End of an Era: Singer, songwriter and guitarist Lou Reed dies at 71

 
The New York Times reports - Lou Reed, the singer, songwriter and guitarist whose work with the Velvet Underground in the 1960s had a major influence on generations of rock musicians, and who remained a powerful if polarizing force for the rest of his life, died on Sunday(October 27,2013) at his home in Amagansett, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 71.

The cause was liver disease, said Dr. Charles Miller of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where Mr. Reed had liver transplant surgery this year and was being treated again until a few days ago.

It was also reported that Reed’s literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said that the musician had been in frail health for months. Sadly, it was determined that Reed’s end-stage liver disease could no longer be treated, and he decided to return to the home he shared with his wife, fellow musician Laurie Anderson

Best of Lou Reed: The essentials

No Formula for Indian GP, it stops at Pit Shop: Indian GP 2013, Vettel clenches title

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany drove an impeccable race to win his third straight Indian Grand Prix and become the undisputed Formula 1 drivers' champion.

Vettel, who finished the race with an impressive time, became the youngest ever four-time world champion and also matched the prestigious record of legends Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio of winning 4 consecutive titles.

Vettel's teammate Mark Webber led the race for the most part but a gearbox problem in lap 40 forced the Australian to retire and thereby shatter his dreams of gaining an Indian podium finish.

Sahara Force India's Adrian Sutil too impressed with his driving as the German was in the top 5 until the 41st lap. However, a change in medium set of tyres force him to drop down the roster. (As reported by TOI.) 

It was a close match,especially Lap 31-35: When Webber sets the fastest lap but was still 10 seconds behind Vettel. At this point, Vettel went to the pits for the second time handing the lead to his teammate. However, Webber made his second pit stop on the following lap handing back the lead to Vettel. On lap 34, Vettel was informed by his team that he needs to preserve the tyres for the entire race after setting the fastest lap. In all,  Sutil was holding on to his fourth position but was yet to make a pit stop. 

Match Tally

 

But whats in the future! No GP in 2014

F1 big boss Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed that the 2014 Indian Formula1 Grand Prix edition  won’t be  coming to India. Instead, the next two editions of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit could be deferred to March 2015 and March 2016 respectively. In the meantime, Jaypee Sports, the body that owns the Buddh F1 Circuit and runs the F1 race in India will have to fix the taxation related issues. The F1 teams are said to be unhappy with the Indian government.

Until then, Indian motorsport fans will have to make do with the WSBK motorcycle races scheduled for November. 

Celebrity Quotient Lacking

Celebrity quotient was found to be lacking in this edition. However, all eyes were on a sari-clad Jessica Michibata, a fashion model and girlfriend of McLaren driver Jenson Button. The shutterbugs couldn't keep there eyes off her. 

Among others celebrities who were spotted at the BIC were actress Gul Panag, Union Minister Shahi Tharoor and his wife Sunanda Pushkar, ace double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, chairman of Sahara India Pariwar and part owner of Sahara Force India team Subrata Roy and his wife Sapna Roy and Force India team principal Vijay Mallya. 

'Batman: Arkham Origins': Game gets bigger, but just a lil better from the past

The Verdict in Short -

There is much frenzy going on about this new game in town. It is good, but not great, just pretty good. You will enjoy it, but you won't go ga ga over it. Next to Arkham City, Arkham Origins is a bit of a disappointment. But you still should try it.


So what's the storyline - (buy it from Amazon)

The story takes place on Christmas Eve, with Black Mask putting out a $50 million bounty on Batman's head and 8 of the top assassins in Batman's rogue's gallery gunning for him. It's up to a younger Batman, in his 2nd year on the streets, to put an end to the night and take back control. This is Batman in his 2nd year, so he is still on bad terms with the police but does have Alfred to talk to for help and a full Batcave to train in. Having wrapped up the main campaign, I think it's overall a improvement on what we got from Arkham City in terms of game design. There were plenty of fun little twists and cameos that will make any Batman fan happy to see. I really liked that you had pretty much free reign to run around and tackle challenges as you please, and just stop what you're doing and tackle an ongoing crime if you wanted to. There's lots of side stuff to do for the Batman fans/completionists. One thing that is kind of jarring is that there's no one but criminals out on the streets, nor any traffic at all. It would have been great to see some life in the city, but they put in a plot device to explain that.

What people have to say about it -

Good Game, Bad Multiplayer says- Chance Woods -

So i preorderd the game earlier this summer and got it at the midnight release, i went home and played it until 6 in the morning only to realize i was only 10% done with the campaign, from the first 6 hours the game was amazing i assume there are at least 60 hours in the campaign or more.
After a while i headed over to the multiplayer, you have to go in to a lobby and out again about two or three times before actually getting into a game, but once in the multiplayer is good, going for around a 7/10 the game is quite thrilling never knowing when Batman or Robin could take you out, but after it all the game getting a 4/5 is good, i took a star out because of the loading times of the multiplayer and some bad gameplay mechanics, but overall this is an amazing game and one of the few coming out on Xbox 360 before the Xbox One hits stores. Good game i highly recommend it!

What else!

