Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tourist Places around Hyderabad
Warangal, Andhra Pradesh
Warangal, the erstwhile capital of the great Kakatiya Kingdom which
ruled during 12th- 14th century, is presently an ushering industrial and
cultural centre in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The Warangal
city is credited as the fifth largest city in the state and has the
historical legacy of being known as Oruguallu or Omtikonda or
Ekasilanagaram mainly due to the existence of a huge hillock seems to be
carved out of one stone.
It is assumed that the Prola Raja of great Kakatiya Kingdom built this
beautiful town in 12th century and given the incredible status of the
Capital city. The Kakatiyas who ruled more than 200 years left many
grandeur monuments, architectural marvels like Warangal fort,
a Shiva temple known as Swayambhu temple and many such ancient
structures. Travel diaries of great traveler Marco Polo also has
mentions of this great city.
Warangal basically consists of an agricultural community,
cultivating rice, red chillies, cotton and tobacco. Warangal is renowned
for its granite quarries, exported to many other states.
Present Warangal attracts many tourists, thanks to Warangal's
important history, exquisite monuments, grand temples, superb gardens,
beautiful lakes, and sanctuaries with rich fauna & flora. The Main
draw of tourists in the city include Warangal Fort, the 13th century
star shaped Shiva temple, Bhadrakali temple and the thousand pillared temple. Wildlife Sanctuaries at Pakhal and Eturnagaram and Pakhal Lake
are other tourist spots which are worth visiting. Natural beauty with
magnificent manmade structures leaves Warangal with an enviable spot in
the tourist map of India.
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Thursday, April 18, 2013
IM operative Himayat Baig gets death sentence in Pune German bakery blast case
Indian Mujahideen operative Himayat Baig was awarded the death
sentence by a Pune court on Thursday for murder, criminal conspiracy and
other serious charges in the 2010 German Bakery terror attack.
Baig was the only accused arrested for his role in the terror blast
which killed 17, including five foreigners, in what was the worst
extremist strike after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The verdict draws the curtains on the Valentine's Day-eve tragedy of Feb 13, 2010 which shook the state's academic and cultural capital.
Pune Sessions Court Special Judge NP Dhote delivered the verdict in a packed courtroom.
During the arguments on the quantum of sentence in the afternoon, Baig broke down claiming innocence and pleaded for mercy. He was held guilty by the court April 15.
According to the prosecution, Baig planted the bomb under one of the tables in the German Bakery.
His lawyer A Rahman opposed the prosecution's claim that there was a link between the Indian Mujahideen, banned since 2004, and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group and that the two terror groups jointly carried out the blast.
He further contended that Baig was framed by the investigators and they had neither arrested nor presented the six other accused in the case.
"Vodafone provided evidence based on phone records that at the time of the blast, Baig was in Aurangabad. The accused had never been to Pune before the blast and six witnesses also gave evidence to this effect. The prosecution could not prove the conspiracy theory nor did it produce the other accused before the court," Rahman said soon after the verdict.
The prosecution had named Baig and six other accused in the chargesheet, including absconders Yasin Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Mohsin Choudhary and Fazzay Kagti.
Another accused, Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, is currently undergoing trial in other terror cases in the country.
Rahman said though he respected the court verdict Thursday, he would appeal against it in the Bombay high court.
A resident of Beed district, Baig was nabbed from Udgir town in neighbouring Latur district by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in September 2010, nearly seven months after the terror attack.
Among other offence, Baig has been convicted under Indian Penal Code Sections 302, 307 (murder and attempt to murder), 435, 474 (mischief by fire and explosive and forgery) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), besides other charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Explosives Act.
The court upheld the prosecution contention that the blast was "a carefully planned and executed attack" calculated to terrorise the general public, causing extensive damage to life and property.
The prosecution said the primary objective of the terror attack was to undermine and reduce faith of the common people in the elected government and destabilise the system of law.
The special judge upheld the prosecution argument that the terror attack caused deaths of foreign nationals, earning the country a bad name. Five foreigners were among the 17 victims of the Feb 13, 2010 blast.
After his arrest, the ATS charged Baig with hatching a conspiracy along with his six associates for the terror blast at German Bakery, situated in the up-market Koregaon Park area of Pune.
The investigators said the conspiracy for the terror blast was hatched in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in March 2008 in the presence of Baig, Jundal and Kagti. Baig's lawyer Rahman denied this charge.
After Baig returned from Colombo, he settled in Udgir where he operated a cyber cafe and remained in touch with the other accused using 25 different email identities, the prosecution said.
Baig surveyed the area near the German Bakery Jan 31, 2010 and under the orders of Yasin Bhatkal planted the bomb, the prosecutions said.
During the three-and-half-year-long trial, the prosecution examined 103 witnesses even as Baig rejected the charges claiming he was in Aurangabad on the day of the terror blast and was framed in the case.
Bystanders look at a destroyed bakery in Pune. The blast took place at a famous bakery in the city.
The verdict draws the curtains on the Valentine's Day-eve tragedy of Feb 13, 2010 which shook the state's academic and cultural capital.
Pune Sessions Court Special Judge NP Dhote delivered the verdict in a packed courtroom.
