If This Doesn't, Nothing Will Do.

Smokers are obstinate bunch.No matter how much you try to counsel them, your advice always seems to saying a secret on deaf man's ear.No matter How many time they promise to quit, they go back to their habit of smoking every time without fail.Every Smokers know the perils of smoking, but they choose to ignore them.

The guys from  Cancer Patients and Association (CPAA) wanted to give smokers a not-so-gentle remainder about the dangers of smoking.They noticed that cigarettes are usually sold loose in India.And Hence, most of shops come with installed electric lighters.So they decided the use of lighter itself as medium to communicate their message to smokers; "Smokers die young".

What does it(lighter) says which haunt the smokers . Watch the above video to find out.


                             

Thailand bans 'Tropico 5' computer game

Censors under Thailand's military junta have banned a city-building simulation computer game, saying it could hurt the country's security, a video game distributor has said.

The film and video censorship office blocked sales of "Tropico 5" because they feared "some part of its content might affect peace and order in the country," New Era Thailand marketing manager Nonglak Sahavattanapong said.

She said the office, part of the Culture Ministry's cultural promotion department, did not provide any further explanation in a written statement received by the distributor.

The office did not immediately reply to a request from The Associated Press for comment.

"Tropico 5" is the latest version of a game released by Kalypso Media. It allows players to play the role of a president of a tropical island, draft a constitution and manage the country, with the option of controlling the media and ruling as an iron-fisted dictator.

Thailand has been under a military dictatorship since May 22, when soldiers overthrew a civilian government in a coup. The junta has issued several edits that critics say infringe on media freedom and free speech.

"Actually it's a good game with positive reviews. We've had licenses to distribute Tropico 3 and 4 before, but in the fifth installment, the story line has developed further and there might be some part of it that's not appropriate in the current situation" in Thailand, Nonglak said.

She said the company will not appeal the decision.

Thailand's censors target a wide range of political and social issues. They blur out cigarettes and alcohol on television and crack down on scenes deemed immoral, pornographic, or critical of the monarchy.

Last year, the film board banned a documentary about the country's long-running border dispute with neighboring Cambodia as a threat to national security. In 2012, it banned a Thai adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," saying it could cause divisiveness among the people.

Israeli Procedure Reignites Old Debate

It was one of the bloodiest episodes in the just-ended conflict in Gaza. 

Less than 90 minutes into a temporary truce last Friday that was supposed to have ended the fighting, Hamas fighters emerged from a tunnel and ambushed an Israeli unit, killing two soldiers and snatching a third, prompting the Israeli army to pursue the captors and unleash a barrage of artillery and airstrikes on a heavily populated section of the southern border town of Rafah. 

When it was over, 120 Palestinians were dead, along with the captured soldier. 

It was one of the rare invocations of the Israeli military's "Hannibal procedure," one of its most dreaded and contentious directives, which allows commanders to call in extra troops and air support to use maximum force to recapture a lost soldier. Its most ominous clause states that the mission is to prevent the captors from getting away with their captives, even at the risk of harming or endangering the lives of the captured Israeli soldiers. 

In last Friday's episode in Rafah, it appears unlikely that the Hannibal procedure caused the fatal injury of the missing soldier, 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was later declared killed in action. 

Still, its use has reignited debate about the decades-old directive, which was long kept hidden from the general public by military censorship and is rarely discussed in Israel. Captured Israeli soldiers are a valuable and highly sought prize for Hamas, which held one such soldier, Gilad Shalit, for five years. It ultimately traded him for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of them convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis. 

But there is increasing reluctance to continue the practice of trading so many prisoners for captive soldiers, with critics arguing that each lopsided deal only encourages future abductions. Military service is compulsory for almost all young Israelis, making the return of captured soldiers an even more emotionally and politically weighted issue. 

The deaths of 1,800 people in Gaza, including many women and children, as well as the overwhelming physical destruction, have exposed Israel to sharp international condemnation, with the Rafah assault drawing particular scrutiny. 

