Whitney Harper, now a college senior, was fined $27k for sharing 37 songs when she was 14 by the RIAA. While we love sharing Backstreet Boys mp3's as much as the next #1 education news bloggers.. It seems folks should just subscribe to Napster or one of the other ~$20 / month services that give you unlimited access to music and avoid this hassle by the music police.
She is lucky however, in the first RIAA case to be awarded a settlement a Minnesota jury ordered a woman to pay $1.92 million for file sharing 24 songs (though the judge in the case reduced the award to $54,000 — $2,250 a track).
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Naked man at airport booked
Delhi Police on Saturday registered a case against a 29-year-old mentally unstable man caught running nude on a taxiway at the highly secure Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) a day ago, police said.
The accused identified as Arun Rai was reportedly instigated by his friends to scale the wall of the airport from Bijwasan side when he expressed his desire to sit on a plane. A resident of Gurgaon, Rai was booked for criminal trespass at the Palam airport police station.
Rai told the police he scaled a wall near Gate number 20 reportedly manned by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guards and entered the airport premises. He was caught around 8 p.m. near Taxiway 28 by a follow-me jeep.
“He was grilled by several agencies before we registered a case,” said O.P. Mishra, deputy commissioner of police (IGI). He was produced in a court and sent to jail. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) denied there was any security breach.
The accused identified as Arun Rai was reportedly instigated by his friends to scale the wall of the airport from Bijwasan side when he expressed his desire to sit on a plane. A resident of Gurgaon, Rai was booked for criminal trespass at the Palam airport police station.
Rai told the police he scaled a wall near Gate number 20 reportedly manned by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) guards and entered the airport premises. He was caught around 8 p.m. near Taxiway 28 by a follow-me jeep.
“He was grilled by several agencies before we registered a case,” said O.P. Mishra, deputy commissioner of police (IGI). He was produced in a court and sent to jail. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) denied there was any security breach.
Unprecedented welcome for PM in Saudi Arabia
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening to a historic welcome with the kingdom's crown prince and the entire Saudi cabinet turning up at the airport to receive him.
In an unprecedented gesture, Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Defence Minister, Minister for Civil Aviation and First Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister and the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of Riyadh, and the entire Saudi cabinet set aside protocol and received the prime minister and his wife Gursharan Kaur at the Royal Terminal of the King Khaled International Airport.
It may be recalled that when Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz had visited India in 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had broken protocol to receive the monarch personally at the airport.
On Thursday, as the Prime Minister's cavalcade zipped across from the airport to the city, the entire stretch had Indian and Saudi flags flying.
And in what is going to be yet another significant gesture, the Prime Minister will be officially welcomed by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz at a function on Sunday.
According to official sources, no foreign dignitary has ever been accorded such a welcome.
The Prime Minister and his delegation will also be staying in a palace that has never been opened before and certainly not to any visiting foreign dignitary - the King Saud Guest Palace.
The Prime Minister's visit comes four years after the visit of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to New Delhi in 2006 when the latter was honoured as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade and the historic Delhi Declaration, charting out a new path of bilateral cooperation across a wide range of fields between India and the largest and most influential Gulf nation, was signed.
Apart from the summit meeting between Manmohan Singh and King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's Minister for Oil and Mineral Resources Ali Al Naimi, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, and Minister for Commerce and Industry Abdulla Zainal Ali Reza are expected to call on the prime minister.
Among those accompanying Manmohan Singh are Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma, Minister for Petroleum and Gas Murli Deora and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.
Around 10 agreements in the fields of security, science and technology, are expected to be signed between the two sides during the course of the visit that will last till March 1.
Among the major highlights will be the signing of an extradition treaty between India and Saudi Arabia and the setting up of a joint investment fund.
Manmohan Singh is the third Indian prime minister to visit Saudi Arabia.
Soon after independence, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited this Gulf nation in 1956 when he was hailed as a hero here. That was actually a return visit after King Fahd visited India the preceding year.
Then, in 1982, Indira Gandhi visited this country and that was the last visit by an Indian prime minister till now.
In an unprecedented gesture, Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Defence Minister, Minister for Civil Aviation and First Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister and the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of Riyadh, and the entire Saudi cabinet set aside protocol and received the prime minister and his wife Gursharan Kaur at the Royal Terminal of the King Khaled International Airport.
It may be recalled that when Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz had visited India in 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had broken protocol to receive the monarch personally at the airport.
On Thursday, as the Prime Minister's cavalcade zipped across from the airport to the city, the entire stretch had Indian and Saudi flags flying.
And in what is going to be yet another significant gesture, the Prime Minister will be officially welcomed by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz at a function on Sunday.
According to official sources, no foreign dignitary has ever been accorded such a welcome.
The Prime Minister and his delegation will also be staying in a palace that has never been opened before and certainly not to any visiting foreign dignitary - the King Saud Guest Palace.
The Prime Minister's visit comes four years after the visit of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to New Delhi in 2006 when the latter was honoured as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade and the historic Delhi Declaration, charting out a new path of bilateral cooperation across a wide range of fields between India and the largest and most influential Gulf nation, was signed.
Apart from the summit meeting between Manmohan Singh and King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's Minister for Oil and Mineral Resources Ali Al Naimi, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, and Minister for Commerce and Industry Abdulla Zainal Ali Reza are expected to call on the prime minister.
Among those accompanying Manmohan Singh are Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma, Minister for Petroleum and Gas Murli Deora and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.
Around 10 agreements in the fields of security, science and technology, are expected to be signed between the two sides during the course of the visit that will last till March 1.
Among the major highlights will be the signing of an extradition treaty between India and Saudi Arabia and the setting up of a joint investment fund.
Manmohan Singh is the third Indian prime minister to visit Saudi Arabia.
Soon after independence, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited this Gulf nation in 1956 when he was hailed as a hero here. That was actually a return visit after King Fahd visited India the preceding year.
Then, in 1982, Indira Gandhi visited this country and that was the last visit by an Indian prime minister till now.
South Delhi godman busted for sex racket
NEW DELHI: From earning a meagre Rs 2,000 to raking in a princely Rs 5 lakh every month, Shiv Murti Dwivedi alias Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale (39) has come a long way in the past 22 years. Dwivedi, a self-styled godman, was arrested by south district police on Friday for operating a high-profile sex racket. It involved former airhostesses and students.
Starting as a security guard at a five-star hotel at Nehru Place in 1988, he landed in the middle of a prostitution racket in his quest for quick riches. He was first arrested in Lajpat Nagar in 1997 for running a prostitution racket with a massage parlour as a facade.
Dwivedi had himself worked at a massage parlour in the same area in 1990 where he was earning a monthly salary of Rs 3000. He also used to get Rs 20 for every massage. Here he came in contact with pimps and had soon picked up tricks of the trade. Within a few months, Dwivedi had started his own massage parlour during which he came in contact with pimps like jailed Kanwaljeet and Sonu Punjaban to whom he even supplied call girls.
After his arrest, he changed tack, turning to Shirdi Sai Baba and meditation. He used to meditate at a Badarpur temple and soon attracted a string of followers. With their help, he bought land in Khanpur's C-block in 2000.
"Dwivedi had more than a lakh devotees and in 2002 bought another plot of land in Khanpur where he built a three-storey house which has nearly 14 rooms," said a senior police officer. The temple had CCTVs installed inside with the control room in his private chamer. He even built a tunnel inside the temple.
Dwivedi, according to the cops, has garnered assets worth several crores in the past 12 years. Besides a 20-acre plot in Chitrakoot where he was building a hospital and a temple and the temple and house in Delhi, Dwivedi had also rented three government flats in different areas of south Delhi. He used two of these for running his racket while one was used as a temple rest house.
DCP (south) HGS Dhaliwal said, "Dwivedi was also arrested in a stolen property case in 1998. He called himself Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot and claimed to be a disciple of Sai Baba." Police said he also ran a security agency at Khanpur.
On Saturday when Times City visited the temple in Khanpur, all the flats were locked. Locals said their complaints to the cops had gone unheard all these years and the Baba and his cohorts have been threatening them. "They always had politicians and businessmen visiting them," said Rajendra Kumar, a resident of the area.
The police say Dwivedi organised several pravachans and satsangs involving politicians. A couple of prominent politicians have, meanwhile, denied any links with Dwivedi, saying they knew him only as a disciple of Sai Baba.
Dwivedi had recently delivered a sermon in North Avenue which was attended by several prominent MPs and MLAs. The racket was busted when the police received a complaint regarding his activities. The cops found that he had floated a website. A decoy customer was sent and a deal stuck after which the police nabbed him and six women.
Starting as a security guard at a five-star hotel at Nehru Place in 1988, he landed in the middle of a prostitution racket in his quest for quick riches. He was first arrested in Lajpat Nagar in 1997 for running a prostitution racket with a massage parlour as a facade.
Dwivedi had himself worked at a massage parlour in the same area in 1990 where he was earning a monthly salary of Rs 3000. He also used to get Rs 20 for every massage. Here he came in contact with pimps and had soon picked up tricks of the trade. Within a few months, Dwivedi had started his own massage parlour during which he came in contact with pimps like jailed Kanwaljeet and Sonu Punjaban to whom he even supplied call girls.
After his arrest, he changed tack, turning to Shirdi Sai Baba and meditation. He used to meditate at a Badarpur temple and soon attracted a string of followers. With their help, he bought land in Khanpur's C-block in 2000.
"Dwivedi had more than a lakh devotees and in 2002 bought another plot of land in Khanpur where he built a three-storey house which has nearly 14 rooms," said a senior police officer. The temple had CCTVs installed inside with the control room in his private chamer. He even built a tunnel inside the temple.
Dwivedi, according to the cops, has garnered assets worth several crores in the past 12 years. Besides a 20-acre plot in Chitrakoot where he was building a hospital and a temple and the temple and house in Delhi, Dwivedi had also rented three government flats in different areas of south Delhi. He used two of these for running his racket while one was used as a temple rest house.
DCP (south) HGS Dhaliwal said, "Dwivedi was also arrested in a stolen property case in 1998. He called himself Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot and claimed to be a disciple of Sai Baba." Police said he also ran a security agency at Khanpur.
On Saturday when Times City visited the temple in Khanpur, all the flats were locked. Locals said their complaints to the cops had gone unheard all these years and the Baba and his cohorts have been threatening them. "They always had politicians and businessmen visiting them," said Rajendra Kumar, a resident of the area.
The police say Dwivedi organised several pravachans and satsangs involving politicians. A couple of prominent politicians have, meanwhile, denied any links with Dwivedi, saying they knew him only as a disciple of Sai Baba.
Dwivedi had recently delivered a sermon in North Avenue which was attended by several prominent MPs and MLAs. The racket was busted when the police received a complaint regarding his activities. The cops found that he had floated a website. A decoy customer was sent and a deal stuck after which the police nabbed him and six women.
3 Idiots shines at Filmfare Awards
3 Idiots made a clean sweep at the 55th Idea Filmfare awards by winning most of the popular choice awards, followed by Firaaq, Dev D and Paa
And the Black Lady goes to...
Popular Awards
Best Film: Vidhu Vinod Chopra for 3 Idiots
Rekha handed over the award to the 3 Idiots team including Maddy, Omi, Boman, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani.
Best Director: Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Rajkumar Hirani received the award from Ramesh Sippy.
Best Actor in Leading Role (Male): Amitabh Bachchan for Paa
In his absence Vidya Balan received the award. Vishal Bhardwaj on stage said, "Diye ko ujaala dikhaane jaisa hai.”
Best Actor in Leading Role (Female): Vidya Balan for Paa
Sri Devi and Boney kapoor presented the award to the lovely lady.
Best Supporting Actor (Male): Boman Irani for 3 Idiots
Bipasha Basu and Ramesh Taurani were there on stage to present the award.
Best Supporting Actor (Female): Kalki Koechlin for Dev D
Neil Mukesh and Kunal Kohli gave the award to Kalki. She thanked everyone from the Dev D team and ended the speech by saying, “I also want to thank the most important person in my life, Anurag Kashyap.”
Best Debutante Director (Male): Ayan Mukherjee for Wake Up Sid
Deepika Padukone and Idea head honcho presented the award. Meanwhile, Karan Johar tweets, “I feel like a proud parent.”
Best Debutante Director (Female): Zoya Akhtar for Luck By Chance
Javed Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar presented the award to Zoya, making the moment more special for her.
Best Dialogue: Raj Kumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi for 3 idiots
Minissha Lamba presented the Best Dialogue Award. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a happy man today, 3 Idiots has won three awards so far, but he is hungry for more.
Best Screenplay: Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi for 3 Idiots
Urmila Matondkar and Abbas-Mastan presented the award to the duo.
Best Story: Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Genelia D'Souza and Harman Baweja gave the award.
Filmfare Critics Award
Best Director: Nandita Das for Firaaq
Best Actor (Female): Mahi Gill, Dev D
Mahie Gill won the Best Actress Award (Critics) for her debut film Dev D
Best Actor (Male): Ranbir Kapoor for Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Khanni, Rocket Singh
Filmfare Music Awards
Best Music: A R Rahman for Delhi 6
Kajol and Tabu gave away the award to Rahman. It’s his 25th Filmfare award.
Best Lyrics: Irshad Kamil for 'Aaj Din Chaddya' (Love Aaj Kal)
Prateik Babbar, Jonty Rhodes and Mugdha Godse presented the award.
Best Playback Singer (Female): Rekha Bharadwaj for Genda Phool (Delhi 6) and Kavita Seth for Iktara (Wake Up Sid)
Madhavan and Shahana Goswami presented the award.
Best Playback Singer (Male): Mohit Chauhan for Masakalli (Delhi 6)
Celina Jaitley and Chunky Pandey gave away the black lady to Mohit.
R D Burman Award for New Musical Talent: Amit Trivedi for Wake Up Sid, Dev D
Anu Malik and Sherlyn Chopra presented the award to Amit. After receiving the award he said, "I dedicate this award to my mother. This is the greatest achievement for any musician.”
Yamma, Yamma.. Shashi gets Lifetime Achievement Award!
