|
|
|
|
|
Dolly needs no publicity!
I bet you would unanimously agree on this one (At least on Republic Day we can take an undivided stand) — had it not been for Dolly Bindra (don't tell me you don't know her!) nobody would have watched Bigg Boss Season 4. Not for 'returning from hibernation' Asmit Patel, lost and found Samir or 'Alice in Wonderland' Khali. Indeed, it was for Dolly Bindra's soft (did you say soft), as silent as a Howitzer pitch and endless beeps that you wouldn't have tuned into Bigg Boss! On her thanks-giving visit to the city on Tuesday where she voiced support for the man who was shot at by Khali's bodyguard in Ludhiana, Dolly stuffs us with information from the Bigg Boss House in a razor sharp fashion. Veerji you have changed
I respected and considered Khali as my veerji, but the untoward incident that happened in Ludhiana is something I am totally against. No one has the right to take the law into his or her own hands. Someone has to bring in justice, someone has to come forward and take up the issue. I am not against Khali personally, I want him to owe up to what he has done. I am surprised he has changed so much. Don’t give me attitude Veena
Veena Malik is one contestant I supported throughout the show in good and bad times both. I didn't even nominate her. I was there for her, but her sudden change in attitude surprised me beyond limits. What double face people can have. Sallu bhai tusi great ho
Salman bhai knows me, the kind of person I am. In fact I am thankful to the entire Bollywood industry for supporting me. People said I showed crocodile tears on the show. Trust me, every bit of it was real. The anger, regular bouts of shouting, yelling, screaming, mud-slinging, name-calling, more screaming…I reacted the way any other lady who was pushed and pulled around would. Salman Khan was the only gem of a person in the whole episode. All’s well that ends well
The show is over and I guess everything that came with it. I am not a publicity hungry actor. I have worked and carved my niche in the industry. After my father's death I supported my family and I am glad they stood by me. I am not averse to the idea of any of the contestants contacting me if they want to. Ashmit congratulated me on my birthday recently. All is well as of now. The tough survive
I am a strong-willed woman, which is the reason why I could survive for so long, right till the end. Other than this, my second entry was a sign that public wanted to see more of me. They supported me by sending messages. Punjabis and non-Punjabis the world over supported me in this so-called mission. Had it not been for their love, I couldn't have made it far. What next? |
|
If Pakistani starlet Veena Malik had her way, she would pit former President Pervez Musharraf against the Shiv Sena in a Pakistani version of Bigg Boss, the reality show that brought her to the limelight. Veena, who has taken on clerics for calling her "immoral" for her appearance on Bigg Boss, was asked in an interview about the contestants she would choose if Pakistan were to host the reality show. "Former President Pervez Musharraf, (former minister) Sheikh Rashid, (parliamentarian) Jamsheed Dasti, Shiv Sena, Nargis, (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief) Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Aishwarya Rai, actress Meera and Britney Spears," she said, naming her dream list of contestants. Asked if she would repeat any contestant from Bigg Boss 4, she said Dolly Bindra. Even the very thought of this show is very funny. This could be hilarious." — PTI
|
|
Celebrities plan to share their thoughts with people this Republic Day through various social networking sites
This is how sincerely the trend is followed - Are you happy? Express your happiness on Facebook. Upset over something? Shrink your emotions in 140 characters on Twitter. And this Republic Day, here's a sneak peak into what celebrities plan to post on Facebook or Twitter. Lot’s to do
The city girl might have made her debut in Bollywood with a comedy but she knows matters of national concern need to be dealt with seriously. She wishes this year to be a peaceful one for the country and her Facebook status would read, "We can't turn a blind eye to problems our country is facing. Behind the India Shining claim lies truths that are too bitter to come to terms with. There's an urgent need to address population problem, corruption, poverty…on this Republic Day, let's pledge to take up our social responsibility." It all begins with a genuine thought. A proud Indian
Freedom forever
Son of the soil
It’s pay back time
|
|
Who’s on Orkut still?
Who goes on Orkut?" is perhaps one reason nobody goes there. And that's the story of Facebook Vs Orkut in one line. The young and the restless, the not-so-young and the rest, everyone seems to have been hooked and Facebooked! It's a virtual war and it's for real. You are known by the communities you are a part of, by the number of friends in your list or by the number of hits on your updates. By not being on Orkut you could make all the difference, or rather by being on Facebook or vice-versa, though both came into being in 2004, it's more of a psychological war. Didn't someone use the term digital slum? Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, is as much of a household name as McDonalds. There's not been a gradual phasing out of the social networking site by Google. As one of the students said, "We all have an account on Orkut, it's just that nobody goes there." manpriya@tribunemail.com Facebook brigade
PU student
UIET student
DAV college (in yellow half sleeve sweater)
UIET student
Orkut loyalists
Orkut was the first and foremost social networking site that we uploaded our profiles on. So there's this "used to" feeling and comfort level with the site. I never really faced any problems with security also.
