An experimental gene therapy has helped restore partial vision to people with congenital retinal disease, according to breakthrough studies which provides hope for treating various eye illnesses.
Clinical trials showed success on three young adults at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who suffered from a rare and as yet incurable form of congenital blindness.
"This result is important for the entire field of gene therapy," study leader Katherine High was quoted as saying in the New England Journal of Medicine whose website reported the findings by a collection of international doctors and scientists. Scientists used a genetically engineered virus as a vector to carry millions of copies of a normal version of the gene known as RPE65 to the patients' retina via surgical procedures performed between October 2007 and January 2008.
A mutation of this gene that normally makes a protein needed by the retina which senses light and sends images to the brain, is responsible for a gradual loss of sight.
About two weeks after the surgery all three patients reported improved vision in the injected eye.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Heart disease related gene identified
Researchers from Imperial College London, the Medical Research Council (MRC), and other international institutions have identified a gene that can cause the heart to become enlarged, greatly increasing the risk of heart attacks and heart failure.
The findings are based on a study that revealed how a gene called osteoglycin (Ogn), which had not previously been linked with heart function, plays a significant role in regulating heart growth.
According to the study, the gene can behave abnormally in some people, and that this can cause the heart becoming abnormally enlarged.
The researchers hope that with a complete understanding of how enlarged hearts are linked to the workings of genes like Ogn, they will be able to develop new treatments for the condition, which affects a large proportion of those with high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.
They hope that their findings will provide new avenues for treating people who either have an enlarged heart or are at risk of developing one, which can only be treated by lowering blood pressure currently.
In the study, researchers demonstrated that Ogn regulates the growth of the heart's main pumping chamber, its left ventricle.
If the left ventricle thickens, this creates a condition known as elevated Left Ventricular Mass (LVM), a major contributing factor for common heart diseases.
When the heart is enlarged it needs more oxygen and becomes stiff. This can cause shortness of breath or lead to a heart attack.
In the study, the researchers found that higher than normal levels of Ogn were linked to the heart becoming enlarged in rats and mice and in humans.
For the study, the researchers first associated the Ogn gene with elevated LVM by looking at rat models and analysing how LVM related to the genetic makeup of rats with both elevated and normal LVM.
Then, they conducted the same analyses on samples from the human heart, volunteered by patients who had undergone cardiac surgery.
Researchers found that out of 22,000 possible genes, Ogn was the gene most strongly correlated with elevated LVM in humans.
"We already knew that enlarged hearts were linked with conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity but figuring out the genetic causes as well could be key to working out how to treat the condition," Nature quoted Professor Tim Aitman, co-author of the study from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and Imperial College London, as saying.
The findings are based on a study that revealed how a gene called osteoglycin (Ogn), which had not previously been linked with heart function, plays a significant role in regulating heart growth.
According to the study, the gene can behave abnormally in some people, and that this can cause the heart becoming abnormally enlarged.
The researchers hope that with a complete understanding of how enlarged hearts are linked to the workings of genes like Ogn, they will be able to develop new treatments for the condition, which affects a large proportion of those with high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.
They hope that their findings will provide new avenues for treating people who either have an enlarged heart or are at risk of developing one, which can only be treated by lowering blood pressure currently.
In the study, researchers demonstrated that Ogn regulates the growth of the heart's main pumping chamber, its left ventricle.
If the left ventricle thickens, this creates a condition known as elevated Left Ventricular Mass (LVM), a major contributing factor for common heart diseases.
When the heart is enlarged it needs more oxygen and becomes stiff. This can cause shortness of breath or lead to a heart attack.
In the study, the researchers found that higher than normal levels of Ogn were linked to the heart becoming enlarged in rats and mice and in humans.
For the study, the researchers first associated the Ogn gene with elevated LVM by looking at rat models and analysing how LVM related to the genetic makeup of rats with both elevated and normal LVM.
Then, they conducted the same analyses on samples from the human heart, volunteered by patients who had undergone cardiac surgery.
Researchers found that out of 22,000 possible genes, Ogn was the gene most strongly correlated with elevated LVM in humans.
"We already knew that enlarged hearts were linked with conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity but figuring out the genetic causes as well could be key to working out how to treat the condition," Nature quoted Professor Tim Aitman, co-author of the study from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and Imperial College London, as saying.
Footballers fuel a ruder Britain: Poll
which long prided itself on a reputation for good manners, is becoming increasingly rude, according to a poll out on Monday.
Highly-paid footballers and celebrities are setting a bad example, according to the survey, which listed spitting and swearing as the most offensive forms of behaviour.
Almost nine out of 10 people — 86.2% — think Britons have become ruder than a decade ago, found the poll for ITV1 Tonight TV programme.
"I suppose it's part of the breakdown in society, the fact that we stopped having respect for figures in authority, partly because those in authority didn't command it," said etiquette coach Diana Mather.
The rise of football culture — and football hooligans creating mayhem — has long dented UK's good-mannered image abroad, and now Britons themselves acknowledge they have a major problem.
Highly-paid footballers and celebrities are setting a bad example, according to the survey, which listed spitting and swearing as the most offensive forms of behaviour.
Almost nine out of 10 people — 86.2% — think Britons have become ruder than a decade ago, found the poll for ITV1 Tonight TV programme.
"I suppose it's part of the breakdown in society, the fact that we stopped having respect for figures in authority, partly because those in authority didn't command it," said etiquette coach Diana Mather.
The rise of football culture — and football hooligans creating mayhem — has long dented UK's good-mannered image abroad, and now Britons themselves acknowledge they have a major problem.
Gas pipeline to be finalised in 45 days: Iran
India, Pakistan and Iran will finalise in 45 days all agreements for implementation of the long-delayed tri-nation gas pipeline project, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday night.
All pending issues and agreements would be finalised within 45 days and "given to the leadership of the three countries. Afterwards we will decide," he said addressing a news conference here after talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
On extending the pipeline to China, he said "we have recieved one proposal. We will evaluate it and consider its merit and evaluate all aspects of the proposal".
Describing Iran's relationship with India as "deep and historic", the President said the "two sides are too close to each other and hope in the future we will finalise the gas pipeline project."
All pending issues and agreements would be finalised within 45 days and "given to the leadership of the three countries. Afterwards we will decide," he said addressing a news conference here after talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
On extending the pipeline to China, he said "we have recieved one proposal. We will evaluate it and consider its merit and evaluate all aspects of the proposal".
Describing Iran's relationship with India as "deep and historic", the President said the "two sides are too close to each other and hope in the future we will finalise the gas pipeline project."
Intel and AMD’s different classes of business
Intel is taking the high road and its rival Advanced Micro Devices the low one in search of market share in different business segments, according to announcements on Monday.
Intel unveiled a partnership with the Cray supercomputing company. In an industry first, their engineers will work together on creating a new supercomputer for release around 2012.
They aim to reduce dramatically processing times for intensive applications such as medical imaging, cell modelling in genome research and hurricane forecasting. The high-performance computing market was worth $11.5bn last year, according to the IDC research firm.
Kirk Skaugen (pictured left), head of Intel’s Server Platforms group, and Peter Ungaro (right), Cray chief executive, told me that synergies between the two companies’ research teams would help them solve problems where components interconnected. This was key to keeping processors fed with data and operating at maximum performance.
They would also work on how to take advantage of what is expected to be a grouping of as many as 1m processing cores in a single supercomputing system.
The two companies say they will work with academic institutions and government bodies to test their products.
Meanwhile, AMD introduced its AMD Business Class, aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. This is a new platform of chips designed to help PC makers target this segment with products. Both dual, triple and quad-core processors are featured combined with AMD and non-AMD graphics and chipsets.
Acer, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens and Lenovo all announced their support for the initiative.
Intel unveiled a partnership with the Cray supercomputing company. In an industry first, their engineers will work together on creating a new supercomputer for release around 2012.
They aim to reduce dramatically processing times for intensive applications such as medical imaging, cell modelling in genome research and hurricane forecasting. The high-performance computing market was worth $11.5bn last year, according to the IDC research firm.
Kirk Skaugen (pictured left), head of Intel’s Server Platforms group, and Peter Ungaro (right), Cray chief executive, told me that synergies between the two companies’ research teams would help them solve problems where components interconnected. This was key to keeping processors fed with data and operating at maximum performance.
They would also work on how to take advantage of what is expected to be a grouping of as many as 1m processing cores in a single supercomputing system.
The two companies say they will work with academic institutions and government bodies to test their products.
Meanwhile, AMD introduced its AMD Business Class, aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. This is a new platform of chips designed to help PC makers target this segment with products. Both dual, triple and quad-core processors are featured combined with AMD and non-AMD graphics and chipsets.
Acer, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens and Lenovo all announced their support for the initiative.
GTA IV gets masterpiece as well as Mature rating
The queues for Grand Theft Auto IV, which went on sale at midnight, seem justified judging by the rave reviews for the latest game from developer Rockstar Games and its publisher Take-Two.
“Rockstar’s magnum opus is a modern-day masterpiece that could change the way the world views videogames,” said Gamespy.
Its New York-based location “Liberty City is nothing less than one of the greatest videogame worlds yet conceived,” said IGN.
“I now know how film critics felt after screening The Godfather …Grand Theft Auto IV doesn’t just raise the bar for the storied franchise; it completely changes the landscape of gaming,” said Game Informer.
Metacritic, which provides a weighted average score for games based on a wide range of reviews, has rated the PlayStation 3 version of the game as a perfect 100 and the Xbox 360 version as a 99.
The industry average for video games is around 68, with Nintendo games scoring highest at an average of 75, Sony following on 74, then Take-Two on 73 and Electronic Arts on 72.
Metacritic is widely quoted by the industry and the Mature-rated Grand Theft Auto franchise’s excellence has to be one big reason why EA has bid $2bn for Take-Two.
At its analyst day in February, John Riccitiello, EA chief executive, expressed his disappointment that EA’s Metacritic average had dropped 5 points in five years from 77 to 72.
He set a target for its fiscal 2011 year of reaching an average Metacritic score of 80.
EA is this year building better games than it has ever done, he believes, but just imagine the boost to those averages the addition of Rockstar would give
Monday, 28 April 2008
TCS plans Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Oman centres
India’s largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services will open centres in Egypt, Abu Dhabi and Oman as part of its drive to focus more on Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
At present, TCS centres are based in Dubai, Riyadh, North Africa, Morocco and Bahrain.
"The MENA region has been active in the last couple of years as the infrastructure, energy, utility and alternative sources of energy are showing strong growth and there are robust opportunities for further growth," TCS CEO and managing director S Ramadorai was quoted as saying.
The value of MENA's computer-services market is estimated at USD 50 million and the region contributes three-five per cent to the group's growth while India's share is 11 per cent.
Latin America, India and MENA countries together contribute USD 940 million to the group.
He said India's software industry is currently worth more than USD 30 billion and is expected to grow to USD 60 - 80 billion by 2010.
On the impact of rupee's appreciation against the dollar, he said it has eroded earnings of the company as most of its sales are generated overseas.
TCS gets almost 91 per cent of its sales from overseas, including 50 per cent from the US. The Indian rupee has gained around 11 per cent in the last financial year.
At present, TCS centres are based in Dubai, Riyadh, North Africa, Morocco and Bahrain.
"The MENA region has been active in the last couple of years as the infrastructure, energy, utility and alternative sources of energy are showing strong growth and there are robust opportunities for further growth," TCS CEO and managing director S Ramadorai was quoted as saying.
The value of MENA's computer-services market is estimated at USD 50 million and the region contributes three-five per cent to the group's growth while India's share is 11 per cent.
Latin America, India and MENA countries together contribute USD 940 million to the group.
He said India's software industry is currently worth more than USD 30 billion and is expected to grow to USD 60 - 80 billion by 2010.
On the impact of rupee's appreciation against the dollar, he said it has eroded earnings of the company as most of its sales are generated overseas.
TCS gets almost 91 per cent of its sales from overseas, including 50 per cent from the US. The Indian rupee has gained around 11 per cent in the last financial year.
TV drama: Jane Austen a serial flirt
Jane Austen fans who think the novelist was a country mouse may be shocked by a new British TV drama which depicts her flirting, suffering from hangovers and reneging on the acceptance of a marriage proposal.
But the scriptwriter of 'Miss Austen Regrets' believes anybody who has read her books will recognize Austen as a woman of brilliant wit who knew her way around society.
"I am not dishing the dirt," said Gwyneth Hughes. "Some people might not like to see Austen with a hangover, but I am not out to shock."
Helen Lefroy, a distant relative of Tom Lefroy, a friend of Austen's, said the novelist may have been a livewire "but she wasn't wild."
"We know so little of her, but I do not think she was looking for marriage: she was looking to understand the relationship between men and women, which she used in her novels so well," Lefroy said.
The script for the BBC production, to be shown on Sunday, is based on the 100-plus surviving letters by Austen to her devoted sister Cassandra and to her young niece, Fanny.
Austen, who wrote the classics "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility," never found her own Mr. Darcy.
But the drama features a number of romances as well as a proposal of marriage, which the 27-year-old Austen initially accepted and then turned down after a night's reflection. "It would have been seen as incredibly rude and ill-brought up," Hughes said. "Fast, scandalous and wrong."
Later, a middle-aged Austen had a crush on a doctor 10 years her junior, who was treating her brother. "My judgment is she fancied him like mad," Hughes said.
Austen had been a tremendous flirt, and enjoyed partying, the scriptwriter added.
"She was a normal woman," Hughes said. "If she went to a party, she would have had some wine and woken up with a hangover."
Hughes believes many letters may have been destroyed by Cassandra to spare the feelings of friends, family and neighbors, and to protect her sister's privacy.
"She was lively and ferocious. Some of the comments about her neighbors make your eyes water." But there was enough in the letters to hint at "what might have been" in terms of romance, Hughes believes.
"We are very condescending nowadays, thinking they had buttoned-up and boring lives, but they were no more boring than ours, and some were more interesting. I am looking for Jane as she was, who we can relate to and understand in a modern world." said Hughes.
But the scriptwriter of 'Miss Austen Regrets' believes anybody who has read her books will recognize Austen as a woman of brilliant wit who knew her way around society.
"I am not dishing the dirt," said Gwyneth Hughes. "Some people might not like to see Austen with a hangover, but I am not out to shock."
Helen Lefroy, a distant relative of Tom Lefroy, a friend of Austen's, said the novelist may have been a livewire "but she wasn't wild."
"We know so little of her, but I do not think she was looking for marriage: she was looking to understand the relationship between men and women, which she used in her novels so well," Lefroy said.
The script for the BBC production, to be shown on Sunday, is based on the 100-plus surviving letters by Austen to her devoted sister Cassandra and to her young niece, Fanny.
Austen, who wrote the classics "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility," never found her own Mr. Darcy.
But the drama features a number of romances as well as a proposal of marriage, which the 27-year-old Austen initially accepted and then turned down after a night's reflection. "It would have been seen as incredibly rude and ill-brought up," Hughes said. "Fast, scandalous and wrong."
Later, a middle-aged Austen had a crush on a doctor 10 years her junior, who was treating her brother. "My judgment is she fancied him like mad," Hughes said.
Austen had been a tremendous flirt, and enjoyed partying, the scriptwriter added.
"She was a normal woman," Hughes said. "If she went to a party, she would have had some wine and woken up with a hangover."
Hughes believes many letters may have been destroyed by Cassandra to spare the feelings of friends, family and neighbors, and to protect her sister's privacy.
"She was lively and ferocious. Some of the comments about her neighbors make your eyes water." But there was enough in the letters to hint at "what might have been" in terms of romance, Hughes believes.
"We are very condescending nowadays, thinking they had buttoned-up and boring lives, but they were no more boring than ours, and some were more interesting. I am looking for Jane as she was, who we can relate to and understand in a modern world." said Hughes.
Lakshmi Mittal richest man in UK: Report
Indian steel baron Lakshmi Mittal has been ranked as Britain's richest resident for the fourth year in a row by a leading media house.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2008, to be published on Sunday, the London-based 57-year-old Mittal and his family's total fortune is worth an estimated 27,700 million pounds.
The steel baron consolidated his position at the top by acquiring world's leading steel company Arcelor last year. The combined business, Arcelor Mittal, produces 115 million tons of steel a year and accounts for ten per cent of market.
Mittal is followed in the list by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, with a 11,700-million-pound fortune, and the Duke of Westminster - the richest property developer in Britain, worth 7,000 million pounds.
The Hinduja brothers -- Sri and Gopi -- are at number four, and they will celebrate the 100th anniversary of their father's 6,200-million-pound industry in the year 2014.
Alisher Usmanov, a former prosecutor in Uzbekistan, who appears at number five, built his 5,726-million-pound fortune through steel and ore mines.
A former Miss United Kingdom from Staffordshire, Kirsty Bertarelli, is the highest placed woman, appearing at number six on the list, alongside her 42-year-old husband, Swiss biotechnology tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli.
Next on the list are Hans Rausing and family, who developed the Tetra Pak; the shipping owner John Fredriksen; the retail millionaires Sir Philip and Lady Green; and David and Simon Reuben, who have been active in the British property market for a decade.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2008, to be published on Sunday, the London-based 57-year-old Mittal and his family's total fortune is worth an estimated 27,700 million pounds.
