Friday, August 31, 2012
Aamir Khan on Time cover as India's 'first superstar-activist'
Washington, Aug 31 (IANS) Aamir Khan's hugely successful TV show "Satyamev Jayate", that focusing on burning issues facing India and ways of tackling them, has landed him on the cover of prestigious Time magazine as India's "first superstar-activist."
"He's breaking the Bollywood mold by tackling India's social evils. Can one actor change a nation?" asks the blurb on the cover of the Asia edition of the Sep 10 issue of the US magazine, which features a close-up of the actor looking intensely into the camera.
Tracing the rise of Aamir Khan with the 1988 blockbuster hit "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak", Time's Bobby Ghosh noted over the past decade the 47-year-old actor has acted in, directed and produced a string of "movies that artfully straddle the demands of popular cinema and that desire for grace."
"Now, with his groundbreaking TV show Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails), he has dispensed with commercial considerations to indulge his conscience," writes Ghosh. "With it, Khan has taken on the mantle of the country's first superstar-activist."
"The show, in equal parts chat and journalism, casts an unblinking spotlight on some of India's ugliest social problems," he says of the show of which Khan is "creator, producer and host, and he has invested it with his star power - and his credibility."
"It's a ballsy move, and potentially jeopardizes his status as the beloved idol of millions," writes Ghosh, since the subjects his show tackles "are precisely the sorts of harsh realities from which many of Khan's fans seek escape in his movies."
"Can a movie star affect the mores of a nation of 1.2 billion?" asks Ghosh and suggests "It might just be possible in India, where a national obsession with cinema, unparalleled in the world, gives popular actors an influence beyond the imagination of Hollywood scriptwriters."
As Khan assesses the impact of his first series, Time suggests, "Whatever Khan chooses to do next in his quest for grace, there's a good chance it will lift India a little closer to what he - and fellow Indians - would wish their country and society to be."
Aamir Khan is the third Indian actor to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. Aishwarya Rai made it to the cover in 2003 and Parveen Babi was featured in 1976.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
www.dailymail.co.uk
Monday, August 27, 2012
Apple V/s Samsung...users are the losers!!!
What the Apple-Samsung verdict means for your smartphone
@CNNMoneyTech August 25, 2012
Apple and Samsung accused each other of infringing on software patents; Apple's allegations also included a few design patents.
A California jury on Friday found Samsung had infringed on the majority of the patents in question -- including software features like double-tap zooming and scrolling -- and recommended that Apple be awarded more than $1 billion in damages. On the design front, many Samsung devices were found to infringe on hardware style or icon setup.
Samsung is widely expected to appeal the ruling, but as it stands now, the verdict could significantly affect both smartphone users and other industry players.
What happens to my Samsung phone? Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) design and software claims involved scores of Samsung devices, including the Nexus S 4G and S II.
As a result of the ruling, Apple could request an injunction against the Samsung devices that were found to have infringed on its patents. That means Samsung could be forced to take those gadgets off the market until they are changed.
If you already own the devices in question, though, don't worry: Even with an injunction, no one can pry the phone out of your hands. But it's possible that your phone could receive a software update that tweaks how it looks and works.
What about my Samsung Galaxy tablet? This category offered one spot of good news for Samsung: The jury ruled that Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablets did not infringe on Apple's design patents for the iPad.
What does the ruling mean for Google and Android? Samsung wasn't able to prove any of Apple's patents invalid, which is the major point that could affect other smartphone industry titans.
Armed with loads of significant patents now deemed valid in court, Apple could go on to sue other companies -- namely, Android maker Google(GOOG, Fortune 500) and its hardware partners.
Samsung is the largest manufacturer of Android devices, and while the software does vary a bit across manufacturers, it's largely similar. So smartphone makers could be sued for similar software infringements, and Google may have to tweak Android's user interface.
Google's shares were down about 1% in after-hours trading late Friday, while Apple's stock jumped nearly 2% to a record high near $675.
