Online April Fools Day Jokes
More information: Last year story: Google Chrome Goes 3D iCade – iPad Arcade Cabinet Take this one from ThinkGeek, regarding the iCad, designed to work with the iPad. This interesting device allows you to plug in the iPad and instantly play games on your desktop. ThinkGeek offers some of the specs:The docking cradle uses a standard 30 pin connector to link the iPad to the professional-grade arcade controls. Once the iPad is in place, launch the iCade App (available free in the App Store April 3rd) and it’s game on! We didn’t want to take any chances you’d run out of juice during your favorite game, so we included a 10w USB power adapter so you can charge the iPad through any electrical outlet. Now you’re all set to make an uninterrupted run on the Dig Dug World Record! It’s a great joke, and once people click on the price to buy it, the message appears.Google, as usual, has its own jokes. It’s changed its name to Topeka (as in Kansas) for the day, and is offering other jokes. In Britain, Google U.K. is “offering” a beta version for a Translate for Animals application:Translate for Animals is an application for Android phones that recognises and transcribes words and phrases that are common to a species, like cats for example. To develop Translate for Animals, we worked closely with many of the world’s top language synthesis teams, and with leaders in the field of animal cognitive linguistics, including senior fellows at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Google Maps Just Got OCCA These are some great jokes. Enjoy your April Fools’ Day! © 2010 PhysOrg.com (PhysOrg.com) — Every year, on April 1, you have to be careful of what you read on the Web. Everyone is putting up April Fools’ Day jokes.
Explore further For Google Australia, it’s OCCA’d maps that offer special Aussie directions:OCCA greatly reduces the latency between a user’s thought and ability to pinpoint information; a boon for local users who’d have Buckleys makin’ sense of American English.Aussies around the country can stand tall; OCCA’d Maps are a world-first that promise to take Google Maps to the Back of Bourke and beyond. Apple pushes back shipping of new iPad pre-orders Citation: Online April Fools’ Day Jokes (2010, April 1) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2010-04-online-april-day.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Holodesk prototype puts life in computers w video
A Holodesk video shows the user looking down on a pane of glass at virtual but very realistic-looking balls and other shaped objects. His hands are positioned underneath the glass and they move in such a way that you think the user is actually moving real objects around. He scoops real balls into cups, or so it seems. The video as a whole is a deft rendering of how the virtual and real meet. While Holodesk is not the only 3-D interaction experiment out there, observers say it stands away from the pack, with its use of optical devices called beam-splitters and a graphic processing algorithm, in providing a life-like experience. Holodesk is one of the latest innovations within the Sensors and Devices Group (working with technologies such as sensors, flexible electronics, and novel displays)at Microsoft Research. The latter, since its establishment in 1991, has become a large and active software research organization.Microsoft Research joins today’s research hotbeds looking at enhancing interactive computing environments. The name of the game is creating clever ways to enable the user to cross that magical bridge between reality and the virtual. Meantime, Microsoft itself is reportedly working on all fronts on innovations that involve the “natural user interface,” or in software developer parlance, the NUI. A NUI is supported by technology that frees up users to carry out relatively natural movements or gestures that control and manipulate on-screen content. As such, the NUI is elevated as one of the next big things in human-machine interactions.As for possible applications for Holodesk, easy assumptions might place it squarely in gaming but its potential may also one day surface in design and research. In this wider sense, the Holodesk debut is one more idea from Microsoft Research that suggests a bright NUI future. Explore further Holodesk does its magic with the help of an optical see-through display plus Kinect camera. The illusion is that the user is directly touching and maneuvering 3-D graphics. According to the project notes, a virtual image of a 3-D scene is rendered through a half-silvered mirror and spatially aligned with the real world for the viewer. Citation: Holodesk prototype puts life in computers (w/ video) (2011, October 20) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2011-10-holodesk-prototype-life-video.html More information: via Microsoft blog © 2011 PhysOrg.com Microsoft shows off 3D and NUI technology (w/ Video) This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. (PhysOrg.com) — A research project at Microsoft Research Cambridge has brought forth a prototype called Holodesk, which lets you manipulate virtual objects with your hand. You literally “get your hands on” the virtual display. According to the official description from its creators, there is at work a “novel real-time algorithm for representing hands and other physical objects” allowing physically realistic interaction between real and virtual 3-D objects.
