Big Win

MOHALI, India — Paceman Zaheer Khan took three wickets in four balls Tuesday to erase Australia's last, limited chances of forcing a draw and propel India to a comprehensive 320-run victory in the second cricket Test.

Australia, which resumed the last morning at 141-5 chasing an unlikely 516, lasted 18.4 overs on the fifth day after being rocked by Khan, who finished with 3-71.

The defeat was Australia's seventh-heaviest by runs and comes only a week after it missed opportunities to win the first Test at Bangalore. India, which recorded its largest victory by runs over any opponent, leads the four-match series 1-0 and is seemingly in complete control in the subcontinental conditions.

Khan ensured it would be a quick finish when he crashed through Brad Haddin's weak defensive push to the sixth ball of the day and the wicketkeeper left with 37.

"Overall it was the perfect game for us," said Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who stood in as captain for the injured Anil Kumble. "We got the perfect start after winning the toss and we were up to the mark in all departments."

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said his lineup lost the ascendancy on the opening day.

"Right from the first morning India were aggressive and took the momentum away from us," he said. "We've been under pressure and fighting from the start. They deserved to win, they outplayed us in every aspect."

When Haddin's stumps were shattered, so were Australia's hopes of saving the match after an 84-run partnership between Haddin and Michael Clarke.

In Khan's next over he had Cameron White caught behind for 1 when he pushed at the ball outside off stump and was caught by Dhoni.

It was Khan's second wicket in three deliveries and he added his third immediately by bowling Brett Lee.

All 10 fielders were placed within 15 metres of the bat for the hat-trick ball, which Mitchell Johnson defended. Khan's seven-over spell in the morning returned figures of 3-27, including two maidens.

"Zaheer is bowling at his best," Dhoni said. "His commitment is great, he is fit, he bowls his heart out. His form is brilliant right now and hopefully he can continue it."

Johnson (26) stayed with Clarke in a 50-run partnership, hitting some impressive drives until he popped a simple catch back to the bowler Amit Mishra.

The only bright spot for Australia was Clarke's half-century, but he finished the match when he pulled to Virender Sehwag off Mishra on 69.

Despite the convincing all-round success, Dhoni remained wary of top-ranked Australia for the remainder of the series.

"Australia is still a strong side," he said. "It's just that we are doing our job in a brilliant way, with our batting, bowling and fielding."

Australia was reduced to 58-5 after tea on the fourth day to end its unlikely chances of victory.

Harbhajan Singh's three wickets either side of the break put India on track and Ishant Sharma chipped in with two wickets before the short recovery of Clarke and Haddin.

The first Test in Bangalore was drawn and India will head to New Delhi for the third match starting Oct. 29 looking to wrap up the series and regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Australia will have a three-day break between Tests and Ponting said it was important for he and his players to "clear our minds."

"We're not accustomed to being behind in a series, and not accustomed to doing so badly," he said.

Dhoni was named man of the match for his run-scoring double of 92 and 68.

"The pleasing thing was that everybody contributed, there were five wickets to Amit Mishra, then Gautam Gambhir's innings," he said. "I was bit surprised (to be man of the match). It's good that it goes to someone from our side, it depicts that your side has had the upper hand."

Dhaam-Dhoom- Movie review

Story

Gautham Subramanyiam (Ravi) is a well educated, handsome hunk of a Doctor family. Since, his father and mother are doctors; Gautham aims to become a doctor and achieves it. Gautham gets a golden opportunity to go to Russia to represent India in a week long doctor’s conference.

Gautham is delighted to receive this offer and packs his bags to fly to Russia. Meanwhile, Gautham’s beloved is introduced on the frame which happens to be Shenba (Kangana). Shenba happens to be the same village girl in which his sister resides and so they two meet and fall in love. Gautham’s parents agree to the marriage and as a happy man Gautham is ready to marry Shenba after his return to India from his Russia trip.

Finally, the journey to Russia happens and the hero reaches Moscow and completes his immigration procedures. Incidentally, Gautham meets Anna (Maria) and unknowingly the sexy lady drops her jacket at the hero. In a quickie situation the hero has no time to return the jacket and exits from the Moscow airport accompanied by his medical team.

Gautham is flabbergasted by the roads and buildings of the city and is surprised to see the city of Moscow from his hotel view. Gautham learns that the only hiccup with Russians

Is that the people are ignorant about the English language and the whole conversation with them must be made in Russian national language.

