Ghost-like white Stag? Bah Humbug!

Recently a ghost like white stag was allegedly found and photographed in the hills of Scotland. A lengthy and highly complicated scientific explanation of the appearence of Stag, (which is reportedly not an Albino) was also provided.


Now there wouldn't be a more blatant way to draw public attention to yourself. Just imagine- you're a naturalist or something, and you're working on some drab project, say researching mating habits of some kind of deer, and your funding is gonna go dry soon- then this is the sort of thing you would try to boost it. The sheer publicity involved would attract far more funding, and even bring you better projects. And of course- you can always keep the location of the discovery secret, with a convenient reason- to prevent poachers. Ha! As if people are going poach the rare species (if at all there is) Even poachers know better than to kill such a thing.


Why they could capture it alive and sell it to some zoo for a fortune! Nah! There's no such deer! This is just a tall tale!


Also- the fact that the person involved in this case is a Lockhart, whose namesake in the world famous Harry Potter books, Gilderoy Lockhart is a person who rose to fame (in the fictional Harry Potter universe) by lying about having killed fascinating and dangerous creatures. Ah! The parallel is so exact that the whole article is amusing


Here's the picture they sent- quite a clear shot for such an elusive creature- as if it had been posing!

Read about the original article published in Yahoo News here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080213/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_stag_1

India faces test of solidarity

We all know how much we care about what happens at the Indo-Pak border, where our jawans brave torrid conditions of sub-zero temperatures and ridiculously low oxygen to save us from invasion each day, so that we may sleep well in then nights.

And we know very well how much we care about any incident, law ordevelopment of national significance- indeed our circle of concern doesn't extend beyond the immediate boundaries.
But, involuntarily we have been nationally united- in watching TV, especially cricket.

There are millions of fans out there who would see cricket for days together whether India plays against Australia or Bangladesh , or even New South Wales for a warm-up match. If their favorite stars are playing, they would watch the most insignificant match there could be. (When Sachin played for an English University to get match practise after his elbow surgery, there were people who wanted to know the scores of even that match)
This country is cricket crazy- its official and the whole world knows that. There wouldn't many eyebrows raised if Cricket was made the national game- it would be accepted with glee.

The BCCI is raking in cash like a minting machine all because of these frenetic fans. There's absolutely no question whether the IPL would be another watched event- it sure will be. With matches lasting just double the time of your average football game, its the perfect competition for EPL in India.

However, I believe with the influx of the might of FIFA to help popularise EPL in India, and the fact that so many of the present upper middle class hooked on the derogatory madness that is the EPL, the IPL would be muscled out.

Let's face it- IPL is bound to be boring at some point of time. Besides, the Indian fan is a curious entity- he watches any trivial if the Indian stars are part of it. Anybody else if rubbish. And that too- not any Indian would do. Only well identified figues could rein in the fans and keep them glued.
Already there have been a lot of converts- from cricket to football, who would never come back. They think they are a much higher mortals watching a world renowned game, not accepting the fact that it is just another madness.
Earlier the US was targeted by FIFA, but it found impregnable fortresses in NBA, NFL and NHL. The problem (for FIFA) with America is that their culture is rooted with watching the local games. They watch anything "National", but nothing beyond that.
Although the average Indian cricket fan seems to present a similar picture, I wouldn't bet my money on BCCI getting more from the golden goose.
Already the present cricket season (for India, and other countries) that there is an overdose of cricket. The introduction of IPL would further cram the calendar and make the game more complicated (people would find trouble remembering who is in which team and a lot of such things discussed in EPL).
Above all that- with so many T20 matches, the whole meaning of runs would be lost. I know that 80% of Indian fans are Sachin's ardent followers. About 50% of them follow his each and every run, counting them like spanish doubloons they earned. When he retires, along with the many cherished stars, and when his run machine comes to a stop at long last, people wouldn't care much about cricket.
Even I cant think of a time cricket would be enjoyable without him. The average Indian fan would easily convert to football- and that would open vistas for many other sports as well.

