A tale of tall love!

                                                 (Image courtesy: The Sun)      

22-year-old Francinaldo da Silva Carvalho may have trouble kissing his girlfriend, but no doubt, his love is way taller than any others. Her lady love, 17-year-old Elisany da Cruz Silva is 6ft 8in, a lofty distinction indeed!

According to The Sun, though Elisany towers over her 5ft 4in boyfriend as they take a romantic beach stroll, she is happy that Francinaldo loves her a lot and respects her.

The Sun quoted the construction worker as saying: “My friends say things like, ‘How do you hug her?’. I say, ‘There’s a way of doing everything’.”

Elisany started to grow unusually tall when she was affected by a form of gigantism due to a tumour on her pituitary gland. She grew faster than her seven siblings from the age of 11 and hit 6ft 9in when she was 14. But her sudden growth caused pain in her limbs and joints.

According to the report, surgeons removed the gland two years ago and she shrank by an inch — but she could still not fit on the school bus. Interestingly, Elisany of Salinopolis, Brazil who quit school due to teasing aspires to be a model.

The Sun says she’s happy now with Francinaldo. She was quoted as saying: “What really attracted me was his personality, the way he acts with people and the way he acts with me. The only thing that really affects us is when we hang out holding hands — it seems like he is my little brother or son.”

Kinky sex, the in thing on campuses

Bondage, Domination, and Sadism and Masochism (BDSM) seems to be in thing on campuses! Blame it on E L James, varsity youngsters are getting hooked to kinky sex.

Early December, the authorities at Harvard University found that a ­student-run BDSM group is very active on its campus and officially recognized the group. It means freshmen at this Ivy League university can sign up for kinky sex along with about 400 other student groups.

Those who know say that Harvard is not at all the first university to approve such a group. Way back in 1992, Columbia University became the first to have this honor by recognizing Conversio Virium (Latin for “exchange of forces”). Later in 2003, the Iowa State University student body founded Cuffs, a college student group that teaches about bondage and other sexual fetishes, while Vassar College has the Sex Avengers, which holds an annual “Masturbate-a-thon.”

Though it was limited earlier, now after Fifty Shades of Gray is out and sold like hot cakes, mainstreaming of the BDSM subculture has already been accelerated and is spreading fast to more elite institutions of higher learning. According to New York Observer, Columbia has a BDSM group. So do Tufts, MIT, Yale and the University of Chicago. Brown, UPenn and Cornell have hosted BDSM educators for on-campus seminars entitled “The Freedom of Kink” and “Kink for All.” It looks like conservatives who have long viewed the Ivy League a bastion of depravity may have a point after all.

New York Observer says that while the scene’s mantra—“safe, sane and consensual”—is heard so often it might as well be translated into needlepoint, violations of these maxims are common. It is reported that hundreds of students, mostly women, have come forward to describe the abuse they’ve suffered within the scene.

Experts say that BDSM clubs are a good thing as long as this means providing safe spaces for students to explore alternative sexuality, but clear rules on what “consent” means need to be in place.

Cheated by wife, man lives on tree

It is a heartrending story of a loving husband who was cheated by his young wife. Unlike usual cheating stories, this one did not end in divorce or violence, but it had a most unlikely and unusual turn.

The betrayed man, 25-year-old Sanjay of Varanasi, asked for apology from his infidel wife, but the adamant wife, Tara, wouldn’t budge. Ever since, the dejected husband has been living in a tree for the last nine months, refusing to come down until his wife apologises for cheating on him.

But the apology never came and, nine months later, Sanjay, 25, is still there, wondering if wife Tara will ever take him back.

According to the Mail Online, Sanjay married Tara last year in Baragaon, Varanasi, before moving to Mumbai.

But in March he returned home from work a little early, only to find his new bride in a compromising position with their next-door neighbour.

Hurt and humiliated, he demanded an apology for the infidelity but she refused so he took her back to their village in a bid to resolve their differences.

But she remained defiant, saying she wanted to return to Mumbai before leaving for her parent’s house.

So in a last ditch effort to win her back, Sanjay shimmied up a guava tree on the outskirts of the village and has remained there ever since.

He says he will climb down only when his wife apologises for her misdeeds and returns to him.

Initially he refused food, surviving only on the guava fruit picked from the branches of the tree. But when none were left, he was forced to swallow his pride and relied on his mother, who faithfully brought him snacks from home.

