Monday, December 23, 2013

The diplomatic fix: Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade runs into trouble in USA.

What I've observed while running an arm of the American Government is that they don't fiddle with their operating practices or lose focus when they hear high-sounding names and titles (designations). We all know that America is far from perfection but when it comes to rules and regulations, they don't care for the status or the office of a person involved as we do in India. We have heard about various American leaders, bureaucrats and luminaries (not Indian leaders only) having been stopped, searched or fined by seemingly petty officers. It was big news when Ed Rendell, the Pennsylvania Governor was stopped and fined for some traffic violation by the highway police. If somebody is arrested (in the present case, there is a valid reason too), that person is to be taken to a nearby police station and kept there (in custody) from where he is taken to the court after preliminary investigation for adjudication proceedings. Rule of law prevails and emphatically enough, its not like India where the police may record arrest after several days and/ or produce the accused in court after several weeks or may minimize the offence depending on recommendation/ money. They don't have five-star amenities or VIP rooms in police districts (as they call it there). Everyone arrested (and they range from pan handlers to mafia bosses) has to be kept in a well-lit area where one or two armed officers will be on duty, watching over. And they strip- search everyone who gets there, not caring for their ranks or positions in society because that's what they are trained to do (besides, they may not have Master Degrees to know all about diplomats, diplomacy, immunity and associated jargon: this may be the first time they hear those words. This writer once walked into a U.S. court room and asked to see his clients- the accused in a criminal case who were arraigned there that day but was told by the duty officer that he doesn't know who the accused are, nevertheless, pointed out the defendants). After all, all those brought there are under some criminal charges or due to whatever suspicious activities and are detained according to the law of the land. Those officers and the police department don't want to take the risk of having somebody among the detainees keeping drugs or prescription meds or weapons (may be as small as a piece of blade or as simple as a string or elastic piece- of even an underwear- but capable of killing somebody) or potassium cyanide or some other poison, stacked away in some folds of their bodies, to end their own lives... After all, a person arrested and detained may have sufficient plus one reason to go to any extent viz., committing suicide and so the authorities will have to search each and everyone, especially a new offender who wouldn't have a rap sheet from which they can discern the history of that person. This does not mean in any way that I am advancing the American case but saying only that he who is assigned to do a particular job will do it which is the rule and not the exception there (they are required to do so or they may lose their jobs). They don't look for which political party the offender belongs to or who one is related to. This is still a mind set that the Indians are not used to. (profiling- racial or otherwise- is an allegation that has surfaced recently, though). Further, I believe that American bureaucracy had information of all that was about to happen; they may have planned it to establish their law regarding minimum wages- this may not have happened for the first time or with the first person. This 'nanny business', paying low wages, trafficking etc. would have been going on for some time. I would even guess that 'the Nanny' even might have applied for political assylm in America saying her employer is powerful and influential at home, capable of ruining her life and her family. In the circumstances, the US officials would have been waiting for the perfect timing or building up strong evidence or both. Now that our government has made a fuss over it, it's best to make amends/ adjustments at the diplomatic, still better, political level in a hushed tone (Am I voting against my own premise, here?) or boldly face the charges by employing a great lawyer in America. Thanks.

Bishop's extravagance

If I admit for argument's sake that the LA Bishop is driving Bentleys and Benzes as it is in vogue in the high-class vicinity of California , tell me how one will justify the Mar Thoma Metropolitan in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India being allotted EIGHTY LAKHS of rupees for the purchase of a luxury car by the apex body of the church when he already has a Mercedes Benz in which he is driven around. Also, how will one answer questions regarding the demolition of his residential building which is only 3 decades old and in excellent condition in order to construct a PALACE worth nearly TWELVE CRORES? These god-men live in such luxury when millions of people in India live without food, clothes and shelter; where they are deprived of their manhood along with the bare necessities of life. thanks.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

