India and Pakistan

It is time to bridge to the other piece,

It is time to ask and preserve peace

 

It is time to farewell firearms competition

It is time to open arms to form a coalition

 

It is time to end senseless hatred and destruction

It is time to mend path for dialog and construction

 

It is time to extinguish and throw away ammunition

It is time to distinguish and create a new definition

 

It is time to displace anxiety and tears

It is time to embrace nears and dears

 

It is time to diffuse landmines and bombs

It is time to introduce truce and say salaams

 

Aren’t we tired of hearing death and grief?

Is not it time for humanity and belief?

 

Wonder who gains pleasure from killing

Is not material and spiritual growth fulfilling?

 

Author’s Note: The thought of this article came to my mind while visiting Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is a tourist attraction on the border of the USA and Canada. It attracts thousands of visitors every month and generates millions of dollars of revenue and provides employment for many. Kashmir, supposedly heaven on the earth, is probably one of the most unsafe places on earth. Imagine if India and Pakistan can start living peacefully and solve Kashmir problem. Only if! What do you think?

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is so beautiful.

Niagara Falls is the best in the world.

Simply Marvelous

It is a must see place.

Oh you have not seen Niagara Falls. You missed it.

Typical descriptions we heard whenever people spoke about Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is around fourteen hour drive from our home. Flying would take a long time as well considering airport time and car travel at the destination. Plans materialized for a fourteen hours road trip with an overnight stop in Washington DC despite apprehension about people’s comments and irritatingly long car ride.

Was such a long drive worth? Is Niagara Falls as stunning as people say?

Simply speaking answer to both questions is ‘yes’. 

Absolutely breath taking and magnificent combination of Horse Shoe Falls and American Falls with mist covering parts of river and falls makes anyone fall in love with the place. With amazing speed, the water falls onto the ground, water droplet embrace your face and the roaring sound of the falls sounds like music.

Pictures tell the complete story. Here is the link

Superb Stockholm

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, the last city of our European trip, turned out to be the best among the cities we visited. City planners have clear vision: maintain quality of life while conserving nature.

 

With 1/3 area of Stockholm being water, 1/3 allocated for urban development and rest 1/3 kept for green space, Stockholm has 14 islands. Beautiful green parks, lakes, canals, bays and connecting bridges make walk in the city a memorable experience. Though one can never get tired of walking in Stockholm, a boat ride with views of stunning historical and modern buildings can be fun. Amazing views from ‘balcony of Stockholm’ is worth a bus trip. Museums are educational and yet entertaining. Yes, a city is not complete without a shopping street & Stockholm has a very stylish one.

 

Some say Stockholm is ‘Venice of the North’. Having visited both Venice and Stockholm, my preference is to refer Venice as ‘Stockholm of the South’.  Pictures substantiate this claim. (Link to the pictures)

A Change

Constant in the change in our life

A change to believe

A change to achieve

A change with a new right

A change to conquer a new height

 

A change builds a new path

 

A new path with new light

A new hope for future to be bright

A new wish to succeed with no strife

A new beginning to find a new life

Remembering Martin Luther King

I don’t see color

I don’t see race

I don’t see religion

I don’t see gender

 

I see a man

I see a human

 

I have a thought

I have an idea

I have a vision

I have a dream

 

Dear Readers:- As you know I am not a poet but it seemed like a good dedication to Martin Luther King.

Passion, Persuasion and Profession

Pursuing a passion requires time, dedication and of course required skill set. Mostly the reward is personal satisfaction and appreciation from friends or like minded people. But the financial reward is the better when one begins to spend significant personal time and energy and use skill as a favor to others. Considering capital and hours utilized ‘helping’ others, I have made a resolution to charge for ‘help’ for personal photographs like a professional. This will either help me financially or free up my time. Let us see if passion and profession merge paths.

While continuing to learn new techniques and acquire better photography equipment, I will keep posting pictures of people, nature and places at a public Facebook website. If you like to follow my photography and have an account on Facebook, check out the page and LIKE it. Here is the link – Amrit Photography.

