This is no light bill

Antilla is not just a landmark, a month after Mukesh Ambani moved in, it also generated the city’s biggest power bill for a residence: Rs 70 lakh(152,000 USD approx)

The asymmetrical stack of floors is lit-up like a jewellery box, illuminating the indigo sky, its opulence casting everything around it into a paler shade of their selves. Mukesh Ambani’s Godzilla-sized home, Antilla, has just notched up another headline. In the one month since he moved in with wife Nita and their three children, the tycoon has generated a power bill of Rs 70,69,488, the city’s highest residential electricity bill.

According to the bill for the month of September, made available to TOI, Antilla consumed 6,37,240 units of power. To put it in perspective an average Mumbai household equipped with all electronic amenities consumes 300 units per month. Ambani was in fact, as per BEST norm, given a discount of Rs 48,354 for prompt payment. The 70 lakh quoted earlier is minus this amount. Experts say the RIL boss’s tariff is roughly equivalent to the monthly power bill of 7,000 homes in Mumbai. The 27-storey Antilla, named after a mythical island, with its three helipads, 50-seater theatre, nine elevators, swimming pool and residential quarters takes up 37,000 square meters of space which is larger than the Palace of Versailles and according to the Guardian newspaper of the UK, its estimated value is pegged at Rs 4,567 crore.

“Extensive air-conditioning and elevated parking are big energy consumers,” says a BEST official not wishing to be quoted. Further, he adds, the building is lit up through the night, showcasing the bling. Though, a report in the Forbes magazine says that a four-storey hanging garden was especially built as an energy-saving device, to keep the interiors cool in summers.

Perhaps it is taking effect, for in October their power bill marginally came down to Rs 61,28461, for consumption of 5,96,800 power units. The family is among BEST’s high-tension consumer, a category created for bulk users. Save for a small part of the building which is designated as office space where commercial rates are applicable, the lower residential rates apply to the rest of the building. But even here it’s fortunate that Antilla is located where it is. Altamount Road falls under the BEST radar which has the lowest tariff among all power suppliers. Had brother Anil’s Reliance Energy been their power suppliers, Mukesh’s bill, as half of Mumbai can vouch, would have been further inflated.

Antilla, the world most expensive house to get fine china worth $1million

When you live in the world’s most expensive house, Antilla, you wouldn’t want to settle for anything but the best to fill it up. Hence when the lady of the house, Neeta Ambani, decided to go for crockery shopping, she planned to stock up her cabinets with 25,000 pieces of 106-year-old Japanese brand Noritake. It is estimated that the cost of this collection will total up to $1million. However the wife of Mukesh Ambani, world’s fourth richest man, decided to save up a bit here. She is rumored to head to Sri Lanka to collect her chinaware as Noritake stuff is 70-80% cheaper there than the rest of the world. Times of India reports, ‘A 50-piece dinner set with 22 carat gold/platinum trimmings could cost $300-500 in Sri Lanka while the same would be priced between $800 and $2,000 in India. Multiply that by 500 (to cover Nita Ambani's 25,000-piece order) and the price could have hit $1 million at the upper end in India.’ What do you think of her bargain-hunting move as lady of the ‘world’s most expensive’ house?:))

Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, hello nappies and sleepless nights

Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born weighing 7lb 15oz, to an unnamed woman in California.
There was speculation that his second name was a tribute to Sir Elton’s friendship with the late singer Michael Jackson and Levon is the title of a song from Sir Elton’s 1971 album Madman Across The Water.
The couple are believed to have paid an agency more than £100,000.
“We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment,” Sir Elton, 63, and Mr Furnish, 48, said in a joint statement. “Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents.”
It was not clear whether the birth was natural, induced or the result of an elective Caesarean. Mr Furnish, as the younger man by 15 years, is thought more likely to be the sperm donor.
He said it typically took 18 months for a couple to complete the process, and the total cost for a same-sex couple, including medical and legal expenses, was about $150,000, including a $20,000 to $30,000 fee for the surrogate mother.
Prospective parents usually meet the surrogate several times before the pregnancy, and provide the agency with photographs of the baby up to the age of 24 months.
Age was considered when prospective parents applied: “One might be a bit older but the other might be younger. We do worry about longevity but it averages out.”
Sir Elton and Mr Furnish’s civil partnership was formalised in 2005 and the singer had spoken of his desire to become a father, announcing last autumn that he had overcome his doubts about his age and wanted to adopt a 14-month-old orphan boy from Ukraine.
The plans were thwarted by Ukrainian laws which do not recognise same-sex civil partnerships. British law changed in April when it became legal for two men to have a child by a surrogate and for both men’s names to appear on the birth certificate as legal parents.
Surrogacy is still tightly regulated in Britain and couples often consider travelling abroad, where the rules are less strict.
Sir Elton’s announcement was greeted with concern from some groups. Josephine Quintavalle, founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: “Although I am sure Elton’s child will not want for anything, money is not everything. There is very much an age for being a parent and an age for being a grandparent.
“It would be very difficult to adopt a child at 63 but we seem to have a different approach to approving surrogacy parents.”
Andrea Williams, head of Christian Concern, said: “Children are not commodities. Just because you can buy or access something does not give you the right to do so.”
Elizabeth Hurley, the model and actress, was among the first to offer her best wishes, writing on the Twitter microblogging service: “Massive congratulations to David and Elton on having their beautiful son. Can’t wait for my first cuddle.”
Piers Morgan, who spoke to Sir Elton on ITV’s Life Stories, was caught out by the news, writing: “Feel such a fool – Sir Elton never even hinted he was pregnant during our interview.”
The singer Boy George commented: “What does it matter, gay or straight, if they make great loving parents?”

