Love, sex top murder motives in cities

The country might be shocked by the recent murders of Arushi Talwar in Noida and Neeraj Grover in Mumbai allegedly for reasons connected with love affairs, but such relationships and sexual causes are the leading cause of murders in some of India's most urbanized states. ( Watch )

According to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, while love affairs and sexual causes are among the top three motives for all murders and culpable homicides committed in the country in 2006, in states like Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh they are the top cause for murders.

At the all-India level, personal enmity accounted for 10% of all killings, while 8% people lost their life due to property disputes and 7% were killed because of love affairs or sexual causes. The data says 64% of murder cases were related to other motives, not classified, which is not defined.

However, killings for motives that can be traced to love affairs and sexual causes accounts for more than 10% of cases in most states with a high degree of urbanization. In contrast, in states with low urbanization like Bihar, Assam, Chhattisgarh or Orissa, property disputes or personal enmity are more likely to lead to people getting killed.

Cases related to love affairs were the largest classified motive of murder in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Apart from these states, the motive in more than 10% of murders (or culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in Tamil Nadu, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh is also love or sexual reasons.

On the other hand, barely 4% of all killings in Uttranchal, Rajasthan and Bihar, 2% in Assam and J&K and 1% in West Bengal, Kerala, Meghalaya are related to love affairs. Such killings in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu Pondicherry and Chandigarh accounted for a negligible proportion.

The pattern suggests some connection with urbanization, though not a simple one-to-one correspondence. One explanation for this could be that less urbanised societies provide fewer chances of contact with the members of the opposite sex outside the bounds of family and kinship.

Bride rejects groom for poor maths

GOPALGANJ: Mathematics is tough for many, everybody knows. But what if it starts to tell on the nuptial bonds, then it becomes painful.

It may appear strange, but it is true and this happenned in Bhore of Gopalganj district where a bride rejected her groom as he failed to solve a simple mathematical puzzle of four and three during a marriage ceremony there.

It so happenned that the marriage of Sarita Kumari, daughter of Vishwanath Prasad of Jagtauli village in Bhore police station, was fixed with Tinku, a resident of Karom village in Siwan district. The `baraat' party reached the bride's house and all the rituals were performed by the women of the family.

Tinku was taken inside for marriage and then things went topsy turvy for the bridegroom. Some of the women asked him to give answer to sum of three and four. And Tinku failed to solve the simple mathematical puzzle.

When the bride came to know that her would-be husband could not solve such a simple question, she refused to marry him and left the mandup. Both the families sat together and tried to solve the problem. And finally, the girl agreed to marry Pintu, Tinku's younger brother. And the marriage was solemnised three days after. And poor Tinku had to return empty-handed.

One Hundred & One Reasons to be Vegetarian

ONE HUNDRED & ONE REASONS
TO GO VEGETARIAN

People Land Air Water Efficiency Animals Health

PEOPLE

1. Every year in the UK we feed our livestock enough food to feed 250,000,000 people while in the world 30,000,000 people die of starvation
2. 20 vegetarians can live off the land required by one meat eater
3. Every 3 seconds a child dies of starvation somewhere in the world
4. If Americans reduced their meat consumption by 10% it would free 12,000,000 tons of grain - enough to feed 60,000,000 people (the population of Great Britain)
5. If all Americans became vegetarian, it would free enough grain to feed 600,000,000 people (the population of India)
6. Intensification in animal farming has displaced 1,000,000's of people from their traditional lands - eg. indigenous people in south & central america, native americans in north america & crofters in Great Britain - this is continuing today
7. People displaced from their lands into cities succumb to dietary deficiency, diseases, parasites & opportunistic diseases
8. In third world countries 1 in 10 babies die before their first birthday
9. The UK imports �46,000,000 worth of grain from third world countries to feed our livestock
10. Due to overgrazing 850,000,000 people live on land threatened by desertification & over 230,000,000 already live on land so severely desertified that they are unable to sustain their existence & face imminent starvation
11. 1,000,000,000 people in the west gorging on meat & dairy leave 1,000,000,000 to waste away & 3,500,000,000 teeter on the brink

    LAND

12. If they continue to clear American forests to raise cattle at the present rate, in 50 years there will be none left
13. 1 acre yields 165 lbs of beef or 20,000 lbs of potatoes
14. 8/10 of cultivated land in the UK is used to grow food for animals (14,732,000 hectares)
15. It takes 16lbs of high protein soya to produce 1 lb of beef
16. Since 1945 in the UK we have lost 95% of flower meadows, 50% of ancient woodlands, 40% of heathlands, 50% of wet lands & 224,000 km of hedgerows all due to animal farming
17. Pressure on land due to meat farming leads to soil erosion 6billion tons/year in the USA
18. If everyone went vegetarian upto 90% of land used for animal farming could be taken out of production & used to replant woodlands, leisure activities etc.
19. 25% of Central america's forests have been destroyed for cattle grazing since 1960
20. Between 1966-1983 38% of the Amazon rain forest was destroyed for cattle grazing
21. 90% of cattle ranches established on cleared forest land go bankrupt in less than 8 years as the land becomes barren due to nutrient loss & overgrazing
22. Overgrazing by cattle is destroying the land & increasing desertification, nearly 430 million acres in the USA alone has suffered a 25-50% reduction in yield since first grazed
23. An inch of topsoil takes 200-1000 years to develop - yet in the USA they have lost around 1/3 of their prime topsoil in 200 years (around 7 inches) due to animal farming
24. Land will be lost due to rises in sea level due to global warming due to animal farming