Engineers unleash carseat identifier that reads your rear end
Explore further The car-seat team led by Associate Professor Shigeomi Koshimizu wants to commercialize their work as an anti-theft product in two to three years if automakers agree to collaborate. The Institute began working on the seat idea last year.The bucket seat’s lower section is lined with pressure sensors. Pressure is measured on a scale from 0 to 256. A total of 360 sensors in the seat send their information to a laptop, which aggregates the information, generates the key data and produces a precise map of the seated person. As the process suggests, the device is targeted for use as a personal identifier and is being promoted as a useful option to having to use more familiar biometric techniques. The researchers have discussed advantages to this seat identifier.They say that traditional biometric techniques such as iris scanners and fingerprint readers cause stress to people undergoing identity checks, while the simple act of getting seated carries less psychological baggage. Their other point is that other technologies such as fingerprint scanning can be compromised when sensor surfaces are unclean, or when there is poor lighting as in iris scanning, contaminating results.Koshimizu sees the possibilities of this device being used beyond auto-theft identity protection to a device for security identification in office settings, where users log on to their PCs as they sit down. Their work at the institute is yet another indicator that sensors are in focus in many areas of today’s research. Sensor vendors are quick to remind everyone that sensors will be around us everywhere, in the home to remind residents to take medicine and turn things on and off, to parking meters transmitting data, to sensors in transport.Car sensor technologies are being developed that bridge varied car scenarios from driver only to vehicles providing dual driver/self-driving modes to self-driving cars. Research efforts are resulting in sensors that tell the driver there are obstacles ahead along with a range of sophisticated sensors envisioned for robotic cars on tomorrow’s highways. (PhysOrg.com) — Cars of the future may use the driver’s rear end as identity protection, through a system developed at Japan’s Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology. A report surfaced earlier this month that researchers there developed a system that can recognize a person by the backside when the person takes a seat. The system performs a precise measurement of the person’s posterior, its contours and the way the person applies pressure on the seat. The developers say that in lab tests, the system was able to recognize people with 98 percent accuracy. Citation: Engineers unleash car-seat identifier that reads your rear end (2011, December 25) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2011-12-unleash-car-seat-rear.html © 2011 PhysOrg.com Magnetic Sensor That Brooks No Interference This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Science journal offers up essays on 8 mysteries in astronomy
Journal information: Science Dark matter could provide heat for starless planets Adrian Cho is up first with an essay describing the hotly debated topic of Dark Energy, the reason behind why everything in the universe is scattering away from everything else faster than it used to be, or really should be. Equally vexing is that models and equations suggest that whatever the mysterious energy is, it appears to make up 73% of everything that exists, and still it can’t be seen, or even measured.Tied closely to dark energy is Dark Matter, the stuff that most in the field agrees is there, yet can’t really explain in any meaningful way. Adrian Cho authors this second in the series and highlights the fact that dark matter is merely a term for describing whatever it is that holds everything in the universe together. He argues that unlike dark energy, scientists stand a reasonably good chance of one day actually detecting a particle of the stuff, which would of course prove that it really does exist.In the third essay, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, asks, Where are the Missing Baryons? Right now, they can’t be found of course, hence the question. Baryons are particles that make up regular matter, but for some reason when adding up dark energy, dark matter and then leaving the rest to baryons, researchers can’t come up with a number that equals 100% of everything that is supposed to exist. Hence the mystery.Also by Bhattacharjee is an essay that asks the simple question, How do Stars Explode? After a lot of research over a lot of years, researchers still don’t really understand what goes on with a star when it explodes in what is known as a supernova. They’re still working on the conditions that lead up to one.Edwin Cartlidge then takes up the question of What Reionized the Universe? Put another way, what caused stripping off of electrons from atoms in the few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang?In the next essay, Daniel Clery wants to know What’s the Source of the Most Energetic Cosmic Rays? We’re bombarded with them every day, yet researchers can’t agree on where they come from.Richard A. Kerr follows that by wondering Why Is the Solar System So Bizarre? Did our solar system form the way it did by following logical steps, or was it all just chaos and chance? Nobody really knows.And Finally, Kerr concludes the series by asking Why Is the Sun’s Corona So Hot? Or hotter than it is internally? Those that study the sun still really don’t know, but really wish they did. (Phys.org) — Because astronomy and astrophysics are still so much a mixture of theory, conjecture and generally difficult to measure phenomenon, at least as compared with many of the other sciences, one of the most highly respected science journals, Science, has chosen to run a series of articles detailing eight of what it deems the most compelling questions currently vexing those who study the cosmos; each written by someone uniquely qualified to delve into the subject matter at hand. Citation: Science journal offers up essays on 8 mysteries in astronomy (2012, June 1) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2012-06-science-journal-essays-mysteries-astronomy.html
© 2012 Phys.Org Explore further This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
This engine is set to Roar
A grunge rock band from the city are raring to go and very serious about their brand of music. Millennium Post catches up with the lead vocalist, Parikshit aka Sonic about their band and what lies ahead.Bull engine started out as ‘Plague of Bishop’ in 2006, what brought together the electrifying trio?It was back in 2006, during my engineering days that we started out as a band. Those days, it was all about youth festivals and college shows while we researched through the mechanical books. We were a different set of people then. Also Read – ‘Playing Jojo was emotionally exhausting’So, who all form up the existing band?Its me, Parikshit aka Sonic at guitar/vocals, Rambo on Drums/Back Vocals and Akshit on Bass Guitar/Back vocals. I am a technical consultant by the day and a vocalist by the evening.You are acclaimed as a grunge/rock band heavily influenced by Nirvana and Metallica? Who is your personal favourite?On a personal front, I wanted to be like Kurt Cobain, the American singer and songwriter. I wanted to get on stage, deliver like him and write lyrics the way he did. That’s how I wanted to portray feelings through music.And what’s in store for your fans in the coming months?Well, we are working towards the release of our first album Theory of Rock. Its going to have a lot of alternative and punk rock for our folks. Hopefully it will be out by the fall of 2013.
