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CB Series: India eye qualification lifeline

2012-02-28T22:00:00.002-08:00

India have a head coach, a fielding coach, a bowling coach, and other support staff that includes an analyst, a trainer, a physio, and a masseur. Then there are 17 cricketers. Between them not one had bothered to check the playing conditions and inform the captain that India were still alive in the tournament - only just, but alive. After their third straight defeat in the triangular series - and third while conceding a bonus point to Australia - India's captain MS Dhoni said his side couldn't make it to the finals now because the margin of their losses was too big to make up for in the net-run-rate column.

This is not to jump at Dhoni's throat, but a side desperate to make the finals would know every last backdoor entry and try to break it open. This is clearly a side looking forward to going home. At least that way they can catch a break of three to four days before being packed off for the Asia Cup and the IPL. Dhoni himself - perhaps the man who physically endures the most in this side - had the runs during Sunday's game, and after it he hobbled out of the press conference.

To add to it there is Irfan Pathan, who might or might not experience trouble from his collision with Suresh Raina in the field. Zaheer Khan is already out with a calf injury, R Vinay Kumar has done his hamstring. The batting has been so abysmal the captain himself conceded the bowlers will have to keep sides down to 200 if they were to win in this current form.

Nobody likes losing, yet you can imagine the relief India must be feeling at the idea of home, away from the bouncing and seaming ball, away from the scrutiny, away from fans who line up at every training session expecting a better show, away from the pressure of that expectation even if for less than a week, away from the barracking, away from the losses, away from the same faces for close to three months, away from the media.

And then Dhoni is told his side is not out yet. That if they beat Sri Lanka by a bonus point, and Australia then beat Sri Lanka, India will play the final week of the Australian summer. Oh, the torture. Coming to terms with failure is hard enough, realising you have done it too soon is worse. Dhoni was expectedly sheepish, but then he smiled. He said it was good to know this was the case. In a second he was crushed too, possibly thinking of how hard it will be to attain a bonus point when he is struggling to find four fit bowlers.

"I am quite happy to hear that," Dhoni said of the playing conditions. "Gives us another chance."

A moment later he said, "That would be saying I am very optimistic, seeing that we have not consistently done well with the bat, which means whatever the opposition scores we will have to score in 40 overs, which will be a very difficult task, but I am happy that at least there is a chance subject to some other game, but I would love to take it."

So it is down to one more evening now. An evening in the beautiful Hobart. The players can look at it as one last evening before riddance. Or they can look at it as one last evening where they can let themselves go, where they give it their all and hope for another week in Australia to show the country they are a better team than the one that turned up earlier. Arguably, though, to get themselves up for this last league game would have been much easier if they knew this was it, and there would be a break after the Australia tour. Here, on the other hand, if India make it to the final, they ensure they fly straight to Bangladesh.

They will also be looking back with regret at the Adelaide game against Sri Lanka, which they had almost wrapped up but could only just tie because of some nervous, reckless batting. Had they won it, they would have only needed to win the upcoming game and wait for the other result as opposed to winning this with a bonus point and then sitting back to await the outcome of Australia v Sri Lanka.

Some of the players will get one final chance to show why they should not be dropped from the squad that will be picked a day after the game. Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virender Sehwag and Ravindra Jadeja find themselves on thin ice.

The bottom line won't change, though. The much-acclaimed batting line-up, more a behemoth on this tour, will have to either put on a total their bowlers can defend 80% of or chase in 40 overs whatever the bowlers have allowed. This is being asked of a group that has been bowled out in four of the seven games, thrice for less than 200.

India look every bit an ordinary side right now. It will take some extraordinariness to stay alive for three more days. It will be breathtaking if they manage to do it. A year or so ago, you wouldn't write India off because they had that intangible fight in them; now not many will be holding their breath.

Facebook announces mobile payment initiative

2012-02-28T21:56:00.001-08:00

Facebook said it could team up with mobile operators on payments, in an offer that would give them back part of the revenue and influence they have lost in recent years to Apple and Google.

Speaking for the first time at Mobile World Congress, the industry's biggest gathering, Facebook said operators could help it make money from its hundreds of millions of mobile users buying games or music on the social network.

Mobile operators have been increasingly sidelined by internet companies, which often appeal directly to consumers, hog network capacity with bandwidth-hungry services like YouTube, and compete with the telcos' own products.

"Facebook and mobile were made for each other," chief technology officer Bret Taylor said on Monday, echoing then-Google chief executive Eric Schmidt's first overtures to the industry at the Barcelona event two years ago.

Facebook said earlier this month in its filing for an initial public offering more than half its 845 million active users accessed its site from a mobile device.

It has yet to figure out how to make money from mobile -- the vast majority of its $3.7 billion revenue last year came from ads delivered to desktop users.

That mobile is central to Facebook's future success is clear, but whether it will prove a valuable partner or a value-destroying competitor to mobile operators is less so.

Facebook has a popular messaging service that allows users to have group chats and exchange photos and video in real time for free, which is drawing users away from SMS text services offered by telcos.

Andrew Collinson, research director at British telecoms consultancy STL Partners, said operators should be wary of betting their future on Facebook.

