- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Arun_kevta

Himachal Pradesh

Arun Kumar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:11:09 +0000

A state in northwest India. Neighboring regions are Tibet to the east, Jammu & Kashmir to the north and northwest Punjab to the southwest, Hariyana and Uttar Pradesh to the south and Uttranchal to the southeast. It was established as the 18th state of India on January 25, 1971. The state capital is Shimla.
Much of the state is mountainous with the Himalayas in the north and east and the smaller Shiwalik (or Shiwalik) range in the south. The Ghaggar River originates in the Shiwalik range. The main rivers are the Sutluj (home of the Bhakra Nangal Dam Project) and the Beas. The bridge on Sutluj River at Kandraur, Bilaspur is one of the highest bridges in Asia
Some of the loveliest place to travel are, Sangla Valley temples, Sapni forte & temple, Reckong peo, Ribba, mooring Kalpa in district Kinnaur, Naldera, Narkanda and Sarahan in district Shimla, Manali and Manikaran in district Kullu, Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj in district Kangra and Tabo in Lahaul & Spiti. The government owned Himachal Tourism has hotels in most of these places. Palampur is famous for its agricultural university and tea gardens. Himachal Pradesh is an excellent area to visit, for wildlife lovers, bird watcher and adventure tourists.

Some of the highest mountain peaks in Himachal Pradesh are: Mulkila M-4 (6517 m), Menthosa (6443 m), Papsura (6440 m), Dharamsura (6420 m), M-5 (6375 m), KR-4 (6340 m) and Kangla Tarbo-1 (6315 m).

Districts:

Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur Kangra, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul & Spiti, Mandi, Shimla, Solan. Sirmaur and Una

Culture and religion:

The major spoken languages are Kangri, Pahari, Hindi, Mandiali and Punjabi. English is also spoken and understood in many areas. Hinduism and Buddhism are the main religions. Dharamshala, in the western area of the state, is the home of the Tibetan leader, His Holiness Dalai Lama. A large number of Buddhist Tibetan refugees, who fled Tibet from the oppressive Chinese rule, are settled all over the state.

Transportation & Communication:

Roads are the main mode of transport. Travel in some high altitude areas can be slow and dangerous, especially during monsoon season due to the narrow and winding roads and frequent landslides. The government-owned Himachal Road Transport Corporation runs a network of buses across the state. Most areas have telephone and mobile phone services.

Teenager 'Told To Be A Suicide Bomber'

Arun Kumar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:10:51 +0000

He is just 14, too young to have any facial hair but old enough to kill.
His name is Shakirullah and he’s one of the youngest Taliban prisoners being held by Afghan intelligence.
We are given rare access to him by Afghan intelligence, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), at the interrogation cells in the capital, Kabul.
The agents ponder for some minutes over whether to bring him to us handcuffed and decide against it.
Shakirullah walks in with the awkward gait of a teenager, unsure of his audience or the reception he’s going to get.
Two intelligence minders are in the room with us. We are not allowed to film them or identify them but they are well known to the young boy.
There are constant interjections from them as he stumbles and mumbles his way through his story.
He says he had been studying at a madrassa, a religious school, in Pakistan for about six months.
He is from the tribal region of south Waziristan and his family are farmers. This was his first experience of education.
“I was in the madrassa,” he told Sky News.

Will Your Gadgets Still Work Overseas?

Arun Kumar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:06:13 +0000

Currys said that people relocating or furnishing second homes may find out that the technology they rely on at home does not work in other countries.
Engineers for the company found that differences such as varying radio frequencies, manufacturer programming and variations in electrical power are rendering many UK products unusable in places such as France and Spain
It said that in particular, the majority of DAB radios will not work because the frequency used abroad is different to the one in the UK.
Televisions are also said to be a problem, as older ones will not pick up foreign stations and some modern ones will not work at all.
Lower electrical power in some other places such as Turkey and Portugal mean that people cannot run as many gadgets in the home as they are used to in the UK.
John Wright, electrical engineer at Currys, said: “Whilst with many household electrical and technology products it’s just a simple matter of swapping the plugs, others may only offer limited use or in some cases will not work at all.
“People who are purchasing product to take abroad should always check with the manufacturer or experts in store first to make sure they are not left disappointed.”
Currys’ top tips include taking adaptors for different plug fittings, using converters or transformers where necessary and making sure that a television is a multi-tuner and was purchased before 2003.

KISS and SELL: SAPPHIC SMOOCH SONGS, THEN and NOW

Arun Kumar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:45 +0000

WHETHER an experiment or a lifestyle, girls canoodling with girls has always been hot - especially in rock. Just ask Katy Perry, music’s latest It girl with her hit “I Kissed a Girl.”
The stats are already impressive for this tune, poised to be this summer’s song. Perry’s kiss-and-tell anthem is the lead single from her upcoming album “One of the Boys,” due out Tuesday. The number is already the No. 1 pop single on iTunes, the most requested song on Top 40 radio nationwide and the most downloaded ring tone in America.
But besides the song’s familiar theme - popular in art since the sixth century BC when the poet Sappho expressed her love of women in lyric verses - Perry’s song (although completely different) snatches its title from Jill Sobule’s controversial 1995 folk-rock hit “I Kissed a Girl.”

