Posts Tagged ‘height’
Written by Rahul on 04 September 2009
Srinagar, Sep 4 (ANI): An ancient sculpture of Hindu Goddess of wealth Gajalakshmi has recently been discovered at Nagbal Lesser village in Jammu and Kashmir.
The sculpture, carved out of brownish limestone, is now kept for further examination at the office of Archives Archaeology and Museum in Srinagar. It will be shifted to Sri Pratap Singh Museum for public display later.
“As far as the object (sculpture) is concerned it is very important. According to our earlier examination, the statue dates back to the 6th or 7th century. It’s of brownish colour and from the perspective of craftsmanship, it is finely chiselled out,” said Khurshid Ahmad Qadri, Director, Archives Archaeology and Museums of Jammu and Kashmir.
The statue, measuring nine inches in height and five inches in width, is seated on the lotus throne placed between two lions. The main sculpture is enclosed in a stone frame, the top of which projects the shape of elephant motifs towards the head of the deity.
The idol holds a lotus in her right hand and cornucopia in her left hand. The other end of the drapery covering the lower body of the sculpture does not go behind its shoulder but is wrapped around in pleats beneath the chest of the deity.
The carving and costumes of the sculpture speak volumes about skilled craftsmanship of the ancient Kashmiri art.
“As far as its art is concerned, this art form connects it to the Gandhara School of Art. The Gandhara School of Art was founded in the first century BC. The theme cultivated by Gandhara artists later reached Kashmir. The costume we get to see in this sculpture shows a confluence of Greek and Indian art forms,” said Iqbal Ahmad, a historian.
This is the only sculpture found from the Lesser Kokernag area of Kashmir so far. However, the presence of pottery in an around the Lesser village reveals presence of some ancient settlements. By Afzal Bhat (ANI)
Tags: Afzal, Ahmad, Ancient Sculpture, Ancient Settlements, ANI, archaeology, area, art, art forms, Bhat, body, brownish, century, chest, colour, confluence, cornucopia, craftsmanship, deity, director, display, drapery, elephant, end, examination, form, frame, Gajalakshmi, Gandhara, Gandhara School Of Art, Goddess, hand, head, height, hindu, Hindu Goddess, historian, Idol, Indian Art, Iqbal, jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, kashmir, Kashmiri, khurshid ahmad, Khurshid Ahmad Qadri, Kokernag, Lesser, limestone, Lotus Throne, Main Sculpture, Museum, Nagbal, object, Object Sculpture, office, Perspective, pleats, pottery, pratap, pratap singh, presence, school, School Of Art, sculpture, Sep, shape, shoulder, Singh, Sixth, Sixth Century, Skilled Craftsmanship, Sri, srinagar, statue, stone, Stone Sculpture, theme, throne, top, village, wealth, width
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Written by Rahul on 14 April 2009
Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network
Ready for last two years, FROZEN will finally release in theaters on 1st May. Current stand off between producers and multiplexes has resulted in quite a few films coming out of cold storage and FROZEN is one of them.
Starring Danny Denzongpa in the lead who plays the role of ‘Karma’, the film depicts the life of a family whose dream like existence is interrupted by inevitable odds, one after the other. Made in Hindi and Ladakhi, the film was shot at an average height of 12000 feet above sea level in Ladakh, the eastern part of Jammu and Kashmir, bordering China.
Produced and directed by Shivajee Chandrabhushan, the film has received 18 highly acclaimed awards. Not just that, it has also toured 30 international film festivals over the period of time and would now be seeing a release in India. Interestingly, the film would be seeing a staggered release. While in Mumbai the film will be screened beginning 1st May, in other cities it would arrive on later dates.
After a few forgettable outings in films like KARZZZZ, CHAMKU and BIG BROTHER, one hopes that Danny has sunk his teeth into something really worthwhile in FROZEN where he plays a central protagonist. Some of the other films in which Danny would be seen in months to come are ACID FACTORY, TEEN PATTI and LUCK.
Coming back to FROZEN, the film also stars Shilpa Shukla of CHAK DE INDIA fame. Others in the case comprise of Yashpal Sharma, Raj Zutshi, Aamir Bashir, Shakeel Khan and Denzil Smith.
