IPL T20 Points

IPLT20 Team rankings based on points on 1.5.2008

POINTS TABLE

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Points
IPL CHENNAI	4	4	0	8
IPL JAIPUR	4	3	1	6
IPL KOLKATA	3	2	1	4
IPL DELHI	3	2	1	4
IPL MOHALI	4	2	2	4
IPL HYDRABAD	4	1	3	2
IPL MUMBAI	5	1	4	2
IPL BANGLORE	4	1	1	2

Kate Hudson Tops 100 Most Beautiful List

Actress Kate Hudson graces the cover of People magazine this week for the release of its "100 Most Beautiful People" list, but the single mother said she does not spend a lot of money on how she looks.

Hudson, 29, daughter of Oscar-winning actress Goldie Hawn, told the magazine that she can't remember the last time she had a manicure or a facial.

The actress said, "I was a tomboy. I had three brothers. I was the girl with the dress on that always came back in the house filthy with scrapes and bruises. But I was always very girly. I had to be able to twirl so that my underwear showed."

Her best time for looking good, she says, comes "at the end of the night, when everything's soaked in and I'm still up. I like the leftover makeup in the morning. You've got to wash your face but there's always the leftover eye makeup, I love that."

Hudson was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Academy Award-winning actress Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, an actor, comedian, and musician. Hudson's parents divorced eighteen months after her birth; she and her brother, actor Oliver Hudson, were raised in Colorado by her mother and her mother's long-time boyfriend, actor Kurt Russell.

Hudson has stated that her biological father "doesn't know me from a hole in the wall", and that she considers Kurt Russell to be her father. Hudson has described her mother as "the woman that I've learned the most from, and who I look up to, who has conducted her life in a way that I can look up to.

Other Celebrities on the List:

Joining Kate on the list, which People said is not ranked, are teen queens Miley Cyrus, of "Hannah Montana" fame, and "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens, who have both been criticized for appearing in sexy or nude photographs.

"Just recently I've learned to be okay with myself without wearing makeup," said Hudgens, whose image took a battering when nude pictures of her appeared on the Internet last year.

New moms Isla Fisher, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry -- on the list for the 12th time -- are named, along with mothers-to-be Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, making her sixth appearance, and Nicole Kidman, named for the ninth time.

Jolie's partner Brad Pitt is named for the eighth time, along with George Clooney, while Matthew McConaughey makes it for the fifth time.

From the music business, Carrie Underwood, Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones and Josh Groban are considered among the most beautiful, while from television Tina Fey, Vanessa Williams, Mariska Hargitay and Marcia Cross make the list.

Paula Abdul Breakdown on American Idol

Paula Abdul suffered something of a breakdown and seemed confused on US TV show "American Idol" last night when giving her opinion on the competitors.

Whilst judging American Idol contestant Jason Castro- one of the five finalists- she gave an opinion on two tracks she thought he had sung- when he had only performed one!

"Jason, the first song, I loved hearing your lower register, which we never really hear. The second song, I felt like your usual charm was missing for me, it kind of left me a little empty. The two songs made me feel like you’re not fighting hard enough to get into the top four.”

As the audience started giggling, Randy Jackson interrupted, “That was just on the first song, though, just on the first one.” Then, Paula Abdul exclaimed, “Oh my God, I thought you sang twice.” As the audience laughed again, Ryan Seacrest said, “Just once, but Paula, you’re seeing the future, baby, you’re seeing the future, she’s coming back.” Paula Abdul protested, “This is hard.”

After this it didn’t take long for American Idol fans to swarm the official American Idol message board with accusations that the show is rigged. Many fans were wondering how Paula Abdul could have possibly known that she wouldn’t like Jason’s second song, when he had yet to perform it!

American Idol Fans are wondering if Paula’s comments show that producers tell the judges what opinions to have about various contestants. This theory suggests that it is producers who decide which contestants are praised or criticized, which helps determine who eventually wins the competition.

Second rumor circulating among the American Idol fans is that Paula is having trouble with alcohol or drugs. Paula made another slip after Syesha Mercado sang her second song, Paula blundered once again. Paula said, “Brooke, I didn’t get to say anything on the first song or second, so I’m going to say it quickly.” Not only was Paula Abdul having trouble remembering how many songs the contestants had sung, but she was also having trouble remembering who they were, as she identified Syesha as Brooke.

There have been repeated rumors that Abdul has a drugs or drink problem after erratic appearances on talk shows and at events. Paula Abdul's spokesman, Jeff Ballard, told PEOPLE the incident is "really much ado about nothing." And when asked whether the Idol judge was drinking or under the influence of drugs during the appearance Ballard said: "Absolutely not."

Jimi Hendrix Sex Tape

Jimi Hendrix fans will soon get to see Star guitar player playing something else. "This new movie shows that Jimi Hendrix could have been as great a porn star as he was a rock star. he could clearly play more than just his guitar," said Vivid Co-Chairman, Steven Hirsch.

Jimi Hendrix has long been considered by many to be the greatest guitar player of all time. His version of the Star Spangled Banner at the Woodstock Festival is still played all the time.

Hendrix will soon be seen playing more than just the guitar. A lost sex tape involving Jimi Hendrix has been turned over to porn video giant Vivid Entertainment. The company plans on releasing the video on DVD.

The video reportedly shows Hendrix frolicking with two brunettes. The tape is forty years old and has been given to Vivid by a rock memorabilia collector.

To make sure that the person in the video was Hendrix, Vivid officials brought in someone who could verify the rock star. Rock groupie Cynthia Plaster Caster was called to check the authenticity, and she acknowledged that it, indeed, was Hendrix.

The 11 minutes of footage, reportedly shot in a hotel room about 40 years ago, features Hendrix — or someone who looks like him — engaged in various sexual acts with two women.

The company said they consulted with experts to authenticate the footage. But Charles R. Cross, author of the Hendrix biography “Room Full of Mirrors,” has seen the film and doubts the man is Hendrix.

Cross said the face and nostrils of the man depicted in the video don’t match Hendrix. He also said the man in the tape is wearing more rings that Hendrix was known to wear.

Cross said that the man in the film looks like jimi, but he was not too sure about it.

Hendrix, who headlined the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969, died of a drug overdose in 1970.

Seattle-based representatives for Hendrix’s estate declined to comment about the tape.

You will have to wait till vivid releases the Jimi Hendrix sex tape to verify it for yourself.

IPLT20 Team Points

IPLT20 Team rankings based on points

POINTS TABLE

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Points
IPL CHENNAI	4	4	0	8
IPL JAIPUR	4	3	1	6
IPL KOLKATA	3	2	1	4
IPL DELHI	3	2	1	4
IPL MOHALI	4	2	2	4
IPL HYDRABAD	4	1	3	2
IPL BANGLORE	4	1	3	2
IPL MUMBAI	4	0	4	0

Baby Mama tops the Movie chart

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the proud parents of the weekend's No. 1 box-office flick as their comedy "Baby Mama" debuted with $17.4 million.

Fey and Poehler both deliver as we've come to expect from their roles on "SNL," "30 Rock" and other comedic outlets. Fey is a little tame, but she does play the love-smitten, baby-loving, high-power vice president of an organic food chain store. Poehler's character will have you doubling over with laughter, but Angie is not unbelievable.

Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) is 37 and occupationally accomplished (she works as a vice president at a comical Whole Foods-ish supermarket chain in Philadelphia). But she's single, childless, and having a terrible time conceiving. She could keep injecting herself with hormones. She could adopt. Instead, she pays an agency $100,000 to find a surrogate. The search turns up Angie Ostrowski (Amy Poehler), a petite and stupendously blond slacker with bad eating habits and a dolt named Carl (Dax Shepard) for a boyfriend.

The movie has fun outside Kate's spacious Philadelphia apartment. (It looks suspiciously like a nice adult apartment on Manhattan's Riverside Drive.) Romany Malco is Kate's sweetly streetwise doorman. Sigourney Weaver is the hilariously fertile founder of a surrogate-parent organization (her headquarters resemble the oval office). Steve Martin has some amusing scenes as Kate's kooky extra-crunchy boss - those flower-print shirts suggest he's running Trader Joe's on the side. And Greg Kinnear, getting sexier by the role, plays the owner of a smoothie shop who's worried that Kate's new store might be gentrifying the neighborhood. Here we have a slight reversal of the galling finale of "You've Got Mail," where the man puts the woman he likes out of business, but she loves him anyway.

But the movie's hook is the rapport between its two stars. They turn a classical screwball relationship upside down. Fey is Cary Grant in "Bringing Up Baby," stiff, law-abiding, humorously humorless. Poehler is Katharine Hepburn by way of Jerry Lewis. The years they spent working together on "Saturday Night Live," where Poehler still works, have turned them into a sharply instinctive comedy duo. The uproariously uncouth people Poehler often plays are a natural affront to Fey's buttoned-up professionals. They're roiling ids and ridiculously physical. Poehler gradually lets a human being out of Angie long enough for the characters to seem like more than a gag. But she's at her delirious best when out of physical control.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Media By Numbers LLC are:

Top 20 Movies This Week

1. Baby Mama 2. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay 3. The Forbidden Kingdom 4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall 5. Nim's Island 6. Prom Night 7. "21," 8. 88 Minutes 9. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! 10. Deception 11. Street Kings 12. Leatherheads 13. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed 14. Smart People 15. Superhero Movie 16. The Visitor 17. Shine a Light 18. The Ruins 19. Drillbit Taylor 20. Under the Same Moon

Cough Syrup-High on DXM

DXM In cough medications does no harm when consumed in normal dosage of one or two tea spoons. If you consume more (like half a bottle ) it produces a high along with hallucinations. This is what the kids are getting hooked to.

If your kid looks zonked, but there is not a whiff of alcohol and no visible sign of any drug abuse, its time you checked your medicine cabinet for the cough syrups. There is a rising trend in adolescents to get a high on cough medication. The reasons are not far to look. These are easily available medications(over the counter) and most homes have them in the medicine cabinet.

The active ingredient in some common cold and cough medications is dextromethorphan or DXM. That's what makes kids high. It is a legal drug that might be found in your medicine cabinet. You use it to alleviate cough and cold symptoms but some teens are abusing it and getting high.

Cough medicines with DXM when taken in large enough doses can produce hallucinations.
There are more than 100 'over the counter medications' that contain DXM. And unlike some drugs that are placed behind the counter in pharmacies, cough medications containing DXM are placed on shelves for teens to freely purchase.

Chugging cough medicine for an instant high certainly isn't a new practice for teens, who have raided the medicine cabinet for a quick, cheap, and legal high for decades. But unfortunately, this dangerous, potentially deadly practice is on the rise.

So it's important for parents to understand the risks and know how to prevent their kids from intentionally overdosing on cough and cold medicine.

Why Do Kids Abuse Cough and Cold Remedies?

Before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) replaced the narcotic codeine with dextromethorphan as an over-the-counter (OTC) cough suppressant in the 1970s, teens were simply guzzling down cough syrup for a quick buzz.

Over the years, teens discovered that they still could get high by taking large doses of any OTC medicine containing dextromethorphan (also called DXM).

DXM-containing products — tablets, capsules, gel caps, lozenges, and syrups — are labeled DM, cough suppressant, or Tuss (or contain "tuss" in the title).

Medicines containing DXM easy to find, affordable for cash-strapped teens, and perfectly legal. Getting access to the dangerous drug is often as easy as walking into the local drugstore with a few dollars or raiding the family medicine cabinet. And because it's found in over-the-counter medicines, many teens naively assume that DXM can't be dangerous.

DXM abuse is on the rise, according to recent studies, and easy access to OTC medications in stores and over the Internet could be contributing to the increase.

What Happens When Teens Abuse DXM?

Although DXM can be safely taken in 15- to 30-milligram doses to suppress a cough, abusers tend to consume as much as 360 milligrams or more. Taking mass quantities of products containing DXM can cause hallucinations, loss of motor control, and "out-of-body" (disassociative) sensations.

Other possible side effects of DXM abuse include: confusion, impaired judgment, blurred vision, dizziness, paranoia, excessive sweating, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, headache, lethargy, numbness of fingers and toes, facial redness, dry and itchy skin, loss of consciousness, seizures, brain damage, and even death.

When consumed in large quantities, DXM can also cause hyperthermia, or high fever. This is a real concern for teens who take DXM while in a hot environment or while exerting themselves at a rave or dance club, where DXM is often sold and passed off as similar-looking drugs like PCP. And the situation becomes even more dangerous if these substances are used with alcohol or another drug.

Being on the Lookout

You can help prevent your teen from abusing over-the-counter medicines. Here's how:

• Lock your medicine cabinet or keep those OTC medicines that could potentially be abused in a less accessible place.
• Avoid stockpiling OTC medicines. Having too many at your teen's disposal could make abusing them more tempting.
• Keep track of how much is in each bottle or container in your medicine cabinet.
• Keep an eye out not only for traditional-looking cough and cold remedies in your teen's room, but also strange-looking tablets (DXM is often sold on the Internet and on the street in its pure form in various shapes and colors).
• Watch out for the possible warning signs of DXM abuse listed above.
• Monitor your child's Internet usage. Be on the lookout for suspicious websites and emails that seem to be promoting the abuse of DXM or other drugs, both legal and illegal.

Above all, talk to your kids about drug abuse and explain that even though taking lots of a cough or cold medicine seems harmless, it's not. Even when it comes from inside the family medicine cabinet or the corner drugstore, when taken in large amounts DXM is a drug that can be just as deadly as any sold on a seedy street corner. And even if you don't think your teens are doing it, chances are they know kids who are.

If you have any of these products in your house, a good piece of advice: Don't store them in the medicine cabinet. Talk to your growing up kids and warn them about the danger of this silly addiction, which can turn fatal if unchecked.

If you just realized what I just realized

Here are the lyrics from the song "If you just realize what I just realized"

"Realize"

Take time to realize,
That your warmth is.
Crashing down on in.
Take time to realize,
That I am on your side
Didn't I, Didn't I tell you.
But I can't spell it out for you,
No it's never gonna be that simple
No I cant spell it out for you

If you just realize what I just realized,
Then we'd be perfect for each other
And will never find another
Just realized what I just realized
We'd never have to wonder if
We missed out on each other now.

Take time to realize
Oh-oh
I'm on your side
Didn't I, didn't I tell you.
Take time to realize
This all can pass you by..
Didn't I tell you
But I can't spell it out for you,
No its never gonna be that simple
No I can't spell it out for you.

If you just realized what I just realized
Then we'd be perfect for each other
And we'll never find another
Just realized what I just realized
We'd never have to wonder if
We missed out on each other but.

It's not always the same
No it's never the same
If you don't feel it to.
If you meet me half way
If you would meet me half way.
It could be the same for you.

If you just realized what I just realized
Then we'd be perfect for each other
And we'll never find another
Just realized what I just realized
We'd never have to wonder
Just realized what I just realized

Oh

Missed out on each other now
Missed out on each other now

Realize
Realize
Realize

Actress Molested

Hire your help with care. A south Indian starlet was molested by her domestic help. We wonder whether he just came back from watching her movie. Anyways the guy got frisky with the actress and pawed her from behind.

A model and small-time actor Sona Bhatia (23) lodged a complaint with the Oshiwara police on Saturday night, alleging that her 21-year-old servant molested her.

Shankar, who had been working for the Bhatias for two years, was arrested on Saturday night.

Bhatia lives with her mother and younger brother in a rented house in the Residency Building in Lokhandwala area in Andheri (West).

Bhatia, who has acted in South Indian and Bollywood films, was alone in the house when the incident occurred. Her mother was at a neighbour’s place.

“The model was sitting in the drawing room, wearing a nightgown. Chowdhary, who was in the kitchen, came to the drawing room for cleaning work. All of a sudden, Chowdhary grabbed her from behind and molested her,” said a Police officer. That must have come as an aftershock for the poor actress.

Bhatia screamed and managed to free herself. She ran to her bedroom, locked the door and called up her mother. Later on Saturday night, Bhatia and her mother filed a complaint and the police arrested Chowdhary.

“We have arrested Chowdhary on charge of molestation. He was sent to a holiday court( No! it is not a court that sends you on a holiday, it is a court that works on a holiday:)) on Sunday and was remanded in police custody till Monday,” added Sankhe.

The model said she was shocked by Chowdhary’s action. “I had trusted Chowdhary but he back stabbed (did you hear that, Back-stabbed!!) me. I had employed him as he was poor. He has betrayed me,” said Bhatia.

