Filmy news

Hrithik Roshan launches a vodka brand

Mumbai, July 15: Liqour manufacturer – Radico Khaitan, on Tuesday launched M2-Magic Moments Vodka in the country's market.
The new product was launched by brand ambassador and Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, a company release said here.
Magic Moments grain vodka is targeted at the young and the young at heart, the release said.
"I am happy to be here for two primary reasons. One Magic Moments promises everything that a great life should have. And two, it embodies an excitement in and for life," Roshan said.
Magic Moments vodka has been launched in six flavours, chocolate, orange, green apple, lemon grass and ginger and lime and raspberry, the release said.

After Jab We Met, Imtiaz Ali to cast Bebo in another flick

mumbai, July 16: The film ‘Jab We Met’ would always be remembered for Shahid-Kareena’s ‘Jab We Split’ saga. However, director Imtiaz Ali got oodles of accolades for the same. Now, the director is casting Bebo again in his upcoming film, opposite none other than Akshay Kumar.
Earlier, Bebo was said to be extremely upset when Imtiaz, for whom she has great regards, did not cast her in his next flick after their big draw, ‘Jab We Met’. Instead, Imtiaz chose to cast newcomer Deepika Padukone, opposite Bebo’s beau Saif Ali Khan. Kareena resented this as she had assumed that she would be a part of Imtiaz’s project after ‘Jab We Met’.
However, now all is well between Kareena and Imtiaz, as the director has approached the actress for another flick. The film will also be written by Imtiaz. "It's still in the initial stages so I can't divulge much right now. I prefer to work at one project at a time so as soon as I wrap up Saif's film, I will concentrate on it. By early 2009, I hope to roll the project with Kareena."
Kareena is presently in the US shooting for Sajid Nadiadwala's ‘Kambakht Ishq’. Sources say that the actress has given her consent to the project. "Yes, she has said okay to this project. She's pretty excited about it. After all, it's her favourite director, producer and co-star too."
Sexiest Woman’ Katrina Kaif turns a year older

Mumbai, July 16: Things seems to be going great for ‘Sexiest Woman’ Katrina Kaif, who turns a year older on Wednesday. The 24-year-old lass, who has currently been featured on the cover of Damas-designed Kohl - the world’s most expensive Lifestyle magazine catering to Asian women, is in an upbeat mood these days. News has it that the lady will be celebrating her birthday in Mumbai along with boyfriend Salman Khan. Earlier, Salman was planning to fly down to Ooty on her special day but things did not turn out that way. Says a source, "Salman had planned to take off a couple of days from the shooting of 10 Ka Dum and spend time with Kat in Ooty on her birthday. But now that the schedule is cancelled, Salman and Kat will be celebrating her birthday in Mumbai.”
When asked about what Salman plans to gift her, Katrina expressed ignorance. Katrina excited as her mother and her sister Isabelle are coming over from London for her birthday. Looking forward to the birthday bash, Kat says, “I don’t like throwing lavish parties on my birthday. This year I am very excited about my mother coming all the way from London to be with me. I am planning to just chill out with some of my friends and have dinner after work. Actually I am a last-minute person and never like to plan anything before-hand.”
So, she will be working on her birthday? “I have a lot of promotional activities for Singh Is Kinng, which go on from the morning to evening. I will be done by 6 pm and will then plan my dinner with family and friends.”
Hope you have a wonderful birthday Katrina, and may you spread your charming smile for many many years to come!

Mecca

History of Mecca

The Saudi government uses the following verse as a Koranic confirmation for this law, however there are other interpretations to this verse (in particular, People of the Book would usually not be regarded as pagans) "O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unpure; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will God enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for God is All-knowing, All-wise." -- Koran, 9:28 As one might expect, the existence of cities closed to non-Muslims and the mystery of the Hajj aroused intense curiosity in people from around the world. Some have disguised themselves as Muslims and entered the city of Mecca and then the Grand Mosque to experience the Hajj for themselves. The most famous account of a foreigner's journey to Mecca is A Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, written by Sir Richard Francis Burton.[43] Burton traveled as a Qadiriyyah Sufi from Afghanistan; his name, as he signed it in Arabic below his frontispiece portrait for "The Jew, The Gypsy and al-Islam," was al-Hajj 'Abdullah.[citation needed The primary industry in Mecca in modern times is to support the annual pilgrimage of the Hajj, as well as to support the pilgrims who visit the city at all other times of the year. Major stops in their visit include:The Kaaba is the ancient stone building towards which all Muslims pray. It was originally one of multiple such buildings in Arabia, but was the only one made of stone, and therefore is the only one still standing. Many Muslims believe that it dates back to the time of Abraham in 2000 BC. All pilgrims are required to walk counter-clockwise around the Kaaba seven times starting at the Black Stone, in a ritual called the Tawaf.
Muslims believe that the Zamzam Well was revealed to Hagar (هاجر), mother of Ishmael. She was desperately seeking water for her infant son, but could find none. Mecca is located in a hot dry valley with few other sources of water. According to tradition, the water of the Zamzam well is divinely blessed. It is believed to satisfy both hunger and thirst, and cure illness. The water is served to the public through coolers stationed throughout the Masjid al-Haram and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. All pilgrims make every effort to drink of this water during their pilgrimage, and some dip their ihram clothing into it, so that the cloth can be used as their own burial shroud when they die.

