Roaring Siren

What's WRONG with Brad Thor ?

2010-07-01T22:22:00.001+05:00

Brad Thor is a New York Times Best-selling author, TV personality and a former employee of the Homeland Security Department, which was set up soon after the 2001 attacks. His novels have unparalleled action scenes, fast paced plot and exotic locations, and I buy them every time I see them on the stands. So why is it that I'm writing this acerbic post aimed at Brad Thor ? For these reasons :

Religion

Working for the Homeland Security Department has apparently desensitized Thor to religious sentiments and instilled a bigot in him. He makes no attempt to veil his contempt for the religion and through his character, reveals the author's true disdain. One thing that makes his books so fun (I've read two of them) is that they almost ALWAYS have some West Asian theme in it, if not in the milieu, in the characters.

But while there is the customary good-Muslim character (at least one) in every novel, Thor simply doesn't know when to bite his tongue. Agreed, he can write historical fiction about the Prophet Muhammad, that's just what Dan Brown did, but the impunity with which he attacks Islam is deplorable. He makes some particularly inflammatory comments about Islam in his 2009 book The Apostle. Even in the author's interview on his publisher's website, he cannot keep his tongue still. While his spin on history won Best Thriller of the Year, something which is flaunted on the front page of his website, it was also banned in Saudi Arabia and elicited threats on his life, causing him to relocate.

2. Female characters

In an interview, Thor said his greatest flaw was that he "grab checks way too quickly." If you ask me, it's that he simply can't stop exalting women. His idea of incorporating "strong female" characters in his prose is to mention cheap myths like "b**s are inversely proportional to intelligence" (yes, he says the bo-word) and counters it with increasingly boring statements like the 'woman is more intelligent than four men put together' and the kind.

Also, it's his habit to make EVERY woman in his novel attractive, strong-willed and that they work in a male-dominated environment. He uses these words all the time. There isn't a single ugly female character. All are attractive. And now, it appears, his upcoming novel, The Athena, is about a females-only spec-ops squad. Some would say his wife is a lucky woman, but I think he is just trying to ingratiate female readers.

Afterword : Just because this is a critical post of Thor doesn't mean I condone the threats on him. His books are generally very much worth your money (though not The Apostle, look out for a review). Glowing testimonies for his writing have come from every quarter including Dan Brown, who called him as "current as tomorrow's headlines".

Links

* Brad Thor.com

Universal Soldier IV to come in 3D !

2010-05-10T19:00:00.000+05:00

Encouraged no doubt by its theatrical release in the Arab world and elsewhere, where it grossed almost a million dollars at the box office, 2009's Universal Soldiers : Regeneration now has a sequel and it's in 3D ! John Hyams will once again be directing the film, which will start shooting in October. Although it didn't get a theatrical release in much of the Western world, it got quite a successful release in the Middle East. Van Damme and to a lesser extent Lundgren are well-known due to the frequent airing of 90s action flicks of the two "budget action stars".

It remains to be seen whether it'll get a wider release this time.

Source - ComingSoon.net

The barbaric murder in Lebanon village

2010-05-01T05:05:00.001+05:00

In a symbolic picture printed in a newspaper (not the one to the left), three women react differently to the same event. While the two on either side turn their faces away with revulsion, the woman in the middle has a hand clasped over her mouth. With the freehand, she held a mobile phone camera. She was capturing the barbaric murder of an Egyptian man as his near-naked corpse was hung from a pole by a deranged mob in the southeastern mountain village of Ketermaya. Mobile phone footage of his lynching was aired on local televisions and printed on the front page of a French language newspaper.

Background

The suspect, Mohamed Selim Mosallam, was the local butcher in the village. He was by no means a person with an impeccable background. According to a Lebanese paper (which in turns quotes other news papers), Msallem had entered Lebanon illegally and had "a history of unbalanced behaviour" in Egypt before raping a 13-year old in Ketermaya.

He had apparently gone to the village seeking the help of the elderly couple in convincing the rape victim's parents to consent to him marrying her as Lebanese law does not allow a rapist who marries his victim to face prosecution. What an absurd law ! He is suspected in the murders of 2 children, aged seven and nine, and their elderly grandparents.

Crime

The authenticity of gruesome details (including allegations that each of the victims were stabbed at least 25 times and that he had blood on his shirt) seem doubtful given that it's the Lebanese media doing these reports with unmentioned sources.

Muslim had confessed to the police and he was reenacting the crime when the policemen escorting him were overwhelmed by furious villagers armed with stick and stones thrashed him and then stabbed him. As cheers went on in the background, he was stripped to his underwear and socks, paraded and then hung from an electric pole with a butcher's hook. His body was also paraded on the bonnet of a white Mercedes before being hoisted on to an electric pole with a butcher's hook. Before the Lebanese Army arrived half an hour later, onlookers clapped or took pictures with their mobile phones and village women ululated.

The police officers who were seen helplessly standing in the video by did try to intervene, but were overpowered again. However, Police chief Ashraf Rifi said he has taken disciplinary measures against the officers escorting Muslem for "failing to take the necessary precautions", given the anger of the villagers less than 24 hours after the murders

Media Reaction

The subject was the hot topic on all talk shows and received intense media attention in both Lebanon and Egypt. "Barbaric times," headlined the French language daily L'Orient-Le Jour, which carried a front-page picture of Moslem's bloodied corpse hanging from the electricity pole.

"This barbaric act is unprecedented and possible only in countries where the law of the jungle prevails," said the Arabic language daily Al-Akhbar. "The crowd killed Mohammed Muslem thinking that they were serving justice but actually they killed justice," it added.

Lebanese reaction

Lebanese officials were quick to condemn the incident with everyone from the Justice Minister to the President. But the irresponsible gist that Muslem had brought his fate to himself is only too resplendent in the Minster's words.

"I would like to personally apologise to the government and people of Egypt for the reaction in the village of Ketermaya, which would not have happened had it not been for the gruesome crime that preceded it," Ibrahim Najjar, Lebanon's justice minister, said in a statement. Najar is subtly defending the savage actions of the villagers with his words.

Najjar delivered his statement standing next to Mohammed Abdul Hakam, one of Egypt's assistant foreign ministers.

"We thank the security forces for giving us the murderer as a gift so that we could seek revenge for our children with our own hands," Khaled al-Sayyed, a grocery seller, told Reuters.

Diplomatic Backlash

The Egyptian embassy in Beirut denounced the

murder of Msallem "even though

he was in the hands of justice". While the

Egyptian ambassador expressed his "disgust"

and concern at the lack of security

for his citizen, the Lebanese Embassy

in Cairo got an anonymous phone call

promising revenge.

At least a few people have been arrested so far. Crowds yet again tried to intervene while the suspects were taken away, but without success.

Further Reading : New information at Al Masr Al Youm/ Permalink (Arabic for Egypt Today) [ENG]

Downloading Subtitles to Play with Movie : High-Def TV

2010-04-23T20:05:00.011+05:00

You just downloaded a movie but you don't want to play it on your tiny computer screen. And if you want to play it on your high-definition TV with subtitles, then this is the guide for you !

Most high-def TVs have USB ports which can read .avi files, the standard format of downloadable movies. If your file is not in the avi format (and your TV USB player cannot play the current format), convert it into .avi or any other supported format.

2. Downloading the Subtitle

The most popular format of subtitles is the .srt format. There are several websites that let you find your movie, the language and then download the subtitle. I prefer SubtitleSource.org. Simply Google for "download subtitles" and you'll find plenty of other sites to download subtitles from, if you are not satisfied with your current subtitle.

3. Renaming the files

This is the most important part. Without it, you will not be able to play subtitles along with your movie (at least not on your TV). But it's real easy. All you have to do is this : rename the movie file and the subtitle file so that both have the same file name (except for the file extension part). The file extension is the last part of the file name (.avi and .srt in this case).

When the video file and the corresponding file have the same file name, they are played together. Transfer them to a USB and plug it in to your TV.

Congratulations, you can now play movies with subtitles on your TV !

Note : More guides on playing subtitles are coming; they will be linked soon.

Prince of Persia lookalike : Indo-Iranian actor/model John Abraham

2010-04-02T09:00:00.001+05:00

When the movie adaptation of the critically acclaimed Prince of Persia video game series, two fundamental questions were raised : who would play the unnamed Persian Prince and ah, the question that forever lingered in the minds of PoP fans : what'd be his name. You see, the Prince is always referred to as the Prince and his dearth of name of added to the mysterious canvas that hangs over him. The more pressing matter was who would play the Prince ? His description goes something like this :tall, handsome, dark hair and eyes not to mention the Persian (or Iranian as they call it now) look. So it was a horror to discover that Jake Gyllenhaal had been cast to play the prince.

The Prince is Persian. So why bring in a Hollywood actor to play him ? It's just not right. He, however, has a seemingly Middle Eastern name : Dastan. When I found that there is an actor with partial Iranian roots what surprised me most was his uncanny resemblance to the Prince himself. His name is John Abraham and he is a well known model and actor in the world of Bollywood. His Persian ancestry is attributed to his mother, who is a Parsi. Parsis are ethnic Iranians who emigrated to India retaining the indigenous religion of Iran, Zoroastrianism. A Mumbai tabloid erroneously speculated in 2007 that he might be starring in the film. Well, filming is over and the film's expected to be released on May 28, 2010.

Come to think about it, Gyllenhaal doesn't look too bad in the poster of the film. With former bond girl Gemma Arterton as well as Alfred Molina (Doc Ock in Spiderman 2) and Ben Kingsley starring, and judging by the trailer, the film might actually be quite good.

Call this speculation (and indeed it is, if not wishful thinking), but if this film works out well at the box office, there's a chance, just a chance that Abraham, who speaks good English and has starred in Bollywood films shot in America might get a role in any (possible) future sequel.

Also! Visit

* Image Gallery of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on IGN

Horny guy call female 911 operators (AUDIO)

2010-04-01T19:00:00.003+05:00

Operator : You called 911, do you need the police or paramedics ?

