TORTURE NO MORE!

June 26th is the date that the United Nations has marked as the International Day in Support of Survivors and Victims of Torture http://www.tortureawareness.org/">

As an individual...you and I can make a conscious effort to denounce such barbaric acts!...this day, spare a thought for the victims wherever u are. We must remember.."Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" said George Santayana. Torture in any forms...physical or oral must not be tolerated in this 21st century!In your own little circle...respect one another..regardless of race or religion...etc Let's work together to bring a better tomorrow for mankind!

At around 9 p.m. on September 1, 2003, several policemen from the Public Security Bureau in Fushun City, Liaoning Province broke into the home of Ms. Luo Jingyu in Qiandian Village, Shuncheng District. They arrested Ms. Luo and her three-year-old daughter, Chi Xing, and took them to the local forced brainwashing center.
The staff at the brainwashing center told her family, "They are all right in the class and they will be released as long as she writes a 'pledge' to renounce Falun Gong.” In ordered to force the practitioners to renounce their belief, the authorities tortured them. Three-year-old Chi Xing witnessed practitioners’ bodies covered with electric baton welts and bruises. She was forced to listen to the policemen shouting, and to the painful moaning of practitioners being tortured. She has been suffering from severe mental trauma ever since....http://www.flghrwg.net/">

Do your part bloggers...spread the news!
Inspired by her royal highness...queen tainted :)

Bloggers Against Torture

Rent a Wife

Poor husbands in India have set up rent-a-wife schemes, leasing their partners for up to £100 a month to richer men as the shortage of brides has reached crisis proportions.

The increasing scarcity of young women graphically shows the impact of the outlawed but widespread practice of aborting female foetuses because families want boys, not girls.

Atta Prajapati, a farm worker who lives in Gujarat state, leases out his wife Laxmi to a wealthy landowner for £100 a month - around ten times his salary.

Laxmi is expected to live with the man, look after him and his house and, of course, provide sex....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=391581&in_page_id=1811&in_a_source=&ito=1490

It's tragic..:( Sometimes in life..it's difficult to understand when we are not in their shoes. I guess nobody in the right frame of mind will want to do such thing unless there's really no other choice!

Back in Dubai...I know a friend (from India) or should I say an acquaintance who is an IT professional...good remuneration. But he's pimping (he admitted himself) part-time! And get this right....he provides guys (his circle of friends...IT professionals, engineers..etc from India and the Philippines) for male expats/locals..mainly staying around Jumeirah. For a mere US$200...the one hour service includes a massage and some desserts...not cookies for sure! The pimp takes a 40% cut for each assignment. Why is he doing it? Hard to say...money is never enuff...more so if it is easy money! By the way...he's married. "What's that?" "No, I don't think his wife is for rent!"

It's a crazy, crazy world! You have a tale to share?

GNH

GNH: Gross National Happiness
Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product.

The term was coined by Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972. It signalled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Like many worthy moral goals it is somewhat easier to state than to achieve, nonetheless, it serves as a unifying vision for the Five Year planning process and all the derived planning documents that guide the economic and development plans to the country.....

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness

Indeed a noble concept...but to urban dwellers like us..especially those in Dubai..it's a bit naive. In affluent societies...pursuing wealth (money) is a favorite past time of most people."Talk about soul in my next life!"
In Dubai...i suspect..majority of the population (about 80% are foreigners)are extremely unhappy lot..we are always complaining(blogs, media forums, among circle of friends..etc) about the traffic jams, the weather, rude services, lazy locals, stinking construction workers...blah, blah, blah. Perhaps, our happiness is derived by inflicting pain on others.I am thinking...here u are...earning big bucks but somehow your threshold of tolerance diminishes? If you are still ranting about the same issues after 6 mths..i think u are better off somewhere else.

In my non scientific analysis, i think money and happiness are inversely related. Contentment is the indicator...again it's easier to say than to achieve. Perhaps, there are exceptions?

I have a friend..she's not making lots of money. But she gladly give a big portion every month (no time frame)to help another friend who's in deep sh*t....with no strings attached. You can really see the radiance in her face and the sparkles in her eyes...the contentment. I doubt I can do that...not in a million year!

What makes u happy?

Masala Dubai Part 01

Bollywood is coming to Dubai!
2006 IIFA Film Festival in Dubai to screen 30 Indian feature films
The 2006 IIFA Film Festival which will run from June 15-17 at the Grand Cineplex, Dubai, as part of the 7th Annual IIFA Weekend and Awards presented by Tiara Residence, will screen 30 Indian commercial and critical films and 5 short films.
United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, May 24 - 2006 at 08:54 GMT+4
I think it's about time...old dames like the Academy Awards and Festival De Cannes should likewise go on the road! IIFA was in Singapore a couple of years ago. I managed to sneaked in for the grand show through some "unscrupulous" means...lol
Somehow, the stars looked exceptionally ordinary in reality. That's the magic of movies!
I have a peculiar relationship with the indians....generally. Back home, I was initiated into the world of indian films by my "crazy" late granny. By the way, I'm not an indian.We started with Tamil movies...Sivaji, MGR,Jayalalitha (she's still a prominent Minister in India...loves shoes, money and power. Not necessary in that order)..illuminaries of the by-gone era. Later part.. we graduated..both my granny and my self...into Bollywood fares...Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amir Khan, Aishwarya Rai,Kareena Kapoor, Kajol...etc (The pic in this post features: Kajol and Shah Rukh)A must-have in most indian movies...gorgeous leads..singing and dancing in breath taking sceneries...it could be London or up in the Alps...etc
In Dubai, the indian community is pretty big. I have dealings with them in all sizes and shapes...real estate agents, manpower suppliers, IT professionals, cybercafe owners, money lenders...etc Mostly are from the state of Kerala. Specifc encounters with them will be shared in Part 02..:)
Anyway, a certain Swami told me I was also a black feline in my previous life...specifically a royal feline in the court of a Maharani in India many centuries ago. In the present 2nd life..Im still a feline serving Queen Tainted! I suspect they (Maharani and Tainted) are both the same being. Currently I am doing lots of charity works...hopefully will gain enuff good karma for a good life in the next round. We have nine lives u see. And I am praying for a role switch with her!
Wonder anyone else is crazy over them? Amitabh...the godfather of bollywood is still the real deal. Shah Rukh is boring...Amir Khan is a hobbit....Rai is souless..Kareena is a drag queen! You heard it first here.
!"Quick Muthu..give me a glass of icy mango lassi please! Im having coffee with Karan later."