Apples beat pears on crunch issue

Apples beat pears on crunch issue

By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News
AdvertisementInside a pear: Tiny interconnected channels do not carry oxygen to the fruit's core as efficiently as apples
Just why pears rot faster than apples can now be explained by science.

It is all to do with how oxygen is able to find its way to the centre of the fruit after it has been picked.
Belgian researchers used one of the world's most powerful X-ray machines to image the tiny pores and channels that carry air through the two foods.
Pieter Verboven's team was able to show how the structures in pears meant they got "out of breath" quicker than apples - key information for growers.
The results of the study will improve the models used to determine optimal storage conditions. The study will help reduce waste in the fruit industry
"If we know how the pears get into storage, we can better predict how they will behave," the Catholic University of Leuven scientist told BBC News.
"From season to season, from batch to batch, even from orchard to orchard - we can give advice to the grower, saying 'well, for these pears, you may have to elevate the oxygen concentration in your storage room because there is the potential for problems'."
There is a clear economic driver to minimise wastage in the fruit industry; and supermarket shoppers certainly do not want to cut into the flesh to find a brown, mushy mess.
Year on year, very practical experiments are run to see how different crop varieties cope under a range of shelf conditions; but science is also trying to improve its understanding of the biochemical and physical mechanisms that underpin decay.
After picking, the cells in the fruit need oxygen for respiration - to produce the sugars and energy required to maintain good health. If air cannot pass through the fruit, cells close to the core will eventually start to brown and rot.
Pieter Verboven's group put apples and pears inside the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, which produces an intense, high-energy light that can pierce just about any material, revealing its inner structure.
AdvertisementInside an apple: Cavities inside the apple carry oxygen to the core very efficiently
The giant X-ray machine is able to resolve features down to and below a thousandth of a millimetre; and by turning the target in front of the light beam, it is possible to build up extremely high-definition, three-dimensional views of the subject under study.
The latest research illuminated the microscopically small structures for oxygen supply that exist in fruit. In apples, the pathways appear as irregular cavities between cells, whilst in pears they have the shape of tiny interconnected channels.
"We already knew that different apple varieties have a different density which means they have a different fraction of air spaces; but we didn't know the structures," Dr Verboven told BBC News.
"We also knew that pears have a much lower amount of void spaces inside because pears sink to the bottom if you drop them in water whereas apples float, which indicates that one has more air than the other one.
EUROPEAN LIGHT SOURCE Electrons are fired into a linac, or straight accelerator. They're boosted in a small ring before entering the storage ring. The superfast particles are corralled by a train of magnets. Energy lost by turning electrons emerges as intense light (X-rays). The 850m-circumference ring has 32 magnet clusters, or cells. Electrons turned by plain magnets produce 'standard' X-rays. Particles 'wiggled' at undulator magnets emit stronger X-rays. X-rays can't turn with electrons and head straight down beamlines. Experiment 'hutches' receive the most intense X-rays in Europe. The light probes materials on the atomic and molecular scale. Robots can place many samples in the beam for rapid science. ESRF data leads to new materials, drugs, electronics, etc.BACKNEXT1 of 3"But also in pears, no-one knew what the structure of those air voids was."
Now, the scientists understand not only what the cavities and micro-channels look like but also how they perform. The Verboven team was able to describe the complex mechanisms of gas exchange, respiration and fermentation that take place in the different fruits.
There is much less water in apples to slow the penetration of the gas, and although the channels in pears are connected they just do not work as efficiently as the big pores in apples in allowing oxygen to pass through to the core.
"It is still unclear how airways in the fruit develop, and why apples have cavity structures and pears micro-channel networks", explained Dr Verboven.
"The micro-channels are so small that oxygen supply to the fruit core is very limited and cells are quickly 'out of breath' when oxygen levels fall below the safety threshold," he said.
The research is published in the journal Plant Physiology.