Thanksgiving Day

4^th Thursday of November is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day in the USA. Thanksgiving Day started as to thank God for good harvest. After civil war, Abraham Lincoln declared it a National Holiday, effectively using his proclamation to unite the nation.

Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful and celebrate what we have and enjoy. It is a day to recognize the material and non material comforts of the life. It is a day to feel content and rejoice. It is a day for families to get together and enjoy together. No festivity is complete without homemade food and a typical Thanksgiving feast is roasted Turkey, mashed potatoes and variety of other dishes.

Thanksgiving Day also marks the start of the holiday and shopping season. Though on the Thanksgiving Day shops are closed, a large number of Americans hit the stores at 4AM on the following Friday, popularly called Black Friday for special deals. Black Friday to the Christmas Eve is the busiest and the best time of year for retailers.

Thanksgiving is also the day to put the Christmas tree and start decorating the house for the Christmas and the New Year.

Following the local tradition, we make the best use of this long weekend to meet the family in the USA and be thankful to the God for wealth, health, character, skills, talent, and most importantly family & friends we have.

In addition, this year, I am thankful for beautiful fall colors.

What are you thankful for?

Fall Colors

 

 

Falling leaves whisper in my ears

Let help and hope conquer fears

 

Colorful mosaic touches my heart

Telling life is pain and pleasure in part

 

Cool breeze jolts my soul

Altering essence to embrace a new goal

 

In days the trees would be naked and mute

Yet the stem has strength in the grounded root

 

 

Dear Readers:- As you know I am not a poet but I tried to capture my current state of mind. Can you guess that?

Riga

Riga, the capital of Latvia, is a beautiful city with a UNESCO World Heritage site, several tourist spots, and monuments. Minutes away from the seaport, Old Town of Riga is a perfect place to spend a day or a week. Museums, numerous churches and historical traditional European buildings make it a perfect place for tourist interested in history while a scenic park, Town Square, paved streets, restaurants and outdoor cafes are ideal for walking and relaxation. Let us see some parts of the city.

A view of the city from the port:

St. James’ Cathedral:

The House of Blackhead (Rebuilt in 2001 after independence from the USSR):

A typical building of the Old Town:

A picture of the top end of a wall of an office building:

A typical street but this one has parking for something familiar to all of us:

Indolent Indians indulged in intoxication here:

Enjoyed every moment of the day spent in Riga.

Answer: Who uses this picture?

(For people who have not read my earlier quiz post, “Who uses this picture”:- I asked readers to guess the nature of business of a commercial organization that uses the picture on the left in the logo.)

“Why are you smiling?”My wife asked me as I read my emails on my IPad.

“I am proven wrong again”, I replied.

“You are always wrong. That is not new. But why are you happy about it?”

I was pleased because readers easily solved my quiz within hours of posting. I thought I posted a picture without any information and readers would scratch their heads for possible answers. But it turns out my readers are very perceptive, thoughtful, well read, and intelligent. They can break any puzzle. That makes me happy.

The picture is from a billboard of TRASTA KOMRCBANKA (a financial institution). Here is the link to the website of this institution.

At the time of wring this post, three readers guessed it correct:

1. Kalpana Misra as she commented, “I think that the image signifies abundance. To think in a really way out manner I'd say it’s an ad to encourage some kind of investments, promising good returns.”

2. Tanvi said, “okay I will say 'financial institution' for now!”

3. Rachna’s comment, “Really I have no clue. Looks like fruits coming out of a beret. Is it an investment bank that shows that your money will multiply?”

Reader left interesting remarks that included guesses like Perfumes, Hospitality, Wine, Shoes, Carpet, Furniture and Pharmaceutical. All comments are now published with the original post.

Thanks to each and every reader for trying and congratulations to Kalpana, Tanvi and Rachna.

Who uses this picture?

While admiring traditional buildings of a European city, I captured a picture of a billboard used to advertise a commercial organization. The picture below is cut-out the same and is part of company’s logo.

 

Few more tips:-

• It is a European company with branches in at least two countries.
• The company has a website.

