Sharing interests...

When you care about someone you learn to care about some of their core interests... Not because stamp collecting suddenly got cool, or because you've fallen in love with reading when you never went beyond Archie comics before. You care about their interests because of the way their eyes sparkle, because these things make them laugh n cry. You care because they care. You listen, just to hear the passion in their voice. Their feelings move you. It's that simple.

If all you want to talk about or listen to are the interests you share in common then I'm sorry... You'll never be permanent in my inner circle because you're not my kind of person. One day I'll get bored, label you selfish, and throw you out of my life.

It can happen to you...

Two things I've learned in the past year...

1) "Awareness doesn't mean change."
 Sometimes you meet people who give you examples of their bad behaviour, and for some reason, that awareness used to make me believe they had changed. Maybe that's because when I acknowledge bad behaviour in myself, I change it. (Of course many times I don't acknowledge my bad behaviour, but that's another story) However, you should be conscious of the fact that there are people out there who will look you in the eye, acknowledged bad or damaging behaviour and then cheerfully proceed to continue with it!

2) The second thing is similar. "It could happen to you."
Say someone tells you how they mistreated someone.... Unless you hear heartfelt remorse and the clear acknowledgment that they would not behave that way in similar circumstances, THEY WILL ONE DAY MISTREAT YOU THE SAME WAY. Again like above, you may assume that their honesty in speaking about the bad behaviour indicates remorse... Well it doesn't!

Walking through life as a woman...

Earlier today...

A Hindu Mahasabha made its usual noises about how women should dress, and someone posted it n FB.  I read it and scrolling through the comments I saw some guy (who otherwise sounded sane) said they only had good intentions and wanted to reduce rapes and there was nothing wrong with what they said.  Now that got my goat!  I expect extremist people to be extremist, communal people to be communal etc, but it annoys me when someone who sounds sane and 'normal' sides with something I think is irrational. I expressed my dislike for his comment, he asked why and I explained that though I was willing to believe he had good intentions I was unwilling to explain since I can't explain something like 'personal liberty'.

People either understand concepts like 'personal liberty' and 'choice' or they don't.  Personal liberty is something that is taken for granted, or aspired to, in advanced civilizations, but it is a luxury that cannot be understood by many. People who are capable of understanding, already do.

Just as I would not try to explain the concept of avoiding bad food to a starving African child, in the same way I would never bother explaining these concepts to anyone who doesn't get it. It would take too much time and effort and the child would look at you as if you are crazy.  To someone who is about to die for lack of food, the idea of unhealthy food is ridiculous.

To people who are struggling to build fires at night for light, the idea of electricity probably seems heretical.

And to people who believe that society comes before the individual - and for whom society consists of depraved and lustful men waiting to pounce on any female form - the idea that a woman might wear a pretty skirt just for the pleasure of feeling good about herself is probably ridiculous and threatening.

This video I saw shortly after my comment, reinforces that being advanced or enlightened is a state of mind rather than a geographical location.

For the many men who don't understand how a hello from a stranger can be harassment - I can't explain - there are subtle cues of behaviour which should tell you which women just want to be left alone.  Brush up on your intuition, go for sensitivity classes, or just take my word for it.  Women can even tell the difference between a blank stare and a lecherous one.




Lastly, there are many men out there who understand and stand up for the rights of women... If you are one of them - I can only say Thank You...

My One Wish

Humans are wonderful, but they have many flaws.  One of the biggest is the instinctive tendency to be contrary.  If you don't need to do something, chances are you may decide to do it or not, depending on what you feel like.  But if you need to do it, most probably you will resent it, at least unconsciously.

And that's why, God willing, I will never need someone; I will never be dependent on someone.  Not physically, not emotionally, not financially, not socially.

Yesterday I didn't know what was the one thing I would ask for if I had one wish.

Today I know.

Stop Acting the Goat!!!

How do you tell someone they are acting the goat (to borrow a phrase from Captain Haddock)...

People can be so pig-headed goat-headed.  They won't be logical, but at the same time won't make allowances for emotion.  And in the end, no matter how emotional I can get, I eventually hit rock bottom.

