Hope you all like this painting :-) ....Brahmanandam's caricature by Srihari in King movie
on Saturday, January 17, 2009 Hope you all like this painting :-) ....Mordechai Vanunu and Israel's nukesSunday October 5, 1986: Headline: Revealed - the secrets of Israel's nuclear arsenal/ Atomic technician Mordechai Vanunu reveals secret weapons production
THE SECRETS of a subterranean factory engaged in the manufacture of Israeli nuclear weapons have been uncovered by The Sunday Times Insight team.
Hidden beneath the Negev desert, the factory has been producing atomic warheads for the last 20 years. Now it has almost certainly begun manufacturing thermo-nuclear weapons, with yields big enough to destroy entire cities.
Mordechai Vanunu in the garden of St. George's Cathedral, two days after his release from prison. (April 23, 2004)
Vanunu's evidence has surprised nuclear weapons experts who were approached by Insight to verify its accuracy because it shows that Israel does not just have the atom bomb - which has been long suspected - but that it has become a major nuclear power.
Israeli agents got early wind of Vanunu's intentions. Even before publication of the story, they had him lured from Britain. They abducted him in Italy, and dumped his drugged body onto an Israeli cargo vessel bound for Israel. In the following months he was charged with espionage and treason, and was convicted at a closed-door trial.
In the 12 years between his kidnapping and his release from solitary confinement, Vanunu was denied all human contact except with guards, members of his immediate family, a lawyer, and a priest. His brothers and sisters saw him only through a thick metal screen. Amnesty International condemned his prison isolation as "cruel, inhuman and degrading," and they have called for his immediate release. There are concerns about the effect of this prolonged confinement on his physical and mental health.
Mordechai Vanunu spent 18 years in prison, including more than 11 years in solitary confinement. Vanunu was released from prison in 2004, subject to a broad array of restrictions on his speech and movement. Since then he has been briefly arrested several times for violations of those restrictions, including giving various interviews to foreign journalists and attempting to leave Israel.In 2007 Vanunu was sentenced to six months in prison for violating terms of his parole. The sentence was considered unusual even by the prosecution who expected a suspended sentence. In response, Amnesty International issued a press release on 2 July 2007, stating that "The organization considers Mordechai Vanunu to be a prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.
Watch the following documentry about Vanunu and the fightr carried out by a couple who adopted him to see him free ...... kudos to the great old couple ......
Kodachadri & Jog Falls
on Friday, January 16, 2009
Kodachadri is a pleasant hill resort located at a distance of about 115 kilometers from Shimoga and 36 kilometers from Hosanagara. This picturesque hill is located such that it overlooks the vast Western Ghats. 
Kodachadri of Karnataka is reputed for its splendid sunrises and sunsets. The peak of Kodachadri (at a height of 1343 meters above sea level) may be reached after a five-hour trek. On the western part, the hill descends almost steeply for about 1220 meters until it joins the forest of Udupi district. The well known temple town of Kollur is 12 kilometers away. These hills (4411 ft) comprise one of the biggest forest zones in Karnataka and a section of this region constitutes the Mookambika Nature Reserve. Kollur is the perfect base from which to explore the hills. The Mookambika Nature Camp is situated 4 kilometers to the south of Kollur. The Linganmakki Dam, within close proximity of Kodachadri, is also a must see for visitors to this place.
Jog Falls are the highest waterfalls in Asia. Situated at around 113kms from Shimoga city, they are created by the river Sharavati, falling through a height of 292 m (958 ft).
The best time to visit the falls is July-August (monsoons in northern karnataka). The Hirebhaskar Dam has been built on the River Sharavati just before it takes the shape of Jog falls. Hence at the other times of the year, the falls are seen as narrow stream of water due to considerably less volume as the water is reserved for power generation purposes and not allowed to take the shape of such magnificient falls as seen here.
The best time to visit the falls is July-August (monsoons in northern karnataka). The Hirebhaskar Dam has been built on the River Sharavati just before it takes the shape of Jog falls. Hence at the other times of the year, the falls are seen as narrow stream of water due to considerably less volume as the water is reserved for power generation purposes and not allowed to take the shape of such magnificient falls as seen here.
The best time to visit the hill station of Kodachadri at Karnataka is in the period within October to May.
Kodachadri is at a distance of about 400 kilometers away from Bangalore. It is very near to Shimoga which is situated 120 kilometers away. From Bangalore you may take the National Highway No. 4 upto Nelamangala and then change track to to National Highway No.48 till Hassan State Highways will take you to Shimoga via Chickmagalur, Tarikere and Bhadravati. More to the west from Shimoga is Kodachadri, almost three hours away.
Shimoga is the closest railway station while Mangalore happens to be the nearest airport.
Kodachadri is one of the most important hill stations of Karnataka.
A small temple on the tip of Kodachadri
Old Fort near Kollur, Kodachadri
The World Record 108 ft. Pooja Shiva Linga at Kotilingeshwara Temple & 40 ft. height Nandieswara
Here is the place that has the largest sculpted Shivalinga and the unprecedented number of smaller ones. Kammasandra (Kotilinga) near Kolar Gold Fields is the place to find lingas in all shapes and sizes. Legend has that the Aswas (horses) left free by Lord Ramachandra during his Aswamedha Yagna in Tretayuga, had passed through Kammasandra to Avani.