Fortunately, one fine day, Gautham discovers Anna and takes the prospect to return her coat. The two gel together well and part the ways. Meanwhile, Gautham medical conference takes place successfully and in order to celebrate its success the whole team head to a club. Gautham bumps into Anna in the night club and they two have a gala time in the club. Anna, due to heavy consumption of Liquor, intoxicates and the hero has no other choice than to accompany her to her room.

When the two reach Anna’s apartment in they settle down and sleep. Gautham is brutally dragged onto the floor by a Russian police officer the next day morning and the reason is that Anna is murdered on her sofa.

Suddenly the whole world around Gautham changes in a flash. He gets abused, accused and is jailed by the cops. The language, people and the surroundings are totally new and confusing to the hero. Fortunately at this time Arthi Chinappa (Lakshmi Rai) is appointed as a defendant lawyer to the culprit Gautham. The Indian consulate sends jayaram to Gautham rescue. Aarthi falls in love with Jayam Ravi, but suppresses her feelings when she learns about Shenba

The rest of the story revolves around how the hero is proved t be innocent? Who killed Maria and for what cause. A mix of Chases, death experiences, conspiracies and many more are the ingredients form the climax of the movie.





Performances

Jayam Ravi has done a superb acting in this film. His character is well weaved and the actor gets under the skin of the character. His emotions and the kind of expressions which he exhibits in the alien nation are applaudable.

Kangana Ranaut does her role of a village belly comfortably. But her skinny body is little bit indigestible in some scenes as south audiences relish the heroines who are little bit flabby in their vital statistics.

Lakshmi Rai comes in a deglamorised role and her surprising character as a lawyer is an interesting part in the film. Maria plays her role well which is brief.

The noteworthy part of this movie is the soothing and refreshing music with some urban touch in it. Harris music has come up splendidly and forms an integral; part in the success of the movie.




Direction in the movie is well handled by Jeeva. He succeeded to churn out the quality from the star cast and the cinematography and the beautiful locales of the Coorg and Russia and well framed in the camera.
On the whole this movie has all the ingredients to become a hit family entertainer. But some audience felt that the incidents which happen in Ravi’s past and present are little bit confusing. But the movie has a mileage of a 50 day run for sure. It can withstand the competition and complete the 100 day run too.

South Indian Food

The Malabar Coast in the South India is famous for its spices of pungent aromas that lured many foreign invaders like the Dutch, the French and the English. Cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are some of the notable spices, which are found in abundance in the South. The availability of coconut, fish and root tubers have influenced the culinary creations of the South. Rice is the staple food for the people of South India instead of wheat, which is more popular in northern states.




The very mentioning of the name of South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, brings to ones mind the tastes of Idlis, dosas, Sambhar and Vada. However, there are more than these that can treat the taste buds. Most of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes of this region have a generous use of spices and coconuts. The final tempering with oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and urad dhal is almost the same for most of the dishes. In Kerala, the staple food of the people is fish accompanied with steaming rice of big size. Banana chips and jackfruit chips are the specialty snacks of this state and most of the visitors make sure they have at least a few bags of these items in their carry home luggage!

The Andhra cuisine has a great Mughal impact. Their food is known for its spiciness and hotness. The kebabs and the Briyanis are not to be missed. Home made pickles, pappads and dry chutney powders to be used with dosa or idli or rice are the famous culinary traditions of this region.

India's first medal

Abhinav Bindra (born September 28, 1982) is an Indian shooter specializing in the 10 m Air Rifle event. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games and first gold medal since 1980 for India by winning the gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event.

Abhinav Bindra was the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games. He won six gold medals at various international meets in 2001. In the 10 m Air rifle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester, he won Gold in the Pairs event and Bronze in the individual event. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he broke the Olympic record but failed to win a medal. He is a recipient of the Arjuna award in 2001 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for the year 2001-2002. Abhinav Bindra's potential talent was first spotted by his first coach Lt. Col. J.S. Dhillon.

Apart from being a shooter, Abhinav Bindra holds an M.B.A. (Masters in Business Administration). He is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, a PC games peripherals distributor based in Chandigarh. He studied at the Doon School, Dehradun till 10th standard and then left for St. Stephens school, Chandigarh to pursue shooting.

