News Strip - News that matters 4 young Indians

Do you know you are being fleeced daily?

2010-07-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

How many times have you fought with an autorickshaw driver about his tampered meter? Little do we realize how easy it is for him to get it rigged.

Rreporters went to Broadway Lane in Shivajinagar which has about seven meter repair shops. Posing as engineering20 for every Rs 100,” he said.

Kilometre tampering
students working on a project on tampered meters, we asked mechanics to explain the rigging process. While most shops acknowledged that tampering is common, they denied doing it.

We managed to convince one mechanic to give the details. “At least ten drivers come to my shop every day. I fix only ordinary meters, not the digital ones. Those are done in Kalasipalyam. We usually charge Rs 80 to Rs 100 for tampering,” he explained.

HOW METERS ARE TAMPERED

1.Wheel alteration

One way to tamper an ordinary meter is by wheel alteration. There are three to four wheellike components in the meter which are rigged according to how fast the pulse should be. The cost for doing this varies with the pulse rate you want. For instance, for a 10-paise jump, the charge could be between Rs 100 and Rs 350. For digital meters, however, it’s Rs 500 for a 10-paise jump and Rs 800 for a 20-paise jump.

“We need to change the rate at which the wheel-like components in three or four places. For the meter to change at 1.5km instead of 2km, we fix an increase of 20 paise per pulse. If you fix 20 paise, you’ll see an increase of Rs 15 to Rs

Ideally, the meter starts ticking over only after the mandatory first 2km. “In kilometre tampering, the meter changes at 1.5 km itself. But the commuter won’t notice the difference. Unless you’re sure about the distance, you cannot identify the quick meter change. When you compare with an untampered meter, you can see the huge difference,” a driver said.

2.Pulse tampering

This is the mother of all methods. Drivers admit that once the pulse of a meter is tampered with, then everything is rigged — distance and amount.

WHERE IS IT DONE

Auto repair shops which fix meters are found across the city — from Shivajinagar Broadway area, Mysore Road,

Goripalya, Kalasipalyam, City

Market, among others.

HOW THEY EVADE CHECKS

Auto drivers are well networked and when they see RTO inspections taking place at some place, they inform other drivers and take a detour and avoid the spot.

AUTHORITIES IGNORANT

Strangely, officials at the department of legal metrology don’t seem to be clued in to how easily auto drivers get their meters tampered. Instead, they claim that tampering has decreased. “Tampering has decreased drastically over the past few years because we book a case and refer it to the RTO and take stringent action. You won’t find many autos with tampered meters,” said M Gopalappa, assistant controller, department of legal meterology.

When asked whether they raid places where tampering is done, he said, “Tampering is mostly done by drivers themselves. There are 52 mechanics licensed by the department and they will not tamper,” he added.

There are 25,000 to 30,000 autos with digital meters and 43,000 with ordinary meters. Till March 2010, around 500 cases of tampered meters were booked

Ref: Toi

Pathan Brothers Lead India to Victory

2009-02-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

Pathan Brothers Lead India to Victory, Both with the bat and ball they outperformed, When the score was 113-7 both of them came to ground and batted with confidence and leading India to victory with 4 balls to spare. Congrats to both Yusuf and Irfan Pathan.

Fedrer needs a Mentor!

2009-02-03T01:36:00.000-08:00

Losing one classic match is bad enough but to lose two in less than seven months was simply too much.
After his dreams of winning a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title were ruined by Nadal in five sets on Sunday, the time has come for Federer to take action and he might start by seeking a full-time coach.

With the ability to conjure magical shots at will, the Swiss master is probably the most gifted player the sport has ever seen. Winning 13 Grand Slam titles in just over five years bears testimony to his talent.
But since Nadal has now beaten him in five of their seven Grand Slam final meetings, Federer needs to explore new avenues.
Whereas most top players have a small army of people to turn to when the going gets tough, Federer travels with a tiny support group led by girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec, whose many roles include media manager, business adviser and occasional hitting partner.
Since parting ways with Swede Peter Lundgren in December 2003, Federer has opted not to work with a full-time trainer.
He hired Tony Roche and Jose Higueras on a part-time basis, mainly to draw on their claycourt expertise, but those relationships fizzled out when Federer failed to capture the French Open trophy.
Federer now needs the guidance of a mentor who can not only push his game to a higher level but also help find and exploit weaknesses in world number one Nadal's game.
"He needs a coach," US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said. "He's never had to adjust to something because he's been so talented he could go out there and figure it out.
"All of sudden he's playing a guy he can't do it against. He's so stubborn."

Sania Mirza win Australian Open

2009-01-31T23:14:00.000-08:00

Sania-Bhupathi (India )win Aus Open mixed doubles beating Nathalie Dechy (France )and Andy Ram (Israel) 6-3, 6-1 in the final in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.
The ace Indian pair thus made up for the disappointment of last year when they were beaten by Tiantian Sun and Nenad Zimonjic in the final.
While Sania picked her maiden Grand slam title in the process, Bhupathi swelled his Grand Slam title collection in mixed doubles to seven.

India's republic day Parade

2009-01-26T03:53:00.000-08:00

As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is recuperating from his bypass surgery in All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Antony performed all the customary duties of the Prime Minister during the Republic Day celebration.

