SRI'S Blog

The last weekly update ( bore ) for 2007 - Best Wishes for 2008 and Happy holidays I was going through the blog and was surprised and amazed at the number of issues-- With this , it would be the 51st issue of the year 2007-- Weeks have flown past so quickly -- I am thankful for your readership and comments -- they have put me back on track and kept me motivated enough to find things to share every week- I am very concisions of the fact what I like and like to share may not be like by all-- I would like to invite comments to improve in 2008- Do let me know if there are preferences-- I would like to stick to the content at this level and not make it too boring- Do pass on your comments Here are some trivia worth thinking about Are women better managers ? Do we see a few smiles and some frowns as you read ? More than 11 % of the world's companies are either managed or chaired by women. Some of India's corporate and media houses are headed by women. Studies say that multi tasking i

Quotable quotes This is a job that is so difficult and so political that the Indians are reluctant to appoint an Indian - Tony Greg Commentator on Gary Kirsten being appointed coach of the Indian Cricket team Journalists in Delhi are concentrating on issues related to AIIMS as I am from MBC ( Most backward class ) Dr Anbumani ramadoss Union health Minister I can write poems about Konkona. Directors say I am natural in front of the camera but nothing compared to her - Actor Madavan on his co star Konkona Sen Once you reach a certain age you are not allowed to be adventurous , you are not allowed to be sexy. I mean is there a rule ? Are you supposed to just die- Madonna Pop Diva who will be 50 next month Snippets Mumbai Will you marry me ? That is what young female medical students from across the country are asking the 39 year old health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Not that he is the most eligible bachelor around but because of his ministry's decision to increase the duration of

Quotes The delivery to Paul Collingwood was supposed to be a off break but it went straight on. So I guess I was lucky- Muttiah Muralidharan Srilankan off spinner on becoming the world leading wicket taker Marriage is a beautiful chapter in life… it is so blissful and wonderful… I strongly recommend it to everyone -- Aiswaraya Bacchan Iran was dangerous , is dangerous and will be dangerous- George Bush American President I have always beloved in the freedom pf expression and have respected difference of opinion and I will continue to do so-- pervez Mushraff Pakistan President Snippets West Bengal Disrespect to the national flag is always condemnable. More so when the culprit is a policeman. A constable on duty during the recent test match in Kolkota against Pakistan, slapped a spectator and threw the national flag that he was carrying. The cop did not realise his obnoxious acts were being caught on camera. Before things could turn ugly, the constable was suspended. Kerla Four former Ar

Quotes If I am honest about it. yes of course it was hugely important- Tony Blair Former British PM about the role his faith played during his tenure at 10, Downing street I want to get back to modelling. I miss the spotlight , the flash bulbs, pretty dresses, tons of make up and the thunderous applause- Gitanjali Nagpal former model who is returning to normal life after found begging on the streets of south delhi Is administration of justice not an essential feature of development ? KG Balakrishnan Chief Justice referring to inadequate funds allocated to the judiciary under the five year plan By the time my children will be in their 20's I will have to take a senior citizen ticket and sit in a wheel chair to go with them-Farah khan Filmmaker who is 42 and expecting the birth of her triplets Snippets Thought Kerala was just coconuts .. Well Malayali's are nuts abut something else-- mango-- Mango is a melange of voices they listen to: a wake up call which says-- Good Morning Ker

Quotable Quotes He plans to keep it up until the judiciary is restored. He could get very thin- jenima Khan former wife of Pakistani Cricketer Imran Khan n his hunger strike in a Pakistani prison New media in India would not be well served by foreign ownership that is blind to traditions and subtelties and in fact sees a culture only as a market place- Sir Harold Evans former editor of The Sunday times London delivering the Mammen Mappilai memorial lecture in Delhi His head is too smart for that khadi cap but he still insists on wearing that he is a patriot and true Gandhian R.K.laxman Cartoonist on Rahul Gandhi There has been one sided reporting. That is why I am saying we are concerned- Brinda Karat CPI ( M ) leader defending the West Bengal govt., sponsored violence in Nandigram Snippets Hyderabad Dhirubahi Ambani would never have thought of his company giving a chumpi- the barber's dexterous head massage. Reliance , apparently is scouting for floor space to start nine hi tech s

