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Should public money finance applied research? If there is one thing that has politicians of all stripes nodding approvingly, it is promoting innovation. Even in these straitened times governments are keen on pouring money into research with direct practical relevance. Unravelling the mysteries of the universe, as was the case with the long-awaited discovery of the Higgs boson, is all very well, they hear some voters say, but it hardly impinges on people's everyday lives. But should politicians be funnelling taxpayers' money into applied-research projects? Some of these will be spun off into successful enterprises, potentially benefiting the public thanks to the technological advances they develop. Plenty of others will flounder, yielding no practical benefits. Perhaps the task of picking winners in applied research ought to be left to the private sector. http://www.economist.com/debate/overview/234

The  Olympic Games  ( French :  les  Jeux olympiques ,  JO [1] ) is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a  variety of competitions . The Olympic Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition and more than 200 nations participate. [2]  The Games are currently held biennially, with  Summer  and  Winter Olympic Games alternating, meaning they each occur every four years. The  ancient Olympic Games  were held in  Olympia, Greece , from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron  Pierre de Coubertin  founded the  International Olympic Committee  (IOC) in 1894. The IOC has since become the governing body of the  Olympic Movement , whose structure and actions are defined by the  Olympic Charter . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games

One of our most successful food entrepreneurs on the secret of his success, the heroes on his menus and why Indian food is seeing a revival There are two dimensions to Sunil Kapur’s personality and it’s the combination of the two that makes him one of India’s most successful restaurateurs. He can be a foodie when he speaks of the 32 ingredients that go into making Copper Chimney’s  garam masala; he can be a businessman when he goes into “scalable models”. Over the years, Kapur has been able to start and sustain various restaurant brands but the only one that makes him emotional is Copper Chimney, where his journey started. http://www.livemint.com/2012/08/03210102/Sunil-Kapur--The-secret-to-ou.html

Rugby has a long history in the City of Joy, and every monsoon it brings Kolkata’s diverse communities closer Zaffar Khan, a young Indian of Afghan parentage, is furious. “I’ve lost all respect for you guys,” he tells the Armenian boys in English, minutes after they’ve walked off the rugby pitch to protest against what they believed were a series of poor decisions by the referee. The opposition, a local outfit called the Jungle Crows, is still out in the middle. http://www.livemint.com/2012/08/03205352/Kolkata-United.html?d=1

An Indian man’s obsession to save the Arctic has led to new ways of looking at it For most of us living in the tropics, the Arctic is a vast land of ice and water where polar bears roam. Few of us are aware that the Arctic’s diversity of animal life is incredibly rich. Every spring, millions of birds migrate here from every corner of the globe to breed. The cold, desolate Arctic has a long history of indigenous people and vast reservoirs of oil, natural gas and coal. It is not a last frontier, but the most connected land on earth. Today, however, it is at a tipping point due to climate change, toxin migration, and extraction of oil and gas. http://www.livemint.com/2012/08/03205515/From-Kolkata-to-Kaktovik.html