Subhaditya News Channel Present Science, Movie-Release, Political ,Other and Sports News of This Week (26)

Animated News-Week 26

Subhaditya News Channel Presents News of This Week (26)

3D Picture of Science News This Week:

Science News This Week :

Giant squid filmed for 1st time in deep

 

1) Giant squid filmed for 1st time in deep

A Japanese-led team of scientists has captured on film the world's first live images of a giant squid, journeying to the depths of the ocean in search of the mysterious creature thought to have inspired the myth of the "kraken", a tentacled monster.The images of the silvery, three-meter (10 feet) long cephalopod, looming out of the darkness nearly 1 km below the surface, were taken last July near the Ogasawara islands, 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo.Though the beast was small by giant squid standards - the largest ever caught stretched 18 meters long, tentacles and all - filming it secretly in its natural habitat was a key step towards understanding the animal, researchers said.

"Many people have tried to capture an image of a giant squid alive in its natural habitat, whether researchers or film crews. But they all failed," said Tsunemi Kubodera, a zoologist at Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science, who led the team."These are the first ever images of a real live giant squid," Kubodera said of the footage, shot by Japanese national broadcaster NHK and the Discovery Channel. The key to their success, said Kubodera, was a small submersible rigged with lights invisible to both human and cephalopod eyes.He, a cameraman and the submersible's pilot drifted silently down to 630 meters and released a one-meter-long squid as bait. In all, they descended around 100 times.

"If you try and approach making a load of noise, using a bright white light, then the squid won't come anywhere near you. That was our basic thinking," Kubodera said."So we sat there in the pitch black, using a near-infrared light invisible even to the human eye, waiting for the giant squid to approach."As the squid neared they began to film, following it into the depths to around 900 meters."I've seen a lot of giant squid specimens in my time, but mainly those hauled out of the ocean. This was the first time for me to see with my own eyes a giant squid swimming," he said. "It was stunning, I couldn't have dreamt that it would be so beautiful. It was such a wonderful creature."

Until recently, little was known about the creature believed to be the real face of the mythical kraken, a sea-monster blamed by sailors for sinking ships off Norway in the 18th century.But for Kubodera, the animal held no such terror."A giant squid essentially lives a solitary existence, swimming about all alone in the deep sea. It doesn't live in a group," he said. "So when I saw it, well, it looked to me like it was rather lonely." 

Live giant squid captured by Japanese researchers in 2006; photo via National Geographic.  If this beast were pulling your boat underwater, it would probably look a lot bigger to you. 

New Discovery Promises to Improve Drugs Used to Fight Cancer, Other Diseases:

2) New Discovery Promises to Improve Drugs Used to Fight Cancer, Other Diseases:

Even when at rest, the human body is a flurry of activity. Like a microscopic metropolis locked in a state of perpetual rush hour traffic, the trillions of cells that make us who we are work feverishly policing the streets, making repairs, building new structures and delivering important cargo throughout the bustling organic society.

For everything to work properly there must be something to organize and direct the various workers. Enter protein kinases. Like specialized traffic signals, this huge class of proteins is critical for many aspects of cell communication, telling them when to begin work and when to stop.Now, University of Georgia researchers have discovered that a little-studied part of the protein kinases that once appeared non-functional may actually control the most critical functions of the entire molecule. Their research promises to help improve drugs used to fight a variety of life-threatening diseases, from diabetes to cancer."The overall goal of this project was to better understand how these proteins function and what mechanisms control their function," said Natarajan Kannan, a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar and assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "Our research shows that these little-studied dark regions of the protein are directly affecting the molecule's function."

Normally functioning protein kinases perform duties central to the everyday cellular operations within our bodies, but when they become dysfunctional, they can play a major role in the development of numerous serious diseases, including Alzheimer's, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many forms of cancer.Scientists have recognized the value of the proteins as therapeutic targets for decades, and numerous drugs, known as protein kinase inhibitors, are commonly prescribed in an attempt to slow or stop the rogue kinases that cause disease. The UGA team hopes its discovery will not only lead to new therapies but also help improve those already in existence."This opens a new front on the battle against many diseases, particularly cancer," said Krishnadev Oruganty, a postdoctoral research associate in biochemistry and molecular biology and lead author of a paper detailing the discovery published on Dec. 31 in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Developing entirely new drugs is an extraordinarily lengthy and expensive process, but this new understanding of how protein kinases switch between "on" and "off" states will make it possible for researchers to modify existing drugs to make them perform better without significant investment.

