1 Lakh Seek Justice For Manipur Youth

Justice for Loitam Richard on Facebook




Justice for Loitam Richard on Facebook
 
By Dipanjan Sinha
 
Bangalore, Apr 30 : A campaign that gets the support of more than one lakh people in a span of a few days, be it in the virtual world of Facebook, clamours for attention.

The one lakh-plus people who have registered support for the Facebook campaign, Justice for Richard Loitam, whose death and subsequent efforts to pass it off as an accident has stirred up a hornet's nest, are angry.

As the group acquires leviathan proportions, the administrators, fearing fiery outpourings, had to close it from external comments.

Richard, a 19-year-old from Imphal West and a student of architecture at Bangalore's Acharya Institute of Architecture, allegedly died of cerebral hemorrhage in his sleep on April 17, hours after he got into a brawl with a fellow student over the remote control while watching an IPL match.

The FIR, however, has no mention of a fight. And a few loose statements on suspicion of drug abuse by Richard only made matters worse.

The thousands who seek justice for Richard are far from satisfied with the proceedings of the investigation. For many others, the incident has served as an eye opener on the way justice can be denied.

The indignation is symbolised in a way by Yogesh Thangjam, who studies in Salem in Tamil Nadu and has travelled to Bangalore to participate in a public protest for the first time tomorrow.

"Brought up in an army background, I have never participated in any political activity. This incident, however, shook me. What happened and the way things are being covered up is scary," he said.

Like Yogesh, thousands from Manipur and other parts of the country will hit the streets in Bangalore, Delhi, Imphal, Pune and Hyderabad tomorrow, said Monika Khangembam, the organiser of the campaign in Bangalore and an administrator of the Facebook campaign.

Justice for Loitam Richard

"We are expecting over a thousand people to turn up in Bangalore. We hope that with the very first move, we can at least make the authorities understand our discontent. Following Sunday's programme, we plan to send a petition to the Prime Minister, demanding a proper investigation," she said.

The campaign is unlikely to end on this note and Monika is battle ready. "We are aware that the going will not be easy, as the institute will try to safeguard its reputation. But we will not give up," she said.

The Imphal chapter of the protest, comprising a candlelight march from Richard's house at Uripok Yambem Leikai till Kangla Gate, will serve another important purpose ' to put pressure on the Manipur government to take an initiative in the case.

State home minister Gaikhangam has written to his Karnataka counterpart R. Ashok to ensure justice, as the incident has scared off other Manipuris residing there.

Anita Sougaijam, who is co-ordinating the movement in Imphal, is confident of a huge turnout.

"We will definitely have a lot of people turning up tomorrow. I hope the government acts on this issue. Government intervention is crucial to bring it to the notice of the higher authorities," she said.

In Delhi, the Manipuri Students' Association, the largest body of Manipuri diaspora in the country, has given a call for a sit-in at Jantar Mantar, followed by a candlelight vigil.

The number of people assuring participation in all these cities is increasing steadily, with numerous rights activists joining in.

Binalakshmi Nepram, founder, Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, and secretary general, Control Arms Foundation of India, said on Facebook that they would leave no stone unturned to ensure justice.

"We must pursue that the institution is held accountable, culprits caught, the roommate and other witnesses interrogated by police and their testimonies kept and the case fought strongly. I also requested Richard's mother to draft a memorandum to be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, the home minister, the Karnataka chief minister, and others. The fight will be long," she said.

People from all walks of life from across the country have joined the group. Many people from Calcutta, where any programme is yet to be planned, are eager to join this campaign for justice.

Journalist Sreecheta Das, who joined the group last night, is hooked to the wall for updates.

So is Pranaadhika Sinha Devburman who wants to initiate the Calcutta chapter of the campaign. The presence of a Prerna Purohit, an Ayesha Siddiqui or a Kunal Ghotge makes it clear that the issue is not just that of Manipur or the Northeast but a larger quest for justice.

Justice for Loitam Richard on Facebook

'Te Amo' Will Showcase Real Picture of Northeast: Rebecca Alemla Changkija

By Raymond Ronamai

Some dream big, some dream small. Some live their dreams while others not. Rebecca Alemla Changkija, from Changki, Mokokchung, Nagaland is one girl who is living her dream big. She is foraying into Bollywood as a producer through the film "Te Amo", which has gone to the floors. She thinks nothing is impossible in life if we really try.

In an exclusive interview to IBTimes, the hard working girl from Nagaland says she will expose the beauty of Northeast through her film. Here are the excerpts from the Interview with Rebecca Alemla Changkija.

You are perhaps the first person from Nagaland state or even maybe from Northeast India to produce a Bollywood film. How is Bollywood treating you?

I feel really honoured. Since my 2nd standard, I used to dream about Bollywood. Well those days, serials like "Chandrakanta," "Mogli" and "Cinderella" used to be my favourite, so it's truly like a dream come true (to be in Bollywood).  It does not matter at all whether I am the first producer from Nagaland or from Northeast. At the end of the day, what matters is 'wisdoms from God' and how you make your 'dreams possible'. Nothing is impossible in life if you give your 100 %. Of course I sincerely enjoy the love and care from my well wishers and my loved ones.  Working in Bollywood really needs lots of hard work, passion and patience, and I have a long way to go, still learning and yet to learn a lot. I am just like a new born baby here and I wanna gown up really big here in Bollywood as a good human being and a great filmmaker.

What is your film "Te Amo" all about?
"Te Amo" is based on the story of young boys who are trying to make it big in the music industry. Although the backdrop of the movie is musical entertainer with youth comedy, the movie basically is an emotional love story of the main lead singer and his childhood friend. It will be shot in North Eastern states like Shillong (Meghalaya), Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, and I hope it becomes a big hit. It has more than 10 songs for today's youth with music by real time musical bands. More than four music directors are composing the tracks for the movie.

"Te Amo" is a Hindi film but the title draws lots of curiosity as it is a Spanish word meaning 'I Love You'. Any special reason behind the title of the film?
"Te Amo" though a Spanish word is a song from "Dum Maro Dum" and youth knows that very well. As far as other viewers are concerned, we are having the words "I love you" in the posters which will make it clear that it's a Hindi movie. We wanted a title different from the regular movies.

You said the film will be shot entirely in Northeast. It will be sort of a visual treat from Northeast for Indians who haven't visited the region.
Oh Yes, many people do not know how beautiful Northeast is - rich culture, hospitality etc. Hope "Te Amo" brings the real picture of Northeast for those people who have less knowledge of the region.

Do you think you can capture the beauty of the region better than the others (Bollywood filmmakers), you being from the region?
Since I am from Northeast, I have a better knowledge of the locations out there, which are still unexposed in Bollywood. Moreover, I have a very creative team who are involved in this movie project. They make simple location look beautiful. So now, since we have a lovely location, my hopes are doubled that they will capture the entire place better than any other films made till date.

Please tell us about the cast of your film?
The lead actor is Panhk Awani. He was Mr Chhattisgarh 2011 and holds more than 25 titles to his credit. Actor and model Asif Khan and Japanese supermodel Ayoko play main supporting roles. Naga actor Chuzho Zhokhoi and singer Alobo Naga are also in the cast. Two rock bands from Northeast will also perform in the movie. However, the casting for the lead actress is still on.

Casting a person from Northeast in the lead role could give a different feel to the film. What do you say?
Well, according to our script, lead role from Northeast will not suit, but yes we have few actors from Nagaland. Hope "Te Amo" brings lots of love and peace among us.

Tell us something about the director of the movie.
Writer and director Shiraz Henry is into fashion photography and also the chief of photography for an international Bollywood magazine BNA Germany. He has a long record of capturing ads, photographs etc. and is a successful photographer in Bollywood . His first movie '"Beyond the 3rd Kind", which is aimed for film festivals across the globe, has been completed. "Te Amo" is his second movie and he plans to shoot it like a Hollywood movie with songs, dance, comedy and youth. He is working in few more projects which have already been launched and will be shot after "Te Amo".

The first song of the film was recorded with singers Shahid Mallya and Pamela Jain. Has the song come out good?
Oh yes, our first song is been recorded successfully very romantic and melodious song. Working with them was an amazing experience.

The first song was composed by Abuzar Rizvi. How was it working with him?
Music Director Abuzar Rizvi and lyricist Anjaan Sagari of "Welcome" fame have done excellent job. Can't ask for more. Hats off to both of them.

Are you roping in well known singers and musicians for the film?
Bollywood well known singer Shaan and Alobo Naga & Band from Nagaland will grace with their melodious voice.

