A STARK naked and intoxicated man forced the closure of a runway in India on the weekend after jumping a fence and wandering onto a taxiway. Delhi's airport security noticed the stark naked man on a taxiway nearby the runway, closing it until he could be detained. It appeared the man had climbed over a three metre high wall to enter the airport area. The height of the wall had been reduced due to drainage works, making it more easily accessible. The incident forced an incoming Kingfisher A320-200 to circle the runway before landing a few minutes later. The plane had been flying from Hyderabad to Delhi, India. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
The Amir of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, who continues to enjoy the protection of Pakistani establishment has said that Islamabad 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 Pakistani news channel. Pakistan foreign secretary Salman Bashir, who was in the Capital last week for talks with Ms Nirupama Rao, had refused to acknowledge his role as the mastermind of the Mumbai attack. He had dismissed Indian evidence against Saeed as “mere literature”. In his interview, Saeed also denied the charge about his involvement in planning and carrying out the Mumbai attacks. “Let India prove it in any court, I will be ready to accept everything.” Ahead of the Indo-Pak talks, he had told a huge gathering of his supporters at Lahore that jihad was the only option left as India would never let go of Kashmir. Threatening I ndia with dire consequences he had said that India would suffer the same fate over Kashmir as the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and the US reverses in Afghanistan. Tapes of the rally, which have been accessed by a television channel, showed Saeed’s supporters waving Klashnikovs and shouting anti-India slogans.
for further: economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Pak-will-have-to-fight-war-with-India-Hafiz-Saeed/articleshow/5629634.cms
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan whose holi bashes are popular among the film fraternity will not be celebrating the festival of colour this year. The 67-year-old who has sung some of the most popular Holi songs on screen, is mourning the death of good friend Amar Singh's brother-in-law and decided to skip the celebrations also as a mark of respect to the victims of the Pune blast. "There was a death in the family of one of my closest friends so we won't be celebrating Holi tomorrow," Bachchan said at a function this evening. "We do not celebrate again this year. Primarily because of the death of a close relative of our family friend Amar Singh ji, but also we do not feel comfortable in celebrating when our own have lost lives in the Pune blast recently," he had earlier written on his blog.
This year’s Filmfare awards saw the best acting prizes going to the lead actors in Paa, with Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan being named the Best actor and Best actress for their role in the film. The top grosser ‘3 Idiots’ earned six trophies, including the one for the best film. The Best actress honor went to Vidya Balan for her riveting performance in Paa as Auro’s mother. In a witty manner Vidya gave the reply to the hosts Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, who had earlier poked fun at her a couple of years ago for her dress sense when Shahrukh presented a trophy called the Naa-real Award to Vidya. While accepting the award at the podium, Vidya stated, “From nariyal to this Black lady, it’s been a great journey at the Filmfare.” Vidya further continued her spirited winning speech stating, “I thank Balki (director), my parents and Arundhati Nag. Also I would like to add that motherhood is a rewarding feeling, so I am greatly thankful to my son Auro who made me a mother.”
For further: www.totalfilmy.com/feature/20100228/vidya_and_her_son_win_top_honors-28776.html
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith will visit India from Tuesday to discuss with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna “close cooperation in trying to solve the recent problems faced by some Indians in Australia.” Mr. Smith said in a statement on Sunday he would, during the three-day visit, “brief the Indian government on the actions taken by [Australian] authorities to create a safe and rewarding study environment for Indian students in Australia.” He will also “seek an update on security arrangements for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi later this year.” Having already seen two Commonwealth Games sites during his visit to India last October, he will now go around the main venue, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Spelling out other issues on his agenda, Mr. Smith cited the progress on a feasibility study for the Australia-India free trade agreement and bilateral links in science and technology besides the overall strategic partnership. Mr. Smith would, along with Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, meet the Indian and Australian hockey teams for a goodwill game in New Delhi in the 2010 Men’s Hockey World Cup.
for Further: www.hindu.com/2010/03/01/stories/2010030159971100.htm
With Holi just a day away, the celebrations are at its peak. Painted faces of school-goers, Holi SMSes flicking on the mobiles and the office-goers getting into the festive spirit, the feel of the 'orgy celebrations' are vivid among the Kanpurites. Promising loads of entertainment, the city folks are all set to make a splash in the riot of colours coupled with guffaws and giggles with a pinch of 'cherkhani' this Holi. TOI brings to you the expression of colourful extravaganza. Divine Holi: Engrossed in the devotion of lord 'Krishna', the devotees celebrate a divine Holi with their deity, quite similar to the one played in 'Vrindavan'. But this Holi lends different heights to the deity-devout relation and the celebrations have more to do with flowers. "The devotion and gaiety marking the festival through a shower of flowers gives the feel of the presence of 'Kanha' himself celebrating the festival with you," says 54-year-old Parwati Shukla who celebrates Holi with his 'Banke-Bihari' in the Sanatan Dharma tem le every year. With a divine-cum-festive environment paramounting, the devotional Holi bhajans create the 'rus' (flavour) of 'Vrindavan's' famous Holi.
