How Disgusting!

Well disgusting is no word to describe this and I have wanted to write about this right from when I heard the news, but was loaded with so much work and then suddenly now I remembered about it. I know that the whole world has know about this by now and that it is old news, but still I had to mention it.

Children groomed for sex by polygamist sect:
More than 400 children were found in a Texas polygamist compound which was the site of pervasive sexual abuse. Here, girls were groomed to accept sex at puberty and boys were indoctrinated to perpetuate the cycle. Girls as young as 13 were “spiritually married” to men who claimed several wives, and were forced to have sex with their significantly older husbands “for purpose of having children”.

Children were deprived of food and locked in closets as punishment, and severe beatings were also reported on the sprawling YFZ (Yearn for Zion) Ranch outside of Eldorado, Texas owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A number of girls who were pregnant or had recently given birth were discovered on the ranch after a desperate call for help made by a 16-year-old girl.

In a series of whispered calls on a borrowed cell phone, the girl told a local family violence center that she was being held against her will on the compound and was told she would be "found and locked up" if she tried to leave. The girl said she began to be abused soon after she was left at the ranch by her parents about three years ago and at age 15 became the seventh wife of a 49-year-old man. She said she is pregnant again just eight months after giving birth to her first child by a man who would force himself on her sexually and beat her "whenever he got angry," the affidavit said.

Other women in the home would hold her baby while the man identified as Dale Barlow beat her. Barlow would choke her and hit her in the chest and she was once beaten so badly that she was taken to the hospital with several broken ribs. The girl said she had no contact with her parents but knew they were preparing to send her 15-year-old sister to the ranch. While she was anxious to escape, she was worried about what would happen to her if she left the confines of the ranch. The girl has yet to be identified among the 416 children and 139 adult women removed from the ranch in a raid which began Thursday.A number of the children interviewed in the course of the investigation were "unable or unwilling to provide the names of their biological parents or identified multiple mothers". A judge has temporarily placed all the children into state custody as a result of what investigators found when they entered the ranch in an attempt to find the girl.

The 1,700-acre (688-hectare) ranch was purchased in 2003 and built by Warren Jeffs, who considers himself the sect's prophet and was jailed for life for being an accomplice to rape. The mainstream Mormon Church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - renounced polygamy more than a century ago as a price of Utah's admission to the United States. It now excommunicates members who engage in the practice and disavows any connection with the FLDS church.

Can we call this disgusting? This is worse than that. How can people stoop to such levels? Isn’t there a limit? Don’t their consciences bother them at all??Well they don’t have one right!!! One thing I really hate is draging God's name into such disgusting things and they have done all this using God's name and the use of a church etc. Worst part is that the parents gave their children to all this. How can they be so irresponsible that they did not even bother to ask about the whereabouts of their kids even once.

I have added some photos that were available on the net of some of the members of the church, a view of the church etc...

Bizarre Facts

I have heard so many bizarre things in my life and looks like I have to read in the news too daily now...

Here is one strange one I saw:

Cereal, bananas make baby boys?
That’s the exact way the title of the news article was and as I read on it was funny indeed. If moms eat cereal and bananas raises the odds of having a baby boy. Well if women eat like it’s mentioned in the article; let me tell you they would be damn over obese moms. Well it might be true too but the amount of calorie level that increases the chances for a baby boy are not good. Ya I know that most parents in this modern age too want a baby boy and that the female gender is not the first preferred choice. I don’t think anyone can disagree on that fact because, studies have shown that India has high rates of female infanticide and that too it’s growing at an alarming rate. Sad state of events na? And god knows where all this is going!

Phewwww what all do we have to know daily....

Ok here another one:

Severed head to be put in museum
Police in eastern India want to display in a museum the head of a woman decapitated after she was accused of practicing witchcraft. (Well at least they say that seeing this will be a lesson for those who persecute innocent women). Is that so??Will it be a lesson?

A villager in Jharkhand state attacked the woman and chopped off her head at the weekend. The police think that displaying the head in a museum will create a sensation in society and could be helpful in preventing people taking to such heinous crimes.

In rural India, villagers often accuse women of being witches and blame them for natural disasters or for an illness, death or theft. Hundreds of them are killed every year and most incidents take a long time to come to light.
:(

Looks like animals are better than humans, want to know why?

Hundreds of villagers flocked to a remote village to see a baby girl who was saved by stray dogs after she was abandoned in a mound of mud by her mother. The child was saved after they saw three dogs barking near a baby covered with mud. The dogs removed the soil around and began to bark and the baby started crying which drew the attention of the local villagers.

