Royal beauties

Lady Diana, Kate Middleton, Princess Grace

This is no brainer of a blog, but what the heck.

For as long as royalty continues to be revered at this time and age, but for a reason I don’t clearly understand, we might as well accept their existence and learn something about their womenfolk.

With the extensive publicity about the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine “Kate” Middleton in less than two weeks time, an exclusive online dating community, Beautiful people.com, produced a list of royals and made voters choose who was the most beautiful.

The survey had Princess Grace of Monaco coming in first with a 91% approval rating, followed closely by Queen Rania of Jordan with 90%, and coming third was

Queen Rania of Jordan

Her-soon-to-be-highness Kate with 84% of the votes.

The late Diana, Princess of Wales, came in fourth with 82% approval rating.

“Kate Middleton is no typical beauty, but her style, deportment and immaculate grooming have clearly won her an army of admirers, propelling her to the same heights as Princess Grace and Queen Rania,” said Greg Hodge, managing director of BeautifulPeople.com.

The complete list of the top 10 royal beauties are:

1. Princess Grace of Monaco: 91%
2. Queen Rania of Jordan: 90%
3. Princess in waiting, Kate Middleton: 84%
4. Diana, Princess of Wales: 82%
5. Charlotte Casiraghi, Monaco: 76%
6. Princess Gayatri Devi of India: 75%
7. Princess Madeleine of Sweden: 74%
8. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark: 72%
9. Princess Margaret of Britain: 70%
10. Crown Princess Masako of Japan: 68%

But, what happened to Letizia, Princess of Asturias?

Really, I would rather want to know who among the royal ladies are top movers and shakers in their own right, who has made a positive impact on lives of people.

Inner beauty is what makes any woman a true princess. To be beautiful outside is a bonus.

“Mental torture” of men by women in Pakistan

 

This, sure, will raise a lot of eyebrows from men. How? Why? When? Where?

Looks like I am already sensing some apprehensions in men! C’mon. Relax. It was simply a bad joke that happened in the provincial assembly of Sindh in Pakistan.

The assembly was actually resolving an issue on violence against women, which is very common in the rural areas of Pakistan, by creating a panel to investigate it.

Violence against women in this part of the world is said to be mainly blamed to patriarchal attitudes and lax law enforcement.

Patriarchal attitudes may be referred to as that cluster of collective values, beliefs, and ideas that deem rural women to be subordinate to rural men.

It does not mean to say that these attitudes do not exist in urban communities, but they are, perhaps, more extreme and less tempered against issues of women’s right in the rural areas.

A strong presence of sexism, which is defined as man’s ideology of  male supremacy or male superiority may also be an added reason to the prevalence of battered women.

So, after the resolution was passed creating the panel to probe the violence against women, Jam Tamachi Unar, an assembly member stood up suggesting, in turn, to form a committee to stop the “mental torture” of men by women.

While this was made in jest, as Unar admitted later, it, however, drew shouts of “Shame’ from female assembly members, followed by a walkout by some from the seesion.

Unar told the press that he was only joking but that it’s a “bitter truth that the same way women are tortured in rural areas, men are the victims of mental torture in urban neighborhoods.”

One cannot help, but wonder, however, what “bitter truth” Unar was talking about.

No food on the table? No sex? Sleeping outside the mosquito net? Wife excelling husband whichever way you look at it?

Keeps you thinking, doesn’t it?

Sharapova to wed L.A. Laker player

Slovenian born L.A. Laker Sasha Vujacic is one lucky dude!

Vujacic may not be the Lakers superstar, but in being able to win the heart of the statuesque tennis darling and the world’s highest-paid female athlete, much to the chagrin of men around the world desiring her, it may feel like winning another major championship game and much more.

The 23-year old Maria Sharapova, who has been judged the loudest grunter at 101 decibels every time she belts the ball across the net, has finally taken herself officially off the market.

According to several witness reports, the ring that Vujacic gave Sharapova signaling their engagement was very impressive.

Questions are asked now if Sharapova’s grunts will continue and even become louder this time on the tennis court or will she learn to leave it in the confines of their home?

Let us all watch how her games unfold.

Malaysia state offering second honeymoon for ‘rocky marriage’

This could be one for Ripley’s Believe it or Not!

In an attempt to solve marital crisis, a state in north-east Malaysia is offering free second honeymoons to couples contemplating of putting to naught their marital vows and calling it quits.

Ashaari Idris, a government official in Terengganu, said couples on the brink of divorce should take advantage of this program aimed at building family ties by spend two nights at one of the state’s scenic island resorts.

Idris said those who wished to take part would have to apply, undergo an interview and also commit to marital counselling.

“After marriage, some are unable to cope with the new challenges,” Mr Ashaari told the AFP news agency. “I want to strengthen family ties. If a marriage breaks down, it will hurt the children and it will have serious implications on society.”

To start with, the Muslim-majority state had already carried out a pilot project involving 25 couples.

Now it remains to be seen if, indeed, the crystal-clear waters and swaying palm trees of Terrengganu can help coulples love each other’s in-laws again, find a solution to their financial problem and make them promise each other, one more time, to cherish each other in bad times and good.