Confessions Of A Semi-Professional Dick Pic Critic

July 13, 2018, 5:30 am

≫ Next: Vladimir Putin Has Trump Right Where He Wants Him

≪ Previous: Tragic Photos Of Sea Turtle Stuck In Beach Chair Are A Reminder To Pick Up Your Stuff

On any given week, between 50 and 100 dick pics will find their way into my inbox, and the wild thing is, I asked for them.

Several years ago now, I started Critique My Dick Pic (NSFW, and that goes for the links throughout this piece), a website with a simple, self-explanatory premise: I critique the penis pictures of anyone is who is inclined to send them to me; reviewing them on their photographic merits and awarding a bold letter grade. (“Thank you for your submission to Critique My Dick Pic. Your dick pic gets an A+.”)

The obvious question is, why? Well, like most other millennial women, I spend a significant portion of my life online, and being young and female with an internet connection often means being exposed to these DIY nudes. Whether you find them funny, repulsive or perfectly ordinary, dick pics are a cultural phenomenon, and they’re here to stay.

They’re usually unsolicited, which makes the experience of receiving them hostile and uncomfortable. But welcome or not, they’re almost always of dismal artistic quality.

In 2013, after viewing an unusually thoughtful dick pic, I was struck by the disconnect between how bad dick pics almost always are, and how easy it is to take a relatively good one. After joking with my friends about the need for some kind of public service for improving their quality — elevating the form and sparking discussion about consent, desire and nude-sharing etiquette — I decided in earnest to start one. That afternoon, Critique My Dick Pic was born.

I check the dedicated email account, critiquemydickpic@gmail.com, on a Saturday. When I open it, I’m typically greeted by dozens of new emails since the previous week, with subject lines like “Wet shower dick” and “Hard at work!!” and “Chubby black lesbian hung like a horse.”

I’ve been doing this job almost five years now, and I know an A+ dick pic from a B- or D effort instinctively.

I tackle them in chronological order, one by one, making a snap judgement on their overall appeal. Most of the submissions are low-quality, lazy efforts, but occasionally I receive one that’s MoMA-worthy. If the picture is excellent, or so bad I need to make an example of it, or otherwise worth discussing, I’ll open a draft post on Tumblr, where Critique My Dick Pic is hosted, and upload the image. Then I begin reviewing.

I always have an immediate sense of the grade I’m going to award each dick pic. I’ve been doing this job almost five years now, and I know an A+ dick pic from a B- or D effort instinctively. The more difficult task is articulating exactly why that is, for the feedback portion of the post.

I have found, over the years, that good dick pics tend to be characterized by three elevating factors. The first is that they’re zoomed out enough to include at least some of the torso and thighs, and sometimes the full body. The second is that the sender’s hands are included, which always adds warmth and intimacy to a dick pic. The third is that they’re subtle in tone, either because they’re dick prints (i.e., you can see the penis through boxers or jeans), or through the use of mood lighting, flattering angles and carefully chosen settings.

Bad dick pics, on the other hand, also follow a familiar format. I’ve dubbed the most common the “log shot”: a close-up dick pic taken from the sender’s point of view, with little to no surrounding detail or context. They’re dull and unerotic, and are unfortunately still the most common type of shot I receive, although including objects for scale is also a common blunder.

Of course, you should only send a dick pic to someone who wants to see one (and yours in particular), so make sure you’re sending it with express permission: perhaps in the context of swapping nudes back and forth with a long-distance partner, or because someone you’re newly dating has asked to see your package.

When I’m writing my reviews, I take into account factors like lighting, pose, tone, angle, framing and composition, but never a sender’s penis size — or, in fact, any details about their body. Critique My Dick Pic is an inclusive, body-positive project, and I steer clear of size shaming or criticizing weight, body hair, veins, noses, fingernails or any other bodily aspects.

My focus is strictly on the quality of the photograph ― a quirk of the website that frustrates men who just want to be told whether their penis is big or not, but which helps to make it a positive, welcoming space for everyone else. I like to think of Critique My Dick Pic as a refuge from the airbrushed, Facetuned, perfection-obsessed media culture that dominates the rest of the internet, so criticizing bodies will never be part of what I do.

I receive far more submissions than I can possibly hope to review, meaning that about 90 percent of the dick pics in my inbox won’t make it onto the site. Senders can guarantee that their picture will be selected (and help boost my morale) by paying $25 for a guaranteed review on the site; or for the more privacy-conscious penis photographers, a private, emailed review of their submission is available for the same price.

In this way, I make a modest income from Critique My Dick Pic, and even have a few repeat customers. Between writing about my experience, appearing on podcasts and radio shows, and charging for bespoke dick pic criticism, I’ve finessed the site into a modest yet healthy side hustle.

It might not always be the case that I can make money from Critique My Dick Pic, though. Tumblr’s recent switch to a default “Safe Mode” setting, meaning that users must manually opt in to seeing NSFW content, has caused my traffic to take a huge hit — I’m one of the many adult content creators who has been hurt by the policy change (this link is safe for work, by the way).

It’s a shame, because there’s nothing sordid or seedy about the site: Apart from the fact that it contains naked bodies, and lots of erect penises, the website has a dry, tongue-in-cheek tone, and displays a heartwarming range of diverse bodies. It features men and women; trans, genderqueer and cis people; fat, thin, old and young bodies; and penises, whether flesh or silicone, from all around the world, including Japan, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Italy, the USA and South Africa.

Ultimately, Critique My Dick Pic is an exercise in vulnerability, community and the possibility of a more inclusive, artistic and consensual nude-sharing culture. It seems to me that most men who send dick pics are seeking validation, but because of the critical messaging they receive about penis size, they focus narrowly on this aspect alone, to the detriment of all the other components of a dick pic that can make it erotic. (In their rush to be told their penis is OK, they also often bypass consent.)

One of the most important lessons these guys can learn is that anyone can take a good dick pic, regardless of penis size — transmasculine senders and cis women are constantly proving that you don’t even need a flesh-and-blood penis to take a great shot. It’s more important to consider the desires of your recipient, be generous and creative with your composition, and harness the power of subtlety.

I can’t lie, though: Sometimes it’s demoralizing to have to filter through endless subpar dick pics, the overall quality of which seems to improve at a glacial pace, if at all. I don’t receive dick pics in my personal life as often as I used to ― a partner once described it as the “meta-pressure” of sending me nudes ― and running the project for this long has drastically changed my response to these pictures: They barely have the capacity to shock, bother or excite me anymore, although I do still appreciate the most excellent efforts.

But as long as Critique My Dick Pic continues to be a fun, uplifting project — and as long as there’s still so much to be said about consent, body issues and the artistic disconnect of most dick pic senders — I’ll keep dishing out honest, constructive feedback to the people who ask for it.

It’s my accidental life calling, and I can’t stop now.

Tumblr is owned by Oath, the parent company of HuffPost.

Do you have a personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch!

↧

Vladimir Putin Has Trump Right Where He Wants Him

July 13, 2018, 6:57 am

≫ Next: Is Talc Safe? Johnson & Johnson Ordered To Pay $4.7 Billion After Ovarian Cancer Claims

≪ Previous: Confessions Of A Semi-Professional Dick Pic Critic

President Donald Trump will soon have the high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that he has sought for years. But with days to go until Monday’s talks in Helsinki, Finland, the people with the highest stakes in the meeting — an American public still rattled by Russia’s 2016 election interference and key U.S. allies wary of Putin’s agenda in their neighborhoods — have less to celebrate.

Trump’s “natural inclination is to admire Putin and to reach out to him” because of his affinity for autocrats, said Charles Kupchan, the top White House Europe official under former President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, the president is publicly critical of democratically-elected leaders in U.S.-friendly countries.

On Thursday, Trump called Putin “a competitor” and implied the Russian leader had every right to deny election meddling. Hours later, a U.K. newspaper published an interview quoting him disparaging British Prime Minister Theresa May ― an echo of his attacks on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and “weak” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.”

From Moscow’s point of view, exploiting that dynamic is the best way to get something out of the summit.

Putin has already concluded that Trump is too hamstrung by Congress, experienced U.S. officials and the American public’s questions about Russia’s role in the 2016 elections to deliver any big transformation in U.S.-Russia policy, according to Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Center for Naval Analyses.

Kofman pointed to the Trump administration’s failure to act on Russian grievances like seized diplomatic compounds and inability to block sweeping new Congressional sanctions imposed last summer.

“The Russians walked away with a clear impression that he does not control Washington, D.C.,” Kofman said. He cited Putin’s “vicious” remarks last year, when the Russian leader noted, “It’s difficult to conduct a dialogue with people who confuse Austria and Australia.”

The Russians walked away with a clear impression that [Trump] does not control Washington, D.C. Michael Kofman, Russia expert at the Center for Naval Analyses

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing for the Russians to gain. The Russian vision for Monday’s meeting, which includes a one-on-one session with no aides present and no formal record of the conversation, features Putin as big burly truth-teller and Trump as overawed listener dissatisfied with the U.S.-dominated global status quo.