"Short term, Facebook is a good ally for the telcos. The danger is that, I think, it will eventually have to move into communications to justify its valuation," he said.

Taylor said operators could play a vital role in billing for Facebook's services, potentially putting the 30 percent tolls that Apple and Google collect in their app stores in the hands of the operators instead.

The billing alliance includes eight major carriers such as Spanish group Telefonica, U.S. operator AT&T and Japanese company Softbank.

Operators could also help Facebook make money from users of more basic phones in emerging economies such as India and Nigeria, many of whom do not have access to app stores or own credit cards to make online purchases.

Taylor said Facebook would lend its weight to a push for better web standards that enable more apps to be delivered via a simple internet browser, instead of going through Apple and Google's stores.

New UK immigration rule to cover Indians

2012-02-28T21:50:00.003-08:00

London: Indian citizens with permission to settle in the UK permanently will need to apply for a biometric residence permit (BRP) as part of changes in immigration rules intended to make it harder for non-European Union (EU) nationals to work illegally and abuse the benefit system.

Many Indian citizens who migrated to the UK years ago and gained the right to settle here permanently did not opt for UK citizenship and retained their Indian citizenship.

Such individuals will be covered in the latest changes announced today.

A BRP is a card which holds an immigrant's biographic details (name, date and place of birth); and 'biometric information' (fingerprints and facial image).

It also shows immigration status and entitlements while in the UK.

Most categories of immigrants are required to apply and obtain BRPs.

Immigration Minister Damian Green has now extended the requirement to include refugees and those with right to live in the UK permanently (called 'indefinite leave to remain').

The widening of BRP requirements to almost all categories of immigrants is intended to tackle immigration abuse by proving a person's right to work or access services in the UK, official sources said, adding that the number of foreign nationals issued with a BRP will double to 400,000 a year.

Since the BRP holds a person's fingerprints and photograph on a secure chip, it enables a "simple and quick check" about an immigrant's work and benefits entitlements.

There have been several instances of immigrants who do not have the right to work in the UK being arrested.

Happy Birthday Dennis Farina (Date of Birth: February29, 1944)

2012-02-28T21:46:00.001-08:00

Lovable tough guy character actor Dennis Farina was already well into his first career as a Chicago cop before he was able to turn his occasional acting gigs into a prodigious new line of work. Raised in Chicago by Italian immigrant parents, Farina joined his hometown's police force in the mid-'60s, settling into a life of law enforcement. When he was hired to be a local consultant on Michael Mann's film Thief (1981), however, Farina wound up with a bit part as the villain's heavy. Farina continued to moonlight as an actor for several years, appearing in local theater and occasional movies, including Final Jeopardy (1985) and the Chuck Norris vehicle Code of Silence (1985). Though Dennis Farina never took an acting class, Farina was a natural; after Michael Mann offered him the lead in the series Crime Story in 1986, Farina left the police force to play a TV cop. During his 1986-1988 stint on the series, Farina also played FBI agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glen's part in Silence of the Lambs [1991]) in Mann's stylish thriller Manhunter (1986), was the Birdman of Alcatraz in the TV movie Six Against the Rock (1987), and a cop in TV movie mystery Through Naked Eyes (1987). askganesha.com

Happy Birthday Ali Larter (Date of Birth: February28, 1976)

2012-02-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to her super powered role on the TV smash Heroes, Ali Larter is finally known for more than the mere 20 seconds she spent in a whip cream bikini for 1999's Varsity Blues.After being signed to Ford Modeling Agency at only 13, the Jersey girl posed as a fictitious soon-to-be superstar on Esquire's 1996 cover hoax. The issue created buzz for Larter, eventually landing her roles in Final Destination and Legally Blonde. More recently, Larter has also earned recognition as an up-and-coming style maven. In 2007, her simple yet sexy red carpet choices landed her on PEOPLE's 10 Best Dressed list
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Intel bets on smartphones, ties up with Lava

2012-02-28T05:33:00.005-08:00

Global chip giant Intel is betting big on smartphones include tying up with manufacturers like Indian handset maker Lava and Chinese equipment maker ZTE. Synonymous with computers, Intel is now looking at strengthening its presence in the mobile telephony space. "We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world," Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini said at the Mobile World Congress. Its partnership with Indian handset maker Lava International will see the firms collaborating to launch XOLO X900, which will be India's first smartphone with an Intel Atom processor inside. The handset is expected to hit retail shelves in India early in the second quarter this year and will support all major 2G and 3G networks. "We are proud to partner with Intel on XOLO to bring a superior smartphone computing experience to customers in India," Lava International Co-founder and Director Vishal Sehgal said. The XOLO X900 would be powered by 1.6 Ghz processor and come equipped with a 4.03-inch high-resolution LCD touch screen. Apart from delivering web browsing and multitasking experience, the handset would also feature two cameras for advanced imaging and video capabilities. Similar to its previously announced partnership with Motorola Mobility, Intel also announced a multi-year mobile device collaboration across smartphones and tablets with global handset maker ZTE. The first Intel-powered mobile device from ZTE stable is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012. With ZTE and Lava on board, Intel will have a foothold in two of the world's biggest telecom markets. France Telecom's mobile unit Orange will launch a smartphone in France and the United Kingdom this summer designed by Intel and using its newest processor. Intel has been trying to establish itself in the growing mobile handset market and wooing smartphone makers to use its processor architecture. Today, a major chunk of the smartphones and tablets have ARM-based chipsets. Apart from the handset makers, Intel has also partnered with Visa to develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries. Besides, Intel also unveiled a trio of new Atom chips to fill out its mobile-centric product portfolio. Extending the performance and energy efficiency of the Intel Atom processor Z2460, formerly codenamed "Medfield," Intel announced that the platform will now support speeds up to 2GHz.

