Will the Leap Motion Controller change how we use computers?

Will the Leap Motion Controller change how we use 

computers?

The new gadget will let you interact with your computer using gestures – does that mean Minority Report has finally arrived?
The Leap Motion computer controller … the beginning of a revolution?
The Leap Motion computer controller … the beginning of a revolution? Photograph: AP
When John Underkoffler was designing the interface for the film Minority Report, Steven Spielberg told him it should look like the characters were "conducting an orchestra". Now that's a beautiful vision. The gestural control of the future should not be tiring or bothersome, but elegant and accurate.
As of this week Minority Report has arrived. Or you can pretend to be Iron Man's alter-ego Tony Stark (but sadly without the ability to control multimillion-dollar robots and body armour). Pre-orders of the Leap Motion Controller – which was privately funded and allows you to control your computer using gestures in the air, within a volume of eight cubic feet – are slowly being delivered in the US, and as of Monday it is available in Britain on Amazon.
If you've used a device with a screen in the last few years you'll have noticed that almost everything you click or tap seems to have a conspicuous reaction, something I'm fairly sure we're getting more than a little tired of. Blame the movies – everything has a licence to beep and jiggle in Tony Stark's garage. With the advent of Leap, designers and developers have been forced to return to a simpler time; where that mandatory jiggle and bounce has been toned down in order for users to grapple with a new "interaction paradigm".
The first step with all new technologies is usually the shonkiest; the tech is still very much prototypical. Good enough to spin a sphere, but perhaps not yet to control your diary.
The era of gesture control that will be enabled by Leap tech, and what comes after it, will yield more useful interactions. Siriand, more recently, the successful integration of Voice Search in Google products, are preparing us for the next step in interaction development. As with voice recognition, we should prime ourselves for the inevitable growing pains. Further configurations of these technologies will gradually embed themselves in our lives. But at what price?
• This article was amended on 29 July 2013. The original version said that Leap was funded by Kickstarter investors. This has now been corrected.

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Samsung Dethrones Apple in Smartphone Profits

Samsung Dethrones Apple in Smartphone Profits

Reuters
The Galaxy S4, left, and the iPhone 5.
Apple has fallen off the profit throne.Last quarter, Samsung Electronics made more money selling handsets than Apple for the first time, according to a report by Strategy Analytics.
Samsung’s operating profit for handsets was an estimated $5.2 billion in the second quarter of 2013, according to the report. Apple, meanwhile, had an estimated operating profit of $4.6 billion.
Apple also lost global market share while Samsung made gains. Apple’s share fell to 13.6% from 16.6%, the lowest it has been in three years. Samsung, meanwhile notched a 33.1% global market share, up from 31.1% last year, according to the report.  Other research outfits have different tallies for market share. IDC, for example, said Samsung’s market share actually slipped to 30.4% from 32.2% a year earlier, though it still topped Apple’s.
Overall, the numbers highlight the challenges Apple faces from a more competitive handset market in which much of the growth is at the lower end.
Apple’s smartphone shipments grew just 20% in the second quarter, well below the industry average of 47%, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung shipped a record 76 million smartphones, more than double Apple’s 31.2 million. Samsung was boosted by sales in China of its Galaxy S4 model, the report said. Apple has said it plans to make the iPhone 4 “more attractive” in China, where the company recently saw sales slow.
Apple declined to comment. Samsung didn’t immediately return request for comment.
LG Electronics, meanwhile, made strides. It captured 5.8% market share and was the third largest smartphone vendor for the second consecutive quarter. The Optimus and Nexus devices helped fuel the success, according to the report.

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Movie REVIEW: THE WOLVERINE

REVIEW: 'THE WOLVERINE' IS, FINALLY, A MOVIE THAT IS ACTUALLY ABOUT WOLVERINE

Rating: 3.5/5

The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman
Twentieth Century Fox Film

