“Wine” considered since olden times has been considered as the drink of the Gods.  I love wine because its the drink for me.  I love red in particular.  Theres that luscious sweetness that comes from devouring it.  I love the inescapable nature of its aroma that takes me to its pinnacle.  It takes the wind beneath my feet. The reservatol reaches my veins and cirulates my blood.  It gives me the hope to breathe better. AH AH AH

Today, the University of Hawaii football coach has apologized for some remarks he made at the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Media Day. 

Referring to a dance the University of Notre Dame football team did before their game at Hawaii last year, Hawaii coach Greg McMackin used a deragatory slur for homosexuals calling it a ‘little f– dance.’

He should have known a lot better.  What we say in private is one thing.  However, for him to utter something at a conference for the media in front of numerous members of the press showed reckless judgment. 

Now, the event has gone from Salt Lake City to making headlines on ESPN.   Surely, he should have known better as the highest paid employee in one of America’s most diverse states.

I have gone so many places and seen so many things my eyes hurt.  Its almost sad but funny.  I like to get myself to relax now. I love drinking my coffee and thinking to myself what a wonderful world.  It gives you a sense of joy and appreciation for things around me that I never truly admired before.  Its nice to see the trees getting taller and the grass looking green on your side.  The rain. The sun. The sky.  Everything is pretty.  It really is a beautiful world. 

Written by outside contributor exclusively for DesiExclusives.com

Recently, I took a trip to the motherland aka India. I visited family and traveled around a bit. This was my first trip to India in eight years. I have been there three times; once when I was 2, then 17, and most recently at the keenly observant age of 24. Despite the squalor, the poverty, the overpopulation and excessive traffic, and other perceptions that many westerners have of India from such movies as the Academy award winning Slumdog Millionaire and other outlets of media, I loved India and honestly thought it wasn’t that much different from America.

Some might call me crazy, but when people asked me about the highlight of my trip, one would expect me to say something like visiting the Taj Mahal, or visiting a famous palace, or catching a Bollywood movie shooting (which I did at a famous palace). However, the highlight of my trip was the complete opposite. I had ventured to a place that any average Indian who didn’t live there, would find completely unappealing and disgusting. Yes you guessed it; the highlight of my trip to India was visiting a slum. This was not just any slum; this was the largest slum in Asia know as Dharavi, which was the setting of Slumdog Millionaire. A sprawling metropolis of over a million people, Dharavi consists of shanty homes, alleys that any average overweight American could probably not fit through, goats roaming around amongst children, and surprisingly many factories. I visited Dharavi through a tour group, whose goal was to show that the slum was not only a place of squalor and broken dreams infested with beggar mafia as depicted in Slumdog Millionaire, but a place where small businesses flourish, Hindu and Muslims coexist peacefully, and where people with so little, can somehow make ends meet and live happily and peacefully. Few of the industries that flourish within Dharavi are plastic and aluminum recycling, leather tanning (Gucci wallets are made here), clay pottery, and many other small scale industries. Believe it or not, the annual turnover from Dharavi alone is $665 million US dollars.

So yes, India is a land full on contrasts; flourishing slums are right next to lavish apartments and corporate skyscrapers, which bring me to my earlier point; America is not much different from India. In terms of numbers, India has extreme poverty. A third of the world’s poor people live in India. However, India is home to 1.15 billion people, which among the population, there is a vast upper middle class in terms of numbers. Maybe India’s poverty does not compare to America, but the figures on American poverty were quite surprising, especially in lieu of the housing crisis and the current recession. Nearly 36 million American lives in poverty and approximately 1 in 8 Americans struggle with hunger and food issues. Percentage wise and also in severity, this pales in comparison to India, but it is also a quite significant figure. What is similar between America and India is the denial that there is a problem India consists mainly of slums and extreme poverty, yet Indians completely objected the depiction India was given in Slumdog Millionaire. In that aspect, Americans are not much different. Over three years ago, Hurricane Katrina completely flooded New Orleans and killed over a thousand people. Many contended that the people that stayed behind were stupid and asking for it. However, many middle class Americans couldn’t grasp the fact that New Orleans is one of the poorest cities in American and over a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. So in actuality, maybe many people were stuck where they were due to their economic situation. After the storm hit, news reports constantly reported on the violence that ensued as a result of the chaos that the storm left behind. The image of New Orleans was completely deteriorated. However ignorant Americans would forget that New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz music, and a flourishing live music scene, only to see a crime ridden city that likes to take advantage of a bad situation. But as shown with Dharavi, there is more that meets the eye, and until we make the concerted effort to notice that, we are going to continue to remain ignorant and slowly separate as a society.

Do you ever sit down and wonder what happens? It is guaranteed in life along with taxes. It can happen anytime and anywhere. Not just in our beds at an old age but also with strangers in situations that may be not so accomodating. It gives you that pinch in your spine when you start to think that it may be all over and for YOU any day. What impact do we leave to this world. Better yet, will it matter elsewhere at the next destination? As they say, its not that destination but the journey. Is it going to be that invisible force that will carry us on to something greater or indeed worse for some? Will we just come back as roots to the same trees on this planet just in different shades of green? Will the sun be brighter on the other side or will the galaxy swallow our souls to pieces. The funny thing is that there is a story to all of this..just various versions. And lies that need to be fed to the masses in order to calm the people. Certain people here on this planet know the answer…the TRUTH as some may say, but they would never share it with the rest of the world otherwise they would set themselves up for a religious war. Its not wrong to believe that you will go to heaven or hell when you die or indeed be blessed with 50 virgins. Its wrong to tell others that their right and wrong as WE individuals do not have the right to impose our specific beliefs systems onto other individuals. Even though some take advantage wrongly so. I would recommend to READ a lot. Thats what I did. I can definitely tell you that I do know the TRUTH but I will never share it I know its significance and don’t feel the need to impose it onto others. However I can tell you that yes your actions here do have an impact on the aftermath. But, I can also tell you that just because you lived your life rightly or wrongly does not mean that it will directly correlate to your next life Everything has a purpose, everyone has a divine purpose. Play your ROLE!

We all have a lot of noise on our hands.  Whether it’s the buzz in the news, a nagging relative, or the unwavering boss.

This noise can sometimes impede us from getting to the goal we have in mind.  Some people compromise, while others throw in the towel altogether.

While we have great ideas on what we want and where we want to be, we sometimes let the noise win.  Nothing builds confidence more than taking action.  Even if it is a small step, or it is met with resistance.  You will never know what truly is the best for you unless you try for yourself.  So take your vision and put it into action.

What is bing and where does it come from?? It seems like a site with a super big investor with a wanna be hyped up marketing team showing the public that their better than they actually are. WHAT IS BING?? BING BING BING. BING YOU!!! BING OFF!!! WHO THE BING DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?? BING THIS!!! AH AH AH

Google has been around for a while and this whole theory that bing has a brain or is google with a brain is off tangent.  Get with the program bing and learn some new marketing strategies

As his prison term comes to end, so begins speculation on when one of the most exhiliarting players in NFL will make it back onto the field.

Sure, the dog fighting has been much publicized, but that is only one part of the story of Michael Vick.  He is in dire financial straits, as many of the financial advisors he trusted during the early part of his career took advantage of him and used his money for their own use.  His judgement was certainly questionable, but he has paid for it by doing jail time and having his name and finances dragged through the mud.

As an alumn of Virginia Tech, I certainly hope he finds his way again onto a NFL playing field.  We all deserve a second chance, and Mr. Vick is no different.