For further: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/TNN28k-holitimVarious-hues-of-Holi/articleshow/5628884.cms
Even as United Progressive Alliance coalition partners — the Trinamool Congress and the DMK — pitched for rolling back the oil price hike in view of its inflationary potential, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday expressed the government’s firm resolve to see the budget proposals through in Parliament. He said he was confident of working out an amicable solution with the allies. “When we propose something, we do that for implementation, not for rollback. There was a basic approach to the budget which I tried to introduce through various proposals,” Mr. Mukherjee said during a post-budget interaction here. To a pointed question on the divergence of views among the UPA’s partners on the issue and the lack of numbers for the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Mukherjee told The Hindu: “If [the] budget proposal doesn’t get passed, then the government will collapse. So I am not looking at that. We are dealing with it… DMK is the partner for six years. There have been occasions when divergence of views has bee there. So, it is possible that in a coalition government, there will be divergent views. But there is mechanism with which we deal with it. So I am not worried about that and I am not rolling back that [price hike of petro-products] proposal.” Detailing why and how the additional revenue to be mopped up through his tax proposals — most of which are a rollback of the stimulus measures extended at the time of the slowdown — was necessary for the basic approach to the budget, Mr. Mukherjee said that at the time of its formulation the situation was difficult in more than one sense. “This year, third part of the year [October-December 2009] was extremely difficult …Everyone was sceptical. Even the world leaders did not believe that there was any possibility of an economic turnaround.”
for further: www.hindu.com/2010/03/01/stories/2010030160390100.htm
The Budget clarification on extension of service tax to include all activities in the entire continental shelf and exclusive economic zone will increase the cost of offshore exploration for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the country’s biggest explorer. Reliance Industries Ltd, another major explorer, will also bear the impact of this tax, though it declined to quantify. “We have to pay an additional service tax of Rs 1,000 crore annually,” said ONGC’s director (finance), D K Saraf. The Budget clarified that any service which the upstream oil companies procure while undertaking exploration activity in offshore areas will be subject to service tax. The companies were of the view that taxes would apply only after a vessel, structure or installation comes into operation.
for further: www.business-standard.com/india/news/budget-to-pushcostoffshore-oil-exploration/387149/
The CAT is out of the bag, and Ankit Top companies hiring in India Garg is rolling in the satin. The 21-year-old from Chandigarh is among the rarest of the rare who landed cent per cent marks in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2010, the entrance exam to India’s elite B-schools, including the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The results were out on Sunday after three false alarms, and within hours, the oldest among the IIM campuses—Ahmedabad—and the youngest—Shillong—announced the names of shortlisted candidates. The other six IIMs will announce their lists in the coming days. The exam, taken by around 2.15 lakh candidates, migrated this year from the traditional pencil-and-paper format to the online platform, a change that saw a series of software glitches that made the original CAT schedule go haywire. But for those like Ankit, after months of waiting, it’s finally time to celebrate. IIM-A to take biggest batch yet A B.Tech from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, Ankit says he was plain ucky. “It was my first attempt and the exam was online, yet everything went off smoothly,” he says, adding that by 30, he wants to start his own venture. “I want to be an entrepreneur and build an organisation that provides employment to a large number of people,” he says.
for Further: economictimes.indiatimes.com/Results-out-students-await-CAT-calls-now/articleshow/5629619.cms
Employers country is facing important decisions about their health benefits program.
Should they continue to finance their employees' health benefits at the same contribution level as in the past? Should they keep the same level of benefits as before? What can be done to minimize costs and maximize benefits?
These are difficult issues. Rising health care costs and an uncertain economy requires an employer to consider various options when making health care decisions. These include:
1. Eliminate all health benefits
2. Reduce or eliminate other perks to maintain the current level of health benefits
3. Modification of the existing health benefits program by increasing employee co-payments or cost sharing
4. Shopping for the most affordable coverage available from different companies to find solutions to mitigate the impact of rising insurance premiums can be difficult. But there is an additional consideration that is often overlooked. As with any supplier selection process, a business owner must consider the value gained from choosing a health benefits plan.
Often, many look only at price, but ignore the investment perspective, those involved in buying a health benefits plan. An employer may ask: "What do I get for my money?"
A health plan must do more than just paying the bills. It should provide an opportunity to improve and maintain health. Health benefits plans that promote health fairs, wellness and disease management programs provide opportunities to achieve better health. Improved health can be translated into reduced health care costs and affordable premiums.
Some health benefits companies are adding rebate programs that focus on healthy lifestyles, including diet and nutrition counseling, and discounts at local fitness centers. Disease management programs focus attention and resources on terms that the patient self care efforts are significant. There are specific intervention programs for diabetes, asthma, wound care and congestive heart failure (CHF).
If you thought health care do not have enough acronyms, here's one more. Some companies have begun offering complementary alternative medicine (CAM). CAM focuses on alternative forms of healthcare treatment, such as massage, acupuncture and homeopathy.
CAM is one of the fastest growing areas of employee health benefits. There are estimates that as many as 36 percent of adults use some form of CAM.
These additional benefits are not just bells and whistles. The introduction of these programs often increases employee satisfaction. And greater satisfaction is a byproduct of the programs' purposes.
The purpose of these programs is to focus on improving health outcomes. They seek to create a better return on investment of premium dollars and create a shift in the traditional paradigm of insurance just to pay bills.
When an employer chooses a health benefits company with programs that emphasize the total health expenditure, it makes an investment in its employees' well being and future. Therefore, when choosing a carrier, be sure to find one that allows you to stretch your healthcare dollars by offering fitness and CAM programs that help the mind, body and pocketbook.
Helping employees to get answers to their personal health benefits questions is a common responsibility for benefit administrators (BAS).
