Spark Spot

C. Krishna Rao Gundu Rao better known by his screen name Nagesh , was a Tamil film actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian during the 1960s. He is regarded as one of the most prolific comedians in Tamil cinema.

In a stark contrast to the comic roles he performed, Nagesh’s personal life was wrought with suffering. After losing his father at an early age, Nagesh had to endure a weak financial situation and family ostracism which plagued him throughout his life. The film Server Sundaram, a rags-to-riches story in which Nagesh plays the main role is believed to be roughly based on the real life story of the actor.

Despite being primarily a comedian, Nagesh was rated highly as a character actor by his peers. Nagesh’s style of comedy was largely inspired by Hollywood icon Jerry Lewis. Similarities between Nagesh and Jerry Lewis earned Nagesh the sobriquet “Jerry Lewis of India”.

Actor Nagesh was one of the famous comedians in Tamil Cinema Industry during 1970’s. He was best known for his comedy and dance during that period. He had also got many awards and had a remarkable place in everyone’s heart because of his act. But Tamil Cinema Industry has lost actor Nagesh. Actor Nagesh died today.

He was the precious diamond for Tamil cinema. He was suffering from severe heart disease for the past two months and was admitted in hospital. He returned back with good health a few weeks before. But suddenly he died today morning. Overall today is a mourning day for Tamil cinema industry.

India Celebrates its 60th Republic day. Happy Republic day to all Indians. THE REPUBLIC Day of India is to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India and the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950. Although India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, the Constitution came into effect only on January 26, 1950 and this is celebrated as the Republic Day.

To mark this occasion, a grand parade is held in New Delhi. The parade begins from Raisina Hill, the Presidential palace and proceeds along Rajpath past the India Gate and finally to the historic Red Fort where the Indian tricolour is hoisted. The martyrs are remembered by the laying of wreaths at the memorial Amar Jawan Jyoti. On this day, India hosts another head of state as the chief guest and for 2009; the honour will be bestowed upon Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhastan.

Wish you all a very happy republic day.

Microsoft Corp. today revealed the fact that it will cut 5,000 jobs amid falling profits. About 1,400 positions were eliminated today.The job cuts come as the company announced that fourth quarter profits fell 11% to $4.17 billion. Revenue rose 2% to $17.08 million.

The company said it plans to cut jobs in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal, human resources and IT over the next 18 months. The first 1,400 jobs will be cut on Thursday.Microsoft projected that the job cuts will trim its annual operating expense run rate by $1.5 billion and reduce its fiscal 2009 capital expenditures by $700 million.

The layoffs are being implemented due to IT spending that fell lower than the company’s expectations for the quarter. Microsoft said in a statement that it “acted quickly” to reduce its costs.

The company said it can’t provide quantitative revenue and earnings-per-share guidance for the rest of the year due to “the volatility of market conditions.”

Software client revenue fell 8 percent, as PC sales slumped and buyers turned to low-cost netbooks, the company said. Annual software license fees pushed server and software tool revenue up 15 percent, while entertainment and devices revenue grew 3 percent on the back of holiday demand for the Xbox game console.

Oil isn’t destroying habitats or wiping out ocean life. The ooze is a natural phenomena that’s been going on for many thousands of years. The wildlife have adapted and evolved and have no problem dealing with the oil.

Oil that finds its way to the surface from natural seeps gets broken down by bacteria and ends up as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. So knowing the amount of fossil fuel that turns to carbon dioxide naturally is important for understanding how much humans may be changing the climate by burning oil and gas.

Using a technique they developed in the early 1990s to help explore for oil in the deep ocean, Earth Satellite Corporation scientists found that there are over 600 different areas where oil oozes from rocks underlying the Gulf of Mexico. The oil bubbles up from a cracks in ocean bottom sediments and spreads out with the wind to an to an area covering about 4 square miles.

A gallon of oil can spread over a square mile very quickly.” So what ends up on the surface is an incredibly thin slick, impossible to see with the human eye and harmless to marine animals.

When oil spreads out over water, surface tension causes it to act like a super-thin sheet of Saran Wrap, flattening down small waves on the ocean surface. To spot the oil slicks, EarthSat scientists use radar data from Canadian and European satellites. The oil slicks stand out in the radar image because they return less of the radar signal than the wavy surfaces.

To get an estimate of how much oil seeps into the Gulf each year, the researchers took into account the thickness of the oil-only a hundredth of a millimeter, the area of ocean surface covered by slicks, and how long the oil remains on the surface before it’s consumed by bacteria or churned up by waves. The number is twice the Exxon Valdez’s spill per year, and that’s a conservative estimate.

In the future, EarthSat hopes to refine this method using data from NASA’s new EO-1 satellite, set for launch in June 2000. A sensor aboard EO-1 may be able to tell gas from oil and better pinpoint the source of the slick.

A unique blend of affection, loyalty, love, respect, trust and loads of fun is perhaps what describes the true meaning of friendship between two individuals. Similar interests, mutual respect and strong attachment with each other are what friends share between each other. These are just the general traits of a friendship. To experience what is friendship, one must have true friends, who are indeed rare treasure.

Different people have different definitions of friendship. For some, it is the trust in an individual that he / she won’t hurt you. For others, it is unconditional love. There are some who feel that friendship is companionship. People form definitions based on the kind of experiences they have had. This is one relation that has been nurtured since times immemorial. There are famous stories about friends in mythologies of different religions all over the world. They say a person who has found a faithful friend has found a priceless treasure.

“Friends never make assumptions about you. They never expect a reason to go out with you. In fact friends only expect you to be you!”