After X-Men Origins: Wolverine turned out to be a bit of a mess, I was equal parts skeptical and hopeful about The Wolverine. I was skeptical for obvious reasons. But I was hopeful because this seemed like a completely different movie that was actually going to tell Wolverine's story without the distractions of mutants flying everywhere and shooting lasers out of their eyes. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed.
The Wolverine is the movie I (and many fans) wanted Origins to be. It takes place some time after X-Men: The Last Stand, when Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) had to kill his love Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). Doing so made him question his whole identity, and that internal struggle is the driving force behind this film.
The movie opens with Wolverine saving a young Japanese soldier, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), from the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki. We then flash to the present day, where a full-bearded Logan is living in a cave and is friends with a bear (sort of). After killing Jean, he is afraid of what he's capable of, and he would rather live away from people than risk hurting anyone again. It is only when Yukio (Rila Fukushima), a fiery warrior with equally fiery red hair, finds Logan and tells him that Yashida is dying and wishes to say goodbye that Logan returns to society and heads to Japan. But Yashida actually wants to offer Logan the chance to become mortal again, which only makes it harder for him to acknowledge his true nature.
Once in Japan, Yashida dies and Logan ends up protecting his granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto) from the Yakuza gang and from her father, Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada). There’s sword fighting, knife throwing, and some ninjas with bows and arrows. In the middle of it all, of course, the claws come out. The action is what the audience loves to see, and it doesn't let us down. And when Logan isn't sticking his claws through some bad guy, he's dreaming about Jean. There's a nice balance between the two that reminds us that, even though Logan has healing powers and an adamantium skeleton, he's also a man who has seen and done many things and is struggling with who he is and who he wants to be.
The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman
Twentieth Century Fox Film

It’s been 13 years since Jackman first played Wolverine, and he knows this character inside and out. That comfort level is what makes it so easy for the audience to connect with Logan and his struggle. His brooding, scowling performance brings Wolverine down to a more human level and shows that you can still have an existential crisis even when you’ve been around for hundreds of years.
There is, however, the matter of the Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), who takes Logan's healing powers at the beginning of the film. The Wolverine is possibly the most relatable of the X-Men movies, but the Viper brings a heavily melodramatic element to the film. Her costumes are so outlandish as to be laughable, and her main motive seems to be villainy for villainy's sake. She's almost too embedded in the comic book reality for a movie that focuses less on mutants with powers and more on the internal difficulties Logan is facing.
While the first two thirds of the movie deal with human emotions and identity crises, the film does get a bit overzealous in its final act. Wolverine fights the Silver Samurai, a giant made of adamantium, while Viper continues with the melodrama. But all in all, director James Mangold managed to make an entertaining film that gives us more of an insight to Wolverine than we've ever had before. It's a standalone Wolverine film that is actually about Wolverine.
And, true to Marvel fashion, there's an excellent post-credits scene.

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Photos of the Statue of Liberty being built in Paris before she was dedicated to the people of America

Bon voyage! Unearthed photos of the Statue of Liberty being built in Paris before she was dedicated to the people of America

  • Currently on display at the New York Public Library these remarkable photographs show Lady Liberty being build and exhibited in Paris from 1877-1885

  • The iconic sculpture, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi, was dedicated to the American people in honour of their independence in 1886

When a French politician remarked that a monument should be raised in honour of American independence at a dinner party in 1865 he probably didn't imagine that the result would become an international icon of freedom. 

Édouard René de Laboulaye was an ardent supporter of the Union in the American Civil War and was thrilled when they triumphed over the Confederacy in 1865 marking an end to slavery. 
During a conversation at his home in Versailles Laboulaye was heard to say: 'If a monument should rise in the United States, as a memorial to their independence, I should think it only natural if it were built by united effort—a common work of both our nations.'
Liberty, equality, fraternity: The impressive structure surrounded by scaffolding as workers complete the final stages in Paris
Liberty, equality, fraternity: The impressive structure surrounded by scaffolding as workers complete the final stages in Paris
He may not have meant the comment as a proposal but it was nevertheless overhead by fellow guest and sculptoFrédéric Bartholdi who agreed that such a project would be a suitable joint venture for the France and America to undertake together.
Bartholdi set about designing the Statue of Liberty - an neoclassical sculpture of the Roman god of freedom - but due to the troubled political situation in France work did not commence until the 1870s.
    The sculptor had already begun work on the statue's head and torch-bearing arm when on March 3, 1877, President Grant finally signed a joint resolution that authorised the President to accept the statue when it was presented by France.
    Epic venture: Men work to finish the sculpture designed by Frédéric Bartholdi as a monument to American Independence
    Epic venture: Men work to finish the sculpture designed by Frédéric Bartholdi as a monument to American Independence
    Work commences on Lady Liberty's left arm which now holds the Declaration of Independence
    Work commences on Lady Liberty's left arm which now holds the Declaration of Independence
    The resolution stated that France would provide the statue and America the pedestal. The location for the statue was confirmed to be Bedloe's Island (later Liberty Island) just outside Manhattan.
    Having got confirmation from America Bartholdi returned to Paris and completed the head which was exhibited at the Paris World Fair the following year.
    In 1885 she was finally disassembled and shipped to New York and a ceremony of dedication was held on the afternoon of October 28, 1886 where Bartholdi's hard work was celebrated by a parade watched by hundreds of thousands of Americans. 
    Statue of Liberty
    Statue of Liberty under construction
    Under construction: Lady Liberty before and after her head is mounted onto her body in Paris
    Daunting: Passers-by marvel at the Statue of Liberty head as she goes on display before her dedication in New York
    Daunting: Passers-by marvel at the Statue of Liberty head as she goes on display before her dedication in New York
    The Statue of Liberty as she towers above the streets of Paris as she is assembled for the American people as a monument to their independence
    The Statue of Liberty as she towers above the streets of Paris. She was disassembled and shipped to New York in 1885 before her dedication in 1886
    Iconic: The Statue of Liberty remains and international a symbol of freedom and liberty for America and her allies
    Iconic: The Statue of Liberty remains and international a symbol of freedom and liberty for America and her allies
    The statue has been an important symbol of freedom and liberty for America and her allies ever since. 
    These remarkable photographs, currently on display at the New York Public Library, document the statue's construction during her years in Paris between 1877 and 1885. 