    AIR

25. The destruction of the rainforest by cattle farmers is destroying the lungs of the planet & reducing the worlds capacity to replenish our oxygen supply
26. The 1,300,000,000 cattle in the world emit 60,000,000 tons of methane per year (methane is a greenhouse gas & leads to global warming)
27. Burning of forests, grasslands & agricultural waste associated with animal farming releases 50-100,000,000 tons of methane per year
28. Combining these figures, 25% of methane emissions are due to animal farming (not including the billions of sheep, pigs & poultry so the real figure is much higher)
29. Fertilizer used to grow crops to feed to animals releases nitrous oxide - thought to account for 6% of the greenhouse effect
30. Fertilizer, weedkiller & pesticides sprayed on crops enter the atmosphere creating a noxious carcinogenic cocktail
31. CFCs are released into the air from refrigeration units used to store decomposing flesh (meat), milk & butter - CFCs are destroy the ozone layer
32. Ammonia from animal urine also pollutes the atmosphere
33. CO2 is released by burning oil & petrol in lorries, ships, abattoirs, dairies, factories etc. associated with meat & dairy production
34. Emissions from large chemical plants which produce fertilizer, weedkiller & other agricultural chemicals are also poisoning our air

    WATER

35. 25 gallons of water to produce 1lb of wheat & 2500 gallons to produce 1lb of meat
36. UK farm animals produce 200,000,000 tonnes of slurry (liquid excrement) every year, the majority of which ends up in our rivers
37. Bloody waste water from abattoirs ends up in our rivers
38. In the USA every second humans produce 12,000 lbs of effluent while farmed animals produce 250,000 lbs
39. Nitrates & pesticides used on crops grown to feed livestock end up in our rivers
40. Meat & dairy farming uses 70 litres of water per day per animal in the UK or 159,250,000,000 litres per year in total
41. The water used to produce 10 lbs of steak is equivalent to the average consumption of water for an entire household for an entire year
42. Depletion of groundwater reserves to grow crops for animals & to supply abattoirs will lead to greater water shortages
43. Aquafers (stores of underground water) in the San Joaquin valley in the USA are being drained at the rate of 500,000,000,000 gallons/year to produce meat
44. 18% of all agricultural land in the world is irrigated & as global warming increases (partly due to animal farming) it will cost $200,000,000 to keep these systems going
45. The water used to produce a 1000 lb beef steer is enough to float a Destroyer battleship
46. The liquid waste from the various parts of the meat & dairy industry flow into the rivers & from there into the seas polluting them & encouraging huge algal blooms to grow

    EFFICIENCY

47. To produce 1calorie of energy from meat takes 60 calories of petrol, whereas growing grains & legumes to directly feed people produces 20 calories for each calorie of fuel used ( thats 1200 times more efficient)
48. Meat & dairy farming uses billions of gallons of oil to run tractors, fuel ships & lorries (to move animal feed & animals), pump billions of gallons of water to irrigate fields & run slaughterhouses, power refrigeration units to prevent the corpses from decomposing & to power sewage plants to clean up some of the pollution produced
49. Cattle convert only 6% of their energy intake (mainly grains & soya) into flesh, the remaining 94% is wasted as heat, movement (which is why they keep many animals in very close confinement), hair, bones, faeces etc
50. 1lb of beef takes 1 gallon of petrol to produce
51. A family of four eating beef for a year uses enough petrol to run a car for 6 months (obviously depending on how far you drive!)
52. If the full ecological cost of meat was passed onto the consumer - the price would be quadrupled (at least)
53. The EC spends �100,000,000's to subsidise animal production resulting in lakes of unwanted milk & mountains of unwanted meat & butter. This money could be better spent encouraging organic fruit, vegetable & grain production
54. In the USA in 1979 145,000,000 tons of crops were fed to cattle resulting in only 21million tons of animal bodies - the cost of the wasted crops was $20,000,000,000
55. Between 1950 & 1985 grain production in Europe & the USA increased massively but 2/3 was fed to animals
56. 70% of all grain is fed to animals
57. Eating vast quantities of animal flesh, eggs, milk & butter is a luxury that most of the planet can not afford

