Month: December 2014

Indian sisters fight back against sexual harassment by beating alleged attackers with a belt

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FePWT2QavNY

When three men began harassing two sisters on a bus in India, the last thing they expected was the girls striking back, beating their attackers with belts, while other passengers sat idle. The video went viral and prompted police to arrest the assailants.

Aarti, 22, and Pooja, 19, were returning from Rohtak College to the town of Sonepat, India’s state of Haryana, when they were approached by three men. The incident happened on November 24, but the information emerged in the local press only on Saturday.

The men – identified later as Kuldeep, Mohit and Deepak – started harassing the girls with filthy remarks.

“They threatened us and abused us. One of them touched my sister inappropriately. They started making obscene gestures,” one of the girls told the Hindustan Times.

She added that after “heated exchanges, one of the boys called his friends asking him to beat us up. One of them beat my sister while two others caught hold of me.”

However, the girls didn’t succumb: they mustered enough courage to thrash the molesters with their hands and belts, trying to push them out of the bus.

“Then, I whipped out my belt and thrashed them. They pushed us out of the bus when it slowed down,”she said.

One of the passengers recorded the video on a mobile phone, and the footage went viral.

Not a single person in the bus lifted a finger to help the young women.

“None of the passengers came to our rescue. While some watched the drama, others were apprehensive, fearing for their own safety,” one girl said.

Police later arrested all three men on charges of molestation and assault.

The girls’ father told the Indian Express that the families of the accused “were pressuring us to withdraw the case and reach a settlement.”

Chair of the National Commission for Women Lalitha Kumarmangalam congratulated the young women and urged the authorities to take appropriate action.

“Few girls have the guts to take on the molesters. The government should take action. I would appeal to every Indian to come forward and help,” she added.

The issue of sexual assaults on women in India has been in the spotlight since the gang rape of a student on a Delhi bus in December 2012. That case led to widespread protests across the country and ignited intense debate over the rights of women. (rt.com)

 

10 smart food facts from Dr. Joe Schwarcz

SUSAN SCHWARTZ, MONTREAL GAZETTE

Hippocrates laid the foundation for the science of nutrition more than 2,000 years ago when he said: Let food be thy medicine, writes McGill University chemistry professor Joe Schwarcz in The Smart Palate: Delicious Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle.

Schwarcz, director of the McGill Office for Science and Society, is a co-editor of the 320-page book, and it is generously seasoned with his scientific observations in the form of “Dr. Joe’s Smart Facts.” They’re based on specific ingredients in the recipes and enrich the already fine book.

Schwarcz is a Gazette columnist and host of The Dr. Joe Show, which airs Sunday afternoons on CJAD Radio 800; one of his many skills is the ability to make science understandable to a lay audience. He also has a long-standing interest in food and cooking.

Here are 10 of Dr. Joe’s smart facts:

  1. Lutein, a natural antioxidant present in the macula,the area of the retina responsible for central vision, protects against macular degeneration. Researchers learned in retrospective studies that people who ate more foods high in lutein had a lower risk than others of eye disease: This was particularly true for spinach, the most significant source of lutein in our diet. Cooked spinach is better than raw: Cooking breaks down plant cell walls, which means nutrients are released more readily. (Antioxidants are chemicals that can prevent or slow cell damage: natural antioxidants are found mainly in fruits and vegetables and the most common ones are vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, and lycopene.)
  2. Nuts have a lot of fat, but it’s the beneficial polyunsaturated and monounsaturated variety. Eating nuts does not appear to cause weight gain and can make us feel satiated and hence less likely to overeat. A handful of walnuts contains almost twice the antioxidants, by weight, of any commonly consumed nut.
  3. Chickpeas, particularly sprouted chickpeas,are a source of isoflavones, or natural estrogens. (It’s simple to sprout chickpeas: You can find lots of information online.) Current animal research suggests that isoflavones isolated from chickpea sprouts can curb bone loss, which suggests that these extracts could have potential for treating the symptoms of menopause as well as osteoporosis related to estrogen deficiency.
  4. Kosher salt, like conventional salt, is composed of sodium chloride — but since kosher salt grains are larger than those of conventional salt, a teaspoon of kosher salt is roughly equivalent to half a teaspoon of regular salt.
  5. Contrary to popular belief,the anti-cancer compound sulforaphane is not found in cabbage; rather, it is formed from a precursor present in cabbage when it is chopped, chewed or cooked. Sulforaphane increases the production of enzymes that neutralize free radicals connected with aging and various diseases. Stanford University scientists discovered that sulforaphane boosts the levels of these enzymes more than any plant compound.
  6. One reason oats are a smart breakfast optionis their ability to keep us feeling full longer than other foods. In a study comparing oatmeal to a sugary, flaked cereal, researchers found that participants who ate oatmeal at breakfast consumed one-third fewer calories at lunch. This helped with weight management. As well, beta-glucan, a form of soluble fibre found in oats, has been shown to lower blood cholesterol.
  7. Sweet potatoes are high in fibre,have virtually no fat, and more beta-carotene — the body’s precursor to vitamin A — than any other food.
  8. Pineapple is a good source of ferulic acid,a plant chemical that prevents the formation of cancer-causing substances. It also contains the enzyme bromelain, which has the ability to break down proteins and so can be used to tenderize chewy cuts of meat.
  9. Greek yogurt is made by straining regular yogurt,removing much of the liquid whey as well as the lactose and other sugars dissolved in it. For the same number of calories, then, Greek yogurt has roughly double the protein and half the sugar of other yogurts.
  10. Honey is a concentrated sugar solutionwith small amounts of chemicals that have antioxidant and antiseptic properties. The precise composition of honey depends on the types of flowers the bees have visited.