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Written by Rahul on 10 April 2009
Sampurn, Bollywood Trade News Network
Hrithik Roshan, the superhero of Bollywood is back to doing daring action stunts. This time it will not be for a movie but for a commercial that he shot lately. Hrithik was in South Africa recently shooting for a Godrej Cinthol TV Commercial under the direction of Abhinay Deo who is directing Aamir Khan Productions’ DELHI BELLY.
Our source informs, “Hrithik shot for the TV commercial in South Africa for four days and it required him to jump from a great height and also a lot of running, putting pressure on his knees. After a long time Hrithik has done action sequence. Even during the shooting of his upcoming film KITES, he would not only avoid action sequences but also be very careful about strenuous dancing, which could have put pressure on his knees.”
It may be recalled that Hrithik had injured his knees during the shooting of super hero flick KRRISH, which got aggravated during the shoot of Ashutosh Gowarikar’s JODHAA AKBAR. Since that time Hrithik has undergone surgery two times-first in Mumbai and second in Los Angeles.
Tags: aamir, Aamir Khan, Abhinay, action, action sequence, action sequences, Akbar, Ashutosh, Ashutosh Gowarikar, belly, Bollywood, Cinthol, Commercial, dancing, daredevilry, Delhi, Deo, direction, film, flick, godrej, Gowarikar, height, hero, Hrithik, Hrithik Roshan, Jodhaa, Jodhaa-Akbar, Khan, Kites, knees, Krrish, long time, Los Angeles, lot, movie, Mumbai, Network, News, news network, pressure, roshan, Sampurn, sequence, shoot, Shooting, shot, source, South Africa, stunts, super hero, Superhero, surgery, time, trade, trade news, upcoming film
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Written by Rahul on 09 April 2009
Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network
8×10 TASVEER apart from the novelty of interpreting the narrative through the photographs is also characterized by some stunning visuals of locales of Canada that set the tone of the film in the beginning. It is altogether a different issue that the film after setting the tone through the locales meanders along. As a matter of fact the choice of locations play a very important role in setting the tone of the film and no wonder the producers and the directors are at their wits end to select the locations to mesmerize and entice the audience to come back repeatedly into the cinema halls. After all it is the grandeur of the locale that is the initiating factor in setting the tone and tenor of the film.
It has also been observed that if the locations are chosen from India the ability to identify with the location is stronger than if it is a foreign country. RANG DE BASANTI and JAB WE MET are prime examples of the choice of Indian locations that set the tone for the movie. If the producer is able to bring the spectacle of the unknown India within the reach of the audience in the cinema hall then he has won half the battle. But the problem is of searching the locations.
At a time when the industry is virtually shutdown as the films are not releasing, it presents an opportune moment to suggest some of the locations that the cinema fans may be introduced to. It indeed is amazing that even after such a long time the Taj Mahal Hotel of Mumbai has not figured prominently as a back drop in any film. Now that a massive rebuilding exercise is being undertaken to build the heritage block, may be the film fraternity could come forward and used the magnificent facade of Taj as a location. After all, Taj Mahal Hotel along with the Trident and the Oberoi has been conferred with the PRIDE OF INDIA, under the National Tourism Awards for 2007.
MahaParinirvan Express is the train that covers whole of the Buddhist circuit and it has been awarded the most innovative tourism project by the government of India. A film made on the live of Buddha can be shot through the train route covered by this train, or for that matter a love story can also be shot. It was in JOHNY MERA NAAM that the backdrop of Buddhist circuit was used by Dev Anand and it is height time it is revisited again as Buddhism as a religion has great popularity internationally, and if a film is shot covering these spots it sure is going to catch the eye of foreign viewers as well. May be a Richard Gere and a Shilpa Shetty love story to begin with…
While Goa has featured in score of films, how many of he producers are aware about the fact that Karmali Railway Station at Old Goa has been cited with the award of ‘ best tourist friendly railway station’ by the GOI, and should it not for this reason feature in one of the films that is on the drawing board stage. Orissa as a state has yet to be featured with prominence in a Hindi film and may be the time for it has come.
Locations for their sheer novelty dot the landscape of the country, and there is no need to venture outside India, but these locations should be used to market the potential of the country as a tourism destination of its own kind, and if the film industry initiates the process it would ad one more feather in its crown as an industry whose heart beats and vibrates for the betterment of the country.
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Written by Rahul on 05 March 2009
Washington, Mar 4 (ANI): People living in neighbourhoods with high density of fast food outlets, and who frequently eat at those restaurants, are more likely to report an increase of 3 pounds in weight and .8 inches in waist circumference, according to a new study.
