, the resultant panic could well spiral out of control with disastrous international results. [

जयकृष्णः | ജയകൃഷ്ണൻ USA 2 Comments November 8, 2004 1 Minute

Distraught over the re-election of President George W. Bush, a Georgia man traveled to New York City, went to Ground Zero and killed himself with a shotgun blast, police said yesterday. The suicide victim, Andrew Veal, 25, was discovered just before 8 a.m. yesterday when a worker for the Millennium Hotel looking at Ground Zero from an upper floor saw a man lying atop the concrete structure through which the 1 and 9 subway lines run. The worker, thinking the man was sleeping, alerted colleagues and the Port Authority police were notified. But when they got to Veal’s body, they realized he had killed himself with a shot to the head from a .12-gauge shotgun. [Outside The Beltway : Man Kills Self at Ground Zero]

The number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada’s main immigration Web site has shot up six-fold as Americans flirt with the idea of abandoning their homeland after President George W. Bush’s election win this week. [Hello Canada!]

Is this how Democrats are planning to win in 2008 ?