The Life of The Mind

Belgium's fake revolution

2006-12-15T07:08:00.000-06:00

lol! reminds me of the time when ppl in US once thought the War of the Worlds novel was real (it was being enacted on Radio) and had started fleeing the country! Here's the whole story:

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Suddenly and shockingly, Belgium came to an end. State television broke into regular programming late Wednesday with an urgent bulletin: The Dutch-speaking half of the country had declared independence and the king and queen had fled. Grainy pictures from the military airport showed dark silhouettes of a royal entourage boarding a plane.
Only after a half hour did the station flash the message: "This is fiction."

It was too late. Many Belgians had already fallen for the hoax.

Frantic viewers flooded the call center of the RTBF broadcaster that aired the stunt. Embassies called Belgian authorities to find out what was going on, while foreign journalists scrambled to get confirmation.

"Ambassadors who were worried asked what they had to tell their capitals," said Senate Chair Anne-Marie Lizin. "This fiction was seen as a reality and it created a catastrophic image of the country."

RTBF defended the program, saying it showed the importance of debate on the future of Belgium. But the network won few friends.

Even the Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister from neighboring Luxembourg, was angry and let it be know at the opening of the summit. "This is not the kind of issue you play around with," he said.

The RTBF's phony newscast reported that the "Flemish parliament has unilaterally declared the independence of Flanders" and that King Albert and Queen Paola had left on the first air force plane available.

The broadcast showed jubilant demonstrators waving the yellow-and-black flag with the Flemish Lion outside the legislature. A small crowd of monarchists rallied outside the royal palace waving the Belgian flag.

Reporting that the royal family fled did not go down well at the palace, which said in a statement the hoax was in "bad taste."

"It is totally unacceptable," said Vice Premier Didier Reynders.

The linguistic demons pitting Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north against French-speaking Wallonia in the south have been mostly quiet for the past two decades, ever since far-reaching autonomy was granted in the 1980s.

Yet the economic disparity between wealthy Flanders and struggling Wallonia has recently intensified the political debate. The North is demanding more autonomy while the South clings to a unity that better spreads the economic spoils. The royal family is often portrayed as the glue that holds the nation together.

Independence is not an aim of any of the major parties in power, whatever their linguistic preference. It explains why the program was so widely condemned on Thursday.

"It is abhorrent. It defies belief. It is a caricature of Flanders," said Yves Leterme, the Minister-President of the Flemish region.

His counterpart from Wallonia, Elio di Rupo, was just as negative. "Never in my long political life have I seen such worry. Anguish came from around the world," he said.

About the only people who enjoyed the program were the separatist far-right Flemish Interest party. It wants to get rid of the king and thought it could see a flash of its future in an independent Flanders.

"I want to congratulate the RTBF for this daring show," said Flemish Interest leader Filip Dewinter.

Lost in Lost

2006-10-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

So no midterms or tests this week (phew!) except of course the weekly CS assgnment which is due Thursday. And that gave me a great excuse to get hooked on to Lost (whose new season started at the begining of this month). Believe me guys - its bloody (literally) awesome! Kinda gets wierd from the third season on, but hey! I'm not complaining!

Credits go to (a.k.a. Blame) Rahul, Subhash and Andrew for introducing me to it ;)

Dandiya Night!!

2006-10-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

So much for my "I'll miss Navaratri this year" thoughts ;) Saturday was an insane day with over 500 UT Students - Indian and non-Indian had gathered in an open ground to celebrate Navaratri. Hosted by the Hindu Student Council, there was Garba, Dandiya and Bhangra (dunno why they kept Bhangra but it was fun) and the dandiya sticks were available for rent against our UT ID ;)
On a more personal note, it was the first time I was actually playing Dandiya with non-Indians (I'm Gujju so go for Dandiya every year... ummm almost every - missed it last year cz prelims preparations). In fact a girl - Cathy - whom I befriended while studying together in the Joynes Study room - had come dressed in a traditional Sari that would put many Indian girls there to shame!
And btw there was an aarti too follwed with a gujju sloque...

P.S.: You can check out all photos on Girijaa Ramlakhan's facebook album. Adios folks....Gotto study... 3 midterms this week!

Who are we to draw the line?

2006-09-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

2006-09-26T09:01:00.000-05:00

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed. "Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

- Nivedhita R., ISM (Class of 2006)

Weekend Chit-Chats

2006-09-18T00:19:00.000-05:00

So I talked to two ISMites in US today and a dozen texans. Too many calls for a day but I am not surprised - Most companies in US give weekends and nights (9-5) talktime free!

All surprised folks from India and the gulf must be thinking "this is so convinient" but lo & behold! their monthly rental charges compensate for such crazy offers.

So getting on to the people whom I talked to ( both of whom have co-incidently created a lot of hype in previous articles of this blog ) were Rishi Dhar (Univ of Wisconsin, Madison) and Priscy Pais (Bryn Mawr Univ, Penn). While Rishi seems to be "chilling out" and "making the most of his time", Priscy seems to be extra-ordinally sunk into her college life and will be starting a part-time job from tomorrow which happens to be mandatory for all her college's freshmen (@Priscy - are you "dead" sure you aren't into a military academy?).

Well so back to class from tomorrow where all prof will start with "Hope you had a good weekend everyone. Time to open your books now".... (shall I sigh or say "yea... whatever"?).

P.S: Therez good nes and Bad news... I'll go with the good news first ;)
Good News: I got onto the Natural Sciences Council.
Bad News: I did not get into The Daily Texan.

And just not to end this post with the "Bad News", here's wishing all u guys a great week!

Got my notebook - finally!!

2006-09-17T01:02:00.000-05:00

A 14.1" Dell Inspiron 1405!

Won't bore u much with the tech specs that happen to b 2 GHz, 120 GB, 1 GB RAM, and other wow wows!! and that too for a great bargain!

I had initally ordered an E1505 which was 15.4" but after a few days changed it to E1405 since a smaller laptop=better portability. So right now I am checking out some anti-virus softwares (my university gives such stuff for free) and installing my webcam drivers and stuff.... setting it up in short.

And this brings me to another prospect of whether I should type my notes in class or write them.... hmmm.... and I have figured out that I will give my lappie's batteries a break and go on with the traditional hand-written-notes system..... (what if I start playing games in the class?! aha! The decision was based to avoid such stuff ;))

K ppl its 1 am in the night here and I posted this while waiting for my co-author (who never showed up incidently).... gotto sleep now.... good night!

The Stock Market's Philosophy

2006-09-12T17:35:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, in a village a man appeared who announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for Rs. 10. The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys went out in the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at 10 and as supply started to diminish and villagers started to stop their effort he announced that now he would buy at 20 rupees. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching moneys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and
people started going back to their farms.

The offer rate increased to 25 and the supply of monkeys became so that
it
was an effort to even see a monkey let alone catch it.

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at 50! However,since he
had
to go to the city on some business his assistant would now buy on behalf

of
the man.

In the absence of the man,the assistant told the villagers. Look at all
these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell
them
to you at 35 and when the man comes back you can sell it to him for 50.

The villager squeued up with all their saving to buy the monkeys.

Then they never saw the man nor his assistant, only monkeys everywhere!

First Glimpses

2006-08-26T15:21:00.000-05:00

Reached Austin and running around all day filling forms, registering, attending advisings and orientations, shopping and checking out the city. But have managed to upload a few photos in my yahoo album so here's the link: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/uren1989/album?.dir=7cacre2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

Back!!

2006-08-18T04:30:00.000-05:00

Just a post to let you guys know that I have started posting again :) and will be posting stuff from Austin (after reaching there!). The counter above was set for August 15th but I will be now leaving on 20th that is this Sunday. Wishing All the readers all the very best for their chosen paths (hey! I'm will be posting again don't worry ;)) Thanks for being such rocking readers!! Tada and PM (that's mine & naz's abb for Phir Milenge)!

Blog Suspended

2006-07-20T14:33:00.000-05:00

Hey all!

Because of the extremely high pressure of the book I am currently co-authoring, and due to the to-be commencement of my college (and my journey to the States), LOTM will be hereby suspended indefinitely.

Therefore, you are requested to enter your e-mail address in the subscription form on the left pane so that you will be notified of any new posts that will be put up immediately.

To leave me a message, please use the shoutbox.

Thanking you for your co-operation,

Uren Dhanani
Web-Master, The Life of The Mind.

P.S.: Since I do not think I will be able to post the "Best of July" awards, I'll give special recognition to the articles contributed by Misha Salim and Hardik Ruparel about Mumbai Life to LOTM, here itself. Thanks Guys!

Voice over the Lebanon War - An Interview with Akshay Peshwe

2006-07-19T06:19:00.000-05:00

Uren: Check out http://mparent7777.livejournal.com/10499389.html
Akshay: yeah, well
Uren: wat do u think?
is it true or is it a conspiracy?
Akshay: well I certainly think the US is involved in all that's happening in the Mideast right now
Uren: exactly
Akshay: for example the Israel-Lebanon war
Uren: but do u think the article is right?
Akshay: and Iraq
Uren: its now lebanon
Akshay: my honest opinion is that these jackass politicians should just grow up
Uren: mymy
temme 1 thing
wat are ur apinions abt the bus h govt at present?
Akshay: lol, I don't know why you would ask me this, but still...
Bush is an idiot
he doesn't know what he's doing
or he's just plotting world domination
Uren: is ur blog still going on or hav u dropped it?
Akshay: but every sensible person knows that is simply not possible
I've dropped it
Uren: ok
Akshay: due to "severe lack of attention"
hah
and Bush alongwith the EU are just a bunch of crazy guys who still have that European Colonial Rule concept deep in their minds
but that's just one side of the coin
Uren: oh boy u should write all this in an article
Akshay: India as well as any other Asian country is also equally involved in such activities
Uren: u're views are the "right" light
do u realize tht
Akshay: I bet the Indian government knew of the Mumbai blasts before they happened
Uren: WHAT?
how can they knw that?
Akshay: (and this was the same case with 9/11, and what's more, Bush and father had family ties with the Saudis and George Bush II actually owned an oil company in Texas that traded with the Saudis)
and that's all covered in Fahrenheit 9/11
Uren: my God
Akshay: The Indian government can know that by one simple technique which dumb people like Osama have been using
Uren: but what abt the indian thing u just told me?
huh?
Akshay: like telling the government that something bad is going to happen
and not specifying where it will
Uren: i c
Akshay: and so the government is like "bleh, we can't afford to care about your claims"
Uren: so u suspect terrorists and not religious hate to b root if these blasts?
Akshay: and the worst part is that it's all underground
absolutely
what's more, it could be Hindus doing this to themselves
Uren: how?
how can u justify that?
Akshay: political science is one hell of a subject that I just don't know how anybody can manage
Uren: well i agree bush is a jerk
but manmohan is a good man
Akshay: well, some Hindus don't really care about what happens (to anyone, not just Hindus)... and so the Talibans or Qaedians hire these guys to go do their "missions of God"
Uren: i mean its not his fault he cud not predict tht the mumbai blasts will occur
Akshay: Manmohan is brilliant but Sonia wouldn't let him have much control
Uren: oho tht taleban thing is baaaaaaaaaad
Akshay: and come on, it's common sense, we've seen it happen in 1993, 2001 (Delhi) and then the blasts in Delhi again (2004?)
in the past two cases, they've been using a series of attacks
Uren: sheesh
Akshay: and then, if it can happen in a high-tech place like the London Tube, why not poorass Indian Railways (which is really screwed up)
and then we do know that Pakistan is always trying to screw us up
it's so direct and staring right into your face that it's hard for the Indian government to ignore this
Uren: i knw true
Akshay: I mean, come on, if a 15-year-old somewhere can think of it, why not Manmohan?
Uren: i agree with your views but even if manmohan did know of it, what can he do?
Akshay: and guess what, we're spending like millions of dollars on protecting places like Siachen up there near the Chinese border
Uren: Remember US is supporting Pakistan?
Akshay: he can do lots, believe me
Uren: like?
Akshay: only if he can act confidently
and forget the political pressures
for example,
Uren: You mean he isnt confident enough? In what sense?
Akshay: presently, the central government is an alliance of parties
Uren: Sonia being the Queen Bee
Akshay: so the other party guys come up to him saying, "alright look here, if you're not going to listen to us, we're going home"
and so Sonia's pretty afraid of losing control
Uren: well then if they go home, he tumbles from his chair
so i get back to my question - What can he do?
Akshay: we should just start an emergency, screw up these bad guys, throw them away somewhere or just torture them to death, and then revert back to normal governance and watch India grow
Uren: Syria is assumed US' next target after Lebanon, any comments?
Akshay: and it's not so complex
because I think he's pretty experienced enough to know how to handle these guys
Uren: what about Iran? How do u reckon US will dearm it?
Is Lebanon a stepping stone to get to its ultimate target - Iran?
Akshay: eh, well, I don't know the specifics of American-ME politics, but I can say that the US definitely has plans in the "greater scheme of things"
Uren: you been far-looking plans
Akshay: I think the US can safely assure it's people with one simple message:
"wait till their oil gets over, then we go attack!"
yep, long-term visionary plans
and they've always had them
Uren: Don't you think the US citizens will have a another revolution to overthrow their scheming Govt themselves?
Akshay: they've always had their intelligence (CIA, FBI, Interpol) be ahead in terms of technology and have a complete spy-network all over the world
Uren: Remember 50% of ppl voted for Bush - the rest had voted for Kerry
Akshay: the US citizens, at least as far as my correspondence with some is concerned, they're not pretty concerned about what Bush is going to do because they are getting their square meal at McDonald's
hence, they're mostly like, "why bother?"
Uren: exactly
so the ppl the govt is trying to protect doesnt give a damn
Akshay: but they don't know what it's like to be in a train where you know you can be shot dead or just burnt alive
Uren: dont*
exactly - when do u reckon they will know this
Akshay: and the US has all this high-tech stuff, of course they do, they invented it
Uren: ?
Akshay: so I don't think they need to be running scared
Uren: I see
Akshay: though 9/11 can prove an exception
who'll know what?
Uren: any suggestions how this global chaos can be curbed?
Akshay: I just think that people need to grow up and think realistically about what is happening
and then, not just think about it, act on it!
Uren: and what about stopping Bush?
Akshay: for example, write books or essays that encourage such ideas
the media is an amazing outlet for enraging voices (like myself)
Heh, Bush? well, he's going out after 2 years, so what's the deal?
Uren: I c
Akshay: all the US has to make sure is that the next president is a serious opponent of Bush
Uren: but what about the next Govt that will come into power?
Akshay: or he'll just become a slave under Bush
i.e. if Kerry is the next president, people should make sure he won't listen to Bush ever
Uren: which people?
Akshay: or then it will just be a kind of dictatorship
Uren: as we have both agreed, the US citizens are not much bothered
Akshay: the Americans
Uren: as long as they get their food
Akshay: yea
Akshay: yeah
now note that these are only my opinions
Uren: noted
Akshay: and I'm no political guru
Uren: in fact you can consider me the media to spread out your voice
thank you for your time

Who is Going Where...

