Mid Day International News |
- Urine for sale? South African city wants to buy
- 20 years later, chocolate 'might be as expensive as gold'
- Spanish gay protesters greet Pope with massive 'kiss-in'
- Oz women's demands for 'designer vaginas' triple
- Junkie mum kills 10-day-old baby by spin-drying in washing machine
- Grandson for sale
- Jesus Christ! That's huge
- Swede King's wild parties revealed
- 'Like' Queen on Facebook
- French naturists protest open-air sex by tourists
- Myanmar votes after 20 years; low turnout of voters
| Urine for sale? South African city wants to buy Posted: Get paid to pee. That's the deal on offer in the South African city of Durban, where the city is looking to buy liquid waste to encourage residents to use dry toilets. Aiming to improve hygiene and save money, the port city has installed in home gardens about 90,000 toilets that don't use a single drop of water. Now Durban wants to install 20-litre (quart) containers on 500 of the toilets to capture urine - rich in nitrates, phosphorus and potassium, which can be turned into fertiliser. A municipal worker would collect the jerry cans once a week and could pay around 30 rands (four dollars, three euros) to the family - not a small sum in a country where 43 per cent of the population lives on less than two dollars a day. Currently the tanks are emptied by each household, and the waste often ends up getting dumped into the environment. Swiss lab Eawag and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are backing a study to draw up the modalities for the scheme, which is already winning fans. "If we can turn the toilets into a source of revenues, then they will want to use the toilets," said Neil MacLeod, Durban's head of water and sanitation. Most people are reluctant to use the dry toilets. In the sprawling township of Inanda, residents have ripped doors and roofs off the outhouses, annexed them to the main house, or completely stripped them away. Discussing bodily fluids is so taboo that people are reluctant to explain their discomfort. One young mother accused thieves of stealing "the door and the toilet" from her outhouse, which she now uses as a garage. "When the (city) council brings the toilets to them, they look at it as an inferior system," said Lucky Sibiya, an outreach officer with the water department. "People don't understand how important it is," he said. "There is a belief saying that touching the faeces brings misfortune." As soon as they can afford it, people invest in a septic tank and abandon the dry toilets, which require spreading a layer of sand after each use and using separate sections for the urine and the solid waste. The tanks then must be emptied regularly. Dry toilets were invented in Yemen centuries ago. "They work well in rural areas because the fertiliser produced from the urine and the faeces is used locally," said Pierre-Yves Oger, a water and sanitation consultant based in South Africa.
      | ||
| 20 years later, chocolate 'might be as expensive as gold' Posted: Chocoholics might want to stock up on chocolate after they read this - experts have claimed that in the next few decades, an average man will simply not be able to afford chocolate. "In 20 years chocolate will be like caviar. It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won't be able to afford it," The New Zealand Herald quoted John Mason, executive director and founder of the Ghana-based Nature Conservation Research Council, as saying. Farmers in the countries that produce the bulk of cocoa do not get incentives for the time-consuming work of replanting as their trees die off - a task that usually means moving to a new area of canopied forest and waiting three to five years for a new crop to mature. The children of these African cocoa farmers, whose life expectancy is only 56, therefore prefer working in cities than undertaking backbreaking work for such a small reward. "The other challenge is that cocoa is competing for agricultural space with other commodities like palm oil - which is increasingly in demand for biofuels," explained Thomas Dietsch, research director of ecosystem services at the Earthwatch Organisation. "Chocolate consumption is increasing faster than cocoa production - and it's not sustainable," Tony Lass, chairman of the Cocoa Research Association, told the annual conference of Britain's Academy of Chocolate last month. To make matters worse, the soil in Africa's traditional cocoa fields is rapidly becoming depleted. "Production will have decreased within 20 years to the point where we won't see any more cheap bars in vending machines - unless they are made with carob instead of chocolate," said London chocolatier Marc Demarquette. But some believe that chocolate lovers will save the chocolate industry from extinction by paying whatever it takes for the good stuff. A spokesman from Cadburys suggested that scarcity might be averted through Fair Trade initiatives. "It's hard to imagine a world without a demand for chocolate, but whether it remains the low-cost snack food it is now may well change in time," said Earthwatch's Dietsch.