Orkut fact file
n Orkut has been owned and operated by Google. It's named after its creator - Orkut
Buyukkokten. n
Orkut began operations in January 2004. n
Orkut might be less popular in the US, but it still is one of the most visited websites in India and Brazil. n
The social networking site recently introduced the concept of changing themes. Users can change their interface from a variety of theme options available. n
Orkut is available in as many as 48 languages and localised versions for different countries are also available. n
In Orkut, there's a scrapbook, where people leave a scrap. Facebook trivia
n Facebook allows anyone who declares they are at least 13 years to become a registered user. n
Started in February 2004, Facebook had 600 million active users as on January 2011. n
Facebook allows users to choose their own privacy settings and also control who can see what parts of their profile. n
Facebook has a wall, an online place on every users profile page where you post and receive your friends' comment. |
|
A Chicago University study has found that kids who are allowed to stay up late at weekends are more likely to be obese. The study suggested that those who are told to go to bed early on weekend nights get a chance to catch up on the sleep they do not get throughout the week, and tend to be thinner. Academics monitored 308 children from four to 10 years old, measuring the body mass index (BMI) of each and examining their sleep patterns using wrist movement sensors. The children averaged eight hours per night throughout the week — less than is recommended — with no significant differences between the fatter and thinner children. However, at weekends the obese children had shorter and more irregular sleep patterns, found the researchers. Lack of sleep is believed to lead to increased production of ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach, and the reduced release of a hormone called leptin in fat cells. "Public health campaigns aiming to educate families regarding the benefits of longer and more-regular sleep may lead to decreased obesity and metabolic dysfunction trends for our children," concluded the authors. — ANI
|
|
It's Tuesday morning blues now A Brit study has found that the most stressful time of the working week is Tuesday at 10am. In the study, half of British employees pinpointed mid morning on Tuesday as their 'stress peak' - when their workload becomes 'too much' and they start to crumble under the pressure, reports a publication. The majority of workers said they coast through Monday getting their brain in gear and catch up with gossip from the weekend and discussing TV shows they've watched. However, on Tuesday reality sets in and staff spend the very first part of the day going through emails they ignored on Monday before planning the week ahead. And they're faced with a mountain of a to-do list to tackle and struggle with their boss' demands or impending deadlines. The study carried out by the leading recruitment agency Michael Page quizzed 3,000 Brit office workers- aged between 18 and 45- on their level of stress throughout the typical working week. It found a quarter regularly feel stressed at work and for three quarters of workers they regularly come to the end of their tether by 11.16am each day. But 1 in 5 find it gets too much before nine o'clock. 4 in 10 blamed heavy workloads and a third said dealing with difficult clients or customers left them feeling frazzled. Yet 3 in 10 admitted it was their boss, which caused them tension in the office and one in six blamed their colleagues for not listening to their cries for help. — ANI
|
|
So, how do you learn?
Instead of rereading or reviewing the same textbook or other material, it is better to practice retrieval to ensure better learning, according to a new research. "We continue to show that practicing retrieval, or testing yourself, is a powerful, robust tool for learning," said Jeffrey D. Karpicke, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at the Purdue University. "Our new research shows that practicing retrieval is an even more effective strategy than engaging in elaborative studying," he added.
"Educators, researchers and students are often focused on getting things 'in memory', so techniques that encourage students to elaborate on the material are often popular. But learning is fundamentally about retrieving, and our research shows that practicing retrieval while you study is crucial to learning. Self-testing enriches and improves the learning process, and there needs to be more focus on using retrieval as a learning strategy," said Karpicke. He also found that most students are not good at judging the success of their study habits. In two studies, a total of 200 students studied texts on topics from different science disciplines. One group engaged in elaborative studying by creating concept maps - diagrams that illustrate the complicated connections and relationships in the material. The second group read the texts and then practiced retrieval; these students put the material away and practiced recalling the concepts from the text. The students returned to the lab a week later for the actual assessment of long-term learning. The group that studied by practicing retrieval showed a 50 percent improvement in long-term retention scores above and beyond the group that studied by creating concept maps. "The final retention test was one of the most important features of our study because we asked questions that tapped into meaningful learning," said Karpicke. The students also were asked to predict which technique - practicing retrieval or elaborative studying - would be best for their long-term learning. While the majority thought that elaborative studying with concept mapping would be best, the students actually learned more by practicing retrieval. The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Science.