2006-07-19T05:32:00.000-05:00

Apart from the DASA folks who were mentioned earlier, here are few more:

Rohan Namjoshi : Georgia Tech, Georgia

Priscy Pais: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Ryan Dantis: Embry Riddle, Florida

Rishi Dhar: Univ of Wisconsin, Madison

Rishi Kanabar: BITS, Muscat

Nilay Archarya: BITS, Muscat

Naziya Sogi: Ramaiya College, Bangalore

Aniket Sharma: PSET, Mangalore

Teesha Khanna: PSET, Mangalore

Shantanu Dutta: New York Univ, NY

Gloria George: Christ College, Kerala

Misha Salim: UDCT, Mumbai

Saurabh Dubey: Christ Methodist College, Dallas

Anish Hemachandran: VIT, Tamil Nadu

Bhavya Sridhar: Univ of Michagan, Michagan

Nivedita R: Amrutha College, TN

Osborn DeLima: Christian Brother's Univ, Tennesse

Amreen Khan: Univ of Toronto, Toronto

Parth Khandekhar: Univ of Toronto, Toronto

Nida Hussain: BITS, Muscat

Siddharth Arora: Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar

Will keep updating as I come to know more...

Stupid q's with smart answers

2006-07-19T03:43:00.000-05:00

BOY : May I hold your hand?
GIRL : No thanks, it isn't heavy.

GIRL : Say you love me! Say you love me!
BOY : You love me...

GIRL : If we become engaged will you give me a ring??
BOY : Sure, what's your phone number??

GIRL : I think the poorest people are the happiest.
BOY : Then marry me and we'll be the happiest couple

GIRL : Darling, I want to dance like this forever.
BOY : Don't you ever want to improve??

BOY : I love you and I could die for you!
GIRL : How soon??

BOY : I would go to the end of the world for you!
GIRL : Yes, but would you stay there??

SHARON : Have you ever had a hot passionate, burning kiss??
TRACY : I did once. He'd forgotten to take the cigarette out of his mouth.

MAN : You remind me of the sea.
WOMAN : Because I'm wild, romantic and exciting?
MAN : NO, because you make me sick .

WIFE : You tell a man something, it goes in one ear and comes out of the other.
HUSBAND : You tell a woman something: It goes in both ears and comes out of the mouth.

MARY : John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly.What do u think, Peter?
PETER : A bit of both. I think you're pretty ugly.

Girlfriend : "...And are you sure you love me and no one else ?"
Boyfriend : "Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday".

Teacher : "Which is more important to us, the sun or the moon?"
Pupil : "The moon".
Teacher : "Why?"
Pupil : "The moon gives us light at night when we need it but the sun gives us light only in the day time when we don't need it".

Teacher : "What do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?"
Pupil : "A teacher".

My father is so old that when he was in school, history was called current affairs.

Teacher : "Sam, you talk a lot!"
Sam : "It's a family tradition".
Teacher : "What do you mean?"
Sam : "Sir, my grandpa was a street hawker, my father is a teacher".
Teacher : "What about your mother?"
Sam : "She's a woman".

Tom : "How should I convey the news to my father that I've failed?"
David: "You just send a telegram: Result declared, past year's performance repeated" .

Teacher : "Now, children, if I saw a man beating a donkey and stopped him, what virtue would I be showing?"
Student : "Brotherly love".

Patient : "What are the chances of my recovering doctor?"
Doctor : "One hundred percent. Medical records show that nine out of ten people die of the disease you have. Yours is the tenth case I've treated. The others all died".

US starts Lebanon evacuation

2006-07-19T03:31:00.000-05:00

The United States began a major evacuation of its citizens from Lebanon on Wednesday as thousands fled Israeli air strikes any way they could.

Nine military ships, including a helicopter carrier and a dock landing ship, and thousands of Marines and sailors were involved in the US operation, US officials said.

More than 2,400 people would be evacuated by air and sea on Wednesday, the first big group up to 8,000 the Pentagon expects to bring out of Lebanon.

In Cyprus, 75km from Lebanon, US Ambassador Oronald Schlicher said staff had secured hotel rooms and space in schools and was setting up a cot camp in a fairground on the island to accommodate Americans fleeing the violence.

"It's a moving target, but what we're planning for is in the order of several thousand in the coming days," he said, after meeting 126 Americans brought from Beirut by a Norway-chartered ship carrying around 1,100 mostly European evacuees.

A US-chartered ship was scheduled to bring 800-900 mostly Americans - its largest group yet to leave Lebanon - under military escort to Cyprus on Wednesday afternoon.

Britain said six of its ships, including two aircraft carriers, were also ready to rescue its citizens.

Yahoo shares slip on glum outlook

2006-07-19T03:30:00.000-05:00

Search engine Yahoo has warned of lower growth in 2006 and postponed a new advertising system, sending shares tumbling 13% in after-hours trading.

The firm said it would delay upgrading its web search advertising system from the third to the fourth quarter.

The news came as the world's biggest internet media firm saw earnings fall, though they met expectations.

Yahoo's net income was $164m (£89m) in the second quarter, about 78% lower than the $754.7m seen a year earlier.

However, the 2005 figure had been flattered by a $552m one-off gain earned when Yahoo sold its remaining shares in rival Google last year.

California-based Yahoo had bought the shares as an early investment in Google.

TOP 10 DRIVERS OF THE WORLD

2006-07-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

10 PLACE GOES TO:

9 PLACE GOES TO:

8 PLACE GOES TO:

7 PLACE GOES TO:

6 PLACE GOES TO:

5 PLACE GOES TO:

4 PLACE GOES TO:

Bronze Medal GOES TO:

Silver Medal GOES TO:

& The Gold Medal GOES TO:

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 180

2006-07-17T11:16:00.000-05:00

Video :: Game

Fantasy :: Rowling

Homework :: Sudha Nayar ;)

Crush :: Five (lol!)

Late :: Office

Husband :: Wife

Soccer :: Italy

Wine :: Red

Before :: Christ

Romantic :: Night

Bush May Send Rice to Help Calm Mideast

2006-07-17T11:13:00.000-05:00

The Americans have said that Israel would likely only stand down if Hamas and Hezbollah returned the soldiers they have kidnapped and ceased their shelling of Israeli towns.

“I don’t like the sequence of it,’’ Mr. Bush said. “His attitude is basically ceasefire and everything else happens.”

He went on to say the U.N. should directly enlist the Syrians to intervene. “I feel like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad and make something happen,” he said to Mr. Blair, referring to Syria’s president, Bashir Assad.

“See, the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this [expletive],” Mr. Bush said, “and it’s over.” [Audio Excerpt (mp3)]

Mr. Blair reiterated his argument, made earlier in the day with Mr. Annan, for an international force to be dispatched to the area.

“I think the thing that is really difficult is you can’t stop this unless you get this international presence agreed,” Mr. Blair said. “You need to get this done quickly otherwise this thing will spiral out of cont...’’

Mr. Bush interrupted to say, “Yeah, she’s going. I think Condi’s going to go pretty soon.”

Jack Sparrow buries Dead Man's Chest in treasure island

2006-07-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

The movie has quickly become the year's top-grossing film, rocketing past "X-Men: The Last Stand," which has taken in $232 (euro183.17) million in eight weeks.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" is looking more like "Treasure Island." Already a record-shattering blockbuster, Johnny Depp's sequel "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" dug up $62.2 million (euro49.11 million) in its second weekend, raising its 10-day total to $258.2 million (euro203.85 million), according to studio estimates Sunday.

The movie has quickly become the year's top-grossing film, rocketing past "X-Men: The Last Stand," which has taken in $232 (euro183.17) million in eight weeks.

"It's really fun when you're riding a comet like this," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which based the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies on its theme-park attraction. "This thing is just unbelievable. It creates its own wake."

Vive la Difference......

2006-07-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

NICKNAMES:
If Laura, Suzanne, Debra, and Rose go out for lunch, they will call each
other Laura, Suzanne, Debra, and Rose.
If Mike, Charlie, Bob, and John go out, they will affectionately refer
to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Peanut-Head, and Scrappy.

EATING OUT:
When the bill arrives, Mike, Charlie, Bob, and John will each throw in
$20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything
smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY:
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item on sale that she doesn't want.

BATHROOMS:
A man has six items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, comb, shaving cream,
razor, a bar of soap and a towel from the Holiday Inn.
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A
man would not be able to identify most of these items.

ARGUMENTS:
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

CATS:
Women love cats.
Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking - men kick cats.

FUTURE:
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS:
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE:
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change and she does.

DRESSING UP:
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the
garbage, answer the phone, read a book and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL:
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING:
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children.
She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends,
favourite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY :
Any married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people
remembering the same thing.

No More Microsoft Private Folder

2006-07-16T14:09:00.000-05:00

After facing a wave of criticism, Microsoft decided to withdraw its new application Private Folder. Initially Microsoft said that ‘Microsoft Private Folder 1.0 is a useful tool for you to protect your private data when your friends, colleagues, kids or other people share your PC or account.

With this tool, you will get one password protected folder called ‘My Private Folder’ in your account to save your personal files.’

The application was released on 6th Juy.

But soon after the release security experts and administrators expressed their concern that users would lose their password and not be able to unlock their files. Also parents were concerned that kids may use this feature to hide certain files.

"..we received feedback about concerns around manageability, data recovery and encryption, and based on that feedback, we are removing the application today. This change will take effect shortly.", a Microsoft official said in statement for CNET News.com.

Bush backs Israel at divided G8

2006-07-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

The US president, in St Petersburg for the G8 summit, has insisted Israel is defending itself against terror and Hezbollah is the root of the crisis.

George W Bush added that the Israelis had to be mindful of the consequences of their actions, as fresh air strikes and rocket attacks were reported. French President Jacques Chirac spoke out in defence of Lebanon.

The leaders of the world's eight top economic powers have begun working meetings focusing on energy supplies.With global energy use likely to increase by 50% in the next 25 years, Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to convince other G8 members his country can be relied on as a supplier.

But Russia's G8 agenda has already been overtaken by events in the Middle East, the BBC's Steve Rosenberg reports. With eight of the world's most powerful leaders meeting for talks, he says, they are under pressure to find a way to end the hostilities.

Divisions

"As a sovereign nation, Israel has every right to defend itself against terrorist activity," Mr Bush said after bilateral talks with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday.

"Our message to Israel is defend yourself but be mindful of the consequences."

The root cause of the conflict, he added, was Hezbollah and its ties with Syria and Iran. Hezbollah, he said, "was the start of this". Speaking before the first summit working meeting of the day, France's president said that forces "who jeopardise the security, stability and sovereignty of Lebanon must be stopped". He urged "the protection of civilians, moderation and a durable ceasefire" in both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Our correspondent notes that working out a common G8 position on the crisis will not be easy with a clear division emerging between the US on one hand, and France and Russia on the other. President Putin has suggested Israel has ulterior motives in Lebanon rather than simply the return of abducted soldiers. "We condemn any terrorist act including hostage-taking but we have the impression that besides the return of its abducted soldiers, Israel is pursuing other, wider goals," he said on Saturday.

Difficult Question...

2006-07-15T05:26:00.000-05:00

A little girl walks into the den one Sunday morning while her dad is reading the paper.

"Where does poo come from?" she asks.

The father, feeling a little perturbed that his 5 year old daughter is already asking difficult questions, thinks for a moment and says:

"Well you know we just ate breakfast?"

"Yes," answers the girl.

"Well, the food goes into our tummies and our bodies take out all the good stuff, and then whatever is left over comes out of our bottoms when we go to the toilet, and that is poo."

The little girl looks shocked, and stares at him with watery eyes, in stunned silence for a few seconds, and then asks, "And Tigger?"

Microsoft Releases New Windows for Legacy PCs

2006-07-15T04:00:00.000-05:00

Win98 and ME users now have a reason to upgrade, says Microsoft.

In an effort to get old PCs upgraded -- and generate more revenue -- to newer versions of Windows, Microsoft this week announced a new version of Windows called Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs. The new operating system will be a highly stripped down version of Windows XP, taking out all the fancy bells and whistles.

Microsoft says that there are many legacy systems that are not capable of upgrading to a full blown Windows XP install, and there are more systems where users are hesitant to upgrade. With Windows Fundamentals, Microsoft says that old systems will be able to receive all the latest security features and updates of recent systems, without having to sacrifice performance. Unfortunately, Windows Fundamentals will be limited to what applications it can run. Microsoft says that the OS is capable of running security tools, management software, and several document viewers. Larger applications will need to be run from a server. According to Microsoft:

Microsoft Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs is a Windows-based operating system designed for customers who have older computers running earlier operating systems and who are not in a position to purchase new hardware. This operating system is available only to Microsoft Software Assurance customers and helps you get the most from your older hardware, thereby reducing your total cost of ownership.

Microsoft says that the new version of Windows is available immediately to customers on the Software Assurance program, which Microsoft uses to provide discounted upgrade paths to corporate customers. According to details, Microsoft says that old machines can be turned into useful thin clients or terminals.

Mumbai Speaks

2006-07-14T13:54:00.000-05:00

Mohammed is a social worker who lives in a slum near the railway tracks

It was a normal evening and I was standing talking to a friend when suddenly there was an explosion so powerful I felt the earth move. There was black smoke everywhere.

When I reached the tracks I saw bodies everywhere. In the train too bodies were piled up. We removed the dead bodies and covered them with a bed sheet, saree or whatever we could find.

Ramona Wazz

It was really very unsettling and upsetting because that's the train I take every day and I missed it by a few minutes. I could have been on that train.

I've come back to work today and I travelled by train but I am quite unnerved by the blasts. I still feel it’s not over yet and it can happen again anytime because there's no security on the trains and there's kind of tension in the city that can be felt and everybody is still very upset about it.

Vijay Mistri

When the explosion took place, I was on the platform. Some friends got on the train to Borivili, which moved away from the platform. Then suddenly there was a big explosion and the roof of the compartment just went off.

My friends who were in the compartment, one lost his leg while the other lost his life. I was standing at the station but the impact was such that I was thrown off my feet and injured my hand and leg.

Asha Sakhle

There's nothing courageous about travelling by train 24 hours after the blasts. If I have to travel by train to and from work then I have to.

I am actually going back home after 48 hours because after the blasts, I couldn't get home due to trains being stopped and a huge traffic jam across the city. I still feel fear and I think that will remain for some time but life must move on.

The new CEO

2006-07-14T06:34:00.000-05:00

Hey ppl! Sry for not postin often - too much into writin my book lately... and the pressure is gonna increase day by day.... anyway here is the new CEO joke...

A company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hires a new CEO.