"These are a very important class of proteins for biomedical industries, and the pharmaceutical industry has already invested billions of dollars in drugs that target these proteins," said Kannan, who is part of the UGA Cancer Center and the Institute of Bioinformatics. "This discovery will have a huge impact on how pharmaceutical companies develop drugs, because subtle modifications of these drugs will make it easier to control them, which will boost their effectiveness."

Kannan and the interdisciplinary team of UGA researchers working on the project are already beginning to design drugs that can selectively inhibit the rogue proteins that cause disease, but they caution that more research is needed to perfect their approach.Nevertheless, they are confident that this discovery will have a profound impact on the pharmaceutical industry, and on the understanding of the elementary components of life."Every fundamental signaling pathway in our cells is controlled by these proteins," Kannan said. "Gaining a deeper understanding of how these kinases work will open doors to a myriad of important new discoveries."

University of Manchester scientists have uncovered the 3D structure of Mps1 – a protein that regulates the number of chromosomes during cell division and thus has an essential role in the prevention of cancer – which will lead to the design of safer and more effective therapies.

Biggest Structure in Universe: Large Quasar Group Is 4 Billion Light Years Across:

3) Biggest Structure in Universe: Large Quasar Group Is 4 Billion Light Years Across:

An international team of astronomers, led by academics from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), has found the largest known structure in the universe. The large quasar group (LQG) is so large that it would take a vehicle travelling at the speed of light some 4 billion years to cross it.The team publish their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Quasars are the nuclei of galaxies from the early days of the universe that undergo brief periods of extremely high brightness that make them visible across huge distances. These periods are 'brief' in astrophysics terms but actually last 10-100 million years.Since 1982 it has been known that quasars tend to group together in clumps or 'structures' of surprisingly large sizes, forming large quasar groups or LQGs.The team, led by Dr Roger Clowes from UCLan's Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, has identified the LQG which is so significant in size it also challenges the Cosmological Principle: the assumption that the universe, when viewed at a sufficiently large scale, looks the same no matter where you are observing it from.

The modern theory of cosmology is based on the work of Albert Einstein, and depends on the assumption of the Cosmological Principle. The Principle is assumed but has never been demonstrated observationally 'beyond reasonable doubt'.To give some sense of scale, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is separated from its nearest neighbour, the Andromeda Galaxy, by about 0.75 Megaparsecs (Mpc) or 2.5 million light-years.

Whole clusters of galaxies can be 2-3 Mpc across but LQGs can be 200 Mpc or more across. Based on the Cosmological Principle and the modern theory of cosmology, calculations suggest that astrophysicists should not be able to find a structure larger than 370 Mpc.Dr Clowes' newly discovered LQG however has a typical dimension of 500 Mpc. But because it is elongated, its longest dimension is 1200 Mpc (or 4 billion light years) -- some 1600 times larger than the distance from the Milky Way to Andromeda.Dr Clowes said: "While it is difficult to fathom the scale of this LQG, we can say quite definitely it is the largest structure ever seen in the entire universe. This is hugely exciting -- not least because it runs counter to our current understanding of the scale of the universe.

'Even travelling at the speed of light, it would take 4 billion light years to cross. This is significant not just because of its size but also because it challenges the Cosmological Principle, which has been widely accepted since Einstein. Our team has been looking at similar cases which add further weight to this challenge and we will be continuing to investigate these fascinating phenomena."

New Material Harvests Energy from Water Vapor

4) New Material Harvests Energy from Water Vapor:

MIT engineers have created a new polymer film that can generate electricity by drawing on a ubiquitous source: water vapor. The new material changes its shape after absorbing tiny amounts of evaporated water, allowing it to repeatedly curl up and down. Harnessing this continuous motion could drive robotic limbs or generate enough electricity to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices, such as environmental sensors.

"With a sensor powered by a battery, you have to replace it periodically. If you have this device, you can harvest energy from the environment so you don't have to replace it very often," says Mingming Ma, a postdoc at MIT's David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and lead author of a paper describing the new material in the Jan. 11 issue of Science."We are very excited about this new material, and we expect as we achieve higher efficiency in converting mechanical energy into electricity, this material will find even broader applications," says Robert Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT and senior author of the paper. Those potential applications include large-scale, water-vapor-powered generators, or smaller generators to power wearable electronics.

Other authors of the Science paper are Koch Institute postdoc Liang Guo and Daniel Anderson, the Samuel A. Goldblith Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and a member of the Koch Institute and MIT's Institute for Medical Engineering and Science.