Caller : (in drunk voice) yeah

Operator : What for ?

Caller : I wanna f***

Operator : (animatedly) HUH ?!

The above was an ACTUAL conversation a 911 operator had when she responded to a call by a lewd guy. The guy then gets real talky and explicit. It's hilarious what the combination of drunkenness and innate stupidity can do to. Hear the rest of the conversation (with intercepts from comedians) on the link below.

Hear and WATCH IT on TRUTV

Leave a comment if you know anything as funny, and I'll put it here.

Muammar Ghadafi's in New York : Rants,Tents & Girls with Guns

2010-03-23T23:00:00.000+04:00

When Muammar Ghadafi first arrived in New York for the UN assembly, the media reaction was blindly predictable. With news outlets repeatedly reiterating the Libyan sponsorship of the Lockerbee bombing, saying he was looked at contemptuously is putting it mildly. He almost set up a tent on Donald Trump's estate, turning eyebrows. However, calling it the height of his eccentricity is plain quibble. Any hotel Ghadafi could have visited while in the Big Apple would have probably been wired to the core with surveillance. The feds would have the pleasure of seeing Mr.Ghadafi in clothes besides the desert attire he dons everywhere if he had stayed at a proper N.Y hotel.

But what probably bought most attention besides his 96 minute speech (when he was allocated 15 mins) in which he denounced the Security Council as a 'terror council' will have to be the traveling mini-army of of 40 to 50 heavily armed all-women bodyguards sometimes called his "Amazon Guard" after the legendary (allegedly mythical) Amazon women. Some of them are quite pretty and they wear lipstick, jewelry, polished nails and even high heels. In fact, a female graduate of New York University of Lebanese origin has even made a documentary on them titled ''Qaddafi's Female Bodyguards: Shadows of a Leader.''

In 2003, the women smartly outfitted in form-fitting desert camouflage uniforms and blue berets -- caused a pushing-and-shoving ruckus when Khadafy got in a shouting match with Saudi Arabians at an Arab summit. The bodyguards also formed a menacing circle around Khadafi in Rome last June after 900 Italian women unleashed a chorus of boos in response to his admonition not to drive without their husbands' permission.

However, not anybody can become his bodyguard. Ghadafi, who calls himself a pioneer of 'Islamic socialism',prides on their virginity and insist them remain so. Gaddafi says they are a symbol of his belief in female emancipation. "Women should be trained for combat, so that they do not become easy prey for their enemies," he is reported to have said.

This is the not the first time Ghadafi has been in the news for the wrong reasons. After the bombing of Libya by the U.S Air Force in 1986, Ghadafi, who has fathered 9 children allowed only female journalists to interview him. He reportedly became "amorous" during those interviews. He also called then US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice "his darling black African woman." Unbeilable, but true.

Also! Visit

* Gaddafi in Europe (Photo Gallery)

Prince of Persia : Warrior Within Fix II : Skip Boat Intro Scene

2010-03-23T09:30:00.002+04:00

Note : This is part of a series of posts detailing how I got around certain glitches and problems in the 2004 game Prince of Persia : Warrior Within while playing it on my PC. I suspect other gamers (especially the recent ones, like me) might have come across these problems.

Prince of Persia : Warrior Within Fix I : Skip the Boat Fight Intro

The second half of the opening cut-scene shows the prince on his boat. After he tells a sailor to "bring them closer to the wind",the prince turns around to see another ship. At this point, the game screen fizzles up and turns green. Sounds familiar ? Well, it happened to me too. And I have a solution.

In some cases the screen remains stuck for some time while the audio plays on, eventually the game begins. But if the game closes and a dialog box says it "ended unexpectedly", you might want to read the solution below.

1. Locate the Prince of Persia Warrior Within folder in your computer.

Example : [C:\Program Files\Ubisoft\Prince of Persia Warrior Within]

Go to the program files of the drive in which the game is installed, proceed to Ubisoft and then you will find the Prince of Persia Warrior Within folder.

2. Go to the Video folder > Cine

You will see something like below.

3. Remove the first 7 Video files

The files to be moved/removed start from CINE0001.BIK to CINE0101.BIK and all the files in between. Rather than deleting the first 7 files directly, I suggest they be moved to the desktop or wherever from which you can move them back.

One way of moving the files is to highlight all the files by clicking CINE0001.BIK once and highlighting the seven files to its left by holding down shift. Once they are highlighted in blue, click on it and hold, as you move the cursor down to the taskbar. You would have minimized all other windows and would be at the desktop. Now just move the files to some folder here. After getting to the island (and saving the game), you can move these files back to the 'Cine' folder.

The game now skips the first cutscenes and takes you directly to the battle with the pirates on the ship. Enjoy !

Note : Doing this hack might mean that you will not be able to see the cutscene that appears at the end of the current mission (before arriving at the island). However, a simple Youtube search for "Warrior Within cutscene" would let you watch them. If you run into any trouble, leave a comment below and I'll get back to you

Sequel to Cena's '12 Rounds' ?

2010-03-20T22:16:00.002+04:00

Is a sequel to 12 Rounds on the way? According to Variety, there is. WWE Studios, which spends about $20m for theatrical releases had their last theatrical release with the under-promoted flick 12 Rounds. Directed by Renny Harlin (of Die Hard 2 fame) and starring the wrestling organization's most bankable star John Cena, the film was most surprisingly good (Read my review). Sadly, it failed at the box office, grossing just $17m worldwide.

Though it's not named "13 Rounds"; the few reports on the sequel possibilities were all published prior to the film's release. Moviehole reports that it depends on the financial performance of the flick. Given that at least half of the box office revenue goes to the cinema owners (it's budget is around $20m) and with the DVD reception not being great either, the onlt thing that's clear is that WWE Studios would be lucky if they break even with 12 Rounds, meaning it's unlikely that the sequel would be made.

While it looks like we won't be seeing a "13 Rounds" any time soon, Cena has plenty of film-work up his sleeve. Besides starring in an emotional WWE Studios-produced film called Brother's Keeper, Cena is also trying to land a role in the cast of a remake of the 1987 Schwarzengger flick Predator. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Infidelity taints ex-TNA Traci Brooks' marriage; Kaz cheats

2010-03-15T10:15:00.000+04:00

He represented the new,younger face of TNA Wrestling : fresh,good looks, young, you name it. She was a veteran of TNA with her personality and a huge fan following. So when Tracy Brookshaw and Frank "Kaz" Kazarian began to appear together outside the wrestling arena, they made for an enviable couple.

In January 2010, the couple married in a ceremony attended by Gail Kim, Socal Val, Christy Hemme, Aj Styles, Samoa Joe and many other wrestlers of the TNA roster. Unfortunately, while the highly eligible Traci Brooks seems to have kept her herself out of extramarital affairs (she did have a fling with Robert Rode "years ago" but that was when she was dating Kaz), her husband's infidelity was exposed within weeks of their marriage.

There are conflicting reports of what Kaz did. But what is certain is that he did cheat; at least once. Nude photos of Kaz, taken by himself (he holds the camera) were leaked by "someone close" to Brooks and Kazarian. According to Wrestling Inc, Kaz's alleged mistresses include adult movie star Lela Star,a stripper from Tampa and a former WWE Diva several years ago. One of them probably sent the nude photos of Kaz.

Brooks changed her profile pic to one of the two from the wedding and also uploaded some of them on her profile. Since then, she has changed her profile pic and removed all the content. Suspiciously, Kazarian deleted his MySpace and Facebook pages , though the Facebook page was later reactivated. He wrote on Tuesday :

"Tired, pretty banged up, but had a great tour. Most importantly home with my beautiful wife." - Kaz

A month after the revelations, Tracy Brooks was released from TNA in March. Notice a coincidence ? I don't. Thankfully, however, it appears they are moving on.

Also! Visit :

* Gallery of the wedding

* Traci Brooks' Myspace page

Prince of Persia : W.W Fix I : Skip Intro

2010-03-10T10:28:00.006+04:00

Prince of Persia : Warrior Within Fix I : Skip Intro

This is a very useful hack to save time, letting you skip the 2 Ubisoft and P.O.P introduction screens that appear before the menu loads up. I first found it here, but my version is much more simpler. (Talk about modesty :)

1. Locate the Prince of Persia Warrior Within folder in your computer.

Example : [C:\Program Files\Ubisoft\Prince of Persia Warrior Within]

Go to the program files of the drive in which the game is installed, proceed to Ubisoft and then you will find the Prince of Persia Warrior Within folder.

2. Go to the "Video" subfolder. You will see something like the screenshot below.

3. Locate and rename the following files : "LOGOCRED.BIK , LOGORP.BIK,UBIMTL.BIK and UBISOFT.BK

It's best if you can rename it without changing the file name drastically. This can be done by adding a common prefix/suffix (preferable consisting of very few letters) to all the 4 files you are going to change so that it will be easier to edit again, should you wish so any time later.

4. Enjoy Warrior Within sans the unsolicited title sequences !

The face of a puppy killer

2010-03-10T10:15:00.000+04:00

Source - NY DailyNews

5-month-old puppy Junior was "insubordinate" during a bath. Guess what his owner Dudley Ramsay did ? Ramsay broke six of Junior's delicate ribs and damaged his heart and lungs by smashing him against the side of the bathtub. The man, who is an ironworker then waited for hours before taking calico-coloured Junior to a hospital. The puppy later died of his injuries.

Ramsay could go to prison for up to 2 years. NY Daily News obtained this photograph of him via Facebook. There's also a heart-wrenching pic of Junior being treated at an animal hospital. Previously, he had another dachshund puppy, named Viola, which had died at his hands and was buried in a neighbor's yard, court papers show. He was acquitted of killing Viola but convicted of felony animal cruelty after a bench trial by Justice Michael Gary.

"The severity of the injuries he inflicted, the number of blows, the amount of force it took to cause these injuries combined with his admitted brutality and rage speak volumes about his intent," prosecutor Lisa Berk told the judge.

