HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

WISHING EACH ONE OF YOU A VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

WISHING EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Nothing Official About It!

Got Dark Chocolates? Go Ahead And Smoke

According to this report, dark chocolates may reduce the risk of serious heart disease by preventing the hardening of arteries in smokers. Read More...

Water Melon Arts

My Copter Is Almost Ready!

KALIYUG!

REVENGE


ADVANTAGES OF CELL PHONE


HELP!

Forbes Asia - Richest Person

LAKSHMI MITTAL
Estimated Wealth: $20b.

Question Hour

I just read that Ganguly has been excluded from the third test. He was given a chance in just one test. Performance of course was average (or below average?) No, I am not talking in favor or against Ganguly. My question is "Was he included just for the smooth conduction of the 4th ODI between India and South Africa that was played at Kolkata?" Because if you remember, this team was announced a couple of days prior to that match. What do you say????

Happy Birthday - CADENZA!!

December 13, 2005 -- A dream come true for me. All the plannings in the last few months, and the hectic activities over the last few days has finally shown some results... Thanks to Mr. Sam, Mr. Shankar, and Mr. Pughal who all had the same dream and have left no stones unturned in turning this dream into a reality. Cadenza, the MT firm has taken birth today. Baby Cadenza rolled out some live files today - the first day of production. Now it all depends on how we nurture this baby, the support we receive from all, and above all the wish of the Almighty as to what height we grow from here. I wish Cadenza takes us all to a new platform altogether.........

Cool NASA posts

INDIA

Tough Situations - Any Solutions?

Situation -1

You have 9 coins.
All coins are same in all aspects, except..
8 coins have same weight.
1 coin is slightly heavier.
You have a BALANCE to weigh, and 2 chances.
You have to find which coin is heavier.


Situation -2

Three people are sitting in the arrangement as shown:-

1. Sharukh Khan
2. Amir Khan
3. Salman Khan

We have 3 Red & 2 Blue Caps.

Salman can see Amir's & Sharukh's caps, but does not know what color he was wearing.
Amir can see Sharukh's cap but does not know what color cap he was wearing.
Sharukh says "I am wearing a Red cap." How?

Thoda Sa Shaayari Ho Jaaye?

Zindagi Ki Raahon Mein Aise Mod Bhi Aate Hain
Saawan Ke Saath-Saath Yehan Patjhad Bhi Aate Hain
Aasuwon Ke Saagar Mein Moti Bhi Milte Hain
Jo Unhe Doond lete hain, Wahi Zindagi Jee Lete Hain
***************************************************

Kaabile Maafi Hoti Hain Wo Bhool
Jo Karo Anjaane Mein
Jaankar kyon Karo Wo Bhool
Aur Bhi Hote Hain, Gam Zamane Mein
**********************************

Jo aansu dil me girte hai who aankho me nahi rahte
Bahut se shabd aise hai jo lafzo me nahi rahte
Kitabo me likhe jate hai duniya bhar ke afsane
Magar jin me haqeeqat ho wo kitabo me nahi rahte
************************************************

Khuda kisi ko na mohabbat mein, itna sabro intezaar bakhshey
Gar bakhshey jo sabro intezaar itna, to mohabbat na bakhshey
************************************************************

Dhoop nikli hai to baadal ki dua mangte ho
Apne saaye me raho, gair se kya mangte ho
Khud hi viran kiya tum ne dayare dil ko
Ab yahan koi nahi, kis ka pata mangte ho
****************************************

Jo Saaz Se Nikli Hai, Woh Sada Sab Ne Suni Hai
Jo Saaz Pe Guzri Hai, Woh Kis Dil Ko Khabar Hai
***********************************************

Shaam Hote Hi Chiragon Ko Bujha Deta Hoon
Yeh Dil Hi Kaafi Hai Teri Yaad Mein Jalne Ke Liye
*************************************************

Us Falak Ke Teer Ka Kya Nishana Tha
Jahan Thee Teri Manzil, Wahin Mera Aashiyana Tha
Bas Pahunch Hi Rahi Thi Kashti Saahil Pe
Is Toofan Ko Bhi Abhi Hi Aana Tha
*********************************


