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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG F1 Safety Car Unveiled
When the new Formula-1 season gets underway in Manama/Bahrain (12-14 March 2010), it will mark the debut of the most spectacular and powerful Official F1TM Safety Car of all time. The job of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which will be launched on 27 March 2010, is to ensure maximum safety in Formula 1. The “gullwing” model replaces the SL 63 AMG, which was used as the Official F1TM Safety Car in 2008 and 2009. As in the last two years, the C 63 AMG Estate will be used as the Official F1TM Medical Car for the coming season. For 14 years AMG has continuously provided the Official F1TM Safety Car and the Official F1TM Medical Car in the top flight of international motorsport.
A.R. Rahman’s Top 5
A.R. Rahman’s name is recognized worldwide! His humble beginnings and passion for music have led him to dominate the charts, win many prestigious awards, and gain international acclaim.
A.R. Rahman began his career creating music for Tollywood. He then went to Bollywood and this year he dominated Hollywood, walking home with two Grammys.
But despite his Hollywood success, A.R. Rahman continues to compose for Bollywood films, so let’s take a look at A.R. Rahman’s top 5 Hindi soundtracks to this date.
In 1995 Urmila scorched the screens with her sexy moves in “Rangeela.” Of course Urmila was moving to the sounds of A.R. Rahman. Urmila plays the role of Mili who hopes to become an actress. The soundtrack for “Rangeela” was actually A.R. Rahman’s Hindi debut.
Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala starred in “Dil Se.” The movie told a unique story and was shot beautifully. It was also Priety Zinta’s theatrical debut. The music, created by A.R. Rahman, was powerful and carried the story beautifully. One of A.R. Rahman’s most memorable songs is from this film. “Chaiyya Chaiyya” shows Shahrukh and Malaika Arora Khan dancing upon a train and just loving life.
“Taal” is a movie about a musical family, a daughter’s musical career, and a love saga! Aishwariya Rai Bachchan is our leading lady in this film, while Anil Kapoor is the supporting actor, and he went on to win three awards for his performance. With so much emotion and musical drive, who better than A.R. Rahman to compose the soundtrack? A.R. Rahman won three awards as well for his musical composition and singer Alka Yagnik won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback singer for “Taal Se Taal Mila.
“Lagaan” made Bollywood proud as it was nominated at the Oscars! Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh gave amazing performances. The story is set in the Victoria era. As the villagers at this time want to fight Britain’s imposed taxes, they settle their differences over a game of cricket. With a slightly traditional and once again moving force in the film, A.R. Rahman created a masterpiece! This folk soundtrack won A.R. Rahman another Filmfare award for his accomplishment and Kumar Sanu won the award for Best Male Playback singer for the song “Mitwa.” Check out this fun number.
A.R. Rahman won yet another Filmfare Award for his music direction for the film “Delhi 6” last weekend. Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor make a sweet couple in this movie. The soundtrack contains less dance and flowery number and more earthy and fold sounds. The songs “Gendha Phool” and “Masakalli” both caught on with music listeners despite its departure from the dance and urban sounds.
Istanbul: Ali Taptik
Istanbul is a 100km megalopolis that is home to almost 15 million people, doubling every decade. In 2007 there were 48 regeneration areas listed in Istanbul, which will result in the demolition of 1 million buildings, relocating huge numbers of people in order to make room for expensive residential developments and office and retails complexes.
Self-taught photographer and architecture graduate Ali Taptik has taken to the streets of his hometown to capture a city in flux. Here are images of the neighborhoods of Sulukule, Tarablasi, Gulensu-Gecekondu and the new high rise landscape in Atasehir. More…
Ayesha Thapar Maxim
Indian businesswoman Ayesha Thapar design the pages of men’s magazine Maxim India for the month of February 2010. Ayesha Thapar is well know personality in fashion world and known for her style and sense of designing. More…
Mysore #4: New York Times: The 31 Places To Go In 2010
1. Sri Lanka
For a quarter century, Sri Lanka seems to have been plagued by misfortune, including a brutal civil war between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority. But the conflict finally ended last May, ushering in a more peaceful era for this teardrop-shaped island off India’s coast, rich in natural beauty and cultural splendors.
The island, with a population of just 20 million, feels like one big tropical zoo: elephants roam freely, water buffaloes idle in paddy fields and monkeys swing from trees. And then there’s the pristine coastline. The miles of sugary white sand flanked by bamboo groves that were off-limits to most visitors until recently are a happy, if unintended byproduct of the war.
Among the most scenic, if difficult stretches to reach, is Nilaveli Beach in the Tamil north. While a few military checkpoints remain, vacationers can lounge on poolside hammocks under palm trees or snorkel in its crystal-clear waters. Or they can order cocktails at the Nilaveli Beach Hotel (www.tangerinehotels.com/nilavelibeach), a collection of recently renovated bungalows with private terraces.
