I am proud to be gay, and i consider being gay among greatest gifts god has given me. - Apple CEO Tim Cook
Tim Cook Speaks Up
Throughout my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain a basic level of privacy. I come from humble roots, and I don’t seek to draw attention to myself. Apple is already one of the most closely watched companies in the world, and I like keeping the focus on our products and the incredible things our customers achieve with them.
At the same time, I believe deeply in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, who said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ” I often challenge myself with that question, and I’ve come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important. That’s what has led me to today.
For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is so lucky.
While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.
Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry. It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple.
The world has changed so much since I was a kid. America is moving toward marriage equality, and the public figures who have bravely come out have helped change perceptions and made our culture more tolerant. Still, there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire people based solely on their sexual orientation. There are many places where landlords can evict tenants for being gay, or where we can be barred from visiting sick partners and sharing in their legacies. Countless people, particularly kids, face fear and abuse every day because of their sexual orientation.
I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.
I’ll admit that this wasn’t an easy choice. Privacy remains important to me, and I’d like to hold on to a small amount of it. I’ve made Apple my life’s work, and I will continue to spend virtually all of my waking time focused on being the best CEO I can be. That’s what our employees deserve—and our customers, developers, shareholders, and supplier partners deserve it, too. Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not defined only by one’s sexuality, race, or gender. I’m an engineer, an uncle, a nature lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic, and many other things. I hope that people will respect my desire to focus on the things I’m best suited for and the work that brings me joy.
The company I am so fortunate to lead has long advocated for human rights and equality for all. We’ve taken a strong stand in support of a workplace equality bill before Congress, just as we stood for marriage equality in our home state of California. And we spoke up in Arizona when that state’s legislature passed a discriminatory bill targeting the gay community. We’ll continue to fight for our values, and I believe that any CEO of this incredible company, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, would do the same. And I will personally continue to advocate for equality for all people until my toes point up.
When I arrive in my office each morning, I’m greeted by framed photos of Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy. I don’t pretend that writing this puts me in their league. All it does is allow me to look at those pictures and know that I’m doing my part, however small, to help others. We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma Born - 7 April 1962 (Age 52)
రామ్ గోపాల్ వర్మ...!!! ఈయన జన జీవన స్రవంతిలోకి రాడా? లేక జనమంతా ఆయన జీవన స్రవంతిలోకి రావాలనుకుంటున్నాడా ..!! రామ్ గోపాల్ వర్మా.. ఒక ఆలోచనల పుట్టా. ఈ ఆలోచనలు ఆయన వోడ్కా వేడి నుంచి పుట్టాయా! లేక ఆయన ఒరిజినల్ మేటలే అంతా! అంతే కాదు అది మేటలో లేక ఇంకోటో కూడా అర్థంకాదు.
"మెదడు అనే పదార్థం పనిచేయడానికి రకరకాల రసాయనాలు అవసరాలు ఉంటాయి అంటుంటారు. సదరు కెమికల్స్ నిష్పత్తి సమత్యులత్త అనబడే ప్రపోర్స్నన్ల బాలన్స్ తప్పితే ఆ మెదడు పని చేసే విధానం కూడా దెబ్బతింటుందంటారు శాస్త్రజ్ఞులు".
