Ocean census discovers 5,000 new species
The mysteries of the deep have been revealed after a remarkable 10-year survey of the worlds oceans. Altogether, the international Census of Marine Life counted 201,206 different species of which 5,000 are new.
But experts estimate there are a million species living in the sea, so a mere 20% of the huge total have been discovered so far. Dr Jesse Ausubel, co-founder of the census, told a celebration at the Royal Institution yesterday: We have created a baseline of what lives in the ocean, where and when. There was chaos in the records when we set out. But there are decades of work ahead.
Science committee chairman Dr Ian Poiner added: This is a milestone for marine science. We have a benchmark which will serve scientists for years to come. More then 2,700 experts spent 9,000 days at sea on more than 540 expeditions, recording everything from microbes to whales.
Thirty-million observations of 120,000 species have been organised in the global marine life database, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System. It will provide a record against which future changes in ocean life can be measured. The scientists found that fish make up 16,764 of the known species. But there are thought to be 21,800, with up to 150 new species discovered every year.
Pacific Bluefin tuna were found to cross the Pacific three times in 600 days. The Atlantic bluefin migrates about 3,700 miles between North America and Europe. But the record goes to puffins which make a 40,000-mile circle every year from New Zealand to Japan, Russia, Alaska, Chile and back. Another discovery was how many sea creatures share a similar DNA, with a maximum 15% difference among fish.
French scientist Myriam Sibuet said: In the deep sea, we found luxuriant communities despite extreme conditions. The discovery of new species and habitats have both advanced science and inspired artists with their extraordinary beauty.
Live Chat: Naseruddin Shah on Sept 24 at 1500 hrs IST
To call him just an actor would be a massive understatement. This man has actually defined acting and screen characterisation. Right from the onset Naseruddin Shah has given stellar performances that were unmatched and applaud worthy. He is also someone who consciously moved to parallel cinema and encouraged the revolution of intelligent filmmaking with films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Aakrosh etc. Acting is a passion to this man and he would do it to his very best.
Besides he has also done international cinema with films like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Khuda Ke Liye where his performances were highly appreciated. He took his love for the art a notch higher and started his own theatre company called ‘Motley Productions’ along with Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani. The talented actor will now been seen in Faruk Kabir’s Allah Ke Banday. Now having done over fifty films since 1975, it goes without mention that Naseruddin Shah is one of the most respected and revered senior artist and getting an opportunity to chat with him is more than just an honour, an honour that Bollywood Hungama feels extremely delighted to have.
So all you theatre and film fanatics, do log on to Bollywood Hungama’s celebrity video chat on Friday, September 24, at 1500 hrs IST as Naseerudin Shah talks about Bollywood, films and his upcoming movie Allah Ke Banday.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Retrospective at the Indian Film Festival of London
Indian Film Festival of London are honouring Vidhu Vinod Chopra with a Retrospective, screening An Encounter With Faces (1978); Parinda (1989); 1942: A Love Story (1993); Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007). Closing of the festival will happen with a charity screening of 3 Idiots and the proceeds will go UNICEF. The Retrospective will be accompanied by a post-screening Question & Answer session where Mr. Chopra will be interviewed in front of a live audience by a veteran of the British film industry. That’s not all, IFFL will also be honouring Mr. Chopra with an award for his extraordinary contribution to cinema.
The Indian Film Festival of London – IFFL 2010 is the first major film festival to be held in London that is dedicated solely to promoting cinema from the Indian subcontinent. Along with the popular and offbeat cinema of Mumbai and regional India, the festival hopes to introduce audiences to the lesser-known cinematic traditions of the region, showcasing powerful productions from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Festival will be held from August 25 – 29 at London’s historic Riverside Studios which for over 25 years has enjoyed a cult status among film-lovers as the pre-eminent home of original and pioneering cinema. Riverside Studios has a loyal base of over 15,000 customers, most of whom are high-earning professionals in the media industry from a largely British background. The potential for crossover is immense.