I mean wasn't it bad enough for the actresses that the producers and directors were grabbing them and now this. Its and out rage. Down with back grabbing errr I mean back stabbing and grabbing domestic help.

IPLT20 Team Points

IPLT20 Team rankings based on points

POINTS TABLE

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Points
IPL CHENNAI	3	3	0	6
IPL JAIPUR	4	3	1	6
IPL KOLKATA	3	2	1	4
IPL DELHI	3	2	1	4
IPL MOHALI	4	2	2	4
IPL HYDRABAD	4	1	3	2
IPL BANGLORE	3	1	1	2
IPL MUMBAI	4	0	4	0

Miley Cyrus Topless

Miley Cyrus Apologized for racy topless photos, for the 'Artistic' Vanity Fair Spread, she said," 'I Feel So Embarrassed. I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone."
Miley Cyrus is in the news not only for the Disney deal but also for her topless pictures in Vanity Fair. A source told the media that Cyrus is clothed but shown by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz in such a way that that the teen appears to be topless.

Teen star Miley Cyrus has issued an apology through People magazine apologizing for photos that insinuate that she is posing topless that are set to appear in Vanity Fair magazine.

The singer, 15, said,“My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy. For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie [Leibovitz]. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed.”

Who said children are exploited only in third world countries!!

According to sources Miley was not topless underneath the sheet. Although her parents left before the final photos, where photographer Annie Leibovitz took advantage of the teen, Miley’s grandmother and her teacher were there when pictures were taken. Annie convinced them it was going to be artistic. Her parents are mortified. They know this is a defining moment for Miley.

The photo suggests that she is naked, but she is not. She is covered by a sheet, and beneath the sheet she is clothed. Originally, she was in a flesh-colored tank top but was asked to remove it.

Disney sensation MILEY CYRUS is now officially the wealthiest child in the world - she is reportedly set to be a billionaire by the year’s end.

Raking in $18 million in 2007 alone, the 15-year-old singer/actress has climbed her way to the top of a list of Hollywood’s richest kids, with her Hannah Montana franchise estimated to be worth $1 billion by 2009.

Cyrus’ mother Leticia adds, “A lot goes into her investment fund, which she can’t touch until she’s 18.”

The teen hit the headlines earlier this week when it was announced she had signed a seven-figure deal with the Disney Book Group to write her autobiography, slated for a spring 2009 release.
































You are in the wrong place if you were looking for nudes. Hey! no nudes on this blog dude! This is just a Spicey-hot place.

Cheerleaders Cover Up

We have done it again. The moral brigade has succeeded in its agenda. The cheer leaders have been covered from head to toe.

And who are the most disappointed people? I can tell you, its not the ones who were not protesting, because they could not care less what the cheer leaders were doing. They were watching the cricket match not the cheerleaders. Who was ogling at the cheerleaders? The moral brigade of course. That was a no brainer. Now that they have covered up in public what the lust after in private, they are the ones who are going to sulk. They will be searching for the next target for their rage.

Meanwhile guys, I hope you are enjoying the IPLT20. There are lot of fire works out there even with covered up cheerleaders. I just hope the heat does not become unbearable for the ladies, it certainly did become too hot for Indian politicians.

I visited a site which showed the picture of an Indian film actress along with the picture of cheerleaders and guess who looked more provocative and less clad? YUP! you guessed it right.
Just so that you know what I am talking about look at the pic below. I will rest my case. you can judge for yourself.






I wonder how many politicians and their families and their followers have watched Hindi films?
This is a Family blog (sic) so I will not even ask the moral brigade how many have watched films in the color blue.


P.S. -This is no reflection on the artist shown above. She is welcome to undress or cover up as much she likes. I am sure her fan's like what they see.

Politicians and IPLT20 Cheerleaders

After Maharashtra it is the turn of the West Bengal politicians to try and ban IPL cheerleaders. I think the only place politicians can tolerate some cheer leading is at their political rallies. I have seen sexy folk singers performing at political rallies to pull in the crowds and to entertain them till the leader arrives ( which is usually hours later than the appointed time).

West Bengal sports minister Subhas Chakraborty on Friday expressed strong reservations against the “wild dancing” of IPL cheerleaders. “It goes against our tradition and culture,” he said. He said he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and convey his feelings on the issue. I think he should be more concerned with rising prices of Dal and rice.

The minister said the kind of dresses the cheerleaders wear and the dance items they present during the games cannot be acceptable to thousands of spectators(who forced anyone to become a spectator?) who watch the matches with their children, parents and elderly relatives (hey! ever heard of remote control? change the channel dude). He also came down heavily on the IPL matches saying they have been copied from the West.(where does he think cricket came from?)

However, Bhattacharjee was not ready to be drawn into the contentious issue. A visibly peeved CM said: “I don’t keep myself posted with any news about the issue. Nor do I have any wish to do so.”(well done CM)

Meanwhile, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi too refused to get embroiled in the controversy. He said the issue about the cheerleaders was not one that affected the ethos of the nation. “This is a controversy created by the media. I do not believe Indian culture can be harmed by the cheerleaders,” he said.( are our cultural values so shallow that they can be destroyed by cheerleaders!!!)

It seems some sense has prevailed in Mumbai and there will be no bar on dance in IPL matches played in Mumbai, as long as there’s no “vulgarity” that would embarrass families in the stadium.(families have a choice to stay home and not to watch IPL or cheerleaders)

Navi Mumbai police softened their stand of not allowing IPL cheerleaders at the games, saying the entertainers had valid performance licenses. Any vulgarity, however, would invite strict action, Navi Mumbai police chief Ramrao Wagh said.

“The dances should be decent and the clothes sober. The license law is clear about vulgarity in performances,” Wagh said. He could not define vulgarity, though: “It’s difficult to define; it’s a Grey area... Even courts have not defined it clearly. The officer on the spot will decide.”(next the cop on spot will decide if you are wearing vulgar clothes or if you are looking vulgar. Hide your face girl, it might be vulgar)

The police chief refused to say if any cheerleader had been ‘vulgar’ so far. He had not seen any match, he said. But, he insisted, “their performances in the city will be very different from what you have seen so far”.(doesn't he have a job to do? catching murderers, thieves, looters, rapists. I thought thats what our taxes paid for in his salary)

Doesn't it get into their politician's thick skull that if the public did not like it the public will not watch it and there will be no IPLT20 or cheerleaders to watch. It will die its own death if the public thought it is vulgar. There are other pressing problems in India which need to be solved, like poverty, education, female foeticide, AIDS, electricity, water, farmers suicides and many more. Leave the cheerleaders alone dudes, do your politicking some place else.

Bhajji's Last Stroke

The IPLT20 match at Mohali, Which was won by the Mohali IPL team, ended in a controversy. The last stroke of the match was hit by Bhajji and that too without a bat, in the form of a tight slap on the face of S. Sreesanth, after the game was over.

The Indian spinner, playing for Mumbai IPL team, slapped Sreesanth of the Mohali IPL team. The incident happened when the teams were shaking hands at the end of the match. Sreesanth broke into tears and his teammates had to console him and take him to the dressing room.

Priety Zinta, the IPL Mohali team owner, tried to keep the media lens men away from a crying Sreesanth.

An eyewitness confirmed that Bhajji did slap Sreesanth. One version said a friendly tap on Sreesanth’s cheeks triggered an altercation. Another said Sreesanth repeatedly abused Bhajji provoking him.

One version is clear, and that is that Sree was slapped by Bhajji. The other side of the story is about the provocation given by Sree to Bhajji

It has been learnt that ahead of this game that both teams desperately wanted to win, Harbhajan had warned Sreesanth not to abuse him or anyone else in the team, on the morning of the match. He apparently even told him that if he did, he would hit him.

According to sources in the Mumbai camp, even the Mumbai youngsters, many on the big stage for the first time, were told to try and ignore Sreesanth's tantrums as far as they could. They were also told that if they thought that the fast bowler had become uncontrollable, they should tell him (Sreesanth) that they would complain about him to Sachin Tendulkar or Harbhajan.

While it was not clear what exactly Sreesanth said to Harbhajan at the end of the game, though some say he crossed a line, it was reliably learnt that Harbhajan was very upset by Sreesanth's incessant and impolite chit-chat throughout the match.

One such glaring instance was Sreesanth's exchange of words with Musavir Khote after the young Mumbai all-rounder was dismissed.

However, Yuvraj confirmed that there was an ugly incident, without revealing what exactly happened. “It was unacceptable and ugly. But Harbhajan came to the dressing room and spoke to Sree. I am sure he apologized,” Yuvraj said.

Moody said: “At the end of the day, players shake hands. But what we saw was something you don’t want to see.” A Mohali spokesperson said they would lodge an official complaint with the IPL governing council on Saturday.


"A lot of things happen in a family. We are part of one family. Whatever have happened we have sorted out all, everything is fine now," Harbhajan said before leaving for Mumbai with his team this morning.

Sreesanth, on his part, also said everything was "normal" between him and Harbhajan. "Everything is normal, there is nothing between us," he said.

What ever else you might say about IPLT20 atleast you can't complain that there is no action, drama and thrill in IPLT20.

Team points in IPL T20

Team standings of DLF IPL Twenty20

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Tie	Points
IPL KOLKATA	2	2	0	0	4
IPL DELHI	2	2	0	0	4
IPL CHENNAI	2	2	0	0	4
IPL JAIPUR	3	2	1	0	4
IPL BANGLORE	2	1	1	0	2
IPL MUMBAI	3	0	3	0	0
IPL MOHALI	3	1	2	0	2
IPL HYDRABAD	3	0	3	0	0

The Knight Riders of Kolkata are leading the charge with Delhi Dare devils hot on their heels. But there is a long way to go as yet and these rankings are bound to change as we head for the finals of IPL Twenty Twenty. The game has just begun and I'm sure we will see lot of fireworks and, Politicians willing, Cheerleaders.

World's Top Ten Sexiest Women

So you want to know who is the world's sexiest woman? Beauty and sex appeal lies in the eyes of beholder but nine million voters do count. According to those 9 Million voters Megan Fox is the foxiest or sexiest woman in the world.

Megan Fox

According to FHM magazine poll Megan Fox is the sexiest woman in the world .

The "Transformers" co-star tops FHM's annual 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll of FHM readers.

The 21-year-old model-actress beat out the likes of Angelina Jolie (No. 12), Rihanna (No. 14), Kim Kardashian (No. 17), Paris Hilton (No. 77) and last year's champion, Jessica Alba (No. 3).

Fox debuted on the annual list in 2006 at No. 68 and ranked at No. 65 in 2007. Joining her in the top 10 this year are -- in descending order -- Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Elisha Cuthbert, Scarlett Johansson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Hilary Duff, Tricia Helfer, Blake Lively and Kate Beckinsale. Britney Spears came in at No. 100.

The women from MTV's "The Hills" duke it out on the list with Heidi Montag (No. 44) beating out Audrina Patridge (No. 80) and Lauren Conrad (No. 95).

Current "Dancing with the Stars" contestant Shannon Elizabeth (No. 46) returned to the ranking after being absent last year, joining professional dancers Cheryl Burke (No. 40) and Karina Smirnoff (No. 78).

FHM said nearly 9 million votes were cast for the 14th edition of the annual poll.

The Other 9 of the top ten are following. Have fun.

Jessica Biel

Jessica Alba

Elisha Cuthbert

Scarlett Johansson

Emmanuelle Chriqui

Hilary Duff

Tricia Helfer

Blake Lively

Kate Beckinsale

Don't be disappointed if your favorite fantasy girl is not among these. You should have voted in the poll dude. But I'm sure you are not displeased with all the eye candy above. Wipe of that grin and get back to work dude.

Ban the IPL cheerleaders !!!

Soon you might have an A-Adult Rating Tag on the IPLT20 match advertisment. If the moral brigade and some politicians have their way this absurd notion could actually become reality.Sorry kids, you are not allowed in the stadium, you are too young to watch IPLT20.

Today Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shatrughan Sinha criticised the presence of the cheerleaders at the Indian Premiere League matches.

Hitting out at the organisers of the IPL for the presence of cheer-girls at the stadiums, actor-turned politician today (April 24) said organisers are making a 'mockery' of cricket.

He termed the move to bring cheer girls from abroad for performing as "indecent dance".(I wonder what did was he thinking when he was dancing around in movies!) Sinha said it is "difficult to find cricket in these matches".

In a rather strong criticism of the cheerleaders the actor & MP has said it is better to employ bar girls who are out of work after the Maharashtra government banned them rather than employ scantily clad cheerleaders.Since we are good at banning stuff lets ban the cheerleaders and some political parties (e.g. BJP opponent Congress) while we are at it.

Earlier, CPI leader D Raja said one cannot expect any ethics or morality since cheerleaders are fallout of commercialising the game. Since anything the public enjoys is against the ethics and morality (according to the communists) why not ban cricket itself?

Popular Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi said the girls in skimpy outfits on the cricket ground were a distraction for batsmen. He wanted a ban on them.Then he would say ban females from the stadium because they distract him. Are you here to play cricket or watch the babes dude?

The Maharashtra government on Thursday said that it was considering a ban on cheerleaders in the DLF IPL matches in Mumbai. The objection on the cheerleaders was raised in the State Legislative Council by Maharashtra BJP president Nitin Gadkari, who is also a member of the House. Gadkari said it was degrading to women and should be banned.

"If the state has banned dance bars then how is it allowing vulgar dances by scantily-clad cheerleaders in IPL matches?" he asked. Maharahstra's Minister of State for Home, Siddharam Mhetre, said the home department would examine the issue and take a decision accordingly.

Hey how about scantily clad film heroines dancing in water falls?

The BCCI's stand on this entire episode is still unknown as IPL commissioner and BCCI vice-president, Lalit Modi declined of being aware of any such objections on the cheerleaders.

"I have not heard the ministers statement and cannot respond directly to this."

He, however, assured that all necessary guidelines have been followed by the IPL.

"All necessary guidelines for the performances of cheerleaders at IPL matches have been followed. We have broken no rules," he added.

Modi defended the cheerleaders saying, "If there are dancers on stage for so many Bollywood stage shows, why should there be any objection to cheerleaders. We call them cheerleaders and others call them dancers".

So ,do we watch IPLT20 for the game or the cheerleaders? I would say both, after all T20 cricket always had drama, action and suspense, all it was missing was glamour, now we have that too. Who are we to complain? Don't like it, don't watch it. simple

Lewd and Obscene Comments Scare IPL Twenty20 Cheerleaders

You can not imagine an IPL Twenty Twenty game without the side shows. The movie stars, Cricket Stars, Politicians and the Cheerleaders (Generally white, skimpily clad and jumping up and down with their tom-toms).

Unfortunately, behind the beaming smiles and enthusiastic hippy-hippy shakes are some very unhappy and scared young ladies because they are being targeted by the IPL (Indian Premier League) spectators with obscenities and lewd propositions.

The cheer leading ladies of IPL say that the kind of lewd comments and rude remarks they have had to endure over the last week from the Indian public had left them “disgusted and disturbed.

Tabitha, who says she’s originally from Uzbekistan, added, “Wherever we go, we do expect people to pass lewd, snide remarks but I’m shocked by the nature and magnitude of the comments people pass here… Be it a 70-year-old oldie or a 15-year-old kid, they all letch at us and make amorous advances. I feel very threatened. We are here to entertain them, to add a bit of glamor, but we are living in constant fear (of someone attempting something).”

Another cheerleader, worried about revealing her name, said: “It’s tough to dance and keep smiling when the people behind are giving you hell. People here think we’re morally loose women just because they see us enjoying ourselves. We’re doing a job and all we want is a bit of respect, that’s all.”

Cheerleaders, as the name suggests, are supposed to lead the cheer of supporters for a particular team. It encourages viewers’ participation and raises the level of game, or at least that’s what it is supposed to do. But Indian spectator mentality is different. A skimpily clad woman prancing around in a public place is looked down upon as a woman of loose character in India.

There are opposing views about the cheer leading phenomenon in IPL Twenty matches. Some feel it is a revolting and crude spectacle and is not a part of cricket. They question if people come to watch IPL matches or the skimpily clad women. Such people also think we are borrowing the worst from the west.

Others think that cheerleaders add glamour and pep to the IPL Twenty20 matches. They argue we have to change and move with time, otherwise why the colored clothing, the white ball or the 20 20 format?