Will we see any changes to future phone and tablet hardware? The verdict strengthened Apple's design identity, and competitors may now be afraid to even toe the line of the iDevices' "look and feel."
Chris Carani, an intellectual property attorney and design law expert at McAndrews, Held & Malloy, says the verdict could spark "a burst of creativity" in the design of future devices. Competitors won't want to risk being slapped with a design infringement lawsuit, given that it costs so much money to roll out a new smartphone or tablet.
"Competitors will have to go back to the drawing board, and give their designers more creative license," Carani says. "They'll have to create something very different as far as the visual experience, and that choice could be a great benefit for consumers."
What happens now? Does Samsung have to pay up? Before the verdict even came down, industry experts predicted that an appeal would be all but certain in this complex case.
Samsung alluded strongly to that point in a statement e-mailed to CNN after the verdict: "This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple's claims."
The statement continued: "It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners."
Apple, of course, was thrilled with the ruling: "The mountain of evidence presented during the trial showed that Samsung's copying went far deeper than even we knew."
Samsung has to be sorely disappointed, but it has enough cash to handle the $1 billion ruling with relative ease: It earned $12 billion last year and has $14 billion in cash in the bank.
If Samsung does choose to appeal, it's unclear what timeline that move will follow. The case involved 109 pages of instructions, a fact that made headlines, although in a surprise move, the jury came back with a verdict after only three days. 
Source: www.cnn.com
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Credible India
Credible India
Hope is the most important input for growth in any country. All hope asks for is focus to build a nation that is humble, compassionate and above all else, a great one
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Image: Amit Gupta / Reuters
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A GREAT DIVIDE Political leaders enjoy disproportionate importance in India. This is evident everytime a leader travels葉raffic is diverted and roads are cleared to make way for the cavalcade of official vehicles, inconveniencing citizens greatly. In this picture, students are seen walking during a mock security drill ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Jammu in November 2004
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Stone me for saying this. But say, I must. The great Indian obsession with wanting to be a great power is utterly impractical, completely undesirable and totally nonsensical. What I would like India to be instead is a great nation. I refuse to be a part of “Incredible India”. What I want is to be part of “Credible India”. This, for two reasons:
- Great powers destroy, great nations nurture. Destruction demands cruelty. Nurturing demands compassion. I believe in compassion.
- Great powers are built by rulers. Great nations are built by citizens who have as much a chance to take a stab at greatness as their leaders. I believe in equality.
Both of my beliefs, as much as they are intensely personal, are rooted in history as well.
The obsession with being a power-based state can be traced to the works of Niccolò Machiavelli, the 15th Century Italian historian, diplomat, humanist and writer. Machiavelli’s fundamental thesis was based on his observations of the very brutal methods Cesare Borgia and his father Pope Alexander VI used to build a state. I don’t intend to get into the specifics, except that Borgia was a failure because he had accumulated power on the back of his father’s influence and under the guise of protecting the interests of the Church. After his father’s death, he was arrested by Pope Julius II and that was the end of Machiavelli’s hero.
But for whatever reasons, when Machiavelli wrote his treatise The Prince, on power and how it ought to be exercised, he chose to ignore Borgia’s failures. Instead, he focussed on Borgia’s life where he had accumulated power. The fallacy in looking only at this part is that you ignore the fact that when power is acquired through all available means, credibility is overlooked. And when credibility is given the pass, as Borgia discovered, you have to cede ground.
Unfortunately, contemporary history is filled with instances of rulers, nations and businesses that subscribe to the Machiavellian school. Without exception, over time, all failed. Be it the Roman, the French or the British empires, all of them have been liquidated. As for the American empire, it is now teetering on the brink of collapse. What is common to all of them is a veneer of arrogance.
Much the same thing can be said of corporate behaviour. Take some of the Indian companies operating in Africa. There are many that have made a mark exporting agricultural produce in collusion with local politicians. They get free water, land at subsidised prices and the labour they employ work in inhuman conditions. What is common to all of them is that they work with corrupt regimes, dictatorships, or both.