Do you think small-budgeted films without star actors can be successful at the box office?
Someone has rightly said that 'there is no such thing as small budget or big budget movies; a movie is either good movie or a bad movie'. As far as new faces in lead roles are concerned, these days movies like "Pyaar Ka Punchnama", "Tere bin Laden" etc have done good business at the box office though they didn't have established actors. We are making this movie for the youth with 'out and out comedy', music and romance that no youth would like to miss.

Any projects in offing from your production house Find Studioz?
Find Studioz is currently producing a movie for film festival titled "The Horizon & The Adopted" besides "Te Amo". Then there is a commercial Hindi film titled "Vampire Sucks", which is an out and out comedy with international actor Brandon J.Hill playing the vampires role. This project will be shot in the exotic location of Cherapunjee and will have humour of different genre.

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail: r.ronamai@ibtimes.com

Does Attire Define A Woman?

By Rebika Laishram

In a land of salwar kameez and sarees, a young Mongoloid damsel walking around the streets in her shorts with a flip-flop and a fringe cut is almost looked down as someone who has defied all moral sanctity.

If clothes don't make a man, why do women from the northeast in their short skirts raise so many eyebrows?

They often seem to bear the brunt for not adhering to the Indian standard cultural norms of an ideal woman's clothing. Those spotted with short skirts and sleeveless dress are quickly branded hussies. If this is the yardstick, moral values would entail nothing more than a few more yards of clothes draped around a woman's body.

A fully clothed woman is neither the moral custodian nor epitome of society. The question is, should one be demonised based on one's attire?

It is only a matter of cultural ignorance that women from the northeast are often accused of encouraging promiscuity. An insight into the northeastern culture would unveil that the society is equally conservative and traditional like elsewhere in India. All the northeastern States have a very rich culture and each is represented by its very own intricate traditional attires: Innaphi (Manipur), Eking (Meghalaya), Puan (Mizoram) Rina (Tripura), Naga shawls (Nagaland) Mekhala and Chadar (Assam).

Unlike in mainland India, traditional dresses in the urban northeast are not an everyday wardrobe like a saree or salwar kameez. They are worn elegantly on festive occasions, with the exception of Mekhala or Phanek (wrap-around), which are mostly worn by women across the region. A testimony to the vibrancy of the northeast culture is the Hornbill festival held annually in Nagaland.

Being predominantly Mongoloid inhabited, the northeast has a strong allegiance to other Mongoloid culture. The strongest of all cultural influences has been the Korean culture. Over the last couple of years, the Korean fad has been creating a bandwagon effect among youth in these States. Style is something very inherent in the culture; adoption of the Korean hairstyle or clothing is common in the region. Short skirts are clothes that women wear to workplaces or even to congregations like Sunday churches. So, a man getting excited on seeing the display of few more inches of a woman's skin in mainland India is quite an unknown phenomenon in the northeast.

Even when they step outside their region, the women carry the style element with them gracefully and comfortably. But due to the stark cultural difference in mainland India, there is often an indisposition to accepting them, especially the northeast women living in metropolitan cities.

On the other hand, these women have a cultural shock when they come to metropolitan cities; they are constantly harassed because of their distinctive Mongoloid features, additionally fuelled by their choice of attire. In a land of salwar kameez and sarees, a young Mongoloid damsel walking around the streets in her shorts with a flip-flop and a fringe cut is almost looked down as someone who has defied all moral sanctity. But if we are a country that takes pride in being multicultural and multiracial, who actually is a cultural misfit is a question that looms at large.

If we take a closer look at what makes some women intentionally dress up as glam dolls, giving ultra exposure to their body, it would reveal that it has nothing much to do with any region-specific culture. It is rather more of a social norm that when one is away from the safeguards of home, one often tends to exert one's subjugated independence. This holds true for both men and women, irrespective of their regional and cultural background.

According to research findings, around 66 per cent of people in the northeast migrate to other parts of India for higher studies and 30 per cent for employment. With the increasing exodus, the northeastern woman's short skirt could very well be seen through a lens other than racial. Much stands common between a northeast girl's skimpy skirts, a Sikh youth's spiked hair or a Brahmin yuppie's fascination for beef or pork.

These could very well be symbols of rebellion against the values they have grown up with, but never believed in the discovery of their selves which might have been hiding somewhere for fear of their daddy's heavy hand. They are aspirations and expressions which failed to take wing back home; or, for that matter, they could symbolise anything at all but what they surely do not symbolise is that the pretty lady in hot pants is hooking around just because she is wearing hot pants.

What is questionable is the outlook of people who, on the pretext of morality, prowl around in dark, empty streets to pounce on vulnerable women. Had casing the northeast woman in the whole nine yards been the solution, then perhaps a law to that effect could have been implemented. But such a suggestive code of conduct could only mean the end of any progressive society. What is required is the taming of social bestiality of racial discrimination and not penalisation of the women of the northeast for falling short of a few inches of their skirts and sleeves.

What is nudity and not socially acceptable is not the bare skin of these women but the exhibition of vulgar virility in mainland India. The machismo is manifested in the eagerness to grope these women knowing that they are immigrant-outsiders, less resourceful and easy prey. If caught in the act, it's easy; you can always get away by saying kapadey hi aise pehentay hai ye chinki ladkiya (These girls with small eyes wear such sort of dress).

What you wear is a matter of personal choice; it cannot be a social dictum. The length of a woman's skirt cannot be the foundation for society's moral values.

(The writer is Senior Manager, Communications, Sambodhi Research and Communications. Email: rebika.laishram@gmail.com)

Shut Down Air India? Who Else Will Fly To Northeast India?

Airlines in the red, rising airfares and a sick industry - civil aviation minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh may have run into rough weather in his new job, but the pressures of his work sit lightly on him.

He tells Shobha John that though this happened because of too-fast growth, it's a passing phase as aviation is at take-off stage with a growing middle-class demand and great potential in tier 2 and 3 cities.

Airport charges in Delhi have been hiked greatly. What's the use of privatization if passengers are going to be burdened further?

These charges go up over a five-year period. For the last three years, they didn't . So the airport is trying to recover them now and there will be a steep rise. Meanwhile, in less than two years, user development fees will be non-existent.

Air India has been given a Rs 30,000 crore equity infusion. Will it give the much-needed impetus for a turnaround ?

AI's equity and interest rate ratio was skewed. Its interest burden should go down by Rs 1,000 crore a year with this infusion. But don't forget, this is a service industry and the customer is king. AI has to change its culture. It had an excellent reputation but we have to infuse fresh spirit. Of course, the merger of AI and IA created problems. But there will be parity in pay scales between both after implementation of the Dharmadhikari report. And no one will be laid off.

What are your plans for AI's turnaround ?

We have set stringent milestones. We cannot keep pouring public money into AI. With Rs 43,000 crore debt, no one will buy this airline. Its ontime performance has to go up from the present 72% to 90% in two years, passenger load factor should be 73% by 2015 and teams will be appointed for speedy monetization of its assets, be it property or paintings. They will decide whether to lease or sell them.

We hope to generate Rs 5,000 crore in 10 years this way. As regards fleet utilization and yield, by 2013-14 , the difference between AI and the market leader should not be less than 3% and 5% respectively. And while its employee/ plane ratio is considered high, it's similar to airlines in France and the UK.

Also, don't forget the services AI offers --ground handling and engineering MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities. With both expected to be hived off, AI can service other airlines too.

But there are calls for AI to be shut down.

We cannot shut it down. If we did, what would happen to connectivity to the north-east ? Who would do the uneconomical routes? People don't realize the consequences of shutting down AI. This is not a free-market enterprise.

Will FDI in aviation take off or flounder like in retail?

I am hopeful. We want other airlines to invest here. The commerce ministry hasn't got any objections in this regard . FDI in retail is different as it affects far more lives than aviation does.

Detractors say FDI is being brought in to favour Kingfisher.

People said the same thing when we allowed import of ATF ( aviation turbine fuel). But which was the first airline to do so? SpiceJet. Policies aren't meant for one airline alone. Already, there is 100% FDI in cargo and 74% in non-scheduled operations. Routes will also be vetted by the home ministry, so where's the problem? We've also given licenses to eight regional airlines.

You said Kingfisher can't be closed down just because it's making losses . But shouldn't tougher action be taken if passengers suffer?
Yes, Kingfisher didn't stick to its promises twice but when the government said it won't bail it out, the airline came around. It needs capital infusion but it's for the owner to decide.

