SRIAPPS Apps

Telugu cinema, also known by its nicknameTollywood, is a part of Indian cinema producing films in the Telugulanguage, and is centered in the Indian states of Andhra Pradeshand Telangana, particularly in the Hyderabad neighbourhood of FilmNagar. Since 1909, filmmaker Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was involvedin many aspects of Indian cinema's history, like producing shortfilms and travelling to different regions in Asia to promote filmwork. In 1921, he produced the first Telugu silent film, BhishmaPratigna. He is cited as the father of Telugu cinema.The industry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest filmproduction facility in the world. The Prasads IMAX located inHyderabad is one of the largest 3D IMAX screens, and the mostattended cinema screen in the world. As per the CBFC report of2012, the industry is placed second in India, in terms of filmsproduced yearly. The industry holds a memorandum of understandingwith the Motion Picture Association of America to combat videopiracy. Contemporary films like Dookudu (2011) and Eega (2012) haveeach grossed more than ₹ 100 crore (approximately 15.7 Million USDollars) at the worldwide box office. 2015 film, Baahubali: TheBeginning, became the third Global highest grossing Indian film ofall time, and the highest grossing Indian film of all time withinIndia. The making of the epic film was featured in BBC'sdocumentary on 100 Years of Indian cinema directed by SanjeevBhaskar.

Suriya (born Saravanan Sivakumar on 23 July1975) is an Indian film actor, producer, philanthropist andtelevision presenter, who is currently working in the Tamil filmindustry. After making his debut in Nerukku Ner (1997), Suriya wenton to feature in several critical and commercial successes, mostnotably Nandha (2001), Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Pithamagan (2003),Perazhagan (2004), Ghajini (2005),Vel (2007), Vaaranam Aayiram(2008), Ayan (2009), Aadhavan (2009), Singam (2010), 7aum Arivu(2011) and Singam II (2013). As of 2010, he has won three TamilNadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South. He waslisted 33 in Forbes India's "Celebrity 100 List" for the year 2013.In 2010, he made his Bollywood debut with Rakta Charitra along withan equally famous tamil actor, Vikram, who debuted in Raavan.He is the eldest son of Tamil film actor Sivakumar and hisbrother Karthi is also an actor. Suriya married actress Jyothika in2006, after being engaged for several years. In 2008, he beganAgaram Foundation, which funds for various philanthropicactivities. The year 2012 marked his debut as a televisionpresenter with the popular STAR Vijay gaming show NeengalumVellalam Oru Kodi, Tamil version of Who Wants to Be aMillionaire?.

Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE (16April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor,filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the silent era. Chaplinbecame a worldwide icon through his screen persona "the Tramp" andis considered one of the most important figures in the history ofthe film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, fromchildhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy.Chaplin's childhood in London was defined by poverty andhardship. As his father was absent and his mother struggledfinancially, he was sent to a workhouse twice before the age ofnine. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum.Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls andlater working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19 he was signed tothe prestigious Fred Karno company, which took him to America.Chaplin was scouted for the film industry, and began appearing in1914 for Keystone Studios. He soon developed the Tramp persona andformed a large fan base. Chaplin directed his own films from anearly stage, and continued to hone his craft as he moved to theEssanay, Mutual, and First National corporations. By 1918, he wasone of the best known figures in the world.In 1919, Chaplin co-founded the distribution company UnitedArtists, which gave him complete control over his films. His firstfeature-length was The Kid (1921), followed by A Woman of Paris(1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). He refused tomove to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing City Lights(1931) and Modern Times (1936) without dialogue. Chaplin becameincreasingly political, and his next film, The Great Dictator(1940), satirised Adolf Hitler. The 1940s were a decade marked withcontroversy for Chaplin, and his popularity declined rapidly. Hewas accused of communist sympathies, while his involvement in apaternity suit and marriages to much younger women caused scandal.An FBI investigation was opened, and Chaplin was forced to leavethe United States and settle in Switzerland. He abandoned the Trampin his later films, which include Monsieur Verdoux (1947),Limelight (1952), A King in New York (1957), and A Countess fromHong Kong (1967).Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, andcomposed the music for most of his films. He was a perfectionist,and his financial independence enabled him to spend years on thedevelopment and production of a picture. His films arecharacterised by slapstick combined with pathos, typified in theTramp's struggles against adversity. Many contain social andpolitical themes, as well as autobiographical elements. In 1972, aspart of a renewed appreciation for his work, Chaplin received anHonorary Academy Award for "the incalculable effect he has had inmaking motion pictures the art form of this century". He continuesto be held in high regard, with The Gold Rush, City Lights, ModernTimes, and The Great Dictator often ranked on industry lists of thegreatest films of all time.

