ISRO - Oceansat-2

Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C14), carrying India's ocean monitoring satellite Oceansat-2 and six European nano satellites, blasted off from the SHAR Range at 1151 hrs IST at Sriharikota on 23/09/09 Wednesday.

The 44.4 metre tall, four-stage 230-tonne PSLV-C14 took off without its six strap-on motors as all the seven satellites put together weighed less than 1000 kg.

After 18 minutes of blasting off from the Second Launch Pad of the SHAR Range PSLV-C14 successfully put Oceansat-2 in the desired orbit.

In a flawless and textbook precision mission, the PSLV-C14, in its 16th flight, demonstrated its prowess by placing the 960 Kg Oceansat-2 in the orbit.

Of the previous 15 flights during 1993-2009, the PSLV was successful on 14 occasions and had placed 32 spacecrafts (16 Indian and 16 for international customers) in a variety of orbits, proving its reliability and versatility.

ISRO scientists clapped and hugged each other with joy at the Mission Control Centre as the screens flashed the sequence of the injection of the satellite in 720 km orbit with an inclination of 98.28 degrees to the equator.

Vice-President Hameed Ansari. who also witnessed the launch, congratulated ISRO for the successful launch.

The same PSLV had successfully launched Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft last.

After the launch ISRO Chairman Madhavan Nair expressed his satisfaction on the successful completion of the operations.

"We extremely proud in putting together the vehicle and attaining the target on time. The Prime Minister has expressed his best wishes to the successful launch of PSLV Oceansat-2," said Nair.

The launch is ISRO's first major satellite launch since Chandrayaan 1.

The Oceansat-2 is ISRO's second in the series of Indian Remote Sensing satellites dedicated to ocean research. The satellite will provide continuity to the applications of Oceansat-1, which was launched in 1999.

Oceansat-2 weighs 960kgs and is carrying two devices: the Ocean Colour Monitor and a Microwave Scatterometer, which help in tracking the onset of monsoon by measuring the wind speed over the surface of the ocean.

All data gathered will be made available to the global scientific community in six months.

Logo's

Tree's Dream

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Technology

Layoff plans - Microsoft

Microsoft has sent layoff notices to more than 3,000 workers, almost completing plans announced in January to fire some 5,000 workers, the company said on Tuesday.

Microsoft had already cut 1,400 positions when it made the announcement of the first mass layoffs in its history. In an email to workers on Tuesday(05/05/09), Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer indicated that further job cuts could be needed.

"As we move forward, we will continue to closely monitor the impact of the economic downturn on the company and if necessary, take further actions on our cost structure including additional job eliminations," Ballmer said in the memo.

While most of the original firings were in the US, the latest round was split evenly between the US and the company's international branches. Microsoft said it plans to create between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs between now and the middle of next year, many of which could be filled by the laid off workers.

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Today's Cartoon

Build Wisely

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."

The carpenter was shocked!

What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, helps build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build wisely!

Shoe Box

There was once a man and woman who had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted doilies and a stack of money totaling $25,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "My grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doily." The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious doilies were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. "Honey," he said, "that explains the doilies, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?" "Oh," she said, "That’s the money I made from selling the doilies."
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Pencil = Human Beings !

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One:
You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two:
You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three:
You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four:
The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five:
On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.


Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.



Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

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The Brick !

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you?
Just what the heck are you doing?

That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.

Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded.

"I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.

"It's my brother," he said.

"He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door.

He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!

May Day - the Real Labor Day

May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country except the United States, Canada, and South Africa. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour work day.

In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a legal day's work from and after May 1, 1886. The resolution called for a general strike to achieve the goal, since legislative methods had already failed. With workers being forced to work ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day, rank-and-file support for the eight-hour movement grew rapidly, despite the indifference and hostility of many union leaders. By April 1886, 250,000 workers were involved in the May Day movement.

The heart of the movement was in Chicago, organized primarily by the anarchist International Working People's Association. Businesses and the state were terrified by the increasingly revolutionary character of the movement and prepared accordingly. The police and militia were increased in size and received new and powerful weapons financed by local business leaders. Chicago's Commercial Club purchased a $2000 machine gun for the Illinois National Guard to be used against strikers. Nevertheless, by May 1st, the movement had already won gains for many Chicago clothing cutters, shoemakers, and packing-house workers. But on May 3, 1886, police fired into a crowd of strikers at the McCormick Reaper Works Factory, killing four and wounding many. Anarchists called for a mass meeting the next day in Haymarket Square to protest the brutality.

The meeting proceeded without incident, and by the time the last speaker was on the platform, the rainy gathering was already breaking up, with only a few hundred people remaining. It was then that 180 cops marched into the square and ordered the meeting to disperse. As the speakers climbed down from the platform, a bomb was thrown at the police, killing one and injuring seventy. Police responded by firing into the crowd, killing one worker and injuring many others.

Although it was never determined who threw the bomb, the incident was used as an excuse to attack the entire Left and labor movement. Police ransacked the homes and offices of suspected radicals, and hundreds were arrested without charge. Anarchists in particular were harassed, and eight of Chicago's most active were charged with conspiracy to murder in connection with the Haymarket bombing. A kangaroo court found all eight guilty, despite a lack of evidence connecting any of them to the bomb-thrower (only one was even present at the meeting, and he was on the speakers' platform), and they were sentenced to die. Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolf Fischer, and George Engel were hanged on November 11, 1887. Louis Lingg committed suicide in prison, The remaining three were finally pardoned in 1893.

It is not surprising that the state, business leaders, mainstream union officials, and the media would want to hide the true history of May Day, portraying it as a holiday celebrated only in Moscow's Red Square. In its attempt to erase the history and significance of May Day, the United States government declared May 1st to be "Law Day", and gave us instead Labor Day - a holiday devoid of any historical significance other than its importance as a day to swill beer and sit in traffic jams.

Nevertheless, rather than suppressing labor and radical movements, the events of 1886 and the execution of the Chicago anarchists actually mobilized many generations of radicals. Emma Goldman, a young immigrant at the time, later pointed to the Haymarket affair as her political birth. Lucy Parsons, widow of Albert Parsons, called upon the poor to direct their anger toward those responsible - the rich. Instead of disappearing, the anarchist movement only grew in the wake of Haymarket, spawning other radical movements and organizations, including the Industrial Workers of the World.

By covering up the history of May Day, the state, business, mainstream unions and the media have covered up an entire legacy of dissent in this country. They are terrified of what a similarly militant and organized movement could accomplish today, and they suppress the seeds of such organization whenever and wherever they can. As workers, we must recognize and commemorate May Day not only for it's historical significance, but also as a time to organize around issues of vital importance to working-class people today.

Source From NET

Relax !

Santa & Banta got tired using mobile cell phones. For a change, they decided to use pigeons to send sweet messages. And this hilarious scheme worked very fine.

One day Santa sends his pigeon.

Banta sees, the pigeon is without any message. He picks his mobile and asks Santa: The pigeon is without any sweet message.

Santa: Oye khotey, that was a missed call.

---------------------------------------------
Angry Boss: Have you ever seen an owl?

