COMMON WEALTH

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Smith leads steady start

Friday, April 11th, 2008

Graeme Smith capitalised on his good fortune at the toss and led a confident start on a sluggish pitch that started assisting the spinners as early as the first session. South Africa survived a few nervy moments but their ability to put away the loose balls steered them to 80 for 1 at lunch. The pitch didn’t throw up the demons that were predicted but there was enough good news for the spinners early on. India surprisingly went with just two specialist spinners, partly forced by Anil Kumble’s absence owing to injury. Both Harbhajan Singh, who came on as early as the ninth over, and Piyush Chawla extracted turn and bounce from the first-day surface. Chawla snapped up a wicket in his very first over, beating McKenzie with a ripping legbreak and offering Mahendra Singh Dhoni a regulation stumping. Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper to captain India in a Test but he saw his opening bowlers squander the new ball. Sreesanth had a perilously close lbw appeal turned down in the fourth ball of the match - against McKenzie, who shouldered arms to one that came in - but didn’t go on to make the batsmen play enough. Ishant Sharma cranked up close to 140kph but his loose balls, especially those on the pads, were clattered away. His six-over spell cost 35 and played a big part in South Africa easing in. This was only the seventh Test Kumble had missed at home and India could well feel his absence as the game wears on (it was also the first time since 1990 that India went into a home Test without both Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar). Harbhajan beat the bat on a few occasions, and managed both turn and bounce. But Smith made sure he cashed in on every chance to score, using the quick outfield to his advantage. He clipped the leg-side balls effortlessly and also showed his preference for the sweep. With such a long stride forward, he also negated the chance of being given out lbw. Smith will no doubt understand the importance of batting first, on a strip that may only get slower and lower. While South Africa didn’t make any changes from the side that pulled off an emphatic innings win in Ahmedabad, India decided to change three personnel. RP Singh and Irfan Pathan made way for Ishant and Yuvraj Singh, the extra batsman. Ishant returns after a two-Test break, owing to injury, while Yuvraj got a chance after being jettisoned after the infamous Sydney Test earlier in the year. source: google news http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com http://www.commonwealthtv.tv Tags:blogs: cricket captain COMMON WEALTH CURRENT NEWS dhoni INDIA injury sydney test wicket keeper

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Green tea helps beat superbugs

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

Green tea can help beat superbugs according to Egyptian scientists speaking today (Monday 31 March 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting being held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The pharmacy researchers have shown that drinking green tea helps the action of important antibiotics in their fight against resistant superbugs, making them up to three times more effective. Green tea is a very common beverage in Egypt, and it is quite likely that patients will drink green tea while taking antibiotics. The medical researchers wanted to find out if green tea would interfere with the action of the antibiotics, have no effect, or increase the medicines’ effects. “We tested green tea in combination with antibiotics against 28 disease causing micro-organisms belonging to two different classes,” says Dr Mervat Kassem from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Alexandria University in Egypt. “In every single case green tea enhanced the bacteria-killing activity of the antibiotics. For example the killing effect of chloramphenicol was 99.99% better when taken with green tea than when taken on its own in some circumstances.” Green tea also made 20% of drug-resistant bacteria susceptible to one of the cephalosporin antibiotics. These are important antibiotics that new drug resistant strains of bacteria have evolved to resist. The results surprised the researchers, showing that in almost every case and for all types of antibiotics tested, drinking green tea at the same time as taking the medicines seemed to reduce the bacteria’s drug resistance, even in superbug strains, and increase the action of the antibiotics. In some cases, even a low concentration of green tea was effective. “Our results show that we should consider more seriously the natural products we consume in our everyday life,” says Dr Kassem. “In the future, we will be looking at other natural herb products such as marjoram and thyme to see whether they also contain active compounds which can help in the battle against drug resistant bacteria”. source: google news http://www.commonwealthtv.tv http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com Tags:antibiotics bacteria beverage blogs: tea COMMON WEALTH CURRENT NEWS green health super bugs

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Stocks soar as global financial woes ease

