Unhealthy Indians will cause $237 bn-loss to country

Indian professionals are unhealthy and how! A study by World Health Organisation (WHO) says almost 47 per cent of the workforce in Indian industries, especially in urban areas, were found to be overweight while around 27 per cent were suffering from hypertension. Around 10 per cent of those surveyed were also found to be diabetic.

The survey, which looked at the health of 35,000 employees and their family members, aged 10-69 years in 10 different industries, and 20,000 randomly selected individuals, found workers at greater risk of developing chronic diseases like heart attack, stroke and cancer .

Due to this rise in lifestyle diseases — like diabetes, stroke and cancer caused because of unhealthy workplaces — India could incur losses to the tune of $237 billion by 2015, the new WHO report has said.

The economic loss in India, which was $8.7 billion in 2005, is projected to rise to $ 54 billion in 2015, according to the report, Preventing Communicable Diseases in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.

The projected loss for China — the other fast developing country — is a massive $ 558 billion, while the estimated figure for Russia and the UK is $ 33 billion.

The estimated income loss in Brazil in 2015 would be $9.3 billion, while in Pakistan $ 6.7 billion, Nigeria $ 1.5 billion and Canada $ 1.5 billion.

Promoting the concept of a healthy workplace, the report has said targeting physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits are effective in improving health-related outcomes such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors.

The report was presented to the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Wednesday.

This report — the outcome of an event jointly organised by WHO and the World Economic Forum — summarises the current evidence available in addressing

the different dimensions of the workplace as a key setting for interventions designed to prevent Non-Communicable Diseases through diet and physical activity.

You have been dying since the day you were born

If you consider that your watch is the most accurate – you are wrong. There is no watch that can show the most exact time than Mr. Jones Accurate Watch. Actually, the watch always reminds the only truth in your life – "Remember – you will die". The phrase is written on the watch-hands. At first sight this may seem really cruel.

Everything you do will be doubted every time you look at the watch. The Accurate watch warns you that you shouldn’t waste the time and live a full life. It means we shouldn’t waste our energy and do useless things; we have to choose what is the most important and appreciate it.

On the one hand, the gadget really depresses, but on the other hand, it might become rather interesting accessory and help not to pay attention to different trifles. But, isn’t the price 5 too high for the watch that tells you about your demise so often? - Infoniac

Infosys HR boss tops Co director’s pay list

Infosys’s human resources head T V Mohandas Pai takes home the highest salary and bonus among all the board of directors of the company, including chairperson Nandan M Nilekani and chief executive officer S Gopalakrishnan.

According to Infosys’s recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Pai receives a salary of $82,033 and a bonus of $3,08,625 in a year, the highest among the 15 members of the board. The Board is chaired by the firm’s chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy while one of the co-founders and director Nandan M Nilekani is the co-chairperson.

While Nilekani receives $51,414 salary and $1,22,841 as bonus, Narayana Murthy does not take home any of them but $1,25,000 in annual compensation.

Other members of the board include chief executive officer S Gopalakrishnan, chief operating officer S D Shibulal, lead independent director Deepak M Satwalekar, head (communication, design group, information systems and quality and productivity) K Dinesh and head (delivery excellence) Srinath Batni.

Pai, who is also the head of administration, education and research, Finacle and Infosys Leadership Institute, happens to be the youngest among board of directors.

Further, Gopalakrishnan and Dinesh gets salary and bonus as same as that of Nilekani whereas Shibulal receives a salary of $50,061 and $117,220 as bonus.

However, Marti G Subrahmanyam, Omkar Goswami, Rama Bijapurkar, Claude Smadja, Sridar A Iyengar, David L Boyles and Jeffrey Sean Lehman, who are also directors, do not take home any salary or bonus. The IT major pays Pai $31,916 under ‘other annual compensation’ and the amount accrued for long-term benefits stands at $20,805.

However, senior vice-president (banking and capital markets) Ashok Vemuri, and senior vice-president (manufacturing) B G Srinivas, get more salary and bonus than Pai in the company’s top brass. Vemuri is paid a salary of $393,380 and a bonus of $292,789. — PTI

Hi-tech gadgets forcing couples to sleep apart

BlackBerrys, hand-held games consoles and laptops are taking a toll on the sex lives of British couples.

The Sleep Council, which conducted the study, found that a quarter of couples regularly sleep apart as British bedrooms increasingly go hi-tech.

The study also found that nine per cent of couples always slept alone while a further 16 per cent went to separate beds at least once a month.

The poll of 1,400 Britons of all ages found that eight out of ten used at least one gadget before bedtime.

One in three made phone calls or sent emails in bed while one in five admitted to surfing networking websites such as Facebook, playing computer games or listening to a portable music player.

A further fifth checked social networking sites such as Facebook, play computer games or listen to MP3 players.

The study also showed that one-fifth of those questioned charged an electrical appliance, such as a mobile phone, before turning off the lights.

On the contrary, the researchers said that just a tenth made the time to say their prayers.

"With our 24/7 society and internet access, mobile phones, Black-Berrys and the like, bedtime routines are becoming ever busier. They are driving couples' bedtimes and even their bedrooms apart," the Telegraph quoted Jessica Alexander of the Sleep Council, as saying.

"Young people, in particular, are more confident about telling their partner they don't want to be disturbed by them watching TV, checking Facebook or shopping online in bed.

"They will say they would rather have a good night's sleep on their own and that separate beds does not automatically mean that the relationship is falling apart," she added.

Durex survey: Indians not sexually satisfied

A new global survey on sexual well-being conducted by the condom manufacturer Durex shows that Indians are low on sexual satisfaction. Achieving an orgasm is a key driver of sexual satisfaction. Just 46 per cent of Indians said that they usually orgasm. Moreover, the level of sexual satisfaction was half for women as compared to that of men in India. While 55 per cent Indian males achieve orgasm, only 26 per cent Indian women can say the same. This difference in gender pretty much holds true globally, where twice as many men (64 per cent) as women regularly have orgasms. The survey says Italians, Spaniards and Mexicans have the best sex lives, with 66 per cent of them reaching the peak, while the people of Hong Kong and China (24 per cent achieve orgasm) and the Japanese (27 per cent achieve orgasm) have the worst sex lives.

Buddhas Warriors Glamour Bazaar India Are people sexually satisfied? Sex worldwide could be better. Apparently, we have lost our sense of adventure, our libidos and our interest. 60 per cent of us say that sex is fun, enjoyable, and a vital part of life. However, only 44 per cent of people are fully satisfied with their sex lives. The survey establishes that we become less satisfied with our sex lives as we get older, more so for men than women. This is partly because we tend to have sex less often and we have been in relationships for longer.