Employee: (looking down) No Sir...

Boss: Don't look down. Look at me.

--------------------------------------------------
Boyfriend: Do you think my salary is sufficient for you?

Girlfriend: It is sufficient for me, but how will you survive?
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NO EXIT!

A man checked into a hotel for the first time in his life, and goes up to his room.

Five minutes later he called the reception desk and said: "You've given me a room with no exit. How do I leave?"

The desk clerk said, "Sir, that's absurd. Have you looked for the door?"

The man said, "Well, there's one door that leads to the bathroom. There's a second door that goes into the closet. And there's a door I haven't tried, but it has a 'do not disturb' sign on it."

12 Angry Men (1957)

A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.
A teenaged Hispanic boy has just been tried for the murder of his father, and the case is now in the hands of the jury.. A guilty verdict will send the boy to the electric chair.

The case looks, on the surface, cut and dried, but one juror (Henry Fonda), despite his own feeling that the defendant is probably guilty, feels that the facts, at very least, merit a cursory review, before the jury hands in a guilty verdict. His insistence on a brief examination of the case seems to rub many on the jury the wrong way, as they continue to see the matter as open and shut.

Fascinatingly, in examination of the testimony and facts of the case, the experiences, personalities, attributes, limitations, and biases of the individual jurors weave in and out of the deliberation process, at times to its benefit and at times to its detriment.

To the benefit of the deliberation process, 1) the very elderly juror (Joseph Sweeney) is the only one that can see a possible motive explaining why an elderly witness may have misled the court in his tetimony, 2) the one fellow (Jack Klugman) who grew up in a rough neighborhood, where he witnessed numerous knife fights, is the only one who sees a problem in assuming that the defendant made the stab wound found, and 3) the juror who had done contract work by the elevated subway (Ed Binns) was the only one in a position to question what one of the witnesses might or might not have heard.

To the detriment of the deliberation process, 1) one juror (Ed Begley) is so consumed by his personal prejudices that he sees value in ridding the streets of the Hispanic defendant whether or not he is guilty, and 2) another juror (Lee J. Cobb) is unopen to reason because he has been physically harmed by his teenaged son, and, consequently, views each and every teenaged boy, including the defendant, as capable of patricide.

The number of obstacles on the path to honest assessment of the facts is a constant threat to the deliberation process. Will this jury come together to find a verdict of either "guilty" or "not guilty" or will it be a hung jury (a jury that cannot reach a unanimous decision, and must retire from the case without declaring a verdict)? Watching how this matter is resolved is a riveting study in the nature, and utimate beauty, of the trial by jury process.

Swine flu (deadly strain)

The World Health Organization says the new type of swine flu that has broken out in Mexico and has killed more than 100 people till now has the potential to become a pandemic.

What it is?
Swine flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses.

The virus
The WHO has confirmed that some of the cases in the current outbreak are a never-before-seen strain of influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1. The strain is a mixture of viruses from swine, birds and humans.

Symptoms
Symptoms of swine flu in humans are similar to those of seasonal influenza, so it is difficult to detect and mild cases may escape recognition. The symptoms include sudden fever, coughing, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. The new strain also causes more diarrhoea and vomiting than normal flu.

Vaccines
Vaccines are available for pigs to prevent swine influenza. But as of now, there is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu, although the CDC is formulating one. The seasonal influenza vaccine may help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses, like the one spreading currently.

How the flu spreads to humans?
The swine influenza A virus has many strains, the newest being the H1N1 type. The respiratory virus attacks pigs and causes influenza in them. A human may contract the flu on coming in direct contact with an infected pig. It spreads like normal flu, when viral particles expelled in coughs and sneezes are breathed in.

WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASES
Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals causing infections in humans

Phase 2: Animal influenza virus causes infection in humans, and is considered potential pandemic threat

Phase 3: Influenza causes sporadic cases in people, but no significant human-to-human transmission

Phase 4: Verified human-to-human transmission able to cause community-level outbreaks. Significant increase in risk of a pandemic

Phase 5: Human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. Strong signal pandemic imminent

Phase 6: Virus spreads to another country in a different region. Global pandemic under way

LOVE !

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,
"Richness, can you take me with you?"
Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!"
"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."
"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

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The Godfather: Part II(1974)-Won 6 Oscars

The early life & career of Vito Corleone in 1920's New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-Revolution 1958 Cuba

The Godfather Part II presents two parallel storylines. One involves Mafia chief Michael Corleone in 1958/1959 after the events of the first movie; the other is a series of flashbacks following his father, Vito Corleone from 1917 to 1925, from his youth in Sicily (1901) to the founding of the Corleone family in New York.

The film begins in 1901, in the town of Corleone in Sicily, at the funeral of young Vito's father, Antonio Andolini, who has been murdered for an insult to the local Mafia lord, Don Ciccio. During the procession, Vito's older brother is murdered because he swore revenge on the Don. Vito's mother goes to Ciccio to beg for mercy, but he refuses, knowing that nine year old Vito will seek revenge later in life. The mother takes Ciccio hostage at knifepoint, allowing her son to escape, and Ciccio's men kill her. They search the town for the boy, but he is aided in his escape by the townspeople. Vito finds his way by ship to New York, and at Ellis Island an immigration agent chooses Vito's hometown of Corleone as his surname, and he is registered as "Vito Corleone".

In the late 1950s, in a scene similar to the opening of the first film, Michael Corleone, Godfather of the Corleone family, deals with various business and family problems during an elaborate party at his Lake Tahoe, Nevada compound to celebrate his son's First Communion. He meets with Nevada Senator Pat Geary, who despises the Corleones, to discuss the price of the gaming licenses for the hotel/casinos the Family is buying.

Michael deals with his sister Connie, who, although recently divorced, is planning to marry a man with no obvious means of support and of whom Michael disapproves. He also talks with Johnny Ola, the right hand man of Jewish gangster Hyman Roth, who is supporting Michael's move into the gambling industry. Belatedly, Michael deals with Frank "Five Angels" Pentangeli, who took over Corleone caporegime Peter Clemenza's territory after his death, and now has problems with the Rosato Brothers, who are backed by Roth. Pentangeli leaves abruptly, after telling Michael "your father did business with Hyman Roth, your father respected Hyman Roth, but your father never trusted Hyman Roth."

Later that night, an assassination attempt is made on Michael, which he survives when his wife Kay notices the bedroom window drapes are inexplicably open. Afterwards, Michael tells Tom Hagen that the hit was made with the help of someone close, and that he must leave, entrusting all his power to Hagen to protect his family.

The action then switches to 1917, where the adult Vito Corleone works in a New York grocery store with his friend Genco Abbandando. The neighborhood is controlled by a member of the "The Black Hand," Don Fanucci, who extorts protection payments from local businesses. One night, Vito's neighbor Clemenza asks him to hide a stash of guns for him, and later, to repay the favor, takes him to a fancy apartment where they commit their first felony together, stealing an elegant rug.

