You want to Date the Girl Next Door? Then Read This

How to hook the girl next door in India?

India is a peculiar country as the country at places is modern and at places still mired in anachronisms of the past. thus in case you fancy a girl next door and want to date her the  rules of dating will have to be fine tuned to the Indian condition.

Firstly insure that you do not make any direct approach in the initial stages at all. Girls in India (except in the Metros like Mumbai) are conditioned by society around them and will recoil into their shell when accosted or approached by a stranger. So you will have to play the waiting game and then only you can be a winner.

Secondly map the girl’s route and her daily routine. In case she is a student or a working woman it’s easier as her routine will be fairly regular. Make it a point to be available at vantage points so that she can see you every day and becomes familiar with your face. Make it a point to put in your best behavior and be well dressed with a smart look.This process can run into many weeks and then in case you are lucky a time will come when a girl may need some help. Be the gallant knight and help out and the ice would be broken.

Do not still rush in and play the waiting game. Follow up now with regular greetings and make it looks natural when you accompany her to her place of work or study.  Make light chat and tell her about yourself. Maybe a couple of such visits will do the trick and then you could offer to drive her back from her place of work. Tell her you live nearby and it’s a matter of chance that you are likely to pass by and could take her home.

The rest is your ability and you will have to decide when to ask her out for a cup of coffee at Coffee day or a similar joint. Make it a point not to touch her till another few weeks and after that if Indra the god smiles on you may get a chance to kiss her.

So friends and young men follow these few steps and in case you are assiduous and work hard the object of your desire could be in your arms. Girls are the same everywhere, conservatisms be dammed.

OROP is in Cold Storage Literally: FM skirts the Issue.

As expected the union budget has been presented. Generally the pundits are feeling it’s a good budget, but that is not what will interest the ex-serviceman who has slogged for the Indian nation.  The budget is silent on One Rank One Pension and as reported by Indian express all the FM said is that he is "committed" to sanction OROP once the dispute on interpretation of OROP is sorted out between the forces and the Ministry of Defense.

This is very sad as it skirts the issue completely. The interpretation of OROP is accepted by 2 parliaments and yet the Finance Minister talks of ‘dispute" and "interpretation". Obviously he is skirting the issue and taking refuge in some bland statements which are in fact tantamount to lies. It is so sad that a BJP government that came to power under Modi on a plank of One Rank One Pension is now talking of "resolving” some issue between the MOD and the forces. Frankly this is a ploy to bypass the sanction of OROP and shows that the BJP is not to be trusted. I wonder what happened to the promise by the Defense Minister Mr. Parrikar that OROP would be considered as Military pay and sanctioned immediately.

The Indian state has scant respect for men who wear the uniform. As things stand the government will allow this year to pass and I don't think any good will come in the coming years. The government is testing the patience of the soldier and hoping that as many as possible old pensioners die so the liability is reduced. This shows the warped mind of this government and it seems despite the slap in the Delhi election, the BJP has leant nothing.

Hemingway wrote " For whom the Bell Tolls". Has the BJP considered this? Frankly one cannot blame the BJP alone as all other party's on the political spectrum are equally responsible. After all the Congress and the UPA sat on this demand for 10 years. Maybe the NDA and BJP will sit on it for another 5 years at least. I wonder what stops him exerting himself.

A major lacuna is the complete abdication of responsibility by the General Staff\. The COAS is unable to exert himself, which is hard to reconcile as the army is the biggest stake holder in the unity of India. Not forgetting he heads the biggest organized force in the country. I wonder what stops him. It is food for thought that one army chief could go to the Supreme Court on a trivial matter of his age, so he could get an extension, but not for OROP.

Houris or Perpetual Virgins is Reward in Paradise in Islam

Islam is the monotheistic religion founded by Muhammad, who is considered to be the last prophet of God. One aspect of Islam that is not much discussed is the concept of Houris. Houris are beautiful virgin women who reside perpetually in paradise. In Islam the Houri’s are perpetual virgins and the epitome of beauty. Islam says that houris are a reward to a true believer for following the injunctions and practices of Allah.
The concept of Houri’s is one of biggest motivating factors for a Muslim. True followers of Islam believe that if they have been faithful to their faith and believed in Allah then they will be rewarded with perpetual virgins for their pleasure after death in heaven.
The Houris in Quran
 The Koran mentions about the Houri’s at a number of places. The stress is on female houris as all the characteristics mentioned are feminine.  Various scholars have defined Houris as women who are pure virgins who stand and await the arrival of the true believers as a reward for a lifetime of devotion to God. The Koran refers to Houris as ‘spotless virgins’ and ‘eternal beautiful and pure wives”

