This is the story of 79-yr-old Frank Dryman, the once notorious killer of Montana who killed a man and escaped the noose in 1951. Back then, he went by the name of Frank Valentine. Less than 20 years later, Dryman got out of prison and escaped parole because he did not like his wife (pinching myself yet again!). But guess what, his escape was hardly noticed. So much so that he too began to feel absolutely normal after a few years and lead a new life under different identities. That includes performing weddings under new identities, one of which was ‘Victor Houston’.

Dryman then invented a whole new life and started a family. Aside from the wedding chapel business, he volunteered for local civic clubs. The fresh start went so unnoticed that he even claimed his benefits from the Navy where he served in the late ’40s. How about that?

Dryman never thought of himself as a parole violator (no room to pinch anymore!). All was going fine until the victim’s grandson, Clem Pellet, an oral surgeon from Bellevue, WA, began to poke around.  Pellet wanted to find out more about the Montana side of his family and his parents too had never spoken about the murder. Thus began his quest to unearth this entire incident, right until the cops knocked on the doors of Dryman.

Now Pellet wants to capture it all in a book and is keen to meet Dryman to fill in some gaps. Understandably, Dryman is not eager to meet him.

Catch Me if You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio comes close to this. But someone better get hold of this script on Frank Dryman. This one will look great on 70mm.

Lets see what’s STRESS..

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, its STRESS.

Beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.

The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

Let’s see the causes of stress..

The situations and pressures that cause stress are known asstressors. We usually think of stressors as being negative, such as an exhausting work schedule or a rocky relationship.

However, anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. This includes positive events such as getting married, buying a house, going to college, or receiving a promotion.

For example, your morning commute may make you anxious and tense because you worry that traffic will make you late. Others, however, may find the trip relaxing because they allow more than enough time and enjoy listening to music while they drive.

Common external causes of stress

§ Major life changes

§ Work

§ Relationship difficulties

§ Financial problems

§ Being too busy

§ Children and family

Common internal causes of stress:

§ Inability to accept uncertainty

§ Pessimism

§ Negative self-talk

§ Unrealistic expectations

§ Perfectionism

§ Lack of assertiveness

Warning signs & symptoms of STRESS..

Cognitive Symptoms

Emotional Symptoms

§ Memory problems

§ Inability to concentrate

§ Poor judgment

§ Seeing only the negative

§ Anxious or racing thoughts

§ Constant worrying

§ Moodiness

§ Irritability or short temper

§ Agitation, inability to relax

§ Feeling overwhelmed

§ Sense of loneliness and isolation

§ Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms

Behavioral Symptoms

§ Aches and pains

§ Diarrhea or constipation

§ Nausea, dizziness

§ Chest pain, rapid heartbeat

§ Loss of sex drive

§ Frequent colds

§ Eating more or less

§ Sleeping too much or too little

§ Isolating yourself from others

§ Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities

§ Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

§ Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Finally, let’s see whether we are in stress or not:

For this let’s see some questions and ask ourselves-

§ When I feel agitated, do I know how to quickly calm and soothe myself?

§ Can I easily let go of my anger?

§ Can I turn to others at work to help me calm down and feel better?

§ When I come home at night, do I walk in the door feeling alert and relaxed?

§ Am I seldom distracted or moody?

§ Am I able to recognize upsets that others seem to be experiencing?

§ Do I easily turn to friends or family members for a calming influence?

§ When my energy is low, do I know how to boost it?

This course basically enables students to take what they learn in the classroom and immediately apply it on the job. Other basic and practical benefits include:

Students are able to enhance their critical thinking skills
Students get to understand the theory behind the practice
Confidence and motivation level increases
Enhanced ability to apply best practices
Students get a hang of global business that expands the possibilities
Increased knowledge of the business as a whole
A long-lasting edge over competition
Ability to lead a team and to work within a team
Improved communication skills
Other benefits –
Salary Hike:

Organizations identify the skills that students get from this degree program, and many times these graduates get rewarded with programs that involve greater levels of management responsibilities.

For those who are entrepreneurs, the program provides the knowledge that can help them reinforce business and support greater success in the marketplace.

As you take in the view, there would be no honking of autorickshaws to distract you. Nor would your view get spoilt by the grille of cars, motorcycles and passersby between you and the Red Fort.