We tend to find things less exciting and more monotonous. Interestingly, having children doesn't negatively impact upon satisfaction. Emotional Drivers Sexual priorities are changing. People are looking for the softer, more sophisticated side of sex — quality time with partners, romance and a sense of security within the bedroom. Feeling close to your partner, feeling loved, respected and secure all impact strongly on our ability to achieve sexual satisfaction. Mutual respect plays a vital role in a satisfying sex life. Eighty-two per cent of people surveyed (who are sexually satisfied) say they feel respected by our partner during sex, while 39 per cent are looking for more love and romance.

Thirty-six per cent would like more quality time alone with their partner, 31 per cent would like more fun and better communication and intimacy with their partner and 29 per cent, a higher sex drive. Thirty-seven per cent want to feel less stressed out and tired. Having an exciting sex life is also important, although this decreases during a relationship. Those who have been in a relationship over three years tend to be less inhibited. It's important to try to keep your sex life as exciting as possible. Fifty-three per cent of us see the benefits of introducing a little experimentation into our sex lives What is sexual well-being? Sexual well-being is a balance of physical, emotional and sociological factors. It's about protecting and nurturing the sexual health of both you and your partner, getting the most from your sex life and feeling confident and happy about yourself. Sexual well-being is a fundamental part of human well-being and health.

Newsby: ibnlive

Sivaji, Dasavatharam and their skyrocketing budget

Movie making is no child’s play. Tamil movie making is reaching new turns these days owing to their exorbitant budgets and mega star casts. What plays a significant role in deciding a mega movie? The hefty paycheck of the actors followed by the paycheck of directors and heroine of the movie.

While these aspects devour the lion’s share of the movie’s budget, the rest of the budget is spent on extravagant sets, ostentatious costumes, and exotic locales, which fulfills the budget. Interestingly, crores have become no matter of concern these days. Even a movie with a shoestring budget and not-a-star-thing-cast costs more than a crore in Tamil cinema and if the returns are satisfactory, producers resort to those kinds of movies in large numbers to try their luck at the box office. Many have managed to make money though that way. Rajini’s Sivaji and Kamal’s Dasavatharam are the two upcoming movies with out of the ordinary budget.


While Rajini’s movies are always meant to be flamboyant costing close to 40 crores, Kamal’s movies are nothing far behind. Kamal’s Dasavatharam is expected to touch a 35 crore budget mark owing to its added attractions like Himesh Reshmmiya, Mallika Sherawat, and Kamal himself in 10 different roles. Out of Sivaji’s budget, Rajini takes home close to 20 crore which is more than just half of the budget. Next comes Shankar with a paycheck of 3 crores. Rahman’s paycheck is two crores and the heroine Shreya is paid 30 lakhs.

Other expenses like special effects, technicians’ wages, outdoor shooting expenses – especially in locations outside India contribute to the rest of the budget. Luckily, and to the benefit of the producer, Rajini’s movies have a minimum guarantee all over the world. His flicks will be sold at a minimum of 30 lakhs per print, which almost covers up the entire budget that was spent on the moviemaking. If that is not enough, the movies promisingly make a huge profit almost all the time. In rare instances as in case of Baba, if the movie fails to make profits, Rajini calls on the distributors and disburses the loss incurred thereby equating the earning and the expenditure. While this is the case of Sivaji, Dasavatharam remunerates Kamal with a 7 crore paycheck. KS Ravikumar is next in the line with a crore’s pay check.

Himesh Reshmmiya is paid 50 lakh followed by Asin with a 45 lakh. Mallika Sherawat receives a whopping 40 lakh for her flicker of an appearance and Ravivarman, the cinematographer is paid 40 lakh as well. The rest of the budget is shared by the special effects, wages of technicians, and shooting abroad. Though Kamal’s movies are a safe bet for the producer, they do not have a minimum guarantee in all distributing areas and only have a say at the box office in metros. At the same time, Kamal’s movies manage to churn out huge expectations, where its run is based on the first report of the public – word of mouth precisely.. Under these circumstances, what remains to be seen is whether the movies are meeting the budget standards and proving to be monstrous hits. If the movies manage to pull off blockbusters at the box office, the producers and the distributors will definitely be in high spirits.

Perfect Length For Sex is 7,3 Minutes

Maybe men had it right all along: It doesn't take long to satisfy a woman in bed. A survey of sex therapists concluded the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse was 3 to 13 minutes. The findings, to be published in the May issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, strike at the notion that endurance is the key to a great sex life.

If that sounds like good news to you, don't cheer too loudly. The time does not count foreplay, and the therapists did rate sexual intercourse that lasts from 1 to 2 minutes as "too short."

Researcher Eric Corty said he hoped to ease the minds of those who believe that "more of something good is better, and if you really want to satisfy your partner, you should last forever."

The questions were not gender-specific, said Corty (who, it must be noted, is male). But he said prior research has shown that both men and women want foreplay and sexual intercourse to last longer.

Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, cited a four-week study of 1,500 couples in 2005 that found the median time for sexual intercourse was 7.3 minutes. (Women were armed with stopwatches.)

It's difficult for both older men and young men to make sexual intercourse last much longer, said Marianne Brandon, a clinical psychologist and director of Wellminds Wellbodies in Annapolis, Md.

"There are so many myths in our culture of what other people are doing sexually," Brandon said. "Most people's sex lives are not as exciting as other people think they are."

Fifty members of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research in the U.S. and Canada were surveyed by Corty, an associate professor of psychology at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and student Jenay Guardiani. Thirty-four members, or 68 percent, responded, although some said the optimal time depended on the couple.

Corty said he hoped to give an idea of what therapists find to be normal and satisfactory among the couples they see.

"People who read this will say, 'I last five minutes or my partner lasts 8 minutes,' and say, 'That's OK,'" he said. "They will relax a little bit."

Happiest Americans are the oldest

Newsflash for rock stars and teenagers: It turns out everything doesn't go downhill as we age — the golden years really are golden.

That's according to eye-opening research that found the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.

The two go hand-in-hand — being social can help keep away the blues.

"The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."

Learning to be content
A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches, pains and deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said.

This is partly because older people have learned to lower their expectations and accept their achievements, said Duke University aging expert Linda George. An older person may realize "it's fine that I was a schoolteacher and not a Nobel prize winner."

George, who was not involved in the new study, believes the research is important because the general public continues to think that "late life is far from the best stage of life and they don't look forward to it."

Yang's findings are based on periodic face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Americans from 1972 to 2004. About 28,000 people aged 18 to 88 took part.

There were ups and downs in overall happiness levels during the study, generally corresponding with good and bad economic times. But at every stage, older Americans were the happiest.

While younger blacks and poor people tended to be less happy than whites and wealthier people, those differences faded as people aged.

