● It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
● Gold is the only metal that doesn’t rust, even if it’s buried in the ground for thousands of years .
● Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end .
● If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
● Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
● Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.
● Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
● The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
● Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent.
● Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn’t smoke unless it’s heated above 450F.
● The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
● Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.
● The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.
● Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.
● The University of Alaska spans four time zones.
● The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
● In ancient Greece , tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
● Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
● Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
● A comet’s tail always points away from the sun.
● The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.
Month: January 2014
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SOME INTERESTING FACTS
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INDIA-CHINA MAKE PEACE, FOR NOW
India and China inked the crucial Border Defence Cooperation Agreement in October to ease the strained relationship between the two countries. The agreement is the outcome of a series of talks following diplomatic tensions arising out of the Chinese troops pitching their tents at Depsang valley in Ladakh in April.
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TANVI SHINDE-The Teen Talent
It was the great American poet, Robert Frost who once wrote the now famous lines: “Woods are lovely, dark and deep; But I have promises to keep; And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep”. Tanvi seems to be keeping those lines of Frost in her mind. Not content with a number of trophies and awards she has won, she told The Indian Panorama, in an interview, recently, “I want to continue on my journey with pageants because I believe that this is just the beginning; I still have a lot more to achieve in my life.
I want to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts and become an astonishing creative director.” Look at all the honors she has got. Miss Teen India DFW 2012; Miss Popular 2012; Miss Teen South Asia Texas 2012; Miss Photogenic Miss Teen India USA 2012; Second runner up Miss Teen India USA 2012; Miss Over-All Photogenic winner 2013; Miss Talented Miss India USA 2013. As a child she wasn’t really aware of pageants, she had never even thought of being in one. But as a child she was involved in dancing and art. Her passion for dance and art began at a very young age. Her creativity comes from her dad’s side of the family.
The Shinde family consists of great singers, artist and dancers. And this is what influenced her to become such a creative person overall. Tanvi’s father, Raj Shinde, is an accomplished creative director in advertising and mother is a teacher. Both played a key role in shaping their daughter’s ambition. However, it appears her father had a greater influence on her. She told The Indian Panorama, “In order to realize and achieve the goal I paid close attention to my father’s work since he himself is a phenomenal creative director. With his guidance and the company of my mom and her support I was able to experience and get more knowledge in the commercial field by acting in a few commercials and doing voice-overs.
I made sure I was open-minded and ready to learn new things at every moment of my life.” In reply to a question as to what career she would like to adopt, she took no time to answer, “As far as career is concerned, I’ve always wanted to become a creative director and open up my own advertising agency. Along with that I also want to pursue modeling and acting.” When I congratulated her on her being one of the top 5 finalists in Miss India USA Pageant, she smiled, looked at her father and then said in a matter of fact style, “Success doesn’t come to you; you have to work hard for it.
Nothing is impossible; if you can dream it you can achieve it. Be real, be yourself, be unique, be true, be honest, be humble and most of all is to be happy.” I asked her about the pageant- when and where it was held, how many participated etc. I love to quote her. “Several young women participated in the 32nd annual Miss India USA pageant which was hosted by IFC. It was held in New Jersey on November 23rd at Royal Albert’s Palace. Being the winner of the 2012 Miss Teen India DFW, I was a teen participant from Dallas, Texas. I represented Texas.
Tanvi Shinde (left)is crowned Miss Teen India USA
I won the Miss Talented Miss India USA 2013 title in the 2013 Miss India USA pageant.” Visibly excited to recall the pageant, she continued, “The rounds that were included in the 2013 Miss India USA pageant were an Intro dance, Talent round, Indian Wear along with a self-introduction, Evening Wear, Top 5, and crowning. I was one of the top 5 finalists. She said, “I’ve always competed with the teens but this was my very first time competing with the miss girls, it was definitely a unique experience also a lot more challenging! Along with that I got to meet new people and make new friends.
It also taught me several new things and increased my knowledge about the world of pageants. I would say that the 2013 Miss India USA pageant has impacted my life tremendously; it has brought great opportunities to me. It has given me a chance to help my community and be successful in my career. I couldn’t have gotten this far without my parents, and all of my family and friends; I would like to thank everyone with all my heart”. Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra India raised, and in Dallas, Texas USA, Tanvi is, to say the least, extremely talented. Imagine a young girl of 18 having command over such diverse aspects of talent.
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PAKISTAN VIOLATES CEASEFIRE
There was an unusual spike in ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts across the border this year. With some describing it as the worst bout of fighting between the two sides in the last 10 years, many Indian soldiers too lost their lives. Naturally, the Indian reaction is overwhelmingly one of anger, with the govt quite certain these violations could not take place without the tacit support of the Pakistan army.
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AFZAL GURU HANGED
Afzal Guru, the key collaborator of the Pakistani terrorists who attacked Parliament on December 13, 2001, was hanged on February 9, 2013, bringing a sense of closure to the audacious terror attack that could have wiped out a section of India’s top political leadership and brought the two nations to war. Afzal’s hanging was kept an ultra-secret affair in order to avert repercussions in J&K and dodge last-minute legal challenges.
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Sikhs in Dallas Celebrate with Zeal Guru Gobind Singh’s Birth Anniversary
Harjit Singh Dhesi DALLAS (TIP): Sikhs in Dallas area celebrated with fervor and zeal the birth anniversary of their Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh who had created Khalsa in 1699. At the Gurdwara Sikh Temple, as the tradition is, a 48 hour long recitation of the Holy Scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib was done before the final celebrations. on Sunday, January 5. A large number of devotees visited the Gurdwara during the recitation period from Friday to Sunday, Service is a cardinal principle of Sikhism.
