BELIEVE IT OR NOT

INDIA STUMBLES TO THE U-19 WORLD CUP FINALS

It has been a great week for Indian cricket ( except for the Hayden-Bhajji incident ofcourse ). The Indian team has qualified for the finals of the CB series while the colts are on the verge of creating history. The under 19 team India managed to beat the Kiwis in the semifinals ( though not comprehensively ). India would play the winner of the South Africa – Pakistan clash in the finals.

India survived some nervous moments during their chase against the Kiwis. This is the first time in this series that India has been tested. ( So far all of its contests have been cake walks ). Chasing 205 for a berth in the final, India was onto a poor start losing Taruwar Kohli early. That’s when rain interrupted and the target was reduced to 191 off 43 overs. Skipper Virat Kohli and Goswami put on 84 for the third wicket. But the chase was not over. India lost wickets regularly and the middle order failed miserably in the acid test. Finally India reached the target with 3 wickets to spare.

Earlier the Kiwis won the toss and chose to bat. But their batsmen couldn’t fire in the crunch situation losing wickets regularly. Pradeep Sangwan could not get among the wickets but he managed to tie the batsmen down. Only Corey Anderson managed to make an impression with a well crafted half century to save Kiwis the blushes. The Kiwis crumbled to 205 off their 50 overs which eventually turned out to be a few runs short.

Definitely a Super Sunday awaits us. Hopefully it would be a historical Sunday for the Indian senior and junior men in blue.

BRAD HOGG RETIRES

Australian spinner Brad Hogg has decided to retire from international cricket at the end of the CommonWealth Bank series. This decision comes right out of the blue and could mean trouble for the australians. The Aussies are already struggling in the absence of legendary spinner Shane Warne in the test arena. Now they have to look for some other option.

Hogg revealed that he had contemplated retirement after Australia’s successful world cup campaign. But the retirement of Shane Warne opened the doors for him in test cricket and that extended his career. Brad Hogg’s decision may come as a surprise to many as he still looks young. But the fact is that he is currently 37. He hasn’t had a long stint in the Australian test side having played only 7 tests and 121 one dayers. These are very small figures considering the amount of cricket that is being played these days. But we may see Hogg in action soon as he has expressed his interest in playing in the Indian T20 leagues.

Hogg was always over shadowed by the seniors in the side like Warne and Mcgill. But in the one day arena he has been a vital cog in the Aussie attack and was a part of the World cup winning Aussie teams in 2003 and 2007. So his retirement would also leave the one day side unbalanced.

The absence of Hogg leaves Australia in dire straits. Who do they turn to now? This is something that the the Aussies have never experienced for long. For long it was the problem of plenty for the Aussies. But now it is not so. Times are definitely changing.

TERMINATOR 4 IN THE MAKING

Great news for Hollywood movie buffs. The Terminator trilogy which entertained fans world wide is all set to captivate fans yet again. The next movie in the series has been dubbed as “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins”. The lead role is to be played by Christian Bale. Shooting is about to begin in Mexico.

The first movie of the saga made the rounds in 1984 which shot Arnold Schwarzenegger to the peaks of fame. The story involved a robot from the future whose mission was to kill Sarah Connor who would be the mother of John Connor. John Connor was supposed to be the future leader of the Human resistance in the war against Robots. The second movie of the series ‘Terminator 2: Judgement day’ released in the early 1990s was the best movie then and bagged many awards. The last movie in the trilogy so far was released in 2003 ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ which bagged around $400 million worldwide.

Christian Bale, the actor who played the lead role in the recent block buster ‘Batman begins’ will play the role of John Connor in the movie. The movie would be released in mid 2009.

SPIDEY SHARUKH

King khan is all set to star in what would be his most expensive movie yet. The Bollywood Baadshah is on a roll already with big hits like Chakde India, Om shanti Om, and now he wants to top them all by playing the role of a super hero. SRK has revealed that he is about to do such a role to please his son, Aryan. The super hero that he would depict on the screen is on the lines of the friendly neighborhood Spider man.

SRK has chosen an able Director, Anubhav Sinha for the extravaganza. The director is already famous for his block buster action flicks like ‘Dus’ and ‘Cash’. But this venture could be his greatest challenge ever, what with the huge expectations of the fans weighing down on him. The director is a proud man and is surprised that SRK chose him for the big budget movie. The movie is also about to feature a 12 year old co-star to share screen space with SRK. The lucky kid hasn’t been found yet.

