nationless

3ck

2006-12-20T02:31:00.000-08:00

Third Culture Kids (abbreviated TCKs or 3CKs or Global Nomad) "refers to someone who [as a child] has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture".

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miniflicks

2006-09-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

For your mini desi fix.

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Tiffinboxes

2006-09-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Shoes that make me wanna do back flips

2006-09-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

My new pumas are red! Very Red if you didnt notice. And the possess this bizarre power of convincing me to do backflips, cart wheels and other gymanastic stuff my pot-bellied body really cant deliver on. I've walking around NY, and whenever I catch their reflection on a store window or bus, I make a zinging sound, similar to two swords sliding on each other during battle. Kinda like shuwingz. Anyhow, I love them!

My favorite phobias

2006-09-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

Fear is a fascinating sensation. I have never been so aware that I am alive as when I am fearful. Like racing down a highway at 90mph on a 55mph zone and seeing the grill of a car cop 30 metres in front of you. I dont really have a strong un-affinity to anything except maybe failure in life. But I can still see the oddness of some of these phobias. I know some of these are serious issues for people, but I mean, come on....its weird. My smart ass comments are in green. I can change it to some other color if you are scared of green.

-Androphobia — fear of males. ( Would that include toddlers?)
-Coulrophobia — fear of clowns (What about Cirque du Soleil clowns?)
-Erotophobia — fear of sexual love or sexual questions. (Sex does change everything)
-Genophobia, Coitophobia — fear of sexual intercourse. ( No Comment)
-Gephyrophobia — fear of crossing bridges. (Dont move to Venice)
-Gymnophobia — fear of nudity. (Taking a shower must be interesting)
-Heliophobia — fear of sunlight. (So wear sunglasses?)
-Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia — fear of the number 666. (What about the number 999, and the person is standing on their head. And why such a long name?)
-Paraskavedekatriaphobia, Paraskevidekatriaphobia, Friggatriskaidekaphobia — fear of Friday the 13th. (Frigga=French Black person?)
-Heterophobia — dislike of heterosexuals. (Damn heteros, making babies, parading in their non-gay parades)

How is this Freedom?

2006-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Major kudos to the Iraqi descent fellow trying to board out of JFK with "we will not be silent" written in Arabic and English on his Tee. Chaos ensued as other passengers who were scared by the Arabic script complained to the airport officials who asked the man to change his shirt.
How retarded is that? What if another American of say Latino descent complained to officials about how a Tee-shirt that read " Welcome to America, now speak English"offended him, would he be asked to change a tee. Or if an old person was offended by a GILF (Grandma i'd like to F***) T-shirt.
I am stunned at the double standards. BBC Reports>>

Disaster Tourism

2006-08-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

I suppose it is imperitive for a modern nomad to travel the 4 corners of the Earth looking for an experience rush. What could be more of a rush than to visit man-made or natural disasters that have left a blemish on planet Earth, the third planet in the 8 planet solar system (That sounds so weird). I know one of the most visited sites in NYC is the WTC remains, which is now a big concrete empty space where trinkets of the buildings are sold at 4 for a $1 (Sick!) and where I think they should hold nightly indoor cricket or soccer tournaments. But I can see how that might bother some people.
FP lists the following as places where today’s intrepid (and voyeuristic) explorers are increasingly making their destinations of choice.

Aroma Therapy and a Suitcase Full of Adventures

2006-08-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

My father returned last week from his annual trip around the world. Destinations on the route this year were, London, India, Singapore, Tanzania and Uganda. Before he officially ends his journey, he’s making a quick stop here to drop off all the trinkets he collected for me on the way.

He got in late on Thursday, so he decided not to unpack till the following day. This was like torture to me. Here was this suitcase filled with treasures and all I could do was hope my x-ray vision could burn a hole through it. In my attempt to seem grown up, I didn’t make a big fuss, but in my head I was so excited I was running in circles and jumping on furniture like a kid on a sugar high.

The next day I made it home from work in record time. My dad had left one of the two suitcases unpack, like a present for me to unwrap. I unlocked the bag as fast as my butter fingers would allow. Click, click, click, click. Damn these locks, I thought. Finally I pried it open and whoosh; I was hit in the face with the very distinct and familiar smell that is India. If you’ve been to India, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a mixture of flowers, spices, earth and a little bit of tea. I have tried all my life, in vain, to figure out the source of this smell! I’ve smelt it on cloths, paper, in retail store, in grocery stores…every where! Truly, there is no memory like that of smell. In that one weef, my childhood trips to India were as vivid as the taste of mint after brushing your teeth.

it's official... I'm moving to singapore

2006-08-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

As part of its Intelligent Nation 2015 program, the island nation will be able to boast of countrywide Wi-Fi coverage in a few months, Bill Chang, executive vice president of wireless service provider SingTel, said in a recent interview.

"At the end of the year, Singapore will be one mega hot spot," he said. "They are breaking Singapore into three regions and looking at ways to maximize coverage."

What if Columbus had GPS?

2006-08-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

I was watching Russel Peters at 3am on a Sunday morning, and although he wasn’t as funny as I remember him being, he did make an interesting comment. He wondered what would have happened if Christopher Columbus would actually have found what he was looking for?: India.

Would Riaz be opening up a casino in the middle of his reservation? Would Payaal be selling trinkets at local flea markets? Would the story of my ancestors be depicted in the Kevin Costner movie, Dances with Monkeys? Would I even be around to write on a blog?

What if the European settlers would have to come to India and imposed their power on my ancestors. Agreed that it would have been harder to make a race as large as that of the Indian subcontinent extinct, the possibility in retrospect seems real. It really makes me wonder how the history of the world would have been written if Native Americans still ruled their land and the European settlers came in the boat full to Asia. I understand that Europeans did come to my part of the world in the 1700s but Columbus came to North America in 1492. That would have given the Europeans a 200 year head start to invade Desi-land.