Shashi Kapoor received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Shabana Azmi, Yash Chopra, while the song ‘Yamma Yamma’ from the evergreen movie Shaan played in the background. Shabana spoke a few words about Mr Kapoor, who in return only said ‘Thank You.” Shashi Kapoor holding and posing with his Lifetime Achievement Award trophy while sitting on a wheelchair was truly touching. He was accompanied by daughter Sanjana.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Khayyam
Asha Bhosle presented the award to the renowned music composer. Recalling his fond memories Khayyam saab said, “I started my career as an assistant music director with B R Chopra at the salary of Rs 125. So I dedicate all this success to him.” Asha Bhosle added, “I credit my ghazal singing and urdu to Khayyam saab”.
Nandita Das gets a Special Award for her film Firaaq
Filmfare Technical Awards:
Best Visual Effects: Govardhan Vigharan, Vinay Singh Chuphal for Kaminey
Best Choreographer: Bosco-Ceasar, 'Chor Bazaari' from Love Aaj Kal
Best Production Design and Art Direction: Helen Jones, Sukanta Panigrahi for Dev D
Best Action: Vijayan Master for Wanted
With his hands around the black lady, Vijayan said, “I dedicate this award to Boney Kapoor and my hero Salman Khan.”
Best Sound Design: Manas Chaudhury for Firaaq
Best Editing: Sreekar Prasad for Firaaq
Best Cinematographer: Rajeev Ravi for Dev D
Anurag Kashyap received the award on his behalf.
Best Costume Design: Vaishali Menon for Firaaq
Best Background Score: Amit Trivedi for Dev D
Kabir Bedi and Mukesh Bhatt presented the award.
Amit Trivedi says “I kept very quiet about my work. I would let my work do the talking. This my first Filmfare. I have fallen in love with this Black lady.”
The hosts:
Actress Minissha Lamba tweeted on co-hosts Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, “Show just started. SRK wearing red glasses that I love on him soooo much. Saif looking so dapper.. Mistook him for an Italian backstage!!”
When Atul Kulkarni went up the stage to present a technical award, SRK pulled his leg saying, “Atul ek smile toh kardo. Itne paise mein itna he milega kya?”. To this Atul smiled and wished a “Hi” to both SRK and Saif.
While hosting, SRK and Saif called Deepika Padukone on stage for an act and while at that, their pants just came off giving full view of their boxer shorts, making it a real funny act at that!
Karan Johar and Siddharth are hosting the show now and SRK introduced K Jo as sexy and gorgeous. To that Karan replied, “With a beautiful ladies like Gauri and Kareena, I am sure SRK and Saif are not getting time to look at other girls and so they are noticing me.’
SRK, Saif salute Sachin
Hosts Shah Rukh and Saif saluted Sachin Tendulkar for his amazing 200 score at the Gwalior ODI against South Africa.
Shruti Haasan and Siddharth takes over from SRK-Saif to host the next set of awards.
Saif turns a chicken!
Saif is back after a costume change. Wearing a white feather outfit, Saif is looking cute, somewhat like a chicken. Next gag is going to be interesting...
In a gag, Saif had an egg hatched on his head. When he and Shah Rukh went to meet Rekha, she reached to hug Saif and he said, “Baby I have this egg on my head.” To this Rekha seductively replied, “Anything for you baby.”
SRK goes Blue!
SRK became a shark from ‘BLUE’ while Saif became masakalli from ‘Delhi-6’ for a skit.
When Bipasha Basu came up to present an award, SRK asked her to do some aerobics and to everyone’s surprise she did do some of the fitness acts with SRK and Saif trying hard to cope up with her.
Saif fills in for Bebo
SRK announced that “here’s presenting Kareena.” Instead of Kareena, beau Saif Ali Khan played the lovely actress by doing a little jig on the song ‘San Sana San’ from the movie Asoka.
The Buzz off-stage...
Jonty Rhodes sitting backstage between two hot Marathi girls - Mugdha Godse and Urmila Matondkar, who were wearing beautiful saris. The two ladies were trying to get very friendly with the South African cricketer while Jonty was blushing non-stop.
Kajol and Urmila are bonding like a house on fire.
Kunal Kapoor should be given an award for the most active member at the Filmfare. He is doing whatever his friends are telling him to do. Be it going out for a smoke, or on the stage and off stage hanging out, choosing their clothes, giving them company for a drink etc. We wonder where the energy is coming from!
Prateik Babbar and Neil Nitin Mukesh have been constantly together like a magnet since they have entered. We are suspecting a new Dostana well.
Shruti Haasan is wearing a strapless gown and she was shivering with the cold due to the powerful A/C at the Yash Raj studio where the 55th Idea Filmfare Awards happened. She asked for a jacket from a friend to keep her warm.
Sizzling Performances...
Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez, the Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai pair set the stage on fire, with a rocking performance.
A tribute to MJ...
Karan Johar talks about the ‘King of Pop’...Shahid’s performance follows...
Shahid Moonwalked...
When Shahid Kapoor performed a tribute to Michael Jackson the audience went into a frenzy. Shahid did each and every step of MJ including the trademark moonwalk with great ease. He performed on the songs Jam and Smooth Criminal. Farhan Akhtar and Kunal Kapoor looked quite impressed with Shahid’s act.
Biding adieu...
Filmfare also paid tribute to people who passed away last year. Bina Rai, Shakti Samanta, Feroze Khan, Prakash Mehra, Gulshan Kumar Mehta, Simple Kapadia, Joginder, Leela Naidu, Sujit Kumar, Tahir Hussain and Nirmal Pandey.
Red Carpet : The stars started arriving at the appointed hour at the famous Yash Raj Studio, Mumbai. Riteish Desumukh, Sanjay Gadhvi, Shahid Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan were among the first ones to reach the venue.
Divya Dutta, who has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress Category for Delhi-6, arrives at the red carpet. The stunning lady says, “The competition is really tough. I am looking forward to SRK-Saif's kick-ass chemistry.”
SRK and Saif were spotted rehearsing backstage. SRK looked amazing in his red glasses and Saif exuded cool in his usual trademark bandana, t-shirt and denims.
Kaveeta Seth is nominated in the Best Playback Singer category for the song Iktara from Wake Up Sid. The newbie says, "I am nervous since the competition is with all established singers. But even if I don't win, I would consider being nominated as an achievement".
Imtiaz Ali who has been nominated in the Best Director category for Love Aaj Kal looked pretty chilled out while walking the red carpet with his parents and wife. He says, “I love being at the Filmfare awards. This is a time where all the friends can meet and party after the awards to celebrate each other’s win”
Imtiaz also walked the ramp at the Manish Malhotra’s show at the Filmfare pre-event party that was held on Thursday night.
Other B-Town celebs are also on the way! Minissha Lamba has decided on a hot pink gown and is running late, Dino Morea is also suiting up, and Neil Nitin Mukesh is on his way and remarks, “Let’s pray”! Filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani is rooting for Wake Up Sid director Ayan Mukherji, who is nominated for Best Debut Director and says, “Please pray he wins.... !”
Others in the house are Silencer Omi, the funny man, Simi Garewal wearing a little black with her usual white and yes... the reclusive Shashi Kapoor! The excitement is definitely building up!
Farhan Akhtar is accompanied by his sister Zoya Akhtar for the ceremony. Farhan’s film ‘Luck By Chance’ has earned several nominations, when we asked him about his chances of winning he said, “I think we have good chance.”
Ayan Mukherjee wants Ranbir Kapoor to win the Best Actor award for Wake Up Sid but he knows Amitabh Bachchan will take that one away for Paa.
Shruti Haasan chose to wear beige colour outfit designed by Christion Dior for the event, but she failed to impress. Shruti will also play the host for a while and says, “I am very excited as this is the first time I will be compering for Filmfare.”
Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar have come in together. Yash Chopra, Padmini Kholapure and Shivangi Kapoor are also at the venue.
Sunidhi Chauhan, who has nominated in the Best singer category for her song ‘Chor Bazaari' from the movie Love Aaj Kal has also arrived. “May the best contender win”, was all she said.
Hottie Sherlyn Chopra who’s attending the filmfare awards for the first time says, “I am looking for Khan and Khan’s (SRK and Saif) double meaning jokes” the lady showed up wearing a gorgeous Black strapless gown.
Mahie Gill is wearing a Black and Golden gown. She is looking very stunning. “I have no idea if I have been nominated for the award. But I am very excited as this is my first Filmfare night.” Nandita Das has just come in with her husband.
SRK who is hosting the event with Saif is really excited and says, “This time we will be poking fun at ourselves rather than the others.”
Karan Johar just can’t stop talking about debutant Director Ayan Mukherjee. “It’s a matter of pride because it belongs to my production house. The film has received several nominations. May the best man win.” Karan who showed up wearing his own creations in association with Varun Bahl, cant wait to see Saif-SRK chemistry revive.
Boman Irani has arrived at the Red carpet. He has a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 3 idiots.
Man of the moment, Raju Hirani, director of 3 Idiots is in the house. He said, “The award is a celebration for one’s hard work. If you start competition it’s not fun, its unhappy then. Anyway I wish we take away at least 10 awards. We will miss Aamir tonight, but what to do he doesn’t attend award function.” To that Vidhu Vinod Chopra added, “Actually I hope we take as many as our hands can carry.”
Director of Dev D Anurag Kashyap walks in with his girlfriend Kalki Koechlin. Anurag has been nominated in the Best Director category but thinks 3 Idiots will take away the Best Film award. Kalki has also earned a nomination in Best debut actress category. The lovely lady said, “This is my first nomination, I am really, really happy. It is a huge thing for me."
Bollywood divas Deepika Padukone, Celina Jaitly, Sameera Reddy arrive at the venue. Celina Jaitley is looking awesome in her Cavalli gown, she said “I’m definitely rooting for Paa.” Deepika who’s dressed in a black Shantanu-and-Nikhil, is looking one of the best dressed at the event.
Music mogul A R Rahman has just entered.
Tabu who is looking pretty in a Anita Dongre outfit, said she is here to have fun and is not rooting for anyone.
Interestingly, Harman Baweja roots for Priyanka and says “Priyanka will bag the best actress award for Kaminey.”
Urmila walks in with designer Manish Malhotra. Dressed in a green saree by Manish, the lady looks nice.
Lara Dutta, Mahesh Bhupati who are rumoured to be dating, walked in together holding hands. It is their first public appearance together. Lara and Mahesh said, “We are each other’s dates tonight. About whether we are officially seeing each other, you just have to wait and watch.”
The entire Roshan family has just entered. Arjun Rampal has come with his wife.
Dia Mirza slipped into a beige dress by Dress Circle for the event, whereas Mugdha Gode chose to dress in a lavender saree.
Hrithik has come in carrying a Kite in his hands and says that he will promote his forthcoming film Kites at the award night. He said, “Filmfare should give an award to every nominee, not just the winners."
Bollywood diva Rekha has just entered looking stunning as ever in her Golden saree.
Kajol has entered with Tanisha wearing what she says is her Blackberry. About SRK-Saif, Kajol said, “They are crazy and have forced me to come here.”
Bipasha Basu just walked in looking gorgeous in a Black off shoulder gown, minus beau John Abraham. Dino Morea too walked in alone.
Kangana stepped in a white Christian Dior gown and is rooting for everyone because they’re all friends. The actress who took ten minutes flat to get ready said ,”It doesn’t take me more time. I am born beautiful.”
Katrina made her red carpet entry in a Gauri and Nainika gown looking like the starlet she is.
And the Black Lady goes to...
Popular Awards
Best Film: Vidhu Vinod Chopra for 3 Idiots
Rekha handed over the award to the 3 Idiots team including Maddy, Omi, Boman, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani.
Best Director: Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Rajkumar Hirani received the award from Ramesh Sippy.
Best Actor in Leading Role (Male): Amitabh Bachchan for Paa
In his absence Vidya Balan received the award. Vishal Bhardwaj on stage said, "Diye ko ujaala dikhaane jaisa hai.”
Best Actor in Leading Role (Female): Vidya Balan for Paa
Sri Devi and Boney kapoor presented the award to the lovely lady.
Best Supporting Actor (Male): Boman Irani for 3 Idiots
Bipasha Basu and Ramesh Taurani were there on stage to present the award.
Best Supporting Actor (Female): Kalki Koechlin for Dev D
Neil Mukesh and Kunal Kohli gave the award to Kalki. She thanked everyone from the Dev D team and ended the speech by saying, “I also want to thank the most important person in my life, Anurag Kashyap.”
Best Debutante Director (Male): Ayan Mukherjee for Wake Up Sid
Deepika Padukone and Idea head honcho presented the award. Meanwhile, Karan Johar tweets, “I feel like a proud parent.”
Best Debutante Director (Female): Zoya Akhtar for Luck By Chance
Javed Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar presented the award to Zoya, making the moment more special for her.
Best Dialogue: Raj Kumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi for 3 idiots
Minissha Lamba presented the Best Dialogue Award. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a happy man today, 3 Idiots has won three awards so far, but he is hungry for more.
Best Screenplay: Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi for 3 Idiots
Urmila Matondkar and Abbas-Mastan presented the award to the duo.
Best Story: Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Genelia D'Souza and Harman Baweja gave the award.
Filmfare Critics Award
Best Director: Nandita Das for Firaaq
Best Actor (Female): Mahi Gill, Dev D
Mahie Gill won the Best Actress Award (Critics) for her debut film Dev D
Best Actor (Male): Ranbir Kapoor for Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Khanni, Rocket Singh
Filmfare Music Awards
Best Music: A R Rahman for Delhi 6
Kajol and Tabu gave away the award to Rahman. It’s his 25th Filmfare award.
Best Lyrics: Irshad Kamil for 'Aaj Din Chaddya' (Love Aaj Kal)
Prateik Babbar, Jonty Rhodes and Mugdha Godse presented the award.
Best Playback Singer (Female): Rekha Bharadwaj for Genda Phool (Delhi 6) and Kavita Seth for Iktara (Wake Up Sid)
Madhavan and Shahana Goswami presented the award.