So watch out, King Khan could be swinging around with a web in your hometown. Watch out for the friendly neighborhood 'SRK'

KAMAL HASAN AND MOHANLAL TO ACT TOGETHER

Nowadays most movies seem to feature more than one big name – a feature which is quite prominent in Bollywood and is quickly spreading all over India. The latest pair of big names to come together was Amithab Bachan pairing with Mammooty in the movie ‘Vande Mataram’. Now two more super heroes have joined the list.

Dr.Kamal Hasan and Malayalam super star Mohanlal have agreed to share the screen in a new Malayalam Movie ‘Kandhahar’. The duo are all set to star in this new flick produced by major Ravi. Major Ravi is known for making films with army themes and this one seems to be on the same lines. The two actors will take on the role of Commandoes whose mission is to save the passengers of a hijacked plane. The story is based on the hijack of the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in the year 1999.

The story line definitely provides scope for nail biting action and with two of the best actors taking part, the movie is expected to be nothing but exceptional.

Tamil movie Nepali Songs For Download

Nepali songs were released this friday(22/2/08).It has Bharath and Meera jasmine as the lead pair.The movie is directed and produced by Thurai whose previous ventures were the acclaimed Muagavari and Thotti Jaya.Music was scored by Srikanth Deva.


Here is the link to download the songs

Hey You Wow

Kanavilae Kanavilae

Love in A Minor Story

Sound of Action Story 3

The Words of Nepaali Theme Story 1

Mulu Neela Kadai

Priya Idhu Sitout

Suthuthaey Suthuthaey

IPL AUCTION HINDSIGHTS: DELHI DARE DEVILS – UNPREDICTABLE DARK HORSES

Utility players that’s what Delhi has gone for. Viru, Malik, DeVilliers, Dilshan and Mahroof are all mercurial players who can be scorching on their day. McGrath, Asif and Vettori add fire to the bowling line up. Gautham Gambhir is an exceptional pick. The left hander has had a dream run in T20 format.

Jack in the Pack: DeVilliers and Viru could change the course of the game in a single over.

Pain in the neck: Viru, DeVilliers, Maharoof, Malik are all known for their inconsistency. They might bat like Gods on a day and like paupers on another.

Squad: Virender Sehwag (icon), Daniel Vettori (US$625,000), Shoaib Malik (US$500,000), Mohammad Asif (US$650,000), AB de Villiers (US$300,000), Dinesh Karthik (US$525,000), Farveez Maharoof (US$225,000), Tillakaratne Dilshan (US$250,000), Manoj Tiwary (US$675,000), Gautam Gambhir (US$725,000), Glenn McGrath (US$350,000)

Quote: The best fielding side on view so far and could perform miracles if the batting unit clicks.

IPL AUCTION HINDSIGHTS: MOHALI – FORE RUNNERS

Two of the best middle order batsmen, a great finisher, an all rounder, 2 decent spinners, the fastest bowler and an emerging quickie make this side a balanced one in both the areas of the game. The fielding is also in safe hands with a good blend of experience and youth. Mohali is definitely right up there with the best.

Jack in the Pack: Jayawardene may not have struck gold so far in the T20s but the astute captain could be more than a lethal force to contend with.

Pain in the neck: who is going to open the batting for Mohali? The side doesn’t have any aggressive openers.

Squad: Yuvraj Singh (icon), Mahela Jayawardene (US$475,000), Kumar Sangakkara (US$700,000), Brett Lee (US$900,000), Sreesanth (US$625,000), Irfan Pathan (US$925,000), Ramesh Powar (US$170,000), Piyush Chawla (US$400,000), Simon Katich (US$200,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (US$225,000)

Quote: on its day Mohali can take on any team.

IPL AUCTION HINDSIGHTS: JAIPUR – OUT OF SORTS

The bids haven’t favoured jaipur. No one in their right mind would give even an outside chance for Jaipur in this league. Though it could boast of Shane Warne, Smith and Younis Khan in its side there is no one else to rely on. Jaipur may not be in the fray at the halfway stage of the series.

Jack in the Pack: (now this is difficult to say as there seem to be none)
With 3 captains in the side, the thinktank atleast is in safe hands.