Climate focus for G8 summit talks

Climate focus for G8 summit talks

Green fingers: G8 leaders are considering climate issues World leaders are focusing on climate change and the global economy on day two of a key meeting in Japan.
Last year's Group of Eight industrialised nations summit pledged to "seriously consider" carbon emissions cuts of 50% by 2050.
The EU and Japan want leaders to adopt a stronger statement that includes interim targets.
Monday's talks were dominated by soaring food and fuel prices, and their effect on the world's poorest people.
Seven African leaders joined the summit to highlight their concerns.
Campaigners, meanwhile, accused G8 leaders of falling behind on pledges to double aid to the continent.
Climate targets
The summit is taking place in Toyako, on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
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What is hoped for from the G8 talksLeaders from the G8 nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - are being joined by counterparts from some 15 other countries.
They are expected to issue a series of statements later in the day.
On Monday, negotiators worked late into the night to agree a statement on climate change, Reuters news agency reported.
Some countries want a deal on a long-term global goal for emissions cuts - but there are divisions over what targets should be set and what would be expected of developing countries.
The US says it will not commit to binding targets unless China and India agree to rein in emissions too.
Biofuels can be made from crops like wheat and rapeseed
The leaders are also expected to discuss biofuels, amid concern that the rise in their use is driving food prices up.
On Monday World Bank President Robert Zoellick called for reform of biofuel policies in rich countries, urging them to grow more food to feed the hungry.
He laid particular blame on fuels made from corn and rapeseed produced in the US and the EU.
"The US and Europe also need to take action to reduce mandates, subsidies and tariffs benefiting grain and oil seed biofuels that take food off the table for millions," he said.
Leaders were also expected to discuss rising energy prices, global inflation and stabilising financial markets, officials said.
The summit is also expected to release a statement on the elections in Zimbabwe, which President George W Bush on Monday described as a sham.

Sydney news

Church sex abuse row ahead of Pope`s Sydney visit Sydney,

July 08: The head of the Catholic Church in Australia was embroiled in a sexual abuse controversy on Tuesday, only days before Pope Benedict arrives in Sydney for a visit that could see abuse victims staging protests.
Cardinal George Pell denied he misled a man complaining of sexual abuse by a Sydney priest when he wrote him a letter in 2003 saying his abuse claim was rejected because there were no other complaints against the same priest.
Australian television reported that Pell wrote another letter on the same day to a different man saying his claim of sexual abuse by the same priest was upheld.
"Cardinal Pell misrepresented the truth. It destroyed my faith," Anthony Jones told Australian Broadcasting Corp's (ABC) "Lateline" program on Monday night.
"He had to know that there was other complaints because he wrote to the man who as an 11-year-old boy was assaulted by Father Goodall on the same day," said Jones.
"I now hate Catholicism because of what Cardinal Pell has done to me, more so than what Father Goodall did to me." Catholic priest Terence Goodall was convicted in 2005 of indecently assaulting Jones in 1982.
Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and brothers in Australia are calling on Pope Benedict to apologize when he arrives in Sydney on Sunday for World Youth Day, July 15-20.

Mendis magic mauls India; Sri Lanka lift Asia Cup Karachi,
July 06 Zeecric Bureau
Although the final pair of Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha offered some resistance to the Lankans, it was not sufficient to take the Indians home. Kulasekara took the last wicket in the form of Ishant Sharma by castling him to bring an end to the Asia Cup championship. Sri Lanka beat India by 100 runs to lift the Asia Cup trophy for the fourth time, Mendis being the hero of the day for Lanka and not so for India. The right arm spinner devastated the powerhouse of batting and made it look less than ordinary.
After the brilliant start given by Virender Sehwag, even Mendis would not have thought such an end to the final. He was awarded the man-of-the-match for his six for 13 in six overs. He was also the man-of-the-series for taking 17 wickets in the tournament. Only Sehwag and Dhoni had respectable scores to their names. They scored 60 and 49 respectively.
For a change it was Chaminda Vaas who struck and not Ajantha Mendis. What a relief! Vaas dismissed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he had him caught behind for 49 into the hands of Kumara Sangakkara standing up at the stumps. This was his second wicket of the match. It is just a matter of time when the cricket lovers will see Sri Lanka lift the shining trophy and retain their title of defending champions of Asia.
The Indian batsmen really seemed to have no answer to Ajantha Mendis and it was pretty visible in the way Irfan Pathan edged one of his deliveries to the slip fielder and skipper Mahela Jayawardene. Pathan’s wicket gave Mendis his first five wicket haul in One-Day Internationals. He then uprooted RP Singh’s stumps off the very next ball to take his sixth wicket of the match and put Sri Lanka within sniffing distance of victory. This is the second time that Mendis struck twice in an over.
Muttiah Muralitharan spun a vicious web around Robin Uthappa and struck him on his pads right in front of the wicket to result in the fall of the sixth Indian wicket. India seemed to be staring at defeat with Sri Lanka having all chances to demolish India. Uthappa worked hard for his 20 runs but could not capitalize on it. He wasted a golden opportunity to take India home from a problematic situation. Irfan Pathan came to the crease to accompany skipper MS Dhoni. A miracle will be needed if India are to lift the Asia Cup trophy as Lanka look all set to retain their title.
Mendis it was again who struck for Sri Lanka catching Rohit Sharma plumb in front of the wicket leaving India reeling with half the team back in the pavilion. Sharma perished in an attempt to play Mendis across the line. Rohit Sharma became the right arm spinner’s fourth victim of the match. India will have to evade Mendis if they have to even think of clawing back in the match.
Ajantha Mendis proved to be the saviour for Sri Lanka and the devastator for India as he struck in his third over again to pack up Suresh Raina for just 16 runs. This put India on the back foot and the scorecard read 93 for the loss of four wickets at the time of Raina’s departure. Poor shot selection off a skiddy delivery on middle stump and Raina could see his stumps shattered