    Source:

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    European watchdogs order Google to rewrite privacy policy or face legal action

    Google has been threatened with legal sanctions by European watchdogs over its 2012 privacy policy. Photograph: Martin Keene/PA
    Privacy watchdogs in the UK, Germany and Italy have told Google to rewrite its privacy policy in Europe or face legal sanctions, 15 months after the search giant unilaterally altered them to unify data collection.
    The move follows similar complaints to the US company last month from the equivalent organisations in France and Spain, and ratchets up the attention over its handling of the huge amounts of personal data that it collects from users every day.
    Google has already been censured in Europe over its collection of Wi-Fi data, including usernames, passwords and web page viewing while collecting photos for its Street View system. Both European privacy authorities and US legislators have demanded clarification from the company about the data protection implications of its Google Glass head-mounted system, which can take pictures and video without onlookers knowing. It has also been implicated in a data-sharing row over the NSA's Prism program, which has collected information from a number of US companies including Google, Microsoft and Apple.
    Now the Information Commissioner's Office in the UK says that the new privacy policy, introduced in March 2012, raises "serious questions" about compliance with the UK Data Protection Act, and has given Google until 20 September to recast it.
    Meanwhile, the head of the powerful equivalent in Hamburg, Professor Johannes Caspar, announced that he will call Google into a legal hearing because the new policy "violates the company's commitment to full transparency about the use and handling of the data".
    France and Spain wrote similar letters to the company in June, with France's CNIL threatening fines if it did not comply.
    Google said in a statement: "Our privacy policy respects European law and allows us to create simpler, more effective services. We have engaged fully with the authorities involved throughout this process, and we'll continue to do so going forward."
    But a spokesperson did not explain how its policy could simultaneously respect European law and be the target of censure from five European privacy authorities.
    Nick Pickles, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: "This is the latest confirmation that consumers are being kept in the dark about what data on us Google collects and how that data is used.
    "Google ignored concerns its policy broke the law and put its profit before the legal rights of British citizens.
    "The main issue is that sanctions must be strong enough to make Google take real action, rather than the previous meagre penalties that are seen as a cost of doing business. Regulators around the world must act to ensure concrete steps are taken to uphold peoples rights and stop Google routinely trampling on our privacy."
    Google said in January 2012 that it would rewrite its privacy policies to unite them across its disparate sites such as YouTube, Maps, Shopping, Mail and Search so that people's data use would be unified. Despite warnings from the CNIL and others that the change might not be lawful, it implemented the change in March 2012.
    On Thursday, the ICO said: "we believe that the updated policy does not provide sufficient information to enable UK users of Google's services to understand how their data will be used across all of the company's products. Google must now amend their privacy policy to make it more informative for individual service users."
    If Google fails to comply, the ICO says it will be considered in contempt of court. It could then issue an enforcement notice through the courts. In an extreme case it could issue a £500,000 fine – though a spokesperson said it would need to show individuals had been harmed by the policy.
    The ICO defended the 15 months it had taken to determine that Google's policy does not comply with privacy laws: "It's not just about examining what is and isn't in the privacy policy itself. It's also about examining what the products and services actually do with the data."

