Revealed: AR Rahman's fashion advisor

Revealed: AR Rahman's fashion advisor

Even though maestro A.R. Rahman has proved he has impeccable music sense - as is evidenced by his twin Oscars, when it comes to following fashion trends, he completely trusts his wife Saira Banu, says his stylist Vijayeta Kumar.

"He is a very simple person and doesn't believe in doing anything flashy. He is not at all brand conscious and blindly depends on Saira for the final call," Vijayeta Kumar told over the phone from Mumbai.
 
"The reason behind this is that Saira is more aware and keeps herself updated about the latest trends," she added.
 
This Mumbai-based stylist who is also a filmmaker has been associated with Rahman for over a year now. She had met him on the sets of a musical show "Mission Ustad" on 9X, for which she was the stylist.
 
Rahman's wife got in touch with Kumar after the show and since then she has been designing for the maestro at various concerts and award functions.
 
"Both of them are so amazing and down to earth. They are wonderful. It's been a wonderful experience and after his win at the Oscars, Rahman has proved that he is the best," Kumar said.
 
Rahman bagged the Oscars for best original score in "Slumdog Millionaire" and its theme song "Jai Ho".
 
At the Oscars, Rahman was wearing a black Lanvin tuxedo and for the live performance he wore Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee's creation - a black sherwani.
 
"The red carpet dressing is very strict so we were very clear from the beginning that he is going to wear a tuxedo. There was no question of opting for any Indian attire or repeating any outfit," Kumar explained.
 
"We zeroed in for Sabyasachi for the sherwani because he is the best. We had to make sure that Rahman was wearing something comfortable while performing. So what better than a sherwani and that too a Sabyasachi," she added.
 
Was it a coincidence that both Rahman and Saira were wearing black?
 
"Both of them just love black. So it was a conscious decision," Kumar maintained.
 
Elaborating on Rahman's style statement, Kumar said: "It is very easy to dress him because he doesn't believe in brands. He gives importance to comfort levels."
 
"He is a jeans and shirt man. Sometimes he wears kurtas with churidars also," she added.

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Harper's Bazaar fashion magazine to hit stands in India

Harper's Bazaar fashion magazine to hit stands in India

American fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar will hit the stands in India Friday. The magazine, currently available in 28 countries, will give readers an insight on international fashion trends, photo shoots and interviews of famous designers.

Hearst Magazines, the publishers of Harper's Bazaar, have partnered with the India Today Group for their venture in India.
 
"We are convinced that Indian women will fall in love with the style and authority of this magazine," said India Today's lifestyle group COO Mala Sekhri in a press release here Thursday.
 
"With a tag line 'where fashion gets personal' the Indian edition has been positioned to appeal to the sensibilities of the sophisticated and elegant global-Indian woman in the age group of 30-45," she added.
 
Fashion expert and luxury consultant, Sujata Assomull has been appointed as its editor and according to her the magazine is a "style bible for sophisticated and elegant women".
 
"This is the perfect time to introduce this magazine in India as we are an emerging fashion destination. The magazine is also renowned for its bold design, provocative photography and cutting-edge imagery," Assomull said.
 
The premiere issue features an exclusive fashion shoot of Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan and an interview of legendary fashion designer Oscar de la Renta.
 
The issue also includes sections on beauty, smart shopping, personal style and columns by noted celebrities like Haseena Jethmalani, Arjun Rampal and more.
 
The monthly magazine will be priced at Rs.100.

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Indian youngsters: The Shot generation

Indian youngsters: The Shot generation

Youngsters, the world over, are constantly being given new descriptors every now and again. For most part marketers assign an alphabet to describe youth, there's GenX, GenY, E-gen, GenNext and now Pepsi is running with Youngistan.

There are many more alphabets waiting to be explored by the experts. But never before have India's youth been called the 'Shot Generation'. The term according to a new Coca-Cola India-commissioned research study titled 'The Truth About Youth: Exploding the Youth Homogenity Myth' is a good descriptor of young people's consumption styles today.

Increasingly, one of the thorniest issues for brand marketers and researchers is how to profile and address this consumer group that is evolving rapidly, adopting trends and technologies at breakneck speed, but often tiring of them just as effortlessly.

For a long time, people have believed that young ones across the spectrum tend to behave in a certain manner and have similar aspirations. However, the research study seems to suggest that this is only partly true.

Indeed, youth across the globe, share certain unique characteristics such as they all aspire for 'the high life', want fun 24/7, get bored easily, derive a thrill from taking risks, always want to make the right impression, and look down on hankering for money.

For example life for the the 'Shot Generation' is simply about 'I want it and I want it now.' An impatient lot in pursuit of all the good things in life but equipped with very narrow attention spans, they move from one exhilarating experience to another without any certainty of returning or lasting loyalties. In the bargain, just making life hell for marketers.

According to Anand Singh, director, knowledge & insights, Coca-Cola, young adults are focused on short-term obsessions rather than long-term unwavering passion. So what does it mean for marketing men? "The key and challenge is to stay with a brand position long enough to make an impact but not too long because then you might have to deal with the threat of losing the group," he says.

That said that's where The Shot Generation similarities end. Nowhere are dramatic variations in behaviour traits more evident than between big and small town India. The study found that in the department of dreams and aspirations, while in metros the youth focus is money, in smaller towns it's fame and the aspiration to be a local hero -- Bunty & Babli fascination.