The film flash-forwards to Michael's time. Michael meets with Hyman Roth in Florida and tells him that he believes Frank Pentangeli was responsible for the assassination attempt, and that Pentangeli will pay for it. Traveling to Brooklyn, Michael lets Pentangeli know that Roth was actually behind it, and that Michael has a plan to deal with Roth, but he needs Frankie to cooperate with the Rosato Brothers in order to put Roth off guard. When Pentangeli goes to meet with the Rosatos, he is told "Michael Corleone says hello," as he is attacked from behind but the attempted murder is accidentally interrupted by a policeman. Pentangeli is left for dead, and his bodyguard, Willie Cicci, is struck by a car.

In Nevada, Tom Hagen is called to a brothel run by Michael's older brother Fredo, where Senator Geary is implicated in the death of a prostitute, and Tom offers to take care of the problem in return for "friendship" between the Senator and the Corleone family.

Meanwhile, Michael meets Roth in Havana, Cuba, in late 1958, at the time when dictator Fulgencio Batista is soliciting American investment, and communist guerrillas are trying to bring down the government. At a birthday party for Roth, Michael mentions that there is a possibility that the rebels might win, making their business dealings in Cuba problematic. The comment prompts Roth to remark, privately, that Michael has not delivered the two million dollars to firm their partnership.

Fredo, carrying the promised money, arrives in Havana and meets Michael. Michael mentions Hyman Roth and Johnny Ola to him, but Fredo says he has never met them. Michael confides to his brother that it was Roth who tried to kill him, and that he plans to try again. Michael assures Fredo that he has already made his move, and that "Hyman Roth will never see the New Year."

Instead of turning over the money to Roth, Michael asks him who gave the order to have Frank Pentangeli killed. Roth avoids the question, instead speaking angrily of the murder of his old friend, Moe Greene, which Michael had orchestrated (as depicted at the end of the first film).

Michael has asked Fredo, who knows Havana well, to show Senator Geary and other important officials and businessmen a good time, during which Fredo pretends to not recognize Johnny Ola. Soon after, at a sex show, Fredo comments loudly that Johnny Ola told him about the place, contradicting what he told Michael twice earlier, that he didn't know Roth or Ola. Michael now realizes that the traitor is his own brother, and dispatches his bodyguard to deal with Roth.

Johnny Ola is strangled, but Roth, in a delicate state, is taken to a hospital, where Michael's enforcer is shot trying to kill him. At Batista's New Year's Eve party, at the stroke of midnight, Michael grasps Fredo tightly by the head and kisses him: "I know it was you Fredo; you broke my heart." When guerillas attack, the guests flee, but Fredo refuses to go with Michael, despite Michael's pleas that Fredo is still his brother and that it's the only way out.

Michael returns to his Lake Tahoe compound, where Hagen tells him that Roth escaped Cuba after suffering a stroke and is recovering in Miami, that Michael's bodyguard is dead, and that Fredo is probably hiding in New York. Hagen also informs Michael that Kay had a miscarriage while he was away.

In New York of 1917, Don Fanucci of the Black Hand is now aware of the partnership between Vito, Clemenza and Sal Tessio, and wants his share. Clemenza and Tessio agree to pay, but Vito is reluctant and asks his friends to leave everything in his hands so Fanucci will accept less and indeed, Vito manages to get Fanucci to take only one sixth of what he demanded (100 of 600 dollars). Immediately afterwards, during the neighborhood festa, Vito murders Fanucci. With Fanucci dead, Vito earns the respect of the neighborhood and begins to intercede in local disputes, operating out of the storefront of his Genco Pura Olive Oil Company (named after his friend Genco Abbandando).

In Washington, D.C., a Senate committee, of which Senator Geary is a member, is conducting an investigation into the Corleone family. They question disaffected "soldier" Willie Cicci, but he cannot implicate Michael, because he never received any direct orders from him. When Michael appears before the committee, Senator Geary makes a big show of supporting Italian-Americans and then excuses himself from the proceedings. Michael makes a statement challenging the committee to produce a witness to corroborate the charges against him. The hearing ends with the Chairman promising a witness who will do exactly that.

Frank Pentangeli, who did not die in the attack by the Rosato Brothers, has made a deal with the FBI, and will testify against Michael. Tom Hagen and Michael discuss the problem, observing that Roth's strategy to destroy Michael is well planned. Michael's brother Fredo has been found and persuaded to return to Nevada, and in a private meeting he explains to Michael his betrayal: upset about being passed over to head the family in favor of Michael, he wants respect and his due. He helped Roth thinking there would be something in it for him, but he swears he didn't know they wanted to kill Michael. He also tells Michael that the Senate Committee's chief counsel is Roth's man. Michael then tells Fredo: "You're nothing to me now. Not a brother, not a friend, nothing", and privately instructs Al Neri that nothing is to happen to Fredo while their mother is still alive.

At the hearing in which Pentangeli is to testify, Michael arrives accompanied by Pentangeli's brother, whose presence causes Frank to recant his previous statements about Michael. When Pentangeli is pressed, he claims that he just told the FBI what they wanted to hear. With no witness to testify against Michael the committee adjourns, with Hagen, acting as Michael's lawyer, loudly demanding an apology.

At a hotel room afterwards, Kay tries to leave Michael, taking their children with her. Michael at first tries to mollify her, but loses his temper and hits her violently when she reveals to him that her recent "miscarriage" was actually an abortion to avoid providing another child into Michael's criminal inheritance.

While visiting Sicily, Vito is introduced to the elderly Don Ciccio as the man who imports their olive oil to America, and who wants his blessing. When Ciccio asks Vito who his father was, Vito says, "My father's name is Antonio Andolini, and this is for you!", cutting the old man's stomach open with a knife, avenging the death of his father, mother, and brother.

When Carmella Corleone, Vito's widow and the mother of his children, dies, the whole Corleone family is reunited. Michael is still shunning Fredo, who is miserable, but relents when Connie implores him to. Michael and Fredo embrace, but at the same time Michael signals to his capo that Fredo's protection from harm, in effect while their mother lived, has now run out.

Michael, Tom Hagen, and Rocco Lampone discuss their final dealings with Hyman Roth, who has been unsuccessfully seeking asylum from various countries, and was even refused entry to Israel as a returned Jew. Michael rejects Hagen's advice that the Corleone family's position is secure, and killing Roth and the Rosato brothers for revenge is an unnecessary risk. Later, Hagen pays a visit to Frank Pentangeli on a military base and suggests that he take his own life, in the manner of unsuccesful ancient Roman conspirators who, in return, were promised that their families would be taken care of after their suicide.

With the connivance of Connie, Kay visits her children, but cannot bear to leave them and stays too long. When Michael arrives, he coldly closes the door in her face.

The Godfather Part II reaches its climax in a montage of assassinations and death, reminiscent of the end of The Godfather. As he arrives at an airport to be taken into custody, Hyman Roth is killed by Rocco Lampone disguised as a journalist, who is immediately shot dead in his turn. On the military base, Frank Pentangeli is found dead, having followed Hagen's instructions and committed suicide. Finally, Fredo is murdered by Al Neri while they are fishing on Lake Tahoe - while Fredo is saying a Hail Mary to help catch a fish.