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    The demographic story of the next 90 years


    The amazing, surprising, Africa-driven demographic future of the Earth, in 9 charts


    Traffic moves through downtown Lagos, Nigeria. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
    Traffic moves through downtown Lagos, Nigeria. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
    The United Nations Population Division, which tracks demographic data from around the world, has dramatically revised its projections for what will happen in the next 90 years. The new statistics, based on in-depth survey data from sub-Saharan Africa, tell the story of a world poised to change drastically over the next several decades. Most rich countries will shrink and age (with a couple of important exceptions), poorer countries will expand rapidly and, maybe most significant of all, Africa will see a population explosion nearly unprecedented in human history.
    If these numbers turn out to be right – they’re just projections and could change significantly under unforeseen circumstances – the world of 2100 will look very different than the world of today, with implications for everyone. It will be a place where today’s dominant, developed economies are increasingly focused on supporting the elderly, where the least developed countries are transformed by population booms and where Africa, for better or worse, is more important than ever.
    Here is the story of the next 90 years as predicted by UN demographic data and explained in nine charts. The charts are interactive; move your cursor over them to track and compare the data.
    (1) The big story will be Africa
    Right now, with a couple of exceptions, Africa’s population density is relatively low; it’s a very big continent more sparsely populated than, say, Europe or East Asia. That’s changing very quickly. The continent’s overall population is expected to more than quadruple over just 90 years, an astonishingly rapid growth that will make Africa more important than ever. And it’s not just that there will four times the workforce, four times the resource burden, four times as many voters. The rapid growth itself will likely transform political and social dynamics within African countries and thus their relationship with the rest of the world. (More on this further down.)
    Asia will continue to grow but its population growth, already slowing, is expected to peak about 50 years from now then start declining. As has happened in the West, rising economies will lead to declining birth rates. And that downturned curve could represent some problematic demographic issues; more also on this further down.
    The story in those three little lines at the bottom is less promising. Europe will continue to shrink, which is worsening its economic problems. South America’s population will rise until about 2050, at which point it will begin its own gradual population decline. North America is the least ambiguous success story: it will continue to grow at a slow, sustainable rate, surpassing South America’s overall population around 2070.

    (2) China shrinks, India plateaus; Nigeria is a very big deal
    This chart shows the futures of what are, today, the world’s five most populous nations. The two big stories here are China and Nigeria, the latter of which will have almost a billion people by 2100 and will be within range of surpassing China in population. Given that Nigeria is about the area of Texas, that’s a truly astounding possibility.
    Nigeria, currently Africa’s most populous country, is poised for one of the world’s most rapid population booms ever. In just 100 years, maybe two or three generations, the population is expected to increase by a mind-boggling factor of eight. The country is already troubled by corruption, poverty and religious conflict. It’s difficult to imagine how a government that can barely serve its population right now will respond when the demand on resources, social services, schools and roads increases by a factor of eight. Still, if they pull it off – the country’s vast oil reserves could certainly help – the rapidly growing workforce could theoretically deliver an African miracle akin to, say, China’s.
    Chinese leaders know their demographic crisis is coming. It’s not a mystery: the country’s massive working-age population is only allowed to have one child per couple, which means that when the current generation retires, there will be a rapidly growing pool of retirees just as the workforce starts to shrink. Those aging retirees will be an enormous burden on the Chinese economy, which is just beginning to slow down. As China ages and shrinks, its workforce will get smaller at precisely the moment that it needs them most. Make no mistake, China will continue to be an enormous, important and most likely very successful country, but its demographics are going to quickly shift from a big help to a major hindrance. Keep this in mind the next time someone tells you that China is about to take over the world.
    As for the other three: India’s rapidly growing population, which the country has somewhat harnessed but in many ways failed to serve, will finally plateau around 2065. Indonesia will grow moderately. The United States will grow as well, a bit more quickly than Indonesia but not a boom like India’s. Again, that’s good news for the U.S.

    (3) Africa is the next Asia, maybe
    This chart shows Asian and African populations from 1950 through today and projected ahead to 2100. This isn’t just a big deal because Africa will be almost as populous as Asia by 2100, after a very long time of being just a fraction of Asia’s size. It’s a big deal because it’s a reminder that growth this rapid changes everything.
    Pause for a moment to consider Asia’s boom over the last 50 years – the rise of first Japan, then South Korea, now China and maybe next India – and the degree to which it’s already changed the world and will continue to change it. Africa is expected to grow even more than Asia. Between 1950 and 2050, Asia’s population will have grown by a factor of 3.7, almost quadrupling in just a hundred years. Africa’s population, over its own century of growth from 2000 to 2100, will grow by a factor of 5.18 – significantly faster than Asia.
    In demographic terms, it seems, the Asian century could be followed by the African century. That’s an amazing thing. But Asia’s remarkable economic, cultural, political and social progress had to do with more than just demographics. And even that growth could end up being a curse for Africa if it doesn’t have two things that have been crucial to Asian successes: good governance and careful resource management.
    Right now, many African countries aren’t particularly adept at either governance or resource management. If they don’t improve, exploding population growth could only worsen resource competition – and we’re talking here about basics like food, water and electricity – which in turn makes political instability and conflict more likely. The fact that there will be a “youth bulge” of young people makes that instability and conflict more likely.
    It’s a big, entirely foreseeable danger. Whether Africa is able to prepare for its coming population boom may well be one of the most important long-term challenges the world faces right now.

