Stephanie Rice

Stephanie Rice is an Australian swimmer. She currently holds the world record in the 200 m and 400 m individual medley as of August 13, 2008, and won three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.Rice is trained by Michael Bohl from the St Peters Western Swimming Club in Brisbane.

Rice was the gold medalist in the 200 metres Individual Medley at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia where she defeated Olympians Brooke Hanson and Lara Carroll to claim the gold medal in the event in a time of 2:12.90, a personal best by 1.19 sec. She also won the 400m individual medley.

At the 2007 Melbourne World Championships she won a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley in a time of 2 minutes 11.42 seconds, breaking the previous Australian record by a second. American Katie Hoff won the gold in 2:10.13, with Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe in second place. Rice once again placed third, earning her second bronze medal in the 400m individual medley final. In a new personal best time Rice finished in 4:41.19, taking .54 sec off her previous best.

Rice continued her strong performance, setting a new personal best time in the 400m individual medley at an Italian meet in June 2007. Rice went a 4:40.79, edging closer to the elusive 4:40 barrier in the event. At the 2007 Japanese Open Championships, Rice smashed her personal best time in the 400m individual medley and finally cracked the 4:40 barrier. In placing second to Zimbabwean champion Kirsty Coventry, Rice set a new Australian and Commonwealth record of 4:37.18—a personal best by 3.61 secAt the 2008 Australian Olympic trials, Rice broke the world record in the 400 m individual medley. Rice stopped the clock at 4 minutes 31.46 seconds, 1.43 seconds off American Katie Hoff's mark of 4:32.89. On June 29, 2008, at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Hoff retook the world record from Rice with a time of 4:31.12. Rice claimed her second world record of the meet, when she broke the 200 m individual medley world record, clocking 2 minutes 8.92 seconds to slash almost a full second off the previous record held by China's Wu Yanyan.



At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Rice won her first-ever Olympic medal, Australia's first gold medal of the games and its 400th summer Olympic medal, winning the 400m individual medley in a time of 4 minutes 29.45 seconds. In the process she reclaimed the world record from Hoff bettering the mark by 1.67 seconds, thus becoming the first woman to break the 4:30 in the event, (Kirsty Coventry also went under 4:30 in taking the silver). Her second gold medal of the games came on August 13 in the 200m individual medley with a new world record time of 2 minutes 8.34 seconds. Rice prevailed after being neck and neck with Coventry, who also went under the old world record. On August 14 she won her third gold medal as part of the 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay team.


In her Olympic debut, Stephanie Rice shattered the world record in the 400m IM to win gold in 4:29.45. Rice took nearly two seconds off the previous record, which was held by Katie Hoff, who finished third. Rice held off a late challenge from Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, who also finished well under the old mark to earn silver. The two dueled again in the 200m IM, with Rice touching first for her second gold medal and second world record. Rice then won her third gold, tying the Australian record for most golds in a single Games, on the 4x200m freestyle relay, setting her third world record.

First, she broke the 400m IM record by taking six seconds off her previous personal best. Three days later, she broke the 200m IM record, which had been from 1997 and was the second-oldest on the books. Both swims were unexpected for Rice, who took bronze in both races at the 2007 Worlds. "It was a mammoth shock," she said.


Rice said she was inspired when her then-boyfriend Eamon Sullivan broke Alexander Popov's eight-year-old mark in the 50m free, even though she wasn't there to see it. Rice had gone home after the heats and found out about the record via text message from Sullivan. But she said the record made her realize that anything was possible -- and even made her a little jealous. But Rice had her own record less than a month later.


Rice recalls making the trip to Sydney in 2000 with her mom to watch swimming at the Olympics. At 10 years old, Rice admits she was "way off the pace," but says she was in awe of all the swimmers and dreamt of one day being there herself. Now that she's going, Rice is excited for the opportunity to experience all that comes along with the Olympics.

The latest gossip is that Rice is dating fellow swimmer Micheal Phelps.

Blog::
Here

My day Today!

Today was indeed my day!
My mood was in upbeat today.It was a simple and a calm one.Nothing special happened.I woke up really late around 10,then called my brother wanted to wish him good morning.He was really surprised when I called him.He said it was afternoon for him already.Then to all those usual gallows ,I had my morning bath and breakfast.You should say it as lunch as I had it around 12.Then I cleaned up my house and did all household.
Then I was online surfing and chatting with my friends.After that my mum came home and I was watching Snehithiyey movie which is a very nice one.
After that in the evening I asked out my dad whether we can go out.But he was very tired so we did not.I was searching for a Raksha bandhan gift for my brother in the e- shopping after that.Then I had my dinner with my parents.
Now before going to my night sleep writing my today's blog.This was how I spent my day.But whatever it was a peaceful and happy day. It is nice to be at home and take rest.
For now good night and sweet dreams!!!!!!!!!!

Gone are the days!!!

Gone are the days!!!


