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'The Protester' is the Time magazines Person of the Year- 2011

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By Kurt Andersen Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011

Once upon a time, when major news events were chronicled strictly by professionals and printed on paper or transmitted through the air by the few for the masses, protesters were prime makers of history. Back then, when citizen multitudes took to the streets without weapons to declare themselves opposed, it was the very definition of news — vivid, important, often consequential. In the 1960s in America they marched for civil rights and against the Vietnam War; in the '70s, they rose up in Iran and Portugal; in the '80s, they spoke out against nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Europe, against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, against communist tyranny in Tiananmen Square and Eastern Europe. Protest was the natural continuation of politics by other means.

Indian rupee hits record low against the dollar

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By Sourav Mishra MUMBAI – The Indian rupee partially recovered from a record low against the U.S. dollar Tuesday, aided by a late rebound in local stocks and as the euro pared its losses.

The dollar was at 53.22 rupees late Tuesday, after touching an intraday high of 53.515 rupees, up from 52.84 rupees late Monday. The greenback's previous record high was 52.85 rupees, reached on Monday.

The rupee has borne the brunt of global risk aversion emanating from the euro-zone crisis and due to concerns over high domestic inflation, slowing growth and a possible widening of the federal government's budget deficit.

Bihar wins yet another battle, is now ‘least corrupt state’

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New survey by economists place Gujarat at second spot
Incredible as it may sound, but it is true that Bihar is now identified as the least corrupt state in India. This startling revelation came about in a book on corruption written by eminent economists Bibek Debroy and Laveesh Bhandari.

The indices that reflect the status of corruption showed that Nitish Kumar has roundly beaten his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi in this battle for the non-corrupt image. Bihar has registered a significant improvement over Gujarat and all other states when it comes to transparency, accountability and index of human development.

Virender Sehwag creates history, becomes highest scorer for India in ODIs and Tests

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INDORE: Flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag created history by becoming the highest scorer ever in a one-day innings and the second cricketer after teammate Sachin Tendulkar to score a double century in the fourth ODI against the West Indies.

Sehwag smashed his way into record books with his stupendous 219, surpassing Tendulkar's 200 not out against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24 last year. This remarkable achievement gives Sehwag the unique distinction of being India's top scorer in both Tests and ODIs. He had scored 319 against South Africa in Chennai in 2008.

Tom Cruise promotes new "Mission Impossible" in India

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Hollywood star Tom Cruise has held a special screening of his latest film, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, in the western Indian city of Mumbai. Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, who also stars in the film, joined Cruise and 1,500 Indian fans in the suburb of Wadala on Sunday.

The Hollywood star was on a two-day visit to India to promote the film ahead of its global release. After arriving in India, the star first went to see the Taj Mahal in Agra. "I wanted to come to India my whole life, so I am very excited," he told the Press Trust of India news agency. As he walked down the red carpet for the screening in Mumbai, Cruise chatted with fans and signed autographs.

Planet found orbiting habitable zone of sun-like star

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MOFFET FIELD, California (Reuters) - The most Earth-like planet ever discovered is circling a star 600 light years away, a key finding in an ongoing quest to learn if life exists beyond Earth, scientists said on Monday.

The planet, called Kepler-22b, joins a list of more than 500 planets found to orbit stars beyond our solar system. It is the smallest and the best positioned to have liquid water on its surface -- among the ingredients necessary for life on Earth.

"We are homing in on the true Earth-sized, habitable planets," said San Jose State University astronomer Natalie Batalha, deputy science team lead for NASA's Kepler Space Telescope that discovered the star.

Dhanush 'in love' with Neevan Niigaam's 'Kolaveri' version

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Tamil star Dhanush's chartbuster "Kolaveri Di" is being loved by all, but he is highly impressed with the version sung by Sonu Niigaam's four-year-old son, Neevan. "Oh my god I'm in love with Nevaan's version of 'Kolaveri'. Great idea Sonu Niigaamji. It's very touching and endearing. Hi 5 nevaan. God bless," Dhanush posted on Twitter.

Neevan's version of the song has some different lyrics, but his innocence in the video has been winning hearts ever since it went online. If Dhanush's song was called "Soup Song", Neevan calls his version "Milk Song".