The Indians face the ultimate test of solidarity- the US faced it a decade back, and successfully resisted, will the Indians be able to resist the Global attack and keep their viewing localised?

Tendulkar gets out hit wicket: Early blow for India

For the first time in his ODI career spanning over 400 matches, Sachin Tendulkar got out hit wicket, while negotiating a good length ball from Brett Lee. Tendulkar was moving across the stumps to play it square off leg, but trodded onto his stumps in the process.
It must be mentioned that Lee had been troubling the Indian openers with short pitched deliveries, and it may have been the reason for Sachin standing so far behind in his crease that caused his eventual downfall.
The Indian team for tonight's match is packed with inexperienced youngsters and it remains to be seen how costly this early unfortunate blow would be for India.
Gambhir and Sharma forged a 65 run partnership that was exciting for their boundaries as well as the dropped chances by Australia, but it was broken by Johnson with a well directed inswinger to remove Gambhir, and Sharma fell to Lee soon after.
Dhoni has the unenviable job of teaming with more rookies to lead India to a respectable total and prevent another embarassing loss like what happened in the T20 game on Friday.

Call of Juarez mission walkthrough guide

Well, Call of Juarez is the game of year, in my opinion- for concept and gameplay, as well as sound effects and graphics. Even casting has been meticulously planned and executed accurately, that the effect on the screen is breathtaking.
But, there's still one snag- there's simply no possible way to progress, at some points of the game- which I call dead ends. Of course, this aint a bug, only it means that the game is tough enough to make us rip our brains out. There are some dedicated gamers who would take up such challenges, for fun, and grill themselves to the end to progress.
But for us lesser mortals, we need people to guide us through such non-existent continuations. And Call of Juarez (CoJ) also contains innumerable secrets, and different ways to progress. Here's a perfect site to learn about all the above.
It contains a walkthrough guide- a step by step procedure of what needs to be done to complete the game- not just a short description, but a complete "walkthrough". The walkthrough guide contains even a search tool that helps you to wade through the murky pond, which is CoJ's gameplay.
It also contains files to unlock all secrets, as well more levels. Furthermore, there are various working cheatcodes and innumerable other features. As a fan of Call of Juarez and as a person who has heavily benefitted from this walkthrough guide written by a most a exalted soul who goes by the name of Grawl in the site, I would suggest you to try all means possible to get through the game yourself, and read this guide later on to look for any tricks you missed. If else, you'd better use the guide to save your day!

Find the Call of Juarez Walkthrough Guide at this site:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/game/938524.html

Sidekick turns Superhero: Captain America Returns!

Well, finally it was not a death-defying ridiculous escape (Sherlock Holmes in the "Return of Sherlock Holmes") or a convenient resurrection by Eru (a la Gandalf in "Lord of the Rings : Twin Towers") that has hastened Captain America, the most celebrated hero of the Yankees (no offense fellas), but merely because America needs him. But, surely even he cannot come back from the dead- he is dead and dusted just like Dumbledore in Harry Potter : The Half Blood Prince, or can he?

The answer is Yes and No! Yes because Steve Rogers is but mortal and is surely not going to return from the grave, and No because Captain America is but an idea; and as Alan Moore would say- "An idea never dies", Captain America knows no death.

So he does return, with Bucky Barnes (Steve Rogers faithful side-kick) donning the robes of America's most cherished superhero.

Whether it's Bucky Barnes or Steve Rogers, Captain America is sure to dazzle the comics fans once again, and with a movie on the character slated for release next year, it is going to cause an unprecedented resurgence of Patriotism in the US, which is sorely divided by the unending War in Iraq, and the recent elections.