On attaining 58

പിന്നിട്ട വഴികൾ ... തിരിഞ്ഞു നോക്കാൻ സമയമില്ല, 
അഥവാ, സമയമായില്ല. 
ഇനി ഒരവസരം കിട്ടിയാൽ ആ വഴി തന്നെ നടക്കാൻ തെരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുമോ? 
അല്ലെങ്കിൽ, എന്തിനൊരു പ്രവചനം? 
ഏതൊരു പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം ആണ് അന്യൂനമായിരുന്നിട്ടുള്ളത്? 
ചെയ്യാനുള്ളത് അതിന്റെ സമയാസമയങ്ങളിൽ ചെയ്യുക, 
അതല്ലേ അതിന്റെ ഒരു ശരി? 
ജന്മദിനാശംസകൾ നേർന്ന ബന്ധുക്കൾക്ക്, സുഹൃത്തുക്കൾക്ക്, ശിഷ്യർക്ക് ഹൃദയത്തിന്റെ ഭാഷയിൽ നന്ദി... 
തുടരാം നമുക്കീ യാത്ര ഒന്നിച്ച്, 
മുന്നോട്ട്.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Sunday Assembly

The non-religious Assembly is perhaps the fastest growing church in the world: Isn't It a Religion Now?
Atheists Start Their Own Mega-church: Organized Atheism is now a franchise. And structured godlessness is ready for export.

The other day,  The Sunday Assembly—the London-based “Atheist Church” that has, since its January launch,  been stealing headlines the world over—announced a new “global missionary tour.” In October and November, affiliated Sunday Assemblies will open in  22 cities: in England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, the United States and Australia. “I think this is the moment,” Assembly founder Sanderson Jones told me in an email last week, “when the Sunday Assembly goes from being an interesting phenomenon to becoming a truly global movement.”

The Assembly has come a long way in eight months: from a scrappy East London community venture (motto: “Live Better, Help Often and Wonder More;” method: “part atheist church, part foot-stomping good time”) to the kind of organization that sends out embargoed press releases about global expansion projects. “The 3,000 percent growth rate might make this non-religious Assembly the fastest growing church in the world,” organizers boast.

There’s more to come: In October, the Sunday Assembly (SA) will launch a crowd-funded indiegogo campaign, with the ambitious goal of raising £500,000 (or, about $793,000). This will be followed by a second wave of openings. “ The effort reads as part quixotic hipster start-up, part Southern mega-church.

Like any attempt at organized non-belief, the Sunday Assemblies will attract their fair share of derision from critics. But the franchise model might dismay some followers too. For, a corporate empire needs an executive board; a brand needs brand managers; a federation needs a strict set of guiding tenets—and of course, consequences for those who stray from the fold. And isn’t that all wholly opposed to free thought?