You can make me cry and bawl a day or two - but eventually there'll be nothing left.  Eventually all I feel is dead inside.  Nice time to make a move, no? (Very Indian sentence structure... lol... can't help it... must lighten this grim mood.....)

So anyway Professor Goat... as I was saying... do what you want to do....  if you think you'll be happy hiring that two-faced lying %^#@^.. (ahem... am I getting carried away here? Do children read this blog?... Nah... why would any self respecting child read this blog... surely they'll have something better to do....)... anyway, ahem,... where was I?

Oh right.  If you think you'll be happy working with that liar that lied to your face and enacted a multi part script... go right ahead.  Don't you realise he made a fool of all of us?! You included! I'll be right here with a cushion for your ass once you're done kicking yourself.

And if you dare ask me why I didn't say this to you.... I'll tell the truth.  You never believe me unless you want to.  Whenever it suits you, you choose to think I'm misguided, unthinking, or just plain wrong.  Well, it doesn't matter now.  It's your life.  You have to live it.  Considering the person you are, you'll probably fall on your feet like a cat.  Though how any self-respecting cat could work with that two-faced rat!!! is beyond me.  But this judgement will remain on the pages of this blog... cos this isn't the real world.  And here I don't have to censor myself. And here I can be wrong.  And maybe I will be wrong. (Though I don't think so - I personally think that lying SOB is going to chew you up and spit you out....)

Will we survive this?  I don't think so.  If this was a season, it's probably coming to an end.   I can't bear pain and loss.  I'd rather rip the band aid off and count one more friend down.  After all - 10 years isn't that long.

Slamming Doors

I have had a very close friend. He got married.  Now I have one less friend.

It’s insidious - this conspiracy that some married people have against having single friends.  I have no deigns on him.  I am not interested in his marital life.  I wouldn’t interfere, or criticise, or do anything.  All I would have done was discuss politics, organizational behaviour, psychology, science, and other topics of mutual interest.  But apparently, that’s not okay.  So… I have one less friend.

I don’t think this is a dictat from his wife.  Or maybe it is.  But frankly I don’t care who is behind it – he or his wife.  I haven’t confronted him.  I’ve noticed him drawing away and I’m respecting his behaviour by keeping my distance.  I’m just crying inside and grieving for the loss of another friend.

HSBC Credit Card - Part Two

Just a quick post to say that after a daily exchange of emails, (apparently sending an email full of expletives and threats of legal action works!) I got an email from HSBC today as follows:

We refer to your email message dated 06 January 2008 regarding your
credit card.

Regarding your query relating to annual fee, a Lifetime Free Credit card
would depend on the corporate tie up between HSBC and different
companies.

However, as a service gesture we have reversed the annual fee for INR
3000/- along with the service tax and the relevant credit will reflect
in the subsequent month statement.

We value your custom and request you to reconsider your decision to
cancel the card.

Please feel free to write to us if you require further clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Suman.A
Customer Service Executive
HSBC India

_____________________________________________________________

• At which point I thanked them for the favour they seem to think they are doing me.

• Pointed out that if I hadn't checked my statement I'd have been 3000 poorer like their other hapless customers

• Asked how the hell I could return their cards and how long it would take.

And now I'm sure HSBC things everything's settled.

Yeah right! Their prompt action has taken them off the top spot on my hit list but they're there to stay...

HSBC Credit Card - Part One

This is something I've got to share...

The sad saga started more than a year back. Some guy walked into our office and asked if we wanted LIFETIME FREE HSBC Credit Cards. I wasn't too keen but since everyone was applying for one I did too and soon I was the owner of a LIFETIME FREE HSBC Card. [The capitals are there for a reason.... read on]

I received a call even before I got the card saying that I would also receive a free add on card. I specifically said I DID NOT want an add on card. I mean, what would one of me do with 2 cards?

The person on the phone said okay, the add on card would be cancelled and yet after some time I found that 2 cards were delivered. I should have figured out how attention deficit they were right then. I would have refused the second card but I wasn't sure that it would be a good idea to leave the card with the delivery guy!

Anyway, I have no idea where the post office is so I never did send that card back. Why the hell should I have to pay and take trouble for their asininity.