This new boss is determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO notices a guy leaning on a wall. The room is full of workers and he wants to let them know he means business! The CEO walks up to the guy and asks, "And how much money do you make a week?"

A little surprised, the young fellow looks at him and replies, "I make $300.00 a week. Why?" The CEO then hands the guy $1,200 in cash and screams, "Here's four weeks' pay, now GET OUT and don't come back!"

Feeling pretty good about his first firing, the CEO looks around the room and asks, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-off did here?"

With a sheepish grin, one of the other workers mutters,

"Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."

Yahoo and Microsoft merge their IM clients

2006-07-14T06:04:00.000-05:00

Previous discussions about Microsoft taking over Yahoo did not finalize positively so the two giants decided it’s time to stop the war and collaborate. Only in the instant messaging domain for now.

In May 2006 a rumor shook the entire IT world: Microsoft was thinking to acquire Yahoo for a dazzling $80 billion dollars, $40 billion in cash and the rest in company shares. Bill Gates decided though that Yahoo was a content company rather than technology company, and that he was not interested in owning a content company. MS planned to integrate Yahoo's strength concerning search and advertising categories into its MSN portal, but failed to do that after Yahoo officials considered the $80 billion offer as ...too small. Just for the record, Microsoft has $40 billion in cash at hand.

Now that things have settled down, Yahoo and Microsoft proudly announced the interoperability of their IM clients, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. It’s not really breaking news, since the interoperability was planned a year ago, when Microsoft and Yahoo accepted to cooperate in the IM domain, for the benefit of their clients. The interoperability would eventually allow more freedom to customers, who put a lot of pressure on both giants to achieve this.

Although it has not been a surprise (there are a lot of programs that allow you to see who is online for both Yahoo and Live IM, like Trillian) the interoperability is an important step in the IM fight, because each company fights for an important market share, which would ensure more publicity contracts (IM programs are in totally free, so they sustain themselves through ads promoted to users).

Yahoo and Microsoft stated that they have built a software bridge between their popular IM applications, thus allowing the creation of the world’s largest IM and social community. In their combined press release the two companies mentioned that this community reaches more than 350 million IM accounts, now merged together due to interoperability.

"This first-of-its-kind interoperability between consumer IM leaders Microsoft and Yahoo! gives our customers tremendous control, convenience and freedom in their Web communication experiences with Windows Live," said Blake Irving, corporate vice president, Windows Live Platform at Microsoft. "We're proud to deliver this latest advancement in IM services that empower people to communicate with virtually whomever they want, wherever they want and whenever they want."

"Interoperability between IM services has consistently topped our users' wish lists, and through the collaborative efforts between Yahoo! and Microsoft we are delighted to provide our combined global users with the ultimate IM experience," said Brad Garlinghouse, senior vice president of Communications, Community and Front Doors, Yahoo! "A new era for staying connected with friends and family is here, and the bridge between Yahoo!'s and Microsoft's IM communities is bringing people around the world closer together."

Consumers worldwide from Microsoft and Yahoo will be among the first to exchange instant messages across the free services as well as see their friends' online presence, view personal status messages, share/select emoticons, view offline messages and add new contacts from either service at no cost. Yahoo and Microsoft plan to make the interoperability between their respective IM services broadly available to consumers in the coming months.

An initial Beta testing session for the new feature of both Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger will be available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the UK and the US.

Instant Messaging has evolved rapidly in the past two years, from simple, real-time text conversations on mIRC to free, limitless video calls from PC to PC, files or folders exchange and even calls made to usual landline or mobile phones. The leader in PC-to-phones calls is now Skype, which also features IM capabilities, but is mostly renowned for free, PC-to-PC calls using Voice over Internet Protocol technology (VoIP) or low-fee calls from PC to usual phones (or the reverse, phone to PC.)

Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice users in the U.S. and more than 15 international markets can register to participate in the IM interoperability beta by visiting Yahoo! at http://messenger.yahoo.com or Microsoft at http://ideas.live.com.

Recently, Yahoo! Inc. introduced a new beta of Yahoo! Messenger with Voice with custom plug-in features. Plug-ins are free mini applications that can be easily added to the Yahoo! Messenger with Voice experience to make it that much more personal and interactive.

People can view the latest featured plug-ins as well as customize their own suite of plug-ins from the Plug-in Picker, which is easily accessed from below the contact list.

Through the Yahoo! Developer Network (http://developer.yahoo.com) Yahoo! is committed to opening up its products for third party developers to create applications which utilize Yahoo!'s technology in innovative ways. For the first time, Yahoo! is opening up its real time communication platform to spark innovation and encourage the developer community to create plug-ins with the new software developer kit (SDK). The plug-in SDK is available at: http://developer.yahoo.com/messenger. Developers can work with Yahoo! to make their plug-ins available to Yahoo! Messenger with Voice users at http://us.gallery.yahoo.com/messenger.

On the other side, Microsoft has also released the latest version of its Windows Live Messenger at the end of June, but the really important event that captured everyone’s attention was the leaving of Windows Live-project chief, Martin Taylor, at almost the same time.

Suspects Named in Bombay Bombings

2006-07-13T05:51:00.000-05:00

Authorities named two suspects Thursday in the Bombay commuter train bombings that killed at least 200 people.

The government's Anti-Terror Squad released photos of two young, bearded men it identified as Sayyad Zabiuddin and Zulfeqar Fayyaz. Their nationalities were not provided.

It also was not clear where the photos, headshots which appeared to have been taken for identification documents, originated.

Police earlier detained about 350 people for questioning amid suspicion that Kashmiri militants could be linked to Tuesday's bombings.

1010 WINS Video: 350 Detained Over Bombay Train Bombings

The detentions came as a man claiming to represent al-Qaida said the terror network had set up a wing in Kashmir and praised the attacks.

A senior intelligence official said the government was taking the claim seriously and authorities were trying to trace a call the man made to a Kashmiri news service.

``Our immediate effort is to locate the caller and ascertain the authenticity of the claim,'' the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. ``The government is taking it very seriously.''

There have been allegations that Islamic militants fighting to wrest predominantly Muslim Kashmir from India have ties to al-Qaida, but Thursday's statement would be the first time Osama bin Laden's network claimed to have spread to Indian territory.

Police Inspector S. Goshal said most of the 350 detentions were made overnight in Malwani, a northeastern suburb of Bombay. They were rounded up only for questioning to help with the investigations, and none have been charged or formally arrested, he said.

Bombay police Commissioner A.N. Roy said those rounded up included known thugs, gangsters and troublemakers who might have information about the culprits.

Investigators were looking into a possible link with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, an Islamic militant group based in Kashmir, said P.S. Pasricha, police chief of Maharashtra state. Lashkar has in the past employed near-simultaneous explosions to attack Indian cities.

A spokesman for Lashkar, Abdullah Ghaznavi, denied the group was involved.

The purported al-Qaida member, who identified himself as Abu al-Hadeed, appealed to Indian Muslims to take up jihad and said ``whosoever has carried out the attacks in Bombay we express our gratitude and happiness.'' It was impossible to verify his identity or his claims independently.

The train bombings ``are a reaction to what is happening to the minorities, especially Muslims in India,'' the man said in a statement read over the phone to Kashmir's Current News Service.

``We appeal to Muslims in India to fight for freedom and Islam and choose jihad as their way to achieve freedom and establishing Islamic ways,'' he was quoted as saying.

The Current News Service said the man spoke in Urdu, the language of most Muslims in the Indian subcontinent, though he identified himself with an Arabic name.

``Today a unit of al-Qaida has been established in Jammu and Kashmir which shall henceforth be called al-Qaida Jammu and Kashmir,'' the man said. ``We shall be giving out statements regularly and will soon announce our aims and objectives.''

The government, meanwhile, reiterated its commitment to fight terrorism.

``Nothing will deter us from our firm policy to fight this menace till it is wiped out. We are determined to apprehend and bring to justice all those responsible for the evil acts in Mumbai,'' said a Cabinet statement. Bombay is also known as Mumbai.

The Indian Foreign Ministry demanded Wednesday that neighboring Pakistan dismantle all terrorist networks on land it controls _ but fell short of directly accusing it for the attacks.

Kashmir is divided between the two countries but claimed by both. The region is largely Muslim, and the militants want a Kashmir independent of Hindu-majority India or joined to Pakistan.

In an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, Pakistan's foreign minister bristled at suggestions that his country bore responsibility for the attacks.

``You can't really blame everything on Pakistan; it's very unfair,'' Khurshid Kasuri said. ``India is a vast country. There are lots of people who have their own agendas, not just in Kashmir.''

Bombay, a city of 16 million people, was back on track Thursday with tens of thousands of people jamming the commuter train service that was hit by eight bombs, killing at least 200 people and wounding 700.

``The city has faced attacks in the past. It has always bounced back quickly ... people have to go to work. What else are we going to do,'' said Ashwini Lolo, an office worker in his 20s, at the Bandra station waiting to board a train.

Google Sketch Up

2006-07-12T06:09:00.000-05:00

Google SketchUp (free) is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program whose few simple tools enable you to create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions, woodworking projects – even space ships. You can add details, textures and glass to your models, design with dimensional accuracy, and place your finished models in Google Earth, share them with others by posting them to the 3D Warehouse, or print hard copies. Google SketchUp is a great way to discover if 3D modeling is right for you.

Google SketchUp is free for personal use. Download it now to start modeling.

Mumbai Live Updates: Scores dead in Mumbai train bombs

2006-07-11T12:13:00.000-05:00

At least 150 people have been killed by seven near-simultaneous bombs on the train network in the Indian financial capital, Mumbai (Bombay), police say.

The first explosion went off at about 1830 local time (1300 GMT), during the peak of the evening rush hour in the suburbs on the busy Western Railway.

Correspondents spoke of scenes of pandemonium, with people jumping from trains and bodies flung onto tracks.

There have been a number of bomb attacks in Mumbai in recent years.

The city and the capital Delhi have been put on high alert, and Mumbai's entire rail network has been shut down.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed for calm and described the incidents as a "shocking and cowardly attempt to spread a feeling of hatred".

Pakistani leaders also condemned the blasts as a "despicable act of terrorism".

Police said the co-ordinated blasts took place at Matunga, Khar, Mahim, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Bhayandar, with most on moving trains and two at stations.

A shopkeeper at a market near one explosion said it was so powerful they thought they had been "hit by lightning".

Television images show dazed and blood-splattered commuters being carried by fellow passengers to waiting ambulances, as rescue workers clambered through wreckage to reach victims.

The force of the blasts ripped doors and windows off carriages and scattered luggage and debris.

Clothes, shoes and personal possessions were strewn along the tracks.

A medical student at a hospital in Parel, which has received many of the wounded, told the BBC News website the "floors are filled with bloodstains".

"There were so many [injured people], I couldn't really count," Sunny Jain said.

"There are not enough ambulances and many people are making their own way to the station. They are coming in taxis and by foot."

The city's suburban train system is one of the busiest in the world, carrying more than six million commuters a day.

MUMBAI BLASTS:

Aug 2003: At least 44 people killed in double car bombing

July 2003: Three killed in bus blast

Mar 2003: 11 killed in commuter train

Jan 2003: 30 injured in market attack

Dec 2002: 23 injured at McDonald's outlet

Dec 2002: Two killed in bus blast

Mar 1993: More than 250 killed in serial blasts

Blonde Paint Job

2006-07-11T08:16:00.000-05:00

A blonde, wanting to earn some money, decided to hire herself out as a handyman-type and started canvassing a wealthy neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any jobs for her to do.

"Well, you can paint my porch. How much will you charge?"
The blonde said, "How about 50 dollars?" The man agreed and told her that the paint and ladders that she might need were in the garage. The man's wife, inside the house, heard the conversation and said to her husband, "Does she realize that the porch goes all the way around the house?"
The man replied, "She should. She was standing on the porch."

A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.
"You're finished already?" he asked. "Yes," the blonde answered, "and I had paint left over, so I gave it two coats. "Impressed, the man reached in his pocket for the $50. "And by the way," the blonde added, "that's not a Porch, it's a Ferrari."

Italy on Top of the World

2006-07-10T10:29:00.000-05:00

Italy are champions for a fourth time. They held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out to score all five kicks as David Trezeguet missed for France.

A Flicked Joke (literally ;))

2006-07-10T03:42:00.000-05:00

Why are Indian husbands called "MADE OF SILVER"

And

Why are American husbands called "MADE OF GOLD"

Socho

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Thoda sur Socho

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Socho Socho....

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Nahi Aata

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B

C

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Indian wives call their husband "A g" sunte ho

( Scientific Symbol for Silver is Ag)

American wives call their husband "A u" listen up

( Scientific Symbol for Gold is Au)

btw ppl still searchin for yest's match pics so will post after findin all... i.e. if my co-author allows me to take a breadth ;) (sry co-author!!)

Unconscious Mutterings - Week 178

2006-07-09T06:59:00.000-05:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

Face it :: Truth

Healthy :: Salad

Cartoon :: Network

Device :: Remote

Raider :: Tomb

Closer :: Far

Admission :: College ;)

Culture :: India

Stakes :: Stock Market

Heartbroken :: Devdas

Thats it this week.... u can try out the game here.

Germany wins 3-1

2006-07-09T05:13:00.000-05:00

Germany had a fitting farewell to the world cup winning over Portugal 3-1.
They may not have reached the finals but they sure made themselves proud by their performance in the worldcup.
Portugal didnt look up to its standard but yeah maybe their morale is already down by not reaching finals.

"True" Perspective

2006-07-08T01:09:00.000-05:00

A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."

The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."

What did you think about Krrish?

2006-07-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

Hey ppl! Saw it last night even tho I was warned by Vineeth NOT to c it ;) and wondered what u ppl tht abt the movie.... My thts are in the cbox! P.S.: Feel free to compare it with Superman, Spiderman, X-Men or any other movie u think Roshan Sr. has taken ideas from.... U r all free to talk below!

Mumbai Metro: Strategic Scheduling

2006-07-07T01:44:00.000-05:00

Today we bring to you another correspondant from Mumbai - Hardik Ruparel, who starts off with how the rains have affected his colony.

Over to Hardik, Thane, Mumbai:

Hey all !! Another day full of rains.. When the rains weren't there,i was prayin 4 them 2 come... But now they're in full force.. Already 6 people have been killed because of the rains (3 electrocuted,1 drowned and 2 crushed under a collapsed tree)..Are we gonna witness another 26/7 (last year 26 July rains in mumbai which claimed many lives)?Only time will tell.. Just opposite my building is a school,and i can usually see through my window whats goin on in all the classes..Many of the kids wave to me (thinking of getting a respite from the class) and i wave back(thinking about their ignorance about the fact that how much they will miss school when they pass out).. So ironical,and I'm so getting back to my post about the teachers(lol.. sorry uren)..