As for the promoters of the game, as long as people fill up the stadiums they will not be concerned. Isn’t that the whole point? They will go to any length to get people glued to IPL Twenty20 game. They are going to provide better security to the cheerleaders in the future matches.

For the cheerleaders’ sake I, hope things improve and IPL crowds become a little more sensitive. After all these girls are just doing their job and if you don’t like what they are doing, why don’t you just watch the cricket?

Billionaire rolls out millions for England-West Indies Twenty20

English and West Indian players have been left out of IPL Twenty20 tournament. Are those guys going to miss out on all the money and publicity of IPL? Maybe not.Where such huge amounts of profits are involved it is not the cricket boards but the businessmen who take the initiative.Texas billionaire Allen Stanford has offered to put up $A107 million for England to play five Twenty20 games against his West Indies all-star team.

Texan billionaire Allen Stanford held a second round of talks at Lord's yesterday as the prospect of a multi-million dollar Twenty20 tournament between England and a West Indies select XI came a step closer.

Stanford met with England & Wales Cricket Board officials for the second time in just over a week and discussions were described as "constructive and positive".

It now seems certain that a match between England and a Stanford select team will take place in November this year at the philanthropist's purpose-built ground in St John's, Antigua.

The first $20 million game would be in Antigua on November 1 and Stanford then wants to alternate venues annually between his own purpose-built ground and Lord's.

"I said that it could be an annual event. Maybe we could come to Lord's in 2009 and then alternate. I would be happy to make a five-year commitment," Stanford said.

The BBC has reported that Stanford is keen to have an English Twenty20 league and the England and Wales Cricket Board is eager to appease players keen to cash in on tournaments.
Who can blame the payers? When their counterparts are raking in huge contract fees and advertising contracts in the Indian Premeir League Twenty20 tournament.



English player Ryan Sidebottom has given his backing to a $20m winner-takes-all Twenty20 match in the Caribbean between England and a West Indies all-star XI.

"The money that is being talked about - make no bones about it - is great," said England paceman Sidebottom.

"Everyone wants to play in it and I am no different. If there's an opportunity to play in it, then why not?"

The match, set for 2009, is one idea being considered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in its attempts to limit the potential damage to the domestic game of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Initially, the ECB stated centrally-contracted players would not be permitted to take part in the IPL, which launched its inaugural competition last week and features some of the world's biggest names.

But it has recently loosened its stance to suggest they could be released if international schedules allow.

That may be enough to appease some players - such as star batsman Kevin Pietersen who described the ECB's position as "ridiculous" - and avoid any future stand-off.

Sidebottom says he hopes to feature in the IPL at some stage.

"I watched the first game," said the 30-year-old. "It is a great competition and you've got the world's best players playing.

"I would love to play in it, I am sure everyone else would, but there is nothing we can do about it.

"I am just concentrating on England at the moment, but if it does come around then I would love to play."

And there is no doubt that it will happen sooner than later. The success of IPL Twenty20 is a testimony to the marketing potential of cricket. I hope the English and the West Indies players get a piece of the 20 20 pie.

Complete IPL Team Guide

Here is list of all the IPL T20 teams, their logos, IPL team owners, IPL T20 Captains, IPL's star players, Most expensive IPL players , IPL team members and the total cost of all the IPL teams and the betting Odds.

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Name: Bangalore Royal Challengers

Owner: Vijay Mallya

Ground: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Coach: Venkatesh Prasad

Captain: Rahul Dravid

Star player: Jacques Kallis

Most expensive player: Rahul Dravid, annual salary US$1,035,000
(ICON PLAYER, earning 15% more than next highest earner in franchise)

Squad: Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn (South Africa),

Nathan Bracken, Cameron White (Australia),

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies),

Misbah-ul Haq (Pakistan),

Abdur Razzak (Bangladesh),

Ross Taylor (New Zealand),

Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer, Praveen Kumar, Sunil Joshi, B Akhil, Vinay Kumar, Devraj Patil, Bharat Chipli, KP Appanna, B Arun Kumar, Virat Kohli, Sreevats Goswami (India).

Total cost of squad: US$5,795,000

Odds: 6/1

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Name: Chennai Super Kings

Owner: India Cements

Ground: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Coach: Keppler Wessels

Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Star player: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Most expensive player: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, $1.5m

Squad: Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey (Australia),

Stephen Fleming, Jacob Oram (New Zealand),

Makhaya Ntini, Albie Morkel (South Africa),

Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka),

Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Parthiv Patel, Joginder Sharma, Lakshmipathi Balaji, Napolean Einstein, Abhinav Mukund, Sudeep Tyagi, Rashwin, Viraj Kadbe, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Anirudha Srikkanth, P Amarnath, S Sresh Kumar, Arun Karthik and Shadab Jakati (India).

Total cost: $6,225,000

Odds: 10/3 favourites

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Name: Deccan Chargers

Owner: Deccan Chronicle

Ground: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad

Coach: Robin Singh

Captain: VVS Laxman

Star player: Andrew Symonds

Most expensive player: Andrew Symonds, $1.35m

Squad: Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds (Australia),

Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Chamara Silva (Sri Lanka),

Hershelle Gibbs (South Africa),

Scott Styris (New Zealand),

Shahid Afridi (Pakistan),

VVS Laxman, RP Singh, Rohit Sharma, Venugopala Rao, Pragyan Ojha, Halhadar Das, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Arjun Yadav, Paidikalva Vijay Kumar, Kalyan Krishna, Sarveesh Kumar, Sanjay Bangar (India).

Total cost: $6,105,000

Odds: 4/1

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Name: Delhi Daredevils

Owner: GMR Holdings

Ground: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Coach: Greg Shipperd

Captain: Virender Sehwag

Star player: Virender Sehwag

Most expensive player: Virender Sehwag, $833,750 (ICON PLAYER)

Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka),

Daniel Vettori (New Zealand),

Glenn McGrath, Brett Geeves (Australia),

Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Malik (Pakistan),

AB de Villiers (South Africa),

Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas, Mayank Tehlan, Pradeep Sangwan, Yo Mahesh (India).

Total cost: $6,372,500

Odds: 7/1

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Name: King's XI, Punjab

Owner: Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Karan Paul and Mohit Burman

Ground: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

Coach: Tom Moody

Captain: Yuvraj Singh

Star player: Brett Lee

Most expensive player: Yuvraj Singh, $1,063,750 (ICON PLAYER)

Squad: Simon Katich, Luke Pomersbach, Brett Lee, James Hopes, Shaun Marsh (Australia),

Kyle Mills (New Zealand),

Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies),

Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka),

Yuvraj Singh, Sree Santh, Piyush Chawla, Karan Goel, Uday Kaul, Tanmay Srivastava, Sahil Kukreja, Sunny Sohal, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Pankaj Dharmani, Nitin Saini, Wilkin Mota (India).

Total cost: $6,503,750

Odds: 13/2

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Name: Kolkata Knight Riders

Owner: Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla & Jai Mehta

Ground: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Coach: John Buchanan

Captain: Sourav Ganguly

Star player: Chris Gayle

Most expensive player: Sourav Ganguly, $1,092,500 (ICON PLAYER)

Squad: David Hussey, Ricky Ponting (Australia),

Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan),

Tatenda Taibu (Zimbabwe),

Chris Gayle (West Indies),

Akash Chopra, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohan Banerjee, Yashpal Singh, Debabrata Das, Sourav Ganguly, Wriddhiman Saha, Brendon McCullum, Ajit Agarkar, Iqbal Abdulla, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ishant Sharma, Shoaib Akhtar, Murali Kartik, Umar Gul, Siddarth Kaul, Ranadeb Bose, Sourashish Lahiri (India).

Total cost: $6,222,500

Odds: 6/1

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Name: Mumbai Indians

Owner: Reliance Industries

Ground: Nerul, Mumbai

Coach: Lalchand Rajput

Captain: Sachin Tendulkar

Star player: Sachin Tendulkar

Most expensive player: Sachin Tendulkar, $1,121,250 (ICON PLAYER)

Squad: Loots Bosman, Ashwell Prince, Shaun Pollock (South Africa),

Dilhara Fernando, Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka),

Luke Ronchi, Dominic Thornely (Australia),

Sachin Tendulkar, Abhishek Nayar, Ajeenkya Rahane, Ankeet Chauhan, Ashish Nehra, Dhaval Kulkarni, Gaurav Dhiman, Harbhajan Singh, Manish Pandey, Musavir Khote, Pinal Shah, Rajesh Pawar, Robin Uthappa, Rohan Raje, Saurabh Tiwary, Sidharth Chitnis, Swapnil Singh, Vikrant Yelligeti, Yogesh Takawale (India).

Total cost: $5,496,250

Odds: 6/1

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Name: Rajasthan Royals

Owner: Emerging Media

Ground: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Coach: Shane Warne

Captain: Shane Warne

Star player: Graeme Smith

Most expensive player: Mohammad Kaif, $675,000

Squad: Graeme Smith, Morne Morkel, (South Africa),

Justin Langer, Shane Watson, Shane Warne (Australia),

Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan),

Dimitri Mascarenhas (England),

Mohammad Kaif, Anoop Revandkar, Taruwar Kohli, Niraj Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Siddharth Trivedi, Swapnil Asnodkar, Sumit Khatri, Munaf Patel, Pankaj Singh (India).

Total cost: $3,610,000

Odds: 12/1

Things to do on Earth Day

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed"

Mahatma Gandhi

Earth Day is a name used for two different observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. Each year, the April 22 Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

Things to do on this Earth Day
Become better informed and active. Find sources of sound environmental and natural resource information and access them regularly. Attend local public meetings and become active in your community. Understand your local environmental challenges and accomplishments. Protect your local open spaces. Learn about local watershed initiatives. Volunteer.

• Participate in a local environmental education or Earth Day experience. Visit a new or nearby nature center, science center, park, cooperative extension office, museum or conservation district office. Ask questions.

• Get your hands dirty! Participate in a river cleanup, pick up litter or plant a flower garden.

• Enjoy nature! Sit and rest in the woods or along a stream. Take a hike, go biking, try camping, have a picnic, go fishing, look for hawks, rent a canoe, investigate a cave, look for fossils, fly a kite, take photographs, paint some scenery - enjoy the outdoors!

• Protect water quality! Clean up after pets. Test wells annually for bacteria and nutrients. Don't dump used oil, paint, coolants or other chemicals into the ground, stormdrains or garage drains. Participate in stream bank and wetlands restoration projects and local watershed management planning.

• Use products that produce less waste and pollution. Substitute water-based products whenever possible when buying paints and household cleaners. Or, switch from chemical-type cleaners to natural products like soap and water. Use fertilizers and pesticides properly and reduce use by implementing biological and mechanical controls. Read and follow instructions and precautions for all such products and dispose of them properly (and not into storm drains or the ground). Buy products in bulk or with minimal packaging materials.

• Recycle! Purchase products that contain recycled-content materials as often as possible.

• Save energy! Turn off unneeded lights and appliances. Replace standard light bulbs with energy efficient fluorescents to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Buy energy efficient household appliances and yard tools. Consider energy efficient construction and building design when building, buying, or adding on to a home or office.

• Use your car less and take good care of it. Keep the car tuned and leak-free, and get it inspected regularly. Keep tires properly inflated and dispose of used motor oil and cooling fluids at designated recycling centers. Try using mass transit, carpooling, walking or riding a bike as often as possible. When shopping for a new car, look for the most fuel-efficient and investigate models that accommodate use of other fuels besides gasoline.

• Conserve water! Install flow restrictors on all faucets and use low-flow shower devices. Do not let the water run wastefully when washing anything. Water the lawn in the early morning or late afternoon. Run washing machines and dish washers only when full. Repair leaky pipes, faucets and toilets.

What We Can Do at Home!

• Replace frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs – reduce your carbon footprint by 450 pounds a year

• Car pool, use public transportation or drive a fuel efficient car – reduce your carbon footprint by 1 pound for every mile you do not drive

• Keep your tires properly inflated and get better gas mileage – reduce your carbon footprint another 20 pounds for each gallon of gas saved

• Change your car's air filter regularly

• Run your dishwasher only when it’s full

• Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled

• Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer – reduce your carbon footprint by 2,000 pounds

• Keep your water heater insulated and the thermostat no higher than 120°F

• Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended

• Take shorter showers because showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs

• Use a low-flow showerhead because less water means less energy to heat the water – reduce your carbon footprint 350 pounds a year

• Use cold water to wash your clothes – reduce your carbon footprint by 500 pounds a year

• Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store

• Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass – reduce your garbage by 10% and you’ll reduce your carbon footprint by 1,200 pounds a year

• Plant a tree because trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breath

• Buy energy efficient appliances

• Weatherize and insulate your home, and consider double pane windows

• Turn off what you’re not using and even unplug electronics you’re not using – reduce your carbon footprint by thousands of pounds a year

• Buy organic food because the chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce

We All Have One Home:EARTH

Is your kitchen is making you FAT?

EVERYTHING FROM THE LOCATION OF YOUR MUNCHIES TO THE NUMBER OF GADGETS YOU OWN HAS AN IMPACT ON THE NUMBER OF CALORIES YOU CONSUME, HERE'S HOW TO SLIMLINE YOUR HOME




YOUR KITCHEN'S TOO CLUTTERED

Step away from the George Foreman grill! Hit American book, "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" by Peter Walsh, claims that a kitchen cluttered with gadgets we never use discourages us from spending quality time cooking wholesome food (remember the one that gives you wholesome nutition and makes your skin glow!). So say goodbye to the sandwich maker, juicer, fondue set, Believe me you won't need the stuff yo never used anyways.

THE LIGHTS ARE TOO BRIGHT

There’s a reason why fast-food restaurants are always so brightly lit. “It makes some people feel more awake, which can lead them to eat faster and consume more calories,” explains Dr Nanette Stroebele from the University of Colorado. The perfect excuse for a candlelit supper, then. This does not mean you start eating in the neighbourhood dark dingy place.Idea is to have proper ligting which is not too bright.


YOUR THERMOSTAT'S TOO HIGH

We’re keeping our homes warmer than we used to and it’s making us fat. Turn down your thermostat by a degree and your body will automatically burn more calories to keep you warm. Yup! thats why the body stores fat, to burn it, just give it a chance.


YOUR BISCUITS ARE ON THE WRONG SHELF

You’re more likely to eat food placed on lower shelves. So put the Penguins up high and you’re less likely to p-p-pick ’em up!


YOU HAVE AN OLD-FASHIONED PHONE

People who pace about when they are on the phone burn 50 more calories an hour than those who sit down to talk. So buy a cordless phone or a hands-free kit and walk while you talk.


YOU'RE PAYING ON PLASTIC

Research shows that when we pay by plastic at the supermarket we spend 30 per cent more on junk food than we would if paying by cash. So leave your cards at home and make sure you only buy the essentials.


YOUR UNDERWEAR IS TOO COMFY

You can get fit just by fidgeting. Scientists from New York found that overweight people don’t fidget as much as their slimmer counterparts. So dig out those uncomfortable pants and hairy jumpers and you could burn an extra 400 calories a day.


YOU'VE SWITCHED TO DIET DRINKS

Tests on animals have found that consuming products containing artificial sweeteners encourages the body to eat more and gain weight. If the same is true in humans, that Diet Coke break might be best left to the skinnies in the ads.


THE TV'S TOO LOUD

There might be nothing more satisfying than a bucket of popcorn and a Desperate Housewives double bill, but by distracting you, the telly makes you eat more than you need. If you have to eat in front of the box, at least turn the volume down – you’ll pay more attention to your food and be less likely to overeat.

TWENTY MINUTES

To know if we have eaten enough, it takes our brain twenty minutes to register after we have eaten. So eat slowly and relish what you are eating rather than gulping it down.


YOU HAVE TOO MUCH CHOICE

Finally! Science that explains why we can’t resist bingeing at the buffet table. Recent studies have shown that when we’re faced with lots of food choices, we like to try everything – and consume 40 per cent more calories as a result. Cut down by sticking to a maximum of four different foods at each meal.


Inputs from: John Triggs.fabulousmag.co.uk

Robert Cheruiyot wins his third consecutive Boston Marathon

Defending champion Robert Cheruiyot, who also won last year's Chicago Marathon, has become the second person to be four-time champion since Bill Rodgers in 1980.

Robert Cheruiyot has won his third consecutive Boston Marathon and becomes the first four-time winner since Bill Rodgers.

On the women's side, Ethiopian Dire Tune won in a thrilling finish that was the closest in Boston Marathon history.