Best Playback Singer (Male): Mohit Chauhan for Masakalli (Delhi 6)
Celina Jaitley and Chunky Pandey gave away the black lady to Mohit.
R D Burman Award for New Musical Talent: Amit Trivedi for Wake Up Sid, Dev D
Anu Malik and Sherlyn Chopra presented the award to Amit. After receiving the award he said, "I dedicate this award to my mother. This is the greatest achievement for any musician.”
Yamma, Yamma.. Shashi gets Lifetime Achievement Award!
Shashi Kapoor received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Shabana Azmi, Yash Chopra, while the song ‘Yamma Yamma’ from the evergreen movie Shaan played in the background. Shabana spoke a few words about Mr Kapoor, who in return only said ‘Thank You.” Shashi Kapoor holding and posing with his Lifetime Achievement Award trophy while sitting on a wheelchair was truly touching. He was accompanied by daughter Sanjana.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Khayyam
Asha Bhosle presented the award to the renowned music composer. Recalling his fond memories Khayyam saab said, “I started my career as an assistant music director with B R Chopra at the salary of Rs 125. So I dedicate all this success to him.” Asha Bhosle added, “I credit my ghazal singing and urdu to Khayyam saab”.
Nandita Das gets a Special Award for her film Firaaq
Filmfare Technical Awards:
Best Visual Effects: Govardhan Vigharan, Vinay Singh Chuphal for Kaminey
Best Choreographer: Bosco-Ceasar, 'Chor Bazaari' from Love Aaj Kal
Best Production Design and Art Direction: Helen Jones, Sukanta Panigrahi for Dev D
Best Action: Vijayan Master for Wanted
With his hands around the black lady, Vijayan said, “I dedicate this award to Boney Kapoor and my hero Salman Khan.”
Best Sound Design: Manas Chaudhury for Firaaq
Best Editing: Sreekar Prasad for Firaaq
Best Cinematographer: Rajeev Ravi for Dev D
Anurag Kashyap received the award on his behalf.
Best Costume Design: Vaishali Menon for Firaaq
Best Background Score: Amit Trivedi for Dev D
Kabir Bedi and Mukesh Bhatt presented the award.
Amit Trivedi says “I kept very quiet about my work. I would let my work do the talking. This my first Filmfare. I have fallen in love with this Black lady.”
The hosts:
Actress Minissha Lamba tweeted on co-hosts Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, “Show just started. SRK wearing red glasses that I love on him soooo much. Saif looking so dapper.. Mistook him for an Italian backstage!!”
When Atul Kulkarni went up the stage to present a technical award, SRK pulled his leg saying, “Atul ek smile toh kardo. Itne paise mein itna he milega kya?”. To this Atul smiled and wished a “Hi” to both SRK and Saif.
While hosting, SRK and Saif called Deepika Padukone on stage for an act and while at that, their pants just came off giving full view of their boxer shorts, making it a real funny act at that!
Karan Johar and Siddharth are hosting the show now and SRK introduced K Jo as sexy and gorgeous. To that Karan replied, “With a beautiful ladies like Gauri and Kareena, I am sure SRK and Saif are not getting time to look at other girls and so they are noticing me.’
SRK, Saif salute Sachin
Hosts Shah Rukh and Saif saluted Sachin Tendulkar for his amazing 200 score at the Gwalior ODI against South Africa.
Shruti Haasan and Siddharth takes over from SRK-Saif to host the next set of awards.
Saif turns a chicken!
Saif is back after a costume change. Wearing a white feather outfit, Saif is looking cute, somewhat like a chicken. Next gag is going to be interesting...
In a gag, Saif had an egg hatched on his head. When he and Shah Rukh went to meet Rekha, she reached to hug Saif and he said, “Baby I have this egg on my head.” To this Rekha seductively replied, “Anything for you baby.”
SRK goes Blue!
SRK became a shark from ‘BLUE’ while Saif became masakalli from ‘Delhi-6’ for a skit.
When Bipasha Basu came up to present an award, SRK asked her to do some aerobics and to everyone’s surprise she did do some of the fitness acts with SRK and Saif trying hard to cope up with her.
Saif fills in for Bebo
SRK announced that “here’s presenting Kareena.” Instead of Kareena, beau Saif Ali Khan played the lovely actress by doing a little jig on the song ‘San Sana San’ from the movie Asoka.
The Buzz off-stage...
Jonty Rhodes sitting backstage between two hot Marathi girls - Mugdha Godse and Urmila Matondkar, who were wearing beautiful saris. The two ladies were trying to get very friendly with the South African cricketer while Jonty was blushing non-stop.
Kajol and Urmila are bonding like a house on fire.
Kunal Kapoor should be given an award for the most active member at the Filmfare. He is doing whatever his friends are telling him to do. Be it going out for a smoke, or on the stage and off stage hanging out, choosing their clothes, giving them company for a drink etc. We wonder where the energy is coming from!
Prateik Babbar and Neil Nitin Mukesh have been constantly together like a magnet since they have entered. We are suspecting a new Dostana well.
Shruti Haasan is wearing a strapless gown and she was shivering with the cold due to the powerful A/C at the Yash Raj studio where the 55th Idea Filmfare Awards happened. She asked for a jacket from a friend to keep her warm.
Sizzling Performances...
Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez, the Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai pair set the stage on fire, with a rocking performance.
A tribute to MJ...
Karan Johar talks about the ‘King of Pop’...Shahid’s performance follows...
Shahid Moonwalked...
When Shahid Kapoor performed a tribute to Michael Jackson the audience went into a frenzy. Shahid did each and every step of MJ including the trademark moonwalk with great ease. He performed on the songs Jam and Smooth Criminal. Farhan Akhtar and Kunal Kapoor looked quite impressed with Shahid’s act.
Biding adieu...
Filmfare also paid tribute to people who passed away last year. Bina Rai, Shakti Samanta, Feroze Khan, Prakash Mehra, Gulshan Kumar Mehta, Simple Kapadia, Joginder, Leela Naidu, Sujit Kumar, Tahir Hussain and Nirmal Pandey.
Red Carpet : The stars started arriving at the appointed hour at the famous Yash Raj Studio, Mumbai. Riteish Desumukh, Sanjay Gadhvi, Shahid Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan were among the first ones to reach the venue.
Divya Dutta, who has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress Category for Delhi-6, arrives at the red carpet. The stunning lady says, “The competition is really tough. I am looking forward to SRK-Saif's kick-ass chemistry.”
SRK and Saif were spotted rehearsing backstage. SRK looked amazing in his red glasses and Saif exuded cool in his usual trademark bandana, t-shirt and denims.
Kaveeta Seth is nominated in the Best Playback Singer category for the song Iktara from Wake Up Sid. The newbie says, "I am nervous since the competition is with all established singers. But even if I don't win, I would consider being nominated as an achievement".
Imtiaz Ali who has been nominated in the Best Director category for Love Aaj Kal looked pretty chilled out while walking the red carpet with his parents and wife. He says, “I love being at the Filmfare awards. This is a time where all the friends can meet and party after the awards to celebrate each other’s win”
Imtiaz also walked the ramp at the Manish Malhotra’s show at the Filmfare pre-event party that was held on Thursday night.
Other B-Town celebs are also on the way! Minissha Lamba has decided on a hot pink gown and is running late, Dino Morea is also suiting up, and Neil Nitin Mukesh is on his way and remarks, “Let’s pray”! Filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani is rooting for Wake Up Sid director Ayan Mukherji, who is nominated for Best Debut Director and says, “Please pray he wins.... !”
Others in the house are Silencer Omi, the funny man, Simi Garewal wearing a little black with her usual white and yes... the reclusive Shashi Kapoor! The excitement is definitely building up!
Farhan Akhtar is accompanied by his sister Zoya Akhtar for the ceremony. Farhan’s film ‘Luck By Chance’ has earned several nominations, when we asked him about his chances of winning he said, “I think we have good chance.”
Ayan Mukherjee wants Ranbir Kapoor to win the Best Actor award for Wake Up Sid but he knows Amitabh Bachchan will take that one away for Paa.
Shruti Haasan chose to wear beige colour outfit designed by Christion Dior for the event, but she failed to impress. Shruti will also play the host for a while and says, “I am very excited as this is the first time I will be compering for Filmfare.”
Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar have come in together. Yash Chopra, Padmini Kholapure and Shivangi Kapoor are also at the venue.
Sunidhi Chauhan, who has nominated in the Best singer category for her song ‘Chor Bazaari' from the movie Love Aaj Kal has also arrived. “May the best contender win”, was all she said.
Hottie Sherlyn Chopra who’s attending the filmfare awards for the first time says, “I am looking for Khan and Khan’s (SRK and Saif) double meaning jokes” the lady showed up wearing a gorgeous Black strapless gown.
Mahie Gill is wearing a Black and Golden gown. She is looking very stunning. “I have no idea if I have been nominated for the award. But I am very excited as this is my first Filmfare night.” Nandita Das has just come in with her husband.
SRK who is hosting the event with Saif is really excited and says, “This time we will be poking fun at ourselves rather than the others.”
Karan Johar just can’t stop talking about debutant Director Ayan Mukherjee. “It’s a matter of pride because it belongs to my production house. The film has received several nominations. May the best man win.” Karan who showed up wearing his own creations in association with Varun Bahl, cant wait to see Saif-SRK chemistry revive.
Boman Irani has arrived at the Red carpet. He has a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 3 idiots.
Man of the moment, Raju Hirani, director of 3 Idiots is in the house. He said, “The award is a celebration for one’s hard work. If you start competition it’s not fun, its unhappy then. Anyway I wish we take away at least 10 awards. We will miss Aamir tonight, but what to do he doesn’t attend award function.” To that Vidhu Vinod Chopra added, “Actually I hope we take as many as our hands can carry.”
Director of Dev D Anurag Kashyap walks in with his girlfriend Kalki Koechlin. Anurag has been nominated in the Best Director category but thinks 3 Idiots will take away the Best Film award. Kalki has also earned a nomination in Best debut actress category. The lovely lady said, “This is my first nomination, I am really, really happy. It is a huge thing for me."
Bollywood divas Deepika Padukone, Celina Jaitly, Sameera Reddy arrive at the venue. Celina Jaitley is looking awesome in her Cavalli gown, she said “I’m definitely rooting for Paa.” Deepika who’s dressed in a black Shantanu-and-Nikhil, is looking one of the best dressed at the event.
Music mogul A R Rahman has just entered.
Tabu who is looking pretty in a Anita Dongre outfit, said she is here to have fun and is not rooting for anyone.
Interestingly, Harman Baweja roots for Priyanka and says “Priyanka will bag the best actress award for Kaminey.”
Urmila walks in with designer Manish Malhotra. Dressed in a green saree by Manish, the lady looks nice.
Lara Dutta, Mahesh Bhupati who are rumoured to be dating, walked in together holding hands. It is their first public appearance together. Lara and Mahesh said, “We are each other’s dates tonight. About whether we are officially seeing each other, you just have to wait and watch.”
The entire Roshan family has just entered. Arjun Rampal has come with his wife.
Dia Mirza slipped into a beige dress by Dress Circle for the event, whereas Mugdha Gode chose to dress in a lavender saree.
Hrithik has come in carrying a Kite in his hands and says that he will promote his forthcoming film Kites at the award night. He said, “Filmfare should give an award to every nominee, not just the winners."
Bollywood diva Rekha has just entered looking stunning as ever in her Golden saree.
Kajol has entered with Tanisha wearing what she says is her Blackberry. About SRK-Saif, Kajol said, “They are crazy and have forced me to come here.”
Bipasha Basu just walked in looking gorgeous in a Black off shoulder gown, minus beau John Abraham. Dino Morea too walked in alone.
Kangana stepped in a white Christian Dior gown and is rooting for everyone because they’re all friends. The actress who took ten minutes flat to get ready said ,”It doesn’t take me more time. I am born beautiful.”
Katrina made her red carpet entry in a Gauri and Nainika gown looking like the starlet she is.
India beat Pakistan 4-1 at hockey World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Notwithstanding the recent Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level meeting for which India took initiative, JuD chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed has said Pakistan will have to "fight a war at all costs" if New Delhi is not prepared to hold talks.
"India wants war... If India is not prepared to hold talks, Pakistan will have to fight a war at all costs," Saeed said in an interview to a news channel.
Asked about India's accusations about his involvement in planning and carrying out the Mumbai attacks, Saeed replied: "Let India prove it in any court, I will be ready to accept everything."
To another question on whether people should go to Kashmir for 'jehad' against India, he said there was "no doubt" in his mind that this should be done.
He also said he had no doubt that the Pakistan government is "cowardly."
Saeed's comments came days after the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan held talks in New Delhi on February 25, the first official parleys between the two sides since the Mumbai attacks.
Though there was no breakthrough in the talks, the world community welcomed the development in the hope that it would lead to normalisation of ties between the two countries.
The JuD chief's face was not shown during the interview and he was filmed over his shoulder from the back. He said he did not wish to be filmed as it was not allowed by 'Shariah' or Islamic law.
Saeed, also the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, was placed under house arrest in Lahore in December 2008 after the JuD was declared a terrorist group by the UN Security Council in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
He was freed after about six months on the orders of the Lahore High Court.
The Pakistan government challenged his release in the Supreme Court, but no hearing has been held in the matter for several months after the case was adjourned for various reasons.
Several members of the LeT - including its operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a former aide of Saeed - are currently being tried by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi for their alleged role in planning and facilitating the Mumbai attacks.
This case too has been affected by controversy and delays.
"India wants war... If India is not prepared to hold talks, Pakistan will have to fight a war at all costs," Saeed said in an interview to a news channel.
Asked about India's accusations about his involvement in planning and carrying out the Mumbai attacks, Saeed replied: "Let India prove it in any court, I will be ready to accept everything."
To another question on whether people should go to Kashmir for 'jehad' against India, he said there was "no doubt" in his mind that this should be done.
He also said he had no doubt that the Pakistan government is "cowardly."
Saeed's comments came days after the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan held talks in New Delhi on February 25, the first official parleys between the two sides since the Mumbai attacks.