Ayan starred by Surya is one of the biggest expectation for Kollywood fans. The audio of AVM’s Suriya-Tamanna starrer Ayan is all set to be released on the 19th of January. The film is directed by cinematographer turned director K.V. Anand who has to his credit the much appreciated Kana Kandein. Music for the film has been composed by Harris Jeyaraj.

It is worth noting that Harris Jeyaraj has always delivered some lovely songs for Suriya starrers like Kaakka Kaakka, Ghajini and VA. He has composed six songs for Ayan.It has also been reported that shooting of the film has been almost completed and that its release is not very far away. The cast and crew of Ayan should be appreciated for getting the movie ready in quick time.

Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic. It has harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is mostly caused by human emissions of sulfur and nitrogen compounds which react in the atmosphere to produce acids. In recent years, many governments have introduced laws to reduce these emissions.

Adverse effects may be indirectly related to acid rain, like the acid’s effects on soil or high concentration of gaseous precursors to acid rain. High altitude forests are especially vulnerable as they are often surrounded by clouds and fog which are more acidic than rain.

Plants can also be damaged by acid rain but the effect on food crops is minimized by the application of lime and fertilizers to replace lost nutrients. In cultivated areas, limestone may also be added to increase the ability of the soil to keep the pH stable, but this tactic is largely unusable in the case of wilderness lands. When calcium is leached from the needles of red spruce, these trees become less cold tolerant and exhibit winter injury and even death.

Scientists have suggested direct links to human health. Fine particles, a large fraction of which are formed from the same gases as acid rain, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. It has been shown to cause illness and premature deaths such as cancer and other diseases.

Particularly badly affected places around the globe include most of Europe particularly Scandinavia with many lakes with acidic water containing no life and many trees dead and many parts of the United States especially Newyork and South Western Canada. Other affected areas include the South Eastern coast of China and Taiwan.

Starring: Vijay, Nayanthara,  Vadivelu,Prakash Raj
Direction: Prabhu Deva
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Production: Ayngaran International

Villu is Prabhu Deva’s version of the Hindi box office hit Soldier. Having said that, we do not mean Prabhu Deva made a good adaptation of Soldier – not that if he attempted it, things would’ve been any better. With tacky production values, shabby cinematography and amateurish direction Villu comes across as a more than two-hour long torment that only less people deserve – those who have committed some unpardonable crime, perhaps.
Prabhu Deva cannot be excused in a lifetime for conceiving Vijay’s scarecrow entry – it happens in a laundry place and Vijay flies across and lands gathering all the lengthy and colorful garments entwined on his body making him look no less than a scarecrow.  And there are these amateur stunt scenes – Vijay emerges unscathed invariably in all of them. In land, water and on air, that is. He also plays a double role of that of a father and a son. And with that Prabhu Deva has successfully made the army operations appear as if it were a one-man-attempt. And the atrocious dialogue – that the only benefit of being in the army is the subsidized liquor – is inexcusable.

Villu’s story is reminiscent of the prehistoric Tamil cinema formulas – son taking revenge over his father’s killers to satiate his mother’s wishes. And of course, there is time for love, double crossing, comedy and some sentiments in the midst.

Nayan’s presence serves the purpose of eye candy – she wears micro minis , bras disguised as tops, dangerously low skirts and spaghetti tops. Whatever happened to that naïve and talented girl of Ayya and Manasinakkara? Although Vadivelu’s unimaginative comedy track (yes, the track has absolutely no connection whatsoever with the movie’s main plot) is boisterous and loud, it serves as a saving grace for the movie in many instances.

Prakash Raj, Anandraj, Manoj K Jeyan, Geetha, Ranjitha and Pandu’s roles are shoddily developed. The atrociously plump Kushboo ends up performing the title item number, partly voiced by Kovai Sarala. Now that reminds us of the forgettable music – except for a couple of songs that could be favored by the front benchers, the music and rerecording are largely intolerable.
A separate review could be written about Ravi Varman’s cinematography. The frames appear hazed even in the foreign locales. In many scenes where a chase sequence is in progress, the images become pixilated, making one wonder about the poor production values. For all these reasons Villu, in all probability, could even tire out the loyal fans. Verdict – Not worth risking your patience!

These questions are interesting and at the same time it’s difficult to point out a proper solution.

1.If all the nations in the world are in debt(am not joking).Even US has got debts,

Where did all the money go?(weird)

2.When dog food is new and improved tasting,who tests it?(to be given a thought).

3.If the “black box” flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash,Why is not the whole airplane is made out of that stuff?(very good thinking).

4.Who copyrighted the copyroght symbol?(who knows).

5.Can you cry under water?

6.Why do people say,”You’ve been working like a dog” when dogs just sit around all day?

Preparing a list by analysing the situation of the students for their failure in the examinations.It’s not the fault of the student if he fails, because the year ONLY
has 365′ days.

Typical academic year for a student:

1. Sundays-52, Sundays in a year, you know Sundays are for rest. Days left 313.

2. Summer holidays-50 where weather is very hot and difficult to study.Days left 263.

3. 8 hours daily sleep- 130 days GONE. Days left 141.

4. 1 hour for daily playing- (good for health) means 15 days. Days left 126.

5. 2 hours daily for food & other delicacies (chewing properly & swallowing)- means 30days. Days left 96.

6. 1 hour for talking (man is a social animal)-means 15 days. Days left 81.

7. Exam days- per year at least 35 days. Days left 46.

8. Quarterly, Half yearly and festival (holidays)-40 days. Balance 6 days.

9. For sickness- at least 3 days. Remaining days=3.

10. Movies and functions - at least 2 days. 1 day left.

11. That 1 day is your birthday.

How can you study on that day??????

Balance = 0