Tune and Alevtina Biktimirova ran stride for stride with each other for the last few miles, then exchanged the lead several time in the last 800 meters.

Tune broke away in the final 100 meters to win her debut Boston Marathon in an unofficial time of 2:25.25, two seconds ahead of the Russian Biktimirova.

The previous closest finish in 112 year race was 10 seconds.

The 25-year-old Biktimirova ran Boston once before in 2006, and finished sixth. She won the Honolulu Marathon this December.

The 22-year-old Tune won her second straight Chevron Houston Marathon in January.

IPL T20 FINAL AT LORDS-A HOAX

The following story appeared in Telegraph UK web site. The English have missed the bus in participating in the IPL T20 cricket tournament in any form. The Venue for IPL finals is already fixed and there is no chance of it being shifted to Lords. Besides UK neither has the stadium capacity nor the kind of public participation India has. Reading the tone of this article makes me feel the English are trying to console themselves. More than the IPL final it seems they want a Twenty 20 format of their own. But where are the crowds and where is the money?

Your comments on the following story are welcome.

IPL offers Lord's Twenty20 finale

By Simon Hughes

The $5 million Champions League-style final of the Indian Premier League could be staged at Lord's this September.

That is the offer on the table to English cricket from IPL officials. They are desperately keen to stage the climax to the tournament over here, featuring the top two teams from the IPL and the leading sides from England's, Australia's, South Africa's and Pakistan's own domestic Twenty20 competitions.

Dubai had been earmarked for this international denouement in October. But the Dubai ground is unlikely to be ready in time, so the Indian organisers are in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board to find a window of opportunity.

"Not so fast, not so fast!" seems to be the reply from the ECB, some of whose senior representatives are currently in India scratching their heads. The main problem is time. The Indians want a week to stage the tournament, but in England's congested summer, that is hard to find.

The ideal time would be straight after England's final one-day international against South Africa on Sept 3rd. But the ICC champions trophy in Pakistan - a 50-over competition which represents one of world sport's most pointless and derided events - begins a week later. The international merry-go-round halts briefly in early October, but top-class cricket has never been played in England that late in the year.

With some creative thinking it could be done. Whittling the teams down to one winner could be achieved in five days in the Twenty20 format (ie between Sept 5th and 9th) but the ECB prefer to wait and see what the Indian public and business community's response to the IPL is before they take discussions further.

They are not convinced about the city franchise idea for an English Twenty20, citing the example of Essex as a county who already sell out their one-day home fixtures and therefore do not need the carrot of a new tournament or identity. Where this argument falls down is that Essex made a meagre profit last year of £17,000, and that was after their £1.3?million handout from the ECB. There is too much complacency in the running of the English game. Attitudes need to change, fast.

Large, enthusiastic crowds revelled in the IPL entertainment over the weekend despite the general absence of close matches. Mike Hussey emulated Brendon McCullum's pulsating batting in Friday's tournament opener by powering his Chennai team to an unassailable 240 on Saturday in Mohali.

In Delhi, a limp batting display by Jaipur angered their captain Shane Warne enough for a stern lecture in the dressing room afterwards. The Delhi Daredevils inevitable victory did not dissuade the home crowd from staying on and enjoying the colossal strikes and audacious shots. That is the difference with Twenty20. It is sport as dramatic incident rather than nailbiting contest.

Some of the batting has been ingenious. The one bright point in the Jaipur innings was the performance of Dinesh Salunkhe, an anonymity who was discovered last year on the Cricket Star talent show I helped create. He had the nerve to walk outside his offstump and flip a near yorker from Glenn McGrath over the keeper's head.

The reverse sweep is already passe in this competition as batsmen continue to explore cricket's 360-degree potential. Salunkhe had taken his lead from McCullum the day before.

The general advance of Indian cricket is one of the benefits of the IPL. Local players have always had raw talent but tended to lack the sophistication of other top players. Now that they are rubbing shoulders with the Warne's and McGraths and Sangakkaras, they will acquire new skills quickly.

New stars will be created. Denied the oxygen of ideas and methods that this tournament supplies, the progress of English players will be stifled. The IPL is a hotbed of physical exploration. It is a sporting brainstorm.

This is another reason the ECB must embrace the idea. The array of third-rate overseas pros in county cricket underlines the urgent need to lure the elite back to the English game they so enlightened in the Seventies and Eighties. A new Twenty20 league based on cities could also properly integrate club cricket with the professional game for the first time since the 18th century. It is the perfect opportunity for a revamp to create cricket's version of the FA Cup.

In a bold venture like this, India does have advantages. Manpower is one, the ability to rent a crowd another. Sixty per cent of the tickets have been given away so far. Consistently balmy evenings also help. Unexpected hiccups, like last night's floodlight failure at a crucial stage in Calcutta, are handled with great equanimity.

With all the comings and goings of the internationals - everyone of whom has utterly thrown himself into the fray - it is going to take time for cities to properly bond with their teams.

But by staging such vibrant cross-cultural events - sport blended with music and dance - the IPL organisers have tapped into a desire to not only watch a show but actually participate in it. Leaving the Delhi ground on Saturday night, hoardes of twentysomethings streamed out happily reflecting on their evening.

Four lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic inched along the duel carriageway in both directions. Along the road was a doleful looking little donkey trapped in the central reservation, resigned to watching the traffic pass. Symbolic of the ECB? Let's hope not.
www.telegraph.co.uk/hughes

Celebrities at IPL T20

No one is sure how the Indian public is taking to IPL (Indian Premier League) T20 game. IPL is trying to create and cash on regional jingoism in an effort to create fan following for the IPL teams. The concept of club loyalties is new to India. It seems India does not have IPL club loyalties just as yet. Club and team loyalties in the US and Europe are fierce, fans take keen interest in their team's progress and support them all out. There are queues for tickets and supporters wear the colors of their team. We have a failed concept in the form of Indian football league. It did not generate much public interest.

The scale of drama in IPL T20 is much bigger than the football league because big money is involved. By some estimates IPL twenty20 cricket will generate revenues to the tune of Rs 4000 crore (Billion dollars). No wonder we have team sponsors roping in bollywood celebrities to grace the IPL match venues. The IPL team owners are celebrities in their own right Shah Rukh Khan, Priety Zenta, Vijay Mallya to name a few. The promoters of IPL T20 are trying to cash in on Indian craze for cricket.

But the public seems confused as yet. For example the Bangalore crowd cheered the opposing team’s batsman when he hit sixes. As of now the crowds are drawn more because of curiosity about IPL than anything else. The bollywood and cricket celebrities are a big draw for the public. The advertising blitz, media coverage and initial curiosity about IPL Twenty 20 might do the trick for now but it will not create team loyalties in public. Nothing excites Indian cricket fan more than an international match especially India Pakistan match. I think they find it difficult to relate to an outsider playing for their local club.

Unless IPL T20 promoters are able to foster fan following and team loyalties in public, IPL might not be such a hot idea to make money. At least the fans will get to see their favorite celebrities in IPL matches.

Punjab IPL team's owner Preity Zinta during the IPL T20 Championship match between Punjab IPL team and Chennai IPL team at PCA Stadium in Mohali, on Saturday, April 19, 2008.

Tips to boost your Sex drive

Despite all the hush and taboo around it, Sex is good for you! (Tell that to your spouse tonight.) Plenty of studies show it: Regular sex increases immunity from viruses, relieves stress, and even helps protect the health of a man's prostate gland by emptying fluids held there. It also triggers the release of chemicals that improve mood and ease pain.(do you need any more reasons!!! besides it feels soooooo good)

For all of you who thought you were over the hill the good news is that most people can and should have sex well into old age! While menopause in women does affect sexual drive and function somewhat, there is no reason healthy men or women can't experience sexual pleasure at any stage in life. Sure, the nature and intensity of the sex may change, but the love and pleasure don't! (you might not even need viagra)


If your sex drive has stalled out, you have good reasons to rev it back up again (Mannn you will live longer and helathier). You don't need jumper cables or even little blue pills. Just try a couple of these tips and I guarantee your engine will be turning over again in no time.


1. Have sex tonight! Having intercourse regularly helps to keep your sex drive in high gear by increasing the production of testosterone, which is the hormone mainly responsible for libido in both men and women. The more often you do it, more often you want to do it and more often you are able to do it. What more do you want!

2. Stub that cigarette. If you smoke, ask your doctor to prescribe you the nicotine patch. Why? Because it's scientifically proven that smoking can clog the blood vessels in the penis in the same way it clogs the arteries in your heart. Ever heard a better reason to quit?

3. Make a list of all the medicine you're taking, then check with your doctor for party poopers. More than 200 medications can cause erection problems and diminished sex drive, including drugs used to treat high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, and stomach problems. Check the Internet or ask your pharmacist or doctor if any of the drugs on your list could be culprits. Of course, you can't stop taking a drug you need, but you can talk to your doctor about possibly changing the brand, dose, or timing of your medication.

4. Spend tonight planning a steamy vacation. Even if you don't go, spending time together picturing where you'd go, looking at photos on the Web, and imagining yourself in some tropical paradise will be enough of a libido booster to get you to bed -- early. Plus, it's a lot more stimulating to talk about than why your teenager is failing geometry.

5. Women: Practice Kegel exercises. You know what Kegels are -- they're the squeezing exercises your doctor told you to do after pregnancy or because you were having a bit of a problem with leaking urine. What Doc probably didn't tell you is that they're also great for strengthening the pubococcygeus muscle, essential for orgasm. To do Kegels, take note of the muscle you use to stop urinary flow, then practice contracting that muscle, gradually releasing it. Work up to 20 contractions three times a day.


Turn on Aphrodisiacs:

6. Men: Start taking supplements of ginkgo biloba every day. The herb promotes better blood flow, getting more blood to the brain and...other organs. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out how that might help you! Follow the instructions on the bottle, but check with your doctor first.

7. Make pesto and serve it over pasta tonight. Pesto contains pine nuts, great sources of arginine, the precursor for nitric oxide, a main ingredient in drugs like Viagra. Arginine helps open blood vessels so blood flow improves.

8. Go to the movies with your partner, sit in the back row, and neck like you used to when you were a teenager. You'll be combining the forbidden with the frustrating -- a sure bet to get your juices flowing.

9. Every time you pass your partner, reach out and touch or kiss him or her. Don't allow these moments to go beyond the kiss or hug. Simply increasing the amount of physical contact you have with your partner will help with desire.

10. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon wheat germ on every cup of yogurt and every bowl of cereal you eat. Wheat germ's rich in zinc, which is important to the production of that all-important hormone, testosterone. You can also get your fill of zinc in beef, eggs, and seafood -- especially oysters!

11. When you're at a party or out in public with your partner, take a moment to stare at him/her across the room as if you were still wooing one another. Sex falls out of a relationship when you take one another's presence for granted. So don't!

12. Rent an erotic video and watch it with your partner. Use the time to talk about what you like and don't like during sex (and before and after).

13. Read a sexy "bodice ripper" out loud to your partner. Play-act the parts of the ravishing heroine and her handsome, yet dangerous lover.

14. Open your eyes when you kiss and when you are, um, intimate. Looking into your partner's eyes during such times sends an incredible message of trust and honesty.

Intimate Rituals

15. Say exactly what's on your mind -- sexually, that is. If you're watching your husband pull out the tree stump in the backyard and you get a certain weakness in your legs watching the sweat roll off his back, tell him. If the sight of your wife comforting your teenage son after his first-ever girlfriend dumped him makes you glad all over again that you married her, tell her. Simply expressing how everyday things make you feel deepens your intimacy when said out loud.

16. Pretend you've just met. Remember that weak-in-the-knees, shivers-up-your-back feeling you used to get when you first met? You can have that again. Call her and ask her out on a date. Dress up for lunch with him. Buy new underwear.

17. Create your own intimate rituals. No, we're not talking about sex. But what about waking him up with a steaming cup of coffee instead of the alarm every morning? What about having a hot bath ready for her in the evening? How about a special dinner out every Tuesday -- when most couples are zoned out in front of the TV? Or massaging her feet while you watch a DVD with a big bowl of popcorn? The key is consistency. These are not things you do just once, but over and over again until they become like a secret language between the two of you.

18. Get a massage. Or a pedicure, or a facial, or whatever makes you feel better about yourself. If you take care of your own body, you're much more likely to be able to enjoy it. Another good way to take care of yourself is exercise. A side benefit for both men and women: better blood flow to crucial organs.

19. Turn the timer on for 15 minutes and talk to him (or her) about anything other than kids, money problems, or work annoyances. Tell him about the dream you had last night. The cute teenager you saw at the diner who reminded you of yourself when you were in high school. The great presentation you made today and how it made you feel. When the timer goes off, it's your partner's turn.

20. Go away for a couple of days -- by yourself. While you're away, make a list of all the things you love and like about your partner. Close your eyes and picture yourself making love. Call him/her and have an erotic phone conversation. By the time you get home, you'll be so greedy for each other that the front hall will look like a king-size mattress.

21. Send the kids away and stay home together. Make love in a different part of the house. It can be as steamy as in your bathtub or as romantic as on a blanket in front of your fireplace.

22. Before you go to bed, take a few minutes to write out a to-do list and a list of your worries. This gets rid of the worries that can often interfere with your ability to relax and become aroused.

Mix it Up

23. Spend an hour with your partner touching every part of his/her body -- but you can't use your hands. Use other parts of your body (including your imagination) instead. Conversely, caress one another only with your hands touching every part of the body except the genital zones. This can remove any pressure you might feel to "get right to it" after a hectic day on the job and is a wonderful way, at least for the woman, to relax and escape from the daily grind and transition from her other (oh-so-non-sexual) roles.

24. Open up a dozen oysters. After all, Casanova is said to have had 50 oysters every morning off the breast of a young woman in the bathtub -- so they have to be good for something. Actually, as you read a few tips ago, oysters are loaded with zinc, critical for production of testosterone, the sex hormone in both men and women.

25. Stop at one (or two) drinks at the most. A small amount of alcohol can set the mood; more can drown the flame of desire, or lessen your ability to see your desire through.

26. Go purchase at least one item of sexy lingerie. Okay, this is for the ladies...but the feel of soft silk against your skin will help wake up those sensuality nerve endings. And who knows what will happen when that happens?

27. Re-create your favorite sexy scene in a movie. You know the ones -- the lobster scene in Flashdance. The ice scene in 9 1/2 Weeks. Mena Suvari's cheerleading routine in American Beauty, Clark Gable carrying Vivien Leigh up the stairs in Gone With the Wind, the pottery scene in Ghost, the part in The Bridges of Madison County when Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood dance in her kitchen. Whew!

28. Create a romance CD for him (or her). Have it playing when your partner returns home. Light a few scented candles while you're at it. Who knows what might ensue?

29. Tell your partner two things you love about him/her every day. Love, affection, and mutual respect are the bases for a steamy sex life.

30. Call your partner at work. Tell him or her in no uncertain terms what you would like to do when he or she gets home. Another option: Set up a private e-mail account and e-mail the message.

31. Do something physical together, like skiing, a long country walk, a stroll along a beach, canoeing. Such activities let you see one another in a different light, creating a sense of physical vitality that readily translates into intimacy.

32.Last but not least, tell your partner how good it was for you and don't hold back on compliments.

Name's Bond and thats my car

A stunt driver has crashed the car used by movie secret agent James Bond into Italy's Lake Garda during filming of 007's latest movie, Quantum of Solace.

The driver was delivering the iconic Aston Martin DBS to the film scene in heavy rain when he lost control around one of the lake's narrow curves.

The driver was quickly rescued and taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Italian TV showed the car, reportedly the only one available for use in the film, being winched out of the lake.

Filming for the movie - starring Daniel Craig as the latest Bond - has already taken the crew to England, Panama, Chile and Mexico.

The newest film in the long-running 007 franchise is to be released later this year.

Sandra Bullock and husband, in a head-on crash

Sandra Bullock and her husband, Jesse James, were hit head-on by a drunk driver in Gloucester,Massachusetts last night.

Bullock and her husband were being driven home at around 9:50 pm when a gray Subaru station wagon jumped lanes and smashed into the front end of their car.

Thankfully, nobody was injured, but 64-year-old Lucille Gatchell who was behind the wheel of the ‘other’ vehicle, was arrested after she blew a .20 on the breathalyzer - two and a half times the legal limit.

Sandy and Jesse were in a rented SUV that was being driven by someone else. The Gloucester Police Lt. said as he approached the scene, James and Bullock were hugging each other. They said they were fine, they didn’t need medical attention. There were quite a few people snapping pictures of them.”