The steel baron consolidated his position at the top by acquiring world's leading steel company Arcelor last year. The combined business, Arcelor Mittal, produces 115 million tons of steel a year and accounts for ten per cent of market.
Mittal is followed in the list by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, with a 11,700-million-pound fortune, and the Duke of Westminster - the richest property developer in Britain, worth 7,000 million pounds.
The Hinduja brothers -- Sri and Gopi -- are at number four, and they will celebrate the 100th anniversary of their father's 6,200-million-pound industry in the year 2014.
Alisher Usmanov, a former prosecutor in Uzbekistan, who appears at number five, built his 5,726-million-pound fortune through steel and ore mines.
A former Miss United Kingdom from Staffordshire, Kirsty Bertarelli, is the highest placed woman, appearing at number six on the list, alongside her 42-year-old husband, Swiss biotechnology tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli.
Next on the list are Hans Rausing and family, who developed the Tetra Pak; the shipping owner John Fredriksen; the retail millionaires Sir Philip and Lady Green; and David and Simon Reuben, who have been active in the British property market for a decade.
IPL cheerleaders get a cover-up
Cricket fans at the IPL match in Nerul were in for a double treat. Not only were there cheergirls, but also cheerboys to encourage the spectators at the Dr D Y Patil Sports Stadium on Sunday. But restraint was shown in dress as well as dance.
The cheerleaders for the Mumbai Indians appeared in shiny blue lycra suits that covered their entire bodies under matching silvery skirts. What surprised the fans was the presence of male cheerleaders.
"Wow, they have girls and boys too," said one of the fans as they cheered on their favourites, the Mumbai Indians, who were playing the Team Hyderabad.
Following the recent statements of the Navi Mumbai police, that they would strictly monitor cheerleaders on closed circuit television to check if they were doing anything "vulgar", there were restrained dance steps performed at the stadium.
The cheerleaders mostly did aerobics on the ground to be on the safe side of the law.
Navi Mumbai police commissioner Ramrao Wagh was himself present at the stadium to watch the match.
Approximately 30 minutes before the match started, the cheerleaders were brought into the stadium in a minibus under tight security. Wagh said that he found the cheerleaders to be "well behaved". The cheerleading troupe danced to Hindi film tunes.
However, the controversy surrounding the cheerleaders was soon forgotten by the fans as the players made their way out to play.
A cricket official told TOI: "Everything is going smoothly and we are happy the security and other arrangements are perfect. The crowd’s reaction showed that the people are not here to just oogle at the cheerleaders but to watch the match and enjoy it."
The cheerleaders for the Mumbai Indians appeared in shiny blue lycra suits that covered their entire bodies under matching silvery skirts. What surprised the fans was the presence of male cheerleaders.
"Wow, they have girls and boys too," said one of the fans as they cheered on their favourites, the Mumbai Indians, who were playing the Team Hyderabad.
Following the recent statements of the Navi Mumbai police, that they would strictly monitor cheerleaders on closed circuit television to check if they were doing anything "vulgar", there were restrained dance steps performed at the stadium.
The cheerleaders mostly did aerobics on the ground to be on the safe side of the law.
Navi Mumbai police commissioner Ramrao Wagh was himself present at the stadium to watch the match.
Approximately 30 minutes before the match started, the cheerleaders were brought into the stadium in a minibus under tight security. Wagh said that he found the cheerleaders to be "well behaved". The cheerleading troupe danced to Hindi film tunes.
However, the controversy surrounding the cheerleaders was soon forgotten by the fans as the players made their way out to play.
A cricket official told TOI: "Everything is going smoothly and we are happy the security and other arrangements are perfect. The crowd’s reaction showed that the people are not here to just oogle at the cheerleaders but to watch the match and enjoy it."
PSLV-C9 places 10 satellites into orbit
Setting a world record, India's Polar rocket on Monday successfully placed ten satellites, including the country's remote sensing satellite, into orbit in a single mission. (Watch)
The ten pack launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) saw the 230-tonne Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) carry the heaviest luggage--824 kgs--and put into orbit an Indian Mini Satellite and eight foreign nano satellites besides the Cartosat-2A remote sensing satellite.
At the end of the 52-hour countdown, the PSLV-C9, with a lift-off mass of 230 tonne, blasted off from the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and soared into the clear sky in a textbook launch.
Fourteen minutes after lift off, the fourth stage of the ISRO's workhorse launch vehicle, in its 13th flight, injected the ten satellites, into the 635 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
This is for the first time that ISRO has put ten satellites in orbit in a single launch. This is also PSLV's twelfth successful flight.
It is for the first time in the world that ten satellites were launched in a single mission. Russia had earlier launched eight satellites together.
Besides the 690 kg Indian remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A and the 83 kg Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1), the rest eight Nano Satellites were from abroad.
This is the third time, the PSLV has been launched in the core alone version, without the six solid propellant first stage strap-on motors.
Terming the launch "satisfactory", ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said "all parameters worked wonderfully well."
The ten pack launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) saw the 230-tonne Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) carry the heaviest luggage--824 kgs--and put into orbit an Indian Mini Satellite and eight foreign nano satellites besides the Cartosat-2A remote sensing satellite.
At the end of the 52-hour countdown, the PSLV-C9, with a lift-off mass of 230 tonne, blasted off from the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and soared into the clear sky in a textbook launch.
Fourteen minutes after lift off, the fourth stage of the ISRO's workhorse launch vehicle, in its 13th flight, injected the ten satellites, into the 635 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
This is for the first time that ISRO has put ten satellites in orbit in a single launch. This is also PSLV's twelfth successful flight.
It is for the first time in the world that ten satellites were launched in a single mission. Russia had earlier launched eight satellites together.
Besides the 690 kg Indian remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A and the 83 kg Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1), the rest eight Nano Satellites were from abroad.
This is the third time, the PSLV has been launched in the core alone version, without the six solid propellant first stage strap-on motors.
Terming the launch "satisfactory", ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said "all parameters worked wonderfully well."
Dawood 4th 'most wanted' criminal on Forbes list
The latest Top 10 list released by Forbes features the world’s most dreaded criminals, in a major departure from the magazine’s usual practice of listing the planet’s rich and famous.
India’s very own Dawood Ibrahim has found a place in the list — at number four.
The "international most wanted" roster is headed by al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and includes others like Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, Russian mobster Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, the man behind Rwanda genocides Felicien Kabuga and Italian mafia’s playboy Matteo Messina Denaro.
Rounding off the list are Colombian cocaine lord Pedro Antonio Marin, Ugandan guerrilla commander Joseph Kony, leader of the Winter Hill Gang in US James "Whitey" Bulger and kingpin of the Persian organised crime family in Canada Omid Tahvili.
Forbes.com, which has come up with the list, claimed to have consulted law enforcement agencies in the US and around the world to identify the top ten.
"They (listed criminals) are all accused of a long history of committing serious crimes and are considered a dangerous menace to the world," it said.
Though all of them have already featured on one or the other wanted list, ranging from their countries’ list to Interpol, the Forbes initiative appears to be a step in highlighting their extent as international criminals given "the current state of globalized crime".
Referring to the Forbes list, former CBI director U S Misra told TOI, "It will have some impact on the countries which have been harbouring such criminals for political reasons. These lists will put pressure on such countries which will have to answer their own people in due course for giving shelter to the fugitives."
Misra, a former Interpol vice-president, said details of such fugitives, including their possible hideouts in a particular country, will tell the world how the country concerned was not cooperating with Interpol by failing to deliver on the promises made to the global police body.
The Forbes list has, in fact, mentioned the possible hideouts of Dawood (in Pakistan), Osama (in Pakistan’s Waziristan region) and others — reflecting the law enforcement agencies’ assessment of the area of operations of these criminals and their shelters. The list also found support from Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble who told Forbes.com, "What they all have in common is that whether their crimes have occurred principally at the national or international level, their crimes have been so significant that they should be pursued globally."
He added, "With regard to the world’s most wanted criminals, it is always easy to see the tremendous local impact that their crimes have had."
Forbes said it would periodically review the list — the way it does for its lists of billionaires and others. "Forbes will periodically review the list to determine whether a replacement is warranted and will scratch off those fugitives who are put out of action," it said.
India’s very own Dawood Ibrahim has found a place in the list — at number four.
The "international most wanted" roster is headed by al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and includes others like Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, Russian mobster Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, the man behind Rwanda genocides Felicien Kabuga and Italian mafia’s playboy Matteo Messina Denaro.
Rounding off the list are Colombian cocaine lord Pedro Antonio Marin, Ugandan guerrilla commander Joseph Kony, leader of the Winter Hill Gang in US James "Whitey" Bulger and kingpin of the Persian organised crime family in Canada Omid Tahvili.
Forbes.com, which has come up with the list, claimed to have consulted law enforcement agencies in the US and around the world to identify the top ten.
"They (listed criminals) are all accused of a long history of committing serious crimes and are considered a dangerous menace to the world," it said.
Though all of them have already featured on one or the other wanted list, ranging from their countries’ list to Interpol, the Forbes initiative appears to be a step in highlighting their extent as international criminals given "the current state of globalized crime".
Referring to the Forbes list, former CBI director U S Misra told TOI, "It will have some impact on the countries which have been harbouring such criminals for political reasons. These lists will put pressure on such countries which will have to answer their own people in due course for giving shelter to the fugitives."
Misra, a former Interpol vice-president, said details of such fugitives, including their possible hideouts in a particular country, will tell the world how the country concerned was not cooperating with Interpol by failing to deliver on the promises made to the global police body.
The Forbes list has, in fact, mentioned the possible hideouts of Dawood (in Pakistan), Osama (in Pakistan’s Waziristan region) and others — reflecting the law enforcement agencies’ assessment of the area of operations of these criminals and their shelters. The list also found support from Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble who told Forbes.com, "What they all have in common is that whether their crimes have occurred principally at the national or international level, their crimes have been so significant that they should be pursued globally."
He added, "With regard to the world’s most wanted criminals, it is always easy to see the tremendous local impact that their crimes have had."
Forbes said it would periodically review the list — the way it does for its lists of billionaires and others. "Forbes will periodically review the list to determine whether a replacement is warranted and will scratch off those fugitives who are put out of action," it said.
66 killed in China train collision
Two passenger trains collided in eastern China on Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring hundreds as carriages derailed and toppled into a ditch, state media said.
Some 400 people were taken to hospital, with 70 in a critical condition, Xinhua news agency said, suggesting the death toll could rise further.
One train was en route from Beijing to the seaside resort of Qingdao when the accident happened in Zibo, Shandong province. The second train was from the resort of Yantai, in Shandong.
Both were likely operating at full speed at the time of the accident, the worst in China since 1997, a cargo worker said.
One passenger described escaping the wreckage with her 13-year-old daughter through a massive crack in the floor.
"We were still sleeping when the accident occurred," Xinhua quoted the woman, surnamed Yu, as saying. "I suddenly woke up when I felt the train stopped with a jolt. In a minute or two it started off again, but soon toppled."
The accident happened at a bend in the tracks and which caused the carriages to topple into a ditch, Xinhua reported, adding that blood-tainted sheets and broken thermos flasks littered the ground.
Four of the injured were French nationals, all of whom were taken to hospital with bone fractures, the report said.
Carriages overturned
Pictures posted at a news portal showed carriages overturned and rescue workers milling around passengers wrapped in blankets.
The local Qilu Evening news said the railway had begun a new timetable on Monday.
State television said the rail line was built in 1897 and was due to be retired in favour of a high-speed link to be ready in time for the Summer Olympics, when Qingdao will host the sailing events.
Railway Minister Liu Zhijun had arrived at the site and President Hu Jintao had dispatched Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang to the scene, Xinhua said.
"The city government of Zibo has sent a 1,500-member strong team to help and console the victims' families," it added.
The cargo worker said trains were already backing up near his station due to the collision.
In January, a high-speed train ran through a group of maintenance workers in the dark in Shandong, killing 18.
China has invested about $100 billion in its railways in the past few years and is expanding the system to accommodate what is the world's most dense passenger and freight network.
As it stands, China's railways can barely keep pace with the country's breakneck economic growth or with the hundreds of millions of workers who are flocking from the countryside to booming cities.
Monday's accident was the worst in China since 1997, when more than 100 people were killed in a train crash in the central province of Hunan.
I have forgiven Harbhajan: Sreesanth
Still in a state of shock after being punched by one of his Indian team mates, Kerala pacer S Sreesanth said that he has no bitter feeling towards Harbhajan Singh and he has forgiven the volatile off-spinner.
The spunky Kerala speedster said he had actually gone to shake hands with Harbhajan after Friday's Indian Premier League match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians when the temperamental off-spinner hit him.
"Bhajji is like an elder brother and I have forgiven him," Sreesanth said.
"I went to shake hands with him after the play was over but I did not expect such kind of response. It was not just a slap but something like a punch," he said.
And still, Sreesanth claimed, he does not hold any ill feeling towards Harbhajan.
"I have to forget it. Whatever happened is over. I'm not the kind of a guy who would nurse grudges. Of course I was hurt, it was totally unexpected and I have nothing more to say," Sreesanth said.
He said Harbhajan was not in the best of his moods after the Mumbai side he was leading crashed to their third successive defeat in the IPL. But still his behaviour stunned him.
"Mumbai had lost three matches in a row and Bhajji was very angry. Still it was unbelievable."
Sreesanth will appear in tomorrow's disciplinary hearing in Delhi where Match Referee Farokh Engineer would hear both the sides before announcing his verdict.
Sreesanth said he was trying to concentrate on his game. "I have to continue playing and concentrate on my game," he said.
The spunky Kerala speedster said he had actually gone to shake hands with Harbhajan after Friday's Indian Premier League match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians when the temperamental off-spinner hit him.
"Bhajji is like an elder brother and I have forgiven him," Sreesanth said.
"I went to shake hands with him after the play was over but I did not expect such kind of response. It was not just a slap but something like a punch," he said.
And still, Sreesanth claimed, he does not hold any ill feeling towards Harbhajan.
"I have to forget it. Whatever happened is over. I'm not the kind of a guy who would nurse grudges. Of course I was hurt, it was totally unexpected and I have nothing more to say," Sreesanth said.
He said Harbhajan was not in the best of his moods after the Mumbai side he was leading crashed to their third successive defeat in the IPL. But still his behaviour stunned him.
"Mumbai had lost three matches in a row and Bhajji was very angry. Still it was unbelievable."
Sreesanth will appear in tomorrow's disciplinary hearing in Delhi where Match Referee Farokh Engineer would hear both the sides before announcing his verdict.
Sreesanth said he was trying to concentrate on his game. "I have to continue playing and concentrate on my game," he said.
It was like a WWF punch: Sreesanth
The die seems loaded against firebrand spinner Harbhajan Singh following the ugly episode of a slap turned slugfest with pacer Sreesanth after the IPL tie in Mohali on Friday.
Harbhajan's fate will be decided on Monday when match referee Farrokh Engineer takes a call - Harbhajan faces a ban for a significant number of matches, and, at best, may get to play a couple of matches in the last phase of the Twenty20 league.
"Whether it's going to be a 10-match ban for Harbhajan or a ban for fewer matches is something we cannot say at this point, but whatever IPL will decide will be in the best interests of the game. Even BCCI is going to take appropriate action against the cricketer," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said on Sunday.
Sreesanth, meanwhile, is also expected to be asked to keep his emotions under check. The paceman, who took what he said was "like a WWF punch" from his team-mate, has made it to headlines for his undue aggressive behaviour.
Harbhajan, under suspension till the verdict of the hearing, was a worried man on Sunday, almost resigned to his fate. "Now, it's up to IPL."
Harbhajan's fate will be decided on Monday when match referee Farrokh Engineer takes a call - Harbhajan faces a ban for a significant number of matches, and, at best, may get to play a couple of matches in the last phase of the Twenty20 league.
"Whether it's going to be a 10-match ban for Harbhajan or a ban for fewer matches is something we cannot say at this point, but whatever IPL will decide will be in the best interests of the game. Even BCCI is going to take appropriate action against the cricketer," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said on Sunday.
Sreesanth, meanwhile, is also expected to be asked to keep his emotions under check. The paceman, who took what he said was "like a WWF punch" from his team-mate, has made it to headlines for his undue aggressive behaviour.
Harbhajan, under suspension till the verdict of the hearing, was a worried man on Sunday, almost resigned to his fate. "Now, it's up to IPL."
Bhajji banned for 11 IPL matches
In the just concluded IPL hearing at the ITC Maurya hotel in Delhi on Monday, Team India's off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been banned for 11 Indian Premier league (IPL) matches by the IPL governing council, according to reports by news channel Times Now . ( Watch )
During the course of the hearing, Harbhajan pleaded guilty and regretted his actions for hurting Sreesanth's sentiments. According to the sources, Bhajji carried a letter in reply to BCCI's show cause notice in the hearing. In letter to the BCCI, Bhajji said he slapped S Sreesanth post the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab on April 25. ( Watch )
The IPL disciplinary hearing was conducted by match referee Farokh Engineer. The match referee will take a final call on whether to ban Bhajji for life.