A LITTLE NAUGHTY ONES

Jise dil diya wo dilli chali gayi...
Jise pyar kiya wo poona chali gayi...
Dil ne kaha khud-kushi kar le zalim...
Jab bijali ko haath lagaya to bijali chali gayi...
**************************************************

Bola dukan-daar, ke kya chahiye tumhein
Jo bhi kahoge meri dukan par wo paoge
Maine kaha ke kutte ke khaane ka cake hai
Bolaa yaheen pe khaoge ya leke jaoge
************************************

Aur bhi bahut si cheezein lut chu-ki hai dil ke saath
Ye bataya dosto ne ishq furmane ke baad
Is liye kamre ki ek ek cheez "check" karta hoon main
"Ek tere aane se pehle, ek tere jaane ke baad"
*********************************************

AND THE FINAL ONE IN ENGLISH:

Birdy, birdy in the sky
Why you poo poo in my eye
I didn't sigh, i didn't cry
Thank God, Cow's don't fly !

Cricketing Names Expanded!

Shastri - Shall His Achievements Still Truly Remain Interred?
Srinath - Simply Ravishing Incutters, Not A Ten-wicket Haul
Kumble - Killer Universal, Makes Batsmen Leave Embarassed
Sidhu - Shall I Drop Him Unfairly?
Mongia - Many Of Nayan's Gatherings Instigate Admiration
Kambli - Killed All Mediocre Bowling, Left Immediately
Kapil - Killed Aspiring Pacemen In Land
Prasad - Promised Revenge Against Sohail And Delivered
More - Mouthing Obscene Rubbish Everywhere
Gavaskar - Grafting Away Valiantly, Always Successfully Killed Any Result/ Goes Around Venting Angry Spiel Kicking About Rudely
Azhar - At Zenith Had Ambrose Reeling
Azharuddin - Almost Zaheer-like His Artistry, Rivetting Umpteen Devoted Doting Indian Nationals
Vishy - Vodka Is Sweet, He Yells
Tendulkar - Tiny, Exciting, Neverending Dynamo Undyingly Labours Keeps A Record
Amarnath - After Many A Reincarnation, Now Acknowledged Top Hand
Prasanna - Prince Radiant Among Spinners, Astutely Nailed Nimble Attackers
Bedi - Beautifully Executed Deliveries Indefinitely

50 FACTS - AUTHENTICITY?????

1. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.
2. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
3. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
4. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.
5. The Mercedes-Benz motto is 'Das Beste oder Nichts' meaning 'the best or nothing'.
6. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.
7. The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.
8. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night.
9. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.
10. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
11. Dalmatians are born without spots.
12. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
13. The 'v' in the name of a court case does not stand for 'versus', but for 'and' (in civil proceedings) or 'against' (in criminal proceedings).
14. Men's shirts have the buttons on the right, but women's shirts have the buttons on the left.
15. The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids.
16. The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it's already been digested by a bee.
17. Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks.
18. The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.
19. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.
20. Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart.
21. The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.
22. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.
23. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.
24. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can for a carburetor.
25. The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named Volney.
26. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.
27. Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan.
28. It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.
29. The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples.
30. There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
31. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.
32. Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.
33. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.
34. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
35. Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game.
36. The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air.
37. Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die.
38. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch (and make it look like it is smiling).
39. Colgate faced big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command "go hang yourself."
40. The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot.
41. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
42. The average person laughs 13 times a day.
43. Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are:Mizaru(See no evil), Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru(Speak no evil).
44. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
45. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.
46. Large kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump.
47. Whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.
48. Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death
49. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause.
50. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet!!

Future Looks Bright!

Naming Ceremony-2

I had some comments on the article written on October 20, 2005 titled "Naming Ceremony," regarding naming cyclones that hit India. Well, it has already become a reality.