Brig. Gen. Michael Edelstein, the commander of the Gaza division, said Thursday in a telephone briefing that most of the casualties in Rafah had occurred in the first hours after Hamas fighters "tried to kidnap our officer and bring him into civilian places." But he said that the forces had targeted "terror sites," not civilians. 

The Hannibal edict was drawn up by three senior officers in Israel's northern command in the 1980s after two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

"We understood that when it comes to kidnapping, there should be a very clear order so that ordinary soldiers on the ground should not have to hesitate and make their own assumptions," said Yaakov Amidror, a retired Israeli general, former national security adviser, and one of the authors of the directive as a colonel in the northern command from 1986 to 1989. 

The name Hannibal, recalling the Carthaginian military commander who poisoned himself rather than fall into the hands of the Romans, suggests a shocking act of self-sacrifice. But Amidror says it was chosen randomly and has no real significance. 

"Morally, it's a big question: What can you do or not do to prevent a kidnapping?" Amidror said. "The order was that you have to do all you can, including risking - not killing - the soldier." 

If a captive soldier is known to be in a certain vehicle, Amidror said, it is permissible to fire a tank shell toward the engine of the car. "You for sure risk the life of the soldier, but you don't intend to kill him," he said. 

Asked whether it was morally acceptable to risk a soldier's life in this way, Amidror said: "You know, war is very controversial. Soldiers have to know there are many risks in the battlefield, and this is one of them." 

But for some Israelis, the practice is unacceptable. 

"The procedure is morally flawed," said Emanuel Gross of Haifa University, an expert in military law and a former military judge. "We have no right to risk the life of a soldier only to avoid the payment for his return from captivity." 

Instead, Gross said, Israel ought to stand more firmly against the inflated demands of the captors. 

Still, officials and experts said they could not recall a case in which the Hannibal procedure was activated and a captive soldier was hurt. 

When three Israeli soldiers were snatched by Hezbollah along the Lebanese border in 2000, attack helicopters were dispatched with orders to shoot at any vehicle trying to leave a nearby Lebanese village, according to Ronen Bergman, an Israeli journalist specializing in security affairs who has contributed to The New York Times Magazine, who documented the case in his book "By Any Means Necessary: Israel's Covert War for Its POWs and MIAs." 

But from the radio talk and testimonies of pilots, Bergman said in an interview, the order "was not followed, at least not strictly." 

"I think the helicopter pilots were very cautious," he said. 

Amidror said he had been appointed by the chief of staff to investigate what happened in 2000. "In this case, there was no problem to resolve, because nobody was there to take any action to stop the kidnapping," he said, adding that the helicopters came in too late and "didn't identify any relevant target." 

After an investigation, the Israeli authorities pronounced the three soldiers dead in 2001. Their remains were returned to Israel in 2004 as part of a prisoner exchange. 

Some of the details of what happened in Rafah remain murky. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, still could not say, a week later, whether the Hamas fighters had included a suicide bomber, or whether Goldin, 23, had been killed in the initial attack. 

"We know he was at least wounded," Lerner said, based on the evidence later found at and near the scene. 

The Hamas attackers dragged Goldin with them back into the tunnel. A few minutes later, a fellow soldier who has been identified only by his first name, as Lt. Eitan, secured permission from a senior commander to enter the tunnel in pursuit with two other soldiers. 

They were too late. There was no contact or engagement between the soldiers who entered the tunnel and the captors, Lerner said. But he said some evidence found in the tunnel later helped the military determine that Goldin could not have survived the initial attack. He was declared killed in action by late Saturday night. 

Reached by telephone on Thursday, one of Goldin's relatives said the family was not ready to answer questions about his death.

The Dark Is Beautiful .

Oprah was in the House. And Kerry Washington.
Days before the Academy Awards, Actress Lupita Nyong'o addressed the Black Women in the Hollywood luncheon with a speech that has become viral.The Oscar-Winning star of "12 Years A Slave" read a letter from her young fan, and entered into conversation that has gone on for centuries.

