Rahman to compose music for Commonwealth Games

A.R. Rahman, best known for his soulful music and having been recently bestowed the Padma Vibhushan by the government, will be paid close to Rs 5.5 crore by the Commonwealth Games' Organising Committee for composing the opening ceremony theme song.

Rahman would also be associated with promotional events relating to the October 3 - 14 sporting event to be held in Delhi.

Members of the committee are in support of hiring the services of Rahman."He is such a well known figure and has won all kinds of international awards. What is wrong if he is being paid for it," a member said.

It was stated in retaliation to a few people who did not support Rahman's high price charge.

Nonetheless I'm pretty sure it is going to turn out to be a hit with a lot of people, like most of his music.

Naresh

Big cars go eco!

A lot of the major car companies these days are going green with regard to their cars, all in an attempt to conserve the natural environment. Lets take a look at a few of them shall we? Seems like everyone is going hybrid these days!

Green is directly opposite red, the unofficial official colour of Ferrari. That's fitting, since, on the rare occasions that they're fired up, the Italian supercar maker's big engines aren't the most fuel efficient. But among Ferrari's latest creations is the stunning 599GTB HY-KERS hybrid concept.

However patronizing the color choice, the 599GTB hybrid's greenness is more than skin-deep. A 100-hp electric motor mounted to the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission helps reduce CO2 emissions and increase fuel efficiency and it's wicked fast too!




However simplistic it might seem to be, the diesel-powered 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI gets the green thing right. It's put right up there with many a hybrid in terms of fuel economy and sheer eco-friendliness.

Even better, the Golf TDI is a slick, German hatchback that looks as good as its gas-powered counterpart while sucking down far less fuel. The Golf TDI allows you to keep your pocketbook relatively green as well.

Hybrid luxury sedans that fuel-economy gains are sometimes surprising. This Mercedes S400 is the first full luxo-hybrid makes the S-class model that is cheapest to buy and to operate look costly!

The hybrid components in it are not heavy as to excessively weigh down the car. I guess this could be your dream Merc when you decide to shell out big!

Like these monsters?

Naresh

Llamas as security guards!

Llamas have been drafted in to protect eggs and chicks of wading birds at Merseyside nature park, Southport, UK.

The two highly territorial llamas, called Willy and Jack, are being used to scare off predators at the reserve and experts say they work better than guard dogs or human security guards!



It is hoped their slightly erratic behaviour, along with the groaning noises and the sound they make when afraid or angry, will be a deterrent. They are also known to spit at and attack each other when provoked, but are gentle creatures when calm.

Reports say that they are a lot more effective than even having humans guard properties or even dogs.

Haha odd news? Well don't be surprised if you walk into a bank one day and have a llama open the doors for you as you enter!!

Naresh

Noah's Ark found in Turkey?

Claims in Turkey that Noak’s Ark has been Found! The world’s greatest question on the existence of the first greatest vessel, has been claimed to be found in Turkey now.

A group has claimed that Noah’s Ark may have been found in Turkey’s Mount Ararat today.



This isn't the first time that the Ark has been claimed to be found but the team has claimed that they are 99.9% sure that this is the vessel that held up pairs of animals during the great flood.

The picture above was said to be perfect for holding animals, it is a part of the storage area within the vessel.
 
The Carbon dating of the discovery was said to have dated around 4,800 years old, that's like ancient indeed!
The area where the Noah’s Ark has been found was the highest peak in Turkey Mt. Ararat and while there have been a lot of claims in the past, this is thought to be the real deal by many people.

Quite cool eh?

Naresh

Indianapolis chasing F1 return

F1 could yet return to Indianapolis after former Indy chief Tony George and US promoter Zak Brown held talks with Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 chief.

America's Indianapolis Motor Speedway was dropped from the F1 calendar in 2007 as George and Ecclestone were unable to reach a financial agreement.



However, reports that Indy could return have once again surfaced.

"The questions for any Formula 1 race are: Where do you have it and how do you raise the money?" Brown told ESPN, "Indy's got the venue part solved."

Ah I do hope this track returns to F1 next year. Used to love racing on this track when I used to play the F1 game on my computer!!

All you F1 fans out there, which is your favourite circuit?

Naresh
 

Introducing the World's Smallest Horse!

I know a lot of you think baby animals are cute and why not, God created them that way!

Now here is Einstein, a newborn pinto stallion. Weighing in at just six pounds, the New Hampshire-born foal may be the world's smallest horse.
 
Dr. Rachel Wagner, Einstein's co-owner, says the Guinness record for the smallest newborn horse is 9 pounds, which this fella beats by a long shot.


 
Wagner notes Einstein shows no signs of dwarfism, unlike the current record holder. Photos of Einstein standing next to a young child and a measuring scale really put the horse's 14-inch frame in perspective.

Naresh

British woman gets Chinese accent after severe migraine

Football craze hits new heights!

What would you sacrifice to see your country win soccer's World Cup? Food for a week? Well according to a survey, it was found that fans are willing to lose a limb for their team's glory. Now that's weirdly extreme!

51(%) percent of respondents to the tongue-in-cheek survey of 20,000 people, who live in North America but hail from countries with teams in the June 11-July 11 World Cup, said they would starve themselves for a week if that would bring victory to their national squad.



More than 40 percent offered to give up dating for a year, while seven percent said they would gladly give up their job to see their country win the title.

It found that a majority of English respondents, 93 %, would give up food for a week to see England win, while some 70% of Italians would give up their job for an Italian victory.

Now if India were to qualify to the FIFA World Cup probably in the years to come, would you think Indians would give up Bollywood movies or cricket? :P

Oddly enough, no one said they would give up using cell phones or text messaging!

Football is like the biggest game in the world and the coming edition on the World Cup is going to have people from allover glued to their T.V screens!

Naresh

No charge in your iPod? Then start running

If you've forgotten to charge your iPod or your cell phone and a power plug is nowhere in sight, a simple run could help you get out of the trouble. It all depends on whether a new technology being developed is successful though.

Every step you take can generate electricity. By packing 20,000 nanowires into three square centimeters, Georgia Tech scientists have developed the world's first gadget powered solely by piezoelectric materials.



A piezoelectric material when pushed or pulled creates a mild electrical charge.

Within three to five years piezoeleectric nanowires, woven into a cotton shirt or placed in a shoe heel, could charge a cell phone or laptop battery after even a short walk.

Now isn't that something? What will they think of next?

Naresh

Chennai are the Kings of IPL 2010

Chennai were crowned Indian Premier League champions after defeating Mumbai by 22 runs in the final of the Twenty20 tournament in Mumbai last night.



Electing to bat, Chennai posted 168 for five and then restricted Mumbai to 146 for nine to win their first ever IPL title.

For Chennai, who played their second final after finishing runners-up to Rajasthan Royals in 2008, it has been a roller coaster ride having made it to the semifinal in their last league match.

Well many congratulations Chennai for a job well done. Was one exciting match to watch indeed.

Naresh