    ANIMALS

58. Fishing with drift (and other modern) nets weakens & destroys ecosystems by indiscriminately killing billions of sea creatures & disrupting the sea bed
59. Fishermen's nets kill 10 times as many other animals as the fish they are hoping to catch
60. Fish caught in nets die an agonising slow death of suffocation
61. Each year 15,000,000,000 land animals are slaughtered for food & an unknown but much larger number of sea creatures (including 1000's of dolphins caught accidentally)
62. Chickens are crammed into battery cages with upto 3 other birds, they are unable to even spread their wings & many can not even stand up
63. Unwanted male chicks (because they can't lay eggs) are gassed or pulped while their sisters go to the battery sheds
64. Chicks are debeaked without anaesthetic to prevent them injuring each other in the unnaturally confined conditions they are kept in - this is equivalent to having your fingernails pulled out without anaesthetic
65. Modern farming methods using growth hormones & artificial lighting mean that many chickens out grow their bones, resulting in fractured & broken legs
66. Sows are kept tethered in stalls 1.3 x 1 metre on concrete or slatted floors - they can not even turn around
67. Poultry raised for meat are kept in windowless broiler sheds, with around 20-30,000 in each shed, they live in an area of 10-20 cm square - fighting due to overcrowding is common & like battery hens they commonly suffer from supperating bed sores
68. Broilersheds are artificially lit 23 hours a day to produce rapid growth
69. Animals travel between farms & to slaughter in overcrowded transporters with no food or water - resulting in stress, injuries & deaths - legal requirements are widely ignored
70. 95% of poultry suffer injuries before being killed & 30% suffer broken bones
71. Problems with stunning practices mean that many animals have their throats slit while still conscious (around 6% of cattle or 200,000 per year) & are then dipped in tanks of scalding water (to loosen feathers, bristles etc.) again while fully conscious
72. 4000 animals die spurting their blood out every minute in a British slaughterhouse
73. Calf leather comes from animals killed at just 2 weeks old
74. Cows were fed on the ground up remains of other cows & sheep - the result is thought to be BSE (mad cow disease) in the USA cattle are fed partly on recycled plastic pellets
75. Cows only give milk for 10 months after they have a calf - so they are routinely artificially inseminated (ie. mechanically raped) to keep them pregnant & milking - their calves are taken away (usually at 12 hours old) for meat or export to veal crates
76. Cows would naturally live upto 20 years but are slaughtered after 5-7 years when their milk production begins to fall
77. In the UK animals are killed by first being stunned with electricity or a captive bolt gun (ie. a bolt is fired into their heads) before having their throats slit & being plunged into boiling water - all this happens on a production line with the animals being hung upside down from a moving conveyor belt - this is factory farming
78. "Animals are those unfortunate slaves & victims of the most brutal part of mankind" - John Stewart Mill (philosopher)
79. Veal calves are confined in stalls in the dark, unable to move & are fed on pigs blood , chocolate & dried milk (we are drinking the rich fresh milk of their mothers)
80. Cows naturally produce 5 litres of milk per day for their calves - under the intensified systems of modern farming they produce 25-40 litres per day - resulting in swollen & inflamed udders - at this rate they are soon worn out
81. Large areas of land are under monoculture to grow crops to feed to animals - these areas are wildlife deserts supporting fewer & fewer species.

    HEALTH

82. Vegetarians have a 20% lower rate of mortality from all causes (ie. they live longer & don't get sick as often)
83. Meat is full of traces of antibiotics, hormones, toxins produced by stress & pesticide residues that become concentrated from all the crops they have eaten
84. Fish contain heavy metals & other pollutants -many of which originated on farms
85. The world health organisation recommends a diet low in saturated fat, sugar, salt & with plenty of fibre - exactly what you get on a vegan/vegetarian diet
86. Farmed animals contain upto 50% saturated fat in their bodies
87. Vegetarians have 24% reduced risk of getting heart disease & Vegans a 57% reduction (heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK accounting for 50% of deaths)
88. Obesity is rare in vegetarians, obesity is related to many diseases
89. Vegans & vegetarians have lower blood pressure & cholesterol levels - high levels are associated with heart disease, strokes & kidney failure
90. Vegetarians have a 50% reduced risk of dying of diabetes
91. Vegetarians have a 40% reduced level of cancer than the general population thought to be because they have a higher intake of vitamins A,C & E
92. Vegetarians have a reduced risk of developing gall & kidney stones
93. 80% of food poisoning is due to infected meat (faeces, bacteria etc.) after all meat is decomposing flesh - most of the rest is due to salmonella in eggs
94. Osteoporosis due to calcium loss from bones is mainly due to the sulphur content in meat & casein protein in milk that cause calcium to be lost in the urine - the countries with the highest meat & dairy consumption are those with the highest levels of brittle bones
95. 50% of people do not have the enzyme to digest milk properly & milk allergy is related to asthma & eczema
96. Meat eaters have double the rate of Alzheimers disease as Vegans & Vegetarians - some people also think that Parkinsons disease is also linked to meat eating
97. Egg yolk is a dense concentration of saturated fat & the white is high in albumin protein associated with leaching calcium into your urine. Butter is 80% saturated fat, cream is 40% saturated fat & cheese is 25-40% saturated fat
98. Meat eaters are two and a half times more likely to get bowel cancer than Vegetarians
99. The cling film used to wrap meat in supermarkets & butchers contains chemicals linked to falling sperm counts in men
100. Chinese people (living mainly on a vegetarian diet) consume 20% more calories than Americans but Americans are 20% fatter
101. Of 2,100,000 deaths in the USA in 1987, 1,500,000 were related to diet (ie. meat & dairy)

AND I COULD GO ON !

If you've read this far, I hope that you are beginning to see that the Meat & Dairy industry is a major contributor to misery on this planet. It is destroying the health of people in rich countries, starving those in poor countries, it is torturing & killing billions of animals every year and in the meantime it is one of the major factors in the destruction of the environment - so what does the meat & dairy industry have to say in it's defence?

