How sex could help me win Olympic glory, by the golden girl of cyclingBy

POLLY DUNBAR -
Daily Mail
5th April 2008

Mail Today, New Delhi, April 7, 2008

She is one of our brightest hopes for Olympic glory after winning two golds at the recent World Cycling Championships in Manchester.

Now Victoria Pendleton has disclosed the secrets of her success – and confided that although sex can damage men's sporting prowess, she believes it boosts a woman's.

But Victoria, 27, adds that even though she sees a man for regular dinner dates, she is so devoted to her sport that he will always be second in her life.

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Victoria says she does not believe in the sex bans imposed on athletes before major competitions.

Victoria Pendleton confided that although sex can damage men's sporting prowess, she believes it boosts a woman's.
"We are sensible athletes – we know what is healthy and what is unhealthy," she says.

"I was recently speaking to someone involved with coaching athletes. He said he knows when his athletes are in a relationship because the guy's performance goes down and the girl's performance improves. It's quite funny – the guy is thinking about it too much."

She says her dreams of winning gold in Beijing in August have made it impossible to consider settling down. "I have a guy I have an arrangement with," she says.

"He takes me out to dinner and I spend a lot of time with him when I can. He is from outside the sport. We are not allowed to have relationships with other cyclists, even if we wanted."

As she is away competing for nine months a year, Victoria, from Stotfold in Bedfordshire, says she cannot commit to a relationship like "normal" people.

"The guy I see is second on my list and he knows that," she says. "I don't want my parents to think less of me because I am not settled down with somebody – but I am not interested in that. I've got other priorities that far, far exceed me needing Mr Right."

She says she recently posed naked for pictures on her bike because "I won't look like this for ever and I thought it was a great way to store that image for the rest of time.

"I'm not in bad nick and represent a good body image. I've worked hard for my muscles and I'm proud of the way my legs look".

She insists: "I was topless but I came into the studio in a robe and I was wearing a thong – although that was airbrushed out."

'Cheap comments" by Pak players upset Bollywood scorcher at ICL

By Prashant Singh In New Deihl
Mail Today, Wednesday, March 26, 2008
IT WAS far from a Super Sunday for Celina Jaitley. The Bollywood scorcher, who performed at an ICL Twenty20 Challenge match in Gurgaon this weekend, got a rude shock when some Pak­istani cricketers allegedly passed "cheap comments" at her at the event.
"As 1 was passing by the play­ers' enclosure, 1 definitely heard a few comments. Some of the remarks were really cheap. 1 could not see anyone because 1 was surrounded by security men. Later, the organisers told me that they were some Pakistani cricketers," Celina told MAIL TODAY. "I don't even recognise any of them, and it is a bit upset­ting. But 1 am trying to get over it," she added.
If reports are to be believed, some of the less abrasive comments that came her way were: "Move her away, she is spoiling the mood of the entire match"; "Why does she need such heavy security? Is she Osama bin Laden?"
"Some other remarks were also in really bad taste," said Celina. "I did­n't expect this from cricketers, who are known for their sporting spirit.""The comments came out of the blue. At1;er the incident, there was a lot of chaos as people gathered all around. Celina had to be escorted away to her car before the situation got out of hand," said a source at the ICL.

Animal exchange programme: Gift from Chennai

Hindustan Times, October 27, 2006

Avishek G. Dastidar
New Delhi, October 26

Under the animal-exchange programme, the Delhi zoo has received two Lion Tail Macaques from the Chennai zoo on Wednesday. It is a pair of a male and a female for “reproductive convenience in the future”, zoo director D.N. Singh told HT. The zoo will keep both the animals under medical observation before transferring them to the enclosure.

What needs to be noted is that in the wild male and female macaque monkeys lead totally separate lives, and the only sexual long term bonding that takes place is between two males or two female macaques.

To keep a male and a female monkey together, and keeping them apart from their same-sex groups is against their natural needs and behaviour.

Exotic mates for Delhi apes

Hindustan Times, October 27, 2006
Germany sends in two chimps for ‘reluctant’ zoo inmates
Avishek G. Dastidar
New Delhi, October 26

The search seems to be over for the National Park. The Delhi zoo has finally got two male chimpanzees --- all the way from Germany --- for two of its choosy female chimpanzees, who, according to zoo officials, have refused to mate for the past few years.

Playing the role of a matchmaker to the hilt, the Delhi zoo had carried out a search across the world for prospective suitors for its female chimpanzees Rita (16) and Ruby (20). Finally, the zoo authorities decided on Morius (12) and Manni (7), inmates of Krefelder zoo in Krefelder, Germany. But not before going through the routine --- the photographs of the two male chimpanzees were posted from Germany for the approval of the Delhi zoo. After the formalities, the two arrived in Delhi on Wednesday as part of an animal-exchange arrangement between the two zoos.

D.N. Singh, director of the Delhi zoo, told Hindustan Times, “This was necessary to extend naturally the population of chimpanzees at the zoo. An earlier effort to get Rita and Ruby mate with another chimpanzee, Rustam, from Chandigarh, had failed.” Singh said six months ago they had tried Rustam but it was clear that he could not mate with Rita. And, Ruby apparently disliked Rustam, “In the past several years we have tried without success many chimpanzees to get these two to mate. Now, we hope the two from Germany would be able to charm our ladies,” Singh said.

Female chimpanzees become sexually active in captivity from eight to nine years of age, while for the males the age is less than ten when in captivity. Both Morius and Manni have been kept under a mandatory 15-day quarantine period after which they will be placed at the chimpanzee enclosure along with Rita and Ruby. “But it might be long, may be a year before they are able to mate,” Singh said.

Dr. Paneer Selvam, veterinary officer at the zoo, said chimpanzees are very choosy about with whom they mate. Then plan is to keep the two from Germany near their female counterparts so that they get used to each other. Morius and Manni went through several medical tests under Dr. Selvam and Dr. Martin Straube from Germany on Wednesday. “These tests had already been done in Germany, but the quarantine protocol mandates the same tests be performed here as well. Both are in excellent health, “Dr. Straube told HT.