Monday, August 26, 2013

A Dialogue

Original Post

Anil Kumar
Anil Kumar8:30pm Aug 25
മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയുടെ കണക്ക് പ്രകാരം പതിനഞ്ചു കോടിയില്‍ പരം രൂപയും. ചീഫ്‌വിപ്പ്: കണക്ക് പ്രകാരം ആയിരം കോടിയില്‍ മുകളില്‍, എന്നിട്ടും ഈ തട്ടിപ്പ് നടത്തിയ രണ്ടുപേര്‍ ഇപ്പോള്‍ പുറത്തു. ശ്രി എം എല്‍ എ മുരളിധരന്‍ പറഞ്ഞത് പ്രകാശം പരത്തുന്ന രണ്ടുപേര് പുറത്തു പോയി ബാക്കി രണ്ടു പേര് എപ്പോള്‍ വേണം എങ്കിലും പുറത്തു പോകാം എന്ന്. കോടതി അപ്പോള്‍ അന്യായ വിധി അല്ലെ നടപ്പകിയത്.
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Comment History
Prof. Alex Odikandathil Ph.D.
Prof. Alex Odikandathil Ph.D.10:38pm Aug 25
No. If it was for Krishna Iyer, he would have said "NOOOO"
A fundamental right cannot be disposed of casually with the cryptic order: "Bail denied". Good reasons must exist for denial. The constitutional emphasis was made clear in Balchand (1977): "The basic rule may perhaps be tersely put as bail not jail".
Here we need to understand three things: (i) Bail is a fundamental right (ii) The norm is bail not jail (iii) Good reasons, with full explanation in writing must exist for denying bail. Building on this, in 1980, the Parliament added to Section 437 of the CrPC that even in the most punishable cases, special consideration must be given to juveniles under 16 years, WOMEN, the sick and the infirm. There are times when all these are lost by judicial amnesia, though. The English common law rule (now modified from 1984) is 'no arrest without a charge'. In India, we follow the Imperial Raj Law that custody may extend to 60 or 90 days in the absence of a charge sheet. Judicial custody orders after charge are possible but should be avoided. Swayed by the blitz of publicity and their own biases, judges treat an accused as a convicted criminal even though he is innocent until proven guilty (see Kashmira (1977)).
In this day and age, the four major concerns about bail can be easily met, namely: about the accused (i) absconding (ii) noncooperation with the police during investigation (iii) intimidating witnesses and (iv) tampering with evidence.In the case under reference, granting bail to the accuse
d is the only lawful thing to do. Thanks.


Anil Kumar
Anil Kumar11:18pm Aug 25
ബഹു: അലക്സ്‌ സര്‍ പറഞ്ഞത് പൂര്‍ണമായും അങ്ങികരിക്കുന്നു. എന്നിരുനാലും പൊതുജനത്തെ കബളിപ്പിച്ചു തട്ടി എടുത്ത പണത്തിനു ഇതുവരെ ഈ അറസ്റ്റ്‌ ചെയ്യപെട്ട വ്യക്തികളുടെ സ്വത്തുകള്‍ സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ കണ്ടുകെട്ടിയില്ല(പതിനഞ്ചു കോടി രൂപ മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയുടെ കണക്ക് പ്രകാരം) . എന്നിരിക്കെ ഇത്രയും നാള്‍ നമ്മള്‍ കണ്ട സമരവും മറ്റും പൊതുജനത്തിനു ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടിക്കാന്‍ വേണ്ടി അല്ലാരുന്നോ.
Prof. Dr. Alex Abraham Odikandathil 
2:34 PM (3 minutes ago)
to Reply
Thank you Mr. Anil Kumar. I agree with you on the point that the properties of the accused may be attached until the disposal of the case. And I am solidly behind you when you say that the agitation surrounding the case was unwanted, serving no useful purpose, and wasting the public money with no regard to any established norms. The tragedy is that the opposition in India, no matter who that is, resort to such unfair practices causing much inconvenience to the public at large. It very seldom happens in any advanced, industrialized countries.

Friday, August 2, 2013

RIP

Apostle Paul wrote of the apparent end of his own life and said in Second Timothy 4:6-7, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 

As Paul looked back over the years since he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul said that he had accomplished three things: “have fought a good fight, have finished the course, have kept the faith.”

Remember:

If one continues to fight the fight of faith, he will be able to look forward to the same thing that Paul was looking forward to. A reading of Second Timothy 4:8: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Paul did not look for rewards in this life. His hopes for the future were entirely tied up in what the Lord would say to Him in the next life.

I think, so were you, Mr. John; 

RIP.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

A Pacifistic War (Defence) Minister?

Unworldly pacifist as Mr. Antony is, I consider his statement over- ambitious: that India is trying to reach a long term peace pact with China. Aren't you aware, Mr. Antony, of its recent moves which reflects the cold calculation of a confidently rising power. China now aims to stake out a monopoly over the fishing and energy resources of the West Philippine Sea in its bid to become a regional, and later a global hegemon. So BEWARE.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for an 'amicable' settlement to a mounting West Philippine Sea territorial dispute between China and other Asian nations. Asked about the Philippine's decision to refer the case to a UN tribunal, Ban told reporters he has been following the dispute “carefully”. The United Nations is ready “to provide technical and professional assistance, but primarily all these issues should be resolved by the parties concerned,” the UN leader added, carefully avoiding backing any country involved. And he too echoes Antony.