During the arguments on the quantum of sentence in the afternoon, Baig broke down claiming innocence and pleaded for mercy. He was held guilty by the court April 15.
According to the prosecution, Baig planted the bomb under one of the tables in the German Bakery.
His lawyer A Rahman opposed the prosecution's claim that there was a link between the Indian Mujahideen, banned since 2004, and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group and that the two terror groups jointly carried out the blast.
He further contended that Baig was framed by the investigators and they had neither arrested nor presented the six other accused in the case.
"Vodafone provided evidence based on phone records that at the time of the blast, Baig was in Aurangabad. The accused had never been to Pune before the blast and six witnesses also gave evidence to this effect. The prosecution could not prove the conspiracy theory nor did it produce the other accused before the court," Rahman said soon after the verdict.
The prosecution had named Baig and six other accused in the chargesheet, including absconders Yasin Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Mohsin Choudhary and Fazzay Kagti.
Another accused, Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, is currently undergoing trial in other terror cases in the country.
Rahman said though he respected the court verdict Thursday, he would appeal against it in the Bombay high court.
A resident of Beed district, Baig was nabbed from Udgir town in neighbouring Latur district by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in September 2010, nearly seven months after the terror attack.
Among other offence, Baig has been convicted under Indian Penal Code Sections 302, 307 (murder and attempt to murder), 435, 474 (mischief by fire and explosive and forgery) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), besides other charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Explosives Act.
The court upheld the prosecution contention that the blast was "a carefully planned and executed attack" calculated to terrorise the general public, causing extensive damage to life and property.
The prosecution said the primary objective of the terror attack was to undermine and reduce faith of the common people in the elected government and destabilise the system of law.
The special judge upheld the prosecution argument that the terror attack caused deaths of foreign nationals, earning the country a bad name. Five foreigners were among the 17 victims of the Feb 13, 2010 blast.
After his arrest, the ATS charged Baig with hatching a conspiracy along with his six associates for the terror blast at German Bakery, situated in the up-market Koregaon Park area of Pune.
The investigators said the conspiracy for the terror blast was hatched in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in March 2008 in the presence of Baig, Jundal and Kagti. Baig's lawyer Rahman denied this charge.
After Baig returned from Colombo, he settled in Udgir where he operated a cyber cafe and remained in touch with the other accused using 25 different email identities, the prosecution said.
Baig surveyed the area near the German Bakery Jan 31, 2010 and under the orders of Yasin Bhatkal planted the bomb, the prosecutions said.
During the three-and-half-year-long trial, the prosecution examined 103 witnesses even as Baig rejected the charges claiming he was in Aurangabad on the day of the terror blast and was framed in the case.
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Nipple tattooing sweeps UK as women strive for 'perfect boobs'
Liverpool gave us the Scouse Brow; Essex, the vajazzle. Now comes nipple tattooing, otherwise known as 'tittooing', the latest beauty craze for women. Radhika Sanghani reports from the front line.
Despite the fact we all see our own naked form on a daily basis, for
some reason we're still gobsmacked when a designer chooses to exaggerate
it on clothing. Whether it's Jean Paul Gaultier's conical bras or
Vivienne Westwood's photocopied 'boob tee', you can guarantee a hefty
round of gasps and whispers of disapproval as soon as what should be
hidden inside clothing is illustrated on the outside.
It's no surprise, then, that when Beyoncé took to the stage on the
opening night of her world tour, the picture that was plastered
everywhere the next day was of her in a crystal-heavy bodysuit featuring
trompe l'oeil breasts (maybe we should call it a boobysuit?).READ: Beyonce to channel Nineties supermodels in Mrs Carter Show
The bedazzled piece in question was, rather predictably, labelled 'vulgar', 'inappropriate' and 'trashy' and Beyoncé was accused of trying to compete with the likes of Lady Gaga's absurdly incongruous stage outfits. In fact, the corset was a result of 30,000 crystals, more than 600 man-hours, and a collaboration between US design duo The Blonds (made up of brothers Phillipe and David), Beyoncé, her mother, and her stylist Ty Hunter.
"To start, Phillipe hand-painted the suit on Beyoncé to achieve the correct shading. The piece was then hand embroidered with approximately 30,000 Swarovski crystals that took over 600 hours to apply," David told Fashionista . Though the garment was intended to be both "glamorous and provocative", the inspiration for the trompe l'oeil breast was in fact artist Tamara de Lempicka, who is famed for her powerful interpretations of the female form. "[It's] meant to give the illusion of being covered in crystallized honey," the duo told WWD, a clear reference to the singer's nickname Queen Bey.
The outfit was just one of a series of custom-made designer pieces commissioned by Beyoncé for the tour. She also wears pieces by Givenchy, Pucci, Julien Macdonald and DSquared2 - because when you're Beyoncé, the world is your wardrobe.
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Aerobic exercise may protect brain from alcohol damage
Aerobic exercise known to slow cognitive decline, may also prevent or repair damage to the brain caused by alcohol, a new study has found.
US researchers found that aerobic exercise may protect white matter in the brain from alcohol-related damage. Heavy long-term alcohol consumption leads to neural damage that looks similar to the decline in neuro-cognitive functioning observed as people age, said Hollis C Karoly, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder and corresponding author of the study.