'He climbed on to this tree on March 9 and has remained there ever since. Whenever we try to bring him down, he threatens to commit suicide,' Sanjay’s mother Kushma Dev told The Asian Age, according to the report.

'He eats and sleeps on the tree and even relieves himself from there. We keep going to him and asking him if he needs anything.'

Some villagers, however, claim to have spotted Sanjay climb down from the tree and go for a stroll when he thinks nobody is watching.

But they say he quickly scurries back up to his branch if he thinks somebody is nearby.

His sister Nisha told the paper they have not called police, adding: 'We apprehend that he may harm himself if we seek outside help. As long as he is safe there, we are happy for him.'

Afghan torture victim all smiles

“What happened, it's part of me, part of my life and it's all the time in my mind and with me.  But I have to live, and I have to love,” said Aesha Mohammadzai, the young woman who was brutally assaulted in Afghanistan by her husband after she tried to escape from him. She is on the road to recovery as doctors continue to rebuild her face.

Aesha, who believes she is 21 or 22, moved to the U.S. two years ago after fleeing the war-torn country and is now six months into her surgery at a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

According to Daily Mail, as part of the life-changing treatment, her forehead has ballooned and dark, drooping flesh now covers where her nose once was - before her husband sliced it off.

“I don't care,” Daily Mail quoted her as told to CNN. “Everybody has some kind of problem. At the beginning, I was very scared. I was scared to look at my face in the mirror. I was scared to think what will happen in the future to me. But now I'm not scared anymore. Now I know the meaning of life, how to live. There, I couldn't understand how to live.'

The report said that doctors placed an inflatable silicone shell under the skin of her forehead and gradually filled it with fluid in order to expand her skin and provide them with extra tissue for her new nose.

Aesha’s story was first told in August 2010 by Time magazine, who published a harrowing cover photo of her - horrifying people around the world and symbolising the oppression of Afghan women.

When she was 12, her father promised her in marriage to a Taliban fighter to pay a debt. She was handed over to his family who abused her and forced her to sleep in the stable with the animals.

But when Aesha attempted to flee, she was caught and her nose and ears were hacked off by her husband as punishment. Left for dead in the mountains, she crawled to her grandfather's house.

She managed to get to a U.S. medical facility and then was taken to a secret shelter in Kabul before she was flown to the U.S. by a charity to stay with a family.

Aesha is now optimistic and cheerful. She prefers watching Bollywood films rather than American TV. Aesha is being treated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda.

All in all, a reason to feel happy that she is recovering and hopeful. 

Hotel Transylvania – review

Went to celebrate the 118^th birthday of little Mavis, things were more messed up than spooky or funny and hey man, this guy is a sidesplitting monster with strong feeling for her daughter! Bram Stalker’s guy was a blood-sucking vampire whereas Frankenstein is an over protective father.   

To be honest, if you can transform once again into the small kid that you were once upon a time, Hotel Transylvania offers some rollicking time as the lavish five-stake resort is full of all the world’s funny monsters and their families who arrive to celebrate Mavis’ birthday with not humans to bother them.

Everything was fine for Dracula, but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.

Not a great work, but it’s ok, be a kid and laugh it off! 

Stop searching for ‘perfect woman’!

Have you been searching for that ‘perfect’ woman to be your soul mate for long? If your answer is yes, our humble, well-intended advice is; please stop doing it, for there exists none! Don’t get offended, this is not our finding.

According to a recent survey conducted by Remington, a hair care and grooming expert, "perfect female does not exist", says a report in Daily Express.

A total of 2,000 men were approached for the survey, but interestingly not even one said their partner was 100 percent flawless.

The report asserts that modern guys may talk about their "ideal woman" but, in reality, she may not be what he truly wants. As for British men, they rated their partners at just 67 percent perfect, with flaws including watching too many soaps, getting grumpy easily and being obsessed with cleanliness.

The survey says eight in 10 men were convinced the ideal female was not out there. Only a fifth said they would actually want their partners to be perfect while half felt their current partner was "the one" for them.

Haven’t you had ya crap-uccino yet?

Have you heard of any of your friends praising generously the black ivory coffee for its unmatchable taste? Or did you stand wondering how could a cup of black ivory coffee could be so tasty? Then listen, here is the secret: black ivory coffee comes out of an elephant’s rear end, believe it or not.

The new brew of coffee fast gaining popularity and is one of the most expensive in the world at £30 a cup, as every bean used to make it has to be plucked out of a pile of elephant dung, according to Metro News UK.

