MY 12th BOOK

MY WEBSITE

http://marathonauthormasterofcrime.in/

ARTICLES ABOUT MY BOOKS IN 'GULF NEWS' DUBAI, 'THE NATIONAL' ABU DHABI AND 'THE TRIBUNE' NORTH INDIA

WRITE UP IN THE 'LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS' 2012 EDITION

TWO RECENT NEWSPAPER REPORTS ABOUT MY WRITING CAREER

TIMES OF INDIA - "SPEED WRITER IN RECORD BOOKS" (ARTICLE IN YESTERDAY'S NEWSPAPER ABOUT MY BOOKS AND MY RECORD ENTRY IN THE LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS)....

GURGAON IN FOREFRONT OF INDIA'S ANTI-CORRUPTION CRUSADE

September 4, 2010 : My first book released....September 3, 2011 : 6 books published and 1 under publication....

Article about me: "Writing a new chapter at 50 plus"...

ARTICLE ABOUT MY FIVE BOOKS IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

Article about my books and me in the national daily The Hindustan Times

Fields of watermelon burst in China farm fiasco

Watermelons have been bursting by the score in eastern China after farmers gave them overdoses of growth chemicals during wet weather, creating what state media called fields of "land mines."

About 20 farmers around Danyang city in Jiangsu province were affected, losing up to 115 acres (45 hectares) of melon, China Central Television said in an investigative report.

Prices over the past year prompted many farmers to jump into the watermelon market. All of those with exploding melons apparently were first-time users of the growth accelerator forchlorfenuron, though it has been widely available for some time, CCTV said in the report broadcast on May 16th night.

Chinese regulations don't forbid the drug, and it is allowed in the U.S. on kiwi fruit and grapes. But the report underscores how farmers in China are abusing both legal and illegal chemicals, with many farms misusing pesticides and fertilizers.

An article about my five books...published in eight months...

MILLENNIUM CITY - Snapshot of book and publisher....

Weight A Minute: Top Five Weight-loss Myths Busted

Among the numerous myths floating around us all the times, myths about weight loss keep on surfacing every now and them.

They are all around us: on the Web, friends keep delivering sermons on them or they can be found in the latest issue of a celebrity magazine. On this World Health Day, let’s to rip apart five grave misconceptions related to weight loss.

Myth 1: Giving Up the Breakfast

Skipping breakfast would only undo your efforts of losing weight. A high-nutrient breakfast gives our body the much-needed calorie burning start. Just make sure that your breakfast is composed of healthy stuff like sprouts, juices, etc and it's not equivalent to the heavy meals you enjoy at weddings.

Myth 2: Carbs are my worst enemy

All carbs aren't bad. Soda, a carbohydrate, is bad but broccoli, another carbohydrate, is good. All you need to figure out is which carbs are good for you instead of worrying about the overall carb intake. Rely on veggies, fruits, and high-fiber whole grains (but do not indulge in gluttony). If you can't resist a tempting carb, say an ice-cream, burn it off with exercise.

Myth 3: I shouldn't eat after 6 in the evening

There's no magic time to get done with food for the day. Just stop devouring food which is bad for your health. For instance, if you're watching a late night movie on television force yourself to not eat junk food like ice creams, chips, burgers etc, rather go for salads, fruits etc.

Myth 4: All I have to do is to cut down calories

Not entirely true. While total intake of calories does matter, the source from which you get them is also important. You get almost the same number of calories from a handful of almonds and 3 apples as you would get from a cheeseburger and coke. But you know that you have to choose the former.

Myth 5: All I need is that magic pill to help me shed pounds

Sorry to inform but there are no miracle pills, potions, creams, belts and shoes which can help you grow muscles or cut flab in no time (as they might claim). These supplements may help but then you have to supplement them with right dietary and fitness programmes to extract the benefit out of them.

PRE-RELEASE COPY OF MY FOURTH BOOK ....

MY SEVEN BOOKS (SO FAR) ...

DECEIVERS (Pustak Mahal - Cedar) PUBLISHED : Thriller THE INHERITANCE (Atlantic - Peacock) PUBLISHED : Thriller THE LANDLORD'S SECRET AND OTHER STORIES (Atlantic - Peacock) PUBLISHED : Teenage Fiction / Mystery MILLENNIUM CITY (Prakash Books) ABOUT TO BE RELEASED : Crime / Mystery HIGH ALERT (Atlantic - Peacock) ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED : Thriller TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION (Atlantic - Peacock) ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED : Non Fiction A MILLION SECONDS TO LATE (Popular Prakashan) WILL BE RELEASED IN JULY : Crime / Mystery

INDIA - raw and unplugged

Wishing everybody a very happy Holi. Enjoy the festival of colours. May your lives be always filled with beautiful colours and lots of laughter...