Pain in the neck: Yousuf Pathan with just one national outing could be inexperienced. Kaif who has been out of favour with the selectors may not fit into the T20 format. Munaf patel has a tendency to breakdown in the middle of a series.

Squad: Shane Warne (US$450,000), Graeme Smith (US$475,000), Younis Khan (US$225,000), Kamran Akmal (US$150,000), Yusuf Pathan (US$475,000), Mohammad Kaif (US$675,000), Munaf Patel (US$275,000), Justin Langer (US$200,000)

Quote: Its hard to predict the outcome of a T20 combat, but Jaipur’s presence makes it easier.

IPL AUCTION HINDSIGHTS: MUMBAI – VETERANS

Mumbai has gone for veteran players like Sanath Jayasuriya, Pollock, Fernando and Bhajji. Whether this combo will work will be known only when they start playing. Slinger Malinga could prove too hot for most batsmen. But the batting seems to be over dependent on Jayasuriya. The team’s fortunes depend on how fast Sachin would adapt to the T20 format.

Jack in the pack:

Retired all rounder Shaun Pollock with his nagging line could turn matches in their favour. His prowess with the bat could compensate for the lack of a strong middle order.

Pain in the neck:

Who is the wicket keeper? With Dhoni and Parthiv Patel moving to Chennai, the team may have to go for less experienced domestic keepers. The team would be hoping that Uthappa who has not been amongst the runs recently will live up to his bid price. Sachin’s poor stint as captain of Indian team could be in the minds of the players.

Squad:

Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya (US$975,000), Harbhajan Singh (US$850,000), Shaun Pollock (US$550,000), Robin Uthappa (US$800,000), Lasith Malinga (US$350,000), Dilhara Fernando (US$150,000), Loots Bosman (US$175,000)

Quote: a very expensive yet unconvincing squad. Come on Sachin! It’s upto you now.

IPL AUCTION HIND SIGHTS: BANGALORE ROYAL CHALLENGERS – UNCHALLENGING

One wonders whether Vijay Mallya mistook this game as a teast match. His selection seems to be influenced by Rahul Dravid. With veteran players like Dravid, Kallis, Kumble, the team is not expected to pose any serious challenge to the likes of Chennai, Kolkatta, and Hyderabad. Atleast the bowling department looks decent with Zaheer bracken and Dale Steyn.

Jack in the pack:

Though not a jack, Boucher could be the player that the team would depend on to provide the sparks and improve what could be a low scoring rate .

Pain in the neck:

Why was Jaffer picked? Does Bangalore expect a cameo from him? Kallis was dropped by South Africa for the T20s.but Mallya has shelled $900000 for him.

Squad:
Rahul Dravid (icon), Anil Kumble (US$500,000), Jacques Kallis (US$900,000), Zaheer Khan (US$450,000), Mark Boucher (US$450,000), Cameron White (US$500,000), Wasim Jaffer (US$150,000), Dale Steyn (US$325,000), Nathan Bracken (US$325,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (US$200,000)

Quote: probably no opposition fielders need to be placed beyond the 20 yard circle.

IPL AUCTION HIND SIGHTS: KOLKATTA – HIGH OCTANE

SRK has focused on what he does best – attracting fans. A T20 team could not ask for much more. McCullum and Gayle could give goosebumps to any bowler and with Ponting and Ganguly to follow the team is set for a thrilling run. New find Ishant Sharma will bolster the attack along with Gul and Akhtar. ( Better maintain some spare stumps ‘coz this pace battery could send the stumps for a walk leaving batsmen shell shocked)

Jack in the pack:
David Hussey one of the best T20 players in Australia adds zing to the line up already studded with stars.

Pain in the neck:

Ajit Agarkar is famous for being erratic with his line and length and T20 often leaves such bowlers in shambles. Kolkatta will be praying that Shoaib would not get into yet another controversy.

Squad:
Sourav Ganguly (icon), Shoaib Akhtar (US$425,000), Ricky Ponting (US$400,000), Brendon McCullum (US$700,000), Chris Gayle (US$800,000), Ajit Agarkar (US$330,000), David Hussey (US$675,000), Ishant Sharma (US$950,000), Murali Kartik (US$425,000), Umar Gul (US$150,000), Tatenda Taibu (US$125,000)

Quote: watch out! This team is a Potential world beater.