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

Equities shot up at the open triggered by a rally in markets across the globe after a Lehman Brothers share offering triggered hopes that the worst of the credit crisis may have ended. At 10:05 am, the Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex was up 539 points or 3.45 per cent at 16,165.41. Biggest Sensex gainers were ICICI Bank (up 6.4%), HDFC Bank (5.39%), DLF (4.94%), Wipro (4.89%), Larsen & Toubro (4.84%), HDFC (4.67%) and BHEL (4.18%). There were no losers in the 30-share index. Market breadth on BSE showed 789 advances and 25 declines. The National Stock Exchange’s Nifty was up 152 points or 3.21 per cent at 4891.60. “The outlook is positive today following cheerful global cues. Sensex faces resistance at 15,874 and while support comes at 15,338. The Nifty faces resistance at 4,817 and support lies at 4,645,” Networth Stock Broking said in a note. Asian stocks advanced the most in seven weeks, led by banks and technology companies, on speculation financial companies will be able to overcome a freeze in credit markets and shore up global economic growth. The Nikkei 225 rose 3.72 per cent, the Hang Seng increased 4.22 per cent and the Straits Times added 2.59 per cent. US stocks on Tuesday celebrated the start of a new quarter, rallying as Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s equity offer drew a warm reception, fueling the Dow Jones to its 8th-biggest point jump ever. The index gained 3.19 per cent. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 3.59 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 3.67 per cent. source: google news http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com http://www.commonwealthtv.tv Tags:blogs: stock exchange bull COMMON WEALTH CURRENT NEWS Economy financial INDIA markets sensex share triggered

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New slogan for party by rahul

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

The Congress has fastened its belt to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh. It has now launched a Hisaab Maango campaign against the Mayawati government, asking for an account of work done by the state government. Congress president Sonia Gandhi remained silent on the rising prices, while Rahul Gandhi unveiled the new slogan of the party, from ‘Congress’s hand is with the common man’, to ‘both the congress’s hands are for the poor’. Sonia Gandhi has said that she is ready to allow her son Rahul Gandhi to go to jail with the rest of the party workers in UP for the jail bharo campaign. ‘’I think nothing can happen in Uttar Pradesh until our workers are ready to go to jail. Are all of you ready to go to jail? If need be, Rahul will go with you when you go to jail,'’ said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in an attempt to evoke the enthusiasm among the party workers in UP. The Congress president means business and she made that clear to party workers in Kanpur. Her target, certainly, is Mayawati and the Bahujan Samaj Party. The plan is simple. The party is to ask the state government to give an account of its work during the Hisaab Maango campaign. And then the workers are to court arrest in the jail bharo campaign, wherein, Rahul may accompany the party workers. ‘’I have a new slogan that is usually kept in my mind. I want to say that both the Congress’s hand is with the poor,'’ said Rahul Gandhi, who is the general secretary of the Congress. Conspicuously absent in the speeches was any mention of the rising prices. The Gandhis believe that leading from the front is the best way to revive the party. However, How they deliver on this promise remains to be seen. source: google news http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com http://www.commonwealthtv.tv Tags:blogs: rahul campaign COMMON WEALTH CONGRESS CURRENT NEWS Economy ELECTIONS GANDHI government INDIA mayawati party POLITICS slogan uttar pradesh

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Smokers suffer from heart problems.

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Young smoker who keep on smoking after heart attack are more likely to have three times more heart problems than survivors. Those who smoke in young age leave this world with mire heart attacks mostly.

Smoker have to clean up there blocked arteries by future treatments as, compared to those who stopped smoking after heart attack.

http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com http://www.commonwealthtv.tv Tags:blogs: smoking COMMON WEALTH health heart attack heart problems young smokers.

