My top ten in World Cup 2010

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town. The World Cup 2010 is promised to be the most attractive worldwide sports event for millions of fans. Every world cup creats a hero, and their row starts from Pele to Maradona and Ronaldo to Messie.

In this world cup, who will be that HERO ?

Lionel Messi ?? or ….

My top ten possibilities…..

Discover Your DNA

The move by Pathway Genomics, San Diego, a trendy bio-tech company to sell a genetic test kit through retail outlets that can assess users’ predisposition to various diseases has sparked off a furious debate in America over its ethical and moral dimensions. The company had announced that it would start selling the ‘Spit Kit’ through the nation’s 7,500 Walgreen stores. Packaged in a box with “Discover Your DNA” imprint, with a stamped envelope enclosed. Spit kit can be mailed back to company. Customers can then go to the Pathways website to order specific tests and pay the required fees. They can also get the results via the Web.

Using the $20-$30 ‘Spit Kit’, customers can mail a dab of their sputum to labs for tests that will examine DNA variations to determine their risk of getting heart disease, diabetes, various forms of cancer, besides their reaction to common drugs. Depending on the range and depth of information, the tests will cost up to $300. This idea of Pathway Genomics is not a new one. Personal genomics companies have been around for around three years. But by going retail Pathway hope to become the front-runners in this field.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has not approved or validated the test kit and ethicists are also concerned. They say learning about predisposed diseases will raise moral issues relating to marriage, childbirth, inheritance, and even business and professional decisions. Medical insurance companies and the clergy are yet to pitch in. Pathway, on its part, says FDA clearance is not necessary to sell the Spit Kit, because, it insists, the tests are not intended for use in diagnosis, treatment or for the mitigation or cure of a disease. Anyway let’s wait some days to evaluate the actual result and feedback to Pathway’s revolutionary initiative.

Dual Sim Mobile Phones

Dual sim mobile phones became popular from the year 2008 I think. Now almost 20% of the total mobile users prefer to use dual sim phones than their old single sim phones. Most people like to keep one mobile number for the office and one for home like me. Earlier I had to carry two phones to manage the calls from my family and office. But with the launch of the dual sim phones people no need to carry two different cells, but can manage their work with a single, multiple-sim phone.

In the initial stage the dual sim mobile models were not convenient for easy use. Its operations were somewhat complicated and difficult. But now top branded phone companies are after the market of this dual sim phones and latest technology has made the most modern multi usable dual sim phones providing real-time switching facility between both SIM at the touch of a button. There is a whole range of options available to consumers in India for top quality Dual sim mobile phones at much affordable prices.

Though international cellphone giants like Nokia, iPhone, BlackBerry…… not ventured into the dual-sim mobile phone market leading brand like LG, Samsung and others have dived straight in. Let’s have a look at a range of popular dual sim phones available in India.

Samsung Duo GSM-CDMA dual-sim world phone

The important features of this dual sim wold phone are :

• Sharp and vibrant screen with 2.2 inch, 262000 colours, TFT display with 176 x 220 resolution.
• supports call forwarding facility on both GSM & CDMA which facilitates incoming from both the numbers.
• Enjoy the convenience of Sharp and responsive Touch Screen
• Large phone book and sms storage
• 72 Polyphonic ring tones on the Samsung Duo. You can also set your favorite MP3 as your ring tone.

LG Mobiles dual-sim phones

LG has Unveiled lastest dual-SIM phone LG KS660 which runs on tri-band network. LG KS660 handset allows users to have both their personal and business lines concurrently on a single device without change SIM Cards. LG KS660 features below:

• 3.0-inch WQVGA (240×400) TFT touch-screen display with feedback,
• 5.0-megapixel camera with autofocus, video recording (720×480), flash,
• 50MB internal memory with microSDHC memory slot
• integrated acceletometer.

Karbonn Mobiles

Karbonn Mobile is another company which makes dual sim phones in India. The dual sim phones in the Karbonn Mobile range include KC 441, K 445, K 443, K 460, K 447, K 770, K 332, K 217 and K 451. Some general technical features of KC 441 are: weight 86 gm; talk time up to 180 mins; screen size 1.8 inches; camera 1 megapixel; Mode GSM; expandable memory up to 2 GB; and FM Radio and MP3 media.

Karbonn dual sim phone K 445 boasts a touchscreen, an MP3 player, mobile tracker software, torch, video player and a WAP browser. There is also an FM radio and voice recording features with the Karbonn K 445.

