Can Anybody Find This Man Somebody To Love?

Lonely heart offers half his salary to whoever can find him The One

By Paul Bentley

They say desperate times call for desperate measures.

And after this lonely heart's last prospect - a mail order bride - jumped out of a window to escape his company, he might well be the most desperate bachelor alive.

Paul Gutierrez, a 38-year-old former soldier from Illinois with the most tragic relationship history, is calling out to the wider public for help - offering half of his annual salary to anyone who can find him a wife.

Desperate: 'Handsome' Paul Gutierrez is offering half his wage to whoever can find him a wife

Mr Gutierrez, who refers to himself, perhaps ironically, as 'handsome Paul', offered the reward for matchmakers on his blog, titled: 'Can Anyone Find Me A Wife'.

'If anyone can find me a girlfriend, who eventually becomes my wife, I'll gladly donate 50% of my income (For one year) to his or her favourite charity,' he wrote.

'Or, if that's not good enough ... I'll happily  walk across the country in a wedding dress to raise money for his or her favourite charitable cause ... No joke!'

The website is a collection of hilarious tales of Mr Gutierrez's failed attempts at wooing women and lists 38 reasons why single women should - but haven't so far - fallen in love with him.

Last straw: Paul Gutierrez is taking to extreme measures to find The One

Putting it all on the line: Do you want to marry this man?

He notes that he has served in the military, perhaps in an effort to impress the web's single patriots, but does not completely succeed in selling himself.

He writes: 'The Good News: I was a member of the United States Army. The Bad News: It wasn't for very long.'

Mr Gutierrez writes that he is 'disease and drug free' but admits he wears make-up to hide 'mountain-sized zits' and insists potential girlfriends must first sign a contract before they go on a date.

According to the contract, the date must 'agree to assume full and total financial responsibility for all costs in and of the date itself and to release Handsome Paul from any and all liability that may or may not be the direct or indirect result of our date including but not limited to stalking, pain and suffering, bodily injury, and / or mental anguish.'

Military: Gutierrez looking in better shape while serving for the U.S. Army

Mr Gutierrez insists he has never before had a girlfriend, which does not seem completely unlikely.

'I've never had a girlfriend in my life ... Ever ... Though I thought I did once ... That is until her boyfriend showed up,' he writes.

He also mentions his dalliance with mail order brides on the site, although these were just as unsuccessful.

Contract: The lucky woman will have to sign her life away

'The Bad News,' he notes. 'During my mid twenties, I foolishly traveled alone to Cali, Colombia in search of a mail order bride since my U.S. citizenship was the only thing of value I could offer a woman.

'The Worse News: I had a potential bride-to-be tell me she had to use the lady's room (During our interview session) only to discover she had climbed out of a bathroom window to get away from me.'

Despite the setbacks, however, Mr Gutierrez remains hopeful his latest idea will help him finally find the woman to complete him.

'Most people probably think I'm an epic loser for trying to find a wife like this,' he writes. 'not to mention, I don't have much to offer a woman in regards to money, looks or a career.

'It would be a real-life beauty and the beast marriage. ... Minus the fact I'm not a wavy-haired prince with a castle and servants. ... More like a balding drifter with a future mobile home and hamsters.'

Battery Worn Out? The T-shirt That Uses Loud Music To Charge Up Your Mobile

Glastonbury revellers with mobile phones running low on batteries have an extra incentive to elbow their way closer to the stage this weekend.

A prototype T-shirt that charges mobiles while festival-goers watch bands in action has been unveiled by telecoms giant Orange.

Users just have to plug their phone into the T-shirt for a quick top-up charge whenever they need it.

Power it up: A prototype T-shirt that charges mobile phones while music fans watch bands at this weekend's Glastonbury Festival has been unveiled

The futuristic garment works by using noise-responsive technology - simply, the louder the music, then the quicker the phone charges.

It uses an A4-size piece of piezoelectric film in a T-shirt to absorb pressure from sound waves. It converts these into an electrical charge, which it then transfers from its battery into a lead that fits most phones.

Orange will be conducting live testing of the gadget on site at the festival to see which acts are the 'best to charge to' around the Spirit Of 71 stage.

Tony Andrews, co-producer of the Spirit Of 71, said: 'Sound vibrations, particularly bass frequencies, will create enough shaking to produce electricity from a material as simple as piezoelectric film.

'It looks like it could provide a real solution to mobile charging and I'm interested to see how the Orange Sound Charge performs in a live testing environment such as Glastonbury.'

How it works: The futuristic garment uses noise-responsive technology to charge the phone

Andrew Pearcey, head of sponsorship at Orange UK, said: 'In a vibrant festival environment such as Glastonbury, sound is such an obvious medium that it seemed like a natural fit to use it in the development of this year's prototype.'