Defense lawyer Douglas Rankin said his client insists he's innocent. "If he intended to kill or seriously injure it he would not be bathing it, or giving it medicine, then disciplining it or taking it to the vet," he said. "He has no criminal record, he's an acolyte in St. Mary's Episcopal Church. He's an all-around good dude."

If you want to read more about such good dudes and dudettes, such as a prosecutor who couldn't help laughing; a graphic video of a 'heartless' woman beating a pooch with a shovel (on NY Daily News), visit : *

Landmarks,places featured in Dubai-set game 'The Line'

2010-02-02T22:10:00.005+04:00

Whether or not upcoming PS3/Xbox game Special Ops: The Line will be cleared for release in the U.A.E, the fact remains that the milieu is the opulent city of Dubai. Except that it in the game, it isn't so opulent. Sandstorms have devastated the city and in the process creates unique settings for combat.

When a real-life city is featured in a video game,the first thing people look out for are the landmarks. Here are some screenshots I took from the trailer of some recognizable structures. Comment/link if you identify some more.

1. Burj Al Arab & Palm Island

It's the first thing shown in the trailer; the iconic 7-star hotel and the man-made island.

2. Emirates Towers

Emirates Towers, also known as the Twin Towers.

3. Construction Site

One of the most ubiquitous sights in Dubai.

4. Jameel Building

Haven't heard of it, but evidently onesixthree has. Click on the image for his screenshot of the building which means beautiful in Arabic and is situated in the Dubai Marina region.

5. Highway

Emirates Towers can be seen.

6. And at last, Burj Khalifa !

The trailer shows a U.S soldier walking along a road leading to Burj Dubai and guess what's hanging off the lampposts ? Human bodies. And as if that wasn't bad enough, you'll be shooting helicopters and you guessed it : it crashes into the Burj.

s s

TheOatmeal.com - Interesting and Crisp funny illustrated stories

2010-01-30T10:08:00.000+04:00

Nice and crisp illustration appeals to everyone. I just discovered this crisp website while using stumbleupon.com. Basically, the site showcases articles graphic artists story-tell using ONLY images. The site has an extremely "I-want-to-read-that" feeling inducing article on when to use colons. The graphics and illustrations in the site are just of high-quality, but what took me by the surprise was somewhat lewd and adult-oriented humor that came as a shock compared to what I was getting used to. It's still funny,though, but don't recommend it your nephew.

There are plenty of intriguing stuff on sites; like "How everything goes to a HELL during a Zombie apocalypse"; "The Miserable Truth about Santa Claus" and here's a drastic swing from the friendly-kiddy stuff : "Why I'd rather be punched in the testicles than call customer service."

If you have a thing for computer illustration (but never have pursued it); then this site's impressive offerings will really motivate you to get drawing.

Tekken's female Arab character nationality reattributed 'Indian'

2010-01-25T10:06:00.001+04:00

Described as the "mystifying assassin from a distant land" one of Tekken 6's new character is now from India, according to her Tekken page. Initially, she was from a "Middle Eastern" country without naming any one in particular. The name Zafina is blindingly obviously Arabic. So was there an internal debate among Namco as to what the nationality of this beauty should be ?

For starters, most (nah, all) of the female fighters in Tekken are distinct, with individual personalities. They have character, unlike the other over-sexualized fighting games such as DOA; which pay more attention to anatomy. But of course, costume designers know we aren't saints, so sometimes the attire might just get a little hot, though within boundaries. I guess that's one reason a lot of guys like me weren't reluctant to say we are fans of the Brazilian babe in Tekken,Christie Monteiro when she was first introduced in Tekken 4.

One reason why Namco might have changed her nationality is because the concoction of a female Arab fighting men and women in, well, not-so-conservative clothes might stir controversy and might even cause bans. India is quite easily the most tolerable and open nation in the non-East Asian part of the world, and given that many Indian women look similar to Zafina, the change couldn't have been too drastic

As far as audience response is concerned, fans seem to have found her especially intriguing with many Youtubers posting tribute videos.

As you can see from the image-combos, Zafina isn't exactly all-covered up, but yet maintains a respectable appearance. She manages to make red boots and gloves sensual,not otherwise.

Links
Zafina at TekkenPedia.com

Current pics of American terrorist Headley emerge

2010-01-15T10:03:00.002+04:00

All this while he was the faceless maniac who gave a new definition to international terrorism , gathering intel for Pakistan based terror outfits without actually engaging in violence. Armed with a U.S passport and an American name, Daood Gilani, who changed his name to David Coleman Headley in 2006, also happens to be a philanderer. While having a 'traditional' Pakistani wife in Chicago (with kids), he also had an American girlfriend in New York.

Gilani, who was born in Washington to Sayed Salim Gilani, described as a "dashing" diplomat and an avid musicologist and poet and to Serrill Headley, who had left Philadelphia’s Main Line to work as a secretary at the same embassy. Soon after they travelled to Lahore,Pakistan, the marriage soured. His mother left Daood and his sister Syedah and and spun a tale of marrying an Afghan prince who was later murdered. She then set up the Khyber Pass club in Philadelphia, incorporating Afghan themes into it.

E-mail messages show, however, that Mr. Headley stayed in regular contact with classmates from the military high school he attended in Pakistan, often engaging in impassioned debates about politics and Islam. Writing about Pakistan’s chief enemy, he said, “We will retaliate against India.”

He toured India, befriended a Bollywood personality's son, had passionate discussions about "commandos." He also made several photgraphs of locations that were later the target of the 26/11 attacks. He has his mother's (redhead) green eyes and his father's brown eyes. This image was released by the English-language news channel NDTV.

Sources

SOLUTIONS : DVD Drive icon missing from My Computer

2010-01-01T10:01:00.001+04:00

If your computer shows no DVD drive icon on My Computer, then don't panic. In most cases, the problem can be temporarily solved by following a sort of long, but less-risky process, which I'll detail in this post. The officially recommended method of solving the problem is to wipe out some registries entries. For detailed instructions, visit HP's expansive article. Blogger Raymond has the same procedure but his explanation is much more simplified.

Fix No CD or DVD Drive with Error Driver May Be Corrupted or Missing Code 39

THE ALTERNATE SOLUTION

(Note: I discovered this method to be somewhat effective for users hesitant about editing the registry. The downside to this is that it isn't permanent, unlike the registry edit. To be frank, it just takes less than five minutes to get the registry fix done, so if you feel daring, create a restore point in System Restore before attempting any modifications)

1. Open Device Manager (in Vista, just type it in the search box in the startup menu)

2. Expand "disc drives". In most cases, there should be only one device. Right-click and uninstall it. Confirm it when the confirmation box pops up.

Note : uninstalling the drive really doesn't remove it from your computer. Proceed to Step 4

3. After the uninstallation is complete, Windows will inform you a restart is required. Save any open files and restart.

4. When the computer has restarted, a small dialog box should appear at the bottom, stating new hardware has been found and the reinstallation process begins. Don't worry if this box doesn't appear immediately. It might take a few minutes after the load-up of the other programmes for it to appear, so consider checking CNN.com or anything that will distract you for a few minutes.

5. Up on successful installation, a dialog box will ask if you want to restart. Click OK and restart.

6. 70% of the time, the DVD drive icon would have reappeared when you reboot. Sometimes, it might not. In such cases, immediately rebooting might not work, but usually if you startup the computer after shutting it down for some time will do the trick.

PS3, next-gen game set in Dubai !

2009-12-27T09:17:00.005+04:00

UPDATE : UAE Newspaper 'The National' reports on it.

I've been waiting forever and forever for this to happen, but finally ! A next-gen is currently being produced that has a post-apocalyptic Dubai as it's backdrop. G.K Flash : Abu Dhabi, Dubai's neighbour is the capital of the UAE and not Dubai. The game, Spec Ops: The Line, is a reboot of the popular "Special Ops" games of the budget PS1 era.

The storyline is set in post-apocalyptic, and thankfully there are no monsters here (unlike Left 4 Dead). Cataclysmic sandstorms have wrecked the playground of the rich and the opulence of the city is history. Sandstorms have buried the city altering the landscape for interesting combat situations. A US Army squad that had stayed behind to protect those incapable of self-defence runs into trouble themselves.As U.S. Army Captain Martin Walker, you and your elite Delta Force team are sent to infiltrate the treacherous region to bring Konrad home.

If you ask me, the best part of the game is the adversaries are terrorists. It's just so depressing to have to kill ugly monsters and zombies alone, that too in an apocalyptic setting. For gamers like me, what makes Left 4 Dead 2 so attractive despite being apprehensive of the zombie-shooter types is the comfort in numbers. You are surrounded by three of your friends throughout L4D2 who help you. Shooting zombies in Dubai would sound attractive, but killing terrorists is a much better option. 2K Games better avoid equating the terrorist groups with you-know-what. The adversaries in the game must be universally deplorable. You get what I'm hinting at.

The official announcement is a late 2010 release date. But it would have to face stiff competition from numerous other titles also releasing around that time such as Medal of Honor and Halo: Reach, as well as a likely 'Call of Duty' release.

Visit :

* IGN page of Spec Ops: The Line

Min.73 Saudi soldiers killed in Yemeni operation

2009-12-20T09:16:00.000+04:00

At least 73 Saudi soldiers have been killed, 470 wounded and 26 are missing since Yemen's rich neighbour entered the conflict in November when the Al Houthi rebels that were fighting the government since the Yemeni military launched Operation Scorched Earth on August 11 launched a cross-border raid that killed a Saudi border guard and occupied two villages on Saudi territory. The capable Saudi air force and military launched an assault that killed dozens and dozens of rebels over the next few weeks.

Despite having a superior army to that of the rebels, the Saudis did sustain single-digit casualties over the subsequent weeks that soon rose to a figure under 20. It's shocking that for such an equipped army the casualty figure has risen so high. The army's weapons and equipment definitely do inspire confidence, something observed by the Saudi Assistant Minister of Defence, Prince Khalid, who said he "was amazed by the troops’ tactical skills and management of the battle".

