Scientists study if seahorses do boost sex

Dona Paula: Indian scientists are hoping to discover once and for all if seahorses are an aphrodisiac, a myth that has made the creatures an endangered species. Seahorses have been eaten for more than 2,000 years and, as well as being a traditional way of improving sex-drive, are also thought to help respiratory problems. The National Institute of Oceanography in Goa is teaming up with the National Centre for Cell Sciences to try to unravel the mysteries of the unusual fish.

Seahorses range in size from 16 mm to 35 cm and are notable for being the only species in which males become “pregnant”. Raidurga Sreepada, a leading scientist at the NIO, said confirming the properties of one of world’s most complex living creatures will not only help the pharmaceutical sector but also help stamp out rampant poaching. Scientists say that once they establish seahorses’ properties, fishing communities and even poachers will be encouraged to set up hatcheries instead of taking them from the wild.

“They are being hunted since 342 BC and it is now the hottest recipe for traditional medicines of China, Korea and Thailand as an aphrodisiac, a drug against bronchial asthma and whooping caugh,” Sreepada said. Research will begin in February. The NIO estimates 20 million seahorses are traded across the world each year. “India is one of its largest clandestine exporters, shipping 1.3 million seahorses annually,” the NIO told the Central government in October while asking for funds.

One kilogram or about 100 dried seahorses fetch up to $200 in countries such as the United States which have large Chinese populations, it said. P.S. Parmeshwaran, NIO scientist for chemistry, said both China and Australia had done similar research, but the results had not been made public. “We intend to (make the findings public), as either way, we will help the seahorse population,” Sreepada added.

Source:Pratap Chakravarty

Tamil Nadu slashes movie ticket rates

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi continued his stream of sops for the cinema industry in the State, announcing on Wednesday the slashing of theatre admission rates “so that the common man can have easy access to entertainment.” Under the revised tariff, which comes into force from January 1, 2007, even the most upmarket airconditioned multiplexes in cities cannot charge more than Rs 50 a ticket. An official release said the Chief Minister had fixed a minimum ticket rate of Rs 10 and a maximum of Rs 50 for airconditioned theatres in the cities following representations from movie producers and distributors. The corresponding rates would be Rs 7 and Rs 30 for non-airconditioned theatres.

In municipal areas, the lowest ticket in an airconditioned theatre will now not cost more than Rs 5 and the highest will be Rs 40, while the non-AC halls will charge a minimum of Rs 4 and a maximum of Rs 30. The minimum ticket in an AC hall in a town panchayat will be Rs 5 and the maximum Rs 25, while the corresponding rates in non-AC theatres would be Rs 4 and Rs 20, the official release said.

It said the minimum and maximum rates in village panchayats would be Rs 5 and Rs 15 for AC theatres and Rs 4 and Rs 10 in the case of non-AC halls. The Chief Minister has decided not to permit theatres to increase the price of tickets for the first two weeks after the release of a new movie, it added.

Mr Karunanidhi took the decision to fix the new cinema ticket rates following representations from the Tamil Nadu Film Producers’ Council, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, Chennai Corporation Film Theatre Owners’ Association and the Distributors’ Association, according to the release.

The government statement came immediately after a delegation from the film industry called on the Chief Minister and presented him a copy of their resolution of demands adopted at a joint session recently. “We thanked the chief minister for the many concessions and the great help he has already given to the film industry, such as the firm action against video piracy, entertainment tax exemption for movies with Tamil names and reduction of rates for outdoor shooting. We also made an appeal for reducing the cost of theatre entry tickets,” producers’ guild president Rama Narayanan told reporters after meeting the chief minister. The slashing of admission rates is bound to hit the upmarket city multiplexes hard. “We have been jolted by this sudden announcement. We will have to consult other theatre owners and decide on our next move,” said a spokesperson for a popular Chennai multiplex.

Interestingly, the new admission rates could hit the big producers engaging mega-stars in multi-crore productions — such as Rajnikanth’s Sivaji, now under production. If the theatre collections dip, it might be difficult for the producer to meet the hefty fee for such superstars, argue some industry figures.

The theatres in smaller cities like Salem and Tirunelveli, now charging a maximum of around Rs 40 for AC viewing, might not resort to hiking the rate to Rs 50 just because the chief minister has allowed it. “With DVDs flooding the market, we have to adopt all kinds of methods to attract families to movie halls, such as the latest sound systems and good airconditioning, all at a reasonable price. Hiking the ticket cost would scare people off theatres and we can’t afford that,” said a theatre owner in a semi-urban centre.

