Monthly Archives: August 2009

Jobs and Occupations in highest demand in USA: 2006 to 2016

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Bureau of Labor Statistics: A summary of Tomorrow’s jobs

Making informed career decisions requires reliable information about opportunities in the future. Opportunities result from the relationships between the population, labor force, and the demand for goods and services. ~ US Bureau of Labor Statistics
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The unemployment rate in USA is almost 10% – the worst in decades. A large number of well qualified individuals are desperately looking for jobs. Finding a job that you really like, and getting it, can be a challenging process.

This article provides a long term view of the jobs and occupation that are, and going to be, in high demand in USA. The information and data is based on the study from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. A wide variety of occupations are forecast to be in high demand. Among all occupations, health-care is forecast to make up 7 of the 20 fastest growing occupations.

The first chart displays the jobs and occupations that are supposed to enjoy the highest rate of increase. The Top jobs with highest percent change in employment over the period of 2006-16, as shown in the chart, include:

  • Network systems and data communications analysts
  • Personal and home care aides
  • Home health aides
  • Computer software engineers, applications
  • Veterinary technologists and technicians
  • Personal financial advisers
  • Makeup artists, theatrical and performance
  • Medical assistants
  • Veterinarians
  • Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors
  • Skin care specialists
  • Financial analysts
  • and so on…..For more details, you may refer to the chart on the right.

According to this detailed study,  7 top health-care occupations are exhibiting high growth rates. Overall, the high growth rates comes from health care, social assistance, engineering, services and technical occupations. Continue reading →

The Bollywood Quiz: III

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love-aaj-kal-review
The other quizzes on this site can be found as linked below:
Bollywood Quiz 7 – Bollywood Playback Singers :A quiz on popular Bollywood playback singers.
Bollywood Quiz I: Know your Bollywood?:A Bollywood quiz about old movies of yesteryears!
The Quiz III below relates to Bollywood movies or stories from August 2009, (and originally published in August 2009):

Name the first film  produced by the "chota nawab" Saif ali khan?





Farhan Akhtar makes a comeback as an actor in  Luck By Chance directed by his sister..





Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan star together in this movie from Rakesh Omprakash Mehra..





This Bollywood film about experiences after 9/11 is directed by Kabir Khan:





In which movie does shahid kapoor play a double role?          





In "sankat city" who plays the lead actor role?





Director Nikhil Advani is back with Akshay Kumar staring in a lead role in this movie:







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Mom, where is my backpack!!!!

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sxc1030730_blackboard_in_the_classroom_4The life goes on; the time passes by. The days  turn into weeks,… into months..while we worry about meaningless and trivial stuff around us… The hot sun of summer is becoming distant by the day – coming out of the East later and later every morning and hiding behind the West horizon sooner and sooner every evening….

The summer is over; the summer break is over; the schools are back in session. Moms are crowding the shopping malls; the kids are busy picking out their favorite shoes, stylish dresses and fashion accessories… and oh, the school supplies too. A four year old complains while trying on the shoes with lightening and sparkling flash, “Mom, why do I need to go back to pre-school again, I am not a little kid anymore!”

The students – young and old – are updating their Facebook and MySpace pages with the newly received class schedules. They already know which friends will be in their classes; who will share their lunch breaks. Some have filled up their closets with the latest brand-name clothes with the latest trends. The texting speed on the phones is picking up as everybody exchanges which sports activity to join, or where to meet before the class…. Continue reading →

10 Tips on English pronunciation and accent improvement!

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Key tips on English pronunciation and accent improvement for people from India:

This post focuses on the specific difficulties that people from India encounter when speaking English, or during pronunciations of certain parts of English speech. For overall accent reduction and how to lose your accent, refer to the posts at the bottom of this article.

Based on common observations by everybody and feedback, here are some of the main problem areas, along with the tips to improve them:

1. The pronunciation of ‘Rs’, ‘Ts’, ‘Ds’ is not clear or hard to understand/distinguish:

‘T’ sounds almost like ‘D’: In some parts of American/Europe Pronunciation of ‘t’ is supposed to be less crisp. It should sounds more like a ‘d’ in many cases, especially between vowels. Katie is pronounced almost like KaDie, water like waDer.

‘R’ pronunciation: There are varying observations on the sound of ‘R’:

-Let the sound of R flow; don’t put too much stress on this sound especially in the middle or in the end of a word.