The new Spirit Of 71 stage harks back to Glastonbury's earliest year with veteran acts returning to Pilton Farm to perform.

Terry Reid and Linda Lewis will be playing back-to-back as they did in at the 'Glastonbury Fayre' in 1971, the festival's second year, but the first time the iconic Pyramid stage was constructed.

Glastonbury 2011, which officially starts this Friday, sold out all 137,500 tickets within hours of going on sale last October.

Beautiful Members Only!

Dating website that 'accepts only beautiful people' to dump 30K ugly members

Melbourne, Jun 20 :  A dating website, which promotes itself as the largest most exclusively beautiful community in the world, seems to be in trouble

The website is being forced to dump 30,000 ugly members after a computer virus allowed them to join.

Last month Beautifulpeople.com was hit the Shrek virus - named after the ugly animated character - which hacked the software used to screen potential members.

But aesthetically challenged members are so outraged at the move that the website's operators have been forced to set up a counselling line to help them deal with the rejection.

The cull has proved costly to the site, about 100,000 dollars but a company spokesman was adamant the no uglies policy would stay.

"We have to stick to our founding principles of only accepting beautiful people - that''s what our members have paid for," News.com.au quoted BeautifulPeople.com's Greg Hodge, as telling the Guardian.

"We can''t just sweep 30,000 ugly people under the carpet," he added.

The exclusive website allows members to make 'an intimate connection' with other beautiful people 'who actually look in real life as they do online'.

Californian Wins Miss USA 2011 Crown (Photos)

Las Vegas, Jun 20 : A 21-year-old auburn-haired California girl won the Miss USA crown on Sunday night and will represent the nation in this year's Miss Universe pageant in September in Brazil.

Alyssa Campanella of Los Angeles topped a field of 51 beauty queens to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a blue bikini with white polka dots and a dark turquoise evening gown with beading on its top.

She also answered a question about legalizing marijuana by saying she didn't think it should be fully legalized as a solution to help ailing economies.

"Well, I understand why that question would be asked, especially with today's economy, but I also understand that medical marijuana is very important to help those who need it medically," she said. "I'm not sure if it should be legalized, if it would really affect, with the drug war. I mean, it's abused today, unfortunately, so that's the only reason why I would kind of be a little bit against it, but medically it's OK."

Miss Tennessee Ashley Durham was the first runner-up, while contestants from Alabama and Texas placed third and fourth.

Campanella, a self-described history buff and natural blonde, said she dyed her hair six years ago for a part in a play, for a 'fiery' character with whom she found she had traits in common.

"It's really brought out the true Alyssa Campanella, I feel, and that's why I really enjoy being a redhead," she said.

Campanella replaces Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih. The Michigan woman teared up as she walked across the stage for a final goodbye.

The pageant had three competitions: swimsuit, evening gown and interview question.

The contestants were whittled to 16 after the show's opening number, in which the beauty queens introduced themselves one-by-one. The top 16 were picked by preliminary judges through competitions and interviews during the week before the telecast. Celebrity judges picked the top eight after the swimsuit competition and the top 4 after the evening gown portion.

Durham appeared to stumble as she answered a question from celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito about whether the First Amendment should protect burning religious books, as it protects burning the flag.

"I know that some people view it as a freedom of speech, however, burning the American flag is not patriotic at all," Durham said. "No American citizen should do that, and you should also respect other religions. I'm a Christian and a faithful person. I would personally not appreciate someone burning the Bible, and that's just a line you do not cross."

Miss Kentucky Kia Ben-et Hampton won Miss Congeniality USA, while Miss Arizona Brittany Dawn Brannon won Miss Photogenic USA.

Alyssa Campanella of Los Angeles crowned Miss USA 2011

Auburn haired beauty: Twenty-one-year-old auburn-haired California girl won the Miss USA crown on June 19 and will represent the nation in this year's Miss Universe pageant in September in Brazil.

Alyssa Campanella, Miss California, competes in the swim suit competition during the 2011 Miss USA pageant, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Madeline Mitchell, left, Miss Alabama, walks away as Alyssa Campanella, Miss California, right, and Miss Tennessee, Ashley Elizabeth Durham react as they are announced as the two remaining finalists in the 2011 Miss USA pageant Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Alyssa Campanella, Miss California, reacts as she is announced as the 2011 Miss USA as Miss Tennessee, Ashley Elizabeth Durham looks on, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Alyssa Campanella, Miss California, reacts after being crowned the 2011 Miss USA, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Alyssa Campanella, Miss California, reacts after being crowned the 2011 Miss USA, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Alyssa Campanella, Miss California, is crowned as the 2011 Miss USA by Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Alyssa Campanella, Miss California,, right, has her make-up touched up as Ashley Elizabeth Durham, Miss Tennessee, waits her turn during a break at the 2011 Miss USA pageant, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Lissette Garcia, Miss Florida, competes in the swim suit competition during the 2011 Miss USA pageant, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The quarterfinalists stand at the end of the swim suit competition during the 2011 Miss USA pageant, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Spectators supporting Miss Missouri cheer during the 2011 Miss USA pageant, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

From left, Miss Alabama, Miss Hawaii, Miss California and Miss Maryland react after being named as four of the semifinalists during the 2011 Miss USA pageant, Sunday, June 19, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Indian Village Changes its name to SnapDeal.com Nagar

Shiv Nagar, Jun 20 : Residents of a remote village in northern India have few connections to the outside world. They live in mud dwellings with thatched roofs. Electricity is available just two hours a day. And a computer -- well, what's that?