Medal record
Competitor for Flag of India India

Men's shooting
Olympic Games
Gold 2008 Beijing Men's 10 m air rifle

ISSF World Shooting Championships
Gold 2006 Zagreb Men's 10 m Air Rifle

Commonwealth Games
Silver 2002 Manchester Men's 10m Air Rifle
Gold 2002 Manchester Men's 10m Air Rifle
Bronze 2006 Melbourne Men's 10m Air Rifle
Gold 2006 Melbourne Men's 10m Air Rifle

Thanks, for setting a great precedence for the rest of Team India.... We hope the entire team India makes us proud the same way....

Good wishes to Abhinav, and good luck to all..

Tendulkar to act in a film

India’s master blaster Sachin Tendulkar who is also a brand ambassidor for several adds will make his entry into cine industry and soon he will be making his debut by a Marathi film “Vighnaharta Shri Siddhivinayak”. The movie is based on Lord Ganesha, though Sachin has received many invitations to act but he doesnot signed for a single movie also and the main reason for signing for this movie is Sachin is a big fan of lord Ganesha and that is the reason he is going to act in this movie. Movie is produced by Rajiv Singhvi and he has cleared to all that movie will move on to the sets after completion of Sachin’s tour of Srilanka he also added that the main reason for maknig a film on god is he is intrested to give a social message to the public.
The main intresting news is that voic-over for this movie will be given by Bollywood big B Amitabh Bachan. Meanwhile, Sachin is very eager to participate on to the sets and he is very thankful to the directorand producers who has given this oppurtinuity and at the same time he will be very thankful to Amitabh for his voiceover performnace. Lets wait and see whether Sachin able to acquire craze by this movie or not, the other news about the movie were not yet known to anyone.

Muttiah Muralitharan vs Anil Kumble

Muttiah Muralitharan born 17 April 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka), often referred to as Murali, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test-Match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002.

Muralitharan is Test cricket's highest wicket-taker, having overtaken the previous record-holder Shane Warne on December 3, 2007. Muralitharan had held the record before when he surpassed West Indies' Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in 2004. But he suffered a shoulder injury later that year and was then overtaken by Warne. He is also second in the list of wicket-takers in One Day Internationals.

Averaging over six wickets per Test, Muralitharan is one of the most successful bowlers in the game and the greatest player in Sri Lanka's history. He plays domestic cricket for the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club, and county cricket for Lancashire as an overseas player.

Muralitharan's career has been beset with controversy; his bowling action called into question on a number of occasions by umpires and sections of the cricket community. After biomechanical analysis in non-match conditions, Muralitharan's action was cleared by the International Cricket Council, first in 1996 and again in 1999. The legality of his doosra was first called into question in 2004. This delivery was found to exceed the ICC elbow extension limit of five degrees, assigned for spinners at that time. Based on of official studies into bowling actions, the International Cricket Council revised the elbow flexion limits applying to all bowlers in 2005. Muralitharan's doosra falls within the revised limits.

Muralitharan was left out of the one-day touring squad to West Indies in early 2008, leading to speculation that he may be focusing on Test cricket in the future whilst Sri Lanka built a younger squad for One Day Internationals.

Career statistics
Tests ODI FC LA

Matches 121 310 219 378
Runs scored 1,156 524 2,087 693
Batting average 11.56 5.86 11.28 6.41
100s/50s 0/1 0/0 0/1 0/0
Top score 67 27 67 27
Balls bowled 40,287 16,822 62,929 20,095
Wickets 746 475 1,309 575
Bowling average 21.77 22.85 19.06 22.97
5 wickets in innings 65 9 115 10
10 wickets in match 21 n/a 32 n/a
Best bowling 9/51 7/30 9/51 7/30
Catches/stumpings 68/– 122/– 119/– 142/–




Anil Radhakrishna Kumbleborn 17 October 1970 in Bangalore, Karnataka) is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-arm leg spin (legbreak googly) bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches. At present he is the third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and one of only three bowlers to have taken more than 600 Test wickets. Kumble has had success bowling with other spinners, notably Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chauhan in the 1990s and Harbhajan Singh since 2000.

