I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

I think I would have high-tailed it too! I remember that song.

Kad2kar - never heard that one...

I like a lot of country music.  I like the Oak Ridge Boys and thought Elvira was a cute little song.  Then they played it about 100,000 times a day ... until you thought you were going to have to puncture your eardrums to get away from it

I didn't know Bush Sr. had Parkinsons ... hope he is able to recover from whatever is going on with him right now. 

Sandy, something tedious is on its way to you - excuse the delay (previous post acytually has something to do with it....)

LIONESS___In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle the Lion Sleeps tonight.----Not heard it?  And a Horn Dog is a HORNY dog----Maybe you have Too much energy and your brain is moving toooooo fast for you right now. You need to rest it a bit and listen to some RAP----kad2kar.

  Trying to be funny

I have three male pugs. They have curly tails. The one whose tail curls the opposite way is gay, I swear. He won't leave the other two alone sometimes!



If Elvira gets you running for cover, remember Achy Breaky Heart! Ahhhhhhhhh!

Athena - how did you get to this many years without knowing Horn Dog??   As far as fatigue and Vit D, I was about to say "no, haven't noticed," but today I'm feeling some unusual fatigue (it even had me counting months out from chemo - 5, btw) and yesterday I took my D megadose.  Who knows if it is connected.  As likely, it could be poor sleep or my lack of walking during this icy snow we've had.

So, speaking of Vit D...after 8 months of a Megadose, I've only brought my level up from 18 to 32, as of 3 weeks ago.

Kam, you are under a LOT of stress as you wrap up a chapter and begin a new one. Don't discount the effects of that on your energy level, too. When I am most stressed, my impulse is to go to bed and stay there until the stressor is over!



Athena, not to worry. I spent most of the 1980s overseas, so I missed a bunch of stuff in that decade. For many years, I thought that the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles was a spoof. Silly me!



L

Paula, lol on Edith Bunker, I know just what you mean. At least old Edith is very lovable.

Soteria, your dachshund may have an ear infection. One of ours pugs has been fighting a persistent ear problem and Peanut the oldest keeps trying to lick his ears. It was our first indication something was up. If the ears have an off smell about them that's another tip.

We're back in the U.S., thank GAWD! Had 12 hours of sleep but still feel groggy! Could not read all the posts, but wanted to check in with my pals.

Ok, here's the scoop. I wanted to love India, I really did. I did love the Taj Majal and other historical sights. But everything else was a nightmare. The news out of India hasn't been reported much here, but some of it has, so you may know what I'm talking about.

The night we arrived in Delhi, India, 12/16, a 23 year old medical student was viciously raped and tortured on a "private" bus in Delhi. In addition to raping her, the monsters inserted a pipe in her vagina, perforating her and pulling out a significant amount of her intestines. She and her male companion were also beaten and thrown out of the bus. This brave soul fought a losing battle for 2 weeks, but on the day we left India she succommed to her injuries.

This horror became the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back" incident in India. Terrible things like this happen everywhere, but not in the numbers that occur in India. Gang rape is practically a national sport. During the time that we were in India, the news was exploding with monstrous acts done against women every day. Riots broke out the day after the Delhi girl was discovered on the side of the road. We went to India Gate as tourists and encountered the first protests (they went on all week and were met with police violence). I took pictures and will post later. 

The gist of the protests is that India does not take rape seriously. I have so many examples, but one is of a 17 y/0 who was gang raped. When she reported the rape to the police they insulted and threatened her. She and her family could not get justice. Finally, she committed suicide and blamed the police in a suicide note. After her death, the rapists were FINALLY arrested!

In addition to rape, the protests were about the deplorable treatment of girls and women in general. For instance, women are still burned alive if they do not produce sons, or even grandsons! Female infanticide is quite common. While we were in Delhi, a scumbag threw his 18 month old baby daughter out of a window because she was not a boy. He had been torturing her and her mother since the girl's birth. She was in critical condition when we left. This monster was arrested, but maybe just because of all the outrage over the medical student. The horrors we heard about were practically non-stop. A female student blogged that when she and her girlfriends go out, even during the day, they always hold hands. This is because if one is pulled into a car, the other one can pull in the other direction, hopefully preventing a kidnapping and rape!

The police and government are totally corrupt and biased against women. Only 26% of reported rape cases are convicted. Unless the woman is killed, rape is not considered a serious crime. Many of the national government elected officials are accused and even convicted rapists. 

Beyond the rape issue, which dominated everything, the poverty situation is just appalling. Everywhere one goes you see poverty. In Delhi and other places, people live right off the streets in rag covered tent communities. They live, eat and eliminate with the animals. Cows, pigs, buffalo, dogs, sheep and goats co-habitate with humans. There are practically no social services available to these people. 

I have more to report, but I have to warn, it is all bad. I have never seen anything so shocking as the injustices that take place against women and the poor in that country, and I have been to Cambodia, China and South Korea. As I mentioned I really wanted to love India, but it was not to be.

Oh, Yorkie, I am so sorry it was so terrible. It has actually gotten worse over the nearly 30 years since I lived in the subcontinent. They have never stopped killing women - abusing them on the street, killing young wives for having too low a dowry, killing them for not producing sons, killing girl babies, often by exposure or starvation. It just never changes.



I thought about you when I saw the riots about the poor young woman who was raped and beaten. The story has been in the major newspapers and on the network news. Indescribably awful, and what is worse is the the men will probably get off with a light prison sentence (or a heavy sentence commuted quietly after a few months). And any reparations paid will be to the girl's father, since she was his property.



I am so gad you're home... It will take a while for you to process it all. Hugs to you!



L