FAHEEM GETS PAID ONLY 10 PAISE PER SHOES !!!!! CAN SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE CHANGE HIS LIFE ?

Slumdog Millionaire has received tremendous international recognition and highlighted Mumbai's underbelly. While some hail it as a grand endorsement for the city, others think of it as a sorry stereotype.
One of the correspondents met children in Mumbai's slums to find out what life really means for them.
Faheem Khan, Dharavi
Faheem and his family, natives of Bijnore, Uttar Pradesh , have lived in Mumbai for 15 years. Faheem came to the city when he was just one year old.
The family of eight lives in Dharavi, often described as Asia's largest slum.
Faheem is 16, he is in Class X at the R C Mahim School. He also sews soles for shoes at one of the slum's many leather businesses.
His father works as a carpenter on daily wages. "He works if someone comes with work. He is jobless and has nothing to do if there is no carpentry work," says Faheem.
"I go to school in the morning and work in the evening. My brother fixes television cables and that again is on a daily wage. I get a very small amount from what I do. I put wooden heels on sandals and for every pair I get paid only 10 paise. I have another brother who studies in Class VIII and two sisters in Class X and IV," continues Faheem.
Amidst this financial constraint, Faheem forgets to mention his mother. "She is immobile," he says when this correspondent probes him. "She has calcium deficiency and cannot move. We cannot afford medication for her. We are just counting her days."
The government doctors provide free consultancy, but the family has to pay for the medication. "She needs to be medicated with an injection that costs us Rs 1,500 per injection. She needs this continuously for a month. That is going to cost us Rs 45,000. Where do we get this kind of money? We have left things to fate," he says with moist eyes.
"There have been days when none of us get money. We live in rented kholis (huts). We have to pay a rent of Rs 1,500. With no money coming in, we have starved for days. It happens quite often that we starve for more than 10 days a month. My father hasn't got any work for the past six months now."
Faheem goes to school from 7 am to 1 pm, he then goes for tuition after school and works from 4 pm to 11 pm. "I love to play like other kids, but I can't because of my schedule," he says.
"I want to study further and become a computer engineer," he says, confiding his dreams. "I know it is very difficult, but I will study hard. My brother has promised me that he will make me study as much as I want come what may. My sister wants to become a teacher and my dream is to be able to help my brother support my family."

OBAMA'S INAUGRATION THE COSTLIEST ONE IN AMERICAN HISTORY

This weekend, America's capital city will welcome thousands of government officials and dignitaries from the US and around the world. Over 10,000 buses will carry 500,000 riders into Washington, DC, doubling the city's population.
On Inauguration Day, the Metro is expected to have a 17-hour rush hour. District bars will be open 24 hours a day for five straight days.
To manage an event of this scale, the District of Columbia will spend a mammoth $47 million. It is not enough.
Obama's Inauguration is expected to be the largest inaugural event in American history -- and the most challenging to orchestrate. A committee of local elected officials estimates that ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in the festivities will cost over $75 million.
Security is one of the largest expenses. The Department of Homeland Security classifies presidential Inaugurations as 'National Special Security Events,' which means there is potential for terrorism or assassination attempts. In these cases, the Secret Service, with the help of local law enforcement, is put in charge of security.
The Inaugural Parade route alone requires 4,000 police officers and almost 100 other law enforcement agencies from around the country to help the Secret Service manage the masses.
Extra money will be spent not just to control crowds but also to transport them.
Transportation costs will set Washington, DC, back about $5 million as visitors enter the capital by bus, train, plane and automobile. Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport expect to see a combined 300,000 passengers walk through their terminals. And with no parking on Capitol Hill, limited parking in Washington, D.C., and countless road closures, driving a car into the city will be dreadful.
The Inauguration may be a logistical nightmare, but that shouldn't prevent anyone from having a good time. The Presidential Inauguration Committee will spend about $45 million on entertainment expenses, including the 10 official Inaugural Balls and big screen TVs placed around the city to let the public witness events they can't reach.
Much of the $45 million will go toward creating a dynamic Inauguration experience for the everyday visitor, not just funding exclusive events.
"We don't even consider these events to be extravagant," says Linda Douglas, a spokeswoman from the Presidential Inauguration Committee. "With crowds of this size, most of our attention is being devoted to opening up as many events to the public."
Six of the official balls, including the popular Neighbourhood Ball and the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball, are being held at the Washington Convention Center in the heart of the capital.
If the Secret Service thinks they face challenges, they should compare notes with Convention Center caterers. Over 1,800 hours will be spent prepping food for the six balls. About 9,000 pounds of tortellini and 8,250 pounds of Italian chicken roulade will be eaten. Toasts will be made with over 10,000 bottles of wine opened by over 700 bartenders and wait staff.
It may be possible to put a price tag on security and festivities, but some things can't be bought- - at least not by the general public.
One of those things is Obama's new, heavily armoured 2009 Cadillac limo, which will debut at the Inaugural Parade. It may look like a regular limo, but it's hardly your average sedan. The presidential limos are created by a secret team of individuals from both Cadillac and the US government. Understandably, the Secret Service won't share information about the protective elements of the president's car.