Russian ballet Swan Lake now comes to Kolkata
Kolkata: Forty-five artistes from the Royal Russian Ballet will stage the iconic ballet ‘Swan Lake’ in the city from April 12 to April 14, after performing in other cities of the country. The production of the current edition of ‘Swan Lake’, has been choreographed by Vladimir Troschenko and directed by Anatoly Kazatsky, both veteran ballet artistes.’Swan Lake’ is a ballet having a 140-year old history and its central plot originates from Russian folk tales. Also Read – Heavy rain hits traffic, flightsIt is about Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer s curse and how she breaks the curse with the power of love.’Swan Lake’ is performed on the classical compositions written by Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was composed in 1875 76 The ballet had previously held 36 shows in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad with the last phase of the tour being Kolkata.The show will be brought by Navrasa Duende, a leading production house and there will be four shows between April 12 and April 14.Dinesh Singh from Navrasa Duende said, “We can clearly feel the buzz among audiences regarding the maiden performance of Swan Lake ballet in Kolkata. The response from the audiences across the country has been unprecedented, especially for a niche performing art like ballet.”
Endangered fishing cats give birth at Alipore Zoo after years
Kolkata: The Alipore Zoological Garden has finally managed to increase the number of fishing cats in the zoo after many years. The zoo authorities are upbeat about the increase in population of the animal as fishing cat is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.”The fishing cat is the state animal of Bengal. But its population is threatened with the wetlands in the state declining severely in the last decade. So, we have decided to increase the population of the animal in the zoo. We had two pairs of fishing cats here. Now, they have given birth to three babies which means that the population have gone up from four to seven,” said Asis Kumar Samanta, director of Alipore Zoo. Also Read – Heavy rain hits traffic, flights”We found out that the pairs were not mating while they were in public view. So, we decided to try out something different and kept them hidden for a period of one year. This yielded fruits and they gave birth to three babies,” a senior zoo official said.The babies which were kept away along with the adult females for another period of six months have been brought in public view recently and the visitors are really excited. “We have plans to set them free in the open, once there is a further rise in their population,” Samanta said. Also Read – Speeding Jaguar crashes into Merc, 2 B’deshi bystanders killedThe fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia that live foremost in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps and mangroves and lives on fishes. “The state government in the last few years have taken some steps in conservation of wetlands but there have been incidents when people have netted these animals and killed them. There is still a lack of awareness among people about this animal species, which is endangered and hardly attack any human being ” a senior zoo official said.
Over 95 Bengal residents steer clear of veg food Survey
Kolkata: Has the over dependence of people on meat indirectly helped unholy people to thrive on the business of carcass meat in the state? A nationwide survey conducted by the Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner states that around 98.55 percent of total population in Bengal is non-vegetarian, which is the second highest in the country after Telangana. Meanwhile, many believe that this huge demand of meat across various markets in the state might have prompted some people to run a parallel business of trading carcass meat, which is allegedly collected from dumping grounds, stored in cold storages and later delivered to various restaurants and hotels in the state. Also Read – Heavy rain hits traffic, flightsAccording to the sample registration system (SRS) baseline survey 2014 released by the registrar general of India, around 98.7 percent of male and 98.4 percent of female in Bengal are non-vegetarians. This means only 1.3 percent of the total male population in the state is vegetarian while figure stands at 1.6 in case of females. Bengal ranks second in the list of states, in regard to the prevalence of non-vegetarianism among the population aged 15 years or above, as published in the report. The data shows that around 71 percent of Indians over the age of 15 are non-vegetarians.The percentage of non-vegetarians across the country has, however, has dropped from 75 Also Read – Speeding Jaguar crashes into Merc, 2 B’deshi bystanders killedpercent in 2004. The survey says that Telangana has the highest number of non-vegetarians with 98.8 percent men and 98.6 percent women enjoying meat, fish and eggs, marginally higher than Bengal. Other states with a high non-vegetarian population include Andhra Pradesh (98.25%), Odisha (97.35%) and Kerala (97%). Vegetarianism, as it is often interpreted as a practice in the country, encouraged or imposed by ideologies of religion and caste, is basically a food habit. Many people think that a life without meat would be boring, unhealthy, and damaging to your body. However, it is debatable. Rajasthan tops the list when it comes to vegetarianism. Around 73.2 percent men and 76.6 percent women in Rajasthan are vegetarians. Haryana follows next with 68.5 percent men and 70 percent women depending on vegetarian diets. Whereas in Punjab, around 65.5 percent of the male population and 68 percent of the female population eat vegetarian food. Ever since the carcass meat row has come to light, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and police conducted raids at various places and seized a huge amount of rotten meat. The selling of various items of meat has dipped considerably since the incident took place. Sudesh Poddar, President of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India said: “We have issued directives to the restaurant owners to buy meat from reputed suppliers having trade and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India license. We have also asked hoteliers and restaurant owners to get the meat tested at a private laboratory. The situation is gradually improving.”