Meerut college girls beat up coach

S RajuMeerut, October 16, 2006
The sports in-charge of Chaudhury Charan Singh University was beaten up on Monday after he objected to a girls’ hockey team from taking part in an event.
The girls’ hockey team from NAS College had arrived for the event two days late and the CCS University coach, Gulab Singh Ruhel, did not let them take part in the competition. The girls protested and there was a verbal duel between the girls and Ruhel.
Seeing the altercation, a group of students joined in and asked the girls to mind their manners when talking to a coach.
Things went out of hand then.
Another group accused the first one of abusing the girls over caste and there was a free-for-all. Even the girls were beaten up.
Furious students then vented their ire on Ruhel. So much so that he had run and hide in his office. But the students gave chase and ransacked his office.
Later, the matter was brought into the notice of CCS University’s vice- chancellor Prof SP Ojha who constituted a five member committee headed by the chief proctor to probe intothe matter.
After medical examination both sides gave their written statement to the registrar who forwarded it to lodge FIRs from both sides.
Ruhel suffered injuries on his nose in the scuffle.
Police said Ruhel denied the charges levelled by the students and said the girls had not appeared for the trials held and as such were not included in the team.A police contingent rushed to the campus and brought the situation under control.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

The Extreme artificial-sexualisation of the female body --- an example from the media

HT, Tuesday, 17th October, 2006
Gender Benders
“It is an open cell phone trade secret that the way to a gizmo crazy man’s pocket is through a hot chick”
Anoopam S. Thapa
The way to a man’s pocket is through a sexy babe. Even if you don’t understand advertising, you surely know that it is a girl that tips the scales in favour of a company selling any product by simply holding it and oozing oomph. Pragati Maidan is where the most glamorous live display of this truth takes place with every upscale fair, and the Mobile Asia 2006, which concluded yesterday was no different.
Eye Candies: Besides super sexy mobile phones, it was also raining ultra chic girls at the fair who seemed to have succeeded in their job of drawing crowds to the stalls, like they do at the India International trade fair and the Auto Expo annually. With the stupendous growth of the mobile phone market in India, the exposition attracted big players in the field, including many from the South East Asia. And beauty did help in loosening gizmo crazy men’s purse strings. Rajkishore, a Delhi University student, summed up the male mood at the fair: “I came all the way from the North Campus to look at the phones on the first day. However, there was so much glamour here and the fashion shows were so nice that I visited every single day thereafter.”
Mobile fashion: As cell phones today are not just about staying connected but making a fashion statement also, there was a plethora of fashion shows at the fair featuring models like Noyonika Chatterjee. And not just top phone brands but accessory manufacturers too held such shows throughout the concluding day. “Mobile fashion is the in thing today and we want to lap it by bringing accessories from Korea, Taiwan and Finland,” said Ashok Gupta, director of Molife that deals with mobile phone accessories.
Besides attractive girls, live dance shows too drew in the crowds. With music mobile phones being launched, visitors were invited to dance on the state to the tunes being belted out from the phones. However, their first preference still remained the girls.

Media denigrates murdered man who had sex with men

If anyone has anymore information on this news please email it to us:
According to a news report by a Hindi TV channel under its special ‘crime hour’, the police arrested a youth in Pune in connection with the murder of a middle aged man who was killed sometime ago.
It turned out that the man used to have sexual relations with several young men. He had approaching this guy Abdul (name changed) who seemed like somewhere from UP from his dialect. Although Abdul has only said that he killed the man because he approached him, it seems too little motive for him to kill someone, as well as ruin his own life.
Killing so-called ‘homosexuals’ (sic) is not uncommon in the west, where so-called ‘homophobia’ is extreme, but it is almost unknown in the Indian society. If there was some other motive involved, then Abdul has not revealed it yet.
What was disturbing about the news is not only the motive mentioned for the murder. It was also the attitude of the media --- which cries itself hoarse, chiding the Indian society for its lack of tolerance for sexual freedom. Apparently, the strongest force of heterosexualisation, the media only want this freedom for sex between males and females. More appalling is its attempt to denigrate sex between males (which it never tires to call ‘homosexuality’).
In this case, the T.V. show while interviewing the murderer was sensitive enough to blur his face on the camera. But it went ahead and showed the photographed of the victim, who came from a well-respected family. And it rather portrayed him as a villain for indulging in sex with men. (It is not clear whether he indulged in exclusive receptive anal sex or not, in which case he will be called a ‘homosexual’ as per the Indian system of classification). The channel said that he indulged in “Samlaingik sambandh” (literal Hindi translation of ‘homosexual relations’). The man was married and had children.
The man’s family was too disturbed over the loss of face in their conservative society this revelation about the sexual life of the man had brought to them. Now they were not really interested in pursuing the case further.
As mentioned this speaks volumes about the bigoted and biased ‘sexual freedom’ espoused by the forces of heterosexualisation.

Programme on India TV to empower love marriages

India TV on the 18th of October, 2006 aired a long midnight show which discussed the problems of the couples who enter into love marriages without the consent of their parents/ family.
It also discussed the merits of love marriage vs. the traditional arranged marriages which are still strong in the Indian society. It took up cudgels against parents and family members who oppose the marriage of their daughters to men from other communities --- sometimes reacting violently.
Although, it sounds like a just cause at first glance, especially from a limited western/ heterosexual point of view, however, when you really study the whole matter in depth, this is just strengthening the forces of heterosexualisation. It is saying that marriage is not a community institution meant to strengthen and continue the community but instead it’s a heterosexual institution meant to honour and accommodate sexual bonds between men and women. It will not take long to take it from here and force it upon the youth, especially men, by making ‘heterosexuality’ the basic measure of manhood a la the west.

