DiCaprio’s charity turned b’day bash

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio played good samaritan on his 38th birthday. He asked his guests for donations to raise money for the American Red Cross.

DiCaprio used the occasion Sunday to raise money for the Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, by adding a fee to every bottle sold to be donated for charity, reports contactmusic.com.

The 38-year-old raised a total of $500,000 for American Red Cross, and all other donations went to charities supported by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

Guests including Beyonce Knowles and her husband Jay-Z, Robert De Niro, Cameron Diaz, Mark Ruffalo, Emma Watson, Chris Rock, and Miranda Kerr were entertained by live performances from Django Reinhardt, Gary Clark Jr. and Eric Lewis.

The celebrations took place at a club named The Darby.

Facebook testing ‘sound alert system’

WASHINGTON: Social networking giant Facebook is reportedly testing a new feature that emits a ping sound when a user writes on your Timeline, sends you a message or invites you to an event.

“We are currently testing a sound with notifications,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

“It’s only testing with a small percentage of people and it can be controlled from the Account Settings page,” the spokesperson added.

According to Mashable, the test was first spotted by a VentureBeat reporter whose profile page was among the test audience.

The writer posted a video and noted he “hates” it already.

We can assume many others will not be pleased to hear a constant stream of sound alerts, the report said.

Chrome for Android Is More Sticky Than Slick

Pitched as a browser for searching and browsing fast, with accelerated page loading, adjectives like “quick” and “speed” gave me the impression I was in for a Web-based speed record. That was not to be the case. I experienced sticky page scrolling at the image-heavy CNN website compared to scrolling on the stock browser.
Some of my earliest memories of smartphones are of the hassles involved with getting bookmarks loaded across devices. Why was it that Web properties thought — and some still think — you needed different information at your desk from what you wanted on the road? The issue has never been properly addressed — until now, maybe.

Google’s Chrome browser could claim to rectify this perennial problem by syncing viewed pages across devices. I decided to take a good look.

What Is It?

Google’s Chrome browser product promises the holy grail: that you can open up a Web page on one device, say your desktop, and then move over to your Ice Cream Sandwich or higher-OS Chrome app-installed tablet — and continue looking at the same page.

Does it work? I spent a day with it and the short answer is yes, it does. I was able to read pages alternating between both my PC Chrome browser and my tablet. Goal to Google.

The long answer, however is this: You’ve got to make sure that both devices are set up properly and that you’re signed-in to both with the same Google ID.

You’ve also got to drill way down into the depths of the respective browser’s settings. Then you’ve got to read help pages that don’t appear to correspond to current versions.

You also have to remember that it’s not only development that’s done by teams who don’t necessarily talk to each other. So is Help Page writing.

Still, it did work. I could flip from one device to the other.

Comparing It to the Desktop Chrome Browser

Google pitches Chrome as being a browser for your devices that’s just like the one on your PC. After the relative joy of discovering Web page sync worked, I was disappointed to find that the Chrome Web Store was missing on the Android version.

The Chrome Web Store, for the uninitiated, is a set of plug-ins that Google confusingly calls “apps.” They include RSS readers and TV feeds among others, and they are neat ways to get content into the browser.

The lack of Chrome Web Store is not the only thing that makes Chrome for Android distinctly unlike the Web browsers on my computer; there’s also its conspicuous lack of Flash player.

Missing Flash is a reason to consider other Android browsers out there, including Opera and Dolphin products. Although — giving Google the benefit of the doubt — Adobe’s Flash video standard is on its way out at the mobile level.

Comparing It to Other Browsers

Speed is another area where Chrome for Android hiccupped. Pitched as a browser for searching and browsing fast, with accelerated page loading, adjectives like “quick” and “speed” gave me the impression I was in for a Web-based speed record. That was not to be the case. I experienced sticky page scrolling at the image-heavy CNN website compared to scrolling on the stock browser.

A perusal of Google’s Chrome for Android Known Issues Web Page came up with documented laggy scroll and zoom issues with heavy and dynamic content.

Not Quite There Yet

I desperately wanted to love Chrome for Android, but it was not to be. The sticky page scrolling on its own was enough for me to drop it after a day. My instincts tell me that this is simply an immature product, though, with star potential.

Why Bother About The Result

The central teaching of the Bhagwad Gita advises action without desiring the fruits of such action. The Gita’s wisdom is universal; it goes beyond religion and provides deep insights into the working of the human mind. It addresses both the strife outside between two individuals or groups as it does the unceasing struggle that goes on within a person’s mind.

The Gita is also unique in that it is neither doctrinaire nor rigid. It can be interpretated in many different ways without risk of trivialisation, so long as the integrity of all its messages is maintained, the central theme being desireless action.

Today we live in a world that is being pulled in different directions by material riches, expanding scientific and technological innovations, access to information, multiple risks, and daunting challenges, all seen at a scale unprecedented in human history. Unless one intends to renounce the physical world, it is naïve to think that one can escape the complexities of modern society and the intensifying pressures they generate on the human mind and spirit. Interestingly, all these have further enhanced the abiding universal appeal of the Gita’s teachings.

For anyone seeking equanimity in action, the Gita is a good beacon. That may be the reason why J Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, cited verses from the Gita in the hope of distancing himself from the destructive power of the nuclear bomb that he had brought into being.

A sense of detachment is vital even if one is not on the spiritual path – how else can one deal with all the intense competition we face today? The Gita says that if the mind is constantly obsessed with overwhelming thoughts of success or failure, victory or defeat, gain or loss, it sabotages one’s efforts towards achieving the goal that is being pursued.

While one tries to practise the teachings of the Gita either fully or partially, one must do so without the expectation of securing a desired result. In fact, what may appear to be a paradox, the very desire of success in upholding the Gita would be a negation of its core philosophy. One’s duty is only to act, never to hanker after the result.

However, detachment entails strict control over our mind and thoughts which is most difficult to attain. Cognitive psychologists tell us that the human mind works through two distinct but interacting systems: the ‘conscious’ which is subject to voluntary control, and the ‘sub-conscious or unconscious’ which is autonomous and automatic. The latter makes us think of the elephant when all that we are telling our mind is ‘do not think of the elephant’.

If the involuntary mechanism of mind yields to the deliberate system of thinking of the individual, the mind is overcome. One can then carry on with performance of duties without ever being constrained by worries over outcome.

Inspired by the Gita, M K Gandhi found his deepest convictions in truth and non-violence. Let alone doing anything untruthful or violent, he would not even entertain such thoughts. Such was the resoluteness of his mind. By asserting that renunciation of fruits of action would be possible only with observance of non-violence, Gandhi made the Gita his own ‘spiritual reference book’. And he remained an unremitting practitioner of his version of the Gita till the end. (The author is an IPS officer with the National Human Rights Commission. The views expressed are personal ).

Now you can sleep upright while travelling

A newly developed contraption, which looks like something the doctor ordered for a neck injury, could provide a solution to commuters who face the embarrassing problem of falling asleep on fellow passengers.

According to manufacturers, The UpRight Sleeper allows the user a “peaceful slumber while sitting up straight in a car, train or plane.”

The sleeper is the latest addition in a line of the so called “snooze accessories.”

The 25-pound frame contraption, which looks remarkably similar to a neck brace, is adjustable so it can sit under the chin or go up around the forehead.

It moves around to accommodate different head shapes and sizes, and a back strap is fitted between the wearer’s back and seat to keep everything in place.

The contraption promises to revolutionise the way people sleep while travelling and put an end to embarrassingly falling asleep on the shoulder of fellow passengers or having to use a table as a pillow on planes and trains.

“It’s 100 percent adjustable for every face shape and size,” the Daily Mail quoted a spokesperson for the firm as saying.

“You simply throw the strap over your head.”

“Tilt your head upward. Trap the strap, which is patented, between your back and the seat. Lean back, relax your head and go to sleep,” the spokesperson added.

science of spirituality

In so many ways, our minds are involved in constructing the world we find ourselves in. Our perceptions and the concepts we hold determine the social reality we see and create. The very patterns of our thought – our suppositions, frameworks of understanding and the questions we are moved to ask or not ask – influence how we interact with and shape this reality. Thus, our conceptions of who we are, the interactions and discourses that inform our thinking, and our experiences in applying ideas and ideals, all serve to define the parameters of social existence.

In this respect, Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-founder of the Bahá’í Faith, provides clarity: “Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men.” This challenging mandate of Bahá’í teachings indicates how spiritual understanding of human identity and purpose gives rise to social processes and policies essential for our collective progress.

As we now look at human society, its characteristics of complexity, interconnectedness and immediacy are unprecedented. As the sheer intensity and velocity of change challenges our assumptions about the nature and structure of social reality, a set of vital questions confront us: What is the source of our identity? Where should our attachments and loyalties lie? If our identity or identities so impel us, how – and with whom – should we come together? What is the nature of the bonds that bring us together? And how does such self-understanding give rise to the formation of individual and societal goals?