Can you guess the business of this company? Lore tells fruits or food but what do you think? Let your thoughts go wild and I promise no effort is futile. The goal is not an exact answer with the name of the company. The idea of is to test out the imagination for the type of business and in turn compare with the actual business.  So try not use internet to find an answer.

(PS:- Per suggestions, I am turning on the Comment Moderation and will publish all comments and answer after 2 days. If you are not able to comment, please email me at arealblogger(at)google.com.
Following the answer, I will also publish a post on the city where I saw this billboard. )

Published the answer in a new post:- Answer Who uses this picture

Irene in North Carolina

Irene hit hard on North Carolina. Fortunately Raleigh/ Cary area, being around 200 miles west of ocean, was spared by wrath of nature. However Outer Banks, my favorite vacation spot, is impacted by the anger of nature. Hurricanes are not uncommon in Outer Banks area but nevertheless they incur financial loss, disrupt life and leave a lot of work to clean up the aftermath. My heart goes out for affected residents and their families. Locals are resilient, prepare well in advance and work hard to quickly clean up.

Like every year, in May 2011, we enjoyed a trip to Manteo and Kill Devil Hills, part of the Outer Banks, impacted by Irene. Manteo is a charming small town while Kill Devil Hills has magnificent beaches. I wish and hope for normalcy so that we continue to enjoy the sheer beauty of these towns. The pictures show the splendor of the area.

A picture of waters around Manteo:

Another picture of Manteo:

Beach at Kill Devil Hills

Another picture of the beach of Kill Devil Hills:

Related article:The Lost Colony: Outer Banks

Cool Copenhagen

(Post with six pictures so allow some time for page to load. A picture follows its description. Click on the picture to see an enlarged version)

Copenhagen, the capital and the largest city of Denmark is undoubtedly one of the coolest cities of the world. It is an environment friendly and often appears in the list of cities with the best quality of life in the world.

While taking pictures in Copenhagen, it is hard to decide what not to click. Despite capturing water view at Nyhaven, traditional European architectures, modern buildings, harbor, boats, water and the sight from the ship; pictures don’t justify the beauty of the city.

A hotel housed in a traditional European architecture:

The Royal Palace

The longest pedestrian shopping street Stroget. See the crowd on a Sunday even though not all shops open for business.

Does the following picture need an explanation?

See the modern architecture and water around the Opera House.

View from the harbor area in the evening. Notice the boats and houses close to water if you zoom.

Visit to Copenhagen was worth and enjoyed every moment of it, even watching the city from a distance.

What do you think about Copenhagen after seeing these pictures?

Where did I take this picture?

Can you guess where I took this picture?

Some clues:

• It is at the longest pedestrian shopping street of Europe.
• The street is in one of the most beautiful and environment friendly city.
• A large number of people bike to work in this city.

You can cheat and refer to Internet. Let us see who answers first.

Oslo

Oslo, the capital of a Scandinavian country Norway, does not sleep in summer. Locals and tourists enjoy outdoors with eighteen hours of daylight in summer months. Oslo is best described as forty islands with beautiful landscape, paved streets, statues, cafes, harbor, water front houses, and a lot of boats. Interestingly the Royal Palace, the Parliament, National Theater and the university are on the same street, the street (Karl Johans Gate) that has beautiful cafes.

In 2010, Digital Journal ranked Oslo the most expensive city in the world and it definitely is the priciest place I have ever visited. But look at the pictures and tell me if it was worth a visit.

Karl Johans Gate with the Royal Palace at the end of the street.

The Parliament

A statue near the City Hall, one of many

Per the tourist guide, every fourth person in Oslo (25%) owns a boat

A tiny island with just one building

PS:- I would like to thank my fellow blogger Saroj (The Panorama) for providing useful information about the city prior to my visit.

Update on July 22, 2011:- I am shocked and sadden to hear about Oslo explosions. When will this insanity end?

