FTSV Changes Name To Orkut Cute

Just received this email from Alexandre Pires yesterday, informing me that the FT Scrap Verify program has been renamed to Orkut Cute. Along with the name change is a new release of the program (currently version 5.3) which is a lot smoother than the previous version (the english one that is).

Version 5.3 seems to be fully translated into English (a plus for me), and just in case you missed the previous post about this piece of software, here are some things you can do with Orkut Cute:

• Alerts you when you receive new scraps


• Scrap all of your friends (be careful with this one)


• Receive notifications when forums are updated

A highly recommend piece of software, along with Orkut Toolbar and Scrapboy (if I can get it working that is).

A quick suggestion: Since Orkut Cute is a browser (like Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, ect.) maybe he could talk to Google about inserting Google Ad Sense within the seam of the program or make it the default search engine.

Opera did something similar before, although both Opera and Firefox generate revenue off of Google Ad Sense searches. Perhaps Alexandre could do the same to compensate him for his work in building this program.

A Muslim And Not A Terrorist

After stumbling inside the Zionist Jews forum, Muhammed became upset at reading some of the viewpoints of the members of the community.

I am a muslim.......a muslim not a terrorist [...] I just joined this community and have read a couple of forums.......after reading them i feal heart broken and sad......do all you people think of muslims as terrorists only? are we nothin' except trouble maker to you? and do you think that we are proNazis and anti jews? [...]

I have great sympathy towards Israel and belive that jews have every right to live there,i am not an extreamist and am, against suiside bombing (which are cleary forbidden in islam).

I'm just sick of being refered to as a terrorist and request all you people that don't judge us by the doings of a hand full of people..........Israel is a great country may it live forever and may the muslims and jews make peace one day......

Muhammed's comments are welcomed by Aviroop and Iara, the latter who offers "big hugs to him."

Roberta is very pleased about Muhammed's viewpoint, although she thinks the Muslim prophet of the Quran (or is it spelled Koran?) was not a man of God. This of course stimulates new debate on pages three, four and six.

Orkut Rumors That Just Won't Die

I hate to mention this, but apparently the rumor that Orkut will delete your profile lives on, despite the fact that this has been debunked by the Orkut Team via Orkut News.

(2/16/2006) We heard there's a rumor going around orkut that says orkut.com will delete your account for inactivity. We've even received this notice from someone pretending to be Orkut himself! This is not true and you can safely disregard these messages or scraps.

Unfortunately people are extremely gullible or did not receive the memo that this is a hoax.

Although I love all most of my friends on Orkut, if you could please stop forwarding me this message, I would love you even more. Thanks.

Uniting All Faiths Through Science?

Andre (who was mentioned before) has an interesting way to unite all of the world's religions. He posted this message in the World Peace forum.

PEACE can be achieved by uniting all religions together and demystifying them with SCIENCE in light of this extraordinary Message: [...]

All life on earth was created scientifically by Extra-terrestrials with mastery of Genetic Engineering and DNA 'In their own image' .They are the ELOHIM of the Bible wrongly translated for God, Elohim being a plural and means 'Those who came from the sky'. The ELOHIM decided to leave us progress alone and sent prophets to help us out and leave traces of their creation. [...]

Today we are advanced enough scientifically to finally understand the truth about our origins, without mystification, but rational understanding.

Although Andre's gets an "A for effort" for trying to present a unifying philosophy, his ideals are met with questions, laughter and more questions. Dayani is trying to figure out the whole "cloning Jesus" thing, (something the Raelians believe in, a faith Andre is apart of) while Xayne view Andre's faith as "extraordinarily dumb."

Huzefa pretty much sums up the discussion on page three.

Well this is exactly why world peace isn't possible. We just ain't open and tolerant enough of different views and ideologies.

Andre has recieved some abuse for his beliefs. Only because they are different.

We all find it easy to believe in GOD and all the Miracles He and His Prophets can perform but we can't believe in aliens. Don't believe or accept what the man has to say but i think you can atleast be courteous.