State provides new limb to 8yearold of Halderpara
Kolkata: The state government has made arrangements to provide an artificial left limb to eight-year-old Poulami Halder of Halderpara in Harao, North 24 Parganas, who lost her hand in a bomb explosion on April 20. “The government has borne the entire expense of her treatment at RG Kar Medical College hospital and an artificial limb has been fitted. The government has given full support to the girl’s family. Her mother Deepali Halder has been provided with a job in a Integrated Child Development Scheme centre,” said state Food minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who is also the North 24-Parganas district president of Trinamool Congress. The government will also bear the entire expense for her future education. On April 20, during her daily task of plucking flower, assuming it to be a toy, Poulami picked up a bomb that exploded when it fell on the ground.
North South Korea begin family reunion talks
The discussions at the border truce village of Panmunjom are the product of an agreement the two Koreas reached two weeks ago to end a dangerous military standoff and reduce cross-border tensions.But given North Korea’s past record of manipulating the reunion issue for leverage over the South, there is no guarantee the planned event –only the second in five years – will go ahead.Monday’s talks were expected to focus on confirming a date and venue for the event, with the most likely outcome a reunion at the North’s Mount Kumgang resort sometime in early October. Also Read – Nine hurt in accident at fireworks show in French resortMillions of people were separated during the 1950-53 conflict that sealed the division between the two Koreas. Most died without having a chance to see or hear from their families on the other side of the border, across which all civilian communication is banned.About 66,000 South Koreans — many of them in their 80s or 90s — are on the waiting list for an eventual reunion, but only several hundred can be chosen each time. The reunion programme began in earnest after a historic North-South summit in 2000, and was initially an annual event. Also Read – Pakistan Army ‘fully prepared’ to face any challenge: Army spokesmanBut strained cross-border relations have allowed only one reunion in the past five years, with several being cancelled at the last moment by North Korea. For the last reunion in February 2014, a computer was used to randomly select 500 candidates, after taking age and family background into account.That number was reduced to 200 after interviews and medical exams, and the two Koreas drew up a final list of 100 each after checking if relatives were still alive on the other side.For the lucky ones who do take part, the reunions are hugely emotional –almost traumatic – affairs, with many of the elderly participants breaking down and sobbing as they cling to each other.
Bollywood has been my inspiration
Ankit, who is the actor, singer as well as the music director of ‘Badtameez’, shared his experience with Millennium Post during his visit to the national Capital last week.What was the idea behind ‘Badtameez’?Singles kind of give you the freedom to experiment. For example, if I want to use this song in a movie it may or may not fit with its context. You have to wait for such a role to show up. Usually I do romantic songs except for one item number ‘De di’ in Airlift. I did not want to do a romantic song this time… although the video shows a love story, it is not a romantic song. Also Read – ‘Playing Jojo was emotionally exhausting’Tell us something about your new single…The single portrays a love story where the guy is a ‘badtameez’ kind of person, who does not work in usual fashion, instead reacts aggressively to situations. Both love each other but the girl eventually leaves him. Since it is not the usual breakup song, it has aggression and attitude and a lot of dynamic energy.Why do you think singles take time to become a trend in Bollywood?In Bollywood, on one hand we have songs in movies, while on the other hand in Hollywood they barely have songs in the movies. Therefore the scope of singles is much more there than in Bollywood. But it is not that we don’t have scope in it, singers like Kailash Kher and Adnan Sami have proved this long time back Also Read – Leslie doing new comedy special with NetflixHow was your experience as an actor for the first time?Sonal and our director Sidhant Sachdev were very supportive. Nobody scolded me since it was my first time. Everybody dealt with love and patience and guided me through the process.Other than ‘Badtameez’ what else is keeping you busy?I am working on movies Junooniyat and Tum Bin 2. The latter is special to me as it is my first solo film, which means for the first time I am going to do the entire background score of the |film by myself. At last I am also working on Badshah, an upcoming movie.A word of inspiration of aspiring singers out there…Bollywood has been my inspiration.To achieve something in life one has to go through difficult times. All that matter is to be honest to yourself. Above all, be a good human being and never deceive yourself or your passion.