While Mr Karunanidhi has long been associated with the film industry, his grandson Udayanidhi is now getting into movie production.

Kerala bans spitting in public

The Kerala government issued an order on Saturday banning spitting and blowing one’s nose in public places.

This order has been issued on the basis of a directive from the Kerala High Court on maintaining cleanliness in public places.

Various kinds of ‘spitting’ have been banned through the order. They include spitting on the street after clearing one’s throat garrulously and spitting after luxuriously chewing paan.

Those who blow their noses violently in public places and splash mucus on walls and streets will also be asking for trouble henceforth.

However, the order specifies that one can clear one’s throat or blow one’s nose after covering the mouth with a handkerchief.

The order points out that several diseases are being spread by sputum and mucus, including tuberculosis, diphtheria, fevers of various kinds and whooping cough. The government has warned of stringent action on those who violate the rules.

An awareness campaign will also be taken out by the public relations department for this and other government agencies will also play a role.

The government has been on a cleanliness overdrive since the spread of chikungunya fever in the State a few months ago.

But it is to be seen how Malayalees react to this “encroachment” on one of their favourite habits while on the road.

Differences between Real and Fake Friends!

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
REAL FRIENDS: are the reason you have no food.

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr/Mrs
REAL FRIENDS: Call your parents DAD/MOM

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: bail you out of jail and tell you what you did was
wrong.

REAL FRIENDS: Would sit next to you sayin "Damn ... we fucked up ...
but that shit was fun!"

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: never seen you cry.
REAL FRIENDS: cry with you

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
REAL FRIENDS: keep your shit so long they forget its yours.

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: know a few things about you.
REAL FRIENDS: Could write a book about you with direct quotes from you.

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that is what the crowd is doing.
REAL FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds ass that left you.

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Would knock on your front door.
REAL FRIENDS: Walk right in and say "I'M HOME!"

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Are for awhile.
REAL FRIENDS: Are for life.

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
REAL FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say "Bitch drink the rest of that you know we don't waste."

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: will talk shit to the person who talks shit about you.
REAL FRIENDS: Will knock them the fuck out!

FAKE ASS FRIENDS: Would ignore this
REAL FRIENDS: Will send this link to all there real friends.

Geographical Comparison of Women

Between the ages of 18 - 21 a woman is like Africa, she is half discovered, half wild..

Between the ages of 22 - 30 a woman is like America, Fully discovered and scientifically perfect.

Between the ages of 30 - 35, she is like India & Japan, Very hot, wise and beautiful.

Between the ages of 35 - 40 a woman is like France, she is half destroyed after the war but still desirable.

Between the ages of 40 - 50 she is like Germany, she lost the war but not the hope.

Between the ages of 50 - 60 she is like Russia, Very wide, very quiet but nobody goes there.

Between the ages of 60 - 70 a woman is like England with a glorious past but no future.

After 70, they become Siberia, Everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there.

The smile is back on Ronaldinho’s face

The neutrals can rejoice as Ronaldinho is back to his dazzling best. After a tepid World Cup by his exacting standard, the Brazilian is now playing like the magician we all know. The smile is back on Ronaldinho and so is it for his fans who are not necessarily obsessive about Brazil or Barcelona. The Germany World Cup lost a bit of sheen for the way Brazil failed to click into the top gear and Ronaldinho was the main culprit though the critics had busy time mocking at the ever-expanding waistline of Ronaldo. Apart from the peerless Pele and the eccentric Garrincha, no player had shone in more than one World Cup and Ronaldinho was no exception.

Ronaldinho seemed to have carried his lethargy into his club season as well with a series of belowpar performances early on in the Spanish League. It’s the bane of great players that their failures never go unnoticed. Was it the beginning of the end of a beautiful story? Had Barcelona’s opponents cracked the Ronaldinho code? No, was the emphatic reply of the Brazilian who is on fire in the last few weeks. There are many sportspersons who are admired worldwide but not all of them are loved as much. Ronaldinho has the rare ability to evoke both admiration and love.

A needle Champions League match against Werder Bremen brought out the vintage Ronaldinho last week. The champions of Europe were in a mustwin situation to make it to the last 16. Anything less than three points would have condemned Barcelona to the ignominy of becoming the first champions to bow out in the group stage itself. The Spanish giants’ task was not made easier by the absence of their two key players — Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi — with long-term injuries. Werder, the German league leaders, weren’t pushovers either.