All cyclones in the Bay of Bengal rim countries will henceforth have a name. It was decided last year that Bay of Bengal rim countries like India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives and Oman will contribute to a list of names that would be used like a name book for all cyclones. These group of countries are called WMO tropical Cyclone Escap Panel countries and the list of cyclones is maintained in an alphabetical manner, countrywise.

It was decided to have names that are abstract and gender neutral. Contributions from India include names like Hawa, Agni and Patal.

The cyclone that hit Andhra coast in September was named Pyaar. No not the Hindi word meaning love, but a Myanmarese word meaning "flattened." For India, it is still a new concept. But they are waiting for the next one: Baj. This name is an Indian contribution.

Eureka!

I found this site while browsing today. Quite an interesting one. It has got categorized sections on almost anything. Try it out.....


www.teacherxpress.com

Obituary

Born: 1920

President of India from July 25, 1997 to July 25, 2002

Who wouldn't love to have a resume like this??

EDUCATION /Qualification:

Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Punjab University, Chandigarh, 1952; Stood first in MA (Economics), Punjab University, Chandigarh, 1954.

Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College, Cambridge.

1955 and 1957; Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge, 1957; DPhil (Oxford), DLitt (Honoris Causa); PhD thesis on India's export competitiveness

OCCUPATION /Teaching Experience:

Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59; Reader, Economics, 1959-63; Professor, Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 1963-65.

Professor, International Trade, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, 1969-71; Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

1976 and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, 1996 and Civil Servant

Working Experience/ POSITIONS:

1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade

1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance

1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India; Director, Industrial Development Bank of India

Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, Asian Development Bank

Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, IBRD November 1976 - April 1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (Department of economic affairs);

Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission; Member,finance, Space Commission April 1980 - September 15, 1982:

Member-secretary, Planning Commission

1980-83: Chairman, India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study committee

September 16, 1982 - January 14, 1985: Governor, Reserve Bank of India.

1982-85: Alternate Governor for India, Board of governors, International Monetary Fund

1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister

1985: President, Indian Economic Association

January 15, 1985 - July 31, 1987: Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

August 1, 1987 - November 10, 1990: Secretary-general and commissioner, south commission, Geneva

December 10, 1990 - March 14, 1991: Advisor to the Prime Minister on economic affairs

March 15, 1991 - June 20, 1991: Chairman, UGC

June 21, 1991 - May 15, 1996: Union finance minister( Parliament)

October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket( Parliament)

June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha( Parliament)

1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance

August 1, 1996 - December 4, 1997: Chairman, Parliamentary standing committee on commerce

March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha( Parliament)

June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance

August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules

Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member, executive committee, Indian parliamentary group

June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha

Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee

BOOKS:

India's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth -Clarendon Press, Oxford University, 1964; also published a large number of articles in various economic journals.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge, 1956

Padma Vibhushan, 1987

Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;

Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994

INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:

1966: Economic Affairs Officer

1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD

1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on International Monetary Reform

1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings

1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting

1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting

1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus 1993: Human

Rights World Conference, Vienna

RECREATION:

Gymkhana Club, New Delhi; Life Member, India International Centre, New Delhi

Name:
Dr Manmohan Singh

DOB:
September 26, 1932

Place of Birth:
Gah (West Punjab)

Father:
S. Gurmukh Singh

Mother:
Mrs Amrit Kaur

Married on:
September 14, 1958

Wife:
Mrs Gursharan Kaur

Children:
Three daughters

Our Prime Minister seems to be one of the most qualified PM all over the world.



via: Sinoj Abraham

Enakku 40 unakku 32

WISHING SHAHRUKH AND AISHWARYA MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY!

Daniel Craig minus Gulshan Grover!

I am becoming a sort of politician now. Gulshan Grover will not be playing the baddie in the forthcoming Bond movie. This report is from the same source that reported the other way round. More

Gulshan Grover Vs. Daniel Craig

Gulshan Grover will be the baddie in the next James Bond Movie "Casino Royale.' He has already done that with ease in Bollywood movies. Wait and watch what he does vs. Bond! More

Hope this becomes a reality!

According to this report, salaried class might be spared from filing an income tax returns from next year. More

Are you thinking too much? Me not!

