Latest Steve Jobs mystery revealed: how he drove without license plates

The multitude of mysteries revealed following the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' death now includes one that puzzled car enthusiasts for years: How did Jobs get away with driving without a license plate? It was common knowledge that Jobs would park hisMercedes SL55 AMG in a handicapped spot at Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, with nothing to identify his vehicle other than the tiny barcode that usually rests behind the rear license plate. According to Walter Isaacson's new biography, Jobs wanted to avoid having a plate for privacy reasons; and yet when having a license-less silver Mercedes became a kind of trademark, Jobs kept motoring without one "because I don't."

For years, rumors swirled that Jobs had either won a special dispensation from California authorities or was just daring police to stop him. While the why remains somewhat cloudy, an interview byITWire with a former Apple security executive reveals the real reason: a little-known loophole in California vehicle laws that gives owners up to six months to get plates for their vehicles.

According to Jon Callas, now chief technical officer of Entrust, Jobs would arrange with his vehicle leasing company to switch out his silver Mercedes every six months with a new, identical model — just another of the complicated and expensive ways Jobs thought differently.

New Delhi-Ludhiana Shatabdi Express via Sangrur to be introduced on Nov 4

NEW DELHI: Railways will introduce a Shatabdi Express between New Delhi and Ludhiana on November 4, with its inaugural run to be flagged off by Congress leader Manish Tiwari.

Tiwari, an MP from Ludhiana, will flag off the train from there, said a Northern Railway official.

The train will depart from Ludhiana daily at 4.40pm and reach New Delhi at 10.05pm the same day.

In the return direction, it will depart from New Delhi at 7.00am to reach Ludhiana at 12.20pm, stopping at Rohtak and Sangrur stations in both the directions.

The introduction of the train had been announced in the Railway Budget this year.


Northern Railway senior divisional commercial manager MM Singh said the fact that the Ludhiana-New Delhi Shatabdi express had found a mention in the new timetable itself was an indication the train would begin running very soon. "At the most, it shouldn’t take more than a month or so. But we will give out the exact timeframe for the new train as and when it’s announced by Indian Railways’ headquarters in New Delhi”, he added.

According to information available till now, the new 12037/12038 Shatabdi express will run via Sangrur and Rohtak (which will be commercial stoppages as well) instead of the traditional Ambala-Panipat-Karnal route. The down train will leave Ludhiana at 4:40 pm to arrive in New Delhi at 10:05 pm while on the return journey it will leave New Delhi at 7:00 am and arrive in Ludhiana at 12:20 pm.

Schedule

The down train will leave Ludhiana at 4:40 pm to arrive in New Delhi at 10:05 pm while on the return journey it will leave New Delhi at 7 am and arrive in Ludhiana at 12:20 pm.
Delhi Metro Airport Express Train Timing,
Click below for Train Schedule (Frequency 12-15 minutes) w.e.f. 17th October 2011
http://www.delhiairportexpress.com/passenger-guide/pdf/Train_schedule_w.e.f_17th_October_2011.pdf

Constable booked for cheating

Patiala, October 28
The Patiala police has registered a case of cheating against Darshan Singh, a constable with the Indian Reserve Battalion band staff, who allegedly used fake certificates to procure his job.

A case under Sections 420 and 465 of the IPC has been registered against the accused policeman following a inquiry conducted by SP, Crime, Patiala.

According to the FIR, the accuse1d, employed with the band staff, had used fake educational certificates to get employment. After a formal complaint was made, a police inquiry proved that he was guilty of forging documents. “We are yet to arrest the accused,” said the police.

Amritsar to join Green Pilgrim Cities Network

Chandigarh, October 28
Amritsar will formally join the Green Pilgrim Cities Network, the first global network aimed at greening pilgrimage to be launched in Assisi, Italy, from October 31 to November 2. The event is organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in association with WWF and it will be chaired by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth’s husband.