There are stark differences even in the way these segments view the same iconic figures. While small town boys and girls are less discerning and possess high loyalty, in the metros the young and restless are a bit more critical. And the differences go on (Refer graphic: Oye Bubbly).

Another key takeaway from the study is the growing intensity for liberation among young girls both in small and big towns -- an insight that Srinivas Murthy, head, coloured drinks, Coca-Cola India, says was used to develop advertising for Fanta's latest apple flavoured variant.

With India that has one of the largest youth populations in the world, it's key for every marketer to crack this market. However it is getting harder and harder to spot youth tribes, those are groups of youth markets that are defined by shared qualities and preferences, as more and more young people are fooling around with their identities.

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Growth nosedives to 5.3% in Q3

Growth nosedives to 5.3% in Q3

The Indian economy grew at 5.3 per cent in the third quarter ended December 2008 — the slowest pace in nearly six years — as private consumption and demand for investment fell because of prevailing uncertainty in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Even as private component of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined, government expenditure increased by nearly 25 per cent, which enabled the services sector to grow at a healthy 9.9 per cent in the third quarter.

However, agricultural output, which was growing at an average rate of 4 per cent in the last four years, contracted by 2.2 per cent. This is partly attributed to the “base effect” as farm output in the corresponding quarter in 2007-08 went up by 6.9 per cent.

The government’s advance estimate of 7.1 per cent growth in the current fiscal looks optimistic in the background of third quarter numbers, as the Asia’s third largest economy has to grow at 7.6 per cent in the fourth quarter (January-March).

“The massive slowdown in growth during the final months of 2008 has now dismissed speculation that India is more resilient in this global turmoil because it is more domestically-oriented,” wrote Sherman Chan, an economist with Moody’s Economy.com.

With inflation well below 4 per cent level, economists expect the Reserve Bank of India to lower key interest rates and boost economic demand.

“The latest numbers are a signal for the RBI to act. It should not come as a surprise for them as in its mid-term review, the central bank predicted 7 per cent growth with downside risks. And these risks are coming through,” said DK Joshi, economist with Crisil Ltd.

PRIVATE INVESTMENT SLOWS DOWN:

Investment demand, which was driving the growth rate when the economy was growing at 9 per cent and above, has come down to single digits as expected because producers have either postponed or abandoned their proposed capital expansion, said experts.

Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), which is considered as a proxy for private investment, has dropped to 5.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2008-09 as against 13.74 per cent in the corresponding quarter a year ago. GFCF on a sequential basis also fell.

Industry, which has a 26 per cent weight in GDP, fell to 2.4 per cent in October-December 2008, compared to 8 per cent in the year-ago quarter. All the four components of industry — manufacturing, mining, electricity and construction — grew at a lower rate in the third quarter of the current fiscal compared to the year-ago performance.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING RESCUES GROWTH:

With the Centre implementing the Sixth Pay Commission for its 8.3 million employees and pensioners, the government-induced expenditure played a major role in boosting the growth rate, which would have otherwise fallen below 5 per cent.

Government Final Consumption Expenditure grew at nearly 25 per cent in the October-December quarter, reflecting an increase of over 50 per cent in revenue expenditure excluding interest payments.

For example, in terms of GDP composition by sectors, community services grew 17.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2008-09 as compared to just 5.5 per cent in the year-ago quarter.

The other two components of services — trade, hotels and communications, and financing and insurance — grew at a much lower rate.

Going forward, analysts have either started revising downwards the growth estimate or closely watching the developments. “Given the fiscal stimuli farm waiver, NREGS, higher support prices), there was optimism around rural consumption holding up. However, the weak agri numbers are a source of worry; and trends would need to be closely monitored,” wrote Citi India’s analysts Rohini Malkani and Anushka Shah. Citi is predicting a growth rate of 5.3 per cent in the 2009-10 fiscal.

However, Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities has revised downwards the GDP estimate to 6.4 per cent as against 6.8 per cent for the current fiscal.

Economy records slowest quarterly growth in over 5 years

Impacted by the global economic meltdown, the Indian economy has clocked the slowest quarterly growth in over five years, at 5.3 per cent, in October-December of this fiscal as agriculture and manufacturing contracted, despite a stimulus package.

Against the 8.9 per cent growth in the same period a year ago, economists said it is now the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) turn to provide stimulus to the economy by cutting rates, as inflation is already down to 3.36 per cent.

While the fall in manufacturing, by 0.2 per cent, in the third quarter was expected, as was evident in negative industrial production numbers for October and December, contraction in farm output by 2.2 per cent was a bit surprising.

“What has come as a surprise is agriculture. There is a turnaround but we can be optimistic that the figures will improve,” Chief Statistician Pronab Sen said.

For the nine months of this fiscal, the economy grew by 6.9 per cent against 9 per cent a year ago, which may make it difficult to attain the 7.1 per cent growth this fiscal, as was pegged officially.

The government put up a brave front, saying the third quarterly growth is not much off the mark.

“We had maintained 7 per cent with a downward bias. That much has been said, but (there is) still a quarter to go. Even with 5.3 per cent, it still comes around 7 per cent, maybe a shade below that,” Minister of State for Finance P K Bansal said here.

However, others are not as sure about the possibility of attaining 7.1 per cent growth this fiscal. “It is unlikely that the growth is going to be 7.1 per cent (for the entire 2008-09),” Sen said.

In December, the government provided the first stimulus package, cutting excise duty by 4 per cent across the board and increasing planned expenditure by Rs 20,000 crore among other things.

However, stimulus packages, also provided in January, and then the Interim Budget, would take some time to work their way through the system, economists said.

