Hamid Karzai signs law 'legalising rape in marriage'

President Hamid Karzai has signed a law the UN says legalises rape in marriage and prevents women from leaving the house without permission.

 

By Ben Farmer in Kabul
Last Updated: 7:57AM BST 31 Mar 2009

Mr Karzai has been accused of electioneering at the expense of women's rights by signing the law to appeal to crucial Shia swing voters in this year's presidential poll Photo: AFP/GETTY

The law, which has not been publicly released, is believed to state women can only seek work, education or doctor's appointments with their husband's permission.
Only fathers and grandfathers are granted custody of children under the law, according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

 

Opponents of the legislation governing the personal lives of Afghanistan's Shia minority have said it is "worse than during the Taliban".
Mr Karzai has been accused of electioneering at the expense of women's rights by signing the law to appeal to crucial Shia swing voters in this year's presidential poll.
While the Afghan constitution guarantees equal rights for women, it also allows the Shia community, thought to represent 10 per cent of the population, the right to settle family law cases according to Shia law.
The Shiite Personal Status Law contains provisions on marriage, divorce, inheritance, rights of movement and bankruptcy.
The bill passed both houses of the Afghan parliament, but was so contentious that the United Nations and women's rights campaigners have so far been unable to see a copy of the approved bill.
Shinkai Zahine Karokhail, a female MP, said the law had been rushed through with little debate.
She told the Guardian newspaper: "They wanted to pass it almost like a secret negotiation, "There were lots of things that we wanted to change, but they didn't want to discuss it because Karzai wants to please the Shia before the election."
The Afghan justice ministry confirmed the law had been signed, but said it would not be published until technical difficulties had been overcome.
A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai would not comment.

READ MORE - Hamid Karzai signs law 'legalising rape in marriage'

The verdict on TV porn

The case of Jacqui Smith's husband raises disturbing questions about the availability of porn on TV. We asked Olivia Lichtenstein, a writer and Bafta award-winning documentary maker who's married with children aged 15 and 20, to watch several subscription channels...


A young woman wearing too much make-up knocks on the door of a semi-detached house, and a second woman of a similar age answers. Before the front door has closed behind them, they are pawing at each other and kissing.
Seconds later, they are pulling each other's clothes off, their hands and mouths working in a frenzied - if unconvincing - parody of insatiable desire.

'Crude, pathetic and offensive': TV porn has the appeal of a grubby Soho peep-show

Elsewhere, a man orders two 'take-away bimbos' over the telephone. They arrive, a specifically requested unmatched pair, one blonde, the other brunette, and under his gaze fondle and undress each other like automatons, mouthing filthy words of encouragement and pleading with him to join in. He does.
Their depilated bodies - female pubic hair has no place in this parallel universe - leave nothing to the imagination; their faces are contorted into gurning expressions of pleasure as they pretend to be having the time of their lives. It's all so predictable, crude, pathetic and offensive. Poorly shot and badly staged, it has all the appeal of a grubby Soho peep-show.
So why am I, a mother of two, sitting on the sofa, polluting my home and my mind with these horrible images on the television screen in the corner of the living room? Well, I wanted to find out exactly what it was that the Home Secretary's husband has been viewing at the taxpayers' expense. What did these 18-rated full-length films and 'the best of amateur video and adult entertainment' really contain?

 

On the Sky menu that comes up on my screen at home, there is a section marked ADULT. On selecting it, I quickly discovered that there are 65 X-rated channels on my Sky box, all of which are either subscription or pay-per-view.
Flicking through, scantily-clad girls, some of whom looked only a couple of years older than my own 15-year-old daughter, invited me to 'watch the dirtiest UK amateur action. Genuine home-grown footage from real people at it in their own homes, perhaps even your neighbours!'
Although you have to subscribe either on the phone or online to watch the films in their entirety, there are plenty of insalubrious images on the trailers at your (or indeed your children's) disposal at the mere push of a button.

Easy access: It took just one hour to subscribe to an adult package on Sky, costing £15.99 a month, plus a £15 joining fee

Red Hot TV's Dirty Debutantes introduce themselves on such accessible-to-all trailers: 'Hi, my name's Verity from Birmingham. I like c***s, I like sex toys,' says one pneumatic young girl with a vacant expression and a fake smile.

 

Also available to all are the exclusively female voice-overs on other channels, who assert 'we recognise that you're not here for the plot', while heralding their upcoming attractions: Dirty Chavs, Girls in Uniform, Filthy Fetish Freaks - you get the picture. Other trailers offer sound bites from half-naked women which are too unseemly to print in a family newspaper.
Much of the footage is of a very amateur, 'readers' wives' nature. While many of the women look self-conscious and embarrassed, others approach their task with a gusto that seems born of desperation.
One channel seeks to entice prospective subscribers with a 'happy half-hour', where you can sign up for a recession-busting package.
I decided to subscribe to a similar 3-in-1 package to the Home Secretary's husband: Playboy TV, the Adult Channel and Spice Extreme. (Playboy TV's website, quick to capitalise on the recent unexpected attention, has this to say yesterday: 'We'd like to offer all MPs and their husbands a special VIP subscription to Playboy.')
When I called to subscribe, an automated service asked me to hold, stating that all operators were busy. No shortage of new subscribers then.
The phone line operator, when she answered, sounded as bored and weary as a hooker on her final trick of the night. Since my husband's name is on our Sky package, I had to hand him the phone for him to authorise my usage. (I wonder whose name is on the Timney-Smith household's TV package?).

Garbage viewing: Ms Lichtenstein says actresses such as the one above are the 'battery hens of the sex industry'

The cost is £15.99 a month, with an additional £15 joining fee and a guarantee that there will be no mention of what you have purchased on your bank or credit card statement - though that will come as cold comfort to Mr Timney after his viewing of two blue films was exposed.
Once subscribed, you can generally access the content from television, laptop or mobile phone. It took a mere hour for the satellite signal to be authorised and to reach my television screen. The Adult Channel promises the viewer the best of British action, boasting that they have 'everything you want, everything you need'.
They're on the hunt for MILFs, or Mothers I'd Like to ****. As a mother myself, I found this particularly upsetting. What children could ever want their own mother paraded under this banner for the titillation of strangers?
Playboy TV, meanwhile, calls for viewers to send in amateur footage for them to screen, thus cashing in on people's insatiable thirst for 'celebrity' at any price.
There used to be a time when fame and notoriety were two different words - now it's all rolled up and seductively packaged as 'fame', which is no more than 15 minutes of squalid self-degradation.