The network will help the faiths make their holy cities and sacred sites as environmentally sustainable as possible according to their own theologies and understanding.

Ten faith traditions have nominated pilgrim cities or sacred sites to become founding members of the Green Pilgrimage Network, ranging as far as Louguan in the People’s Republic of China for Daoists to St Albans in the UK for Anglicans and Amritsar for the Sikhs. The city authorities of Jerusalem, a major pilgrimage destination for three faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, will join the network to green the city for all pilgrims. In addition, Dwarka is also joining from India.

Washington-based EcoSikh has coordinated the Sikh participation in the upcoming summit and has worked with the SGPC and the Punjab government to make a commitment to make Amritsar an environment-friendly city.

The initiative was started when Bandana Kaur from EcoSikh and Victoria Finlay from ARC, the two organisations working with the Sikh community on environmental issues, met city officials in Amritsar to discuss the plans. With the strong relationship between Sikh teachings and the environment, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman Kahn Singh Pannu readily agreed that Amritsar would be a great addition to the Green Pilgrim Cities Network.

At Assisi, Pannu along with Dalmegh Singh, secretary, SGPC, will announce the Sikh commitment. Pannu said, “This is major step to bring together faith and environment in a concrete manner. I am very excited to be part of this initiative”.

Dalmegh Singh said, “The SGPC has taken major steps to make environment as an important agenda in its operation and is committed to make the city of Guru Ram Dass a place of inspiration for nature preservation”.

Dr Rajwant Singh, president, EcoSikh, said, “This is a great opportunity for Sikhs to show to the world that we are committed to save earth and this will start with our concerted action in Amritsar. The idea is to improve environmental practices through eco-friendly planning, and at the heart is the hope that devotees will be encouraged to be respectful to the nature throughout their pilgrimage by minimising waste”. 

The aim: The network will help people of various religions make their holy cities and sacred sites as environmentally sustainable as possible according to their own theologies and understanding

The initiative: Washington-based EcoSikh has coordinated the Sikh participation in the upcoming summit and has worked with the SGPC and the Punjab Government to make a commitment to make Amritsar an environment-friendly city

Faridkot honour killing: Death sentence for 4 of girl’s family

Faridkot, October 28
The court of the Faridkot District and Sessions Judge today awarded death penalty to four persons accused in a case of honour killing in September 2009.

The court found Gurmukh Singh, Gurnaib Singh, Resham Singh and Kulbir Sharma, the cousins and uncle of Manpreet Kaur of Bhagthala Kalan village adjoining Faridkot, guilty of killing Gurpreet Singh after he married Manpreet against her family members’ wishes.

Gurpreet Singh (25), had eloped with Manpreet Kaur and they got married in November 2008. For the next 11 months, the couple stayed at different places to escape the wrath of the latter’s family members, Gurpreet’s brother Kuldeep Singh said.

After some time, on assuming that Manpreet’s family had reconciled to the marriage, the couple returned to Faridkot and started living in Guru Nanak Colony.

On the evening of September 20, 2009, when Gurpreet, his brother Kuldeep and a cousin were riding back on their motorcycles from the Baba Farid Mela, Gurpreet was waylaid by four persons in a car. The accused allegedly attacked Gurpreet with sharp-edged weapons, a hockey stick and a double-barrel gun and killed him after chasing him in the colony.

The Faridkot Police had booked the four for murder on the complaint of Kuldeep Singh, Gurpreet’s brother.

Pronouncing the death sentence, judge Fateh Deep Singh cited a Supreme Court observation that death penalty should be the punishment for honour killing.

In a dramatic twist during the trial, Manpreet Kaur sought to give a clean chit to the accused, saying the murder of her husband was not an honour killing crime. In her testimony, she claimed that her family had accepted their marriage after some time and even gave her dowry. However, on the basis of the testimony of the prime witness in the case, the court held the four guilty of the honour killing.