Naked ragging of aspiring doctors

The Telegraph, Calcutta India

G.S. RADHAKRISHNA

Hyderabad, Sept. 2: At other times they would have sprinted up the two flights of stairs. But last Thursday, the circumstances were different.

In fact, it couldn’t have been more traumatic for the three young aspiring doctors — Karthik, Siddiah and Pradip Kumar.

Stripped naked, the three second-year students were made to walk from their ground floor hostel room in a government medical college in Kurnool to a room on the second floor as three seniors clicked away on their cellphone cameras.

Their ordeal lasted over four hours — from the time they were asked to strip in their Room No. 91, crawl along the corridor and up to number 125 till they were set free by another group of students.

The reason for their humiliation: a running feud between Karthik’s brother and the third-year trio — Srinivas Reddy, Murali Krishna and Sandeep Kumar Reddy.

The incident triggered statewide protests, prompting the government to act. Srinivas has been suspended for two years and the others for six months. This evening, the three were taken into custody but not before senior students gheraoed the principal.

More than ragging, junior students are upset that Srinivas and the others messaged pictures of the trio during their four-hour humiliation to friends all over the state. The victims have been hospitalised and kept under guard lest they do something drastic, said principal Dr Ch. S.R.K. Sharma.

Sources in Kurnool, about 220 km from Hyderabad, said the threat of ragging has kept most junior students away from the hostel. Only six out of 47 stay in the hostel.

K. Lakshminarayana, the commissioner of collegiate education, said a committee would be set up to probe the August 31 incident and the MMS destroyed. The committee would also form a task force of students and teachers to prevent such incidents in future.

Thursday’s incident was not an isolated instance of ragging in Andhra.

In June, three girls of an engineering college in Hyderabad were asked to remove their undergarments and dance in a classroom. In another college on the outskirts of the city, 10 students were asked to do a striptease, serve food, clean the rooms and wash the clothes and toilets of seniors.

The Kurnool incident happened despite the Andhra Pradesh government’s ban on ragging in all professional institutions. College authorities are also empowered to file criminal cases against the guilty. “They can be stopped from writing exams and also suspended for several years,” said principal Sharma.

The government has extended the ban to all educational institutions.

Lakshminarayana said apart from suspension, those found guilty of ragging could be punished with withdrawal of scholarships or fellowships, withholding of results and benefits like travel concessions.

Their photos would be published on college notice boards and in local newspapers.

(Source: The Telegraph)

Government to change definition of rape: Patil

Zee News New Delhi, June 23: The government is considering changing the definition of rape to ensure that the accused do not go scot free as well as bringing a bill in Parliament to amend the Indian Penal Code in this regard, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said today. "A draft bill is being prepared to change the definition of rape and give it a new definition," he told a press conference here while giving details of certain key amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that have now become law. Patil, however, declined to give details on the changes being considered with regard to the definition of rape, saying the draft bill was under preparation. The government, he said, has also decided to make "plea bargaining", a new concept, part of the statute to allow the settlement of cases between the accused and the victim through various measures including compensation. This would only apply to offences carrying jail terms less than 10 years and would have to be done through a court. The issue of plea bargaining was part of the code of criminal procedure (amendment) bill, 2005, which was passed by Parliament last year but had not been notified. "Though all other provisions of the CrPC Amendment Bill were notified and brought into effect on April 12, 2006, plea bargaining was left out deliberately as the parliamentary standing committee, while examining the bill, had recommended setting up of an independent prosecuting agency for success of this provision," Patil said. The government has now decided to notify the issue of plea bargaining to make it law, Patil said, observing that the 2005 act has the provision for setting up of a Directorate of Prosecution. Besides plea bargaining, the act has clauses to prevent witnesses from being threatened to give false evidence in criminal cases and to include more scientific experts to give evidence in cases relating to counterfeit currency or stamps, he said. Referring to another Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill that became law this week, Patil said the new statute would allow the use of DNA and other modern scientific techniques during medical examination of an accused. "An accused in a rape case can be compelled to give his blood for DNA testing," he said. Under its provisions, women cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise except in exceptional circumstances. It allows the identification parade of accused to be conducted by a Magistrate. An undertrial prisoner, other than one accused of an offence for which the death penalty has been prescribed as one of the punishments, can now be released on his personal bond with or without sureties in case he has undergone half of the maximum jail term provided for the offence. Under the new law, the police is required to give information about the arrest of a person as well as the place where he is being held to anyone who may be nominated by him for giving such information. The government has now decided to notify the issue of plea bargaining to make it law, Patil said, observing that the 2005 act has the provision for setting up of a Directorate of Prosecution. Besides plea bargaining, the act has clauses to prevent witnesses from being threatened to give false evidence in criminal cases and to include more scientific experts to give evidence in cases relating to counterfeit currency or stamps, he said. Referring to another Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment bill that became law this week, Patil said the new statute would allow the use of DNA and other modern scientific techniques during medical examination of an accused. "An accused in a rape case can be compelled to give his blood for DNA testing," he said. Under its provisions, women cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise except in exceptional circumstances. It allows the identification parade of accused to be conducted by a magistrate. An undertrial prisoner, other than one accused of an offence for which the death penalty has been prescribed as one of the punishments, can now be released on his personal bond with or without sureties in case he has undergone half of the maximum jail term provided for the offence. Under the new law, the police is required to give information about the arrest of a person as well as the place where he is being held to anyone who may be nominated by him for giving such information. The new statute provides for additional inquiry by a magistrate in case of the death or disappearance of a person or the rape of a woman while in police custody. In case of death, the examination of the body will be conducted within 24 hours, Patil said. If an arrested person is accused of a bailable offence and is unable to furnish security, the court shall release him on his execution of a bond without surety, according to the new law. "In no case will an undertrial be detained beyond the maximum period of imprisonment provided for an alleged offence," he said. Other provisions under the law included increase in the amount of compensation to persons arrested without reasonable ground. Patil said the government was also considering bringing a bill in Parliament to set up "village courts" to settle petty disputes and provide justice at the doorstep. The government, he said, would also bring in amendments to the Ipc, CrPC and Evidence Act to strengthen the criminal justice system. Bureau Report (Source: Zee News)

Haryana plans first women's university

Hindustan Times, September 10, 2006

Anil Anand, New Delhi, September, 10

Fighting hard to control the menace of female feticide, the Haryana government has devised a novel way to focus on women empowerment. An exclusive university for women, first of its kind in the country is being set up in the state.

