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It’s been a week since the very-talked-about cheapest notebook was released in India. Priced at $35 or around 1500 rupees, it promises to change the life of students by connecting them to the world wide web. Do you think its useful for you? Are you planning to buy the cheapest Notebook or rather invest in a computer?

Respond to Sachin:Akhtar

After kicking the hornet's nest with sensational claims in his autobiography 'Controversially Yours', former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar didn't shy away from raising a new controversy when he said that 'it is beyond his dignity to respond to Sachin's snub.'

How To Sell A Cricket Book
In an interview with NewsX, the pacer took on Pakistan Cricket Board and Wasim Akram once again. He also clarified why Tendulkar was scared of him during the Faisalabad Test.
"Tendulkar was suffering from tennis elbow during that time and was having difficulty holding his bat (pulling), so we decided to target his head and get him out. We wanted to scare him off with barrage of bouncers. And I felt - that particular day - Sachin was scared, he was uncomfortable against me," Akhtar said.
Shoaib also maintained his stand that Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were not match-winners - atleast when he was around.
The speedster lashed out at PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, calling him a mad man. The pacer said "Ijaz Butt handled the match-fixing issue very badly, he just can't think straight. He has made Pakistan cricket a joke."
Following criticism of Akhtar's remarks, Butt expressed concern that cricket ties between both boards could be strained. However, BCCI re-assured the PCB tat Akhtar's jibe will not affect the renewal of Pakistan-India cricket ties.
On Wasim Akram, the pace bowler said it was not him but others in the team who did not want to play under him. "Though I respected Akram as a bowler, he was abusive and had bad attitude," Akhtar added.
Akram earlier said that no one but the 'Rawalpindi Express' himself was responsible for the setbacks in his career. "I know, Shoaib knows and the entire world knows that he himself is responsible for destroying his career. Nobody helped him (in destroying his career)."
Union minister and Mumbai Cricket Association president Vilasrao Deshmukh said that Shoaib Akhtar should apologise to Sachin Tendulkar for his controversial claims.
A promotional event of Akhtar's book launch scheduled to be held today in Mumbai was called off because of the adverse reaction to his unflattering remarks against top Indian players in his tell-all autobiography. Bangalore has also said no to his book launch, which was supposed to take place on Tuesday.

Tendulkar's New Home

On the first day of Navratri, Sachin Tendulkar has moved into his new home in Bandra — a five-storeyed bungalow at 19-A, Perry Cross Street.

It has reportedly cost the world's richest cricketer a whopping Rs 39 crore (about $7.9 million at today's prices).
IANS reports:
A battery of media-persons clicked away furiously as Sachin, clad in a simple striped T-shirt and trousers, took his first formal step into the bungalow with a glow of happiness on his face.
"I am really thrilled and happy today, especially for my mother and my family members," gushed Sachin on the occasion.
His family members, mother, wife and children also followed suit and then everybody started admiring the cricket maestro’s ‘dream home’ in every nook and corner.
Sachin spent his early childhood in Sahitya Sahawas Colony, Bandra east, and later honed his batting skills in the famous Shivaji Park grounds when he lived in Dadar.
After scouting around all over Mumbai, he had zeroed in on and purchased the Bandra west property to construct his ‘dream home’ a few years ago at a whopping Rs.39 crore. He got it rebuilt from scratch and finally moved in there Wednesday.
According to eyewitnesses at the ‘griha-pravesh,’ the bungalow includes two levels of basement parking with a capacity of more than four dozen vehicles.
One of the floors will be dedicated only to storing and displaying the hundreds of medals, cups, honours and citations that the batsman has received during his two-decades-plus glorious cricket career.
Local cricket fans had put up a special banner welcoming the distinguished new guest to the quiet neighbourhood and many people waited for a glimpse of their favourite cricket star.
A couple of years ago, Sachin had sought easing of certain norms to enable him construct a private gymnasium in his bungalow, but it was rejected by the authorities.

