Schizophrenia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

My biggest pet peeves

My biggest pet peeves: Mediocrity, hypocrisy and myopia.

Minority Complex

I'm a secular person. I believe in secularism. I believe in Secular Humanism. I'm a Muslim. I'm not anti-Muslim. But I'm against Muslims who're pro-Pakistan. I've coined a term: Minority Complex. Every minority falsely believes that it's being victimized and oppressed by the majority. This is what I call Minority Complex. The Indian Muslims have the same complex.

Schizoid

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that affects more than 2 million adult Americans. People with this disorder sometimes hear voices others don't hear, believe that others are broadcasting their thoughts to the world, or become convinced that others are plotting to harm them. People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk, may sit for hours without moving or talking much, or may seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking. Because many people with schizophrenia have difficulty holding a job or caring for themselves, the burden on their families and society is significant.Available treatments can relieve many of the disorder's symptoms, but most people who have schizophrenia must cope with some residual symptoms as long as they live. Nevertheless, this is a time of hope for people with schizophrenia and their families. Many people with the disorder now lead rewarding and meaningful lives in their communities. Researchers are developing more effective medications and using new research tools to understand the causes of schizophrenia and to find ways to prevent and treat it. In men, schizophrenia usually appears in the late teens or early twenties. The disorder usually shows up when women are in their twenties to early thirties.Schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency.Schizophrenia occurs in 1 percent of the general population, but is seen in 10 percent of people with a first-degree relative (a parent, brother, or sister) with the disorder. The identical twin of a person with the disorder is most at risk, with a 40 to 65 percent chance of developing the disease.Like many other illnesses, schizophrenia is believed to result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors.People with schizophrenia are addicted to nicotine at three times the rate of the general population (75-90 percent vs. 25-30 percent). The reasons for this are unclear.Schizophrenia costs the nation $32.5 billion annually according to the most recently available data.TreatmentBecause the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, current treatments focus on eliminating the symptoms of the disease. Antipsychotic medications have been available since the mid-1950s. They effectively alleviate the positive symptoms of schizophrenia but sometimes cause side effects such as tremors and restlessness. Newer medications developed in the 1990s, called atypical antipsychotics, have been found to cause fewer side effects. No one can tell beforehand exactly how medication will affect a particular individual, and sometimes several medications must be tried before the right one is found. Numerous studies have found that psychosocial treatments can help patients who are already stabilized on antipsychotic medications deal with certain aspects of schizophrenia, such as difficulty with communications, motivation, self-care, work and relationships. Learning and using coping mechanisms to address these problems allows people with schizophrenia to attend school, work, and socialize.The outlook for people with schizophrenia has improved over the last 30 years or so. Although there is still no cure, effective treaments have been developed, and many people with schizophrenia improve enough to lead independent, satisfying lives.Read more: Schizophrenia — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mental5.html#ixzz1nJdP3h00