“(The) government will not be able to achieve over 7 per cent growth. The stimulus packages will take 6-8 months (to lift the economy) and (it will take) 8-9 months to get about 7 per cent (growth),” Crisil Principal Economist D K Joshi said.

It was only services that provided a sliver lining to the otherwise gloomy situation on the growth front.

Community, social and personal services recorded a robust growth rate of 17.3 per cent in the third quarter against 5.5 per cent a year ago, which is partly due to hike in salaries of government employees from September.

Another category of services — financing, insurance, real estate and business services — expanded by 9.5 per cent against 11.9 per cent.

However, trade, hotels, transport and communication grew by just 6.8 per cent from 11.6 per cent a year ago as tourist arrivals slowed due to the global economic meltdown and the Mumbai terror attacks.

Hit by the sharp slowdown in realty, construction growth fell to 6.7 per cent in the third quarter against 9 per cent a year ago.

However, excise duty cuts by two percentage points or Rs 60 per metric tonne on bulk cement (whichever is higher) in the Interim Budget may provide some stimulus to construction, though it may take some time.

Within industry, mining and quarrying recorded faster growth in the third quarter year-on-year. It expanded by 5.3 per cent against 4.3 per cent.

Electricity, gas and water supply rose by almost the same pace as last year — 3.3 per cent vs 3.8 per cent.

While Joshi attributed the fall in farm output to a high base effect as it grew by 6.9 per cent a year back, Nagesh Kumar, Director-General of think tank Research and Information System, blamed prices of agricultural produce for that.

Economists said as inflation is way below 4 per cent and is expected to fall further, so now the RBI should take the responsibility to provide a fillip to the economy.

“There is certainly more headroom for rate cuts by the RBI,” Nagesh Kumar said.

Joshi said there is headroom for the RBI to cut rates by 50-100 basis points.

“Both the RBI and the government are always responsive to any emerging situations,” Bansal said.

Domestic demand remains buoyant even in the slowing economy. Private final consumption expenditure at current and constant prices stood at 10.7 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, against 8.7 per cent and 8.4 per cent a year ago.

Gross fixed capital formation, a key factor in determining productive capacity in the economy, stood at 33.4 per cent and 31 per cent at current and constant prices, respectively, against 33 per cent and 30.8 per cent, a year ago.

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Indian delegates ask Pak to expedite prosecution of terrorists

Indian delegates ask Pak to expedite prosecution of terrorists

An Indian peace delegation, during its visit to Pakistan after the Mumbai terror strikes, has tried to impress upon the Zardari government to expedite prosecution of the perpetrators of the carnage saying the people here are "angered" by the ghastly incident. 

The 13-member delegation, led by veteran journalist Kuldeep Nayar, had met several officials of the Pakistani government and members of civil society groups during their five-day visit to Lahore and Islamabad which ended on Thursday. 

"We highlighted the anger among people of India in the wake of Mumbai attacks. They are waiting for justice. We told them that you are proceeding in that direction but your are doing it at your own pace. We want it quickly," Nayar told reporters here on Friday. 

The delegation members, which include former Foreign Secretary Salman Haider and religious leader Swami Agnivesh, said the Pakistani authorities had told them that they were "working sincerely" towards it and trying to gather more evidences against those involved in the November 26 attacks. 

The visit of the team, organised by South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), came after a similar visit by a Pakistani delegation to push for resumption of the peace process between the two countries.

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New Trends In Childhood Diabetes

Study Exposes New Trends In Childhood Diabetes

The number of non-Hispanic white youth diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is one of the highest in the world, a national study coordinated by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center reported Friday.

The study was the largest one of its kind in U.S history conducted for youth with diabetes. Study centers across the country researched trends in patients of different races who were diagnosed with diabetes before age 20.

“One in about 4,200 non-Hispanic white youth develops type 1 diabetes annually,” said Dr. Ronny A. Bell, an associate professor of epidemiology and prevention at WFUBMC. “This rate is higher than all previously reported U.S. studies and many European studies. Type 2 diabetes is relatively rare in non-Hispanic white youth, but incidence rates are still several-fold higher than those reported by European countries.”

Diabetes Care magazine published the findings in a series of five articles that examined the results of the study in different ages and races.

Dr. Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, a professor of nutrition at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health, concluded that 50 percent of black youth age 15 years or older have poorly controlled blood sugar, a major risk factor for long-term, serious complications including vision-threatening eye disease, kidney disease and heart disease.

Dr. Dana Dabeleaan, associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the University of Colorado Denver, said that of all racial and ethnic groups in the study, Navajo youth have the greatest risk of type 2 diabetes: one in 2,542 develop diabetes annually.

Dr. Ann Albright, the director of the Division of Diabetes Translation said that treatment for diabetes is urgently needed. “We must assure that every child with diabetes receives care to prevent the development kidney failure, sight-threatening retinopathy or premature cardiovascular diseases,” she said.

“These findings, which show unexpectedly high rates of childhood diabetes, paint a sobering picture of the heavy burden of diabetes on our young people,” said Dr. Barbara Linder, senior advisor for Childhood Diabetes Research.

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Phoenix's obsession in "Two Lovers" is a relationship we don't want to end

Phoenix's obsession in "Two Lovers" is a relationship we don't want to end

Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow in "Two Lovers." (Magnolia Pictures )

      Long before Joaquin Phoenix became an award-show gag with his dive into a world of wooly facial hair and near aphasia, he took an impressive plunge in James Gray's romantic drama "Two Lovers." 