    (4) Africa’s boom will be sub-Saharan
    Digging in to the data on African population growth finds that it’s mostly in the continent’s sub-Saharan region. These are the five most populous African countries today (excluding Nigeria, which grows so large that it made the other chart lines unreadably small). The growth looks even more eyebrow-raising when it becomes clear that it will mostly leave culturally distinct North Africa behind: it’s all focused in the sub-Saharan countries. South Africa also will grow more slowly.
    Take a look at Tanzania, which is today one of the poorest countries in the world. As of 2000, it had 34 million people; California’s population was the same that year. Today, Tanzania has about 45 million people. By 2100, its population is projected to be 276 million – almost the size of the entire United States today, and by then one of the largest countries in the world. The stories of other African countries may be similar: Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are projected to be almost as large.
    Even if this demographic prediction does turn out to be accurate, we have no way of knowing what a massively populous Tanzania of 2100 would look like. If it remains as poor and troubled as it is today, it doesn’t bode well: water and food resources will only get scarcer as it’s divided among more and more people, as will whatever money the government makes exporting natural resources. That typically leads to instability and a higher risk of conflict. But, as in Asia, there’s also a real opportunity for the future Tanzania to put its growing population to work building the economy. The question of how to get there, though, is not an easy one.

    (5) Systemic shift to developing and least-developed countries
    First, the definitions: the “developed” countries, the blue line, include Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea and other Western countries. The “developing countries,” the green line, includes countries such as Mexico or Russia or Brazil; China and India would normally be in this category but I’ve pulled them out. The “least developed,” in purple, includes, for example, Haiti, Bangladesh and much of Africa.
    What’s clear looking at this chart is that for all the rapid growth seen in India and China, both countries are about to be outpaced by the rest of the developing world. The poorest countries will grow especially rapidly, from 663 million people to almost 3 billion; if those countries stay stuck in their current state of development, many may be unable to handle the population booms.
    The biggest question may be that green line: do those developing countries continue to develop, following earlier success stories like South Korea and Taiwan? What happens when Southeast Asian or Middle Eastern or Latin American countries see South Korea-style success stories? Look at how much Korea’s successes have already changed the world. We may be seeing a lot more of that in the next century.

    (6) The future of the developed world is American
    Whether or not you believe that the U.S.’s global dominance will be challenged by “the rise of the rest,” as Fareed Zakaria describes the coming global development, the demographics strongly suggest that U.S. leadership within the developed world will only strengthen.
    In Europe, Northeast Asia and the broader Anglosphere, most countries will be seeing demographic stagnation or outright decline, which in turn will make those countries less competitive, especially as the rest of the world booms. Populations will continue aging and shrinking or will stay, at best, basically level.
    The one really hopeful case is the United States, which, as you can see, expects pretty healthy, sustained growth. Immigration to the U.S. is the big factor here, the thing that helps inure the U.S. to the demographic decline haunting the rest of the developed world. Usually, countries see their populations decline as soon as they get rich, making their success almost self-defeating. Immigration helps the U.S. to do what very few other countries, including China, has yet figured out: how to be a rich country with a growing population.

    (7) Immigration slows Western stagnation
    If you take the U.S. out of the above chart, that makes it a little easier to see the distinction between developed countries that have robust immigration and those that don’t. Germany, Japan and South Korea – which, like most of the developed world, tightly restrict immigration – all see declines. But the United Kingdom and France, which allow some immigration from their former colonies, are projected to enjoy modest but healthy population growth. It’s not quite as pronounced as in the United States, but it will likely help them avoid some of the demographic-led economic decline projected in the rest of Europe. It’s an irony that more than 150 years after the end of colonialism, its two widest practitioners will continue to benefit.

    (8) Narrowing, but not closing, the life expectancy gap
    This is one of two major factors in Asia’s ongoing population boom and Africa’s coming boom. The average lifespan on both continents is going way, way up. In Africa, it will increase by 50 percent over just a century. That’s a remarkable accomplishment. By the end of this century, African life expectancy is expected to approximate the North American average today – but it will still be the lowest in the world.
    Europe’s average life span is projected to be 87.6 and North America’s will be 89. That’s an amazing medical accomplishment, but gives economists panic attacks: how do you sustain your economy if the average worker spends a third of his or her life on retirement?
    The second factor driving Africa’s population boom is birth rates. Here is the big number that the UN’s new population data uncovered: the average African fertility rate between 2005 and 2010 was 4.9 children per woman. That’s an extremely high number and will cause the sort of youth bulge that developmental economists warn can be economically and politically destabilizing. But it’s tough for policymakers to slow this down, for cultural and religious reasons as well as because, even if too-high fertility might be bad for the region, individual families have every economic incentive to have lots of children.