Rising costs to dominate G8 talks
Japan has deployed some 20,000 police to seal off the summit venue Rising food and fuel prices are to top the agenda for leaders of the world's most industrialised nations who are beginning a key summit in Japan.
The hosts had hoped climate change would be a key issue at the meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) nations but the global economy is sure to dominate.
At the opening lunch, African leaders will set out the effect price rises are having on the world's poorest people.
The summit is also expected to tackle the difficult issue of Zimbabwe.
Food focus
The G8 summit is being held at a resort on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Japan has spent a record sum of money and deployed about 20,000 police to seal off the remote lakeside town of Toyako for the three-day talks.
Focus on food, fuel and financeJapanese island locks downCharity in sanitation plea
The impact on the global economy of price rises and other shocks such as the credit crunch have eclipsed other concerns, correspondents says.
The BBC's political editor, Nick Robinson, who is travelling to the summit with the UK prime minister, says Gordon Brown will join other leaders in calling for the doubling of food production in Africa.
Our correspondent says the G8 may call for the creation of a panel of international experts to advise on how to predict and hopefully avoid another crisis like this.
The EU has already been spelling out plans to alleviate the food crisis.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters on the sidelines of the summit the proposed 1bn euro ($1.6bn, $800m) fund to help poor farmers in developing countries would come from unused EU subsidies. The best way to help the impoverished around the world is through trade
US President George W Bush
G8 summit: The key issuesAction urged on childbirth deaths
The Group of Eight consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
They will be joined by leaders from some 15 other countries, including eight African states.
As well as discussing development issues in Africa, the G8 leaders are widely expected to condemn Robert Mugabe's controversial re-election in Zimbabwe last month.
As he headed to the summit, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he would discuss the crisis with African leaders there.
Zimbabwe's political parties should "work out an arrangement so that they can really bring back democratic rules, the rule of law and peace and stability in their country", he told the French news agency AFP.
Malaysia summit
A number of other bilateral meetings are taking place on the sidelines of the summit.
Mr Bush, attending his last G8 summit, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, attending his first, are expected to discuss the US plan for missile defence installations in the Czech Republic and Poland.
HAVE YOUR SAY Why not talk about stopping the wars in the world, as most of the G8 countries manufacture and supply the weapons Geoff Berry, Bolton, UKSend us your commentsMr Brown will also have talks with Mr Medvedev. Relations between the two countries have been uneasy since the Russian agent turned dissident Alexander Litvinenko was murdered in London two years ago.
Meanwhile, the charity Water Aid has told the G8 that the single most effective measure it could take to prevent the deaths of millions of children in poor countries would be to build toilets and provide clean water.
Hundreds of protesters again marched through Sapporo on Sunday, the city closest to the venue, on the eve of the talks to demand G8 leaders take action on global warming, poverty and rising food prices.
The demonstration, which followed a similar protest on Saturday, was heavily policed and ended peacefully.
Violent anti-globalisation marches have marred past G8 meetings.
As the G8 got under way in Japan, leaders of the world's largest Islamic nations assembled for what is being billed as the D8 summit in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, with the issue of inflation high on the agenda there.