If the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has its way, a drive-by view of the Red Fort will not be the same again – but will be much more breathtaking.

The civic agency plans to ban private vehicles in the Walled City, popularly known as Shahjahanabad, and run an affordable, efficient and eco-friendly public transport system that will include trams, battery-operated cabs and rickshaws with gears.

The aim is to make the place touristfriendly and lend a pedestrian character to the Walled City that is home to several heritage buildings and places of historical importance.

Most roads in Shahjahanabad are barely 60ft wide. Under the proposal, the MCD plans to divide the roads in lanes dedicated to trams, battery-operated cabs and rickshaws. The transport system will then be linked to the Metro network and the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) corridor.

The MCD has proposed a 7.5km-long tram network at a cost of about Rs 300 crore. The civic agency favours trams over an extension of the Metro network inside Shahjahanabad because it feels the Metro system is costlier.

Besides, Metro trains require larger turning radius while moving in a curve. Trams can turn in less space, making it ideal for a place like the Old City.

The MCD also proposes to run what are known as neighbourhood electric vehicles (NEVs), pedicabs and rickshaws with gears. NEVs can ferry about eight persons at a time. A vehicle costs about Rs 7 lakh. It requires about 3m road space. These vehicles operate on batteries, run at a speed less than 30kmph and need recharging every 40km.

The MCD proposes to run 150 such vehicles, a common sight in European countries, in the Walled City. Pedicabs, also a common sight in Europe, New York and Mexico City, will ply along a 2.5km corridor. The project will cost Rs 2 crore. A pedicab costs Rs 1 lakh and can carry up to three persons. It requires less than 2m road space to operate.

The civic agency has also proposed to redesign cycle-rickshaws that will run in the Walled City, fitting them with gears, cup holders and FM radio. Existing rickshaws cost about Rs 5,200 each. The redesigned ones, more stylish and sporting a contemporary look, will cost about Rs 8,000 each.

The proposal was recently presented in a meeting at the United Traffic and Transport Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre, which was chaired by Delhi Lt. Governor Tejendra Khanna. The presentation was given a go-ahead and the MCD has decided to start work and sought permission from the traffic police.

The Delhi Traffic Police, however, have asked the MCD to carry out a dry run so that it could gauge the traffic scenario and prevent a Connaught Place-like fiasco when half the road of the Outer Circle was blocked to build eight subways.

That led to unprecedented traffic chaos and the work was called off. What the MCD has proposed may eventually be extended to the whole of Delhi. Chief minister Sheila Dikshit recently announced her intention to phase out autorickshaws from city roads and replace them with battery-operated cars.

MCD plans to run an efficient and eco-friendly public transport system that will include trams, battery-operated cabs and rickshaws with gears in Shahjahanabad or Old City.

So if you’re one of those independent women and your dreams are stuff of fast life, fast food and fast cars then these are the cities you should choose to live in.

1. Mumbai:

Why: Though the quality of life is subjective when you live in Mumbai [and especially when you’re new to the city], you’re sure to get more out of life than you ever dreamed of. Whether you want to be an actor, model, doctor, engineer or an architect, this is THE place to be. They don’t refer to Mumbai as ‘A city of dreams’ for nothing.

Safety quotient: According to TOI-CREST-TNS 2010 poll 73% of women claimed to feel safe walking and traveling in the late evening or night.

Travelling quotient: In which other city will you get a local train every 3 minutes and have access to autos/taxis 24/7?

Entertainment quotient: Mumbai is not just the commercial capital of India, it’s also the entertainment capital. From small pubs to 5-star clubs, from roadside Chinese cartwalas to fancy restaurants… you can have it all according to your budget. What’s more, women – young and old – can avail off “girls entry free” and ladies nights!

2. Pune:

Why: Great job prospects coupled with low cost of living makes Pune a commendable urban city for single women. Influx of foreign students in various Pune universities have given her the sex-and-the-city status, which is not bad if you vie for a urban lifestyle and consider Carrie Bradshaw as your alter-ego!

Safety quotient: In terms of safety, Pune comes second only to Mumbai according to TOI survey. That makes the city pretty safe.