To be run by women, except the ex-officer appointees, the proposed university already has a woman vice-chancellor and registrar in place. Promila Issar, a senior-officer of the state is the V-C of the Sonepat based institution while Anita Yadav, additional deputy Commissioner of the district will act as the registrar.

The state government has issued an Ordinance to set up Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya on a sprawling area of 200 acres, Commissioner, higher education, Anil Kumar said.

The project has been allocated Rs.14.70 crore grant-in-aid in the current financial year to develop infrastructure.

The University has been planned as a unique centre of excellence with modern infrastructure, eminent faculty and greater thrust on research in varied fields. Computer education, medic al sciences, biotechnology, environmental and management studies, would among the prominent streams.

The Centre has already given its approval for the project. On its part, the state government has announced affiliation of nearly a dozen existing educational institutions to the new University to enhance its status.

Refreshing News after all: Khalsa College launched media course for boys

Hindustan Times, September 11, 2006
Anuradha Mukherjee

New Delhi, September 10

There is some good news for boys keen on a career in media. Khalsa College is starting an add-on course in television and radio journalism. While this course will be a three-month part-time module, the college is also planning to launch a full-time module, the college is also planning to launch a full time degree course in mass communication on the lines of the one offered by Jamia Millia Islamia.

The new course will start in October and is priced at Rs. 6,000. Khalsa College Principal Jaswinder Singh said he saw a huge demand for the course. "Students of co-educational colleges are often at a loss as only a few women's colleges offer these courses," he said.

AT present, only a handful of women's colleges offer degree courses in media such as journalism honours course at LSR and the Bachelors of Mass Communication at IP College.

"Our focus is on a degree course in electronic journalism that trains students in technical aspects of news packaging, editing and presentation.

At present, no Delhi University college other than IP offers a degree course in electronic journalism. We will also start programmes in advertising and public relations," said Singh.

The college already has a state-of-the-art auditorium. On cards are media laboratories equipped with gadgets for recording and editing news footage. "We are already training students in web designing software," the principal said.

Similar module courses are being offered by Miranda House, IP College, Ramjas College, St Stephen's College, Hindu College and Kirori Mal College. All these courses are run as private ventures.

Teacher accused of molestation dismissed

Hindustan Times dated: Septermber 08, 2006
Sobhana I
New Delhi September 7

Authorities at playschool Apple being run inside the US embassy here, have dismissed the teacher accused of molesting a girl aged 3-1/2. Police, however, are yet to take action against her.

The accused teacher's supporters, meanwhile, have been sending e-mails to parents of all students attending the school in her support. The teacher has been working in the school for the last 15 years.

On Monday the parents of a girl accused the teacher of molesting their child. According to their complaint the incident happened on August 18, the first day of the victim at the school.

"We dropped her at the school at 2 p.m. When she came back she said she did not want to go there again," said the girl's father. When her mother asked her the reason, the child narrated the incident. In the first information report lodged at the police station, the girl's parents have alleged the head teacher took her to the school's rest room. "There, she inappropriately exposed herself in front of the child," the FIR says.

The girl's father informed the embassy officials, who then held a meeting with the parents, "Our daughter was also questioned by the psychologist at the embassy," added the girl's father.

After 16 days of the incident, the embassy forwarded the complaint to police.

Lewd 'ragging' caught on cell

Ashok Das

Hyderabad, September 8, 2006

The otherwise pesky camera phone has finally come in handy - in nabbing the culprits in two campus “ragging” incidents that crossed all the lines.

The Andhra police cracked two cases of sexual abuse under the guise of ragging in engineering and medical colleges in the state. Five engineering students of GMR Institute of Technology at Rajam in Srikakulam district were arrested on Wednesday after they were caught on a camera phone sodomising two second year male students.

The incriminating images were handed over to the police by a junior student, who walked into the Rajam police station with the ‘evidence’ and alleged that six senior students had sexually assaulted the two second year students of the mechanical engineering department on the pretext of ragging. He showed them video clips - filmed on his cellphone - of the seniors indulging in oral and anal sex with the juniors.

Acting on this information and the video clippings, a police team led by Palakonda deputy superintendent of police PV Krishnaiah raided the GMR complex. The six students were identified and five of them were arrested under the provisions of the AP Prevention of Ragging Act, 1997 and for indulging in unnatural acts (sodomy) under section 377 of the IPC.

All five were produced in a local court on Thursday and remanded in judicial custody till September 21. The sixth accused is on the run. The college has suspended the accused - all from affluent families. Minister for technical education Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

It was the same story at the Kurnool Medical College last week when three third year MBBS students - who had compelled their juniors to strip naked - were arrested on the basis of pictures recorded in a cellphone by rival senior students. The college suspended the three students.

(Source: Hindustan Times, New Delhi, dated: Sep 08, 2006)

No cheese in the mousetrap

Scenta: science, engineering & technology news

It seems that the Tom and Jerry cartoons did indeed teach us nothing.

Contrary to the repetitive strategy of Tom, cheese would not have lured Jerry to the mousetrap.

According to British researchers, mice do not like cheese.

Manchester Metropolitan University scientists studied the diet of mice and other animals.

They discovered that mice prefer foods with a high-sugar content like grains and fruit, and would despise the strong odour and rich taste of cheese.

Mice just follow their nose

Animal behaviourist David Holmes, from Manchester Metropolitan University, told the AFP: "Clearly the supposition of mice liking cheese is a popular premise.

