Statesman (India) articles from May 2009

Statesman (India) archives from May 2009

Skype is the limit.
May 31, 2009... Calling your near and dear ones using VoIP services goes easy on the pocket, says mathures paul THE tech savvy crowd is often heard saying, 'I'm on Skype.' In short, Skype is a software-based Internet communications solution that is...

The human iPod.
May 31, 2009... Derek Paravicini was born blind and with serious learning difficulties. But he only needs to hear a tune once to play it, writes chris green ALMOST 25 years ago, Adam Ockelford was giving a piano lesson to a young girl at Linden Lodge School...

Salon: Q&A.
May 31, 2009... threety irani & nilufer babaycon I am 17 years old. Four months ago some white dandruff-like stuff started growing on my left eyebrow and the hair began to fall. I consulted a dermatologist and he prescribed an anti-fungal ointment. The...

Spice world: Soup it up.
May 31, 2009... purabi dasgupta IT'S probably fair to say that most of us ~ if not the vast majority ~ has a favourite soup recipe or favourite type as a result of childhood memories. It was probably made either by mother or either grandmother, typefying...

Upper lip stiffener.
May 31, 2009... Champagne's funny stuff. I'm used to whiskey. Whiskey is a slap on the back, and champagne's a heavy mist before my eyes... ~ Jimmy Stewart, The Philadelphia Story Bacardi Original Mojito Requires Bacardi Superior (45 ml), five lime...

CHEF'S CHOICE.
May 31, 2009... Nigella Lawson, after graduating from the University of Oxford, started to work as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times in 1986. She then embarked upon a career as a freelance...

Silver lining.
May 31, 2009... Jewellery designer Suhani Pittie is planning to extend her luxury silver boutique chain across India. In conversation with oviya sekar IN 2007 she was on the list of 'ten women in India to watch out for' and in 2007 her designs were well...

bob's banter: Rahul & Clint Eastwood...
May 31, 2009... robert clements Oops! You guys just got it wrong, I'm not imagining Rahul, sweet Rahul, his guns blazin' walking down Rajpath and shooting poor Advani, though he nearly done that right? But me talking about Rahul, yes dimple and all, working...

Your experience.
May 31, 2009... What would be the place you recommend people must see before they die? Or how about your worst holiday experience? E-mail your travel piece and photographs to travel@thestatesman.net The suggested length is 600 words. We will not consider...

Everything You Wanted To Know: ... But wish you hadn't asked.
May 31, 2009... raouf gangjee Why do all cell phone numbers begin with '9'? Heba Ahmed, Kolkata Most cell numbers don't begin with a nine. However they do in India, as that is the country's mobile telephone code. It's also the code for some other...

Up, up & AWAY.
May 31, 2009... Alibaug makes for a perfect weekend getaway. If you live in Mumbai, you have to drive 78 kilometres down the Mumbai-Goa road till Wadkhal and then take a right turn. The nearest railway station is Pen. Alibaug beach is where the action unfolds....

TRY & BUY: A touch of class.
May 31, 2009... LG KM900 ARENA WHEN the box containing LG KM900 Arena arrived, expectations were high. The three-inch touch-screen at once caught the attention, promising enough. The question is, did it deliver? Read on. Assembling the model was as easy...

Games people play.
May 31, 2009... GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra GI Joe fans worldwide have a reason to get excited today as EA unveils the packaging design for its upcoming action-arcade shooter game GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The console platforms feature a lineup of 16 playable...

YOUR TUBE.
May 31, 2009... Don't kill time playing Solitaire. Log on to YouTube for the best videos of the week Grammar Police You can run, but you can't hide as Smosh takes to the streets to regulate bad grammar! Police chase 'If you're sick and tired of police...

Designing new horizons.
May 31, 2009... Bespoke timber frames not only revitalise period properties~ adding style and environmental credentials ~ but can turn sterile modern buildings into homes with real character, says jimmy lee shreeve Windows are the 'eyes' of a building. They...

Kids corner.
May 31, 2009... Creativity never runs dry when decorating your little one's room Simplicity Clear lines help to form a simple backdrop for the ever-changing array of toys and decorative objects. Besides choosing soft colours for walls, floor and...

tv & cinema guide.
May 31, 2009... doordarshan DD-1 07-30 North-East Round Up 08-00 Rangoli 09-00 Chunavi Mahasamar 10-00 Kahani Dharti Ki 10-30 Jalsa Sponsored 11-00 Ballooning with Bedi Brother 11-30 Emperor of the Sea 12-00 Retrospective Kaun Hai Woh Feature Film Saazish...

picks of the week.
May 31, 2009... Atlas: Japan Revealed The episode focuses on the unique balance in Japan between the seasons and life, and keeping old traditions alive in a modern world. It follows the lives of a geisha in training, a tuna fisherman, a group of Ama divers,...