This brings me to my second point. The American holiday of Columbus Day: Celebrating the biggest boo-boo in the history of humankind.

World Map based on population

2006-08-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

cant remember where I got this from, but it was in my Timepass folder (yes, I have a timepass folder). Thank you, from who ever I got this from!

Nationless Anti-motto

2006-08-27T01:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth being nationless? Whether my experiences and anecdotes are worth the lack of stability and sureness that nationed people have. My friends are either always leaving or arriving. I have waved goodbye to too many people I love. I have bid farewell to ALL my closest friends, seen them wave back with the always faithful and always broken promise of we will keep in touch. This universal truth is the bane of my social existence. I indulge in the occasional email, splurge on a transcontinental phone conversation, but am always mildly satisfied by either of these two communication tools. I prefer the proximity of my friends, where I can shoot the proverbial pigeon (yes, pigeon). Or do I, in my twisted nationless lifestyle remain nationless for the experience of discovery in the first place? Am I a traveling masochist, who enjoys the pain of distance? Sometimes I wish to retire my nationless ways and settle down in one place forever. A part of me wants to go to the same pub every evening, meet the same people everyday and never want to leave Pleasantville. I want to rely on company and be relied on for advice. I want to call some place home, and truly believe it is home. Not home as a place of residence, but a state of mind. I want to find that place and stay there forever.

Maybe that’s the reason I am nationless in the first place. Like Captain Jack Sparrow, I am always in search for treasure. Although my treasure isn’t a precious stone or metal, it is still a treasure. Maybe the Marxists got it wrong. Maybe utopia isn’t a perfect society. Maybe it’s just the perfect network of five friends, sitting at a pub, drinking beer and wishing they were doing something more exciting.

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life

2006-08-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's Legally Blond in reverse—a super-serious straight-A student turns popular girl to get into Harvard—courtesy of real-life Harvard sophomore Viswanathan, making her much-touted debut. At her Harvard early admissions interview, Opal Mehta, an NRI (or "Non-Resident Indian") from suburban Woodcliff, N.J., is told that Harvard is looking for "young people who want to live and experience life." Opal, in turn, tells her extremely involved, hilariously drawn parents Amal and Meena, who come up with a plan complete with acronym: HOWGAL—How Opal Will Get a Life. It includes getting a Frederic Fekkai haircut, amassing a designer wardrobe and cracking the Haute Bitchez clique—with the complete O.C. on DVD as prep. While Opal's first steps falter, she is soon trading clothes and lip gloss with the trendy elite. But disaster follows success: not only does Opal end up kissing Sean, the object of another of the Haute Bitchez' affections, but her Treo falls into the wrong hands, à la Harriet the Spy. It's all very chick lit—girl gets problem, gets Prada, gets over it—but it's a lot of fun, and Viswanathan's eye-rolling intelligence shines through on every page.

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watch the beeb

2006-08-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The British Broadcasting Corp. on Thursday said it is bringing its BBC World news channel to the United States in a bid to capture American audiences hungry for international news.

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StreetWars - Yet another reason why SF rocks

2006-08-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

New Season of 'Survivor' Divided by Race

2006-08-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

"Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross discusses the next season of reality show Survivor, which will divide contestants into tribes that are based on race."

This could be interesting...

Listen to report by NPR

Where art thou Pluto?

2006-08-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Pluto loses status as a planet
Astronomers meeting in the Czech capital have voted to strip Pluto of its status as a planet.
The vote effectively means the ninth planet will now be airbrushed out of school and university textbooks.
Pluto's status has been contested for many years as it is further away and considerably smaller than the eight other planets in our Solar System. Read on at the BBC>>

couldnt find a more
realistic picture of pluto.
from wikipedia.org

Rahtis future

2006-08-24T05:02:00.000-07:00

no doubt this is the life retish will lead to in the future.
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What is industrial design?

2006-08-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

Drawn.ca

2006-08-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

www.drawn.ca has some fantastic illustrations, drawings and paintings. Very nouveau age and very fun. Some of them remind of me Riaz people. Riaz people, for those who may not know, are Riazs characters and toys he hangs out with more than real people.

Money can't buy happiness, but neither can poverty.

2006-08-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

-Leo Rosten

Look At All The Expressions

2006-08-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Excerpt From "The Last Life"

2006-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

By Claire Messud

I am American now, but this wasn't always so.

I've been here a long time - six years at Columbia alone, and what seems an age before that - and have built a fine simulacrum of real life. But in truth, until now I've lived, largely, inside. These small rooms on NewYork City's Upper West Side are my haven; an ill-lit huddle of books and objects, a vague scent that is home. I've been waiting, although I coould not, until he appeared, have given earthly shape to what I waited for. "By pining, we are already there; we have already cast our hope, like an anchor, on that coast. I sing of somewhere else, not of here: for I sing with my heart, not my flesh."

I'm not american by default. It's a choice. But it is a mask. Who, in the thronged avenues of Manhattan, hasn't known this? It is the same, for the Korean saleswoman or the Bangladeshi businessman or the Nigerian Student, for the Iowan nurse and the Montanan secretary, as it is for me: Americanness draws a veil, it lends a carapace to the lives we hold within.

Wherever we have come from, there ceased to be room, or words, or air; only here is breathing possible. The guilt does not evaporate: I live - how can I not? - with my burden of Original Sin. But in America, at least where the furture is all that binds us, I can seem familiar, new. And for a long time, seeming sufficed.

Adobe Youth Voices

2006-08-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Adobe Youth Voices is a global philanthropic initiative that empowers youth worldwide to comment on their world using multimedia and digital tools to communicate and share their ideas, demonstrate their potential, and take action in their communities. Adobe Youth Voices employs an integrated approach in and out of the classroom to show the power technology brings to learning and enable middle- and high-school age youth to think creatively, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively — critical 21st century skills.

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the avon lady

2006-08-20T02:59:00.000-07:00

Nationless.org represented as a graph

2006-08-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

See nationless.org the way it was intended to be seen. Not by content but little colored dots.
Here is the Key to decipher it:
blue: for links (the A tag)
red: for tables (TABLE, TR and TD tags)
green: for the DIV tag
violet: for images (the IMG tag)
yellow: for forms (FORM, INPUT, TEXTAREA, SELECT and OPTION tags)
orange: for linebreaks and blockquotes (BR, P, and BLOCKQUOTE tags)
black: the HTML tag, the root node
grey: all other tags

Plug any web page here to see the graph.

Personally, I dont get it/ understand it. But I believe anything that is on the internet.

Xeni Hacks the Himalayas

2006-08-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Xeni Jardin is a cultural extraordinaire involved with Boingboing, Wired and the NPR.
Her latest offering is the accounts of her trip in Tibet, India and China, where she attempts to Hack the Himalayas, in search for and set-up wireless technology. Its a lot more than what i just briefly explained.
Tons to read...here>>

Mike Wallace Talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

2006-08-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I discovered c-span, I was glued to my couch from 7:00pm till 10:00pm. For the later part of my marathon, they aired an unedited, full length interview that Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes conducted with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I used to have great respect for Mike Wallace before this interview. He sent the entire interview being over assertive and disrespectful. Yes, this is his normal interviewing style, but I doubt that he would point fingers and hold his hand up to interput if he was interviewing President Bush! As a leader of a country he must be treated with respect, whether Mike likes President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or not. I think that an opportunity was missed to hear what President Ahmadinejad had to say (by the way I think despite his outward appearance, he is a very smart man and he knows exactly what he is doing). President Ahmadinejad, tried to answer all the questions and as his culture dictates, he was very polite to Mike, I felt that Mike took advantage of this to negate the Presidents comments and tried to make him seem more of a lunatic than he really his.

At one point the President even pointed out, "I'm sorry you don't like what I have to say, it seems you want me to say what you want to hear". Mike was obviously going for quantity over quality, he was adamant about fitting in as many questions as he could, and wouldn't allow the President to finish his thought.

I respect President Ahmadinejad for standing up for what he believes, and really I think some of his ideas are getting lost in translation. Not everyone wants to be a lapdog...

Plus I don't see President Bush ever granting an Iranian report an interview, that fact that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad welcomed Mike was very gracious of him.

the Brown Immigrant Woman of Pepsi

2006-08-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

"Being a woman, being foreign-born, you've got to be smarter than anyone else,"

Indian born Indra Nooyi is now the new CEO of pepsi. Pepsi is now one of the biggest American companies to be run by a woman. She has an interesting history of thoughts on being an immigrant and being a woman in the work environment. Here are some articles on her...

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I say Payaal Patel for CEO!

How to make Naan Bread

2006-08-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-naan-bread

Galloway does his thang

2006-08-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Anna from SKY news interviews George Galloway (UK MP) in this 9 minute clip. Seriously, this guy has the biggest balls in Britain.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8302753919953151010

Kwhy You Skype?

2006-08-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

"Talk is cheap and getting cheaper" proclaims a BBC article on VoIP and Skype. Not in the UAE it isn't, nor in other countries that ban internet telephony. But as users find myriad ways to get around the blocks, it's the short-sighted telcos who will ultimately lose out.

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Man Push Cart

2006-08-14T03:15:00.000-07:00

Every night while the city sleeps, Ahmad, a Pakistani immigrant, struggles to drag his heavy cart along the streets of New York to his corner in Midtown Manhattan. And every morning, from inside his cart he sells coffee and donuts to a city he cannot call his own. He is the worker found on every street corner in every city. He is a man who wonders if he will ever escape his fate.

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Qatar Foundation

2006-08-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

Iran's president starts blogging

2006-08-14T01:45:00.000-07:00

State-run television announced the blog's launch on Sunday, urging the public to send written messages to the president through the website.

In his first entry Ahmadinejad wrote about his childhood, the country's Islamic revolution and Iran's war with Iraq.
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Das Fraulein

2006-08-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

A film about three female migrants from the former Yugoslavia has won the prestigious Golden Leopard award at the Locarno International Film Festival.

The Swiss-German production Das Fraulein (The Young Lady) is the story of an encounter between the three immigrants, who settle in Switzerland.

Palm Islands

2006-08-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru

2006-08-14T00:23:00.000-07:00

Jashn-e-Azadi Mubarak!!!

2006-08-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence day!!!

August 14 for us Pakistanis
August 15 for our Indian brothers and sisters

LogoWiki

2006-08-13T03:23:00.000-07:00

Logo is a simple but powerful programming language for children devised by Seymour Papert, Danny Bobrow, Wally Feurzig and others at MIT and Bolt Beranek & Newman in the mid 60s. Even though it is refreshingly simple like one of its ancestors JOSS, it also has many of the powers of its other ancestor Lisp.
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Logowiki is potentially one of the softwares to be shipped with the $100 laptop. The goal of the software is to teach children how to program. It's really quite fun and easy to play with. If it's good for small kids it should be just about right for the designer mind as well.

Netherlands does most for the poor

2006-08-13T02:43:00.000-07:00

The Netherlands is the rich nation which does the most to improve lives in developing countries, a Center for Global Development (CGD) report says.

The UK is 12th in the annual Commitment to Development Index of the world's 21 richest nations and Japan ranked last.

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Commitment Index

1. Netherlands

2. Denmark

3. Sweden

4. Norway

5. New Zealand

6. Australia

7. Finland

8. Austria

9. Germany

10. Canada

<Center for Global Development>

Ted Talks

2006-08-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

Each year, TED hosts some of the world's most fascinating people: Trusted voices and convention-breaking mavericks, icons and geniuses. The talks they deliver have had had such a great impact, we thought they deserved a wider audience. So now - with our sponsor BMW and production partner WNYC/New York Public Radio we're sharing some of the most remarkable TED talks with the world at large. Each week, we'll release a new talk, in audio and video, to download or watch online. For best effect, plan to listen to at least three, start to finish. They have a cumulative effect...

