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プーマ スニーカー

2013/11/26

, OF, Brewers: He did not start on Thursday because of a recurring wrist injury. It's not clear when he will return to the field.
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2013/11/26

Spokesman Paul Blacklock said: ‘Not only is sawing open a gas canister unlawful, it is also highly dangerous.
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Nike Air Max 2013 homme

2013/11/26

IRA contribution amounts are periodically adjusted for inflation, and starting with 2013 contributions, the maximum goes up to $5,500. The so-called “catch up” contribution will remain the same, i.e. $1,000. The window for making a 2013 contribution to an IRA runs from Jan. 1, 2013 through April 15, 2014.?
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2013/11/26

On his Booker-winning novel 'Midnight's Children', Rushdie said he wrote it as a response to the version of India depicted by renowned novelist EM Forster, best known in India for his book, 'A Passage to India'.Australian captain George Bailey was at a loss of words to explain his team's "absolutely deflating" defeat against India in the second one-dayer but conceded that Virat Kohli's innings turned the game decisively in the home team's favour.Asked when did he feel the match slipping out of Australia's grip, Bailey said, "The moment Virat came to the crease.""He started attacking us from ball one but never took any risks which would have helped us come back into the game. He set the tempo and it was smart cricket from him. Basically all three of them (Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma) batted amazingly but it was Virat who took the game away from us. It was pretty awesome." Defending a mammoth 359, Australia lost by nine wickets as India chaesd down the target in a mere 43.3 overs.Bailey agreed that India's transition phase in ODI cricket is now complete as they have a formidable batting line-up for the 50-over format. Virat Kohli celebrates his century during 2nd ODI against Australia in Jaipur.(PTI photo)"I think so (about transition phase being complete). They have a formidable batting line-up. Their top seven is a wonderful top seven for ODIs. They batted beautifully today," he said.There was no doubt that the Aussie skipper didn't bargain for this kind of a defeat and asked how the visitors would console themselves, Bailey tried to be jovial."Probably have a couple of beers! On a serious note, we still have five matches to go. We will go to a new venue and it will be a new venue." One could gauge Bailey's plight when asked if his bowler's plan to use short ball flopped on the day."I don't think so. The fuller deliveries were going over our head while the short ones were hit to the side boundary," he explained.About the positives that emerged from the defeat, Bailey said that his team's batting in the two matches so far has been something to feel good about."The manner in which we batted was great. We also bowled well in one of the matches. I would like to take these positives into the next match."Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar was the face of the BJP's election campaign. He spoke from Hubli, his constituency. Has the BJP missed BS Yeddyurappa? What will be the impact of his party?There's no effect of BSY or his Karnataka Janata Paksha. People are thinking why all those ugly episodes happened in a party like the BJP and how someone could fool the public so much. In my view, the BJP will return to power with 125-130 seats. You have been named BJP's possible chief minister. Are you confident of a majority?Yes. Only the BJP announced its chief minister during the campaign. No other party, including the Congress, did so. The BJP has gone into the election in my name because my achievements are those of the party. People are aware of the development projects we undertook.What if no party gets the required 113 seats to form the government?We will certainly come to power with a majority.Will the BJP tie up with Deve Gowda's JD(S)?I will answer this only after the result on May 8.Do you think Gujarat CM Narendra Modi helped the BJP or were his speeches mere crowd-pullers?Narendra bhai is our great leader; the people of India like him and praise his achievements. His visit to Karnataka definitely helped the BJP. Congress leaders were saying that Modi wouldn't come to Karnataka but they must have been disappointed.BSY's purpose is "to kill the BJP". How will he impact the BJP vote, particularly in Lingayat constituencies?See, people can think for themselves. They are thinking and they will answer such questions when they vote on Sunday. BSY will not have any impact on the BJP; it's a party based on cadres and workers with ideology. Actually, I think his party will not get a single seat.What is your own assessment of the BJP's first government in the south?We have learnt many things. We have committed small mistakes, too. But these won't happen in the next government if people give us the mandate. All BJP leaders are united and we are a single voice now.Musical duo Salim-Sulaiman ― who have composed songs for films such as Kaal, Chak De! India, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Satyagraha ― believe that music has to be global for it to be noticed and appreciated. “The audiences now are exposed to music from all around the world, thanks to the internet. So when we compose music, we make it to cater to the global audiences and not just stick to any particular part of the world,” says Salim Merchant. The duo, who are a part of MTV Coke Studio’s ongoing season, also talk about how the music industry has changed. “With quite a few TV music shows and music festivals, the independent artists now enjoy multiple platforms. The audiences also like variety and that reflects in our music,” says Sulaiman Merchant.Ask them about where did the thriving 90’s pop industry go and the brothers say: “It didn’t fizzle out, it just so happened that these artists moved to Bollywood because they saw better opportunities and fame there, which includes us as well. You can’t blame Bollywood for that. It’s a natural tendency, after a point you want to paint on a bigger canvas.”Krrish fans are waiting eagerly for, Krrish 3, and they just might be in for a surprise.Veteran actor-turned-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan says if, Krrish 3, does well he will be game for a fourth instalment of the movie."If this does well, we may make Krrish 4. We have left a hook for it (in Krrish 3)," Roshan said at a press conference organised here Wednesday.A sequel to Koi...Mil Gaya and Krrish, Krrish 3 stars Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Vivek Oberoi. The film will hit screens Nov 1.Discrimination is a disease. Despite a host of legislation, India still suffers from this disease thanks to the weak implementation of the existing laws and closed mindsets. One such case is the 18-year-old law that allows for 3% reservation for disabled persons in State jobs.On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the Centre and the states to implement within three months the law ? Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act ? which provides a minimum 3% reservation in government establishments. Rejecting the concern of the quota breaching the 50% cap on reservations, the court said that employment is a key factor in the empowerment and inclusion of people with disabilities.While this aptly summarises one of the reasons why the disabled have not been able to join the ‘mainstream’, it is the second part of the court’s observation that captures the issue more succinctly: “It is an alarming reality that disabled people are out of job not because their disability comes in the way of their functioning, rather it is social and practical barriers that prevent them from joining the workforce.” This is also probably why reservation may not be the silver bullet to solve this multidimensional problem. But before we explore the kinds of barriers the disabled face, here’s the first hurdle that the government itself has not been able to cross: India doesn’t have a clear figure on the number of disabled. The 2001 census showed that 2.1% of the population had disabilities. Estimates by the Planning Commission and various UN bodies place it at about 10%; and according to the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, the most conservative estimate will put it between 5 to 6%. Without a clear picture, is it possible to allocate resources and draw up plans for them?Employment opportunities for the disabled are important but how many of them are able to reach that level considering that there are so many social and infrastructure barriers: how many parents invest in the education of their disabled wards? How many of our public buildings are disabled-friendly? The Right to Education law also allows for making schools disabled-friendly (better designed classes, toilets and better teaching materials) but the truth is that most of our government schools find it hard to implement such standards. So instead of focusing only on reservation, it’s time the government concentrated more diligently on the basic barriers that a disabled person encounters at each step in life.Mahatma Gandhi has been one of the greatest heroes in the practice of spirituality in Indian history? a spirituality that is dynamic to facilitate facing injustice, fear and violence with fairness, honesty, loving-kindness, self-control, courage and non-violence.Popularly known as Bapu, his amiable and religious mother Putlibai and his equally devout nurse Rambha were key religious influences around young Gandhi. He was also greatly enthused by noted Jain philosopher and scholar, Shrimad Rajchandra. The scholar is known for his philosophical thoughts on Jainism and as a spiritual leader of Gandhi. Reading the Bhagavad-Gita, one of the world’s greatest scriptures, messages like “Love thy enemy” and “turn the other cheek” from Jesus in the New Testament, along with Tolstoy’s non-fiction, The Kingdom of God is Within You, and Henry David Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience, encouraged Gandhi to initiate a non-violent movement against the pitiless government of South Africa and the then prevalent racism and ethnic injustice being done against the dark-skinned people.Tolstoy’s book, A Letter to a Hindu, had a profound effect on Gandhi and his organisation. Non-violence that drew the concept that simply by showing love as a weapon of choice could Indians bring down a mighty colonial British Empire. Later, Gandhi sent a letter to Tolstoy looking for approval to re-publish A Letter to a Hindu in Gujarati. Tolstoy approved the request and the two were in regular touch until the former’s death in 1910. Gandhi rejected the award of Nobel Peace Prize several times since being recommended for the first time in 1937. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to no one in the year 1948 as the Nobel committee had intended to award the prize to Gandhi who was assassinated in that year.Gandhi’s central part to spirituality was his conviction in the power of non-violence and he proved that this is can’t be compromised on.We miss you, Bapu.Sounding confident that the economy will overcome the current crisis, Reliance industry chairman Mukesh Ambani today said there is a need to look beyond the gloom and doom. "India should look beyond the gloom and doom," Ambani said at the Giants International 41st anniversary celebrations and awards function here tonight. He was addressing as the chief guest at the function. Stating that India needs a positive and inclusive mindset, Ambani expressed confidence that despite all the negativity India will become a major power. "I have realised that by focusing on obstacles, you don't reach your goals. Instead focus on your goals to overcome obstacles," he said. After going through a financial turmoil for almost a year, greenshoots have appeared in the economy of late, giving a hope of recovery. After contracting for two straight months, industrial production entered the positive zone in July, recording a growth of 2.6% on account of improved performance of manufacturing and power sectors. The IIP data revealed that out of the 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector, as many as 11 posted positive growth rates in July. Besides, snapping a nine-month streak of decline, domestic passenger car sales also grew by 15.37to 1,33,486 units in August this year, compared to 1,15,705 units in the same month last year.I was born here in New Aruna Nagar in 1968. This area was initially called Samyeling by his holiness the Dalai Lama. Now the Delhi government has renamed it as New Aruna Nagar. In 1959, my parents fled Tibet when China occupied it. They took shelter first in the bordering areas of Arunachal Pradesh and then in a slum near ISBT, Kashmere Gate. It was in 1963 that they moved here to Majnu Ka Tilla when a lot of other Tibetans decided to set up camp here. My father sent me to a boarding school, Central School for Tibetans in Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh). He did not want me to witness the hardships the family was going through. After completing my school education, I did my graduation from Punjab University in Chandigarh. I came to Aruna Nagar during the late ’80s and started helping my father in his business of woollen clothes. We buy woollens from Ludhiana and sell in different parts of the country. Many others depend on restaurants and hotels for their livelihood. My family went through many ups and downs in their efforts to start this business. We all are very thankful to the Indian government for giving us shelter and the chance to earn a living. We feel highly obliged as the government has decided to regularise our colony. It will give us ownership rights over the properties that have been home to us for more than 50 years. People who reside here are mostly from trans-Himalayan belt and they share physical, cultural, social and linguistic similarities. We feel at home here.Volkswagen, Europe's biggest car maker by sales, is aiming for a 10% market share in India by 2018. Does slowdown worry you? We want to increase our market share. We had a very successful 2011 in which we doubled our market share to nearly 5%. The market will stabilise again after this short friction. We want to grow more than the market because we are still a newcomer. Any plans for something smaller than Polo for Inida?If we think of smaller cars we need some more production capacity. What's your strategy on Maruti? We are newcomers and don't have any target to beat Suzuki in this market. How do you plan to replicate your European success in India? We are trying to replicate our global success in India. We are aiming for a market share of 10% by 2018.Lead actors on TV shows spend hours working together ― shooting intimate scenes, spouting mushy lines and generally acting in love for the camera. Though many end up dating in real life as well, they rarely accept their relationship in public. Rithvik Dhanjani and Asha Negi have been co-stars for almost two years, and their chemistry in Pavitra Rishta also fanned rumours that the two were seeing each other. But the actors kept insisting that they were “just good friends”. Now, the duo has finally decided to declare their love for each other and admit they are in a relationship. However, this declaration has raised doubts that they did it only to be part of the celebrity dance show, Nach Baliye 6. Rithvik denies this, saying, “Let people think what they want. When the offer came to us, people in the industry and close friends already knew we were dating. We’ve been good friends since we began working. But, a few months ago, we realised there was more to it. We didn’t want to admit it as the relationship was too new. We were in denial about our feelings for each other. We would have told everyone irrespective of the show.” He adds he agreed to tell the world as he wanted Asha to participate in the show. “I’ve been on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and I know it does wonders for your career. Keeping Asha’s progress in mind, it would be great for her too,” he says.The future of Indian Grand Prix might be uncertain after this year's race but host Jaypee Sports International Limited's CEO Sameer Gaur says the country will not lose the Formula One event and will surely have two more races.Speculation is rife that Indian fans will see an F1 race for one last time at home when the caravan will arrive in Greater Noida later this month.However, Gaur assured that they will host five races as per their contract."I feel that no one should think that Indian GP will not come. Indian GP will return in 2015. There should be no fears at all," Sameer Gaur, who is also JPSI MD, told PTI."The general feeling may be there that we will lose the race but this (feeling) is there maybe because the economy is a bit down. But we will surely host two more races and let's see what happens after five years." The 2014 edition of Indian GP has been scrapped and the World Superbike round has also been postponed twice.The WSBK was to make India debut at the Buddh International Circuit in March this year but was later rescheduled for November. However, recently it was postponed again indefinitely due to lack of marshals training.Asked If JPSI is feeling the heat with the cancellation of two big events, Gaur said there was no such worry."We are not worried at all. When you say it is tough time, then only tough people last," Gaur said confidently.F1 czar Bernie Ecclestone had cited political problems for the scrapping of the 2014 round but Gaur said that was not the case."If Indian GP will not be there in 2014, it is for logistical reasons. We wanted to do the 2014 race in October but FIA wanted it in March. For us October is the right time and not March, so we decided to not have a GP next year," he claimed.An otherwise genial Akhilesh Yadav turned an angry young man on Wednesday. Amid an uproar over the recent Muzaffarnagar riots in the assembly, the chief minister lashed out at the BJP: “It was part of a well-planned conspiracy. A political party has tried to take advantage of the issue”.When the CM told the house, “We will not spare rioters”, the BJP may well have thought the arrest of its MLAs Hukum Singh, Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana was imminent. He also said the BJP may try to vitiate the communal atmosphere and added the rehabilitation of riot-hit people posed a bigger challenge to his government.