"Given that exercise is protective against some of the neural and cognitive effects of ageing, it seemed likely that aerobic exercise may also work to reverse or prevent some of the damage to the brain caused by chronic alcohol consumption," Karoly said.
Karoly and her colleagues had 60 participants (37 men, 23 women), drawn from a larger database designed to share common brain and clinical data collected across studies on alcohol and nicotine use, undergo a diffusion tensor imaging session.
All participants also completed measures of alcohol consumption, loss of control over drinking, and aerobic exercise participation.
Study authors then examined relationships among exercise, alcohol, and fractional anisotropy in the superior longitudinal fasciculus, external capsule, fornix and superior and anterior corona radiata, as well as self-reported loss of control over drinking.
"This study found that the relationship between alcohol consumption and white matter depends upon how much people exercise," said Karoly. "For individual with low levels of aerobic exercise, heavy drinking was linked to poorer white matter health, but for those with greater exercise involvement, the relationship between alcohol and white matter health was not as strong," said Susan F Tapert from the University of California, San Diego.
"Although we don't know yet if the exercise is protecting against alcohol-related damage, or if it is a sign of factors linked to brain health, this is a very compelling study. "This suggests that individuals who have experienced alcohol-related brain problems could possibly use exercise to help recover those effects; studying people over time will tell us if this is in fact the case," Tapert said.
"Aerobic exercise appears to be a promising candidate for decreasing alcohol-related brain damage. Certainly clinicians could use these findings to support prescribing aerobic exercise programs as an adjunct treatment for individuals dealing with psychological or physiological problems related to a heavy alcohol-use history," Karoly said.
The study will be published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
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Brain stimulation curbs cigarette craving
Stimulating a portion of the brain with magnetic fields temporarily reduces the craving for cigarettes felt by smokers, researchers say.
A new study found that a single 15-minute session of high frequency trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the prefrontal cortex temporarily reduced cue-induced smoking craving in nicotine-dependent individuals.
Nicotine activates the dopamine system and reward-related regions in the brain. Nicotine withdrawal naturally results in decreased activity of these regions, which has been closely associated with craving, relapse, and continued nicotine
consumption.
One of the critical reward-related regions is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which can be targeted using a brain stimulation technology called trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, according to the study published in journal Biological Psychiatry. Trans-cranial magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells.
It does not require sedation or anaesthesia and so patients remain awake, reclined in a chair, while treatment is administered through coils placed near the forehead.
Dr Xingbao Li and colleagues at Medical University of South Carolina examined cravings triggered by smoking cues in 6 nicotine-dependent volunteers who received one session each of high frequency or sham repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
They found that craving induced by smoking cues was reduced after participants received real stimulation. They also reported that the reduction in cue-induced craving was positively correlated with level of nicotine dependence, in other words, the TMS-induced craving reductions were greater in those with higher levels of nicotine use.
"While this was only a temporary effect, it raises the possibility that repeated TMS sessions might ultimately be used to help smokers quit smoking," said Li. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths globally. Smoking cessation is difficult, with more than 90 per cent of attempts to quit resulting in relapse.
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'Being famous can shorten your life'
Being famous comes at a price! Having a glamorous career as a singer, actor or sports star may come at the cost of a shorter life, a new study has claimed.
Based on the premise that an obituary in the New York Times (NYT) usually implies success in one's career, Australian researchers Richard Epstein and Catherine Epstein analysed 1000 consecutive obituaries published in the NYT during 2009-2011 in terms of gender, age, occupation, and cause of death.
"A one-off retrospective analysis like this can't prove anything, but it raises some interesting questions," researchers at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, said.
They separated subjects into four broad occupational categories: performance or sport (including actors, singers, musicians, dancers, and sportsperson), non-performing creative m(including writers, composers and visual artists), business or military or political, and professional or academic o religious.
The gender distribution of NYT obituaries was found to be strongly skewed towards males over females (813 vs 186), according to the study published in the journal QJM. In terms of occupations, younger ages of death were apparent in performers or sportsperson (77.2) and creative workers (78.5), whereas older ages of death were seen in professionals or academics (81.7) and in business or military or political careers (83).
Moreover, although the life expectancy for a US citizen born today is about 76 years for males and 81 years for females, the average age of death for males was older (80.4), and females younger (78.8) than these averages.
This was associated with a higher proportion of females than males in performance or sports (38 per cent vs 18 per cent) and fewer in professional careers (12 per cent vs 27 per cent).
When the researchers looked at causes of death, they found that earlier deaths were associated with accidents, infections (including HIV) and certain cancers.
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Shahid Kapoor receives multiple offers to attend World Dance Day events
Shahid
Kapoor is known for his exceptional dancing skills. And with World Dance
Day (April 29) around the corner, several NGOs and dance choreographers
are interested in getting him to attend their events that celebrate
dance to talk about his passion for it and maybe even shake a leg.
A source says, "Shahid has got multiple offers to be part of dance dos
that commemorate World Dance Day. Choreographers Shiamak Davar and Bosco
are organising two separate events in the city while a couple of NGOs
too want him to attend their functions and spend time with
underprivileged kids. He hasn't decided which one he will attend, but is
leaning towards an NGO."