 Significance of the Houris for Muslims
  For Muslims the concept of Houris has a special significance. They believe that a true believer who has lived his life as a good Muslim will be rewarded on his death with a number of young boys and 72 beautiful virgins.  The Koran does not mention the number of virgins but the Hadiths specify the number as 72.
These virgins are termed ‘eternal virgins’ as they have the god given quality of regenerating their hymens. They will give endless pleasures to the man and believer.
  Various Islamic sources describe many characteristics of these Houris. The Qur'an promises men voluptuous virgins. Many characteristics of the virgins have been described in various Islamic sources. They are supposed to be voluptuous and full breasted. Some Islamic scholars have amplified the Houris as having ‘large, round breasts’ which are not inclined to hang.
The Quran Chapters 52 to 56   describe these endless Houris. (Refer: The Quran 55:56; 55:58; 78:33; 56:12; 52:16-17, 24; 56:35-38; 52:20)
The belief in Houris is strong in Islam. It is one of the beliefs that is unquestionable and sacrosanct

Want to Date and Love Irish Girls? Follow match.com

COMPANY SNAPSHOT OF MATCH.COM (IRISH DATING SITE)

 Ireland is a distinct nation and the Irish a proud and distinct race. It must be clearly understood that the Irish are different from the English, who ruled over them for many years. Obviously it stands to reason that people of Irish origin would like a site that caters to their clan. Many sites advocating Irish dating have surfaced on the net, but m.ie.match.com is one of the most prominent in this field. The site showcases members of Irish origin but membership is open and any anybody can become a member of this site who will relish the company of Irish girls and men.

What this site sells?
The site is a dating site promising girls and men as dates, companions and marriage with an Irish background. There are nearly 35 dating sites catering to the Irish clientele. Out of these match.com is almost in the top bracket. The site contains the largest member’s database compared to other similar dating sites. It has over 25 million members and as per reports last year over 400,000 people found a date on this site.

There is a 3 day free trial membership after which the rates are outlined below
$ 34.99 for  one month
$59.97 for 3 months
$101.94 for 6 months.
In addition the site will charge extra ($4.99) for additional services like Email notification, Highlighted profile, match mobile and first impressions.
Paid membership of this site is more costly than similar dating sites, because the site promises an exotic niche of Irish girls to date. Its plus point is that it is reachable in 18 different languages.

You can pay on line through any of the popular payment systems like credit cards, western union and mail in order.
 The site is packaged along with a relationship expert Dr Phil’s MindFindBind feature. This helps a member to be more successful with the opposite sex. This feature is charged extra at the rates given below.
$43.98 for one month
$83.94 for 3 months
$143.88 for 6 months.
What are this sites return policies?
Paid membership can be cancelled at any time.   However in case you do not cancel your subscription, the site will continue to charge you with automatic renewals there will be no refund in case subscription is not cancelled. All purchases are final and the site does not refund any subscription for any unused period.

Customer service

The site can be easily contacted in the USA. Its corporate Office Headquarters address is
8300 Douglas Avenue suite 800
Dallas, Texas 75225
Corporate phone number is 1-214-576-9352
Email support is available at support@match.com

Feedback.

The feedback for the site is good. In fact it is the big daddy of Irish dating sites. As the allure of Irish girls is tremendous the site is thriving. The general rating is 4 stars on a five point scale and is perhaps one of the finest dating sites.

Visiting Portugal and Lisbon: a Budget Holiday

Last month me and my girl Marie took 15 days off and we thought to travel to an exotic place for a holiday. We wanted to avoid the usual run of the way places like London and Paris and thus chose Lisbon. We flew from the UAE (Abu Dhabi) by Emeritus flight to Lisbon. Emeritus flies daily to Lisbon from the UAE.
 Lisbon is a nice clean city. It’s not very big and most places are walkable. But it has old iron trams like in Calcutta, though a Metro also is there. Its best to hire a taxi, but we always fixed the price before hand.

 The best thing is take a Lisboa card that allows you free travel in all public transports as well as a discounted or free entry to the Museums. The Museums are the heart of Lisbon and I loved them as they show cased the time of Henry the navigator, when fearless Portuguese seafarers like Vasco de Gama, Diaz and many more sailed the globe.

A mere 20 minutes by train is the beach suburbs of Cascas and Estoril. My girl wore a bikini and oglers were there. Another 40 minutes away is the Moorish castle and national palace at Sintra, now a world heritage site.

