rantlust

Posted by anupcs on March 19th 2008 in Politics, Rants, Society, USA
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If my wife and I ever have any children, they would be neither “brown” nor “yellow” but something else entirely (I am South Asian and my wife is Taiwanese). So, why do people perceive Barack Obama as black? His mother is fully white as far as I know and he’s biracial and both white and black. Why is everyone referring to him as the first black person to have a real chance at winning the presidency?

As the furor over the racial remarks by a pastor associated with Obama rages on, I am really curious about this. Obama is definitely the first half-black person to have a chance at becoming president but he’s not fully black. Maybe the Obamans in the audience can shed some light to this mystery.

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Posted by bab on March 18th 2008 in Business
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Before:

Although it has been suggested that he was referring to brokerage accounts held with the firm and not its stock.

After:

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Posted by papi on March 17th 2008 in Computers, Science
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Welcome to the future!

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Posted by anupcs on March 15th 2008 in Politics, USA
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As much as you might hate George W. Bush, check this out. He sings and makes fun of himself (Brownie, Dick, and Harriet makes appearances) at the annual dinner with Washington journalists. It’d be funny if it weren’t so sad (and I don’t mean him leaving the White House come January).

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Posted by anupcs on March 14th 2008 in Food & Wine
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Curry leaves are essential ingredients for me when cooking South Indian (especially Kerala) food. Last week, I was distressed to find out from a local Indian grocery store that they are now banned (at least) in California. Apparently they found some pests in the shipments (interestingly these come to California from Hawaii) and are temporarily banned until they figure out what’s going on. See here for more info.

While it’s possible to use curry leaf powder as a substitute, it’s just not the same. Curry leaves are normally added in the beginning when cooking a veggie, chicken, or seafood dish. The splatter when they hit the oil, the crackling sound, and the aroma they release within a few seconds adds so much to the flavor and pleasure of cooking. I am going to miss them dearly.

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Posted by wolfgang amadeus on March 13th 2008 in Comics, Politics
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Wolfman ponders the mind-bending power of mad cow disease.

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Posted by wolfgang amadeus on March 09th 2008 in Comics, Politics
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Wolfman wonders about the qualifications for commander-in-chief (on day one.)

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Posted by anupcs on March 04th 2008 in Movies
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Just in case you haven’t already seen it, here’s the preview for the latest Indiana Jones caper (”Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull“), coming to a theater near you this Summer:

Harrison Ford is 66 years old but might have a better chance at reviving an ancient franchise than Sylvester Stallone who tried to do the same recently with Rambo and Rocky without much success. To make sure the audience will include people other than AARP members, the filmmakers (both Spielberg and Lucas are back together) have wisely cast up-and-comer Shia LaBeouf (of “The Transformers” fame) and the great Cate Blanchett in supporting roles.

The trailer doesn’t reveal much and I am not sure the original theme music is contemporary enough but I’ll reserve further judgement until I see the actual movie.

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