Shahid is currently shooting for Rambo Rajkumar in Wai and has just wrapped up Phata Poster Nikla Hero. The source adds, "His schedule is packed, yet he has decided to take a day off to celebrate World Dance Day. He is passionate about dancing and does not want to miss this occasion. He wants to reach out to students of dance and share his knowledge and experience. However, he is humbled and touched by so many requests pouring in."
When contacted, Shahid's spokesperson confirms the report and says, "Shahid has been getting a lot of requests from various NGOs and dance choreographers, but he is yet to take a final call."
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I lost my best friend: MS Viswanathan
Reacting to the demise of 91-year-old veteran composer T K Ramamurthy (TKR), musician M S Viswanathan (MSV) says he has lost his best friend. Ramamurthy passed away Wednesday at his residence here after brief illness."I feel like I have lost my best friend with whom I had shared so many great memories over the years. Even after we parted ways in the 1960s, we remained friends at heart. I will certainly feel his loss," said Viswanathan.
Popularly known as Vishwanathan-Ramamurthy duo, they composed music for hundreds of Tamil films in over a decade and a half. "I suggested that we should work together as a team. Initially, he was not game for it, but I convinced him with great difficulty. We had great memories of working together and when we faced differences, we amicably parted ways," he said.
"We may have stopped working together, but we were friends at heart and, therefore, we buried all the differences and worked together again. Even though he only used to play the violin, he was a highly proficient musician," he said.
"He would supervise most of my compositions. He would also conduct most of the recordings at the studio. Since he hailed from a family of musicians, his suggestions were always respected and taken seriously," he added.
Vishwanathan-Ramamurthy composed chartbusters for films such as Panam, Padmini, Raththa Kaneer, Pasa Valai, Sugam Enge and Sorga Vaasal. They spilt in 1965 after the release of the Tamil film 'Aayirathil Oruvan'.
In 1995, they reunited after 30 years to work for Tamil film 'Engirundho Vanthan'. "Actor N S Krishnan introduced us as a team in our debut film 'Panam'. He suggested that since TKR was senior to me, he would lead me," said MSV.
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1993 Mumbai blasts: After Sanjay Dutt, other convicts get four more weeks to surrender
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has allowed three convicts in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case four weeks of freedom before returning to jail.Yesterday, the court had given Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt a month to finish filming projects before he starts a three-and-a-half-year sentence. His lawyers had asked the court to give him six months to complete projects which are worth nearly Rs. 270 crore for movie producers.
The convicts who were given four more weeks to surrender today include Abdul Razak Memon, who had been sentenced to life in priso, Altaf Ali Sayed who was given 10 years in jail and Yusuf Mohsin Nulwalla, who was given a five-year sentence for their role in the serial bombings in Mumbai in which more than 250 people were killed and nearly 700 injured.
Later today, the court will decide whether to allow Zaibunissa Kazi, who is 70, and three others more time before they return to prison. Zaibunissa has argued that she is unwell and too old and sick to handle a jail sentence.
She had also said that the court should not send her to jail till the President of the country decides on her clemency petition, but that appeal was rejected earlier this week.
Mr Dutt, who is 53, was convicted of illegally possessing arms that were supplied to him by men who executed the terror strike in Mumbai. He has denied all knowledge of the attack, and said that he acquired the AK-56 and a pistol to protect his family which was receiving death threats at the time.
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Badminton Asia Championships: Kashyap enters pre-quarterfinals
India’s Parupalli Kashyap entered the pre-quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Championships as he outclassed Chinese Taipei’s Chu Han Chou in straight games today.
Kashyap took just 31 minutes to get past Chu and set up a quarterfinal duel with China’s Gao Huan. Apart from a brief session earlier, the Indian led throughout. From 7-all in the first game, he rapidly moved ahead 16-10, and even though Chu came within a point at 15-16, the Indian stepped on the pedal and won the first game 21-17.
Kashyap had it much easier in the second game, leading from start to finish. Chu made a belated fightback by saving three match points, but Kashyap closed it out on the fourth, to seal a 21-17 21-19 verdict. He will play Gao Huan, against whom he has a 1-1 record, later today. Gao Huan won their first encounter in 2009, but Kashyap took revenge in their last match, at the China Masters in September 2012. Both matches were close three game encounters, but the Indian will be favourite as he heads in to this evening’s session.
Several other Indians were due to take court later today, including Sai Praneeth, PV Sindhu, and Ashwini Ponnappa/Pradnya Gadre. Earlier, on Wednesday, Olympic champion Lin Dan, playing his first competitive match in seven months, easily got past Tuan Duc Do of Vietnam 21-12 21-6 to set up a second-round match with the third seeded Hu Yun of Hong Kong.
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Dickie Bird at 80: 'cricketers used to have a laugh back in my day. Not any more'
Some of the best stories about Harold “Dickie” Bird involve his pathological
fear of lateness. There was one occasion when he arrived at Buckingham
Palace at 5am for one of his 29 meetings with the Queen.
And another when he felt a policeman’s hand on his collar as he tried to climb
over the front gates of the Oval, some six hours before play was due to
start.