"Mice have evolved almost entirely without cheese or anything resembling it."

Holmes added that the rodents would not be attracted to cheese because "mice respond to the smell, texture and taste of food and cheese is something that would not be available to them in their natural environment."

So the next time a piece of gorgonzola sits in a mousetrap, expect to attract nothing more than ants.

The Stilton Cheese Makers Association told the Daily Mirror: "Our cheese has a distinctive aroma and a huge fan base but mice are clearly not among those."

Perhaps it is time to try a slice of apple instead.

Source: scenta

JELLY BEANS | Be warned: K-Y kills sperm

Hindustan Times

Anjali Doshi
Doshi, October 21, 2005

If you use lubricants for sex — or steroids to build big muscles — you may want to read this. Two new studies indicate that men who use jellies (and other slimy stuff) for easier passage, and steroids to bulk up, may be compromising their ability to produce sperm and jeopardising their chance at fatherhood.

The study on the risk of lubricants, conducted by Dr Ashok Agarwal at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, found that men who have strong, healthy sperm could immobilise them by using lubricants like the widely used K-Y Jelly (or Astroglide and FemGlide, available abroad). Agarwal and his colleagues replicated a typical single use of a lubricant on 13 men and found that some lubricants spared only 2 per cent of their sperm. Agarwal also found that K-Y damaged sperm DNA.

According to sexologist Prakash Kothari, K-Y (manufactured in India by Johnson and Johnson) and coconut oil, are the commonly used lubricants. “Oil is more harmful for movement of sperm than water-based jellies like K-Y,” Kothari says.

A second study, conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut and Yale University, has confirmed what doctors have long suspected: men who use steroids are at severe risk of ending up with low sperm counts.

Student hangs self

Hindustan Times, September 07, 2006

A 21-year old man committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence at Raj Niwas Marg in north Delh. Vishwas was studying in the 2^nd year of Don Bosco Polytechnic. He has left a three-page suicide note stating that he did not want to be a liability. He had lost his parents a few years back. His elder brother who is based in Dubai had been supporting him.

SPA students suspended for ragging

4 Sep, 2006

THE TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: In an incident which has once again brought to light the evils of ragging in hostels, a police case has been registered against two students of School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) after a first-year student alleged that they harassed him and ragged him in the college's boys hostel in Maharani Bagh in south Delhi.

The victim — identified as Ankur Gautam — first gave a written complaint highlighting the matter, to the registrar of the college on August 11.

Both the accused have been suspended. Ankur, the son of an Army official and a native of Bihar, had reportedly joined the college on August 8 and was pursuing a graduation course in architecture.

He was staying in the college hostel at Maharani Bagh, where the two accused were also staying. "On August 11, the victim wrote a complaint letter to the registrar stating that he was ragged by two of his seniors — both third-year students," said a college official.

According to the college, Ankur had not named the seniors in his complaint so he was called by the registrar and asked to identify them.

"The victim could not name the accused boys, but he managed to recognise their photographs in the college records. Action was initiated the very next day against two students who have been suspended," the official added.

Meanwhile, Ankur had withdrawn his admission from SPA. DCP (south), Anil Shukla, said: "A case was registered against the two accused.

The complaint did not talk of any molestation as such — the accused said he was made to do unwanted acts. Action has been initiated at the college level. "Meanwhile, the dean and the director of the college were not available for comment.

Websource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1917502.cms

Travolta and the tender farewell kiss

Last updated at 22:00pm on 1st September 2006

John Travolta, movie star, loving husband and father of two has been snapped on the steps of his private plane planting a kiss on the lips of an unknown man.

It could be, of course, that he was just practising for his latest role as a woman in a version of the camp musical Hairspray.

But the picture will do little to dispel rumours that have surrounded the 52-year-old actor's sexuality.

In 1991 a man alleged he had a two-year affair with Travolta, though he later retracted the story.

In 1998, the actor was named in a lawsuit from a gay man who claimed the Church of Scientology, of which Travolta is a member, promised to 'cure' him of his homosexuality and cited Travolta as a success story.

Travolta's lawyer has said: "Travolta is a happily married man, which proves he isn't gay." His 14-year marriage to Kelly Preston is seen as one of the most enduring in Hollywood.

source: Daily mail

Sisters-in-Crime: Murder Most Foul

Supreme Court orders death for two sisters (INDIA)

Reuters ^ | Thu Aug 31, 2006 3:23 PM IST | Reuters
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence for two sisters on Thursday for killing kidnapped children by smashing them against electricity poles. The death penalty is carried out in India by hanging but women have rarely been given the sentence. The women from Maharashtra had been convicted by a lower court and the top court upheld their death sentences, saying it was a "rarest of rare" case. The two women, Renuka Kiran Shinde and Seema Mohan Gavit, were convicted for running a kidnapping racket in and around the cities of Pune, Kolhapur and Nasik in Maharashtra...

Pump up on steroids at gym next door

Hindustan Times

Archis Mohan

New Delhi, August 21, 2006

The use of performance-enhancing drugs is not a problem confronting the world of international sports alone. It may also explain how the skinny teenager next door got bulging biceps and rippling abdomen muscles in a matter of weeks. But don't forget to blame gymnasium instructors too.

Across Delhi, gymnasiums offer anabolic steroids to teenagers who want a muscular body but are unwilling to follow a strict regimen for several years. A gym pushing anabolic steroids is illegal. Also, these medicines are known to cause serious health risks in teenagers.

A recent raid by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on importers of food supplements who had been evading duty uncovered a well-oiled racket. The importers were found smuggling in steroids and supplying them to gyms in Delhi, Jaipur and Bangalore.

The Hindustan Times visited some gyms and found the abuse was not only rampant but the gyms were also very upfront about the business. “Possibly because the laws to control the open sale of such medicines are not very strict. Also, there is no regulatory framework to monitor the activities of these gyms," said a Delhi Police officer.