It's the sort of brooding turn that makes us mourn Phoenix's threatened retreat from acting. 

He isn't as pretty as Montgomery Clift, yet he evokes that star's ability to reveal inner wounds and discomfort. 

Phoenix plays Leonard Kraditor, the conscientious son of dedicated parents Reuben and Ruth. He works at his father's dry-cleaning business in Brighton Beach, N.Y. He's recently moved back in with his parents. He takes medication for a bipolar disorder. He shoots photos, which are squirreled away in his mildly unkempt room. 

We meet the 30-something when he intentionally slips off a pier into chilly waters. He's fished out by strangers. But his real buoys come in the form of two very different women. 

He meets Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a tall blond, in the building's hallway. His momentary chivalry is the start of something. But what? 

At the same time, he becomes the object of affection of the daughter of his father's business associate. Played by Vinessa Shaw, Sandra is hardly a consolation prize. Dark-haired, warm, bright, she's everything a nice Jewish boy might want in a mate, had he not become smitten with a shiksha goddess. 

Michelle is involved with a married man (Elias Koteas). Early on, she warns Leonard in the casual way people often talk about themselves when they don't yet realize their listener wants something more from them. But he's not listening. He's going toward the light. 

For her part, Michelle is as fixed on her lover as Leonard is on her. Romantic love, Gray insists with psychoanalytic compassion, is like that. Leonard's obsessed. Michelle remains clueless. 

Phoenix makes Leonard's yearning to break free palpable. He's named what ails him "Michelle," but she's a symptom, not a cure. 

It's good to see Paltrow in a role that strips bare her character's seeming ease. She gives Michelle a depth that rebuffs judgment. If she's untrustworthy, it's not because she's cruel. She's just too self-involved in her own romantic drama to truly see Leonard. 

She invites him out dancing. She introduces him to her friends. She confides in him with a vulnerability he mistakes as opportunity. 

Gray and co-writer Ric Mendello prove patient when it comes to Leonard's turmoil. His illness isn't exploited. His frustrations ring true. 

As Leonard's mother, Isabella Rossellini demonstrates the hyperawareness one hones as the parent of a mentally fragile child. Israeli actor Moni Monoshov ("We Own the Night") is deft depicting a father's pained and unspoken knowledge of a son's weaknesses. 

Like Paltrow and Shaw, they add greatly to the drama's emotional texture. 

In the end, though, it is Phoenix's hurting performance that owns the film.

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46th Thurstan-Isipathana big match

Thurstan and Isipathana battle for supremacy from today

46th Thurstan-Isipathana big match

The first big match for the year 2009 gets underway today with Thurstan and Isipathana battling for supremacy at the SSC ground beginning at 10.00 a.m. each day. 

The encounter played for the Blackham Wijewardena Memorial Trophy will be the 46th in the series. Of the 45 matches played so far Thurstan are in the lead with five wins while Isipathana has recorded one lesser and 35 ending in draws. 

The two sides have been unable to produce any results since 1999 which ended in a win for Isipathana who was led by Krishantha Jayawardena while Thurstan tasted their last win 16 years ago led by Mackenzie Perera. 

So this time out no doubt with both the teams possessing all-round cricketers a result could be expected. And also their performance this season has been encouraging and a keen tussle is on the cards. 

The two schools during this season produced outright wins with Thurstan recording two wins against Maris Stella and Kingswood from the 12 matches they have played while Isipathana though having played 18 matches could be satisfied with their performances due to the fact they have a young side. 

They have recorded six outright wins against Mahanama, Trinity, Lumbini, St Sebastian’s, President’s Rajagiriya and Zahira which was their last outing before the big clash. Likewise they have six defeats too losing to St Joseph’s, Nalanda, Royal, S. Thomas’, DSS and St Peter’s. 

Thurstan this year will be led by second year player Indika Massalage who has scored over 550 runs with a top score of 111 against Maris Stella. He has an experienced player in Chamalka Gamage as his deputy who has been doing well with both bat and ball. 

But the cynosure of all eyes will be all rounder Shehan Kamileen who has scored over 450 runs and taken over 40 wickets this season. Nuwan Dharshana, Prabodha Arthavidu and Udara Munasinghe will be other batsmen that the Isipathanians will have to be watchful. The Thurstanites have four top spinners in right arm spinners Shehan Kamileen, Chamalka Gamage and Prabodha Arthavidu and left arm leggie Ravindu Wijeratne who has been their backbone in the bowling department and much will depend on this foursome in curtailing their opponents. 

Isipathana led by Sakuntha Premaratne though being unable to have any centurions had batsmen who has made useful and match winning knocks. Leading the way is Dimuth Warapitiya who is their top run getter with over 550 runs to his credit with three half tons. 

Pranama Sri Vimukthi is their next best with over 500 runs along with three players Nilusha Sasanka, Dimitri Perera and Thivanka Ranasinghe who have all scored over 450 runs are going to be a threat to the Thurstanites. Skipper Sakuntha too is capable of making an impact. 

Isipathana’s bowling too has been revolved around their spinners with left arm leggie Anushka Samaratunge and right arm spinners Sakuntha and Samitha Sulochana being in the forefront having taken 65 and 50 wickets respectively. They are for sure going to be a threat for the Thurstan batting. 

So with both teams being well balanced hopefully the supporters of either side will be hoping that the 16 year drought will come to an end. The big match will be followed by the 29th limited over encounter scheduled to be played on March 20 at the P. Sara Stadium and finally the 2nd T20 to be played on March 15 at the Thurstan ground.