So it was a surprise to arrive at his 17th-century cottage in Barnsley, around
10am last Tuesday, and find Bird frantically fiddling with his shirt
buttons. “Alarm clock ran out of batteries,” he spluttered.
Keith Lodge, his old friend from the Barnsley Chronicle and the co-author of
his latest book, hovered indulgently like a favourite nanny. “Good thing I
rang you, Dickie,” he said. “We would have been standing outside in the cold
all morning.”
It was a humorous moment, and Bird saw the funny side. But there was an
element of pathos too.
As he approaches his 80th birthday on Friday, his health is not as robust as it was. Four years ago, he suffered a stroke that robbed him of his morning bounce.
“It struck at 3am,” he said. “I had a severe pain in my neck and then it worked down my body. I stuck it out until the morning and managed to dial 999.
"The ambulance came and got me away pretty quickly to the hospital, and then they kept me in for five or six weeks.
“I gradually got my strength back, but I have to speak slowly, because if I speak quickly then I can’t get my words out. It’s also left me very emotional – I was always emotional, but not like I am now.
“And you’ve got to make yourself go in the morning every day, because you don’t want to get out of bed, you just want to lie there. You get depressed at times.
“But you just have to fight against it. I can drive now. I have all my movements but I find buttons and shoelaces difficult. But I can’t grumble because some of the cases that I saw in hospital – dear me.”
The carers have left and Bird is independent again, still living in the house that he bought as Yorkshire’s opening batsman in the 1960s.
Today, it has become a shrine to the persona he inhabited for another three decades after that. “Dickie Bird here, Test match umpire,” he still likes to say, when he rings up to discuss the latest local prospect – or, more likely, the evils of the TV review.
The walls are covered with photographs of Bird himself, standing in his white cap behind the stumps as Richard Hadlee, or Kapil Dev, or Imran Khan roars in to bowl.
The desk carries a miniature version of the statue erected to him in the centre of Barnsley. “It stands on the exact spot where I was born, 100 yards from the town hall – trips come from all over to see my statue and go around the market.”
Neither would you want to put a dirty mug down on the living-room coffee table, so crammed is it with memorabilia. Pride of place goes to two books with gilt-edged pages.
One is a commemorative copy of his autobiography, which sold a mind-boggling 750,000 copies. The other is bound in red leather and was presented to him by Eamonn Andrews when he appeared on a 1992 edition of This Is Your Life.
So how did the umpire’s book come to outsell those of the men whom he invigilated? “People have took to me, haven’t they? I don’t know what it is. I talk to everybody and I think that’s why.
“The characters have gone out of all sports haven’t they? There’s no Lambs, Bothams or Dennis Lillees any more. We used to have a laugh in Test matches, which they don’t today – they don’t even smile.”
There is a very British charm to Bird, a Norman Wisdom-style twinkle. A man with a wide variety of nervy mannerisms, he occasionally forgot to laugh at himself – as when the water-pipes burst at Headingley, and he was left wagging his finger at an irate crowd.
But he would banter with the players as if he was still one of them, and they loved him for it.
On the field, Bird was known for being a not-outer. Our own cricket correspondent, Derek Pringle, has never quite forgiven him for turning down an lbw against Gordon Greenidge; the wicket would have completed a hat-trick.
But then Bird, so cautious by nature, could hardly help taking refuge in the “benefit of the doubt”. As a batsman who made only two hundreds in 93 first-class appearances, anxiety was his Achilles’ heel.
“If you’d seen me in one net batting and Geoffrey Boycott in the other, and I’d said to you ‘Which is the England player?’ you’d have said me,” Bird explained, while tapping a finger to his forehead. “But Boycott had it, something up here, more mental strength.
“If I got a series of low scores I worried. A lot thought that I would never make it as an umpire because of that. But it was amazing. I told myself once I crossed that line I were going to enjoy it, have a smile and a laugh.
“I used to have a joke with the crowd, but I never let it interfere with my decision making. And that took all of the pressure off me.”
Inevitably, Bird laments the passing of the glory days, when decisions went unchallenged by ball-tracking technology and Ian Botham could smash spectacular sixes after a night on the tiles.
It is hard to see Steven Finn stopping in his delivery stride to sneak a rubber snake into the umpire’s pocket, as Lillee once did. And nor do relationships achieve the same depth when there is always a plane to catch the morning after a game.
“You can’t buy respect, you have to earn it,” Bird said. “And I can honestly tell you I had not one problem with any professional cricketer.
"If I went to Pakistan, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad invite me round for a meal at their place. If I go to Australia the first man to ring me is Dennis Lillee.
"If I go to est Indies, the first man on the phone will be Garfield Sobers, the greatest that’s ever lived. You’ll never see another like him, not in your lifetime.”
Yet Bird still loves the modern game, even if his passion may not burn as bright as it once did. He remains an ever-present in the stands, both at Yorkshire’s home matches and those of Barnsley FC.
“It’s still the greatest game in the world, cricket,” he said. “I think young Joe Root is one to watch, because mentally I have never met anyone like him.” He leaned forward and tapped his forehead again. “Played up here, is cricket.”