According to reports, Bhajji could face another inquiry from BCCI for flouting rules. The BCCI has appointed advocate Sudhir Nanavati as Commissioner to make preliminary inquiry into Harbhajan's slapping incident. Advocate Nanavati will inquire into the case of Bhajji flouting BCCI guidelines. Nanavati will submit report to BCCI president Sharad Pawar within 15 days. If found guilty, Bhajji may face 10-IPL matches ban. BCCI's disciplinary committee will look into Nanavati's report before giving the final verdict. ( Watch )
Harbhajan is accompanied by Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput. Sreesanth, who has also arrived for the hearing, is also likely to be questioned on his conduct during the hearing. ( Watch )
Slapping a fellow player constitutes a Level 4 offence as per the ICC Code of Conduct and could lead to a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum of five Tests or 10 ODIs.
During the course of the hearing, Harbhajan pleaded guilty and regretted his actions for hurting Sreesanth's sentiments. According to the sources, Bhajji carried a letter in reply to BCCI's show cause notice in the hearing. In letter to the BCCI, Bhajji said he slapped S Sreesanth post the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab on April 25. ( Watch )
The IPL disciplinary hearing was conducted by match referee Farokh Engineer. The match referee will take a final call on whether to ban Bhajji for life.
According to reports, Bhajji could face another inquiry from BCCI for flouting rules. The BCCI has appointed advocate Sudhir Nanavati as Commissioner to make preliminary inquiry into Harbhajan's slapping incident. Advocate Nanavati will inquire into the case of Bhajji flouting BCCI guidelines. Nanavati will submit report to BCCI president Sharad Pawar within 15 days. If found guilty, Bhajji may face 10-IPL matches ban. BCCI's disciplinary committee will look into Nanavati's report before giving the final verdict. ( Watch )
Harbhajan is accompanied by Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput. Sreesanth, who has also arrived for the hearing, is also likely to be questioned on his conduct during the hearing. ( Watch )
Slapping a fellow player constitutes a Level 4 offence as per the ICC Code of Conduct and could lead to a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum of five Tests or 10 ODIs.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Is Ashlee Simpson really pregnant?
Pop star Ashlee Simpson has further fuelled speculation she is pregnant by again refusing to be drawn on the claims during the taping for a U.S. TV show.
After Simpson and rocker beau Pete Wentz announced their engagement earlier this month, sources immediately alleged the Boyfriend singer is expecting the couple’s first child. The pair have since made numerous TV appearances and failed to clear up the rumours even spoofing them by making a video showing Simpson wearing a fake baby bump. And the 23-year-old singer remained coy about the subject when she was quizzed about the baby rumours during her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show which is due to air soon in the US. When asked directly by host DeGeneres, "Are you or are you not pregnant?" Simpson responded by saying, "Well, that has been going on for quite a while. That is something that I choose personally not to discuss."
DeGeneres then made her promise she would not keep the public guessing for as long as fellow singer Jennifer Lopez who waited until her swollen belly was so obvious, no one was surprised when she finally confirmed the baby news. Simpson told DeGeneres: "I swear. I promise you that. I give you my pinky (little finger) on that." The pair then hooked fingers to seal the deal. She also dodged one final attempt by DeGeneres to catch her out. When asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?" Simpson laughed and responded, "You’re funny."
Meanwhile in related news Pete Wentz has credited his fiancee Ashlee Simpson and his regular therapy sessions with helping him overcome depression. The bassist recently admitted that he was once so depressed he tried to kill himself. But Wentz is convinced that although he still battles with mental health issues, his relationship with Simpson has made him more emotionally balanced. He says, "The hardest thing about depression is that it is addictive. It begins to feel uncomfortable not to be depressed. You feel guilty for feeling happy. I think I’ve come to terms with that over the last six months. I’m in a happier place... Things are so good with Ashlee. To be in a position where you're with your best friend and you can hang out with them all the time is great. I never have moments of doubt with her." The couple announced their engagement earlier this month after dating for two years.
Kangna is losing weight!
After Kareena’s recent weight loss, another girl is joining the thin brigade of Bollywood.
And she’s none other than the heroine of Fashion, Kangna Ranaut, who has already lost lots of weight, courtesy her role of a ramp model in the film. Kangna now has been asked to lose even more weight for Raaz 2 by director Mohit Suri. By the way, do you know her ex good friend Aditya Pancholi too is on weight-losing spree? Anyway, guess what Kangna’s playing in the Raaz sequel? A ramp model! Now, we fear that at this rate the poor girl will soon disappear into thin air... We suggest Ramu should take her in Gayab 2, wotsay?
And she’s none other than the heroine of Fashion, Kangna Ranaut, who has already lost lots of weight, courtesy her role of a ramp model in the film. Kangna now has been asked to lose even more weight for Raaz 2 by director Mohit Suri. By the way, do you know her ex good friend Aditya Pancholi too is on weight-losing spree? Anyway, guess what Kangna’s playing in the Raaz sequel? A ramp model! Now, we fear that at this rate the poor girl will soon disappear into thin air... We suggest Ramu should take her in Gayab 2, wotsay?
'Indians face high risk of heart disease'
By 2010, India will carry 60 percent of the world's heart disease burden, nearly four times more than its share of the global population, according to a study released on Friday.
Adding to the burden is a higher incidence of the types of heart disease resulting in serious illness and mortality, and the fact that these conditions strike at an earlier age, says the study.
Death rates are especially high among the country's poorest residents, unable to get to hospital quickly in an emergency, or to afford routine treatments and surgery.
Ischaemic heart disease -- mainly heart attacks and coronary artery disease -- is the leading cause of mortality in the world, accounting for 7.1 million deaths in 2001.
More than 80 percent of these were in developing countries. Researchers have long known that south Asia has the highest level of acute coronary syndromes in the world, but little statistical data was available about treatment and health outcomes.
A team of researchers led by Denis Xavier of St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India gathered data on nearly 21,000 coronary patients admitted to 89 hospitals across 50 cities across the country.
They found that of 20,468 patients given a definite diagnosis, 60 percent showed evidence of a heart attack, compared with 40 percent in developing countries.
With a average age of 60, these Indian patients were also younger by three to six years than their counterparts in richer nations.
The risk factors -- include tobacco use, high levels of lipids in the blood due to diets rich in saturated fat, and hypertension -- are the same as elsewhere, but the gap between India and developed nations have more specific causes, the study found.
One was simply the time needed for patients suffering an acute heart problem to get medical attention. On average, it took 300 minutes to reach a hospital in India, twice as long and in rich nations.
"Few patients used an ambulance to reach the hospital. Most used private or public transport" due to financial constraints, the authors note.
Poverty also prevented most patients in India -- where 75 percent of health care expenses are paid out-of-pocket -- from obtaining routine treatments in hospital, much less preventative surgery.
Many of these findings were expected, but had never before been quantified.
"This registry is a major milestone, since it provides the first comprehensive view of the epidemic of acute coronary syndrome in India and helps to identify opportunities for improvement in care," notes cardiologist Kim Eagle in a commentary, also published in The Lancet.
"As the Indian economy grows, there is a possibility to further increases in cardiovascular disease before we see a decline similar to that being witnessed in developed countries," he warned.
By 2020, ischaemic heart disease is expected to have increased over three decades by 137 percent for men and 120 percent for women in poorer nations, compared with 30 to 60 percent in rich economies, according to The Lancet.
Adding to the burden is a higher incidence of the types of heart disease resulting in serious illness and mortality, and the fact that these conditions strike at an earlier age, says the study.
Death rates are especially high among the country's poorest residents, unable to get to hospital quickly in an emergency, or to afford routine treatments and surgery.
Ischaemic heart disease -- mainly heart attacks and coronary artery disease -- is the leading cause of mortality in the world, accounting for 7.1 million deaths in 2001.
More than 80 percent of these were in developing countries. Researchers have long known that south Asia has the highest level of acute coronary syndromes in the world, but little statistical data was available about treatment and health outcomes.
A team of researchers led by Denis Xavier of St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India gathered data on nearly 21,000 coronary patients admitted to 89 hospitals across 50 cities across the country.
They found that of 20,468 patients given a definite diagnosis, 60 percent showed evidence of a heart attack, compared with 40 percent in developing countries.
With a average age of 60, these Indian patients were also younger by three to six years than their counterparts in richer nations.
The risk factors -- include tobacco use, high levels of lipids in the blood due to diets rich in saturated fat, and hypertension -- are the same as elsewhere, but the gap between India and developed nations have more specific causes, the study found.
One was simply the time needed for patients suffering an acute heart problem to get medical attention. On average, it took 300 minutes to reach a hospital in India, twice as long and in rich nations.
"Few patients used an ambulance to reach the hospital. Most used private or public transport" due to financial constraints, the authors note.
Poverty also prevented most patients in India -- where 75 percent of health care expenses are paid out-of-pocket -- from obtaining routine treatments in hospital, much less preventative surgery.
Many of these findings were expected, but had never before been quantified.
"This registry is a major milestone, since it provides the first comprehensive view of the epidemic of acute coronary syndrome in India and helps to identify opportunities for improvement in care," notes cardiologist Kim Eagle in a commentary, also published in The Lancet.
"As the Indian economy grows, there is a possibility to further increases in cardiovascular disease before we see a decline similar to that being witnessed in developed countries," he warned.
By 2020, ischaemic heart disease is expected to have increased over three decades by 137 percent for men and 120 percent for women in poorer nations, compared with 30 to 60 percent in rich economies, according to The Lancet.
Geomagnetism linked to suicide?
Scientists believe that earth's magnetic field may be responsible for suicidal behaviour among people.
Oleg Shumilov of the Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems in Russia studied earth's geomagnetic field from 1948 to 1997 and found three seasonal peaks, from March to May, July and October.
And they discovered a link between geomagnetism peaks and increase in the number of suicides in the northern Russian city of Kirovsk.
Various other studies have also found a casual link between human health and geomagnetism.
A review conducted in 2006 by Michael Rycroft, formerly head of the European Geosciences Society, on cardiovascular health and disturbances, suggested that a link was possible and the impact was more at higher altitudes.
He said that geomagnetic health problems affected 10pct to 15pct of the population.
"Others have found similar things [to Shumilov's results] in independent sets of data," New Scientist quoted Rycroft, as saying.
"It suggests something may be linking the two factors," he added.
Another 2006 Australian study suggested a connection between peaks in suicide numbers and geomagnetic activity.
Furthermore, a 13-year review of South African data on suicides and magnetic storms also hinted a link.
A 1994 study also showed 36.2 pct increase in men admitted in hospital citing depression in the second week after geomagnetic storms.
"The intriguing correlation between geomagnetism and suicide justifies more research into its mechanism," said Rycroft.
Kelly Posner, a psychiatrist at Columbia University said that pineal gland, responsible for regulating circadian rhythm and melatonin production, is sensitive to magnetic fields.
"The circadian regulatory system depends upon repeated environmental cues to [synchronise] internal clocks," said Posner.
"Magnetic fields may be one of these environmental cues," he added.
Posner also revealed that these storms can disturb body clocks and precipitating seasonal affective disorder thereby boosting suicide risk.
Oleg Shumilov of the Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems in Russia studied earth's geomagnetic field from 1948 to 1997 and found three seasonal peaks, from March to May, July and October.
And they discovered a link between geomagnetism peaks and increase in the number of suicides in the northern Russian city of Kirovsk.
Various other studies have also found a casual link between human health and geomagnetism.
A review conducted in 2006 by Michael Rycroft, formerly head of the European Geosciences Society, on cardiovascular health and disturbances, suggested that a link was possible and the impact was more at higher altitudes.
He said that geomagnetic health problems affected 10pct to 15pct of the population.
"Others have found similar things [to Shumilov's results] in independent sets of data," New Scientist quoted Rycroft, as saying.
"It suggests something may be linking the two factors," he added.
Another 2006 Australian study suggested a connection between peaks in suicide numbers and geomagnetic activity.
Furthermore, a 13-year review of South African data on suicides and magnetic storms also hinted a link.
A 1994 study also showed 36.2 pct increase in men admitted in hospital citing depression in the second week after geomagnetic storms.
"The intriguing correlation between geomagnetism and suicide justifies more research into its mechanism," said Rycroft.
Kelly Posner, a psychiatrist at Columbia University said that pineal gland, responsible for regulating circadian rhythm and melatonin production, is sensitive to magnetic fields.
"The circadian regulatory system depends upon repeated environmental cues to [synchronise] internal clocks," said Posner.
"Magnetic fields may be one of these environmental cues," he added.
Posner also revealed that these storms can disturb body clocks and precipitating seasonal affective disorder thereby boosting suicide risk.
Food dyes may help prevent cancer
They may be known for severe health hazards, but food dyes indeed have a positive side- protection against cancer, says a new study.
The study was conducted over trout, a species of freshwater fish, which were given carcinogens dibenzopyrene (DBP) or aflatoxin in their feed either with or without food dyes Red 40 or Blue 2, for one month.
The findings revealed that after nine months, trout fed with any of the dyes in combination with aflatoxin showed 50 per cent fewer liver tumours compared to one fed with aflatoxin only.
Moreover, fish given DBP, in combination with Red 40 showed 50 per cent lower incidence of stomach cancer and 40 per cent lower incidence of liver cancer.
"The public perception is that food dyes are bad, but some of them may have good points as well," New Scientist quoted Gayle Orner at Oregon State University, as saying.
She also said that further studies have to be conducted to understand the mechanism by which these food dyes apply their anti-cancer effect.
The study was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego, California, last week.
The study was conducted over trout, a species of freshwater fish, which were given carcinogens dibenzopyrene (DBP) or aflatoxin in their feed either with or without food dyes Red 40 or Blue 2, for one month.
The findings revealed that after nine months, trout fed with any of the dyes in combination with aflatoxin showed 50 per cent fewer liver tumours compared to one fed with aflatoxin only.
Moreover, fish given DBP, in combination with Red 40 showed 50 per cent lower incidence of stomach cancer and 40 per cent lower incidence of liver cancer.
"The public perception is that food dyes are bad, but some of them may have good points as well," New Scientist quoted Gayle Orner at Oregon State University, as saying.
She also said that further studies have to be conducted to understand the mechanism by which these food dyes apply their anti-cancer effect.
The study was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego, California, last week.
Indians buy Dubai fancy homes for up to Rs 95c
LONDON: Rich and famous Indians at home and super-rich Indian expatriates here have become the second largest ethnic group to buy into the world's first fashion-branded Palazzo Versace lifestyle resort, which is soon to be launched from London, TOI has learned.
Indian interest in the global rollout on April 29 of Palazzo Versace, a 169-residence complex on Dubai's waterfront with prices starting at £1,850,000 (Rs 14.6 crore) and progressing to an eye-popping £12 million (Rs 95 crore), is seen as an emphatic illustration of the "desi dollar's" burgeoning buying power and Indian thirst for brand-focused luxury.
The Indians are just behind Iranian buyers and ahead of the Russians, said Soheil Abedian, head of Sunland Group. The public-listed Australian company has tied up with the House of Versace, the global luxury brand, to develop the Palazzo concept.
Palazzo Versace's new appreciation of the "desi dollar" comes as London-based luxury interior design and development company, Candy & Candy, revealed plans to do a special unveiling in Mumbai of "One Hyde Park", the world's most expensive real estate development ever.
Though no one is confirming anything, it's thought that steel tycoon L N Mittal, the world's richest Indian, has already bought into the fashion-as-lifestyle experience of Palazzo Versace, where the vaulted ceilings are hand-detailed in gold and antique chandeliers light up the foyers. Asked who the Indian buyers are, Abedian said with coy emphasis: "Maybe (they are within the public eye), I really cannot name names, they would not like it."
Versace planning Indian foray in '09
Indian interest is so strong in Palazzo Versace, which describes itself as the byword for sensuous elegance with echoes of the Italian Renaissance, that it is planning to unveil a complex in India — possibly Goa — within the next 12 months, Abedian said.
An Indian Palazzo Versace would be the defining symbol of an "India Poised" to emphasize its newly-affordable consumer appetites, hunger for luxury brand names and burgeoning ranks of high-networth individuals.
Versace claims that purchasing a Palazzo condominium is "like buying a rare piece of art with the 'built form'" with each residence taking "a team of skilled craftsmen tens of thousands of man hours to build over many months".
Versace believes the Indian push towards ultra-luxe property and products echoes quantifiable changes in the international market place with "Tata buying Jaguar even though it also makes the world's cheapest car. India has many different categories of buyers," said Abedian.
The 5.5-hectare Palazzo Dubai complex, which is being marketed as a modern throwback to European palaces in the Baroque style, is the second ultra-luxe branded property-as-lifestyle development to attract Indian interest after iconic architect Santiago Calatrava's Chicago Spire, the world's tallest residential building.
Abedian, who opened the doors of his first Palazzo complex on Australia's Gold Coast eight years ago, says there is a profound difference in the profile of buyers this time round with the newly cash-rich east dominating and the west falling behind. "Buyers for the Gold Coast Palaazo were Australian, New Zealander and British or German.
