When is the NPL?

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Youngsters across the country are getting into their paintball gear and picking up their guns to battle it out at the National Paintball League in Bengaluru, early next year. This sport is a growing rage in India and paintball enthusiasts come from all over the world to represent their state in this prestigious tournament.

But, as of now, these enthusiasts are giving all their time to practicing.
Three to four months before the tournament, they experience rigorous fitness training. “Our antennae’s have to be up constantly,” says Rahul Pai, from the I’m Your Daddy team. Fitness does not come to these players over night. “This is a very adventurous sport. It requires the players to be in an ideal condition, mentally and physically. Fitness is crucial for this sport,” says Kiran Soans, the CEO of the National Paintball League.
Many girls don’t play this sport as they think it is a brutal boy’s game. Rahul says, “That is the worst perception people have. Some of the best paintball teams in the world are all-girls teams.” Poison Ivy, a team from Norway and another team from Ukraine are all-girls teams and they will be playing this tournament. Fifi Rahman, from the Malaysian team says, “This is a family sport for me. Everyone is the same gender when on the paintball field.”
The beauty of this sport lies in protecting yourself and your teammates. Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, from the NPL All Stars India team says, “Nobody sees me behind my helmet. Hence, I get to take revenge on people in my team and on the opposing team and get away with it.” Few people with such motives don’t protect their teammates.
“I am looking forward to the international players this tournament and their very high standards of playing. We learn from those players, considering India is still in the nascent stage with the sport,” says actor Chetan Dhanraj, from Action Force Mumbai. Mumbai has a local tournament a month before the national tournament. Two of the best teams are then selected and sent to nationals.
The most important criteria of a tournament of such calibre is that the bunkers, guns, net and pellets have to be new and fresh. “This is done to ensure that nothing is rusted from the past. This time, we are looking forward to great action from the players as our teams have become a lot more efficient,” says Sarfaraz. Sarfaraz is more excited about doing the back work of the course and that involves setting it up.

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What is the latest Android destination?
The company got its first retail store in Australia this week. Telstra and Google joined forces to bring Androidland to Melbourne. The most fascinating things here are the lifesize statues of Androids and gaming kiosks. Customers can now shop for multiple brands like Samsung, Motorola, HTC, or LG phones and even the tablet under one roof. The store helps the customer understand how the Android platform works. It also educates the customer about the best product for their moods and profession.

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Who is a new hit on the lawsuit list?
Tattoo artiste Ryan Flitzgerald from Dayton was hit with a $100,000 lawsuit by his girlfriend, Rossie Brovent. She claims that her boyfriend was supposed to tattoo a scene from Narnia on her back but instead tattooed an image of a pile of excrement with flies buzzing around it. Apparently, Ryan found out that Rossie had cheated with a long-time friend of his, but instead of confronting her about it, he acted like everything was normal and hatched a plan for revenge.

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Where can you see a futuristic car?
The leading automakers of Japan have created a futuristic concept car that resembles a giant smart phone. The car is called the fun-vii. This will be displayed at the upcoming auto show in Tokyo. The car is a smart phone on four wheels. It works like a personal computer and allows drivers to connect with people with a tap of a touch-panel door. The beauty of the car lies in the fact that the interiors can be adjusted to suit the driver’s mood. The car will be on sale in Japan next month. The date of the car going on sale in the rest of the world is not not declared yet.

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Why did a postman collect stones?
To build a castle with his collection. Ferdinand Cheval was a French postman who built one of the most extraordinary works of art architecture in the world. One day, after he tripped on a rock, he got inspired by its shape and decided to begin collecting stones every day, as he delivered the mail. His construction takes inspiration from a lot of different styles, from Christianity to Hinduism. It took him 33 years to finish his creation, and he was so proud that he wanted to be buried in it. He spent the next eight years building a mausoleum. He died a year after he finished and was buried there.