Hindu seers helped India progress: Modi....

Thiruvananthapuram, April 24 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said that it was the teachings of Hindu seers had kept the country going forward.

He was speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Sivagiri Mutt's headquarters of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham, established by Sree Narayana Guru, who propagated the concept of 'One Caste, One Religion, One God'.

Modi arrived at the mutt, 45 km from here, Wednesday evening.

His visit had been boycotted by both the Left opposition and the Congress led ruling alliance in Kerala.

In his speech, Modi said that even though untouchability has come down considerably because of the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru, "political untouchability" still continues.

"The credit for the development in Gujarat is because of the Kerala people there. I thank the people of Kerala for this," said the chief minister.

"Today, the world is facing two evils: global warming and terrorism. Had our country imbibed the teachings and listened to the words of the seers, sanyasi's and Sree Narayana Guru, both these evils could have been avoided," he said.

He added that the guru had said that to fight the British, one has to learn their language.

"The foundation for the country's freedom struggle was laid by the teachings of Hindu seers. The culture and tradition of our country remains intact because of the efforts of these people," said Modi.

"I welcome the mutt to set up centres in Gujarat to spread the teachings and messages of Sree Narayana Guru. I welcome all of you to Gujarat as Gujarat is yours," he said.

Physical violence, an eye-opening truth!.....

Domestic violence- An offence? A crime or just another over-hyped expression? Well, whatever may be your views on it; this is something that exists and unfortunately still going strong! This is not just an issue limited to the masses, even celebs’ life is not that rosy. From film-stars to beauty queens to TV actresses, no section of the glamour world has been spared from its clutches. Here are some of the actresses that have come out in the media and reported about the physical and mental abuse they suffered in their relationships.

Aishwarya Rai

Let’s start with the world’s most gorgeous woman Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. As we all know, the Aishwarya-Salman affair had generated a big storm when their break-up story hit newspapers and tabloids. But what went wrong between the two most ‘good-looking’ people? Well, Aishwarya after her split up was found saying that she had to endure Salman’s alcoholism and was at the receiving end of his abuses and infidelity. They broke up when Salman indirectly confessed to her that he was cheating on her. In 2000, Aishwarya's parents also filed a police complaint against Salman Khan for stalking, threatening and trying to forcefully enter Aishwarya’s house.

This whole episode took another leap in 2002, when Salman came onto the sets of Chalte Chalte. Furious actor “reportedly” hit Aishwarya and pushed her on the ground and destroyed the sets. As a result of all this high-end drama, Aishwarya was sacked from the film and Rani Mukerji was roped in. Aishwarya in her interview to Times of India said, “There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened."

1. Aishwarya Rai
   Let’s start with the world’s most gorgeous woman Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. As we all know, the Aishwarya-Salman affair had generated a big storm when their break-up story hit newspapers and tabloids. But what went wrong between the two most ‘good-looking’ people? Well, Aishwarya after her split up was found saying that she had to endure Salman’s alcoholism and was at the receiving end of his abuses and infidelity. They broke up when Salman indirectly confessed to her that he was cheating on her. In 2000, Aishwarya's parents also filed a police complaint against Salman Khan for stalking, threatening and trying to forcefully enter Aishwarya’s house.less 

2. This whole episode took another leap in 2002, when Salman came onto the sets of Chalte Chalte. Furious actor “reportedly” hit Aishwarya and pushed her on the ground and destroyed the sets. As a result of all this high-end drama, Aishwarya was sacked from the film and Rani Mukerji was roped in. Aishwarya in her interview to Times of India said, “There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened."less 

Now going to the other side of the story, when Salman was asked whether he has hit a woman, he said "If I hit a woman, she wouldn't have survived. It's not true that I hit a woman." As for the former Miss World, “Let others say what they want. But every person concerned knows the truth... God is the witness." Aishwarya even declared Salman’s chapter to be a nightmare in her life.

Zeenat Aman

A successful actress, model and former beauty queen, Zeenat’s married life and her relationship both were unfortunately far away from being perfect. In the 80s Zeenat in her relationship with already married Sanjay Khan ended on a terrible note. There were reports in the print that Sanjay brutally bashed up Zeenat in front of his wife in hotel Taj.