Yet, this week Shiv Nagar became SnapDeal.com Nagar, after India's answer to Groupon, the online coupon giant.

The residents, none of whom own designer watches, eat at restaurants or use computers, wanted to thank SnapDeal for giving them something that they consider a luxury -- water.

The Indian e-commerce company installed 15 hand pumps, so villagers no longer have to walk for miles to quench their thirst. There was no source of potable water.

That was until Kunal Bahl, the founder of SnapDeal.com, decided he would use some of the profits from his burgeoning business to do something good.

The philanthropic project came about after a water-cooler conversation in SnapDeal's offices in New Delhi. One of Bahl's colleagues told him that his family hailed from a cluster of villages about three hours southeast of the Indian capital, where the people had nothing.

Bahl, 28, went down to Shiv Nagar, met with the village leaders and paid to install the 15 hand pumps.

"It cost us $ 5,000 max, but it was quite life changing for residents there," he said.

But Bahl had never imagined just how life-changing. It sank in after the villagers voted to name their hamlet after Bahl's company.

"The intention was not for us to ask for money or anything. They just wanted to express their gratitude," he said.

Their act stood as testament to Bahl of how little the government had done for the people there. He said they told him they only heard from their parliamentary representatives before elections. Then, they were forgotten, people whom a booming India has left behind.

It's precisely people like Bahl who have benefited from India's emerging economic prowess. His company thrives on the pocketbooks of a growing class of wealthy Indians who can afford to buy Reebok sunglasses and get massages at upscale spas.

The irony is that none of this might have happened had Bahl's H1B visa had not expired. The special visas granted to skilled workers are good only for six years. Bahl graduated from the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

After his visa ran out, he packed his bags and went home to New Delhi. In February 2010, he launched SnapDeal.com with his partner Rohit Bansal. The company became India's foremost online retailer, selling 10,000 products a day.

And now, it's probably the first e-commerce business whose namesake is an impoversished village, where life goes on pretty much the same as it did centuries ago.

Bahl said he plans to continue his relationship with SnapDeal.com Nagar and help improve the village's infrastructure. Next on the agenda are a couple of computers for the village to use.

"India has about 640,000 incorporated companies," he said. "Many are much larger and more resourced than us. Even if 10 percent decided to do something like this, 64,000 villages would have clean water."

The people of the former Shiv Nagar may not have enough money any time soon to buy a computer, even at a deep discount, but this week, they sure were thankful for e-commerce.

Hostage Recalls Life in Jaws Of Death; Touched By Mizos' Love

Aizawl, Jun 20 : Bhajranglal Lalbhurgi is an exuberant ranconteur who conquered death after being held captive by cadres of the Hailakandi (Assam)-based United Democratic Liberation Army (UDLA).

"Police were at heels when Premlal, my colleague, refused to budge, the militants shot him before shoving me to the ground," Lalbhurgi says while narrating his harrowing tryst with the ultras.

Bhajranglal Lalbhurgi (44) along with his co-worker Premlal Dhiman(48) were taken in ten days captivity by Hailakandi (Assam)-based UDLA cadres.

Lalbhurgi, a commercial manager in a private construction firm, said the AK-47 totting militants abducted them in the wee hours of June 6 from their camp near Meidum village in Kolasib district in northern Mizoram where they were engaged in road construction.

"The abductors made us walk in jungle for over two hours before entering into a house of Bengali people who offered us tea," he said.

After spending in the jungle for days together, the kidnappers took them into a farm hut, located near Banglabasha village in the Hailakandi district bordering Mizoram.

In the face of police firing, they shot at Premlal, who refused to move with them and left the spot.

Freed from the clutches of death, Lalbhurgi is now a happy man. Meanwhile, Premlal, who had been treated at Aizawl Civil Hospital, was airlifted to Kolkata today for better medical treatment, sources said.

UFO Appears in Manipur! (With Video)

Imphal, Jun 20 : Believe it or not, mystery shrouded Ngankha Lawai village in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, 35 kms south of here after a young farmer fainted and was hospitalised following an encounter with an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO).

The mysterious incident occurred when the 31 year-old farmer Koiremba Kumam was taking video of a fish farm near his house using his mobile phone on June 15 around 3.11 pm.

