Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Kolkata teen suicide: Father files police complaint against school principal


Kolkata:  The father of a 14-year-old girl, who jumped to her death on February 1, has filed a police complaint blaming the principal of her school for abetting his daughter's suicide.

The girl, Deepshikha, and a 15-year-old boy, Sudipto, both students of Class 8 in Julien Day School, jumped off the roof of the four-storey building where Sudipto's family lives. Deepshika was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital. Sudipto is in hospital with serious injuries. He underwent a brain surgery.

They both took the extreme step after allegedly being upbraided by the school principal for bunking a PT class. Deepshikha and Sudipto had been caught bunking class and allegedly threatened with suspension by the principal. Hours later, the two went to Sudipto's home, wrote a suicide note and jumped off the roof.

The suicide note was not addressed to anyone and it did not blame anyone. It said, "We are sorry to have disappointed our parents. We were born in the wrong time in the wrong country."

Deepshikha's father has now filed a police complaint against the principal and four others. Along with the prinicipal of the school, the father has also named Sudipto in his complaint for forcing Deepshikha to go to his house and commit suicide. Sudipto's mother - a doctor - is accused of taking her son to hospital in an ambulance but leaving the girl behind. Also named are the ambulance driver and the driver of Deepshikha's school bus for not taking steps when he noticed she was missing after school.

"I will not leave the principal. I want to know what it is he did that he forced my daughter to take this decision," says Mr Deepak Dam, the girl's father.

The principal of the school, M Mcnamara, has denied reports that after the students were discovered missing from class, he threatened to suspend them.

"They were called to my room because they did not attend PT classes. We just wanted to know why. They were not suspended or threatened and there was no talk of a transfer certificate or suspension," he said.



For NDTV

Sourav Ganguly suggests playing Irfan and Tiwary

Melbourne: India should draft all-rounder Irfan Pathan and Manoj Tiwary in the side for the next tri-series match even if it means dropping a spinner along with Suresh Raina, suggested former skipper Sourav Ganguly.

India will play Sri Lanka on Wednesday after losing the first match to Australia by 65 runs.

India had rested Virender Sehwag and included two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Rahul Sharma for the first match, a ploy which failed to impress Ganguly.

"In the next game, India should play Irfan Pathan instead of a spinner, as that will add variety to their attack. Pathan is a left-hander who swings the ball well. Pathan is needed because India is playing too many spinners, whereas even in Sunday's game, Vinay Kumar and the Australian pacemen made the most of the pitch," Ganguly said.

Ganguly said Bengal batsman Tiwary deserved a place in the side in place of Raina.

"I also wonder why Manoj Tiwary is not playing. Here is a man who scored a hundred in his last match against the West Indies under pressure, and on current form should play ahead of Suresh Raina who has looked suspect against the short stuff," Ganguly wrote in his column for 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

Ganguly also felt that Sehwag's presence in the top-order was crucial to India.

"India also needs the injured Virender Sehwag back. Sachin Tendulkar had not played a one-day match for 10 months, and it's not easy to accelerate from the word go.

"Gautam Gambhir did get a good fifty in the last Twenty20 game, but hasn't looked convincing as yet," he said.

Survival training for when a pilot's world turns upside down


New York:  The pilot sat strapped to a chair, held in place as if he were in the backseat of a helicopter. Beside him, on a mock wall, was a window. The window was closed.

The pilot wore opaque goggles. He could not see the window or anything else. The chair was attached to a rotating stand in the chest-deep water of a swimming pool. A petty officer spun a large wheel, flipping the chair backward with a gentle whoosh. The pilot was now underwater, upside down.

Another exercise in the test had begun.

The pilot - feet near the surface, head near the bottom, sightless - was to disconnect himself from the buckled straps, wiggle free, open the window and pull himself through and out, a series of movements intended to simulate what he might need to do in an aircraft that had struck the sea at night.

Every four years, the Navy requires its pilots and those who fly with them to renew their skills in escaping from downed aircraft or surviving an ejection and parachute descent into water. The refresher class, depending on where each student is based, is held in one of several schools like this one, the Aviation Survival Training Center on this Navy base in coastal Washington State.

In the peculiar way that demanding and slightly frightening training is often viewed by those who undergo it, the course is simultaneously appreciated and loathed.

The pilot who was flipped upside down on this day, Lt. Cmdr. Kelsey N. Martin, struggled briefly with the buckle that held the straps across his torso. He soon broke free and swam through the window without the assistance of the rescue swimmer watching alongside.

Later, he offered the common sentiment. "I was not looking forward to this," he said, before adding: "This training is actually very valuable. I say that because I know four guys who have ejected over water, and all of them lived."

The test with the chair that flips upside down - known as the Modular Shallow Water Egress Trainer - was one exercise of several.