-Don’t totally chewing up the sound of ‘R’ in other cases. Practice the stress on this sound, and listen to how your American/English friends use it. In ‘Robert’, the stress is on first R; let the second ‘r’ flow, without any pronounced stress.

2. ‘Vs’ and ‘Ws’ sound: This is a common problem for many Asians and Europeans, so don’t take it personally. There is a clear difference between ‘w’ and ‘v’ sounds. Even though most of Indians understand the difference, the distinction is often not carried out in spoken English. Let us try this:

-For the sound of ‘v’, place lower lip gently on the upper teeth and say the word. Don’t press it hard, you should be able to exhale through, while making the sound. Most of us find this hardest to get used to.

-For ‘w’ sound, it’s a different than ‘v’, the lips are supposed to be rounded and puckered like when we say ‘u’, and with no contact between the teeth and tongue. Move your lips in the forward direction as you vocalize the sound.

-The key distinction between the w/v sound and the ‘B’ sound is the fact that the lips are closed when we start to vocalize ‘B’. Continue reading →

NRIs’ random ‘things-to-do’ for the day!

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NRIs’ random thoughts of the day :

Check the weather forecast
Have a cup of tea
Watch a ‘Bollywood’ movie
Update Facebook status
Check cricket score
Buy mangoes
Order carry-out food
Check out the special sales fliers
Garden the flowers and vegetables
Google search ‘NRI Marriages’
Shop for cheaper phone service to India
Buy Samosa and chaat to make ‘Curry Samosa’ :)
Check stock market
Download desi music
Update resume
Go to Indian store
Google search ‘how to lose your accent’
Plan a week-end party Continue reading →

Common myths and misconceptions about India!

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The misconceptions that American/foreigner may have about India and Indians!
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“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” ~Gandhi

Along with China, India’s global perception continues to improve. Today’s generation is very open-minded and has global outlook. However, while living abroad, we do get some out-of-the-blue questions about India every now and then. Here are some of the common misconceptions or myths about India:

1. Elephants in our backyards: This is one of the perceptions that elephants are everywhere in India, which is not the case. Actually, there are very few elephants to be seen, unless you venture into the remote area and jungles.

2. Everybody snake-charmer:  Again, snake charmer are not so common. The scene of a cobra dancing to the tune of a charmer is very rare; very few people make their living by putting on the snake shows.

3. The Indian Curry: Not every dish Indians eat is curry based. More and more Americans are trying and enjoying Indian food, but curry is invariably linked with India; nothing wrong with it. An Indian restaurant manager always has interesting anecdotes to share about his experiences with American customers, like this one:
“Can I have some curry samosa please” asked an American customer when the waiter came around to take order.
“How would you like it – spicy or mild” The waiter asked without reacting to the choice of entree.
“Medium”, he replied.
The waiter came back with 2 Samosas and the chutney/sauce to dip in.
I guess Indian sauce is also considered curry for some. :) Continue reading →

Shahrukh Khan is god; so is US Immigration Office: The lessons learned

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Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” ~ Mark Twain

This incident of SRK’s additional questioning and detentionis in Newark is still getting so much coverage in the news. Actually, this was the main topic of discussion during Independence Day celebration in USA.

Here are the lessons we learned from the whole thing:

USA Immigration and Customs Office is god:Yes, god, but still with a lower case ‘g’. Nobody worship them, but they don’t care. So lets not tangle with someone with this kind of attitude. We can admire them or hate them from a distance. When going through the customs,  if you are over-friendly or over-nervous, they will suspect something is wrong. ‘Suspicion’ is their middle name.

Shahrukh Khan is god: Many worship SRK, so no quarrel here. Problem starts when our Desi god collides with a foreign god, like an Immigration personnel in this case. While you can decide which one of the two would be villain (I think I know your answer :) ), you don’t have to. This is no epic battle of Mahabharata where good and evil are already defined; sometimes nobody wins in these battles of today. In this incident, I think both sides won, in their own words, of course. SRK got publicity for the the new movie and US Immigration officers showed that the law applies to everyone.

VIP Treatment not everywhere: VIP treatment in US is very limited. Actually people get upset when they see a VIP getting special treatment in a public place. Totally different culture, let us not fuss about this. Remember, most of immigration officers don’t know much about our big shot celebrities. Continue reading →

SRK, “My Name is Khan”…umm… too bad!

