Cindy McCain burns up ~$300k for RNC convention clothes/accessories

Last updated on: September 5, 2008 at 12:45 am By Desh Kapoor

John McCain has launched a campaign calling himself as a "regular" guy whose heart beats for the blue collar worker. Well his wife's heart beats a little faster for good things in life ostensibly. Last night she came in stuff that was ~$300k. Below is an estimate of the damage Laura Bush and Cindy McCain did to their family's (or tax payers?) wallets. Laura Bush Oscar de la Renta suit: $2,500 Stuart Weitzman heels: $325 Pearl stud earrings: $600–$1,500 Total: Between $3,425 and $4,325 Cindy McCain Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000 Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500 Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000 Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000–$25,000 Shoes, designer unknown: $600 Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100 (All prices except Laura’s shoes and Cindy’s watch are estimates, and the jewelry prices are based on the assumption that the pieces are real.) What do you think of their fashion and clothes? Read more

Women date their Dad lookalikes and Men date their Mom lookalikes

Last updated on: September 5, 2008 at 12:24 am By Desh Kapoor

The reason why certain groups and people in certain geographies have different type of features for a long time and continue to be known for beautiful women or handsome men is because there is an underlying super selection going on. The evolution is hidden in every dating process that a young man or women goes through. Because men and women go for people who look like their parents. While girls always date guys who resemble their fathers, guys date females who resemble their Moms. So, in a way, they continue to carry on the family features ahead.. however different the spouse may other wise look or be like. This study was done by Tamas Bereczkei, a biologist at the University of Pecs, Hungary, and his colleagues mapped the faces of 67 young, long-term couples at their university. ....the face of a woman's boyfriend's more closely resembles her father's than the faces of other males in the study. The correlation was most striking for measurements of the centre of the face, such as the ratios between nose length to face height and eye width to face height. Read more

Biden & Obama: Bush administrations crimes may be reviewed

Last updated on: September 5, 2008 at 12:17 am By Desh Kapoor

The Republican convention is on right now. And Joe Biden has been charging into George Bush recently. Yesterday he suggested how Bush and co had lost the chance to unite the world and the country... leave alone the mistakes he obviously made. But more astonishingly, Biden also suggested that if he and Obama came in, then they could go through the past 8 years of Bush in detail to see if anything criminal was done. Now, that is pretty drastic! But I guess it might be a way to set the past correct... and also appeal to the independents a bit. Looking to the future but with one eye on the past, Biden also promised that an Obama-Biden government would go through Bush administration data with "a fine-toothed comb" and pursue criminal charges if necessary. "If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation," he said, "they will be pursued, not out of vengeance, not out of retribution - out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no one, no attorney general, no president, no one is above the law." Read more

Women Smokers and risks to their health

Last updated on: September 3, 2008 at 10:45 pm By Desh Kapoor

A lot of women have started smoking. In fact the percentage of women amongst the new smokers is increased tremendously in the last decade. And that increase shows up as the increase in smoking related deaths amongst women. The percentage of women amongst the smoking related deaths has gone up to 39% of the total such deaths. And there could a lot of problems associated with women from smoking.. probably more so for women than men - as the 2001 report "Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General" from US Surgeon General said. Also check out the fact sheet from Australia on Women Smokers. "Women not only share the same health risk as men, but are also faced with health consequences that are unique to women, including pregnancy complications, problems with menstrual function, and cervical cancer." Dr. Satcher said that since 1950, there has been a 600 per cent increase in women’s death from lung cancer. Approximately 90 per cent of lung cancer deaths in women are attributable to smoking, he said. In addition, women now represent 39 per cent of smoking related deaths, the causes of which include lung cancer, other cancers, and cardiovascular disease, among others. This is the second surgeon general’s report devoted to women and smoking. The first report, released in 1980, found that smoking-related diseases among women were becoming an epidemic. Dr. Satcher said the latest report confirms that the epidemic has become "full blown." The 1980 endeavor was a follow-up to the surgeon general’s landmark report on smoking published in1964. Read more

