A new year they say, but apart from the number 6 to 7 what changes? Whats new?

The days will fly, the year will go by and they can still, leave you feeling blue.

A resolution you may make, but you can never change your fate. Destiny can be calling you, look out, watch out don't let them get you!

Happy New Year,
Bhavika & Clyde!

It may not make sense but its nearly 12, Bhavika's asking me to get out of this chair and I am pretty intoxicated.

"Another fresh new year is here...
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest...
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!"

- William Arthur Ward Read the complete post...

Do you have a desire to get out of the rat race, are you fed up of the way the corporate system works, you always had a desire to travel, but never seemed to have the money or time?

I have a story that will inspire you to follow your dreams. Let me introduce you to Jim and Emma Wheat


Jim studied Civil Engineering at Nottingham and in California, back in the UK he started his corporate life selling specialty chemicals to Engineers. Becoming restless he secured a transfer to Dubai, where he took up Marketing. Following spells of questioning his very existence, Jim decided a career break was in order to put some balance back into his life.

At this point Emma came into his life and added a different perspective.

Emma studied at Warwick University to become a teacher, she held a couple of teaching posts in the UK before leaving to teach in Dubai in 1996. Having spent what seemed like most of her life in the education system she explored life outside the classroom and took a few uncertain steps into the corporate world. Emma, started to question her lifestyle and values in Dubai, realizing it was time to take a step back to view things more clearly.

"We spent lots of time saying ‘if only …’, or ‘if we had more money maybe we could…’. Asking ourselves what we wanted out of life, we scribbled down lists and let our imaginations run wild. What was stopping us? There was only one way to find out, so we left our jobs, taking career breaks and traveled to the places we'd dreamed of seeing 'one day'."Not only did Jim and Emma get to spend quality time together on their travel, they visited some of the most beautiful places in the world, have written books about their experiences and are now running a site where they sell books, flowers and blog their experiences.


Their Experiences


A ten month journey of adventure, that changed their life.

What do Jim and Emma have to say, "We took the time to ask ourselves what we wanted from life and as a result got to know each other better and saw some of the places we had always wanted to see. We returned to normality as a married couple and are STILL talking!"

5 Lessons they Learnt En Route

1. "I can do it, I know myself better, am more confident and go getting," says Emma.

2. "To find win-win situations and not to compromise, as someone ends up not being completely satisfied."

3. "To give and take positive, motivational criticism; working with each other, towards the same goal - even when the goal posts shift - has brought us closer."

4. "Never put fixed limits on things," adds Jim. "Be flexible, if not, you may miss a better opportunity."

5. "Take time for the important things and people in your life. You never know when your time is up."


So what are you waiting for?


Go! Smell the flowers... Read the complete post...

The inevitable has occurred. Global Warming has led to the possible extinction of Polar Bears and should be on the US’s endangered species list, according to the Bush administration.

The reducing level of ice, which is an important part of their life-cycle, and rapid changes in the climate, is threatening these animals from the Arctic. So listing them as endangered might save these species from a likely extinction. The scientists had warned in 2003 that as sea ice disappears so will the polar bears.

Ecologists have been predicting this for years now, but it’s finally happening. Penguins have dropped from three hundred breeding pairs to just nine in the western Antarctic Peninsula, and polar bears are dropping in numbers and weight in the Arctic. These cold-dependent species on mountaintops have nowhere to go, which is why two-thirds of a certain grouping of frog species has already gone extinct.

It is believed that there are nearly 25,000 polar bears alive worldwide, most of them in Greenland and Norway. Some 5,000 are estimated to be in Alaska and travel to Canada and even Russia. Recent studies on polar bears in Canada and in the Southern Beaufort Sea revealed that many have lost weight and there is a high mortality rate among cubs.

According to one of the studies, bear population in the Western Hudson Bay in Canada had dropped 22 per cent, to 935 in 2004 from 1,194 in 1987. There will now be a 12-month period for public comment and scientific review before a final decision is taken.

This announcement was the first time the administration admitted in public that climate change is one phenomenon that could threaten the survival of species. Scientists say that global warming is caused due to heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and vehicles.

The US has been the major culprit and it does not want to take any remedial action with fear of a negative impact on its economy. So hoping that a rapid action can save these captivating creatures from total extinction, because we love our Mother Earth and if we destroy our planet it destroy us as well.

Resources:

Polar Bear status report

Polar Bear 'extinct within 100 years' Read the complete post...

After the recent updates that Google's social networking site Orkut went through. Like the integration of it with Gtalk, Orkut has been down for over 6 hours.

Will post back with the new features Orkut has incorporated or if they aren't any we know Google's being going through some downtime.

On the Social Networking Front

I use Myspace and Orkut as my two major social network sites. Orkut because it helped me find a lot of long-lost friends and Myspace because there a whole lot of cool people there.

If you have not yet begun to drive traffic to your blog or sites with the help of these social networking sites, then you are loosing out on a major market.

Take a look at Walmart on Myspace Make the most of it while the buzz lasts. The walmart page was later removed by myspace.

One of the recent unique Indian social networking sites that I have come across is Yo4Ya.com


Yo4Ya is a social networking site made by Indians for Indians. It has a variety of features built into it that are not prevalent in networking sites like Myspace, but what third party service providers such as Pimp Myspace provides such as themes.

Yo4ya like Orkut is based on an Invite only module, which makes it a safer network where one friend invites another.

Orkut Updates:

So I was right Google's social networking portal suffered a major amount of downtime, at least 10 hours. But they do have a little surprise for people.

Orkut is no longer a closed network. It is wide open now for anyone who has a Google account to sign up.

Join Orkut Read the complete post...

Zapak Digital Entertainment is a full-service Gaming Entertainment Company and a part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. They claim to have the best and the most exclusive game content to please and titillate both the casual and the hardcore gamer. The Games on the site have been broken up into Action, Arcade, Racing, Puzzles, Sports, Strategy and Multi player section.

Favorites:

In the Action section my personal favorite’s are

Gladiator This was the game I spent my entire weekend playing and managed to defeat one Arena Champion. The Second one always got the better of me. I found this game to be the most addictive one and still give it a shot once in a while.


Heli Attack 3

Heli Attack was good fun reminded me off the 32Bit Sega Games a little like Contra.


In the Arcade section I have played just one game which can get monotonous after a point of time called Caravan Toss I managed to make a score of 417.5 in the short time I played it.



A hilarious racing game that I thoroughly enjoyed, Pope Box Racer


In this game you got to race the Pope and a lot of special powers straight out of the Bible.

Another one I like is Kauntracktor which is an enjoyable game but has a few bugs. If you hold down the accelerator in the start and don’t release it, your tractor goes flying into the air and does not get back down.



The other games I have tried are in the Multi-player section are pretty old like chess and connect 4.

I predict that this portal will become one of India’s top portals very soon.

Zapak has virtually eaten IndiaGames.com alive, a site by the looks of it, a better interface and more interesting games, but is not a free service.

If you compare Zapak's growth in the last three months it has nearly three times the growth that it took India Games more than three years to achieve.

See Zapak's current growth using Alexa's ranking system by clicking here.

Zapak is backed by a multi-billion dollar company Reliance, I think gaming is slowly capturing a nice chunk of the Indian market at last. Over the last one year gaming has picked up in India at an alarming rate. Even Microsoft's, Xbox 360's advertisement campaign speaks about how big gaming is for them.

Before you can play games on either of the sites you will have to register for both of them.

But you can find the best online games on The Blog Full of Games Read the complete post...

This year’s Ashes have been a one-sided affair. I needn’t say more. On a lighter note, David Fine, who is the designated ‘poet-in-residence’ for the entire series, has put the performance of the England team into poetic form quite brilliantly. So basically what David does is write a poem for every day’s action on the ground.

On England losing the Ashes after regaining it in 2005.

Fifty Ways To Lose The Ashes

It’s bad to be defeated
All too easily.
We travelled here with such high hopes
To end in misery.
It could have been much worse though how
I cannot see.
There must be fifty ways
To lose the Ashes.

A negative strategy made it
Harder to win,
And by the same token opponents
Reckon you’re about to give in.
We bent right over
So you could give our arse a good kicking,
There must be fifty ways
To lose the Ashes.
Fifty ways to lose the Ashes.
chorus:

Play the Australians.
Pick Geraint Jones
Ahead of Chris Read.
Don’t prepare for the Gabba,
Ignore Monty Panesar,
Madness at Adelaide,
Led t(w)o the Waca.

Over a hundred thousand
Have paid to be at the MCG.
Even a fourth Aussie victory
Will seem a little empty,
Now there’s nothing we can do
To make the series live again.
A win is still a loss;
You don’t need to use
All those fifty ways.

Maybe it doesn’t matter
If we go and lose five nil.
We’ve already lost what we
aimed to fulfill. We can’t change
Those first three games,
There must be fifty ways
To lose the Ashes.
Fifty ways to lose the Ashes.

(Chorus)

Read more on Sportshub

Poetry excerpt - Ashes Poetry
More on Ashes Read the complete post...

This section will bring to the forefront the glaring issues, global or local, that has or will have an impact on us, our environment, or our lives. Political, social, human, or cultural events that affect we the people.


Issues That Matter:

| Global Issues | India Issues | Environmental Issues | Life |

Global Issues:

YouTube Banned in Pakistan due to Anti-Islam Film

The Pakistan government blocked You Tube because of anti-Islamic videos showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad were posted on the site. As a result, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the country's 70 Internet service providers that the video-sharing website should be blocked until further notice.

According to Guardian and wikipedia, the ban was imposed due to Dutch lawmaker and a radical politician Geert Wilders's, upcoming anti-Koran movie portraying Islam as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals. Wilders has been the topic of controversy since the time he passed anti-Islamic remarks, causing tension across the world. Wilders was quoted as saying in Dutch news agency ANP, that the film will show his view that the Koran is "a horrible and fascist book" that inspires people to commit "awful acts."

Students Shot in America, Women Molested in India

The number of woman molested and raped in our country is tremendously more that number of students shot in America. Which is better I cannot say, I do feel extreme pain when people are shot for no reason, I do feel extreme pain when people are molested for no reason.



Is Malaysia, Truly Asia?