With women like the topless models Jordan and Jodie Marsh as their role models, is it any wonder that taking your clothes off on these tawdry porn channels might seem a shortcut to the desired state of 'rich 'n' famous' to which too many young women mindlessly aspire.
Even after watching this material for a few minutes, I was left wanting a good hot bath to wash away the degradation and tawdriness of the experience.
On the Spice Extreme channel, once I have subscribed I am bombarded by a blizzard of offers luring me to watch programmes like Teen Fetish Slags: 'Meet dirty young babes who aren't afraid to be dominated. Leather, lace and some vigorous spanking sessions will make sure they behave in the bedroom.'
If it wasn't so pathetic, it would be laughably absurd. Imagine receiving a work schedule which demands that on Monday you're a lesbian and on Tuesday, a dominatrix, while on Wednesday you're a passive maiden half-raped by a strong man.

Why? Married to a powerful woman - the Home Secretary - perhaps Richard Timney watches porn because it makes him feel in control

You wear leather, you wear lace, you take part in the euphemistic game that is 'water sports' and you claim to love it all. These poor women must lose all sense of themselves.
The thing that comes through most strongly in these so-called films, is that the objectification of women is absolutely routine, as if in this seedy world the feminist revolution never happened.
Could this be the key to why Mr Timney likes it so much? He has such a powerful wife - who is also his boss. Does the watching of such material where women bow so totally to the desires of men allow him to feel in control for once?
Those of a liberal bent will argue that what adults do in the privacy of their own homes need not concern us. Perhaps. But in this case we, the taxpayers, are being asked to pay for it.
One of the many bitter ironies to emerge from this sorry story is that not only did Ms Smith allow his tawdry entertainment to be charged to her expenses, but as Home Secretary - Britain's first female one, incidentally - she is the person responsible for regulating the adult entertainment industry.
As part of that, she has been determined to introduce tough licensing laws for lap dancing clubs, as well as outlining plans to outlaw paying for sex with a woman controlled by another for their financial gain.
Who can say whether the women her husband was watching perform for his gratification were not coerced to take part in filming for the gain of others? Were these women keeping the money they earned, or were they forced to hand it over to pimps or agents?

After two hours of watching these channels, my conclusion was that these 'films' are degrading, exploitative, overlaid with terrible music and, once the shock has worn off, unutterably dull.
While you become an expert in female anatomy, you learn almost nothing about the male nude. The men, in any case make relatively rare appearances - 'girl-on-girl action' is the order of the day, however heterosexual the women may be. Clever camera angles stop short of actual penetration, but it's abundantly clear what is going on at all times.
In short, what I saw were unlovely people doing unlovely things.
It's hard to imagine that only a century has passed between a flash of ankle sending a man wild and this unadulterated and depressing, commercialised porn being readily available in our own homes.
These 'actresses' are the battery hens of the sex industry - performing what any sane person would see as horrible and degrading acts for the cheapened pleasure of others.

Addiction: Porn users gradually need to raise the stakes to achieve the same sexual gratification

The problem with pornography, of course, is that those same degrading acts will soon not be degrading enough. The user has constantly to raise the stakes in order to derive the same thrill. It's no wonder that this kind of porn has been compared to crack cocaine.
Pornography is addictive and, as with any addiction, the user's need steadily increases and demands ever more shocking, titillating and fetishistic stimuli.
What is the effect of all this on a marriage? Chris Diggins, a relationship counsellor, asserts that porn can lead to harmful, sexually addictive behaviour, that it isolates individuals and can damage their relationships with their wives and children, and that the use of pornography is ultimately corrosive as men become addicted to high intensity pleasure and lose the ability to enjoy other simpler, more healthy pleasures - such as making love to their wives.
I don't know whether this is true, but I'm certain that this mindless filth tarnishes the way in which men perceive women.
However hard we have fought to be recognised as equals in the workplace and in society, this cannot fail to reaffirm that, for some men, women remain sex objects whose principle purpose is the sexual gratification of men.
This is a depressing thought for those of us with teenage daughters and sons who have worked hard to bring them up as mutually respectful human beings. It sends a message that it is acceptable for men to treat women as whores - and for women to behave like them, too.
Hundreds of hours of this garbage television are available each day from ten at night until four in the morning in our living rooms - the result of a dangerously misguided liberalism which says there should be no censorship, no moral checks - that we are all grown up enough to see and do whatever we wish.
My greatest fear is that our children will grow up thinking this sort of material is normal - that all men and women are like this.
The programmes on these channels are as loveless, cheap, sad and depressing as Britain itself is in danger of becoming. That surely, for those with children and teenagers at home, is the most worrying fact of all.

READ MORE - The verdict on TV porn

How to Dodge the Draft in Russia

Russian soldiers sit on top of an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at a Russian army position.

Uriel Sinai / Getty

According to his paperwork, "Dmitri" spent several weeks in a psychiatric institution in the Arkhangelsk region in northern Russia and, soon after, he was finally diagnosed with a mild mental illness. He won't say what the diagnosis actually is; the important thing for him is that the general finding is stamped across his identification papers. It prevents him from ever getting a job in the Russian government. But more importantly for Dmitri, that medical certification prevents him from being drafted into the army.

Dmitri (not his real name) paid $2,500 to be certified with his mental illness three years ago. He is just one of thousands of young Russians who have gotten out of military service (or are trying to) as the country comes up to the April 1 beginning of its biggest peacetime draft in history, one that hopes to enlist 305,000 new soldiers.
Russia considers itself a nation of patriots, but when it comes to defending the motherland, men over the age of 18 aren't quite ready to lay it on the line. This age cohort was born in 1991, the year Communism collapsed and the Soviet Union became moribund, and may not be as indoctrinated into the old patriotism as previous generations. The year 1991 also had a particularly low birth rate, which makes a huge peacetime draft even more of a challenge. The young men are also entering employment and working age — and families in the middle of Russia's economic crisis, which is sharper than the rest of the world's, may not be so willing to give up their potential breadwinners. (Soldiers are paid a minimal and "symbolic" amount for service to their country, the equivalent of about $10 a month.) Moskovsky Komsomolets, a daily newspaper in the Russian capital, reports that 45,000 Muscovites, out of the 60,000 eligible to be conscripted, are currently trying to avoid military service.

All men between 18 and 27 years of age who meet minimal health requirements must present themselves for compulsory army service. University attendance allows people to be exempted only if the school requires military training in order to graduate. Men who do not serve (and do not have a good reason for being exempted from duty) do not qualify for international passports and related documents issued by the government. It's easy to be caught and summarily sent off to service because government-issued documentation must be carried at all times. "They checked my papers at the metro station in Chisty Prudy," says Alexander (who chose not to give his last name) who was drafted to the navy. "I had waist-length hair. The next day, when I was on the phone to my mother, I was shaved bald and trying to explain to her what was happening, I was with dozens of other boys none of them knew where we were going."