The organisation and direction of human affairs is inextricably connected to the future evolution of our identity. For it is from our identity that intention, action and social development flow. As we have many associational linkages, identity comes in a variety of forms. We identify ourselves by our family, ethnicity, nationality, religion, mother tongue, race, gender, class, culture or profession. There are multiple demands of loyalty placed upon us, and consequently, our identities, as Nobel laureate Amatrya Sen has noted, are “inescapably plural.”But which identity or identities are most important? Can divergent identities be reconciled? And do these identities enhance or limit our understanding of and engagement with the world?

Modernity has transformed identity in such a way that we must view ourselves as being not only dependent or independent but also interdependent. We need to determine conceptual and practical steps that will lead to an equitable and harmonious global order. This will require new models of social transformation that recognise the deep interrelationship between the material, ethical and transcendent dimensions of life. Such models can emerge only from a fundamental change in consciousness about who we are, how we regard others and how we collectively design the structures and processes of social life, whether local or global.

From a Bahá’í perspective, a universal identity is a vital precursor to action that is universal in its effects – to the “emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture.” In emphasizing our global identity, Bahá’u’lláh presents a concept ;that insists upon a redefinition of all human relationships – between individuals, between human society and the natural world, between the individual and the community, and between individual citizens and their governing institutions.

Diwali sweet recipes: Kheer, Sandesh

Celebrate the festival of lights without the calorie pile up.

Diwali and sweets are inseparable and every dessert dish is laden with sugar. However, using jaggery or honey in place of sugar can give the necessary sweetness without the extra calories that come with sugar. Here are two quick and popular recipes you can make at home without a potential risk of diabetes.

Kheer – This is a traditional Indian dessert and a favourite especially during festivals.

Ingredients: 1 litre milk, 100 gm rice, 500 gm jaggery (approx), 10 gm each of raisins and cashew nuts

Method: First, break the jaggary into small pieces and soak it in a bowl of warm milk. Boil the rest of the milk in a large vessel and add the rice to it after washing it with water. Keep stirring rigorously while the stove is on medium flame. Let the milk reduce to half its volume, this means the rice is well cooked and not crunchy. Now add the jaggery and warm milk mixture and blend well. Add dry fruits to it at least 10 minutes before taking it off the fire. Cover with a lid and let it cool down. Garnish with some of the dry fruits and serve.

Sandesh – Primarily an East Indian delicacy, this dessert has increasingly gained popularity among sweet lovers across India.

Ingridients: 1 litre milk, the juice of 1 lemon, 500 gm jaggary (grind it into dust), 10 gm pistachio and almond for flavouring, handful of cashew nuts

Method: Heat the milk in a large vessel and when it starts boiling, add the lime juice and let the milk turn into fresh curd cheese or chhena. Mash it till the mixture becomes soft. Add cinnamon powder, jaggary, pistachios and almonds and mix well. Cut the mixture into small squares using moulds. Let it set in the fridge and serve, garnished with cashew nuts.

iPhone 5 a success, but is Apple losing its sheen?

NEW YORK: Apple, the world’s biggest and perhaps most admired company, seems to have lost some of its luster.
Despite the hugely successful launch of the iPhone 5 and iPad mini tablet, shares in the California tech giant have slid some 20 percent from all-time highs, and analysts are questioning whether Apple remains the leader in “innovation.”

A flubbed mobile maps programme and a major shakeup in key management have also tarnished the image of the firm that had seemed nearly invincible just months earlier.

A more competitive landscape for mobile phones and tablets, including the surge in devices using the Google Android operating system, have also changed the outlook for Apple.

Last month, Apple parted ways with Scott Forstall, the executive in charge of mobile software, following embarrassments over its glitch-ridden maps programme, as well as John Browett, who headed Apple’s real-world shops.

Some analysts say the company lacks the vision and commitment to excellence after the death last year of its admired chief Steve Jobs.

Apple stock hit a record high above $700 in September, but have since slumped more than 20 percent to $547.06 on Friday.

“Investors are confused and have lost faith in Apple management,” said Trip Chowdhry, analyst at Global Equities Research.

“Apple today is not as customer centric as it used to be, and the rate of innovation is declining when the rate of innovation of competitors has dramatically risen.”

Others argue that it is too soon to say Apple has peaked.

Charles Golvin at Forrester Research said that in a season filled with product launches from Amazon, Motorola, Nokia and others, Apple has been able “to exert a superior gravitational pull on its customers and partners than its competitors.”

And Forrester’s Sarah Rotman Epps said Apple “is entering the 2012 holiday season with its strongest product lineup ever, with wider retail distribution than it has ever had.

“Apple is already leading every game it plays. But these products will maintain Apple’s momentum,” she added.

Yet Apple has lost market share both in the tablet market, which it created with the iPad, and in smartphones.

Research firm IDC said Apple held a 50.4 percent of the tablet market in the third quarter from more than 65 percent in the second quarter, as rivals like Amazon and Google gained in the growing market.

IDC’s Tom Mainelli said many consumers interested in buying a tablet “sat out the third quarter” waiting for the new iPad mini.

“We expect Apple to have a very good quarter. However, we believe the mini’s relatively high $329 starting price leaves plenty of room for Android vendors to build upon the success they achieved in the third quarter,” Mainelli said.

In smartphones, it was a similar story with Android grabbing 75 percent of the market and the Samsung Galaxy S III getting the crown as the world’s top selling smartphone, based on surveys.

IDC said Apple’s smartphone market share slipped to 14.9 percent in the third quarter from 16.9 percent the prior period.

Even though the figures came as Apple launched the iPhone 5 — which combined with the iPhone 4S, outsold the Samsung flagship — the news was sobering for the Cupertino, California firm.

Many analysts remain bullish on Apple and say the recent stock slump is nothing to fret over.

“The sell-off in Apple’s stock in recent weeks has spooked investors but this correction is similar to the three others experienced over the past 13 months, all of which proved to be attractive buying opportunities,” said Brian White at Topeka Capital Markets.

Gregori Volokhine of the investment firm Meeschaert said one problem for investors is that Apple, because of its huge success in recent years, has become the largest holding for nearly every investment fund in the US and elsewhere.

That means any move is likely to be amplified as investors follow the trend.

“Having too much of one stock means portfolio managers will sell on declines to reduce exposure,” Volokhine said. “It’s a vicious circle.”

Bring back the dhoti to your wardrobe

Dhoti, a traditional Indian garment meant for men, is in vogue and how. But, this time, it is the women who are hotting it up.

The classic Indian dhoti is being revived by many Indian designers in contemporary designs, and it’s no surprise to see the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha, Genelia D’ Souza, Prateik and Kiran Rao donning its modern version — the dhoti pants!

Reinventing Indian culture
Mumbai-based Masaba Gupta, one of those who has worked extensively on the garment, says that her whole design aesthetic is about reviving Indian culture and that’s why this was a natural step for her. She adds, “Why do we need to be inspired by western designs when we have so much here! Angarkhas, anarkali, dhotis… we just need to modify them a bit and they are ready for a modern avatar. I have designed a dhoti jumpsuit with t-shirt on top and dhoti below… it’s a one-piece creation!”

Designer Payal Singhal, who is also known for her innovative take on dhotis adds, “My recent fashion week collection was inspired by the many adivasi tribes of India and their culture. Dhotis are a traditional Indian silhouette — you can play with the proportions of the design. You can also play around with the tops and accessories to change the look according to the look that you are aiming for.”

But, of the many kinds of bottoms in trend right now, how does one differentiate between a harem pant, a patiala salwar and a dhoti pant? Clarifies Masaba, “The placing of the pleats on the pants distinguishes a dhoti from a patiala or a harem. They belong to the same family though and look more or less similar.”

She goes on to explain, “The construction of the harem is slightly different though. The pleats are generally placed waist-down to mid-thigh on the front. The patiala salwar utilises a lot of fabric. The patiala salwar also balloons up below the knee and adds volume or ghera to the silhouette. Also, harem pants are most commonly available in fabrics such as lycra, stretch and are thus, flimsier than dhoti pants, which are generally stitched and preferred in stiffer, starchy fabrics.” Dhoti pants can also camouflage excess weight, while a harem pant can cling to your body, exposing unnecessary bulges.”

Payal seconds Masaba’s opinion and says, “Pleating in different areas makes the difference. For dhotis, the pleating is done inside of the leg. The bottom part of the three silhouettes is also different. Middle-Eastern harems are elasticised and tighter at the bottom. The patiala salwar is wider at the end.”

Shape appropriate?
Contrary to popular opinion, dhotis are not shape-appropriate. They work for petite women as they add volume to the body and they also work for curvier women, if you alter the shape a bit. Masaba’s tulip-shaped dhoti pants grip the body well, thus not adding excess volume to the lower body. They are tailor made for pear-shaped bodies, which most Indian women possess. On the waist, you could wear a belt in the front to stylise it which will make you look slender. Don’t go for elastic in front of the pants as the pants will end up looking like pyjamas. The elastic should be used around the waist on the back. Wearing an A-line fitted top or a kurta will also make you look slimmer.

Benefits
As Payal rightly points out, dhotis can easily replace your jeans and leggings! You can’t wear a short top with your leggings but you can afford to wear one on dhotis. Besides, dhotis are travel-friendly and look great on flats, mojadis, gladiators and even regular chappals!