— ANI
|
|
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh zeroed in on a single week in March last year. They looked at a total of 380,000 messages, each geo-tagged so that the location of the tweeter could be pinpointed. And amid the distortions and abbreviations of Twitter-speak, geography shone through - so much so that Jacob Eisenstein, one of the study's authors, boasted that, with a reasonable sample, his team could identify where a microblogger was based to within 300 miles. Not bad in a country 3,000 miles across. Some tweets of course were dead giveaways. Take "yinz" and "y'all". The former is particular to Pittsburgh, while the latter, of course, is a standard identifying mark of a southerner. —Agencies
|
|
Natalie on the top
The 29-year-old who is tipped to win Oscar for her role as a crazed ballerina in Black Swan, has claimed the top spot at the US box office with the film co-starring Ashton Kutcher, reported Variety online. The movie earned an estimated USD 20.3 million on its opening weekend. The domestic takings almost equal the film's production budget of USD 25 million and means the actress has two films in the top ten. Her movie Black Swan is still in sixth place in the box office chart, and has grossed USD 83 million at the domestic box office. No Strings Attached follows two friends, played by Kutcher and Portman, who try to maintain a purely sexual relationship with each other, even though they are falling in love.
— PTI |
Hollywood actress Mandy Moore says that London is one of her favourite cities and she is keen to explore the place as a tourist. The 26-year-old actress who was in the UK capital for the premiere of the new Disney animated film Tangled, where she lends her voice to the lead character princess Rapunzel, says that she has not yet been able to see the city due to tight work schedules, reports Contact music. "I love London. It's one of my favourite cities in the whole world. I'm always happy to come here and there never seems to be enough down time because most of the time I've only come for work and there's never really any proper time to play tourist and walk around, so I'm always saying, 'Next trip I'm going to do this'," said Moore. The A Walk to Remember star however indulged in a little shopping on her recent trip to London. "Of course there was one day off so it's like I'm a girl who has some of the best shopping here, so I had a whole little laundry list of things to do and I really tried to hit the ground running. You've got to do a little Oxford Street, a little Harvey Nichols. All of the good, fun stuff. It was a good day," added the brunette. — PTI
|
|
Priyanka: From an ambassador to suspect Priyanka Chopra whose premises were searched by the Income Tax department had only last year starred in a short promotional film aimed to spread the message of tax compliance. Chopra along with Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar had featured in a 20-minute-long documentary by the I-T department, which was unveiled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on July 24 in New Delhi to mark the first ever 'Income Tax Day'. The actors in the film had appealed to the public to pay their taxes diligently and honestly. In an interesting twist of fate, I-T sleuths swooped upon Chopra's apartment in suburban Versova while the residence of her father, Ashok Chopra, in suburban Lokhandwala, was also raided besides the premises of the actor's secretary Chand Mishra. The searches were conducted yesterday morning as the department suspected tax evasion on brand endorsements, offshore assignments and private appearances by the actor who has starred in films like Dostana', 'Anjaana Ajaani', 'Kaminey'.I-T officers are now checking her income received from advertisements, foreign assignments and guest appearances. "The I-T department had approached the actors including Chopra for the documentary as they are considered youth icons and Aamir (Khan) and Akshay (Kumar) were amongst the top tax payers in the film industry," a senior I-T officer said. But, when it comes to professional duties, the department will conduct inquiries against anyone and everyone, the officer added.Another actor Katrina Kaif was also covered in yesterday's searches. — PTI
|
|
Arshad on a serious note
"After DD (Double Dhamaal) i m gonna do at least 2 serious films b4 i do another comedy (sic)," Arshad, who started his career with a comic role in Tere Mere Sapne (1996), posted on his Twitter page. The 42-year-old carved a niche in Bollywood with comedies like Munnabhai M.B.B.S, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, Salaam Namaste, Golmaal series, Lage Raho Munnabhai and Dhamaal, among others. He did serious roles in Seher and Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye.
— IANS |
|
Eva’s master plan
Actress Eva Mendes says she is driven by her work and hates taking holidays because they disrupt her plan to "rule the world".