Smallest plant

Smallest planet shrinks in size

Messenger will make three fly-bys of Mercury before it goes into orbit
Enlarge Image The smallest planet in the Solar System has become even smaller, studies by the Messenger spacecraft have shown.
Data from a flyby of Mercury in January 2008 show the planet has contracted by more than one mile (1.5km) in diameter over its history.
Scientists believe the shrinkage is due to the planet's core slowly cooling.
Studies published in the journal Science show the same process also powers the planet's magnetic field, a topic long debated by scientists.
"Cooling of the planet's core not only fuelled the magnetic dynamo, it also led to contraction of the entire planet," said Principal Investigator Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, US.
"And the data from the flyby indicate that the total contraction is at least one-third greater than we previously thought."
Active youth
The Messenger (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft passed within 200km (125 miles) of Mercury earlier this year.
It was the first time the planet had been viewed up close since Mariner 10's third and final fly-by in March 1975. A kidney-shaped volcanic vent surrounded by ejected material
The flyby was one of three to be made by the craft as it prepares to enter into orbit around the Solar System's smallest planet in 2011.
Just days after the pass, scientists revealed that they had found evidence of volcanic activity on the planet, previously hinted at by Mariner 10.
Further analysis of areas such as the Caloris basin, one of the Solar System's largest and youngest impact basins, found volcanic vents and evidence of "pyroclastic" debris blown from the volcano as it erupted.
Other areas contained circular structures with wrinkled edges, similar to structures seen on the Moon and Mars.
Scientists believe these are impact craters that have been filled with massive quantities of lava, possibly 2.7km (1.3miles) deep.
"That's a lot of lava," said Dr James Head of Brown University. "It shows the planet was really active in its early history."
Researchers believe the peak of activity could have been three to four billion years ago.
Core effects
Sensors, such as the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS), onboard the craft also revealed details of the planet's atmospheric composition.
FIPS recorded silicon, sodium and even water ions around Mercury. Ions are electrically charged atomic particles.
The scientists believe these were blasted from the surface of the planet by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles which buffets the Solar System.
Mercury's proximity to the Sun means it feels the full force of this wind, blasting atoms into space. Many of these are then trapped by the planet's magnetic field.
"The Mercury magnetosphere is full of many ionic species, both atomic and molecular," said Dr Thomas Zurbuchen of the University of Michigan.
This magnetosphere is created by the planet's core, which accounts for 60% of the planet's mass.
As well as influencing the space around the planet, the core has had an immense influence on surface features.
"The dominant tectonic landforms on Mercury, including areas imaged for the first time by Messenger, are features called lobate scarps, huge cliffs that mark the tops of crustal faults that formed during the contraction of the surrounding area," explained Dr Solomon.
"They tell us how important the cooling core has been to the evolution of the surface."

