World's Finest Opal

News and Image Credit : http://www.hindustantimes.com/

Google Virgin Rainbow and search results throw up all kinds of things, including, "A person who has never had sexual intercourse with somebody of the same gender."

But now Virgin Rainbow of a different kind is garnering interest in both the online and real world.

It all started after an Australian museum on Monday said it would exhibit what it believes is the best opal stone ever found -- a 6.0-centimetre (2.4 inch) multi-coloured gem unearthed in the Outback named the Virgin Rainbow.

The South Australian Museum said the stone, valued at more than Aus$1.0 million (US$730,000), would go on public display for the first time in September to mark the centenary of opal mining in the country. 

"It's of unequalled quality, it's a fully crystal opal," museum director Brian Oldman told AFP.

"It's almost as if there's a fire in there; you see all different colours. As the light changes, the opal itself changes. It's quite an amazing trick of nature."

Dug up in the South Australia desert town of Coober Pedy in 2003 by local miners, the Virgin Rainbow came into the museum's possession about 18 months ago and will be part of an exhibition opening in Adelaide next month.

Some 90% of the world's opals come from South Australia, once covered by an inland sea which over millions of years provided an ideal environment for the formation of the stone.

"I think this exhibition will have the finest collection of precious opals that we believe have been brought to one place in the world," Oldman added.

Opals were first discovered at Coober Pedy -- widely-known as the opal capital of the world --  in 1914 by a boy named Willie Hutchison who was on a gold mining expedition with his father.

Online Harassers

How to handle your online harassers

Article Credit : Shilpi Guha / http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/

In the world of social networking, it is difficult to keep things private. A Facebook post where a student in Delhi posted a screenshot of the lewd messages sent to her by a married man is another eye-opener to the fact that sexual exploitation of women is not limited to the streets.

According to a recent report on cyber crimes released by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, cyber crimes are likely to cross 3,00,000 in 2015, almost double the number from last year. However, the latest figures released by the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) state that there were only 54 cases of cyber offences registered in Tamil Nadu in 2013.

The main reason behind this, according to S Jeyakumar, Deputy Commissioner, Central Crime Branch, is the growing awareness about cyber crime among women of the state. "We have been conducting programmes in schools, colleges and workplaces, educating people, espe cially women, about how to be safe and avoid falling prey to various cyber offences. Unlike earlier times, now, offenders know that they face imprisonment for as long as 3-7 years if they try to breach into someone's privacy or send sexually explicit content," he informs."However, it is also important for women to speak up and bring it to our notice whenever they receive any offensive content on the internet or are being harassed on the cyber arena. They should never ignore any lewd comments or messages that they receive from anybody on cyber space, and they must bring it to our notice immediately ," he adds.

While there is considerable amount of awareness among the city's women, Harshita Venugopal, a city-based activist who has been working to create awareness on crimes against women, says that the scenario in rural Tamil Nadu is different. "There have been a lot of cases of cyber stalking and revenge porn where the victim, in an attempt to avoid attention from the media, has settled the matter out of court.A lot of women prefer to do that. This solves the problem temporarily . In majority of the cases, the offender strikes back. So, it is important for the government to spread awareness about laws against cyber crimes in the rural areas of the state also, so that women there come forward and report the cases," she says.

According to Venugopal, in cases of revenge porn, the fear of stigma makes women reluctant to go to the court. Also, the fact that, most often, the offender is an acquaintance of the victim -a former lover, colleague, relative or friendt u r n e d f o e."Irrespective of who the offender is, the victim should come forward and file an FIR against the miscreant," she says.

It is not only important to be aware of the legalities of cyber crimes but also imperative to be alert and have foolproof privacy settings on social networking sites. "One must be cautious about what content he or she is sharing online. Do not share intimate pictures and messages on cyber space as it is extremely dangerous. While there is nothing wrong in using social networking sites, utilizing their privacy settings is always helpful. And once the crime has been committed, it is important to bring it to the notice of the police so that necessary action can be taken," informs inspector Melwyn of cyber crime department.

Renowned cyber law expert, Pavan Duggal, on the other hand, calls for cyber crime education to be included in school curriculum. "If the government wants to create a digital India, it is their responsibility and biggest challenge to make the country cyber crime-free. As users, our responsibility is to have a proactive look in protecting ourselves. As family members, we must first equip our children with life skills before giving them cell phones," he says.

SOME DO'S AND DON'TS

Activate privacy settings and give limited access to your personal data. Do not add strangers to your profile. In case you receive any lewd messages or comments, inform the police. You can send screenshots to, cop@bsnl.net and let them know about the situation. Copy the URL of the post. It will help in tracking the offender. Don't give your device to others and always lock your applications.