Harvesting energy
The new film is made from an interlocking network of two different polymers. One of the polymers, polypyrrole, forms a hard but flexible matrix that provides structural support. The other polymer, polyol-borate, is a soft gel that swells when it absorbs water.Previous efforts to make water-responsive films have used only polypyrrole, which shows a much weaker response on its own. "By incorporating the two different kinds of polymers, you can generate a much bigger displacement, as well as a stronger force," Guo says.The film harvests energy found in the water gradient between dry and water-rich environments. When the 20-micrometer-thick film lies on a surface that contains even a small amount of moisture, the bottom layer absorbs evaporated water, forcing the film to curl away from the surface. Once the bottom of the film is exposed to air, it quickly releases the moisture, somersaults forward, and starts to curl up again. As this cycle is repeated, the continuous motion converts the chemical energy of the water gradient into mechanical energy.

Such films could act as either actuators (a type of motor) or generators. As an actuator, the material can be surprisingly powerful: The researchers demonstrated that a 25-milligram film can lift a load of glass slides 380 times its own weight, or transport a load of silver wires 10 times its own weight, by working as a potent water-powered "mini tractor." Using only water as an energy source, this film could replace the electricity-powered actuators now used to control small robotic limbs."It doesn't need a lot of water," Ma says. "A very small amount of moisture would be enough."A key advantage of the new film is that it doesn't require manipulation of environmental conditions, as do actuators that respond to changes in temperature or acidity, says Ryan Hayward, an associate professor of polymer science and engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

"What's really impressive about this work is that they were able to figure out a scheme where a gradient in humidity would cause the polymer to cyclically roll up, flip over and roll in the other direction, and were able to harness that energy to do work," says Hayward, who was not part of the research team.

Generating electricity
The mechanical energy generated by the material can also be converted into electricity by coupling the polymer film with a piezoelectric material, which converts mechanical stress to an electric charge. This system can generate an average power of 5.6 nanowatts, which can be stored in capacitors to power ultra-low-power microelectronic devices, such as temperature and humidity sensors.If used to generate electricity on a larger scale, the film could harvest energy from the environment -- for example, while placed above a lake or river. Or, it could be attached to clothing, where the mere evaporation of sweat could fuel devices such as physiological monitoring sensors. "You could be running or exercising and generating power," Guo says.

On a smaller scale, the film could power microelectricalmechanical systems (MEMS), including environmental sensors, or even smaller devices, such as nanoelectronics. The researchers are now working to improve the efficiency of the conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy, which could allow smaller films to power larger devices.

New Nanotech Fiber: Robust Handling, Shocking Performance

5) New Nanotech Fiber: Robust Handling, Shocking Performance:


Rice University's latest nanotechnology breakthrough was more than 10 years in the making, but it still came with a shock. Scientists from Rice, the Dutch firm Teijin Aramid, the U.S. Air Force and Israel's Technion Institute this week unveiled a new carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber that looks and acts like textile thread and conducts electricity and heat like a metal wire. In this week's issue of Science, the researchers describe an industrially scalable process for making the threadlike fibers, which outperform commercially available high-performance materials in a number of ways. "We finally have a nanotube fiber with properties that don't exist in any other material," said lead researcher Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and chemistry at Rice. "It looks like black cotton thread but behaves like both metal wires and strong carbon fibers."The research team includes academic, government and industrial scientists from Rice; Teijin Aramid's headquarters in Arnhem, the Netherlands; the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel; and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Dayton, Ohio.

"The new CNT fibers have a thermal conductivity approaching that of the best graphite fibers but with 10 times greater electrical conductivity," said study co-author Marcin Otto, business development manager at Teijin Aramid. "Graphite fibers are also brittle, while the new CNT fibers are as flexible and tough as a textile thread. We expect this combination of properties will lead to new products with unique capabilities for the aerospace, automotive, medical and smart-clothing markets."

The phenomenal properties of carbon nanotubes have enthralled scientists from the moment of their discovery in 1991. The hollow tubes of pure carbon, which are nearly as wide as a strand of DNA, are about 100 times stronger than steel at one-sixth the weight. Nanotubes' conductive properties -- for both electricity and heat -- rival the best metal conductors. They also can serve as light-activated semiconductors, drug-delivery devices and even sponges to soak up oil.

Unfortunately, carbon nanotubes are also the prima donna of nanomaterials; they are difficult to work with, despite their exquisite potential. For starters, finding the means to produce bulk quantities of nanotubes took almost a decade. Scientists also learned early on that there were several dozen types of nanotubes -- each with unique material and electrical properties; and engineers have yet to find a way to produce just one type. Instead, all production methods yield a hodgepodge of types, often in hairball-like clumps.Creating large-scale objects from these clumps of nanotubes has been a challenge. A threadlike fiber that is less than one-quarter the thickness of a human hair will contain tens of millions of nanotubes packed side by side. Ideally, these nanotubes will be perfectly aligned -- like pencils in a box -- and tightly packed. Some labs have explored means of growing such fibers whole, but the production rates for these "solid-state" fibers have proven quite slow compared with fiber-production methods that rely on a chemical process called "wet spinning." In this process, clumps of raw nanotubes are dissolved in a liquid and squirted through tiny holes to form long strands.