The most prolific writers in literary history:

The most prolific writers in literary history:
1. MARY FAULKNER (1903-1973) 904 books
Faulkner, a South African writer is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most prolific writer. She wrote under a number of pseudonyms, the most famous being Kathleen Lindsey.
2. LAURAN PAINE (b. 1916) 850 + books
Paine's contribution often goes obscured by the fact that she wrote under over seventy different pen names. Her novels were mainly American western stories with some mysteries and romance stories as well.
3. PRENTISS INGRAHAM (1843-1904) 600 + books
This American dime novelist is said to have been able to write a 35,000-word book overnight. One of his favourite subjects was Buffalo Bill and he managed to turn out over 200 books on that subject alone.
3. JOZEF IGNACY KRASZEWSKI (1812-1887) 600 + books
Kraszewski was a Polish writer of novels, plays, poetry, essays, biographies, history, memoirs, and political sketches.
5. ENID MARY BLYTON (1900? -1968) 600 books
Blyton was a British writer of children's books, which still have massive worldwide appeal. She is famous for creating such classics as the Secret Seven, the Famous Five and Noddy.
6. JOHN CREASEY (1908-1973) 564 books
A British mystery writer and the creator of Inspector West and Gideon.
7. SUYUTI (1445-1505) 561 books
The first author on the list to take us back before modern times. This Arab writer of encyclopaedias wrote on almost every subject and is probably best known for his commentaries on the Koran.
8. URSULA BLOOM (b. 1898?) 520 + books
This English novelist specialised in romances under a series of pen names and also wrote some non-fiction under her own name.
9. GEORGES SIMENON (b. 1903) 500 + books
The name may not be that familiar but having published 200 books under his own name and another 300 under a collection of other names he deserves his place on the list. It is from his most famous literary creation that he is best known, Inspector Maigret.
10. HOWARD ROGER GARIS (1873-1962) 500 + books
American writer of children's books and creator of Uncle Wiggily.
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10 Books About Real World Crimes

There are a ton of stories and books out there that portray ruthless crimes and brutal murders but real-life crimes books should not only let you in on the hard facts of the crimes committed but also give some insight into the minds of the accused. The following books written after notorious real life- crimes are must reads:
• In Cold Blood
Written in 1966 by Truman Capote, In Cold Blood details the accounts of the brutal murders of Herbert Clutter, who was a wealthy Kansas farmer, his wife and two of their children. After reading a small news clip about the murders with no motives and no suspects, Capote became interested in the case and traveled to Kansas to compile information to write the book. The book is an examination of the intense relationship between two parolees who met in jail and conspired to committ the mass murder of the wealthy family.
• Helter Skelter
Written in 1974 by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, Helter Skelter became a bestseller and won an Edgar Award in 1975 for the Best Fact Crime book. The book was written about the murders committed in 1969 by Charles Manson and his followers who were also known as the Manson Family. Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the the Manson trial and wrote the book based on his knowledge and accounts of what he describes as one of the most horrifying cases he had seen.
• Savage Son
Written by Corey Mitchell, Savage Son tells the story of Bart Whitaker, who was about to graduate from college, when his family was murdered. One night after Bart’s brother opened the front door to their house a masked intruder shot him, his mother, his father and Bart; Bart and his father, Kent survived the attack. The investigation uncovered a double life and a ruthless murder for hire plot on Bart’s behalf. Mitchell became intrigued with the reputed All-American boy and looked into the backgrounds of Bart and his friends, who were also involved with the murders, to write the book.
• Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders
Written in 1983, by Terry Sullivan and Peter T. Maiken, Killer Clown recounts the story of John Wayne Gacy who was convicted in 1979 of killing 33 young men. Gacy became known as the “Killer Clown” because he dressed up as a clown at children’s birthday parties and at fundraisers. Sullivan, who was the Illinois prosecuting attorney, wrote the book as he recalled the case, the interviews and the chilling discoveries of the boys all aged between 14 and 21; most were found buried in the crawl space underneath the basement of Gacy’s home.
• The Lives and Times of Bonnie & Clyde
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were well known outlaws born in Texas in the early 1900’s who, with the help of their gang, notoriously wreaked havoc in the Central and Southern U.S. during the Great Depression. The book, written by Dr. E. R. Milner, tells of the daily news worthy acts of the group as well as the frustration law enforcement endured as they managed to escape out of reach every single time. Milner spent 10 years researching the crew and their 2 year crime spree.
• While They Slept
Written by Kathryn Harrison, While They Slept recalls the story of 18 year old Billy Gilley, who bludgeoned his parents and 11 year old sister to death in 1984. Harrison writes on the alleged abuse and statements of Gilley, who believed the murder of his parents would free him from the abusive home and environment in which they lived. Gilley’s then 16 year old sister, who was in the home the night of the murders (and is now estranged from Gilley) argued the severity of the abuse and both siblings have made significant contributions with information to the composition of the book.
• Columbine
Written by Dave Cullen, Columbine recalls the 1999 school shootings at Columbine, in which Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold masterminded. Harris and Kleberg attempted to blow up their school but when their bombs didn’t ignite, they took out their guns and sprayed gunfire around the campus in every direction they could. Cullen explores the brutality of the masterminds, which were left in journals, letters, and notes, and compiled thousands of FBI pages, interviews, and files to compile the book.
• The Profiler
Written by Pat Brown and Bob Andelman, The Profiler shows how Pat Brown started her life as a criminal profiler. After a young woman was murdered near her home in 1990, Brown quickly suspected the young man renting a room in her house was responsible. After gathering evidence, police dismissed her accusations thinking she had too much time on her hands. Six years later the young man was finally sought and Brown is now one of the nation’s few female profilers and opens up about her determinations in this book.
• Tacoma Confidential
Written by Paul LaRosa, Tacoma Confidential tells the chilling story of David Brame, the chief of police in Tacoma, Washington who killed his estranged wife, Crystal Brame. Brame shot his wife to death in a busy parking lot a few feet away from their two children. The book explores the chain of events that led up to the murder-suicide, as Barme killed himself immediately following her murder. LaRosa also explains in the book how shocked the community was and how mishandled the investigation became.
• Till Death Do Us Part: Love, Marriage and the Mind of the Killer Spouse
Written by pyschotherapist Dr. Robi Ludwig and Mark Birkbeck, Till Death Do Us Part presents and explores the minds of notorious killers who have murdered their spouses or intimate partners. The book brings to light the personality types of killer spouses with examples from high profile cases such as Scott Peterson, and provides an analysis of their motives for the murders.