“Mrs. Bullock was very personable and was concerned for drunk driver's well-being.”
The actress played an addict ordered into rehab after a drunken-driving accident in 2000’s “28 Days,” a role that left her with compassion for alcoholics.

“It’s a disease,” she told the Herald in a 2000 interview. “It’s not your fault and you may be predisposed to it and you don’t know until you take a drink. It’s not the person’s fault, it’s the behavior.

Lucile Catchell is seen in her booking photo after being arrested by Gloucester police for drunken driving.

20 easy tips for staying fit

1. Take the stairs --Even if you are riding an escalator climb the stairs while you ride. You'll get there faster and use your muscles while you're at it. Just 5 minutes of stair climbing burns 144 calories.Next time avoid the lift and burn some calories.

2. After grocery shopping instead of piling items on the stairs so you can take them upstairs at once, take them one at a time.

3. Whenever you have time to kill, kill calories along with it e.g. cooling your heels while waiting in a doctor's office, drugstore, or airport, stay on your feet -- standing burns 36 more calories per hour than sitting.

4. Rake leaves instead of using a leaf blower: You'll burn 50 more calories every half hour and if you can use traditional lawnmower(without power), it is as good as a workout in the gym.

5. Scrub your floors more often. Putting some elbow grease into cleaning floors is more intense than vacuuming -- and it makes your floors look better to boot.

6. Chew sugarless gum. Research has found that the action of jaw muscles alone burns about 11 calories an hour.

7. Wash your car by hand instead of taking it through the automatic car wash. You'll burn an extra 280 calories in an hour and you will bond better with it.

8. Play with kids: Impromptu games of basketball, touch football, or tag -- or just jumping rope or throwing a ball -- will help you use energy and set a good example of active play for the children. Calories burned: 80 to 137 every 10 minutes.


9. Take that extra step -- or an extra 1,000. The key to burning calories is to simply get moving. You don't even have to change your clothes to get up from your desk or couch and walk around the block. Make each step up the stairs or across the parking lot count by logging your movement with a pedometer.

10. Rediscover your sense of adventure. While you're out and about on foot, make it a point to wander. Take a left turn at the park instead of your usual right, or explore a new street in your neighborhood. Getting your body in gear won't be such a chore if your mind stays interested.

11. Ask for a dogie bag. Despite these times of biggie-size portions, you can still control how much you eat when dining out. Ask your server to set aside half your meal before it even reaches your table, and save it for takeout. That way you won't be tempted to overeat.

12. Don't be afraid of a little competition. Other people working out at the gym or on the trails can be great motivators -- even if you don't know them. Challenge the person next to you without saying a word: If he's on the stationary bike at a certain speed, dial yours up a notch. Or try to outlast the woman on the treadmill next to you, even if it's only for 5 minutes longer.

13. Identify your dietary downfall. We all succumb to diet dont's, whether it's dining regularly on the contents of the vending machine at work, plowing through a bag of chips in front of the TV, or ending a meal with a decadent dessert. You can improve your eating habits by owning up to why you went astray in the first place. Are you stressed? Bored? Try to cope in a way that doesn't involve food. For example, instead of grabbing a pint of gourmet ice cream after a bad day, talk it out with a friend.

14. Be your best ally. Motivating yourself is key to sticking to a fitness plan. Blast dance music that compels you to get up on your feet. Surround yourself with photos that show your progress, or hang positive messages on the fridge. When you achieve an important goal (reaching your ideal weight or mastering a workout routine), reward yourself with non-food items such as a new outfit or a day at the movies.

15. Shift into reverse. Sometimes a change in perspective is all you need to go that extra mile or rep. If doing a set of squats seems daunting, try counting backward -- you'll focus on the fewer reps you have left and not how much more you have to go.

16. Get enough energy. Half an hour before your activity, drink about eight ounces of water. You should eat a nutritious snack about one to three hours prior to the start of your workout. If you plan to sweat it out for more than 30 minutes, sip water every 15 to 20 minutes.

17. Take a hike. Hiking is a fun activity that lets you burn through calories while you explore your natural surroundings. And you don't have to go on vacation to get back to nature; start out at hiking trails at local parks or wilderness preserves in your area. A great resource is Local Hikes, which lists trails near U.S. metropolitan areas.

18. Don't get stuck in a rut. Your body needs to be challenged in order for you to achieve improved fitness levels. Experts advise trying something new every three to four weeks. But you don't need to overhaul your entire routine; try minor adjustments such as increasing the frequency of your workouts from two to three times a week, switching from the treadmill to an elliptical trainer, or trying a new class such as Pilates or yoga.

19. Be speedy during a run, not a meal. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is filling up, so a feeding frenzy is a sure way to over stuff yourself. Slow down and savor your food. Try putting down your utensils while you chew each bite, or drink water more often. Take part in the conversation at your table; a satisfying meal should be about enjoying one another's company as well as feeding your appetite.

20.Don't lie down when you can sit, don't sit when you can stand and don't stand when you can walk.Remember you did not put on all that weight in one day so give yourself a little time to lose it.

Hoodwinked US General

The US's most senior general was "hoodwinked" by top Bush administration officials determined to push through aggressive interrogation techniques for terror suspects held at Guantánamo Bay, the Guardian can reveal.(and we thought the US public was hoodwinked by the generals)

The development led to the US military abandoning its age-old ban on the cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners.(weren't they following local traditions? Do in Rome as Romans do)

General Richard Myers, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff from 2001 to 2005, wrongly believed that inmates at Guantánamo and other prisons were protected by the Geneva conventions and from abuse tantamount to torture.

The way he was duped by senior officials in Washington - who believed the Geneva conventions and other traditional safeguards were out of date - is disclosed in a devastating account of their role, extracts from which will be published in tomorrow's Guardian.

In his new book, Torture Team, Philippe Sands QC, a professor of law at University College London, reveals:

• Senior figures in the Bush administration pushed through previously outlawed measures with the help of unqualified and inexperienced military officials at Guantánamo.

• Myers believes he was a victim of "intrigue" by top lawyers at the department of justice, the office of the vice president, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld's defence department.

• Myers wrongly believed interrogation techniques had been taken from the army's field manual.

The lawyers who pushed through the interrogation techniques - all of them political appointees - were Alberto Gonzales, David Addingon and William Haynes.(lawyers need torture technique...aren't they pain in the butt automatically!)

Others involved were Doug Feith, Rumsfeld's undersecretary for policy, and Jay Bybee and John Yoo, two assistant attorney generals.

The revelations have already sparked a fierce response in the US from those familiar with the contents of the book.

They are determined to establish accountability for the way the Bush administration violated international and domestic law by sanctioning prisoner abuse and torture.

The Bush administration has tried to explain away the ill-treatment of detainees at Guantánamo and the Abu Ghraib prison, in Baghdad, by blaming junior officials.(scapegoats..baaaa)

Sands establishes that pressure for the aggressive and cruel treatment of detainees came from the very top and was sanctioned by the most senior lawyers.

Myers, the most senior military officer of the most powerful country in the world, was one top official who did not understand the implications of what was being done.(Is that why he held the top position???)

Sands, who spent three hours with the former general, describes him as being "confused" about the decisions that were taken.

Myers did not realise that fundamental safeguards provided by the Geneva conventions and elsewhere were being abandoned by his own junior officers as well as political appointees in the administration, the author says.

He believed new techniques recommended by Haynes and authorised for use by the military at Guantánamo by Rumsfeld in December 2002 had been taken from the US army field manual.(Every country US invades or intends toinvade should be given a free copy of that manual so that they can prepare themselves)

However, none of the severe interrogation techniques came from the manual(you mean out of syllabus), and all breached established US military guidelines and rules.

The techniques included hooding, sensory deprivation and physical and mental abuse.

"As we worked through the list of techniques, Myers became increasingly hesitant and troubled," Sands writes. "Haynes and Rumsfeld had been able to run rings around him."(wasn't that part of their job profile)

Myers and his closest advisers were cut out of the decision-making process, so he was not given sufficient opportunity to object to measures he now says he strongly disapproved of.

He did not know that Bush administration officials were changing the rules allowing interrogation techniques, including the use of dogs, amounting to torture.

"We never authorised torture, we just didn't, not what we would do," Myers said.

Sands comments: "[Myers] really had taken his eye off the ball ... he didn't ask too many questions, or inquire too deeply, and kept his distance from the decision-making process."(whose ball!..oh u mean golf ball terminology...was the general playing golf...while juniors were practicing torture?)
PS :Italics are mine the boring stuff belongs to "The Guardian"

IPL T20 Boom or Bust

Indian TV channels, print media and the Net are over spilling with the coverage of IPL (Indian Premier League Cricket) T20. T20 simply refers to a cricket match limited to 20 over. This is latest format of cricket after test and one day matches.

Every country has a national past time. In the US there is baseball, NBA, American football (not o be confused with soccer), Europe is crazy about Soccer (not to be confused with American football), down under New Zealand and Australia have rugby (again not to be confused with American football) India has cricket. Most countries too have sports they are crazy about but none are crazier than Indians are about cricket. The nation virtually comes to a standstill when ever there is cricket match.

Where ever there is a national sport, there is money, and no other sport offers more money than cricket. There is a logical reason behind this. And the reason is the captured TV viewers.
Now whenever there is a commercial break during a TV programme, people immediately switch/surf channels and the advertiser looses viewers, but no one changes the channel during the brief interval after an over is finished. People do not want to miss out on the first ball of the next over or any replay. In a T20 match there are at least 40 assured advertising slots after each over and more when a player gets out.

As if that was not enough now you have ads while the bowler walks back to his run up or just after batsman has hit the ball. There is a hustle among advertisers to pay moolah for these ad slots. TV channels bid billions to capture the broadcasting rights of IPLT20 and advertisers pay up to promote their products. (The end users of the product, you and I, pay for it dude)

So you can understand why BCCI (Board of Cricket Control of India) office bearer’s elections are such a big deal. Now you know why politicians like Shard Pawar and other luminaries make such an effort for post of BCCI president. Money brings power and BCCI has all the money in the sporting world. None of these guys are there for the sake of the sport. Hockey (remember the one time national sport and now the nation's shame) does not generate any revenue, so retired police officers like Gill are given the abandoned baby to do with it as they please. No one is interested in hockey any more since it does not generate money like IPL, hence no sponsors or advertisers.

Now where there is money there are businessmen. The first to come up the T20 national league was ‘Z TV’ broadcaster Subhash Chandra. He started ICL (Indian cricket league). He roped in legendry Indian captain Kapil Dev. I believe Kapil Dev really wanted to help out the cricketers who were left out in the cold with no income or support from BCCI.

BCCI knows a good thing when it sees one, specially where money is to be made. BCCI also does not want to lose its stranglehold over Indian cricket. First it tried to disrupt ICL by banning players playing in it, a big discouragement for any youngster who aspires to play for the national team. Then it came up with its own version of T20 cricket in the form of IPL. Business men (like Ambani, Wadia, Mallya ) and movie stars (Shah Rukh Khan, Priety Zinta etc) got involved (and I am sure not for the love of cricket alone), and suddenly big money was at stake. Players were auctioned, telecast rights were sold and in time you will see merchandising on the scale you have never seen before. The prize money is big, but still bigger is the loot that the sponsors and Team owners are going to rake in. It is good for the players too.DLF IPL team players are getting hefty contract fees.

Is it good for cricket? That’s a moot point. From a sport IPL T20 has turned it into a spectacle. DLF IPL T20 does not resemble the gentleman's sport it once was.

Will the Indian public digest DLF IPL? Only time will tell. ICL (Indian Cricket League) has not been much of a crowd puller in its second year. The stadium at Panchkula, Haryana never really filled up.

The IPL match at Mohali stadium was not much of a crowd puller either, more than half empty for the IPL T20 match. Are people glued to television sets? I doubt it. Despite all the cheerleading, movie star promos and song and drama at matches, IPL T20 has a long way to go. The Indian public has not formed any loyalties with teams as yet. It might happen and it might not.

With the kind of money involved you can be sure to see much more drama and glitz in IPL T20 than actual cricket. The promoters (BCCI and team owners) are cash rich and they are going to go all out to promote IPL T20. I hope some of the Indian youngsters get an opportunity to play and learn in IPL matches so that eventually Indian Team gets some new blood to perform better in the International Arena.

The Odds Of Finding Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life

Is there anybody out there? Probably not, according to a scientist from the University of East Anglia. A mathematical model produced by Prof Andrew Watson suggests that the odds of finding new life on other Earth-like planets are low, given the time it has taken for beings such as humans to evolve (Are we evolved! I mean already!I thought we were still evolving) and the remaining life span of Earth.

Structurally complex and intelligent (!!!!!!!! aren't we the ones killing each other with bombs?) life evolved late on Earth and it has already been suggested that this process might be governed by a small number of very difficult evolutionary steps.

“At present, Earth is the only example we have of a planet with life. (excuse me! how many planets have we visited?) If we learned the planet would be habitable for a set period and that we had evolved early in this period, then even with a sample of one, we’d suspect that evolution from simple to complex and intelligent(again that word) life was quite likely to occur. By contrast, we now believe that we evolved late in the habitable period, and this suggests that our evolution is rather unlikely. In fact, the timing of events is consistent with it being very rare indeed.”

His model, published in the journal Astrobiology, suggests an upper limit for the probability of each step occurring is 10 per cent or less, so the chances of intelligent life emerging is low – less than 0.01 per cent over four billion years.

Each step is independent of the other and can only take place after the previous steps in the sequence have occurred. They tend to be evenly spaced through Earth’s history and this is consistent with some of the major transitions identified in the evolution of life on Earth.

You can sleep soundly tonight. There is not going to be any alien invasion and all those bright flashing lights you saw, i think you need to get in touch with your fix supplier or maybe your psychiatrist.
P.S. Italics are my intelligent input. For orignal dumb article click here >>>

New Dutch army chief's son killed in Afghanistan

War takes its toll on one and all and the saddest part is that an occasion for celebration for the Dutch army chief turned into a moment for mourning. The force he heads, has in a way consumed his child.

The son of the Netherlands' newly-sworn in army chief Peter van Uhm was killed Friday in a bomb attack in Afghanistan, one day after his father took over the command of the Dutch army.

Another soldier was killed and two others seriously injured when their vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device about 12 kilometers northwest of the Dutch base at Camp Holland in the southern province of Uruzgan, the Dutch government said in a statement.

23-year-old First Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm who was killed in Afghanistan on Friday when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
The blast happened while the soldiers were returning from a surveillance operation to the Dutch base on Friday morning.

Van Uhm took over from Dick Berlijn as commander of the Dutch armed forces on Thursday.

At present there is no reason to believe that Dennis van Uhm, 23, was specifically targeted, the statement said.

Acting army chief Freek Meulman was quoted by Dutch media as saying that while journalists were aware of his presence, the issue had been kept quiet on the Defense Ministry's request due to concerns of possible higher risks.

Dutch Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop told a news conference on Friday he had given Van Uhm immediate leave to concentrate on his personal situation.

Friday's attack brought the total number of Dutch soldiers killed in Afghanistan to 16.

The Netherlands has some 1,700 soldiers in the country and decided at the end of last year to extend its mission until the end of 2010.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting Friday, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said that the ministers were greatly dismayed by the report, but the Netherlands "will continue along our chosen path with strength and unity."

My heart goes out to all who lose their precious near and dear ones in this human misadventure irrespective of their nationality, color, creed or belief.

IPL Begins With a Bang

The IPL (Indian Premier League) began with a glamorous opening ceremony that contained fabulous fireworks, but the real fireworks came from Brendon McCullen who hammered Twenty20 cricket's highest ever score, an unbeaten 158, as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Bangalore Royal Challengers by 140 runs in the opening Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Friday night.

McCullum was adjudged the Man of the Match for his breathtaking innings, during which he cracked 10 boundaries and 13 sixes in front of a boisterous crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Also present to cheer teams were their owners - Vijay Mallya of the United Breweries group for the home team and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for the Koklata squad.

The IPL has brought together some of the fiercest players from the world over. It was, for instance, unimaginable to have Ganguly and Ponting, who have contested many a battle for their countries and also the 2003 World Cup final, hug and embrace each other when Bangalore batted.

The 45-day tournament will have 59 matches, with the final slated for June 1 in Mumbai.