Antony received the President and the nation's guest at the saluting dais in the absence of the Prime Minister.

Following this, the parade began, as four Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force flew past with the national flag as well as those of the three defence services slinging below.
The first to appear in the parade were winners of the Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra followed by mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry by Lieutenant Colonel Navjit Singh Sandhu.
Major General KJS Oberoi, General Officer Commanding of Delhi Area of the Army, led the parade.
The Army then showcased its impressive armoury before the nation, including frontline T-90S battle tanks, indigenous Brahmos missile, OSA-AK system, the most modern and versatile air defence weapon.

This picture is a motorcycle stunt.

List of 11 Ashok Chakra-2009

2009-01-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

List of 11 people who recieved Ashok Chakra-2009 , its the most respected award given and a honour to family of poeple who selflessly gave thier life for the country.
1.Kamte

2.Sandeep

3. Karkare

4.Salaskar

5.Tukaram

6.Gajendra

7.Mohan Chand (batla house)

8. RP Deinghdoy

9.Pramod Kumar Satapathy

10.Jojan Thomas

11.Bahadur Singh

India celebrate 60th Republic Day.

2009-01-25T21:10:00.000-08:00

India celebrates 60th Republic Day.There is a grand parade from India Gate to red fort, where India is showing its military might.

Also 11 Ashok Chakras have given to all the Shahid Jawans.

India's Next PM

2009-01-23T02:22:00.000-08:00

The Prime Minister will miss the Republic Day parade. as he is undergoing to By-pass surgery on Saturday.External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee would be laying the wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti on that day.

Cartoon on Current Economic Situation

2009-01-22T21:37:00.001-08:00

Rebuilding Gaza

2009-01-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

As Isreal has left,Rebuilding Gaza is highest priority many Allah help in doing this as millions will get food and shelter.

Obama's Inauguration Speech

2009-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Obama's Inauguration Speech
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Obama becomes President

2009-01-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Obama's World

2009-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

First African-American president. That special burden just adds weight to a task that is already daunting — following his eloquent predecessors as he marks the peaceful transfer of power on Tuesday with an Inaugural Address, only the 56th in the nation’s history.
Mr. Obama has called Lincoln’s second inaugural speech “intimidating” and John F. Kennedy’s “extraordinary.” (Otherwise, he has said, “Some of the others are not so inspiring.”)
But since his 2004 keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, Mr. Obama has shown that he, too, is comfortable in the inaugural idiom. He writes with sweep, clarity and an eye toward history and in a style that Bob Shrum, a longtime Democratic consultant, calls a rare combination of the rhetorical and conversational.
Mr. Obama, who rose to prominence on his power as a speechmaker, has discussed his Inaugural Address with a certain detachment. He and his chief speechwriter, Jonathan Favreau, have been trading drafts back and forth for almost two months.
His primary goal, Mr. Obama says, is to define this moment in history.
“I think that the main task for me in an inauguration speech, and I think this is true for my presidency generally, is to try to capture as best I can the moment that we are in,” he told ABC News, adding that he would explain the “crossroads” where the country finds itself.
After that, he said, he wants to “project confidence that if we take the right measures, that we can once again be that country, that beacon for the world.”
Many inaugural speeches follow a somewhat classic formula of laying out the challenges before the nation and calling on basic American ideals to meet them.
But historians have high expectations for Mr. Obama, who, they say, is especially adept at framing the moment and reaching for a larger context.
“That’s one of the secrets of his success, rhetorically,” said Stephen Lucas, a professor of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin. “He seems very focused on the purpose of the moment.”
His victory speech on election night in Grant Park in Chicago provides a good example: “It’s been a long time coming,” Mr. Obama said, “but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.”
“Obama loves defining the moment, setting the scene,” said Mr. Shrum, who penned the “dream shall never die” speech for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts in 1980. “That’s what the great Inaugural Addresses, the ones that last, do.”
Mr. Obama’s primary themes are unity and hope, and they recur frequently, as does a call to service and a reliance on American ideals.
“He goes back to those fundamental themes of American greatness and the fundamental principles, like fairness,” said Shel Leanne, author of “Say It Like Obama,” a primer on his rhetorical technique. “He always tries to create common ground. He immediately starts building a bridge.”
Mr. Obama takes office in the first transition of power since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and it will be the first wartime transition in 40 years. Despite the nation’s economic woes, Theodore C. Sorensen, who was John Kennedy’s speechwriter and longtime adviser, said Mr. Obama should keep his focus on the country’s international standing.
“That Inaugural Address is going to define his presidency in the eyes of the rest of the world,” Mr. Sorensen said. It should be “bipartisan in tone and global in reach,” he added, while leaving prescriptions for most domestic matters, like health care, for an address to Congress next month.
“If I were to fault him,” Mr. Sorensen volunteered, “I would say that occasionally his sentences and words are not always short.”
Analysts said Mr. Obama needed to create a sense of urgency, especially about the economy, to bring the public along with him and make Congress feel compelled to work with him.
Some of his tasks are inherently contradictory: give a realistic assessment about the perils facing the country without portraying them as overwhelming; raise hopes and instill confidence without overpromising what he might be able to accomplish; and represent the change he has promised without insulting his predecessor.
“He doesn’t want to create the feeling that he will magically solve all of these pretty difficult problems right away,” said Ted Widmer, a former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and now a historian at Brown. “At the same time he does want to create the feeling that the problems are ultimately solvable.”
In a recent speech at George Mason University that may prefigure the style and substance of the inaugural, Mr. Obama gave a bleak assessment of the economy but found seeds of hope within the American spirit.
“Now, the very fact that this crisis is largely of our own making means that it is not beyond our ability to solve,” he said. “Our problems are rooted in past mistakes, not our capacity for future greatness.”
Mr. Obama also posited the duality of his job with near-inaugural sweep in his speech in Grant Park.
“The road ahead will be long,” he said. “Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.”
Some analysts say that Mr. Obama’s best speeches are not remembered for specific lines but for their power over his audience.
“Not too many of us can spin out a quick Barack Obama sound bite that we’ve all memorized,” Mr. Widmer said. “But we all do feel mesmerized by his speeches. We do something that’s completely uncharacteristic for Americans — we listen to the entire speech.”
Mr. Obama’s speech in March in Philadelphia on race, for instance, was not instantly quotable, but was memorable for the fact of it and praised by supporters as honest and nuanced; it was one of the most watched political speeches on YouTube.
“We all stopped to listen to him as he explained this extremely complicated, sensitive topic,” Mr. Widmer said. “It was a teaching moment. He’s been unusually good at that. Not all presidents are good teachers, but he has shown great potential for that.”
And on Inauguration Day, many willing students will be listening.