“The optics of it are great validation for Vladimir Putin as he starts a fourth term … [and] Putin is a master troll who will use the meeting to troll the hell out of the United States and the U.S. media and the U.S. establishment,” Kofman said.

Putin is also likely to exploit Trump’s decades-old sympathy for the Russian worldview, one that’s skeptical of traditional American allies and the men and women working for the U.S. government. And he’ll aim to capitalize on Trump’s conviction that America’s fraught relationship with Russia is the fault of past U.S. leaders rather than Putin’s own belligerent actions.

All the courting and cajoling could result in instant gratification, like Trump saying something directly undermining the U.S.-constructed world order ― for instance, on the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the NATO security alliance ― that would send American officials into a tizzy.

Putin might even offer Trump a win that even Russia skeptics would appreciate by agreeing to extend an Obama-era arms control treaty known as New START to dampen an otherwise growing nuclear arms race between the U.S. and Russia.

But more broadly, Putin will be deftly playing Trump ― insecurities, ego, fact-free opinions and all ― with a long-term goal in mind: reshaping world politics by boosting Russia’s stature while cutting America down to size, especially by targeting its unique alliance network.

Through trade fights and other disputes with allies, “Trump is taking off the values element of U.S. foreign policy, the idea of a shared outlook or ideology … he’s acting like just another power,” Kofman said.

Slowly encouraging splits between the U.S. and its traditional allies is worth it for the Russians, even if the going is slow.

Trump, meanwhile, hasn’t described any significant plan for the meeting. He says he will mention election interference, though he still expresses doubts it took place. On Ukraine, the top concern for Europeans, Trump has generally spoken little; most prominently, he has suggested that country might have been interfering in the 2016 elections rather than Russia.

And it seems unlikely the president will resist Putin’s narrative on the one issue Trump aides have repeatedly said he will prioritize: Syria, where Russia is shoring up dictator Bashar Assad.

Hawks in the Trump administration and top U.S. Middle East allies are worried about Assad’s other patron, Iran, which has deployed significant forces and funded powerful militias to fight an anti-Assad insurgency. With Trump long interested in the idea that Russia and the U.S. can cooperate more closely in Syria, ideally to wind down the American role there altogether, they are now pushing the line that Putin might weed out Iran―and that the two leaders can achieve a landmark agreement on that question.

But while that logic may appeal to a commander in chief looking for a win, other U.S. partners are united in skepticism toward it, officials from two different allied countries told HuffPost.

“We don’t believe that they have so much influence on Iran,” a European official said, referring to Russia. “Maybe the Americans believe it. It’s easier for them to believe it and say let the Russians do the job. But we are quite doubtful.”

What matters for U.S. policy, of course, is what Trump wants to believe. Putin’s prospects of convincing him look solid, giving him one more fissure of the kind he’s working toward.

Slowly encouraging those splits is worth it for the Russians, even if the going is slow.

Russians “feel that they have not only proven to be resilient but an enduring power that, while quite weak compared to the U.S., is willing to sustain a confrontation in an effort to eventually get a settlement,” Kofman said. “They understand Donald Trump may not be able to deliver it. That’s OK.”

↧

Is Talc Safe? Johnson & Johnson Ordered To Pay $4.7 Billion After Ovarian Cancer Claims

July 13, 2018, 3:03 am

≫ Next: Sandra Oh Talks Emmy Nomination After Making History For Asian-American Women

≪ Previous: Vladimir Putin Has Trump Right Where He Wants Him

Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $4.7bn (£3.6bn) in damages to 22 women who claim the company’s baby powder and other talcum powder products caused them to develop ovarian cancer.

The verdict was given by a jury in Missouri, US, and the pharmaceutical company also faces claims from 9,000 other people. However, the company said it will be appealing the result.

“Johnson & Johnson is deeply disappointed in the verdict, which was the product of a fundamentally unfair process,” it said in a statement. “Every verdict against Johnson & Johnson in this court that has gone through the appeals process has been reversed and the multiple errors present in this trial were worse than those in the prior trials which have been reversed.”

Talc has been a bathroom cabinet staple in many households for years, but is it time to change our habits?

According to Cancer Research UK, before the 1970s talcum powder was often contaminated with asbestos fibres which are known to cause cancer. But since then, all home products containing talcum powder are legally obliged to be asbestos-free. The damages awarded in the latest trial relate to claims of cancer linked to asbestos after the women used baby powder and other products over several decades. However, there are experts who are still concerned about the safety of talc today, despite new asbestos-free formulas.

“Some scientists have suggested that talc particles could travel to the ovaries, irritate them and cause inflammation,“ says Cancer Research UK. “Low-level, long-term inflammation may increase the risk of some types of cancer.”

In 2003 the results of 16 studies involving 12,000 women showed that using talc increased the risk of ovarian cancer by around a third, according to ovarian cancer charity Ovacome. A 2013 review of American studies involving 18,000 women had similar results for genital talcum powder use, but not general use.

Commenting after the latest trial, Cary Wakefield, chief executive of the charity Ovarian Cancer Action said: “If you’re currently using talc, don’t panic.”

“Given evidence is inconsistent we do advocate a ‘better safe than sorry’ attitude and advise that women using talc on their genitals stop doing so. But it’s important to remember that the suggested increased risk from using talcum powder is very small,” she told HuffPost UK.

“While the relative increase of a third suggested by some studies sounds significant, the absolute risk of getting ovarian cancer still remains very low. We’re talking about the difference between a 2% risk and a risk of 2.5%.”

Fiona Osgun, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, added: “Scientists are studying the link between women using talcum powder on their genitals and ovarian cancer and so far the evidence doesn’t give a clear picture.

“If there were a link, any increase in risk would be fairly small, and as ovarian cancer is a relatively rare disease, overall women who use talc would still have a low chance of developing the disease. More research is needed to work out what role, if any, talc use plays in ovarian cancer.”

↧

Sandra Oh Talks Emmy Nomination After Making History For Asian-American Women

July 13, 2018, 4:08 am

≫ Next: How Many Bollywood Studios Have Anti Sexual Harassment Committees? We Found Out.

≪ Previous: Is Talc Safe? Johnson & Johnson Ordered To Pay $4.7 Billion After Ovarian Cancer Claims

Sandra Oh has spoken about her historic Emmy nomination, after becoming the first Asian-American to be nominated in the Best Lead Actress In A Drama category.

This year’s nominees were announced on Thursday afternoon, with Sandra receiving a nod for her star turn in ‘Killing Eve’, created and penned by ‘Fleabag’ star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the landmark moment, Sandra said: “I feel quite serious about it. What’s a blend of the words ‘seriousness’ and ‘joyous’? I’m absolutely thrilled.

“I feel my community at all times; I am my community at all times. I have joy not only for the show and myself and family, but also for my community. Hopefully my community can feel like they have representation as well.”

Speaking about other landmark moments for Asian-Americans at the Emmys, including Riz Ahmed and Aziz Ansari’s victories last year, Sandra noted: “I don’t want to rest on the fact that a handful of us have had the opportunity and that it stops there.

“I want the movement to keep on going. I want the ripple to turn into a wave.”

John Legend’s Emmy nomination could potentially also be one for the history books, as if he’s triumphant in his category, he’ll enter the EGOT hall of fame.

The singer already has an Oscar (for his contribution to the ‘Selma’ soundtrack), a Tony (having served as a co-producer on a Broadway revival of ‘Jitney’) and 10 Grammys, including the coveted Best New Artist award.

He’s now been nominated for an Emmy for his lead role in a recent TV production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.

He goes up against Antonio Banderas, Benedict Cumberbatch, Darren Criss, Jeff Daniels and Jesse Plemons in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or TV Movie.

John also served as an executive producer on the concert, which has been nominated in the Outstanding Variety Special category.

Check out all of this year’s stand-out nominations here.

↧

How Many Bollywood Studios Have Anti Sexual Harassment Committees? We Found Out.

July 15, 2018, 3:05 am

≫ Next: Lawyer Allegedly Raped In Delhi's Saket Court By Inebriated Male Senior Colleague

≪ Previous: Sandra Oh Talks Emmy Nomination After Making History For Asian-American Women

MUMBAI, Maharashtra — Six months after Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, instructed Bollywood studios to comply with the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013 and set up committees to hear complaints,HuffPost India asked 17 major establishments to inquire if they had followed the ministry's directions.

Only seven production houses confirmed they have anti-sexual harassment cells. Five shared specific information while the 2 declined to reveal details about the people heading these committees. The rest did not reply.

As per the law, a company must set up an Internal Complaints Committee of at least three people, a majority of which must be women in senior positions within the organization, and a third-party member, attached to an NGO. Companies must conduct regular workshops to sensitise employees.

#Bollywood film-makers are ethically & legally accountable for the safety of not only their direct employees, but of all outsourced and temporary staff as well: Smt. @ManekaGandhiBJP. #SexualHarassmentAtWorkplace pic.twitter.com/kvrOUcIxqH
— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) December 13, 2017

HuffPost Indiasent a detailed questionnaire to studios like Yash Raj Films, Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bhansali Productions to find out if they comply with the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act.

The responses were dismal.