SOME BOOKS THAT HELPED CHANGED THE WORLD

SOME BOOKS THAT HELPED CHANGED THE WORLD
Das Kapital
Karl Marx
His thinking may not be as popular as it was in the Sixties and Seventies, but it's as relevant. The cardinal critique of the capitalist system.
The Rights of Man
Tom Paine
Written during the heady days of the French Revolution, Paine's pamphlet - by introducing the concept of human rights - remains one of modern democracy's fundamental texts.
The Social Contract
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
'Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.' How are we to reconcile our individual rights and freedoms with living in a society?
Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
This treatise looked to the new country's flourishing democracy in the early 19th century and the progressive model it offered ‘old’ Europe.
On War
Carl von Clausewitz
The first, and probably still foremost, treatise on the art of modern warfare. The Prussian general looked beyond the battlefield to war's place in the broader political context.
The Prince
Niccolo Machiavelli
Written during his exile from the Florentine Republic, Machiavelli's bible of realpolitik offers the ultimate mandate for those (still-too-many) politicians who value keeping power above dispensing justice.
Leviathan
Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes's call for rule by an absolute sovereign may not sound too progressive, but it was based on the then-groundbreaking belief that all men are naturally equal.
On the Interpretation of Dreams
Sigmund Freud
Drawing on his own dreams, plus those of his patients, Freud asserted that dreams – by tapping into our unconscious – held the key to understanding what makes us tick.
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin
No other book has so transformed how we look at the natural world and mankind's origins.

Most widely read books of all time:

The Bible - 3.9 Billion Copies
Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung - 820 Million Copies
The Harry Potter series (by J. K. Rowling) - 400 Million Copies
Lord of the Rings (by J. R. R. Tolkien) - 103 Million Copies
The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho) - 65 Million Copies
The Da Vinci Code (by Dan Brown) - 57 Million Copies
Twilight - The Saga (by Stephenie Meyer) - 43 Million Copies
Gone With the Wind (by Margaret Mitchell) - 33 Million Copies
Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill) - 30 Million Copies
Diary of Anne Frank (by Anne Frank) - 27 Million Copies

My fourth book...

My three books

My third book....

My first book DECEIVERS can now be previewed on Google Books....(click on the link below)

http://www.a1books.co.in/searchdetail.do?a1Code=booksgoogle&itemCode=8122311458

An Excerpt From My Book: "A Matter Of Survival"

I am an Olive Ridely Sea Turtle. I get my name from the olive (or green/grey) colour of my heart-shaped shell. I am also called the Pacific Ridely.

I am one of the smallest of sea turtles inhabiting the world’s oceans. I am only about two feet long and weigh just over thirty-five kilograms. The males of my species never weigh more than thirty three kilograms. I have come to the coastal waters bordering this beach called Gahirmatha, located on the eastern coast of the country called India, to nest.

Along with hundreds to thousands of my sisters, I nest two times a year on this beach and deposit between 100 and 110 eggs per nest. Hatchlings emerge from the eggs after fifty or sixty days of incubation in the nest.

After the eggs hatch, the little turtles, my children, along with many thousands of other hatchlings, will travel across the beach to the water – their new home.

Many will not make the short distance from the nest to the sea. They will fall prey to predators like vultures from the sky or jackals and snakes on the ground. But those who cross this most important challenge so early in their lives will, like me, go on to inhabit the waters of the open ocean and the wonderful world just beneath the surface of the undulating waves.

I have travelled many thousands of miles, thru’ choppy seas and dangerous waters, to get here. I do not have many enemies in the ocean – but sharks and killer whales do attack if they are hungry and a sea turtle is the only meal ticket in sight. My sisters and I migrate like this all together, in very large numbers, about twice a year. Once nesting is over, we go back from the beaches and shallow waters to the open ocean – our home.

I live in the middle of the ocean, inhabiting the upper, sunlit regions, where most ocean organisms live. Food is abundant there – lower down, in the unlit zones, water pressure is high, temperatures are cold, and food sources scarce.

