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

Israelis and Palestinians, who differ on almost every issue, have a common love superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who rules over their hearts. The popularity that Bachchan enjoys here will be envied even by Hollywood stars. Walking through the streets of Jerusalem, one can hear songs from Bollywood movies, especially those starring the Big B. DVDs of Hindi movies are available in most video shops here, with films starring Amitabh Bachchan a big hit among locals. A single DVD costs 50 Shekel (Rs 500). The challenge Bachchan faces here is only from Gabbar Singh - the character played by late Amjad Khan in the classic film Sholay - who is equally popular among people of all ages, from teenagers to the elderly. "I like watching the movies of Amit (Bachchan) and Amjad, I love their action movies," said 22-year-old Yassar, who runs a small shop near the church of Sepalca, where, according to Catholic beliefs, Jesus Christ was crucified. "My friends and I wa

Remotely controlled world's largest terrestrial solar telescope will be commissioned in India five years from now and would be located in Ladakh, according to director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics Prof. S.S. Hasan. "The two-meter class (diameter) Solar telescope, which will be the largest in the world, will be set up in Ladakh and the exact location is being decided," "Excitement of modern solar Astronomy". "The project is over Rs 100 crores and will be operational by 2012 and will be made available to all researchers from the world," he said adding it could be remotely operated from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore. Although it is an Indian initiative, large number of solar astronomers are in the advisory board in addition to scientists from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Physical Research Laboratory, Interuniversity centre for astronomy and astrophysics and others, Hasan said. The two other solar telescope slightl

Shilpa Shetty will launch her own production house S2 Productions to make her DVD video on yoga this month. "After her per fume S2 reached the number one slot on the UK perfume charts, Shilpa was thinking about what her next step should be. She wanted to do some thing she had not ventured i n t o before, when she hit upon the idea of producing her DVD video herself," informed her spokesperson and publicist Dale Bhagwagar. To be shot from August end for a week at the backwaters in Kerala, the yoga DVD video , span ning two hours, will be directed by Manish Jha (of the critically acclaimed feature films Matrubhoomi and Anwar fame). While Arghya Lahiri is writing the script for the video, the camera work will be handled by Englishman Jamie Sowlds. Currently, a team is in Kovalam scouting the best locations and backdrops for the shoot. The DVD video will concentrate on yoga, fitness and lifestyle and will be available in the UK and Duba

Satyam Computer Services Ltd on Friday kick started its " India's digital car " project Hera FxV, a "technology demonstrator" aimed at attracting research and development in the automotive sector. Hera FxV would help car makers convert a concept into technology and would help in reducing time to design products from 36 months to 18. The framework is expected to be ready in 24 months. Satyam launched the initiative at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conference titled e-Automotive R&D 2007: The Opportunities Ahead. Satyam Computer Services chairman B. Ramalinga Raju said, "Now the time has come for India Inc to go beyond being a services outsourcing destination and get into the league of IP led innovation driven services and thereby being acknowledged as the global R&D, design and innovation hub." The digital car project is the effort of a consortium of different players like educational institutions and auto component majors, w

By Corinne Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - If you are at work, chances are you are probably doing it right now. Walk into any large office, and you will most likely hear the telltale computer bleeps of chat programs and online games, accompanied by furious mouse-clicking. Employees may seem busy, but many are wasting time on the Internet, or " cyberslacking ". Studies worldwide suggest employees spend about a fifth of their work shifts engaging in personal activities. Their favourite time waster? The Internet. Patricia Wallace, author of the 2004 book "The Internet in the Workplace: How New Technology Is Transforming Work", said employees have always found ways to avoid working too hard. "The issue is now you have something that seems to be genuinely irresistible because it's such a gateway to the whole planet that's right there on your desk and easily concealed to people passing by," said Wallace, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Balti

ALISON ROBERTS: Size does matter after all when it comes to sexual satisfaction, according to Dr Daniel Amen. Forget those enlargement offers in your e-mail inbox: We're talking about the Big B - the Brain. "In order to have a great sex life, you have to have a great brain," Amen says. Brain greatness, he explains, requires avoiding activities that can literally shrink the brain, including abusing drugs and alcohol. Amen is a clinical psychiatrist and brain-imaging expert who also brings a single guy's interest to the topic. "I like to look, that's all I can say," he says, savoring the double-entendre of expressing his love of the view inside the skull. His latest book, Sex on the Brain: 12 Lessons To Enhance Your Love Life, falls into his growing catalogue of writing about how to enhance the good life. "It just seemed like nobody was putting the brain right in the middle of our sex lives," Amen says. The way he looks at it, sex largel

Bigger Than Las Vegas? That’s Macao’s Bet The casino offers 3,000 rooms and a stadium that seats 15,000 people. The $2.4 billion Venetian Macao Resort , scheduled to open here Tuesday, will give Sin City more than a run for its money. The Venetian has more floor space than four Empire State Buildings. The hotel’s slot machines, baccarat tables and other games of chance sprawl across a casino more than three times the size of the largest casino in Las Vegas. The 15,000-seat sports arena nearly rivals Madison Square Garden, the convention center has a 6,000-seat banquet hall and the luxury shopping mall has three indoor canals with singing gondoliers; the Venetian in Las Vegas has just one.