This country just does not move forward. 1.3 billion people and 95% live worse than dogs. I recently read in The Economist that half of the country does not even have a toilet. Even an outhouse. They just squat anywhere like a herd of cows would. Then the floods come. They must have incredible immune systems.

@Marty - That is a very good example of 'dont beleive all that you read'. See India before you make such negative marks about 95% of those people .

Unfortunately the Indian caste system is based on the notion that people who are born into poverty are there because of karma.

There is little hope of digging yourself out of this pit of despair. There is little in the way of social improvement because those that have feel that the gods have looked upon them favorably. Those that don't ...... well tough because they must have done something in a past life to be born into this situation.

India has been a sad state of affairs as of late. The big problem with Indians is ambition taking over morals and ethics. Lack of compassion, not willing to sacrifice for the other guy, always on the look out as if someone is trying to take them.

This is why new buildings collapse, patients are abandoned in fires(unexcusable!), and the poor are not given a hand up, bribery, corruption, all in the name of one upping the other. How sad.

Let one person challenge this and I will barrage you with recent examples of all I have said, these are more facts than my opinion. They are a very intelligent people, the things I have listed are what hold them back. Unfortunately I do not see change anytime soon.

It's probably just their drinking water??

Another place where life has become far to cheap.. Watch out Americans it is starting to happen here as well..

In Prohibition our Government was responsible for allot of the poison alcohol that killed people! it was meant to discourage people from drinking. they considered the deaths acceptable because drinkers were loser's and moral degenerates, and that was a small price to pay to change peoples behavior, That was the Liberal of the day mentality. Kind of the opposite of today's standards.

Coral Taxi - you sound like the Wizard Of Oz....don't challenge me, ignore the man behind the curtain...lol.

The USA uses India as an industrial dump...you know the saying about pointing fingers.

Methanol - basically colorless odorless anti-freeze. Stick to making home made wine, better yet outlaw booze World wide and bring back Pot...good luck trying to OD on weed...hohoho.

Marty-308743

I recently read in The Economist that half of the country does not even have a toilet. Even an outhouse. They just squat anywhere like a herd of cows would. Then the floods come.

they also believe that bathing in the "Holy Ganges" - also known as "The World's Largest Open Sewer" - is a sacred ritual

(sounds of spalshing) ...."hey, what is that object just floated by me?"...."Holy Sh*t!"

There is little in the way of social improvement because those that have feel that the gods have looked upon them favorably. Those that don't ...... well tough because they must have done something in a past life to be born into this situation.

Sounds a lot like the country where I live...

drainbramage - sounds like the weed got to you...

methanol is definatly not odorless and has nothing to do with anti-freeze. It is often formed in small quantities during the ethanol fermantation process and can be made worse by using the wrong yeasts/ sugar sources. Also it can be concentrated to even more dangerous levels (lethal here) when somone distills the booze incorrectly (you have to dump everything that boils before 77.8C)

Outlawing alcohol is exactly what led to widespread methanol and heavy metal poisoning here in the USA. Sorry to break it to you but even as many people that smoke pot while it's illegal is a lot less than the percent of people who drank illegal alcohol.

I saw what you are talking about last night on a TV show called Moonshiners. They said you had to pour off the "head" of the batch, as well as the "tail" of the batch. The head especially was bad because of naturally occurring methanol from the process coming out in the first 5 gallons of product. They said if you poured the 5 gallons back into the brew to dilute it, you'd ruin the whole batch. It had to be poured out on the ground.

Sounds like our home grown moonshiners know what they are talking about. Maybe this series should be played in India...???

@ roadrunner,og; You guys are kidding yourselves Comparing America to India . America and Americans are the most compassionate, and caring people on earth, hands down. We send tons of grain to NK, yearly, we even feed our enemies,this is like India helping feed Pakistan.lol not gonna happen.No comparison there.

We also have people all over the globe risking disease and death, to help people have the basic neccesities of life. Red cross,missionaries,volunteers of all types, all Americans. Our billionaires run around in blue jeans and t shirts as do our richest CEOs at google,facebook,microsoft,apple, etc.They do not run around looking down on those with less money, or power, they take care of their employees, above and beyond.

Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet, have committed to giving at least a third of their wealth to charities, and have convinced other millionaires, and billionaires to give up a third or half of their wealth also. I could be wrong, but I do not believe their are any Patels on that list. I know the rich in my neighborhood and area, and if you do not know them, you would never know their wealth. That is how most Americans with money roll.ie They do not put themselves above others as in the Caste system. No comparison there either.

I am not saying there are no compassionate Indians, that would be ignorant, I am saying India's leaders and upper crust as a whole need to make the change and start caring about the lower classes, their pride and arrogance will not allow this to happen.

But do not ever compare them to us, and say we are becoming like them that is an ignorant statement. We have rule of law and checks and balances. They do not. My problem is the arrogance, and uncaring for the masses.

rail accidents, stampedes at over-crowded religious festivals, bus accidents, building collapses, and a world-record number of traffic fatalities, are among the hazards regularly reported across the country.