Malaysia is prospering, undoubtedly, on the tourism front. Large of Indian tourists are traveling to Malaysia too, the number has nearly doubled from last year. This can be attributed to the various events held to celebrate its 50th year of independence. But its birthday party was spoilt recently when the ethnic Indian community, held the biggest anti-government protest to raise their voice against alleged racial discrimination.




Burma Is Burning

Since the last fifteen years the Burmese have been controlled and led by the military junta. Recently there have been waves of peaceful anti-government protest by the citizens, that have been met with harsh force and brutality by the Myanmar government.

It seems there had been a growing unease in the population regarding the economic status of the country, which was ranked among the 20 poorest countries in the world according to the United Nations.

A Letter of Hope from Iraq

Here's a letter from Khalid Jarrar. He talks about the situation in Iraq and how his life has changed drastically since this catastrophe. Now he stays as a Iraqi refuge in Jordan. It is very impactful and moving. I had tears in my eyes while reading this.







Bush Defends Iraq War

George Bush in his speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which included many who have fought in Vietnam, has defended the Iraq war and has drawn a parallel between the bloody wars Americans fought in East Asia (including the World War II & the Vietnam war) to the current US "war on terror" to back his case for maintaining US troops in Iraq.



Back to the Top


India Issues:


Why would Female Travelers Visit Incredible India

"Atithi Devo Bhava" or "Guest is God" is the tagline of the Incredible India campaign. But the recent events of foreign tourists getting raped or molested tell a different story. Rape is the country's fastest growing crime and something has to be done really fast before the Tourism Ministry would be forced to change this beautiful campaign.

Several of these cases have taken place in Rajasthan, which is one of the most popular tourist destination. The latest government statistics show that there were 19,348 rape cases reported in India in 2006, compared with 15,847 in 2005 — an increase of 22 per cent. Nearly every week there are rape cases reported in newspapers, and foreign tourists seem to be the target.




World Aids Day

World Aids Day, a day to see what progress has been made in the battle so far and ways people can contribute to help in the effort.AIDS VirusThis year, World AIDS Day focuses on ‘leadership’, the theme set by the World AIDS Campaign under the five-year slogan "Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise." The most deadly epidemic has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV. What progress has India made in this matter?



Indian Relief Fund Money Goes Missing

I have always been wary of contributing money to any relief fund, which starts up in case of a natural disaster or calamity. There is no proof that the money you contribute is used for rehabilitation of the victims. I recently came across an article on BBC's website which proved the unaccountability of the Indian Government.







India Ranks High on Hunger Scale

India is making a mark in the global economy but many of its poor still go hungry according to Global Hunger Index 2007. India is ranked 94 out of a list of 118 countries but what is a pressing issue is that nearly 40% of world's underweight children below 5 years of age are in India. Millions of Indians still go to bed hungry every night and Global Hunger Index just reflects the truth which surfaced few months ago in a government-commissioned report. This report revealed that 836 million people or 77% of the population in India live on Rs 20 per day.






India: Unfriendly to Disabled

India's economy is booming, it is on the global map. But there are several unresolved issues which continue to hinder our growth. One of them is the appalling infrastructure of the country and the lack of adequate facilities for handicaps when we have 70 million disabled people in the country - an estimated 7% of the population!.









Protect Elephants from Captivity

Living in a crowded city like Mumbai can get very frustrating for us, the crowd and the lack of space gets to everyone, what about animals? Imagine what an elephant, which is the largest land animal alive today, moving around on the streets of Mumbai? Elephants are used in Mumbai to help people make money begging. When you see one during peak-hour traffic, it got quite disheartening.





Wildlife SOS for Sloth Bears

Have you seen a dancing bear before? A dancing bear is a sloth bear that has been taken from her mother (she is shot) at the age of a few weeks and trained to stand on her hind legs. The bears do not dance, they just swing to avoid the stick which they think is going to beat them. They are exploited by a gypsy tribe, called Kalandars for street entertainment purposes. A heart-rending initiative run by Wildlife SOS, a non-profit organisation, which works in the field of Wildlife rescue and Rehabilitation. One of their main project is the rescue and rehabilitation of 'dancing bears'.

Indian Widows – A Sad State of Affairs

India is diverse in every aspect. One side you have the ultra modern society, whose ideology is highly westernized, and on the other hand you have a section which is deprived and live in heart-rending conditions. The state of Indian widows in remote India is stil unchanged. Many settle in Vrindavan as they get food and shelter, many also beg outside Krishna temples, their situation is pitiable.




Back to the Top

Environmental Issues:


The Shrinking Glaciers in Pictures

Glaciers around the world are shrinking at an alarming rate. From Asia to the European Alps to the Andes, the story is same, glaciers are rapidly disappearing. We know the culprit for this disaster, Global Warming. So I will take you on a pictorial journey through glaciers - before and after - as a picture speaks a thousand words. The image on the left shows an 1870 postcard view of the Rhone glacier in Gletsch, Switzerland, contrasted with the shrinking 21st-century version of it.



Vodafone India Kills 6,16,000 Trees a Year


Did you know that for every 3000 sheets that Vodafone sends out, one tree is cut in India, thats what it says on the paper bill they send you. Perhaps you have been too busy to notice, and also you might not have cared to think how many trees are cut by Vodafone in our country every month. According to figures from Cellular Operators Association of India, November 30, 2007, Vodafone has 38.5 million customers, they have 38,500,000 users who obviously receive bills. If you calculate their customer base with the number of sheets Vodafone sends out in the form of bills, then every month Vodafone cuts more than 51,332 trees means 6,16,000 trees cut in India every year.






The Moai of Easter Island and What they Teach Us

Do you feel that the current situation of the global race and the use of resources is going to end up with humans destroying themselves? A story of Easter Island, is an island in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to Chile, may bring to light human nature, competing with each other for power and status. It may also enlighten us about our path to self destruction.





A World Without Humans

Our planet is headed towards an environmental crash. The situation is getting grim, and Mother Earth is bleeding. A solution to this was an irresistible concept from Alan Weisman, a science writer and an associate professor of journalism at the University of Arizona, who has produced a Book of Revelation called - The World Without Us. In his book he talks about how the world would be without the most disruptive species - human beings - on it. Would Planet Earth die out or regain its natural beauty? He is asking us to envision our Earth without us.






Ecological Footprints on Breathing Earth

A really interesting site - Breathing Earth - which shows the levels of carbon dioxide emission (responsible for global warming) in countries around the world along with the death and birth rates. Its a flash-based presentation and worth a look.





Back to the Top

Life Issues:

Kayans in a Human Zoo?

A certain sect of woman from Burma, known as Kayans wear bands of metal around their neck. The ring wearing starts at an early age and the number of rings increases as the child grows older.

Some of the Kayans are refugees residing in interiors of a Thai jungle. A group of women sit in the shade, fingering the coils of brass with snake tightly around their unnaturally long, giraffe-like necks.







Tata Indicom Customer Service Improving

Find out the power of blogging. Clyde uses Tata Indicom Internet service. Their connection was fairly unstable for couple of months and his repeated complaints had fallen on deaf ears, until he wrote about it on the blog. And now Tata Indicom takes his complaints pretty seriously.

Previous posts on unstable connection of Tata Indicom Broadband:
| Tata Indicom Broadband, Enough is Enough | Think Twice Before Going for Tata Indicom Broadband | Say No to Tata Indicom |


Racism Mars Cricket Again

Racism has always existed in the game of cricket. From the apartheid era in South Africa to present day condition where many a times Australia have been accused of racially abusing players from Asian countries. And the ugly spectre of racism has returned but this time in the subcontinent.







A Lesson for Indian News Channels

How many times have we seen irrelevant news on TV? Something that totally lacks substance and quality. The answer is everyday. But it was heartening to see Mika Brzezinski, a newsreader on news channel MSNBC's morning talk show Morning Joe did what she did and set a 'valuable lesson' for several Indian news channels. She refused to read out a Page 3 news as the lead story.




Pot Cave Busted

At first I couldn’t believe it. When I read the entire piece I was a bit surprised and also awestruck at the way this whole thing was conducted, until it was busted.

The story seemed like an episode straight out of the Dukes of Hazard. Three smart stoners tried to outsmart a county sheriff but in the end, unfortunately, the police end up winning. From the outside it looked like a beautiful house, but the exterior wasn’t good enough to conceal the huge pot farm below. It's amazing!!!


Back to the Top


More India-related Issues

The Sad State of Indian Hockey

Bullfighting in Tamil Nadu: A Gory Sport

We Don't Need No, Load Shedding?

More Global Issues

Virginia Tech Shootout

Eating Mud Cookies to Survive

Harmful Toys Made in China

Most Americans are Brainwashed by Propaganda

Animal Cruelty in Chinese Zoos

More Environmental Issues

Is India still Tropical?

Global Warming

Blog Action Day: Save the Environment

More Life-related Issues

Mallya's Force India F1 Team Without an Indian

>Stay Healthy, Quit Smoking

Smoke Cannabis Fight Cancer Read the complete post...

The 70s was the hippie era, synonymous with rock n roll, drugs, Woodstock etc. but during the same time a very intriguing creature was making headlines the world over.

Oliver, a chimpanzee, was considered a human-chimp hybrid due to his unusual appearance and his human-like behaviour. He would walk upright like human beings, was habitually bipedal, preferred human company rather than chimps, smoked cigars and loved to mix drinks and that instantly gave him celebrity status. Mind-boggling isn’t it? Was he part human, or the missing link? Read on…

Oliver's Road to Fame

Oliver was captured in 1970s from the African Congo region and sold to animal trainers from South Africa - Frank and Janet Burger. Oliver possesses a flatter face than his fellow chimpanzees (as his teeth were removed), his ears and jawline were shaped a bit differently than the normal chimps, powerful shoulders straight and broad, arms swinging at his sides – instead of hunched forward and using his hands and arms, like most chimps and less hairy.

He immediately learned to drink, enjoy coffee, watch television in the evening and also preferred human females to female chimps, and to such an extent that he made sexual advances toward Janet Burger and other women. As a result she sold Oliver to a New York appellate lawyer Michael Miller in or before 1976.

This was the time when Oliver came into the limelight, with Miller raking in the moolah and promoting him as a ‘missing link.’ He travelled around the world and made appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Oliver was a jet-setter. A recent documentary on Discovery Channel also showed Oliver touring Japan, and the entire country was so fascinated with Oliver that a Japanese actress in a cheap publicity stunt said that she didn’t mind mating with Oliver.