Whatever the source of its provocative posture, Beijing’s moves have alarmed its neighbors. In a meeting of its foreign ministers towards the end of June, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reminded China of its “collective commitment under the [2002] Declaration of Conduct [of Parties] to ensuring the resolution of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), without resorting to the threat or use of force, while exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities.” They too echo Antony.


But none of the above relay- statements would deter China: the reason why America is taking pro-active steps to disseminate its military power in the Philippines.

China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan- all have overlapping claims to the territory to which China raises arbitrary claims now.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Narcissism: A Personality Disorder


Ye all always give me ideas...
A person with narcissistic personality will use the power they wield over others to get what they want. They are consumed by feelings, which are unwarranted and of utter self-importance. Basically, they are the kings or queens of their own castles and feel entitled to every perk and the entire riches of the world. The narcissist is convinced their way is the only way and everybody should follow him or her. Narcissism is hence considered a personality disorder. This disorder may stem from deep insecurity despite the person’s outright arrogant and self-confident behavior. A narcissist may also feel unloved and uncared. It isn't uncommon for a person with narcissistic personality to use or abuse others to obtain what they really want or feel what they deserve. Anybody who is around this person will be expected to shower adoration and attention. (S)he never realizes (s)he is the most-hated and believes that others laugh out of veneration.
Thanks.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Obama Secretly Pressurizing Countries to Refuse Requests for Asylum.

Edward Snowden, the surveillance whistle-blower who is thought to be trapped in the legal limbo of a transit zone at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, used his first public comments since fleeing Hong Kong to attack the US for revoking his passport. He also accused his country of bullying nations that might grant him asylum.

"On Thursday, President Obama declared before the world that he would not permit any diplomatic 'wheeling and dealing' over my case", Snowden said in a statement released by WikiLeaks. "Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the president ordered his vice-president to pressurize the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions. This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extra-legal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression."

Snowden's increasingly desperate predicament became further apparent on Monday night with the leak of a letter he had written to Ecuador praising its "bravery" and expressing "deep respect and sincere thanks" for considering his request for political asylum.

Rafael Correa, the President insisted Ecuador will not help Snowden leave Moscow, saying he had never intended to facilitate his attempted flight to South America.

In his statement through WikiLeaks, which has been assisting him since he left Hong Kong on 10th June, Snowden contrasted the current US approach to his extradition with its previous support of political dissidents in other countries. "For decades, the United States of America has been one of the strongest defenders of the human right to seek asylum," he said. "Sadly, this right, laid out and voted for by the US in article 14 of the universal declaration of human rights, is now being rejected by the current government of my country."

Snowden also accused the Obama administration of "using citizenship as a weapon", which has apparently left him unable to leave the airport in Moscow. "Although I am convicted of nothing, [the US] has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person," he said. "Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum."

Moscow confirmed earlier on Monday that Snowden had applied for political asylum in Russia. The LA Times said Snowden had made similar applications to a total of 15 countries, including India- may be because his findings reveal how America spied into the Indian Embassy in America.

Snowden paid tribute to those who have helped him: "One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth," he said and added, "My continued liberty has been owed to the efforts of friends new and old, family, and others who I have never met and probably never will. I trusted them with my life and they returned that trust with a faith in me for which I will always be thankful."