“While the leaders of different parties were comparing the Muzaffarnagar clashes to Gujarat violence, these riots will always be linked to my government,” he added.As the CM rose to speak, minister for parliamentary affairs Mohd Azam Khan urged the BJP leaders not to stage a walkout, as this would give wrong signals to the people.While Khan sounded emotional, an aggressive chief minister attacked BJP legislature party leader Hukum Singh, who on Wednesday had justified his presence at the ‘mahapanchayat’ in Muzaffar nagar. Singh said some youths were seen carrying “khel ka saman” (arms and ammunition) and maintained that he did not utter any provocative word in Muzaffarnagar.Referring to the BJP leader’s speech, the chief minister said: “Didn’t you refer to arms as ‘khel ka saman’ (toys) in your speech? For you this is just ‘khel ka saman’.The chief minister referred to some incidents in other parts of the state to make his point that the party was trying to communalise the otherwise peaceful atmosphere. He also targeted the media for blowing issues out of proportion. He called a news channel’s sting operation on the issue a part of a conspiracy. “This is no sting operation. This is a well planned conspiracy,” said Yadav. “This is ‘cut and paste’,” the chief minister remarked, hinting that the evidence being shown there was fabricated.Referring to suspension of Gautam Budh Nagar subdivisional magistrate Durga Shakti Nagpal, the CM said action was taken against hundreds of SDMs across the country. But a hue and cry was created over the suspension of the Gautam Budh Nagar SDM, he said.Earlier, Khan delivered an emotional speech saying the Samajwadi Party did not need a certificate to prove its secular credentials. He said no one could believe that his name could figure in the Muzaffarnagar riots.The CPI(M) will be thrown outfrom 'Hindustan' just as the Marxist party was dislodged in Kerala and West Bengal, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday and urged for the formation of an aam aadmi government in the February 14 assembly elections in Tripura. Referring to BJP president Rajnath Singh's claim that the Congress and the CPM supported each other in Parliament, Gandhi said "There is an allegation against Congress that it has an understanding with the CPM. But we have the understanding of uprooting the CPM from power and throwing them out. We have ousted them from Kerala and West Bengal and now time has come to throw them out of Hindustan." "We want a government which will be close to the people and which can bring prosperity to the state. We want a government of aam aadmi which will be responsive to the problems of tribals and non-tribals," he said.Gandhi promised that all assurances made in the Congress poll manifesto would be fulfilled to the letter and spirit if the party was able to form the government.Lashing out at the ruling CPM party for terming the manifesto a 'document of deception', he said that it was for the future and prosperity."The ruling CPM claims to be responsive to the problems of the poor and daily wagers. If they are so sensitive to their problems, then why is there so much unemployment? India is striding towards progress and prosperity and Tripura is going back," he claimed.The Centre was dispatching funds to Tripura for development, which were being diverted to the CPI(M) party fund, he alleged.Describing the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus on Sunday night as "shameful", an embattled Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar reiterated the commitment of his 80,000-strong force to the maintenance of law and order. Excerpts from an interview with HT: Cases of sexual assault are going through the roof this year.Statistics need to be seen in the correct perspective. Sunday night's incident was shameful and horrific but the case was cracked within 24 hours and the accused will be brought to justice. In all cases of sexual assault, cases are registered promptly and the accused arrested as soon as possible. We were, and always will be, committed to the safety and security of our citizens. The whole society unanimously condemned the incident as perhaps the most brutal case of sexual assault ever to have been reported in Delhi. Will the accused be dealt with as severely?Certainly. We will request the court concerned to appoint a special prosecutor and trial in a fast-track court. We will also send a proposal, seeking death penalty for accused in such cases.The bus, on which the rape was executed, was plying on several south Delhi streets and even on a national highway. Why is the Delhi Police's presence on major highways so lax?We have already introduced an initiative of intercepting trucks and commercial vehicles plying on national highways. We are also clicking pictures of their drivers and cleaners to create a database which can be referred to while investigating crimes perpetrated on such vehicles. It has been implemented in the south district and will now be replicated across the city. Intensive patrolling near border areas will follow suit.There are several gangs which target people, especially women, travelling on 'unofficial' modes of transport after dark. What are you doing to counter it?Just a fortnight ago, I had a meeting with the state's transport secretary and we are now in the process of evolving a stricter regime to remedy the situation. Soon, all permit holders will have to be verified by the police in addition to drivers and cleaners. In case vehicles with permits are found operating beyond duty hours, they will be impounded.A weak rupee is spelling good news for India’s export-oriented information technology (IT) sector and its effects are likely to show up in the second-quarter results season that kicks off with Infosys on Friday. Besides, a strong deal pipeline and receding concerns about the US immigration bill are also expected to boost tech firms’ earnings.In fact, the BSE IT index has been outperforming the Sensex for the past few days. The index has gained 2.8% against a 1.9% rise in the Sensex in the last one week. Ahead of results, Infosys’ stock surged 3.5% this week while its bigger rival Tata Consultancy Services saw its stock hitting an all-time high in intra-day trade on Tuesday. And in what could be a precursor, Nasdaq-listed iGate on Thursday reported a 8% revenue growth year-on-year to $293 million (`1,794 crore) and a 13% rise in net profit to $32 million (`196 crore).Understandably, investors and analysts are bullish on the sector. “We expect a healthy Q2 for the Indian IT sector with 2.5%-5% quarter-on-quarter revenue growth in dollar terms from large players and TCS leading the pack,” said Rumit Dugar, vice-president, Religare Capital. “The sharp fall in the rupee will aid margins though wage hikes will limit gains for Infosys and Wipro.”He expects a 60-250 basis-point (100 basis points is 1 percentage point) rise in firms’ operating margins due to the rupee’s fall in the second quarter.“We expect significant rupee depreciation to dominate technology companies’ financial performance for the quarter. The aggregate operating margin is likely to expand 200-250 basis points quarter-on-quarter for top companies,” said Ashish Chopra, analyst with broking firm Motilal Oswal.Major IT companies including TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL struck key deals in the second quarter. Among other companies, Tech Mahindra and Persistent Systems are expected to post sound results.For men looking to enhance their sperm count, a new study suggests embracing the Scottish cultural heritage of doning a kilt. Or at least, go commando and skip underwear altogether, the researchers say.In addition to keeping their scrotum at a cooler temperature, which research proves can boost sperm count, kilt wearers enjoy psychological benefits, such as feeling more masculine and proud and enjoying positive attention from sexual admirers, reported LiveScience on April 19. The research, based on analysis of prior studies, was published in the latest issue of the Scottish Medical Journal. A study published last year in the journal Human Reproduction found that men with fertility issues should avoid tight-fitting underwear to enhance sperm count. Experts have also warned that wearing skinny jeans could reduce sperm count while increasing risk for testicular problems. Laptop computers with WiFi have also been found to damage sperm, according to a study published in 2011 in the journal Fertility and Sterility.But that's not all: a small Italian study published last month also suggests that saunas may lower sperm counts, but the effect is just temporary. That study appears in the journal Human Reproduction.Access:Wearable computing is emerging as the type of significant technology shift that will drive innovation in the way personal computing did in the 1980s or mobile computing and tablets are doing currently, said Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mary Meeker at the All Things D conference on Wednesday.While technology cycles generally last 10 years, she said wearables were coming on stronger and faster than is typical. The change is noteworthy because major technology cycles often support tenfold growth in users and devices, she said in her annual report on the state of the Internet.Many of the 150 times or so per day that users interact with their phones - to look for messages, make calls, check the time, and the like - could be hands-free with wearable technology, she said."Some people laugh at wearables..." read one slide featuring an image from the TV show "Saturday Night Live" that mocked Google glass, a wearable technology. As the audience chuckled, she brought up the next slide, reading "Some people laughed at PC & Internet." The slide showed a 1999 Barron's cover trumpeting the headline "Amazon.Bomb." Later in the morning, Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo picked up the theme, telling conference goers that it was clear wearable technology would play a large role in the future, even if what is perhaps the most-discussed example-- Google glass-- doesn't emerge as the first mainstream hit.Speaking last night at the conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook stopped short of clarifying if Apple was working on wearable products amid speculation that it is developing a smart watch, saying only that wearable computers had to be compelling.He added that Google's Glass is likely to have only limited appeal.Meeker also reviewed themes she has highlighted in the past, including the remarkable growth of mobile technology