A bad news for cigarettes smokers in India. Government of India has decided to ban smoking in in all public places from 2nd October, Gandhi Jayanti. Now you can’t smoke in hotels, restaurants, offices, public gatherings etc. Moreover, if you get caught while smoking, then a fine of Rs 200 would be imposed. The health ministry has also plans to increase the fine to Rs 1000 after some time. Even if the employer will be fined if their employees are found smoking inside office premises. Smokers will also be fined for lighting up their cigarettes in even pubs, bars and discotheques. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss is the brain behind all these new measures. He has already banned smoking in India movies.

I feel that the idea behind this ban is to discourage smoking by making it more inconvenient, and to stop harmful smoke being present in enclosed public spaces. According to WHO reports, in developed countries, 26% of male deaths and 9% of female deaths are due to smoking. So time has come to say no to Smoking.

11:21 PM
Categories: General Info, India. Author: SacHu

As the year 2012 approaches many people await it with a certain degree of trepidation.
Some believe it will hail a new age of enlightenment for mankind, some that it will signify the beginning of the end of the world and some that the date actually holds no special significance at all. So what can we expect to happen in 2012 ? In her new book '2013: Envisioning the world after the events of 2012", Marie D. Jones explores the possibilities.

This book is somewhat different to a lot of similar books out there in that it doesn't serve as an exercise in fear mongering about an apocalyptic future that nobody can escape, what it does do for the most part is take a realistic look using known political, medical, technological and environmental factors at what the world might be like in the coming years. While many of these scenarios don't specifically relate to the year 2012 the author does focus on that date throughout the book and covers its significance both historically and in the present, including when and by whom it was determined.

Early in the book the author introduces us to the 2012 concept and looks at where it originated. Interpretations of the apocalypse and the religious and metaphysical aspects of the phenomenon are also explored here. Following this she moves on to the first of several chapters detailing possible scenarios for the future and what could happen as 2012 approaches and beyond.

Global warming, the melting of the ice caps and the consequences for mankind of these and other environmental issues are covered, as are undersea methane releases, solar radiation from space, super volcanoes and asteroid impacts. Subsequent chapters cover future concerns over everything from overpopulation, water shortages, running out of natural resources, animal extinctions and diseases to political factors such as global power shifts and terrorism.

Also mentioned are a lot of the advantages the future may bring in technology and medicine. Covered are possible new treatments for cancer, aids and other incurable diseases as well as bionics, computer technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology and space flight. It's a nice change to read a book where the positives are also included.

'2013' is a book that should appeal to anyone curious about the 2012 phenomenon and about the future, it covers a wide range of possibilities and paints a picture of a future in which anything could happen, good or bad. What will actually transpire as the calendar changes to 2012 however, if anything, is a mystery that we will have to wait another few years to find out.

11:10 PM
Categories: DOOMSDAY 2012: The End of Days. Author: SacHu

I live in Chennai, India and I can still see it now! It's like a ring of light around the moon. Also its like there is less cloud around the moon than there is on the outside of the circle! When i came across some sites i found that it is named to be Moon Halo.

What is a Halo?

Moon halo displays range from the familiar circle around the moon to rare and prized events when the whole sky is webbed by intricate arcs.

Tiny ice crystals in the atmosphere create halos by refracting and reflecting light.

Halos bestow a delicate beauty to the skies and tell us about the crystals inhabiting the clouds.

A Ring Around The Moon

The ring around the Moon is caused by the refraction of Moonlight (which of course is reflected sunlight) from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. The shape of the ice crystals results in a focusing of the light into a ring. Since the ice crystals typically have the same shape, namely a hexagonal shape, the Moon ring is almost always the same size.

Less typical are the halos that may be produced by different angles in the crystals. They can create halos with an angle of 46 degrees.

10:58 PM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

The future looks bright—maybe too bright.