 A solid Batman game in its own right says - Genryu

WB Montreal had a big task taking over the reigns from Rocksteady, the original studio behind Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The result is that Arkham Origins feels like a tweaked and polished version of Arkham City, with new voices, new gadgets, a fresh open storyline, a new environment, and other bonuses like detective investigations. The same great combat system that made the first two games great is still there largely untouched, just with a combat grading system and training area to help build you up for the boss fights and really become Batman at his prime. I've read some mixed reviews on the game, but as a Batman fan and action-adventure game fan Arkham Origins gets my approval. I've put a summary of the different aspects of the game below in some more detail. I plan to keep this spoiler free as best I can.

Russell Brand Vs. Jeremy Paxman - A Comdy of Errors

BBC Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman and comedian Russell Brand seems to have created an increased interest among many, on the 'vague' but seemingly genuine ideas bring propagated by the actor-comedian-yoga enthusiast and now a chirpy activist.

From being a drug addict to dating one starlet after another Russel Brand has come a long way. For many his words carry the merry bias that one has reserved for a clown.

His biggest task to date as now being the guest editor one of the most popular and historically important weekly magazines in the U.K, the New Statesman.

Paxman and Russel showdown has gone viral and certainly the marketing strategy of The New Stateman seems to have worked. (The 4,500 word manifesto by Russel Brand)

Some memorable rebuttals from the show:

"Jeremy, you've spent your whole career berating and haranguing politicians and when someone like me says they're all worthless, and what's the point in engaging with them, you have a go at me for not being poor anymore."

And here is an explaination why he doesn't vote:

"It is not that I am not voting out of apathy. I am not voting out of absolute indifference and weariness and exhaustion from the lies, treachery and deceit of the political class that has been going on for generations."

Here is a full video for the interview

Pakistani Intelligence Agency -ISI works with Terrorists - US Report

While Pakistan and US may find themselves embroiled in a tug of war over the drone attacks, India maybe able to find itself in a improved position. The revelations in the Washington Post certainly have come at a right time, when India has been strongly  repelling the attacks on its border by the terrorists alleged to be operating in tandem with the ISI.

The Washington Post that will certainly dampen the position of Pakistani government that has raising much furor in its country over the drone attacks. Even Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his US visit has made 'drone' attacks as his main point of debate with the US.

In all what seems to be a way to loosen up Islamabad that has been harping against the U.S., the report categorically states that it was Pakistan that helped the US in identifying the locations and setting up the target. The report but doesn't stop there and further goes on to indict, Pakistan on its close-tie ups with the militants.

As per the Washington Post report -

Some files describe tense meetings in which senior U.S. officials, including then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, confront their Pakistani counterparts with U.S. intelligence purporting to show Pakistan’s ties to militant groups involved in attacks on American forces, a charge that Islamabad has consistently denied.

In one case, Clinton cited “cell phones and written material from dead bodies that point all fingers” at a militant group based in Pakistan, according to a Pakistani diplomatic cable dated Sept. 20, 2011. “The U.S. had intelligence proving ISI was involved with these groups,” she is cited as saying, referring to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

In a measure of the antagonism between the two sides, a 2010 memo sent by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to its embassy in Washington outlined a plan to undermine the CIA.

“Kindly find enclosed a list of 36 U.S. citizens who are [believed] to be CIA special agents and would be visiting Pakistan for some special task,” said the memo, signed by an official listed as the country’s director general for the Americas. “Kindly do not repeat not issue visas to the same.”

India that in that last one year has seen several border violations with Pakistan has time and again raised its finger accusing its neighbour of cross-border terrorism. While New Delhi has accepted the role of ISI in aiding the terror cells, the revelation in the Washington Post, will only further strengthen India's credibility before the world.

Monetary Peace: Strengthen Indian economy, US will keep Pakistan on leash

When Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last visited the White House in 2009 he was feted at President Barack Obama's first state dinner, a star-studded affair that reflected the excitement about blooming ties between the two big democracies.

Back then, India was being seen as a counterbalance to a rising China. But times have changed, Indian rupee is fast losing is sheen. While India US ties have certainly seen an improved but talking in strict terms it has gained too little.

Besides, the economic issues, the most persistent thorn in the growth of India, is its cousin Pakistan. While India has been battling a slew of cross border violations from Pakistan, the latter seems to be gaining its favour in Washington.

As reported in Foxnews, The U.S. has quietly decided to release more than $1.6 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan that was suspended when relations between the two countries disintegrated over the covert raid that killed Usama bin Laden and deadly U.S. airstrikes against Pakistani soldiers.

Officials and congressional aides said ties have improved enough to allow the money to flow again.

American and NATO supply routes to Afghanistan are open. Controversial U.S. drone strikes are down. The U.S. and Pakistan recently announced the restart of their "strategic dialogue" after a long pause. Pakistan's new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, is traveling to Washington for talks this coming week with President Barack Obama.

While cross border terrorism has remained a top agenda for Delhi, Islamabad has forever been trying to get US to solve the border issue. However, what Delhi really needs is a stronger resolve to strengthen its economy and if once again, India can get back on track, the U.S. will invariably be forced to keep Pakistan on a tighter leash.

When it comes to relations with U.S. one has to understand that it is purely business. U.S. can never be a trusted friend, only a useful ally and it will always be in the interest of India to be resourceful. Whatever said and done, at the end of the day India is the only country on the southeastern map of Asia that can in actual terms boast of a stable government.