The 36-year-old actress — who is in a relationship with filmmaker George Gargurevich — never rushes into making a decision and insists that everything she does is designed to take her a step forward in her life plan. "World domination is my goal. There's always a method to my madness — people see me as a completely random type, but I'm actually incredibly calculating when it comes to my career," contactmusic.com quoted her as saying. "If I do topless Calvin Klein ads, it's because I've realised it's time to turn up the heat in terms of my sexuality. Nothing I do is casual; it's all methodical. "I'm just not sure what my method is. All I know is that it's part of a master plan for me to rule the world. I will accept nothing less. I don't want to go anywhere but there. That's my true destination."
— IANS |
|
Actor Dino Morea managed to spot so many cockroaches at the Goa airport that he felt as if he was in waiting for a stunt on action-adventure show Fear Factor — Khatron Ke Khiladi. "Sitting in the Airline lounge in Goa, flight delayed by an hour, already spotted 10 cockroaches. Seems like a Khataron K K stunt coming up (sic)," Dino posted on micro-blogging site Twitter. The former supermodel had participated in the last season of the show, and managed to reach the finals in Brazil after performing many stunts involving creepy crawlies. — IANS
|
|
Pamper your hair with these scintillating spas If luscious hair is what you are aiming at, beauty salons in the tricity are offering refreshing spas. Coming at a price, these special treatments promise to restore and rejuvenate your hair. Amaranth oil, blue lotus, Japanese cherry and wild rose - Seah Spa from Schwarzkopf - bring the best from around the world to revitalise your hair. Available at Azzarro-22, these spas that take around an hour, promise not only to sort out your hair trouble, they also promote hair growth. Young women as well men patronise Tress Lounge - 8 for haircare. "We have special treatment for different hair conditions like dandruff, chemically damaged hair and hair fall," says Anjali Bhandari from Tress Lounge - 8. Deep conditioning and Ayurvedic serums is the USP of Oleega-11. "After the spa we also recommend our clients shampoo and conditioners suited to individuals hair types," says Arshad Khan, proprietor, Oleega-11. "In the rush of life, people who are not able to take that extra care of hair at home turn to salons to pamper hair," says Sarfraj Ali from Salims-15. Diagnose, wash, shampoo, masque for inner repair, massage, steam, wash and leave in serum are the few steps that they take at Femina Plus-44 to treat your hair. "It's not only the invigorating products but the whole soothing atmosphere, the aroma, that helps one relax is what makes hair spas popular," says Rachit Malhotra, creative ambassador, Schwarzkopf. And it's not just the right products, but also the right usage that does the trick to keep your hair healthy. So, consult your stylist for the dos and don'ts.
Spa aficionado
Increasing pollution and a naughty son and husband who find my hair the best place to rest, make me duty bound to pamper my hair at least once a month.
I go for a different spa each time, according to weather and hair demands. L'Oreal remains my favourite, though I might not be theirs for the sheer length of my hair! Eat right
Have a bowlful of greens a day - spinach, radish leaves, lettuce, cabbage - it does wonders for hair. Heat up and softly massage your hair with any of the essential oil.
Right application, right nutrition is the key to lovely, luscious hair.
Do It Yourself
n
First things first, spa is all about relaxation. Create the ambience. Switch off your cell, play some soothing music, light some aromatic candles. n
Massage your hair and scalp softly with lukewarm oil for 10 minutes. n
Soak towel in warm water, squeeze it, wrap it around your hair and leave it for another 10 minutes. n
After two hours, wash your hair with water with a mild shampoo. n
Apply conditioner on hair (not scalp). Leave it for 2-3 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. n
Apply a hair masque (you can make it at home). Apply; cover your hair in shower cap. Leave it for next 20 minutes. n
Wash with a mild shampoo. Use leave in hair conditioner. Hair Masques n
Mix one mashed banana with one beaten egg, two tablespoons of honey, three tablespoons of milk and five tablespoons of olive oil. Whip up the concoction well, so as to get a uniform texture. n
Mix one egg yolk, three tablespoons olive oil and half a cup yoghurt. Mix amla powder and shikakai is added as per need. (Courtesy:
Pooja, Niravana-22 and Internet) |
|
"When Nikhil called me and said that he is offering me a role in his film, I could not stop laughing and asked him several times if he was sure about it. I had to give a screen test and I was nervous because I can remember lyrics but not dialogues," says Kaur. "Nikhil believed that I could do justice to the character and I am thankful to him," she said. The singer-turned-actress will sport a de-glam look in the movie contrary to her hip-hop style. "I play the role of Komal, who is Akshay's cousin. She is a very simple girl wearing salwar-kameez and lambi choti. In the film I want to be a rapper but I am afraid of what will happen if Rishiji comes to know about it. Without his knowledge, I try to fulfil my desires," she said. And the Glassy hitmaker says that she was able to connect to her character because of her Punjabi roots. "I was able to connect with my role because as a Punjabi girl, when I was a child my relatives used to tell me that girls of the family should not sing, dance and all," adds Kaur. The 31-year-old, who had earlier participated in the TV dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, had received a couple of film offers earlier but did not want to do stereotypical roles. "I had some offers but I never liked it. I believe in trying different things but want to do a good job. I don't see myself as a glamour queen. I am not slim and tall. So I don't think people will like to see me in a typical heroine kind of a role," she adds. — PTI
|
|
"2night I went 2 watch 127 James Franco is replacing Brad Pitt in my life! Tremendous actor n truly a Gorgeous man! My dream is 2 meet him (sic)," Bipasha posted on Twitter. The Bengali beauty is herself making a foray in international cinema with Singularity opposite Josh Hartnett. — IANS
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
It's a practice with actor-turned director to update his Facebook status on any day of national significance just the way he does it before any festival. This time it's going to be, "A very happy Republic Day to all my friends and Indians. Proud to be an Indian." Ask him if this all will be his message, he's prompt to say, "I am a man of few words."