Need to know.
May 31, 2009... The Apollo Gleneagles 2302122 AMRI 23357710 Belle Vue Clinic 2287-2321/6925/7473 B M Birla Heart Research Centre 24567777 Bhagirathi Neotia Woman & Child Care Centre 22815000/22817444 CMRI 2456-7368 Columbia Asia 39898969...

TRIVIAL TRAVAILS.
May 31, 2009... sunny lyngdoh The Deccan Chargers' fairy-tale triumph in the IPL's second season continues to be a talking point as I write this. Adam Gilchrist and his men definitely deserve the kudos, but let's not forget VVS Laxman's contribution. He...

Strange & Sublime: Bedbug summit.
May 31, 2009... sudha palit THERE are various summits that are held in the capital cities of the world from time to time. These meetings of top leaders from various countries are held to discuss issues like the environment, international trade, terrorism and...

Lost in life/Found in music.
May 31, 2009... David Helfgott: Australian pianist who suffers from schizoaffective disorder, his life story inspired the film Shine which turned him into the world's most famous pianist overnight. John Ogdon: In 1973 the English pianist had the first of a...

The real 'two cultures' divide.
May 31, 2009... CP Snow's influential lecture on the cultural significance of science remains as relevant today as when it was delivered 50 years ago, says david dickson FIFTY years ago this month CP Snow, eminent British chemist-turned-novelist, gave a...

Spotlight: A laboured product.
May 31, 2009... Just why 'fugitive'? And why 'histories', when it's not history but only partially selected portions of modern realities... A review by sudipta chatterjee Fugitive Histories By Githa Hariharan Penguin; Rs. 450 When a rather...

Spotlight: Of Rome and satirical trends.
May 31, 2009... Holy Cow and Other Poems By S Nihal Singh. Writers Workshop Price: Rs 150 (soft cover), Rs 200 (hard bound) Forget the fact that poetry is supposed to be a dying art. Think instead of the fact that the subject of poetry has...

Life & Letters: Divining order out of chaos.
May 31, 2009... ketaki datta dwells on the subtler aspects of Edgar Allan Poe's art which has spawned generations of imitators but no equals ONCE James Russell Lowell cried out guffawing while asked to comment on a famous literary person of his time,...

Spotlight: The modern woman in Pakistan.
May 31, 2009... The two novels deal with inter-connected, somewhat complex plots, involving a variety of characters and moving from one point of time to another... A review by sudeshna chakravarti Love's Fury By Quaisra Shahraz Penguin; Rs 299 n ...

Stanza: Could I tell you.
May 31, 2009... jinia mukherjee nath Could I tell you that I didn't think of her eyes, deep as the sea, And wonder, if I followed her, where would I be? Could I tell you that I didn't want to remember the name of her town, That I didn't hear the...

Staying healthy: Observe, don't judge.
May 31, 2009... manoj khatri Why judgments are often subjective, not objective? Three scientists were on a train, and had just crossed into Karnataka. A herd of elephants were marching on a hillside. The first scientist peered out of the window and said,...

Think Again: Slingshots.
May 31, 2009... Khadi Gramudyog/Khadi Village Industries Commission claims to sell items that are based on Mahatma Gandhi's principles, but most of these are based on naked greed and violence, writes maneka gandhi THE Khadi Gramudyog/Khadi Village Industries...

Spinning around.
May 31, 2009... Hannah Montana: The Movie Soundtrack Universal Music Popular tracks: Butterfly Fly Away, Spotlight It's lovely to hear Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley together on Butterfly Fly Away. These are numbers you can hum along, the...

Cutting Edge: Abiding humanism.
May 31, 2009... anirudh chari In his refusal to flatter or idealise, Sagar Bhowmick carries on a tradition of unflinching naturalism that began with 15th century Dutch masters, writes anirudh chari THE art of portraiture has had to reinvent itself since...

Mother's helping half.
May 31, 2009... In an increasingly urbanised India, nannies ~ women or men ~ keep their lives on hold for the welfare of those who employ them. But who cares about them, asks salma alavi Basteen had become so much a part of the Mumbai-based Fareed family...

Care of Nanny.
May 31, 2009... Rajjo, 56, who was employed as a nanny for three years, eventually became the second wife of the children's father! When Zenia Shah, 58, from Mumbai, took up a job with a family in the USA, she started off by tending to the frail grandmother....

