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  I wrote some time ago about the case of the Mistaken Author . I had misunderstood Alfred Hitchcock as the author of the Three Investigators Series during my school days since I would see the introduction by him at the beginning of each story. Only last year, while I came across a 3I book did I realize that the characters were created by Robert Arthur. He wrote the stories and only the introduction/foreword came from Alfred Hitchcock. I started reading the entire series and when I came to the 12 th book/story in the series; I was surprised to see the author name change. I again began looking for info about this changed authorship. A little googling gave me some insight into what happened. Here is bits and pieces of what I found. The Three Investigators Mystery Series is a juvenile book series that was created by Robert Arthur, Jr. in the early 1960's.   Robert Arthur's idea was to write a series that was similar in some ways to the Hardy Boys and other popular juve...

I got this info from a friend who got it from someone who seems to have called up and verified the info. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Dr Vani                                                                                                       Mar 23, '11 Dear Colleagues and Friends, I am happy to inform you that we have now expanded our services and following are available at B J Wadia, CGC MUMBAI 1. IQ testing 2. Developmental quotient testing 3. Psychiatric evaluation and treatment (Outpatient only) 4. Counseling (1 & 2 are available at nominal charges, while 3 & 4 are available for Rs 10/- per visit) All patients are required to register at the main counter and then be present for consultation on Mondays and Thursdays between 12.30 and 2 pm.Kindly note the above and we hope that maximum number of patients will avail of these services. Please feel free to tell ever...

Google celebrated the birthday of world famous escape artisit, Harry Houdini, with a Google Doodle. Harry Houdini, the legendary escape artist, was born on March 24, 1874. He would have been 137 now. Houdini pushed the boundaries of stage magic with daring escapes; his tricks involved straitjackets, being submerged, and being buried alive. If you've ever watched the likes of Criss Angel: Mindfreak, you will have seen modern-day variations of several Houdini escapes Interestingly …. Harry Houdini had been friends with Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, who believed that Houdini had supernatural powers. Harry Houdini's insistence that he was a normal man ruined their friendship. While we talk and remember Houdini and how he changed the performing landscape for so called magicians and illusionists; its also worthwhile to make note of yet another small news item. Dorothy Young,   Harry Houdini's last living assistant, died on March 20, 2011 at the age of 103. Young j...

I came across another short and to-the-point article about the Japanese behaviour in the face of a major disaster / calamity. Couldnt help but share since it is relevant anywhere, anytime irrespective of time, place, culture, country.     Ten things to learn from Japan Earthquake / Tsunami   1. THE CALM Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated. 2. THE DIGNITY Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture. 3. THE ABILITY The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn't fall. 4. THE GRACE People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something. 5. THE ORDER No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding. 6. THE SACRIFICE Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid? 7. THE TENDERNESS Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for...

Past one week, I read several article and news items regarding the devastation in Japan and the continued tragedy, Today I read a couple of articles about the Japanese people and their grit, stoicism and calm, even in the face of a great calamity that literally continues to rock them every hour even today. The world has a lot to learn from Japanese. Here are excerpts of some of the articles. 'It's utterly amazingly that where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another. Alongside the chaos and destruction wrought by the terrible earthquake and tsunami have been scenes of heart-breaking orderliness and self-control. Japan is prostrate and fearful, but there are no reports of widespread looting, panic or hoarding. There is, as yet, very little anger directed at the government.' ...

Thats a very interesting news item my friend brought to my notice ...   LONDON: A snake attacked an Israeli model during a sexy photoshoot by biting into her surgically enhanced breast and later died from silicone poisoning.   Full article here ... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/mad-mad-world/Snake-bites-models-bust-dies-of-silicon-poisoning/articleshow/7715176.cms     What is this world coming to ....

Before and After satellite pictures of Japan... http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html?hp Don't miss the slider at the centre of each photo on page which you can slide across the spot/place before (4 th March) and after (12 March). The devastation and extent of damage is clearly visible and one can only wonder how helpless humankind is against the fury of nature. We are slowly gradually and systematically destroying our environment and now … nature has begun to show visible violent reactions.   Think about the number of natural calamities that have struck various parts of the globe in the past decade and then compare that to the number of natural calamities in the last century . We have done a lot of damage in the past century and have already paid a very heavy price in one single decade of this century. Typhoons, Tsunamis, Earthquakes, Forest Fires, Extreme Weather , Floods, Famines, Snowfalls...

About a year ago, I made a very short blog post titled 'Winners and Quitters' … I came across a quote today which puts a nice perspective to Quitting to Win ...     Employ the power of positive quitting. Most of us view quitting as something negative, but it's not. 'Winners never quit,' we're told, when, in reality, winners quit all the time: choosing to stop doing things that aren't creating the results they desire. When you quit all the things that aren't working for you, when you quit tolerating all the negative things that hold you back, you'll create a positive 'charge' in your life as well as create the space in your life for more positive experiences.   ~Jim Allen, Inspirational Speaker, Author and Life Coach

Here's a 80 second stress buster for times when you feel stressed out (for whatever reasons … ) Laurel and Hardy dancing to the song Massakkali from Delhi 6 .... enZoy !!!

This came as an email forward and refreshed quite a few memories …. I have marked the ones that I identify with personally.   You Know You Grew Up in India in the 90s when… 1) You know the words to 'In-pin-safety-pin' and 'akkad-bakkad' by heart 2) Cricket is almost a religion for you, and you idolize at least one of Rahul Dravid/Sachin Tendulkar/Saurav Ganguly 3) You have read at least some Chacha Chaudhary or Tinkle comics … many in fact 4) You've watched Shaktimaan on TV at least once in your life. And you can immediately recognize the character when you see him. 5) You watched corny dubbed versions of Small Wonder, Silver Spoon, and I Dream of Jeanie 7) A visit to Pizza Hut used to mean a special treat 8) You have seen Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun at least 5 times each … not 5 times 9) You still remember the theme song of Hum Paanch. (Hum Paanch, Pam Pam Pam Paanch!) 10) You have played hours upon hour of runnin...

  1. Sherlock Holmes: The Boscombe Valley Mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Yet another Sherlock Holmes short story … distinctive thing about this one was indeed very curious. I could not identify the title nor the story line … but somewhere midway there was this part about Sherlock scrutinizing the crime scene and collecting some gray dust. I instantly had a déjà vu kind of vision of an image (illustration) depicting the same (Sherlock standing near a tree). The next moment I had a flash of memory that the dust was but cigar ash which Sherlock would use to identify the murderer. Strangely, I did not remember absolutely any other detail of the story.   2. The Three Investigators & the Mystery of the Skeleton Island by Robert Arthur This one was like teenage Indiana Jones kind. An island, treasure, ghost stories etc. all put together in a single capsule. It even had a situation where the kids get trapped in a cave which practically no one knows about. A very interestin...

 The Wafi Sound & Light Theme Show was an Awesome Spellbinding Experience This was an absolutely amazing experience. An out-of-this-world show of laser lights, projections, music and grandeur. I have seen this thrice in the past one month (on 2 occasions) and I can see it again and again.   Anybody visiting Dubai should sirely visit Wafi Mall and catch this spectacular show.