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NOWCAST WBAL-TV 11 News Tonight
Baltimore County superintendent revs up top administrators
Dallas Dances shifts focus to early childhood education
Tim Tooten
Education Reporter
Baltimore County School Superintendent Dr. Dallas Dance gave marching orders to his top administrators Friday. How will his plan for the new year affect students and teachers heading back to the classroom?
Baltimore County School Superintendent Dr. Dallas Dance gave marching orders to his top administrators Friday. How will his plan for the new year affect students and teachers heading back to the classroom?The annual back-to-school message was part pep talk, part team strategy for a district hoping to lead the pack in both academics and success.As Dr. Dallas Dance starts his fourth year on the job, he told principals and other top administrators in a meeting at Loch Raven High School that in many ways, this year would a year of business as usual."We have to focus on what's most important. And what's most important is not that we do anything new, so we are not adding anything new this year to the plate. What we are doing right now most importantly is focusing on that theory of action," Dance said.Dance said the district can't lose sight of a student's early learning years and that's why he announced plans to enhance academics this year from the ground up."At two of our elementary schools, Sandy Plains Elementary School and Halstead Academy, we'll be piloting a full day pre-K program for kids and families and we know that's not enough, but it's indeed a start for our kids," Dance said.He said more than 22 percent of the county's freshman class is not on track to graduate. He proposed building programs to deal with the problem. But programs aside, Dance said leaders can't lose sight of building relationships and to do it one student and one staff member at a time."How do we create a culture and climate in our schools that's all about respecting each other? And I'm not just talking about student to student. I'm talking about adult to adult and adult to student as well," Dance said.Dance is confident this important piece of the puzzle will pay off in the classroom this year.Again, Baltimore County schools reopen on Aug. 24.Check out 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten's conversations with school leaders from Anne Arundel and Howard counties.
TOWSON, Md. —
The annual back-to-school message was part pep talk, part team strategy for a district hoping to lead the pack in both academics and success.
Carroll County schools deal with teacher, enrollment challenges
Homeless kids need first-day-of-school supplies
Howard County schools embrace technology in upcoming year
Anne Arundel County superintendent talks school
Baltimore school police reaching out to Latino community
Baltimore County seeks school bus drivers
As Dr. Dallas Dance starts his fourth year on the job, he told principals and other top administrators in a meeting at Loch Raven High School that in many ways, this year would a year of business as usual.
"We have to focus on what's most important. And what's most important is not that we do anything new, so we are not adding anything new this year to the plate. What we are doing right now most importantly is focusing on that theory of action," Dance said.
Dance said the district can't lose sight of a student's early learning years and that's why he announced plans to enhance academics this year from the ground up.
"At two of our elementary schools, Sandy Plains Elementary School and Halstead Academy, we'll be piloting a full day pre-K program for kids and families and we know that's not enough, but it's indeed a start for our kids," Dance said.
He said more than 22 percent of the county's freshman class is not on track to graduate. He proposed building programs to deal with the problem. But programs aside, Dance said leaders can't lose sight of building relationships and to do it one student and one staff member at a time.
"How do we create a culture and climate in our schools that's all about respecting each other? And I'm not just talking about student to student. I'm talking about adult to adult and adult to student as well," Dance said.
Dance is confident this important piece of the puzzle will pay off in the classroom this year.
Again, Baltimore County schools reopen on Aug. 24.
Check out 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten's conversations with school leaders from Anne Arundel and Howard counties.


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It was incredibly! Glad you like it!
Thanks Josh 😊 hope you're well.
Peter Rabbit is my favourite.. especially the story of Peter's father..
Peter Rabbit is so prolific. It's amazing that these tales have stood the test of time.
Thanks for appreciating it. Means a lot.
That must have been a fun trip for you! I think I would enjoy seeing Beatrix Potter's house and all the surroundings that inspired her wonderful stories. Glad you're having such a nice August!
I will check it on Amazon. Sometimes books are extremely expensive for me. No sales happen here.. Thanks for giving me a new author.
Aw that's such a shame. You may be able to find pdf versions online? I'll see what I can find out!
Just few days ago, I was reading a BrainPickings article on Beatrix Potter and I was astonished by the kind of life she lived. Apart from her children books, she also did an extensive research on the types of mushrooms (Flammulina Velutipes) that existed. Her detailed drawings of several species is just incredible.
Now I see your post on her. So happy for you Charley 🙂 I wish someday I would visit there too. Thanks for this lovely post!
Yes, you're absolutely right. There's plenty left to find out about her. I'm so so glad you've enjoyed it. I loved it. If you get there, I hope you love it as much as I did.
Did you go to the museum while you were at the Lakes? We didn't get a chance to go up to the house like you have here but the museum was really good. I loved Beatrix Potter books when I was little.
Yes I did. I really enjoyed it too. It was so wonderful to see the illustrations in the flesh as it were. I also went to the Beatrix Potter Experience too which was so much fun! She's one hell of a lady isn't she!
Ahh …. , how wonderful a time you must have had. Lake District is indeed such a beautiful area and the nature astonishing. I used to live in West Yorkshire so it wasn't far to visit for weekends and breaks.
Beatrix Potter and her village you describe so beautifully. Love this post.
Wow, your pictures look so lovely, and the idyllic scenic cottage looks like the perfect weekend getaway location. I can imagine how Beatrix Potter got her inspiration from, and it must've been lovely to find out the locations she wrote at.
That was so interesting, I never read these books as a child, wish I had but there is a lovely entwining of Beartrix Potter in one of the 'Seven Sisters' series by Lucinda Reilly so my interest was sparked. Looks a wonderful place to visit.
Its a great series. Fiction built around facts. 7 books in all each telling the story of a different sister snd the seventh book will answer the hidden question.
Heavenly post and I now want to go and read her book all over! The house is wonderful, cosy and the views stunning. It was fascinating to read and see the places nearby which inspired her as well. A beautifully presented and informative post … your joy at being there is palpable!
Thanks, I had a wonderful summer, very special. I can well imagine it's tough falling back into the school life and that you're extremely busy! A world away from the peace of the Lakes! My son has just stared Yr13 and doesn't seem to have stopped since …with lots going on here I haven't had a chance to post on my blog yet and will be doing so less for a while! Always a joy to read your posts!
I did miss you! But I knew you'd be busy which is absolutely fine. Just know that I did notice! Aw good luck to your son. Yr13 is always busy but you're striving for what you want to do next so I hope he has a positive year. Glad to hear you're doing well. I'll keep checking back just in case you've posted something. I wouldn't want to miss it!
How special! I would love to visit as well. Loved tour pictures and description.
Thanks so much Darlene. It was so lovely. I would love to go back.


Indietronica trio Panama has just put out their Always EP. It's a dreamy batch of groovy, lustrous dance songs that are reminiscent of fellow Australian synthpoppers Cut Copy. Panama's sophomore EP is also their most buzzworthy: the title-track has been played over a million times on Soundcloud and its music video has over 500,000 views on YouTube. Check out Scene Point Blank's email chat with Panama's Jarrah McCleary about the EP, SXSW, and T Bone Burnett.
Scene Point Blank: What's the story behind the name Panama?
Jarrah McCleary: I was working in Los Angeles with Eric Broucek and I hadn't come up for a name for the new music I was writing/recording. I feel like band names are sometimes the hardest things to come up with, especially if you're trying to force one, so I guess Panama kind of just evolved whilst I was over there. The music I was writing seemed to suit the name. I've always liked names that evoke a sense of what the music might sound like and to me the nostalgic synth sounds and percussive elements conjured up a portrait of an exotic South American experience.
Scene Point Blank: I love the angelic synths and saxophone solo on "Strange Feeling." How'd you come up with those musical elements?
Jarrah McCleary: I did a lot of work on the synths at home with a few different sampling programs. I became besotted with a program called Omnisphere which is kind of like a sampler crossed with a synth. I was using this particular program for a course I was studying in screen music at the time, so I was comfortable enough to bring it into my songwriting process. As for the saxophone, that was actually a live take from a local San Franciscan artist I hired to work on a bunch of songs I recorded over there. He had a really deep emotional tone to his playing and I admire what he contributed to "Strange Feeling." There are a few songs that we still haven't been released (as yet) that feature his killer skills.
Scene Point Blank: Which artists/bands were your biggest inspirations on the Always EP?
Jarrah McCleary: As much as I endeavour to write music that doesn't replicate what other musicians have done, it would be arrogant to say that the Always EP wasn't influenced (unintentionally or otherwise) by music that I was listening to at the time/artists that I am and have always been passionate about. "Destroyer" in particular combines my passion for '80s new wave artists such as Icehouse and The Human League. Some people have said that "Destroyer" sounds influenced by Cliff Martinez's soundtrack from the movie Drive, which I guess it could be. It's funny how you can write songs that you think are really different-sounding and then you realise that "Hey, maybe it's not and it actually sounds a bit like that movie I saw last month?".
Scene Point Blank: What did you guys do differently on the EP compared to It's Not Over?
Jarrah McCleary: I suppose I spent a fair bit more time working on the EP myself this time. When I worked with Eric in L.A. on It's Not Over, he was pretty integral in shaping the sound of the music. By the time I sat down to write Always, I had been working on Panama for a year and a half and felt confident in my ability to take the EP in the right direction myself. I still worked with Eric on "Always" and "Destroyer" (and a bunch of other unreleased tracks) in San Fran though as I really wanted to include his expertise in sound and mixing. I am pretty proud to say that I recorded and mixed "How We Feel" in my home studio on my own. It's my first song to date that I haven't worked with Eric on.
"I am pretty proud to say that I recorded and mixed "How We Feel" in my home studio on my own."
Scene Point Blank: What were your favorite albums of 2013?
Jarrah McCleary: I enjoyed the Mt Kimbie Cold Spring Fault Less Youth record and also Blood Orange's Cupid Deluxe. Both albums were pretty stand out for me.
Scene Point Blank: You guys recently did SXSW. What were your favorite moments from the festival?
Jarrah McCleary: I really enjoyed all the shows that we played and it was great to share it with Tim and Tom (who make up my live show) as well as our soundie Matt. We all agree that our favourite show was the Soundcloud one as the vibe was amazing. The energy that we received from our audience was incredible as they were so enthusiastic--which is what you always hope for when you get out on that stage.
Scene Point Blank: What's your favorite Panama music video?
Jarrah McCleary: My favourite Panama clip would definitely have to be the one we had made for "It's Not Over." The first cut that the guys from A Nice Idea Everyday sent us was exhilarating to watch as I really felt like they understood the energy and feeling that I tried to create in the song.
Scene Point Blank: And lastly, who's your dream director to score a film for?
Jarrah McCleary: That's actually a great question and something that I have pondered as I have studied screen music in the past. My girlfriend and I just finished manically watching True Detective (we finished it over a weekend) and the score that T Bone Burnett wrote for it was incredible! What I like about screen music in such TV dramas are the ways in which the composer uses the main theme of the series to explore different emotions and points of tension throughout episodes. It really adds another layer of depth to what you're watching. T Bone Burnett does a fine job of it in True Detective as does Jeff Beal in the US version of House of Cards.
Words by Eli Zeger on Aug. 24, 2014, 5:19 p.m.
Posted by Eli Zeger on Aug. 24, 2014, 5:19 p.m.