Keeping it in view, Joga Singh Sandhu and family performed the service of Nishan Sahib and Chola while langar seva was taken upon by the congregation. The Bards sang the divine hymns and some others spoke at length about the life and teachings of Guru Gobind Singh and about the principles of the Sikh religion. Similarly, at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Richardson, Sikhs celebrated the Guru’s birth anniversary with great enthusiasm. Principal Baljit Singh spoke about the tragedies involving the lives of the Sahibzadas and about Guru Gobind Singh’s relentless fight against injustice and tyranny.
He said the Guru sacrificed for his Sikhs even his family and exhorted the followers of faith to follow the path of righteousness and sacrifice shown by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. In other Gurdwaras in Dallas also similar celebrations took place. In Gurdwara Euless, Gurdwara Akal Jot, Garland and at Gurdwara Niskam Seva, Irving , Sikhs gathered to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
Gurdwara Sikh Temple, Garland
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PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS ENDS; PREZ HAILS NRIS’ CONTRIBUTION
NEW DELHI (TIP): The 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas concluded on January 9 with President Pranab Mukherjee hailing the contribution of Non-Resident Indians in the growth and development of the country. “The government will continue to actively engage with the overseas Indian community and explore all possible avenues to make them valued partners in building a strong and prosperous India,” Mukherjee said at the concluding ceremony of the three-day meet. The President also gave away “PBD Samman Awards” to 13 eminent NRIs and organisations for their outstanding contribution to the country of their residence as well as to India.
Those awarded included Ela Gandhi, grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi. She was conferred with the honour of enhancing India’s image and promoting ties with South Africa. Mukherjee announced that a Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra would be set up in Delhi to serve as a centre to commemorate contributions of the Indian diaspora. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally launched the 12th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 8, asking the Indian diaspora not to be unduly concerned about the future of Indian economy and social challenges. There was no reason to despair about the country’s present or worry about the future as the country was heading into better times, he said, addressing nearly 1,000 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from across the world.
Observing that the country’s economy had done well over the past decade, the Prime Minister noted that in the last nine years since 2004, India had averaged a healthy growth rate of 7.9 per cent per annum. “There has been no doubt about a slow-down in the recent past, and we will probably end this year at the same level as last year with five per cent,” he said adding a number of international as well as domestic factors have contributed to this situation. However, it was once again clear that rich and the affluent NRIs from the West are seen at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas only at the inaugural and closing ceremonies and do not actively participate in regular sessions.
As soon as the hour-long inaugural function was over, most delegates left the venue apparently to do networking or sight-seeing. The half-empty halls during the sessions on “India’s Growth and Development Agenda” and “India’s Soft Power” in which key senior government functionaries like Law Minister Kapil Sibal and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid participated, bore testimony to the fact that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is becoming more of a ‘tamasha’ than a businesslike meet. Few delegates took the trouble of even visiting the stalls set up by some state governments and public undertakings at the venue. The theme of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas this year is “Engaging Diaspora-Connecting across Generations” with focus on the young generation.
President Pranab Mukherjee will address the concluding function tomorrow and give away “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman” to 15 eminent personalities. Addressing the session on “India’s Soft Power”, British entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria spoke about the remarkable performance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the recent Assembly elections in Delhi. “This (India) is where the real democracy is…where a party can start from nothing and in one year win a state election,” he said. Bilimoria said the evidence of India’s soft power could be gauged from the fact that there were some 10,000 Indian restaurants in Britain. Some of the delegates from the US were unhappy over the treatment meted out to Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade.
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GOVT REACHES OUT TO DIASPORA YOUTH AT PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS
NEW DELHI (TIP): Making a strong pitch for greater connectivity with diaspora youth, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi on January 7 said partnerships between young Indians in the country and those residing overseas in industry and social sectors would create jobs and bring prosperity. He was speaking after inuagarating the 12th edition of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD), India’s flagship annual event to connect with its global diaspora, which kicked off on January 7 with special focus on “engagement with the youth“.
Referring to the opportunities for growth and development that India’s growing economy presents today, he said “the interactions should foster greater connectivity between Indian and diaspora youth, which should eventually result in economic cooperation leading to the creation of wealth, livelihoods and prosperity.” Ravi said that in this age of globalisation, there are greater trade and business links between nations. “Indian youth and their diaspora counterparts should come together in developing strong networks, which would lead to partnerships in trade, industry, entrepreneurship and social work,” he said. “This will lead to the creation of wealth and employment, which will benefit the masses at large.
Our goal should be to build a strong global connect of youth for this purpose,” he said. This year’s theme is “Engaging Diaspora: Connecting across Generations” and this is the first time that the Youth PBD is being held on the first day of the event. “It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of our working population is between the age group of 18-35 years and are contributing immensely to the growth and development of our great country India,” Mr. Ravi said. The PBD will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday while Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Y B Datuk Seri Palanivel will be the chief guest.
More than a thousand delegates are participating in the three-day event which is expected to open up horizons of a strong network of young overseas Indians to contribute to India’s engagement with youth in all sectors. Youth Affairs and Sports minister Jitendra Singh, while talking about the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and National Service Scheme (NSS) schemes run by the government, urged overseas Indians to connect with the volunteers of these programmes and said that the government also will promote social entrepreneurship. Mr. Singh said, “I encourage the Overseas Indian community to connect to these (NYKS and NSS) networks and work with them.
