Wednesday 18 July 2007

AND I CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH... AGONDA

And we thought Agonda only had a beautiful beach that visitors yearned for.
Read the
Herald and you’d get the impression that the newspaper simply clings on to it's Agonda correspondent. Seems like they are in love with this guy.
It whips up this weird imagery in our warped minds.
Imagine Robin (the editor), Joel (the man who wants to be editor), Sergio (the man who never should become editor, but possibly will, because of his infinite pliability potential) and Melvyn (the man who oils his hair well, hehe) lazing out in the sun at the Agonda beach…
We can even picture how exactly these guys are lolling about.
See Robin and Joel wearing similar coloured sarongs. Ohhh. You know why… you see… Robin is not original even when it comes to colours. He’s probably seen Joel wearing a bright coloured sarong and he plagiarised this too hehehe…

Melvyn is just about handing over a pint of chilled beer to Robin… And he’s just been caught in the act…
Sergio… the poor chap is standing exactly three and a half feet from this group… probably thinking what the f… is he doing here… 'I should have stayed back in office and a little bit of time to play cards'...
Oh where were we… this was supposed to be a build up to something… Aah the Agonda correspondent… Ahh… so what is the top cream of the Herald hierarchy doing here at the Agonda beach… Oh what are they waiting for…
Suddenly they foursome see a head bobbing in the sea… And a bare torso walks from the sea towards them, seawater dripping from his flanks.

Then suddenly the foursome rise as one and rush towards him shouting with glee…And you know who this Goan version of Bo Derek is? Mallika Sherawat... no... that'd the Agonda correspondent... And suddenly Melvyn's (who'd the correspondent-in-charge at the Herald) produced another can of beer which he places against the corespondent's lips. Sergio is standing a step back holding a towel... Joel's at his shoulders, his finger soothing the correspondent's tired arms... and Robin... hmmm he's just found a crumpled scrap of newspaper (which a tourist had strewn about after chomping on the peanuts, the handmade newspaper bag held). Its the edit pade... and guess what... he's just found his edit for day after tomorrow. hehehe

Ha... we went a bit overboard didn’t we. Hey don’t blame us… Follow the Herald and you’ll see how biased these guys in favor of the Agonda correspondent. We would have had no argument had stories from this correspondent been up to the mark. But several gossip or PR pieces filed from the Agonda dateline are often allotted huge column spreads.
If we recall right, we Pricks had pointed out that one of the PR stories filed by this correspondent was published on Page 4 and then repeated on Page 1 as a lead story.

Can’t figure what’s wrong here.
Readers, you guys read and take a call whether such a story deserves a six column spread… Its just a rumour for god sake. There are no quotes to substantiate it. ‘Every story must have at least quotes from three people,’ as Arun Sinha, the Editor of The Navhind Times would say. (Of course, when Arun Sinha carries out those one sided ‘series’ against guys like M K Jos, he needs no quotes at all. All he needs is a steak knife)

Is this the kind of shit, that the "oldest" newspaper in Goa feeds its readers? Hey, Melvyn come on… it's only a rumour man. The newspaper is only adding gist to the rumours and lending it authority. No wonder folks (now… do exclude Joseph Zuzarte and the good doctor Joe Dsouza from the folks bracket, they’ve long ceased to be folk) label Herald as a gossip rag.
Can you imagine, this report got a six column display with a coloured screen to boot!! A more newsy report may have been held back in favour of this shit.