Many people go to the International Movement of Soldiers' Mothers to find out how to prevent their children from getting drafted. "For some people it works to register at a different address, or stay at a relative's house when the military inspectors come around," says Tatiana Kuznetsova, who runs the Movement, "We always suggest to go to the doctor" who might then be able to find some physical reason to qualify for exemption from service.
But there are other ways to get around the law as well. Some people tinker with birth certificates; others pay bribes, though that may not always work. Yuri, who also declined to give his last name, had a family friend who was a colonel. "He signed a medical certificate which says that I am weakened from my childhood meningitis," he says. "It's valid until I turn 27." He didn't have to pay a thing. But he says he knows friends in Moscow that paid $10,000 for similar papers. "Draft-dodging is a national pastime," says Alexander Golts an independent military analyst. "In Russia it's a million-dollar industry."

Boris Titov, a human-rights activist, told radio station Ekho Moskva that young Russians who can afford to should be allowed to pay their way out of service — provided that the money goes towards improving army conditions in Russia, which are notoriously low. Others, however, point out that may only exacerbate class divisions and affect the quality of the country's soldiery. "The army is already made up of Russia's poor," says Kuznetsova. "With this kind of system, it will be full of alcoholics and invalids."

While her organization advises families how to avoid conscription, Kuznetsova says she wants Russia to have a professional military. "I want the boys to actually learn proper military training, and also to be paid, it should consist of people that want to be there." At present, however, the military is a nightmare zone. The Russian army is infamous for hazing. One horrific incident in 2005 left a 19-year-old without legs or genitals. But countless beatings are believed to go unreported. The New Times, a weekly magazine, reported that 471 people serving in the armed forces died in 2008, half those deaths being suicides. Says Kuznetsova: "The boys there aren't occupied enough with learning the so-called art of war. Hazing happens because a bunch of boys in their prime are piled together and don't know what to do with themselves."

The horrors of service may drive people away but, in the end, demographics may be enough to undermine the Russian draft. This generation is already small compared to past conscription pools; it is also qualitatively of poorer stock. Says Golts: "Already, half the conscripts are not actually healthy enough to serve." Golts worries about the drafts to come. In the next few years, he says, the situation will become worse because of the poor birth rates of the 1990s. "I am not sure what the army will do to maintain the quota."

READ MORE - How to Dodge the Draft in Russia

Traffic warden gets a little excited...

and does a pole dance as her colleague books yet another hapless motorist
They're not exactly known for their gaiety whilst on patrol.
But there is one simple pleasure traffic wardens enjoy above everything else.
And for this enforcement officer the writing of yet another fine just had to be celebrated.
Whilst her colleague filled out the necessary paperwork she raised her arms in the air - and danced.
Not content with her mini workout though, the traffic warden then chose to ditch the rumba - for a little pole work.
Scroll down for video...

Overjoyed that her colleague has booked a motorist, this parking officer breaks into a dance

Unaware she was being filmed the woman wrapped herself around the nearest lamp post and continued with her victory dance.
The mobile phone footage was captured by an anonymous bystander who watched the bizarre dance from a high-rise building opposite the car park in Hull, East Yorkshire, last week.
The two-minute film begins with the two traffic wardens approaching a white van parked illegally.
Leaving her colleague to write out the ticket the woman - dressed in full uniform - begins her routine by waving her hands in the air before bobbing up and down.
As if mimicking the hokey-cokey she then skips back towards her colleague before turning once more, this time kicking her legs up and down in the air alternately.
Finally she bobs up and down before the climax of her dance - around the car park lamp post.

The traffic warden dances and gyrates against a lamp post

She and her colleague then casually slip away and move on in their hunt to find illegally parked motorists.
Speaking from his home in Hull, the amateur cameraman, who was quick to draw his mobile phone camera as the one-woman street dance broke out, said it looked
as if she was doing a victory dance as her partner wrote out a ticket.
The man, who did not want to be named, said: 'It was absolutely unbelievable. I was just staring out of the window at work and I spotted the two wardens checking out the white van.
'Then, as one of them was checking out the van, the other just burst into this ludicrous dance. From where I was standing it definitely looked like she was dancing for
joy.
'I might be wrong but to me it looked like a victory dance.'
A spokesperson for Hull City Council said: 'Whilst the video footage does not show a civil enforcement officer placing a penalty charge notice on a vehicle, it does show unacceptable behaviour by another enforcement officer in the vicinity.
'Our enforcement contractor is undertaking an investigation.
'Parking enforcement is used as a means to encourage sensible parking and civil enforcement officers do not have any targets to achieve with regard to the issue of penalty charge notices.'

The traffic warden's poledance

 

...and her little jig of glee

 

 

READ MORE - Traffic warden gets a little excited...

Dressed to kilt: Andie MacDowell and stunning young daughters hit the catwalk for Sean Connery fashion show

Andie MacDowell proudly showed off her two stunning daughters on the catwalk of a charity fashion show last night.
Looking more like sisters than mother and daughters, the Four Weddings And A Funeral actress strolled down the catwalk with Rainey, 18, and Sarah Margaret, 14, at the Dressed to Kilt event.
The three women donned tartan dresses and a sporran for the annual fashion show in New York City, hosted by Sir Sean Connery and wife Lady Micheline.

Charming the catwalk: Andie MacDowell strides onto the catwalk with daughters Rainey, left, and Sarah Margaret, right, at the Dressed To Kilt show

At the age 50, Andie is looking better than ever and showed off her long legs and cleavage in a blue and green tartan mini dress.
Her youngest daughter Sarah also worn the same pattern, but kept covered up in a floor-length tiered strapless gown.
While Andie and Sarah embraced the tartan look, Rainey kept things subtle in a simple little black dress, but gave a nod to the Scottish theme with a sporran as a handbag.
The teenagers have not only inherited their mother's good looks, but also her flowing brown hair.

Enlarge  

Working it: Andie, Rainey and Sarah take a bow at the climax of the show

Missing out on all the fun was Andie's 23-year-old son Justin, her third child from her former marriage to Paul Qualley, which ended in 1999.
Andie has Scottish roots and attributes them to her good porridge-making skills.
She said: 'I love my oats, and I could definitely be the world championship porridge maker - and eater.
'I have an aunt who has done a fair amount of genealogy and I have Scottish relatives on my grandmother's side.'
Andie and her daughters joined a host of stars at the 7th annual Dressed to Kilt event at the M2 Lounge, organised by the Friends of Scotland group to celebrate Tartan Week.
Tickets started from $99 a person, with proceeds going to the Paralysed Veterans of America, the Wounded Warriors Organisation and the Erskine Hospital in Scotland.