Some of the brightest NSS volunteers who have been chosen to participate in the Republic Day parade are present. It is an opportunity for the Indian diaspora to interact with them,” Singh said. He said the government promotes social entrepreneurship and provides annual investment for social entrepreneurs. This facilitates the setting up of social ventures in India by overseas Indians. “My ministry will work to create an institutional framework under which the overseas Indians will have an opportunity to come and work with NYKS and NSS and other social organisations in India and further strengthen their ties,” he added.
Mr. Singh said that 27.5 per cent of the country’s population belongs to the 15-29 year age group, while 41.3 per cent are in the 13-35 year group. By the year 2020, the population of India is expected to have an average age of 28 years. This figure, when compared with 38 years in the US, 42 years in China and 48 in Japan, makes India one of the youngest nations in the world, he added. President Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the valedictory address on January 9 and will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards which will be given to 14 people this time. A special session on “Issues of NRIs in the Gulf” will also be organised this year to discuss the problems faced by them and their possible remedies.
Speaking at another session of the Pravasi Bharati conclave, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the credit for holding the meet should go to the NRI community. He claimed that in this age of internet, border controls and visas have less significance as it was fast becoming a “seamless world“. “Internet represents the largest ungoverned space on planet Earth… The world is marked by two civilisations today — the physical civilisation and the virtual civilisation,” Mr. Tewari said. He expressed hope that the conclave will see a constructive and fruitful engagement between the diaspora, the Indian government and people. In reply to a question, the Minister accepted that there was a need for a more robust broadcast system to reach out to global viewers.
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Beni Prasad dismisses AAP, says poll surveys are managed
LUCKNOW (TIP): Union steel minister Beni Prasad Verma on January 9 said there was no threat to the Congress from the Aam Aadmi Party phenomena. Addressing a news conference at his Lucknow residence, Beni said, “All surveys can be managed these days,” referring obliquely to TOI-Ipsos poll. In the survey, conducted across eight major cities, 44% respondents said they will vote for AAP in Lok Sabha elections.
Another 27% said their decision will depend on the candidate. Taking potshots at the Samajwadi Party government, Beni criticised the sheer extravagance at Saifai Mahotsava, especially in the wake of Muzaffarnagar riots. He said, “Children are dying in Muzaffarnagar and the SP leaders are enjoying in Saifai. The government has spent crores from the state coffers, instead of helping relief work. Nothing can be worse.”
Referring to Mulayam as “two-faced,” the minister said it is not surprising that law and order is deteriorating in UP. “When governments are formed with the assistance of hooligans, they must pay back by protecting them. Mulayam may claim he will initiate action against any rouge elements in the party, but he is just being two-faced,” Beni said.
The Union minister had recently described Mulayam as “UP’s Mussolini”. SP has given Lok Sabha ticket to mafia-turnedpolitician Atiq Ahmed from Sultanpur, a move that drew strong criticism from opposition. The party, however, claims that a candidate’s ability to win and not his criminal track record matters during the selection process. Taking a dig at the study tour of UP MLAs, Beni said according to tradition, the foreign delegation must be led by the Speaker. Since Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey pulled out of the 20-day tour, the “study tour” became meaningless, the minister added.
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Don’t eat onions, SC tells petitioner
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking direction to the government to regulate the prices of Onions and other vegetables. Stop eating onions, prices will come down, said the apex court bench headed by Justice BS Chauhan. The court told the PIL petitioner that it should not be burdened with such public interest suits.
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Avalanche hits Army post in Kashmir, one killed
SRINAGAR (TIP): An Army trooper was killed and another was missing after an avalanche hit an army post in Kashmir’s Kupwara district on January 9 evening. Army sources said the avalanche hit the Army post in Sonapendi Gali of Machil sector in Kupwara district burying two troopers under its debris.
One of the troopers, identified as Sanatam Singh, was rescued immediately after the accident, but he later succumbed to his injuries. The other trooper was missing and the efforts were on find him.
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Three students killed as bus collides with truck in Maharashtra
BULDHANA (MAHARASHTRA) (TIP): Three school girls were killed and 14 others got injured when a speedy truck container hit a state transport bus near Malkapur in the district early on Friday, police said.The three teenaged girls were killed on the spot when the MSRTC bus, going from Kati to Malkapur, collided with the truck coming from the opposite direction, they said.
The students were on their way to Chandak Vidyalaya in Malkapur and used to regularly take a bus to go to school. Police said 14 other bus passengers injured in the mishap were rushed to Malkapur and Buldhana civil hospitals.
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Govt employees threaten to go on indefinite strike
KOHLAPUR (TIP): The state government employees have threatened to go on indefinite strike in February for their pending demands. The Rajya Sarkari Madhyavarti Karmachari Sanghatana (RSMKS), the state government employees’ association, made the announcement on January 9. The date of the strike will be decided at a meeting of the employees at Nashik in the third week of January. Anil Lavekar, secretary of the RSMKS, said, “There are around 20 lakh government, semi-government employees and teachers working at government-run schools. We have presented our demands to the state government several times since 2011.
Whenever we agitate, the government assures us that they will look into the matter but has never taken any decision regarding our demands.” “Our demands are simple and the state government should not hesitate to accept them. This time, we will continue the strike till the government yields to our demands. This will be a state-wide strike, which will affect the functioning of the state when the machinery will be busy in preparing for Lok Sabha elections,” he said. The demands of the employees include, five-day week, increase the retirement age to 60 years, implementation of the Travelling Allowance and Educational allowance as applied to employees of central government and increase in the pension of the retired employees when they cross 80 years of age.