Lisbon is cheap, in fact a lot cheaper than most European cities. Plenty of hotels and lodges to choose from.  We stayed in a youth hostel. Nice clean accommodation. One could see that the economy is in doldrums and Portuguese want as many tourists as possible. Lovely place for a visit I recommend it.

What we ate In Lisbon

Lisbon was a wonderful stay. It also helped strengthen my romance with Marie. We are both foodies and loved the Portuguese food. Not many know that Portugal has the highest consumption of fish per head in entire Europe.

In particular we like huge charcoal- grilled sardines which are served by the roadside. We also liked garlicky  ameljoas(clams) with vinho Verdi which are available at roadside stalls  and cafes that run up to  late hours. We also dined at the Rosa da Rua a restaurant that has Portuguese and Indian food  on its menu. This was a surprise.

There are also 15 varieties of Portuguese cheese. You can also get wonderful sausages and salami. We didn’t miss Indian food as we gorged on Portuguese food. It’s a little distinct from normal bland European food. One can get a taste of it in Goa, which was a Portuguese colony.

Why Girls in Bikini's are Alluring to Men ?

Recently I had been to Mumbai and fixed up for a glass of beer at the US Club , Colaba . This is the premier club of the armed forces of India and it traces its origin to the days of the Raj.  My friend suggested a glass of beer next to the pool. As I sipped the beer, I observed a bevy of girls in bikini's swimming and running around the pool. It was a sight to warm any man and it was a pleasure to note that  all men sitting or swimming around the pool ogled the girls in bikini. I also looked and mentally selcted a Indian girl in black bikini.  I wondered whether later I could bag an intro to her.

At the same time a wider question popped in my mind. I wondered why girls in bikini's attract men more than honey attracts bees. Women know that they attract men and I am afraid the fact is they wear skimpy suits to look attrative and be desired. I wonder how many women will deny this.

I now touch on a deeper philosophy. Eve was created by God for Adam as a companion and a love mate. What does this mean? It means that women were created for men. No offense meant, but it's a fact that is so very true. Women thus want to be desired and what better method than to wear a bikini and flaunt a lovely body( if you have one)..
This also applies to Muslim girls and I know so many who wear bikib's in defiance of the ulema. The fact is man is an animal, more like a lion( excuse the simili). A woman is the most desired object in life and it's but natural that a man would love to see the hidden treasures of the body.
The bikini entices and opens a exotic world.  men would love it and women would be pretty unhappy if there was no one to admire them.

Is the American Negro More Prone to Raping White Women ? What are the Facts?

Rape and Blacks

An illusory image

Race statistics are a volatile subject and anynumber of people will cry ‘foul’ when a statistic is presented. One must be aware that the black man is not the original inhabitant of America. In fact he was an unwilling man brought by force from the deserts and jungles of Africa to serve his white masters in the USA. For close to 200 years the black man was a slave and served his white masters. The church accepted this and did precious little to alleviate the lot of the Black man. This was also the period when the white master had his pick of the Black man’s woman at his sweet will and the product became the mulatto, an archaic word now not much used.

Abolition of Slavery but Color Discrimination
 Once the slavery was abolished the black still labored under severe handicaps. His opportunities were limited and right up to the Second World War the armed forces including the Navy discriminated against the back man. They were not allowed to serve on decks of warships and were confined below deck.

 Another aspect that must be borne in is that a victor throughout history took his reward the women of the vanquished. This continued till the Second World War and the Germans and the Imperial Japanese army are guilty of perpetuating these acts.

Further DiscussionI bring out this fact to illustrate what I am going to write further. In the USA a socio-psycho problem that has arisen is the rape of white women by black men. Just as an example statistics relate that 37,460 white women were raped by blacks in 2005. These are only verified figures and the actual number should be higher. In contrast the rapes of black women by white  men were just 10. Figures for later years are not available.

 What does this mean? It means the black man has a fetish for sex with a white woman and in case she does not accede to his request he is apt to use force to fulfill his dream/\. The only reason of so many blacks raping white women points to a deep desire of the black man to come to terms with the white man for decades of privitations and slavery. It is perhaps an expression of revenge and a desire to be an equal of the white man. What better method than to sleep with a white woman, overpower and conquer her.

Last Word This phenomenon needs deeper study. On my last visit to Chicago there was a case of two black men breaking into our neighbour’s house and raping two sisters. Luckily they did not kill as such crimes have a propensity to unleash violence,
After all blacks are 27.5 times more likely to rob whites than the other way around so this figure might be closest to the truth for rapes.

