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Finally a low-calorie no-melt Chocolate!

Vulcano is the internal code name for the new product developed by the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut. It has been developed in a lab under top-secret conditions by an team of chocolate engineers and the wunder-bar not only has 90% fewer calories than the average chocolate product, it is also heat-resistant to temperatures of up to 55 C. Most chocolate starts to melt at 30 degrees.

"It's called Vulcano because it can be eaten when it's hot, and its airy and full of bubbles, like volcanic rock," said Gaby Tschofen, a spokeswoman for Barry Callebaut, which annually makes 1.1m tonnes of cocoa and chocolate-based products for customers around the world, including Cadburys and Nestle.

The company aims to target calorie-conscious European and US markets as well as emerging markets in Asia and Africa where local temperatures have hindered the spread of chocolate.

The product, like so many good inventions, resulted from a mistake, this time by technicians in the company's lab who were working on another invention. Under the current plans, the product will hit the market in about 2 years.

Being calorie conscious and a chocolate lover, I can't just wait and so breaking to news to other chocoholics.

Jaipal Reddy - Are you Listening?

In US, more bicycles were bought in the first quarter of 2009 than cars and trucks. That's a big change for a country of iconic cars and now the foremost company GM is in the verge of bankruptcy.

But in India, the news is not so good. Cars and motor cyles are outperforming bicycles and it is something that no one wants to own. And even the price of cars and fuel in on the rise the trend will continue and bicycle will eventually be phased out of our life.

The question is: How do we reverse the trend?

Talk climate
The climate crisis is in full effect and we all should be looking for ways to decrease our carbon footprint. Replacing the car commute with a bike (not a motor bike) ride is a sure fire way to limit the impact. Driving a car emits more than 1 Kg of CO2 per 3 km, while bicycles emit next to nothing.

Talk fitness
At a recent stage of the Giro D'Italia, American racer Chris Horner burned almost 7,000 calories in one day! While most of us won't be climbing the Dolomites any time soon, riding a bike is great exercise that's easy on your joints and muscles.

But what about infrastructure?

It is a shame that we have no bicycle lanes and our ministers and departments have no clue also. Around the world, a lot of people choose cars and trucks over bikes because of safety concerns but in India it is the other way round. Riding a bicyle in city roads probably has chance of more peril than climbing Mt. Everest.

We can entice more cyclists to hit the road by loudly advocating for bike lanes and secure bike parking. We should start and support our local bicycle advocacy organization in every city of India.

Is our urban affairs minister Jaipal Reddy listening or he will just bypass the issue with his gift of gab?

Bhutan becomes the first ever Nonsmoking nation

The tiny, trendy Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan recently became the world's first nonsmoking nation. Since December it has been illegal to smoke in public or sell tobacco. Violators are fined the equivalent of Rs 10,000 more than two months' average salary in Bhutan. Authorities heralded the ban by igniting a bonfire of cigarette cartons in the capital, Thimphu, and stringing banners across the main thoroughfare, exhorting people to kick the habit. As if they have a choice!!

Meddling with an issue as personal as smoking is always tricky, and politicians err at their own peril. Yet Bhutan's ban appears to be sticking and with little public outcry. Even the country's smokers seem resigned to a smoke-free future. "If you can't get it, you can't smoke it," concludes Tshewang Dendup, who works for Bhutan's only broadcaster. He picked up his smoking habit while studying at Berkeley, but says he is now rapidly "downsizing" his consumption.

Our health minister is probably delighted at the news and he might try this out in India if he becomes the health minister again!

Do you support Music Torture?

Reprieve, a British human rights law group that represents over 30 Guantanamo Bay detainees, is planning to work with musicians to lobby President-elect Barack Obama to end the practice of sonic torture by military interrogators.

Earlier this month, Reprieve and the UK Musicians Union launched Zero dB, a "silent protest" over the use of music in interrogations. According to Reprieve, many of its clients have been subjected to hours of music played at deafening volume -- sometime for days or even weeks on end. And the BBC has reported on a particularly insidious practice: using the theme songs from Sesame Street and Barney to break the will of prisoners.

This has musicians furious. Last week, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails even suggested he might pursue legal action to stop the practice.

Is it not a paradox that the rockers are against music torture? Some people find the rock shows and rock albums as torturous itself and so by protesting against music torture the musicians are actually protesting against rock music!

I personally believe that music torture is more superior to other torture methods which are corporal in nature but I have reservations against sonic torture. Music is not necessarily a sonic boom, there is no melody in the thunder of jet but you can find divine melody even in the hardest of rocks.

So, I am against sonic torture but will support music torture if at all the regime of torture is to be continued. Now after Bush, Obama has to take a call. At least music torture can be embraced by our country and police should switch to the music torture method from the present third degree which is heavily practiced all over India and patronized by politicians.

Have your say!

MJ is a pervert and he is making mockery of Muslims

What a big deal? He has already changed his skin colour and his face, so now it is the turn of religion.

He may be a big artist but a much bigger pervert for sure. Can he explain why he was often moving around in Bahrain in burkah and once was caught in Ladies toilet. This is a rare photo of Michael Jackson in burkah.