Many employees turn to their business advantage for help because they feel that BA is better able to get accurate and timely information from health insurance carrier. But there are rules and restrictions that govern how the BAS can get specific information about the health of the employees.
In the past, BAs insurance carrier just asks a question related to the personal health of an employee and the carrier could provide the answer directly to BA. However, this has changed. In today's workplace, there are rules and restrictions for obtaining health information on a specific employee. The federal and state authorities have issued strict guidelines with strict penalties for misuse or unauthorized disclosure of a person's protected health information (PHI).
It is therefore important that companies and their designated representative understands the benefits of these rules and regulations and how they relate to the sharing of an employee's PHI.
Getting permission
Benefit managers can still help employees answer their own health issues, but they must now follow the guidelines set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The HIPAA regulations, effective April 14, 2003, establish specific policies and procedures for use and disclosure of an individual's protected health information.
In order to investigate the employee's behalf, BA obtain written consent from the employee. The authorization form is usually specific to the health benefits company in which the study takes place and includes a number of elements required under HIPAA, including limitations in the permit, effective and termination dates and details of individual rights under the permit .
Some health benefits companies will only accept an original consent form, while others will accept a faxed copy.
Receiving an answer
When an appropriate form is received by health benefits company, a response to BA's investigation may be released. The information will be reported back to the BA will be the "minimum necessary" - the smallest amount of information necessary to answer the question is limited to the range of permission.
For example, if the initial investigation was whether a claim has been processed for payment would be the health benefits carrier to answer "no" or answer "yes", which includes the date of payment. Based on the extent and Wording of the question, what was alleged, and the amount paid can not be disclosed.
If this additional information is needed, it must be treated in the initial question, and should be included in the range of authorization, the employee shall be granted. HIPAA guidelines are in place to protect an individual's personal health information. The federal and state authorities are aware of what can and can not be shared without authorization and may impose civil and monetary fines for noncompliance.
But these rules are not that BAS can not help employees get answers to their personal health issues. Understanding HIPAA guidelines and your health benefits company policy on consent forms will give your BA to continue to help employees find out answers to important health benefits issues.
Most people have mixed feelings about feelings and express anger. Various influences suggest everything from practicing extreme self-control, keep it all in (end result: stoicism) to showing no boundaries about sharing anger at all (end result: anarchy). Finding middle ground is the place where you can communicate feelings and facts about a given situation, without hurting or blaming the other party, and vice versa. When this first scenario occurs, you create more space for positive communication changes occur. When communication is less than ideal, continues to express anger at the old ways will reinforce old habits., Exacerbating an already difficult situation.
Here is your exercise list:
Anger Scribble:
When you have a strong reaction to a situation, begin to pray and write about it. Remember to include a detailed description of your strong feelings, including the actual situation. Remember to use so much space on a page, as you can when you doodle. After filling a page, select a scratch, and start drawing a specific shape of your scratch. Continue to scribble over the shape until you're finished. (e.g. You may feel tired and relieved. Your words may slow down or you may run out of time to write.) When you notice any of these reactions, it is time to stop writing. Wait a few minutes for everything to solve, then go to the next exercise. (Note: You can substitute any ritual here if praying is not a good match for you.)
Unsent letters:
This exercise is an effective way to communicate feelings and information for yourself or for a second. You can write unsent letters, otherwise it would be detrimental to speak directly to the other party (s) You can also write unsent letters on an issue (positive or negative). Sent letters also a good place to practice your lines. Whether you write a series of unsent letters or letter, your emotions become less intense. Then you can prepare themselves to have a quiet conversation with the other party. You can write as many unsent letters as you want. When you write your unsent messages you give yourself permission to feel the intense emotions that surface around a specific event. At some point either during or after you've written your letter, you will have clarity about your role in the situation. You will also learn to evaluate your responsibility, as well as the other party's responsibility in the same situation. When you are calm again, you will be more willing to make changes, including asking for a more specific message switch from the other party. You can continue to follow up on your unsent letters with prayers for the blessing of the other party. As you continue to bless the other party, when opened for positive change to happen in yourself and the other party. When you write an unsent letter, it shows your courage and willingness to make serious changes in a difficult situation.
Writes a DIALOGUE:
Write an imaginary or real conversation you had with the other party, can help make some of your anger. It is useful to put into words or images to your feelings. Start your dialogue with two voices, the letter "A" (your voice) and "B" (for the other person's voice). Be sure to give both cast time to talk.
Do not worry about writing a perfect dialogue. Use as much detail as you can. Your descriptive skills will improve with every unsent letter that you write.
"I feel" statements:
Writing sentences that begin with "I'm feeling." is a good way to put into words all of your feelings about a difficult situation. We would like to remind you that may express other emotions with your anger. When you start your journal, focusing on your anger first and then write about your other feelings. We suggest that you write a minimum of ten emotional opinions. Put the list away. Proceed to the next exercise.
Draw a picture:
Draw more pictures of your anger. All types of subscription is allowed. Remember what we said about "My anger burns." Write a visual picture of your anger. We want you to use as many senses in your picture as you can. (Note: you can also use this exercise to visualize other strong emotions)
Combining words and pictures:
Now look at your list of "I" statements. Match as many of your image (s) with your "I'm feeling." phrases as you can. (For example: I am angry about.put a picture of a fire next to the written statement. When you are finished, circle one or two combinations that best describes your current feelings. Be sure to write a short sentence about your two choices .
