Let's dance a jig!

DRINKING: A recent news item where a Danish health research team has underlined the merits of alcohol consumption is no doubt going to raise hearty cheers among many an imbiber. The study has concluded that not only men but women too stand to benefit by a moderate intake of alcohol. But what is most interesting is the impact on men.

The National Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen has found that men drinking daily derive the biggest positive effect.

The risk of heart disease was the lowest among men who drank everyday while in women the impact depended on the amount of alcohol consumed, the study revealed.

Here now is a bludgeon that many a harried male at the butt end of the tantrums of a nagging wife over his drinking could use to good effect. He can now not only throw the new findings in her face but also invite her to join in the fun.

This could also change attitudes towards drinking and take away the stigma associated with boozing. On the contrary it could open whole new perspective on drinking and dispel entrenched prejudices attached to the bottle. No longer would a heavy imbiber be looked upon with a jaundiced eye by society.

The new findings could also now pave the way for reconciliation on the domestic fronts where many a feud may have erupted following drinking bouts. On the other hand the new development would lead to domestic harmony with both husband and wife drinking to each others' health while in homes where the husband and wife shares the occasional tot there is bound to be much mutual backslapping and many toasts sung.

One would not be surprised if Restaurants and Clubs which hitherto catered only to male customers throw their doors open to the fairer sex too all in the name of healthy co-existence.

Open air liquor stalls at playgrounds and stadia too would now cater to the needs of female clientele who will be keen on getting that extra zip to give vent to their vocal chords.

Domestic life would take on a whole new dimension with husband strumming his guitar with gusto and the wife at the piano after a particularly inebriated evening giving expression to their vocal talents presenting a typically endearing picture and a far cry from the blood curdling duels witnessed prior to the latest findings. Liquor driven domestic rows will be a thing of the past and bonds between husband wife cemented based on a convergence of a single interest - the bottle.

Rambler

Online Wedded bliss

MARRIAGE: Are you young? Single? Pakistani? Then "Shaadi Online" is just the Western-style dating - er, marriage - show for you.

Using a combination of prime-time TV and the Internet, "Shaadi Online" has helped arrange dozens of marriages since going on the air in Pakistan three years ago, shaking up a conservative Muslim culture in which family networks usually decide who weds whom.

Unlike bawdy American and European shows that pair up couples for an embarrassing night out in the glare of the cameras, when the contestants choose a mate on "Shaadi Online" - which means "Marriage Online" in the Urdu language - they really mean it.

Not only do viewers seem to like watching young Pakistanis choose their partner, but it offers a community service, helping men and women in what can be an agonizing search. Regular dating is comparatively rare, and a family's status and wealth is usually critical for a match. A prospective bride often endures scrutiny by many suitors before finding a husband.

Among the success stories are Sadaf Amir, 22, and her husband Amir Shaikh, 29, a pharmaceutical sales representative. He was the stand-out among a staggering 8,000 men who expressed an interest in marrying Amir after she appeared on the show.

"It was great fun and much easier then the painful process of readying yourself to be shown to a new family ... and getting rejected," Amir said in the small home she now shares with Shaikh in the southern city of Karachi.

Shaikh said he had failed to find a wife through traditional matchmaking, "but this TV show did it for me." Each weekly program showcases two men and one woman, introduced in a prerecorded video presentation showing their family, friends and work life. Once on the set, they are gently questioned by the hosts on their preferences for a mate.

That information is fed into a computer database of 100,000 singles. They are presented with a list of possible matches to choose from, and, on the show, they phone the ones that most catch their eye, while viewers listen in. Singles who have registered with the database via the Internet can also express an interest by e-mail.

A guest married couple is also on the set to offer advice on the suitability of a proposed match - a nod to Pakistani tradition that was certainly never featured in the original dating show: Chuck Barris' irreverent "Dating Game" on American TV in the 1960s and '70s.

On a recent "Shaadi Online," 20-year old Aliya Ansari, who lives the United Arab Emirates, was seen in her video walking on Dubai's white-sand beach, saying she was looking for an open-minded, professional and tall husband who would like to live in Dubai with her.

As fate would have it, one of the computer matchups was Muhammad Kashif, a 24-year-old banker in Dubai, who happened to be one of the two men featured on the same show - which also caters to Pakistani expatriates looking for a partner in their homeland.

"He looks nice and impressive," said Ansari, who was wearing an orange T-shirt and skintight blue jeans.

"She is very beautiful," responded Kashif, casually dressed in a black shirt and light brown pants.

Ansari's main concern was whether her would-be husband would allow her to work as a flight attendant. The reply from Kashif: "I have no objection if she insists."

They chatted about their respective families, and the show ended with the two shaking hands and smiling, apparently ready to become lifelong partners.

Surprisingly, "Shaadi Online" has not attracted strong resistance from the country's formidable religious lobby, although some conservatives - if asked - object that it is frivolous and undermines the Islamic nation's values.

"Our marriage and matchmaking has its own norms and traditions, but some television channels are implementing a certain agenda to Westernize society and harm our values," said Merajul Huda, the leader in Karachi of Pakistan's biggest religious party, Jamaat-e-Islami.

"This program is a glaring example."

Most matchmaking in Pakistan is usually done between families or go-betweens, although in cities some resort to classified ads in newspapers or matchmaking agencies. In rural areas, in particular, many end up marrying their cousins.

"Shaadi Online" has also recorded shows in Dubai and London, catering to Pakistanis who struggle to find a suitable mate because they live overseas. But the show's makers play down comparisons with Western dating shows.

"This is not really a dating show," said host Mustanswer Hussain Tarar, a prominent romance writer and actor.

"It offers a helping hand in making a social contract with the consent of the couple and their parents." So far, it's matched 35 couples for marriage - although many more may have been paired through the Web site.

But not every applicant seeking "Shaadi Online's" help has been single. "I was little puzzled when a lady came with her husband to get him a second wife as they were childless after several years of marriage," Tarar said.

The couple never made it on air, although according to Islamic tradition, a man can take four wives if he can support them all.

AP

His master's bow-wow

MEDIA: Thai entrepreneur has launched the world's first Internet radio station for dogs. DogRadio.com features barking human DJs playing round-the-clock music with no ad breaks. The station's owner, Anupan Boonchuen, insists that music can affect the way dogs behave.

"I've noticed that dogs often respond to music. Some wag their tails. Some lift their heads while lying on the floor," he said.

"At my grooming school we found that when we turned on the music the dogs' mood improved. They were more obedient and let us trim their hair easily." Mr Boonchuen has hired 10 students from the grooming school to work as DJs: "He or she must be good at barking because dogs are our listeners - the DJs may have to make different sounds, such as whining or barking."

Why?

From the feedback we get from readers we feel somewhat flattered. There were, of course, some whimpers, small complaints and raised eyebrows. The purpose of launching the Friday Pulse is to give the reader a sense of relief after a strenuous work related activities.

We just want to relieve his burden with a little bit of humour and funny little anecdotes. In other words, we will bring you a slice of the lighter side of life.

Readers are welcome to contribute to this page. All contributions, handwritten or typed on one side of the page, should be sent to the following address:

Friday Pulse, Daily News Editorial, Lake House, Colombo 10.

Telephone: 2429640,

Fax: 2429210

R.S. Karunaratne, Rohana Aryaratne,
Co-editors.