Britain's first gay surrogate parents to open surrogacy centre for same-sex couples

A unique centre for same-sex couples who want to have children is to open.

Danbury couple Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow will run the British Surrogacy Agency, which will be the first of its kind in the country.

The centre will operate from Chandlers Quay, Maldon, and will also have offices in San Francisco, where the couple spend a lot of time.

Local jobs will be created by the project, which is set to open in late January.

Barrie Drewitt-Barlow said: “The centre will focus on all things surrogacy-related and will be the first centre of its kind in the UK.

“Its aim is to bring together intended parents with egg donors and surrogate, along with sperm donors, and offer legal advice from qualified legal professionals.

“I will be responsible for the assessment of intended patients and the assessments of potential egg donors and surrogates, and for helping with all legal documentation to allow each couple to bring home their baby to the UK.”

According to Mr Drewitt-Barlow, the company is already employing “several” local people, the number of whom will increase as it grows. It will have a web presence at www.thebritishsurrogacycentre.com which is set to launch this week.

The couple made history 11 years ago when they were named on the birth certificate as parents to twins, Saffron and Aspen, who were born to a surrogate mother – the first same-sex UK couple to do so.

They now have five children having fathered another set of twins, Jasper and Dallas, last year and have another son, Orlando, who is seven.

Barrie Drewitt-Barlow was pleased to hear Elton John and his partner David Furnish became parents over Christmas.

The couple’s baby boy was born to a surrogate mother in California, after they tried unsuccessfully to adopt an orphan in the Ukraine last year.

Mr Drewitt-Barlow said his and his partner’s parenthood has paved the way for other gay couples to become fathers.

He said: “Tony and I never set out to be trail-blazers in any way whatsoever. But we are happy many people over the years have followed in our footsteps.

“It’s even better to know celebrities like Elton have done the same thing now. It’s positive news for gay parenting.

“The more high-profile the people using surrogacy to start their families, the more mainstream it becomes.”

The substantial press coverage given to the pair over the years has raised awareness of the issue of surrogacy.

Barrie, 41, a businessman from Danbury, said: “Elton and David will not have the same issues as we did.

“Like any first, we have taken most of the criticism and the flak which will make it easier for anyone else taking this pathway to parenthood.

“There are many gay parents now in the UK thanks to the measures we took more than a decade ago.

“The awareness to gay parenting is 100 times higher now.

“Elton and David will be amazing parents. I just wish they would adopt me!”

He added society is now more tolerant towards gay parents, but “there is a long way to go”.

Connecticut's landmark legal decision in establishing parentage for gay parents

In an unprecedented decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that two gay men could be recognized as legal parents on the birth certificate of their twins born through surrogacy. This is the first time in U.S. history that a state high court has acknowledged the parentage of two men, and it has created a new way by which persons may become legal parents.

“This is the single most important decision in the history of gay men having children through surrogacy,’ said John Weltman, Esq. (pictured), president of Circle Surrogacy, and author of an amicus brief in the case. “For a state high court to recognize the right of two gay men to be legal fathers of a child from the outset of the surrogacy process sets an incredible precedent. Furthermore, it positions Connecticut as one of the best states in the country for couples – gay and straight - to pursue gestational surrogacy with egg donation to create their family.”

Anthony Raftopol and Shawn Hargon, an American couple residing in Hungary, had a daughter through surrogacy, and were both recognized as her child’s legal father on the birth certificate. They then had twins in April 2008 through the same gestational surrogate and egg donor. When the couple petitioned the court to be named as the children’s legal parents, the court granted their petition. However, this time the Attorney General, acting on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Health, attempted to block the creation of the birth certificate, stating that parentage could only be established through conception, adoption or artificial insemination.

The Supreme Court rejected this claim, noting that according to the Department of Health’s argument, a child born to an infertile couple who had entered into a gestational agreement with egg and sperm donors and a gestational carrier would be born parentless.