In general, the odds of being happy increased 5 percent with every 10 years of age.

Overall, about 33 percent of Americans reported being very happy at age 88, versus about 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. And throughout the study years, most Americans reported being very happy or pretty happy; less than 20 percent said they were not too happy.

A separate University of Chicago study found that about 75 percent of people aged 57 to 85 engage in one or more social activities at least every week. Those include socializing with neighbors, attending religious services, volunteering or going to group meetings.

Those in their 80s were twice as likely as those in their 50s to do at least one of these activities.

Both studies appear in April's American Sociological Review.

Myth of the isolated senior
"People's social circles do tend to shrink a little as they age — that is mainly where that stereotype comes from, but that image of the isolated elderly really falls apart when we broaden our definition of what social connection is," said study co-author Benjamin Cornwell, also a University of Chicago researcher.

The research rings true for 81-year-old George O'Hare, a retired Sears manager in Willowbrook, Ill. He's active with church, AARP and does motivational speaking, too. His wife is still living, and he's close to his three sons and four grandchildren.

"I'm very happy because I've made friends that are still living," O'Hare said. "I like to go out and speak in schools about motivation."

"Happiness is getting out and being with people, and that's why I recommend it," he said.

Ilse Siegler, an 84-year-old retired nurse manager in Chicago, has a slightly different perspective. Her husband died 35 years ago; she still misses him everyday.

She has vision problems and has slowed down with age. Yet, she still swims, runs a social group in her condo building, volunteers in a retirement home and is active with her temple. These all help "make life more enjoyable," she said.

While Siegler said these aren't the happiest years of her life, she's content.

"Contentment as far as I'm concerned comes with old age ... because you accept things the way they are," she said. "You know that nothing is perfect."

Cornwell's nationally representative study was based on in-home interviews with 3,005 people in 2005-06. While it didn't include nursing home residents, only about 4 percent of Americans aged 75 to 84 are in nursing homes, Cornwell said.

It's all good news for the aging population. However, Yang's study also found that baby boomers were the least happy. They could end up living the unfortunate old-age stereotype if they can't let go of their achievement-driven mind-set, said George, the Duke aging expert.

So far, baby boomers aren't lowering their aspirations at the same rate earlier generations did. "They still seem to believe that they should have it all," George said. "They're still thinking about having a retirement that's going to let them do everything they haven't done yet."

Previous research also has shown that mid-life tends to be the most stressful time, said Cornell University sociologist Elaine Wethington. "Everyone's asking you to do things and you have a lot to do. You're less happy because you feel hassled."

The new studies show "if you can make it through that," there's light at the end of the tunnel, Wethington said.

msnbc

Macho men don't always get the girl

Being an aggressive macho male doesn’t mean that you will always get the girl, for according to a new study, the fainthearted do also have a good chance of winning the heart of the fair damsel.

Researchers have for long been puzzled by the knowledge that if aggression makes men more likely to father kids, then all males should be selected to be very aggressive. However, this is not the case.

In a study on fruit flies, the boffins carrying out the study noted that the females of the species sometimes choose males who do not fight, and sometimes choose males for no obvious reason.

This, they say, may help explain the large variation in aggressiveness in most species, including humans.

One reason for this variation, they added, could be that no fighting strategy works all the time.

“We showed in fruit flies that even the most genetically aggressive flies can have an Achilles heel, and lose against males who are (for the most part) wimps,” study leader Brad Foley, from the University of Southern California.

“There’s no single way to win a fight, or win mates. Females didn’t necessarily prefer aggressive males -- some males mated less when they lost fights, but some males mated more if they didn’t fight. Moreover, different females preferred different males.

“Unexpected interactions between individuals can define winners and losers (so-called ‘chemistry’). In order to understand why flies, and humans, and other animals, are so genetically different from each other, we need to stop imagining there's a ‘best’ kind of strategy,” he added.

The research team also included Larry Cabral of Cal State Sacramento (co-corresponding author with Foley), and Foley’s supervisor Sergey Nuzhdin, professor of molecular and computational biology at USC.

ibnlive

Nude Bruni photo sells for $91,000 in NY auction (See Pic)

A nude photo of French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, standing in a pigeon-toed pose and covering her modesty with her hands, was sold on Thursday in New York for $91,000, more than 20 times its expected price. A buyer for a Chinese art collector bought the black-and-white image, taken by photographer Michel Comte in 1993 during her modeling days, Christie's auction house said. The sale of the photo has attracted attention since Bruni married French President Nicolas Sarkozy in February.

The photo had been expected to fetch between $3,000 and $4,000. It was auctioned as part of a sale of 140 photos from German collector Gert Elfering, which also features work by Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Peter Beard. An Avedon portrait of 1950s and 1960s French screen siren Brigitte Bardot sold for $181,000. It had been expected to garner between $80,000 and $120,000.

newsby: google

Attractive people prefer one-night stands

Attractive women and square-jawed, masculine men are more likely to be interested in short-term sexual relationships or one-night stands, a new study has found. The study, by Durham University researchers, ties in with research carried out by the same team that found that women see masculine men as more likely to be unfaithful and be bad parents. Based on a survey of 700 heterosexuals, the study also found that when it comes to sex, young men and women have perspectives that are completely opposed to each other, reinforcing the Mars and Venus stereotype. Men prefer women who seem to be open to short-term sexual relationships, while women seem more interested in men who are potentially long-term relationship material. Findings of the study have been published in the latest issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour. Participants in the study were shown pairs of photographs or "averaged" facial images of men and women in their early 20s with two opposing attitudes to relationships.

They were asked to choose the face that they felt would be more open to short-term sexual relationships, one-night stands and the idea of sex without love. They were also asked which face they thought was the most attractive for a long- or short-term relationship, who was more masculine or feminine, and who they thought was generally attractive. Women open to short-term sexual relationships were found to be more attractive, while men most open to casual sex were generally perceived as being more masculine-looking, with facial features including squarer jaws, larger nose and smaller eyes.

The study shows people can use their perceptions to make more informed partner selection depending on the type of relationship they are pursuing. It is a significant step in further understanding the evolution of partner choice. "Our results suggest that although some people can judge the sexual strategy of others simply from looking at their face, people are not always sure about their judgments possibly because the cues are very subtle," said co-author Lynda Boothroyd.

newby: ibnlive

It's a miracle: Pregnant man tells Oprah

A transgender man who is six months pregnant said in an interview aired by Oprah Winfrey on Thursday that he always wanted to have a child and considers it a miracle.

"It's not a male or female desire to have a child. It's a human desire," a thinly bearded Thomas Beatie said. "I have a very stable male identity," he added, saying that pregnancy neither defines him nor makes him feel feminine.