Government agencies seem to be ill-equipped or unwilling to provide basic public services or properly regulate the fast-growing private sector. Sometimes safety standards are non-existent or ignored, other times inspectors are bribed, often laws remain toothless because of lack of enforcement.

Like most developing countries, India has a poorer record on safety than the developed world. But data suggest India’s safety record is also far worse than the developing countries it is often compared to. According to data from the World Health Organization, India’s rate of “unintentional deaths,” or deaths by road accidents, fires, drowning and other accidents, is 59.7 per 100,000 people. In contrast, that rate in Brazil is just 40.3, and in South Africa just 30.2.

When you factor in Brazil and South Africa’s much higher rates of “intentional” deaths, or murders and suicides, India still comes out on top on deaths due to injuries, with 83 deaths per 100,000 citizens, versus 75.8 in Brazil and 63.8 in South Africa. Countries whose per capita income is comparable to India’s also have lower accidental death rates — Uzbekistan’s is 29.3 people per 100,000 and Vietnam’s is 52.2.

From the "rail accidents" to the end of post should be in quote marks. As you can see nowhere near us, and we are not turning into this, we had the lowest car accident fatality rate since `1940, so do not tell me we are getting worse, not true, we are getting better and safer. Period.

When is Discovery Channel going to make this part of their TV lineup?

David; looks like your booze got you.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Methanol

I was wrong in that it is not odorless - and you failed on the anti freeze aspect...read it and weep.

Is this the same David who had the meth addiction? If it is - you are far weaker than I when it comes to resisting harmful drugs :P

Wrong. People have been hurt or killed because people using marijuana were driving or operating machinery. It affects reflexes, even as alcohol does. Also, primary or second hand marijuana smoke has the same effect on the lungs of smokers and non-smokers as does cigarette smoke. Your wanting it legalized is one thing. Calling it harmless when compared to alcohol is quite another. Both can be abused, both can cause health problems, and the use of both can result in injury or death.

Cite one case, Nicholas, where marijuana was the sole causative factor in a death. You can't, dogg. Know why? Cuz it's never freakin' happened, period. Case closed.

You're completely missing the point, Nicholas. The consumption of alcohol can lead to death even if you're alone in a padded cell simply because of how toxic the stuff can be. Marijuana is safer than alcohol to consume.

By instead diverting the discussion to the long-term health effects of the substances as well as the potential activities that can be performed while affected by the substances shows your ignorance and is a prime example of why marijuana isn't legal today.

@ Nicholas... there isn't a medical journal in the world that shows marijuana smoke causes cancer or is as harmful as the poisons added to cigarettes.... or is harmful second hand for that matter... stop making up facts to fit your assumptions.

Nicholas - A recent study was done showing the difference in effects between alcohol and marijuana.....people's reflexes were not effected as were those on alcohol. Actually the only thing the people did when driving while smoked up - WAS DRIVE SLOWER! In fact, they didn't even increase their speed when prompted to by the test coordinator.

In comparing alcohol vs. marijuana - as in which is worse for you - ALCOHOL is worse!

When you're young and your body is still growing, marijuana actually has the potential of inflicting a long-lasting, negative impact on your developing brain. Using marijuana at a young age can result in structural and functional deficits of the brain. This could cause you to develop weakened verbal and communication skills, lowered learning capabilities and a shortened attention span.

Community Anti-Drug Coalition. Strategizer Marijuana — Debunking the Myths
( http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/resources/marijuana/Marijuana_Strategizer.pdf )

In addition to the possible effects on your brain, smoking marijuana may also be hazardous to your developing lungs. Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke

National Institute on Drug Abuse. Marijuana: An Update on the National Institute on Drug
( http://www.drugabuse.gov/tib/marijuana.html )
Published February 2011. Retrieved July 2011.

Whether drugs cause deaths is really not an issue. The issue is that prohibition does not work, never did, never will. Half of all our laws and all the drug laws are worse than no laws at all.

Marijuana was created by God, so why is it illegal ???The war on drugs is such a waste of time..

dano-3878024 Can we say paraquat weed killer..

Diva10, your credibility would be bolstered by quoting non-biased sources. The Community Anti-Drug Coalition and National Institute on Drug Abuse aren't exactly interested in undermining their own purpose.

Driving too slowly can be dangerous, too... I'm not opposed to legalization. I'm just sayin'.

We all know that the fact that a FAR more harmful drug (alcohol) is legal & encouraged...and a comparitively harmless substance (marijuana) is NOT...is complete and utter hypocrisy!

New polls show that just over 50% of all Americans now favor legalizing, regulating, & taxing marijuana for use by adults in this country.

The lawmakers and lobbyists for the pharmaceutical & liquor industries clearly are out of touch with what the majority of Americans now want! These greedy politicians, with their own personal agendas, are NOT properly representing the desires of their constituents!

WE need to make our opinions heard, and change the hypocritical, draconian cannabis laws in this country!

Contact your local & national representatives and demand that they vote to end this idiotic marijuana prohibition.

Join organizations like NORML that are fighting for YOUR rights.

And most importantly...get out and VOTE whenever there is any marijuana/cannabis legislation to be voted on!

This subject is finally out in the open and now is NOT the time for apathy!!