The melody lingers on
‘Jookto’ is an initiative to connect people and minds from different cultures over similar ideas through multiple platforms.Babul Supriyo, Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, attended the event as a distinguished guest. During his speech, Supriyo, who himself is a singer, mentioned that he feels fortunate that he got a chance to work with Hazarika. He believes that the doyen singer continues to stay in people’s hearts and memories through his music and that his legacy should be carried forward. Also Read – Add new books to your shelf“I do not believe in death. I think souls continue to live on even as the bodies cease to exist. He (Hazarika) is somewhere here, breathing with us and listening to the music that celebrates his name,” he added. ‘Jookto’ co-founder Subimal Bhattacharjee, while delivering the welcome speech called Hazarika a genius, and a rare human being who was God’s gift to mankind. “Bhupen Hazarika is an inspiration to the present and the future generations because of his message to the people to preserve humanity and to unite one and all” he said. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsiveA panel involving Subhalakshmi Khan, Samudra Gupta Kashyap, Kumar Sanjay Krishna and Sanajay Hazarika discussed the music veteran’s contribution and work towards human integration and unity. The discussion was moderated by Utpal Borpujari. During the discussion, the panelists shared their individual memories of Hazarika. Subhalakshmi Khan who was closely acquainted with Hazarika said, “He was the man of masses who knew what to compose according to situation.” Violinist Sunita Bhuyan, and singer Ashimjyoti Baruah paid musical tributes to the singer. Bhuyan played various songs including ‘Buku Hum Hum Kare’ composed by Hazarika. She also played a fusion of Scottish and Assamese folk song. The event also marked the launch of ‘Bordoisila’ an initiative to uphold, protect, and preserve the Assamese culture globally. It was followed by a video message from the film director Kalpana Lajami.Born on September 8 1926, in Sadiya, Assam, Bhupen Hazarika is known for thousands of songs written and sung mainly in Assamese. He is also known for introducing Assamese folk song, music, and culture to the Hindi film industry. He received various awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padmshri, and Padmabhusan for his contributions to music industry.
Abhishek gives clarion call for united fight to preserve Bengals culture
Kolkata: All India Trinamool Youth Congress president Abhishek Banerjee urged people to put up a united fight to preserve Bengal’s culture and tradition. He was addressing a political rally at Diamond Harbour on Wednesday.Coming down heavily on BJP for trying to divide the country on the basis of religion and caste, Banerjee said: “The sole purpose of BJP is to weaken the country by dividing the society. They are inciting one religion against the other, the people of one community against the other and trying to reap benefit from it. We will have to put up a strong resistance and ensure that Bengal’s rich tradition and culture is preserved.” Also Read – Rs 13,000 crore investment to provide 2 lakh jobs: MamataDrawing a parallel between Netaji and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee, he said: “Netaji had waged a war against the oppression of the British. He was a student leader and had called the nation to march to Delhi. After 80 years, Mamata Banerjee, who also started her political career as a student leader, has opposed the divisive politics of BJP and has called for a movement to oust Modi from Delhi.” Banerjee said Trinamool Congress workers work for the people throughout the year. “We work for the people throughout the year. Whether there is a natural calamity or celebration irrespective of religion, Trinamool Congress is always there beside the people. But there are some people who come here during the time of elections and once the polling is over they cannot be seen anymore,” he added. Also Read – Lightning kills 8, injures 16 in stateHe said that in the past five years, the Diamond Harbour constituency has come up as a well developed area. The Public Health Engineering department and the Public Works department have spent Rs 1,500 crore for the area’s development. In addition to this, the state Tourism department, Irrigation and Waterways department and Panchayat and Rural development department have spent another Rs 1,900 crore in the past five years. “Diamond harbour is now coming up as an important tourist spot and more development will take place in future,” he added. He urged the party workers to go to every person and build contacts. “We have tried to develop the area and more development will take place if we are given a chance,” he told the gathering.
Indian Dental Association conducts workshop on preventive dentistry
Kolkata: A two-day of workshop on interceptive and myofunctional appliances was organised by department of pedodontics and preventive dentistry in association with Indian Dental Association, state branch, at the Dr.R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital for the first time in Eastern India.Prof. Dr Baby John, president Indian Society of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry was the chief guest of the programme while prof Dr Bimalendu Saha , deputy secretary of the department of Health and Family Welfare and Dr Tapan Giri, Principal of R. Ahmed Dental College graced the occasion. Also Read – Rs 13,000 crore investment to provide 2 lakh jobs: MamataDr Partha Pratim Chowdhury, assistant professor of Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital was appointed as an observer from West Bengal Dental Council. Distinguished personalities such as Dr T K Pal, Dr J K Singh , Dr Subhra Nandi, Dr Pranab Banerjee, Dr Sitangshu Ghosh, Dr Timir Baran Sarengi, Dr Sibram Karmakar, Dr Jiban Mishra ,Dr Amitava Chakroborty, Dr Tirthankar Debnath, Dr R D Rekhade ,Dr Anant Pal Singh also took part the programme. Dr Raju Biswas secretary IDA West Bengal State Branch said: “Innovative workshops helps participants to specialise on latest expertise of pedodontic dentistry. Especially in an era of development in dentistry such seminars and workshops provide the latest updates in patient service.” Dr Biswas also added: “We hope to conduct more such workshops in future for the betterment of people and spreading awareness. I thank all the participants to make this program a grand success.”