The penultimate scene takes place in 1941, and the Corleone family is preparing a surprise birthday party for Vito. Sonny introduces Carlo Rizzi, Connie's future husband and betrayer of Sonny, to his family. They all talk about the recent attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, and Michael shocks everybody by announcing that he has just enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Sonny ridicules Michael's choice, and Tom Hagen mentions how his father has great expectations for Michael. Fredo is the only one who supports his brother's decision. Sal Tessio comes in with the cake for the party, and when Vito arrives, all but Michael leave to greet him.

The final scene in the film is Michael sitting by himself at Lake Tahoe, in silent contemplation.

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DEMAT ACCOUNT - Basics

Demat refers to a dematerialised account.

Though the company is under obligation to offer the securities in both physical and demat mode, you have the choice to receive the securities in either mode.
If you wish to have securities in demat mode, you need to indicate the name of the depository and also of the depository participant with whom you have depository account in your application.

It is, however desirable that you hold securities in demat form as physical securities carry the risk of being fake, forged or stolen.

Just as you have to open an account with a bank if you want to save your money, make cheque payments etc, Nowadays, you need to open a demat account if you want to buy or sell stocks.

So it is just like a bank account where actual money is replaced by shares. You have to approach the DPs (remember, they are like bank branches), to open your demat account. Let's say your portfolio of shares looks like this: 150 of X, 50 of Y, 200 of Z and 100 of W. All these will show in your demat account. So you don't have to possess any physical certificates showing that you own these shares. They are all held electronically in your account. As you buy and sell the shares, they are adjusted in your account. Just like a bank passbook or statement, the DP will provide you with periodic statements of holdings and transactions.

Nowadays, practically all trades have to be settled in dematerialised form. Although the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has allowed trades of upto 500 shares to be settled in physical form, nobody wants physical shares any more.

So a demat account is a must for trading and investing.Most banks are also DP participants, as are many brokers. You can choose your very own DP.A broker is separate from a DP. A broker is a member of the stock exchange, who buys and sells shares on his behalf and on behalf of his clients.A DP will just give you an account to hold those shares.

You do not have to take the same DP that your broker takes. You can choose your own.

Where to cut costs?

Spending right is also about slashing costs at the right places. Here are simple strategies to help trim monthly expenses without compromising on your lifestyle.

FOOD & BEVERAGES
Share of consumption: 2008 - 40%, 2009 - 30%

Strategies:
1.Buy at discount stores.
2.Buy staples in bulk.
3.Eat less meat, more veg.
4.Cut out on junk food.
5.Substitute expensive ingredients.
Can help cut cost by 20%

TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATION
Share of consumption: 2008 - 12%, 2009 - 13%
Strategies:
1.Combine trips for shopping and entertainment.
2.Consider car-pooling.
3.Bundle phone, cable, Net services with one operator.
4.Shift to lower rate plan if you don’t use a service fully.
5.Consider prepaid plans for cell phones if usage is low.
Can help cut cost by 15%

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
Share of consumption: 2008 - 3%, 2009 - 3%
Strategies:
1.Buy durables during sales.
2.Shop online for gadgets.
3.Hold on to upgrades.
4.Consider used furniture.
5.Mix and match home furnishings across brands.
Can help cut cost by 15%

HOUSING & UTILITIES
Share of consumption: 2008 - 12%, 2009 - 13%
Strategies:
1.Shift to a lower interest rate home loan, cut EMI.
2.Move to a less expensive location, save on rent.
3.Use energy-efficient appliances to cut power bill.
4.Insulate to reduce AC and heating costs.
Can help cut cost by 10%

EDUCATION & HEALTH
Share of consumption: 2008 - 9%, 2009 - 11%
Strategies:
1.Switch to per-day gym package if not a regular.
2.Switch to generic medicines wherever possible.
3.Club routine doctor visits.
4.Explore online study aids.
Can help cut cost by 5%

APPAREL & FOOTWEAR
Share of consumption: 2008 - 5%, 2009 - 5%
Strategies:
1.Switch to private labels and in-house brands.
2.Buy at factory outlets.
3.Consider semi-formals.
4.Stock up during offseason discount sales.
Can help cut cost by 20%

PERSONAL PRODUCTS
Share of consumption: 2008 - 11%, 2009 - 9%
Strategies:
1.Consider using grooming products instead of visits to beauty parlours.
2.Buy smaller packs of products that are not used frequently.
3.Cut down on costly cosmetic treatments.
Can help cut cost by 25%

ENTERTAINMENT
Share of consumption: 2008 - 7%, 2009 - 8%
Strategies:
1.Shift from a restaurant to a budget eatery.
2.Explore weekend getaways for short vacations.
3.Move to morning shows, weekday movie tickets which are cheaper.
4.Cut down on expenses on parties and weddings.
5.Download music.
Can help cut cost by 30%

Potential savings estimates based on prices in metros; consumption share figures for 2009 are estimates; source for consumption patterns: McKinsey, Technopak, Indicus Analytics.

SPENDING TRENDS IN INDIA
1.Consumers are substituting highcost pepper with chilli.
2.Fast-food joints like McDonalds have not seen a drop in sales.
3.Sales of high-end accessories like branded bags, belts have been hit.
4.Kirana stores benefit by offering products on credit.
5.Sale of private labels compared to standalone brands is picking up.
6.Gyms are launching per-day packages to lure customers.
7.Package tours are being preferred by out-bound Indian tourists.
8.Advance bookings for air tickets and hotel rooms are going up.
9.Weekend getaways from bigger cities is seeing a spurt in demand.
10.Last-minute bargains are increasing.
11.Upgrades for gadgets, cars and televisions are taking a hit.
12.Mp3 players sell more than iPods, illegal music downloads on the rise.
13.Big-ticket spending as on property and renovation is on decline.
14.Cosmetic sales have seen only a marginal decline of less than 10%.
15.Education spending has not been impacted at all.
16.25% increase in sale of milk cartons
17.30% decrease in average travel budgets

GLOBAL TRENDS
1.High-cost white pepper is being replaced by black pepper.
2.Sale of meal ingredients is growing faster than ready-to-eat meals.
3.Sale of in-store labels has gone up by 25% compared with brands.
4.Discount stores like Wal-Mart have seen a spurt in footfalls and sales.
5.Demand for carbonated beverages and storage products has dipped by 20%.
6.The number of US consumers who are buying music CDs has fallen by 17 million in a year.
7.Holiday sales have dipped by more than a fourth across Europe and the US.
8.Students priced out of four-year colleges migrate to two-year ones.
9.There is a 27% increase in number of local customers (within a km) in Britain.
10.Chocolate sales in the US, UK growing despite a 10% price increase last year.
11.Tobacco sales increased by 9% and alcohol sales by 6% in the UK last year.
12.Lipstick sales in the US have increased by 11% in the past year.
13.Average ticket sales at soccer matches in the US have risen 18% in one year.
14.Spy gadget sales have seen a 15% increase in sales in Europe.
15.Cable TV sales have not been affected by slowdown in the US and Europe.
16.20% increase in chocolate sales in the US and UK
17.23% increase in payments for music downloads

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The Shawshank Redemption(1994)

Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency

Having been wrongly convicted of murdering both his wife and her lover, Andy Dufresne is sentenced to two life sentences, and is sent to the notoriously harsh Shawshank Prison. During his first night, the barbaric treatment by prison guards, most notably the chief guard Byron Hadley, leads to the death of a fellow new inmate. About a month later, Dufresne becomes acquainted with Ellis Redding, also known as Red, and his friends. A friendship begins after Red, "the man who knows how to get things", procures a rock hammer for Dufresne, an object he wishes to own in order to pursue a hobby in rock collecting.