Beatie, 34, who lives in Oregon, was born a woman but decided to become a man 10 years ago. He began taking testosterone treatments and had breast surgery to remove glands and flatten his chest.

"I opted not to do anything with my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day," he told the talk show host. Beatie's wife Nancy said she inseminated him with a syringe using sperm purchased from a bank.

Now, he said, his size 32 jeans are getting a bit tight and his shirts are a bit stretched. Nancy, to whom he has been married for five years and who has two grown daughters by a previous marriage, also appeared on the show, saying the couple's roles will not change once the baby is born.

"He's going to be the father and I'm going to be the mother," she said. Their marriage is legal and he is recognized under state law as a man. The couple was shown on video provided by People Magazine, which collaborated with Winfrey on the show, showing the room that will be the baby's nursery.

Beatie said the little girl was going to be "daddy's little princess." The couple was also filmed in their hometown of Bend, Oregon, where he underwent an ultrasound showing the baby in his womb.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe she's inside me," Beatie said while watching the ultrasound image. "We see her as our little miracle." His obstetrician, Dr Kimberly James, who practices in the Oregon town, told Winfrey, "This is a normal pregnancy."

She said Beatie stopped taking testosterone two years ago and his levels of the hormone are normal. "This baby is totally healthy," she said. "This is what I consider a normal pregnancy."

The couple said they had been turned down by a number of other doctors before James agreed to take him as a patient. The couple said an earlier attempt at pregnancy failed when he developed a tubal pregnancy, resulting in surgery that removed his Fallopian tubes.

The couple said they decided to go public with the pregnancy because they wanted to control the way the news got out. "We're just going to have the baby now," Nancy said. "If we have to, we'll go hide."

The couple runs a small business in Bend and has some savings, she said. In addition, Beatie is working on a book about his childhood, his mother's suicide and his life growing in Hawaii where, as a girl, he was a teen beauty pageant contestant and earned a martial arts black belt.

Winfrey called the development "a new definition of what diversity means for everybody."

newsby: ibnlive

Preity injured at IPL launch, gets a black eye

Actress Preity Zinta, co-owner of the Indian Premier League's Mohali team, suffered a minor injury during its formal launch in Mohali, on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

"I don't know how it happened," Preity said. "But in the melee at the launch (Monday), an elbow came and hit me straight in the eye. I had to go through the event with a black eye wearing dark glasses."

Eyewitnesses said there was a huge rush at the launch, and somebody appeared to have thrown something at Preity. As one of her bodyguards lunged to catch whatever had been thrown, his elbow appeared to have hit Preity in the eye.

After the event, the actress spent the evening nursing her eye with ice packs.

"It will swell a bit. I guess it's bound to happen when one is in such situations," she said.

The IPL Mohali team is led by Yuvraj Singh. The tournament starts April 18.

Pamela Anderson, Hrithik prefer a Jaguar

The Tata's are driving home Jaguar and Land Rover, which are considered ultimate global symbols of luxury and class. A Jaguar and a Land Rover is perhaps the last car one would associate with jam-packed roads in India. But not any more as after gifting the Nano to the aam aadmi the Tata's will now make sure the Jaguar and Land Rover is within every millionaire’s reach. The Jag as it's fondly called is one of the most desirable vehicles in the world and no wonder that some of the most desirable women in the world chose a Jag.

Pamela Anderson and Kate Winslet chose the Jag as their preferred set of wheels. For Winslet, Jag was the only machine that could impress her after the Titanic. And it's not just Hollywood as back home Rakesh Roshan gifted his son Hrithik a Jag on his birthday, which he considers a piece of art rather than a car.

Other Indian celebs to have owned Jaguars include Jackie Shroff and Shekhar Kapur. But if you prefer the macho Land Rover for raw power, so do Anil Ambani and Sanjay Dutt.

What's more even the Dalai Lama reportedly owned a vintage Land Rover from 1966 to 1975.

newsby: ibnlive

Nude portrait of Carla Bruni to go on sale

The new First Lady of France, Carla Bruni is in the news again.

Christie's auction house will be selling a nude portrait the French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife.

The portrait taken more than a decade ago when the now wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy was working as a model.

The gelatin silver print, taken by photographer Michel Comte in 1993, depicts Bruni in a standing pose, apparently in reference to the paintings of French neo-impressionist artist Georges Seurat depicting models.

Christie's defended its decision to put on sale a nude image of a serving first lady, describing Bruni as "one of the most beautiful women in the world."

"It's a work of art. It was shot in 1993 when Miss Bruni was a model and it's a tasteful nude portrait executed by a well known, respectable artist," Milena Sales, spokeswoman from Christie's said.

"Christie's stands by the works it represents to its clients, it doesn't censor or pass judgement on any content or subject matter. It's a perfectly respectable work of art," she added.

The photograph comes from a collection of photographs that includes works by Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon and Leni Riefenstahl, featuring among other images, nudes of British models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

newsby: ibnlive

HOT pics: Enamor teen collection

Turn your style inside out this summer! Along with your halters and spaghettis, flaunt your innerwear. Enamor introduces Enamor 18, made especially for the youth of today, with styles that range from being summery, chic feminine, to flirty.

This collection comes in colours of pastel shades, floral prints and contrast detailing in materials such as soft cotton lycra, polyamide and sheer mesh.

This collection is available at Lifestyle outlets, large retail outlets and exclusive Enamor outlets across the country so go wild with these lingerie options.

Take a look and make your pick..

Doctor held over Australia deaths

An Indian doctor accused in connection with the deaths of three patients at an Australian hospital has been arrested in the US.

Dr Jayant Patel was taken into custody by FBI agents at his home in Oregon.

The Australian government has requested his extradition to face 16 charges relating to his work at Bundaberg Base hospital in Queensland.

The charges include three counts of manslaughter, three of grievous bodily harm and two counts of negligence.

During two years in Australia, Dr Patel treated more than 1,200 patients and 87 deaths were initially linked to his care.

At the Bundaberg Base hospital, where he was director of surgery between 2003 and 2005, he gained a reputation for poor hygiene and sloppy procedures, with nurses complaining that he failed to wash his hands between patients.

One former colleague, an infection control specialist, said Dr Patel once claimed that doctors' hands "don't have germs".

Before arriving in Australia, he had a long record of disciplinary action and malpractice lawsuits from previous periods of working in the US.

Former patients of the surgeon have expressed relief and delight at his arrest.

Each manslaughter count carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

10,000 B.C.

Cast: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis

Director: Roland Emmerich

Don't go into the cinema to watch 10,000 BC if you're expecting an authentic look at the prehistoric era, because there's virtually nothing authentic about this film.

For heaven's sake don't take your impressionable young children to this film or they'll end up muddling their history so irreparably, it'll take a lifetime to put them back on the right track.