This is the WORLD PEACE community after all.

I think Huzefa is partially right on this. There are so many differing viewpoints out there that it would be impossible to unite the entire human race. Unless of course God himself decided to come down to planet Earth.

Science can help us understand the world around us, but it does not have the power to unite people, as science is merely elemental facts--and facts can be suited towards anyone's belief system.

Who Is The Orkut Guy?

I saw this last week but life (rather vacation) sort of interrupted the experience. Apparently the Orkut founders created a profile known only as the Orkut Guy.

(Description) Hi, I'm your friendly neighborhood orkut guy! I'll be trying to help out our members by answering some questions that come up in the orkut community.

The Orkut Guy apparently "enforces" the rules around Orkut, although he does not seem to be very active lately. Perhaps its one of those relics of the past with too much sentimental value to delete. I am not sure how active this profile is, although his scrap book seems to be filled with activity.

A Short Film In The Works

Over in the Short Films community, Tejas is organizing a group to produce a short film.

We are gearing up for a short film. The script is ready. Lets put it on the table and discuss how can all people join. Please specify the job one can handle if a complete production, including pre-production, production and post-production is to be done!
Looking forward to work with you all!

Madhumitha (who claims to have won a short film award) is interested, with Vishal volunteering to do the music score and Javed seeking to handle the editing.

It will be interesting to see what this mini crew develops, as the quality of short films is a lot better today than it was in the past. Several examples of this are Star Trek and Star Wars which have launched some actors (and directors) into mini-stardom and increased their exposure.

Spots seem to be filling up fairly quickly, so if anyone is interested they can either post in the forum or contact Tejas directly.

Drug Trafficking Forum? Not Good

This will probably not make Google or the FBI happy, but it seems as if child predators are not the only ones using Orkut. Here's a description from the Online drugs/alcohol shop:

BUY, SELL & BARGAIN any where---->ALCOHOL+DRUGS

p.s: plz dnt publish your ph.nmbrs/details on the main menu.. but msg in private...credit-cards/other modes are admissible for smooth transactions......cheers

Although many transactions have taken place in Pakistan, there seems to be some hash dealing in the United Kingdom and even in America's capital, Washington D.C.

Some of the main deals seem to be hash, although there are people offering heroine and cocaine.

Google Responds To Pedophile Issue

After it was reported that Brazilian child predators were using Orkut, an issue bringing Google in conflict with the Brazilian authorities, Google has provided a response back towards the media.

(Google Watch) In response to an inquiry about the situation in Brazil, a Google spokesperson wrote that the firm had been in contact with Brazilian authorities.

The spokesperson also described a number of proactive steps Google takes to police Orkut. For instance, when Google learns of instances of child porn, expressions of racial hatred, etc., the company will move "aggressively" to remove the content. [...]

"It is our intention to be as cooperative in the investigation and prosecution of crimes as we possibly can, while being careful to balance the interests of our users, our business and the request from the authorities," the spokesperson wrote.

"There are millions of communities for Orkut members to join, including hundreds of communities dedicated to education, peace, health, the environment and ways to eradicate poverty," she continued. "However, just as in the offline world, there will always be individuals or speech in online communities that certain people find offensive or inappropriate."

I don't think that the Brazilian authorities will be happy with the response, but since it violates both Orkut's Terms of Service as well as Brazilian law a simple warrant on a specific user should be enough.

Relationships, Immigration And Moving (Oh My!)

I wish I had time to comment on these individually, but lack of sleep is preventing me from doing so.

Although I have not been a huge fan of Orkut Media in the past (I was not very impressed with the writing) it seems that the authors recently have been posting relevant and quality essays. It either is something Google is putting in the water or perhaps Orkut is serving his authors some yummy donuts.

Here are a few that caught my eye and are worth reading.

Via Lexy London:

Many couples go through rough patches where intimacy is threatened by external forces - cheating is not an uncommon problem, even in countries and cultures where extra-marital sex is against the moral (and legal) code. [...]