Google's offering a million bucks

2012-02-28T05:33:00.002-08:00

A sum of one million dollars is up for grabs at Pwn2Own, the annual hacking contest which is going to be held next week at Vancouver, Canda. Google is offering bounty to anyone who can hack into their Internet browser, Google Chrome. Google is offering such a massive reward so that the flaws of their web browser can be identified and vulnerabilities repaired. "While we're proud of Chrome's leading track record in past competitions, the fact is that not receiving exploits means that it's harder to learn and improve. To maximize our chances of receiving exploits this year, we've upped the ante." wrote Chris Evans and Justin Schuh, of the Google Chrome Security Team, in their blog. Google demands that the winning researcher give the details of the bugs to its security team. The contest's official organizers are Hewlett-Packard-owned Zero Day Initiative. In fact, the company was slated to be one of the sponsors of Pwn2Own. But after discovering that the rewarded hackers didn't need to provide the full details of the flaws found and exploited, they pulled out. Google will directly sponsor $60,000 to those who exploit bugs in core Chrome functionality, $40,000 to those who exploit at least one bug in underlying technology like Webkit, and $20,000 to participants exploiting bugs in third-party components like Flash. Chrome's security team guarantees to send non-Chrome bugs to the appropriate vendor immediately. Prizes will be rewarded on a first-come-first-serve basis till the $1 million mark is reached. All winners will also receive a Chromebook.

Kohli stars in India's third highest run-chase

2012-02-28T05:14:00.000-08:00

India are always at their best when they have their backs to the wall and they come back hard at the opposition whenever they are cornered. Dhoni's men reserved their best performance for their final match of the league stage of the CB series. Needing to win with a bonus point to stand a chance of making it to the finals, Virat Kohli (133 off 86), Gautam Gambhir (63 off 64), Suresh Raina (40 off 24), Sachin Tendulkar (39 off 30) and Virender Sehwag (30 off 16) all came good with the bat as India chased down a daunting target of 321 in just 36.4 overs to win with a bonus point.

India, by reaching the target, equalled their third best score in a successful run-chase in ODIs. Their highest was against England when they chased down 326 at Lord's in 2002 and their second best came against the West Indies when the achieved the target of 325 at Ahmedabad in 2002. This also also the 12th time that India have won a match chasing of 300 or more.

India reached the target of 321 at a break-neck speed as they scored at a run-rate of 8.75 to reach the mark. Taking the run-rates into consideration in highest run-chases, this is the second best in ODI cricket. The best run-chase in terms of run-rate is the 438 that South Africa scored against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006. In that game, South Africa had scored at a rate of 8.78 per over to achieve the target.

Virat Kohli registered his best ever score in ODIs and his 133 not-out is also the third highest score in matches where India have successfully chased down totals of 300 or more. MS Dhoni tops that list with an unbeaten 183 against Sri Lanka at Jaipur in 2005 while Gautam Gambhir, who scored 150 not-out against the same opposition at Kolkata in 2009, is second on the list.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara would probably be the most disappointed of the Sri Lankan lot as their hundreds went in vain. Overall, there have been four hundreds in lost causes whenever Sri Lanka have scored 298 or more in the first innings but ended up losing the game. Sangakkara has two such three-figure scores.

While India might not be sure if they have ended their tour of Australia on a winning note or not, they will be hoping to take take this momentum into the finals provided Sri Lanka lose to Australia in their next game.