How to Love and Date Black Women

Africabeauties.com is an international dating site that helps a man from America or the West to search for black woman friends as a live in partner, a date or marriage. Africabeauty.com is a site that panders to the exotic, for that is what man desires.  A relationship with a black woman comes in field of exotica and many men dream about it. Africabeauties.com was founded in 2001 as a small family business. It is an American company and works according to the American legal system though it operates from Cyprus. The site has profiles of hundreds of black girls from Africa which can be scanned for a selection

Africabeauty.com is a dating site that introduces a man to exotic women from the continent of Africa. Africa beauty  is in fact the largest black women dating site with the largest no of black women/African from all over the world and thus the chance of your finding a match for yourself are better. The following add to the utility of the site
It has global reach and even if you are a resident of USA or France the site is easily accessible.

A major advantage of the site is that many of these women come from English knowing backgrounds
They also have "Date a Lady" program, which requires you to write at least five letters to a lady and open at least five responses from her. Once the exchange of letters is complete, you may proceed further
Basic membership is free while the premium membership has a price tag.  This involves buying credit coupons that can be encashed for services rendered. However there is no refund on unused credits. There is also no trial period and one has to be clear about these matters while joining the site.

This website is a premier dating site and cannot cater to the vagaries of human emotion. The website and services are provided on an “as is” basis.  The site provides no warranties of any kind express, implied or statutory.
 One can easily become a member by filling up a form on the net. You can also browse the data of girls free. Video profiles of girls are also available.  The basic aim of the site is to encourage members to have a longer association.

The overall customer feed back of the site is good.  Generally Africabeauties.com is considered as the no 1 site in its genre for dating, friendship and a longer liaison like marriage.

Beheadings is now given Refuge only in Islam

Beheading, the Barbaric Custom is Still Alive and Kicking
Severance of the head with one blow of the sword or an axe from the body is often referred to as beheading. It means the removal of the head from the body and was a practice in the medieval age. But with time this practice ceased in the Christian world and India as the society in these countries felt that this punishment was an anomaly as far as human behavior is concerned.

Beheadings however surfaced in the Far East especially in Japan where it began to be associated with the samurai and chivalry. Though one cannot fathom how a nation following the path of Buddha could have taken part in these types of punishments. The fact is Japan embraced this custom of killing an opponent with a sword like a fish to water and at a conservative estimate Japan must have from the period oh the twenties to the end of the Second World War carried out at least a million beheadings. The Japanese soldiers played Bizzare games as they competed to reach the magical figure of 100 beheadings individually.

The end of the war saw an end to this barbaric practice. No amount of self justification can explain why POW’s were beheaded in a most cruel and heartless manner. At the end of the war many Japanese officers and men were tried and hanged for these crimes.

However throughout this period of world history Islamic nations embraced this form of punishment as it is specified in the Shariat. Presently at least 4 Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Yeman among others have this punishment on their statute books. They justify it as a part of the Shariat which is derived from the Islamic scriptures. Iran is guilty of beheading the CIA director of Beirut who was abducted by Hezbollah and spirited to Iran. It was a most barbaric crime as was the beheading of Daniel pearl in Pakistan,

Presently the militant Islamic groups use this form of punishment to wreak vengeance on their enemies. It us justified as part of Koranic law. The Islamic state has made it  a ritual.
 The aim is to cow down the enemy and by all means is a heartless act. Saudi Arabia is the leader where even a princess and her lover were beheaded on the early eighties. It is a pity the USA is allied to such a nation and is America’s   strategic partner. One can die laughing on a bed of nails at this perfidy.

Will beheading go away? No chance as hardliners feels it is condoned by the Islamic religion.

Jackie Kennedy: Where do we place her?

Remembering Jacqueline Kennedy

John F Kennedy was shot dead by a lone marksman on 1963. That is almost 50 years back, but the image of his wife Jacqueline Kennedy still lingers. She was young, attractive and had set the fashion charts alive as the wife of the president. The death of Kennedy was a traumatic moment for her, but she charted a separate life later, which was not liked by many of her admirers.

Jackie was born in 1929. He father was a stock broker. Within a decade her parents separated and she had the misfortune of shuttling between the homes of her mother and father (now separated). But she was a woman of character and did not allow this aspect of her parent’s life to traumatize her as she finished college and obtained a degree from George Washington University in Washington.

