Globalization Makes for Strange Bedfellows in Cross-Cultural Comedy
After learning that the customer service department at the novelty products manufacturer where he works is being downsized, Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) is faced with the equally-undesirable choices of either leaving the company or relocating from Seattle to India to train his replacements. After all, his boss can hire eight employees at $11,000 per year on the subcontinent for the same price of retaining his services.
Conceding that he’s standing in the way of globalization, Todd agrees to move to Mumbai, where he comes to regret that fateful decision right after landing. For not only does he soon see himself as sewing the seeds for the speedy demise of his own country’s infrastructure, but he finds himself missing familiar staples of his homeland, like his favorite, McDonald’s hamburgers.
outsourced1. Image courtesy Truly Indie
So, when he starts familiarizing his new recruits with American idioms, he deliberately misinforms them about the fundamental meaning of certain terms. For instance, he says that a schmuck is a nice guy and that a redneck is a farmer, knowing full well that sewing such confusion will only serve to aggravate callers from the U.S. Meanwhile, Todd is being driven crazy by beggars and pickpockets and by local customs calling for eating meals without utensils and treating cows as sacred instead of cooking them.
Consequently, he is eager to return to the States, at least until the day he locks eyes with the alluring Asha (Ayesha Dharker), a raven-haired intern with good looks and spunk to spare. Curious despite their considerable social differences, the two embark on a flirtatiousy kabuki dance daily until they can contain themselves no longer and share a stolen kiss.
Todd falls head-over-heels in love and starts dating Asha secretly, not knowing that she has a big bombshell to drop. Turns out that she’s been engaged since the age of four and that her arranged marriage to the boy picked by her parents isn’t far off. Will she abide by her family’s plans or abandon her fiance for the white man for whom she feels so much passion?
outsourced2. Image courtesy Truly Indie
That is the pivotal question to be answered in Outsourced. Engaging, unpredictable, hilarious and entertaining at every turn, this charming romantic romp offers all you could ever ask of a modern cross-cultural comedy, plus it paints a plausible picture of the logical consequences of sending jobs overseas.
Outsourced
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexual content.
Running time: 103 minutes
Studio: Truly Indie
On Saturday, June 23, the largest gathering of exiled Iranians with the participation of hundreds of political personalities, legislators and jurists with different political affiliations, from 40 countries around the world, called for taking a firm stance vis-a-vis Iran. They also requested recognition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran by the world community.
Through its strongest protest against turning Camp Liberty into a prison, the gathering urged the United Nations, the U.S., and the European Union to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Ashraf and Liberty. The Government of Iraq is preparing for that catastrophe at the behest of the mullahs’ regime.
The main goal was to guarantee the rights of the residents as ‘asylum-seekers of concern,’ under the Fourth Geneva Convention, and to force Iraq to stop its cruel restrictions against the residents quickly. They underscored that the six-item demands of the residents need to be realized to resume the transfer of the residents to Liberty.
The participants in the gathering urged U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to immediately implement the court’s ruling, that would stop the unjust designation against the Iranian Resistance.
Mrs Maryam Rajavi, Presidentelect of the Iranian resistance
The existing devastating policy has been the main factor for the Iranian regime’s survival over the past 15 years.
The U.S. policy has also been used to justify two massacres in Ashraf, the execution and torture of many members and sympathizers of the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance inside Iran.
Within the United States, it has also allowed the imposition of brutal limitations against Iranians, and yet the Iranian regime and the Iraqi government continue to use it as a lever to repress the residents of Ashraf, and now Liberty.
Over the past few months, the Iraqi government has been trying to move the residents of Camp Ashraf to Camp Liberty, that was previously a U.S. base. If that was the only goal, and the Government of Iraq had abided by their agreement, the transfer may have been completed by now. Because Iraqi Prime Miniter Maliki acts as a tool of Iran, many Ashraf residents have died, and much of their belongings and equipment have been stolen.
The protest aimed to resolve many of the issues, to urge the U.S. government to remove the “terrorist” label from the MEK and pressure the UN into getting serious about assisting in the safe movement of the residents, with their equipment and belongings.
Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York and presidency candidate (2008);
Gov. Ed Rendell, Chair of the Democratic National Committee (1999-2001) and Governor of Pennsylvania (2002-2011);
Bill Richardson, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Governor of New Mexico (2003-2011);
John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the United Nations);
Judge Michael Mukasey, US Attorney General in the Bush Administration (2007-2009);
Ambassador Mitchell Reiss, former Director of Policy Planning at the US Department of State (2003-2005);
Robert Torricelli, former Senator;
Robert Joseph, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security;
Ambassador Phillip Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State (2009-2011);
Linda Chavez, former White House Director for Public Liaison;
Former military commanders:
Gen. George W. Casey, Army Chief of Staff and commander of Coalition forces in Iraq (2004-2007);
Gen. James Conway, 34th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps;
Gen. David Phillips, Commander of U.S. Military Police (2008-2011);
Col. Wesley Martin, former Senior Anti-terrorism Force Protection Officer for all Coalition Forces in Iraq and Commander of Forward Operation Base in Ashraf;
Lt. Col Leo McCloskey, Commander of Forward Operation Base in Ashraf until 2009;
Glenn Carle, former Deputy National Intelligence for Transnational Threats;
Clarence Page, The 1989 Pulitzer Prize winner for Commentary
From European Parliament:
Alejo Vidal-Quadras, Vice President of the European parliament;
Struan Stevenson, President of Delegation for Relations with Iraq of the European Parliament;
Tasha de Vasconcelos, humanitarian Ambassador for European Union;
From France:
Philippe Douste-Blazy, Former French Foreign Minister and to the UN Secretary General;
Bruno Le Roux, chair of the socialist group in the French Assembly;
Senateur Jean-Pierre Michel, co-president of the French Committee for a Democratic Iran;
Jean-Pierre Brard former member of the French National Assembly;
Dominique Lefebvre, Mayor of Cergy and member of National Assembly;
Aude de Thuin, Founder and president of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society;
Cynthia Fleury, professor of political philosophy from American University in Paris;
Yves Bonnet former director of the French DST.
From Algeria
Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime minister
Anissa Boumediene, lawyer and former first Lady
From UK:
Brian Binley, MP from the House of Commons;
From Switzerland:
Remy Pagani, Mayor of Geneva;
Jean-Charles Rielle, Head of the Geneva City Council;
Eric Voruz, member of the Swiss Parliament;
From Germany:
Rita Sussmuth, Former President of the German Bundestag;
Professor Gunter, Commissioner of Europe (1999-2009);
Otto Bernhardt, Chairman of the German Committee of solidarity with free Iran;
From Italy and San Marino:
Emma Bonino,Vice-President of Italian Senate, former European Commissioner and former Italian Minister of International Trade;
Carlo Ciccioli, co-Chair of the Italian Committee of Parliamentarians and citizens for a free Iran;
From Nordic countries:
Geir Haarde, former Prime Minister of Iceland;
From Ireland:
Ambassador John Bruton, Former Irish Prime Minister; Dara Murphy, foreign spokesman for Ireland’s ruling Fianna Fail party;
From Palestine:
Nejat Boubakir, member of parliament;
From Jordan:
Nariman Al-rosan, member of Parliament;
From Colombia:
Ingrid Betancourt, Former presidential candidate;
From Romania:
Raymond Luca, a senior member of the foreign affairs committee;