I am not vey particular about what I eat: my diet includes crabs, shrimp, rock lobsters, jellyfish and tunicates. If nothing else is available, then even algae works for me. All this is abundantly available in the open ocean, in the upper, sunlit regions, where I live most of the year, except during the nesting season. Then I need to forage in coastal waters and estuaries.

The most remarkable characteristic of my species is our nesting strategy. Hundreds to thousands of us females converge in coastal waters then come ashore simultaneously in a spectacular mass-nesting event known as an “arribada” (this is a Spanish word meaning “arrival by sea”). Human scientists also term this behavior of ours as “synchronized nesting in mass numbers”.

During our massive nesting aggregations, known as arribadas or arribazones, many thousands of us female Olive Ridely Sea Turtles nest in large simultaneous waves over small stretches of beach.

We generally begin to aggregate near nesting beaches approximately two months before nesting season.

How do I know that the time is right for the arribada? Human scientists have conducted research in order to find the answer to this question and have offered several theories.

One theory suggests that we female turtles release a hormonal scent or pheromone that queues the beginning of the event. There is also evidence that these mass-nesting events coincide with certain phases of the lunar cycle. I really do not know. There is this instinct, passed down thru’ the generations, over a period of a million years, that tells my sisters and me – all of us around the same moment (give or take a few days or weeks) – when the time has come to begin our migration to the coast. For humans, this continues to be one of nature’s great mysteries.

The majority of us Olive Ridelys who live in the Indian Ocean nest in two or three large aggregations near Gahirmatha which is located in the Bhitarkanika Widlife Sanctuary of the province of Orissa in the country called India. I am told that this is one of the largest Olive Ridely nesting populations in the world, with about 400,000 of us sisters nesting every year. However, our numbers have come down very much. Legend has it that, not more than twenty years ago, 600,000 turtles, the mothers of our mothers, nested along the coast of Orissa, from Paradip to Chilika, in one week.

Since then, our numbers have reduced. We are suffering high mortality for various reasons. Many hundreds of my sisters have met their deaths due to near shore gill nets and trawl fisheries.

Humans are our biggest enemies. They hunger for our eggs. When given an opportunity, they slaughter my nesting sisters on the beach. They try to catch us at sea, with these huge nets, for commercial sale of both our meat and hides.

We Olive Ridely turtles are widely distributed across the globe in tropical and sub-tropical oceans of the world – but our largest nesting aggregations occur in the beaches of Orissa in the Indian Ocean. Nesting occurs elsewhere along the Coromandel Coast and Sri Lanka, but in scattered locations.

In the Pacific Ocean, arribadas occur only within the tropical eastern Pacific, in Central America and Mexico. In Costa Rico, arribadas occur at Nancite and Ostional beaches. There are two active arribadas in Nicaragua; Chacocente and La Flor; and a small nesting ground in Pacific Panama. My sisters tell me that there were several arribadas in Mexico, yet only one remains at Playa Escobilla in Oaxaca.

The primary threat to my species comes from human predation in the nesting habitat. The arribada with its large congregation of nesting females makes it possible for humans to collect huge quantities of eggs and kill or collect (to sell in the market) hundreds or even thousands of us turtles in one night. This practice of mass harvesting and killing over the past sixty years has caused local populations of Olive Ridelys to plummet in many areas of the globe.

I believe that the total population of my species worldwide has fallen by an astounding fifty percent during the last fifty years.

I believe that humans have labeled my species as endangered.

Another form of human intrusion that threatens us sea turtles is the permanent destruction of the nesting habitat through coastal degradation and so-called ‘development’.

‘Development’ like the huge factory complex and port that are being built near our favourite beaches in Orissa.

‘Development’ like the dredging and excavation activity that will be carried out on vast tracts of seabed near our favourite beaches to enable this port to be built. The digging up of the seabed for creation of the port will also destroy parts of the beaches we love to nest in and will disturb what human scientists call “aquatic ecosystems” – and what I know as sources of food and of life itself.

Where will we go to nest now?

The first buyer of my second book - Shivangi Dhingra....

The first buyer of my second book - Shivangi Dhingra....

My second novel: "The Inheritance" has been published...

Cheers! My second novel: "The Inheritance" has been published. Click on the following link to check out the details and also to place an order on the publisher's website: http://www.atlanticbooks.com/browse/details.asp?id=22396

10 Tips For A Healthy Heart

A strong heart is a result of healthy lifestyle choices. Be active and stress-free.

Today's fast-paced life and workplace pressures escalate stress levels, taking a toll on one's heart. We must realise that the healing power of the body decreases when under stress, leading to many complications like hypertension and poor immunity. Today, even youngsters are prone to heart ailments. So, it's very important to stay healthy and manage your stress levels by understanding the risk factors — high cholesterol levels, stressful lifestyle, smoking, and lack of exercise — following simple changes in lifestyle.

Avoid smoking
Smoking reduces life expectancy by 15-25 years. If you are a smoker, you are twice more likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker. The moment you stop smoking, the risk of heart attack begins to reduce.