-----

Fast forward a few months. I used the card a couple of times but found that it was a big hassle paying the dues. The card statements would come almost on the due date and then I'd have to scurry all the way to town since they didn't have any branches nearby. They also didn't have any cheque pick up facility... c'mon, how antiquated are they?!?

Anyway one time I was 1 day late with one payment. I was actually standing in their atm but could not pay since I didn't have my atm pin. So I'm on the phone with their customer executive and he's telling me there's nothing he can do to help me. Then the talk somehow turned to the fact that the card was a free card. I had this warning chill down my spine. I asked him point blank if I would have to suddenly pay something for the card. He asked when the expiry was I said towards the end of 2009. He said I might have to pay some charges then. I told him I didn't need a card and I'd sooner cancel it than choose to renew it.

Anyway, after that I got fed up with traipsing all over town to pay my dues so I paid them all off. In fact I paid about 172 bucks extra, and then I promptly forgot all about the damn thing.

Today I checked my email.. (thank you God)... and I found that they'd sent me a credit card statement. I opened it, something I'd ordinarily never do.... I mean why would I open a credit card statement for a card I haven't used for months. A card moreover where I have paid EXTRA!!!

But I opened the statement expecting to see what I'd seen last time... the pleasing sight of money owed to me by a credit card company.... BUT.... you know what's coming up right....
apparently I owed them 3000 bucks!!!!

I was shocked. My card was right in front of me. Had someone managed to get it out of my purse without my knowledge...

I frantically checked the details, only to find that they were as follows:

Membership fees - Rs. 2000
Add - on fees - Rs. 1000

I was furious at first. I called up their customer care line intending to rant and rave, but some poor SOB was lucky the damn thing was closed.

So I vented out my ire in an email.

Then I checked online and apparently this is a common scam of theirs. Promising "LIFETIME FREE" cards and then very quietly adding membership fees.

Now I feel it's my duty to see that someone who can't afford it doesn't become a victim.

So now... here I am... with a brand new 'new year' resolution... SCREW HSBC

Now I don't want their card or anything from them even if they paid me.

I'm strongly tempted to make a voodoo doll called HSBC and stick pins into it.

Freedom of Religion

I'm sick and tired of religion. And I don't care who knows it. I'm tired of the divisions it has caused, the pain it has brought, the barriers it has built.

Don't get me wrong. Religion has its strong points. It gives people a reason to be good, hope for a life after this one, a better life than this one.

But wait a minute. Is it religion that does all that or just belief in God?

As far as I'm concerned anyone who believes in God, believes in good and evil, and all the consequences that follow. All that religion should be, is the organised worship of that God. Not something that destroys the brotherhood of man.

Unfortunately, today religion has become a shortcut to war. I worship this way. So should you. Because of course God cares how we worship him. Just loving him and being good isn't enough anymore.

You don't believe in my God. And you follow such strange customs. Ofcourse you can't marry into my family. Though all of us are the children of one God, you call God by another name and he's so offended that he's excommunicated you.

I'm not letting my flat to those people. They have such disgusting habits.

I'm not working with that guy, he's a ______

All ______ can't be trusted.

I'm against the multiplicity of religions. And the ease with which new ones are created each day. Take Scientology for instance. Scientology is a way of life, a belief system, NOT a religion. And yet, because of the great privileges "religion" has, Scientology has happily carved itself a home under the umbrella of freedom of religion.

The concept of freedom of religion was created so that people could be FREE. Not forced into one particular mode of worship. And what it has become is something far different. An excuse for rituals and an excuse for rigidity. An excuse for finding fault and an excuse for intolerance.

People commit atrocities in the name of religion. Would the world be a haven of peace without religion? No, not particularly. Wars will always happens, neighbours will often fight. But at least no one would be insulting God by claiming to fight in His name.

The Shiv Sena

My blog needs an update and I think I've rattled on long enough about myself. Also it's been a long time since I've had a chance to vent my spleen at someone or something. So instead of focusing my illuminating spotlight on myself today I shift the focus onto one of my pet peeves: The Shiv Sena.

Warning: If anyone reading this is a supporter of the Shiv Sena, please stop here and go back to inciting trouble somewhere. You're not going to like what follows.

For people expecting an unbiased post: get real! I know I'm right. Why shouldn't I be biased.