1. 1. Aishwarya Rai
      Let’s start with the world’s most gorgeous woman Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. As we all know, the Aishwarya-Salman affair had generated a big storm when their break-up story hit newspapers and tabloids. But what went wrong between the two most ‘good-looking’ people? Well, Aishwarya after her split up was found saying that she had to endure Salman’s alcoholism and was at the receiving end of his abuses and infidelity. They broke up when Salman indirectly confessed to her that he was cheating on her. In 2000, Aishwarya's parents also filed a police complaint against Salman Khan for stalking, threatening and trying to forcefully enter Aishwarya’s house.less 

   2. This whole episode took another leap in 2002, when Salman came onto the sets of Chalte Chalte. Furious actor “reportedly” hit Aishwarya and pushed her on the ground and destroyed the sets. As a result of all this high-end drama, Aishwarya was sacked from the film and Rani Mukerji was roped in. Aishwarya in her interview to Times of India said, “There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened."less 

   3. Now going to the other side of the story, when Salman was asked whether he has hit a woman, he said "If I hit a woman, she wouldn't have survived. It's not true that I hit a woman." As for the former Miss World, “Let others say what they want. But every person concerned knows the truth... God is the witness." Aishwarya even declared Salman’s chapter to be a nightmare in her life.

   4. Zeenat Aman
      A successful actress, model and former beauty queen, Zeenat’s married life and her relationship both were unfortunately far away from being perfect. In the 80s Zeenat in her relationship with already married Sanjay Khan ended on a terrible note. There were reports in the print that Sanjay brutally bashed up Zeenat in front of his wife in hotel Taj.

   5. He thrashed her so much that Zeenat got a permanent scar on her eye. After this incident, Zeenat went into the state of shock and had to be injected with anti-depressants three times a day. In an old report one of her doctor was quoted saying “Zeenat was in such a terrible state. Her face was covered with bruises and black eyes. There were blood clots in her eyes and her lips were severely cut.”

   6. After this gory anti-fairy-tale, Zeenat got married to Mazhar Khan. Unfortunately the actress was physically battered in this relationship also. In a press conference in Mumbai, Zeenat bravely spoke about this issue and brought it to limelight. Zeenat had filed for divorce also but Mazhar’s sudden death due to renal failure brought an end to to their marriage.

   7. Yukta Mookhey
      Now moving from famous to not so famous starlets of Bollywood, here is another beauty queen. The former Miss World Yukta Mookhey was also a victim of domestic violence. She filed a complaint against her husband Prince Tulli at a police station in Mumbai. According to the reports, she accused her husband of beating her often.

   8. Dimpy Ganguly 
      Right after the much-publicised Swayamwar, Dimpy Mahajan was seen making headlines for her charges against her husband Rahul Mahajan. She spoke out loud about his abusive ways and how Rahul used to point his gun at her during their fights. When Mumbai Mirror met up with Dimpy just hours after that incident, there were bruises on her shin, right and left hand, while her left cheek was swollen. There was also a lump on her head. Dimpy’s statement in the media at that time was, “I don't know what I have gotten myself into. He seemed nice, but no one can control hi

   Aishwarya Rai
   Let’s start with the world’s most gorgeous woman Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. As we all know, the Aishwarya-Salman affair had generated a big storm when their break-up story hit newspapers and tabloids. But what went wrong between the two most ‘good-looking’ people? Well, Aishwarya after her split up was found saying that she had to endure Salman’s alcoholism and was at the receiving end of his abuses and infidelity. They broke up when Salman indirectly confessed to her that he was cheating on her. In 2000, Aishwarya's parents also filed a police complaint against Salman Khan for stalking, threatening and trying to forcefully enter Aishwarya’s house.less 

2. This whole episode took another leap in 2002, when Salman came onto the sets of Chalte Chalte. Furious actor “reportedly” hit Aishwarya and pushed her on the ground and destroyed the sets. As a result of all this high-end drama, Aishwarya was sacked from the film and Rani Mukerji was roped in. Aishwarya in her interview to Times of India said, “There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened."less 

3. Now going to the other side of the story, when Salman was asked whether he has hit a woman, he said "If I hit a woman, she wouldn't have survived. It's not true that I hit a woman." As for the former Miss World, “Let others say what they want. But every person concerned knows the truth... God is the witness." Aishwarya even declared Salman’s chapter to be a nightmare in her life.