Cut down on salt
Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. Watch your diet Try to have a balanced diet. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, starch foods such as wholegrain bread and rice.

Monitor your alcohol
Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Avoid intake of alcohol or at least limit it to one to two units a day, gradually decreasing the consumption.

Get active
At least aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. Keeping yourself fit not only benefits the heart but also improves mental health and well-being.

Monitor your BP, blood sugar and cholesterol levels
Routine medical check-ups will ring an alarm, if you need medical help.

Manage your waist
Cholesterol deposition in blood vessels begins in the first decade of life. Carrying a lot of extra weight as fat can greatly affect your health. Make small but healthy changes in your diet.

Manage your stress level
If you find things are getting on top of you, you may fail to eat properly, smoke and drink too much. This may increase your risk of a heart attack. Practice yoga/meditation. Take a vacation.

Check your family history
If a close relative is at risk of developing coronary heart disease from smoking, high BP, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity, obesity and diabetes, then you could be at risk too.

Laughter is the best therapy
Laughter anytime will work wonders for you. It is an instant way to unleash the pressure and it makes you feel light.

UK village offers 'public sex'...

(Courtesy: Puttenham Journal)
PUTTENHAM, England — There was the man they called “Bob the Builder,” who wore only a hard hat. There was the naked sunbather who remarked, “Nice day for it, isn’t it?” to a woman taking a walk. And there was the moment, Jules Perkins said, when the dizzying array of sexual forces that have somehow descended on her blameless Surrey village came together all at once, like a scene from a one-size-fits-all X-rated film.
“There were two blokes sitting side by side, watching a man and a woman having sex,” Ms. Perkins said, describing what happened as she strolled with her dog on the hill between her house and the Hog’s Back ridge. “Nearby, there were two men sunbathing together, wearing nothing but tight little white underpants.”
Later, she found a pink vibrator in the bushes.
“I gave it to the police,” she said. “They said, ‘What should we do with it?’ I said, ‘Put it in Lost Property.’ ”
Puttenham, about an hour’s drive from London, has fewer than 2,500 residents and is famous for its ancient church; its friendly pub, the Good Intent; and its proud inclusion in both the Doomesday Book — an 11th-century survey of English lands — and “Brave New World.”
Unhappily for many people here, it is also famous for being featured on lists of good places to go “dogging” — that is, to have sex in public, sometimes with partners you have just met online, so that others can watch. So popular is the woodsy field below the ridge as a spot for gay sex (mostly during the day) and heterosexual sex (mostly at night) that the police have designated it a “public sex environment.”
Public sex is a popular — and quasi-legal — activity in Britain, according to the authorities and to the large number of Web sites that promote it. (It is treated as a crime only if someone witnesses it, is offended and is willing to make a formal complaint.) And the police tend to tread lightly in public sex environments, in part because of the bitter legacy of the time when gay sex was illegal and closeted men having anonymous sex in places like public bathrooms were routinely arrested and humiliated.
Enthusiasts’ Web sites alert practitioners to known dogging locations — more than 100 in Surrey alone — and offer handy etiquette tips for the confused or overly excited.
“Only join in or move closer if you are asked,” advises one site, Swinging Heaven, which says it has more than one million registered members.
Richard Byrne, a senior lecturer in countryside management at Harper Adams University College in Shropshire, said that modern technology has made dogging much more convenient than it used to be, thanks to search engines, Facebook groups and people tweeting about their experiences. “And of course, everybody’s got mobiles,” he said.
Swinging Heaven says that the practice began in Britain in the 1970s, and that the term comes from the phenomenon of voyeurs “doggedly” following people having sex. Others say that practitioners claim to be “walking the dog” when they are, in fact, going out to meet naked strangers in fields.
Britons are a tolerant bunch, and most probably would not care who watched whom doing what in whatever configuration, as long as they all went somewhere else. Why, Puttenham residents wonder, do they have to do it 400 yards from the village nursery school?”
“We have nothing against gays or whoever it is up there,” said Lydia Paterson, who lives here. “It’s just the principle of, ‘What on earth is going on?’ ”
A stroll through the field the other day unearthed no doggers (it was raining) but revealed much evidence of their existence. Debris — used condoms, things made of rubber, pages torn from pornographic magazines, snack wrappers, discarded tea cups — littered the area. The paths were dotted with black mats that people had conveniently left behind for the next time.
Residents have been pressing the authorities to do something, arguing that the government should simply close the rest stop that provides access to the offending field, just off the busy A31 road. That way, people hoping to have sex would have nowhere to park.
But local government officials refused, saying closing it would unfairly penalize motorists who genuinely wanted just to rest and would deprive the owner of the Hog’s Back cafe, also at the rest stop, of his livelihood.
Alternative suggestions, discussed at a recent meeting of the Surrey County Council Cabinet, included deploying rangers to patrol the site on horseback; encouraging hikers to roust doggers with actual dogs; and filling the field with potentially bad-tempered bulls.
“It was like, ‘Are you taking this seriously?’ ” Ms. Paterson said. “One cabinet member said, ‘If you close this site, there could be an increase in suicides because these people have nowhere else to go.’ ”
Some older residents sympathize with the council. “Honestly, it’s been going on for so many years,” said Jennifer Debenham, 71, a customer at the Good Intent.
Referring to a nearby village, an elderly man at the bar piped up, “At Wisley, there are two sites, one for males and one for heteros.”
Mrs. Debenham said, “I think we should just let them get on with it.”
The man added, “If you want to find out more, just put ‘dogging’ into your search engine.”
Meanwhile, frazzled residents trade tales of woe: The half-dressed men who materialize from the shrubbery and theatrically pretend to be foraging for nuts and berries. The Internet reviews (“One site listed us as the No. 2 dogging site in Europe,” Ms. Perkins said wearily). The occasion when an unsuspecting motorist went for a bathroom break in the bushes, only to be surrounded by a crowd of eager men.
“It was the quickest pee he’d ever done in his life,” Ms. Paterson said.
The council has agreed to institute an “active management plan” that might include cutting down some shrubbery and putting in security patrols. And the police recently put up a sign warning people not to engage in “activities of an unacceptable nature.”
“There was a lot of debate over the wording for that sign,” Ms. Paterson said. “I guess they didn’t want to say, ‘Don’t have sex.’ ”