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Tata Nano car Prebooking

Tata Motors Says Bookings for Nano to Start in April

Tata Motors Ltd., the maker of Jaguar and Land Rover luxury vehicles, will start accepting bookings for the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, in the second week of April. 

The automaker will display the Nano at dealerships from the first week of April, Tata Motors said in a statement today. The Mumbai-based company will elaborate on the booking process on March 23, it said. 

Tata Motors unveiled the Nano last year aiming to sell the car at 100,000 rupees ($1,988), almost half the price of the next-cheapest model in the country. Chairman Ratan Tata’s plan to begin sales of Nano from the last quarter of 2008 got delayed as the company had to relocate its factory because of protests by farmers about acquisition of agricultural land. 

The company, also India’s largest maker of trucks and buses, will sell the Nano in Europe for 5,000 euros ($6,347), Bild said, citing an interview with Tata. The carmaker will present the European version of the Nano next month at the Geneva car show, the newspaper said. 

Tata Motors gained 2.6 percent to 143.75 rupees at 1:15 p.m. on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The shares have declined 10 percent this year, extending last year’s 78 percent slump.

Tata Nano

The Tata Nano, dubbed the people’s car, is the least expensive production car in the world. It is a city car launched by India's Tata Motors at the 9th annual Auto Expo on January 10, 2008 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. The standard version of the Nano (without air conditioning, radio or power steering) will cost Rs 100,000 (not including levies such as VAT/LT, transport and delivery charges). The choice of price has led to the Nano being called the "one lakh car". Tata Nano cheapest ever new car.

Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen Got Married

Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen Got Married!

Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen quietly got married in a small, private ceremony in Santa Monica, Calif. on Thursday,  

The New England Patriots quarterback and the Brazilian supermodel wed just before 6 p.m. at St. Monica's church, less than a mile from the beach. Brady's 1 ½ son, John Edward Thomas, was present at the wedding. 

They followed the wedding with a small gathering at their Brentwood home. 

Brady, 31, and Bündchen, 28, got engaged last month. "He asked and she accepted," a source close to the couple told people.

This  is the first marriage for both. 

Reps for Brady and Bündchen could not be reached for comment.

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Mumbai gunman faces charge sheet

Mumbai gunman Azam Amir Kasab faces 5,000-page charge sheet

The man police claim is the sole surviving gunman of the Mumbai terrorist attacks will be formerly charged today. 

The document listing the crimes allegedly committed by Azam Amir Kasab is thought to be 5,000 pages long and lists misdemeanours ranging from murder and the waging war against India to being on a train platform without a valid ticket. 

Police allege that Kasab, from Pakistan, an accomplice shot dead more than 50 people in an attack on Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai’s main train station, on November 26. In all ten gunmen took part in the Mumbai attacks, which claimed the lives of 170 people. Authorities believe the gunmen were trained in camps in Pakistan. 

The charge sheet against Kasab will be filed before a metropolitan magistrate, who is then expected to transfer the case to a special court inside the city's high security Arthur Road jail. It is expected to detail the alleged roles played by two Indian nationals - Faheem Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed - in carrying out reconaissance ahead of the attacks.

It may also name Yosuf Muzzamil and Zaki-ur-Rehman, two members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based terrorist faction, which India claims handled the operation and which it alleges has close links with Pakistan’s powerful spy agency. If convicted, Kasab will face the death sentence. 

Pakistan admitted for the first time this month that the Mumbai strikes were partly planned on its soil and has acknowledged that Kasab is a Pakistani. 

With the filing of formal charges, however, the Indian judicial system must now grapple with the question of Kasab's defence in the light of a refusal by lawyers to represent him. 

India's constitution provides for the right to legal aid and representation, as well as a "fair, just and equitable procedure" in court for any defendant, regardless of nationality. 

The honorary secretary of the Bombay Bar Association, M.P. Rao, told AFP in December that the unprecedented nature of the attacks meant normal rules should not apply. "He has waged war on the country. If he's waged war, the basic requirement of giving him a fair trial doesn't really become justified," he said. 

It was unclear this morning whether Kasab would appear in court.

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Herbert Hoover: The 31st President

Herbert Hoover: The 31st President, 1929-1933

Despised at home, Hoover was a savior to many Europeans

In July of 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered Gen. Douglas MacArthur to rout the so-called “bonus army”: US veterans who had come to Washington, D.C., seeking advance bonus payments. 

During the night, MacArthur used tanks to drive the veterans and their families out of their makeshift settlements, after which infantry prodded them with bayonets, fired tear-gas canisters, and torched their shelters.

No episode, writes William Leuchtenburg in Herbert Hoover: The 31st President, 1929-1933, “so fixed in the mind of Americans the conviction that Hoover was cold and heartless.”

Leuchtenburg, an emeritus professor of history at the University of North Carolina and a Franklin Roosevelt scholar, argues convincingly that Hoover wasn’t responsible for the Great Depression, but was in fact a “more complex, more interesting man” than many caricatures of him have suggested.

However, as much as Hoover was a captive of the Great Depression, he also unwittingly perpetuated it.
Born in 1874 to an Iowa Quaker family and reared an orphan in Oregon, Hoover knew deprivation first hand. Yet he went on to become a Stanford University-educated engineer and self-made millionaire.