and the Chinese economy, and the ceding of power from traditional personal computing companies to phone and tablet makers.The setting sun bathed the majestic Dhauladhar ranges, turning its snow peaks into an expanse of orange. A gentle breeze blew across the town, providing perfect conditions for scores of winter tourists who roamed the main market on Thursday evening.All eyes are on how the weather will behave at the weekend as Dharamsala gears up to stage its first match involving the national cricket team, the last ODI against England, to be played on Sunday.There had been concerns over the last few days whether the match would go ahead at all. But such doubts were farthest from everyone's mind on Thursday as groundsmen were busy at work with the mountains forming a grand backdrop to the stadium, one of the smallest cricket stadiums in India with a capacity of around 21,000.While jute covers were spread over most of the square, groundsmen were busy spraying the area, which an organising official explained was to prevent the heavy dew that sets at night from 'burning' the grass. "We also treat the ground to repel insects that are an issue in these parts," he added.Good wicketAccording to the curator, the wicket is one where the ball will come on to the bat. There was some apprehension, particularly in the England camp, because of the weather but organisers are hoping to have a full game. Unlike the previous games that started at noon to prevent the dew from playing havoc with team tactics, this tie will start at 9 am and finish before it gets too cold.The last snowfall on the Dhauladhar ranges was a week ago. That also saw the stadium receive a few flakes. That does not seem to have affected the outfield, which had uniform green grass. According to the weather forecast, the temperature will vary between 8 degrees Celsius to -1 degrees Celsius until Sunday. On match day, the maximum temperature is expected to be a relatively balmy 10 degree Celsius, with some cloud cover. Organisers still have their fingers crossed, hoping that the fickle Himalayan weather stays benevolent.On April 9 the nominations for the 17th edition of the Webby Awards, which reward web excellence and were dubbed "the internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, were revealed. This year the Webby Awards received over 11,000 nominations from 65 countries around the world; of these nominations only seven percent made it through the selection process to become nominees.A select few of these nominees, which span hundreds of categories, will be named as winners by Academy members such as Kevin Systrom (Instagram founder), musician David Bowie, and Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post. These winners will be revealed in a special ceremony in New York on May 22.Internet users around the world have until Thursday, April 25, to vote in the People's Voice Awards across categories such as Online Film & Video, Websites, Mobile Apps and Social. Vote at pv.webbyawards.com.Nominees this year include iPlayer Radio for Best Mobile Media Streaming, TED for Social: Best Education and Discovery, Google Maps for iPhone under the category Best Mobile User Experience, Justin Bieber's Girlfriend fragrance launch under Best Social Media Campaign and The Onion in the category Best Humor Site.Sex has always been deemed taboo in India and we still have a long way to go before it becomes an acceptable subject for drawing room conversations. But it does seem like we have covered some amount of ground with the website, thatspersonal.com, which sells adult products to Indian clientele.Samir Saraiya, CEO of the brand, says “Our research tells us that the Indian market is fairly large in terms of interest levels, but relatively small in terms of value. An exhaustive brand study helped us narrow down specific attributes.”Incidentally, according to estimates, the global market for such products is worth $22 billion.Not to be misunderstood, thatspersonal.com doesn’t market kinky items, like the ones sold on international portals. Products sold on the website include lingerie, adult accessories, creams, lipsticks and gels for women while men can opt for undergarments, sprays and deodorants, all of which fall in the “adult” category. Even adult literature is sold on the portal. The website is currently selling international and Indian products and plans to extend its catalogue soon. Another advantage of buying products on the website is that you save yourself the embarrassment of shopping for these items at a local store. And the response from Indian buyers has been so phenomenal that the website has already crashed twice since it began operations due to excessive demand. Statistics compiled by the website say that 70 per cent traffic comes from 10 Indian cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai. Up to 40 per cent of orders are from small cities, towns and various districts. Women form 20 per cent of the customer base and lingerie is the most popular product category. For more info or to buy the products, log on toThree bridegrooms in Bihar returned home dejected in 24 hours after their brides turned them away as "unsuitable". Sanju Kumari (name changed), resident of Koraiya village in Saran district, refused to marry Dharamnath Mahto, in his mid-20s, after she noticed that his fingers were disfigured."She was adamant she would not to marry him when she saw his fingers the first time, just minutes before the marriage was to be solemnised," a local police official said. Some elderly villagers intervened on behalf of the young groom, but the bride was unmoved.Upset, Mahto returned home a bachelor Sunday.In another case, a bride in Baryarpur village in Siwan district stunned wedding guests when she refused to go ahead with the marriage ceremonies."The girl was told by friends that her groom, Durga Singh, was neither good looking nor suitable. She refused to go ahead with the marriage just minutes after the groom arrived at the marriage mandap," a surprised police official said.Singh also returned without his bride.In a third case, the bride discovered that the man who arrived as the bridegroom in Belhan village in Rohtas district was not the one she had earlier agreed to marry. Interestingly, the decision of all three girls found support from families and other residents of their respective villages, policemen said.Last year, several such cases were reported from various villages across the state.The three stories in just 24 hours represent a new trend in the state -- such stories were virtually unheard of a few years ago. The pattern in large swathes of Bihar, particularly in the villages, was, and still is, that brides are spurned - not the grooms - for reasons such as insufficient dowry or the darker shade of her skin."Thanks to empowerment, girls have changed for good in Bihar. Till a few years ago, it was rare for a woman to spurn a groom chosen for her," said Kanchan Bala, a women's rights activist.In the last few years, several schemes for the empowerment of women have been launched by the state and central governments.Around 80,000 people visited the Delhi Book Fair Sunday, showing a remarkable increase in footfall, an organiser said.The third day of the fair witnessed a huge rush with all the five halls packed with visitors and the sales looking up.The estimated figure for those who came to the fair was close to 80,000, said the organiser.Amarnath Verma, chairman of Star Publication which publishes ethnic books and dictionaries, said their books attracted youth,This year the revenue for the first day has increased by 150% as compared to 2012, he said.A book titled "Guru Darshan - Tera Safar" by author H.H. Ghasita was also released.The day also saw book release function by Kant Darshan Publishers and painting competition by B Jain publishers.M.L. Bhatia, assistant editor (Punjabi), National Book Trust of India, said that apart from fiction, children books and life histories were a major attraction for the visitors this year.The book fair was inaugurated Friday at Delhi's Pragati Maidan.If your one-time gym companion abandoned you for a packet of chips, you probably, no, definitely have some weighty issues to work out. But if you’re also tired of looking like Queen Latifah’s body double, then log on to , a social network that motivates/monitors your daily fitness routine. The website has tools to help you create your perfect workout routine as well as track your daily exercises and diet plans. You can browse through the site’s online library of workout videos, subscribe to other users’ fitness programmes or customise your own. A database of more than 65,000 foods and recipes can help you plan your diet, while nutrition labels on each eatable indicate your carb, protein and fat intake. If it’s motivation you lack, search for online gym buddies and groups who will spur you on. And if you’re game for some healthy competition, join a friendly fitness challenge with other members to reach targets like “lose five kilogrammes in three months.” A constantly updated leaderboard shows your position in each challenge.In case you don’t want a potential date discovering that you need to eat 1,000 calories less, the site offers you a private locker room to keep a tab on your weight changes. Social networking never felt more productive!