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Arzan Sam Wadia Obama: Kkevin Looks good in a suit

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Arzan Sam Wadia at 11:59pm March 19

Obama: No Sir its 750 yards

Arzan Sam Wadia at 12:00am March 20

Obama: I welcome the challenge….I do think in Washington its a little like American Idol….except that everyone is Simon Cowell

Arzan Sam Wadia at 12:01am March 20

Obama: It took us a while to get into the mess and it will take a while to get out of it.

Arzan Sam Wadia at 12:01am March 20

Obama: Stunned is the word [bonuses]

Arzan Sam Wadia at 12:03am March 20

Obama: The whole house of cards started falling down. AIG owed so much to so many banks that letting it go down would bring the whole economy down.

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Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the United States.

By some "divine" coincidence this is the day before the first black President of the USA will take the oath of office.

We have all heard MLK’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The below text is a small excerpt of MLK’s speech on All India Radio in March, 1959 [via]

It may be that, just as India had to take the lead and show the world that national independence could be achieved non-violently, so India may have to take the lead and call for universal disarmament. And if no other nation will join her immediately, India may declare itself for disarmament unilaterally. Such an act of courage would be a great demonstration of the spirit of the Mahatma, and would be the greatest stimulus to the rest of the world to do likewise. Moreover, any nation that would take such a brave step would automatically draw to itself the support of the multitudes of the earth, so that any would-be aggressor would be discouraged from risking the wrath of mankind.

The website of the Indian Consulate in Chicago has the entire transcript of the speech and here is the Audio file of his recording.

A defining moment in history. Simply awesome.

While the Indian Government screwed up and bungled in handling the funeral of Field Marshal Manekshaw, Barack Obama, the Presidential candidate in the U.S. issued a statement acknowledging the legendary war hero’s passing away.

the Democratic Presidential candidate on Monday released a statement condoling Manekshaw’s death, describing him as “a legendary soldier, a patriot, and an inspiration to his fellow citizens.”

“Field Marshal Manekshaw provided an example of personal bravery, self-sacrifice, and steadfast devotion to duty that began before India’s independence, and will deservedly be remembered far into the future,” Obama said, offering “deep condolences to the people of India.”

It’s exactly such reasons why I think he should be elected president of the US.

A very good friend of ours Saira Jacob is having her second public exhibition of paintings. The exhibition opening is today. Details below. More samples of her work on www.sairas.net

Hope to see you all there.

Today, the three queens of Cunard came together in New York Harbor for the first and last time in the company’s long history. QE 2, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria were together in New York Harbor this Sunday evening before setting sail for their respective destinations. As I had written earlier, the QE2 shall be retired this year after nearly 40 years in service.

The QM2, berthed at the Red Hook Piers in Brooklyn was the first to arrive at 7:00 pm. An hour later the Queen Victoria sailed down from the 42nd St. Terminal followed by the legendary QE2. This was the last time the QE2 would be calling port in NYC and she got the greatest cheers amidst the fireworks display in the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty.

The rain started falling around halfway into the event, but that did not deter the fairly large crowd at Battery Park. As the ships sailed into the mist and disappeared on the horizon, one could not but stop and wonder at the age of luxury cruiseliners of which the QE2 was the epitome.

Below are some images from the event. The entire set is on my flickrstream.

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Today as you know is Black Friday. The official first day of the shopping season here in the US. And that means that people take the day part literally….and stores are opened at midnight or later.

So here are some observations from my trip out today. I was up and out at 4:30 am at the Quaker Bridge Mall in NJ, ready to get into the first electronics store I could. Best Buy opens their doors at 5 AM and I am in the store at 5:10. At the same store last year, I did not get in till about an hour after they opened, just because the line was longer. After Best Buy, it was Walmart, Circuit City, Compusa, Staples, and some other smaller stores. I wound up at 11 am. My personal observation (and no stastical facts to corroborate this) is that the crowds were less this year. That could be because the sales were not that out of the world and at the same time, maybe a sign of the economy stumbling and gasping after a long time.

Meanwhile in other parts of the country

Doors were broken, and shoppers were scraped and bruised as thousands surged through the Boise Towne Square Mall in Boise, Idaho at 1am this morning [link]

So, did you go out on Black Friday and do you have any “war stories” to share ?

When people refer to a day with the word black” before it, it usually signifies something bad. But in the case of Black Friday, it signifies the start of the holiday season. And that in the US translates to the shopping season starting.

The origin of Black Friday comes from the shift to profitability during the holiday season. Black Friday was when retailers went from being unprofitable, or “in the red,” to being profitable, or “in the black”, at a time when accounting records were kept by hand and red indicated loss and black profit.

Stores will open at 4 AM and their “early bird” specials end at 10 AM. This is the day for some crazy sales on big ticket items like computers, TV’s and cameras.

Many stores have limited pieces of each and therefore there is a mad dash, with first come first served as the operating rule. Hence people line up from midnight. Keep in mind that this is winter time in the US and that means you are standing outdoors in freezing temperatures.

So tomorrow morning, off I am to shop. Some pics and reports when I am back