Ok now drifting back to the past... I arrived in Mumbai on 2 April, with just a week left for the IIT-JEE 2006 (for those who don't know what it is,it's the most difficult entrance examination in the world..yea believe me.. to get into the premier Indian Institutes Of Technology (IITs)).. 7 days left.. and my preparations continued from where i had left them off in Mct..I tried my best nonetheless.. it didnt go off that well,phy and chem were OK but maths was quite tough..That over, it was time for momentary relaxation of the mind,body and soul.. With my cousin bro(who's doin his 4th year of Pharmacy right now) and sis(who's in class XI) we visited the local theatre (Rang de Basanti.. one of my fav movies.. along from Dil Chahta Hai) followd by Pizza Hut treat ! :-) Long time since I had pizza yum !And sometimes hangin out at the pani-puri wallahs was fun. I ran into some of my old friends here in Mumbai, and also was in touch with several ppl including Uren,Misha,Amita,Rohan, Amba, Gloria, Dhanya and some more i cant remember(ye i hav poor memory,sorry !). At that time the weather was roasting.. unbearable, combined with 3 hours of powercuts per day.. life was a little different and difficult from Mct..AIEEE was scheduled on 30 April and i had a little over 2 fortnights for preparations.. Borrowing books of colossal and titanic sizes from my friends out here was common..And in between was another movie with cousins: 36 China Town.. full house.. it turned out to be more of a comedy movie, rather than a thriller... Thats all for this week folks. This is Hardik Ruparel of The LOTM Newsteam, signing off from Thane, Mumbai.

The author of this article, Hardik Ruparel is the webmaster of the blog, The Place to Be, and can be reached at hardik988@hotmail.com

Thoughtful Pilot

2006-07-07T01:23:00.000-05:00

A man was flying from Seattle to San Francisco.

Unexpectedly, the plane stopped in Sacramento along the way. The flight
attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers
wanted to get off the aircraft, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. The man had
noticed him as he walked by and could tell the gentleman was blind because
his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him
throughout the entire flight. He could also tell he had flown this very
flight before because the pilot approached him, and calling him by name,
said, "Keith, we're in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get
off and stretch your legs?"

The blind man replied, "No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch
his legs."

Picture this:

All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they
looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Seeing Eye dog!

The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only
tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!

Its France Vs. Italy now...

2006-07-06T05:34:00.000-05:00

France beat Portugal 1-0 and are now on their way to the finals against Italy. Portugal and Germany play on Saturday for 3rd place and the finals are on Sunday.

They Are Out!

2006-07-05T13:50:00.000-05:00

Sai has posted the DASA results on his blog... I will just paste here what he has posted ;)

This year the seats were allotted on merit basis and seats for colleges such as Nit Surathkal and Trichy were like hot cakes. All those who applied for the above colleges were really worried about their positions. But on the 5th of July 2006 at 7:05 pm the tension was over as the results were out. Here i post the a few people's names,College offered

Brian B: NIT- Warangal
Hardik Ruparel: NIT- Trichy
Varun Balakrishnan: PEC-Chandigarh
Karthik Sudhakaran: NIT-Surathkal
Akshit Somani:NIT- Surathkal
Sumit Haridas: NIT- Trichy
Prateek Mathur:NIT- Surathkal
Amrutha Das:NIT- Trichy
Shwetha Anand:NIT- Surathkal
Dyuthi Nair:NIT- Surathkal
Astha Tiwari: NIT-Kurukshetra
K.E.Sunder Kousik: NIT- Surathkal
Suhasini: VNIT-NAGPUR
SAI: IIIT Allahbad

Congrats to all! Btw here is the entire merit list.

Why God cried!

2006-07-05T05:41:00.000-05:00

Once US president George Bush,Russian President Putin and Indian PM Manamohan Singh went to visit the GOD.

Bush asked "Oh God,can you tell me when will the US win the football world cup? "

God checked his records and said "60 years from now".

Bush started crying " Oh,I wont be alive to see that!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Then Putin asked "God,when will Russia win? "

God checked the records again and said " 100 years more "

Putin started crying too " Oh,I wont be alive to see that!!!!!!!!!!! "

Next,Mr.Singh asked God "Oh Great GOd,when will my India win the world cup? "

The God checked is records again,then suddenly burst into tears saying "OH!!!!!!!!!!I wont be alive to see that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Disclaimer: The above Joke was sent to the LOTM team by Gayatri Baiju who holds the copyright of all its contents. And Disagreement lawsuits should be directed straight onto her alone and not to The Life of The Mind.

Italy Wins!!

2006-07-05T02:20:00.000-05:00

Lol! My yesterday's prediction of a penalty shootout was wrong afterall!

After playing Germany for nearly two hours (including double overtime), with neither team having scored, Italy made two absolutely gorgeous plays within minutes of each other, scoring two goals and winning the semi-final. This means that the Azzurri will go to the final in Berlin.

No team has ever beaten Germany at Dortmund, and Italy has never lost a worldcup match to Germany, so something had to give...Wow.

And if you have it in the back of my mind that I shouldn't be too fascinated since I did not win my bet against Hardik... hehe then here's the news - Had a bet with Rishi yesterday on Italy's win and lo n behold! It won! So did I!! ;)

Italy and Germany Clash Tonight

2006-07-04T13:29:00.000-05:00

Italy and Germany are facing each other in a World Cup Semifinal tonight in an hour. Germany seem favourites, playing at home in front of a record crowd. But what does history tell us about these encounters?

They have met each other six times in either World Cups or European Championships. Of these, three have neded 0-0, one has ended 1-1, while Italy has won the remaining two matches. So it does not look good for Germany...

In the World Cup, the matches have been the following:

First Round, Chile, 1962: This ended 0-0. West Germany won the group, only to be eliminated by Yugoslavia in the Quarterfinals. Italy ended dead last in the group
Semifinal, Mexico , 1970: One of the most exciting games in the history of football. Italy was very unpopular, having played some of the most boring catenaccio ever seen. The ordinary game ended 1-1, and the match went into extra time. The Germans, wanting to solve it, attacked fervently. But for every attack and goal, the Italians replied back with another goal. Italy won 4-3, but were destroyed 4-1 in the final against the mighty Brazilians.
Second round, 1978: Another 0-0 match. Italy made it to the bronze game, where they lost to Brazil, while the Germans did not make it beyond round 2.
Final, 1982: An all-European final in an all-European World Cup (like this one). Italy had defeated Brazil, and seemed strong ahead of the Germans, who had become unpopular after their win against the charming French in the semifinal. The Italians were far better than the Germans, who only managed a late goal by Breitner after being down 3-0.

In the European Championships they have met twice:

First round, 1988: This tournament took place in Germany. In the opening match, the home team only managed a 1-1, with goals by Brehme and Mancini. Both Germany and Italy went on to the semifinal, where they lost to the Netherlands and USSR respectively.
First Round, 1996: Another of their 0-0 matches. It was enough for Germany to win the group, while Italy was sqeezed out after losing to the surprising Czechs. Germany played the Czech Republic in the final and became European Champions.

With this said, what is my prediction for tonight? 0-0.

So penalty shoot-outs will play a role too. Lets see though... might turn out like the France - Brazil match! (which made me wid the bet against Hardik!!)

All the Best!

2006-07-04T11:55:00.000-05:00

As the world will drown into the Italy-Germany match today, a small minority of people will go early to bed with prayers in their minds.... The DASA applicants, who else? DASA results are out tomorrow and my sincere wishes to all the applicants. Best Of Luck!

Mumbai Life Episode I: Getting into The Spirit

2006-07-04T03:41:00.000-05:00

The LOTM newsteam is pleased to announce addition of correspondants from various parts of India to its office, one of them being - Misha Salim, the most reknowned of all times. In the following abstract she describes her experience of getting into the Mumbai spirit.

Over to Misha Salim, Malabar Hill, Mumbai, India:

Mumbai…. My favorite place on earth…. Its heaven at least tats what I consider it…it’s the financial cum capital of India…. Its popular for everything… right from who’s who of bollywood to even the underworld dons reside here…

In a recent survey Mumbai was declared as the world’s rudest city.. Which I totally disagree…..

Life here is difficult to be frank… it’s definitely a struggle for the common man…

When I think of Mumbai…. Many things cum to my mind… from local trains... to floods to terrorist attacks… to encounters… so many things… the food… the people.

This week my post covers exclusively on local trains… the lifeline of people living here…

If you have not traveled by a local train, then u have certainly missed out on an adventure

We have two separate railway networks… one is the central and the other being western…

It is estimated that in a day the Mumbai local train carries 60 lakh passengers…

Traveling by the local trains is the best possible way to commute in Mumbai as it is very reasonable... no traffic jams…

But there are drawbacks too…..the main one being…. Its way too crowded… if you are new to Mumbai, you’ll definitely be terrified by the site of some 50 - 100 people hanging or clinging to the handles of the doors…you can at times find people sitting over the trains…

The rush hour usually being the office hours are between 7.30 till say about 11.30 in the morning and in the evening from 5 to say 9…. It’s very difficult to enter trains during these timings.

To enter a local train, you do need to follow certain techniques ….

There are two ways… either you push people and try to get in when the train arrives… or just stand near the door and let people push , shove, twist you and finally get you inside the compartment..

Trust me the first ones better... I have tried both.

You can follow either of the methods to alight as well.

As far as I know… in the history… the local trains have not reported even a single accident… its pretty efficient… a train arrives in every 3 minutes…

So next week I'll be back with a glimpse into the running around process for a college seat. Till then a big Namaskar from me, Misha Salim, Mumbai.

Happy Independance Day, America!

2006-07-03T23:43:00.000-05:00

The Declaration of Independenceof the Thirteen Colonies

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can get a brief history about it here.

Talking of USA, I just remembered something that I was planning to request all my co-bloggers and webmasters to do for a long time.... If you have noticed, the "No War Against Iran" icon has been in my blog since its very existance.... and now my request is that you folks put it up on your blogs/sites too to spread the message around as the situation gets more and more tense day by day. You can use the same icon (on the right) or another similar themed one. Thanks!

Not my Lunch!

2006-07-03T14:38:00.000-05:00

Two lawyers went into a diner and ordered two drinks.

Then they produced sandwiches from their briefcases and started to eat.

The owner became quite concerned and marched over and told them, "You can't eat your own sandwiches in here!"

The attorneys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and then exchanged sandwiches.

Beckham quits as England captain

2006-07-03T00:53:00.000-05:00

David Beckham has decided to step down as England captain after holding the role for six years.

But the Real Madrid star does want to continue his international career.

Beckham revealed his decision at England's final news conference in Germany in the wake of their World Cup quarter-final defeat by Portugal.

The 31-year-old midfielder said: "I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under new coach Steve McClaren."

Beckham was forced to leave the pitch against Portugal in the 52nd minute with an Achilles injury that will force him out of action for six weeks.

That England went on to lose the game on penalties made Beckham's announcement even more emotional.

It was England caretaker manager Peter Taylor who made him captain in 2000.

And Beckham was keen to thank the now Crystal Palace manager when he read from his prepared statement in Baden Baden on Sunday.

With tears in his eyes, the former Manchester United player said: "On 15 November 2000 Peter Taylor gave me the greatest honour of my career in making me the captain of England, fulfilling my childhood dream.

"It has been an honour and a privilege to have captained our country and I want to stress that I wish to continue to play for England and look forward to helping both the new captain and Steve McClaren in any way I can."

He said: "I came to this decision some time ago but I had hoped to announce it on the back of a successful World Cup. Sadly that wasn't to be.

"This decision has been the most difficult of my career to date. But after discussing it with my family and those closest to me I feel the time is right.

"Our performance during this World Cup has not been enough to progress further and both myself and all the players regret that and are hurt by that more than people realise.

David Beckham reads from a statement in front of a news conference
A tearful David Beckham reads his statement in front of the media

"I wish to thank all the players for their support during my time as captain, as well as Peter Taylor, Sven and all the coaches.

"I would also like to thank the press and, of course, all the England supporters who have both been great to me and my team-mates. I want them to know for me it has been an absolute honour.

"Finally, I have lived the dream, I am extremely proud to have worn the armband and been captain of England and for that I will always be grateful."

Beckham was an important link between the players at this year's World Cup and manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

And he led by example against Greece in 2001 when his curling last-gasp free-kick sent England to the 2002 World Cup finals, where they were beaten by Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Eriksson said of Beckham's decision: "He's been a very good captain and very proud to do the job.

"I was a bit surprised when he told me but you have to respect his decision.

"It is now Steve McClaren's job to decide on Beckham's successor. He has a lot of choices that are more than capable of doing the job. It is very much up to him."

Top 10 reasons to buy a New Car

2006-07-02T13:46:00.000-05:00

10. Your passenger seat is on the National Register of Historic Places.
9. Instead of an air bag, there is a whoopee cushion taped to your steering wheel.
8. You lose the stoplight challenge to a 14 year old on a moped.
7. 15 minute Jiffy Lube needs to keep you car for 3 days.
6. When you gas up, the attendant asks, "Can I re-duct tape that windshield for you?"
5. Thieves repeatedly break in your car just to steal the "Club".
4. While sitting at a stop light, people keep running up to you and asking if anyone was hurt.
3. For the last five years, you've had to settle for making "vroom, vroom' noises while in the driveway.
2. You keep losing dates on left turns.
1. Traffic reporters start referring to you by name when discussing morning tie-ups.

The Tables have Turned... Finally

2006-07-02T01:23:00.000-05:00

In an overwhelming day of two matches turning sour, the World witnessed what is normally known as the downfall of the favoured. Both England and Brazil were hot favourites to win the WC n splash! Both have drowned. In an other over-whelming incident that we all witnessed yesterday was the Great Bet of who'll hold the cup between Hardik and me. Lo and Behold! His chosen team could not cross the quarters making me the winner automatically! (Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I am emailing him my code today itself!!) Getting back to yesterday, Portugal and France both who were destined my millions of news satations and match predictors around the Globe to suffer a defeat emerged victorious, giving a notorious twist to the World Cup that gets more exciting and unpredictable day by day! (Now all Brazil fans can sit n shed tears while the Germany supporters cheer on!)
Now in my co-blogger's words, I wish England and Brazil a safe trip home! Adios!!

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 178

2006-07-02T00:50:00.000-05:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

That :: This

Fishbowl :: Spherical

Church :: Jesus

All about :: me (ahem.... so I am self centered huh?)

Fist :: Bash

Tagline :: Blog Tags

Agree :: Disagree

Leak :: Tap

Jessica :: Simpson ;)

Superman :: Returns

Thats it this week.... u can try out the game here.

Looking Ahead...

2006-07-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

[i've been changing my mind]
[through with looking behind]
[it's a crash course in life]
[the best you can do is get by]
[no getting out alive]

- Glen Phillips

Harry Potter may perish in last book, author hints

2006-07-01T04:11:00.000-05:00

Not that I am fond of it now... but just smthn for the readers:

Harry Potter may perish in the final installment of the boy wizard series in which two main characters die, author J.K. Rowling hinted in a television interview.