But the real reason for floundering airlines is high ATF prices and sales tax on it. If Chhattisgarh and Kerala can reduce sales tax from 32% to 4%, why can't others?
We have appealed to states but haven't got much response. We will keep at it. States should realize that reduced sales tax will increase business and tourism.

Some foreign carriers want to increase flights to India after exhausting their bilateral rights. Will India ask for similar rights?

We have given the okay for 250 new flights to countries such as Kazakhstan and in a few months, this will go up to 400. Until India exhausts its bilateral rights, we won't give more to foreign airlines. India should have become a major aviation hub by now.

Manipur MP Moves Bill To Protect State Territory

Guwahati, Apr 29 : Inner Manipur MP Thokchom Meinya Singh on Saturday moved a Private Member Bill in Lok Sabha calling for protection and preservation of the state's territorial integrity.

He proposed insertion of a new Article - 371 CA - in the Constitution as a special provision for Manipur.

The bill said that Article 3 of the Constitution of India shall not apply to the state of Manipur - meaning the Centre's power and authority to change the boundary of any state of the Union under Article 3 shall not apply in the case of Manipur.

According to the MP, the new Article envisages complete protection and preservation of the geographical area of Manipur as it existed at the time of its merger with the Indian Union in 1949.

An amendment in article 3 to protect Manipur's boundary has been a longstanding demand of Manipuris who fear that the Centre might sacrifice the state's territory while negotiating with Naga rebels.

Meinya's move came at a time when the Centre is planning to finalize a peace deal with NSCN (IM), which is demanding integration of all Naga-inhabited areas of the northeast under one administrative roof. Manipur has been opposing any move to slice its territory while trying to bargain for a solution with the militants.

During the summer of 2010, the Manipur government had barred NSCN (IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah to visit his native Somdal village in Ukhrul district of the state despite getting a clearance from the Union home ministry. Manipur government had argued that Muivah's visit will disturb peace in the state.

In June 2001, Manipur erupted in anger when the Centre tried to extend the ceasefire with NSCN (IM) beyond Nagaland.

Around 18 protestors were killed in police firing when agitators burnt down the state assembly building in protest against the Centre's move. The government had to make a U-turn and limit the ceasefire within Nagaland to tame the violent protests.

Assam Youth's Sex Change Surgery Issue Reaches Bombay High Court

By Sandip Chaudhary


Mumbai, Apr 28 : The case of a 21-year-old youth from Guwahati, Bidhan Barua, has reached the Bombay High Court with the youth pleading that his parents be restrained from preventing the sex change surgery.

On Wednesday, Bidhan Barua filed a petition in the high court alleging that his parents have stalled a scheduled sex change operation at Saifee Hospital on April 17.

Bidhan is in a relationship with an Indian Air Force flight lieutenant and wants to undergo sex change surgery to play wife to his lover.

Bidhan's father Supta Ranjan Barua told India TV over phone that "such a thing has never happened in our society".

Bidhan's father denied charges that he was giving threats to his son. "He is in wrong company and is working under pressure".

The youth's father also said, "if parents do not want, no court on earth can change the sex of their offspring. It is the duty of every Indian to bring my son on the right path, and I would request his lawyer to abstain from this case."

Bidhan, who prefers to call himself Swati, told India TV in a live telecast that he had dreamed since his childhood to become a woman.

The doctors at Saifee Hospital, he says, have now refused to operate upon him until they get a go-ahead from the HC.

In his petition, represented by advocate Ejaz Abbas Naqvi, Bidhan, a second year commerce student, says he realised early in his life that he was born the wrong sex. He preferred to dress like girls and was effeminate.

While this caused his family a lot of embarrassment in conservative Guwahati, where the Baruas are based, Bidhan himself was desperate to break free, reports Mumbai Mirror.

“My family was ashamed of me. They would often ill-treat me - beat me up and use abusive language. I was made to do all the housework too.”

When he was in class seven, Bidhan, through help from the Internet, realised medical science could help him become what he wanted to be.

As soon as he was out of school, Bidhan began taking up odd jobs to save money for the operation that would set him free.

On March 2 this year, he got a psychiatric evaluation done in Maligaon, Guwahati to check if he was ready for a sex reassignment surgery. The test was positive.

The doctors recommended Mumbai’s Saifee Hospital for the surgery.

On March 31, Bidhan ran away from his home and came to Mumbai, where he lived with his cousin. But his father, Supta Ranjan Barua, chased him down.

Barua, a cook with Northern Railway, not only threatened Bidhan that he would kill both him and his Air Force officer boyfriend if he went ahead with the operation, but also approached Saifee Hospital and asked them to not go ahead with the operation.

“My father went to the extent of issuing threats to have me kidnapped by ULFA militants,” says Bidhan.

Barua, who has three children (Bidhan being the youngest), has his own predicament. 

I have asked him to complete his graduation before he decides (on the surgery).

"He has always misbehaved at home. I have my own parents to answer to. If a son is born to me and years later says he wants to turn into a woman, isn't it a matter of shame?”

Psychiatrist Dr Yusuf Matcheswala, who did Barua's psychological evaluation in Mumbai, has held him fit for sex
reassignment because he had gender dysphoria.

“We determine if a person has a genuine gender disorder and is fit to take his own decisions.The man should take his parents into confidence and, if required, go for counselling. The parents need to understand that if not allowed to undergo the change, he could even end up committing suicide.”

The surgery costs between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh.

Bidhan has managed to save enough for the operation by doing small-time jobs. However, he is looking for financial help.

Dr Kalpesh Gajjiwala, who was to carry out the operation, pointed out that it was not a onetime surgery but a life-changing procedure.

"It involves many aspects, including psychological and social. It is important to secure the permission and involvement of the parents as well before the person takes the plunge. I will not take sides in this matter. Let the court decide and I will follow the court's order."

Loitam Richard 'Murder' Case: Relatives Say College Authorities Trying To Cover Up The Case

By Manoj Kumar

Bangalore, Apr 28 : Loitam Richard, 19, from Manipur died in Bangalore on April 18 night after allegedly beaten by two of his hostel mates. Richard was an Architecture Engineering first year student of Acharya NRV School of Architecture, Bangalore.

There were various contradicting reports over the death of Richard. Some indicate that he got into a brawl with his seniors for a remote control while watching the Indian Premiere League (IPL) match on TV and they assaulted him that led to his death.

Overdose of drugs was also perceived as another cause.

A minor accident to Richard that took place two days before his death was also touted as a reason.

However, Richard's family members and friends, who saw his body, said that his face was bruised, had injuries all over the body and he would have probably suffered a heavy blood loss before he breathed his last in his hostel bed.

They said the marks on Richard's body clearly indicated that he had been physically assaulted which  resulted in his death. The Bangalore police had not made a single arrest in connection with the case even 10 days after the incident, they alleged.

Talking to the IBTimes, Richard's uncle Bobby Loitam, who is being in close contact with the police team probing the developments related to the case, said: "The police officials informed me that any arrest can be made only after receiving the final postmortem report as there are speculations over the timing of Richard's death."

"Once the date of the death of Richard was confirmed, the police officials said that they would make arrest(s)," he added.

Further, he alleged that the college authorities were trying to cover up the case as it would hit the public image of their institution. The authorities were reluctant to bring out the facts involved in Richard's suspicious death, he said.

"They (college officials) are trying to cover up something. There are eyewitness who said that Richard was assaulted by one student named Syed Afjal Ali in the hostel premises. However, the authorities didn't look into the issue and see what happen to our boy after that," he said.

A doctor was called to attend Richard, who was lying still in bed, by the hostel authorities when they were informed about his condition by fellow students. And he was confirmed dead by the doctor in the hostel itself.

Vasundhara Potsangbam, a Civil Engineering student studying in the same college and a close friend of Richard, refuted the speculations that his friend died of drugs overdose.

"In any chance Richard was a drug addict, his roommates would have surely been aware of it and would have informed to the warden regarding his 'drug abuse'. But, no such complaints were made," Potsangbam said.

"I didn't witness the fight or I don't know the reason for the fight, either, as I was out of the hostel. But one thing is for sure that it was a 'murder', he was beaten to death," he added.

The metropolitan cities in India often witness incidents where students from Northeast are harassed and attacked for various reasons, which amounts to racial discrimination.

A rally demanding justice for Richard will be held at Town Hall, JC Road, Bangalore, and other Indian cities on Sunday.

Vintage Cannons Set To Return To Mizoram

Aizawl, Apr 27 : The statement said yesterday that chief minister Lal Thanhawla was given the assurance by the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and the Director General of Assam Rifles Maj Gen R K Lakhanpal in New Delhi that the two cannons used in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 would be returned to Aizawl on or before May 15, 2012.

"The Union Home Minister and DG of the Assam Rifles understood the sentiments of the Mizo people and told Lal Thanhawla during a meeting in Delhi recently that the cannons would be returned soon," the statement said.

INTACH (Mizoram Chapter) has been demanding the return of the two pieces of the historic artillery after the first battalion of the Assam Rifles took them away in 2003 and their absence from the Quarter guard of the Assam Rifles battalion headquarters, after being there for more than a century, was extremely conspicuous.

Earlier, the Union Home Ministry and the Assam Rifles authorities had said that the cannons were war trophies and should be kept by them while the INTACH said that J Shakespear, who displayed the cannons at the quarter guard of the Assam Rifles that time, was a civilian administrator.

World Bank Now in Myanmar

Washington: The World Bank will open an office in Myanmar in June, a bank official said Thursday.
"In early June, we will be opening an office in Myanmar, which will be led by a new country manager," said Pamela Cox, World Bank vice president for East Asia and Pacific Region, Xinhua reported.

Cox said she will travel to Myanmar to gain a firsthand assessment of the situation.

"Our primary goal is to help the people of Myanmar," Cox said. "This is a country which has been closed to the outside world for decades -- so we're now preparing a strategy to guide our work with the government to improve services for the people -- and assist in tackling the country's development challenges."

Before the Bank launches its program in Myanmar, the unpaid debts of the country should be cleared, which include $393 million to the World Bank, about $500 million to the Asian Development Bank, said Cox.

Sunny Leone Sells Mobile Phones Now

Sunny Leone as brand ambassador of Chaze Mobiles

New Delhi, Apr 27 : India's moral police may soon have a tough task at hand with an unknown, small firm launching what would pass off as India's first phone endorsed by a real-life porn queen.

Having signed on Canadian porn star of Indian origin Sunny Leone as its brand ambassador, Chaze on Thursday said "the upcoming Bollywood actress" would launch its mobile handsets with "mass appeal". It even released a picture of Leone as if she were at a press event launching the phones since having her to do that at an actual event in New Delhi may well have been fraught with unforeseen reactions.

When queried, the PR representatives of Chaze Mobiles, PerceptProfile, revealed the still had been shot during the porn star's "first-ever TVC shoot" for the firm at "exotic locales" of Thailand. The ad will soon be beamed during prime time on Indian television.

The imagery and association with Leone who is better known as a porn star than as an actress seems to indicate how Chaze Mobiles wants to position its product in an extremely cluttered low-end handsets market. However, steering clear of Leone's controversial past, the company described her simply as a "rising actress".

"I am very excited to be associated with such a young and vibrant brand like Chaze. I chose to associate with 'Brand Chaze' because I am really impressed by Chaze's ideology of bringing out mobile technology for the masses and personally feel connected with their vision," the press release quoted Leone as saying.

It remains to be seen how the market takes to Leone-endorsed phones. Boosted by a saucy TVC by Leone, Chaze may well gain an upper hand in the segment still dominated by cheap Chinese phones.

Chaze has launched two entry-level models C123 and Jewel; C555 which boasts a "big screen and big sound" (sans any specs whatsoever); C234 (a "touch and type"phone) and C99, a "full soft touch multimedia phone".

The company claimed its phones will be powered by "avant-garde features" such as dual SIM, auto call recording, answering machine, multimedia, big speakers, and last, but not the least, a spy camera! All models are priced between Rs 1500 and Rs 3500.

Are You Sexy? You Could Travel For Free

• New website sets up attractive travellers with high-rollers
• Calls for open-minded people who lack money for travel
• Founder denies allegations it's a "front for prostitution"

A new website aims to set up beautiful but broke women with high-rolling male travellers. Picture: Screenshot from Miss Travel

SEXY and you know it? Longing to travel the world?

A controversial new website promises to set up attractive women with high-rolling and “generous” men willing to pay for a beautiful travel companion.

The Miss Travel site launched this week, calls for “open minded people who love to travel, but lack the budget to do so”.

The site has been accused of being a front for prostitution, with Gawker calling it the “#1 prosti-travel website”.

Founder Brandon Wade rejects the claims, telling US media that escorts are not allowed to use the site, no money is exchanged and sex is not discussed on the website.

A quick glance at the site brings up a flood of sexy pictures, including women in bikinis.

As well as having to post a photo, “attractive” travellers are required to reveal their age, build, hair and eye colour, race and height.

Among the ad descriptions are “Hot Girl seeks Financially stable man”, “Naughty babe looking for a sugardadie “, “Model/ PhD student @ yr disposition” and “Smart. Classy, sophisticated lady.”

The site reminds members that online dating is “risky”, and experts say meeting someone in this way is not usually a recipe for a successful relationship.

“Relationships steeped in equality, mutual respect and intimacy do not begin with ‘Fund my travel experience because I'm hot',” sexologist and relationship expert Logan Levkoff told Msnbc.com.

Mr Wade is also CEO of the controversial “sugar daddy” site seekingarrangement.com and seekingmillionaire.com.

Central YMA 'Pained' By HPC-D's Allegations

Aizawl, Apr 27 : The central body of the Young Mizo Association(YMA) today expressed shock over the underground outfit Hmar People's Convention-Democratic (HPC-D) charging baseless allegations against its president and forcibly dissolving YMA branches under the outfit's command area.

"The central YMA is deeply pained by the HPC-D allegations of the central YMA president of making remarks that he never did. The HPC-D must provide clinching evidence to its allegations," said a central YMA statement.

Reacting to the HPC-D's allegations that the central YMA leaders did not make any attempt to communicate the outfit's leaders, the central YMA also maintained that every effort was made to locate the HPC-D leaders' mobile numbers right from April 18, the day after the outfit served a diktat to the YMA leaders to resign.

The central YMA managed to communicate with the faction leader H Zosangbera on April 23.

But, he did not pick up his phone when another call was placed on the next day, April 24, the statement said.

However, the HPC-D self-styled army chief Ropuia was communicated with on this day and he was informed of the central YMA's willingness to resolve the issue across the table. The "army chief" too, refused to pick up a call the next day. "The central YMA could not make any progress in its attempt to talk to the HPC-D leaders. The central YMA, however, remain open to any dialogue," it said.

Refuting the HPC-D's allegations, the central YMA maintained that it stands for unity of all Mizo ethnic tribes within and outside Mizoram.

"Contrary to the HPC-D's allegations, the central YMA has done its best to give comfort to Mizo ethnic tribes who had taken refuge in Mizoram following communal violence in the neighbouring states," the statement said. The central YMA will remain intolerant to communal politics that threatens the unity of Mizo tribes and territorial integrity of Mizoram, it said.

'If Bangladesh Grows, Northeast India Would Develop Too'

Agartala, Apr 27 : India, Bangladesh and other countries in the region should strengthen existing rail, road and water linkages for their prosperity since "if Bangladesh grows, northeast India would also develop", said Bangladesh's envoy and other experts here.

Bangladesh High Commissioner Tariq Ahmad Karim stressed on development that would "make them truly land-linked with even more prosperous regions beyond".

Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) acting director general Sarvajit Chakravarti pointed out that "Dhaka and New Delhi have sorted out most outstanding and difficult issues", while a professor suggested that "economic cooperation between India and Bangladesh must go hand in hand with strong political support".

Addressing an international seminar here Thursday, Karim said: "Bangladesh has already agreed to allow India, Nepal and Bhutan to use Chittagong and Mongla international ports in that country as well with transit through its own country."

He said: "These ports would facilitate sea-going access for the land-locked BIMSTEC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Economic Cooperation) regions with Sri Lanka in the southeast and Thailand in the east, and beyond."

"Recent visit of India and Bangladesh leaders in each others' countries...demonstrate the growing interest of the northeast Indian states in Bangladesh as a development partner that would free them of the epithet `land-locked' and make them truly land-linked with even more prosperous regions beyond."

The two-day seminar on "Northeast India in Transition: Tripura - the Commerce and Connectivity Corridor between India and Bangladesh" was organised by Kolkata-based Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies.

Karim said that it is in everyone's larger interest that the agreement on Teesta river water sharing should be signed as quickly as possible and joint study of Manipur's Tipaimukh hydel power project should be speedily undertaken to clear the air of misconceptions.