There along with girls of her age she met a few of the younger senators and she dated John F Kennedy at that time. It was a whirlwind romance as they soon married in 1953. She was an ambitious lady and fully supported John Kennedy’s bid for nomination for the US president. He won the nomination and Jackie was by his side and his strongest supporter. But the extra marital affairs of John did put her off, but they had 2 children. It was rumoured that John also had a fling with the famous actress Marilyn Monroe.

As the President’s wife she charmed the American masses who loved her style in dress and fashion. In fact she became a trend setter so much so that when John met Nikita Khrushchev at Vienna in 1961, it was she who was in the limelight. Kennedy’s death jolted her and after her brother in law Robert was shot dead. she was swayed by a dread. She wanted to leave America and took a decision to marry the Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

 This was not liked by the US masses who felt it a betrayal of John’s legacy.

Jackie settled in Greece but Onassis died of heart complications in 1975. Earlier he was heartbroken after  the death of his son in 1973. By then the two had drifted apart. Jackie was a non Greek citizen and getting a share of the wealth of Onassis was difficult.

She eventually settled for $ 26 million from the daughter of Onassis and migrated back to the USA. She died in 1994 of extreme cancer that had spread all over her body.
Where do we place Jackie now? It’s not an easy answer though I for one can never fathom why she had to marry Onassis.

A Dating site with a Difference: www.mysinglefriend.com from England.

Sarah Beeny and her Dating Site

Sarah Beeny is a TV presenter in the UK and the site www.mysinglefriend .com is her brainchild. Started in 2004 this site is an exclusive British dating site but has a subtle difference from other dating sites. What does this site sell? The TV presenter Sarah Beeny started this site in 2002. The site strives hard to be different from the normal dating sites. The site allows a partner or friend to describe your qualities which are incorporated in your profile.

The site can be joined by anyone who is single or married and name singles.com should not be thought of as applicable to singles only.

Unique Approach

The site allows a friend to describe your qualities which are listed. Only one friend can describe you, but he or she can quote other friends if required. This is something unique as descriotions by some one close to you can be published. Yu need not write your own introduction.
Costs .

The site has a free and paid membership. Free membership allows you to browse the site and display your photo and bio data on the site, but to progress further and interact with members a paying membership is a must. The rates for paid membership are £28 for 1 month £55 for 3 months (£18.33 per month) £79 for 6 months (£13.17 per month)

Last Word

Paid membership opens a host of benefits like sending and answering emails, chatting and video chat. The site is one of the most popular dating sites in the UK and the success rate is quite high.

I am aware that officers from the IAF on British aircraft  became members of this site with excellent results.  One of my colleagues even reigned his commission to settle in England with an English girl. You can’t marry a foreign national in the Indian Air Force. The site will require your bank details for all payments. The information is secure and stored and not accessible to any third person.

The site has many success stories and many people have found love on this site

Islamic Law and Rape

Proving Rape in Islamic Law is Impossible

When I was completing my law degree at Mumbai, one of the subjects in our first year of study was Islamic law. What is Islamic law? It is a set of principles as interpreted by various jurists from Islamic holy books. It is only applicable to Muslim.
The law at one time was progressive, about 1500 years back, but in the modern world some facets of the law are archaic. In particular I am concerned with the crime of rape. Islamic law as stated in the Sharia states that in case a rape is to be proved, the following needs to be fulfilled

a) There should be 4 witnesses to the rape. This by itself is a non-starter as rape is generally committed in seclusion and 4 witnesses will never be available.
b) A women’s evidence is half of a man, thus in case there are only women witnesses the requirement is 8 witnesses. This reduces women to second class status.

These laws of evidence clearly make the charge of proving rape almost zero. The worst thing is that in case a woman cannot prove rape she is to be tried for Zinna or adultery and the punishment for that is death by stoning.

The Sharia is not dead and gone in rape cases. It was re-introduced by President Zia ul Haq in Pakistan and is also valid in many Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia.
In India it is not recognized where the Indian penal code covers the crime of rape. The Sharia is also not having any legal standing in the West and China.

The World of Women Evil Spirits

Belief in the Chudiyal

Painting of chudiyal by my wife

The world of the supernatural is an exciting field. Many believe in I and many do not and think that all tales about supernatural beings and evil spirits is a hallucination or a figment of a man’s imagination. However sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and it’s my personal view that evil spirits do exist and sometimes they take the human form to torment anyone who crosses their path.