“We are not going to stop the bombing until the infiltrators retreat tens of kilometers inside their border,” Prince Khaled said on a visit to Saudi troops in southwestern Jizan province.

“As you stand fighting in the battlefield of honor sacrificing your lives to secure your homeland and its integrity, I am confident you are making a great victory,” he said addressing the troops.

I shared Prince Khalid's amazement too, but now I do in a different manner. As an American ally, American funds definitely went quite some way in modernizing the army, but almost two months after the invasion, which was mainly aerial, 70 martyred is a not-so-stellar figure. However, we should be glad that we at least got to know about the casualty figures on the non-rebel side."Dozens and dozens of rebels killed" isn't so comforting if an equal no. of soldiers are killed.

Unfortunately, much of the casualties on the Yemeni army side goes unreported and since their special forces are currently engaging in operations aimed at neutralizing the top leaders of the Houthis, we can only hope the KIAs are kept to a minimum. The dream of no K.I.As is a dream that will probably remain just a dream for the underarmed, under-equipped army that backs even basic armour for it's troops.

Source - France24

Stunning pictures of Afghan Army's battle with the Taliban

2009-12-05T09:15:00.000+04:00

Often, we get to see pics of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan during their tour of duty, chilling out at their bases and the kind. Time magazine recently presented a new photo essay featuring 14 shots of Afghan soldiers by Alvaro Ybarra Zavala. The essay takes an intriguing look at the conditions of the soldiers and their daily life. I watched a show on the Pentagon Channel where an American soldiers asks whether it's possible to have a game room and jacuzzi at their base in Afghanistan ! The senior replies with some footage of a wide indoor food court and other luxuries. The soldiers of Afghan National Army meanwhile rely on volleyball courts and radios for entertainment. Meanwhile, read an article about the Pakistani and Indian influence in Afghanistan.

* For more Photos, visit

On the Front Lines in the Battle against the Taliban

S.Korean man fined for racism against Indian

2009-11-28T09:14:00.000+04:00

On July 10,Bonogit Hussain, a 29-year-old Indian man, and Hahn Ji-seon, a female Korean friend, were riding a bus near Seoul when a man in the back began hurling racial and sexist slurs at them.The man yelled racist comments and called "Arab! Arab!" at the Indian man while on a bus in July. The 31-year-old South Korean, identified only as "Mr.Park" had supposedly only objected to Bonogit Hussain talking loudly on a bus.

Mr Hussain had been in South Korea since 2007 and had studied for a master's degree from Seoul's SungKongHoe University, later working as a research professor there. However, this was not his first brush with racism. In crowded subways, people tend not sit next to him. In June, he said, he fell asleep on a bus and when it reached the terminal, the driver woke him up by poking him in the thigh with his foot, an extremely offensive gesture in South Korea.

“Things got worse for me this time, because I was with a Korean woman.” “Whenever I’ve walked with Ms. Hahn or other Korean women, most of the time I felt hostilities, especially from middle-aged men.”- Bonogit Hussain

The craze for a homogenous society is profuse in Korea. As a country often invaded by it's larger neighbours in the past, people focus is on “pure-blood” nationalism as well as traditional patriarchal mores, said Seol Dong-hoon, a sociologist at Chonbuk National University. Korean women who were taken as sex slaves to China centuries ago were shunned as tainted when they returned to Korea. The more recent tragedy of women sold to American G.Is during the Korean War of the 1950's were despised more and their children were referred to derogatorily as twigi, a term once reserved for animal hybrids,

Source - BBC

* NY Times

Adam Lambert's queer,obscene antics draw

2009-11-24T09:18:00.000+04:00

Now I know I ain't alone in my views. Lambert, of American Idol fame made his first performance outside of Idol also his most controversial one (yet). First, the show was BDSM-themed with dancers in leather and fishnet. That ain't obscene, for more and more celebs are hinting at it in both their attires as well as during their performances though in a generally milder way.

The singer,who confirmed he was gay in an interview with the Rolling Stones magazine arrived on stage, dragging a female dancer across the stage. "Hip-thrusting" Lambert then proceeded to pull a male dancer's head into his gyrating crotch. He then had a female grab him and he in turn snapped the bikini area of another female's costume. After ending his obscene act with a look of defiance, he later tweeted

"All hail freedom of expression and artistic integrity. :) fans: I adore u. " - Adam Lambert

Lambert fought back saying that if people had been upset by his performance that it is a "form of discrimination and it's too bad". Just because Lambert isn't straight doesn't mean he has a license to vulgarity and all those who dislike him are homophobics. If stimulating sex on stage is his idea of "freedom of expression", then it's time LBGT groups begin condemning him. That would be a good way to promote tolerance. The Parents Television Council (PTC), a media pressure group which campaigns against "indecent" content on US television, posted a statement on its website calling the show "tasteless" and "vulgar". "They just can't believe the nature of the content, the explicit nature, and how much graphic content there was" said the President, Timothy Winter.

Already 1500 complaints have been lodged in the United States against the singer who told US network CNN that the kiss was "in the moment."

Source - BBC

Pakistan's secret war in South Waziristan...

2009-10-30T13:00:00.001+04:00

Since the Pakistani Army launched Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Urdu for "Path to Salvation") the military has made significant progress. Last week recaptured the strategic town of Kotkai, the birthplace of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud. The lawless, semi-autonomous South Waziristan region is a hotbed for Uzbek and foreign extremists and is a stronghold of the dreaded Tehrik-e-Taliban, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, an umbrella of about a dozen militant groups fighting the government. The last time an offensive was launched in SW in 2004, heavy casualties forced the troops to strike up a peace treaty.

The biggest discrepancy in this battle is the casualties. While it's pleasing to know that the Army has inflicted heavy losses on the rebels, what is infinitely more pressing is the casualties on the army side. Information from the conflict is unreliable as access is denied to foreign media and journalists. So this means the only source of information is the Pakistani army and the drastic figures they give definitely doesn't sound very credible.

On the third of the offensive, the security forces reported 9 soldiers killed and 78 enemy fighters on the enemy side. I am not a military expert, but something is very wrong here. Evidently, the Army isn't the only belligerent giving dubious figures. The Taliban, who claim not to have lost a single fighter, say they have killed many more Pakistani soldiers than the nine reported by the army.

What makes this even more frustrating is the lack of pictures and media emanating from the battlefield. We just don't know what's happening there. I watch Al Jazeera English, as they usually have more footage and better coverage on such issues than Western media. However, the ban applies to them too and this means they have to relay on local men to be their eyes and ears on the ground. The army says 264 militants and 33 soldiers have been killed so far. Let's just hope the later doesn't rise much.

Yahoo News - Q+A - Why is Pakistan attacking militants in Waziristan?

Facebook The Movie- but Justin Timberlake NOT playing Zuckerberg !

2009-10-15T09:11:00.001+05:00

A new movie based on the evolution of the social network Facebook is in the works, starring Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield produced by Scott Rudin, called "The Social Network". The famous online social network was set up in 2004 on-campus at Harvard by Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and now CEO. Jesse Eisenberg will play Mark Zuckerberg, while Timberlake takes the role of Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster and now the President of Facebook. Production work on the film will begin in October in Boston, before moving to Los Angeles.

It's disappointing Timberlake isn't playing Zuckerberg. Both of them have similar eyes, facial shape and you would even think they are brothers ! Sigh....

Source - MSN Arabia

The Getaway 3, Eight Days NOT abandoned !!

2009-10-10T13:33:00.007+05:00

For fans of the 'The Getaway' series, June 4th 2008 was a black day. After all, it was on that day the makers of the franchise, Sony, announced that the work on the sequel to the popular action game will "cease immediately."

The official Sony's statement,

"It has been agreed that production of both 8 Days and The Getaway will cease immediately due to the redistribution of resources and budget. This decision was made following an internal review of all games and it was deemed that with the incredibly strong list of exclusive first party titles coming up both this year and in the near future, resource should be reallocated to enhance those projects closer to completion."

Both games were originally announced in tech demo form at Sony's 2005 E3 press conference and footage, allegedly "game footage", was released including a highly suspicious trailer of the new game Eight Days. Since then, virtually no news about it came out with the ambiguously worded statement suggesting the hiatus was only temporary while contradictory statements implied Sony "will not resume production."

Online petitions were set up to garner support for the redevelopment of games with more than 2600 people signing it. For most fans like me, Youtube was the source for the discussion though very little info of credibility came out of it.

Finally however, Nicolas Doucet, producer and creative art director at Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio became the first official voice to confirm that the game hasn't been canned. In an interview mainly about 'Eyepet' (which were Sony's priorities and possibly the development for which the TG budget must have been allocated) reaffirmed that The Getaway 3 and Eight Days were "not abandoned, but put on hold".

GK: Before EyePet, the teams at Sony London were working on two projects that have since fallen by the wayside: Eight Days and The Getaway 3. Can you confirm that both of these have indeed been abandoned?

ND: I would not say they have been abandoned, just put to one side. Much work had been done. The studio just wanted to focus on its strengths, EyeToy and SingStar. Given the potential of EyePet, priorities have been changed, but the other projects aren't dead yet. Ultimately, the decision [to put those games to one side] has benefited everyone.
GK: How far through production were they?
ND: It depends. I think they were just over halfway through. They had a plan, everything was ready…
GK: How have you dealt internally with these strategic decisions from Sony?
ND: Many recruits to the EyePet team came from these projects, and contrary to popular belief, they are rather popular. First, because it was a much smaller team, they were able to integrate differently, but also with a different challenge.
Most importantly, The Getaway and Eight Days are still there. So, no, there haven't really been any regrets. This decision was welcome. And then everyone likes change, as is the culture of this community. There were no bad feelings.
GK: I guess you have another game currently under development…
ND: (Smiling) Yes.
GK: Is it linked to EyePet or is it unrelated to this franchise?
ND: No, it's a different concept, in addition to EyePet.
GK: So will you continue to be Sony's brand ambassador for social and casual gaming?
ND: While the whole studio won't, our group will, I think. There is a lot of interest around augmented reality. It surprised me to come to the Festival du Jeu Video (a gaming show held Paris in September) and see the number of magazines that want to do an article on this subject, as I thought it was too geeky. It is now very much part of the casual gaming space.

