Srinivas Padma: Personal Musings on Life, Growth, and Connections

Hollywood actor Heath Ledger, who made headlines with his controversial film Brokeback Mountain , was found dead in a Manhattan apartment on Tuesday. The talented 28-year-old Hollywood actor who gravitated toward dark, brooding roles that defied his leading-man looks, was found dead on Tuesday in a Manhattan apartment, face-down and naked at the foot of his bed with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said. There was no obvious indication that the Australian-born Ledger had committed suicide, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the SoHo apartment that is believed to be the home of the Brokeback Mountain actor, Browne said. The massage therapist and a housekeeper found his naked body in the bed at about 3:30 pm. They tried to revive him, but he was already dead. "We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement Tuesday night. "This is an extremely difficult ...

Legend has it that the 16th century Rajput ruler Maharana Pratap had survived in exile by eating rotis made of grass. In 2007, Gangaram Gautam , a daily wage labourer in Kanpur , seems so inspired by Maharana Pratap’s example that he eats 2 kg of grass every day, and thrives. “I was around 7 years old when I first ate grass. I liked the taste and gradually increased my intake without letting my family members know about this habit. I had heard about Maharana Pratap eating ghaas ki roti and I thought I would eat it too,” he says. Now, at 41, Gangaram feels “incomplete” unless he has eaten his staple diet of 2 kg of grass. “Initially I would eat normal food along with the grass, but for the past four or five years I have been eating only grass. After eating grass, I walk at a speed of 15 km per hour in order to digest the food,” he explains. Every day, when he feels hungry, Gangaram goes to nearby parks and gardens and “grazes” till he has had his fill. “In the beginning the gardeners ...

Ms Clinton has had some pretty amusing moments on the campaign trail By PATRICK HEALY New York Times Service Close friends of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton are always saying that she has a great sense of humour — witty, sarcastic, playful — and that sceptical voters would come around if they saw that part of her personality. Well, sceptical voters, take note: Ms Clinton has had some pretty amusing moments on the campaign trail this fall, wearing her personality on her sleeve more than she has in the past. This campaign season has been something of a dress rehearsal for Ms Clinton, as she considers auditioning for a bigger role in 2008. Her political issues, campaign advertisements and public persona are being calibrated for her to go national — if she decides to go for it. Thursday was a good example: She appeared before a group of black clergy members in Lower Manhattan, sounding conservative-friendly themes about faith and adoption, and reminiscing about her minister and church pot...