Welcome To My Blog

Bebo, Bips bound by yoga

2010-06-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

Kareena Kapoor, who partied with Bipasha Basu in Colombo recently, shares a common trait with her.

Both actresses insist on travelling to outdoor locations with their yoga instructors. Incidentally, Kareena’s yoga instructor is a sweet girl who actually wants to be a full fledged pilot someday.

But since she is still very young... she is happy making Bebo bend to her tunes.

Check out Kareena Kapoor’s homepage

Imran Khan is Bollywood's new 'it' boy

2010-06-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Imran Khan More Pics

Punit Malhotra’s I Hate Luv Storys is carrying the right vibe. Trade pundits are of the opinion that Dharma Productions rom-com set to hit theatres on July 2, is near perfect.

It’s priced correctly, it’s a love story coming from Karan Johar — the man who knows romance better than most filmmakers, and it has Imran Khan — the actor with the ‘it’ factor going for him.

Imran, who stormed the film scene two Julys ago with Aamir Khan’s sweet mushy flick Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, is the quintessential chocolate boy who with his fair skin and light eyes makes the girls go weak in the knees. Take what happened at a bookstore in a mall. The girls who strolled in and caught Imran in their midst screamed the mall down. They were so excited, they almost tore the actor’s shirt off in their attempt to get closer to him.

Imran is flattered with this attention he has been from the trade and the janta. The actor who has a fabulous sense of humour, says, “It is always flattering for an actor to feel wanted, but for a few minutes I wondered if all this squealing and shouting was stage-managed by the PR of the film. We’re in the business of selling ourselves, and being labelled sexy and being spoken of as having that ‘it’ quality is the ultimate goal. When I see people reacting to my body, I feel it was worth all the hard work I put in. I remember all those bland meals that I suffered and those heavy weights I lifted to be able to get this body. There is a sense of personal gratification when I see my image in the mirror. But there is also the need here for me to thank Manish Malhotra, Karan and Punit who are responsible for the way I have been projected in IHLS.’’

The actor who confesses that he is very romantic but doesn’t believe in the superfluous flowers, chocolates and SMS routines when it comes to professing his feelings for his loved one, adds, “I must still be doing something correct. Otherwise the same girl wouldn’t be with me for the last eight years.’’ He has a point — when it comes to romance he has what it takes — both on screen and off it.

Check out Imran Khan’s homepage

Vivek flirts with Shazahn

2010-06-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Vivek Oberoi More pics

Vivek Oberoi was recently seen at a party hitting on Sharon Prabhakar’s daughter Shazahn, Ranbir Kapoor’s co-star in Rocket Singh, Salesman Of The Year.

An eyewitness, who also overheard a conversation between Vivek and Shazahn reveals, “Shazahn came to the party with her mom Sharon. When Vivek saw Shazahn standing alone in a corner he started asking her where she was going later and with whom.

He was at his flirtatious best, when Shazahn’s mom Sharon, who was scandalised to see Vivek standing so close, pulled her daughter away and left.”

When contacted, Shazahn Padamsee said, “I don’t wish to comment.” Vivek Oberoi, in turn, also declined to comment.

Check out Vivek Oberoi’s homepage

Abhi's offered Rs.7 crores for next!

2010-06-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Abhishek Bachchan More Pics

So Raavan is reportedly dead meat. So what? There are many Bollywood superstars out there who have given more than two flops in the last two years and who are still getting big money from producers.

The same goes for Abhishek Bachchan. Rumours (no one in Bollywood ever talks money, they only drop huge hints) have it that Junior B has just reportedly been offered Rs.7 crores for a film with Raj Kumar Santoshi to be bankrolled by a film corporation. Actually, the full rumour goes like this. That Raj Santoshi will make a film with the Bachchan family — Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya.

And the fee earmarked for Abhi alone is Rs.7 crores. Incidentally, Raj Santoshi is also making another film with his current favourite Katrina Kaif with whom he gave that hit Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.

Check out Abhishek Bachchan’s homepage

I would do it again: Ash

2010-06-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan More pics

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Raavan, Abhishek Bachchan and Mani Ratnam

Raavan has been a gruelling experience for you?
Why just me? Everyone in the film has gone through an equal amount of hardships to create a film we all believe in. There we were, getting drenched in the rain, and Mani Ratnam, Santosh Sivan . ..everyone was there facing the weather. We were all friends in the project. Everyone was there for one another. We could joke and say it was like an adventure sport, or a video game while we were making our way through the most impossible conditions. But we knew what the truth was.