Internet block child porn sites

Arun Kumar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:47:16 +0000

Verizon , Sprint and Time Warner Cable have agreed to block Internet bulletin boards and Web sites nationwide that disseminate child pornography, The New York Times reported on Monday. The move is part of an agreement with New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo, to be formally announced on Tuesday, the paper said.

The companies are reported to have agreed to shut down access to newsgroups that traffic such images on one of the oldest outposts of the Internet, known as Usenet, as well as Web sites that host child pornography.

The agreements will affect customers not just in New York but throughout the country, the Times said, adding that negotiations are continuing with other service providers.

“The I.S.P.s` point had been, `We’re not responsible, these are individuals communicate with individuals, we’re not responsible,`” Cuomo was quoted by the Times as saying, referring to Internet service providers. “Our point was that at some point, you do bear responsibility.”

After the companies ignored the investigators` complaints, the attorney general’s office threatened charges of fraud and deceptive business practices and the companies agreed to cooperate and began weeks of negotiations, the Times said.

Representatives for the three companies either did not return calls to the Times or declined to comment for the article before the official announcement

For new IT payers Government to launch biometric PAN cards

Arun Kumar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:40:53 +0000

The government will shortly introduce biometric permanent account numbers (PAN) for income tax payers, though initially only new applicants would be brought under its net, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said on Monday.

“There is progress on biometric PAN cards. Features have been finalized, what biometric measure will be used in the pan card is being identified,” he said when asked about the progress on government’s proposal last year to introduce biometric pan cards. He said the bids would soon be invited by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in this regard to issue PAN cards with biometric features.

The biometric pan card could use ‘iris’ scan for identification. This means that one might have to provide fingerprint or iris/retina impression.

The income tax department had mooted introducing such cards about two years ago, when it found that over 13 lakh people out of about total four crore PAN card holders had duplicate cards.

Most of them had provided wrong information about their home address or even furnished different names in the column of father’s name to get two or three pan cards.

The move has been, however, delayed due to lack of consensus in the department over the use of technology and due to high costs. Currently, a PAN card costs about Rs 60. A biometric PAN card, however, will cost anything between Rs 200 and Rs 300, sources said.

Chidambaram further said the biometric cards would be introduced only for new applicants, and “old pan cards will be valid.” Biometric PAN cards will not only provide a unique identity to the assesses, but also discourage evading of information regarding investments and high value transactions.

These are expected to reduce chances of duplication and ensure better tax compliance as well. Although initially only new applicants would be provided such cards, the current taxpayers may be later asked to switch over to biometric PAN cards in a phased manner, sources said.

At present, it is compulsory to quote PAN for many transactions, especially those specified by the Central Board of Direct Taxes. For example, transactions involving sale and purchase of property or a vehicle; payment in cash or by credit card exceeding Rs 25,000; depositing amounts more than Rs 50,000 with a bank or a post office, buying mutual funds or stocks.

The step to introduce biometric PAN cards has been undertaken not just by recent incidents of issue of fake cards but also due to terror threat. The government fears that PAN cards could be an easy tool for terrorists to open bank accounts to finance their activities.

Why is it hard to QUIT SMOKING?

Arun Kumar — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:05:07 +0000

It is always easy to start any addiction but difficult to quit. A smoker may not have any particular reason to have begun smoking, but there is a very significant rationale to quit. It is the health, the very life of the smoker which is at stake.

The body and mind of a smoker gets so much accustomed and prone to nicotine that it becomes very difficult for a smoker to quit. Nicotine is a very addictive drug and it makes the smoker a slave to the addiction. Attempts at quitting may result in relapses and the reinforcing the addiction.

There are many reasons which make frustrate a smoker’s attempts at kicking the habit.

Some of them are

Lack of Will Power
Any kind of achievement requires a purpose, drive and strong motivation. Once we make up our minds to quit, then nothing should hold us back.
Lack of Friend And Family Support
The people around us can be a source of constant motivation and encourage the smoker to reform this deadly habit. They can keep the smoker busy in some other activity of interest.

Choice of the Correct Aid
It is difficult for a smoker to quit smoking cold turkey. An aid or a nicotine replacement therapy is important to periodically provide the smoker with a low dosage of nicotine and enable him to gradually kick the habit.

LACK OF ATMOSPHERE
while the smoker is trying to quit smoking, it is important to stay away from those places and people who will tempt the smoker into a relapse. The smoker should take up an activity or hobby, which will help divert attention from smoking.

Any single one of the above reasons or a combination would make it difficult for a smoker to quit.

