Pune Notebook

The statement claimed that Jagtap had withdrawn the allegations levelled by him against the Water Department officials.

No sooner was the press meet over, than Jagtap held an informal meet with media persons and issued a press statement saying that he had not withdrawn his charges against the officials and dared the Association to move the court against him. “They have issued a false statement”, he said.

“But, how did you get to know that the officers had issued a press statement ?” the scribes questioned.

“Well, I have my sources,” he smirked. The scribes still wanted to know how he managed to get 20 copies of a neatly typed and signed press statement within such a short time.

“Well, in such matters we are very fast and prepare in advance. See, I have already prepared the draft of a press statement which will be issued to you tomorrow,” Jagtap said, adding that anyone who wanted to know how to prepare “instant press statements” could contact him.

Net profit, no tax
We have always known that the internet was an information super highway with unlimited uses, however, we were just recently apprised of one more.Speaking on the internet service at a function held in the city recently, Rajan Mathew, president and chief executive officer of Birla AT&T said that the domain of the internet service was expanding rapidly around the globe and that even new dimensions and uses of the technology were being discovered by its users.

In lighter vein he said, “Not only can the internet be used for accessing and exchanging information, but for evading tax as well. In the US, companies now transact business on the net.

“The conignment is ordered on the net for delivery at one place and payment at another place,” he said.

Now United States Internal Revenue Service has a whole bunch of hackers trying to trace the flow of money on the net, he informed, an appreciative gathering.

We wonder if VSNL has received more applications for their internet service since…

Nuke attraction
The nuclear tests conducted by India not only generated ripples around the globe, but also radiated interest in topics ranging far and wide – as far as a press conference to discuss `miracles’.

While human interest topics such as `miracles’ do get media coverage for various reasons, the same did not hold good for a press conference organised by person claiming to treat chronic illnesses by divine powers, recently.Even as the organisers along with ardent followers of the group arrived at the venue well in advance, the press representatives failed to make it to the conference even one hour after the scheduled time.

Seeing no sign of press arrival, the organisers began to get worried. One of them aksed the other, “Did you mention the timing of the conference correctly in the press invitation?”

“No that’s not the problem, scribes are reportedly busy lapping up the latest on the nuclear tests. We did not time our conference properly, quipped the other. Maybe the press is more interested in technical miracles.”

Tailpiece
Heard at the Alankar theatre last week, where Sunny Deol’s latest Hindi movie Salakhein was being screened.

A father, seeing the poster of the movie, said to his son “I think I have seen this movie”.

“How can this be possible? The movie was released only this week”.“Oh. Is that so? I wonder why I felt like that,” said the father still viewing the poster.

“Not your fault Papa. Sunny may have acted in several films. But, he too has one grudge against his film producers, that is, posters of all his films look similar,” the boy said adding “He wears a Sando singlet in every poster, flexing his biceps with his face stained with blood”.[Contributed by Abhijit and Davinder. Compiled by Edwin Skau.]

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