Were you prepared for the severe hardships when you read the script?
It was still a bit of shock and surprise when we had to face the climatic conditions in the jungles. On top of that Mani loves to make on-the-spot changes. He improvises all the time. He doesn’t want to strictly follow the written word. He’s a master of creating magical moments out of the seemingly ordinary. What he does is incredible. Just the pleasure of working with him again (after Iruvar) was amazing.

But for a lady to be climbing those slippery rocks ....
Really (laughs), we didn’t know how slippery those rocks would be. There was this huge waterfall where we shot a lot. One never thought one would leap down those heights in and around the waterfall. Of course we were wired. But once you’re going down there’s no control. The rocks were so mossy, we had no control over our movements. We were climbing so close to the waterfall we could feel its power. It was the power of Nature in all its glory.

How could you focus on emoting while doing such dangerous stunts?
That’s magic of the camera, the magic of cinema. As for getting the emotions right, you know Mani Ratnam. Do you think he would relent until he got the emotions he wanted? We’d go through the most incredibly impossible scene. Then he’d come up to us and say, ‘I’ve got a better idea. Let’s do the whole thing again.’ I was like, ‘Are you for real? Do you know what we’re doing? And we’ve another version to capture before the light fades.’ I’d do it in Hindi and then do it all over again in Tamil.

Was the scale of your emotions higher in Tamil?
I haven’t seen the Tamil film. No time! The nuances alter from one language to the same. But the emotions were the same. Some of the lines were changed to show a difference in culture. What would seem theatrical in Hindi is natural in Tamil. But I didn’t consciously move into a different zone in the two languages. Our camereman Santosh Sivan was so innovative. The changes in lighting and mood were done by him. He was having a party while we were trying to get it right in two languages. He doesn’t only create fabulous images. He creates a magic in the language of the film. You can be sure that Mani and Santosh will together bring it all together finally. You know, Manikandan was doing the cinematography earlier. But you can’t tell where and when Santosh took over.

You actually dubbed your own lines in Tamil?
Oh yes, as far as dubbing is concerned I’ve come a long way. I remember during my first film Iruvar in Tamil, I panicked at the language. Now of course I am far more confident. But two films simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil meant pressure full-on. Until we were on the sets none of us knew what pressures we were getting into. After a while Mani was giving me scenes on the sets. Then he’d humour me saying, ‘Come come let’s do it.’It was the toughest thing I’ve ever done. I’d be standing there, having just completed a harrowing scene with Abhishek, and then without a minute’s pause I’d have to do the same scene with Vikram. We were all passionate about the project to the point of being obsessive. Everyone in the crew was there in the jungles throughout. We would tell one another that we were on a picnic or a safari adventure. But we knew what we were going through.

Would you do it again if you have to?
While we were shooting Raavan we felt the situation was impossible and we didn’t know how we’d get through it. But now that we did ...yes, I’d do it again! Just before the film’s release we all met up and we kept looking at each other thinking the same thing. ‘Is it all done already?’ And we kept saying, ‘We can do it any time again.’ And Mani was like, ‘You guys are crazy.’

You feel ill with serious viral infections during the film?
It just got widely reported. Even Abhishek and Vikram fell ill. These things happen when working under tough conditions. Mani got it. His wife Suhasini visited us. And she too got it. Such things do happen specially when you have to remain drenched from head to toe. During childhood we were taught to keep our head dry. And here I was getting drenched from early morning till late night. There was no point in drying myself because I was soaked in seconds.

Curiously you shot with two of the finest directors Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali almost simultaneously, Mani completely outdoors and Sanjay fully on the sets.
And both so fulfilling in their own way. Let me tell you, I consider myself blessed. I’ve worked repeatedly with both. And both have taken my acting abilities seriously.

drmitaljohn Home Remedies for Liver Cirrhosis and Tips for Liver Care

2010-06-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

It also most stores and releases energy that helps the body in performing various functions. It is the only organ in the body that regenerates itself when injured. Any damage in the liver interferes with all these functions. There are around four liver disorders.

In fact, liver infection is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States and even though many forms of liver disease are avoidable and many more if detected early can be treated effectively.

Some symptoms which indicate something is wrong with the liver are:-

• Loss of appetite
• Diarrhea
• Flatulence
• Pain in the abdomen
• Difficulty in breathing and coughing

There are many ways to maintain the healthy liver like many drugs are available to deal with the liver disorders but excess usage of drugs can cause you many side effects like headache, insomnia and may also feel weakness in the body and also problem in breathing. Liver cirrhosis is mainly caused due to the excess consuming alcohol and smoking. Smoking and alcohols are very harmful to the health in various ways.

