IndianWatchdogs.com http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/ Fostering Healthy Discussions Among South Asians. Talk about cricket, politics, current affairs and just about everything else. en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:48:58 GMT vBulletin 60 http://indianwatchdogs.com/forums/images/misc/rss.png IndianWatchdogs.com http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/ <![CDATA[Fixing scam, cricket's biggest chance to clean itself: Dravid]]> http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22969&goto=newpost Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:24:47 GMT ---Quote--- The last thing we need is for the events of this week to be swept under the carpet. No guilt must be attached until the investigations...
Quote:
The last thing we need is for the events of this week to be swept under the carpet. No guilt must be attached until the investigations are complete, and everyone deserves a fair chance to defend themselves. But the process must be thorough and comprehensive," Dravid said. Dravid, who wants ICC's investigation to be completed before the matter moved on to a "proper inquiry carried out by investigators with the law of the land behind them", said, "It (scandal) has been a horrible scar on cricket, cricketers and fans."

"The most necessary outcome would be swift and strong punishment to anyone found guilty."

"In the past people once judged guilty turned up after a few months just because time had passed. It was as if everyone had forgotten what days like these feel like for the majority of honest players in the game," the right-hander was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.

While recommending a full-fledged inquiry with severe penalties to those proved guilty, the mainstay of India's Test lineup, said he does not like the security measures which are in place at at the moment.

"No one wants to be under watch all the time. I hate that there are cops and security on our floor in every hotel the team lives in, but that is what the game requires," Dravid said.

Read moer at:


http://cricket.rediff.com/report/2010/sep/04/fixing-scam-is-crickets-biggest-chance-to-clean-itself-says-rahul-dravid.htm
 ]]> Cricket ranja http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22969 <![CDATA[Radical Islam is world's greatest threat - Tony Blair]]> http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22968&goto=newpost Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:17:49 GMT Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has described radical Islam as the greatest threat facing the world today. He made the remark in a BBC... Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has described radical Islam as the greatest threat facing the world today.
He made the remark in a BBC interview marking the publication of his memoirs.
Mr Blair said radical Islamists believed that whatever was done in the name of their cause was justified - including the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
Mr Blair, who led Britain into war in Afghanistan and Iraq, denied that his own policies had fuelled radicalism.


Asked about the argument that Chechens, Kashmiris, Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghans were resisting foreign occupation, he said Western polices were designed to confront radical Islamists because they were "regressive, wicked and backward-looking".
The aim of al-Qaeda in Iraq was "not to get American troops out of Baghdad [but] to destabilise a government the people of Iraq have voted for", he told the BBC's Owen Bennett Jones in a World Service interview.
'Stronger will'

The former British leader - who now acts as the Middle East envoy for the international Quartet - said that Iran was one of the biggest state sponsors of radical Islam, and it was necessary to prevent it by any means from developing a nuclear weapon.
"We need to give a message to Iran that is very clear - that they cannot have nuclear weapons capability, and we will stop them," he said.
Mr Blair said he was not advocating military action, but simply saying no option could be taken off the table.
Iran denies pursuing a nuclear weapons programme, and insists its atomic work is for civilian purposes.
Mr Blair told the BBC his view of foreign policy had changed as a result of the 9/11 attacks: "After 11 September, rightly or wrongly, I felt the calculus of risk had changed.
"There is the most enormous threat from the combination of this radical extreme movement and the fact that, if they could, they would use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
"You can't take a risk with that happening."
Mr Blair said he agonised over how to respond to radical Islam and still had doubts that he was right.
These are really difficult issues, he said, but added: "This extremism is so deep that in the end they have to know that they're facing a stronger will than theirs."
Mr Blair has also expressed optimism about the prospect of peace in the Middle East. Direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians began in Washington on Thursday.
Speaking in Dublin, on the prime-time entertainment programme The Late Late Show, Mr Blair said he believed the Middle East peace process was similar to Northern Ireland - and would be successful.
He said: "I feel it can be settled. You just have to carry on."
There was a small anti-war protest outside the Dublin studio where the interview took place.
Mr Blair also told the Late Late Show that his successor as prime minister, Gordon Brown, remained a friend.
In his autobiography, Mr Blair said Mr Brown was "maddening", had "zero" emotional intelligence and sought to frustrate key reforms.
However, Mr Blair said there were many things he admired about Mr Brown and would "probably" still go for a drink with him.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11182225 ]]> vinayak s http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22968 The uncrashable car http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22967&goto=newpost Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:59:03 GMT
Quote:
Volvo has set itself the difficult task of building a car that can't be crashed, but do we really want technology taking control?