This week's reader, like most women, seems to be less hurt due to the cheating, and more hurt because her man won't be honest with her.

I am getting married to a person I truly love. We've known each other for approximately the past four years, and now I am to marry him in three months.

Continue Reading...

Via Petrice Gaskin:

When the Minutemen arrived in South Los Angeles on May 3rd to recruit African Americans to support their anti-illegal immigrant platform, they received an enthusiastic response - just not the one they were hoping for. According to the L.A. Times, "they were met by protestors - most of them African Americans - who compared the group to the Ku Klux Klan and urged them to take their campaign elsewhere."

Continue Reading...

Via Jen La Sala:

Over the past month or two, several of my friends have looked for and gotten apartments with the ease one takes in eating ice cream, or maybe sherbet for those of us who are lactose intolerant. They tell me how fun it is, that they saw all these different places and what different floor plans looked like, and all sorts of different neighborhoods. They say they have a good time; they think it's so interesting and exciting.

They're lying. Each and every one of them.

Continue Reading...

A long post mostly quoting "the masters," but interesting none-the-less. Worth reading...especially the last one.

Brazilian Pedophiles Using Google's Orkut?

(Hat Tip: Search Engine Herald, Google Operating System, Search Engine Watch)

After taking a break and focusing on other weblogs, I came across this in my Feed Reader on the Bloomberg News:

Google Inc., the owner of Brazil's most-used online community site, may face a criminal probe for distribution of child pornography and racist materials by its users, lawyers for the attorney general said. [...]

The service, Orkut, is being used to violate Brazilian law, said prosecutors Sergio Suiama and Karen Kahn.

"Orkut has become a paradise for pedophiles, who solicit sex with childen and distribute pornographic material," Kahn said at a news conference in Sao Paulo.

From what I am reading, Google is hesitant about complying with international laws where it has no "physical presence" (in other words, servers within a nation's borders).

Although I understand their fear of being controlled by foreign governments who lack jurisdiction in the US, it would be wise for Google to comply with the Brazilian government.

Child exploitation is a global issue, and if Google is seen as hampering efforts to catch these low life's, then you will see a backlash not only in cyberspace but also in the market (as they will be labeled as a "public evil").

Travel The Globe, See Orkut Friends

Perhaps I should have retitled it "Travel the Globe, See Orkut Strangers." Either way, it looks like Nirav is taking a global backpack trip around planet Earth, and is looking for places to crash as he travels.

Gday! all fellow backpackers,

Im travel lover who needs to touch the other side of the horizon and come back,

please join in to add destinations for the world trip of 1 to 2 months and nominate if you want to be on the tour.

STARTING FLYING SYDNEY -
First stop Auckland - do North island...

With several postings in the Orkut Travel Hospitality Club, Nirav has already gathered destination points ranging from Finland, to Pakistan, to even Hawaii! Another member was able to travel the world and gives her account below.

(Sandra) Hey fellow, I've done this trip before and I could tell you it was nice, wonderfull. I started from Brazil, my country, than I went by bus to Argentina and Chile; In Santiago i took a flyght to Auckland, car to Queenstown and Milford Sound (south island), back to Auckland flying to australia: Sidney, Melborne, Queensland. After that I went to Honk Kong, singapure, most countries in Asia, Europe and I finished my trip here in canada, where I found my soul matte and never left again :)... Have a good trip

Nirgav's itinerary isn't done yet as he is looking for some friendly people in China. Any takers?

Note: I wonder if this forum would help him out?

Congress To Block MySpace And Orkut?

(Published on The Social Networking Weblog)

In a world full of dangerous people with dangerous minds, it seems that Congress is proposing a new law to filter out MySpace, Friendster, and other social networking networks from libraries and schools. And that may include filtering out some of Google's services as well.

(Silicon.com) Fitzpatrick and fellow Republicans, including house speaker Dennis Hastert, on Wednesday endorsed new legislation that would cordon off access to commercial websites that let users create public "web pages or profiles" and also offer a discussion board, chat room, or email service.