The elegantly sculpted 108 ft linga here is considered to be the biggest in the world. The 40 ft. Basava or Nandhi adds beauty to this linga. Surrounding this huge structures are thousands of smaller lingas occupying a 15 acre area. And the number is increasing everyday, as visitors to the place are leaving behind more lingas.
Route Map
Bangalore > Bangarapet > KGF > Kotilinga,
(Bus route 115 Kms, Train 100 Kms)
Chennai > Bangarapet > Kolar Gold Fields > Kotilinga
Hyderabad > Chittoor > V.Kote > Bethamangala > Kotilinga
Wayanad
Wayanad District, in the north-east of Kerala , India , was formed on November 1 , 1980 as the 12th district, carved out of Kozhikode and Kannur districts.
Pookot Lake: It is a natural fresh water lake,
brimmed with ever green mountains. The weather here is salacious; the scenic beauty, hypnotising and the nature, unspoiled. Pookot lake tourist resort in Vythiri is the most sought after tourist spot of Wayanad.
There is an aquarium and a green house here. Boating facilities are also available. Spices and handicraft items are also arranged for sale at Pookot. The lake has an area of 8.5ha. and the maximum water depth is 6.5mtrs. This lake is three kms.south of Vythiri.
Sentinel Rock Waterfalls: This waterfall is at Vellarimala village near Chooralmala in Meppadi panchayat. It is a picnic spot as well as a trekking centre. The sentinel rock, a rock of more than 200 m.in height, is ideal for rock climbing.
Kanthanpara Waterfalls: Relatively smaller than Sentinal Rock Waterfall and rather less frequented, Kanthanpara and its surroundings are nonetheless very pleasant. An easy hike away from the main road, it is perfect for picnic
Soochippara Waterfalls: The waterfalls at Soochippara near Meppadi is really a treasure of nature, yet to be discovered. The stretches of waterfalls ranging at places from 100 to 300 feet height is a treat to the eyes. The pool below, provides for water rafting, swimming, bathing,etc. The tree top huts at Soochippara give an unique view of the valleys of the Western Ghats and the glimmering shallow waters of the surrounding springs
Kuruva Island: The Kuruva island, 950 acres of ever green forest on the tributaries of east flowing river Kabani, is an ideal picnic spot, far away from the disturbances of city life. The island is uninhabited. Rare species of birds, orchids and herbs are the sovereigns of this supernal kingdom. It is 17 Kms. east of Mananthavady and 40 kms. north west of Sulthan Bathery.
Chembra Peak: The hills, rocks and valleys which contribute to the very unique character of Wayanad provide a lot for adventure tourism. Trekking to the Chembra peak is a risky mountaineering endeavour.
Chembra peak, the highest hill in Wayanad, is near Meppady town. Trekking to the top of this peak takes almost a day. Tourists can also stay one or two days at the top of the peak in temporary camps. District Tourism Promotion Council provides guides, sleeping bags, canvases, huts and trekking implements on hire. The scenic beauty of Wayanad, which is visible from the top of Chambra, is very exhilerating.
The team Pic:
Slumdog Millionaire
Starring: Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Anil Kapoor, Madhur Mittal
Director: Danny Boyle
My rating: 4.5 and a must watch one....
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/
Telegraph.Co.Uk: Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is the film equivalent of Usain Bolt's performance at the Olympics: funny, shocking, spectacularly turbo-charged. It takes your breath away at the same time as it makes you want to holler with joy or to grab the person next to you: "Yes!"
Loosely adapted from Vikas Swarup's novel Q&A, the film is set in modern-day Mumbai. Like that city, it brims and overflows, chortles with multiplicity.
It creates a scary and beguiling electricity by allowing opposites to collide – horror and joy, colourful fantasy and grimy reality, history and hyper-modernity. It is itself many different kinds of film: thriller, romance, picaresque, a Western stab at Bollywood.
Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Dev Patel have delivered excellent performances and esp., Dev Patel as awesome in his debut.
GMAIL Tricks
on Sunday, April 27, 2008GMail Plus - A Smart Trick to Find & Block the Source of Email Spam
{1} What is GMail Plus addressing? Say you have an email address like billgates@gmail.com. If you append a "plus" sign to your email username, gmail will ignore anything written between the + and @ sign.
So any email address sent to billgates+microsoft@gmail.com or billgates+blog@gmail.com or billgates+website@gmail.com will still reach your billgates@gmail.com inbox though technically, they are three different email aliases.
{2} You probably know how to create multiple email aliases in Gmail by adding the plus symbol and dots to your Gmail username but there’s something more interesting.
When you create a Gmail account, you actually get two email addresses - one is the regular @gmail.com while the second email address has @googlemail.com in the domain.
That means if your email address in Gmail is something like billgates@gmail.com, all email messages that are sent to billgates@googlemail.com will also be delivered to your own Gmail account. That’s two for the price of one.
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