On the other hand, the research led by Oregon Research Institute (ORI) scientist Fuzhong Li, Ph.D., also found that high-walkability neighbourhoods were linked with a decrease of 2.7 pounds in weight and 0.6 inches in waist size among residents who increased their levels of vigorous physical activity during a year.
“This is one of the few longitudinal studies that focus on change in individuals’ body weight over time in relation to their lifestyle behaviors and immediate living environments,” said Li.
He added: “The uniqueness of this study lies in its environment-person approach which we use to show that health-impeding environments, such as a high density of fast-food outlets, together with residents’ behavior, such as eating fast food regularly, can have an unhealthy impact on body weight. On the other hand, health-promoting environments, such as walkable neighborhood streets, in conjunction with physically active residents, can have a positive impact on body weight over time.”
The study is part of the Portland Oregon Neighborhood Environment and Health Study where researchers are following a sample of over 1200 local residents ages 50-75 years old over a three-year period.
And they are using anthropometric and survey measures, such as body weight, height, eating habits, food intake, physical activity, and perceptions of their immediate neighbourhood environment.
Also, the scientists have taken objective measures of built environment characteristics, such as land-use mix, density of fast-food outlets, street connectivity, and public transit stations, and the presence of green and open spaces in 120 randomly selected neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon.
The project was aimed to examine change in body weight and physical activity in relation to built environment.
“To combat the obesity/overweight problem, it appears clear that, from the perspectives of public health and urban design, efforts are needed to improve features of modifiable built environments by making them more conducive to healthy eating and increasing physical activity,” said Li.
The American Journal of Epidemiology recently published the study. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 04 March 2009
Beijing, Mar 2 (ANI): Hostile men are more likely to become obese than their less-hostile peers, according to a new study.
In the study, Dr. Hermann Nabi of Hopital Paul Brousse in Villejuif, France and his colleagues found that the more hostile a man’s personality, the more his body mass index (BMI) increased over the following two decades, reports www.chinaview.cn.
BMI is the ratio of height to weight, used to determine if someone is within a normal weight range or is underweight, overweight or obese.
For the study, the researchers looked at data on 6,484 men and women participating in a UK study of socio-economic status and health.
Study participants ranged in age from 35 to 55 at the study’s outset. They completed a standard scale measuring hostility at the beginning of the study, while their BMI was determined at four points over 19 years.
Initially results showed that both men and women with higher hostility levels also had higher BMIs. BMIs rose over time.
The researchers found that while the relationship between BMI and hostility remained constant for women, hostility seemed to accelerate weight gain over time in the men. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 20 February 2009
Shimla, Feb 20 9ANI): Himachal Pradesh is planning grow apple varieties imported from the United States. The state horticulture department is distributing root stock plants to orchard owners for a better yield of the fruit in the state.
Horticulture department officials said the American varieties would bring an apple revolution in the state as these varieties are disease resistant and have good yield of apples on maturity.
“As per our technical mission we are giving the farmers the new apple stems which have a good yield, are diseases resistant and meet international standards in quality,” said Narendra Bragta, horticulture minister.
Nearly seventeen thousand American apple plants like Scarlet spur, Oregon spur, Gale Gala, golden delicious, Gibson golden, early red and B-7-11 have been distributed among the farmers so far.
“We have around 8-9 varieties of the plants here from the United States. They are being distributed to the people and some of the varieties include Gale Gala and B-7-11, which is said to be successful at the height of 4500-5500 feet above the sea level. There is a lot of rush going on to get these varieties but only time will tell if they succeed in the Indian conditions,” said Chaman, a farmer.
About 180,000 hectares of land is under apple cultivation in Himachal Pradesh with an average yield is 5.50 metric tonnes per hectare.
Apple fruit being the important cash crop of Shimla, Sirmaur,Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur and Mandi districts. By Hemant Chauhan (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 19 February 2009
London, Feb 19 (ANI): After diamonds, high heels are a girl’s best friends. Now, researchers have found that women’s love for ’skyscrapers’ is timeless…. 51 years to be more precise.
According to boffins, a lady’s love affair with high-heeled shoes lasts for 51 years on average, with the final decision to swap to flat shoes similar to retiring from work.