That's a broad category which covers far more than social-networking sites, including Friendster and Google's Orkut.com. It would also sweep in a wide range of interactive websites and services, including AOL and Yahoo!'s instant-messaging features, Blogger.com and Microsoft's Xbox 360, which permits in-game chat.

Although MySpace and Friendster already have their own problems to deal with, Orkut's Terms of Service specifically prohibit minors from joining.

And what's with the email item? Is it me, or are they going overboard with this one?

Out Of Town (Plus Recap)

I'll be away from all forms of digital technology for a while (six or seven days) so you will not see any activity on this weblog...at least from me.

Here is a recap of some of the previous posts which you may enjoy:

• Featured Artist: Babrus- some cool drawings


• Confession: A Short Film- brief review of a student film


• How Would You Change The World?- wishful thinking? Perhaps...


• Changing Your Orkut Background- if blue is putting you to sleep

Well, I have to go and shoot off some emails before I leave. Will see everyone in about six or seven days (if not sooner).

Note: Be sure to check out Picasa Fun, another weblog I've picked up.

Can Men Handle Female Bosses?

Although this topic is probably never brought up in the office, it is one that has been debated ever since women entered the office. From the Issues of Men forum.

Detox: Can men really accept a female in a dominating role such as a Boss or the President of the country ?? Can they really allow females to take decisions for them or is it just for show ??

While some may laugh at this question, some women may take it more seriously. Selina does, and complains that although guys think she is intelligent, they often do not listen to her advice.

Detox thinks women make better bosses while Mr. Hyde thinks they talk way too much. Faizan is under the impression that "a female can never be a good boss" which doesn't exactly make Salina smile.

Lilian, a female boss herself gives her own take on the issue.

With a more progressive approach to diversity and a greater number of women helming organisations, we feel comfortable enough to use our natural management style, which tends to be more communicative, relationship-oriented and team building in nature. [...] This gives Us the potential to be more understanding bosses than men. This is my point.

I have 8 persons under my supervision. 3 women, 5 men... and I have some problems with the girls. Its true that men are more straightforward. You always know where you stand with them. With women, you have to work them out a little more. Women tend to be more subtle and crafty. Men are straight out with it. I'd rather work only with men, they are breezier than women.

Interesting perspective. So does that mean guys make better workers and women better bosses?

A Guitar Hero You Say?

I guess I am not the only person to attempt to learn how to play the guitar and fail miserably.

Although I'd love to tell my story, Jen Sala (writer for Orkut Media) has a better tale to tell.

I have a guitar. During my senior year in high school, Gwen Stefani and the band No Doubt were huge. Although I couldn't stand, well, still can't stand the nasal quality to her singing, I admired her aerobic live show. She looked like she was having a good time. I wanted to have a good time too. So I asked for, and got a guitar for Christmas. I was going to teach myself how to play. I practiced diligently, everyday. Then, about three weeks later, track practice started. Stupid sports foiled my dreams again.

Later on she mentions that after telling her friends her sad story, they tried to buy the guitar from her. Where as I would have put it up on Ebay (or Froogle) in a heart beat, Jen decided to keep the unloved instrument in a dark closet at her home.

Despite the fact that she could never be a pro guitar player, Jen discovered the next best thing--Guitar Hero for Play Station 2.

I wonder if they could integrate this with Dance, Dance Revolution?

Questions And Answers Of Faith

Philosophy and religious beliefs seem to play a huge role within Orkut, with younger members of faith asking older disciples questions and receiving answers, prayer, support, ect.

Over in the I'm on fire for Jesus! forum, Sahil posts his thoughts on his new found faith and asks for insight towards his condition.

Lately i feel i struggle a lot to live by the word. I am a new believer just a year since the Lord showed himself to me.Was Baptised this Easter but i feel i struggle to live by his ways sometimes and its hard for me to abide by his ways. [...]