No Response

Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films, and Sajid Nadiadwala's Nadiadwala Grandson didn't respond to our queries. A spokesperson for the companies said the information was not available as the "concerned people were traveling".

Two emails to Karan Johar's Dharma Productions went unanswered; Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bhansali Productions didn't respond either. Neither did Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures — a company that has a television arm, a digital arm, and a film production company. A spokesperson for Alt Balaji is yet to respond.

Ashutosh Gowariker Productions' spokesperson stayed silent. A mail (and reminders) sent to Disney India didn't receive any response. Sony Pictures India has promised to respond, but so far, it hasn't.

A Few Details

Some production houses did say they were implementing the Ministry's directive but did not provide any details.

Yash Raj Films, one of Bollywood's best-known studios, said, "We are complying with mandatory requirements and continue to do so on an ongoing basis," but refused to divulge specific details.

A spokesperson for Aamir Khan Productionssaid, "'We have followed keeping an Internal Complaints Committee for over four years. Currently, it comprises of individuals from within our organization and the chairperson is someone who is outside of our organization to ensure a fair and robust redressal of any complaint. Majority of the members of the committee are women.''

Mukta Arts confirmed they've a committee in place and share some of its salient features.

Detailed Responses

Excel Entertainment, Phantom Films, T-Series shared a detailed sheet about the people leading the committee as well as specific details of the external members who are part of the committee.

Drishyam Films, a boutique studio, responded, saying that they set up a committee a few months ago, in January 2018. Details of the members were shared with HuffPost India.

Our query to Fox Star Studios, which has produced films such as Bang Bang,MS Dhoni, Jolly LLB, was diverted to Star India.

"In compliance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 we have set up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) which comprises of an independent member who is well versed with and has relevant experience in dealing with complaints under the prevailing law and senior leaders of the management team at Star India. The ICC deals with any sexual harassment complaint filed by a woman employee or any associate against a Star employee," the Star India statement said.

The studio also said that they run sensitization programs for its employees as well.

"On an ongoing basis, we have sensitization and training programs for everyone in the Star India family, including induction programs on the subject for new employees too. We place the highest importance on ensuring a safe and conducive environment for all our women employees."

Paper Committees

Many employees said they either did not know of these committees or were hesitant to approach them.

An employee of Star said she has not received any information about the committee. There was no workshop to train her on who she could reach out to, in a case of inappropriate behavior.

Studios often employ large numbers of people on short-term contracts on a project-to-project basis, which means many women employees feel particularly vulnerable. Gandhi, on her Twitter feed, specifically wrote that filmmakers in the industry were ethically and legally accountable for the safety of not only their direct employees but of all outsourced and temporary staff as well.

An actress, who requested anonymity for fear of losing projects, said, "I knew that this is a legal requirement because I follow the news closely but I haven't been made aware of its existence by a single person in any of the films, shows that I've worked on. My general sense is that barring a few, not a lot of women in the industry are aware or even told that there is such a committee."

Another young woman, who has worked with many of the studios who claim to have Internal Complaints Committee, was surprised to learn that there's a legal requirement for such a cell.

"This is only on paper," she said. "There have been no workshops or programs to make female members aware of such a thing. Everything happens informally and depends on how important you are to the film. If you are influential enough, action is taken. Else, you just live with it."

Some Good News

Richa Chadha, who has worked with Excel Entertainment, is all praises for the production house.

"The set that I am at (Inside Edge, produced by Excel) has laminated sheets around every corner of the shooting location mentioning that serious action will be taken against those who are found guilty of sexual harassment. It makes me feel empowered and safe and is such a welcome move," she said.

Day 1- shoot for #InsideEdgeSeason2 and this most woke bunch of peeps made some changes. The state of Maharashtra banned single use plastic! So ours is plastic free set- we all got individual steel bottles so we stay hydrated, Also, a serious notice on the side declaring #sexualharassment at the work place tacky. Love it! Love you guys! @excelmovies @primevideoin. . . . . . . . . #Actor #actresslife #fun #Dance #life #love #chooselove #TravelTales #blessed #choosetobehappy #feministfirst #GlobalGypsy #RichaChadha #fashion
A post shared by Richa Chadha (@therichachadha) on Jul 2, 2018 at 10:03am PDT

However, Chadha seems to be in a minority.

Another actress who has appeared in feature films, ad films, and now web-series said that differential treatment is given to those who are high-up in the hierarchy.

She said programs and workshops designed to spread awareness on sexual harassment were rare, and basic security needs were often ignored.

"When we are shooting in remote locations or outside city limits in Mumbai, the shoot extends late into the night, say to 3 or 4 am. Being an actor, my transport would be taken care of, probably for the ADs too, but what happens to the rest of the women, from hair, makeup, wardrobe teams, who are considered lower in the so-called food chain?" she said. "They're often just dropped off at a check post and asked to make their way home. Are they not at the same risk as us? So training etc aside, even basic safety isn't always considered."

Lawyer Speak

Vishnu Sharma, a senior associate at Phoenix Legal, said anti-sexual harassment laws have a broad definition of the workplace, which includes film sets, work meetings, and even events to celebrate a film's success. Anyone harassed in any of these circumstances can approach the Internal Complaints Committee of the production company.

Shriram said a complaint must be filed within 3 months from the date of the incident but can be filed within 6 months if the complainant can explain the delay. If the IIC believes a crime — like rape, or molestation — has been committed, they must assist the complainant in reporting the matter to the police.

What if the incident happens at a social occasion long after the film has been completed and the complainant isn't, at that moment, engaged in a professional relationship with the man in question?

"She can still file a complaint with the ICC of the production company that the director is employed with or working for. The film industry is a place that works on networking so her presence there is loosely connected to her job," Shriram said. "Sure, she can choose against going to the party but her choice of attending it cannot be held against her. She could be there because it could lead to potential work. That becomes a job requirement. She's still within her rights to complain."

The ICC can hand out punishment like suspension, termination, and monetary compensation to be paid to the survivor. The compensation can be deducted from the offending party's salary.

If the survivor is not satisfied with the ICC, she can appeal against it before a court or a quasi-judicial authority (which in Mumbai, is the Assistant Labour Commissioner's office).

If a freelance casting director or a film director is asking for sexual favors in return for potential work at a place which is neither his nor the woman's workplace, the woman cannot go to an ICC as the accused isn't employed by any firm, and the incident did not take place at a workplace.

But she can file a complaint at the state-run Local Complaints Committee that is supposed to be nominated in every district in India. Unfortunately, Mumbai doesn't have a Local Complaints Committee and the situation is not very different across India.

Also see on HuffPost:

↧

Lawyer Allegedly Raped In Delhi's Saket Court By Inebriated Male Senior Colleague

July 15, 2018, 8:48 pm

≫ Next: Elon Musk Lashes Out At Thai Cave Rescuer, Baselessly Calls Him A 'Pedo Guy'

≪ Previous: How Many Bollywood Studios Have Anti Sexual Harassment Committees? We Found Out.

A woman holds a placard during a protest against the rape of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, near Jammu, in Guwahati, India, April 21, 2018. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika

A woman lawyer has alleged that a senior advocate in Delhi's Saket Court raped her in his chambers in the court premises. The 32-year-old woman said that advocate PK Lal, 50, was inebriated when he called her to his chambers and assaulted her.

The woman reported the assault on July 15.

According to Live Law, Dhir Singh Kasana, Secretary General of the Saket Bar Association said that Lal's membership at the bar as been suspended. "It is very unfortunate. We have suspended the membership of the accused and will serve a notice upon him as and when he is out on bail," he said.

Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police, South Delhi told reporters: " "The victim, in her statement to the police, said the accused, who was in an inebriated condition, sexually assaulted her in his chamber which is in the same complex where she works."

Live Law points out that there was a similar complaint against a 60-year-old lawyer at the Rohini court in April.

A few months ago, Afshan Pracha, a lawyer at the Supreme Court complained that she was molested and beaten up by male colleagues when she went to appear for a case at the Tis Hazari Courts. "These men keep doing things like this with impunity. They have attacked several women in the past," she told HuffPost India.

In response, the President of the bar association said that no attack took place and Pracha was lying. Several other lawyers recounted how they have been harassed and attacked by male colleagues in the court premises in India.

↧

Elon Musk Lashes Out At Thai Cave Rescuer, Baselessly Calls Him A 'Pedo Guy'

July 15, 2018, 10:52 am

≫ Next: This Straight Woman Helps Arrange Same-Sex Marriages In India

≪ Previous: Lawyer Allegedly Raped In Delhi's Saket Court By Inebriated Male Senior Colleague

Elon Musk went on a bizarre rant against a British diver involved in last week’s Thai cave rescue after the diver mocked the billionaire tech entrepreneur’s proposed plan to help with the mission.

Vern Unsworth told CNN on Saturday that Musk’s idea to use a kid-sized submarine to transport the 12 boys out of the cave where they were trapped was “just a PR stunt.”

“He can stick his submarine where it hurts,” said Unsworth, who had a “pivotal” role in the rescue by helping authorities pinpoint the boys’ location, according to CNN. “It just had absolutely no chance of working. He had no conception of what the cave passage was like.”