IPL AUCTION HIND SIGHTS: HYDERABAD – POWER PACK

A dream lineup for a T20 format. When you have players like Gilchrist, Symonds, Gibbs, and Afridi on a single side, matches could be lopsided. Games may not last the whole 20 overs. The IPL is gonna lose a few balls if these four get going.

Jack in the pack:
Though a jack in this power pack might not be of much significance, Scott Styris could prove to ba a handful for the opposition. With the ability to provide crucial breakthroughs and the power to hit the ball way out of the stadium, he could prove to be a pain in the neck for the opposition.

Pain in the neck:
RP, Zoysa and Vaas are all left arm seamers which could prove to be a one dimensional attack.

Squad:
Adam Gilchrist (US$700,000), Andrew Symonds (US$1.35 million), Herschelle Gibbs (US$575,000), Shahid Afridi (US$675,000), Scott Styris (US$175,000), VVS Laxman (US$375,000), Rohit Sharma (US$750,000), Chamara Silva (US$100,000), RP Singh (US$875,000), Chaminda Vaas (US$200,000), Nuwan Zoysa (US$110,000)

Quote: Bowlers beware. Its gonna rain 4s and 6s.

IPL AUCTION HIND SIGHTS: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS – LEFTY MANIA

As the name suggests, Chennai definitely has a few Kings in its squad- the Emperor being none other than MSD himself who fetched a whopping 6 crores. The team seems to be stocked with left handers and with Hayden at the top, the bowlers better get ready for a few nightmares.

Jack in the pack:
Kiwi all rounder Jacob Oram could be the man to surprise oppositions. With a gritty line and length he could pose questions to batsmen of any caliber. His hard hitting down the order needs no mention.

Pain in the neck:
Why did Chennai go for Parthiv Patel when an able Keeper like Dhoni is at the helm? No one expects Patel to light up the stadium in the T20 format. He is more suited for the test arena and could find the goings hard in this format, given the big names surrounding him.

Squad:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (US$1.5 million), Muttiah Muralitharan (US$600,000), Matthew Hayden (US$375,000), Jacob Oram (US$675,000), Stephen Fleming (US$350,000), Parthiv Patel (US$325,000), Joginder Sharma (US$225,000), Albie Morkel (US$675,000), Suresh Raina (US$650,000), Makhaya Ntini (US$200,000), Michael Hussey (US$350,000)

Quote: a balanced line up with a great leader at the helm. Watch out for this horse.

MALAYALAM STAR CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Malayalam super star Mammootty was caught on camera, when he allegedly slapped a fan last week. The veteran actor was caught in the act when he was taking part in a promo for his new movie, ‘Roudram’. But the actor has denied doing such a thing even though the camera says something else. Mammootty was standing on his car waving to his fans when the incident happened. The star says that he was concerned about the safety of his fans when they came closer to his car and that he had only warned them to keep a safe distance. He denies the allegations questioning “will I do such a thing?”

U19 WC: A FABULOUS START FOR INDIA

On a day when the senior Indian cricket team lost miserably to Australia, the under 19 team made a fabulous start to the under 19 World Cup in Kuala Lampur. The Indians posted a more than competitive 280 runs in their 50 overs against Papua New Guinea. All the top four batsmen came up with good performances. Srivatsava top scored with 83 while the opening pair came up with a century run partnership off 21 overs which laid a good platform for the middle order. Taruwar Kohli and Virat Kohli made 40. goswami made a very patient 58 off 96 balls and pandey played a cameo knock towards the end to take India to 280.
Papua New Guinea never looked like matching India’s performance. Wickets fell like nine pins as they were all out for a paltry 85 runs. Iqbal Abdulla claimed 3 wickets for 2 runs and cleaned off the tail. Sangwan and Kaul bowled impressive spells to claim 3 wickets among them. The Indians have taken the first step towards the cup convincingly

CRICKET: INDIAN BATSMEN MAKE A MESS OF AN EASY CHASE

Venue: Adelaide Oval
Event : 7th ODI CB series Ind vs Aus
Result: Dhoni’s poor call for a run pulls the curtains down for India.

Cricket is a demanding game. Even a single moment of indecision or a rash decision can cost you big time. Today two decisive moments went Australia’s way. One was when Sachin played way in front of the crease only to let the ball hit high on his pads. The umpire raised his finger while the Hawk eye showed that the ball was too high. Sachin stared in disbelief. The second moment was one which Dhoni would rue for long. Batting with a runner owing to his cramps, Dhoni made the call for a quick single which was not there. Dhoni’s runner Rohit Sharma’s desperate dive was in vain. The Ozs seized the magical moment with a direct hit and for that atleast, they deserved to win.