Luckily the girl is now safe in the lap of a childless couple who adopted her. Female feticide, though illegal in India, is widespread as boys are traditionally preferred to girls as breadwinners, and families have to pay huge dowries to marry off their daughters. The United Nations says an estimated 2000 unborn girls are illegally asborted everyday in India.

well such crimes are increasing at an alarming rate too and India is on its way to be super power...

Where ever we look now, strange things are happening and the crime rates are also sky high. The world, as it jumps to being ultra modern seems to be the most unsafe place to live, even for an infant or an unborn baby.

I have been tagged !!!

10 reasons to why I blog!

Yoo-hoo, I have been tagged by Jaggu and am sorry that I couldn’t post this earlier.

Humm well what exactly are the ten reasons that I blog? I really don’t know, but let me see…

1. It opened up a whole new world for me.
2. It feels so good to have people reading your written work and it certainly feels great to get the feedbacks and comments.
3. It feels good to have somewhere to write your heart out or somewhere to vent out the frustration and all.
4. I get to read so many different blogs and get to know so many new things.
5. It gives me a chance to meet so many different people from different backgrounds and cultures which is so good since you do it just by blogging.
6. Blogging gives me a soothing feeling and gives me so much comfort, especially after I have written out my pent up feelings and such.
7. Reading other blogs relaxes me.
8. There so many blogs which make me smile and laugh a lot (specially blogs like - Just a mother of two, Shades of gray, BeTwEeN tHe LiNeS, Psychobabble! And so many more).
9. It is helping me polish up my writing skills which I had abandoned long ago.
10. It helps me stay in touch and keeps me connected to what’s happening in this world…

Phewww there I have written it after breaking my head over it…I guess now that I think about it, these are just some of the reasons that I blog. Blogs do open up a whole new world for you and since I had written an article about how blogging helps the PR field, I guess I know or rather understand that blogging is also opening up a whole new world of communication even in the corporate world.

Well… welcome to the new age :)

Superstitious beliefs

India is a country with lots of cultures and beliefs. I respect that fact and just love my country for the variety and beauty it offers. But even in this flourishing and upcoming age, especially when India is rising to be a super power, superstitions also seem to be flourishing like crazy. The last well known incident was about the little girl who has many hands and legs and was operated upon.

The latest incident that has made news is about a little girl named ‘Lali’ from a village in northern India. She is a baby with two faces and is being worshipped as the reincarnation of the Hindu goddess - Durga. Lali apparently has an extremely rare condition known as craniofacial duplication, where a single head has two faces. All of the little girl’s features are duplicated except for her ears (two only), otherwise she has two noses, two pairs of eyes and two pairs of lips.

Lali has caused a sensation in the village of Saini Sunpura which is 40 kms east of New Delhi. Upto 100 people have been visiting the little child daily at her home everyday to touch her feet, offer money and receive blessings. The parents (father- Vinod Singh, 23yrs old, a poor farm worker) insist that their daughter is fine. Luckily the villagers who live near her, the young parents and the overprotective local doctor are not ashamed of the extraordinary looking little girl. That's because while she may only be 2½ weeks old, she is far more famous than any resident of this part of the country has ever been.

The village council is very happy that the little girl brought fame to their village and is planning to write to the state government to provide money to build a temple and help the parents look after their daughter.

What more should I comment on this???? Well atleast the good part is that this has made world news and many people/docytors who see this will atleast offer treatment and others might offer the cash needed for the necessary treatment.

Here is something to be proud about

An Independent Cuban blogger named Yoani Sanchez who chronicles the woes of life in communist-run Cuba was awarded one of Spain’s top journalism awards, the Ortega and Gasset prize for digital journalism.

Sanchez won it for her shrewdness in overcoming hurdles to freedom of expression in Cuba, vivacious style and her drive to join the global space of citizen journalism. Her “Generacion Y” blog is the most popular blog posted from Cuba (http://www.desdecuba.com/generaciony/). It received 1.2million hits in February for its web page on a server in Germany.
Sanchez is a 32-year-old philologist who started her blog as a therapy to let out frustration and to write news about Cuba that would otherwise never come out. She has drawn considerable readership by writing about her daily life and describing the economic hardships and political constraints in her country.