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Deepika teams up with rishi kapoor

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

It may take yesteryear lover boy Rishi Kapoor and his son Ranbir some time to showcase their talent together. But the young actor’s girlfriend Deepika Padukone already has that privilege. She will be sharing screen space with Rishi in Saif Ali Khan’s first production to be directed by Imtiaz Ali of Jab We Met fame. I did a reading with Rishi uncle for the film, and I was simply stunned. He’s that good. Imtiaz’s film will be a departure for me. “I’m lucky enough to work with both Ranbir and Rishi uncle. Now all I need is a film with Neetu aunty to complete the picture.” The actress, who debuted with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om, will play Saif’s leading lady in the yet untitled film. “I’m definitely looking forward to working with Saif. He’s one of the best actors we’ve ever had”. But before that Deepika is currently shooting for Nikhil Advani’s action flick Chandni Chowk To China with Akshay Kumar. “I’ve trained in martial arts for the film and I enjoyed myself thoroughly because I’m athletic. People see me as very ladylike and proper. But there’s another, very tomboyish side of me that you’ll see in Chandni Chowk To China.” However, her first post Om Shanti Om release would be Yash Raj Films’ Bachna Ae Haseenon. In the film, Deepika has to share her boyfriend Ranbir with two other leading ladies. “Yes, but that’s only for the screen no?” “It is Ranbir’s film all the way. In my very first narration I was sure I wanted to do it. “Siddharth Anand suggested I take some time to decide, but I liked his honesty and I loved my bit in the script. Siddharth was honest enough to tell me there were three other girls with Ranbir in the film - now, of course, there’re only two other girls. As an actor it’s important for me to be part of projects I believe in even if my role is comparatively small.” source: google news http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com http://www.commonwealthtv.tv Tags:blogs; ranbir kapoor CAREERS COMMON WEALTH dipika Entertainment film om production rishi shanti

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Gavaskar set to step down as ICC panel chairman

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Sunil Gavaskar is all set to step down as ICC’s cricket committee chairman after the governing body asked the former Indian captain to give up his other job of a commentator and columnist, which is in “direct conflict” with his duties in the ICC. The issue was raised in the ICC’s executive committee meeting in Dubai last week where members felt Gavaskar’s dual roles were in conflict with each other and he should choose between the two. However, the committee decided against removing Gavaskar as it felt it would be better to give him the option of deciding what he wants to do. The former batsman will meet ICC CEO Malcolm Speed this week to take a final call on the issue. “Gavaskar will meet CEO Malcolm Speed in Dubai this week to discuss this matter”. source: google news http://www.commonwealthtv.tv http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com Tags:blogs; gavaskar chairman circket COMMON WEALTH Dubai icc

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Investor cheer Fed move; Sensex adds 500 points

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Equities zoomed at the open on Wednesday extending a rally in stocks overseas after the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 75 basis points in an effort to provide more liquidity to crumbling financial markets. At 10:05 am, the Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex was up 538 points or 3.63 per cent at 15,371.32. Jaiprakash Associates (up 10.02%), HDFC Bank (7.01%), ICICI Bank (5.33%), HDFC (4.66%) and Bharti Airtel (4.61%) were the biggest index gainers. The National Stock Exchange’s Nifty was up 154 points or 3.41 per cent at 4687.35. “Though we have a gap up opening due to very positive global markets, at the same time, fresh short build up could be seen at higher levels (4750-4800 levels). The PCR (put-call-ratio) has come down to 0.83 indicates short built up is happening in call options. The market might face very strong resistance around 4800 levels of Nifty,” Standard Chartered - STCI Capital Market, said in a note. Asian stocks surged on Wednesday as big interest rate cuts in the United States and surprisingly resilient results from two top Wall Street banks sent exporters higher and revived moribund financial shares. The Nikkei 225 was up 3.03 per cent, the Hang Seng rose 2.78 per cent and the Straits Times added 1.85 per cent. US stocks on Tuesday blasted skyward, with the Dow Jones rocketing to its fourth-largest point gain ever after earnings from Goldman Sachs Group and Lehman Brothers Holdings proved better than expected and a rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 3.5 per cent, while the Nasdaq Composite and Standards & Poor’s 500 rose more than 4 per cent. source: google news http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com http://www.commonwealthtv.tv Tags:blogs: investors COMMON WEALTH Economy equity liquidity overseas sensex share market stocks

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Animated Repatriation: Disney Art Returns

