Author Archives: vinod

DesiPr0n

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The latest market to fall prey to the vicious outsourcing demon – Desi pornstars get on top : HTTabloid.com

‘Be Indian, Buy Indian’ when it comes to porn. A newfound lust for the dark-skinned woman is fuelling a demand for desi pornstars not only within the country, but also abroad. …popular titles include Mr and Mrs Bollywood, Private Fantasies, Delhi Babes, Saree Strippers, Agni Pushpam, Yamni and Ratree Milan. Even films made years ago are staging a comeback. Looking Eyes, originally shot in Malyalam some ten years back, has now been dubbed in Hindi due to incessant demand. …Interestingly, desi porn seems to have found a dedicated following in the West as well. “To be honest, European girls look more like fresh ham, while the women from India are far sexier,” insists an NRI who watches porn regularly.

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Kashmir – Not so fast…

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Sepia Mutiny recently reported The New Hope for settling the decades old Kashmiri situation. Alas, the plan appears to be DOA – CNN.com – Kashmir plan rejected in Pakistan – Oct 26, 2004 –

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s opposition rejected a formula proposed by the country’s president for solving the lingering issue of Kashmir, saying on Tuesday they will never allow him to change the status of Kashmir against the wishes of its people.
The Pakistani opposition’s reaction came a day after President Gen. Pervez Musharraf told journalists in Islamabad that Pakistan and India must consider changing their positions on Kashmir to settle a decades-old dispute over the Himalayan region. Both nations claim the Himalayan region in its entirety. “We have arrived at a stage where … we have to consider options in a purposeful manner going toward a solution” over Kashmir, Musharraf said Monday. He said New Delhi and Islamabad should consider making some areas of Kashmir independent, placing them under joint Indian-Pakistani control, or putting them under the administration of the United Nations.
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Immigrant Entrepreneurs – Cabbie bids $360K for Medallion

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This dude is hard core – New York Daily News – Home – Cabbie’s 360G buys medallion & a dream

It cost him $360,000, but Mohammed Shah is glad to be in the driver’s seat. The Queens cabbie shelled out the record cash for a taxi medallion yesterday, mortgaging his East Elmhurst house and laying out a 10% down payment to finance the purchase at a city auction. “I work 50 hours a week,” the Bangladeshi immigrant said with a smile. “Maybe now I just work 40 hours. It’s nice to be your own driver.”
Shah came to the United States 23 years ago and is married, with two boys and a girl. His second son was born 10months ago. He worked in a restaurant until 1996, when he turned to driving a taxi. He already had achieved the American Dream of homeownership, and now he’s notched the cabbie New York Dream. “Now I own everything, a car and the medallion,” he said.

A big Sepia Mutiny BRAVO to you, Mr Shah.

Tyler Cowen – Blogging from Delhi

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Tyler Cowen, Libertarian blogger extraordinaire is blogging from India – Marginal Revolution: India impressions

Here are some purely subjective impressions of my time so far… Don’t expect a vacation in the ordinary sense of the term, as the main sight is India itself. None of the listed sights are the true highlights. What was better than I had expected: 1. The overall friendliness, sparkle and wit of the Indians I have spoken to.
Saddest moment: Seeing ultrasound clinics in rural areas.

Tyler Cowen’s Favorite Indian Things

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Several of the Mutineers are fans of Tyler Cowen over @ Marginal Revolution. The authors of Marginal Revolution are ostensibly Libertarians but have enough intellectual honesty, spark, and insight to draw a broad audience across the political spectrum.

Tyler is perhaps best known for applying the lessons of economics to the global culture industry and has published multiple books on the subject (my reviews are here and here.) In a nutshell, Tyler argues that far from the bland Disney-fied vision of corporatized culture pushed forth by anti-globolists of all stripes, Economics and Culture are actually rather natural allies and responsible for far more cultural creation than homogenization.

Today, Tyler posts on Marginal Revolution: My favorite things Indian and it appears the man is rather erudite on the Desi diaspora –

My favorite things Indian Being here is number one at the moment, but here are a few specifics: 1. My favorite Indian musician – I have to go with Zakir Hussain; yes the CDs are wonderful but they do not compare with seeing him live. Honorary mentions go to Ali Akhbar Khan (sarod) and L. Subramaniam (violin). …3. My favorite Indian novel – Rushdie is the obvious favorite, but I will opt for Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy. Better than any Dickens but Bleak House. And did you know that he was an errant economics Ph.d. student at Stanford when he wrote the manuscript?

Medical Tourists

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Quick MSNBC article on a topic we’ve covered before – MSNBC – India draws ‘medical tourists’ –

NEW DELHI – Three months ago, Howard Staab learned that he suffered from a life-threatening heart condition and would have to undergo surgery at a cost of up to $200,000 — an impossible sum for the 53-year-old carpenter from Durham, N.C., who has no health insurance. So he outsourced the job to India. …Total bill: about $10,000, including roundtrip airfare and a planned side trip to the Taj Mahal.

Desi Culture March…

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I’m in Sao Paulo for a biz meeting and the local sales team took me out for a grand sushi dinner (Sao Paulo has the largest single overseas Japanese population with just shy of 1.5M of the 18M Paulisanos ). I was far from my small town / farm homeland. Nevertheless, I took a certain comfort that the local radio station the Japanese restaurant played for us diners featured the track Tu Tu Hai Wahi by DJ Aqueel.

Freaky.

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