Bolstered after winning the Asian Games gold medal
for the second consecutive time, captain Sana Mir says her side has gone
from strength to strength.
Pakistan recently suffered a humiliating ODI whitewash against Australia.
That was the men's team. The women's team though is on a completely
different level with success bolstering confidence in the camp.
Fresh from successfully defending their gold medal at Asian Games in
Incheon, the women's team is on a high. Captain Sana Mir is especially
pleased with how the team performed and predicted that the side can be
more consistent if facilities are further improved in the country. "It
really has been a wonderful experience because winning the gold medal
was really important to us," she was quoted as saying by a
Pakistan-based cricket website - Pakpassion.net. "However, let us also
not forget that teams like Australia, England, New Zealand and India are
well established teams with good infrastructure to back them up. We
started quite late in our development of women's cricket. Although,
we've been able to lessen the gap between the top teams and us, but the
pressure has definitely been on us."
Appointed captain in 2009 - just four years after her debut, the
28-year-old cricketer said that she has seen expectations from her team
rise with time. "People just want us to win and we've done it against
the odds in 2010 and we knew that we could do it 2014 as well. But
please remember that unlike the men's game, teams like Bangladesh cannot
be taken lightly. They have had a lot more international exposure
compared to Pakistan women and they also have international cricket at
home which makes a huge difference," said leg-spinner Mir, who has 79
wickets from 70 ODI matches.
While there are questions about Misbah-ul-Haq's ability to lead the men's team,
Mir has silenced her critics successfully - both as a player and as a
captain. Adjudged Player of the Tournament at the 2008 Women's Cricket
World Cup Qualifier, Mir feels Pakistan Cricket Board has helped her
players defy the notion that conservative elements threaten development
of Pakistan women cricketers. "The PCB has played a tremendous role in
the evolution and development of women's cricket in Pakistan," she said.
"Wherever we go, whichever countries we tour we get positive feedback."
Mir is currently ranked seventh in International Cricket Council's
ODI rankings for bowlers. There is no other Pakistani player in the
top-10 batting or bowling list.
New Delhi: It almost seemed ironical. As Congress Vice President Rahul
Gandhi was taking stock of the areas hit by Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra
Pradesh's Visakhapatnam on Sunday, a political storm hit the party.
The
BJP moved a step closer towards their political goal of a
'Congress-mukt bharat' by ending the party's rule in Maharashtra and
Haryana.
In the past couple of years, the Congress has lost
crucial states like Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and the
newly-created Telangana. The latest round of results forced Congress'
top leadership to reach out to their supporters.
Mr Gandhi, in a
statement, said, "I congratulate the BJP on their success. I thank our
supporters for having stood by us and party workers for their commitment
to the party. The Congress Party will work hard on the ground to once
again earn the confidence of the people."
Congress President Sonia
Gandhi too promised to play a vigilant role, after the party was voted
out of power. But the numbers don't add up for the party to be even an
effective Opposition.
In Maharashtra, the party struggled for
the third place, getting just one seat more than its former ally
Nationalist Congress Party or NCP.
In
Haryana, the Congress witnessed a repeat of the rout the party had
earlier faced in states like Rajasthan, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, that
has led to a constant questioning of Mr Gandhi's leadership.
But
the party seemed prepared with its answers. Spokespersons claimed that
these elections had more to do with anti-incumbency than with
leadership.
"Different leaders have different styles of
leadership and every leader finds his big moment; I am sure we will come
back. When the BJP had two MPs, we didn't say 'BJP-mukt' India.
Similarly, we will not be wiped out," said Rajeev Gowda, a former
professor of IIM Bangalore who is now a spokesperson for the Congress.
Shobha
Ojha, another spokesperson, pointed out, "In 1998, we were ruling only
in three states, but by 2003-04, we had governments in 11 states."
The
Congress' worst performance in the Lok Sabha elections, in May this
year, forced the top leadership to talk about revamping the grand old
party. Five months later, changes are yet to happen and time seems to be
running out.
Let’s take a look at top five world’s largest aircrafts up to this day. These immense flying objects really impress!
The first prize goes
fairly to Ukrainian Antonov An-225 Mriya which is acknowledged to be the
world’s largest plane up to date. The plane made its first flight in
1988, on December 21. This really huge thing was built exceptionally for
military purposes, in particular for carrying the Buran orbiter
(Russian Space Shuttle). The developers of An-225 aircraft used a base
of An-124 and increased sufficiently its engine capacity. 6 engines are
used in the An-225 instead of 4 in An-124 as well as twin nail. The
aircraft is the heaviest up to date: its maximum takeover weight is more
than 640 tons.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that watching Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero play is like listening to Mozart.
Pochettino said Spurs would aim to stop Aguero from scoring in their league fixture against City, at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Aguero already has six goals in 2014, and also scored 28 goals, as City clinched the title in 2013-14.
The Spur's boss further elaborated that his side would do what it
takes to stop the Argentine from scoring, and also labeled him as the
'best striker in the world'.
Aguero and Yaya Toure, recently scored in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa, to lift City into second spot behind leaders Chelsea.
Abhishek Bachchan gets candid about work, family and how he feels he will always be in his father's shadow.
Being happy in whatever he does is most important for
Abhishek Bachchan. And that's something that comes across in his
interview with Niranjan Iyengar on Look Who's Talking.
The actor elaborates, "I was really sad when Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se
didn't get the response it deserved. I believed that freedom fighter
deserved a better response. At that time, what the film's director
Ashutosh Gowariker told me, really hit me. He said, 'Set a goal for
yourself and be happy when you achieve it. Be happy when you do your
work perfectly. Don't care about the world. You can't lose yourself in
quests of pleasing others. It's of no use.' "
"Going back to a happy, healthy family at the end of the day is more
important than being successful," says AB Jr. He confesses that he's
more like his mother than his father and even acts like her. "I am a
people's person like her. I am very outgoing. My dad is a loner. He
likes to have us around. He would call us in his study and we used to
sit there for hours without saying a word. We were never brought up as
star kids. We were any other normal family," he admits.