Like Victor Hugo says in Les Miserables "To commit the least possible sin,is the law for man. To be sinless is the dream of an angel" but it still troubles me. [...] Guys please pray for me or give me some advice. I am very troubled because of This

Mr. Anonymous (or could it be Mrs.?) gives their advice by citing scripture, although both George and Siji offer more practical advice by advising Sahil to not only continue to read the scriptures but also seek out God in prayer. Interesting...

Kashmir Petition In Unfriendly Territory?

I am not too familiar with the Kashmir debate, but from what I gather it seems to be one of those "never ending arguments," that people in the region love to discuss.

Anyways, a new Pakistani forum has popped up (via Mr. Hyde) and apparently Divine (from India) is asking citizens of a rival nation to support India's right to own Kashmir.

CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) of the US Government, CNN (Cable News Network) of the US and BBC of UK have deliberately portrayed the Indian state of Kashmir as a part of Pakistan and China. Our state of Jammu and Kashmir has been sliced off to the neighbours!

Apparently Divine's message was not well received, as Pakistani members K, Zuzi and Dr. Ali express everything from laughter to disgust.

I myself was quite puzzled as why Divine asked for a petition in this forum. It would be like asking Israelis to sign a petition to hand over Jerusalem to Palestine (and vice versa). Would not posting this in the India forum been more appropriate?

Update: Moved photo to the right.

Happy Mother's Day (Google Style)

Happy Mother's Day to all of the current and future Mothers out there! I am thankful that they exist, because without their intervention (with a little help from Dad) I would not be here. ;)

In the I love My Mother forum, users are celebrating their mothers in three words while in another discussion members are wishing their mommy's a happy Mother's Day. And it even appears Google is celebrating...to a degree. (Hat Tip: Google Operating System).

Note: Although not Orkut related, here is a Google Video of two brothers displaying their..."appreciation" of Mother's day.

Update: Forgot to credit Google Video of the Day for this find...

Finding Customers Without SPAM

Steven asks an important business question over in the Sole Traders/Small Companies forum that all business owners (and self employed people like me) ask, or at least the good ones. How do I find more clients without SPAM?

(Note: SPAM in my opinion includes randomly cold calling the masses.)

Elena provides a great answer towards this by saying:

[...] I recommend reading the "Guerrilla Marketing" series by Jay Conrad Levinson. These books have a lot of great low-cost (or free) marketing ideas. I also suggest you do some market research of your own. For individuals who want to give up smoking, I think it might be harder, but maybe you could just get on the phone and call some potential retail clients?

Ask them what their needs are, whether they are already selling this product, etc. Maybe you could just walk into a health foods store and speak with the owner? The input of clients and potential clients will give you some ideas about how best to reach them.

Peter also reminds Steven that he could also email potential clients as long as he provides an introduction of himself as well as a disclaimer at the end with an "opt out" measure for future emails.

I also think Steven could use Orkut to contact potential clients, but for the sake of anti-redundancy, you'll have to see my answer over here.

Orkut Face Of The Month (May)

It looks like May's Orkut Face of the Month is Mr-Dash! Congrats!

Mr-Dash is from Pakistan and does not mention many details in his profile. However he seems to be an avid book lover and enjoys adventurous movies, guns and car racing. I wonder what type of car he has?

Note: I wouldn't be surprised if he was into these forums.

Do You Hate Fake Orkut Profiles?

Today I received an email from Roberta who informed me that someone is impersonating her again. She suspects Aka' Diabolic (is that a fake profile too?) although I'll have to verify this later on.

Fortunately there is a forum dealing with this issue, appropriately titled "We hate FAKE profiles!" as well as the more popular "I hate fake profiles."

The former community has "a wall of shame" exposing fake profiles and encouraging members to mark it as bogus. These communities could prove quite useful in the future, especially if you have an evil twin saying evil things and causing a ruckus.

I have not seen any evil twins of me yet, but there is one of Orkut Buyukkokten (sigh, not again).