When

The school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and
benches!


When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes!


When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays,
Yet managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

We learnt writing with slates and pencils, and
Progressed To fountain pens and ball pens and then Micro tips!


When we began drawing with crayons and evolved to
Color pencils and finally sketch pens!


When we started calculating
first with tables and then with
Clarke's tables and advanced to
Calculators and computers!


When we chased one another in the
corridors in Intervals, and returned to the classrooms
Drenched in sweat!


When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,
Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds!


When all the colors in the world,
Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays!


When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons!


When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,
And Neckties and socks rolled into balls!


When few played "kabadi" and "Kho-Kho" in scorching sun,
While others simply played "book cricket" in the
Confines of classroom!


Of fights but no conspiracies,
Of Competitions but seldom jealousy!


When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks!


When few rushed at 3:45 to
"Conquer" window seats in our School bus!
While few others had "Big Fun", "peppermint" ,
"kulfi", " milk ice !" and "sharbat !" at 4o Clock!

Gone are the days
Of Sports Day,
and the annual School Day ,
And the one-month long
preparations for them.


Gone are the days
Of the stressful Quarterly,
Half Yearly and Annual Exams, And the most
enjoyed holidays after them!


Gone are the days
Of tenth and twelfth standards, when
We Spent almost the whole year writing revision tests!

Gone are the days
we had a crush on a guy/gal
And proposed him/her
And hid behind the pillars of school to give him/her a christmas card

We learnt,

We enjoyed,

We played,

We won,

We lost,

We laughed,

We cried,

We fought,

We thought.

With so much fun in them, so many friends,
So much experience, all this and more!


Gone are the days
When we used to talk for hours with our friends!
Now we don't have time to say a 'Hi'!


Gone are the days
When we played games on the road!
Now we
Code on the road with laptop!


Gone are the days
When we saw stars
Shining at Night!
Now we see stars when our code doesn't Work!


Gone are the days
When we sat to chat with Friends on grounds!
Now we chat in chat rooms.....!


Gone are the days
Where we studied just to pass!
Now we study to save our job!

Gone are the days
Where we had no money in our pockets and still fun filled on our hearts!!
Now we have the atm as well as credit card but with an empty heart!!

Gone are the days
Where we shouted on the road!
Now we don't shout even at home

Gone are the days
Where we got lectures from all!
Now we give lectures to all... like the one I'm doing now....!!

Gone are the days
But not the memories, which will be
Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and
Ever and ever and ever .....

Gone are the Days…. But still there are lot more Days to come in our Life!!

NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE ,

DONT FORGET TO

LIVE THE LIFE THAT STILL

EXISTS….

Abhinav Bhindra Makes India Proud!

At last we have got our individual gold.The greatest moment for any indian.Thanks to Abhinav Bhindra for giving us this moment.

Abhinav Bindra won India's first ever individual Olympic gold medal on Monday with a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the men's 10 metres air rifle event.

Bindra was fourth after qualifying but had a brilliant final round and even hit a near perfect 10.8 on his last visit to pull in front of Henri Hakkinen of Finland, who dropped to bronze with a poor final shot of 9.7.

That allowed China's Zhu Qinan, the defending Olympic champion and heavy favourite, to pass him on his final shot and win the silver medal.

"It's just great," Bindra said just before climbing on to the podium.

Zhu suffered a late lapse in concentration in the qualification earlier on Monday morning when he had to rush his final shots to make the time limit, thus dropping to second place behind Hakkinen ahead of the final.

He was close to tears and said: "I was under tremendous pressure and at times I felt really agitated. But I tried my best."

India's last Olympic gold medal was from hockey at the 1980 Moscow Olympics . Bindra's feat betters the silver medal effort of double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at the Athens Games in 2004.

Randhir Singh, Indian Olympic Association secretary-general and former shooter who was present at the range, was stricken with nerves as the competition reached its climax.

"I haven't prayed so much in my life. With the second last shot they tied together and then he shot a 10.8. It couldn't have got better," he said.

Bindra won the 2006 World championships and finished seventh in Athens four years ago.

Abhinav Bindra is an Indian shooter specializing in the 10 m Air Rifle event. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games and first gold medal since 1980 for India by winning the gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event.

Abhinav Bindra was the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games. He won six gold medals at various international meets in 2001. In the 10 m Air rifle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester, he won Gold in the Pairs event and Silver in the individual event. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he broke the Olympic record but failed to win a medal. He is a recipient of the Arjuna award in 2001 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for the year 2001-2002. Abhinav Bindra's potential talent was first spotted by his first coach Lt. Col. J.S. Dhillon.