Shortly after arriving at Rice in 2000, Pasquali began studying CNT wet-spinning methods with the late Richard Smalley, a nanotechnology pioneer and the namesake of Rice's Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. In 2003, two years before his untimely death, Smalley worked with Pasquali and colleagues to create the first pure nanotube fibers. The work established an industrially relevant wet-spinning process for nanotubes that was analogous to the methods used to create high-performance aramid fibers -- like Teijin's Twaron -- which are used in bulletproof vests and other products. But the process needed to be refined. The fibers weren't very strong or conductive, due partly to gaps and misalignment of the millions of nanotubes inside them.

"Achieving very high packing and alignment of the carbon nanotubes in the fibers is critical," said study co-author Yeshayahu Talmon, director of Technion's Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, who began collaborating with Pasquali about five years ago.The next big breakthrough came in 2009, when Talmon, Pasquali and colleagues discovered the first true solvent for nanotubes -- chlorosulfonic acid. For the first time, scientists had a way to create highly concentrated solutions of nanotubes, a development that led to improved alignment and packing."Until that time, no one thought that spinning out of chlorosulfonic acid was possible because it reacts with water," Pasquali said. "A graduate student in my lab, Natnael Bahabtu, found simple ways to show that CNT fibers could be spun from chlorosulfonic acid solutions. That was critical for this new process."

Pasquali said other labs had found that the strength and conductivity of spun fibers could also be improved if the starting material -- the clumps of raw nanotubes -- contained long nanotubes with few atomic defects. In 2010, Pasquali and Talmon began experimenting with nanotubes from different suppliers and working with AFRL scientists to measure the precise electrical and thermal properties of the improved fibers.During the same period, Otto was evaluating methods that different research centers had proposed for making CNT fibers. He envisaged combining Pasquali's discoveries, Teijin Aramid's know-how and the use of long CNTs to further the development of high performance CNT fibers. In 2010, Teijin Aramid set up and funded a project with Rice, and the company's fiber-spinning experts have collaborated with Rice scientists throughout the project.

"The Teijin scientific and technical help led to immediate improvements in strength and conductivity," Pasquali said.Study co-author Junichiro Kono, a Rice professor of electrical and computer engineering, said, "The research showed that the electrical conductivity of the fibers could be tuned and optimized with techniques that were applied after initial production. This led to the highest conductivity ever reported for a macroscopic CNT fiber."The fibers reported in Science have about 10 times the tensile strength and electrical and thermal conductivity of the best previously reported wet-spun CNT fibers, Pasquali said. The specific electrical conductivity of the new fibers is on par with copper, gold and aluminum wires, but the new material has advantages over metal wires.For example, one application where high strength and electrical conductivity could prove useful would be in data and low-power applications, Pasquali said."Metal wires will break in rollers and other production machinery if they are too thin," he said. "In many cases, people use metal wires that are far more thick than required for the electrical needs, simply because it's not feasible to produce a thinner wire. Data cables are a particularly good example of this."

3D Picture of Political News

Political and  Other News This Week:

Pak troops cross LoC, kill one Indian soldier, mutilate body of another

 

1) Pak troops cross LoC, kill one Indian soldier, mutilate body of another :

Jammu: In a major escalation to the ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts, a group of Pakistan Army soldiers raided across the Line of Control in Mendhar Sector and killed two Indian soldiers and injured one more. The Pakistani troops attacked an area domination patrol party of the Indian Army. In the ensuing gunfight two Indian soldiers were killed and the body of one of them was mutilated by the intruders.

In a statement, the Army said, "A group of their regular soldiers intruded across the Line of Control in the Mendhar Sect on 08 Jan 2013. Pakistan Army troops, having taken advantage of thick fog and mist in the forested area, were moving towards own posts when an alert area domination patrol spotted and engaged the intruders. The fire fight between Pakistan and own troops continued for approximately half an hour after which the intruders retreated back towards their side of Line of Control".The statement added, "This is yet another grave provocation by Pakistan Army which is being taken up sternly through official channels.