Travelling quotient: Their BEST service is not very popular and they don’t have local trains. But Pune girls don’t care, for 75% of them own a two-wheeler. “You’ll see more women driving scooters in five minutes on Pune’s roads than in a year in Delhi” says Bhavna Singh, HR consultant, who has lived in both the cities.

Entertainment quotient: There are no dearth of watering holes, cafes, multiplexes and malls in Pune. And if you’re in the mood for yummy dhaba food in the middle of the night, Lonavala is just hop, skip and jump away. And so are, a zillion other offbeat destinations for a weekend getaway!

3. Bangalore

Why: Bangalore aka Silicon Valley of India. If you want to get into IT and make a career out of it then there is no better city in India than Bangalore for women (Believe us you don’t want to go to Hyderabad or Delhi). Also its feel good climate will suit your mood perfectly Not too hot, not too cold and with a perfect balance between wet and dry weather, you will almost forget your pms-ing blues.

Safety quotient: According to the survey done by mybangalore.com, 47% women voted Bangalore to be a safe city.

Travelling quotient: Like Pune, it’s better to have your own vehicle in Bangalore too. Auto-rickshaws are a popular form of transport but half of the time they don’t go by the meter!

Entertainment quotient: Also known as the Garden City, you can have picnics galore in the various parks Bangalore has built to beautify the city. It also has bars, nightclubs, an underground rock culture, live music, theaters and restaurants and a cosmopolitan bunch of people from all over that will make your stay surely interesting!

4. Chennai

Why: If you’re more of a sneaker person than heels, more inclined to natural beauty than concrete jungles, more traditional than modern, then Chennai is the right place for you. Besides it ranks highest in education so you’ll have less fools in your life to deal with!

Safety quotient: In terms of safety, Chennai is the stand out city according to TOI-CREST-TNS 2010 poll. Almost 75% of women polled said they feel safe walking after dusk, and over 85% said they had never been harassed in a public place or on public transport.

Travelling quotient: Buses, trains, and auto rickshaws are the most common form of public transport within the city. Usually the autos are metered, but it is good to fix the fare before they take you for a ride!

Entertainment quotient: The city, being in the vicinity of the sea, is a paradise for water sport lovers. Other than that they have the usual amusement parks, cinema halls, discotheques, malls and bowling centers to keep you entertained.

5. Ahmedabad

Why: A good city must offer basic amenities and infrastructure that makes one’s life easier and convenient and which is not too hard on the pocket. And Ahmedabad offers just that. It’s not very diverse but culturally it thrives! And if you are planning to get an MBA degree to spruce up your resume than not other institute is better than Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA).

Safety quotient: According to TOI-CREST-TNS 2010 poll, Ahmedabad has the least problems with women wearing sleeveless tops or short skirts. “During Navratri, you’ll find girls riding their Activas at 2 am, wearing backless blouses… It’s THAT safe” says Raksha Gala, housewife, who resides in the city.

Travelling quotient: Ahmedabad BRTS is a Bus rapid transit system for the city which is not very popular as most of the women own a two or four wheeler. But the best and cheapest mode of transport is Chagdis aka rickshaws (but the bigger version). It can carry ten passengers at a minimal rate.

Entertainment quotient: Ahmedabad has a huge obsession for food. Go to any restaurant in Ahmedabad at dinner time and you’ll realise that the whole city is eating out. They also have multiplexes and malls. Its not very high on nightlife but they have one thing that even Mumbai doesn’t – ‘Drive-in-cinema’. And of course, the street food would make you want to eat out everyday!

Other cities that almost made it to our list:
Pondicherry
Surat
Dehradun
Hyderabad

Are there any other cities which are safe and secure for a single woman? Leave us a comment and let us know.

You’ll be surprised how fast these quick-fix solutions work to recharge your energy-sapped system. Peddar Road-based jewellery designer Reshma Mehta has a favoured recipe to beat the heat: “Panna (a juice made from boiled or roasted raw mango pulp). I don’t drink carbonated beverages – they make me feel bloated. I prefer my mother’s recipe for raw mango juice – the pudina (mint), coriander leaves, cumin seed powder and dash of black salt make it very tasty and refreshing.”

Pushpesh Pant, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and researcher of traditional Indian food, seconds that. “Traditional Indian cuisine,” he says, “contains redhydrant and restorative supplements in preparations like chutneys and sherbets, as well as the vast variety of raitas that we have.” The key summer advisory for food is to eat light and include ingredients that have cooling properties, he says.