The report quoted producers in Thailand as saying that feeding the ingredients to their herd of 20 elephants improved the flavour, as the animals’ stomach acid made them less bitter.

And ha, the coffee is rightly named as crap-uccino, that has already become the butt of jokes.

But it seems Canadian Blake Dinkin, who has spent £300,000 developing the idea, may have the last laugh. The first 70kg batch of coffee he produced in northern Thailand has sold out.

‘There’s definitely something wild about it that I can’t put a name on,’ Metro quoted US tourist Ryan Nelson, 31, who tried it at a hotel near the elephants’ home.

'Take our organs, save our husbands'

It’s the agonising story of six women who are left with no option but sell their organs to get the release of their husbands, poor migrant labourers who languish in a Dubai jail, after implicated in a murder case. Law of our land does not allow them to sell their kidneys and they are knocking at the doors of corridors of power to get permission to sell their vital organs.

This is not a scene scripted for a Bollywood potboiler, but a true story that shook the civil society earlier this month. It was seven years ago, six migrant labourers from Karimnagar district were implicated in a Nepali guard’s murder case in Dubai and were put behind the bars.

The six hapless labourers - Shivarathri Mallesh, Shivarathri Ravi, Nampelli Venkati, Dandugula Laxman, Shivarathri Hanumanthu and Syed Kareem (all from Karimnagar district) — went to Dubai with a dream to make some money and look after their families. The days were good when they started their stint in UAE as construction workers, but what fate had in store for them was disastrous.

On a fateful day, a Nepali guard was murdered, and the police, having no clues left, accused the six workers along with four other migrant workers from Pakistan of committing the ghastly crime. Not much probe was done, and all of them were convicted by a local court.

Some of them were sentenced to 24 years of imprisonment while some were given 10 years in jail. Unfortunately, no Telugu speaking advocate was provided by the Indian embassy to defend them in the court of law and they miserably failed in explaining their version, thus leading to their imprisonment.

Back home in Karimnagar district, their wives were a shattered lot. With no land, no money and no one left to support them, they have been wailing in anguish all these years. Several memorandums and representations were made to the authorities, political leaders and human rights organisations, but they all fell in deaf ears.

It has been a tale of utter misery and agony. Though it was not a big deal for the government to intervene and get justice to these suffering families, nothing was done. The family members and the convicts have been undergoing all sorts of pain and mental torture due to poverty and separation.

According to Shariat law, convicts can be released from prison, if the victim’s widow pardons them. Since no help was visible from any side, the women, with the help of some philanthropic organisations, managed to convince the victim’s widow after a prolonged effort, and she has finally agreed to pardon, provided an amount of Rs 15 lac was paid as compensation.

The women approached all and sundry to gather the amount that is very very huge for them, but in vain. All pleas and requests were gone with the wind.

Finally, they came to know that they could get the money by selling their organs, the six women - S Rajavva, S Rena, N Ellavva, S Padma, D Padma and Reshma - approached the AP State Human Rights Commission (APSHRC) with a request to allow them to sell their kidneys to get their jailed husbands’ release from Dubai.

HRC member K Peda Peri Reddy directed Protector of Emigrants and NRI wing of the General Administration Department of the state government to submit a detailed report on the issue by January 17, 2013.

The hapless women said in their petition that their husbands went to Dubai in search of work eight years ago. However, all of them were arrested in connection with a murder case and sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 10 to 24 years.

The petitioners also said that they have made repeated requests to Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Indian Embassy in Dubai to save their husbands and send them back but to no avail. Finally, the murder victim’s family accepted to pardon them on payment of a compensation of Rs 15 lac.

“We had appealed to the Central Government to get our husbands released by paying the compensation since we are poor. However, there has been no response. We are now left with no other option but to sell our organs and pay the proceeds for the release of our husbands,” the women said.

The petitioners urged the HRC to see that they were given permission to sell their kidneys. Peda Peri Reddy sought a report from the Protector of Emigrants and NRI wing of the General Administration Department of the state government to submit a detailed report on the issues by January 17, 2013.

“As family members of migrant labour, we would like to appeal, pray and demand to know if the migrant workers are not protected with Right to Equality, Right to Freedom and Right against Exploitation. And in case of extreme necessity in difficult circumstances, if no help is forthcoming, we have only our bodies to sell and pay the penalty to get our family members back,” said the women.

“Help us or allow us to sell our organs and get our men back home in Karimnagar, so that we can live together even in poverty and share our poverty within the family,” they pleaded.