Aaradhya's fashionable day out.....

Aishwarya and Abhishek recently celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary

When it comes to being in the limelight, Aaradhya Bachchan is no stranger, especially given who her parents are. We spotted the tiny tot all gussied up on her return to the country, looking all grown up.

Playing for the team is enough motivation: Gambhir.....

An out-of-form Kolkata side get set to taken on Mumbai who are also in search of consistency with both teams heading to the Eden Gardens on back of consecutive losses. Home team captain Gautam Gambhir, when asked if his side was lacking in motivation, said wearing the team jersey should be their biggest driving force and they do not deserve a place if playing for the team is not motivation enough. 

"Wearing the Kolkata jersey is the biggest motivation. If wearing the jersey is not enough to motivate you, you don't deserve to be sitting in the dressing room because there are lots of people waiting to get into the dressing room and wearing that jersey," Gambhir said during the pre-match press conference. 

"I can't motivate them, they have to motivate themselves. We are the defending champions. What more does one need to be motivated? If you are not motivated, you should sit at home and watch other people play," an angry Gambhir quipped. 

Speaking about their poor performance this year, Gambhir mentioned that there were a few close games that could have gone his team's way and added that the fortunes could change quickly for his side. 

"Yes, we haven't got the results we wanted but that could change very quickly. One good innings, even one or two good boundaries could change things, both for the team and for the players." 

WHen asked if the absence of the mental conditioning coach, Rudi Webster has hurt the players, Gambhir was quick to mention that the players in his side have been united and playing for each other. 

"A lot of people will say that they believe in processes but I believe in results. We are pretty united and we are playing for each other. So there's nothing about missing Webster or anyone. It's about playing positively and that's what we will do." 

When asked if Manjoj Tiwary will be more eager to perform with Rohit Sharma in the opposite side - both players fighting for a spot in the Indian team according to the media - an annoyed Gambhir said he does not believe in contests within the contest. 

"If you want to compete against an individual, you should be playing a different sport. I don't believe in contests within the contest. It's not about Manoj Tiwary being more motivated because Rohit Sharma is there. You guys (journalists) create these things, not the cricketers," said Gambhir. 

Gambhir said he was always up for the challenge as a leader even when things are not going his way. 

"I can't say that I will be there only when things are going our way and take a backseat when things are not going well," he said. "It's a challenge and it's a great challenge. When you are leading a side, you must look for these challenges, and if we can play the kind of cricket we can play, we will get the right results." 

When asked if Kolkata have fallen a long way behind having won only two out of six, Gambhir said: "The day I think Kolkata can't reach the last four, I am going to tell you. Right now I am very positive that we will win matches." 

Gambhir said the team think-tank has not yet decided on the combination for the Mumbai match while adding that whatever decision that will be taken in regards to the composition, will be a positive one. 

"We haven't really made up our minds, whatever we do will be a positive decision because our plan is to and play positive cricket," Gambhir mentioned. 

Gambhir did mention that that there was a bit of a dilemma when it came to picking the overseas players. 

"(Eoin) Morgan's been in very good form. We have got two quality spinners (Sunil Narine and Sachithra Senanayeke) and they have been bowling well. I think, after Morgan, they have been the biggest positives for us. It's a difficult choice - whether you want McCullum up the order or a finisher in the middle order. Our middle order hasn't been doing well, so you want someone like Morgan." 

Asked about Debrata Das, who has had a couple of failures, Gambhir said he is a useful proposition in the middle overs and has also done well behind the stumps despite being a part-time keeper. 

"We felt that Das could give us that explosive power in the middle overs. He gives you better balance and we could push Pathan up the order because of him. Das did a pretty good job, especially keeping to Sunil and Senanayeke, despite being a part-timer." 

Sachin is the king of batsmanship: Sir Viv........

Sir Vivian Richards who terrorised the best of bowlers in his his days happens to be a big Sachin Tendulkar fan and is in awe of the Indian legend. 