"Bangladesh want to achieve a growth rate much much higher than today's little over six percent, as India wants to soar from its current national average of a little over seven percent. But India's national average is pulled down by the northeast India's low average of four percent. If Bangladesh grows, northeast India would also develop and if northeast grows, India's national average would also surge higher," Karim said.

ICWA's Chakravarti said: "As part of mutual cooperation, India gave $830 million to Bangladesh as grant to develop its infrastructure. It has used so far $83 million."

"Both Dhaka and New Delhi have sorted out most outstanding and difficult issues, some of their implementations have remained unfulfilled," Chakravarti said, adding that within the next few months active movements of goods via Bangladesh are expected.

"The Indian missions in Bangladesh have been issuing several thousand visas everyday to Bangladeshi citizens to visit India. We are constantly creating an atmosphere of trust," he stated.

Chakravarti said that to reinforce the business and economy between India and Bangladesh, New Delhi has removed all negative list of items allowing them into India without any restrictions.

"India and Bangladesh have taken positive steps to invest in each other countries. The investment would help for rapid development of all social parameters of the two neighbours."

India's northeastern states are surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China and the only land route access to these states from within India is through Assam. But this route passes through hilly terrain with steep roads and multiple hairpin bends.

Agartala is 1,650 km from Kolkata and 2,637 km from New Delhi via Shillong and Guwahati whereas the distance between the Tripura capital and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just about 350 km.

Kolkata's Jadavpur University professor Om Prakash Mishra said that "most people in India and abroad have very little knowledge about the mountainous northeastern region though it has huge untapped natural as well as human resources".

"Economic cooperation between India and Bangladesh must go hand in hand with strong political support from the highest places of the two close neighbours," said Mishra.

Tripura (Central) University Vice-Chancellor Arunoday Saha said that the university would soon open a "Center for Bangladesh studies" in association with Dhaka University and Jamia Milia Islamia in New Delhi.

German Diplomat Assures Help To Mizoram

Kolkata, Apr 26 : Kolkata-based Germany consul general Rainer Schmiedchen today assured all possible assistance to Mizoram to help the state's economy move ahead.

Mr Schmiedchen, who was on his maiden visit to Mizoram, called on Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla at the latter's bungalow and told him that the hospitality of the people of Mizoram and the state's natural beauties impressed him at first sight.

The German consul general said he was willing to help Mizoram students pursue technical education in Germany and help them get visas easily.

Germany is keen to expand its economic relations with India to Mizoram to help the state grow faster, he told the CM.

The CM also told the German diplomat about the natural resources like oil and gas in Mizoram being explored by major national and international companies.

Meghalaya CM Alleges Discrimination Against Students From Northeast

Gurgaon/Shillong, Apr 26 : A day after an MBA student was found dead in her hostel room in Amity University's Gurgaon campus, she has been identified as Dana Sangma, niece of Meghalya chief minister Mukul Sangma. The city police on Wednesday registered an FIR against the university's administration.

In Shillong, chief minister Sangma described his niece's suicide as a "result of discrimination" by the authorities of the institute. "Primary evidence suggests that the girl was thrown out of an examination hall after the invigilator found a mobile phone with her," Sangma said.

The CM also said that students from the northeast are regularly subjected to humiliation by the university, which, he said, could also be true in the case of his niece. "This could have resulted in mental pressure that pushed the girl to take the extreme step," he added.

"There have been many instances of students from the northeast being subjected to all kinds of atrocities and discrimination," Sangma told reporters.

Police filed the FIR after a complaint was lodged by Dana's aunt Sofia. Twenty one-year-old Dana's body was found on Tuesday afternoon after she returned from the examination hall.

Investigators said that during the examination, the university officials caught the victim cheating through a mobile phone. "The girl might have committed suicide as its fallout," police officers said.

Sangma's daughter Miani Shira, a student of SRCC, said the university authorities compelled Dana to take the extreme step. She alleged that Dana was traumatized.

"All such practices should stop. The university authorities also did not inform her family members about the incident. We have filed the FIR seeking action against whoever is responsible for this," Miani said.

The university has rejected all allegations of torture or pressure. Vice chancellor of the Amity University (Gurgaon), Major Gen (retd) B S Suhag said they have no personal agenda against any student. "She was a nice student and we never received any complaint against her.

The invigilator had reported a case of using unfair means when she was caught with her mobile phone in the exam hall," Suhag said.

Tamenglong Under Scanner For Hepatitis B

Imphal, Apr 26 : The Manipur health services department is all set to hold a widespread Hepatitis B awareness programme in the remote Tamenglong district after nearly 30 persons from Noney and its surrounding areas in the district were tested positive for the disease.

During the programme, to be conducted immediately, family members of those who tested persons would also be tested. One girl reportedly died of Hepatitis B last month. The viral disease usually affects the liver.

Zeliangrong-dominated Tamenglong is one of the neglected districts of the state, particularly in healthcare.

Health department director Sh Shurchandra Sharma said the medical officer of the primary health centre at Noney reported last month that 16 persons from Noney and its surrounding areas were tested positive for Hepatitis B.

The department further collected blood samples from four of these 16 people and examined these at the state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in the state capital on March 28 for further confirmation, which too tested positive, Sharma said in a statement.

On April 3, hordes of civil and anti-drug bodies - Zeliangrong Students Union, Manipur (ZSUM), All Manipur Anti Drug Association (Amada), Inpui Naga Students' Union (INSU) and two prominent private diagnostics units organized medical camps in Noney and Tupul villages. A specialist from the centre-run Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here, JNIMS as well as chief medical officer, Tamenglong spoke in depth on the epidemic, the statement said.

Amid Uncertainty, Reang Refugees To Return To Mizoram

Kanchanpur (Tripura), Apr 25 : The much-awaited repatriation of Reang tribal refugees from Tripura to adjoining Mizoram is set to resume Thursday, but there is still uncertainty over whether all the migrants in six camps will return home, officials said Wednesday.

'A total of 669 tribal families comprising about 3,655 men, women and children are likely to be sent back in five phases starting Thursday,' North Tripura district magistrate Parshanta Kumar told IANS by phone.

By May 15, the tribal refugees would be repatriated to their villages under Mamit district in western Mizoram.

He said: 'A team of Mizoram government officials has been camping in Kanchanpur in north Tripura to take back the refugees. They also held meetings with Tripura's district officials. The Tripura government would provide all logistical support for the purpose.'

'The refugees' main demands before repatriation was to a tripartite agreement between Mizoram, central governments and the tribal inmates,' Kumar said adding 'our officials are providing all possible assistance to the Mizoram government officials to make the process trouble-free'.

According to him, the repatriation of the remaining refugees is not yet finalised.

Since October 1997, over 41,000 Reang tribal refugees, locally called Bru, have taken shelter in six camps in north Tripura's Kanchanpur sub-division, adjacent to western Mizoram.

They had fled their villages after ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos over the killing of a Mizo forest official.

The stalled repatriation process has been restarted after union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's visit to Mizoram last month and a series of meetings with Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and senior officials.

Refugee leaders have been insisting that without signing a tri-partite agreement between them, Mizoram and the central government, post-repatriation activities and works, including rehabilitation of the refugees, will remain uncertain.

Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) president A. Sawibunga said: 'We would not create any impediment in the repatriation process, but a large number of common refugees are not fully influenced by the verbal assurance of the central and Mizoram governments.'

The refugees, lodged in six camps in northern Tripura, 180 km north of Agartala, have occasionally organised protest rallies.

'All 36,000 refugees are inhabitants of Mizoram. The Mizo political parties and NGOs are trying to upset the repatriation process by making new issues of considering the 1995 electoral list as the cut-off year for repatriation,' MBDPF president told IANS on phone from north Tripura.

'The long-awaited repatriation of Reang refugees had resumed April 12 last year, but the process was stopped as most refugees were unwilling to return without a written assurance from the Mizoram government,' a Tripura government official said in Agartala.

Uncertainty still prevails over whether all the migrants in Tripura would return home.

Lifeline On A River: Assam's Boat Clinics

The state of Assam in northeast India has the highest maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the country. One of the reasons for the abysmal figures is that over three million people live on tiny islands along the Brahmaputra River without proper health infrastructure.
Boat clinics on the river, an initiative of the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES), have been working to lower the alarming figures. But the latest challenge they face is climate change.
Healthcare for islanders

Murari Yadav is paddling his boat on the Brahmaputra River. His boat has taken off from a narrow strip of water. He navigates through the early morning traffic on the river. Boats pass by with people eager to get across to the land for their day’s work. Yadav is also helping people get to work.