Oxydrene, a popular gymnasium for residents of Patparganj housing societies, is one seller of such steroids. The gym is thronged with dozens of teenagers, many of them wafer-thin but driven by a desire to have six-pack abs in a short time.

It proudly displays packets of food supplements, and with these are kept "body-building medicines". "These are expensive but amazingly effective," the gym instructor said helpfully. But isn't the open sale of such 'medicines' illegal? "Everybody is into this," he said.

In his early 20s, the instructor had a face full of pimples and a bald patch on his head — a clear result of steroid abuse.

The term 'medicine' is a euphemism for steroids. The Drugs Controller of India bans the open sale of such drugs. But hundreds of gyms across the city sell these steroids, most of which are smuggled in from Thailand.

“They are nothing but testosterone, the male sex hormone. That some of these steroids are for racehorses — and that even the rest can be harmful for healthy humans — is never told to a teenager or a young athlete,” said a DRI officer.

In the last week's raid by DRI's Delhi Zonal Unit, the agency seized thousands of ampoules and pills of such steroids.

It had information that these importers were evading paying duty to the government.

The DRI also discovered that these importers were smuggling in anabolic steroids, mostly by the air route from Thailand, for the past three years. The medicines seized included Ilium holbedal, given to horses. Others were Testosterone Cypionate which costs Rs 250 per injection and Crimbtroll which costs Rs 2,300 per bottle.

Doctors says these steroids are prescription drugs given to anaemic people or men with low testosterone and even blood-pressure patients. They advise them for teenagers.

"The abuse of steroids by teenagers is a health risk, and that's what parents need to be alert about," said the officer.

Meanwhile, the punishment for smuggling steroids remains lenient -- at best a monetary penalty.

Kerala minister opens Sabarimala temple for women

Hindustan Times

Indo-Asian News Service
Thiruvananthapuram, August 18, 2006

In a statement sure to kick up more controversy, Kerala Devaswom Minister G Sudhakaran said on Friday, the state government has no problem in allowing women to enter the Sabarimala temple.

"We are very clear, if the Supreme Court asks the Kerala government point blank whether the government would allow entry of women to the Sabarimala temple, our answer would be 'yes'. If they do not ask us a straight question, we will not have a straight answer," the minister told a TV channel in an interview in Thiruvananthapuram.

He was referring to the show cause notice that the Supreme Court has served on the Kerala government, the Travancore Devaswom Board (the custodian of the Sabarimala temple), the chief thantri (priest) of the temple and the district magistrate of Pathanamthitta, where the temple is situated, after it was approached by the Indian Women Lawyers' Forum demanding that women be allowed entry.

The sudden change in the minister's thinking has come as a surprise. He had stated at a press conference here on August 3 that the Sabarimala temple would continue to remain out of bounds for women in the menstruating age.

"There will be no change in the religious practices being followed in Sabarimala for centuries," Sudhakaran had then told reporters after a special meeting of the temple officials.

The Devaswom minister is in charge of the four Devaswom Boards in the state, including the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

According to G Raman Nair, president of TDB, what the minister had said was his own opinion. "We follow the division bench verdict of the Kerala High Court in 1991 which clearly stated that women between the age of 10 and 50 should not be allowed. Please understand that these are customs and rituals being followed. We will give our opinion that there should be no change in the customs of the Sabarimala temple," Nair said.

Kantararu Maheshwara, the chief thantri of Sabarimala, said he did not agree with the views expressed by the minister. "The temple customs are clear that anyone who comes to the Sabarimala temple has to observe a 41-day penance (during which men are expected to observe cleanliness). Can menstruating women observe the 41-day penance? I am very clear that such women should not be allowed entry into the temple," he said.

The Sabarimala temple has been rocked by controversy ever since astrologer P Unnikrishna Panicker's claim in late June that through a devaprasanam ritual he had found out that the temple has been 'defiled'.

After he went public with his claim, Kannada actress Jaimala in a letter to him, claimed that she had touched the idol in 1987 when she was young, thereby violating the temple traditions.

Now, the minister's latest statement is certain to see the issue again attracting attention.

Author not for allowing women into Sabarimala

Nerve News of India

Sunday, 20 August 2006 | http://www.nerve.in/news:25350012685 | channel: India

"On Friday, while the state Temple Minister G. Sudhakaran for the first time said that the government is not averse to allowing women to worship at the Sabarimala temple, the Travancore Devasom Board, the custodian of the famed Hindu temple, said it was not for any changes in the present customs and traditions of the temple. "

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 20 - At a time when the Kerala government has said it is not averse to the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple, novelist Anita Nair Sunday said she would not like any change in present customs.

'There is not much reason for women to go to Sabarimala facing the hardships. They would find it difficult and my opinion is that let the customs and traditions of Sabarimala continue as it is now,' Nair told reporters here.

Sabarimala temple is situated on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats, at an altitude of 914 meters above sea level, four kilometres uphill from Pamba in Pathanamthitta district in central Kerala. The temple is accessible only by foot.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa and entry for women is only for those who have reached menopause and for girls who have not attained puberty.

Anita is the author of popular novels like 'Ladies Coupe', 'The Better Man' and 'Mistress' to name a few.

On Friday, while the state Temple Minister G. Sudhakaran for the first time said that the government is not averse to allowing women to worship at the Sabarimala temple, the Travancore Devasom Board, the custodian of the famed Hindu temple, said it was not for any changes in the present customs and traditions of the temple.

Kantararu Mohanaru, the chief priest of the temple, also expressed that it is not possible for women to come to the temple for pilgrimage because women aged between 15 and 50 cannot undertake the compulsory 41 day penance, which every pilgrim should undergo before the pilgrimage.

Jaimala blames Sabarimala authorities for entry to temple

HindustanTimes.com » States » Karnataka » Story
Press Trust of India
Bangalore, June 30, 2006

Unfazed by the storm over her entry into the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala temple where women are barred, Kannada actress Jaimala on Friday blamed the shrine's administration for the matter and called for an end to the "unnecessary controversy" over it.