Now, it is Iranian, Indian, Russian, Gulf countries and Europeans, in that order," he said. Indian moneybags' rush to Dubai and its Palazzo development is seen as proof of the so-called Gateway City's credentials as "an emerging economy, like India and China... in the east, but able to give people a western lifestyle".
Indian interest in the global rollout on April 29 of Palazzo Versace, a 169-residence complex on Dubai's waterfront with prices starting at £1,850,000 (Rs 14.6 crore) and progressing to an eye-popping £12 million (Rs 95 crore), is seen as an emphatic illustration of the "desi dollar's" burgeoning buying power and Indian thirst for brand-focused luxury.
The Indians are just behind Iranian buyers and ahead of the Russians, said Soheil Abedian, head of Sunland Group. The public-listed Australian company has tied up with the House of Versace, the global luxury brand, to develop the Palazzo concept.
Palazzo Versace's new appreciation of the "desi dollar" comes as London-based luxury interior design and development company, Candy & Candy, revealed plans to do a special unveiling in Mumbai of "One Hyde Park", the world's most expensive real estate development ever.
Though no one is confirming anything, it's thought that steel tycoon L N Mittal, the world's richest Indian, has already bought into the fashion-as-lifestyle experience of Palazzo Versace, where the vaulted ceilings are hand-detailed in gold and antique chandeliers light up the foyers. Asked who the Indian buyers are, Abedian said with coy emphasis: "Maybe (they are within the public eye), I really cannot name names, they would not like it."
Versace planning Indian foray in '09
Indian interest is so strong in Palazzo Versace, which describes itself as the byword for sensuous elegance with echoes of the Italian Renaissance, that it is planning to unveil a complex in India — possibly Goa — within the next 12 months, Abedian said.
An Indian Palazzo Versace would be the defining symbol of an "India Poised" to emphasize its newly-affordable consumer appetites, hunger for luxury brand names and burgeoning ranks of high-networth individuals.
Versace claims that purchasing a Palazzo condominium is "like buying a rare piece of art with the 'built form'" with each residence taking "a team of skilled craftsmen tens of thousands of man hours to build over many months".
Versace believes the Indian push towards ultra-luxe property and products echoes quantifiable changes in the international market place with "Tata buying Jaguar even though it also makes the world's cheapest car. India has many different categories of buyers," said Abedian.
The 5.5-hectare Palazzo Dubai complex, which is being marketed as a modern throwback to European palaces in the Baroque style, is the second ultra-luxe branded property-as-lifestyle development to attract Indian interest after iconic architect Santiago Calatrava's Chicago Spire, the world's tallest residential building.
Abedian, who opened the doors of his first Palazzo complex on Australia's Gold Coast eight years ago, says there is a profound difference in the profile of buyers this time round with the newly cash-rich east dominating and the west falling behind. "Buyers for the Gold Coast Palaazo were Australian, New Zealander and British or German.
Now, it is Iranian, Indian, Russian, Gulf countries and Europeans, in that order," he said. Indian moneybags' rush to Dubai and its Palazzo development is seen as proof of the so-called Gateway City's credentials as "an emerging economy, like India and China... in the east, but able to give people a western lifestyle".
Of degrees, loans and more...
Financial resource crunch has often staved off the middle class Indian student from higher education. To add insult to injury, the recent fee hikes announced by premier institutes such as the IIMs and IITs have made quality education a distant dream for deserving youngsters with a monetary disadvantage. "Hitherto, only education abroad was considered out of reach, but spiralling costs of education in India as well have put such thoughts at bay. One is at wit's end when it comes to thinking about garnering funds to send children to medical or engineering schools," opines Pramod Acharya, a concerned parent of an 18-year-old.
Even the first step to acquiring admission to professional courses- gathering brochures- is so expensive that one has to spend a sizeable chunk to get a decent number of them. "Competition for admissions to an MBA programme is so tough, that I had to collect brochures for 10 institutes and that cost me a fortune," declares Aaron Jason, an MBA student.
Educational Loans
So how does one go about chasing his or her dream of a good education? Experts believe that getting a loan sanctioned by a bank, whether it is to pursue a degree abroad or from a premier institute in India is not difficult for a meritorious student. Recent RBI regulations have given a thrust to educational loans and the government has proposed to take over the interest burden during the moratorium period for students from families whose income is less than 2.5 lakhs per-annum. Hence, the scene looks brighter for students from lower and middle-income groups, who want to pursue higher education. Moreover, banks these days do not insist on a collateral for loans up to rupees four lakhs.
Public and private sector banks have various education loan schemes for school, graduate and postgraduate studies in India. For example, Bank of Baroda offers Baroda Vidya, a one of its kind finance option for parents of students pursuing school education. These loans are available for studies from nursery to senior secondary school. There are many other banks that provide customised financial solutions to their customers. "All professional, graduate, postgraduate courses and other courses approved by the UGC/ government/AICTE are eligible for loans," informs V Rangarajan, assistant GM, Rural Banking Department, Indian Bank.
However, things may vary subject to the lending agency. Take the example of Shravan Kamath, 24, a Mumbai-based professional, who is headed to the US for a degree in communication studies. He has managed to get a loan of about 60% of his actual costs from a public sector bank at 13.5% interest. "I am getting the rest of the amount through the scholarship that I have been awarded from the institute," declares Kamath. So what does he think about the services of the funding agency? "Although the process is quite easy you have to wait for at least a month for the cheque to get ready," he answers.
"Banks prefer giving loans to meritorious students in order to be doubly sure that the applicant will not turn into a defaulter. Thus, stringent checks about both the academic background of the student, and the credibility of the institute that he or she is applying to are undertaken to avoid any trouble. This often causes the inadvertent delay," informs a bank employee who does not wish to be named. Some students prefer taking loans from public sector banks.
Almost all public sector banks offer educational loans up to Rs 20 lakhs for higher studies on foreign shores. However, a suitable third party guarantee is required for loans above rupees four lakhs, and tangible collateral security is required for loans above Rs 15 lakhs.
Tax exemption
According to M H Balasubramanian, a practicing chartered accountant, "Under section 80E of the Income Tax Act, 100% of the interest paid on loan taken for pursuing higher education by the student will be allowed as deduction from gross total income of the initial assessment year and for seven successive assessment years or until the interest on such loan is paid by the student in full, whichever is earlier." The exemption is currently available only to the student and not to the parent or co-borrower.
Even the first step to acquiring admission to professional courses- gathering brochures- is so expensive that one has to spend a sizeable chunk to get a decent number of them. "Competition for admissions to an MBA programme is so tough, that I had to collect brochures for 10 institutes and that cost me a fortune," declares Aaron Jason, an MBA student.
Educational Loans
So how does one go about chasing his or her dream of a good education? Experts believe that getting a loan sanctioned by a bank, whether it is to pursue a degree abroad or from a premier institute in India is not difficult for a meritorious student. Recent RBI regulations have given a thrust to educational loans and the government has proposed to take over the interest burden during the moratorium period for students from families whose income is less than 2.5 lakhs per-annum. Hence, the scene looks brighter for students from lower and middle-income groups, who want to pursue higher education. Moreover, banks these days do not insist on a collateral for loans up to rupees four lakhs.
Public and private sector banks have various education loan schemes for school, graduate and postgraduate studies in India. For example, Bank of Baroda offers Baroda Vidya, a one of its kind finance option for parents of students pursuing school education. These loans are available for studies from nursery to senior secondary school. There are many other banks that provide customised financial solutions to their customers. "All professional, graduate, postgraduate courses and other courses approved by the UGC/ government/AICTE are eligible for loans," informs V Rangarajan, assistant GM, Rural Banking Department, Indian Bank.
However, things may vary subject to the lending agency. Take the example of Shravan Kamath, 24, a Mumbai-based professional, who is headed to the US for a degree in communication studies. He has managed to get a loan of about 60% of his actual costs from a public sector bank at 13.5% interest. "I am getting the rest of the amount through the scholarship that I have been awarded from the institute," declares Kamath. So what does he think about the services of the funding agency? "Although the process is quite easy you have to wait for at least a month for the cheque to get ready," he answers.
"Banks prefer giving loans to meritorious students in order to be doubly sure that the applicant will not turn into a defaulter. Thus, stringent checks about both the academic background of the student, and the credibility of the institute that he or she is applying to are undertaken to avoid any trouble. This often causes the inadvertent delay," informs a bank employee who does not wish to be named. Some students prefer taking loans from public sector banks.
Almost all public sector banks offer educational loans up to Rs 20 lakhs for higher studies on foreign shores. However, a suitable third party guarantee is required for loans above rupees four lakhs, and tangible collateral security is required for loans above Rs 15 lakhs.
Tax exemption
According to M H Balasubramanian, a practicing chartered accountant, "Under section 80E of the Income Tax Act, 100% of the interest paid on loan taken for pursuing higher education by the student will be allowed as deduction from gross total income of the initial assessment year and for seven successive assessment years or until the interest on such loan is paid by the student in full, whichever is earlier." The exemption is currently available only to the student and not to the parent or co-borrower.
John Abraham and Bobby Deol are gay
It’s common knowledge by now that Karan Johar’s production Dostana is currently being shot in Miami where Abhishek Bachchan celebrated his wedding anniversary with wife Aishwarya Rai. The film starring John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra along with Abhishek is being directed by Karan’s erstwhile assistant Tarun Mansukhani. Karan admitted that this one too is a triangular love story but also went on to add that it will be genuinely different in terms of treatment and something not seen before in Hindi films.
Perhaps we could help you a bit to unveil one different element of the film. Rather two! As per industry insiders John has an interesting character in the film. He plays a not so straight person in the film. But that’s just for the sake of his friend played by Abhishek Bachchan in the film. Says an insider on condition of anonymity, “The love triangle in the film is between Abhishek-Priyanka-John. Abhishek loves Priyanka in the film. But Priyanka likes John. Abhishek and John play good friends. So for the sake of friend Abhishek, John fakes as if he is a gay to repel Priyanka”. This is the first time that John Abraham (or for that matter any mainstream actor) would be playing a gay character in a Hindi film.
But what’s the second surprise you ask? Ok here it is... Dostana also stars Bobby Deol in a cameo. And very interestingly Bobby too plays a gay character in the film. But for a change he actually enacts a gay character and doesn’t fake one like John Abraham. The insider adds, “Bobby plays a real gay in the film who is attracted to John Abraham who takes up the gay garb just for the sake of his friend”.
From the looks of it, this one isn’t quite a ‘straight’-forward story and one can actually expect a lot of difference.
ICICI Bank Q4 net up 39 per cent
ICICI Bank, India's second-largest bank, on Saturday reported a 39 per cent rise in quarterly net profit, helped by a strong demand for loans.
The country's leading private-sector bank, which is also listed in New York said net profit in January-March, its fiscal fourth quarter, was 11.5 billion rupees ($287 million), up from 8.25 billion rupees a year ago.
The bank said its total income in the March quarter rose to 103.91 billion rupees from 84.95 billion rupees a year ago. Shares in ICICI Bank, which had fallen 38 per cent in the March quarter, rose 4.5 per cent on Friday to 916.15 rupees on expectations of the results topping forecasts.
The country's leading private-sector bank, which is also listed in New York said net profit in January-March, its fiscal fourth quarter, was 11.5 billion rupees ($287 million), up from 8.25 billion rupees a year ago.
The bank said its total income in the March quarter rose to 103.91 billion rupees from 84.95 billion rupees a year ago. Shares in ICICI Bank, which had fallen 38 per cent in the March quarter, rose 4.5 per cent on Friday to 916.15 rupees on expectations of the results topping forecasts.
Super Kings beat Kolkata by 9 wickets
Matthew Hayden slammed 70 runs and Jacob Oram took three wickets to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 9 wickets in the eleventh match of the Indian Premier League.
Scorecard
Earlier, an all-round bowling display allowed Chennai Super Kings restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to a modest 147 for nine in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 encounter on Saturday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team seized the initiative with a double blow and the Kolkata team never really recovered in the clash between two of the unbeaten sides in the competition.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram (3-32) was the wrecker-in-chief as the Knight Riders' big guns - Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting, David Hussey and skipper Sourav Ganguly - fell to indiscreet shots. Only Laxmi Ratan Shukla held the innings together with a crucial innings of 42.
Oram started the slide dismissing McCullum and Ponting off successive balls. McCullum was the lone Kolkata batsman to show some aggression in his 24-run effort off 12 balls. The opening stand of 32 (15 balls) between him and Ganguly remained the brightest patch of their innings.
Ganguly seemed be determined to carry his bat through while wickets fell at the other end. But he too made an exit trying to clear Joginder Sharma over the covers. His 12 off 19 balls had just one four.
Kolkata's first fifty came off 30 balls but as wickets fell at regular intervals, the next 50 runs took 57 deliveries.
While Muthiah Muralitharan remained the most economical bowler with 4-0-12-0, P Amarnath claimed two wickets in four overs conceding 29 runs. He ended the tenure David Hussey, who spooned a catch to S Badrinath at point.
Scorecard
Earlier, an all-round bowling display allowed Chennai Super Kings restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to a modest 147 for nine in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 encounter on Saturday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team seized the initiative with a double blow and the Kolkata team never really recovered in the clash between two of the unbeaten sides in the competition.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram (3-32) was the wrecker-in-chief as the Knight Riders' big guns - Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting, David Hussey and skipper Sourav Ganguly - fell to indiscreet shots. Only Laxmi Ratan Shukla held the innings together with a crucial innings of 42.
Oram started the slide dismissing McCullum and Ponting off successive balls. McCullum was the lone Kolkata batsman to show some aggression in his 24-run effort off 12 balls. The opening stand of 32 (15 balls) between him and Ganguly remained the brightest patch of their innings.
Ganguly seemed be determined to carry his bat through while wickets fell at the other end. But he too made an exit trying to clear Joginder Sharma over the covers. His 12 off 19 balls had just one four.
Kolkata's first fifty came off 30 balls but as wickets fell at regular intervals, the next 50 runs took 57 deliveries.
While Muthiah Muralitharan remained the most economical bowler with 4-0-12-0, P Amarnath claimed two wickets in four overs conceding 29 runs. He ended the tenure David Hussey, who spooned a catch to S Badrinath at point.
Warne elects to bowl against Challengers
Giant killers Rajasthan Royals won the toss and invited Royal Challengers Bangalore to bat first in the 12th match of the Indian Premier League.
Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals, who were considered as the weakest team after a nine-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils in their opening match, stunned the favourites like Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers in a spectacular fashion and would be keen to prove that the feat was no fluke.
Royal Challengers, with a loss and a win from their two matches so far, will be hoping to earn more points with Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul Haq joining the team to strengthen their middle-order.
Their top-order though seems to be a matter of concern with Dravid yet to come to terms with the quickest version of the game.
Rajasthan Royals jumped to fourth place after Thursday's superb win in Hyderabad and would be determined to keep at bay the Rahul Dravid and Co, just one step behind them at the fifth spot in the points table
Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals, who were considered as the weakest team after a nine-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils in their opening match, stunned the favourites like Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers in a spectacular fashion and would be keen to prove that the feat was no fluke.
Royal Challengers, with a loss and a win from their two matches so far, will be hoping to earn more points with Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul Haq joining the team to strengthen their middle-order.
Their top-order though seems to be a matter of concern with Dravid yet to come to terms with the quickest version of the game.
Rajasthan Royals jumped to fourth place after Thursday's superb win in Hyderabad and would be determined to keep at bay the Rahul Dravid and Co, just one step behind them at the fifth spot in the points table
Kings XI lodge complaint against Harbhajan
Kings XI Punjab on Saturday lodged an official complaint with the Board of Control for Cricket in India against off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for making an "unprovoked" attack on Sreesanth after their Indian Premier League match against Mumbai Indians on Friday night.
Kings XI Punjab said Harbhajan's behaviour was "unacceptable" and against the spirit of the game.
"We confirm that a formal complaint against Harbhajan Singh was submitted to the BCCI on Saturday," Kings XI Punjab said in a statement.
"The complaint is in relation to Friday's incident following the match against Mumbai Indians where Harbhajan made an unprovoked attack on Sreesanth. The Kings XI Punjab team and management consider this behaviour unacceptable and against the spirit of the game," the statement added.
Kings XI Punjab, owned by industrialist Ness Wadia and Bollywood actress Priety Zinta, said the matter is now "in the hands of the IPL and BCCI governing body".
Harbhajan has already been served with a show cause notice by the BCCI. The off-spinner has been asked to file an explanation on the matter by Monday evening.
Harbhajan, who was leading the Mumbai Indians in absence of Sachin Tendulkar, reportedly slapped Sreesanth after the match. Sreesanth broke into tears on the field.
The ugly incident happened after Kings XI Punjab registered their first win in the tournament beating Mumbai Indians by 66 runs.
"The team was pleased with the win over the Mumbai Indians and is attempting to not let this matter overshadow that result in any way," the statement said.
Kings XI Punjab said Harbhajan's behaviour was "unacceptable" and against the spirit of the game.