-Tasneem NashrullaAbout five years ago, when I started tweeting on the microblogging site Twitter, I found to my annoyance that there were “bots” that followed me. These are pieces of software that attach themselves to your feed. Some are hosted by pranksters. Some throw up links for you to click on, for viral promotions, and some track you based on some keyword that is of interest to the bot creators.After a while, I was amused because these bots added to my number of followers, adding to a false sense of importance.There is a serious business in artificially inflating the social media responses. Digital marketing agencies are often measured by the number of “Likes” they generate on a product or company fan page. This, like the TRP (television rating point) game on TV, is a dubious measure of popularity.Last weekend a news report stated that a fake fan on Instagram (the picture sharing site) can be worth five times more than a credit card number that has been stolen. Apparently hackers are using their geeky skills to fake “followers” and “Likes” to make people appear more popular than they are. What’s more, these “Likes” are sold in batches of 1,000. In fact, I got a Twitter alert from a service that promises these. One thousand Instagram followers sell for $15 (about R 1,000).In any business, be it political elections, TV viewing or social media, there is always someone out there to play the game of numbers the wrong way.In “The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business” co-authored by Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, there are recurring references to abuse of technology ? and an ironic conclusion that countering them will create new businesses. Social media seems to be the latest in the double-edged game.Auto and taxi drivers in the state will soon be beneficiaries of welfare schemes designed exclusively for them. The state government has decided to establish a board on the lines of the one that Tamil Nadu has to ensure that the 8-10 lakh auto and taxi drivers in Maharashtra get the status of registered workers.The labour department on Monday issued a resolution for the setting up of a seven-member committee under labour commissioner Madhukar Gaikwad to study the Tamil Nadu model. The committee comprises a legislator, senior transport officials and auto rickshaw/ taxi union office bearers.The resolution stated that as the board will not get any government grant, the committee should suggest ways to raise funds.The panel will also recommend welfare schemes and decide registration charges.It will also decide whether drivers can be taken out of the ambit of road transport insurance and given better benefits. The panel has to submit its report in two months.A senior labour department official said there were 41,000 taxis and 6.4 lakh auto rickshaws in the state. ??Considering that one third of these vehicles are driven in double shifts, the number of drivers could be around 8-10 lakh,?? he said, requesting anonymity.In 2006, the Tamil Nadu government had formed the Auto Rickshaws and Taxi Drivers Welfare Board for drivers offering services to private vehicles such as tempos, lorries and buses.Gaikwad, who is chairman of the committee, did not elaborate on whether the state panel planned to cover the tempo, bus and truck drivers as well like Tamil Nadu had.In an interview with HT, minister of state for home RPN Singh said the government has got some leads into the Hyderabad blasts. Attacking the BJP, he said the party in the states was against the NCTC that would help prevent terror strikes.Have you got any leads?We have got some leads but we can't share them with the public. All our agencies are on the job and we hope to crack it soon. We immediately rushed special teams - NSG and NIA - from Delhi to Hyderabad and they have made good progress.This was the eleventh terror attack in the country after 26/11. It seems the security establishment has not been able to come to grips.It is our constant endeavour to ensure that no terror attack takes place on the Indian soil. We are trying our best and have taken several steps to bring down the number of such incidents. Our track record during the past three years substantiates our efforts. There have been only two attacks last year - one in Pune and the other on a vehicle of an Israeli diplomat - in which there were no casualties. But despite our best efforts this dastardly terror attack has taken place... We will make sure that men behind this are tracked down and made to pay for this. Terrorism today is a global issue and not just India's. We can't let our guard down even for a single moment.What is the government doing on NCTC? What needs to be done to arrive at a political consensus on the issue?We are very serious about it. NCTC should be set up. But the very party (BJP) that accuses us of being soft on terror is opposing it in the states. We will try our best to build political consensus on the issue and Sushil Kumar Shinde has already stated in Parliament that the government was willing to consider certain proposals from the opposition to break the logjam.Under pressure from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the West Bengal government has finally agreed to extend administrative assistance for recovery of bad loans or non- performing assets (NPAs) from defaulters. The NPA in the state has already crossed Rs. 17,000 crore, which is 6.46% of the gross advances of banks in West Bengal.In wake of recovery officials of banks being heckled and physically manhandled by the defaulters and their associates during recovery drive, the bankers had been long insisting that the state give police protection. The RBI too in the last quarter had urged the state government to cooperate with banks.However, the bankers?? failed to get any firm commitment from the state. During the 122nd meeting of State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) on August 22, state finance minister Amit Mitra officially agreed to extent cooperation in loan recoveries.The meeting resolved that SLBC and RBI would have to go through official modalities before finalising the framework for the state??s assistance.Mitra suggested that the SLBC should write to the state government supported by specific data and proposals on how it can help. Mitra also suggested that RBI should write to chief secretary Sanjay Mitra officially highlighting the suggestions for security arrangement in rural areas for banks with a copy to him. In the meeting on August 22, Mitra also assured banking representatives in SLBC that he would personally look into the matter.The state government had been constantly insisting upon the banks for improving credit to deposit ratio from the existing level of 63%. The banks though have argued that in absence of an effective recovery system and huge percentage of NPA, a drastic improvement in the credit to deposit ratio would be difficult. The national average of the credit to deposit ratio is 75%.The US, UK and France on Tuesday joined diplomatic efforts to prevent military strikes against Syria under a Russian plan to take control of its stockpile of chemical weapons and destroy it.The White House said the US has begun working with allies at the UN to explore and push the plan, which the Russians have said they will bring in the “near future”.Obama discussed these efforts in phone calls to British prime minister David Cameron and French president Francois Hollande. “They agreed to work closely together, and in consultation with Russia and China, to explore seriously the viability of the Russian proposal to put all Syrian chemical weapons and related materials fully under international control in order to ensure their verifiable and enforceable destruction,” the White House said in a statement.“These efforts will begin today at the United Nations, and will include a discussion on elements of a potential UN Security Council Resolution.” In London, British prime minister David Cameron said the UK will be tabling a resolution with the US and France at the Security Council. It could be intended to test the Russian plan -- that it will lead to the destruction of Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons.France had said earlier it was preparing to move a UN Security Council resolution that would make Syria’s surrender of its chemical weapons militarily enforceable.A group of US lawmakers has also begun redrafting the authorization sough by the Obama administration fro military strikes to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons.They want the authorization to now give the Russian plan time.The military option remains on the table though, with some officials arguing it was, in fact, the threat of strikes that forced Syria to yield, and agree to give up its chemical weapons.Obama will be making a case for it once again in a nationally televised address later on Tuesday, hoping to sell it to a sceptical nation, which remains opposed to strikes, polls show.Congressional hearings on the president’s request for authorization continued. The Senate was expected to vote on the proposal on Wednesday, but that may change now.Aficionados of western classical music can head to the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) on August 13, as popular British soprano Dame Felicity Lott, who performed in India three years ago, returns to the city. At her recital, titled Felicity’s Favourites, she will be accompanied by noted pianist Maciej Pikulski.While her operatic repertoire ranges from Handel to Stravinsky, Lott has built up an international reputation as an interpreter of the great roles of Mozart and Strauss. “Dame Felicity is a wonderful singer and I’m sure that the act will have mutually decided-upon presentations by her and Maciej,” says Khushroo N Suntook, chairman, NCPA.The programme will include compositions by Mozart, Schumann, Richard Strauss, Faure, Poulenc and Offenbach. Lott has chosen some of her favourite pieces that she believes the Mumbai audience will appreciate. Pikulski, a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist to renowned opera singers like Laurent Naouri