అసలు ఇక్కడేం జరుగుతుంది. తాజాగా వర్మ గారు తన సినిమా ఫస్ట్ లుక్ అంటూ ఓ ఫోటో విడుదల చేసారు. ప్రవరాక్యుడిని సైతం చేలింప చేసే భంగిమలో ఉన్న స్రీని తదేకంగా అదోరకం తన్మయత్వంతో చూస్తున్న టీనేజ్ బాలుడు ఫోటో అది. ప్రతీ టీనేజేర్ జీవితంలో ఓ సావిత్రి ఉంటుందని, స్కూల్లో చదువుకునే రోజుల్లో మా ఇంగ్లీష్ టీచర్ 'సరస్వతి' అంటే పిచ్చేక్కిపోయేదంటు వర్మ చెప్పుకొచ్చారు. సావిత్రి అలియాస్ శ్రీదేవి సినిమాగా తెరకేక్కిస్తున్నాం అంటూ వర్మ గారి స్టేట్మెంట్స్. అంతటితో ఈ వర్మ ఆగలేదు. మీ మీ జీవితాల్లో ఉన్న సావిత్రిల్లున్ని లేదా శ్రిదేవుల్నిబయటకు తీసుకురండి.. మీ అనుభవాల్ని మాతో పంచుకొండంటూ... ఏకంగా ఓ వెబ్ సైట్ (www.naasaavitri.com)నే మొదలుపెట్టడాయన. ఇక పతివృద్ద్యం సబ్జెక్టు పెడార్థం పడుతోందన్న భయాల మీద ఇప్పుడు సావిత్రి పేరును తన ఆరాధ్య దేవత శ్రీదేవి గా మార్చుకున్నారు వర్మ. ఆ సైట్ లో ఈ అనుభవాలు రాసే కుర్రకారు సంగతి అలా ఉంచితే, ఈ విషయం మీద బాలల హక్కుల కమిషన్ తీవ్రంగా స్పందించింది. సినిమా పోస్టర్ ఫై స్యూమోటో కింద కేసును స్వీకరించింది కూడా. ఓ స్రీ అందాలను తొంగి చూస్తున్నా కుర్రాడి ఫోటో గురించి ఇంత రచ్చ జరిగిపోవాలా అన్న ప్రశ్న కొంతమందికి రావొచ్చు. మీ మీ అందరి జీవితాల్లో తారసపడ్డ సావిత్రిలందరి ఇన్స్పిరేషన్ తోనే ఈ సావిత్రి అలియాస్ శ్రీదేవి సినిమా తీస్తానంటున్న వర్మ ఆలోచనల్లో తప్పేమీ కనపడటం లేదా?
బాల్యానికి యవ్వనానికి మధ్య దశ అత్యంత సున్నితమైన వయస్సు. అక్కడ జరిగిపోయే ఆలోచనల్లో అసభ్యకరాలేమి లేకపోవొచ్చు. కానీ అటువంటి ఆలోచనలు అగమ్యగోచరంగాను గందరగోళంగాను ఉంటాయన్నది మాత్రం ఒక నిజం. నిజ జీవితాలకి ఫాంటసీలకి మధ్య ఉగిసలాడుతూ ఉంటాయి. చాలా సార్లు ఫాంటసీ లు ఊహా లోకాల్లో విహరిస్తుంటాయి కూడా. అంతే కాదు అప్పుడు అక్కడ పడిపోయే కొన్ని అడుగులే జీవితాలనే బలి తీసుకుంటాయి. సెక్స్ పట్ల విద్యార్థుల్లో అవగాహన అవసరమే కావొచ్చు. కానీ దాన్ని వివరించటానికి బూతు చిత్రాల అవసరం మాత్రం లేదు. కుర్రాళ్లలో సహజంగా రేకెత్తే కొన్ని ఆలోచనలకు అక్షర రూపాన్ని ఇవ్వడమో లేక దృశ్య పరంగా చూపించడంలో తప్పేమీ లేకపోవొచ్చు గానీ, ఇక అటువంటి ఆలోచనల్ని మాతో పంచుకుంటే వాటి ఆధారంగా సినిమా తీస్తానని దానికి ఏకంగా ఒక వెబ్ సైట్ దుకాణాన్ని తెరిచిన వైనం మాత్రం చాలా చికాక్ గా ఉంది. దీన్ని మనం చికాక్ గా ఉందంటూ తేలిగ్గా తీసిపారేసినా, చాలా చీప్ గా ఉంది అనేవాళ్ళు లేకపోలేరు. సమాజం కొత్త పోకడల్ని, భిన్నాభిప్రాయాల్ని ఒక పట్టాన స్వీకరించదు. నేనొక సోక్రటీసు లాంటోడిని, నన్ను అసహ్యించుకున్నా ఇదే నిజమంటూ మన వోడ్కా వర్మా సణుగ్గోవొచ్చు లేక బిగ్గరగా అరవొచ్చు గాకా. అది ఆయన పబ్లిసిటీ స్టంటే కావొచ్చు.అసలు టీనేజ్ కుర్రాళ్ళంత తమకంటే వయసులో చాలా పెద్దయిన మహిళల్ని కేవలం సెక్స్ దృష్టితో మాత్రమే చుస్తున్నారన్న ఒక బలమైన వాదన చాలా కాలంగా ప్రచారంలో ఉంది. అనేక సర్వేలు ఇవి తప్పని ఋజువుచేసాయి కూడా. సైకాలజీ జర్నల్స్ లో వీటికి సంభంధించిన ఆర్టికల్స్ అసలు నిజాలను వెలికి తీసే ప్రయత్నాలు చేసాయి. కేవలం సెక్స్ మాత్రమే కాదు..