Blaming the temple authorities for "allowing her in the first place", she reiterated that "she had not touched Lord Ayyappa's feet knowingly but it happened as she was pushed and jostled, making her fall near the deity and accidentally touching it".

Noting that the "unnecessary controversy" had pained her a lot, she appealed to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which administers the shrine, to put an end to it and allow her to live in peace.

The 47-year-old actress expressed confidence that justice would be meted out to her by Lord Ayyappa, to whom the temple is dedicated, as she had "not committed any mistake".
"Being a true devotee of the Lord, I am sure he will do justice to me as I have not committed any mistake," Jaimala said.

She said she would celebrate her 5Oth birthday by visiting the shrine again.
Jaimala sparked a controversy by recently admitting that she had touched the idol of Lord Ayyappa during a visit to the temple in 1987.

She asked the board to strengthen security and enforce rules "uniformly without discriminating between VVIPs and the general public". The authorities should clearly display rules on billboards in regional languages within the shrine so that "such controversies do not recur", she said.

Army jawans strip passenger in train

[ 5 Jul, 2006 Times India network ]

BEGUSARAI: A passenger on the Guwahati-New Delhi North East Express was allegedly stripped and tortured by a group of apparently drunk jawans who have been arrested, Railway Protection Force sources said on Wednesday.

Parmatma Yadav of Balia, Uttar Pradesh, was stripped and forced to run naked in an aisle of the train on Tuesday night, RPF Assistant Commissioner Mahtab Khan and Barauni RPF officer-in-charge O A Khan said.

The jawans allegedly hurled abuses and beat up other passengers in a compartment of the train in a bid to force them out, the sources said adding that army headquarters have been informed about the incident.

When the train reached Barauni, the jawans drove out the passengers and threw their belongings on the platform, the victims complained to the Government Railway Police and RPF.

Nine jawans - Navraj Sharma, Rajendra Singh, Digvijay Singh, Mohd Imtiyaz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Hira Singh, Vijaypal Sant, Ram Singh and Shashipal - were arrested on the spot by GRP and RPF personnel.

An FIR was registered with the GRP on the basis of a complaint lodged by Yadav.

(Source: The Times of India)

Imam issues fatwa against Taslima

[ 26 Jun, 2006 TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

KOLKATA: A Kolkata imam on Friday issued a fatwa against exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen for her "anti-Islamic" remarks at a seminar in Kolkata on June 10. Syed Noor-ur-Rehman Barkati, the shahi imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque in Kolkata, said, "I've issued a fatwa against her.

After the Jumma namaz, I said if anyone blackens her face and drives her out of India, I will give him Rs 50,000.There was pressure on me to do something about it as the people were angry."

Accusing the writer of disrupting communal harmony in West Bengal, he said, "She has no right to hurt Muslims' sentiments by saying anything against our Prophet. She is a Jewish spy and there should be a CBI probe into her funding." Taslima said, "I'm not against any religion.

The people have a right to practise any religion they want. I speak on women's issues and advocate that men and women be treated equally. I speak for humanity. If in any religion women are discriminated against, I speak up."

No skirts for MP girls

[ Times News Network, 25 Jun, 2006 ]

BHOPAL: Moral police is on the prowl in Madhya Pradesh. A fortnight after a ban on fashion shows in government-run colleges, the women's commission of the state is considering a dress code for girls in educational institutions.

"The commission has suggested a ban on the wearing of skirts in schools and colleges and a strict dress code to control incidents of crime against women," an official source said.

Some members of the Madhya Pradesh Women's Commission have gone on record favouring the proposal. "A proposal envisaging a ban on skirts is ready and it would soon be sent to the government," commission member Sushma Arya told.

"Girls should not dress up in a way that could invite trouble. It (the proposal) is for their safety," she added.

The commission's chairperson, Relam Chauhan, however, said: "We don't want skirts to be banned but we are certainly against short skirts. We would be taking appropriate steps in this regards soon."

On June 8, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had banned fashion shows in the government-run girls' colleges stating that they were an invasion of "western culture", even as many students termed the move as a violation on their freedom of choice.

"What is the justification behind imposing a ban on fashion shows when such events are held in other states routinely," asked Monica Nigam, a graduate student.

"It would hamper the chances of the state's girls at beauty pageants and contests at the national and international levels," she said.

Arya, however, disagreed with the student saying: "Beauty has nothing to do with girls' costumes. They look more beautiful in traditional clothes."

Anger at Indian general's gender slur

Maseeh Rahman in New Delhi
Monday June 19, 2006
Guardian Unlimited

Indian soldiers rehearse for their Republic Day parade in New Delhi. Photograph: Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters

The Indian army has been severely criticised after its vice-chief said the world's third-largest fighting force, which began inducting women officers only in the early 1990s, "can do without them".

"Ideally, we would like to have gentleman and not lady officers at the unit level," Lt-Gen S Pattabhiraman told the Hindustan Times last weekend, a day after a 25-year-old female lieutenant committed suicide in the garrison town of Udhampur in troubled Jammu and Kashmir state. She was known to be unhappy about the menial tasks she had been given in a supply depot.

"Feedback from lower formations suggests that comfort levels with lady officers are low," the general added. "We can do without them."

There are just 918 women officers serving in non-combat roles in the 1.1 million-strong Indian army.

Gen Pattabhiraman came under fire for what was seen as a "sexist slur", and there were calls for the army to start a gender sensitisation programme for its top officers.

"It is a reflection of the working of the army and its mindset," said Sushma Swaraj, the most prominent female leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata party. "If I was the defence minister I would have called the vice-chief and told him we can do without you, you can go."

Responding to the crescendo of protest, the army has launched a damage control exercise. At a hurriedly called news conference on Saturday, spokesperson Maj-Gen Raj Suljana declared: "We are very proud of our lady officers, whose contribution is greatly valued. We would, in fact, like to further optimise their role in the army."