Step by Step Pregnancy and Great Home Remedies for Pregnancy

2010-06-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

When you find out that you’re pregnant is not the time to create a new diet or exercise program. If you are preparation to become pregnant, make sure you are at a healthy weight and in the best physical action

Your Baby is What You Eat:

Your baby depends on the lifeline that you and they share to grow correctly. Following a diet that include all the major food group is almost certainly the simplest approach to a healthy diet

Exercise regularly:

While a rigorous exercise list is unsuitable when you are pregnant, it is a good idea to try and get some exercise every day.

Avoid the big no-nos:

If you follow only one step in this plan for a healthy pregnancy, avoid the big no-nos: don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs (this includes medications that your doctor has not approved).

Simple to find Lost Mobile

2010-06-26T23:55:00.001-07:00

An IMEI number-The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number is an international identity number used to uniquely identify a mobile phone. The 15-digit IMEI number is an electronic fingerprint transmitted every time a phone is used, which reveals the identity of the mobile handset.

How can I find out my IMEI number? IMEI numbers are independent of the phone number and are usually written underneath the battery or on the back of the handset. Mobile phone users can also check their 15 digit IMEI number by dialling *#06# on their mobile handset. Mobile phone owners should make a note of their IMEI number and keep the details in a safe place.

If u lost your mobile, send an e-mail to cop@vsnl.net with the following info.
Your name:
Address:
Phone model:
Make:
Last used No.:
E-mail for communication:
Missed date:
IMEI No.:

"No need to go to police station"

Import Excel Data into MySQL in 5 Easy Steps

2010-06-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

This is probably nothing new to many, but I spent quite some time to figure it out so I thought I’d post my notes on it.

To import data from Excel (or any other program that can produce a text file) is very simple using the LOAD DATA command from the MySQL Command prompt.

Save your Excel data as a csv file (In Excel 2007 using Save As)
Check the saved file using a text editor such as Notepad to see what it actually looks like, i.e. what delimiter was used etc.
Start the MySQL Command Prompt (I’m lazy so I usually do this from the MySQL Query Browser – Tools – MySQL Command Line Client to avoid having to enter username and password etc.)
Enter this command:
LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE ‘C:\\temp\\yourfile.csv’ INTO TABLE database.table FIELDS TERMINATED BY ‘;’ ENCLOSED BY ‘”‘ LINES TERMINATED BY ‘\r\n’ (field1, field2);
[Edit: Make sure to check your single quotes (') and double quotes (") if you copy and paste this code - it seems Wordpress is changing them into some similar but different characters]
Done!

Very quick and simple once you know it

Some notes from my own import – may not apply to you if you run a different language version, MySQL version, Excel version etc…

TERMINATED BY – this is why I included step 2. I thought a csv would default to comma separated but at least in my case semicolon was the deafult
ENCLOSED BY – my data was not enclosed by anything so I left this as empty string ”
LINES TERMINATED BY – at first I tried with only ‘\n’ but had to add the ‘\r’ to get rid of a carriage return character being imported into the database
Also make sure that if you do not import into the primary key field/column that it has auto increment on, otherwhise only the first row will be imported

City man eyes Guinness for most ailments

2010-06-26T23:50:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: Sham Soma Solanki is short but his list of ailments is excruciatingly long.

From the humble hernia to the mind-numbing cancer, from long-standing diabetes to a crippling stroke, this mukadam from the Thane Municipal Corporation has suffered 20 various diseases in his 47 years of life, says his family as well as his doctors. In fact, his doctors have sent his medical papers to the Guinness World Records for consideration.

Solanki was discharged from Jupiter Hospital in Thane last week after recovering from his latest health emergency, a heart attack that was followed by a high-risk bypass surgery.

Considering that he suffers from congestive heart failure (last year, doctors drained out five litres of liquid from his lungs) and two of his ribs were removed after they got gangrene, Solanki's heart was indeed a difficult one to operate, cardiac surgeon Dr Jayesh Dhareshwar, who was among the 10-member team treating Solanki, said. "His lung condition was so bad that four hospitals refused to operate on him. His heart's pumping action too was barely 25," cardiologist Dr Vijay Surase from the same hospital said.

Solanki smilingly says that his family — wife Sujata is a Shiv Sena corporator and two sons — were convinced that this was the last stop. "We had approached many doctors who said that, given my poor heart condition, I wouldn't make it beyond the operation table. We are ecstatic that I managed," says Solanki, who has a story to relate for most of the cuts and stitches on the various parts of his body.