తమ ఈడు ఆడ పిల్లల పట్లా వాళ్ళకున్న అభిప్రాయాల్లో ప్రేమ, జీవితాన్ని పంచుకోవడం పట్ల ఆలోచనలు, ఉద్రేకాలూ కూడా ఉంటాయని కేవలం అవతలి ఆడ పిల్లల లుక్స్ మాత్రమే వాళ్ళకి ప్రధానం కాదన్నది ఒక వాస్తవమని తేలిపోయింది. ఎటొచ్చి Adolescence అనబడే యవ్వన ప్రారంభ దశలో అపరిపక్వంతో ఉండే కుర్రోళ్ళకు, మనోళ్ళు చూపించే బూతు సినిమాలు లేదా వాళ్ళని ప్రేరేపితుల్న్నిచేసే సన్నివేశాలు మాత్రమే పక్కదార్లు పట్టించే అవకాశాల్నిపెంచుతాయన్నది నిజం. ఐతే మీరంతా హిపోక్రాట్స్, మనసులో ఒకటి పెట్టుకొని భేషజాల కోసం మరొకటి మాట్లడతారంటూ వాదనలు వినిపించే వాళ్లకు సమాజం పోకడల పట్ల అభ్యంతరాలు సహజంగానే ఉంటాయి. అటువంటి వాదాలను అడ్డం పెట్టుకొని అబ్బాయిలు ఆంటీలంటూ అవాస్తవిక కల్పనలని, అతిశయలని క్రిఎట్ చేసి ట్రాన్స్ లోకి యువతని తీసుకెళ్లడం ఖచ్చితంగా దుర్మార్గమే అవుతుంది. ఇప్పటికే రకరకాల రుగ్మతలతో కునారిల్లుతున్నమన సమాజం వీటిని నియంత్రించి కొంతలో కొంత అయినా ఒక ఆరోగ్యకరమైన పట్టుదలని పెంచి వాళ్ళని ఇటువంటి కల్చరల్ షాక్ లకు గురి కాకుండా దూరం జరపాలని వాదిస్తే తప్పెలా అవుతుంది. ఎప్పుడూ హాలీవుడ్ సినేమాన్లో, ఎవరో ఒకరి క్రైమ్ జీవితాల ఆధారంగా చేసుకొని టాలీవుడ్లో సినిమాలు తీసే అంకుల్ వర్మ గారు చివరకి ఇలా దిగజారి ఓ బూతు సినిమాల తీసే స్థాయికి దిగజారిపోవడం దురదృష్టకరం. రామ్ గోపాల్ వర్మ టర్మ్ అయిపోయిందా లేక మన ఖర్మ ఇలా కాలిపోయిందా??
US labour authorities have penalised a Silicon Valley company for "grossly underpaying" eight workers from India.
California-based Electronics for Imaging paid the workers $1.21 (75p) per hour. They worked 122 hours in a week without overtime pay.
The company said it "unintentionally overlooked" US laws on wages and overtime. California's minimum wage at the time was $8 per hour.
Thousands of Indians work in Silicon Valley and many own start-ups there.
California-based Electronics for Imaging, a printing technology firm, has to pay more than $43,000 in back wages and penalties after labour regulators discovered the violations.
The 8 workers were brought to the US on a special project, at the time when they helped the company move its headquarters from Foster City to Fremont.
The firm paid the Indian workers the same wages they received in their normal jobs in the Indian city of Bangalore - and continued to pay them in rupees.
US laws require foreign workers to be paid at least the minimum wage, with overtime for working more than 40 hours a week.
"This is worse than anything that I ever saw in any of those Los Angeles sweatshops," Michael Eastwood, assistant district director of Department of Labour, told the Associated Press news agency.
- were convicted of offences that include fraudulent Goods and Services Tax (GST) tourist refund claims and corruption. They were also found guilty of money laundering by removing monies gained from the fraudulent GST refunds from Singapore.