The first buyer of my first book...

My first published book: "Deceivers" is now available for purchase online. Just click on the link:

http://www.pustakmahal.com/book/book/bid,,9553A/isbn:9788122311457/index.html

The front cover of my first book...

India celebrates 63 years of Independence

India celebrates its 63rd Independence Day on August 15th...

Now, 'listen' to Kamasutra for better sex

Imagine having to read out an instruction from Kamasutra while trying to get the move right - difficult right?

This age-old flaw has now been taken care of, by releasing the world's most famous sex manual in the form of audio books.

Now all you have to do is listen to the audio to get your moves right.

Beautiful Books, of London, has commissioned actor Tanya Franks to read aloud from the treatise, including its most notorious chapter, "On Sexual Union", which describes 64 different ways of making love.

The books can be downloaded for 8.99 dollars.

Kamasutra is based on ancient Hindu philosophies and was first translated into English in 1883 under the guidance of Victorian explorer Richard Burton.

"Now there's no need to feel embarrassed by reading a copy of this wonderful and important book in public - simply download it on to your mp3 player and liven up your commute to work," The Guardian quoted Simon Petherick, the managing director of Beautiful Books, as saying.

"When I was asked to read the Kamasutra I felt nervous and excited at the thought of it," Franks said.

When we finally did it I was completely relaxed and we had a great time. The only thing missing was the cigarette afterwards," she added.

Island up for sale in Australia

Owning a private island on Tasmania's east cost may be affordable for many affluent people in Australia costing equivalent of a house worth USD 500,000.

The Picnic Island - resting in Freycinet National Park's Hazard Range in the middle of Coles Bay - is up for sale by expression of interest, according to 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

"You can't really value it as a normal block of land because it's so unique," Paul Whytcross, from Roberts Real Estate in Coles Bay said.

The island in southeastern state of Australia, is expected to sell for between USD 500,000 and USD 1 million. It has permits for a 10-person eco-lodge.

"If someone came along with a plan for a long-term lease to develop the eco-tourism side of things, that would be an option," Whytcross said.

The island's rugged sandstone rocks accommodate a large colony of little penguins and a nesting ground for short-tailed shear waters.

There are abalone, oysters and mussels, too. Despite being within 500 metres of the Tasmanian shoreline, it remains relatively untouched.

"The key thing is the conservation and preservation of the sea bird colony and that limits what you can do with it," Whytcross said.

Picnic Island is within sight of the upmarket Saffire resort and has a convict history.

The original landowner of the Coles Bay area forced his convicts to quarry sandstone on the island during downturns in the whaling season.

The vendor, a Queensland property developer, bought the island for USD 65,000 in 2005.

A planning application stipulates that the only development allowed is basic camping-style accommodation.

However, it has the unique selling feature of penguins and shear waters nesting near your campsite.

Men dread their wives' driving, finds survey

Believe it or not, one in three men dreads getting into the car if his better half is driving, a new survey has revealed.

Wondered why?

Well, many say wives and partners brake too late and they find themselves pushing their feet down into the footwell or gripping the edges of the passenger seat, according to the survey by British market researchers 'OnePoll.com'.

One in 10 of the 3,000 male respondents said he had been forced to grab the wheel as his partner took her eyes off the road and careered towards the central reservation of a motorway, the 'Daily Express' has reported.

They say women are too easily distracted by children, other drivers, even scenery.

The website said: "Most men believe they concentrate a lot better than women, read situations quicker and have better reactions."

But female-only motor insurers Sheilas' Wheels spokeswoman Asia Yasir said: "Claims data proves women are statistically safer."

What came first the chicken or the egg?

British researchers may have uncovered a partial answer to the age-old question, "what came first the chicken or the egg?"

According to a team, comprising researchers from the University of Warwick and the University of Sheffield, the answer is "chicken" or at least a particular chicken protein.