Glowing with rustic elegance and timeless sophistication, this collection has a distinctive architectural quality. An aged cast iron base is accompanied by a white fabric shade, creating nothing less than a work of art.
100 watt max (not included).
Lightly dust with dry cloth or feather duster.


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Q: I want to call an automated check everytime if the 'user' is logged in. If not the 'user' logs in and then redirects back to the (url) In order to keep the test cases as short as possible, I want to avoid repeating the whole login process and clicking every time.
What I want is a function to check if the 'user' is logged in already and combine that with different logic for each case (yes or no).
Let's say I immediately call  browser.get('/newUrl'); on the first line of the test case. What should happen is: system checks if it is logged in... If YES -> redirect to /newUrl | if NO -> redirect to /login, login and then redirect back to /newUrl
So, I'm aware of protractor's urlIs and getCurrentUrl, which I've tried to use in combination with a browser.driver. This hasn't worked yet, which I kind of expected.
  redirectToMandate() {
    browser.driver.wait(() => {
      browser.driver.getCurrentUrl().then(() => {
        if (browser.driver.getCurrentUrl() !== '/mandate') {
          const loginPage = element(by.cssContainingText('a', 'Passwort vergessen? (Mail an Admin)'));
          browser.wait(until.visibilityOf(loginPage), 15000, 'Error element taking too long to appear');

          page.valuesForLogin();
          const loginButton = element(by.id('btn-login'));
          loginButton.click();

          const mandateText = element(by.cssContainingText('.AppSubHeader_mainTitle', 'Mandate'));
          expect(browser.wait(until.visibilityOf(mandateText)));
        } else {
          browser.get('/mandate');
          browser.wait(
            until.urlContains('/mandate'), 10000
          );
        }
      });
    });
  }

I've started to try something like above, but it doesn't work
I'd appreciate any help possible, thanks!

A: Honestly, within these 20 lines it may have 100 different reasons why it doesn't work. So you really should've posted what error you get
This is my shot in a dark, try it
redirectToMandate() {
  browser.driver.wait(() => {
    browser.driver.getCurrentUrl().then((currentURL) => { // these two lines
      if (!currentURL.includes('mandate')) { // these two lines
        const loginPage = element(by.cssContainingText('a', 'Passwort vergessen? (Mail an Admin)'));
        browser.wait(
          until.visibilityOf(loginPage),
          15000,
          'Error element taking too long to appear'
        );

        page.valuesForLogin();
        const loginButton = element(by.id('btn-login'));
        loginButton.click();

        const mandateText = element(by.cssContainingText('.AppSubHeader_mainTitle', 'Mandate'));
        expect(browser.wait(until.visibilityOf(mandateText)));
      } else {
        browser.get('/mandate');
        browser.wait(
          until.urlContains('/mandate'), 10000
        );
      }
    });
  });
}

if doesn't help, learn to debug, all I can say... eg console.log your url first, then try verify if/else is working, then check every step separately etc...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home > News > Golf > Can Rory Mcilroy Win Major Year
Can Rory McIlroy Win A Major This Year?
It is easy to forget that Rory McIlroy is still yet to turn 28 years of age. He is the winner of four major titles, the leading face of his sport and a man who carries the weight of Northern Ireland on his shoulders. Over the past century, the only golfer who achieved more by the age of 25 is Tiger Woods and like the American, McIlroy has become a victim of expectations caused by his own incredible success.
Yet doubts over his staying power remain. 2017 is so far shaping up to a year to forget in the career of McIlroy that has stalled since his thrilling 2014 US PGA Championship victory – the last of his major triumphs. Doubts are creeping in; alarm bells are ringing and his well-documented injury problems appear no closer to disappearing.
Two years without a major would be nothing to worry about for any ordinary golfer, but then again McIlroy with a club in his hands is capable of producing the extraordinary and making the ridiculous look effortless. It wasn't even twelve months ago that he was conjuring up two magical strokes of the highest quality to claim the Irish Open.
In his one tournament appearance so far this campaign at the South African Open, McIlroy, was noticeably competing with a back problem which required anti-inflammatory tablets and was still able to take eventual winner Graeme Storm to a play-off.
His lack of playing time since then could prove to be advantageous when the former world returns to action from a rib stress fracture caused by lengthy periods on the range testing new equipment during the Christmas break.
The former number one is targeting a return to the greens of Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico at the beginning of March – just a month before the season's opening major at Augusta. The Masters remains the missing piece from his golfing jigsaw – his chance at immersing himself into the history books by becoming just the sixth player to claim all four majors during his career.
Even with February seemingly a complete write-off, one should expect McIlroy to at least be competitive when the contest to don the prestigious green jacket gets underway. The leading lights of every sport peak for the big events and his spell on the sidelines may help drive away any uncertainties that are lingering as well as ensuring he is in the best possible condition ahead of his comeback to the PGA Tour.
His sights will be on success at April's Masters as he aims to complete the career grand slam and regain top spot in the rankings, currently held by Australian Jason Day. However, one should never discount McIlroy's chances at any of the top events – he has the all-round game and knowhow to pose a significant threat to the rest of the field.
But for long can he sustain his motivation? If he was to finally master Augusta, would his passion and drive begin to wilt? McIlroy is on the path to joining the pantheon of immortal golfers and even if a fifth major doesn't arrive this year, it is hard to imagine the County Down prodigy failing to pick up at least one or two more in the near future. After all, form is temporary, class is permanent.
Back McIlroy to win the Masters with William Hill
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


June 28, 2013 June 29, 2013 .
Fighting with knife or against a knife is a chalange. We need to understand that a person attaching you with a knife is trying to kill you.
Most contries do not have any culture where they fight with knife. When a person attack you with a knife he do that to terminate your life and nothing less. Most of the time you will, if you also carry some type of weapon, not have time to pull your weapon. Meaning you have to face the knife with your bare hands. You might calculate that this person will not show you the knife before attacking you. They simply go for the stab. Making this even more simple; it will not become any real fight! It will never become any dueling with knifes. It is the opponent and his intent to stab you and that is it. The knife is a tool for terminating you and not any gentleman fighting tool.
The opponent will be a intent to stab you once or twice. He will not stand there holding the knife in front of himself. Resist and protect yourself in this two attack and the chance for survival increases drastically. Fight to survive, not to win; when facing a knife. Do not think you know fighting with a knife. Becouse nobody really know how to do it when faced the blade. The adrenaline start pounding and toy get an adrenaline dump. All training, techniques and commonsence is lost in a second. The opponent tend to rush at you and stab, stab and stab… This is the common and the most effective way to attack with a knife. When that comes against you is the moment you need to be prepared. The more unpredictable, the more dangerous is the technique. Making the best knife technique not static. Forget about catching the knife hand or to kick the knife out of the hand of the opponent. It will simply not happen.
When you have a relative opening in a fight against a blade take it. Waiting for a proper opening will never happen. Take what you get and use it. If you run after a person with a knife you become a killer and not a defender. That is why that you only use your knife in the opening and not when running after the opponent. Do not overfocus on the pendulum movement/ swing of the opponents knife arm. It might get you cut. If you realice that it exist a knife, you better run!