Modus Operandi - Fraudulent GST Refund Claims and Corruption offences
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), using its data analytics tool, detected several suspicious GST refund claims through the electronic tourist refund scheme (eTRS) in 2013. Subsequent investigations by IRAS, Singapore Customs and Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) revealed fraudulent claims of about $570,000 in GST refunds by a group of accomplices between September 2012 and January 2014.
As part of their illegal scheme, Sundar Panneer Selvam, Baskaran Uthirapathy, Pounraj Natarajan and Gobi Raman paid for receipts from bona fide shoppers who had purchased jewellery and obtained eTRS tickets from the jewellery retailers.
On various occasions during the offence period, the four Indian nationals presented to Mohamed Yusof Bin Abdul Rahman, a Customs officer on duty at the Inspection Counter in the airport, the eTRS tickets and jewellery that were not purchased by them or used gold-plated jewellery which did not match the goods description on the eTRS tickets to support their eTRS claims. They admitted in court that they had given bribes to the Customs officer so that they could obtain approval for their false GST refund claims.
The four Indian nationals then presented the approved eTRS notification slips at the Central Refund Counter, located in the airport's departure transit lounge, to receive their GST refunds in cash.
The case against Mohamed Yusof will be heard again in court on 6 November 2014 at 9.00a.m. He is no longer employed by Singapore Customs following the expiry of his employment contract in September 2014.
Removing Criminal Proceeds arising from Fraudulent GST claims from Singapore
After receiving the GST refunds in cash, the four Indian nationals spent a portion of the cash on duty-free items at the airport, before departing Singapore for India on the same day with the remaining cash.
Court Sentences
Sundar Panneer Selvam - was sentenced to a total of 48 months' imprisonment and a penalty of $292,977.33.
Baskaran Uthirapathy - was sentenced to a total of 42 months' imprisonment and a penalty of $237.595.53.
Pounraj Natarajan - was sentenced to a total of 45 months' imprisonment and a penalty of $201,129.66.
Gobi Raman - was sentenced to a total of 36 months' imprisonment and a penalty of $202,044.81.
Zero Tolerance towards Tax Fraud, Corruption and other Criminal Activities
Singapore has always adopted a zero tolerance approach towards tax fraud, corruption and other criminal activities. The authorities take a serious view of any corrupt and criminal practices, and will not hesitate to take swift action against any individuals and parties involved.
About the Electronic Tourist Refund Scheme (eTRS)
Tourists can claim GST refund on goods they have purchased and brought out of Singapore. A person who did not purchase the goods and yet sought or obtained a GST refund under the tourist refund scheme would have committed an offence under the GST Act.
Under eTRS, a tourist receives a receipt of goods purchased and an eTRS ticket when he buys goods from a GST-registered retailer participating in eTRS. The tourist then uses the eTRS ticket or the credit card with which he purchased the goods to make a GST refund claim via the eTRS self-help kiosk at the Changi airport.
As a control measure, physical inspection of the goods may be carried out at the GST refund counter by Singapore Customs officers before a GST refund claim is approved.
1. YandamuriRaghunandan is a Telugu, an ethnic group residing mostly in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The distinguishing characteristics of Telugus include an insatiable appetite for Dum Biryani, Avakaya pickle, Priya pickle, Gutti Vankaya and Gongura Chicken, a desperate itch to migrate to the U.S. and an inexplicable fondness for Allu Arjun films.
2. YandamuriRaghunandan is 26-years-old. Yandamuri was born in the coastal Andhra city of Vizag on February 21, 1986 (Friday). For Telugus, 1986 marks a landmark as that was the year the on-screen torture of ‘non-actor’ Akkineni Nagarjuna in a lead role started.
3. YandamuriRaghunandan lived in the Marquis Apartments complex in King of Prussia, PA. Yandamuri’s Address: xxx W.Dekalb PK, King of Prussia, PA 19406 is not a tourist spot for Telugus like the Balaji Temple in Pittsburgh or the Venkateswara Temple in Bridgewater, NJ.
4. YandamuriRaghunandan is married and his wife Komali Alokam is pregnant. For Telugus, ‘Birthed in America‘ is higher than ‘Made in India‘ and like a lot of Telugus Yandamuri was planning to get his mother-in-law and father-in-law to the U.S. to assist them, post-delivery.