Electing to bat the Ozs ran into the usual road block, Ishant Sharma. This pacer’s consistency is the talking point in the cricketing world. Extracting good bounce,thanks to his height, he troubled the Oz openers and got rid of Gilchrist who played on. Hayden signaled his intentions when he made a mockery of Patel’s pace by stepping down the track and clearing the ropes by a mile. Ponting at the other end, struggling for form,was determined not to be Ishant’s bunny and departed to Patel instead.

Runs dried up. Hayden and Symonds departed soon and Australia was struggling at 50 for 4. There was no boundary scored for a span of 10 overs. Clarke and Hussey felt the heat. Hussey succumbed to the pressure, edging Pathan to Dhoni -Clarke was in danger of being stranded as he tried to rattle up some runs with the tail- Hogg especially giving him good support. The aussies stuttered to 203. Pathan was the wrecker in chief claiming 4 scalps for a mere 41 runs.

India started off nervously. Sachin had trouble getting off the mark. Gambhir was fluent again. The left hander is very strong in the square region. But his strength turned out to be his downfall as he slashed one straight to Ponting at square. Dhoni promoted Irfan to No 3 again which baffled many. Probably Pathan was surprised too as he couldn’t settle into the role. 3 wickets in quick succession meant Yuvi and Dhoni had to redo what they had done on numerous occasions earlier.

Sadly that was not to be. Yuvi showed signs of getting his form back- a six off Hogg signaled his intentions. But he flattered to deceive. Yuvi’s departure followed by Dhoni’s runout meant it was curtains for India. India crumbled to 153 – the Aussies earned a deserving victory. On hindsight one could feel that the Indian batsmen made a mountain off a mole hill.

CRICKET: A COLLINGWOOD SHOW IN AUCKLAND

Venue: Auckland
Event : 3rd ODI ,Eng Vs NZ
Result: A lopsided series kicks alive.

England have finally induced some life into the so far one sided contest against New Zealand. Recovering from two huge losses in the series, England managed to beat the kiwis comfortably in the third one dayer. Paul Collingwood starred for England with both bat and ball in a rain affected match at Auckland.

New Zealand batted first and the 2nd ODI heroes McCullum and Ryder were not able to make much of an impact this time around losing their wickets to James Anderson. The scoreboard at one stage read 40 for 1, 40 for 2, 40 for 3. They eventually were reduced to 95 for 6 in the 30th over and were staring down the barrel when Jacob Oram and Vettori decided to change the script. The two all rounders were involved in a 74 run partnership which saved the blushes for the Kiwis. The Kiwis stuttered to 234 thanks to Oram’s efforts. Oram smashed four boundaries and also cleared the ropes on 4 occassions to reach 88 off 91 balls.

England started off in a similar fashion losing their openers early. At 31 for 2 England was in trouble facing a similar fate as the first 2 ODIs. But Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen combined together for a century stand to guide England to safety. Both played patiently to ensure that there were no more jitters in the dressing room. But they fell in quick succession after guiding England to the 140s. That’s when Collingwood took charge. His confidence was high after scalping three wickets in the NZ innings and he put on a stand of 80 runs with Shah to guide England home. Collingwood smashed 70 off a mere 50 deliveries to cap off a great day for him and for England.

CRICKET: GILCHRIST CASTS A SPELL IN PERTH

Venue: The WACA
Event : 6th ODI CB series, SL vs Aus
Result: ‘All Gilly’ day at the WACA

Chants of ‘Gilly’, ‘Gilly’ ripped through the air. Gilchrist struck Muralitharan to mid on and scampered for a single. That’s when Gilchrist went cock-a-hoop. His final sculpture at the WACA left his fans spell bound and an emotional Gilchrist bid adieu to his home town in style. His final ton at his own backyard sealed the fate of the game. Australia won with ease and gave Adam a fitting farewell.