What if you were born Palestinian?

2009-01-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

This question started to interest me several years ago when I read a eulogy written by Moshe Dayan (a former Israeli Defense Minister) to his Israeli friend who was killed by a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip in 1955:
". . . Let us not today fling accusation at the murderers. What cause have we to complain about their fierce hatred to us? For eight years now, they sit in their refugee camps in Gaza, and before their eyes we turn into our homestead the land and villages in which they and their forefathers have lived.
We should demand his blood not from the [Palestinian] Arabs of Gaza but from ourselves. . . . Let us make our reckoning today. We are a generation of settlers, and without the steel helmet and gun barrel, we shall not be able to plant a tree or build a house. . . . Let us not be afraid to see the hatred that accompanies and consumes the lives of hundreds of thousands of [Palestinian] Arabs who sit all around us and wait for the moment when their hands will be able to reach our blood." (Iron Wall, p. 101)
Similarly, Ehud Barak (the current Israeli Defense Minister) was asked this question, and his reply was:"If I were a Palestinian of the right age, I'd eventually join one of the terrorist organizations." (interviewed by Ha'aretz's Gideon Levy in March 1998)
Here in America, we're a brought up to believe in our sacred right to bare arms because the right of self-defense is enshrined in our American constitution. As an American, I have the right to defend my home and family here in Chicago by all possible means, even if my defense results in the death or injury of the assailant. However, as a Palestinian defending my home and family in Palestine, that makes me automatically the "terrorist" in the eyes of many in the Western world. It should be noted that when Palestinians rocket Israeli towns, they are rocketing their own homes and farms which have been usurped by Jews who recently escaped European anti-Semitism and pogroms, here are the names of a few of the usurped Palestinian towns which are located in what is now southern Israel: al-Majdal Asqalan, Faluja, Yibna, Huj & Najd.
The more I research Israeli history, the more I discover that Israelis have a hidden empathy to what Palestinians have experienced for the past 60 years. In my opinion, this is a proof that this conflict isn't only a colonial conflict over lands, but most importantly it's a conflict about the national identity which is connected to the land. Deep at heart, every Israeli Jew suspects that the Zionist narrative to be farce. However, because Israel was created by usurping Palestinian rights, Israelis and most Jews find it necessary to deny Palestinians of their national rights and identity. This Israeli insecurity (or paranoia) increases whenever Palestinians assert their national identity (i.e. resistance to colonialism, demanding the right of return, ..etc) because it reaffirms that this is a conflict that will transcend generations.
reference: palestineremembered.com

Mercy on Palestine

2009-01-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Israel's war on Gaza was disproportionate and punishes the Palestinian people for refusing to bow to Israel's fait-accompli in the strip.
"Usually people are pushed to collective punishment because they want to punish resistance movements or national liberation movements.
"That's usually what colonial powers did, and that's what Israel is doing.
said the majority of Gazans are refugees, whose ancestors used to live in what is now Israel.
"Everybody knows that 75 per cent of the people of Gaza are refugees. Everybody knows that Israel disengaged from Gaza militarily, but occupies it economically and politically and also it besieges Gaza militarily.
"Israel would say, "what would any normal country do if they were threatened by rocket fire? They would act".
"But Israel is not a normal country, it is an occupying country, a colonial country and the people of Gaza are under siege."
‘Punishing democracy’
Bishara said that Palestinians are being punished for choosing Hamas in the January 2006 democratic elections and accused Israeli officials for dramatising their lies.
"Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, should be asked, "What would you do if your house is besieged and you can't feed your child, can't go to school, and can't take them to the doctors and physicians when they are ill.
"I consider Hamas rockets a protest shout, they haven't hurt many, only the few. They are weapons of the poor, used to express their will.
"What brought the war was the siege. When colonial powers have historically gone to occupy countries, siege has always been a weapon. Siege is a military action at the beginning of war.
"When it did not work to break the will of the Palestinian people... Israel realised that the rockets were a response to the siege, and they went to the next phase which was direct military aggression, which is actually now directed against civilians to punish them for their democratic choice.
"What I think will happen is a ceasefire that will mean an end to the siege if the rockets stop. It will happen after the deaths of so many people."