Karbonn K 443 is a slider dual sim phone, with a 1.75 inch screen. The GSM-GPRS phone has an internal phone book which can hold 100 entries, and its memory can be expanded up to 4 GB. There is a WAP 2.0 browser in this dual sim phone, and has features like one-touch camera, one-touch FM radio key, and one-touch movie player. The Karbonn K 443 dual sim phone has Bluetooth connectivity and USB connectivity.

Lava Dual Sim mobiles

Lava mobiles which is based out in Noida is hitting the mobile market with their low price dual sim mobiles. It is now proven than mobile market is bullish with dual sim requirement. Its cost ranges from 2599 to 3850. Looking at the price and features it is very clear that Lava is targeting an entry level segment. Basic Features of Lava sim phones are:

• Digital Camera
• Dual charging points
• FM Radio
• One touch music player
• Micro SD upto 8 GB
• Bluetooth
• Lithium-ion Battery.

Binbrain TV

I’m happy to introduce Binbrain TV,  free online video site, which has a decent collection of rare videos from all over the world. Binbrain TV is specialized in collecting mind-blowing scenes from kerala and firing it to the air. As all you know, Kerala is an incredible tourist destiny in the world. I assure, you can enjoy the real beauty of this heavenly place through Binbrain. I’m sure in the near future this initiative will be a big success. This is not only an entertainment spot but also an opportunity to share your rare video collections. It provides an exceptional platform which is definitely a safe at office site.

Binbrain TV is a newly launched service from Binbrain.com,  a multi purpose parallel web portal. This nice web portal is always being referred as the prime in developing a booming career too. The most popular section of Binbrain is Binbrain Exam.

Follow Binbrain @ Twitter for the latest updates.

A tragic scene

It’s an environmental disaster !!

This is a real example of man’s alacrity; This photo was taken during a usual walk around my village. Actually the scene hurt me a lot. People are unaware of the serious impact of this kind of vigorous exploitation of natural resources. In childhood, I remember that my village was full of hills and Paddy fields. The local names like Panthottam(Garden), Mottammal(Hilly areas), PunchaVayal(Paddy Field) etc itself reflected its geographical richness.  But now all these beautiful scenes are vanishing. Man is encroaching everywhere diverting ‘green nature into brown’. Let me quote the recent comment from the Green Bench, a High Court Bench of my state hearing all environment- related cases, “nature is raped by man” .

Oasis of the Seas

ship that is five times bigger than the ‘Great Titanic‘, Can you imagine? Yes, it has come true with the ship cruise “Oasis of the Seas“. After nearly six years in the making, on October 28, 2009 Royal Caribbean International proudly took delivery of its newest and most revolutionary cruise ship from STX Europe in Turku, Finland. Oasis of the Seas is departing Turku on Friday, Oct. 30 with Captain William S. Wright at the helm. The vessel was ordered in February 2006 and designed under the name “Project Genesis”. Its keel was laid down on 12. The company announced that full funding for Oasis of the Seas was secured on 15 April 2009. It’s debut into Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is scheduled on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009.

The official naming ceremony for Oasis of the Seas is taking place on 30th November during one day inaugural celebration. This event is planned as a fundraiser to benefit a non-profit Foundation which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Tickets for the once-in-a-lifetime event begin at $750 per person. For reservations to this exclusive event combined with the four-night sailing, contact Cynthia Paez, Royal Caribbean International, at (877) 202-1520, ext. 12751, or cpaez@rccl.com.

Oasis of the Seas is the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world. An architectural marvel at sea, she spans 16 decks, encompasses 225,282 gross registered tons, carries 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and features 2,700 staterooms. Oasis of the Seas is the first ship to tout the cruise line’s new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas, which includes Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone. Of all these specialities, the most exceptional feature of this miraculous ship is central park. It is elegantly landscaped with tropical foliage and seasonal flowers, shrubs and trees. “We’ve collected and designed a unique display of the most representative varieties of regional plants,” says Dennis J. Dale, director of Landscape Architecture.

Some snaps through the making of Oasis of the Seas……

unprecedented growth !!!!!!

Indian telecommunication industry is a giant in this field. It has the second largest telecommunication network with about 464.82 million mobile phones. I hope India will emerge as the first in this field soon and will remain first for long, as  India is such a potential nation.

In my childhood a land phone was considered luxury in our society. The only land phone available in my village was the one at our local postal office. Mobile phones were not even in our dreams I think. This is the picture of my village in 1980’s and in early 90’s. But now the whole scene is changed. I doubt that if there any family or even any person without a mobile phone now. Even the school going students too own new generation mobile handsets, and some do have multiple connections. My village is a typical example of the villages all over India. In short India is a surprising country; on the one hand It is known for great poverty and underfed children, on the other hand India surprises the Western world with its advanced information technology and highly respected scientists. I think India is going through a revolution in the field of telecommunication.