The fact that 10,000 BC has been directed by effects-heavy script-light disaster-movie veteran Roland Emmerich should tell you all you need to know about this film - it's got a preposterous plot much like the director's previous films Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and Godzilla; it compromises narrative for heavy-duty special effects; and enough stupid people will probably like this movie for it to be a box-office hit.

A hunter named D'Leh leads a group of comrades to the end of the world to bring back his childhood sweetheart who's been kidnapped by a tribe of mysterious horsemen. This group must encounter all kinds of strange beasts including saber-toothed tigers and predatory birds as they make their journey across snow-swept mountains, tropical forests and endless deserts.

There's also lots of mumbo jumbo about an aged female spiritual leader who pops into the frame every few minutes to make startling prophecies that ring dangerously true.

Painfully long and unbearably tedious, 10,000 BC is easily the worst film I've seen recently because it has absolutely no story to speak of and yet it takes itself so seriously, you'd think they were setting out to make an epic.

The special effects aren't particularly great either - that mammoth-chase scene is shoddy, and the one in the forest with those strange ostrich-like birds pecking on our heroes is laughable to say the least.

At best some of that sweeping cinematography is breathtaking, but that aside, this is one complete failure of a film. Let's not even bring up the fact that D'Leh's tribe seems to speak fluent English strangely enough, and woolly mammoths seem to have made themselves perfectly at home in those sandy, sunny deserts working at pyramid construction sites.

Like I said earlier, it's a film where quite literally, anything happens. Unlike Independence Day or The Day After Tomorrow which also required the suspension of disbelief, this one is just plain boring. Nothing exciting happens, you're never taken by surprise.

Then that's zero out of five and two thumbs down for Roland Emmerich's 10,000 BC, believe me your time would be better spent if you stared at the sunset instead. Avoid this one at all costs.

Girl geeks meet for International Women's Day

A new support group for Australian women in the IT industry has emerged in the lead up to International Women's Day.

Predominantly targeted at female computer scientists and software engineers, Girl Geek Dinners is a technically focussed group that aims to fill what organisers say is a vacuum in user groups for women technologists in Sydney.

The next dinner will take place on Sunday March 9 at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. Dubbed Dinner 01, the event follows a successful inaugural dinner that was sponsored by Google and IT consultancy ThoughtWorks and held on February 28.

"Providing a group that shows you are part of a growing part of your industry encourages people to stay in IT and others to join," said Damana Madden, co-founder and organiser of Girl Geek Dinners and a consultant at ThoughtWorks.

"There is a technical focus [of Girl Geek Dinners] with the intention of having fun and connecting with other women in IT."

Industry response to the new group has been very strong Madden said, so much so that the organisers were forced to restrict the number of attendees at the inaugural dinner to 45 people.

And while the group specifically focuses on women it was a man who initially got the Girl Geek Dinner ball rolling.

"Jason Yip, who I work with, came to me with the idea and together we organised the first dinner - Dinner Zero," Madden said.

"Our interest is creating an environment in IT that encourages more diversity - not just concerning women. Different people bring different ideas to the work environment," she said.

newsby: itnews

Google ressurects JotSpot as Google Sites

Google Inc said on Wednesday it is offering a simple Website publishing tool for office workers to set up and run their team collaboration sites, taking aim at Microsoft Corp's rival SharePoint franchise.

Google Sites, as the new site publishing service is known, is a scaled back version of JotSpot, an easy-to-edit service for organisations and individuals to set up and edit Websites that Google had acquired 16 months ago for undisclosed terms.

The new service, the latest stage in the Internet leader's push into the market for business and educational users, allows non-technical users to organise and share digital information such as Web links, calendars, photos, videos, presentations, attachments and other documents in an easy-to-maintain site.

"Creating a team website has always been too complicated, requiring dedicated hardware and software as well as programming skills," said Dave Girouard, general manager of Google's Enterprise unit, which is aimed at office workers.

Google Sites is a stripped-down version of Microsoft's SharePoint collaboration software, which lets users inside an organisation share documents and maintain calendars on secure Web sites, but is far more complex to set up and maintain.

Unlike SharePoint, which typically requires organisations to buy and maintain their own hardware and software at costs that can run from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to serve one hundred users, Google Sites is hosted on Google computers and is free to users of Google Apps, which the company offers at a fraction of the cost of Microsoft tools.

"We think this is SharePoint-like, but better," Girouard said in an interview. Basic sites are free or carry a small monthly per-user fee, depending on whether organisations have purchased fuller-featured versions of Google Apps that allow for centralised technical management.

Google Sites puts control of Web sites into the hands of regular office workers rather than an organisation's network administrators or technical support desk, Girouard said.

"The idea is that IT (Information Technology departments) don't have to do anything except enable users to serve themselves," the Google executive said.

Google Sites enables any user invited to join a site to edit pages without requiring knowledge of Webcoding or design.

Any information published to the site is searchable by visitors with permission to use the site, the company said.

The site publishing framework lets office workers create "intranets" — centralised archives of company information that can only be viewed within an organisation rather than on the public Web. Such sites can be used to manage team projects.

Individual teams members can also create profile pages of their activities, interests and schedules.

In school settings, Google Sites can function as virtual classrooms for posting homework assignments, class notes or other student resources.

Girouard said he considered Google Sites the biggest new product introduction in a steady stream of innovations since his company introduced Google Apps only a year ago this month.

Google Apps offers a suite of word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation software that let groups of users edit and view documents over the Web, together with e-mail and basic personal Web site publishing tools.

Over the past year, Google said more than 500,000 businesses and several thousand schools and universities have adopted Google Apps.

"Google Sites is relatively easy to use and free," said Rebecca Wettemann, an analyst with technical consulting firm Nucleus Research of Wellesley, Massachusetts."

"Google is making people think differently about how businesses use the Web." But Wettemannn said Google's Website publishing framework so far lacks management features that let organizations control the unbridled proliferation of poorly maintained or out-of-date Web sites that can occur when such tools are let loose."

"Just because it is easy to use and intuitive doesn't mean users don't have to sit down and think about the business problems they are trying to solve," she said.

newsby: ibnlive

Dear Husband, will you leave your job for me?

A recent TeamLease survey of 425 ‘Two Career’ couples across five cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore – revealed that balancing work and family life is not any easier today than it was say 20 years back. While 87 per cent of the couples polled agreed to their work-life balance being “just fine”, others felt that working wives could mean more disagreements and more cases of divorce. In our earlier story, Modern marriage survey: Is everybody really fine, we quoted the abovementioned TeamLease survey. Two points seem to resonate greatly with the readers: (1) 54 per cent of the couples polled said they will not give up their career plans for their spouse and (2) 77 per cent men agreed to be actively involved in responsibilities, including child reading.