Captain America returns in the latest Marvel Comics Captain America#34. Check it out fellas and dames. Meanwhile, here's how the new Captain America Bucky looks:

50th Anniversary of Explorer 1: America enters the Space Age

America has been a pioneer and is now an icon in the Space Age. Although it had stiff competition from the erstwhile Soviet Union over the control of space (ironic isn't it? While we are no more than specks of dust in the eyes of the massive Stars and humoungously powerful and almost-everlasting Black Holes, we puny humans talk of space domination), it has been able to overcome every potential threat to its hegemony and as of now stands heads and shoulders above fellow nations.
Although undoubtedly the watershed was the landing of the moon by Apollo 11 in 1969, it all started in this event- the successful launch of Explorer 1- America's first satellite, on January 31st 1958. By then, the Soviets had already sent their first animal into space.

SO let's celebrate with NASA the golden jubilee of this historic event- one that has been instrumental in various day-to-day services we avail of, like Google Earth.

Beijing National Stadium: A bird's nest

Well, we've had a lot of instances in which man has been inspired from Nature (Radar from Bats, Flight from Birds and lots more), and here's another quintessential case- a naturally cooled Olympic Stadium for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Built on a plan that won the design competition in 2002 for the sole purpose of an Olympic Stadium, the Stadium's specialty is the natural breeze that can be felt from any seat, providing a natural cooler and ventilation system for it, which is expected to seat a 100,000 people. The prize entry came from Herzog and de Meuron, they went onto win the Pritzker Prize.

The Beijing National Stadium, or simply the National Stadium will undoubtedly host the opening and closing ceremony, and the main track and field events. It may also host the finals of certain important events.

It is expected to be completed by March 2008, and it shall look like this when it is finished. A Bird's Nest indeed!

Bubble wrapped Watercube unveiled in Beijing

The National Aquatics Center also called as the "cool" building of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was unveiled today with great fanfare. It will host two events (Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open and American Standard the 16th FINA Diving World Cup from 31 January to 05 February) prior to the Big Fish- All water events of the 2008 Olympics.

It is one of most astounding structures that China has constructed (in record time) for the upcoming Olympics. We must not forget that the official Olympics stadium for 2008 itself is supposed to be a marvel of engineering, inspired from the nest of a bird.

This one resembles an incomplete congregation of bubbles before they become one large bubble and burst (due to the internal pressure greater than the external atmospheric pressure), and hence it is aptly called the "Bubble Wrap".

Nostradamus, the Oscars and I

Well, the nominations for the Academy Awards for 2008 are out and what you can expect in the coming weeks everywhere in country- from local bars to five star restaurants, from golf courses to corporate canteens is the debate of who is going to bag which. Here's a list of some of my predictions:

I've not seen most of the nominated films, so I can't comment on those categories. But in some categories it is blatantly clear as to who will win- like for example the best makeup award- surely you would find no better makeup than in the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

There is another curious fact in this year's nominees- we find Cate Blanchett (Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator) in the verge of a first in Oscars- the chance to win the award for an actress in a leading as well as a supporting role (for different movies, of course). Suffice enough to say that that would be the ultimate certificate for your acting talent. The very fact that she has been the first to have been nominated such shows her versatility. Let us see if she is able to pull it off (I've no predictions to make regarding this as I've not heard about, let alone watched those movies).

The best animated film and associated categories might be swept by Ratatouille because funny movies for children usually appeal to the committee more than others. And Ratatouille was as good a movie as Shrek etc. and with its old style graphics- it was a refreshing experience to watch.

Although Ratatouille may do well in its own den (animated films), it wouldn't stand a chance against the biggies, where it has been nominated for the best original musical score (general category). It's true that it had a good musical score, but it wasn't so good enough to be noticeable. Besides, selection committee in this category don't like funny themes for music. They expect scores to be emotional, passionate etc.

Anyway- this year's Oscars is expected to spring a lot of surprises, especially with none of the films nominated have struck big at the Box Office internationally, and so that leaves the competition wide open (except for the above predictions I made). So let's see how the drama unfolds.