IPL : the verdict

The contest

The players cared all right. It took Zaheer Khan only one ball to give Brendon McCullum the glare. When Ashley Noffke had figures of 0.1-0-11-0 he looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.

The support

The stadium was packed, but the biggest cheer was when Sachin Tendulkar signed a declaration affirming the MCC's spirit of cricket.

The glitz

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, owner of the Kolkata franchise, was joined in the crowd by fellow actor Preity Zinta, co-owner of Mohali. Washington Redskins cheerleaders danced; Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Bollywood music directors, sang.

The conclusion

Could hardly have been better. The opening ceremony and McCullum's innings will be talked about for years.The Gentleman's game has got a complete makeover with IPL.

5.2 earthquake rocks large region of Midwest

Residents across the Midwest were awakened Friday by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or damage.

The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered six miles from West Salem, Ill., and 45 miles from Evansville, Ind. It was felt in such distant cities as Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa, and Atlanta, nearly 400 miles to the southeast.

The quake struck at a shallow depth of 7.2 miles, according to the USGS. The agency initially said the quake had a magnitude of 5.4 but later verified it at 5.2.

A fault zone in the area where the temblor was centered has produced quakes in the past. Experts have said soil conditions in the central United States are such that shocks in the region tend to travel farther and be felt in wider areas than in places such as California where a 5.2 magnitude quake would be more quickly absorbed.

The quake is believed to have involved the Wabash fault, a northern extension of the New Madrid fault about six miles north of Mount Carmel, Ill., said United States Geological Survey geophysicist Randy Baldwin.

The last earthquake in the region to approach the severity of Friday's temblor was a 5.0 magnitude quake that shook a nearby area in 2002

In Louisville, Ky., the quake caused some bricks to fall off a building near downtown. Television video showed them strewn in the street.

In Chicago, officials were checking structures downtown to ensure there was no damage. The quake also shook skyscrapers in downtown Indianapolis, about 160 miles northeast of the epicenter.

The strongest earthquake on record with an epicenter in Illinois occurred in 1968, when a 5.3-magnitude temblor was recorded about 75 miles southeast of St. Louis, according the USGS. The damage was minor but widespread and there were no serious injuries.

In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault produced a series of earthquakes estimated at magnitude 7.0 or greater said to be felt as far away as Boston. They were centered in the Missouri town of New Madrid (pronounced MAD rid), 140 miles southeast of St. Louis.

Experts say that with the much higher population in the Midwest, another major quake along the New Madrid fault zone could destroy buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, disrupt communications and isolate areas.

Nano switch to change the future chips

Your humble lead pencil holds the solution to the future of chip technology.

Researchers have built the world's smallest transistor - one atom thick and 10 atoms wide - out of a material that could one day replace silicon.

The transistor, essentially an on/off switch, has been made using graphene, a two-dimensional material first discovered only four years ago.

Graphene is a single layer of graphite, which is found in the humble pencil.

The transistor is the key building block of microchips and the basis for almost all electronics.

Dr Kostya Novoselov and Professor Andre Geim from The School of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester have been leading research into the potential application of graphene in electronics and were the first to separate a sheet of the material from graphite

Super material

Graphene has been hailed as a super material because it has many potential applications. It is a flat molecule, with only the thickness of an atom, and both very stable and robust.

The researchers are also looking at its use in display technology - because it is transparent.

The Manchester-based scientists have shown that graphene can be carved into tiny electronic circuits with individual transistors not much larger than a molecule.

Dr Novoselov told BBC News that graphene had many advantages over silicon because it could conduct electricity faster and further.


According to Dr Kostya Novoselov Silicon will be replaced by graphene

"These transistors will work and work at ambient, room temperature conditions - just what is required for modern electronics," he said.

Dr Novoselov said graphene was a "wonderful conductor", making it a perfect material for chip applications.

"It is already superior to silicon by an order of magnitude and comparable to the best samples of other materials.

"We believe we can increase this mobility of electron flow 10-fold."

Graphene is a hot topic among semiconductor researchers at the moment because it is an excellent conductor of electricity. Unlike silicon graphene transistors perform better the smaller they become.

Leak electricity

The global semiconductor business is currently built on sand; stamping out microchips from large silicon wafers.

Companies like Intel have a roadmap to reduce the size of circuits on the silicon wafer, down to about 10 nanometres - 10,000 times smaller than the width of a single human hair.

Many researchers believe that producing circuits smaller than 10 nanometres in silicon will be too difficult because they start to leak electricity at that size.

That current silicon roadmap is expected to end in 2020, making the race to find alternative materials potentially very lucrative.

Producing graphene sheets big enough to be used as wafers for chip production remained the biggest hurdle, said Dr Novoselov.

"We can control the cut down to 20 nanometres. And then when we have to scale down to one nanometre we use a bit of luck.

"The yield of the working devices is about 50%."

Many researchers around the world are working on creating large wafers of graphene.

In order to produce microchips wafers would need to be several inches across. The biggest wafer produced so far is 100 microns across, just a tenth of a millimetre.

Electron microscope view of the graphene transistor
Short and narrow constrictions in graphene can act as high-quality transistors

"I do believe we will find the technology to do this. And when we do silicon will be replaced by graphene," said Dr Novoselov.

Professor Bob Westervelt, in an assessment of the material and its future application in the journal Science, wrote: "Graphene is an exciting new material with unusual properties that are promising for nanoelectronics.

"The future should be very interesting."

Dr Novoselov added: "Given the material was first obtained by us four years ago, we are making good progress."

He said the process of using graphene to build circuits was very compatible with silicon technology.

"At the moment we use all the same steps to make a transistor as is done by the silicon industry. So once we have large wafers of graphene it should be straightforward to use the same process."

But it might be another 10 years before the first integrated circuits on graphene chips appear, he said.

Shorter term

In the shorter term graphene could be used in LCD displays to replace materials used to create transparent conductive coatings.

"The computer screen relies on good transparent conductors. But current materials are expensive and hard to produce.

"Graphene is only one atom thin so is absolutely transparent - it's a really wonderful conductor.

"We propose to use it as a transparent conductor, using small interconnecting graphene sheets all together."

The material is also being touted for use in solar panels, transparent window coatings and also for sensing technologies.

Dr Kostya Novoselov and Professor Andre Geim from The School of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester presented their findings in the 17 April issue of Science.

Source: BBC

Global Warming -Seas rising @ 2.5mm/yr

Don't rush to buy the jacket yet, but maybe you should leave some money for your kids to buy a boat soon enough.

New data showing that Indian seas are rising at the rate of 2.5 millimeters per year can spell doom for over 7.1 million people living in the coastal areas in the next 50 years.

The empirical evidence of the impact of global warming on the country shows that the sea level is rising 2.5 mm every year as against an earlier trend of 1 mm.

Minister of State for Environment Namo Narain Meena informed the Upper House of Parliament that this finding was made by the Indian Space Research Organization.

IIT-Delhi’s research on the new data shows that if the trend continues, the sea level would rise between 15 to 38 centimeters by the middle of the century and 46 to 59 cm by end of this century. This projected rise matches the global projection of 50 cm by end of the century. The IIT’s research and ISRO data confirm the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which said that half of Mumbai and many coastal cities in India might be submerged when the sea level rises by 50 cm.

Not only would the cities and coastal areas get submerged, but the intensity of cyclones hitting India, especially the east coast, will also increase, the IIT-D research document states.

“Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal are more vulnerable than the west coast to the fury of cyclones and massive damage of life and property occurs almost every year,” the research document said. These cyclones would have a huge impact on the rural economy of coastal India.

The research pointed out that 4.6 per cent of India’s coastline could be inundated, affecting about 7.1 million people in Gujarat, Mumbai, south Kerala, deltas of the Ganga river, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. The islands of Lakshadweep would be totally lost, the report said.

Meena however tried to scale down fears by saying that the government was aware of the implications of the rising sea level due to the projected climate change and was working on climate change mitigation.

Meena said a high-level coordination committee chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been set up for assessment, adaptation and mitigation of climate change while the National Environment Policy 2006 addresses the issue of global warming. The committee is expected to submit its report on climate change mitigation by June this year

Source Chetan Chauhan HT

Playboy model to marry Russian Premier

We all know that girls fall for famous men in power. Recently there has been a spate of this. The latest is the Playboy playmate and Olympics gymnastics gold medalist Alina Kabayeva, rest I will leave to your imagination. ;)

The Moscow rumour mill is buzzing after a newspaper report that Vladimir Putin has divorced his wife of 25 years and will marry young gymnast-turned-politician Alina Kabayeva.

The report, which appeared in Moskovsky Correspondent, cited a source inside a St Petersburg wedding planning agency, as saying that Putin, 55, secretly divorced his wife, Lyudmilla, two months ago and intends to marry Kabayeva in June.

Kabayeva, 25, born to Muslim father in Uzbekistan, is one of Russia’s best known athletes who posed for the Russian edition of Playboy.

Last December she was elected to the State Duma as a deputy for the United Russia Party. She won the gymnastics gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics . But she was stripped of her medals won at the 2001 World Championships after testing positive for diuretics.

The rumour has set Russia’s blogosphere ablaze. Some commentators say it’s natural for Russia’s most powerful man to have a young and beautiful wife. "If Sarkozy can marry a young celebrity, why not Putin?" argued one blogger.

Putin steps down as president on May 7. Lyudmilla Putina, a 50-year old former airline stewardess and her two adult daughters have rarely been seen in public through Putin’s eight years in the Kremlin.

The Sarko syndrome:

Nicolas Sarkozy: The French President, 53, married 41-year-old former supermodel Carla Bruni this year.

Helmut Kohl: The 78-year-old Former German chancellor is set to marry economist Maike Richter, 43.

Salman Rushdie: At 56, he married model Padma Lakshmi, then 32, in 2004.

There is hope for all you middle aged men. All you got to do is become the Head of your Country. It is worth is dude.

IPL Openeing ceremony with Redskins Cheerleaders

Indian Premier League’s first match will kick off on Friday (April 18) at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium. In the first match, Malaya's Bangalore Royal Challengers will take on King Khan’s Knight Riders. Guess who is cheer leading the Royal challengers! The Washington Redskins cheerleaders. They area a delight to watch even if the match turns out to be dull, which I doubt.

The opening ceremony to launch the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament will witness fireworks, aerial gymnasts, performers in a bubble suspended over the ground and some Bollywood glitter with presence Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta along with the music trio of Shankar- Ehsaan and Loy.

And it wasn't only the Royal Challengers who sweated it out for the opening tie. The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders too were seen practicing for the Twenty20 League.

The Redskins cheerleaders deemed as the 'first ladies of football' will be on duty for the Royal Challengers through the Twenty20 League.

Redskins cheerleaders

The best in the world of professional cheerleading will be creating a new era in a new world.

The Redskins Cheerleaders will travel to India on April 10 to create the first-ever cheerleading squad in that country for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, part of the new Indian Premier League (IPL). The inaugural game is April 18.

The Redskin Cheerleaders will stay to conduct a national audition of Indian women. The squad's choreographers will remain with the Royal Challengers until the end of the season in mid-June and conduct clinics throughout India.

The Royal Challengers cricket franchise is owned by Dr. Vijay Mallya, through his company Royal Challengers sports private limited--a 100 percent subsidiary of United Spirits Limited.

Cheerleaders in cricket is a new concept in India, although teams from South Africa and Australia have had cricket cheerleaders.

Twelve cheerleaders and two choreographers will spend 18 days touring the country and performing at major events, and to cheer at the first four games on the Royal Challengers.

President Venkat Vardhan of DNA Networks, the largest event and entertainment promoter in India and the producers of the IPL pregame and in-game entertainment, introduced cheerleading to the IPL.

Vardhan contacted his long-time partner George Veras, President of Veras Communications and former Vice President of Broadcasting and Productions for the Cleveland Browns, to get the ball rolling.

VCI has had a relationship with DNA Networks since 1997, when VCI produced the worldwide TV special, "Yanni Live at the Taj Mahal."

"Cheerleading is a unique American spirit and the fact that it now is a bridge into India and their national sport cricket, speaks to the world vision of the Washington Redskins and DNA Networks," Veras said.

Death by needle or needless death

US Supreme Court upholds executions by lethal injection

The decision, supported by a majority of the justices, clears the way for such methods to resume across the country.

The US Supreme Court cleared the way today for executions to resume across the nation, ruling that lethal injections, if properly carried out, are a "humane" means of ending a condemned individual's life. (hey, How about those who are scared of needles!)

The court upheld Kentucky's use of lethal injections by a surprisingly large 7-2 vote.(I am sure those two were scared of needles when kids)
"The Constitution does not demand the avoidance of all risk of pain in carrying out executions," said Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. And there is little evidence that states subject inmates to needless pain when they are put to death.

The ruling is a defeat for death penalty opponents. They had argued that lethal injections may work to disguise the pain of a dying person, and therefore, should be prohibited.

If the court had agreed, the decision may well have stopped capital punishment. Since October, executions have been put on hold while the justices reconsidered the constitutionality of lethal injections.

"The firing squad (Waste of precious ammo we need to use against Iraqis and other nations hostile to our policy), hanging (wellhung is a rude term and in this recession we need the extra rope anyways), the electric chair(what! with oil prices where they are, we are short of power, I mean without power how will we microwave our dinners) and the gas chamber(Nazis) have each in turn given way to more humane methods, culminating in today's consensus on lethal injections," Roberts said.

Critics of lethal injections had pointed to a British medical study that suggested that the commonly used three-drug cocktail may paralyze a dying man and then subject him to searing pain when a heart-stopping drug is administered.

Roberts said there was no evidence that Kentucky officials would fail to give a dying man enough of an anesthetic, sodium thiopental. He said the justices were unwilling to declare lethal injections "cruel and unusual punishment" simply because of the theoretical and unproven risk that in the future, some prison officials may make a mistake when administering the three drugs.

To stop such executions in the future, defense lawyers must show a "demonstrated risk of severe pain" to the dying person, he said.Heyyy what if the dying man screams in pain? how would you stop it then!

IPL Schedule and IPL teams

Keeping you in touch with the IPL India cricket matches. Here are the IPL teams and their logos.

IPL Teams
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers

Mohali-Kings XI Punjab

Mumbai Indians

Kolkata Knight Riders



Delhi DareDevils

Chennai Super Kings



Bangalore Royal Challangers




Jaipur Rajasthan Royals








IPL cricket matches dates and tickets

IPL's complete schedule:

April 18: Bangalore v Kolkata at Bangalore

April 19: Mohali v Chennai at Mohali and Delhi v Jaipur at Delhi

April 20: Mumbai v Bangalore at Mumbai; Kolkata v Hyderabad at Kolkata

April 21: Jaipur v Mohali at Jaipur

April 22: Hyderabad v Delhi at Hyderabad

April 23: Chennai v Mumbai at Chennai

April 24: Hyderabad v Jaipur at Hyderabad

April 25: Mohali v Mumbai at Mohali

April 26: Bangalore v Jaipur at Bangalore; Chennai v Kolkata at Chennai

April 27: Mumbai v Hyderabad at Mumbai; Mohali v Delhi at Mohali

April 28: Bangalore v Chennai at Bangalore

April 29: Kolkata v Mumbai at Kolkata

April 30: Delhi v Bangalore at Delhi.

May 1: Hyderabad v Mohali at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Kolkata at Jaipur

May 2: Chennai v Delhi at Chennai.

May 3: Hyderabad at Bangalore at Hyderabad; Mohali v Kolkata at Mohali

May 4: Mumbai v Delhi at Mumbai; Jaipur v Chennai at Jaipur

May 5: Bangalore v Mohali at Bangalore

May 6: Chennai v Hyderabad at Chennai

May 7: Mumbai v Jaipur at Mumbai

May 8: Delhi v Chennai at Delhi; Kolkata v Bangalore at Kolkata

May 9: Jaipur v Hyderabad at Jaipur

May 10: Bangalore v Mumbai at Bangalore; Chennai v Mohali at Chennai

May 11: Hyderabad v Kolkata at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Delhi at Jaipur

May 12: Mohali v Bangalore at Mohali

May 13: Kolkata v Delhi at Kolkata

May 14: Mumbai v Chennai at Mumbai; Mohali v Jaipur at Mohali

May 15: Delhi v Hyderabad at Delhi

May 16: Mumbai v Kolkata at Mumbai

May 17: Delhi v Mohali at Delhi; Jaipur v Bangalore at Jaipur

May 18: Hyderabad v Mumbai at Hyderabad; Kolkata v Chenna at Kolkata

May 19: Bangalore v Delhi at Bangalore

May 20: Kolkata v Jaipur at Kolkata

May 21: Mumbai v Mohali at Mumbai; Chennai v Bangalore at Chennai

May 22: Delhi v Kolkata at Delhi

May 23: Mohali v Hyderabad at Mohali.