Dr Surase said, "We have performed various immunology tests on Solanki but he doesn't seem to have any one particular condition that seems to have contributed to these 20 diseases." The count of 20 also includes bouts of malaria, dengue and typhiod that the patient has suffered.

He has, in fact, sent Solanki's case study along with his health reports to the Guinness World Records in London. The 40-day scrutiny may or may not earn Solanki the unhealthy distinction of having suffered from the maximum number of diseases but doctors are convinced that he is among the rarest of patients. "Each disease is mutually exclusive of the other," Dr Surase added.

"The last seven years have been terrible. Every few months, there has been a new health problem," says Solanki, who has been in and out of various hospitals in this period. His problem actually began 15 years back when he discovered that he had diabetes. "I had only had a hernia operation before that."

In 2003, he discovered he had cancer, which was quickly followed by a stroke that paralysed his right side. "If not for my wife and elder son, who kept nudging me to carry on, I wouldn't have managed," he said. "When doctors discovered my cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma (lymph node cancer), my friends told me that I should make merry till I am alive. Their advice was to smoke unlimited and drink unlimited," he says.

Not surprisingly then, Solanki used to smoke 10 cigarettes a day till his heart attack on May 28 this year. But he now promises to reform. "Given my son's dedication to ensure that I stay healthy, I will take care of myself now," he says.

In 2004, doctors found TB meningitis that was followed by an attack of gangrene in his left arm. "One of the scariest moments was in 2006," Solanki admits, "when doctors discovered an abscess in my hip." He was advised an amputation as the muscles were nectorised (dead). "It took an year of daily cleaning up to save my leg," says Solanki, showing off the four-clover mark on his buttock. Then, a mass was discovered on his windpipe that temporarily robbed him of his voice even as his kidney suddenly failed in 2008.

Last year, gangrene developed on two of his rib bones, needing them to be removed. Then came the discovery of heart failure and asthma before the heart attack on May 28. A senior doctor from a south Mumbai hospital, however, feels that Solanki's plight is the combination of compromised immunology and a bad lifestyle.

"He must surely have some predisposing factors such as alcohol or smoking and some genetic predisposition that must have led to such multiple condition," the doctor said.

Konark waterlogged, experts rushed to site

2010-06-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa government on Saturday sent an expert team to study the drainage system of Konark Sun Temple which has been waterlogged for the last three days.

A six-member team comprising engineers and construction officials from the state government and state-owned Orissa Construction Corporation (OCC), inspected the 13th century monument. They will soon submit a plan to drain out the water to a nullah. No representative of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been looking after conservation of the world heritage site for decades, was part of the visiting team.

"As ASI looks after the monument, we will hand over our plan to them. After getting their nod, we will build a 1,900m concrete drain to connect the temple with the Patharabuha nullah (about two km away on the Konark-Bhubaneswar route). The total expenditure would be around Rs 1 crore," executive engineer (drainage) S K Sahu told TOI. "We will also request ASI to either construct the proposed drain in the protected area (covering a radius of 120m from the shrine) or allow us to do it," he said.

Chief secretary T K Mishra said, "The state government in association with ASI would do the needful to ensure that the Sun Temple does not face drainage problems in future. We will soon convene a joint meeting to work out the strategy." ASI superintendent in Bhubaneswar, A K Patel, was not available for comments.

Sources said the expert team was rushed to Konark on the advice of chief minister Naveen Patnaik as the ASI had been cold shouldering demands for putting in place proper drainage facilities at the monument.

Saina reaches summit clash of Indonesian Open

2010-06-26T19:36:00.002-07:00

JAKARTA: Defending champion Saina Nehwal dished out yet another dominating performance, routing Japan's Eriko Hirose 21-9, 21-10 to storm into the final of the Indonesian Open Super Series badminton tournament on Saturday.

With this win, Saina has earned a shot at her second successive Super Series title, having won the trophy in Singapore last week.

The top seeded Indian was all over her fourth seeded rival as she collected points in heap and never allowed Hirose to come back.

It took her 27 minutes to finish on the right side of the result, which gives her a chance to notch up a hat-trick of titles.

Before winning the Singapore Open, Saina had won the Indian Open Grand Prix on home turf.

The world number three will now face off with another Japanese in Sayaka Sato, who ended the superb run of local qualifier Ana Rovita with a 21-19, 21-14 win in the other semifinal.

Continuing her scorching form, Saina began to dismantle the challenge of Hirose right from the start as she opened up a huge lead in no time.

