Wild world: Millions of unseen species fill Earth

Our world is a much wilder place than it looks. A new study estimates that Earth has almost 8.8 million species, but we've only discovered about a quarter of them. And some of the yet-to-be-seen ones could be in our own backyards, scientists say.

So far, only 1.9 million species have been found. Recent discoveries have been small and weird: a psychedelic frogfish, a lizard the size of a dime and even a blind hairy mini-lobster at the bottom of the ocean.

"We are really fairly ignorant of the complexity and colorfulness of this amazing planet," said the study's co-author, Boris Worm, a biology professor at Canada's Dalhousie University. "We need to expose more people to those wonders. It really makes you feel differently about this place we inhabit."

While some scientists and others may question why we need to know the number of species, others say it's important.

There are potential benefits from these undiscovered species, which need to be found before they disappear from the planet, said famed Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson, who was not part of this study. Some of modern medicine comes from unusual plants and animals.

"We won't know the benefits to humanity (from these species), which potentially are enormous," the Pulitzer Prize-winning Wilson said. "If we're going to advance medical science, we need to know what's in the environment."

Biologists have long known that there's more to Earth than it seems, estimating the number of species to be somewhere between 3 million and 100 million. Figuring out how much is difficult.

Worm and Camilo Mora of the University of Hawaii used complex mathematical models and the pace of discoveries of not only species, but of higher classifications such as family to come up with their estimate.

Their study, published Tuesday in the online journal PLoS Biology, a publication of the Public Library of Science, estimated the number of species at nearly 8.8 million.

Of those species, 6.5 million would be on land and 2.2 million in the ocean, which is a priority for the scientists doing the work since they are part of the Census of Marine Life, an international group of scientists trying to record all the life in the ocean.

The research estimates that animals rule with 7.8 million species, followed by fungi with 611,000 and plants with just shy of 300,000 species.

While some new species like the strange mini-lobster are in exotic places such as undersea vents, "many of these species that remain to be discovered can be found literally in our own backyards," Mora said.

Outside scientists, such as Wilson and preeminent conservation biologist Stuart Pimm of Duke University, praised the study, although some said even the 8.8 million number may be too low.

The study said it could be off by about 1.3 million species, with the number somewhere between 7.5 million and 10.1 million. But evolutionary biologist Blair Hedges of Penn State University said he thinks the study is not good enough to be even that exact and could be wrong by millions.

Hedges knows firsthand about small species.
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Aamir Khan is the new MUNNABHAI

According to latest grapevine Amir Khan and Sharman joshi will replace by the famous actor Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi as munna bhai and circuit respectively. Dutt has been dropped from the third part as he is too old for the film now; producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra finally breaks the suspense.

Talking to a daily, the official representative of Chopra rubbished the rumours saying, “We are not even ready with the script of the next ‘Munna Bhai’ flick and this is a baseless humour. Vidhu Vinod Chopra doesn’t begin the casting for his films until he completes his script. Besides, Aamir Khan is not free for another two years.”
We are all known that Amir Khan is the most famous actor in the bollywood Industry. He had got many Hindi movie and he get many rewarded. Aamir and Sharman have amazing comic timing and also great chemistry onscreen. You can see that even in their first film together, Rang De Basanti is the most popular movie.
When he shared the idea with Aamir, he loved it. He told Rajkumar that he would be game for it if the script was interesting."

Another source says, "Though Sanjay played Munna Bhai to perfection, having Aamir on board will take the franchise to the next level. He is not only a fine actor, but also a much bigger brand name, and a marketing genius."
A source closely working with the franchise informs, "A few months ago, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani had a closed door meeting with Sanju, where they told him that they would not be going ahead with him in the Munna Bhai sequel.
This definitely upset Sanju." It may be noted that Chopra and Hirani were conspicuous by their absence at Sanjay and Maanyata's party, recently.When contacted, Hirani denied these claims.

Imran's tribute to 3 Khans

Audiences have another nice surprise in store for them since the title track is now finally out and it’s sure to be another chart-buster from Yash Raj films, whose movies are usually well-known for having exceptional music, soothing tunes and hummable tracks.

The Mere Brother Ki Dulhan title track has been shot widely across India including Mumbai, Dehradun and Delhi and features Imran Khan, who is on the lookout for his brother’s perfect bride. The lyrics are catchy, the music is fast-paced, and Imran Khan’s dancing is his best so far, as he pays a tribute to Bollywood’s three superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.

The song uses the three modes of transportation – air, road and train in a very interesting and captivating style, in his hunt for his brother’s dulhan. It’s indeed delightful to watch Imran charming his way on screen with steps from Aamir’s famous ‘masti ki paathshala’ steps, to Salman’s Dabangg belt move and his towel step, and of course Shah Rukh’s “Chaiyya chaiyya” atop the train.

