Thwack! A Canadian Liberal senator has come out swinging against a pair of American sex kittens turned animal rights activists.
It's an unlikely international tiff -- sealed with an apparent kiss off from Sen. Larry Campbell's office.
Last month, the Barbi Twins -- California model sensations who busted out in the 1990s after it was found Prince William had a crush on the duo -- announced they were boycotting Canada because of the east-coast seal hunt.
One of the pair, Shane Barbi-Wahl, is holding off on a move to Burlington, Ont., along with her husband Ken Wahl -- an '80s heartthrob, best known as the lead in the TV drama, Wiseguy.
The other sister, Sia, told QMI Agency that in protest of the annual cull, she wouldn't fly to Toronto to visit a newfound love.
The twins, along with Wahl, emailed a protest letter to a number of Canadian politicians on March 31, including federal leaders.
If they were looking for quick feedback, they apparently got it from Campbell's office. The Senator, once the charismatic mayor of Vancouver, is also the former chief coroner in that city and was the inspiration for the CBC television drama, Da Vinci's Inquest.
What they weren't expecting, they say, was the electronic beating.
In an e-mail thread supplied to QMI Agency by the Barbi Twins, a sarcastic reply comes from the Senator's main office account: "Gee I didn't notice your boycott."
In a follow-up within the hour, the writer adds: "Losers. Made it big in the '90s. For what reason."
Their reply to him was: "You are right, nothing, but trying to take our 7.5 minutes of fame a piece and giving a hand for the animals.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Hindus upset with West's fixation just on sex in Tantra
Nevada (US), April 5 (ANI): Tantra is reportedly becoming quite popular in North America and Europe and Hindus are strongly critical of such self-styled "tantrics" who apparently think and describe of Tantra as just sex.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Tantrism was a major channel in Indian religious traditions and besides Hinduism, it also exerted considerable influence on Buddhism and Jainism.
Sankaracharya had mentioned the names of 64 Tantras.
Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that Tantra, a method of spiritual self-culture, was divine revelation whose history went back to fourth century.
Tantra was a conscious approach to self-discovery which directed the seeker to prepare mind and body to the level where it could withstand any turbulence, both inner as well as outer.
Tantras noted three unique states of sadhana (spiritual endeavor)-purification, illumination, and unification.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Tantrism was a major channel in Indian religious traditions and besides Hinduism, it also exerted considerable influence on Buddhism and Jainism.
Sankaracharya had mentioned the names of 64 Tantras.
Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that Tantra, a method of spiritual self-culture, was divine revelation whose history went back to fourth century.
Tantra was a conscious approach to self-discovery which directed the seeker to prepare mind and body to the level where it could withstand any turbulence, both inner as well as outer.
Tantras noted three unique states of sadhana (spiritual endeavor)-purification, illumination, and unification.
DNA testing ordered in 1984 Va sex assault case
RICHMOND, Va. - A Richmond Circuit Court judge has ordered DNA testing in a 26-year-old sexual assault case.
Thomas E. Haynesworth's lawyers requested the testing even though he was acquitted of the crime.
Haynesworth's lawyers say in court papers that the DNA testing would provide further evidence to support Haynesworth's claim of innocence in several other rapes and robberies in 1984.
Haynesworth is serving 64 years for a rape in Henrico County and an abduction and robbery in Richmond. No evidence in these cases remains for DNA testing.
In September, The Virginia Supreme Court vacated another rape conviction from Haynesworth's record after DNA testing eliminated him as a contributor of semen from the scene of another sexual assault in Richmond.
Thomas E. Haynesworth's lawyers requested the testing even though he was acquitted of the crime.
Haynesworth's lawyers say in court papers that the DNA testing would provide further evidence to support Haynesworth's claim of innocence in several other rapes and robberies in 1984.
Haynesworth is serving 64 years for a rape in Henrico County and an abduction and robbery in Richmond. No evidence in these cases remains for DNA testing.
In September, The Virginia Supreme Court vacated another rape conviction from Haynesworth's record after DNA testing eliminated him as a contributor of semen from the scene of another sexual assault in Richmond.
The love gurus: Sex with swami
A rash of sex scandals involving holy men has many in "new India" questioning an ancient tradition.
Swamis, or Hindu holy men, are getting a bad reputation in India. Several scandals have broken recently involving Hindu holy men and gurus who have committed sex crimes. In this picture, Naga Sadhus, another name for Hindu holy men, queue to have a dip in the waters of the Ganges river during the "Kumbh Mela" or the Pitcher Festival, in the northern Indian town of Haridwar, Feb. 12, 2010.BANGALORE, India — The Roman Catholic Church isn't alone when it comes to scandal lately.
As the debate rages in the West about the ungodly behavior of godly men, a series of sex scandals involving India’s assortment of god men — called sadhu, baba or swami — is making skeptics out of many Indians.