Rupali Ganguly

Image Credit : http://movies.ndtv.com/

In less than 24 hours, Mumbai cops have managed to arrest the maid who stole jewellery and cash worth Rs 71 lakh from TV actress Rupali Ganguly's house. The woman was arrested late Thursday night from Vakola and almost 90 per cent of the stolen material has reportedly been recovered. Confirming the news, an elated Rupali Ganguly said, "I thank the Mumbai police from the bottom of my heart. Mr Pawar, Mr Mhatre, Mr Taral, Mr Jhende and Miss Shabnam of Versova police station were brilliant and super prompt. They were there with me throughout the night and took care of me like family. They immediately dispatched teams all over. Nitin Patil and Mr Koli of crime branch cell cracked the case. Kudos to them. Mr Mahesh Naik of crime branch, Bandra was of great help too."

On Wednesday, in a scene straight out of a Bolly potboiler, a 30-year-old woman posing as a domestic help got herself employed at Rupali Ganguly’s Andheri house and swept the flat clean of valuables worth Rs 71 lakh, including Rs 6 lakh in cash. The actress and her businessman husband had lodged an FIR with the Versova police station. Rupali said, “This woman, who identified herself as Sarita, appeared at my doorstep two days ago and requested for a job. When I asked for her ID proof, she said she will get it the next day and begged me to allow her to start work right away.” The actress then stepped out of home along with her husband and baby, leaving the house in charge of her two regular servants and Sarita. One of the servants is believed to have left soon after. Police suspect Sarita then locked herself in a room, ripped open a briefcase containing the jewellery, wore it while concealing it underneath her clothes and walked out. She apparently told the other servant that she would be back soon, but vanished without a trace. Rupali blames herself for the incident. “Honestly, it is my stupidity. My husband always used to ask me to put everything away in the locker and never employ maids in the house just like that,” she adds. The case was being investigated by senior PI Ravindranath Pawar of Versova police station and cops had detained the two servants and the watchman of Rupali’s posh society, Bianca. The con woman was captured on CCTV cameras and was earlier seen at highrises in Charkop and Kandivili as well. The cops believe Sarita used the same modus operandi to loot unsuspecting, rich people. 

Article Credit : http://www.mid-day.com/

World Pole Dance Championships

Image Credit : http://www.worldpoledance.com/

World Pole Dance Championships: Erotic display or serious sport?

Erotic display or serious sport? At the World Pole Dance Championships finals in Beijing on Sunday, competitors in skin-tight suits insisted that their discipline deserves Olympic recognition.

More than 50 limber and lithe athletes representing over ten countries on four continents -- some dressed as Roman centurions, wolves and sharks -- hoped their routines could help sever the sport's association with seedy strip clubs.

"We call it 'pole fitness' to get away from the negative connotations... it's more part of the sports industry than stripping industry," said Kat Bailey of Britain.

Before jerking her way up a steel pole in a spangly silver and red polka-dot leotard to thunderous applause, she added: "I would totally support pole as an Olympic sport."

Chilean contestant Felipe Mendoza Perez -- one of more than a dozen men competing -- wowed the audience by threading his legs around the pole like a dressmaker working a needle over cloth, in a musical routine lasting several minutes.

In a stroke of pure showmanship he ripped off a black cloth mask, before hanging off the pole with his legs in a wide splits position.

"People think it's so easy but it's so difficult," he said after catching his breath backstage.

Emmanuel Ignacio of the Phillipines, who wore a floppy top-hat over his black-and-white painted face, added: "Pole fitness has evolved so much... in a few years who knows, it could become an Olympic sport."

Russian competitor Kristian Lebedev took to the stage in crimson cape and Roman-style outfit complete with a toy sword and red-crested helmet.

Most competitors held themselves upside down or horizontal in poses demanding near-impossible displays of strength, but Lebedev's backwards somersaults from the pole to the ground stole the loudest gasps from the audience.

'Learned it secretly'

Contestants competing in three categories -- men's and women's singles, and doubles -- said attitudes to pole dancing were shifting.

"Two years ago people would react like 'you're a stripper," said Russian Dimitry Politov.

"But its a hard sport, an extreme one. Now people understand that."

China has emerged over the last decade as a center for the discipline, but Chinese competitors said they had faced cultural conservatism while chasing their pole dance dreams.

"My parents are farmers in the countryside... I learned for four years, and the first three years they did not know, because I was working in a gym and I learned it secretly," said 2013 Chinese Pole Dance Champion Fang Yi.

But now "many people see it as an sport. We are working hard at it, and hope one day it will be in the Olympics," the 29 year-old added.

Pole dancers have launched several petitions calling for Olympic authorities to add their sport to the next Games -- so far without success.

Serious competitors insist that the sport be referred to as "pole fitness" or "vertical fitness" rather than pole dancing, and claim that the discipline has ancient roots in Chinese and Indian acrobatics.

"In recent years, dancers have to be more athletic... A few years ago, it was more of a sexual thing, but now it's more of an athletic thing," said Chinese dancer Sun Wenzhu, as she painted a wolf mask, part of a get-up which won "best costume," on Sunday.

As part of her doubles performance, she ripped off the costume to reveal a pink bikini, before pulling her partner into the air while hanging from the pole.

'Everything in one'

The scale of the competition reflected the growing appeal of pole dancing as a fitness aid over the last decade -- with thousands of clubs estimated to have opened worldwide, including more than 500 in the United States alone.

