@rgumental @dvisor

Immigration Officer : What is Your Name ? Boy Doesn't answer. Officer : C'mon son.. What is your Name ? Boy Doesn't answer. Translating Officer : Tuo Nome ? ( Italian ) No answer.. Officer looks at the card.. Translating Officer :  Vito Andolini from Corleone Immigration Officer :  Corleone.. Vito Corleone Godfather Part - II,  backdrop . - A young boy, Vito , from Corleone arrives as an immigrant at Ellis Island, New York..  To countless immigrants in the earlier part of 20th century, Ellis Island was the gateway to a land of opportunities. It was an age where people immigrated to the United States through this place. While Statue of Liberty was the symbol of hope for an immigrant, Ellis island was the ultimate test.  Immigrants got screened here for a variety of diseases, went through multiple rounds of paperworks and went into the place where capitalism cut its teeth - Manhattan. Over the last few years, one profession that I've started to admir...

"Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin" -- John Green Amsterdam has quite a few of the things that many parts of the world consider immoral or illegal. But the beauty of this is that,  if you go through the crime statistics you tend to realize that the Dutch have found a way of alternative Governance suited for them. As Rick Steves puts in one of this travel videos (The Value of Travel - A gem of a ted talk that you should watch )  , it is a different way of addressing a common problem. Indeed in Amsterdam, you run a higher risk of being knocked down by a cyclist than being a victim to a crime.  Apparently, about 15000 cycles are retrieved every year from Amsterdam's canals The 12th century dam on Amstel river that gave rise to this teeming metropolis of modern world is a treat for tourists. It has evolved from a trading outpost to one of the most liberal cities in the worl...

To feel the conflict that Europe is going through, you need to visit Brussels ( Bruxelles ) .. Armed military Police in practically every sensitive location, visitors always mindful about their surroundings even while munching the delicious waffles. Refugees begging in some street corners, yet the humanity helping them - food coupons being distributed in many places, many of them getting employed in local shops. In restaurants, you could hear a plethora of languages - Flemish, French, German, English and much more. Being the head-quarters of European Union and a multitude of other International organisations, one of the places that a visitor should not miss in Brussels is the European Union HQ building and the associated museum explaining the European history. A continent ravaged by wars from the times of Crusades to the World Wars and cold war moving into a concept of economic & political union permitting free movement of people and ideas.  The humanist ideals are deep...

In the by-lanes of Prague , next to Charles Bridge is this wonderful relic of cold war - John Lennon wall .   Originally the paintings started appearing following the assassination of John Lennon, known for his liberal views & love for humanity. Gradually, this morphed into a rallying point for opposing the oppressive communist regime. Painted in white by authorities many times, the caricatures on this wall, which includes Beatles lyrics & many other humanity oriented phrases is now like a magnet that pulls travelers in Prague. John Lennon Wall - Prague I wish Trump begins constructing this wall. Few years later, caricatures will begin to appear on that, at-least on Mexican side. It'll become a rallying point for tourists to flock into Texas & Chihuahua, popping up the local economies of those states. ( PS - The wall is estimated to cost anywhere between $15 billion to $25 billion , with the bulk of it going to the man-power required to build this.  And ...