"(There has been) a significant escalation to the continuing series of ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts supported by Pakistan Army."
The ceasefire violation is the second in two days. On January 6, the Pakistani troops had fired mortar shells towards Indian Army posts in Uri sector near the Line of Control."They (Pakistan Army) started firing mortar shells towards our posts at Churunda village in Uri sector around 3.15 am," an Army spokesman said. He said some of the shells landed close to civilian habitation but there was no damage done.

"The fire fight between Pakistan and our troops continued for approximately half an hour after which the intruders retreated towards their side of LoC. Two soldiers Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh laid down their lives while fighting the Pakistani troops," the statement said.
Reacting upon the Poonch incident, Pakistan military officials denied that the attack had been uprovoked. The Ministry of External Affairs, however, hit back, saying, "We deny that Indian forces violated the ceasefire and did infiltration. The sanctity of ceasefire on LoC should be upheld."
Former Army chief General VP Malik said the incident was serious and could escalate. "This is a very serious incident that has taken place. There is likelihood of this escalating also."In last about one month, Pakistan Army has violated the ceasefire agreement nearly a dozen times. Most of these firing incidents were in Rajouri, Uri and Keran sector to help infiltration attempts, Army officials said.

LoC attack: BJP holds nationwide protest, asks India to give befitting reply to Pak

2) LoC attack: BJP holds nationwide protest, asks India to give befitting reply to Pak:

A wave of anti-Pakistan protests erupted across India on Friday as supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took to the streets and burnt Pakistan's national flag, expressing their ire against the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers in Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch District.

The BJP activists and supporters took to the streets in the national capital and demanded the Congress-led UPA Government to make its stand clear to the people of India on the entire episode."We demand that the Indian Government should make its stand clear to the people of India and tell them what response will they give to Pakistan so that the honour and confidence of the Indian armed forces remains high and ensure that Pakistan does not dare to commit such heinous crime in the future," said Delhi BJP President Vijender Gupta.BJP supporters in Chandigarh burnt Pakistan's national flag as a mark of their protest against the barbaric killing of the Indian jawans."Today, the ex-servicemen wing of the BJP is protesting against the recent incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, in which they brutally killed two of our soldiers and also beheaded them. At the same time, we are demonstrating against the weak policies of the Indian Government and its failure to take any action against Pakistan," BJP worker Kuljeet Singh.

Denouncing the ghastly incident, BJP protesters in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal city urged the Indian Government to take stringent measures and send across a strong message to Pakistan."This is the anger of the people and they have taken to the streets as they want that the government in Delhi should break its silence over the issue. They want that the government should not deceive the people and they should take those on the streets along with them and back the soldiers who are fighting at the border against Pakistan," said BJP worker Keshav Kumar.The tension between the two Asian neighbours has aggravated after the brutal killing and beheading of the two Indian soldiers.Pakistan has denied India's claim that its troops crossed the Line of Control to ambush a patrol party in the Mendhar sector in Poonch district on Tuesday.The high commissioners of the two countries have been summoned by the respective governments throughout this week and served with demarches' to explain recent hostile developments in each other's territory and across.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said that Pakistan's High Commissioner has been told in very strong terms that the killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops is 'unacceptable', and added that it will have an adverse impact if it is not immediately contained.In a major escalation to the ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts, a group of Pakistan Army soldiers raided across the Line of Control in Mendhar sector and killed two Indian soldiers and injured one more. The Pakistani troops attacked an area domination patrol party of the Indian Army.Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh were the two Indian soldiers killed brutally by the Pakistani troops. 

Ei-ichi Negishi: Story of a Nobel laureate, in his own words

3) Story of a Nobel laureate, in his own words:

An injury in his right hand during his school days — that’s what Ei-ichi Negishi attributes his Nobel to! Students at The Heritage Group of Institutions had the opportunity to listen to Negishi’s “Nobel endeavour” in his own words at a programme last week.

By his own admission, Negishi never studied outside class through junior school till he got injured and was unable to use his right hand. “That was a blessing in disguise and then suddenly I realised maybe I should study and see what happens,” he recalled. And voila his grades escalated!

But with the improvement also came pressure. “The top student of that elite high school must never fail in the entrance examination to get into University of Tokyo and I was suffering from neurotic symptoms. I didn’t do well in the entrance examination but I managed to squeeze in,” said Negishi, who went on to receive the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2010 for developing palladium-catalyzed cross coupling in the mid 1970s.

His recommendation to the students was to take up one-on-one coaching. “After going through college, graduate school and perhaps getting a PhD degree, you should seek one-on-one coaching from one of the world’s best individuals in the field of your interest,” the scientist said.