It was a match in which Barca needed something special from Ronaldinho and he did oblige, twice. The Brazilian put his team ahead with a cheeky freekick rarely seen before. Instead of curling the ball over the Werder wall from just outside the penalty area, the smiling assassin skidded one through the ground into the goal.

Such improvisation is hard to acquire through hours of practice because the result was dependent on how high the Werder players would go up in the air. Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard said he could speak on and on about his talisman’s impetuosity and inventiveness with the ball. Barca’s second goal too bore the signature of Ronaldinho in a bold type. Sensing the overlapping run of Ludovic Giuly, the Samba star hit a cross-field pass of unerring accuracy to him from almost the halfway line. Giuly controlled ball with a touch before squaring it to Eidur Gudjohnsen who slotted it in nonchalantly.

I can have sex any time, any place, admits Janet Jackson

Don’t lose sleep over wedding preparations

There’s no bride-to-be who hasn’t felt some stress leading up to the big day. But there’s a difference between the occasional breakdown and an all out meltdown.

No one wants to remember the time leading up to their wedding as painful and anxiety-ridden. So here are a few simple tips to help keep some of the stress at bay: ? Remember that it’s normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes.

This is probably the biggest event you’ve ever planned, and whether you’re doing it alone or with the help of a coordinator, you’re still going to have a lot of anxiety. ? Don’t waste time and energy sweating about the little things. You should concentrate your energies on the more important things.

Spend time worrying about the dress or cake rather than worrying about which guests will sit next to each other. ? If you’re like most people, sleep is last on the priority list. But in actuality, it should be on the top. Not getting enough sleep, or getting too much sleep, will drain you, wear you out, and make it harder to deal with the stress. ? You can’t do it all yourself. If you take on too much by yourself, you’ll just find yourself drowning in tasks as the wed ding draws near.

So let peo ple help you. ? If you want to lose a few extra pounds before the big day, do not crash diet. Just like not getting enough sleep, crash dieting will consume all your energy, and you will end up cranky and irritable. Exercising causes endorphins to release into your body, which give you energy and help you to be happy. Exercising is not only a good way to lose a few pounds, but it also releases the stress that is built up inside of you. ? Treat yourself to a day at the spa, and get a massage, facial or manicure.



If you can’t afford to go to a spa, relax at home: take a hot bath, light aro matherapy candles, and listen to some of your favourite relaxing music. ? Instead of stressing about before the wedding, spend time thinking about after the wedding. Envision the honeymoon; think about spending time with your companion for all time. ? Plan a fun date with your fiancé. Pretend like you have no wedding to talk about, and just have a fun and crazy time.

Or do something romantic like relive your first date, or give each other massages. ? Take a girl’s night out. This is especially good if you and your fiancé are irritating each other because you’ve been spending too much time planning together. A good old-fashioned girl’s night will help you take a load off, give each other facials, manicures, pedicures, and watch your favourite chick flick.

Autographed Celebrity Pictures on your mobile Phones

ANUPAMA SUBRAMANIAN | CHENNAI:
Gone are the days of stampedes and queues to get the autograph of a star on a scrap of paper. City-based Nexmoo Solutions (India) Private Solutions, has launched an innovative new service, Mobile Autograph, where one can download an autographed photograph of one’s favourite celebrity.

The concept is similar to downloading ringtones and wallpapers on a cellphone. A database of autographed celebrity pictures are available, which can also be downloaded in a similar fashion.


Talking about the service, the man behind the concept, Padiaranjan, the managing director of Nexmoo says, “I’ve always been fascinated with celebrities. Their lives, their achievements and what they have access to is something most of us can only dream about. As a child when celebrities would come to my native village, my friends and I would always try and get their autographs in our notebooks. But we succeeded only once or twice — other times we would come back home disappointed.” After a lot of groundwork, Nexmoo found out that no service provider anywhere in the world offered this innovative facility, and so decided to plunge headlong into it. “Since we had access to the stars in the south, we decided to launch with their autographs. We first approached actor Vikram who thought it was a novel idea and gladly gave us his signature,” says Padiaranjan.

Mobile autograph includes photographs of celebrities such as Sneha, Srikanth, Sandhya, Prashanth, Vijayakanth, Padmapriya, Tollywood stars Ravi Teja and Uday Kiran among others. These photographs can be downloaded through any GPRS mobiles and will cost Rs.15 per autographed photograph.