He’s ferrying a team of doctors and supporting medics from the C-NES to an island about 40 kilometres from Tinsukia, a commercial town in upper Assam. They are heading upstream on the river to get to a remote island called Amalpur. Today, they will be setting up a camp there for villagers of the Missing tribe.

Floating clinics
Sanjoy Hazarika, founder of C-NES, came up with the idea of delivering medical aid to the needy along the Brahmaputra River. Once while he was travelling on the river, he heard a story about a pregnant woman on an island who died while waiting for transport.

“This is really unacceptable in this day and age that people have to die for lack of care. So I thought, instead of people going for the service, why not take the service to them?” Hazarika says. Today the boat clinics, which began in 2005, work in 13 districts in Assam along with the government organisation, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Poor infrastructure
Back on the river, the C-NES boat has reached the bank. It’s taken two hours on two boats. But the journey isn’t over yet. The team has to endure an arduous tractor-ride to reach Napun village, where they will be setting up camp.

Villagers, most of them women and children, have already queued up at the clinic. Narintari Chantalya, is pregnant with her eight-month-old baby. She remembers the last time she delivered a baby boy. “I was in labour four days. It was very difficult. They finally took me to a hospital far away,” she says.

Maternal mortality
Narintari is still scared from her experiences and so are many others. They have all heard of women dying while giving birth. Assam has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country at 393. The doctor presiding over the camp, Dr Ritesh Kalwar says Narintari’s haemoglobin levels are very low. “She is anaemic,” he says. “I’ve prescribed her iron tablets and hopefully they should do the work. She is due to deliver the baby in a few weeks, so she should be careful,” Dr Kalwar adds.

Once the patient leaves, he says, awareness among villagers about their health is very low. “They have myths about some things. For instance, they believe that taking iron tablets will make the baby too big causing complications during delivery,” he says. On that day, Dr Kalwar treats 110 patients at a go.

Environmental hurdles
But illiteracy and logistics are not the only problems faced by the boat clinics. Their growing concern now is climate change. In the past couple of years, the boats have not been able to reach many islands due to lowering water levels on the Brahmaputra River.

As he ferries the medical team across the river on land, Murari Yadav, the captain of the boat says he’s seen the river change a lot. “I’ve been riding boats since I was 13. But I can tell you the river is not the same these past years. The water levels have gone down and the river has grown wider,” he says.

He’s right. The Brahmaputra is widening at an alarming rate of five metres every year. If it continues at a regular rate, saving lives on the islands will become more and more difficult for the boat clinics.

Iran’s “Nude Revolutionary” Golshifteh Farahani (NSFW)

An Iranian actress has been banned from returning to her homeland after appearing naked in a photoshoot for a French magazine.

Golshifteh Farahani, co-star of the 2008 spy drama 'Body of Lies' with Leonardo DiCaprio, had moved from native Iran to Paris a year ago.

She appeared in the news magazine 'Madame Le Figaro' in protest against the ultra-conservative cultural policies, which she claims are restricting Iran's film industry.

"I was told by a Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guide official that Iran does not need any actors or artists and 'you may offer your artistic services somewhere else'," the Independent quoted her as saying. Meanwhile, she got praise from some fans for her courage in tackling a taboo subject among Muslim
women.

Lisa Edelstein Nude for PETA (NSFW)

The former House actress Lisa Edelstein posed nude for PETA and she looks good. Yes, we love PETA – but for all the wrong reasons!

Belen Rodriguez Nude Photoshoot (NSFW)

Tiger Presence Confirmed in Mizoram Reserve Forest

Aizawl, Apr 25 : Significant tiger presence has been confirmed in Mizoram's Dampa reserve forest through DNA fingerprinting techniques.

The presence of the big cats were confirmed during a joint field survey was conducted with the forest reserve's field directorate, World Wildlife Fund and 'Aaranyak', a society for biodiversity conservation, in March this year as art of the country-wide phase four of tiger monitoring programme initiated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

''We successfully used DNA-based analysis techniques for identifying tiger faecal samples, collected during the joint field survey,'' Aaranyak's head of Wildlife Genetics Programme Udayan Borthakur said here today.

Efforts are now on to find out the minimum number of tigers present in Dampa through the use of DNA fingerprinting techniques, Borthakur said.

Dampa Tiger Reserve is situated in the western part of Mizoram and is spread in an area of 550 sq km at the international border with Bangladesh. It consists of forest with a difficult terrain interpolated with hills, valleys, streams and rivulet and is a hotspot of bio-diversity with variety of flora and fauna of Indo-Malayan origin.

NTCA has categorized Dampa Tiger Reserve as one of the low density Tiger Reserves in India with deficiency of data on the current population status of tigers in the area, Borthakur said.

Myth Busted. G-Spot Found. Men Under Pressure

Scientist finds G-spot. Then cuts it out and dissects it for the world to see...
 
By Peter Farquhar

The good news is, scientists have found the G-spot. As in, really found it - a physical specimen.
The bad news is, scientists have found the G-spot. So now it's over to you, husbands and lovers.

It's always been there, apparently. In an admission that could raise a collective told-you-so cry from women left wanting around the world, they were just looking in the wrong spot.

For centuries, women have been reporting engorgement of the upper, anterior part of their hoo-has when giddy with sexual excitement, despite the fact the structure of this phenomenon had not been anatomically determined.

To that end, there's been countless attempts to prove the existence of a G-spot since it first aroused scientists', er, curiosity back in the 1950s, most notably that of one Ernest Gräfenberg after who it was named.

As late as 2010, scientists were still denying the G-spot was real, claiming it was just a figment of a woman's overactive imagination.
Then again, they were British scientists.

At the same time, a couple of French researchers rebutted the claims, using the not-at-all opportunistic research method of doing ultrasounds on shagging couples to identify "physiological evidence".

Of course, the Italians beat them all to it, claiming in 2008 that there was a link between the ability to achieve orgasm and the thickness of tissue between the vagina and urethra.

But in the end, it took a completely non-sexy method.

You can thank Dr Adam Ostrzenski, of the Institute of Gynaecology in St Petersburg, Florida, who was a keen believer in the existence of a G-spot, but was yet to find physical evidence. Couldn't put his finger on it, you might say.

Ahem.

The determined Dr Ostrzenski noted that no documented nether parts surgery had delved high enough up the fi-fi front wall to find anything significant.

So all Dr Ostrzenski had to do was dissect one layer by layer until something popped up. Which it did - in an 83-year-old corpse - and which he removed for all the world to see.

"The G-spot was identified as a sac with walls that grossly resembled the fibroconnective tissues, was easy to observe, and was a well-delineated structure," he wrote in a report published today in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Dr Ostrzenski claims the exercise was important because knowing "the anatomic existence of the G-spot ... may lead to a better understanding and improvement of female sexual function".

Which is good news for women, Dr Ostrzenski believes, because denial of its existence has "led to a monolithic clitoral model of female sexual response".

"However, women have held the unwavering position that there are distinct areas in the anterior vagina which are responsible for a sensation of great sexual pleasure."

Yes, there is a picture of it, but it's not for the faint-hearted or anyone who wants their mojo to fall out and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces on the ground.

We'll link to it here as soon as somebody much, much braver than us publishes it online, but don't say we didn't warn you.

For the rest of you, here's how to find it:

30-second G-spot primer

So, where is it?
Somewhere between 5cm and 8cm inside the front bottom, but here's the tricky bit - it can be tucked away anywhere between 3-15mm behind the *cough* wall.

What is it?
Sort of a little teardrop-shaped bag. It has a head roughly 3.5mm across, a middle roughly 3mm across and a 1.5mm tail. It also has blue splotches on...

Too much information. How do I switch it on?
Probably not the way you hoped. And definitely not in the missionary position. Let's just leave it at "constant pressure and attention*".

* And dildos.

First Imphal International Short Film Festival Concludes

The first edition of Imphal International Short Film Festival (IISFF), held from April 15-18th, 2012, at Rupmahal Theatre concludes with the screening of 15 International films and 29 Regional films.

Imphal, Apr 25 : The first edition of Imphal International Short Film Festival (IISFF), held from April 15-18th, 2012, at Rupmahal Theatre concludes with the screening of 15 International films and 29 Regional films. However, 18 short films in Hindi category are not available for public screening due to ban on screening of Hindi films by the Manipur based insurgent groups. The festival that concluded last evening (April 18) ended with "The Bare Foot Leader" from Iran before culminating into the announcement of the winners, followed by an after party.