Vinod Chopra says, “3I is a special film, it’s a film that has changed my own daughter’s outlook towards education and has taken up classical dancing full time. To have a charity screening for UNICIEF only echoes what the film is trying to say and we are really proud to be associated with such a Nobel cause. Also would like to thank the festival for honouring me with a retrospective of my films.”
What made Housefull Hilarious?
With a recollaboration of Hey Babyy team, the recently released multi-starrer flick Housefull is all set to entertain the audiences this summer. While the film is getting rave reviews for its hilarious script, the stars’ performances and the lively jokes, what makes the film more than just staple Bollywood masala is the extraordinary visual effects (VFX) and DI executed by Mumbai-based Visual entertainment services Company, Prime Focus.
Talking about the vfx of the movie, Merzin Tavaria, Chief Creative Director at Prime Focus said, “Housefull is one of the most challenging films in terms of creatives and deliveries. The most important sequences being the Tiger sequence and the Monkey sequence. We had a couple of scenes which involved the lead actors interacting with a Tiger which was quite difficult to shoot in reality,That’s one of the scenes where we have used VFX but the beauty of the shot is that it’s so seamless that you can’t make out the use of VFX and this helps, as it looks real and doesn’t disturb the narrative.
Apart from the vfx, what added glitz to movie was the Digital Intermediate (DI) executed by the Prime Focus team.
Says DI head and Chief colorist Rohan Desai,” Since Housefull is a romantic comedy, we have set the palette to bright-happy colors. We have maintained a very clean and consistent look for the entire movie.
Talking about the challenges Rohan said , “Most of the scenes in Housefull were shot in London where the weather is very erratic; as a result there were a lot of lighting challenges involved, with Digital Intermediate we achieved the required look and feel for the scenes and consistency in terms of skin tones and background. There were scenes where we had patches of clouds passing by that made the background change tones from dull to bright and dim again; We animated the color grades and used DI to maintain consistency in terms of lighting. ,” Desai added.
In a special VFX showcase series by Bollywood Hungama, we bring you an exclusive behind-the-scenes, shot by shot explanation which will take you on an enriching vfx ride courtesy Prime Focus, Sajid Nadiadwala and the Director Sajid Khan.
Give promise to save our food @ savingyourfood.org
Government officials, agrochemical and biotech giants say that genetically modified food is the solution to the world’s hunger problems. But how edible is this truth?
For starters, GM food also brings with it a cocktail of potential health problems, cancer and infertility being just some of them.
So what can I do to end this menace?
- I can choose locally produced food which contains fewer preservatives.
- I can choose organic food which is not pumped with harmful chemicals.
- I will buy food from the local sabji-mandi rather than the supermarket.
Lastly, I could choose to eat seasonal fruits when they are available, rather than have them shipped from halfway around the world.
Click here for promise “I will do my bit to save our food.”
Rachel Elizabeth An English Actress Particularly Famous
Rachel Elizabeth Dare is a fictional character in Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympic site. She has an effect on the extraordinary foresight unusual even in her demigod colleagues. She is able to see two cheerleaders are really empousai and help Percy to flee Kelli. Rachael Elizabeth is recognized as an English actor best known for his role in Coronation Street as WPC Abi Sharpe. She comes from Lydiate in Merseyside.
Elizabeth trained at St Gregory’s Primary School, where she began playing in the beaker and Irish flute. She exhausted the next ten years of his life in the modeling of the Asian countries, counts China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. By doing so, sacrifices her romance with Percy, which Oracle must disconnect all romantic relationships in her oath to become Oracle.
She received her Master’s degree with first class honors degree in 2006. Her mental abilities and eventually lead their own self-consciousness of the fate of her to let the spirit. She successfully her spirit as Hades lift the curse he had placed on it.
Despite this, Rachel ability to see through the Mist, a substance that Oracle Gods well resident oracle at Camp Half-Blood. Rachel has the capacity to review the Mist is Rachel Elizabeth Dare a fictional character in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and Olympic Series. Unlike other prominent members of the series, she has a power extraordinary foresight unusual even in her demigod colleagues. Her psychic abilities and eventually lead their own self-consciousness of the fate her to the spirit of the oracle at Delphi.
