Things That Bang

If you want your kids to have clean faith based fun then you can get them toys based on the Bible in Walmart. David Socha, founder of One2believe, the company which makes the dolls, is sure that these action figure dolls will be a complete sell out since peddling faith for money is tried and tested formula.

The Bible-based action figures will initially be given two feet of shelf space in 425 of the company's 3,300 stores nationwide.

There, the Tales of Glory dolls will take on what their makers are calling "the battle for the toy box" with some of the nation's most popular action figures.

And of course it makes sense for Walmart to carry toys, they will be a complete sell out. Can you image a good Christian household without a Jesus doll?
But before we believe that Walmart may have gone all Christlike in their corporate behavior lets not forget that they had come under heavy firing from the religious right for selling the after morning pill last year.

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Whoever said that gardening is a pleasurable hobby didn’t take into account the amount of hard work that goes into working with the soil. Being a novice at gardening I found myself breaking my back, getting tanned and getting dirt under my nails by pulling weeds, digging , transplanting and getting mad when the seeds refused to germinate or when insects destroyed my plants and yet it’s an addiction for the end result of watching beauty unfold slowly but surely makes it all worthwhile. But there can be no joy without sweat.
Currently I don’t have a gardener so it’s an actual hand on learning experience. While visiting Lal Baugh I found myself fascinated by a gardener’s knowledge and wanted to stay there with him and discuss my garden with him. We discussed miniature roses, vegetables, ornamental plants, growing annuals and perennials from seeds and about planting and maintaining a healthy lawn. Aaman had to tear me away from that fellow since we had to go to IIM for the Bar Camp and there I got to feast my eyes on true landscaping beauty. There were pergolas with gorgeous bamboos, fern like bushes that reminded me of candy floss and so many other plants that I recognized by sight but still need to find out their names.
I got a lot of ideas from there especially about container gardening and what kind of plants look best in them. There too I found myself wanting to talk to the gardeners, I wanted to learn how they keep their plants so healthy and more so the crotons that were planted in the open and were still thriving.
Another place where one gets to see gorgeous landscaping is Infosys where the greenery is complemented with beautiful fountains and ponds with koi in them. The buildings are a bit weird but the grass is actually greener at Infy and worth visiting.
And of course there is Cabbon Park( the lungs of Bangalore)- beauty unsurpassed except for the maddening crowd that one cannot escape.
Even on the congested roads one can find beauty in the gigantic Mahogany trees that line the roads. Bangalore is a gardener’s paradise- nearly everything grows here even those without the green thumb, like me, can achieve moderate success.

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“Ron!”

“Hermione!”

“Ron!”

"Hermione!"

They drop the Basilisk teeth and start smooching.

“High time they fucked!” I spat out and threw the book aside, disgusted by the obvious attempt to keep the book clean since J.K Rowling was mindful about not going beyond snoggling but didn’t think twice about writing graphic violence which could be rated PG-18.

Even the Nancy Drew Case Files showed more heated scenes than those envisioned by the author of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. Obviously J.K seems to believe that it is okay to expose our kids to graphic violence where people die like flies but god forbid if we have Hermione clambering into Ron’s sleeping bag to keep warm. Maybe the author didn’t have the cojones to reflect what actually happens in our co-ed schools or what would happen naturally between two young people who are in love with each other especially under stressful situations or maybe she wasn't writing the Potter series for adults but for kids under the age of ten. If so then she should have made the violence less gory.

But even a young adolescent would expect a more passionate description of young love between Ron and Hermione or for that matter between Harry and Ginny.

Ginny was barely on Harry’s mind. Sure, he had Voldemort to deal with and all that shit with the Hallows and a two-timing Dumbledore but his love for Ginny barely crossed his mind. J.K. had conveniently sent Ginny abroad when the situation became volatile. Or how about the time Voldemort was finally defeated? wouldn’t any love-lorn boy want the girl of his dreams to be at his side when he received all the adulation and praise? Instead Harry was saluting the big ‘D’ for all that he had done.

As I read the book I found myself drawn towards the romance between Ron and Hermione whereas Harry’s love was rather limp and unexpressed.

Compare his love for Ginny to the love Snape had for Harry’s mother - Lily. It was the noblest kind of love where he tried to protect her son even at the cost of his own life. He remained true to the love he held dear in his heart since he was nine.