Speaking on Monday evening, Joanne Kathleen Rowling, 40, said she was well on the way to finishing the eagerly-awaited seventh Potter book.

"I wrote the final chapter in something like 1990, so I've known exactly how the series is going to end," she told a chat show on Channel 4 television.

"The final chapter is hidden away although it's now changed very slightly. One character got a reprieve. But I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die," Rowling said.

"A price has to be paid, we are dealing with pure evil here. They don't target extras, do they? They go for the main characters -- well, I do."

Asked whether one of the casualties would be Potter himself, Rowling said she had never been tempted to kill off the magician before the finale.

At the same time, she added: "I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks, 'Well I'm gonna kill them off because that means there can be no non-author written sequels. So it will end with me and after I'm dead and gone they won't be able to bring back the character'."

The author said she did not want to commit herself either way on Potter's fate, telling interviewers Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan: "I don't want the hate mail, apart from anything else."

Speaking of her life as a famous writer, Rowling admitted to having been in denial during the unprecedented success of her first three books on the adventures of Potter and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"That's where my reputation for being po-faced comes from. I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights," she said.

Rowling, who shot to fame from humble roots, also revealed that she still writes in cafes and based the character of Potter's good friend Hermione on a combination of herself and her sister when they were young.

As for the future after Potter, Rowling said: "I don't think I'm ever going to have anything like Harry again. You just get one like Harry."

The first six books in the series have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and been translated into 63 languages.

The first four have also been made into blockbuster movies.

The seventh novel is reportedly due to be published next year at the earliest.

Who Do You Think Will Hold The Cup?

2006-07-01T02:30:00.000-05:00

It's Germany for me!

Actually I and hardik have a bet on it - he says it'll be Brazil.... lets c (mayb a third one might lift it in da end!!)so ppl - u r free to submit u're views! Waitin to hear...

(btw he winner of the bet gets to put up anything on the loser's blog's side pane!)

The Best of June

2006-07-01T02:21:00.000-05:00

A month in which I posted every single day... So here goes:

First: A 100 Things About Me! :)

Second: Into HR's Mind

Third: One Paragraph That Explains Life

Special Mention (from May): The Great Google (Proposed) Conspiracy: Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide!

Krrish releases in Muscat Today...

2006-06-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

Rohit (Hrithik Roshan) and Nisha (Preity Zinta) are married and they have a child, Krishna. Rohit supposedly dies in a lab accident in Singapore and Nisha also dies shortly after childbirth at the news of her husband's apparent death. The child starts growing up in his grand mother's care. As he is growing up, he discovers that he has inherited the superpowers that were transferred to his father by the alien Jadoo in the prequel Koi... Mil Gaya, The movie shows how he deals with his powers and to save the world from a the megalomaniac scientist, Dr. Arya, who is on the verge of changing the future forever thanks to an advanced computer that can tell the future, which took only two years to be invented by Rohit. He destroyed the computer when he used it to discover the doctor would betray him but Dr. Arya is able to rebuild the computer but after two decades.

It is discovered that Rohit is still alive, kept in suspended animation by the evil doctor who was his colleauge, as the machine could only have been activated by Rohit's heartbeat and eye scan. At the end of the film, Rohit's grandmother is overjoyed to see her son alive again and Krishna and his lover get together and fall in love. Krishna meets his love interest, Priya, when she visits his land of India from Singapore on a trip. After witnessing his superhuman abilities, she convinces him to travel to Singapore to showcase his abilities to the world. She at first only wishes to use him for publicity and for her career but grows feelings for him after witnessing his courage and selfishness.

Seems like a mixture of Hindi Masala with Superman and Spiderman to me... that reminds me... so does the Superman Returns release today... (tho not in mct) so which one wud u guys prefer - hollywood or bollywood? (As 4 me, I'd 1st better c the Bollywood movie b4 decidin ;))

Status mssgs

2006-06-29T13:28:00.000-05:00

Got this idea of gathering all's MSN status mssgs after seeing Shantanu's mssg - Ek Machar Admi ko hijda bana deta hai ;)

Gloria - emoticon of a suspicious look
Sai - MSN mssnger is 2 hot to handle (lol)
Rohan - The buffallo Theory (no idea wat it means!)
Amita - Go Gal!
Ryan - Red in the rains (red????)
Dyuthi - all music is folk music, u havent heard a horse sing, have u? (Good one!)
Karthik - Chained
Hardik - 2morow Never Dies (lol! a true 007 fan!)
Niveditha - Life's beautiful
Derek - leave being stupid to da politicians (huh?)
Varun A - No mmsg 4 here cz I forget to change it frequently
Misha - Don't let the sunshine outta ure sight!
Osborn - Viva la France
Prima - her blog address
Rishi - f*** West Indies (sheesh!)
& Finally - Me - In my Gtalk, I'm forever vacationing & in MSN its 'Blog Subscription now available'...

btw the quarter finals are gonna b pretty excitin especially Brazil - France! So happy watchin WC!! so long n tc...

Darude Sand Storm

2006-06-29T05:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a reference from Hardik - a song that I checked out after him mentionin it on his blog.... here's the video:

True Googler

2006-06-28T13:56:00.000-05:00

Who me? nah! I had even posted an article a few weeks back claiming google might be conspiring against us.... so why the Google talk? cz Google has launched more new stuff in its race against Microsoft - One of them being Google Spreadsheets, to compete with MS Excel. I tried it out n if you are on ADSL, then it's pretty good!

Here is a screenshot of it:

In case you are using Firefox, try clicking the image above with your mouse's center button to open the enlarged image in a new tab.

Swiss dreams crashed

2006-06-27T00:52:00.000-05:00

It was 5:30 a.m. IST on the misty morning of June 26, 2006. And while the whole city of Mumbai was snugly sleeping or just getting up from their beds, a young teenager rang the temple bell 3 times and fell to the feet of The Lord. He had come to Him with a wish....
The same night his wish was fulfilled. He celebrated by providing a box of sweets to the temple priest and writing a blog article about it... yes, he's none other than a co-blogger - Hardik Ruparel. He starts off his Switzerland's defeat's article with: "Finally my wish came true and the first penalty shootouts of the Fifa World Cup 2006.. Throughout the 90 minutes of the match(Ukraine Vs. Switzerland), and the extra 30 minutes,I was wishing and hoping no one scored.. And then after a long wait, the penalty shootouts arrived... Ukrainian goalie Shovkovskyi wasnt the least bothered as the Swiss hammered the kicks onto the bar or directly at him..." Lol!! And talk of Football craze! Anyway folks - his article was a nice read especially for me who couldn't catch the match yesterday :(

Women Defined

2006-06-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

It was just a joke ppl... no offence!

Unconscious Mutterings - Week 177

2006-06-26T05:31:00.000-05:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

Newspaper :: Times of Oman

Crucify :: Christ

Sausage :: Non-veg

Handy :: Cam

Cloak :: Potter

Drunk :: Beer

Fuel :: Petrol

Caress :: Oryx (DUM DUM DUM)

Itch :: Sting

Vehicle :: Poseidon

Thats it this week.... u can try out the game here.

Gettin into the football spirit...

2006-06-26T05:21:00.000-05:00

Did u c the Portugal-Holland match yesterday?? It was awesome... Hardik goes as far as claiming it "The people of the world are now divided into 2 parts.. the ones who saw the Portugal vs Holland football match, and the ones who didnt... " ;) U can chk out his article on the match on his blog...
Btw here is the schedule for the remaining matches:

MONDAY 26 JUNE

Italy v Australia (2nd round match 5 1600 BST)

Switzerland v Ukraine (2nd round match 6 2000 BST)

TUESDAY 27 JUNE

Brazil v Ghana (2nd round match 7 1600 BST)

Spain v France (2nd round match 8 2000 BST)

FRIDAY 30 JUNE

Germany v Argentina (quarter-final, 1600 BST)

Italy or Australia v Switzerland or Ukraine

SATURDAY 1 JULY

England v Portugal (quarter-final, 1600 BST)

Brazil or Ghana v Spain or France (quarter-final, 2000 BST)

A past time for all those who are bored...

2006-06-25T06:11:00.000-05:00

A little borrowed extention from dyuthi's blog ;) ....

Germany Wins! (No-one's surprised though!)

2006-06-24T12:01:00.000-05:00

Its 8:50 Oman Time and before the next match (Argentina - Mexico) commences, thought I'd make a quick post on the Germany-Sweden match... so here goes a few match titbits:

Podolski scored on just four minutes, driving home the loose ball after Sweden keeper Andreas Isaksson parried.

And Podolski finished smartly after Miroslav Klose's pass on 12 minutes.

Sweden's Teddy Lucic was sent off for a second booking on 35 minutes and their miserable day was complete when Henrik Larsson missed a second-half penalty.

It was an assured display from Germany, who always looked like adding to their lead after gaining the early advantage.

Both sides were still settling down when Podolski's goal sent the home fans at the Allianz Arena into raptures.

Michael Ballack created the opening as he found Klose, who turned his marker but saw the ball pushed away from his feet by Isaksson.

However, Podolski was on hand to slot in via a deflection off Lucic's head.

Larsson had an opportunity to level on eight minutes but shot into the side netting from inside the six-yard box.

He was left to rue his wastefulness four minutes later as Podolski was played in by a delightful pass from Klose before finishing with considerable assurance.

Unsurprisingly, the goals filled Germany with confidence and instilled their play with a real swagger.

Jurgen Klinsmann's side surged forward - Ballack's drive was parried by Isaksson, Bernd Schneider drove wide, Klose's near-post effort was saved and Bastian Schweinsteiger's 30-yarder was brilliantly tipped around the post.

And things got worse for Sweden on 35 minutes as Lucic received a second yellow card after being judged to have tugged Klose's shirt.

Referee Carlos Simon was surrounded by Germany players brandishing imaginary cards - and the Brazilian eventually did what they wanted as he waved the red, receiving a pat on the back from Podolski.

Ironically, Sweden's best passage of play followed.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's shot from a narrow angle was fumbled around the post by Jens Lehmann, while Mattias Jonson beat Lehmann to Larsson's cross only for Phillip Lahm to clear.

After the interval, Sweden were gifted a chance as they were awarded a penalty for an innocuous-looking challenge on Larsson.

The Barcelona player picked himself up, dusted himself down - and blazed way over the bar.

Ballack then shot from 20 yards only for Isaksson to produce another fine save, tipping the ball on to the post.

The pace, unsurprisingly, began to drop in the sweltering heat of Munich and the match lost much of its earlier fluency.

But following Larsson's penalty miss, the Germans never seriously looked like conceding.

Indeed, they looked came close to increasing their lead as Schneider's 85th-minute drive was deflected by Tobias Linderoth on to a post, while substitute Oliver Neuville's shot was blocked.

Onto Facebook

2006-06-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

Hey ppl! I finally got my UT Email ID - It's uren89@mail.utexas.edu...

This also makes me eligible to sign in to Facebook, which is like hi5 for university students!

I have sent friend requests to a couple of ppl I could find, the others can add me by running a search on my name.... Check it out at www.facebook.com...

That's it folks - glad u all liked the previous post... adios 4 nw!

A 100 Things About Me! :)

2006-06-22T08:52:00.001-05:00

Here’s something I have been compiling since a long time:

1. I was born in Mandvi, Gujarat and have never been to my birthplace since then.
2. I was born vegetarian (and thankfully I still am!)
3. I’m a 17 year old Gemini.
4. I literally used to swear by coffee in Grade 12 (esp. during the boards) but have now completely stopped it.
5. I am now swearing by Horlicks ;)
6. I’ve never changed schools – It’s been ISM throughout.
7. I like making salad. Period.
8. I had canaries once – they died when I was 10.
9. No pets since then.
10. I used to love ships till I saw Titanic.
11. I started fearing them after seeing Poseidon ;)
12. I had always wanted to be a doctor, till I learnt you otta cut mice in the bio lab.
13. I enjoy playing the guitar.
14. Even though I can’t … ahem… play it very well.
15. I hate wearing watches.
16. I never leave my house without my cell.
17. 20 years from now I’ll be – forget it! I don’t usually think that far ;)
18. I am currently in the process of being a published author.
19. In other words, I am co-authoring a fiction book. (Can’t say any more!)
20. I’ve spent a winter in Malaysia.
21. I love desserts and starters. Not the main courses.
22. I am looking forward for my 26-hr journey to Austin. (See the Counter above?!)
23. Eating ice-cream runs in my family genes.
24. I get music “periods” i.e. I like English music for a few days and then switch to Hindi and so on…!
25. I am a non-alcoholic.
26. And a non-smoker.
27. I like designing stuff – that’s why I am presently doing internship in an ad designing agency.
28. I love cinnamon buns.
29. I have never shifted my house – it’s on corniche, opposite the sea shore, since my birth.
30. I got a CD player when I was 13.
31. And a cell when I was 12. (Talk of spoiling kids!)
32. I have been to the Himalayas 5 times – all during the summer.
33. In fact, I celebrated my 10th and 12th Birthdays amidst the snow on the mountains.
34. I am not particularly fond of rains. (the mosquitoes, humidity etc. :( )
35. I have read somewhere it rains most of the year at Austin!
36. We order South-Indian lunch every Onam – I love the food.
37. I think Manmohan Singh is the best Prime Minister India could have in the current situation.
38. I love chocolate pastes.
39. A presentation that my friends & I made in 11th became a huge hit. In fact we simply put it up for our 12th grade’s exhibition and it bagged a prize for the 2nd year too! (It was on – Simulations in Astronomy, and the group members in 11th were – Naziya, Neeraj, Gloria, Ammu, Sai and myself.)
40. I like gardening.
41. It’s my dream to be in a jury once, though not when I am super-busy ;)
42. The best book I have read so far is ‘A Runaway Jury’ by John Grisham. (now co-relate this with the above point)
43. People used to tell me I was mature for my age, but actually, I was just quiet.
44. Quiet does not equal mature.
45. I saw Anupam Kher in person at the Mumbai airport in April, 2006 when I was coming back to Muscat. And Aishwarya Rai at the same airport when I had gone for a school trip in 1999.
46. I detest cheese, though not on the pizza!
47. I stayed up to study (simultaneously with my co-author) till 5.30 a.m. two days before the chemistry 12th Board exam and woke up at 8.30 a.m. next morning to start studying again!
48. My longest bath is an hour under the shower.
49. I vowed to join the “save water” campaign since then.
50. I need a black print cartridge every month.
51. And a color one every two months.
52. I am a devout Hindu.
53. I have a childish liking for the blinking lights atop communication towers.
54. I don’t like polishing shoes.
55. Or any such work for that matter ;-)
56. I didn’t believed in Santa Claus and tooth fairies – after age 5 ;)
57. I like reading thrillers – chilling thrillers.
58. I currently am sleeping at 1 a.m. everyday – as soon as the last football match of the day gets over.
59. In fact that’s the only match I watch (the one at 11); others I can’t see due to office and classes.
60. I had applied to 10+ universities. (Sigh!)
61. I started this blog on January 15, 2006 as I was bored studying maths.
62. The Math 2nd prelim paper happened to be the very next day.
63. My guitar is light brown in color.
64. 2 days after we left Srinagar, Kashmir (in summer 2005), the hotel we were staying in was bombed killing 5 tourists.
65. I always thought I was unlucky until the above incident.
66. The movie on top of my to-watch list at present is The DaVinci Code.
67. I no longer play computer games – something that I was addicted to before.
68. Rather, I now blog, write my book, and try out new web-designing stuff online.
69. I think I have dust allergy.
70. The best birthday gift I have ever received is a snow-fight (at 12 a.m.) with my cousins on my 10th birthday.
71. It lasted for 2 hrs and then there was the cake-cutting session.
72. I have active email accounts in all the 3 of the top id providers – Yahoo, Hotmail and Google.
73. I might start a provider myself when I “grow big”! (big dreams, huh? Lol… u’ve heard nothing yet!)
74. I still regret not knowing the main characteristic of the Galilean telescope back in November – because of which we were out of the astronomy quiz at quanta.
75. I consider myself a kind person.
76. But I never mentioned modest, did I?
77. I must have had a zillion headphones till date – they never last long with me...
78. Every time I ask any friend to suggest something to post about – the reply is always the same – Jokes!
79. I don’t maintain diaries.
80. But I do maintain travel logs during vacations and lose them once back home!
81. I don’t generally watch T.V. except these ongoing matches and a bit of news at dinnertime.
82. My best memento till date is the Gokaldas Khimji award I had got in 11th.
83. The next best is the Jawaharlal Nehru Exhibition’s 1st prize. (Though the trophy is a bit rickety!)
84. I have a Mickey-Mouse pen-holder on my table and a Donald duck clock above it!
85. In fact, I’m even considering taking them to Austin ;)
86. I can’t live without my cell phone!! (SE T600)
87. I am currently learning how to make dal, rice n all – against my wishes.
88. Eighty-eight always looked to me like 2 fat ladies! (Look at the point-number!)
89. And 1989 is the year I was born in! (k chill!)
90. I change my brush every 6 months – as per the dental regulatory stuff.
91. Though I forgot to change my last one when it was due, sigh! Now I’ll have to use it for another 6 months ;)
92. I am planning to buy a Dell Inspiron 1505 for college. (It’s a notebook, in case you haven’t heard of Dell.)
93. I miss my friends! (Coz I’m bored ;))
94. My attendance in 12th was 65%.
95. That was due to the preparation time I needed for all my SAT and SAT IIs.
96. I love squash and football, like watching cricket and tennis sometimes, don’t like badminton and detest wrestling (not boxing though).
97. I had tasted chicken once – not voluntarily – but by mistake at McDonald’s.
98. I got spectacles in Grade 4 (with power of 0.5).
99. The idea of writing 100 things about oneself is an old one – probably dating centuries back!
And finally (do I hear a “phew!” from your side?):
100. I reckon I and my co-author would be sitting safely in a Chinese jail during the World War III! (Ask her if you have any questions!)