Advent of Indian Motifs in Hollywood

India has always influenced West in a lot of ways. India has been a perennial theme in Hollywood films from times of yore- what with epic movies like The Discovery of India, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Octopussy etc. But these were movies that heavily revolved around Indian settings and characters, and I wouldn't call them an influence in the actual films.

They were Indian because they had to be.

But, there has been a noticeable trend in the mainstream films- like Dirty Harry, Scarface, Matrix etc where despite of their clearly Western themes, they are heavily dosed with Indian motifs.

Here's a list:

1. Scarface:
This movie needs little introduction- Al Pacino's bete noir film that set the trend for the many movies that followed with the bad-man-with-a-heart theme.
As much as the movie was famous- it's flagship song "Push it to the limit"
http://hardshipalarmnot.blogspot.com/2007/10/push-it-to-limit-ultimate-song-to.html
was phenomenally popular (in fact the whole soundtrack is a classic in 80's music). In what is primarily a Rock song, you find a short Veena interlude in the song to slow down the tempo of the song once it reaches a peak. Veena as we all know is a variant of a traditional Indian instrument.

2.Dirty Harry (Magnum Force):
In what is considered to be a quintessential American cop film, it is surprising to find that the background score is a medley of Western instruments with a dominating tabla score. The music is used to portray suspense and from the success of the film you can be assured that it was a good combination.

3. A Little Princess (Ramayan: Morning Raga):
This is a highly emotional film involving an orphaned little girl as the central character, and it's score derives itself from many Indian themes, one being the Ramayan. This musical piece- a flute rendition depicting sunrise is a lilting and soothing number, one which can be found only from Indian songs.

4. Matrix Revolutions (Navras):
The most famous of all Indian themes in Western films- the Navras song from Matrix Revolutions- a strong and powerful completely Indian song in a western movie. It was a revelation that shook the world as much as it pleasantly surprised India. The song was more talked about than the whole movie.

The girls are ready for Bond 22

It's always been a perenial search for Bond producers to pick the new Bond girl. She needs to be picked like Diamonds from an ocean of Quartz. Aishwarya Rai, the Bollywood beauty, now wife of Abhishek Bachan was once approached for this once-in-a-lifetime role, but just shooed it away like a vegan would refuse meat, in a matter-of-fact manner, all because she didn't want to figure in passionate scenes with the then Bond Pierce Brosnan.

Anyway, the search for that Bond girl was one of the longest, and it ended with Halle Berry being offered the role which she gleefully took as the icing on the cake after having won the Oscar for Monsters' Ball the same year.

The more important search for the last edition was for the man himself-the new Bond. Now that we all have accepted Daniel Craig as the Bond for life, post Casino Royale, the search bounds back to the girls, who for some strange yet pleasurable reason need to be changed for each movie (Not once have I seen the girls make a 2nd appearence, except in some rare instances).

Anyway the search for the girls of Bond 22 is over. Maybe due to the experience with Aishwarya or due to the tremendous success of Eva Brown as an old fashioned European beauty (less of glamour and more of substance) we have the new consignment of beauties from similar roots- 28 year old Olga Kurylenko from Ukraine is confirmed to be the lead actress with English belle Gemma Arterton in a side role. The 20 yr old Gemma was first talked of being in the lead until the ravishing Olga was favoured. I'd suggest the old suggestion- of Gemma playing Bond girl with Olga in the side role would've been perfect, but well, you dont always get what you want, and believe me- you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you get.

Olga has already been part of such accomplished franchises like lead roles Hitman alongside Timothy Olyphant, and a french movie with Elijah Wood. This role of bond girl would be the piece-de-resistance of her career.

Arterton though is just about in the early stages of her career, and it remains to be seen as to how people would find her choice of opting to this role. It either skyrockets your career (in the case of Ursula Andress), or quietly sidelines you into oblivion (take the case of Luciana Paluzzi).

