UN Security council reform and Ali G

After several excruciating days of research on SC reform ( for my research paper), I came across this funny video of Ali G ( Sacha Baron Cohen). Enjoy :)

Interesting license plates in the USA

Freedom or Death, I believe, Taxation without representation are some catchy slogans that one can find on the license plates of several American cities.

The BBC reported that the 'I believe' plate has been banned as it violates the First amendment. Judge Cameron Currie ruled that it violated the first amendment in passing a law which establishes a religion.


License plates may be a novel way for Americans to vent out their frustrations and ( or) beliefs.

The most ironic is obviously the one for Washington DC 'taxation without representation' as the district does not have anyone in the senate representing them.

American Football and Halloween

Yesterday was a day full of surprises and unplanned adventures. As i walked into my office on campus, Matt, one of the american students was busy looking over the SU athletics website. He said that there is a football game on and i could join him if i would like to. Having never seem american football live in a stadium, i said a quck yes and off we went to the Carrier Dome, very close to campus with a 40,000 seating capacity.

Syracuse University team was playing Cicinnati, a pretty strong team with a good track record. The noise, drama, fight songs, visual overdose of orange ( the university colour) and chanting of "Go Orange, Go" filled the Air and i couldnt help but cheer for our team. Despite a brave fight, we lost 28-7 against a team which tackled well, made great passes and was by and large a well run team.

I had to leave to call my mom during half time, but the experience itself was quite interesting and as a budding Sociologist, i could see the linkage of a few facets of popular american culture to the behaviour of fans in the stadium.

The evening brought in more, ghoulish surprises in the form of the "Maxalloween", a party organised by the Maxwell school grad students. The Halloweeen party was a visual treat as well. Right from Harry Potter to Sarah palin, we had all characters represented in the costumes. I myself was dressed as a Hawaiian tourist, with my Bali Batik shirt which i tried to pass off as Hawaiian. One friend who lived in Indonesia for some time pointed out that i was more Indonesian than Hawaiian, but i think i passed off as a tourist quite well.

Food, dance and good conversations, not to mention a great round of pool ( two games of which i won) made for a good evening. The after -party was a bit of a letdown and i just walked home happy and tired after a day of observing and participating in two key American traditions.

More Frank McCourt...addressing model UN students

Frank McCourt interview - writing about poverty

Just finished reading 'Ts a memoir - a beautifully written autobiographical account of the author who struggled with poverty, identity and a broken family to become an inspirational teacher in the USA. Highly recommend the book.

Why i love Ogilvy and Mather

Of the many creative agencies that i have known and worked with, Ogilvy and Mather stands out like a giant. And for obvious reasons. The firm is truly sincere in its claim of being a 'non-hierarchical' and creative agency. It is also an agency which truly recognises talent and nurtures it.

My attempt at reaching out to Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide Creative Director and Chairman today is an example. While doing research for my internship ( due next summer and fall), i thought of going back to Ogilvy Public Relations and doing a stint at Public Affairs ( something i enjoyed doing in Dubai). So, i look up all my contacts at Ogilvy and Mather and remember that i had infact sent an email to Mr Meng about three years ago.

I shoot an email to him in right earnest, asking for his advise and if he can direct me to the right person in DC/ NY city. Pronto ! i get a response within an hour - introducing me to Marcia Silverman, Global CEO, PR, based in NY City.

How often does this happen ?

That too from former employers ?? Go figure.

A big Thank you to Tham Khai Meng and Ogilvy and Mather for all the love and support i have received.

You are the best !

Syracuse Tech Garden showcases some emerging technologies

For a small university town, the challenges of attracting large corporates to set up shop and operate are huge. Syracuse is coping well with this challenge and has established the Syracuse technology garden which hosted its Fall 2009 technology expo yesterday. An interesting event which drew a few emerging companies in the field of Bio-fuels, Software, Gaming and healthcare.

The expo was a success in that it showcased what innovation is taking place in the city as well as the capabilities of its young entrepreneurs. The technology which most caught my attention was one developed by students of Cornell University, Ithaca ( not too far from Syracuse) which helps patients get physiotherapy etc..through a miniature device. It seems to be a significant achievement and the group won the best innovation award from their participation last season.

Though this was a good expo, it did not seem to have the scale or the magnitude that should have been. None of the larger firms either sponsored any of the projects or were showcasing their products. The big boys club was conspicuous by its absence.

The larger question still remains : How does one bridge the industry-academia gap in a small university town ?