Satyam Removed from Nifty

2009-01-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Satyam is Removed from Nifty, Its price is seen at a level of 10. Keep on Reading about what happened.

It was one of the darkest days in history of corporate India. Early this morning, B Ramalinga Raju — the founder of Satyam Computers, one of India’s largest IT companies — dropped a bombshell when he sent a five-page letter to the stock exchanges confessing to one of the biggest frauds ever seen.

Satyam had nothing by way of a balance sheet and it had been cooking its books for the last many quarters, fabricating lies for the benefit of all its shareholders, for its independent directors and other directors and perpetrating a lie that went through for several years before he chose to confess this morning.

The result: the Satyam stock lost 75% of its market cap, a huge collateral damage took place across the market that tanked 750 points raising a lot of apprehensions about how the world would see it both for the IT services sector, the Indian corporate sector and its standards of governance and also to how FIIs would react to such an episode.

Who Will Buy Satyam?

2009-01-07T10:25:00.000-08:00

"We are not interested in the whole company. We may be interested in its telecom business which forms a very small part of Satyam's entire portfolio if customers want us to," the company spokesperson speaks.
He said the interest areas for Tech Mahindra could be taking over the telecom contracts and the employees associated with the vertical.

Inhuman Isreal's Genocide

2009-01-06T02:57:00.000-08:00

Palestinian civilians are continuing to suffer as the Israeli military pushes deeper into the Gaza Strip.At least 548 people have been killed in the territory in the last 10 days, with at least 100 deaths reported since the Israeli ground offensive began on Saturday.Among the dead on Monday was a family of seven from Shati refugee camp, who were killed by Israeli navy shelling.
Three siblings from one family, as well as a girl and her grandfather, also died in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza during artillery shelling.Emergency medical services have also come under attack with the al-Awda hospital in Jabaliya being hit by two Israeli shells, foreign human rights activists said.
"Two consecutive shells just landed in the busy car park 15 metres from the entrance to the emergency room," Alberto Arce of the International Solidarity Movement said in a statement.
"The entrance of the emergency room was damaged. At the time of the shelling ambulances were bringing in the wounded that keep pouring in."Medics killedOn Sunday, an Israeli raid killed at least four paramedics as they tried to reach wounded Palestinians. Ambulances have also been hit in the attacks, Palestinian sources said.
government officials say they are not targeting civilians, but only seeking to halt rocket fire from the Palestinian Hamas movement governing Gaza.There are also fears that the humanitarian situation will further deteriorate as the strip, home to 1.5 million people, is suffering from acute shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies.Iyad Nasr of the Red Cross in Gaza City said that the military operation has worsened the hardships created by the Israeli blockade over the last 18 months.
"The size of the operations and the size of the misery we are seeing here on the ground is just overwhelming," he said.
"We are trying our best to support the infrastructure that has been depleted ... and prevent the total collapse of the medical systems.
Nasr also said that aid workers and emergency medical personnel were finding it increasingly difficult to move around the territory after the Israeli military effectively split it in two.
"The ICRC has to contact the Israeli authorities for each single wounded to be evacuated with an ambulance," he said.Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Gaza City, said that many other Gazans have fled their homes taking refuge in schools converted into temporary shelters by UN agencies.
"The United Nations says 13,000 people, over 2,000 families, have now been internally displaced because of the fighting, and that is just in the north of the strip," he said.

India misses Number 1 test team

2008-12-23T02:13:00.000-08:00

India misses Number 1 status test team as it draws with England, but wins the series 1-0. Congrats Indian Team from all of us.

Human Right issue

2008-12-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

Human Right issue persists in kuwait, between expatrites and kuwaitis. This is against Islam but we can see the discrimination clearly.

India-Pakistan Stand off

2008-12-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

India-Pakistan Stand off

TOLL-FREE Terror Help-line "1090

2008-12-01T03:57:00.001-08:00

In case you come across any suspicious activity, any suspicious movementor have any information to tell to the Anti-Terror Squad, please take aNote of the new ALL INDIA TOLL-FREE Terror Help-line "1090".Your city's Police or Anti-Terror squad will take action as quickly as possible.Remember that this single number 1090is valid all over India This is a toll free number and can be dialed from mobile phones also.Moreover, the identity of the caller will be kept a secret.Let us make each and every citizen of India aware about this facility.Please forward this mail to as many people as possible, and telleveryone Individually also.

