- VFX Wonders Flying spaceships, fire spitting dragons and levitating aliens seen in various television shows may transport you to a world of fantasy. But as viewers enjoy these soaring flights of imagination, there is a great amount of technology and intricate visual effects that are crucial in breathing life into these fictitious characters.
- Dosas, vadas, or nachos? Soon, it would be an effort to find a Udupi hotel that serves only the ubiquitous idli-dosa-medu vada and thick coconut chutney. Across the country the number of Udupi restaurants are dwindling.
- Luxe Unlimited The country's economic report card is showing up red. This month, inflation hit a 16-year high breaking the 12% barrier at 12.34%.
- Clueless in Cleveland? Use your thumb Sure, you can turn your iPhone into a Star Wars-like light saber, a virtual pet or an interactive mug of beer.
- The bigness of our smallness India suffers from a congenital disease: it is about the bigness of our smallness: when it comes to anything, it is almost always self interest before national interest; when it comes to establishing things for the future, our horizon will be as long as we live whereas the Americans will plant seeds for many lifetimes.
- Itching to drop out? Determination can be a weak word. You may be 'determined' to shed a few extra kilos and get back into shape.
- Skidding into trouble Riding on the potential in sectors like steel and manufacturing, West Bengal attracted investment announcements worth Rs 87,037 crore between January and June, 2008-09. For such huge investments, the government will need to acquire a lot of land. But only 1% of West Bengal's total land area is fallow. The government will have to use a chunk of agricultural land (at least 60,000 hectares) for industrial purposes
- Power Saver Picture this: The building and construction industry is expanding rapidly at over 49% per year, with more than 40 mil sq m of commercial and residential space being added annually. This puts an additional burden of nearly 5.5 billion units of electricity.
- Singur talks inconclusive again, to resume today The talks to end the Singur imbroglio remained inconclusive for the second day with the Trinamool Congress-led opposition and a government panel agreeing to meet again.
- Trust but verify Though the liberalisation of FIIs norms in May this year by Sebi was long overdue, granting SWFs more freedom to register themselves as foreign portfolio investors has come with riders.
- 'Start young or else....' The need to start planning at the earliest could not be more emphasised. An early start is essential for optimising your returns over time.
- Missed the tax filing deadline? Dont worry; its not too late In case you have already paid your taxes before 31 March, 2008, but could not file the return within the due date, you may file a belated return at any time before 31 March, 2009, without attracting interest or penal consequences.
- A backyard gusher? Only in my dreams The root of many problems these days comes down to one word: commodities. Wheat and corn prices are driving up the cost of food.
- Gabelli says theres reason to worry about earnings Slower consumer spending may drag down profit at US companies next year and overshadow growing demand from developing markets, investor Mario Gabelli said.
- The enigma behind balanced funds Once upon a time, there used to be a type of mutual fund called a 'balanced fund'. They were a very useful type of fund, which were generally the most suitable type for a large proportion of retail investors.
- Moving to higher ground The week was very volatile as we saw the indices breakout of the ten-day consolidation and than we saw the indices give back most of these gains.
- Eco-friendly fuels brighten the future Chemcel Biotech Limited is all set to launch their initial public offering, with the issue opening on September 9, 2008.
- Overseas funds You may understand it as opportunities, which are perceived to be promising and one of the few penultimate ones or another attempt at gaining gains.
- NSG hurdle over, India gets waiver Ending 34 years of nuclear isolation enforced in the wake of the 1974 Pokharan tests, the NSG granted India a crucial waiver that will enable it to carry out nuclear commerce. The unprecedented decision of the 45-nation nuclear cartel giving exemption to a country, which has not signed the Nuclear NPT and the CTBT is a landmark step in the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal that will now go to the US Congress for approval.
- "Irrespective of whose son or grandson you may be, you can be rejected by the electorate" Whatever else I may be, at heart I am actually just a student of history with a passion for Urdu poetry and Iqbal.
- Tube diktats Not only TV sets, but many of the modern gadgets and luxury items considered common necessities in rich developed countries from the early part of the last century were not available in India either during the British period of its history or the early years of Independence. Even good roads or buses were not available in India except in metropolitan cities.
- Second innings Romantic comedies are a family business, says Shona Urvashi, whose forthcoming film Saas Bahu Aur Sensex is an urban humour that revolves around the present-day modern middle class.
- Earn a few bucks or save the game in the long run? Had the Champions Trophy gone ahead as scheduled it would just have been days or in fact hours away. However, not one from across the world seem to be remembering it any more.
