Friday, June 30, 2006

Images of Angelina's baby

Most awaited pictures of Brangelina & kids.




















Source: Forwarded mail

Among Hollywood's most celebrated couple, Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt are planning to adopt another kid. After having adopted Maddox (4 yrs of age now) from Cambodia, Zahara (10 months old) from Africa, they are looking to adopted another kid from elsewhere. This kid along with the couple's recently born baby girl Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt in Namibia, are going to be great company for the family. Confused!, well wait for the next beautiful kid & then we could call this family 'A Universal Family' which is a citizen of this World. The respective governments must think about giving the family a special (Earth) Passport. Just as South Africa is known as the Rainbow nation, when it comes to a Rainbow Family it ought to be Brangelina.
For news read the ePaper


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Quotes

Here are two lists on quotes. One list whose quotes may never be quoted again. The other has quotes often categorised as 'Siddhuism' is sometimes addictive. But the bottom line is that both are worth spending your read.
"I have opinions of my own --strong opinions-- but I don't always agree with them." 
- George Bush, former U.S. President
"Most cars on our roads have only one occupant, usually the driver."
- Carol Malia, BBC Anchorwoman

"Most lies about blondes are false."
A blonde star

"I've told you a hundred times and now this is the second time."
An angry teacher

"SAFETY FIRST: Please put on your seat belt - prepare for accident."
- Sign on backseat of Taxi

Siddhuism


Statistics are like bikinis… what they reveal is suggestive, what they hide is essential!

If ‘ifs and buts’ were ‘pots and pants’ there would be no tinkers!

Wickets are like wives… you never know which way they will turn!

The batsman is like a three-wheeler. Sucks a lot of fuel, but cannot go beyond 30!

All that comes from a cow is not milk!


Your read worth spending - ePaper


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Thursday, June 29, 2006

Credit Cards

Today we're in a world where plastic cash is getting popular and why not- its small, convenient & it sure gives you a nice statement too. Just as the popular Ad goes, 'somethings money can't buy; for the rest there is plastic cash'.

Its instant cash but it can sometimes come with a big price too. But if used properly and being aware of the intricacies of Credit Cards it could be flexed to your convenience. There is nothing as the perfect CC usage but here are a few tips where you could keep a control & monitor your CC expenses.

1. Use your credit card sparingly or keep a threshold for the amount that can be spent every month. The reason why I tell you to use it sparingly is the monthly interest rate & running the risk of the outstanding amount skyrocketing if not paid on time.

2. We usually use credit cards as we don't have to pay the amount right away or we don't have enough cash at present. Remember each credit card has their own way of calculating interest so get their details before you apply.

However most CCs start their interest calculation during the last week of every month & gives you a grace period of 20 days to pay with Interest.

Eg.: I make a purchase of 3000K on July 4th. My interest calculation would start from 25th July and I have time till August 15th to pay the outstanding amount without any interest charged.

3. Select a Credit Card which offers good customer support besides looking into aspects such as the 'Interest Rate', 'Card Limit' etc. You would need to check your interest amounts & transactions at regular intervals. So its best to have the contact details of CC support in your fingertips.

4. Also you need to select the right kind of payment option while opting for your CC. A normal auto-debit option could deduct the complete outstanding or bank balance amount every month. This could be dangerous when you've kept little bank balance & suddenly find your account to be empty.
Another mode of payment is 'Minimum Balance' option- where 10% of your outstanding amount will be paid as minimum balance every month.
Banks have come up with a lot of other options too so select the best mode of payment that suits your needs.

5. Its always good to have a couple of cards provided you're able to keep track of them. Isn't it better to have smaller amounts shared in a couple of cards with different purchases than having a single card to bear the burden. Please note the interest would be calcualted on the complete outstanding amount.

6. Remember to keep your creditcard & add-on cards safe, especially the Credit Card number. This is an easy target for embezzlement. Call the CC support right away when you lose your CC.

7. Also while making CC payments cross-check the bill amount and the payment made.
In most hotel cheques you have a small blank in the receipt. It's provided to basically pen the waiter's tip amount or if not interested to cross it. But many leave it blank giving a chance to the hotel staff to fill their own amount.

Any more suggestions do let us know.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Lebanese Food


The country with a population a little over 28 million has with it a lingering taste of the best in life. Be it their mountains, Beirut’s night life or their palatable food.