Merely nine minutes into the match and the scoreline was 17-8 in Saina's favour and the Indian pocketed the opening game in just 12 minutes.

With such a superb start there was no stopping the Hyderabadi as she scored five points in a row to create a 9-2 lead in the second game.

Not even once, the Japanese could garner two consecutive points. The Indian took another four points to make it 15-5 and from there on, it was just a matter of time to complete the formalities.

Yuvraj, Dravid return to India's Test squad for Lanka series

2010-06-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Out of favour in ODIs due to slump in form and fitness, middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh on Saturday returned to the 16-member Indian Test squad, along with veteran Rahul Dravid for the three-match away series against Sri Lanka next month.

Both Yuvraj and Dravid had to miss India's last Test assignment against South Africa at home due to injuries suffered during the Bangladesh Test series early in the year.

Yuvraj, who was dropped from the ODI side for the just-concluded Asia Cup, had missed out against the Proteas due to a ligament injury.

Senior batsman Dravid, who was hit by a rising Shahdat Hossain ball in the Mirpur Test and was advised three weeks' rest, returned to the side at the expense of S Badrinath.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha was preferred over Dinesh Karthik, who failed to get the Kris Srikkanth-led selection panel's nod despite his decent ODI showing in the Asia Cup, which India won after a gap of 15 years.

Saha had made his debut in Nagpur against South Africa but was left out for the Kolkata match.

Except for this minor shuffling, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led squad is more or less the same that played against South Africa.

The pace attack comprises the troika of Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, while the spin department has Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha.

Since Virender Sehwag is nursing a hamstring injury, the selectors have decided to keep Murali Vijay as a back-up opener.

Squad:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth.

Viveka followed contemporaries Nafisa, Kuljeet

2010-06-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

viveka babajee.jpg
Viveka followed contemporaries Nafisa, Kuljeet(BCCL)
Well-known faces of the fashion industry, Nafisa Joseph, Kuljeet Randhawa and now Viveka Babajee, have ended their lives in a similar fashion...

Viveka Babajee, 32, a beautiful supermodel, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. She is the third Indian model who has settled the score with life in this manner. Here are some more names who have had a similar tragic end...

Nafisa Joseph
A good-looking model, bubbly VJ, glamorous former Miss India and Miss Universe finalist, Nafisa left one and all stunned when she hung herself in her Mumbai flat on 29 July 2004. Lies and deception in her love life forced the 25 year-old young to take the grave step. Just a few weeks before she was supposed to tie the knot with long-term boyfriend Gautam Khanduja, she discovered that the man was still married. Naturally, the marriage was called off and out of sheer agony, Joseph took the drastic step.

Kuljeet Randhawa
It seemed she had her fate connected to Nafisa Joseph. The two girls shared screen space in television series C.A.T.S, and were great friends as well. Within six months of Joseph's demise, Randhawa was found hanging in her Juhu apartment. According to her suicide note, it was her failure to cope-up with the pressures of life that made her choose death. Kuljeet was seen on TV in serials including Hip Hip Hurray, Kohinoor series and Special Squad. She, too, was barely 30.

Marilyn Monroe
The eternal beauty, who has many a talents to her name including modeling, acting and singing, Marilyn ended her life at the age of 36 years. When her popularity was soaring high and adulations and accolades, she was busy enjoying, there was one part of her existence that was suffering. Illness, personal problems and a tag of being unreliable and tough to work with forced her towards her doom. It was an overdose of barbiturates that took her life. Now, whether it was intentional or accidental is still being debated upon.

Apart from these names, there have been many models, who chose death when life left them with no option. For some it was a failed love, while for others the mad race to survive in the glam world became the catalyst taking them to doom. Some of the names we would like to mention include Lucy Gordon, Lois Hamilton, Margaux Hemingway, Daul Kim, Ruslana Korshunova and Lina Marulanda.

While they have found their answers to life’s woes by embracing death, the world has moved on. But a question lingers on...why? Why do so many models face a dark end? Is it the lack of will power that fails to fight back a gloomy love life? Or is it the never ending demands of their profession that brings such an end? Or something else we are yet to explore....

Kill Switch in Google Android!

2010-06-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Google has a Kill Switch in Android. In a blog post, the company disclosed that it has remotely removed two applications from Android phones that ran contrary to the terms of the Android Market.

According to Rich Cannings, Android Security Lead, "Every now and then, we remove applications from Android Market due to violations of our Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement or Content Policy.