Competitors who made the journey to China this year included the British current World champions 'Bendy' Kate Czepulkowski and Sam Willis, the event's organisers said.

Hotly tipped for this year's championship was the aptly-named Russian female contestant Polina Volchek, who goes by the moniker "Pink Puma", they added.

Perez of Chile summed up the general mood, observing: "To me pole is the number one sport. It's gymnastics, art, yoga, Pilates, everything in one discipline."

News Credit : http://www.hindustantimes.com/art/

Candy Crush

Image Credit : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

If you have been tortured by innumerable requests to play Candy crush on Facebook by your stupid friends, you finally have something to shove in their faces. The game has claimed its first casualty.  And if you are the other type, the one that is hooked to the online game Candy Crush, you better take this seriously. Karma will catch up with you guys!

This is probably one of the most bizarre accidents. A 29-year-old American man tore a tendon in his thumb, thanks to playing Candy Crush non-stop for more than a month. And what’s even stranger is that for a long time he did not feel any pain while playing. According to his doctors, this was because while playing video games, people (especially addicts) experience extreme pleasure due to which they become numb to sensations of pain and discomfort.

Video game addiction is a very serious first-world problem that is affecting a wide cross section of our population. It’s not just teens who are addicted to spending their time online, but men and women as old as forty are hooked to online games these days. As we spend hours commuting in metros or through traffic, we depend on our phones to while away time.

What happened to this man is terrifying. He played the game all day long for about six weeks. He now needs surgery to repair the torn tendon.

 All you candy crush addicts who have annoyed the hell out of your Facebook friends by sending them requests, be scared. Be very very scared.  

Article Credit : http://www.mensxp.com/special-features/

Abraham Lincoln

Image Credit : http://en.wikipedia.org/

The 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated on this day150 years ago.

John Wilkes Booth, an actor, shot Lincoln at point blank range in the back of his head at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC during an evening performance of "Our American Cousin." Lincoln succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Lincoln was perhaps the most instrumental factor in the ultimate abolition of slavery in the US. On his death anniversary, here’s a look at five interesting facts about the assassination.

Lincoln’s premonition about his assassination just a few days before his death

According to this story, just a few days before his assassination, Lincoln talked about a dream. He reportedly said that in the dream, he walked into the East Room of the White House to find a covered corpse surrounded by soldiers and mourners.

When he asked one of the soldiers who had died, the soldier replied, “The president. He was killed by an assassin.”

This story came to the fore when Ward Hill Lamon – Abraham Lincoln’s former law partner and friend – published it nearly 20 years after the assassination. Some historians have reservations about this account.

When the President addressed slavery in a speech, Booth vowed it was "the last speech Lincoln will ever give"

In a speech delivered from a White House window on April 11, 1865, Lincoln said that the time had come to give voting rights to African-Americans.

Booth was in the audience and according to Harold Holzer, author of the new book "President Lincoln Assassinated!", Booth “bristled at Lincoln's words, declaring that the president's message ‘means negro equality’”.

Booth then added: "That's the last speech he'll ever make."

Two years before his assassination, Lincoln went to watch a play in Ford’s Theatre in which John Wilkes Booth was the villain

According to Holzer, Lincoln not only saw Booth perform in a play in 1863 but he saw him at Ford's Theatre, where Booth would assassinate him two years later.

Lincoln watched the play "The Marble Heart" in which Booth played the villain.

Holzer said that during the play, Booth directed many of his villainous speeches towards the presidential box, prompting a companion to tell Lincoln: "He almost seems to be reciting these lines to you."

Lincoln reportedly replied: "He does talk very sharp at me, doesn't he?"

At Ford’s Theatre, the audience did not initially realise the President had been shot

Reportedly Lincoln was laughing at the line, "Don't know the manners of good society eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal; you sockdologizing old man-trap!" when he was shot.

The spot report filed by the Associated Press on April 14, 1865 says:

“The theatre was densely crowded, and everybody seemed delighted with the scene before them. During the third act and while there was a temporary pause for one of the actors to enter, a sharp report of a pistol was heard, which merely attracted attention, but suggested nothing serious until a man rushed to the front of the President's box, waving a long dagger in his right hand, exclaiming, 'Sic semper tyrannis,' and immediately leaped from the box, which was in the second tier, to the stage beneath, and ran across to the opposite side, made his escape amid the bewilderment of the audience from the rear of the theatre, and mounted a horse and fled.”

Booth attacked Major Henry Rathbone, who was closest to Lincoln in the theatre, and escaped.

‘John Wilkes Booth was not a deranged lone madman’

Historian Terry Alford, whose book Fortune's Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth was published recently, has been quoted as saying that contrary to what many people believe, Booth was not a lone madman. In fact, Alford said, Booth was politically motivated to assassinate Lincoln.

"John Wilkes Booth was one of those people who thought the best country in the history of the world was the United States as it existed before the Civil War," Alford said. "And then when Lincoln came along, he was changing that in fundamental ways."