Citing his own example of spending six years with Herbert C Brown, professor of chemistry at Purdue University, as post-doctoral associate for two years, Negishi said: “I was then his assistant for four years. I got this very precious one-on-one coaching. In any field, if you want to be among the tops in the world, you need to seek one-on-one coaching.”

Charting his career growth from junior school to high school, he also spoke of the time when “for the first time in my life I felt I am not a good student”. From there to applying for a Fulbright scholarship and going to the US in 1960 with a winning ratio of 1:100, it was a long and tenacious journey.

“Initially it was to be a one-year study in America but I managed to extend it to three years and I obtained my PhD from University of Pennsylvania,” Negishi said. “When I compare the University of Pennsylvania’s curriculum to that of University of Tokyo, it’s a big difference. So I was able to rebuild my background in a very very solid way.”

There were words of encouragement too. “I can sense that this is a very very special school. I can sense and feel that many good things will come out of this school. Many good things may have already come out of this school and in the future probably more,” the Nobel laureate told his audience of teachers and school and college students right at the start of the programme.

Haradhan Bandopadhyay Ends his Memorable Actor`s Journey Always as a Director’s first choice From Satyajit Ray To Anurag Basu

4) Haradhan Bandopadhyay Ends his Memorable Actor`s Journey Always as a Director’s first choice From Satyajit Ray To Anurag Basu:

Haradhan Bandopadhyay (6 Novenber 1926 - 5 January 2013) was a Bengali Indian male actor of Television and Films. He made his debut in 1948 Bengali film Devdut directed by Atanu Bandopadhyay. His Had Worked with most prominent directors of Bengali Cinema Like Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen.

Swami Vivekananda is my source of inspiration: Mamata

5) Swami Vivekananda is my source of inspiration: Mamata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday said she read books by Swami Vivekananda in times of self-doubt to gather strength.

"In the course of several movements that I led, there would be moments of doubt. There were some who were critical of me and even I wondered that there were so many people who had pinned their hopes on me. What if I were to fail them," she said on the eve of the monk's 150th birth anniversary.

"I would read books written by Swami Vivekananda to gather my strength," said Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, in a programme at the ancestral house of the founder of Ramkrishna Mission.

Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary celebrations to begin on Jan. 12

Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary celebrations to begin on Jan. 12

The Government of India has decided to undertake the commemoration of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12 at the Rashtrapati Bhawan auditorium.President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the commemoration in the presence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal, Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch, and General Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math Swami Suhitananda will also be present during the occasion.The programme will consist of addresses by dignitaries on the importance and relevance of this commemoration, in the present context.Children from the Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi will render a singing performance. A set of commemorative coins and commemorative stamps on Swami Vivekananda will also be released on the occasion.

A National Committee under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was constituted to consider policies and to lay down guidelines for the commemoration and to decide on the time frame for the commemoration related activities.A National Implementation Committee was also constituted in 2010 under the Chairmanship of the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to implement the decisions of the National Committee. 

Governor shouldn't have gone public with remarks: Somnath

6) Governor shouldn't have gone public with remarks: Somnath:

Observing that West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan should not have gone public with his "goondaism" remarks, former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee Friday hoped for an end to the controversy surrounding the comments made in the wake of CPI-M-Trinamool clashes in the state."He (Narayanan) is the constitutional head of the state and I feel he should not have made the comments in public," Chatterjee told IANS.

Chatterjee also criticised state Panchayat and Public Health Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee for dubbing Narayanan "a Congress-appointed constitutional head".Narayanan had Wednesday virtually rapped the Mamata Banerjee-led government over the clashes between the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Trinamool workers, saying it was akin to "some sort of goondaism" which was "not acceptable".

"This is not a good political culture. I think some sort of goondaism is going on here," Narayanan had said asking the police and the administration to function impartially in arresting the guilty.The remarks made to the media, attracted the wrath of the government.

"He has spoken like a politician. People will misunderstand his comments because he is a Congress-appointed constitutional head. His statements will only provoke the people," Mukherjee said, and even issued a warning."We have shown him (Narayanan) the yellow card now. If the time comes, we will hand the red card," Mukherjee had quipped.

Chatterjee called the minister's statements "unfortunate"."It is most unfortunate the governor was called a Congress appointee. It is a direct allegation about his integrity and questions the constitution itself because governor is a constitutional appointee," said Chatterjee.

The veteran politician however, hoped the controversy would end soon. "I feel we must give both the parties the long rope and allow the controversy to rest."
Narayanan's comments came in the wake of the attack on CPI-M leader and former minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah, allegedly by Trinamool activists led by former legislator Arabul Islam in Bhangar in South 24-Parganas district Sunday.Following the attack, many have been injured in clashes between Trinamool and CPI-M workers.Political scientist and constitutional law expert Subhash C. Kashyap also concurred with the view that Narayanan should not have gone public with his comments."He (Narayanan) is the head of the state, it is his government and his council of ministers. It is very unfortunate if the governor and his ministers are speaking at cross purposes in the public," Kashyap said.