    (9) This is the most important chart on this page
    Don’t close the page yet! This is a big one. The “dependency ratio” is the ratio of people under age 15 or over age 64 to the number of people age 15 to 64. The idea is that people who are very young or very old are dependent on others to provide for them. If the “dependency ratio” is 40 percent, that means that there are 40 children or elderly to every 100 working age people. Another way of putting it is that 40 out of every 140 people is a child or elderly person. The higher this ratio, the more people depend on the government, the higher the rest of society’s burden for supporting them.
    Right now, Africa’s dependency ratio is high. Really high: about 80 percent. This means that only 56 percent of Africans are working-age. That’s a huge burden on society and a big contributor to poverty. And most of those “dependent age” Africans are very young. (If you’ve ever wondered about the proliferation of child soldiers in Africa, this is part of why: there just aren’t enough 20-something men, but there are lots of children.) But as the birth rate slows and those young dependents enter the work force, the dependency ratio is going to fall, dropping to 60 percent by 2055.
    That’s huge. It increases the share of the population that can contribute and lowers the share that uses resources without contributing. The flip side, though, is that having a lot of young people – specifically, young men – can worsen any political instability and can create instability if resources are scarce. Look, for example, at the Arab world today, where a youth bulge contributed to the protests that became revolutions in some cases and civil wars in others. It’s chancy.
    Meanwhile, the rest of the world is going to see the opposite trend, and that’s bad news. As birth rates fall, people age and life expectancy rises, we’re going to see dependency ratios increase not just across the developed world but across, save for Africa, basically all of it.
    Europe will get the worst of it, with the average dependency ratio hitting an Africa-style 76 percent in 2055. A generation later, South America’s is expected to reach a deeply worrying 82 percent by 2100. Asia has a few decades to prepare: its dependency ratio, currently low, will stay low until it starts to rise around 2050.

    And that’s the story of the world’s demographic future, nine decades of population booms and declines that will have unforeseeable but surely transformative political and economic consequences. These numbers aren’t destiny, of course, and lots of people are already trying to change them: developmental economist warning Africa it’s not prepared for the coming boom, European leaders trying to spur population growth, Chinese officials who may overturn the one-child policy and lots of others. But this is the direction the data points today. Whatever happens, it should be quite a century.

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    Movie Review: Ramaiya Vastavaiya

    Movie Review: Ramaiya Vastavaiya

    Rating: 3.5/5


    Boy meets girl. Falls in love. But family doesn't endorse their relationship. Determined, the lovers resolve to win over the displeased relatives through hard slog, willpower and integrity... Aah, haven't we visited similar themes numerous times in the past? But storytellers the world over tend to replicate stories -- with modifications and alterations, of course -- interpreting the yarn in their individualistic way.

    After regaling spectators with masala entertainers like WANTED and ROWDY RATHORE, Prabhu Dheva unleashes his new outing RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA. Clearly, the promos give an inkling that Prabhu dwells on the age-old formula in his third Hindi outing, a genre that's oft-repeated post MAINE PYAR KIYA [1989]. Come to think of it, not only does RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA bring back memories of MAINE PYAR KIYA, but also ANARI [1993; Venkatesh - Karisma Kapoor, with Suresh Oberoi playing the strict older brother], DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE [1995; SRK - Kajol, with Amrish Puri as the stern father] and PYAAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA [1998; Salman - Kajol, with Arbaaz enacting Kajol's authoritarian brother]. 

    In reality, RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA is the remake of Prabhu Dheva's directorial debut NUVVOSTANANTE NENODDANTANA [Telugu; 2005], which was subsequently remade in other languages. The query is, why tag on the oft-repeated premise for a present-day film? But let me also add that romance is eternal and if one looks at the success ratio of this genre, the results have been fantastic, with almost every top name today having commenced his career with a love saga. 

    RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA may bear similarities with above named movies, but the drama unfurls way too differently here. Sure, there are deja  vu moments, despite the germ of thought being analogous, but Prabhu and screenplay writer Shiraz Ahmed ensure that they pack several novel and mass-friendly punches, introduce new characters, besides packaging it well enough for the entertainment-seeking spectator to lap it up. 

    Ram [Girish Kumar], the Australia-returned youngster, meets Sona [Shruti Haasan] at his cousin's wedding and falls in love with her. He follows her to her farm, run by her brother [Sonu Sood], who is against this match, since Ram is too affluent for them. He throws a challenge at Ram if he has to win Sona's hand in marriage...