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

A Japanese university plans to return about 250 pieces of original animation art to the Walt Disney Company that were mislaid in storage after traveling to Japan nearly five decades ago. Disney said that the art — cels, backgrounds, preliminary paintings and storyboard sketches — was part of a collection that was handpicked by Walt Disney himself. It was sent to Japan in 1960 for a touring exhibition timed to the opening of the film “Sleeping Beauty.” The exhibition opened at Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tokyo in May of that year and traveled to 16 other stores throughout Japan. “Walt wanted to explain every element of the animation process, so he chose artwork from all phases of production and a number of films,” said Lella Smith, creative director of the Disney Animation Research Library in Burbank, Calif., which preserves the studio’s artwork. “But the primary focus was ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ ” Although most of the art is from that film, the collection also includes rare set-ups (cel and background combinations) from two Oscar-winning Silly Symphony cartoons: “Flowers and Trees” (1932), the first Technicolor cartoon and the first film to win the Academy Award for animated short film, and the landmark short “Three Little Pigs” (1933). “The ‘Flowers and Trees’ set-up is an extremely important piece,” Ms. Smith said in an interview at her office in the library. She said other highlights included two backgrounds from the “Nutcracker Suite” and “Rite of Spring” sequences in the 1940 film “Fantasia.” Among other striking works is a sequence of images by the designer Eyvind Earle that show how he created the stylized forest backgrounds for “Sleeping Beauty.” The delicate clusters of leaves and intricately textured bark on the trees reflect Mr. Earle’s interest in 15th-century French manuscripts and the painting of Van Eyck, and foreshadow his later serigraphs. After the department store tour, Disney donated the artwork to the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. But the material was not considered a good fit for its permanent collection, so the museum gave the pieces to Chiba University to enhance the study of the visual arts. Chiba’s academic focus was on science, engineering and medicine, however, and the Disney art was consigned to a janitor’s closet and forgotten until it was found by chance four years ago. Although the artwork suffered some damage because of dampness, the rarest pieces were sealed in frames, which protected them somewhat. After a year of restoration work by technicians at Disney’s Animation Research Library, some 200 works went on tour in Japan, along with 350 additional pieces lent by the studio in an exhibition titled “The Art of Disney.” The show toured seven museums around the country in 2006 and 2007, including the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art . At the end of its run, Chiba University offered to return the artwork to Disney. In a statement Chiba University’s president, Toyoki Kozai, said, “The response to the exhibit gave us a new appreciation for the historical and artistic value of these works.” Because the university was concerned about keeping them in good condition for the next generation, he said, it “concluded that entrusting them to Disney would be the best route to take.” In return, Disney is giving Chiba University high-resolution digital copies of the artworks and $1 million for scholarships. But both sides said the deal should not be viewed as a sale. In 1960 little value was placed on artwork from animated films, and cels were sold at Disneyland for a few dollars apiece. Today animation art is prized by collectors, and a top-quality Earle background from “Sleeping Beauty” might sell for $20,000 to $30,000. Given the rarity of some of the pieces, it is hard to assign a dollar value to the collection over all, because nothing comparable has been offered for sale. “There is no way to put a price on these works — they represent our artistic heritage,” Ms. Smith, of Disney, said. “That said, their value as archival materials for study and research is very high.” She added that when the works were discovered, they did not have much commercial value because of years of accumulated damage from mold. Mr. Kozai said that Chiba University would channel the donated money into its overall educational programs and into research on art and animation and what he called “the sound growth of children.” . source: nytimes http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com http://www.commonwealthtv.tv Tags:Americas animated blogs: COMMON WEALTH department disney Returns sketches sleeping beauty tokyo

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Growing Cheers for the Home-Schooled Team