It goes like this, "Dear Lupita, 'I think you're really lucky to be this balck but yet this successful in hollywood overnight.'And she went on to say that I was just about to buy Dencia's Whitenicious cream to lighten my skin when you appeared on the World map to save me."

The actress went on to address her own anguish growing up, at having dark skin and perhaps more importanly, how she eventually cast off "the seduction of inadequancy" and came to embrace darkness.
Nyong'o wrote in the latest chapter in a long story, says Nina Jablonski, the author of Living color:The biological and social Meaning of Skin color.

"Skin lightners were created in reconstruction era United states,"she said."y former slaves who wanted to have lighter skins so that they will be socially accepted and would get a better job and living and not to be discriminated against as much as with the dark skin."

A $20 BIllion industry

That's not quite how things worked out. Skin lightners started out in US but moved to sub-Saharan Africa,then East and South Asia. It is estimated that by 2018,global Sales of lightners will hit $20billion.

Jablonski thinks the country with biggest skin color fixation is South africa, but India comes in second place.And all you need to do is walk into an Indian supermarket such as Panel Brothers in Queens to see the amazing selection of skin lightners.

On a recent morning,Dilshad Jiwani was leaving with some purchases, including a bottle of Fair and Lovely, the world's number on ebrand of skin lightner, according to the company, used by one in 10 women globaly.

It makes me feel younger, said Jiwani,who's been using the cream for past 20 years, along with her mother and now, her Daughter.

People look at you differently when your dark especially in America,so we're treated badly.So i want to look fairer too.

Skin Color in Popular Culture

That can beobserved in different ways, including the evolcation of skin color in popular music, from James Brown's "I'm Black and I'm Proud" to D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" and Eric Benet's "Chocolate Legs".

The same cant be said for India,however. Within Matrimonial ads in newspaper or online, for instance, people regularly pitch themselves(or their daughters) on the basis of their "fair" skin.

Indian actress and activist Nandita Das is the spokesperson for the Dark is Beautiful,a five year old campaign, and says the mass media constantly drives home the gospel of light skin.


"Every as is saying if you're not fair you can't get a job, you can't get lover,you can't get a husband.You are just not good enough."

Indian stars like shah rukh khan and Surya shivakumar often play along, by endorsing Fair and lovely and related products, often in ads that highlight the woes of an aspiring actor, struggling and pathetic until they undergo the transformative powers of a lightner.

And in countless Bollywood songs,the favoured term of endearment is "gori", which means Fair skinned-girl.

Nandita Das along with Vishakha Singh (pugal kanna Laddu thinna aasaiya) has campaigned that dark is lovely ,which aims at removing the obsession with the Fair skin that most Indians seem to be fixated.

Chetan Bhagat Unveils his next book 'Half Girlfriend', Site Crashes

Author Chetan bhagat's site crashed on Tuesday after he released his new creation 'Half Girlfriend' on it.

"The first chapter of Half Girlfriend is on my site. Unfortunately, it has crashed due to traffic and will be up soon. Will share link then," Mr Bhagat tweeted and subsequently revealed the first chapter of Half Girlfriend on his facebook page.click here to go to his facebook page.
Chetan Bhagat's new creation Half Girlfriend is due to be released mid-October this year, according to e-commerce retailer Flipkart.
The books costs Rs. 149 and can be pre-ordered on Flipkart. Flipkart is offering a 15 per cent discount on the maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs. 176.
Mr Bhagat also tweeted a youtube teaser of the book.click here to watch the promo.
Within an hour of Mr Bhagat posting the first chapter of Half Girlfriend on his Facebook page it had received more than 2,000 likes and over 300 shares.
The 280-page book is being published by Rupa Publication India.
Prologue of the story:It is a rural-urban love story about a boy from Bihar falling for an English-educated Delhi girl.Once upon a time there was a Bihari boy called Madhav. He fell in love with a girl called Riya. Madhav didn’t speak English well. Riya did Madhav wanted a relationship. Riya didn’t.
Riya wanted just friendship. Madhav didn’t. Riya suggested a compromise.
She agreed to be his half-girlfriend.
Welcome to Half-Girlfriend, a rural-urban love story like none other. Because to make love exist between classes, many battles need to be won.
From the author of blockbuster novels Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, 2 States and Revolution 2020 comes a beautiful, simple love story that will inspire you and touch your heart.
To know more about Chetan Bhagat and his books click here