"Though the Constitution does not provide the rules of speech for either the governor or the ministers, a situation should never arise where they are speaking at cross purposes in the public," he added.

3D Picture of Movie Release This Week:

Click on Movie Pictures or Names to See on Youtube Trailer.



Movie Release This Week:

Les Misérables

 

1) Les Misérables :

 Director:
Tom Hooper
Starring:
Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway

The peasant Jean Valjean is released from nineteen years of imprisonment – four for stealing bread and fifteen for various escape attempts – and meets the kind and heart warm bishop of Digne who takes him in when he has no place to stay. Valjean accomplishes to turn his life around with the help of the bishop – six years later he owns a factory and becomes the mayor of the little town. An officer from the prison where Valjean was incarcerated has been transferred to M on M and starts keeping an eye on Valjean, who’s interrogated by the officer when he helps the sick prostitute Fantine with her daughter when she herself is imprisoned for attacking a client. Valjean, incapable of escaping his criminal past, moves him and Fantine’s daughter Cosette to Paris. When the big student revolt begins Valjean decides to go into exile with Cosette but when he finds out about cosette’s love to Marius he lets her stay. 

Gangster Squad

2) Gangster Squad:

In the 1940s, L.A. mobster Mickey Cohen, an ex-boxer and member of the Jewish Mafia, liked to be seen as a man about town with girls on each arm. As the city is rife with crime and the streets run red with blood, there's little the police can do to stop Cohen's growing criminal empire. Sgt John O'Mara can see only one solution to bring him down - forming an off-the-record task force of fellow cops and detectives and fighting fire with fire. 

American Mary

3) American Mary:

Mary Mason is a promising young med school student, specifically interested in becoming a surgeon. Unfortunately, her bills are starting to pile up and she is desperate for cash so she looks for work at a look strip club. During the interview process, she is randomly asked to perform a shady emergency surgery on one of the club’s clients and in return, she is rewarded handsomely. Mary’s stellar surgery skills are consequently called upon by one of the club’s dancers seeking off the record reconstructive surgery on a friend. And before she knows it, Mary has become apart of an intense underground network of body modification work. 

Midnight Son

4) Midnight Son:

Due to a rare skin disease, Jacob is confined to a life of solitude. When he meets and falls in love with a bartender, his world seemingly changes for the better. However, his condition worsens and soon he is forced to start drinking human blood to stay alive. Soon he is the prime suspect in a series of murders, and with the law in close pursuit, Jacob must decide to live a life on the run with the girl he loves or turn himself in for his crimes.

THE LIGHT – Movie on SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

5) BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE LIGHT – SWAMI VIVEKANANDA Movie:

Our film reveals Narendranath (later known as Swami Vivekananda) as a juvenile young boy, sparkling with energy and ideas, causing his mother immense trouble His mother once even lamented that in response to her worship and ardent prayers Lord Shiva has sent her one of his ghost attendants instead of a divine child. A few instances have been shown, where Vivekananda is shown as extremely naughty and playful young boy, for which he gets rebuked by his parents and the scene ends revealing Vivekananda introspective.

Then we are showing the change in Narendranath’s behavior. Under the influence of his father’s teaching and mother’s religious beliefs, Vivekananda turns a new leaf and becomes more religious and spiritual. This is the beginning of his quest to discover God. Then, we can see Vivekananda’s first meeting with his master Ram Krishna Paramhans. His father was an advocate and his mother was a religious - minded woman. Narendranath started embracing religious sentiments but his parents cherished high hopes for him and wanted him to get married and become a successful worldly man. But he was more interested to discover God in its true sense and understand spirituality. In his quest to realise God, he felt one step closer after meeting his master Sri Ramkrishna.His meeting with the master proved to be a turning point. It was very hard for young and rational minded Vivekananda to accept Ramkrishna Paramhans and his visions initially. Though, he could not neglect him either. It was his nature to test something thoroughly before he would accept it. Ramakrishna never asked Vivekananda to accept God blindly and he used to smile at Vivekananda’s argument and doubtful nature and he used to tell him “Try to see the truth from all angles”.

Oscars 2013: Stars react to nominations

Oscars 2013: Stars react to nominations:

"It's been an absolutely thrilling morning," Steven Spielberg told reporters after hearing the news that his Civil War biopic "Lincoln" received 12 Oscar nominations. Actors, directors and film professionals are sharing their reactions to this morning's announcement of the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards.