The study, however, found that the height of the heels a woman chooses is also a reflection of the ups and downs of her life, varying drastically from teenage years to motherhood and old age, reports the Telegraph.
As per a report compiled by High Street fashion store Debenhams, the passion for higher fashion begins at the age of 12, and continues through every stage of a woman’s life until she reaches 63.
The psychological impact of retiring from heels can be almost as traumatic as retiring from work, said Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson.
“It’s an all too public admission that they are getting older, and so naturally many women want to postpone this evil day for as long as possible,” he said.
“Nevertheless, there comes a time when women have to admit that, while they may still feel young, in practice, they’re not as steady on their feet as they once were.
“It’s a climb down which can cause a lot of heartache,” he added.
The study, which was undertaken as part of an extensive examination of the entire women’s shoe market, revealed that the heel height worn by women begins to rise in early teens, increasing rapidly from one inch (2.5cm) to an all-time high of 5.3 inches (13.5) cms by the age of 23. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 17 February 2009
London, Feb.17 (ANI): Britain’s defence chiefs are facing an inquiry into the safety of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent after British and French submarines, each laden with missiles powerful enough for 1,248 Hiroshima bombings, collided while submerged in the mid-Atlantic.
HMS Vanguard, the lead boat of Britain’s fleet of four V-class submarines armed with Trident nuclear missiles, limped back into its home port of Faslane in Scotland on Saturday showing significant damage. Witnesses said the hull was scarred with dents and scrapes.
The weather was rough in the middle of the night of 3 and 4 February when the British submarine, which was carrying 135 crew, struck Le Triomphant, the flagship of the French nuclear strike force, destroying the French vessel’s fibreglass sonar dome, which juts out from the bow and, among other tasks, is supposed to detect other submarines.
In London, according to The Independent, the Ministry of Defence was forced to confirm the embarrassing collision between strategic allies after the French Navy posted details of the accident on its website.
Both countries insisted that neither the missile-launching capacity nor the nuclear safety of the submarines, carrying 265 crew and 32 intercontinental ballistic missiles, were affected.
Defence sources said the accident was the result of the “infinitesimal” coincidence that both submarines were operating at the same depth and location in the Atlantic.
Naval experts, who underlined that the two nuclear submarines were built with hulls designed to withstand huge pressures, expressed surprise that the sonar arrays of both had failed to detect either vessel.
Sonar technology is now so sophisticated manufacturers boast it can recognise a small fish.
That it does not seem to have been able to pick out a submarine nearly the length of two football pitches and the height of a three-storey building could be explained by the development of stealth technology, making the submarines less visible to other vessels.
Anti-nuclear campaigners said the two vessels had been moments from a potentially catastrophic accident, which could have resulted in the widespread release of radioactive material. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 17 February 2009
London, Feb 17 (ANI): A James Bond-like jetpack powered by high-pressure water has been invented by a German entrepreneur.
Brainchild of Hermann Ramke, the JetLev-Flyer’s inspiration has been drawn from Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear.
The revolutionary piece of art can power the rider to a height of 50 feet (15m), has a top speed of 30mph, and can travel almost 200 miles before it needs to be refuelled.
A floating pump powered by a 150 horsepower four-stroke engine sends water through a 140ft-long (43m) hose to a pair of nozzles mounted on the jet pack. The jet leaving the nozzles is sufficiently powerful to push the rider off the ground, reports the Telegraph.
The nozzles can then be angled to propel the pilot forward in “stable, controlled flight”.
The website advertising the jetpack retails it at around 160,000pounds.
The site claims the device offers “freedom, exhilaration, [and] adventure”.
It continues: “The dream of personal flight is as old as mankind. In the 21st century the daring vision of Daedalus has finally come true.”
The JetLev can accommodate pilots of over 6ft (up to 2m) in height from and 40kg (88lbs) 120kg (265lbs) in weight.
A digital fly-by-wire system is used to control the throttle. (ANI)
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Written by admin on 14 February 2009
Shah Rukh Khan’s house attacked
Two motorcycle-borne miscreants hurled a bottle of kerosene at actor Shah Rukh Khan’s Bandra residence, Mannat, at around 2.30 am on Friday. Nobody was injured.
Security personnel at Khan’s bungalow were unable to note the registration number of the bike in the darkness. A complaint was lodged at the Bandra police station.
According to reports, a fundamentalist group was upset with the use of certain words in the song, Marjaani, marjaani, featuring Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the film Billu.