"We confirm that a formal complaint against Harbhajan Singh was submitted to the BCCI on Saturday," Kings XI Punjab said in a statement.
"The complaint is in relation to Friday's incident following the match against Mumbai Indians where Harbhajan made an unprovoked attack on Sreesanth. The Kings XI Punjab team and management consider this behaviour unacceptable and against the spirit of the game," the statement added.
Kings XI Punjab, owned by industrialist Ness Wadia and Bollywood actress Priety Zinta, said the matter is now "in the hands of the IPL and BCCI governing body".
Harbhajan has already been served with a show cause notice by the BCCI. The off-spinner has been asked to file an explanation on the matter by Monday evening.
Harbhajan, who was leading the Mumbai Indians in absence of Sachin Tendulkar, reportedly slapped Sreesanth after the match. Sreesanth broke into tears on the field.
The ugly incident happened after Kings XI Punjab registered their first win in the tournament beating Mumbai Indians by 66 runs.
"The team was pleased with the win over the Mumbai Indians and is attempting to not let this matter overshadow that result in any way," the statement said.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Chip design mkt to touch $11 bn by '10
The Indian semiconductor design services market is forecast to grow by an annual 21.7 per cent to $11 billion by 2010, a joint study by the India Semiconductor Association (ISA) and IT research firm IDC says.
The market was valued at $6 billion in 2007. The embedded systems segment is expected to record the highest growth, followed by very large scale integration (VLSI) of transistor-based circuits into a chip, and hardware design. At $4.9 billion, revenue from embedded software accounted for around 81 per cent of the total value of semiconductor design services in 2007.
The workforce employed by the semiconductor design services industry is seen growing to 2.19 lakh in 2010 from 1.3 lakh in 2007.
ISA chairman S Janakiraman attributed the growth momentum to the increasing maturity of Indian companies, the availability in the country of advanced semiconductor tools and technologies as well as the higher confidence with regard to issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Growth rates for the sector in India are more than thrice the global average of 6 per cent. Indian companies have been increasing their expertise and capabilities in end-to-end design there is also the emergence of outsourced third-party design services companies, the report said.
The industry will see closer proximity between third-party service providers and original equipment manufacturers for end-to-end design, it added. The growth of opportunities in the domestic semiconductor market could see some localisation of product design and manufacturing, Janakiraman observed.
The market was valued at $6 billion in 2007. The embedded systems segment is expected to record the highest growth, followed by very large scale integration (VLSI) of transistor-based circuits into a chip, and hardware design. At $4.9 billion, revenue from embedded software accounted for around 81 per cent of the total value of semiconductor design services in 2007.
The workforce employed by the semiconductor design services industry is seen growing to 2.19 lakh in 2010 from 1.3 lakh in 2007.
ISA chairman S Janakiraman attributed the growth momentum to the increasing maturity of Indian companies, the availability in the country of advanced semiconductor tools and technologies as well as the higher confidence with regard to issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Growth rates for the sector in India are more than thrice the global average of 6 per cent. Indian companies have been increasing their expertise and capabilities in end-to-end design there is also the emergence of outsourced third-party design services companies, the report said.
The industry will see closer proximity between third-party service providers and original equipment manufacturers for end-to-end design, it added. The growth of opportunities in the domestic semiconductor market could see some localisation of product design and manufacturing, Janakiraman observed.
A fine of Rs 1 lakh on Dhoni's PIL tormentor
The Jharkhand high court on Wednesday dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) against Indian ODI cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni challenging the construction of a swimming pool in his house and fined petitioner Krishna Chandra Sircar Rs 1 lakh for moving the petition based solely on media reports.
The petitioner and others were also hauled up for a sharp practice that, the judges said, amounted to contempt of court.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Muthuswamy Karpagyavinayagam and Justice DGR Patnaik got upset after Dhoni's lawyer produced a letter written by one of the signatories to the PIL, B P Sinha, asking the Indian skipper not to construct the swimming pool in his house even if the high court gave him the permission to do so.
The judges said this amounted to contempt of court. "Knowing that the matter was sub judice, how could anyone write such a letter to Dhoni?" the court wondered. For the gaffe, Sircar will be poorer by Rs 1 lakh. While Sircar's counsel apologised to the court on behalf of Sinha, the judges nonetheless took a dim view of the transgression.
The judges were bemused when they learnt that all that Sircar had to show as proof of a swimming pool being built by Dhoni were a few newspaper clippings.
Interestingly, in the course of hearing the matter, the court on learning that the area where Dhoni's house is being built faces water shortage, directed the Jharkhand government to install between 25 to 50 hand pumps.
The petitioner and others were also hauled up for a sharp practice that, the judges said, amounted to contempt of court.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Muthuswamy Karpagyavinayagam and Justice DGR Patnaik got upset after Dhoni's lawyer produced a letter written by one of the signatories to the PIL, B P Sinha, asking the Indian skipper not to construct the swimming pool in his house even if the high court gave him the permission to do so.
The judges said this amounted to contempt of court. "Knowing that the matter was sub judice, how could anyone write such a letter to Dhoni?" the court wondered. For the gaffe, Sircar will be poorer by Rs 1 lakh. While Sircar's counsel apologised to the court on behalf of Sinha, the judges nonetheless took a dim view of the transgression.
The judges were bemused when they learnt that all that Sircar had to show as proof of a swimming pool being built by Dhoni were a few newspaper clippings.
Interestingly, in the course of hearing the matter, the court on learning that the area where Dhoni's house is being built faces water shortage, directed the Jharkhand government to install between 25 to 50 hand pumps.
Windows Mobile turning 'Live'
Microsoft Corp has begun testing technology that brings together a person's pictures, documents and other data scattered across a growing number of machines with the goal of allowing people to access their information from anywhere and at any time.
Microsoft's "Live Mesh" programme, which uses the Internet as a data hub, synchronises files across computers, phones and other devices so a digital picture frame at home could show a picture minutes after it was taken by a cell phone.
Initially the programme will be limited to 10,000 US testers and computers running its Windows operating system, but Microsoft said it plans to extend Live Mesh over the next few months to mobile phones, computers from Apple Inc and other devices connected to the Internet.
The project is the brainchild of Ray Ozzie, who replaced Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as chief software architect, and underscores the company's carefully balanced online strategy, which aims to capitalise on the reach of the Internet without cannibalising its cash cow software business.
Microsoft, the dominant force in software that runs on a computer's local hard drive, has seen rivals like Google Inc and Salesforce.com encroach on its turf with competitive offerings delivered over the Internet.
"As our industry has evolved because of this Web-catalyzed services transformation, so too has Microsoft," Ozzie wrote in a memo being sent to the company's employees. Live Mesh embraces the industry trend toward "cloud computing" in which information is centrally stored on websites rather than on local devices, giving users easy access from any computer.
Industry analysts said the product may signal a watershed moment within Microsoft to embrace a technology that the company viewed as a threat in the past.
"We may be seeing signs of a Microsoft that is newly focused," said Jonathan Yarmis, a vice president and analyst at AMR Research. "This is exciting because it has as much to do with who is doing it as what Microsoft is doing."
The software will also let friends and colleagues collaborate and share documents more easily.
For example, if a shared document is changed on a work computer, those changes will be instantly updated and available on any device or computer that the user has registered with Live Mesh. Microsoft plans to release Live Mesh in a widely-available test, or "beta" version before the end of 2008.
Microsoft's "Live Mesh" programme, which uses the Internet as a data hub, synchronises files across computers, phones and other devices so a digital picture frame at home could show a picture minutes after it was taken by a cell phone.
Initially the programme will be limited to 10,000 US testers and computers running its Windows operating system, but Microsoft said it plans to extend Live Mesh over the next few months to mobile phones, computers from Apple Inc and other devices connected to the Internet.
The project is the brainchild of Ray Ozzie, who replaced Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as chief software architect, and underscores the company's carefully balanced online strategy, which aims to capitalise on the reach of the Internet without cannibalising its cash cow software business.
Microsoft, the dominant force in software that runs on a computer's local hard drive, has seen rivals like Google Inc and Salesforce.com encroach on its turf with competitive offerings delivered over the Internet.
"As our industry has evolved because of this Web-catalyzed services transformation, so too has Microsoft," Ozzie wrote in a memo being sent to the company's employees. Live Mesh embraces the industry trend toward "cloud computing" in which information is centrally stored on websites rather than on local devices, giving users easy access from any computer.
Industry analysts said the product may signal a watershed moment within Microsoft to embrace a technology that the company viewed as a threat in the past.
"We may be seeing signs of a Microsoft that is newly focused," said Jonathan Yarmis, a vice president and analyst at AMR Research. "This is exciting because it has as much to do with who is doing it as what Microsoft is doing."
The software will also let friends and colleagues collaborate and share documents more easily.
For example, if a shared document is changed on a work computer, those changes will be instantly updated and available on any device or computer that the user has registered with Live Mesh. Microsoft plans to release Live Mesh in a widely-available test, or "beta" version before the end of 2008.
Hitachi 450 GB HDD
Hitachi recently launched the Ultrastar 15K450 hard disk drive. The drive uses perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology to deliver 450GB of storage, currently the highest available capacity in 15,000 RPM enterprise-class hard drives.
This disk drive is an ideal solution for mission-critical server and storage applications, such as online transaction processing, intensive database queries and other multi-user applications.
It features average seek times as low as 3.3 milliseconds and the fast rotational speeds reduce average latency time to 2 milliseconds, enabling customers to access data more quickly and efficiently. The new drive will ship with either 3Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or 4Gb/s Fibre Channel (FC) interfaces.
The Ultrastar 15K450, which is built on a mature design platform to ensure greater reliability and reduced qualification times, offers a host of industrial-strength technology for proven reliability in mission-critical, server-class environments.
Technologies such as fluid dynamic bearing motors deliver a low acoustic rating and improved data integrity, and Rotational Vibration Safeguard (RVS) technology anticipates disturbances that can occur in multi-drive configurations and counteracts them. In addition, the drive uses Hitachi's patented head load/unload ramp to minimize integration induced drive damage.
"With the higher capacity and performance of the Ultrastar 15K450, enterprises are able to address their throughput requirements using fewer drives, which reduces three things; the cost of ownership, the datacenter's footprint and overall power requirements," said Dean Amini, director, Enterprise Market & Strategy, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "Coupled with our intensive testing and quality assurance process, the Ultrastar 15K450 offers the highest available performance and reliability for mission-critical computing environments."
The Ultrastar 15K450 will be available this quarter to customers worldwide.
This disk drive is an ideal solution for mission-critical server and storage applications, such as online transaction processing, intensive database queries and other multi-user applications.
It features average seek times as low as 3.3 milliseconds and the fast rotational speeds reduce average latency time to 2 milliseconds, enabling customers to access data more quickly and efficiently. The new drive will ship with either 3Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or 4Gb/s Fibre Channel (FC) interfaces.
The Ultrastar 15K450, which is built on a mature design platform to ensure greater reliability and reduced qualification times, offers a host of industrial-strength technology for proven reliability in mission-critical, server-class environments.
Technologies such as fluid dynamic bearing motors deliver a low acoustic rating and improved data integrity, and Rotational Vibration Safeguard (RVS) technology anticipates disturbances that can occur in multi-drive configurations and counteracts them. In addition, the drive uses Hitachi's patented head load/unload ramp to minimize integration induced drive damage.
"With the higher capacity and performance of the Ultrastar 15K450, enterprises are able to address their throughput requirements using fewer drives, which reduces three things; the cost of ownership, the datacenter's footprint and overall power requirements," said Dean Amini, director, Enterprise Market & Strategy, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "Coupled with our intensive testing and quality assurance process, the Ultrastar 15K450 offers the highest available performance and reliability for mission-critical computing environments."
The Ultrastar 15K450 will be available this quarter to customers worldwide.
HP launches ultra-slim PC
Hewlett Packard (HP) has launched ‘Compaq dc7800’, an ultra-slim desktop personal computer, in the Indian market.
The company claims that the ultra-thin ‘Compaq dc7800’ is the industry’s first PC to feature a solid-state hard drive (SSD) which is considered more reliable than SATA and SCSI drives.
Powered by 80 Plus power supply, Compaq dc7800 consumes nearly 15 per cent less energy compared to standard models. The model also offers dual display ports or supporting multiple monitors.
Designed for business purposes, the PC comes with 8 USB ports.
“The new energy-efficient business desktop PC is the industry’s first to feature a solid-state hard drive (SSD) that offers improved reliability,” HP India Country Manager (Business Desktop PCs, Personal Systems Group) Arun Rao said.
Priced at Rs 40,000, the PC is scheduled to hit market on 1st May 2008.
Khalistan T-shirts in Canadian school
Sikh students of a school in Surrey near this Canadian city were asked to take off their T-shirts with printed pro-Khalistan images and slogans.
Surrey officials said the incident happened at the Princess Margaret Secondary School where 15 Sikh students on Friday appeared in classes with T-shirts with photographs of the late Khalistan idealogue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The students were asked to remove the T-shirts as many others viewed them negatively, said Doug Strachan, Surrey School district communications manager, according to the Canadian Broadcast Corporation.
"I think it's safe to say that even within the Indo-Canadian community, Khalistan, and the pursuit of it, is something that is controversial. Whether that is political or the violence related to that, there were some concerns expressed," he said.
Bhindranwale spearheaded a violent campaign to form an independent Sikh state called Khalistan in India. He was killed when the Indian Army raided the Golden Temple in Amritsar to flush out Sikh militants.
But the Canadian school will not take any disciplinary action against the students. Surrey is home to the largest number of Sikhs in Canada.
Although a majority of them are apparently opposed to Khalistan, some radical elements among them have kept the issue alive.
During a Baisakhi parade more than a week ago, pictures of slain militant leaders and assassins of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were displayed, forcing Canadian political leaders to stay away from the event.
Surrey officials said the incident happened at the Princess Margaret Secondary School where 15 Sikh students on Friday appeared in classes with T-shirts with photographs of the late Khalistan idealogue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The students were asked to remove the T-shirts as many others viewed them negatively, said Doug Strachan, Surrey School district communications manager, according to the Canadian Broadcast Corporation.
"I think it's safe to say that even within the Indo-Canadian community, Khalistan, and the pursuit of it, is something that is controversial. Whether that is political or the violence related to that, there were some concerns expressed," he said.
Bhindranwale spearheaded a violent campaign to form an independent Sikh state called Khalistan in India. He was killed when the Indian Army raided the Golden Temple in Amritsar to flush out Sikh militants.
But the Canadian school will not take any disciplinary action against the students. Surrey is home to the largest number of Sikhs in Canada.
Although a majority of them are apparently opposed to Khalistan, some radical elements among them have kept the issue alive.
During a Baisakhi parade more than a week ago, pictures of slain militant leaders and assassins of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were displayed, forcing Canadian political leaders to stay away from the event.
Three NRIs convicted of 300 mn pounds global fraud
Three Indian-origin businessmen who swindled banks in Britain and the United States of more than 300 million pounds by pretending to run a worldwide metal trading empire have been found guilty and face a long term in jail.
Virendra Rastogi (39), Anand Jain (43) and Gautam Majumdar (57), ex-directors of metal trading business RBG Resources, were convicted at London's Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to defraud and were remanded to custody this week.
Judge James Wadsworth told the three they could expect “long prison terms” when he sentences them on June 5.
The conviction came at the end of a long drawn out international investigation.
When investigators from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) swooped on Rastogi in his Mayfair apartment here in 2002, he was found shredding wads of documents.
For six years, Rastogi reportedly conned banks into funding non-existent metal trading deals using 324 fake companies that turned out to be based in small flats and shops, with few assets beyond a table and chair.
The address of one company turned out to be a cowshed in India and another was a launderette in America.
Hundreds of millions of dollars and pounds circulated around the globe on the instruction of the conspirators.
"This was a sophisticated and complex enterprise; it continued for over four years and fooled not only the banks but also the auditors," the SFO said after they were convicted.
Virendra Rastogi (39), Anand Jain (43) and Gautam Majumdar (57), ex-directors of metal trading business RBG Resources, were convicted at London's Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to defraud and were remanded to custody this week.
Judge James Wadsworth told the three they could expect “long prison terms” when he sentences them on June 5.
The conviction came at the end of a long drawn out international investigation.
When investigators from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) swooped on Rastogi in his Mayfair apartment here in 2002, he was found shredding wads of documents.
For six years, Rastogi reportedly conned banks into funding non-existent metal trading deals using 324 fake companies that turned out to be based in small flats and shops, with few assets beyond a table and chair.
The address of one company turned out to be a cowshed in India and another was a launderette in America.
Hundreds of millions of dollars and pounds circulated around the globe on the instruction of the conspirators.
"This was a sophisticated and complex enterprise; it continued for over four years and fooled not only the banks but also the auditors," the SFO said after they were convicted.
Tips for a disease-free summer
Even as the Capital sweltered under severe heat conditions, city doctors cautioned about the downside of quick weather changes. Sudden change in temperature and humidity, doctors say, can be dangerous as the weather is conducive for mosquito breeding and other vector-borne diseases (diseases that spread through breeding of mosquitoes or other insects) to spread. Incidents of cholera, typhoid, jaundice and gastric problems also shoot up during this time of the year.