Here are some celeb reactions to the Oscar news.

Oscar Nomination Of Directors

Steven Spielberg, Best Picture, "Lincoln"

"It's the best wakeup call I've had in 14 years!" The director told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm always surprised by recognition. I'm deeply grateful, and we are so honored by our 12 nominations, especially being in the great company of such amazing films."

Anne Hathaway, Best Supporting Actress, "Les Miserables"

"The first thing I did was breath," Hathaway told the New York Daily News. "I almost hyperventilated because I realized I had been holding my breath for a couple of months. I started crying and I started laughing, and then doing both at the same time."

Oscar Nomination for Best Movie

David O. Russell, Best Director, "Silver Linings Playbook"

"This morning was just a stunner," Russell, who was last nominated for 2010's "The Fighter", told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm beyond grateful, since I didn't know what to expect. I'm especially over the moon for my actors."

Jennifer Lawrence, Best Actress, "Silver Linings Playbook"

David O. Russell's lead actress was similarly thrilled. "I'm so honored and grateful for this nomination and to be in the company of such talented actresses. Having the fortunate opportunity to work with David O. Russell was an extraordinary gift, and I am so thrilled for my fellow cast members Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver, who are all nothing short of amazing," she told the Los Angeles Times.

Ang Lee, Best Picture, "Life of Pi"

"I am deeply honored and frankly a little overwhelmed by all of the nominations that 'Life of Pi' has received this morning," Lee told the Los Angeles Times, speaking of the 11 categories this CGI-heavy epic was nominated for. "So many talented people gave everything they had to this film, both in front of and behind the camera, and to see all of them receive this kind of recognition is something I am incredibly grateful for."

Mark Boal, Best Original Screenplay, "Zero Dark Thirty"

"Thank you to the Academy for these incredible honors," Boal told the New York Daily News. The screenwriter also gave credit to director Kathryn Bigelow, who was surprisingly not nominated for best director. "None of us would be so honored today without the genius and remarkable talent of Kathryn Bigelow, and to her we are forever grateful."

High Jackman, Best Actor, "Les Miserables"

"I hadn't planned to listen live to the announcements," Jackman admits to the Los Angeles Times. "But when I got into the car this morning to go to work, the driver had the nominations streaming as they were being broadcast. To be honest, it's very exciting but all a bit surreal, and it hasn't fully sunk in yet."

Tim Burton, Best Animated Film "Frankenweenie"

"'Frankenweenie' is a very personal film for me," the eclectic director said. "The idea of telling a feature length version was in the back of my mind for many years. Stop motion was the perfect medium for this project, and one I've always loved for its expressiveness and dimensionality. I've worked with so many incredible artists: animators, cast members, set builders, and puppet makers, all who have helped bring this film to life one frame at a time. I'm so honored that the Academy has recognized this film as one of its nominees."

Helen Hunt, Best Supporting Actress, "The Sessions"

"I was dead asleep and my phone rang," Hunt told the Los Angeles Times. "It was my publicist of 21 years, so it wasn't, like, some stranger - he's a dear friend who has rooted for me. Then I pet the dog, so the dogs got a good half an hour of tickling. My daughter kept running around saying I was 'mom-inated.' Then I made her oatmeal and took her to school. It wasn't like I drove over to the Beverly Hills Hotel and had champagne."

3D Pictures Sports News

Sports News This Week:

India Lost the Series against Pakistan by 2-1 after it won the last match by 10 runs

 

1) India Lost the Series against Pakistan by 2-1 after it won the last match by 10 runs:

India won the last match of the Pakistan in India ODI Series on 6 January 2013 against Pakistan by 10 Runs. With this win over Pakistan, India lost the three matches one day series by 1-2. 

India vs England 2013: Rajkot ODI - As it happened...:

2) India vs England 2013: Rajkot ODI - As it happened...:

So no repeat of the 2002 Lord’s here at Rajkot as England seal the match by nine runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five match series. Thanks to those final two overs in which England collected 38 runs, they have defeated India in this high scoring contest. Samit Patel's 44 (20b, 4X6, 6X1) have made the difference.

It was an even contest on a pitch tailor-made for batsmen as both the teams’ top order were among runs barring India’s Virat Kohli. For India, the batsmen were off to a good start but they ended up giving their wickets tamely.

ENGLAND: Overs: 50 II Score: 325/4 (Kieswetter 24*, Patel 44*)

INDIA: Overs: 50 II Score: 316/9 (Kumar 20*, Sharma 7*)