On Friday morning a group of protesters gathered outside Bandra’s G-7 cinema complex, where Billu was being screened, and broke glass panes and tore away posters.
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Written by admin on 14 February 2009
The film titled Akasharamanna starring Naresh, Shivaji, Rajiv Kanakala, Meera Jasmine and Gouri Pandit is being produced by Manyam Ramesh and directed by Ashok.
This film is a full length comedy and has completed its shooting with canning a special song at the Ramoji Film City with Madhu Sharma as the item girl.
The star cast includes Naga Babu, Venumadhav, Rao Ramesh, Raghu Babu, MS Narayana, Rajesh, Venu, Sana, Geetha Singh and others.
Post-production work is in progress and the film will be released soon.
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Written by Rahul on 12 February 2009
Washington, Feb 12 (ANI): A new study has indicated that lasers beamed from lanes overhead are adding greater clarity to mapping streams and rivers and interpreting how well these bodies of water can help maintain or expand fish stocks.
Restoring habitat for spawning species of fish, such as Atlantic salmon, starts with a geological inventory of suitable rivers and streams, and the watershed systems that support them.
But, the high-tech mapping tools available to geologists and hydrologists have had their limits.
Now, airborne laser elevation (or lidar) surveys provide a 10-fold improvement in the precision with which topographical features are measured.
Lidar represents the latest technology to improve digital topographical maps – known as digital elevation models, or DEMs.
Pulsing laser beams released by a lidar device from a plane overhead bounce off of rocks, trees, soil, even water, and send signals back to the device, which makes topographical calculations based on the time it takes the laser signal to return at the speed of light.
According to Boston College Geologist Noah P. Snyder, hundreds of beams produce a dynamic topographical picture.
In the case of streams and rivers, the technology means that channel features such as water surface, bank edges, floodplains, even the slope of a stream, can be measured.
In addition, lidar provides new types of data about the vegetation that covers a particular watershed, such as the height and density of the tree canopy, Snyder said.
“We can look at much finer scale features in streams using a remote mapping technique, as opposed to field work over the entire lengths of streams,” said Snyder, chairman of the steering committee of the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping.
“Digitally, we can now connect topographical features to habitat characteristics or the habitat that needs to be restored,” he added.
That means geologists and other earth scientists will be able to digitally search large swaths of lidar-mapped territory for a particular feature of interest – like salmon habitat or particularly steep sections of streams – then narrow down likely candidates for field study.
“I don’t think this will replace field investigations, but it will allow us to better focus our field investigations,” said Snyder.
“Researchers, government agencies and private companies are increasingly using the technology to speed the creation of the next generation of maps,” he added. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 12 February 2009
Bangalore, Feb 12 (ANI): Mantis, an autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed by BAE Systems, Europe’s biggest defense company, made its international debut at the ongoing Aero India 2009 in Bangalore.
According to BAE, Mantis can be commanded and controlled by the person on ground through computer who can decide its route and even can decide its height.
“Special features are that it is very light weight, compact, flexible in operation and can be easily be carried on the back pack by two people,” said Rajiv Kumar Sharma, a retired wing commander.
The Mantis UAV advanced concept technology demonstrator programme brings together technologies, capabilities and systems demonstrating the potential of a large unmanned autonomous aircraft.
The unmanned next generation UAV that automatically detects and manages all information at the target area or the specific site was displayed on the first day of the five-day Aero India 2009 inaugurated by Defence Minister A K Antony.
The UAV is designed in a manner that it can gather information over a span of 20 metres.
The design also provides flexible surveillance and reconnaissance capability with external payload, including weapons capability.
The 5.5 kilogram UAV has an in-built color camera; it is also well equipped with a data link and video link.
According to reports, India has projected a large requirement for UAVs.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are working together to convert the HAL-built Chetak Helicopter into an UAV.
India plans to spend 30 billion dollars on imports over the next four years to modernise its largely Soviet-era arms as India asserts its military power in South Asia.
In its last budget, India had raised its defence spending by ten per cent to 26.5 billion dollars for 2008/09 fiscal. By Praful Kumar Singh (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 11 February 2009
London, Feb 11 (ANI): Azad Singh and sister Laxmi Yadav are grown-up teenagers, but they have not grown at all since they were five or six and still look like little kids.
The pair, who live in Haryana, India, have not been through puberty due to a rare congenital disorder.