Apart from being a shooter, Abhinav Bindra holds an M.B.A. (Masters in Business Administration). He is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, a PC games peripherals distributor based in Chandigarh

Check Out His Blog::
HERE

Ponniyin Selvan

The first ever novel I read in Tamil is Ponniyin Selvan written by Kalki Krishnamoorthy one of the famous tamil novelist.His narration and his simple style inspired me. Ponniyin Selvan revolves around the great king Raja Raja cholan.This tells about his youth and about the murder of his brother Aditya Karikalan.The hero of the novel is Vandiyathevan who is the friend of Aditya Karikalan.

He sets out to the Chola land to deliver a message to the King and the Princess from the Crown Prince Aditya Karikalan. The story shuttles between Vandiyathevan's travels in Chola country and the young Prince Arulmozhivarman's travels in Srilanka. The narrative deals with attempts by his sister Kundavai to bring back Arulmozhi establish political peace in a land seemingly getting besot with unrest and signs of civil war, plotted by vassals and petty chieftains.

Parantaka Chola was succeeded by his second son Gandaraditya as the first son Rajaditya had died in a battle. At the time of Gandaraditya's death, his son Maduranthaka was a child and hence Gandaraditya’s brother Arinjaya ascended the throne. After Arinjaya’s death, his son Parantaka II, Sundara Chola was coronated. He had two sons, Aditya Karikalan and Arulmozhi Varman and a daughter Kundavai.

When the story starts, the emperor Sundara Chola is ill and bedridden. Aditya Karikalan is the general of the Northern Command and lived in Kanchi and Arulmozhivarman is in Sri Lanka in battle and their sister Kundavai Piratti lived in Chola royal household at Pazhayarai.

The story is set in motion, when rumor starts that there is a conspiracy against Sundara Chola and his sons. One person who gets a glimpse of the Pandya conspirators is a warrior of the Vana clan Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan. Even though the book is titled Ponniyin Selvan, the hero of the book is Vandiyathevan, a friend of Aditya Karikalan.

It is through Vandiyathevan that we meet most of the characters in the novel such as Arulmozhivarman, the prince whom all the people loved and Periya Pazhavetturayar, the chancellor who married Nandini when he was sixty. During his youth Aditya Karikalan had fallen in love with Nandini, but she turned vengeful after Aditya Karikalan killed Veerapadyan and vowed to destroy the Chola dynasty. We also meet Kundavai Devi, who after hearing the news of the conspiracy sends Vandiyathevan to Sri Lanka to give a message to Arulmozhivarman to come back immediately.

Besides these, there are other characters like Maduranthaka Thevar, the son of Gandaraditya and Anirudha Brahmarayar, Sundara Cholar’s Prime Minister and the man who has eyes and ears everywhere. But the most wonderful character in the book is Brahmarayar’s spy Azhwarkadiyan Nambi, a Vaishnavite, who roams around the country challenging Saivaites for debates. He collects information for the Prime Minister and is always around Vandiyathevan, rescuing him during trouble.

There are some lovely women too, like Vanathi, the Kodumbalur princess who is in love with Arulmozhi; Poonkuzhali, the boat woman who rows the future king to Lanka; Mandakini, the deaf and dumb step mother and Rakkammal, the wife of a boatman who supports the Pandya conspirators. Most memorable among these is Nandini, whose beauty is said to have the power to influence any man.

With Poonkuzhali's help, Vandiyathevan reaches Sri Lanka and meets Arulmozhivarman and becomes his close friend. In Lanka, Arulmozhivarman realizes that his father had spent some time in an island near Lanka and had been with a girl born deaf and dumb. He meets her and realizes from her drawing that she and his father have had two children. Who are those children and do they have the right to the throne? Later one day in Thirupurambayam forest Vandiyathevan sees Nandini and the Pandya conspirators place a small boy on a throne and take a vow in front of him. Who is this boy and what right does he have to the throne? This is the kind of suspense that is maintained throughout the novel.

While coming back from Lanka, Arulmozhivarman is caught in a cyclone and goes missing. Rumor spreads that he is dead, but he survives and stays at Choodamani Viharam, a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam. Then slowly the dispersed family starts assembling. The conspirators meanwhile choose one day in which both the king and both of his sons would be assassinated.

Will the conspirators succeed in killing Sundara Chola and crowning Madhuranthaka as the king or will Arulmozhivarman get crowned the king? That is one of the major question upon which the story revolves.And it ends in a dramatic climax in the fifth part of the book where the truth about Maduranthaka Chola is revealed. This story has everything to make a wonderful novel of all time

Link::
http://www.tamilnation.org/literature/kalki/pm278c.pdf

Nokia N78

Love it or leave it won't do here, we're afraid. Love it or hate it is more like it. There's so much to get excited about with Nokia N78. The excellent display and capable camera, topped with Navi wheel, FM transmitter, GPS and Wi-Fi sure round off a nice deal. And yes, the latest FP 2 is a downright treat. If only… Well, you must know already what we think of the package. Anyway, you're welcome to read on. Nokia N78 has a whole review up ahead to unleash its potential and a lifetime to beg for a facelift.