Tendulkar has in the past, also said how much he admired the Richards school of batting and the two hold each other in high esteem. The West Indian batting icon said it made him extremely happy to learn that Tendulkar wanted to emulate his aggression everytime he stepped out to bat. 

Sachin is just phenomenal. He is one individual I have always admired for years. When people ask about me and Sachin says that he wants aggression like mine and Sunny's (Sunil Gavaskar) solidness, it is very pleasing. I am over the moon (whenever I hear this)," Richards was quoted in a recently writte book, Sachin - Cricketer of the Century written by journalist Vimal Kumar. 

Richards said he did not see Sir Donald Bradman bat but Tendulkar's game is the best thing in batsmanship. The Indian batting sensation who turns 40 today has charmed generations of fans and cricketers alike and Richards, one of the most revered names in the sport, has been bitten by the bug as well. Sir Viv, who is in India as an adviser to the Delhi team in the Indian T20 League, said that when Tendulkar wanted to bat like him, he took as a big compliment. 

"Bradman is very much revered in the modern world. However, I didn't see Sir Don Bradman batting but I saw Sachin batting and that for me is the best thing I have seen in batsmanship. Sachin is just magnificent. 

"It is the greatest compliment for me that such a figure, and so humble, and saying that he wanted to bat like me! I would say Sachin is a class act and I would pay back the compliment, Richards said". 

Richards said Tendulkar reminded him a lot of Gavaskar in his playing days and said Sachin to him is the greatest cricketer of the century, and put the 40-year-old far ahead of himself in the pecking order. 

"In many ways, Sachin reminds me of Sunny Gavaskar. If Wisden does that survey (Five Cricketers of the Century) again, may be Sachin will be at the top. His figures suggest that. 

"Folks, people who sit on the panel are influenced by what kind of impact a player has made. What kind of effect one had in winning. In that regard, Sachin is number one. I would happily take the No. 6 in that list of Cricketers of the Century" said Richards. 

Tendulkar virtually owns every batting record in the planet was key to India winning the World Cup, the only major accolade the 100-ton man could not lay his hands on till 2011. Richards said he deserved the honour: "I am very glad that Sachin is now part of a World Cup-winning team. Put the crown over his head maan, he is the king of batsmanship.

Saying thank you to fans not enough: Tendulkar.....

Sachin Tendulkar has put some of the feared bowlers in the world to the sword but the Little Master, who turned 40 today said he was tense while cutting his birthday cake. 

Tendulkar's birthday creates a national euphoria in India and millions of fans wished the batsman, hoping he would churn a special innings when Mumbai take the field against Kolkata at the Eden Gardens. Fifteen years ago, Tendulkar had decimated Australia in Sharjah as India trumped the men from Down Under to win the tri-series final. Shane Warne later said Tendulkar gave him nightmares. 

While every player from either side in that epic contest has now retired from international cricket, Tendulkar continues to ply his trade but confessed he was still touched by the gestures by fans and well-wishers.

"(I have) never been so tense actually while cutting a cake. Thank you everybody for this gesture. It's really touching," Tendulkar said in a brief cake-cutting ceremony where his wife Anjali was also present. 

Speculations have been rife on Tendulkar's career after he retired from ODIs last year. Despite a poor series against Australia, he has not indicated when he would retire from Test cricket. But the man himself is not worried even as age catches up with the evergreen boy of Indian cricket. 

"While walking to get here (for the celebrations), I met Anil Kumble along the way who wished me 'Happy Birthday' and told me, 'don't worry, 40 is just a number.' So that was sort of relieving," he said with a smile. 

Tendulkar's fan base in India has not diminished inspite of a poor run of form. Millions still pray and hope for last burst before the final bow. Sachin did not disappoint his admirers and thanked them for their undiluted support. 

"Let me take this opportunity to thank all the people in India and all across the world who are well-wishers of mine...They have supported me and showered their unconditional love on me over the last 23 years. So it's been really special," he said. 

"It's because of their good wishes and prayers that I am standing here in front you all after 23 years. It's been my strength. I thought this was the best opportunity to come here and thank each and every one of them for every little thing that they have done for me," he added. 

Tendulkar said there have been many special people in his life who have made various sacrifices for him. 

"There have been so many people who have made various sacrifices, fasting and those kind of things when I was injured... I just want to say thank you which I believe is not enough. 