Also there is a feature where just the autograph can be downloaded without the photograph, but the rate is the same.

The autographs will be available in English as well in other languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada.

Will celebrities get paid for this? “Not really, since the revenue is shared,” says Padiaranjan.

The company has signed agreements with celebrities from Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood and eminent sportpersons as well.

HONEYMOON HAUNTS - Where celebrity couples go to escape the public eye

Caribbean PREVIOUS HONEYMOONERS Courteney Cox and David Arquette honeymooned at the exclusive Cap Juluca resort on the tiny island of Anguilla in the British West Indies, which overlooks the mountains of St Martin and shocking blue Maundays Bay. Claudia Schiffer jetted there after marrying Matthew Vaughn at the Sandy Lane resort on Barbados, as did Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.

COULD SUIT Evangeline The private pair could Lilly and Dominic Monaghan. swap the island of Hawaii (where they are filming TV series Lost) for a different tropical getaway. They might consider Mick Jagger’s sumptuous Villa Mustique, which is available for rent. The six separate living pavilions on the beach have a Japanese theme and the use of Mick’s personal Jeep is included in the £7,000 - £9,000 a week price. But the highlight is the superbly trained staff of six who will prepare anything from cheeseburgers to lobster and champagne picnics.

Tanzania PREVIOUS HONEYMOONERS Following their spectacular 2004 wedding, Prince Frederik of Denmark and Aussie Mary Donaldson departed for a grand tour of Tanzania. After the huge televised ceremony in Denmark, they set off on an ultra-luxe break which included chandelier-lit suites and rose-petal baths. COULD SUIT B rad Pitt and Angelina aJolie, who have already enjoyed romantic break in Kenya where the former Tomb Raider was reported to have made noises like a lioness. The thrillseeking pair could leave the tots behind in Namibia, southern Africa, and embark on a safari adventure, checking out wildlife up close. At night, they can enjoy treetop bedrooms or luxurious lodges, with a night or two of barefoot bliss on a beach off the coast in Zanzibar thrown in.

Fiji PREVIOUS HONEYMOONERS B ritney Spears and Kevin Federline hired a private jet, chartered for $120,000, and headed to the exclusive Turtle Island Resort. The island hideaway features just 14 bungalows on 500 acres, and a stay costs approximately $2,000 a nightincluding massages. COULD SUIT K elly Brook could show off her new range of bikinis after getting hitched to Billy Zane in Greece. The beautiful British model and actress fell in love with the South Pacific Island after filming Celebrity Love Island nearby. They could settle into a stunning spa resort with plenty of pampering for Kelly, while Billy could enjoy a spot of diving or even fishing.

Ireland PREVIOUS HONEYMOONERS S arah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick headed to the Emerald Isle after tying the knot in New York. The Sex And The City actress and her new hubby loved Ireland so much, they returned a few years later and bought a small house near the coast of Donegal. COULD SUIT I rreverent actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen might consider taking Isla Fisher back to his native UK and show off his new bride to the charming Irish. The pair could appreciate the craic over a pint of Guinness, and Sacha could share his Ali G anecdotes with the locals. They could party in Dublin, enjoy a cealidh in Cork, or just absorb the beautiful greenery.

The Seychelles PREVIOUS HONEYMOONERS P withMcCartneyhasbeds scattered with luxury thatched vilaul and Heather Mills frolicked on Fregate Island, which only a handful of las four-poster hibiscus blossoms. It is extremely secluded, with seven beaches to pick from — one of which is only big enough for two people. COULD SUIT Ea lizabeth HurleyIndianArun Nayar. Lizoflooksperfect on and and great the beach and the Ocean provides the place for loved-up couple to make the most the sunshine warm breezes, as well as the tropical seas. With the help of a nanny for Liz’s son Damian, and hundreds of islands to choose from, the pair can enjoy diving, swimming, hiking, sunbathing — or just each other.