Online uproar as India seeks social media screening

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By Devidutta Tripathy and Anurag Kotoky
NEW DELHI | Tue Dec 6, 2011 9:54am EST
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has urged social network companies including Facebook, Twitter and Google to remove offensive material, unleashing a storm of criticism from Internet users complaining of censorship in the world's largest democracy. Telecoms and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal met executives from Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft on Monday to ask them to screen content, but no agreement with the companies was reached, he said. Sibal denied he was promoting censorship but said some of the images and statements on social media risked fanning tensions in India, which has a long history of deadly religious violence. He said the firms had rebuffed earlier calls to take action.

Wal-Mart Debate Rages in India

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JALANDHAR, India — For multinational merchants like Wal-Mart, it seemed to be the long-awaited opportunity to jump into India with both feet. But on Monday that moment appeared to be delayed once again.Protesters of Wal-Mart burned an effigy representing multinational companies. Such companies can now operate only as wholesalers.

Late last month, as part of a push to modernize his nation’s notoriously inefficient retail economy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that for the first time big foreign companies like Wal-Mart and the British company Tesco could open retail stores in India.

Ann Arbor, Michigan rated one of the smartest cities in the US

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Ann Arbor, Cambridge, Berkeley are smartest big cities- G. Scott Thomas
They're three of America's best-known college towns, and they're also the three leaders in brainpower among the nation's major cities.

Ann Arbor, Mich.; Cambridge, Mass. and Berkeley, Calif., hold the top three places in On Numbers' analysis of educational attainment in 269 communities with more than 100,000 residents:
• Seventy-two percent of all adults (25 or older) hold bachelor's degrees in Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan.University of Michigan and 43 percent also have advanced degrees. Both figures are the best in their respective categories among all major cities.

Legendary Indian film star Dev Anand dies in London at 88

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Bollywood star Dev Anand, a charismatic and flamboyant Indian film fixture for more than a half-century, has died of a heart attack in London, his family said Sunday. He was 88.
Famed for his roles in dozens of movies, including "Jewel Thief" and "Guide," the veteran actor, director and producer was working up to the last minute, with a new script in the works.
Anand lived and died on "his own terms," his nephew and renowned film director Shekhar Kapur said in a posting on Twitter. "He was working one minute. Sat down and smiled. And was gone the next. So much to learn." Anand died of a heart attack Saturday night in a hotel in London, where he had gone recently for a medical checkup, the family said.

India's prime minister joined Indian film stars and officials in lauding Anand's achievements and expressing sorrow for his death.

Bihar should industrialise to retain workers

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Many states nowadays are faced with acute labour shortage because of the drastic fall in the number of migrant workers from Bihar. They are feeling the pinch of the scarcity of manpower from the impoverished eastern state. Some of their industries are even on the verge of a shutdown.

According to reports, Punjab's cycle industry and the farm sector are the worst-hit because of this crisis. They are said to be offering not only a hike in wages but also other incentives such as free bicycles and cellphones to lure back the workers from Bihar who have returned home.

Yahoo's Top Ten Online Searches- 2011

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The top search term of 2011 wasn't a person or a news event. It was a technological marvel.
In the 11 years that Yahoo! has compiled its annual list of top searches, PlayStation 2 (2001 and 2002) is the only other device to have captured the top slot. This year, the iPhone led the queries, bypassing a reality TV divorcee and America's most wanted terrorist.
Top 10 Searches:
1. iPhone

Kolavari Di craze catches up with Big B

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Mega star Amitabh Bachchan is the latest to get smitten by the foot-tapping music and the crazy lyrics of Dhanush starrer Kolaveri Di. Sung and penned by Tamil movie star Dhanush, the song is from the upcoming Tamil movie 3, due to release in 2012.

Bachchan, 69, took to his Twitter related stories account to congratulate the actor on the song which has garnered 14 lakhs views on Youtube. "Just heard Kolaveri Di after much talk on it ... its so original and catchy ..congrats Dhanush and Aishwarya (Rajni's daughter) .. love," Bachchan posted.

Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh battling cancer

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Yuvraj battling non-malignant tumour

Yuvraj Singh, the India allrounder, had asked the BCCI not to consider him for selection for the ODI series against West Indies because he has been recovering from what his family has called an "illness that threatened his career," caused by an "abnormal tumour" on his lung. The tumour has been found, after tests, to be non-malignant.

According to a statement released by his mother, Shabnam Singh, Yuvraj had been troubled by bouts of coughing and vomitting during the 2011 World Cup but had ignored the problem during the tournament, "assuming it was due to stress."

Cyber Monday - Some Hot Deals!