"This is the time when mosquito breeding starts, so dengue, malaria and other vector-borne diseases make a comeback. Precautions must be taken to stop active breeding," says Dr Bir Singh, professor community medicine, AIIMS.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi so far has reported two cases of malaria, but the number is likely to increase with rise in temperature. "We are taking all precautions to control mosquito breeding. Anti-larval medicines are being sprayed in vulnerable spots. We will intensify the drive from April end," said Dr N K Yadav, medical health officer, MCD.
According to Dr Sanjeev Bagai, head of the department of paediatrics and director, Rockland Hospital, "One should see a doctor if there is headache, vomiting and high-grade fever which persists for more than 24 hours. Extra precaution should be taken in case of children. The bacteria's incubation period is very short, sometimes just a few hours."
Meningococcal disease, also referred to as cerebro-spinal meningitis, is a contagious bacterial disease caused by the meningococcus bacteria (Neisseria Meningitidis). It is spread by person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets of infected people. The bacteria attack the meninges (outer cover) of the brain, and infected persons should be treated at hospitals or under medical supervision.
Doctors also advise drinking a lot of water in order to prevent dehydration. However, water from the roadside and any drink that has commercial ice is to be strictly avoided. "We don't know the source of water that is used in commercial ice. It could lead to diseases like cholera and jaundice. Food and water-borne infections are very common during summers," informs Dr Bir Singh.
Freshly cooked food is also to be preferred over uncooked options, since gastro-intestinal problems become rampant. "We see a lot of cases of food poisoning, dysentery and other gastric problems during the beginning of summers. The food doesn't remain sterile for long if not refrigerated in time," says Dr Bagai. Dairy products should be consumed within days of buying.
Fruit chats, juices and shakes from roadside vendors are also to be avoided. "Maximum cases of gastroenteritis are cause by roadside food. Cut fruits, raw vegetables and chats should not be eaten, as one doesn't know the method of preparation or how long the fruits and vegetables have been exposed in the heat," said Dr G C Vaishnava, head of the department internal medicine, Fortis Healthcare.
Overall, doctors advise taking timely precautions. Children should be vaccinated for typhoid, meningitis, chicken pox and Hepatitis A. One should also drink a lot of water and other fluids. "Dehydration is common and people often faint because of it. Maintaining the body's water level is essential. During winter our water intake goes down, but one has to make a conscious effort to drink a lot of water," said Dr Vaishnava.
"This is the time when mosquito breeding starts, so dengue, malaria and other vector-borne diseases make a comeback. Precautions must be taken to stop active breeding," says Dr Bir Singh, professor community medicine, AIIMS.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi so far has reported two cases of malaria, but the number is likely to increase with rise in temperature. "We are taking all precautions to control mosquito breeding. Anti-larval medicines are being sprayed in vulnerable spots. We will intensify the drive from April end," said Dr N K Yadav, medical health officer, MCD.
According to Dr Sanjeev Bagai, head of the department of paediatrics and director, Rockland Hospital, "One should see a doctor if there is headache, vomiting and high-grade fever which persists for more than 24 hours. Extra precaution should be taken in case of children. The bacteria's incubation period is very short, sometimes just a few hours."
Meningococcal disease, also referred to as cerebro-spinal meningitis, is a contagious bacterial disease caused by the meningococcus bacteria (Neisseria Meningitidis). It is spread by person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets of infected people. The bacteria attack the meninges (outer cover) of the brain, and infected persons should be treated at hospitals or under medical supervision.
Doctors also advise drinking a lot of water in order to prevent dehydration. However, water from the roadside and any drink that has commercial ice is to be strictly avoided. "We don't know the source of water that is used in commercial ice. It could lead to diseases like cholera and jaundice. Food and water-borne infections are very common during summers," informs Dr Bir Singh.
Freshly cooked food is also to be preferred over uncooked options, since gastro-intestinal problems become rampant. "We see a lot of cases of food poisoning, dysentery and other gastric problems during the beginning of summers. The food doesn't remain sterile for long if not refrigerated in time," says Dr Bagai. Dairy products should be consumed within days of buying.
Fruit chats, juices and shakes from roadside vendors are also to be avoided. "Maximum cases of gastroenteritis are cause by roadside food. Cut fruits, raw vegetables and chats should not be eaten, as one doesn't know the method of preparation or how long the fruits and vegetables have been exposed in the heat," said Dr G C Vaishnava, head of the department internal medicine, Fortis Healthcare.
Overall, doctors advise taking timely precautions. Children should be vaccinated for typhoid, meningitis, chicken pox and Hepatitis A. One should also drink a lot of water and other fluids. "Dehydration is common and people often faint because of it. Maintaining the body's water level is essential. During winter our water intake goes down, but one has to make a conscious effort to drink a lot of water," said Dr Vaishnava.
Cheerleaders are distracting, says Afridi
Cheerleaders during Indian Premier League matches may have added glitz and glamour to the cricket but Pakistan's Shahid Afridi is not amused.
The explosive hitter wants IPL organisers to remove the cheerleaders. "The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman," he said.
"Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain," said Afridi, who played his first IPL match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.
Afridi could score only two runs as his team Deccan Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets. This was his team's second defeat in a row. Afridi had missed his team's first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Two teams of cheerleaders were standing on specially erected platforms on either side of the ground, dancing to every run scored by Deccan Chargers' batsmen. They were also seen dancing to the hit Hindi film numbers.
The explosive hitter wants IPL organisers to remove the cheerleaders. "The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman," he said.
"Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain," said Afridi, who played his first IPL match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.
Afridi could score only two runs as his team Deccan Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets. This was his team's second defeat in a row. Afridi had missed his team's first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Two teams of cheerleaders were standing on specially erected platforms on either side of the ground, dancing to every run scored by Deccan Chargers' batsmen. They were also seen dancing to the hit Hindi film numbers.
'IPL bonhomie will avoid Sydney-like fiasco'
If Daryl Harper is to be believed, the stressbuster that top umpires are looking for these days is Twenty20 cricket. The Aussie, who was one of the umpires for Team Chennai's game against Mumbai Indians, told the TOI, it's always much easier officiating in T20 cricket.
"The batsmen go hard at the ball and if there are nicks, those are generally loud and clear. There aren't any bat pad decisions to make either," Harper said before the game on Tuesday.
"Another good thing about T20 cricket is that the commentators don't get too much time to dwell on a wrong decision. In Test cricket, they go on and on and one fault gets magnified too much," he said, adding that
"it's a relief that the umpire's name is generally not there in the newspapers the next day".
There are, however, new responsibilities for an umpire in a T20 game and Harper is enjoying it all the same. "The other day in Mumbai, just before the game started, there were smouldering paper and debris inside the ground. Had we not noticed it, any player could have got injured. We had to clear all those before the game got off," Harper said with a smile.
The Aussie Elite Panel umpire feels this T20 stint will freshen him up before his next international commitments. "I officiated in an international match in March, my next commitment is in July... So, what better than this fabulous T20 tournament in between," the chirpy Aussie said.
The umpire believes that this tournament will go a long way in easing the tensions among the different cricketing nations around the world. "I believe that had this tournament been played in November last year, there wouldn't have been the Sydney controversy. Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, having shared the same dressing-room for a more than a month, would have known each other far better and wouldn't have behaved the way they did during the Test," he said, referring to the crucial second-innings dismissal where Ponting gave Sourav out and umpire Mark Benson obliged.
The conversation moved on to the topic of "three referrals" that the ICC has decided to allow each team in an innings which would be in place from the England-South Africa series. "I don't mind this at all. The friction between the players will lessen, they won't hold the umpires as villains, and the game will have purer results," Harper said. But doesn't he think that the over-insistence on technology will make the onfield umpire redundant one day? "He will still be needed to hold the bowlers' caps," the Aussie quipped, adding: "Yes, it will happen, but that's still far away."
He is also dead against the idea of having a "home umpire" for a Test match, a plan that has been mulled in some sections to have only the best officials adjudicating in the game. "I believe that it will be a step in the wrong direction. I don't see FIFA allowing an English referee to host an England-France game...So why should it be any different in cricket?" he asked.
For now, though, Harper, is soaking in every moment of his Indian summer. "It started off with me playing the role of an umpire in the film Victory. Now, it's real time action, the dance, the colour, the beautiful girls, and the chance to meet SRK...I'm looking forward to it all," he said, before going into the restaurant for lunch.
"The batsmen go hard at the ball and if there are nicks, those are generally loud and clear. There aren't any bat pad decisions to make either," Harper said before the game on Tuesday.
"Another good thing about T20 cricket is that the commentators don't get too much time to dwell on a wrong decision. In Test cricket, they go on and on and one fault gets magnified too much," he said, adding that
"it's a relief that the umpire's name is generally not there in the newspapers the next day".
There are, however, new responsibilities for an umpire in a T20 game and Harper is enjoying it all the same. "The other day in Mumbai, just before the game started, there were smouldering paper and debris inside the ground. Had we not noticed it, any player could have got injured. We had to clear all those before the game got off," Harper said with a smile.
The Aussie Elite Panel umpire feels this T20 stint will freshen him up before his next international commitments. "I officiated in an international match in March, my next commitment is in July... So, what better than this fabulous T20 tournament in between," the chirpy Aussie said.
The umpire believes that this tournament will go a long way in easing the tensions among the different cricketing nations around the world. "I believe that had this tournament been played in November last year, there wouldn't have been the Sydney controversy. Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, having shared the same dressing-room for a more than a month, would have known each other far better and wouldn't have behaved the way they did during the Test," he said, referring to the crucial second-innings dismissal where Ponting gave Sourav out and umpire Mark Benson obliged.
The conversation moved on to the topic of "three referrals" that the ICC has decided to allow each team in an innings which would be in place from the England-South Africa series. "I don't mind this at all. The friction between the players will lessen, they won't hold the umpires as villains, and the game will have purer results," Harper said. But doesn't he think that the over-insistence on technology will make the onfield umpire redundant one day? "He will still be needed to hold the bowlers' caps," the Aussie quipped, adding: "Yes, it will happen, but that's still far away."
He is also dead against the idea of having a "home umpire" for a Test match, a plan that has been mulled in some sections to have only the best officials adjudicating in the game. "I believe that it will be a step in the wrong direction. I don't see FIFA allowing an English referee to host an England-France game...So why should it be any different in cricket?" he asked.
For now, though, Harper, is soaking in every moment of his Indian summer. "It started off with me playing the role of an umpire in the film Victory. Now, it's real time action, the dance, the colour, the beautiful girls, and the chance to meet SRK...I'm looking forward to it all," he said, before going into the restaurant for lunch.
IPL centres to take dew-controlling measures, if needed
With heavy dew in Chennai on Wednesday night giving tough time to bowlers, BCCI's Pitches and Grounds Committee Chairman Daljit Singh on Thursday said all IPL centres had been directed to take dew-controlling measures, wherever necessary.
Singh said a circular had been issued on Thursday to all centres to use APSA-80 to control dew, if necessary. Players also could be seen profusely sweating in the sultry Chennai conditions.
"There was heavy dew in Chennai. I was told that this was for the first time in 40 years that Chennai was having dew during this time of the year," Singh said.
"Although we don't foresee any problem at other centres including Mohali, yet we have asked those concerned to be prepared so that dew does not play a spoilsport," he said.
He said instructions had also been given to reduce watering of the outfield, if curators found dew during evening time.
Asked if the dew-controlling chemical will be used in Mohali, where Kings XI Punjab take on Mumbai Indians on Friday night, Singh said, "we have not found dew here during this time. However, we are prepared on our side".
"While dew is generally found during winter time, its presence during this time at few places was quite surprising," he said, indicating effects of climate change were at work.
Singh said a circular had been issued on Thursday to all centres to use APSA-80 to control dew, if necessary. Players also could be seen profusely sweating in the sultry Chennai conditions.
"There was heavy dew in Chennai. I was told that this was for the first time in 40 years that Chennai was having dew during this time of the year," Singh said.
"Although we don't foresee any problem at other centres including Mohali, yet we have asked those concerned to be prepared so that dew does not play a spoilsport," he said.
He said instructions had also been given to reduce watering of the outfield, if curators found dew during evening time.
Asked if the dew-controlling chemical will be used in Mohali, where Kings XI Punjab take on Mumbai Indians on Friday night, Singh said, "we have not found dew here during this time. However, we are prepared on our side".
"While dew is generally found during winter time, its presence during this time at few places was quite surprising," he said, indicating effects of climate change were at work.
IPL: Warne elects to bowl against Chargers
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and invited Deccan Chargers to bat first in the ninth match of the Indian Premier League in Hyderabad. Graeme Smith is now back for the Rajasthan outfit.
The Chargers had received a drubbing at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match on April 20, which captain VVS Laxman blamed on poor pitch and a power snag at the Eden Gardens. Other stars in the team like Gilchrist, Symonds and Afridi are also likely to come under scrutiny over their performance.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals which had lost their first match against Delhi Daredevils on April 19, are on a high after their impressive win against Kings XI Punjab in their second match.
Watson scored a brisk 76 including five sixes in 49 balls against the Punjab team.
However, former Team India member Mohammad Kaif's form is a concern factor for captain and coach Shane Warne. Kaif fell cheaply in the last two matches scoring nine and five. He will have to fire to lighten the pressure on Watson and other youngsters.
Squads
Deccan Chargers: VVS Laxman (Captain), Sanjay Bangar, Halhadar Das (wk), H Gibbs, Scott Styris, Adam Gilchrist (wk), D Kalyankrishna, Pragyan Ojha, D Ravi Teja, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Chamara Silva, Andrew Symonds, Chaminda Vaas, Venugopal Rao, P Vijay Kumar, Arjun Yadav, Nuwan Zoysa.
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (Captain), Aditya Angle, Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Kaif, Kamran Akmal (wk), Sumit Khatri, Taruwar Kohli, Mahesh Rawat, AD Mascarenhas, Parag More, Morne Morkel, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Niraj Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Anup Revandkar, Jaydev Shah, Graeme Smith, Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Younis Khan, Dinesh Salunkhe.
The Chargers had received a drubbing at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match on April 20, which captain VVS Laxman blamed on poor pitch and a power snag at the Eden Gardens. Other stars in the team like Gilchrist, Symonds and Afridi are also likely to come under scrutiny over their performance.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals which had lost their first match against Delhi Daredevils on April 19, are on a high after their impressive win against Kings XI Punjab in their second match.
Watson scored a brisk 76 including five sixes in 49 balls against the Punjab team.
However, former Team India member Mohammad Kaif's form is a concern factor for captain and coach Shane Warne. Kaif fell cheaply in the last two matches scoring nine and five. He will have to fire to lighten the pressure on Watson and other youngsters.
Squads
Deccan Chargers: VVS Laxman (Captain), Sanjay Bangar, Halhadar Das (wk), H Gibbs, Scott Styris, Adam Gilchrist (wk), D Kalyankrishna, Pragyan Ojha, D Ravi Teja, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Chamara Silva, Andrew Symonds, Chaminda Vaas, Venugopal Rao, P Vijay Kumar, Arjun Yadav, Nuwan Zoysa.
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (Captain), Aditya Angle, Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Kaif, Kamran Akmal (wk), Sumit Khatri, Taruwar Kohli, Mahesh Rawat, AD Mascarenhas, Parag More, Morne Morkel, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Niraj Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Anup Revandkar, Jaydev Shah, Graeme Smith, Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Younis Khan, Dinesh Salunkhe.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
TAARE ZAMEEN PAR ....., If Some Other Director's Had Made This Movie......
If Karan Johar made Taare
Obvious starcast:
**Shah Rukh Khan as the arts teacher (duh duh duh!!).
**Aryan Khan as the dyslexic child (even if he could not act for nuts).
**Rani Mukerjee as the kid's mom (assuming Kajol is unavailable) .
**Abhishek Bachchan as the kid's dad.
**Amitabh Bachchan as the school principal (who cares
**If the role is ultra minute, he can afford it).
**It would be shot in New York to appeal to the NRI audience.
**The story line would obviously be different. SRK would fall for the dyslexic kid's mom. The last scene would have the mom running to the teacher rather than the kid. And again, like in so many other movies, SRK would get someone else's girl.
**It would have one dance number.
**The film would be titled ' Kuch Taare Zameen Par .'
If Sanjay Leela Bhansali made Taare
Obvious starcast:
**Salman as the teacher.
**Rani as the mother.
**Of course the whole film would be shot on elaborate sets. The school would be nothing short of Harvard university.
**An orchestra would play every time anyone cried.
Slow motion, different camera angles for every scene.
**The school uniforms would match the classroom walls even though that does not make a f***ing difference.
The film would cost 60 crores.
If Farah Khan made Taare
Obvious starcast:
**SRK as the teacher (yawn).
**In the original Taare, Aamir makes an entry at the interval point. In Farah's version, SRK would be on screen on for 2.30 hrs out of the 2.45 hrs and would be introduced in the first scene itself.
**The story would be changed to make sure the above happened. The focus of the film would be a teacher who helps a kid fight dyslexia.