Enlarge  

What's under your kilt? Mike Myers teases the audience, while Gossip Girl hunk Ed Westwick keeps his cool in his Scottish ensemble

Joining Andie on the catwalk was comedian Mike Myers, Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick, Scottish singer Sandi Thom and X Factor 2007 winner Leon Jackson.
Canadian actor Mike, who played Scottish ogre Shrek in the hit trilogy, is proud of his Scottish heritage and jumped at the chance to join in.
Walking down the catwalk in his Canadian jockey shirt and New Balance trainers, the 45-year-old teased the audiences by lifting up his kilt.
English actor Ed, 21, who plays Gossip Girl fashion lover Chuck Bass, went for a more muted combination of brown kilt and checked waistcoat.

Puppy love: Dressed to Kilt host Sir Sean Connery cuddles a tartan-wearing dog with his wife Lady Micheline

Scottish stars: Sandi Thom wore a figure-hugging blue dress, while X Factor winner Leon Jackson embraced his Scottish heritage

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker singer Sandi, 27, also took to the catwalk.
After leaving her record label RCA after poor sales of her second album The Pink and the Lily, Sandi is now in America, where she hopes to sign with a label.
While many of the stars suited their kilts, Miss Scotland Stephanie Willemse, 20, made a fashion faux pas with her catwalk outfit.
Strolling down the aisle in a white dressed covered in tartan bows, the beauty queen looked like a toilet roll cover with her huge skirt.

Meringue moment: Miss Scotland Stephanie Willemse walked down the catwalk in an OTT white dress

READ MORE - Dressed to kilt: Andie MacDowell and stunning young daughters hit the catwalk for Sean Connery fashion show

EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt on a mission to get his co-stars into Twitter

EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt is attempting to shame his co-stars into signing up to networking website Twitter.
The 40-year-old technology fan, best known for playing hapless entrepreneur Ian Beale, has gone around the Elstree set of the soap getting his pals to pose for pictures admitting they've yet to register.
And those who don't sign up will find their face on his homepage on the site.

No Twitterer: Samantha Janus, who plays Ronnie Mitchell

Big Twitter: Adam Woodyatt, who plays much-loathed Ian Beale in EastEnders

Jake Wood, who plays Max Branning, Ricky Groves, who's better known as loveable mechanic Garry Hobbs, and Samantha Janus, who stars as nightclub owner Ronnie Mitchell, have all been targeted.
But it seems Adam's efforts are so far proving fruitless.

 

According to The Sun, the stars have since been bombarded with letters from Twitter fans demanding they join.
Others featured in Adam's campaign include Cliff Parisi and Scott Maslen, who play Minty and Jack Branning respectively.
They are as bemused as the others by Adam's efforts to recruit them.
Twitter allows users to send and read short instant updates about each other's lives on the web or their phones.

From left to right: Jake Wood who plays Max Branning, Ricky Groves, who's  better known as mechanic Garry Hobbs, and Cliff Parisi, who plays Minty Peterson

READ MORE - EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt on a mission to get his co-stars into Twitter

Most Britons are believers of 'fuzzy faith'

London: Britain is one of the least religious nations in Europe and most Britons are believers of "fuzzy faith", a new study has revealed.

According to the study, only 12 per cent of Britons feel they"belong" to a church, compared with just 52 per cent in France; and Britain has one of the highest rates of"fuzzy faith" or people who have an abstract belief in God.

The study, which is based on a survey by the European Union and questioned over 30,000 people in 22 countries, found five nations Slovenia, Sweden, Norway, Holland and Belgium - reported lower levels of church membership than Britain.

Prof David Voas of Manchester University, who led the project, said Britain was involved in a "long process of disestablishment", with Christianity gradually being written out of laws and political institutions." Christian faith will soon have no role among our traditional establishments or lawmakers. It remains to be seen for example, how much longer bishops will be allowed to sit in the House of Lords."

Fuzzy faith is a staging post on the road to non-religion. Adults still have childhood memories of being taken to church, and they maintain a nostalgic affection for Christianity but that is dying out.

" They still go along with the some kind of religious identity but they're not passing it on to the next generation, and people who aren't raised in a religion don't generally start one as adults," he told'The Daily Telegraph'.

READ MORE - Most Britons are believers of 'fuzzy faith'

Zardari is 5th biggest loser in world

Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who was forced by his opponents to accept the demand to reinstate sacked judges, has been listed the fifth biggest loser in the world by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine.

" Zardari was known to be a bad guy long before he became Pakistan's President. Many of the closest friends of his late wife Benazir Bhutto could not stand him. Now, as it turns out, neither can most of the Pakistani people," read the citation by the US-based magazine.

" Locked in a bitter struggle with opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, Zardari showed his weakness by capitulating to demands to reinstate Pakistan's former Chief Justice per Sharif's demands. Now in a desperate attempt to reassert control of his own party he may be plotting the ouster of his Prime Minister," it said in an article on the world's 13 biggest losers.

Zardari is"on the ropes, his opposition is gaining strength, and meanwhile fraught, dangerous, complex Pakistan is hardly being governed at all", the magazine said.

Foreign Policy listed 12 other leaders from this month's"headlines ranked by just how little sympathy we should have for them".

The magazine said:"If there's one thing you've got to love about tough times is: they're tough on everyone. These days, it's not easy even for those who have taken historically proven paths to amassing wealth, fame, power, social acceptance and happiness like becoming a billionaire or Pope or US Treasury secretary or an Austrian sadist."

Austrian businessman Josef Fritzl was among the losers for locking his daughter in the basement of his house and making her his sex slave.

Bernie Madoff, the US swindler who defrauded taxpayers of USD 60 billion, was also included in the list.

Others included on the Foreign Policy list are Edward Liddy, executive of US giant AIG (no 13); Forbes Billionaires List (no 12); Eliot Spitzer also of AIG (no 11); British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (no 10) and Israeli political Bibi Netahanyahu (no 9).

READ MORE - Zardari is 5th biggest loser in world

Pope is second biggest loser in world: Report

Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who was forced by his opponents to accept the demand to reinstate sacked judges, has been listed the fifth biggest loser in the world by the prestigious ‘Foreign Policy’ magazine.

"Zardari was known to be a bad guy long before he became Pakistan's President. Many of the closest friends of his late wife Benazir Bhutto could not stand him. Now, as it turns out, neither can most of the Pakistani people," read the citation by the US-based magazine.

"Locked in a bitter struggle with Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, Zardari showed his weakness by capitulating to demands to reinstate Pakistan's former Chief Justice as per Sharif's demands. Now in a desperate attempt to reassert control of his own party he may be plotting the ouster of his Prime Minister," it said in an article on the world's 13 biggest losers.