and Nelly Miricioiu, is also excited to return to India. “I have performed here before, and to say that it was overwhelming will be an understatement. India is a melting pot of cultures, and people here have a great understanding of music ? both Indian and western. I cannot wait to perform for this absolutely wonderful audience again,” he says.Software major Infosys, which is strengthening strategic partnerships with its clients, does not see any threat from cloud computing that could change the way software is used. SD Shibulal, CEO-designate, who takes charge in August this year, in a candid chat with Hindustan Times, shared the company’s growth initiatives and acquisition plans. Excerpts: A couple of months later you would take charge of Infosys. What will be your priorities?Well, our priority is to roll out the Infosys 3.0 vision, which essentially is about strengthening our strategic partnership with our clients and become more global.Tell us about your plans for cloud computing (renting software services over Internet). How will a service company like yours address the issue?You need to look cloud from a client’s perspective. Our addressable market of 2,000 clients wants to be unique in the market they operate. They do not want to be a ‘Me too’ player. There can be a (cloud) platform in a company for standardised processes such as creating pay slips, or tax deduction of an employee. But a company can attain differentiation only through technology, which means there will always be space for players like us who have the ability to create this differentiation. In fact, there will be a hybrid environment of public cloud, private cloud or no cloud. What will be your growth plans?We continue to increase our addressable market space, where we would like to add more clients in our kitty from the present tally of 620 clients. Second, we are ramping up operations in industry verticals where we do not have a major presence, for instance, life sciences, energy & utilities, healthcare.You will be the last founder to lead Infosys. How easy will it be for the middle management to aspire for leadership positions?We are transparent and process-oriented in selecting the most competent people across all levels. These people are selected based on the recommendations made by a nomination committee that is independent. In the last ten years we have grown from a $100 million to a $6 billion company today. This effectively means we have created leadership position sixty times over.This year, romantic drama Aashiqui 2, raked in over Rs. 100 crore worldwide, making it the most commercially successful films from Mahesh Bhatt’s production house. Realising the wide appeal of U-rated movies, the film-maker is currently working on three new films, all of which are surprisingly suitable for family viewing. This is quite a turn for the production house that mostly made adult, A-rated films in the past decade including the recent Raaz 3 (2012) and Murder 3. "As a production house, we’ve dabbled in all kinds of cinema. We’ve made Arth (1982), Saransh (1984) and even Jism (2003) and Murder (2004). There’s no denying that for the first decade of this millennium, we chose to walk on the path of being a production house that deals with erotica. We’re not apologetic about it," says the filmmaker."We’ve never leaned on stars,” says Bhatt, adding, “We’ve been high on concept, content and good music. And that has done magic for us. We work on our own terms.” Ask him about the decision to make U-rated films and he explains, “We felt that there was a one-dimensional perception about us. And that was changed by Aashiqui 2. Everyone who supported us all through was against our decision of casting new people and choosing to make the kind of film that wasn’t our core strength. We felt that there was an audience there. And it turned out to be our biggest money-spinner.” Talking about his next projects, Bhatt says, “We have decided to give more bandwidth to our projects. The film, which Vikram (Bhatt, director) will make with Emraan Hashmi is called Mr X and is about an invisible cop. It’s a film for families and kids. Then there is Hamari Adhuri Kahaani by (director) Mohit Suri which has Emraan, Vidya Balan and Rajkumar. Ajay Bahl will helm City Lights which talks about people who migrate to this city. They all deal with universal subjects.” However, the veteran film-maker adds that as a production house, they’ve not abandoned making adult films. “There’s an audience who wants to see that too,” he says.Coming few days will have plenty of action in terms of fashion weeks in India. The season will kick off with the first men’s fashion week in the country followed immediately by the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in Mumbai. Then October-end will witness the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), back in its original avtaar of one fashion week in the Capital. While participating designers will vie for attention at the Van Heusen India Mens Week (VHIMW), I am still a bit skeptical as to what kind of collections will they be unleashing on the fashion runway. How different will they be from their usual styles? I would love it if we get to see something contemporary rather than the run-of-the-mill stuff with embroidery on their boxy shapes. After all, how often do we don the men’s styles we some times see on the runway? Indian men, unlike women, wear western clothes to work and party, let’s not forget that. Of course, bandhgalas and kurtas are welcome, too. After all, Italians have now started invading India with their version of Indian wear for men. A couple of days ago, I was chatting with Paolo Canali, the sales director of world-renowned luxury menswear label Canali. Paolo was here to launch his version of bandhgalas, ‘Canali Nawab’. He told me that he was very optimistic about it with several men already lunging for the product tailor-made for them. Indian in appeal and made in Italy, guys aren’t complaining. I must confess, Italian bandhgalas looked damn neat… razor-sharp styles. All the more reasons for our designers to show what they can do when it comes to traditional, formal wear. With two of the menswear legends ? Ravi Bajaj and Narendra Kumar Ahmed ? being part of the event, I hope to see some smart gears for men at the fashion week. Both will be seen for the first time here during the menswear week. As for LFW, I look forward to Tarun Tahiliani’s finale presentation. For me, Tarun too is somewhat a coup of sorts for LFW ? the man who is known well for not leaving any stone unturned when it comes to his presentation styles. His association with Levi’s and their shows at LFW has always been something worth watching. And of course, on the first day evening LFW will have a collective show by all the Grand Finale designers who have shown there in the last 10 years. Surely, that will also be something worth seeing.Everyone pulled my cheeks when I was growing up. They all made me feel really pretty. They said I looked like Audrey Hepburn. So, obviously I got a lot of attention. But my mother was very strict ? she forbade me from threading my eyebrows and made me oil my hair. I hated it then, but I think that kept me grounded. I’ve been blessed with really good skin. I rarely ever break out and even if I do, I just use sandalwood to get rid of the spots. But on days when I do break out, being a celebrity becomes that much harder. We are expected to look perfect all the time… how’s that even possible? I too have bad days. My hair could look messy, my skin tends to look pale, a monstrous zit can sit pretty on my nose. But I don’t like using make-up to conceal my flaws. I think I look my best without any make-up. When I am on camera, I apply a drop of foundation. That’s it! One thing I have learnt is that your vibe also determines how you look. If you’re an unhappy person, it will show on your face. If you scowl a lot, you will develop frown lines. So do things you like ? dance, sing, eat, act, exercise, read, run, do anything. But whatever you do, you should see a happy person in the mirror. Yes, there are days when I feel fat and not-so-pretty. I feel my lips are too pouty or my hair is too thin. But I never judge myself. And neither should you. However, if you feel you can enhance your beauty with fillers and botox, go for it. I wouldn’t do it personally, but I don’t judge people who opt for surgery. Just don’t be a slave to it. Aditi’s tips and tricksI use milk to wash my face.I hardly ever use soap on my face. I use besan/oatmeal.Kitchen beauty remedies are the best. I use honey when my skin feels dry and sandalwood when it's oily.I never use make-up when I'm not shooting. But I swear by a water-based light cheek tint by Benefit called Benetint.I use the SKII Stem power moisturiser at night and I love it.From HT Brunch, June 16Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunchConnect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchGuess who will grab US homes in this year of crisis? Rich Chinese parents, who blame the economic crisis on the reckless spending of Americans, are swooping in on houses now going cheap from New York to Los Angeles to Las Vegas. A recent nugget in a government-run newspaper mentioned that over 300 Chinese have registered for home-shopping US tours. Most of these ‘tourists’ will be parents ready to spend years of careful savings ? four to seven lakh US dollars ? to buy homes for their children studying or planning to study in the US. In Beijing, the class of 2009 graduating this summer grew up being told they were the lucky generation who would enter a vibrant job market, thanks to the Olympics. The opposite happened. The six million-strong class of 2009 will compete for jobs