Kumble was appointed the captain of the Indian Test cricket team on 8 November 2007. His first assignment as captain was the three-test home series against Pakistan that India won 1-0. Then he led the Indian Test team on its tour to Australia for the 2007-08 four-test series of The Border-Gavaskar Trophy that India lost 1-2. Kumble succeeds his state team mate Rahul Dravid, who resigned as the captain in September 2007 . Since his debut in international cricket in April 25, 1990, he has taken over 600 Test wickets and 330 ODI wickets. Although often criticized as not a big turner of the ball, Kumble is the second highest wicket taker among leg spinners in Test cricket behind leg spinner Shane Warne of Australia and the third of all bowlers after Warne and off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and has claimed over 600 Test wickets. He is one of only two bowlers in the history of cricket to have taken all 10 wickets in a test innings, the other being Jim Laker of England. Kumble is currently ranked the 5th best bowler in Tests by the International Cricket Council. He was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, by the Government of India in 2005.
Career statistics
Tests ODI FC LA

Matches 127 271 238 380
Runs scored 2427 938 5475 1456
Batting average 18.24 10.53 22.16 11.20
100s/50s 1/5 0/0 7/17 0/0
Top score 110* 26 154* 30*
Balls bowled 39450 14496 65399 20247
Wickets 608 337 1120 514
Bowling average 29.06 30.89 25.54 27.58
5 wickets in innings 35 2 72 3
10 wickets in match 8 n/a 19 n/a
Best bowling 10/74 6/12 10/74 6/12
Catches/stumpings 57/– 85/– 117/– 122/–

Bugatti Veyron Fastest Autocars

The Bugatti Veyron has wiped the floor with the opposition in Autocar's annual 0-100-0mph contest, featured in the current issue of the world's oldest car magazine, even managing to beat a Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike.
Featuring 25 of the world's fastest cars, from the 14th placed £79,995 Aston Martin V8 Vantage to the second-placed £34,995 Ariel Atom, the shoot-out pitches the cars against each other in a straight fight to see which is the fastest to 100mph. There's more to it than just outright speed though –" slowing from 100mph to a dead halt is just as importantThe Veyron, with its 987bhp 16-cylinder engine, wasn't necessarily the favourite to win. "A low weight tends to be the key to a good 0-100-0mph car," said Autocar's road test editor Adam Towler. "Cars like the Ariel Atom and Caterham Superlight historically dominate this contest."
But the 1890kg £880,000 Bugatti ripped through the gears to hit 60mph in 2.8sec and 100mph in an astonishing 5.5sec. It then stopped in just 3.4sec, giving a 0-100-0mph time of 9.9sec.Not only is the Bugatti faster than the Suzuki, it creates more g-force at maximum acceleration than you'd experience in an F-16 jet fighter at take off or when skydiving.
But the lightweights still turned in an impressive performance, from the relatively unknown £32k Brooke Double R in fourth place to the £35k Ariel Atom 300 in second.
"Although the Veyron is undoubtedly the quickest road car ever, you can still have nearly as much fun for much less money," said Adam Towler. "It's good to see British sports cars doing so well against such an impressive machine as the Bugatti."
Autocar also brought along an A1 GP car, driven by Brit Robbie Kerr, to see how a purpose-built race car would compare with road-going machinery. The 550bhp single seater weighs just 695kg, and proved to be the fastest vehicle on the day with a 0-100-0mph time of 8.4sec.
Competing Cars
0-100-0 Time(seconds)
A1 GP
8.40
Bugatti Veyron 9.90 Suzuki GSX-R1000 10.70
Ariel Atom S'Charged 11.00 Ariel Atom 450 11.05
Atom Private Owned 11.05 Caterham CSR260 11.95
Brooke Double R 12.50 Porsche 911 Turbo 12.50
Ford Focus WRC 13.57 Lambo Gallardo 13.65
Ascari KZ1 13.80 Corvette Z06 13.80
Alpina B6 14.80 BMW M6 14.95
TVR Tuscan 2 15.00 BMW M5 15.20
Audi RS4 15.80 Aston V8 Vantage 15.81
BMW Z4M Roadster 15.95 Porsche Cayman S 16.46
Lotus Exige S 16.60 Nissan 350Z 18.80
Vauxhall Astra Sprint 18.85 Vauxhall Astra VXR 19.05
Renault Megane F1 20.55 Mazda 6MPS 21.00
Ford Focus ST 21.35 Vauxhall Vectra VXR 22.35
Vauxhall Astra Thurlby 22.65

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher born January 3, 1969, in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula One driver, seven-time world champion, and current test driver for Ferrari. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen". He is the first German to win the Formula One World championship, and is credited with popularising Formula One in Germany. In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver among Formula One fans.