Its food that travels through the length of you heart and the warmth of the Lebanese can be felt in their delectable delicacies.
The national drink is known asArak which is flavored alcoholic herb which is served in ice and water in small glasses.
The Lebanese delicacies include:
‘kebba’ which is mutton carefully pounded & cooked with crushed wheat.
‘Chawarama’ a Lamb grilled on a vertical split
The Lebanese wines are top notch too & go well with these savory dishes.
Also the Lebanese-styled seafood & fruits go well with the different dishes.

Their top recipes include:

  1. Shish Taouk – Lebanese chicken skewers
  2. Lebanese Lentil Salad
  3. Lebanese Walnut Cookies
  4. Mashed Potato with Tahini
  5. Lebanese Green Bean Stew
Yummy!! You’d find these dishes in most hotels having Lebanese food on their menu. So find your favorite restaurant & Bon Apetite.
pic: http://sbwellnessdirectory.com

For more Lebanese news read 'The Daily Star'


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Tourism & Holiday

3 reasons why you should holiday in your favorite destination.

a) South Africa - Alive with possibility

i. Sights & sounds of the African Safari
ii.A colorful ambience
iii.Places for camping & adventure


b) Truly Asia - Malaysia

i. A great shopping experience
ii. Watersports
iii. Delectable cross-culture cuisines






c) My Switzerland

i. Scenic beauties-snowcaps, lush grasslands
ii. Easy naviagtion & good travel facilities
iii.Winter sports




d) Hawaii - Island of Aloha

i. Brilliant Beaches
ii. Access to snorkeling, surfing, cruises etc.
iii.Volcano s of Hawaii


pic:prima2005.org,guidesofmaui.com,hktraveler.com,saembassy.ru
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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Latest Webcams

Microsoft has started its own webcams LifeCam VX-3000 and LifeCam VX-6000. This webcam would be optimized for windows messenger and have come with cutting-edge video and audio quality experience.

Its defining features include:

  • 5.0 megapixels interpolated
  • Quality video (640x480 pixels) with 1.3 megapixels & 3X digital zoom
  • 71-degree wide-angle lens – allows 3 into a conversation
  • Built-in acoustic noise-cancelling microphone - crystal clear audio performance without adding clutter from extra headsets or external microphones
  • Fun video effects to personalize & enhance the background of your video conversations
  • Universal Attachment Base for easy & secure attachment to any size monitor

This new Microsoft LifeCams would have been spread out and widely available by august 2006.
The estimated retail price would be $99.95 for VX-6000 & $49.95 for VX-3000.

Microsoft seems to love being in the spotlight and why not. The question do they have more cool stuff in Trans.
pic: teamxbox.com
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Monday, June 26, 2006

Good road manners

While we have several traffic systems and cultures across the world, they are a few general road manners which need to be observed. We may not get accolades for our effort we can be rest assured of self-satisfaction, which is considered among the best human healers.
Given below are a few general traffic rules and their relevance to Indian roads.

a)Honking is considered as an extreme rude behavoir in a mojority of the nations. If it requires to make your presence felt, its better to flash your lights. This should be used sparingly though.
In the Indian roads, people have got immune to honking so many do not object and ultimately the purpose of honking is also not served.
But whatever maybe the case honking is always impolite. So lets make a conscious effort to avoid honking on our roads.
b)Overtaking. Its a general rule that you overtake only from the right side (for left drives). In this way the driver would have a better view of the vehicle that passes. Overtaking from the left is dangerous as vehicles often swerve to the left for reasons of halting or finding their destination.
In our roads you could say there is less room to overtake from the right and it is in the leftside where you find more room. The leftside is usually avoided or left empty for pedestrians, cycles, carts and even parking. But once this rule is universally observed, it becomes easier both while overtaking and being overtaken.
c)Lane-rules. Also cycles, carts are to be kept of the roads most of the time. This would be considered impractical in a developing country as India. So we need to follow a rule where the slower vehicles move in the leftmost lanes.
d)Care for pedestrians. Everyone at some point was a pedestrian. Pedestrians have to always be given respect. Therefore slowing at zebra crossings and stopping at signals for pedestrians to cross is an essential aspect of good road manners.
e)Avoid pollution.With pollution and dust is prevalent in most of our roads we need to regularly check and service our vehicles. It's for the good of your vehicle that you monitor its performance.