And now it was time to go, because Bird’s solicitor was at the door. “I want to go back over my will,” he said, with a slightly unnerving grin. “My plan is for my ashes to be buried under my statue. What do you think?”
As he approaches his 80th birthday on Friday, his health is not as robust as it was. Four years ago, he suffered a stroke that robbed him of his morning bounce.
“It struck at 3am,” he said. “I had a severe pain in my neck and then it worked down my body. I stuck it out until the morning and managed to dial 999.
"The ambulance came and got me away pretty quickly to the hospital, and then they kept me in for five or six weeks.
“I gradually got my strength back, but I have to speak slowly, because if I speak quickly then I can’t get my words out. It’s also left me very emotional – I was always emotional, but not like I am now.
“And you’ve got to make yourself go in the morning every day, because you don’t want to get out of bed, you just want to lie there. You get depressed at times.
“But you just have to fight against it. I can drive now. I have all my movements but I find buttons and shoelaces difficult. But I can’t grumble because some of the cases that I saw in hospital – dear me.”
The carers have left and Bird is independent again, still living in the house that he bought as Yorkshire’s opening batsman in the 1960s.
Today, it has become a shrine to the persona he inhabited for another three decades after that. “Dickie Bird here, Test match umpire,” he still likes to say, when he rings up to discuss the latest local prospect – or, more likely, the evils of the TV review.
The walls are covered with photographs of Bird himself, standing in his white cap behind the stumps as Richard Hadlee, or Kapil Dev, or Imran Khan roars in to bowl.
The desk carries a miniature version of the statue erected to him in the centre of Barnsley. “It stands on the exact spot where I was born, 100 yards from the town hall – trips come from all over to see my statue and go around the market.”
Neither would you want to put a dirty mug down on the living-room coffee table, so crammed is it with memorabilia. Pride of place goes to two books with gilt-edged pages.
One is a commemorative copy of his autobiography, which sold a mind-boggling 750,000 copies. The other is bound in red leather and was presented to him by Eamonn Andrews when he appeared on a 1992 edition of This Is Your Life.
So how did the umpire’s book come to outsell those of the men whom he invigilated? “People have took to me, haven’t they? I don’t know what it is. I talk to everybody and I think that’s why.
“The characters have gone out of all sports haven’t they? There’s no Lambs, Bothams or Dennis Lillees any more. We used to have a laugh in Test matches, which they don’t today – they don’t even smile.”
There is a very British charm to Bird, a Norman Wisdom-style twinkle. A man with a wide variety of nervy mannerisms, he occasionally forgot to laugh at himself – as when the water-pipes burst at Headingley, and he was left wagging his finger at an irate crowd.
But he would banter with the players as if he was still one of them, and they loved him for it.
On the field, Bird was known for being a not-outer. Our own cricket correspondent, Derek Pringle, has never quite forgiven him for turning down an lbw against Gordon Greenidge; the wicket would have completed a hat-trick.
But then Bird, so cautious by nature, could hardly help taking refuge in the “benefit of the doubt”. As a batsman who made only two hundreds in 93 first-class appearances, anxiety was his Achilles’ heel.
“If you’d seen me in one net batting and Geoffrey Boycott in the other, and I’d said to you ‘Which is the England player?’ you’d have said me,” Bird explained, while tapping a finger to his forehead. “But Boycott had it, something up here, more mental strength.
“If I got a series of low scores I worried. A lot thought that I would never make it as an umpire because of that. But it was amazing. I told myself once I crossed that line I were going to enjoy it, have a smile and a laugh.
“I used to have a joke with the crowd, but I never let it interfere with my decision making. And that took all of the pressure off me.”
Inevitably, Bird laments the passing of the glory days, when decisions went unchallenged by ball-tracking technology and Ian Botham could smash spectacular sixes after a night on the tiles.
It is hard to see Steven Finn stopping in his delivery stride to sneak a rubber snake into the umpire’s pocket, as Lillee once did. And nor do relationships achieve the same depth when there is always a plane to catch the morning after a game.
“You can’t buy respect, you have to earn it,” Bird said. “And I can honestly tell you I had not one problem with any professional cricketer.
"If I went to Pakistan, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad invite me round for a meal at their place. If I go to Australia the first man to ring me is Dennis Lillee.
"If I go to est Indies, the first man on the phone will be Garfield Sobers, the greatest that’s ever lived. You’ll never see another like him, not in your lifetime.”
Yet Bird still loves the modern game, even if his passion may not burn as bright as it once did. He remains an ever-present in the stands, both at Yorkshire’s home matches and those of Barnsley FC.
“It’s still the greatest game in the world, cricket,” he said. “I think young Joe Root is one to watch, because mentally I have never met anyone like him.” He leaned forward and tapped his forehead again. “Played up here, is cricket.”
And now it was time to go, because Bird’s solicitor was at the door. “I want to go back over my will,” he said, with a slightly unnerving grin. “My plan is for my ashes to be buried under my statue. What do you think?”
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Xi Jinping's anonymous taxi ride through Beijing
Xi Jinping, China's most powerful man, has continued his quest for Chinese hearts and minds by taking an anonymous taxi ride through the streets of Beijing – and rewarding his driver with a smile and a 32p tip.