While dying he told Harry to look into his eyes for he wasn’t really seeing Harry’s eyes but Lily’s before he died. Even in the final moments of his life he remembered his unrequited love – Lily.

By the time the book ended I was somewhat able to forgive Ms. Rowling for killing Voldemort in a shoddy manner, for somehow returning the stolen Gryffindor sword to the hat, for imposing some freakin' baby bawling and whimpering in the background of a train station while Dumbledore and Harry shared a heart to heart or worse still for the Mills and Boon abrupt ending where they all get married, make babies and live happily ever after.

I forgave J.K Rowling for one reason alone - for the love Snape gave his life for, a love he never had. He was the Judas who gave his all for what was never his to begin with – to protect the one who could have been his son or he wished was his own in the deepest recesses of his grave heart.

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Boys who pat girls butts and breasts at school may find themselves registered as sex offenders.

Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison, both 13, were arrested in February after they were caught in the halls of Patton Middle School, in McMinnville, Ore., slapping girls on the rear end. Mashburn told ABC News in a phone interview that this was a common way of saying hello practiced by lots of kids at the school, akin to a secret handshake.

I can understand suspending the kids but putting them in juvenile and registering the kids as sex offenders is hitting it too hard. What the kids need, what the school needs is a good therapist, teachers and parents talking to children about appropriate behavior around the opposite sex.

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I am wearing my - I heart USA badge but reading this news piece makes me glad that I ain't in US of A currently. A fellow was snitched upon in a coffee shop for reading an ambiguous article printed from the net. He was questioned by the FBI! Essh! I mean come on the rest of the world has faced terrorism for over twenty years but we don't go raising alarm when we see a civilian reading a paper on Weapons Of Mass Stupidity or someone calling our politicians shit heads!

Is the FBI fast becoming the American version of a Gestapo? And what about these Chicken likens with the sky perpetually falling over their heads? Do these fuck wits really think a terrorist would read a controversial topic in public and that too in freakin America where there are always fuck wits listening in or looking for suspicious activities just so it can be the high light of their day?

Fucking grow up already! Me thinks some people have been taking Bush and the series 24 too seriously!

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We are all adults here, at least I hope so. As it happens stumbleupon.com rates my site as a porn site and yeah, it is a site for those who have gone beyond the stage of thinking sex to be a novelty. While I tend to avoid featuring pictures showing Wa-Was and Pee-pees I do like to talk about the intimate connections that happen between them and the stuff that can and does go wrong because of these intimate activities.

But I have noticed that adults have a tough time broaching this topic. Even friends tend to do the wink wink and nudge nudge and god forbid if they get to know that the couple they are currently interacting with had sex prior to meeting them. Obviously, I'm not suggesting we tell the world sundry – hey me just got lucky- but at least not act as if they did something as nasty as taking a dump. And one of the reasons why Indian men are so bad in bed, they don't talk about sex; they don't read about sex and worse still very few of them are good kissers forget about being awesome boners in bed.

Kissing a babe does not mean sucking her lips in nor does it mean slithering the tongue in and choking her. And for heaven sake don't grab the breast! Seriously, amorous Indian men are like octopuses, unable to keep their hands, tongues and limbs to themselves.

This is the reason why Indian men especially those who never did get to fuck before marriage need to go for some much need sex education and I don't mean getting some tips from a video featuring a skanky bleached blond fuck fried babe. I mean reading up books on sex. Books on sex? Guess what? Most of those books remain unsold. I asked a couple of bookstores in Bangalore about the sales of their sex books and was given the same answer by most- dismal sales.

Frankly speaking we need more 'adult Indian blogs' and not the porno kinds alone but ones where people discuss regular adult issues- stuff like Indian condoms being smaller in size than those available in the US since the average Indian penis are quite small or that few Indian women know their bodies pleasure spots or have never experienced orgasms. There is so much to be talked about but we remain silent, still held hostage with the fear of what society may think or by the awkward fear we have of our own burgeoning sexuality.

Seriously, kissing is far more intimate than sex and yet we prize the virginity. And whatever for if for all the wait all the woman gets is a partner who humps her, spills, slips off and drools on the pillow. Sex is a fun activity, a fuck fest that gives truth to all the clichés found in romantic novels for those warm sensual moments lost in the lover's arms.

