‘Research shows that most BMW customers love to keep their cars clean – but dog fouling is a constant irritant.’

They even brought in an animal rights group to sell their case, albeit with a weird choice of words.

But Lola Forpi, from campaign group Put Animals First, said: ‘All motorists must expect to go through the odd puddle here and there. As well as going for a drive, we’d recommend owners regularly go for “walkies” as well if they want to have a very relieved pet.’

Even though the acronym (and the names) smelled strongly of a gag, one wouldn’t have given a crap about it, for BMW’s penchant for weird acronyms is rather well known. For example would V care for A car called GINA? Particularly if the body work was all cloth and the publicity pics showed an unfortunate tear that reminded one of feminine plumbing. Sorry, no pussy footing around THAT bush. So, C.R.A.P.S would have hardly caused me to blink.

But the date was what made it a no brainer. It was a straight forward April Fools gag and it made Jalopnik’s Ten Best…Or Worst…April Fools’ Day Automotive Gags. And today when I saw this post on Jalopnik’s feed, I was in splits. It seems that some Indian journalists failed to get the message about April 1 (or the highlighted disclaimer that Metro.uk put below the article!)

Four months since, some lazy moron at IANS lands up at the C.R.A.P.S post on Metro.uk. His/her eyes light up since no one seems to have caught on to this yet in India. And bam, its on the newswire. And then today, the TOI picks it up and it is history.

Everyone and their pet dog in India has known for years that the collective IQ of TOI staffers is rather low. And now via Jalopnik, the rest of the world knows too.

The TOI screams “holy C.R.A.P.S!!” - Über Desi

We received this email from Cricket Council USA.

The DC T20 Cricket Tournament ‘08 is another initiative undertaken by
Cricket Council USA and its Chairman & CEO Mahammad “MAQ” Qureshi.
CCUSA is the Main Sponsor and it is working closely with the Washington
Tigers CC to stage the Inaugural DC T20 Cricket Tournament. This Tournament
will showcase the best Cricketers in the greater Washington DC Metropolitan
in an exciting brand of 20/20 Cricket.

The DC T20 Cricket Tournament ‘08 is an invitation only Tournament. The
registration fee for each team is $ 400.00 and all games will be played
under ICC rules for 20/20 Cricket. A total of eight teams will participate.
There will be prize money awarded to the Tournament Winners, Tournament
Runners-up, Batsman of the Tournament, Bowler of the Tournament, Fielder of
the Tournament and Player of the Tournament.

The Venue will be the Woodmoor Cricket Field. The Match Schedule will be
posted on the CCUSA website: www.cricketcouncilusa.com next week.

CCUSA is taking the unprecedentant step of broadcasting three of the Matches
live via its website. The Opening Match, Semi-Final Match and Championship
Match will be televised.

The DC T20 Cricket Tournament is yet another example of the commitment that
Mr. Qureshi and CCUSA have in promoting 20/20 Cricket at all levels in the
United States of America. IT’S TIME TOPLAY 20/20 CRICKET!!!!!

PSA: T20 tournament in DC on Labor Day weekend - Über Desi

We received this email from his campaign staff and are reproducing it verbatim.