Following World War I, he chaired President Woodrow Wilson’s Commission for Relief in Belgium, which provided that country with food. Without a man of Hoover’s daring, declares Leuchtenburg, “many thousands would have starved to death.” Hoover later headed similarly successful humanitarian efforts in Britain and Russia.

But Hoover also possessed darker qualities, such as insistence on total deference to his will. Incapable of accepting criticism, he was seen by many as an “empire builder” who routinely exceeded the boundaries of legality and his authority. As President Warren G. Harding’s Commerce secretary, Hoover issued “edicts that he had no authority to issue or that were forbidden by an act of Congress … ordered all amateurs off the airwaves; empowered himself to issue licenses; and in contravention of both U.S. and international law … assigned frequencies.”

In seizing bureaus from his fellow cabinet members, he gained greater influence in both US domestic and foreign affairs, but also earned much enmity.

After a 1927 flood in Mississippi, Hoover, then Calvin Coolidge’s Commerce secretary, “sparked a fundraising drive that brought in $17 million; gathered an armada of six-hundred vessels, and put together 150 tent cities as havens for multitudes of evacuees.” Widely praised for his actions, Hoover easily won election as America’s 31st president.

Early in his term, Hoover won high marks for progressive measures, such as the National Institute of Health; construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River; and labor, banking, and penal reforms. But his unfortunate place in American history was sealed in the wake of the “Black Thursday” stock market crash of Oct. 24, 1929.

In the months immediately following, Hoover coaxed the Federal Reserve Board to increase the money supply and to make more credit available. But his insistence that, “Prosperity is just around the corner” rang hollow in the face of rapidly growing unemployment and mounting bank failures. In the words of journalist Walter Lippmann, Hoover came to seem “an irresolute and easily frightened man.”

He also, in 1930, signed the widely criticized and protectionist “Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act,” which served to deepen the already entrenched Depression.

Roosevelt’s easy reelection as New York’s governor that same year made him Hoover’s likely challenger in 1932. Even as Roosevelt’s popularity was growing, Hoover went out steadfastly refusing federal assistance in favor of municipal and private solutions – saying that “prosperity cannot be restored by raids upon the public treasury.”

But America’s localities were suffering and Hoover’s inaction only added to their difficulties. Shacks referred to as “Hoovervilles” began to spring up – monuments to Hoover’s ineptitude and seeming lack of empathy.
Hoover’s petty dislike for Roosevelt became even more apparent when, following the signing of the Emergency Banking Act in March of 1933, he clumsily denounced it as “a move to gigantic socialism [bound to] raise the most appalling difficulties” – even though Hoover himself was largely responsible for drafting it.

But after retiring to a suite of rooms in New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Hoover’s reputation received a boost when President Truman appointed him to head his European relief effort following World War II.
In the end, Leuchtenburg notes that Hoover’s legacy was more than the sum of his four years as president. After Hoover’s passing in 1964, an associate remarked that due to his work in Europe he had “fed more people and saved more lives than any other man in history.” In that sense, Herbert Hoover was truly “The Great Humanitarian.”

Christopher Hartman is the author of ‘Advance Man: The Life and Times of Harry Hoagland.’

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Man Confesses To Killing Wife

Man Confesses To Killing Wife, Says 'I Know She Still Loves Me'

ST. AUGUSTINE - Although he didn't say much in court when he admitted to murdering his wife and dumping her body in the ocean last November, Ben Lightsey had plenty to say to investigators in a 121-page confession.

According to the confession, Lightsey told investigators the November day he killed his wife, Melissa Lightsey, began like any other. "We were kissing and loving all over each other, like we always were ... We didn't think anything was going to come of that that night," Lightsey said in his confession.

The night ended in murder.

Lightsey stated they attended a wedding and reception in St Augustine and had been drinking, but he said he found his wife during the reception in a restroom doing cocaine. That's when he said he got angry.

According to his confession, Lightsey said he, "grabbed Melissa's hair and I pulled her back and I said, 'Get over here.' I took Melissa out of the bathroom and from there it's all fuzzy."

Lightsey said he drove to his house. He said his wife passed out in the back of the truck.

He told investigators that when they got home he became angry. He stated in his confession, "I mean, I couldn't control myself. Like I said, I had this feeling over me where it was just like my heart was overflowing with rage or something. I had no control and when I was swinging, it was not me. I hit her a couple of times -- two or three times. I hit her in her face, and I think she was out cold."

Lightsey said he panicked and put her back in the truck and drove to the ocean, and then put her to the water.

"I was holding on to her. Finally, I kissed her and hugged her and I just kind of let her go -- pushed her off and let her go," Lightsey said in his confession.


From there he drove to his parent's home. He told investigators he woke them up and said, "I did something wrong. I need to tell you I did something. I need some money. I told him me and Melissa got in a fight and they said, 'Where is she?' and I said, 'I don't know.'"

He said he never told his father he killed Melissa. Lightsey said his dad took him to an attorney who said they needed to go back and look to see if Melissa was alive. Lightsey said he took his father to a different site to look for his wife, and then his father called police to say she was missing.

Lightsey said he made up the story about her going for a swim. Melissa Lightsey's body was recovered the next day.

Earlier this month, Lightsey pleaded guilty under a deal with prosecutors and will serve 25 years.

One of last things in his confession includes Lightsey saying, "I love my wife, and I always will, and I know she still loves me, no matter what. That's it."