Missing lady returns

I had mentioned in my earlier post that an Indian lady was missing, well it seems she returned home and doesn’t seem to remember anything that happened...There are so many stories going around, and so I don’t know which one to believe. Some tell that she was sprayed with something on the face by the taxi guy; others are that she went to a relative’s house and so on…Only the good lord knows what happened…anyway good to know that she is safe.

Indian woman missing!!!

Although Kuwait has the world’s fourth largest proven oil reserves and is also the fourth richest country in the world, it is also a very small country which can be traveled in one day. In such a country when a woman goes missing for more than 48 hours, its surprising that there is absolutely no word about her and that the police can’t find anything at all.

Sarita Jennifer is a pregnant, 31 year old married woman from India who left home for work at 9 am and has since then been missing. Panic -stricken husband and relatives have searched everywhere and also lodged a complaint with the police, but no word as of yet. Everyone finds it strange that she vanished just like that and her mobile is switched off. They don’t even know if she has been kidnapped or such.

Well I do know that unlike during our childhood times, Kuwait is no longer safe and even though it’s very strict here, lots of problems keep coming up daily. But it’s very freaky because lots of us travel alone and I am a person who has to travel by taxi almost daily. I do know that many of the taxi’s are not safe and also do hear lots of stories daily. At least I keep hoping that my instincts and prayers will save me on most days because even when I get late for office and am out standing on the road for a taxi to come by, I never hail one when I get that uneasy feeling. Even though some taxi guys stop, if I am not feeling comfortable, I don’t even bother to look at them. It sure is better to be late to office rather than getting killed …

I do hope that the poor woman will be found soon…freaky world it is….

Why are people so nosy?

Why the hell are people so nosy??Can’t anyone mind their own business nowadays? Ohh ya I know, it’s not just nowadays, the world has always been this way...Even though life has become so hectic now, people do find the time to be nosy. And even if they do not have the time to mind their own business, they do have the time to look into other people’s lives….

I just hate it when people don’t mind their own business and I have always been that way. I remember when we were small; we came down to India during the gulf war and had to stay in Trivandrum for a year or 2 in a much respected housing colony. The thing I do remember even today from my life there is how nosy people where, I used to see neighbors’ peeping to see what was going on in the next house, I used to see them eavesdropping to listen what gossips where being told and they even had the guts to ask you the next day, who the particular visitor was, why did he/she come, what purpose and so on…

Same as ever, I find the same kind of people everywhere today and I find that since most of the older people don’t have anything much to do nowadays, this is their main aim in life. Well can you blame me for complaining? I have personal experiences of people looking to see what’s going on in my house, who comes, who goes, what we talk about and so on. Similar is the case with relatives. Believe me, that is the most unbearable thing for me. I hate it when they want to know too many things and when they try to push their way into our lives.

There was time when I was job hunting and had to sit at home for around 9 months till I got a job I liked very much. And can you believe it when I say that I did have bloody nosy relatives who came and said to my face that I shouldn’t waste my dad’s cash by shopping etc, that I have the liberty to do it only after I start earning etc etc…WOW…I used to just rant and rave over daily comments and my parents used to calm me down by telling me not to bother with what they say and that as long as they don’t have any problem why should others.

Ya true…But the fact is even after I do answer to some of them, they are so thick skinned as to continue their former habits. Well now they all sit and wonder how much money I would have made/saved till date after starting work here, how much I spend on clothes, what kind of shops do I go to, why I go there, blah, blah, blah….

Now since I plan to marry the guy I love, they are all busy scrambling around to find out about my guy, his job, his cash deposit or whatever and so on. I did tell a few in the face to see him only on the day of our wedding and that I do not have any photos. Well I am sure that this post when read by cousins will surely create a HUGE hangama. Heheh well I might as well sit back and enjoy the whole joke scene that seems to be going on... Well don’t want to elaborate on some incidents now as word will get back to all of them soon :P

Anyway whatever it is I can’t handle nosy people at any rate. I guess that must be why I like anonymity and prefer my freedom so much. Hope that one of these days I don’t lose my control and bash someone up for being so nosy.

Divorce

I have been doing some serious thinking about this particular issue recently, especially after I heard about some young couples who got divorced on - the same day of the wedding; another 45 days after the wedding; and another on eighth day after wedding. Ya I know it is certainly not shocking anymore.

It’s alarming about the way how life styles and values are changing and about this generation’s lack of concern for anything. Most seem to get married just for the heck of it and after looking at the outer appearance and stuff... Next thing you know is, “no I can’t adjust with him/her, so I’m getting separated.” That’s it??? So what happens to the vows taken, what about life and adjustments??? The worst part is if the couples have kids. They really don’t think how lost the child would be, the issues that children will go through, how destroyed they would feel and so on.