That’s it! I won’t bug you all anymore! So long until tomorrow!

Trying out New Flash stuff...

2006-06-21T02:04:00.000-05:00

Apart from the flickr stamp in the left pane, here's something more I came across...

A Notepad Tip...

2006-06-20T07:28:00.000-05:00

This is really cool for people who use notepad to write down any info on day to day basis...

In Notepad :

Create a blank text file with .LOG as the first line of the file, followed by a carriage return. Save the file with any .txt extension.
Double-click the file to open it and notice that Notepad appends the current date and time to the end of the file and places the cursor on the line after.

Type your notes and then save and close the file.

Each time you open the file, Notepad repeats the process, appending the time and date to the end of the file and placing the cursor below it.

Hope this helps some of you! (cz it definitely is gr8 4 me n my co-author!!)

Did u see the Subsciption Box?

2006-06-20T02:45:00.000-05:00

There nothing better than visiting LOTM daily yourself.... but what's the next best thing? Reading the posts in your email!! Confused? Well, all you ought to do is enter your email id in the subscription form on the left pane and Voila! That's it! I have also included the copy of the form below just to let you subscribe right here, right now!

Unconscious Mutterings.: Week 176

2006-06-19T05:05:00.000-05:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

Voice :: Loud

Us :: They

Passionately :: Play

Humbly :: Dumbledore (sad one!)

Love songs :: Karan Johar (lol!)

Dim :: Bright

Calendar :: Gregorian (this one came after a while!)

Careless :: Stupid

Block :: Ice

Goal :: Brazil (oops! I tht I was supporting Argentina!)

(If you are wondering what's happening, this is A WEEKLY GAME TO SUPPORT THE RACE FOR THE CURE.)

Sony's PlayStation 3 goes on sale

2006-06-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) has gone on sale on the web despite not being launched until November this year.

The next generation consoles are on offer as "pre-orders" to Europeans for £550 ($1,020) at online shop, play.com.

The website says that because of an expected European shortage, it cannot guarantee delivery before Christmas.

The PS3 is the successor to the best-selling PlayStation 2 and will compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii.

The Xbox 360 is already available, while the Wii is due out later this year.

All three consoles promise cutting edge processing and graphical power.

Higher price

Sony currently dominates the console market with more than 100 million PlayStation 2s in homes around the world.

The electronics giant had originally planned to launch the new console in the spring, but was forced to delay because of technical problems with its high-definition Blu-ray DVD drive.

The PS3 comes in two different models. The basic model has a 20GB hard drive, while the more expensive model comes with a 60GB one.

The lower end model also lacks wi-fi, a slot for memory cards and a HDMI port for high-definition programmes.

The model for sale on play.com is the 60Gb model.

When Sony announced prices earlier this year it said that gamers would pay about £425 ($785) in the UK for the top end version of the machine.

play.com is also offering three games in its package. Driving simulator Formula One 06, flying game Warhawk and the karaoke-themed Singstar.

The website says the games shipped with the console may change due to availability.

Gamers will have to wait until later in the year to buy a console in the shops.

Japanese gamers will be the first to get their hands on the PS3 on 11 November while the console will arrive in the US and Europe on 17 November.

Italy Vs USA - Tonight!

2006-06-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

Don't miss it.
If the U.S. can forget the nightmare that is the Czech Republic, they might realize that they still have a chance to advence. They can beat Italy. The need to believe that, because it is true. But, they don't have to beat them. A tie gets them one point. Then if they beat Ghana, they can advance, with a little luck called goal differential. We'll see. The U.S. could certainly use a dose of self-respect right now.

Btw Here r 4 teams whom I think will be solely prominent till the end:

brasil
germany
england
argentina

Nothing else other than them has mattered, is mattering and will matter!

So hardik n ppl like him stop worrying! (if u r thinking, why on the earth then am I bothered abt US n Italy, well cz I'm goin to US duhs!)

12 A Class video

2006-06-17T05:52:00.000-05:00

A hilarious video of how every1's sleepin in an ongoing physics class... reminds me of those good lod days... sigh!

anyway : here it is... (it's around 3mb so hav patience!)

Courtesy Rishi Dhar and since it was shot by him, therez no disclaimer today cz he cant sue himself, can he?

btw did u argentina's 6 goal's yesterday? I wonder if they'll hold the World Cup this year...

Also, I was trying out Chup Chup Ke's songs yesterday and a particular Song - Tumhi Se, is strikingly similar (i.e. copied from) an older song but i cant remember which right now... tell me if u can. U can download Tumhi Se here btw.

If you havent voted for the Top Bar Poll, please do so here.

You are in Heaven

2006-06-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

Rob kissed his wife, crawled into bed and fell asleep. All of a
Sudden, he woke up to find an elderly man dressed in a white robe
Standing at the foot of his bed.

" What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?... And who are you?"
He asked.

" This is not your bedroom," the man replied, " I am St. Peter, and
You are in heaven."

" WHAT! Are you saying I'm dead? I don't want to die! I'm too
Young," said Rob. "I want you to send me back immediately."

" It's not that easy", said St.Peter. " You can only return as a
Dog or a hen. The choice is yours."

Rob thought about it for a while, and figured that being a dog is
Too tiring, but a hen probably has a nice and relaxed life.

" I want to return as a hen."

And in the next second, he found himself in a chicken run, really
Nicely feathered. But now he felt like his rear end was gonna
Blow. Then along came another hen.

" Hey, you must be the new hen St. Pe! Ter told me about," she said.
" How do you like being a hen?"

" Well, OK I guess, but it feels like my ass is about to explode."

" Oh that!" said the other hen. " That's only the ovulation going
On. You need to lay an egg."

" How do I do that?" Rob asked.

" Cluck twice, and then push all you can."

Rob clucked twice and pushed more than he was good for, and then
' plop' an egg was on the ground.

" Wow" Rob said, " That felt really good!"

So he clucked again and squeezed. And you better believe that
There was another egg on the ground.

The third time he clucked, he heard his wife shout:

" Rob, for Christ's sake! Wake up! You're shittin' all over the
Bed!"

Unconscious Mutterings... Week 175...

2006-06-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

Band :: Aid

Tan :: Sun

Mount :: Everest

Arcade :: Cards

Customize :: option

Hamburger :: McDonald's

Solid :: Liquid

Forbidden :: Voldermort

Deter :: Deviate

Torment :: Torture

(If you are wondering what's happening, this is A WEEKLY GAME TO SUPPORT THE RACE FOR THE CURE.)

My Favourite song (when I was a Kid!)

2006-06-15T08:18:00.000-05:00

Hakuna Matata!! Have a look at the video (from Lion King)...

Golden Oldies

2006-06-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

Few jokes which are not be taken seriously. If they amuses you, fine. If not, you may have lost your sense of humour.

What is the thinnest book in the world?
"What men know about women."

Single women claim that all the good men are married, while all married women complain about their lousy husbands. This confirms that there is no such thing as a good man.

Your mama is so fat, when she bends over we go into daylight savings time.

What is the difference between a battery and a woman? A battery has a positive side.

Why are husbands like lawn mowers? They're hard to get started, emit foul odors, and don't work half the time.

Why are men like popcorn? They satisfy you, but only for a little while.

Why do men chase women they have no intention of marrying? For the same reason dogs chase cars they have no intention of driving.

At the cocktail party, one woman said to another, "aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?" The other replied, "Yes I am, I married the wrong man."

Your mama is so poor, she can't even afford to pay attention.

What is the difference between God and a social worker? God doesn't pretend to be a social worker.

A wealthy man came home from a gambling trip and told his wife that he had lost their entire fortune and that they'd have to drastically alter their life-style. "If you'll just learn to cook," he said, "we can fire the chef." "Okay," she said. "And if you learn how to make love, we can fire the gardener."

What's your opinion?

2006-06-15T03:04:00.000-05:00

The Blogger Bar

Do you think the Blue Blogger Bar right on top is useful or attractive? Or should I do away with it for good?

	Get rid of it at once!
	Don't - It is useful to search your blog articles
	Don't - It is useful to navigate to ther blogs
	Don't - It simply looks good
	It doesn't really matter, does it?

Current Results

Btw, the blog completes a full 5 months today... a big thanks to all its readers!

And Another One!

2006-06-14T07:17:00.000-05:00

Yes, another blog from another ex-12 A student! sheesh! We guys have set a record for our batch.

The New blog is of Prima Arhana at http://justprima.blogspot.com.

Here's a screenshot:

Great Effort Prima! (Btw Chk out the updated links on the left pane...)

Into HR's Mind

2006-06-12T08:04:00.000-05:00

Here he is... The one who changed our English chapters names in the Prelims, whose blog's latest video made waves and who's salute to ISM teacher's moved them all ... Hardik Ruparel!!
A LOTM exclusive interview (caught on-air and off-air) ;) the convo starts somewhere in btw b4 i ask him 4 an interview! Enjoy! (btw all emoticons hav come as blanks.. sry!)