There is, however, a further twist - this particular chicken protein turns out to come both first and last. That neat trick it performs provides new insights into control of crystal growth which is key to egg shell production.

Scientists have long believed that a chicken eggshell protein called ovocledidin-17 (OC-17) must play some role in egg shell formation. The protein is found only in the mineral region of the egg (the hard part of the shell) and lab bench results showed that it appeared to influence the transformation of (CaCo3) into calcite crystals. The mechanism of this control remained unclear. How this process could be used to form an actual eggshell remained unclear.

University of Warwick researchers Mark Rodger and David Quigley, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Sheffield, have now been able to apply a powerful computing tool called metadynamics and the UK national supercomputer in Edinburgh to crack this egg problem.

Dr David Quigley from the Department of Physics and Centre for Scientific Computing, University of Warwick, said: "Metadynamics extends conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and is particularly good at sampling transitions between disordered and ordered states of matter."

Using these tools, the team was able to create simulations that showed exactly how the protein bound to amorphous calcium carbonate surface using two clusters of "arginine residues", located on two loops of the protein and creating a literal chemical "clamp" to nano sized particles of calcium carbonate.

While clamped in this way, the OC-17 encourages the nanoparticles of calcium carbonate to transform into "calcite crystallites" that form the tiny of nucleus of crystals that can continue to grow on their own. But they also noticed that sometimes this chemical clamp didn't work. The OC-17 just seemed to detatch from the nanoparticle or "be desorbed".

Professor Mark Rodger from Department of Chemistry and Centre for Scientific Computing, University of Warwick, said: "With the larger nanoparticles we examined we found that the binding sites for this chemical clamp were the same as the smaller nanoparticles but the binding was much weaker. In the simulations we performed, the protein never desorbed from the smaller nanoparticle, but always fell off or desorbed from the larger one. However in each case, desorption occurred at or after nucleation of calcite."

The researchers had therefore uncovered an incredibly elegant process allowing highly efficient recycling of the OC-17 protein. Effectively it acts as a catalyst, clamping on to calcium carbonate particles to kickstart crystal formation and then dropping off when the crystal nucleus is sufficiently large to grow under its own steam. This frees up the OC-17 to promote more yet more crystallisation, facilitating the speedy, literally overnight creation of an egg shell.

The researchers believe that this new insight into the elegant and highly efficient methods of promoting and controlling crystallisation in nature will be of great benefit to anyone exploring how to promote and control artificial forms of crystallisation. '

The study appears in the international edition of the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Rich and Poor: London's tale of two cities

Residents of the decaying Robin Hood Gardens estate, where grimy windows punctuate concrete, prison-like corridors, say they feel no connection with those living a short walk away in the luxury Canary Riverside complex.

Most of those in and around these overcrowded east London blocks live on incomes less than half the national average.

Their nearest green space is a small hill scarred with burned litter and the remnants of a fire.

The scene is a far cry from the gleaming business hub of Canary Wharf with its gyms and minimalist restaurants, where a penthouse flat can cost over $3.04 million.

That discrepancy - and the wider social gulf it represents -- is unlikely to pass unnoticed in the run up to Britain's May 6 general election.

The Labour party swept to power in 1997 with a promise to close the gap between rich and poor. Yet figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank indicate inequality is now higher than when Labour took office.

"It is an amazing area for all the wrong reasons," said Tim Archer, local councillor and opposition Conservative candidate for the London seat of Poplar and Limehouse, which includes both deprived Robin Hood Gardens and financial center Canary Wharf.

"We have a difference of 10 years in life expectancy within the borough. We've got huge unemployment rates, but, thanks to Canary Wharf, we also have one of the highest numbers of jobs per head. We have prosperity and deprivation cheek by jowl."

London is home to some of Britain's richest and its poorest. The city's main newspaper, the Evening Standard, ran a campaign titled "The Dispossessed" earlier this year, highlighting the plight of the capital's needy. It found that in one of the world's wealthiest cities, poor children are still being buried in mass graves.

TOUGH LONDON

London has four out of England's eight most deprived local authorities, according to official statistics.

Tower Hamlets in east London, which includes Poplar & Limehouse, is the third poorest local authority in England. Islington, spiritual home of New Labour -- the rebranded form of Labour politics that helped it to power in 1997, is eighth.

Islington shares a border with London's financial district and is known for its trendy boutiques and numerous restaurants. It was for years home to former prime minister Tony Blair.

But, the borough is deceptive. More than 40 percent of children in primary school here are defined as living in poverty and it has the highest suicide rate in England.

The problems, say residents in these boroughs, are manifold: a chronic social housing shortage, immigration, low-level crime, poor state education.

"We know that children go to youth clubs and after-school clubs and that's where they go for a meal," Kristina Glenn, the head of the Cripplegate Foundation which funds voluntary projects in Islington, told Reuters.

"The youth workers tell us that if they don't have a meal here, they're not going to eat tonight."

For many, the latest financial crisis has exacerbated the contrast between "them and us" -- prompting hand-wringing over what the opposition Conservative party calls "Broken Britain."