May 24: Delhi v Mumbai at Delhi; Chennai v Jaipur at Chennai

May 25: Bangalore v Hyderabad at Bangalore; Kolkata v Mohali at Kolkata

May 26: Jaipur v Mumbai at Jaipur

May 27: Hyderabad v Chennai at Hyderabad

May 28 and 29: Rest days

May 30: First semi-final at Mumbai

May 31: Second semi-final at Mumbai

June 1: Final at Mumbai

iphone India launch

The long wait for iphone launch is finally going to be over this year. You will no longer need to illegally buy, unlock and then use the most-desired cell phone — the Apple iPhone. Its much-awaited and delayed India launch is expected with telecom operator Vodafone in the first week of September.

The Cupertino, California-based company, according to Apple retail sources, said initially the 8 GB version of the much-hyped touch screen device — which combines Wi-Fi capabilities with a powerful email client, TV feeds, online music store and map-based location guide — will be launched at a price ranging between Rs 27,200 and Rs 28,000.

Apple sources in Singapore, when contacted last month, had maintained that the India launch would happen in 2008, but they did not give the exact date. Based on buyer response, the launch of the 16 GB version will be staggered to the middle of 2009.

Post launch in India, the iPhone can be ‘unlocked’ (or configured to use SIM cards from all telecom carriers), though the company is not fully open to such a possibility. As if that mattered! How do they think people have been using it so far? It is real easy to unlock and configure the iphone, just visit the nearest mobile repair shop. Still this is good noose for all you gizmo freaks if you have the cash.

Marilyn Monroe Sex Film

A 15-minute film of Marilyn Monroe engaging in an oral sex act with an unidentified man will be kept from public view by a New York businessman who has bought it for $1.5m (£750,000), the broker of the deal said today.

Memorabilia collector Keya Morgan said he recently arranged the sale of the silent, black-and-white film from the son of a dead FBI informant who possessed it to a wealthy Manhattan businessman who wants to protect Monroe's privacy.

"The gentleman who bought it said out respect for Marilyn he's not going to make a joke of it and put it on the internet and try to exploit her," said Morgan.

"That's not his intention and I would never get my name involved if that were to happen."

Monroe is clothed and the man's head remains out of the frame for the entire 15 minutes of the film, said Morgan, who viewed the footage.

Monroe was rumoured to have had an affair with former US President John F Kennedy, and Morgan said former FBI director J Edgar Hoover, a Kennedy rival, went to great lengths to try to prove it was Kennedy in the film.

One of Monroe's ex-husbands, the late baseball great Joe DiMaggio, once tried to buy it from the collector for $25,000 (£12,500) but "he would not part with it", according to declassified FBI files provided by Morgan.

Morgan is a well-known collector who owns memorabilia from the estates of Monroe and DiMaggio and said he was friends with Monroe's other two husbands, Jim Dougherty and Arthur Miller.

He said he learned of the existence of the film while working on a documentary about Monroe, who died in August 1962 at age 36. A former FBI agent told him about it, and Morgan said he confirmed it by tracking down the son of the FBI informant, who had provided a copy to the FBI.

The late informant's son had the original while the copy remains classified in the FBI files, said Morgan, whose deal was first reported by the New York Post today.

"The FBI agent that I interviewed said J Edgar Hoover was completely obsessed. A team of nine individuals were analysing the tape inside a lab. J Edgar Hoover brought in a few prostitutes who allegedly had been with President Kennedy and they tried to ... see if that was really President Kennedy."

FBI spokesmen in New York and Washington did not immediately return phone calls seeking commen

Dash Diet

What is dash diet?

The Dash diet is a set of dietary guidelines for people with high blood pressure (hypertension). Not only has research shown the diet to significantly lower blood pressure, but it also appears to lower cholesterol levels and homocysteine levels.
Dash diet is built around the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and plant-based protein over meat.

Sample DASH menu

The following sample menu is provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. It is based on a 2,000-calorie diet and provides for about 2,300 milligrams of sodium. Adjustments can be made for a lower sodium target (e.g., 1,500 milligrams) or for higher calorie diets. This menu is only a sample to give you an idea of what a typical day on the DASH diet might look like.

Breakfast:

• 1 cup whole grain oat rings cereal (e.g., Cheerios)
• 1 medium banana
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 medium raisin bagel
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 cup orange juice

Lunch:

• Tuna salad plate containing 1/2 cup tuna salad, 1 large leaf romaine lettuce and 1 slice whole wheat bread
• Cucumber salad with 1 cup fresh cucumber, 1/2 cup tomato wedges and 1 tablespoon vinaigrette dressing
• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup canned pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted almonds

Dinner:

• 3 ounces turkey meatloaf
• 1 small baked potato, topped with 1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream, 1 tablespoon reduced-fat cheddar cheese, and 1 chopped scallion
• 1 cup collard greens, sauteed with 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 small whole wheat roll
• 1 medium peach

Snacks:

• 1 cup fat-free, no added sugar fruit yogurt
• 1 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Dos and Don'ts for the DASH diet

Making adjustments to your diet may be difficult. To follow the DASH eating plan, it may be best to start making the changes gradually, such as adding an additional serving of vegetables to your lunch, then dinner. Also, don't worry about occasionally slipping from the program. Because DASH represents a lifestyle change, one day of eating poorly will not cause any long-term problems. The important thing is to start the next day back on the program.

In addition, some individuals do better with specifically planned menus. It may be helpful to keep a record of all your meals and snacks to determine how closely you are following the plan. Using a dietitian may also help you with meal planning and monitoring.

Some tips that may help you with the DASH eating plan include:

• Do add a serving of vegetables at lunch.
• Do use half the butter, mayonnaise, salad dressing or other fat items that you normally use. Trying using low-fat or non-fat alternatives as a substitute.
• Do eat fruit as a snack. An apple or banana is perfect for those hungry times between meals. These foods are much healthier for you than chips and cookies.
• Do watch what you drink. Replace soda, sugary teas or punches and alcoholic beverages with fat-free (skim) or 1 percent milk. This will not only help you cut back on your sweets, but will also help you meet the DASH diet’s dairy requirements.
• Do learn serving sizes. Serving-sizes are a guideline to help you change not only what you are eating, but also how much of each type of food you are eating. While all the numbers and charts are initially cumbersome, they will become second nature once a daily routine has been set.
• Do learn to read food labels. Much of the sodium in our diet is added to foods while processing. To lower your intake of sodium, begin by removing the salt shaker from the table. Gradually lower the amount of salt added during cooking and instead try herbs, spices, lemon or sodium-free seasoning blends to flavor your food. You can also rinse canned foods to lower their sodium content. Lastly, read food labels and compare sodium content of foods when shopping. Select the items that have the highest nutritional value with the lowest sodium content.
• Do experiment with vegetarian dishes or dishes with little meat and more vegetables and grains. These include stir-fry meals, pasta dishes and casseroles. These healthy and tasty alternatives will add spice and variety to your diet.
• Do change your shopping list. Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables on your weekly shopping list and buy less meat.
• Do feed your cravings for sweets with sugar-free gelatin or dried fruit. Fat-free or low-fat frozen yogurt can replace high-fat ice cream.
• Do keep it simple. Remember that you are not trying to stay on a short-term diet. You are changing your lifestyle. The simpler you keep your meals, your goals and your tasks, the easier they will be to maintain.
• Do keep a record. Keeping a diary or a logbook can help you keep track of the number of servings you are eating in each category. Plus, seeing what you are eating in black and white is a great way to check your progress. It can also help you to identify patterns and triggering events that put you off track.
• Do celebrate success. Reward yourself for every accomplishment but not with food.
• Don’t make meat the center of your meal. Although meat contains nutrients that are good for the body, it is also high in saturated fat and cholesterol, not to mention calories. You can continue to enjoy meat as part of a balanced meal rather than the whole meal. Remember to make this change gradually. If you typically eat more than the suggested amount of meat, reduce your portions by a third for one week. After a week, cut back another third until your serving sizes of meat are equal to the DASH serving size of 3 ounces.
• Don’t try to do it all at once. You will be more successful if you make gradual changes in your eating habits. If you are used to large portions, cut them back by a half or a third at each meal.

• Don’t be discouraged by occasional lapses. They happen, but you should determine why the lapse occurred so you can avoid that same trigger in the future. Was it a holiday party that got you off track? Stress due to a problem at work? Learn from the mistake and move on; it is all a process of change, and change takes time and patience.

Recipes:

Blackened chicken with berry salad

This delicious salad includes lots of vegetables, fruit, along with a lean protein source.

1 teaspoon blackening spice mixture
4 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup romaine lettuce

Rub chicken breast with spice mixture, grill until internal temperature is 165°F. Make the salad base with romaine lettuce strips. Top with a variety of vegetables, such as grated carrots, radishes, pea pods, tomato, peas, pepper strips, red cabbage. Then top with a mix of berries, including raspberries, sliced strawberries, and blueberries. Slice the grilled chicken breast into strips and place on top of the salad. Top with your favorite oil and vinegar or raspberry vinaigrette dressing. (Note, to keep sodium low, be sure the spice mixture is salt-free, and use dressings with low sodium).


Fabulous frittata

6 eggs (or egg substitute)

1 cup frozen extra-sweet sweet corn

1 cup sliced pepper strips

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup sliced onion

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon dry basil ( or 1 tablespoon diced fresh basil)

4 ounces shredded colby/Jack cheese or other cheese blend

Lightly stir eggs, add basil. Pour canola oil into In non-stick frying pan with metal handle, over medium heat. When oil is hot, add pepper strips, onion, and frozen sweet corn. (You can substiute a frozen mixture of pepper strips and onions, if desired). Saute for 3 minutes, stirring and turning over. Then add tomatoes, and continue to stir and turn over. Cook an additional 5 minutes, or until onions are transluscent. Pour egg-basil mixture over the vegetables. Use spatula to lift edges or separate slightly in the interior, and allow eggs to fall to bottom of mixture as the frittata cooks. When egg mixture is thickened all the way through, top with cheese. Then brown under broiler for 2 - 3 minutes. Makes 6 servings. Tip: be sure to use a pan with a metal handle; plastic will melt under the broiler. We used an All-Clad pan.

wardrobe malfunction or spicey hot slips?

Uplifting snaps show just how perilous life can be for a glamorous girl busting to be seen in front of the cameras.

No stranger to baring all, no-one should have been surprised when busty pin-up Jordan, 29, made an unexpected appearance at her book signing.

Promoting her new work: ‘Pushed To The Limit' she did exactly that to her low-cut red and white dress.

Pop princess Lily Allen, 22, ironically grabbed some headlines for her New Look clothing and accessories range-when she forgot to dress properly.

A bit too relaxed, the ‘Smile' singer let a little too much hang out of her blue top.

Fans of the gorgeous Nadine Coyle, 22, got a surprise when she coyly exposed her nipple while arriving at G.A.Y in London's Astoria.


Fellow pop group member Sarah Harding, 26, gave us a sneaky peek of her left breast when she blew a kiss to fans on Oxford Street.

Paris Hilton, 27, seemed to be doing everything right when she paired up with her upmarket mum Kathy Hilton for a posh lunch in swanky Beverley Hills.

But it was another twosome that stole the limelight when Paris accidentally leaned forward too far.

And she lost her top completely when she took a dip in the sea.

Another posh lady demurely giving us a treat was double-barrelled Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, 36, with her arrival at The Opera House in Holland Park.

And the gorgeous Nell McAndrew, 34, showed why she's everyone's favourite pin-up when she slipped ever-so-slightly out of a figure-hugging gold corset.

Big Brother star and former lap dancer Charlie Uchea, 22, had no room for subtlety as she showed off how upfront she could be at London's Embassy Club.

And former model Sophie Anderton, 30, revealed her true colours as she arrived with barely a stitch of clothing at the Mayfair Club.

Glamour girl Alicia Duvall popped out of her bra while strolling down the street. Her strapless black dress clearly couldn't keep up with the active socialite.

Even Amy Winehouse, 24, showed her bad behaviour can extend to her dress sense, as she clumsily flopped out of a car in a dirty beige loose-strapped top.

It's all a far cry from demure Posh Spice Victoria Beckham, 33. Posing for an shoot outside The Louvre in France, David Beckham's squeeze looked a masterpiece behind the thinnest of beige tops.

Lost actress Bai Ling, 36, inadvertently popped out of her dress while attending the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.

Italian Porn Star Campaigns with her bottom's posters

And they said you cannot sink any lower in politics.This is the bottom literally.

She is not just another pretty face in Italian politics. When porn star Milly D'Abbraccio designed her campaign posters, it was obvious she was going to show off her bottom.

Targeting her male fan base, the veteran of Italy's adult entertainment industry has plastered images of her derriere all around the Eternal City in a bid to win a seat in Rome's city hall.

If elected, D'Abbraccio wants to create a red light area with strip clubs, erotic discos and sex shops called "Love City" just kilometers away from the Vatican.

"It would be something cute, clean -- nothing to do with prostitution," said the actress

D'Abbraccio hopes to capitalize on increasing disenchantment with Italian politics. The recession-prone nation votes on Sunday and Monday in elections to pick a prime minister as well as lawmakers, mayors and city councilors.

"People don't want to see these politicians' faces anymore," she told Reuters in an interview from her Rome apartment.

She said she was tapping into her popularity among pornography fans as "an act of generosity" to help Italy's socialists, who are fielding her in the municipal race.

"I am the derriere of the Socialist party," she concluded.

Are politicians listening! We do want to see your back and your bottom if you are as hot and spicey as Milly D'Abbraccio

Youth experiments with No Frills Life

Imagine a life without the following:

No eating out, no shopping for clothes or gadgets, no movies. You won't use your car or hire a cab. You walk to any place you want to go to. And to top it all, you do all your house work from cooking cleaning to anything you can imagine.

Sounds like a nightmare? For 28-year-old Gaurav Mishra, it’s just an average day. He is not poor; in fact, he’s an assistant general manager with one of India’s leading automobile companies in Mumbai.

But for an entire year, Mishra, originally from Patna, has set off on an experiment to go “off consumption” — which, by his definition, means that he won’t buy anything unless it’s a necessity.

His experiment, he says, is an attempt to find a way to lead a simpler life. “People getting tired of consumerism will be a big trend. And as a marketer, it’s a trend that I want to study,” says the MBA from IIM-Bangalore.

He’s also tapping into the the ‘swapping economy’ after being forced to look for alternative accommodation instead of a five-star hotel. “I signed up for ‘couch-surfing’, in which people offer their couches to strangers for free,” he explains.

It’s early yet in the year long experiment. “I’m worried about how I’ll continue to relate to my friends if I can’t go out. Right now, they’re still willing to come over, or cook for me when I visit them.”

And of course, there’s the problem of maintaining a love life: how does a 28-year-old take a girl out on a low-maintenance date? “I’ve gone to Juhu beach once, cooked dinner twice. But I may soon run out of options,” Mishra confesses.

I hope the girl understands and does not go for an all frills experiment with someone else dude.
Good luck.

Richard Gere gets away with the stolen kiss

Richard Gere had made headlines in India when he kissed Sheila Shetty, winner of the British reality television show "Celebrity Big Brother," several times on the cheek at an anti-AIDS show in New Delhi last year. This raised a lot of protests from the conservative sections of the society. Court case was filed suing Gere for obscenity.

Actor Richard Gere, called his troubles on Tuesday "a badge of courage."

"It's a badge of somewhat insane courage," he told Reuters during a visit to San Francisco on Tuesday, saying others had also been charged with similar offenses in the past. "It is a very complex society."

In March, India's Supreme Court suspended the legal proceedings and granted Gere permission to again travel to and from India. This must have brought relief to Gere who is a regular visitor to India because of his interest in Buddhism and his close association with the Dalai Lama who resides in Dharmasala, India.

No Olympics boycott-Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, said on Friday he did not support a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Asked on NBC "Nightly News" whether he wanted the world to boycott the Olympics this summer, the Dalai Lama replied, "No."

Asked if he wanted the United States and other world leaders to boycott the opening ceremony in support of Tibet, he replied, "That's up to them."