Quotes When the masses combine, the sound of their steps will suppress the sound of the military boots- benazir Bhutto on Emergency in Pakistan Why don't you shut up ? Juan Carlos King of Spain to Hugo Chavez President of Venezuela who was trying to interrupt the speech of the Spanish PM at the Ibero American Summit at Shanghai-- this has around 700 videos on the youtube site and ring tones etc., Big news item I can climb on top of a water tank like Dharmendra did in Sholay and deny the rumours- Rani Mukerji dismissing rumours of wedding to Film maker Aaditya Chopra Those who know me are aware what kind of person I am . I think it's my social responsibility to do some thing for such children- Shoiab Aktar after visiting mentally challenged students of Chetna Institute Lucknow Snippets Delhi Diamonds are irritable. But succumbing to temptations can land one in trouble, discovered a professor couple living in Greater kailash. They allegedly stole diamond jewellery from an exhibit

Snippets Honesty Pays Auto rickshaw drivers in Chennai are a much maligned lot. So when E >Mahendran an auto driver did something that was worth emulating it came as a pleasant surprise. Two months ago , a passenger forgot a check for rs 58 lakhs, a laptop and a mobile phone along with some important documents, in mahendran;s auto. Instead of pocketing the stuff , Mahendran handed over to the city police commissioner. The police honoured him with a check of Rs 2,000 Kerla While me in Haryana visit orphanages in search of brides, the cows of Kerla are awaiting bulls from Israel. Hit by shortfall in Milk production, the government is importing 20 pedigreed holstein friesians and jersey bulls, so as to cross breed them with the cows. If everything works out, the bulls will land in a month, hopefully to the delight of the cows Lessons from movie Chakde India -- By Naryanamoorthy The other day, my wife and I were perhaps among the very few over 50-year-olds in the mostly-twentyishcrowd w

Facts 0 lakhs rupees was what actor Hrithik Roshan paid for hiring a personal chopper for commuting to the Jodha Akbar sets at Karjat ( Close to Pune ) from Mumbai 35 billion Dollars is the endorsement Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has. 11 Indians were on board when Airbus A 380 the world's largest airliner made its first commercial flight Quotable Quotes We recognised that he has strong convictions on the soundness and utility of the Nuke deal-- Prakash Karat on PM Manmohan Singh Should I disguise myself as a poor person to be a good political leader ? Cristina Fernandez De Kirchner Argentine President elect defending her glamorous image Had I not been gay, I would have proposed to you-- Manvendra Singh Gohil Scion of Rajpipla royal family to Oprah Winfrey in her show - Gay around the world Snippets Tamilnadu Now prisoners too can be top class hair designers. Tirchi central prison authorities set up a coiffeur training center inside the jail premises. Convicts serving life se

Facts 32 honorary doctorates have been conferred on A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 4340 pages is the copy of judgement in the Mumbai blasts case given to Sanjay Dutt . 102,621 crore rupees is the estimated tax losses from SEZ Quotable Quotes He threatens humanity with World War III, this time using atomic weapons-- Fidel Castro about US President George Bush He is more Bengali than anyone I know. I am not saying that because he has a Bengali wife. There's more of Tagore's legend in him than anyone else- Rekha on Amitabh Bacchan Given the very nature of competitive politics and the very fractured mandate given to governments , it has at times become difficult for us to do what is manifestly obvious -- Manmohan Singh For too long the advanced economies have told the developing economies that this is right and this is wrong-- P.Chidambaram During the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank Snippets Kerla A resort in Trivandrum celebrated world food day by making a 50 ft tall sandwich. The to

Facts 41% of married women in India face abuse at home according to the third national family and health survey 13 minutes is the time required by the Tsunami warning centre to alert authorities 15 crore is what Hollywood actor Akshay Kumar has demanded for his new film Quotes I was asking him what the time was- Andrew Symonds Australian all rounder clarifying his joust with Irfan Pathan during the Nagpur ODI For the time being all I can say is that we are together- Saif Ali Khan about his relationship with Kareena Kapoor My book is the intellectual equivalent of a Hollywood weepy- Anne enright Winner of the booker prize for her novel The gathering Frankly, I am amused with these reports. I never thought of myself in these terms- Mukesh Ambani Chairman Reliance Industries on reports about his astonishing wealth You are a later winner but a real winner - Christian prudhome tour de France director to Oscar Pereira who was adjudged winner of the 2006 event after more than a year's wai

Facts 1,6060 million litres is the estimated volume of the Indian beer market in 2007, second only to China in Asia ( we are happy to be part of this market ! ) 10 % of the entrepreneurs in India are women 40 lakh rupees is being added to Mukesh Ambani's wealth every minute 99 billion dollars is the bid from a consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland to take over Dutch bank ABNAMRO Quotable Quotes This was a lie , your honour-- Marion Jones Three time Olympic Champion to the IS Federal Court about her earlier statement to a Federal investigation on using performance enhancing drugs I did this to drive home the message to the Chief Minster that Blue line buses are being run by inexperienced people like me-- Vijay Goel BJP leader after being arrested for driving a Blue lie bus near Delhi CM's residence It will be the event of our century if, as a universal rule, death penalty is abolished globally-- VR Krishna Iyer former Supreme Court judge who wrote to the PM requesting for