The four day festival saw people of various communities thronging the venue to enjoy the short films from countries like Spain, Italy, Bangladesh, Iran, Poland and Indian regional languages like Malayalam, Telegu, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Meeteilon and Kanada. The four member jury decided to add few more award categories after reviewing the shortlisted films. Earlier, the festival organizing committee instituted 8 awards and 3 special mentions at the time of submission of entries. The juries decided to increase 7 more awards totaling 18 awards in total, which is the highest number of awards in any short film festival around the world. Best film award was bagged by Nishaptham while Pahela Boisakhi won the Best Documentary award, The jury also awarded special mention award to LOC...a Playground as Best Film on National Integration.

The winning short films were:

BEST FILM: NISAPTHAM

BEST DOCUMENTARY: PAHELA BOISHAKHI

SPECIAL MENTION (BEST FILM ON NATIONAL INTEGRATION): LOC ...a playground

BEST DIRECTOR: AINHOA MENENDEZ for FABRICA DE MUNESCAS (Dolls Factory)

BEST ACTOR: JACOB C. ONTHIRICKEN For SABDAREKHA

BEST ACTRESS: SYLWIA JUSZCZAK for VANISHING

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: SASWATA CHATTERJEE for THE FORLORN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: JANAKI for VAAZHKAI

BEST EDITOR: PRABIR GIRI for MANDAKRANTA

BEST SOUND: PROJECT 11

BEST MUSIC: JO JO LAALI

BEST STORY: SANDEEP MALANI for JO JO LAALI

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: FABRICA DE MUNESCAS (DOLLS FACTORY)

BEST SCREENPLAY: THE WAY SHE IS VENERATED IN LOVE

BEST CHILD ARTIST: PRANSHU GOEL for MY MAMMA'S MILK

CRITIC'S AWARD FOR SPORT PROMOTION: VIJENDRA VERMA for LOC.. a playground

CRITIC'S AWARD FOR BEST THEME MUSIC: MUSIC OF THE BROOM

SPECIAL MENTION (CRITIC AWARDS): FULLSTOP

10 films were also selected to represent Imphal Film Festival in other International Film Festivals.

MAA-E-RI -a lyrical conversation with Mother Nature by Parvez Khan

HOPE by Abhijit Purohit

MAUT KA KUNWA by Sumant Bapurao Mali

NISAPTHAM by Hari Prasad M

SABDAREKHA by Nirmal S.

THE JOURNEY by Tharun Bhascker Dhassyam

LOC-A PLAYGROUND by Atul Kumar Sharma

FULLSTOP by Vivek Muralidharan

SAMVEDANAM by Methil Komalankutty

LAADAM by Sandeep Pampally

The opening film of the festival was "The Forlorn"- Directed by Saptaswa Basu, that has Iconic Bengali actor and Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winner Soumitra Chatterjee in a lead role. It is a psychological thriller centering on a young woman who, after moving into a new apartment, stumbles upon the previous tenant's diary.

Some of the filmmakers from Mumbai, Pune and Kerala attended the four day long festival. Few films were screened more than once as per the audience request like- Tan by young filmmaker from Manipur whose subject deals with the victim of armed conflicts in the state.

A jury headed by eminent film critics Shri Sagolshem Indrakumar from Manipur and three distinguished juries namely Prof. Th. Tombi, former Principal of Imphal college and renowned painter; Shri B. Jayentakumar Sharma, oldest lyricist of Manipuri film industry and Shri L. Ram Sharma, film pesonality and critics based in Imphal.

The festival was inaugurated with a formal function in the presence of eminent filmmakers of Manipur. Shri Laimayum Surjakanta Sharman, Chairman if Film Forum Manipur graced the function as Chief Guest, Dr. Naorem Iboton Singh, Dean, College of Agriculture and Honorary Advisor of Action for Social Advancement (ASA) was the President of the function. Shri K. Tomba (Lamja Tomba)- Veteran actor of Manipur Film Industry was also the guest of Honours. The opening day was filled with presence of jury members, filmmakers, leaders of civil organisations like Koijam Brojen alias Keingamba, President, South East Asia Cultural Organisation, (SEACO); Arambam Ongbi Robita, Founder, Young Women Help Organisation and Chandramani Khumancha, Working President, ACOAM-LUP.

The Chief Guest of the closing function was Shri Laimayum Surjakanta, Chairman of Film Forum Manipur. Shri Surjakanta encourages all filmmakers who have come to Imphal and make this event a grand success. He also requested to meet at the second edition of the festival next year with more good quality films.

The festival director, Mohen Naorem announced the list of award winning films and invited all winners to be present at the coming North East India Film Festival which will be happening in the month of November-December 2012. "Legend Studio is funding the work of few filmmakers whose story meets the criteria for entry into major International Film Festivals," Mohen added.

The festival is an initiative by Legend Studio in association with a non-profit organisation, Action for Social Advancement (ASA), with the support of Film Forum, Manipur. Two International Film Festivals- Dhaka Film Festival and Half Short Film Festival are festival partners of Imphal International Short Film Festival.

Someday, Men Won't Die First

Life expectancy gap could close by 2030

For generations, men have been the unquestioned leaders in the race to die first, but now it looks like they're losing their edge.

The life expectancy gap between men and women is closing, and by 2030, men could very well live as long as women, an advisor for Britain's Office of National Statistics tells the BBC.

His explanation: "Men are getting a bit better behaved and women are adopting male life expectancies."

While life expectancies are going up across the board, they're increasing much faster for men, who over the past 20 years have seen their expectancy jump by about six years.

The main reason he sees: smoking, or rather, the sudden lack thereof.

At one point, a whopping 80% of men smoked.

Women picked up the habit later than men, so while lung cancer rates are still increasing in women, they're falling for guys.

The BBC notes that the study relates to the life expectancy for 30-year-olds, not newborns.

Improbable Goal Stuns Europe

By Keeghann Sinanan

Chelsea are through to the Champions League final after an incredible 2-2 draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou in their semi-final second-leg encounter was enough to hand them a 3-2 aggregate victory over the holders.

Roberto Di Matteo's team defended brilliantly throughout, and will now travel to Munich on May 19 despite playing the majority of the match with 10 men.

The Catalans appeared to be home and dry after goals by Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta either side of a John Terry red card appeared to put the Blues out of the competition before half-time.

However, Ramires put the tie back into Chelsea's hands with a fantastic effort just before the interval.

Lionel Messi missed a penalty early in the second-half, and the Blues combined superb defending with a bit of luck, before Fernando Torres put the icing on the cake by finishing off a counterattack at the death.

With a 1-0 deficit to overcome after the first encounter in London, Barca coach Pep Guardiola began with an attacking 3-4-3 formation.

It took them only three minutes to carve out the first chance of the match, with Lionel Messi blasting into the side netting after rapid interplay with Alexis Sanchez.

The game plan from Di Matteo was simple as Chelsea, much as they had done in the first leg, looked to defend deep in numbers and relieve pressure on the counter whenever they could.

However, they were forced into a change after only 12 minutes as Gary Cahill was hauled off through injury for Jose Bosingwa.

Barca continued to control the game, and opened Chelsea up once more with a delightful passing move, with only the legs of Petr Cech preventing Messi from opening the scoring.

Cesc Fabregas and Didier Drogba each found the side netting before Javier Mascherano sent an unlikely 25-yard piledriver just over the bar as the home side continued to search for a way through.

The hosts were forced to bring on Dani Alves after 26 minutes for Gerard Pique, who failed to recover sufficiently from an earlier clash of heads with Victor Valdes.

The Brazilian played a part in the opener 10 minutes after his arrival, releasing Isaac Cuenca down the left, whose cutback evaded multiple bodies before Busquets tapped in.


It went from bad to worse for Chelsea, as they found themselves reduced to 10 men within two minutes. Terry appeared to knee Sanchez in the back off the ball, and was shown a straight red card by the referee.


Barca took advantage of their superior numbers, and struck again two minutes before half-time. Messi caused panic with a run at the defence before slipping in Iniesta, who slotted into the corner.

But rather than implode, as so many teams have done against the Catalans, Chelsea responded, out of nowhere, in some style.

A punt from defence by Frank Lampard was latched onto by Ramires, who guided a delightful lob over Valdes to send the Londoners into the break with the advantage on away goals.


Barca were handed a chance to regain the aggregate lead three minutes after the restart, with an apparent trip on Fabregas by Drogba in the box was spotted by the officials, leading to a penalty.

However, Chelsea’s advantage was left intact as Messi smacked the spot-kick off the crossbar.