Well their only real point is usually "Meat is tasty" - fair enough a lot of people enjoy the taste of meat - but there are plenty of delicious alternatives (just consider the huge range of vegetarian dishes in Indian cooking - one of the oldest & most sophisticated cuisines in the world) and if you really crave meat & dairy, nowadays there are plenty of healthy non animal alternatives - just look in the supermarket & health food shop. So I hope you will agree it's pretty pathetic to consider all the evidence & then say "well I know you're right about the environment & health & the animals - but I just love my meat"

---

Reasons to be vegetarian


Meet your Meat

'Co-education improves academic performance of boys'

NEW YORK: Parents, please note -- co-educational schools are better as the presence of girls in the classes "calm" boys and improve their academic performance as well, a new study has revealed.

A higher percentage of girls also lowers the amount of classroom disruption and fosters a better relationship between students and their teachers, the researchers in Israel have found in their study.

"Being with more girls is good for everybody. We find that both boys and girls do better when there are more girls in the class," according to lead researcher Analia Schlosser of Tel Aviv University.

In the study, the researchers investigated girls and boys in mixed classrooms in the elementary, middle, as well as high-school grades of the Israeli school system. They found that classes with more than 55 per cent of girls resulted in better exam results and less violent outbursts overall.

Boys with more female peers in their classes showed higher enrolment rates in both advanced mathematics and science classes, but overall benefits were found in all grades for both sexes.

"It appears that this effect is due to the positive influence the girls are adding to the classroom environment," the ScienceDaily quoted Prof Schlosser as saying.

In fact, the study found that primary school classrooms with a female majority showed increased academic success for both boys and girls, along with a notable improvement in subjects like Science and Mathematics.

In the middle schools, girls were found to have better academic achievement in English, languages and Mathematics.

And in high schools, the classrooms which had the best academic achievements overall were consistently those that had a higher proportion of girls enrolled, the study found.

"Boys and girls may learn differently but it is better not to send them to sex-segregated schools," the researchers suggested.

Men are more intelligent than women, claims new study

By BEN CLERKIN & FIONA MACRAE - More by this author » Last updated at 13:38pm on 14th September 2006

Battle of the sexes: Are men more intelligent than women?

It is research that is guaranteed to delight men - and infuriate the women in their lives. A controversial new study has claimed that men really are more intelligent than women.

The study - carried out by a man - concluded that men's IQs are almost four points higher than women's.

British-born researcher John Philippe Rushton, who previously created a furore by suggesting intelligence is influenced by race, says the finding could explain why so few women make it to the top in the workplace.

He claims the 'glass ceiling' phenomenon is probably due to inferior intelligence, rather than discrimination or lack of opportunity.

The University of Western Ontario psychologist reached his conclusion after scrutinising the results of university aptitude tests taken by 100,000 students aged 17 and 18 of both sexes.

A focus on a factors such as the ability to quickly grasp a complex concept, verbal reasoning skills and creativity - some of they key ingredients of intelligence - revealed the male teenagers had IQs that were an average of 3.63 points higher. The average person has an IQ of around 100.

The findings, which held true for all classes and levels of parental education, overturn a 100 year consensus that men and women average the same in general mental ability. They also conflict with evidence that girls do better in school exams than boys.

But Prof Rushton, who was born in Bournemouth and obtained his doctorate in social psychology from the London School of Economics, argues that the faster maturing of girls leads to them outshining boys in the classroom.

And since almost all previous data showing an absence of difference between the sexes was gathered on schoolchildren, the gender difference could easily have been missed.

'It looks like up until late adolescence, the females have the advantage over males because they mature faster, which masks the underlying difference, he said.

Although experts have accepted that men and women differ mentally, with males averaging higher on tests of 'spatial ability' and females higher on verbal tests, it was assumed the differences averaged out, leaving no difference in overall intelligence.

Prof Rushton believes the differences are directly linked to brain size, with other studies showing men having slightly bigger brains than women.

'We know that men have larger brains, even when you take into account larger body size,' said the researcher. 'That means there are more neurons. The question is what these neurons are doing in a man - and they probably have an advantage in processing information.'

It is thought the difference may date back to the Stone Age, with women seeking out men who are more intelligent than them in a bid to pass on the best genes to their children.

'Some people have suggested it evolved because women prefer men who are more intelligent than they are for husbands,' said the professor.

'Just as they prefer men who are taller than them, they also prefer a male who is a little ahead of them in IQ.'

Critics claim Prof Rushton's results could have been skewed by the inclusion of more test results from females than form males.

Prof Rushton, who four years ago triggered a scientific row by claiming intelligence and behaviour are influenced by race, with blacks being more likely to be involved in crime and Asians having a greater chance of high IQs, however, stands by his results.

'These are unpopular conclusions,' he said. 'People should not be made to feel afraid to study controversial issues.

'We have the right to find the truth. One should really look at the facts.'

His work appears to confirm British research which showed men have bigger brains and higher IQs than women, which may explain why chess grandmasters and geniuses are more likely to be male.

The analyses of more than 20,000 verbal reasoning tests taken by university students from around the world revealed that women's IQs are up to five points lower than men's .

Women needn't feel despondent, however, as the scientists believe women can achieve just as much as men - as long as they work harder.

Men more likely to die of broken heart

LONDON: Doctors have long understood the impact of grief on one's health. Now, a new study has revealed how fragile a broken heart can really be.

Researchers in Britain have found that bereft people face the risk of death in the first year of being widowed.

In fact, men are six times more likely to die of a broken heart than women.

According to lead researcher Dr Jaap Spreeuw of the Cass Business School in London, the study has confirmed the existence of "broken heart syndrome".