"I would have personally liked to meet and thank them but it's not possible so I thought this was the best forum where I could reach out to most of them," he said. 

Sachin carried his school books to England: Kapil Dev......

Kapil Dev recalled how a 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar carried his school books on his first tour of England in 1990. 

It was on that tour that Tendulkar scored his first Test century and the world sat and took note of a young batting prodigy. 

"He (Tendulkar) was very quiet. On that first tour he was carrying his school books to study in tenth grade. He was shy, did not talk too much and he was just a normal kid. He did not involve himself in topics. He used to observe," said Kapil. 

Tendulkar, from a very early age showed that he was marked for greatness and Kapil, who had led India to their first World Cup title only seven years before in 1983, saw the spark. 

"Two thing were very different about him at that age. His balance was so good... Unbelievable. And he did not hit the ball. He pushed the ball. He had a heavy bat. During that period I had never seen someone using that heavy a bat and he held the bat low down," Kapil told the BBC Radio 5 Live show. 

Kapil was entrusted with the responsibility of looking after Tendulkar on tour and he noticed with amazement the ambidextrous skills of the youngster. 

"Sachin used his left hand to write and eat. But he batted and bowled right handed. Later on I realised he must be a genius who has power in both hands. That is the future of cricket. If you can have balanced power you can control the ball and balance of your body." 

Kapil recalled the first time he watched Tendulkar bat in a domestic match. "The first time I saw him bat was at Brabourne Stadium (in Mumbai) and I was asked to bowl at him. I was told he would get encouragement from it. I said 'who is he?' and was told he had done well in school cricket and to just bowl a few balls," recollected Kapil. 

"He looked like a 14 year-old. He played with decent balance and I was very nervous to bowl to him. He was too young for me to bowl to. I bowled a couple of quick ones. He flicked them off and in the net you could see he looked good at that age. His ability was there but I could not dream this young boy would be one of the finest cricketers to walk this earth." 

WATER IN THE MICROWAVE-NOT SAFE.....

A 26 year old man decided to take a cup of instant coffee. The tragedy began.

He put in the microwave to heat up a cup with water only (something I had done before in several occasions).
I do not know exactly how long scheduled, but told me he just wanted the water to boil. When the time is up the oven went out, and he opened and took the cup from the oven ..
As he watched the cup, he realized that the water was not boiling, yet that's where the water jumped directly to your face. He dropped the cup of his hands after the water had jumped to his face, because the accumulated energy. Have sores all over your face 1st and 2nd degrees and it is very likely that the face is marked. Besides having lost the sight in his left eye partially. While we were in the hospital, the doctor who attended commented that these types of accidents were very common, and you should never put water only to heat in the microwave.

If we warm up water in this way (microwave), one should always put something in the water, eg a toothpick (same tooth) or one sachet of tea, but if we only heat the water, it is best to use the stove gas.
This is a physics teacher said about:
"Thank you for sending me the message warned me about the water in the microwave. Heard of several cases. This is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating."
It can happen at any time that the water is warming ..... especially if the tool they are using is new.
What happens is that the water heats up much faster than the bubbles begin to form. If the cup is new (very clean and smooth) , there is no graze or groove where the bubbles can go and can start the bubbling process in the water that higher than the boiling temperature (100 degrees).
What happens then is that a any slight shock or even contact with slightly cooler air can initiate sudden boiling that is almost explosive.
Please send this message to all your friends, can avoid a great deal of pain and suffering .. translated from Spanish

Rare galaxy furiously burning gas to form stars found......

Washington: A galaxy turning gas into stars with almost 100 percent efficiency, a rare phase of galaxy evolution that is the most extreme yet observed, has been discovered. 

The findings come from the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer in the French Alps, NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. "Galaxies burn gas like a car engine burns fuel. Most galaxies have fairly inefficient engines, meaning they form stars from their stellar fuel tanks far below the maximum theoretical rate," said Jim Geach of McGill University, lead author of a new study. 

"This galaxy is like a highly tuned sports car, converting gas to stars at the most efficient rate thought to be possible," he said. 

The galaxy, called SDSSJ1506+54, jumped out at the researchers when they looked at it using data from WISE's all-sky infrared survey. Infrared light is pouring out of the galaxy, equivalent to more than a thousand billion times the energy of our sun. 