5. YandamuriRaghunandan is a software programmer, a bug affecting many Telugus. Yandamuri previously worked for Sarayu Consultants of Carpentersville, IL.
6. YandamuriRaghunandan weighs 160lbs and is 5-ft 9-inches, taller than the average Telugu.
7. YandamuriRaghunandan previously lived in California and moved to King of Prussia, PA, indicating a nomadic lifestyle afflicting a lot of Telugu software professionals.
8. Raghunandan Yandamuri drove a 1999 Red Honda Acura Integra car with plate JBKxxxx. The car is not a collector’s item, so please do not start looking for it on eBay, Craigslist or any of the Telugu forums.
9. YandamuriRaghunandan possessed an Illinois Driver’s License that he will not be needing in future. Telugu numerologists may note that Raghunandan’s Driver’s License No Yxxx72086xxx, translates inauspiciously to Y44 when you add up the numbers in the license.
10. YandamuriRaghunandan has excellent comedy skills, suggesting he must have watched at least a few dozen films starring Telugu comedian Brahmanandam. Proof of Raghunandan Yandamuri’s comic strengths – He participated in the search for the missing child Saanvi Venna, posted and distributed “Missing Child” fliers and attended a vigil without arousing the suspicion of other Telugus.
11. YandamuriRaghunandan was desperate for money, an incurable, occasionally fatal, disease affecting not just Telugus but the entire Homo Sapiens race. Yandamuri’s financial troubles led him to file for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on April 10, 2012 in California.
12. YandamuriRaghunandan's Social Security Number is 348-xx-40xx totaling up to 31, which totals to 4, a number that Telugu numerologists will unhesitatingly disapprove of since 4 also appears twice in his Driver’s License Numero-total. Please refer to point 9, above.
13. Raghunandan has been charged with more crimes than any other Telugu, living or dead.
14. YandamuriRaghunandan is charged with the following crimes:
* PACC 2052(a) Murder of the First Degree
* PACC 2052(b) Murder of the Second Degree
* PACC 2901(a)1 Kidnapping F1
* PACC 2901(a)2 Kidnapping F1
* PACC 2901(a)3 Kidnapping F1
* PACC 3502 (a) Burglary F1
* PACC 3701(a)(1((i)Robbery F1
* PACC 3701(a)(1((ii)Robbery F1
* PACC 3701(a)(1((iii) Commits or Threatens immediately to commit any felony of the first or second degree – F1
* PACC 3921 (a) Movable Property – A person is guilty of theft if he unlawfully takes or exercises unlawful control over, movable property of another with intent to deprive him thereof. F3
* PACC 5510 – Abuse of Corpse M2
Still awake?
15. Yandamuri Raghunandam , like most people, misused office equipment for personal ends. But Yandamuri took misuse of office equipment to new, stratospheric heights by printing the ransom notes on his work computer, a crime million times worse than the Telugus’ favorite pastime of ogling at pictures of starlets Ileana, Anushka, Kajal, Samantha or Tamanna on their office computers.
16. YandamuriRaghunandan has a bizarre sense of humor, suggesting a weakness for bad Telugu movies that are rife with crude humor. After confessing to his crimes, Yandamuri asked the police officers to tell the media that his wife had turned him in so that she could get the Reward money of $30,000 established for locating the missing child Saanvi Venna! Is this the new definition of chutzpah?
17. YandamuriRaghunandan did not leave just one copy of the Ransom note in the Vennas’ apartment but flung 10 copies, a weird move that will have Telugus running to their mythology books for the significance of the number 10. Hey, didn’t Ravana, the Sri Lankan demon king and abductor of Sita, have 10 heads? Eureka!
18. YandamuriRaghunandan killed 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna and her 10-month-old granddaughter Saanvi Venna and introduced Americans to a new Indian word Telugu.
Yandamuri – Desperate for Money
Without doubt, YandamuriRaghunandan committed the two murders (of 61-year-old Sathyvathi Venna and her 10-month-old grandaughter Saanvi Venna) for money.Just three days before his murder spree, media reports say Yandamuri called his Telugu buddy Chendu Tummala in San Jose, California and asked him for $1,000. But the thousand dollars Yandamuri borrowed from Tummala was just an appetizer compared to the $50,000 Ransomentreehe was quietly cooking up.