In 1990s the telecom sector in India was opened up by the Government for private investment as a part of Liberalization-Privatization-Globalization policy, up to then it was a monopoly of the government. Many private operators, such as Reliance India Mobile, Tata Telecom, Vodafone, Bharti, Idea etc., successfully entered the high potential Indian telecom market. Now there are three types of players in Indian telecom services: State owned companies (BSNL and MTNL); Private Indian owned companies (Reliance, Tata etc); Foreign invested companies (Hutchison-Essar, Vodafone etc). One of the attractive investment icons in the Indian share market is telecommunication shares.

The telecom reforms have allowed the foreign telecommunication companies to enter Indian market which has still got huge potential. In a recent study by a leading web site about the Indian telecommunication Industry it is said that, much of the growth in Asia Pacific Wireless Telecommunication Market is spurred by the growth in demand in countries like India and China and India ‘s mobile phone subscriber base is growing at a rate of 82.2%.

It is known that the total revenue in the telecom service sector was Rs. 86,720 crore in 2005-06 as against Rs. 71, 674 crore in 2004-2005, registering a growth of 21%. The total investment in the telecom services sector reached Rs. 200,660 crore in 2005-06, up from Rs. 178,831 crore in the previous fiscal. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has very aggressive plans to increase the pace of growth, targeting 500 million telephone subscribers by end-2010. Most of the expansion in subscribers is set to occur in rural India. India’s rural telephone density has been languishing at around 1.9%; since 70% of total population is rural, the scope for growth in this Industry is unprecedented.

Water found on Moon’s surface !!!

Whh!! India’s prestigious moon mission CHANDRAYAN -1 has found water on the moon surface !!! The Rs 386-core craft was launched on October 22 last year and terminated on August 30 following a communication failure. One of the important aims of the mission was to find the possibilities of water in moon.

Fortunately we are about to hear that glad news. This important discovery was made by NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper(M3), one of the payloads on board Chandrayan. It was supplemented by hyper-spectral imager and moon impact probe of Indian Space Research Organisation.  According to the scientists from ISRO, The Moon mapper also made the unexpected discovery that water may still be forming on the surface of the Moon. The finding could now trigger another round of Moon missions, and start serious hunt for life in outer space.

Describing as “path-breaking” the evidence of water on Moon by India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission, ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair on Thursday said no lunar odyssey so far had given a “positive” conclusion. ”There is confirmation of traces of water. It is a path-breaking event as far as Chandrayaan-1 mission is concerned. It is very very significant. So far, no mission has confirmed the presence of water positively,” he said.

Indian scientists are elated at the discovery of traces of water on the moon but at the same time warn of the need to quantify the resources and also ascertain whether it is fit for human consumption.  As news spread out about Indian maiden lunar mission tracing water molecules on the moon’s surface, scientists rejoiced at the discovery and hope that it will pave the way for growing vegetation in the earth’s natural satellite in future.

“I am really very happy to know that the NASA payload on Chandrayaan-1 has traced water. If it is true then it will pave the way for growing vegetation in moon surface in five or 10 years from now,” renowned scientist Y S Rajan said.  ”Even if there is no water in its complete H20 format, still it’s a great feat. It will help make human venturing to moon a more enriching experience. Those going to moon can combine the molecule and get water. They can also break it and get oxygen which is a major problem for scientists in space,” said Rajan.

He said India’s moon mission was a “great success” that proved ISRO’s capability and efficiency in managing key space projects. “We have received loads of data from moon via our mission. It has certainly enriched the global scientific community.”  Amitabha Ghosh, space scientist at NASA, said: “This is a very, very important finding… If somehow water was found on the moon, you could use that water right out there. You could extract it.”

S Chandrasekaran, another leading scientist, said: “Yes, we are very happy. I was not part of the mission so cannot give technical details but yes, the discovery is very significant. It is great and very important.”  Last year, former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan had told the news agency: “For me personally, if Chandrayaan-1 manages to find evidence of water on the moon, then that would be the biggest achievement.”

Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first unmanned lunar probe. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The spacecraft carried five Indian instruments and six from abroad, including M3 and another from NASA, three from the European Space Agency (ESA), and one from Bulgaria.

It is expected that NASA will hold a press conference to brief about the new scientific findings later in the day. Images from the payload are currently being analysed by NASA.

Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters holds a spoon to illustrate the amount of water discovered on the surface of the moon at a briefing to discuss new science data from the moon collected during national and international space missions September 24, 2009 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. NASA scientists have discovered water molecules in the polar regions of the moon. Instruments aboard three separate spacecraft revealed water molecules in amounts that are greater than predicted, but still relatively small. Hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, also was found in the lunar soil. The findings were published in Thursday’s edition of the journal Science.

NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3, instrument reported the observations. M3 was carried into space on Oct. 22, 2008, aboard the Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Data from the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, or VIMS, on NASA’s Cassini spacecraft and the High-Resolution Infrared Imaging Spectrometer on NASA’s EPOXI spacecraft contributed to confirmation of the finding. The spacecraft imaging spectrometers made it possible to map lunar water more effectively than ever before.

‘Amelia’ directed by Mira Nair

Amelia is an upcoming 2009 biographical film by Mira Nair based on the life of Amelia Earhart. Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying  experiences,  and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization  for female pilots. Amelia Earhart was  born in july 24,  1897 and disappeared in July 2,  1937 over the Pacific Ocean in an attempted circumnavigational flight across the globe. The American government spent $4 million searching for her but her body was never recovered. She was declared dead by the American authority in January 5, 1939.

Mira Nair’s biopic film Amelia, based on a script written by Ronald Bass, has an excellent cast of actors including two-time Oscar winner  (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Virgina Madsen, and Christopher Eccleston.

Though The film is expected to release on October 23 in USA, Oscar buzz for the Mira Nair’s biopic Amelia is brewing fast, with distributor Fox Searchlight focusing heavily on the film.

They say the film about the mysterious disappearance of aviation pioneer, feminist and author Amelia Earhart, will compete with James Cameron’s eagerly awaited Avatar which is distributed by Fox. It is his first film since the mega hit, Titanic, released in 1997.

Though the nominations are several  months  away ,  several prominent publications including  Los Angeles Times and Seattle PI.com are betting on Amelia playing big at the nominations. ‘Only three times in history has a woman been nominated for Best Director,’ wrote Seattle PI. Com which expects Nair’s David go after Cameron’s Goliath.

The Times expects the Nair film to bag a number of acting nominations. Los Angeles Times started the Oscar buzz for Amelia saying that Swank is a heavy contender. Her Oscar success is even more striking when you recall that she has never lost.

Fox Searchlight has released in recent years many hit films which were either nominated for the Oscars or won the coveted award. The list includes The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire and Juno. So let’s hope and especially as an Indian I wish and hope that all these factors may bring the first Oscar for the best director to India.

“Amelia” in brief…

• Directed by : Mira Nair
• Produced by :  Ronald Bass Hilary Swank Ted Waitt Kevin Hyman Lydia Dean Pilcher
• Written by :  Ronald Bass Anna Hamilton Phelan
• Starring : Hilary Swank Richard Gere Ewan McGregor Virginia Madsen Christopher Eccleston
• Music by : Gabriel Yared
• Cinematography :  Stuart Dryburgh
• Editing by : Allyson C. Johnson
• Release date :  October 23, 2009
• Country : United States
• Language :  English

Mumbai Terror Attacks

A terror attack takes place in Mumbai by 9.30pm of November 26th. Shoot at places like Nariman Point and CST stations.. According to the latest news one hundred and twenty seven people are dead and hundred more injured. Eleven policeman dead in separate firing incidents in Colaba in south Mumbai. Terrorists are now suspected to be in Oberoi Hotel In Mumbai. Oberai hotel lobby is on fire after terror attack according to the live reports.

Terror attacks in different parts of mumbai. Firing and grenade attacks near CST train stations. Train in Central lines have been stopped till further notice. Local trains stopped at VT stations. Police asks people to stay inside since there are chances for more attacks. The encounter between police and the terrorists still go on.. High alert in Mumbai. Encounter between police and terrorists go on at Taj hotel.

According to Plice a group of terrorists entered in VT railway station. Police have cornered the railway station now. Firing at Cama Hospital and grenade also used. Two blasts near Trident Hotel. Prime Ministers Office now confirmed five blasts in Mumbai. Maharashtra ATS chief and Asst Commissioner is reported as shot dead by the Terrorists. It is suspected that terrorists targeted hotels in Mumbai. Opposition Leader Advani asks PM to act immediately. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra is reported as rushed to the places. The actual number of causalities and the depth of attacks are not available yet.

A group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attacks but little is known of it. The men were of South Asian appearance and reportedly spoke Hindi, indicating they originated in India. Attacks over recent years have seen a variety of different groups named, particularly the Indian Mujahideen who had apparently threatened to attack Mumbai in September, claiming that Muslims had been harassed.

The authorities have often pointed the finger at the Students’ Islamic Movement of India, believing that other groups like the Indian Mujahideen are a front for this banned organisation. Some attacks have also been blamed on Lashkar-e-Toiba, which India says is backed by Pakistan’s intelligence agency the ISI.

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