The song is definitely going to leave its mark on people’s minds and hearts for quite a long time now.
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Indian cricketers criticise Daryl Harper for bad decisions

Umpire Daryl Harper came in for some scathing criticism from the Indian cricket team, which blasted the Australian for his poor decisions during the first cricket Test against the West Indies.

Such was the exasperation that a senior member of the side said that whole team wishes that Harper does not officiate in the third Test.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did little to hide his disgust at the standard of umpiring in the Test, which they won by 63 runs to take a 1-0 lead.

"If correct decisions were made, the game would have ended much earlier and we would have been in the hotel by now," Dhoni said at the post match press conference.

The Australian would stand for one last time when India take on West Indies in the third Test at Dominica from July 6.

"We don't want him -- you can quote it as the reaction of the entire Indian team," said a very senior member of the side.

Though Dhoni did not name anyone of the two umpires officiating in the match --- Ian Gould (England) and Harper -- several Indian players openly termed the latter as the centre of their ire.

"It's Daryl Harper six not out," said another senior cricketer as soon as he saw a bunch of Indian pressmen approaching him.

Indians were upset that Harper made at least three critical errors against India and three in favour of West Indies during the match.

"Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and Dhoni himself for done in; (Darren) Bravo twice and once (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul benefitted," chimed in another Indian cricketer, bristling with aggression.

Raina was given out caught in the leg-trap off Devendra Bishoo and television replays suggested no edge from either bat or gloves of the batsman.

Harbhajan Singh was ruled out leg before wicket when the ball clearly was seen going way above the height of the stumps.

Dhoni was cleanly caught at point region off Bishoo but the bowler had cut the return crease in his bowling run-up and the delivery should have been called a no-ball.

All three decisions in question were given by Harper in India's second innings.
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Katrina angry with Sonakshi

Katrina Kaif is far from amused. Rather, she's one rattled star, as of now. The mediavine has been abuzz with the news that Kaif has been smarting over Sonakshi Sinha's insinuations that she did not have the grace to respond to Sonakshi's SMSes or reply to her calls. Talk about Sonakshi trying to "make peace" with Katrina have been making the rounds and Kaif, who'd maintained a dignified silence over the matter, decided to speak up for herself.

States a close source, "Katrina has always maintained a certain dignity as regards her relations with industry folks, be it personal or professional. She does not share any equation with Sonakshi at all and is surprised at all those stories doing the rounds. Now she's quite irritated as the stories just don't seem to stop."

A superbly irked Katrina states in a media quote that she "did not receive any SMS from Sonakshi," does not know where "these stories are coming from" and asserts that she would prefer not to comment on Sonakshi as she "does not share any equation" with her.
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5 interview tips you dare not forget

Ready aim hired

Right after a job interview, you could either be supremely confident or faintly worried. Either way, we feel pretty relieved when it is all over. Perceptions about interviews usually depend on the interviewer's likeability and first impressions. It is, therefore, important to remember some statutory courtesies in order to have a positive interaction and favourable result.

After an interview shoot a thank you email or letter
Many interviewees think that once the face-to-face interview is over, the interview process is complete. However, this is not the case. The job interview is just the beginning. Once the personal interview is done, the company mulls, evaluates and decides the best candidate who would best suit the job profile and company.

Therefore, it is a good idea to remain in touch with the interviewer and the company in general. One of the best ways to do so is to drop them a ?Thank You? note. If you have been in touch with company or interviewer via e-mail, then one should email such a note within 24 hours after the interview. Interviewers have short memories. So, this is your final chance to stand apart from all of the others who want the same position.

Follow up after the interview when there is no response
How long should you wait before you call the company or interviewer? Usually, if there is no response within sometime, you will start worrying about whether it is appropriate to call back and check hiring status.

When to call
Post-interview it is best to give a gap of two to three days before you make the first follow up call. One of the most important things to keep in mind during the call is that one should be succinct and brief. Another important aspect is to chalk out a time when to call. The best time to call the interviewer is after lunch or an hour before closing time. This will ensure that you have a comfortable time frame to speak to the interviewer.

Whom to call
Interviewees are sometimes confused about who to follow up with after the interview?the human resource team or the interviewer directly. This situation is more confusing if there was more than one interviewer. In such circumstances, it is best to first check with the human resource team on the hiring status.

What to say
Begin the conversation by thanking the person for the opportunity to interview with the company. Recap some of the conversational highlights and clarify any information you need to check on. Use the last paragraph as the chance to state, ?The job is a good fit for me because of XYZ, and my past experience in XYZ.?
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Osama bin Laden dead, Obama says justice is done

Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said on Sunday.

"Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaida, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children," Obama said in a surprise late night White House address.

The world's most wanted man had been killed in a Pakistani compound in an operation on Sunday, which had been carried after cooperation from Islamabad, the US leader said.

Obama said in the historic address from the White House that he had directed the US armed forces to launch an attack against a compound in Pakistan on Sunday acting on a lead that first emerged last August.

"A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties."
A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.

"Justice has been done," the president said.

The development comes just months before the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization, that killed more than 3,000 people.

The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home.

Al-Qaida organization was also blamed for the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa that killed 231 people and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors in Yemen, as well as countless other plots, some successful and some foiled.
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Anushka Sharma purchases her first branded bag....

The Band Baaja actress, Anushka Sharma is strongly against endorsing expensive bags.
She says, “I don’t think actresses should flaunt their branded bags. It sets a wrong trend and misleads young girls who cannot afford them.
They get influenced and thus pressurise their parents to let them work in a call centre, so that they can earn enough money to afford such bags.”
Anushka candidly confesses, “In fact I bought my first branded bag recently while shooting for Patiala House in London. I went to a high end shop and fell in love with this expensive bag.
It took me three days to decide whether to buy it or not. I even harrowed my mom and called her many times in those three days to ask whether I should spend so much on a bag or not.” 
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Ponting to review his Test future

MELBOURNE: Ricky Ponting says he will review his future as Australia captain and player after the conclusive Ashes loss, insisting he will act for the good of the team and not his own career.

England retained the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years Wednesday after the home side was dealt an innings and 157-run loss in the fourth Test.

Ponting's captaincy has come under scrutiny in the light of the series result, his poor batting, a finger injury and his unseemly remonstrations with the on-field umpires about a reviewed decision Monday which resulted in a fine.

The No. 3 batsman underperformed at the wicket throughout the series and made just 10 runs in Australia's dismal first innings of 98 before managing 20 in the second.

Ponting said while much of his future is in the hands of the selectors, he acknowledges it may be time to review his Test career in the light of the team's performance this series. If Australia fail to win the final Test in Sydney to square the series, Ponting will be the first Australia captain to have lost three Ashes series.

"Whatever decision I make, it's really important it's for the betterment of Australian cricket," he said. "I want to keep playing, I would love to keep leading the team, I still think I've got a lot to offer in both those regards."

"It's got to be about the betterment of Australian cricket, it's never been about me. It's always been about the team and what's right for the team."

In 2005, Ponting became the first Australia captain to preside over an Ashes loss since Allan Border in 1986-1987. After regaining the urn in 2006-2007, he lost it again in England in 2009 before this summer's defeat.

"It's not much of a record so I probably won't be reflecting on that too much," Ponting said.

"The fact that I've lost those three series is disappointing for me," he said. "Hopefully I'm not only remembered as that guy, the guy that lost three Ashes series. There's lots of other great things I've been lucky to be able to be part of as a players throughout my career. This result is not one of my proudest."

Ponting's future in cricket could be beyond his control. He will speak with doctors later Wednesday after leaving the MCG Wednesday morning to have X-rays on his fractured left little finger, an injury which he carried into the fourth Test.

He is also not entirely confident of selection for the fifth and final Ashes Test starting Sunday in Sydney.

"The selectors are meeting this afternoon with a view of naming the team for Sydney," Ponting said. "It's out of my control. I can't think too much about it. I've tried my hardest over the last couple of weeks to try to play well and try to lead the team as well as possible. I've felt I've led the team as well as I can.

"I haven't performed the way I wanted to perform, but I certainly haven't done it without trying, that's for sure."

Ponting said England had shown Australia how to play good Test cricket this series and his team would do well to learn from it. Provided he's fit and selected, Ponting says he'll join an Australia side in Sydney with a lot to play for.

"We can go to Sydney with a chance of being able to level the series and regain some pride in the team performance, and also give the fans around Australia something to be proud of," he said. "That will be our whole focus from now till the end of the Sydney Test."
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Learn How To Take Effective Action To Save Your Marriage!

It would be very easy right now for you to make really rash decisions to try to save your marriage. However, doing this will definitely cause more harm than good to your already fragile situation, simply because you are letting your emotions drive you to do things that you shouldn't.

If your marriage has been a little rocky in recent months, then there is a very good chance that things are really tense between you and your spouse. You will very likely try to pin the blame onto each other, which will only cause more hard feelings between the two of you.

Of course it is very important that you talk to each other about the issues in your marriage, but you will need to plan this carefully so as to avoid any more unpleasantness. As there is probably a tense atmosphere in your home right now, it would be a good idea for you and your spouse to go away for a few days.