The 47-year-old Tesla and SpaceX CEO didn’t take the criticism too kindly, lashing out at Unsworth in a series of now-deleted tweets Sunday in which he baselessly accused the diver of being a pedophile.

“Never saw this British expat guy who lives in Thailand (sus) at any point when we were in the caves,” Musk tweeted, later adding: “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.”

Never saw this British expat guy who lives in Thailand (sus) at any point when we were in the caves. Only people in sight were the Thai navy/army guys, who were great. Thai navy seals escorted us in — total opposite of wanting us to leave.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2018

Water level was actually very low & still (not flowing) — you could literally have swum to Cave 5 with no gear, which is obv how the kids got in. If not true, then I challenge this dude to show final rescue video. Huge credit to pump & generator team. Unsung heroes here.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2018

You know what, don’t bother showing the video. We will make one of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2018

Musk later doubled down on his unfounded accusation against Unsworth.

Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2018

Twitter users swiftly condemned Musk’s allegation, calling the remarks “outrageous” and “unhinged.”

This comment is absolutely unacceptable. You owe #ThaiCaveRescue diver Vernon Unsworth a serious apology. @Channel4News
— Jonathan Miller (@millerC4) July 15, 2018

Your "pedo" slur is outrageous. I just i/v'd Unsworth for @STForeign. Man of integrity, was there from day 1, knows caves better than anyone
— Philip Sherwell (@philipsherwell) July 15, 2018

Elon Musk seems to be coming a bit unhinged here, calling one of the British cave divers a paedophile because he lives in Thailand https://t.co/ZKS8oZQJIt
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) July 15, 2018

Hours later, Musk deleted his tweets about Unsworth without an explanation.

Representatives for both Tesla and SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment. HuffPost was unable to reach Unsworth for comment.

Thai officials rejected Musk’s submarine, ultimately adopting a complicated course of action involving underwater stretchers and water pumps to successfully rescue all 12 of the boys and their soccer coach.

“I assure you that the equipment [Musk] brought to help us is not practical for our mission,” Narongsak Osottanakorn, head of the Thai search operation, told The New York Times last week. “Even though the equipment has state of the art technology, it does not fit our mission in the cave.”

This article has been updated to note that Musk has deleted his tweets about Unsworth.

↧

This Straight Woman Helps Arrange Same-Sex Marriages In India

July 10, 2018, 10:36 am

≫ Next: Apple Is Struggling In India As Key Executives Leave, Sales Drop

≪ Previous: Elon Musk Lashes Out At Thai Cave Rescuer, Baselessly Calls Him A 'Pedo Guy'

Urvi Shah founded the Arranged Gay Marriage Bureau in 2015.

In a culture where homosexuality is taboo but arranged marriage is common, finding love as a member of the LGBTQ community can be isolating and discouraging.

That’s where 24-year-old Urvi Shah comes in. She is the founder of Arranged Gay Marriage Bureau, a website specifically for setting up same-sex marriages. Gay sex is still prohibited in India, but the law is not commonly enforced. Heeding her parents’ initial wishes not to launch the business in her hometown of Ahmedabad in western India, she launched in Chicago in 2015. She then moved the business to Sikandrabad in northern India but has since taken it to her hometown. Today the site boasts members from 24 countries.

Shah works as a matchmaker with clients, all of whom have come to her through word of mouth, she said. After setting up a profile and providing the company with some personal details and what they’re looking for, users are set up based on interests and expectations. They might be matched with someone from the same city or someone thousands of miles away.

HuffPost chatted with Shah about her work, why she nearly gave it up and her hopes for the future of marriage in India and around the world.

How did you get started doing this work?

When I was in college at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, we were asked to build a business project about eliminating a social issue. Some seniors were choosing women empowerment, education and other things happening in the country. I didn’t want to copy anyone. I wanted to do something interesting that no one had done before. The LGBTQ subject is still taboo in Indian society. People don’t want to talk about it. A lot of people don’t even know homosexual people exist in the country, so I decided to focus on the LGBTQ community.

A post shared by Urvi (@urvi_shah_agm) on Feb 4, 2018 at 4:36am PST

How did you turn that into a career arranging same-sex marriages?

I started doing my research and came to meet a group of [gay] people in Delhi who were above the age of 30. I asked them what issues they face in their lives from the beginning of their journey ― about being confused about their sexuality, telling their parents, if their parents accepted them, things like that. In our country, we do believe in arranged marriages. The system has been changing. More people are finding partners for themselves, as opposed to their parents, but there are a lot of things attached to it. For example, I’m Hindu. If I want to marry someone Christian, I’m not allowed to. India is based on communities and religion and everything. I thought, well, India has a lot of matrimonial websites, so I asked people why they don’t join them, and I realized that none of them cater to LGBTQ people. I thought of creating one where they can find a partner for life.

My dad said he didn’t know gay people existed in India.

How did your family react to your job?

My parents were in denial. When I told my parents I wanted to work for the LGBTQ community, they asked me what that was. When I told them, my dad said he didn’t know gay people existed in India. My parents had never met anyone gay, and even if they had, no one had disclosed their sexuality in front of my parents. So I understood my parents were not educated about it. I made them watch some videos and movies, and slowly they started understanding the concept, but because my family lives in the same city as I did, which is very orthodox, they asked me to not start here and not to tell my family members what I do for work.

A post shared by Urvi (@urvi_shah_agm) on Nov 16, 2017 at 12:21am PST

How did your friends react? Did you lose any friends or acquaintances after starting the business?

Every friend of mine initially went crazy. They were like, ‘You cannot do this. Why don’t you work in a bank? You have so much potential. You can start a business, but why this? You don’t even belong to this community. Why the hell do you want to work for them?’ But because they were also new to the subject, I knew they were just uneducated about it. I decided to educate them instead of cutting off friendships, and now they have actually started helping me. When there is news around the world related to LGBTQ people on Facebook, they tag me and share it. They have become much more supportive.

Every friend of mine initially went crazy. They were like, ‘Why don’t you work in a bank? ... You can start a business, but why this? You don’t even belong to this community. Why the hell do you want to work for them?’ Urvi Shah

Did those reactions ever make you want to stop?

There was a time in my life when I came back to my home city, after starting the company for one year in Sikandrabad, when all my family and friends were against me and I was receiving threats. But on the other side, I was getting so many emails from the community, people registered with us, parents of gay couples who were liking my work so much. It was a complicated situation, but because I had blessings from all of these people, I decided not to stop.

What does your extended family think now?

My family is still not open to the concept because they think it is typically illegal and unethical. They are worried that since I work in this community, there won’t be any guys who will marry me.

And your parents?

My parents are ready to face criticism from [the rest of] my family. They are very proud of my work. They have seen people coming together, living happy lives. They have seen people coming out of depression and are now living happily because of my work. So they are very proud. They don’t understand it, but they accept it and love me more because of my work.

What’s the best part of your job?

I am into consultation. I guide and consult parents. It’s the most satisfying work because of the happiness I see from people when a couple falls in love and their parents start accepting them.

A post shared by Arranged Gay Marriage Bureau (@arranged_gay_marriage) on Mar 10, 2018 at 9:12am PST

Have you ever dealt with families who maybe weren’t so accepting?

I have seen families who are not ready to accept their child. I consult with them, but they fail because they are not ready to understand or willing to educate themselves. It’s very disappointing, but we have a lot of success stories. If 99 percent of people are happy and 1 percent are disappointed, I understand. I’m not here to change the world and educate the world. I am just here to spread happiness among the people. I understand my parents’ generation will not change their mentality, but the coming generation is definitely going to change.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

↧

Apple Is Struggling In India As Key Executives Leave, Sales Drop

July 15, 2018, 9:20 pm

≫ Next: After Securing Net Neutrality In India, TRAI Goes To Bat For Data Privacy

≪ Previous: This Straight Woman Helps Arrange Same-Sex Marriages In India

Apple is the richest phone brand in the world, but the same can not be said for its performance in India. While Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly said that Apple is very "bullish" about India, it has remained a niche brand as its pricing keeps it out of the hands of most Indians.

A recent report cast further doubts about the future, as three key executives have now left the company. This includes the national sales and distribution chief, the head of commercial channels and mid-market business, and the head of telecom carrier sales, Bloomberg wrote.

In India, where it has a market share of about 2 percent, Apple sold just 3.2 million iPhones in 2017, according to Counterpoint Research, In the first half of 2018, fewer than a million devices moved, it estimated.

According to BGR, the new India head, Michel Coulomb has also been reported to be struggling with his new job in making business relationships in the market ever since he joined in December 2017. This follows Apple's continuous struggle to understand the Indian market.

At the same time, a report in the Economic Times added that Apple is now blacklisting retailers offering big discounts, and is ensuring sales at the maximum retail price, according to senior executives. Apple used to follow a similar policy earlier, but had ceded price control to retailers as heavy discounting online helped the brand reach more people for some time.

However, the impact of discounting on sales was limited as the phones remained out of reach for most. Although the total number of smartphones in India is enormous, the vast majority of these are in fact priced at under Rs. 10,000, while an entry level iPhone 8 has an MRP of Rs. 75,000 (although you can get one for around Rs. 60,000 now).