"It is very important to make clear, not only just the Tibet case. But in China proper, the report of human right is poor. And their freedom, also very poor," the Dalai Lama said.

Asked what his message to China was, he said: "My main point is: We are not against you. And I'm not seeking separation.'"

China blames the Dalai Lama for orchestrating monk-led protests in Tibet last month that later turned violent as part of a campaign for independence.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, denies involvement.

The European Parliament has urged European Union leaders to boycott the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympic Games unless China starts talks with the Dalai Lama over the situation in Tibet.

In Washington, the US House of Representatives has passed a resolution urging China to open dialogs with the Dalai Lama, end a crackdown on nonviolent Tibetan protesters and halt repression in the region.

Demonstrations against China's suppression of Tibetan protests have followed the progress of the Olympic flame in Europe, the United States and Latin America, prompting a nationalist backlash from China's authorities and media.

Teen beaters could spend life in prison

The teens in Florida accused of beating a 16-year-old for making a you tube video will be tried as adults.

The eight will appear in court for the first time later today.

The six girls involved in the beating, and two boys, who allegedly acted as lookouts, have all now been charged as adults.

They face their first court appearance in Polk County, Florida this afternoon.

All are charged with kidnapping and battery.

Three face additional charges of tampering with a witness, the victim.

Polk County's sheriff had asked the teens be tried as adults saying the video tape released publicly isn't even the worst of the beating.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says "the piece that you are seeing on television is after they knocked her unconscious, and she had regained consciousness."

The victim suffered a concussion and damage to her eye and ear, but her mother says the emotional scars may take much longer to heal.

Talisa Lindsay, the victim's mother, says "how can you recover? Honestly? When something like this tragically happens to you? It will probably affect her for the rest of her life."

Meantime, the teens accused in the beating could spend the rest of their lives in prison.

For now, all eight teens are being held in jail without bond.

Video>>>

Nude photo of France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy for $91,000

A nude photo of the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy smashed its auction estimate as it sold for more than $91,000 in New York, Christie's said. it's not the look you would normally associate with a First Lady.

And the photographer who captured this image the new Mrs Nicolas Sarkozy - former model Carla Bruni - claims he has photos that are even more explicit.

The image of glamorous first lady Carla Bruni was taken by photographer Michel Comte 15 years ago and shows a younger, nude Ms Bruni facing the camera with her hands crossed at her waist.

A buyer for a Chinese art collector bought the black-and-white 1993 photo for £45,500, more than 22 times its estimate of £1,500 to £2,000, the auction house said.

The photograph, which measures 32.5cm by 22.5cm, was sold by German-born collector Gert Elfering and was acquired from the artist directly.

The Italian supermodel turned singer, who also posed nude in last month's GQ magazine.
She is expected to release her latest album, No Promises, in May.

The photographer, Mr Comte, 53, said he took hundreds of pictures of the stunning Italian model over ten years of working together.

And he revealed: "I have many more nude pictures of Carla much more explicit than that one.

"But she need not worry as I would never put them on sale."

He refused to give details of the nature of his more explicit photos of the former model, only adding: "I can assure you there are many more."

Even so, the First Lady is understandably furious that a nude photo of her went on sale on the eve of her State visit to Britain with her husband.
what wouldn't you give to be the president!

Sex is written all over your face

Which look do you resemble the most? Face 2 and 4 from

the left would prefer sexual flings, faces 1 and 3 likely to

seek long term relationship.

A person's attitude to sex might be written all over their face, according to a study of attractiveness. No! I do not mean a hanging tongue or a drool. Psychologists also found that, when it comes to selecting relationships, heterosexual men and women are looking for entirely opposite things.( I thought that was the idea!)

"What was interesting was the strength of the preference among men for women who were interested in short-term sex and the strength of the preference of the women for men not interested in short-term sex," said Lynda Boothroyd of Durham University, who led the study.
Researchers surveyed 700 men and women in their early 20s, who were asked to look at photographs of the opposite sex and judge how attractive they were and what their attitudes to sex might be - such as whether they were interested in long or short-term relationships. The answers were compared with the real-life behavior and attitudes of the people in the images.

The results, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, showed that men and women could generally judge who would be more interested in a short-term fling just by looking at their expression and features. In one study of 153 participants, 72% of people correctly identified the attitudes from photographs more than half of the time. "Men who said they were interested in short-term sex were seen as looking more masculine," said Boothroyd.
I wish I had taken that survey just to find out how hungry for sex I look to the opposite sex.Ravenous, would they say?

Hurricane Alert for 2008

Forecasters have predicted and above average hurricane season for the Atlantic coast for the year 2008.

At least 15 named storms are predicted to form in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30. Eight of the storms are predicted to become hurricanes, and of those eight, four are expected to develop into intense or major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.

The 2005 season — the year of Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Dennis and Emily — caused a record $128 billion in damage, with at least 2,280 reported deaths.

The 2004 season was one of the deadliest, with at least 3,100 deaths and more than $50 billion in damage.

The hurricane forecast team's probabilities for a major hurricane making landfall in the U.S. are:

— A 69 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline in 2008 (the long-term average probability is 52 percent)

— A 45 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. East Coast, including the Florida Peninsula (the long-term average is 31 percent)

— A 44 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle west to Brownsville (the long-term average is 30 percent)

The team also predicted above-average major hurricane landfall risk in the Caribbean.

Size Zero

There was a time when women aspired to be a perfect size 10? Well, forget that notion because these days a size 10 is seen as positively obese... at least in Fashion world.
For girls that means fitting into a pair of jeans with a 22-inch waist - that of an average eight-year-old.
Yet spurred on by a growing legion of super-skinny celebs including reality show star Nicole Richie, Superman actress Kate Bosworth and skinny icon Victoria Beckham, size 0 is now touted not only as an attainable, but a must-get goal by dedicated followers of fashion.

What is size zero?

Size 0 is a women's clothing size in the US catalog sizes system equivalent to a UK size 4 or a Europe size 32-34. It is also a concept within the fashion media relating to models with low body mass.

Bust size: 31.5 inches (80 cm); Waist size: 23 inches (59 cm); Hip size: 32 inches (82 cm). It is often mistaken for a petite size because it is so small. While many petite women do wear size 0, the true definition of petite sizes in the fashion world has more to do with height than with thinness; in the United States, it generally refers to a woman who is under 5'4" (163 cm).

Size Zero and the fashion world:

In European fashion circles, the concept of 'size zero' models has gained recent notoriety in the media when the organizers of Madrid Fashion Week 2006 prohibited models with a Body Mass Index below 18 — classified as unhealthy by the World Health Organization — from participating in the event. International debate followed concerning the purported effects upon impressionable people of the fashion industry's continued use of underweight models.

Killer Size:

Size zero has been linked to anorexia nervosa and bulimia as many women have to lose a large amount of weight to become so thin. The deaths of models Luisel Ramos and Ana Carolina Reston have been attributed to the Size Zero trend. Luisel Ramos, aged 22, died of a heart attack in August 2, 2006 after apparently trying to survive on Diet Coke and lettuce leaves. Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston too, died from the pressures of maintaining slimness; her diet was reported to consist solely of apples and tomatoes and she died from renal failure.

The media have labeled many celebrities as size 0, which dilutes the meaning and "size 0" now often refers any woman no matter what her size as long as she is slender.[citation needed]

Teen beaten to make a you tube video

Teens beat up girl to make 'popular' YouTube video. I mean couldn't they have just faked it. Now the beaten girl should make a you tube video of their arrests and parental dressing down.

Eight Florida teenagers have been arrested on charges alleging they beat another teen so they could make a videotape to post on YouTube.

Police in Lakeland say the victim was beaten up by six girls when she arrived at her friend’s home.

Victoria Lindsay was attacked on March 30 by six teenage girls when she arrived at a friend's home, authorities said.

One of the girls struck the 16-year-old victim on the head several times and then slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious, according to an arrest report.
All eight suspects were arrested April 2 and charged with battery and false imprisonment. The three teens who took Lindsay to the second location are also charged with felony kidnapping.

Lindsay was treated for a concussion, damage to her left eye and left ear, and numerous bruises.

Sooooo...do you want to act in a you tube video!

Sanjay Dutt, Manyata not married

Manyata's first husband Meraj Rehman had claimed that he never divorced Manyata and hence her marriage to Sanjay Dutt is a criminal offence of bigamy. Talk about a jealous husband going to court to teach his wife and her lover a lesson.

It gets murkier and interesting. The husband himself is an under trial for sending obscene SMSes to Manyata. And you thought there is nothing to hide between a husband and wife. Be careful what you SMS to your spouse next time. You can be dragged to court for telling her she looked fat today.

Coming back to our main story, the couple denied they were married. Talk about love and vows thrown out of the window at the first sign of trouble.

The couple said they have not committed an offence of bigamy as there is no material to prove the validity of their marriage under law. Dutt and Manyata, in their application, said that in order to prosecute them for bigamous marriage, it is necessary that their marriage must be proved valid.

(Are they going to claim that the above picture is a part of film shoot?)

The application said that in the absence of any material to prove that they are married, no offence of bigamy can be made out against them.

The couple claimed that in the absence of any proof of essential ceremonies of a valid marriage, no inference of marriage between them can be drawn.

Additional Sessions Judge S N Sardesai on Monday admitted the application and stayed the proceedings against Dutt and Manyata in the Bandra court and called for the records of the case.

Anyways let us hope they all live happily ever after. No I do not mean the trio lives happily together (kinky), I mean in their respective homes dude.

Spike Lee calls Clinton a liar

Controversial African-American director Spike Lee is not voting for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and has called her a liar.
A source reports him telling a magazine: "The Clintons (Bill and Hillary), man, they would lie on a stack of the Bibles. Snipers? That's not misspeaking; that's some pure bull shit. I voted for Clinton twice, but that's over with."

Camel for $ 2.72 million

Beauty pageant for camels !!!

The crown prince of the United Arab Emirates of Dubai has bought a female camel for a record 2.72 million dollars.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum "bought camels... worth 16.5 million dirhams (4.49 million dollars), including a female camel... for 10 million dirhams (2.72 million dollars).
Amiri, quoted by the official WAM news agency, made the remarks on the sidelines of the nine-day beauty pageant which opened on Wednesday in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.

More than 10,000 camels -- including females which are the fasting racing camels -- from across the Gulf are competing for prize money totaling around 9.5 million dollars. One hundred cars are also up for grabs.

The contest is part of a camel festival in Abu Dhabi that aims to celebrate and preserve the region's cultural heritage.

Oil-rich Abu Dhabi, one of seven emirates that make up the UAE federation, produced the world's first test-tube purebred camel and has begun using remote-controlled robot riders in its camel races in place of child jockeys.

How much did you say you paid for your car?
Wanna race with my camel? :)

Olympic torch put out

Protests over China's crackdown on Tibet forced organisers in Paris to put the Olympic torch on a bus on Monday to protect it from demonstrators. Security officials extinguished the Olympic torch amid heavy protests.

Despite massive security, at least two activists got within almost an arm's length of the flame before they were grabbed by police. Officers tackled many protesters and carried off some of them. A protester threw water at the torch but failed to extinguish it and was also taken away.

Police escorted the flame onto a bus, apparently to move it away from protesters. The flame was being carried out of a Paris traffic tunnel by an athlete in a wheelchair when it was stopped because protesters booed and began chanting ‘Tibet’.

It was the second time Monday that officials extinguished the torch amid protests. The procession was apparently being continued on board a bus.


"Boycott Chinese goods" and "Save Tibet" read some of the banners held by the demonstrators, watched by police in riot gear and prevented by barriers from getting near the course.

"We are doing our best but it will take the world to put pressure on China to help bring democracy and human rights to Tibet," said Phurbu Dolker, a 21-year-old Tibetan refugee.

Thousands of protesters waving Tibetan flags and shouting "Shame on China" tried to disrupt the torch's run through London on Sunday, the British leg of the international relay billed by Beijing as the "harmonious journey".

The Olympic flame is expected to remain a magnet for anti-Chinese protests ahead of the August Games in Beijing. The flame is due to return to Beijing on Aug. 6, two days before it will be used to light the cauldron at the Olympic opening ceremony.

Chinese Reaction

China has condemned the demonstrations that disrupted the Olympic torch relay in London. An official quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency described it as "vile behaviour".

People in Beijing also gave their reaction. "If they have some political appeals, they can express it in other ways," said one man. "Instead they create some a disturbance to the Olympic torch relay. I don't agree with the way they did it."

Another resident said: "I think a small group of people are trying to create some disturbances and affect the unity of the Chinese people, making use of the Olympics, as they know the games grab world attention."

Commentators say the flame is expected to remain a magnet for anti-Chinese protests ahead of the Games.

Ideas to Romance your partner.

1. Spend the entire day snuggled with your partner watching romantic movies.

2. Call your partner from work, every-hour-on-the-hour, just to say "I love you."

3. Give your lover a dozen roses -- and do it with a creative twist. Give eleven red roses and one white rose. Attach a note that reads: "In every bunch there's one who stands out -- and you are that one."

4.Slow-dance at a restaurant -- when there's no music playing.

5. If you'd like to spend a romantic summer night making wishes on falling stars, mark the second week in August on your calendar. The earth passes through the Perseid meteor belt around August 12 every year, which usually results in spectacular meteor showers for two to three nights.

6. Buy a lottery ticket. Give it to your partner with a little note attached: "I hit the jackpot when I married you!"

7. Pick flowers for your partner from the side of the road.

8. Don't just go out to a movie on Saturday, like always. Call your partner from work on Wednesday and formally ask for a date.

9. Write "I love you" on the bathroom mirror with a piece of soap.

10. Place a little love note or poem under the driver's-side windshield wiper of his or her car.

11. Have "your song" playing on the stereo when your partner returns home from work.

12. When out together in public, wink at your partner from across the room.

13. Unplug the TV. Put a note on the screen saying, "Turn me on instead."

14. Spread rose petals all over the bedroom.

15. Hold hands.

Mumbai girl crowned Miss India Universe

Simran Kaur Mundi of Mumbai was crowned Miss India Universe 2008 at a glittering function held at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai on Saturday night.

Parvathy Omanakuttam of Kerala won the Miss India World crown while Harshita Saxena of Goa was declared Miss India Earth.

All the three winners will represent the country at the international beauty paegants during the year.

They were selected from among 28 finalists in the presence of prominent personalities from the field of fashion and Bollywood.

The beauty paegant brought international fame to Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and Dia Mirza among others in recent years.

The elimination rounds were interspersed with scintillating performances by Bollywood divas Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy. The performances were choreographed by ace dancer Shiamak Davar.

Real hot Deepika padukone

This babe is going places. You only wonder who she is taking along with her.

Hrithik Roshan waxed at Madame Tussauds

Hrithik Roshan is being lined up to be waxed at Madame Tussuad's, after it was decided that legend Dilip Kumar wasn’t feasible. According to newspaper reports, Dilip Kumar was the original choice but big-wigs at the museum thought Hrithik’s statue would bring in more visitors.Hrithik will stand side by side with Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai.

Bebo

Bebo is set to become the most searched-for brand in the UK, according to research released by Hitwise today.

Social networking site Bebo is rapidly closing the gap on eBay as the most searched-for brand in the UK, according to the latest figures from Hitwise.

Bebo has been the second most searched-for brand in the UK since May, measured as a share of UK internet searches by Hitwise, which specialises in online competitive intelligence.

The share of UK internet searches for Bebo has increased more than threefold in the past six months, and 17.6 per cent in the past three months.

The gap in the share of searches between eBay and Bebo was only five per cent in the four weeks to 30 September, down from 25 per cent three months ago and 80 per cent six months ago.

The rise of social networking means that sites like Bebo, MySpace and YouTube have joined Faceparty among the top 20 most searched-for brands in the UK in the past year.

"Bebo's brand is benefiting from a great deal of buzz and its rise in share of UK internet searches reflects how quickly a brand can rise through viral channels," said Heather Hopkins, vice president of research at Hitwise UK.

"Of course, many traditional brand names, such as the BBC, Amazon and Tesco, are already known to consumers and would be bookmarked, so they are less likely to be the subject of searches than new brands."

Brands offering free content also showed strong gains over the past 12 months. In September 2005, retailers comprised 12 of the top 20 brands, but that number dropped to eight in September 2006, with Rightmove, Wikipedia and Google Earth joining the social sites Bebo, MySpace and YouTube.

"There is now an almost even balance between retailers and brands that support rich content through advertising," said Hopkins.