P Chidamabaram India's new home minister

2008-11-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

Palaniappan Chidamabaram will be India's new home minister Chidambaram replaces Shivraj Patil, who took responsibility for the Mumbai terror attacks.
Congress sources said Chidambaram is a man who can plan strategy and execute it in time of crisis. A Congress source told rediff.com,"We understand that India has the sympathy of the people and governments all over world."
Chidambaram was minister of state for internal security in the Rajiv Gandhi government, at the height of the Punjab crisis.
Dr Singh was finance minister in the P V Narasimha Rao government.
Indications that Chidambaram would be given the new responsibility came when he was called as a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee on Saturday night. He met the prime minister on Sunday morning to discuss the situation arising out of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Mumbai Attacked

2008-11-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

So what is new about Mumbai, November 2008? It is tempting to label the attackers as 'crazies' - but such a dismissive appellation may be misplaced The obvious novelty is the use of frontal assault tactics instead of timed explosive devices. This is new in the urban Indian context. There was one notable exception - an attack by a five-man squad armed with rifles and grenades on India's Parliament in New Delhi in December 2001. The attackers were narrowly prevented by alert staff from gaining access to the building, where hundreds of parliamentarians and ministers were attending a session. They were gunned down near the entrance by security personnel after an hour-long battle. Nine guards and parliament stewards also died. This attack led to the crisis of 2002 between India and Pakistan. The Indian government blamed Pakistani religious radicals, and embarked on a major military build-up on the border with Pakistan, to which Pakistan responded with its own mobilisation. The stand-off eventually wound down later in 2002 after months of tension and brinkmanship. But frontal assaults, usually carried out by two-man teams firing semi-automatic rifles and lobbing grenades, were the favoured tactic of the insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir between 1999 and 2003. Fidayeen technique Scores of such attacks were carried out by "fidayeen" (literally "death-defying") squads in Indian-administered Kashmir during that period. Ahmedabad saw rioting after the Gujarat killings in 2002In many instances, these attacks led to confrontations lasting anywhere between 24 and 72 hours between the raiders and security forces, who were often constrained by the presence of trapped civilians. Most of the locations targeted were Indian military and police installations in the Kashmir Valley, particularly in the regional capital Srinagar. But some attacks targeted civilians, especially in and around the Hindu-majority city of Jammu, in the southern part of Indian-administered Kashmir. The perpetrators were not members of the main homegrown Kashmiri insurgent group, the Hizb-ul Mujahideen ("Warriors of the Faith"). The fidayeen technique - a rudimentary form of "shock and awe" warfare - was introduced into Kashmir by Pakistani radical organisations that entered the Kashmir insurgency from the mid-1990s onwards. The large majority of fidayeen attacks in Kashmir were perpetrated by one such organisation, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, headquartered in Pakistan and founded and led by Pakistani religious radicals. The Lashkar-e Toiba did over time recruit a handful of local Kashmiris as fidayeen cadre, but most of the attackers were Pakistani nationals who had crossed into Indian-administered Kashmir. Fidayeen attacks have died down in Kashmir since India-Pakistan relations thawed from 2004 onward. But the deployment of exactly the same tactic in central Mumbai shows that this technique has now found a new and even more dangerous theatre in which to operate. Method The tactic is thus not without precedent, but the mayhem in Mumbai may nonetheless mark a new chapter in the evolution of urban terrorism in India. Bombs planted in markets and on commuter trains kill and maim working-class and middle-class Indians. The gunmen who attacked two luxury hotels, and a fashionable cafe frequented by visiting Westerners, have brought the "war" - as they see it - to India's elite class, and to affluent Westerners living in or visiting India's most cosmopolitan city. If reports that the gunmen specifically looked for American and British citizens to take hostage are true, it would suggest that this terrorist spectacular had little to do with the prejudice and discrimination many Muslims do encounter in India. It is tempting to label the attackers as "crazies". But such a dismissive appellation may be misplaced. It is more than likely that the masterminds are seasoned operatives and that the foot-soldiers, young as they may have been, had undergone rigorous training for months, perhaps years. The attacks also show every sign of having been designed to maximise media attention on a global scale. In other words, there is a method to the madness.

Lahore Badshahs Win

2008-11-22T02:44:00.000-08:00

ICL 2 finals will be best of three and played between Hyderabad and Lahore on the folwoing days
Match 1 Nov 13,200819:30 (IST)
Match 2 Nov 14,200819:30 (IST)
Match 3 Nov 5,200819:30 (IST)
Lahore Badshahs seem to be favourite here because all players are in tremendous form escpecially Inzamam, The great Inzamam was just proving his batting prowess, playing a clinical knock to take the score to 130 /3 putting the Lahore Badshahs in the front at the end of the 15th over in company of Mohammad Yousuf. Inzamam brought his second ICL fifty in the 17th over coming off only 28 balls; laced with 6 fours and 2 sixes. In the end a clinical 87 run partnership for the forth wicket, powered by a 62 run knock from the Lahore skipper Inzamam saw the Lahore Badshahs romp home to a 6 wicket victory in the 19th over.

ICL Season- A Hit!

2008-11-12T10:34:00.001-08:00

Winning Moments of India

2008-11-10T01:18:00.000-08:00

Winning Moments of India at test match at nagpur. Dhoni pumps his fist and signals to the dressing room. Stumps have been uprooted for souvenirs. Harbhajan wants to lift Ganguly, Laxman and Ishant join in and the they lift him up in the air. Indian flags are waving out there. The Indians shake the hands of the Aussies. Kumble is there too, hugging every Indian player as he walks up the stairs. And now shakes Dhoni's hand and hugs him. Gary Kirsten is there some where too, celebrating with the team.On the other side, Ponting shakes every Australian's hand. Critics all round the world will look at this series and wonder whether it's the time when Australia lost their aura. Critics have said this is the most unAustralian team in recent memory. Can they regroup and reclaim their halo? Will Dhoni and his boys be the new leaders or will it be some other team? The upcoming season of cricket will provide the answer.