Zardari is ‘on the ropes, his opposition is gaining strength, and meanwhile fraught, dangerous, complex Pakistan is hardly being governed at all", the magazine said.

Foreign Policy listed 12 other leaders from this month's ‘headlines ranked by just how little sympathy we should have for them’.

The Pope was declared the second biggest loser because "he's out of touch with the real world and his papacy is 'a disaster'", the magazine wrote.

The magazine said: "If there's one thing you've got to love about tough times is: they're tough on everyone. These days, it's not easy even for those who have taken historically proven paths to amassing wealth, fame, power, social acceptance and happiness like becoming a billionaire or Pope or US Treasury secretary or an Austrian sadist."

Austrian businessman Josef Fritzl was among the losers for locking his daughter in the basement of his house and making her his sex slave.

Bernie Madoff, the US swindler who defrauded taxpayers of USD 60 billion, was also included in the list.

Others included on the Foreign Policy list are Edward Liddy, executive of US giant AIG (no 13); Forbes Billionaires List (no 12); Eliot Spitzer also of AIG (no 11); British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (no 10) and Israeli political Bibi Netahanyahu (no 9).

READ MORE - Pope is second biggest loser in world: Report

Jade Goody’s funeral to be broadcast live on TV

London, March 23 : Giant screens will be set up outside St John Baptist Church in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, for Jade Goody’s funeral to be broadcast live.

The 27-year-old died peacefully in her sleep, while mum Jackiey Budden and hubby Jack Tweed held on to her hands at her Essex home early on March 22 - Mother’s Day.

According to her friend and spokesman Max Clifford, the funeral of the Brit reality TV star, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer, would be “a celebration of her life”.

He revealed the ceremony would be the final “Jade Goody Production”, full of ups and downs that characterised her wedding and the christening of her sons Bobby, 5, and Freddie, 4.

Jade had planned her final resting place during her extremely painful ordeal after the disease spread to her entire body.

She wanted to be buried at her favourite church, and had insisted that all those who wanted to attend her funeral were welcome.

The memorial service, expected to be held within two weeks, will see the day beginning with a cortege setting off from her childhood home in Bermondsey.

“Jade wanted a celebration of her life. It will be very much a Jade Goody Production with Jade doing her own thing her own way,” the Telegraph quoted Clifford as saying of the service.

“It will be a celebration, but of course there will be a lot of tears,” he added.

READ MORE - Jade Goody’s funeral to be broadcast live on TV

Confusion, not cheating, behind academic plagiarism

Washington, Mar 23: Confusion over what constitutes plagiarism is a leading cause of unauthorized use of written material at graduate school level, says an expert.

“There is something happening at the undergraduate level. We don’t require enough writing and we do not do careful editing of what students write and, therefore, within the context of their own education, students are not properly educated and are more likely to fall into traps,” said Dr. George M. Bodner, who serves on the Ethics Committee of the ACS.

He said that the lack of metrics to measure plagiarism cases has made it impossible to tell how widespread the problem is.

Moreover, the Internet has also given students access to vast amounts of text, and other material that could be plagiarized.

“I usually tell students if it’s more than four words you better be quoting them,” said Dr. Thomas Holme, a professor at Iowa State University.

He said that the problem of unauthorized use of written material goes beyond students and plagiarism.

Teachers sometimes unknowingly cross the line with unauthorized use of copyrighted standardized test questions, including those from ACS’s widely used standardized tests in chemistry.

“When someone puts a copyrighted test up on the Internet or incorporates questions from a copyrighted test into one of their own exams, that’s a violation of copyright law and a serious matter,” Holme added.

READ MORE - Confusion, not cheating, behind academic plagiarism

Aliens? No, just the Pentagon playing with its latest toys

A flurry of UFO sightings was troubling the spooks at the Ministry of Defence. Hundreds had been reported, by everyone from RAF pilots over Scotland to a woman walking her dog in Norfolk. But it wasn't the threat of an alien invasion that tormented defence officials during this period of overhead hyperactivity at the end of the 1980s.

Their theory was that our American allies had been building and testing stealth aircraft and spy planes without telling us. In fact, in many cases they were probably right. A series of simple, almost childish drawings produced by some of the witnesses have just been released from secret files.

READ MORE - Aliens? No, just the Pentagon playing with its latest toys

UFO Files Unveil MoD Spy Plane Obsession

The latest of Britain's UFO files are being released online exposing the Ministry of Defence's obsession with secret spy planes rather than alien craft.

A witness sketch of a diamond shaped UFO released by the MoD

The files contain lots of clippings from magazines and newspapers about possible top secret new aircraft.
The articles were diligently collected even though the US Air Force had briefed the MoD that many of the claimed secret planes did not exist.
Eventually all the files will be declassified and made public, but UFO sightings continue, Harriet Rogers and her father Barry filmed a mysterious pulsing globe-like object near their home in Shropshire in February.
Harriet told Sky News she's convinced the object is alien: "It's definitely come back in the same place, literally every starry night."
Included in the files is a photo taken from an RAF Harrier jet of a UFO seen in 1990 by many people near Pitlochry in Scotland.
The MoD took the unusual step of briefing ministers about the sighting.
There are some more unusual reports in the 1200 or so files, like the woman who encountered an alien while walking her dog near Norwich.
She said the alien spoke in a "Scandinavian type accent."
There were several reports of a UFO above London in 1993, it was eventually explained as an illuminated airship being used to promote a new car.
Nick Pope used to be in charge of the UK's UFO files, he now writes books on the subject.
He told Sky News: "While most UFO sightings turned out to be misidentifications of something quite ordinary, around 5% were assessed as unexplained."
Ultimately all of the UK's UFO files will be made public.
Despite them being largely mundane, enthusiasts will continue to believe there is more information being withheld.
While still very interesting these papers probably tell us more about the MoD's priorities during the cold war than about the real truth regarding UFOs and aliens.

READ MORE - UFO Files Unveil MoD Spy Plane Obsession

Google removes street images

LONDON: US software giant Google said Friday it had removed several images from its Street View software, which allows web surfers to view parts of 25 British cities, after users raised privacy concerns.

Street View displays 360-degree ground-level images captured by roaming cars using digital photography equipment.

The cars began taking images last summer, and continue to capture images across the country, allowing the service to expand after its launch here on Thursday.

Just 24 hours after its release in Britain, however, Google said it had removed several pictures, including ones that users found embarrassing, such as one of a man leaving a sex shop in central London's Soho neighbourhood, or another one of a man vomiting outside a pub in the east of the British capital.

A spokeswoman for the American Internet company declined to confirm the precise number of photos that were removed, but said it had been "less than expected."

Individual Internet users who do not want either their image or that of their home to be used in Street View can request it be taken off Google's database by filling out an online form.