Christmas is an annual festival commemoratingthe birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 asa religious and cultural celebration among billions of peoplearound the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year,it is prepared for by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast andinitiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in theWest lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night; in sometraditions, Christmastide includes an Octave. Christmas Day is apublic holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebratedculturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is anintegral part of the holiday season.The celebratory customs associated in various countries withChristmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secularthemes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday includegift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath,Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, an exchangeof Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and thedisplay of various Christmas decorations, including Christmastrees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths,mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related andoften interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, FatherChristmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated withbringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and havetheir own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and manyother aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economicactivity, the holiday has become a significant event and a keysales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact ofChristmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past fewcenturies in many regions of the world.While the month and date of Jesus' birth are unknown, by theearly-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placedChristmas on December 25, a date later adopted in the East,although some churches celebrate on the December 25 of the olderJulian calendar, which, in the Gregorian calendar, currentlycorresponds to January 7, the day after the Western ChristianChurch celebrates the Epiphany. The date of Christmas may haveinitially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly ninemonths after the day on which early Christians believed that Jesuswas conceived, or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivalsthat occurred near southern solstice (i.e., the Roman wintersolstice); a further solar connection has been suggested because ofa biblical verse identifying Jesus as the "Sun ofrighteousness".

Brain fitness is the capacity of a person tomeet the various cognitive demands of life. It is evident in anability to assimilate information, comprehend relationships, anddevelop reasonable conclusions and plans. Brain fitness can bedeveloped by formal education, being actively mentally engaged inlife, continuing to learn, and exercises designed to challengecognitive skills. Healthy lifestyle habits including mentalstimulation, physical exercise, good nutrition, stress management,and sleep can improve brain fitness. On the other hand, chronicstress, anxiety, depression, aging, air pollution, decreasingestrogen, excess oxytocin, and prolonged cortisol can decreasebrain fitness as well as general health.

An early example of an eponymous hairstyle wasassociated with the 5th Duke of Bedford. In 1795, when the Britishgovernment levied a tax on hair powder, as a form of protestBedford abandoned the powdered and tied hairstyle commonly worn bymen of that era in favor of a cropped, unpowdered style, making abet with friends to do likewise. The new style became known as theBedford Level, a pun on a geographical feature of The Fens alsoknown as the "Bedford Level" and also making reference to Bedford'sradical ("leveller") political views. It was also known as theBedford Crop. Although natural, the Bedford crop was usually styledwith wax to form a side parting.Justin Bieber in 2009The cover band The Crewcuts were the first to connect hair with popmusic, but they were named after the hairstyle, rather than thereverse. Although eponymous styles are mostly associated withwomen, the "mop-top" Beatle cut of the 1960s (after the rock groupof that name) was one famous and widely copied example of such astyle for men.In the early 1970s the singer David Bowie popularized theso-called "Ziggy cut", an orange-red form of "mullet" associatedwith the rather androgynous image that he promoted through hisalbums The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders fromMars (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973). To the extent that Bowieduring this period appeared to assume the persona of "ZiggyStardust", the Ziggy cut can be regarded, at least partially, as aneponymous style.In the late 1990s, with the success of "ER", George Clooneypopularized the Caesar-style haircut worn by his character, Dr.Doug Ross. The style worked equally well for both young and oldermen alike, and Clooney's distinguished salt and pepper color becamevery popular.In more recent times the hair of footballers Kevin Keegan, whoacquired a curly "bubble perm" while playing for Southampton in theearly 1980s, and David Beckham gave rise to much copying, but a"Beckham" was whatever style ("buzz-cut", cornrows, Fauxhawk, evenan Alice band) he happened to wear at a given time.A more specific eponymous example was the so-called "Sawyer" ofJames "Sawyer" Ford, the character played by Josh Holloway in theABC-TV series Lost (2004–2010), or the shaggy "Bieber" debuted bythe pop singer in 2008. Some salons charged up to $150 for theforward-combed look. When Bieber changed his hairstyle in 2011, itreceived considerable press. He gave the cut hair to talk-show hostEllen Degeneres, who auctioned Bieber's hair on eBay, earning morethan $40,000 for an animal charity.