    The emphasis is solely and absolutely on providing entertainment in movies such as RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA and Prabhu Dheva has mastered the art since the time he donned the director's hat. The aiming-at-masses director struck the pot of gold in his first two Hindi movies and in RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA too, he ensures he ups the entertainment quotient in every frame. Of course, unlike WANTED and ROWDY RATHORE, where romance was the second-most important ingredient, the love story is the focal point of RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA, but Prabhu is not at sea tackling the genre. Furthermore, this may be atypical love story, with the spectator knowing beforehand what the wrap up would be, but the journey in the second hour specifically is pleasurable, with Prabhu and writer Shiraz Ahmed blending episodes to cater to every strata of the movie-going audience. 

    RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA is not without its share of blemishes. To start with, the sequences between the lovers don't work in entirety. Note the sequence at the bath tub; it only adds to the length of the film. Besides, the narrative tends to stagnate in a few sequences, while a few episodes have been stretched for no particular reason. Cinematography [splendid work by Kiran Deohans] and the action [invigorating fights by Kaushal-Moses] are in tandem with the content of the film. 

    With Kumar Taurani [Tips] in the producer's chair, obviously, the soundtrack has to be rich. It's a given, right? And Sachin-Jigar, the talented jodi, doesn't disappoint either. 'Jeene Laga Hoon' is lilting and has already attained tremendous popularity, while 'Jadoo Ki Jhappi' and 'Rang Jo Lagyo' are wonderful compositions as well. Priya Panchal's lyrics compliment the melodies, while the choreography is eye-catching as well. 

    Obviously, RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA is the launch vehicle for Girish Kumar and the actor gets the opportunity to sing, dance, fight, emote, display varied emotions... in short, the film is meant to be a showreel that shows off his acting credentials. Of course, Girish being a first-timer, there are some rough edges, but the fact is, he's photogenic and goes through the rigmarole with confidence. Whether it his introductory sequence [surfing in the sea] or breaking into a dance, whether he's exposing his chiseled physique or wearing desi outfits, whether he's asked to look innocent or flirtatious, Girish gets it right. 

    Shruti Haasan looks gorgeous and is akin to a breath of fresh breeze. She radiates innocence, but can be naughty the next minute and conveys a lot through her eyes. It would be great to see her in varied roles in times to come. Sonu Sood is exceptional. In fact, this is amongst his finest performances. The film has a gigantic supporting cast comprising of Vinod Khanna, Randhir Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon, Govind Namdev, Satish Shah, Zakir Hussain, Nasser, Sarfaraz Khan, Mushtaq Khan and Paresh Ganatra and each of them enact their respective parts with proficiency. Jacqueline Fernandez and Prabhu Dheva's song is high on energy. 

    On the whole, RAMAIYA VASTAVAIYA is a simplistic love story narrated competently. Besides, the chemistry between the lead actors, the gripping second hour and of course, the Hit musical score should contribute to its triumph. Recommended!

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    Movie Review: D-Day

    Movie Review: D-Day

    Rating: 4/5



    The Hindi film industry is indeed going through an exhilarating phase. A variety of movies and assorted stories are being attempted week after week. With a novel tale unfolding every week, a Hindi movie buff has a lot to look forward to.

    Who would've ever anticipated that the maker of poignant and stirring films like KAL HO NAA HO, SALAAM-E-ISHQ and PATIALA HOUSE -- underlining a strong emotional undercurrent in each of those films -- would attempt a film about India's Most Wanted Man? Not me, for sure! But Nikhil Advani ventures into an alien terrain with D-DAY, which, on surface, may seem like yet another gangster film, but it's not. There have been a lot of debates about gangsters who have sought a secure haven on foreign soil and a lot is being said about getting them back to India for trial and justice. But D-DAY is the first Hindi film to explore this pertinent aspect [read burning issue]. 

    The plotline of D-DAY conjures up memories of the 2012 film ZERO DARK THIRTY, which was about the manhunt for the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden. However, the similarities between the two films end there. 

    What makes D-DAY relevant and relatable is the fact that Nikhil borrows from real-life headlines/occurrences and gives it a new spin altogether, interpreting the story his way. The basic premise of the film -- RAW agents being assigned the task of bringing back the fugitive crime lord back to India -- evokes tremendous curiosity, but at the same time, Nikhil knows that since the subject matter is sensitive and volatile, it ought to be tackled with extreme concern and caution. Thankfully, Nikhil treats this explosive theme with extreme care. 