with 1.5 million still unemployed graduates of 2008, plus thousands of Chinese now returning from the US. These graduates face bleaker prospects than the 20 million out-of-work factory hands who are the focus of local government employment plans. But private classes for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) are still drawing students in their late twenties to 40-plus, though they may not find jobs in the US. The costliest private GMAT class in Beijing charges 1,000 yuan (about Rs. 7,000) for one hour of personalised tuition. This correspondent asked two such aspirants and fans of US President Barack Obama ? a 22-year-old English major student and another exactly 10 years older working in international trade ? to describe their American dreams. Their earnest answers reflected how keenly the young Chinese compare life and opportunities in the two radically different countries. In the words of Zhao Jiaxi, 22: “My main reason to study in the US is America’s high quality of cultivating people”. His parents will pay his tuition fees and he is unsure about returning to China. The professional who only gave his family name Fu, dreams of Columbia University. “Especially in Beijing, an MBA from the top US universities is the key to brilliance. It can get you whatever you want,” said Fu, who studies for the GMAT everyday after work and watches Bond movies to improve his English. In December, the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, said that 81,127 Chinese students were enrolled in US universities in 2007-08. It was an increase from 19.8 per cent the previous year.American consumers who purchased Apple's latest iPad cite the high-resolution retina display as the device's best feature but dislike the hefty price tag, according to the results of a survey published April 2. The survey was conducted by ChangeWave Research, a service of 451 Research, over the period March 22-28 among 2,000 consumers who purchased the new iPad.Consumers were asked what they "like[ed] best" and "what they dislike[d] most" about the new iPad; each respondent was allowed to choose a maximum of three answers.Seventy-five percent of respondents cited the "high-resolution retina display" as their favorite feature of the new device, followed by "long battery life" in a distant second place with 22 percent and "4G LTE capability" in third place with 21 percent.In terms of dislikes, the hefty price tag, around $499, topped the list, irritating 26 percent of respondents, followed by the "cost of the wireless data plan," which 23 percent of respondents disliked. The "size/weight" of Apple's new device and the "amount of flash memory storage" were seen as jointly unlikeable by 8 percent of respondents.On March 20 the new iPad was criticized by Consumer Reports, which found that the device reached temperatures of 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius) while running the action game Infinity Blade II. This temperature was significantly higher than that reached on the iPad 2 and was identified by 7 percent of respondents as something they disliked about the device.The top responses when asked - What do you like best about the new iPad?:01. High-resolution retina display (75%)02. Long battery life (22%)03. 4G LTE capability (21%)04. Speed of device/ faster processor (20%)05. 5 mega pixel iSight Camera (18%)06. Number of apps (13%)07. Ease of use (12%)08. Dictation/ voice recognition feature (10%)09. Screen size (9%)10. Size/weight (9%)The top responses when asked What do you dislike most about the new iPad: 01. Cost of the new iPad (26%)02. Cost of wireless data plan (23%)03. Size/weight (8%)04. Amount of flash memory storage (8%)05. Integration with other devices (7%)06. Excessive heat coming from the device (7%)07. Battery life too short (6%)Rajasthan, typically known for delivering clear verdicts, had thrown a fractured mandate in the last assembly elections.In 2008, as the Congress with 96 legislators in a house of 200 came close to the magic figure of 101, Ashok Gehlot effortlessly got an invite from Raj Bhawan to form the government.The six BSP legislators had sent in their support letters to Gehlot much before Mayawati could congratulate them on his victory.Prior to that the state had faced a fractured verdict way back in 1993, when the BJP fell short of six members and in 1990, when the BJP, with the highest tally, had ended at 85 (it was then in alliance with Janata Dal).CPM leader Atul Kumar Anjan says, “The Congress bought BSP MLAs to form the government or else they were short of simple majority even in 2008.”As society progresses, there are enough examples of men and women overcoming the barriers of age to be in a relationship. Some of the prominent ones are Demi Moore who married 15-year younger actor Ashton Kutcher, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon (with a 10-year age gap) or Madonna, who has two kids with ex-husband Guy Ritchie, 10 year younger than her. Closer home, Abhishek Bachchan is married to Aishwarya Rai, who is a year elder to him, while actor Saif Ali Khan was married to Amrita Singh (12 years elder to him) for 12 years.But back in the Victorian times, the concept of falling in love with an older woman was still a taboo. An upcoming play titled Candida, by the famous Irish writer of 30s, George Bernard Shaw, brings to the stage this dilemma caused in relationships because of an age difference. ??The play shows the relationship between an older woman and a man who is ten years younger,?? says Vishesh Arora, founder, Curtain Call productions. Started two years ago, this is the first professional play by the production house. ??I am an avid reader of George Bernard Shaw for his honest and radical writings on education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. I wanted to start with Candida as it brings out the challenges that our society is struggling with in relationships,?? says Arora.The play revolves around lady Candida, married to an honourable clergyman, James Morell and an 18-year-old poet, Eugene Marchbanks, who tries to charm her with his romantic notions of life. ??In the midst of all the action, the play tries to explore the deeper question of what does a woman really want from a relationship ?? materialistic comfort, honour, children, or romance and understanding,?? says Sarthak Mattoo, 21, who plays Morell, Candida??s husband. One of the highlights of the play is a scene when Marchbanks the poet confronts Morell with the fact that he loves his wife. ??Marchbanks has the honesty and rebellion of any youngster today,?? says Shivam Khanna, 19, who plays the poet. ??If women have been one of your mysteries of the world, we plan to de-mystify this world a little bit for the men of today through this play,?? sums up Nihal Parashar, an actor in the play. Catch it hereWhat: Candida, by GB Shaw When: July 28 Time: 4.30pmWhere: Alliance Francaise de Delhi, Lodhi RoadNEAREST METRO STATION: Jor Bagh on the Yellow LineA new study suggests that love at first sight may have a biological basis.In fact, researchers who study human attraction say, people do tend to form opinions quickly when it comes to romance.Some think it takes just three minutes to decide whether someone’s a potential mate (and that’s before the drinks arrive), the Washington Post reported.Findings about friends who click immediately might also apply to romantic partnerships.In one study on friendships, people who enjoyed the first few minutes together were likely to develop a close relationship after nine weeks.But instant attraction isn’t just in our heads, there may be a biological basis to love at first sight.Studies have found that animals are more likely to mate with partners they’re genetically compatible with.It’s unclear whether this research applies to humans, but some scientists think we might be preprogrammed to spot “the one.”Romantic attraction might serve an evolutionary function. We seek out specific people who will be suitable mates, and we give everyone else the boot.But meeting that special someone’s gaze and falling in love may be a bit more complicated.Although about half the American population believes in love at first sight, not everyone falls head over heels right away.Perhaps surprisingly, women aren’t always the romantics.One study found that men experience love at first sight more often than women.Researchers think that’s because men respond to physical cues more readily than women, and women tend to develop trust more gradually than men.Also, people might be more inclined to believe in love at first sight when they’re younger.A Gallup poll revealed that folks older than 50 are less likely than younger ones to think people can fall in love immediately (possibly because they’ve had more romantic relationships with different partners).When it comes to family travel, eat-free programs, kid-friendly activities and healthy food options are some of the most important priorities for parents when booking their holiday.That’s according to two separate reports released this week which looked at family travel -- the largest segment of the leisure travel industry, says Expedia.com.In its family travel trends report, Expedia found, for instance, that value-for-money was top of mind for budget-conscious families who are more apt to be persuaded to book a hotel that offers free breakfasts, eat-free programs or free stays for the first child.A report out of the Holiday Inn chain also found that saving up for a family vacation was the biggest challenge for families -- more than trying to coordinate schedules or taking the time off work.Pools, kids’ suites, and special on-site children’s activities are also important amenities for parents. And while the Holiday Inn report