Now it isn't right to blame only our vehicles and their drivers. There are several other causes that make driving on our roads inconvenient and difficult. Instances of pedestrians walking 'blindfolder' in the middle of the streets, public transport being the highest polluters, parking issues to trafficjam initiators etc., we need to find solution for such cases too.
i) Pedestrians need to follow a simple rule where they need to cross only in zebra crossings, or at signals if there aren't any zebra crossings. Its better to be late than never. The goverment should do better to create more overbridges and zebra crossings at important locations.
ii) In the case of public transport the government needs to step up and create more efficient road transport system.
iii) Last but not the least the trafficpolicemen are the most important men on the road, the government needs to invest more on them. Also the roads need to be promptly checked for damaged and need to be repaired without further delay by the concerned authorities. Regular checks on damaged roads are necessary and traffic policemen need to have the authority to report any discrepancy too.

Now here are a few more major rules which one cannot compromise on.
1. Never drink and drive. Its better to take a chance on money than on a life.
2. Always wear a helmet while driving a two-wheerler, even if you're on a bicycle. Also the pillion ride needs to think about wearing a helmet as this position is more prone to the dangers of the road.
3. Always wear a seatbelt while driving. If your cars dosen't have a seatbelt don't complain, go get it done.
4. Never use a mobilephone while driving. Do not talk your way to an accident.

If efforts are made to reach such levels of road manners we can definitely make a roads a much better place.
So let's get it started now and Wish you all a very Happy driving.
pic:prabhakar.net

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Friday, June 23, 2006

Krrish

Superman, Spiderman & Batman take a bow cause Krishna is here a.k.a. Krrish.

Well we’re not going to review the Movie just yet but are going to talk about the few interesting scoops that surround the actual movie.

Did you know there was a special screening of Krrish for Shah Rukh Khan’s kids. Karan Johan had watching the movie with them too. The Khan kids were totally engrossed in the movie; they were seen clapping and cheering loudly during the movie. Not only his kids but the Star himself was amazed. Isn’t this a great way of spending time with your family especially whn you’re as busy as Shah Rukh Khan.

Wondering where you saw those skyscrapers and wide-roads, yes you guessed right it was shot in Singapore. The Itenary of the shots, people and stay was all arranged by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Rakesh Roshan, the movie director was totally impressed with STB saying their efforts have made his work a lot easier. Well did direct the movie too, maybe not.

Now to promote Krrish a whole lot of merchandises have been launched by the Roshans. In tie-up with Pantaloons Krrish accessories in shape of Toys, caps, clothes, schoolbags, Posters, Mugs and even Jewelry have come up. So next time you’re in Pantaloons and you see a rush of school kids you know why they’re there for. It’ll be interesting to know if you get the Krrish mask out there. Schools teachers take care, they might try scaring you.

Krrish may soon be a phenomenon in Chennai toon as there is a tamil version which is releasing simultaneously. But when the Roshan’s call this a sequel to Koi Mil Gaya, wouldn’t it be necessary understand the backdrop of the movie. Maybe not, the Roshans could have figured out a few secrets of Sci-fi movies. Now is Roshan Sr. working for CIA or its Krrish who is giving him the vital inputs?

Lets talk about the action in the movie and many stunts performed, did you know Roshan Jr. had undergone a rigorous martial arts training under the tutelage of Siu-Tung Ching from Hong Kong who has incidentally also choreographed the stunts for the movie. Hrithik sure must admire his Papa’s art giving him the best.

What about the special effects, these effects have the many firsts in Bollywood. Digital intermediate, the same SFX Company that did the special effects for Koi...Mil Gaya has again taken the responsibility of making the super hero Krrish.

While pretty Preity was cast opposite Hrithik in the prequel, here we have charming Priyanka playing his love interest. You may still see Preity Zinta though, she has a short stint. So Preity fans you need to be glued to your seats, remember it’s just a guest appearance.

Here is no pretty story. Hrithik survived a near fatal accident while doing the action scenes for this movie in Singapore. During an action sequence Hrithik Roshan had a near fatal accident when a wire on which he was dangling from a high-rise (50 feet above the streets) snapped. He could have crashed to his death on the ground but luckily a six-feet long canopy of a shop came in his way that broke his fall and saved him from a deadly impact. Hey, that’s Krrish for you.

So is Krrish’s going to begin where the blockbuster Koi.. Mil Gaya ended. There sure is a lot of expectations that rest on the shoulders of Krrish especially when you hear of a huge rush of tickets especially from the younger lot. So the question here is whether Krrish’s antics match Jadoo’s magic it’s anybody’s guess. But am sure Krrish won’t require a canopy this time, remember he’s a Super Hero.
pic: indiaglitz.com

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Thursday, June 22, 2006

Mobilephones

Latest Mobilephones and their features.