Unacknowledged friend.
May 31, 2009... In the 19th and early 20th century, they were known as nurse. In big houses, the nurse looked after the nursery, supported by at least one assistant, known as a nursemaid (or nurserymaid). In the West, some nannies remained in the employment of...

Screen presence.
May 31, 2009... Mrs Doubtfire The 1993 American comedy film is based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It won the Academy Award for Best Make-up. Chachi 420 The 1998 comedy film, made in India and directed by Kamal Haasan who also starred in...

trendspotting.
May 31, 2009... look of our times Men can finally relax and powder their noses in public. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, reports a popular UK tabloid newspaper, carries a cosmetics kit that contains a transparent brush, a small pot, some Clinique...

Rebuilt & revitalised.
May 31, 2009... Shops, bars and restaurants in the Bosnian capital are opening almost daily despite the long shadow of credit crunch, discovers sankha guha In the English-language bookshop I find a guidebook to Sarajevo. A slim volume, it has tips on what to...

Where how when what.
May 31, 2009... Flying high Leave on 1 July (Lufthansa 757). From Mumbai (at 02.50) to Frankfurt (07:50); Frankfurt (14:45) to Munich (15:40); Munich (19:25) to Sarajevo (20:50). Return on 10 July (Lufthansa 3503). Sarajevo (06:35) to Munich (08:05); Munich...

Short Story: Second coming.
May 31, 2009... asish kumar kundu 'I WAS just a kid then and more than a dozen of us, cousin brothers and sisters, had a memorable time in the modest railway quarter in the picturesque little town in south Bihar,' Mitrasaheb began his story. All four of...

Legacy & destiny.
May 31, 2009... THE past few months have been quite an experience for Anoushka Shankar as she's travelled across the USA, performing with artistes like Liza Minnelli and Emmylou Harris. Keeping Shankar in the news is her ability to experiment with music, for...

DISCOGRAPHY.
May 31, 2009... Anoushka (1998) Four of the five themes are from Ravi Shankar Anourag (2000) Released on Angel Records, it contains six tracks Live at Carnegie Hall (2001) The album earned a Grammy nomination for World Music category Rise (2005)...

After Aila, disease stalks Sunderbans.
May 31, 2009... KOLKATA,30 MAY: With cattle and human corpses floating in water bodies in the wake of cyclone Aila,the threat of skin and water-borne enteric diseases and dysentryare looming large in the Sunderbans.The people living in different blocks of...

briefs.
May 31, 2009... One day, two accidents KOLKATA, 30 MAY: Three persons were killed and two others critically injured after the truck, in which they were travelling, overturned after hitting a tree on National Highway~ 6 near Uluberia Zoraphultola in Howrah...

Cong, Trinamul fighting already?
May 31, 2009... KOLKATA, 30 MAY: While the CPI-M and Forward Bloc (FB) have managed to iron out differences between them over sharing of seats ahead of the municipal polls in Dankuni, the Opposition alliance ~ which notched up an unprecedented victory in the...

UPSC success scripted without coaching.
May 31, 2009... KOLKATA, 30 MAY: At a time when the common perception is that attending private tuition or coaching classes is essential to secure good marks even in school examinations, Ms Debasmita Das (photograph right) has gone and proved it wrong. Ms...

Trasformers found in CPM leaders Burdwan godown.
May 31, 2009... DURGAPUR,30 MAY: Power transformers, stolen from villages in and around Katwain Burdwan,were hidden in the godown of a CPI-Mleader. This was unearthed after senior officials with the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited,...

Plight of Indian bonded labour.
May 31, 2009... NEW DELHI, 30 MAY: Bringing to fore the ugly face of 'forcedlabour' in India, a new ILOstudy has said bonded labourers often lose their freedom to choose employment due to lack of transparency in wage system and continue to work for unlimited...

100-day action plans for govt.
May 31, 2009... NEW DELHI, 30 MAY: Industry bodies Confederation of Indian Industryand Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industryhave asked for cut in interest rates to spur the sagging economy while presenting 100-day action plans to the government...

GM: Bankruptcy looms large.
May 31, 2009... associated press DETROIT, 30 MAY : General Motors Corphas cleared a couple of key roadblocks on the ailing US auto maker'sroute to an almost certain bankruptcy filing on Monday. Early Saturday in Berlin, Germany's finance minister said a...

Bourses in upbeat mood.
May 31, 2009... MUMBAI,30 MAY: Nothing seems to stop the Indian boursesfrom moving ahead as sustained flow of investments this week lifted the key stock market indices ~ Sensexand Nifty ~ by five per cent, extending the weekly rally to yet another week. The...