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Shahrukh Khan goes through additional questioning at USA Customs and Immigration

SRK and Kajol to star together in 'My Name is Khan'

SRK and Kajol to star together in ‘My Name is Khan’

Shahrukh Khan (SRK), the iconic Indian Movie Star and the king of Bollywood, was subject of additional inspection and questioning by the immigration officers at the Newark airport, New Jersey. He was en route to Chicago to attend an event related to Indian Independence day celebrations.

SRK claims that he was singled out due to his Muslim last name – Khan. He added that the immigration officer was not convinced with any of his explanation about the trip.

The US Immigration and Customs office denies that his last name had anything to do with the additional questioning; he was stopped due to missing baggage. As per the statement from the Customs, everything was done professionally and by the book. It is common for a customs officer to ask someone to step aside for additional inspection if they are not satisfied with the interview.

It is ironic that SRK was in USA earlier this year shooting a Hindi movie titled ‘ My name is Khan’. The film is about the experiences of a Muslim in America.

Another remote possibility is that it was all planned by SRK; a thought that I could not resist.Considering how good an actor he is, he may have staged the whole drama. This incident turned out to be a very good publicity for him and his upcoming movie. Everybody is now talking about ‘My Name is Khan’ all of a sudden, which will be released worldwide soon. Continue reading →

2020: Corruption free India!

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flag11_70There is no simple recipe to get rid of India’s corruption. The corruption and power abuse system is as old as the country itself. Corruption is part of India; it is a way life, fully integrated into the culture. We eat and breathe corruption.
Everyone knows that corruption is one of the biggest issues that India needs to tackle to progress and prosper. The government or the legal system cannot abolish corruption; a full public involvement needs to be on the forefront. If we dissect the cancerous disease of corruption, following are the starting points to tackle this beast:

1. A grass-root movement to change the culture: Everyone knows that corruption is a problem; we all complain about it. And yet, we are all a part of it. To make an impact, the public need to resist the culture of corruption. Just like there a non-violence campaign towards freedom, a no-corruption grass root movement is required.

2. A top-down system to regulate laws and discourage corruption: While public involvement is a must, the laws and regulations against corruption need to be in-place and in-practice. There has to be a more visible and more vocal message from the government to abolish systematic corruption in the government structure.

3. Empower middle class: As middle class grows and become more opulent, the average person becomes more effective in the society. If we can empower middle class, the rich and poor gap will start to diminish, a gap that is directly responsible for resources imbalance and corruption.

4. Address the poverty: Poverty is a disease, just like corruption. A poor person is at the mercy of the system and is willing to do anything out of desperation. We are willing to embrace corruption out of desperation, to survive. If we can help the poor to stand up at his own feet, we are helping the society to minimize corruption.

5. New blood in the political system and legal system: The old netaji of yesteryears are too rigid and too hard to change. Corruption has become a synonym of politics. We need new generation to be more active in politics. The new youth with new ways of thinking can certainly help to change the age-old political system where corruption is a part of the power.

6. Enforce the penalties and punishment: While the laws exist against bribery and corruption, they are not being enforced proactively. The bribery itself is coming in the way of the laws against bribery! There should be more strict approach about persecution of corrupt system. The fear of law can certainly help discourage the offenders.

7. Encourage and reward whistle-blowing: A reward system and protection for the whistleblowers has to be in place if we really want to make a difference. An average person is scared to report corruption because of possible retaliation. There has to be a security blanket to encourage whistle-blowing against corruption.

8. Privatize the corrupt departments: The government departments or branches that are prone to corruption should be considered for privatization. Such revolutionary steps are required to bring a revolutionary change.

9. A social movement is required: This goes back to the grass-root effort mentioned above. We as a society need to come together against corruption. Discourage your brother or your husband from corruption. We are all human beings and we all love India – some more, some less. If we really want India to prosper and our kids to grow in a corruption free society, we need to make personal sacrifices and help minimize corruption.

10. Measure the progress every year: There should be routine checks and tests to see how we are standing up against the old system; are we making any improvement year after year?