“Suddenly, I captured mashak khangdaba potsak ama (UFO) in the sky”, the farmer said. “I fainted for a few seconds after a small round black object sped towards me.”

Showing the video image of the UFO captured in his mobile phone, Koiremba claimed he felt an electric shock when it came come towards him. He returned home after few moments of unconsciousness.

The family took him to the nearby district hospital due to deterioration of his health and later referred to RIMS hospital in Imphal the following day. But he was discharged from the hospital the same evening after giving treatment as there was no symptom of any illness. However, Koiremba said he has not fully recovered.

A similar mystery shrouded Monsangei maning leikai village under Imphal West district in early part of last year when the villagers saw a bluish icy mass, weighing around five kilograms which fell on the tin-roofed kitchen of one Sougrakpam Jugeshwar of the locality with a sudden bang from the sky.

Lok Sabha MP Dr Thokchom Meinya, who is also an astronomer, reacting to the descriptions given by the onlookers, had opined that the mass might have been accidentally ejected from the support system of a rocket or a space craft.

Let’s Connect India’s Northeast

The North-East vision document 2020 talks of the region’s holistic development, but falls short of envisioning how to utilize ICT to improve governance

By Osama Manzar

The lack of digital connectivity is impeding development in one of India’s richest regions culturally and ecologically- the North-East. The government has put in place some policies and programmes to bolster the use of information and communication technology (ICT) here, but their poor execution means a colossal loss of opportunity for both the region and the nation.

The North-East has more than 200 tribes and sub-tribes that have not allowed privatization and globalization to impoverish them culturally. The Assamese Bihu festival and Nagaland’s Hornbill festival are celebrated with as much gaiety as ever, while unique dance forms continue to flourish in Mizoram and Manipur.

The region is one of the world’s six ecological hot spots, producing red chilli, oranges, ginger, pineapples, orchids, bamboo, cane, jute and betel nut, apart from unique varieties of rice and cereals. In addition, the muga silk and artificial jewellery of Assam, the shawls of Nagaland, the bamboo crafts of Tripura and metal crafts from around the region are world famous.

The North-East is landlocked and poorly connected with the outside world. ICT can play a crucial role in overcoming its geographical exclusion and help develop and market its arts and crafts and horticultural products; but it is not doing so. A recent eMSME seminar in Guwahati, Assam, which aimed at building Internet awareness among local micro, small and medium enterprises, concluded that a rich pool of entrepreneurs and their creative products are deprived of using the Web to promote trade and commerce.

Another four-day wireless training programme at Tura, Meghalaya, showed that the deployment and use of the Internet in the hilly terrains of the North-East is not an easy task and requires thorough planning. Both events, organized by the Digital Empowerment Foundation and its partners, witnessed stakeholders raising issues that are difficult to ignore any longer.

The government has adopted some ICT-related policies and programmes. The North-East-specific community information centre scheme was started in 2002 with much fanfare. An amount of Rs. 220 crore has since been made to connect the region’s 487 development blocks with various ICT mediums, including very small aperture terminal connectivity to empower local communities. But its implementation is as poor as that of the nationwide common service centre scheme, which is facing problems all over the country.

The North-East vision document 2020 talks of the region’s holistic development, but falls short of envisioning how to utilize ICT to improve governance. The North-East industrial and investment policy of 2007 talks of promoting industrial development through a number of incentives and grants, but doest not talk about how information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services can utilize the region’s rich human resource pool.

The lack of urgency and sincerity among stakeholders is also worrisome. IT departments are often clubbed with other departments, which are given priority. Most governments of the region do not have functioning websites. It is painfully difficult to use ICT, even the Internet, to communicate with public authorities. Internet usage is limited to 27,415 out of every 100,000 people (2003 figure), constituting just 0.78% of the whole country. The most commonly used ICT tool here is the fax machine. Clearly, the IT revolution sweeping India has bypassed the North-East.

Are things going to change? “The government has begun an ambitious programme to wire up the entire North-East and remote border regions with telecom, WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) and broadband connectivity, and unleash an IT revolution in the region,” Union minister of state for IT and communication Sachin Pilot, announced during his visit to the region in March 2010.

“I believe the North-East can become a big centre for attracting investments from the private sector in business process outsourcing (and) knowledge process outsourcing,” he said. “A bulk of the money under what is called universal service obligation fund, collected by the government from private players to meet the demands of rural connectivity, will be deployed in the North-East.”

One can only hope that these announcements are implemented on the ground. Digitally empowering a region such as the North-East can work wonders and change the life of villagers, women, youth, artists, civil society and micro and small entrepreneurs waiting endlessly to sell their products and services.

Osama Manzar is director of Digital Empowerment Foundation and curator, mBillionth Award. He is also member of the working group for Internet governance at ministry of IT.