I bought The Getaway: Black Monday in 2006 and the riveting story,compelling characters and the realistic portrayal of the London landscape enthralled me. Ever since I learnt about the sequel in late 07, I had been saving up to buy a PS3 to play the sequel since the last two games were all released on Playstations. Even though I can't say I have accrued enough savings, I finally have something to look forward to buy in the coming year !

Transformers 3 confirmed to be in 2011

2009-10-06T22:59:00.003+05:00

The sequel to the Shia La Beouf and Megan Fox action series has been confirmed to be released in 2011, the date being 1 July 2011, just two days before the release of the first film. Transformers 2 has been hugely successful, grossing more than $100m more than it's predecessor ($832m). Fox and Bay obviously have some issues here, check out their exchanges !

Director Michael Bay announced a third "Transformers" movie will be hitting theaters on July 1, 2011 -- and not 2012 as originally thought -- on his web site on Thursday. And he also took the opportunity to further his war of words with his star, Megan Fox, by telling her to consult with a doctor before getting on board.

Fox originally drew Bay's ire while promoting this summer's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," when she said that "working with Michael Bay is not about an acting experience." Bay responded, "She says some very ridiculous things because she's 23 years old and she still has a lot of growing to do." Most recently, Fox compared Bay to "Napoleon" and said she and costar Shia LaBeouf "almost die when we make a 'Transformers' movie... He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do."

In this latest blog post, Bay writes, "Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture." He goes on to say, "Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you."

Source -Yahoo

Footage of Mexico Subway Shooting released

2009-09-21T10:33:00.003+05:00

Watch the Video

The shooting at the Balderas station in central Mexico City happened after police stopped Luis Felipe Hernandez Castillo, 38, from writing graffiti on the wall of one of the subway platforms.

Two people died in the shootout including a police officer. Five of the injured suffered gunshot wounds, and three others were hurt by the stampeding crowds, officials said.

Hernandez Castillo was writing "Este gobierno de criminales," or "this government of criminals," Mexico City district attorney Miguel Angel Mancera said. As police tried to stop him, Hernandez Castillo drew a .38 special handgun and began firing. Castillo as an agriculturalist from the state of Jalisco.

The Mexican government on Saturday posted security camera footage of the shooting. It shows a busy subway platform as the train pulls into the station just before 5:15 p.m. Friday. As the train comes to a stop, there is a disturbance in the crowd, and Hernandez Castillo is seen shooting at an officer. The crowd disperses, and the officer runs out of view of the camera. The officer, who was a bank policeman, is later seen on the footage lying dead, face down on the platform. The footage shows a man in a white shirt running off the train and trying to wrestle Hernandez Castillo. The man chases Hernandez Castillo around the platform. He frequently falls either because he slips or is trying to avoid being shot. The man is on the floor facing Hernandez Castillo, about to get up and try to grab him, when he is shot in the head and falls to the ground.

At 5:23 p.m., the camera shows first one, then two, then three plain-clothes police getting into position on the platform. Within moments they rush Hernandez Castillo and pull him out of the train, with nearly a dozen police officers then wrestling him to the ground.

Full report : CNN

Afghan special op leaves commando,interpreter dead

2009-09-15T09:11:00.001+05:00

At least 4 people including a British soldier and an Afghan journalist were killed during an operation to extract a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped while covering last week's controversial NATO airstrike on an oil-container in the Kunduz province. Stephen Farrell was freed on wednesday in the pre-dawn military raid in Afghanistan. "Several people" were killed in the operation that also resulted in the death of Farrell's interpreter, a British commando and a civilian.

"There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices," Farrell, a 46-year-old dual Irish-British citizen, told the paper. Farrell and Munadi ran outside during the firefight. At the end of a wall, Munadi went forward, shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" but dropped in a hail of bullets, Farrell said. He didn't know whether the shots came from allied or militant fire. Munadi's death (along with the commando) ruins any jubilance arising from the incident. Sultan was 34 and the father of two children, had worked regularly with The Times and other news organizations and was in the process of studying for a master’s degree in public policy in Germany. Back briefly in Afghanistan, he had returned to his role as a translator.

The success of any special operation depends not just on the achievement of the objective, but also to ensure minimal casualties on the SOF side. I'm not disparaging the audacious commandos.

Details are still somewhat scanty, especially about enemy casualties. When the fighting first broke out, several Taliban ran out of the room to confront the special forces. It's definitely safe to say a large no. of them must have been killed. On a slightly "casual" note, Farrell, who holds dual Irish-British citizenship looks (and dresses more Afghan) while Sultan Munadi looks more Western. As an NY Times reporter, their ordeal is described extensively and with more detail by NY Times, and page 2 especially offers extensive detail on how they were captured.

Ellen DeGeneres replaces Paula Abdul - PERMANENTLY

2009-09-10T13:00:00.001+05:00

Emmy-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was named Wednesday night as the replacement for Paula Abdul on "American Idol." DeGeneres will take her seat on the judges panel alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi (yay, she's back) when the top-rated show returns to Fox in January. Degeneres, who hosts a popular day-time talk show (and later came out on it) has had previous experience with Idol. She hosted the 2007 version of "Idol Gives Back," a fund-raiser for children's charities, and was signed on to do the 2008 edition before dropping out for scheduling reasons.

Abdul, meanwhile, has a busy time ahead. She''ll be hosting VH1's "Divas" concert and she's done two episodes of Lifetime's drama "Drop Dead Diva." She responded to the news last night by posting a note on Twitter with a link to a promo for VH1's "Divas," poking fun at being unemployed and that she got the hosting gig at an employment agency.

"I'm thrilled to be the new judge on 'American Idol'" DeGeneres said in a statement Wednesday night. "I've watched since the beginning, and I've always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I'll save from not having to text in my vote."

"Idol" executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said DeGeneres brings "an immense warmth and compassion that is almost palpable." DeGeneres, who is keeping her daytime gig, will also be able to promote the show on her talk show, which airs around the country."I'm going to have a day job and a night job," she told her audience. "The times we're living ... in we're all doing that."

It's great to see Fox executives sticking to their guns. One thing I had been fearing was the reinstatement of Abdul. It's not like I have got anything against her, but had it not been for the new changes in Idol (specifically the addition of an other judge,Kara DioGuardi) I wouldn't have watched Idol 2009. It was just too predictable. The spice in the show was out since 2006 and these changes would definitely rivet more attention and bring more viewers.

Source - NY Times

Madonna's killer biceps sexy? Hell no !

2009-09-05T15:58:00.000+05:00

The ever stout Miss In-shape Madonna has drawn attention again(no, not for baby-shopping in Senegal) but for her incredibly stringy muscles. Being an admirer of muscle-women (not the bursting out with muscles type), and her chubby arms in the '95 pic, I reminded myself : Hey this is Madonna. So expecting some thing like the Elissa Schlichter image,[not the attire:) ] I checked out her muscle bound arms. They are freaking scary ! And don't get started on the ugliness of it.

It's a fact that a lot of guys have a thing for girls who take care of themselves, whether it's keeping themselves in shape or working out at the gym. But if these muscles were intended to be sexy, it's far from it. With all the veins bursting out with little body fat, shelooks anorexic.

Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, after seeing the photos,"Her body fat is minimal, and she does a lot of strength training workouts that are going to build her muscles to look more visible." She says that Madonna's amount of body fat is obviously low.

"When muscles look that way, it's often the result of pretty restrictive eating and dehydration," Bonci says, pointing out that bodybuilders get the puffed vein look by restricting their fluid intake. Of course, she says, taken too far and a person could collapse.

Perhaps she should stick to her routine she had when she left this Kabbalah center. Muscle bound, no doubt, but without making people cringe. Madonna's muscle show has brought attention to Michelle Obama's muscles, reportedly to be 10 inch in size.

Old madge simply proves she is untamable even @ 50, but if she keeps up this up, it's gonna be the gym that's going to see the end of the Jump.

Also! Check out a photo gallery dedicated to Madonna and her muscles

*NY TIMES: Madonna's biceps

Victoria Beckham to replace Paula Abdul !

2009-08-07T12:17:00.009+05:00

... (for one episode at least)

Fans who have been hoping for a reconsideration of her decision to quit her 8 year long tenure as a judge on American Idol were devastated when Fox executives confirmed they were looking for a replacement. The chairman commented on replacing Abdul, of Syrian descent, [was] “not our choice, not what we wanted to happen” but the network is moving ahead with plans to temporarily fill her seat with guest judges. After months of speculation, Abdul finally posted a tweet on her official twitter feed with an air of finality that "with sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all [continued from the next tweet] I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent,but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.

Her decision must have something to do with Abdul's request for a pay raise during contract negotiations for the new season of Idol. Rumour has it that Paula was offered a mere 2-3m dollar per year while host Ryan Seacrest bagged a $45m deal for three years with Idol. Insiders say she asked for about $20m, but was offered a $10m multi-year contract, if these insiders are anything to go by.

Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry are being considered for being being judges for the show with Beckham already set to appear for one show at least, for a heft pay check of £155,000. Her spokesperson told Mail Online: Yes Victoria will be making a "one off" appearance as a guest judge.'

Paula was the "nice factor" in the three-judge formula that has made Idol so popular. Sitting between Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, she would often be at loggerheads with the blunt (and often rude) Cowell, fighting for the fans. Her "niceness" made her popular, something which Kara Diguardi, the 4th judge last year had so conspicuously tried to emulate. It's about time for change, as in the case of songwriter Diguardi who proved a new face is enough to stir up things and create new interest. For instance, while Diguardi was written off somewhat, for trying to be too nice, she didn't bother hiding her disapproval at Idol's "bikini girl" Katrina Darrell, who true to her name appears at Idol contests in her work attire.(oh, she is a swimsuit model, BTW) Labelled as her nasty stepsister, Kara finally had her say when she suddenly appeared during Darrell's performance and it ended with Diguardi revealing a black bikini.