Ok, for starters, if I had to test a nuke device I'd stick the Sena on an island n try it on them. They are communalists of the worst kind. The kind that portray themselves as nationalists. In fact they actually seem to believe that. Poor souls. I don't know what the Sena high command i.e. Bal Thackeray, really believes, but he banks on the frustration of the middle class and keeps the fires burning.

If the Sena doesn't have a viable issue to riot about, lo and behold, they'll create one. I've been trying to remember all the stuff they've done over the years. It's tough. I think I'll just start this off with what I can remember from the top of my head and I'll post a scrap or two everytime they riot again. Just following their antics will ensure I post often.

In 1998 Shiv Sainiks attacked movie theatres in Mumbai over Fire, a Deepa Mehta film with a lesbian theme.

In 1999 I remember their outcry against the visit of the Pakistani team. The threat that they'd dig up the cricket pitch at Mohali. In fact they actually did vandalise the cricket pitch at Firoz Shah Kotla in Delhi to stop the Pakistani cricket team from playing there.

I remember the protests each year against the celebration of Valentines Day. The Hallmark stores that were stormed and the cards that they burnt. Their reasoning... The celebration of Valentine's day is a western concept that should not be allowed in India. Whether they believe India and Indians are the personal property of Bal Thackeray is a question that should be settled sometime soon. Maybe a few open debates on the issue would help settle my queries. Unfortunately the Shiv Sena isn't known for it's debating skills. The last editor of a local daily that tried to take them on was attacked.

I'm not sure what the official Sena response to that was but they have a pretty standard spiel that they use each and every time the violence goes too far and they have to excuse themselves.

They used it when a statue of Bal Thackeray's wife was defaced in July(someone threw some mud on it... big deal). I think even their own supporters would have said their reactions were disproportionate to the original incident. However the standard Shiv Sena response was parroted forth as usual. "Of course we don't endorse violence, but our people are very high spirited. They could not bear the insult." Details below

Earlier, the statue of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's wife was allegedly desecrated at Shivaji Park on Sunday morning by unidentified miscreants.

In protest, Shiv Sainiks went on a rampage and torched a tourist bus in the area. They also blocked the main road at Shivaji Park.

The Sainiks claimed that the miscreants had thrown mud on Thackeray's wife, Meenatai's, statue. Meanwhile, a bandh has been called by the party in Navi Mumbai.

Shiv Sainiks also damaged a police outpost near Shivaji Park alleging that the police failed to nab the culprits although the outpost was just a stones throw away from where the incident took place.

Shiv Sena has said that it would not allow state Assembly proceedings to go on until those responsible for the defacing of the statue are arrested.

A clash was reported from Andheri in which a senior police officer, Rajendra Thakur, was seriously injured. Sainiks burnt effigies at Andheri West and all shops were shut down in the area.

Meanwhile, at the Mumbai domestic airport the ground staff has gone on a strike to protest against the incident.

"Things had gone out of control but now the situation is returning to normalcy. However, sporadic incidents of stone pelting have been reported. Extra reinforcements have been called and Sena leaders have assured us that law and order will not get out of control," Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police, Arup Patnaik said.

At Shivaji Park, the police fired teargas to disperse protestors.
Senior Sena leader Manohar Joshi has threatened drastic action against those involved in the desecration of the statue.
Joshi has threatened to bring life to a standstill in Dadar and other Sena strongholds in the city.

"Meenatai, whom the Shiv Sainiks called Maasaheb, is like God to us. Our God has been insulted here. There will definitely be reaction to this," an agitated Joshi said.

This was said of a woman whose greatest role was the one she played as wife of Bal Thackeray. Whether putting up with him, earned her a statue in a public place is anyone's guess.

This was said of a woman whose husband was prosecuted for inciting communal violence and who very famously threatened "India will burn."
Thackeray warned. "I am not threatening but warning. The NDA Government had better be aware. This is not a virus that will be restricted to Mumbai and Maharashtra. It will spread through the country."

What more can I say...

You may wonder what today's violence was about... The Shiv Sena is starting to feel the pangs of succession. Bal Thackeray's nephew n protege Raj Thackeray, left the party and set up his own, when his uncle decided to stick with his son Uddhav Thackeray as his successor. Today the workers of both the parties clashed. Yippee. It may be bad for the average mumbaikar but as a distant observer I can't help but gloat over the idea of dissension in the ranks. Maybe they'll all kill each other.