POPE TO HAVE OWN GOOGLE CHANNEL WITH VIDEO

VATICAN CITY—The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI is getting his own channel on Google.
It says the Vatican TV Center and Vatican Radio are collaborating with Google on the project.
The Vatican's press office said Saturday that texts and video of the pope's speeches as well as news about the pontiff would be posted directly onto the channel.
It says more information will be given next week.
The Vatican began using its Web site widely to publish teachings and pronouncements under the late Pope John Paul II.

BIBLEGIVEAWAY BANNED AT SCHOOL ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY

A Southwest Florida man who in past years has been allowed to distribute free Bibles to high school students on Religious Freedom Day was turned down this year by the district's superintendent.
Jerry Rutherford, president of World Changers, appeared before the Collier County School Board on Thursday to ask for a reversal of the decision but received the same response.
"This rejection is a slap in the face," said Rutherford, according to Naples News. "The decision to deny access to community groups that are religious in nature is censorship and bias."
In November, Rutherford routinely submitted his request to set up tables offering free Bibles to district students on Religious Freedom Day. But Superintendent Dennis Thompson, who had allowed the activity in the past two years, denied his request last week.
During the meeting with the district board, Rutherford cited the 1998 decision by a federal appeals court in Peck vs. The Upshur County School Board. The case upheld a West Virginia school district’s right to give out any outside materials both religious and non-religious in a passive manner one day a year.
The Orlando-based Liberty Counsel also sent a letter on behalf of Rutherford to the board asking for the reversal of the decision. The Christian legal group had even offered to litigate the district’s position for free.
But the board said it would stand behind the decision made by Thompson.
Rutherford says it's unconstitutional that he has been barred from passing out Bibles when the district allows other community groups, like the military, to distribute literature to students.
"We're losing our religious freedoms and that is very scary to me," he said, according to WINK News.
The delayed consideration and late decision denying Rutherford's routine request raises the issues of unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and violation of the Establishment Clause, according to Liberty Counsel.
"If the school board does embark on this new course of action one that we believe is not constitutional we will tell them we will take all legal action to distribute material," said LC attorney Harry Mihet to an NBC affiliate in Fort Myers.
Each year, the President declares Jan. 16 to be Religious Freedom Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the 1786 passage of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
In his declaration this year, outgoing President George W. Bush said there was no human freedom "more fundamental than the right to worship in accordance with one's conscience."
According to Bush, the day celebrates "the first liberties enshrined in our Constitution's Bill of Rights, which guarantee the free exercise of religion for all Americans and prohibit an establishment of religion."
"Our Nation was founded by people seeking haven from religious persecution, and the religious liberty they found here remains one of this land's greatest blessings," added Bush.
"Though we may profess different creeds and worship in different manners and places, we respect each other's humanity and expression of faith."

