A shocker from Rajasthan

Forget Madras' culture policing. Rajasthan's guidelines to tourist takes us back a few hundred centuries. Don't trust me? Take a peek:

• Men should never touch women in public, even to help a woman out of a car, unless the lady is very elderly or infirm
• In Indian culture... men socialise with men, and women with women
• Married couples in Asia do not hug, hold hands or kiss in public. Even embracing at airports and train stations is considered out of the question
• Generally it is improper for women to speak with strangers on the street and especially to strike up a casual conversation
• Drinking alcohol or smoking in public, no matter how innocent, are interpreted as a sign of moral laxity and are not acceptable.

Bose suspension

Thanks to Amar Bose, you'll have a smoother ride over potholes. His suspension design would be a dream come true for Indian drivers, but like his speakers, the suspension system's going to the high-end car buyers. The add-on cost of the extra smooth ride for your Car - $5000.

Indians and Fair skin

Time Magazine examines "How Indians came to view fair skin as an ideal--and a business opportunity"

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World

Albert Brooks' Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World; India and Pakistan, to be more precise. Rediff has a great introduction to the film.

Melinda and Melinda

With Hollywood Ending, Woody Allen let us into a filmmaking style, even while satirizing it (what if a Director turns blind and doesn't wish to stop shooting!); In Melinda & Melinda he takes us a little closer to his thought process while narrating a story. Two people discuss how a single incident ("A bunch of friends are having a jolly Dinner and a woman walks into them..." scenario) can be narrated either as a Comedy or a Drama. Both have similar storylines, but how the characters respond and how they feel about it are presented in opposite moods.

Two set of Actors (except Melinda) for the two alternative lines lets you focus on how the storyline unfold. A truly Woody Allen (for once, you he doesn't feature in his film) classic made possible by Will Ferrell and Radha Mitchell.