Though there was no breakthrough in the talks, the world community welcomed the development in the hope that it would lead to normalisation of ties between the two countries.
The JuD chief's face was not shown during the interview and he was filmed over his shoulder from the back. He said he did not wish to be filmed as it was not allowed by 'Shariah' or Islamic law.
Saeed, also the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, was placed under house arrest in Lahore in December 2008 after the JuD was declared a terrorist group by the UN Security Council in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
He was freed after about six months on the orders of the Lahore High Court.
The Pakistan government challenged his release in the Supreme Court, but no hearing has been held in the matter for several months after the case was adjourned for various reasons.
Several members of the LeT - including its operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a former aide of Saeed - are currently being tried by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi for their alleged role in planning and facilitating the Mumbai attacks.
This case too has been affected by controversy and delays.
Bachchans to boycott Filmfare Awards
The first family of Indian cinema, the Bachchan parivar, will not attend the Filmfare Awards in protest of the "false" report published by a Mumbai-based tabloid about Aishwarya Rai's health.
Aishwarya, who was to perform at the awards has pulled out from the event and the Bachchans have served a legal notice to the newspaper and are demanding a public apology. The tabloid and Filmfare both belong to the same publishing group, who are organising the award ceremony.
"The lawyers notice has been delivered... seeking on a legal plane retraction and apology and we have informed Filmfare that neither will Aishwarya be performing at the event, for which all preparations had been made and neither shall any of us be attending," wrote Amitabh Bachchan on his blog. The tabloid had published an article stating that Aishwarya is suffering from stomach tuberculosis and therefore cannot conceive, a news branded as "completely false" by father-in-law Amitabh.
"For the moment that despite a few personal apologies from management and owners, no public apology has taken place. You cannot abuse me in public and then come and say sorry to me in private," wrote the veteran actor.
The Bachchans are being supported by R Balki, director of Amitabh and Abishek-starrer Paa, who too will skip the event despite his film being nominated in 5 categories.
"Balki, the director of the film, even when Paa has been nominated in five categories for the evening, is not attending. Thank you Balki," added Bachchan.
Aishwarya, who was to perform at the awards has pulled out from the event and the Bachchans have served a legal notice to the newspaper and are demanding a public apology. The tabloid and Filmfare both belong to the same publishing group, who are organising the award ceremony.
"The lawyers notice has been delivered... seeking on a legal plane retraction and apology and we have informed Filmfare that neither will Aishwarya be performing at the event, for which all preparations had been made and neither shall any of us be attending," wrote Amitabh Bachchan on his blog. The tabloid had published an article stating that Aishwarya is suffering from stomach tuberculosis and therefore cannot conceive, a news branded as "completely false" by father-in-law Amitabh.
"For the moment that despite a few personal apologies from management and owners, no public apology has taken place. You cannot abuse me in public and then come and say sorry to me in private," wrote the veteran actor.
The Bachchans are being supported by R Balki, director of Amitabh and Abishek-starrer Paa, who too will skip the event despite his film being nominated in 5 categories.
"Balki, the director of the film, even when Paa has been nominated in five categories for the evening, is not attending. Thank you Balki," added Bachchan.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Bradford-s-weight-could-have-him-flying-up-the-b?urn=nfl,224453
As first reported by former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah of Move The Sticks, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford posted a weight of 236 pounds at his Friday morning Combine weigh-in. For those NFL personnel people who were on the fence about Bradford because of his formerly 223-pound frame, wondering if he could take repeated hits in the pocket at that size, a more muscled Bradford could shake up the top of the draft board.
What is not in question is Bradford's accuracy and ability to get the ball to all field levels. Playing behind the best offensive line in the college game in 2008, Bradford played pitch-and-catch to the tune of 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns. After shoulder injuries shut down his 2009 season and he declared for the draft, Bradford has obviously been eating his Wheaties. The question now is whether the extra weight will affect his throwing motion and mechanics in any way -- word is the new weight is solid muscle, which speaks to his work ethic.
Though defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh are widely regarded as the best players in this draft, the St. Louis Rams have a desperate need at quarterback and the first overall pick. If Bradford aces the interviews here in Indianapolis, and is able to throw well at his personal workout on March 25, he may have the Rams putting the pieces together and making him the first overall pick. And if that happens, McCoy and Suh could go to the very happy Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two teams in desperate need of interior line reinforcement.
UPDATE: Just off the media floor, Rams GM Billy DeVaney told me that the team has been in touch with Tom Condon, Bradford's agent, and has been cognizant of the workout progress.
Related: Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-b-stuart/the-moons-feud-with-nasa_b_478691.html
NASA came forward today, not to discuss their erroneous decision to lob a Centaur rocket at the moon on October 9, 2009---but to share their probe into ice on Saturn. In October, the mega ton missile blasted a hole in the lunar surface at twice the speed of a bullet in search of water. Now I don't know who else isn't paying attention, but their hare-brained idea to attack the moon has caused a weather calamity on earth. Within one week after their mission of "boring a hole in the moon looking for water," snow fell on New Jersey---and it wasn't even Halloween yet.
But the U.S. isn't the only obnoxious super power to challenge the ball of light in the nights sky, as Japan's Kaguya impacters collided with the moon in June 2009 seeking aqua. And Hello Kitty---the tit for tat for that crash---has impacted Toyota worldwide.
The evidence of NASA's nonsensical actions is record high snowfalls and floods in areas that don't normally experience snow, i.e. Texas. Thus far, for the U. S. 1,180 snowfall records have been broken across 49 of the 50 states. Even in Washington, D.C. where Mother Nature's offenders reside at NASA Headquarters, they've been pummeled with 54.9 inches this winter breaking their 1898 record.
Philadelphia admitted they haven't seen this much snow in 14 years at 65.5 inches in one winter. This season has surpassed that number by five inches----and it's still snowing here in NYC as I pen this.
The sideway falling snow on Thursday caused such havoc in New York City that a 42 year old-man was killed when walking through Central Park when a snow laden tree toppled onto him. Just strolling through the park is like the NY lottery of death, 'hey' you never know.' Throughout the city trees were bending, breaking and being uprooted by the maddening storm. In a city that's withstood Wall St., the westward angle of the rapidly falling-frozen-white-flakes---caused the Big Apple to buckle under the strain of yet another, snowy concrete landscape.
The heck with El Nino---it's more like the El' Ninny's at NASA for believing they can interfere with piercing the moon with a fuel soaked, school bus sized titanium rocket, and not expect her wrath and retribution for searching her private crevices for water. It is arrogant, egotistical and self-indulgent---and mostly unnecessary since we have an abundance of water here---that the earth has provided for free. Oh yes, but it needs care and cleaning-up after the centuries of corporate exploitation and industry abuse---so I guess it's more economical and easier to search for clean water on a planet suspended in space light miles away.
No matter how minor they claim the assault of the moon was---it is apparent the slightest interference in its surface has most certainly affected its role in regulating not only the oceans ebb and flow throughout the earth, but its precipitation; whether rain, snow, sleet or hail.
When will the "powers that be" realize that Mother Nature is fragile and wields more power than any nuclear weapon, any money printer at the Federal Reserve, any White House Presidential seat, or any Deregulation to the laws of the moon, the earth....and with one fell swoop she can cause a catastrophe in one fragment of a country called Haiti, send in waves to wash away people on a California beach, or bury us in 70 feet of snow. This extreme weather is a mere smack in the face since with one backhand, she can slap us into extinction, and will ultimately have the last word....you don't mess with Mother Nature.
But the U.S. isn't the only obnoxious super power to challenge the ball of light in the nights sky, as Japan's Kaguya impacters collided with the moon in June 2009 seeking aqua. And Hello Kitty---the tit for tat for that crash---has impacted Toyota worldwide.
The evidence of NASA's nonsensical actions is record high snowfalls and floods in areas that don't normally experience snow, i.e. Texas. Thus far, for the U. S. 1,180 snowfall records have been broken across 49 of the 50 states. Even in Washington, D.C. where Mother Nature's offenders reside at NASA Headquarters, they've been pummeled with 54.9 inches this winter breaking their 1898 record.
Philadelphia admitted they haven't seen this much snow in 14 years at 65.5 inches in one winter. This season has surpassed that number by five inches----and it's still snowing here in NYC as I pen this.
The sideway falling snow on Thursday caused such havoc in New York City that a 42 year old-man was killed when walking through Central Park when a snow laden tree toppled onto him. Just strolling through the park is like the NY lottery of death, 'hey' you never know.' Throughout the city trees were bending, breaking and being uprooted by the maddening storm. In a city that's withstood Wall St., the westward angle of the rapidly falling-frozen-white-flakes---caused the Big Apple to buckle under the strain of yet another, snowy concrete landscape.
The heck with El Nino---it's more like the El' Ninny's at NASA for believing they can interfere with piercing the moon with a fuel soaked, school bus sized titanium rocket, and not expect her wrath and retribution for searching her private crevices for water. It is arrogant, egotistical and self-indulgent---and mostly unnecessary since we have an abundance of water here---that the earth has provided for free. Oh yes, but it needs care and cleaning-up after the centuries of corporate exploitation and industry abuse---so I guess it's more economical and easier to search for clean water on a planet suspended in space light miles away.
No matter how minor they claim the assault of the moon was---it is apparent the slightest interference in its surface has most certainly affected its role in regulating not only the oceans ebb and flow throughout the earth, but its precipitation; whether rain, snow, sleet or hail.
When will the "powers that be" realize that Mother Nature is fragile and wields more power than any nuclear weapon, any money printer at the Federal Reserve, any White House Presidential seat, or any Deregulation to the laws of the moon, the earth....and with one fell swoop she can cause a catastrophe in one fragment of a country called Haiti, send in waves to wash away people on a California beach, or bury us in 70 feet of snow. This extreme weather is a mere smack in the face since with one backhand, she can slap us into extinction, and will ultimately have the last word....you don't mess with Mother Nature.
Men’s Hockey World Cup 2010: India VS Pakistan Live Stream and Score Details
On the other part of the world, specifically in India, people are busy watching for the 2010 Men’s Hockey World Cup which is being held at New Delhi in India. The Men’s Ice Hockey for the Winter Olympics 2010 is about to end in a few hours while the FIH World Cup 2010 has just started. One of the matches which is taking place on the 1st day of the cup is between India and Pakistan. This game is being held at the New Delhi’s Dhyan Chand National Stadium. All of the other games will also be held on the same venue.
The India VS Pakistan games has started at 20:35 IST (Indian Standard Time). For the latest score and game updates, India is now having 4 points on the game while Pakistan only got one. India is dominating and if the players will maintain such performance, there is a possibility that this game will be in favor of them.
There will be some sports TV networks in India and other parts of the world where people can watch the India VS Pakistan Live Stream. Check the local listings for the available sites on some areas. There is no online channel available currently but let us all expect for further developments on the next few days.
More updates will be posted especially the score and other game statistics later on.
The India VS Pakistan games has started at 20:35 IST (Indian Standard Time). For the latest score and game updates, India is now having 4 points on the game while Pakistan only got one. India is dominating and if the players will maintain such performance, there is a possibility that this game will be in favor of them.
There will be some sports TV networks in India and other parts of the world where people can watch the India VS Pakistan Live Stream. Check the local listings for the available sites on some areas. There is no online channel available currently but let us all expect for further developments on the next few days.
More updates will be posted especially the score and other game statistics later on.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Is Paris Hilton Too Sexy for Brazil?
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Brazil's self-regulatory body, Conar, is investigating an ad campaign starring Paris Hilton for Devassa Bem Loura beer for being too sexually provocative, even by the racy standards of Brazilian beer ads.
According to local trade publication Meio & Mensagem, Ad Age's partner in Brazil, Conar this week opened three different investigations into local brewer Grupo Schincariol's launch campaign for Devassa Bem Loura (Portuguese for "Very Blonde") beer last month during Brazil's riotous Carnival.
The first investigation is the result of a formal complaint by a consumer about the sensual nature of the ads, reported Meio & Mensagem journalist Alexandre Zaghi Lemos.
The campaign includes a spot by Sao Paulo agency Mood in which Ms. Hilton, dressed in a short, tight black dress, parades in front of the window in a high-rise office building rubbing a can of Devassa Bem Loura beer along her body. A guy in another office spots her through the window, grabs a camera, and begins filming her. On the street below, a crowd gathers to watch her.
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Conar's code governing beer advertising specifies that "appeals to sensuality won't constitute the principal content of the message" and adds that "advertising models won't be treated as sex objects." (Brazilian beer marketers often get around this by giving beer ads a beach setting, where it's considered appropriate for models to wear tiny bikinis.)
The second investigation, started by Conar itself, is targeting a promotion on the beer's website that may violate rules against promotional activities that encourage excessive consumption.
Panama City Wants Frolicking Families And Drunk College Students
The annual ritual of Spring Break is upon us and, like a migrating bird, the communities which host this drunkfest change with the wind. And those which do decide to put up with thousands of hafl-dressed, drunkenn college students puking on their sidewalks do so with trepidation. And let's not forget the $40 billion that gets dropped on these towns each March.
Ft. Lauderdale and Daytona Beach used to rule. Now they look like senior communities compared to their former incarnations. There was Lake Havasu and others. Now Miami Beach, Cancun, South Padre Island, Punta Cana and Panama City rule.
But Panama City wants the best of both worlds. They want to be a family destination and, for two weeks in March, a top spot for Spring Break. And they're spending money to accomplish both goals. can they succeed? Can they sell the same place to two very different audiences? With campaigns and a social media effort, they hope so.
GADHAFI’S PERSONAL HOLY WAR
(A beaming Moammar Gadhafi lifts his fist in front of an idyllic fake scene.)
Moammar Gadhafi has had it up to here with Switzerland. First they arrest his son on charges of beating up two servants at a luxury hotel. Then they pass a pretty horrible law banning mosque’s minarets. Now, Gadhafi has called for a holy war against the country, a move which has received almost universal denouncement. —JCL
The Guardian:
Libya’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi, yesterday [Thursday] called for a jihad, or holy war, against Switzerland, in an escalation of his vendetta against the country where police once arrested his son.
