A Labor Day Barbecue with Heavenly Accompaniment

It is the Labor Day weekend. Hurricane Hermine, as it churns up the Atlantic coast, is promising to put a big damper on the festivities. But, how can I resist the charms of a Labor Day barbecue? So I tune into the weather channel and its incessant, up to the hour updates from a reporter standing on a beach holding a microphone in one hand. It is hard to hear above the howling winds. A roiling ocean with crashing waves is in the background. A stray thought crosses my mind: Why do premier TV channels put their reporters in harm’s way. For ratings? But I digress.

I lift a moist finger testing the winds. I observe the clouds and their speed and direction, put on a thoughtful face and try and predict what it would be like two days from now, on Labor Day (September 5). Too risky for an outdoor barbecue, I conclude. But, why not have a barbecue today, September 3? There is no law against it and the weather is positively balmy.

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Six lessons learned during an unexpected flight delay and how to cope: The Delta power outage on August 8

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Be prepared, be practical, and be positive.

In the wee hours of the morning on August 8, a fire in the Atlanta headquarters of Delta Airlines led to a power outage and caused a global meltdown of their computer systems. This caused delays and cancellations of more than 2000 flights over the next two days. It also disrupted scheduling and turnover of flight crews, issuing of boarding passes and baggage handling. How a simple power outage could lead to global shut down of an international airline like Delta is a separate discussion: generators and backup systems are meant to avoid just such a scenario.

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Intrigue in the Arabian Sea: Gwadar, Chabahar, and the associated Realpolitik

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We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors: Sun Tzu, The Art of War

A little history

Chabahar and Gwadar are two ports separated by just 72 kilometers, but worlds away in terms of geo-strategy. But let us go back a few decades when India and Pakistan won independence from Great Britain. In the immediate aftermath, Pakistan grabbed a large slice of western Kashmir from India. Three wars were fought between these two countries where India got the upper hand including the liberation of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. This left a deep distrust and a desire for revenge in the Pakistani psyche. In 1962, India and China went to war over disputed borders in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. China got the upper hand.

The Old Order Changeth

From the 90s, improved economic policies and the desire to do better saw an explosion in the economies and living standards of the citizens of China and India. And with an improved economy and living standards, came the desire for more, hence the need to look for more resources, including energy resources (read oil), raw materials and safe shipping lanes to get these resources to the homeland.

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My Nepal Trip (Part 3): In Crocodile infested Waters

Among crocodiles and gharials

After the spectacular elephant safari (last post) where we saw a one-horned Indian rhinoceros, we went on a dugout canoe trip on the Rapti and a walk in the jungle. The dugout is hollowed from a single long tree trunk and can hold around 15 people. It is narrow and quite shallow, we had to squat single-file at the bottom of the canoe. The tour guide instructed us to sit still and not make any sudden movement because that might capsize the canoe. As we glided down the Rapti, he pointed to the banks. There were large gharials and mugger crocodiles quietly sunning themselves. I quickly withdrew my hand I was trailing in the water. I fancied a crocodile eyeing me for lunch through half closed eyes.

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My Nepal Trip (Part 2): Riding an Elephant and tracking a Rhinoceros

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After Pokhara, we were on our way to Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal and I was looking forward to seeing the wildlife and getting some good photos. But the picture of Annapurna at dawn was still haunting me, I was indeed fortunate. The day was clear and I kept turning my head around to see the Annapurna massif slowly receding into the distance. I felt a twinge of regret.

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