The great wall of china

HISTORY
reat Wall of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall of the Han Dynasty Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty Map of the whole wall constructionsThe Chinese were already familiar with the techniques of wall-building by the time of the Spring and Autumn Period, which began around the 7th century BC. During the Warring States Period from the 5th century BC to 221 BC, the states of Qi, Yan and Zhao all constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. Built to withstand the attack of small arms such as swords and spears, these walls were made mostly by stamping earth and gravel between board frames. Qin Shi Huang conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty. Intending to impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, he ordered the destruction of the wall sections that divided his empire along the former state borders. To protect the empire against intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall to connect the remaining fortifications along the empire's new northern frontier. Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin Dynasty walls. Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain today. Later, the Han, Sui, Northern and Jin dynasties all repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall at great cost to defend themselves against northern invaders.
The Great Wall concept was revived again during the Ming Dynasty following the Ming army's defeat by the Oirats in the Battle of Tumu in 1449. The Ming had failed to gain a clear upper-hand over the Manchurian and Mongolian tribes after successive battles, and the long-drawn conflict was taking a toll on the empire. The Ming adopted a new strategy to keep the nomadic tribes out by constructing walls along the northern border of China. Acknowledging the Mongol control established in the Ordos Desert, the wall followed the desert's southern edge instead of incorporating the bend of the Huang He.
Photograph of the Great Wall in 1907Unlike the earlier Qin fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth. As Mongol raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls. Sections near the Ming capital of Beijing were especially strong.[7] Towards the end of the Shun Dynasty, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions that began around 1600. Under the military command of Yuan Chonghuan, the Ming army held off the Manchus at the heavily fortified Shanhaiguan pass, preventing the Manchus from entering the Liaodong Peninsula and the Chinese heartland. The Manchus were finally able to cross the Great Wall in 1644, when the gates at Shanhaiguan were opened by Wu Sangui, a Ming border general who disliked the activities of rulers of the Shun Dynasty. The Manchus quickly seized Beijing, and defeated the newly founded Shun Dynasty and remaining Ming resistance, to establish the Qing Dynasty.
Under Qing rule, China's borders extended beyond the walls and Mongolia was annexed into the empire, so construction and repairs on the Great Wall were discontinued. A counterpart wall to the Great Wall in the south was erected to protect and divide the Chinese from the 'southern barbarians' called Miao (meaning barbaric and nomadic).[8]
Notable areas
An area of the sections of the Great Wall at Jinshanling The following three sections are in Beijing municipality, which were renovated and which are regularly visited by modern tourists today.
"North Pass" of Juyongguan pass, known as the Badaling. When used by the Chinese to protect their land, this section of the wall has had many guards to defend China’s capital [Beijing]. Made of stone and bricks from the hills, this portion of the Great Wall is 7.8 meters (25.6 ft) high and 5 meters (16.4 ft) wide. One of the most striking sections of the Ming Great Wall is where it climbs extremely steep slopes. It runs 11 kilometers (7 mi) long, ranges from 5 to 8 meters (16–26 ft) in height, and 6 meters (19.7 ft) across the bottom, narrowing up to 5 meters (16.4 ft) across the top. Wangjinglou is one of Jinshanling's 67 watchtowers, 980 meters (3,215 ft) above sea level. South East of Jinshanling, is the Mutianyu Great Wall which winds along lofty, cragged mountains from the southeast to the northwest for approximately 2.25 kilometers (about 1.3 miles). It is connected with Juyongguan Pass to the west and Gubeikou to the east. 25 km west of the Liao Tian Ling stands of part of Great wall which is only 2~3 stories high. According to the records of Lin Tian, the wall was not only extremely short compared to others, but it appears to be silver. Archeologists explain that the wall appears to be silver because the stone they used were from Shan Xi, where many mines are found. The stone contains extremely high metal in it causing it to appear silver. However, due to years of decay of the Great Wall, it is hard to see the silver part of the wall today. Another notable section lies near the eastern extremity of the wall, where the first pass of the Great Wall was built on the Shanhaiguan (known as the “Number One Pass Under Heaven”), the first mountain the Great Wall climbs. Jia Shan is also here, as is the Jiumenkou, which is the only portion of the wall that was built as a bridge. Shanhaiguan Great Wall is called the “Museum of the Construction of the Great Wall”, because of the Meng Jiang-Nu Temple, built during the Song Dynasty.
Characteristics
The Great Wall on a 1805 mapBefore the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from Earth or Taipa, stones, and wood.
During the Ming Dynasty, however, bricks were heavily used in many areas of the wall, as were materials such as tiles, lime, and stone. The size and weight of the bricks made them easier to work with than earth and stone, so construction quickened. Additionally, bricks could bear more weight and endure better than rammed earth. Stone can hold under its own weight better than brick, but is more difficult to use. Consequently, stones cut in rectangular shapes were used for the foundation, inner and outer brims, and gateways of the wall. Battlements line the uppermost portion of the vast majority of the wall, with defensive gaps a little over 30 cm (one foot) tall, and about 23 cm (9 inches) wide.
Condition
The Great Wall at Mutianyu, near Beijing
While some portions north of Beijing and near tourist centers have been preserved and even reconstructed, in many locations the Wall is in disrepair. Those parts might serve as a village playground or a source of stones to rebuild houses and roads.[9] Sections of the Wall are also prone to graffiti and vandalism. Parts have been destroyed because the Wall is in the way of construction.