Key features:

* 2.4" 16M-color display of QVGA resolution
* 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash
* S60 UI with Feature Pack 2
* FM transmitter
* Navi wheel
* 3G with HSDPA
* microSD card slot, 2GB card in the retail package
* GPS receiver and 3 months of free voice-guided navigation
* Wi-Fi
* Stereo speakers
* 3.5mm standard audio jack
* FM radio with RDS
* Bluetooth and USB connectivity (microUSB port)

Main disadvantages:

* Keypad or whatever they call it
* Shaky battery cover
* Not our kind of design
* Call, End and C key placement
* FM transmitter has weak signal

Infosys spends Rs. 750 crore on training fresh recruits

THE DIMENSION: An interior view of the new block of the Global Education Centre on the Infosys campus in Mysore.

Infosys Technologies spends Rs. 750 crore a year on training fresh recruits. The company added 3,192 staff in the first quarter of 2008-09.

“This comes to Rs. 2.50 lakh spent on each potential new employee during a 16-week training period. We don’t have a choice because existing engineering college curriculum does not turn out candidates with skills we need,” Infosys Director T. V. Mohandas Pai, told reporters visiting the sprawling training centre of the company in Mysore. The 335-acre campus, largest of the nine training centres of Infosys across India, can accommodate up to 13,500 people at a given time.

Apart from containing attrition at around 13.7 per cent against the industry average of 17 per cent, the training turned out young men and women with additional ‘soft skills’, including the ability to communicate clearly, learn efficient team work and decision-making, Mr. Pai said. Close to five per cent of trainees did not match the job skills required and had to return home.

Cost of training

The cost of training might seem high but in the West, it worked out to $50,000 per trainee as compared to $6,000 here, he explained. “If our universities upgraded and made the teaching methods more industry and employment-oriented, the IT sector need not spend that much for training. On our part, we can claim having contributed 50,000 trained persons so far to the workforce,” he said.

Infosys has its on-campus job skills programme, Campus Connect, covering 510 engineering colleges in several regions. So far, 2,300 faculties have been trained on industry needs like better understanding of concepts involved in work such as software engineering. The Mysore campus has two software development centres and a special economic zone (SEZ) facility, both being expanded now. The SEZ recorded Rs. 800 crore exports last year.

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My Inspiration~~Indra Nooyi

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi (born October 28, 1955 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) is the chairwoman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo, the world's fourth-largest food and beverage company. On August 14, 2006, Nooyi was named the successor to Steve Reinemund as chief executive officer of the company. She was effectively appointed as CEO by PepsiCo's board of directors on October 1, 2006. According to the polls Forbes magazine conducted, Nooyi ranks fifth on the 2007 list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. Nooyi has been named the #1 Most Powerful Woman in Business in 2006 and 2007 by Fortune magazine.

She received a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Madras Christian College in 1974, and immediately entered the PGDBA (Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration) program at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. After graduating from IIM-C in 1976, she worked in India for several years (including a stretch at Madura Coats). She was admitted to Yale School of Management in 1978 for a master's degree in Management. Following her master's degree from Yale in 1980, Nooyi started at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), from where she moved on to strategy positions at Motorola and ABB.

Nooyi is a Successor Fellow at Yale Corporation and serves on the board of several organizations, including Motorola, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the International Rescue Committee, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Among her friends are former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who describes her as a "wild New York Yankees fan."

She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut with her husband, Raj K. Nooyi.In 2007, she was awarded Padma Bhushan by Government of India. In 2008, she was elected to the fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

She joined PepsiCo in 1994, was named president and CFO in 2001. On August 14, 2006, she was named the CEO of PepsiCo, becoming the fifth CEO in PepsiCo's 42-year history.

While at PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi has played a vital role in starting Tricon, which is currently known as Yum! Brands Inc. Nooyi recommended spinning off Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, arguing PepsiCo couldn't bring enough value to the fast food industry. Nooyi also took the lead in the acquisition of Tropicana in 1998, and merger with Quaker Oats Co.

According to BusinessWeek, since she became CFO in 2000, the company's annual revenues have risen 72%, while net profit more than doubled, to $5.6 billion in 2006.

Nooyi was named on Wall Street Journal's list of 50 women to watch in 2005, and was listed among Time's 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2007 and 2008. She is also a member of a highly secretive group known as Bilderberg Group and attended the meeting in 2004

In 2004, Nooyi and her husband donated $27,000 to the primary campaign of John Kerry. In March of 2008, Nooyi was elected Chairman of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), a non-profit business advocacy organization representing nearly 300 of the largest US companies doing business in India and two dozen of India's global companies investing in America. Nooyi leads USIBC's Board of Directors, an assembly of 25 senior executives representing a cross-section of American industry.