Dhoni addresses the crowd "We didn't start off well, it was worrying but we knew once we got a few wickets .... On the series : This is more important than the India Pakistan rivalry. We had our plans and executed it well. On Gambhir: The starts were very important. Gautam and Sehwag run well and helped put a big score on the board.On Kumble and Dada:" They are marvelous cricketers. They have done everything, they led India. When we grew up we saw them playing cricket; we didnt think we would be in the same dressing room. The youngsters will have a tough task filling their shoes. They just need to concentrate on doing their best."

Jason Krejza- Successor of Shane Warne

2008-11-10T01:09:00.000-08:00

Jason Krejza made his debut in nagpur test in November 2009 and was given Man of the match award .After getting the award he tells "It has been an experience I will never forget. To take 12 wickets on your debut is unbelievable. What a wonderful game. I was a bit nervous, I tried to keep it inside. glad it has turned out well. My team backed me up, Ricky was a great captain for me and I really appreciate that. I had more confidence going in to the second innings. What I have learnt is .. Test cricket is a tough tough game and you have to be patient. I can come next game and pick none." Will he be Successor of Shane Warne. Time will say.

Dhoni - Driver of Indian Team

2008-11-09T03:23:00.000-08:00

Dhoni drove his time from stadium to hotel recently and since then he has been called Driver of Indian Team. I have known him since I was in college , he was a state player of jharkand in 2001 and was called a smasher. Slowly he made up to the Indian Team and since then there was no stopping for him , he became T20 caption and led india to World Cup victory, Thn became one day caption where he was successfull and recently the test caption .All respect to him and wish he brings India to victory in 2011 world cup.The best thing about him is that he is calm and composed and always stratergizes
Little history of India's most successfull captian
Born July 7, 1981, Ranchi, Jharkand
age 27 years 125 days
Major teams India, Asia XI, Bihar, Chennai Super Kings, Jharkhand.Also known as Mahi
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Fielding position Wicketkeeper

the odds of a clone emerging from the backwaters of Jharkhand, whose state side has consistently scraped the bottom, was highly remote. That was until Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived.

He can be swashbuckling with the bat and secure with the wicketkeeping gloves. His neck-length hair adds to his dash. Though Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999-2000 season, it was only in 2004 that he became a serious contender for national selection with some stirring performances when the occasion demanded. With his two centuries against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, that he established himself as a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks.
In just his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, he cracked a dazzling 148 - putting even Sehwag in the shade - and followed that up with a colossal 183 not out at Jaipur against Sri Lanka in November, when he broke Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs. He made an instant impact on the Test level too, pounding 148 at Faisalabad, in only his fifth Test.
He was elevated to the vice-captaincy of the one-day squad for the tour of England and Ireland in 2007 and, soon after, was appointed captain of the Twenty20 squad for the World Championship in South Africa. A heady title triumph marked him out as a leader for the future and was handed over the reins of the one-day side in September 2007 after Rahul Dravid decided to step down as captain. It didn't take too long for him to enhance his reputation, claiming India's first tri-series triumph in Australia. He captained Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, losing out to Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in a tense final. As a stop-gap Test captain, he was credited with leading India to their biggest ever win in terms of runs (320), against Australia in Mohali

World Most Powerfull Person- Obama

2008-11-05T00:43:00.000-08:00

His name etched in history as America's first black president, Barack Obama turned from the jubilation of victory to the sober challenge of leading a nation worried about economic crisis, two unfinished wars and global uncertainty.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep," Obama cautioned.
Young and charismatic but with little experience on the national level, Obama smashed through racial barriers and easily defeated Republican John McCain to become the first African-American destined to sit in the Oval Office, America's 44th president. He was the first Democrat to receive more than 50 percent of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment, change has come to America," Obama told a victory rally of 125,000 people jammed into Chicago's Grant Park

.
Obama scored an Electoral College landslide that redrew America's political map. He won states that reliably voted Republican in presidential elections, like Indiana and Virginia, which hadn't supported the Democratic candidate in 44 years. Ohio and Florida, key to Bush's twin victories, also went for Obama, as did Pennsylvania, which McCain had deemed crucial for his election hopes.
With just 76 days until the inauguration, Obama is expected to move quickly to begin assembling a White House staff and selecting Cabinet nominees.
Campaign officials said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel was the front-runner to be Obama's chief of staff. The advisers spoke on a condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.

Obama's victory was sweetened by Democratic gains in both houses of Congress. In the Senate, Democrats ousted Republicans Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and captured seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado. Democrats scored big gains in the House, as well.
When Obama and running mate Joe Biden take their oath of office on Jan. 20, Democrats will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.

