Mira Veda

Recently, I attended the World Affairs Council annual conference held at the St. Regis in San Francisco. The notable keynote speakers for the event were CNN host Fareed Zakaria and Robert Reich, chancellor professor at University of California, Berkeley. Both Zakaria and Reich were tossed into a sold out, over...

Writers Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle from NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, co-wrote, starred in and produced an impressive short comedy film about the gentrification of New York city and ironically titled it All Access. Access being the thing that displaced lower income families often do not...

Nearing a month into the devastation of flood-stricken Pakistan where nearly 20 million have been displaced from their homes and risk of water born disease is causing emergency situations, I am surprised at the lack of coverage by American media. It's obvious the response from the West has been slow...

It was surreal moment to watch video of Quincy Jones and Lionel Ritchie produce the current Who's Who of the Music Industry and remake "We Are the World". I knew Quincy was planning the remake of the song -- he had mentioned it in passing as we crossed paths at...

As I logged on to Facebook today I was met with a series of questions that default into settings that would share my information over the web. Information I had previously chosen to keep private. If I had not read the pop up window more carefully, it may have shared...

The droves of Christmas shoppers scurrying through the stores at holiday time are a interesting sight to see -- entire families packed into their Audi wagons head to the city where shopping is supreme. It almost reminds me of the cartoon The Jetsons, where well dressed, high-brow people often become...

Amidst the ritual and protocol of President's Obama's first White House dinner, the theme could not have been more clear: cooperation and shared responsibility. The star studded gala affair did much more than just offer an unbelievable soiree; it tackled one central challenge of the 21st century: global cooperation. The...

It's no major surprise that Gavin Newsom, current mayor of San Francisco abruptly abandoned the race for California Governor. There are so many things were standing in his way, including himself. The race was destined to be an uphill battle. Newsom had such weak poll numbers; there is no way...

Watching Obama light a Diya ( ceremonial lamps), while traditional priest Pandit Narayanacharya Digalakote chanted mantras incited thought of a wonderful quote by Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul. The quotes goes, "Where ritual regulates the will and so much of behavior is ceremonial, all gestures are important." Naipaul, was...

Time and time again, we've been witnesses to the ultimate stupidity of celebrity fame. Some celebrities believe their own hype, constant PR and marketing. Amplification of their personalities through the constant media barrage does lead to corrosive and corrupt behavior, often giving those in the public eye a license to...

Sarah Palin's constantly ludicrous behavior bears a close resemblance to the behavior of broken-down pop star Britney Spears. Having said that, I know you see the similarity. The idiocy of scaremongering in her politics through deliberate baseless uneducated comments is like the antics of a drugged-up, half-conscious, washed-up pop star....

It's not hard to understand why the death of international icon Michael Jackson is such a significant event. Michael had a massive generational impact globally. His public personality and reach was bigger than life. His music managed to reach the tiniest of villages in the most remote and impoverished parts...

Music doesn't pay, especially in China, where Baidu.com is offering free unlicensed music downloads. Robin Li, Baidu's co-founder and chief executive, seems to understand the value of keeping his sizable traffic well-fed with free downloads. The Wall Street Journal reports that 90% of China's Web users, which is estimated to...

As Google launches "interest -based" ads, huge privacy issues are in question. I already knew that Google fished your emails, your calendar and your documents to target ads to you if you choose to use their "free" service, but now we've got a whole new game. Now, Google can collect...

Obama's big day before the DAY he is president of the United States of America is here.

Today is the last day he will be known as President-elect Obama. The last day his hands will grip his blackberry wondering how he going to live without it. The last day he...

It's taken me a little while to digest the fact that we have a whole new type of president taking power on the 20th of January. He is tall, impeccably poised, somewhat like a Rilkean angel, towering over the desperation of the Country with an original and overpowering presence. His...

The ruthless terrorist attacks aimed at high profile luxury establishments in Mumbai were specifically orchestrated towards Britons and Americans to get premium media coverage. The destruction of the attacks is said to be unprecedented in scope and terror. Its Mumbai's 9-11--only to the power of 10. Taking a page right...

The extraordinary long drawn out debates and speeches are now starting to sound like sly perspectives drenched in nefarious bullshit. I don't hear the message any more. The messenger has now taken over so abruptly that I guess the medium is now the message.

And if I am going to...

Racism is not a black and white issue. I know it's been branded well to exclude the colorful fricassee of all other races that endure inexcusable racial abuse, the shame and the humiliation within this nation. It's almost too easy to forget how many other races were exploited in the...

The 50th annual Grammys, music's biggest night, was overflowing with an undeniable fervor. The ardor was due to a diversity many of us have rarely experienced from such large-scale shows like the Grammys. It was a mix of the classic and the contemporary and believe it or not, the classic...