"We all know that the death of a loved one will have massive impact on the life of the husband or wife left behind, but this shows it will have direct impact on their mortality. It statistically proves that people can die of a broken heart during the earliest stages of bereavement.

"The effect is stronger for older people who have been married longer. The good news is that after the first years of mourning, the chance of dying goes down. Although it remains higher than for couples where neither partner has died, it does lessen over time," Dr Spreeuw said.

Avalokiteshvara Bodhisatva

1000-Armed Chenrezig (Tibetan) or Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit stands on a

Lotus: symbolising bodhicitta as it grows from suffering (mud), works its' way up through the waters of life to the surface of Enlightenment.

On the lotus is a moon disc: method-aspect (sun = wisdom) or bodhicitta; wishing to lead all sentient beings to enlightenment.

Chenresig's white colour represents purity and lack of selfishness.

1000 arms: how compassion looks to all sentient beings and reaches out to help.

The hand palms with eyes represent method (bodhicitta); the eyes represent wisdom 1000-arm Chenresig by Bob Jacobson

Chenresig's 11 heads are actually 10, which are the 10 perfections and Amitabha Buddha on top as "family-sign".

The Jewel in the first two hands is a 'wish-fulfilling gem': bodhicitta, the fulfilment of self and others happiness.

Lotus in the hand: as above lotus: bodhicitta

The mala represents the mantra/tantric aspect

Bow & arrow: wisdom hitting the target of enlightenment

Wheel: Dharma wheel of continuous teachings

Vase: initiation, tantric aspect

Mudra of supreme generosity (bottom right hand): bestowing realisations, the compassionate action Deerskin: having perfected compassion & patience

3 Circles of hands: 1st the Dharmakaya, 2nd the Samboghakaya, the 3rd represents the Nirmanakaya.

Dont miss this
This is the Chinese Disabled Performing Arts Troupe (they are deaf). It took them over 10 whole years to get to such a high level of perfection.
They are trying to represent the Avalokirteshwara.





Much Metta

Chinese Eating Baby, For Real

(The following is the text of an article which originally appeared in the Hong Kong Eastern Express on April 12, 1995. For more information, contact Bruce Gilley at The Eastern Express in Hong Kong, telephone 011-852-27071111, or fax 011-852-27071122.)

No one could accuse The Chinese of being squeamish about the things they eat - monkeys' brains, owls' eyes, bears' paws and deep fried scorpions are all items on The menu. But most dishes revered as national favourites sound as harmless as boiled rice when compared to the latest pint de jour allegedly gaining favour in Shenzhen - human foetus.

Rumours that dead embryos were being used as dietary supplements started to spread early last year with reports that some doctors in Shenzhen hospitals were eating dead foetuses after carrying out abortions. The doctors allegedly defended their actions by saying the embryos were good for their skin and general health.

A trend was set and soon reports circulated that doctors in the city were promoting foetuses as a human tonic. Hospital cleaning women were seen fighting each other to take the treasured human remains home. Last month, reporters from EastWeek - a sister publication of Eastern Express - went to Shenzhen to see if the rumours could be substantiated. On March 7, a reporter entered the state-run Shenzhen Heath Centre for Women and Children feigning illness and asked a female doctor for a foetus. The doctor said the department was out of stock but to come again.

The next day the reporter returned at lunch time. The doctor eventually emerged from the operating theatre holding a fist size glass bottle stuffed with thumbsized foetuses.

She said: "There are 10 foetuses here, all aborted this morning. You can take them. We are a state hospital and don't charge anything.

"Normally, we doctors take them home to eat - all free. Since you don't look well, you can take them."

Not every state hospital is as generous with its dead embryos as the Health Centre for Women and Children. At the Shenzhen People's Hospital, for example, the reporter was in for a surprise.

When a Ms. Yang, the head nurse, was asked for foetuses, she looked anxious and asked other staff to leave. After closing the door, she asked the undercover buyer in a low voice: "Where did you (get to) know that we sell foetuses?"

The reporter answered: "A doctor friend in Hong Kong told me." "Who? What is his/her name?"

The reporter was not prepared for this line of questioning and could not come up with a name. Yang told him that foetuses were only for sale within the hospital, and were not for public purchase. She added that some staff would, however, sell the foetuses on to Hong Kong buyers.

The reporter learned that the going rate for a foetus was $10 but when the merchandise was in short supply, the price could go up to $20. But these prices are pin money compared to those set by private clinics, which are said to make a fortune selling foetuses. One chap on Bong Men Lao Street charges $300 for one foetus. The person in charge of the clinic is a man in his 60's. When he saw the ailing reporter, he offered to take an order for foetuses that had reached full-term and which, it is claimed, contain the best healing properties. When a female doctor named Yang - no relation - of Sin Hua clinic was asked whether foetuses were edible, she said emphatically: "Of course they are. They are even better than placentas.

"They can make your skin smoother, your body stronger and are good for kidneys. When I was in an army hospital in Jiangti province, I often brought foetuses home. They were pink, like little mice, with hands and feet. Normally, I buy some pork to make soup (with the foetuses added). I know they are human beings, and (eating them) feels disgusting. But at that time, it was already very popular."

