Tribe Desi, Vol. 239: Elder Abuse, Pseudo Slavery and high profile weddings

Yes, yes - if you don't like this format, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.TribeDesi.com...thanks!!

vol 239| July 23, 2011| Pure.Spicy.Unfiltered Signup | View on the blog    REFLECTIONS Mumbai, and now Oslo - what is with disgruntled people taking it out via mass shootings and bombs...the recent Oslo events were surprising, as the country tries to use its oil wealth for humane purposes... Exclusive: a group of 20 top Bollywood singers have just lauched a video against terrorism - you saw it here first! Elder abuse - the words hit us like a hammer, especially if we project out our lives a few years and face the inevitable - the American Psychological Association estimates that about 2.1 million Americans are victims of elder abuse annually, which can be defined as physical, psychological, or even self-neglect. Unfortunately, we are seeing this as a global phenomenon, from China, where the young run to cramped cities for better lives, to India, where the elder are delegated to a life in the back bedroom at best (generally speaking) - the attached articles talk about it in more detail, but we would love to highlight any work being done on this front by the South Asian American community. In addition, for more information, there is a governmental agency National Center on Elder Abuse, which runs an Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-800-677-1116, which can provide preliminary information in your State... On another note, the urge to make a better life for our families drives our decisions most of the time - be it in a personal sense, or moving across the oceans for lucrative jobs. Time and again, we see unscrupulous middlemen enticing semi-literate Indians to a life of riches in the United States - most recently last week,when 27 illegal immigrants from India were discovered in two locked rooms in Guatemala City... Reminds me of the time in 2002, when a similar scenario played out in suburbs of Tulsa, OK... and now another such incident has come to light... And finally, it was the wedding of the decade in 2006, covered (and some say sponsored) by a cable channel - 10 days and 3 exotic Indian cities, with all the imaginable pomp & show - five years later, a divorce, a child, a couple of new hotels, two rehabs, and continuing coverage by NY Times...our infatuation with the macabre, celebs, and Bollywood never ends...(ever wonder how the magazines on the grocery store checkouts remain n business?) - anyhow...talking of high profile weddings, if you want to be sure to find the right "one", check out our sponsor - Jasbina the Matchmaker("Intersections is the Only National Elite Personalized Introduction and Dating Coaching Service designed for selective South Asian Singles Nationwide interested in optimizing chances of meeting that special someone.") Till next time ...and watch the heat... The DFW Desi Check out the latest commercial from Silk Threads...nationwide... SOCIETY Global Elder Abuse?  His mother was sitting in the outpatient waiting area at the hospital for hours - did she not have a ride? No, her son and his wife were at work, and did not want to pick her up till they got done... Shocking? Not really? In India? Possibly...but this was in the United States... Is our instant-gratification society making us shy away from what is inevitable for all of us?  As the article linked below comments, elder abuse is rampant - and we still bury our heads in the sand..."Countless adults are victims of abuse through self-neglect, and institutional abuse often receives the most media attention; however, by far the most common abusers of the elderly are family members, especially spouses and adult children. The low reporting rate of elder abuse therefore makes unfortunate sense: Victims would often prefer to endure the abuse rather than risk the loss of independence, being removed from their family, or possibly being forced to move into a nursing home. Read the full story SOCIETY Greed and Slavery redux?   It was 2002 - a group of Indian American volunteers, and the local India Association of North Texas (IANT.org) in Dallas got wind of a situation in nearby Tulsa, OK, where apparently a group of Indian men were being held in slavery like conditions by a company which paid a recruiter to trick them to coming to the US for a better life. The volunteers collected supplies and money, and drove to Tulsa to meet the men, give them support, and publicize their suffering. Eventually, all of them were freed...click here for more details... Not sure where they are now, but here we find another similar situation 9 years later... "The recruiter painted a rosy picture of life in the United States � a well-paid job as a welder at the shipyard company Signal International, a shared apartment with three other workers, transportation to and from work and good food. Around 500 other welders and pipefitters from all over India and Gulf countries were lured by the same recruitment firm with a similar promise. read on... FROM OUR SPONSOR: FEATURED NONPROFIT Pratham USA From reader Raj Asava in Dallas: Pratham, a grassroots level non-profit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged children in India with preschool and early education, needs your help. This year's fund raising gala is scheduled for September 24, 2011. We are in an urgent need of individual and corporate sponsorships.  Sponsorships that will ensure that the gala achieves its set goal and, through education, make a difference in the lives of thousands of deserving but underprivileged children. Pratham is committed to bringing about large scale change through education, based on a simple yet powerful goal of �Every child in school and learning well�.  Pratham USA (www.prathamusa.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a four-star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, accepts tax deductible contributions from its global donors and from grants through established charities like Hewlett, Bill & Melinda and Michael & Susan Dell foundations. Please send any recommended Non-profits, with South Asian involvement, to desi@TribeDesi.com, to be considered for inclusion in this newsletter. Thanks 18,000+ active members. To advertise here, please email desi@TribeDesi.com