Shangrila Arts, a Houston based Art Studio, is currently hosting The Colors of India, which features and recognizes Desi Artists in and around the Houston area.  This event, which is slated to last until March 15th, allows the Houston Community to experience the tradition and eloquence of South Asian based Art. 

Shangrila Arts specializes in featuring South Asian and Eastern Asian based artists and artwork.   Their gallery, located at 2801 Sam Houston Parkway, Suite 188, is dedicated to promoting Asian artists who have an interest in contemporary and modern art.  Most of the paintings normally hosted and displayed by the gallery are of investment-grade quality.

The press release for this event has been provided for you below.

Colors of India - A Discovery of Local Indian Talent

We encourage all of you to go out and support our local Desi Artists as well as Shangrila Arts for their efforts in promoting our local talent.

The Rockets extended their winning streak to 17 straight wins last night!  They handed the Mavericks (in Dallas by the way) their third straight loss with a score of 113-98.  I can hear the excuses already from Mavs fans about how Dirk Nowitzki was not playing and that’s how we won.  If you recall, a guy by the name of Yao Ming also did not play for Houston, so I think it was a pretty good match up.

Either way, the Rockets have been playing fantastic, and are gelling together well in the Adelman system.  Hopefully they will be able to maintain this ride into the playoffs.  Tomorrow will be one of the biggest challenges for the Rockets as they face the New Orleans Hornets.  Chris Paul and company have also been playing exceptionally well and are currently third in the Western Conference.  This will definitely be a good test for the Rockets.

The ironic part of all this is that the Rockets have won 17 games in a row, and they are still only fifth in the Western Conference standings.  This really shows you how stacked the West is compared to the East.  There are only two teams (Boston and Detroit) in the East that have a better record than the Rockets.  Imagine if we were in the East…

Let’s support the Rockets and sell out every home game for the rest of the year.  That’s the least we can do while they play their hearts out.

The Rockets just posted their 16th staight win last night against the Indiana Pacers and they’re rolling into D-town (Dallas) tonight.  With Dirk out tonight, it’s a good chance that the Mavs will be the 17th victim and place themselves into the franchise recordbooks. 

Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks
Tipoff:  8:30pm CST
TNT, RTV

Houston business gurus have said before that South Asians serve as a powerhouse marketing audience, but what makes them speak with such confidence?  Well, we’ve found it’s a combination of qualities that South Asians bring to the table, which are not shared among too many other targeted marketing audiences:

• 55,000+ South Asians in the Houston Area (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan)  **As per the 2007 Census Bureau Study
• Highest Per Capita Income among all ethnic Groups with an average household income of greater than $63,000  (all other ethnicities approx avg:  $43,000)
• 75% of workforce contains a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher
• 57% are employed in a managerial or professional specialty
• Annual buying power for all South Asians in the U.S is $2Billion!
• Demographically, a sigificant amount of South Asians in the US are between 18 and 49
• Over 65% of South Asians use the Internet for finding information

For more demographic information on South Asians, visit Allied Media Corp’s website

The statistics above present an interesting case and question for business advertisers in and around the Houston area.  Is your business effectively tapping into this “goldmine” South Asian market and taking advantage of this huge potential?

Our teams at SABAsearch.com are especially keen on the last point within the statistics above.  Sources say that over 65% of South Asians use the Internet as a tool for finding information.  So this poses another question for the business owners reading this article:  Is your business properly leveraging the Internet to reach South Asian and other niche markets in Houston and beyond?

We are finding that most of you are now answering “yes” to that question, and those who answered “no” are quickly moving towards Internet marketing for your business.  In a poll conducted by SABAsearch.com in 2007, 18 out of every 20 business owners are either already advertising online or are planning to do so in 2008.  These numbers are not surprising.

If you are interested in reaching the South Asian market in Houston or would like to learn more about possible Internet advertising options for your business, our advertising advisors would be happy to speak with you.  Simply email us at Support@SABAsearch.com and let us know your interests or questions.