Booth was born in a well-known family of actors and was a good thespian himself. He was captured 12 days after Lincoln’s assassination. 

Article Credit : http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/

Leech

Leech found growing in schoolboy's throat

Doctors in China have made a disturbing discovery while treating a schoolboy for a sore throat.

Xiabo Chien’s mother took her son to see a doctor in Sichuan Provence after he complained of feeling dizzy.

When the 11-year-old was examined, a seven centimeter leech was found lodged in his respiratory tract.

Xiabo had unknowingly swallowed the parasite while drinking from a bucket of water on the side of the road several weeks earlier.

His mother Xiang Tung said she was shocked when she found out why he was sick.

“At first we thought he had flu as he said he was felling dizzy and had a sore throat,’ she told CEN.

“He hadn’t told us about the water-drinking so it never occurred to us that he may have picked up something.”

The leech was successful removed by doctors and Xiabo has since made a full recovery.

“I won’t be drinking water from a bucket again!” he said.

News and Image Credit : https://in.news.yahoo.com/leech-found-growing-schoolboys-throat-051031306.html

Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani spots camera pointed at trial room of Fabindia outlet in Goa, FIR lodged

Indian, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Smriti Irani has complained to police that a CCTV camera in a Fabindia's outlet, was focused on the trial room she used while trying out some clothes at the upmarket boutique chain at Candolim on Friday afternoon.

The CCTV camera was installed on a wall, against a foot-high ventilation gap on the side of the trial room cubicle.

Smriti Irani immediately rushed out of the cubicle and, raising an alarm, informed her husband who confronted the staff and demanded that they show them the CCTV footage. On checking the footage, it was found that the the minister had been filmed in the changing room.

Her husband then informed Calangute BJP MLA Michael Lobo. Calangute police and Lobo immediately rushed to the boutique where PI Nilesh Rane recorded Irani's statement. The minister soon left the store and went to her hotel in Baga where she is staying on a two-day private holiday. The incident occurred at 12.42 pm.

"This is nonsense. This is happening all over. There are people who take videos of you like this when your body is exposed and then try to defame you," Smriti Irani is reported to have said to MLA Lobo and the police.

On checking the CCTV footage, the police found that the camera had been taking videos of the women in the cubicle for the last four months. MLA Lobo lodged a complaint on behalf of the union minister with the Calangute police who have registered an offence under section 354 C IPC. The CCTV camera equipment has been confiscated by the police.

"It's quite sad and bad. This is invasion of a person's privacy," Lobo said. Police were recording the statements of staff till late afternoon.

Fabindia staff said the CCTV cameras had been installed because there have been a number of thefts in the boutique by tourists. "They go inside the trial rooms with four items and come out with three items and take away an item by concealing it under their clothes. Just last week we caught a Russian tourist red-handed. When the items disappear the cost is deducted from the staff salaries," a staffer said.

A number of BJP leaders rushed to the spot. Besides North Goa BJP president Michael Lobo, BJP Mahila chief Kundan Chodankar, BJP vice-president Sadanand Tanavade, Sanquelim MLA Pramod Sawant and others also rushed to the spot. "This is not right. You can very clearly see the top part of the body," Tanavade, who viewed the CCTV footage, said. ?

News Credit : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/

Angelina Jolie

The traditional green slime flowed at the Kids' Choice Awards, but it was Angelina Jolie's message of empowerment for youngsters that stuck.

Jolie, who has sought to inspire women with public candour about her own health, said that "different is good" as she accepted the favorite villain award Saturday for her movie role as the title character in Maleficent.

When she was young, Jolie said, "I was told I was different. And I felt out of place: too loud, too full of fire, never good at sitting still, never good at fitting in."

"When someone tells you that you are different, smile and hold your head up and be proud," she said, then added with a wink, "cause a little trouble. It's good for you."

The actor and filmmaker, who disclosed earlier this week that she had undergone additional surgery aimed at preventing cancer, received excited hugs from daughters Shiloh and Zahara when her name was announced.

Other winners at the Nickelodeon channel's fan-voted awards included Emma Stone, who largely escaped its trademark slime when she accepted the best actress award for her role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and favourite family TV show Modern Family, whose stars including Jesse Tyler Ferguson didn't get away clean.

Nick Jonas hosted the ceremony, which also honoured the group Fifth Harmony as favourite new artist and Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 as favourite action stars. The film was voted favorite movie.

Jonas won as favourite male singer but also ended up drenched in the ceremony's trademark green slime, as did Josh Gad (Frozen, Broadway's Book of Mormon), who got slimed by co-presenter Adam Sandler.

Performers included Iggy Azalea with Jennifer Hudson and 5 Seconds of Summer, which ended up taking a goo hit.

Jonas opened the ceremony by noting that One Direction was minus a group member with the exit of Zayn Malik.

"A tough week. ... Lot of girls in the house tonight still struggling after One Direction became Two Direction," he said, then asked, jokingly, "What's next? Fourth Harmony? 3 Seconds of Summer? No, no. The Jonas Brother?"

One Direction didn't appear to accept its trophy as favourite music group.