Sony Ericsson W710i
Disc2Phone music management software
A 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2)
Measure speed, distance,a calorie counter

2.0 megapixel camera, 2.5x digital zoom
Active arm band in w710i kit







Motorola RAZR V3c
VCast video

Ultra-thin design, sleak look
Advanced speech recognition
Bluetooth® wireless technology
1.3 megapixel camera


Nokia 3250

Resolution 176 x 220 pixels
Nokia Stereo Headset HS-20

Good audio quality & music management

Stylish angular design with a swiveling keypad
3 positions-standard handset, camera or music mode


Info & pics: nokia.com, sonyericsson.com, motorola.com, infosyncworld.com
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Virus Alert

Sixem-A W32/Sixem.a@MM (The World Cup worm)

Began circulating earlier this week and has just recently been blocked by antivirus vendors.

Malware attacks have been bitter part of the World Cup, with it first been spotted during 1998 edition, then we had VBSChick-F Virus during the Asian edition in 2002 and now we have the first malware from this World Cup that targets the English-speaking audience.

Victim receives mails with subjects such as “Naked World Cup game set” or “Soccer fans killed five teens” and other similar subjects to encourage you to click on the attachment.

This attachment disables antivirus products, downloads more malware and forwards itself to e-mail addresses saved in the address book. Awareness to the latest malware or verifying mails before opening is among the precautions one could take.

Given below are the list of the latest malware from McAfee in their chronical order of discovery.
W32/Bagle.fb@MM (Virus/E-mail worm)
BackDoor-AED.cfg
BackDoor-AED
IRC-Contact.cfg

Kakkeys

IRC-Contact

W32/Sdbot.worm.dr!8aa30865 (Virus/Dropper)

Downloader-AWV.dr (Trojan/Dropper)

Downloader-AWX
PWS-Banker!1d2e (Trojan/Password Stealer)

While these malware attacks maybe relatively low-profiled, especially on the damage to Home & Business PCs, you sure would want to keep your hands off from malicious mails.
Source: msn.com, McAfee pic: howstuffworks.com

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Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Race for UN Secretary General

"I solemnly swear to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as Secretary-General of the United Nations, to discharge these functions and regulate my conduct with the interests of the United Nations only in view, and not to seek or accept instructions in regard to the performance of my duties from any Government or other authority external to the Organisation."
- UNSG Oath of Office
Ban Ki-moon
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, South Korea

Education:
Feb 1970 graduated from Department of International Relations, Seoul National University
Apr1985 Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University




Shashi Tharoor
Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information UN

Education:
Initial education in
Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi (B.A. in History, St.Stephens College)
Ph.D. from the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University



Jayantha Dhanapala
Former Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament and former Secretary-General of the Sri Lankan Peace process

Education:
BA (Honors) degree from the University of Peradeniya in Sri LankaMA (International Studies) degree from the American Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London



Surakiart Sathirathai
Deputy Prime Minister and Former Foreign Minister, Thailand

Education:
Law & International economics in US: LLM from Harvard University
MALD
Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy,Tuffs University


Given above are the candidates in race for the UN General Secretary.
While their work of the years has been recognized and they have been nominated, not many know about their education background.
Information & Pictures: unsg.org
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World Music


Today is the World Music Day, June 21st; didn’t know, so didn’t I till this day.

Have you ever thought of what the world would be without music, not worth imagining. Lets reflect upon the joy of Music. Not many can match great music, soothing voice and fantastic lyrics for having a wonderful time. And music has its myriad tones too- a taste for every kind. Its truly a medium that can be enjoyed across the universe.

World Music is also being evolving with technology, you have newer instruments and awesome gadgets that give us , the listeners an even better experience. Apple IPod and Mobile Music are a big hit across music lovers. These devices are extremely light, easily portable and extremely convenient to handle. We now also have our good old Radio incarnated in a whole new garb of fun and good music. Life's all about having a good time, so its fair to say No Music No Life!!

I would like share with you my favorite music and voices. Am sure you have your favorites too.
Favorite song: Nothing else matters by Metallica
Favorite male voice: Bryan Adams
Favorite female voice: Dido

Let me also share one of my favorite lyrics, it truly thought provoking.

