Indian Ethos Taliban get "Pantsed" on V-Day ... Ha Ha Ha

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100624625

... a posse of hard-line Hindu activists barged into a pub in the south Indian city of Mangalore last month and roughed up young women clients who were enjoying a quiet drink. ...

Susan, a 29-year-old journalist, decided to counterattack.

With several associates, she launched a group on the social networking Web site, Facebook. They called it the "Consortium of Pub-Going, Loose and Forward Women." And they unveiled a plan to dispatch piles of pink knickers to the leader of Sri Ram Sena in a nonviolent gesture of defiance.

The women chose Valentine's Day. This day particularly rankles right-wing Hindu extremists, who consider it an immoral commercialized Western import....

In other news,

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5729126.ece

Young secular Indians are organising their own vigilante groups - some armed with Taekwondo moves, others with pepper spray - to protect unmarried couples from Hindu radicals looking to disrupt Valentine's Day celebrations.

For the first time, several secular groups have organised patrols across the country to combat the Hindu nationalist organisations which they accuse of trying to "Talebanise" India. The secular groups decided to act after television coverage showed activists from the Sri Ram Sena (Lord Ram's Army) attacking women in a pub in the southern college town of Mangalore last month.

The Traditionalist Taliban of India

The self-appointed guardians of "virtue" and "traditional culture" usually make Valentine's Day at least a mild annoyance for many couples, harassing lovers and vandalizing greeting card stores (this year, they will force couples found expressing affection to either marry or declare themselves siblings).

But this time they decided to give Mangalore a little preview of what happens to those who dare to flout their interpretation of Indian traditions, by beating up women in a pub, presumably for the offense of acting in any way resembling Western culture (monolithic and supremely decadent, as they all "know").

While I am not a huge fan of pub culture, this just goes too far. It's not that they assaulted women, but that they are using violence on anyone to force their views of "proper" culture on those who make their own culture. As much as the Hindu religious right likes to favorably compare the religion it politically abuses with foreign "Semitic" faiths in terms of tolerance and freedom, they are turning it into another Taliban-like cult of social and cultural oppression every time they resort to despatching their version of the Mutaween to wage war on harmless expressions of personal liberty.

As if it were not bad enough that otherwise-sleepy Mangalore experienced some religious violence of late, culture war is also coming to town. This is happening despite how the city is finally developing economically and progressing socially. Or perhaps because of it; there will always be some reactionary movement that arises from the collision zone where tradition and modernity run into one another.

"No Cussing Club" Promoter Still Receiving Harassment

http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/pacificpalisades/15-Year-Old_No_Cussing_Club_Promoter_Still_Receiving_Harassment.php

I think this is a commendable initiative given how often swear words are overused sometimes, but I have to wonder what kind of person would be so virulently set against the concept that he/she would make threats against its creator.

Love Song of a Code Monkey

For all the "code monkeys" out there ... the runaway hit by Jonathan Coulton ... with a cute dance by a geekette!

Violent Attacks on Homosexuals: Aftermath of Prop 8?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122202097.html
I'm at a loss to imagine sufficiently cathartic methods of retribution for this.

Shadowless Sword

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Action & Adventure

First time I've seen a non-mainstream-language movie being shown in a UAE cinema hall without being dubbed into English. Decent filming locations, sets, choreography, effects and wuxia story, though a bit heavy on wire-fu (which I think it quite passe these days). The comic-book villains with their special martial powers kind of reminded me of Seven Swords. Still, worth a second-choice watch.

Archery

Today I tried my hand at archery for the first time. Getting to and from Jebel Ali shooting club is a pain since it's so far away from the city, but it has the only archery range in town (though indoors) and pretty decent prices.

I was not sure what to expect, but it seems I did pretty well for a first-timer, getting a maximum score of 65 points (out of the 100 points you get if all 10 arrows in the round hit the bullseye). Not quite the Arjuna, but with time ...

Trying archery has been my fantasy for a long time, so it was great to finally draw a bow. The physical strength required was more than I had expected; you really need some upper-body strength to do this. Anyway, I had a nice time and will definitely be back for more.