“Most god men are self-proclaimed, and they are being increasingly outed as hypocrites and fakes,” said Ravi Ghatge, a retired banker in Bangalore. “Then everybody finds out that there is not an iota of spirituality in any of them,” he added.
India has long held a thrall in the Western mind as a land of wandering fakirs and saffron-robed holy men with matted hair. In this birthplace of several leading religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, magic and mysticism still rule.
But rapid urbanization is making the holy men of the old all but disappear from the landscapes of cities and towns.
In their place, a new breed of modern charismatic god men are holding sway, some of them saffron-robed, some of them bejeweled and others sporting wild hair-dos.
Many of them command cult following, run huge ashrams on large expanses of land, own luxury cars, television channels and lavish homes. They flourish as their supporters make large donations in cash and kind. The god men jet set around the country and the world serving their flock of devotees.
But here's the problem. The god men aren't, exactly, godly.
In recent weeks, in New Delhi a holy man called Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakootwale was exposed for running a huge call girl racket with over a 1,000 girls that serviced, among others, politicians and influential people.
In Bangalore, Swami Nithyananda — whose ashram had several branches in the United States and all over the world — was caught on camera having sex with an actor. Even as his shell-shocked devotees called for action, Nithyananda first said he was being framed by a digitally altered video. When a second tape with yet another actor surfaced, he admitted to the incident and fled the ashram with police hot on his tail.
Other swamis have been charged with cheating, rape and child sexual abuse. The wave of scandals involving holy men had one leading newspaper headlining, “baba black sheep, have you any scruples?”
Now middle class India’s mindset is dramatically turning against India’s godmen, says Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalists Association. “The so-called god men don’t want to wear saffron robes anymore because they fear they will be attacked on the streets,” said Edamaruku who has long campaigned against swamis and babas.
His network of over 200 branches Indiawide has exposed many a fraudster swami and fake sadhu. “They are nothing but common thieves and scamsters who exploit the vulnerabilities of the poor and the illiterate,” said Edamaruku. He says he has more viewers for his rationalist exposes on television than all the viewers of India’s 32 religious television channels put together.
On the other side, however, are devotees such as Jayeshwari (who wanted to be identified by a single appellation, her spiritual name), who says she continues to be a staunch follower of Nithyananda.
Swamis, or Hindu holy men, are getting a bad reputation in India. Several scandals have broken recently involving Hindu holy men and gurus who have committed sex crimes. In this picture, Naga Sadhus, another name for Hindu holy men, queue to have a dip in the waters of the Ganges river during the "Kumbh Mela" or the Pitcher Festival, in the northern Indian town of Haridwar, Feb. 12, 2010.As the debate rages in the West about the ungodly behavior of godly men, a series of sex scandals involving India’s assortment of god men — called sadhu, baba or swami — is making skeptics out of many Indians.
“Most god men are self-proclaimed, and they are being increasingly outed as hypocrites and fakes,” said Ravi Ghatge, a retired banker in Bangalore. “Then everybody finds out that there is not an iota of spirituality in any of them,” he added.
India has long held a thrall in the Western mind as a land of wandering fakirs and saffron-robed holy men with matted hair. In this birthplace of several leading religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, magic and mysticism still rule.
But rapid urbanization is making the holy men of the old all but disappear from the landscapes of cities and towns.
In their place, a new breed of modern charismatic god men are holding sway, some of them saffron-robed, some of them bejeweled and others sporting wild hair-dos.
Many of them command cult following, run huge ashrams on large expanses of land, own luxury cars, television channels and lavish homes. They flourish as their supporters make large donations in cash and kind. The god men jet set around the country and the world serving their flock of devotees.
But here's the problem. The god men aren't, exactly, godly.
In recent weeks, in New Delhi a holy man called Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakootwale was exposed for running a huge call girl racket with over a 1,000 girls that serviced, among others, politicians and influential people.
In Bangalore, Swami Nithyananda — whose ashram had several branches in the United States and all over the world — was caught on camera having sex with an actor. Even as his shell-shocked devotees called for action, Nithyananda first said he was being framed by a digitally altered video. When a second tape with yet another actor surfaced, he admitted to the incident and fled the ashram with police hot on his tail.
Other swamis have been charged with cheating, rape and child sexual abuse. The wave of scandals involving holy men had one leading newspaper headlining, “baba black sheep, have you any scruples?”
Now middle class India’s mindset is dramatically turning against India’s godmen, says Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalists Association. “The so-called god men don’t want to wear saffron robes anymore because they fear they will be attacked on the streets,” said Edamaruku who has long campaigned against swamis and babas.
His network of over 200 branches Indiawide has exposed many a fraudster swami and fake sadhu. “They are nothing but common thieves and scamsters who exploit the vulnerabilities of the poor and the illiterate,” said Edamaruku. He says he has more viewers for his rationalist exposes on television than all the viewers of India’s 32 religious television channels put together.
On the other side, however, are devotees such as Jayeshwari (who wanted to be identified by a single appellation, her spiritual name), who says she continues to be a staunch follower of Nithyananda.
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