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Abercrombie & Fitch is Offering 40% Off

It's Cyber Monday! 40% Off EVERYTHING + Free Shipping! Today Only! www.eddiebauer.com

Reebok Offers 40% Off for Cyber Monday

Forever 21 is offering free shipping, no minimum, for its Cyber Monday deal.

Barnes and Noble: Today Only! Buy NOOK online with your MasterCard® card and get a $25 Gift Card to start your digital library

50% off one item at www.talbots.com. 6am - 2pm only

Condolences - Sateesh Rela from Troy MI passed away

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Sateesh Rela, a software engineer, 31 years, from Troy,MI passed away.His body was found in Detroit River waters. He hails from Illendu, Khammam and survived by wife Kirnmayi and a fifteen month old son Akshaj.

TANA TEAM Square Chairman Anjaiah Chowdary Lavu, Mohan Nannapaneni, TANA Executive Vice President Worked closely with Srinivas Gogineni(Chair TANA Community services), Satish Mandalapu(TANA Regional Representative) who responded immediately and coordianted the process of Visitation and Cremation.TANA also helped financially to take care of Visitation and Cremation process.Learn how you can help!

11/11/11: The unique date sparks marriage rush in India

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MUMBAI: The Rs 1,25,000 crore marriage industry in India awaits a windfall on November 11 as hundreds of couples have fallen for the once-in-acentury configuration of 11.11.11 for a special wedding date. The rush has left not only wedding planners, beauticians and pundits scrambling, but also several families flummoxed about how to juggle multiple invitations to different venues.

The Nomani family of Santa Cruz stands out for their fetish for 'special' wedding dates. Safi Nomani's nikaah with Anab Mustafa is set for November 11 after which they leave for Safi's home in Dubai. The choice of date is no surprise, considering that his elder sibling Maneezah chose to wed Faisal Kidwai on 8.8.08 (August 8, 2008). Their youngest brother is seriously considering whether he should tie the knot on 12.12.12

Music legend Bhupen Hazarika dies at 85

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Mumbai/Guwahati, Nov 5 (IANS) A golden voice of Indian music fell silent Saturday when legendary singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika died of multiple organ failure at a Mumbai hospital, plunging millions of fans across the country, especially those in eastern India, into gloom. He was 85.

Hazarika, who was on the ventilator for four months and had been in and out of hospital, passed away at 4.37 p.m. at Kokilaben Hospital in India's entertainment capital. His long time companion, filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, his nephews and some well wishers from his home state of Assam were at his side when he died.

His body will be flown to Guwahati Monday and kept at Judges Field for two days for the public to pay homage.

First Maithili digital film "Mukhiya Jee" to hit screens after festival season

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The new face of Maithili cinema – “Mukhiya Jee”!! Coming soon!!

Filmmaking is generally considered a costly art but there are enthusiasts who dare to make films despite severe resource crunch. One such group has come up with the first digital film of Maithili. Known as 'Mukhiya Jee', the film is expected to hit the screens after this festive season.

The major shootings have been done in never seen before picturesque location of Mithilaanchal parts of Bihar.
It’s also acknowledged as the first full quality digital film of Maithili cinema targeted for cinema halls release and to appear in National awards in Maithili category.

Condolences - Tragedy in the Local Michigan Indian Community

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Metro Detroit Indian community mourns death of four men in crash with wrong-way driver

Members of Metro Detroit’s Indian community are mourning the loss of “four great friends” today who were killed in an auto accident Sunday.

According to the Detroit Telugu Association, Venkata Chalam Pasala, 30; Sumanth Rajana, 32; Satyendranath Akula, 35; and Rajendra Prasad Jonnala, 50, died from injuries suffered in the crash that occured at about 4 a.m. on the Lodge Freeway in Southfield.
Visitation and How You Can Help:Read More

100-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh finishes race

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TORONTO (AP) — A 100-year-old runner became the oldest person to complete a full-distance marathon when he finished the race in Toronto on Sunday, October 16th.

Fauja Singh earned a spot in the Guinness World Records for his accomplishment.

It took Singh more than eight hours to cross the finish line — more than six hours after Kenya's Kenneth Mungara won the event for the fourth straight year — and he was the last competitor to complete the course.
But his time wasn't nearly as remarkable as the accomplishment.

New Movie: 'Jo Dooba So Paar -- It's love in Bihar!'

