Reaching the age of maturity

Moving to the threshold of adulthood is what many teenagers dream of. Every adolescent dreams of attaining the age of majority and the reasons could vary. A simple reason being: on attaining the age of majority a parent’s or a guardian’s legal control over a teenager is terminated. Teenagers have always been in awe of their new found legal responsibility, because at this age they are allowed to enter into contracts, make their own decisions which are not legally binding on others, purchase and consume alcoholic beverages, procure a driving licence etc. In short, they are allowed to do what was not permitted earlier.
Every country in this world has its own set of laws and regulations. Likewise, the age of majority also differs. While a majority of the countries have struck to 18 years as the age of majority, in Uzbekistan it is as low as 14 years and in countries like Argentina, Bahrain, Cameroon, etc., it is 21 years. In Guinea and Philippines it is 21, but this has a rider that the minors are emancipated upon marriage. In Pakistan for men and women it is 18 and 16 respectively. Generally in the US it is 18 years but some states like Arkansas, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin it is 18; or if he/she is still in high school at 18, upon graduation, whichever happens to be earlier. Under the Age of Majority Act 1875, every person domiciled in India shall attain the age of majority on completion of 18 years and not before.
What is the criterion for selecting age of majority? Does it mean that a fourteen year old in Uzbekistan is far more matured than a 21 year old in Bahrain or an 18 year old in India? If so, how do we substantiate it?

Alcohol

Prince's life was picture perfect. This 32-year-old architect had everything that one would dream of – a thriving career, a plum pay packet, a wife so understanding, and two adoring children. But then, his life was shattered one fine day. It all started at an official party. Prince took to social drinking, which he justified as harmless. But soon, without realizing what he was getting into, he became an alcoholic. Needless to say that his wife left him soon realizing that Prince could not mend his ways despite repeated efforts. Now Prince spends his days at de-addiction centre trying to rebuild his life.
The story makes me wonder - what went wrong in Prince's life? Is it his lack of will power to keep himself away from alcohol? Or the access to alcohol without restraint? The latter, no doubt, overrides the former. The issue here is not about the consumption of alcohol but about the viability of imposing a total prohibition.

Incidentally, alcohol abuse is one of the main killers of many youngsters in the world today. It also shakes the very foundation of social and family dynamics in which our community is based. Government policy to allow liquor sales in the country has always been criticized. This could jeopardize the lives of many youngsters who take to drinking as it is freely available. There have always been laws banning sales of liquor to youngsters below 18 of age, imposing restrictions on sale in certain places, curbs on liquor advertisement etc. But does all this really help the situation? If the legislation makers were so sincere in their efforts then they would have imposed a total prohibition on production and consumption rather than meaningless curbs.

Liquor consumption in India has been increasing at eight per cent annually and wines at 17 per cent. As per a research conducted by the Euromonitor International, if this continues India will emerge as one of the top five fastest-growing markets for the next four years.
If you thought a good increase in the prices could play a vital role in combating this problem then you would be more surprised to know that the government is also against it. What else could explain the government’s stand on deciding to scrap the additional customs duty of up to 150 per cent on imported wines and spirits? The government claims it to be an international commitment. But does it not have a commitment to its own citizens?
No matter what policies the government frames, unless its intentions are pure, no amount of restraints, except a total ban on all types of alcohol will help the situation. There are numerous lives at stake. Many suffer in silence. Think before you act.

Begging?!

Indian weddings are a grand affair, no doubt. Grand I call it because of the amount of money involved. Ironically, only one party to the wedding ends up spending while the other tends to lap it up. Almost every single Indian must be aware that bride and her family give dowry at the time of wedding to the groom and his family. If the groom has sisters, the future sister(s)-in-law must also be bribed… oops… sorry given a few extra rupees. Don’t know where this nonsense originated from. I just can’t understand who the root cause is for stupidity that plagues our marriage system. Is it the greedy women who demand more for their sons? Or is it the grooms themselves who want to flaunt their wive's wealth among their friends?

A.R. Rahman wins Golden Globe Award

The Chennai-based music director A.R. Rahman today won the Golden Globe Best Composer award at the 66th Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles. He bagged the award for composing music for the song Jai Ho in the film Slumdog millionaire. The film’s director Danny Boyle and screenplay writer Simon Beaufoy also bagged the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Writer Awards, respectively. Slumdog Millionaire has already bagged the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Film Critics Association's Fourteenth Annual Critics Choice Awards. Will the film go on to win the Oscar Awards next month? Hope it’s worth the wait!

Equity release

Release of surplus funds bolted in your property is termed as equity release. This money can be used during emergency situation. You can reside on the same property even after using up your equity on the house. The cash can be even used to buy a new property or to cover medical expenses or even for your child’s education. The house gains equity, as the price of the property rises and this money can be withdrawn to meet your expenses. You get extra income without the need to sell your house. You can also use this money to increase your monthly income.

Fake bank websites – A caution

Email spam has become a day to day happening. Never a day passes without a spam email in our in-box. Recently, fraudsters posing as banks send emails to collect personal information. They later use this information to swindle money from your bank accounts and credit cards. It is advised not to let out personal information like user id, passwords and PINs to any outsiders under any circumstances. Type the bank web site url directly on the address bar. Monitor your bank accounts regularly to check for any discrepancies.

Tips to control global warming

Global warming is responsible for the climatic changes in many parts of the world. This crisis should be controlled to save our planet Earth from destruction. In order to control global warming, certain steps can be taken by the common man to help win over the crisis. Consume less energy by using star rated energy saver bulbs. As far as possible, try to avoid the use of your private vehicle, as it saves money as well as reduces pollution to a certain extent; recycle plastic, aluminum, glass bottles, paper and reduce carbon dioxide discharge. Start making a difference in a small way and be proud a contributor to a better tomorrow.

Subprime Crisis

Subprime crisis can be termed as banks lending money without following any lending rules and regulations. This does not denote over lending, it simply means offering loans without adhering to the guidelines. In such cases, the borrower is not eligible for a loan, due to conditions like poor credit scores, no collateral, self-employed or unemployed, lower household income etc. Such people can be called as high risk borrowers. Banks and other lending agencies today are experiencing hard times due to subprime crisis.

Debt Management

Debt Management is a solution to debt oriented problems. They are specific programs for independent issues. Debt may be a common issue, but each case is handled differently by debt management programs; however, the common enemy remains debt. A creditor cannot harass a debtor according to the rule of law; likewise a creditor cannot reclaim the goods without a legal order. Debt management companies work as an intermediary to reduce interest rates and decrease the monthly payments to enable the debtor to clear the loan with ease.

The Mozart of Madras

The Mozart of Madras, A.R. Rahman celebrates his 43rd birthday today (6th January 2009). Rahman forayed into the film industry with Roja, a film that was directed by the master storyteller Mani Rathnam. Roja success ensured Rahman’s stay in the film industry. This talented musician teamed up with the acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Webber for Bombay Dreams and won accolades from all quarters. He also was a part of the Michael Jackson's Micheal Jackson & Friends concert in the year 1999 making his countrymen proud. Rahman’s latest venture Slumdog Millionaire has also turned out to be chartbuster. I wish this talented musician a very happy birthday and many more happy returns of the day.

Netiquette

Internet is used as a medium to make friends. Most of us rely on the internet to make new friends and to stay in touch with old ones. To maintain a long lasting friendship it is very essential that we maintain discipline and etiquette while chatting or talking with friends. Remember that the sentences that you frame can convey a different meaning or tone that you did not intend. This could spoil your friendship on the whole. Take appropriate care and caution while sending a message or chatting. Your netiquette could win you a lot of online friends!