Lieutenant Commander Martin and his classmates also had to pass a swim test wearing boots, flight suit and helmet; demonstrate that they could inflate a life preserver with a breathing tube while treading water; and complete several situational exercises, including escaping from a parachute harness that, via an electric pulley, dragged each man backward through the water as he tried to undo the harness's buckles.

This drill was meant to replicate the experience of being pulled across the ocean surface by a parachute driven by high winds, which could drown a pilot who had survived an otherwise successful ditching.

The final exercise, the so-called dunker, involved being seated wearing opaque goggles in a simulated helicopter as it was dropped into 12 feet of water and rotated upside down. Several pilots and crew members would have to escape at once, while safety divers watched, ready to rescue anyone who became stuck.

That exercise, like the overturned chair, taught crew members to choose an exit and then rely on "reference points" to get there - firm handholds inside the aircraft with which to pull themselves, handhold by handhold, toward an opening.

The course, which lasts two days, seeks to drill reactions into aircrews for surviving the most likely dangers they might face.

(Lieutenant Commander Martin is an E/A-18G pilot. Though jet pilots do not fly helicopters, they sometimes are carried as passengers within them and are required to complete the helicopter training, too. Two journalists from The New York Times were also required to complete a recent course before receiving permission to fly inside carrier-based F/A-18s for coverage of the Afghan war.)

Cmdr. Richard V. Folga, the school's director, said the reasoning behind the training is locked in aviation math. Every year, no matter how much attention aviation squadrons pay to maintenance and safety, naval aircraft experience catastrophic failures. Pilots and aircrews end up in the sea.

The Navy sometimes loses as many as 8 to 10 jet aircraft a year, he said. And so, after a day in a classroom receiving instruction and doing practice drills, the crews head to the pool for a long session in the water, in case one day the math catches up to them.

Commander Folga said he knows some officers attend with dread.

"If I could guarantee that you would never need this training, I would say, 'O.K., sit in the back and use your iPhone and do whatever you want to do while the rest of us work,' " he said. "But these exercises are all based on real incidents, and sometimes on recurrent real incidents."

He added: "No one plans for this kind of mishap. People don't go to work one day expecting that they will have to eject. But it happens. And when it happens, they have to be ready."

That statement aligned with the experience of Lt. Jonathan D. Farley, an F/A-18 pilot who volunteered in late 2007 to serve as a downed pilot for a rescue-training exercise on the West Coast. Lieutenant Farley was picked up from the ground by an MH-60 helicopter crew.

As the helicopter returned to an aircraft carrier with him in a back seat, the exercise turned real.

"I wasn't paying attention," he said. "I was along for the ride." Then he saw multiple warning lights flash at once in the cockpit's instrument panel. A crewman near him pointed toward the water and then assumed a brace position.

The helicopter was going down.

Without time to prepare, Lieutenant Farley was trapped in a sequence straight from the dunk-tank course.

The pilot up front managed to maintain enough control over the crippled helicopter to put it onto the surface softly. But it immediately flipped over. Cold water rushed in and closed around the passengers and crew. They were sinking, upside down, just as Lieutenant Commander Martin did at his recent course.

Lieutenant Farley followed the only instructions he knew. "I did exactly what the training had taught me," he said. "I grabbed a reference point, drew my breath right before the water went over my head and unbuckled."

As he slipped free from his seat, he could see nothing. He pulled himself toward where he thought he might escape, but lost his way. He does not remember finding the exit, but he must have. Just before his lungs gave out he was on the surface, the last man out.

Everyone survived: two pilots up front, three crew members and the two passengers. A second helicopter had been flying with the MH-60. Its crew plucked the survivors from the sea.

Lieutenant Farley, who said he is not a strong swimmer, spoke of the survival course in the same tone as many of those who know they will have to attend the class again. "I hate it with a passion," he said. "But if you are in a bad situation and have trained for it, then you revert to your training and what you know. It is why I am alive."



For NDTV

Lindsay Lohan Nude Again: Lindsay Lohan Topless For Love Magazine as Marilyn Monroe

Lindsay Lohan’s latest photoshoot, this time for Love Magazine, has again been inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
Lohan had earlier done something similar for the January/February 2012 issue of Playboy magazine, which gave her a chance to save her floundering career.
The ‘Mean Girls’ star has been having a troubled time as she has been jailed five times in as many years and even had to spend some time in the Betty Ford rehab clinic in 2010, the Mirror reported.
The latest photos show Lohan smoking in all her pictures and one of them has her posing with a gas stove in sexy black attire.
The photos of Lindsay, who has been jailed five times in as many years, are in Love magazine, out today.

Randy Travis Arrested: Country Singer Randy Travis Arrested Outside Texas Church For Public Intoxication

Country singer Randy Travis has apologized after being arrested on a charge of public intoxication outside a North Texas church.
Denton County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Reedy says police in the town of Sanger arrested Travis early Monday after spotting a vehicle parked in front of a church and finding an open bottle of wine and Travis smelling of alcohol.
Reedy says Travis, whose hits include “Forever and Ever, Amen,” was brought to the Denton County jail about 1:30 a.m. and released six hours later.
The singer, who lives in the small town of Tioga near Sanger, apologized in a statement to The Associated Press “for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl.”
Travis, who launches a concert tour Friday, says he’s “committed to being responsible and accountable.”

Model Ioana 20-Inch Waist: Romanian Model Ioana With 20-Inch Waist Dubbed ‘Human Hourglass’

Model Ioana is 5ft 6ins and weighs just 84 pounds — and while her hips are 32ins, her waist is only five inches bigger than a CD.
Yet Romanian Ioana, 30, insisted: “No one seems to believe it, but every day I eat three big meals and I snack on chocolate and crisps all the time. I just have a small stomach. It’s a bit like having a natural gastric band — if I eat too much, I feel sick.”
Ioana weighed more than seven pounds at birth. It was only as she became a teenager that she started to look different.
Romanian Model Ioana With 20-Inch Waist Dubbed 'Human Hourglass'
Romanian Model Ioana With 20-Inch Waist Dubbed 'Human Hourglass'
She said: “When I was 13 my waist was around 15 inches. Someone could put their hands around it, their fingers would touch and they would still have extra room.” Even in her 20s she struggled with her self-esteem. She explained: “In Romania it is better to be overweight, because that means you are from a wealthy family.
“So while my friends were going out and dating, I was sitting at home with Mars bars wishing I could fatten up.”
In 2006 she met a German-born Jan. They dated for eight months before marrying in Berlin.
Ioana said: “Jan was the first person who saw me as beautiful and encouraged me to celebrate my body. He asked me to pose in some photos for him.
“He was so impressed he put them online and the response was amazing.
“I would still like to gain weight so I don’t look so shocking — and now that I live in Germany I can’t get enough pizza or kebabs.
“But I’m finally comfortable in my own skin.”

Monday, February 6, 2012

Hearing on Facebook, Google case today

New Delhi:  A district court in Delhi will hear a civil petition filed against Facebook, Google and 20 other online content companies for posting objectionable content on the web.



During the previous hearing in the case, the Judge had asked these companies to remove objectionable content from their websites by today.

The online companies are expected to present their compliance report before the judge today. 

For NDTV

Government will help Yuvraj Singh: Sports Minister

New Delhi: Sports Minister Ajay Maken has come out in support of Yuvraj Singh, who is undergoing cancer treatment in the United States.

Maken said the government will help Yuvraj, as the nation prays for his speedy recovery. "Wish Yuvraj a speedy recovery! Asking officials to find the quantum and nature of help required. Government shld & will help him," Maken tweeted last night.

Yuvraj, who played a stellar role in India's ODI World Cup triumph last year, has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy in the US.

The 30-year-old left-hander has been in US since last month being treated for what was earlier claimed to be a tumour in the lungs by his family. But it has now been diagnosed as malignant and Yuvraj is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the Cancer Research Institute in Boston.

Wishes and prayers are pouring in from all corners of the world.

While Yuvraj's father Yograj refused comments on the matter, his mother Shabnam Singh told a national daily that her son was doing fine. "He is fine and will be back soon on the field. Don't worry," she said.

His physiotherapist Dr Jatin Chaudhary, however, assured that the ailment is curable and the batsman would be fit to resume cricket in May.

"It is a rare tumour and is cancerous but it has been detected in stage one itself. Doctors had to decide whether to continue medication or go for chemotherapy but since parts of the tumour are just above the artery of his heart, there was a danger that while running it could burst. But it is 100 per cent curable," Chaudhary said.

"The doctors decided that he would have to undergo chemotherapy and he travelled to the US on January 26. End of March, he would undergo a CT scan and should recover by then. After that it is just some rehabilitation in April before he is fit to be back on the field in May," he added.

"Thankfully no surgery is required, he is already a lot better than what he was and can't wait to be back on the cricket field," he said.

Chaudhary said the detection of cancer was delayed by wrong diagnosis by an Indian hospital.

"His first biopsy report was stolen from his car and the second from a hospital, I don't want to name, did not give the correct diagnosis. It was a Russian doctor who detected the cancer and after consultations with doctors in US, it was decided that Yuvraj would undergo chemotherapy," he said.

"Once he is done with chemo in March, his rehabilitation would be complete by April end and he would be perfectly fit to play in May," he added.

Yuvraj has played 37 Tests, scoring 1775 runs at an average of 34.80.

He has 8051 runs at an average of 37.62 from his 274-match ODI career, the highlight of which was his stellar role in India's World Cup triumph last year.