And much to their misfortune, their poor parents cannot afford to pay for hormone treatment which might allow them to reach adulthood.
At 3ft, Azad is studying for A-Levels in English and Maths with the help of a tutor and wants to train as an engineer, while Laxmi, who is 3ft 3ins, is at high school taking the equivalent of her GCSEs.
However, the duo has to remain in their short bodies for the rest of their lives because necessary hormone injections should normally be given before the age of 16 or 17.
The teenagers will continue to live with their mum Manju Bala, dad Bahadur Singh, a casual labourer, and sister Suman Yadav, 12, who is normal height. oth Azad and Laxmi ride children’s bikes, which is made out of second-hand spare parts, and wear clothes made for four or five-year-olds.
“I’m taking my exams in April. I’m doing a lot of revision and hard work,” The Mirror quoted Azad as saying.
He added: “When I go out, such as to walk to my tutor’s house, my mum has to come with me.
“People think I’m still a kid and need looking after. If Laxmi or I go out alone, people stare and gather round us. Some unkind people even shout names at us in the street. So we normally have our parents or sister Suman with us.
“I cannot hang out with boys my age, because they say I cannot keep up with them. But I have two friends at school who spend time with me, and don’t mind that I’m small.”
Laxmi said: “When we were younger our parents had to change our school because the other kids laughed at us because of our size.” (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 07 February 2009
Katra, Feb 4 (ANI): Muslim porters at the revered cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Kashmir have been earning the gratitude of Hindu devotees for many years.
Carrying luggage and children on their shoulder, porters popularly known as ‘pitthu’, say their work is one form of worship when they trek with the pilgrims along a eleven-kilometer hilly tract to the Vaishno Devi Temple.
“We offer namaz first and then go about our business. We carry the baggage of the pilgrims and they pay us something more than our fees,” said Shamas Din, a Muslim porter.
The Hindu pilgrims said religious boundaries disappear when the porters enthusiastically chant hymns along with them on way to the shrine.
“We realise that being Muslim they are very cooperating. They have equal reverence for the goddess and they also chant hymns with us. It doesn’t seem that there is any religious disparity among us,” said Dinesh Baba, a Hindu pilgrim.
Perched atop Trikuta hills at a height of 1,700 meters above sea level, Vaishno Devi shrine is held in high esteem by Hindus all over the country.
It attracts more than three million pilgrims every year, particularly during summers, and is the main source of livelihood for thousands of residents. By Tahir Nadeem Khan (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 29 January 2009
London, Jan 29 (ANI): The BBC is planning to make a major small screen remake of Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, which will be their major attraction in its autumn drama season.
Also, the corporation has announced that the four-part series will be their last Austen remake for some time, for they now want to move beyond conventional ‘bonnet dramas’.
“We don’t just want to do 19th century book adaptations. Emma will be our last Austen for a few years,” The Telegraph quoted Kate Harwood, the BBC’s controller of series and serials, as saying.
The adaptation of ‘Emma’ will be a “fresh, humorous and perceptive” take on the classic story, originally published in 1815.
The last time the famous Austen story was serialised by the BBC was in 1972.
While casting for the BBC One drama is under way, filming will begin in late spring.
The BBC has roped in the Bafta-winning screenwriter Sandy Welch, whose television credits include ‘Our Mutual Friend’ and ‘Jane Eyre’ to adapt the book.
Harwood said: “In Emma, Austen has created an intriguing heroine, and our four-hour canvas allows us to explore this multi-faceted character in detail. Emma was Austen’s last novel, written when she was at the height of her craft, and we are delighted that such an esteemed writer as Sandy Welch is bringing her vision to this appealing story.”
Actresses who have previously played Austen’s “handsome, clever and rich” matchmaking heroine on screen include Kate Beckinsale and Gwyneth Paltrow. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 29 January 2009
Srinagar, Jan 29 (ANI): Kashmir traditional grass mats locally known as ‘wagive’, used for home furnishing, are in great demand in Kashmir valley after witnessing a slump in business for past some years.
These mats have been used for centuries in the valley for multi purpose use.
The grass mats are mainly of two types, one the rugged ones made of twisted paddy grass and the soft and spongy ones made of typical grasses growing in wetland and lakes that abound in Kashmir valley.
The typical grass in water bodies grows to a height of six feet and it takes four to five months to reach this height. Only after it reaches this height that it can be harvested to make these mats.