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Commander's Palace in New Orleans

Commander's Palace in New Orleans Hosts Bravo's 'Top Chef' Season Five Finale

NEW ORLEANS - Commander's Palace, the celebrated New Orleans restaurant, welcomed Bravo's "Top Chef: New York" cast and crew for the filming of the season finale, which aired earlier this evening, Wednesday, February 25. Co-Owner Ti Adelaide Martin and Executive Chef Tory McPhail served as judges. (Co-Owner Lally Brennan was unable to join due to a prior commitment in New York City for a charity event.)

From welcoming the cast and crew for cocktails in the parlor to executing Commander's famous style of team service, the Commander's Palace family was thrilled to work with "Top Chef".

Executive Chef Tory McPhail, who turned over his kitchen to the final three contestants for the afternoon, said "My favorite moment was the look on the contestant's faces when an entire alligator was presented as the final challenge." (Chef Tory, a seasoned hunter of all game - including alligators - has prepared many an alligator dish in the Commander's kitchen.)

"We were thrilled to hear 'Top Chef' was planning to film in New Orleans and doubly so when they inquired about taping at Commander's," says Co-Owner Ti Adelaide Martin. "The dinner had all the elements of a great New Orleans-style meal: great food, well-made cocktails and repartee - the perfect combination!"

About Commander's Palace 

The renowned Commander's Palace restaurant, celebrating 129 years of business, is where top chefs Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse and the late Jamie Shannon each launched their careers. Commander's Palace, recently voted "Most Popular" by Zagat Survey for the eighteenth year, has also amassed numerous awards, among them the James Beard Foundation's Lifetime Outstanding Restaurant Award, Lifetime Service Award and Who's Who of Food and Beverage Award. In March 2008, Commander's Palace Family of Restaurants was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Hall of Fame, one of only three families to ever win the CIA's leadership award.

Commander's Palace offers dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Jazz Brunch is served 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Reservations are recommended and may be made by calling (504) 899-8221.

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HUNT GOLD CORPORATION

Hunt Gold Corporation -- Initial Assay Reports Prove Gold Reserves

Company Releases the Initial Assay Reports From Its First Drilling Program and Proves Gold Mineralization in Each of Its Core Samples

Hunt Gold Corporation (PINKSHEETS: HGLC) announces the assay results from the first five drill holes of its first recently completed drill campaign at the Company's "Mockingbird" Gold Project in Arizona. The assay work was done by Jacobs Assay of Tucson, Arizona. 

- All of the first five drill holes encountered Gold Mineralization. 

- Management considers these Assay initial results to be solid and positive but is of the opinion that the Assay Results from the remaining three drill holes to be of a far higher grade and Jacobs Assay has elected to place the assays for the other 3 drill holes in "EXCEPT" meaning that 3 or 4 intervals in the "ore zone" are listed as "pending." Management is of the opinion that Jacobs Assays has higher gold values for these intervals, and to that end, they are re-running the tests to ensure that these higher grade Assay Results are as expected by your Management Team. These additional Assay Results will be announced shortly. 

- Based upon proven historical geological and drilling and Assay Results and data supported by the current ongoing exploration work at the Company's "Mockingbird" Gold Property, Management is of the opinion the new extensive drilling and exploration campaign will yield considerably higher grades than detailed in this announcement and considers this substantial investment to be justified. 

- Initial Assay Results clearly prove that Management's decision to embark upon the Company's new "Non Stop" Drilling Campaign at considerable expense is justified based upon the initial phase of drilling and the subsequent Assay results announced today. Management considers its decision to authorize the US$10 million in Convertible Bonds to be sound and sensible given the proven Gold Mineralization of its small initial drilling campaign; now allowing for a massive drilling program to commence without delay. 

- New Drilling Contracts to be announced this week and to commence without delay. Bids for 5,000 feet of reverse circulation (RC) drilling have been solicited from the final two preferred drilling companies. The Company is currently in the second round of this bidding. This RC drilling will be at a dramatically lower cost per foot than the core drilling done for the first drill campaign. 

- An additional 320 acres of mining claims have been staked this week, bringing the Company's "Mockingbird" Gold Project claims to almost 3,000 acres. 

All five drill holes encountered gold mineralization. Two holes at the Company's "Great West Gold Mine" on the "Mockingbird" Gold property encountered especially encouraging gold intervals: GW-08-1, 110 feet to 115 feet, .070 ounces of gold per ton and GW-08-04, 105 feet to 110 feet, .041 ounces of gold per ton. Open pit gold mines in the Arizona / California / Nevada region have profitably mined gold that assayed as low as .02 ounces per ton, although establishment of the cutoff grade for mining at Mockingbird will need to await preparation of the feasibility study, which will require several more rounds of drilling. 

Hunt Gold Corporation's CEO, Michael G Saner stated that "We are very pleased that the initial drill results confirm the Company's view that its 'Mockingbird' Gold Property is a gold bearing system. Furthermore, the potential gold ore is in the zones predicted by the Company's geologists, which means that we are gaining an understanding of the gold mineralization at what is at present our flagship Gold Property." Mike Saner added that "I am proud of all of the extensive, intensive and methodical work being done by the entire team to prepare for this second and hugely extensive drilling campaign. This is a big property, with dozens of mineralized outcrops, and we intend to drill in all of the right places for all of the right reasons." 

As previously announced, the Company is well underway in establishing a geochemical control grid at the property. Over 50 rock chip samples have been taken so far from numerous historic workings throughout the 4+ square mile property. Upon completion of this work, the anomalous values for gold, silver and copper (a pathfinder element at the Company's "Mockingbird" Gold Property) will be mapped, contoured and used to select drill sites for the next drill campaign. 