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Naked Cowboy in Japan

2006-08-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

I've posed (thats an understatement if youve seen any of my pictures) for a photo with this guy at Times Square, NYC, but never realised he was an international talent. Naked people have appeal all over the world. Maybe I should give up my day job and become the travelling Naked IT Consultant. Stay Tuned for that.
Anyhow, Here are some pics of him in Japan!
Yee Haw!
originally from flickerer Reiheime.

Birth Pangs

2006-08-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

More by Ann Telnaes

Chicken for dinner?

2006-08-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

"Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation."

2006-08-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Neil Armstrong's small step quote might be a cultural icon, but Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon and the astronaut posing in one of the most famous space photos, also had something profound to say. His "Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation", for me holds so much power, like the words of a man who is seeing a new world for the first time.
I can't imagine that Buzz and Neil came up with the quotes on the spot. It has to have been previously decided by someone that those should be their first words. Good writing no doubt.

Buzz's official website.

Another Music Recommendation

2006-08-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

Night Song
By Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,

RockPaperScissors

2006-08-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

By Michael Brook

Michael Brook's collaborations with musicians from around the world. I bought this CD last week and the first time I listen to it, I appreciated it but didn't like it, I gave it another chance this weekend and I began to hear all the nuances. Michael Brook's is the master at bring unexpected sounds together. Love him, love it.

On his new CD, RockPaperScissors, he works with:
Lebanese violinist Claude Chalhoub,
singer Lisa Germano,
Blue Nile vocalist Paul Buchanan
English singer Ben Christophers.

The album, is an eclectic nod to artists both living and dead.

Tracks include the voice of:
late Richard Burton reciting Dylan Thomas
a traditional Bulgarian choir
late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (love him too)

Four things that bring the world together
Music
Food
Football
War

Jap-lish photos is rainbow good, well click now. Smile friendly be me friendly.

2006-08-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Images of a Flickr'ers account of english language inspired tees, signage and others.
I always love Lost in Translation stuff. I've also been told that it works the other way, where in the West, people are walking around with Chinese tatoos that say Chair or Cow or something that uncool.

Button clicked beautiful in magic here please>

Reuters: Poor Photoshopping skills

2006-08-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Reuters recently posted a picture of Beirut, that when looked at by anyone who has used Photoshop could tell was doctored using the clone tool. I can't seem to understand the motive behind doctoring a picture in this manner except for the shock value. It actually sickens me to think that this may be a common practice amongst news organizations. Reuters has reposted the original image after it came under scrutiny from the blogging world. Play the "can you spot the differences' game with these pics.

Photoshopped Image

Original Image:

Link to a sort How-to page of the photoshop.
Link to the yahoo pages where the image was originally posted

I have something special for you Businessborg:-)!

2006-08-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have something special for you Businessborg:-)!, originally uploaded by perfectlymadebirds.

Another normal day amongst the hustle and bustle on Quetta Starbase 0926 In orbit around Faisalabad Prime, Robostani Droid rD54 has a special delivery for His Owlness. I'm not going to tell you what it is but it could be the Cybordyne Key of Pandora's Westernization that has unleashed the all consuming assimilating Businessborg across half the known galaxy for the last 800 million years. Recently recovered on Asteroid Rrbion 320 in the rings of Planet Zathoron 12B by the Interstellar Rebel Alliance and Pakistani Starfleet Command it is believed that if the key is brought back to the Unihivematrix Core Prototon Backbreaching System Regulator the Businessborg could be disabled for good releasing all lifeforms from the commercializing grip of the Businessborg's Pop'o'Brainwashing vision linkage.

RoadTrip

2006-08-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

My Indian Predisposition

Last weekend I drove up to Hotlanta (I’ve always wanted to use that in writing…dork); my Aunt had planned a surprise 50th birthday party for my Uncle. I really didn’t want to go, I was sure I would have a horrible time. I whined like a kid without a cause, till I made my own ears bleed. In the end there was no getting away from it, since my mother decided to give to the “family is the most important thing” lecture (works every time).

My Aunt being the over responsible, over bearing woman that she is, decided for me that it was to dangerous for me to drive all the way to Atlanta alone. It was arrange that I would ride with the sons of a family friend. From hence forth, I will refer to them as Tom and Jerry, Jerry being the small, hairy one. I wasn’t sure how these two teenagers were going to protect me, but off we were early Saturday morning. The six hour journey went by surprisingly fast. This was the first crimp in my grand plan to have a bad day, I had told my mum earlier “Fine, I will go, but I refuse to have a good time!”

We arrived at the house we were to get dresses for the party. The only think I remember consciously doing for the next two hours is parking my car. As I got out of the car I was welcomed by a herd of aunties. Hugs, kisses, Jai Shri Krishna. The next thing I knew I was sitting in front of a disposable plate piled with food that I hadn’t asked for. An odd sensation of calm came over me. As the aunties fussed around, “want some water, chai, juice…?” they asked. In my day to day life I forget how Indian I am. Meet me on the street on a normal day and I am an assertive, loud, in control woman. But here I was a docile cow, speaking in a low voice, nodding in agreement to everything. I was doing the ‘my mother has raised me well’ act. Pathetic, I tell you. What was happening to the strong, independent black/brown woman?

I was the first to take a shower; I put on my pretty little dress and waited for the rest of the house to get ready. I watched as the aunties shuffle around, ironing brightly colored outfits, filling the air with floral perfume. Turns out I had completely mis-read the dress code; everyone was decked out in full Indian attire, copious amounts of gold everywhere, shiny sequins and vivid colors. I don’t usually give off a sexual vibe, but in my little party dress (which was very pretty) I felt like an underdressed whore. I thought to my self “Okay, I look good, out of place, but good, I can pull this off. Right?”