Homosexuality is to be seen in context of changing society: Supreme Court

2012-02-16T21:41:00.002-08:00

New Delhi: Homosexuality should be seen in the context of changing society as many things which were earlier unacceptable have become acceptable with passage of time, the Supreme Court observed on Thursday. A bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya, which is hearing a bunch of appeals filed against decriminalisation of gay sex, said that these things should be seen in the light of changing times where phenomena of live-in relationship, single parents and artificial fertilisation have become normal. "Recent phenomena of live-in relationship, single parents, surrogacy. There is a case where a man is unmarried but wants to be a father and engage a surrogate mother. Thirty-forty years ago it was against the order of nature but now artificial fertilisation is a thriving business," the bench said. It also pointed out that many things, which were considered immoral twenty years back, have become acceptable to society now. "The society is changing," the bench said adding that gay sex was not an offence prior to 1860 and referred to paintings and sculptures of Khajuraho. Senior Advocate Amrendra Sharan, who is opposing the Delhi High Court's verdict of decriminalising gay sex on behalf of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Right, submitted that social issues cannot be decided on the basis of sculptures. The bench, however, observed that it is a reflection of society of that time and homosexuality should not be seen only in terms of sexual intercourse. Earlier, the bench had asked the anti-gay rights groups, challenging legalisation of gay sex to explain how such acts are against the order of nature as submitted by them. The top court was hearing petitions filed by anti-gay rights activists and also by political, social and religious organisations which have opposed the Delhi High Court verdict decriminalising homosexual behaviour. The bench would continue hearing the case on Friday. On February 7 last, the bench had refused to implead the armed forces in the case on the contentious issue. People and organisations from different fields have come out in support of or against the path-breaking verdict of the High Court which had sparked a controversy. Several political, social and religious outfits have asked the Supreme Court to give the final verdict on the issue. Senior BJP leader B P Singhal, who had opposed in the High Court legalisation of gay sex, has challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court saying such acts are illegal, immoral and against ethos of Indian culture. Religious organisations like All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Utkal Christian Council and Apostolic Churches Alliance have also opposed the High Court's verdict. Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Right, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munn Kazhgam, astrologer Suresh Kumar Kaushal and yoga guru Ramdev have also opposed the verdict in the top court.

Happy Birthday Paris Hilton (Date of Birth: February17, 1981)

2012-02-16T21:27:00.001-08:00

If America was a shocking pink luxury car parked behind a fast food joint, then Paris Hilton would be the gold plated ornament on its hood. Long before the celebutant hit the small screen with Nicole Richie in the rich-girls-do-real-work reality show, The Simple Life, Hilton was already famous for her wealth, party-hearty lifestyle and a home sex tape that launched a million plain brown mailing wrappers. Her ever-evolving feuds with other Hollywood party pack stars, ever-changing taste in pets and men and endless string of mishaps – having her sidekick hacked and her warehoused possessions displayed online – naturally make her every gossip magazine's dream. But love her or hate her, it's impossible to ignore Hilton.
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Happy Birthday Denise Richards (Date of Birth: February17, 1971)

2012-02-16T21:25:00.001-08:00

The relatively unknown beauty Denise Richards made an indelible impression on male audiences with her infamous onscreen threesome with Matt Dillon and Neve Campbell in 1998's Wild Things.With her lusty image in tow, Richards became a Bond girl in 1999's The World Is Not Enough, and after working with Charlie Sheen on Spin City, she married him. While several months pregnant with their second child, Richards filed for divorce, later requesting a restraining order against Sheen.Tabloid attention grew when she soon began dating Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, who at that time was married to her former friend Heather Locklear. Although she and Sambora didn't last, Richards continued to battle Sheen for custody of their two daughters. While her ex-husband married Brooke Mueller in May 2008, Richards let E! document her life in the reality show, Denise Richards: It's Complicated.
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Apple chief Timothy Cook unveils a new product: Himself

2012-02-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

New York: When he was alive, Steven P Jobs, Apple's former chief executive, treated investors as if they were biohazards, rarely deigning to meet with them. The disdain was not mutual, as an Apple stock chart for the last 10 years shows. Timothy D. Cook, Apple's new chief, showed on Tuesday how he planned to do things differently from his predecessor. Mr. Cook, who long handled the investor relations chores Mr. Jobs avoided, spoke at a Goldman Sachs conference on a wide range of topics, all the while displaying a bit more personality than he has in public presentations in the past. His appearance amounted to his most extensive public comments since he became chief of Apple in August, just weeks before the death of Mr. Jobs. Mr. Cook devoted a significant part of a question-and-answer session with the Goldman analyst Bill Shope to addressing Apple's attitude about workplace conditions among its overseas suppliers, a topic that has begun to receive scrutiny after an investigative article in The New York Times last month. Mr. Cook said Apple had no tolerance for suppliers that violate Apple's labor and human rights standards. He called the use of under-age labor "abhorrent" and said that although it occurred rarely among Apple's partners, its complete elimination was a "top priority" for the company. To help combat a more common violation at its suppliers, excessive working hours, Mr. Cook revealed that Apple every month will publish data on its Web site about the portion of its suppliers who are complying with Apple's workweek standards. He said that figure currently stands at 84 percent. Apple has typically included its findings on excessive work hours as part of an annual report detailing violations it discovered in the factories where its products are made, most of which are in China. The company will still publish that annual report. Apple has begun stepping up its efforts to reveal more about the conditions in factories where iPads, iPhones and other Apple products are made. Apple said the first inspections of those factories by an outside group commenced on Monday, when a team from the Fair Labor Association visited a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen. "We know people have a very high expectation of Apple," he said. "We have an even higher expectation of ourselves. Our customers expect us to lead and we will continue to do so." Mr. Cook reiterated earlier predictions he has made about sales of tablets like the iPad eventually eclipsing those of conventional personal computers. He added acerbically that if a meeting were held of developers working on cool PC applications, no one might show up, while it would be tough to accommodate all of the iOS developers working on cool apps in one hotel ballroom. Mr. Cook did not come bearing gifts for investors thirsting for more information about what Apple intends to do with its nearly $100 billion cash hoard, though he repeated previous comments he has made about actively discussing the matter with Apple's board, suggesting stock buybacks or dividends were distinct possibilities. He offered only a tantalizing clue about bigger plans on the horizon for Apple in the television business. Mr. Cook played down the company's Apple TV product because it had not approached the magnitude of Apple's mobile phone, computer and tablet businesses. But he hinted that it might. "We've always thought there was something there and that if we kept following our intuition and kept pulling the string, we might find something that was larger," he said. Mr. Cook was also asked about how his leadership of Apple might differ from that of Mr. Jobs. He said that Mr. Jobs "drilled" into all Apple employees how everything at the company should revolve around making great products, and that he wouldn't tamper with that. "Apple is this unique company, unique culture that you can't replicate," Mr. Cook said. "I'm not going to witness or permit the slow undoing of it."