Facts 4 new 5 rupee stamps were released on Oct 2nd commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday ( his 138th ) 5 % of all green house gas emissions, blamed for Global warming are caused by Tourism 5 television Channels Aaj tak < headline today , TV 9 , Akash Bangla and Star Utsav have been dropped off the DTH service of Doordarshan for defaulting Carriage fees Quotable quotes Sometimes a great deal is made in public domain of the opinions expressed by our friends,, but this should not alarm you-- Sonia Gandhi UPA chairperson on the left's opposition to the nuclear deal We have a lot of epics and books to oppose Lord Ram and there is no need for us to oppose Ram for the Sethusamudram project-- M.Karunanidhi TN CM As and when Anand becomes a world champion he will be the nicest world chess champion in history--Ian Rogers Australian Grand Master , before Anand was crowned the World Champion Gandhi inspired me to be a better person. An eye for eye turns the whole world blind. You mus

Not sure how many missed the weekly update but I did -- writing them Here is a update for the last fortnight Facts 65 Indian cities are being connected by Air Deccan which has a new booking policy for children below the age of 2, who now will be charged just for the passenger service 50,000 Buddhist monks and as many civilians swarmed the streets of Yangon on Sept 25 , in one of he largest protests in Myanmar defying the ruling military junta 160,000 requests have been made online for the pieces of a cassock worn by Pope John Paul II after reports that the relics were on sale. The Diocese of Rome denied the reports Quotable Quotes It could be used for weight lifting -- Fidel Castro President of Cuba on Former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's book " Age of Turbulence " Take it as a challenge, break my records and take my place -- Sunita Williams Astronaut to the students of the Gujarat University It is certainly flattering if people find me attractive, but it i

Facts 1.8 million computers worldwide have been affected this year by the Stormworm, which attacks through virtual post cards and You tube videos 40 US pilots over 60 years of age are flying passenger aircraft in India 54 consecutive matches on grass courts have been won by Roger Federer Quotable Quotes I am 92 not out-- M..F Hussain Artist when Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar exclaimed at his fitness I do not think he ( President Musharaff ) will dare do this -- Nawaz Sherif Exiled Pak PM n his deportation to Jeddah The line has to be drawn somewhere. Are we waiting till he commits mass murder-- Asif Iqbal Former Pak Pm on seeking a life ban on Speedster Shoiab Akhtar Have faith in God and believe in me. Even I need to answer the Almighty. So I will do full justice on my part- Mamta Sehgal Additional sessions judge to the kin of Uphaar ( theatre fire incident ) tragedy victims deferring her verdict in the case Snippets Kerla He pulled off the Smart City deal for Kerla. But on the personal

Facts 3 million Pizzas are being sold in India every month 10 years rigorous imprisonment has been slapped on RJD MP Shahbuddin for attacking SP of Police in Bihar 11 years ago 3.98 % was the inflation in India economy in the week ended Aug 18, the lowest in 15 months 46 % is the tele density of Punjab, the most prosperous state in India -- the national average is 20 % Quotable Quotes One has to be totally craxy to even attempt to match dance steps with Madhuri ( Dixit ) . I thought I'd faint when I had to dance with her in Aaja Machle-- Konkona Sen Sharma Actor The political power of the occupiers ( the US ) is collapsing rapidly. Of course, we are prepared to fill the gap- Mahoud Ahmadinejad President of Iran hinting a power vacuum in Iraq. After the collapse of communism , they were looking for a target. They were looking for a target. They found it in Osama Bib Laden, The devil is now everywhere. Bin Laden is a myth. It is like Che Guevara. It is an image- Sheikh Hassan Abudall

Facts 1001 Ganesh Idols from various parts of India are being exhibited at the Vakratunda Mela at Mumbai. 25 Rupees was actor Sanjay Dutt's earnings out of 16 hours of carpentry work at Yerwadi jail before he walked out on bail. 5 Billion dollars has been pumped by Japan in to the Indian stock market since 2004 which makes up for nearly half of the FII inflows 41,000 men have quit the 2.09 lakh strong Border Security Force in the last 30 months ( attrition galore every where -- it be interesting to know where these people went to ? ) Quotable Quotes Dictatorship has lost, Democracy has won. It is the beginning of the end of Mushraff. Nawaz Sharif Exiled Former PM of Pakistan This is good news. We will now win the Lok Sabha by election in Jharkhand- Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi Parliament Affairs minister after JMM Chief Shibu Soren was acquitted from the Shashinath Jha murder case. BJP is the "Who " in this 'Pati- Patni' relationship. Whether we are courting or are marr