A chronology

A 6.8 earthquake hit northern and eastern India Sunday. Following are some of the major quakes in the recent past:

Sep 7, 2011 -- 4.2 magnitude quake jolts Delhi and adjoining areas, with its epicenter near Sonepat, Haryana.
Oct 8, 2005 -- 7.6 magnitude quake strikes Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Pakistan, killing over 80,000 people, mostly in Pakistan.
Dec 26, 2004 -- Over two lakh people die when a 9.3 magnitude temblor hits Indonesia's Sumatra island, causing a tsunami that hit India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives.
Jan 26, 2001 -- 7.7 magnitude earthquake kills over 20,000 in Gujarat, mainly in Kutch, Ahmedabad and Bhuj.

Army fans out

A day after a powerful earthquake of 6.8 magnitude ravaged the Sikkim-Nepal border, killing at least 30 in India, the army Monday was busy carrying out rescue and relief operations.

According to sources, about 50 army columns in small teams were deployed across Sikkim, Siliguri, Binaguri and local units around Gangtok for rescue operations on a war footing.
The columns comprised medical teams with first aid, engineer detachments and relief and rescue units.
About 10 army combat engineer columns were rushed with equipment for opening major roadblocks on Siliguri-Gangtok.
Apart from the army, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has also been mobilised for restoring normal traffic on NH-31A which connects Sikkim with the rest of the country.
'Sikkim has been cut off from the rest of the country with the national highway 31-A blocked in at least eight places following heavy mudslides,' said G. Anandan, district magistrate, Sikkim East.
The high-intensity quake was followed by two aftershocks and had its epicentre on the Sikkim-Nepal border. The impact of the temblor was so powerful that several army buildings had developed cracks.
'As many as 25 concrete bridges were damaged between Siliguri and Gangtok on the 120 km long national highway 31-A. The Sikkim secretariat also developed cracks,' Anandan said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has rushed five cargo planes to the northeast with relief material and personnel. Even as army deployed in the region works for the relief and rescue, incessant rains are hampering the operations.
The tremors were also felt in Assam, parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Second Day Of Modi, fast

Renowned classical dancer and social activist Mallika Sarabhai was detained along with some Gujarat riot victims on the second day of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's fast here on Sunday.

She was detained ahead of the planned protest against Modi's fast. Social activist has also been detained.
Sarabhai had earlier in the day alleged on Sunday that her lawyers were bribed by Narendra Modi. She also alleged that many senior officials including the chief secretary of Gujarat were involved in the act.
"Many of you are aware that the police officer Sanjeev Bhatt gave a testimony in May to the Nanavati/Pant commission and in the testimony he said that 'appropo' the PIL that I had filed in the Supreme Court in April 2002 holding the Chief Minister, the bureaucracy and the police complicit in the genocide of 2002 that Sanjeev Bhatt was given instructions by Shri Narendra Modi to use secret fund money to bribe the lawyers who were involved in my case," she said.
Sarabhai further said that Modi had sanctioned Rs 10 lakh to bribe her lawyers who in turn had to reveal their strategy so that the state's lawyers would have an upper hand during the proceeding of the court.
"The day after Mr Sreekumar took over as the chief of Intelligence Bureau and a couple of days after I filed my PIL in the Supreme Court Sanjeev Bhatt and Sreekumar were called to the Chief Minister's office.
As soon as they entered, the chief minister, according to Mr. Sreekumar affidavit, asked him if he knew about Mallika's case and Sreekumar said 'no I don't'. The chief minister said the PIL she has filed is extremely dangerous for the government and I have sanctioned ten lakh rupees that can derail this," said Sarabhai.
"Sanjeev Bhatt knows about it please give him ten lakh rupees from your secret fund to which Sreekumar said that there was no money in the secret fund to which the Chief Minister told him I will see that the Chief secretary arranges this money and Sanjeev has all the information about it," she added.

