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Showing posts from February, 2005

Knot now, darling!

This is an article that I read in The Pioneer. Nice one!! Mohinder Singh Joan Erikson, scholar and wife of the famous pyschoanalyst Erik Erikson, was once asked what could be the secret of their celebrated marriage. The Eriksons had been happily married for 60 years and were known for radiating mutual love and respect in each other's company. "Well, that's easy," she said, "A sense of humour. Humour is what keeps everything in balance." Over and over again, it has been observed that shared laughter happens to be an important bond between happy couples. Not laughter in the sense of jokes making the rounds but something deeper. It's a state of marriage where the partners continue to find each other interesting, almost "funny". Happily married couples have an intimate way of relating to each other. And this connection they are often seen to be keeping through a mild sort of spontaneous bantering. A majority of happily married couples are to a degr

How to stay young

This is a nice article on aging that I happen to see in one of the blogs. Its jus too good... George Carlin "Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. "How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half You're four and a half, going on five!That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead."How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . .. . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! . He TURNED; we had to throw him out There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling

What's in a name

My son was pissed off with me suddenly over his name. "Why didn't u name me Krishna?" he questioned and did not speak with me for half an hour.After much pacifying, he reconciled on the condition that he be called "Krishna" at home.Did I hear someone say "what's in a name"?

Two-year-old engaged to 40-year-old in Pakistan

Where are we living...disgusting... Monday February 21 2005 11:46 IST IANS ISLAMABAD: Two-year-old Ruby has barely learnt to walk but she finds herself engaged to a 40-year-old man in another shocking verdict by a village council in Pakistan. Ruby was formally engaged to Rehmat Khan to settle a dispute between the two families, an incident reported by GEO television. It said the decision was taken by the local panchayat (village leaders) to settle the dispute that started some seven years ago. The incident took place in Ratta village of Punjab province, about 80 km east of Multan city. The report said Ruby's paternal uncle Sadiq had some land dispute with Khan. According to the channel, Sadiq had unlawfully seized some two acres of land that belonged to Khan and harvested different crops in seven years.Khan went to court. But when the court could not come up with any decision, he referred the matter to the village council. The council met 11 times in three months and finally on Sat

Sex kills

Sex kills. At least for cockroaches. This is what the US scientists have to say for now. Their recent research has shown that sex scents can be used to kill cockroaches at home. In a bid to stop the usage of pesticides which are more harmful to humans too and which have been reportedly being misused with those with suicidal tendencies, a group of US researchers have got this to say. They have found that a particular kind of smell generating tablets, akin to those of female cockroaches, can be used to lure the male ones to assemble at one place which can be later eliminated easily. The method which is still under trail stage could soon find its way into the market to stop misuse of pesticides. A scenty and sexy way to keep cockroaches at bay!

Love bug can drive you mad

Now, you know why love is blind....Beware, ye lovers.... by Roger Dobson & Sarah Kate Templeton, The Sunday Times, Monday, Feb 14 People who feel compelled to behave irrationally on February 14 (Valentine's Day) may not entirely be to blame for their actions. Scientists have found evidence that love really is blind. Scans of lovers' brains show that they lose their critical faculties when smitten, making them less able to spot flaws or potential problems. The blackout could be the reason lovers are said to behave impulsively or irrationally and why incompatible couples make whirlwind marriages they later regret. Professor Semir Zeki of University College, London, has been studying lovers' brain scans and will present a paper on the research later this year. "The scanning shows that love activates specific regions in the reward system of the brain, while reducing activity in the systems involved in making negative judgments," he said. "Our research shows t

Baby talk!

What do you do when you lose your child? You go and register a complaint with the police to find it. What do you do when your child safe after a long search and yet the authorities concerned refuse to give it to you just because they are not convinced that you are his parents? This is exactly the dilemma that was faced by the Sri Lankan couple who lost everything in the deadly tsunami and were a bit consoled to find at least their child safe and alive after a long search. But to their horror, they were stopped by the hospital and other authorities from claiming the child just because these "authorities" were not convinced about their parenthood. The Baby 81 issue which invited a lot of media attention amid the horror stories of tsunami is a queer one. Admitted to the hospital by a good samaritan who found the baby floating on a wooden log after 3 or 4 days of tsunami, the boy baby was admitted to the hospital and was given the tag baby 81 as it was the 81st patient to have

A sensible solution

After the disgusting and horrifying MMS scandal at the Delhi Public School, the State governments have been reacting in panic. Many governments including Delhi, U.P., Kerala and Rajasthan had banned the usage of cell phones at schools and colleges. The move, which was enforced with immediate effect, is akin to shaving off the head for fear of dandruff. This is more an escapist attitude rather than braving the rough weather. The Governments surely cannot wash their hands off the matter having restrained the usage of cell phones. More the curbs, the more innovative the young ones are going to become. What these governments have failed to think is that, it was not the cellphones which caused the trouble but only the images on them. In short, its the students who were the culprits. However, it is heartening to note that one small school in a remote town in Tamil Nadu has some sense in all. The Kallar Government Higher Secondary School in Tamil Nadu located at Karunakkumuthampatti near

BBC broadcast draws flak

This is a very interesting and logical presentation of the Shankaracharya case protesting against a BBC radio show on Jan 31. Though the authenticity of the letter and that of the writer is unsure, the letter is reportedly to have taken from BBC radio web site. Look how logical and clearly has he stated the case. Wish this brings in some sense into the minds of people and police. B.B.C. ComplaintsP.O. Box 1922Glasgow, G2 3WTUnited Kingdom OBJECT(ION): B.B.C. Radio 4 program, “View from India, broadcast first on Friday, 28 January 2005 and rebroadcast on Sunday, 31 January 2005 at 8.50 a.m. Dear Sir/Madam, I was appalled by the 'View from India' report about the Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram, Sri Jayandra Saraswati, and the institution of which he is the pontiff, Kanchi Shankara Matam. Your guest speaker, the editor-in-chief of Outlook Magazine, happens to be one of the very people who have been relaying the lies and calumnies about the Shankaracharya and the

Muslim women set up own law board

At last, some relief and respite for Muslim women!! Wonder, why it took them so long to realise their own state?!! Amita Verma Lucknow, Feb. 2: Muslim women on Wednesday formed the All-India Muslim Women’s Personal Law Board barely a week after the Shia community set up its All-India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board. Announcing this here on Wednesday, the president of the newly constituted board, Ms Shaista Amber, said that since the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board had failed to effectively tackle issues related to women and their rights, Muslim women decided to set up a separate board to focus on women’s issues and their rights under the Shariat. "The new board, which pledges to work under the tenets of Islam, will ensure protection of women’s rights. Islam gives equal rights to women, but the interpreters of the religion have reduced women to the status of a commodity. Millions of Muslim women are suffering after being given talaq by their husbands in a wrong manner a