A Mr. Cheng from Hong Kong claims he has been eating foetus soup for more than six months. To begin, the man, in his 40's, would make the trip to Shenzhen frequently for business and was introduced to foetuses by friends. He says he met a number of professors and doctors in government hospitals who helped him buy the foetuses. "At first, I felt uncomfortable, but doctors said the substances in foetuses could help cure my asthma. I started taking them and gradually, the asthma disappeared," Cheng said.

Now, Cheng only eats foetuses occasionally to top up his treatment, but there was a time when he made regular cross border trips with the gruesome merchandise. "Everytime [I made the trip], I carried a Thermos flask to Shenzhen and brought the foetuses back to Hong Kong to make soup. If they gave me 20 or 30 at a time, I put them in the refrigerator. I didn't have the soup every day - it depended on the supply.

"Usually, I washed the foetuses clean, and added ginger, orange peel and pork to make soup. After taking it for a while, I felt a lot better and my asthma disappeared. I used to take placenta, but it was not so helpful." When asked if he was concerned about the foetuses containing diseases, Cheng was dismissive. "I bought them from government hospitals. They would check the pregnant women before doing the operations and only sell them to me if there was no problem. Also, I always boil them over high heat which kills any bacteria." Although Cheng has overcome any squeamishness over eating foetus soup, he says he draw the line at consuming whole dead embryos. He also refrains from telling people of his grisly dietary habits.

Zou Qin, 32, a woman from Hubei with the fine skin of a someone several years younger, attributes her well preserved looks to a diet of foetuses. As a doctor at the Lun Hu Clinic, Zou has carried out abortions on several hundred patients. She believes foetuses are highly nutritious and claims to have eaten more than 100 in the past six months. She pulls out a foetus specimen before a reporter and explains the selection criteria. "People normally prefer (foetuses of) young women, and even better, the first baby and a male." She adds: "They are wasted if we don't eat them. The women who receive abortions here don't want the foetuses. Also, the foetuses are already dead [when we eat them]. We don't carry out abortions just to eat the foetuses.

"Before, my sister's children were very weak. I heard that foetuses were good for your health and started taking some to my nephews," Zou says, without remorse. "I wash them with clear water until they look transparent white and then stew them. Making soup is best." But she admits there are drawbacks to this dubious delicacy. "Foetuses are very smelly and not everybody can take the stink," she said. "You can also make meat cakes by mixing foetuses with minced meat but you have to add more ginger and chives to get rid of the smell."

Hong Kong legislator Dr. Tan Siu-tong is surprised that it could be within anyone's capability to overcome the stench of a dead foetus, even if their stomachs are lined with lead. "When all the placental tissue is dead, the smell is awful and is enough to make you feel sick. It is like having a dead mouse in the house," he said.

The foetuses allegedly eaten by the Chinese are all provided by China's extensive abortion services. Last year, doctors in the People's Hospital - the biggest hospital in Shenzhen - carried out more than 7,000 terminations, 509 on Hong Kong women. The Hong Kong Family Planning Association (FPA) estimates that 24 per cent of all abortions on Hong Kong women are performed in the dubious surroundings of a Chinese hospital. A Ms. Li from Hong Kong has had two abortions in Shenzhen but has never heard of people eating foetuses. "But I didn't want the babies, so after the abortions, I just left them with the hospital," she says. "I didn't want to look at them, and I certainly didn't want to keep them. Foetuses of two or three months are just water and blood when they come out. They are so small, how can you eat them?"

Doctors in the territory have responded with disgust and incredulity to stories of people supplementing their diets with foetuses. Many have read articles of foetal cannibalism but none has been able to verify the reports. They are treating the issue with skepticism. Dr. Margaret Kwan, a gynecologist who until two weeks ago held the post of chief executive at the FPA, says: "This is the strangest thing I have ever heard coming out of China. I just hope it is not true."

Dr. Warren Lee, president of the Hong Kong Nutrition Association, is aware of the unsavory rumours. "Eating foetuses is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine and is deeply founded in Chinese folklore. In terms of nutrition, a foetus would be a good source of protein and fats, and there are minerals in bone. But I don't know if eating foetuses is just folklore or more than that," he says. According to Lee, it is conceivable that foetuses are rich in certain hormones that are beneficial to the adult human body, but should this be the case, the foetal matter would have to be converted into an injectible form for best results, as most hormones including the hormone for diabetes, insulin - are broken down in the digestive system before they have a chance to be absorbed by the body.

But Lee suggests that anyone who eats a foetus would be seeking a remedy that is far more elusive than a hormone or mineral. "Some people may think there is also an unidentified substance or chemical that has healing powers, but there is no evidence that this is true." Lee urges people to be wary - "There are people out there who just want to make money and they will come up with all sorts of formulas or substances, which, they say will cure diseases."

As a child, Patrick Yau was fed on human placentas by his mother who worked at a local hospital, but in his current position as a psychologist with the Social Welfare Department he is both repulsed and shocked by the notion of eating foetuses. "As a Catholic, I object to abortions because I believe the foetus is a human life, and I certainly object to eating a dead baby after it has been aborted," he says. Yau concedes that in China, where the one child policy has turned abortions into an acceptable remedy to an unfortunate human blunder, people may have adopted a new outlook on life before birth, such that embryos are stripped of their status as human beings.

But Tang fails to understand how anyone anywhere can convince themselves "that they are just eating an organism when they are actually eating a dead body". "It may not be a formed human being, but when they think about it most people would think: 'Ugh! No, I can't eat that.' I don't think civilized people with an education could do that sort of thing."