The sun is slowly expanding and brightening, and over the next few billion years it will eventually desiccate Earth, leaving it hot, brown and uninhabitable. About 7.6 billion years from now, the sun will reach its maximum size as a red giant: its surface will extend beyond Earth’s orbit today by 20 percent and will shine 3,000 times brighter. In its final stage, the sun will collapse into a white dwarf. Although scientists agree on the sun’s future, they disagree about what will happen to Earth. Since 1924, when British mathematician James Jeans first considered Earth’s fate during the sun’s red giant phase, a bevy of scientists have reached oscillating conclusions. In some scenarios, our planet escapes vaporization; in the latest analyses, however, it does not. The answer is not straightforward, because although the sun will expand beyond Earth’s orbit, or one astronomical unit (AU), it will lose mass along the way. As a result, Earth should drift outward as the gravitational tug lessens over time. (At its maximum radius of 1.2 AU, the sun will have lost about one third of its mass, compared with its current heft.

) In this way, Earth could escape solar envelopment. But other factors complicate the analysis. Drag on the planet from the sun’s outermost, tenuous layers will cause Earth to drift inward. Smaller forces from the other planets—all in turn reacting to the same reducing, expanding sun—are even more difficult to account for completely.

10:52 PM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are both fit for Liverpool's huge clash with Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime.

According to the club's official website both players completed a light training session at Melwood on Friday morning and have been included in the squad to take on Alex Ferguson's men.

Both men appeared set to miss the clash with the European champions - Torres because of a hamstring injury and Gerrard because of recent groin surgery.

"They are both much better," confirmed Benitez.

"They came through a full training session this morning. It wasn't a very hard session, but they will both be in the squad.

"It's important for us to have these two players of quality who can change a game."

"I'm not surprised they are available because the medical staff have done a good job and the players have been working really hard with the physios to get fit."

10:45 PM
Categories: Sports. Author: SacHu

Federer's fifth straight US Open title means that the lid is firmly back on all the debate that surrounded his dismal form this year.

His clinical demolition of Andy Murray, according to Suntay, points to the fact that not only has the Swiss taken the losses in his stride but has improved his game.

"After realising that the rest of the world had caught up with him, he went out and looked to add to his already intimidating game. He took the losses in stride and looked to improve," he wrote in his weekly column for espnstar.com.

With the win at Flushing Meadows, Federer is now one major title from tying the 14 career Slams of Pete Sampras.

The reason why people had raised questions about Federer was because the man himself has such an impeccable record that a slip here and a slip there is viewed through a magnifying glass.

According to statistics, Federer has gotten to the final four stage 18 straight times in major competitions. So of course the man has set lofty standards.

"I guess we hold Federer in such high regard, much like Tiger Woods, that if he doesn't win a number of Major tournaments as well as a handful of others, and he doesn't run roughshod over everyone, we say he is slipping," says Suntay.

Federer has not only come back on track through his tremendous resolve, but ensured that his list of admirers increases with every passing day.
*************************************************************************************

Roger Federer fired a warning by saying his latest US Open title had put him at ease for a resurgence in 2009.

A relaxed and invigorated Federer swept Britain's Andy Murray aside in straight sets in New York on Monday night to earn his fifth successive US Open title at Arthur Ashe Stadium and silence the critics who had written the Swiss star off as a spent force following an otherwise disappointing season.

Federer, 27, lost his world number one ranking to Rafael Nadal in August after 12 defeats in 2008 which included the loss of his Australian Open and Wimbledon titles and another French Open final setback to the Spaniard.

That left Federer's season on the line but he responded superbly at the Billie Jean King National Centre, gaining revenge for an Australian Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic at the same stage in New York and then powering past grand slam final debutant Murray.

"I would have been disappointed losing and having three finals and one semis of the slams," Federer admitted after securing the 13th grand slam title of his career, one shy of Pete Sampras' record haul.

"You feel like you missed an entire year, you know, being so close but yet so far, because semis and finals don't help me a whole lot any more in my career.