Yandamuri wanted big money desperately, something like $50,000 (the amount he asked for in the ransom note). And to get that $50,000, Yandamuri was willing to go to any extent including murdering grandma Satyavathi Venna and then kidnapping and murdering little Saanvi Venna on October 22, 2012.
However, Yandamuri’s financial woes were not new. Even before he moved to King of Prussia around May 2012, Yandamuri had severe financial problems while living in San Jose, California.
Telugu biddaYandamuri Raghunandan was an unlucky gambler.
Yandamuri lost $50,000 in 12-months on gambling. And Yandamuri’s$50,000 ransom gambleled to the loss of two lives, besides the loss of his own freedom and endless misery to many others. By the age of 26, YandamuriRaghunandan weathered more financial trouble than most of us experience in a lifetime.
An analysis of Raghunandan Yandamuri’s publicly available financial documents suggest his woes were largely self-inflicted. Ultimately, Yandamuri’s financial travails became catastrophic not only for himself and his wife but for two innocent souls from the Venna family as well.
Candlelight Vigil for Baby Saanvi Venna
Yandamuri's Ransom Note
Telugu Bidda – Errors Galore
Were it not for a bunch of horrendous errors, Telugu bidda Yandamuri would not be in the dock at the Montgomery County courthouse today fighting a losing battle for his life.
Instead, he’d be like any other Telugu bidda in North America – the happy father of a couple of little biddas, gobbling Dum Biryani thrice a week, rejoicing in the antics of Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and other assorted simian actors and planning the launch of his own Dum Biryani franchise business.
Let’s examine the egregious mistakes Yandamuri made on the fateful Monday in October 2012, errors that have led him to his current plight:
1) Obviously, the paramount mistake Raghunandan Yandamuri made was deciding to commit the horrific crime of taking two lives. Nothing, nothing on this planet can justify the snuffing out of innocent lives. Every individual (young or old, rich or poor, Indian, American, Chinese or of any nationality) is entitled to the basic human rights of life and liberty.
2) Not putting sufficient planning into the crime was the second humongous blunder. Yandamuri seems to have put less thought into the horrific crimes than the time it takes to eat a plate of Dum Biryani. The chronicle of Yandamuri’s actions in committing the kidnapping, robbery and twin murders smacks of poor planning and hasty execution. Even villains in Allu Arjun comedies who yodel Champaestanu every 3.15-seconds do a superior job when they plot to steal, kidnap, plunder, kill or outrage the modesty of a rural belle.
3) How did Yandamuri think he’d be able to get away with the baby’s kidnapping when the grandmother had seen him a few days earlier at her son’s house. Even with his hoodie, the grandmother would have quickly recognized that the kidnapper was a Telugu by his accent. Once Yandamuri entered the apartment, not killing grandma was not an option at all. Yandamuri should have realized kidnapping the baby without murdering the grandma was an impossibility if he wanted to avoid capture. The moment Satyavathi Venna opened the apartment door, her fate, the fate of her granddaughter and ultimately the fate of Raghunandan Yandamuri were all sealed. The chronicle of many deaths foretold!
4) Yandamuri erred in grossly underestimating the police. Whatever you may say about the Pennsylvania police (the idiots shoot each other occasionally), they’re extremely efficient when it comes to nabbing amateurs like Raghunandan Yandamuri.
5) Opening his mouth and blabbing away to the police is another Himalayan blunder on Yandamuri’s part. The blockhead not only put out a confession on video but even enacted it in what must rank as the second-most bizarre action by a Telugu ever (the most bizarre Telugu decision ever is obviously Allu Arjun and Ram Charan diving into the movie business as ‘actors’).
6) Once Yandamuri killed the grandma, he should have pocketed the jewels, left the baby in the apartment and fled. That way, it’d seem like a robbery gone awry and would have made it hard for the police to easily zero in on him.