As ET noted, Apple could increase sales by lowering prices, but this would lower its value as an aspirational brand.

↧

After Securing Net Neutrality In India, TRAI Goes To Bat For Data Privacy

July 16, 2018, 10:28 am

≫ Next: 'Stranger Things 3’ Teaser Reveals New Character, Setting And Possible Release Date

≪ Previous: Apple Is Struggling In India As Key Executives Leave, Sales Drop

Last week, the Department of Telecom gave the nod to net neutrality regulations, ensuring that there would be no discrimination of data at a time when the US is moving in the opposite direction. The net neutrality norms were based on the recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) - which the BBC in November described as the world's strongest - but the regulator isn't celebrating right now - it's moved on to another equally important topic - privacy and data protection.

On Monday, TRAI announced its recommendations on privacy, security, and ownership of data in the telecom sector, and the 77 page document serves as the first major public guidelines on privacy and data protection in India.

TRAI has outlined a consent based framework, where users have to clearly choose what data is being used, which bears some similarities to Europes GDPR. TRAI noted that while the right to privacy should not be treated solely as a property right, it must be noted that the controllers of personal data are mere custodians without any primary right over the same. In other words, your data should belong to you, and not to Google, or Facebook, or any other company which holds your data.

"The Right to Choice, Notice, Consent, Data Portability, and Right to be Forgotten should be conferred upon the telecommunication consumers," TRAI recommended

In section 2.3, it also notes that meta-data is personal information and as such should be given the same protections. This is an important point given that even metadata can be used to track and identify people accurately. It also noted that there needs to be a right to be forgotten, and once you stop using a service it should not store your data beyond what's mandated by the law, according to section 2.46. Section 2.49 also allows users the right to withdraw consent, which means that even if people have given consent to gathering your data, users will be able to stop tracking on demand.

At the same time, TRAI also noted the stop-gap nature of its recommendations, and said, "till such time a general data protection law is notified by the government, the existing Rules/ License conditions applicable to the Telecom Service Providers for protection of users should be made applicable to all the entities in the digital eco-system."

Good, with some caveats

Early reactions to the recommendations are largely positive. On Twitter, lawyer Apar Gupta, who is one of the founding members of the Internet Freedom Foundation shared some quick thoughts about the recommendations. Describing this as a substantive document he called it "partly positive since it calls for interim safeguards", but added that the "form of some seems problematic."

On the plus side, he noted that many of the protections in the recommendations "focus on a user rights model, which includes notice, choice, consent, portability, deletion and erasure." He also praised the recommendations for not taking a view on data localisation, and that the protections need to apply to private as well as state entities.

However, he criticized the fact that TRAI is planning to impose license conditions on all OTT providers - that is to say, all third party services. He also noted that the recommendations did not directly address state surveillance. He also pointed out that an Electronic Consent Framework as described in the recommendations may "centralise consent requests thereby may end up generating more personal data and unifying them into a single portal managed by the govt/regulators."

"We are happy with the TRAI's recommendations on Privacy, Security and Ownership of Data as the regulator is calling for all digital entities to be brought under data protection framework. This would include all devices, operating systems, browsers, and applications and would be welcome stop-gap measure till rules and regulations of the telecom services providers are applicable to them," said Rajan Matthews, DG Cellular Operators Association of India.

"This will ensure, in prevailing circumstances, that the privacy of users is protected and maintained. National security and privacy issues are of paramount importance. Accordingly, the regulator by making this recommendation, is ensuring that no exception is made for any service provider, while subjecting them to the rules to meet the national security and privacy norms. However, this is our preliminary view and we will need to review the other recommendations to determine their implications."

Speaking in a television interview, Pranesh Prakash, Policy Director at the Centre for Internet and Society, said he's still processing the document, but "on the face of it it seems good."

"There are still certain concerns I have which haven't been addressed. The telecom licenses themselves, which are issued by the Government of India, require a whole lot of data to be collected, metadata to be collected, by telecom companies. So I'm not sure how that requirement by the Government of India squares off with what is now being recommended by TRAI."

"Let me also point out that one of the things that TRAI says, and it might be exceeding its brief a little bit, is that it says this should not only cover telecom operators, but also device manufacturers, operating systems, application creators, and other kinds of software. What TRAI seems to want to do is actually quite a bit more than what I think the DoT has, or really ought to be doing. I really don't understand whether this will find any favour in the interim before the government decides to take up the Justice Srikrishna Committee report."

Justice Srikrishna committee report still due

Although TRAI's recommendations are an important document, and will serve as stopgap privacy rules, India is also on the verge of a data protection and privacy bill, which will be based on the recommendations of the Justice BN Srikrishna committee on the subject. The committee was formed in August and was expected to deliver its report in June, but sources say that disagreements over the Aadhaar have caused some delays.

The committee is expected to send its recommendations to the government soon, at which point things could change, but for now, TRAI's recommendations are an important development as India moves to secure the privacy of its people.

Ahead of that though, you can read the full TRAI recommendations here.

↧

'Stranger Things 3’ Teaser Reveals New Character, Setting And Possible Release Date

July 16, 2018, 3:54 pm

≫ Next: 23 Tweets That Accurately Capture The Hell That Is Modern Dating

≪ Previous: After Securing Net Neutrality In India, TRAI Goes To Bat For Data Privacy

Hawkins, Indiana, is about to get a rad new addition.

On Monday Netflix released a teaser for the third season of “Stranger Things” in the form of a totally ’80s commercial for the new Starcourt Mall — “one of the finest shopping facilities in America and beyond.”

Ahoy! Something is coming... to Hawkins, Indiana! pic.twitter.com/BI4wFRVzvB
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) July 16, 2018

According to the nearly 90-second video, the new mall “opens next summer” —a possible hint that the show’s third season will be released in summer 2019.

Among the attractions at the town’s tubular new spot to “shop, hang out, dine and enjoy” is a Gap, Sam Goody, Waldenbooks and a “state-of-the-art” food court where one can grab a cone at the nautical-themed Scoops Ahoy, a new ice cream shop where Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) appears to be working alongside Robin, a new character played by Maya Hawke.

“Ahoy!” they both awkwardly say into the camera near the end of the video.

It’s unclear if Steve has decided to stay close to Hawkins and is working as a confection-slinger full time or if it’s just a summer gig before he leaves for college. As far as Maya goes, Netflix has described her character as “bored with her mundane day job.” In her search for excitement, Robin “uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins.”

Gee, whatever could that be?

↧

23 Tweets That Accurately Capture The Hell That Is Modern Dating

July 16, 2018, 1:38 pm

≫ Next: Putin Does Not Deny That Russia Has 'Compromising Material' On Trump

≪ Previous: 'Stranger Things 3’ Teaser Reveals New Character, Setting And Possible Release Date

Face it: If you don’t laugh about your dating life (or lack thereof), you’re probably going to cry. It gets that bad sometimes.

Below, we’ve compiled 23 relatable tweets that truly, madly, deeply capture the experience of dating these days.

Why doesn’t anybody love me the way people on Catfish love strangers who won’t video chat
— Michaela (@MichaelaOkla) July 11, 2018

1.

I just swiped right on so many girls without getting a match that I looked around to see if I was on a subway without service.
— Jared Freid (@jtrain56) July 16, 2018

2.

i don’t get how u cheat on a significant other. like how do you get 2 different ppl to like u. how
— touc schrute (@aspiringtoucan) July 2, 2018

3.

Dating apps should make men state if they own the dog in their photos or if it is someone elses, if not things can get ugly quite quickly.
— JDA (@the__littleman) August 19, 2017

4.

There’s plenty of fish in the sea but you know what else there is? TRASH. There is a lot of trash in the sea.
— Crystal 🤘🏽 (@25Average_) July 12, 2018

5.

Day 329 without sex: I went to Starbucks just so I could hear somebody scream my name
— ryki (@ryankii) July 14, 2018

6.

EVERY girl got a dude in her DM talking to himself...
— Nando (@RealNandoAve) June 1, 2018

7.

The best part of a relationship is the very beginning when you haven't met yet and your still single
— A.Jay (@A_JAYOFFICIAL) September 19, 2017

8.

being single is all fun and games until you realise it’s a never ending cycle of getting to know someone, they eventually stop texting you, then they watch your Instagram story every day until you die
— senorita ugly (@bex_bambi) June 12, 2018

9.

Me: why am I single
Me: declines every date, takes 3-5 business days to answer text, shows no emotion, can't parallel park
— Alyssa DiVincenzo (@alyssadivinc) March 8, 2017

10.

A guy on Tinder said “would love to meet for a drink and hear your views”

On what? Keynesian macroeconomics? How Cameron Diaz is slept on as a comic actor?
— shon faye. (@shonfaye) May 9, 2018

11.

If you’re on a first date and make the other person laugh, I think a good thing to ask right after that is “Do you like me?”
— Kevin Farzad (@KevinFarzad) May 28, 2018

12.