WTF!!!

WTF!!! Blogspot pages have gone once again. Just after I relaxed cos they'd fixed the problem.

And I'm too bored to rant n rave.

Maybe tomorrow. Though, since I gather I'll still be able to access my fave blogs thru' sites like pkblogs, I have to admit the rant may not be quite as steamy as one based on an absolute ban.

Still, its inconvenient (must keep that in mind). Tomorrow I shall come back and spew forth all the venom I can dredge up... (yawn)..

In lieu of the proselytising I intended to do on the topic I'm going to send an email to all my blog-reading friends. Doubt it'll contain anything new that they don't already know, but what the heck.

Let Down...

Since the block on blogspot by the Indian Govt., I'd decided to write a long incredibly rude post about how stupid their whole goof up was. Only problem... I was too sleepy yesterday and mistakenly assumed the blockade would last a couple of days more. Turns out they wimped out sooner than I thought. Or corrected their technical problems... whatever. Doesn't really matter to me. Only effect is that a great rant went unexpressed. What a loss to the online community....sigh... [:D]

Anyway, I have to admit I'm kinda glad that everything's working fine once again. If I'd gotten mad at this govt. too there'd be no one left to root for. This way the worst they can be accused of are good intentions and bad execution.

Though, come to think of it, they do say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Hmmm... that usually applies to my life too, so I'm gonna give the govt. the same benefit of the doubt I give myself. :D

In Defence Of The ‘Da Vinci Code’

I'm going to start this off by defending myself because I know by the time they are through reading this, many people will be only too anxious to stone me. Still, I've always believed I have to stand up against irrationality and ignorance. Ignorance by itself is not a crime, but when a person in a position of influence, passes of his ignorance as fact, it's time to speak up.

I consider myself a very religious person at heart. I'm not a saint by any means, but I love God and though I have many issues with the Catholic religion I will never turn my back on it.

Having said that, I can proceed to the burning issue in todays catholic world. The Da Vinci Code. I wonder how many of you reading this, see the irony. In a world with religious fundamentalism and new cults like scientology springing up, the Catholic Church has chosen to make an issue about a novel. A novel that, according to the sermon I heard today, says that Jesus had a wife and family and thus says that Jesus was a liar.

I don't get it. The Priest has obviously not read the book. I have. At least 4 times. The book does not try to pass itself off as a serious non-fiction book. The main character does believe that Jesus had a family but the author never tries to force that belief as a fact down the readers throats.

The issue boils down to just two questions. Why is the Church so agitated about a work of fiction? And more importantly, even if the author had been trying to pass of fiction as fact, why is the Church so agitated by the idea that Jesus was a married man?

In fact the theory that Jesus had a family is a pretty old one. Many books have been published on the topic in the past. The author used the concept in this book and because of the intrigue and the puzzles involved the book caught on and became a best seller. If an author decides to base a fictional work on an old, worn out theory, what's the problem?

Its not like the author portrayed Jesus as rapist, robber or evil person of any kind. All he has portrayed is Jesus as a married man. Is the church trying to say that marriage is a sin? Is the church trying to say that by saying Jesus was married the author is lessening His divinity? Would marriage 'lower' him somehow? Jesus is the Son of God. The book does not make an issue out of that. It leaves it up to the reader. All that the book does, is suggest that Jesus was married and the author fictionally creates remnants of the Holy Family in our day.

To anyone reading the book it would be clear why the Church is so agitated on the issue. While the book does not insult Jesus in any way, (unless a person considers marriage an 'insult'), it does suggest that the Catholic Church is the repository for quite a few secrets. I can understand the Church’s reaction to such allegations. Whether true or false, with its age-old focus on its ‘image’ the Church would not like any of the faithful to start asking uncomfortable questions.

This does not excuse the attitude the Church has taken. The priest today was exhorting the people to boycott the movie and to join in a protest ‘morcha’. I was never more ashamed to be Catholic. Living in a multi-religious country I’ve seen people taking to the streets at the drop of a hat. Seething with indignation at perceived insults to their respective religions. To see Catholics take to the street to protest a work of fiction will be the nadir of my existence so far. Can’t the Church find a more worthy battle to fight?