Revealed: The Best Protection Against Cancer.
May 31, 2009... Jeremy Laurence LONDON, 30 MAY: Boosting levels of vitamin D could cut the incidence of breast cancer by a quarter, bowel cancer by a third and it should be offered to the population as part of a public health drive, scientists say. The...

Edits.
May 31, 2009... Smooth succession DMKs politics of accommodation THE line of succession in the ruling DMKin Tamil Naduhad never been in doubt. Only the timing. M.K. Stalin, the youngest son of MuthuvelKarunanidhi,Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,was expected...

Special Article.
May 31, 2009... Divine and the Mundane~I The Story Of Ecological Awareness In India Mahasweta Chaudhuri THE divine and the mundane apparently look like opposites, the former representing the spiritual and the latter material good. It seems, apparently...

Shibu Soren vacates Jamtara Assembly seat.
May 31, 2009... dipankar bose RANCHI (Jharkhand), 30 MAY: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo Mr Shibu Soren today resigned his Jamtara Assembly seat which he won in a bypoll to retain his Dumka Lok Sabha seat. JMM's organisational secretary Mr Supriyo...

Kurien in hospital.
May 31, 2009... Anand(Gujarat),30 May: Pioneer of the White Revolution, Dr Varghese Kurien, who was admitted to MuljibhaiPatel Urological (MPU)Hospital in Nadiadfor treatment of old age related health problems, has been shifted to Mumbai'sBreach Candy hospital....

briefs.
May 31, 2009... Administrative reshuffle in HP SHIMLA,30 May: The BJP government in Himachal Pradesh today effected large-scale administrative reshuffle, ordering transfer and postings of 29 officers including 14 IAS,as many state service officers and one...

Now, Team Sonia set for a revamp.
May 31, 2009... shahid pervez NEW DELHI, 30 MAY: After fleshing out the formation of the Congress-led UPAgovernment along with the PM, Dr ManmohanSingh, following a protracted and complex exercise, Mrs Sonia Gandhi is now likely to focus her attention on...

CWealth games, wooing foreign tourists on top of Seljasagenda.
May 31, 2009... statesman news service NEW DELHI, 30 MAY: To woo back foreign tourists, encourage domestic tourism and get the infrastructure ready for hosting the Commonwealth Games (CWG)2010 will be main priorities for the tourism ministry. After...

Manikrao Gavit named Lok Sabha protem speaker.
May 31, 2009... NEW DELHI, 30 MAY: President Pratibha Patil appointed Mr Manikrao Gavit, the seniormost member of the new Lok Sabha, as its protem speaker, an official said here today. A communication regarding the appointment of Mr Gavit as the protemspeaker...

Cabinet discusses Presidents speech.
May 31, 2009... press trust of india NEW DELHI, 30 MAY: The first meeting of the expanded Union Cabinet today is understood to have discussed and approved the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament on 4 June. Prime Minister Dr...

CM of Karnataka accused of spying.
May 31, 2009... statesman news service Bangalore,30 May: Chief minister Mr BS Yeddyurappaseuphoria after facilitating the BJPsgood show ~ 19 of the 28 LokSabhaseats in Karnataka~ is threatening to wane with the Opposition now accusing him of spying on his...

Beware of screensavers!
May 31, 2009... HYDERABAD, 30 MAY: If you search for screensavers, you are facing a grave risk. But if you search for Viagra you are relatively safe. And if you are tempted to click on free, you could be asking for trouble. The big, bad world of the Internet is...

PM and Mamata talk Aila.
May 31, 2009... statesman news service NEW DELHI/KOLKATA,30 May: The politics of relief for Aila-hitWest Bengal seems to have intensified. Trinamulchief and railway minister Miss MamataBanerjeetoday sought adequate relief and rehabilitation for the people of...

Dynastic disconnect.
May 31, 2009... Its become a generational thing. The difference in the way Middle India reacts to dynastic politics. The hinterland was always more accepting of and adept at adopting a utilitarian approach to the whole business of political dynasties ~...

I am innocent.
May 31, 2009... A PERMANENT and enigmatic smile plays on the lips of Omar al Bashir. At least it does in the portraits of him which bear down on the streets of Khartoum. The billboards carry rousing slogans, The man of our epoch, Al Bashir, symbol of national...

Pep protects Iniesta.
May 31, 2009... BARCELONA, 30 MAY: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola warned the Spanish Football Federation not to risk midfielder Andres Iniesta's health at next month's Confederations Cup. Iniesta returned from a right thigh injury to star in Barcelona's 2-0...