In cases where users may have installed a malicious application that poses a threat, we’ve also developed technologies and processes to remotely remove an installed application from devices. If an application is removed in this way, users will receive a notification on their phone."

According to the blog post, "The remote application removal feature is one of many security controls Android possesses to help protect users from malicious applications.

In case of an emergency, a dangerous application could be removed from active circulation in a rapid and scalable manner to prevent further exposure to users. While we hope to not have to use it, we know that we have the capability to take swift action on behalf of users’ safety when needed."

In a filing to US Federal Communications Commission in 2009, Google reportedly said that it had taken down about 1% of applications that had been uploaded to the Android Market because they failed to comply with Google's terms.

A survey by SMobile Systems of over 48,000 apps in the Android Market recently noted that "one in every five applications request permissions to access private or sensitive information that an attacker could use for malicious purposes."

Panel suggests 70% weight for Class 12 marks in IIT entry

2010-06-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: In what may mark a major shift away from the current scheme of admission to the country's bluechip engineering institutions, an HRD ministry panel has recommended 70% weightage to class XII marks and 30% for performance in an aptitude test to be conducted more than once a year, for the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination.

A cut-off list on the basis of the class XII result and the aptitude test will be prepared in the month of June every year and the top 40,000 will have to take the additional test for IITs. Right now, more than four lakh students appear for IIT-JEE in a single test.

The panel headed by Damodar Acharya, director of IIT Kharagpur, that gave its report to HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday, has also suggested that the aptitude test be an ongoing affair which students can take more than once.

However, the best score in the aptitude test -- which will have questions on reasoning, numerical ability and communication skills -- should be taken into account. It is only the add-on test for the top students that will have questions on physics, mathematics and chemistry. However, the panel has put a restriction on the number of times the add-on test can be taken.

Also, unlike the present system, right at the beginning, students will have to give their choice of IIT or other institutes -- like Indian Institute of Science Education & Research -- whose admission test is conducted through JEE. Students will also have to spell out their choice of branch of engineering or stream of pure science.

HRD sources said the ministry's first task would be to bring all state boards as well as CBSE on par with each other by developing a comprehensive weighted performance index so that there is no gross inequality among them and students do not suffer. Already, a core science and mathematics syllabus has been mooted by the HRD ministry and approved by the Council of Board of Secondary Education. "The move will ensure that students from small towns and even those who cannot afford expensive coaching can aim to be in IITs," a source said.

NSG meet steers clear of China-Pakistan nuke deal

2010-06-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: In the end, the Nuclear Suppliers Group steered clear of two difficult subjects: the China-Pakistan nuclear deal and the US's efforts to sew up an agreement restricting transfers of enrichment and reprocessing technology to non-NPT compliant countries.

In an official statement the 46-member group observed that participating countries "continued to consider implementation" of civil nuclear cooperation with India. "It noted actions taken to adhere to the NSG guidelines and the voluntary commitments made by India."

According to sources, the China-Pakistan deal came up for a lot of discussion but it didn't make it as an agenda item, especially after the numerous questions to China failed to elicit any clear replies from Beijing.

However, Chinese nuclear companies have already reportedly signed agreements to build two new reactors in Pakistan, well before the NSG meet. NSG confined itself to calling for consultation and transparency in dealings with non-NSG states, an oblique reference to the Pakistan deal.

Hrithik sneaks into a nude beach

2010-06-26T18:27:00.001-07:00

It’s not what you think, so get your mind out of the gutter, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin aren’t, er, stripping for this film. The Censor Board may as well relax. The unit of Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, including Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar and co-producer Ritesh Sidhwani, were actually in for a surprise when they landed on the sandy shores of Costa Brava in Spain. All the vacationers there were sunbathing in the nude. And, seeing the actors and crew descending upon them with cameras, they initially thought that somebody was out to shoot them. Once realisation dawned, they got back to catching their sun tans. And Messrs Hrithik, Kat, farhan, Abhay and Kalki went about their work undisturbed. Well, not quite. Because, as one unit hand said, “We had a hard time shooting... and making sure that we didn’t capture any nudists on the beach... that would have given the Censor Board a fit. In fact, we looked like the odd ones out dressed up as we were!”

Ranjita to pen 'how to survive a scandal'

2010-06-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Three months after the telecast of controversial tapes that allegedly showed her with godman Nityananda in a compromising position, actor Ranjita is busy working on a self-help book tentatively titled 'How to survive a scandal.' And it will be drawn from her experience.