The following is a response emailed by ibnlive.com reader, Priyanka Khandelwal: Her response to the truth behind husband’s helping at home… And whether they really do. Thankyou Priyanka! As contributed by Priyanka Khandelwal “77 per cent of the men polled say they are more actively involved in sharing responsibilities including child-rearing.” And that is what you get when you poll men on ‘how’ involved they are in household chores. Try asking their female counterparts the same and there you will have the true picture of the household scenario, which will put the survey numbers to shame. Picture this: A working couple.

The woman makes breakfast (and serves it too), prepares their lunches, readies herself (and the spouse too) for office and rushes off. The office of course gives no regard to the fact that the lady has already had a tough beginning and she is expected to give as much, if not more, as her male colleagues. Come evening, she rushes home for she has the dinner to tend to (men don’t like waiting for their food) and then of course listen to her husband’s day at work. It’s now her turn to unburden her troubles, but by that time, the husband is fast asleep (he has had a tough day after all). Fast forward a few years and you have children too in the whole scenario. And God forbid if there are the in-laws to look after as well. The responsibilities just go on increasing. While most of the men would vehemently disagree with the above, the fact remains that most marriages work this way. The root cause, as I believe, lies in the upbringing of the Indian males. They are brought up in environments where the females pamper the male ego.

Where the females are ‘expected’ to do all the household chores; where the entry of males into the kitchen is probably once in a blue moon affair. How many mothers teach their sons how to cook? Because of course, if their son will need to be fed, they will simply marry him to a ‘nice homely’ girl. And what happens when the ‘nice homely’ girl decides to pursue her own career? What happens when the girl turns out to be better at her work than her spouse? What will happen if heaven forbid the girl begins to earn more than her spouse? Surveys of course would show that the men are quite comfortable with the idea, but the reality is quite different and uglier too. The humongous male ego, fed since their infant days starts to ruin their life. Husbands don’t ‘ask’ their wife’s if they are OK with the idea of shifting base due to his transfer – they expect it. It is taken for granted that a wife’s primary duty is towards her family. Don’t take me wrong. I am not averse to the idea, but it’s only revolting when it doesn’t have to be the other way too. Will a man as readily leave his job when his wife is given a transfer? I don’t think so. And neither is he expected to.

The good news? Slowly, very slowly the male mindset is accepting the fact that women today are walking shoulder to shoulder with males. We have our dreams too, we have our parents’ dreams to fulfill too. We too have been brought up like princesses in our parents’ home. Our career too is as important as yours is. We are as exhausted, probably even more, after a days work at office. And like you we too were too busy in our careers to learn to cook delicious gastromic delights. We too are not superhumans. What we do is not because we are ‘expected’ to do it, but because we love to do it for our family. And we don’t really mind being occasionally appreciated for it.

newsby: ibnlive

Microsoft sets up tech lab in IIT Chennai

Microsoft Corporation India Pvt Ltd on Monday announced the inauguration of a technology lab the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

Microsoft is investing Rs 90 lakh initially in the IITM Microsoft Windows Technologies Lab that will harness innovation through research and provide a platform for faculty and students to leverage it for a variety of research and training, Prof T A Gonsalves, Head, Department of Computer Science Education, IIT-M, told reporters during the inauguration.

The lab will offer best-of-the-breed MS technology for the faculty and students to work with, apart from helping students with their B Tech and M Tech projects and also the MS and PhD students in their research.

Microsoft Corporation Ltd's VP, Will Poole, said experts from the company will visit the lab to conduct seminars and workshops and also help the institution in research and innovation in the long run.

The initial focus in the lab will be on Windows Terminal services, device drivers, networking protocols, windows mobile and multi-modal localisation.

Six companies have already spoken to IIT for using the lab and TCS was one of them, Gonsalves said.

newsby: ibnlive

Big B will quit Mumbai, if Raj's charges are true

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is 'very hurt' over the attacks on him by MNS chief Raj Thackeray, the actor's close friend and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said on Wednesday.

Singh said he could, on behalf of Bachchan, state that the actor would leave Mumbai if it was proved that he has not done more for Maharashtra than for UP.

"He is sentimentally very hurt. He is a very matured and dignified person and he is very hurt, particularly on these charges," Singh said.

"Let Thackeray come out with a list, what all he (Bachchan) has done for UP and what all he has done for Maharashtra. If he has not done much more for Maharashtra, where he is residing, then on his behalf I am saying, he will leave Mumbai," he said.

He was responding to a query on the criticism of Bachchan by Thackeray that while living in Mumbai he is championing the cause of UP.

"You see this point is absolutely, absolutely wrong. He picks up this line Chora Ganga Kinare Wala (from the film Don)", he said, adding that if he picks up this line he could also pick up Anthony from Bandra (Amar, Akbar, Anthony).

Listing Bachchan's contributions to Maharashtra, Singh said the actor has done so much for Breach Candy Hospital, for Hinduja Hospital and for the victims of Latur earthquake.

Singh said around 2,000-3,000 Maharashtrians are employed in Bachchan's business enterprises and "this is something no one can dispute".

newsby: ibnlive

A look at best Facebook applications

If Facebook is the great whale of social networking, applications are the barnacles on its back, firmly attached and along for the ride.

As Facebook's 55 million users are well aware, the site doesn't just contain the staples of social networking. The California-based site last year opened its platform to software developers that offer applications of all kinds, which users can add to their profile pages.

The result has been a land rush for virtual space. Developers hope to entice as many Facebook users as possible to add their wares, which range from trivia quizzes to maps that show where a user has travelled.

MySpace, still the most popular social network, recently announced similar plans to let in software developers. The decision is further proof that social networks firmly believe that the best way to remain fresh is to allow the entrepreneurship of the Web to piggyback on its platforms.

A great many of the applications on Facebook are simply ways to enhance your profile page or further your self-expression – a list for your favorite books, or an icon for your favorite baseball team.

But many can be the source of hours of entertainment in their own right.

Perhaps the most famous of these is Scrabulous, a miniature online version of Scrabble. Though, it’s future is in doubt because the makers and owners of the rights of Scrabble (Hasbro and Mattel) last month served a cease and desist letter to the creators of Scrabulous, two brothers in India.

However, it must be said that most of the applications are extremely lame like the quiz, which asks ‘What kind of mom will you be?’ But in many hours spent perusing the applications of Facebook, these were the most interesting:

Scramble: While Scrabulous is a version of Scrabble, Scramble is the Facebook application answer to Boggle.

GameDesire Bridge: This is a game that enables you to play bridge on Facebook. Not surprisingly, it's not exactly hugely popular. But simply having the ability to play a card game so strongly associated with old age on such a young, hip social networking site surely is a sign that Facebook isn't just a playground for kids anymore.

