[Assam] From TOI: pre/Teens -1% in UK

Sun Feb 15 16:33:21 PST 2009

Umesh,

This shows how statistics can be used to twist any discusion.

You are now trying to mix Apples and Oranges to deviate from original topic

Well if you want to use statistics,  how about using this --

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HIV_Epidem.png

This shows the HIV prevalance percent among Adults.  What I see is US has a higher percent then India.

So now that must be a BIGGER problem to focus right?   And which Boyle is making a film on that ?     

Further,  an amount of $2.25 does  not say everything ... it need to be compared in terms of local economy and purchase power.  For example,  a very ordinary Mcdonald meal will cost you at least $5 in US . In India,  you get rice and vegetables for Rs 20 (50 c)  OR Vada Pav (Mumbai version of Burger) for Rs 10 (25 c).  

Poverty in India is no denying ... there have been enough Indian and foreign films (City of Joy for example) on it.  But it is equally true that situation is improving (from your same pointer --"The percentage of people living below the new international poverty line $1.25 a day (PPP, in nominal terms Rs 21.6 a day in urban areas and Rs 14.3 in rural areas in 2005) decreased from 60% in 1981 to 42% in 2005.").  But more then statistics,  there are living examples of that all around you.   

Why I am opposed to SM (but not to City of Joy or Chakra etc)  is because of gross distortion ... from Reality show host ridiculing a Chaiwala (show me just one such show where this has happened)  to Hindus killing Muslims giving an impression that riots are always a one way event  to a guy jumping on a pile of shit just to name a few.   

In my opinion SM is a very ordinary film  and I am really surprised how it got so many Oscar nominations.  Even Rehman's numbers are nothing great compared to his other ones in films like Bombay.

If SM is the standard for Oscar,  I think there will at least be a couple of dozen  Indian movies which deserve Oscar.

As for your other question --- I have seen a couple of teen mothers (and would be mothers) in Boston -- on trains, buses.  You will question how do I know that they are teen ---  I do not but looking at a girl you can figure out if she is 13 or 20 -- most of the time.

--- On Sun, 2/15/09, umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Assam] From TOI: pre/Teens -1% in UK
To: assam at assamnet.org, krish_gau at yahoo.com
Date: Sunday, February 15, 2009, 5:53 PM

Krishnendu-da,

It is said "Lies, damn lies and statistics"

Thus, we should talk about issues but with proper data - which is a bigger world problem :   1% women ((about 15,000)  giving birth under the age of 18 in UK  or 85.7% Indians having less than 2 dollars a day (about 860 million )  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_India 

http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources/IG00200/ 
UK data

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_India
India data
Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)

www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used )
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/

http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/

--- On Sun, 15/2/09, umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Assam] From TOI: pre/Teens
To: assam at assamnet.org, krish_gau at yahoo.com
Date: Sunday, 15 February, 2009, 5:28 PM

Krishnendu-da,

If you do not take offense. Have you seen any such teen-pregnancy problem in your neighborhood or in the area you stay in the US. Do you know any such person?

Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)

www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used )
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/

http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/

--- On Sun, 15/2/09, Krishnendu Chakraborty <krish_gau at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Krishnendu Chakraborty <krish_gau at yahoo.com>
Subject: [Assam] From TOI: pre/Teens
To: assam at assamnet.org
Date: Sunday, 15 February, 2009, 2:22 PM

US: western case is a matter of free will. Child marriage is not free will.

******  Any developed (even developing) country does not allow a minor to get
into a contract. The contract by a minor is legaly void.  Why?  Because a
minor CANNOT judge what is right and what is wrong.  So your argument of
"free will"  is as void as that.
With your argument I can even say that child marriage is "free will"
of parents  AND it is parents who make decisions on behalf of children in

 all
cases so this is right !

US: The whole world know about teen pregnancy - married or otherwise. My father
read out an artcile from Readers Digest out to us when we were in high school -
about baby doctors - who were fathering kids from 5 mothers at the same time.
Nothing new now.

*********  Really !  That means that this widespread problem could not be
handled by the "checks and balances"  .   And,  does someone not
know about Indian Poverty.  Go out and talk to an average american about India
and UK.  chances are he will have a picture of India full of lepars and beggars
and his comments on UK will never mention teen pregnancy.   Have there been
any award winning film on teen pregnancy ?

KC: BTW,  don't you think teen marriage and unmarried teen pregnancy are a
bit different issues.  

US: I
 would
 say teen pregnancy is a less alarming or new issue than pre/teen
marriage in India

******  And why ?  Just because child marriage is a Indian issues and Teen
pregnancy is a Western issue ?   In fact, teen pregnancy puts a third life in
danger -- at least emotionally. 
My point is  ---  if poverty of India can be a topic for an potential oscar
winning film why not teen pregnancy of West ?  
When searching Wiki,  this is what I found --" 80% of young Britons
reported engaging in sexual intercourse while still in their teens," and 
you are saying this is not at all a topic of concern.
Further,  while earlier you said that everybody knows about teen pregrnancy
for years , now you are saying it is a "new issue".

KC: And if you want to go back to ages of Mahatma Gandhi and like we can
probably open a larger can of worms in Western world -- like

 appartheid
for example.

US: I just quoted Mahatma Gandhi to show how widespread it is - not just my
uncle or grandparents. And we were talking of modern times - India has casteism
too - even now.

****  Actually,  discrimination based on caste is Illegal in India .. you can
find that information easily in web.  In fact,  an article from Outlook (on
Secularism)  was recently cited in this forum where the author  expressed his
anguish over why GOI  opened up the door of public temples to all castes .  
So,  I guess you are talking about the social practice .     Socially,
discrimination exist in US too .  See these .. there are many more if you
search the web

http://www.coolmoviequotes.com/racism/racialdiscrimination.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation#United_States

So,  what is your

 argument ?

Umesh

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