Paluzzi admitted that being a Bond girl is a double edged sword. She was amazed at the level of fame, publicity and recognition she got from Thunderball, but as a result of being in such an outlandish film, she was taken less seriously as an actress by her peers.

So let's wish luck for the latest entrants to the Hall Of Fame for great success in their careers.

All pics are of Olga Kurylenko. She's already fitting well into the job. I must say she does look like Sophie Marceau in the 1st pic, and a lot like Denise Richards in the 3rd.

Java for making wands: A HP fan's dream

Well every HP fan out there knows there's only one thing that can go beyond the experience of reading about the magical world of Hogwarts and Co., and that would be wielding a wand that could perform "real" magic. Now we must understand that we do have devices that perform certain wand-like functions.

Take for example your simple TV remote control. At a distance that can be described as quite far off, you are able to subjugate the idiot-box (as the TV is fondly called) to heed your commands. Likewise we have remotes for all kinds of purposes- for driving cars, for operating appliances, even for triggering firecrackers.

So why not a wand? What is the difference between the common remote and the magical wand- just the shape right?

We must take into account nature's most important law- "No one gets a free lunch".

To make something listen to your whims and fancies is something. But to materialise something out of thin air is against nature's principles.

Forget such "trivial" limitations, let us suppose we do have power to create things, how would we humans be able to produce a wand that has the functions so wonderfully described in JK's seven classics?

At the site called www.beyondhogwarts.com previosuly named www.dumbledoreisnotdead.com they do provide us a simple answer- fabricate control systems using Java as the programming language and voila, you have the answer.
It's a very informative article that explains concepts of Java with the well known example of Wands. If you are a novice you'll understand the concepts better with a casual reading of it, and if you're well acquainted with Java already it could provide comic relief.
Just check out the article at:
http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/harry-potter/articles/wands-from-a-muggle-perspective.html

Hussey in Mastercard Ad

Michael Hussey a.k.a Mr.Cricket, one of the most consistent batsmen of Test cricket today and one of the Brand ambassadors of Mastercard is slated to appear in its latest ad. The ad reads thus (in typical Mastercard fashion)-

Two tickets to the one-dayer $50.
Replica team shirt $65.
Getting sledged by Michael Hussey: priceless.

The ad is in its post production stages, and is due to hit the silver screen soon. I cant wait to see the AD, although it might not be aired in India (who'd watch Mike Hussey sledging while we have Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh etc etc.

Stop!! Entry Restricted!! New features in Yahoo Chat

Yahoo chat servers have been around for aeons, from the very beginning of Yahoo itself. Of all the successful features of Yahoo, this has been the toughest to replicate- and has been quite a monopoly (although MSN live messengers did exist- they have not been able to unsettle Yahoo's popularity).

But the rise of Google Talk- which is faster and compact, compared to Yahoo's Instant Messenger has upstaged Yahoo- I notice so many people preferring Google Talk to chat with friends, Yahoo has understood that its position is vulnerable. It has made Yahoo sit up and pay attention.

It has much to do with Yahoo's nonchalant attitude to the perenial problem of Chat Bots. There have been countless complaints and innumerable Trojan attacks through the Chat servers, not to mention all the spam that fills up precious bandwidth (which makes Yahoo chat servers so slow, and prone to frequent crashes), yet Yahoo has maintained a stand that these never existed.

But, with the rise of Google Talk, Yahoo has decided to do something about this scourge. Its quite a simple method- just prevent automated IDs from entering the Chat rooms. Which means you can have a million automated IDs (and use them for mails etc.) but you cant come into a Chat room unless you're real.

By the new security laws in Chat servers- you need to type a special code displayed as a Captcha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha) every time you enter into a Chat room (So if you change 5 rooms- its 5 codes you need to enter).

So effective is the system that you find instant relief for all the real (loyal) users. While Chat rooms were flooded with Bots earlier, they've all been eliminated, or rather replaced by the real people- the ones they can chat with. Of course, there are real spammers, but that's a minority and besides its blatantly clear who is the spammer and who is the real person.