http://oheraldo.in/node/26526
Red Alert' SMS puts mobile users in a fix
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
AGONDA, JULY 16 - Attending mobile calls may not be that safe in future, if one pays any serious attention to the rumor mongers who have lately divulged to spread fear in people's psyche to be careful while attending mobile calls.
It is learnt that some elements have reportedly in-scripted fear psychosis in people's mind that attending mobile calls received from a number displayed in colour 'Red' on your mobile can create a 'blast' sorts causing instant death. The rumormongers even spread the news about number of deaths occurred by such process to be specifically put at '27'.
Even some vernacular newspapers have reportedly published the reports warning mobile users.
People wonder whether this a crank, and if one goes as per differences in un-verified versions of rumor mongers, it seems the story is odd enough.
People talk about deaths occurring at some unspecified locations without specific references. One source who doesn't want to be identified in the entire episode told this correspondent that his
friend's friend had to throw out the mobile hand-set when it started to give him shocks after it started ringing. The person has reportedly seen one of the cited mobile number appearing in Red color.
Every-thing has reportedly normalised once the ringing stopped. None seems to have seen or verified the happening let alone noticing a missed call from the particular number.
Still there are rumors that some relatives neighbours or friend's friend dying instantly when calls were attended from one of the cited mobile numbers.
What made the youth to believe is that a killer virus is transmitted from mobile to your ears, which in turn effects your brain and causes you instant death. Another version comes more specific that once you attend the particular call, a 'blast' occurs either near your chest/face or near ear causing damage to your head/brain facilitating death.
As per the sources, it all started since last week with rumors picking up at colleges and offices, with a few concerned inquisitive youth reaching for enquiries at some BSNL counters. The concerned persons have also reportedly cited some of fearful mobile numbers that are feared to be causing brain hemorrhage and instant death. There are loose talks of even appearance of the word 'Red' if one's handset happens to of non-colored screen.
Even this correspondent is in receipt of such SMS from a very concerned friend which goes on like "Do not pick calls from given numbers 9888308001, 9316048121, 9876266211, 9888854137, 9876715587, these nos. come in RED color, causes brain hemorrhage due to very high frequency. 27 ppl died just on receiving calls from these nos. Pass tis msg to friends and relatives."
When this correspondent tried to make calls on these numbers, it was found that numbers are locally not accessible, and dialing process gets cut-off once first 4-5 numbers are dialed.
Contrary to above, specific technical enquiries revealed that sending high frequency from individual mobile indicators through a mobile is an impossible task as the same amount of frequency is released
simultaneously to too many other numbers also. Changing the frequency originating from a Network provider is also the least possibility, which is technically bound by the rules and regulations of TRAI.
Sources further pointed out that a mere change in frequency at some point of time that too at working stations can also altogether drown the network of that company.
It is gathered that GSM technology networks are normally working either on 900 MHz frequency or 1800 MHz frequency, as an universal standard/ norm. Through out India, even though all GSM network providers (including BSNL) uses the 900 MHz frequency, it is learnt through non-reliable sources that at-least one private company in India have lately switched-on to operate its network on 1800 MHz frequency which is considered to be equally harmless as 900 MHz.
It is also learnt that individuals can't temper with the frequency bust-line released by a company, since frequency of many other users also remains bonded together at any given time. In such circumstances, people in the know feels that sending high frequency through mobile calls by some in-undated hackers may not be an not be an that easy task. However, there are known reports of a mobile battery causing mini-blasts of mobile handset sometimes hurting one's ear.
Even though it has no base, it is still suspected that the SMS have originated from some part of the country as a code language amongst some anti-social elements to hoodwink the law enforcing authorities, until it gained importance from fellow mobile users who out of concern to others have gained the present proportion.

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey blogger.. Too much of herald in penpricks man!!! I think this penpricks blogger must be a phillipino, who does not know much about other newspapers in Goa... Are you a Philipino?

18 July 2007 at 12:37  
Blogger Pen Pricks said...

Dear Mr Samant... We appreciate and perfectly understand the point you are trying to make. Guess, our handicap is that we aren't getting consistent input from folk in other publications... We would be most appreciative if you and our other readers could send us dope for us to publish... In fact you could start off with some dope on the place you work in... How about it? Hey come on Mr Samant you don't recognise us? We meet almost 4 times a week bumping into each other at press conferences... Think back... strike a bell?

19 July 2007 at 01:23  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why is PenPricks so enthusiastic about blowing their team members cover? How can you be absolutely certain that the author of comment 1 above is actually him/her?
Heard about phishing ?
You guys should have done this head hunting (recruiting) more discretely... just my opinion.

You guys are apparently press people so maybe I should ask you guys a question... so here goes..
There is this press office located on the 2nd Floor, 3rd lift, Junta House, Panaji. It's been closed for about a decade or more. The press guys/gals have now been gifted a posh office at Shrama Shakti Bhavan. So why is Mr. Jagdish Wagh amongst others jealouly guarding this piece of real estate?
To me it seems more like a dog and a manger attitude... especially when the expanding bureaucracy desperately needs office space.
Any scoop on this?

19 July 2007 at 03:10  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maine PTI ka namak khaya hai sardar!!!! Anyways next time I will surely try to spot you in press conference by pricking my pen on you!

19 July 2007 at 09:26  
Blogger Pen Pricks said...

Dear Mr Samant, haven't you heard this legendary dialogue from Sholay?
Dacoit: Sardar, maine aapka namak khaya hai...
Gabbar Singh: Ab goli kha...
BANG BANG BANG

19 July 2007 at 15:12  
Blogger Desiree Alemao said...

six columnn spread thats pathetic.. bad media bad bad media.. crying shame there are so many better things to report but no choose to write a six!! column spread about some rumour lovely.. goan media is headin downward.. *sighs

27 July 2007 at 15:37  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

rupesh samant 2: Have you had any success in spotting them?

28 August 2007 at 18:26  
Blogger Pen Pricks said...

What what what?

28 August 2007 at 19:45  

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