After winning two championships with Benetton, Michael Schumacher moved to Scuderia Ferrari in 1996 and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them from 2000–2004. Schumacher holds many records in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. Schumacher is the only Formula One driver to have an entire season of podium finishes. His driving sometimes created controversy: he was twice involved in collisions that determined the outcome of the world championship, most notably his disqualification from the 1997 championship for causing a collision with Jacques Villeneuve. After the 2006 Formula One season Schumacher retired from race driving.

Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life and donated tens of millions of dollars to charity. He is the elder brother of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, currently racing in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).



He is currently acting as advisor and special test driver for the 2008 Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team.

Early years
Schumacher was born in Hürth Hermülheim, to Rolf, a bricklayer, and Elisabeth. When Schumacher was four, his father modified his pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine. After Schumacher crashed it into a lamp post in Kerpen, his parents took him to the local karting track at Kerpen-Horrem where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father soon built him a proper kart from discarded parts and at the age of six Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his son's racing, Rolf Schumacher took on a second job renting and repairing karts at the circuit, while his wife worked at the track's canteen stand. Despite the extra income, when Schumacher needed a new engine costing 800 DM (400 €) his parents were unable to afford it, but their son was able to continue racing through support offered by several local businessmen.

In Germany the regulations require the driver to be at least 14 years old in order to obtain a kart license. To get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in Luxembourg in 1981, at the age of 12.

In 1983 he obtained his German license and the year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship. From 1984, Schumacher won numerous German and European kart championships. He joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985. By 1987 he was the German and European kart champion, at which point he withdrew from school and began working as a mechanic. In 1988 Schumacher made his first step into single-seat car racing by racing in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, winning the latter.

In 1989 Michael signed with Willi Weber's WTS Formula 3 team. For the next two years, funded by Weber, he competed in the German Formula 3 series, winning the title in 1990. Towards the end of 1990, along with his Formula 3 rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Sports-Prototype Championship. This was an unusual move for a young driver: most of Schumacher's contemporaries would instead compete in Formula 3000 on their way to Formula One. However, Weber advised Schumacher that exposure to professional press conferences and driving powerful cars in long distance races would help his career. He gained victory at the season finale at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in a Sauber-Mercedes C11 and finished fifth in the drivers' championship. He continued with the team in the 1991 Formula One season, winning again at the final race of the season at Autopolis in Japan with a Sauber-Mercedes-Benz C291, leading to a ninth place finish in the drivers championship. In 1991 he competed in one race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second.

Racing record

Season Series Team Name Races Poles Wins Points Final Placing
1988 European Formula Ford 1600 Eufra Racing 4 1 2 50 2nd
German Formula Ford 1600 Eufra Racing ? ? ? ? 6th
Formula König ? 10 1 9 192 1st
1989 German Formula Three WTS Racing 12 2 2 163 3rd
European Formula Three Cup WTS Racing 1 0 0 N/A NC
Macau Grand Prix WTS Racing 1 0 0 N/A NC
1990 World Sportscar Championship Team Sauber Mercedes 3 0 1 21 =5th
German Formula Three WTS Racing 11 6 5 148 1st
European Formula Three Cup WTS Racing 1 1 0 N/A NC
Macau Grand Prix WTS Racing 1 0 1 N/A 1st
1991 Formula One Jordan 1 0 0 0 14th
Benetton 5 0 0 4
World Sportscar Championship Team Sauber Mercedes 8 0 1 43 =9th
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft Zakspeed Mercedes 4 0 0 0 NC
Japanese Formula 3000 Team Le Mans 1 0 0 6 12th
1992 Formula One Benetton 16 0 1 53 3rd
1993 Formula One Benetton 16 0 1 52 4th
1994 Formula One Benetton 14 6 8 92 1st
1995 Formula One Benetton 17 4 9 102 1st
1996 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. 16 4 3 59 3rd
1997 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 17 3 5 78 DSQ*
1998 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 16 3 6 86 2nd
1999 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 10 3 2 44 5th
2000 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 17 9 9 108 1st
2001 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 17 11 9 123 1st
2002 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 17 7 11 144 1st
2003 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 16 5 6 93 1st
2004 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 18 8 13 148 1st
2005 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 19 1 1 62 3rd
2006 Formula One Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 18 4 7 121 2nd

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciations (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.