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New Release in India - "Jo Dooba So Paar -- It's love in Bihar!"
Cast: Anand Tiwari, Vinay Pathak, Sadia Siddiqui, Rajat KapoorDirection: Praveen Kumar
Genre: Drama
Duration: 1 hour 37 minutes

Movie Review by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India

Story: Keshu ( Anand Tiwari), a student in a small town in Bihar, is hardly interested in the routine business of life. He hangs out with his odd medley of friends and thinks of innovative ways to add spark to their lives. But that's only when he's not assisting his father, a truck driver, who ferries cargo for kidnappers and insurgents in the wild interiors. Everything changes when he meets the new girl in town, an Indian-Italian who is doing research on Madhubani art. Can the small town upstart hope for reciprocity in romance?

Ghazal loses its voice - Legendary Singer Jagjit Singh is no more

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From tiny living rooms made entirely of floral cotton tapestry to large drawing rooms with striped silk curtains, the voice of Jagjit Singh cut across the middle- and upper-class barrier in India during the '80s and the '90s. As the sun set, the first bars of Jagjit and his wife Chitra's music started wafting across neighbourhoods in small towns and bustling metros.
Woh kaagaz ki kashti, they sang nostalgically, woh baarish ka paani.

On Monday morning, Jagjit Singh, now 70, breathed his last. He had been in hospital since September 23, when he suffered a sudden brain haemorrhage a few hours before he was due to perform with compatriot Ghulam Ali at Shanmukhanand Hall.

Michigan added most high-tech jobs in nation in 2009-10

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Encouraging news!
Michigan added most high-tech jobs in nation in 2009-10 - Melissa Burden/ The Detroit News

Michigan gained the most high-tech jobs of any state between 2009 and 2010, adding 2,700, according to a new report released this week.

The state experienced a 2 percent growth in high-tech jobs in that time period, the TechAmerica Foundation said in its 14th annual Cyberstates report.

One Show only on October 9th - Super Hit Pakistani Movie BOL

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Super hit movie from Pakistan

Showtime: Sunday October 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Main Art Theater
118 N. Main Street Royal Oak

Screenplay,Written and Directed by:Shoaib Mansoor
Distributed by: Geo Films, Eros International Ltd.

India launches $35 'Aakash' tablet computer for students

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Commercial version of the tablet, priced at $60, expected to hit stores later this year. India has launched a touch screen tablet computer priced at just $35 (£23).The government claims that the new tablet computer, aimed at students, is the world's cheapest touch-screen tablet computer.Earlier, reports have suggested that the tabet computer supports web browsing and video conferencing. It has a three-hour battery life and two USB ports, according to the BBC.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal launched the tablet computer in Delhi. He handed out 500 Aakash (meaning sky in most Indian languages) tablets to students who will test them. Earlier, The New York Times had reported that the government aims to bring the price of the laptop further down to Rs 470 or $10 in its objective to change classroom teaching across India.

In Memoriam:Steve Jobs - 1955-2011

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The World-Changer: Steve Jobs knew what we wanted
Ted Anthony - Freep Article

CUPERTINO, Calif. — In dark suit and bowtie, he is a computing-era carnival barker — eyebrows bouncing, hands gesturing, smile seductive and coy and a bit annoying. It's as if he's on his first date with an entire generation of consumers. And, in a way, he is.
It is Jan. 24, 1984, and a young Steve Jobs is standing at center stage, introducing to shareholders of Apple Computer Inc. the "insanely great" machine that he's certain will change the world: a beige plastic box called the Macintosh.

My fight against corruption will go on: Nitish Kumar

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Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has brought about a dramatic transformation in Bihar after he took over the reins, has vowed his fight against corruption will go on. Claiming credit for introducing a slew of path-breaking anti-corruption measures, he wrote in his blog recently, "It is a promise I fulfilled and my fight against corruption will go on."

Resuming his blog writing on September 13 after some gap, Kumar referred to the setting up of a primary school in the house of a senior government official facing a disproportionate assets case. He said he was happy at having demonstrated something he had been rather passionate about.

Narendra Modi's Gujarat best example of effective governance: US reports - Bihar following closely!

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WASHINGTON: Identifying Gujarat as perhaps the best example of effective governance and impressive development in India, a Congressional report showered praise on the chief minister Narendra Modi and said that the state under him has become a key driver of national economic growth. Gujarat, is followed by Bihar and its chief minister Nitish Kumar, for his governance and administrative skills, the latest report of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) on India said.

"Perhaps India's best example of effective governance and impressive development is found in Gujarat, where controversial chief minister Narendra Modi has streamlined economic processes, removing red tape and curtailing corruption in ways that have made the state a key driver of national economic growth," said the CRS report.

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