I’m sure a lot of you do this. Surf the web while at work…. during your lunch hour of course! But what do you do when there’s nothing interesting. Outside of the SABAsearch blog, I check out msn.com and yahoo just to read up on things while I eat my lunch. But some days are better than others. For example the only thing that remotely caught my eye was an article about Ashlee Simpson being pregnant. I, unfortunately, started reading only to discover that I don’t really care! What are some sites that ya’ll visit while surfing the web? Maybe I can add another to my favorites…

I have always dreamed of the day that I could log onto ESPN.com and see a South Asian on the home page. Well, that day became reality yesterday. Right there, on the home page of ESPN.com was Samir Patel. No, he does not play basketball. And no, he does not play football or even baseball. He is a spelling bee wiz and he is from Texas.

A few days ago we reported on another South Asian who won the National Geographic Bee and now we are reporting on a kid who is a spelling bee veteran. Just another example that proves South Asians are pretty darn smart. Many of you may remember when ESPN actually broadcasted spelling bees live (must have been a slow time in sports), and it actually got decent ratings. The bees were intense, stressful, and very competitive. And as always, there are a few South Asians in the mix when it comes to educational competitions. Samir actually never won the spelling bee championship, but was very close for several years. ESPN calls him a “spelling bee icon” and a “spelling bee rock star”. This kid is not only smart, he is pretty funny. Watch the clip below to see what I am talking about.

Congratulations to Samir Patel for all your success and for fulfilling my dream of seeing a South Asian on ESPN! Good luck in the future.

Source

There have been many rumors since the beginning of the year that McCain was looking at Bobby Jindal as a potential VP candidate if nominated as the republican presidential hopeful.  That rumor got much more serious over the weekend as Jindal was invited to Mccain’s ranch in Arizona along with other business leaders and politicians.

Jindal denied any talks he may have had with Mccain regarding that topic, but did mention that they were able to discuss many “topics” of interest behind closed doors.  When also asked about declining an offer to be VP, Jindal responded “You don’t turn down the pretty girl from prom before she asks…”

Analysts say that Jindal is still very much a potential running mate for Mccain as he provides the minority touch that the Mccain camp so badly needs to compete with Obama.

The following is a video report of Jindal’s trip to Arizona from Hardball:

So do you think Jindal will win the slot for VP?  Pandits are saying that Jindal offers the popular face among the republicans with his conservative views and striking personality.   Jindal, coming from a South Asian background, is a devout catholic, and also offers experience in a tax program that Mccain looks to install.

If he wins the VP, how does this impact the South Asian community? 

Ready, set, comment…

We would like to congratulate Akshay Rajagopal for winning the National Geographic Bee!!!

Akshay’s correct answer capped a two-day event in which he got every question right. A sixth-grader at Lux Middle School in Lincoln, Neb., he won a $25,000 scholarship.

Read the full article here

When the first generation South Asian immigrants came to this country, the last thing they could think about was their retirement.  First and foremost, they were trying to land their first job, and just get settled on their feet.

But, from then until now, have South Asians properly prepared themselves for retirement?  Even though our culture assumes that our parents come to live with us after they retire, this has not been the case in many South Asian households in the US.   Therefore, we ask the question:  Are the South Asian baby boomers properly prepared financially for their retirement?  Unfortunately, we think not.

During a conversation I had with my uncle, I realized that financial planning (401k, Roth IRAs, Mutual Funds, Stocks, etc.) was not something he, or many other first generation US South Asians, understood.  The consequence to this is that now he doesn’t have enough money to retire with ease, thus still working at the age of 70 here in the US.  That’s bad news.

Here is an interesting excerpt we found on the the South Asian related Metlife website, which really drives home our point:

When you picture your retired life, it is possible that you see yourself back home in the land of your birth. We empathize with your desire to return to your roots. But the reality is, few South Asians return to their home country and most not prepared for the costs of retiring in the U.S. No matter where you ultimately plan to retire, the key is to be financially prepared….

So, for you younger South Asian professionals, the key is to plan ahead.  We’re not sure what the right strategy is, but we’re looking for answers.  If you are a financial advisor, please provide us with some advice or tips on how to plan for the future (financially), it would be greatly appreciated by not only our blog staff, but also by our readers.

If you are interested in finding a South Asian financial advisor in your area to help plan out your financial goals, please visit our Money and Finance section on SABAsearch.com, which contains listings of South Asian financial planners, advisors, etc.  Enjoy!

This morning, one of our readers posted an update article related to an article we posted a few weeks ago.  We have received an overwhelming flurry of comments, and we thank everybody for their thoughts and opinions.

