The State We're In, 23 July 2011. An Indian seaman on being held hostage off the coast of Somalia for 238 days. An Englishman lives the high life for a few years in Arizona before spending the next two years in what may be the worst jail in America. And a disabled man in Australia on the challenges of having a fulfilling sex life as a disabled person.
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Dipendra Rathore grew up in India dreaming about going to sea. And at age 20, that’s what he did, and loved it. But off the coast of Somalia his tanker was taken over by pirates. Shipmates were tortured. They threatened to turn them over to Islamist terrorists.
After 238 days, he was released (photo below). He tells host Jonathan Groubert about his ordeal, and why his desire to go to sea is still as strong as ever.
Link - Save Our Seafarers is a maritime organisation devoted to raising awareness of the human and economic cost of piracy.
"English Shaun"
That was the nickname Shaun Attwood got while in one of the worst jails in America. He’d moved to Arizona from the UK to make a name for himself. And he did: he became a big-league ecstasy dealer on the rave scene. He tells Jonathan about his arrest, and the two years he spent in jail. He also reads from his book, Hard Time (photos below).
Link - Jon's Jail Journal at Blogspot
Video - From the Manchester rave scene to the USA's toughest jail:
Disabled people are rarely thought of as sexually desirable - yet they have the same need to express their sexuality as everyone else.
In this frank documentary, John Blades, who has a major disability himself, talks to sex workers and other people with disabilities about touching and being touched (more photos below).
Extra audio and links at ABC Radio National's website
Read more about John's story in RNW's Global Perspective series - in association with ABC in Australia.
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