By Andrew English

Volvo uses a range of sensors and cameras to collect huge amounts of data for its crash safety researchers Photo: VOLVO

You are driving along a country road, full of love for humanity but unaware that a 40-ton milk tanker is about to lumber out of a hidden side turning, just around the next corner. Your car knows, though. Sensors have identified its size and shape and predicted its course and speed. On-board computers have calculated an avoidance strategy – a quick burst of acceleration and a directional tweak.

Without any human intervention, the car speeds up slightly, the steering twitches slightly and the lorry pulls out with a couple of inches to spare. You can now concentrate on Chris Evans's breakfast show and live happily ever after.
Read more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...hable-car.html ]]> ranja http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22967 Internet in 10 years time http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22966&goto=newpost Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:49:27 GMT Where do you envisage the internet to be in 10 years time? Pretty much anything you can think of is already on there. How can the internet progress... Where do you envisage the internet to be in 10 years time? Pretty much anything you can think of is already on there. How can the internet progress in the next decade to maximise its potential? Will there be a stage where the internet will cease to be perpetually developing?

What are your thoughts on how the internet could be shaped within the next decade? ]]> ranja http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22966 iJoke http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22965&goto=newpost Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:09:00 GMT Image: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hrjlxKE4MIw/TCBuscnRpaI/AAAAAAAABh0/BxDEx29wA-o/s1600/imac-ipod-iphone-ipad-ibroke-nate-beeler-living-the-ilife.jpg ]]> vinayak s http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22965 Watson blames ICC for Pakistan mess http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22964&goto=newpost Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:42:25 GMT ---Quote--- *Watson blames ICC for Pakistan mess* http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/content/current/story/475366.html Shane...
Quote:
Watson blames ICC for Pakistan mess
http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pa...ry/475366.html
Shane Watson has questioned whether the ICC really wants to eradicate match-fixing and spot-fixing from cricket due to fears the problem might run too deep. A day after confirming he had reported two approaches from bookmakers during last year's tour of England, Watson blamed the ICC for allowing the issue to fester.

Watson said the fact a newspaper was responsible for highlighting the irregularities involving Pakistan's recent performances, which were revealed during the fourth Test in England, showed the ICC's system was unsuccessful. "The ICC anti-corruption unit is not really working," he said during a sponsor's function in Sydney.

"That's totally to do with the ICC, so they really need to step in and really get to the bottom of it. Maybe they don't want to get to the bottom of it because it might run too deep."

The ICC has defended its approach but Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive, did admit the anti-corruption and security unit had no power to arrest or go undercover. Lorgat has promised "prompt and decisive" action if any of the players are found guilty.

Watson said the situation needed to be sorted out "as soon as possible" to maintain credibility and interest in the game. "People might turn away from cricket because they don't know [whether] what they are seeing is actually the true facts of cricket," he said.

Meanwhile, Mark Taylor, the former Australia captain, said talk of banning Pakistan from world cricket was not justified. "I don't agree with that, I think it's too harsh a penalty for one nation," Taylor, a Cricket Australia board member, said in Sydney.

"If they have one person, two people, three people involved in match-fixing or fixing certain deliveries ... to throw the whole nation? No, I'm not for that. I think it would not be a good thing for world cricket to have Pakistan not involved."

This is the crux of the whole problem :
Quote:
"The ICC anti-corruption unit is not really working,"he said during a sponsor's function in Sydney

"That's totally to do with the ICC, so they really need to step in and really get to the bottom of it. Maybe they don't want to get to the bottom of it because it might run too deep."
]]> Cricket cricfan2005 http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22964 Caught in cyberspace -- Hilarious comic strip on Cricinfo!! http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22963&goto=newpost Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:10:03 GMT This one deserves its own thread. Absolutely brilliant Image: http://static.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/121200/121286.jpg ... This one deserves its own thread. Absolutely brilliant



http://www.cricinfo.com/page2/conten...ry/475543.html ]]> Dada http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22963 New York man plunges 40 stories, survives http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22962&goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:28:12 GMT NEW YORK: A New York (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=New%20York) City (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=%20City)...
NEW YORK: A New York City man who plunged 40 stories from the rooftop of an apartment building has survived after crashing onto a parked car.

Witnesses and police say 22-year-old Thomas Magill jumped from the high-rise at West 63rd Street on Tuesday. He landed in the backseat area of a Dodge Charger after crashing through the windshield.