Below, we have pasted an article that was published on May 20, 2008 by Austin American Statesman, as well as posted by one of our blog readers:

Re: AMERICAN AMERICAN STATESMAN article on the front page
Tuesday, May 20, 2008

HAYS COUNTY

Arrested Hindu guru allowed to leave country
Follower puts up $10 million to guarantee Saraswati’s return.
By Eric Dexheimer

Prakashanand Saraswati, the Hindu guru arrested and charged three weeks ago with groping two underage girls, is being permitted to leave the country after an Austin follower agreed to put up $10 million as a guarantee that the swami would return. Legal experts called the arrangement — and the size of it — unusual.

Continue Reading »

Ever think about studying abroad?  Paris, Rome, and even India are very popular places for students to experience life outside the United States.  What if I told you that the Middle East is now also an option?

Two of the biggest schools in Texas have agreed to create a new university in the Middle East.  Texas A&M University already has an engineering school in Qatar, and now they have joined with the University of Texas to create a university in Saudi Arabia.  This region has raised a lot of money due to the high demand of oil and is reinvesting that money into developing the area.  They have already built upon their infrastructure (buildings, highways, etc) and now want to create better educational opportunities.  Hopefully these efforts will open doors for students in the Middle East as well as students in the US who want to learn more about this region.  We applaud these universities for taking initiative to provide better education to different parts of the world.  Hopefully this will continue and we will see new schools in other countries as well.

Source

I just finished reading an article on ABC news website. This article talked about the changing times happening in India. Nisha Mehta, a tough, independent, and strong business minded 21 year old, has five people - all older than she is - working under her. And her boss says the sky’s the limit. What really triggered my interest is the fact that India is seeing change happening in a country where in the past women had been restricted to traditional family roles. India’s exploding middle class is estimated to be roughly 300 million people, almost the size of the U.S. population. We are witnessing something ground breaking with the rise of jobs as well as commerce for the Indian people. The reason that I think this is very interesting is maybe one day the India will share the stage with the United States by becoming a super-power. What do you think? Can India become as powerful as the U.S.? If so, will those changes happen in the near future, or is it too early to even think about?

Source:  India’s Future: Balancing Old and New Worlds

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Yesterday, our blog staff came across news about a Sikh kid who’s turban was set on fire by another student at his High School.  The kid suffered minor injuries, but probably is facing a tougher time dealing with his emotions related to such a situation.

Here is an excerpt from the online article found on The Sikh Coalition’s website:

(Hightstown, NJ) May 12, 2008 - New Jersey’s Sikh community is outraged after a fellow student set fire to the turban worn by the Sikh teenager in an unprovoked attack at school.

What Happened
The victim, who is a minor and would like to remain anonymous, is one of only two turban-wearing Sikhs attending Hightstown High School in New Jersey. On Monday, May 5, 2008, the school held a fire drill and all students were instructed to gather on the school playground. The Sikh student was chatting to his friends when a student he did not know came up behind him and set fire to his patka  using a lighter.

The Sikh student “felt something hot” on his head and immediately patted his patka to put out the flames. Disaster was averted, but a great deal of emotional damage had already been done.

“No mother should have to worry that her child could be hurt at school because of the way he looks,” said Sukhjot Kaur, the teenager’s mother.

Is this a form of hate crime or do you think this is a case of high school bullying?  Either way, it still needs to be addressed seriously.  Please leave your comments and thoughts.

More importantly, how can we support our South Asian youth in these types of situations?  How can we offer them the confidence they need to build the strength to face these types of situations?

To the kid…stand tall buddy, and be proud of who you are.  You’ve got lots of people behind you.

Yesterday, 7 bomb blasts rocked the city of Jaipur.  An eighth bomb was difused by authorities, but the damage was already done.  80 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.

Today, sources claimed they are looking for a woman, who had tried to lure a rickshaw driver into executing the blasts for Rs 100,000. 

Here is a brief excerpt from the Times of India article:

“We are looking for a woman, identified as Meena, who tried to lure a rickshaw puller, Vijay, to carry out the attacks,” a police officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Vijay, a resident of Mumbai who suffered minor shrapnel injures, told the police that Meena lives near one of the blast sites. No further details of the woman’s role in the bombings were available.

According to the police, the first blast took place around 7.15 pm (local time) in the crowded Johari Bazaar. Within 15 minutes seven more blasts occurred in adjoining areas of the walled city.

The sites were near a Hanuman Mandir, which was milling with devotees, near the tourist attraction Hawa Mahal, at Badi Chaupad, Tripolia Bazar as well as Chandpole.