Google says it has developed sophisticated software that ensures that individual's faces and vehicle license plates are blurred.

After initially being launched in the United States in May 2007, Street View is now available in Britain, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.

READ MORE - Google removes street images

Rihanna, Chris Brown fight re-enacted in a video

American ‘Teen empowering group’ DoSomething.org, formed to help domestic violence victims, has recreated the alleged fight between Rihanna and Chris Brown in a public service address flick.

Media reports that Rihanna was allegedly attacked by Brown and left with horrific injuries raised a lot of questions in the minds of young fans.
With many fans turning against Brown for his appalling act, the Teen Empowering group decided to make a flick based on the facts gathered from the LAPD report, in a bid to urge victims of domestic violence to come forward.
The group brought to light the shocking fact that one in every three is a victim of domestic violence.
The flick begins with a warning about graphic images before showing a couple in a car involved in a fight.
And it ends with a message urging people suffering from domestic violence to come forward and report it.
Meanwhile, Brown has been charged with two felony counts and released on a bail of 50,000 dollars until a hearing on April 6. (ANI)

READ MORE - Rihanna, Chris Brown fight re-enacted in a video

Kitchen Garden Tips: Be Like Michelle Obama!

Does the country feel a little healthier today to you? A little more frugal? Maybe it's because First Lady Michelle Obama broke ground on a White House "kitchen garden" today. Maybe you're inspired by that -- or just by skyrocketing seed sales all across America. Either way, here's a quick guide to get you started growing your own food.

KITCHEN GARDENING TIPS


1. Tap into your community. People around you can help answer questions specific to your area. Ask at your local nursery or farmer's market about what will grow well in conditions you have access to -- and make sure it's something you'll actually eat!

2. Start small. If you've never gardened before, or if you don't have much room to work with, try this great guide to growing strawberries at home.

3. Get your soil for free!
4. Composting helps your plants, helps you connect to nature and helps cut down on waste! There are tons of guides to this. Try starting here.
5. If it's still too cold where you are, you can start your plants indoors -- and you can even use the help of ultra-efficient LED lights.
And Treehugger has a whole set of gardening tips directed at the Obamas, too!
Here's Michelle Obama starting the project:

WHAT WILL BE IN THE OBAMAS' GARDEN?

According to AP, the White House kitchen garden is pretty ambitious, with "spinach, broccoli, various lettuces, kale and collard greens, assorted herbs and blueberries, blackberries and raspberries."

I can only hope that the first lady's next project is on the White House roof -- she did look at a few exhibits on solar power and rooftop gardening, after all!

READ MORE - Kitchen Garden Tips: Be Like Michelle Obama!

The perfect cover-up job

Learn how to camouflage a skinny frame or tuck in that tummy by dressing right

Problem: a double chin or a thick neck

WEAR

• For ties, stick to medium-sized, classic patterns. Smooth, lightweight silks often result in very tiny single knots, while heavy jacquard silks tend to result in ungainly double knots. Pick the fabric carefully to get a medium-sized knot that is proportionate to the collar, says Samrat Som, creative director of menswear brand Louis Philippe.

Clothes make the man: (Clockwise from top) Aamir Khan, Dev Patel; Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan and Rishi Kapoor.

• Try having the shirt collar closer around the neck. It makes a double chin look less obvious, says Gordon Alsleben, master cutter and tailor from Savile Row, London, and head of the made-to-measure programme at The Collective, a men’s luxury clothing store in Bangalore.

• Collars should be as thin and narrow as possible, says Som.

• Fashion designer Rohit Gandhi of Cue says V-necked T-shirts are the best option for casual wear.

DON’T WEAR

• Som’s list of things to avoid include very high collars, wide or large collars, colourful and very narrow ties.

• Gandhi says it’s best to stay away from round collars and band collars.

Problem: a big mid-section

WEAR

• Choose a style of jacket that drapes down and creates an impression of a waist. Even a jacket which is slightly skirted will create an illusion of a waist, says Alsleben.

• He also advises you to pick fitted suits. “Not tight enough to show rolls of fat, but a bit snug. When the suit’s too loose, the width shows more,” he says.

• While buying suits and jackets, look for wider shoulders to visually balance the mid-section, says Som. Pinstripe jackets and trousers have a slimming effect. And suits are better than a blazer with trousers, because those tend to break the body into two halves, emphasizing the middle.

• Paul Jheeta, master cutter from Savile Row, London, swears by the single-breasted, one-buttoned jacket that “gives the illusion of a slimmer waistline”. On trousers, he says, “As a general rule, trousers should have front pleats as it helps conceal the area.”

• For casual occasions, Gandhi suggests leaving the shirt untucked. Another option is the layered look. “It works well to camouflage. Wear a shirt or a light jacket over a T-shirt,” he says.

• In terms of colour, designer Ravi Bajaj’s tip is to dress tonal—pairing dark-coloured shirts with dark trousers. He also suggests wearing a broader belt.

DON’T WEAR

• While wearing shirts or T-shirts, one should be careful to stay away from horizontal stripes, especially heavy rugby stripe patterns, says Som. Even for vertical stripes, heavy or thick stripes should be avoided.

• Som has tips for formal dressing. Double-breasted jackets create a block of single colour in the middle. There should be no big patterns on suits.

• “Flat-front trousers accentuate your mid-section,” says Jheeta.

• A light shirt with dark trousers will draw attention to the mid-section, according to Bajaj.

Problem: short legs

• “Make sure your trousers are high on the waist as this gives an illusion of long legs,” says Bajaj.

• Som suggests using stripes to create a sense of length. Try wearing more striped trousers with solid shirts and blazers, rather than a striped shirt or a striped suit.

• Alsleben suggests buying a fitted suit rather than a classic cut. “Try a waisted garment with the shoulders slightly wider. A one-button front with a longer-looking lapel and slim trousers add the illusion of height,” he says.

DON’T WEAR

• Don’t select double-breasted suits, says Alsleben. The wider the coat, the shorter you look.

• There should be no cuffs at the bottom of your trousers, says Som.

• Gandhi says it’s best to avoid following trends of narrow or flared trousers or jeans and just go for a straight fit. Also, no low-waisted jeans, says Bajaj.

Problem: short and stocky

WEAR

• For suits, Jheeta recommends a single-breasted, one-buttoned jacket with peak lapels, preferably in dark colours or pinstripes, which enhances height.

• Som cautions against using a stripe-on-stripe pattern with your shirt and suit. It is better to keep just one stripe in the whole ensemble, either on the shirt or the suit.

• Alsleben recommends more room in the waist area of the jacket—it won’t make the shoulders stand out.

• For casual wear, it is better to stick to solid colours, says Bajaj.