“The state government recruits persons to fill up 50% of the total posts of naib tehsildar (NT) by direct recruitment through Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams and the remaining 50% through promotions. The union has demanded a rise in filling of posts of NT through promotions instead of recruitment through MPSC exams,” said Lavekar. “From the last three years, we are agitating in a democratic way by presenting our demands to state government.
But we have received only assurance from them. Now, keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabah elections, we will go on an indefinite strike till our demands are accepted by the government. We have organised a meeting of the members of organisation in Nashik on the third week of January, where we will announce the date of our agitation,” he said. The other demands of the employees include hike in salaries, recruitment of persons for vacant posts, adequate stipend to employees doing overtime and regularization of work of contract as well as casual labourers.
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Dhoom 3
STORY: Chicago is hit by a mysterious thief targeting one bank – can Mumbai cop Jai Dixit catch the shadowy chor? REVIEW: Straight up, Dhoom 3 makes you laugh, gasp – even sniffle. The most emotional of the Dhoom series yet, this is Aamir Khan’s show all the way. As revengeful circus star Sahir, whose father Iqbal (Shroff) dies after losing his beloved Great Indian Circus to a stonyhearted Chicago bank, Khan is terrific.
The Dhoom series usually showcases brawn on bikes but in this one, mind meets machinery, Khan’s brain almost visibly ticking behind his eyes, calculating every second before he vrroooms off on a bike – across a wire stretched high between buildings, beneath a mega-truck, even underwater. Chicago forms a super backdrop for Sahir’s stunts, the grainy stone of its buildings the perfect texture against which those bikes purr past with velveteen growls. Scrawling ‘Teri aisi ki taisi’ on its vaults and scattering the bank’s money across Chicago’s skies, Sahir makes the local police look as intelligent as turkeys. But things change when Mumbai cop ACP Jai Dixit (Bachchan), with bike-and-babe-mad subordinate Ali (Chopra), arrive and figure out why – and how – Sahir is breaking the bank.
Dhoom 3 rests on Khan’s magnetism, his actor’s eyes and jaw-line, his abs playing a part too. But the film is powered by its action.With WOL (whistle-out-loud) moments, this is super-slick and on an extravagant scale, using Chicago’s skyscrapers like sexy statues arching into the sky. Alongside, Dhoom 3 features the franchise’s tongue-in-cheek cheekiness, Ali, fida over blonde policewoman Victoria (as in ‘secret’), Jai telling him to focus not on Kamasutra but kaam. As circus star Alia, Kaif provides soft romance, her fitness and innate grace redefining sexiness, making even potentially risque sequences – she lands her job following a speedy striptease – look delicately sensuous.
Alia’s charming beauty stops our protagonist in his tracks – but for how long? Clocking in at nearly three hours, Dhoom 3 is slightly extensive. But it holds advantages, the first, that sizzling Dhoom tune, all leather, boots and electric guitars, which straightens sagging scenes. The second – sharp performances by Khan, Bachchan (an underrated actor, whose ability to drawl languid lines with intense looks stands out) and Chopra, who sprinkles lightness and fun. And the third – Dhoom 3’s story with a twist wrapped around it, like the ribbon around a Christmas gift. Merrily unwrap – flying out of the Great Indian Circus, Dhoom 3 is great fun.
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KAJOL DEMANDING RS 15 CRORE FOR TV DEBUT?
Buzz is, Kajol is no longer in contention for a TV show thanks to her astronomical fee. Even stars are not recession proof. There was a time when Bollywood A-listers stepping into the small screen would quote and get any price they wished. But in a failing economy, even television channels who want to oblige, are eventually forced to say “no”. A recent case in point is Kajol, who was on Rensil D’ Silva’s wish list for the 27-episode fiction show he was co-scripting with Priya Pinto.
Kajol was reportedly bowled over by the woman-centric subject revolving around a single mother living in an extended joint family in Delhi. But her telly debut came at a premium. According to a source close to the development, the actress allegedly demanded a whopping Rs 15 crore plus. “After a long meeting with the channel and the producer, she was offered one-third the amount, but Kajol wasn’t willing to take the cut.” Last heard, there was talk of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being approached.
The show’s producer Siddharth Malhotra however denied the development saying, “We have not approached Kajol for my show and we don’t know Aishwarya Rai personally. The show that Rensil has worked on has been put on hold since the past six months by the channel.”
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SALMAN OFFERED ME MY FIRST FILM: DEEPIKA PADUKONE
After acting with popular actors like Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone now wants to work with other superstars – Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan. “Every year I am asked this question (which Bollywood actor I would like to work with now), but I hope in the next one or two years I will get to work with Hrithik, Salman and Aamir,” Deepika, who has given four back-to-back hits this year, told reporters here at her success party.
“Till now I have not worked with these actors (Aamir, Salman and Hrithik),” she added. There are reports that Deepika has been roped in opposite Salman in Sooraj Barjatya’s next, but Deepika denied and said: “That’s not true and I have not officially met Sooraj ji.” It’s not just Deepika who is eager to work with Salman. In fact, the Bigg Boss host has also expressed his desire to work with the actress and has been seen praising her on many occasions. Deepika said it feels great.
“Definitely it feels great when Salman says such good things about me because if you all know he was the one who first noticed me,” said Deepika, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh in 2007 film Om Shanti Om. “I was doing an ad with his friends in Rajasthan. So, he noticed me first of all and he was the one who offered me my first film,” she recalled. Deepika, during her modelling days, had got an acting offer from Salman before she was chosen for Shah Rukhstarrer Om Shanti Om.