MORE HOT HIDEAWAYS Maldives: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes chose to cruise around the Maldives’ coral islands in a yacht, stopping by at some of its exclusive resorts. Australia: Russell Crowe and Danielle Spencer, who travelled around the stunning tropical state of Queensland. The couple visited the Sunshine Coast, a scenically beauti ful region. Italy: Sir Elton John and David Furnish spent their honeymoon in Venice last year, and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver took his wife Jools to Positano on the Amalfi coast when they wed in 2000. Scotland: Down-to-earth A-list couple Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany tied the knot in a quite cere mony in Scotland before visiting some of the more remote parts. Kate Winslet and first husband Jim Threapleton were spotted biking around the Highlands back in 1998. Hawaii: Billionaire Bill Gates took his wife to the Manele Bay Hotel in Lanai, a luxury palm-filled resort with its own waterfall, tennis courts and overlooking the sea.

By ELLIE EVANS A host of A-listers got engaged or married this year in what looks set to be a record number of Hollywood weddings. Admittedly, with money being no object, Tinseltown’s couples are spoiled for choice. But a honeymoon is supposed to provide the chance to spend quality time with your new spouse, and celebs crave relaxation and luxury as well as maximum privacy. So what are the top honeymoon spots of the rich and famous — and who is planning to head there after their wedding?

Itihaas - Americans need to be educated about India

AKHILESH MITHAL
December 3, 1810, saw the British invade Mauritius to safeguard the sea route to India. Pushing out the French and acquiring the island of Mauritius for themselves, enabled the British to plug a hole in the defence of their Indian possessions. The French under Napoleon had shown interest in India. Tipu Sultan (killed May 4, 1799) had cultivated the “enemy’s enemy” and even had a Jacobin Club in Seringapatam where he was addressed as Citizen Tipu.
It is hoped that 2010 (two hundredth anniversary) will see India and Mauritius strengthen their fraternal bonds by taking some significant step such as common nationality.

Another anniversary that falls on December 3 is that of the poison gas tragedy in Bhopal. 1984 saw some twenty thousand people killed in what was perhaps the worst industrial accident in history. The Madhya Pradesh government led by Arjun Singh (now minister for human resources) came to a settlement with the company responsible, Union Carbide, a United States based company.

The price of an Indian life was assessed at a cheap rate and was nowhere near that of a white life in the US. This settlement has not stood the test of time and continues to be a cause for unhappiness and strife. The US whites have to grow up and become “modern” if they wish to become respected and beloved members of the world community. The mind set of the dominant whites in the US continues to be pathological and absurd.

This was exhibited on television in America during the recent elections there. Senator George Allen of Virginia was seeking re-election. This senator is said to display a Confederate flag in his living room. As readers will recollect the American Civil War was fought between the Unionists and the Confederates. The Confederates were fighting to retain slavery while the Unionists wanted it abolished.

The senator also displays a rope fashioned into a knotted noose in his house. This is a symbol of the lynching mobs. Black or African-Americans were the victims of the lynching mobs less than a hundred years ago.

During the re-election campaign, on August 11, 2006, George Allen spotted a photographer recording the proceedings on video. His dark visage appears to have offended George Allen. Although an American by birth and nationality, the offender was of south Asian (Indian) origin. This prompted the senator to call him “Macaca”.

The reference is to monkeys. Macaca Mulotte means Rhesus Macaque. The video clip of the episode was shown on television. The voters must have thought that the senator has crossed the limits of decency as he lost the election. The blatantly racist attitude of George Allen is obviously not shared by majority of the Americans in the Virginia constituency.

What makes George Allen significant is his being thought of the most likely successor to George W. Bush for the Republican nomination for the presidential candidacy in 2008. It is obvious that the Republican leadership do not believe in all human beings being brothers and equals. They also ignore Darwin’s “Origin of the Species” published November 24, 1859. As George Allen is obviously a man of consequence in the US, perhaps some attempt should be made to help him become India-literate.

India is a multi-faith society of over a billion people of whom 85 per cent are Hindu. For many Hindus, a monkey god, Hanuman, is an object of adoration and worship. The Hanuman Chalisa, a fortyverse elegy dedicated to Hanuman by the 16th century sage and poet Goswami Tulasidas, is memorised by millions. Temples with the icon of the monkey god can be found under trees on busy roads as well as in temples specially constructed to worship him. Many Indians are called “Hanuman Prasad” (Gift of Hanuman) and also by his other epithets such as Pawan Kumar (son of the Wind God).

The Indian Council of Cultural Affairs should make the spreading of India literacy as its major task. Dr Karan Singh is the head of this body. As health minister during the Emergency, Dr Karan Singh allowed family planning to be pushed beyond the limits.

When B.K. Nehru visiting from abroad and asked him about the excesses committed, he replied, “You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.” The same dedication is needed in making Americans understand India.