Christmas in Nicaragua begins officially onthe 6th of December. On December 7th with the Nicaraguanscelebrating "La Purisima"(meaning "the most pure) or the ImmaculateConception of Virgin Mary. Thousands in the country, specially theyoung, sing as loudly as they can and go from house to house, tosing hymns honouring the Virgin Mary. Someone from the crowd loudlyasks what the cause of their happiness is? The chorus immediatelyanswers, “The conception of the Virgin Mary!” For suchperformances, every house rewards the performers with generoustreats including items like rosquillas, leche de burra (a sweetcalled donkey’s milk) nacatamal (tamal stuffed with meat) oranges,lemons, and chopped caña (cane).In the weeks leading up to the festival, people come out on thestreets in large numbers to buy candles,images of Nativity, presents, small Nativity figures, toys, flowerbouquets and various types of food items. Children carry beautifulbouquets to the alter of the Virgin and sing carols. Splendidfireworks are to be beheld all over the sky throughout the entiremonth of December. The whole family decorates the Christmas treethat they buy for the occassion. The festival, however, actuallybegins on December 16 with the performance of the lodgingdifficulties of Mary and Joseph. Every home carefully constructs amanger scene for this purpose. The home where lodging is found,supplies wine and food.From December 16 until Christmas Eve Mass, prayer is held eachevening in the home, followed by refreshments and the singing ofcarols. Contrary to the American celebration of Christmas on 25thDecember, the festival here is celebrated a day earlier. December25th is just a regular day here.Christmas Day is celebrated with fun, feasts, fireworks anddancing. The main streets of the town and cities are decorated andhave loud-speakers broadcasting Christmas carols. In small towns,there is an old custom of the Catholic Church organising a paradeor "procession". The priest goes around the town with a number ofperformers imitating various Biblical characters and enacting thebirth, passion and life of Jesus Christ. Many people view thisparade with great devotion.The Christmas dinner is something everyone looks forward tohere, as in elsewhere. On the morning of December 24th, all in thefamily work together to prepare the Christmas dinner. TheNicaraguan Christmas celebration is largely influenced by ancientSpanish traditions. Hence, the menu traditionally consists ofValencian style rice similar to Paella, stuffed chicken, nacatamal,and freshly baked bread. Spanish biscochos are served for dessert.In Nicaragua, the extended members of the family and friends areinvited to each others homes to celebrate Christmas. At night,everyone in the family prepare to go to church. On Christmas Eve,church bells are rung which signify the start of the Midnight Mass.Thousands attend this Christmas Eve Mass, after which everyoneenjoys the Christmas dinner together. White-coloured Christmascards are exchanged on this occassion. Everyone wishes "FelizNavidad" (meaning "Merry Christmas" in Nicaragua) to another.On December 25th, everyone wakes up early in the morning. Whilethe adults go to the market to purchase the food to be prepared forthe Christmas dinner, kids look for toys on their pillows or rushto find gifts placed under the Christmas tree by Papa Noel. Here,children write letters to Papa Noel, the Nicaraguan equivalent ofSanta Clus, asking him to bring them the toys and gifts they wantto receive at midnight on December 24th.

South Asian sweets are the confectionery anddesserts of South Asia. Thousands of dedicated shops in Bangladesh,India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sell nothing but sweets;however, outside of these countries, South Asian sweet shops areuncommon.Sugarcane has been grown in India for thousands of years, andthe art of refining sugar was invented there. The English wordsugar comes from a Sanskrit word sakhar, while the word candy comesfrom Sanskrit word khand (jaggery) - one of the simplest raw formsof sweet. Over its long history, cuisines of the IndianSubcontinent developed a diversified array of sweets. Some claimthere is no other region of the world where sweets are so varied,so numerous, or so invested with meaning as the IndianSubcontinent.In India's diverse languages, sweets are called by numerousnames, one common name being Mithai (मिठाई). They include sugar,and a vast array of ingredients such as different flours, milk,milk solids, fermented foods, root vegetables, raw and roastedseeds, seasonal fruits, fruit pastes and dry fruits. Some sweetssuch as kheer are cooked, some like burfi are baked, varieties likeMysore pak are roasted, some like jalebi are fried, others likekulfi are frozen, while still others involve a creative combinationof preparation techniques. The composition and recipes of thesweets and other ingredients vary by region. Mithai are sometimesserved with a meal, and often included as a form of greeting,celebration, religious offering, gift giving, parties, andhospitality in India. On Indian festivals - such as Holi, Diwali,Eid, or Raksha Bhandan - sweets are homemade or purchased, thenshared. Many social gatherings, wedding ceremonies and religiousfestivals often include a social celebration of food, and theflavors of sweets are an essential element of such acelebration.