What this means is- Yahoo has finally decided to listen to its customers, and has understood that customer is God and that everyone else has to bow to them.

Enough said, Yahoo direly needs its old customers back from Google Talk. Lets see how this new move from Yahoo works out.

Advantage Term Life: Making you Fully Loaded for Life

Driving my nephew to his school I noticed that life has its perils hidden everywhere. We just cannot predict whats going to happen tomorrow. The other day I was preparing meticulously for an exam when I get a call telling me that my grandma is seriously ill and fighting for dear life in the ICU. Fortunately, she's now back to normal and I was thankful to the insurance guys as much as to the doctors.
Well, that's about life's uncertainties- and I guess now you see the reason behind insuring oneself. You could try Advantage Term life insurance- they help you Save Money on Insurance and Reduce Premiums
Above all that- they have Insurance Quoting Services which something very novel.
If you run a company and want to provide insurance cover to your employees, they offer Corporate Insurance Plans for Employers
They even offer practical insurance plans like Cheap Smoker Insurance Rates.
Now that's what I call- fully loaded for life.

Australia's answer to Kamal Hassan's Dasavatharam!

If you ever thought the Aussies were nothing more than a bunch of bullies (if you think that is ridiculous, you must watch cricket regularly to know otherwise) with no sense of art or culture- well think again, because good old Warney- the Spin Wizard, has become their new Mascot for his histrionics.

In the latest TV ad, Shane Warne plays the roles of his dad, mum and himself as their baby in this innovative take on Dasavatharam (of course, unintended)- but I guess he goes one step more than all our Indian actors, being cast as a baby as well. (Sorry I couldn't get pics of the baby!)

Well, he may not be the family man in real life (he is a divorced man), but he seems to say to the World- I am the family I need; I can be the mother, father and the baby! :-)

Look at this pic- doesn't he look like Satyaraj?

Here're some links to articles:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22732925-2,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22733144-661,00.html

Falling Standards of Indian Education : Shaking the foundation

The latest survey on world educational institutions brings out a startling fact- that no Indian University is among the top 200 of the world. What this suggests is of far greater consequence than one can imagine.
This has shaken the very bedrock of our country's growth in recent years- of NRIs (Non Residential Indians) and Indian penetration into the West.
We all know the phenomenon of the Brain Drain- of talented, intelligent Indians offering their services to the US and other developed countries for greater monetary rewards. So far, Indians have been well respected with regards to matters of the intellect. But, with the fall in institute standards, the next generation of students might find it tough to continue the legacy of being the best "foreigners" in these lands.
China has so far been behind the race due to their inherent difficulty in learning English- their language being the major hindrance, but now with reports like these, the language fluency maybe overlooked for pure quality by the Western employers and we might find more Chinese competing successfully against Indians.
The government's push for more and more reservations in all National institutes has not helped. If the situation has to change- it is we, the students who must stand up to our rights for a better education. How many of you know how rotten, cluttered and outdated is our syllabus?
More on the nature of our syllabus in another special editorial- watch out for that.

Here's the complete article:

TOP STORIES
No Indian varsity among top 200 universities
By IE Tuesday November 13, 04:38 PM

No Indian varsities, including the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, figure among world's top 200 universities this year, while six Chinese universities were listed, signalling the rapid stride the Communist giant is making in higher education.
Harvard University tops the league table followed by Cambridge and Oxford at second and third positions respectively.
The top 10 universities are all either in the United States or the United Kingdom, a survey has found.
Besides China, other Asian countries figuring in the list of world-class universities are Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.
The IITs, which figured regularly in all the previous surveys, since The Times Higher - Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings began three years ago, have fallen off the map this year partly because of a change in evaluation norms.
For this year's survey, individual IITs were assessed, and not the "IIT system as a whole." And none of the seven IITs was considered good enough to find a place among the top ranking world universities, according to the survey.
However, IIT Delhi and IIT Mumbai find mention among the world's top 50 technology institutions, with the former at 37 and latter at 33 -- both way behind China's Tsinghua University, placed at 16.
The six Chinese universities included among the world's top 200 are Peking University, Tsinghua University (also listed among the 50 best technology institutions), Fudan University, Nanjing University, the University of Science and Technology of China and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The survey covering 28 countries, confirms the English-speaking world's dominance in higher education with America and Britain leading the pack.