If you are, then read this!

Is your soap antibacterial?

It seems antibacterial soaps are not more effective than regular soaps in preventing bacterial infections. More

Useless drug?

I still remember when I was about 15 years old and had jaundice and doctor asked me to continue Liv-52 for about a month or so. This report says that it is a 'useless liver drug." More

Naming Ceremony!

With Wilma around, I suddenly wanted to know who names these hurricanes and how. I did some research and found the following:

It seems the names are given for not confusing one over the other when there are more than one storm at a particular time. Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms have been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center and now maintained and updated by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization. The lists featured only women's names until 1979, when men's and women's names were alternated. Six lists are used in rotation. Thus, the 2004 list will be used again in 2010.

Each year, the first tropical storm of the season is given a name that starts with A, the second storm is given a name that starts with a B, and so on.

There are different name lists for Atlantic and eastern Pacific tropical storms. Storms are named as soon as the winds are 39 mph or more.

In the event that more than 21 named tropical cyclones occur in the Atlantic basin in a season, additional storms will take names from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on.


Courtesy: Enchanted Learning

Bye Bye Rita, Hi Wilma!

Okay.. now it is the turn of Wilma. This hurricane is moving towards Mexico and is presently being classified as category 4. The US National Hurricane Center fears that it might even regain category 5 intensity. Wilma is expected to make landfall late Saturday. It might even make a sharp turn towards Florida. Any way, let's hope that like Rita, Wilma too cools down a bit by the time it makes the landfall and weaken in its intensity.......

Why Blame Bollywood?

2005 has been a wonderful year for Bollywood thus far vis-a-vis 2003 and 2004, when the industry suffered a big loss. Hindi movies were always criticized the way they were taken - dancing around the trees, one cabaret number, some fights, and a happy ending. Stories ranged from triangle love stories, brothers separated and uniting, villain killing the hero's father when he was a child and later taking revenge, rich man in love with a poor girl and vice versa, and some unusually patriotic heroes. Although, such films are still made, Bollywood has come a long way, but still hasn't been able to come out of this image totally. Now, what made me write this article is that this year I have seen some really good movies churned up. Parineeta, Iqbal, Sarkar, Black, Viruddh just to name a few. But I was surprised to see that Bunti aur Bubli is the greatest hit of this year thus far. I have seen the movie and felt it to be utterly nonsense. So, now I wonder whether Bollywood has to be blamed for the quality of films it make? Obviously, films are made keeping in mind the public demand, and of course, they need to make some money too. But if this is the public response to good films, God only knows if there will be any motivation to make films of the genre that I mentioned earlier. First, let's change, then ask for more. Agreed, we go out for a movie for so-called entertainment, but let's give the due share to the good ones too, which are entertaining too!

Asterix Goes Political

Asterix illustrator Albert Uderzo introduced the character in 1959 More than eight million copies of the new Asterix book have gone on sale in 27 countries - and the comic series is getting political for the first time.
Asterix and the Falling Sky is the 33rd book and the first for four years.
Illustrator Albert Uderzo introduces aliens from a planet called Tadsylwine, an anagram of Walt Disney, with a leader called Hubs, an anagram of Bush.

"What the Americans are going through today with Bush got me into it," Mr Uderzo told France-Soir newspaper.

"I had fun caricaturing certain things which have come from America.

"Even I am a bit surprised, because [writer Rene] Goscinny and I never got Asterix involved in politics. But here there is a slight political side to it."

There has been fevered anticipation for the new book, which has been translated into 13 languages.

In the good-natured send-up, the creatures from Tadsylwine - dim Superman clones - visit Asterix's famous ancient village in search of its strength-giving magic potion.

They are joined by another group of invaders called Nagmas, an anagram of Mangas, the Japanese cartoons that have become increasingly popular in France.

Source: BBC

Daniel Craig is the new Bond!