   | ||
| Spanish gay protesters greet Pope with massive 'kiss-in' Posted: As many as 200 gay men and women staged a massive make-out session in front of the Pope in Barcelona. The Pope was on his way to celebrate mass at one of the city's basilicas. The monster spit-swap was organized by a Facebook group called Queer Kissing Flashmob, which sought to protest Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Spain and the Catholic Church's policies about homosexuals. "We are here for a peaceful protest," the New York Daily News quoted Eduardo Prado, one of the men who participated in the so-called kiss-in, as telling the Irish Times. "The church oppresses us and doesn't respect us. We can't tolerate this sort of Pope in the 21st century," said Prado. The kissing protesters were a small segment of the estimated 250,000 Spaniards who lined the streets along Benedict's motorcade route, but they were joined by others who were unhappy with the 83-year-old pontiff's visit, his second to Spain since 2006. The protesters flaunted rainbow-coloured gay pride flags and signs with provocative slogans, such as 'Condoms save, the Pope damns.' Although the Pope appeared not to notice the demonstrations, he did address homosexuality and abortions during the mass, which was held to consecrate the extravagantly ornate La Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) basilica. "The generous and indissoluble love of a man and a woman is the effective context and foundation of human life in its gestation, birth, growth and natural end," said the Pope.
   | ||
| Oz women's demands for 'designer vaginas' triple Posted: An Australian analysis has pointed out that the number of women opting for vaginal 'rejuvenation' surgery has tripled in the past decade. Doctors have warned that pornography might be the reason for more women to seek plastic surgery to go under the knife, reports The Age. According to an analysis of Medicare figures, almost 1,400 women opted for labioplasty operations last financial year, a jump from 454 in 2000-01. The controversial surgery, which reduces the size and appearance of the labia, can help women who have gynaecological problems after childbirth, sexual difficulties or congenital defects. Ted Weaver, president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said reducing the size of the labia could cost up to 10,000 dollars and carried risks of scarring and loss of sexual feeling. "There''s a lot of normal skin that''s being removed from a highly erogenous area just because the woman''s under some odd belief that it''s going to improve her sexual function or make her look more attractive or more like a porn star," he said. While some Medicare claims are legitimate because the surgery is medically necessary, most experts say that even when the operation is performed for aesthetic reasons, a claim can be justified if the patient has required the removal of excessive tissue. Women are also increasingly asking gynaecologists about 'G-spot amplification', a procedure popular in the US, in which collagen is injected into a sensitive area of the vaginal wall, supposedly to make it easier to find and to enhance sexual arousal. Weaver said there was no evidence to justify the G-spot procedure. "We think that they prey on women''s fears and sense of inadequacy," he said. "I haven''t had anyone who''s been 100 percent normal and I''ve thought, this is just ridiculous. They''ve all had a reason," said Jane Paterson, a plastic surgeon who specialises in labioplasties. "You can''t imagine the distress these women are in. If their expectations are realistic they''re usually satisfied with the outcome because this is something that''s preyed on their mind for a long time," she added. (ANI)
   | ||
| Junkie mum kills 10-day-old baby by spin-drying in washing machine Posted: A ten-day-old baby girl in the US died after her mother placed the newborn into a washing machine as it went through an entire spin cycle. Lyndsey Fiddler from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, put her daughter into the washing machine along with a pile of laundry, reports the Daily Mail. The tiny baby was inside the top loading washing machine for up to 40 minutes before she was discovered. A relative who called in to see Fiddler found her passed out and the baby, called Maggie May, missing. She also heard a strange sound from the washing machine and when she opened the door found the crumpled body of Maggie mixed in with the clothes. Police have charged Fiddler with second-degree manslaughter after initially arresting her on drug charges. Bartlesville Police Chief Tom Holland said Coshatt had called in Fiddler, who has two other boys, to see how she was coping with her newborn daughter. The infant''s father, Benjamin Trammel, said he couldn''t believe his girlfriend deliberately killed their daughter. "Inside my heart, I can''t believe Lyndsey would have hurt our little girl. I don''t believe it in my heart to be honest with you," said Trammel.