Mother to freeze eggs so her infertile daughter can one day give birth to her own brother or sister

A mother plans to freeze her eggs so that her infertile daughter may someday be able to use them to give birth to her own brother or sister.
Toddler Mackenzie Stephens was born with Turner Syndrome, a hereditary condition which means she is missing an X-chromosome.
The condition, which only affects girls, means two-year-old Mackenzie was born without ovaries, preventing her from ever having a child of her own naturally.
When Penny Jarvis, herself a mother of five, learnt that her daughter might never be able to have children of her own, she was devastated.
So Ms Jarvis, 25, has decided to freeze her own eggs so someday Mackenzie can use them for IVF and start a family.
However, technically, this means Mackenzie's future child would be both her offspring and her sibling.
Ms Jarvis described how she and partner Karl Stephens, 42, were distraught when the doctor broke the news about their daughter's condition.
The full-time mother from Sheffield, said: 'The doctor was talking about chromosomes and things and it was all a bit of a blur.
'The only word I heard at the time was 'infertility' and I just burst into tears. It's what most people want to be; a mum.
'She has three sisters and I couldn't imagine her growing up and watching them all have children while she couldn't have any of her own.
'Obviously, every mother wants to be a grandmother someday - that's what they dream of.
'As I was leaving the hospital, the consultant told me not to look up Turner Syndrome on the internet as it was full of worst-case scenarios.
'But, of course, I did it anyway. As soon as we were over the shock, Karl and I looked it up together as we had never even heard of it before and neither had any of our friends.
'While some of the stuff I was reading was scary - talk of congenital heart defects and diabetes - I discovered that egg donation was a possibility.'
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Mackenzie has Turner Syndrome, which means she doesn't have ovaries
Turner Syndrome affects one in every 2,500 girls. It causes a number of mental and physical health issues, but most can be corrected or treated with surgery, drugs and psychological therapy.
The most common symptoms are swelling of the limbs, small stature and infertility. Mackenzie, who requires a daily dose of growth hormone, is also partially deaf and uses Makaton sign language to communicate as she suffers from speech problems.
She also has severe mood swings and sees a behavioural psychologist. It is hoped these will improve as she gets older.
Her mother dreams that someday she will fall in love and start a family of her own. When the time comes, Penny said, the option will be there for her to use her mother's eggs to have a child.
Mothers only have a short period in which they can make the donation to their daughters because, by the time they reach the age of 40, their eggs are likely to be of too poor quality to store.
However, medical advances in recent years have made it possible to store the eggs for longer periods.
The practice has been criticised by some ethicists who fear that it could cause the daughters psychological problems, while the resulting children could be confused about their relationship to their mother and grandmother.
But Penny, who has four other children; Jaymie-Leigh, five months, Morgan, six, and twins William and Abigail, three, said that any mother would do the same for their child.
She said: 'You could look at it as Mackenzie giving birth to her own brother or sister, but I choose not to see it like that.
'You do the best for your children and Mackenzie's daughter or son would be her own.
'It's a comfort to know that if she did have a child they would still have part of her own genetic make-up as well, so it would still be a part of her.
'I'd like to think her sisters would offer their eggs too. But if they didn't, at least the option would be there for her.
'A few people have told me they think it's a bit sick, but on the whole people have been supportive.
However, while Penny is confident she is doing the right thing for her daughter, some medical experts are less sure.
Josephine Quintavalle of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE) said: 'One can fully understand the sadness for a mother to discover that her little daughter suffers from Turner Syndrome, but I do not think putting her own eggs in the freezer is either a practical or an ethical solution.'
She said there was a possibility that Turner Syndrome could be passed on genetically and therefore most doctors would not want to use the grandmother's eggs.
Ms Quintavalle added: 'Social and ethical objections are equally compelling.
'A child born in this way would be a half-sibling of the birth mother, her husband having fertilised the eggs of his mother-in-law.
'Psychologists are already talking about the trauma of genealogical bewilderment, as egg and sperm donation and surrogacy create more and more artificial conceptions.'
A spokesman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority added: 'When providing treatment, it is important that account has been taken of the welfare of any child who may be born as a result of the treatment and of any other child who may be affected by the birth.'

‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ designations changing on U.S. passport applications!

In a bid to forestall a backlash from congressional conservatives, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has ordered the State Department to amend a bureaucratic change that would have eliminated the titles "mother" and "father" in favor of the gender-neutral term "parent" in passport applications and other documents.

The State Department said Saturday that Clinton had instructed the department to retain "mother" and "father" in passport applications as well as in a form known as a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" that U.S. embassies use to document the birth of a child to expatriate Americans. It said the forms will now ask for the names of the child's "mother or parent 1" and "father or parent 2."

Gay and lesbian groups had applauded the initial change, which was announced with little fanfare in late December. But conservative groups criticized it as an attack on traditional marriage and family values.

Clinton has been a forceful advocate for gay rights and in 2009 moved to give gay diplomats, their partners and families the same benefits that heterosexual diplomats and their families receive. That step at the State Department preceded a similar government-wide move announced by the White House.

However, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Saturday that Clinton had not been aware that the terms "mother" and "father" would be stricken from the consular birth reports and passport applications when she signed off on broader changes to the documents last year.

"She has directed that the relevant forms retain to the existing references to 'mother' and 'father' in addition to the designation 'parent,' " Crowley said. He said her decision would ensure that the documents are as inclusive and informative as possible.