സദാചാരത്തിന്റെ താക്കൊല്

അഭിപ്രായം പറയുകില്ലെന്ന വാശിയില് ചുണ്ട് കടിച്ചു പിടിച്ചിരിക്കയാരുന്നു. 
പക്ഷേ ഇവന്മാര് അത് സമ്മതിക്കുന്ന ലക്ഷണം കാണുന്നില്ല. 
ഒന്ന് ചോദിച്ചോട്ടെ, തെറ്റയിലിന്റെയും മറ്റും വ്യക്തി നിഷ്ടമായ കാര്യങ്ങലറിയാന് ആര്ക്കാണിത്ര ആവേശം? സോളാര് തട്ടിപ്പില് ഒരു സ്‌ത്രീ ഉള്പ്പെട്ടു എന്നത് കൊണ്ടു മാത്രം 
എത്ര കോടി രൂപയുടെ പോതുമുതല് നശിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടു, എത്ര കോടി രൂപയുടെ വികസനം വഴി മുട്ടി, 
എത്ര കോടി രൂപയുടെ സര്ക്കാര് മെഷീനറി പ്രവര്ത്തനരഹിതമായി? 
ഇതിന്റെ ഒക്കെ കാരണം ചികയുകയാണെങ്കില് നമ്മുടെ സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ വികലമായ ലൈംഗീക പട്ടിണി (Sexual Starvation) ആവും വ്യക്തമാകുക.
ധാര്മികതയുടെ പേര് പറഞ്ഞു ലൈംഗീക ത്രിഷ്ണയെയും സദാചാരം പൊക്കിപ്പിടിച്ച് പ്രകൃതി നിയമങ്ങളെയും ജീവന്റെ ശേഷിപ്പിനെയും തടുക്കാന് ശ്രമിക്കുന്നത് അപ്രായോഗികമാണ്; പ്രാകൃതമാണ്. 
എന്നിട്ടും സമൂഹം അതിനു തുനിയുകയാനെങ്കില് എന്തിനു രാഷ്ട്രീയക്കാരെ മാത്രം ക്രൂശിക്കണം? 
എന്തുകൊണ്ട് സഭാ- സമുദായ നേതാക്കളെ നാം പരസ്യ വിചാരണ നടത്തുന്നില്ല? 
കാരണം, അവരല്ലേ സദാചാരത്തിന്റെ താക്കൊല് സൂക്ഷിപ്പുകാര്?

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Foul Language

On abusive language
Even if many individual expletives have lost their potency through overuse, the issue of swearing divides the nation into those who see it as the last refuge of the ignorant and linguistically indolent and those who regard it as an art form and a badge of social acceptability. Cursing has a proud heritage in England, going back to the days of Chaucer, who – unrestrained by the dead hand of the censor – sprinkled his work with obscene words such as ferte, erse, pisse, shiten, queynte, collions (testicles), and swyve, the precursor to f***, which arrived around 1500.

And although vulgarity is often associated with shipyard and factory workers, it has long had its middle-class exponents, particularly in literature. Shakespeare was an enthusiastic blasphemer – his plays containing plenty of religious obscene words such as zounds- or God's wounds- which were in common usage at the time.
Gradually, as the world became more secular, religious swear words gave way to the sexual ones that are in use today, their popularity driven, once again, by writers, such as DH Lawrence, James Joyce, Henry Miller and Dylan Thomas. Since the 1960s, rock stars have rallied to the cause, with the likes of Bob Geldof, Madonna, Liam Gallagher and Lily Allen: all doing their bit to make them more acceptable- foul language is so integral a feature of today's culture, it barely registers. Native English users may be able to bring about an effect by the right timing of those words.

On a personal level, I tell you, swearing gives a poor impression, endangers relationships and sets a bad example. On a broader level, it contributes to the dumbing down of society and can lead to violence. The reason is that swearing still offends many people, influences the way they judge your intelligence and character, heightens conflicts at home and at work, and represents a decline in civility. So stay away from using profanity and mind your words for you live in a civilized society.