Miniature "backyard" cows – complete solution in a small pack

Last updated on: September 3, 2008 at 6:13 pm By Desh Kapoor

Rising food price is an issue? So, how about a miniature cow? A cow the size of a German Shepherd (~39 in), gives 16 pints of milk a day... mows your lawn and for the meat eaters gives 70% of the steak of a cow twice its size? There are some options: - Dexter is a mountain breed from Ireland. - Mini-Hereford and Lowline Angus - are artificially created breeds Dexter originated in 1800s as a cottager's cow - producing enough milk for a house and a calf a year. When the new calf comes - the mother was sent to the slaughter house for meat. So it was a complete package. A desire for organic food, fuelled by health concerns over factory farming and soaring food prices, means that many people now see growing their own food as a viable alternative. As many as 2% of households are now estimated to have their own fresh supply of eggs. In the last year food prices have increased by a record 13.7%. The cost of meat has risen 16.3%, while milk, cheese and eggs rose by 19%, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics last month. Actually, these breeds could be an excellent option for India as well. Create small cows and make it cheap enough for every family in the villages to have one. In fact instead of dumping unlimited money big employment schemes with no results, the Government should just donate a cow each in every village - a living asset that can give them food for ages! Read more

Incredible India: amazing and colorful Indian fashion

Last updated on: September 1, 2008 at 9:37 pm By Desh Kapoor

Got this video from my facebook friend Saira Mohan's page. She writes on Intentblog and is a fashion model. This video was done for Incredible India campaign.. Read more

Hurricane Gustav heading our way

Last updated on: September 1, 2008 at 4:34 am By Desh Kapoor

In the next two days, Gustav (a Category 3 hurricane) is set to hit New Orleans. The city has evacuated and the residents are heading north or West - on I-10 towards Houston. The hurricane may hit Houston as well.. although it will probably not be too bad by the time it hits us in the western suburb of Houston, where we live. Here is a way you can also track Gustav from Drishtikone itself. If it hits too much on the West and you see no updates for a while, know that we have been hit by the storm..:-) Read more

Red lines drawn by India for the NSG approval

Last updated on: September 1, 2008 at 4:22 am By Desh Kapoor

Before the NSG meeting, India has made it clear to the group that there are certain lines that cannot be crossed. Which are they? - Inclusion of any clause on testing, - Periodic review or - Denial of enrichment and reprocessing technology Read more

While world burns, WB government is just thinking of action!!

Last updated on: August 31, 2008 at 2:12 am By Desh Kapoor

The communist government in West Bangal can simply keep shouting about the bad treatment to people in other states. And, of course, it can go ahead and kill its own people the way it likes. How the commerce and business is run in the state and law and order is maintained is none of their business. There has been so much of mess in Singrur near Tata's plant in Nano that Tatas has been forced to evacuate (the operative word that is being used is EVACUATE - as if it were Iraq!) its employees because they were being threatened and harassed! Everyone and his brother in the business world has talked about it! Now, High Court of West Bengal apparently has asked the Government to get up from their stinking asses and at the very least ACT .. that they are "Governing" the state (which they clearly have forgotten anyways in their many diversions). So, what do you think was the reaction of the Government? Commerce & Industries minister Nirupam Sen said on Saturday, referring to the traffic disruption caused by the Trinamool Congress blockade of Durgapur Expressway outside the plant. “We are now thinking of action,” Sen said. “The high court has given a directive to ensure free traffic on the highway but they (the agitators) are defying it, so the government will have to take action to maintain law and order in the state.” THINKING? NOW.. thinking??? So, if the courts had not pushed these laggards to move their back-sides.. . these idiots would not have even thought about it?? Read more

Communion with Nature: Ancient American India wisdom

Last updated on: August 31, 2008 at 12:45 am By Rev. Dr. Todd Littleton

It was on our American Continent soil where our Indian ancestors learned tremendously useful lessons about Mother Nature. When the Europeans set foot on this very sacred land almost everybody started the way backwards regarding the great affinity with our planet. In order to keep a perfect balance and harmony with Nature people learned to daily communicate with it. They were able to talk to and listen to the four realms; mineral, vegetable, animal and human. Their lives depended on this wise and constant communication. I’ll give you some examples of this: every morning before stepping on it, they did two things, first they sincerely apologized and then they very respectfully ask for its permission. Every time they needed a plant to be used as medicine, ornament, building material or for whatever reason, they never forgot to do these two actions; apologize and ask for permission to Mother Nature. Nowadays do you think we do this? We, who are the masters or all Nature’s kingdoms, consider ourselves so important that we’ve lost the correct perspective by usually not humiliating to our Mother Nature who has still being nourishing us, in spite of our destructive behavior. Where will it be a good start point to change by adapting our daily activities without harming our sacred environment? I strongly recommend beginning talking to our trees. Are trees able to listen to us? Of course, they are. For millions of years they have always helped us. Are trees able to talk to us? They surely do! We, modern men have lost this ability, but we can recuperate it by several easy exercises. We already posses a special brain area dealing with our effective communication with all Nature’s realms. Read more