Uren Dhanani: it might take time.. did u enter ur email there? if not my comment is lost forever
Hardik Ruparel: where ?
Uren Dhanani: in the sands of time, it might get recovered
Hardik Ruparel: shit
Hardik Ruparel: i didnt enter
Uren Dhanani: and species with IQs higher than ours will figure it out
Hardik Ruparel: email address
Uren Dhanani: u know y?
Hardik Ruparel: plz post again after 5 mins
Uren Dhanani: cz our world runs on only one principle
Uren Dhanani: that is:
uren1989: When your IQ reaches 50, you should sell!
Hardik Ruparel: yea just refresh and post
Uren Dhanani: hmm ok i'll recomment
Hardik Ruparel: plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Uren Dhanani: btw hardik i need to take ur interview
Uren Dhanani: u free now?
Hardik Ruparel: yea
Uren Dhanani: cool
Hardik Ruparel: cousins not in room//hmph, as if we r talkin of gfs here
Uren Dhanani: so 3...2..1...
Uren Dhanani: ur on air...//hehe much longer than u think mister... observe the change in his voice now
Hardik Ruparel: huh
Uren Dhanani: how r u today?
Hardik Ruparel: as always
Uren Dhanani: i c
Uren Dhanani: gr8
Uren Dhanani: so what r ur plans nxt?
Hardik Ruparel: university bachelors in engg
Uren Dhanani: aha big plans hmm? anyway i was talkin abt in the nxt few days
Uren Dhanani: like a trip or so?
Hardik Ruparel: where u wanna go ?//lol..this guy is comic
Uren Dhanani: hmph
Uren Dhanani: cut cut cut//this is the funniest part
Hardik Ruparel: huh ?
Uren Dhanani: when did i say i want to go somewhere
Hardik Ruparel:
Hardik Ruparel: u sed trip
Uren Dhanani: its where u plannin to go?
Hardik Ruparel: oh,,
Hardik Ruparel: ok.. suratkal
Uren Dhanani: anyway lets get on air again... 3... 2....1....//for him tho, not us ;)
Hardik Ruparel: haha
Uren Dhanani: so its suratkal for u then?
Hardik Ruparel: u make me lugh
Hardik Ruparel: laugh
Uren Dhanani: i c
Hardik Ruparel: hahahahaha
Hardik Ruparel: yea suratkal
Uren Dhanani: tell me about ur life at ism
Hardik Ruparel: well.. i was dere from 4th- 7th and from 10th- 12th
Hardik Ruparel: n i luv de skool
Uren Dhanani: ok
Uren Dhanani: and wat abt the gap yr?
Hardik Ruparel: in Raymonds School 8th - 9th
Uren Dhanani: it is rumoured that your blog's first post was on ISM's teachers. Y?
Hardik Ruparel: Yes,, coz i couldnt communicate to them in real time
Hardik Ruparel: and i requestd one Uren Dhanani to pass them the msg
Hardik Ruparel: but i guess he didnt
Uren Dhanani: interesting
Uren Dhanani: moving on...
Hardik Ruparel: i ws answerin ur prev qs duh
Uren Dhanani: oh
Uren Dhanani: could u pls answer the next one then, Mr. Ruparel?
Hardik Ruparel: wat is this ,,, a speed of light interview
Hardik Ruparel: i m utterly dis satisfied
Uren Dhanani: I'm sorry, it just the difference in our typing speeds
Hardik Ruparel: hold on.. im on call with my lawyer
Uren Dhanani: dissatisfied of what?
Hardik Ruparel:
Hardik Ruparel: hahahaha.. ok ... get back dude
Uren Dhanani: i beg ur pardon? U appointed meenakshi as ur lawyer already?
Hardik Ruparel: yea shes my future lawyer and promised me help any time i need
Uren Dhanani: hmph...
Uren Dhanani: very well
Hardik Ruparel:
Uren Dhanani: moving on... wat are ur ambitions in life?
Hardik Ruparel: to be a successful IT pro
Uren Dhanani: and where do you aspire to work?
Hardik Ruparel: did i spell it rite ?//dum dum dum
Hardik Ruparel: successful
Uren Dhanani: pls move on
Hardik Ruparel: oh... ok
Hardik Ruparel: yea.. work in any MNC
Uren Dhanani: umm ok whatever that means
Hardik Ruparel: or if poss. in msucat
Hardik Ruparel: Multi- National Company
Hardik Ruparel: its used in India
Uren Dhanani: so how has ISM helped to guide you in ur path to success?
Hardik Ruparel: yes the teachers were very inspirin
Uren Dhanani: and how much of ur success do u attribute to which all of ur teachers?
Hardik Ruparel: 101 %
Uren Dhanani: to...?
Hardik Ruparel: without them we wouldnt have done well in boards
Uren Dhanani: Ms. Nayar?
Hardik Ruparel: seriously.. uren
Uren Dhanani: hmmm?
Hardik Ruparel: yea Mrs. Sudha was very helpful in givin all sorts of xtra practise
Uren Dhanani: I see
Hardik Ruparel: for wich i skipped school and tuitions//even i dont know wats this
Uren Dhanani: so what kind of music do you prefer?
Hardik Ruparel: if any 1 didnt know
Uren Dhanani: and how much TV do you watch daily?
Hardik Ruparel: music,,, favs are linkin park, eminem, flipsyde..
Uren Dhanani: and what do you do online?
Hardik Ruparel: arrey let me ans v 1st
Uren Dhanani: Oops, what do you surf online?
Hardik Ruparel: tv* 1st
Uren Dhanani: ok go on
Uren Dhanani: pls b quick
Hardik Ruparel: yeaa tv watchin has gone up due to world cup fever
Hardik Ruparel: and online i spend tryin to get ideas for my blog
Hardik Ruparel: and add ons
Uren Dhanani: so you are pushing on the blame to FIFA organizers
BUZZ!!!
Hardik Ruparel: not blame.. a thanks
Uren Dhanani: I see
Uren Dhanani: so you admit at present, FIFA and your blog are centre points of your entertaiment?
Hardik Ruparel: hey... hav u put on that chat logging ?
BUZZ!!!
Uren Dhanani: could you please answer the qustions instead of asking new ones?
Uren Dhanani: so you admit at present, FIFA and your blog are centre points of your entertaiment?
Hardik Ruparel: ok... ya mostly they are
Uren Dhanani: good
Hardik Ruparel: not entertainment
Uren Dhanani: have you ever considered suing FIFA for that?
Hardik Ruparel: tv and computer usage
Uren Dhanani: moving on
Hardik Ruparel: better
BUZZ!!!
Uren Dhanani: what food do you prefer?
Hardik Ruparel: how long is thiis
Hardik Ruparel: i prefer punjabi,italian,south indian,mexican
BUZZ!!!
Uren Dhanani: i suppose you are learning driving now right?
Hardik Ruparel: yes... 5 classes still left
Uren Dhanani: what compelled you to do so?
Hardik Ruparel: my interest
Uren Dhanani: hmmm
Uren Dhanani: and drums?
Hardik Ruparel: all classes have close 4 summer
Uren Dhanani: where u mortified to learn them?
Hardik Ruparel: closed
Uren Dhanani: i see
Uren Dhanani: so u resigned to television?
Hardik Ruparel: hey .. u didnt post ?
Uren Dhanani: Y? in the name of the holy cross Y??
Hardik Ruparel: plzzz uren post na
Uren Dhanani: what did i not post?
Hardik Ruparel: comment
Uren Dhanani: hmph
Uren Dhanani: u r on air now
Hardik Ruparel: no i m sittin on my chair//he thinks he is funny
Uren Dhanani: so wat r ur other hobbies?//too funny*
Hardik Ruparel: HAHAHAHAHAHA
Hardik Ruparel:
Uren Dhanani: i repeat
Uren Dhanani: wat r ur other hobbies?
Hardik Ruparel: listenin music, playin cricket,football,pool
Uren Dhanani: how do you expect college life to be?
Hardik Ruparel: hangin out wit cousins
Hardik Ruparel: im not expectin anythin
Uren Dhanani: are you nervous on the whole?
Uren Dhanani: y no expectations?
Hardik Ruparel: no m not nervous
Hardik Ruparel: no expectations coz
Hardik Ruparel: unlike u
Hardik Ruparel: i dunno where im goin
Uren Dhanani: what about the ragging situation, that our friend, Sai Narayan, has highlighted? how will you tackle it?
Hardik Ruparel: where has he highlighted ?
Uren Dhanani: on his blog
Hardik Ruparel: i dont visit his blog
Uren Dhanani: thats a gr8 start
Hardik Ruparel: only urs
Hardik Ruparel: and mine
Uren Dhanani: i see
Hardik Ruparel: sometimes dyuts'
Uren Dhanani: hmmm....
Uren Dhanani: wat else wud u like to tell the readers?
Hardik Ruparel: which readers ?// there... he didnt know it was an *official* interview... sigh!
Hardik Ruparel: therez no one else
Uren Dhanani: my blog readers who will read ur interview
Hardik Ruparel: huh ??
Uren Dhanani: pls b quick, Mr. Ruparel
Hardik Ruparel: haha
Hardik Ruparel: ok
Uren Dhanani: time's running out
Hardik Ruparel: nothin much,
Hardik Ruparel: just tc
Hardik Ruparel: and do ur best
Uren Dhanani: gr8 speech "tc and do ur best"
Hardik Ruparel: and if u want ambigrams of ur name made
Uren Dhanani: they'd like to hear more
Uren Dhanani: ohhh
Hardik Ruparel: just request me
Uren Dhanani: yup ambigrams... i was informed they are never delivered though
Hardik Ruparel: thats my latest hobby.. which i 4got to mention
BUZZ!!!
Uren Dhanani: you havent made dyu's right? she asked you months ago
Hardik Ruparel: YES I DID
Uren Dhanani: pls make one for me then
Uren Dhanani: i'll post it up as your contribution
Hardik Ruparel: i dont have scanner
Uren Dhanani: would you like to go off air now?
Uren Dhanani: scan it in a cafe then
Hardik Ruparel: so im just hopin i meet dyu at suratkal
Uren Dhanani: 3...2...1.... // now you'll see the REAL Hardik ;)
Uren Dhanani: u r off air
BUZZ!!!
Hardik Ruparel: phew
Hardik Ruparel: seriously u gonna post it ?//wat did he spill? ;)
Uren Dhanani: she's goin to singapore btw
Uren Dhanani: yup very much
Hardik Ruparel: yah ??
Hardik Ruparel: where??
Hardik Ruparel: which college?
Uren Dhanani: same as ur collg i guess
Uren Dhanani: so u can give her mine and yours, and she'll scan and give me mine
Hardik Ruparel: but results are out only in june end
Uren Dhanani: well i know
Uren Dhanani: thts wat she's waitin 4
Hardik Ruparel: yeah, even me
Uren Dhanani: very well
Hardik Ruparel: im just prayin i get there
Uren Dhanani: so long young one....
Hardik Ruparel: u goin >
Uren Dhanani: hope u two get in
Hardik Ruparel: ?
Uren Dhanani: well goin to post now
BUZZ!!!
Uren Dhanani:
Hardik Ruparel: ya ya lemme c

thats it guys... not very informative but pretty entertaining....
so long... (I'll upload all my dxb pics soon)... Happy FIFA Hols till then!

Dubai Updates

2006-06-11T01:26:00.000-05:00

Will post in detail tomorrow but in a hurry now (to sleep) so uploading just a few pics...
(btw i visit dubai every 6 mnths but this was the best trip so far...)

The New Priest

2006-06-07T02:13:00.000-05:00

A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak.
After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done.
The monsignor replied, " When I am worried about getting nervous at the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip."
So next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice.
At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm.

Upon his return to his office after the mass, he found the following note on the door:

1. Sip the vodka, don't gulp.
2. There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3. There are 12 disciples, not 10.
4. Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.
5. Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass.
6. We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C.
7. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as Daddy,Junior and the spook.
8. David slew Goliath, he did not kick the sh*t out of him.
9. When David was hit by a rock and was knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass.
10. We do not refer to the cross as the "Big T."
11. When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper he said, "take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say " Eat me".
12. The Virgin Mary is not called " Mary with the Cherry".
13. The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, Yeah God.
14. Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St. Peter's not a peter pulling contest at St. Taffy's.

One Paragraph That Explains Life

2006-06-06T00:42:00.000-05:00

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying
of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received
during a heart surgery in 1983. From world over, he
received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:
"Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?

To this Arthur Ashe replied: The world over --
50,000,000 children start playing tennis, 5,000,000
learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional
tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the
grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to
the finals, When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD
"Why me?". And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

I guess the moral is always count your blessings. There are many worse off
than us!

(Thanks to Sai's brother Sriram for spreaing around this great message.)

World Environment Day 2006

2006-06-04T23:34:00.000-05:00

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The World Environment Day theme selected for 2006 is Deserts and Desertification and the slogan is Don't Desert Drylands! The slogan emphasizes the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40% of the planet’s surface. This ecosystem is home to one-third of the world’s people who are more vulnerable members of society.The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2006 will be held in Algeria. UNEP is honoured that the City of Algiers will be hosting this United Nations day. The Official Program - Algiers - 4 June and 5 June in French [ Photo Gallery ]

The day's agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. World Environment Day is a people's event with colourful activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essays and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, as well as recycling and clean-up campaigns.

When did it all begin?

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP.

How can you celebrate World Environment Day?

The World Environment Day Alphabet - 77 Ways to Celebrate
World Environment Day can be celebrated in many ways, including street rallies, bicycles parades, green concerts, essay and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, recycling efforts, clean-up campaigns and much more. In many countries, this annual event is used to enhance political attention and action.

Heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Environment deliver statements and commit themselves to care for the Earth. More serious pledges are made which lead to the establishment of permanent governmental structures dealing with environmental management and economic planning. This observance also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions.

On this World Environment Day, let us examine the state of our environment. Let us consider carefully the actions which each of us must take, and then address ourselves to our common task of preserving all life on earth in a mood of sober resolution and quiet confidence.

R All Time Favorite: Saddu Jokes...

2006-06-04T05:40:00.000-05:00

I bcm 17 today, so 17*2=34+2=36 no. of jokes!.... (ummm.... y am i doing this calculation? bara bajein hein kya?? ;))

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING WERE NOT WRITTEN BY ME.

1
Sardar: I hav'nt slept all nite in the train.
Friend: Y?
Sardar: Got upper berth.
Friend: Y did'nt u Xchnged?
Sardar: oye, there was nobody 2 Xchng in the lower Berth..

2
Sardar tells a girl "Come 2 my house at night, nobody
Will b there.............
Girl goes at night & really nobody was there

3
A SARDAR went 2 a BANK to open a S.B. A/C.
After seeing the Form He had gone to DELHI for
Filling up. U knows y?
FORM said " FILL UP IN CAPITAL ".

4
A sardar invested 2 Lakhs in a business and Suffered
huge Loss.
Do u know what the business was? . . . . .
He opened a Saloon in Punjab!.

5
A Teacher lecturing on population - In India after
Every 10 sec a women gives birth to a kid.
A Sardar stands up- we must find & stop her!.

6
Sardar-why r all these people running?
Man- This is a race, the winner will get the cup.
Sardar-If only the winner will get the cup, why r
others running?

7
Sardar had twins; he named them Tin Martin.
Again had twins & named Peter & Repeater.
again twins & named Max & Climax.
Again d same. disgusted Sardar named them
TIRED&RETIRED!

8
19 SARDARS WENT 4A FILM.ON ASKING THEM Y THEY CAME
IN A BIG GROUP OF 19? THEY REPLIED THAT THE FILM WAS
ONLY FOR ABOVE 18...

9
A sardharji photographer focusing a dead body's face
in a funeral function, suddenly all relatives beat
him why?
He said "SMILE PLEASE"

10
Teacher: "I killed a person" convert this sentence
into future tense.
Sardar: The future tense is "u will go to jail".

11
Srdr gets ready ,wears tie, coat ,goes out, climbs
tree, sits on the branch regularly. A man asks why
he does this.
Srdr:"I've been promoted as branch manager."

12
Sardarji standing below a tube light with a open
mouth................. WHY?
because his doctor advised him "Todays dinner should be light"_-=

13
Sardarji was filling up application form for a job.
He was not sure as to what to be filled in column "Salary Expected".
After much thought he wrote : Yes!

14
SARDAR & FAMILY GO 2 A PARTY.

HE INTRODUCES HIMSELF
- I SARDAR, SHE SARDARNEE,
THE BOY MY KID & THE GIRL MY KIDNEY....

15
One sardarji professor asked a plumber to come to
his college.
U knw Why?
Because he wanted to check where the question paper is leaking...

16
Sardar told his servant: Go and water the plants.
Servant: It"s already raining.
Sardar: So what take an umbrella and go.

17
Santa! Your daughter has died!
Depressed, Sardar jumps from 100th floor
At 50th floor he remembers I don't have a daughter!
At 25flr:I'm unmarried!
At 10flr:I'm Banta not santa

18
ON A ROMANTIC DATE SARDARS GIRL FRIEND ASKS
HIM,DARLING ON OUR ENGAGEMENT WILL U GIVE ME A RING?
HE SAID YA SURE WHATS YOUR PHONE NUMBER

19
Sardar found the answer to the most difficult
question ever - What will come first, Chicken or
egg?
O Yaar, what ever u order first will come first.

20
A dog was chasing a Sardar and the Sardar was
laughing.
A bystander: why are u laughing?
Sardar: I have a Air cell phone but still hutch
network is following me.