Some of these spirits actually relish contact with a human being and there are many such tales from the villages of India.One belief that is very popular concerns the female evil spirit often referred to as ‘Chudiyal’. A Chudiyal is a dead woman who takes human form time and gain to wreak vengeance on man. Chudiuyal’s are very popular in mythology as well. Generally they are those women who have done some evil deeds like killing young children and have been denied entry into the world of spirits. They are thus cindemned to roam this earth and wait the day when God may all them entry into the spirit world.
Indian villages are full of tales of the female evil spirit and in my own village there are at least 2 men who swear on oath that they have been accosted by Chudiuyal’s.

Incident of Marriage with Woman evilk spirit

 One of the men recounted to me that once he was proceeding along a lonely village path in the hills and saw a most beautiful woman standing and weeping by the side of the path. He stopped and asked her what the matter was. The woman replied that she was alone and had been thrown out her home by her parents who were poor and could not afford her dowry.

The man took pity on the woman and told her not to worry and come with him. In fact he was enthralled by her beauty and sexiness. In some villages in Himachal it’s difficult to get a bride and many men buy brides from mountainous villages. I will have to write about this custom in a later post. The man was 40 years old and still a bachelor and a thought crossed his mind that this lovely woman could be his wife as well. Sex was foremost in his thoughts and I can’t blame him for it.
He took the girl home and told villagers that he had brought a wife from the mountaiins It was a normal practice and other villagers only wished him luck.

Further Tale

Strange thing happened on the first night. The man undressed the woman and inthe light t of the earthen lamp made ferocious love to the woman. It thrilled him that she was a virgin. After the act both lay side by side and the man asked his new wife to smother the flame of the earthen lamp some distance away.

The lady laughed and in a moment she extended her leg till it grew long and with her foot smothered the flame of the diva or earthen lamp. Seeing this strange happening the man realized that the lady was a Chudiyal and immediately began to recite the Jap, the holy prayer of Nanak. He got up and ran out of the house shouting chudiyal had entered his house. All villager gathered and a ‘chela’ soothsayer came forward. He told the man not to enter his house as he went inside to confront the evil spirit. By recitation of mantras and rituals he was able to banish the woman who soon appeared out of the house and grew to height of 20 feet. It was terrible but luckily the chudiyal went away. 
Another man claimed that he saw his wife using her leg in place of firewood and realized that she was a chudiyal. 

One cannot say thes story's is true, but I am inclined to believe them. All I can add is that this is one frontier that is still unexplored.

Lesbianism, Island of Lesbos and the Poetess Sappho

The Word Lesbian

Bust of Sappho

Lesbian is a word that is common now. It denotes love of a sexual nature between women. There was a time when being a Lesbian wad thought to be an aberration. But now people understand that sexual love between two women  is normal though deviant.

The word Lesbian is many century’s years old. It is connected with the Greek poetess Sappho. She lived on the island of Lesbos around 610-570 BC. The word Lesbian is based on the island of name Lesbos where Sappho lived.

Sappho The Greek Poetess

A painting of Sappho by eroticist Eduard-Henri Avr

Sappho wrote passionate poetry about love and women. She believed that loving another woman in a sexual way was a normal affair. Her poetry is lovely and passionate. The word Lesbian thus is a tribute to the poetess Sappho who wrote passionate verses eulogising women. I am thankful that Sappho wrote these verses, for life is now that much more interesting. Hats off to the master poetess. It is sad, but most of Sappho’s verses were burned by Christians in 380 AD. However a few of her works have survived the carnage.

Opinion about Sappho

Sappho and Alcaeus by Lawrence Alma-Tadema. On vie

Opinion
It is worth quoting the 3rd century philosopher Maximus of Tyre. He .wrote that Sappho was "small and dark" and that her relationships to her female friends were similar to those of Socrates (with men):
As per him this love of the Lesbian woman is nothing but the Socratic art of love. She (Sappho) practiced love with women, he with boys. For they said they loved many, and were captivated by all things beautifull.
I will end this small paragraph by quoting from one of her verses. She wrote “Some say that the fairest thing upon the dark earth is a host of  horsemen, and some say a host of foot soldiers, and others again a fleet of ships, but for me it is my beloved.”

Last Word

Bust in Instabul Museum

An example of Sappho’s poetry is worth a read
“And if she flees, soon will she follow,
and if she does not take gifts, she will give,
if she does not love, she will love
despite herself"
Come to me now, the harsh worry
Let loose, what my heart wants to be
Done, do it!, and you yourself be
My battle-ally”.