Yashwant Sinhas autobiography to release in July
Bloomsbury India announced that it will be publishing the autobiography of former finance minister and external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha titled ‘Relentless’. The book is due to release in July 2019, and is already available for pre-order on e-commerce websites. “When I was young and growing up in Patna, cinema halls used to advertise that they would show two films in one ticket on weekends. In my life’s story, you will see three films in one ticket,” said Yashwant Sinha. Also Read – Add new books to your shelf Bloomsbury India’s managing director, Rajiv Beri said, “We are delighted to be publishing ‘Relentless’, which the autobiography of Yashwant Sinha. Sinha’s story is fascinating and inspiring – a civil servant who reached the top echelons of politics maintaining a high reputation of integrity, credibility, and commitment.” Having worked with three prime ministers and two chief ministers, former administrator and union minister Sinha has been a part of the country’s transformation from a fledging postcolonial democracy to one of the world’s most exciting economies to watch out for – a transformation in which he has played an active role as a parliamentarian, minister for external affairs and two-time finance minister in two vastly different governments. It is also a compelling read for Sinha’s commentary on things as diverse as politics, religion, democracy and its institutions, as well as family, personal struggle and a relentless pursuit of bigger dreams. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsive From when bureaucrats often bicycled to work and the back lanes of Bihar to the autobahn of Bonn; from the benches of the Indian Parliament to the podium of the UN General Assembly; from behind the bars of various jails to centre stage as a dissenting voice in a majority government – ‘Relentless’ tells the story of one of India’s most well-known public faces, in a unique voice, and some of its most iconic leaders and political parties, with neither fear nor favour. From JP and Chandra Shekhar to VP Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi, the book gives an insight into the rise and fall of leaders and ideologies that have charted a unique course for our democracy amid fierce political and personal strife.
The Seductive Aura of Marlene Dietrich – Golden Age Pioneer of Androgyny
With an exceptionally seductive aura and almost surreal image, Berlin-born actress and singer Marlene Dietrich left a lasting imprint as a world icon. Besides her legacy as an actress and singer on the silver screen, she also made a lasting impression on fashion.An emigree to the U.S., Dietrich left her native Germany with years of experience picked from working in the vibrant Berlin cabaret culture.Dietrich in 1930.In 1930, she had just had her breakthrough after landing the role of Lola in the movie Blue Angel, now considered a classic gem of German cinematography.Marlene Dietrich in her breakthrough role in The Blue Angel (1930).This role announced her golden decade, bringing Dietrich international acclaim and a lucrative contract with Paramount Pictures.She was soon to turn 30 and would not miss the chance to relocate to L.A., where she became the highest-grossing actress of the day.Marlene Dietrich (in gymnastics dress), c. 1910. Deutsche Kinemathek, Marlene Dietrich Collection, Berlin.In Hollywood, Dietrich engaged in a years-long, creative collaboration with American-Austrian director Josef von Sternberg.The two of them worked on six separate film projects, the first being Morocco (1930), and the final one, The Devil is a Woman (1935).The Devil is a Woman (1935).Their movies always brought a carefully crafted image. Exotic locations such as Africa and China were predominant, yet if there was one thing more evocative than the setting of the film, it was the divine image of Dietrich herself.Marlene Dietrich in the film Morocco (1930)Working with Sternberg, who is said to have been Dietrich’s best teacher, the German actress honed her sensibility on how to project her own image to the world.This involved observing what light would work best for a certain scene and figuring out what outfit would match the setting.The Devil is a Woman (1935).It is said for each image that was to be released of Dietrich in public, the actress would scrutinize it to the tiniest detail herself.She wouldn’t accept striking a pose she disliked and it was always her word against everyone else’s.Josef von Sternberg used butterfly lighting to enhance Dietrich’s features in Shanghai Express (1932).Her devotion to continually achieve a stunning impression developed as her film career grew, which later brought her roles in Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Anderson and Orson Welles movies, among others.And at the center of that effort was always her clothes.Marlene Dietrich in No Highway (1951).When she first appeared in Hollywood wearing a three-piece man’s suit and matching hat, Dietrich shocked the public. No woman was known to have ever done that before.It was a groundbreaking moment that opened endless new possibilities in fashion.Marlene Dietrich in Der Blaue Engel.Katharine Hepburn accompanied her in the trendsetting that women can wear pants too.While appropriating masculine clothes on her body, Dietrich still retained her overwhelming feminine sensuality. She was otherworldly androgynous.The sexual ambiguity evoked by this style — besides pushing the limits in fashion — made her even more hypnotic than ever. The image was everything to her.Marlene Dietrich, Stage Fright.“I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men,” she would say in a 1960 interview.“If I dressed for myself, I wouldn’t bother at all. Clothes bore me. I’d wear jeans. I adore jeans. I get them in a public store — men’s, of course: I can’t wear women’s trouser.”Marlene Dietrich in Germany, 1933. Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-14627 / CC-BY-SA 3.0With her wardrobe choices, forward-thinking Dietrich was also playing fashion diplomacy.In 1933, she was photographed by Paul Cwojdzinski aboard the German ocean liner SS Europa. Of course, she was sporting an androgynous-styled outfit for the photo.Marlene Dietrich and Rita Hayworth serving food to soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen.The photo soon appeared in French media and the actress received a warning that being dressed in male clothes could lead to her arrest in the country. How did she manage this situation? She wisely used her star status.According to the Washington Post: “…she showed up in her most mannish tweed pantsuit with a long trench coat; she took that warning and said, ‘Oh yeah? Well, here’s this.’”Marlene Dietrich, entertaining front-line soldiers of the Third Army, 1944.For the remainder of her days, Dietrich successfully continued playing with gender fluidity, choosing to stick with masculine apparel.Regardless of her outfit choice for the day, she never missed adding a matching hat — be it a cloche, beret, fedora, or top hat. Everything she wore, she wore with confidence and people were always lured to look at her (and then be left to second-guess what she would wear next).Hollywood’s glamorous pioneer of androgyny passed away in 1992. She was aged 90 and had withdrawn from public life in her last years, living quietly in her apartment in Paris. In Berlin, admirers of Dietrich can explore abundant archives about the star by checking out “Marlene Dietrich 1901-1992” at the city’s Deutsche Kinemathek.Read another story from us: Josef von Sternberg’s Infatuation with Marlene Dietrich Created Cinematic MagicShe has also been featured in a number of different museum exhibitions; most recently “Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Victorian Children Played Macabre Games to Prepare Themselves for the End
Victorian children had dolls to play with just like children do today, and — kids being kids — these dolls were cuddled like infants, taken on outings, and joined in tea parties, games or whatever world of make-believe their owners conjured up. Accessories for dolls were varied as they are now, but one was typically Victorian: It was a tiny black mourning dress and a tiny coffin. Children would play at laying out the doll as they might one day do for their own loved ones.Children playing with Campbell Kid dolls.Even without the long black funeral gown, a doll was likely to receive last rites. The English author Mary Carbery, who was born in 1849, recalled her siblings and cousins burying her favourite doll, Otto, in the garden during a “game of funeral.”“Playing funeral” was common across the mid- to late-1800s. In Charles Dickens’s 1840 novel The Old Curiosity Shop, his protagonist, Nell, stumbles across a group of children in a graveyard “playing funeral” with a very realistic doll — their baby brother or sister.The Old Curiosity Shop, illustration by Hablot Knight Browne (Phiz), 1840.“Some young children sported among the tombs, and hid from each other, with laughing faces. They had an infant with them, and had laid it down asleep upon a child’s grave, in a little bed of leaves.”The possibility of a premature end hung heavily over children’s rhymes, singing games and bedtime stories like a shroud.Alice Liddell as ‘The Queen of May’.Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) is crammed full of poisons and the threat of fatality, Charles Kingsley’s The Water-Babies (1863) begins with its hero drowning, and JM Barrie’s Peter Pan (1904) was inspired by the demise of the author’s brother, David, who died aged 14-years-old after a skating accident.Davies dressed as Peter Pan at age 6.The English writer and poet Christina Rossetti published Sing-Song: A Nursery Rhyme Book in 1893, and if you’re wondering why you never heard these at pre-school, it’s because the subject matter can get a little macabre:“A baby’s cradle with no baby in it, A baby’s grave where autumn leaves drop sere; The sweet soul gathered home to Paradise, The body waiting here.”The Rossetti Family by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson).And another:“Baby lies so fast asleep That we cannot wake her: Will the angels clad in white Fly from heaven to take her?”Religion played a role of course. Children’s prayers, psalms and hymns all kept the possibility of death — and the Christian faith needed to embrace it — firmly at the forefront of their minds.A particularly heavy handed example was the hymn ‘One day, dear children, you must die’, which appeared in the book Hymns for Infant Children (1862):“One day, dear children you must die Though you are young and healthy now Within the grave your limbs must lie And cold and stuff your bodies grow”Victorian children.The industrialization of the mid-19th century had led to the rapid growth of towns and cities as country folk moved for work, forcing them to live together in areas of high pollution and poor sanitation.These were perfect environments for all manner of illnesses to thrive, such as smallpox, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, tuberculosis and dysentery, followed by periodic epidemics of cholera, scarlet fever, typhoid or influenza.These are all preventable or treatable today, but for the bulk of the 1800s medicine simply wasn’t up to the task, and children were especially vulnerable.Victorian child photograph by Renowden,The infant mortality rate in England and Wales in the 1890s was approximately 15 percent — 150 out of every 1,000 children were expected to pass away before adulthood.In some urban neighborhoods it was much higher — around 30 percent in the Borough of Islington in North London, suggesting that the comparative health of rural or middle class youth versus their slum-dwelling city counterparts was pulling the average down.As an all-too-real fact of their young lives, Victorian parents had to prepare their children because the odds were they would likely soon lose a brother or sister, school friend, or even themselves.Read another story from us: Mary Really did Have a Little Lamb – The True Story of the Nursery RhymeGrief was real and the pain of losing a loved one was felt as keenly then as today, but in letting their offspring explore mortality through their toys, games and stories, Victorian mothers and fathers were doing the best they could to ensure their children lived without fear.