However, the actress denied Salman’s offer as she felt she was not ready to face the camera. Currently, Deepika has films like Happy New Year, Finding Fanny Fernandes and Imtiaz Ali’s untitled film in her kitty.
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ADRIANA LIMA DOLES OUT LINGERIE GIFTING TIPS
Model-actress Adriana Lima has been offering lingerie tips to men to gift the women in their lives. The 32-year-old said that it is important to be able to keep the gift a surprise. “If you’re not sure of her bra size, try to go through her things when your lady’s not in the house.
That’s the secret, because you want to surprise her – we love surprises,” contactmusic.com quoted Lima as saying. Lima’s association with lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret dates back to 2000.
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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
STORY: Part bonkers, part brilliant Flint Lockwood (Hader) now works for The Live Corp Company, after accepting an invite from his idol, Chester (Forte). While Chester wants to save Swallow Falls from being swamped by mutant creatures and critters, Flint, who is enlisted to help save the town, soon finds himself having to take some important decisions. REVIEW: While its predecessor had more emotional impact, this second helping of Cloudy… is more adventurous and fun, while losing precious little of the overall charm of the characters and location.
Flint’s earlier invention of a machine that turned water to food was of great benefit to the people of Swallow Falls as it created a smorgasbord of free grub for the townsfolk to chow down on. While Flint, his father Tim (Caan) and his buddies Sam (Faris), Brent (Samberg) and Steve (Harris) had been living elsewhere, they have to now return to their old town. This is because Flint’s old machine has become self-aware and started creating a glut of hilariously-titled ‘foodimals’ – living creatures made out of various food items with portmanteau names like ‘shrimpanzees’, ‘watermelephants’, ‘double bacon cheespider’ and ‘tacodiles’.
Flint now gets recruited by Chester, who apparently wants to save Swallow Falls. And as frantic Flint finds himself both inspired and driven by Chester, his newfound success makes him more socially acceptable and he drifts further away from the grounding effect of his old buddies. There are a few smaller subplots too, but apart from creatively-titled names and a hallucinogenic landscape, Cameron and Pearn keep the narrative tight and in focus without rambling all over the place.
While kids will enjoy the jokes, there are sight gags galore to give adults a good guffaw or three. Generously laden with a buffet of food puns and savoury set locations, this is a film filled with gorgeous, vivid animation and no-holds-barred creativity. With plenty of ‘tasty’ surprises, the umpteen food references make it as much a gustatory delight as it is uplifting.
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NEW DEVICE ALLOWS SCIENTISTS TO OPERATE ON LIVING CELLS
LONDON (TIP): Scientists have developed a device that can take a “biopsy” of a living cell, sampling minute volumes of its contents without killing it. The new tool, called a nanobiopsy, uses a robotic glass nanopipette to pierce the cell membrane and extract a volume of around 50 femtolitres, around one per cent of the cell’s contents. It will allow scientists to take samples repeatedly, to study the progression of disease at a molecular level in an individual cell. It can also be used to deliver material into cells, opening up ways to reprogramme diseased cells.
“This is like doing surgery on individual cells,” said Dr Paolo Actis, from the department of medicine at Imperial College, London, who developed the technology with colleagues at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “This technology will be extremely useful for research in many areas. You could use it to dynamically study how cancer cells are different from healthy cells, or look at how brain cells are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. The possibilities are immense,” Actis said.
To get inside the cell, the nanopipette is plunged downwards about one micrometre to pierce the cell membrane. Applying a voltage across the tip makes fluid flow into the pipette. When the pipette is removed from the cell, the membrane remains intact and the cell retains its shape. The device is based on a scanning ion conductance microscope, which uses a robotic nanopipette, about 100 nanometres in diameter, to scan the surface of cells. The nanopipette is filled with an electrolyte solution and the ion current is measured inside the tip.
When the pipette gets close to a cell membrane, the ion current decreases. This measurement is used to guide the tip across the surface of a sample at a constant distance, producing a picture of the surface. In an initial study published in the journal ACS Nano, the researchers used the nanobiopsy technique to extract and sequence messenger RNA, molecules carrying genetic code transcribed from DNA in the cell’s nucleus. This allowed them to see which genes were being expressed in the cell.
They were also able to extract whole mitochondria – the power units of the cell. Mitochondria contain their own DNA, and the researchers discovered that the genomes of different mitochondria in the same cell are different.
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New Nasa satellite to study Earth’s climate
WASHINGTON (TIP): Nasa and the Japanese space agency JAXA are teaming up to launch a new weather satellite in February 2014, to improve environmental research and weather forecasts worldwide. On February 28, Nasa and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch a Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory satellite from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center. GPM is an international satellite mission that will provide advanced observations of rain and snowfall worldwide, several times a day to enhance understanding of the water and energy cycles that drive Earth’s climate, Nasa said.
The data provided by the Core Observatory will be used to calibrate precipitation measurements made by an international network of partner satellites to quantify when, where, and how much it rains or snows around the world. “Launching this core observatory and establishing the Global Precipitation Measurement mission is vitally important for environmental research and weather forecasting,” said Michael Freilich, director of Nasa’s Earth Science Division in Washington. “Knowing rain and snow amounts accurately over the whole globe is critical to understanding how weather and climate impact agriculture, fresh water availability, and responses to natural disasters,” said Freilich.
“We will use data from the GPM mission not only for Earth science research but to improve weather forecasting and respond to meteorological disasters,” said Shizuo Yamamoto, executive director of JAXA. “We would also like to aid other countries in the Asian region suffering from flood disasters by providing data for flood alert systems. Our dual-frequency precipitation radar, developed with unique Japanese technologies, plays a central role in the GPM mission,” said Yamamoto.
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SCIENTISTS IDENTIFY DRUG TO BLOCK AIDS
WASHINGTON (TIP): Scientists have identified an existing antiinflammatory drug that in laboratory tests blocked the death of immune system’s cells which occurs as an HIV infection leads to AIDS. Researchers are planning a Phase 2 clinical trial to determine if this drug or a similar drug can prevent HIV-infected people from developing AIDS and related conditions.
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes identified the precise chain of molecular events in the human body that drives the death of most of the immune system’s CD4 T cells as an HIV infection leads to AIDS. Two separate journal articles, published simultaneously in Nature and Science, detailed the research from the laboratory of Warner C Greene, who directs virology and immunology research at Gladstone, an independent biomedical-research nonprofit based in San Francisco.
His lab’s Science paper revealed how, during an HIV infection, a protein known as IFI16 senses fragments of HIV DNA in abortively infected immune cells. This triggers the activation of the human enzyme caspase-1 and leads to pyroptosis, a fiery and highly inflammatory form of cell death. As revealed in Nature paper, this repetitive cycle of abortive infection, cell death, inflammation and recruitment of additional CD4 T cells to the infection “hot zone” ultimately destroys the immune system and causes AIDS.
Nature paper further described laboratory tests in which an existing anti-inflammatory inhibits caspase-1, thereby preventing pyroptosis and breaking the cycle of cell death and inflammation. “Gladstone has made two important discoveries, first by showing how the body’s own immune response to HIV causes CD4 T cell death via a pathway triggering inflammation, and secondly by identifying the host DNA sensor that detects the viral DNA and triggers this death response,” said Robert F Siliciano, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
Once the scientists discovered how CD4 T cells die they began to investigate how the body senses the fragments of HIV’s DNA in the first place, before alerting the enzyme caspase-1 to launch an immune response in the CD4 T cells. They also identified that reducing the activity of a protein known as IFI16 inhibited pyroptosis. “This identified IFI16 as the DNA sensor, which then sends signals to caspase-1 and triggers pyroptosis,” said Kathryn M Monroe, the Science paper’s other lead author, who completed the research while a postdoctoral fellow at Gladstone.
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WORLD’S FIRST ARTIFICIAL HEART TRANSPLANT PERFORMED IN FRANCE
LONDON (TIP): For the first time, an artificial heart that may give patients up to five years of extra life has been successfully implanted in a 75-year-old French man. The artificial heart, designed by French biomedical firm Carmat, is powered by Lithium-ion batteries that can be worn externally. The heart that was put into the patient at Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris uses a range of “biomaterials”, including bovine tissue, to reduce the likelihood of the body rejecting it, ‘The Telegraph’ reported.
This device is intended to replace a real heart for as many as five years, unlike previous artificial hearts that were created mainly for temporary use. Doctors said the patient who received the device developed by Dutch-based European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) was awake and responding well after the operation. “We are delighted with this first implant, although it is premature to draw conclusions given that a single implant has been performed and that we are in the early post-operative phase,” Marcello Conviti, the chief executive of Carmat, said.
The heart weighs as little as less than a kilogramme, almost three times as much as an average healthy human heart. The device mimics heart muscle contractions and contains sensors that adapt the blood flow to the patient’s moves, the report said. The heart surfaces that come into contact with human blood are made partly from bovine tissue instead of synthetic materials such as plastic, which can cause blood clots.
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GURU GOBIND SINGH A Great Proponent of Religious Diversity
25 million Sikhs all over the world celebrated January 5 to 7, the birth anniversary of their Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh who created Khalsa in 1699.
On this January 7, day of his birthday, we are reminded of Guru Gobind Singh, a great messiah and a fearless Asian leader. He changed the course of history in many ways and his life is a telling story of an invaluable legacy. The prophet lived at a time (1666-1708) when religious fanaticism in South Asia was at its height. It was endlessly posing a grave threat to the human spirit of freedom and liberty. Acceptance of pluralism and multicultural life was in peril.
Those with faith practices different from those of misguided rulers were persecuted and the religious places of one religion were replaced with those of others. Guru’s great-grand-father, father, four sons and countless followers were put to death by the powers. It was a dark, grim and ominous period in human history. The innate human desire for individual expression and diversity of belief was severely curtailed. From his childhood Gobind took the ways of interfaith promotion and broke the social barriers to its practices. Contrary to established practices of initiating a child by the faith of his forefathers, a renowned Muslim saint, Syed Bhikhan Shah, was given this honor.
The saint was inspired by Divine Light to make his way to the Guru’s birth place, Patna in East India. He was sent there to bless the day-old Gobind, and to pronounce him divine messiah of the time. Throughout his life, Guru Gobind Singh worked tirelessly to restore society’s confidence in the time-tested human values of unity in diversity, freedom of faith practices, justice and compassion. He challenged the ruling and dominant powers with perseverance and determination. With equal might he challenged the wide-spread religious bigotry of self-appointed contractors of heavens.
The Guru’s defiance of political and antagonistic cultural onslaughts extracted a heavy price. His both parents and four sons faced martyrdom right in front of his eyes. However, his commitment and resolve didn’t weaken despite enormous hardships. He founded and led an army of those committed to serve the divine mission, and be partisans of truth and freedom in the unholy strife. To spread his message of a perfect egalitarian society based on one-ness of God that celebrates diversity in all of its myriad forms, he said:
As out of a single fire arise millions of spark; but all of them merge back into the same fire. As out of same dust arise millions of dust particles; but all of them merge back into the same dust. As out of a single ocean arise millions of waves; but all of them merge into the same water. So from God’s form, emerge all creation, animate and inanimate; and all of them are in equilibrium with the same Creator.
Guru Gobind Singh believed that the differences among humans in terms of color, appearance and ethnicity were due to God’s creative process; all human beings had a moral responsibility to cherish and preserve this sacred creativity. He emphasized the unity of human spirit despite many apparent distinctions. He said:
All human being are one and the same, although there is a deception of differences.
Guru Gobind Singh was a champion of human rights. He advocated freedom of culture, religion and thought for every individual. He explained that the differences in our outward appearance, clothes, customs and practices are attributed to the choices that only we make:
Many are gods or demon, or celestial musicians. There are heavenly tribes and the learned people or the artists. They may be seen as people of different religions as Muslims (citizens of Islamic nations) or Hindus (natives of Indian subcontinent). They all look and act differently, but their apparent differences are due only to the influences from their countries and cultures, or in the clothes they wear.
We can thus appreciate that selfrighteousness which comes from dividing the world into us and them had no place in Guru Gobind Singh’s vision. His sacrifices made a great difference and diversity was preserved throughout Indian sub-continent. Santokh Singh, a great historian of India rightly observed.
Were Guru Gobind Singh not there at the critical junction of South Asian history, there would have been all uniformity; the diversity would have taken wings. In favor of one religion, the others would have been destroyed and their holy places smashed. Sin would have replaced the virtues.
The worldview of Guru Gobind Singh is all inclusive. Indeed, Guru Gobind Singh’s ideal of appreciation for diversity as a pivotal feature of all human activity is also an American ideal. We must never forget to defend it. On this day of Guru’s coming, we take pride in its celebration.
(The author is an authority on Sikhism. He is Emeritus Professor and Chairman, Dept of Pharmacology & Neuroscience U. North Texas Health Science Center He can be reached at 817- 446-8757 and Japji8@yahoo.com)
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SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB
The Sikh Gurus never believed in the exclusivity of their teachings. The Gurus undertook travels to spread their message to peoples of different cultures in their own native languages. The Gurus did not believe in the ideas of any language being ‘sacred’ or ‘special’. It is in this spirit that various Sikh scholars have undertaken efforts to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib into a number of languages in order to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to bring the Sikh religion to the people of the world as Guru Nanak wished.
“Enshrine the Lord’s Name within your heart. The Word of the Guru’s Bani prevails throughout the world; through this Bani, the Lord’s Name is obtained.” (Guru Amar Das, Maru, pg. 1066)
The blind man has forgotten the Name; he is in limbo, neither here nor there. || 1 || Pause || Life and death come to all who are born. Everything here gets devoured by Death. He sits and examines the accounts, there where no one goes along with anyone. Those who weep and wail might just as well all tie bundles of straw. || 2 || Everyone says that God is the Greatest of the Great. No one calls Him any less. No one can estimate His Worth. By speaking of Him, His Greatness is not increased. You are the One True Lord and Master of all the other beings, of so many worlds.
|| 3 || Nanak seeks the company of the lowest of the low class, the very lowest of the low. Why should he try to compete with the great? In that place where the lowly are cared for – there, the Blessings of Your Glance of Grace rain down. || 4 || 3 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Greed is a dog; falsehood is a filthy street-sweeper. Cheating is eating a rotting carcass. Slandering others is putting the filth of others into your own mouth. The fire of anger is the outcaste who burns dead bodies at the crematorium. I am caught in these tastes and flavors, and in selfconceited praise. These are my actions, O my Creator! || 1 || O Baba, speak only that which will bring you honor.
They alone are good, who are judged good at the Lord’s Door. Those with bad karma can only sit and weep. || 1 || Pause || The pleasures of gold and silver, the pleasures of women, the pleasure of the fragrance of sandalwood, the pleasure of horses, the pleasure of a soft bed in a palace, the pleasure of sweet treats and the pleasure of hearty meals – these pleasures of the human body are so numerous; how can the Naam, the Name of the Lord, find its dwelling in the heart? || 2 || Those words are acceptable, which, when spoken, bring honor. Harsh words bring only grief.
Listen, O foolish and ignorant mind! Those who are pleasing to Him are good. What else is there to be said? || 3 || Wisdom, honor and wealth are in the laps of those whose hearts remain permeated with the Lord. What praise can be offered to them? What other adornments can be bestowed upon them? O Nanak, those who lack the Lord’s Glance of Grace cherish neither charity nor the Lord’s Name. || 4 || 4 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: The Great Giver has given the intoxicating drug of falsehood. The people are intoxicated; they have forgotten death, and they have fun for a few days.
Those who do not use intoxicants are true; they dwell in the Court of the Lord. || 1 || O Nanak, know the True Lord as True. Serving Him, peace is obtained; you shall go to His Court with honor. || 1 || Pause || The Wine of Truth is not fermented from molasses. The True Name is contained within it. I am a sacrifice to those who hear and chant the True Name. Only one who obtains a room in the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence is deemed to be truly intoxicated. || 2 || Bathe in the waters of Goodness and apply the scented oil of Truth to your body, and your face shall become radiant.
This is the gift of 100,000 gifts. Tell your troubles to the One who is the Source of all comfort. || 3 || How can you forget the One who created your soul, and the praanaa, the breath of life? Without Him, all that we wear and eat is impure. Everything else is false. Whatever pleases Your Will is acceptable. || 4 || 5 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Burn emotional attachment, and grind it into ink. Transform your intelligence into the purest of paper. Make the love of the Lord your pen, and let your consciousness be the scribe. Then, seek the Guru’s Instructions, and record these deliberations.
Write the Praises of the Naam, the Name of the Lord; write over and over again that He has no end or limitation. || 1 || O Baba, write such an account, that when it is asked for, it will bring the Mark of Truth. || 1 || Pause || There, where greatness, eternal peace and everlasting joy are bestowed, the faces of those whose minds are attuned to the True Name are anointed with the Mark of Grace. If one receives God’s Grace, then such honors are received, and not by mere words. || 2 || Some come, and some arise and depart. They give themselves lofty names. Some are born beggars, and some hold vast courts.
Going to the world hereafter, everyone shall realize that without the Name, it is all useless. || 3 || I am terrified by the Fear of You, God. Bothered and bewildered, my body is wasting away. Those who are known as sultans and emperors shall be reduced to dust in the end. O Nanak, arising and departing, all false attachments are cut away. || 4 || 6 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Believing, all tastes are sweet. Hearing, the salty flavors are tasted; chanting with one’s mouth, the spicy flavors are savored. All these spices have been made from the Sound-current of the Naad.
The thirty-six flavors of ambrosial nectar are in the Love of the One Lord; they are tasted only by one who is blessed by His Glance of Grace. || 1 || O Baba, the pleasures of other foods are false. Eating them, the body is ruined, and wickedness and corruption enter into the mind. || 1 || Pause || My mind is imbued with the Lord’s Love; it is dyed a deep crimson. Truth and charity are my white clothes. The blackness of sin is erased by my wearing of blue clothes, and meditation on the Lord’s Lotus Feet is my robe of honor. Contentment is my cummerbund, Your Name is my wealth and youth. || 2 || O Baba, the pleasures of other clothes are false.
Wearing them, the body is ruined, and wickedness and corruption enter into the mind. || 1 || Pause || The understanding of Your Way, Lord, is horses, saddles and bags of gold for me. The pursuit of virtue is my bow and arrow, my quiver, sword and scabbard. To be distinguished with honor is my drum and banner. Your Mercy is my social status. || 3 || O Baba, the pleasures of other rides are false. By such rides, the body is ruined, and wickedness and corruption enter into the mind. || 1 || Pause || The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is the pleasure of houses and mansions.
Your Glance of Grace is my family, Lord. The Hukam of Your Command is the pleasure of Your Will, Lord. To say anything else is far beyond anyone’s reach. O Nanak, the True King does not seek advice from anyone else in His decisions. || 4 || O Baba, the pleasure of other sleep is false. By such sleep, the body is ruined, and wickedness and corruption enter into the mind. || 1 || Pause || 4 || 7 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: With the body of saffron, and the tongue a jewel, and the breath of the body pure fragrant incense; with the face anointed at the sixtyeight holy places of pilgrimage, and the heart illuminated with wisdom – with that wisdom, chant the Praises of the True Name, the Treasure of Excellence. || 1 || O Baba, other wisdom is useless and irrelevant.
If falsehood is practiced a hundred times, it is still false in its effects. || 1 || Pause || You may be worshipped and adored as a Pir (a spiritual teacher); you may be welcomed by all the world; you may adopt a lofty name, and be known to have supernatural spiritual powers – even so, if you are not accepted in the Court of the Lord, then all this adoration is false. || 2 || No one can overthrow those who have been established by the True Guru. The Treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is within them, and through the Naam, they are radiant and famous. They worship the Naam, and they believe in the Naam.
The True One is forever Intact and Unbroken. || 3 || When the body mingles with dust, what happens to the soul? All clever tricks are burnt away, and you shall depart crying. O Nanak, those who forget the Naam – what will happen when they go to the Court of the Lord? || 4 || 8 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: The virtuous wife exudes virtue; the unvirtuous suffer in misery. If you long for your Husband Lord, O soul-bride, you must know that He is not met by falsehood. No boat or raft can take you to Him. Your Husband Lord is far away. || 1 || My Lord and Master is Perfect; His Throne is Eternal and Immovable.
One who attains perfection as Gurmukh, obtains the Immeasurable True Lord. || 1 || Pause || The Palace of the Lord God is so beautiful. Within it, there are gems, rubies, pearls and flawless diamonds. A fortress of gold surrounds this Source of Nectar. How can I climb up to the Fortress without a ladder? By meditating on the Lord, through the Guru, I am blessed and exalted. || 2 || The Guru is the Ladder, the Guru is the Boat, and the Guru is the Raft to take me to the Lord’s Name.
The Guru is the Boat to carry me across the world-ocean; the Guru is the Sacred Shrine of Pilgrimage, the Guru is the Holy River. If it pleases Him, I bathe in the Pool of Truth, and become radiant and pure. || 3 || He is called the Most Perfect of the Perfect. He sits upon His Perfect Throne. He looks so Beautiful in His Perfect Place. He fulfills the hopes of the hopeless. O Nanak, if one obtains the Perfect Lord, how can his virtues decrease? || 4 || 9 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Come, my dear sisters and spiritual companions; hug me close in your embrace. Let’s join together, and tell stories of our All-powerful Husband Lord.