At a meeting in the city of Benghazi to mark the prophet Muhammad’s birthday, Gaddafi described the country as an infidel state that was “destroying” mosques. Last year he urged the UN to abolish Switzerland and divide it between Germany, France and Italy.
“Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an apostate – is against Muhammad, God and the Qur’an,” Gaddafi said.
The First Time Home Buyer Credit: How Big of a Deal Is It?
After two years, over 80 viewings, and almost breaking up with our broker, we finally bought our first place.
It's been a saga but we finally got it done. And as someone who has been looking for this long, I can tell you that we were pressured every step of the way to just buy something — anything — because it was the "perfect" time to buy. This had to do with prices coming down and rates being low.
But the best reason to buy was always Obama's first-time home-buyer's credit. It would give us $8,000 in cash to do whatever we pleased after we closed on the home. This deal was the greatest thing since the Snuggie and we would be stupid not to take advantage of it.
When the credit was set to expire at the end of November of last year, we felt the pressure from our broker: we were about to lose out on the best time ever to buy a first place. But as Wise Bread readers know, we didn't have the money back then.
Using the Credit as a Down Payment
Not all home buyers use the credit the same way. Some of them save it, some of them spend it on furniture for the new place, and others use it as a down payment towards the very house they're buying in order to get the credit.
That's right: in some mortgages you can use the credit as part of your down payment and put it towards the house. This seems kind of fishy to me because you don't even have the money yet — but if you're really strapped for cash and this is the only way you can put money down or cover closing costs, then by all means do what you have to do.
But if you're in that bad a shape, maybe you shouldn't be buying a house to begin with.
Fixing Up the Place
The other option is to use the new found cash to furnish your place, paint, etc. Starting anew is exciting and giving the place a personal touch is part of the dream of owning a home. After all, you just put a lot of money into the place and you're probably feeling a little light on funds. So having some found cash makes it easy to go out and spend even more on it.
Isn't that the American way?
Building Your Savings Back Up
This is what we're going to do. We spent years saving as much money as we possibly could and now we're seeing most of that hard-saved money disappear as our down payment. Poof — gone. Just like that.
The best part of having a large amount of cash sitting in an FDIC-insured account is peace of mind. And not have that money there anymore is very tough psychologically — the cushion is not nearly as big as it once was.
What does that mean? It means that the idea of one of us getting fired from our jobs was a trivial thing. Both of us losing our jobs at the same time? Eh...we were covered.
But now we have a mortgage to pay and the majority of our savings is gone. We still have an emergency fund, but if either of us lost our jobs we'd feel very stressed. We feel stressed already!
And this is where the $8,000 tax credit is a boon to us — it's going right back into our savings account to help build it back up to what it was.
Yes, It's a HUGE Deal
For us, the tax credit gives us the greatest thing money can buy: peace of mind. Without it, we'd probably still be buying this place, but we would also be more stressed out and statistically more likely to default on our mortgage. So for that I say Thank You to the Obama administration. I don't know if it'll help the economy out of its doldrums, but it's definitely helping me and my wife.
I'm curious to hear from other people who have qualified for this or other home-buying tax credits recently and how they played a role in their purchase.
122 dead in massive quake in Chile; tsunami threatens Pacific
SANTIAGO: A devastating magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, shattering buildings and bridges, killing at least 122 people and setting off a tsunami that threatened every nation around the Pacific Ocean - roughly a quarter of the globe.
At least 122 people have died in the quake, President-elect Sebastian Pinera said.
Chilean TV showed devastating images of the most powerful quake to hit the country in a half-century: In the second city of Concepcion trucks plunged into the fractured earth, homes fell, bridges collapsed and buildings were engulfed in flames. Injured people lay in the streets or on stretchers.
Many roads were destroyed and electricity and water were cut to many areas.
There was still no word of death or damage from many outlying areas that were cut off by the quake that struck at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. EST, 0634 GMT) 200 miles (325 kilometers) southwest of Santiago.
Experts warned that a tsunami could strike anywhere in the Pacific, and Hawaii could face its largest waves since 1964 starting at 11:19 a.m. (4:19 p.m. EST, 2119 GMT), according to Charles McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Tsunami waves were likely to hit Asian, Australian and New Zealand shores within 24 hours of the earthquake. The US West Coast and Alaska, too, were threatened.
A huge wave swept into a populated area in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 410 miles (660 kilometers) off the Chilean coast, President Michele Bachelet said, but there were no immediate reports of major damage there.
Bachelet said the death toll was at 78 and rising, but officials had no information on the number of people injured. She declared a ``state of catastrophe'' in central Chile.
``We have had a huge earthquake, with some aftershocks,'' Bachelet said from an emergency response center. She urged Chileans not to panic.
``Despite this, the system is functioning. People should remain calm. We're doing everything we can with all the forces we have. Any information we will share immediately,'' she said.
Powerful aftershocks rattled Chile's coast - 21 of them magnitude 5 or greater and one reaching magnitude 6.9 - the US Geological Survey reported.
Bachelet urged people to avoid traveling, since traffic lights are down, to avoid causing more fatalities.
The airport for Chile's capital of Santiago airport was shut down and will remain closed for at least the next 24 hours, airport director Eduardo del Canto said. The passenger terminal suffered major damage, he told Chilean television in a telephone interview. TV images show smashed windows, partially collapsed ceilings and pedestrian walkways destroyed.
In Concepcion, nurses and residents pushed some of the injured through the streets on stretchers. Others walked around in a daze wrapped in blankets, some carrying infants in their arms.
The epicenter was just 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river, and 60 miles (95 kilometers) from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake.
The quake also shook buildings in Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires, 900 miles (1,400 kilometers) away on the Atlantic side of South America.
Marco Vidal - a programme director for Grand Circle Travel who was traveling with a group of 34 Americans - was on the 19th floor of the Crown Plaza Santiago hotel when the quake struck.
``All the things start to fall. The lamps, everything, was going on the floor. And it was moving like from south to north, oscillated. I felt terrified,'' he said.
Cynthia Iocono, from Linwood, Pennsylvania, said she first thought the quake was a train.
``But then I thought, oh, there's no train here. And then the lamps flew off the dresser and my TV flew off onto the floor and crashed.''
``It was scary, but there really wasn't any panic. Everybody kind of stayed orderly and looked after one another,'' Iocono said.
In Santiago, modern buildings are built to withstand earthquakes, but many older ones were heavily damaged, including the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia church, whose bell tower collapsed. An apartment building's two-level parking lot also flattened onto the ground floor, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms and horns rang incessantly. A bridge just outside the capital also collapsed, and at least one car flipped upside down.
The quake struck after concert-goers had left South America's leading music festival in the coastal city of Vina del Mar, but it caught partiers leaving a disco. ``It was very bad, people were screaming, some people were running, others appeared paralyzed. I was one of them,'', Julio Alvarez told Radio Cooperativa in Santiago.
Bachelet said she was declaring a ``state of catastrophe'' in three central regions of the country.
She said Chile has not asked for assistance from other countries. Several hospitals were evacuated due to earthquake damage, she said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center called for ``urgent action to protect lives and property'' in Hawaii, which is among 53 nations and territories subject to tsunami warnings.
``Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts,'' the warning center said. It did not expect a tsunami along the west of the US or Canada but was continuing to monitor the situation.
The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless. The tsunami that it caused killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines and caused damage to the west coast of the United States.
It was the strongest quake to hit Chile since a magnitude-9.5 temblor rocked southern Chile in 1960. Together with an ensuing tsunami, it killed at least 1,716 people.
At least 122 people have died in the quake, President-elect Sebastian Pinera said.
Chilean TV showed devastating images of the most powerful quake to hit the country in a half-century: In the second city of Concepcion trucks plunged into the fractured earth, homes fell, bridges collapsed and buildings were engulfed in flames. Injured people lay in the streets or on stretchers.
Many roads were destroyed and electricity and water were cut to many areas.
There was still no word of death or damage from many outlying areas that were cut off by the quake that struck at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. EST, 0634 GMT) 200 miles (325 kilometers) southwest of Santiago.
Experts warned that a tsunami could strike anywhere in the Pacific, and Hawaii could face its largest waves since 1964 starting at 11:19 a.m. (4:19 p.m. EST, 2119 GMT), according to Charles McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Tsunami waves were likely to hit Asian, Australian and New Zealand shores within 24 hours of the earthquake. The US West Coast and Alaska, too, were threatened.
A huge wave swept into a populated area in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 410 miles (660 kilometers) off the Chilean coast, President Michele Bachelet said, but there were no immediate reports of major damage there.
Bachelet said the death toll was at 78 and rising, but officials had no information on the number of people injured. She declared a ``state of catastrophe'' in central Chile.
``We have had a huge earthquake, with some aftershocks,'' Bachelet said from an emergency response center. She urged Chileans not to panic.
``Despite this, the system is functioning. People should remain calm. We're doing everything we can with all the forces we have. Any information we will share immediately,'' she said.
Powerful aftershocks rattled Chile's coast - 21 of them magnitude 5 or greater and one reaching magnitude 6.9 - the US Geological Survey reported.
Bachelet urged people to avoid traveling, since traffic lights are down, to avoid causing more fatalities.
The airport for Chile's capital of Santiago airport was shut down and will remain closed for at least the next 24 hours, airport director Eduardo del Canto said. The passenger terminal suffered major damage, he told Chilean television in a telephone interview. TV images show smashed windows, partially collapsed ceilings and pedestrian walkways destroyed.
In Concepcion, nurses and residents pushed some of the injured through the streets on stretchers. Others walked around in a daze wrapped in blankets, some carrying infants in their arms.
The epicenter was just 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river, and 60 miles (95 kilometers) from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake.
The quake also shook buildings in Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires, 900 miles (1,400 kilometers) away on the Atlantic side of South America.
Marco Vidal - a programme director for Grand Circle Travel who was traveling with a group of 34 Americans - was on the 19th floor of the Crown Plaza Santiago hotel when the quake struck.
``All the things start to fall. The lamps, everything, was going on the floor. And it was moving like from south to north, oscillated. I felt terrified,'' he said.
Cynthia Iocono, from Linwood, Pennsylvania, said she first thought the quake was a train.
``But then I thought, oh, there's no train here. And then the lamps flew off the dresser and my TV flew off onto the floor and crashed.''
``It was scary, but there really wasn't any panic. Everybody kind of stayed orderly and looked after one another,'' Iocono said.
In Santiago, modern buildings are built to withstand earthquakes, but many older ones were heavily damaged, including the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia church, whose bell tower collapsed. An apartment building's two-level parking lot also flattened onto the ground floor, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms and horns rang incessantly. A bridge just outside the capital also collapsed, and at least one car flipped upside down.
The quake struck after concert-goers had left South America's leading music festival in the coastal city of Vina del Mar, but it caught partiers leaving a disco. ``It was very bad, people were screaming, some people were running, others appeared paralyzed. I was one of them,'', Julio Alvarez told Radio Cooperativa in Santiago.
Bachelet said she was declaring a ``state of catastrophe'' in three central regions of the country.
She said Chile has not asked for assistance from other countries. Several hospitals were evacuated due to earthquake damage, she said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center called for ``urgent action to protect lives and property'' in Hawaii, which is among 53 nations and territories subject to tsunami warnings.
``Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts,'' the warning center said. It did not expect a tsunami along the west of the US or Canada but was continuing to monitor the situation.
The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless. The tsunami that it caused killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines and caused damage to the west coast of the United States.
It was the strongest quake to hit Chile since a magnitude-9.5 temblor rocked southern Chile in 1960. Together with an ensuing tsunami, it killed at least 1,716 people.
Wipro changes controllership team after probe into scam
BANGALORE: Software major Wipro today said its internal investigation into embezzlement of funds by a company employee, who allegedly committed suicide after the scam came to light in December last, found that the amounts involved "were not material".
The Bangalore-based firm also announced changes in certain key positions in the controllership team, but did not reveal the amount of money involved in the fraud.
Wipro said the probe concluded that "while the matter should be taken seriously, the amounts embezzled were not material from a financial reporting perspective, given the company's size and scale of its operations". Company sources had earlier said the embezzlement was to the tune of Rs 32 crore.
The investigation revealed that the embezzlement involved only one employee who transferred funds from company's bank accounts to his personal account in several transactions over a three-year period from November 2006, it said.
The employee was a junior member of the company's controllership team and the embezzlement was first discovered by other employees, Wipro said in a statement here.
Wipro appointed an internal investigation team into the embezzlement under the direct supervision of the company's Audit Committee, it said.
"The employee who engaged in the embezzlement unfortunately chose to end his life a few weeks after his actions came to light", Wipro said.
The body of Anup Kumar Agarwal (26), who allegedly embezzled funds, was found on railway tracks on Dec 23, according to police. A chartered accountant by profession, he was assistant manager at Wipro Finance.
The Bangalore-based firm also announced changes in certain key positions in the controllership team, but did not reveal the amount of money involved in the fraud.
Wipro said the probe concluded that "while the matter should be taken seriously, the amounts embezzled were not material from a financial reporting perspective, given the company's size and scale of its operations". Company sources had earlier said the embezzlement was to the tune of Rs 32 crore.
The investigation revealed that the embezzlement involved only one employee who transferred funds from company's bank accounts to his personal account in several transactions over a three-year period from November 2006, it said.
The employee was a junior member of the company's controllership team and the embezzlement was first discovered by other employees, Wipro said in a statement here.
Wipro appointed an internal investigation team into the embezzlement under the direct supervision of the company's Audit Committee, it said.
"The employee who engaged in the embezzlement unfortunately chose to end his life a few weeks after his actions came to light", Wipro said.
The body of Anup Kumar Agarwal (26), who allegedly embezzled funds, was found on railway tracks on Dec 23, according to police. A chartered accountant by profession, he was assistant manager at Wipro Finance.
Google integrates Nearby location in search results
Google searchers can now refine their search results based on location, the company announced Friday.
The new "Nearby" feature is available in Google's Search Options panel. It defaults to users' current location, which can be further refined to include their city, region, or state.