text:
Perceptions · 1 May '19
In 2018, just under five million people fell victim to debit or credit card fraud in the UK – with over £2 billion stolen in total, averaging £833 per person. By 2025, the global losses to credit card fraud are expected to reach almost $50 billion.
While Mastercard and VISA's chip-enabled cards have been effective at combating physical credit card crime, the online world continues to be afflicted. Now, companies are looking for a solution that can better detect and prevent fraudulent transactions – and many have turned their attention to solutions that utilise machine learning techniques.
Minority classes in the imbalanced gym
Detecting fraudulent transactions in a large dataset poses a problem because they are a minority class. For example, there may only be 1,000 cases of fraud in every million transactions, representing a minute fraction (0.1%) of the full dataset.
In data science, these imbalanced datasets can be very difficult to analyse, because machine learning algorithms tend to show a bias for the majority class, leading to misleading conclusions.
For example, imagine you are the manager of a gym and the gym owner asks you to predict the likelihood of each customer renewing their gym membership at the end of the year. To do this, you will need to examine existing data on each member – e.g. frequency of visits, joining date, equipment preferences, etc. – to determine whether they fall into one of two categories: will renew or will not renew.
Analysing this data is made difficult by the fact that the gym has an abnormally high retention rate: 99% of customers have renewed their membership to date. Simply put, the non-renewers are the minority class.
A quick and easy way to proceed in this circumstance would be to predict that 100% of gym members will renew in the next year, giving you a 99% accuracy rate. Sounds great, right?
But this model doesn't hold up because the gym manager – or algorithm – has failed to learn anything about which gym members are least likely to renew their membership. So although the prediction has a "good accuracy rate", it ultimately delivers no value.
Over, under and GAN
Traditionally, there have been two popular ways of handling imbalanced datasets: oversampling and undersampling.
Oversampling is achieved by artificially generating new observations in the data set belonging to the underrepresented class (e.g. fraudulent transactions). There are a number of techniques that data scientists use for oversampling, including SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique), which can create synthetic observations of the minority class.
Undersampling works in the opposite way: it removes the number of samples in the overrepresented class (e.g. non-fraudulent transactions) to "balance" the dataset. The easiest way to undersample is to randomly remove observations from the majority class – but with this technique, datasets need be large enough to mitigate the effects of the removal of data points.
Augmentation based on generative adversarial networks (GANs) is another technique that is growing in popularity. While oversampling creates synthetic observations that are almost identical to the original observations in the minority class, GANs look to take this one step further and generate new, unique observations that look and behave even more like real-life data.
This technology was recently utilised to produce photographs of artificial faces via the website This Person Does Not Exist. The underlying code – StyleGAN – was written by Nvidia and uses a dataset of celebrity faces to produce unique images with randomly-tweaked visual features (e.g. shape, size, pose and hair colour). The result is both an astonishing but also slightly unsettling series of hyper-realistic – but totally fake – human headshots.
At Hazy we have an array of proprietary synthetic data generation algorithms that extend the capabilities of GAN and other related algorithms. These models integrate with our synthetic data and model optimisation tooling, enabling us to select the best possible generation algorithm for each specific use case. The resulting Hazy data is therefore optimised for each client's data structure as well as the problem they are looking to solve.
What this means for credit card fraud
Banks and financial institutions are in need of a solution that can rebalance their datasets and correctly identify both fraudulent and non-fraudulent transactions. But at the same time, it's essential that the algorithms are able to detect false negatives and false positives.
False negatives describe predictions that are incorrectly flagged as negative. In credit card fraud, it could mean that a fraudulent transaction goes undetected and the fraudster successfully steals money from a customer's account.
False positives occur when the algorithm incorrectly identifies a positive prediction when it is actually negative. This would likely result in the bank blocking a customer's account for fraudulent behaviour when actually there was none.
Ultimately, if the data is imbalanced, even a model with a 99% accuracy rate will let a significant number of false negatives and false positives slip through the net – and only a balanced dataset can deliver the fast and effective solution warranted by the abundance of fraud in the world of finance.
Applications outside of finance
The application for rebalancing imbalanced datasets goes far and wide. In fact, any industry where valuable insights can be gleaned from rare events will experience imbalanced data problems in statistical models.
For example, the insurance industry is built on modelling risk. Rare events like extreme weather or train derailments are difficult to predict in current models, but ultimately they could have a significant effect on pricing.
Healthcare professionals also have a notoriously difficult time detecting rare genetic diseases, because imbalance designates them the minority class. In this industry, where even a single false negative can mean a patient goes undiagnosed, applying effective rebalancing algorithms to patient data could quite literally be the difference between life and death.
The future is balanced
Investment in technology for fraud detection has both increased and evolved over the years. We now have complex techniques within data science that attempt to address the issue of data imbalance, such as oversampling and undersampling, and even more sophisticated technologies appear to be on the horizon.
Whatever method data scientists gravitate towards, the desired outcome is data that acts and behaves naturally – i.e. a dataset that is the statistical equivalent of one collected in the real world. Without this, a significant number of fraudulent credit card transactions will continue to go undetected.
Harry Keen
CEO and Co-founder, Hazy
Where Are You on The Technology Readiness Scale? What Questions Should You Be Able to Answer About Your Technology?


Kunal Saini holds a degree in Computer Science and has been working in the software industry since 2005. At Adobe he works as a Software Engineer for the ColdFusion team. Previously, he worked for Oracle and Accenture.


Hallow hallow! It's nearly Halloween. The time of the year where we like to have a lot of fun when ghosts, frankensteins, vampires are running rife. Booooooooo! Keep it spooky!
Piñatas are the way to go for Halloween, as it can combine both the trick AND treat elements (instead of trick OR treat) all rolled up together in one. FUN! These piñatas will make fab Halloween party favours, part of the decorations or place settings.
There are bound to be some lonely toilet rolls lurking around, why not reuse them and make something cute prior to recycling.
Little scary message - these could be little scary comments which could be printed or handwritten. Extra touches could include writing these notes with a red marker, or dip your fingers in red ink and write the little notes with your fingers to make it more scary.
Place the end of the toilet roll on top of an A4 piece of paper. Use a pencil to trace around the toilet roll. Draw a larger circle around the first circle, around 1cm larger. Cut around the larger circle. Make fray slits around the circle by cutting from the larger circle into the border of smaller circle. These fray slits will help to bend the larger circle over one end of the toilet roll and act as a lid. Repeat this step as there needs to be 2 lids to secure the ends of the toilet roll, one lid for each end of the toilet roll.
Use white masking tape or white washi tape to tape one of the lids on to one end of the toilet roll. Make sure the lid securely covers the complete end of the toilet roll.
Fill the toilet roll with goodies. Confetti, little spooky toys, candy and chocolate treats and include a spooky message.
Take the second lid that has been made in step 1, and tape the lid to the open end of the toilet roll. Now both ends of the toilet roll should be closed.
Take the crepe paper, wrap it around the toilet roll widthwise, to estimate the length of crepe paper required to cover the circumference of the toilet roll. Cut around 8 strips of crepe paper and fringe the edges. Start from one end of the base, stick white fringe crepe paper onto the toilet roll using double-sided tape. Repeat until the whole toilet roll is covered with white fringe crepe paper.
Peel off 2 circle black stickers, add onto the roll to make eyes for the ghost. Alternatively, a black marker could be used instead to draw the features of the ghost piñata. Whahey, a ghost piñata, repeat to make more! Distribute the spook.
Happy Halloween! Show off your BOO-tys and have a spooktacular one!