See also,
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Seven_Dirty_Words_WBAI.jpg/220px-Seven_Dirty_Words_WBAI.jpg

Thanks.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Meaning of Suffering and Theological BS




bullshit meter cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

This cartoon speaks for itself. But I have a few words to add.
After the bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday last, as expected, the theological BS started to flow. What is even more remarkable is that every theological chunk of BS resembles the theological pronouncements of Job’s comforters. Job’s comforters and their theologizing only added to his suffering. Stupid theological statements add to ours. We should know better.
You suffer because there’s sin in your life. And even if there isn’t any sin really outstanding, you’re still not perfect. And even if you do call on God for help, the fact that you are proud prevents God from answering. And even if we don’t understand it fully, we can count on the fact that you are suffering in order to make you a better person because even though God is just he is also a God of love. Blah blah blah.
The whole point of Job, which I consider to be the most honest book about suffering, is that there is no meaning. Job never gets an answer. He never finds out why he suffered. In fact, his comforters are rebuked! Even though their theology is sound it is wrong. And Job is vindicated! He was right to claim his innocence and cry “Unfair!” because it was unfair. He never discovers the 'why'. Maybe that’s a good thing because we, the readers, know that it was just a wager between God and Satan. It was all just a game. So even the meaning is meaningless.
I think the point of Job we should walk away with is that we cannot understand suffering. If there is a meaning to it, we cannot know it. But what we can do, like Job and his comforters did, is be friends and help one another.
People suffered in Boston. We can’t understand why such things happen. But we can bring comfort and help to one another. 
As was so admirably done... Thanks.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

We're Next to None.

Rules and regulations are the checks and balances that keep some of us honest and the rest of us safe. We modify regulations in accordance with evolving science, state law, and political pressure. Regulations are openly discussed, periodically adjusted and always enforced with political will and state's sovereignty. The law of this country governs any and all who happen to be here or pass through this country.

പട്ടിണി കിടന്നു ചത്താലും ആത്മാഭിമാനം പണയം വെക്കാതിരിക്കുക എന്നതാണ് തറവാട്ടില്‍ പിറന്നവരുടെ രീതി. രാജ്യത്തിന്റെ അഭിമാനം ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യപ്പെടുമ്പോഴാണ് ഒരു ഭരണകൂടത്തിന്റെ കാര്യക്ഷമത കൂടുതല്‍ പ്രകടമാവേണ്ടത്. യു പി എ സര്‍ക്കാരും അതിന്റെ തലപ്പത്തിരിക്കുന്ന ഇന്ത്യന്‍ നാഷണല്‍ കോണ്‍ഗ്രസിന്റെ നേതാക്കന്മാരും തറവാട്ടില്‍ പിറന്നവരാണോ എന്ന് വരും ദിനങ്ങളില്‍ കണ്ടറിയാം.
ഇറ്റലിക്കാര്‍ക്ക് അവരുടെ അമ്മായി ഇവിടെയുള്ളത്കൊണ്ടാണ് ഇത്തരമൊരു ആനുകൂല്യം ലഭിച്ചതെന്ന് ഓരോ ഇന്ത്യക്കാരനും വിശ്വസിക്കാതിരിക്കണമെങ്കില്‍ ആ കൊലയാളികളെ പിടിച്ചു കൊണ്ട് വന്നേ മതിയാകൂ.
എത്ര ശക്തമായ നിലപാടുകളെടുത്താലും അന്താരാഷ്‌ട്ര സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ പിന്തുണ ഇന്ത്യയുടെ പക്ഷത്തുണ്ടാവുമെന്നതുറപ്പാണ്. ഇത്തരമൊരു പച്ചയായ കരാര്‍ ലംഘനത്തെ ലോകത്തെ ഒരു രാജ്യത്തിനും പിന്തുണക്കാനാവില്ല. ഇന്ത്യയെ സംബന്ധിച്ചിടത്തോളം ഇറ്റലി പിണങ്ങിയാല്‍ കോലോത്തെ തമ്പുരാനോട് കള്ളന്‍ കോവാലന്‍ പിണങ്ങിയ പോലാണ്.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Rape Myth

The leading rape myth used to be about what a woman was wearing. The twisted logic goes like this: Women who wear provocative clothing are sluts who are “asking for it.” But the feminist movement has seriously chipped at this rape myth.