In 23 Twenty20s, Yuvraj has scored 567 runs at 31.50.

Gisele Bundchen Topless: Gisele Bundchen Goes Topless for Versace Advertisements

Coming just days ahead of her husband’s Super Bowl weekend showdown, Gisele Bundchen grabbed her share of attention thanks to a newly-unveiled campaign for Versace.
The Brazilian beauty leaves little to the imagination as she poses topless in a trio of titillating shots for the high-end designer’s 2012 denim range.
According to the Daily Mail, Gisele posed for the Versace campaign in Borrego Springs, CA while having been photographed by the famed duo of Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old is expected to be on-hand at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday (February 5), as her man, Tom Brady, and his New England Patriots teammates are set to take on the New York Giants for the NFL championship.
Asking for support for her hubby in an email obtained by the New York Post, Miss Bundchen wrote, “I feel Tommy really needs our prayer, our support and love at this time. I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy and strong. Envision him happy and fulfilled experiencing with his team a victory this Sunday.”

Antrix-Devas Deal Report: Panel Reports On Antrix-Devas Deal Released

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday released reports of two committees on the controversial Antrix-Devas deal on the basis of which former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair and three other scientists were barred from holding any government posts.
The reports clearly indict the four scientists and say the Antrix-Devas deal lacked transparency.
The panel further recommended that action needs to be taken against Nair and the three other scientists.
The five-member high level team, which was set up to examine the deal and identify the acts of omission and commission by government officials, stated in its report, “…there have not only been serious administrative and procedural lapses but also suggestion of collusive behaviour on the part of certain individuals and accordingly, responsibilities have to be fixed for taking action…”
Apart from Nair, the three other top scientists who figured in the list of permanent exclusion from government appointment in future are K Bhaskaranarayana, former scientific secretary at ISRO; K R Sridharamurthi, former managing director of Antrix, commercial arm of ISRO; and K N Shankara, former director of the ISRO satellite centre.
The government had on February 10, 2011 set up the High Powered Review Committee with BK Chaturvedi and Prof Roddam Narasimha as members to review the technical, commercial, procedural and financial aspects of the Antrix-Devas agreement of January 2005.
The five-member high level team, headed by former Central Vigilance Commissioner Pratyush Sinha, was set up on May 31, 2011 to examine the deal and identify the acts of omission and commission by government officials.

Suzanne Somers Breast Reconstruction: Suzanne Somers Gets Breast Reconstruction

Suzanne Somers Gets Breast Reconstruction

Daporijo Arunachal MMS Scandal Key Accused ASI Boham Bo Re-Arrested

In a major breakthrough, Boham Bo aka Bohun Bo alias Bohyon Bo, the main accused in the infamous Daporijo MMS scandal, was arrested by state Special Investigating Team (SIT) with help of Changlang district police and CRPF at around 4 am today.
As per the report, SIT team led by its Deputy Superintendent of Police Dipankar Mishra assisted by 3 IRBn personnel following a tip off raided the home of Bo located at Wagun Ponthai village around 7 km from Bordumsa town early in the morning.
The dismissed assistant sub-inspector of Arunachal Pradesh Police has been booked under section 357, 342, 292(A), 294, 376, 109, 34 IPC read with section 67 of IT Amendment Act 2008. He has also been booked under section 4 of IRWP Act. The SIT team has brought Bo to Itanagar and currently he is under the custody of Itanagar police.
Bo was arrested earlier on March 21, 2011 but was later granted interim bail by the court of JFMC, capital, Naharlagun. He had been absconding since he got the bail. Arunachal Pradesh Police dismissed him from service on May 12, 2011 and he was declared as proclaimed offender.
The case was transferred to SIT on April, 8, 2011. Bo and his four accomplices, all police constables, had created state-wide outrage by filming indecent MMS of two under-age children inside Daporijo police station last year. Though state police arrested all the accused, Bo after getting bail has been evading law enforcement agency since then.
Sindhu Pillai, AIGP informed that Bo did not offer any resistance at the time of arrest. On being asked about alleged link of Bo with underground elements of Changlang, she told that interrogation was going and details are awaited.
Meanwhile, Tumme Amo, Superintendent of Police, Changlang district told that Bo was allegedly living in disguise as CBI officer. “A fake CBI I-card was recovered from possession at the time of arrest. The fake I-card read as No.-CBI/2003/ Dtd 31st May.
Area of duty- Changlang district (Arunachal Pradesh) and Tinsukia district (Assam). Designation-Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), CBI. This startling revelation shows that he was living as CBI official before the arrest. We believe that Bo might have deep link with anti-social elements,” said SP Amo.
While state police has done their duty of arresting Bo, it is to be seen whether law catches up with him or he would still manage to get bail and roam freely.