**To make it a complete entertainer, there would be a romantic angle, comedy, and action thrown in. Oh idea!! Nikumbh's character likes another teacher and the kiddo helps him.. throw in some comedy moments there and you have romance and comedy settled. For action.. hmm.. lemme see.. oh yah, the kid gets kidnapped and the teacher fights the baddies to save him. Wow!! I'm quite an imaginative writer. I can see how Farah can write a film from scratch in two weeks straight.
**The film posters would have a big SRK with the tiny image of the kid in the background.
If Rakesh Roshan made Taare
Obvious starcast:
**Hrithik Roshan as the teacher.
**Since Rakesh Roshan cannot think beyond science fiction these days, this film would have that too. Instead of dyslexia, the kid would have alienositis or something, a condition induced due to him witnessing an alien abduction.
**Instead of Nikumbh being an arts teacher, he would be a physics teacher, and instead of asking kids to be creative, he would ask them to challenge the science we know.
**In the scene where Nikumbh asks the kids to open their minds and make whatever they want outdoors, the kid Ishaan, instead of making a boat, would end up making a working spaceship prototype.
**Nikumbh would cure the kids problem by making a full fledged version of the kid's prototype, traveling to the alien planet, and asking them to give the kid his powers back.
**The film would have mus ic by Rajesh Roshan ripped off from some world music.
**The film's name would again start with a K.. probably ' Kuch Aliens Taaron se Zameen Par' .
**The director would make sure Hrithik gets to show all his abilities. This would mean a scene with Roshan jr flexing his muscles, and a dance competition in the end, instead of an arts competition.
If Priyadarshan made Taare:
Obvious starcast:
**Akshay Kumar as the teacher.
**Paresh Rawal as the kid's dad.
**It would be a brainless comedy. The kid's dyslexia would be made fun of. Half the times the parents will be running after the kid from one room to the other and that, in the director's opinion, would be funny.
**The film will be full of Abuse Word jokes. So for example, when Akshay would come to the parents telling them that their son has dyslexia, the ignorant father would say something inappropriate like 'iss umar mein? par kaise, woh to hamesha boys school mein padha hai!'. And yes, the director would think it is funny.
**In the climax of the film all the characters in the film would run around in the amphitheater for no reason, spilling colors on each other. That's where the film will end, without any logical conclusion.
**And of course, Paresh Rawal would emote like an epileptic himself making us question the boy's mental abilities anyway
Obvious starcast:
**Shah Rukh Khan as the arts teacher (duh duh duh!!).
**Aryan Khan as the dyslexic child (even if he could not act for nuts).
**Rani Mukerjee as the kid's mom (assuming Kajol is unavailable) .
**Abhishek Bachchan as the kid's dad.
**Amitabh Bachchan as the school principal (who cares
**If the role is ultra minute, he can afford it).
**It would be shot in New York to appeal to the NRI audience.
**The story line would obviously be different. SRK would fall for the dyslexic kid's mom. The last scene would have the mom running to the teacher rather than the kid. And again, like in so many other movies, SRK would get someone else's girl.
**It would have one dance number.
**The film would be titled ' Kuch Taare Zameen Par .'
If Sanjay Leela Bhansali made Taare
Obvious starcast:
**Salman as the teacher.
**Rani as the mother.
**Of course the whole film would be shot on elaborate sets. The school would be nothing short of Harvard university.
**An orchestra would play every time anyone cried.
Slow motion, different camera angles for every scene.
**The school uniforms would match the classroom walls even though that does not make a f***ing difference.
The film would cost 60 crores.
If Farah Khan made Taare
Obvious starcast:
**SRK as the teacher (yawn).
**In the original Taare, Aamir makes an entry at the interval point. In Farah's version, SRK would be on screen on for 2.30 hrs out of the 2.45 hrs and would be introduced in the first scene itself.
**The story would be changed to make sure the above happened. The focus of the film would be a teacher who helps a kid fight dyslexia.
**To make it a complete entertainer, there would be a romantic angle, comedy, and action thrown in. Oh idea!! Nikumbh's character likes another teacher and the kiddo helps him.. throw in some comedy moments there and you have romance and comedy settled. For action.. hmm.. lemme see.. oh yah, the kid gets kidnapped and the teacher fights the baddies to save him. Wow!! I'm quite an imaginative writer. I can see how Farah can write a film from scratch in two weeks straight.
**The film posters would have a big SRK with the tiny image of the kid in the background.
If Rakesh Roshan made Taare
Obvious starcast:
**Hrithik Roshan as the teacher.
**Since Rakesh Roshan cannot think beyond science fiction these days, this film would have that too. Instead of dyslexia, the kid would have alienositis or something, a condition induced due to him witnessing an alien abduction.
**Instead of Nikumbh being an arts teacher, he would be a physics teacher, and instead of asking kids to be creative, he would ask them to challenge the science we know.
**In the scene where Nikumbh asks the kids to open their minds and make whatever they want outdoors, the kid Ishaan, instead of making a boat, would end up making a working spaceship prototype.
**Nikumbh would cure the kids problem by making a full fledged version of the kid's prototype, traveling to the alien planet, and asking them to give the kid his powers back.
**The film would have mus ic by Rajesh Roshan ripped off from some world music.
**The film's name would again start with a K.. probably ' Kuch Aliens Taaron se Zameen Par' .
**The director would make sure Hrithik gets to show all his abilities. This would mean a scene with Roshan jr flexing his muscles, and a dance competition in the end, instead of an arts competition.
If Priyadarshan made Taare:
Obvious starcast:
**Akshay Kumar as the teacher.
**Paresh Rawal as the kid's dad.
**It would be a brainless comedy. The kid's dyslexia would be made fun of. Half the times the parents will be running after the kid from one room to the other and that, in the director's opinion, would be funny.
**The film will be full of Abuse Word jokes. So for example, when Akshay would come to the parents telling them that their son has dyslexia, the ignorant father would say something inappropriate like 'iss umar mein? par kaise, woh to hamesha boys school mein padha hai!'. And yes, the director would think it is funny.
**In the climax of the film all the characters in the film would run around in the amphitheater for no reason, spilling colors on each other. That's where the film will end, without any logical conclusion.
**And of course, Paresh Rawal would emote like an epileptic himself making us question the boy's mental abilities anyway
Modern Panchatantra Story !!, IT humor
Once upon a time
, there was a software engineer who used to develop programs on his Pentium machine, sitting under a tree on the banks of a river. He used to earn his bread by selling those programs in the Sunday market.
One day, while he was working, his machine tumbled off the table and fell in the river. Encouraged by the Panchatantra story of his childhood
( the woodcutter and the axe )
He started praying to the River Goddess. The River Goddess wanted to test him and so appeared only after one month of rigorous prayers. The engineer told her that he had lost his computer in the river.
As usual, the Goddess wanted to test his honesty. She showed him a match box and asked, "
Is this your computer ?
" Disappointed by the Goddess' lack of computer awareness, the engineer replied, " No."
She next showed him a pocket-sized calculator and asked if that was his.
Annoyed, the engineer said "
No, not at all !!"
Finally, she came up with his own Pentium machine and asked if it was his.
The engineer, left with no option, sighed and said "Yes."
The River Goddess was happy with his honesty. She was about to give him all three items, but before she could make the offer, the engineer asked her, "Don't you know that you're supposed to show me some better computers before bringing up my own ?"
The River Goddess, angered at this, replied, "I know that, you stupid donkey! The first two things I showed you were the Trillennium and the Billennium, the latest computers from IBM !". So saying, she disappeared with the Pentium!!
********
Moral: If you're not up-to-date with technology trends, it's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're a genius than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
, there was a software engineer who used to develop programs on his Pentium machine, sitting under a tree on the banks of a river. He used to earn his bread by selling those programs in the Sunday market.
One day, while he was working, his machine tumbled off the table and fell in the river. Encouraged by the Panchatantra story of his childhood
( the woodcutter and the axe )
He started praying to the River Goddess. The River Goddess wanted to test him and so appeared only after one month of rigorous prayers. The engineer told her that he had lost his computer in the river.
As usual, the Goddess wanted to test his honesty. She showed him a match box and asked, "
Is this your computer ?
" Disappointed by the Goddess' lack of computer awareness, the engineer replied, " No."
She next showed him a pocket-sized calculator and asked if that was his.
Annoyed, the engineer said "
No, not at all !!"
Finally, she came up with his own Pentium machine and asked if it was his.
The engineer, left with no option, sighed and said "Yes."
The River Goddess was happy with his honesty. She was about to give him all three items, but before she could make the offer, the engineer asked her, "Don't you know that you're supposed to show me some better computers before bringing up my own ?"
The River Goddess, angered at this, replied, "I know that, you stupid donkey! The first two things I showed you were the Trillennium and the Billennium, the latest computers from IBM !". So saying, she disappeared with the Pentium!!
********
Moral: If you're not up-to-date with technology trends, it's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're a genius than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
WhEn NrI ReTuRnS tO INDIA..................., this sure will happen
What happens when desi returns from Abroad!!
21. Tries to use Credit Card in road side Hotel.
20. Drinks and carries Mineral Water and always speaks of Health. (proving to be very health conscious).
19. Sprays DEO such so that he doesn't need to take bath.
18. Sneezes and says 'Excuse me'.
17. Says "Hey" instead of "Hi".
Says "Yogurt" instead of "Curds".
Says "Cab" instead of "Taxi".
Says "Candy" instead of "Chocolate".
Says "Cookie" instead of "Biscuit".
Says "Free Way" instead of "Highway".
Says "Got To Go" instead of "Have To Go".
Says "Oh" instead of "Zero", (for 704, says Seven Oh Four Instead of Seven Zero Four)
16. Doesn't forget to crib about air pollution. Keeps cribbing every time he steps out.
15. Says all the distances in Miles (Not in KiloMeters), and counts in Millions.(Not in Lakhs)
14. Tries to figure all the prices in Dollars as far as possible (but deep down the heart multiplies by 43 times).
13. Tries to see the % of fat on the cover of a milk pocket.
12. When need to say Z (zed), never says Z (Zed), repeats "Zee" several times, if the other person unable to get, then says X, Y, Zee (but never says Zed).
11. Writes date as MM/DD/YYYY & on watching traditional DD/MM/YYYY, says "Oh! British Style!!!!"
10. Makes fun of Indian Standard Time and Indian Road Conditions.
9. Even after 2 months, complaints about "Jet Lag".
8. Avoids eating more chili (hot) stuff.
7. Tries to drink "Diet Coke", instead of Normal Coke.
6. Tries to complain about any thing in India as if he is experiencing it for the first time.
5. Pronounces "schedule" as "skejule", and "module" as "Mojule".
4. Looks suspiciously towards Hotel/Dhaba food.
Few more important stuffs:-
3. From the luggage bag, does not remove the stickers of Airways by which he traveled back to India, even after 4 months of arrival.
2. Takes the cabin luggage bag to short visits in India, tries to roll the bag on Indian Roads.
And The Ultimate One:-
1. Tries to begin conversation with "In US ...." or "When I was in US..."
21. Tries to use Credit Card in road side Hotel.
20. Drinks and carries Mineral Water and always speaks of Health. (proving to be very health conscious).
19. Sprays DEO such so that he doesn't need to take bath.
18. Sneezes and says 'Excuse me'.
17. Says "Hey" instead of "Hi".
Says "Yogurt" instead of "Curds".
Says "Cab" instead of "Taxi".
Says "Candy" instead of "Chocolate".
Says "Cookie" instead of "Biscuit".
Says "Free Way" instead of "Highway".
Says "Got To Go" instead of "Have To Go".
Says "Oh" instead of "Zero", (for 704, says Seven Oh Four Instead of Seven Zero Four)
16. Doesn't forget to crib about air pollution. Keeps cribbing every time he steps out.
15. Says all the distances in Miles (Not in KiloMeters), and counts in Millions.(Not in Lakhs)
14. Tries to figure all the prices in Dollars as far as possible (but deep down the heart multiplies by 43 times).
13. Tries to see the % of fat on the cover of a milk pocket.
12. When need to say Z (zed), never says Z (Zed), repeats "Zee" several times, if the other person unable to get, then says X, Y, Zee (but never says Zed).
11. Writes date as MM/DD/YYYY & on watching traditional DD/MM/YYYY, says "Oh! British Style!!!!"
10. Makes fun of Indian Standard Time and Indian Road Conditions.
9. Even after 2 months, complaints about "Jet Lag".
8. Avoids eating more chili (hot) stuff.
7. Tries to drink "Diet Coke", instead of Normal Coke.
6. Tries to complain about any thing in India as if he is experiencing it for the first time.
5. Pronounces "schedule" as "skejule", and "module" as "Mojule".
4. Looks suspiciously towards Hotel/Dhaba food.
Few more important stuffs:-
3. From the luggage bag, does not remove the stickers of Airways by which he traveled back to India, even after 4 months of arrival.
2. Takes the cabin luggage bag to short visits in India, tries to roll the bag on Indian Roads.
And The Ultimate One:-
1. Tries to begin conversation with "In US ...." or "When I was in US..."
US Medical LIcensing Exam
Description
Mercer Univ. School of Medicine, Savannah, GA. Exam review for those preparing for the USMLE Step 2 exam. Features high-yield facts in concise format and offers pearls, tips, and memory aids. Offers an overview of the 100 top secrets and essential material for exam review and self-assess- ment. Questions with answers and rationales.
Contents
1. Acid-Base and Electrolytes
2. Alcohol
3. Biostatistics
4. Cardiology
5. Cholesterol
6. Dermatology
7. Diabetes Mellitus
8. Ear, Nose, and Throat Surgery
9. Emergency Medicine
10. Endocrinology
11. Ethics
12. Gastroenterology
13. General Surgery
14. Genetics
15. Geriatrics
16. Gynecology
17. Hematology
18. Hypertension
19. Immunology
20. Infectious Diseases
21. Laboratory Medicine
22. Nephrology
23. Neurology
24. Neurosurgery
25. Obstetrics
26. Oncology
27. Ophthalmology
28. Orthopedic Surgery
29. Pediatrics
30. Pharmacology
31. Preventive Medicine
32. Psychiatry
33. Pulmonology
34. Radiology
35. Rheumatology
36. Shock
37. Smoking
38. Urology
39. Vascular Surgery
40. Vitamins and Minerals
41. Top Secrets
Mercer Univ. School of Medicine, Savannah, GA. Exam review for those preparing for the USMLE Step 2 exam. Features high-yield facts in concise format and offers pearls, tips, and memory aids. Offers an overview of the 100 top secrets and essential material for exam review and self-assess- ment. Questions with answers and rationales.
Contents
1. Acid-Base and Electrolytes
2. Alcohol
3. Biostatistics
4. Cardiology
5. Cholesterol
6. Dermatology
7. Diabetes Mellitus
8. Ear, Nose, and Throat Surgery
9. Emergency Medicine
10. Endocrinology
11. Ethics
12. Gastroenterology
13. General Surgery
14. Genetics
15. Geriatrics
16. Gynecology
17. Hematology
18. Hypertension
19. Immunology
20. Infectious Diseases
21. Laboratory Medicine
22. Nephrology
23. Neurology
24. Neurosurgery
25. Obstetrics
26. Oncology
27. Ophthalmology
28. Orthopedic Surgery
29. Pediatrics
30. Pharmacology
31. Preventive Medicine
32. Psychiatry
33. Pulmonology
34. Radiology
35. Rheumatology
36. Shock
37. Smoking
38. Urology
39. Vascular Surgery
40. Vitamins and Minerals
41. Top Secrets
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
How to make your laptop green
n 2009, worldwide laptop sales are expected to surpass desktops for the first time reaching more than 150 million. Most people tend to dump laptops after every three years, to go for a newer model, leading to increasing environmental hazard.
Reports say, 20-50 tons of e-waste is generated by disposed laptops every year. Here’s how designers plan to make laptops more eco-friendly.
Reports say, 20-50 tons of e-waste is generated by disposed laptops every year. Here’s how designers plan to make laptops more eco-friendly.
Sikander Kher is a bike rider
First we were given to believe that Sikander Kher will debut in Woodstock Villa. Later we were informed that he would make his debut with Summer of 2007 , and now it's again Woodstock Villa that he'll be first seen in. Good for him! Because we hear that Sanjay Gupta has ensured that Sikku's entry in the film and thus on the big screen is going to be jhakaas - just like Sanjay Dutt's opening scene in Rocky or then Ajay Devgan's daredevil act in Phool Aur Kaante. Apparently some unit members believe that whenever this are opening shots of the hero on a bike - like SRK in Deewana or then John Abraham in Dhoom, the film goes on to become a super duper hit. Let's see how duper this opening scene will prove to be for the dapper lad.
Katrina is naughty!!!
he industry is abuzz on how Katrina Kaif has become Bollywood's new wonder girl. And with Vijay Mallya choosing Katrina Kaif to be the face of his IPL Team, she has practically 'Raced' ahead in the sweeps takes.