I won't be winning hearts by saying this, but Idol would simply lose it's charm if it sticks on to the 3-judge formula forever. It'd surely be a nice change to have a new judge on board.

Visit : Paula's Official Twitter Feed

Luck - Bollywood Movie Review

2009-07-25T09:20:00.004+05:00

I'll confess, Luck isn't my first Bollywood movie (and neither will be it my last) but then, Hindi language movies often play here in the local theaters, with English subtitles. The dialogue is frequently peppered with English words and lines, including the word Luck. I simply love watching foreign films (especially if English subtitles are available) for they portray a part of the culture from their country of origin but what really enticed me to watch the film was partly due to the slick,promising trailer and mainly due to the presence of the pretty actress Shruthi Hassan in her debut role.

Luck begins with a rapper-style bling music video of Karim Moussa (Dutt) rolling in money with dancers providing eye-candy . We then get to know Ram Mehra (Imran Khan) , a man under abject financial problems as well as a sick mother requiring urgent medical aid. With his attempts to procure a US visa repeatedly denied, and a looming bank order, an ATM robbery seems to be the only way out. With the security on his tail, a mysterious stranger arrives with his car and rescues him. The stranger introduces himself as Tamang and tells him he is blessed with incredible luck, something which is proven when they try their hand at gambling that night. He is then informed he has been chosen for his luck along with other people who have luck and then and is "transported" to South Africa where they it is revealed that gangster Kareem Moussa (Sanjay Dutt) has taken gambling to an altogether new realm where millions of dollars are placed on the lives of the contestants as they battle it out fortheir lives. Needless to say, not everybody's luck is good enough to survive the 4 rounds.

Check out the trailer

The rounds which include jumping from a helicopter with defective parachutes among the them , having to find the right keys from a bunch for 300 as contestants chained to a cage are lowered into shark-infested waters are watched live by hundreds who have placed bets on the odds of survival. While the story is engaging at it's best (and preposterous at it's worst) , the film hold the majority of your attention for only the first half. While the movie does have it's moments, the comedy scenes and else (including the club scene in the first half) the action scenes are poorly choreographed. Much of the characters are undeveloped and the chemistry between Khan and Hassan is flimsy. Somehow, the purpose of having a multiultural list of participants (China,Africa, Britain, Australia) is lost when all non-Indians save a Pakistani girl fail to live

The dialogue of the film manages to include the film's title in every sentence in philosophical contexts and is extremely irritating. For instance, check this one out {Luck only favours those who play with their heart}. If any aspect of the film does not have heart, it's got to be the acting. Hassan, who's parents are acting legends in the Indian film industry, plays a highly stoical role. Hassan manages to avoid allegations of "excessive flaunting", a charge most Bollywood débutées are guilty of, as a poolside scene of her does not seem to be meretricious. The action scenes are somewhat disappointing, for most of the time, the editing is apparent : one exclusive shot of a huge dirty shark seaming through the water, and another of a Brit lady screaming without actually showing the two of them together. One exception is the opening train seuqence in blind-folded participants evade fast moving trains. The action culminates with the contestants now hunting each other on a moving train that is headed towards an oil tanker conveniently parked in the rail-tracks and Hassan is tied to the front of the train. Even here, there are several inconsistencies : a serial killer (Ravi Kissan) fires ceaselessly from an automatic gun at a running Mehra, yet none of the bullets manage to even scrape him. As is the norm with Bollywood movies, there is plenty of in-movie songs in there which are generally good (especially the opening music video) .

Over, and all, the film has several "moments", scenes worth watching and generally entertaining though that does not include all the action scenes. A slick, action thriller that pays more attention to action oriented scenes than to it's characters, it'd be wiser to watch Luck rather than the mediocre Harry Potter 6, unless of course, you are an HP fan.

*Story : 7/10
*Action :6/10
*E! Factor : 6.5 /10
*Overall :6.8/10

Why you should avoid Firefox 3.5 if you don't want a heart-attack

2009-07-08T09:11:00.005+05:00

Steer clear of upgrading your Firefox to Version 3.5 if you can. I had a heart attack by the time I came to the conclusion. On the face of it, 3.5 was just amazing. It fixed most of Firefox 3.0 's loathsome browser like frequent crashes, inability to surf websites like Youtube and crashing under particular conditions such as clicking the back button on Yahoo Answers or searching using the search bar.

Now to the downside, Firefox 3.5 has grave problems that seriously undermines confidence of consumers in open-source browsers such as Firefox. For starters, it gets choosy and doesn't remember all the saved passwords !

After upgrading to Firefox 3.0 in the beginning of the year, the experience was horrible. I was such a fan of Firefox that if there was a 'Firefox religion' you could me a priest,fanatic, whatever. You get the picture. The main attraction of firefox was it's speed, the ability to open multiple tabs and surf much more smoothly as compared to the sluggish Explorer. Firefox 3.0 was not only extremely slow, it also crashed on various websites including Youtube and TheFreeDictionary.

However, once I tried to logon to Gmail, horrors of horrors ! Firefox was unable to enter any of my Gmail passwords, but to my bewilderment, retained passwords of other sites. It turns out that if you upgrade from a pre-3.5 version, some mix-up occurs with the passwords list and only some of the passwords are successfully migrated to the new browser. However, if this has happened to you don't panic. You CAN RECOVER IT.

Bluntly put, you need to install a pre-3.5 version of Firefox. Then you can access all of your previous passwords. As simple as that.

New Features

Common Yemenis the ones losing out after foreign murders

2009-07-01T22:18:00.011+05:00

As the cash-strapped nation of Yemen fights off an insurgency that fights for autonomy in the South , an increasingly disturbing trend has emerged with foreigners now not only taken hostage, but also being killed. The result :$60 million in losses to one of the poorest countries of the world and a threat to the livelihood of about 90,000 people employed in the tourism sector.

Yemen, situated to the south of Saudi Arabia and the ancestral homeland of Osama Bin Ladin has in the past few years been severely affected by the flow of insurgents and unrest over the past few years. There is an ongoing revolt in the north, a secessionist movement in the South and growing al Qaeda militancy fueled only by the exodus of militants and immigrants from Somalia and elsewhere. Foreigners have been kidnapped in the past,often used as bargaining chips with the government , but rarely have they been killed. In June this year, a group of nine foreigners were abducted including seven Germans, a Briton and a Korean. Among them were three children. The bodies of 2 Germans and the Korean teacher were later found with bullet shots. The German women were students at a German bible school who were acquiring work experience at a hospital in Saada.

In January 2008, two Belgian tourists were killed in Yemen in an attack blamed on al Qaeda-linked militants. Yemen joined the U.S.-led war against terrorism following the September 11, 2002 attacks on U.S. cities but is still viewed in the West as a haven for Islamist militants.

Tourism plays a vital part in the economy of the poorest Arab country. In 2008, tourism brought in US$886 million in revenue. So far, no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the murder, but officials believe the attack has all the hallmarks of an Al-Qaida attack. Personally, I'm a staunch believer in the maxim 'the poorest countries need not bother themselves with developing ties and trade deals, they just need to invest in their tourism sector'. By targeting innocent foreigners who have done no harm to their country,it just reveals the vile nature of Al Qaida. I was surprised to see the large no. of tourists to Yemen despite these attacks and the tense situation in the country. By claiming to "liberate" the people from Yemen, they are only destroying the lives of their own people. About time the government provides some armed escort to the visitors.

Related Links

------------------

Official Website of The Tourism Board of Yemen

Terrorism's effect on the Tourism Industry

World's Tallest Virtual Tower

2009-06-25T14:15:00.000+05:00

Just stumbled upon this, a 2000+ m high 'virtual tower' with 406 residents and constructed out of top-quality pixels ! All floors seem to be added on request and each floor represents an establishment with it's website and email available next to it's 3D shot.

Unfortunately, Mr.Wong's Soup'Partments has stopped leasing on Nov 21,2003 just a year after it was launched (according to the website). You can,however, visit their apparel website. Check out his website for his latest projects.

Russian woman on trial for abusing 10 men

2009-06-20T09:10:00.000+05:00

UPDATE : Blogger Robert Bonnett's post about this has a partially-blurred image of Valeria K, supposedly got from life.ru

Valeria K, a 32-year old Russian from Tambov, Russia described as a good-looking woman is on trial for luring men to her residence, drugging them with clonidine and abusing them. At the moment, police have identified only 10 victims of the assault and suspect there might be more. But what is worse is what the victims had to say. Of course, they deserve sympathy, but listen to what one man had to say : "It was great," the Daily Telegraph quoted the unnamed man as saying. "I like hot women. I only wish she hadn't use the clonidine on me," he added. These are comments coming from a victim of a sexual assault ! . It's simply appalling. (sigh). Such comments are fodder for misandrists, who can once again claim upon the nature of 3 billion human species !

Russian woman nicknamed Black Widow drugged and raped 10 men

Fri, Jun 19 01:20 PM

Melbourne, Jun 19 (ANI): A young Russian woman, nicknamed the Black Widow for her collection of spiders, is on trial after being accused of sedating and raping 10 men.

According to Life.ru, Valeria K., 32, a quiet good-looking woman from the city of Tambov, shocked police when they discovered that she was the mysterious rapist who abused 10 local men after poisoning them with clonidine.

Valeria would get acquainted with the men and invite them to her place, where she would give them drinks mixed with the poison, causing them to fall asleep for almost 24 hours.

Once her victims were sedated, she would undress them and then rape them, tightening a rope on their male organs to keep them erect.

The men would wake up in the hospital with clonidine poisoning and penis trauma, and remember only a friendly brunette who had given them drinks.