Indians are having babies by the kilos but how many are actually good in bed? We need our own Kinsey, someone to talk about the chokeful of used condoms found in the gutters behind the call centers, affairs that housewives are having with their college going tenants, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans- sexual. We need to open up that Pandora's box and inhale the musky scents.

We need to loosen up, take sex a little less seriously, take ourselves a little less seriously and while having fun show our middle finger to society and yeah write more about the fun side of being sexually active or even those lengthy inactive sexual periods. We need to talk more about sex, babies ..okay cut out the babies but yeah sex and all its trappings.

BTW, if you aren't gonna buy a sex book read -40 Mistakes That Men Make In Bed- damn funny

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Why are there so many nasty myths about cats? I want to keep a Persian Cat. They are lazy little munchkins with the sweetest temperament but my extended family is threatening that they will not visit me if I keep a cat. Lots of nasty stuff was said to me about cats- they bite, they steal milk, they bring bad luck, they scratch, they are dirty and when the brood failed to convince me they resorted to emotional blackmail.

A gorgeous grey stray visits us every day. He sleeps on the mat we have on the porch and demands milk every morning. He likes his space though once in a while he lets me pat him; even Parita has petted him though she is very scared of animals.

Cats require less attention when compared to dogs. They are loners and generally are pretty self-sufficient. Dogs on the other hand are like little children who never grow up- they crave attention and though I am a dog lover but I don't think I can take time out for a dog.

A cat on the other hand and a lazy Persian at that would be a good addition to the family. I can see the cat sprawled on my lap while I'm reading a book or nuzzled under my chin while sleeping (though I've heard that cats are generally nocturnal) or just sitting next to me while I typed away on my laptop.

But external family pressure is stopping me from getting a feline companion. And though I do feel it should be <s>mine</s> our decision the fact that people who matter are threatening not to visit in case of a feline pet is playing on my mind.

I so want to keep a Persian cat and feel like a petulant kid not getting her way.

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A satire magazine's copies have been withdrawn from circulation for a toon that showed Prince Felipe having sex with his wife with the tagline that it was the only time he worked!

The measure has reignited debate over press censorship. High Court Judge Juan Del Ormo ruled that the cartoon insults the dignity of the royal family, and ordered the seizure of all copies of that particular issue of the weekly "El Jueves". It shows the Prince engaged in conjugal relations with his wife, and saying that it was the nearest thing he's ever done to working. It's a satirical reference to a new Spanish law that will see parents receive 2,500 euros for each new born baby.

Makes one wonder why we are expected to tolerate toons about divinity but not those about who have the divine right to rule.

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• Reign Over Me – American and individual grief over 9/11
• The Fifth Element
• Happy Feet
• Mr. Bean's Holiday
• The Lord of the Rings
• Star Wars

This is a test post from Microsoft Word 2007

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There are two topics that Indian women always talk about- their maids and where to shop. It doesn't matter whether they are the CEOs of some gargantuan corporation or some idle housewife they all bemoan their useless maids.

As it happens I was told that the new Rajasthani neighbors have been trying to woo my maid away from me without paying the salary I am currently paying her.

I felt chagrined and smug at the same time. The new neighbors that have moved in across are jewelers come pawn shop owners. They are the typical small town Rajasthanis Marwari merchants who have come to get a slice of Bangalore economic boom but they stand out like sore thumbs just as I do.

But thats where the similarities end. Their wives roam around with their heads covered, wearing Langa Choli (blouse and a skirt covered with a transparent dupatta) and a kid nestled on the side whereas I am a woman the Rajasthani men would never want their women to be- wearing jeans, listening to Hip Hop and honking at their slim beautiful docile wives.

And yet they want my MAID!! For whatever reason they think its that easy to pouch on my maid. Obviously if she wants to leave she is most welcome to but even she knows it entails more work, less pay and the other side of the septic tank (literally) which is my house is much greener.

Maid pouching is nothing new. I grew up hearing of fights between female neighbors and even relatives over maids. Some women even stopped speaking to each other because of their maids, its that serious an issue.

Maids- we can't live with and without them in India.

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While watching the movie - Reign Over Me I realized what Ruvy said in his article- Life And Death In Jerusalem to be so true- Americans are stoic in their grief and yet by virtue of having gregarious personalities find the unspoken grief spilling in their lives. Charlie Fineman loses his family and in his bid escape his tremendous loss becomes dysfunctional but he is made to face his demons by his friend Don Cheadle who despite having a loving family and roaring dental practice feels incomplete without male companionship. The relationship is mutually beneficial and the message that 'no man is an island' comes across subtly.