Hubble's visible-light observations revealed that the galaxy is extremely compact, with most of its light emanating from a region just a few hundred light-years across. 

"This galaxy is forming stars at a rate hundreds of times faster than our Milky Way galaxy, but the sharp vision of Hubble revealed that the majority of the galaxy's starlight is being emitted by a region just a few percent of the diameter of the Milky Way. This is star formation at its most extreme," said Geach. 

The team then used the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer to measure the amount of gas in the galaxy. The ground-based telescope detected millimeter-wave light coming from carbon monoxide, an indicator of the presence of hydrogen gas, which is fuel for stars. Combining the rate of star formation derived with WISE, and the gas mass measured by IRAM, the scientists get a measure of the star formation efficiency. 

The results reveal that the star-forming efficiency of the galaxy is close to the theoretical maximum, called the Eddington limit. 

In regions of galaxies where new stars are forming, parts of gas clouds are collapsing due to gravity. When the gas is dense enough to squeeze atoms together and ignite nuclear fusion, a star is born. At the same time, winds and radiation from stars that have just formed can prevent the formation of new stars by exerting pressure on the surrounding gas, curtailing the collapse. 

The Eddington limit is the point at which the force of gravity pulling gas together is balanced by the outward pressure from the stars. Above the Eddington limit, the gas clouds would be blown apart, halting star formation. 

"We see some gas outflowing from this galaxy at millions of miles per hour, and this gas may have been blown away by the powerful radiation from the newly formed stars," said Ryan Hickox, an astrophysicist at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., and a co-author on the study. 

Why is SDSSJ1506+54 so unusual? Astronomers say they're catching the galaxy in a short-lived phase of evolution, possibly triggered by the merging of two galaxies into one. The star-formation is so ferocious that in a few tens of millions of years, the blink of an eye in a galaxy's life, the gas will be used up, and the galaxy will mature into a massive elliptical galaxy. 

The scientists also used data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii and the MMT Observatory on Mount Hopkins, Arizona. 

The study appeared in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. 

Mars colony project aims to preserve life forms on the red planet.......

Washington: The Netherlands-based nonprofit project Mars One, which opened its astronaut-selection process on April 22, plans to land four people on the Red Planet in 2023 as the vanguard of a permanent human colony on the red planet. 

New crews will arrive every two years thereafter, Fox News reported. Human explorers and their trillions of microbes will doubtless contaminate whatever site is chosen for the settlement, Mars One officials said, so the organization will try to pick a place unlikely to host indigenous life. 

"The most important thing is that you localize the pollution," Mars One CEO and co-founder Bas Lansdorp said during a press conference. 

"So you make sure that humans don't go to places where there's the highest chance of finding life, to make sure that if there is life [on Mars], that it will remain preserved," he said. 

Mars One is working with experts to minimize the risks its colonization effort may pose to potential red planet life forms. 

For example, the group's advisory board includes John Rummel, who chairs the Committee on Space Research's Panel on Planetary Protection, Lansdorp said. 

It may be tough to bring those risks down too much. While Mars One hasn't picked a precise location for its settlement yet, the organization is targeting a swath of the red planet between 40 and 45 degrees north latitude, Lansdorp said. 

Sites within this band likely have enough of two critical resources - subsurface water (in the form of ice) and solar energy - to support a colony, he added. 

But underground water could also help sustain microbes, whose toughness and near ubiquity continue to amaze scientists, at least here on Earth. 

It's unclear at the moment if Mars One- which will fund its ambitious settlement efforts primarily by staging a global reality-TV event around the entire process - will take a serious stab at finding signs of red planet life. 

Mars One astronauts will not necessarily be scientists, after all. 

Anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to apply, with the selection committee prizing traits such as intelligence, resourcefulness, determination and psychological stability over academic background, officials said. 

Hitler's diaries found in 1983 were fakes......

Sydney: German newsweekly Stern prompted a worldwide sensation when in April 1983 it revealed that it had acquired Hitler's previously undiscovered diaries. 

The editors promised to later hand over 60 handwritten volumes to West Germany's Federal Archives for posterity. 