Matrubhoomi becoming a reality?

Tell me folks- how many of you saw the movie Matrubhoomi (2003), starring Tulip Joshi- that innocent-faced girl with a look and build of a teen(She's 28 it seems), dealing with themes like female foeticide and infanticide and fratenal polyandry?

If you didn't you better check out this wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrubhoomi



Once you've some basic idea of the story, and start thinking how fantastic, unrealistic is the plot- then you must read this article by Kalpana Sharma, a brilliant and fearless writer- who writes on women empowerment.

Here are some excerpts from her article: World without women published in today's Hindu Sunday Magazine (dated 18th November 2007).



In the late 1980s, when we had the first indications that technology was being used to ensure that girls were not born, a few people made rather prescient predictions about the future. They predicted that women would face much greater violence. They suggested that women would be trafficked.
These campaigners against sex-selective abortions were condemned as scare-mongerers. They were told they were exaggerating to make a point. Fewer women would mean a greater demand for them. That instead of dowry, women could demand a higher price for marriage. Realities now
We know now that the opposite has happened. Many of the dire predictions made in the 1980s are coming true. In the States where sex selection is most rampant, there are entire villages where the men cannot find women to marry. So they are “buying” women from other States. And in some instances, where the family can afford to buy just one woman, she is expected to “service” all the men in the family.



The 2001 census was a wake-up call. It exposed the damning Indian reality of falling sex ratios in the 0-6 years age group. The national average stood at 927 girls to 1,000 boys.

(I've already written an article regarding the disproportionate sex-ratio read that article here

http://hardshipalarmnot.blogspot.com/2007/09/alarming-fall-of-girls-population-in.html)



Meanwhile, according to recent reports, in villages in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, women are being sold as “wives” for as little as Rs. 3,000. Impoverished women from Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand are finding themselves in households where they do not speak the same language as their “husbands” who have paid for them. They are expected to clean, cook and procreate. Ideally, they should bear boys. If they have girls, they have several reasons to worry. For one, girls in these villages are unwelcome. Second, in villages full of men, many of who cannot find women to marry, girls are unsafe. They cannot be sent out of the house alone. And even within the household, they have to be protected.
In some villages in Punjab, however, all the men in a household have access to the bought bride. She has no choice. Even if she is married to one brother, she must be available to all the other brothers in the house. Thus, polyandry exists, particularly in poor households where only one man can “buy” a wife.



Yet, sex selection has clearly shown that prosperity enhances and deepens inherent prejudices and provides the resources to act upon them. It is no coincidence that the most prosperous districts have the lowest sex ratios.



Read the full article here:
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/11/18/stories/2007111850070300.htm

Hybrid Cats: Pets From Dreamland

Well folks, when was the last time you wanted to have a Tiger for a pet? Or perhaps a Leopard? Maybe you wanted to show off like the Kings of the Moghul dynasty, or were inspired by "Scarface" Tony Montana to buy one, as a mark of your courage, but seriously speaking- could you ever have a wild cat for a pet?

Apart from the seemingly impossible task of catching one (in its infancy), training it to be a docile pet, keeping it under a leash and feeding it through the year, there's also the government to appease- they aren't gonna allow you to grow an endangered species without special permission.

So why go through all that trouble when you can simply get yourself one of the Hybrid Cats? What are they?

Well, they're feline pets right out of your dream- they are exactly what you wanted pets to be- they are miniature and docile versions of the Big Cats.