It has become easier now days to quit smoking due to the variety of aids available in the market. A smoker can consult a doctor , take recommendations and formulate a plan to quit or reduce smoking.

Two-year-olds influenced by parental smoking……..

Arun Kumar — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:58:59 +0000

kids as young as 2 years old may be prejudiced by their parents’ tobacco habits, many years before they even consider using cigarettes themselves, a novel study has shown.
Young children’s attitudes to smoking and alcohol have been difficult to assess due to their limited language skills, so information on social influences has focused on teenagers – the group most likely to take up smoking or drinking. But a new study offers insight into the effect early exposure can have on the behavior of very young children.
Researchers from Dartmouth Medical College in New Hampshire, US, used dolls in a role-playing game with children from 2 to 6 years of age. The child was told to take the doll shopping as there was no food in the dollhouse. When the doll entered the doll grocery store, which had 73 products on display, the researchers noted which products were “purchased”.
Children were nearly four times as likely to buy cigarettes if their parents smoked, and three times as likely to choose wine or beer if their parents drank alcohol at least once a month. Children who viewed PG-13 or R-rated movies were five times as likely to choose alcohol, they found.

A Third red spot erupts on Jupiter………

Arun Kumar — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:34:23 +0000

A third giant red storm has flared up on Jupiter, joining the Great Red Spot and the recently developed Red Spot Junior. The spot, along with new measurements of record-high wind speeds on Red Spot Junior, come at a time when the solar system’s largest planet is experiencing a time of global upheaval.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is an ancient, hurricane-like storm that may have been raging for 340 years or more, based on early observations with telescopes. At three times the width of Earth, it is the largest storm in the solar system.
It was recently joined by a similar, but smaller storm called Red Spot Junior. Red Spot Junior grew out of the merger of three smaller, white storms between 1998 and 2000 and turned red in 2006. It is about the size of Earth.
Now, a third red spot, about half the size of Red Spot Junior, has broken out on the giant gaseous planet. The spot, previously a white storm, now appears red in Hubble Space Telescope images taken on 9 and 10 May. The observations were led by Imke de Pater of the University of California, Berkeley, US.
No one knows for sure what gives the three spots their red colour. But one theory is that especially violent storms dredge up material from deeper in Jupiter’s atmosphere, such as phosphorus-containing molecules, which undergo chemical reactions that turn them red when exposed to sunlight.

Right meaning of twinty-20 “Mohali beat Mumbai by 1 run” it’s right said run out does matter...

Arun Kumar — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:13:20 +0000

The match between Mohali and Mumbai was full of turns & twists. Fortune swung like a pendulum with sometimes Mohali in the box seat and the next moment Mumbai calling the shots. In the end, the climax perhaps offered a bit more than many could handle.It looked all but over for Mumbai when they needed 19 off the last over. But a six off the first ball from V.R.V. Singh, also a no ball, opened up the game and what followed was some unbelievable action.

The remaining deliveries saw three run outs and Mumbai coming as close as needing two runs off the last ball for a win or a single to tie the game. Vikrant Yeligati was off in a flash but Yuvraj Singh fielded the ball cleanly at cover, dashed towards the non-striker’s end, took a huge leap to shatter the stumps and snatch a nerve wracking one-run victory along with a semi-final berth.

What has become a norm of sorts, the foundation for the fantastic victory was laid by Mohali’s young Australian imports Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach. The duo struck half centuries and shared a crucial 133-run partnership for the second wicket to get a challenging 189-4.Mumbai required Sanath Jayasuriya to give them a rollicking start and the left-hander didn’t disappoint. He was off in a flash, hitting Irfan Pathan for two sixes and a couple of boundaries in the second over. His end came when Sreesanth caught him plumb with a slower ball before he could inflict further damage.

Sachin Tendulkar then took over and kept the team in the hunt with some delectable stroke play. His shots neither had the ferocity of Jayasuriya nor the brute power of Pomersbach but it had the elegance and finesse that only he could have produced.

Just when he looked certain to guide Mumbai home, Pathan ran him out for 65. Yuvraj all but won the game for Mohali in the next over by picking up the crucial wickets of Shaun Pollock and Robin Uthappa. It looked curtains for Mumbai before that nerve wracking over from V.R.V.

Earlier, it was a Marsh-Pomersbach show. The two came together after James Hopes fell, and went on stamp their class yet again. While Marsh started in his composed manner, content to rotate the strike, the other left-hander tried to force the pace from the start.

After getting his eye in, Marsh too joined the party and unleashed a flurry of strokes to put the innings on the fast track.
He looked well set for a hundred when a mishit off Siddharth Chitnis saw him holing out to Pollock at long on for a well-made 81. The wicket choked the free flow of runs and the quick fall of Yuvraj and Mahela Jayawardene further encouraged the Mumbai attack.

But that was the lull before the storm. The hard-hitting Pomersbach (79 n.o.) took control in the last few overs to take Mohali to a challenging total.