In the long run, the model is unsustainable because corrupt regimes and dictatorships collapse and take the business models they support with them.
The idea terrifies me. As I look around, there seems an almost uniform consensus on building a nation that wants to be feared and respected. India is now part of the G20. What the government wanted was a place on the G10 table, comprising what used to be the G8 with China and India now included. We thump our chests with pride each time a new weapon is added to our military arsenal. We high-five when an Indian business acquires assets in another part of the world. But how does an “Incredible India” matter if it isn’t a “Credible India” we’re building?
Of the almost 600 districts in India, 200 are infested with Naxalites. How many people, of their own free will, without being coerced, will support Naxalism? Nobody. Because Naxalism, like every insurgent movement supported by terror, is suicidal. Terrorists I’ve met with know if you kill, you will eventually get killed. To that extent, anybody who participates in terrorism is participating in suicide.
Which brings me to the next question: Why would anybody participate in suicide? Surely, it ought to be desperation. Consider, for instance, the following.
- Twenty years ago, the average productivity of a cow or a buffalo in both India and China was in the region of 1,000-2,000 litres of milk each year. An Indian buffalo continues to deliver the same yields, while an animal bred in China delivers five times as much. Why? What is it about the Indian dairy farmer that holds him back?
- India is a rain-dependent nation. But on average, only 38 percent of arable land is irrigated. Solutions like drip irrigation are available to redress the problem. But only a meagre 5 percent of available land has seen this solution. Why don’t Indian farmers demand drip irrigation?
- There are roughly 450 million people in India that make up our work force. Of these, 90 percent haven’t completed school education. Why? Because, of the 630,000 villages in India, over 500,000 don’t have schools that can provide education above Class VII. Without a doubt, labour productivity is linked to education. Why does the Indian labourer not demand education?
Source: http://forbesindia.com/article
First man on the moon leaves...
Obama leads tributes to Armstrong, first man on Moon
US President Barack Obama has led tributes to astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, who died on Saturday at the age of 82.
Mr Obama said on his Twitter feed: "Neil Armstrong was a hero not just of his time, but of all time."
Hundreds of millions watched Armstrong land on the Moon on 20 July 1969 and describe it as: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
The line became one of the most famous quotes of the 20th Century.
Armstrong's family confirmed his death in a statement on Saturday, saying he had died from complications after surgery to relieve four blocked coronary arteries.
The family statement praised him as a "reluctant American hero" and urged his fans to honour his example of "service, accomplishment and modesty".
"The next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink," the family said.
Mr Obama thanked Armstrong for showing the world "the power of one small step".
'Nerdy engineer'
Last November he received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest US civilian award.
Many of Armstrong's colleagues and friends paid tribute to him as a modest, private man who never sought the limelight.
Michael Collins, a pilot on the Apollo 11 Moon mission, said: "He was the best, and I will miss him terribly."
Armstrong famously refused most public appearances and interviews.
In a rare interview with Australian TV this year, he reflected on a moment during his three hours on the Moon when he stopped to commemorate US astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who had died in action.
"It was special and memorable, but it was only instantaneous because there was work to do," he said.
More than 500 million TV viewers around the world watched its touchdown on the lunar surface.
Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin collected samples, conducted experiments and took photographs during their moonwalk.
Mr Aldrin told the BBC he would remember his colleague as a "very capable commander and leader of a world achievement".
"We're missing a great spokesman and leader in the space programme," he said.
Apollo 11 was Armstrong's last space mission. In 1971, he left the US space agency Nasa to teach aerospace engineering.
Born in 1930 and raised in Ohio, Armstrong took his first flight aged six with his father and formed a lifelong passion for flying.
He flew Navy fighter jets during the Korean War in the 1950s, and joined the US space programme in 1962.
Correspondents say Armstrong remained modest and never allowed himself to be caught up in the glamour of space exploration.
"I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer," he said in February 2000 in a rare public appearance.
Nasa chief Charles Bolden paid tribute to him as "one of America's great explorers".
"As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own."
Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
Saturday, August 25, 2012
4u24by7: Ek Tha Tiger (U/A)3.5 / 5Critic's RatingReview3 ...
4u24by7:
Ek Tha Tiger (U/A)3.5 / 5Critic's Rating
Review3 ...: Ek Tha Tiger (U/A) 3.5 / 5 Critic's Rating Review 3 / 5 User's Ratings 1103 Reviews 1 Language: Hindi Genre...
Ek Tha Tiger (U/A)3.5 / 5Critic's Rating
Review3 ...: Ek Tha Tiger (U/A) 3.5 / 5 Critic's Rating Review 3 / 5 User's Ratings 1103 Reviews 1 Language: Hindi Genre...
Language: Hindi
Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: Tiger is one of India's most effective espionage agents. But when this brave heart falls in love, even he has to seek cover to realise his dream.
Staring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Girish Karnad, Ranvir Shorey
Director: Kabir Khan
Music Director: Sohail Sen, Sajid-Wajid
Duration: 2 hrs & 12 mins
Director: Kabir Khan
Music Director: Sohail Sen, Sajid-Wajid
Duration: 2 hrs & 12 mins
Critic's Review & Rating / 1103 User Ratings & Reviews
Kabir Khan's movies-Kabul Express; New York, Ek Tha Tiger start with the similar sepia-toned skyline montages of what could be Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq; strife-ridden country associated with extremists. In ETT, the montages pass quickly. A voice-over tells you of how Governments fight shadow battles of espionage and intrigue with faceless agents.
Cut to India's finest RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) agents Tiger--Salman Khan. He enters the screen, dramatically, shoes first, kicking butt in a crowded bazaar; with his trade-mark checked scarf around his neck. He ambushes a handful of traitors single-handedly in a long-drawn high octane action sequence that is clearly inspired by Jason Bourne(Bourne Identity/Supremacy series) and James Bond (Quantum of Solace). Mission one successfully completed Tiger returns home to a middle-class neighbourhood in New Delhi.
Barely have his wounds from Iraq healed when his boss, Girish Karnad, (impressive performance) packs him of to Ireland to spy on a professor (Roshan Seth) who may be trading missile technology secrets with Pakistan.
Before he sets out, the boss ominously warns Tiger how agents must never let their hearts rule their head. But when Cupid strikes even Tigers become pussy-cats. The spy is drawn to college girl Zoya( Katrina Kaif) and he's almost ready to settle down with her, when the twist in the plot is revealed. Kat is a secret agent for the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence); she owes allegiance to India's archenemy Pakistan.
Post interval, ETT goes on to focus on the Tiger-Zoya romance. Since they have unfinished business, the plot allows them to lock eyes at a peace summit in Istanbul. Passions are rekindled. This time they let their own feelings rule and elope. Chased by their own people and the enemy, the couple traipse in Cuba and other foreign locales, riding bikes and cuddling up while some lack-lustre songs play in the backdrop. One must say there is nothing raw about the Kat-Sallu romance in ETT; it's synthetic.
Leaving the plot open for a sequel, just in case Salman's fans demand one; ETT ends with telling you how Tiger's file went missing because, once this super-spy decided to go off the radar, no intelligence agency could actually track him down.
Cut to India's finest RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) agents Tiger--Salman Khan. He enters the screen, dramatically, shoes first, kicking butt in a crowded bazaar; with his trade-mark checked scarf around his neck. He ambushes a handful of traitors single-handedly in a long-drawn high octane action sequence that is clearly inspired by Jason Bourne(Bourne Identity/Supremacy series) and James Bond (Quantum of Solace). Mission one successfully completed Tiger returns home to a middle-class neighbourhood in New Delhi.
Barely have his wounds from Iraq healed when his boss, Girish Karnad, (impressive performance) packs him of to Ireland to spy on a professor (Roshan Seth) who may be trading missile technology secrets with Pakistan.