Corruption is us; we are a part of corruption. To abolish this disease, we need to rise against our own old culture where corruption is tolerated. It will not and it cannot go away overnight. It needs you and me to say NO to corruption in our daily life, in our daily living. If we make a conscious effort every day, day-after day; we can make a measurable impact on daily basis. It is not hard to fathom, it is not hard to dream that by the year 2020 we may have a system driven by the values and virtues, not by corruption.

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NRI Tips: Commonsense guide for NRI marriages

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NRI marriages tips – Don’t get carried away with overseas marriages

“Now very often events are set up for photographers… The weddings are orchestrated about the photographers taking the picture, because if it hasn’t been photographed it doesn’t really exist.”~Elliott Erwitt

The main reason for so many problems with overseas marriages is that couples and the families are taking too much for granted – before and after the marriage. Here are some of the commonsense tips for marriages abroad:

Don’t rely on online services for matchmaking: While an online site could be a good place to see what people are looking or what is out there, don’t put you full faith into these online services. Take the profile info with a grain of salt; people tend to lie, it is a fact. Even if you initiate a contact online, make sure to do your own investigation and ask the right questions.

Do not marry to the NRI status: As I stated before in the problems with NRI marriages article, many of the families go for a wedding blindly just to marry to an NRI living overseas. The more important requirements of mutual compatibility are often overlooked. And, that’s where the problem really starts. Don’t marry to the NRI status, but to the person of YOUR choice.

Meet your future partners – in person, and for longer than over a cup of tea: The arranged marriages of 1950’s are so long gone. Get to know the other side as much as possible, at least until you feel comfortable with making your decision – one way or another. Continue reading →

The growing problems with NRI Marriages: A wake-up call!

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NRI Marriages gone bad: the issues with the NRI Weddings

“My daughter, who is an attractive girl, has done masters in English and now she is working in a bank with salary____. She is a lovable, cute and calm girl.she has great respect of our tradition and culture. Interested persons can contact us at____ Must be a Non Resident Indian (NRI) with legal and valid residence in US or Canada….”

“She has a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and is just finishing masters in Computer Science; very outgoing, friendly and caring person. She likes making friends and gets along with people easily. Looking for an NRI living in …..”

There is something fundamentally wrong with these matrimonial advertisements all over the Internet and on-line marriage portals. Many of these ads are nothing more than fishing for NRIs living overseas. As you can see for yourself, the primary qualities for match-making are often overlooked. What happened to the need for decent human qualities; may be a search for compatibility, honesty or other values? These advertisements don’t seem like for a wedding but more like a business proposition: would you take our pretty/handsome daughter/son for a green card? The greed is written all over these NRI matrimonials.

Similarly, on the other hand, you can also find plenty of ads starting with ” Looking for a suitable match for a well settled NRI overseas…..” or something like that. Being an “NRI abroad” is the main quality being touted again and again. I guess, as long as people are willing to be exploited, there will be exploiters.

More and more problems are emerging with these NRI marriages. The problem is not just opportunistic NRIs, but also those who put their trust in someone whom they have barely met. The personal gains take priority over any consideration for the long term well-being of the bride/groom. We can blame the NRIs for failed wedding, but the fault lies with both sides. Actually, the blame lies more on those who get married to someone just because he/she is an NRI.
If you are lucky, you may find a decent match; Yes, there are lots of success stories. However, it is too much to be left on luck alone; waging everything on blind trust and chances alone is no wisdom.

There is no wonder why the NRI weddings are getting increasingly negative press. Everywhere in the news and media, there are too many sad stories of NRI marriages gone bad everyday: Continue reading →

LIFE IN CHINA…..A new place..A new culture!

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This is a guest post from d. mirpuri– an Indian in China , sharing experiences and thoughts about living in China .

China is much like India . This is the place where you’ll see fields still being plowed by an oxen while the farmer chats away on his mobile as he works – just talk when u walk baby!

Executives dressed in fake Chinese made Armani suits and Louis Vuitton bags dash between high-powered business meetings.Yet, they always spend their Chinese new year with LAI-LAI (grandma) at her village home where she keeps poultry, grows plum (Indian bear) trees, has freshly ground chilies (they don’t use much masalas), and cooks spicy tofu-chicken (mapu-tofu) in her kitchen wok over an open fire. The youngsters play basket ball, the oldies practice thai chii (exercise) in the wee hours of the morning or soon after dusk.They can be found in any garden. Non Chinese are always welcome to join them.