After the longest and costliest campaign in U.S. history, Obama was propelled to victory by voters dismayed by eight years of George W. Bush's presidency and deeply anxious about rising unemployment and home foreclosures and a battered stock market that has erased trillions of dollars of savings for Americans.
Six in 10 voters picked the economy as the most important issue facing the nation in an Associated Press exit poll. None of the other top issues — energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care — was selected by more than one in 10. Obama has promised to cut taxes for most Americans, get the United States out of Iraq and expand health care, including mandatory coverage for children.
Obama acknowledged that repairing the economy and dealing with problems at home and overseas will not happen quickly. "We may not get there in one year or even in one term," he said. "But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there."

Obama faces a staggering list of problems, and he mentioned some of them in his victory speech. "Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century." He spoke of parents who worry about paying their mortgages and medical bills.
"There will be setbacks and false starts," Obama said. "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem."
The son of a Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas, the 47-year-old Obama has had a startlingly rapid rise, from lawyer and community organizer to state legislator and U.S. senator, now just four years into his first term. He is the first senator elected to the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1960.
Bush planned to make a statement about the election at mid-morning Wednesday in the Rose Garden.
With most U.S. precincts tallied, the popular vote was 51.9 percent for Obama and 46.8 percent for McCain. But the count in the Electoral College was lopsided in Obama's favor over McCain — 349 to 147 as of early Wednesday, with four states still to be decided. Those were North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri.
Obama won California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Kumble ends his International Career

2008-11-02T03:42:00.000-08:00

Indian skipper Anil Kumble on Sunday said he would retire from Test cricket with immediate effect. Me staying in bangalore have attachement to him, There is a cricle named after him in bangalore called Anil Kumble circle at heart of the city, He aslo has an engineer degree, a real gentleman. Was respected all the way and never fell in any controveries. Though he will still stay in Royal Challengers IPL Team and we can see his action.Here are some pictures of his last moments.

The veteran leg-spinner smiled and waved to fans at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium from the dressing room while receiving handshakes from his teammates.

Announcing his retirement, Kumble said, “I had an injury which was quite unfortunate. It has been a fantastic journey. I would like to thank my team and my family. It has been a tough decision. Now I would like to spend more time with my wife and children.”

The spin bowler said that he would like to be remembered for giving his 100 per cent every time he went to the field. “I want to be remembered as someone who raised the bar for the team,” he said.

His Last Bowl

“Bowling for 18 years is not a joke. My last injury helped me make this decision. I did inform those who matter about my decision. Criticism is part of every sport so it is not a decision based on criticism. I don’t regret any moment in the last 18 years,” Kumble added

“As a captain he was the best ambassador of India. A lot of cricketers had tears in their eyes when he announced his retirement in the dressing room. It is an emotional moment for all of us. An era has really come to an end,” Srikkanth said.
Kumble, who quit with immediate effect, sustained an injury on his left hand while fielding in the first innings and bowled with 11 stitches. The bowler has been in poor form this year.
He has also been under pressure for his place, especially after Amit Mishra claimed seven wickets in his debut in the last Test at Mohali.
The selectors have been informed and Dhoni will formally take over as captain from the fourth test in Nagpur.
The electronic scoreboard at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground first flashed a message about Kumble's retirement.
The 38-year-old leg spinner, who has captured 619 scalps in 132 Tests to be third in the list of highest wicket-takers after Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Kumble's retirement comes after former skipper Saurav Ganguly announced that the current Australia Test series would be his last.

Karnataka Rajyotsava

2008-11-02T03:30:00.000-08:00

Karnataka Rajyotsava is celebrated on 1st November, being a saturday there was no official holiday. But the HP club I usually go in weekends was closed due to Karnataka Rajyotsava.These was celebrations all over the city as well in HP, I had taken a picture of the puja there you can see it below.

This was the day in 1956 when all the Kannada speaking regions of south India were merged to form the state of Karnataka.

North Karnataka, Malnad (Canara) and old Mysore were thus the three regions of the newly formed Mysore state. People of North Karnataka did not favour the retention of the name Mysore, as it was closely associated with the erstwhile principality and the southern areas of the new state. In deference to this logic, the name of the state was changed to Karnataka on November 1, 1973. D. Devaraj Urs was the Chief Minister of the state when this landmark decision was taken.
Celebrating Kannada Rajyotsava On November 1st
Kannada is one of the major Dravidian languages of India, spoken predominantly in the southern state of Karnataka. It is the 27th most spoken language in the world, with native speakers called Kannadigas. It is one of the Official languages of India and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka.
Kannada Rajyotsava, or the Karnataka Formation Day (literally "Birth of the Kannada State") is celebrated on 1 November every year. This was the day in 1956 when all the Kannada speaking regions of south India were merged to form the state of Karnataka.
November 1, Karnataka will be in a joyous mood. This day is a government holiday. Very few will be out in the streets and community centers chanting Kannada.
Brief History About Kannada Rajyotsava
India became a Republic in the year 1950 and in same year linguistic provinces were formed. The state of Mysore is one such state in south India.
The state of Mysore was created taking into fold various parts of the region, which were ruled by kings. Several districts in, now called North Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka were dissolved in the new state. The new state was named after Mysore, which by itself was a princely state.
People of North and Hyderabad area did not accept the name Mysore. People of this region were demanding a change in the name. After prolonged debate the name of the state was changed to Karnataka on November 1, 1973.
Late Devaraj Urs the then Chief Minister of state took this landmark decision. Officially the new state was born on Nov. 1 and on this day every year birthday of the state is celebrated. This is popularly called as Kannada Rajyotsava or Karnataka Rajyotsava. Rajyotsava means "State festival.