Inner Power

As Anna Hazare broke his 12-day fast Sunday, eminent cardiologist Naresh Trehan said it was his inner power that helped him sustain for so long.

'He maintained himself, he had some power in him, through which he could regulate his own fluids and has been able to maintain his balance,' Trehan, who monitored Hazare's health during the agitation, said Sunday.

The doctor said that medical science could not explain everything but Hazare himself managed his fast for all these days.

'Medical science may not fully understand but it is 'brahmachari shakti' and truly he has managed to live on his own reserves and paid a price for it. He lost seven-and-a- half kg,' the doctor said.

The 74-year-old activist's fast, during which he only consumed water and yet maintained high energy levels, has left many surprised.

Trehan also said he was surprised to see the activist fine even after fasting for 12 days. 'We are surprised to see a man in such a condition even after he has not been eating since Aug 16...can't say when he can start eating. It will at least take three days, it seems,' he added.

A recent fast by yoga guru Baba Ramdev saw his condition deteriorate, forcing him to take honey and lemon juice from the sixth day.

Ramdev started his fast June 4 and he started taking honey and lemon from June 9. He had to be administered a drip after seven days of the fast and was asked to break his fast June 12.

Hazare was, however, only having water, yet he looked healthy and interacted with the supporters almost everyday.

His 288-hour fast however didn't leave him unaffected, his heart beat was above normal, the principal doctor attending on him said Sunday.

'The heart rate is 94 which is more than normal (around 80). He is very dehydrated and exhausted,' said Trehan, giving the heath update of the activist.

Admitted to Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, after he ended his fast against corruption, Hazare was being given coconut water and honey at regular intervals. Doctors said he would be given solid food later.

'He is being given coconut water and honey as he can easily absorb it. However, this would be increased slowly and gradually in a manner that his body can tolerate it,' said Trehan.

Anna Dehydrated

Anti-graft activist Anna Hazare is fine and doing well despite his 288-hour-long fast. However, his heart beat is above normal, the principal doctor attending on him said Sunday.

'The heart rate is 94 which is more than a normal (around 80). He is very dehydrated and exhausted,' said Naresh Trehan who closely monitored the 74-year-old Hazare's health during the fast.

Admitted in Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, after he ended his fast against corruption, Hazare is being given coconut water and honey at regular intervals.

Doctors say he would be given solid food later.

'He is being given coconut water and honey as he can easily absorb it. However, this would be increased slowly and gradually in a manner that his body can tolerate it,' said Trehan.

Trehan also said he was surprised to see the activist fine even after fasting for 12 days.

'We are surprised to see a man in such a condition even after he has not been eating since Aug 16...Can't say when he can start eating. It will be at least take three days, it seems,' he added.

VFX for Rohit Shetty's SINGHAM

The most well renowned name in the entertainment industry has been delivering path breaking work with movies like DELHI BELLY, CHILLAR PARTY and DOUBLE DHAMAAL.