Before he sets out, the boss ominously warns Tiger how agents must never let their hearts rule their head. But when Cupid strikes even Tigers become pussy-cats. The spy is drawn to college girl Zoya( Katrina Kaif) and he's almost ready to settle down with her, when the twist in the plot is revealed. Kat is a secret agent for the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence); she owes allegiance to India's archenemy Pakistan.
Post interval, ETT goes on to focus on the Tiger-Zoya romance. Since they have unfinished business, the plot allows them to lock eyes at a peace summit in Istanbul. Passions are rekindled. This time they let their own feelings rule and elope. Chased by their own people and the enemy, the couple traipse in Cuba and other foreign locales, riding bikes and cuddling up while some lack-lustre songs play in the backdrop. One must say there is nothing raw about the Kat-Sallu romance in ETT; it's synthetic.
Leaving the plot open for a sequel, just in case Salman's fans demand one; ETT ends with telling you how Tiger's file went missing because, once this super-spy decided to go off the radar, no intelligence agency could actually track him down.
Outside a broad downright rots the laughing luxury.
Source: www.timescity.com
Thursday, July 12, 2012
SYDNEY: Australian pace bowler Brett Lee on Friday announced his retirement from international cricket after a 13-year career, saying his body and mind were no longer up to the stresses of touring.
Brett Lee Profile
"It's official, I have retired from international cricket. Thanks for all your love and support. It's been an amazing 13 years," Lee said via Twitter ahead of an official news conference.
Lee, 35, who returned home early from Australia's one-day tour of England this month with calf problems, said it was the right time to call an end to his long career.
"I woke up this morning and knew I had to call it quits today. Friday the 13th, 13 years (since his Test debut), I thought it was pretty appropriate," he told Channel Nine.
"I thought I would go over there and try and play the Twenty20 World Cup (in Sri Lanka in September), but (being) mentally and physically challenged, it would just not be worth it.
"So I'm walking away happy with the call I've made."
Lee said while he had enjoyed his cricket career, he was tired of being away from home for long periods and was looking forward to a different phase of his life.
"It's been a fantastic career and I've loved every minute of it, but it's stage two of my life now," he said.
"My holiday will be at home -- I'm sick of being away. That was on my mind as well -- time away from home.
"I just want to maybe do some fishing and just chill out for a few months."
One of Australia's most fearsome fast bowlers, Lee retired from Tests with 310 wickets in February 2010, although he played on in one-day and Twenty20 cricket.
With 380 victims, Lee is just one wicket short of Glenn McGrath as Australia's leading wicket taker in one-day internationals.
Though Lee has confirmed his retirement from international cricket, he will continue to play on in the Big Bash League and the IPL.
Reference: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports
Brett Lee Profile
"It's official, I have retired from international cricket. Thanks for all your love and support. It's been an amazing 13 years," Lee said via Twitter ahead of an official news conference.
Lee, 35, who returned home early from Australia's one-day tour of England this month with calf problems, said it was the right time to call an end to his long career.
"I woke up this morning and knew I had to call it quits today. Friday the 13th, 13 years (since his Test debut), I thought it was pretty appropriate," he told Channel Nine.
"I thought I would go over there and try and play the Twenty20 World Cup (in Sri Lanka in September), but (being) mentally and physically challenged, it would just not be worth it.
"So I'm walking away happy with the call I've made."
Lee said while he had enjoyed his cricket career, he was tired of being away from home for long periods and was looking forward to a different phase of his life.
"It's been a fantastic career and I've loved every minute of it, but it's stage two of my life now," he said.
"My holiday will be at home -- I'm sick of being away. That was on my mind as well -- time away from home.
"I just want to maybe do some fishing and just chill out for a few months."
One of Australia's most fearsome fast bowlers, Lee retired from Tests with 310 wickets in February 2010, although he played on in one-day and Twenty20 cricket.
With 380 victims, Lee is just one wicket short of Glenn McGrath as Australia's leading wicket taker in one-day internationals.
Though Lee has confirmed his retirement from international cricket, he will continue to play on in the Big Bash League and the IPL.
Reference: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports
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