The Egalitarian and Democratic System of Pirates was way Ahead of its
In 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson published his book Treasure Island about the adventures and romance of being a pirate. Pet parrots, treasure maps, wooden-legged seamen, and sending prisoners to walk the plank became stereotypical of pirates on the high seas. Walt Disney latched on with Captain Hook’s crew in Peter Pan and Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. According to University of Florida Masters Degree candidate and middle school teacher Jason Acosta, most of it is rubbish.Capture of the Pirate Blackbeard by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1718According to Acosta, pirate ships had a strict checks and balance system and democratic policies akin to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.Usually, if not appointed by a higher authority sponsoring the ship, the Captain was elected; an assembly resembling the U.S. Congress was put together and the quartermaster acted as a judge to resolve disputes and keep the Captain in check. The charter was written up and signed by all of the sailors, and anyone who was disfigured or incapacitated during battle was compensated upon return to port.As well a certain Pirate Code existed among captains and ships which detailed 11 guidelines for crew to follow in order to bring a semblance of order among what we commonly think of as lawless vagabonds.Who Shall be Captain by Howard Pyle, 1911The men were fed and treated well. Escaped black slaves were treated equally and had a vote. Colonists being bled dry by British taxes and sailors on merchant ships who were usually treated badly saw a much better life as pirates. In his thesis, titled Piracy’s Influence in the Atlantic World, Acosta maintains that pirates helped boost the American colonies’ trade capabilities and even act as mediators among disputes between peoples.A French Ship and Barbary Pirates by Aert Anthonisz., c. 1615From the 1500s until the mid-1800s, often referred to as the golden age of pirates, they seized millions of dollars in silver and gold as well as spices, silk, and other luxury fabrics, reselling the items and spending money in the colonies and Jamaica when British ships with supplies became less frequent.The pirates also helped Great Britain maintain their hold on the colonies by causing Spain to partially retreat because of the constant harassment of their ships. Pirates were able to establish peaceful relations with Native Americans thereby learning the lay of the land and making much more detailed maps and finding new sources of supplies.Related Video: Check out some of the most classic and hilarious Pirate slang:Other than Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, pirates were not all dreadlocked ruffians as portrayed by Johnny Depp. Sir Francis Drake pirated for Queen Elizabeth I attacking mostly Spanish ships because of his and the Queen’s loathing of Spain’s King Philip II.Edward Teach – aka BlackbeardDrake piloted the first British ship to sail in the Pacific Ocean, previously the domain of Spain, opening unknown international waters. Piracy has been around in one form or another since humans first took to the water. From 1400 to about 1200 BC, the Lukkans of Turkey harassed Egyptian ships. From 1000 to about 500 BC, the Cretans raided other ships, mostly to capture women and children to be sold as slaves.In 75 BC, a young future Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar, was captured by pirates in the Aegean Sea and held for the ransom of 20 talents. According to Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, this amused Caesar who decided he was worth at least 50.The Assassination of Julius Caesar by Karl Theodor von Piloty, 1865For about 50 years around 800 AD, Scandinavian pirates attacked inhabitants of the English coast. In the 1800s, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson sent the Navy and Marines to attack pirate bases on the Barbary Coast of North Africa.Silver from the pirate ship Whydah. “The riches, with the guns, would be buried in the sand.” Photo by Theodore Scott – Flickr CC BY 2.0Not all pirates were men. Laura Sook Duncombe has written a book, Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas. Duncombe tells us that some women were attracted to piracy to escape the harsh rules women were required to follow. Others turned to piracy rather than the demeaning work of prostitution, because they had no other means of financial support.One particular woman was Cheng I Sao, a former Chinese brothel owner who commanded a fleet of over 80,000 pirates at the height of her power in the first 10 years of the 19th century. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she had specific rules as to conduct on the ships. Sexual misbehavior with a female prisoner brought instant and extreme capital punishment.When a pirate ship raised their black flag, it indicated that – provided the ship they were attacking surrendered with no resistance – the crew would be shown mercyMuch of what we know about pirates comes to us from films and other elements of pop culture which have portrayed the crude, unintelligible version of the pirate. However evidence of their rules-based system and ahead-of-its-time democratic principles fly in the face of that notion.Read another story from us: A Shattered Love Gave Rise to the Most Vengeful Female Pirate in HistoryWe all enjoy the swashbuckling, peg-legged caricatures of pirates we see in movies and cartoons. It is, however, fascinating to know that there were groups we often think of as somewhat barbaric who were, in fact, interestingly democratic.
VIDEO SNL sketch with Charles Barkley as a Star Wars character who
Advertisement One of the more remarkable things about the Star Wars movies is how the characters are able to fluently speak and understand hundreds of languages across the various star systems. In a cut sketch from his SNL hosting gig this weekend, Charles Barkley played a character who couldn’t understand any of them in a scene from The Mos Eisley 5. During an exchange with Jabba the Hut, Barkley gets frustrated because he just doesn’t understand what the hell anyone is talking about. From the annoying R2-D2’s beeping to Chewbacca’s growling, Barkley can’t understand a damn thing, and doesn’t get how everyone understands each other.Barkley is funnier ripping Shaq off the cuff than he is in scripted comedy, but this is good for a laugh.
VIDEO Cyclists narrowly avoid getting run over by oncoming train while attempting
Two Brazilian cyclists found themselves in a near death Stand By Me-like encounter with a train while attempting to pass through a tunnel shortcut on a recent ride.Everything was going great until they heard the whistles of the oncoming ironhorse and had to reverse course and run for their lives to avoid getting killed. They barely made it out before meeting their maker. This is never a good idea.
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