Apart from this having a calming effect on both you and your spouse, it is very possible that it will bring back good memories for you, and you could very well enjoy your time together. The whole aim of this time away together is to ensure that you can have a relaxed discussion about the troubles in your marriage and what you need to do to rectify them and save your marriage.

Don't only talk about your problems though, as this will cause a very negative atmosphere between you and your spouse. Make a point of talking about all the good things in your time together as well. Reminisce about the days you started dating, when you decided to get engaged, as well as the fabulous wedding you had and how happy you were then. You will both realize just how much there is to lose if you don't try to save your marriage.

Sometimes, with the pressures of everyday life, the good times are forgotten - revive them again - they can only make your decisions that much easier. You will probably find that talking about all the good times you had together will make it a lot easier to discuss your problems, as well as make you and your spouse more willing to fix them, so that you can save your marriage.


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An unusual passion play between Aishwarya and Hrithik…

All thanks to Aishwarya and Hrithik who will be seen indulging in a passion play of an altogether different kind, while shooting for a scene in the film Guzaarish.
Hrithik essays the role of a paraplegic who can’t feel a thing below his neck. While Ash, being his nurse, takes care of him.
The erotic sequence begins with Ash giving Hrithik a foot massage. That’s when Hrithik starts off with the oohs! and aahs! Aishwarya too, no less, takes the cue and makes lovemaking noises, moans and sighs of sexual ecstasy.
This foot massage inturn turns into a love fest!!
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali told reporters, “how can my hero who feels everything from neck up and absolutely nothing from neck down make love with his nurse? He can only pretend. Hrithik has no love scene with Aishwarya. The so-called love-making sequence is actually savagely funny take on a very poignant predicament of a man who cannot feel the things that normal people do. Although his limbs are senseless, his nurse gives him a foot massage to keep the blood circulations going. And that’s when the whole mock-ecstasy scene happens. I must say Aishwarya and Hrithik gave a whole new definition to ‘faking it’ in this sequence. Bahut masti wali scene hai. But the underlying tragedy of a man who will never actually experience what he’s pretending to, has also been brought out.”
The scene is rather funny rather than titillating.
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Gavaskar wanted Rs 20 crore for IPL role, says BCCI boss

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar are at it again. The latest salvo was fired by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan on Tuesday evening, who accused the batting legend of "demanding Rs 20 crore as remuneration for being on the IPL governing council".

Srinivasan was reacting to Gavaskar’s comments to NDTV earlier in the day where the latter said he was yet to be paid by the BCCI for his role as a governing council (GC) member of the Indian Premier League. "I have not been paid at all by the BCCI since I took the offer and have been sending gentle reminders about it (to the board)," he said and hoped to meet the BCCI president Shashank Manohar to clear the issue.

BCCI officials reacted strongly to former captain Sunil Gavaskar’s comments that he’s yet to be paid for his role as a governing council (GC) member of the IPL. Saying that his doors were open for Gavaskar, BCCI president Shashank Manohar clarified that "all payments have been cleared except for the last quarter".

Gavaskar, along with former India captains Ravi Shastri and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, was part of the eight-member GC headed by Lalit Modi, which took all key decisions of the three editions of the IPL. The trio was offered Rs 1 crore each per year for their services. That panel was disbanded during the Board’s AGM in September and now only two cricketers - Shastri and Mohinder Amarnath - are on board. Interestingly, they are on par with six others on the panel as honorary members.

The BCCI has clearly said that they will not make any extra payment to the former India captain for any role he has played on the GC apart from the unpaid dues. The board further explained that all matters of payment are approved in the BCCI’s working committee meetings. "His (Gavaskar) contract is of Rs 1 crore per year but he claims he was promised an additional Rs 4 crore a year. The BCCI has no knowledge of any such commitment and therefore it has been unanimously decided that the money will not be paid," Srinivasan said.

"Those terms were not acceptable to the board. As per the agreement with the BCCI, former players on the GC were to be paid only Rs 1 crore each per year for three years."

Gavaskar also dragged ICC president and former board chief Sharad Pawar into the controversy saying the latter offered to facilitate a meeting between him and Manohar.
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Why Rani Mukerji is anxious?

Rani Mukerji spent the last couple of days very anxiously as her father was again hospitalised .

Though she is breathing fine now with her father's health getting better, Rani was, however, spotted looking very troubled.

This was the second health problem that her father faced successively and Rani has made sure that she keeps a vigil on her father.

A doting daughter, she was constantly beside her father and cancelled all appointments and meetings that she had lined up.

Check Out Rani Mukerji's Homepage

Read more: Why Rani Mukerji is anxious? - The Times of India