When the police finally identified her, she was placed under arrest, but they presently know of only the ten victims, with one refusing to file a complaint against her.

"It was great," the Daily Telegraph quoted the unnamed man as saying.

"I like hot women. I only wish she hadn't use the clonidine on me," he added. (ANI)

Chechen leader Assassinated in Dubai ALIVE- brother

2009-04-18T14:54:00.017+05:00

Nearly two months after the apparent assassination of Sulim Yamadayev,his brother has come out with a shocking revelation : Sulim has survived the assassination attempt and is recuperating in a Dubai hospital . Sulim Yamadayev, a former Chechen military commander was supposedly assassinated on March 28th 2009 in the underground parking of a luxury apartment in Dubai. The Dubai Police arrested a few suspects within days and came to the conclusion that the President of Chechyna ordered the killing -something which he animatedly denied.

The Russian consul general in Dubai, Sergei Krasnogor, said: "Dubai police officials, including the police chief, have repeatedly confirmed to me that Sulim Yamadayev had been killed and buried at a local cemetery." Russian diplomats earlier acknowledged they had not been provided with documentary evidence of Sulim's death.

Some cities, especially the ones developing ones in the '2nd and 3rd' world countries (this case is an exception), non NTLM (N.Y , Tokyo,London,Moscow) often serve as a safe haven for high profile refugees and exiles who need to flee from their country of residence. Adolf Eichmann, for instance an ex-Nazi figure had taken a new identity, Ricardo Klement, and inconspicuously moved to Buenos Aires with his family before Israeli intelligence launched a covert operation to bag him. He was executed in Jerusalem for his war crimes.

Yamadayev previously had good relations with the Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov before their relations soured. Major General Dahi Khalfan Tamim of Dubai Police told Reuters that, “the case is clear and there is no confusion over what happened. An organized criminal group was behind the assassination.” Yamadayev was accompanied by two bodyguards when he was killed.

A year earlier, one of Sulim’s brothers, a former State Duma deputy Ruslan Yamadayev, was shot to death in Moscow. The Dubai Police said Yamadayev was fatally wounded by a single shot to the back of the head in the basement of his luxury apartment building. A few days after the alleged killing, one of his other brother however, had an altogether different version. According to that version, Sulim was able to shoot back at his attacker and survived the attack. There is no doubt on my mind that Sulim is indeed alive. Why else would his brother claim him to be alive ?.

Source - TheoTheRussia.org

Movie Review - 12 Rounds

2009-04-10T09:20:00.003+05:00

When I first walked into the theater with my family, the first thing on my mind was what I guess would have been on the mind of every Cena film bringing in his family : Pleassssee don't let this suck! Fortunately, this was the first time we were seeing a non-The Rock, WWE movie at the at the theater. First off, if you had seen Cena's last flick, The Marine in the theaters when it was released a couple of years back (sympathies,my friend), then here's the bottom line, this movie is light years away from the low-quality stuff WWE Studios usually produce.

While The Marine was a "made-for-the-fans" movie, destined to disappoint with one critic aptly describing the movie as "so dumb it might cause actual brain damage", 12 Rounds is easily the best WWE Studios-produced film yet, but also the one that's actually watchable (The Marine was pure torture).

The plot begins with cop Danny Fisher (Cena) , a cop in post-Katrina New Orleans, leaving his girlfriend Molly (and his dog) for regular night patrol just as an FBI operation to apprehend Miles Jackson (Aiden Gillen) goes awry. Needless to say, Miles escapes the numerous surveillance camera and agents and makes his getaway with his girlfriend in a car (with priceless diamonds) until Cena's patrol spots the car and stops it. A gun-fight ensues and a lot of running and bullets later, Fisher finally apprehends Miles. Miles's girlfriend,however, is struck down by a car and killed when she tries to make a run for it. A year later, Miles is back for revenge and kidnaps Molly and arranges "12 rounds of wits and strength " for Cena to get his girl back. If he doesn't do 'em all right, she dies.

Now that the "best WWE film ever produced" is over, it's time for the real low-down. There are scenes that could have been better and plot inconsistencies in the film that would be a delight for a WWE hater. For instance, when Miles escapes on car (in the initial part), Cena gives chase on foot ! Fat chance of him outrunning a speedy car ! Of course, we get to see him barging in through houses and seedy alleys of inner city New Orleans, but there should have been the proper camera positioning to show he was taking a shortcut.

Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) brings his immense talent here, doing a good job getting Cena to be less of an android. There are definitely more emotions on his face, and yeah he actually smiles in 12 Rounds . However, most of the time the only expression on his face is a frown or that of exasperation. There are a few cliches too, but the movie delivers heavily on one aspect : Entertainment. The action is engrossing, generally intense and entertaining. I wish I didn't keep repeating that, but I just can't help it, considering how people would think 12 Rounds offers action scenes akin to the quality of The Marine (which is to say, non-existent). There is one elevator scene where Cena and an obese hotel employee are trapped in an elevator with a one-minue bomb ! That's was just too adrenaline-pumping for words.

Verdict : Overall, 12 Rounds proves that good direction from an experienced director and properly executed action scenes provide good entertainment value, albeit several missed opportunities.

Score : 7.5/10

Note : The official website of 12 Rounds now redirects to it's WWE.com page. It's still a plethora of content,pics,videos etc, so don't give it a miss.

April Fools Candidates

2009-04-01T22:57:00.005+05:00

I think it was National Geographic, who ran such an article on their website last year. Frankly speaking, this article is not as shocking as the one I read last year, but No 6,7, and 8 makes up for it !

10 stories that could be April Fools... but aren't

It's the day when some news stories are a little bit "out there", when jokers spring traps to make fools of the rest of us. But not every weird report is an April Fool. Here is a round-up of some of the day's seemingly hoax news stories which are actually true.

1. PE in schools is embracing yoga, martial arts and cheerleading because pupils don't like being outside in the rain. Some schools are also putting on Krypton Factor-style problem solving for pupils more interested in maths than sports, according to a report by Ofsted.

2. Porsche has announced a four-fold rise in profits, recession or no recession. The German car maker bucked the bad news coming out of the industry through its lucrative stake in Volkswagen, and despite selling 27% fewer cars.

3. Pubs are telling expectant mothers when they've had enough to drink. A pregnant woman was thrown out of a pub for ordering an alcoholic drink. Caroline Williams, on a night out in Hove, had drunk one pint of beer but was refused another half-pint. The brewery has apologised and is investigating.

4. Glamour model Jordan will run the London Marathon. She hopes to raise £250,000 for charities NSPCC and Vision.

5. Alan Shearer is manager of Newcastle United. Despite repeatedly being linked with the post in the past and resisting the temptation to leave the BBC's Match of the Day comfy sofa, the Toon footballing hero finally returns. But if Kevin Keegan was touted as the new Messiah, it's not clear what further superlatives can be used to describe the coming of the city's prodigal son.

6. The lottery tells jackpot winners by e-mail. Lottery winner Graham Forrest found out he had won £2.7m when he opened an e-mail sent to him at work. When the message from the National Lottery said it had some "exciting news" for him, Mr Forrest from Cumbria thought he had won £10. He rang his wife but at first she refused to believe him.

7. A man has won £400,000 in compensation after cutting his finger. Police mechanic Alexander Darg was checking an air bag fault in a police car when he accidentally slid his hand across a knife that had been left behind. He told the court he had been terrified of contracting the HIV virus.

8. Miss Universe says Guantanamo Bay is a "relaxing place, so calm and beautiful", after a five-day trip there. Dayana Mendoza, a model from Venezuela, visited the US base in Cuba as a morale-booster for troops and blogged about the experience.

9. A "magic torch" detects drug use. The torch, costing only £40, works when it is shone in the face of night clubbers. It uses UV light to detect the tiniest traces of cocaine or amphetamine on nasal hair and police in Blackburn are using it to stop drug users from entering clubs.

10. The White House is comparing the UK to Oregon. A briefing booklet accompanying Barack Obama on his European tour equates each country to a US state - Germany to Montana, the Czech Republic to Virginia and so on.

Torrent of Lawsuit falls upon Pirate Bay

2009-03-20T18:50:00.005+04:00

When Robin Hood is arrested, the poor sure ain't gonna be quiet ! . After the owner of one of the most popular file-sharing website (and a few others) The Pirate Bay were put on trial for copyright infringement, the Swedish website have won the support of a political party Red, who have launched a campaign, urging users of torrent-sharing websites to upload pictures of themselves in support for the Pirate Bay.

Although file-sharing is pretty much as simple as it sounds (upload your files and let others download and "share" them) , the name has become synonymous with copyright infringement and a haven for downloading DVD quality movies online. Given the ease with which one can upload documents and the virtually no content checks, torrent sharing websites have often be subjected to lawsuits in the past.

Red Politician Elin Volder Rutle is the initiator of the campaign and she states to the media that "If the guys behind Pirate Bay are criminals, then so am I, and so are most other Norwegians".

So show your support and join the other (at last count) 3165 "criminals" if you download torrents !

Under-equipped Pakistani police guarding Sri-Lankan team killed

2009-03-06T13:00:00.000+04:00

On March 3, 2009, history seemed to repeat itself when unknown armed terrorists nearly hijacked a bus carrying a bus full of Sri Lankan cricketers, the first such attack on a national spoirts team since the 1972 Munich crisis where all 11 Israelis were killed.

While surprisingly none of the cricketers were killed (and only sustained minor-medium) injuries, what's most astounding is the casualties on the police side. Six of the elite forces guarding the tour were killed. As you can see in the video below aired by CNN, some of the officers were not armed !