Curd, cumin, khus, sandal, rose water, tamarind and anaardana (pomegranate seeds) are naturally cooling. Go heavy on homemade salads and squash vegetables like bottle gourd, snake gourd, pumpkins, which have high water content. If you don’t like these vegetables, the good professor has interesting alternatives. “Go for soups like gazpacho and chooza chaat (chaat made with smoked chicken cuts), Mediterranean dips and Thai salads instead of heavy spicy food,” he says.

Tofu, green Thai curries, hummus, moussaka and the Lebanese version of bhartha are very good alternatives to the hot Indian food we are used to. Cold cuts are fairly foreign to the Indian food habit, but Pant says cold cuts, tandoori or dum make great fillings for pita bread sandwiches and wraps.

“Steamed dhoklas and idlis, chaat items like dahi bhalla can be substituted for a main course,” he says. And don’t forget sol kadi, that divine coastal preparation from Maharashtra. The diluted-coconut-milk-and-kokum base soothes the digestive system.

Party president Nitin Gadkari’s statement that Modi has the potential to be a good prime minister has added gist to the rumour mills. Gadkari’s statement, made on the sidelines of the recently concluded India Today Conclave in New Delhi, was immediately lapped up by Modi’s supporters.

Gadkari has been all praise for the Gujarat chief minister ever since he has taken up as the party president. BJP insiders believe since the party is moving back towards hardline Hindutva, Modi will be a suitable candidate for the top job.

Gadkari has also inducted four of Modi’s trusted lieutenants in his new team. Former Gujarat BJP chief Purushottam Rupala has been appointed the party’s national vice-president while Bhupendrasinh Chudasma has been made a member of the national executive.

Minister of state for home affairs Amit Shah and revenue minister Anandi Patel have been inducted into the national executive as special invitees. Officially, however, the party unit in the state is tight- lipped. “It’s premature to make such speculations so early,” said Rupala.

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

August 24 is another historic date which Indian cricket fans will recall with relish – the day India finally won a Test and a series in England for the first time by winning the match at the Oval in 1971. It should also be easy to remember February 10 – the day India won her first Test match at Chepauk in 1952.

March 10 has to be one of the most significant dates in Indian cricket, for on this day 14 years apart two great triumphs were notched up. In 1971, India scored their maiden Test victory over West Indies and that was enough to give them the series played in the Caribbean. In 1985, India beat back successive challenges from Pakistan, England, Australia and New Zealand and won the World Championship of Cricket one day tournament in Melbourne with another victory over Pakistan in the title clash. Both triumphs were also notable because they were unexpected. When the Indians toured the Caribbean islands in 1971 they were rated as no-hopers.

In 23 Tests between the two countries dating back to 1948, India had never taken even the first innings lead. They had lost 12 matches and drawn eleven. And yet in the first Test at Kingston India not only took the first innings lead but also enforced the follow on before West Indies managed to save the Test.

However, the home team could not escape defeat in the second Test at Port of Spain. India dominated the match literally from the first ball when Abid Ali bowled Roy Fredericks and finally on March 10, registered a seven-wicket victory with a day to spare – their first victory over the West Indies in 25 Tests. Interestingly, the Test also marked the debut of Gavaskar.

Fourteen years later, Gavaskar was at the helm when the Indians took off for Australia. The Test series and the one-day series against England at home had just been lost and the atmosphere was anything but congenial. India were the reigning World Cup champions alright but since that memorable June day in 1983, their record had taken a beating. They had been outclassed 0-5 by the West Indies in 1983-84 and also went down to Australia at the start of the following season.

The WCC was going to be particularly tough assignment for all the seven Test playing nations were taking part. India were placed in group A along with Australia, England and Pakistan, while group B comprised New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

On current form, India were rated rank outsiders and given little chance of making the semifinals. But once the tournament began there was a transformation. The diffidence of the England series was a thing of the past and the Indians played confidently, even aggressively.

One amazing win followed another as the bowlers picked up the wickets at regular intervals and the batsmen got the runs at a brisk pace. Pakistan were beaten, then England and then Australia and India had made it to the semifinals. With another emphatic win over New Zealand, India unexpectedly made it to the title clash against Pakistan who had shocked West Indies in the other semifinal.

