Ludkan
Baba begins roll to Lahore
Jhansi (Madhya Pradesh): An Indian holy man, popularly
known as Ludkan Baba or the rolling seer, has set out on
a ground-hugging journey to Pakistan. The Baba is rolling
all the way to Lahore, nearly 1, 500 miles from his home
town of Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. "This unique procession
is for world peace and seeking an end to terrorism. I have
the blessings of the goddess, she has inspired me to take
on this journey," the Baba said in Jhansi. The Baba sometimes
rolls quickly and slowly at other times to break the monotony
of the long journey. Be it the monsoon rains or the desert
heat, through blisters and ecstacy, amid adoring crowds
and speeding traffic, the Baba just rolls on and on. During
the rolls, the Baba does not eat and only takes sips of
water or smokes an occasional cigarette.
Unpreturbed
by the many curious and often amazed remarks he evokes,
the Baba defends his rolling peace journey. "If buses and
trains can go, when cricketers can go then why can't Lotan
baba (rolling seer) can go. I have to reach Pakistan to
fulfil my vow," he said. Once in Lahore, he plans to meet
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to congratulate him
for the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan
and to persuade him to continue the crackdown on cross-border
infiltrators based in Pakistan. Ludkan Baba holds a world
record for rolling the longest distance when in 1994 he
rolled from Ratlam to the shrine of Vaishno Devi in Jammu,
a distance of 2,485 miles.
Pets
outnumber people in US (Go
To Top)
Washington:
Pets in America outnumber people by nearly 79 million,
a survey conducted here has found. According to the Daily
Times, the total population of the US is 290 million, while
that of pets has been estimated at 377.8 million by the
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. The breakdown
of the pets is: freshwater fish 185 million, cats 77.7 million,
dogs 65 million, birds 17.3 million, reptiles 9 million
and saltwater fish 7 million. One of the findings said that
the Americans spent 31 billion dollars on the care and feeding
of their pets in 2003, with 2.4 billion dollars spent on
professional grooming and boarding. Meanwhile, the first
similar survey conducted by the Association in 1988 had
found that 56 percent of households owned pets, a figure
that has since gone up by six percent.
Christina
Aguilera is getting married (Go
To Top)
London:
Pop princess Christina Aguilera, 22, is all set to marry
her sweetheart Jordan Bratman, 27, in the near future. According
to the Sun, Jordan proposed marriage to Christina and she
answered, "Yes, yes, because I love you". The sensational
news was leaked by Jordan's grandmother, Sally Bratman,
72. Sally said that Jordan and Christina have not set a
date yet for their wedding,but are eager to say 'I Do' to
each other soon. "Jordan asked her in Los Angeles. He called
me and told me two days ago. I'm very happy they are engaged.
His mum and dad are very happy too. I don't know when the
wedding will be - soon, hopefully," said Sally from her
New York home.
Meanwhile,
Sally also disclosed that Jordan slipped a ring on to Christina's
finger. "They have a ring and she's worn it. I think it
has a diamond in it, but I haven't seen it myself. I have
met Christina, we went to a New York restaurant owned by
a friend," added Sally. Christina, famous for hits like
'Dirrty', 'Beautiful' and 'What A Girl Wants', has been
fiercely protective of Jordan, who is a partner at her management
company Irving Azoff. They met seven months ago while working
together, adds the report. "My relationship is something
I won't talk about. The only thing I'll say is that I'm
very happy right now," the sexy pop star had said recently,
Friends of the couple say that they are smitten with each
other and Christina is relieved to be with someone who is
down to earth and normal. "She feels really grounded when
she's around Jordan. He does not care for the showbiz world
and they really are just like a normal couple when she is
out of the limelight," the report quoted a friend of Christina
as saying. "They have a great understanding and are so in
love. Marriage is the right thing for them to do. She is
very busy though so I can't see them being in a huge rush
to go ahead with the ceremony straight away," added the
pop star's friend thoughtfully.
James
Bond: Brosnan put on hold (Go
To Top)
London:
Chances are that the next time you see a Bond movie,
you will see a fresh new face on screen. Brosnan, James
Bond to millions of fans, has revealed that he has yet to
be contacted by the producers about starring in the soon-
to-be-shot fifth movie and doesn't know if they want him
back. "They know where to find me if they want me,"I'd love
to do another but, if not, I won't be out of work," the
Mirror quotes him as saying. "The producers, Barbara Broccoli
and Michael Wilson, asked me back when we finished the last
Bond film. But I think now there is a sense of paralysis
and they're not quite sure how to proceed." The grapevine
is also abuzz with rumours of a younger actor replacing
him in the 21st film of the series, due for release in autumn
2005. Jude Law, Orlando Bloom, Ewan McGregor and current
bookies' favourite, Australian X-Men actor Hugh Jackman,
have been floated in as sexier, cooler alternatives. "You
know going in that your time will come to bow out, walk
off and say goodbye. If that time is now, then it's been
a glorious ride."But I'll always be James Bond because that
is a role you live with for life," he added. The recent
death of Dana Broccoli threw the whole "Bond 21" project
into turmoil - as have the "new 007" rumours. But whatever
happens, a decision on who will play 007 will have to be
made soon as despite the lack of a script or start date,
the film is due out in November 2005.
Buddhist
monk Zhang Xiao doesn't get hurt! (Go
To Top)
London:
This requires not only nerves but much more of steel!
Buddhist monk Zhang Xiao Ju truly epitomizes endurance of
pain and suffering. According to a report in the Sun, the
martial arts expert let former California State Assembly
Speaker Herb Wesson kick him in the groin and did not even
flinch once. In fact, the politician, egged on by the Shaolin
monk's pals, kicked Zhang several times where it is supposed
to hurt. However, there was not a flicker of emotion during
the eye-watering demonstration in Sacramento. The monks,
from Songshan in China, were making their first trip to
the US to display their prowess through incredible tests
of strength.
Firefly
is flying back on 35 mm (Go
To Top)
Washington:
Good news for Firefly fans! Creator Joss Whedon's axed
sci-fi TV show is all set to make a comeback as a new movie.
According to a report in Teen Hollywood, bosses at Universal
have given the project the green signal, six months after
the TV show ended on America's FOX channel. The space movie,
Serenity, will give Whedon the chance to conclude the project
properly after fans of Firefly petitioned to get the show
back on air.
Ozzy
Osbourne wants to die in Britain (Go
To Top)
Washington:
Wild rocker Ozzy Osbourne is packing his bags from Los
Angeles to return to his native homeland Britain. According
to a report in Teen Hollywood, the rocker is tired of the
LA life and now wants to spend his life "where people are
real". The former Black Sabbath frontman has been living
in California with his family for several years. However,
Ozzy and wife Sharon have decided they will finish their
lives in England. "Sharon and I have been debating about
where we want to live at the end of the day. When I've done
all my bits and pieces in America, I want to finish my days
back in England," he said. "I was born here and I don't
want to die in another country. Or if I do I want to be
buried in England," he further said.