    Nine years ago, Wali Khan [Irrfan] was sent to Karachi, Pakistan by the Chief of RAW Ashwini Rao [Nasser] to report the activities of the Most Wanted Man in India. Nine days ago, Rudra Pratap Singh [Arjun Rampal], Indian Armed Forces, Zoya Rehman [Huma Qureshi], RAW Explosives Expert and Aslam [Aakash Daahiya], a petty thief from the streets of Mumbai, recruited by RAW, join Wali in Pakistan to carry out the mission to bring back the Most Wanted Man in India. The man who was going to break all ISI protocol and security and attend his own son's wedding. The man who could, on that day, be abducted and brought back to India to face justice. 

    The team sent in to bring the Most Wanted Man in India did the unthinkable -- they carried out the most daring operation and almost got away with it. Almost, because something went horribly wrong! 

    There have been umpteen debates and discussions to extradite gangsters and criminals operating from foreign land and Nikhil, together with writers Ritesh Shah and Suresh Nair, weaves a yarn that's part bona fide, part fiction. D-DAY is gritty and hard-hitting, but most importantly, it's an earnest attempt. The setting appears authentic [D-DAY gives the impression of being filmed in Pakistan], the sequence of events is well connected and the implementation of the written material is compelling. Not once do you feel that Nikhil bites off more than he can chew. 

    D-DAY tackles a knotty issue and it's imperative that Nikhil stays close to authenticity. The demanding plot and the edgy, gritty and raw situations, besides the ambience [recreating Karachi], makes this espionage thriller so different from the gangster films we have witnessed on the Hindi screen thus far. The four patriots, each with a back story, joining hands for a common mission, their expedition and how the hunters become the hunted in the neighbouring country gives the film that edge and power that's hard to expunge from memory. 

    Nikhil reserves the best for the finale. The fight at the border and what ensues blows your mind and can easily be termed as the icing on the cake. Sure, Nikhil and his writers run their imagination wild here, but let me tell you, this finale is sure to meet with wild cheers. The sole hiccup is that the film appears elongated and could've been short and snappy by 10/15 odd minutes. A succinctly narrated theme only aids in augmenting the overall impact, as we know by now. 

    Nikhil keeps the action [Tom Struthers] as real as possible. Besides, the action in D-DAY is not the type that is dominating the Hindi screen of late. It's raw, but believable, keeping in mind the characters the protagonists illustrate. The soundtrack [Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy] is absolutely in sync with the mood of the film. The best track of the film is, without doubt, 'Alvida'. The visuals in the song are mind-blowing. Tushar Kanti Ray's cinematography captures the gritty ambience to perfection. Dialogue [Ritesh Shah and Niranjan Iyengar] are strong and compelling. 

    D-DAY has an ensemble cast, but the scene stealer is, without doubt, Rishi Kapoor. The veteran continues to push boundaries, challenging himself and astonishing the spectators. Recall the man coping with inflation in DO DOONI CHAAR, the stern family patriarch in PATIALA HOUSE, the villainous character in AGNEEPATH, the college dean in STUDENT OF THE YEAR and the ageing romantic in CHASHME BADDOOR. D-DAY proves his versatility yet again as he gets to portray the much-feared don. He's tremendous! 

    Irrfan has always proved himself, irrespective of how good/bad the film may be, and it's no different this time. Of course, the accomplished actor gets a power-packed character and he leaves a stunning impact yet again. The film proves, yet again, his brilliance as an artiste of calibre in several sequences, especially the ones towards the closing stages of the film. Arjun Rampal continues to surprise and evolve as an actor. It seems, he is on an experimenting mood and the character he portrays in D-DAY gives him the opportunity to step forward as an actor. He's top notch! 

    Huma Qureshi too gets ample opportunity to get into a diverse zone with this film and she seizes the prospect instantaneously. She stands on her own, despite the presence of formidable and much-experienced actors in the frame. Shruti Haasan gets a complicated, layered character and she handles it with gusto. The chemistry with Arjun is electrifying as well. Sriswara, portraying the character of Irrfan's wife, is a revelation. She will make heads turn with her talent. Aakash Daahiya is competent. Although the film stars far more experienced names, he grabs you attention every time he appears on screen. 

    Nasser [as RAW chief], K.K. Raina [as Gen. Raza], Chandan Roy Sanyal [as Bhanja], Imran Hasnee [as Saleem Pathan], Nissar Khan [as Niyaaz Ahmed] and Sandeep Kulkarni [as Atul Mishra] -- each of them contribute so much to every sequence. Divij Handa, as Irrfan's kid Kabir, is super. Rajpal Yadav's presence enlivens the song at the very start. 

    On the whole, D-DAY is what a well-made thriller ought to be -- taut, transfixing and spellbinding, with an astounding finale. Don't miss this high-octane thriller!

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