Over the first few years of his imprisonment, Dufresne works in the prison laundry service, and is dogged by threats and harassment, and instances of rape by a group of sadistic homosexuals known as the "Sisters". Andy's former life as a banker and his knowledge of accounting and income taxes come to the attention of Hadley during an outdoor work detail, and after assisting the chief guard with an inheritance sum, Andy is moved to work with Brooks Hatlen in the library, where he shortly sets up a make-shift office to deal with finance related queries brought to him by various guards. His practice becomes so popular that even opposing guard teams in an inter-prison baseball match bring work to him. While working within the library, Dufresne begins to canvas support for improving the library at a relentless pace. When Andy is brutally raped again, the prison guards commit vigilante punishment against the offender, and it becomes clear that they are now protecting Dufresne from the mistreatment. When the rapist is permanently hospitalized, Andy's victimisation comes to a close.

Warden Samuel Norton soon capitalises on Dufresne's ability and deduces a program to put prison inmates to work for local contracts in construction, road-building, and other labour intensive projects. Dufresne is corruptly employed to hide the embezzled funds for Norton, and he does this by 'creating' an alternate fraudulent identity through which all the paperwork is completed. In the same year, the prison library is extended and Dufresne begins educating inmates to pass high school diplomas. A young prisoner named Tommy enters Shawshank in 1965 who corroborates Andy's tale of innocence. Fearing the loss of the lucrative criminal funds that Andy administers, Norton has Tommy killed and Andy sent to solitary confinement. Two months later, Andy returns to the main enclosures a seemingly broken man, giving abstract instructions to Red, and his friends are concerned that he may commit suicide. The following morning, he is missing from his cell and an investigation is launched.

Following the events that led to his departure, it becomes clear that Andy Dufresne escaped the prison having tunnelled through the walls with the rock hammer given to him shortly after his arrival. Having chronicled the corruption within the prison, he sends his notes to a local newspaper, and walks away with Norton's fortunes, dressed as the man 'with the bank accounts'. Refusing to be arrested, Norton commits suicide. When Red is finally released from prison, he follows the instructions given to him by Andy to find a further note hidden beneath a tree, which eventually leads him to meet Andy on the coast of Mexico.

School

It's an old joke, yet a useful illustration for various themes.

A mother repeatedly called upstairs for her son to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. It was a familiar routine, especially at exam time.

"I feel sick," said the voice from the bedroom.

"You are not sick. Get up and get ready," called the mother, walking up the stairs and hovering outside the bedroom door.

"I hate school and I'm not going," said the voice from the bedroom, "I'm always getting things wrong, making mistakes and getting told off. Nobody likes me, and I've got no friends. And we have too many tests and they are too confusing. It's all just pointless, and I'm not going to school ever again."

"I'm sorry, but you are going to school," said the mother through the door, continuing encouragingly, "Really, mistakes are how we learn and develop. And please try not to take criticism so personally. And I can't believe that nobody likes you - you have lots of friends at school. And yes, all those tests can be confusing, but we are all tested in many ways throughout our lives, so all of this experience at school is useful for life in general.

Besides, you have to go, you are the headteacher."

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Yoga

Views about Yoga

Most people think that yoga is a physical exercise that provides relief for headaches, arthritis, and back pain, hypertension and weight reduction. When their health issues get fixed they discontinue their practice and forget about the wonderful discipline of yoga.

Very few are aware that yoga is a systematic and scientific discipline that calms the body and mind, prevents and cures many diseases and makes one experience the ultimate bliss - ‘peace of mind.’

What is Yoga?
•The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means to unite or join together. To unite the individual soul Jeevatma, with the universal soul Paramatma.

•Yoga is a timeless tradition, originating from Rig Veda, with a history of over 5000 years.

•Yoga is not a religion, but a basis of all religions.

•Sage Patanjali, the father of yoga defines yoga as “Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodah” meaning “control of the fluctuations of the mind. “

•Yoga is an inward journey that creates an awareness of your self and leads you to self transformation.

•Yoga is an ancient science of self development that transforms every aspect of an individual.

•Yoga is a system that purifies your mind and body and maintains perfect balance and harmony between them.

•Yoga is an art of controlling your mind, body and breath and unlocking the hidden potential.

•Yoga is preventive care and holistic system of healing that keeps you free from disease.
•Yoga is a way of life that shows you the right path and makes everything go right in your life.

•Yoga is a discipline that teaches you to “live in the present” and “let go the past.”

•Yoga is a philosophy that makes you to accept with a balance of mind everything that comes in the way of your life.

•Yoga is a natural beauty therapy that keeps you young and glowing from inside.

•Yoga is an inward journey that illumines your life beyond pain and suffering.

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The Godfather (1972) – Won 3 Oscars

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

The film begins at the wedding of Don Vito Corleone's daughter Connie to Carlo Rizzi in late summer of 1945, on Long Island, New York. Because "no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day," Corleone, known to his friends and associates as "Godfather", and Tom Hagen (the Corleone family consigliere, or counselor) are preoccupied with hearing requests from friends and associates.

Meanwhile, the Don's youngest son Michael, who has returned from World War II service as a highly decorated war hero, tells his girlfriend Kay Adams anecdotes about his father's criminal life, reassuring her that he is not like his family.

Among the guests at the celebration is famous singer Johnny Fontane, a godson of Corleone's, who has come from Hollywood to ask the Godfather's help in getting a movie role that will revitalize his flagging career. Jack Woltz, the head of the studio, will not give Fontane the part, but Don Corleone explains to Johnny: "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." Hagen is dispatched to California to fix the problem, but Woltz angrily tells him that he will never cast Fontane in the role, which he is perfect for, because Fontane "ruined" a starlet that Woltz favored. The next morning, Woltz wakes up to find the bloody severed head of his prize stud horse in the bed with him.

Upon Hagen's return, the family meets with heroin dealer Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo, who has influence with the rival Tattaglia family. He asks Don Corleone for political protection and financing to start the mass importation and distribution of heroin but, despite the huge amount of money to be made, Corleone refuses. The Don's oldest son, hotheaded Sonny, breaks ranks during the meeting and expresses interest in the deal. His father, angry at Sonny's dissension in front of a non-family member, later privately rebukes him.