No comprehensive survey of the wall has been carried out, so it is not possible to say how much of it survives, especially in remote areas. Intact or repaired portions of the Wall near developed tourist areas are often frequented by sellers of tourist kitsch.
More than 60 kilometres (37 mi) of the wall in Gansu province may disappear in the next 20 years, due to erosion from sandstorms. In places, the height of the wall has been reduced from more than five meters (16.4 ft) to less than two meters. The square lookout towers that characterize the most famous images of the wall have disappeared completely. Many western sections of the wall are constructed from mud, rather than brick and stone, and thus are more susceptible to erosion.[10]
Watchtowers and barracks
WatchtowerCommunication between the army units along the length of the Great Wall, including the ability to call reinforcements and warn garrisons of enemy movements, was of high importance. Signal towers were built upon hill tops or other high points along the wall for their visibility.
Visibility from space
The Great Wall of China as seen in a false-color radar image from the Space Shuttle, taken in April 1994Visibility from the moonA Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon from May 1932 claimed that the wall is "the mightiest work of man, the only one that would be visible to the human eye from the moon," and Richard Halliburton's 1938 book Second Book of Marvels makes a similar claim, but it is not true. This belief has persisted, assuming urban legend status, and sometimes even appeared in school textbooks. Arthur Waldron, author of The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth, has speculated that the belief might go back to the fascination with the "canals" once believed to exist on Mars.
The Great Wall is a maximum 9.1m (30 ft) wide and is about the same color as the soil surrounding it. Based on the optics of resolving power (distance versus the width of the iris: a few millimetres for the human eye, metres for large telescopes) an object of reasonable contrast to its surroundings some 70 miles in diameter (1 arc-minute) would be visible to the unaided eye from the moon, whose average distance from Earth is 384,393 km (238,857 miles). The Great Wall is of course not a disc but more like a thread--it can be seen from much further than would be possible if it were simply a 30 foot disc. Still, the apparent width of the Great Wall from the moon is the same as that of a human hair viewed from 2 miles away. Not surprisingly, no lunar astronaut has ever claimed seeing the Great Wall from the moon.
Visibility from low earth orbit
A different question is whether the Wall is visible from low earth orbit, i.e an altitude of as little as 100 miles (160 km). The consensus is that it is barely visible, and only under nearly perfect conditions; it is no more conspicuous than many other manmade objects.[11]
Astronaut William Pogue thought he had seen it from Skylab but discovered he was actually looking at the Grand Canal of China near Beijing. He spotted the Great Wall with binoculars, but said that "it wasn't visible to the unaided eye." US Senator Jake Garn claimed to be able to see the Great Wall with the naked eye from a space shuttle orbit in the early 1980s, but his claim has been disputed by several US astronauts. Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei said he could not see it at all.
Veteran US astronaut Gene Cernan has stated: "At Earth orbit of 100 miles (160 km) to 200 miles (320 km) high, the Great Wall of China is, indeed, visible to the naked eye." Ed Lu, Expedition 7 Science Officer aboard the International Space Station, adds that, "it's less visible than a lot of other objects. And you have to know where to look."
Topographic maps put together showing the location of the eastern parts of the wall between the Yellow River and the Bohai SeaNeil Armstrong stated about the view from Apollo 11: "I do not believe that, at least with my eyes, there would be any man-made object that I could see. I have not yet found somebody who has told me they've seen the Wall of China from Earth orbit. ... I've asked various people, particularly Shuttle guys, that have been many orbits around China in the daytime, and the ones I've talked to didn't see it." [12]
Leroy Chiao, a Chinese-American astronaut, took a photograph from the International Space Station that shows the wall. It was so indistinct that the photographer was not certain he had actually captured it. Based on the photograph, the China Daily later reported that the Great Wall can be seen from space with the naked eye, under favorable viewing conditions, if one knows exactly where to look.[13]
Similar claims rose in many countries on other manmade constructions (such as a highway network or a military base), and usually located within that country, with associations made to the wall usually employing the formula, "the two manmade structures visible from the space are the Great Wall of China and...".
Gallery

'No truth' in Friends film rumour

Rustam mansuriEntertainment reporter,
The sitcom made its cast, and their haircuts, famous around the world
There are no plans for a rumoured big-screen version of Friends, film studio Warner Bros has told the BBC.
Since the success of the Sex and the City movie, there has been constant speculation that the US sitcom's six stars had agreed to their own film.
One UK press report even suggested that the first scenes would be shot within the next 18 months.
However, Warner Bros' director of publicity in the UK, Jayne Trotman, said there was "no truth in the story".
Ever since the quipping sextet - Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox Arquette, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc - parted ways four years ago there have been rumours of a reunion.
'Right circumstances'
Earlier this week, an unnamed source was quoted as saying: "Jennifer, Courtney and the rest of cast are keen to reprise their roles, under the right circumstances.
"The success of Sex and the City has really got their wheels spinning about how a Friends film could be just as big, if done right."
But Cox Arquette's publicist, John Fogelman, told the BBC he did not know of any plans for a film.
Matthew Perry's spokesperson, Lisa Kasteler, added: "Nothing is happening in this regard, so the rumour is false."
The final episode of Friends drew a US audience of 52.5m, while 8.6m viewers watched it in the UK.
The movie version of Sex and the City took $55.7m (£28.3m) in its opening weekend at the US box office - a record for an R-rated comedy.