Gen Suljana maintained that the vice-chief had been quoted "out of context". He said that what Gen Pattabhiraman meant to say was that "the army's preference was for gentleman officers over lady officers in combat units".

The explanation has appeared to anger critics further, since the Indian army inducts women only into non-combat units such as ordnance, engineering or supply.

Discrimination against women is in-built in the structure of the army, since they are recruited only on short-service commissions of five to 10 years and cannot rise above the rank of major. Gen Suljana has announced that the period of service is being extended to 14 years.

The only exception is the medical corps, which has recruited women since the days of British rule and today has a woman serving as a lieutenant general.

Critics say discrimination starts at training school. Women cadets have to complete the same course in half the time as their male equivalents - just 24 weeks. The physical standards for women are pegged unnaturally low; men and women are segregated during training, and unlike in the navy and air force, they even have to march separately from the men at the passing-out parade.

Referring to the challenges women face during training, a retired woman officer, Capt Deepanjali Bakshi, described the attitude of the male cadets as "mostly patronising and derisive".

"Part of the resentment against women can be attributed to the attitude of senior officers who have preconceived and archaic notions about the capabilities of women and their role in the military," she wrote in a recent issue of the United Service Institution of India Journal.

Source: The Guardian

We want more women to join Army, says Pranab

, Date:19/06/2006

---

Special Correspondent

Kolkata: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday the Government wanted more women to join the Army as officers, and any problem they may face would be tackled.

"We want more women to join. They are doing a very good job. If there are problems they will be taken care of."

Mr. Mukherjee was replying to newspersons' questions here on the steps being contemplated to tackle the increasing number of suicides reported from the Army ranks, including the recent death of Lieutenant Sushmita Chakraborty.

He said an inquiry had been ordered into the alleged suicide and steps to prevent such incidents would be taken on the basis of its findings.

"There is already a routine committee that looks into the factors leading to stress and strain-related problems among Army personnel. This needs to be strengthened," he said.

© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu

Sarees for Rakhi and Meghna

India

UNI, Monday, June 12, 2006 19:14 IST

VARANASI: Youth activists of Vande Mataram Sangharsh Samiti (VMSS) on Monday staged a unique protest against Rakhi Sawant and Meghna Naidu by begging for sarees at shops to dress the two Bollywood item girls.

Led by VMSS president Anup Jaiswal, the agitationists collected 25 sarees from different shops and later couriered them to the two duo in Mumbai.

Later addressing a meeting at Godowlia dotted with slogans like 'Rakhi, Meghna sharam karo.' Jaiswal said Hindi film actresses, be it Nargis in Mother India, Rekha in Umrao Jaan or Tabu in Machis, all have made a place in the world due to commendable acting.

''These two beauties have earned a bad name for the Indian film industry and the rich culture by indulging in raunchy dance numbers, both on screen as well as stage shows,'' he lamented.

''By sending sarees, we want to tell them they will look better in traditional Indian outfits rather than skimpy ones, that seem to be the only thing that fits them right now,'' Jaiswal added.

websource: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1035038

Mika had kissed me once before...

MIDDAY, June 12, 2006
By: Vickey Lalwani

Rakhi Sawant has accused Daler Mahendi’s brother Mika of sexual assault at his birthday bash on Sunday. There’s more to this jhagda than meets the eye. Given Rakhi’s history, it could all be a publicity stunt.

The big question is, is Mika a victim or is he party to the plan? If Mika has kissed her against her will before and they remained friends, what’s different this time? Rakhi declares she will forgive him if he publicly apologises.

So don’t be surprised if they turn friends a week, fornight or a month from now. Meanwhile this is what they have to say...

She says
The Kiss

According to Rakhi, “Mika has kissed me forcibly, once before this. I was dancing on an awards nite in Punjab, and he came on stage and kissed me. At the time, I forgave him because he was a friend.

Coming to what happened at Mika’s birthday party, I introducing the director of my music video, Deepti Nagia, to him, but he started smooching me. He smooched me twice. Usne mera gala pakda aur bahut zor se kiss kiya. He bit my lower lip and broke my ear-ring. I don’t know why he did this to me again.”

What happened after

“I never left the party. I did go down for a while, but that was simply because I was crying after the incident and I got a shirt for myself because I wanted to go to the cops; I was wearing an outfit that I couldn’t have gone to the police station in. It was a very sexy backless dress.

This time, I couldn’t forgive him. What he did is unpardonable. I came back to the party and asked him to apologise in front of everyone. Instead, his bodyguards began beating up my rakhi brother Sheizwood. He himself ordered the bodyguards to do this.

The unpleasant incident did not happen after 3 am, but soon after the cake was cut. I have filed an FIR at the Oshiwara police station for sexual assault. I will withdraw my complaint only if he renders a public apology. Private maafi nahin chalegi.”

He says
The Kiss

Mika says, “I did not kiss Rakhi Sawant in Punjab. Such things cannot be done in Punjab, where I not even release my video Something Something on the local channels there because it is bold. It was Rakhi who’d beckoned me to join her. I did and we simply danced.

As for what happened yesterday at Someplace Else, I am simply shocked. I am being blamed simply because I was the host. I think Rakhi has engineered a publicity stunt. I never kissed her on the lips. I kissed her but only on the cheek. I think Sheizwood had a problem when he noticed this. This happened around midnight.”

What happened after

“After some time, Rakhi left the place. Little later, she changed her dress and came back with Sheizwood and few other guys. After some time, I noticed that Sheizwood was being beaten up by a bunch of people. The fight happened much later, somewhere around 3 am.

Mind you, the guys who were beating up Sheizwood were not my bodyguards. In fact, I tried to save the situation by stopping the fight. Suddenly, I heard Rakhi screaming that I had smooched her on the lips.”

WEBSOURCE: http://ww3.mid-day.com/hitlist/2006/june/139209.htm