Well, that was the only time she grabbed the media’s attention. Miller, his then owner, was willing to take Oliver to Japan on the promise that the ‘missing link’ would be resolved through some scientific observation. Those results revealed that Oliver had 47 chromosomes and might be a man-ape hybrid.

Was Oliver a human-chimp hybrid, a kind of mutant chimp or one of the new species?
In a sensationalised publicity that surrounded Oliver, it was reported that Oliver had 47 chromosomes - one less than an ordinary chimpanzee and one more than a human being. For years this news circulated that Oliver was a man-ape amalgam. However, these reports were refuted in 1997, when detailed genetic testing revealed that Oliver had 48 chromosomes and he was a chimp, just a CHIMP.

"He's not a human-chimp hybrid. His chromosome number is 48, which is a normal chimp karyotype," said Dr David Ledbetter, a geneticist at the University of Chicago who analysed Oliver's chromosomes. That put an end to this really long mystery and laid rest all the speculations. While this was unknown, Oliver was a celebrity who was watched by 26 million people and he was the favourite in all the theme parks.

Oliver: Older and blind
At present Oliver, almost 52-years old, lives in retirement at Primarily Primates, a reservation near San Antonio, Texas.

Oliver is one of the elders at the refuge, and is almost completely blind. He spends his time sitting in the park with the pigeons. When he walks, he walks on all 4s, the way chimps naturally walk.

Oliver is no longer living alone, a female chimp named Raisin was placed with him as a companion. I am sure he does his best to impress her!

Resources:

Recent condition of Oliver

Fact bites on Oliver

Primate Sanctuary Read the complete post...

We wish all our readers, search engine bots, rss feeds and html scripts a Merry Christmas. I am hoping you have not seen the video below as its been a while since I have seen it, but was saving it up for Christmas for you to have a smile this Christmas 2006.



May the lord bring you Peace and Love for now an forever more.

Yours Truly,
Bhavika and Clyde Read the complete post...

From brilliant to bizarre, this 99-photo slideshow captures a variety of strange news. New photos are added frequently, so prepare to be shocked and amused.

Chennai, India - Manoharan, known as Snake Manu, 30, practices with two brown tree snakes by running it through his nasals and mouth. Manoharan is awaiting a sponsor for a chance to make a performance for the Guinness Book jury. (12/21/06 AP photo)
Richard Lisko, who lives near Waucousta, Wis., holds out one of the extra leg of a deer he hit with his truck last month in Waucousta. Lisko hunts deer with a bow but got his most unusual one driving his truck down a mile-long driveway. The young buck had nub antlers and seven legs. Lisko said it also had both male and female reproductive organs. "It was definitely a freak of nature," Lisko said. (12/18/06 AP photo)Bao Xishun, the world's tallest man, reaches in to retrieve objects from the stomach of a sick dolphin at an aquarium in Fushun, in China's northern Liaoning province. Bao, whose arms measure more than a meter in length, was called in by the aquarium after experts failed to surgically remove unidentified objects from the stomachs of two dolphins. Bao was able to reach in and retrieve the objects, which turned out to be pieces of plastic from their pool surround. Despite a few remaining small pieces of plastic in their stomachs, local experts expect the dolphins to recover soon. The 2.36 meter-tall Bao was confirmed as the world's tallest man by the Guinness Book of Records in 2005. (12/14/06 AP photo/EyePress)In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a stuntman acting as Spiderman leaps from a hurtling vehicle to another during a stunt show held at the Xinhualu Stadium in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. The Filmka stunt group from Hollywood gave a dazzling show of car and autobike stunts to the audience in Wuhan. (12/11/06 AP photo/Xinhua, Fang Xi)In this image made from a video, killer whale Kasatka holds the foot of trainer Ken Peters in her mouth as she drags him through the water during a show at SeaWorld Adventure Park in San Diego, Calif. The killer whale that dragged the trainer underwater twice during a show at SeaWorld Adventure Park may be allowed to perform again, park officials said. Peters was in fair condition at the University of California, San Diego, Medical Center, a nursing supervisor said. (12/01/06 AP photo)

Bathers toss a glass of wine as they dip in wine-poured hot spring at an open-air spa in Hakone, west of Tokyo to mark the release of Beaujolais Nouveau. (11/20/06 AP photo)In this photo released by the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, a house begins to float down the Cowlitz River. (11/08/06 AP photo) In this photo released by Taiji Whale Museum, divers hold a bottlenose dolphin which has an extra set of human palm-sized fins near its tail in Taiji, Wakayama prefecture (state) in western Japan. Japanese researchers said Sunday that they could be the remains of back legs, providing further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once lived on land. (AP photo/Taiji Whale Museum 11/06/06)


New York - Actress Miley Cyrus appears back stage with sumo wrestler Manny Yarbrough during MTV's 'Total Request Live' show at the MTV Times Square Studios. (10/26/06 AP photo)Robert Moore, 3, is shown after he climbed into a stuffed animal vending machine Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006, at a small store in Antigo, Wis. He was later rescue by the Antigo Fire Department. (10/24/06 AP photo)Ralph Kluk stands next to his homemade rosary that he created on the front lawn of his Jackson, Mich., home. The rosary is made of 59 bowling balls and is 71-feet long from the bottom of the cross to the top. It weighs approximately 700 pounds. (10/19/06 AP photo) In this photo provided by Michelle O'Donnell, a creature that was found dead after apparently being hit by a car in Turner, Maine, is shown. For the past 15 years, residents across Androscoggin County have reported seeing and hearing a mysterious animal with chilling monstrous cries and eyes that glow in the night. Now, residents are wondering if the animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for half a generation. (08/21/06 AP Photo/Courtesy of Michelle O'Donnell via The Sun Journal)In this photo released by the Nakheel Development, construction goes on at Jumeira Palm Island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With 14,000 laborers toiling day and night, the first of Dubai's three palm-shaped islands is just four months away from its first residents moving in, the developer says. (AP photo 08/14/06)A 1-year-old cat is photographed with a display of several pairs of garden gloves that he took from unknown yards in his neighborhood in Pelham, N.Y. Willy has brought home nine pairs of gloves and five singles over several weeks laying them on his owners' front or back porches. (07/25/06 AP photo) A rare two-toned lobster is seen in Bar Harbor, Maine. The lobster caught by Alan Robinson in Dyer's Bay is a typical mottled green on one side; the other side is a shade of orange that looks cooked. Robinson, of Steuben, donated the lobster to the Mount Desert Oceanarium. Staff members say the odds or finding a half-and-half lobster are 1 in 50 million to 100 million. (07/17/06 AP photo/Bangor Daily News) An Ibis, shot with a 2-foot arrow, sits on a power line and looks down on bird rescuers waiting below hoping to capture the injured bird. After hours waiting and several attempts, the bird eluded capture. (07/12/06 AP photo) Dani Pedrosa of Spain, bottom center, and John Hopkins of the U.S., bottom right, try to avoid Marco Melandri of Italy, bottom left, as Loris Capirossi of Italy, top left, and Sete Giberbau of Spain crash out of the Moto GP race on the opening lap during the Catalunya Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Montmelo circuit, just outside Barcelona, Spain. Melandri suffered a neck injury, Capirossi an abdominal injury and suspected internal bleeding and Gibernau fractured a collarbone and suffered a light head contusion, the medical team at the Circuit de Catalunya said. (06/23/06 AP photo) This photo provided by the International Bird Rescue Research Center shows an X-ray taken of an injured duck with a broken wing. The International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia. Calif., plans to raise funds with the unusual duck X-ray, which they say shows the clear image of what appears to be the face, or head, of an extraterrestrial alien in the bird's stomach. The center has come up with a way to turn its supposed alien encounter into a fundraiser for the center. It will auction off the X-ray on eBay. The image, which measures 17-by-14 inches, will be sold along with a certificate of authenticity. All proceeds will go toward funding the center's rehabilitation programs. (06/05/06 AP photo) A doctor inspects a 59-day-old baby boy who was born with three arms, at a hospital in Shanghai, in east China. Doctors are checking the boys physical condition before deciding whether to remove his third arm. (05/31/06 AP photo) Demonstrators pretend to smoke fake marijuana cigarettes during a protest for the decriminalization of marijuana in La Alameda park, in this May 4, 2002 file photo in Mexico City. Police and business owners from Mexico's beaches to border cities worried that a measure just passed to decriminalize possession of cocaine, heroin and other drugs could attract droves of tourists solely looking to get high. (05/01/06 AP photo) A man who would only identify himself as a hitchhiker from New York sits on a street corner in the Georgetown section of Washington DC. The man said lots of people take a look at his sign referring to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and some leave spare change. (04/25/06 AP photo) Firefighters in Orlando had to save a burglary suspect who was trying to climb down the chimney of a convenience store on West Washington Street and got stuck. (02/03/06 WFTV image) Red stains are seen running from the left eye of a statue of the Virgin Mary at the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church in Sacramento, Calif. According to Anthony Nguyen, a deacon at the Church, the stains first appeared more than a week ago, but they were wiped away. The stains reappeared a week later. Visitors have been flocking to the church to see what many call "a miracle." (11/28/05 AP photo) Two U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a mirror formation during the Aviation Nation Air Show at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (11/14/05 AP photo)
See the Top 100 Pictures of 2006

Resources:

WFTV News Read the complete post...

This is our chill out zone, where you can sit back and play the Impossible Quiz or trick your eyes with some optical illusion.

Its a fun zone with games, puzzles, music et al to destress after a tiring day at work.

Leave your seriousness for our other sections its time to get Zoned without getting stoned!

The Zone:

| Puzzles & Quizzes | Games | Optical Illusions | Amazing Videos | Random Relaxers |



Puzzles & Quizzes:

The Impossible Quiz

This is no ordinary quiz, as the name suggests it is quite impossible to get the answers right at the first go.

The quiz is humorous and extremely entertaining provided you don't give up that is. Try it out.




The Impossible Quiz Part 2

If you found the first Impossible Quiz crazy, then this one will definitely make you want to break your monitor. Its crazier, has a lot of new features, now you pass a few levels or stop the bombs from exploding. Did we forget to mention that its also a lot more fun?







Whack Your Boss

Frustrated with the time you are having at work? The Boss is pissing you off as usual? Don't worry we have an instant source of release find all the 17 ways to kill you boss, this is gory, you have been warned!