PuzzleBee: Jigsaw puzzles typically demand a lot of tabletop space. With the application PuzzleBee, though, you can solve puzzles and create them yourself without spilling little pieces of cardboard all over your living room.

Dogbook & Catbook: It's high time that Fido and Mrs Bigglesworth got to join the social networking fun. Dogbook and Catbook allow you to make a little profile, just like yours, for your four-legged friends. But if your pets are going to be active on Facebook, you may want to have them spayed or neutered.

Attack! This is another application clearly modelled on an already popular board game; it even advertises itself as ‘like Risk for the facebook.’ Now, you can play the game of world domination from your office cubicle.

The Promise of a Better Tomorrow

The lost look on Baskanya’s face speaks volumes about the struggles that have been her lot in life.

Frustrated by the birth of girls, her mother named her Baskanya meaning “enough girls”. She received a cold welcome into this world.

But Baskanya does not have time to ponder over the misfortune of her birth.

She has to complete the household chores and look after her siblings while her parents and older siblings graze the neighbour’s cattle.

Baskanya has dreams for her future—dreams she knows may never come true . In her dreams, she recalls the three years she was in school. She sees herself telling her “two tames tables”!

“I had to stop my studies then after the children came along,” she says, pointing to the younger ones, oblivious to the fact that she too is still a child….

“She was good at studies,” says her mother. “But when we don’t have enough to eat, how will I send her to school?”With their meager income, Baskanya's parents cannot make her dreams come true.

Given her circumstances, chances are that Baskanya too will grow up like her mother and older sister, who got married at twelve—under-nourished, illiterate, and bearing one child after the other.

But YOU can step in and make a difference! Be the one to rewrite a child’s life! Sponsor a child like Baskanya with World Vision India and change the life of a needy child. Begin a life-changing relationship and set a child free from the bondage of poverty.

Child Sponsorship is a unique relationship between you and a deserving child. It works on the simple yet powerful principle that the best way to change the life of a needy child is to change the world in which he/she lives.

Your sponsorship gift of Rs. 600/- every month ensures that the child goes to school and has access to good health. The child’s parents also receive assistance through income generation schemes.

You could be the one to give them a second chance at life!

Source: http://www.worldvision.in/?Story_of_Baskanya

Google CEO bullish on mobile Web advertising

The arrival of a truly mobile Web, offering a new generation of location-based advertising, is set to unleash a "huge revolution", Google Inc Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said on Friday.

"It's the recreation of the Internet, it's the recreation of the PC (personal computer) story and it is before us - and it is very likely it will happen in the next year," he told a panel at the World Economic Forum.

Current estimates for mobile advertising are cautious, with consultancy Forrester predicting revenues of under $1 billion by 2012.

But Schmidt said this figure was too low and failed to take into account the fact the mobile Web was reaching a tipping point.

Google aims to be a prime mover by bidding for coveted airwaves to launch an open US wireless network, pitting it against established telecommunications players.

The move will take the Silicon Valley-based company well beyond its core Web search and online advertising franchises.

Some analysts are worried at the high costs involved but Schmidt said he was confident location-based advertising - which could, for example, direct hungry travellers to nearby restaurants - would be "a very, very good business".

Content providers, already struggling in the modern world of music and film downloads, are less convinced that mobile Internet is a minefield.

"It is not going to be easy to hang on the price of content," said Howard Stringer, chief executive of Sony Corp.

newsby: ibnlive

Google to honour women IT students

New Delhi: Google, world's biggest search engine, has announced 'The Google India Women in Engineering Award' for women students who are pursuing Computer Science and related subjects.

The award is to recognise, reward and inspire women to become active participants and leaders in creating new technology.

According to Google, the criteria of selection is based on the candidates academic background and leadership qualities.

A group of female undergraduate, graduate and PhD student finalists will be chosen from the applicant pool, and award recipients will receive an award of Rs 75,000.

To be eligible for the award a candidates must be a full-time student from a recognised institute and must be specialising in Computer Engineering or related subject.

The student should from second to final year is she is doing her bachelor's programme while all students from a master's or PhD programme are eligible to apply.

She should also have a cumulative CGPA of at least 4.0 on a 5.0 scale or 8.0 on a 10.0 scale or equivalent.

The last date for applying is January 31, 2008, and Google will announce the results in February 2008.

news by: ibnlive

Oscar nominations to be announced today

Film fans finally will soon learn who’s competing for this season’s Academy Awards, now the question is whether any nominees will turn up for the big show amid a writers strike that has thrown the awards season into turmoil. The list of Oscar nominees to be announced on Tuesday is expected to include such luminaries as Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis and Angelina Jolie.

That smattering of talent alone would ensure that a lot of people at home would tune in to the 2nd February ceremony. But without the cooperation of the striking Writers Guild of America, celebrities might honour the union’s picket lines an stay away from the Oscars, leaving the show’s planners to either scrap the telecast or come up with some new form of Oscar ceremony unlike anything audiences have seen before. The word around Hollywood is that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has back-up plan to put on the show without the blessing of writers and stars, but they declined to disclose details.

Gil Cates, producer of the Oscar telecast, as vowed the show will come off no matter what, hinting the programme could be padded with clips from 80 years of Oscar history if writers and stars do not cooperate. Officially, the academy says it is moving ahead with the red carpet and awards ceremony as usual. “We are planning to have our show on February 24 at the Kodak Theatre with an audience of 3,300 people and a television audience significantly larger than that,” said academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger.

The most powerful women in Bollywood

Gauri Khan In their latest edition, Vogue (India) announced proudly introduced Gauri Khan as the 'First Lady of Bollywood'. The sobriquet that can possibly be dismissed as just an innocent remark is more loaded than one may imagine. Because if Gauri is the first lady, what does that make the Big B? Second to Shah Rukh? Then again, Gauri's scope of influence goes much beyond Bollywood. She's known to hobnob with the Ambanis and the (Sahara) Roys alike and for all practical purposes is the producer of the films made under Red Chillies Entertainment. And if there were any doubts about her status in the Bollywood you should probably have been at the book launch of Om Shanti Om where everyone present walked up to her just to greet her. Now if that doesn't make her the first lady, we wonder what does?




Aishwarya Rai Who is more popular between Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai? Ask ten people across varying cultures and countries and chances are that the balance will tip in Ash's favour. After all how many Indian actresses have received international recognition? Abhishek for all practical purposes is just coming of age. Fact is that barring Guru there hasn't been a film that he's carried off on his lonesome shoulders. And Ash with her worldwide fame is not his arm candy. In fact it's the other way round, isn't it?