Emma Watson

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is a French-born British actress who rose to prominence playing Hermione Granger, one of three starring roles in the Harry Potter film series. Watson was cast as Hermione at the age of nine, having acted only in school plays. From 2001 to 2007, she starred in five Harry Potter film installments alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. She will return for the final two installments: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, due to be released in 2008, and the two parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Watson's work in the Harry Potter series has earned her several awards and more than £10 million.

In 2007, Watson announced her involvement in two non-Harry Potter productions: the made-for-television adaptation of the novel Ballet Shoes and an animated film, The Tale of Despereaux. Ballet Shoes was broadcast on Boxing Day 2007 to an audience of 5.2 million and The Tale of Despereaux, based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, will be released in 2008.

Emma Watson was born in Paris, France, daughter of Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson, English lawyers. Watson has one French grandmother, and lived in Paris until the age of five, before she moved with her mother and younger brother Alex to Oxford, England, following her parents' divorce.

From six, Watson expressed a desire to become an actress. By 10, she had starred in school plays, including Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince. She had never acted professionally before the Harry Potter series. "I had no idea of the scale of the film [series]", she said in a 2007 interview with Parade magazine; "[if I had] I would have been completely overwhelmed".

In 1999, casting began for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), the film adaptation of British author J. K. Rowling's bestselling novel.[9] Of importance to the casting directors were the lead role of Harry Potter and the two supporting roles of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Harry's two friends. Casting agents found Watson through her Oxford theatre teacher,[9] and producers were impressed by her confidence. After eight auditions, producer David Heyman told Watson and fellow applicants Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint that they had been cast as Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Rowling was said to support Watson from her first screen test.

Watson's debut as Hermione came in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The film broke records for opening-day sales and opening weekend takings and was the highest-grossing film of 2001. Critics praised the performances of the three leads, often singling out Watson for particular acclaim. The Daily Telegraph called her performance "admirable", and IGN said she "stole the show". Watson was nominated for five awards for her performance in Philosopher's Stone, winning the Young Artist Award for Leading Young Actress.

A year later, Watson again starred as Hermione in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second instalment of the series. Though the film received mixed reviews because of its pace and direction, critics were positive about the performances. The Los Angeles Times said Watson and her peers had matured between films,[16] while The Times criticised director Chris Columbus for "under-employing" Watson's hugely popular character. Watson received an Otto Award from the German magazine Die Welt for her performance. In 2004, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released. Watson was appreciative of the more assertive role Hermione played, calling her character "charismatic" and "a fantastic role to play". Although critics turned away from Radcliffe's acting talent, labelling him wooden, Watson continued to be praised; The New York Times lauded her performance, saying "Luckily Mr. Radcliffe's blandness is offset by Ms. Watson's spiky impatience. Harry may show off his expanding wizardly skills ... but Hermione ... earns the loudest applause with a decidedly unmagical punch to Draco Malfoy's deserving nose". Although Prisoner of Azkaban remains the lowest-grossing Harry Potter film as of January 2008, Watson's personal performance won her two Otto Awards and the Child Performance of the Year award from Total Film.

With Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), both Watson and the Harry Potter film series reached new milestones. The film set records for a Harry Potter opening weekend, a non-May opening weekend in the US, and an opening weekend in the UK. Critics praised the increasing maturity of Watson and her teenage co-stars; the New York Times called her performance "touchingly earnest". For Watson, much of the humour of the film sprang from the tension among the three lead characters as they matured. She said, "I loved all the arguing ... I think it's much more realistic that they would argue and that there would be problems." Nominated for three awards for Goblet of Fire, Watson won a bronze Otto Award. Later that year, Watson became the youngest person to appear on the cover of Teen Vogue. 2006 found Watson playing Hermione in The Queen's Handbag, a special mini-episode of Harry Potter in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.

The fifth film in the Harry Potter franchise, 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was a financial success, setting a record worldwide, opening-weekend gross of $333 million. Watson won the inaugural National Movie Award for Best Female Performance. As the fame of the actress and the series continued, Watson and fellow Harry Potter co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint left imprints of their hands, feet, and wands in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on 9 July 2007.


Watson's first non-Harry Potter role was in the 2007 TV film Ballet Shoes. She played Pauline Fossil. She said of the project, "I was all set to go back to school after finishing Harry Potter [and the Order of the Phoenix] but couldn't resist Ballet Shoes. I really loved it". A BBC adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's novel of the same name, the film stars Watson as aspiring actress Pauline Fossil, the eldest of three sisters around whom the story revolves. Director Sandra Goldbacher commented, "Emma was perfect for Pauline ... She has a piercing, delicate aura that makes you want to gaze and gaze at her". The role required Watson to bleach her hair white-blonde. Ballet Shoes was broadcast on Boxing Day in the United Kingdom, to an estimated audience of 5.2 million (22 percent of the viewing total).The film received generally poor critical reviews, and The Times described it as "progress[ing] with little emotional investment, or magic, or dramatic momentum". However, the performances of its cast were generally praised; The Daily Telegraph wrote the film "was certainly well done, not least because it confirmed how good child actors are these days".