Instead the magazine's scoop turned into a publishing debacle, when it was quickly discovered that the purported diaries were forgeries. 

Now, in an unlikely coda 30 years later, fake history was formally enshrined as real history on Tuesday when Germany's Federal Archives said it would accept a collection of the forgeries from Stern as news media rather than Nazi history, the Sydney Morning herald reported. 

"The fake Hitler diaries are documents of the past," Michael Hollmann, president of the Federal Archives, said in a joint statement with Stern on Tuesday. "They are in good hands at the Federal Archives." 

In 1983, editors at Stern provided a reporter, Gerd Heidemann, with millions of marks to buy what they believed to be a significant collection of Hitler's writings as well as other documents. 

The cover of the magazine declared, " Hitler's Diaries Discovered," in red ink over a photograph of black notebooks. The diaries were also purchased by Britain's Sunday Times. 

The find was immediately greeted with scepticism by experts, but the English historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, (Lord Dacre), pronounced them genuine, lending fleeting legitimacy to the find. His reputation was ruined when experts from the Federal Archives and Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office established that the books were fakes. 

The supposed diaries had been written by a Stuttgart dealer in Nazi memorabilia named Konrad Kujau. Kujau and Heidemann were both convicted of fraud. 

Partial lunar eclipse to be visible Thursday night.......

New Delhi: The first of the three lunar eclipses of the year will occur tomorrow, giving astro enthusiasts all over the country an opportunity to witness the celestial event. 

A tiny sliver of the Moon will be covered by the Earth's umbral shadow at maximum of the partial lunar eclipse, N Sri Raghunandan Kumar of Planetary Society of India told PTI. This is the third shortest partial eclipse of the Moon for the 21st century, lasting just 27 minutes. 

According to NASA, the shortest partial lunar eclipse of the 21st century will be on February 13, 2082, lasting only 25.5 minutes. 

NASA data also indicates that on September 28, 2034, the second shortest partial eclipse will last for 26.7 minutes. The April 25-26, 2013, partial lunar eclipse will last for 27 minutes, making it the third shortest lunar eclipse of this century. 

The lunar eclipse in various phases will begin at 11:32 PM tomorrow night and end at 03:43 AM on April 26. 

The noticeable Umbra phase will begin at 1:22 AM and end at 1:53 AM. Middle of eclipse, or when it is maximum, will occur at 1:37 AM, he said. 

The eclipse will be visible in the region covering Australia, Asia (except N.E. Part), Africa, Europe and Antarctica, Kumar said. 

This year, a total of five eclipses, three lunar and two annular, will occur. 

Unlike an eclipse of the sun, star gazers do not need protective eye equipment to observe a lunar eclipse, he said. 

Will Modi head to Lucknow; Amit Shah to get Gandhinagar?.......

Ahmedabad: After reports that Gandhinagar MP LK Advani is likely to contest from Bhopal in next General Elections, it is being talked about that former Gujarat minister Amit Shah may contest the Lok Sabha Elections from Gandhinagar. 

This rumour stems from the planning Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his team is busy with in New Delhi. Sources in the state BJP say though it is a little early to freeze plans for Lok Sabha Elections, leaders are busy preparing a strong base for what is believed to be a battle of survival for BJP nationally. Also, for now, Modi plans to contest from Lucknow – Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s seat for five terms between 1991 and 2004. BJP president Rajnath Singh, it is believed, supports Modi in his plans. 

“For a long time now, Amit Shah has candidly admitted to party members here that he wants to build his political career further in Delhi, and not Gujarat. Now that he has been made the general secretary in BJP, he does not want to be tied down to Gujarat Assembly, mandating him to spend time in the state. Besides, Gandhinagar is a safe seat for BJP consisting of mainly urban areas and Shah’s Assembly constituency Naranpura,” a senior source in the party said. 

Another BJP functionary recalls that when Shah was away from state because of court orders, he realised that the next power centre in Gujarat after Modi is Revenue Minister Anandi Patel, Finance Minister Nitin Patel and Industries Minister Saurabh Patel – in that order. 

“Besides, with the fake encounter case that Shah is an accused in, he will need political backing at the Centre to stay afloat – irrespective of whether it is the UPA or NDA government in power,” the source confided.