Jeev shares European Open lead.
May 31, 2009... KENT (England), 30 May: Jeev Milkha Singh joined the title race with a strong second-round card of three-under 69 that propelled him into the joint lead of the European Open golf tournament here. On a day when gusts of wind threw many a...

Djokovic and Dementieva knocked out.
May 31, 2009... PARIS, 30 MAY: Novak Djokovic became the first big-name player to be eliminated from the men's singles of the French Open, losing to No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 here today. Elena Dementievas hopes of winning a maiden...

Chelsea crowned champions.
May 31, 2009... LONDON, 30 MAY: Chelsea gave departing coach Guus Hiddink the perfect leaving present when they came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium here today. It was also a special day for Ashley Cole as he became the...

Tendulkar says India.
May 31, 2009... SINGAPORE/LONDON/KARACHI, 30 MAY: An explosive batting line-up, an effective bowling unit and the presence of world-class players make India a formidable force and there is no reason why they cannot defend the title in the Twenty20 World Cup,...

Ponting sets off Ashes blast.
May 31, 2009... LONDON, 30 MAY: Ricky Ponting has arrived. He means business. The captain of Australia will be in England for four months and yesterday, as lucidly as one of his booming front-foot drives, he made it plain that by the end of September he intends...

Briefs.
May 31, 2009... Artificial pitches for India PANAJI, 30 MAY: As part of the Win-in-India-with-India programme launched in 2007, Fifa has sanctioned 10 artificial pitches for the All-India Football Federation. Goa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Manipur,...

Terry denies allegation.
May 31, 2009... LONDON, 30 MAY: Chelsea captain John Terry has rejected claims made by former team-mate Claude Makelele that he was responsible for Jose Mourinho being fired in September 2007 after a rift with the manager. Makelele's comments were made in an...

briefs.
May 31, 2009... Swat Valley ISLAMABAD, 30 MAY: Pakistani troops have retaken the largest town in the Swat Valley from the Taliban as the army presses its offensive against militants in the country's northwest, the army spokesman said today. Government forces...

Abbas submits peace proposal to Obama.
May 31, 2009... indo-asian news service RAMALLAH, 30 MAY: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presented a draft proposal on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the US administration when he met President Barack Obama in Washington, a Palestinian...

India plotting to restore King: Prachanda.
May 31, 2009... KATHMANDU, 30 MAY: Stepping up his anti-India rhetoric, Maoist supremo Prachanda has accused it of backing a conspiracy to restore monarchy in Nepal, which had turned into a republic from a kingdom just a year ago. Prachanda, who quit as...

N Korea preparing to launch more missiles.
May 31, 2009... associated press PANMUNJOM (Korea), 30 MAY: Spy satellites have spotted signs that North Korea may be preparing to transport another long-range missile to a test launch site, South Korean officials said today, as the US defense secretary...

Artists call for town gallery.
May 30, 2009... ;Statesman News Service BEHRAMPORE, 29 MAY: Prominent artists and history scholars of Murshidabad district voiced their demand for an art gallery to be set up at Behrampore, the district headquarters. The artists voiced their demands at a...

Ray of hope for the disabled.
May 30, 2009... BOLPUR, 29 MAY: Mr Prosenjit Majumder (photograph right), a social worker from Birbhum, was given the National Award by the ministry of social welfare and empowerment (MSWE) on 3 December, 2008 for rehabilitating disabled people for the last 11...

Tata companies top brass take new look.
May 30, 2009... MUMBAI,29 MAY: Home grown auto major TataMotors today announced a change in leadership with incumbent managing director Mr RaviKant taking up the role of non-executive vice-chairman, while Mr PM Telanghas been promoted as the managing director...

Trade policy in Aug.
May 30, 2009... ; Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, 29 MAY: Mr AnandSharma, who took over as the new Union minister of commerce and industry today, has said that the foreign trade policy will be announced in August. Interacting with journalists, Mr Sharma...

Record gains on SEs.
May 30, 2009... ; Statesman News Service MUMBAI,29 MAY: Mays last day business on DalalStreet today confirmed a complete turnaround in the outlook as both the main indices ~ Sensitive Index of Bombay Stock Exchange and S&PCNXNifty of National Stock...

RBI focus on financial inclusion.
May 30, 2009... BANGALORE,29 MAY: In keeping with the emphasis on inclusive growth including financial inclusion, the RBI has emphasised the importance of broadbasingthe Lead Bank Scheme to cover financial literacy and credit counselling. In its draft report...