Features

Niagara Falls is divided into the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. The Horseshoe Falls drop about 173 feet (53 m), the height of the American Falls varies between 70-100 feet (21 m) because of the presence of giant boulders at its base. The larger Horseshoe Falls are about 2,600 feet (792 m) wide, while the American Falls are 1,060 feet (323 m) wide. The volume of water approaching the falls during peak flow season is 202,000 cubic feet per second (5,720 m³/s). By comparison Africa's spectacular Victoria Falls has over 15 million cubic feet (424,750 m³) of water falling over its crest line each minute during the peak of the wet season (250,000 cu ft/7,079 m³ per second). Since the flow is a direct function of the Lake Erie water elevation, it typically peaks in late spring or early summer. During the summer months, 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,832 m³/s) of water actually traverses the Falls, some 90% of which goes over the Horseshoe Falls, while the balance is diverted to hydroelectric facilities. This is accomplished by employing a weir with movable gates upstream from the Horseshoe Falls. The Falls flow is further halved at night, and during the low tourist season in the winter, remains a flat 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,416 m³/s). Water diversion is regulated by the 1950 Niagara Treaty and is administered by the International Niagara Board of Control (IJC). Viewpoints on the American shore generally are astride or behind the falls. The falls face directly toward the Canadian shore. Thus, the most complete views of Niagara Falls are available from the Canadian shoreline. It is about a two hour drive from Toronto.

Tourism

Peak numbers of visitors occur in the summertime, when Niagara Falls are both a daytime and evening attraction. From the Canadian side, floodlights illuminate both sides of the Falls for several hours after dark (until midnight). The number of visitors in 2008 is expected to total 20 million and by 2009, the annual rate is expected to top 28 million tourists a year.The oldest and best known tourist attraction at Niagara Falls is the Maid of the Mist boat cruise, named for an ancient Ongiara Indian mythical character, which has carried passengers into the whirlpools beneath the Falls since 1846. Cruise boats operate from boat docks on both sides of the falls.

Surat escapes attack, 18 bombs defused

AHMEDABAD/SURAT: On the morning after the Ahmedabad serial blasts, The Times of India ran the headline — Bangalore, Ahmedabad. Who's Next? The answer is here. With two explosives-packed cars and 18 bombs being discovered across Surat, it's clear that terrorists had planned a deadly serial attack on the diamond capital of India.

Gujarat's second largest city would have been sucked into another round of tragedy had the terrorists succeeded in blowing up what appears to be at least three dozen bombs — between the incendiary material found in WagonRs on Sunday and the assembled bombs discovered in the densely populated city on Tuesday. Surat is home to a Rs 70,000 crore diamond industry.

Late on Tuesday, media organizations in Gujarat received two emails threatening more terror attacks. "Indian Mujahideen will not stop even if our mission in Surat failed," said one email sent from alarbigujarat@sify.com. It was not clear if the emails came from a terrorist outfit or were just pranks. Police hope to get leads by Wednesday.

The discoveries in Surat brought relief but raised deadlier questions. How come a huge operation involving three of the country's largest cities escaped the intelligence radar? Did a police crackdown in Surat following the Ahmedabad blasts trigger sufficient panic among the merchants of death to abandon their deadly cargo? And abandon it carelessly enough — one of them on a tree top!

The discovery was also often quite by chance. Sanjay Kaporia , a lace-cloth supplier from Varachha, for instance, saw something odd in the dustbin outside his shop. Unmindful of the risk, he walked with the live bomb for 22 metres to Labeshwar police chowki. "I thought it is best to bring it here," he said. Bhimji Budhna, BJP councillor from Varachha, also detected one. "I was passing by Mini Market when I saw a green plastic bag stuck between signboards of two shops. It looked like a bomb, like the ones I've seen on TV. So I called the police."

Surat top cop wants more bomb disposal personnel

Surat police commissioner, R M S Brar, claimed that the bombs found in Surat were abandoned on Monday night. He has asked for more bomb disposal personnel. Surat's escape from terror was providential.


It was clearly in the jihadi crosshairs, even though Surat remained an island of peace while the rest of Gujarat burned during riots in 2002. There were no answers from security agencies, completely confounded by the rapid unfolding of what now has emerged as the biggest serial terror plot in independent India. Brar said he didn't know what's going on.