The Orkut Babe Hunters

(Hat Tip: Fflush(stdthoughts))

It seems that after many months of using Google's service in order to resolve their singlehood issues and find "true happiness," a group known as "The Orkut Babe Hunters," has formed with one purpose in mind--to find date.

Enough of fake messages to gain confidence!
Enough of "wanna do frndz" hot scrapping!
We've had enough, ladies. It's time for the heavy artillery to be brought in! It's time for the Babe Hunters of Orkut to join up, fraternize, and discuss war strategies!!
For, lest we forget, it's still a war we're in right now. So, until you manage to hunt down a babe, you're welcome to join and learn from the masters.

Lest any girls think these guys are half joking (or half baked) they have even established three simple steps on acquiring what they refer to as "the prey."

• First Step: Sighting the Prey
• Second Step: Fixing the Profile
• Third Step: Dropping the bait

The list appears to be a work in progress (so it may get longer) but it seems that Gurpreet has already established a technique which he refers to as "The Trojan Horse." And it seems they have already spotted a victim.

I am not sure if their techniques will work, as I think the Men Ask, WOMEN ANSWER forum (not to mention Dating Point) is probably a better use of one's time and energy.

Over Zealous Soccer Fanatics?

(Hat Tip: Net Family News)

Perhaps I should rename the title "Over Zealous Football Fans" as football is the international version of what Americans call soccer.

Anyways, it seems as if users were using Orkut's service to network a street fight, all in the name of soccer. More from South Africa's IOL.co.za:

A day after Brazilian police stopped a fight between rival football fans organised on a popular Google website, authorities clashed with the Internet giant over access to user information to prevent crimes. [...]

Brazilian authorities monitoring online messages for possible crimes want the US company to turn over users' personal information to help stop crimes an abuse like the street battle between the football fans.

All that fuss over a silly ball. It would have been better if they were on Joga.com (developed by Google's Orkut and Nike), as you can at least upload video as well as talk smack.

Another Orkut Blog?

And it looks like this one has been blogging for a while! Entitled Orkutando this site offers a Brazilian spin of Orkut as well as some updates and advice. Written by "por Charles as," his latest post offers advice for anyone who is an Orkutholic. (Google English Translation over here)

If you if it catches sailing for hours in orkut without making nothing that it is useful, knows that you are not alone.
The community Skirt of orkut and goes to read 1 alert book that has more productive forms of if passing the time.

We of orkutando in feel them here in the obligation to support the movement. After all, we want one orkut full of intelligent people.

I concur.

The forum he points to has a cute baby picture as its image logo, but unfortunately the entire forum is in Portuguese, and I lack the desire and time to post about it here.

Profile Highlights (Umesh Ghosh)

Here is an interesting profile I came across while snorkuting through the deep blue forums.

Umesh Ghosh (who was briefly mentioned previously) starts off his description in poetic fashion:

i'm a cool man, compromising, religious and truth speaking...

I can't feel what I am.
But believe to be
a devotee of mankind.
I am not the body
which is seen,
not even the mind inside me,

I am the soul, a part of god.
I am now a machine ran
by the uncontrolled mind
which only loves
wealth, fame and lust

The poem may be a bit melancholy for some, but you have to admit it does make you think. Umesh enjoys reading and writing poetry, books, sports and music ranging from The Beatles to U2 to Led Zeppelin.

What caught my eye about Umesh's was him mentioning that he has a "messianic complex" in which he explains as helping out the poor around him. That sounds very generous of Umesh (as we all need a helping hand in life sooner or later) and if anyone gets the chance to, stop by his scrapbook and say hello.

Note: Daily Profile will be replaced by Profile Highlights as it will be easier to document and update on this site.

Orkut Allows Users To Bulk Invite Friends

It looks as if the Google Orkut team has created a feature allowing users to invite more than one person inside Orkut. Previously users were only allowed to invite one person at a time, a major problem if you wanted to add many of your friends and family within Google's forums.

In order to keep people from abusing the bulk invite system, Google has rolled out CAPTCHA (aka Word Verification) which only allows users to send out mass invites after they type in the word puzzle.