"hey I saw you on tinder but we didn't match so I found your instagram you're so beautiful you don't need to wear all that makeup ahah I bet you get a lot of creepy dm's but I'm not like all those other guys message me back beautiful btw whats your snap" pic.twitter.com/XDLj2FyqZP
— gracie hoos (@cottoncandaddy) April 6, 2018

13.

Dating after 30 is like "Are we doing this or not?" I got shit to do.
— 🌊 (@mattwhitlockPM) December 30, 2017

14.

Idk y men go to bars to meet women

Go to Target.

The female to male ratio is 10 to 1 & they’re already looking for things they don’t need.
— Joey (@xj_swaggax) May 29, 2017

15.

*gets ghosted*

Me: thank you for the 15-day free trial
— Lil Slimè (@THEMYSTICS13) July 11, 2018

16.

One time a guy on Tinder said "I'll let you be the funny one" and I'm just so relieved to finally have permission
— Eileen Mary 😎’Connell (@i_Lean) December 24, 2017

17.

guys are over here like "yeah uh in my opinion the perfect female body is like a victoria's secret model but with 3x bigger boobs" and girls are over here like "mmm dad bods are literally just fine just please respect us" and guys are over here like "no"
— jake (@squidslippers) July 14, 2018

18.

“Coaches don’t play”👌🏼💯🤷🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/w8ehF1fdTe
— 👑 (@unko_kama) July 9, 2018

19.

day 489 without sex: the demon i see in the corner of my room when i have sleep paralysis lookin kinda cute now ngl
— ѕαм ◡̈ (@sxmmie) July 7, 2018

20.

The way I see it, the guy should ALWAYS pay for the first date, just to even things out. Have you been inside a Sephora? An eye shadow palette is about 45 bucks — that's five times the price of mozzarella sticks.
— The Captain (@sgrstk) March 31, 2018

21.

I went to redownload Bumble and I accidentally searched Burger King.

Guys, this app is way better and easier.
— Jared Freid (@jtrain56) July 12, 2018

22.

My next relationship I’m not putting cute contact names in my phone. I’m gunna put “We’ll see” 😂
— Eddie Llamas (@llamas_edward) February 3, 2018

23.

↧

Putin Does Not Deny That Russia Has 'Compromising Material' On Trump

July 16, 2018, 9:11 am

≫ Next: Your Ola Driver May Need To Stop For Selfies Soon - For Driver Authentication

≪ Previous: 23 Tweets That Accurately Capture The Hell That Is Modern Dating

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday did not deny that the Russian government may have “compromising material” about President Donald Trump and his family.

Asked by The Associated Press’ Jonathan Lemire during an extraordinary press conference with Trump in Helsinki, Finland, Putin acknowledged the “rumors” before evading the question.

“It’s difficult to imagine nonsense of a bigger scale than this,” Putin said, according to a translator. “Well, please, just disregard this issues [sic], and don’t think about this anymore again.”

Among the rumors is the infamous “pee tape,” a purported recording that supposedly contains footage of Trump and urinating prostitutes at a Moscow hotel in 2013, when the then-reality television star and “Miss Universe” owner was there for that year’s pageant hosted in Moscow.

Putin on Monday claimed that he “didn’t even know” Trump was in Moscow at that time.

“I treat President Trump with utmost respect, but back then, when he was a private individual, nobody informed me he was in Moscow,” Putin said.

But it has been widely reported that Trump and Putin were in fact in contact.

Putin reportedly could not meet with Trump but sent him a gift, according to the Washington Post. The Post also reported that Trump wrote Putin a personal letter inviting him to the pageant.

Trump himself claimed in 2014 that Putin contacted him at the time.

“When I went to Russia for the Miss Universe Pageant, Putin contacted me. And was so nice,” he said in a Fox News interview.

During his 2013 visit, Trump told MSNBC that Putin ”[is] very interested in what we’re doing here today.”

“I’m sure he’s going to be seeing it in some form, but I do have a relationship with him,” Trump said.

And in June 2013, Trump famously tweeted about potentially meeting Putin and whether he would “become my new best friend.”

Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2013

In an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace taped following Monday’s press conference in Helsinki, Putin denied having compromising information or material on Trump.

“We don’t have anything on them,” Putin said. “I don’t want to insult President Trump when I say this, and I may come [off] as rude, but before he announced that he would run for the presidency he was of no interest for us. He was a rich person, but there’s plenty of rich persons in the United States. He was in the construction business. He organized the beauty pageants. But it never occurred to anyone that he would think of running for president. He never mentioned his political ambitions.”

Putin argued that his country does not “have enough resources” to conduct extensive surveillance on business visitors, as Trump would have been considered in 2013, while they are in Russia.

“We don’t do this. We don’t have enough resources, we don’t have enough manpower to organize the total state of control,” he said. “We did nothing of that kind against Mr. Trump.”

This has been updated with Putin’s comments on Fox News.

↧

Your Ola Driver May Need To Stop For Selfies Soon - For Driver Authentication

July 16, 2018, 9:17 pm

≫ Next: Is Industry Or Lives More Important To The Modi Government, Supreme Court Asks

≪ Previous: Putin Does Not Deny That Russia Has 'Compromising Material' On Trump

Have you ever gotten into a cab and then felt worried because the driver isn't the same person whose picture is shown in the app? It's a common problem and Ola is now taking steps to address this with the testing of a new selfie-based facial recognition process for drivers.

Divers who have low ratings or negative feedback will be asked to take selfies at random times, in order to authenticate that the person who is driving is the same person who is registered with Ola, reportsDeccan Herald. Ola will ask the driver for authentication between rides, and its training video says the driver should pull over, and use the flash on his phone if it's dark outside to take the selfie. This is being rolled out as a trial which will be expanded over time.

This development comes just days after Ola filed a police complaint against one of its drivers for letting a proxy ferry passengers. The proxy driver was accused of misbehaving with a passenger when she objected to a waiting charge on July 10 — he allegedly abused her and then threw a slipper at her.

The woman then filed a complaint against the registered Ola driver, but a police investigation revealed that the man who misbehaved was a proxy. Ola is now seeking legal action against both men. Its complaint states that the incident was an act of unauthorised login which amounts to criminal breach of trust, identity theft, and defaming the company.

Uber also announced a system of facial recognition for drivers last year and, like the measure that Ola has just announced, it's meant to prevent proxy drivers from accepting rides. However, that is just one of the problems that passengers have been facing when using cab aggregators, and a bigger question of safety lingers.

In recent months, there have been a number of incidents where Ola and Uber drivers allegedly misbehaved with passengers, including an incident in Bengaluru where a woman was allegedly forced to strip and pose for photos by an Ola driver while en route the airport.

After that particularly horrific incident, the government has said that it will talk to taxi aggregators to provide an "exclusive women pooling" option, senior government officials toldThe Hindustan Times.

↧

Is Industry Or Lives More Important To The Modi Government, Supreme Court Asks

July 16, 2018, 9:40 pm

≫ Next: Maneka Gandhi Orders States To Probe Missionaries of Charity Units Across The Country After Nun Allegedly Sold Baby

≪ Previous: Your Ola Driver May Need To Stop For Selfies Soon - For Driver Authentication

A child wears a face mask for protection from air pollution in Delhi, India November 14, 2017.

The Supreme Court used strong words while admonishing the Modi government over the use of petroleum coke (petcoke) in industries and a "delay" in banning the import of the toxic fuel, which causes far more air pollution than coal.

India is the world's largest importer of petcoke, surpassing China which has slowed down its intake of the industrial fuel. India's import went from around 2.54 Million Tonnes of petcoke in 2012-13 to 11.13 million tonnes in 2016-17.

"Let's be clear about something, the people of this country are more important for us than anything," the court said, The Hindureported.

"What is more important for you? Saving lives of people or industry?" Justice Madan B. Lokur asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, represented by Additional Solicitor General A.N.S. Nadkarni.

Last year, Associated Pressreported that U.S. oil refineries that are unable to sell petcoke at home are exporting vast quantities of it to India instead. A 63-year-old resident of Delhi told AP, "My life is finished... My lungs are finished."

In April 2017, the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), recommended the ban of petcoke in the National Capital Region (NCR). In October, the Supreme Court had upheld the ban on use of petcoke in Delhi as well as the neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In December, the Supreme Court had permitted the use of petcoke as feedstock by cement industrial units in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, Live Lawreported. Lime industries are also exempt from the October ban.

The Supreme Court is pushing for a nationwide ban on the use of petcoke, which is cheaper than coke, but has sulphur content that is twice as high, making it one of the worst air pollutants. The matter arises from a 1985 Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by environmentalist M.C. Mehta on the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR, Press Trust of Indiareported.

Justice Lokur said, "You seem very keen to allow the import of pet coke. Were you earlier allowing import of pet coke in the country without even conducting the study? The other day newspapers reports said that 60,000 people died due to pollution. What are you doing? People are dying in the city due to huge amount of pollution," the bench said.

"We don't know whether the newspaper report is correct or a fake news. But your reports have also earlier indicated that people have lost lives due to pollution," he said.

Lokur said, "People are not supposed to breathe anymore or what?"