"I am writing this based on my experiences in the past six months, and there are so many people out there feeling traumatised," the actor told TOI in an interview, the first after the controversy. "My book will help people come to terms with personal problems, and I am in talks with a couple of publishers," she says.

"I am also writing a fiction, aimed at the youth of today, but the one drawn from my experiences will come out first," says the actor. 'Autobiography Of A Yogi' and other books by renowned spiritual gurus line the book shelf in her living room. "I was always a bookworm and you move from fiction to philosophy. I am especially fond of Indian spiritual writings," says the actor, who came to Chennai early this month. She also took time to meet up with CB CID officials in connection with the Nityananda case.

Asked why she went underground when the controversy broke, Ranjita said: "I do not want to hang on to the past. I want to move on. I was very hurt and went through stress and trauma. I decided to hibernate for a while. The media was writing so many negative things about me, and some were fabricated interviews."

She said one needs time to deal with such things, "but people think actors do not deserve that kind of time," she says. She quickly adds that her husband, sisters, parents and in-laws have been pillars of strength for her. She has a short role in 'Raavanan', but she is yet to watch the film.

Any more film offers? "I am not thinking about work right now, I want to take a break," says Ranjita. "When not working, I was like any other army wife, doing social work and attending official parties," says Ranjita who got married to Rakesh, a colonel in the army, in 1998.

Unlike the controversy over Khushboo's comments on safe sex which had women activists and others extending support to the actor, Ranjita had none speaking out for her. "I have not been in touch with anyone for months now, and it will be some more time before I am ready to socialise," she says. What is her state of mind now, when she is not wielding a pen? "I want to put my best foot forward. To a large extent, trust is going to be missing from my dictionary for a long time," says the actor.

Beggar who gave alms to the poor

2010-06-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

AHMEDABAD: A beggar on Saturday proved that charity only needs a big heart rather than deep pockets. Khimjibhai Prajapati, 64 and a beggar in Mehsana for a decade, donated clothes to 11 poor hearing and speech-impaired girls at the Shrimati Kesarbai Kilachand School for the Deaf.

Rich philanthropists have been a more common sight but it was the first time ever that a beggar had walked into the school to share his savings. It was an unusual sight. An unkempt Khimjibhai in tattered, unwashed clothes, limped through the school gates on crutches and placed the brand new clothes in the hands of 11 eager girls. He had used his savings of Rs 3,000 to buy the clothes.

Khimjibhai begs outside the Simandhar Swami Jain Temple in Mehsana and outside the Hanuman Temple. He lives nearby and asks the devotees for alms.

So why did he give alms to the unfortunate children at the school? Khimjibhai said, "I just need two meals a day and some money to send back to my ailing wife in Rajkot to cure her ulcers and lung infection. Apart from this, whatever I earn I use to buy food for poor, hungry people. Since a long time I wished to do something for girls and I am happy to donate for them".

Khimjibhai used to run a tea stall in Rajkot but escalating prices and shrinking profit margins wreaked huge losses and left him on the streets.

His faith in God brought him to Mehsana where he took shelter outside the Jain temple. "Whether rich or poor, one should always try to help the needy," he says. Khimjibhai helped an orphanned girl marry some time ago.

Bharat Shah, a trustee of the institution that runs the school, said, "I have never seen such philanthropy in the 35 years of career. He just goes on to prove that the true donor is he who has one roti and shares half with the hungry."

One of those who received clothes was Swati Bhagwandas, an orphan who has been at the residential school for years. The 18-year old's eyes shone with happiness.

Tendulkar leads sports stars in Wimbledon royal box

2010-06-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar was among a host of sports stars who packed out the royal box on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Saturday, with top internationals and Olympic gold medallists among the throng.

India's master batsman Tendulkar and West Indies hero Brian Lara were in attendance from the world of cricket, while England football greats Bobby Charlton and Glenn Hoddle were also invited.

Former Wimbledon champions included Martina Navratilova, Budge Patty, Jan Kodes and Australian trio Ashley Cooper, Neale Fraser and Evonne Goolagong-Cawley.

Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase and former British number one Roger Taylor joined them.

From rugby union, the world's most capped forward Jason Leonard, England captain Lewis Moody, and former England internationals Alastair Hignell and Martin Bayfield watched the action.

Among the British Olympic gold medallists present were cyclists Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, athlete Kelly Holmes, canoeist Tim Brabants and skeleton racer Amy Williams.

US skiing gold medallist Julia Mancuso, New Zealand golfer Bob Charles, who won The Open in 1963, and British former swimming world record holder Mark Foster also attended.