We should value the freedom that our Constitution promises us. Before it's too late let's all cherish the freedom and ensure it's always there to empower us."
By the time you will read this, the actor who won appreciation for his latest flick, 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai' will already have his status message on Facebook updated. "Appreciate the diversity we have. Not every country is lucky to enjoy so many cultures and festivals. We must realise that our nation is important to our nation more than any issue we keep debating over." A good one for sure!
We expected a message that would state more than the obvious on the day of national importance and we were not wrong. The exuberant director plans to put up on Twitter in precisely 140 words, "The movers and shakers of India should be less apathetic towards the poor of India. They have gained a lot from this nation and now is the pay back time." That's short and effective!
I prefer Facebook because it has better features, more applications and there are more security options. I hardly ever access Orkut. Then there are so many interesting games like Farmville, which are addictive.
I have an account on both Orkut and Facebook, but I rarely access the former. It's been long since we shifted to Facebook and one of the major reasons for its popularity is because almost everybody is there. So obviously I like Facebook more.
I was first on Yahoo, then on Orkut and now am active on Facebook. There's no loyalty factor involved but it's just that everybody is on Facebook, so even I am. If everybody shifts to Orkut, so will I, because the basic idea of any social networking site is to network and keep in touch with people.
I've shifted to Facebook. It has better features and it's more secure. Also the basic idea of any site is to network. Since all my friends are on Facebook, it more than makes sense to be on this site.
The light blue that we associate with Orkut, frankly I think it's lame. And then of course there are things like better features, more security options. I am on both Orkut and Facebook, but I hardly ever access Orkut. If at all, it's very occasional.
They are in a minority; ones who did not give in to the fad. Wasn't Orkut a preface to Facebook? At one time, a site that everybody was logging onto? Some still prefer it. 
I never felt the need to make an account on Facebook. I was initially on Orkut and never really shifted. I like this site because being an upcoming artist, it's possible for me to share my works with artists. Also I've made some nice friends from abroad through this website.
More to the point, in this age of instant communication, you would have imagined that such linguistic differences were disappearing, flattened by the triple juggernaut of cable television, the internet and proliferating social networks. But not a bit of it. A fascinating new study of traffic on Twitter suggests that even in a 140-character universe, regional dialects and peculiarities are thriving.
She may have decided to take a break from acting to bring up her soon-to-be born baby but Natalie Portman's career is skyrocketing, with her latest release No Strings Attached topping the box office.
Bollywood funnyman Arshad Warsi, who is busy shooting for comedy Double Dhamaal, is yearning to do serious films now.
From the hectic pace of life, I make sure to take out a day in a month to indulge myself in hair spa. A catnap while being massaged, the aroma of hair products, and a little styling rejuvenates hair, boosts looks as well as spirits.
Start your day with a handful of almonds, walnut, kishmish with a bit of black pepper sprinkled in winter.
If you don't want to blow up money in salons, you can try it at home 
n
Mix two beaten eggs with six tbsp of coconut oil. Whisk the mixture to get a homogeneous texture.
When rapper Hard Kaur was first offered a role in Patiala House, she laughed it off as a joke. The singer was finally convinced to make her acting debut by director Nikhil Advani, but says that she often jumbled up her dialogues and had a tough time remembering them.
Bipasha Basu is changing her loyalties - she was a fan of Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, but now the actress says she is smitten with 127 Hours actor James Franco.