India's leading environmentalist Sunita Narain has said, "We should not become the dust bin of the rest of the world...We certainly can't afford it; we're choking to death already."

The Ministry of Environment told the Supreme Court that it would undertake a study before banning the import of petcoke, Livemint reported.

The Ministry of Petroleum is against the use of petcoke, the Supreme Court was told.

An amicus curiaesaid, "When the Ministry of Petroleum is saying 'please stop import of petcoke', the Environment Ministry is not concerned. This report filed by the Ministry of Environment is an 'Alice in Wonderland' report. They are employing delay tactics."

Nadkarni, the government lawyer, said, "We also consider that life of people is more important than the industries but there will be no harm if we come up with a detailed report. There are various situations in which pet coke is used in industries and not every scenario is a cause of pollution."

Also on HuffPost India:

↧

Maneka Gandhi Orders States To Probe Missionaries of Charity Units Across The Country After Nun Allegedly Sold Baby

July 16, 2018, 10:13 pm

≫ Next: Hima Das Made History And Indians Jumped In To 'Search' Her Caste On Google

≪ Previous: Is Industry Or Lives More Important To The Modi Government, Supreme Court Asks

Police stand outside a home which provides shelter for pregnant unmarried women run by the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic order founded by Mother Teresa, in Ranchi.

sThe Centre has ordered all state governments to inspect shelter homes run by Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, after alleged cases where babies were being sold were reported.

Union women & child development minister @Manekagandhibjp instructs states across the country to inspect child care homes run by Missionaries of Charity, after taking cognizance of the recent cases of alleged illegal adoptions carried out by the organisation in Jharkhand: ANI pic.twitter.com/11GiCAIfZu
— Times of India (@timesofindia) July 17, 2018

NDTV reported that Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi while giving the direction to state governments also said that states must ensure that all child care institutions must be registered and linked to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) within a month.

This comes a week after a nun, who worked for a unit run by the Missionaries of Charity in Ranchi, was reportedly arrested on 5 July after she sold a baby for Rs 1.25 lakh.

Hindustan Times reported that the woman was arrested after a complaint registered by the Child Welfare Committee in Ranchi.

PTI reported that the Missionaries of Charity in Ranchi is accused of selling three children and giving away one.

It is mandatory for all child care facilities to link to CARA. The PTI report says that while around 2,300 child care institutions across the country have already been linked to CARA since December 2017, there are 4,000 institutions whose registrations to CARA as still pending.

↧

Hima Das Made History And Indians Jumped In To 'Search' Her Caste On Google

July 16, 2018, 10:35 pm

≫ Next: Wall Street Bull Covered In Sex Toys, Ridden By 'Vladimir Putin'

≪ Previous: Maneka Gandhi Orders States To Probe Missionaries of Charity Units Across The Country After Nun Allegedly Sold Baby

Athletics - 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships ? women's 400 metres ? Tampere, Finland ? July 12, 2018. Hima Das of India celebrates her victory. Lehtikuva/Kalle Parkkinen via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. FINLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN FINLAND.

Days after nineteen-year-old Hima Das made history by winning a gold for India in an international track event, predictably, Google recorded a spike in searches for her. But guess what was on top of the list of searches around Das? Her caste.

When we typed Hima Das in the Google search bar, these are the suggestions that surfaced.

This was first noticed by several social media users who pointed out that a majority of Indians are yet again obsessed with caste.

However, there was a fair amount of criticism on social media for this obsession with caste as well. Several Twitter users pointed out that no matter what how many achievements Indians bag, regressive attitudes like these will always hold the country back from progress.

How people searching for 'Hima Das Caste' on Google is everything that's wrong with our society. Fans were rejoicing and internet was going crazy with everybody showering praises. But guess what many people were searching for the most? Her life story? No! sadly It was her caste! pic.twitter.com/quXeCUF6RY
— Nandan Pratim Sharma Bordoloi 🇮🇳 (@NANDANPRATIM) July 15, 2018

India is a sad sad country. A young athlete #HimaDas wins India's first gold medal at the World Junior Athletics Championships and what do her countrymen search for in Google. Her caste! Fucking Pathetic! #HimaDasGoldenGirl
— Lord Neus' (@duxFortisIndia) July 16, 2018

The caste system is dead, right folks? #HimaDas #RedditIndiaDiscussion: https://t.co/KdODuUwXyt pic.twitter.com/HCmGgnjzBR
— Reddit India (@redditindia) July 15, 2018

Even a Gold medal ranks below a caste. We are defeating our heroes. #shame #HimaDas #HimaDasGoldenGirl #casteism pic.twitter.com/iMwrbo0h6U
— Shailesh Otari (@shaileshotari) July 17, 2018

This won't be the first time that shortly after a sportsperson have achieved a commendable feat, the country jumped in to find which caste he or she is from.

Google showed a similar pattern in searches shortly after PV Sindhu won a silver in the Rio Olympics in 2016. People scrambled to search for her caste, though it was not the top search terms about her.

A Google trends report showed that the search engine started getting searches for her caste on 13 July when Das' feat hit the headlines. It started to spike a day later, and till now, registered the highest number of searches on 16 July.

The most number of searches for Das' caste was from Kerala and the least from Madhya Pradesh according to the Trends report.

The interest in her caste was way more than a lot of other aspects. For example, when we ran a comparison with search terms like 'Hima Das achievements' or 'Hima Das athlete' or 'Hima Das medals' which one would possibly type to learn specifically about her sporting history, the ratio of searches was pretty dismal.

However, searches for just 'Hima Das' way outnumbered searches specifically for 'Hima Das caste' according to the Trends report.

↧

Wall Street Bull Covered In Sex Toys, Ridden By 'Vladimir Putin'

July 17, 2018, 6:55 pm

≫ Next: Meryl Streep And Cher Kissed At The Mamma Mia 2 Premiere, And Now It's A Meme

≪ Previous: Hima Das Made History And Indians Jumped In To 'Search' Her Caste On Google

A man named Jeff Jetton is taking credit for this.

Recent visitors to Wall Street to see the famous Charging Bull sculpture got a little something extra on Monday.

On top of the statue sat a shirtless man wearing a mask of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The rest of the bull was covered with a rainbow-colored assortment of sex toys.

Putin on top of a dildo-covered Wall Street Bull this morning... from r/nyc

A man named Jeff Jetton is taking credit for the prank, interpreted by some as a commentary on how Putin seems to be controlling the United States.

Jetton told HuffPost he agreed with that statement, but wants to let people construe the prank as they see fit.

He also said he used more 130 dildos to decorate the bull, all of them donated by an adult entertainment company.

“Anybody who tells you sex toys aren’t good tools of resistance has never had a bag of dicks and a little bit of ingenuity,” he said in a statement to HuffPost.

Apparently, the Putin mask wasn’t a good enough disguise. Jetton says he was contacted by the New York City Police Department on Tuesday evening. “I think it’s for a non-criminal code violation,” Jetton told HuffPost. “The officers were kind of laughing when they cited me.”

NYPD just invited me into the 1st precinct on Monday to receive a summons for my work as Putin on the Wall Street Charging Bull. I assume that’s some kind of award? pic.twitter.com/lyohArOeJe
— Jeff Jetton (@JeffreyJetton) July 18, 2018

The Daily Beast reports that Jetton, a ramen shop owner in Washington, D.C., took it upon himself to investigate possible Trump-Russia connections using publicly available information.

People on Reddit had their own theories as to who might have pulled off the prank, especially because the statue is located in an area that is patrolled by police 24 hours a day.

In one bizarre scenario, a Redditor suggested cops were behind the statue’s new look, and another person piggybacked on that theory by suggesting that “all of those sex toys they’ve been confiscating from prostitutes for decades have finally been put to use.”

As you might expect, the statue also got tongues wagging on Twitter.

Today is a great day for #crypto. Someone stuck a fake putin and a hundred dildos on the wall street bull. I don't know what the significance of this is - but it has to be good for the market, right? pic.twitter.com/wIfKtshNHB
— V (@GameOfCryptos) July 17, 2018

This morning in Lower Manhattan someone put a life sized, fake Putin on the Wall Street Bull and covered it with dildos. pic.twitter.com/6txPn35INp
— RustyBertrand (@RustyBertrand) July 17, 2018

HuffPost reached out to sculptor Arturo Di Modica, the man who created the Charging Bull statue, to get his reaction, but he did not immediately respond.

↧

Meryl Streep And Cher Kissed At The Mamma Mia 2 Premiere, And Now It's A Meme

July 17, 2018, 11:19 am

≫ Next: The Indian Railways Is Sitting On A Giant Trove of Your Travel Data. The Modi Govt Wants To Sell It, And Experts Are Worried

≪ Previous: Wall Street Bull Covered In Sex Toys, Ridden By 'Vladimir Putin'

Meryl Streep and Cher, two icons, came together for an iconic moment in time when they kissed on the red carpet this week.

At the premiere of the film “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” in London on Monday, the stars gave each other a peck on the lips.