An international airport in Matara, on the island’s southern shore, is under construction, which will make the gorgeous beaches near the seaside village of Galle easier to get to. Decimated by the tsunami in 2004, the surrounding coastline is now teeming with stylish guesthouses and boutique hotels.
Unawatuna, a crescent-shaped beach a few miles south of Galle, may be furthest along. Higher-end hotels there include Thambapanni Retreat (www.thambapanni.biz), which features four-poster beds, yoga and an ayurvedic spa. The Sun House (www.thesunhouse.com), in Galle, looks like a place where the Queen of England might stay, with its mango courtyard and colonial décor. One stylish place tucked within Galle’s city walls is the Galle Fort Hotel (www.galleforthotel.com), a refurbished gem merchant’s house run by a couple of Aussies. — Lionel Beehner
2. Patagonia Wine Country
Ten years ago, a group of adventurous winemakers set their sights on an Argentine valley called San Patricio del Chañar, an unusually fertile and eerily beautiful corner of Patagonia. They plowed, planted and waited. The outcome? A blossoming wine country with delicious pinot noirs and malbecs and smartly designed wineries.
One of the area’s pioneers, the 2,000-acre Bodega del Fin del Mundo (www.bodegadelfindelmundo.com), which works with the influential wine consultant Michel Rolland, is racking up international medals for its complex merlot, cabernet and malbec blends. And NQN (bodeganqn.com.ar), which is associated with the Argentine oenologist Roberto de la Mota, has seen its 2006 Colección NQN Malbec get 92 points from Wine Enthusiast. Nearby is the new Valle Perdido winery (www.valleperdido.com.ar), which includes an 18-room resort surrounded by vineyards. At the spa, ask for antioxidant wine-infused treatments. — Paola Singer
3. Seoul
Forget Tokyo. Design aficionados are now heading to Seoul.
They have been drawn by the Korean capital’s glammed-up cafes and restaurants, immaculate art galleries and monumental fashion palaces like the sprawling outpost of Milan’s 10 Corso Como and the widely noted Ann Demeulemeester store — an avant-garde Chia Pet covered in vegetation.
And now Seoul, under its design-obsessed mayor, Oh Se-hoon, is the 2010 World Design Capital. The title, bestowed by a prominent council of industrial designers, means a year’s worth of design parties, exhibitions, conferences and other revelries. Most are still being planned (go to wdc2010.seoul.go.kr for updates). A highlight will no doubt be the third annual Seoul Design Fair (Sept. 17 to Oct. 7), the city’s answer to the design weeks in Milan and New York, which last year drew 2.5 million people and featured a cavalcade of events under two enormous inflatable structures set up at the city’s Olympic stadium. — Aric Chen
4. Mysore
You’ve completed 200 hours of teacher training, mastered flying crow pose and even spent a week at yoga surf camp. What’s next? Yogis seeking transcontinental bliss head these days to Mysore, the City of Palaces, in southern India.
The yogi pilgrimage was sparked by Ashtanga yoga, a rigorous sweat-producing, breath-synchronized regimen of poses popularized by the beloved Krishna Pattabhi Jois, who died at 94 in 2009. Mr. Jois’s grandson is now director of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (www.kpjayi.org). First month’s tuition is 27,530 rupees, or $600 at 46 rupees to the dollar. Classes generally require a one-month commitment.
Too much time or money? Mysore’s yoga boom now has shalas catering to every need. Off the mat, the yoga tribe hobnobs at Anu’s Bamboo Hut or the Regaalis Hotel pool, studies Sanskrit, gets an ayurveda treatment or tours the maharaja’s palace. — Mary Billard
Lindsay Lohan In India & Against Child Trafficking
Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan, who has escaped from controversies back home to do something worthwhile in India, claims to have saved ‘40 children within one day’s work’ in the country. The Hollywood starlet is in India for a documentary on women and child trafficking in India for the BBC. The actress posted comments to producer Cash Warren on the social networking site Twitter: “Over 40 children saved so far.. Within one day’s work. This is what life is about.. Doing THIS is a life worth living”.
Later on she ‘twittered’: “Oh, and I’m talking about being in India, focusing on celebrities and lies is so disconcerting, when we can be changing the world one child at a time.. hope everyone can see that.”
“Traffiking is a big issue here, I’m what I can, and I will continue to do so as long as life when time permits it. Time to bring focus to the things that need help in life, never to late to start helping others, however u can, keep telling people about what’s going on in all 2nd and 3rd world countries and people will want to help too.”
Meanwhile, Indians are not far behind in showing concern for the actress. Hindu statesman, Rajan Zed has advised Lindsay Lohan, to take a dip in the holy Ganges so that the Mean Girls star can “rediscover herself”.
“Lindsay Lohan should rediscover herself by taking a dip in the holy Ganges. It is believed that bathing in the sacred Ganges purifies one of all sin and its waters confer immortality”, said Rajan Zed.