Facts Around 26 lakh tourists visited the Taj Mahal in 2006 -07 6 Million users are being added every month to India's cell phone market 50,000 people flee Iraq every month says the UN high commission for refugees 9 % growth rate will help India to remove poverty and emerge as the world's third largest economy in 20 years says the Finance Minister p. Chidambaram Quotable Quotes Nobody calls MF Hussain as man- artist- There is no gender to art-- Anjolie Menon Artist opposing the usage of the term Woman artist I doubt there is any country on this planet with a democracy more alive than the one we enjoy in Venezuela today- Hugo Chavez President Venezuela unveiling plans for constitutional changes to allow him to run for re election for third term in 2013 ! When the ruling alliance is trying to commit suicide, why should we intervene ? Arun Jaitley BJP leader on the party brining a no confidence motion against the government Nothing much really ! Except the usage of the phrase &quo

Facts 2012 will unveil the Galactic Suite, the first hotel planned in space 28,000 Indians returned home in August ( month not over ) from the UAE under a special amnesty scheme which had about 39,000 applicants says the overseas Indian affairs ministry 40 Indians figure in the latest forbes list of billionaires as against nine in 2004 66 Million dollars is the price o two Picasso painting that were recovered in august after being stolen in 2001 Quotable Quotes Sreesanth has given me a few less grey hairs in this game than at Nottingham ( where he shoulder barged Michael Vaughan and bowled a beamer at Pieterson )- Rahul Dravid Indian Cricket Captain on the pacer's conduct in the Oval test. The sudden display of courage by the Prime Minister is intriguing-- Ravi Shankar Prasad BJP leader on PM's statement about left parties withdrawing support over the nuke deal If she ( Taslima Nasreen ) comes to the city ( Hyderabad ) again, we will kill her-- Afsar Khan - Majilis Ittehadul Mu

Facts 17.38 metres is the height of the statue of bahubali at Shravanabelag0la in karnatake which is the world's biggest single stone statue 2050 is the year when India will overtake the US in economic growth says Ernst & young European Attractivemess survey 1.21 crores is the annual earnings of Yerawada jail from sticihing charges ( now in the newlines for Sanjay Dutt is hosted here ) Quotes I believe in democracy. I hope to live safely in this country ad a democrat. Taslim nasreen After being attackd at Hyderabad. Legalise corruption. At least then we would not feel so helpless and frustrated- Mithun Chakraborthy Actor on road ahead in India When people tell her that i am not her biological mother , she tells them that she is from my heart.- Sushmita Sen Actor on her adopted daughter Renee Sharad Pawar is a senior Politician. Does he have time for cricket- Kapil Dev former Crickter Why isn't bollywood sheding tears for the victoms of the bomb blasts ? Ujjwal Nikam Prosec

2.5 million people use the Chhatrpati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai for commuting every day 60,546 SQ Ft is the size of the larges carpet in the world, made by 1200 weavers from three villages in Iran. 7.5 million dollars was the price for which Business. COM the most expensive domain name was sold Quotable Quotes I could not really believe that someone from my family would do such a thing-- Mohammed Haneef Indian Doctor on his cousins who are accused of terrorism We reserve the right to test and the US the right to react-- Manmohan Singh PM on the N deal We do not accept President Musharff in uniform-- Benazir Bhutto Former Pakistan PM Politics is equal to addition of political politics and development politics. Political politics is the fight to win seats, whereas development politics is the fight to develop the country APJ Abdul Kalam Former President Snippets Kerla For many Indians who find health care unaffordable Dr Rairy Gopal of Kannur is a godsend. While many members of his frate

Facts : 5 million copies of the first six Harry Potter books have been sold so far 40 Million dollars is the estimated cost of a Hindu temple coming up in Toronto, Canada 8.5 lakh laptops have been sold in India in 2007-07 -- a growth of 97 % over the previous year Quotable Quotes I don't believe in Atma or paramatma, I believe in humani-- Sharad Yadav JD ( U ) leader when asked about conscience vote It is very awkward of the them to think that the word sex means the final act and nothing else- Renuka Chowdhury Union Minister on how some states view the govt., adult education program It was good fun. - Murali Deora Congress MP on presidential elections People of Pakistan get very upset when, despite all the sacrifices, you get all these criticisms-- Khursheed Memood Sasuri Pak foreign minister on criticism in the US of Pakistan's fight against terrorism Snippets Jharkhand At the tomb of Sufi saint Miskin Baba in Jamshedpur, the prayers are for clearing visas and getting flight