Pakistan, Bikini's, Muslim Girls and Beauty Contests

Background

The Logo

I will start this short post with a personal incident. More than 2 decades back I was friendly with a Muslim dentist girl in Mumbai. We moved all over Mumbai on my Royal Enfield and she once remarked that it was a pity that there was no outlet for a Muslim girl to express herself in the fashion and beauty world.

Much later I came to know that a lady from Pakistan who was resident of Canada had concieved and launched a Miss World Pakistan beauty contst especially for Muslim girls from Pakistan. She is Sonia Ahmed who launched the contest in 2002 in Canada. The contest was a hit and Muslim girls flew in from Pakistan to take part. Many of the girls were reimbursed air fare from Pakistan to Canada. The first Miss World Pakistan winner was Zehra Sheerazi who went on to represent Pakistan in internatational World Miss University.

The Contest Firms Up

Contestent in Bikini

The contest has been held every year and there is no shortage of sponsors. Obviously this contest has irritated the Pakistan government and the Mullah lobby, but Sonia has continued unfazed. The popularity of the contest has gone up and girls who have won this contest have all eschewed the Burkha and carried themselevs withaplomb. The contest cannot be held in Pakistan and hence it is held out of Pakistan.
The 2014 contest is being shifted to New York.

The 2013 Winner

Miss Pakistan 2013

The 2013 contest was a great hit and the winner was Shanzay Hayat who hails from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. from the restive North West frontier region of Pakistan. Shanzay was educated in Islamabad and represnted Pakistan in international pageants. Hayat was the first Pakistani beauty queen to take Pakistan to the top 15 round and win subtitles for Pakistan

Last Word

The contestents

The contest is a tremendous outlet for Pakistani girls who are hemmed in by a repressive society dominated by dogma. It is clear that given the opportunity Pakistani Muslim girls are second to none. One can see that many girls are trying to break into mainstream Hindi cinema as well as Pakistan is a closed society. Pakistan will move forward and I hope the speed is faster.
All photos from Wiki coomons except the last which is loaned by a friend

The West is Responsible for Mayhem Murder in Libya by Removing Gaddafi

The news from Libya is disconcerting. There is violence and instability and worse the Islamic state has gained tremendous clout. The IS is a hard line Muslim organization that seeks to establish a Islamic caliphate all over the world. They consider the west led by the USA as their main opponent.

Violence is endemic to Libya. The start of this anarchist period coincided with the murder of Gaddafi by his opponents and active participation by USA and the west. Just after the exit of Gaddafi, the American ambassador was assassinated in Benghazi. Killings have reached a new crescendo and sectarian killings are rife. The latest is the execution by beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians by the IS. I recollect sometime back 2 Pakistani sisters were gangraped in front of their father.

The state of Libya has now slipped into anarchy and 'good governance' simply non existant. There are repeated attacks in Tripoli and just a few days back Islamic extremists stormed a luxury hotel in Tripoli. The entire Libya is gripped by Islamic terror spearheaded by the IS. Whoas well  is responsible for this state of affairs?

A look back will show that by helping Gaddafi get murdered the West led by the US committed a heinous crime. They removed the one man who had brought stability and rule of law in Libya as well as smashing Islamic extremist organisations like all Qaeda. Gaddafi was the first man to issue an arrest warrant against Osama bin Laden.

The USA and the fading powers UK and France destroyed Libya and have unleashed forces that cannot be controlled. Can we have a war crime trial of George Bush and John Major?

The US Army and Muslims in its Ranks: Fifth Columns ?