Yes! By artificial breeding, many varieties of Cats 'cat'ering to customers needs have been created.

Some of them are the Bengal Cat, The Savannah and The Ashera. Of these Bengal cat has attracted my attention the most. It is the cross of an Asian Leopard Cat and the domestic cat, and voila, you have a cat that resembles the Tiger (or a Leopard) in appearance with all the domestic characteristics of a normal Cat.

Here's a set of pics for you to see the difference:

As you can see clearly, the one on the left is the Bengal Cat, and on the right is the Royal Bengal Tiger (Ganguly, anyone?)

The Savannah is derived from a cross of the regular cat with the African Serval. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serval)

It resembles a long slender bodied cat with long ears- its more like a Cheetah and I think its the least adorable of the three varieties. (It looks like a malformed Cheetah more than a Cat)

Here's a pic of the Savannah:

The Asherah however is a new variety- something pitted as the rarest and most exotic of domestic Cats. They are a cross between a Serval and the regular cat, and a further cross with the Asian Leopard Cat- to produce an amazing triple traits Cat- having the spots of a Leopard along with contrasting stripes of a Tiger! And guess what does it cost- a whopping 22 grand ($22,000)! All for a Cat??!!

Here're some pics of the Asherah:

But from what I see- The Bengal looks most regal, while the Asherah seems nothing special- its mishmash of so many varieties leaves the final product neither here nor there. Growing up to 30 pounds, the Ashera is believed to be the largest pet cat available today. US based company Lifestyle Pets Inc. has already sold three of these felines, which are made to be uniform in size by genetic motoring.

Besides that, they are extremely social, and also allow being handled with a leash (unusual for cats). And sources say the breeding of these cats is severely limited, thereby only under a 100 cats will be available each year.

Well, all in all- unless you become one of those tibetan monks who play with tigers, this is as close you'd get to a real Tiger.

Bikini Bandits: Crazy, yet effective

Leave it to the Danes to pull out the most crazy trick out of the box. The recent move by the RFSF (Rådet for større færdelssikkerhed-Danish commission for increasing road safety) to allow a trained gang of so called Bikini Bandits to patrol the roads has been greeted with an overwhelming response from motorists.

Surveys suggest a 30% decrease in the number of cars crossing the speed limit (of 50 km/h).

So who or what are these Bikini Bandits. They are a gang of trained volunteers who prowl the streets TOPLESS (yes, topless) holding up the sign-post indicating the speed limit.

No wonder any guy would slow down or even stop to look at the sign-post (and obviously the "pole" which is holding it). Although it has been a desperate effort, and has produced favourable results, it has evoked an equal amount of criticism, especially from the female community.

Motorists stopping to gaze at the Bandits' uncovered assets has brought traffic to a standstill sometimes, while the girls jiggling their bosoms doesn't make a pretty sight for the women (who they say find such sights in public "disgusting"). Not to mention the fate of parents who would've a long bout of explanation to their little kids, if the children happen to be witnesses.

Head Bandit Heidi Svendsen (in first picture) reckons all such talk is crap and that she "couldn't care less for what others have to say. People are starting to notice!". She then sidetracked to commenting on her team as being the best (well, are there more baby? Where then?) and that they'll continue to do their jobs with full passion- that is to make Denmark sit back and pay attention.

But, of course, one mustn't forget- the Danes never worry and have no great cares to cause them stress- they've always had a care-free attitude to all things in life and why should something as innocuous and trivial as this cause them to drain their nervous energy?

On the contrary, the move is very popular among (no marks for guessing) the men.

No wonder- The Danes are the happiest people in the world (survey results).

Imagine something like this in India to stop people from littering? Dust-Bin Bandits, anyone? ;-)

Here's the link for the video of a news item on The Speed Control Bikini Bandits (Warning: Explicit Content Viewer Discretion Advised):
http://speedbandits.dk/