Another movie with similar overtones is The Hawk Is Dying . Paul Giamatti playing a car mechanic who tries to train a red tailed hawk and having failed numerous times finally manages to train the hawk while trying to come to terms with his nephew's sudden death. The grief that George Gattlin suffers is so raw and personable that even the hawk is not immune to his pain.

Is there beauty to be found in grief? Its an emotion that once surmounted makes people wiser and more subdued than before. It makes people compassionate towards those suffer similarly and in many ways value life even more.

Ruvy in his post describes an Israeli funeral in a heart wrenching manner:

It was here that you could see the people of the village of Ma'aleh Levona and the village of Shilo knit and pull themselves together, as grown men cried and wept out loud, inconsolable in their weeping. My sons, used to the stoicism and denial of emotion that encompasses so much of American society, could not believe this. My younger boy commented that he had never seen nor heard grown men cry so hard and so loud.

The final prayers were said, and one individual, the father of the young man who had fallen asleep at the wheel said the final remarks, asking the forgiveness of Aviatar for all that he had done, before the ceremony ended with the bereaved father reciting Kaddish once more.

For many, faith ties them over and for others, families and friends help dull the pain. And, then there are those who become estranged or defensive when grief overtakes their saner selves. It is with people like these that we have to become mute, by our very silent or non intrusive presence we are able to tide them over like Don did in Reign Over Me and the wild red tailed hawk did for George in the movie- The Hawk Is Dying.

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Harry Potter has lost his chubby looks, both Ron and Hermione are taller than him and to make matters worse noseless Voldermort is plaguing his dreams to his own advantage. Potter gets to kiss the cute chinese gal who was Cedric Diggory's girlfriend and being a young teen soon enough forgets her dead boyfriend after a torrid kiss from Harry Potter.

Despite being a magnificent movie that does a wonderful job of encompassing a bloody five day read novel within a short two and a half hour watch I hate to say this- the movie deserves a PG-13 by the very fact that it is too sinister for the tots to see and the PG-13 may deter some parents from taking their nine years olds to a movie which starts with Dudley's life being sucked out by a dementor.

And of course there is the scene where Dolores Umbridge is kidnapped by the Centaurs for a torrid fuckreprisal for her conservative fascism.

The movie, like the book, in many ways reminds us of the current predicament the Brits and Americans are finding themselves due to the threat of terrorism. Where rights are being curtailed in the name of security and any kind of questioning or a rebellious attitude is immediately frowned upon by the government.

Of course in the end Harry is saved despite being possessed by Voldermort not by any magnificent trick conjured by Dumbeldor but by his innate goodness. He remembers the beautiful moments in his young life, the people who love him and pities Voldermort who never knew the meaning of love. Unable to bear Harry's pity Voldermort flees Harry's body.

Harry in the end realized the truth in Lupin's words- we all have the good and the evil within us but which one we bring forth matters the most. (paraphrased). While dealing with the menace of terrorism especially when it takes our loved ones away from us it would be easy to give way to the same animalistic anger and let it destroy our life and those close to us and Harry was quick to realize that very fact.

The only thing that differentiated him from Voldermort or us from the terrorists is negating the urge to take life willfully. It is a thin line which differentiates the good from the evil and of course not fearing Voldermort aka Osama Bin Laden

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With the Indian economy booming we aren't just importing consumer goods but also importing white skin. Indian cops have cracked on a number of rackets where women from Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan are flown in for sex.

As huge pockets of India globalize at a rapid pace, bringing in overnight wealth, the economics of demand and supply have resulted in the importing of young girls, who obviously come at a higher price, to meet the typical Indian fetish for fair skin. A comment termed it as the reverse outsourcing of call girls being brought in to meet the requirements of the beneficiaries of the actual business process outsourcing surge..... The racket is increasingly turning high-class with several Heidi Fleiss clones in existence. As the amount of money that is being pumped in by the client increases, so is the availability of women cutting across continents. The police have revealed an elaborate communication network that is in place to transact the deals through the use of email.

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Art can be disturbing. Stephen King has kids dying in his books all the time but to see kiddie deaths in art pushes the norms of acceptability. There are age old rhymes where kids break their crown and cradles fall with baby and all so why should death of imaginary kids make us feel out of sorts?