We are now only twelve weeks from election day and the team at Vote Mahendru has
been hard at work! I am happy to report that Ashish received over 210,000 votes
in the primary election – a great show of support despite being in an
uncontested primary! He is also one of the front runners of the Democratic
judicial candidates in fundraising totals. He has had the honor of receiving
several key endorsements including the AFL-CIO and GLBT community and prominent
members of the legal community.
Many of you have asked what you can do to help. Please help spread the word
about Ashish’s candidacy to your friends and family:
• forward this email to 20 friends
• If you are an attorney in the Houston area, vote in the Houston Bar
Association Bar poll next month
• join the Vote Mahendru email group for campaign updates (sign up in
the lower left hand corner of the website)
• endorse Ashish’s candidacy with a few words on the website
• volunteer to host an event, distribute signs and/or cards, display
a sign
• contribute funds to the judicial campaign
It is truly a historic moment for our community. In November, with your help,
Ashish will become one of the first elected District Court Judge of a court of
general jurisdiction of South Asian descent in the United States. As Judge,
Ashish will preside over all civil litigation matters in Harris County, a large
county of four million people with more voters than 24 states.
While Ashish’s academic and professional credentials speak for themselves
(please see the website link below for more information), I continue to be proud
of his many accomplishments within our community, including spearheading the
effort to raise approximately $70,000 for the South Asian tsunami victims. He
also represented plaintiffs in the McDonald\’s french fry class action
litigation, resulting in a $10,000,000 (ten million dollars) settlement with
monies directly benefiting South Asian, vegetarian and other related groups.
I hope you will visit his website by going to www.votemahendru.com soon.
Ashish and I look forward to your feedback and your continued support.

Disclaimer: The publishing of this letter is intended as a PSA and does not imply endorsement of the candidate. Readers may use this opportunity to find more about the candidate and make an informed decision.

PSA: Ashish Mahendru - Über Desi

On the Bharti Airtel network, the device is going to cost between $730 and $830 dollars, depending on the device you buy. Furthermore, the device is locked to Bharti’s special network. So for a family of three (mom, dad and a kid), the 3G iPhones will cost around the same as Tata Nano, the $2,300 people’s car that launched earlier this year.
The high cost isn’t stopping people from wanting the device. About 200,000 phones have been pre-ordered

I did a quick price check which confirms a Sony Vaio laptop (approximately $2800-$3000) will financially set you back more than a Tata Nano. Plane tickets between India and the US for a family of 2 or more, easily surpass a Tata Nano’s cost.

What other consumer products can you think of in India that cost more than a Tata Nano car?

Indians choose between iPhones or family car - Über Desi

Mrs.Singh a 55 -year old Indian immigrant living in Italy is now 96 short of the goal. That is because on Thursday she gave birth to quadruplet boys ( Tip: Sidhu via email ) (link)

The four boys, born a week ago, were named Manav, Manmeet, Roshan and Radveer.

( Image from breitbart.com)
Though they were born two months premature they are doing well.Look at the photo - aren’t they adorable?

4 down, 96 to go - Über Desi

It’ll house soothsayers: astrologers, numerologists, palmists, tarot-card readers, horoscope specialists - all under one roof…..The supermarket will also have astro-related materials like Rudraksha beads, gems and stones, yantras, puja materials and books relating to astrology.

Two points to note:

- The mall will be called “Star and Planet” which gets my award for best no- BS name ( probably the only thing about the mall that is *not* BS)

- Budding fortune tellers will have to pass a test and selection by a panel. Now wouldn’t that make an interesting reality TV show : India’s next top Jyotish.

I predict that a lot of well -meaning and credulous people are going to lose their money there!

When charlatans meet capitalism … - Über Desi

Some n00b has totaled his/her LP-640 (that’s the Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster, for you uninitiated n00bs) in Mumbai, of all places. *sigh* And the Team-BHP forums, has a few more unsubstantiated mentions of accidents involving high end cars (incl. Rolls Royce Phantoms and Bentley Arnages) in India.

It is understood that this driver lost control while taking a right turn at 4 in the morning and went over the divider. And it seems that the driver is perfectly fine, which, btw speaks volumes about such cars. Not so much for the drivers themselves.

This driver has to be a n00b, considering the damage (I am weeping tears of blood). Why do these idiots not understand that these beasts need lots of space to exercise? Apart from the Mumbai-Pune expressway, there is no road (apparently) in India worthy of unleashing the horses in a beast such as this one. And the douche-bags all round the world who crash these supercars (like this one) don’t realize that.

*sigh*

A Lamborghini totaled - in INDIA! - Über Desi

Fun stuff for Bollywood fans - Über Desi

Gaudy Indian showing at opening ceremony - Über Desi

Best used cars for fuel economy - Über Desi