But Ms Kaif has also a funny side to her, and she recently revealed it during the shooting of Vijay Mallya's IPL Video. A unit member raves on how Katrina was very professional when she came on the sets at 7 am in the morning and shot for the video non-stop in the scorching summer heat at the CCI club, at Brabourne Stadium. But besides being professional she also showed her wicked sense of humor by playing a prank on choreographer Bosco and director Sanjay Gupta who was directing the video.
Katrina took the unit present in the shoot in confidence to play the prank. She took the mike and changed her voice and announced that Katrina has fainted due to the non- stop shoot in the sweltering heat. The whole unit panicked and started frantically looking out for Katrina. They couldn't find her for 30minutes.Sanjay Gupta and Bosco were obviously tensed, since they had to finish off the shoot due to the limited permitted time for the shoot at the stadium.
The whole unit heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Katrina emerging laughing alongwith her co-conspirator. The whole unit relaxed and the shoot was completed. When contacted, Sanjay Gupta just laughed "Hey who told you that. Katrina was very professional and was lovely working with her. The whole summer heat was scorching hot, but she never complained. Being the face of the team she is presented very much like a rock star diva." Naughty girl!
But Ms Kaif has also a funny side to her, and she recently revealed it during the shooting of Vijay Mallya's IPL Video. A unit member raves on how Katrina was very professional when she came on the sets at 7 am in the morning and shot for the video non-stop in the scorching summer heat at the CCI club, at Brabourne Stadium. But besides being professional she also showed her wicked sense of humor by playing a prank on choreographer Bosco and director Sanjay Gupta who was directing the video.
Katrina took the unit present in the shoot in confidence to play the prank. She took the mike and changed her voice and announced that Katrina has fainted due to the non- stop shoot in the sweltering heat. The whole unit panicked and started frantically looking out for Katrina. They couldn't find her for 30minutes.Sanjay Gupta and Bosco were obviously tensed, since they had to finish off the shoot due to the limited permitted time for the shoot at the stadium.
The whole unit heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Katrina emerging laughing alongwith her co-conspirator. The whole unit relaxed and the shoot was completed. When contacted, Sanjay Gupta just laughed "Hey who told you that. Katrina was very professional and was lovely working with her. The whole summer heat was scorching hot, but she never complained. Being the face of the team she is presented very much like a rock star diva." Naughty girl!
The oomph factor..
They are pompoming their way through what was once considered gentlemen's game, played in a staid and time-honoured manner. Today, it has metamorphosised into a 20-over circus, with Bollywood stars, fire shows the works. Oh, and the cheerleaders. In their itsy-bitsy dresses, in-your-face actions and those pom-poms, the young women are quite some crowd pullers.
Mostly foreigners, they are getting as much eyeballs as the men in white, oops make it yellow, orange, gold, black, fluorescent reds. In fact, the male of the species is walking in especially to have a dekko at these oomphy beauties.
Fully charged
After a narrow defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad Deccan Chargers would be aiming to register their first win in the Indian Premier League as they host Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday.
The home side will have a big advantage in their game against the Delhi outfit as explosive Pakistani import Shahid Afridi will join the team for Tuesday's clash at Rajiv Gandhi international stadium.
Apart from Afridi, the Chargers have a strong batting line-up consisting of captain VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Y Venugopal Rao, Rohit Sharma and Ranji players DB Ravi Teja and Kalyan Krishna.
The home side will have a big advantage in their game against the Delhi outfit as explosive Pakistani import Shahid Afridi will join the team for Tuesday's clash at Rajiv Gandhi international stadium.
Apart from Afridi, the Chargers have a strong batting line-up consisting of captain VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Y Venugopal Rao, Rohit Sharma and Ranji players DB Ravi Teja and Kalyan Krishna.
Monday, 21 April 2008
JOKE8
Are you qualified to this job?
Wanted: Hair-cutter. Excellent growth potential.
Wanted: Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink.
Wanted: Part-time married girls for soda fountain in sandwich shop.
Girl wanted to assist magician in cutting-off-head illusion. Blue Cross and salary.
Wanted: Preparer of food. Must be dependable, like the food business, and be willing to get hands dirty.
Wanted: Hair-cutter. Excellent growth potential.
Wanted: Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink.
Wanted: Part-time married girls for soda fountain in sandwich shop.
Girl wanted to assist magician in cutting-off-head illusion. Blue Cross and salary.
Wanted: Preparer of food. Must be dependable, like the food business, and be willing to get hands dirty.
JOKE7
Several weeks after a young man had been hired, he was called into the personnel manager's office.
"What is the meaning of this?" the manager asked. "When you applied for the job, you told us you had 5 years' experience. Now we discover this is the first job you've ever had."
"Well," the young man said, "in your ad you said you wanted somebody with imagination."
"What is the meaning of this?" the manager asked. "When you applied for the job, you told us you had 5 years' experience. Now we discover this is the first job you've ever had."
"Well," the young man said, "in your ad you said you wanted somebody with imagination."
JOKE6
The navy psychiatrist was interviewing a potential sailor. To check on the young man's response to trouble, the psychiatrist asked, "What would you do if you looked out of that window right now and saw a battleship coming down the street?"
The baby sailor said, "I'd grab a torpedo and sink it."
"Where would you get the torpedo?"
"The same place you got your battleship!"
The baby sailor said, "I'd grab a torpedo and sink it."
"Where would you get the torpedo?"
"The same place you got your battleship!"
JOKE5
A man applied for a job as an industrial spy. Together with several other applicants, he was given a sealed envelope and told to take it to the fourth floor.
As soon as the man was alone, he stepped into an empty hallway and opened the envelope. Inside, a message read: "You're our kind of person. Report to the fifth floor Personnel Office."
As soon as the man was alone, he stepped into an empty hallway and opened the envelope. Inside, a message read: "You're our kind of person. Report to the fifth floor Personnel Office."
JOKE4
The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, so Gomer went in to try out for the job.
"Okay," the sheriff drawled, "Gomer, what is 1 and 1?"
"11" he replied.
The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right."
"What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?"
"Today and tomorrow."
The sheriff was again surprised that Gomer supplied a correct answer that he had never thought of himself.
"Now Gomer, listen carefully: Who killed Abraham Lincoln?"
Gomer looked a little surprised himself, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don't know."
"Well, why don't you go home and work on that one for a while?"
So, Gomer wandered over to the barbershop where his pals were waiting to hear the results of the interview. Gomer was exultant. "It went great! First day on the job and I'm already working on a murder case!"
"Okay," the sheriff drawled, "Gomer, what is 1 and 1?"
"11" he replied.
The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right."
"What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?"
"Today and tomorrow."
The sheriff was again surprised that Gomer supplied a correct answer that he had never thought of himself.
"Now Gomer, listen carefully: Who killed Abraham Lincoln?"
Gomer looked a little surprised himself, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don't know."
"Well, why don't you go home and work on that one for a while?"
So, Gomer wandered over to the barbershop where his pals were waiting to hear the results of the interview. Gomer was exultant. "It went great! First day on the job and I'm already working on a murder case!"
JOKE3
In a job interview for policemen the applicants are shown a profile picture of a man, and the interviewer says, "The job that you're applying for requires powers of observation. Make one observation about this man."
The first applicant enters and says, "This man has just one ear."
"Get out!!" screams the interviewer.
The second applicant enters and says, "This man has one ear."
"Get out!!" screams the interviewer again.
Then the third applicant gets up to go in for his interview. The first two guys are out there and they tell him, "The guy that's giving the interview doesn't like to hear that the man in the picture has one ear."
"Thanks for the tip" says the third applicant.
So the third applicant enters, stares at the picture for a while and finally he says, "This man wears contact lenses."
The interviewer is impressed and says, "Excellent observation. Tell me, how could you tell?"
So the guy says, "Well, this man has just one ear, how could he wear glasses?"
The first applicant enters and says, "This man has just one ear."
"Get out!!" screams the interviewer.
The second applicant enters and says, "This man has one ear."
"Get out!!" screams the interviewer again.
Then the third applicant gets up to go in for his interview. The first two guys are out there and they tell him, "The guy that's giving the interview doesn't like to hear that the man in the picture has one ear."
"Thanks for the tip" says the third applicant.
So the third applicant enters, stares at the picture for a while and finally he says, "This man wears contact lenses."
The interviewer is impressed and says, "Excellent observation. Tell me, how could you tell?"
So the guy says, "Well, this man has just one ear, how could he wear glasses?"
JOKE2
Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources person asked a young applicant fresh out of Business School, "And what starting salary are you looking for?"
The applicant said, "In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."
The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a package of 5-weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every two years - say, a red Corvette?"
The applicant sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"
And the interviewer replied, "Yeah, but you started it."
The applicant said, "In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."
The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a package of 5-weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every two years - say, a red Corvette?"
The applicant sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"
And the interviewer replied, "Yeah, but you started it."
some professional jokes
professional jokes-credits to orginal poster
Employer to applicant: "In this job we need someone who is responsible."
Applicant: "I'm the one you want. On my last job, every time anything went wrong, they said I was responsible."
"Young man, do you think you can handle a variety of work?"
"I ought to be able to. I've had ten different jobs in four months."
Employer to applicant: "In this job we need someone who is responsible."
Applicant: "I'm the one you want. On my last job, every time anything went wrong, they said I was responsible."
"Young man, do you think you can handle a variety of work?"
"I ought to be able to. I've had ten different jobs in four months."
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Make your skin smile!
Who doesn’t want to look radiant and ravishing? But just the way, Rome wasn't built in a day, one can't turn gorgeous overnight. If you want to look fresh, attractive and alluring, you must follow a regular beauty regime as lack of time and stress can kill your natural glow, especially if you are a working woman
Here are a few simple home remedies from Dr Shobha Sehgal, cosmetologist and beauty expert with VLCC Healthcare Pvt Ltd, which will help you rejuvenate and maintain your beautiful self.
1. Tropical Citrus Mask
Mix together: One ripe banana, one table spoon olive oil and one drop of orange essential oil.
Smooth over face and leave on for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse off with tap water and smooth on a rich moisturizer.
2. Toning mask
Mix together: One egg white, one table spoon honey, few drops of orange / lemon juice and one table spoon conflour.
Clean face and apply on the face in upward strokes. Put another coat after the mixture is semi dry.
It will help in giving optimum toning and lifting.
3. Hydrating pack
Mix together: Two table spoons of wheat germ and a little bit of coconut milk.
Apply this mixture on face. It provides good hydration to the skin and also acts as a toner.
4. Summer home pack
Mix together: One table spoon Fuller’s earth (Multani mitti), one table spoon sandalwood powder and one table spoon rosewater.
Apply on face, let it dry and then wash. This pack has a cooling effect and removes blemishes and spots.
5. Aloevera Pack
Mix together: Two table spoons of aloevera gel and vitamin A and E capsules.
Massage nicely on the face. This is a nourishing and hydrating pack. Aloevera helps in retaining moisture and rejuvenates and hydrates the skin.
6. Treatment pack
Mix together: One table spoon chironji seeds, one table spoon amla juice and one table spoon honey.
Apply this mixture on face. It helps reduce pigmentation.
Here are a few simple home remedies from Dr Shobha Sehgal, cosmetologist and beauty expert with VLCC Healthcare Pvt Ltd, which will help you rejuvenate and maintain your beautiful self.
1. Tropical Citrus Mask
Mix together: One ripe banana, one table spoon olive oil and one drop of orange essential oil.
Smooth over face and leave on for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse off with tap water and smooth on a rich moisturizer.
2. Toning mask
Mix together: One egg white, one table spoon honey, few drops of orange / lemon juice and one table spoon conflour.
Clean face and apply on the face in upward strokes. Put another coat after the mixture is semi dry.
It will help in giving optimum toning and lifting.
3. Hydrating pack
Mix together: Two table spoons of wheat germ and a little bit of coconut milk.
Apply this mixture on face. It provides good hydration to the skin and also acts as a toner.
4. Summer home pack
Mix together: One table spoon Fuller’s earth (Multani mitti), one table spoon sandalwood powder and one table spoon rosewater.
Apply on face, let it dry and then wash. This pack has a cooling effect and removes blemishes and spots.
5. Aloevera Pack
Mix together: Two table spoons of aloevera gel and vitamin A and E capsules.
Massage nicely on the face. This is a nourishing and hydrating pack. Aloevera helps in retaining moisture and rejuvenates and hydrates the skin.
6. Treatment pack
Mix together: One table spoon chironji seeds, one table spoon amla juice and one table spoon honey.
Apply this mixture on face. It helps reduce pigmentation.
Tendulkar to decide on Sunday about playing
Uncertainty continue to persist over Sachin Tendulkar leading the Mumbai Indians in their IPL opener against Bangalore Royal Challengers, with the champion batsman insisting he would take a call on the matter only on Sunday.
"We have to wait and see how I feel on Sunday. If I am ready I will play," Tendulkar said on the eve of the match.
Watch: Sachin likely to miss IPL debut
If he was unable to play then vice captain Harbhajan Singh would lead the team and would have his ears open for inputs from two other international captains in the team - Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock, the master batsman said.
"Both I and Harbhajan, who would lead the team if I am unable to play, will be open to ideas. That's the way it should be," he said.
Tendulkar said he had already had a talk with his teammates from overseas on the vociferous vocal support they can expect from the Mumbai crowd.
"I have talked to them about the long tradition that Mumbai cricket enjoys when we had 'tika' ceremony the other day. I have told them that it will be an experience they should relish when the Mumbai crowd gets behind them. I told them to enjoy and not get overwhelmed by such support," he said.
Tendulkar was referring to his mentor Ramakant Achrekar applying 'tilak' to all the players with a mixture of Shivaji Park mud mixed with the 'sindoor' from the temples of Mahalaxmi and Siddivinayak and the holy water from Mount Mary Church in Bandra, near his residence.
Tendulkar described the opening ceremony of the tournament held at Bangalore yesterday as "fabulous" and regretted he could not stay back and watch the match between Dravid's team and Sourav Ganguly's Kolkata Knight Riders.
"It was a fabulous inaugural function. The response from the crowd was excellent. Unfortunately I could not stay on and watch the cricket as I had to return here. On the whole it was a fabulous experience," he said.
He, however, said the result of that tie - in which the Bangalore team was whipped by Kolkata by 140 runs - has no bearing tomorrow as it's a new game in a new ground.
"All the venues are different. Bangalore is different from Mumbai, Chennai is and Kolkata too is different from Mumbai. We will have to wait and see how the conditions are tomorrow evening," he said.
Tendulkar said West Indian all rounder Dwayne Bravo is expected to reach here by tomorrow night and will be available till the middle of next month to play for his team.
Rajput said the choice of an opening partner for Jayasuriya, in case Tendulkar could not play, would be decided later.
Squad for Sunday's tie: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Jayasuriya, Pollock, Robin Uthappa Luke Ronchi, Dominic Thornely, A Nayar, Pinal Shah, Saurabh Tiwary, Musavir Khote, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ajinkya Rahane, Swapnil Singh, Siddharth Chitnis and Vikrant Yeligati.
"We have to wait and see how I feel on Sunday. If I am ready I will play," Tendulkar said on the eve of the match.
Watch: Sachin likely to miss IPL debut
If he was unable to play then vice captain Harbhajan Singh would lead the team and would have his ears open for inputs from two other international captains in the team - Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock, the master batsman said.
"Both I and Harbhajan, who would lead the team if I am unable to play, will be open to ideas. That's the way it should be," he said.
Tendulkar said he had already had a talk with his teammates from overseas on the vociferous vocal support they can expect from the Mumbai crowd.
"I have talked to them about the long tradition that Mumbai cricket enjoys when we had 'tika' ceremony the other day. I have told them that it will be an experience they should relish when the Mumbai crowd gets behind them. I told them to enjoy and not get overwhelmed by such support," he said.
Tendulkar was referring to his mentor Ramakant Achrekar applying 'tilak' to all the players with a mixture of Shivaji Park mud mixed with the 'sindoor' from the temples of Mahalaxmi and Siddivinayak and the holy water from Mount Mary Church in Bandra, near his residence.
Tendulkar described the opening ceremony of the tournament held at Bangalore yesterday as "fabulous" and regretted he could not stay back and watch the match between Dravid's team and Sourav Ganguly's Kolkata Knight Riders.
"It was a fabulous inaugural function. The response from the crowd was excellent. Unfortunately I could not stay on and watch the cricket as I had to return here. On the whole it was a fabulous experience," he said.
He, however, said the result of that tie - in which the Bangalore team was whipped by Kolkata by 140 runs - has no bearing tomorrow as it's a new game in a new ground.
"All the venues are different. Bangalore is different from Mumbai, Chennai is and Kolkata too is different from Mumbai. We will have to wait and see how the conditions are tomorrow evening," he said.
Tendulkar said West Indian all rounder Dwayne Bravo is expected to reach here by tomorrow night and will be available till the middle of next month to play for his team.
Rajput said the choice of an opening partner for Jayasuriya, in case Tendulkar could not play, would be decided later.
Squad for Sunday's tie: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Jayasuriya, Pollock, Robin Uthappa Luke Ronchi, Dominic Thornely, A Nayar, Pinal Shah, Saurabh Tiwary, Musavir Khote, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ajinkya Rahane, Swapnil Singh, Siddharth Chitnis and Vikrant Yeligati.
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