If you’re wildly excited about this historic moment, you’re not alone. Twitter was abuzz about the lip action between the two Hollywood heavyweights:

cher and meryl: a
me: pic.twitter.com/nWh4d7vOVb
— clara (@vrgniawoolf) July 16, 2018

Holy water is Cher and Meryl Streep’s shared spit. pic.twitter.com/HrElZsNQst
— Alex Schmider (@anderfinn) July 17, 2018

everytime meryl streep and cher kiss the gays get 100x stronger
— freddie (@sorryimpudge) July 17, 2018

MERYL STREEP AND CHER KISSING IS THE KIND OF CONTENT I'M HERE FOR pic.twitter.com/9Th97SSN1e
— Letícia (@berry_sck) July 16, 2018

Cher and Meryl Streep kissing at the Mamma Mia! Premier is the most important thing to happen in my lifetime.
— Dotty (@JonBenetsGhost) July 17, 2018

ERIKA JAYNE: I'm gonna give the gays everything they want.

CHER and MERYL STREEP: Hold our ouzo. pic.twitter.com/tQWsIguVnT
— John Robert Allman (@Johnny_Allman) July 17, 2018

💞💞💞💞💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💞💞💞💞Cher kissing women 💞💞💞💞💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💞💖💞💖💕💖💕💖💞💕💖💕💕💞💞💖💕💖💖💕💖💕💖💞💖💞💖💕💖💕💖💞💖💞Cher kissing Meryl Streep 💖💖💕💖💖💕💖💕💖💖💞💕💖💕💕💞💞💖💕💖💖💕💖💕💖💞💖💞💖💕💖💕💖💞💖💞💖💕💖
— manu ⚡ (@toholdmonson) July 17, 2018

The kiss has since become a meme, in the best possible way:

the most iconic kiss scenes in cinematic herstory pic.twitter.com/pylmxRmwTh
— David (@DiscreetLatino) July 17, 2018

pic.twitter.com/nqvs4ipLTm
— David (@DiscreetLatino) July 17, 2018

pic.twitter.com/GuP9hEDqfA
— candy rock andy (@AndyRockCandy) July 17, 2018

pic.twitter.com/tP0E68iGP3
— Sam Herbst (@mrsamherbst) July 16, 2018

See you at the DQ pic.twitter.com/IGtmUYaIXS
— The THNK1994 Museum (@thnk1994) July 16, 2018

This isn’t even the first time the duo has kissed. There have been other instances, even captured on video:

cher and meryl streep own my heart pic.twitter.com/bduH5KPJBO
— jaymie (@simmoslxter) July 12, 2018

Such a blessing.

While the women are only three years apart, Cher, 72, plays the mother of Streep, 69, in the film and says she was “thrilled to death” to do it.

“That doesn’t make any difference,” said Cher in an interview with People.

“I was thrilled to death, and it was so silly. It was great fun, and I love her [Meryl], so it was perfect. It was great, and she was hiding watching me sing, and I was so excited. I didn’t find out until afterwards — I would have been more nervous.”

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” hits theaters on Friday.

↧

The Indian Railways Is Sitting On A Giant Trove of Your Travel Data. The Modi Govt Wants To Sell It, And Experts Are Worried

July 17, 2018, 10:31 pm

≫ Next: Supersonic Jets For The Ultra Rich Could Be A Climate Change Disaster

≪ Previous: Meryl Streep And Cher Kissed At The Mamma Mia 2 Premiere, And Now It's A Meme

IBENGALURU — India's biggest e-commerce company is not Flipkart or Amazon, but IRCTC, the Indian Railways' ticket booking website. Twenty million people travel by train every day on average, and IRCTC sees some 60 million visits every month. That's around 2 million site visitors every day, and IRCTC issues 700,000 tickets on average each day.

This adds up to a treasure trove of over 100 terabytes of passenger data each year — name, age, phone numbers, gender, meal preferences, their income bracket, if they have a physical disability, or fall under the defence quota — much of which is very valuable in an economy premised on targeting and profiling potential customers with increasing accuracy.

Now, the government wants to sell this data to the highest bidder.

Last month, Rail Minister Piyush Goyal said the government was re-assessing the disinvestment of IRCTC, as it wants to tap the data that the platform has collected. "There is huge data with the company and that is not getting captured in the valuation. We are trying to see how we can utilise that," Goyal said in a press conference.

The minister's statement, which went largely unnoticed, is the first instance of the possible privatisation of citizen data, by a government department, to earn a profit. Data scientists are very concerned, particularly in the absence of a data privacy law. Earlier this week, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India offered a set of recommendations on data use by private companies, but was silent on government departments which are sitting on far more granular citizen databases.

"Something about this just rings strange to me," said Vasant Dhar, a data scientist and professor at the Stern School of Business and the Center for Data Science at New York University, noting that when a passenger gives the railways her data, she doesn't expect the data to be sold further for profit.

Sharing IRCTC data as part of a disinvestment deal, he said, would mean that data given to the railways as a custodian would be passed on to unknown third parties. "Companies should monetise data," Dhar said. "You should expect something very different from the government."

Long-Term Plan

Rail officials said the monetisation of railway data has been in the works for a while. Last year, then-Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said his ministry wanted to monetise the data while somehow ensuring passenger privacy was not compromised.

"The Indian Railways is one of the largest data creators in the world. It has to handle a large volume of data which needs to be used wisely. Data analytics is a way forward," Prabhu had said. "Data itself is of no use unless it is tabulated into something."

In a speech, presenting the Rail Budget of 2016, Prabhu said that the railways is exploring possibilities of monetising user data. "Though IR [Indian Railways], as an organisation, collects over 100 Terabytes of data every year, yet it is hardly analysed to gain business insights," he said.

Rail officials, in the meantime, have spoken to ways to collaborate with private companies like Ola and Uber.

"Based on a passenger's booking history, she can get a message offering an Ola or Uber cab on reaching New Delhi railway station. We can also offer food options or a booking for National Museum or Rail Museum through the site," an officer in the ministry toldTimes of India.

HOWRAH, INDIA - FEBRUARY 26: A passenger using mobile phone/smart phone devices for electronic ticketing system at Howrah Station on February 26, 2015 in Howrah, India. (Photo by Indranil Bhoumik/Mint via Getty Images)

Another railways official who spoke to HuffPost India also expressed a similar opinion, but flagged ethical concerns.

"A MakeMyTrip using customer data is different from the Railways using citizen data, so it becomes very important that we don't cross any lines in doing so," a senior railways officer told HuffPost India, admitting that the railways had no clear policy on how to utilise its data to improve its own services. "The problem is, there's no clear picture on how to do it."

Growing Market

In 2016, the IRCTC database leaked, and the information of around 1 crore people was feared stolen. IRCTC officials feared that personal details including phone numbers, date of birth and other such details of its customers have been sold in a CD for Rs 15,000 for whosoever was interested.

Although this data does not appear to be easily available anymore, Soham Gupta, the founder of a stealth-stage analytics startup in Bengaluru, said that in 2016, it was possible to find the data through a single Google search.

"There were a couple of forum posts where people were offering the whole data dump for Rs. 10,000," Gupta said. "We didn't buy the data because we weren't sure whether we would use it, but we did see some samples of the data and it looked pretty genuine. Names, phone numbers, date of birth, those kinds of details were all listed."

Beyond IRCTC

IRCTC isn't the only company gathering such information. Travel sites such as MakeMyTrip, Ixigo, or even Paytm, which offer rail bookings gather similar data on their customers. There are also services around rail trips.

Railyatri, for instance, offers food delivery on trains, cab and hotel bookings once you reach your destination, real-time journey data, and estimates on the chances a wait-listed ticket will be confirmed.

"If you enter your PNR number, we look at what the wait-list is, and then look at historical data of the last 100 journeys of the train, trains on that day, other trains on the same route, and we can predict with a great degree of accuracy about whether your ticket will get confirmed," a spokesperson told HuffPost India.

Another Railyatri service tells you how much time you have to book your tickets. "If you go to the site and see, 300 tickets are available, you might think that 'I can book tomorrow', but we can look at the historical data and tell you, this train will probably sell out in six hours, that train will probably have tickets available after two days, and so on."

It's also able to predict when a train will be arriving, and it does so with more accuracy than the competition. Railyatri has around 13 million registered users who use the app to check their PNR, to track their train, and order snacks from an upcoming station while a train journey is under way.

"The amount of logistics work that goes into making a food delivery within a one-minute window requires incredibly reliable data," the spokesperson said, explaining that the app used user location data to track train schedules.

"We only use the data while you're using the app so there's no privacy concern - once you're off the train we're not tracking our data," the spokesperson said. "But most people only use the Railways data of when a train reaches a station, and use that to estimate when it will reach the next station. Because we are using the location data, we're able to get a much more accurate picture."

Railyatri also publishes its insights in a report where it has traced delays to the train and station level, and measures changes to see which routes and trains are improving and which are getting worse.

"This kind of data can be used to improve the railways experience for customers," the spokesperson explained. It doesn't officially submit this information to the government but makes it publicly available, the company said.

HuffPost India reached out to the Railways PROs to find out more about third party data and what information is being tracked. We'll update the story once they respond.

↧