naahh...when they're 21 most women are still awkward and haven't really discovered themselves..its only when they get to their mid to late 20's that they really blossom...American women are an exception unless they manage to avoid growing to size 10 and above

In spite of the large number of immigrants in America, society here is far from the melting pot it is made out to be...the only place I've seen interaction between whites and non-whites on a normal basis is within universities whites are taught to preserve their "purity" and the enforced politeness and sensitivity training white kids receive at home make them see non-whites as nothing more than objects that can add more ethnic variance to their lives. This is something you will not see in continental Europe..there a non-white is more likely to face abuse on account of his skin colour as europeans dont believe in being PC and at the same time definitely more likely to be accepted into a social setting without prejudice.

I agree with -R ...I walked into a bar with a swede I was dating back then and the stares of the people really made me uncomfortable..whether it was because we were a mixed couple or because I am brown...then I've heard endless stories of white cops harassing non-whites..austin does have a vibrant nightlife ..but you have to be part of the in crowd to enjoy it..comparable to pure as ivory soap Cincinnati but with more options.

personally I'm thinking of moving to Boston or New York...anything I need to watch out for apart from the high cost of living ?..I hope I'm not intruding on your space razib..

d00d !!!!

Thrasymachus,
A lot depends on what sort of government comes into power in Iraq post-Saddam..if the US tries to do what it did in Chile with the sole intention of monetary gains, then hatred for the US is only bound to increase.
While I dont believe one word of the reasons given for invading Iraq, getting rid of Saddam and his sons is a blessing for Iraqis. ..akin to the jewish liberation form Hitler.
Will America control Iraqi oil ?..of course..but then the Iraqis have the option of electing a government that does not support american oil companies..whether or not that requires a revolution on the lines of the overthrow of the Shah of Iran is a different matter.
Will the world hate Americans more ? ..they do with every passing day..and its not Bush's bungling that is to blame..as long as Americans keep believing everything they see on CNN and not bother to learn about the world outside, the more likely they are to support American foreign policy...was Saddam a threat to the the US ?..no more than a rogue organization like Al Qaeeda..his missiles could reach Libya..but America ?..not unless North Korea/China transfers technology to them ...would Saddam work with Bin Laden ?..their ideologies are so different that its highly unlikely in spite of their common hatred of the US..

I'd quote the same reasons for not dating brown women..not being religious turns a lot of them away from me and I have a thing for tall women 5'6"+ which most south asian women are not..having said that a midwestern conservative town like cincinnati does not make things easy..not sure how Imbler treats its unwashed masses though ???

my ring finger is slightly longer than my index finger..but on my right hand....there is a difference of more than 1cm

How about that lennon(?) song 'All we are saying..is give peace a chance'

I dont think its fair to compare the Turks and Hindutva militants..the former is secular and the latter is not..the only common thread between them is that both are anti-islamic fundamentalism in their regions.. as for the EU..I havent really understood why they would want the turkish rulers to ease their stranglehold on the country if they fear 30-40 million believers infesting their cities. They have cited the poor turkish human rights record as an impediment to turkey joining the EU.

I'd agree with you on your second observation however its not to maintain a pure christian society but to keep out what islam is generally perceived to bring with it. they dont have the same fixation with religion as America

I'd distinguish between the VHP and the BJP (Narendra Modi notwithstanding)...the BJP used the VHP to win elections but as a ruling party which functions at the international level it knows it cannot go extreme..the VHP on the other hand has some warped idea of hindutva as its agenda. ....going back to your original post..we might need these two "allies" but once goals are achieved you can let the turks remain but someone will need to dismantle and destroy the VHP once their short-term utility is exhausted.

she does have a very cute face

as an immigrant in America on occassion the "where are you from" question has been posed to me..though as the proportion of my tribe increases that question should become less frequent.. I would not totally rule out the possibility of blending-in in the bigger cities of western europe. I've experienced more diversity in cities like Paris, Frankfurt, Goteborg than in most cities in America..people do not care much for a north african/white couple as they would in america ..and if you move into scandinavia the colour line is almost non-existant.. England is a different story unfortunately.. The difference between America and Europe is that in America you are required to become an American to be accepted..in europe you can be who you are.

is there a Mumbai ..oopps Bombay blogger ?

A lot of black men manage to date outside their race because of their physical attributes..women always find a hard body attractive..men on the other hand prefer delicate toned females that most black women are not..Also a lot of black females are labelled traitors if they betray their brothers.

I dont believe south asians are incapable of being leaders and there are atleast a lot of Indians who are in top managerial positions in the US..CEO of United Airlines, didnt Vinod Dham head the team that designed the pentium chip, a few senators ... all this in spite of an obvious color barrier.. not to blame racism or anything but people will use any means necessary to keep someone else from rising above them...a temporary use of racism included..

razib, I thought you were from Pakistan but now I veer towards bangladesh since I remember reading you spoke bengali ..?????

Razib,

I cannot think of another reason to explain why we do not see as many BF/WM couples as WF/BM couples.. why wont black women prefer a man who earns more (on average) and is less likely to end up in prison ? I'd have to say because she is taught not to do so.. ..also when dating across races wmoen tend to go for the physically endowed type..asian women dating whites, white women dating blacks.. As for white women being free to date blacks..only the independent white woman is free to do that. and independent black women are also free to date outside their race..a smaller % of black women are independent as compared to white women...that could be another reason. A sizzling 38 yr old co-worker of mine who's now dating a black guy told me that black men are more direct. In today's PC environment where anything can be construed as sexual harrassment black men tend to be less concerned than white men. Controlled aggression is always a turn on for women. I meant delicate, toned ..the petite kind ..which the average black woman is not..

she divorced her white husband about 2 years ago and has a 10 yr old daughter...is that significant ? I'd say she's single by choice...she has her own house, drives a nice car, ..she can cherry pick her partners which she does

I'm an Indian and I dated two Swedes and was in a steady relationship with one of them for over a year. That was the only time I was attracted to a blonde..I would agree with the person who wrote that Indians prefer dark-haired white women..I find American blondes an attractive package on the whole but their skin leaves a lot to be desired when you look at them up close..I dont know if there is a relation between dark hair and good complexion ..but then dark haired asians have wonderful skin.. As for arranged marriages,while its common to have friends set you up on dates in the west, in asia that task is left to parents ...of course traditional Asian cultures do not allow men to develop social skills to approach women and that helps to keep the tradition of arranged marriages going.

perhaps women will now have multiple partners to choose from...

I thought I'd mention Garcelle Beauvais, Tyra Banks and the prettiest African American woman of them all...Vanessa Williams..not sure how many of these are bi-racial though while on the subject of lighter skin ..a lot of african american women prefer lighter skinned males as well...and white women like men with a tanned look..maybe one day we'll all be an ideal universal color... somewhere between white and black...