START CLOSING:
Let's stop and review the work you have already done. You have written a first unsent letter about your anger. You have studied some of your feelings in detail. You have summed up your feelings by using a combination of drawing and writing. Now write an action you could have taken to keep the status quo ante from accelerating. Write another sentence that describes an action that the other party could have taken. Write a positive action you are willing to take to change your anger expressed now, please remember to include a specific end time and date. If you pray, start praying for good to come to the other party. We would recommend that you ask for at least a couple times a week working up to shower daily for one month or until your strong negative feelings disappear.
Take your time to work through these exercises. If you find yourself unable to proceed to the next exercise. Then write a short paragraph, why you do not want to go further. Take a break and start a new exercise the next day. Looking forward to celebrating your freedom from the past buried emotions.
Health insurance companies are facing increasing pressure to remain competitive in the market today. To have a competitive position goes beyond offering affordable health benefits packages - it also means to have better service, such as an efficient billing and enrollment process that provides a seamless experience for customers.
Most of billing and enrollment tasks associated with managing your health benefits plan is responsible for your health insurance carrier.
To understand the role you or your company's benefits administrator plays in maintaining a current enrollment roster is integral to establishing a positive cooperation with your insurance carrier. Carefully review your roster, make changes in time and understand your provider's retroactive change policy will help ensure accurate billing, and that your employees have access to services covered.
Review your membership / enrollment rosters.
Typically, your monthly health insurance invoice includes a membership or sign-up roster, which indicates the current number of covered employees and their dependents. Review this roster carefully and report any discrepancies.
Inform your provider of membership changes.
All year, it may be necessary to make changes to your company's enrollment roster - you have hired a new employee, an employee had a baby or someone left your company. Whether you add or remove persons reporting these changes in time, will help to ensure that they are reflected on your next monthly invoice.
Understand the importance of effective dates.
When you make a change to your company's membership rosters, it is important to state clearly the date on which that amendment shall enter into force. Furthermore, when adding an employee and / or a dependent, tell your health benefits company prior to the effective date. This allows your provider to complete the entire enrollment process and helps ensure that the new member has access to health services covered by his or her effective date.
Understand retroactive additions and terminations.
Retroactive additions and terminations membership changes announced after the effective date. Most health benefits, as companies have restrictions on how long employers have to make a retrospective change and also have a policy on what types of documents to be submitted with the request. The process of enrollment changes will vary from company to company - the above tips should only serve as a guide. Be sure you or the company's benefits administrator knows your health insurance carrier's specific policies. Know the process and how to navigate the system will help both companies - yours and your health insurance carrier - achieve the common goal of providing your employees with a positive and seamless health plan experience.
In this era of creative financing and cost management tools, many employers looking for new ways to help employees finance their health care expenses.
As an employer, would you like to give a good coverage, but the increased costs in recent years have been difficult to handle. A typical response to these increases can be to choose a high-deductible insurance product that lowers your costs. But there is a better solution.
Think HMO. That's right - health maintenance organizations. The HMOs today offer a whole new generation of healthcare financing tools that every employer should consider.
It is not your father's HMO.
You may have heard bad stories or had a rough experience in the past. However, times have changed. HMO plans now offer extensive provider networks, excellent coverage for preventive care, the ability to frequently change a primary care physician and the outstanding prescription drug coverage through a broad pharmacy network.
HMOs take the surprise out of the bill.
With most health insurance plans, an employee is responsible for a percentage of the cost of care, often 20 percent or 25 percent. This can add up very quickly and staff can not predict what their reward will be.
With an HMO structured co-pay plan, an employee knows up front the costs associated with most covered services. For example, an employee has a $ 20 copay for a primary care physician (PCP) visits, which will include all services in this visit. Each time the employees go to their PCP, they can expect to pay $ 20 - no surprises there.
Higher co-pays to offer savings.
The days of nickel sodas and 25-cent phone calls are long gone - and so is $ 5 and $ 10 co-pay plans. It is time to reconsider the value of co-pays. New HMO plans have higher co-pays, some up to $ 30 for a primary care visit and $ 50 for a specialist. But it covers all services during this visit. It is a valuable cost frontier in those days.
HMOs offer bold new design.
New HMO plans are fresh cost-sharing mechanisms, strategies, providing low employee out-of pocket expenditure in some areas while controlling your costs by increasing employee costs through deductibles for other areas.
In most pro-based plans, employees have a high deductible, which applies to all services. But with these new focus-deductible HMO plans, the deductible is limited to specific services such as hospital care or prescription drugs. After deduction is met, a co-pay also applies for this service.
In addition to these plans, employees continue to have a co-pay instead of a deductible for heavily used areas such as doctor or specialist visits.
HMOs are the FSA and HRA compatible.
Many HMO plans can be used with flexible spending and health reimbursement accounts, so the employees to decide how some of their healthcare dollars are spent. Many carriers are also developing health spending account-compatible HMO plans.
HMOs offer more than insurance.
Today's HMO plans offer health improvement programs such as discounted fitness club memberships and value added options to allow employees to take responsibility for their own health.
There are two primary reasons to turn today's HMO - savings for you and savings for your employees. Rediscover today's HMO - you will be satisfied with what you find.