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Our interest in information technology, in particular as it intersects with Indian Americans, is one of the central themes of our magazine. But our interest in science often casts a wider net.
One of the reasons is the realization at the back of our minds that the acute socio-economic challenges that India faces are hardly addressed by the information technology boom. The digital divide may have become a cliché from overuse, but it is nevertheless true.
This does not mean that we consider information technology irrelevant. It's important, but at the same time, we are also keenly interested when we see the scientific method having a recognizable socio-economic impact.
That is the reason a Tamil Nadu social welfare organization's innovative effort to address one of the most pressing problems in urban India is this issue's cover story. Waste disposal is a daunting, expensive challenge even in the affluent West. In India, given lax civic controls, the situation is horrifying. Yet this Tamil organization has shown that by the simple expedient of using a natural technique, i.e. using earthworms, a major city problem can be tackled in a way that is environmentally sound as well as socially and economically advantageous.
Sometimes it is relatively simple ideas like these, rather than highfalutin expensive technology, that can offer significant social benefits.
The siren call of technology-intensive Western solutions tend to cast a powerful spell, and efforts like these are a useful reminder it is not just technology, but appropriate technology that can be most fruitful in tackling India's formidable challenges, and social engagement is a key factor in making a difference.
Vermi… what? Get used to the term, which means using earthworms to turn your garbage to high quality fertilizer, says Rinku Gupta, who writes about the tremendous response of a Chennai NGO which has tried to popularize the technique.
Chennai is not very different form your average Indian metropolis in one respect — the city is bursting in the seams with refuse and fights a losing battle to devise a cost effective technique to handle it.
So what's your best guess about how to best tackle it? More dump trucks, landfill and million-dollar incinerators? Or contracting state-of-the-art waste management corporations in the West for an arm and a leg?
Actually it's the lowly and let's face it — yucky — earthworm which is turning out to be the real lifesaver. Vermicomposting could prove to be not only a lifesaver for the city about to get swamped in its garbage, but is also providing a tidy income for villagers in a fishing hamlet nearby.
Vermicomposting — yes, it's a mouthful, but get used to the term — refers to the technique of using earthworms to transform biodegradable garbage into natural fertilizer.
Chennai non-governmental organization Guild of Service identified Pudukalpakkam, a fishing hamlet on the East Coast Road, to help women of the village there, who were mainly employed in fishing, a seasonal occupation that did not bring a regular income to support their families. "We decided to train these women in the art of vermicomposting on a trial basis," says Saraswati Gopalkrishnan, honorary secretary of the project. "So we set up 10 pits in consultation with Dr. Sultan Ismail of New College, Chennai. The program became so successful that soon more women joined, bringing the total to 35. The Tamil Nadu Corporation for the Development of Women and the Tamil Nadu State Social Welfare Board decided to help us with funds to set up concrete pits, " she continues. Says Devika Rani, project officer, " So successful was the project that soon the women began clamoring for garbage and even began going to neighboring villages to obtain it. Each vermibed contained earthworms, cow-dung and bio-degradable waste which was all introduced in a phased manner and harvested in a period of 45 days. At the end of this period we had about 144 kg of rich, black, odorless vermicompost, ready to be sieved and cleaned before being packed and sent to our city office to be marketed and sold by us," she continues enthusiastically.
Vermicomposting is the conversion of biodegradable garbage into a high quality chemical free bio-fertilizer with the aid of earthworms. Earthworms play a key role in soil biology by serving as versatile natural bioreactors to harness and destroy soil pathogens, thus converting organic wastes into valuable bio-fertilizers, vitamins, enzymes, growth hormones and proteinaceous worm biomass.
And these little critters can work their butts off. Generally speaking, 2 lbs. of earthworms will recycle 1 lb. of organic waste in 24 hours. In absolutely ideal conditions of comfort and ground up, moist food, the herd will recycle their own weight in wastes every 24 hours. And they breed faster than rabbits. Ten lbs. of earthworms can become over two tons in two years. Naturally this presupposes good living conditions and no loss of earthworms due to ingesting toxic materials.
The earthworm voraciously feeds on all biodegradable refuse such as leaves, paper (non-aromatic), kitchen waste, vegetable refuse and the like. It then burrows deep into the soil, positioning its castings towards the surface of the soil thereby enriching the soil with a pre-digested, easy to assimilate bio-fertilizer that is now rich with nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. This soil also has the enhanced ability to absorb atmospheric moisture, helping in water economy and aeration.
Chemical fertilizers restrict the growth of soil microorganisms that are necessary for recycling nutrients. But vermicompost preserves the natural eco-system and helps in nature farming as a form of agriculture, which uses no chemicals for the growth of plants. Thus harvesting large amounts of garbage and turning it into vermicompost on a regular basis can free large areas of litter and also produce a bio-fertilizer that can be marketed and used in landscaping and farming, thus yielding a regular income.
The villagers in Pudukalpakkam were enthusiastic about it for good reason. Each woman makes at least Rs. 300 per month. Of course glass and plastics cannot be used, as they are not biodegradable. But the region is abundant in fish, and the women use fish waste extensively making the compost rich in vitamins, calcium and proteins.
And what's happening in Tamil Nadu is peanuts compared to Maharashtra.
Since 1985 an organization in Maharashtra has prompted over 2,000 farmers and institutions to switch from conventional chemicals to vermicompost. Vermiculture — the harvesting of earthworms — has been the primary focus at Maharashtra Agricultural Bioteks in India, an organization which has initiated both commercial and educational ventures to promote vermiculture.
In 1985, Maharashtra Agricultural Bioteks was formed and it established a small plant to manufacture vermicompost from agricultural waste. Those involved believed that a successful commercial venture based on regenerative principles might convince others to adapt sustainable practices.
The organization currently produces 5,000 metric tons of vermicompost annually. Its real achievement, however, has been in raising awareness among farmers, researchers and policy makers in India about regenerative food production methods. The group is directly responsible for 2,000 farmers and horticulturists adopting vermicomposting. These converts have begun secondary dissemination of the principles they were taught.
In 1991-92, Maharashtra Bioteks and the federal Department of Science and Technology promoted the adoption of vermicompost technology in 13 states in India. The group has also established a vermicompost unit with Chitrakoot Gramodaya University, Madhya Pradesh, which produces five tons of vermicompost per month.
Nearly 1,000 farmers have reduces their use of chemical fertilizers by 90 percent by using vermicompost as a soil amendment for growing grapes, pomegranates and bananas. Similar work is underway on mangoes, cashews, coconuts, oranges, limes, strawberries and various vegetable crops.
The organization has devised methods to convert biodegradable industrial waste like pulp waste from paper mills and filter cake and liquid effluent from sugar factories into vermicompost. These wastes are commonly regarded as pollutants, but three facilities are already producing thirty tons of vermicompost each month from this waste.
The organization has also created a program which trains housewives and home gardeners to produce their own vermicompost from household and garden waste. The aim of this work is to increase awareness about regenerative practices. Vermicompost kits have been developed and distributed and in one year 100 housewives were trained to use the kits.
Charlotte, N.C., based Vermicycle Organics, which harvests worm droppings in high-tech greenhouses, each year produces 7.5 million pounds of a fertilizer it markets as Nature's Ultimate Plant Food. The company expects sales of the fertilizer to grow by 500 percent in a year. In Orange Lake, Fla., Vermitechnology Unlimited has doubled its business every year since 1991, despite prices that can run twice as high as those of synthetic fertilizers. The company sells around 100 tons of worm droppings to local organic growers. With many local and state governments trying to divert waste from dogged landfills, forward-thinking cities are promoting "back-yard vermicomposting." Traditional compost piles can take weeks to produce a relatively low-quality humus; a pound of worms, on the other hand, needs only 48 hours to convert a pound of waste into nutrient-rich castings. In 1996 in San Jose, Calif., where state law has mandated that the amount of garbage going to landfills be cut in half by the year 2000, about 1,200 residents used city-distributed discount vouchers to purchase garbage-eating worms from Jack Chambers's Sonoma Valley Worm Farms. His small operation sells 4,000 pounds of worms a year-about 4 million of the critters-at around $20 per pound.
India, however, is still a long way behind in fully exploiting the promises of vermiculture technology for waste disposal and fertilizer generation. With the amount of waste produced in India, the country could easily produce 400 million metric tons of plant nutrients and considerably reduce the outflow of foreign exchange towards the import of fertilizers.
It is now up to grassroots organizations and scientist-activists to nudge and force usually slothful governments to make massive efforts to spread the practice – the dividends from it could easily be phenomenal, whether environmental, economic or social.
– Rinku Gupta is a reporter based in Chennai.
In association with Chennai Online.
Tata Teleservices, the private basic telephone service provider of Andhra Pradesh, in its endeavor to reach out to its customers, has created a direct customer link with the launch of its Web site www.tatateleservices.com . The Web site provides the user a comprehensive understanding of the company, its values, and the plethora of customer services offered.
With the launch of the Web site, Tata Teleservices has announced a contest, "Quick 5," for Internet users. Surprise gifts can be won by answering a few simple questions.
The Center for Development of Advanced Computing has completed the installation of the PARAM 10000 supercomputers at 12 premier academic institutions in India, CDAC executive director R.K. Arora said July 6.
He was speaking at the workshop to review the activities of the project for installation and usage of PARAM 10000 supercomputers at these institutions at CDAC here.
The project, sponsored by the federal Ministry of Information Technology at a cost of Rs. 72 million, involved the setting up of parallel computing systems at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Guwahati, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, University of Roorkee, Roorkee, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, and other places.
Eminent scientist Prof. V. Rajaram of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, discussed supercomputing technology. Dwelling at length on the genesis and growth of supercomputing technology, he predicted that from the present Gigaflop technology, supercomputing has moved on to teraflops and the future belongs to petaflop technology.
A Web site catering exclusively to Non-Resident Keralites has been launched by the Non-Resident Keralites' Affairs Department of the Kerala government July 6.
The portal was formally inaugurated by Kerala Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Minister M.M. Hassan here.
The Web site, www.nonresidentkeralite.com, gives useful information on various governmental schemes for NRKs and also serves as a forum for them to air their grievances.
It provides links to the federal Ministry of External Affairs Web site, addresses of regional passport offices and the offices of Protector of Immigrants in Kerala.