schizophrenia (skit"sufrē'nēu) [key], group of severe mental disorders characterized by reality distortions resulting in unusual thought patterns and behaviors. Because there is often little or no logical relationship between the thoughts and feelings of a person with schizophrenia, the disorder has often been called “split personality.” However, the condition should not be confused with multiple personality, a disorder in which the individual has two or more distinct personalities that dominate at different times.In 1896, the German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin grouped what were previously considered unrelated mental diseases under the term dementia praecox. It was not until 1908, however, that an influential essay by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler corrected Kraepelin's theory that the disease was an organic brain deterioration and thus incurable. Bleuler introduced the term schizophrenia to replace dementia praecox, emphasizing the dissociative phenomena in the mind and avoiding the implications of early onset and progressive brain deterioration.Schizophrenic disorders generally begin in the late teenage years or early adulthood and tend to occur in withdrawn, seclusive individuals. The lifetime prevalence worldwide has been estimated to be just under 1%, and the disorder affects 1.5 to 2 million people in the United States alone. Symptoms include disturbances of thought, both in form and content (see delusion), and disturbances of perception, most commonly appearing as visual or aural hallucinations.There are five major types of schizophrenia listed by the American Psychiatric Association in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The most severe are disorganized (hebephrenic) schizophrenia, characterized by hallucinations, delusions, inappropriate laughing and crying, incoherent speech, and infantile behavior; and catatonic schizophrenia, characterized by physical rigidity or hyperactivity. Paranoid schizophrenics can often function relatively normally, although they may be disturbed by persecutory delusions and hallucinations, and they tend to exhibit argumentative behavior. The presence of a combination of symptoms from other types is classified as undifferentiated schizophrenia. Residual schizophrenia is constituted by minor symptoms, which occur as an active episode diminishes.The cause of schizophrenia is unknown. Genetic factors appear to be involved in producing susceptibility to the condition, with studies among identical twins showing a 30%–50% concordance rate, a figure that has been confirmed by the results of adoption studies. Biochemical research suggests that high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, or excessive numbers of receptors for dopamine, may be at the root of schizophrenia. Medical imaging studies have revealed various physical and physiological anomalies in some patients. Other research has focused on mistiming of neural responses to stimuli in the brain. Many researchers maintain that a combination of influences, including such environmental factors as viral illness or malnutrition in the patient's mother during pregnancy, may lead to schizophrenia,Antipsychotic drugs (see psychopharmacology), sometimes in conjunction with psychotherapy, have greatly improved the treatment of schizophrenia. Hospitalization is sometimes needed initially to provide basic personal needs (safety, food, and hygiene) while acute symptoms are treated. Most patients return to the community with varying degrees of independence and with good prospects for long-term remission of symptoms.See R. Miller and S. Mason, Diagnosis: Schizophrenia (2002); studies by I. I. Gottesman (1991) and H. Häfner and W. F. Gattaz, ed. (1991).Read more: schizophrenia — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0843952.html#ixzz1nJdhxraW

Monologue

I'm a misfit in Hyderabadi milieu. Wish I'd live in Osho ashram, Pune or America. India is a democratic country but people still have a feudal mind-set. Ultraliberals are persecuted. There's true freedom in America. And, I also believe that Jews are intellectually superior.

Jinn

Sometimes -- I feel that I'm possessed by a Jinn; since I was very young.

Dissociative Identity Disorder / Multiple Personality Disorder

Sometimes -- I feel that I've Dissociative Identity Disorder / Multiple Personality Disorder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder

India: Mental Retardation

Nearly 2% of the general population in our country is affected with mental retardation. There are presently about 168 lakhs of mentally retarded people in our country. -- National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India

http://www.nimhindia.org/faq.html

Schizophrenia

schiz•o•phre•ni•a Pronunciation: (skit"su-frē'nē-u, -frēn'yu), [key]—n.1. Psychiatry. Also called dementia praecox. a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.2. a state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.Read more: schizophrenia: meaning and definitions — Infoplease.com http://dictionary.infoplease.com/schizophrenia#ixzz1n9P997gR

Monologue

I've just realized that I'm a mentally retarded person. That explains my past and present. I'm relieved -- now.

Islam Q&A: Words concerning the reasons for calamities and bearing them with patience

It is known that having patience when a calamity befalls a person is a part of a Muslim’s belief. Accepting and being content with what Allah decrees for us is an attribute of a believer. Is there a difference between this type of calamity and the other type that befalls one as a result of his own neglecting, or all calamities are equal? If a person neglects his education and does not work hard for seeking it while he is able to, then when he becomes old, he keeps whining for his past and saying : “why have I neglected my education when I was able to gain it” some may think that this is dissatisfaction and rejection to what Allah decreed, and they justify this by saying that if Allah has decreed for this man to be educated he would have been, so he should not reject his fate and say why this happened to me. Please clarify this matter.