Twinkle Khanna Twinkle Khanna may have stepped out of the limelight years ago. But has she stopped calling the shots in her husband's life? Certainly not! Akshay Kumar has openly confessed that he doesn't drink or smoke. But he has only 'one vice'. His affairs with Raveena Tandon and Shilpa Shetty are legendary. And then there was his alleged relationship with Priyanka Chopra, which rocked his marriage. But through this all, Twinkle is said to have held the ropes in her hand never once losing control over her man. Let's admit it. She is still the only woman in Bollywood to not just bag this 'prize catch' but also manage to keep him with her for all these years. After Aitraaz Akshay has not worked with Priyanka Chopra. No points for guessing why.




Kiran Rao The scrawny bespectacled Kiran Rao was not the media's idea of Aamir's girlfriend. But this former AD (assistant director) stole his heart and how! Those who have known Kiran swear by her convincing prowess. Think about it (and presumptuous as it may sound) how many ADs have managed to marry the producer? She has a way with people and though she hasn't stepped into the limelight with Aamir too many times, her presence is felt in more ways than one. She may not necessarily always influence Aamir's decisions. But if insiders are to be believed, she is someone who will have her way. And that qualifies her to be on this list.




Manyata Sanjay Dutt has always been known to be a wild boy during his younger days. Rhea Pillai, Madhuri Dixit and Tina Munim were just some of his much-publicised relationships. But enter Manyata and the man just seems to have magically mellowed down. A recent newspaper reported that Manyata has been very, very big influence in his life. The actor has apparently been taking all his decisions only after consulting her. If rumours are to be believed, she has also managed to draw him away from his sisters. And to have a man such as Sanjay Dutt wrapped around her little finger certainly makes her one of the most influential ladies in Bollywood.



Suzanne Roshan As a person, Suzanne Roshan could be dismissed as a nobody. But to be married to one of India's most good-looking actors and remain married takes a lot. Well, actually all it takes is the support of the family. It is said that Hrithik got married to Suzanne only after he received an ultimatum from his family. The Roshan parivar has stood behind Suzanne like a rock and that is apparently the sole reason why Hrithik has not strayed. Incidentally he has also not worked with Kareena after Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon and chances are that he never will . Suzanne is however not just a sole case in point. Aditya Chopra's wife Payal too has immense support from the Chopra clan and apparently it's just one of the reasons why a certain actress has not been able
to marry Adi.



Jaya Bachchan Not from the generation of the ladies named above but certainly one of the most respected women in the industry today is Jaya Bachchan. Unlike any of these women however, she draws her power merely by being part of the household. Indeed Bachchan is a big name today. But when the superstar started off, Jaya was the only one who believed in him and gave him all the support he wanted. It is said that she had put in a word for him during Zanjeer. The rest is history. Jaya has stood by her husband through thick and thin… right from his Casanova days to his low phase in the 90s. And it is this rock solid support she has given and contributed to the making of this dynasty that gives her a position that possibly no one named above can ever achieve.

South Asian girls sizzle in US swimsuit calendar

New York: The Indian- American community tends to be fairly conservative in nature. So, when Sexy South Asian girl’s calendar came out in 2007, it was a first for the community. The calendar sold about 22,000 copies. Now, the 2008 version of the calendar is out but it's creators decided on a new name for the 2008 version. Ten out of 12 models featured in the Desiclub.com’s Swimsuit Calendar 2008 are Indian-Americans with one each from Pakistan ad the Caribbean.

The shoot took a week and the location was at the upscale resort area of the Hamptons in New York state. As for the changes that the calendar underwent, CEO, Desiclub. Com says, “It's a marketing strategy basically and it's also reputation. You have to be very careful about the wording that you use. And with the word 'sexy' in our title last year, the word 'sexy' automatically draws a certain type of attention. We want to keep it streamlined and classy. So we figured we should definitely title it something that's more mainstream.” For the 2007 calendar, about 20 girls applied to be part of the project but in 2008, the number rose fivefold.

Of the models included, some said "no" initially due to their apprehensions about appearing in swimsuits but then changed their minds. “I decided to do it ultimately because I was told it was going to be professionally done, it's not going to be racy, it's not going to be trashy in any way. I mean, after all, it is a South Asian calendar, I trusted it would be done in a professional and conservative manner and it was. I'm very proud of the product,” says Miss November, Bhumika Vyas. While they have received a lot of positive feedback, some of it has been surprising. “My parents are very supportive of everything I do but again this is a swimsuit calendar so I wasn't sure how they'd react. One day my father called me up after seeing the calendar and he said, "You look absolutely beautiful and I'm so proud of you and your mom's so proud of you. After that I was very surprised. I didn't think they'd react that way but then I knew it was the right decision,” says Miss April, Melanie Kannokada.

The calendar is also selling well in India as people order it online. One of the reasons for that is free shipping. It may have undergone a name change but this calendar has sold as many copies in the first few days of this year as it sold in 2007 and its creators, desiclub.com, hope to sell about 80,000 copies in all. So, when Sexy South Asian girl’s calendar came out in 2007, it was a first for the community. The calendar sold about 22,000 copies. Now, the 2008 version of the calendar is out but it's creators decided on a new name for the 2008 version. Ten out of 12 models featured in the Desiclub.com’s Swimsuit Calendar 2008 are Indian-Americans with one each from Pakistan ad the Caribbean. The shoot took a week and the location was at the upscale resort area of the Hamptons in New York state. As for the changes that the calendar underwent, CEO, Desiclub. Com says, “It's a marketing strategy basically and it's also reputation. You have to be very careful about the wording that you use. And with the word 'sexy' in our title last year, the word 'sexy' automatically draws a certain type of attention. We want to keep it streamlined and classy. So we figured we should definitely title it something that's more mainstream.” For the 2007 calendar, about 20 girls applied to be part of the project but in 2008, the number rose fivefold. Of the models included, some said "no" initially due to their apprehensions about appearing in swimsuits but then changed their minds. “I decided to do it ultimately because I was told it was going to be professionally done, it's not going to be racy, it's not going to be trashy in any way. I mean, after all, it is a South Asian calendar, I trusted it would be done in a professional and conservative manner and it was. I'm very proud of the product,” says Miss November, Bhumika Vyas. While they have received a lot of positive feedback, some of it has been surprising. “My parents are very supportive of everything I do but again this is a swimsuit calendar so I wasn't sure how they'd react. One day my father called me up after seeing the calendar and he said, "You look absolutely beautiful and I'm so proud of you and your mom's so proud of you.

After that I was very surprised. I didn't think they'd react that way but then I knew it was the right decision,” says Miss April, Melanie Kannokada. The calendar is also selling well in India as people order it online. One of the reasons for that is free shipping. It may have undergone a name change but this calendar has sold as many copies in the first few days of this year as it sold in 2007 and its creators, desiclub.com, hope to sell about 80,000 copies in all.

news by: ibnlive