   | ||
| Posted: A woman and her boyfriend have been charged with trying to sell her infant grandson for $30,000
   | ||
| Posted: Polish town erects world's largest Christ statue; beats Rio's icon
Brazil's famous Christ the Redeemer statue, the previous record holder, stands at 39.6m (130ft). Zawadzki, the local priest in Swiebodzin, about 40 miles from the German border, said, "I have never been as happy as I am today. This is the culmination of my life's work as a priest. I felt inspired to fulfill Jesus' will, and today I give thanks to him for allowing me to fulfill his will." Construction of the statue was hampered by strong winds, an accident in which the head fell and crushed a builder's foot and the priest suffering a heart attack. 39.6m The height of Brazil's famous Christ the Redeemer statue, the previous record holder
   | ||
| Swede King's wild parties revealed Posted: Swedes in shock as biography exposes Swedish monarch's kinky secrets
The book has caused uproar and dominated the country's media. "Strip clubs, illegal clubs, rented ladies who are naked under their fur coats. Women were simply desserts, used as sweets to be served with the coffee," wrote Katrine Kielos in the daily Aftonbladet newspaper. The book has brought about a different reaction from the King himself. In a press conference, he said, "I have spoken with my family and the Queen and we choose to turn the page and move forward because, as I understand, these are things that happened a long time ago." Digging up dirt The book's authors, Thomas Sj berg, Tove Meyer and Deanne Rauscher, spent two years unpicking the complicated story behind the throne. "He was only 27 when he took office, in the midst of his bachelor years, with girls, booze and 'the lads'," they wrote. The authors also uncovered evidence of how a Serbian gangster, Mille Markovic, hosted parties for the King and his friends at an underground club in Stockholm. Markovic described how the club had a jacuzzi inside, and the girls invited to the parties "threw off their clothes and sat in the men's laps". Markovic told a Swedish newspaper yesterday, "I've got live evidence. The entire world will see. This is not fake but real facts. I can prove every single thing." Public reactions But perhaps one of the most intriguing elements of the scandal, for those outside the Scandanavian country, is how the Swedish population have reacted. Over 80 per cent say that the lurid allegations have not changed their perception of the King -- and almost 50 per cent say that it is wrong for journalists to look into the private lives of their royal family. Thomas Sj berg, the book's author, admits that the royal family are seen as being above criticism. "If it would have been the PM, he would be forced to resign the following day," he said. Other Tell-alls In the recent past other biographies which have sparked controversies are former US president George Bush's book in which he revealed that he was not in shock during 9/11 attacks. He also added that Kanye West's racist remarks after Hurrican Katrina was the lowest point in his Presidential term. Another biography that was all the rage was Carla And The Ambitious. Authors said that Bruni had told them that Michelle Obama thought her new job as the First Lady of US was hell.
   | ||
| Posted: In a sign of the Queen's determination to master new technology, Buckingham Palace will today launch a Facebook page called 'The British Monarchy'.