Although taken over by Brazilians, Americans seem to be gaining ground within the forums, representing about 12% of the Orkut population as of this post (previously they were under 11%). Orkut has become increasing popular recently, which may be due to the mention of Al Qaida (as well as other terrorist groups) by the media using Google's networking service.

Do Ladies Enjoy Chest Hair?

After the ladies received an answer to an age old question, it seems that Prasant had to ask this question in the Men Ask, WOMEN ANSWER forum. Ironically when I was younger, my friends asked this question to an older lady so I am not surprised by most of these responses.

• Eva: a chest hair? [...] i hate it, i mean a bit of hair there is ok, but not too much and i think back hair is even worst


• M.: Chest hair is a turn on for me.:) Of course in a reasonable amount.;) Yes... very manly and sexy...mmmm...


• Jaanika: as long as u dont count the ones on ur back to b chest hair... And as long as ur chest hair aint thicker than ur actual hair....


• Nazish: chest hair is a big tyme turn offfff....n so is the hair on the backk


• Jane: I definitely prefer no, or very little, hair on the chest

Fortunately for me, my chest isn't that hairy (at least for now). Unfortunately it seems that Saajid is out of luck in that department, and may have to shave his chest to appease his future love.

Do Guys Prefer Beauty, Or Women With Brains?

That is the question Pragati is asking over in the Women ask, MEN ANSWER forum (they have a counterpart one for guys which I'll post on later).

Pragati wants to know if guys really do prefer a beautiful face over a beautiful mind. Here are some of the responses by some very brave men:

• Raghu: beauty can be instantly admired/appreciated... but it takes a while to appreciate the brains of any person. hence the misconception that guys only appreciate beauty & not brains in a female. if u really dig a li'l deeper, u'll see that most most long-term female friends of guys r those with brains matching the guy's level... & not beauty...


• Chill: beauty n brain is rare and so i will say [...]
  beautiful girl = dumb
  unattractive girl = intelligent
  beautiful + intelligent = Diva..


• Turtle: i dont prefer beauty to brains . id rather have a plain looking girl with a brain and a good heart than a total knockout thats stupid or a bitch . but i do draw the line at ugly there only room in any relatioship for one ugly person aand thats me


• Achal (page two): i guess its natures way of bringing together the best genes together to same person . beautiful woman + intelligent man = beautiful and intelligent kids? or progressive species

Although most of the answers were pretty much "beauty before brains" or "beauty with brains," Lulla (on page 3) seems to be motivated more by mental abilities than good looks. He even doesn't mind a girl with a few extra pounds.

As for me, I agree with Pulkit (on page 1)--beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Does Being Bad Equal Success?

I sincerely hope not, otherwise chaos would reign on planet Earth! (which would not be good for this author by the way). Umesh asks this question in the Philosophy forum by saying:

Do you think that rich people of the world are evils? They exploit the poor in the name of business. Cheating is the second name of successful business. One example is pharmaceutical companies. They try to secure the life of next ten generations. What else can be the motivation of cheating people? [...] Law and order are in their pocket. [...]

One needs not to follow the so called right path to be successful. And it's the truth. And one needs not to be right to be influential. [...] As I perceive the aim of our life is to be influential and successful and rich... we need not to be noble

Veena and Chandandeep reply with the best responses, the latter who states that cheating can lead to success but it will never lead towards peace of mind.

After all, why steal millions if you can't sleep at night?

Islam Will Dominate The World?

Arzoo, who is best known for her Down with Denmark forum, appears to have renamed her community to Islamism.

Although I have no problem with Arzoo expressing her forum's beliefs (as everyone should be able to express their faith aside from violence) some members are uncomfortable with the image.

Obaid: AlhamdoLillah, I'm a Muslim, I love Islam just as much. But please put up a softer picture.

Although we Muslims usually mean that non-Muslims will ultimately recognize the truth of Islam and become Muslims, such a sentence to a non-Muslim can mean that we want to 'terminate' non-Muslims. This, as we all know, is totally opposite of what we Muslims wish to accomplish. We just want people to see the truth themselves, think about it, and decide for themselves.