The Dalai Lama's message can be heard on the the Tibetan Buddhist Internet Radio. I wonder if the site is allowed to operate within China.

Andy Selsberg talks about the end of masculinity and Sopranos or least the end of the age old macho concept of masculinity;)

A couple of decades ago they would have probably featured in some freak show but in present times they live a somewhat normal life lives -Twins share a body

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We try our best not to act weird around people with disabilities. Even here in India where we make it our business to know what's happening in another's life we never directly shell out pity towards a handicapped person. But in United States Of America where people are very politically correct about these matters- where they have handicap parking, special elevators and pathways for the disadvantaged the disrespect that a mother with disabilities suffered twice at Mc Donald's comes as a big surprise.

Dawn Larson was born with Holt-Oram Syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes abnormalities in the hands, arms, and heart. Her tiny hands are about 6 inches from her shoulders, so she does most things with her feet.

She drove to the first window, gave the cashier her credit card with her foot, and pulled up to get her food. Dawn says, "The first girl said, 'Girl, you ain't got no arms' and the manager said she couldn't hand me her food and she just kept sticking to the fact that I didn't have no arms and she was disgusted by it. I had the right to eat my dinner and feed my kids and they took that away from me."

Larson says the manager eventually agreed to hand Larson's son the food. But she says an incident 3 and a half moths later at the McDonald's on 11th Street didn't end that way. Larson claims an employee there refused to even do that. "I paid to be discriminated against and I paid to be disrespected and I paid to not even have the right to eat my food."

On complaining she received a gift certificate from Mickey D inviting her to get abused by unsympathetic uncouth employees all over again. Obviously, she isn't glutton for punishment and decided to sue the pants off Mc Donald's.

Good for you gal. More burgers and chips for you!!

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People tagging me means the thread ends with me coz I never tag back and this is absolutely the last time I'm doing it!

Sandy tagged me

Eight Random Facts About Me:

I like to wear my favorite shoes 24/7

have a bleeding heart for kids and animals

I had appendicitis when I was 15

Same year my dog bit me and I had jaundice

I didn't like my first kiss and that was at India Gate

I read only romantic novels in the Loo

Red is my favorite color

I am addicted to blogging:)

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Is it time for us to get pissed again? The Chinese have come up with Mother Mary urinals and they are down right offensive. So are the butt sticking out hand washing basins. The concept behind the urinals is to make pissing fun but its tardy creativity housed in a four-story, 1,000-stall facility. There are billion Chinese enjoying Golden Shower activities with Mother Mary, isn't it time to boycott Chinese goods?;)

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Couple of good sites worth drooling and slurping over-

Food sites- Rasa Malaysia for Exotic food; for chocoholics- The Gourmet Chocolate Of The Month Club

Creative Graphics: Neverending Fall is kind of weird but to be experienced. A must click!! You better CLICK!!

Sexist Bullshit: With a few grains of truth buried deep..... aaway deep- Girlsspeak to English Dictionary and Babalu Blog

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I haven't been writing, been suffering from one of those shitty 'fuck me - but I can't write a word' feeling. So I am all out - kaput! Vat do I tell you, Sar? There is no chai to be sarved! The restaurant's owner is getting a message at the new Massage Parrlour SAR! All out Sar! We are destroyed SAR! All those nangee (nude) chinese girls are destroying our men SAR! Vaat to do!!

Yeah, that kind of shit is going on in my mind.

A fat sardarji lying on his stomach with his glorious thick hair parted at his nape, grunting and groaning as a beautiful slender North East babe from Nagaland kneaded his back just like his Jaiji kneading and thumping the flour under the shade of a banyan tree in his Gurdaspur courtyard, except for the boner which was making its presence known he felt nothing for the chewing gum munching cow that slapped and wacked his back, he loved his fat Sikhni wife, he loved her and not this 'Chinkie' gal; but he'd love to have her, just once, just this once, one the charpee on a hot Amritsari night, he would grab her her scrawny ass and do her and spray like thick hot buttermilk all over her back- Tring Tring- the phone rang-

Bollo Ji? Restaurant? Kya Ji? Chai? Us nekame writer ke leaa? Bhan chuth sala!! Mera Dream sequence Khrab katditha! Sala Chuthiya!!

Ahem...you still there?