He suffered broken legs. Police say he's in critical condition. The car's owner, Guy McCormack, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, told the Daily News he's convinced that rosary beads he kept inside the Dodge saved Magill's life.

Police are investigating why Magill jumped from the building. Magill isn't the only New Yorker to survive a high-rise fall. Window washer Alcides Moreno fell 47 stories from the roof of a skyscraper in December 2007, and doctors expected him to walk again.



http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...ow/6474614.cms
]]> Life is Beautiful vinayak s http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22962 Kiss News :) http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22961&goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:51:58 GMT FAN TRIES TO KISS SALMAN A female fan, on Sunday, tried to grab and kiss Salman Khan during the Dabangg promotional event in the city. The... FAN TRIES TO KISS SALMAN

A female fan, on Sunday, tried to grab and kiss Salman Khan during the Dabangg promotional event in the city. The actor, along with the film's debutant co- star Sonakshi Sinha, was about to leave the media conference venue when the woman, in her mid- thirties, came forward on the pretext of getting a photograph clicked with him. However, when she was close enough, she lunged at Salman and tried to kiss him. She continued trying even after the guards had overpowered her. ]]> Sunda http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22961 <![CDATA[[India] Anupam Mukherjee: AKA FAKE IPL PLAYER]]> http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22960&goto=newpost Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:22:53 GMT New Delhi: It's a player, it's a coach, no it's Anupam Mukherji. The Fake IPL Player of 2009 is all the buzz since he revealed his identity this week as a marketing communications professional whose life changed when he started the blog about purported inside goings on during the Indian Premier League 2. We caught up with the man who had the nation riveted with his characters like Bhooka Naan, Appam and Little John. (Post your questions for the fake IPL player here)

We had 20 questions not for Anupam Mukherji but the Fake IPL Player, whom Mukherji graciously resurrected one last time.


1) What compelled the birth of the Fake IPL Player?
A) Economic recession, unemployment, psychotropic substances, and a lifetime of stupidity
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2) Where were you born?
A) On one of the moons of the planet Krypton.

3) Was it a difficult birth?
A) Personally, I have no recollection of it. I am sure it must have been painful for my mother although she claims raising me was far worse. Over the years, lot more people have borne the pain of me having been born.

4) Was it cricket-envy? Are you the kid that didn't get picked to play for the school team?
A) That's true. I never got picked to play for the school. But that's not why I started the blog. This was because I wasn't picked for Harsha Ki Khoj even though I worked hard at developing his hairline and toothy grin.

5) Why did you pick on the Kolkata Knight Riders in particular?
A) I didn't pick the KKR. They picked me.

6) Of all the characters and names, which was closest to your heart?
A) Like a mother who can't pick a favourite out of her children, I can't pick one out of my characters. But Big Sister was on my mind all the time, especially when asleep.

7) Which would you say was the most popular?
A) Appam would have won the popularity contest hands down if he had managed to get into MJ's trousers to make it to the stage on time.

8) There were many conjectures on which player this was. If you had decided to stretch the hoax who would you say best fit the bill as the Fake IPL Player?
A) John Buchanan's laptop

9) How were you able to convince people that you were writing out of the dressing room. Did you have a mole in there?
A) The only place where I have a mole is my right cheek. I didn't have to convince anyone that I was writing from the dressing room. The newspapers did it for me.

10) How many times did you feel an intense urge to laugh and say Ok Guys this is who I am?
A) Never. If I was better looking I may have thought about it.

11) Did anyone else - parent, sibling, friend, spouse - know it was you?
A) A couple of very close friends knew. And I told my Father once I was in serious danger of getting arrested.

12) Since you had an opinion on all things cricket, do you think spot-fixing or match-fixing is a part of the IPL too?
A) IPL is the super-set of everything in cricket. If there's filth anywhere in cricket, rest assured its there in IPL too.

13) Is there a film in there after the book?
A) I am sure there is. I am just waiting for Danny Boyle to pick up a copy. But, I am writing a film on a different subject altogether.

14) Did you expect such wild success? Or were you just plain lucky to be at the right place, at the right time?
A) Plain lucky. Not just right place right time, but my stars were probably in a once-in-a-lifetime alignment when everything I touched turned to gold. In retrospect, I should have planned a bank robbery or bought lotteries around that time.

15) If you were to do this again, which industry would you pick next?
A) If I tell you now, I won't be able to do it.

