For All Types Of Pooja

I thought I have been exposed to a lot of varied cultural anomalies, but until this weekend I have never seen the likes of a Poojan Pack. This was a first. I opened up the pack to take a look. There was a grinding stone, some sort of oil, some cashews and other nuts (about 5) and some sticks of incense along with some other things that I couldn't make out as to what they were. No need to worry though as I will rest assured that the package I was looking at was for all types of Pooja. All is now well.

Who knew that this pack had all you need for all types of Hindu worship?

I wonder if this is the equivalent to the "christian" testamint mentality?

Butthash: Drug Of Choice?

A sheriff in Collier county, Florida has released a report detailing a new inhalant that has found favor amongst the teens in his area. It is known officially as Jenkem but called "Butthash" as well as "fruit from the crack pipe" and "dutch air freshner". It is made by fermenting a mixture of feces and urine and inhaling the gas. It is reported that the sewagey taste can last for days in the mouth of the inhaler. It is currently unconfirmed if this is a legitimate new drug or if the sheriff has been duped. I wonder who the inventor of this concoction was.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Why would anyone inhale the fumes of sewage for a high you can get without tasting sewage for days?
-Is this drug illegal?
-Do you think it is a hoax?
-What would you do if you caught your child inhaling fumes from their own bodily waste?

Vishnu Reincarnated?

Poonam Tatma believes her daughter to be the reincarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu God that preserves and protects creation.

The little girl is set to have an operation to remove some of the extra limbs and doctors hope this will allow her to live a semi-normal life.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-What are your thoughts on reincarnation?

-According to Hinduism can a "god" be reincarnated? What is more, can a "god" be reincarnated to a lower level of a human?

-According to the cast system (and belief about a prescribed lot in life) in Hinduism would she not be better off to live out her years in her current state so that she might learn her lesson and move up the ladder of reincarnation?

Will To Live Trumps Abortion Attempts

"We had to decide whether to end his life and let his brother live, or risk them both."
They said it would be impossible to keep him alive afterwards as he was so poorly.
It would be kinder to let him die in the womb with his brother by his side than to die alone after being born. "That made my mind up for me. I wanted the best thing for him."

After an attempted severing of the umbilical cord, a splitting of the placenta, little Gabriel fought to live on and is now a healthy 12 and a half lbs at 7 months.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-The reasoning above for taking the life in the womb, does that appear to be well thought out?
-How trustworthy is the statement, "it would be better to end [your child's] suffering sooner rather than later?
-What would you do in a situation such as this?

200+ Hits for Big Brother Rape YouTube

I am sort of suprised by how many hits I have received (over 200 in less than 30 minutes) on the Big Brother Rape post I blogged on yesterday. The suprising part is not that I have received a lot of hits but what people are searching for. A vast majority of people from all around the world are searching for these terms: "Big Brother Rape YouTube".

Some questions:
-What does this say about our nature?
-Does being "anonymous" on the web make way for being entertained by things that we would normally speak against in real life?
-What is the draw of televised "rape"?

First For Fridays

What about this video is so heart warming?

Big Brother TV Show "Rape" Broadcast Live

Richard Bezuindehout, a film student from Tanzania and a married man, was broadcast live on Big Brother in what many across Africa say was rape. Both he and Ofunneka Molokwu, a medical assistant from Nigeria, came back from having participated in binge drinking and she (according to viewers but denied by producers) passed out and that is when Bezuindehout took advantage of her.

In defense of his sexual behavior he gave this reasoning: "Well, this is Africa."

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-What do you think of his defense?
-What good comes of debauchery?
-What do you think about a show that airs sexual promiscuity over the airwaves?
-What do you think of a married man participating in this act... and his defense?