The Dirty Picture

Let’s admit it. If we can procure a driving license without taking the pain of going to the transport authority office, collecting the form, filling it up, writing a written test and then finally a driving test, we don’t mind (nay, we are more than willing!) paying a small amount of money to the ‘agent’ who gets the things done.

The corruption has spread its tentacles everywhere, right from a common man’s mind to the mightiest office in the country.  Some of these sleaze stories are embarrassing, some annoying, some sickening and yet some unbelievable.

While millions of poor people in Jammu and Kashmir shiver in chilling cold inside their roofless shelters, tons and tons of timber lies undistributed in government depots across the State. Thousands of villagers who lost their habitation due to the thriving coal industry in Jharkhand are deprived of electricity and are living in eternal darkness. (The ‘Coal Capital’ of India, Jharkhand, is one of the highest producers of coal in the country).  People are fighting ‘puppet’ panchayats in rural Chhattisgarh while VIP convicts are ‘enjoying’ their lives behind the huge walls of Chanchalguda prison in Hyderabad.

There is corruption everywhere, every office, every department, every scheme, every district, every state and every government. And the worst still, it seems there is corruption in every man’s mind! In such a scenario how can somebody spearhead any fiery movement against corruption in such a vast democracy like India? 

Anna Hazare tried it. Kejriwals, Bhushans, Bedis and even Baba Ramdev joined the bandwagon. Millions of people across the country came out in the open supporting India Against Corruption (IAC).  But where are they standing now? “This is not the way corruption should be fought. See, Arvind Kejriwal vows to fight corruption and threatens to expose all those who earned huge wealth through illegal means.  At the same time, he accepts huge corporate funding for his political activities. Tomorrow if any of these corporates involve in corruption, how can he expose them with whose money he runs the party?” asks Dosapati Ramu, a young social activist and state general secretary of the youth wing of Lok Satta, a political outfit that is basically formed to fight the malady.

The moral of the story is, fighting corruption in the government may create a buzz and some headlines but, will finally fizzle out with no takers. That explains things. Corruption is not a huge demon that hides in the government. It is omnipresent.  If you try to find it and then blow the whistle, the result may be even fatal.  Remember the story of social activist Niyamat Ansari who was brutally killed for exposing huge financial disorder in the NREGA scheme in Jharkhand? The civil society was shocked to hear the story of how Ansari was picked up from his house by a contractor’s henchman and beaten to death last year. And the government agencies and the police did nothing to get the dead man justice.  This is not a singular incident. 

A 38-year-old businesswoman Shehla Masood was shot dead in Bhopal for using Right to Information Act (RIA) to expose local corruption after she kept losing on government contracts. The murder, till today, is unsolved. She was one among at least 12 whistleblowers killed in India since January 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The report also says at least 40 people were assaulted after seeking information under the law. RTI Act enacted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh six years ago has 529,000 requests filed this year up to March, according to a report.

Yes, RTI is most power rule to fight corruption today in India, but it is dangerous.  Then what is the option? If one has to understand the root cause of corruption, one has to sit and introspect. It is a circle, a vicious one for that matter, that starts from a common individual and ends in himself.  

He pays bribe to an agent for getting his passport, who, in turn, pays bribe to an official in regional passport office, who had to grease the palm of politicians for getting the job, and the politician pays bribe to the common man for getting him elected, whoa!

“People should treat corrupt leaders and officials like untouchables. The crooks should realize that they are regarded worse than septic tanks.  We should also educate youngsters to find out the source of money their parents bring home. If they ever bring any ill-gotten money, family members should treat them with contempt,” Ramu says adding that the entire wealth of a corrupt official should be seized by the authorities making him feel that not even his relatives or children will get any share even if he be convicted for graft.

According to Wikipedia, corruption in India is a major issue and it adversely affects economy. It quotes a 2005 study conducted by Transparency International in India that found more than 62% of Indians had first-hand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices successfully. In its 2008 study, Transparency International reports about 40% of Indians had first-hand experience of paying bribes or using a contact to get a job done in public office.

It may be remembered that In 2011 India was ranked 95th out of 178 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Criminalisation of politics and the nexus among criminals, politicians and bureaucrats in India make things worse. These unholy alliances breed a lot of corruption. Awarding of contracts, tendering processes, setting up of industrial units and such activities make corruption more prevalent in the country.  And the government, which is supposed to root out this evil, is formed by a major chunk of corrupt politicians!