By now, however, the Indians were playing like a well oiled machine that was purring along. They were simply unstoppable and an eight-wicket victory over Imran Khan and his men was the perfect manner in which to end a tournament where they had a dream run.

The picture of the Indian team taking a victory lap at the MCG in the Audi car that was presented to Man of the Series Ravi Shastri remains one of the most memorable in Indian cricket history.

And, in a poll conducted a few years ago, the WCC triumph was rated even higher than the World Cup victory.

For one thing the opposition was stronger and the victories were all emphatic in nature. Also, this was an all-win record whereas during the World Cup campaign two years before the Indians won six matches but lost two.

The 25th anniversary of the WCC triumph is as good a time as any to recall a very significant date in Indian cricket. Oh yes, March 10, whether 1971 or 1985, is one of the dates remembered with relish by Indian cricket fans.

Avatar has been going strong, grossing billions all over the world, breaking the 12- year collection record of ‘Titanic’. ‘Hurt Locker’ on the other hand, is film people have started giving a thought to after its Oscar success. Why did ‘Avatar’ fail to have a make an impact at the Oscars?

Often the real has an edge over the surreal. Though Avatar narrated a story which has never ever been told before – out of emptiness, ‘Hurt Locker’ told the story of bomb defusing squad; something more real and happening. Thus it was like a battle between live-action performance versus digital technology. If the audience loved the gigantic weird looking Avatar over Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), then the credit definitely goes to technical innovation.

Besides, Cameron’s baby – the concept of performance-capture or motion capture – which he had used in many of his earlier films was something too novel to the old school of acting where actors are judged by expression of the feelings and emotions over technical perfection. But Cameron himself had made it clear that his attempt was to capture the ‘emotion’ calling it performance capture technology as it includes capturing even the subtlest expressions of the actor and converting them to animate digital characters.

The success of the movie depends largely on audience interaction. The audience needs to empathise with the characters and in ‘Hurt Locker’, it was more a direct involvement while in ‘Avatar’, the involvement was further removed because of extensive usage of technology. But it would be dire injustice if you say ‘Avatar’lacked emotions. It had everything – exposing the greed of humans, the decline of morals, and the ultimate victory of justice – redefining the word humanity in a rather abstract way. But again the plot required that mode of expression…the very concept of the movie would have made no impact if it was told in a different manner. Cameron could have made real or rather say clumsier Navi’s but it’s not about that. One must understand what he was trying to bring up there.

Some would say Avatar didn’t bring tears to their eyes, but can they say that they watched the movie for 2 hours and 43 minutes simply appreciating the technical perfection? The beauty of Pandora owes to technical perfection, but if you have really felt being there, it has got something got to do with the story concept more than mere perfection. In fact performance-capture isn’t that easy as it sounds. The pains beyond all their effort do require a better appreciation. Cameron and crew would be happy about the money they amassed, but nothing compares to the Academy honor. Four years of tiring effort of the crew deserved more than three Oscars. We may get another ‘Hurt Locker’, but another ‘Avatar’ ain’t that easy.

A decade back, Cameron exclaimed at the summit of his achievement – “I’m the King of the world!”, but he had to give away his throne to a Queen this time! But still, the king has got the masses! And the risk he took will take the movie industry to a long way.

Do you think ‘Avatar’ deserved more accolades? Tweet us

London, March 8 (ANI): Almost four in five people feel that access to the World Wide Web is a fundamental right, according to a survey.

The poll for the BBC World Service, which quizzed more than 27,000 adults across 26 countries, found that 87 per cent of browsers believed Internet access should be the “fundamental right of all people”.

The survey also found significant number of supporters in favour of net access on both sides of the virtual divide, with those in South Korea forming the majority (96 per cent) in supporting the idea, the BBC reported.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents in Japan, Mexico and Russia confessed they could not deal without the virtual world.

The dangers of the online world, such as fraud, the ease of access to violent and explicit content and privacy worries, were amongst the most concerning aspects for those questioned.

A majority of users in Japan, South Korea and Germany also said they were afraid to express their opinions safely online, while those in Nigeria, India and Ghana were much more confident about speaking out.