Happy Birthday Darrick Doerner (Date of Birth: February16, 1957)

2012-02-15T21:28:00.001-08:00

Darrick Doerner's Sea Adventures: Surfing for over 46 years, research and development for some of surfing's best board shapers such as Dick Brewer, Gerry Lopez, Kiwi Allan Byrne, and Peter McCabe, just to name a few. Educational background in heavy water safety procedures and overseeing safety measures in many different aspects with the ocean. SEA Adventures is based off a lifetime of experience translated to better guide the novice to pro or corporte team building wave of the future. askganesha.com

Bangladeshis hack 20,000 Indian websites

2012-02-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

A Bangladeshi hacker group Tuesday claimed to have attacked 20,000 Indian websites, including that of the Border Security Force (BSF), after the alleged killing of Bangladeshis by Indian border guards. The group calling itself 'Bangladesh Black HAT Hackers' wrote on its Facebook fan page: "India hacked our 400 sites in total, we hacked 20,000 sites in total since the war started." According to Xinhua, the group claimed the BSF website was damaged after being hacked. Last week, a group of hackers named "Indian Cyber Army" attacked the websites of five ministries in Bangladesh and that of a trade organisation. The Bangladeshi hackers said their action was in response to the alleged killings by BSF along the more than 4,000-km-long Indo-Bangladesh border. "We don't have any personal issues with Indians. But the brutality of BSF as well as Indian government has forced us to do this," the hackers wrote on Facebook.

Sony announces the launch of the PlayStation Vita in India

2012-02-14T21:17:00.001-08:00

Gamers rejoice! Sony latest handheld gaming beast, the PlayStation Vita (originally called the NGP), will launch in India simultaneously with its UK release on the 22nd of February 2012. The Wi-Fi model is priced at Rs. 19,990 and the WiFi + 3G model is priced at Rs. 24,990. In terms of the raw power under the hood, the device has an ARM Cortex A9 core (4 core) processor, SGX543MP4+ GPU, 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED Multi touch screen (capacitive type), a rear Multi touch pad (capacitive type), Front and Rear camera, Built-in stereo speakers Built-in microphone,Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass, Built-in GPS and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP) In the world of gaming, the hardware is only as good as its software and Sony has brought out the big guns with its launch lineup of games. The launch titles Include, Uncharted Golden Abyss, WipeOut2048, Reality Fighters (an augmented reality fighting game), Little Deviants, ModNation Racers: Road Trip and Everybody's Golf to name a few. The launch lineup of games is diverse enough to appeal to the hardcore as well as the casual audience with the only drawback being the price. The cost of the game ranges from Rs. 2,199 to Rs. 2,799, which is really steep considering the price of a AAA PS3 game is Rs. 2,499. Also, the console itself isn't cheap costing more than a PS3. As of writing this article, Sony hasn't announced the price of the memory cards that will be used in the Vita. The Vita memory card comes in 4, 8, 16 and 32GB variants. The price of these memory cards in the US is $19,99, $29,99, $59,99 and $99,99, which translates to Rs. 986, Rs. 1480, Rs 2690 and Rs. 4935 respectively.

Happy Birthday Ashutosh Gowariker (Date of Birth: February15, 1968)

2012-02-14T21:13:00.001-08:00

In 1984, Ashutosh Gowariker made his debut as an actor in Ketan Mehta’s movie Holi. Later he acted in several television serials including Circus (1989) and a few movies including Naam and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993).In 1993, Ashutosh directed his first movie Pehla Nasha starring Aamir Khan. The movie was inspired by Brian De Palma's Hollywood flick, Body Double.In 2001, Gowariker directed the period epic movie, Lagaan, once again starring Aamir Khan. Lagaan received critical acclaim and nomination for an Oscar Academy Award in USA for Best Foreign Language Film.In 2004, Ashutosh Gowariker directed Swades, starring Shah Rukh Khan. The movie was critically acclaimed and was a big hit overseas.Gowariker's latest film, Jodhaa Akbar is a period flick which released in February 2008
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Happy Birthday Randhir Kapoor (Date of Birth: February15, 1947)

2012-02-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

Randhir Kapoor (born 15 February 1947 in India) is a Bollywood actor of yesteryear. His nickname is Daboo.Randhir Kapoor is the eldest son of Raj Kapoor and his wife Krishna Kapoor. He is a fourth generation Kapoor and comes from a distinguished family who have been part of the industry for many years. His great-grandfather was Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, his grandfather was Prithviraj Kapoor, his paternal uncles are Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. His brothers are Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor. His wife is actress Babita Kapoor and his daughters are current stars Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor
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Valentine's Day (14 February )