Commuters Lift Train to Free Man Whose Leg Was Trapped

 Dozens of Australians tilted a train Wednesday to free a commuter whose leg was trapped between a carriage and a platform, with authorities praising their efforts as an example of "people power".

The man was boarding in the Western Australia city of Perth when he slipped and became jammed in the five-centimeter (0.4-inch) gap between the carriage and the station, operator Transperth said in a statement.

Passengers were initially told to move to the opposite side of the train in the hope their weight would shift it away from his leg, a passenger who gave his name as Nic told The West Australian newspaper.

But when that failed, staff told commuters to get off the train and about 50 of them lined up in a row along the platform to tilt the carriage away from the man so he could be lifted out.

"It is the first time we've seen something like this happen," Transperth spokeswoman Claire Krol told AFP.

"We were really fortunate that the staff were there straight away... and all of the passengers not only listened to the instructions from staff, but pitched in and helped.

"This is a real case of passengers of working together... and people power are the perfect words to describe it."

Transperth said the man was treated by paramedics but was able to catch a later train.

"The end result here is: really lucky for the man involved, but really nice as well to see that everyone came together as a community," Krol added.

GLASGOW : INDIAN OLYMPIC OFFICIALS ARRESTED .

Rajeev mehta who is alleged for drunken driving.

Glasgow : India stood tall and finished with bagging 15 Gold, 30 silver and 19 Bronze medals and stood at 5th positions at end of CommonWealth games. As we were busy enjoying our celebrations,  A shock news made us tremble in shame. India was left red-faced after Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta and Senior international wrestling refree Virender Malik were arrested in Glasgow on separate charges late on saturday night.

Mehta was arrested on charges of alleged drunken driving and Malik for sexual assault. Sports Minister Sonowal assures stern actions will be taken if officials found guilty.

Sources here told that both Mehta and Malik were not part of the Indian contingent but went to Glasgow in their respective official capacities.Mehta was allegedly driving without the License while returning from the party which was thrown by Gymnastics Federations of India to celebrate the Bronze medal won by Dipa Karmakar.Reports confirm that he was above the legal alcohol limit.Malik was allegedly involved in sexula assault in hotel in the west of Glasgow.

Indian Olympic Association president N Ramachandran said ,"At very outset let me clarify that Virender Malik(wrestling refree) was not travelling as a part of the IOA contingent, so it would not be appropriate for me to comment on him.As far as the secretary General is concerned, he is yet to be produced in court.so we will wait for the day.For the record, both were not staying in Games village. "

Indian high commision in London stated that they are closely monitoring the case.India's chef-de-mission Raj Singh termed the incident "shameful".

They were presented on court yesterday and were relieved of charges due to lack of evidences.Mehta reported for a private news channel that,"The facts have been misrepresented and I have been projected in false manner. I was not drunk and my test reports have all came negative. There is nothing in report to show that i was in drunken state. Iam thankful to court that they didn't accept the evidences that were put forward"

When asked about the incident,"I had came out from the party and was on my way to my hotel. Then the accident happened but it was not my fault.The girls who were inisde other car were driving on the wrong side of the road.There was nothing found on my reports and hence i was relieved of all charges framed against me"Mehta concluded.

But the question is why was he arrested for Drunken driving,if it was not his mistake. We all are well aware of our politicians and their way of dealing things .