4th July Independence Day

While we prepare for the 4^th July, the US Independence Day fireworks and celebrations, here is my list of seven most interesting facts about the country:

1. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who signed the Declaration of Independence and served as the President, died on the same day: 4^th July 1826, 50^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Franklin Roosevelt is the only president who was elected and served for three full 4 years terms. Though elected, he died in the office before completing the fourth term. In 1951, the US government ratified the constitution to limit the President’s term to two.
3. Gerald Ford held positions of the Vice President and the President without being elected.
4. The Statue of Liberty, a key monument of the USA, was designed by a French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and is a gift from France.
5. The largest city of the USA is Juneau, Alaska. (Not NY or LA or Chicago).
6. London Bridge built over Thames River (London) in 1840s, was transplanted to Lake Havasu, Arizona.
7. A part of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes are enshrined at Lake Shrine near LA.

With great technological advancements, the USA has abundance of natural beauty too. Pictures tell a complete story.

A waterfall in the mountains of the North Carolina:

 

Epcot Theme Park, Disney World:

Kennedy Space Center:

Kennedy Space Center NASA:

Mountains of Northern California:

God bless America!!

Can you guess the best place to live in the USA?

The Lost Colony: Outer Banks

With a series of islands and beaches, Outer Banks North Carolina is probably the best spot for a relaxing vacation. Besides beaches, light houses, stroll in the islands, & Jockey’s Ridge, Outer Banks offers several other activities for kids and adults. Wright Brothers memorial & museum at Kitty Hawk is the site of first flight that led to design of modern era airplane and in turn made this world a global village.

Roanoke Island has an interesting history. Roanoke Island is the site of the first attempt by English to establish a colony in America but settlers returned to England. Two years later in 1587, English again tried to colonize Roanoke Island. However by the time, John White, the father of colonist Eleanor Dare, returned from England with fresh supplies, the settlers disappeared without a trace. White could not search the settlers and the fate of colony could not be established and hence termed ‘The Lost Colony’. Virginia Dare, the first English child was born in Roanoke. Like other settlers her fate also remains a mystery. Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina is named after Sir Walter Raleigh who organized and financed the efforts to colonize though he never visited America.

Based on these actual events, the Waterside Theater in Roanoke runs an outdoor play ‘The Lost Colony’ for one season in a year. It is been running since 1937. Excellent script, brilliant performances & beautiful authentic costumes are highlights of this approximately two hour long play. Pictures tell a better story.

The Waterside outdoor theater:

This does not need an explanation:

A scene from the play:

Authentic costumes of the queen too:

And of course actors playing native Americans:

Guess who are these people?

Let us see if you can guess who these people are and where I took this picture. Some hints. This place is popular for:

1. Relaxing vacation and beaches
2. Islands
3. Invention of a machine that made this world a small place
4. History

But then who are these people? What are they doing on this beach?

(Click on the image to see an enlarged version)

PS:- Yes. It is a picture of actors of a play. See details in my next post The Lost Colony : Outer Banks

Sincere efforts by Head of States: Ireland Dublin Castle

Head of State of two powerful nations visited Ireland recently.

On his visit to Ireland, President Obama made a sincere effort to meet his distant cousin in a small village. The US, Irish ties are already strong and the President did not have to spend time on this non business related event. But he did. It was a great gesture.

Last week Ireland also received Queen Elizabeth, the first visit of a British monarch since King George V’s visit in 1911. Troubled history of conflicts between the Great Britain and Ireland is not easy to forget. Though bomb threats and protests were reported prior to her arrival, Queen’s Elizabeth’s trip is considered a big success. Queen’s sincere efforts will build a new era of strong Anglo Irish relations. The key part of her visit was speech and state dinner in Dublin Castle.

Fortunately I had an opportunity to tour and take some pictures of this marvelous castle.

Looks opulent: Can you guess this place?

Picture captures expensive chandeliers, luxurious furniture, golden colored plating on the wall corners and of course beautiful carpets. Can you guess where did I take this picture? Here are a few hints:

1. This place is in a beautiful city with a river flowing through the center.
2. This English speaking country has been recently in the news for two important unrelated reasons.

Let us see who can guess first!

(Update:- At the time of this update, Lord Mani, Rama, Kavita and Harman have correctly identified the picture being part of Dublin Castle correctly. See my next post here.)