Others taking part in the ceremony included Jamie Foxx, Meghan Trainor, Chris Rock, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Kevin James and Little League Baseball sensation Mo'ne Davis.

Jolie, writing in the New York Times on Tuesday, revealed that she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in hopes of reducing her risk of cancer.

Two years ago, she disclosed that she carries a defective breast cancer gene that puts her at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother died of ovarian cancer, and her maternal grandmother also had ovarian cancer - strong evidence of an inherited, genetic risk that led Jolie to have her healthy breasts removed to try to avoid the same fate. 

News Credit : http://www.hindustantimes.com/hollywood/

Bridegrooms

Baraats, or the processions, that accompany grooms are notorious for being late, and keeping the bride and her family waiting.

That doesn't fly in a village in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The groom is fined if he's not punctual, and the baraat is warned that it must not be noisy. 

Elders in the village of Taunkpuri Tanda charge Rs. 100 for every minute that a baraat is late. The majority of the 10,000 residents are Muslim.

"Dancing in streets and beating of drums is completely prohibited. We observe all the practices and pleasantries (of weddings) but the villagers here discard the undesired expenditure, pomp and show and do not allow wastage of food items," said Maulana Arshad, the chief cleric of the village.

Families are also told to marry from within the village. "This tradition helps our daughters and sisters remain safe from the ill-intention of anti-social elements emerging rapidly everywhere due to neglect and apathy towards moral and religious values established by our ancestors," said the Maulana. 

News Credit : http://www.ndtv.com/india-news

Gold

Human faeces contains gold, silver and other metals which could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, say scientists who are investigating ways to extract the precious metals from poop. Treated solid waste contains gold, silver and other metals, as well as other rare elements such as palladium and vanadium that are used in electronics and alloys, researchers have found.

"There are metals everywhere, in your hair care products, detergents, even nanoparticles that are put in socks in order to prevent bad odours," said Dr Kathleen Smith, from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Whatever their origin, the wastes containing these metals all end up being funnelled through wastewater treatment plants, where Smith said many metals end up in the leftover solid waste.

At treatment plants, wastewater goes through a series of physical, biological and chemical processes. The end products are treated water and biosolids. Smith said more than seven million tonnes of biosolids come out of American wastewater facilities each year. About half of that is used as fertilizer on fields and in forests, while the other half is incinerated or sent to landfills.

Smith and her team are on a mission to find out exactly what is in our waste. To do this, they are taking a page from the industrial mining operations' method book and are experimenting with some of the same chemicals, called leachates, which this industry uses to pull metals out of rock.While some of these leachates have a bad reputation for damaging ecosystems when they leak or spill into the environment, Smith said that in a controlled setting, they could safely be used to recover metals in treated solid waste.

So far, her group has collected samples from small towns in the Rocky Mountains, rural communities and big cities. In the treated waste, Smith's group has already started to discover metals like platinum, silver and gold. She stated that they have observed microscopic-sized metal particles in biosolids using a scanning electron microscope.

"The gold we found was at the level of a minimal mineral deposit," she said, meaning that if that amount were in rock, it might be commercially viable to mine it.

News Credit : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/

Transgender

Koovagam - Where transgenders gather to marry and repent

The Koothandavar Festival of Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, must count among the most bizarre rituals observed in India. Hundreds of transgenders gather here for 18 days in April-May to observe the festival, which has roots in a legend from the Mahabharata. This is the largest gathering of transgenders in the world.

For most of the year, Koovagam is a sleepy village but during the festival, which culminates on Chitra Pournami, it becomes a magnet for transgenders from across the country. The atmosphere is charged with sexuality and the festival draws people seeking sexual encounters with the transgenders.

Aravaan, son by illicit wedlock of the Pandava Arjuna and a Naga princess named Chitrangada, was a valiant warrior. He offered himself up to Krishna to be sacrificed to Goddess Kali, as only such a sacrifice would guarantee victory for the Pandavas in the great war. The sacrifice was to be conducted at dawn on the battle day. Aravaan had but one wish that he asked of Krishna. He wanted to die a married man, after consummating his lust with a woman. Now this was not an easy proposition, as which woman would willingly submit to be married to a man whose death was imminent? Yet, Krishna offered to make arrangements to grant his wish. Ever the masterly illusionist, Krishna transformed himself into the enchantress Mohini, married Aaravan and satisfied his sexual desires. At dawn, Aravaan was offered in sacrifice to Kali, who consumed him bit by bit over 18 days. On the final day of the battle, Aaravan realized he had been tricked - he was left with nothing but his head and a skeleton. Assuming his enormous martial form, Aravaan’s head rolled over the enemy forces and crushed them. The battle was eventually won. As Aravaan lay dying, he saw Mohini beating her chest and wailing as a widow grieves at the death of her husband. Blessed by that sight, Aravaan breathed his last.

The 18-day festival at Koovagam celebrates this chapter of the Mahabharata. The shrine in the village is dedicated to Aravaan and the highlight of the festival is the marriage of Aravaan to Mohini. The transgenders who gather here signify the brides of Aravaan. For the duration of the festival a gigantic head of Aravaan is fashioned and painted. During the first 15 days, the transgenders indulge in song, dance and merrymaking.