Dr. Wong, a Hong Kong doctor who practices Western medicine, thinks only the ignorant would eat human foetuses. He explains that foetuses contain mucoploysaccharide, which is beneficial to the metabolism, but states that it can be found in a lot of other food - Chinese doctor Chu Ho-Ting agrees that there is no place for foetuses in medicine, and suggests that it might even be unhealthy if the pregnant woman was infected by disease.

"Most bacteria can be killed under 100 degree heat but some require 400 degrees. Some people believe eating foetuses can strengthen the immunity of the human body against diseases, but this is wrong. Although foetuses contain protein, they are not as nutritious as placenta, which contains different kinds of nutrients. But even placenta has to be taken with other Chinese herbs."

http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t37170-0.html

Beer 'better', wine 'worse' for memory

LONDON:
Binge drinkers, beware! Guzzling beer is better for brain while quaffing wine is a worry, a new study has claimed.

Researchers at the University of Gottingen in Germany have found that drinking wine damages the brain more than beer or spirits -- wine actually shrinks the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory.

According to them, the average size of the hippocampus-- one of the first brain areas to be affected by Alzheimer's disease -- in non-alcoholics is 3.85ml while in beer drinkers it is 3.4ml, but for wine drinkers it is only 2.8ml.

"This is the first study investigating the impact of the type of preferred beverage on brain-volume shrinkage in patients with alcohol dependence," British newspaper Daily Mail quoted the researchers as saying.

They came to the conclusion after analysing the brain scans of alcoholics with those of healthy adults. They found that the hippocampus, which is located deep within the brain's temporal lobes, was ten per cent smaller in wine drinkers.

According to the researchers, a shrunken hippocampus can affect not only memory but also the brain's navigation and spatial awareness, and as a result may cause feelings of disorientation.

However, in their study, the researchers also found that beer drinkers had the lowest levels of a compound in the blood called homocysteine which is often linked to heart disease and strokes.

The results of the study have been published in the Alcohol and Alcoholism medical journal.

It may be mentioned that earlier researches have linked moderate wine drinking to a host of health benefits, including reducing high blood pressure and preventing the risk of a heart attack.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Beer_better_wine_worse_for_memory/articleshow/2874892.cms

The Praying Dog and How Animals Teach Us.

The Associated Press

NAHA, Japan — At a Zen Buddhist temple in southern Japan, even the dog prays.

Mimicking his master, priest Joei Yoshikuni, a 1 1/2-year-old black-and-white Chihuahua named Conan joins in the daily prayers at Naha's Shuri Kannondo temple, sitting up on his hind legs and putting his front paws together before the altar.

It took him only a few days to learn the motions, and now he is the talk of the town.

"Word has spread, and we are getting a lot more tourists," Yoshikuni said Monday.

Yoshikuni said Conan generally goes through his prayer routine at the temple in the capital of Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture (state) without prompting before his morning and evening meals.

"I think he saw me doing it all the time and got the idea to do it too," Yoshikuni said.

The priest is now trying to teach him how to meditate. Well, sort of.

"Basically, I am just trying to get him to sit still while I meditate," he explained. "It's not like we can make him cross his legs."

James comment's: I adore dogs. They are so innocent, full of unconditional love and joyful to be around. This one seems to be preparing for rebirth as a human and perhaps a monk. :)


I'm sure that this little doggie doesn't understand what he is doing but I'm sure that he feels the peaceful energy surrounding him that helps him feel content, peaceful and calm. He has Buddha nature as any other living entity and is our relative in the large and beautiful family of sentient beings.

It seems less skillful to me to regard animals as less than us and therefore somehow not worthy of our protection and kindness. We must look upon animals with compassion and help them live the best life possible to help reduce their suffering as no sentient beings wants to suffer. And even though we see ourselves as their teachers and guides, they too have much to offer and teach us.

They remind us not to take ourselves too seriously, they teach us how to have unconditional love for others, they remind us of the freedom found in the present moment and to not let anger rule our hearts but to forgive and move on. Animals are the ultimate optimists who teach us a positive attitude brings great happiness and that is o.k. to be submissive at times.

I'd love to hear what you learn from animals in the comment section. :)

~Peace to all beings~

Metta

How to Identify the City you are in

Scenario 1


Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes

along, then a fourth and they start arguing about who's right & after that distribute sweets[Misthi]

You are in Kolkatta


Scenario 2


Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes

along, sees them and walks on.

That's Mumbai


Scenario 3


Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes along & tries

to make peace. The first two get together & beat him up.

That's Delhi


Scenario 4


Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes

he writes a software programm to stop the fight ..

but the fight doesn't stop b'cos of a bug in the program

Thats Bangalore !!!!



Scenario 5

Two guys are fighting

now the people who are walking beside them come closer

now the mob beat the both on street's [that's called mob's justice].

Yup exactly you are somewhere in Bihar.



Scenario 6

Two guys r fighting like a bunch of street dogs on the main road and the third person comes and start enjoying there fight,

After some time when both are tired and faint on road

Then that third person comes and with lots of over action claims that

He is the one who have kicked there asses and takes them to the hospital.

Then that's Madras

[Satak satak satak .. slap's .. oops sry thats Chennai ]



Scenario 7

two guys are fighting


other two guys come and enjoy it

also will bet who will win

guess which city


Balle balle that's Chandigarh.