NORKA also has plans to establish a chat room for NRKs on the site.
Bihar's first couple are going in for an image makeover and the make-up package will be provided by Cobit-2001, a two-day international IT seminar from November 25.
Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi told journalists July 8 that India's Information Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan and IT's big two, Wipro chairman Azim Premji and N.R. Narayanmurthy of Infosys, would be invited to the meet.
"They were branded as being 'anti-IT' but the fact remained that the state was in favor of fast development in this field, they added.
The seminar would be organized by Indus Entrepreneurs, IT Society of India, the Bihar branch of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Bihar Industries Association, the state government and non-resident Indian Ramesh Yadav.
Forget lousy video prints. Forget commuting hassles. One of Bollywood's big players is promising to bring DVDs at your doorstep.
Secaucus, N.J.-based Eros Entertainment Inc., a major player in the Bollywood home entertainment market, announced last month that they are launching an online Bollywood DVD rental service for the American market. With this launch, Eros says it aims to consolidate its leadership position in the market by introducing this service aimed at the quality and convenience conscious South Asian consumer of Bollywood films.
Eros is hoping that its superior library and excellent service will bring in the customers. The company has promised a lot of consumer promotions including free trips to India, meetings with Bollywood stars etc. for the customers who log in and rent the Eros DVDs.
Lulla later explained that the market for Bollywood products worldwide is steadily increasing and that the Eros group of companies are well poised to maximize the potential through new production ventures and the available forms of content distribution including theatre, home entertainment (DVDs, VHS), satellite television (B4U) and online distribution.
Sabeer Bhatia was the poster child of the go-go Internet days when every desi techie dreamed of landing his first million in a year. The fall of his start-up underlines how fortunes can change like quicksilver in the rollercoaster world of IT, says Urvashi Majmundar.
How the mighty fall. It wasn't too long back when Sabeer Bhatia was the most Indian bachelor around, judging beauty pageants, advising the Indian government and giving advice in Indian television to IT instant millionaire wannabes. That is, when he wasn't ensconced in his $2 million plush Pacific Heights condo overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge or driving his Porsche Boxster.
Last month, Arzoo, his nine-month old venture, went belly-up as Bhatia joined the growing list of high-tech entrepreneurs who have been felled by the "dot-com" bust.
Arzoo, ironically, means "wish" in Urdu. That's one wish that will remain unfulfilled. Arzoo started as a venture linked to consumer shopping, later turned to an exchange for software projects, putting experts in a call-center like interface for clients. It charged its clients a flat monthly fee linked to usage and number of questions asked. The technical experts placed rival bids for their services.
Announcing its quiet burial, Bhatia refused to acknowledge defeat. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs never say die.
"We strongly believe in this model but, unfortunately, this is just not the right time to introduce such a service to our corporate partners — all of whom are engaged in what some call a 'ruthless cost-cutting' exercise," Bhatia said.
All of this is quite a comedown from the time when Bhatia had seized the desi public imagination when he and co-founder Jack Smith sold Web-based free e-mailing system Hotmail, something which they had started when Bhatia had just $6,000 in his bank, to Microsoft Corp for hundreds of millions of dollars.
The money-spinning venture began when he was working at Apple. In fact that is where he met Hotmail cofounder Smith. Bhatia's academic career path had already been fairly impressive — he had an undergraduate degree from Caltech and a masters from Stanford under his belt, and particularly at Stanford, he attended classes taught be Silicon Valley legends — Scott Nealy and Vinod Khosla of Sun Microsystems, Steve Jobs of Apple. Seeing these big shots gave him confidence. It was something he could use, because it had not been that long since he had reached Caltech, all of 19 years, with butterflies in his belly and wondering what the heck he was doing there.
Bhatia has worn his celebrity and wealth relatively well, say many who know him. And to be fair to him, if the dot-com bust has shown that the overhyped "genius" standing of many of Silicon Valley's high tech gurus is as fleeting as the crashing value of their stocks, then it is only fair to also remember that the demise of their pet projects should not cast more than a passing shadow on their merit.
And it's far from appropriate to shed any tears for Bhatia yet. For one thing, he must have pots of money left from the killing he made out of selling Hotmail.
For another, Bhatia is a tough cookie. Back in the days when he had come up with the business plan for Hotmail, the Internet feeding frenzy had not yet begun, and the path for IT entrepreneurs was not yet paved in gold — doled out by eager beaver VCs. Business plan in hand, knowing Hotmail was a surefire thing, Bhatia and cofounder Smith still had to bang a lot of doors before one opened for them when they tried to raise money.
"It was a hard story to sell," Bhatia has told Asiaweek when he reminisced about getting Hotmail started. "Few people believed the Net was real. They thought it was a fad, like CB radio." Nineteen doors had slammed on him, but he stuck to his guns, before he reached the offices of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, who decided to fund Bhatia and Smith's project with $300,000. The two stretched the money till the launch of Hotmail in July, 1996. By the end of the year, they had their millionth customer.
When Bill Gates wanted to buy his company, he was shown around the Microsoft campus — all 26 buildings. He met Bill Gates. Next thing he knows, he is facing 12 negotiators from Microsoft. And they gave him a final offer: $160 million, take it or leave it. Bhatia kept his cool. "I'll get back to you," he said.
A month later, Microsoft coughed up $400 million for Hotmail. The rest, as they say, is history. So it is, alas, with Arzoo. The market giveth, the market taketh away.
Urvashi Majmundar is a freelance writer.
Independence Day makes Indians nostalgic, and Bay Area Indian Americans are going to celebrate it with a three-day bash, writes Biren Chowdhary.
Colorful floats, yummy food kiosks, mehndi parlor, Indian fashion wear and jewelry, and all of it topped off by the presence of Miss World Priyanka Chopra — it's Indian Independence Day parade time again.
The Federation of Indo-American Association of Bay Area and the Federation of Indo-American Associations will celebrate India's Independence Day with a three-day extravaganza Aug. 3-5 with a dance competition, health fair, raas-garba, banquet and of course, a festive mela and a parade.
The arrival of August brings a whiff of nostalgia to every expatriate Indian in the world. August is the month of India's independence, when India won her freedom from the British after 200 years of colonization. In India, the tricolor flies proudly and special events commemorate the sacrifice of the nation to wrest independence from the British.
Outside India, the expatriate Indian's mind turns towards the motherland, and this is a time to reaffirm ties with the old country and pledge one's abiding affection and commitment to one's culture.
In the Bay Area, as the Indian American population has mushroomed, thanks to the information technology boom, the community is also becoming large enough to begin to define its own distinctive cultural identity. The community has been celebrating India's Independence Day with a parade for the past nine years.
With each passing year the event attracts not only tens of thousands of Indian Americans but now also the mainstream media as well local and state politicians who have come to recognize this as the premier cultural event of the community.
Last year, Miss Universe Lara Dutta led the parade, and State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, erstwhile Rep. Tom Campbell, other state officials including local city mayors Pete McHugh, Mark Green, Gus Morrison, Henry Manayan, attended the event along with many other local elected officials.
This year FIBA expects a huge turnout again to join organizers in several days of fun and activities that include cultural performances and a banquet in addition to the parade. The organization would like to extend a warm welcome to everybody to join and make this festivity your very own festival.
– Biren Chowdhary is the coordinator for India Festival 2001.
There is no alternative to financial planning for the future. In today's age of rapid changes in tax laws and investment scenarios you need expert help to plan well, but how do you figure out how to choose the best person? Ashok Gupta offers a few pointers.
In some ways, choosing a personal financial planner is like picking a good golf or tennis instructor. You want someone who's knowledgeable, can make a thorough assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, and gives you a plan to help improve your game.
Of course, unless you're eyeing a spot on the pro tour, you'll have much more at stake tackling today's increasingly complex financial environment than playing at your local country club. That's why working with a financial expert to develop a comprehensive, personalized financial game plan may be the best investment you ever make. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind in selecting the right financial planning professional.
Expect the "Big Picture:" While many financial professionals specialize in certain areas, such as investment advice, estate and retirement planning, risk management, and tax strategies, the primary responsibility of the accomplished financial planner is to provide you with a "big picture" perspective. Even if you only want consultation on one facet of your financial situation, a good planner should give you the framework to weigh each financial decision in relation to its short and long-term effects on your life goals.
Set Measurable Goals: Specificity can help shape a successful, well-focused plan. Wherever possible, a planner should help you quantify your financial goals and set targets for when you'd like to achieve them.
Demand Individual Treatment: Before making any recommendations, your planner should meet with you several times, reviewing your personal situation, discussing your objectives, examining relevant documents, and establishing the terms of your working relationship. The end result should be your plan, nobody else's. Watch out for "plans" that are put together without a rigorous examination of your circumstances. That's a tip-off that you may be getting a boilerplate product rather than a customized strategy.
Get Costs: A planner should be able to let you know the cost of his or her services within the first or second meeting. Depending upon the complexity of your situation, prices may range from $300-$2,500 or higher.
Separate the Plan from Other Purchases: Increasingly, consumers looking for unbiased, objective strategies are selecting fee-based planners. They are paid separately for the plans they develop, regardless of whether they play any other role in putting the plan into action.
Check Credentials: Several educational designations, such as CFP (Certified Financial Planner), ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) and CFA (Certified Financial Analyst), can help identify professionals who are committed to high standards and ethics. In addition, planners who are registered as investment advisers must produce, upon request, a form disclosing compensation methods, conflicts of interest, business affiliations and personal qualifications.
Coordinate Expertise: The rapid pace of today's financial, tax and legal developments makes it almost impossible for a planner to have an expert grasp on all the elements that might be needed to complete your comprehensive plan. That's why your planner should be willing and able to coordinate your plan with the efforts of any other specialists you retain.
Keep Control, Be Involved: Contrary to a popular misconception, hiring a professional planner doesn't equate to yielding control of your finances. Actually, a good planner should solicit and welcome your input. And a well-conceived plan should empower you to make better informed and more focused decisions going forward.