The Green Goose Quiz

So you think your environmentally conscious? So did I, but this quiz cut me down to size and hit me hard with facts that I did not know when it comes to mother nature. The Green Goose Quiz will teach you more than a thing or two on how to save Mother Nature in a jiffy.







Bloxorz: An Intelligent Addictive Game

As the name suggests, Bloxorz can get very addicting and challenging too. Can you get a rectangular cube into a square hole? This is what the game is about, to get the block to fall into the square hole to get to the next stage.

There are 33 stages in all. Use the arrow keys to move the block and don't forget to read the instructions about the switches and teleports.


Back to The Zone


Games:


| Entertaining Games | Classic Games |

Entertaining Games:

Stickman Sam 4

Here's Stickman in a Sticky situation! Stickman is the funniest secret agent in the world and likely the skinniest. Do your best at keeping him alive, will you?

This is definitely the best in the Stickman series.




Heli Strike

You are a pilot of a helicopter "Black Shark", on a mission to rescue an Intelligence Agent who has disappeared under unexplained circumstances deep in a jungle.

The game gets more interesting after a couple of levels when some good power ups for your helicopter are made available.



Crazy Flasher 3

Ripped gunmen are no match for your guns. Run out of cash and you can fight no more, but before that happens beat them down and get rich.

Crazy Flasher 4 is available as well, but I honestly prefer this version of the game, it reminds me of the good old days.


Flash Element Tower Defence

This is an amazing game. The aim of the game is to kill the creeps before they reach the end of the maze, do this by building attacking towers on the grass around the maze.

Flash Element TD will take care of your boredom, especially if you have a strategic mind.



Classic Games:

Old is Gold? If you think so then you are in for a treat with some of the classics from way way back!

Avalanche

Few of the easy classic games. Here you need to use your mouse to move left and right, don't move out of the screen, collect the red dots and avoid the melting snow caps.

No, this is not going to prepare you for Global Warming!





Frogger

I am not very sure but I think this game belongs to the first few Atari game consoles.

Help the frog get to the bushes by avoiding traffic.

Jump on the logs to get across the river and into the bushes safely.



Back to The Zone


Optical Illusions:

Stereograms

Stereograms are 3D images that have another dimension hidden within them. To unlock that dimension you need to trick your brain to make your eyes focus either beyond the image or before the image.

You need to train your eyes to see the hidden dimension. Once you can see them you may be interested in creating stereograms as well.







Optical Illusions

Let's exercise our eyes and also our mind by looking at few optical illusions. Optical illusions are fun.

They are in different forms, styles and some images have amazing artwork. Trick your eye with these mind-boggling images.
| Optical Illusions Part 1 | Optical Illusions Part 2 | Optical Illusions Part 3 | Optical Illusions Part 4 | Optical Illusions Part 5 | Optical Illusions Part 6 |


Back to The Zone


Amazing Videos:

Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World

You may have heard Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World, intended as an antidote for the increasingly racial and politically charged climate in the US and was released as a single in early fall 1967.

Here it has been brought to life by a hand shadow artist performing.









Paul Dateh & Inka One

Watch Paul Dateh & Inka One in action one with the Violin & the other one on the Turntable. A fascinating performance by the duo with their instruments complementing each other.

Its a must watch for a lover of fusion or modern music.



What if Shakira was Male?

Everyone knows Shakira for her moves, the way she sways and gyrates her hips. Recently I came across a 23-year old guy called DEzMO from Virginia, USA, who uploads videos of himself dancing like Shakira.

He's pretty good at that. Check out his videos, you'll be impressed.



Back to The Zone



Random Relaxers:


A Woman Drawn from Inside Out

The origins of this art belong to a very innovative flash art forum where the creators make various sketches, like the one that can be seen here.

A Woman is drawn inside out from her inner organs to fully dressed.





Zoomquilt Escape Reality

Its basically images put together that you can continuously zoom into and they are all connected, like a big long image loop. Zoomquilt 2 is new and improved.

It took two years to make Zoomquilt 2 and it comprises 88 images! Beautiful art.


Back to The Zone

More articles to Chill out:

Best Pictures of 2007

Comic Strips to Entertain You

Kids' Notes to God

Guido Daniele Body Artist

The Animal Splicer

Embedding Games on Blogs

Past your Prime Come to India

The Top Pictures of 2006 Read the complete post...

As the headline suggests, this section is a potpourri of the myriad festivals of India - be it colourful or intriguing, the rich customs and traditions of Indian weddings - which are fun as well as long, blended with interesting cultural aspects of other countries.


Our Cultural Fiesta:

| Cultural Potpourri | Indian Weddings | Religious Festivals of India |


Cultural Potpourri:


The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival


The Kala Ghoda [(Black Horse) A Place in Colaba] Arts Festival in Mumbai is a must-visit event of Mumbai. From poetry reading to documentaries to some wonderful display of paintings and innovative creations, it has something for everyone. You needn't be a connoisseur of art and culture to admire the magnificence and creativity of the art display, and besides, it’s a refreshing change from the mundane activities of day-to-day life.

Stroll Through Kala Ghoda Festival 2008

Celebrate Bandra


This bi-ennial event is one of the most vibrant festivals of Mumbai inculcating a sense of bonhomie among the locals. Held in one of most happening suburbs of the city, this two-week long festival had an interesting line-up of events like heritage walks, mix of Western and classical music, theatre performances, literary events, kite-flying festival. We went for some of the events, below are images from Celebrate Bandra 2007.

| Jazz Festival | Rock & R&B Performance | Kite-Flying & Dance Performance | Bandra Reclamation Underpass Makeover | Celebrate Bandra 2005 Reclamation Art |


A Raver’s Manifesto


We always here what society, the government and the narcotics department has to say about ravers. The Ravers Manifesto is straight from the horses mouth. Something so beautiful, with a lovely insiders view to this vibrating culture of dance and rhythm.


'Heritage Walk' in Mumbai


Mumbai is not all hustle and bustle, but it also has a heritage element. Heritage Walk takes you to some of the specific areas of Mumbai to show the architectural heritage, historic significance, religious importance and the living culture of Mumbai.

Spanish Flamenco Performance


A Spanish Cultural Evening in Mumbai featuring Flamenco performance by internationally renowned dancer Carmen Cortes and her husband, who is considered to be the best flamenco guitar players, Gerardo Nunez. A combination of colourful polka-dot dresses, castanets, mellow tones of the acoustic guitar and rhythmic clapping, made the performance very fascinating and foot-tapping.


Jamaica in the Eyes of a Jamaican


I have a friend so to say, who goes by the name of Kayode Anthony, who has been living his life in the Caribbean Islands. I happened to have a deep eccentric conversation with him, as we jumped from topics like life there and here in Mumbai, travel, culture, lifestyles, to the Indians living there.


A Grand Welcome for the Indian Cricket Team


Cricket is an integral part of Indian culture, and cricketers are heroes for many. When the Indian team won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa they were given a rapturous reception in Mumbai. Mumbaiites lined on the 30 km route from the international airport to Wankhede Stadium with flags, placards and drums. The Indian team was traveling in a open top bus holding the trophy, and the atmosphere on the streets was simply electrifying. Everyone, from children to old age people wanted to catch a glimpse of their heroes.


TV Empowering Women in Rural India

Televisions are becoming more and more popular in India, and especially in rural India. Nearly 77% of the population in India live on a measly Rs 20 a day, but majority of household would still have a television set. If a poor household thinks TV is a necessity, then it also means that majority of them get influenced by the soap operas. According to a survey, Indian soap operas are making women from villages more liberated and changing their narrow-minded outlook to life.


Back to the Cultural Fiesta


Indian Weddings:

A Punjabi Wedding in Delhi


A traditional Indian wedding, Punjabi style! The rituals and customs and the Grand wedding, which was fun but at the same time it can get too long.


A Goan Wedding


A colourful wedding for the colourful people. Having a wedding in Goa is an enticing thought. But did you know they have a custom to pour coconut milk on the complete bridal group, and some people even throw eggs on the to-be married couple.


Back to the Cultural Fiesta


Religious Festivals of India:


The Pros & Cons of Ganesh Chaturthi


Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival where the Elephant-headed God is paraded through the streets and immersed in to the sea. It is the only festival in the whole of India that can bring a fast-paced city like Mumbai to a standstill.


Holi: The Festival of Spring


Holi, originally called the Festival of Spring, but now called the Festival of Colors, takes place over two days in the later part of February or early March. As per the Hindu calendar, it falls on Phalgun Purnima (Full Moon). Holi over the years has become worse with people not only using cheap chemical dyes to smear everyone's face with but it is also a day where you find lot of misbehavior and misconduct on the roads.


Christmas Carols and Kababs


The Christmas Carol Night or as they put it the 'Nite of Carols' brought in the Christmas Spirit among patrons joining in for joyous singing. The Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana in Santacruz, suburban Mumbai, had organized the event like they do each year. Although I do not usually make an appearance there, this time it was a request from Mother to come for it. The gymkhana was fully lit up and people thronged in huge numbers made the atmosphere really festive.


Back to Cultural Fiesta

More articles on Culture:

India Chews Paan, Not Gum

Koli (Fisherfolk) Food Festival

Makar Sankranti in India

Midnight Christmas Mass in Mumbai

Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Read the complete post...

Forbes.com, the financial and business portal, has listed the best beaches in India. Well I don’t quite agree with some of their selection, because it includes the most crowded and ugly beaches in the country.

Here’s the Forbes list of best beaches in India

- Chowpatty
- Juhu
- Goa
- Marari
- Marina
- Varkala
- Kovalam
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands

While I agree with some of their choices like - Andaman, Varkala, Marari, Goa – the other beaches like Chowpatty and Juhu are overcrowded, packed and filthy to say the least. For foreign tourists the above mentioned beaches are avoidable. Instead one can spend some time discovering the lesser known and beautiful beaches on the Indian shoreline.

Here’s the list of few of the beaches I think are the best in India –

- Tarkarli Beach in Sindhudurg
Tarkarli is a virgin beach at the confluence to river Karli and Arabian Sea. It is known for its long and narrow stretch of beach, with its pristine water and the sand particles totally devoid of tinge of red. On a clear day, in fact one can see the sea bed through a depth of 20 ft. Phew!!! A rarity in India. The clear blue sky, sea and the sand blend together in a gracefully, making it a picture perfect beach.