* 37-year-old.
* Born in Chester and raised in Liverpool, Craig spent much of his youth soaking up the atmosphere at Liverpool's Left-wing Everyman Theatre.
* Married at 23.
* Has a daughter, now 12, who lives with his ex-wife in Chiswick, west London.
* Succeeding Pierce Brosnan to become the sixth Bond will inevitably give him an even higher public profile.
* The first fair-haired actor to play 007 and, at 6ft, he will be the shortest.
* His first excursion as the super-spy will come in the 21st Bond film, an adaptation of Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s first 007 book.

Welcome Pests from Pak!

After militants, it is the turn of locusts to infiltrate India from Pakistan.
Delhi has lodged a complaint against Pakistan with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), charging Islamabad with negligence in tackling the menace of the voracious insects, which have spread to some parts of western India.
India’s agriculture authorities told FAO in Rome that Pakistan “took no timely step to eradicate the locusts at infancy”, Daily Times quoted a senior Pakistani government official as saying.

“The presence of locusts has been reported in some parts of India, especially in areas bordering Pakistan,” India informed FAO in a letter. Locusts’ presence has also been reported in some small pockets of Bahawalpur district, but according to the official, “it poses no serious threat to the standing crops in Pakistan”.

He claimed that Pakistan has adequately responded to locust menace before and after the recent monsoon rains. The aerial wing of the plant protection department of the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock conducted spraying operations to prevent the possible spread of locusts.

The official said the presence of locusts had been reported only in some pockets of Bahawalpur. This is not a serious threat but if locust swarms spread from Africa, it would be a grave problem, he added.

Pakistan, India and Iran would be required to take joint steps to tackle the problem. But there was no imminent threat from Africa, he said.

According to the official, Pakistani agriculture experts had visited some countries in Africa to get first-hand information about locusts. All parts of the belt in Baluchistan, known as locust breeding grounds, were also inspected.

In 2004, vast swarms of locusts rampaging across Africa’s northern region spread into Chad, triggering fear that the insects could begin ravaging crops in other African countries and parts of Asia.

An FAO official in Rome had warned the swarms were about to cross the Red Sea into the Arabian peninsula and then into Iran, Pakistan and India. But the spreading did not occur that year. The official said there is no serious threat to crops in Pakistan and India. It becomes serious when there is a danger of spreading of swarms from Africa, he added.

He said all safeguards were in place and all steps would be taken to contain any locust attack in any part of the country.

The official said the plant protection department was well prepared to face any locust attack and the agriculture ministry’s aerial wing, with two planes, had been directed to be ready for spray operations, if the situation spins out of control.

Courtesy: TT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG-B!

Born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, Amitabh's career was full of ups and downs. His first film Saat Hindustani was a flop and so were some of the films that followed. But 1973 brought on a drastic change to his career with hits like Abhimaan and Zanjeer, and soon became the angry-young man of Hindi movies with hits like Sholay, Amar Akbar Antony, Trishul, Don, and Deewar. In 1983, while shooting for Coolie, he was injured in an on-set accident and was in a critical condition. He recovered thereafter, only to enter politics in 1984, joining the Congress but resigned later saying that he found politics unpleasant. In 1995, he went into business starting ABCL, but that was a failure. He went into debt, but did not file bankruptcy, and is said to have cleared all his debt this year. In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have a wax statue erected in his honour at Madame Tussaud's. In 2000, he was chosen as the host for KBC which was an enormous hit and critics had to admit that Amitabh still had box office magic. The movies that came after this show were also hits - Baghban, Kabhi khusi kabhi gham, Black, Sarkar, and Viruddh. And now he is doing quite well with KBC-2.

Once again - MANY MANY RETURNS OF THE DAY!

BLACK SATURDAY!

IMAGES: AP

The powerful earthquake that hit Pakistan and parts of India on Saturday at about 9:20 a.m. have left thousands dead and millions homeless. The epicenter of the quake is believed to be Muzaffarabad in PoK. Unofficial sources put the figures at around 40,000 in Pakistan and 800 in India. Some of the villages in Kashmir have been entirely wiped out. This seemed to be the most powerful earthquake in 120 years in this region.

Hard luck Piyush!