UN to urge rervamp of afghan

UN to urge revamp of Afghan aid

By Rustam mansuri Kabul
The UN wants aid spending to be more co-ordinated
The UN's envoy to Afghanistan is set to outline a new plan on spending foreign aid, amid concerns that millions of dollars have been wasted.
The envoy, Kai Eide, wants international aid money to be spent through the Afghan government, in return for a crackdown on corruption.
Mr Eide says that too much aid money is spent on salaries and goods in the countries that provide it.
Last month, 80 countries pledged a further $22bn (£11bn) for Afghanistan.
Now the donors and the Afghan government are being told to deliver - to get schools, clinics, agriculture and electricity to the people who need it.
'Weak institutions'
Millions in development money has notoriously gone to waste in the seven years since the fall of the Taleban.
Many countries spend a chunk of their aid through the government, or on a trust fund set aside to fund National Solidarity Programmes in more than 22,000 districts in Afghanistan.
Donor nations pledged Hamid Karzai's government billions more in aid
But Mr Eide, the UN special representative to Afghanistan, believes more should be spent this way.
In Kabul on Sunday, he will outline to the government and donors that they have got to be more co-ordinated and to deliver development more effectively and efficiently.
"I think first of all that we spend too much of our money in our home countries instead of spending it in Afghanistan," he said.
"We also have to see how we can spend our money in a way that builds Afghan capacity. We see how weak the institutions are - that we have to make sure we correct."
Corruption is a major issue and the words auditing and accountability will be buzzing around the room at the first monitoring board meeting since the Paris conference.
The promises have been made and the UN head here is now trying to take control of an aid effort that many think has been missing the mark, when winning people over to the government, and keeping the Taleban at bay, is so vital for the future.

..तो संभव हो सकेगा अंतरिक्ष में विवाह

..तो संभव हो सकेगा अंतरिक्ष में विवाह
Jul 01, 09:18 pm
टोक्यो। अब चांद चुरा कर लाने की जरूरत नहीं रह गई है। वह जमाना बीत चुका है। फिलहाल यह आसान हो चुका है कि प्रेमी युगल अंतरिक्ष में शादी रचा सकते हैं। एक जापानी संगठन ने प्रेमी युगलों के अंतरिक्ष में जाकर विवाह बंधन में बंधने की योजना शुरू कर दी है। इसके लिए उसने से आरक्षण भी शुरू कर दिया है।
धरती से सौ किलोमीटर ऊपर एक छोटे अंतरिक्ष यान में विवाह समारोह मनाने के लिए प्रत्येक युगल को 23 लाख अमेरिकी डालर खर्च करना होगा। जापानी संगठन फ‌र्स्ट एडवांटेज के प्रवक्ता तारो कात्सुरा के अनुसार एक घंटे की उड़ान में युगल कई मिनट शून्य गुरुत्वाकर्षण में बिता सकेंगे। इस दौरान वे तीन मेहमानों के सामने एक दूसरे से वादे करेंगे।
कात्सुरा ने बताया कि युगल अपने समारोह का अधिकतर हिस्सा उड़ान से पहले ही पूरा कर लेंगे ताकि वे एक दूसरे से वायदे करने के बाद अंतरिक्ष का नजारा ले सकें। यह संगठन अमेरिका के राकेट प्लेन के साथ गठबंधन कर अंतरिक्ष विवाह का आयोजन कर रहा है जो ओक्लाहोमा के निजी हवाई अड्डे से उड़ानें संचालित करेगा।
जापान में इस पेशकश की शुरुआत के बावजूद कंपनी को उम्मीद है कि इसके ज्यादातर ग्राहक चीन या अरब खाड़ी देशों से होंगे। कात्सुरा ने कहा कि अमेरिका में अभी अंतरिक्ष विवाह शुरू करने की योजना नहीं है। अंतरिक्ष टूरिज्म की शुरुआत 2001 से मानी जाती है। उस समय अमेरिकी व्यवसायी डेनिस टीटो रूसी अंतरिक्ष एजेंसी को दो करोड़ डालर का टिकट खरीद कर अंतरिक्ष की यात्रा करने वाले पहले व्यक्ति बने थे।

Bollywood news

Shahid just needs to pop the question to Vidya
New Delhi, July 02: Are they or are they not a couple? Besides their forthcoming flick 'Kismat Konnection', the gossip mills are abuzz with rumors that Vidya is all set to date Shahid.
Believe it or not, Vidya surely has hots for her co-star and good friend Shahid as the lady has finally showed some gusto saying that she would definitely say a yes to a date with this all single hunk. But Shahid will have to ask…
When asked if she would be interested in dating Shahid, pat came the reply from Vidya
" May be I would consider it, because I think I might just say yes."
The actress who was recently in town for a promotional event of ‘Kismat Konnection’ surprised everyone as she appeared in high heels and a spunky well-fitted dress.
The actress who was more than welcoming any questions on Shahid even took suggestions from journos who stated that why doesn’t she ask Shahid out on a date. But this time the-speak-my-mind actress decided to take the caution road and went back to saying that they are just good friends.
" Oh definitely not. I can’t ask him out. We are just friends."
Well there is no need going back to that famous cliché now. All we can say is that now it’s just a matter of time before another Bollywood friendship changes into love..