We Need Ice, But Do We Need ICE?

If you ask Indians on the street how they feel about ice, you will probably get puzzled looks that say, “What kind of an idiotic question is that?” Those who bother answering the question may say something like this: “Of course, I love ice. Who doesn’t love ice in this burning heat? If you want […]

There’s Nothing Like a Good Protest

The tweet was liked and retweeted thousands of times. No one remembered who the original tweeter was, but they understood the importance of the message: “We’re protesting outside the White House this Saturday. Bring your signs and loud voices!” Melissa Diamond, a 30-year-old mother of three, showed the tweet to her husband. “Wanna go?” Mike […]

Memo to Staff: Please Get Some Work Done

To: All staff From: Company president Subject: Low productivity It has come to my attention that productivity has dropped drastically since Thursday, June 14th. I’m not sure what’s going on, but please be assured that I’m monitoring the situation closely and will suspend or terminate employees who aren’t pulling their own weight. For the company […]

Striving to be a Perfect Father

On Father’s Day, millions of men around the world receive gifts from their children, all manner of gifts: pens, ties, shirts, tickets and tools. Some of these gifts, such as T-shirts and mugs, display tributes such as “World’s Greatest Dad,” “Super Dad,” and “Dad of the Year.” I was very proud, a few years ago, […]

If Retirement Isn’t For You, Retire From It

Many people, especially those in their late 50s or older, count down the days until retirement. It’s their reward for several decades of hard work, an opportunity to do whatever they want – sleep all morning, watch reruns of “Law & Order,” take a nice hot bath every other month. Having no boss is like […]

Help! We’ve Got Teenagers in the House!

About a decade ago, when my three children were all under 5, taking care of them seemed to be a constant challenge. We had to change diapers, survive countless tantrums, and struggle at the dining table to get them to eat anything healthful. When we complained to other parents, they expressed their sympathy with these […]

Too Many Possessions That We Don’t Need

My wife and I recently moved from one house to another. The two houses are three miles apart within the same college town, but it was nevertheless a stressful move. That’s because we’ve accumulated too many possessions in our 17 years of marriage. Only three of our possessions are priceless, and moving them was fairly […]

Dogs Day Out In Delhi

There are many ways to transport dogs, but few as unusual as a Delhi man’s routine of taking his three dogs on his scooter with him. A Facebook user shared a video of the man and it quickly went viral, getting more than 300,000 views, 2,500 shares and 1,000 smiley faces. The video shows a […]

If your Facebook friends aren’t inspiring you, you need to try mine

My three children have grown up in the Internet age and don’t remember what life was like before Facebook, Twitter and other social media were around. I remember it well. I remember the days when I didn’t have to compare myself to all the people on Facebook who have achieved so much in their lives. […]

Don’t Count Your Oscars Before They’re Secured

If you happened to watch the Academy Awards or “Oscars” this year, you were probably left shaking your head, wondering how something simple could be messed up so badly. But enough about Priyanka Chopra’s dress. What really got screwed up was the final award of the night – the Oscar for Best Picture. It was […]