On the 17th day, the priest performs special rites to the idol of Aravaan and, invoking the spirit of the warrior into his own form, ties the mangalsutra (the sacred marital thread) around the necks of the transgenders gathered there. Just for the night, they are all now brides of Aravaan. After a night of celebratory dining and merriment, the gigantic head of Aravaan is mounted on a chariot and taken in procession around the village.

At dawn on the 18th day, the air is ripped by sharp wails as Aravaan is beheaded. Following tradition, his widows rip the mangalsutras from their necks, tear the flowers out of their hair, discard their ornaments, and beat their chests as Mohini mourned Aravaan. Taking a holy dip in the temple pond, they don the white garbs of widowhood.

Image and Article Credit: https://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/photos/koovagam-where-transgenders-gather-to-marry-and-repent-1397627237-slideshow/travel-koothandavar-festival-koovagam-transgenders-photo-1397628775102.html

Phone Charger

NRI teen invents 30-second phone charger

An 18-year-old Indian-American girl has created a device that can help recharge the dead battery of a cellphone in just 30 seconds.

Eesha Khare of Saratoga, California, won the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award in Phoenix as part of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and a USD 50,000 prize after developing the tiny device that fits inside mobile phone batteries that allows you to charge your phone within 20 to 30 seconds instead of several hours.

Her gadget may be able to fill the crucial need for energy-efficient storage devices and could have potential applications for car batteries.

Speaking to CBS after she won the award, Khare said: 'I can’t believe this happened.'

When asked why she choose to research technology around energy storage, Khare told NBC News: 'My cell phone battery always dies.'

Eesha Khare, a 12th grade student of Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California, triumphed over 1,600 other finalists from more than 70 countries on May 17 at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Article Credit: http://in.news.yahoo.com/nri-teen-invents-30-second-phone-charger-073017771.html

Malala Yousafzai

Hollywood philanthropist Angelina Jolie said she was compelled to share Malala Yousafzai's story of grit with her children.

So what is special about this 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot down by Taliban gunmen?

For us it is difficult to comprehend a world where a girl is shot for her desire to be allowed to go to school. But for folks in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this has become a way of life.

Yousufzai, a cheerful schoolgirl who had wanted to become a doctor before agreeing to her father's wishes that she strive to be a politician, has become a potent symbol of resistance against the Taliban's efforts to deprive girls of an education.

Malala was shot in her head and neck for advocating education for girls.

Facing widespread condemnation for attacking Malala, a defiant Taliban said that the attack on her was justified as she had spoken out against the group and praised US President Barack Obama.

Taliban described Yousufzai as a "spy of the West".

"For this espionage, infidels gave her awards and rewards. And Islam orders killing of those who are spying for enemies," the group said in a statement.

"She used to propagate against mujahideen (holy warriors) to defame (the) Taliban. The Quran says that people propagating against Islam and Islamic forces would be killed.

"We targeted her because she would speak against the Taliban while sitting with shameless strangers and idealized the biggest enemy of Islam, Barack Obama."

So what did the 14-year-old do to shake the Taliban?

Their story began in 2009, when Fazlullah, known as Radio Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts, took over Swat Valley, and ordered the closure of girls' schools, including Yousufzai's.

Outraged, the then-11-year-old kept a blog for the BBC under a pen name and later launched a campaign for girls' education. It won her Pakistan's highest civilian honour and death threats from the Taliban.

Yousufzai was not blind to the dangers. In her hometown of Mingora, Fazlullah's Taliban fighters dumped bodies near where her family lived.

"I heard my father talking about another three bodies lying at Green Chowk," she wrote in her diary, referring to a nearby roundabout.

A military offensive pushed Fazlullah out of Swat in 2009, but his men simply melted away across the border to Afghanistan. Earlier this year, they kidnapped and beheaded 17 Pakistani soldiers in one of several cross border raids.

Yousufzai continued speaking out despite the danger. As her fame grew, Fazlullah tried everything he could to silence her. The Taliban published death threats in the newspapers and slipped them under her door. But she ignored them.

The Taliban say that's why they sent assassins, despite a tribal code forbidding the killing of women.

"We had no intentions to kill her but were forced when she would not stop (speaking against us)," said Sirajuddin Ahmad, a spokesman of Swat Taliban now based in Afghanistan's Kunar province.

He said the Taliban held a meeting a few months ago at which they unanimously agreed to kill her. The task was then given to military commanders to carry out.

On Tuesday, the two men stopped the bus she was riding home in. They asked for Yousufzai by name. Although the frightened girls said she wasn't there, the men fired at her and also hit two other girls in the van. One of them remains in critical condition.

Her would-be killers said they had no idea their attack would propel their victim, already a national hero, into a global icon.

Article Credit: http://in.news.yahoo.com/why-malala-yousafzai-s-story-needs-to-be-told.html

King of Bhutan marries in elaborate ceremony

The king of Bhutan married his commoner bride in an ancient Buddhist ceremony at the country's most sacred monastery fortress.