About his soulmate, Abhishek says they were meant to be. "Aishwarya
is like an anchor for me. My parents had always given me the freedom to
do whatever I wanted. I was carefree. After marriage and my daughter's
arrival, I have become more responsible. She is my buddy, a friend. I
can discuss anything with her. Our relationship is not based on her being the Aishwarya Rai
or me coming from an illustrious family. It is just about two people
falling in love which was organically grown. We shot three films back-to-back for a year at that time. It started during Guru. We were meant to be, it's destiny."
And about his daughter, Abhishek says that, at times, Aaradhya
behaves older than him! "She is a very easy, very happy, very loving
kid. Aishwarya has to be given the credit for the same. She is always
around for Aaradhya. Even when Aishwarya will start working, there won't
be any problem as she is very organised. She thinks about everything
beforehand. I have only once changed a diaper as Aishwarya is so prompt
that she hardly gives anyone else a chance to do anything. I will never
do anything that will bring shame to my daughter today or 10 years down
the line."
Shyness is a trait that comes easily to him. "I cannot walk into a
room alone (restaurants, public spaces). So, the mobile phone is a boon.
I pretend that I am on call if I have to be alone in public spaces!"
One has rarely spotted him without a beard. The face fuzz has been a
constant feature since he was studying abroad he had long hair and a
beard. "I look very innocent and immature without a stubble," he grins.
And no, he is not obsessed about looking good on screen. "I am not a
vain person. I am in the wrong profession, I guess. I feel I don't have
to look good onscreen all the time. I should look the character," he
shares. It's the same about skin show. He feels that one doesn't have to
take out his shirt just because he has a good physique. "If it's the
need of the character then fine. I give a lot of importance to
physicality as it's an important part of getting into character. That is
why I had put on a lot of weight for Guru," he says.
What was his most difficult scene, Abhishek said that Kabhi Alvida Na
Kehnaa (KANK) was a challenging film. "Hrishi's character was really
difficult. I had to play a man who's innocent like a kid. In a
particular scene where I meet Rani (Mukerji) for the first time after we
split up and I have to inform her that my dad is dead and hand over his
photo. My dad (Amitabh) is playing that character and it's his photo I
am holding in my hand. It was most difficult scene of my life. There are
few moments in every actor's life where it's more personal than acting.
The scene started and I was holding my dad's picture and say that he is
dead. After the scene I just broke down and started crying. I was
sitting in a corner and Karan came up to me as he understood what I was
feeling. He just hugged me as he too was missing his dad. He teared up
too; even Rani started crying looking at us. It was too special. Micky
(Contractor) took me for a long drive after that where I told I am in
love with Aishwarya. We were not dating then."
Abhishek is sensitive to criticism. Ravan, he said, was a very tough
film for him both physically and mentally. "Media criticism after the
film was disheartening. I lost my confidence after that. There were
times when I did not want to go home as I used to feel that I am not
worthy of father's name. I am still picking pieces after that. I
understand as public figures we are subjected to public scrutiny. But we
actors are human beings too with real feelings. One doesn't need to be
shown mirror in public on weekly basis."
But this serious side aside, he's a known prankster who loves to
fool around and have fun. "I am free-spirited. I have worked on
different levels of film-making, so I am comfortable with people on set.
I too have lot of inhibitions as an actor. Mingling with others on the
set and having fun helps me manage that," he says, adding that it
bothers him when people think he is not serious about his work because
he is funny.
Nailed it. That’s what I thought as soon as I saw the image below from MediaPlant’s report sponsored by Microsoft, Dollars, Bits, and Atoms: A Roadmap to the Future of Marketing.
It’s a well-thought out and practical look at how technology is
evolving to enable more effective marketing strategies. One diagram
stood out as we’ve been assisting companies develop their online
marketing strategies so I’ve included it below.
Marketing is in a state of transition, driven by changes
in technology, demographics, and society. This map visualizes trends
identified by industry leaders and experts, showing relationships
between technologies and marketing tactics, and where the industry is
headed.
I didn’t want to share too much – be sure to read through the entire collection of reports at MediaPlant. MediaPlant is a communications firm specializing in B2B marketing, strategy, and technical development. Author Rob Salkowitz
is an internationally recognized author and expert in entrepreneurship,
innovation, and the disruptive effects of technology on business. Be
sure to read this report and others at MediaPlant.
Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has been accused of plagiarism in her self-titled biography which was released earlier this week.
According to the author of The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion,
Paul Gorman, the Birt-born designer has copied numerous passages almost
verbatim from the work in her self-titled biography which was released
last week, counting 29 instances of plagiarism altogether, reported The
Independent.
The book was written in collaboration with historian and biographer
Ian Kelly and is also said to include both grammatical and factual
errors, including false claims the fashion legend thought up the idea and title for punk rockers, the Sex Pistols' track Sons of Anarchy.
Both the 73-year-old fashion designer
and the publishers Pan MacMillan are yet to respond to the accusations
surrounding the work through which Ian claimed he was pleased to have
finally told the 'truth' about the 'huge-hearted' designer.
The biography follows the life of the fashion legend from her
upbringing in rural Derbyshire, her career and her relationships with
her husband and business partner Malcolm McLaren, as well as her second
marriage to her former student Andreas Kronthal.
The work also features heartfelt letters from Vivienne's close
friends - which throughout her life have included Pamela Anderson,
Prince Charles, human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabati, models Naomi Campbell and Jerry Hall, Bob Geldof and Julian Assange