2012-02-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is a popular observance around the world and has been increasing in popularity in India in recent years. Many people in the world, including in India, put aside one day of the year – February 14 in Gregorian calendar – to celebrate love. Images of cupid, hearts, roses and love birds are seen everywhere on this day

What do people do?
India is well known as a culture filled with ancient traditions. The Hindu culture contradicts many of the western world’s ideals. Valentine’s Day celebrations are known to clash with India’s conservative religious background. It has only been in the most recent years that Valentine’s Day has become widely recognized in India. Just like most people in the world, many men and women of India, particularly young couples, celebrate Valentine’s Day in a big way. They dress in fine clothing and show their loved one how they feel about them. Hotels and restaurants are fully booked to accommodate couples who are expressing and celebrating their love for each other. Post offices are filled with flower deliveries of flowers, packages and romantic letters.

Public Life
Valentine’s Day is neither a public nor a private holiday. All offices, schools, colleges, government and private institutions remain open on this day. But those who wish to enjoy the day take a personal holiday to celebrate with their partner. Public transport also operates in full swing on the day. However, there is heavy traffic congestion in many places as many couples go out to enjoy the day. Background

Valentine’s Day is a popular global observance that is becoming increasingly popular in India over the years. Many people, particularly young people, in India started celebrating and enjoying the day in recent times. Symbols

Popular Valentine’s Day symbols include flowers, cupid, arrows, love birds, the color red and hearts. Hearts symbolize of love, but it is also a symbol of life. Giving one’s heart to another person, so to speak, is the ultimate expression of love.

Flowers, roses especially, have long been associated with love. They stand for love, friendship and romance. The color red is associated with love, passion and romance. Love birds are a favorite symbol of Valentine’s Day because it has been said that they search for their mates on Valentine’s Day. Cupid, the god of love in mythology, is responsible for shooting arrows to make people fall in love with each other.
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Romance Report
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10 likely features in Apple's iPad 3

2012-02-13T21:26:00.001-08:00

Apple conquered the tablet market with the original iPad, dominated with the iPad 2 and still hasn't found a decent competitor (unless you count the Kindle Fire!). Reports suggest that the next iteration of the iPad family will be announced in the first week of March. We bring you the best of the rumours doing the round with a dose of our own predictions.
1. New Processor: Initial rumours indicated that the iPad 3 would run on an all-new A6 quad-core chipset. New reports indicate that Apple might infact go with a modified version of the A5, the chip that powers the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S. With the NVIDIA Tegra 3 (quad-core) powered Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime setting the benchmark in terms of raw processing power, the iPad 3 has some catching up to do.
2. Retina Display? The 1024 X 768 display of the iPad 2 is starting to look long in the teeth, especially when compared to iPhone's retina display. A better display is definitely on the cards but whether or not the resolution is bumped up to 2048x1536 remains to be seen.
3. GPU & RAM: Details on the iPad 3 GPU and RAM are scarce. It is quite likely that the improved display would be powered by a faster GPU. RAM is likely to remain the same at 512 MB.
4. 4G/LTE: 3G may still be in its nascent stages in India but the adoption has been much faster worldwide. With 4G and LTE smartphones already hitting store shelves in the US, it is quite possible that Apple will adopt the technology in the next gen iPad. On the other hand, the not so impressive battery performance of 4G/ LTE chips may prove to be deterrent.
5. Universal Radio: With Apple merging the GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone 4S into a single device, we expect the iPad 3 to go down the same road.
6. A better shooter: In terms of other hardware enhancements, we hope the device sports a better camera. A 5MP camera would be a welcome upgrade since the iPad 2's camera doesn't really shoot stellar stills. Would it be too much to ask for full HD recording as well?
7. An iPad mini? Speculations on the Internet believe that a 7-inch iPad is in the works in Apple's underground gadget lab, but we don't think the device will see the light of day in the next round of updates.
8. A new design? We hoped for a redesigned iPhone and got the iPhone 4 with an 'S', so our hopes aren't really that high for a redesigned iPad. We would however like it if Apple redesigned the docking port to offer a more secure fit when mounting it on a dock.
9. Bluetooth 4.0: Since the iPhone 4S was the first smartphone to implement Bluetooth 4.0 technology, we are hoping the same will translate to the iPad 3.
10. Siri: It seems like a given that Apple's voice controlled personal assist will translate from the iPhone 4S to the iPad, but sometimes, its necessary to state the obvious.

Microsoft India online store hacked

2012-02-13T21:25:00.000-08:00

Microsoft's online store in India has been hacked. The site, http://www.microsoftstore.co.in/, is now offline but reports on the Internet indicate that the 'Chinese Evil Shadow Team' has taken credit for this hack. The hackers have access to usernames and passwords that were stored in plain text and were not encrypted thereby making it really easy for them to obtain the data. As per The Verge, Quasar Media has been 'appointed by Microsoft to own, maintain and operate the online store.' As of writing this article, the Microsoft online store is still down. Visiting the website now gives the following message: The Microsoft Store India is currently unavailable. Microsoft is working to restore access as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. A Microsoft spokesperson has responded by saying: 'Microsoft is investigating a limited compromise of the company's online store in India. The store customers have already been sent guidance on the issue and suggested immediate actions. We are diligently working to remedy the issue and keep our customers protected.' In the past we have seen loss of a lot of user data especially with the Sony PlayStation hack, which was the highlight of 2011.