Diva - I smoked my first pipe load when I was 19yo - is that too early? If you are turning to drugs at 12yo then you have problems far bigger than the drugs - like really crappy parents or major self image problems. That whole trying to be cool thing comes from TV, magazines, and music (if you call Rap music) - so when you buy your 10yo a TV and spoil them with trash - expect them to turn into trash.

Glad I was a nerd...

I remember few years back their was a bunch of poison pot on the market some sort of pesticide or fertilizer, and there were some fatalities. nothing is safe there's no argument here only opinions. to each their own. lots of cases where pot was laced with chemicals such as PCP and the user was not aware and death resulted. sorry guys, the only way to be safe is grow your own and never leave your house. any and all mind altering substance puts the user and people the user may come in contact with at risk. that's just the way it is. and different individuals are affected in different ways. and there are accidents every day caused by driving under the influence that can be attributed to pot. the problems are there people just refuse to see it. its to easy to look the other way, or blame it on something else, like that half a beer that made you fall off the roof.

Is that why you call yourself drainbramage. Just sayin'.

Are you serious? Get a life! Being a jerk shouldn't be your goal!

Nicholas, I am not sure the author is necessarily wrong with "the", grammatically or in diction. Your interpretation is one way to look at it. The author's use of "the" here could be an emphasis, like holding up a smoking gun in a courtroom with your finger pointing at it. And since methanol is long known to be toxic and causes death, even by your rationale, it could be inferred as if it has been mentioned as the murder weapon in numerous previous occasions. Too bad I can't consult Mrs. Broom, my high school grammar teacher, over this right now. I would have loved to see her bend down to look at my paper while I'm standing. Oh, that cleavage, THE cleavage.

Thanks TF, your reply makes sense and is appreciated.

And to pinches78: telling a stranger who has expressed an opinion that harms you not to "get a life", and calling him a "jerk", is something that a REAL JERK would do.

It has been proven the marijuana, causes it's users to have psychotic breaks with reality, causing uncontrollable bouts of the giggles and appetites that can't seem to be satisfied. If that is something that seems just fine with you, then you sir,,,,, disgust me.

>.0

Oh for heaven's sakes, you don't really believe that, do you, Brent??? Because, it's hilarious if you do. In fact, I may just break into the giggles over it. LOL.

Psychotic breaks with reality? Uncontrollable appetites? Please cite your sources for these silly, silly statements. Straight out of the 'fifties.

Sally, either you should check your sarcasm detector... or I should.

Thank you AKap.

Jeeze. c'mon Sally. O.o

Only if they dislike their life situation. Happy poor people aren't lazy.

Sam...go eff yourself you troll....leave it to you to bring American politics into a story from India...dumass femocrat liberal piece of sh!t

mudrake2

You couldn't be more wrong. While brewing moonshine the first part of the batch contains high levels of Methanol naturally its called "foreshot" and the brewers know to throw that part out b/c it could cause illness or death.

You're spot-on with your assessment. These guys paid for a cheap drunk with their lives; as long as someone wants to go on a cheap drunk, there will always be someone willing to goose low-grade booze with cheap, highly potent fillers. The bootleggers will probably face a stiffer sentence for fraud than they will negligent homicide.

I've done plenty of work for liquor stores and every store owner has told me the same thing: their best sellers are the cheap stuff followed by the high end stuff; you come up with funny nicknames for the cheap stuff (Keystone is called Peestone while a cheap vodka named Ruble is called Rubble; drink enough of it and that's what you'll be reduced to) You will always have a customer for that $2 half pint of vodka; he'll drink that swill until he passes out or drops dead and more than likely uses the proceeds from deposit returns to pay for the stuff. As long as he fishes his $6 or $8 in deposits out of the recycling bins to buy his booze for the day, he doesn't have a care in the world. And we get to enjoy day after day of live entertainment watching these guys come in zombified to buy their daily supply; it's a sort-of improvement over watching them drop dead instantly from a bottle of rot-gut poison.

@R.Scalzo,

Incarcerated Politicians...???

Probably a knock off.

Probably Made in China, they make real ones and fake ones.

Yea, they should have cut the booze with water instead of methanol. Rainwater wouldn't cost a dime. I should go over there and start a bootlegging business, but 20 cents a half liter is not very much money.

real booze probably costs more than what the poor and depressed day laborers can afford.

"The latest tragedy began Tuesday night when groups of poor laborers finished work and bought some cheap homemade booze for about 10 rupees (20 cents) a half liter, less than one-third the price of legal alcohol".

Tonyp1454 - sorry but that is totally antiquated thinking.....

Marijuana can heighten your senses and can be better at making women "frisky"....

And not everyone who smokes is on welfare.....you need to get some education before you put your other foot in your mouth.

I smoked weed for two years.

I did 20% more work every day than the closest one to me in productivity.

Yep, smoking that weed nightly brought me down......

Talk to the people with hangovers, calling in sick, etc. from alcohol the next day.......

Alcohol kills and costs productivity in the workplace.......not mary jane......

Ah, that would be incorrect,. They're obviously not buying Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker, ah duh moron.