Google is showing off its new "Nearby" feature.
(Credit: Google)
The Nearby tool also gives users the option of searching a different area with the help of a "custom location" option that requires them to input a city and state or zip code.
Google said the Nearby tool works by geography, rather than keyword, which means that results will include surrounding areas; they won't be limited to the single town or city a user selects.
Google's addition of Nearby to its search results comes just more than a month after the company launched its "Near Me Now" feature for mobile search. That option enables users to query Google from their iPhone or Android-based device to find results around their location.
The new "Nearby" feature is available in Google's Search Options panel. It defaults to users' current location, which can be further refined to include their city, region, or state.
Google is showing off its new "Nearby" feature.
(Credit: Google)
The Nearby tool also gives users the option of searching a different area with the help of a "custom location" option that requires them to input a city and state or zip code.
Google said the Nearby tool works by geography, rather than keyword, which means that results will include surrounding areas; they won't be limited to the single town or city a user selects.
Google's addition of Nearby to its search results comes just more than a month after the company launched its "Near Me Now" feature for mobile search. That option enables users to query Google from their iPhone or Android-based device to find results around their location.
Chris Brown defends Tiger Woods
Google searchers can now refine their search results based on location, the company announced Friday.
The new "Nearby" feature is available in Google's Search Options panel. It defaults to users' current location, which can be further refined to include their city, region, or state.
Google is showing off its new "Nearby" feature.
(Credit: Google)
The Nearby tool also gives users the option of searching a different area with the help of a "custom location" option that requires them to input a city and state or zip code.
Google said the Nearby tool works by geography, rather than keyword, which means that results will include surrounding areas; they won't be limited to the single town or city a user selects.
Google's addition of Nearby to its search results comes just more than a month after the company launched its "Near Me Now" feature for mobile search. That option enables users to query Google from their iPhone or Android-based device to find results around their location.
The new "Nearby" feature is available in Google's Search Options panel. It defaults to users' current location, which can be further refined to include their city, region, or state.
Google is showing off its new "Nearby" feature.
(Credit: Google)
The Nearby tool also gives users the option of searching a different area with the help of a "custom location" option that requires them to input a city and state or zip code.
Google said the Nearby tool works by geography, rather than keyword, which means that results will include surrounding areas; they won't be limited to the single town or city a user selects.
Google's addition of Nearby to its search results comes just more than a month after the company launched its "Near Me Now" feature for mobile search. That option enables users to query Google from their iPhone or Android-based device to find results around their location.
Chris Brown defends Tiger Woods
Singer Chris Brown has urged people to forgive Tiger Woods for his infidelities, saying the golfer deserves a second chance.
Woods is in the midst of a raging scandal after reports of his sexual relations with several women surfaced.
According to reports, the sports star apologised for his behaviour at a press conference earlier this month and now Brown, who was embroiled in his own scandal after he was convicted of attacking girlfriend Rihanna last year, has called on the public to overlook Wood's affairs and concentrate on his golfing skills.
"I think it's cool (that Woods apologised). I think people always deserve a second chance. I know my fans gave me a second chance," said Brown
"Whatever his personal life is, and this goes for me and him, his personal life is his personal life. Nobody has the right to place judgment on anybody else's personal life, if they're not directly involved with them. He plays golf, that's what people love him for. They don't love him for the other stuff they're talking about," he added.
No Holi celebrations in this Korba village for last 150 years!
When the entire country rejoices celebrating Holi, a non-descript village in the district of Korba would once again be staying away from the festival of colours.
Thanks to a self-imposed ban, Kharhari village, 35 kilometres from Korba and having a population of 4000, will not be celebrating Holi as per a sesquicentennial - 150 years old - tradition.
As per one Panchram, a 80-year-old resident of the village, anecdote has it that 150 years ago, incidence of arson and epidemic were rampant in the village.
It was then that a goddess appeared in the dreams of a quack and asked him to give up Holi celebrations as a panacea for all village problems, Panchram said.
Since then, celebration of Holi in all its forms is banned in the village, he said.
Even if someone, especially youth, want to go to neighbouring village to celebrate it, they are dissuaded from doing so, he added.
Thanks to a self-imposed ban, Kharhari village, 35 kilometres from Korba and having a population of 4000, will not be celebrating Holi as per a sesquicentennial - 150 years old - tradition.
As per one Panchram, a 80-year-old resident of the village, anecdote has it that 150 years ago, incidence of arson and epidemic were rampant in the village.
It was then that a goddess appeared in the dreams of a quack and asked him to give up Holi celebrations as a panacea for all village problems, Panchram said.
Since then, celebration of Holi in all its forms is banned in the village, he said.
Even if someone, especially youth, want to go to neighbouring village to celebrate it, they are dissuaded from doing so, he added.
Rahman wins Filmfare Award for Best Music
After winning accolades around the world, it is now time for AR Rahman to be honoured at home. The music maestro once again created history by winning a Filmfare Award for the 25th time. Tabu and Kajol gave him the Best Music Award for Delhi 6 on Saturday night at the Yashraj studios in Mumbai.
Actor Shashi Kapoor and Khayyam have been honoured with Lifetime achievement awards.
Firaaq, the directorial debut of Nandita Das, has picked up the Critics' Choice Award for Best Film. The film, set one month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat, has won a lot of critical acclaim since its release. The Critics Award for Best Actor (Female) went to Mahi Gill (Dev D) and Ranbir Kapoor was the Critics choice for Best Actor (Male). He was cited for 'consistently outstanding performances throughout 2009'.
While Mohit Chauhan won the Best Playback Singer (Male) award for Masakali in the film Delhi 6, there has been a tie for the Best Playback Singer (Female) award. Kavita Seth (Iktara, Wake Up Sid) and Rekha Bhardwaj (Genda Phool, Delhi-6) have both shared the honours.
Other prominent winners at the 55th Filmfare Awards night so far include Boman Irani (Best Supporting Actor (Male) for 3 Idiots), Kalki Koechlin (Best Supporting Actor (Female) for Dev. D), Ayan Mukerji (Best Debutante Director (Male) for Wake Up Sid) and Zoya Akhtar (Best Debutante Director (Female) for Luck By Chance). Amit Trivedi has won the RD Burman Award for Music (Dev D) and Rajeev Ravi for Best Cinematography (again, Dev D).
A number of Bollywood A-listers are attending the event. Genelia D'Souza dressed in a Christian Dior outfit has set high hopes for the night. Anurag Kashyap is present with girlfriend Kalki Koechlin. Kashyap's film Dev D has been nominated in the Best Film category. And Kalki has won the nomination for the Best Debut Actress.
The 3 Idiots team, including Raju Hirani, Madhavan, Omi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, was seen arriving earlier in the evening. Harman Baweja, Tabu and Celina Jaitley are among the other stars present.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is hosting the night alongwith Saif Ali Khan. Shah Rukh even tweeted, "Have to head now for filmfare rehearsals. looong nite ahead. hope Saif doesn't fall asleep."
Apart from this awesome twosome on stage, there will be some sizzling performances by Shah Rukh, Kareena and Shahid.
The 55th Annual Filmfare Awards will honour movies released between 2009-10.
Winners:
Best Actor (Male) Popular: Amitabh Bachchan for Paa
Best Actor (Female) Popular: Vidya Balan for Paa
Best Actor (Male) Critics: Ranbir Kapoor
Best Actor (Female) Critics: Mahi Gill for Dev D
Best Film (Critics): Firaaq
Lifetime Achievement Award: Shashi Kapoor and Khayyam
Best Supporting Actor (Male): Boman Irani for 3 Idiots
Best Supporting Actor (Female): Kalki Koechlin for Dev. D
Best Debutante Director(Male): Ayan Mukerji for Wake Up Sid
Best Debutante Director (Female): Zoya Akhtar for Luck By Chance
Best Screenplay Award: 3 idiots
Best Story Award: 3 Idiots
Best Music: A R Rahman for Delhi
Best Lyricist Award: Irshad Kamil for Aaj Din Chaddya, Love Aaj Kal
Best Playback Singer (Female): Rekha Bharadwaj for Genda Phool, Delhi 6 and Kavita Seth for Ik Taara, Wake Up Sid
Best Sound Design and Best Editing: Firaaq
RD Burman Music Award: Amit Trivedi
Best Costume Design: Firaaq
Best Cinematographer: Dev D
Best Action: Wanted
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge completes 750 weeks
Just like old wine, SRK and Kajol's blockbuster film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) keeps getting better and better with each passing year. This month- February 2010, DDLJ has set yet another record by completing 750 weeks of continuous play. In a feat perhaps unmatched anywhere in the world, the magic of the evergreen romance keeps pulling audiences back to the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai.
Directed by Aditya Chopra, DDLJ opened to full houses and rave reviews all over the world way back on 20th October 1995.
This evergreen Yash Raj Film remains the longest running film in the history of Indian cinema, as it passes one milestone after another, and is presently running in its 15th year of running.
After Shahid, Priyanka loses gal pal
Most would agree that it is difficult to remain friends with a former flame.
But the same holds true even when it comes to the former flame’s close friends. A case in point is Priyanka Chopra, who got extremely close to Shahid Kapoor’s close friend Mubina Rattonsey. She’s now had a major fall out with her.
As reported earlier, Mubina and Shahid were at one point more than close friends, but that was before he got into a relationship with Priyanka.
Mubina was close to both Shahid and Priyanka. But this awkward proximity caused more harm than good. A source reveals, “Shahid never liked Priyanka’s growing friendship with Mubina. During the period they were seeing each other, they had fought about this because Shahid believed Mubina would try to influence Priyanka against him. After their break up, Priyanka continued her friendship with Mubina. In fact they got even closer and Priyanka would often confide in her.”
The source continues, “But it seems that whatever Priyanka was saying to Mubina didn’t remain just between them. Recently Priyanka discovered that certain things she had told Mubina about Shahid were reaching him and this really irked her. She confronted Mubina the first time this happened but she denied leaking out information. But it happened again and Priyanka just decided to stop confiding things to Mubina.”
So now the former gal pals are keeping their distance. “Priyanka used to trust Mubina and felt lighter after discussing her personal matters with her. But she never thought that her trust would be betrayed,” adds the source.
Check out Priyanka Chopra’s homepage
But the same holds true even when it comes to the former flame’s close friends. A case in point is Priyanka Chopra, who got extremely close to Shahid Kapoor’s close friend Mubina Rattonsey. She’s now had a major fall out with her.
As reported earlier, Mubina and Shahid were at one point more than close friends, but that was before he got into a relationship with Priyanka.
Mubina was close to both Shahid and Priyanka. But this awkward proximity caused more harm than good. A source reveals, “Shahid never liked Priyanka’s growing friendship with Mubina. During the period they were seeing each other, they had fought about this because Shahid believed Mubina would try to influence Priyanka against him. After their break up, Priyanka continued her friendship with Mubina. In fact they got even closer and Priyanka would often confide in her.”
The source continues, “But it seems that whatever Priyanka was saying to Mubina didn’t remain just between them. Recently Priyanka discovered that certain things she had told Mubina about Shahid were reaching him and this really irked her. She confronted Mubina the first time this happened but she denied leaking out information. But it happened again and Priyanka just decided to stop confiding things to Mubina.”
So now the former gal pals are keeping their distance. “Priyanka used to trust Mubina and felt lighter after discussing her personal matters with her. But she never thought that her trust would be betrayed,” adds the source.
Check out Priyanka Chopra’s homepage
Karun Chandhok set to race in Formula One
New Delhi: The dream of an Indian driver in Formula One is nearly complete.
Karun Chandhok is all set to become only the second driver in India's motorsport history to race in Formula 1.
The GP2 driver has reportedly signed a contract with Campos Meta to drive for them for the 2010 season starting next month.
Campos is one of the three new teams that have entered the sport starting this year.
Chandhok has been racing in the GP2 series - often referred to as the feeder series for Formula 1 - for the last 3 years.
It is believed that the nephew of legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna - Bruno Senna will be occupying the other seat at the team. Chandhok will be entering the sport after Narain Karthikeyan participated in 19 races for Jordan in 2005.
The man all set to become India's second driver in Formula 1 is 26 years old and was born in Chennai.
He made his racing debut in the year 2000 when he won the Indian National Racing Championship with a record breaking seven race victories.
After a successful season in the Asian Formula Championship in 2001 - Chandhok was awarded the most promising Asian driver of the year.
It was in 2007 that he entered the big league and signed up with Durango for the GP2 series, considered the feeder series to Formula 1.
In 2008 he switched teams and moved to iSport International where he partnered Brunno Senna and the two are all set to renew that partnership with Campos Meta this season.
Karun Chandhok is all set to become only the second driver in India's motorsport history to race in Formula 1.
The GP2 driver has reportedly signed a contract with Campos Meta to drive for them for the 2010 season starting next month.
Campos is one of the three new teams that have entered the sport starting this year.
Chandhok has been racing in the GP2 series - often referred to as the feeder series for Formula 1 - for the last 3 years.
It is believed that the nephew of legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna - Bruno Senna will be occupying the other seat at the team. Chandhok will be entering the sport after Narain Karthikeyan participated in 19 races for Jordan in 2005.
The man all set to become India's second driver in Formula 1 is 26 years old and was born in Chennai.
He made his racing debut in the year 2000 when he won the Indian National Racing Championship with a record breaking seven race victories.
After a successful season in the Asian Formula Championship in 2001 - Chandhok was awarded the most promising Asian driver of the year.
It was in 2007 that he entered the big league and signed up with Durango for the GP2 series, considered the feeder series to Formula 1.
In 2008 he switched teams and moved to iSport International where he partnered Brunno Senna and the two are all set to renew that partnership with Campos Meta this season.
Moneycontrol » News Center » Business » Economy Want more about Business to land in your mailbox? Set an alert here More on Economy See inflation inch
n an interview with CNBC-TV18, Darmesh Mehta, Head- Equities at Enam Securities, spoke about his outlook for Budget 2010.
Here is a verbatim transcript of an exclusive interview with Darmesh Mehta on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.