After Don Corleone's refusal, Hagen is abducted by Sollozzo and his henchmen, while the Don himself is badly wounded during an assassination attempt, but survives. Sollozzo persuades Hagen to offer Sonny the deal previously offered to his father, but Sonny refuses to consider the deal, promising a war with the Tattaglias and Sollozzo. The Corleones now prepare for the likelihood of all-out warfare with the rest of the Five Families, who will unite against the Corleones.

Michael, who is recognized by the other Mafia families as a "civilian" in their conflict, visits his father in the hospital, but finds nobody guarding him. Realizing that his father is being set up to be killed, he moves him to another room, calls Sonny with a report, and goes outside to watch the door. After he has bluffed away some of Sollozzo's goons, police cars arrive with the corrupt Captain McCluskey, who breaks Michael's jaw with a single punch. Just then, Hagen shows up with "private detectives" licensed to carry guns to protect Don Corleone.

Following the attempt on his father's life at the Hospital, Michael volunteers to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey, who is acting as Sollozzo's bodyguard. Sonny and the other senior members of the Corleone family are initially amused by Michael's supposed naiveté and Sonny admonishes him for reacting too personally and emotionally. However, Michael convinces them that killing Sollozo and McCluskey is in the family's interests ("It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.")

A meeting between Michael and Sollozo, with McCluskey attending, at a restaurant is arranged, ostensibly to discuss peace. Michael excuses himself to go to the restroom, retrieves a planted revolver, and executes Sollozzo and McCluskey with near-point-blank-range shots to the head. To avoid arrest for the murders, Michael is sent to Sicily, where he lives under the protection of a local Mafia Don. While there, he falls in love, then marries a local girl, Apollonia, who is subsequently murdered during an attempt on Michael's life.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Don Corleone returns home from the hospital and is distraught to learn that Michael was the one who killed Sollozzo and McCluskey. Some months later, in 1948, Sonny severely beats Carlo for hitting Connie. The next time Carlo beats her, Sonny drives off alone to find him and kill him. On the way, he is ambushed and machine-gunned to death.

Instead of seeking revenge for Sonny's killing, Don Corleone meets with the heads of the Five Families to arrange an end to the war. Not only is it draining all of their assets and threatening their survival, but ending the conflict is the only way that Michael can return home safely. Reversing his previous decision, Vito agrees that the Corleone family will provide political protection for Philip Tattaglia's traffic in heroin. At the meeting, Don Corleone realizes that Don Barzini, not Tattaglia, was responsible for the mob war.

With his safety guaranteed, Michael returns from Sicily. More than a year later, he reunites with his former girlfriend, Kay, telling her that he wants to marry her. With the Don semi-retired, Sonny dead and middle brother Fredo considered incapable of running the family business, Michael is now in charge, and he claims that the family business will soon be completely legitimate.

Clemenza and Tessio, two Corleone Family caporegimes (captains) complain that they are being pushed around by the Barzini Family and ask permission to strike back, but Michael refuses. With his father as consigliere, he plans to move the family operations to Nevada and after that, Clemenza and Tessio may break away to go on their own. Michael further promises that Connie's husband, Carlo, is going to be his right hand in Nevada, while Hagen will be the Family's Las Vegas lawyer.

In Las Vegas Michael is greeted by Fredo in the hotel-casino partly financed by the Corleones, run by Moe Greene. Michael explains to Johnny Fontane that the Family needs his help in persuading Johnny's friends in show business to sign long-term contracts to appear at the casino. In a meeting with Moe Greene, Michael offers to buy out Greene but is rudely rebuffed. Greene believes the Corleones are weak and that he can secure a better deal from Barzini.

Michael returns home. In a private meeting, Vito explains his expectation that the Family's enemies will attempt to kill Michael by using a trusted associate to arrange a meeting as a pretext for assassination. Shortly afterwards, Don Vito dies of a heart attack while playing with his young grandson in his tomato garden.

During the funeral, Tessio conveys a proposal for a meeting with Barzini, which identifies him as the traitor that Vito was expecting. Michael arranges the murders of Moe Greene, Philip Tattaglia, Emilio Barzini, Salvatore Tessio, Anthony Stracci, and Carmine Cuneo, all to take place during the baptism of Connie and Carlo's second son, for whom he will be godfather. After the baptism, Michael confronts Carlo about Sonny's murder and tricks him into admitting his role in setting up the ambush. "Today," Michael tells him, "I settle all Family business." Michael informs Carlo that his punishment is to be excluded from the family business and hands him a plane ticket to exile in Nevada. Carlo gets into a car to go to the airport, and is strangled by Clemenza.

Later, Connie confronts Michael, accusing him of Carlo's murder. Kay questions Michael about Connie's accusation, but he refuses to answer. She insists, and Michael lies, assuring his wife that he had no role in Carlo's death. Kay is relieved by his denial. As the film ends, she watches Clemenza and new caporegime Rocco Lampone pay their respects to Michael, kissing his hand and addressing him as "Don Corleone." The door is closed by new sotto capo (underboss) Al Neri, as she realizes that Michael has become the new Godfather.

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Wall E (Oscar Winner Animation film, 2009) –Movie Review

In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind

Approximately seven hundred years in the future, the earth is over-run with garbage and devoid of plant and animal life; the consequence of years of environmental degradation and thoughtless consumerism. Humans are now living on the spaceship Axiom after vacating Earth centuries earlier. The original plan was for humans to live in outer space temporarily while cleaning robots prepared Earth for recolonization. However, after seven hundred years, only one cleaning robot remains:WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class).

WALL-E spends his days compacting debris into solid blocks and building structures with them. He also collects some of the more interesting artifacts and keeps them in the garage he shares with a cockroach, his only friend. At night he watches "Hello Dolly" on VHS and dreams of having a hand to hold. Most of what he finds are spare parts and electronics but one day he finds a lonely plant. Not sure what it is, but recognizing that it needs soil and care, he picks it up and puts it in a dirt-filled old shoe.

The next day, an enormous space ship lands and deposits another robot, EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator). WALL-E is immediately smitten and hopes to hold her hand but EVE is quick to use her plasma cannon, which can blast a hole through anything. EVE flies around earth looking for vegetation but becomes distraught upon not finding any. WALL-E is finally able to approach her and takes her back to his garage where he shows her his collection of human artifacts. She still resists holding his hand, however so he shows her the plant he found. This activates her prime directive: She takes the plant into a special containment capsule within her body, sends a signal to the mother ship, and goes into hibernation mode. Confused, WALL-E tries to make her safe and comfortable. He shelters her from thunderstorms and takes her to a park where he can watch the sunset next to her.

Several days later, the mother ship returns and collects EVE. WALL-E hitches a ride on the ship, which returns to the Axiom several light years away from Earth. EVE and WALL-E are examined in the landing bay. EVE, still in hibernation mode, is taken away to the ship's commander. WALL-E chases after her, followed by M-O, a cleaning robot who is intent on scrubbing the filthy WALL-E of foreign contaminants (i.e. dirt or earth). On the way, WALL-E sees humans for the first time. Obese and largely unable to move on their own, they are carted around the Axiom in hover chairs with video screens that allow them to communicate with one another and see a variety of advertisements for drinkable food products. When WALL-E accidentally knocks one of the humans, John (John Ratzenberger) off his hover chair, WALL-E helps the man back into the chair and introduces himself. Confused but grateful, John introduces himself in return.