Facts : 50 Million Dollars has been proposed as bounty by the US senate on Al- Qaeda chief Osama bib Laden 0.7 % of the world's population is drunk at any point of time 42,000 railway tickets are booked on an average per day on the internet as against 72 lakhs at booking counters 3 percent of Indians use the internet which is the lowest in Asia Pacific Region says a study Quotable Quotes Musharaff will not be in power by the end of September-- Imran Khan Member of Pakistani Parliament What if there is a emergency ? Will the IAF wait for the morning ? -- President Abdul Kalam when told that the Mizoram Airport does not have night take off facilities . I have not thought about where I might stop. I don't think it is the right time for me to think about that- Sachin tendulkar Cricketer I wanted to be a IAS officer, But then , Miss India happened and I am doing films-- Neha Dupia Bollywood actress The next one is going to be a lot funnier. To me Bond has never been that Macho-- Dan

Facts7,600 Swarovski crystals were used by Sanrio a Japanese company to decorate a dog house !! 22.9 years is the average age at which Indians lose their virginity says a global survey conducted by condom makers Durex 1 % is India's share in global diabetic research Quotable Quotes Sachin is a good batsmen. But I have not forgotten he once called me a chucker-- Shoiab Akhtar Pakistani fast bowler Terrorists are terrorists. I have been telling President Musharraf that terrorism is a common enemy. If you do not check .. It can grow in to a menacing evil- Man Mohan Singh PM India I was sick of kissing on screen-- thankfully , I am not kissing anyone in " Awarapan "-- Emrann Hashmi Actor -- I do not always agree with President Bush but we never engage I paternalism. We do not assume mentor's tone . We always talk as friends-- Vladimir Putin Russian PM When the Broadcasting bill is passed in parliament, the media of the developed countries will salute India saying that we

Facts 6,50.100 US $ was California Investor Mohnish Pabrai's winning bid for lunch with billionaire and philanthropist Warren Buffet 4,882 Crore Rupees will be spent in the Eleventh Plan to ensure availability of rice , wheat and pulses under the National Food Security Mission 1,432 rupees was the saving account balance of India's first President Rajendra Prasad 4.5 acres is the size of the landing deck of nuclear powered American Warship Nimitz which dropped anchor off Chennai port on July 2 Quotable Quotes Let the work of change begin-- Gordon Brown British PM as he took over from Tony Blair Corruption is a cancer that steals from the poor, eats away at governance and moral fibre and destroys trust-- Robert Zoellick World Bank President Just me and 164 guys- that's kind of cool-- Liz Halliday - the only woman to participate in this year's 24 hours of Me Mans racing championship I want to help set up a place where these woman prisoners inmates can get themselves back

Facts 10 Million dollars was former US President Bill Clinton's income from his lectures in 2006 15 month old Maharanth Kamalakar set a news record by swimming 4 metres under water at Cosmopolitan Club in Chennai on June 13 81.6 Million pounds was former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra's bid for English football club Manchester City-- ( Thaksin is in UK on exile from Thailand and he bids ) Quotable Quotes The UPA nominee ( Pratibha ) Patil is a joke played on the nation by Sonia Gandhi-- J.Jayalalitha ADMK Leader At one point there were 3500 cases against me. I should have been in the Guinness book of world records-- MF Hussain We ( West Bengal Govt ) have adopted industrliation.. It cannot be achieved without the help of capitalists like Tata's -- Prakash karat CPI ( M ) General Secretary I support the candidate of Pratibha Patil. It is for the first time that a woman has got the chance to adorn the highest seat of power and I think our country is ready for it-- Preity Zinta

Facts 2.6 Million people die in India every year due to poor environmental and sanitary conditions according to a WHO report 24 US $ was the price at which Manhattan Island in New York was bought from the Algonquian Indians in 1624 11,000 kilometres per hour is the speed of an air breathing supersonic combustion engine tested by Australia and US defence scientists in Woomers, South Australia Quotes In Bihar, Yadavs attain wisdom at 60, Now I am wise- lalu Prasad Yadav on his 60th birthday There is no reason why I should be a rubber stamp president. I was not a rubber stamp as a Governor either- Presidential Candidate Pratiba Patil The " Goras " has no idea of our playing conditions.. Graham Ford has not played Test cricket, why was India after him ? Wasim Akram Former pakistani Cricketer People ask how can we address the biggest issues like climatic changes when we cannot even decide how to work together- Jose Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission Snippets Raja