Thousands of women in Muslim countries who wear the burqa and hijab and dress modestly are raped and sexually assaulted. Egypt’s Interior Ministry reports that 20,000 women and girls are raped every year. Alcohol is involved in a staggering number of sex crimes. In a national study of college students, 75% of males and 55% of females involved in date rape had been drinking or using some other drugs prior to the sexual assault.

According to a study conducted by the American National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: "At least one-half of all violent crimes involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrator, or the victim, or both".

Researchers have consistently found that men who have been drinking alcohol commit approximately one-half of all sexual assaults. Depending on the sample studied and the measures used, the estimates for alcohol (ab)use among perpetrators have ranged from 34 to 74 percent. Has anybody looked into its application in cases like Suryanelli, since in India, according to the National Crime Registry, a woman is raped every 20 minutes?


Blessy comments:

hmm... gud study!! bt...

And Pramod Gopalakrishnan writes: 

Sir, Its a pleasant surprise to see U here.Reinventing U. Now retriving the campus stories days, your eloquence, stylish classes, Oscar Wildes Nightingale and the red rose.....and so .on...I am now in Kottayam, working with Malayala Manorama as Chief Sub Editor.How r U ?

An addendum ( written a few days ago):


On this post-Women's Day, for you to read: It Wasn't Bad Sex, It Wasn't a Mistake, 'It Was Rape': The film grapples with society's dark side. Jennifer Baumgardner's powerful new documentary gets eight women to describe one of the worst moments of their lives.

Baumgardner’s latest project, a 60-minute documentary titled 'It Was Rape', opens with a warning: If the movie purports to be an emotional trigger, “please take care of yourself, even if it means leaving the theater".

The reason for this heads-up is that sexual violation is an abysmally common crime. According to a 2011 report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six US women and one in seven US men have been raped at least once. These numbers make the film’s admonition especially poignant since it is likely that audience everywhere will include people for whom rape is not a theoretical issue, but a lived reality.
Baumgardner calls rape 'the feminist issue that never changes.' 

She hopes the film will nudge viewers to listen to victims’ stories without judgment or condemnation.

The following shows how law enforcement is more forceful in the west than in India. Baptist Pastor told the 17 year old girl that Jesus 

wanted them to have sex. Indiana pastor Jack Schaap exploited an underage girl's' belief in God to coerce her into sleeping with him. 


As a pastor at an Indiana megachurch, Jack Schaap persuaded a 17 year old girl to have sex with him by creepily claiming it was all part 

of God’s plan. He wanted to put her on a “better path of living,” he said, adding “that’s what we call Righteousness,” letters provided by 

prosecutors reveal. It’s all very gross, but the most disturbing God-wants-you-to-bone-me moment may have come when Schaap 

wrote, “That is exactly what Christ desires for us. He wants to marry us + become eternal lovers!” 

Schaap pleaded guilty last year to transporting his victim across state lines. Prosecutors say Schaap persuaded the church to bring her 


to his cabin in Michigan, claiming she was in an “extremely vulnerable state” that could be cured only with 'alone time' with him (and his 

penis). Prosecutors also allege that he had sex with the girl on his property in Crete, Illinois and in the First Baptist Church offices.

The underage victim, who spent her entire life in the church listening to Schaap preach three times a week, wrote that she thought he 


was the voice of God. 

“He told me to confide in him, to trust him, and he made me feel safe and comfortable around him as a man of God,” the girl wrote in 


official documents. “[Schaap] preyed on that trust and my vulnerability.”

Schaap is scheduled for sentencing in March. The Government and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Koster recommend he receive only ten 


years for pleading guilty before charges were filed.