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Mayawati woos upper castes ahead of 2014 polls
Lucknow: Making fresh efforts to woo upper castes ahead of the forthcoming general elections, BSP chief Mayawati today announced names of 36 candidates for Lok Sabha polls, 18 out of whom belong to upper caste.
She alleged that atrocities were being committed on upper castes in the Samajwadi Party government's regime.
"Just like Dalits, atrocities are being committed on Brahmins under the Samajwadi Party government," Mayawati told reporters on the sidelines of Brahmin Bhaichara Samiti office bearers' meeting here.
Citing the example of Etawah where a Brahmin family was recently humiliated and defaced, Mayawati said most of those in the echelons of power in the SP government come from that district and it is a well-known fact that people belonging to 'sarv samaj' (all castes) are harassed there.
"But atrocities on Brahmins is much more in Etawah...When the incident took place, BSP raised it in the Assembly. Besides, its local unit tried to take up the issue and help them get justice," Mayawati said.
She said her party had prepared a campaign to ensure that upper castes do not get influenced by the "wrong propaganda" of the opposition parties.
"For ensuring that they (upper castes) do not get influenced by the wrong propaganda of opposition parties and apprising them of the various works done by the BSP government a detailed programme has been worked out," she said.
She said when her party raised the issue of promotion in reservation, it was projected as if it was something new when it was already being implemented since 1955 with some gaps in between.
Mayawati said reservation in promotion was pending in the Lok Sabha because of opposition from the Congress and BJP and her party would put forth its views again in the next session of Parliament.
"BSP also did not oppose inclusion of some OBC castes in the SC\ST list with the condition that the quota be also increased," she said, adding, when in power she had taken up the cause of reservation for religious minorities as well as economically backward upper castes.
On why upper castes had become disenchanted with the BSP in the last Assembly polls, she said, "Though our vote percentage rose, we lost seats due to internal understanding of our opponents' (Congress and BJP) conspiracy and planning but we have learnt a lesson and would not allow them to succeed this time," she said.
To a question, she reiterated her demand for imposition of President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh alleging dismal law and order situation in the state.
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Shakira asks NY judge to throw out ex's USD 250m suit
Pop star Shakira says her hips don't lie, but her ex-boyfriend does.
The singer and judge on The Voice is asking a New York judge to throw out a USD 250 million lawsuit filed by her ex, Antonio de La Rua.
De la Rua is the son of former Argentine President Fernando de la Rua. He dated Shakira for more than a decade before they split in 2011.
De la Rua has been saying he shaped the "Shakira brand".
The Daily News reports that Shakira said in court papers she does not owe her success to de la Rua. She says he was just one of her numerous advisers.
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Commando Vidyut Jamwal to choreograph fights for Bullet Raja
Fresh from the success of Commando the new action-star Vidyut Jamwal will compose his own stunts for Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullet Raja.
Tigmanshu Dhulia's new project, which satrs Saif Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles, has an official action director Parvez Khan, who has films like Ra.One, Vishwaroop and Agent Vinod to his credit.
Vidyut who steps into a doughty cop's role that was to be played by Irrfan Khan would be making a very special appearance in the film. And the action-star will make his appearance as special as possible.
Tigmanshu Dhulia explains, "Vidyut would have two action sequences in Bullet Raja and he'd be composing the stunts. We have the amazing Parvez Bhai composing all the stunts for the film's leading man Saif Ali Khan. But Vidyut knows his body and mind better than anyone else. He has been training in the martial arts since the age of 12. Who better to know how his character would deal with the combative crisis in the plot?"
Vidyut Jamwal's first fight would show him taking on dacoits in the Chambal Valley. "Vidyut Jamwal enters the story at mid-point right after intermission. His character of the cop takes on the Chambal dacoits. The second fight sequence would be staged in the city of Lucknow. They'd be antithetical in ambience mood and impact. I leave it to Vidyut to design and execute these fights in such a way that he makes optimum impact," says Tigmanshu Dhulia who is currently shooting in Etawah city of Uttar Pradesh for Bullet Raja.
"I am having great fun shooting the film. I suspect the audience would enjoy themselves just as much," says Tigmanshu Dhulia.
Tigmanshu Dhulia's new project, which satrs Saif Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles, has an official action director Parvez Khan, who has films like Ra.One, Vishwaroop and Agent Vinod to his credit.
Vidyut who steps into a doughty cop's role that was to be played by Irrfan Khan would be making a very special appearance in the film. And the action-star will make his appearance as special as possible.
Tigmanshu Dhulia explains, "Vidyut would have two action sequences in Bullet Raja and he'd be composing the stunts. We have the amazing Parvez Bhai composing all the stunts for the film's leading man Saif Ali Khan. But Vidyut knows his body and mind better than anyone else. He has been training in the martial arts since the age of 12. Who better to know how his character would deal with the combative crisis in the plot?"
Vidyut Jamwal's first fight would show him taking on dacoits in the Chambal Valley. "Vidyut Jamwal enters the story at mid-point right after intermission. His character of the cop takes on the Chambal dacoits. The second fight sequence would be staged in the city of Lucknow. They'd be antithetical in ambience mood and impact. I leave it to Vidyut to design and execute these fights in such a way that he makes optimum impact," says Tigmanshu Dhulia who is currently shooting in Etawah city of Uttar Pradesh for Bullet Raja.