Across the Universe by Beatles
Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Images of broken light which
dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a
restless wind inside a letter box
they tumble blindly as
they make their way across the universe
Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe
Jai guru deva om

pic: vectorpoint.ws
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Rajini in Shivaji

Rajinikanth the carpenter turned coolie turned conductor is today a Superstar with an immense influence among the masses.
The man who is used literally as a synonym for style by many is back, this time in a completely different look for his new movie ‘Shivaji The Boss’.In the movie 'Shivaji The Boss' which is yet to be released, its ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra who has designed his outfits. The Star with his elegant dialogues, stylish gestures and now with his latest outfits should get the moviegoers into a frenzy. Rest assured the movie would be a style statement and you would find many aping the Superstar.
From catchy one-liners to dialogues such as ‘I talk English. I walk English..’ the Superstar has it all.
pic: http://www.rajini-in-sivaji.com/

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Xbox

When was the last time we heard about Xbox 360 (remember the popular 3 –games, movies & music) it wasn’t long ago. Now Microsoft has come up Xbox 360 Core Systems; another cutting-edge Gaming experience from Microsoft. Well this experience gives you a same feel of powerful gaming as the Original Xbox but the difference here is that you start with the absolute basics. It gives you a platform to build and expand the features the way you want to.

All you need to do is plug in the console and controller when wish to play. The rest is your creativity on action. Believe this innovative strategy of letting its Users get creative is a sensation.

Super Nintendo & Gameboy were among the fist to have introduced a whole new experience of gaming to the World but they soon went into hibernation.

Sega then took over the gaming arena by surprise with their new and animated gaming experience. They too decided to take a breather after their formidable success.

Sony Playstation was next and they started with a bang. Sony after having beaten all odds to the top of the Gaming Zone too took time off and rested on their laurels.

As you can see all these meteoric rises have had steady falls in their market share over time.

Now when Microsoft has got into the gaming act with its Xbox 360 and immediately released a new version the Xbox 360 Core Systems.

Will their cutting-edge Gaming Box be able to sustain their success for long?
Is Microsoft's strategy of coming up with newer versions in short and regular intervals going to pay off?

image: http://assets.xbox.com

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Monday, June 19, 2006

Find out your stress levels

One teacher said "I felt like they were all moving....but slowly. Kind of like, they were breathing."

The picture attached here are used to test the level of stress a person can handle.

The slower the pictures move, the better your ability of handling stress.

Alleged criminals tested say they were seeing them spinning around madly; however, senior citizen and kids see them standing still.

None of these images are animated-they are perfectly still.

Feel stressed out, get aware of your stress levels. It ain't good if the images were rocking.
Another stress buster is reading an epaper



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Scoops from thePressMart ePaper

Trinity Midlands Sunday Mercury – Check out the stories in the Crazy World sections of the paper.

There is a story of a Holidaymaker who had to endure a real life Poseidon style drama. His luxury ferry (100 million pound super ferry) was struck by a freak wave in the Bay of Biscay. It had more than 1000 passengers and in the chaos the ferry landed in France instead of their destination Spain. The Hollywood movie Poseidon is a story where a luxury cruise ship gets capsized by a huge wave.

Another crazy story where mourners in a cemetery watch a driver crash himself and in the event killing himself just yard away from the tomb.

Here is another story where a German man who was kicked off a flight for being too smelly. The person sitting next to him had complained to the flight attendant. The man is now suing the airline.

A story from the Friday's Birmingham Post

Ambulances have been put on alert. In west midlands ambulance crews received 999 calls, i.e. 300 calls being football related. This being the trend during England’s match against Paraguay; similar numbers also came about when England played Trinidad & Tobago. Most of the cases injuries due to alcohol related falls and fights.

Here are news from a couple of Indian ePaper- Hindustan Times and Deccan Chronicle. (Today's and Friday's dispatches)

A story in the HT tabloid where Aishwarya Rai might be cast in a movie along with soccer stars David Beckham and Zinadine Zidane.

Lalu has been missing from the Celebrity news, no wait.
O Boy has Lalu-Rabri ka khazana made a wave pan-Bihar. The chocolate named after the Indian Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi (Former Chief Minister of Bihar) also has the wrapper with the caricature of Lalu. This chocolate is in great Demand across Bihar.

For more interesting epaper reads, check out PressMart.



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Thursday, June 15, 2006

World's Top Secretive Societies

Freemasonry
Freemasonry was founded in England during the 1390s. It has around 6 millions members around the world.
Its members included Henry Ford, Mark Twain, Charles Lindbergh, Mel Blanc etc.

The Illuminati
It was started sometime in the 18
th century, the Order of Illuminati. It was a group for the enlightened thinkers and was started in Bavaria. Its patrons include Thomas Jefferson, Wolfgang von Goethe, etc.