The Indian Institutes of Management have decided to upload CAT score cards on Sunday but this time, too, they are not able to tell the exact time. Officers in the CAT office, however, were sure the scores would be released on February 28. Individual IIMs will then send out call letters to shortlisted students for phase two, which comprises group discussion, personal interview and essay-writing. Earlier, CAT officials had assured students and other B-schools that CAT scores would be out before the weekend. "But on Friday, IIM officials informed us they were taking time to upload pictures of lakhs of candidates. They said the process of uploading each and every score card online would be completed only by Sunday," said a director of a B-school.
I had put a big blind bet on Teen Patti right after watching its first trailer. Gutsy and slick, it seemed like it’s going to be, for the lack of a better expression, a Trail. But director Leena Yadav deals some pretty sad cards here; so much so that I folded up, forfeited my bet and almost walked out of the theatre in the middle of the show. Amitabh Bachchan & Ben Kingsley are as important to this film as the joker cards often are to a deck of cards. In brief, Teen Patti is the story of an unrecognised genius - a math professor played by Amitabh Bachchan, his colleague Madhavan and five of their students. Each one of them, driven by his/her own reasons, tries to cash-in on Bachchan’s latest discovery in the area of Probability - which of course finds a convenient application in the card game of Flash – leading to a sordid state of affairs. Making pots of cash playing at the illegal gambling dens in the Mumbai’s underworld, and the equally seedy overworld, the group descends fast and deep into the spiral of g eed (and anger, jealousy, lust); emerging only to exorcise their personal ghosts and provide film with a rather absurd end. Teen Patti, to be fair, is spun around an interesting premise. But branching into too many unruly offshoots, it fails to capitalise on the idea. It spreads itself thin and wide to accommodate the numerous star cameos. Characters saunter in and out of the film without any particular regard to the narrative. From fashion model Saira Mohan to Novelist Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi; they are all doing duties here. The basic plot in itself could have been a good and gripping film had the director chosen not to force insipid and inconsequential subplots into it.
For further: dearcinema.com/review/review-teen-patti
Former captain Mithali Raj's unbeaten 84 guided Indian women to a series clinching five-wicket win over England in the fourth One-Day International at the YSR-ACA VDCA Stadium on Friday. Mithali's third half-century of the series helped India take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Indian captain Jhulan Goswami and Preeti Dumri claimed three wickets apiece as England were restricted to 152/9 in 50 overs.
India Coach Gary Kirsten said Saturday's ODI here would present him with an opportunity to assess young cricketers in testing situations. “It's exciting being the coach of this Indian team. There is so much young and promising talent around,” he said. Kirsten spoke about the Twenty20 and the one-day World Cups and dwelt on the need to find the right combination of players. He said, “I would say that we have not yet zeroed in on the five or six main bowlers for the one-day variety. We are still trying. We have played around eight pacemen this season. It's a process before settling on the best possible men.” Kirsten said paceman Sudip Tyagi was likely to receive a look-in for the final ODI. On Sachin Tendulkar's world record ODI double hundred in Gwalior, Kirsten said, “It is probably the best ODI innings he has played and perhaps the finest ODI innings I have seen.” A.B. de Villiers, who made a fighting hundred in the second ODI, said he had not seen a better one-day effort than Tendulkar's double century at Gwalior. “It was an amazing knock,” he said. de Villiers said the young bowlers in the South African side had learnt a lot by bowling at world-class batsmen in the sub-continental conditions. “It's a learning experience for them. They are young and promising. They may have gone for runs but will return as better bowlers.” Asked about the dip in South Africa's form after the Nagpur Test, he said, “It's not so much about our form dropping. I think India raised its game.”
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor’s birthday party on Wednesday night was marred by the Mumbai police. The Esco Bar owner was fines Rs. 5000 by the police for violating the norms of the Bombay Police Act. On learning that the bar hosting the birthday bash was entertaining the guests beyond the time deadline of 1.30 am, the police reached the venue at 2 am and stopped the party. Senior inspector Prakash George of Bandra Police Station confirmed the news that the owner of Esco Bar was fined. Celebrities like Amrita Rao, Archana Puran Singh, Parmeet Sethi and choreographer Ahmed Khan were present at the 30th birthday party of Shahid Kapoor.
You know those films that have a unique storyline, experiment with technique and are defined by that oft-repeated term – hatke. These films are lauded for trying out something new and appreciated for giving audiences a ‘different experience’ at the movies. Karthik Calling Karthik (KCK), probably, has all the above features. But does that make the film entertaining, or even watchable? Hell no. KCK starts off on an interesting note, dazzles you with its brilliant cinematography and eye-pleasing sets and some smart dialogues initially, but eventually suffers with that one ingredient responsible for most bad films – a shabby script. In the end, when the pieces fall together, you really want to ask what the point was after all. Karthik (Akhtar) has nothing going for him – his job sucks, he has no friends and the love of his life, Shonali (Padukone) isn’t even aware of his existence in spite of having worked in the same office as him for nearly four years. Karthik suffers from a confidence problem mainly because he holds himself responsible for the death of his brother when they were little kids. He seeks help from a psychiatrist (Shah) who looks at him from over her specks and mouths dialogues to the effect of ‘yeh tumhara vehem hai’, from time to time.