Watson will star in the animated film The Tale of Despereaux, released in December 2008. She will voice the character of Princess Pea in the film, a children's comedy which also stars Matthew Broderick and Tracey Ullman.

In June 2008, Watson signed a contract, reported to be worth £3 million, to advertise with Chanel, a prominent French fashion house. She will become the public face of Coco Mademoiselle, one of the label's perfumes, replacing Keira Knightley.

Despite rumours that she had refused the final two Harry Potter installments, Watson signed for the sixth and seventh films in March 2007. She explained the decision was tough as filming would continue to dominate her life for three to four years, but in the end "the pluses outweighed the minuses". Filming for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film, began in late 2007. Although Radcliffe and Grint have confirmed their commitment to acting, Watson has expressed uncertainty about her future. Speaking to Newsweek in 2006, she said, "Daniel and Rupert seem so sure ... I love to perform, but there are so many other things I love doing."

Watson's extended family has grown as her divorced parents both have children by new partners. Her father has identical twin girls, Nina and Lucy, and a four-year old son, Toby. Her mother's partner has two sons (Emma's stepbrothers), who "regularly stay with [her]". Watson's full brother, Alexander, has appeared as an extra in two Harry Potter films, and her half-sisters were cast as the young Pauline Fossil in the BBC's Ballet Shoes adaptation.

After moving to Oxford with her mother and brother, Watson attended The Dragon School, a private preparatory school, until June 2003 and then moved to Headington School, an private all-girl school, also in Oxford.While on film sets, Watson and her peers were tutored for up to five hours a day; despite the focus on filming she maintained high academic standards. In June 2006, Watson took GCSE examinations in 10 subjects, achieving eight A* and two A grades; she was a target of friendly ridicule on the Harry Potter set because of her straight-A exam results. The following year she received four A grades in her AS levels (advanced level examinations) in English, geography, art, and history of art.

Watson's work in the Harry Potter series has brought her more than £10 million,and she has acknowledged she will never have to work for money. However, she has declined to quit school to become a full-time actress, saying "People can’t understand why I don’t want to ... but school life keeps me in touch with my friends. It keeps me in touch with reality".She has been positive about working as a child actress, saying her parents and colleagues helped make her experience happy.Watson enjoys a close friendship with her fellow Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, describing them as a "unique support system" for the stresses of film work.

Watson lists her interests as dancing, singing, field hockey, tennis, art, fly fishing, and donates to WTT (Wild Trout Trust).She describes herself as "a bit of a feminist",and admires fellow actors Johnny Depp and Julia Roberts.

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal Parera (born June 3, 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player, who has won five Grand Slam singles titles. He has won the French Open in four consecutive years (2005–08), and Wimbledon in 2008. He is currently ranked world number two, a position he has held for a record 156 consecutive weeks. As of July 28, 2008, Nadal is currently on a 28-match winning streak, winning five tournaments during this time, including the French Open and Wimbledon.

From April 2005 to May 2007, Nadal won a record 81 consecutive clay court matches before being defeated by Roger Federer in the 2007 Hamburg Masters final. This is the longest winning streak of any male player on a single surface in the open era. Nadal is undefeated at the French Open, having won all 28 matches and four single titles he has played. These achievements have led some to regard Nadal as the greatest clay-court player in the history of the sport.

Nadal has a storied rivalry with Roger Federer, most notably for defeating the world number one at the French Open in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, so far denying Federer a Career Grand Slam. At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Nadal defeated Federer in the final, ending the latter's run of five consecutive wins, with Nadal becoming the first player since Björn Borg in 1980 to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. He is also only the second male Spaniard to win the Wimbledon title and the first in 42 years.

Born in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain on June 3, 1986, Rafael Nadal Parera began playing tennis at the age of five with his uncle Toni. Encouraged by the promise spry Rafael (or "Rafa," as his fans and countrymen call him) showed, Toni began training his nephew on the courts.

Before Rafael was even 10 years old, it was clear the boy had a future in tennis. His uncle became his coach and he began serious training, quickly capturing Spanish and European junior events. In 2002, at the age of 15, he won his first ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) match, becoming only the ninth player in the Open Era to win an ATP game before his 16th birthday. Playing mostly Futures events, the young Spaniard compiled a 37-3 record and won six titles in his homeland.

The next year, Nadal had his breakthrough season, as he had successful runs on both the ATP and Challenger circuits. The run included his first semifinal appearance in an ATP event, as well as his first Wimbledon appearance, where he made it to the 3rd round. To top off 2003, he won his first doubles ATP title in Umag, and took home the Newcomer of the Year Award.

While 2004 marked the year he won his first ATP title (at the Idea Prokom Open) and beat a top-ranked opponent (Roger Federer), it was his 2005 summer run that proved he was among the tennis tour's best. In winning nine singles titles, including an incredible victory at Roland Garros, Nadal rose to a no. 2 ranking in the world, behind only Federer. At only 19 years old, this clay-court specialist has bested himself year after year since joining the ATP tour, and he looks to conquer tennis time and again in Grand Slam events to come.

