A Short Formula of India

India = Silicon Valley + Africa

Anonymous

I don't remember where I got this.

The Indian Army Reborn

During the long period of the British Raj, both before and after the Sepoy Rebellion, officers developed a very intimate knowledge and relationship to the subcontinent. They learned obscure languages, they conducted historical researches, they learned the ground. That was the Indian Army that Kipling knew, where many officers had as deep a textural relationship with the Bhagavad Gita as they did with the Aeneid.

That was then, in the new Kiplingesque wars of central Asia officers and noncoms need the same relationship with the ground, locals, anthropology that Kipling's officers would recognize and admire. Here is an article in Harper's that could have been published a century ago about some expedition to Kabul except for the references to computers. satellites and AFVs.

Jungle ATM

Here is an ad of a Japanese tourist using an ATM that seems to be made out of Flintstone technology.

Hair Styling by Gum

Having little or no experience with hair saloons or barbers this seems quite reasonable. I expect that usually gum and hair don't go well together.

Is the Taj Mahal not Mo

On a website of a Hindu convert Steven Knapp, there is a long discusion about the provence of the Taj Mahal. The tradional view, see wikipedia, is that Taj Mahal was built by a Mugal Emperor. There is also proof that the Moguls as the invading Muslims, merely reworked an existing Hindu/Vedic temple/place complex during their occupation of india. A PJ Oak has written a book, Taj Mahal the True Story, arguing this point. More argruements to this theory, with pictures, is presented at Steve Knapp's website.