Please feel free to leave your comments and thoughts…

A constable made an unusual discovery after pulling over a man in Darwin, Australia.  In the back seat of his car was a 30-can case of beer strapped down by a seat belt in between two adults.  If that was not unusual enough, there was a 5 year old child sitting on the floor in the back seat!  I guess the father was more concerned for the safety of his beer than his own child! 

The driver was fined 750 Australian Dollars (around 710 USD) for driving without registration, insurance, and common sense for failing to put a seat belt on a child.  The valuable lesson to be learned here is that an idea that sounds good in your head doesn’t mean that it really is - throw the beer in the trunk and put a seat belt on your kid!

Source

We’ve all benefitted at least once in our lifetime from the “Desi connection”. This special connection to one another within our communities is something we often joke about, but for many, this connection has truly made life easier in the hardest of times.

But what is the desi connection? Hopefully, this letter from one of our readers will help you understand…

Dear SABAsearch Blog and Readers,

Today, I truly experienced how lucky I am to be South Asian.

I am currently in Rhode Island on a vacation, where my father just suffered from a severe heart attack. He was saved by the paramedics, but he is still in critical condition here at the hospital. It looks like we will be stuck here in Rhode Island for a while until we can figure out our options to bring him home…

But I’m not worried.   Although we do not know anybody here in Rhode Island, I feel as though we are already surrounded by family.  Immediately after news got out that we were in this difficult situation, my phone started rining like crazy.

Within 30 minutes of getting to the hospital, I had already experienced the value of the Desi Connection.  Raj from the local indian restaurant here in downtown Rhode Island somehow got my number and has already offered to bring us food every night to the hospital.  Dilip Patel from the Hawthorne Suites has also already called to offer his hotel for our entire family at no cost.  Even my Dad’s heart surgeon, a desi, has offered to keep my Dad in the hospital longer if there is room so that we can figure out our plan first.

I had never been so overwhelmed with support from people I didn’t even know.  But I guess that’s what it means to be a Desi.  Today is the day I realized how special it is to be South Asian.   No matter how far away from home you are, and no matter what situation you are in, you will always have the family through the Desi Connection…

Sincerely,
P. Patel

China suffered its worst earthquake in three decades yesterday.  The death toll is over 12,000 and will most probably rise.  It is unbelievable that two catastrophic events have happened in the world within a span of only 2 weeks.  The following is a portion of an article from MSNBC.com.

“DUJIANGYAN, China - Rescue workers were digging through flattened homes and schools Tuesday in a desperate search for victims of China’s worst earthquake in three decades. Authorities said nearly 12,000 people were killed and more than 18,000 are missing. The official Xinhua News Agency said Chinese rescue workers reported that 18,645 people remain buried under debris in Mianyang city. Mianyang neighbors the epicenter of Monday’s massive, 7.9-magnitude quake. Xinhua said that 3,629 people have been confirmed dead in Mianyang. It was immediately clear whether those figures are included in the official death toll of 11,921 so far.

Earlier Tuesday, state media said rescue workers had reached the epicenter in Wenchuan County — where the number of casualties was still unknown But rain was impeding efforts and a group of paratroopers called off a mission to the area due to heavy storms, Xinhua reported. At least 4,800 people remained buried in Mianzhu, 60 miles from the epicenter, Xinhua said, citing local authorities. The casualty figures were expected to rise and remained uncertain due to the remote areas affected by the quake and difficulty in finding buried victims.”

To read more please log onto http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24589987

Do ya’ll remember back in elementary school when you’d play fun games like kickball in the playground?  How come we don’t play that as adults?  Well, a local non-profit organization (HYPF, Houston Youth Pentecostal Fellowship) organized a game yesterday and I was lucky enough to partake in all the fun.  As the day progressed, I realized that I’m getting old… but it was still fun none-the-less!  We should bring back some of those old school games that we used to play as children….  Make our mundane lives a bit more interesting… so I’d like to set out a challenge to all the readers… get a group of friends and set up a game of Dodgeball, Kickball, Ultimate Frisbee or anything!  Just get out there and enjoy!  If anyone wants to check out some pics from the young adult kickball games, check out www.hypf.com and I’m sure they’ll have it posted up in the next few days.

Its Friday…the weekend is almost here!  Hang in there folks, just a few more hours until you can go to happy hour

We thought we’d start off your weekend right with another episode of SABAsearch Blog’s No Shame in the Desi Game.

This week, we bring you a video right out of the motherland.  Seems like Usher needs to watch out..he has competition in INDIA!  Or, he drank a little bit too much of that Johnny Walker!

YEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Have a good weekend folks!