CHURCH , RESTAURANT DESTROYED IN FIRE IN LOUISVILLE

Firefighters coated in ice battled sub-zero wind chills early yesterday, as they fought to control two major fires that started within an hour of each other in Louisville.
Icicles hung from the shattered, once-ornate church window that adorns the Portland Avenue Presbyterian Church, which suffered severe damage from a fire that was reported about 3 a.m. Much of the church was gutted.
Several miles away, just after 4 a.m. on Bardstown Road in the Highlands, fire tore through the Café Mimosa restaurant, destroying the building. Ice coated the restaurant's sign, as well as nearby power lines.
Though the cold temperatures and slippery conditions made it challenging to keep firefighters safe, there were no major injuries, said Louisville Fire Chief Greg Frederick.
One firefighter was hurt slightly when a brick fell on him at the Portland fire, and another was examined by EMS workers at the Bardstown Road fire, likely suffering from dehydration, Frederick said.
Both fires are under investigation by the arson squad, as is routine, and no official cause has been determined in either fire.
Henry Ott, Louisville Fire & Rescue's lead arson investigator, said the church fire likely started in the basement's southwest corner, while the restaurant fire started in trash bins located in the rear of the building.
Having two intense fires at the same time prompted the department to call in both shifts of off-duty firefighters, Frederick said, noting that when the number of fires escalates, "it does tax our resources."
About 75 firefighters responded to the church with about 15 engines and trucks. Another 45 firefighters were sent to the scene of the restaurant fire, with about eight engines and trucks.
Hard-fought efforts
The challenge of fighting the fires at about the same time was exacerbated by the morning's frigid temperatures, which created trouble with some hoses and caused some fire hydrants to freeze.
While temperatures at 4 a.m. hovered at about zero, wind chills dropped to 14 degrees below zero, said Nathan Foster, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Two hydrants near the Portland fire were frozen, and firefighters had to use torches to heat them enough to get water, Frederick said, but that didn't hinder firefighters in extinguishing the blaze because other hydrants nearby were working.
But sheets of ice covered the helmets and gear of firefighters as they battled hot spots at both fires for hours after they were initially reported. A TARC bus, ambulances and a fire department rehabilitation unit were used to give firefighters a place to rest and escape the cold.
About 1,000 LG&E customers in the area of the Bardstown Road fire were without power because of the blaze. Everyone, including four schools in the area, had power restored by about 11 a.m., a company spokeswoman said.

Facing the devastation
Phat Le, who bought Café Mimosa and the Egg Roll Machine restaurant 12 years ago, said he got a call about 4:30 a.m. yesterday telling him to turn on the television because his restaurant was on fire.
But he said that he started shaking so badly he could not move and waited several minutes to see the video coverage.
"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I didn't even want to see it because it broke my heart."
Le said that he has received many calls from loyal customers offering him support, which has made him "so happy" even in the face of his great loss.
He said he wants neighbors to know that he hopes to be able to rebuild the restaurant quickly.
Dr. Marie Gagnon, a veterinarian at the Fairleigh Pet Center next to the restaurant, said she is "devastated" for Le.
There were about 10 cats and dogs staying overnight at the clinic, but they were all taken out safely and suffered no ill effects from the fire, she said. The clinic did have some water damage but hopes to reopen no later than Monday, she said.
"We're very, very grateful to the firefighters," she said, because of their work to keep the fire from spreading. "We're just really, really lucky here."
Willa Fae Williams, pastor of the Portland church, said she got to the scene quickly enough to watch her beloved church burn.
As firefighters battled the blaze, church members came to the scene, gathering to comfort each other, crying and praying together.
"We don't believe the building is the church, the church is its people," Williams said. "We have no doubt that God has something good in mind and we'll wait and see what it is."
The church was built in 1928, housing a congregation that had been active since the 1890s. It provided a clothes closet and food pantry for needy people in the area.
Williams said yesterday that no plans for alternate worship locations had yet been made, although other churches have called to offer assistance.
Craig Eschman and his fiancée, Sarah Willis, stood outside the church early yesterday; they said they had been attending services there for about a year.
"It's really devastating," Willis said.