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Reuters blog archive
from India Insight:
India ponders deficit control after the gold rush
India's central government in January raised the tax on refined gold imports by 50 percent. This increase to 6 percent from 4 percent is the second rise this fiscal year. Why does it keep making gold more expensive, particularly as the nation enters its prime wedding season when brides will be bedecked with the metal from head to toe?
That's part of the problem -- a large part. India's cultural attachment to gold is something that anybody who has been to an Indian wedding could tell you about. For those of you who haven't, consider this report from CBS's "60 Minutes" TV news program:
"India's love for gold is almost a religion. Beyond being a symbol of wealth and status, gold is part of worship and culture - a tradition that goes back thousands of years. From birth to death, for men and women, among rich and poor - acquiring gold is a goal for the people of India. All of which has made India the world's largest consumer of gold and thus a powerhouse in industry ... Just as part of the American dream is to own a home, the dream in India is to own gold. For Indians, gold jewelry is wearable wealth, financial security that's also a fashion statement."
CBS notes that half the gold that Indians buy each year is jewelry bought for a wedding. And as this Voice of America report says, India produces almost no gold, and imports 700 tons a year to feed demand. That's half of 700 tons, sitting on India's brides. It's your savings, not to mention an inflation-proof investment. Here's an enlightening excerpt from that report:
from Photographers Blog:
Lives behind the gaudy uniforms and loud music
New Delhi, India
By Mansi Thapliyal
Music bands play an integral part to the big fat Indian wedding, especially in North India.
Weddings in North India are never complete until the family of the bride and groom dance to the tune of popular Bollywood songs. Brass bands are hired for the purpose of playing at the wedding procession in which the groom's family dance all the way to the wedding venue where the bride's family waits to receive them. A procession called "Barat" is usually accompanied by bright lights, fireworks, loud music and dance. The instruments played by these brass bands are a mix of Indian and western musical instruments.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Because you’re worth it, Honey…
It isn't often that one of my posts generates serious economic debate. But a few days ago I explained that we couldn't show a copy-quality photo of a Gaugin painting, because then people at home could paint their own and flood the art market with hundred million dollar paintings.
My readers were skeptical about whether it really works like that, so I'll try again.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Your bride is quite a ketch…
Blog Guy, I really need some of your famous fashion help to plan my wedding. We're getting married outdoors, at a yacht club, and the area where I wait to enter the ceremony is quite a distance from the altar.
I'm a very slow walker, and I'm worried my fiancé will just marry my trampy bridesmaid if I don't get there fast enough.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Modern Bride? Not really…
Welcome back to a regular feature we like to call "What Year is this Again?," in which we offer up news items which make us seriously question which century we're living in.
Today, we learn about a longstanding tradition in Chechnya called "bride kidnapping," which is just now coming to an end.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Congratulations, you may now wake the bride
Help me, Blog Guy, I think my marriage may be in trouble.
I'm not sure my wife still loves me. She doesn't pay attention, she tunes me out, she frequently falls asleep when I'm talking....
Now, now, young man, there are adjustments to be made in every relationship. How long have you two been married?
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Starting your own Goofy Face Museum?
Blog Guy, as the curator of the very popular Goofy Face Museum and Doughnut Shop in the nation's capital, can you tell us a little about what makes a truly goofy picture? It all starts with a goofy face, right?
Not always. The photo above is wonderfully goofy, but nobody's making a face.
It contains the classic elements of a goofy photo. A bride and groom kissing, and weird-looking fishermen drinking nearby.
from Raw Japan:
OT beats date QT
The vast majority of newly hired Japanese say overtime is now more important than dating if given a choice, reflecting growing job anxiety in the world's No.2 economy.
A survey by the Japan Productivity Centre, a private think tank, showed over 80 percent of new recruits picking working late over having a date.
from Raw Japan:
Disengaged on rings
Six years ago when I decided to propose to my Japanese wife-to-be I went to the main jewellery strip in the Ginza district of Tokyo ready to part with two months' salary for a diamond ring.
The two-month rule was in my head from my years of growing up in the United States where men are conditioned into thinking that this is the price for locking in your lifetime partner.
from Raw Japan:
Rent-a-guest bulks up weddings
Wedding venue hired? Check. Wedding dress hired? Check. Guests hired? Check.
June's the big wedding month here in Japan, but even in these tough economic times, instead of opting for a small event, some couples are renting fake family, friends and colleagues to plump up the guest list.
Many in Japan see weddings as a formal event that must be attended by lots of family members, friends and co-workers. At the party, bosses often give 
speeches, colleagues or friends stage performances, and families formally greet other guests.