Srilanka chasing a gettable 237 was on to a flier. In just 3 overs they were close to the 30 run mark. But soon Jayasuriya charged Bracken only to gift a catch to third man. Then Johnson castled Dilshan with an unplayable Yorker. Skipper Jayawardene held around for a while before he edged Johnson to Ponting for 21. In 11 overs the Lankans had made a brisk start of 71 but lost 3 key players. That hurt them most. Sangakkara was fluent at one end but there was no one to give him support. This has been the sorry state of the Lankan middle order for sometime now.

Carrying on from where the Oz keeper left, Sangakkara drove and cut with flair and played with a straight bat. He made almost half of the Srilankan total at the end which speaks in length about the Lankans batting debacle. The match sprung up another controversy. Andrew Symonds dived to his left to pouch a catch off Chamara Silva’s bat. But replays show that he grounded it. The Australian’s integrity has come under the scanner yet again.

Earlier in the day, it was all Gilchrist. Playing his final match at his hometown Gilly set himself up for a fairytale farewell after Hayden departed soon. But it wasn’t all Smash and bang. It was a patient innings which had it’s moments of brilliance-a workman like innings from Adam. By the time he departed from the ground amidst more chants of ‘Gilly’ he had creamed 3 sixes entertaining his fans who had come in masses to see the slaughterer at work for one last time. Apart from Gilchrist only Clarke was able to make an impression with the bat. Malinga bowled with pace and zest to scalp 4 wickets. From a position of strength at 177 for 3 off 36 overs Australia was scuttled out for 236 thanks to some disciplined bowling.

Gilchrist took the honours of the day being awarded the Man of the match. Come on Gilly! Why did you decide to retire so soon? - An immense loss for cricket indeed.

JODHAA AKBAR CREATES WAVE OF PROTESTS

The Hrithik Roshan starrer ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ has been released worldwide today. It was expected to create waves among the audience for its delicate portrayal of love, especially since it was released close to the valentine’s day. But unfortunately the movie has created a wave of protests among the rajputs.

‘Jodhaa Akbar’ is a movie about the Mughal Emperor Akbar and a rajput princess Jodhaa. The movie has been declared as fictional using a disclaimer at the very beginning of the movie. Yet the movie has been plagued by protests in Rajasthan. The Rajputs have expressed their anger about the distortion of history in the movie. This is not the first occasion that a movie has faced protests. Such protests were also met by various other movies like Mangal Pandey.

In addition to the Rajputs some NRI groups have joined the protests claiming that movies must not distort historical facts. They claim that the 30 second disclaimer will not create an impression among the audience. It almost disappears before one can read it. They feel that the movie would make a lasting impression than the disclaimer. Some people feel that the character ‘Jodhaa’ is only fictional. They say that such a character does not appear in the historical records during Akbar’s period.

Will these problems hurt the box office collection? Let’s hope not.

New releases- software

Avast Home Edition 4.7.1098.80207
Scan your computer for viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.

Camfrog Video Chat 4.1
Join live-video chat rooms from around the world.

Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.2
Read Adobe PDF files on your desktop or on the Web.

Flash Player 9.0.115
View Flash multimedia content through your browser.

Adobe Reader and Acrobat Vulnerabilities

Systems Affected

• Adobe Reader version 8.1.1 and earlier
• Adobe Acrobat Professional, 3D, and Standard versions 8.1.1 and earlier

overview

Adobe has released Security advisory APSA08-01 to address multiple vulnerabilities affecting Adobe Reader and Acrobat. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.

Description

Adobe Security advisory APSA08-01 addresses a number of vulnerabilities affecting the Adobe Acrobat family of products, including Adobe Reader. Acrobat versions 8.1.1 and earlier are affected. Further details are available in the US-CERT Vulnerability Notes Database.

An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by convincing a user to load a specially crafted Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Acrobat integrates with popular web browsers, and visiting a web site is usually sufficient to cause Acrobat to load PDF content.

At least one of these vulnerabilities is being actively exploited. The SANS Internet Storm Center Handler's Diary contains more information.

Impact

The impacts of these vulnerabilities vary. The most severe of these vulnerabilities allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.

Solution

Upgrade

Upgrade Adobe Reader or Acrobat to version 8.1.2 according to the information in Adobe Security advisory APSA08-01.

Disable web browser display for PDF documents

Preventing PDF documents from opening inside a web browser may mitigate this vulnerability. Applying the following workaround in conjunction with upgrading may prevent similar vulnerabilities from being automatically exploited.