Saturday was Armed Forces Day in Britain and representatives from the military in the royal box were given a standing ovation.

The stars saw reigning women's champion Serena Williams defeat Dominika Cibulkova, 2008 men's champion Rafael Nadal take on Philipp Petzschner and British favourite Andy Murray play Gilles Simon.

IITs say no to common engineering entrance test

2010-06-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: The Indian Institutes of Technology have trashed the idea of selection through a single national admission test for all engineering colleges. Instead, in a throwback to the earlier system of a two-stage test (2000-2004) to enter an IIT, an HRD ministry-appointed committee has come up with a plan of holding an "add-on" test to select candidates.

TOI has a copy of the interim report of the committee, which is headed by IIT-Kharagpur director Damodar Acharya and comprising IIT-Madras director M S Ananth, IIT-Bombay director Devang Khakhar and IIT-Roorkee head S C Saxena. They wrote the report after extensive discussion with state officials, university heads, faculty and other stakeholders nationwide.

"Scores in a well-designed National Aptitude Test should be used to capture parameters of interest such as raw intelligence, aptitude, general awareness, comprehension and written communication skills. NAT should not require extensive preparation and coaching. The questions should be so designed that it would not require inputs beyond plus-2 level," an HRD ministry-appointed committee said in its report. The NAT high-performers will then have to clear another test to get into IITs and other top institutes.

To soften stress, it has been proposed to make NAT an online test conducted throughout the year. Every students' composite weighted performance score will then be drawn up; it will be based on marks in NAT and marks each student tots up in science subjects in Class XII boards.

The Art of the Google Homepage

2010-06-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

Last week, Google announced a feature that would allow users to make their favorite pictures or photos their Google homepage.

They also included images of works of some famous artists like Dale Chihuly, Jeff Koons, Tom Otterness, Polly Apfelbaum, Kengo Kuma (éšˆç ”å¾), Kwon, Ki-soo (ê¶Œê¸°ìˆ˜) and Tord Boontje. There will also be pictures from acclaimed photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand and National Geographic.

Groove to Google's Music

2010-06-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Google Inc is planning to launch an online music downloading service tied to its search engine, the Wall Street Journal reported, a move that would pit it against Apple Inc and its popular iTunes site. Google's plans are still vague, but it has been "stepping up conversations" about offering music services online as well as over mobile phones that use its Android operating system, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the company's talks with the music industry.

It was unclear whether Google had signed deals with record labels, the report said, adding that the launch of a music downloading store was still months away. Google and Apple have become competitors since the launch of Google's Androidoperating system, a rival to Apple's iPhone.

McAfee launches Innovative Program for Added Security in the Cloud

2010-06-26T10:41:00.002-07:00

McAfee, Inc. today announced the McAfee Cloud Secure program, a program for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers to add additional security to their cloud deployments.

“SaaS vendors have a difficult time convincing prospects that their services are secure and safe. However, McAfee’s security products and hosted services expertise are well positioned to help SaaS vendors with security problems and customer doubts,” said Christian Christiansen, vice president of security products and services for IDC. “Through certification and automation, McAfee can enable SaaS growth by pro-actively addressing customer concerns.”

McAfee Takes Steps to Further Secure the Cloud:

The McAfee Cloud Secure program adds security to the cloud. The current program includes:

Cloud Security Certification Services: McAfee will partner with leading Certification delivery vendors to provide Certification services tailored for SaaS and Cloud vendors. The certification services, which are provided on an annual basis, will include existing security controls, processes and certifications, as well as futureCloud security standards.
Automated Auditing, Remediation & Reporting: Coupled with Certification, McAfee performs automatic and daily security audits, remediation of vulnerabilities and reporting of the security status of their service and network using theMcAfee Cloud Secure service. Cloud vendors who pass the daily scan and other checks receive a “McAfee SECURE” trustmark, providing credible, third party validation to be used on their solutions and in customer-facing marketing collateral.
Security Credibility: The McAfee Cloud Secure program will leverage the trusted McAfee SECURE technology and trustmark. Currently, the McAfee SECURE trustmark appears on more than 80 thousand websites worldwide. With more than 80 billion touch points, the McAfee SECURE trustmark gives users confidence when doing business with a McAfee SECURE customer. McAfee Cloud Secure combines rigorous security testing, business practice review, compliance certification, and ongoing vulnerability evaluation for Cloud vendors.

McAfee plans to build on the program by leveraging its comprehensive SaaS portfolio of Cloud-based security services along with its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence network, helping make the broader cloud-computing ecosystem more safe and secure.