Birthday

Birthday or B'days is the name given to the date of the anniversary of a person's birth. People in many cultures celebrate this anniversary. In some languages, the word for birthday literally translates as "anniversary". Birthdays are traditionally marked by celebrations including a birthday party or, in some particular cases, a rite of transition.

It is thought the large-scale celebration of birthdays in Europe began with the non-Christian cult of Mithras, which originated in Persia, and was spread by soldiers throughout the Roman Empire. Such celebrations were uncommon previously so practices from other contexts such as the Saturnalia were adapted for birthdays.Because many Roman soldiers took to Mithraism, it was distribution widely and its influence was spead throughout the empire until it was supplanted by Christianity.

The celebration of birthdays is not universal. In the Christian world, some communities do not celebrate Birthdays. For instance, Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate them, because their origins are pagan and the festivities are contrary to Christian practice, along with some of the festive customs associated with Christmas and Easter.Orthodox Christianity prefer celebrations of name days. Some communities may celebrate both naming days and birthdays, as is the norm among Catholics in many communities in the Hispanic world.

The Jewish perspective on birthday celebrations is disputed by various rabbis.In the Hebrew Bible, the one single mention of a celebration being held in commemoration of someone's day of birth is for the Pharoah.The bar mitzvah of 13 year old Jewish boys, or bat mitzvah for 12 year old girls, is perhaps the only Jewish celebration undertaken in conjunction with a birthday, however, the essence of the celebration is entirely religious in origin (the attainment of religious maturity according to Jewish law) not secular, despite modern celebrations where the secular "birthday" elements predominate. With or without the "birthday" celebration, the child still automatically attains his or her bar or bat mitzvah, and its celebration may be any date following his 13th or her 12th year anniversary of birth.

The birthday cake is traditionally highly decorated, and typically covered with lit candles when presented, the number of candles signifying the age of the celebrant. The person whose birthday it is may make a silent wish and then blow out the candles. It is also customary for the person celebrating their birthday to cut the initial piece of the cake as a newlywed couple might with a wedding cake.Birthday cakes date back as far as the Middle Ages when the English would conceal symbolic items such as gold coins, rings and thimbles inside their cakes.Each item was associated with a prediction. For example, a person finding a gold coin in a birthday cake would supposedly become wealthy; a person discovering a thimble would never marry.Sometimes special candles are substituted for the many individual candles in the shape of a numeral. For example, on the fifth birthday, there may be one candle on the cake in the shape of the numeral five, and on the fiftieth birthday there may be two candles on the cake, one in the shape of the numeral five followed by the other in the shape of the number zero.

In addition to parties, it is often common for people to receive gifts on their birthdays. There are also traditions of surprise parties.In addition to parties, it is often common for people to receive gifts on their birthdays. There are also traditions of surprise parties., it is expected of the person celebrating their birthday to treat their party guests instead; this varies depending on the local culture and may involve party gifts or other gestures.

In most English-speaking countries it is traditional to sing the song Happy Birthday to You to the honored person celebrating a birthday. The Happy Birthday song tune is thoughtto be the most frequently sung melody in the world. Similar songs exist in other languages such as "Lang zal hij/zij leven" in Dutch, "Õnne soovime Sul" in Estonian, "Zum Geburtstag Viel Glück" in German, "Que los cumplas feliz" or "Feliz cumpleaños a tí" in Spanish, "Parabéns a você" in Portuguese, "Sto lat" in Polish, "Lá Bhreithlá Shona Duit" in Irish, "Joyeux Anniversaire" in French, "Tanti Auguri a te" in Italian and "Iyi ki dogdun, Mutlu Yillar Sana" in Turkish.

In some Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox countries such as France, Hungary, or Greece, it is common to have a 'name day'/'Saint's day'.This is celebrated in much the same way as a birthday, but is held on the official day of a saint with the same Christian name as the birthday person; the difference being that one may look up a person's name day in a calendar, or easily remember common name days (for example, John or Mary); however in pious traditions, the two were often made to concur by giving a newborn the name of a saint celebrated on its birthday, or even the name of a feast, for example, Noel or Pascal (French for Christmas and "of Easter").

People born on February 29, which occurs only during leap years, often celebrate their birthday in other years on February 28, or March 1 (the first day they have, measured in whole years, a new age).People born on February 29, which occurs only during leap years, often celebrate their birthday in other years on February 28, or March 1 (the first day they have, measured in whole years, a new age).