Q: What is the institutional takeaway on the Budget good, bad or neutral?
A: I think it is good. The expectations were low on the Budget. Last one month, people were fearing this event. I think it has positively surprised everyone. So with a sigh of relief, that doesn’t allow us to relax because of the global uncertainty which is happening. The India event which was the big event, the Budget is now over and it has been a positive event rather than a negative.
Q: What is the big positive from your client’s perspective because the skeptics would say GST and DTC next year April 2011? You wanted 5.5% fiscal deficit that has been delivered. Aside of small tinkering in the personal income taxes, what is the big positive materially in this Budget?
A: It’s the government borrowing which is not a very large number, so which lies the interest rate hike fears saying that. We will not be aggressively on the interest rate hikes. It will give some kind of respite and if you look at the entire domestic consumption boost which has happened due to this lower taxation to the lower level income. This also adds to the entire consumption story. In this kind of global environment, if you put that in perspective this has been quite a decent Budget in that sense. When things are so uncertain in the world and India in stand alone out there, it has been much more positive than what people can see and especially when you go abroad the kind of situation which is there which is so uncertain. This gives much more comfort to other global investors.
Here is a verbatim transcript of an exclusive interview with Darmesh Mehta on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.
Q: What is the institutional takeaway on the Budget good, bad or neutral?
A: I think it is good. The expectations were low on the Budget. Last one month, people were fearing this event. I think it has positively surprised everyone. So with a sigh of relief, that doesn’t allow us to relax because of the global uncertainty which is happening. The India event which was the big event, the Budget is now over and it has been a positive event rather than a negative.
Q: What is the big positive from your client’s perspective because the skeptics would say GST and DTC next year April 2011? You wanted 5.5% fiscal deficit that has been delivered. Aside of small tinkering in the personal income taxes, what is the big positive materially in this Budget?
A: It’s the government borrowing which is not a very large number, so which lies the interest rate hike fears saying that. We will not be aggressively on the interest rate hikes. It will give some kind of respite and if you look at the entire domestic consumption boost which has happened due to this lower taxation to the lower level income. This also adds to the entire consumption story. In this kind of global environment, if you put that in perspective this has been quite a decent Budget in that sense. When things are so uncertain in the world and India in stand alone out there, it has been much more positive than what people can see and especially when you go abroad the kind of situation which is there which is so uncertain. This gives much more comfort to other global investors.
Maharashtra govt wants Bharat Ratna for Tendulkar
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will convey to the Centre that master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a landmark double ton against South Africa, be honoured with the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna.
"We will ask the central government to award Bharat Ratna to Sachin, who has mesmerised cricket lovers the world over," Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said.
"Even cricketers around the globe are saying Sachin has attained a stature higher than that of legendary Sir Don Bradman," Bhujbal told reporters.
The state government has proposed to set up a museum devoted to Sachin, he said. "The museum will showcase the glorious life and career of the great batsman and will serve as an inspiration to the young generation," Bhujbal said.
Sachin became the first cricketer to cross the 200-run mark in one-day internationals.
Pa giving young actors run for their money: Abhishek
Abhishek Bachchan, who was eagerly looking forward to see his father Amitabh's performance in Teen Patti, says the veteran actor just keeps getting better with every film even at the age of 68.
"Teen Patti releases today. Can't wait to see what Big B has in store for us this time round. (I am) still getting over his performance in Rann. He's just this force that has become unstoppable! Shocks you with every new performance...full power to you Pa," Abhishek posted on Twitter.
"He's a 68-year-old giving this current generation a run for their money. Highly doubt any of us will be able to do the same at his age," he added.
India's radical new strategy at Hockey World Cup
The Indian hockey team has been training away from the spotlight. But when the curtains go up on the Hero Honda World Cup on Sunday expect to see the unexpected. There are winds of change being inspired by master coach Jose Brasa.
Class 11 girl raped at gunpoint by three classmates in Uttar Pradesh
LUCKNOW: A Class 11 girl was allegedly raped at gunpoint by three of her classmates in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district, police said on Saturday. The suspects are absconding.
Residents of Hilwari village in Baghpat, some 50 km from Lucknow, held a series of protests, demanding the arrest of the boys.
The 16-year-old victim, who is a resident of Hilwari village in Baghpat, some 400 km from here, was abducted on Friday by three boys of her class and raped at a secluded place.
Medical reports of the girl have confirmed rape, police added.
"The three boys and the victim studied in the same class in a school in Baraut town. When the girl was on her way to home from school, the boys abducted and raped her," police inspector RK Singh told reporters in Baghpat.
"The boys, who are close friends, are absconding. Efforts are on to nab them. We have detained some of their family members in order to ascertain their whereabouts," he added.
A large number of residents of Hilwari village Saturday carried out a series of demonstrations in Baghpat, demanding the arrest of the students for raping the girl.
The residents also held protests in front of Baraut police station, threatening to carry out violent demonstrations if the students were not arrested within 48 hours.
Residents of Hilwari village in Baghpat, some 50 km from Lucknow, held a series of protests, demanding the arrest of the boys.
The 16-year-old victim, who is a resident of Hilwari village in Baghpat, some 400 km from here, was abducted on Friday by three boys of her class and raped at a secluded place.
Medical reports of the girl have confirmed rape, police added.
"The three boys and the victim studied in the same class in a school in Baraut town. When the girl was on her way to home from school, the boys abducted and raped her," police inspector RK Singh told reporters in Baghpat.
"The boys, who are close friends, are absconding. Efforts are on to nab them. We have detained some of their family members in order to ascertain their whereabouts," he added.
A large number of residents of Hilwari village Saturday carried out a series of demonstrations in Baghpat, demanding the arrest of the students for raping the girl.
The residents also held protests in front of Baraut police station, threatening to carry out violent demonstrations if the students were not arrested within 48 hours.
Budget 2010: Cheers to middle class, jitters for 'aam admi'
he elephant has been synonymous with India from time immemorial, through history, mythology and belief. For decades, the Indian economy, too, came to be likened to an elephant, but in a pejorative, lumbering sense. Today, as the balance of global power shifts to the East, and India is regarded with awe for weathering the financial storm better than most, the elephant analogy is back – but with the positive attributes of size, stability, solidity and strength. With our economy projected to become the second largest in the world, after China and ahead of even the US, there’s a growing sense that we’re riding a quiet but powerful giant, one that needs to be taken care of if we want it to travel far and carry over a billion people on its back. Just as the elephant-god is worshipped by millions as remover of obstacles and bearer of good fortune, our Budgets are awaited with a prayer that they will lead us to a better tomorrow. Will this Budget make a difference to our lives, will it help the elephant dance?
NEW DELHI: When finance minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the interim budget last year on the eve of elections, the phrase 'aam admi' figured five times in his speech starting with the opening paragraph. In his latest Budget speech on Friday, the aam admi figured only twice and had to wait till well into the speech to be invoked.
Is this more than just trivia? It might well be. The salaried middle class can celebrate an entirely unexpected windfall of up to Rs 56,000 per annum from the reworked personal income tax slabs and a new tax exemption option. Most Indian corporates have reason to be happy with the surcharge on corporate tax coming down from 10% to 7.5%, even if some among them will be unhappy about the minimum alternate tax (MAT) being hiked from 15% to 18%.
Reformers will welcome the declaration of intent implied in a disinvestment target of Rs 40,000 crore for the coming year — and another Rs 14,000 crore in the one month left in this year — and the assertion that the return to fiscal rectitude has begun with the deficit being pruned to 5.5% of GDP. The proposal to issue new banking licences to the private sector after a gap of over 10 years should also please business groups that have been hankering for entry into the sector.
In contrast, the aam admi might wonder why the 'flagship' rural employment scheme (NREGS) has been given just 2.5% more than in last year's budget and the ambitious Bharat Nirman has got just 6% over the budgetary allocation last year. In real terms, adjusting for inflation, both would amount to a cut in outlays.
The aam admi is also hardly likely to be pleased with the hike in fuel prices by way of excise and customs duty increases on crude oil and petroleum products — which alone are estimated to yield the government an additional Rs 26,100 crore in the coming year. This is bound to stoke fears of further inflation. The fact that excise duty hikes are more or less across the board — in a partial exit from the stimulus package rolled out through late 2008 and early 2009 — does not help.
Mukherjee's announcement that excise duty on petrol and diesel will go up by one rupee per litre prompted what might well be the first-ever boycott of a budget speech, or a part of it, by the Opposition. That's a sign that these parties believe they can gain some political traction on the issue.
True, the middle class too will not be spared the impact of these duty hikes, which the FM later insisted would directly raise the inflation rate by just 0.4%. It can also point to the fact that the extended coverage of service tax to things like domestic air travel and under-construction houses will do it no favours. But it would be difficult to dispute that on balance the Budget has saved more money for this section than it has taken away.
As for corporates, the 175-point rise in the Sensex on the day was a fair indicator of how the markets perceive the overall impact of the Budget on India Inc. While excise duty hikes are never good news for industry, the much lower-than-expected borrowings of the government — projected at Rs 3.45 lakh crore — means business need not fear being either crowded out of the credit market, or being hit by the kind of rise in interest rates that a larger borrowing programme would have meant by increasing the demand for credit.
The FM is clearly betting on growth to help him raise revenues on the scale he expects, while the fact that the pay commission arrears and farm loan waiver are no longer a millstone around his neck has helped enormously in keeping expenditure from rising too much.
The direct tax changes for individuals and corporates, he said, would cost him Rs 26,000 crore over the year, while the excise, customs and service tax changes would get him an additional Rs 46,500 crore, thus yielding a net Rs 20,500 crore. On the corporate tax front, a higher MAT will fetch him Rs 6,000 crore, while lower surcharge will lose him Rs 5,000 crore — a modest additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore on India Inc.
Mukherjee said in his speech that the proposed move to a goods and service tax (GST) would have to wait till April next year and that he would also introduce the proposed new direct tax code, which is premised on lower rates with fewer exemptions, from April 2011.
Later in the day, he told a TV channel that while he was sure about the introduction of the direct tax code next year, since that was within his purview, GST coming into force would require the concurrence of the states and hence was something he couldn't guarantee.
NEW DELHI: When finance minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the interim budget last year on the eve of elections, the phrase 'aam admi' figured five times in his speech starting with the opening paragraph. In his latest Budget speech on Friday, the aam admi figured only twice and had to wait till well into the speech to be invoked.
Is this more than just trivia? It might well be. The salaried middle class can celebrate an entirely unexpected windfall of up to Rs 56,000 per annum from the reworked personal income tax slabs and a new tax exemption option. Most Indian corporates have reason to be happy with the surcharge on corporate tax coming down from 10% to 7.5%, even if some among them will be unhappy about the minimum alternate tax (MAT) being hiked from 15% to 18%.
Reformers will welcome the declaration of intent implied in a disinvestment target of Rs 40,000 crore for the coming year — and another Rs 14,000 crore in the one month left in this year — and the assertion that the return to fiscal rectitude has begun with the deficit being pruned to 5.5% of GDP. The proposal to issue new banking licences to the private sector after a gap of over 10 years should also please business groups that have been hankering for entry into the sector.
In contrast, the aam admi might wonder why the 'flagship' rural employment scheme (NREGS) has been given just 2.5% more than in last year's budget and the ambitious Bharat Nirman has got just 6% over the budgetary allocation last year. In real terms, adjusting for inflation, both would amount to a cut in outlays.
The aam admi is also hardly likely to be pleased with the hike in fuel prices by way of excise and customs duty increases on crude oil and petroleum products — which alone are estimated to yield the government an additional Rs 26,100 crore in the coming year. This is bound to stoke fears of further inflation. The fact that excise duty hikes are more or less across the board — in a partial exit from the stimulus package rolled out through late 2008 and early 2009 — does not help.
Mukherjee's announcement that excise duty on petrol and diesel will go up by one rupee per litre prompted what might well be the first-ever boycott of a budget speech, or a part of it, by the Opposition. That's a sign that these parties believe they can gain some political traction on the issue.
True, the middle class too will not be spared the impact of these duty hikes, which the FM later insisted would directly raise the inflation rate by just 0.4%. It can also point to the fact that the extended coverage of service tax to things like domestic air travel and under-construction houses will do it no favours. But it would be difficult to dispute that on balance the Budget has saved more money for this section than it has taken away.
As for corporates, the 175-point rise in the Sensex on the day was a fair indicator of how the markets perceive the overall impact of the Budget on India Inc. While excise duty hikes are never good news for industry, the much lower-than-expected borrowings of the government — projected at Rs 3.45 lakh crore — means business need not fear being either crowded out of the credit market, or being hit by the kind of rise in interest rates that a larger borrowing programme would have meant by increasing the demand for credit.
The FM is clearly betting on growth to help him raise revenues on the scale he expects, while the fact that the pay commission arrears and farm loan waiver are no longer a millstone around his neck has helped enormously in keeping expenditure from rising too much.
The direct tax changes for individuals and corporates, he said, would cost him Rs 26,000 crore over the year, while the excise, customs and service tax changes would get him an additional Rs 46,500 crore, thus yielding a net Rs 20,500 crore. On the corporate tax front, a higher MAT will fetch him Rs 6,000 crore, while lower surcharge will lose him Rs 5,000 crore — a modest additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore on India Inc.
Mukherjee said in his speech that the proposed move to a goods and service tax (GST) would have to wait till April next year and that he would also introduce the proposed new direct tax code, which is premised on lower rates with fewer exemptions, from April 2011.
Later in the day, he told a TV channel that while he was sure about the introduction of the direct tax code next year, since that was within his purview, GST coming into force would require the concurrence of the states and hence was something he couldn't guarantee.
Do You Actually Want Young People to Quit Smoking?
Nothing says you should quit smoking like conflating sexual assault with the effects of cigarettes. Via the NYTimes, a feminist activist in France speaks out,
But the reaction on the Web site of Droits des Non-fumeurs has been mixed. One comment read, "The campaign trivializes sexual abuse -- worse, it implies guilt on the part of the abused."
