1. The thunderclouds of the afternoon gave way to some lovely blue skies in the early evening over New York City. I decided to walk up and down the waterfront for a couple of hours to make up for my binging on Doritos. The waterfront was sprinkled with people – walking their dogs, pushing their prams, running or simply whiling away time. The crowd however was much less than what I am normally accustomed to seeing on the waterfront. Where were the rest? Probably huddled over Facebook, throwing e-cakes at friends and gifting virtual puppies to people they loved. The evenings come free and so does the balmy breeze, the gulls, sound of the Hudson and the warm sun. Social networking is far better done outdoors.
2. Fear is in the genes. It builds, it grows and it cripples. Pigeons in the West have seldom been hunted in the cities so they are fearless of people. Their genes carry this message and it is impossible to actually see a scared pigeon in say New York City. Contrast this with the same birds in India for who a day passed is a day survived from captivity (and perhaps even death). Same thing with the people in India. Our forefathers had never had to conquer the Wild West. Risk adverseness and economic adventurism is absent in our chromosomes. That fear of the unpredictable is passed through the generations. A couple of Lemmings are running against the tide but the vast majority keeps the genetic codes intact.

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