A person's birthday is usually recorded according to the time zone of the place of birth. Thus people born in Samoa at 11:30 PM will record their birthdate as one day before Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and those born in the Line Islands will record their birthdate one day after UTC. They will apparently be born two days apart, while some of the apparently older ones may be younger in hours. Those who live in different time zones from their birth often exclusively celebrate their birthdays at the local time zone. In addition, the intervention of Daylight Saving Time can result in a case where a baby born second being recorded as having been born up to an hour before their predecessor

More Deadly Bomb Blasts Rock India

A day after serial bombings in India's high-tech hub, Bangalore, there have been numerous blasts in Ahmedabad, western India's commercial and cultural capital. Authorities report at least 29 people are dead and more than 100 injured there following 16 separate explosions in and around the capital of the state of Gujarat.

As investigators in Bangalore were seeking clues amid the debris from a series of low intensity explosions there, a similar group of blasts hit another Indian city Saturday evening.

The latest target: the capital of the state of Gujarat. While only one person died in the Bangalore bombings, the number of dead and injured in Ahmedabad is much higher. Authorities say the explosive devices were placed in lunch canisters on bicycles which were parked at crowded markets. One bomb also exploded at a trauma center where some of the injured had been taken.

Television stations say just before the first blast in Ahmedabad they had received a 14-page long e-mail warning of an attack from a group calling itself "Indian Mujahedin." The little-known group has previously claimed responsibility for bomb blasts in other cities.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil says whatever resources are needed to render aid and investigate the attacks will be committed.

The cabinet minister says whether it is Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore or Ahmedabad the government will not play the blame game because to do that will not help the people.

His comments are a reference to the finger-pointing between the national and state governments over accusations they are not doing enough to prevent such attacks.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for Indians to "maintain communal harmony." The fear is if radical Islamic groups are blamed for the bomb blasts that Hindu activists may attack minority Muslims in retaliation.

Gujarat is especially sensitive because six years ago more than 1,000 people died there during rioting between Hindus and Muslims which threw the entire state into chaos for weeks.

www.voanews.com

STOP DRINKING AND DRIVING....LIFE IS WORTH LIVING

Driving under the influence of alcohol (driving while intoxicated, drunk driving, drinking and driving, drink-driving) or other drugs, is the act of operating a motor vehicle (and even a bicycle, boat or horse in some jurisdictions) after having consumed alcohol, to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. It is a crime or offence in most countries around the world. Driving under the influence of alcohol legally is known as Buzz Driving. Anti-drunk-driving advertising campaigns In most international jurisdictions, anyone who is convicted of injuring or killing someone while under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be heavily fined. The specific criminal offense may be called, depending on the jurisdiction, driving while intoxicated (DWI), operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OMVI), driving under the influence [of alcohol or other drugs] (DUI), driving under the combined influence of alcohol and/or other drugs, driving under the influence per se or drunk in charge [of a vehicle]. Historically, guilt was established by observed driving symptoms, such as weaving; administering field sobriety tests, such as a walking a straight line heel-to-toe or standing on one leg for 30 seconds; and the arresting officer's subjective opinion of impairment. Starting with the introduction in Norway in 1936 of the world’s first per se law which made it an offense to drive with more than a specified amount of alcohol in the body, objective chemical tests have gradually supplemented the earlier purely judgmental ones. Limits for chemical tests are specific for blood alcohol concentration or concentration of alcohol in breath. With the advent of a scientific test for blood alcohol content (BAC), enforcement regimes moved to pinning culpability for the offense to strict liability based on driving while having more than a prescribed amount of blood alcohol, although this does not preclude the simutaneous existence of the older subjective tests. BAC is most conveniently measured as a simple percent of alcohol in the blood by weight. It does not depend on any units of measurement. In Europe it is usually expressed as milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. However, 100 milliliters of blood weighs essentially the same as 100 milliliters of water, which weighs precisely 100 grams. Thus, for all practical purposes, this is the same as the simple dimensionless BAC measured as a percent. Since 2002 it has been illegal in all 50 US states to drive with a BAC that is 0.08% or higher. The validity of the testing equipment/methods and mathematical relationships for the measurement of breath and blood alcohol have been criticized. Driving while consuming alcohol may be illegal within a jurisdiction. In some it is illegal for an open container of an alcoholic beverage to be in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle or in some specific area of that compartment. The German model serves to reduce the number of accidents by identifying unfit drivers and removing them from traffic until their fitness to drive has been established again. The Medical Psychological Assessment (MPA) works for a prognosis of the fitness for drive in future, has an interdisciplinary basic approach and offers the chance of individual rehabilitation to the offender. A breathalyzer is a device for estimating blood alcohol content (BAC) from a breath sample. "Breathalyzer" is the brand name of a series of models made by one manufacturer of these instruments (originally Smith and Wesson, later it was sold to National Draeger), but has become a genericized trademark for all such instruments. In Canada, a preliminary non-evidentiary screening device can be approved by Parliament as an approved screening device and an evidentiary breath instrument can be similarly designated as an approved instrument. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains a "Conforming Products List" of breath alcohol devices approved for evidentiary use, as well as for preliminary screening use.