• According to Gandhi, there is no shame in adding insoles to your shoes. “If it gives an added half-inch and more confidence, there’s nothing wrong,” he says.

DON’T WEAR

• “No checks and no bold stripes,” says Bajaj. Gandhi adds that printed shirts with trousers can cut your height.

• Jheeta says although the popular notion is that a long jacket will make you look taller, it creates in fact the opposite result. “Stocky-built persons should keep their jacket length on the shorter side to look taller,” he adds.

Problem: very lean

WEAR

• “If you are too skinny, then you’re lucky,” jokes Gandhi. He thinks the layered look can add bulk; Bajaj suggests bold prints and light colours.

• For suits, Jheeta recommends a double-breasted jacket with a 6-inch wrap, which will make you look fuller at the waist or hip area. The chest area can be given more structure with peak lapels.

• Bajaj tailors the suit with slightly exaggerated shoulders. Som also says suit shoulders can be slightly wider to create a sense of volume but not overly so, which will make it look too big and boxy. They should hug the shoulders and taper down to the waist to create a sense of proportion.

• Have a classic-cut suit with a constructed chest, says Alsleben. Bespoke or made-to-measure suit-makers pad the front of a suit with a fabric called “hair cloth”, which helps keep the chest looking firm.

• T-shirts and sweaters with heavy horizontal stripes should be generously used, according to Som.

DON’T WEAR

• The most common mistake slim men make is to wear clothes that are too big. Very often, this is glaringly obvious at the shirt collar, which fits very loose around the neck. Get shirts custom-made for the collar, shoulders and sleeves to fit correctly.

Problem: a broad chest with skinny legs

WEAR

• Som advises staying with the classic combination of light tops and dark trousers. Even when wearing blazers and trousers, try the light on top, dark on bottom formula. Or try vertical stripes on top, and solid colours at the bottom.

• Som says checked trousers are interesting options for the more experimental dressers. Pleated trousers with straight legs are preferable to flat-fronted trousers with narrow legs.

• According to Jheeta, this body type looks good in most cuts as the legs get covered in trousers and a big chest and shoulders wear a suit well. He suggests a single-breasted, two-button with notch lapels. “This will help take the attention away from the chest or shoulder area while the second button gives a focal point to a narrow waist. One can also have two patch pockets to enhance the lower area to balance out the silhouette,” he adds.

DON’T WEAR

• No skinny anything, says Som: Skinny jeans, trousers and ties are not to be worn by men with this body type.

READ MORE - The perfect cover-up job

Heres what will be cooked in the Obama kitchen!

Washington, Mar.20 : Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of the South Lawn on Friday to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelts victory garden in World War II.

While the organic garden will provide food for the first familys meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Michelle Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.

Twenty-three fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help her dig up the soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot, in a spot visible to passers-by on E Street. (It is just below the Obama girls swing set.)

Students from the school, which has had a garden since 2001, will also help plant, harvest and cook the vegetables, berries and herbs.

Virtually the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, whether they like it or not, Mrs. Obama said with a laugh.

Now Grandma, my mom, I dont know. Her mother, she said, will probably sit back and say: Isnt that lovely. You missed a spot.

Promoting healthful eating has become an important part of Mrs. Obamas own agenda.

The first lady, who said that she had never had a vegetable garden, recalled that the idea for this one came from her experiences as a working mother trying to feed her daughters, Malia and Sasha, a good diet.
Eating out three times a week, ordering a pizza, having a sandwich for dinner all took their toll in added weight on the girls, whose pediatrician told Mrs. Obama that she needed to be thinking about nutrition.

He raised a flag for us, she said, and within months the girls had lost weight.

Dan Barber, an owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, an organic restaurant in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., that grows many of its own ingredients, said: The power of Michelle Obama and the garden can create a very powerful message about eating healthy and more delicious food. I dont think its a stretch to say it could translate into real change.

While the Clintons grew some vegetables in pots on the White House roof, the Obamas garden will far transcend that, with 55 varieties of vegetables from a wish list of the kitchen staff grown from organic seedlings started at the Executive Mansions greenhouses.

The Obamas will feed their love of Mexican food with cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces will include red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. For desserts, there will be a patch of berries. And herbs will include some more unusual varieties, like anise hyssop and Thai basil.

A White House carpenter, Charlie Brandts, who is a beekeeper, will tend two hives for honey.

The total cost of seeds, mulch and so forth is 200 dollars, said Sam Kass, an assistant White House chef, who prepared healthful meals for the Obama family in Chicago and is an advocate of local food. Kass will oversee the garden.

The plots will be in raised beds fertilized with White House compost, crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, lime and green sand. Ladybugs and praying mantises will help control harmful bugs.

Cristeta Comerford, the White Houses executive chef, said she was eager to plan menus around the garden, and Bill Yosses, the pastry chef, said he was looking forward to berry season.

The White House grounds crew and the kitchen staff will do most of the work, but other White House staff members have volunteered.

READ MORE - Heres what will be cooked in the Obama kitchen!

Generalizations About Islam and Women

United States :

There is a stubborn tendency to make generalizations - nay, crude generalizations - about Islam. One of those generalizations holds that women in Islam are all subdued.
But I say to these people - some actuated by malice words by ignorance: Do not write about the Islamic world as if it were all one monolithic bloc. The world is diverse and it is not true that women do not have rights ”over there.”
In some countries, women do lack rights. But those are the exceptions and, unfortunately, in racist Western discourse exceptions for Muslims are often falsely presented as the norm. Citing the Taliban is akin to me citing the survey to malign all Western men.
Such a practice is simply unfounded, based, at best, on ignorance and, at worst, on prejudice.
Most Muslim women have rights to a court if their husband is abusive or any man is abusive toward her. And some Muslim women have secured their rights even both Western women.

Tunisian women, for instance, had the right to an abortion 17 years before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized the surgery nationwide.
Turkey, the fifth most populous Muslim nation, elected a female prime minister. Pakistan, the second most populous, elected a female prime minister twice. Bangladesh, the third most populous, elected two female prime ministers.
And, finally, Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation with nearly 300 million Muslim, has elected a female president.

[No, this chic is not Indonesia’s president]
How many women presidents has, say, the United States, France, Australia, Italy, and Spain elected? The list goes on. And Switzerland only gave women the vote in 1970.

“You people have such restrictive dress for women,”
she said, hobbling away in three-inch heels and panty hose
to finish out another pink-collar temp pool day.
Hijab Scene #2
E-mails From Scheherazad - Poems by Mohja Kahf

Further, Islam is full with powerful and commanding women like, for instance, Aisha.
So, cease with the cruel and unfounded generalizations. One cannot properly speak about a monolithic ”Islam” or a monolithic ”West.” To seek to present Islam as backward and misogynistic in contrast to the Enlightened West is simply a gross distortion of reality.