For his 14th question, he used his 2 life lines, but could not go further. He quit the show at that time taking with him a whopping 50 lakhs. Nevertheless, Well done Piyush!

Kya Piyush Banega Crorepathy?

Piyush Swain from Hyderabad became the second person to win Rs 50 lakh in KBC-2. He has answered 13 questions correctly last Sunday, when it was time to wind up, becoming a roll-over contestant. Piyush was born on March 23, 1977 at Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh). Piyush spent his childhood at Kanpur and Guwahati (Assam). After living in Bhubaneshwar (Orissa) and Bangalore (Karnataka), he did his MBA degree from IIM, Kozhikode (Kerala) during 2002-04. He was in London for sometime in 2004 and moved over to Hyderabad where he is working as associate consultant with Infosys Technologies Limited since 2004.

Will he become a crorepathy? We will have to wait till 9 p.m. today.

ALL THE BEST PIYUSH!

2005 Nobel Peace Prize

Image: Reuters

Nobel Peace Prize for 2005 goes to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.

Spheris acquires Healthscribe

Healthscribe was acquired by world’s second-largest MT firm, Spheris on Wednesday. More

Is It This Way?

Bengal Chief Minister Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee inaugurating Sourav Ganguly`s cricket academy in Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Dil Jo Bhi Kahey - Review

This movie’s producer, writer and director Romesh Sharma has crafted this film purposefully to launch newcomer Karan Sharma (read his son). Nothing but a routine love story with beautiful locations (shot at Mauritius and Stockholm). Parental opposition because of different social and cultural backgrounds of the two lead characters is the jist of the story. While Romesh has tried his level best to provide the best launching pad for his son with foreign locations, Amitabh Bachan (who might have acted because he is a good friend of Romesh), and English heroine Annabelle, the film fails due to its weak screenplay. The film does not stir any emotions. Karan Sharma has done well in some scenes but looked totally out of place in others. Annabelle has done her role well. Bhumika does impress in her short role. Amitabh and Revathy has acted their natural way.

The film begins well in the first half, but then slides down and then again catches momentum towards the end. Romesh Sharma has devised a dream launch for his son. But when the story and screenplay is lackluster and without any depth, even the beautiful of embellishments cannot save the movie. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is also plain average.

Sabka Dil jo bhi Kahey, par mera dil kahta hai ki yeh film zaroor pitega!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LATA MANGESHKAR!

On September 28, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar celebrated her 76th birthday. She was born as Hema Hardikar at Indore, Maharashtra. When she was 5 years old, Lata started working as a child-artist in several of her father's performances. Her first cinematic song was for the film Kiti Hasaal. Her father didn't want her to sing for movies, however, and the song had to be dropped from the film. Lata got her big break with the song "Aayega Aanewaala" from the movie Mahal in 1949. She sang most number of her duets with Kishore Kumar. Her songs were a rage from the 40s till date. "kitne ajeeb rishtey hai yaha pe" from Page 3 is a recent hit. She has received four Filmfare Awards, the Platinum Disc of EMI London, and many
others. At this juncture, I was trying to recollect my personal 10 favorite songs sung by her. And it took me more than an hour to select this. I am sure there might be better songs, but it is tough to select from the 1000s of songs that she has sung....

10. Bahon mein chale aao - Anamika.
9. Tune O rangeele kaisa jaadu kiya- Kudrat.
8. Ae dile naadan - Razia Sultan.
7. Rimjhim gire sawan - Manzil.
6. Kabootar Jaa Jaa - Maine pyar kiya.
5. Yaara Seeli Seeli - Lekin.
4. Tere mere milan ki ye raina - Abhimaan.
3. Tujhse naraz nahi - Masoom.
2. Tu Jaha Jaha chalega mera saya - Mera Saya.
1. Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon - Album

Where did the deer go?

CARE-LESS

Yes, happens...........

It Is Not Over Yet!

Just when things seemed to settle down between Ganguly and Chappell, here comes a bomb. It seems Chappell had sent an e-mail to the Indian Cricket Board, stating that he does not want Ganguly as team India's captain, and that he is mentally and physically unfit. More.