It has also fueled the popularity of minor parties like Respect, fronted by maverick politician George Galloway, who has capitalized on disaffection among east London's immigrant, largely Bangladeshi, population.

"The real division that counts in this borough is between the extremely rich and politicians who serve them and the rest, who are either poor or middle income, in either case struggling to get by," Galloway said in an interview, before an afternoon of hand-shaking and door-knocking at the Robin Hood estate.

This sort of complaint strikes a cord with many of London's poorest residents, who felt left out by the boom years and now say they feel the pain of rising unemployment and spending cuts.

Labour has talked down the criticism, saying crime levels have reduced, neighborhood policing has improved and unemployment remains below the levels seen in the 80s and 90s.

"When Labour came to power in 1997, there were two million homes below the decency threshold, we've now refurbished over a million, including tens of thousands in Tower Hamlets," said Jim Fitzpatrick, Limehouse Labour MP since 1997, and standing again.

But it's a tough message to sell to an electorate disaffected with politics and politicians following an expenses scandal in which many MPs were shown to be claiming for items many voters felt to be extravagant.

"There's always been this division in Islington," shopper Marion Jones said, browsing the local outdoor market. "The wealthy have got really wealthy and everyone else has just stayed the same. It's just the way it is. It'll never change."

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini is one of the more spiritual types of yoga.

Kundalini yoga is a form of physical and meditative yoga that comprises of various techniques using the mind, body and our senses.

The Kundalini is untapped spiritual energy at the base of the spine that can be drawn up through the body awakening each of the seven chakras of the body. Full enlightenment occurs when this energy reaches the Crown Chakra (topmost).

The Kundalini energy is often represented as a snake coiled at the base of the spine. This yoga gives special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system – both essential parts for yogic awakening.

It goes beyond the physical performance of asanas with its emphasis on breathing, meditation, mudras and chanting. However, it can be very physically intense and appeals to those who are up for both mental and physical challenges.

Some of the benefits one can derive from Kundalini yoga are:

- Kundalini yoga helps in the better functioning of the digestive, glandular, cardiovascular, lymphatic and nervous system.

- It has a direct bearing with the glandular system and hence can enhance the ability to look and feel great.

- It heightens the senses. So, your ability to taste, smell, feel and see with sensitivity are increased.

- It helps eliminate and get rid of habits such as smoking and alcohol addiction.

- It also helps overcome negative feelings and encourages positive attitude and feelings.

- You can experience better sense of self-control and, overcome anger and resentment to find inner calm and mental peace.

- It strengthens the immune system too and helps you fight off several diseases and keep them at bay. A positive mind is a great weapon against all of them.

- Kundalini yoga helps to enrich your sense of well-being and confidence that comes from the process of self-discovery of your inner self and reaching a relaxed state of mind and body.

Short sleep ups risk of premature death

People who sleep for less than six hours each night were 12 percent more likely to die prematurely than those who get the recommended six to eight hours.

The study by the University of Warwick and Federico II University Medical School, Italy, provides evidence of the direct link between short duration of sleep and an increased chance of dying prematurely.

The research also notes that consistent overlong sleeping (over nine hours a night) can be a cause for concern. While, unlike short sleeping, overlong sleeping does not in itself increase the risk of death, it can be a significant marker of underlying serious and potentially fatal illnesses.

The study looked at the relationship between the level of habitual duration of sleep and mortality by reviewing 16 prospective studies from Britain, the US, European and East Asian countries.

The study included more than 1.3 million participants, followed up for up to 25 years, with more than 100,000 deaths recorded, said a Warwick release.

Francesco Cappuccio, professor the University of Warwick and consultant physician, said: 'Whilst short sleep may represent a cause of ill-health, long sleep is believed to represent more an indicator of ill-health.'

These findings were published in Sleep.

I have just returned from a week's stay in Alpbach

I have just returned from a week's stay in Alpbach - a lovely village in Tyrol, Austria. I had gone to attend a conference.

'Aral Sea' one of planet's most shocking environmental disasters: Ban Ki-Moon

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has termed the 'Aral Sea' as one of the planet's most shocking environmental disasters.

Ban Ki-Moon toured Aral Sea, once the world's fourth-largest lake, by helicopter as part of a visit to the five countries of former Soviet Central Asia.

"On the pier, I wasn't seeing anything, I could see only a graveyard of ships. It is clearly one of the worst disasters, environmental disasters of the world. I was so shocked," he said.

Ban Ki-Moon, who was on his six-day trip through the region called on the countries' leaders to set aside rivalries to cooperate on repairing some of the damage, reports the Telegraph.

"I urge all the leaders to sit down together and try to find the solutions," he said assuring United Nations support.

Uzbek officials complained Ban Ki-Moon that dam projects in Tajikistan would severely reduce the amount of water flowing into Uzbekistan.

It has been reported that the sea, which has shrunk by 90 percent has ruined the once-robust fishing economy and left fishing trawlers stranded in sandy wasterlands.

There are reports that the sea shrank largely due to a Soviet project to boost cottong production in the arid region and its evaporation has left layers of highly salted sand, which winds an carry as far away as Scandinavia and Japan, and which plague local people with health troubles.