Keep Tabs on Plan Performance: Make sure that you monitor the performance of your plan. If you want, your planner will work with you after the plan has been implemented to track results and make appropriate adjustments.
Even if you're comfortable with developing your own financial strategy, you may want to think about reviewing it periodically with a planner. Just as the finest athletes regularly consult with coaches to keep in top form, objective professional input may add the extra "winning edge" to your personal finances in the long run.
This article gives general information for the subject matter covered. It is not intended to give tax or legal advice. An individual's particular circumstances should be discussed with a personal tax or legal advisor.
Evergreen playback singer Mohammed Rafi has been Bay Area performer Rakesh Kumar's long-time idol. He will pay a musical tribute to Rafi in a performance in September, writes Vishwesh Ranganathan.
Way back when he was 18, when Rakesh Kumar decided to begin to take lessons in light classical music at the Bharatiya Sangeet Kala Bhavan in Amritsar, his inspiration was one of the great titans of Bollywood music — the evergreen Mohammed Rafi. After over 1,000 live concerts in India, England and the U.S. including performing at London's Wembley Stadium and an album with Kavitha Krishnamurthy, his love for Mohd. Rafi is undiminished.
So come Sept. 15, Kumar will perform evergreen hits of Mohd. Rafi at a concert at Chandni Restaurant in Newark, Calif. He will perform with several other singers, both male and female. A seven-member orchestra will accompany the performance. Slides of films will create the mood for Rafi film songs that he will present, Kumar says.
After a three-year stint at Chandigarh, Kumar moved to Delhi where he continued taking lessons in music. He also started performing at live shows with a band of his own, and became so successful that at one point he was doing at least a show every day, he says.
Kumar moved to Mumbai to try his luck at playback singing, and also continued his musical training under Sulakshana Pandit He also spent a year in England, performing frequently in live shows for Punjabi audiences.
In the Bay Area, Kumar has a band, Anmol, with whom he presents live shows. His Antakshari show at the Fremont Hilton a few years back has been one of his most successful in the Bay Area. In addition Kumar has also extensively presented Mata Ki Jagriti at various temples to large audiences. Mata Ki Jagriti events are devotional sessions paying obeisance to Vaishno Devi.
who lives in Livermore, Calif.
Our automotive editor Al Auger cuts through the technobabble to give you the lowdown on Toyota's new state-of-the-art car which runs on gas as well as electricity.
When is an "electric car" not an electric car? When it is what has been accepted by the industry as a "hybrid." After all the political hoopla and hyperbole about the coming generations of electric vehicles, all cars with some level of electric motivation has come to be so termed. Not so. The 2001 Toyota Prius 4-door sedan is a good case in point. As the name implies, the Prius is a dual-powered machine.
Even beyond its esoteric hybrid roots, the Prius is a mixture of tradition, automotive exotica and high-tech. First, in the Prius' the principal mode of power is an in-line 4-cylinder, DOHC, 1.5-liter, 70 horsepower, variable valve timing (VVT-i) engine working in partnership with an electric drive motor that turns out 33 kW (44 horsepower). The unique Toyota Hybrid System operates the Prius on either gasoline or electric power or in combination. Whatever system of power is needed, THS is constantly directing the most efficient power to the wheels.
Regeneration of power to the electric motor comes from either the gasoline engine or during braking. This braking system is also unique in its operation. Called a regenerative braking system, it will, when the Prius is coasting or under braking, turn the gasoline engine into a generator, transforming kinetic energy into useable electricity to recharge the battery. When you let off on the accelerator and brake, this regenerative system begins to slow the forward motion. As you brake more, the computer signals out the regenerative system and phases in the hydraulic Anti-lock braking system. As you head downhill, simply shift into "B" on the automatic transmission and the engine brakes (as in downshifting). Just reading all this arcane info is intriguing.
Even the established EPA estimated fuel mileage is skewed in the Prius. The estimated city fuel figures of 44 to 60 MPG is actually figured higher that the highway numbers of 38 to 52 MPG. According to Toyota spokesman Michael Dobrin, "The people at Toyota said the Prius' main purpose is urban transportation and configured the duality of power and its fuel usage to favor stop and go driving. The result is better in-town mileage than freeway cruising where the gas engine is predominant." Such elevated numbers qualify the Prius for certification as a SULEV (super ultra low emission vehicle).
All that techno-babble behind us, the Prius (which is not a proper word either, by the way) is an engaging subcompact 4-door sedan all by itself. Designed by Toyota's Southern California Calty Design Research shop, it is distinctly an American-looking machine. Utilizing the "cab-forward" lay out of a long, rakish windshield and high roofline with short front and rear hangover, the Prius is at once singular in profile and expansive inside.
The instrument panel, as well, is one of a kind, with a wide-open display of controls and graphics. I don't know how the grab handle shifter for the automatic transmission passed the DOT safety standards, sticking straight out of the dash as it does, but whatever. Another caveat is the Multi-information Display screen with a touch-sensitive membrane. Next to cell phones or applying makeup while driving, what can be more distracting than trying to find the proper graphic to touch while whistling down the road at 65-70 MPH?
The information display is far too fascinating with its plethora of facts and advice from the audio to mileage to electric regeneration, energy monitor and navigational system. There's nothing to buy optional except the compact disc deck and cruise control, sunroof and carpets as all the good stuff is factory installed and waiting for you.
From just a car point of view, the Prius is also entertaining in its performance on the road. Surprisingly lithe and energetic, between the horsepower of the seemingly small engine and the electric motor, the Prius snaps to attention when so ordered. Flat in fast bends with fast steering response, it does incline to a wavy gravy kind of response at quick linear changes.
If there are any sour notes from the sidewalk critics, it is in the $19,000-plus price tag. However, there are savings: The estimated annual fuel cost is a mere $374. The Society of Automotive Engineers have dubbed the Prius the "Best Engineered Car of 2001" and the crusty old Sierra Club has cited the Prius with its "Award for Excellence in Environmental Engineering." The Prius is all that and a feel good car, too.
Madame Tussaud's, here we come. It's happened in the South before, and now it's gonna happen in Kolkata. Fans are all set to put their matinee idol in a temple, literally. During a four-month-long bash to celebrate the Big B, the Amitabh Bachchan Fans Association will install a 12-foot marble idol in a temple in Kolkata.
And instead of the usual puja, anyone laying foot in this temple can choose from the options of reading Amitabh dialogues from books in place of hymns or listening to the star's cassettes on walkmans available at its premises.
The temple, located near the city, will have a Bachchan museum next to it, storing rare memorabilia of the superstar, including photographs capturing him in private moods, little-found posters of blockbusters Deewar, Sholay and Silsila and rare first-day-first-show tickets of all his movies.
"He is our god, our guru. What else do you call someone who has touched the lives of millions?" asks ABFA state secretary S.P. Kamat.
For Kamat and over 10,000 registered fans of the star, Amitji's' meaningful movies and rich dialogues in baritone voice have become a part of their lives. "We are even recording Amitji's 'moral' utterances before the beginning of game sessions in Kaun Banega Crorepati. These snippets will be stored along with other cassettes and videos in the museum," he said.
The association has gone to great lengths to compile the rare collection. "We contacted hall owners, thousands of Amitji's fans and even black marketers of cinema tickets who readily donated stuff from their personal collections," he said.
Sepia is in, as far as Bollywood is concerned. The recent runaway success of two period films, Gadar — Ek Prem Kahani and Lagaan has everyone in tinseltown sitting up and taking notice. The Sunny Deol starrer is about the poignant Partition-era interfaith romance of Shaheed-e-Muhabbat Buta Singh, and Aamir Khan's home production which stars him dwells on a Gujarati village's fight against the ruling British. Both films have box office registers ringing, a much welcome phenomenon after anemic returns for many recent Bollywood films.
So Sunny is all set to work on a Raj Kanwar film on the history of Amritsar, and don't for a moment think the period theme is on the mind of just one director. Others will likely jump on the bandwagon, and if the film making is as good as the two recent hits, Hindi film buffs will have little to complain about.
Well not the beer, but the record book. After breaking cinema box-office records, last year's biggest blockbuster Kaho Na Pyar Hai' is all set to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. But not for the reasons you would think.
The film is not aiming to get in the record books for the moolah it has brought in or for the successful launch of Hrithik Roshan.
The reason it's aiming for a shot at the record book is something else. At the last count, the Roshan clan — Rakesh Roshan, his son Hrithik, brother music director Rajesh Roshan — and a host of other technicians associated with the film have won 92 awards.
"Yes, we have approached the Guinness Book of Records," Rakesh Roshan said.
James Cameron's hit film Titanic finds a mention in it for winning 11 Academy Awards, he said. So why not Kaho Na Pyar Hai?
Poor Sushmita Sen. The beauty queen has had a rather rough ride in Bollywood, what with making more news about her activities off screen than on. The tradition continues, alas.
Bollywood has been abuzz with rumors that Sanjay Narang was the man in her life. Then the news was that he wasn't. Now, it seems to be that he is, after all. At the press conference of Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai something else caught the eyes and eventually the tongues of Bollywood watchers. It was a sparkling diamond ring on Sushmita's ring finger. So is everything hunky dory, then? Well, only time will tell, because this is, after all, Bollywood, where nothing is finally final.
It's Bollywood, and make-believe, alas, doesn't stop in front of the camera. Relationships are made and broken with such bewildering rapidity that it keeps the yellow press on its toes.
Not for macho star Jackie Shroff. He and wife Ayesha have been together through thick and thin for 25 years, and recently threw a huge party to celebrate. Even if we all could not be there to join the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Anil and Tina Ambani, to dance into the wee hours, here's a warm congratulatory hurrah for the great couple for making reality as memorable as make believe. Wish you many more years of happiness, Jackie and Ayesha!
The svelte actress from Bangalore had high hopes of creating a splash with here debut, starring as she was with newcomer heart throb Abhishek Bachchan. Keerti Reddy's film Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa, however, failed to have much jadoo for film buffs, and poor Keerti went back to her hometown, keeping a low profile.
Well, she might get a second chance at making the big time with Rajiv Rai's Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat.
Keerti stars opposite Sunil Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani and Arjun Rampal and this could be her last shot at stardom for a while in Bollywood.
She has already said she wants to move from Tamil and Telugu films to Bollywood, so Keerti is really keen, and it's beginning to show. Literally. The shrinking violet act is gone, and her hair is taking hues of chestnut and golden brown — thanks to visits to hairdressers, and she is beginning to work out regularly at her favorite gym. Her pretty face is beginning to pop up at all the right places in Mumbai and Bangalore.
The film, though, was shot a year ago, so it's still not clear that it will click. But no one will be able to blame Keerti for not trying hard enough if, God forbid, disaster strikes.