For further: www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/review_review-karthik-calling-karthik-dials-a-wrong-number_1353163
Though disappointed over the Union Government’s silence on the extension of tax breaks under the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) scheme , the IT industry is cheering for the Union budget 2010 presented by the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday. The main reasons for the IT industry giving the thumbs up to the Budget is the government’s positive outlook on Special E c o n o m i c Zones (SEZs) and other Budget announcements which the industry feels will help it grow faster. IT Majors like Wipro and Infosys were all praises for the government’s move towards fiscal consolidation and the calibrated stimulus withdrawals. “The Union Finance Minister has presented a Budget that has been focused on fiscal consolidation. The projected reduction in the Budget deficit to 5.5 per cent - down from 6.8 per cent is a positive development as the country strengthens its growth after the recovery from the global recession,” said Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO and MD, Infosys Technologies. Suresh Senapaty, Executive Director and CFO, Wipro, concurred with Gopalakrishnan. “The Finance Minister needs to be congratulated on presenting a growth oriented and progressive Budget… Even as he withdrew the stimulus incentives in a calibrated manner, he ensured that as an economy we were investing in the right areas such as infrastructure, social sector and renewable energy,” he said. The industry is not too worried that there is no word in the Budget about the extension of tax breaks under STPI beyond March 2011.
For Further: www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=IT+industry+gives+thumbs+up+to+Budget&artid=SYAdejaC65U=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&SEO=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==
That’s what Shahid Kapoor got on Wednesday night when director Siddharth Malhotra hosted a surprise bash at a Bandra nightspot to bring in Shahid’s birthday. And it wasn’t just his (extended) family that was present, his buddies, co-stars and directors were all there to wish him all the success for the year ahead. The birthday boy was visibly pleased, and couldn’t stop smiling as he posed with his father Pankaj Kapur, stepmom Supriya Pathak and step-siblings Rohan and Sana. His mother Neelima Azim came in later. As did his younger step-brother Ishaan, who he’s extremely fond of. His co-stars Genelia D’Souza and Amrita Rao (both surprisingly dressed in similar attire — a formal white top and black skirt) made it for the surprise bash as did directors Imtiaz Ali and Ken Ghosh, both who he has worked with. Shahid, Amrita and Vishal Malhotra were seen having a blast together, laughing about something that the rest obviously didn’t know about! Mohammed and Lucky Morani, Neha Uberoi, Parmeet Sethi and Archana Pur an Singh and Pritam were also spotted entering the venue. There were some non-Bollywood guests as well like Siddharth Mallya and Atul Kasbekar. The host, who was already inside the venue, preferred not to come out and pose for the shutterbugs, but we caught B-Town partying the night away for Bollywood’s Prince Charming.
After their super hit combo in Avvai Shanmugi (1996), Tenali (2000), Panchathantiram (2002) and Dasavathaaram (2008), legendary South Indian actor Kamal Haasan and hit maker K.S. Ravikumar are coming together again for the Tamil film Yavarum Kaelir; Trisha will be the heroine. This is the first time she will appear opposite Kamal Haasan. The latest buzz is that actor Madhavan will play a prominent role in this upcoming comedy flick. Kamal Haasan and Madhavan have earlier acted together in the critically acclaimed Anbe Sivam. Udayanidhi Stalin is the producer and he will also be seen in an important role in Yavarum Kaelir, which is likely to be a Deepavali offering. There are also reports that the movie’s script will be penned by Kamal Haasan. So after Dasavatharam, KSR will direct a Kamal script again.
This Friday (February 26) will witness the clash of two Bollywood films Teen Patti and Karthik Calling Karthik at the theatres. Teen Patti starring Amitabh Bachchan, Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley, R Madhavan and Saira Mohan is expected to do well at the box office. Teen Patti is based on the game of gambling and promises to be an intriguing thriller. Director of the film Leena Yadav is not taking any chances editing is concerned and wants nothing lesser than the best for her film. Not satisfied with the work of Indian editor Kaushik Das, she roped in Hollywood editor Hughes Winborne to re-edit Teen Patti. He was known for his work in The Pursuit Of Happyness, Seven Pounds and Crash, for which he won an Oscar. The highlight of the film is certainly the presence of superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who won lots of accolades for his role in Paa and Raan. One of the highlights of the film is Amitabh sharing screen space with Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley. Teen Patti also features actors like Sharadha Kapoor, Dhruv Ganesh, Siddharth Kher and Vaibhav Talwar. It is releasing tomorrow, February 26.
Defender Ali Wilson says if England do not progress beyond the group stages of the World Cup in India then they will see their tournament as a failure. England finished fifth at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and are only ranked sixth in the world. But the Beeston player, 26, told BBC Nottingham: "To do worse than we did last time would be a backward step." England, who must finish in the top two of the six-team group to qualify, face Australia in the Pool opener on Sunday. As well as Australia, England will also face hosts India, Pakistan, Spain and South Africa in Pool B. Wilson, who played in the last World Cup four years ago, said the squad is confident they can reach the last four of the 12-team competition. We've got some flair players and if we can keep the general team structure solid...it'll give our creative players the platform to win us the games Ali Wilson "I'd be very disappointed if we didn't make the semi-finals," he added. "Once we're there, anything can happen. "That's the thing about the World Cup, everyone has a strong team and each is capable of beating the other. "It's going to be tough. You can't afford to lose any games. It's important to hit the ground running. One loss can take you out of the equation for the semi-finals."England arrive in Delhi on the back of winning the European Cup in August. However, their World Cup preparations have suffered because of the weather. The heavy snow at the turn of the year meant they had to train indoors before a series of friendly games in Spain. And there are also concerns about security arrangements in the build up to the tournament.