How to get there

By Road: Sindhudurg is 510 km from Mumbai via the Goa highway. If traveling by a bus get off at Kudaal and take a rickshaw to Malvan (30km) (costs 250-300). ST Buses are also available at every 40 mins in the day time for Rs.15.

By Rail: Kudaal is the nearest station on the Konkan railway.

By Air: International terminal – Sahar, Mumbai.
Domestic terminal – Dabholim, Goa.

- Kashid Beach in Maharashtra

Kashid, which is on your way to Murud, has a bit of a Goa feel to it. One can lie on the hammocks, under the sun and have garam garam bhajias (hot vegetables cooked in batter), a Maharastrian speciality. You can spend hours and hours together enjoying the sun, sea and sand. Its generally deserted on weekdays, but weekends several locals flock the beach in huge numbers. It’s a better beach than Murud because of its white sand and clear water.

How to get there
By road: 140 Km from Mumbai, 135 Km from Thane, 110 Km from Navi Mumbai (Vashi) and 170 Km from Pune (via Mulshi).

By Bus: Buses plying regularly between Mumbai central - Murud halts at Kashid. Frequent service are also available for Alibaug from Mumbai, Thane. From there buses are available for Murud which halts at Kashid village.

-Puri Beach in Orissa
Puri is one of the finest beaches of India on the coastline of Orissa. For ages this pious land has been an abode for countless pilgrims who come here to take a purification dip. However, for decades now Puri has become a special haunt for beach lovers, both Indian and foreign tourists, due to its golden sands and the colourful sunrise and sunset.

This beach is also quite long, giving ample space to have a fascinating time. The local fishermen with their catamarans can provide you with a boat ride in the Bay of Bengal.

How to get there
Puri is at a distance of 60 kms from the capital city of Orissa, Bhubaneshwar and is well connected through air, rail and road networks. The nearest airport of Bhubaneshwar connects Puri with other major cities of India through frequent flights.

By Rail: From Calcutta, New Delhi, Tirupati and Ahmedabad there are direct trains to reach Puri.

By Road: By Road Puri is 60-km from Bhubaneswar and 35-km from Konark on Marine Drive.

- Harihereshwar in Maharashtra
The unspoilt, virgin beach had a handful of people strolling. In fact the beach is so secluded that people can pitch a tent as well on the shore and camp in the night. The white sand and turquoise green water was just spectacular. One can spend hours on the beach, in the water, collecting shells, making clay castles, and enjoying the lovely atmosphere that surrounds you. The beach also had a section filled with pine trees, making it a picture perfect destination.

How to get there
By Air: Nearest airport is Mumbai. 215 kms.

By Rail: Mangaon 65 kms on Konkan Railway.

By Road: Mumbai-Harihareshwar 230 kms. via Panvel-Mangaon-Goregaon Phata on Mumbai-Goa Highway. Shriwardhan-Harihareshwar 20 kms. Bangmandala-Harihareshwar 4 kms.

- Om, Half Moon and Sangam beach in Gokarna
Gokarna, which has around four to five beaches, is a worthy alternate option to Goa, which is just three hours away from Gokarna. Om beach – the most famous beach here - is a place where the sea turns inland and its called that because its in the shape of the auspicious ‘OM’, and a local told me that it was the foreign tourists or rather, ravers, who named that beach. Interesting, isn’t it!!

It doesn’t get more peaceful and serene, with only handful of tourists around; you can stretch out on the sand or get an ayurvedic massage for just Rs 100. On climbing the hill next to the beach, one can go to smaller and lesser known beaches of Gokarna – Half Moon beach and Paradise beach. Half Moon was this crescent-shaped beach with turquoise green water and crystal clear sand, an amazing place for sun-bathing or have summer raves. Its just like a private beach, with few huts nestled close to the shore, it was like paradise.

Sangam beach, located at the other end and quite far from Om beach, is simply mind-blowing. It has a 7-km long stretch of sand, making it an ideal camping place. There are absolutely no places to stay there, which means either no tourists travel so far or are not aware of the beach.

How to get there
Gokarna can be reached by road or rail from Karwar, Ankola, Hubli, Mangalore, Kumta, Bangalore, Hampi and Mysore. Konkan Railway passes though Gokarna and NH 17 is just about 9 Km from the town. 135 Km away and you are at the Dabolim airport in Goa.

- Harnai Beach in Dapoli, Raigad district
Untouched, unheard and unexplored, these superlatives aptly describes Harnai Beach. It is an isolated beach with a fort situated at its northern end. South of the Harnai fort is the palm-fringed beach of Murud, famous for its clean white sands and safe waters. Panhale Kazi, the famous rock-cut monument is 30-km from Murud-Harnai. Visit once and one will be left totally spellbound by the experience.

How to reach there
By Air: Nearest airport is Mumbai, 200-km away from Harnai.
By Rail: Nearest railway station is Satara, 154-km away from Harnai.
By Road: State Transport buses ply from Mumbai, Pune and Mahad to Murud-Harnai. Mumbai-Murud-Harnai 247-km via Panvel-Pen-Lonarhata-Dapoli.

- Beaches in South Goa
South Goa is, predominantly, a virgin countryside. The beaches of South Goa are terrific. Most of the beaches are isolated from anything that might disturb the peace, all you have to do here is enjoy the beaches, wonderful food and hospitality of the locals. The long stretch of beaches are Miramar, Dona Paula, Vainguinim, Bambolim, Vasco da Gama, Bogmalo, Velsao, Cansaulim, Arrosim, Utorda, Majorda, Betalbatim, Colva, Benaulim, Varca, Cavelossim, Mobor, Betul, Agonda, Palolem, Galjibag and Polem.

Palolem, 2 km west of Chaudi, is one of Goa's most idyllic beaches. It has a crescent shaped bay lined with swaying coconut palms hemmed by a pair of rocky crags. The white sand beach in an arc is picture perfect. Benaulim lies 2 kms away from Colva Beach. Bogmalo beach is only eight kms from Vasco and four km from the airport at Dabolim. The small beach became famous when the Oberoi Group decided to put up a 5 star hotel here. There are a few shacks on the beach next to the village.

- Beaches in Diu, Gujarat
Diu is a clean, green and beautiful island with its medieval charm permeating the town. However, more interesting are the palm-fringed beaches at Diu, which are good for some serious relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of the urban life. There are many beaches around Diu island, with Nagoa and Jallandhar being, as yet, uncrowded beaches. Both these beaches are south-east of Diu island. You will find Nagoa beach in the shape of a horseshoe suitable for swimming. Vanakbhara beach - 5 kms from Nagoa - is another beach probably the quietest with the tenors of civilisation yet to knock on its doors.

This beach is without any tents or hotels so the best you can do is make a one-day trip. Other nearby beaches are Chakratirtha beach to the southwest; with a popular sunset view point, Bucharwada, to the north; Gomatimala, a secluded white-sand beach to the west and the Simmer beach, 27 kms from Diu town. The Ghogla beach which changes it's name to Ahmedpur Mandvi on crossing to the Gujarat side of the border offers good swimming and has splendid views of fishing villages, and fort and churches on Diu island.

How to get there
By Rail: Veraval, some 80 km from the downtown, is the nearest railhead. Veraval is connected Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Rajkot. Girnar Express and Somnath Mail are the two important trains.

By Air: A daily flight from Mumbai is there. It is just at an hour's distance.

By Road:
Diu is well connected with major cities of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The approximate distances to some important centres are, Ahmedabad - 500 km and Mumbai - 930 km.

- Serenity and Paradise Beach in Pondicherry
Serenity Beach is a ten-minute drive to the north of the town brings you to these virgin sands. The ambience is well-captured in its name. You can touch the calm. Ideal for a quick dip, a touch of the sun and a cool reprieve in the shade. While the Plage Paradiso (Paradise Beach), at Chunnambar, is 8 kms from town along Cuddalore Main Road. It is a tropical paradise flanked in a quiet-flowing creek on one side. In fact, you can sail downstream to the sands and pitch up a cozy seaside tent for yourself.

How to get there

Pondicherry is well connected by buses between Chennai, Bangalore, Trichy, Coimbatore, Thirupathy, Madurai, Kochi and Trivandrum. The nearest airport is however Chennai. It is also connected upto Villupuram, which is 36 kms from Pondy, by rail.

Here it is. These are some of the most beautiful beaches in India which will guarantee you a memorable experience and a cool reprieve in the shade.

Getting to Serenity Beach Read the complete post...

Escaping from the daily chaotic life is something we both crave for, and then we find shelter in the arms of Mother Nature. We've been through valleys, walked through fields, crossed glaciers and swam in the sea. Take a look at where we have been, you might want to visit what we have seen.

Hampi – The Call of the Ruins



Hampi, a village in Northern Karnataka (South India), is a grandiose temple town of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Spread over beautiful hilly landscape along Tungabhadra river, Hampi has some intricately built Dravidian temples and palaces. It is one of our favourite places, because once you go there, you don’t feel like coming back!

Valley of Flowers – Heaven and Back



If heaven is on earth, then you will find it here, nestled in the upper reaches of Garhwal, Uttarakhand (North India), among snow-capped mountains of the Himalayan foothills. Swarmed with over 500 species of flowers spreading over an area of 87.5 km and is situated at a height of 3250 m. The Valley of Flower's is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its diverse alpine flowers. The only way to reach Valley of flowers is to trek 3 km from Ghangaria, a hamlet where you can find accommodation and places to eat.

Hemkund: A Rose With a Thorn



This is a very popular pilgrimage site of the Sikhs. Located in the Himalayas at an elevation of over 15,000 ft in Uttarakhand state of North India, the Gurdwara has been built on the banks of a beautiful glacial lake and is surrounded by seven snow-clad peaks. To reach the place one has to trek 6 km from Ghangaria, the base camp where you will find lodges and guest houses.

Star-Gazing in Gokarna



If you looking to explore beach destinations beyond Goa, then Gokarna is an ideal retreat to soak in the sun. Situated along the Karwar coast, south of Goa, in northern Karnataka, Gokarna is also a Hindu pilgrim town. Gokarna has 4 beaches, out which Om Beach is the most popular one, as the beach is in shape of the most auspicious OM. On climbing the cliff adjoining Om beach you will reach the more secluded beaches of Gokarna – Half Moon & Paradise.