7) Trying to make money by kidnapping a child in America suggests an overdose of Tollywood films where the rich man’s baby is stolen by the dismissed driver or angry servant out to take revenge on the Zamindar (Of course, two decades later the baby grows up into poor lad Ram Charan who falls in love with the haughty adopted daughter of the Zamindar and saves her by bare-handedly killing the villain Kota Srinivasa Rao’s cruel son in the film). I have not heard of a successful baby kidnapping in America in recent years. Thanks to Amber Alerts and the like, it’s very hard to get away with the kidnapping of a baby in the U.S. If kidnapping of babies worked in the U.S., you can be sure Estonian and Ukrainian criminal gangs, Rowdy Ramudu, Rowdy Bhimudu and Rowdy Rangiah would be shifting their base en masse to America.
8) Hey Yandamuri, how dumb can you be! Using names like ‘Lata’ and ‘Shiva” on the ransom note is beyond stupid and easily led the police to conclude that the criminal was someone known to the Venna family.
9) Given his history of gambling, bankruptcy and financial problems, Yandamuri should have realized the needle of suspicion would quickly point to him.
10) Not watching Law & Order episodes.
11) After committing the crimes, Yandamuri should have coordinated his story with his wife. Discrepancies between the accounts of Yandamuri and his wife to the police was a key factor in nailing him.
12) Going to the Valley Forge casino after the crimes was another monumental mistake that led the police to quickly connect the dots and link Yandamuri’s difficult financial situation and gambling habits to the horrific crime at the King of Prussia apartment complex.
The Marquis Apartments, King of Prussia PA
Valley Forge Casino, PA
Yandamuri – What Next?
Unless Raghunandan Yandamuri takes his own life (of which there’s a strong possibility), he will linger for several years. If he chooses to, there’s a long appeals process available to him. Prisoners condemned to death often stay 10 to 20 years on death row before they’re executed because of the lengthy process involved in an execution.
Further, there are already 184 inmates on Pennsylvania’s death row who must first be executed before Yandamuri can get his turn. Pennsylvania prison authorities also face serious constraints in obtaining the drugs required for lethal injection.This problem will only intensify in the years to come. The state has not executed anyone since murderer, kidnapper and rapist Gary Heidnik was put to death by lethal injection on July 6, 1999. So it’ll be a long time, if ever, before Raghunandan Yandamuri feels the sting of the lethal injection in his arm.
Pennsylvania Death Chamber
Never let it be said that Telugus are not pioneers.
Be it in (re)discovering America, releasing Oscar-worthy Tollywood gems, littering Dum Biryani restaurants across the landscape of Amreeka, committing murderous crimes in state after state, writing code in all 50 American states or butchering Queen’s English. U.S. based Telugus have cemented their reputation as one of nature’s extraordinary creatures.
Not since the dinosaurs went extinct 65-million years back, has there been a remarkable species like the Telugus. No exaggeration to say thatLord Balajibroke his mold into a million fragments after creating Telugus.
Today, U.S. Telugus took their bizarre reputation several notches higher when Telugu biddaYandamuriRaghunandan became the first Indian to be awarded the death penalty in America. Yandamuri is neither the first nor the last Telugu butcher in America. More Telugus are awaiting trial for murder in other U.S. states! Yandamuri was awarded the death penalty for murdering baby Saanvi Venna and her grandmother Satyavathi Venna during a botched kidnapping attempt of the infant in King of Prussia (PA) in October 2012.
Yandamuri – Tick-Tock
The clock has started ticking for Telugu biddaYandamuri Raghunandan, the first Indian to be punished with death penalty in the U.S. The bloodthirsty prosecutors of Montgomery County (PA) and the shabby verdict of the jury won over prudence and justice today.The arguments made by Yandamuri’s mitigation attorney Henry Hilles to award Yandamuri life in prison without parole instead of the death penalty cut no ice with the merciless jury during the penalty phase of the most infamous trial of an Indian in America.
As mitigating factors, Hilles informed the jury that Yandamuri had bipolar disorder with a history of psychiatric and non-psychiatric episodes of mania and depression, suffered post-traumatic stress after his father’s death in a terror attack and had an addiction to gambling.
But the cold-hearted jurors were unmoved and unanimously handed down the death sentence to the Telugu bidda for the murder of baby Saanvi Venna and her grandmother Satyavathi Venna, kidnapping of the baby, robbery and related offenses at their King of Prussia (PA) apartment complex on October 22, 2012 during a botched kidnapping for ransom attempt.
The dozen jurors took less than four hours to award Yandamuri the death penalty.