In the ego-driven world of Bollywood, would you believe a film star being delighted because he was asked to give an autograph for somebody else? Yet that's exactly the case, says proud dad Jeetendra, whose son Tusshar has made quite a wave with debut film Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai.
Jeetendra, who was no mean star in his heyday, recently went to the Mukteshwara temple in Juhu, and fans besieged him for an autograph on son Tusshar's behalf. Jeetendra was particularly touched, because no one asked for his autograph before although he has been visiting the temple for a while.
Now he may no longer be a star, but he is one proud father.
The note was as sweet as her voice, but the answer was in the negative. Lata Mangeshkar has recently scotched rumors that she will be performing in Pakistan. The invite came from the Pakistan Cricket Board, but Lata cited prior engagements to decline the request.
"Though there were some talk going on, she can't go to Pakistan at this stage. Her hands are full with prior commitments here. And of late Lataji has been taking less work," informs Yogesh, her nephew.
Earlier, Lata had been invited to perform in a concert in memory of late Pakistani singer Noor Jehan. She had declined that invitation as well. Presently vacationing at London, she is unavailable for comment.
We mean that literally, so those of you looking for prurient gossip, get your minds out of the gutter. Poor Sarika, wife of actor director Kamal Haasan, fell down from her terrace in Chennai and hurt herself rather badly. She was flown to Leelavati Hospital in Mumbai, and is recuperating nicely now after surgery.
"The operation went off very well and Sarika is in fine condition," a family member said.
Sarika was admitted to the hospital immediately after her arrival. She was accompanied by her husband and their two daughters.
Who says you have to stay at home just because you have just had a baby? Just ask Juhi Chawla. The Bollywood star is raring to go after a three-month enforced leave, and she is certainly not letting the grass grow under her feet. She has signed two films with Harry Baweja and Pritish Nandy, and that's just the beginning. She has already been approached by Tanuja Chandra and Esmayeel Shroff.
Juhi knows she has a lot of ground to cover. She lost out to Rinke Khanna in a role for the recently-released Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, due to her pregnancy, and her first ever sister role didn't quite take off in Ek Rishta — the Bond of Love.
Juhi is also now actively involved in the joint film production company she has with Shah Rukh — Dreamz Unlimited, which is currently making Asoka the Great.
If you have heard all the hype about Lagaan, you must be wondering whether you should take it with a grain of salt, because after all, when you think of realistic, intelligent cinema, Bollywood is not the first word that springs to mind. After all, melodrama, gore, slapstick humor, implausible storylines and the most obvious sensual titillation — that's the sort of stuff that is Bollywood's stock in trade.
To Aamir Khan goes the singular credit of having the artistic integrity and courage to eschew all those tired condiments less confident Bollywood film makers use to spice up their potboilers to hide the poor content of their films.
Stunning photography that can hold its own with any international film, exquisite attention to detail including costumes and period detail, and an interesting is somewhat implausible storyline makes Lagaan a rare watchable Hindi film despite its inordinate length of over three hours.
So, going back to the question of whether Lagaan deserves all the hype surrounding it, the answer is a rather equivocal yes and no. Actually, there is more that is positive about the film than not, and that is particularly good news for both Bollywood and film buffs.
The story is simple enough, one might even say formulaic. Farmers in a village in a princely state are facing a drought, and they are worried about the lagaan — in-kind taxes — that they might have to pay. This is the 18th century, and the princely state is a British protectorate, so the decision is not the rajah's.
Enter a brutish British military officer who offers the villagers a deal: They can have their taxes waived for three years if they can beat the local British team in a game of cricket, but if they lose, they have to pay three times their due taxes.
The villagers, a sensible lot, find this proposition to be dubious, but village lad Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) is adamant. He wants to take the Brits up on the offer.
The rest of the story is about how he convinces the villagers to come around his point of view, and how he builds up a cricket team from scratch, with the assistance of a British woman, who is the sister of the boorish British officer who has made this whimsical offer in the first place. The film ends in a tense climactic cricket match.
The film's technical excellence is its strongest suit, and what a joy it is to see a Hindi film that has production values that are of international standard! Right from the superb beginning credits to the lovely earth-toned color and costumes which fit both the period and the general sepia-toned ambiance, the beautiful panoramic shots that capture both the rugged terrain of the village as well as the courtly and British lifestyle, the film is a delight.
This charm is enhanced by distinctive, rustic dialogue and the music where A.R. Rahman has done something which he does particularly well – he has created a fetching combination of rural ethos and a haunting South Indian overtone that adds considerably to the film's value.
But if you are more discerning, you are apt to realize that Lagaan represents not only the heights Bollywood can scale but also the limits that restrict it. When you come down to it, the film's story is more a fond fantasy than a realistic tale — who on earth really believes a bunch of villagers can be taught cricket in three months and contest a British team? The village sets are beautiful, but less than realistic, and villagers seem to have a habit of milling around, often standing around Bhuvan, waiting for his latest gem of wisdom. Hard, intractable disagreements are sorted out following brief melodramatic exchanges, and the British brutish officer is in the mold of Bollywood baddies — so rude, uncouth and crude as to become a caricature who is hard to take seriously.
Yet after all is said and done, the director and producer deserve a warm, affectionate thanks for their effort to make a commercially viable film that is intelligent cinema as well. What is particularly heartening is that his effort has been rewarded where it matters most in Bollywood — at the box office.
The story centers round Ravi and Raji who meet in Germany and fall in love. But there is a complicated history that predates all this: Ravi doesn't know that Raji was the same girl his family had chosen for him in India, and whom he would have married, if some misunderstanding hadn't cropped up between the two families.
This is what happened: Ravi had consented to marry Raji, a girl he had never seen, but whom his family had approved of. The duo later made some futile attempts to see each other, but to no avail. On the day of the engagement, as Raji eagerly waited to get her first look at her future husband, she learned to her disappointment that Ravi had to fly to Germany to take up his new job. At the engagement venue, a small misunderstanding snowballs into a major fight, and the engagement is called off, the two families parting as bitter enemies.
Raji's grandpa arrives from Germany and takes Raji away with him for a change of scene. In case you haven't guessed it, the grandpa lives right next door to Ravi. Ravi and Raji meet for the first time and fall in love, each not knowing the identity of the other. That is the case till they return to India, and see the shocked looks on the faces of their dear ones as they come out of the airport hand-in-hand. There is an attempt by the director to give the film a different ending. When Ravi hears of the entire story, initially, he refuses to marry Raji. But then matters are put in proper perspective and the director opts for the usual happy ending.
The film begins with a scene where the hero and his family members are introduced. The sequence is so shoddily done that one dreads to think what will follow. But the next part is not so bad, though the narrative style is very amateurish and the screenplay has scenes that are cliched and situations that seemed to be forced into the narration. The saving grace for the film are the scenes of the picturesque locations in Germany, where the story shifts in the latter half, and which have been impressively captured by Rajarajan's camera.
Monisha, who plays her first adult role, had earlier given a good account of herself as a child artist in films like Indira. But here she looks inhibited in the romantic scenes, and not quite at ease in the song-dance routine. For her it seems to be a premature debut as heroine. Eashwar, the France-based software engineer, dons grease paint for the first time, and has a faint resemblance to Kamal Haasan. He sails through his role without much of a problem.
Ready for your afternoon chai on a relaxed holiday? Why not bring a desi ambiance by adding a delicious savory snack? Seema Gupta shows you how to make it.
Saute onion in oil till caramelized.
Turn off heat and add crunchy vegetables, salt, pepper and ginger paste.
Make a thick paste of rice flour, dal powder and potato, using oil.
Mix it with vegetables and sprinkle water.
Add salt, pepper and garam masala.
Steam cook for 10 min.
Fry in oil and serve with mint sauce.
ARIES (March 21 to April 20): Financial investments look profitable. Opportunity knocks only once, don't lose it. A favorable reply from a government agency is possible. A business proposal might come from a known source. A raise at work is possible.
TAURUS (April 21 to May 20): Money will come but expenses will rise. Encouraging career related news is predicted. You may go on a pleasure trip. You may sign some important documents, may be a new contract.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): You will be diplomatic while dealing with pressing issues. You may need to adhere to some legal matters. Strong opponents will accept defeat and you will certainly overcome a major hurdle in career. Financial matters look good.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22): It will be an expensive month. You will spend money on family, friends and for a religious cause. Some of you will travel. Spouse will support your plans. Any change in career will be good. Keep an eye on people trying destroy your position.
LEO (July 23 to August 22): This is a month full of pleasant surprises. You will achieve major goals in life. A positive reply is coming from the government. Some of you may start a new project in association with an established group. Speculate and you could win.
VIRGO (August 23 to September 22): Job situation looks bad. You need to look for a change. Money aspect stays comfortable. A new member will be added to the family soon. You may also finalize a property deal but it will be overpriced.
LIBRA (September 23 to October 22): Expenses will exceed your limits. Eyes may need attention. Severe obstruction in all attempts will frustrate you. Some of you may take a short break from job and relax. You will be spending money on your car and will replace electrical appliances at home.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November 22): Health will need attention. Do all your exercises. There will be some improvement in money matters but you will be behind some commitments. You may get out of stocks only after losing. Some of you may move.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 to December 22): A lucrative offer is foreseen. There will be big changes in a partnership setup. You will be making tough decisions in personal life as you put career before everything else. You may go on an important trip. Competition in business will grow.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19): You will overcome all problems effortlessly. Some of you will have good changes in career. Bank balance will grow despite additional expenses. You may go on a short pleasure trip.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18): You will be comfortable as you do well in life. All your attempts will be successful. You may purchase another vehicle. You will organize an outing with family and some old friends. People in business will get lucrative contracts. You will make some very useful contacts.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20): Life will improve. You will clear an old loan. Financially you will be comfortable. You will be working overtime. Spend more time to locate a good property. You will go on a very short vacation.