Malaysia – A Land of Many Charms




Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in southeast Asia. A pot pourri of cultures – Chinese, Malay, Indian - makes it a very vibrant country. From the sophisticated architecture in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya to the picturesque Cameron Highlands, Malaysia was an amazing place to explore.

Goa – Going to the Dogs



This place needs no introduction, although the face of it has changed tremendously over the last six to seven years. But there is something about this place, that’s the reason why we all like to go there often. From Anjuna to Calungate night market, our journey was quite interesting.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai



A city where trees and open spaces are being destroyed and replaced by concrete structures, Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a jewel and a quick getaway from the maddening urban life. We went there for a short trek and were glad to be close to nature on a rainy day. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park, or as commonly known, the Borivili National Park, is a miraculously preserved natural oasis in the heart of an urban sprawl.

Lohagad: Trek to the Iron Fort




Lohagad, is also known as 'The Iron Fort'. It has a 2000-year old history and is 3400 ft high. Its a nice place to go for a one-day trek. From Mumbai, you can take a train to Lonavla. Malawli is the next station from Lonavla in the direction toward Pune. There are a number of local trains operating between Lonavla and Pune. From Pune, you can take any of these locals.

Finding oneself in Harihareshwar

Located around 230 kms from Mumbai in Raigad district is a small town of Harihareshwar. It is known for its picturesque beach and has a quaint charm attached to it. We stayed in a resort on the beachfront, which was surrounded by hills on all four sides and has a thick green cover, combining scenic drama and tranquility. So if you’re tired of visiting those overcrowded getaways like Lonavala, Khandala, Alibaug etc., then Harihareshwar should be on top of your list.

Jungle Safari in Tadoba

Tadoba Tiger Reserve is Maharashtra’s oldest national park and also an undisturbed forest, not visited by many tourists. Located in Chandrapur district, the forest is home to 50 tigers and the best part is that it is open throughout the year, unlike other sanctuaries in India. The various species of fauna spotted in the sanctuary are Leopard, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Rusty Spotted Cat, Ratel, Indian mouse deer, Spotted deer, Sambar, Wild Boar, Four-horned antelope, Wild dog, Flying Squirrel, etc.

Top Ten Things to do in India

A must read if you are planning a trip to India. There are several things or places to see in India, but these are the ones on top my mind, and probably you can include one of these in your itinerary.

More Travel Articles:

The Valley of Gods

The Scenic Trek to Ghangaria

Fascinating Hong Kong

The Best Beaches in India

Watch Malaysian Grand Prix for just Rs 33,999

Our Travel Exploits Featured in V Rebel

A Walk on the Seabed

Mauritius: A Jewel in Indian Ocean

Santa Claus Lives in Kyrgyzstan Read the complete post...

Microsoft is enticing its Windows Live Mail Customers to buy an Xbox 360 by giving them a limited time $30 discount offer. I just received a mail that looks like this in my email a few hours ago that looks like this.



Microsoft launched the Windows Live Mail beta a couple of months ago. With this offer they are all set to kill two birds with one stone, this will automatically help them promote both their relatively new services without it.

This is a good boon to Microsoft over their competitors Sony’s Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii because of the enormous database of users they have on Windows Live Mail, I guess most of them would be ex hotmail users. Windows Live is currently ranked as the number 9th site on the internet via Alexa.

The Offer

“Exclusively for Windows Live Mail users—Windows Live Mail has teamed up with Xbox to help you save on an Xbox 360 package! For a limited time, simply order an Xbox 360 system and a wireless controller online from Circuit City and you'll instantly save $30 and get free shipping. Now that's a rewarding experience!

Order yours now and prepare for hours of fun with exciting Xbox 360 games like Viva Piñata (Rated E), Project Gotham Racing 3 (Rated E10), and Gears of War (Rated M: Blood and Gore, Violence, Strong Language).

The next generation is now.


Microsoft’s Terms and Conditions

This e-mail represents the Hotmail monthly member communication. You are receiving this message because you are a valued MSN member.

Microsoft values me at $30 that’s more than what I value Windows. Read the complete post...

Compelling and moving images is what World Press Photo exhibition is all about. Organised annually around 40 countries, it is a platform for photojournalists from around the world to showcase their skills and exchange free and unrestricted information from the field of photojournalism.

I visited the exhibition at Express Towers, Mumbai (its on till December 30, 2006) and after viewing some prize-winning images I was deeply touched and a bit depressed. The 200 odd photographs, besides capturing the real moment, manages to stir your mind. From the repercussions of the Iraq war to hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans to the recent earthquake that struck Pakistan, the exhibit is a historical documentation of international events of 2005.

Most of them are quite a revelation like Liberia’s long running civil war and the subsequent political turmoil finally gave way to elections and stability in 2005. Aftermath of which had 16 per cent population disabled with nearly 77,000 blind in Liberia.
There is a picture of the US troops getting killed in Iraq and a pregnant woman pressing her belly to her husband’s casket. I really loved that photo.

There is another series of images of a 39-year old woman diagnosed with breast cancer and the treatments she underwent. It basically highlighted that breast cancer is the second largest cause of death among women.

Another intriguing picture is of inmates of the Maula prison in Malawi sleeping on a floor. They are so tightly packed that they turn over only when a designated prisoner wakes them to do so en masse.

Pictures speaks louder than words, so its worth visiting the exhibition. After seeing it I really was in a state of disappointment and grief with the amount of crime, violence and turmoil prevalent around the world especially in under-developed nations like Togo, Guatemala, Malawi etc.

Its worth a watch, because seeing is believing!!!

View the prize-winning images – Photo Gallery

Official site - World Press Photo Read the complete post...

One of the best part about Google is that they teach you how to improve your site's ranking on their search engine. Apart from that they have provided users with tools to see how the Google Bot sees your site and what it thinks about your site.

Getting Started

To get to Google Site Status Click Here!

Then type in your Site Address in the box provided as seen in the image below.



Once you do that it will tell you if pages from your site are indexed by Google and when was the last time the Google Bot visited your site. Here you will also get an option to sign up for google's webmaster tools.



Site Verification

Once you sign up for the webmaster tools you will then have to verify that the site belongs to you or not.

Verification can be done in two ways, you insert a Meta tag on your index page or you upload a page with some html content on it. The codes are provided by Google once you upload it on your site you can then hit the verify button and Google then checks if you have the code.



I used the Meta tag method for Fractal Enlightenment the verification code has to be left on your site till as long as you want to use this service.

Site Status Features & Tools

Once you are verified you come to a Summary screen shown in the image below. This is an overview of your site, apart from the information you get before the sign up, it lets you know if the bot had any difficulty in following links or did not find the corresponding pages that the links lead to.




As you can see in the pictures I happen to have a couple of 404 errors, page not found. I cannot find these pages on my site, this is where there is a lack of information, as if Google had to actually let me know why or from where are these URL's being requested I would fix it, the only information you get is a description of the error messages.

One of the tools that I like is the Links tool, it allows you to see all the external links that link in to your site.


I will run you through some of the features that are handy to find out about the relationship between your site and Google.

One of the most important feature is the Crawl rate, which will show you the Maximum, Average and Minimum number of pages crawled per day, number of kilobytes downloaded per day as well as the time spent downloading a page (in milliseconds).


Apart from that it will also give you an option for Google to crawl your site a normal, slower or faster rate as compared to the rate it is set at. At this point of time I do not have the faster option enabled probably after we begin working much more on the blog and generate more traffic it should give me that option as well.

Since we are currently on the crawling section, I have jumped to Crawl Stats, here you can see how the Google Bot rates your pages in terms of their search engine ranking.

Another tool under diagnostics is the robot text analysis. Here you can check if any of your URL’s are black listed or if you do not want the bot to index any of the pages you have.


You can also check if any of Google’s User agents like the AdSense ads to check if they are receiving appropriate content to display the right ads on your site

It’s a great tool if you want to stop indexing certain pages or check the black listed ones, apart from there you cannot do anything more with it.


The Preferred domain tool allows you to choose the way you want your site URLs to display in Google’s index.

You can choose from all urls displaying as
www.yoursite.com or yoursite.com

Enhanced Image search allows google to label your images with optimization for their image search.

More details on Enhanced Image Search?

Enhanced Image search does send traffic to our blog, so it is advisable to have it activated if you put up a lot of pictures on your blog.

Webmaster Statistics

Google has brought a range of tools that existed under one canopy, for example all the tools in the image below such as find out how many of your pages are indexed by Google or how many sites on the Internet link to your site could be found out through the search engine. Now it is easily accessible for the layman through Site Status.


The next tool page analysis is self explanatory, it lets you know what your sites content consists of, text, html, xml etc.



Another Good Tool

One of the best tools that a webmaster can have is to know which keywords he can benefit from or which he can work on to be number one. The Query Stats tool allows users to see which keywords get them on google and what rank they stand at. This can also be compared via locations, for targeting specific countries with specific keywords.



Resources:

About Google Webmaster Tools

Google Webmaster Central Read the complete post...

The first Test between India and South Africa is underway at Wanderers and the spotlight is firmly set on Sourav Ganguly, who is making a comeback after nearly 10 months.

He started this tour with a decent score of 83 against Rest of South Africa, but it remains to be seen if he can tackle the short ball against a mighty attack of the South Africans.

Here’s a quick look at few stats –

- Ganguly last scored a century against Zimbabwe in September 2005. But against a formidable team it was way back in December 2003, where he made 144 against Australia at Brisbane.
- Ganguly supporters might not want to have a look at this stat. In his career spanning 88 Tests, Ganguly has never made a hundred against South Africa. And in the 11 Tests played against them he has managed to secure merely 522 runs at a hapless average of 27.47.
- His record in South Africa is equally dismal. In five matches he has scored just 292 runs at 32.44.

But statistics can be deceptive. And I really hope Ganguly can once again cement his place into the side and we can see the Bengal Tiger at the top of his game.

Related Post:

MPs hail Ganguly's selection Read the complete post...

Far away across the sea
In sunny Italy
There's a quaint little town
Not a clock has been wound
For over a century

Not really but those are just the lyrics to Buon Natale, which means Merry Christmas in Italian.

Although there is a town called Viganella in Italy. A town way up in the Alps that always finds itself in complete darkness for 84 days, beginning each November 11 when the sun is blocked out by a high mountain.