"It's all about the wins, and that's why this is huge. This is massive, really, and I'm very, very happy about this grand slam obviously. It's a different type of flavour, this one, to me, no doubt.

"And I can definitely go into the rest of the season more relaxed now, and then also looking forward with great spirits for next year."

Federer said the turning point in his season was winning an Olympic gold medal in the doubles in Beijing last month with Swiss team-mate Stanislas Wawrinka, a victory that, he believed, put away any doubts about his game as he returned to a tournament he had been unbeaten in since 2004.

"I was coming here happy being an Olympic champion. I think that's what really made the big difference," he said.

"If I wouldn't have played doubles at the Olympics, say, I would have come here with three tough losses.

"But with the Olympic gold in doubles, it really sort of made me forget about it, to just come in here and enjoy this tournament.

"I mean, I'm always going to be confident. I'm a four-time defending champion. So I was always going to believe in my chances, and especially at the Slams, I knew I was so close at Wimbledon that my chances were always going to be good here.

"So that's why I came into this tournament quite confident."

Federer insisted he had remained upbeat throughout his grand slam defeats, which included a classic five-set encounter with Nadal at Wimbledon that denied him a sixth consecutive title there.

"I'm quite proud obviously of my achievement. It takes a lot out of a player, you know, always trying to go from one tournament to the next and trying to do your best, it's been a tough summer.

"I think the French Open loss was brutal, but I got over that one pretty easily, played great on the grass, and had a really tough loss at Wimbledon where I was proud to be part of such a great match.

"At the same time it just made me sad not having won that great epic match. Maybe I was always dreaming about it and not winning it.

"I was always positive. I lost quite a few matches I should have never lost, and they hurt. Now, getting the fifth US Open, it really means a lot to me. I really thank the fans, as well, the crowds. They were great."

Having recently lost his ranking as the number one player in the world, which he had held since February 2, 2004, Federer said his victory at Flushing Meadows was the perfect riposte.

"I mean, from the beginning, that's really what I was hoping for. And losing my number one ranking, that's also what meant a lot to me this season.

"So to bounce back straight away after losing the number one ranking, this is the best scenario ever."

10:39 PM
Categories: Sports. Author: SacHu

The status of Twenty20 cricket as the sport's most lucrative avatar has been confirmed with commercial rights to the Champions League being sold for US$900 million to broadcasters ESPN-Star Sports (ESS). This makes the Champions League, promoted by the national boards of India, Australia and South Africa, the highest valued cricket tournament on a per-game basis.

The ten-year deal, which includes an additional $75 million for marketing the tournament, gives the network the global commercial rights to every Champions League match from this year's inaugural event in December until 2017.

The organisers confirmed the deal when they opened all the bids in Dubai on Wednesday. ESS was preferred ahead of DIC, who offered $751.3 million, and the Abu Dhabi Sports Club, whose bid was disqualified for being conditional.

The deal marks ESS's entry into the specialized Twenty20 market; it had lost out on the bid for the Indian Premier League after what seemed like a miscalculation on its part. The IPL rights were eventually sold to a consortium, including Sony Entertainment Television and the Singapore-based World Sports Group, for more than $1 billion. It had seemed like an outrageous price to pay at the time; now, after the overwhelming success of the inaugural IPL, it seems a steal.

ESS are the ICC's television rights holder until 2015 - they acquired the rights in 2006 for $1.1 billion over nine years - but the postponement of the Champions Trophy, originally due to start in Pakistan tomorrow, left them facing a long spell without a major series.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said the bidding process had been "fair and transparent". "We have what we believe to be the best commercial deal for the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 season and for cricket fans across the world," Modi said. "All the bids received were of a very high standard."

Modi told Cricinfo that Mumbai and Bangalore were the new "confirmed venues" for the 2008 series, while a suitable third venue will be finalised in the "next 2-3 days". The organisers had previously scheduled the tournament in Mohali, Delhi and Jaipur, but Modi said the venues had to be changed taking into consideration the dew factor that may affect the night games in northern India during winter months.