To the Church all I’d like to say is this. I’ve read all Dan Brown’s books. ‘Angels and Demons’ is a book that will awaken any Catholic to the power God has to bring good from evil. It touches on thorny issues too, but when the message at the end is so spiritual and powerful it helps you understand the author’s spirituality. In a work of fiction all the reader should focus on is the feeling he carries with him when he closes the book at the end. The Da Vinci Code is no different. If one thinks about it rationally, the idea that Jesus was a married man would make his life and death even greater. As the Son of God, He loved the multitudes. If He loved His Father’s people enough to die for them even though he had a family of his own wouldn’t it make His Sacrifice even nobler?

The Da Vinci Code is work of fiction. And yet even as a work of fiction there is nothing in it to offend any true Catholic. Instead of slandering it the Church should learn how to educate the people who trust in it instead of trying to guide them through half truths. As Catholics we should fight the good fight, not a paper dragon that can do no harm if understood.

What is your daughter/kid sister reading?

Watched Oprah today. The show touched on a topic that's been at the back of my mind for quite some time. The mental rape of young kids everywhere. Almost every kid today has been violated in some way and the sad thing is that no one realises it. Its considered 'normal'. No one is panicking yet cos this generation isn't grown up yet. We can't see the long term effect of the 'popular mass media' yet.

Consider this, when my sister was a kid she was a devout reader of the 'sweet valley' series. A series that dealt with emotional drama of the 'Bold and the beautiful' variety adapted to kids of a younger age. At an age when I had been reading Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, my sister was wondering what a size 6 is, and how she could be one. While my reality and my mind has always been grappling with question of 'good v/s evil' and how one girl could nab a whole bunch of bad guys and kick ass, my sister's mind was exposed to issues of winning popularity stakes in school and how to get the attention and favour of the cutest boy in class. I'm scared she's gonna be one of those girls who's desperate to have a boyfriend, who thinks marriage is the ultimate goal. A person, who measures her self worth not by what she is, but by how much a guy or the 'cool' crowd values her.

You can probably tell I'm not a fan of sweet valleys, well trust me when I look at what's out there these days I fervently wish for the return of the days of the sweet valley series' popularity.

I'm adding an excerpt from an article that deeply disturbed me here. For the full article and reviews of many of the books mentioned please click on the title link.

Hilary Armstrong was happy to see her 12-year-old daughter Katherine reading at the kitchen table one afternoon -- until, that is, she glanced at the back of the book jacket. "I was mortified," says Mrs. Armstrong. The book, which her daughter got from a friend, had a blurb on the back that read, "After all, no one really wants to go to college a virgin."
The San Francisco mom allowed Katherine to finish the novel, one of the popular "Gossip Girl" series, but started keeping closer tabs on her daughter's reading material. She wishes the book business would help out. "It would be nice if they had a big rating on it, like at the movies," Mrs. Armstrong says.

It's the summer book season: Do you know what your child is reading? To appeal to teens brought up on suggestive music videos and cable-TV shows, publishers are releasing more books full of mature themes and unflinching portrayals of sexual activity, with young protagonists the same age as their target readers. One publisher is venturing beyond its titles on dragons and bunnies with "Claiming Georgia Tate," about a 12-year-old girl whose father pressures her into a sexual relationship and makes her dress like a prostitute. In "Looking for Alaska," prep-school students watch pornography and pass the time binge-drinking. Coming this fall is "Teach Me," in which a male high-school teacher has sex with a student. This season's book offerings for young adults include novels about basketball and elves as well as more risqué titles.

And kids seem to be responding: Young-adult fiction -- which has come to be associated with the edgy titles -- is one of the book industry's healthiest segments. Targeting the 12-and-up age group, the segment's sales are up 23% since 1999, according to estimates by industry analyst Albert Greco, a Fordham University marketing professor. (Adult sales in the same period were down slightly more than 1%, according to the Book Industry Study Group.) The young-adult category's top seller by far is the "Harry Potter" franchise, and when the series' last book came out in 2003, Mr. Greco estimates it accounted for almost half of the segment's $406 million in sales. But for children who've outgrown young wizards or just want something else to read, publishers are releasing more risqué titles in the young-adult segment, many of them aimed at teen girls. Last year, even without a new "Potter" book, overall revenue in the young-adult segment increased to $410 million, estimates Mr. Greco. In all, there were more than 21,000 new kids' titles released in 2004 -- double the number in 2002, according to R.R. Bowker in New Providence, N.J., which collects publishing data.