With the sun not shining in the town the inhabitants lived a depressed life, a scenario which doctors call the 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' or SAD.

The younger generation simply left town, leaving only the elderly behind. Fewer and fewer children were born, until Viganella faced the threat of extinction. Flowers would die, temperatures would plummet and laundry would take forever to dry. One day, however, one of its brave young man decided he'd had enough. His name was Pierfranco Midali, who was a railway man. Instead of jumping on a train to seek the sun elsewhere, Midali got himself elected as mayor and came up with a shining bright idea: "I'll bring the sun to Viganella!" he proclaimed.

Pierfranco had a plan, that was reported by the BBC on the 7th of November 2005 to mount a giant mirror on the mountainside to reflect sunlight into the main piazza. A motorized mirror could track the sun, always reflecting it into the square.

According to this plan on a clear day there would be five hours of sunlight in the piazza even in mid-December. In theory, it could be snowing in the village, but so long as the sun was out further up the valley, Viganella's piazza could have snow and sunshine at the same time.

For seven long years, Midali worked and traveled around the land, begging local authorities and private sponsors to give him the money required to put it into practice his idea began to take shape, people from around the world began to show an interest.

Finally, on a cold late November morning of 2006, a helicopter suddenly appeared on the horizon, carrying a huge mirror, eight metres wide by five metres tall with a powerful computer that would move the mirror around so as to capture the sun's rays and convey them on the town's square for up to eight hours a day.

The town will have a big inauguration party, scheduled for December 17 2006, to celebrate the arrival of the first winter sun ever in the town's nearly 800 years of existence.

Resources:

Sun Will Finally Shine in Viganella During Winter

A bright idea that brought the winter sun to the disbelieving folk of Viganella

Bringing the sun to an Italian town Read the complete post...

Many organisations or work places don’t allow employees to chat on MSN, Yahoo!, Aol, ICQ, AIM, etc., basically these sites are blocked to keep employees away from any distraction. But you always need the odd distraction, don’t you? There are several sites that help you keep connected with your friends. Yes, I am talking about web-based clients for all the popular instant messaging networks. In fact some sites also support Google Talk.

You don’t need to download or install any software, but just log on to these sites and start chatting. While some allow multiple IM sites on one interface, others are only MSN compatible. Sending and receiving messages are done without page refresh which actually minimises internet traffic and makes manual page refresh unnecessary. Most are compatible with all the browsers – Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera etc. Besides, most of these sites have almost all the core features from the original Instant Messenger.

I am going to list some of the good sites to help you stay connected, but hope no ones watching.

- iloveim.com
- ctube.net
- easymessenger.net
- meebo.com
- ebuddy.com
- msn2go.com

Happy Chatting!!! Read the complete post...

Been there, done that…think again. The year 2007 promises to be a year in which you can get your adrenaline pumping real hard but at a cost. You can be the first to explore a small part of the galaxy when Oklahama-based Rocketplane launches its first commercial suborbital passenger flight in 2007.

The lucky passengers will speed 60 miles above Earth and experience weightlessness for up to 4 minutes. The company has promised that the descent will feel like the ultimate roller-coaster ride and all this will be available at an exorbitant price, obviously, of $150,000 for 45 minutes.


I’ve written quite a few travel articles but didn’t ever think of writing on space travel. How would it feel to be able to touch the stars, if only for a few minutes? What would be the view like from top?

As inviting as this sounds, all this would be a possibility very soon. Virgin Galactic, the space tourism venture of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, also plans to fly 500 passengers a year at a price tag of $200,000. It apparently has begun taking reservations for its suborbital packages, to begin in 2008.

The two companies - Rocketplane and Virgin – hopes to makes space travel more affordable for many people within the next ten years. So the all you wanna-be-astronauts fret not, because you would be able to book your seat on the spaceship. Read the complete post...

Its Christmas time and it seems the Search engines want you to make a couple of bucks by giving you free pay per click (PPC) advertising.

So if you are into Affiliate Marketing, have a website that needs to be seen, or even want to make people aware of your blog this is the best time to jump onto the PPC band wagon.

Four search engine’s namely Google, Microsoft, Looksmart and Ask are giving you nearly $600 for free advertising. This will allow you to be part of the sponsored listings on these search engines until you run out of the free amount. Once you run out of your free amount your credit card will be charged.

Google’s Offer

Google has come up with a Christmas offer for people to sign up for AdWords Click here to get the $50 in free promotions from Google.


Microsoft’s Offer

Go to the offer page to get started with Microsoft AdCenter and use promo code DM-2-1106 which is also displayed on the site. You have to sign up before January 15, 2007 and have to be a citizen of the United States to be eligible for this offer. Microsoft will also charge $5 to those who sign up for this offer so the amount that you get for your free advertising is $195.


LookSmart:

Click here to sign up for LookSmart and make sure to use promo code SESCHQ4 before December 25th 2006 to get $300for your sponsored listings. The offer is only valid if you are a first time user of LookSmart. Your daily budget must be set to $10 or higher, meaning you can only use this service for free, for a maximum of 30 days.

Ask:

Go to this sign up page and enter promo code SESCHI06 during the check-out process.

Resources:

Where I found all these coupons Read the complete post...

The wait is finally over. Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters is set to perform in Mumbai on February 17th, 2007. Mumbai missed out on his historic tour ‘Rogers Waters-In The Flesh’ in 2002, but the dates have been confirmed this time around by his manager.

He is covering destinations which have not been frequent Floyd stopovers in the past.
Here are the important dates for your diaries –

18 February - MMRDA-BKC Grounds, Mumbai, India
Tickets go on sale on January 15th - ticketing to be advised
21 February - Autodrome, Dubai, U.A.E.
Tickets go on sale at the beginning of December - ticketing to be advised
2 March - Estadio Tecnologico, Monterrey, Mexico
Tickets go on sale on December 14th through www.ticketmaster.com.mx or telephone +83 69 9000
4 March - Arena VFG, Guadalajara, Mexico
Tickets go on sale on December 14th through www.ticketmaster.com.mx or telephone +38 18 3800
6 March - Foro De Sol, Mexico City, Mexico
Tickets go on sale on December 14th through www.ticketmaster.com.mx or telephone +53 25 9000

Read more on Roger Waters

Waters is a man with a remarkable reputation for staging spectacular concerts. In the 1980s when he was asked in an interview if he would perform The Wall again, his immediate response was never, but then jokingly added, unless of course the Berlin Wall comes down, and in less than a decade it did. That was his historic
performance at Potzdamer Platz, amidst the ruin of the Berlin Wall.

Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper,
You prisoner, and shine! The show should be an absolute spectacle.

More on Pink Floyd
Collection of Pink Floyd lyrics Read the complete post...

Before we had begun to work on this blog I used to blog on Myspace, anyway I had posted a huge conversation that had started of on 8th December 2005, exactly one year from now and it also was the 25th Death Anniversary of John Lennon.

The conversation had started off with a very simple note that I had written for the beatles lead act.

“Life, the more I learn the more I feel we are living in a world of a few people’s mistakes. A few people who have misguided billions of lost people.

Wish we could have a conversation when our ideas our so much the same. You still live on in some of us....cheers!”

A Deep Conversation

Yoko Ono Calls for Peace

In March of 2003, Ono took out full page ads in major newspapers urging the US not to go to war. They read "Imagine Peace...Spring 2003". And of course, in the winter of 1969 Lennon and Ono had their "War is Over! If You Want It" billboard in Times Square (which Ono recreated in 1998/99).

A few days ago she had another full page out urging the world to give peace a chance.



Please click on the above image to enlarge it. Its worth a read and definetly what we need at this point of time.

Read More On Yoko Ono's Message

I would also like to put the lyrics of one of my favorite Beatle Songs

Within You Without You

We were talking-about the space between us all
And the people-who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth-then it's far too late-when they pass away.
We were talking-about the love we all could share-when we find it
To try our best to hold it there-with our love
With our love-we could save the world-if they only knew.
Try to realise it's all within yourself
No-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small,
And life flows within you and without you.
We were talking-about the love that's gone so cold and the people,

Who gain the world and lose their soul-
They don't know-they can't see-are you one of them?
When you've seen beyond yourself-then you may find, peace of mind,
Is waiting there-
And the time will come when you see
we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you.

Lyrics Source Read the complete post...

There’s bad news for all cricket lovers. According to a new rule issued by the cricket’s governing body – International Cricket Council (ICC) – there might be a ban on the over-by-over Internet coverage for the much-awaited 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

A move which clearly shows ICC’s intentions to try and squeeze as much revenue as possible from this mega event, by probably selling rights for online and mobile coverage.

Online coverage for cricket matches has gained momentum in recent times, with large number of newspapers and websites like cricinfo, indiatimes, rediff etc building up its dedicated online audiences.

The reports are generally uploaded from an office by a staff reporter who follows the match coverage on TV or radio. The ICC rules state: "For the avoidance of doubt, ball-by-ball and over-by-over updates for transmission via the radio, the internet or via any form of mobile device (including mobile telephones) or other related devices from within the ground are strictly prohibited."

It is a convenient way of following the game while at work, but the new rule has put this off-beat coverage under major threat. It also says that journalists offering such coverage could lose their press accreditations all together. This way ICC is trying to tighten its control over the game. Read more on the ban on Internet and mobile coverage Read the complete post...

I got a mail from a friend on the possible e-mail ids of players from the Indian cricket team. Read on, it speaks a lot about their current form and the situation surrounding the team in South Africa.

1.LAXMAN:

available@home-only.com

2.GANGULY:

nowdays@no_use.com

3.KUMBLE:

only@test_match.com

4.SACHIN:

admitted@hospital.com

5.KAIF:

good@for_nothing.com



6.SEHWAG:

consistently@out_of_form.com

7.DRAVID:

stick@crease_like_fevicol.com

8.PATHAN:

takewickets@only_with_kenya.com

9. GREG CHAPPELL

only_experiment@noresult.com

10. Munaf Patel

only_line&length@nospeed.com

11.Harbhajan Singh

no_spinpitch@nowicket.com

12. Suresh Raina

why_i_am_there@god_knows.com Read the complete post...

I got to see this depressing picture about the ducks that had fallen in to a sewer on Digg, but then one of the comments led me to this article where they say the people around got most of the ducklings out. This made me feel quite happy!