The wedding has captivated the nation, which had grown impatient with their 31-year-old bachelor king's lack of urgency to find a bride and start a family of his own since his father retired and handed power to him five years ago.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, wearing the raven crown, came down from his golden throne in front of a huge statue of Buddha to place a smaller, silk brocade crown upon the head of his bride, Jetsun Pema. Monks chanted in celebration as she took her seat beside him as the new queen of the country.

The celebrations began at 8:20 a.m. — a time set by royal astrologers — when the king, wearing the royal yellow sash, walked into the courtyard of the 17th century monastery in the old capital of Punakha and proceeded up the high staircase inside. A few minutes later, his 21-year-old bride arrived at the end of a procession of red-robed monks and flag bearers across a wooden footbridge over the wide, blue river beside the fort and followed him inside.

Singers chanted songs of celebration amid the clanging of drums and the drone of long dhung trumpets. She wore a traditional wraparound skirt with a gold jacket with deep red cuffs.

Inside, the nation's top cleric, who presided over the wedding, performed a purification ceremony for the couple in front of a massive 100-foot Thongdal tapestry of Bhutan's 17th century founder, the monk-king Zhabdrung.The pair then proceeded to the temple for a ceremony broadcast live on national television, save for a few minutes when the king, his father and the cleric, known as the Je Khenpo, entered the sacred tomb of Zhabdrung, where only they are allowed.In a nation of 700,000 people where television was only introduced in 1999, the ceremony was broadcast live. Thousands of people, dressed in traditional coloured robes, stood outside. Some monks chanted, others hit drums, as white incense drifted through the morning mist.Oxford-educated Wangchuck, 31, is revered as this insular nation slowly embraces democracy after his father abdicated in 2006 to introduce parliamentary elections. The monarchy is seen as helping stabilise a fragile democracy wedged between India and China in a conflict-ridden region.

News Credit: yahoo.india 

Lakshmi Mittal

Lakshmi Mittal loses 2.16 billion pounds following
market crash 

Steel magnate and Britain's richest man Lakshmi Mittal has lost 2.16 billion pounds with in a week following the global stock market crash.

The share price his company Arcelor Mittal, of which he owns 40.83 per cent, plummeted 18.7 percent this week reducing the value of his fortune to 9.7 billion pounds, the Daily Mail reports.

The non-resident Indian employs 320,000 people in 60 countries and lives in Bernie Ecclestone's former home in Kensington that he bought for a reported 57million pounds in 2004.

The catastrophic six days for stocks on both sides of the Atlantic has increased fears that this meltdown will lead to a dreaded double-dip recession.

News Credit:  
http://in.finance.yahoo.com

Playboy Hefner Gets Dumped by 25-yr-old Fiance

Hugh Hefner and his fiancée Crystal Harris have called off their wedding. The couple have decided to cancel their nuptials just five days before they were due to tie the knot on Saturday at the Playboy Mansion. According to a foreign website, 85-year-old Hugh and Crystal, 25, had a huge argument over the phone last weekend which resulted in the blonde model moving herself and her belongings out of the mansion. Everything was in place for the wedding, which was to be attended by over 300 guests. Hugh has been married twice before. He wed his first wife Mildred Williams — with whom he has two children, daughter Christie, 58, and son David, 55 — in 1949 before divorcing her in 1959. He then tied the knot with one-time Playmate Kimberley Conrad — the mother of Marston and Cooper — in 1989, before filing for divorce 11 years later, although the separation was only finalised in March 2010.

Image and Credti: www.idiva.com 

The world's most dangerous countries for women

1. AFGHANISTAN

Beleaguered by insurgency, corruption and dire poverty, Afghanistan ranked as most dangerous to women overall and came out worst in three of the poll's key risk categories: health, non-sexual violence and economic discrimination.

* Women in Afghanistan have a one in 11 chance of dying in childbirth.

* Some 87 pct of women are illiterate.

* 70-80 pct of girls and women face forced marriages.

2. CONGO

Still reeling from a 1998-2003 war and accompanying humanitarian disaster that killed 5.4 million, Democratic Republic of Congo ranked second due mainly to staggering levels of sexual violence.

* About 1,150 women are raped every day, or some 420,000 a year, according to a recent report in the American Journal of Public Health.

* The Congolese Women's Campaign Against Sexual Violence puts the number of rapes at 40 women a day.

* 57 pct of pregnant women are anaemic.

3. PAKISTAN

Those polled cited cultural, tribal and religious practices harmful to women, including acid attacks, child and forced marriage and punishment or retribution by stoning or other physical abuse.

* More than 1,000 women and girls are victims of "honour killings" every year, according to Pakistan's Human Rights Commission.

* 90 pct of women in Pakistan face domestic violence.

4. INDIA

Female foeticide, child marriage and high levels of trafficking and domestic servitude make the world's largest democracy the fourth most dangerous place for women, the poll showed.