"But we'll get to the bottom of this," he promised. Brar said that after the Ahmedabad blasts, his officers had gone on a public awareness spree, asking them to maintain vigil and report anything unusual to the cops. Policemen also set up checkpoints and roadblocks around the city.

The first inkling of the impending attacks came on Sunday when the two cars were found with ammonium nitrate, shrapnel, detonators and binding agents for bombs. By Tuesday morning, the evidence was overwhelming. Citizens found 18 more bombs strewn around the buzzing diamond-studded Varachha area, densely populated marketplaces, road dividers, a tree and a hoarding on a flyover.

Drew Barrymore

Drew Blyth Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actress and film producer. She's the youngest member of the Barrymore family of American actors. She began acting when she was eleven months old. Barrymore made her screen debut in Altered States in 1980. Following her 1980 screen debut in Altered States, she starred in her breakout role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She quickly became one of Hollywood's most recognized child actresses, going on to establish herself in mainly comic roles.

At the age of thirteen, Barrymore was checked into rehab for several drug habits she had developed from age nine. In 1995, she, along with Nancy Juvonen, formed a production company Flower Films. The following year, she made her comeback in Wes Craven's horror film Scream. This was followed by 1998s romantic comedy The Wedding Singer, starring opposite Adam Sandler. In 2000, Barrymore starred in the film adaption of Charlie's Angels. Subsequently, she has appeared in comedies such as 50 First Dates, Fever Pitch, Music and Lyrics and starred in the drama film Lucky You opposite Eric Bana. Barrymore is currently working on the projects He's Just That Not That into You, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and Everybody's Fine. Since then, she has received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2007, Barrymore appeared in the cover of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful issue.

Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Since then, she has donated over $1 million dollars to the program. In 2007, she became both Cover Girl’s newest model and spokeswoman for the cosmetic and the face for Gucci's newest jewelry line. She was first married to Jeremy Thomas on March 1994, but the marriage ended two months later. Her second marriage was to comedian Tom Green in July 2001. However, Green filed for divorce in December 2001. Since then, she has dated The Strokes' drummer Fabrizio Moretti (2002–2007) and actor Justin Long.

Rise to fame

Barrymore's career began when she auditioned for a dog food commercial at eleven months old. When she was bitten by her canine co-star, the producers were afraid she would cry, but she merely laughed, and was hired for the job. She made her film debut in Altered States (1980), in which she got a small part. A year later, she landed the role of Gertie, the younger sister of Elliott, in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which made her famous. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1984 for her role in Irreconcilable Differences, in which she starred as a young girl divorcing her parents. In a review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert states: "Barrymore is the right actress for this role precisely because she approaches it with such grave calm." He concludes with saying that "The Drew Barrymore character sees right through all of this. She doesn't care about careers, she wants to be given a happy home and her minimum daily requirement of love, and, in a way, the movie is about how Hollywood (and American success in general) tends to cut adults off from the natural functions of parents."

Shahrukh Khan

Born 2 November1965, is a highly acclaimed Indian actor who works in Bollywood films, as well as film producer and television host.

Khan started out his career appearing in several television serials in the late 1980s. He made his film debut with the commercially successful Deewana (1992). Since then, he has been part of numerous commercial successes, as well as having delivered a variety of critically acclaimed performances. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won seven Film fare Best Actor Awards and has had significant box office success. While films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Chak De India (2007), and Om Shanti Om (2007), remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) have been hits in the overseas market. Since 2000, Khan branched out into film production and television presenting as well.

Khan was born to Muslim parents of Pathan ethnicity in New Delhi, India. His father, Taj Mohammed Khan was a freedom activist from Peshawar, British India. His mother Lateef Fatima was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served as a General in the Indian National Army of Subash Chandra Bose.

Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the Partition of India, while his mother's family came from Rawalpindi, also in present-day Pakistan. Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz. Khan attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award bequeathed to the student who embodies most the spirit of the school. He later attended the Hansraj College (1985-1988) to earn an Honors degree in Economics. After this, he studied for a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia.

After the death of his parents, Khan moved from New Delhi to Mumbai in 1991. In that same year, before any of his film releases, he married Gauri Khan in a Hindu wedding ceremony on

October 25, 1991. They have two children, son Aryan Khan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000).

In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, "King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema", was released in 2007. This book described the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.

Khan's life-size wax statue is available in Madame Tussauds wax museum, London, installed in April 2007. Khan has been chosen for the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award of the French government for his “exceptional career”.