Styling it well
You can also dress it up wth a semi-formal top, statement jewellery and heels for a dinner date. For a casual outing, girls can pair it with a ganji, like Priyanka Chopra did recently! A stole or a jacket with a tank top also works, and so do chunky bangles . If your dhoti has prints on it, avoid jewellery. Go for light coloured tops.

For the guys
Some time ago, actor Prateik was seen sporting Masaba’s signature dhoti pants on the ramp and his swagger added oodles to the look. Adds Masaba, “Guys can wear a nice long shirt, bandhgala jacket, shirt and a blazer on top of a dhoti.”

So, are you ready to add this Indian outfit to your wardrobe, now?

Quick tips
– Don’t wear baggy tops or you will look like big box, since dhotis add volume too
– Length is very important. Dhotis should be ankle-length when worn without heels — they shouldn’t touch the floor. Anything shorter or longer is not flattering.
– A stole or a jacket can help style your look
– Go for stiffer fabrics like crepe instead of lycra
– If you are going for stripes on your dhotis, go for vertical ones. They elongate your legs. -Make up should be done according to the colours you wear; if your clothes are brighter and louder, go for nude make up and vice versa
– Don’t go for elastic in front of the pants as your they will end up looking like pyjamas

Gujarat tops states in number of Muslim policemen

NEW DELHI: Gujarat, which faced one of the worst anti-Muslim riots in the country barely 10 years ago, has emerged as the state with the largest number of Muslim cops posted in police stations, beating states with a higher proportion of the community in their population.

The data, shared by the home ministry in response to an RTI query filed by TOI, shows that 10.6% of Gujarat’s cops posted in police stations are Muslims. This is higher than the proportion of Muslims in the state’s population, which is 9.1% (2001 census).

The state has 5,021 cops from the community out of a total of 47,424 in its 501 police stations. On an average, Gujarat has 10 Muslim cops per police station — higher than any other state which shared data with the Centre.

The trend comes to light at a time when most states have failed to implement a key recommendation of the Sachar Committee report, suggesting that more Muslim cops be in police stations to build confidence among the community.

Assam and Kerala, home to a much larger chunk of Muslims, have a higher percentage of the community in their police forces. But Gujarat has higher number of Muslim cops. Along with Odisha, it is the only state where the percentage of Muslims in the police force is higher than in the general population.

The list includes 17 states and six Union Territories (UTs) and leaves out states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (where Muslim population is 10% or more), which did not share data with the home ministry despite several reminders.

Gujarat has 5,021 Muslim police personnel in its 501 police stations compared to 2,210 Muslim cops in 451 police stations in Kerala, 2,048 in 525 police stations in West Bengal, 930 in 773 police stations in Rajasthan and 616 in 417 police stations in Jharkhand.

Absence of data from 11 states and one UT (Puducherry) may spare them from being scrutinized at this juncture by the Centre but not sharing figures of Muslim cops may itself raise a question mark over these states’ commitment to implement the Sachar committee recommendations.

TOI had sought information under the transparency law in the context of the home ministry’s missive to states reminding them about implementing Sachar panel’s recommendations on posting a minimum of one Muslim inspector or sub-inspector in police stations which catered to a sizeable number of the minority community. This, the committee said, should be done “not eliminate discrimination but as an initiative to build confidence”.

The ministry also sought details of action taken by the states in this regard on a half-yearly basis.

The Sachar committee, constituted on March 9, 2005 under the chairmanship of Justice Rajinder Sachar to prepare a comprehensive report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India, had submitted its findings in November 2006.

Union home ministry’s data on Muslim police personnel as on October 16, 2012:

1. No. of Muslim police personnel who are posted in ‘police stations’ (top six states):

Gujarat – 5021

Assam – 2210

Kerala – 2210

West Bengal – 2048

Tamil Nadu – 1206

Rajasthan — 930

2. Share (percentage) of Muslim personnel in total number of cops in ‘police stations’

Assam – 21.5%

Kerala – 11.6%

Gujarat – 10.6%

West Bengal – 8.4%

Jharkhand – 6.4%

Rajasthan – 3.9%

3. Proportion of Muslim population in these states (2001 Census data)

Assam – 30.9%

West Bengal – 25.2%

Kerala – 24.7%

Jharkhand – 13.8%

Gujarat – 9.1%

Rajasthan – 8.5%

4. Proportion of Muslim population to total population of India (2001 Census data) – 13.4%

5. Eleven states – UP, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh – have not shared data with the home ministry