Florence Montreynaud, the president of La Meute des Chiennes de Garde, or the Pack of Female Watchdogs, which opposes symbols of sexual violence in films and advertising, called the ads "unbearable" and said "what is most shocking is the banalization of sexual violence."
She is a feminist, she said, and a longtime member of Droits des Non-fumeurs. "But it is terrible to represent in the public space this kind of image restricted to pornography," she added. "I'm appalled. It's a poverty of imagination. When people have no ideas, they use female bodies."
Friday, February 26, 2010
http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2010/02/25/brittany-murphys-final-autotopsy-shows-no-drug-abuse
Brittany Murphy's final autopsy report was made public this afternoon.
A few things contained in the 84-page report: her weight was not "dangerously thin":
"The overall appearance of the body is consistent with the recorded height of 65 inches and the recorded weight of 115 pounds. The body appears well developed, normally muscular and slim but not excessively thin."
The Nightmare on Elm Street 2.0 trailer
Although this trailer for the sh!tty remake of The Nightmare on Elm Street is better than the teaser that was released a few months ago, I still won’t see that piece of crap. I loved the original series and if Robert Englund isn’t Freddy Krueger I refuse to see it. Plus I hate the look and sound of the new Freddy.
I really wish that Michael Bay’s stupid production company Platinum Dooms, I mean Dunes, would stop remaking horror classics and try to come up with original ones. I saw their remake of Friday the 13th and I thought it was no where as good as the original series including Jason X. In fact I found myself extremely bored with it and thought it sucked balls.
So in short guess where I won’t be on April 30th…seeing that movie.
The Nightmare on Elm Street 2.0 trailer
Although this trailer for the sh!tty remake of The Nightmare on Elm Street is better than the teaser that was released a few months ago, I still won’t see that piece of crap. I loved the original series and if Robert Englund isn’t Freddy Krueger I refuse to see it. Plus I hate the look and sound of the new Freddy.
I really wish that Michael Bay’s stupid production company Platinum Dooms, I mean Dunes, would stop remaking horror classics and try to come up with original ones. I saw their remake of Friday the 13th and I thought it was no where as good as the original series including Jason X. In fact I found myself extremely bored with it and thought it sucked balls.
So in short guess where I won’t be on April 30th…seeing that movie.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Pole Dancing: A Future Olympic Sport?
Sports
While pole dancing is certainly more mainstream than it was a decade ago, is it ready to go prime time on the international stage as a recognized sport? A group of pole dancing advocates believes it is, and are pushing for pole dancing to be added to the Olympics in 2012.
KT Coates, a leading pole dancer in the United Kingdom and the director of Vertical Dance, is heading up the Olympic bid. She says that they are hoping for a "test" event in 2012, and then a more formal pitch four years later in Rio de Janeiro.
In a petition she is preparing for organizers of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Coates said:
"After a great deal of feedback from the pole-dance community, many of us have decided that it’s about time pole fitness is recognized as a competitive sport, and what better way for recognition than to be part of the 2012 Olympics held in London."
The petition now has 4,000 signatures, and Coates is hoping to add at least another 1,000.
Pole dancing advocates are hopeful about their Olympic chances, citing how such a large number of people now practice pole dancing for fitness purposes. It's not just for strippers any more, they argue, and advocates point out how even more unlikely sports - such as Tug of War - were once Olympic medal competitions.
One thing is for sure -- the addition of pole dancing to the Olympics would increase television viewership.
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie: Kissing Couple of 'Tourists'
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie share a passionate kiss on the set of her new movie, The Tourist, on Tuesday (February 23) in Paris, France.
Brad visited the set with the couple’s two daughters, Shiloh, 3 and Zahara, 5. The trio picked up a few fun items at the Bonpoint boutique.
FYI: Z is wearing an alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet Bow Back Double Breasted Coat.
7 Simple Strategies For Instant Confidence
Let me be clear: I don’t believe in instant confidence as a permanent cure for confidence issues. I think what works in the long run is changing the thinking patterns and belief system which feed insecurities. And this cannot be done in an instant. It take times and persistent action.
I do however believe there are often situations when you don’t have the time to build confidence by addressing the roots and you need an instant boost for your confidence. There are strategies for this, which work a lot like a patch over a wound, with a temporary but also positive effect. This is why from my perspective, this discussion makes sense.
Do a simple search on this topic and you will actually find dozens of tips and tricks for instant confidence. Which always leads me to one simple question: which ones work the best and are truly worth applying?
Having tested a lot of them myself, as well as having seen even more of them at work in my activity as a coach, I’ve selected a couple of them, which I believe to be the most effective strategies for instant confidence. Here they are:
1) Dress sharp. Clothes can be an instant confidence booster, if they’re good quality and look very nice on you. Some people, when they put the right clothes on, perceive themselves as if they have armor, they’re more successful or they’re putting their best selves out there. Dressing sharp can change for a while how you perceive yourself, what you focus on and thus, how you feel.
2) Breathe. When you feel insecure, it manifests itself in your physiology and especially in your breathing, which becomes faster and shallower. Your emotions impact your physiology, but it can also work the other way. Focus on your breathing: first notice it, then start to consciously breathe deeper, slower, and more regular. As you do this, you will quickly notice your negative emotions dropping and you will feel more confident.
3) Exercise. It’s not about going to the gym and working out for two hours. That’s not a quick solution. It’s about using a couple of minutes to do some simple exercising, like stretching your muscles or running a little. Exercising will help release tension in the muscles and will boost your level of endorphins, which is the body’s natural drug for improving your mood, including your confidence.
4) Focus on action. When you feel insecure, your thoughts will often go into a negative cycle: you start thinking negative, dramatic things, which trigger more negative and more dramatic thoughts and so on. One way to get out of this cycle in a moment is to stop focusing on your thinking and instead, acting. In other words, you’re getting out of your head by doing something, and thus, you make the insecurity go down instead of rise.
5) Stop! There is a very simple and effective technique for dealing with negative emotions in some therapies: you focus on your internal dialogue, which is full of negative thoughts that make your nervous, and you say with conviction: “Stop!” Either out loud, or if it’s not convenient, in your internal dialogue. This self-command will interrupt the negative internal dialogue for a while, prevent it from spinning out of control and help you boost your confidence.
6) Think of your qualities. A lot of times, lack of confidence is a result of loosing sight of our qualities, exaggerating your flaws and because of this, thinking you’re going to do terribly. When this happens, consciously remember your qualities, especially those which are relevant in the context, and focus on them. If for example, you are delivering a speech and you know you are very organized in your speaking, think about this, and it will boost your confidence.
7) Remember positive experiences. When you think of positive things, you generate and amplify positive emotions, while at the same time combating negative ones. Think of an experience you had in which you felt very strong positive emotions, especially confidence. Close your eyes and visualize it as clearly as you can, with all the relevant details, as if it were happening again. The better you do this, the more you will improve your mood, your confidence for the moment.
Using these simple strategies, always remember that even if they may work well, they are mostly just temporary patches. If you always find yourself needing them in the same type of situations to feel more confident, it’s a sign you’re not addressing the roots of your confidence issues. And addressing the roots is the most important thing to do in your personal development.
India’s rail budget promises new model to develop network
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday presented India’s rail budget for the next fiscal with the promise of a new business model that will encourage private investment with social commitment.
Our objective is inclusive growth, she told the Lok Sabha, lower house of parliament, adding her main consideration in this year’s budget was social responsibility rather than mere commercial viability of projects.
We have set our goals in the Vision 2020 document and we will achieve it, the minister said, referring to the document presented in December that targeted making over 30,000 km of routes into double or multiple lines, compared to 18,000 km today.
It is a fact that administrative and procedural delays discourage potential investors. We will need to overcome this. I am setting up a special task force for this, she said, adding: We will not privatise our railways.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were among those in the house, presided over by Speaker Meira Kumar.
This was Banerjee’s fourth budget of her career as railway minister and the second for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in its second straight term after being voted back to office in May last year.
The budget came against the backdrop of the share of Indian Railways in the movement of goods, vis a vis truckers, falling from 24.07 percent in 2001-02 to 20.89 percent in 2008-09 and further to 19.32 percent in the first 10 months of this fiscal.
Indian Railways runs the world’s second largest network under a single management with a network of 64,099 route km to ferry 18.9 million passengers on 7,000 trains daily from 6,906 stations. It also runs 4,000 freight trains to carry 850 million tonnes of cargo.
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The Long History of Scandal's Supporting Players
As the heat from the Tiger Woods sex scandal cools, the once paparazzi plagued Rachel Uchitel will again settle into the cold grip of obscurity. She is one of scandal's secondary players, and we are done with her.
Thanks to a little vehicular mishap on Thanksgiving, Uchitel became a household name as the first of Tiger's skanks to be identified. As these things usually go, we rushed to find out everything we could about her, the press called up her friends and family, her privacy was invaded, and cameras greeted her every public appearance. But now Tiger has finally apologized and we're moving on to the next mock outrage. What's left for Rachel? Well, not much. She'll get some small press notes if she gets married, appears on a reality show, or goes on a killing spree or something like that. Other than that, bubkis. It's back to the civilian life.
Uchitel is one in the long line of colorful characters who we got to know and love (or love to hate) but then discarded as soon as we were done with her like a crusty Kleenex on an adolescent's bedroom floor. Here are some other recent and notable examples in various stages of the bit player's trajectory.
Thanks to a little vehicular mishap on Thanksgiving, Uchitel became a household name as the first of Tiger's skanks to be identified. As these things usually go, we rushed to find out everything we could about her, the press called up her friends and family, her privacy was invaded, and cameras greeted her every public appearance. But now Tiger has finally apologized and we're moving on to the next mock outrage. What's left for Rachel? Well, not much. She'll get some small press notes if she gets married, appears on a reality show, or goes on a killing spree or something like that. Other than that, bubkis. It's back to the civilian life.
Uchitel is one in the long line of colorful characters who we got to know and love (or love to hate) but then discarded as soon as we were done with her like a crusty Kleenex on an adolescent's bedroom floor. Here are some other recent and notable examples in various stages of the bit player's trajectory.
Tiger Woods Mistresses to Compete in $100,000 Beauty Contest
Howard Stern has organised a beauty contest — with a cash prize — for Tiger's ladies next month. So far four have agreed to to take part. Rachel Uchitel is sadly bound by a confidentiality agreement and can't.
House votes to repeal antitrust exemption for health insurers
Washington (CNN) - The House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to repeal the antitrust exemption currently granted to health insurance companies.
The vote was 406-19 to repeal the exemption, which has been in place since the end of World War II. The 19 who voted against the repeal are all Republicans.
Liberal Democrats have said a repeal would help inject new competition into the health care industry while reducing consumer costs.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday that President Barack Obama strongly supports the repeal. "At its core, health reform is all about ensuring that American families and businesses have more choices, benefit from more competition and have greater control over their own health care," Gibbs said.
"Repealing this exemption is an important part of that effort.
Gibbs said the president is not seeking repeal of the exemption in lieu of broader changes to the insurance market. "This is a complementary step along the way," he told reporters.
The debate in the House on Wednesday included a colorful moment between Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, and Republicans.
"You guys have chutzpah," Weiner told Republicans during the debate.
"The Republican Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry," he said, drawing the objections of Republicans, who asked that his words be stricken from the record.
Weiner then asked for unanimous consent to replace his words and said, "Every single Republican I have ever met in my entire life is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry."
The Republicans objected again, prompting Weiner to rescind his words.
The House version of the health care bill passed last year would have removed the antitrust exemption, while the Senate's version would not.
Advocates of an exemption repeal say that the exemption has allowed health insurance companies to essentially divide the country into geographic zones. They argue the companies benefit from what amounts to local monopolies.
Industry defenders, in turn, point out that insurers are still subject to state regulations. They claim the impact of an exemption repeal is overblown.
Administration officials and their allies in Congress have taken an increasingly tough stance against the unpopular insurance industry. Among other things, Obama's latest proposal for health care reform would give the federal government new authority to block excessive rate hikes by health insurers.
Specifically, Obama's plan calls for the secretary of health and human services to work with a seven-member board made up of doctors, economists, and consumer and insurance representatives to review premium hikes.
The board - to be known as the Health Insurance Rate Authority - would provide an annual report to recommend to states whether certain rate increases should be approved, although the secretary could overrule state insurance regulators.
The vote was 406-19 to repeal the exemption, which has been in place since the end of World War II. The 19 who voted against the repeal are all Republicans.
Liberal Democrats have said a repeal would help inject new competition into the health care industry while reducing consumer costs.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday that President Barack Obama strongly supports the repeal. "At its core, health reform is all about ensuring that American families and businesses have more choices, benefit from more competition and have greater control over their own health care," Gibbs said.
"Repealing this exemption is an important part of that effort.
Gibbs said the president is not seeking repeal of the exemption in lieu of broader changes to the insurance market. "This is a complementary step along the way," he told reporters.
The debate in the House on Wednesday included a colorful moment between Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, and Republicans.
"You guys have chutzpah," Weiner told Republicans during the debate.
"The Republican Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry," he said, drawing the objections of Republicans, who asked that his words be stricken from the record.
Weiner then asked for unanimous consent to replace his words and said, "Every single Republican I have ever met in my entire life is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry."
The Republicans objected again, prompting Weiner to rescind his words.
The House version of the health care bill passed last year would have removed the antitrust exemption, while the Senate's version would not.
Advocates of an exemption repeal say that the exemption has allowed health insurance companies to essentially divide the country into geographic zones. They argue the companies benefit from what amounts to local monopolies.
Industry defenders, in turn, point out that insurers are still subject to state regulations. They claim the impact of an exemption repeal is overblown.
Administration officials and their allies in Congress have taken an increasingly tough stance against the unpopular insurance industry. Among other things, Obama's latest proposal for health care reform would give the federal government new authority to block excessive rate hikes by health insurers.
Specifically, Obama's plan calls for the secretary of health and human services to work with a seven-member board made up of doctors, economists, and consumer and insurance representatives to review premium hikes.
The board - to be known as the Health Insurance Rate Authority - would provide an annual report to recommend to states whether certain rate increases should be approved, although the secretary could overrule state insurance regulators.
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