These mats act as an excellent insulation material for beating cold during harsh winters.
During the last few years these mats had lost to synthetic mats affecting the livelihood of a large number of artisans engaged in the trade but now they have made a come back.
“For the past few years, the market was flooded by plastic and thermocol mats. But once again, the traditional mats are back in demand. The grass mats are any day better than the modern (synthetic) mats since the material used in these mats keeps people warm during the chilly weather,” said Ashiq Ahmed, a grass mat maker.
Traditionally, the women of the households weave these mats while the men sell the mats in the market. Each mat on an average costs around 250 rupees.
Residents also feel that buying the traditional mats would not only add the ethnic touch to their rooms, but would also ensure a regular source of income for the artisans.
“A lot of people are dependent on this business. These mats are are very economical. Many people are dependent on these mats and if we purchase them, then the people associated with these mats will do well,” said Nazir Khan, a resident.
Mat making represents one of the most ancient traditional handicraft forms, hich has survived as a rural industry. By Shaukat Jaan (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 28 January 2009
Nainital, Jan 28 (ANI): Large number of tourists throngs the Cheena (China) Peak, the highest mountain peak in Nainital, to feast their eye upon the enchanting view of snow covered Himalayas.
Tourists who visit Nainital, usually come to see the nine lakes and watch the view of snow peaked Himalayan mountains.
The excitement of watching the Himalayas with the help of binoculars andelescopes is increasing every day.
“This place is very beautiful. We are standing almost at the top of this mountain. We saw snow peaked mountains of Himalayas from this height which I think would be the China border. Also I saw temples situated on the other mountain peaks taken over by the Army and trees in the figures of tiger. This place is totally pollution free which is very rare in Mumbai,” said Namita, a tourist from Mumbai.
The tourist guides are also pleased to see the increasing enthusiasm among the tourists to view the Himalayas.
“From this ‘Cheena peak’ the view is very beautiful. From the tourism point of view, the popularity of this peak is increasing fast. Many crazy people come here to experience trekking, view the Himalayas and climb the highest mountain of Nainital.” said Anand Bisht, tourist guide.
Naina Peak also known as China or ‘Cheena Peak’ is the highest peak. From atop the peak, one can not only see a broad swath of the snow clad high Himalayas, but also obtain a panoramic view of Nainital town itself.
‘Cheena Peak’ is the highest mountain in Nainital, which is about 2295 meters above the sea level. Tourists climb up almost three kilometers to catch glimpse of Himalayan Mountains. By Vipul Goel (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 26 January 2009
Washington, Jan 24 (ANI): In a new research, scientists are quantifying landscape-scale changes occurring to Hawaii’s Big Island tropical forests using lasers deployed on airplanes.
The research would observe changes to the tropical forests from non-native plants and other environmental factors that affect carbon sequestration.
The scientists involved in the research, from the U.S. Forest Service and Carnegie Institution, hope it will help other researchers racing to assess threats to tropical forests around the world.
“Our results clearly show the interactive role that climate and invasive species play on carbon stocks in tropical forests, and this may prove useful in projecting future changes in carbon sequestration in Hawaii and beyond,” said Gregory Asner, with the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology.
According to the scientists, airborne technology might be the best way to quickly examine rugged ecosystems covered with dense vegetation that make them difficult to study on the ground or with satellites.
“These findings showed airborne data correlated with data derived from study plots on the ground,” said Flint Hughes, a Forest Service ecologist at the agency’s Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry and one of the study’s authors.
“They also demonstrated what might be the most important environmental factors affecting forest biomass and carbon sequestration,” he added.
Hughes and his colleagues compared field measurements with data derived from the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a system that uses a combination of lasers capable of measuring elevation to within six inches, GPS and advanced imaging spectrometers that can identify plant species from aircraft.
The scientists placed the equipment on an airplane that flew over the northeast flank of the Mauna Kea Volcano and the Hawaii Experimental Tropical Forest.
They then compared the information to field observations that included tree diameter, canopy height and wood density estimates.
Their findings not only demonstrated the effectiveness of airborne observations, but also offered a landscape-scale view of how alien invasive plants like strawberry guava might affect biomass levels in the context of carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.
Study results suggest fast-growing invaders decrease biomass levels, while slower-growing species increase biomass stocks. (ANI)
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