What do you want to question today?

A few blasts in Bangalore. Early reports say that they were low intensity. Aimed at creating panic rather than damage. Police asking people to not panic.

Since July 1, I have been trying to keep a count of plastic bags I used in the month. This will serve as a reference point for my attempt to take my own bag while shopping and see how much usage am I able to cut. So, everywhere I go, I do not refuse an offer for plastic bag. A bit like Super Size me.
My wife suggested that I can refuse a plastic bag, but keep the count so I have both the stats and avoid using plastic bags. Sounds like a good idea on the first blush. But, i decided not to. I argued that if I start to think like someone who does not like plastic bags, I may say end up without them in situation where I would have otherwise. So, I just let them coming in.
The stats till now are:

This is usage for a couple who do not do _that_ much shopping. So in case your ‘demographics’ differ, do feel free to start counting and send me the stats. It will be interesting to see ‘before’ and ‘after’ stats.

A comment in a previous post brings out a scenario. You are aware of what parent indulging in female foeticide think of girls and that petty much describes how that will influence their behavior towards them. Now as my blog is not that popular, so if you are reading my posts, it is very much probable that you know me. And if you know me it is very much probable that you have a baby girl.
Anyway, assume you have a baby girl and she is all grown up. Now she wants to marry this guy she knows. You meet the guy and try to size him up and his family. Will you wonder if the guys parents indulged in female foeticide? Will it matter? And if you discover they did, will it affect your approval? After all won’t they see your daughter through the same lens they saw their future daughter with? Isn’t that a direct hint on how they will treat your daughter … a liability that can be disposed?
If all this will bother you enough to affect your approval, will it giv a new twist to age old question asked by eligible bachelors, “What should I pay for my parent’s actions?”

Few days back, I went vegetables buying. At the check out counter, this person next to me took out a bag and told the vendor he wanted to use his own bag instead of the plastic bags.
I know plastics bags are bad for our environment, I know we should carry our own bag to avoid unnecessary usage of these bags but I somehow just never got around to do it. But seeing someone else do it pushed me just over the edge. Like for any other human, there is no motivation like seeing someone else do it. I decided to bring my own bag from next time.
But now I am thinking not to rush into it. For next few weeks I plan to keep stats of how many plastic bags I use and for what purpose. Once I have some reference, let me see what difference will my carrying my own bag make.

You have probably heard about the issue of female foeticide in India. The practice is unusually common in low middle class families in some areas on North India. Now, here is a question that I asked myself and its intrigued has been a bother ever since.

“How many people that I know, have had a baby girl in recent years?” I was wondering if in educated and well-off circles I roam in are also falling prey to same social pattern. The answer was as shocking as it was revealing. I counted among all the people I know who had a child in last 3 years and 80% of those were baby girls.

While in some parts of society due to female foeticide the female population is decreasing, it looks like (based on this small sample), that in circles where females have less chance of being killed while in womb, their birth rate is increasing!

As now now I do not have good statistics to confirm this. I am trying to gather it. But the meme is in! What has been your experience?