- Its all in the quality Italians are passionate about food. No surprises there, especially when they happen to be chefs and even when they have been outside Italy for the last 13 years.
- "Mom prepared political plan for Pak" Slain former premier, Benazir Bhutto had drawn up a "political plan" for ushering in democracy in Pakistan a few days before her assassination in which she listed removal of Pervez Musharraf from presidency as the first step, according to her teenaged daughter.
- India Inc hails waiver, says N-programme to get a leg-up With the Indo-US nuclear deal finally crossing the NSG hurdle on Saturday in Vienna, corporates are optimisic that India's nuclear programme and private participation in it is set for a big boost.
- Ouch, it aches... It has been a painful life for Paul Bacon. A life in which everything revolves around aches, groans and part-of-the-package side effects of so-called remedies.
- Partnering for growth Today the real estate sector understands the many benefits that PEs bring in and the players are aggressively availing this option
- Best Advice I Got The best advice I ever got was, "Do something that utilises your innate talents, as well as something you enjoy."
- Agricultural income is tax-free Your capital in the fund that will be returned to you at the end of 90 days is a capital receipt and the same is not taxable.
- Digging deep to beat off competition 20 Microns Limited launches its initial public offering on September 8, 2008. The company is offering over 43 lakh shares at a price band of Rs 50-55, hoping to raise anywhere between Rs 21.7-23.9 crore.
- Banks battle increasing staff costs While the manufacturing sector battles rising input costs and lower offtake, the banking sector battles higher cost of procuring funds and managing manpower costs.
- Promise of a lifetime The Ultimate Sales Machine is not simply a title of this book, it is the promise, yes a promise, to turn the reader into one.
- The price of a good wine Being a sommelier has its pitfalls - for one people think that all I can discuss is wine, and perhaps food, every now and then. It's so rampant that I have even stopped correcting people.
- Faces of bravery Two striking cinematic essays, one real and the other a dramatised version of a true-life incident, are providing viewers at the 33rd TIFF lucid glimpses of two different faces of Indian woman.
- Technical walls to replace tariffs in new trade regime: Pillai Foreign companies will start looking at the Indian market in a bigger way, which can be detrimental to the domestic industry. Tariffs are all going to be zero in two years time but non-tariff barriers or technical barriers will increase, says commerce secretary GK Pillai
- "My family is my biggest strength..." "Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."
- Increasing serialised web shows Many "original" series on network Web sites are simply marketing tools for television shows. And a look at a few current, more truly original Web series with television connections demonstrates that if you're not packaging Big Brother outtakes, it helps to have an independent revenue stream.
- "Gurgaon is the best city for any professional to work in" Due to unprecedented growth in the Indian economy, Gurgaon, thanks to its strategic geographical location, close proximity to the international airport and infrastructure facilities available, is fast emerging on the landscape of industrial and commercial activities.
- New PF mgmt system may get delayed The much-awaited switchover to multiple fund manager system for handling the Rs 240,000-crore corpus of the EPFO is held up.
- Paradise lost We have been reading about it in the papers, about how Goa is on the verge of losing its soul.
- "Theres a dearth of great, original ideas" The effect of globalisation is being felt everywhere. A lot of things have changed. For example, technology has made a huge difference in the villages - now you have television, cellphones and even the internet.
- Rhythms of body clock linked to human mood disorder The biological clock of humans is intricately linked with day and night. But if it falls out of sync, it can have serious psychological consequences, a new study says
- NSG waiver historic, says Cong PM Manmohan Singh hailed the NSG's move to "adjust its guidelines" to enable full civil nuclear cooperation with India, describing it as a "forward looking and momentous decision".
- "India promises robust y-o-y growth" India had 1% of the global luxury market in 2007, but can rise 10 times in that many years. That's what Olaf Drubba, Director, Sales, Aigner, believes, a reason the iconic brand has been an early entrant into the Indian market.
- Baddi, Asias largest pharma hub, is a sweet dream gone sour A contour map of the Baddi belt shows just a series of undifferentiated blocks in a wide strip of land just off the foothills of the Himalayas.
- Onam markets on a high Onam markets sponsored by state government agencies spread across Kerala selling essential items at a subsidised rate have helped check the rise in prices of commodities during the festival season.
- Zardari elected as Pakistans President Ruling Pakistan People's Party chief Asif Ali Zardari was elected as Pakistan's new President, securing a landslide victory in the elections.
- Obama for streamlining H2B visa process Driving home the point that he is for creating jobs in the US, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama has favoured streamlining the process for the high-skilled H2B visas for Indians and other foreigners.
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