WALL-E tracks Eve to the chambers of Captin McCrea (Jeff Garvin), who is just as inert and catered to as the other humans. McCrea is confused but excited about Operation Re-Colonize which is put into action by EVE's find. But when MccCrea reactivates EVE and orders her to produce the plant, it is missing. McCrea orders EVE and WALL-E to be taken for repairs but, after they've left, decides to educate himself about Earth. In the repair bay, WALL-E mistakenly thinks EVE is being harmed by the repair crew and uses her plasma cannon to save her, inadvertently releasing other robots who had been taken in for service. During the breakout, security robots take photos of them; the ship's computer announces to humans that EVE and WALL-E are renegade robots. Angry, EVE takes WALL-E to an escape pod to send him back to earth. Before she can put him in the pod, they see another security robot place the plant in the escape pod. After the security robot leaves, WALL-E goes to rescue the plant but is blasted into space. Before the pod can enter hyperspace, WALL-E uses the emergency escape hatch and a fire extinguisher to exit the pod with the plant. Joyous, EVE plays in space with WALL-E and even gives him an appreciative electric "kiss."

Using the garbage chute, EVE and WALL-E sneak into McCrea's cabin to give him the plant. But AUTO, the ship's auto pilot system, reveals it was the one who stole the plant earlier. It has no intention of allowing a return to earth because of a centuries-old directive that was issued when the Earth was believed to be permanently uninhabitable. AUTO blasts WALL-E, EVE and the plant back down the garbage chute and confines McCrea to his room. WALL-E and EVE barely escape being shot into space with the rest of the refuse but WALL-E is badly damaged. Meanwhile, McCrea has figured out to hack into the ship's communication system and tells EVE and WALL-E to head to the ship's central deck where a special machine will return the ship to earth when the plant is placed inside it. With the help of the robots they liberated earlier, WALL-E and EVE make it to the central deck where the special machine has risen from a platform. AUTO tries to force the machine back into the platform but is prevented by WALL-E. McCrea manages to stand up on his own and shuts off AUTO. EVE puts the plant in the special machine and the Axiom is whisked back to Earth.

WALL-E was grievously crushed in keeping AUTO from collapsing the platform. Once they reach Earth, EVE rushes WALL-E back to his garage and repairs him. WALL-E doesn't recognize her and begins to compact garbage. Distraught, EVE holds WALL-E's hand and gives him an electric kiss again. This properly reboots WALL-E. McCrea teaches the other humans how to nurture the plant and heal the planet. It will be much easier than they think because just outside of the city, plants have already begun to flourish.

What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL*E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL*E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL*E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets an adventure into motion. Joining WALL*E on his journey across the universe is a cast of characters including a pet cockroach and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

Make Up Your Mind to Succeed

A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent is genetic--you're a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it's entitled to success without much effort and regards failure as a personal affront. When things get tough, it's quick to blame, withdraw, lie, and even avoid future challenge or risk.

Conversely, a growth mind-set assumes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego isn't on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as opportunity rather than insult. When challenged, it's quick to reassess, adjust, and try again. In fact, it relishes this process.

We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to survive in the world.) But parents, coaches, and teachers often push us into fixed mind-sets by rewarding certain behaviors and misdirecting praise.

FOR KIDS
In school
Never compliment a child by saying "You're so smart" or "You picked that up so quickly." Instead, praise effort or strategy by saying "That was clever of you to take that approach" or "I'm proud of your persistence." Listen for similar remarks from teachers and correct them.

In sports
Instead of "You're a natural," say "Practice is really making you better." Instead of inquiring "Did you win?" ask "Did you give your best effort?, "Talent isn't passed down in the genes; it's passed down in the mind-set."

At the dinner table
Instead of the standard "How was your day?" (Which everyone dreads anyway), ask "What did you learn today?" or "What mistakes did you make that taught you something?" Describe with zeal something you're struggling with. "Instill a passion for learning,"

In making plans for the future
Don't just ask about goals; ask about the plan for reaching those goals.

In frustration
Don't permit children to refer to themselves as losers, failures, stupid, or clumsy. "Never let failure progress from an action to an identity, don't label your kids. Don't say this one is the artist, and this one is the computer geek. Anyone can be anything.

In doubt
If you encounter skepticism, ask the child to think of areas in which she once had low ability and now excels, or to recall a time when she saw someone learn something or improve in ways not thought possible.

FOR YOU
At work
Instead of letting salary, benefits, and status define job satisfaction, ask yourself if you're still learning. If the answer is yes, then you're fortunate to have a job that encourages a growth mind-set. View its challenges as opportunities rather than stress. If you've stopped learning, then consider looking either for new avenues of growth or for another job.

In relationships
Blame never resolves anything. It's merely the fixed mind-set insisting that you're right. The next time you're tempted to blame, remember that "the whole point of marriage is to encourage each other's development."

When feeling down
People who are depressed tend to believe that's just the way they are. Instead of viewing yourself as a failed end product, think of yourself as a temporarily derailed work in progress. "We usually think of personality as something very stable,", "but we're finding that even core parts of it can be changed by shifting mind-sets."

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17 Again - Movie REVIEW

About a guy whose life didn't quite turn out how he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

Popular high school senior Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) seemingly has it all. He is a star athlete headed straight for a college scholarship when he decides to give it up to settle down with his high school girlfriend Scarlet is pregnant.

Twenty years later, an adult Mike (played by Matthew Perry) finds his life is not exactly what he expected. He is separated from his wife, Scarlett (Leslie Mann) and living with his wealthy software genius nerd and best friend Ned Freedman (Thomas Lennon), his career at a pharmaceutical company is at a stand still, and his relationships with his teenage children are nonexistent. After getting passed up for yet another promotion at work, he returns to his high school to reminisce over his basketball awards and the life he could have had. While he is reliving his glory days, he is approached by a janitor and shares with him how things were so much better when he was 17.

As Mike is driving home from the high school, he sees the mysterious janitor standing on the ledge preparing to jump into the Los Angeles River. Mike rushes out of his car to rescue him, but when he gets there, the janitor has vanished. What Mike doesn't realize is that he is about to fall into the river and turn into his 17 year old self.

Young Mike (Zac Efron) returns to Ned's house, where he has the difficult task of convincing Ned that he is in fact Mike. At a loss of what to do, Ned pretends to be Mike's father and they register Mike back in high school to finish the life he never had the chance to live.

High school presents a lot of new challenges for Mike, such as dressing cool, keeping up with the latest gadgets and making new friends. But nothing compares to being in high school with his own children. He discovers that his daughter, Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg), is not nearly as innocent as he thought she was and his son, Alex (Sterling Knight), is the brunt of the star athlete's jokes.

But Mike's most difficult realization is that he hasn't been a very good father or husband. Mike befriends Alex and tries to instill him with enough confidence to join the basketball team. He gets close to Maggie's obnoxious boyfriend and does everything in his power to break them up. Most importantly, he visits an unsuspecting Scarlet and rediscovers all the things that initially made him fall in love with her. You don't know what you have until you lose it.