There were about 20 of us; we all pile up into three cars and make our way the venue. Just, as I had suspected, I was the only person in a dress in the banquet room. The story of my life, I was born to be an oddball.

Finally my Uncle arrives. SURPRISE!!!!! Note, my uncle in known to hate surprises. All turns out well though. Between the Chicken Tikka, Bhel, and Bangra dancing, I actually started enjoying myself. Wow. There is nothing like a dance floor full of happy drank people. My plan to have a bad time had failed. I was reminded how loud Indians talk, there were cheesy speeches, old men singing with surprisingly sweet voices. Amidst this chaos I felt at home. But, if I had to do it again, I would still wear a dress. I own my oddness.

Man, the food was spicy.

One the way home I visited Savannah, and MY candy store.

What is it about wednesdays?

2006-08-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Can someone help me with this query. Why is that we get the most visitors to nationless.org on Wednesdays. Each week for the last couple of months, most of our readers have logged in on Wednesdays. (every week the same result. On average that is our most popular day)
My theory: Wednesday is the slowest day of the week, where our readers have the most time to waste (not saying that nationless is a waste of time).
It isnt that Wednesday has seen the largest number of posts on average. It is one of the top days no doubt, but if the corelation between the two can be justified, they need to be closer to each other. We
To all the Freakonomics fans...solve this one.

Mishkaki form Bongoland

2006-08-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

More nostalgic grilled meat dishes...

Take a trip across the US

2006-08-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Great article about the travel diary of a Wired Writers trip across the US. It although unintentionally, probably explains why Bush has a 2nd term. This is the America few foreigners (domestic and international, coastal folk and europeans) will ever understand. I call it America through the eyes of a nerd. I envy Rizo so much for having completed a trip like this.

The bars and coffee shops across the heartland are filled with people eating and drinking and ... talking. (For those of you who spend all your time communing with gadgets, "talking" is where you move your lips and words come out.) Excepting Chicago, I saw maybe three people tethered to laptops the entire time we were on the road. Maybe it was the torpor-inducing humidity, but life seems to move at a more leisurely pace out in the bushes. I hope that's not the reason. Having your T-shirt cleave to your back for 16 hours a day is a steep price to pay for a little sanity.
---
Personal technology fails regularly once you enter the interior. My cell phone (yes, I must tarry with the devil on occasion) quit somewhere outside of Winnemucca, Nevada, and went into some kind of suspended animation until we reached Madison, Wisconsin. I won't name my provider, but the initials are SPRINT.

Zling! (the sound that clicking on a button makes when transporting you to the Internet)

Tony Interview

2006-08-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

Human Right, ain't no thang to the Chinese

2006-08-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

You always here stories about the US exploiting cheap labour in countries like India and China, where the workers are getting paid very little compared to their counterparts. These stories never bothered me till yesterday when I hear about the CHINESE treating African workers poorly (I'm thinking..."how dare they!!!"). That got my attention. As China grows and takes advantage of global resources, they may become the most ruthless exploiters we have yet seen. I have highlighted the parts of the article that shocked me the most.

Chinese investing in Zambia's Copper Belt (From NPR, Marketplace)

KAI RYSSDAL: As poor as most of Africa is today...the continent has incredible mineral wealth. The results of the election Sunday in Congo will decide who controls its gold and diamond mines. In Zambia...it's copper. Western companies invested heavily to get the metal used for pipes and wiring. A price collapse in the 70's and 80's crippled the economy. Gretchen Wilson visited one mine that's booming again...in the hands of a new investor.

GRETCHEN WILSON: It's 9 a.m. at the gates of NFC Africa Mining in Chambishi, northern Zambia. This is one of the biggest copper mines in Africa. Empty trucks line up outside, while buses pull out, full of miners from the night shift.

Just inside the gate, there's a banner that reads:

XU RUIYONG: [Reads sign out loud in Chinese.] Very standard Mandarin.

That's Xu Ruiyong. He's administrator of this Chinese-owned mine. Loosely translated, the phrase means: "Work hard to make the company prosperous."

This company's doing quite well, especially with copper prices now at record highs. In the past eight years, China's pumped $150 million into Zambia's mining industry. That's great news to a country that desperately needs investors. This is just one example of the skyrocketing trade between China and African nations.

WANG XIAOWEI: China is a fast-developing country. So we need to develop our mine industry abroad.

Wang Xiaowei is deputy CEO of the mine.

WANG: Now, more and more Chinese companies, they find the investment opportunity in Zambia. So we have given other Chinese companies the confidence to invest here.

China needs raw material to feed its rapid growth, like copper to wire its cities. This mine alone extracts 800,000 tons of ore every year.

Three thousand feet below where I'm standing, 300 Zambian miners are at work, hacking away at this ore. They hear nothing of this machinery here, but they work in dark and close quarters with sharp objects and explosives. They breathe dust and smoke.

Locals here are grateful for the work. Two thousand people now have jobs in a region where work is hard to come by. But workers labor here under punishing conditions.

BEATRICE MUSONDA: I lost my, my relatives.

Today, Beatrice Musonda visits the graves of her brother and uncle. They were among the 46 workers killed in an explosion last year. The mine made changes to avert a similar event. But the community is still angry.

MUSONDA: The people, they are very annoyed, because the workers' salaries are too small. And people are dead. Accidents underground! So we don't want Chinese.

With the unemployment rate at more than 50 percent, there's not much choice for her family.

MUSONDA: My husband is working there underground. We don't manage at our house.

That's echoed by many in the nearby Chambishi township. Bennett Sondash just got off the night shift.

BENNETT SONDASH: Ah, the working system is very difficult. I work 30 days a month and I get 180, 170, 200 sometimes. That is our salaries.

That's between $50 and $60 a month.