Sunday, February 17, 2013

Legal Advice


The culprits in Suryanelly case can possibly raise a strong defence leading to clean acquittal and that is by claiming themselves to be mentally challenged (retarded). Those of whom we hear connected to the said case appear to meet all the requirements needed for mental retardation that can be proved with their low IQs.
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  • Deepa Seethu and Nisha George like this.

  • Nisha George According to my cognizant, to claim oneself as brutally raped by 42 men (though with or without consent is yet to be found)is a wretched situation, and once failed getting that justice and all the culprits are acquitted…….i don’t think sir, a girl or her family will come back after 17 years pointing fingers at the same person saying yes, he is one among the one who raped me. Consider their current situation and our society, they were living an isolated life in disguise.

  • Prof. Alex Odikandathil Ph.D. You must be right, Nisha. U know, I was only making a sarcastic comment. Then, the question 'with or without consent' does not arise in this case as the girl was a minor at the time of occurance. Even if she consented, it does not amount to consent in law. AND EVEN IF she was promiscuous, she should have been treated; NOT LAID.

  • Nisha George power and politics on one side and a poor family on the other side, judiciary is a witness of all these is terrifying... women should stand up, i feel sorry for Kurien's wife, who is a silent listener to all these conversation, though she know her husb...See More

  • Prof. Alex Odikandathil Ph.D. We don't have the wherewithal to investigate, the yardstick to find the truth or the authority to punish the culprit. That is why human civilization has established courts of law. The court procedure should run its full course and provide equality of justice to all the citizens, irrespective of any consideration, whatsoever. The allegation is that it did not happen in the present case.

  • Nisha George I do agree that the reason why courts are formed, but the politics ruling the judiciary is bit shameful. not sure justice is prevailing. Judges are also human beings and at situations they can be biased to on various factors including influence...

  • Prof. Alex Odikandathil Ph.D. Its a vicious cycle... politicians recruiting judges from among their ranks and files and the judges, in turn, passing verdict in favour of their mentors.. should change, must change... there has to be people's activism without allegiance to any political parties. I have to admit that I don't have any tear to shed for anybody's wife!
    Thursday at 4:28pm · Like · 1

    Gods' own country: Is it Kerala or India?
    Kerala'a Home Minister Thiruvanchoor turned down the Opposition’s demand for re-investigation into the infamous Suryanelli serial-rape Case, which is currently rocking the Congress in Kerala after 17 years. The victim, who was just about 16 years old when she was abducted and subjected to rape for over 40 days continuously, has consistently accused Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien of having tormented her. On 31 Jan 2013, the Supreme Court set aside the verdict of the Kerala High Court which had acquitted the overwhelming majority of the 35 persons who had been found guilty by the special court, and reduced the sentence of the single accused that it found guilty.
    Kurien’s plea of alibi has been wearing thin ever since.
    Thiruvanchoor claims the government has received legal advice that there are no grounds for re-investigation. He added that the reference to ‘victim’ in the Central Government’s ordinance can either be female or male!
    Joke:
    Vayalar Ravi, a central cabinet minister from Kerala snapped at a woman TV journalist who had asked him about the controversy thus: "Have you any prior experience with Kurien?”.
    The bigger joke,
    of course, is Kerala Government’s desperation to pass legislation to ‘protect the privacy and dignity ‘ of women running precisely parallel to their desperation to protect Kurien who seems to be getting sewed tighter and tighter into the most uncomfortably ‘protective’ gunny-bag of self-proclaimed innocence.
    And the biggest joke?
    The Head of a splinter christian denomination that flourished in the name of Jesus Christ has stepped up to defend Kurien since he happens to be one of its affluent members even when a priest of the same church who was in charge of the local parish when it happened points a finger at him. The same Head had a meeting with Narendra Modi of Gujarat some time back: Who arranged it? smells anything?
    Let nobody be permitted to pervert the course of justice.AND,