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A babe in Gujarat stripped to her bra and panties and walked down the streets of Rajkot to shame her dowry loving in laws and husband. Lest she could have done was wear matching bra and panties!! Sheesh but hey she'd look hot in a cop uniform.

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"I don't need a baby growing inside me for nine months. For one thing, there's morning sickness. If I'm going to feel nauseous and achy when I wake up, I want to achieve that state the old fashioned way: getting good and drunk the night before."
-Ellen Degeneres

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Women can use their electrical toothbrushes to get off. Don't look at me but according to The Toothbrush women brush their clits with the electric brushes to have powerful orgasms. Is it plausible? I'm not gonna give it try since in India electric toothbrushes are kind of expensive and mine has traveled all the way from US of A.

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I never liked Garuda Mall in Bangalore especially after we got into a skirmish with a couple who thought there was nothing wrong with the mother hanging their kid over the second floor railing of the mall - Michael Jackson style. The kid was theirs and they could do whatever they wanted to that child- that was their reasoning. There was only one guard over there to try and break up the fight, there were waves of people surging through the place, it was a nightmare.

That was a year ago and even now I feel like a rat in a trap in Garuda Mall. The shops are good, the food court has far more variety than the Forum Mall but I feel insecure in that circular shaped mall especially on the elevators.

The Bangalore Mirror today reported :

Garuda Mall records over 90,000 footfalls over the weekend. It’s a lot and there is infact queue of people line up to use the escalators!!

The Karnataka State Fire And Emergency Services Joint Director B.G Chengappa said “At many city malls, I think horizontal railings and grills are quite dangerous as they invite people, especially children to climb on them and peep out. Having vertical grills could be a solution.”

Somehow I didn’t feel redeemed. There was no – 'see, I was right feeling', just exasperation. Last Sunday a six year old child met his death at the Garuda Mall.

While the Town Planning SS Topgi agreed that the Mahanagara Palike did not have a viable safety policy, he also pointed out that the parents had been careless.

Since I wasn’t there I cannot talk about the negligence or otherwise on the part of the parents, but I can say that we often see parents indulging in stupid behavior.

In my village I have a tough time backing my car out of the drive way since little ones play on the road. And I am not talking about kids coming from poor homes left to entertain themselves while the parents are at work but my middle class neighbors’ kids.

The kids are often seen half naked running up and down the road like little puppies and the mothers are nowhere to be seen. It’s quite a common sight in India to see dogs and kids loitering on the roads.

Even in the malls I continue to see careless behavior on the part of parents. Last Sunday at the Forum Mall a two year old was standing right at the point where the escalator's steps start moving upwards. A guy before us pulled the kid away from the escalator and gave the kid back to his nonchalant mother who was chatting with other wrens on the side, not caring where her tot was.

The fellow laughed and the mother smiled. I couldn’t believe the calm reaction. The kid could have badly injured himself. It wasn’t as if the kid was lost and returned to a distraught parent, the woman didn’t even know her kid was lost! And that fellow was so amicable. I wanted to give them both a earful but then remembering the 'Garuda incident' where I was told to fuck off with my concern that I decided to move on. In India it seems the notion that parents own their kids is quite the norm and my scolding will not make them better parents.

In another incident my maid told me that her cousin's four month old died. I was a bit surprised - they lived in Bangalore near National Market and were traveling to a village beyond Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu to show their kid to the village doctor there.

They were going from the city to a village for medical treatment and the baby had very high fever! All I could do was shake my head. My other part timer’s baby died because they were feeding her formula milk while the baby was suffering from severe dysentery,and this maid’s cousin baby died because they didn’t want to spend money on a doctor in Bangalore. Countless other incidents poured through my mind where I'd seen parents endangering their children’s’ lives.

Even though part of me understands that due to poverty and ignorance the mortality rate of children is high amongst the poor but how do I understand negligence on the part of those who are relatively well off and educated?

Are kids really properties that can easily be disposed off?

While visiting Garuda Mall a few weeks back to buy shoes for my son from Kittens, I saw a father clutch his three year old daughter close to his chest and get on the escalator. He was a bit hesitant, I could make out it was probably his first time on a escalator and he was very protective about his child. As he got on he looked at his daughter and they both laughed with glee and relief.

I smiled too. That’s what malls are supposed to be- places which make us bond better with our families and friends, places where we come to have a good time not act stupid and injure ourselves and our little ones.