In China , you can see bullet trains passing by the donkey drawn carts; skyscrapers towering over old Buddhist temples. It is here that you will see that the poor have nearly next to nothing, and the rich have all. With its booming economy, life in China can be both richly rewarding and incredibly frustrating. Continue reading →

The growing trends of love-marriages in India!

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What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. ~ Leo Tolstoy

The love-marriage in India goes beyond the age-old love stories portrayed in the black-and-white Bollywood movies. Some of the earliest scriptures (Rig Veda), books (KamaSutra) and stories prove the fact that the love-marriage has never been a foreign concept for India.
However, these love flings are have been discouraged in the Indian society due to many reasons:

  • Very protective style of parenting- especially for girls,
  • Social stigma against pre-marital relations
  • Love affair are  always looked down by the elders.
  • Cast restrictions and wedding rules don’t go well with love marriages

However, the things have been changing for a while now. The society is becoming more and more tolerant with time. The love marriage is no longer a taboo in Indian society, especially among younger generation. The pre-marital relations are growing into a fashion in big cities, perhaps a statement of progressive thinking.
In fact, the semi-arranged marriages have been evolving more and more into love marriages. While the families try their best to stick with traditional wedding, including controlling the bride/groom selection, the new crop is quickly walking towards the western style of relations.
The semi arranged and love marriages have become a part of Indian culture and customs, just like arranged marriages were in old day. The society as a whole has come a long way to accept the natural evolution. Many social factors have facilitated the acceptance of love marriage very quickly, including:

  • Independent thinking and open-mindedness among today’s youth,
  • The exposure to western culture,
  • Hollywood movies’ wide-spread influence in India
  • Desi flicks from Bollywood that always have tumultuous romance stories with happy endings,
  • More and more acceptance of inter-class weddings by the older generation,
  • Modernization of India in the last two decades…

Regardless if it is an arranged marriage or love-marriage, the accompanied traditions and matrimonial ceremonies have not changed. The pundits still have their jobs, the celebrations are bigger than ever and you can even hire a Bollywood star to dance at your extravagant wedding for the right price.
Unfortunately, the freedom of marriage and partner selection also brings freedom of un-selecting. Divorce, the word itself considered ominous in India at one time, is quickly becoming a part of the Indian society. More and more couples are failing to make adjustments and compromises – a key requirement for any marriage.
And, in case of unhappy ending, there is no money back guarantee from the pundits, the singers or the expensive Bollywood dancers hired for the wedding.



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Hire a Bollywood star for your party: Aaja NachLe!

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Who would you hire from Bollywood for your wedding party?

Madhuri and Aishvarya in film Devdas

Madhuri and Aishvarya in film Devdas

Have money?… Looking for the knockout punch at your party?….
Well, look towards Bollywood.
Everything has a price, they say. For the right price, you can get almost anything.
So, what is the price for the Baadshah of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan to dance at your party? How about Rs 3 Crores to start with. Shahrukh Khan agreed to put up a show at the wedding of real estate giant Kanti Govani’s nephew for this large sum of money.

Who would you hire for your party?

From yesterday’s stars the stand-outs are:

  • Amitabh Bachhan:- I won’t mind watching him perform to the tune of ‘Pag Ghungroo bandh Meera Naachi thi..’ from Namak Halaal.
  • Helen: The queen of dance numbers..’Mehbooba Mehbooba…’ from Sholay is a heartthrob  of many!
  • Hema Malini: The ‘dream girl’, a trained classical dancer….

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The semi-arranged Marriages!

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 The semi-arranged Marriages in India

She first met him in the English class in 1994. Not sure what it was, but there was something about him that made her skip a heartbeat. May be it was that young foolish age of daydreaming, but she unconsciously started to include him into her dreams……
Eventually, they became friends, good friends. No family members knew about him except her nosy aunt. Luckily for her, the aunt loved to be a matchmaker, and she took it from there on….
The families from both sides were very pleased with the aunt for ‘finding’ them a great match….The rest is history.. This is the semi-arranged marriage…

The change is a part of the slow but ever-progressing ways of life. Based on the demands of the time, the culture and customs evolve; the traditions change. Similarly with time, the marriage concept has become much more relaxed and less rigid. The new way of life and modern thinking have naturally affected the way marriages are initiated. There is more transparency between the families and the potential couples; the restrictions of old days are fading – slowly but steadily. Continue reading →