Rogge leads global tributes to Samaranch
GENEVA: Juan Antonio Samaranch, the former International Olympic Committee chief who died on Wednesday displayed “extraordinary vision and talent” in unifying the Olympic movement during his 21 years in charge, his successor Jacques Rogge said.
“I cannot find the words to express the distress of the Olympic Family,” said Rogge, who took over from the Spaniard at the helm of the most powerful organisation in sport in 2001.
“I am personally deeply saddened by the death of the man who built up the Olympic Games of the modern era, a man who inspired me, and whose knowledge of sport was truly exceptional.
“Thanks to his extraordinary vision and talent, Samaranch was the architect of a strong and unified Olympic Movement.
“I can only pay tribute to his tremendous achievements and legacy, and praise his genuine devotion to the Olympic movement and its values.
“We have lost a great man, a mentor and a friend who dedicated his long and fulfilled life to the Olympic movement.”
Rogge”s words were echoed by Lamine Diack, president of world athletics governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
“I was very sad to hear about the death of Juan Antonio Samaranch, a man who I have no hesitation in describing as the person who transformed the modern Olympic movement into what it has become today,” said Diack.
“Samaranch worked with great energy, intelligence and the skills of a natural diplomat to create a unified Olympic movement and to ensure that the Olympic Games became the world”s most influential sporting event.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter saluted Samaranch”s “sense of commitment” and efforts “to protect sport” during a 35-years acquaintance.
“I always held him in great esteem,” said Blatter.
Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner responsible for sport, also paid tribute.
“Juan Antonio Samaranch was one of the great figures of the Olympic movement and an exceptional ambassador for the world of sport. He took the Olympics Games into a new era during his 21-year presidency of the IOC (1980-2001) and ensured that the spirit of Pierre de Coubertin was never forgotten amidst the huge pressures of modern sport.
“The Olympic flame burns brighter today thanks to the extraordinary leadership of Juan Antonio Samaranch,? said Commissioner Vassiliou.
Further tributes poured in from around the world, with Seb Coe, chairman of the 2012 London Olympics organising committee and a close friend of Samaranch, praising his leadership qualities.
“I have lost a friend, one that moulded my path through sport from my early 20s, and the world has lost an inspirational man,” said Coe, who won Olympic gold in the 1500m at the 1980 Games in Moscow and the 1984 edition in Los Angeles.
“A man that challenged us all to fight for sport, its primacy and its autonomy, a fight he led fearlessly from the front, creating an extraordinary sporting movement that reaches millions of people around the world.
“He was quite simply the most intuitive leader I have ever met.”
Sir Craig Reedie, the former British Olympic Association chairman and an IOC member since 1994, credited Samaranch with encouraging London to bid for the 2012 Games after previous unsuccessful bids from Birmingham and Manchester.
“He was quite clear that the only British city that would win was London,” recalled Reedie.
“He used to give me a hard time over Wembley because it wasn”t designed like the Stade de France (in Paris) with a running track as well.”
President of France Nicolas Sarkozy lauded Samaranch”s attempts to reach out beyond national boundaries to make the Olympics a truly global event.
“A very big and very important figure, Mr Samaranch facilitated the growth in power of the Olympic movement by opening it up to every athlete and every country,” said Sarkozy in a press release.
Competitors at the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament, which Samaranch often attended, remembered the Catalan with a minute”s silence prior to the second-round match between Spaniards David Ferrer and Marcelo Granollers.
Former IOC chief Juan Antonio Samaranch dead at 89
BARCELONA: Spain”s Juan Antonio Samaranch, one of the longest-serving presidents of the International Olympic Committee who was credited with commercialising the Games, died Wednesday. He was 89.
Samaranch, who headed the Olympic movement from 1980-2001, passed away at 1:25 pm (1125 GMT) at the Quiron Hospital where he was admitted on Sunday suffering from acute coronary insufficiency, it said in a statement.