The Champions League this year will feature eight sides from India, South Africa, Australia, England and Pakistan, before expanding to a 12-team competition in 2009.

10:29 PM
Categories: Cricket, General Info. Author: SacHu

India's one-day captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has won the ODI Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards ceremony in Dubai.

Dhoni beat off tough competition from his India team-mate, Sachin Tendulkar, Australia's fast bowler Nathan Bracken and Pakistan stalwart, Mohammad Yousuf, to take the award.

During the voting period, Dhoni played 39 ODIs and scored 1,298 runs at an average of 49.92 and at a rate of 82.46 runs per 100 balls faced. In that time he hit a century and nine fifties, making sure he led his team from the front.

Also in that time, in his capacity as a wicketkeeper, Dhoni claimed 62 dismissals (46 catches and 16 stumpings), which is almost twice as many as the next best, albeit having played more matches than any other keeper.

He is currently ranked No. 1 in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. Dhoni said: "I would like to thank the voting academy for considering me to be deserving of this award. I am really happy to get this - it's a great privilege.

"Also, it feels great to know that I am the first Indian player to get this particular award and it's very special because now I am in the company of a lot of other good cricketers. Some fantastic players have won this award in the past and to be mentioned in their company is truly a humbling experience for me.

"I would like to thank the ICC, my home cricket board, my family, my team-mates and friends."

The ODI Player of the Year Award was one of eight individual prizes given at this year's ICC Awards. Dhoni also featured on the ICC ODI Team of the Year as picked by the ICC selection panel. The award was announced by Australia captain and two-time ICC Cricketer of the Year, Ricky Ponting.

India's flamboyant batsman, Yuvraj Singh, became the inaugural winner of the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award, in recognition of his amazing six sixes in one over during last September's ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa.

This new award highlights the most impressive performances by players in Twenty20 Internationals during the 12-month voting period and it marks the advent of this exciting new format of the game at international level.

On September 19, 2007, during a match against England in Durban, Yuvraj smashed every delivery of the 19th over - bowled by Stuart Broad - beyond the boundary rope, in the process registering a 12-ball half-century and putting his team on course for victory.

It was the first time a player had hit six sixes in a single Twenty20 International over. Herschelle Gibbs did it in an ODI during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, while Garry Sobers became the first batsman to achieve the feat during a first-class match back in 1968.

According to the voting academy, Yuvraj's effort was the most impressive performance of the past 12 months. It beat off competition from his team-mate, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led his team to victory in the same tournament; Chris Gayle of West Indies, who scored 117 off just 57 balls against the hosts, South Africa, in the opening match in Johannesburg; and Australia's Brett Lee, who became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the event, against Bangladesh in Cape Town.

After collecting his award from Sri Lanka's former World Cup-winning captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, Yuvraj said: "For me it was very important just to get nominated. There were other great performances during the past year. For example Chris Gayle's innings in the World Twenty20 was fantastic. I am very happy to collect this award and I would like to congratulate the other players who were nominated alongside me.

"It's very important for any player to get his performance recognised. You play hard and you like to think people see that and get something out of it. I would like to thank the ICC for recognising the performances of the players - it's an important aspect of the year for us.

"After the fifth six in that over I remember having butterflies in my stomach and I knew that if I managed to hit it for six it would be very special. It was a great feeling when I saw the ball go over the boundary."

The Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award was one of eight individual prizes given at this year's ICC Awards - presented in association with FICA - which are based on the 12 months between August 9, 2007 and August 12, 2008.

The ceremony is now in its fifth year and this is the first time it has been staged in Dubai, the home of the International Cricket Council. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006) and Johannesburg (2007).

The panel was chaired by the former West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd, and included the former Australia captain, Greg Chappell, the recently retired South Africa allrounder Shaun Pollock, the former Sri Lanka opener Sidath Wettimuny and the former Bangladesh batsman, Athar Ali Khan.

10:12 PM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu