World Last Week

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Delhi Crime Branch Police arrest three more persons for alleged human trafficking following the arrest of BJP MP Babubhai Katara.

England (301/9; Petersen 100) beats West Indies (300; Gayle 79, Smith 61) in Brain Lara’s (18 run out) swansong match at World Cup in Bridgetown.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

India successfully test-fires its supersonic cruise missile BrahMas.

Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal enter the second round in French Presidential polls.

Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan wed.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Supreme Court refuses to vacate interim stay on 27% quote for OBCs in elite educational institutions.

ISRO successfully makes the first commercial launch of a foreign satellite, Italian Agile, through the PSLV-C8

Former Russian president, Boris Yeltsin (76), who destroyed the Soviet Union, dies of heart attack.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Supreme Court advances to May 8 the hearing on 27% quota for OBCs from the third week of August fixed earlier.

The LTTE ‘air force’ launches a second air strike in a month, bombing Sri Lanka’s Palaly main base, killing six.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs fails to evolve a consensus on allowing IIMs to admit students in general category while waiting till the Supreme Court takes up the OBC list on May 8.

Astronomers discover in a new planet 20 light years away from our solar system which could be a super earth supporting life.

Sri Lanka (289/5, Jayawardhene 115 n.o., Tharanga 73) storms in to World Cup final thrashing New Zealand (208) in the semi final at Kingston. Kiwi skipper Fleming quits as ODI captain. In another semi final, Australia (153/3) demolishes South Africa (149).

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Govt. allows IIMs, IITs and other central educational institutions to proceed with admission for general, SC and ST categories as per last year without the OBC quota for now. OBCs will be accommodated in the enhanced seats later.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee tells BJP MP Babubhai Kattara to stay away from the Lok Sabha till a decision is taken on the issue of his alleged human trafficking.

After a gap of 18 years, Indian mangos are being exported to the U.S.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Madras High Court upholds TN govt’s policy to abolish Common Entrance Test (CET) for admissions to professional courses.

Saudi Arabia foils a terrorist plot to blast its oil installations and military base.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa flies to Barbados to cheer his national cricket team at the World Cup final against Australia on Saturday.

Vastu And Environment

Vastusastra may be defined as the service energy and environment we mean, the natural elements and the things around the buildings. Parents would like to admit their children in a first class school, not only for quality education but also for the surroundings in which the children will move. Hence the environment is very important in every body’s life and also in vastusastra.

In vastusastra we call the surroundings as environmental vastu.

The success of vastusastra depends on the proper placements of the natural elements in and around the buildings. While selecting the site one has to analyse the environmental factors.

The positive environmental factors can be indicated as under:-

a) Water body in the north side or east side is continued to the positive.
The success of “Taj Mahal” is attributed to its vastu factors especially to the water body on the north side. The rear side (north side) of “Taj Mahal” is totally open. In the north side river “Yamuna” is flowing and this is a positive factor. The flow of water is from west & east and it is also positive. North side is see without compound wall and this enables positive movement of energy from north side towards “Taj Mahal”. The positive environment vastu is one of the factors for the success of Taj Mahal.

b) Tall buildings or Hillock will be positive if they are on the south side or west side of the buildings. In other words hill on the east side or north side will be a negative factor.
As a care study we many discuss about the “Standard Motors” of Perungudi, Chennai. Standard Motors has made many memorable model cars. Their “Standard Van” was good. Their “Standard 2000” passenger car was famous at that time. Now everything has gone and the factory is not there. The side is being excavated, probably to establish some other factory.
For the failure of standard motors, the main negative factor is the hill on the east side. To counter the weight and height on the east side, they should have done many correction measures. So that they could have avoided the failure.

c) Agni (Heat) should not be there in south, West area

In a particular have, the father was leading a powerful and prosperous life. The son has failed in every field, after his father period. In the analysis, it has been found that only after the installation of electrical transformer at South-West area (outside their house) their life has become failure.

After shifting of the electrical transformer from South-West area to South-East area, their life has become normal.

For the success in life one has to the careful in placement and also with the environment Vastu.

Signature Campaign Against Elliot’s Beach Beautification Project

There is considerable concern amongst the citizens of Chennai about the Elliot’s Beach beautification project that has been initiated by Chennai Corporation.

One question uppermost in the mind of everyone is how can anyone beautify nature. All that the Elliot’s Beach requires is cleanliness which will automatically ensure that the beach would regain its original beauty and glory. Any man made beautification scheme in a natural can only mar the beauty and tarnish the eco-friendly character of the natural beach and peace that it can provide.

Many citizens think that the beautification scheme is unwarranted and the views of citizens have not been solicited by the Chennai Corporation authorities. Under the circumstances, the one option open for the concerned citizens is to express their opposition to the beautification scheme by participating in a signature campaign.

Nandini Voice for the Deprived, a Chennai-based NGO, has now organised a signature campaign against the beautification project of Elliot’s Beach. It is proposed to collect signature of 10,000 citizens of Chennai and submit it to the Chennai Crporation voicing the opposition of the citizens to the scheme. The concerned citizens are requested to write following matter in post card, “WE WANT ONLY CLEANLINESS IN ELLIOTS BEACH AND THIS GLORIOUS NATURAL BEACH SHOULD BE PRESERVED WITHOUT ANY ARTIFICIAL BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT” and send it to Nandini Voice for the Deprived, M 60/1, 4th Cross Street, Besant Nagar, Chennai–600090. Tel. 2491037.

Good Response To Varumun Kappom Scheme

The government’s Varumun Kappom scheme has put preventive health aspects in place among the slum population of the city, be it diabetes, hypertension or cervical cancer.
In the last few months, the corporation of Chennai has been organizing the camps in areas at Basin Bridge (zone 2), Pulianthope (zone 3), Ayanavaram (zone 4), Kilpauk (zone 5), Kodambakkam (zone 8) and Adayar (zone 10).

“We have been receiving a large number of persons for these camps. These camps are specifically located closer to slum areas. We offer quality service free of cost, including ECGs” said Dr. K. Manivasan, additional commissioner (health), Corporation of Chennai.
The vamps have received have around 1,200 to 3,000 persons each, coming to a total of 11,884 persons. Specifically, zone 8 had received the highest number of persons-3,100, followed by zone 4, which saw 2,857 participants.

The facilities offered include ECG, scan, tests for diabetes, cervical cancer, eye disorders and skin diseases. Many of the camps had received more women than men. In zone 3, of the total of 1,756 persons, 928 were women, while there were only 529 men in zone 10 of the 1,458 screened.

T.N. Corners Glory In S. Zone Twenty/20 - By BHASKERAN THOMAS

The behind-the-stage planning definitely helped Tamil Nadu win the South zone Twenty/20 tournament which is likely to be the sport of the near future.

Tamil Nadu won all their five games in the round robin at one stretch thanks to the splendid all round display by the young lads. Now, they are on to face the states from other zones in the knock out stage of the tourney.

Tamil Nadu began with a bang by beating Andhra by seven wickets. Paceman Tamil Kumaran impressed with three wickets for 39 runs as Andhra capsized for 167 for eight. Opener S. Anirudha (50) batted very much in the fashion of his illustrious father. Ably supported by the hero of the Johannesburg match, Dinesh Karthick (34 not out) and Indian batsman Hemang Badani (26 not out) took the team to a facile win. N. Devendran (29) who was to prove his worth in subsequent matches, batted superbly to lay the foundation for a win.

The second game against Goa was even easier for Tamil Nadu. Paceman
C. Ganapathi bowled superbly taking four wickets for just 12 runs as the losers were skittled out for 147 in 19.2 overs. Devendran (87 not out) real established his class hitting seven fours and seen sixes. Skipper Badrinath (40 not out) joined him in the manslaughter of the poor Goan attack.

Badrinath with another innings of 40 not out and Anirudha (35) helped Tamil Nadu clinch a crucial win in a low scoring game against Hyderbad. Bandani 22 (not out) helped his skipper give the finishing touches to victory. Young off-spinner R. Ashwin (3 for 15) bottled up Hyderabad at 116 for nine wickets. This was major victory for Tamil nadu as Hyderabad is one of the top teams in the zone.

Came the most crucial game in the tournament, the much-improved Karnataka side facing Tamil Nadu. But the latter torpedoed the former with ease. S. Vidyut, one of the country’s most promising left-handed all rounders, bowled incisively (four for 24). With his gangling action and sharp armers whipped out the opponents for just 144. The “sixer specialist” Devendran (55) struck two boundaries and four over the fence and, with Anirudha (48) made mincement of the Karnataka bowlers and ensured a victory in the tournament. The hapless Karnataka team just did not know how to rein in the rampaging Tamil Nadu batsmen and the latter finished the game just 17.4 overs. Anirudha hit four fours and two sixes.

Despite the last game against Kerala having only academic interest, it turned out to be a nail-biter. Vidyut (37) swung the game in his typical swashbuckling fashion proved to be the icing on top of the victory cake. Coach W.V. Raman was pleased with performances of the youngsters.

Ever Alert And Vigilant

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships and aircraft are always ready for providing immediate assistance to the crew of a vessel in distress. It also prevents and helps to control marine pollution, protects marine environment, collects scientific data, do search and rescue operations and assist customs and other authorities in anti smuggling operations.

The ICG region (East) headquarters is located near Napier Bridge, Chennai-9. The office can be contacted on 25395014/15. For search and rescue emergency contact 25395017.

Preparing Your Own Soft Drink At Home

(Soft drink concentrate is available in wholesale markets)

Orange concentrate - 4 Tb.spoon
Orange Essence - 4 Tb.spoon
Orange Colour - a few drops
Sugar - 4 Cups
Water - 2 Cups
Citric Acid - Half Spoon

Mix sugar and water and boil, do not over boil. Just the should dissolve and water should boil well that’s all. Remove from fire and add colour, essence and concentrate. Just before serving in a fall tumbler fill will little prepared syrup and top it with soda. Top it with ice cubes and serve immediately even before the bubbles disappear. It will be any day better than the bottled drinks and taste fresh and food.

Sale Of Products By Disabled Persons

Ms. A. Meenakshi Sundari, a visually impaired lady and post graduate, lives in economically difficult conditions.

Ms. A. Meenakshi Sundari is running a PCO in Venkatanarayana Road, T’Nagar (opp. TT. Devasthanam) for the last few years with meager income.

In spite of her difficult conditions, Ms. Meenakshi Sundari has now taken up the task of marketing the products made by fellow disabled persons from all over Tamil Nadu.
There are reported to be 17 lakh disabled persons in Tamil Nadu alone (orthopaedically disabled, visually impaired, hearing/speech impaired and mentally ill persons) and 95% of these disabled persons belong to the lower income group and are living in extremely stressful and difficult conditions.

With physical mobility, poverty and lack of job opportunities confronting them, the only way out for disabled persons is to self-employ themselves. Some of the disabled persons have acquired skill and make products such as batik paintings, wooden show pieces, plastic articles etc. For them, marketing the products has become an extremely difficult exercise.
Ms. Meenakshi Sundari in her small PCO booth in T’ Nagar keeps the products of the disabled persons and sells them on no-profit basis. Nandini Voice for the Deprived, a Chennai-based NGO, is supporting her efforts.

Ms. Meenakshi Sundari deserves encouragement from the public by way of buying the products made by disabled persons.

For further details, contact Tel:24916037.

Giving Back Something To Chennai -By Joju Dominic

I had stolen Jasmine’s future by way of marriage. She was born and brought up in Chennai. I was enjoying my life as a cartoonist in Kerala. Since it’s easier in our social setup for a village boy to settle in a city than a city girl to settle in a village, I decided to settle in Chennai after marriage.

In Chennai, I used to visit art galleries whenever time permitted. One fine morning my wife game me money to buy canvas and paint. I approached some artists for technical details for painting on canvas. Some of them helped, some refused and some others tried to teach me the wrong way! Unlike today there were no books or short-term courses available then.
So I was forced to learn by the trial and error method. And it took almost 12 years to master the techniques. By this time my own style also evolved. I was trying to give a poster effect to my paintings. During my third solo exhibition a senior art critic who used to visit all my exhibitions in Chennai told me that my pictures looked like posters. But by this time, to my great dismay, computers also produced pictures with almost the same effect.
I was forced to change my style. I tried to give my single dimension paintings life and momentum without shading or without facial features like eyes, nose, lips etc. I tried to give life to birds even without wings, eyes or legs.

And the art critic of The Hindu, who visited my solo exhibition at Kochi last month, told me about life and momentum even though the human beings, animals and birds have no distinguishing facial features. So I knew my 11 years of hard work without a social life or a proper family life has given fruit.

All these happened just because I shifted to Chennai. So I was planning to give back something to Chennai, the city of peace.

I use to make small models of statues in wood, clay or M-seal and tell the Mahablipuram granite workshops to enlarge them to three or five feet according to the requirements. And I call myself modeler, not sculptor. I decided to present the city of Chennai three or four statues to keep at road junctions or parks, where public can admire them. But to get the official sanction, nobody knows from where I have to start.

After my Bangalore and Kochi solo exhibitions, I was planning exhibitions in Delhi and Mumbai. By this time a new gallery at Anna Nagar, The Covenant Point, approached for a solo show. I told them even though I have 26 paintings, 18 of them are already exhibited in Chennai. Then I thought the Delhi exhibition is only in August and I can do new paintings. These 26 paintings I can sell at cost price to the people of Chennai as a graduate to the city of peace.
The other day my son said he wanted to join visual communication degree course. Since both my son and daughter hate paints and painters because their daddy is always away from family and society, reading, thinking or painting, this was great news to me. I told my son that he can share my studio and if interested work as my assistant and learn my techniques. The very nest day he joined me. So I can relax now. Somebody is there to carry on from where I stopped. Maybe with the help of a computer. It’s ok.

Next week we are going to a movie theatre. My daughter was trying to take our family to a movie theatre for the last three years.

My contact phone number is 24426115 and 9884198118.

What Causes Pimples And Blackheads?

Pimples are small, raised areas of the skin which often have collection of pus in them. There are numerous conditions which could give rise to pimples including an improper diet, a glandular imbalance or tiny infection in the skin. Pimples may also be a sign of a more serious skin disorder that is developing or they may even be a sign of some diseased condition in the body. Generally, people apply external creams to clean their face. But if there are many pimples, a doctor should be consulted and a proper medication should be done. The blackheads start most often in the follicles of the hair. Certain glands called ‘sebaceous glands’ deposit an oily material there. When the hair follicle becomes plugged up and this deposit collects, its forms a blemish, which we call the blackhead.

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