An honorary president for life of the IOC, he helped to revolutionise sponsorship and broadcasting deals for major events, seeking global sponsors instead of national federations making their own local arrangements.
“Thanks to his extraordinary vision and talent, Samaranch was the architect of a strong and unified Olympic Movement,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said in a statement.
“I am personally deeply saddened by the death of the man who built up the Olympic Games of the modern era, a man who inspired me, and whose knowledge of sport was truly exceptional.”
His term at the helm of the IOC — only Pierre de Coubertin, the “father” of the modern Olympics and IOC chief from 1896 to 1925, has held the post longer — was marked by a major ethics scandal which led to a tighening of the rules.
The IOC faced federal and congressional investigations in the United States into revelations that its members were given paid vacations, shopping sprees and cash payments to sway support for Salt Lake City”s successful bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Under Samaranch”s watch, the IOC adopted ethics reforms that severely restricted interaction between committee members and cities bidding for the Olympics in response to the scandal.
Born on July 17, 1920, into a rich Catalan family which made its fortune from the textile industry, he served as Spain”s minister for sport and ambassador to the Soviet Union during the right-wing regime of General Francisco Franco.
Samaranch remained active in Spanish sports administration after stepping down as the head of the IOC and was a key part of Madrid”s failed bids to hold the Olympics in 2012, which London eventually won, and 2016, which went to Rio de Janeiro.
Govt. failed to provide adequate security to Benazir: UN
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistani police deliberately failed to properly probe the 2007 murder of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto which could have been averted if there had been adequate security, a UN-appointed independent panel said Thursday.
“Ms Bhutto”s assassination could have been prevented if adequate security measures had been taken,” said the report by a three-member panel headed by Chile”s UN ambassador Heraldo Munoz.
The panel said responsibility for Bhutto”s security on the day of her assassination rested with “the federal government, the government of Punjab and the Rawalpindi district police.”
“None of these entities took the necessary measures to respond to the extraordinary, fresh, urgent security risks that they knew she face,” it added.
The panel said it believed that Pakistani police”s failure to probe the slaying effectively “was deliberate.”
“These officials, in part fearing intelligence agencies” involvement, were unsure of how vigorously they ought to pursue actions, which they knew, as professionals, they should have taken,” it added.
The panel said the Pakistani probe “lacked direction, was ineffective and suffered from a lack of commitment to identify and bring all of the perpetrators to justice.”
It added it was up to Pakistani authorities to carry out a “serious, credible criminal investigation that determines who conceived, ordered and executed this heinous crime… and brings those responsible to justice.”
The Munoz-led panel was tasked with establishing the facts and circumstances of the slaying and was not empowered to identify culprits.
Bhutto”s supporters have cast doubt on an initial Pakistani probe into her death, questioning whether she was killed by a gunshot or the blast and criticizing authorities for hosing down the scene of the attack within minutes.
Munoz earlier Thursday turned over the report to UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
Lady Gaga And Elton John
February 1, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under Entertainment
Lady Gaga And Elton John Video, Lady Gaga and Elton John met onstage for a duet of ‘Speechless’ and ‘Your Song,’ ushering in the 2010 Grammy Awards. Never one to shy away from making a fashion statement, Gaga adorned a sparkly green leotard with shoulder pads that made her look like a heart. John and Gaga emerged together on a piano, with Gaga saying “take my picture Hollywood.”
John was adorning large, sparkly glasses with his face painted in what looked to be ash. The two traded off verses at times, while simultaneously playing the piano. “How wonderful life is with Gaga in the world,” John said at one point, altering the lyrics of ‘Your Song.’
Lady Gaga opened the show with a short but high energy version of ‘Poker Face,’ complete with elaborate stage dancers dressed in fatigues.
Earlier in the day, Lady Gaga picked up two Grammy awards in the dance category as ‘Poker Face’ won for Best Dance Recording and ‘The Fame’ won for Best Electronic/Dance Album. Gaga is also up for the big three Sunday night: Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Lady Gaga And Elton John was first posted on February 1, 2010 at 10:14 am.