Rahul Dravid: Underrated or Under Played?
At a Thai restaurant in Islamabad, after the first day’s play in the final Test in 2004, Rahul Dravid politely declined to stay for dessert, saying he needed to sleep because he had to bat the “whole day tomorrow”. Not early, not in the morning; the whole day.
It led to a few involuntary sniggers at the dinner table, but Dravid had chosen his words carefully. Ten not out overnight, he was unbeaten on 134 when stumps were drawn the following evening. And then, for good measure, he batted almost the whole of the next day as well, finishing on a career-best 270. It wasn’t the most attractive knock, and not nearly his most fluent — in fact, at 12 hours and 20 minutes it was the longest innings by an Indian player ever — but Dravid had ensured, almost single-handedly, that India won their first Test series in Pakistan. More…
Leica Meets Hermes, M7
A special collaboration between Leica and Hermès; the Leica M7 Edition Hermès -Already huge fans of the classic retro design of the M series, these new limited edition 35mm cameras up the ante. Coming in silver chrome with 2 calfskin leather Hermès colorways (orange and brown), they’re delivered in a silk-lined box and are finished with an Atelier Hermès matching leather strap. Only 100 models of each colorway will be produced, and even with their hefty price-tag of $14,000US, we’re pretty sure they’ll be tough to get your hands on.
Mumbai’s 8 Sided Skyscraper
You might have blinked and missed it, but currently under construction in the Indian city of Mumbai is a new 320 metre tall residential tower with the Bondesque name, Palais Royale.
With an octagonal floorplate that dictates the overall appearance of the tower and follows through Vastu philosophy, the scheme has a white Corian clad frame with balconies and recessed floor to ceiling glazing behind it.
Designed by Talathy and Panthaki, the Corian cladding was specifically chosen because it resembles marble, but without the weight and needless to say, the cost.
Thanks to the girth on show, the development looks surprisingly short for a 320 metre tall tower, something that is further magnified by the fact that not every floor is marked. Rather it’s a case that the external frame shows off double height glazing as well as individual levels making it appear rather shorter from some angles than the 66 storeys it reaches.
Despite the copious amounts of glazing, due to the wind-flow in and around the building that gets particularly strong during the monsoon season, not all apartments will have windows that open meaning they will have a number of other facilities fitted to compensate include ionisers.
The building is already under construction and is being built by Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Ltd who aim for a 2010 finished, something that is quite ambitious as its concrete frame has reached less than a third of its height.
Burj Dubai Delayed Again, Emirate Bidding on 2020 Olympics
It is said that all good things must come to an end, but we figure that “good” can also be replaced with “tacky,” “strange,” or “just plain bad” and still remain applicable. So it is in Dubai where it appears that the end of the absurd building boom there has begun to come to an end (or at least slow to a pace more suitable to common sense). Following a recent plunge in Dubai’s economic markets, layoffs have swept through the many development firms and projects have been placed on immediate hold. So it looks like we won’t get to look forward to many more iPod towers or dynamic buildings by highly suspect doctors anymore.
Adrian Smith’s Burj Dubai tower might be the tallest building in the world, but what use is the title if no one can even enter it? A while back, we’d heard that the Burj was set to open in September. Then that was moved back to early December. And now the latest update puts its opening on January 4th, delayed to help mark the anniversary of Dubai’s ruler’s appointment as head of the emirate. Given their track record, we’re not going to hold our breath. In other Dubai news, despite what has seemed like a total collapse of their economy, with construction stopping and developers fleeing and the aforementioned ruler of the emirate calling for massive investigations into bounced checks, Dubai has announced that they will begin discussing putting in a bid for the 2020 Olympics. Seems like maybe not the wisest move, considering all the troubles they’ve had over this past year and a half, but they certainly do have ample lodging available…..
The Bhopal Tragedy, 25 Years Later
THE rickshaw driver pulls in to the side of the road to allow us to take shelter from torrential rain. There, under a shop’s awning, a small crowd is waiting for the weather to break. The group includes Sapna Sharma and her brother-in-law, Sanjay. Sanjay is holding his 18-month-old nephew, Anshul, who has kohl-rimmed eyes and silver bracelets on his ankles.
As we stand talking, some of the people start pointing to the child’s hands and feet while speaking animatedly to us in Hindi, and then Sapna explains through our translator that her son was born with 12 toes and 12 fingers. More…
A Look Into Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Designed by Hermann Tilke, the architect behind many of the recent grand prix circuits, including in neighboring Bahrain, the Yas Marina Circuit is 3.4 miles long and has 21 turns. “It looks like it will be quite a demanding circuit for the drivers as there are over 20 corners in the lap — and some of them look very challenging,” said the Renault driver Fernando Alonso earlier in the week. Alonso and the other drivers got their first on-track taste of Yas Marina during practice this morning.
BBC Sport has a great 3-D animation of Yas Marina Circuit here.