Pixion has recently delivered the post production of the Tamil remake SINGHAM. It has delivered above 800 brilliant VFX shots in a span of just 40 Days.
SINGHAM is over-the-top retro kitsch, spilling over with high-voltage stunts, slow-motion action cuts and fiery dialogues delivered in high decibels.
SINGHAM revolves around Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn), the archetypal honest cop who keeps his native village, Shivgad, crime free with his special system of dispensing personalised justice. However, his idyll is broken after a chance encounter with city goon, Jayakant Shikre (Prakash Raj) who rules over Goa with his ill-gotten wealth and power. Out of a sense of vengeance, Shikre gets Singham transferred to Goa and tries to wreak havoc in his life. But he obviously underestimates the power of this diehard cop who knows how to work the system his way.
Pixion, has been associated with the director - Rohit Shetty from many years and has worked for his movies like SUNDAY, GOLMAAL RETURNS, ALL THE BEST, GOLMAAL 3 and the latest SINGHAM. The team at Pixion has been delivering the directors imagination in the form of seamless VFX.
Rohit Shetty has also designed all the action sequences of the movie and Pixion has supported him in delivering them efficiently to the audience.
The movie was shot on film in Goa, Gokarna (Karnataka) and Mumbai.
Naveen Paul, VFX Supervisor, says, "Pixion delivered above 800 VFX shots for the movie with the support of around 120 artists working dedicatedly for 40 days. Apart the time being a challenge, the action sequences required a lot of effort to be delivered seamlessly. There is a shot where 5 goons jump out of a crashed jeep which is a multi plate composite and required a lot of time and efforts."
Mr. Pavan Rajesh, Associate VFX supervisor shed some light on the scope of work, "Beyond this there were sequences that we altered from day to night, Wire removals, Floor replacements, Roof creations, CG element additions, Sky replacements, Set extensions, Chroma sequences and clean up shots. Pixion has completed the entire work within the short time span."
Mr. Nelson Dsouza, VFX Producer, said that, "We achieved 40 mins of VFX in a very short span of time and there were a lot of sequences that required major attention. We have also created the SINGHAM Logo, theatrical promos, opening title packaging, packaging for TV promos and packaging in the film."
Other key people that contributed to the successful work are Pavan Rajesh- Associate VFX supervisor, Ranadheer reddy - Comp Head, Nelson D'souza -- VFX Producer, Chandrakanth Shenoy -Lead matte paint, Dinesh Solanki - Lead Compositor, Intekab - Lead Compositor, Jagadeesh Nair - Motion Graphics, Sudhir Tripathi- CG Lead, Viral Thakkar - CGI Head.

5 Popular Holidays and Fun Holiday Activities for Kids

It is not easy to keep a child happy, sometimes it is nearly impossible. During the holidays there is more excitement and children often respond to the excitement with participation in an activity. While there are many activities that successfully keep the attention of children, here are some holiday-themed activities that children seek to participate in every year. 1. Christmas - We all are familiar with the famous Christmas list that is created by children to send to Santa Clause. The list is typically joined by a letter to Santa, requesting their items and making a plea as to why they were good this year. As the story goes, if the child is good then Santa will get them something from their list. If the child is bad that year then he gets a lump of coal. This story can be incorporated into a children's activity that can help entertain your kids and get you an inside look as to what they want for Christmas. Ask your children to design and decorate a list of ten things they want for Christmas. After they are done with their list, have them write a letter to Santa Clause explaining why they deserve something on their list. Allow your kids to also decorate an envelope with which they can seal away their list and letter and send it to Santa Clause. 2. Valentine's Day - As love flourishes around the fourteenth of February every year, there is no sweeter gesture than to give a homemade valentine to someone special. Valentine's Day cards date back to hundreds of years ago, and today we still enjoy making and sending them. Gather some arts and crafts supplies and encourage your children to make Valentine's Day cards for their special someone, or if they don't have anyone ask them to make one for you! 3. Easter - The most exciting part of Easter is the egg hunts. Children often associate egg hunts with hide and seek fun that will lead to treats and goodies. Many find that the fun does not have to start when the egg hunt does. You can help your children color to decorate their eggs for an egg hunt! This can be done with coloring or just stickers of your children's favorite cartoon characters, and it can turn into great fun! 4. Halloween - Commonly associated with Halloween is the idea of a jack-o-lantern. Every home you trick-or-treat at has some form of a carved pumpkin to welcome children to their homes. So have your children help you with the decorating process. Purchase a pumpkin and help your children color on a design for you to cut off. This will give them an opportunity to draw, and afterwards they can even help you cook pumpkin seeds. 5. Thanksgiving - Every Thanksgiving involves the idea of a turkey and celebrating the season. Children commonly enjoy making their own pine cone turkey. The pine cone turkey is made from an actual pine cone, and then decorated with items from around the home to help create what looks like a turkey. Pine cone turkeys are a fun and economical children's activity that are sure to keep a child busy on a holiday.