Praise be to Allaah. 1.The believer who affirms the Oneness of Allaah (Tawheed) knows that everything happens by the decree of Allaah; what Allaah wills happens and what He does not will does not happen; there is nothing that can block the will of Allaah from being executed in His creation. Thus the heart of the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allaah is at rest, and he knows that there is no room for regret or grief in his life, because the command of Allaah preceded (the event) and His will is executed. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allaah.23. In order that you may not grieve at the things over that you fail to get, nor rejoice over that which has been given to you. And Allaah likes not prideful boasters”[al-Hadeed 57:22-23] “Say: ‘Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allaah has ordained for us. He is our Mawlaa (Lord, Helper and Protector).’ And in Allaah let the believers put their trust”[al-Tawbah 9:51] 2.If this is the case for the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allaah, then there is no room in his life for regret about the past and there is no room for the words “if only” in his speech. What Allaah has decreed for His slave must be one of two things: (i) Either it is because of a sin that the slave has committed, so Allaah has decreed it for him because of his sins. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned” [al-Shoora 42:30],(ii) Or it is a test from Allaah to raise him in status and expiate his bad deeds. What should the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allaah do, once he knows this and believes firmly in it? If the calamity is because of a sin that he has committed, or because of neglecting something that he should have done, what he must do is hasten to repent and seek forgiveness, and turn back to his Lord, and regret what he has done, and set things straight between him and His Creator and Lord. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)”[Ta-Ha 20:82] If the calamity is a test to raise him in status and expiate his bad deeds, then all that the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allaah can do is accept the decree of Allaah, and seek reward for what has befallen him with his Lord, hoping for reward and seeking to expiate his sins. In both cases, the heart of the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allaah will only become strong and at peace, and it will never become weak and feeble [?], rather he will hasten to obey and do good deeds. If he has sinned then he will give up his sins and become better than he was before, and if he was obedient to Allaah then he will become even more obedient to His Creator and Lord. 3.The shaytaan tries to weaken the heart of the believer and instil grief and sorrow in his heart, and he strives hard to make him helpless . He does all of that by means of the words “if only”, referring to the past and what he did or did not do. Along with all that evil and corruption he makes him live in a world of illusions and false notions, so he says, “If only such and such had happened, then such and such would have happened.” How does he know that that would have been the case? Look at what the shaytaan causes of regret, sorrow and conjecture about the decree of Allaah, and alongside that he weakens his resolve to strive and obey Allaah, and he continues to bemoan his fate and regret until his life has passed. Allaah tells us that this is the action of the hypocrites, and our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us against going down that path. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to do that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allaah has decreed and what He wills He does,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to the work of the shaytaan.”Narrated by Muslim (2664). Look at this great hadeeth and ponder it, for it explains the difference between the strong believer and the weak believer, and it urges us to strive and not feel helpless. All of that is completely appropriate to the prohibition on regretting by saying “if only”. Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said: When a person experiences something unpleasant or a calamity befalls him, he should not say “If only I had done such and such, this would not have happened to me” or “If only I had not done such and such, this would not have happened to me,” because that is a sign of not having patience in accepting what has been missed and cannot be regained, and because these words are indicative of not believing in the divine will and decree, and because it causes one pain and allows the shaytaan to gain power over a person though waswaas and worries. What one must do when calamity strikes is submit to the decree of Allaah, and bear with patience that which has befallen one, whilst striving to achieve the means of bringing good and protecting oneself against evil and disliked things, without apportioning blame. Allaah criticized those who said such things when calamity befell the Muslims at the battle of Uhud. He said (interpretation of the meaning): “[they said] ‘If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here’” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:154]. These words were spoken by some of the hypocrites on the day of Uhud, when calamity struck the Muslims. They said it in objection to the divine decree, and they criticized the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Muslims for going out to fight the enemy. But Allaah refuted what they said, in the same verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: ‘Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death’”, i.e., what Allaah decreed would happen was inevitable and could not have been prevented by their staying in their homes or worrying. Saying “if only” after a calamity has struck does not achieve anything but causing regret, sorrow, pain and weakness, in addition to its effect on ‘aqeedah (belief), because it is generated by a lack of submission to the divine decree. Then Allaah mentioned something else that the hypocrites