SONDASH: And I can't even make my budget. Sometimes we rest on Sundays. But not often sometimes.

CARLOS KALONGA: We understand that's how they do it in China. In China they work 24 hours daily, seven days a week. And that's the system they've introduced here.

Carlos Kalonga works above ground at the mine. He remembers the days when the government-run company provided healthcare for workers' families and education for their children. It even offered community sports, such as judo and tennis.

KALONGA: But with the Chinese, that kind of care is not there. And they've even been using statements like: "We haven't come to make you rich here."

Kalonga doesn't want the mining investors to go away. But he does want them to pay higher wages. And he wants the government to make sure that Zambians benefit from the sale of its natural resources.

KALONGA: We don't want them to leave holes in the ground.

Workers say minimum standards are crucial as more foreign investors come to Zambia. The NFC Africa mine is poised to expand operations in the coming months. And just down the road, India is becoming a major player as well.

In Chambishi, Zambia, I'm Gretchen Wilson for Marketplace.

Chicken Shawarma

2006-08-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Chicken Shawarma, originally uploaded by Beholder.

Oh what is the secret!
You can never make a proper shawarma at home... but there has to be a way... i must discover the secret to the recipe when I go back home this summer.

Shawarma in Taipei

2006-08-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

Shawarma in Taipei, originally uploaded by toyohara.

and why not....
it's the best food in the world..
YUM

Indostani Intergalactic Pakistan

2006-08-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

Indostani Intergalactic Pakistan, originally uploaded by perfectlymadebirds.

pieta

2006-08-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

pieta, originally uploaded by mazen kerbaj.

I'm going to name my first born Hobbes

2006-07-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

the amazing Ze Frank video blog

2006-07-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

the show with zefrank

... oh it's only a matter of time before the Riaz video blog.
Just remember boys and girls. Making something is always worth more than making nothing. We don't want to be addicted to brain crack now do we?

Day of the Longtail

2006-07-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Bourdain on Beirut

2006-07-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

We went to Beirut to film a TV show about the city's newly vibrant culinary and cultural scene. Then the bombs started falling, and we could only stand on the barricades of our hotel balcony and watch it all disappear -- again.

<link>

Mobile Phones in emerging markets continued.

2006-07-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

I took this picture in the winter of 2005.
It is a rickshaw(tuk-tuk/three wheeler) with a capability to call internationally and nationally.

Hijacked!

2006-07-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

I am being hijacking to design signs that don't match my visual style or meet my design standards! "because the client likes it that way" They can take by skills, but they'll never have my soul!!!! NEVER! I will put up a fight till my last dying breath, can you guess which of these I managed to sneak in amongst all the other blahhhness.

Prize for guessing the right one: You get to be on my favorite buddies list.

Mobile Phones in Emerging Markets

2006-07-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

A mobile and wireless phone kiosk in Kamapala draws its power from a car battery (in the red box, photo below). Despite its bicyclesque design they were not particularly mobile - one or more tyres were often flat and they remained tethered in one place for the duration of the day.

<link> via wmmna

Bear Attacked!

2006-07-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Link

Tiger Attack!

2006-07-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

In certain parts of India, many dozens of people are killed every year due to tiger attacks, both on land and in the water. Here is video of an attack on land.

Link

Butt and Bhatti to the MAX!!!

2006-07-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

I realize this isn’t the work of Butt and Bhatti (who dubbed Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan in “Shanghai Noon” in Punjabi) because Butt and Bhatti never cuss. But this is even funnier!

Link

dreams

2006-07-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

dreams, originally uploaded by mazen kerbaj.

Couch Monkey Dreams

2006-07-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Can't get enough Pakistani Truck Art

2006-07-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

Pakistani Truck Art, originally uploaded by Diagoro.

Here's looking at you kid

2006-07-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

You could be on a secret government database or watch list for simply taking a picture on an airplane. Some federal air marshals say they're reporting your actions to meet a quota, even though some top officials deny it.The air marshals, whose identities are being concealed, told 7NEWS that they're required to submit at least one report a month. If they don't, there's no raise, no bonus, no awards and no special assignments.

<link>

Dance Monkey Dance

2006-07-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

<movie> via radiointeractive

Hi :)

2006-07-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

I went to another country today. I've been many times. Getting around there seems almost natural now. The people there, the things they do are very different from us, yet, I live only an hour away. Different money, politics, language. Very cool. The even cooler part is despite our differences, there are essential things we do as humans that allow us to relate despite our cultural differences.

I went to Ikea (the international sanctuary for contempory western design + style ). There was a person in front of me causing a hastle with the cashier at the check-out, making her upset. By the time I got to the front, the cashier seemed distraught and agitated. I looked into her eyes, smiled sincerely and said "hi" (actually it was "bonjour"). Because she was working like a hard-drive all day, I don't think she thought anybody would take a second out of their daily life to express any depth of human feeling towards her. She felt and a was treated like a drone, but she wasn't a drone, she was a human breathing, living, thinking being. Her existance as a human being was agnoliged and respected all in one action. How powerful such a simple greeting with sincerity can be. It turned her frown upside-down and the day completely around. The agitating, disrespectful incident with the previous customer seemed almost non-existent now.

Why is it that when people converse, they look into each others eyes? Why is it that when they point to themselves, they point to their heart? Why are so many of them so busy that they can't even say hi? to care sincerely, or even pretend to care?

When the cities (hives) and society (culture pool) get to a certain size, rudeness loses it's evidence of consiquences. A person can tell someone off and its okay because they will never see each other again. This action of rudeness and uncaring only breeds a society of pissy, unfriendly, paranoid people, shelled by clashing egos. Life is too short to be afraid. To be unable to show your real self. To set up a fortress around yourself so thick that you can't taste the fresh air.