I had recently read an article about studies showing how high the divorce rates are in china and about the main reason for it. Well the reason there is that since there is a policy of having only one child and since China now is a booming economy, most couples are rich and they give their only child everything and bring him/her up in a much pampered way. The children of that generation do not know how to adjust, do not know the value of giving, and are known to be extremely selfish. Studies revealed that most young couples now marry only for social and monetary benefits and that as soon as they see better prospects they divorce and remarry. What a life!!!

The Romans had an interesting view towards marriage – ‘matrimonia debent esse libera’ or ‘marriages ought to be free’. This meant that either spouse could opt out of the marriage if things weren’t working out for them. Centuries later, Victorian England had a vastly different view. People got married and stayed together for better or for worse. Society frowned on divorce and divorced people were likely to find themselves social pariahs. In the present century, both these views prevail and with globalization, the ‘backward’ countries are catching up. Women, especially, with access to higher education and higher salaries, are less willing to put up with traditional roles and expectations. There was a time in India when divorcees where looked down upon and they were kept away from functions and all that. But if we go to look that way now, the case might be that we won’t have enough people to invite for anything.

Ya sure - A divorce happens after a husband and wife decide they can't live together anymore and no longer want to be married. They agree to sign legal papers that make them each single again and allow them to marry other people if they want to. Although that may sound simple, I really don’t feel that it’s easy for a husband and wife to decide to end a marriage. Often they spend a long time trying to solve problems before deciding to divorce. But sometimes they just can't fix the problems and decide that a divorce is the best solution. Some marriages are worth fixing and some are not so I really can’t tell ya don’t get divorced.

Some of the most common cited reasons for divorce are: Lack of commitment to the marriage; Lack of communication between spouses ; Infidelity ; Abandonment ; Alcohol addiction ; Substance abuse ; Physical abuse ; Sexual abuse ; Emotional abuse ; Inability to manage or resolve conflict ; Personality differences or ‘irreconcilable differences’ ; Differences in personal and career goals ; Financial problems ; Different expectations about household tasks ; Different expectations about having or rearing children ; Interference from parents or in-laws ; Lack of maturity ; Intellectual Incompatibility ; Sexual Incompatibility ; Insistence of sticking to traditional roles and not allowing room for personal growth ; Falling out of love ; Religious conversion or religious beliefs ; Cultural and lifestyle differences ; Inability to deal with each other’s petty idiosyncrasies ; Mental Instability or Mental Illness ; Criminal behavior and incarceration for crime etc.

There are so many other reasons too like - Lack of communication (happens to b main reason). It is one is one of the leading causes of divorce. A marriage is on the rocks when the lines of communication fail. You can’t have an effective relationship if either one of you won’t discuss your feelings, can’t talk about your mutual or personal issues, will keep your resentments simmering under wraps, and expect your partner to guess what the whole problem is about. Divorces often happen because people rarely discuss their expectations in detail prior to marriage, are less willing to work on their marriages afterwards, and would like quick solutions rather than having to resolve issues.

I personally know that People have gotten divorced for trivial reasons like – (don’t laugh!) – snoring; wife/hubby unwilling to cook/help out with household chores; watching TV too much; out with friends too long; doesn’t cook/behave like mom; in-laws advises of- “ don’t give in too much to him/her, keep your own stand”…..blah …blah..Blah…..phewwwww!!!!!!!

I really don’t know where the world is going to nowadays. Believe me, I’m getting freaked just at the thought of marriage just reading all this. Humm no one thinks that only when both sides cooperate will there be a successful marriage and that both people have to put in their full potential to make it a success. Ya we all are humans, we sure do have our good and bad moments and all that. But marriage is not a silly issue and I do agree to divorce in certain valid cases where it can’t be avoided. Only thing is that I can’t support silly reasons that come up for divorce. People have to try their level best to solve problems, talk out the issues and learn to love each other rather than oneself. I guess we should all learn to love our better halves before stepping into marriage and I can understand the reasons why most religions are making pre-marital courses compulsory now.

Well I hope the world will become a better place to live in rather than the other way round!!!

I just saw this photo on the net today in this site- http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisagilbert/2379179562/ with the heading: If you don't change direction, you may end up where you're heading. (Ya apt title na...)