Scenario 8


Two guys are fighting. Both of them take time out and

call their friends on mobile.Now 50 guys are fighting.

You are in Hyderabad.

Watch this Hyderabadi Bryani






Hyderabad is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, the city has an estimated population of 6.1 million people (61 lakh), making it the 6th most populous metropolis in India. Hyderabad is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique characteristic of a meeting point for North and South India, and its multi-lingual culture, both geographically and culturally. Hyderabad has been a place where Hindus and Muslims have co-existed peacefully for centuries. Hyderabad is also one of the most developed cities in the country. It is an emerging information technology (or IT) and biotechnology hub of India. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are twin cities, separated by the Husain Sagar (bound by the 'Tank Bund'), a man made lake made during the time of Ibrahim Qutb Shah in 1562. The Charminar (Urdu: "Four Minars") monument, built in the center of Hyderabad by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591, is a commemoration of the eradication of a plague in the region.

Typical Hyderabadis ., enjoy bluffing & boasting




More

After every thing happens ,
At last the police comes

Yup that's Indian Police


Last Scenario,


Two guys are fighting......

The third guy cum n he start takin ones side...

The fourth on either side....

then they start full Hungama.

now the police cums........

they all cum together to beat the cop [Dhikckaw dhickyaw].......


That's the Indian unity........

Condom Song - AIDS awareness

Note - This may seem a joke but is not to those who suffer from this disease.


India has had a sharp decrease in the estimated number of HIV infections, from 2005 reports saying 5.2 million to 5.7 million had HIV to 2007 UNAids reports saying that number is now between 2 million and 3 million.

This brings the HIV prevalence rate in India below many western nations including the US, Canada, Italy, France, and Spain, at .36 percent.

India's national epidemic is made up of a number of local epidemics, and in some places they occur within the same state. The epidemics vary, from states with mainly heterosexual transmission of HIV (85%), often via interaction with sex workers, to some states where intravenous drug use is the main route of transmission. Both tracking the epidemic and implementing effective programmes poses a serious challenge to the authorities and communities in India. HIV surveillance in India falls under the auspices of the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO). The majority of HIV surveillance data collected by NACO is done through annual unlinked anonymous testing of prenatal clinic (or antenatal clinics) and sexually transmitted infection clinic attendees. Annual reports of HIV surveillance are freely available on NACO's website.

India has a large population and population density, low literacy levels and consequently low levels of awareness, and HIV/AIDS is one of the most challenging public health problems ever faced by the country. A recent study published in the British medical journal "The Lancet" in (2006) reported an approximately 30% decline in HIV infections among young women aged 15 to 24 years attending prenatal clinics in selected southern states of India from 2000 to 2004 where the epidemic is thought to be concentrated. The authors cautiously attribute observed declines to increased condom use by men who visit commercial sex workers and cite several pieces of corroborating evidence.

I remember Richard Gere at AIDS awareness campaign kissing Shilpa Shetty , well hmm that was acc to few was because of un parallel culture & was innocent & immature act but those kind of culture itself develops the habit of Unsafe sex.

Most significance development is AIDS is found in province like Andhra Pradesh, reason which I can blame is Unsafe & Immoral Sex.,but at the same there is a rapid progress in AIDS awareness too.

The Best Aids awareness song I ve ever heard

This is an entertaining and educational video in Telugu on Condom usage, to prevent from sexually transmitted infections and HIV, from Nrityanjali Academy, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.





Look at the people participating in the video at the background, they don’t look that happy. Almost seemed as if they’re going to beat up the human condoms any time.

Lyrics for Condom Song - Telugu

Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.
Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.
I am made in different colors with fragrance.
I am made in different colors with fragrance.
I am made in different colors with fragrance.

I am sealed with Lubricant.
Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.

I come in different colours and called by different names.
I am a shield, I can protect you.
Any brand anywhere I can be bought.
Ask for me in a medical shop.
Also available in “MYTHRI CENTRES” and other shops
I protect you against STI’s
I save everyone from HIV/AIDS

Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.

Many men and women have used & discarded (unsatisfied) me
Some men and women say I don’t satisfy desire.
I am good-natured and provide satisfaction
I am for you do not neglect me.
I help in stopping unwanted childbirth
I save you and increase your longevity
I remain with you and see that you remain healthy.

Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.
Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.

In your youth you become rash and careless
You think no end of yourself
You desire for sex with multiple partners
For momentary sexual pleasure you go to great lengths
You get easily carried away in search of this happiness
You overlook the possibility of STI’s
Oh! My! Look out, you can get HIV/AIDS

Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.
Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.

Avoid disaster, leave aside your fears
Remember me, do not get into trouble
Don’t forget to check the date of manufacture
I am quite delicate take care while wearing
Turn deaf ear to others I am very good
You will remain happy without AIDS
The day you forget me you will find yourself in trouble

Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.
Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.

Not only for men condoms are available for women
No need to feel shy use one with a smile
Dear, use me while having in sex
Gay people also need to use me.
Using me each time makes me more safe
Oh! Women take care of your health
Oh! Men take care of your health

Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.
Never forget me I am Nirodh,
I am the condom friend ever useful to you.
I am made in different colors with fragrance.
I am made in different colors with fragrance.
I am made in different colors with fragrance.

“Gay people also need to use me.” LOL.