GI returns from Iraq an alcoholic • Foster mother of 850 children • Rent-a-wedding-guest • South African women's prison
American soldier returning from Iraq faces alcohol problem: John Crawford, who signed up as a Florida National Guardsman and found himself fighting in Iraq, talks to Outlook about his time there and his struggle to return to normal civilian life; a struggle that included weaning himself off alcohol and drugs and fighting to save his marriage.
Birdie McDonald -- Foster mother of 850 children: Birdie McDonald, originally from Jamaica, first began fostering 32 years ago and in her time has looked after more than 850 children, three of whom are her own. Many stayed only a few nights but one, Donovan, stayed from the age of 2 until he was 18. Outlook's Jerry Jackson went to meet Birdie and Donovan at Birdie's home in north west London.
Rajasthani service offering wedding guests: In Rajasthan weddings are huge family events, so much so that if you do not have enough guests to ask it may be embarrassing. To prevent this from happening an agency called the Best Guests Centre has been set up, with around 70 people who can turn up either traditionally dressed or in smart western clothes. M.I. Syed is the proprietor and he tells Outlook how the demand for his guests is growing because of the break up of extended families and lack of contact with relatives.
South African women's prison: For nearly three-quarters of a century, the Women's Jail in Johannesburg, South Africa, was occupied by a succession of black women who may have been sent to prison for something as innocuous as drinking with white friends, shopping in town without permission or being out after dark in whites-only areas. The jail closed in the early 1980s, and it has been beautifully renovated and turned into a museum which reminds visitors of the women's suffering. The BBC's Merle Dieterich visited the museum, which opened last month, and met some of the former prisoners.
Read entire article at BBC World Service "Outlook"
Birdie McDonald -- Foster mother of 850 children: Birdie McDonald, originally from Jamaica, first began fostering 32 years ago and in her time has looked after more than 850 children, three of whom are her own. Many stayed only a few nights but one, Donovan, stayed from the age of 2 until he was 18. Outlook's Jerry Jackson went to meet Birdie and Donovan at Birdie's home in north west London.
Rajasthani service offering wedding guests: In Rajasthan weddings are huge family events, so much so that if you do not have enough guests to ask it may be embarrassing. To prevent this from happening an agency called the Best Guests Centre has been set up, with around 70 people who can turn up either traditionally dressed or in smart western clothes. M.I. Syed is the proprietor and he tells Outlook how the demand for his guests is growing because of the break up of extended families and lack of contact with relatives.
South African women's prison: For nearly three-quarters of a century, the Women's Jail in Johannesburg, South Africa, was occupied by a succession of black women who may have been sent to prison for something as innocuous as drinking with white friends, shopping in town without permission or being out after dark in whites-only areas. The jail closed in the early 1980s, and it has been beautifully renovated and turned into a museum which reminds visitors of the women's suffering. The BBC's Merle Dieterich visited the museum, which opened last month, and met some of the former prisoners.