The main targets for the next round of drilling will be in the vicinity of the low-angle Mockingbird Detachment Fault, which is a sub-horizontal interface between the older Precambrian rocks and the younger overlying upper plate Tertiary volcanic rocks. This zone was mined at the Mockingbird Mine itself and hosted a majority of the Mockingbird District's historic production of 15,000 ounces of gold. 

Hunt Gold Corporation provides an additional update on its aggressive exploration program at the Company's "Mockingbird" Gold Project in Arizona. 

Over the past two weeks, the Company's Head Project Geologist, Ed Huskinson and his team have sampled existing mine workings throughout the project's 4 square mile area. Approximately 40 of these samples were shipped out yesterday to an independent assay office; that being Skyline Labs of Tucson, Arizona. Workings with encouraging gold values in the samples will be considered for inclusion in the next round of drilling. 

Some of these historic mine workings were located outside the Company's claim block. As a result, an additional 320 acres of mining claims have been staked this week, bringing the Mockingbird Project total claims to almost 3,000 acres. 

Project management is in the process of preparing a new Notice of Intent to file with the BLM for the second round of drilling. The Company has completed reclamation of the minor surface disturbance from the first phase of drilling, so it will be able to transfer the BLM bond from the first phase of drilling to the second program. 

In order to drill in Section 22 (where the historic Mockingbird Mine is located), the Company will need a special use permit from the State of Arizona. The State is requiring an archaeological survey prior to issuance of the permit. The Company is in the process of arranging for the archaeological survey, which is a routine requirement for operations on State of Arizona lands. As a result, the Company may start the second round of drilling with drill sites located on BLM ground, and drill in Section 22 later in the campaign once the State permit is obtained. 


ABOUT HUNT GOLD CORPORATION 

Hunt Gold Corporation is a Gold Mining & Exploration Company focused on the development and exploration of its Gold properties, namely "Mockingbird," "Ambassador," "Golden Eagle," "Gladstone Lookout," "Lady Alde," "Williamson," "Blue Copper Mine," "Starlight," "American Flag," "Venezia," "Stormcloud," "Cherry," "Buffalo Limecap," "Red Cloud" and "Federal." The Company has completed the sale of its "American Molygold" interests and will be distributing the entire sale proceeds through a Stock Dividend to its stockholders. The Company has disposed of its "Lookout" Silver Projects and will be retaining an amount of US$65 million in quoted stock from that disposal. 

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may," "future," "plan" or "planned," "will" or "should," "expected," "anticipates," "draft," "eventually" or "projected." You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the SEC.

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History Channel program

History Channel program airing Wednesday examines tale of the Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil. The reaction to that name can vary from pure fright to fits of laughter, depending upon the person.

But one thing is certain: Central Jerseyans know more about this creature than just about anybody. Apparently "MonsterQuest'' agrees. The History Channel series interviewed several Garden Staters for its "Devils in New Jersey'' episode, which debuts at 9 tonight. Among them are a Rutgers University professor, a sculptor who specializes in Halloween props and masks and a seasoned comic-book artist.

For background on the creature, "MonsterQuest'' turned to Rutgers University American Studies professor Angus Kress Gillespie. And based upon his retelling of the tale, it's not hard to understand why.

The legend goes that Jane Leeds, who lived near South Jersey's Mullica River with her husband and 12 children in 1735, despaired at the thought of having another child. When she discovered she was pregnant, Gillespie says Leeds said, "I hope that this one's not a child, let this one be a devil.''

Leeds gave birth to a healthy baby boy. In the space of about 20 minutes, though, Gillespie said, "It grew to the size of two full-grown men. In the place of the baby blue eyes ... were burning red (eyes), like two burning coals, and they were set in the horrible head of a horse. The creature had a powerful torso of a man, goat-like legs, a long, serpentine tail and giant batlike wings.

"With one swipe of his right hand, he slit the throat of the midwife and attendant, who collapsed in a pool of blood. The creature let out a bloodcurdling scream and escaped out the chimney, where he's terrified the people of South Jersey for more than 250 years.''

TELEVISION TREATMENT

"MonsterQuest" takes an investigative approach to the Jersey Devil, focusing on a 2004 sighting by an Egg Harbor Township family that includes photographic evidence as well as footprints. The program recruits a New York police detective to interview the family, a process that was witnessed by both sculptor Mike Melillo of Clark and comic book artist Frank Thorne of Scotch Plains.

The show approached Melillo and Thorne to create a three-dimensional version of the Jersey Devil. Thorne was responsible for drawing the creature based upon the eyewitness accounts. Melillo then took Thorne's sketch and constructed a sculpture from a variety of materials, including PVC pipe, insulation foam and liquid latex. The project, which took three weeks and stands 5 feet tall, was a challenge for Melillo.

"I've never produced an actual creature" for television, he admits, adding that it forced him to approach the process differently because he knew it was going to be shot — and viewed — via television cameras.

Meanwhile, Thorne found that his extensive experience in sketching cartoons and fantasy came in handy.

"It's a fantastical creature," he says. "It was easier (for me) to visualize it."

Thorne points out that most Jersey Devil images in existence were not made by professional artists.

"This is the first time that it's been realized by experienced, practiced image makers," he says.

"This show is going to be really good."

Melillo and Thorne plan to bring the "MonsterQuest" Jersey Devil sculpture with them to The Chiller Theatre Toy, Model and Film Expo in Parsippany and the New Jersey Folk Festival in New Brunswick, both in April.

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