One of my jobs involves me dealing with ALOT of people, all the time. People generally have a sour attitude until you reveal to them that you are somehow given joy by their presence. People like to feel useful. They like to feel important. It makes them happy. This may be why a large number of people die all within two years after they begin retirement. When it comes to greeting; a sincere smile and the word "hi" can go a very long way. Not only does it make both parties feel good, but it opens up a stream of conversation that has the freedom to grow, to make connections and create something greater. I have gotten several freelance jobs that way. Its the open heart that people are unwilling to do. They think that by exposing themselves it makes them vulnerable. What is there to fear? They will never fall apart if they see that they have never fallen together.

Happy Travels :)

Huck Finn, do you mean to tell me you don't know what a crusade is?

2006-07-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Link

I can't get enough of Mazen

2006-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

antoine, originally uploaded by mazen kerbaj.

Childhood Games...

2006-07-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

When we were kids (and by we I mean my boney elbowed buddy Shahid and I) we would run around the compound all afternoon. Cricket, one touch, were our regular games. Exhausted by all the running, as the evening rolled in we would settle down on the swings and have worldly conversations (usually centered around who cheated and and who ought to have won) till our mothers called us in for dinner . Once, between games of I Spy With My Little Eyes, Shahid asked "If your house was on fire, and you had the chance to save one thing, what would it be?" For some reason this question got me very excited, imagine the adventure of not having a home...where would we sleep, so without thinking I blurted out "THE FRIDGE", that way at least we would have food, seemed logical at first but as soon as I heard myself I felt silly, "I take my answer back.....I would.....take......my passport." If there was a real fire I wouldn't have time to change my mind. I wonder where Shahid is right now?

I wonder what the kids in Lebanon decided to take with them? What held the highest value?

lorriadda

2006-07-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Colorful Bus, originally uploaded by go2net.

More Decorated Lorries(trucks)

2006-07-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

This one is an ice-cream shop

Disney (Animal Kingdom)

The W 11 Pakistani Tram in Melbourne

2006-07-26T04:32:00.000-07:00

Thar she blows!

Complete with Pashto music!

"Maa ki dua Janat ki Hawa!"

http://www.melbourne2006.com.au/In+the+News/20060325+Karachi+tram.htm

http://www.tramtactic.net/W-11/travellers-talk-cat.html

reminds me of a little me

2006-07-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EID / 3eedkum Embarak...OKKK look @ my face do i look like i'm enjoying EID...HMMMMMMM ???, originally uploaded by nascity.

freedom flag

2006-07-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

<more illustrations>
freedom flag, originally uploaded by mazen kerbaj.

Disturbing

2006-07-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

A child’s hatred is the purest and most intense hatred. You teach a child to hate and you create a monster, a cripple and a bigot for life.

Link (Some images are disturbing)

New Design Center: India

2006-07-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

There are moments when I feel that I am wasting away in the US, when my home country is where the philosophy of new and improved is so obvious.

NEW DELHI: In a small basement office in south Delhi, some 20 designers are busy sketching the outlines of new product lines for global giants the likes of Whirlpool and Reckitt Benckiser and, in the process, redesigning the face of outsourcing in India

Desi's have always been where opportunity lay. Look at the number of desi diaspora around the world. We go where there is money to be made, so why not go back home?

The only stumbling block, industry insiders foresee, is the low number of skilled industrial and product designers in the country today. As compared to the UK which boasts of over 150,000 designers or China and Taiwan, which have a population of over 1 lakh designers each, India still has only around 1,500-2,000 skilled designers.

Its amusing that one of my American designer co-workers forwarded me this link with a message, Maybe I should move to India.

The Pros of smoking

2006-07-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

For years now, the smoker (smokits muchous) has been sentenced to roam the cold streets of cities, littering butts on its sidewalks and passively depleting the ozone layer. But for all our short-comings, we are people too, and besides the obvious reason that we don't have much time left, non-smokers ought to be nice to us for various other reasons.
My filthy habit, is MY filthy habit. I do not judge you on your nuances, and hope to judged in the same uninhibited manner. In a perfect world, I would sue all foul-mouthed non-smokers for discrimination, especially after all that we have borne. We pay high sales taxes for our drug of choice so that some kid somewhere can enjoy an education. Our habit has brightened sports such as F1, Cricket and Soccer to name a few. I would be surprised if Schumacher stood next to me and asked me to stub out my cigarette. With each puff, he saw (until 2006 when cigarette advertisement was banned from F1) a smoke signal shaped as a dollar sign (or deutchsmark or lira). Economically, the world needs us. Philip Morris US accounted for $18,000 million in sales last year. (imagine the tax dollar we give) I can only imagine the number of employees they have. If smokers go extinct, so do jobs and with it college funds, dreams and charity events.
I am not a pro-smoking activist, but I am part of the Smokers against Stupid People (SASP), who unknowingly bash the entire institution of smoking. Wisen up people, without us, the world would be a lot poorer. Without smoking economists would not truly understand the concept of inelastic goods. (maybe they would but not for a commodity that actually harms people). Everyday we find new use for this wonderful drug. Smokers are the watchdogs of crooked streets, as they are the only ones hanging outside at 500am. With a world suffering with over population, they sacrifice themselves by dying at an earlier age.
Personally, if I didn't have smoking, I would sleep a lot more. I would not know half the friends that I do. I would run, aimlessly because I could. I don't get the idea of running. Sport yes, running no. I wouldn't take breaks from work. I wouldn't be outside enjoying the world as much. So please, next time you see a smoker, thank him/her for the sacrifices that they have made, rather than scornfully judge their habit.

Who wants to live forever!
-Queen

Holy Land Voodoo Powers

2006-07-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that Israel has some sort of Voodoo spell on the US. In the US's eyes Israel can do no wrong.

Iran mentions that they would like to do research into nuclear technology to use as an energy source. The next thing you know the US has rallied all it's power to stop Iran IMMGIATELY! The issue is sooo important, that all media is clogged by it. Evil Iran is going to bring that world down. Note, at this point Iran's nuclear technology is not developed enough to create a bomb. Which makes all these worries, hypothetical.