21
Sardar wins 20 cr from Rs. 20 lottery ticket.
Dealer gave 11 cr after deducting tax.
Angry Sardar: "Give me 20 cr or else return my 20 Rs
back.!

22
A teacher told all students in a class to write an
essay on a cricket match.
All were busy writing except one Sardarji.He wrote
"DUE TO RAIN, NO MATCH!"

23
Postman:- I Have To Come 5 Miles To Deliver U This
Packet Sardar:- why did u come so far. Instead u
could have posted it....

24
What does a sardar do after taking a xerox?
He will compare it with the original for any
spelling mistakes.

25
Sardar proposed a Girl......Girl said 'I'm 1yr elder
to you'...........
Sardar said 'Oye No Problem Soniye,I'll marry you
NEXT YEAR.

26
WHY CANT SARDARS DIAL NINE-ELEVEN (911) AT
EMERGENCY?
** THEY CAN NOT FIND THE ELEVEN ON THE PHONE.

27
Sardar & his wife buy coffee in a shop.
Sardar says... Drink quickly......
Wife asks why...
sardar says hot coffee Rs5 and cold coffee Rs10

28

A Sardar & his wife filed an application 4 Divorce.
Judge asked: How'll U divide, U"VE 3 children?
Sardar replied: Ok! We"ll
apply NEXT YEAR

29
Sardar's wish :when i die,i wana die lik my grandpa
who died peacefuly in his sleep not screamin like
all d passengers in d car he was driving..

30
Sardar at an Art Gallery: I suppose this horrible
looking thing is what you call modern art ?
Art dealer: I beg your pardon sir, thats a mirror!

32
Sardar was writing something very slowly.
Friend asked:" Why r u writing so slowly?
Sardar: "I'm writing 2 my 6 yr old son, he can't
read very fast.

33
Sardar news: A 2 seater plane crashed in a graveyard
in Punjab . Local sardars have so far found 500
bodies and are still digging for more..

34
A man asked sardarji, why Manmohan singh goes
walking at evening not in the morning. Sardarji
replied "Arey bhai Manmohan is PM not AM".

35
Sardar visits Chinese friend dying in hospital. Man
says CHIN YU YAN n dies.
Srdr goes2 china 2 find meaning of friends last
words.
It is 'U R STANDNG ON OXYGEN TUBE!"

36
Sardarji was standing in front of the mirror with
his eyes closed.
His wife asked what you are doing ?
He said-im seeing how i look while sleeping.

It's Celebration Time!

2006-06-03T03:29:00.000-05:00

Nope, I am not talking about my birthday (which happens to be 12 hours later). This cake is for the blog - since this post is my 100th post! A very special Thank You to all the readers for their support and co-operation throughout. Keep tuned to The Life of The Mind!

Images that'll Boggle your mind

2006-06-02T14:40:00.000-05:00

Its time to vacation on Islands!!

2006-06-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

Here it is - a small experiment, a small flash game!! Wait for it to load completely and travel into the world of Seas and Islands!!

Btw its very silly... so don't blame me if u find yourself cursing it ;)

The Best of May

2006-06-01T03:27:00.000-05:00

Here's the Best of May (quite a tough competition cz I posted almost every day last month!)

Here it is:

First: Rang De Basanti in Delhi

Second: The Great Google (Proposed) Conspiracy: Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide!

Third: Nikita's wonder"fool" Contribution

So farewell to another month (yipee! 1 month closer to Austin!) & Yea, as the days are advancing, so is my Co-Authored Unnamed Book! Sigh... we are hoping to finish it by August.... ;)

BOL guys - All going to Indian Colleges: June's your last moth of hols! So make sure u have fun!

The Mind Game (X=Y+78-U*T^5....)

2006-06-01T01:09:00.000-05:00

Try this - U'll be surprised programs are now predicting stuff (as if we hav a shortage of astrologers in India ;))

Here's a ming game in which u hav to.... hang on, check it out urself - U just hav to click on the link below:

The Mind Game

Moreover, I apologize for the previous post. Didn't mean any offence to anyone....

Disclaimer: This Flash video was contributed by and hosted on Rishi Dhar's behalf who is solely responsible for its contents. It was hosted here for Entertainment Purposes only. Any lawsuit filings or miscellaneous charges should be directed onto Rishi Dhar alone. The Life of The Mind is not liable to the author or the readers on any account of loss or damage to life, property, convictions or whatsoever in reference to the article.
Please also review the Right To Information Act, 2005 passed by The Government of India.

This time.....Rishi's Contribution....

2006-05-29T02:50:00.000-05:00

U gotta c this one (hahaha)..... Its halarious (I'm still laughing after seein it.... ;))
Its an ".swf" file and u could either view it directly in Internet Explorer / Any other browser or you could first download it onto your c: or d: and then view it... (btw, swf means a Flash File)... so guys, turn on ur speakers to full volume, Here It Is: The Training Handbook

Link Delinked due to Public Demand. My sincere apologies to all those who got Offended.

Disclaimer: As the Heading as clearly notified you, this Flash video was hosted on Rishi Dhar's behalf who is solely responsible for its contents. It was hosted here for Entertainment Purposes only. Any lawsuit filings or miscellaneous charges should be directed onto Rishi Dhar alone. The Life of The Mind is not liable to the author or the readers on any account of loss or damage to life, property, convictions or whatsoever in reference to the article.
Please also review the Right To Information Act, 2005 passed by The Government of India.

He's Back - Wid a Bang!

2006-05-28T03:05:00.000-05:00

Guess who's back! (nope... i'm not listening to Eminem...) Hardik Ruperal... & before you ask where did he go in the 1st place, well, I am talkin about the Blogging World!
Nope, its not a brand new blog --- its the recovery of his old one: The Place To Be!

And he starts off again with a dynamic post thanking all teachers for their efforts in view of the board results. (WoW! How come I don't come up with such ideas?? How come??) So guys, after you finish scanning my entire blog from pole to pole (I've caught the Football Fever!), it wouldn't hurt to view his blog, would it? & yea, tell any teacher you know about his article too.... its solely to thank them.

Cartoons for a change....

2006-05-27T13:02:00.000-05:00

The World Cup Timetable Is Here!!

2006-05-26T14:50:00.000-05:00


Date	Kick Off (GMT)	Teams	Venue	Info
64 games listed.
Fri 09/06/06	5:00PM	Germany v Costa Rica	Munich	Group A Match
Fri 09/06/06	8:00PM	Poland v Ecuador	Gelsenkirchen	Group A Match
Sat 10/06/06	2:00PM	England v Paraguay	Frankfurt	Group B Match
Sat 10/06/06	5:00PM	Trinidad v Sweden	Dortmund	Group B Match
Sat 10/06/06	8:00PM	Argentina v Ivory Coast	Hamburg	Group C Match
Sun 11/06/06	2:00PM	Serbia v Netherlands	Leipzig	Group C Match
Sun 11/06/06	5:00PM	Mexico v Iran	Nuremburg	Group D Match
Sun 11/06/06	8:00PM	Angola v Portugal	Cologne	Group D Match
Mon 12/06/06	2:00PM	Australia v Japan	Kaiserslauten	Group F Match
Mon 12/06/06	5:00PM	USA v Czech Rep	Gelsenkirchen	Group E Match
Mon 12/06/06	8:00PM	Italy v Ghana	Hanover	Group E Match
Tue 13/06/06	2:00PM	South Korea v Togo	Frankfurt	Group G Match
Tue 13/06/06	5:00PM	France v Switzerland	Stuttgart	Group G Match
Tue 13/06/06	8:00PM	Brazil v Croatia	Berlin	Group F Match
Wed 14/06/06	2:00PM	Spain v Ukraine	Leipzig	Group H Match
Wed 14/06/06	5:00PM	Tunisia v Saudi Arabia	Munich	Group H Match
Wed 14/06/06	8:00PM	Germany v Poland	Dortmund	Group A Match
Thu 15/06/06	2:00PM	Ecuador v Costa Rica	Hamburg	Group A Match
Thu 15/06/06	5:00PM	England v Trinidad	Nuremburg	Group B Match
Thu 15/06/06	8:00PM	Sweden v Paraguay	Berlin	Group B Match
Fri 16/06/06	2:00PM	Argentina v Serbia	Gelsenkirchen	Group C Match
Fri 16/06/06	5:00PM	Netherlands v Ivory Coast	Stuttgart	Group C Match
Fri 16/06/06	8:00PM	Mexico v Angola	Hanover	Group D Match
Sat 17/06/06	2:00PM	Portugal v Iran	Frankfurt	Group D Match
Sat 17/06/06	5:00PM	Czech Rep v Ghana	Cologne	Group E Match
Sat 17/06/06	8:00PM	Italy v USA	Kaiserslauten	Group E Match
Sun 18/06/06	5:00PM	Brazil v Australia	Munich	Group F Match
Sun 18/06/06	5:00PM	Japan v Croatia	Nuremburg	Group F Match
Sun 18/06/06	8:00PM	France v South Korea	Leipzig	Group G Match
Mon 19/06/06	2:00PM	Togo v Switzerland	Dortmund	Group G Match
Mon 19/06/06	5:00PM	Saudia Arabia v Ukraine	Hamburg	Group H Match
Mon 19/06/06	8:00PM	Spain v Tunisia	Stuttgart	Group H Match
Tue 20/06/06	3:00PM	Ecuador v Germany	Berlin	Group A Match
Tue 20/06/06	3:00PM	Costa Rica v Poland	Hanover	Group A Match
Tue 20/06/06	8:00PM	Sweden v England	Cologne	Group B Match
Tue 20/06/06	8:00PM	Paraguay v Trinidad	Kaiserslauten	Group B Match
Wed 21/06/06	3:00PM	Portugal v Mexico	Gelsenkirchen	Group D Match
Wed 21/06/06	3:00PM	Iran v Angola	Leipzig	Group D Match
Wed 21/06/06	8:00PM	Netherlands v Argentina	Frankfurt	Group C Match
Wed 21/06/06	8:00PM	Ivory Coast v Serbia	Munich	Group C Match
Thu 22/06/06	3:00PM	Czech Rep v Italy	Hamburg	Group E Match
Thu 22/06/06	3:00PM	Ghana v USA	Nuremburg	Group E Match
Thu 22/06/06	8:00PM	Japan v Brazil	Dortmund	Group F Match
Thu 22/06/06	8:00PM	Croatia v Australia	Stuttgart	Group F Match
Fri 23/06/06	3:00PM	Saudia Arabia v Spain	Kaiserslauten	Group H Match
Fri 23/06/06	3:00PM	Ukraine v Tunisia	Berlin	Group H Match
Fri 23/06/06	8:00PM	Togo v France	Cologne	Group G Match
Fri 23/06/06	8:00PM	Switzerland v South Korea	Hanover	Group G Match
Sat 24/06/06	3:00PM	Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B	Munich	Second Round
Sat 24/06/06	7:00PM	Winner Group C v Runner-up Group D	Leipzig	Second Round
Sun 25/06/06	3:00PM	Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A	Stuttgart	Second Round
Sun 25/06/06	7:00PM	Winner Group D v Runner-up Group C	Nuremberg	Second Round
Mon 26/06/06	3:00PM	Winner Group E v Runner-up Group F	Kaiserslautern	Second Round
Mon 26/06/06	7:00PM	Winner Group G v Runner-up Group H	Cologne	Second Round
Tue 27/06/06	3:00PM	Winner Group F v Runner-up Group E	Dortmund	Second Round
Tue 27/06/06	7:00PM	Winner Group H v Runner-up Group G	Hanover	Second Round
Fri 30/06/06	3:00PM	Winner Game One v Winner Game Two	Berlin	Quarter Final
Fri 30/06/06	7:00PM	Winner Game Five v Winner Game Six	Hamburg	Quarter Final
Sat 01/07/06	3:00PM	Winner Game Three v Winner Game Four	Gelsenkirchen	Quarter Final
Sat 01/07/06	7:00PM	Winner Game Seven v Winner Game Eight	Frankfurt	Quarter Final
Tue 04/07/06	7:00PM	Winner Quarter-Final One v Winner Quarter-Final Two	Dortmund	Semi-Final
Wed 05/07/06	7:00PM	Winner Quarter-Final Three v Winner Quarter-Final Four	Munich	Semi-Final
Sat 08/07/06	7:00PM	Loser Semi-Final One v Loser Semi-Final Two	Stuttgart	Third Place
Sun 09/07/06	6:00PM	Winner Semi-Final One v Winner Semi-Final Two	Berlin	Final

The Life of The Mind will be, as expected, giving full coverage of the World Cup 2006! (Just can't wait for it to start!!)... So keep tuned guys!

Rang De Basanti in Delhi

2006-05-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

Police not protecting them... only reason.. they asked for a life with Equality...

They can remember those books which said "Right to Speech"...

They can remember those books which said "Right of Equality"..

Some of the most intelligent students in India....

On an HUNGER STRIKE for 96 hours... 125 collapsed...

Class rooms sold for the votes...

Media prohibited from covering...

No Political Parties are on a verge of speech

Lets give a hand to all the students, we can make a revolution...

Discard The Rumours....

2006-05-24T05:43:00.000-05:00

Hi folks! I received a shocking forward from a friend yesterday, but surprisingly, NDTV India discredited it in the night as a rumour. I will place the bulk of the chat here but please note that I do not discredit the sender (as I feel strongly against the Reservations myself). This is just to notify you it's a rumour:

Sorry for giving you all a very bad news, it may be one of the worst news after the Independence.

Subhash Srivastav
an AIIMS student died because of hunger strike protesting against reservation.
Media is not allowed to cover it. We ought to use the mail now.

Please pass this to all and help not to let down his sacrifice.

Here it is. No offence to anyone but its a rumour. And to the sender (who'll know who he is himself), I don't blame you for forwarding it cz the contents are of that nature.

Btw If you haven't Downloaded the Google Article from the previous post, Pls do so here.

The Great Google (Proposed) Conspiracy: Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide!

2006-05-23T02:38:00.000-05:00

Here it is - The long promised (& almost forgotten) Article!

Google's Activities are Giving Conspiracy Theorists Plenty of Mental Fodder to Chew On

Click on the Image below to open an image in your browser. Zoom in and read every word. It is important you understand that there is a possiblilty that Google is conspiring.....

All heated discussion about this post and the Article by Jamshed Avari (in the image) should be in the shoutbox on the left or in the Comments section.

When you click on the above icon, the image file will take some while to load since it is 1 MB in size. So pls have patience. After it loads, click on it to zoom into full size. (Make sure you read every word of what's written.)

Disclaimer: This article, which was published in The Times of India on April 28, 2006 (Pg 17), was written by Jamshed Avari, and is used here for Educational Purposes only. Usage of any part of the article should be done with the written permission of its author. The Life of The Mind is not liable to the author or the readers on any account of loss or damage to life, property, convictions or whatsoever in reference to the article.

Please also review the Right To Information Act, 2005 passed by The Government of India.