Drug-related arrest warrant issued for Sacramento slumlord

George Warren, KXTV8:37 p.m. PDT September 5, 2014

PLACERVILLE, Calif – Drug agents on Friday raided two rural properties in El Dorado County owned by a Sacramento man whose previous conflicts with authorities have generally involved code violations with homes in urban neighborhoods.

Meantime, a warrant has been issued in Nevada for the arrest of Raghvendra “Raj” Singh on drug-related charges there.

Outside Placerville, agents with the Mountain and Valley Marijuana Investigation Team served search warrants at a 10-acre parcel with a mobile home on Yearling Trail and 42 acres of raw land on Muleskinner Road.

Both properties are held in the name of Kiran Rawat, but multiple sources say they are controlled by her husband, Raj Singh.

Agents seized roughly 100 marijuana plants on Yearling Trail, where a neighbor told News10 he had seen Singh during an earlier harvest. A tenant living in the mobile home was not arrested.

A smaller number of plants were taken from the property on Muleskinner Road.

News10 has identified other rural properties in El Dorado County owned by Singh that have been involved in marijuana cultivation, but they were not targeted in Friday’s raids.

Singh owns 10 acres of vacant land on Rock Creek Road where a neighbor complained that pot growers broke into his pump house last year to steal well water.

Singh paid $35,000 for 10 undeveloped acres on Jeff Road two years ago, apparently unaware the property was landlocked with no water or power.

“He walked up and was very friendly,” said a neighbor who did not want to be identified. “And then he said that I would sell him power and I would give him water from my well. And I said, ‘No. Actually I won’t.'”

The neighbor said no marijuana was ever grown on that property.

Friday’s raids in El Dorado County follow a raid on Tuesday at a run-down motel Singh owns in Mineral County, Nev.

Sheriff’s deputies, tribal police and the Nevada Highway Patrol seized nearly $500,000 worth of marijuana plants, processed marijuana and hashish oil from the Roadrunner Motel, which Singh bought last year for $105,000.

Mineral County Sheriff Stewart Handte said an hour-long phone conversation with Singh on Wednesday convinced him that Singh was aware marijuana was being produced at the motel.

In previous conversations with News10, Singh has acknowledged being involved in marijuana cultivation in El Dorado County– but he insisted the activity is protected by California’s medical marijuana law.

But it’s a different story across the state line.

Handte said cultivation for any reason is illegal in Mineral County and there’s a felony enhancement because the motel is less than 1,000 feet from an elementary school.

Notorious Sacramento property owner arrested on Nevada drug charges

A Sacramento property owner News10 has investigated since late last year was arrested Wednesday September 10th in connection to a pot-growing operation at a motel he owns — in Nevada.News10/KXTV

George Warren, KXTV7:24 p.m. PDT September 10, 2014

SACRAMENTO – A Sacramento man whose previous conflicts with authorities have generally involved code violations with homes in urban neighborhoods was arrested Wednesday afternoon on drug charges stemming from a motel he owns in the Nevada desert.

Singh was taken into custody outside his midtown Sacramento four-plex by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies shortly before 1 p.m.

An investigator said if Singh is able to post $50,000 bail he would be released pending an extradition hearing, although the jail website showed a no-bail extradition hold.

Mineral County, Nevada Sheriff Stewart Handte obtained the arrest warrant for Singh Friday, three days after a raid on the Roadrunner Motel in the small community of Schurz resulted in the seizure of a half-million dollars’ worth of marijuana plants, processed marijuana and hash oil.

Handte said a telephone conversation with Singh last Wednesday convinced him Singh was behind the drug operation at the motel.

Following Singh’s arrest, Handte praised Sacramento authorities for actively pursuing him.

“Teamwork got it done. He’s in custody, and now he has to face the consequences of the legal system,” Handte said.

California drug investigation

Singh is also the subject of a drug investigation in Northern California.

A state and local task forced known as the Mountain and Valley Marijuana Investigation Team raided two of Singh’s properties outside Placerville on Friday, seizing scores of pot plants at both locations.

Handte said he was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Reno to explore whether federal drug charges might be pursued because of the interstate issue.

Fraud and forgery

Singh faces a separate criminal investigation in Sacramento County for allegedly forging an attorney’s signature on more than two dozen court documents in an apparent attempt to skirt rules established to prevent frivolous lawsuits.

The California court system and U.S. Bankruptcy Court have identified Singh as a vexatious litigant, meaning he must get prior court approval before filing a new lawsuit without an attorney.

In July, Singh was fined $15,000 by the California 3rd District Court of Appeal for pursuing a meritless lawsuit.

Code enforcement battles

Singh has also been involved in long-running battles with code enforcement authorities in Sacramento County and the city of Sacramento.

A fire last December in one of his boarded-up houses at 4510 Stockton Blvd. killed a woman who was initially identified as a squatter.

Singh later admitted he had allowed Rosalea Trejo to live in the house.

An analysis of tax records shows Singh owns at least 28 properties, most of them paid for with cash and all of them held in the names of various trusts or his wife, Kiran Rawat.

In an extraordinary move, the Sacramento City Council Tuesday approved billing Rawat over $10,018 in fees and penalties as a personal debt for a substandard house on 7809 Cotton Lane that was demolished in June.

Code enforcement assessments are generally recovered by placing liens on the property, but city building official Ron O’Connor said that tactic has not worked with the Singhs.

The Singhs, who file their income taxes jointly, face hundreds of thousands of dollars in IRS liens that take priority.

“We’re trying a different way to get our money,” O’Connor said.

http://www.news10.net/story/news/investigations/2014/09/10/notorious-sacramento-property-owner-arrested/15404531/