Monday, March 17th, 2008

Taber Spani, one of the best high school girls basketball players in the nation, holds hands with two opponents as a coach reads a Bible verse. It is the way each game in the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships begins. This is more than a postseason tournament for the 300 boys and girls teams from 19 states that have competed here over the past six days. As the stands packed with parents and the baselines overrun by small children attest, this is also a jamboree to celebrate faith and family. “You build friendships here with other girls who know what it’s like to be self-motivated and disciplined and share your values,” said Spani, a junior who plays for the Metro Academy of Olathe, Kan. “I wouldn’t trade this tournament for anything.” Only a decade ago, home-school athletics was considered little more than organized recess for children without traditional classrooms. Now, home-school players are tracked by scouts, and dozens of them have accepted scholarships to colleges as small as Blue Mountain in Mississippi and as well known as Iowa State Women’s basketball tournament is selected Monday, there will be plenty more evidence that standout players can be plucked from a prayer circle as well as from a playground. Rachel McLeod of Liberty University, Corrie Hester of Oral Roberts and Shalin Spani of Kansas State, Taber’s older sister, all played in the national home-school tournament. Taber Spani, however, is the movement’s most celebrated player. Two coaching giants in women’s college basketball, Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma and Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, who between them have won 12 national titles, are pursuing her. An estimated two million children are schooled at home, and only 18 states have laws that grant them access to athletic teams at public schools. So it was perhaps inevitable that home-school programs and tournaments developed. “As the home-school movement has gotten older, there has been much more demand for extracurricular activities,” said Ian M. Slatter, a spokesman for the Home School Legal Defense Association. “Parents had already crossed the hurdle of educating children at home, so now they have turned their energy and resources to athletics.” Many of the best teams here were founded by some of the home-school athletic movement’s pioneers. In 1992, Tom Sanders bought some reversible jerseys and founded the Homeschool Christian Youth Association Warriors in Houston so his 14-year-old son could play organized basketball with his friends. He had to plead with small Christian schools, even reform schools, to schedule 14 games that season. By 1998, Sanders’s program had sent Kevin Johnson, a 6-foot-8 center, to the University of Tulsa on a scholarship. Before this tournament, the Warriors had a 33-3 record against some of the best high school teams in Texas. Sanders’s son Jesse will play for Rice next season. The Warriors were represented by 12 teams and more than 100 players last week. Likewise, Tim Flatt has built the Oklahoma City Storm into a feared opponent among the state’s high schools the past 10 years. His program has 125 boys and girls, ages 8 to 18, on 11 teams. As with most home-school groups, it was built on word of mouth and financed out of parents’ pockets and the occasional bake sale. “We went from not being very good to not being scheduled again after we beat some big schools,” said Flatt, whose varsity boys team was 20-6 this season. “The culture has changed, and there is less of a stigma if you lose to a home-school team. It’s not a slap in the face now when we beat a high school team. They know we make them better for their state playoffs.” In 2001, Flatt, a retired sports memorabilia dealer, took the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships here. He wanted to create not only a basketball showcase, but also a destination for families. He understood that fielding a home-school team remained an independent and often taxing endeavor. Rounding up opponents is a grind, as is raising as much as $20,000 annually for uniforms, renting gyms and traveling to tournaments. “A lot of home-school teams play in small gyms, church gyms, and they play against weaker competition,” Flatt said. “They don’t get to experience something at a national scale. I wanted to make the kids feel like they were getting big-time treatment, and their parents want to take a week of vacation to come here.” Flatt’s vision was on full display Wednesday at the 5,000-seat Sawyer Center at Southern Nazarene University. It was standing room only as parents and children shared pizza and watched the National Christian Homeschool all-American boys and girls teams compete in all-star games, as well as 3-point and dunk contests. source: nytimes http://www.commonwealthtv.tv http://blogs.mindbodynsoul.com Tags:athletics bloga: basket ball COMMON WEALTH Energy Entertainment health INDIA tournament youth

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Common Wealth TV

Archive for the 'COMMON WEALTH' Category

Smith leads steady start

Green tea helps beat superbugs

Stocks soar as global financial woes ease

New slogan for party by rahul

Smokers suffer from heart problems.

Deepika teams up with rishi kapoor

Gavaskar set to step down as ICC panel chairman

Investor cheer Fed move; Sensex adds 500 points

Animated Repatriation: Disney Art Returns

Growing Cheers for the Home-Schooled Team

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