Strict safety rules should be there for building structures like malls and movie theaters but I have a feeling that kids will continue to find themselves in shitty situations due to negligence on the part of the parents

Posted by Deepti Lamba at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Mohammed Asha, the Jordanian-trained doctor has been arrested, though not charged, in the terrorism plots in the Britain last week. Why?

He said that the Ashas were model tenants, but that Dr. Asha, a Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship, had something of a condescending manner. “He got a slight attitude,” said Mr. Plant, an elevator engineer. “He had a sense of self-importance about being a doctor. You could definitely feel it.”

I have yet to meet a doctor who isn't patronizing. Judges and doctors are known for their ' know it all attitude'. The words came from a certain Mr Plant who did say that they were 'modal tenants' with fears of racism weighing heavily on their mind.

Neighbors said the family was insular, but in the last few weeks two men who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent had started staying with the Ashas at the house

And? Makes me wonder what my neighbors in America must have thought when we had the rowdy relatives staying with us. One even had a strange habit of taking night walks in our community.

Chris Shaw, a postal worker who delivered mail to the Asha family, said he was struck that over the last three months or so, Dr. Asha started receiving more packages and certified mail than usual

My mom used to send me packages from India all the time. Was I also under scrutiny?

Further on.. ass covering attempts

“He would just sign for it and go back inside the house without saying much,” Mr. Shaw recalled. He added that Dr. Asha seemed bright, educated, courteous and European in his style of dress.

He wasn't friendly enough? I thought Brits liked their stiff upper lip. Memo to the Middle Easterns and South Asians - smile at the postman and ask how the misses is doing..ALWAYS!

Mr. Plant said Dr. Asha often dressed in traditional Muslim attire, as did his wife, who would retreat upstairs whenever Mr. Plant came to tend to a maintenance problem.

Others recalled that Dr. Asha alternated between wearing Muslim garb and Western clothing, like white dress shirts and suit pants.

Dr. Asha and his wife, who wore a hijab to cover her head, stood out in a closely knit community that does not have much of a Muslim population.

And the problem with that is? Maybe they will scrutinize all the Auntyjis who step out of their suburban homes in nighties laden with gold till their waist and wearing rubber chappels or loving their hijabs.

In the end the reporter spoke to his family who said he was a good doctor, religious Muslim and vocal in his arguments.

Enough reasons to be a terrorist? Nope. The entire article on NY was one soppy attempt at insider information which reeked of racial stupidity. We, brown skinned people don't smile, we hate to make eye contact, our women are taught not to make idle chit chat with men, we are too the point and we aren't friendly; no matter how many times the postman comes some of us will not smile and god forbid some of us are vocally ferocious.

Does that make us neurotic? Perhaps, but these eccentric habits do not make us terrorists.

Posted by Deepti Lamba at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Tomorrow I will be taking care of a fungal infection. I know what your thinking - Dee has yeast infection!! No, silly, my trees have yeast ahem fungal infection. But like the yeast infection white spots appear all over the trees bark and if they are fruit trees you may even get fungus seeping inside your fruits.

I have two custurd apple trees, one lemon tree, two mango trees, one neem tree, two berry trees, one cheeku tree one banana tree and two pomegranate trees and they are all have the fugal infection.

The soil is ridden with all kinds of ants, aphids, slugs and caterpillars. There are these green caterpillars that look very pretty but if they come in contact with your skin - its freakin' hell to pay. One fell on my arm, stung me and I had some circular rings form on my arm along with swelling.

And the pain! Don't even get me started on it!

My new hybrid roses have died thanks to the fungal infection, the trees are all whitish, fruits rotten and damn termites have also appeared.

Till last year I didnt give a rat's ass about my garden and things were fine- (except for that one longish snake that had a run in with me) we enjoyed fruits, lazed around and then wham the damn garden decided to turn against me when I decided to take up gardening.

Diseases and Pests have become the bane of my life. Anything I plant gets eaten or diseased and its fucking frustrating. I keep pulling the weeds out and they seem to re-appear at a nearby spot. I even cut down a damn unknown tree and it seems to be returning.

Gardening requires fortitude and patience and unfortunately I seem to have neither but at the same time I am not known to be a sore loser. The war may be lost ( one can't win over nature) but the battle will go on!

Posted by Deepti Lamba at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)