"I am having great fun shooting the film. I suspect the audience would enjoy themselves just as much," says Tigmanshu Dhulia.
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Ayushmann Khurrana falls prey to death hoax
New Delhi: Ayushmann
Khurrana – who found commercial success with John Abraham’s ‘Vicky
Donor’ – is the latest to fall prey to death hoax.
According to reports, Twitter was
flooded with Ayushmann’s death news on Wednesday night after Global
Associated News reported that the actor had died in a snowboard
accident.
The report also explained in great details about how the former VJ - who was on a holiday with friends and family in Switzerland - met with an accident at Zermatt ski resort.
The shocking news created a lot of chaos among Twitteratis to such an extent that some even went on to tweet "RIP Ayushmann Khurrana`.
However, the 28-year-old stepped forth and clarified that the news was a hoax, and assuring his followers that he was fine.
“I have been hearing some bizarre rumors about my demise. RIP rumor mongers. Thanks!” @ ayushmannk tweeted.
Ayushmann is not the first celebrity to fall prey to such a death hoax. Actors like Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson have been subject to similar pranks as well in the past.
The report also explained in great details about how the former VJ - who was on a holiday with friends and family in Switzerland - met with an accident at Zermatt ski resort.
The shocking news created a lot of chaos among Twitteratis to such an extent that some even went on to tweet "RIP Ayushmann Khurrana`.
However, the 28-year-old stepped forth and clarified that the news was a hoax, and assuring his followers that he was fine.
“I have been hearing some bizarre rumors about my demise. RIP rumor mongers. Thanks!” @ ayushmannk tweeted.
Ayushmann is not the first celebrity to fall prey to such a death hoax. Actors like Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson have been subject to similar pranks as well in the past.
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Ayushmann Khurrana falls prey to death hoax
New Delhi: Ayushmann
Khurrana – who found commercial success with John Abraham’s ‘Vicky
Donor’ – is the latest to fall prey to death hoax.
According to reports, Twitter was
flooded with Ayushmann’s death news on Wednesday night after Global
Associated News reported that the actor had died in a snowboard
accident.
The report also explained in great details about how the former VJ - who was on a holiday with friends and family in Switzerland - met with an accident at Zermatt ski resort.
The shocking news created a lot of chaos among Twitteratis to such an extent that some even went on to tweet "RIP Ayushmann Khurrana`.
However, the 28-year-old stepped forth and clarified that the news was a hoax, and assuring his followers that he was fine.
“I have been hearing some bizarre rumors about my demise. RIP rumor mongers. Thanks!” @ ayushmannk tweeted.
Ayushmann is not the first celebrity to fall prey to such a death hoax. Actors like Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson have been subject to similar pranks as well in the past.
The report also explained in great details about how the former VJ - who was on a holiday with friends and family in Switzerland - met with an accident at Zermatt ski resort.
The shocking news created a lot of chaos among Twitteratis to such an extent that some even went on to tweet "RIP Ayushmann Khurrana`.
However, the 28-year-old stepped forth and clarified that the news was a hoax, and assuring his followers that he was fine.
“I have been hearing some bizarre rumors about my demise. RIP rumor mongers. Thanks!” @ ayushmannk tweeted.
Ayushmann is not the first celebrity to fall prey to such a death hoax. Actors like Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson have been subject to similar pranks as well in the past.
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Bang Bang: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif to train for stunt scenes
Mumbai: 'Zindagi Na Milegi' co-stars Hrithik Roshan and
Katrina Kaif are gearing up to shoot action entertainer 'Bang Bang',
which will go on the floors next month.
The film will be ready for release May 1, 2014.
Hrithik and Katrina will undergo training for their respective roles, said a source, and the movie is likely to have an aggressive marketing campaign.
A Fox Star Studios production, 'Bang Bang' will be directed by Siddharth Anand of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', 'Salaam Namaste' and 'Anjaana Anjaani' fame.
The film will be shot across Europe, Far East and India, and is said to feature "spectacular stunt sequences, intense chemistry and edge-of-the-seat excitement, as Hrithik and Katrina will scorch the silver screens in never-seen-before avatars", said a statement.
The screenplay of the movie has been written by Sujoy Ghosh, and Suresh Nair and Abbas Tyrewala have penned dialogues for it.
The music for the film will be composed by popular duo Vishal-Shekhar.
The film will be ready for release May 1, 2014.
Hrithik and Katrina will undergo training for their respective roles, said a source, and the movie is likely to have an aggressive marketing campaign.
A Fox Star Studios production, 'Bang Bang' will be directed by Siddharth Anand of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', 'Salaam Namaste' and 'Anjaana Anjaani' fame.
The film will be shot across Europe, Far East and India, and is said to feature "spectacular stunt sequences, intense chemistry and edge-of-the-seat excitement, as Hrithik and Katrina will scorch the silver screens in never-seen-before avatars", said a statement.
The screenplay of the movie has been written by Sujoy Ghosh, and Suresh Nair and Abbas Tyrewala have penned dialogues for it.
The music for the film will be composed by popular duo Vishal-Shekhar.
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