We wish everyone all the best in their upcoming Internet advertising endeavours.  As seen within the South Asian market in Houston, there is definitely revenue potential in niche markets, which we feel are best reachable via the web.  Good luck!

As we all know, yesterday March 4, was Election Day for Texas and Ohio. Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton was at an elementary school in Houston greeting voters at polling places hoping that the meet and greet will help seal the deal. If she plans on being the next president of America she needs to win the primary in Texas. On the other hand her counterpart Barack Obama, who is hoping to extend his winning streak to 11 victories and deliver the knockout punch to Clinton’s campaign, began his day at the Rodeo Livestock show in Houston. He was quoted as saying “I hope we do well, but we’re working hard.” As far as I am concerned he can kick back and wait for the polling results to come in, because he is going to win. But I would like to know from the readers, who do you think is going to win. I have attached an article that might change your mind. Check out the article and leave me your opinion.

Does Obama have an Asian problem?

Hello Houston!  So Raghav and I have been settled in for about a month now here in Houston, so we decided to join a couple of our friends who were going out Friday night.  They had decided to grab dinner at London Sizzler (which was awesome, but the service was kinda slow) so we joined them.  Shortly after dinner, we all decided to head over to Bristol Lounge, since it was literally right around the corner.  We had a blast! Those couple of extra drinks probably helped out a bit

Bristol Lounge (Above Khazzane)
5711 Hillcroft @ Harwin
832.330.1352
http://bristollounge.net

Bristol Lounge is suppose to bring the Bombay party scene right here to houston.  Here is the description as posted on their website:

“The DNB Group introduces the most unique addition to the Houston Nitelife as we know it. With accolades already received by newspapers, radio and magazines, BRISTOL LOUNGE is the first venue in the United States that brings together the sexiness of Bombay with a modern elegance fused together with Houston’s high energy vibe. State of the art sound system and visually stimulating lighting accents every inch of its revolutionary approach. The use of “Inlaid Color Kinetics” creates an array of color extending from the walls to the bar. The soft transition from one color to another creates an ever-changing atmosphere overshadowed only by the attractiveness of the very audience which the decor seems to service.”

When we walked in, we didn’t know what to expect.  We were bracing for a young teenage, thuggish crowd, but were surprised to find a good looking, chill crowd.  Here’s our review of the place:

What we Liked:  The MUSIC!  It’s been a long time since we had a good mix of different types of music, and the DJ was definitely doin’ it right.  Altough there weren’t many people dancing, it was good chill music, which got a lot more hoppin as the night went on.  We also liked the Hookah patio because we just hung out outside and enjoyed the weather for a bit.  We also liked the decor..definitely a nice chic setting…great job!

What we didn’t Like:  The location.  It felt kinda weird partyin on Hillcroft, but i guess it’s convenient.  Good food at the restaurants and then good drinks afterwards.  The only other thing we didn’t like was that it was above the restaurant.  We definitely felt weird walking into the lounge while there were familes eating dinner downstairs.  Hard to mix a family and party atmosphere.

Hints/Tips:  They have a happy hour on the weekdays from 6pm - close, but don’t expect the black label.  It’s for wells and kamikazees and stuff.  Either way, they have good prices that won’t break your bank on any night.

Raghav and Rohini’s Rating:  3 out of 5 stars
We definitely think this place has potential.  Good music, good people, good times.  We could tell it was new, and they are still working on a few things, but it’s definitely an awesome addition to the Houston nitelife scene!  If they keep it clean, and keep it drama free, this place will definitely be around for a while!  Hospitality of the staff was great, so we’ll definitely go back.  We hear the food at Khazzane is good too, so we’ll probably check it out sometime

In a press conference on Feb. 28th, Pres. Bush told the country: “We are not going into a Recession”. He confidently said that we are in a “slowdown”, whatever that means. During the press conference he talked about the economic stimulus bill he recently signed which is designed to brace the wobbly economy by sending out tax rebate checks. The rush rebates range from $300 to $1,200 and gives tax incentives to businesses. About time Uncle Sam gives us some money.

The government believes that this will prevent a recession. What do you think America???