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Lawrence Jerome Trader (born July 7, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played a handful of games at the NHL level, but is mostly known for his high scoring in the American Hockey League and overseas. He last played for Varese Hockey Club in Italy. He is the cousin of former NHL player Jim Peplinski.

Professional career

Minor league hockey
Trader was born in Barry's Bay, Ontario. Growing up playing hockey, Trader developed into a mobile defenceman with a great shot from the blueline. He attracted a lot of attention playing Junior hockey for the Gloucester Rangers of the CJHL. In the 1979–80 season, Trader scored 33 points in 50 games as a defenceman and was named CJHL Best Midget-Age Player and invited to the All-star team. His scoring numbers were impressive and the London Knights picked Trader with their 1st pick (3rd overall) to join their team for the 1980–81 season. In the OHL, Trader continued to put up big numbers and the NHL took notice. The Detroit Red Wings drafted Trader with their 3rd pick (86 overall) in the 1981 NHL draft. After being selected by the Red Wings, Trader remained on the Knights to develop and he responded by putting up his largest numbers to date. In 68 games that season, Trader scored 19 goals and 37 assists to go along with 161 penalty minutes. With impressive numbers now on his resume, Trader was asked to play for Team Canada in the 1983 World Junior Championships. Scoring five points in the tough 7-game series, The Red Wings felt Trader was finally ready for the NHL.

Playing in the NHL
In the 1982–83 season, Trader played 15 games as a rookie and added two assists. He showed promise, but Detroit felt he still needed time to develop and Trader was sent to Detroit's minor league affiliate, the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL. In 1983–84, Trader posted 41 points with Adirondack and was second on the team in defensive scoring. Detroit came calling again for the 1984–85 season and Trader responded, played great defensive hockey and posting 10 points in 40 games. After a short playoff run, Trader was sent back down for another season with Adirondack. He played in 64 games that season putting up 56 points to lead the team in defensive scoring and was named to the AHL second all-star team. He joined Adirondack in their playoff run and helped them win the Calder Cup over the Hershey Bears in six games. Trader was named AHL's Playoff Points and Playoff Assists Leader for 1986 and even scored the Calder Cup-winning goal in game six.

After the celebration, Trader received more good news, he had been selected to join the Canadian National Team. Trader played 48 games for the team and scored 20 points. With the help of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Mario Lemieux, the 1987 Canadian team won the 1987 Canada Cup, Spengler Cup and a fourth-place finish in the 1987 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. During his run with Team Canada, Trader found out over the phone that he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for Lee Norwood on August 7, 1986.

Trader only made it back to the United States for five games with the Blues in 1986–87, but would join the Blues for a single game in 1987–88 before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens on October 13, 1987. He was traded along with a third round draft pick for Gaston Gingras and Montreal's third round draft pick. He was sent down for a short stint with the Sherbrooke Canadiens before playing the remaining 30 games for Montreal while scoring six points. After the season, he was let go and was signed as a free agent by the Hartford Whalers on August 3, 1988. He would never make it to the parent club, but played out the 1988–89 season with the Binghamton Whalers of the AHL, where he again led a team in defensive scoring with his 11 goals and 40 assists.

International play
After being let go by Hartford, Trader decided to head overseas. He began his journey in Austria playing for the Klagenfurt AC. Trader excelled in the Erste Bank Hockey League and was 4th on the team in scoring with 34. For the 1990–91 season, Trader headed to Italy to play in the Serie A for the Brunico SG. He played with the team for three years amassing 101 total points, before leaving halfway through the 1992–93 season to rejoin the Austrian Hockey League and play four games for the Zell am See EK. He would return to Italy for the 1993–94 season to play for Hockey Club Varese. Playing in only seven games that year, including the playoffs, he scored two goals and three assists before deciding to retire from playing ice hockey and return to North America.

Trader the coach
After returning from Europe, Trader was named head coach of the Brantford Smoke prior to the 1995–96 season. He coached the Smoke for three seasons, always with a winning record, but always getting knocked out in the second round of the playoffs. Trader officially retired from coaching after the 1997–98 season.

Career statistics

Awards and achievements
COJHL Best Midget-Age Player: 1979–80
COJHL All-Star First Team: 1979–80
World Junior Championships: 1983 (bronze medal)
Named to AHL All-Star Second Team: 1985–86
AHL Playoffs Points Leader: 1986 (22 points)
AHL Playoffs Assists Leader: 1986 (16 assists)
Won Calder Cup: 1986

External links

Larry's profile at Hockey Draft Central.com

1963 births
Adirondack Red Wings players
Binghamton Whalers players
Brunico SG players
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Detroit Red Wings draft picks
Detroit Red Wings players
HC Varese players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
EC KAC players
London Knights players
Living people
Montreal Canadiens players
People from Renfrew County
SC Langnau players
Sherbrooke Canadiens players
St. Louis Blues players
United Hockey League coaches
EK Zell am See players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Austria
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Italy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Eastern Chios Beaches
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Thimiana is 7 km away from the town of Chios. The village was previously called "Effimiana" that means famous place, a name which reminds us the famous stone of Thymiana that is quarried in the region. From this reddish stone were built many churches and mansions not only of the island but also of Asia Minor.
In the park of the village you will find the statue of the hero Giannis ("John") Fatouros, who fell heroically in battle with the Ottomans in 1822. You can also visit the church of Agios Efstratios, built with the stone of Thymiana. If you go up a little, you will find the Moni Agion Anargyron ("Monastery of St. Anargyroi") near the traditional windmills.
It is worth driving a little farther away, near the village Neochori and visit the historical monastery of St. Menas, which became world famous in 1822 from the tragic massacres of Ottomans. Other beautiful churches of the area are those of Agion Saranda, Agias Vassas, Ypapantis ("Monastery of Hypapante") as well as the church of Agios Trifonas ("St. Trifon"). What is more, you can take a tour to the village Kerameia and admire the tower of Ai Giannis ("St. John") which exists in the village for more than two centuries.
For those who love the beach we suggest them to visit the cosmopolitan beaches of Mega Limniona ("Great Lake") and Agia Ermioni ("Saint Hermione") as well as the deserted beach of Mavri ("Black") which is near the village Kerameia.
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