16) What did Shahrukh Khan say when KKR finally won a match?
A) Jeet ke bhi haarne vale ko KKR kehte hain

17) What did Sourav Ganguly say when KKR finally won a match?
A) Boys, don't take off your shirts and fling it over your heads until you've spent at least two years in the gym. It doesn't look good on TV.

18) What did Yuvraj Singh say when Sangakkara was made captain of Kings XI Punjab?
A) Just being captain doesn't mean you can pop the bubbly. You got to win first.

19) Are you very smart or are people out there easy to fool?
A) No matter how smart I may be, Lalit Modi is the smartest. And he has shown that people out there are really easy to fool.

20) Is there a career ahead for the Fake IPL Player? Or do you kill him?
A) Fake IPL Player is dead and right now he is getting a burial worthy of his life.

Anupam Mukerji worked as a marketing strategist at Wipro after completing his MBA from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research Mumbai. Not too long into his job, he realised that he wasn't quite cut out for a corporate career. He successfully quit Wipro before they could sack him. An alliance with Career Launcher followed during which he tried to kick start a TV career with documentaries based on Science in Sports. Despite that, he found the TV industry not ready to accept him into their fold. Livelihood issues led him to start a small marketing communications firm in Bangalore. And just about the time he was coming to terms with his fate of spending a life of doing something that he wouldn't necessarily choose to do, Fake IPL Player happened, altering the course of his life forever. The blog led to the book The Gamechangers. And now, he is associated with a startup story-to-script company Metaphic, writing a political thriller set in Kolkata.


Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/20...layer-48360?cp ]]> Cricket Nike http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22960 80% say yes to UDRS at World Cup.. http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22959&goto=newpost Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:39:30 GMT Cricinfo Poll *Looking at the umpiring in the Dambulla tri-series, should UDRS be introduced in ODIs too? * Yes, an event as big as the World... Cricinfo Poll

Looking at the umpiring in the Dambulla tri-series, should UDRS be introduced in ODIs too?

Yes, an event as big as the World Cup cannot afford dubious decisions at crucial junctures 82.61% 2699

No, it will slow down a game that is already fighting faster formats 8.33% 272

Let the teams sort the review system at the Test level first 9.06% 296

Total votes: 3267 ]]> Cricket Dada http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22959 US Open 2010 http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22958&goto=newpost Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:13:04 GMT Sania is into the 2nd round...I know many on here would be very interested! Sania is into the 2nd round...I know many on here would be very interested! ]]> Other Sports ranja http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22958 <![CDATA[[New Zealand] New Zealand Cricket creates IPL window for players]]> http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22957&goto=newpost Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:27:50 GMT Very proactive and a professional stance taken by NZC.. they've now secured their players and the players are happy too. Win-win situation for both parties. Well done to NZC.

The creation of a participation window for New Zealand cricketers in the IPL and the establishment of a players' retirement fund are among the salient features of an eight-year agreement between the national board, the players association and the six major domestic associations.

http://www.cricinfo.com/newzealand/c...ry/475062.html ]]> Cricket Dada http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22957 <![CDATA[[Pakistan] Spot Fixing Controversy]]> http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22956&goto=newpost Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:39:19 GMT Please post updates on Spot Fixing Controversy here. Please post updates on Spot Fixing Controversy here. ]]> Cricket chandu_sistla http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22956 <![CDATA[Need a new Forum ; Science & Technology & Entertainment.]]> http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22955&goto=newpost Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:22:34 GMT Need a new Forum - Science & Technology & Entertainment to post about thalivar, Super Star's Rajinikanth, Robot

Avatar technology powers Rajnikant in Robot

South superstar Rajinikant reportedly charged a whopping 45 crore for the sci-fi thriller Robot (Enthiran). The actor plays a scientist who makes a robot who is his own replica. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan falls in love with the robot. Before the film went on floors, director Shankar and Rajinikant spent two weeks in Los Angeles to prepare the mould for the robot's body with the latest technology. "The first step was scanning Rajinikant's entire body to create a prototype. Using this prototype, Hollywood technicians created a robot that everyone said was literally like his double," says a source from the production house.

Shankar collaborated with Hollywood's Stan Winston for visual effects and make-up. Almost 40 percent of the 150-crore budget was spent on special effects and animatronics. Hollywood experts were called in and the technology used in films like Avatar and The Curious Case of Benajamin Button was also employed in Robot.

http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news-deta...-Enthiran.html ]]> Sunda http://www.indianwatchdogs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22955