found that nine in 10 parents said their kids’ opinions are influential when choosing their vacation destination, gone are the days when holidays were planned for the exclusive enjoyment of kids, a fact that some hotels have long realized.Parents are now looking for hotels that offer babysitting services and kids’ activities so that they can escape for a child-free romantic date.Increasingly health-conscious families also appreciate hotels that offer healthy food choices and appropriate portion sizes for kids.Looking for accommodation ideas for your next family trip? TripAdvisor readers selected the Cavallino Bianco Family Spa Grand Hotel in Ortisei, Italy as the best hotel for families this year.The Organization for the Probition of Chemical Weapons was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its work to rid the world of such weapons. Here's a look at the OPCW and the work it has been doing over the past 15 years:Where did the OPCW come from?The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks when it was required to oversee the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria, but it has been working since the 1990s as the body that implements the Chemical Weapons Convention, the first international treaty to outlaw an entire class of weapons.What does the treaty do and who is a member?The convention prohibits the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons. It came into force in 1997 and has been ratified by 189 states. Of those, seven - Albania, India, Iraq, Libya, Russia and the United States, along with a country identified by the OPCW only as "a State Party" but widely believed to be South Korea - have declared stockpiles of chemical weapons. These include mustard gas and nerve agents like sarin and VX.Syria is due to become a member state of the organization on Monday and has acknowledged having chemical weapons. Non-signatories to the treaty include North Korea, Angola, Egypt and South Sudan. Israel and Myanmar have signed but not ratified the convention.What does the OPCW do?The OPCW has conducted more than 5,000 inspections in 86 countries. It says 100 percent of the declared chemical weapons stockpiles have been inventoried and verified.According to its statistics, 57,740 metric tons, or 81.1 percent, of the world's declared stockpile of chemical agents have been verifiably destroyed. Albania, India and "a third country" - believed to be South Korea - have completed destruction of their declared stockpiles. An OPCW report released earlier this year said the United States had destroyed about 90 percent of its stockpile, Russia had destroyed 70 percent and Libya 51 percent.Thirteen OPCW members have also declared a total of 70 chemical weapons production facilities. The organization says all 70 have been taken out of commission including 43 destroyed altogether and 21 converted to peaceful purposes.Who runs the OPCW?The OPCW is funded by its member states and had a budget of some ?74 million euros ($100 million) in 2011. It employs some 500 people in The Hague. The director-general is Turkish diplomat Ahmet Uzumcu.Women might think they are most desirable when they are all dolled up and looking elegant, but men beg to differ.It’s at 6 o’clock on a weekday, when you’re just back from the gym in an old gray tank top and a sports bra, devoid of makeup and perfume-when you are nothing but raw, that men might like, according to Fox News.When she cross-dresses. The sight of you gliding by in one of his shirts or boxers bring men crazy-wild happiness.Maybe it’s some primal, chimp-like possessiveness, as in: She’s mine.Men like their partners awkward high school photos.“Oh my God! Don’t look at that!” you say, snatching the snapshot from his hand, but here’s what you don’t know: No matter how frizzy the hair, no matter how gangly the limbs or how beglittered with braces the smile, men are fairly certain you wouldn’t have talked to them back in high school anyway.Nothing freaks men out more than when you start naming your future children. But when we see your warmth and ease around kids, when we notice your unspoken uplift in their presence, it’s hard not to smile and think, Maybe.Men dig those candlelit dinners and all the impressive kitchen acrobatics.Sure, men scoff mightily at all the high-tech moisturizers, your microdermabrasion cleansers and inscrutable creams in public. But alone in the bathroom, the Barbasol-and-Ivory men make full sneaky use of your mystical chemistry set.The woman’s patience with her partner’s family is always appreciated.A passion for great food suggests a freewheeling and insatiable appetite for all of life’s sensual pleasures.When the woman shows they don’t need their partner to fix things at home, it’s much more gratifying for men.If there is literally no fighting in your relationship -- ever, over anything -- then that means one of two things: first, there is either no passion, or second, that neither of you care enough to actually get in a huff about anything.Either way, it’s not going to turn out well.According to the Huffington Post, the healthiest relationships are the ones where a couple has learned how to fight and communicate effectively, and the majority of the time, that happens through experience.Every couple will fight. It’s inevitable when you combine two different people, with two different goals, ideas and feelings into one life.It’s how you make it through the fight that makes your marriage more (or less) successful.And let’s be honest, there is definitely something to be said for make-up sex.Statistically speaking, your marriage has no better chance of being successful than anyone else’s.Statistics differ on this point, but the overall message is clear: close to half of all marriages in the US end in divorce.For a marriage to be successful today, it takes more than saying “I do”. It requires saying “I do” every single day, for the rest of your life.What do I mean by that? I mean that each person must actively make the marriage a priority. Effort needs to be made by both parties every day to make sure that the couple is happy and that the union is healthy.46 percent of men in the UK placed sports at the top of the things that sets their heart racing while sex was ranked second, a study has revealed.The study also revealed that the scariest thing that majority of men have done is ride a rollercoaster, and 12 percent of men surveyed said that they have never done anything risky, the Daily Star reported.The most daredevil part of the UK is the south-west with 47 percent claiming that there is “nothing” they would not do for a thrill.Northern Ireland is the least adventurous with only 14 percent wanting an adrenaline rush.The research, which was conducted by OnePoll, and quizzed 1,000 men aged 18 to 34, also found that 75 percent men shied away from real danger.But they often do “macho” things like carrying heavy items ? 29 percent and eating spicy food that they do not enjoy ? 23 percent.The survey was commissioned to celebrate the release of extreme sports film ‘Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D.’LK Advani may have, at last, signaled a big change in his equations with Narendra Modi, endorsing him as BJP prime minister candidate after opposing him for the last six months. Advani’s action may seem “inevitable and quiet acquiescence” after his dissent failed to stop Modi’s elevation in the face of big support from within the BJP and the RSS.But BJP insiders say the breaking of ice is significant in itself and has happened mainly due to two factors.Firstly, Modi made sustained efforts to win Advani’s support despite initial setbacks. Modi did not let go a single opportunity to seek his mentor’s blessings and praise him since he was named for the top slot. Secondly, key BJP and RSS leaders also persuaded Advani in this regard, appealing to his role as a patriarch.Advani, apparently, could not “resist” these appeals to accord support for Modi, who has helped the BJP to top survey charts, raising the possibility of defeat of the Congress.Advani is not a “calculative” political strategist, a BJP insider said. The 85-year-old leader was a “man of heart” who could not have resisted Modi’s appeals to “bless” him in the oust-Congress campaign, he added.Finally, on October 16, Advani and Modi came together after many months to inaugurate the Sabarmati river front garden.There may still be issues between Advani and Modi. Advani may still want to contest from Gandhinagar again and not happy about the return of BS Yeddyurappa to BJP-fold in Karnataka. But Advani’s statement that he would be happy to see Modi as PM has changed the chemistry, a BJP official said.The United States lurched into a dreaded government shutdown early today for the first time in 17 years, triggering agency closures and hundreds of thousands of furloughs as Congress missed a deadline to pass a budget.What the shutdown meansThe shutdown means the US government agencies will close down in the absence of a budgetary allocation.Nearly 8,00,000 US workers will be thrown out of job for now.The crucial department of energy facilities, which deal with power and defence, will send home 12,701 workers out of 13,814 hitting the internal infratructure.The shutdown will set in a phase of economic crisis with people taking most of the hardships.Last time this scenario occurred was in 1995-96.The economic crisis in the US will have its cascading effect on the economies of other countries also. The markets will also tank affecting the overall investment scene around the world.The world's newest country has a lot to offer tourists, and time is running out if you want to get there before the rush really begins.
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