Through his experiences, Mike realizes that he had chosen the perfect life he just never appreciated it. Now, he must figure out a way to transform back into his older self and win back his wife and kids.

Doctor & Thief

A man goes to the doctor and says "Doctor, I've become a compulsive thief."
The doctor prescribes him a course of tablets and says, "If you're not cured in a couple of weeks would you get me a widescreen television?"

This is not a lesson of ideal behavior; it's a humorous illustration of options - whether to try to change something, to accept it or to actively support it. Such decisions normally have two main reference points - the difficulty of the change, and the ethical implications of the situation.

Blind MAN

A blind man had been waiting a while at a busy road for someone to offer to guide him across, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Excuse me," said the tapper, "I'm blind - would you mind guiding me across the road?"
The first blind man took the arm of the second blind man, and they both crossed the road.
Apparently this is a true story. The first blind man was the jazz pianist George Shearing. He is quoted (in Bartlett's Anecdotes) as saying after the event, "What could I do? I took him across and it was the biggest thrill of my life."
There are times when we think we cannot do something and so do not stretch or take a risk. Being forced to stretch and take a risk can often help us to reduce our dependencies (on others, or our own personal safety mechanisms), and to discover new excitement and capabilities.

Failure Makes Us Stronger

New research is pinpointing how we learn and make decisions. To the brain, a new thought or idea is like a spider. If it is industrious enough, an intricate web of knowledge spins out from it. Snapshots of the brain taken during learning actually show neurons firing, growing, and forming new connections. This is fascinating in itself, but what's even more fascinating is that failure can trigger this.

That's right; failure can enhance your brain. When those with growth mind-sets fail at a task, she detects them entering a more focused mental state as they try to figure out their mistake. And in subsequent trials, they improve. In effect, they've learned, and their brains have "grown." Those with fixed mind-sets, however, never enter this focused state of learning and show little, if any, advancement.

Antoine Bechara, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Southern California, has taken Dweck's work a step further. He recently isolated two equally sized centers in the prefrontal cortex, one that he claims is responsible for the fear of failure and the other for the lure of success. It is between these, he says, that the debate between risk and reward occurs. Not unlike the metaphoric devil and angel on our shoulders, these areas interact during the decision-making process. Although more research is needed, these centers may turn out to be the physical locations for Dweck's twin mind-sets.

"We always knew people could learn from their mistakes, but now we're finding out exactly how and where this happens," explains Bechara. "Basically, it all comes down to survival. In a normally functioning brain, failure is welcomed as an opportunity for learning and strengthening the species."

Source:From Net

One Liners

Success is stairs you can not climb while your hands in your pocket.


* Trying to touch the candle from it's flame .. your hand will burn out.


* Severe storms crashed huge tree .. but it does not affect the Green Brushwood that bow to it.


* You can forgot who share laughs with you .. but sure you can't forget who share cries with you.


* Beware of door which has many keys.


* People are not planning for failure ... But they fail only in the planning.


* Don't be so sweet to be eating nor so bitter to be spit out


* If we saw ourselves as others see us we wouldn't talked to them for a moment.


* Smile a good word without Characters


* Those who are fighting fire with fire .. usually obtained ash


* Smacks smash windows only .. But refined iron


* Wise person who made a boat to cross the river, rather than to build walls around himself for protections from flooding.


* Learn to say I do not know .. coz if you say I do not know they will teach you untill you know .. and if you say I know they will keep asking untill you don't know.


* The vulnerability of the wall .. Tempt thieves


* Who loses wealth loses much .. and who lose a friend loses too much.. and who loses the courage he lose everything.


* Stay away from the angry man little bit .. and stay away from The silent man forever.


* Do not think of the missing .. So as not to lose the existing.


* If you consulted the wise, his mind will become yours.


* Whenever you good at dividing your time ... your day will became as a room for many things.

and Finally,

* The good word it's not an arrow ... But it's still penetrate the heart'''

Fat-Burning Foods

What are fat-burning foods?
Fat-burning foods are rich in fiber and protein and are poor in fat. Protein foods do require more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fats. The protein content of these foods boosts your metabolism and increases the rate at which your body burns stored fat. Fiber also provides high satiety value, so you feel fuller, longer.

If you can't find these foods in your kitchen right now, simply add them to your grocery list.
Incidentally, do you know what percentage of your calories consumed are coming from fat? Use this Health and Diet Assessment Tool to help you break down your percentages. A healthy level is one where less then 30 percent of the total calories consumed daily come from fat.

The top ten fat-burning foods

Whole grain
Whole grain breads and cereals are a great source of fibre. They generally take a longer time and more energy to digest. Try having a bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk for breakfast, and combining two fat-burning foods that will give your morning a fat-burning boost.

Beans
Beans are low in fat and high in quality protein. They also have the added bonus of soluble fibre's disease-preventing qualities. The soluble fibre traps bile and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol without affecting HDL (good) cholesterol.
So load up on a serving of beans for lunch or dinner.

Hot chillies
Chillies are full of vitamins. The compound capsaicin present in chillies temporarily stimulates your body to release some stress hormones, which boost your metabolism and cause you to burn more calories. But limit your intake to one or two in a day, as they may cause heartburn.

Lean meat
The leanest meat pieces are excellent sources of protein with low fat content. The protein helps boost your metabolism, lose fat and build lean muscle tissue so you burn more calories.

Low-fat dairy products
Low fat yogurt or milk can boost weight loss efforts due to calcium content. They also contain a hunger suppressant protein called casein that helps reduce hunger pangs. Consuming a lot of dairy foods may help people who are trying to control their weight, by burning more fat and consuming more calories without putting on excessive kilos.

Eggs
Eggs are also a good source of high protein. So start having eggs for breakfast, as research shows that the morning meal fires up your metabolism and increases your energy levels to tackle the day ahead or your morning workout. If you are worried about your cholesterol levels, then you may avoid the egg yolk.

Green tea
Green tea has been known as a health drink for years. In addition to providing a low calorie alternative to sugary sodas, cold coffees and frappucinos (and saving on calorie intake), green tea contains caffeine, which is a decent fat burner. Green tea also has high amounts of catechin and polyphenols, which give your body a small boost in burning up calories. Catechins appear to prevent absorption of fat and to stabilise glucose levels in the body.

Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals and fibre. The fibre helps to burn fat. It also increases satiety and gives a feeling of fullness.

Berries
Berries are a powerhouse of nutrition -- full of vitamins and minerals. The fibre found in berries makes them a fat burning food.

Almonds
Almonds are a fatty food, but they can help burn body fat. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and heart-healthy fat. They are also a good source of fibre and protein. Nuts also help your body maintain good levels of fat burning hormones, as well as control your appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food.

So put on your thinking cap and the next time you go shopping for groceries, start by buying and preparing these healthy fat-busting foods. And hey -- next time you sit down to eat some of these foods, be sure to watch your portions, or they will add up