* 100 million people, mostly women and girls, are involved in trafficking in one way or another, according to former Indian Home Secretay Madhukar Gupta.

* Up to 50 million girls are "missing" over the past century due to female infanticide and foeticide.

* 44.5 pct of girls are married before the age of 18.

5. SOMALIA

One of the poorest, most violent and lawless countries, Somalia ranked fifth due to a catalogue of dangers including high maternal mortality, rape, female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage.

* 95 pct of women face FGM, mostly between the ages of 4 and 11.

* Only 9 pct of women give birth at a health facility.

* Only 7.5 pct of parliament seats are held by women.

Image and News Credit: http://in.news.yahoo.com

IPL

IPL 2011 is abuzz with rumours and affairs. And for once Yuvraj Singh is not the only one hogging the limelight with his colourful Casanova image. Check out the hottest link-ups and vote for your favourite cricketer and his girlfreind.

Sreesanth dating Riya Sen (or is it Surveen Chawla)
Although both Sreesanth and Riya have publicly denied any kind of affair between them, their cosy outings prove otherwise. But Riya is not the only girl who has been spotted cheering for Kochi Tusker's Sreesanth. Apparently, even his ex-girlfriend TV actress Surveen Chawla visits him from time to time to boost his morale.

Yuvraj Singh dating Akshara Gowda
Although both have them have denied it, rumour has it that they’re very much a couple. In fact Yuvi considers Akshara, a model, as his lucky charm and credits his World Cup success to her. How sweet is that?

Shane Warne dating Elizabeth Hurley
From romancing cute-sy actor Hugh Grant to getting married to a powerful businessman Arun Nayar, Liz has been into quite a few high-profile relationships. But none of them has been as bold as the one she shares with the Captain of Rajasthan Royals Shane Warne. Apparently what she loves about Shane is his sense of humor and accent.

Virat Kohli dating Sarah Jane Dias
May be this linkup is just a publicity gimmick by Virat's team Royal Challengers. But one cannot deny that after World Cup 2011, Virat has girls from across India going gaga over him. So even if Sarah has fallen for him, it’s not a big surprise.

Harbhajan Singh dating Geeta Basra
Their on-off relationship is hardly a hot topic. But what’s hot is, and although it’s not official, Bhajji-Geeta have finally decided to take the plunge this year. According to rumours they’ve already consulted a few astrologers and will be fixing a wedding date soon.

Zaheer Khan dating Isha Sharvani
Yet another eligible Royal Challenger's bachelor, Zaheer Khan, may soon go off the list! Although it’s not officially confirmed, buzz is that the couple plans to tie the knot this year.

Image and Article Credit: Idiva.com 

The Absentee Boss

At first glance, it looks like the perfect situation - nobody to glare at you when you’re five minutes late, ask you how many coffee / cigarette breaks you’re taking, comment on your appearance, etc, etc. And you’re right - it is. The mistake, the trap, as it were, is to think that that’s all it means. 

Being your own master means freedom - and power to establish your own rules. But as you may have recently heard in a fairly popular movie, with power comes responsibility. Responsibility for your own actions! 

But why do you need to be responsible? Can’t you just sit back, relax, and as long as the work is getting done, enjoy some of the benefits? Why do you need to become your own conscience? Here’s why.

Gossip 

Without your supervisor around, you’re that much more vulnerable to backbiting and gossip. Because this may happen when you aren’t around, you won’t even be aware of it, and neither will your boss - so wrong impressions can get formed and cast in stone fairly fast. It’s also very easy for this impression to circulate back to your boss at some point; and by then, it’s too late to correct it.

Misunderstandings

Miscommunication in a carelessly-worded email, or an unanswered call, is very easy. All the other cues which demonstrate your commitment and hard work are missing. Long hours and visible stress doesn’t show up on the report delivered the next morning.

Tips to handle an absentee boss: 

• Discipline yourself. You have to work twice as hard to maintain that same good impression.
• Don’t fall into a comfort zone; you may not be aware that negative perceptions are being built till it’s too late.
• Put everything on mail, so there’s not chance of any accidental or convenient forgetting - and your sent items folder is a ready reckoner for everything you said.
• Learn to use the calendar feature and ’mark for follow-up’ feature on your mailbox. It will ensure you avoid the forgetfulness trap. If your boss sees you every day, he can remind you about pending tasks. If he isn’t around, he’ll recall it only when it blows up into a problem.
• Don’t be a problem - be a solution. If you say something’s going wrong, have a course of action ready. You have to do it because you’re in charge, and your boss won’t see you as someone who only appears in calamities.
• Talk as often as you can. Make sure he always knows your situation and point of view, instead of depending on second-hand talk.
• Summarise the day, daily. This way he knows what’s going on and so do you when you walk in the next morning.
• Build relationships with other people. They’re already jealous of your freedom; win them over, get them on your side.
• And if all else fails - always have a backup plan ready, if the worst happens. Being unprepared when he asks you about a complaint received will only reinforce that complaint. 
  
  With these tips, having an absentee boss won’t be such a problem after all!
  
  
  Image and article Credit: Idiva.com