NOW, Israel without waiting for international support, in "self defense" devastates a country with air raids. What does the US do? Support them of course. It's the Holy Land after all. Unlike Iran, Israel is using REAL weapons, they are actually hurting civilians. Am I missing something? Apparently the Israeli Military warned the civilians who inhabited the border and told then to evacuate and told them what route to take. Then the Israelis went ahead and bombed the roads that the civilians were using. The Commissioner of Human Rights for the UN says that there may be some violations in the way that Israel acted, but with US support I doubt that Israel will have any trouble holding up their story.

I am disgusted.

Mazen Kerbaj's Comics

2006-07-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

70, originally uploaded by mazen kerbaj.

Lebanese comic artists collection of discourse on the new war.

<link>

Job Opening

2006-07-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

My Spam Filter blocked this. What if it was a legitimate job opening? Curse you gmail filter.
please do not click on any links/ and or visit them. My comments in RED.

Hello.
gags valor siege moody (what the hell is this?)
We have found your resume on Job web site, and would like to offer you vacancy in our company. If you interests, more detailed information you can receive on ours web site: http://www.****.us/ ( please send us email for more information ) vacancymillermorgans@Army.com

We look forward to your reply. hats ambush diet boronThank you.
Best regards,
Miller & Morgans inc. (That sounds like a legit law firm or something right)

Makes My Blood Boil

2006-07-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Boss: "Why would someone want to vacation in Beirut?"

Me: "Why not?"

Boss: "Just seems like a violent part of the world, not very relaxing."

Me: " Well I hear its a very beautiful place."

Boss: "It's like vacationing in Iran."

Me: (very annoyed by this point) "Thats another very nice place, the fact that the US hates Iran doesn't make it a bad place."

Boss: "I just would consider that part of the world as a vacation destination." (The only other countries he's been to besides the US is Mexico and Cayman Islands!)

Me: "You wouldn't consider leaving the continents of America!"

Boss: "Sure I would, Europe....maybe Norway"(Clearly he's trying to find a exotic sounding european country)

Me: (in full attack mode now) "So you would consider doing on vaction to a place that is cold all year round and dark for half the year verses the craddle of modern civilization."

Boss: (scared goat look in eyes now) "Sure. I hear there are a lot of Americans suck in Lebanon right now. Why would they pick Beirut?"

Me: (if he asks that question one more time, I'm going to have to kick his face in) "Maybe they are Lebanese decendants." (I leave it at that, for his own safety)

I'm not an arab, so I don't know why I was so insulted! And I doubt that that was his intention. However I absolutely hate when people who know very little about the rest of the world, make comments that they can't back up.

Now there are two of him.

2006-07-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

Riazs long lost brother: Found.
This guy was a contestant on this stupid VH1 show called
'World Series of Pop Culture'.
His name is Brian. Of Pan-American decent.
Its uncanny. They even share three letters in the same order .
Maybe there is a Ria cult! We just never knew about it.

Riaz at age 30.

Brain Candy

2006-07-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

No words, just explore for your self...

GO!

Drawing out Medical Mumbo-Jumbo For The Regular Joe

2006-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Healthline is a great concept, you can search any topic related to health and every topic is explained in flow charts. The diagrams help users see how diseases, symtoms, and cures relate to each other. I think it needs some help on the design side, but great idea at core. This is a good example of information design used to better everyday life.

no Hanky Panky for you

2006-07-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

An Indian version of Celebrity Big Brother will come with a ban on "hanky panky," producers say.

"Participants will be told to keep their hands to themselves," a spokeswoman for production company Endemol India told BBC News.

"India is a conservative society and is not ready for the raunchy scenes that so characterise the programmes in the West," she continued.

<link>

Since when are Indian television veiwers not used to seeing any 'hanky panky'. God knows all I see sometimes is channels full of hankering and pankerenese.

The Boy Who Sailed Around the World Alone

2006-07-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

Besides the lack of creative naming, this seems like an interesting book about a young lad who wanted to see the world, powered only by his aspiration and the wind beneath his sail.
I just dont know how good it would be with a name like that...yes judge books by their cover.
Link>

What does your hat say about you?

2006-07-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Men wearing kofias is a common sight in Tanzania, so I didn't take much not of them when I was growing up. But lately I've been taking note of pattern more and I remembered these hats. Mostly worn by, but not restricted to, the Swahili men, these hats have the coolest designs and take a lot of detail needle work. The embroidery is always brown on white.

What hat you wear says so much about you. A Kofia says you are probably Muslim. It says that you live in East Africa, that where you live has a heavy Arab influence (Tanzania was the Omani Sultan's winter home). A clean Kofia says that you are respectable and well off. So much history in such a simple artifact.

Read more here

Adidas Commercial

2006-07-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Adidas is a wonderful company. The underdog show manufacturer has a great sense of global affinity to design that the 'other' shoe company lacks.

I love this song... does anyone know who sang this?
Or even what language it is in...

I think it's african jazz (which I would like)

` r

Global Design Forum

2006-07-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Moutamarat has announced that Dubai will host the first Global Design Forum in the region from the 3rd to the 5th of February 2007. On its first year, the event will focus on Industrial and Urban design as well as on the connections between Design, business and creativity.

On its first year, the event will focus on Industrial and Urban design as well as on the connections between Design, business and creativity.

The official programme will have two main platforms; a forum for international and regional Designers, urban planners, experts and businessmen and Design Lounges geared towards free interaction among participants and business networking.

In addition, the role of Design will be celebrated through a series of exhibitions and installations in Dubai to show the impact of Design to the general public.

'Business leaders understand that Design is more than making things look beautiful,' said Khalid Al Malik, senior vice-president of Knowledge and Industry of Tatweer and member of the UAE Design Advisory Board.