First of, it's understandable when the earliest responding officers to an incident have lesser firepower, like the Mumbai attacks when many of the police constables at various sites only had handguns, against AKs and automatic weapons. It's not possible for every police officer to be armed with an assault rifle. But ballistic vests and automatic firearms are always supplied when escorting V.I.Ps. And it's superfluous to say that escort missions such as the one of the police team in Lahore nessicates the need for automatic weapons. When the Indian team pulled out of Lahore after the Mumbai Attacks, now known as 26/11, to entice the Sri-Lankan team to tour Pakistan, they were reportedly offered "presidential-style security." And what kind presidential security is that when the officers don't even have guns ?

The large interiors of the bus meant the cricketers could take cover by going prone.

The under-equipped police force retaliated with the little firepower they had (with fatal results) while the bus carrying the cricketers zoomed onto to the safety of the nearby Gaddafi Stadium. Not only did the militants accoutered with RPGs and AK-74s managed to make a clean and casual escape, not even one of them was killed. My views were reflected in the comments of General Musharaf, who questioned the training of the elite force and said "they should have killed the terrorists in less than 3 seconds."

The Sri-Lankan cricketers were really lucky though, to have made it out alive. The large bus provided adequate cover for them and a certain level of their luck was due to support from "up" was as even though a grenade was thrown under the bus, it failed to explode until the bus had driven over it.

Picture gallery

6 year old's huge wrapped Present

2009-02-01T15:32:00.003+04:00

1.2.2009

Gabriel Hurley had a huge present waiting for him. Guess what was inside ?

Boy's wrapped birthday gift from Iraq

DAYTON, Nev. – Gabriel Hurles' sixth birthday party wasn't a surprise, but his present sure was. The kindergartner was so engrossed in the cupcakes his mother brought to his class on Wednesday that he didn't notice the enormous wrapped box off to the side.

"That's one big, giant present," a 6-year-old classmate told him. "See what you got, Gabriel."

Gabriel peeled back the wrapping paper to find the surprise of his young life — his father, an Army mechanic back in Nevada on leave from his second tour in Iraq.

"It's my dad!" he announced to his classmates at Sutro Elementary School in Dayton, a few miles northeast of Carson City. "Hi, Daddy."

Army Spc. Casey Hurles, 23, hadn't seen his son since he left in June. When he learned his leave would coincide with his son's birthday, he hatched a plan to hide out in the 4-foot-tall box.

"It was such a rush of emotion," said Hurles, who said he got butterflies in his stomach while waiting in the box.

After Hurles sat down and ate a cupcake with the birthday boy, teacher Dawn VanSickle presented him with a banner from the class that read, "Welcome Home. Thank you for your service."

VanSickle said she was happy to arrange the reunion in her classroom.

"One of the first things (Gabriel) shared about himself was that his dad was in Iraq and that he was waiting for his dad to come home," she said. "He talks about his dad all the time."

Hurles, who joined the Army four years ago, is a mechanic in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He completed one tour in Iraq and is seven months into his second tour. He expects to finish sometime this summer.

Gabriel said he looks forward to playing with his dad over the next two weeks but understands why he has to leave again.

"He has to work," Gabriel said. "He works in the war."

Pope Benedict XVI's Special Forces Unit

2009-01-29T14:44:00.007+04:00

It's of course, great to know that the Pope security is ramped up now, but why so late ?. Pope Benedict was installed as to succeed the late John Paul II and that was in 2005 ! . So does that really mean he had no armed protection in the Vatican City for two years ?!. Vatican guards traditionally have had halberds as their weapons.

Pope Benedict XVI sets up anti-terrorist squad

By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 12:21PM BST 12 Jun 2008

The Vatican has created an anti-terrorist unit in order to guard the Holy See and the pope from a possible attack.

Vatican security forces now include an anti-bomb squad and a rapid response team, according to Domenico Giani, the head of the Holy See's 130-man gendarmerie.

The Vatican will also work more closely with Interpol to gather information on any threats, he said.

The deal with Europol, the pan-European police agency, will give the Vatican access to a large data bank of suspects and information on the latest anti-terrorism techniques.

"The teams report directly to the head of the Gendarmerie," said Mr Giani in an interview with L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper.

"The rapid response team will carry out investigations across the spread of information channels and will be supported by a sophisticated technical team. It will be able to intervene immediately in case of danger," said Mr Gianni.

"The second group is made up of highly-specialised experts, armed with sophisticated and innovative technology," he added.

He said the two teams would not be confined to the Vatican, but would also travel with the pope.

The Swiss Guards have also been given anti-terrorism training, and now carry SIG P75 pistols and Heckler-Koch MP5 sub-machine guns, as well as their traditional halberds.

Earlier this year, Osama bin Laden repeated threats against Pope Benedict, who he accused of "leading a crusade against Islam".

The pope has been the subject of a series of attacks since 2006, when he used a quotation in a speech at Regensburg University that said Islam was an "evil and inhuman" religion.

Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded in St Peter's Square in 1983 by a Turkish gunman, Mehmet Ali Agca.

Source : Pope Benedict XVI sets up anti-terrorist squad - Telegraph

KFC Delivery

2009-01-24T15:00:00.012+04:00

26.1.2009

T : And sir, would you like to try our new Twister Supreme ?

Rear : Some other time, thanks.

T : Your meal will be delivered at your residence in 40-50 minutes, if you have anything to ask please call back.

Rear : Right, thanks.

T : Ok ? Bye Bye sir.

Rear : Bye.

(Silence )

Rear waits for 15 seconds before hanging up.

That was an eye-opener for me. Almost always, I'd always be the one waiting for the line to go dead before hanging up. Always the one to take the sh*k*t , you could say ! . KFC Customer Staff were always impressive, nice and friendly. Professional Ethics , you know, is hard to find !

Rear Guy

The Green Bikini

2008-12-16T22:38:00.007+04:00

G for Green

With pretty much everything from green laptops to green cars, and not colour-wise, here's the latest trend for the green warrior, the Green Bikini ! .Strangely though, the colour of none of them are green.

G Word Video: Green Bikinis

Mon Aug 18 14:34:00 EDT 2008

There was a time where nothing was fashionable about "green fashions." SuChin and Daniel get help from several assistants to show that this is no longer the case when they host a sustainable green bikini contest.

SuChin points out that bikinis are typically made from nylon and lycra, fabrics that are not biodegradable.
Green bikinis are made from organic, sustainably-grown, cotton, soy, and bamboo-based fabrics. Though the materials sound harsh, SuChin explains the process by which they can be transformed into functional and stylish fabrics. Meanwhile, Daniel demonstrates his mastery of some new fashion vocabulary.

Can Daniel identify the earth-friendly bikini? Does a green bathing suit sacrifice fun and style for responsibility? Find out in this exclusive online G Word clip.

2009-2011 The Sequel Years

2008-12-05T22:39:00.030+04:00

The late 2000s and early 2010s, namely 2009-2011 will be chiefly remembered as the Year Of The Sequels. Beginning from 2008, I've been seeing a torrent of sequels coming up and most of them will be released in 2010. Remember back in May '07 when Spiderman 3 was hyped to be the last movie in the series, effectively ending it as triology ? . Although I did beleive that ,I knew with the hollywood producers around, no way they are going to sit around when they can make a profit !

1. RED SONJA

Red Sonja ,the she-devil with a sword had her first outing on the big screen back in 1985,with Brigite Nelson playing the title role and Arnold Schwarzenneger as Conan the Barbarian. Unfortunately it performed poorly at the box office. Now in the new Red Sonja ,starring Rose McGowan was announced at the Comic Con '08 !

Scheduled Date : Late 2009/2010

2. Spiderman 4

Spidey's back for Part Four !

3. Prince Of Persia

Prince Of Perisa always had an amazing storyline in all of their games. The next game is scheduled to be out next year, but then POP is also making it's debut in the movie genre with Jake GyllenHaal as the Prince.

4. Sin City 2

I have'nt seen the first one yet, but reckon it's cool.

Coming Of Age : Careers

2008-09-28T22:54:00.002+05:00

Coming of age.That's one of the best and worst thing that could ever happen to a teenager.Let's start out on the positive side.There's plenty of things wished to do (and I have done a hell lot of it
, too heh heh...) first of course , is : Hey , I am a teenager !Now I can get into the theaters and watch those PG 15 movies , (in privacy without dad&mom cowering your eyes ! )

More importantly than movies , were those violent , language-filled PS2 games.I remember this one clearly ,circa 2002 when the whole family was out @ the Hyatt (the old Deira one) , near the ice rink when I noticed that WWE game on the shelves of a shop.Everything was in order and we were happily proceeding towards the counter when the 15+ Age rating caught my mom's eye.You know what happened next.

Then of course , you can't say this phenomenon has been , atleast the :"ur too young ! " thing is gone.You can hang out the movies and all that when ur a teen.

But yeah , as Churchill once said (and also Peter Parker's uncle Ben's fav quote) , With Great Power , must come great responsiblity.Now as I just a year back from chosing my career in the form of the tough science or low com(merce) , I am really lost.

People ask me what do you wanna be and I gie this irritating answer : I am aimless.

Rear Guy

Titanic II : Sequel ?!

2008-07-24T13:10:00.002+05:00

OK , you guys must be sweating to read the rest of this (atleast the gals !) so I'll just drop in the bottom line , THERE IS NO SEQUEL.While it's not my intention to fool people , the thing is an almost-authentic trailer of Titanic II is currently doing it's rounds online.In the supposed sequel , a group of scientists find Jack frozen in a slab of ice and de-freeze him and he's back !.However . not his world though, and his honeypunch Rose , died 9 years ago !.

The video is in youtube and the supposed director is Dereck Johnson which also happen to be the name of the host account.Also ,some of the footage they show as the military reaction to Jack's escape with John Cusack(he's the guy on the cover pic of the video) is stolen from Con Air , one of my fav movies.Titanic is the highest grossing movie of all time with about 1.8 Billion US Dollars at the box office.

The Irony is , this faux video , has got 7.724102 m Views !!

Roaring Siren ...

2008-01-15T18:24:00.000+04:00

Roaring Siren .... welcome to my world. Perhaps it should be to my blog. Either way.Enjoy around my blog and grace me with your comments.See ya around.

Ra