So another child molester joins the club. He is said to have sat on the floor and worn a small hat while an imam officiated the conversion. Another convert musician Cat Stevens, with Islamic name Yousef Islam, turned up to help MJ to covert.

Does Vijay Mallya think women are commodities?

Dr Vijay Mallya has crossed all limits of decency and audacity. He has told that he will offer the sacked air hostesses of Jet Airways jobs of cheer girls in the IPL; is he is making mockery of their misfortune or he thinks that women are commodities and can be used anywhere where ever he deems fit?

Have these women invested time and money for being cheer leaders in cricket matches? Is he fool that he does not know the difference between a career job and gigs? Or he thinks that women are slaves and he can do whatever he wants to do with them?

He must be seek a public apology for his insensitive and arrogant behavior and people should remind him that being a rich man does not give him automatic license to insult and hurt people. If he is not checked then I will not be surprised he offers some girls jobs of prostitutes in countries abroad where prostitution is legal and any businessman can pursue prostitution and allied trades like pornography as legal business entity.

Dr Mallya, we all know that you try to imitate Sir Richard Branson but let me tell you you will never reach that stature. Mr Branson is a self made man whereas you have inherited a business fortune made by your ancestors and probably your only contribution to the business is the Kingfisher calendar. Secondly, whatever Branson has ventured into, he has made almost everything into a big success excepting Virgin cola, whereas excepting your liquor business everything else is struggling. So please concentrate on your business and you need not worry about rehabilitating women, women are not commodities that you buy them and use for your any needs.

BREAKING NEWS: Key Information Flash on Ishmeet Singh's Mysterious Death

The winner of last year"s "Voice of India" singing competition held by India's Star Plus Channel, Ishmeeth Singh, was reported drowned in a swimming pool while in a Maldives resort, Tuesday night.

But for reasons best known to the media, all the mainstream English media has still not named the name of the resort, the name of the organizers and also the circumstances around his mysterious death. To me it is another Bob Woolmer case and instead of Pakistanis the perpetrators are still face less.

After extensive research I have been able to find out some key information about his death. At least I found out some crucial facts, still many things unknown though. He went to a pool with some freinds and these people have been guarded by media, may be they belong to some influential family! They were lodged at a super luxury resort called Chaaya Dhonveli Beacg Resort and so it is becoming a double mystery how a person can drown in swimming pool at half past five in broad daylight!!

Officials from the Chaaya Dhonveli Beach Resort where he was staying said that Ishmeeth had drowned between 5:15pm and 5:20pm on Tuesday while in the swimming pool of the resort.

"He went into the swimming pool with a couple of his friends this afternoon," Marlon Robert, the Assistant Manager of the Resort, said. "None of them knew how to swim so he was using the baby (shallow) swimming pool. Since he didn't know how to swim we had advised him not to use the big pool. Somehow or other he ended up in the big pool. When he couldn't get out of it his friends apparently went looking for help."

According to the Maldives Police Service, Ishmeeth's body had been immediately brought to the ADK Hospital in Male after the incident. The doctor who had attended to him said that the cause of death seemed to be by drowning.

There is bound to be a lot of information missing. Who is guarding the freinds and the organizers? Why they have not even come out and offered condolence? What are they afraid of? Is it murder or negligence or a genuine accident? Why the English news channel who are masters of stings are not even uttering a single word about the mystery angle? How come a 5 star super luxury resort don't have a life guard? Why his freinds did not raise alarm for help? Who is hushing up and for who's interest?

PLEASE DON'T ACCEPT THE ACCIDENT THEORY, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT!

Is Ishmeet Singh's death somewhat similar to that of Bob Woolmar?

I was dumb struck to hear the news of Ishmeet yesterday evening. I saw a breaking news in NDTV that Reality TV start Ishmeet Singh found dead and then when I turned on the drama channel Aaj Tak, they also did not have much information except they told that he got drowned in a hotel's swimming pool in Maldives.

I really don't understand that how can a person get drowned in a hotel's swimming pool? The news has been totally sketchy and even the public has no clue about the name of the hotel where he got drowned and what exactly the time was, who noticed him, why people did not offer help, was he alone and lot many more question.

I strongly believe a foul play and the circumstances of the death reminds me of the death of the South African Bob Woolmer who also died very mysteriously while he was with the Pakistan team out at West Indies. That death mystery is still prevailing where most people believe that he was murdered by the Pakistani cricketers because he came to know about the insider betting and gambling which is a routine event of the Pakistan (and to some extend Indian) cricket team.

I think India should immediately send investigators to Maldives and find out how Ishmeet Singh really got drowned or it was a cold blooded murder, who knows? Because, it is really hard to believe that a smart guy getting drowned in the swimming pool at a luxury hotel in Maldives and no one could do anything or they allowed him to drown.

Lot of people including the judges of the Amul Star Voice of India are now expressing sorrow but strangely enough nobody is questioning the death. Is there a greater conspiracy?

Very rarely these reality shows make some one a star as Ishmeet had been struggling to make a name for himself in playback singing. He had although released a Punjabi album called Gurbani recently and was quite a popular figure among Punjabi youth.