To offer some parental guidance in this fast-changing arena, Weekend Journal sorted through more than 100 of the season's talked-about teen titles. We kept our eye out for literary merit and great stories, and also looked for themes that parents might want to know about. One discovery: The subject matter is rarely clear from a book's title or graphics. "Rainbow Party" features tubes of lipstick on the cover -- though it isn't about girls discussing makeup, but a teen oral-sex party. We also found that girls are the main target audience here, reflecting publishers' belief that more teen girls than boys read. (The idea is that boys stick to fantasy epics.) That helps explain why there are more controversial girl-oriented titles, like "Alice on Her Way," about a 16-year-old who spends a weekend in Manhattan on a class trip.

Publishers say the mature material simply reflects the culture teens are exposed to today, and may help them to process situations they've heard about or experienced. In some cases, they add, the themes help advance a moral message: "Rainbow Party," for example, teaches children about the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, says Rick Richter, president of Simon & Schuster's children's division, which published the title. He adds that he'd be happy to have his 13-year-old daughter read it.

Industry analysts say editors have been emboldened to go beyond the bad behavior of the '80s "Sweet Valley" novels, because of a few risqué-fiction success stories. Last year's "How I Live Now," aimed at children 12 and older and featuring an affair between teen cousins, won the 2005 Michael L. Printz Award for young-adult literature. Many more have been commercial hits, including the "Gossip Girl" series, for readers 15 and up, with seven installments since 2001 and more than two million books in print. (Most young-adult titles sell fewer than 20,000 copies, analysts say.) The "A-List" novels, about rich teens looking for trouble, have had 945,000 books printed since 2003, while last year's "The Clique," a chronicle of spoiled middle-school girls, is already a three-book series with 1.15million copies in print.

- *THE WALL STREET JOURNAL*
*'You're Reading...What?'* This season, publishers are rolling out more volumes for teens that are full of heavy themes, from binge drinking to incest.
By *SALLY BEATTY*

Tom Cruise sucks!

Just came across an article about the impending birth of the TomKitten (the unfortunate byproduct of the TomKat). Ergo, the much-to-be-pitied child of Tom Cruise (cultist who wears a good mask) and Katie Holmes (total moron who needs to be saved from the cult). Aaaah.... I feel so good venting out all the bile that comes up whenever I think of them. Gettin serious, I'm not the kind who bothers about celebrities usually. However when I was a kid I read a book about a cult. Its a pretty well known book and when I find out the name I'll add it to this post. The book was published in a collection of great books by Reader's Digest many many years ago but I wish all those Tom Cruise fans out there could be force-fed that book. Right now I'll be very happy to volunteer to stuff it down the next Tom Cruise fan I come across (hopefully a vanishing breed soon to become extinct).

I don't care about Tom Cruise. He's old enough to choose his life and honestly speaking I think he's smart enough and can look after himself. Besides after so many years having a normal life if he wants to throw it away and jump of a bridge... I'll rush to help. The victim here is the unborn child and to an extent Katie. I'd be sorry for her but I've never been very sympathetic towards idiots. However all signs seem to show that she's been totally brainwashed. Easy to do if the subject is naive and 'dumb' enough. Hopefully the 'wonderful' silent childbirth she has promised to undergo (without meds that too) should bring her to her senses. Or maybe it'll be the week after the birth when she's promised not to go near the baby that will do the trick. However I do believe that eventually life will be too hard to ignore. She'll come to her senses n then the Tomkitten will be a major player in a war that he/she/it might not understand.

Shame on Katie's parents. Shame on all the rest of her family too and also on everyone who says they love her.

Oh just incase its not clear... I will never pay to watch a Tom Cruise movie again. Warning to friends and family reading this post. Please do NOT try to 'discuss' this topic with me unless you wholeheartedly agree.