According to official statistics, as of December 2008 alone, 120 out of India's 523 Parliament members were facing criminal charges. The recent scandals that rocked the country involve lakhs of crores of money! Take the biggest of the recent scams be it the 2G spectrum scam, the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam, the Adarsh Housing Society scam, Coal Mining Scam, mining scandal in Karnataka and cash for vote scam, one gets the shock of one’s life to see that those who involved in these skullduggery are high-profile politicians, including Central and state ministers and even chief ministers!

Come elections and all leaders are on ground zero toiling to get votes. They use their ill-gotten wealth to bribe the common men and then get back to power again! And they again form the government and then amass huge wealth in the dark world of corruption. Seeing this and being encouraged by political leaders, the bureaucracy too is lured by the dirty demon called corruption and the morbid saga continues.

www.ipaidabribe.com a website run by Janaagraha Centre for Democracy and Citizenship, an NGO based in Bangalore gets thousands of posts from individuals who are made to give or accept bribe.  More than 20,000 people from 489 cities across the country have already shared their ‘bribing experience’ on the site.

There is only one remedy. Every citizen should first be free of corrupt practices and intentions. Then should take the decision never to give or take bribe and treat those who involve in sleazy practices should get no social dignity. Any politicians with shady background should never be voted into power. When the government is too full of sincere and honest leaders whose only agenda is upholding the principles of the country ensuring a better society, no corrupt practice will prevail any segment. And of course, if the dirty demon raises his ugly head, then it will be battered into pulp, for sure!  

Email glitch scuttles sex party hopes

It was an email glitch that played spoilsport for a sex party organizer who catered to an upmarket clientele in East London. Though the mail was supposed to be confidential and meant to be circulated among ‘closely guarded’ members, a computer virus sent the mail across hundreds of others, leaving the organizer red-faced.

According to a report appeared in the Daily Mail last week, the Killing Kittens parties - run by Emma Sayle, a friend of the Duchess of Cambridge - are known for their discreet nature as well as their exclusivity.

The invitation, addressed to The Sexual Elite, advised clients to book places for the Killing Kittens Christmas party early to avoid disappointment. It also asked them to wear festive underwear or "anything kinky", according to the report.

Sayle sent the mail but realized that she goofed up it entirely when had to answer questions from subscribers about why their email inboxes had started filling up with RSVPs from other named users.

She reportedly admitted that her BlackBerry had been going mad with emails and she had her computer guys working around the clock to try to fix the problem.

Miss Sayle has described herself as "one of the world's leading sextrepreneurs". Her Killing Kittens brand also sells sexual aids and has organized “kidnap role play experiences” for £3,500. 

Chia seeds, the latest superfood!

And if you were wondering what superfood could make you live longer and healthier, here comes the good news!  Chia seeds are fast making comeback as the latest superfood, according to a recent report appeared in New York Times. Chia seeds were a staple of the pre-Columbian Mayan and Aztec diets.

Chia seeds are loaded with omega-3′s, antioxidants, fiber, calcium, protein and a number of other vitamins and minerals. This nutrient-dense food are said to be able to aid with weight loss, control blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease, though none of these claims have been backed up by scientific evidence.

According to Christopher McDougall, the author of “Born to Run,” the seeds’ ability to boost stamina and energy is high, Ancient Aztecs chomped on the seeds as they made their conquests and the Tarahumara Indians today use the seeds to fuel long-distance runs barefoot.

Bloomberg Businessweek says that among Wall Street’s trading desks and bullpens, chia seeds are becoming the stimulant of choice — healthier than coffee, cheaper (and obviously more legal) than cocaine, and less juvenile than a 5-hour energy drink.

Experts say that since the trend has set in, the craze will ensue. “Fellow blogger Jan Cho says, “Whole and ground chia seeds are being added to smoothies, puddings, soups, cereals and a variety of baked goods. It was only a matter of time before they were co-opted by the food industry.”

The seeds have entered the broader market and can now be found in many mainstream grocery stores. Demand for chia products has grown fivefold this past year, says a trader.

Cho writes: In short, “superfoods” are a marketing conceit. Choosing what to eat for health entails simply choosing food that’s real and whole. In fact, I can’t think of any real food that couldn’t also be or hasn’t already been touted as a superfood — whether it’s broccoli or apples or salmon or spinach or walnuts or beans or tofu. Today it just happens to be chia seeds. They’re new, they’re exotic, they have a good back story and they’re extremely versatile. They’re a marketer’s dream.”