Happy Birthday Madhubala (14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969)

2012-02-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

The most beautiful artiste to ever grace the Indian screen, Madhubala rose from humble beginnings to become the most captivating star India has ever produced. Madhubala was born Mumtaz Jehan Begum on Valentine's Day 1933, in a poor, conservative family of Pathan Muslims in Delhi, a part of a prolific brood of sisters, and entered the world of films at the tender age of eight. After about five years of playing child roles, Madhubala got her first break in a lead role in Neel Kamal (1947), produced anddirected by her mentor, veteran filmmaker Kidar Sharma. At the age of 14, she played a romantic lead against another fledgling star, Raj Kapoor, and Madhubala had finally arrived on the Indian screen. Over the next two years she had blossomed into a truly rapturous beauty (which earned her the sobriquet of the Venus Of the Indian Screen) and with the movie Mahal (1949), literally overnight, she was a superstar.It has been often said that her beauty overshadowed her acting talents, which to an extent is true; however this was more due to poor judgement than lack of talent. Being encumbered by a large family to support, and forever living under the domination of an imperious father who, she made several poor choices in movies which seriously undermined her credibility as a serious performer, to the extent of being labelled "box-office poison". However, her more or less dismal repertoire in the 50s was marked by spots of true brilliance - movies like Tarana (1951), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955) and of course her swansong Mughal-E-Azam (1960) showcased her remarkable talents as a serious artiste across several genres and revealed what this ethereal beauty was truly capable of.Sadly, she was plagued by a persistent heart disease that confined her to a bed for almost nine torturous years, and eventually claimed her life on February 23 1969, nine days after her 36th birthday. In this short life, she had made over 70 movies, and to this day remains one of the most enduring legends of Indian cinema. http://www.askganesha.com

Facebook can fire Zuckerberg 'at will'

2012-02-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

Washington: Facebook can terminate services of its chief Mark Zuckerberg at any time for any reason, or even without a reason, but the social networking giant's founder and CEO also enjoys similar exit rights. As per Facebook's employment agreement with Mr Zuckerberg, his tenure at the social networking giant would be on an "at will" basis, meaning his job can be terminated "at any time for any reason or no reason", either by him or by the company. The company has disclosed Mr Zuckerberg's employment agreement, revised late last month, as part of an amended registration document for its upcoming IPO (Initial Public Offer) filed with the US market regulator Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The global leader in social networking space is planning for a USD five billion dollar IPO, which could push Mr Zuckerberg and a few others into the league of billionaires, based on the valuation of their shareholding in the company. While the job duties, title, compensation and benefits, as well as the company's personnel policies and procedures, might change from time to time, the 'at will' nature of Mr Zuckerberg's employment can be changed only after a written agreement approved by the Facebook board. The employment agreement of Facebook's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg also has an 'at-will' clause. Ms Sandberg's agreement also provides for reimbursement of her business expenses by Facebook, although that of Mr Zuckerberg has no such clause. One of the clauses also bars Mr Zuckerberg from creating a rival to Facebook. As per the agreement, Mr Zuckerberg cannot "assist any person or entity in competing with the company, in preparing to compete with the company or in hiring any employees or consultants of the company." Similar clauses apply to Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) David Ebersman and Vice President (Engineering) Mike Schroepfer, for the period these people are rendering their services to Facebook. The agreements are silent on whether these people, including Mr Zuckerberg, can help create a rival to Facebook after leaving the company. The company said that Mr Zuckerberg, as President and CEO, would get USD 500,000 of base salary and up to 45 per cent of this amount as bonus every year. Ms Sandberg and Mr Ebersman would get an annual base salary of USD 300,000 each, while the same for Mr Schroepfer would be USD 275,000. All the three executives would be entitled for a bonus payment of up to 45 per cent of their base earnings. The collective base salary and bonus of the four executives stand at USD 1.99 million (about Rs. 10 crore).