Marooned

A scene from Khamam, a place 225 km from Hyderabad. Rains and floods have claimed 58 lives and many have been rendered homeless.

Mosquito? No probs man!

A South Korean phone company, SK Telecom, claims to have encoded a software called Anti-Mosquito that one can install in high-end mobiles to get rid of mosquitoes and pests. According to the company’s Internet site, the software programme works on the principle of producing sound in the range of 16000 Hz to 20000 Hz which is beyond the audible range of humans, but can be heard by members of the animal kingdom, mosquitoes included.

The software company’s website states: "The sound produces an undesirable effect on mosquitoes and other pests thus restraining them from flying." The added bonus is that the software can be downloaded free from the Internet. The programme file size is only 96 kilobytes which does not take up much memory space. After downloading the software from the net, one can transfer the programme file using data cables or Bluetooth devices on to mobiles and install it.

However, the programme is only compatible with phones which are Java powered (or are Symbian phones). The "mosquito repellent" software can be used in Nokia, Samsung and Sony-Ericsson phones in which Java-based software is used.

Various reviews of the product have said the software actually works - it does not kill the pests but stuns them. And just in case you are wondering what’s next in line regarding pest control through electronic means, some sites claim to be developing software to control other house pests like cockroaches and rats.

VISA!

Part-2

This comes as a sequel to the article on Saurav Ganguly and Sania Mirza, both of whom had a bad day yesterday. Sania lost to the Hungarian Melinda Czink 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the WTA Sunfeast open, while Ganguly played a miserable innings, scoring 16. All these lead us to the point that a peaceful and cool mind is required to bring out the best in us. People who were after Sania's attire must have been happy now. Ganguly's case is too not much different, though the issue seemed to ebb for the present. But it might take a while, before they come out of this.

Rita -- No. 3

Hurricane Rita, the Category 5 hurricane has grown more turbulent, becoming the third most intense storm in history, after Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Rita has now attained maximum sustained winds of 265 kph.

The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center predicted Rita would likely hit Texas on Saturday, but anywhere from southwest Louisiana to northeast Mexico.

President Bush has declared states of emergency in Texas and Louisiana.

Oh No! Wrong Place!

Rita follows Katrina

A new hurricane threat is hovering over the US again, this time tropical storm Rita, which was nearing hurricane strength over the Bahamas and is expected to reach the US Gulf Coast by the weekend - less than a month after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Rita is expected to concentrate its fury on Louisiana, or head further west toward Texas. The storm was headed late Monday toward the Bahamas, with peak sustained winds near 115 km an hour. Rita is expected to strengthen by Wednesday to hurricane force. It would be the season's ninth hurricane and is already the 18th named storm.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Philippe was east of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean on Monday and moving north-northwest.

Some days are like that!

Unfortunately unfortunate!

New twists are getting added to the saga between Sourav Ganguly and Mr Greg Chappell by each passing day amid growing speculation about a rift in the Indian cricket team.

Today, there was a revelation that it was Ganguly who had asked Mr Chappell about his frank opinion as an "elder brother" on where he stood in his career, which was later twisted as if he had been asked to step down as captain of the Indian team.

The source also said it was "disgraceful" on the part of Indian captain to have "manipulated public opinion" as he, and a few of his men within the team, have been resisting to come out of their comfort zones and conform to the parameters of physical, mental and technical excellence which Mr Chappell and company have been insisting upon.

Anyhow, I don't think that the real thing will ever come out. There are doubts still about the happenings, based on the timing of his revelation (Just after he hit the century). All in all, not a good news for Indian cricket.

Turning on to Sania, it is unfortunate that a minority religious group has raised objections over her on-court attire. The Netaji Indoor Stadium, venue for the Sunfeast Open WTA meet, is crawling with police personnel, and gun-wielding commandos are constantly around star. We have to wait and see what implications these developments will have on her. Hope that she is not carried away with all these and is able to concentrate on her game.

Shalimar The Clown

At the release of his new book "Shalimar the Clown" at Asia Society in New York on Friday night is Salman Rushdie with wife Padma Laxmi.