To prevent PDF documents from automatically being opened in a web browser with Acrobat or Reader:

1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
2. Open the Edit menu.
3. Choose the Preferences option.
4. Choose the Internet section.
5. De-select the "Display PDF in browser" check box.

Disable automatic opening of PDF documents in Microsoft Internet Explorer

To disable automatic opening of PDF files in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), a second step is required. To configure IE to prompt before opening a PDF file, disable the "Display PDF in browser" feature (as described above) and then make the following changes to the Windows registry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AcroExch.Document.7]
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader and Acrobat

Disabling JavaScript in Adobe Reader and Acrobat may prevent this vulnerability from being exploited. In Acrobat Reader, JavaScript can be disabled in the General preferences dialog (Edit --> Preferences --> JavaScript, de-select Enable Acrobat JavaScript).

Ponting Fears...

Australian captain Ricky pointing fears that the international cricket teams are in danger of losing the top players to India's T20 competitions conducted by IPL. He feels that players may choose money over country.
Australian Cricket Board has warned it's players not to sign up with the ICL, saying it would threaten their chances of re-selection for the national side. Cricket Australia said in a statement."Selectors will treat players who take part only in ICC-approved matches (the IPL) more favourably than those who do not,"CA are also refusing to agree to let their players join the IPL because of a contractual row over sponsorship.

This issue should be approached in a manner which allows IPL to go head with australian players participation and it should not compramise ICC Future Tours Program or ICC Events cricket

Valentine's Day Email Warning

Internet Alert: St. Valentine's Day E-Card Carries Storm Worm Virus

If you unexpectedly receive a Valentine's Day e-card, be careful. It may not be from a secret admirer, but instead might contain the Storm Worm virus.

With the holiday approaching, be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware). The e-mail directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve the electronic greeting card (e-card).

Once the user clicks on the link, malware is downloaded to the Internet-connected device and causes it to become infected and part of the Storm Worm botnet. A botnet is a network of compromised machines under the control of a single user. Botnets are typically set up to facilitate criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity theft, denial of service attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the Internet.

The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the last year by sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam e-mail. Valentine's Day has been identified as the next target.

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.

KAMAL'S DASAVATHARAM SLATED FOR TAMIL NEW YEAR

Kamal Hassan's much-awaited Kollywood flick `Dasavatharam,' his latest experiment with variety by donning 10 different roles, is finally slated for an early April release.

Originally planned for a `Pongal' release, the has movie dragged well beyond the schedule.

"The post-production work is still on and it may take some time... the film is expected to be released on April 10," (three days ahead of the Tamil New Year), sources in the film unit told us.

The actor, who also speaks 10 different dictions in the film, has decided to keep away from the media till the release of the film, the sources added.

He has penned the screenplay and dialogue too.

The Tamil audience should also wait to see bollywood damsel, Mallika Sherawat, who is playing a role in this film.

Though she had earlier done an item number in Maniratnam's "Guru", it was only a dubbed version, and `Dasavatharam' could well mark her first direct entry into Kollywood.

The film is being directed by K S Ravikumar, a man who knows the art of delivering hit movies. In fact, he had earlier directed Kamal in the rib-tickler, "Panchathanthiram."

`Dasavatharam,' meaning the ten incarnations of Lord Mahavishnu, also marks the Kollywood debut of Himesh Reshammiah, the man whose tunes Bollywood has been swinging for the past few years.

A stickler to the saying "variety is the spice of life," Kamal, as he is fondly called, has tried many an experiment with the looks of his characters, especially the old man in `Indian' (`Hindustani' in Hindi) the old woman in `Avvai Shanmugi' (Chachi 420 in Hindi) and in "Anbe Sivam," directed by Sundar C.

‘ENCHANTED’ - READY TO MESMERIZE THE AUDIENCE

A Walt Disney movie by itself generates lot of expectations and when it involves a fairy tale mixing with the modern era then it is bound to be enchanting. The story line is definitely creating waves.

Giselle, a beautiful princess is banished by an evil Queen from her magical world and she is transported to present day Manhattan. The princess was already promised to a handsome prince in her magical world. The rest of the story is about how she struggles to adapt to her new environment. She also falls in love with a divorce lawyer. Will the story end with a ‘happily ever after’ note?

Amy Adams plays the role of the princess, Patrick Dempsey is the Lawyer and James Marsden plays the Prince. In the age of films with an offbeat story line, this could prove to be a refreshing change.