Sanchez headed an Alves cross just wide and Cuenca was blocked at the last by Cech, as Barca set up camp in the opposition half for the remainder of the match.

But it was proving to be the same story as the first leg, as Chelsea’s doggedness at the back was just enough to keep Guardiola’s men at bay.

They were almost caught out 10 minutes before the end though, but Messi could only strike the post after being put clear with only the keeper to beat.

But the Catalans were out of ideas in attack, and were finished for good by substitute Torres in the final minute of injury time. With almost every Barca player committed in the opposition half, the Spaniard latched onto a pass from defence by Ashley Cole, rounded Valdes and fired home.

Chelsea continue their incredible renaissance under Di Matteo, and will await either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final at the Allianz Arena on May 19.

Luisana Lopilato Unveils Ultimo's New 'Curve-Creating' Swimwear

By Maysa Rawi

There's no doubt Luisana Lopilato has an enviable body.

But for those who are less confident showing off on the beach, Ultimo has created a range of swimwear designed to flatter.

The collection promises to enhance your cleavage and sculpt your curves.
Luisana Lopilato models the Miami bikini by Ultimo, a cleavage-boosting bikini with silicone filled cups that can increase the look of the bust by two sizes Featuring a one piece and sexy bikini with clever 'curve-creating' technology ladies can maximise their best assets.

Since being signed with the underwear label six months ago, the actress and wife of Michael Bublé, who is modelling the range, has starred in numerous campaigns and has just unveiled a new collection in time for spring.

Michelle Mone OBE creator of Ultimo said,  ‘Every woman dreads getting their body out on the beach so, we’ve designed this collection of swimwear to boost assets and make women feel confident and sexy this summer.

Luisana models the Sahara, £38, with foam cups boost and support the cleavage whilst cleverly placed pleating flatter the waist creating the perfect shape 'We use technology such as our famous silicone gel to boost cleavage by 2-cup sizes and clever pleating to clinch the waist for a perfect hourglass shape.'
While she was previously relatively unknown in Britain, Luisana remains a big name worldwide.

Having shot to teenage stardom on a Latin American Glee-style TV series Chiquititas, she went on to become an award-winning actress and recording artist in her homeland, and has been voted on to Spanish FHM’s 100 Sexiest list for the past three years in a row.

As Ultimo ambassador, she follows in the footsteps of Kelly Brook, Mel B, Sarah Harding, Helena Christensen and Brazilian supermodel Raica Oliveira.

She signed up for the role last October for a two-year stint.

The Ugly Side of Facebook Memes

Courtesy of BuzzFeed

By Jack Stuef

James Denham does not have a strong social media following. He’s basically anonymous; type his name into Google, and you’re not going to find anything about him. But in January, Denham ran across an image of what appeared to be two teenagers cruelly hanging a puppy by a string and posted it to his Facebook wall. Text on the image implores users to “share this picture” and contact authorities if they recognize the perpetrators.

The photo has since been shared over 70,000 times from this profile, making it among the most widely viewed content on the site. Yet what Denham didn’t realize at first is this image has been circulating on the Internet for years, and the culprits were identified long ago. The photo is completely useless at this point. It appears somebody eventually notified Denham of the image’s past, as he has left multiple comments on his post trying to alert other users to its history. But it’s been in vain. The photo continues to be spread around by oblivious people every day, despite the comments and despite being of absolutely no use to the world.
Facebook is great for sharing funny things, but the truly funny ones almost always come from somewhere else. These don't. These are Facebook’s memes.

The Facebook share button, in its current iteration, allows users to take content from another user’s profile and re-post it on their own profiles, along with a byline from the original poster. By design, it works like Tumblr’s reblog or Twitter’s retweet function. In practice, it can work more like a human centipede.
These shared items, which are usually an image that has text, or sometimes an image accompanied by an urban-legend type caption, carry on the legacy of chain emails that were a major part of Internet culture in the 90s. Such spam has since diminished  as Internet content has grown and, along with its users, become more sophisticated. That these dumb images, which regularly accumulate tens or hundreds of thousands of “shares,” now rival even the most “liked” articles and videos on Facebook, is an embarrassment for the social network.

Courtesy of BuzzFeed

Urban legendsSome of these shares,  like this one recounting a hoax story about a woman on an airplane complaining about sitting next to a black man, got their start as  chain emails. Snopes.com dates  this tale back to 1998. On Facebook, a photo of a white flight attendant is used to make the story shareable. At least one posting of this urban legend has more than 100,000 shares and likes combined. Note: That's just a single post on one profile – there are many, many more.
The NAACP’s Facebook page, by contrast, had less than 106,000 likes at the time of this post. Perhaps if that organization had spent more time spreading made-up stories about bigots in the sky and less time trying to get civil rights legislation passed, it would be more popular on Facebook today.
The users who post these things are often shameless and have no qualms about asking for shares in the caption or in the image itself.
Quotations of dubious origin are also a favorite Facebook meme. People elsewhere on the Internet have debunked the attributions on Betty White and John Wayne quotes, but that hasn't made a difference.
The debunkings of these memes are never going to be shared nearly as broadly as the memes themselves, which seem like they will become viral intermittently in perpetuity. John Wayne and Betty White will be “saying” these things on Facebook until its users forget who they are. At that point, the quotes will be attributed to elderly stars like Justin Bieber and that dog from "The Artist."

Courtesy of BuzzFeed

Of course, we can’t expect like-hungry trolls to stop at photos of abused puppies. Congratulations, babies with serious medical conditions — you’re all Facebook famous! Such memes use the same tactic: exploit a small dying child’s photographs; write a breathless, obviously fallacious caption about how this kid will only get the medical care he or she needs if the meme scores enough likes and shares; and watch the attention roll in. Meanwhile, the child either recovers without your help or dies. Or the child's been dead for years.
Political rhetoricDespite Facebook sponsoring presidential debates, interviewing newsmakers and commissioning opinion polls, keeping up appearances as an important American institution and serious media organization concerned with civic values, the prevailing political discourse is as rotten as any Facebook meme.
It’s telling that the only political item on Facebook’s top 40 “most shared” news article list of 2011 was a blurry, resized infographic of debatable accuracy: Occupy Party vs Tea Party Comparison. That’s exactly the sort of thing that becomes a Facebook political meme, albeit even more poorly made and less likely to be factual.

Courtesy of BuzzFeed

The image above, as BuzzFeed’s J.P. Moore reported in January, has been among the most widely shared by conservatives on Facebook. It’s brilliantly stupid the way only chain e-mail propaganda can be.

Courtesy of BuzzFeed

Courtesy of BuzzFeed

These two memes are among the most widely shared by liberals, and they’re both wildly inaccurate. The "Who Increased the Debt?" chart had already been discredited  by political fact-check blogs many months before it appeared on Facebook. The photo of Mitt Romney is a 2008 Getty image showing the presidential candidate going through airport security before boarding a plane. But somebody decided it looked like the official wanding him was actually shining his shoes, so another meme predicated on misinformation was born.
These political memes may be the most insidious of all, because they could – theoretically – have serious effects not only on the discourse, but on election outcomes as well. Political images spread quickly in part because Facebook users’ friends are by and large demographically similar to themselves. Most conservatives are mostly friends with conservatives; most liberals are mostly friends with other liberals. These politically insular memes confirm and strengthen users’ ideological beliefs, and truth is optional. One can’t just dismiss these memes because they’re dumb, poorly made and factually challenged. Facebook is huge, and this is its most popular content.
Facebook may now be America’s greatest entertainment, but the junk content that is increasingly working its way into our news feeds makes eHow articles look like the Great American Novel.
Facebook would be more enjoyable for some people if it went back to the basics and focused on its original role as a virtual hub for maintaining real-life friendships. As some have suggested, it could encourage users to take time to mass-unfriend people and prune their network into a group of true friends they actually care about. Instead of worrying about the threats posed by other kinds of social networks and jamming similar features into Facebook after they become popular elsewhere (Instagram, for instance), the company could focus on cautiously improving what it does best and learn to live among a community of social networks that offer different things to different people. But it seems there’s no turning back.
Still, if enough people complain about these memes littering the site, I’m sure Facebook will find a way to clean it up for the users who don’t want to see it. The company eventually managed to tuck "Mafia Wars" requests away into the profiles of people who actually want to play the game, to the relief of the majority of its users who just can’t seem to see the vital importance of helping a friend steal a virtual handgun in text-based Chicago. That’s no small feat.

A longer version of this story (with even more crazy images of Facebook memes) originally appeared on BuzzFeed.