For further: news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/hockey/8528636.stm
Young Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey and his fast bowling teammate R Vinay Kumar were among the three new faces named in India's 30-member list of probables for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the West Indies in April-May this year. Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who also had a successful domestic season, was the other new face in the list announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a meeting of the selection committee. Barring these three players who have never featured in Indian squad, there was no other surprise in the list which has a host of young players like Abhimanyu Mithun, Wriddhiman Saha, Sudeep Tyagi and Abhishek Nayar. The squad will be pruned further before the ICC stipulated deadline for announcing the final squads for the April 30-May 16 event to be held at three venues -- Guyana, Barbados and St Lucia. Uttar Pradesh duo Rudra Pratap Singh and Piyush Chawla and paceman Munaf Patel, who have been off the selection radar in recent times, are back in the reckoning. Twent y-year-old Pandey, who had a prolific domestic season with the bat, has been rewarded for his consistent performance. Pandey has the distinction of being the first Indian to score a century in the Indian Premier League, where he represents Royal Challengers Bangalore. Like Pandey, his teammate Vinay Kumar has also forced his way into the list by virtue of his performance in domestic cricket this season. Naman Ojha, a wicketkeeper who also has the reputation of being a good batsman at the top of the order, has been chosen ahead of Parthiv Patel in the list which has three wicketkeepers -- Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Wriddhiman Saha being the two other. Twenty six-year-old Saha, who hails from Bengal, made his Test debut against South Africa in Nagpur after Rohit Sharma got injured in the morning of the match and has now got an opportunity to be in the reckoning for the Twenty20 World Cup. Although Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir are recuperating from injury, the selectors have named them in the squad as no player can be picked in the final squad without being in the initial list of probables.
For further: cricket.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/spoen20100132747/story25022010_181300.html
The Ravi Shastris have run out of “adjectives,” but the phenomenon of our times, Sachin Tendulkar, continues to epitomise modesty. So much so that his day-after reaction was no more than “God has been kind... It just happened...” Off the field, too, Sachin doesn’t cease to amaze. Speaking to The Telegraph in the VIP Room of the Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Terminal in Gwalior, on Thursday afternoon, Sachin said: “Of course, it feels very nice, but that moment is over now...” The moment in question being his becoming the first, in four decades of ODIs, to score a double hundred (against South Africa, at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium). As the three-match series is already in the bag, Sachin won’t be seen in action in the concluding ODI, on Saturday. Waiting to board Flight CD 8818, to New Delhi, en route to Mumbai, Sachin informed that he’d probably take a 10-day break. “Some charity commitments are pending... I haven’t had the time this season... I’ll try and fulfil whatever I can over the next few days... After that, I’ll begin preparing for the IPL, perhaps around March 5...” One such commitment is expected to involve a day’s ‘coaching’ to the winners of the online auction during The Joy Of Giving Week (September 27-October 3) last year. Proceeds will go to the Mumbai-based Apnalaya, an institution which is special for the Tendulkars.
For further: www.telegraphindia.com/1100226/jsp/sports/story_12153980.jsp
Thousands of students who took the first online Common Admission Test (CAT) in 2009 for admissions into the country's prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are now crossing their fingers and waiting eagerly for the results as it is expected to be announced anytime soon. The CAT website says CAT 2009 results will be out in the end of Feb 2010. CAT 2009 result will be announced by the third week of February 2010 onwards on the CAT website. It will also list the names of the candidates short-listed for interviews by IIMs for PGP. The shortlisted candidates will then receive interview letters from IIMs, based on specific criteria which varies from one IIM to another. In 2009, CAT went online for the first time after it was conducted in paper pencil format for 30 years. But the technical glitches marred the exams affecting thousands of students, who had to take the re-exam in Jan 2010.
Ranbaxy Laboratories touched an intraday high of Rs 457.35 and an intraday low of Rs 427.15. At 09:04 hrs the share was quoting at Rs 430, down Rs 23.8, or 5.24% on the NSE. Company said that, the challenges in US market will continue. Europe remains competitive for generic drug companies. The company expects total sales of Rs 7,800 crore in 2010 and net profit at Rs 460 crore. It was trading with volumes of 102,476 shares. Yesterday the share closed up 0.62% or Rs 2.80 at Rs 453.80.
For Further: www.moneycontrol.com/news/buzzing-stocks/ranbaxy-laboratories-slips-52_443882.html
The recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission were also tabled in Parliament along with the Economic Survey. These recommendations asked for a greater share of central taxes to be allocated to the States. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said the major recommendations of the commission have been accepted. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Indira Rajaraman, Member of 13th Finance Commission; DK Srivastava, Member of 12th Finance Commission and Pronab Sen, Chief Statistician of India discuss the Economic Survey and the TFC recommendations.
For further: www.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/budget-2010-what-to-expect_443
Choices abound. Sometimes choices ashamed, but at other times, certain choices are pretty obvious. Any way you approach the topic that choice options available, either Excel or hinder. As people, we were armed with our Creator with the power of choice. It is one of the factors that distinguish people from animals. Some people make these choices or decisions more easily than others.