reference: wikipedia

Dhoni Beat Australia by 320 Runs

2008-10-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

A opportunity came his way in Mohali and he has ensured himself a 320-run thrashing of Australia [Images]. And here we won't even mention his ODIs or T20 exploits. Don't agree with us. Here's a second point of view then.
He has given the term "leading from the front" a whole new meaning.
Captaincy at a young age can be a burden and can affect your performance as a player. Not in Dhoni's case though. He celebrated wearing the captain's armband for a second time by contributing 92 and 68 not out with the bat-- a performance that won him the man-of-the-match award.
Don't agree with us? Here's the third and final point of view.
The 27-year-old has his head firmly on his shoulder and has not let success distract him as is usually the case with the young Indian cricketers. Dhoni is aware of the fact that both "performance" and "luck" are variable factors and would pose a problem for him at some stage. And that is precisely what keeps him rooted.
Still, don't agree with us? Then just hear from the horse's mouth.
"When you play one or two matches, records do happen," said Dhoni, when queried about his second successive triumph as Test captain. "But it is about doing it over a longer period of time." The captain was in fact surprised that the Aussies succumbed so meekly.
"Honestly speaking, we have not seen this before," he admitted. "I mean in their first innings, they were 22 for two wickets after 13 overs and I was so surprised that I told Rahul (Dravid) that you don't see things like that very often
"And maybe you won't see that again for a long time." Dhoni did admit, however, that India was the better side.
"I don't believe in comparisons but we did most things right," he explained. "We had only four bowlers and to their credit, they shared the responsibility well." But doesn't his captaincy deserved some credit as well?
"There's not too much pressure of being a captain," admitted Dhoni. "We have to take care of certain things on the ground and channel our efforts in the right direction." And what about his own batting?
"It was a perfect scenario for me to just go out and play my natural game," reasoned Dhoni. "We got a good start, the track was placid and the ball old. It was just the perfect occasion for my sort of batting.
"I have realized that I should play my natural game, play to my strengths. In between, I was not playing my game but thinking of the scenario." Another thing he has realised happens to be the fact that the hallmark of a good captain is to have faith in his players.
"I believe in every guy who is part of the side," he asserted. "Every player comes to this level after putting in a lot of effort."
The Mohali Test was memorable on many grounds-- Sachin's record, Amit Mishra's performance on debut and his own batting. But what was it that Dhoni himself like the most?
"Sourav getting 102 was special," blurted Dhoni, without thinking even for a moment. "Since it is his last series, he was playing without any pressure. And that is how one wants to see him play."
With almost everything going to perfection he definitely has reasons to expect more. But Dhoni believes caution is the best way to propagate aggression.
"They are a strong side," he warned. "It is just that we are doing our job well now. So we don't have to worry about the opposition as much. But they will come back strong for sure."
Successful, and still not complacent, that's Mahendra Singh Dhoni for you. And now you better believe us

Chandrayaan 8 hours to go

2008-10-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

The 1st manned mission to moon by indian scientist, It will be launched on 8th november. I am closely watching the developments

Chandrayaan I is an unmanned lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The mission includes a lunar orbiter as well as an impactor. The spacecraft will be launched by a modified version of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
The remote sensing satellite will weigh 1304 kg (590 kg initial orbit mass and 504 kg dry mass) and carry high resolution remote sensing equipment for visible, near infrared, soft and hard X-ray frequencies. Over a two-year period, it is intended to survey the lunar surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and 3-dimensional topography. The polar regions are of special interest, as they might contain water ice.
The ISRO has identified Mylswamy Annadurai as Project Chief.
The spacecraft is scheduled for launch on October 22 with a window fixed between October 19 and October 28.
They estimate the cost to be INR 3.8 billion (US$ 83 million).
The mission includes five ISRO payloads and six payloads from other international space agencies such as NASA and ESA, and the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency .

Mission Objectives
To launch and orbit a spacecraft in lunar polar orbit and conduct scientific studies.
To carry out high resolution mapping of topographic features in 3D, distribution of various minerals and elemental chemical species including radioactive nuclides covering the entire lunar surface using a set of remote sensing payloads. The new set of data would help in unraveling mysteries about the origin and evolution of solar system in general and that of the moon in particular or on its composition and mineralogy.
Realize the mission goal of harnessing the science payloads, lunar craft and the launch vehicle with suitable ground support system including DSN station, integration and testing, launching and achieving lunar orbit of ~100 km, in-orbit operation of experiments, communication/telecommand, telemetry data reception, quick look data and archival for scientific utilization by identified group of scientists.

US is losing it charm

2008-09-26T03:44:00.000-07:00

US is losing it charm, All amjor investment bankings are cracking because of sub-prime issue. A new way to earn money and greed made these IB fall.

Reliance's Growth

2008-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

Reliance's Growth , both brothers are doing great

TATA _ Singur Row Whats the fuss about?

2008-09-10T11:28:00.001-07:00

TATA _ Singur Row Whats the fuss about?

Whats Nuclear Deal got for India

2008-09-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Whats Nuclear Deal got for India