No, I’m not bald under the scarf
No, I’m not from that country
where women can’t drive cars
No, I would not like to defect
I’m already American
But thank you for offering
What else do you need to know
relevant to my buying insurance,
opening a bank account,
reserving a seat on a flight?
Yes, I speak English
Yes, I carry explosives
They’re called explosives
They’re called words
And if you don’t get up
Off your assumptions,
They’re going to blow you away
Hijab Scene #7
E-mails From Scheherazad - Poems by Mohja Kahf

Author’s Note: the bulk of this post was previously posted as a comment by the author.

READ MORE - Generalizations About Islam and Women

Egyptian women learn to fight back

By Christian Fraser

The women's practice can even include contests against male colleagues

In a dojo, or martial arts training area, in a poor working class suburb of Cairo, women in karate uniforms and tracksuits are learning to fight off an assailant.
In this male-dominated society it is unusual to see these women in their headscarves sparring with men, but such is the concern here at the rise of sexual harassment cases that the number attending this class grows every month.
Shaza Saeed, 14, is one of the new recruits.
"I was on my way home from school and I was attacked - I didn't know what to do," she said.
"But now I have learnt how to defend myself so I am not afraid any more. I think every girl should go to self-defence classes like this."
At the back of the gym, the mothers, some in all-covering Islamic dress, look on with admiration.
In the past some of have even joined in. There are women of all ages taking part. They fight each other and sometimes they fight the men.
Restraint technique
The instructor Redo Fathy says it is now incumbent on every woman to protect herself from the unwelcome advances of Egyptian men.
"The girls face a lot of problems," he said. "Especially the teenagers that attend high school. Some of them have long distances to travel."

Modest Islamic dress may be less of a deterrent than an expert karate move

"Our job is to give them the skills they need to protect themselves should something happen.
"One of our girls was attacked on the way home. A boy on a bus grabbed her from behind. She used a technique we had taught her to restrain him, until other people on the bus gathered around to help. He was later handed over to the police."

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN EGYPT Experienced by 98% of foreign women visitors Experienced by 83% of Egyptian women 62% of Egyptian men admitted harassing women 53% of Egyptian men blame women for 'bringing it on' Source: Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights

Sexual harassment is not usually a subject openly discussed here. But a recent survey carried out by the Egyptian Centre For Women's Rights has lifted the lid on an alarming trend.
Of just over 2,000 questioned 83% of Egyptian women said they had suffered some form of harassment.
Even more startling, nearly two thirds of the men they surveyed freely admitted they had abused a woman at one time or another.
Landmark case
The author of the report, Nihad Aboul-Qumsan, says too often it is the woman who is blamed for dressing provocatively.
"Most of the people we questioned said there wouldn't be such harassment if women dressed in a modest way. But when we questioned women on what they were wearing when they were abused more than 70% said they were wearing a headscarf.

Noha Ostadh fought back and then went public about her ordeal

"It is no longer acceptable to blame the victim."
Egyptian women rarely report these attacks to avoid the public embarrassment or dishonour to their family. In any case there is usually very little sympathy shown by the police.
But in a landmark case last year a judge handed down a three-year sentence to a man who had repeatedly groped a woman pedestrian as he drove alongside her in Cairo.
The victim, Noha Ostadh, initially held onto her assailant's vehicle and finally succeed in dragging him to a police station.
Since that case came to light the topic has been more openly discussed in the media.
The government belatedly has recognised they have a problem. There is new legislation passing through parliament that would define sexual harassment as a crime and make it easier for women to report it.
But the women in the karate class say it will require a more concerted effort from Egyptian society, and a backlash from men themselves, if they are to win on the street the honour and respect they are afforded in the dojo.

READ MORE - Egyptian women learn to fight back

Famed Croatian-American fashion-designer exploring ancient Hindu civilizations for her next line

New Delhi, Mar 18 : Mandali Mendrilla, an internationally distinguished Croatian fashion designer based in USA, is planning a neo-Vedic style clothing line in her atelier collection in collaboration with renowned Vaishnava theologian Dr. Kenneth Valpey and blessings of acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed.

Before formally launching the line, she plans to do extensive research into Vedic ceremonies, ancient temple reliefs and art inspired by Sanskrit epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, Bharhut and Sanchi reliefs, Harappan culture (around 3300 BCE), Mauryan dynasty (322 to 185 BCE), Vratyas, Banabhatta’s (7th century) Harshacharita, etc., to come up with exquisite designs fused with influences of Mediterranean Croatian regional dressmaking heritage and the well-known Italian sense of style.

Mandali is currently researching into the rectangular jackets and short pleated dhotis worn by Mauryan warriors; designs based on Kusa grass skirts worn by ladies during Vedic ceremonies; turbans for both sexes based on Harappan culture; black and pointed Vratya shoe styles; etc.

The 32 years old charming Mandali says: "The energy, wisdom and dignity of Vedic India has always intrigued me and its fabulous sense of style is a classic that survived the ages in traces. Inspired by a well known traditional Vedic sculptor/painter Drdha Monge, I leaped on a quest to explore and rediscover ancient Indian dressing codes and artistic rules governing traditional Indian dress over the ages as well as ways to blend those with the ways of the modern world.”

“Mr. Rajan Zed’s constant attempts to reach across lines of difference through prayer
provides great inspiration to me in fusion clothing”, Mandali points out. She has been exploring Vedic tradition and Bhakti Yoga under the mentorship of Dr. Valpey, which resulted in consulting him for her next line.

Internationally renowned stylist, designer and artist Mandali Mendrilla finds inspiration in the living installation called world and its abundance of moods, characteristics, relationships and actions of time. She thinks humans can use clothes to help communicate, explore, enhance and discover their inner selves rather than consider dressing as an external act of duty. She has already exhibited her work in Italy, Croatia, USA, and India and during this year, she plans to take her shows to Japan and United Kingdom, besides repeating Croatia, Italy, and India.

Vaishnava theologian and scholar of Indian cultural and religious traditions, Dr. Valpey is a Fellow at prestigious Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies in United Kingdom.

Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism
, has recited groundbreaking first Hindu opening prayer in United States Senate in Washington DC. He was recently bestowed with “World Interfaith Leader Award”. He is one of the panelists for “On Faith”, a prestigious interactive conversation on religion produced jointly by Newsweek and washingtonpost.com. Inspired by his prayer in US Senate, Mendrilla dedicated a line of designer shirts from her latest atelier collection to him.

READ MORE - Famed Croatian-American fashion-designer exploring ancient Hindu civilizations for her next line