Every day, we decide how we will spend our precious twenty-four hours, and consider all that the world presents to us. We choose how we will be affected by both everyday occurrences and those who are far more unusual. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we choose to either react or respond. These are not the same, because you are negative and one is positive. As we choose can have a significant impact on our lives and possibly those close to us.
Response to outside influences, are usually beyond our control is generally a negative choice. Response means that we have given responsibility for the situation to someone or something else. We are giving our input and control in any case. We are now at the mercy of the situation and are forced to be a reaction mode, where we constantly dodge bullets and expending large amounts of energy just to stay afloat. In a reaction to a situation we do not expect to come because we are too busy to handle the current. The future then surprises us and the whole mess starts again.
React to a situation that is a positive choice. It is the opposite of responding. It is proactive and anticipates that there is yet to come. Reaction is preceded by thought and prayer often. In responding, we take responsibility and have command over how the situation affects us. We also have control over how it affects us internally. We decide where the level of personal consequences.
Our life, family, career and other daily activities and interests operating at breakneck speed and seems sometimes to be faster. One thing is certain, the old days sitting around on the porch every evening listening to Mother Nature's gone to many of us. The pace of life in Mayberry, as healthy and calm, as it seems, is unfortunately a thing of the past. We live life in the fast lane.
A major news magazine is currently featuring material devoted to stress and anxiety in our lives, and their impact on our cardiovascular health. Although not entirely surprising that such information is alarming. How did we ever get to this point? Witness the number of television commercials and magazine advertisements for gastric distress, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, headaches and other ailments that are increasing in frequency. There are millions of prescriptions written each day for these medical conditions, most of whom will find their roots in internalized stress and anxiety.
People spend many hours of their life worrying. Worry is a futile, energy-robbing activity that has affected many. No one has ever benefited from worry, but many people participate in it. Worry is the opposite of faith. Worry is negative, while faith is positive. There is no mystery here. Many books have been written on the subject. The conclusions are the same: "Do not Worry, Be Happy" and "Stop worrying and start living" are among the many topics presented. Good advice indeed.
Most areas of life gives us choices. We must choose to either respond or react to circumstances. We choose not to worry. Learn to be aware that you have a choice in these cases. Learn that there are ways you can handle everything, either positively or negatively. Learn to your choice can affect your very health, both physically and mentally. Learn that there will be costs associated with bad choices, worrying and negativity in general. These may include social, monetary, peace of mind and time costs. Probably, the total costs associated with adverse selection is too high.
Learn that a positive reaction to the circumstances of life will reduce or eliminate the worry and contribute to your overall good health and wellbeing. Find joy in life. Be happy.
Your ability to forgive those who have hurt you in the past, is a crucial springboard for your spiritual and emotional growth. The whole course of our lives, we collect emotional baggage. This is unavoidable, and although it may give us a great pain, it helps us define who we are as people, the result is that we grow even more and learn valuable lessons along the way about ourselves and others.
So there you have it - emotional baggage is an unavoidable part of our whole life - but it is not actually what is the real cause of dissatisfaction in your life. What is really important is how you choose to deal with that baggage, because what you do here will determine the success or failure of your future relationship .. Now there is another very important point we want to do:
People come into our lives to teach us lessons
This is what you do with these experiences that determines how your future will be. Think of all the people you encountered in your life. Is not it funny to look back and think about the last time you saw a particular person, it may have been several years ago and it is very possible that you will never see him / her in this life! The reason? Because this person has served their purpose in your life. So now that you know, think about this, what did this person teach you? Some relationships or meetings we have with other people only take a few days and some last a lifetime. But either way, each experience serves a specific purpose and is highly relevant to your life!.
Now that all the experiences we have is a lesson for us, they think people who have hurt you in the past. Have you allowed yourself to forgive them? Or are you still out in emotional pain? Will you find yourself conjuring up scenes of "sweet revenge" in your mind, or worse still, acting out these scenes? Are you able to forgive and let go? If you're not, so there is power - you or them?
Do not let people who have hurt you in the past have any control over your future!
When you make a choice to forgive others, are not you lie down and be a doormat, or you admit that the person who hurts you in the right. Forgiveness is about taking back control over your life and not let your negative emotions to rule you. And forgiveness is also about letting go of all those debilitating emotions that could be responsible for sabotaging your current situation! So ask yourself this question: Would you feel good? If you are still carrying feelings of resentment and anger towards someone who hurt you so what are you out?
Hanging on the feelings of anger, hatred or anger, will ensure that these destructive feelings will spill over into your current life and stop you from enjoying a positive, successful relationships with others.
The fact is, your subconscious mind never ignores negative energy and emotions. It will remind you every day that you should treat them, and until you do, it will manifest your unresolved emotional pain through insomnia, chronic physical pain and in extreme cases, by life-threatening illness. So there it is, take a decision today to take back your life by practicing forgiveness. Your energy is extremely expensive, so do not allow yourself to give it away to those who do not deserve to get it it! Get on with your life today and you will see miracles.
A STARK naked and intoxicated man forced the closure of a runway in India on the weekend after jumping a fence and wandering onto a taxiway. Delhi's airport security noticed the stark naked man on a taxiway nearby the runway, closing it until he could be detained. It appeared the man had climbed over a three metre high wall to enter the airport area. The height of the wall had been reduced due to drainage works, making it more easily accessible. The incident forced an incoming Kingfisher A320-200 to circle the runway before landing a few minutes later. The plane had been flying from Hyderabad to Delhi, India. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