BCCI, Sahara to continue talks at Working Committee meeting today

2012-02-12T21:42:00.001-08:00

New Delhi: The contentious issues between the BCCI and the Sahara group will now be discussed in the BCCI's working committee meeting today in Chennai. The two parties are expected to arrive at a solution to break the week long stalemate. Sahara, who had severed ties with the Board and had pulled out of the IPL, met the BCCI on Sunday to discuss the issues but neither party disclosed what transpired in the Sunday's meeting. The meeting, it is learnt, was held in a cordial atmosphere and both parties have made significant headway in breaking the stalemate which prompted the corporate giant to withdraw sponsorship of the Indian cricket team and also pull out of the IPL. "Sahara and BCCI met today and discussed all the outstanding issues, and it was agreed that the subject will be further discussed in the BCCI Working Committee meeting tomorrow," a joint statement issued after the meeting said. "The interaction was focused on the interest of Indian cricket, including the IPL," it added. Sahara Group was headed by its supremo Subroto Roy while the BCCI President N Srinivasan, secretary Sanjay Jagdale, treasurer Ajay Shirke and IPL chief Rajiv Shukla represented the Board in the meeting which lasted almost one and a half hours. A top source said that some of the decisions have to be now ratified by the Working Committee which meets in Chennai on Monday. "Since some of the decisions have to be ratified by the Working Committee, they were not announced today," the source said. It is also learnt that Sahara's request to get fringe players from other franchises on loan could be considered after discussion with other teams and stakeholders. The BCCI, as part of a compromise formula, has also shown a lot more flexibility in accommodating some of the genuine grievances but has requested Sahara to continue sponsoring the Indian cricket team till the end of its contract. Sahara, sponsor of the Indian team for over 11 years, decided to part ways with the BCCI on February 4, complaining that the Board did not give due consideration to its genuine grievances with regards to players and number of matches in the IPL. The decision to severe all tied with BCCI was taken just hours before the IPL auction got underway in Bangalore. Sahara had signed a renewed sponsorship agreement with the BCCI on July 1, 2010 till December 31, 2013 and was paying Rs. 3.34 crore per Test match, one-day international and Twenty20 International under the new terms. The deal is said to be worth Rs. 532 crore. Sahara entered the IPL bandwagon last year by buying Pune Warriors for Rs. 1702 crore, making it the costliest franchise in the Twenty20 event. The BCCI stands to lose close to 2000 crore crore if no solution is found. However, the Board can find another sponsor to neutralise the losses. The bone of contention was Sahara seeking a replacement for Yuvraj Singh who is undergoing treatment for a malignant lung tumour in the United States. The franchise wanted that Yuvraj's salary of USD 1.8 million be added to their kitty of USD 1.6 million after they spent USD 400,000 on retaining Sourav Ganguly. The BCCI also turned down their requests of getting the first right of draft as well as Ganguly being inducted as Yuvraj's replacement so that they can go into auction with USD 2 million. Another major issue was that Sahara had bought the franchise under the condition that 94 matches will be played but the league has been subsequently reduced to 74 matches. Sahara wants a refund for the reduced matches.

Happy Birthday Rochelle Ballard (Date of Birth: February13, 1971)

2012-02-12T21:41:00.000-08:00

Rochelle Ballard is a professional female surfer who is a 10 year veteran the Association of Surfing Professional’s (ASP) World Championship Tour. She is considered the best female tube rider in the world and has been a pioneer to the advancement of women’s surfing in the past two decades. Ballard`s mastery of big waves and support of women`s surfing rank her among the surfing most elite. She also co-founded International Women`s Surfing (IWS) and has appeared in several movies and television shows, most notably Step Into Liquid, Blue Crush, and Beyond the Break.

Facebook 'defriend' murders rattle tiny US town

2012-02-11T21:36:00.001-08:00

Chicago: A feud which started on Facebook ended with the early-morning slaying of a young Tennessee couple, found shot in the head with their sobbing baby still clutched in her dead mother's arms, police said. Easy to anger, Janell Potter had been making trouble in the tiny town of Mountain City for years now, Sheriff Mike Reece said on Friday. But nobody ever thought it would get to the point where her father and boyfriend stand accused of murder on her behalf, Reece said. "Why they targeted this boy and girl to murder them out of all these people they've had trouble with, I don't know," Reece told AFP. "There've been a couple cases actually wound up in court over harassment with this girl over this Facebook thing. This time it really got out of hand, that's all we can find out for the motive to this." Potter, who is about 30 years old, has a physical disability and spends most of her day on Facebook, where she's been involved in several disputes that have spilled over into the real world, Reece said. She gets very angry when people block or 'defriend' her and responds by calling to harass people who try to cut her off. Potter and her father have also been known to get into verbal altercations at the supermarket if they run into someone they feel had slighted Potter online. "Our 911 director here -- he was her friend on Facebook. Well, he took her off on Facebook and here come her and her mom and her father filing a complaint," Reece said. Things got so bad with Billy Clay Payne, 36, and Billie Jean Hayworth, 23, that they filed harassment charges against Potter last year for threatening them online and over the phone. Investigators are still piecing together what happened to escalate the feud to the point of bloodshed. They know that Potter's boyfriend -- who is also Payne's second cousin -- testified on her behalf during the court case. And most of the 150 people they interviewed told them the Potters were probably to blame. Jaime Lynn Curd, 37, confessed on Monday to participating in the slayings, Reece said. Marvin 'Buddy' Potter, 60, was arrested early Tuesday. Both are being held in jail on murder charges. Payne and Hayworth lived with Payne's father, who left for work about a half hour before they were killed at 6 am on January 31. Their bodies were discovered nearly five hours later by a friend who'd stopped by. In addition to the gunshots to the head, Payne's throat was slit. "We've never had nothing like this," Reece said, adding that at first people were afraid it was some kind of a mafia hit in the sleepy Appalachian town. There's a lot of pressure in town -- especially from the families of the victims -- for the sheriff to arrest Potter. "We're going to have to figure some way to actually attach her to this other than it was her father and boyfriend that did it," Reece said. "We're going to have to prove she played some part in this. That may be difficult."