“The journey from downtown Burlington to Lake Champlain was fraught with peril for a duck and her 13 ducklings - but a group effort by concerned citizens saved the day.

A mama mallard and her 13 ducklings were strolling from downtown to the bay one afternoon last week when several little ones fell through the slits of a storm drain, plopping into a pool of water formed by the day's thunderstorms.

"They were peeping away and the mother was quacking back," said Kyle Church, a computer technician who was one of the first people at the scene. The mother circled the drain frantically, becoming increasingly upset when the remaining birds that followed her footsteps fell through the opening.

Church sprang into action as he and co-worker John Greenia ripped off the sewer grate. Greenia climbed into the storm drain and fished out as many ducklings as he could.”

A Big Thank You

Even more interesting that the Queens University Campus Security took helped a couple of ducklings reach water safely. Take a look at these pictures the ducks were escorted safely to sea.























See all the Pictures and Read the Complete Story Read the complete post...

A 125-year old Fulla Nayak, a resident of Kanarpur village in the coastal district of Kendrapada, Orissa died of old age. She said the reason of her living for so long is smoking Ganja and drinking wine made out of Palm Leaves. She also was a heavy tea drinker.

According to her 72-year-old grandson, Fulla was 125. But as per a voter photo identity card issued by the government in 1995 she was 120 years.

The grand old woman lived in a small mud-walled thatched house in Kanarpur, about 25 km from the district headquarters. She is survived by two of her four daughters and around two dozen relatives.

Her eldest daughter, Jamuna, 92, lives in the same village. Her husband died at the age of 50.

Fulla was in the news when her grandson Narayan Nayak claimed last week that she could be the oldest woman living in the world. He had said that he would write to the Guinness book authorities to record the claim.

She had never suffered any debilitating ailment throughout her life. Except for her weak eyesight, Fulla maintained good health and used to walk without support.

Resources:

Where I came across it

125-year-old Orissa woman dead

Resources:

Orissa woman at 125 among oldest in India Read the complete post...

Microsoft had recently launched a flash search that has a hot woman, Ms Dewey giving out a couple of witty one liners based on the search keywords. The whole concept is built using flash, it is a rather heavy application, consuming quite some time to load and eats up a chunk of your computer resources.
Have you seen Subservient Chicken where you type in the commands and the chicken does what you command? Microsoft has combined this application with search results that display on the right hand side. You do not need a genius to come up with, this but it does go beyond just that.Now when you search for a keyword like "Dance" you do get the search results on the right while Ms Dewey dances for you. But thats not all, you ask her to do that again and she will give you a straight forward No!!

The Best Part:

Microsoft is using this experimental project to take a bite at Apple as well, type “Microsoft” as the search keyword, Ms Dewey says, “Remember not to use Pirated software, unless it belongs to Apple.” (Edit there seems to be a mistake with my hearing, it seems she says "never use pirating software unless it's "mapping" software, pirates know something about that")
Well after spending quite a bit with Miss Dewey I realised the most I get to see of her is when she knocks on the screen when you are Idle.


Maybe she thinks you aren't looking at that point of time. It sure is fun to try a couple of dirty commands to see how she reacts. Ms Dewey is powered by Microsoft's new Live Search. Read the complete post...

Taxi drivers, generally, have very interesting tales to tell about the city and its people. On my recent taxi ride back home I had a very provoking conversation with the driver. A very vocal fellow, he spoke about his loss of business due to the ban on dance bars in Mumbai (Maharashtra) and the rising corruption level among policemen.

He said that the thriving dance bars in Mumbai, before they were banned, were a major source of income for many taxi-men as large number of girls working in these bars would fix their taxi for their journey, both ways. He said in a disgruntled manner, "I use to drop four girls from Panvel to (a bar in) Mumbai at a good fare of Rs 1200 per day. That was very profitable for me. But since the ban, I have to settle for cheap fares."

Though some bars still operate within the city with shutters down, it is a risky business if taxi drivers are caught parking outside such bars.

Dance bars were banned in Maharashtra in August last year, on the grounds that they corrupt the youth and breeds prostitution, this in turn has deprived 75,000-odd girls and lakhs of other workers of their livelihoods. In various pockets of Mumbai I have seen prostitutes lining up close to police stations, and the cops don’t do anything about it. If the bars were closed on moral grounds, how is the large number of prostitutes helping the cause of morality in the state?

Speaking about the local policemen, the taxi man also mentioned the amount of corruption that exists across all ranks of the police hierarchy. Seeing the recent blasts in Mumbai, many taxis wanted to install a machine which detects bombs, arms and ammunitions etc. In a scenario where a passenger is carrying any of these dangerous tools, the machine in the cab would beep and thereby alerting the taxi men. Now according to this driver, taxis weren’t allow to install such devices because that would reduce the chance for policemen to extort some money or make a quick buck. Mumbai is a messed up city, he concluded, and one has to be smart or else he would get caught in this city filled with corruption. Read the complete post...

SEO Tools has an informative blog, but more importantly they have a nice category of tools that can help webmasters make the most of their sites.

A particular favorite tool of mine that can help even bloggers or anybody who wants to know who links in to their competitors, is Back Link Analyzer. Aaron Wall gives you a small introduction to the tool, but I feel he hasn’t really covered the flaws in it.

Aaron wall also sells an SEO Book that guarantees webmaster’s can triple their traffic in 90 days.

Back Link Analyzer:

What is back link analyzer?

Back Link Analyzer is a tool that uses multiple search engines to find out how many sites link to a certain site. It can also track the Text used as the links and also keywords, Alexa Rank and a few more features. I have never ever got the Alexa rank and hence believe that it’s a tad bit buggy.

The Pros!

You can keep track of everyone linking to your site or a competitors under one dashboard and save the results over time to see how they are progressing. The export to excel/csv does not work fine. It just saves the first 10 records if I remember correctly. So the better thing to do is to export it as a BLA file. This file can be opened back in back link analyzer anytime.

This is how back link analyzer looks



When you hit the magnifying glass button it gives you this screen where you can put in your site. The search engines you want to use to find the links, the link type will tell you if it’s a one way or reciprocal link. So you can keep track of the sites that are suppose to have a reciprocal link to you as well.

How many levels you want to crawl to find links that lead back to your site. The rest is self explanatory. Now if you want to use Google you have to have an API key. If you need to get one go here!



In this image below you can see the information collected.

The summary will show you the link summary and as you know links are the life line of websites!

Read SEO Book’s article on Back Link Analyzer

Download Back Link Analyzer Read the complete post...

Sourav Ganguly is back. After being dismissed from the side for 10 months and seeing India’s dismal performance against South Africa in the one-day series, selectors couldn’t help but recall him. But was this decision politically motivated due to pressure from various MPs?

After the team was announced for the Test series, many MPs were interviewed to get their reaction on Ganguly’s selection. How ridiculous is that? Unfortunately in India, sports, especially cricket has come into the loop of politics and its dirty games.

Seeing the dismal performance of India in the one-day series against South Africa, several politicians called for the sacking of coach, Greg Chappell. How much understanding do they have of the game?

Politicians’ opinion or views don’t matter to me. The most inane comment came from Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who was happy with Ganguly’s inclusion, said, "Ganguly should concentrate on his game and not ‘rosogullas’." One politician also made a blatant comment on Chappell, he said, "The coach can go to hell."

CPI leader Guru Dasgupta said Ganguly's exclusion from the team was 'unjustified'. Well, Ganguly was the most successful Indian captain, but he was going through a rough patch when he was dropped from the side, and one of the reason attributed to his decline in form was his inability to play the short ball, and now in South Africa he will be faced with an arduous task to handle relentless bounce and short-pitched deliveries.

Is politics hampering the composition of the side? That remains to be seen. However, at present the country is celebrating Ganguly’s return, so hopefully he can turn fortunes around for India. Good Luck to him!!! Read the complete post...

Quote for December 31st

“A whale is harpooned only when it spouts.”
- Henry Hillman

Quote for December 30th

“All gods are homemade, and it is we who pull their strings, and so, give them the power to pull ours.”
- Aldous Huxley

Quote for December 29th

“Love, like a chicken salad a restaurant has, must be taken with blind faith or it loses its flavor”
- Helen Rowland

Quote for December 28th

“I think it's wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly.”
- Steven Wright

Quote for December 27th

"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision."
- Muhammad Ali

Quote for December 26th

"Hope is a waking dream."
- Aristotle

Quote for December 25th

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
- Norman Vincent Peale

Quote for December 24th

“It takes me along time to lose my temper, but once lost I could not find it with a dog”
- Mark Twain

Quote for December 23rd

“Temper is a weapon that we hold by the blade.”
- James Matthew Barrie

Quote for December 22th

"Long you live and high you'll fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be."
- Pink Floyd

Quote for December 21th

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
- Albert Einstein

Quote for December 20th

"If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
- Albert Einstein

Quote for December 19th

"Be good to others, that will protect you against evil."
- Abu Bakr

Quote for December 18th

"This only is denied to God: the power to undo the past."
- Agathon

Quote for December 17th

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."
- David Viscott

Quote for December 16th

"We make war that we may live in peace."
- Aristotle

Quote for December 15th

"That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest."
- Henry David Thoreau


Quote for December 14th

“I have no fear that the result of our experiment will be that men may be trusted to govern themselves without a master.”
- Thomas Jefferson

Quote for December 13th

“This crime called blasphemy was invented by priests for the purpose of defending doctrines not able to take care of themselves”
- Robert Green Ingersoll

Quote for December 12th

“She wore far too much rouge last night and not quite enough clothes. That is always a sign of despair in a woman.”
- Oscar Wilde

Quote for December 11th

"I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief."
- Gerry Spence

Quote for December 10th

"Remember that what you believe will depend very much on what you are."
- Noah Porter

Quote for December 09th

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
- Robert Frost

Quote for December 08th

"Everything is clearer when you're in love."
- John Lennon

Quote for December 07th

"God is a concept by which we measure our pain."
- John Lennon

Quote for December 06th

"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity."
- John Lennon

Quote for December 05th

“There are 4 kinds of Homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy.”
- Ambrose Bierce

Quote for December 04th

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."
- Winston Churchill

Quote for December 03rd

"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time."
- Anna Freud

Quote for December 02nd

"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all."
- William Goldman

Quote for December 01st

“Society drives people crazy with lust and calls it advertising.”
- John Lahr


Quotes for:

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