America is a society at the cross roads. At one  end, it is being besieged by Muslim radicals who have vowed to destroy the ‘great Satan’ meaning the USA  and at the other end a significant number of blacks and a small number of whites have converted to Islam in the  USA itself. The fact is that the Muslims as a percentage are the fastest growing community in the USA and the blacks after centuries of subjugation are now asserting themselves and one way they have followed, is by converting to Islam. Remember Cassius Clay converted to Islam 40 years back , to cock a fist at the white Americans.
 Wars with Muslim Nations
 The United States is involved in wars against the Muslims all over the globe. Though it is not a war against Islam per se, yet most of the opponents of the USA are Muslim Nations. Thus America is embroiled in a war in Afghanistan and is fighting a terrorist movement in Iraq, after the second Gulf war and ouster of Saddam Hussain. Another factor is a militant Iran, Syria and Yemen. Even a fringe in Pakistan led by the Haqqani faction is looking for ways to destabilize America.
Manpower Shortage
In such a scenario there is a need for additional manpower for the US armed forces. With the draft (compulsory military service) a story of the past, the US armed forces are facing man power crunch. To tide over these man power problems the United States has opened its doors to all races and religions. The result is that sizeable numbers of Muslims have joined the Armed forces. The going was good so long as the USA was not involved in wars with Muslim nations, but once that started, the Muslims in the US armed forces suffered a trauma. They had dual loyalties as Islam is a religion that transcends boundaries.
 Muslims in US Armed Forces
 After the carnage at Fort Hood where an army Major named Nidal Hussain gunned down 13 of his colleagues as he felt that fighting war against Muslim nations was unjust, the United States army has been feeling uneasy. No army can fight a battle if it has an enemy in its own ranks. By that one act the problems in the US army have come to the fore.
 There are about 5-7 million Muslims in the USA and their numbers are increasing. The US army has about 10,000 Muslims in its ranks. That’s a miniscule number compared to the overall strength of 1.4 million, but they are enough to create a headache. The army is beset with a problem as some Muslim soldiers detailed for duty in Afghanistan pray as per the Muslim custom five times a day. In a battle situation that becomes a liability. In addition Muslims want special status during the month of Ramadan. Can the army call a truce and not fight during this period? For that matter can any army do that?
 Cases are now coming out that soldiers detailed to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan feel its wrong to fight against their own brothers. Many Muslim soldiers have conscientious objections.  There is no solution in sight. An Army sergeant detailed for combat duty in Kuwait against Iraq was so incensed that he threw a grenade and killed 2 officers and injured 14.
 These are the cases that come out, but there are thousands who for a fact are not happy to fight their brethren at all.  The US army is in a dilemma. Despite assertions by the Chief of staff, the fact is the USA while fighting against Muslim nations will have one hand tied behind its back if Muslim soldiers are in combat missions.

The Future

 The Muslims were willing recruits once the USA was fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, but that is all history. The new breed of converts is more fanatic and feels a brotherhood and don’t want to kill fellow Muslims. The US Armed Forces will have to tide over this problem on its own. How will they do it ? Can there be a loyalty test ? The freedom enshrined in the US constitution will not allow it, as America is a free society.  Perhaps the United States army will in its own way find a solution, but it won’t be easy.

Indian Phone from China Lava A 10

Lava Mobile has introduced the A10 which is basically a China product. It has a 3.0 inch IPS Touch screen and the phone has a Gunmetal Finish Body. IPS stands for In Plane Switching and is a display technology which is used in devices such as the I phone 4 and iPad

The company claims that A10′s IPS screen provides a superior display quality for both images and video and it comes with a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees. The Lava A10 because of its metallic body with Gun metal finishing does give a masculine feel. It includes touch phone design with unique GUI experience. Being the first touch screen phone from Lava, the manufacturers have tried their level best to create a favorable effect on the customer. Thus elegant touch screen occupies the entire phone frontage except for a few touch sensitive buttons. The Phone is slim and can easily fit into your palm.

The A10 has an IPS screen which is similar to the Apple iPad. I found the 3 –inch screen quite responsive to touch. It is an improvement on the earlier models. The colors on the screen are bright and have a great viewing angle of 178 degrees. The menus are striking and well organized. In addition it has a standard 3.5 mm universal audio jack.

Other features of the Lave 10 include a 3.2 megapixel camera along with a flash. The flash can be a help while taking photos in the dark or dim light. It also has a micro SD card which can support 16GB of data and storage. For internet it has EDGE support and is java enabled. These add on make the Lava A10 a joy to own. I have found the phone extremely responsive to the net and download data easily.

The mobile has a privacy lock and a 3.5 mm audio jack. As I have mentioned it has an IPS display, but this perhaps is the weak point and it has to be seen how durable it is.

 The phone comes preloaded with social networking sites like face book, twitter etc. Youngsters and teens will find this a great help.

The Lava 10 has a 32 MB SD RAM on board. It has 2 buffers that use 1,920.000 bytes to make drawing easy and simple. Each pixel has the address board on the screen and the buffer it belongs to.

Lava 10 has JTAG (Joint Action Group) on board which can be used to reprogram the module.Lava 10 inevitably invites comparison with the similar NokiaX2.

 Firstly the price, the Nokia is priced $99.96 while the lava10 is priced $95.82.However the Nokia has a 5 megapixel camera compared to the 3.2 megapixel of lava 10. But the lava has a bigger screen at 3inch while the Nokia is 2.2 inch. In addition lava19 has a QWERTY board and TFT screen and the camera has a zoom function as well.