Tormod disagrees, and thinks it's an excellent representation about Islam, (being an atheist and all) but Xahid thinks Tormod is simply afraid of the truth. He is?

Anyways, one muslim (Saad from Pakistan) is leaving the forum because of it's description while which does sound a little bit hostile in my opinion.

Description: Islamism is an ideology that demands man's complete adherence to the sacred law of Islam and rejects as much as possible outside influence, with some exceptions (such as access to military and medical technology).

It is imbued with a deep antagonism towards non-Muslims and has a particular hostility towards the West. It amounts to an effort to turn Islam, a religion and civilization, into an ideology.

I don't know what Arzoo was thinking, but her site description does sound anti-Islamic, something A. Wajid notes about. Forums like these often breed hatred and mistrust of Muslims, as people generally like to be enlightened, not dominated.

Can Men Be Homemakers?

"Mr. Hyde" (a very unique, funny and interesting person) has whether or not men can be homemakers in the Indian Woman's Issues forum. Responses range from laughter to debate, but here are some of the best responses towards that question:

• Ruchi: Men are also capable of being perfectly good homemakers...but first the mindset needs to be changed. When people see certain jobs as "women's work", men are not supposed to do them. But only if all work is considered equal, and even men take interest in sharing the house-work etc, will Indian men try to be good homemakers (Source*)



• Anjana: Homemaking according to me is a full time job and will need the person to stay at home(with servants or without).It's an unpaid profession.
  
  Men can definitely be homemakers but the society does not look good upon them but if a woman is a homemaker it's fine..So it's been a woman's profession from time unknown.. (Source*)



• Nabanita: When both r working, both should share the household chores....but depends on who does which chore better....if the wife is better at cooking, the husband can do the grocery shopping....there must be a balance between the amount of work done by each....each and every work cannot be divided into 50-50 and shared equally.....can the husband make the crying infant quiet as soon as the mother?....some things women r expert at...so men can help out in other chore....like ironing clothes... (Source*)

I think Nabanita has the most realistic view, especially in America. I am not sure if this is a cultural, religious or general concept, but it seems that "Stay at home Dads" are often frowned upon in society, and are referred to as losers in mainstream America.

A Cloning Business Anyone?

It looks like Sriharsha (over in the Bio Entrepreneurs world forum) wants to establish a future cloning business.

i just want to set up a genetic company.it should be dealing with human cloning. i know its banned in many countries.but cum on guys we have to explore the thins out and we can understand the truth of life only by this method. i think man should becum a bit more bold and try these things. so i'll start my own genetic company.

Although most of the reaction is positive, Prasoona (on page two) disagrees, citing that gene therapy and tissue regeneration techniques would be more effective.

They would also be more legal, as many nations have already passed laws against cloning, and many religions oppose its practice as well. If I were Sriharsha, I would seriously consider moving towards Antarctica and setting up shop there.

Is The Bermuda Triangle That Scary?

I have heard of many rumors about the Bermuda Triangle, and despite experts proving that the area is no more mysterious than any other region, some people still believe it is occupied by UFO's, an alternate universe or just plain bad luck.

In the "All About the Bermuda Triangle" forum, Pacific explains the real fuss behind a region feared by many.

i have passed thru the B triangle about 7 times. and im still around to tell the tale.

the 1st time it was a little scary but after that it was just routine. [...]

First, the "Devil's Triangle" is one of the two places on earth that a magnetic compass does point towards true north. Normally it points toward magnetic north. The difference between the two is known as compass variation.

The amount of variation changes by as much as 20 degrees as one circumnavigates the earth. If this compass variation or error is not compensated for, a navigator could find himself far off course and in deep trouble.

Pacific goes on to explain that the area is also very violent (weather wise) and many of those missing people in the region disappear because of either human error or there boats were not prepared to handle the environment. So much for the UFO theory.