said, in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):“(They are) the ones who said about their killed brethren while they themselves sat (at home): ‘If only they had listened to us, they would not have been killed’”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:168] This is another thing that the hypocrites said on the day of Uhud. It is narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ubayy objected to the divine decree and said: If they had listened to our advice to stay home and not go out to fight, they would not have been killed. Allaah refuted what they said, in the same verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: ‘Avert death from your ownselves, if you speak the truth’”, i.e., if staying home and not going out to fight could save a person from being killed or dying, then you should not die, but death will inevitably come to you in any place, so ward it off from yourselves if you are telling the truth in your claim that those who obeyed you would be safe from death. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) guided us to the actions that will benefit a person in this world and in the Hereafter, that Allaah has prescribed to His slaves, whether they are obligatory, mustahabb or permissible. When a person does these actions, he should seek the help of Allaah to perfect his efforts and benefit him, because Allaah is the One Who created cause and effect. Combining appropriate action with putting one’s trust in Allaah is Tawheed. Moreover, he forbade feeling helpless, which means not doing the things that are the means of benefit. This is the opposite of keenness to do that which will benefit one. If a person is keen to do that which will benefit him, and pursue the means, and then the opposite of what he wanted happens, or what he doesn’t want happens, he should not say “If only I had done such and such, such and such would have happened,” because these words do not do any good, rather they open the door to the shaytaan, and cause regret and make one blame the divine decree. This is contrary to patience and acceptance of the divine decree. Patience is obligatory, and belief in the divine decree is obligatory. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught him to say beneficial words which imply belief in the divine decree: “Qadara Allaah wa ma sha’a fa’ala (Allaah decrees and what He wills He does”), because what Allaah decrees will inevitably come to pass, and what is required is to submit and accept what has been decreed. What Allaah wills He does, because His actions stem only from wisdom. May Allaah have mercy on Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) who said: If a person misses out on something, one of two scenarios must apply. He may have felt helpless, which is the work of the shaytaan, who prompted him to say “If only”, but there is no benefit in that; rather it is the key to blame. The second scenario is studying and pondering the divine decree; if something is decreed it could never miss him, and no one could get it before him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us that which will benefit a person whether he gets what he wanted or not. He forbade us to say “if only” and told us that this opens the door to the shaytaan, because it implies regret for what has passed, grief, sorrow, and blaming the divine decree, and one is sinning thereby. It is the work of the shaytaan. This does not apply only to the words “if only”, rather it applies to the feelings in the heart that accompany it, which are contrary to complete faith and open the door to the shaytaan. This hadeeth which was narrated by Abu Hurayrah is something which no one can do without. It implies affirmation of the divine decree, affirmation of the role of human effort and true submission to Allaah (al-‘uboodiyyah). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, concerning the meaning of this hadeeth: Do not be helpless in doing what is enjoined and do not panic with regard to what is decreed. Al-Irshaad ila Saheeh al-I’tiqaad wa’l-Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Shirk wa’l-Ilhaad (p. 130-133). 4.For one who missed out on being taught when he was young, let his regret for his negligence motivate him to invest what remains of his life in learning. He should not feel weak and helpless and give up on learning. The one who missed out on doing Hajj when he was young should hasten to do Hajj at the first opportunity; he should not delay it any longer. The same applies to all other acts of worship and good deeds that he may have missed out on. He has to believe that this is the decree of Allaah; he should not feel helpless, rather he should be strong and strive to do that which will benefit him. If what he missed out on was due to his sinning, then he should do what we have mentioned above, in addition to repenting sincerely from sin, and asking his Lord to bless him with sound faith and to help him to do and say that which He loves and which pleases Him. But we should point out to you that there is not only one door to goodness, righteousness, guidance and success in Paradise and the Hereafter. Rather there are many doors. The one who finds some branches of knowledge too difficult for him can find other branches of knowledge that he is able to learn, so he can make up for what he has missed out on with regard to knowledge. If you are wealthy, then spend for the sake of Allaah and strive for His sake with your wealth. If you are physically strong then you can fast, for there is nothing like it. You can pray, for it is the best thing. You can do Hajj and ‘Umrah. You can enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil; you can recite dhikr and tasbeeh and read Qur’aan. There are many ways of doing good, and everyone is guided to that for which he was created and the one who is doomed has no one to blame but himself. We ask Allaah to help you, guide you and make you steadfast in doing good. For more information please see the answers to questions no. 49039, 49004, 43021, 34732, 11010 and 85362.
And Allaah is the source of strength.
Islam Q&A

Zimbra Desktop

Zimbra Desktop is the next-generation email and collaboration client. The free Zimbra Desktop client allows you to meld the online and offline worlds – storing and synching your email, calendar, contacts, files and documents in the cloud, yet having them locally accessible when on the road. Zimbra Desktop aggregates information across accounts (Zimbra, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) and social networks (Facebook, Digg, Twitter, etc.) to help make communicating & sharing information easier than ever.

http://www.zimbra.com/products/desktop.html

Nick Vujicic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Vujicic

Moshe Kai Cavalin

The one thing 14-year-old Moshe Kai Cavalin dislikes is, being called a genius.


All he did, after all, was enroll in college at age 8 and earn his first of two Associate of Arts degrees from East Los Angeles
Community College at age 9, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

Now, at 14, he's poised to graduate from UCLA this year. He's also just published an English edition of his first book, 'We Can Do.'

The 100-page guideline explains how other young people can accomplish what Cavalin did through such simple acts as keeping themselves focused and approaching everything with total commitment. He's hoping it will show people there's no genius involved, just hard work.

"That's always the question that bothers me," Cavalin, who turned 14 on
Valentine's Day, says when the G-word is raised. "People need to know you don't
really need to be a genius. You just have to work hard and you can accomplish
anything."
And maybe cut out some of the TV. Although he's a big fan of Jackie Chan
movies, Cavalin says he limits his television time to four hours a week.
Not that he lacks for recreational activities or feels that his parents
pressured him into studying constantly. He writes in 'We Can Do' of learning to
scuba dive, and he loves soccer and martial arts.
He used to participate in the latter sport when he was younger, winning
trophies for his age group, until his UCLA studies and his writing made things a
little too hectic.
Indeed one of the key messages of his book is to stay focused and to not take
on any endeavor half-heartedly.
"I was able to reach the stars, but others can reach the Milky Way," he tells
readers.
It was a professor at his first institution of higher learning, East Los
Angeles City College, who inspired him, Cavalin says. He didn't like the subject
but managed to get an A in it anyway, by applying himself and seeing how
enthusiastic his teacher, Richard Avila, was about the subject.
Avila, he says, inspired him to write a book explaining his methods for
success so he could motivate others.
It took four years to finish, in part because Cavalin, whose mother is
Chinese, decided to publish it in Chinese, and doing the translation himself was
laborious.
Han Shian Culture Publishing of Taiwan put the book in print, and it did well
in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, as well in several bookstores in Southern
California's Asian communities. He then brought it out in English for the U.S.
market.
Because of his heavy study load, Cavalin has had little opportunity to
promote the book, other than a signing at UCLA, where he also lives in student
housing with his parents and attends the school on a scholarship.
After earning his bachelor's degree, the math major plans to enroll in
graduate school with hopes of eventually earning a doctorate.
After that, he's not so sure. He points out that he's still just barely a
teenager.
"Who knows?" he says, chuckling at the thought of what lies ahead in
adulthood. "That's a very distant future, and I'm pretty much planning for just
the next few years. That's too far into the future for me to see."

Richard Stallman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman

Every hour, 18 women face brutalities in India

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_every-hour-18-women-face-brutalities-in-india_1144836

Poverty in India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India

Farmers' suicides in India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers'_suicides_in_India

Stray dogs maul 2-year-old girl to death, injure her friend

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Stray-dogs-maul-2-year-old-girl-to-death--injure-her-friend/605596

20 million child laborers in the country, while other agencies claim that it is 50 million

http://www.childlabor.in/child-labour-in-india.htm

Bride-burning claims hundreds in India

http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/18/bride.burn/

India leads world in road deaths: WHO

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-08-17/india/28181973_1_road-accidents-road-fatalities-global-road-safety

India tops world hunger chart

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-02-27/india/28009938_1_global-hunger-index-food-insecurity-india-ranks

Each year over 20,000 people die of rabies in India

http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/07/13/india-to-sterilize-8-million-stray-dogs/

What is the prevalence of the condition of mental retardation in our country ?

Nearly 2% of the general population in our country is affected with mental retardation. There are presently about 168 lakhs of mentally retarded people in our country.

http://www.nimhindia.org/faq.html#03

Hypothetical Questions

#1. What would be your dream job?
Barnstorming / Explorer / Spy / Counter-terrorist professional

#2. If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?
Power to Heal. Invisibility. Flying.

#3. If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to?
Charles Sobhraj

#4 If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
Amongst 'Uncontacted Tribes'.

#5 Name three exotic countries you would like to visit
America.

#6 When you die - what part of your personality do you want to be remembered for?
Mister Hyde!

#7 If you could add a single option to your car, what would you add?
I love bullock carts!

#8 If you could start your own restaurant, what would it be?

#9 You're given $100,000 and you have to spend it all in one dayand cannot buy any real estate, any kind of boat or vehicle and noinvestments or putting it in the bank, what do you spend it on?Be specific.
My girlfriend.

#10 If you had an unlimited shopping spree at one store, which store would that be?

#11 If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

What do you dream about at night?
Pretty girls with braces!

If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.

If you could get some plastic surgery, what part would you change.

What would your dream house be like?
Tree House.

What crazy activities do you dream of trying someday?
Skydiving. Mountaineering.

If you could go on a road trip with any person(dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go?

What one fun goal do you feel you must do before you die?

Do you want children? If so how many?
Twins: A boy and a girl.

What will the world be like in 25 years?
Where's my Ouija Board!

Stream-of-consciousness

I believe that India is NOT shining.
Poverty is the mother of all problems.
Resolve grass root problems first.
Then play Cricket.

I--always--thought that I was just different -- ultra-liberal -- below-average -- Schizophrenic but after forty years I realized that I'm mentally retarded.

Rat bites child at pvt hospital room

February 5, 2012

A two-and-a-half-year-old child was bitten by a rat at the NSS Medical Mission
Hospital here on Saturday morning.

The girl, Amrita Pillai, is daughter of army jawan and native of Kulanada, Raju
P.R.The child was undergoing treatment at a deluxe room in the hospital
after she developed fever on January 28.

“The child was sleeping after breakfast. Suddenly,
the child screamed, and I saw a big rat running out of the bed. There was heavy
bleeding from her right-hand thumb and middle finger,” said Indu V.R, mother of
Amrita to Deccan Chronicle.

“I rushed with her to the doctor’s room where they
dressed up the wound. Later, we filed a complaint at the Pandalam police
station,” she said.
Ramesh Kumar, superintend and pediatrician at the hospital said, “The child
was taken to me immediately after the incident.
The wounds were dressed up. There is no need of any vaccination or an
antibiotic course since the child is undergoing treatment for pneumonia. I had
consulted with senior pediatricians of Kottayam MCH on the issue.”

Incredible India!

A 70-year old comatose patient in the ICU of Mathura Das Mathur hospital in Jodhpur was recently found bleeding in the face after a bunch of rats descended on him as attendants switched off the lights. Fortunately, a ting from the room brought the attendants back, and the patient was saved. Even as officials are probing into the incident, yet another case of rodent attack on a patient has been reported. -- The Week, February 5, 2012

Fatima Bhutto

http://blip.tv/slowtv/pakistan-nation-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown-fatima-bhutto-5236151

My latest crush . . . .

My latest crush is Fatima Bhutto! :-)

Fatima Bhutto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_Bhutto

http://fatimabhutto.com.pk/

Rudolph Rummel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._J._Rummel

Voyaging

"The aim of voyaging is to build self-esteem and confidence through a struggle with something bigger than yourself," he told the children. "This is not a training for going to sea but for living your life." -- Journey to Hell / Reader's Digest