Two years back I saw the much-talked about movie directed and produced by award-winning Film maker Michael Moore, Fahrenheit 9/11. One of the very very few movies where I actually witnessed the Mumbai public to be so impressed that they should their appreciation with a standing ovation.

Come to think of it, no matter how much we hate or criticize the Bush administration and their approach towards fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraqi, one thing worth mentioning about them is the fact that they never try to block basic human right, in simple words - Freedom of Expression. And even if they tried, the American public and media have been strong enough to withstand their threat.

I mean could an Indian Filmmaker ever be successful in making a movie on the same lines - exposing our political parties, government policies or some politician/government officials. I highly doubt it.

Movies like Bombay, Fiza, etc though started out with the right intention but were later on modified to suit surrounding environment. Where as movie like Black Friday still needs to see the light of the day, officially.

But I guess we and we are only to be blamed. Unlike the American public, we allow ourselves to be bullied by the stronger forces, we need the help of movies like Rang De Basanti to ignite feelings of Patriotism among us, only after bomb blasts and floods do we realize how vulnerable we are and by voting, we feel our job towards our country is done.

You Are 32% Lady

You tend to make up your rules of etiquette, throwing all conventions aside. And while you try to be a lady (sometimes), your behavior is often quite shocking.

Are You A Lady?

My family for always shall be grateful for this 32%.

Pointing out that the LeT was banned in his country, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said, “We don’t see any evidence of their activity that’s prejudicial”.

“We have done a lot to transform some of these people.” Aziz, in an interview to Outlook magazine, bolstered his point by citing the relief work done by the Jama’at-ud-Da’wah, the LeT’s parent organisation, in the aftermath of the October 8, 2005 earthquake in the Kashmir region.

So tomorrow if Dawood Ibrahim helps out in the rehabilitation process of the 26/7 victims or 11/7 victims, then we should NOT consider him as a terrorist or a gangster. Maybe we could then hand him a National Award presented by none other than the President of India for his humanitarian service.

Where the fuck is Feroz Khan when you need him the most?

Would you consider this magazine cover to be offensive/gross?

Babytalk a free magazine for expecting mothers and mothers of babies, which has a huge readership across America, got themselves in quite a soup after publishing a photo - a baby and part of a woman’s breast as the cover page of their August issue.

In a poll of more than 4,000 readers, a quarter of responses to the cover were negative, calling the photo - inappropriate.

Here are some of the not-so-happy responses sent in?

“I shredded it,” said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. “A breast is a breast - it’s a sexual thing. He (13 yr-old son) didn’t need to see that.”

“I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine,” one person wrote. “I immediately turned the magazine face down,” wrote another.

“Gross, I am sick of seeing a baby attached to a boob,” wrote Lauren, a mother of a 4-month-old.

But there were some who thought the cover to be a good initiative since it helps educate people that breasts are more than sex objects.

Another mother, Kelly Wheatley, wrote Babytalk to applaud the cover. “Men are very visual,” says Wheatley, 40, of Amarillo, Texas. “When they see a woman’s breast, they see a breast - regardless of what it’s being used for.”

However Babytalk editor Susan Kane says the mixed response to the cover clearly echoes the larger debate over breast-feeding in public. Yet another indication that Americans are easily offended over the display of a mother feeding her child publicly, even as breast-feeding itself gains greater encouragement from the government and medical community.

Gossip is usually defined as an act of spreading news from person to person, especially rumors or private information.

We Indians indulge in this time-pass hobby on regular basis. Now to say that it’s only the women folk who go about with the chit-chatting process would be very presumptuous, in simpler words men also take the lutf of this activity as much as women. And isn’t there an old saying, “You don’t have to be male, to be a bitch”.

For women it’s their kitty parties or stroll in the local compound with their close knitted group, where they exchange various types of information and for men its usually office canteen or during evening drinks at the near-by pup. Talks range from ‘neighbor’s daughter is dating a sleazy scum bag’ to ‘who is the boss’s favorite employee this week and why’. Nobody is spared here - family members, work mates, disliked housing committee members and sometimes-even group buddies are targeted.

But I guess the most common and most widely enjoyed target of gossipmongers is our filmee line, in one word ‘Bollywood’. Because they belong to a limelight industry and their daily-to-daily activities are stuffed in our faces by the ever-popular Page 3 section, we kind off tend to treat these people as public property. We don’t care to verify whether the gossip details even possesses 10% of truth or is plain glam-sham lie, we are just happy to add on our own mirch-masala and pass it on to others with open ears.

Okay now let me warn you before hand about a real-life account that happened couple of hours back in our capital city.

Kindly please hold on to something strong and steady because believe me once you read this you wouldn’t be able to stop laughing till your literally spill your guts out.

3 youngsters (2 girls and 1 boy) hailing from Jaipur city, decided to pay a visit to the Prime Minister of India at his residence because they thought that it would be more worthwhile than strolling down India Gate. Alrighty, I made the second bit but it is true that these guys actually went to meet Dr. Manmohan Singh.

But what’s even more bizarre than this is the reality that they were able to drive up to one of the inner gates of minister’s residence. The Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel actually let them thru – which points out a serious breach of security.

Youngsters, who were driving a black Sonata, didn’t look to be bothered by the whole situation; I mean these kids could have been shot down by any of the security guard present there. To top it up with even more humor, the lady driver was actually blowing kisses to the cameras and the media personal who were present at the venue for some conference. Now I always thought that today’s generation was confident but these people actually took it to a complete new level.

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