Users will not be able to 'poke' the Queen or send her friend requests. The public will also be able to post comments on the page and send the Royal Family messages by writing on the Queen's wall. The Queen is said to have personally approved the plans for her new Facebook page, which will go live today at 8am. A royal aide, said, "Facebook is probably the last bastion of social media the Royal Household had not yet entered, and the Queen is keen to be fully signed up to the 21st century." A spokesman for Facebook, said, "We're delighted to welcome the British Monarchy to Facebook. People can now have a direct connection with the Royal Family through their page to see a unique glimpse into palace life." Earlier this year, the Queen launched a Flickr account making more than 600 photographs of the Royal Family at work and play available to the public for the first time. A Royal Twitter account was launched in 2009 and Royal Channel went live on YouTube in 2007. At 84, the Queen, encouraged by her grandchildren, is said to be "very enthusiastic" about keeping up to date with technology. She uses a mobile phone, has her own private email address and surfs the web. Did you know? The Queen opened a Flickr account earlier this year and also a Twitter account in 2009
   | ||
| French naturists protest open-air sex by tourists Posted: Over-enthusiastic visitors are turning the naturists beach in a southern French town into the "capital of debauchery" by performing sex acts in the open, local residents have complained. The Village Naturiste in Cap d'Agde, a fenced-off resort on the Mediterranean has its own marina, restaurants, boutiques and banks where locals can strip off and enjoy life "in harmony with nature". However, according to The Guardian, Europe's largest nudist colony has a more prudish message for over-enthusiastic visitors who are upsetting the natural order of things: no sex, please, we're naturists. Cap d'Agde naturists interviewed by journalists spoke of witnessing orgies, voyeurism, fellatio, genitals being "waved in people's faces" and people being tied to signposts and whipped. Locals say, "an explosion of libertarianism" is turning their 40-year-old resort into the "European capital of debauchery" and an "open-air brothel". They said the newcomers are more interested in orgies and naked exhibitionism. Among the worst culprits, say villagers, whose numbers go from 300 in winter to 40,000 in the high season, are Italians. Local naturists, including many grandparents, said they were "shocked" by the sight of couples copulating in public. For Florence Denestebe, 35, a local councillor, this is the culmination of years of conflict between traditional naturists and a new generation of sexed-up nudists. "I'm not puritanical, but this has gone too far," the mother-of-two was quoted as saying. "I have nothing against the naturist village with its philosophy of people living in harmony with nature, but people practicing sex acts in public are giving the Cap d'Agde a bad reputation. There are places for this sort of thing - namely behind closed doors." Denestebe is writing to the state prosecutor demanding public decency laws be upheld. She said naturists made up only 5 percent of the population. "I'm standing up for them because they are fed up but I'm also representing the other 95 percent who are fed up with the bad reputation our home now has."
   | ||
| Myanmar votes after 20 years; low turnout of voters Posted: People in Myanmar on Sunday exercised their franchise in its first ever election held in last 20 years, though a low turnout of voters was witnessed. Over 29 million people were eligible to vote but it was uncertain how many would actually cast ballots. Many voters heeded opposition calls to boycott an election in which two military-backed parties running virtually unopposed were certain to prevail in a tightly controlled election to end 50 years of direct army rule. Barack Obama criticised the vote as "anything but free and fair", the Guardian reported. The banned opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which won the 1990 vote, called on supporters to boycott the poll. It is expected that the junta's political arm, the Union Solidarity and Development party, supported by its proxy party, the National Unity party whose candidates are mainly retired generals, will win comfortably, through sheer weight of numbers, the report added. Security was tight with armed police patrolling the streets of the main city Yangon. Shops in the capital Naypyidaw were ordered to close on Friday night and not reopen until after the vote. In many constituencies the poll is a two-horse race between the USDP and the National Unity Party (NUP), which is the successor to late dictator Ne Win''s party and is also closely aligned with the military. A quarter of the seats in the two-chamber national parliament and regional legislatures are reserved for military appointees whatever the outcome. Two opposition parties have accused the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) formed by ministers who retired from the military in April of illegally collecting advance ballots by coercion. Incidents of voter intimidation were also reported by the Chin Human Rights Organisation, which said that in a ward in Chin State in western Myanmar one of the polling stations was at an army checkpoint. The generals were also feared to be intentionally blocking access to information. Internet users in the secretive country have reported slow connections and frequent outages for more than a week. It maybe noted that the junta has refused to allow international monitors or foreign media into the country for the election and local journalists face strict restrictions on visiting polling stations unless on an official tour. It is unclear when the results will be announced. Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi swept her party to power in 1990 but the result was never recognised by the ruling generals. She has been detained for most of the past 20 years and is supporting a boycott of Sunday''s election. As voting got underway, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the flawed elections "expose the abuses of the military junta". "We have learnt that the USDP together with ward authorities are trying to get advance votes by cheating, bribing or threatening people," the party wrote in a letter to the country''s election commission.
   |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Mid Day To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment