news links: June 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

anna_kournikova

anna_kournikova
Sexiest tennis player of all time

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

In the News, June 2010

Angelina Jolie wants to quit acting (ians)
Ruthless Argentina sends Mexico packing (hindu)
Facebook to launch India operations in 2 months(sify)
World No. 3 now makes it 3 on 3(indian express)
I-T finds Rs 7 cr stash link to PRP MLA (Times of India)
India shatter jinx, lift Asia Cup title (sify)
Manmohan Singh arrives in Toronto for G-20 Summit (ians)
India’s first Super Hercules airlifter dons IAF colours (hindu)
G20 countries to tame debt at their own pace (reuters)
G8 pledges 7.3 billion dollars towards mother and child aid (hindu)
Fans plan remembrances for MJ 1 year later (zeenews)
India highest consumer of heroin in South Asia: UN
Home ministry recommends death penalty for Afzal Guru: Sources (Times of India)
14 score zero, pass Eamcet(DC)
Home ministry rejects Afzal Guru's mercy plea (rediff)
Sherlyn Chopra banned from posting images on Twitter (bollywoodhungama)
BJP for patch-up, but won't take snubs (Hindustan Times)
Michael Jackson has 'made $1bn' since his death (bbc)
Michael Jackson's estate has made more than $1bn (£677m) since his death a year ago, according to estimates by trade paper Billboard.
Serbia tops list of European nations with most refugees(ians)
Saina clinches Singapore Open Super Series (pti)
Paraguay outplays tame Slovakia (hindu)
“Raavan” opens to rave reviews in the US(hindu)
Arjun Singh breaks silence, says didn’t let Anderson go (zeenews)
Auto driver’s son tops Eamcet(DC)
Now, tapasya could land Nithyananda in prison (dnaindia)
Preity & co to sell 93pc of Kings XI (TOI)
SHRC order on reality shows stayed (hindu)
Raavan is Mani, Abhi, Ash's best work (rediff)
Indian Epic Romance "Raavan" Is Breathtaking (abcnews)
‘Raavan’ Updates An Ancient Indian Epic (wsj)
An Indian Epic With Bollywood Glamour(nytimes)
Raavan is just amazing, says Big B (ndtv)
Raavan releases in 2200 screens worldwide (ndtv)
Vishy Anand backs Argentina to win World Cup (ibnlive)
Nielsen: Social media use increased by 24 percent
Andhra Wakf Board CEO caught taking bribe (sify)
MindTree bags IT contract under Unique Identification project (hindu)
15 newly elected RS members have criminal cases against them (rediff)
Oprah gives magazine staff $10,000 each and an iPad (reuters)
Supreme Court restrains Bellary Iron Ore company(ndtv)
Forget the VJ: MTV is looking for a Twitter Jockey (ndtv)
DS gets Sonia nod for bypolls (DC)
HC stays probe into OMC mines(DC)
Indian-American doctor gets 57-month jail in US (ndtv)
Jalayagnam drowns in graft (DC)
US discovers minerals worth $1 trillion in Afghanistan (ndtv)
Bhopal victims ask Obama to extradite Anderson (ibnlive)
66-year-old gives birth to triplets in Haryana (ndtv)
Saina wins Indian Open Grand Prix (samaylive)
Now a Porn Film on Jesse- Sandra Cheating Scandal (indiainfo)
APHRC bans kids reality show (oneindia)

Obama lauds Indian woman who came to build dreams (zee news)
Airtel launches voice-blogging service (DC)
Overtreated: Surgery too often fails for back pain (ap)
Protein may help cure erectile dysfunction after surgery (dailyindia)
Broadband bids fetch $2.72 billion for Govt till date (bharatchronicle)

We don't rate each other: Abhi-Aish (ndtv)
NRIs may get voting rights soon (zeenews)
Swami Nityananda performs self-purification rite (zee news)
Indians the third largest immigrant group in US (Indian Express)
HC grants bail to Nityananda Swami (zee news)
Spain favourites to win the World Cup (yahoo)
Mukesh Ambani enters telecom; buys Infotel for Rs 4,800 crore (dna)
South Africans have a ball as World Cup fever kicks off with star-studded concert (hearldscotland)
Person's independence is lost after marriage: SC (zee news)
Divorce to become easier (Hindu)
KK not in favour of party contesting byelection (hindu)

Anti-Naxal ops: Defence ministry refuses to send special forces (dna)
Steve Jobs to crowd: 'We're having a little problem here' (yahoo)
Fonseka could be hanged: Sri Lanka (zeenews)
Asia Cup squad: Tendulkar, Yuvraj rested (samaylive)
Tallest rail bridge over Chenab river clears safety test (pti)
Stephen Hawking joins institute set up by BlackBerry (ping)
Toronto rated world's most improved airport (ians)
China is rail-linking Arunachal border: RSS chief (pti)

Yuvraj axe is baffling (ESPNSTAR)
Gas leak: US rubs salt on Bhopal wounds (indiatoday)
No question of Buddhadeb resigning: Biman Bose (ians)
SHAH RUKH ENDS WAR WITH ANIL AMBANI (stardust)
India granted access to Headley: Jones (Hindu)
Indian American teen wins Spelling Bee crown (Hindu)

Raajneeti nets 2nd biggest opening after 3 Idiots (rediff)
Bhopal gas tragedy verdict: 8 accused found guilty (rediff)
Apple's Jobs expected to reveal new iPhone (afp)
'3 Idiots' sweeps IIFA awards amid protests (reuters)
Bank of America workers across U.S. sue for overtime(reuters)
Mom finds missing children using Facebook (usatoday)
Obama to visit India in November (bbc)
Lord Shiva threatens Delhi runway, say worried pilots (sify)
SMEs To Invest Rs. 1,500 Crore In Hyderabad (fullhyderabad)
Indian bureaucracy most inefficient in Asia: Survey (pti)

Former CEO Tim Wright sues Deccan Chargers (Times of India)
Raja nailed: 2G rules were changed (indiatoday)
FIFA WC: If SA fail, home fans will back Brazil (ndtv)

Megan Fox
Megan Fox transforms into a bikini girl as she frolics in Hawaii with her boyfriend (dailymail)
HC refuses to stay 'Raajneeti' movie's release (ibnlive)

Sri Sri Ravishankar
Firing at Art of Living campus 'incident', not attack, say police (Hindu)
Over 5 Million Fans Give Britney Spears More Of What She Wants (Before It's News)
Got a Postal Grievance? Tweet About it!(techtree)
Sahara pips Airtel to retain Team India (Economic Times)
President's rule imposed in Jharkhand (ians)
Indian investigators in US to question Headley (yahoo)
agan Mohan says he's allowed to continue yatra (ndtv)
Apple sells 2 million iPads in less than 60 days(cnn)

Monday, June 28, 2010

Freedom is self dependence

green-sea-turtle-hawaii
"I am through with working. Working is for chumps." - Bart Simpson

Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working. Author: Unknown

Mahatma Gandhi

sky is the limit

“The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for.”

Oscar Wilde

Joy

“Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“A man's own self is his friend. A man's own self is his foe.”

Bhagavad Gita

Katy Perry Topless: Strips For Esquire UK (PHOTO)

Photography Articles and Tips From Jim Richardson -- National Geographic

Saina's winning ways

Top 10 Social Media "Power Friending" Tips : The World :: American Express OPEN Forum

How I Make Money Blogging: Income Split for May 2010

Build Buzz With a Business Blog - Business Blog Strategies - Entrepreneur.com

The Idea Incubator Goes to Campus - NYTimes.com

Twitter / People shekharkapur is following

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Eminem Feat. Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie

9 Little-Known Ways to Advance Your Career

Nine Little-Known Ways to Advance Your Career
Setting long-term goals and creating a plan for achieving them are important for career growth, but small changes to your daily routine can have a big impact on your professional prospects, too. Following are nine simple -- yet often overlooked -- actions that can help you advance professionally.

1. Speak up.
Actively participating in office discussions demonstrates your enthusiasm and interest in the company. Before you attend meetings, review the agenda and prepare a few points of interest on the topics to be addressed. While you don’t want to talk to hear yourself speak, do not hesitate to share your ideas when you have something valuable to add.

2. Sit in the 'hot seat.'
Did you know that where you sit in a meeting can determine if you get a plum assignment or not? Choosing a seat near the meeting leader signals your support and helps ensure you’re seen and heard. And by placing yourself at the center of the action, you’re likely to participate more.

3. Exercise your bragging rights.
You may have heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” But in the office, it often comes down to who knows you. Imagine the executives in your company are having a meeting to decide who will work on a high-profile project. Would anyone in the room mention your name? If not, you’ve got some self-promoting to do. E-mailing a weekly status report to your boss detailing major accomplishments or volunteering to present your group’s milestones at a meeting are easy ways to increase your visibility.

4. Go beyond the call of duty.
Another way to raise your profile is to assist colleagues with their workloads or take on tasks outside your job description. You might, for example, volunteer to serve as a trainer during new-hire orientations, lead the internship program or help organize the company’s annual team-building event. These types of duties may not seem glamorous, but they’re often near and dear to executives’ hearts, and they force you to move out of your comfort zone.

5. Accept credit graciously.
When someone compliments you for doing a good job, how do you react? If you typically shrug it off and say, “It was nothing,” you may be leaving the door open for someone else to steal your thunder. Try instead, “Thank you. I’m glad the hard work paid off,” or “Thanks. I’m really pleased with the way it turned out, too.” Just be careful about accepting credit that’s not yours — it’s a sure-fire way to create tension and animosity among your teammates.

6. Shoot the breeze.
Did you know the gift of gab can lead to improved work performance? Forty percent of workers polled by Robert Half International said water cooler conversations increase productivity by providing opportunities for employee bonding. In addition to engaging in occasional chit-chat with your co-workers, be sure to partake in company gatherings, such as the annual picnic or holiday party, and team-building activities. Through these informal events, you can develop camaraderie with other employees and make valuable new contacts within the organization.

7. Eat, drink and demonstrate proper dining decorum.
The business lunch is becoming increasingly common, so it’s in your best interest to learn proper dining etiquette. Being rude to wait staff or arriving late, for example, may cost you; these were cited as the top business blunders a professional can make during a lunch meeting by executives surveyed by Robert Half. Ordering the rib platter (or equally messy foods), constantly checking your cell phone or broaching business matters before orders are placed can also be a recipe for disaster.

8. Make more meaningful connections.
Conferences and industry events are great opportunities to network, and there are a few tricks to help you make good first impressions. For example, wearing your name tag on the right side, near your shoulder, makes it easier for others to see and remember your name as they shake your hand. Using the back of people’s business cards to write information about them, such as their interests, also will help jog your memory after the event and provide motive to follow up.

9. Give thanks.
If someone recently helped you — perhaps your neighbor alerted you to an employment opportunity or a friend proofread your résumé — let the person know you appreciate the support. Take a few moments to write a short, sincere thank-you note. The respect, kindness and personal touch will create an indelible mark in your recipient’s mind and improve the chances he or she will help out again.

Getting A Millionaire's Mindset

Getting A Millionaire's Mindset

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/08/millionaire-mindset.asp?partner=fdcbox

Let's face it; we all don't make millions of dollars a year, and the odds are that most of us won't receive a large windfall inheritance either. However, that doesn't mean that we can't build sizeable wealth - it'll just take some time. If you're young, time is on your side and retiring a millionaire is achievable. Read on for some tips on how to increase your savings and work toward this goal.

Stop Senseless Spending
Fund Retirement Plans ASAP
Improve Tax Awareness
Renting Versus Buying
Buying Expensive Cars
Don't Sell Yourself Short
Bottom Line
======================

Interview: useful tips

Likely Questions

How would you describe yourself? or Tell me about yourself? or Please introduce yourself or Tell us about your family background.

What are your strength & weaknesses?

What attracted you to this particular job?

What are your short term and long term goals?

What has been your best achievement so far?

How can your presence benefit this organization?

Questions concerning your hobby & games you play.

What changes you would like to bring if you are selected?

What do you think of your previous employer?

Questions on your failures /challenges faced earlier.

What are your salary expectations.

Do you have any questions?

Most Common Errors

Haphazard CV / resume.

Arriving at the last moment or late arrival at interview location.

Not dressed up properly.

Try to become perfectionist which result into nervousness

No sincere efforts made to find out about the organization.

Not able to establish connection with one’s skills and requirements of the organization

Unable to provide evidence for Qualities/skills mentioned in the CV/resume.

Answering questions in yes or no, or in a disorganized manner with no or inadequate elaboration/explanations.

Not showing enthusiasm, lack of motivation to do something remarkable/ extra.

Giving memorized parrot like answer which lacks impact and conviction.

Speaking poor about the previous organization/bosses/colleagues.

Initiating questions about the salary, let interviewer ask this first.

Confronting interviewers

SWOT analysis is not properly done. One must carry out detailed analysis of one’s strengths & weaknesses & threats and opportunities in one’s field. There are number of books available which can be referred for the SWOT analysis.

Useful Tips

You should read news papers and minimum one magazine regularly. You may also listen to BBC for their detailed news. You should develop a habit to analyze the news and draw your own conclusions. In controversial matters it is better to be modest and not get sentimental on issues. You should be intelligent enough to avoid confrontation with interviewer.

You may carry a small brief case but do not carry casual bag or shopping bag.

You should carry copy of CV/ application form forwarded to the particular organization, should go through it in detail a day prior to your interview.

Do not initiate hand shake but do it positively in response to interviewer’s gesture.

When ever you are asked to tell about yourself, you should say, who you are and what you are interested in doing. (Mostly as per job requirement).

Use simple and short sentences to give your answers. Do not try to speak fast, be clear in your expressions. One can develop this habit with constant practice. Contents of the answer are more important than your language.

Do not give one word answer. Suppose you are asked “will you be able to adjust in new environment”?, Instead of answering “yes I will”, you should also supplement your answer with valid reason and short justification.

Do not try to memorise any answer, you should answer spontaneously. Memorized answers lack required impact.

Your achievements and favourable facts should be readily available; you should seek opportunity to show these during the interview.

If you do not know the answer it is better to admit the fact, instead of beating about the bush. You should know what the interviewer expects from you.

By now you must have understood the kind of preparation required to perform well in interviews. Your qualifications, appearance and initial impression alone are not enough in this competitive world, you have to demonstrate that “extra edge” to manage the outcome of interview your way.

(The Author is Commanding Officer and Phd in Management.)

Author:
by Col (Dr.) Pradeep K Vaidya
(employment news)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

The Danger of Stress

The Danger of Stress
Getting stressed isn't just a state of mind. It can also seriously harm the body.
You probably think you're doing everything you can to stay healthy: you get lots of sleep, exercise regularly and try to avoid fried foods. But you may be forgetting one important thing. Relax! Stress has a bigger impact on your health than you might realize, according to research presented yesterday at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association in Boston.

Ohio State University psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser and her partner, Ronald Glaser, an OSU virologist and immunologist, have spent 20-odd years researching how stress affects the immune system, and they have made some startling discoveries. An easy example comes from their work with caregivers, people who look after chronically ailing spouses or parents (no one would argue that this role is quite stressful). In one experiment, Kiecolt-Glaser and her colleagues administered flu vaccines to caregivers and control subjects and compared the numbers of antibodies—proteins involved in immune reactions—that the two groups produced in response. Only 38 percent of the caregivers produced what is considered an adequate antibody response compared to 66 percent of their relaxed counterparts, suggesting that the caregivers' immune systems weren't doing their jobs very well—and that the stress of caregiving ultimately put them at an increased risk of infection.

If stress affects immune responses, then it should also affect how well the body heals itself. In one particularly cringe-worthy study, Kiecolt-Glaser and her colleagues afflicted a group of caregivers with small arm wounds using a tool dermatologists use to perform skin biopsies. The caregivers' wounds took 24 percent longer to heal than wounds that they had afflicted to non-caregivers.

source: scientific american

World Cup kisses

Homer Simpson voted greatest screen character in TV

Kick Ass [Lego!] Sniper Rifle | Koku Gamer

World Cup kicks Twitter "tweets" to record high

Friday, June 25, 2010

Drugs killed Michael Jackson: Deepak Chopra

Michael Jackson
Drugs killed Michael Jackson: Deepak Chopra
Drugs killed Michael Jackson, says longtime friend Deepak Chopra. And they were prescribed by one of the many celebrity doctors in Hollywood who are
actually 'legalized pushers'. Chopra's allegations come even as the world continues to wonder about the sudden death of the King of Pop.

The immediate cause of death has been put down as cardiac arrest but the events leading up to it are yet to be determined. Jackson's family has alleged that pain-relieving drugs did the singer in. Chopra reiterates this claim.

The doctor and spiritual guru who has known Jackson since 1988, told TOI that he became suspicious in 2005 when Jackson came to stay. "During the course of his stay, Michael asked for a prescription for Oxycontin, a narcotic." He said he needed it for a backache. "Shocked that he was on that particular drug, I told him categorically that Oxycontin was a narcotic. It's an addictive drug and he didn't need it."

In behaviour typical of an addict, Jackson wriggled out of the conversation and began to avoid Chopra. "Through the years I tried to tell him that he should get off certain medicines that were being recommended to him but in vain."

source: Times of India

Posted on: 6/28/09

Top 10 celebs on Google India

Top 10 celebs on Google India (2009)
10. Sachin Tendulkar
9. Megan Fox
8. Angelina Jolie
7. Shahrukh Khan
6. Kareena Kapoor
5. Shahid Kapoor
4. Aishwarya Rai
3. Salman Khan
2. Michael Jackson
1. Katrina Kaif
Other celebrities who were present in the earlier lists but are missing in 2009 include Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Mallika Sherawat, Priyanka Chopra and Rani Mukherjee.
source: NDTV (may, 2009)

Acting is the most overvalued profession in the world. " - Tina Fey

Posted on: March 27, 2010

Remembering Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson Photos - All About Michael Jackson - LIFE

Is Working Online At Home The Way to Financial Freedom?

Jobs: Is Working Online At Home The Way to Financial Freedom?
Are online jobs the next big thing? As the U.S. economy continues to free-fall, millions of American are finding themselves without jobs, sufficient retirement or paychecks coming in. In March alone the number of unemployed increased by 694,000 to 13.2 million. Throughout history those on the cutting edge have adapted and prospered by knowing how to adapt to current economic climates, and this trend may once again be taking place on the internet.

With more time on their hands, many Floridians (And people around the country and world) are getting creative and turning to the online world for help.

For years we've all heard the stories of people making internet millions and now, it appears you don't have to be a technology guru at all to quickly get started making a decent income online. It's called Easy Google Profit and it's taking the internet and business communities alike by storm.

While researching the online-job phenomenon for this article I found countless stories of every day people making between $250 - $1000 a day from their homes. They explain that they're posting links on websites using hugely popular text advertising applications like Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN Adcenter.

Below is an excerpt from one site.

"Basically I actually make around $5,500 to $7,000 a month from Google. Not a ton of money. But, very solid and good. I was able to replace my previous job's income, working less than 10 hours a week on my computer at home." - Kevin H.

Now we've all heard of countless 'get rich' schemes and scams and I'm sure that by now most of us have received at least one email promising us multi-million dollar fortunes if we'd only assist some displaced member of the "Nigerian Royal Family." However Easy Google Profit does not appear to get caught up in the 'hype,' instead focusing on a steady stream of results over a period of time driven by individual effort and not the promise of revealing some 'special sauce.'

This new online opportunity doesn't give you an unrealistic 'pitch' at all. In fact this may be the only online opportunity that promises that you won't instantly make millions online, a stark contrast to websites featuring "Get Rich Quick Schemes" and pictures of Yachts and Luxury Homes and Automobiles. Most users share stories of moderate but steady incomes of between $50,000 - $90,000 a year. But as with most jobs the more you put in the more you get out.

"To cut to the chase within a month I had generated over $4,800 in income at home. This was unbelievable to me. I had seen all sorts of scams promising you could make millions of dollars a month or live in a giant mansion if you tried their ’system’ and of course never believed this. When this product advertised a legitimate way to make some pretty decent monthly income with no far-fetched ’scheme’ but instead simple illustrations of how to take advantage of Google like countless other people around the world already were I was sold, and the results to me speak for themselves!" - Steve

The idea of working from home sounds good to most of us who have to deal with varying lengths of unpleasant commutes to and from work, and in this digital age the number of people telecommuting continues to rise- saving time and money spent on fuel and allowing more time to be spent with family.

If you're struggling in the current economic debacle and the idea of working from home interests you, Easy Google Profit may be a viable option for you to try. The website states that there is a trial period available with every enrollment. Users pay only about $2.00 to have the kit shipped and the site states that "Satisfaction is 100% Guaranteed."
source: miamigazettenews

Video shows vigorous Jackson before death

Michael Jackson

Video shows vigorous Jackson before death

A video released Thursday showed Michael Jackson vigorously practicing a song-and-dance routine days before his death, supporting accounts he had been in good health.

In footage obtained by AFP, the pop legend performed at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 23, two days before he died, as he prepared for a 50-date set in London starting in July.

Jackson, while thin, is seen dancing with energy in a tightly choreographed sequence with a group of performers. Jackson sings on a headset and at one point pushes back his jacket to reveal his red shirt underneath.

In the footage, Jackson switches sharply in styles in a medley of some of his hits. The video starts with Jackson dancing wildly in front of a rock 'n' roll guitarist before a pause for dramatic effect.

Jackson then shifts to a snippet of "Billie Jean," one of his greatest hits, before singing, "They Don't Care About Us," one of his most controversial tracks in which he brought in a hip-hop influence.

The set ends with a sample of a car horn. The stage then fades to black as an outside voice instructs, "Hold for applause."

Associates of Jackson have described the 50-year-old pop star as being in good form, including at another rehearsal just hours before his death.

Jackson collapsed and died on June 25 at his rented Los Angeles mansion. Speculation has focused on whether Jackson was taking painkillers or other medication.

Jackson's voice coach Dorian Holley said Jackson was in an upbeat mood in the days before his death, joking around with his wardrobe and makeup staff.

"My friends call and ask, 'Was Michael sick? Was he weak? Was he ill?' It's the absolute opposite of that," Holley told CNN.

"He was very energetic, he was happy. He was even more playful than he normally was at rehearsal," he said.

Holley said Jackson, 50, did not show his age.

"I'm sure that he was in pain after some rehearsals. But I got to tell you something -- the guys and girls dancing with him were all in their 20s," he said.

"When Michael was on stage with them, there was only one person that you could watch and that was Michael Jackson," he said.

A similar account came from Kevin Mazur, who was attending the rehearsal sessions as a photographer.

"He was like an expectant father pacing up and down the stage," Mazur told Britain's Sun tabloid.

"He was just so focused. Between songs, he burst into laughter and joked around with his dancers and the director. I have never seen him so happy," Mazur said.

Jackson had planned a series of concerts at London's O2 Arena starting on July 13, part of a comeback for the King of Pop whose personal and financial life had sharply deteriorated in the past decade.

Concert promoters AEG Live, who released the video, are offering full ticket refunds for the concerts.

British media reports said about 50 million pounds (59 million euros, 83 million dollars) has been spent on 750,000 tickets.
source: AFP

Posted on dt: 7/3/09

Michael Jackson

Pop icon Michael Jackson dies at 50 (rediff)
Michael Jackson, Tormented ‘King of Pop,’ Dies at 50 (bloomberg)
Michael Jackson: The Death of Peter Pan (TIME)
Michael Jackson, King of Pop, dies of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles (Telegaph)

Posted on 26th June 2009

Thursday, June 24, 2010

7 topics to avoid if you don't want to be a bore

Aishwarya Rai

7 topics to avoid if you don't want to be a bore
1. A dream.
2. The recent changes in your child’s nap schedule.
3. The route you took to get here.
4. An excellent meal you once had at a restaurant.
5. The latest additions to your wine cellar.
6. An account of your last tennis game.
7. The plot of a movie, play or book—in particular, the funny parts.

(shine)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

15 financial problems at a glance!

Kate MOss, Sameera, Shriya
15 financial problems at a glance!

When it comes to psychology and financial behaviour, India does not have too much of research papers. Hence we are forced to turn to the US or UK for such research work.

US studies have summarised financial problems and have found the following to be the most common of financial problems:

~ Not planning: The single biggest problem for most people is that they just do not plan their finances. It just keeps coming and going. Even if they are not happy about the results of what they have done so far, they do not change the way things are done.

~ Overspending: Many people with not very high incomes have very high ambitions. This is likely to get them to grief. Most of this problem is because the salesmen in most shops do not tell you the price of a product, they only tell you the EMI -- so anything from a plasma TV to a luxury home on the outskirts of the city are made to look cheap! After all at Rs 2,899 a month does a plasma TV not look cheap?

~ Not talking finance at home: Children are kept away from the finance topics at the dining table. Finance is perhaps the second most taboo topic at home! So many children grow up without knowing how much of sacrifice their parents have gone through to educate them.

~ Parents spending on education and marriage: There are just too many kids out there who believe that they need to worry about savings, investment and life insurance only at the age of 32 plus. This means your father, father�in-law or a bank loan has funded your education and marriage. Kids should take on financial responsibility at a much younger age than what is happening currently.

~ Marriage between financially incompatible people: Most marriages under stress are actually under financial stress. Either the husband or the wife is from a rich background and the other partner cannot understand or cope with the spending pattern. It is necessary to match people financially before marriage.

~ Delaying saving for retirement: "I am only 27 years old why should I think of retirement" seems to be a very valid refrain for many 32 year olds! Every year that you delay in investing the greater the amount that you will have to save later in your life. Till the age of 32 it might be feasible for you to catch up, but after some time the amount that you need to save for retirement just flies away.

~ Very little life insurance: With all the risks of life styles, travel, etc. illness and premature death are common. We all have classmates who had heart attack at the age of 32 but still pretend that we do not need life or medical insurance. We buy car insurance because it is forced upon us, but we ignore life insurance! Imagine insuring a Rs 10 lakhs car, but not insuring (or under insuring) the person who is using the car -- and paying for it, that is, you!

~ Not prepared for medical emergencies: Normally big emergencies -- financially speaking -- are medical emergencies. Being unprepared for them -- by not having an emergency fund is quite common. Emergency fund has now come to mean the credit card -- which is good news for the bank, not for the borrower.

~ Lack of asset allocation: Risk is not a new concept. However, it is a difficult concept to understand. For example when the Sensex was 3k there was much less risk in the equity markets than there is today. However at 3k index people were afraid of the market. Now everybody and his aunt wants to be in the equity market -- and there are enough advisors who keep saying, "Equity returns are superior to debt returns." This is true with a rider -- in the long run. It is convenient for the relationship manager to forget the rider. So there could be a much larger allocation to equity at higher prices -- to make for the time missed out earlier.

~ Falling prey to financial pitches: The quality of pitches has improved! Aggressive young kids are recruited by brokerage houses, banks, mutual funds, life insurance companies, etc. and all these kids are selling mutual funds, life insurance, portfolio management schemes, structured products, et al. Selling to their kith and kin helps these kids keep their jobs, and there is happiness all around! These kids, themselves prey to financial pitches, have now made it an art when they are selling to their own natural 'circle of friends' and relatives.

~ Buying financial products from 'obligated persons': This is perhaps one of the worst things you can do in your financial life. A friend, relative, neighbor, colleague who has been doing something else suddenly becomes a financial guru because they have become an agent! They, in great enthusiasm, sell you a financial product and promptly in 2 years time give up this 'business' because it is too difficult. You are saddled with a dud product for life! What a pity. Charity begins at home, not financial planning.

~ Financial illiteracy: Most people do not wish to know or learn about financial products. They simply ask, "Where do I have to sign" -- so buying a mutual fund is easier than buying life insurance! Selecting products based on the ease and simplicity of buying is a shocking but true real life experience in the financial behaviour of the rational human being!

~ Ignoring small numbers for too long: What difference will it make if I save Rs 1,000 a month? Well over a long period it could make you a millionaire! So start early and invest wisely. It will make you rich. That is the power of compounding.

~ Urgent vs important: Most expenses, which look urgent, are perhaps not so important -- the shirt or shoe at a sale. That luxury item which was being offered at 30 per cent discount is such an example. These small leakages are all reducing the amount of money you will have for the bigger things like education or retirement.

~ Focusing too much on money: Money is no longer a commodity to buy things. It is a scorecard of one's life. That will cause stress, and yoga might help. However if you will seek a branded yoga teacher -- so that your friends think you have arrived, yoga it self could cause financial stress!

***

123 will de-nuke; this will nuke

S GURUMURTHY

IN the tumult over the farm loan waiver, a dangerous move in Finance Minister’s budget oration — that has the potential to nuke the Indian financial market — has gone totally unnoticed. It’s a month after the budget. Still there is not a word in the media about this dirty nuke. So ignorant those who count seem to be that the peril may be celebrated as a towering financial sector reform! The paradox is this: the subject drives away those who are not concerned with it; but the concerned are the ones who are getting the dirty bombs to target Indian economy!

Is it that serious? Yes, it is. Read on, but seriously. In para 97 of his speech the finance minister says, “I propose to take measures to develop the bond, currency and derivative markets that will include launching an exchangetraded currency and interest rate futures and developing a transparent derivative market with appropriate safeguards.” Shorn off all ornaments, the minister intends to allow trade in ‘currency and interest futures’ and ‘derivatives’.

For easier understanding here it is better to use one complex word — the ‘derivative’ —which includes futures, options, forwards and so on. Even one among the millions who listened to the minister would not know what are the new beasts, the derivatives, that would soon populate the Indian financial market, if the minister is not stopped. Why, even ‘experts’ have no great idea about derivatives. An expert global website on finance says that ‘politicians, senior executives, regulators, even portfolio managers have limited knowledge’ about derivatives. If this were so in the US, the birth place of derivatives, one can imagine the level of enlightenment here. A brief journey into the exotic world of derivatives is necessary at this stage. This will help drive home what the finance minister is proposing to get the country into.

Derivatives are the most dangerous instruments in global finance which is today more virtual than real. It is almost a drama in real life, a theatre. Derivatives are shadow financial instruments. As the story unfolds, the shadow has not only replaced the actual, but, has grown several times the actual. This is how the derivative works as compared to the actual. If one buys or sells stocks of Tata Motors, it is actual trade. But if one buys the option to buy or not to buy Tata Motors stocks, then it is a derivative trade. But the seller of the option to the buyer need not own the Tata Motors stocks and the buyer need not have full money. Is it anything other than wager? This transaction is linked to asset values. Derivatives need not be linked to asset values only. It may be linked to loans, like that a bank may turn into a single rated security its multiple loan transactions and sell the rated Asset Backed Security (ABS} in the market. This is a credit derivative. Likewise, betting whether stock prices or stock market indexes will go up or come down or whether interest rates will go up or come down or whether the rainfall will be normal or above or below are all integral to derivative trade.

To understand this new animal called derivative that has all, but, crippled the global economy, take the credit derivative. The sub-prime housing loan crisis in the US has shaken the world. For the benefit of those who entered the debate late here is some basic info. Sub-prime loan means loan given at less than prime interest rates. Normally creditworthy borrowers would get loans at less interest. In US, however, from around the year 2000, even those who would not deserve loans at more than normal rates, were given housing loans at sub-prime rates. Households were given loans without income check, without margin money for the loan. This led to huge home demands and that pushed up the value of the existing houses. Those whose home values went up were given loans on the appreciation. This was to make Americans to go the shopping malls and buy up cars, jewellery, and other luxuries. These loans were given by design, not by mistake, to revive the American economy that was falling into depression in 2000- 2001 as a result of the dot.com collapse and the terror attack on the US. The US Federal Reserve cut the lending rates to one per cent to facilitate sub-prime borrowing. The sub-prime loans by local banks were later bundled into large bonds of millions of dollars —some times even billions — as ABS, which is a credit derivative. Rated by rating agencies ABS were sold in global market. A more sophisticated form of ABS is known as Collateralised Debt Obligations (CDOs). Like ABS, CDOs are also credit derivatives. Thus the local loans of US were turned into global loans. Result? When sub-prime borrowers in US failed to pay up, the European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks which had bought the CDOs lost the money. So it became American loan mela at global cost! The European Central Bank had to lend something like $560 billions to banks in Europe to save them from insolvency. This is one example of derivatives and also what it can do.

The total of all derivative positions of banks as measured by the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) as of December 2007 is — believe it — $516 trillions or as converted into rupees 20,640 lakh crores! The derivative beasts have grown from $100 trillion in 2002 by five times in five years. This is the shadow or virtual economy, or the mirage. The actual economy is lilliputian as compared to the shadow. The shadow economy is worth more than ten times the actual global GDP ($50 trillion); some seven times the world’s actual real estate ($75 trillions); more than five times the world’s actual stock ($100 trillions). It is not the actual that controls the virtual economy. It is the other way round —the virtual, or the speculative economy controls, even overawes, the actual.

Worse, derivatives are off balance sheet businesses of banks. Result, the true liabilities of bank in which a depositor puts in his hard earned savings, or the true position of a corporate in which corporate in whose shares someone invests money, are not known at all.

Warren Buffet, the most celebrated US investor, said recently that derivatives are financial Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)! The man is no socialist. He is a free market capitalist. And identified as the richest man on this plant less than a month ago. He is a huge player in global finance that is dominated by derivatives and yet keeps away from derivatives. No one, including Chidambaram, can claim to know more about these derivative beasts better than Warren Buffet. Again, these beasts are not just financial WMDs. They are equally financial ICBMs which can hit from one continent at another just as the local subprime loans of US transformed into CDOs and nearly bankrupted many banks in far away continents.

Chidambaram welcomes these financial WMDs and ICBMs into Indian financial market with red carpet. The pink media will vouch this disastrous move as financial sector reform, liberalisation and globalisation! But the truth is: India is about to embrace the beast that Warren Buffet is terrified about. Yet, the whole nation is in the dark about this financial dirty bomb. QED: The 123 agreement will de-nuke India. The derivatives will nuke India’s economy. And that completes the square. Is a Karat or a Jaswant listening?

source: The New Indian Express
****

Mcj – internal exams: September 2007

citizen journalism
David McClelland : n-ach (need for achievement)
psychic mobility – Daniel Lerner
empathy
dominant paradigm
Walt Rostow: unilinier model
Print media in India steady growth
Village level administrative officer- village secretary
inter personal communication
sustainable development
modular printing
sub-headings
elements of dominant paradigm
WED stands for- Writing Editing Design
Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory
sub-culture of peasantry – Everett Roger
Limited effects theory
Mass Society theory
Cultural imperialism
Political Economy Theory
Web offset
Surveillance ____function of media
review of literature
sampling
Readability means
SFX
Reader friendliness means

CAREER IN WEB DEVELOPMENT

CAREER IN WEB DEVELOPMENT

With the advent of multinational companies and globalization, India has emerged as a hot place for job seekers with lot of opportunities in various sectors. Indian companies are now rich with great talent in the world and million dollars offshore projects. Information Technology is one of the demanding fields where the Indian talent is asked for their remuneration with lot of growth prospects.

Numbers of domains are associated with the I.T. industry in the world where a professional can bring home a thick packet of salary. Web applications development is one of the areas where jobs as well as remunerations are endless.

Web application development is very wide domain in which a job seeker should choose one of his interests out of abundant programming languages, scripts, tools and packages. Obviously, one should be able to be perfect in particular programming language or tool because it is very difficult to be expert in everything.

In Web development, there are many fields where a candidate can move with sufficient knowledge and proficiency.

Various positions in any Web Development Company are listed here -

1. Web Designer
2. Flash Designer and Game Specialist
3. Web Master and Portal Manager

1. WEB DESIGNER

Web designer is responsible for user interface design of a website. It includes designing of logo, banners, advertisements as well as other interactive elements. Its main goal is includes the development of user friendly, interactive and attractive designs so that user click on most of the links or banners. Moreover, the contents are presented to the end user in form of web pages. These interactive elements are placed in a website using markup languages. So, a web designer should be proficient in atleast HTML which is very common and effective markup language.

In general practice, a web designer is responsible for creating static web pages rather than database driven dynamic web pages. Here, static web page refers to the web document which remains same in content and layout unless the web designer changes it manually.

On other part, dynamic web pages change its structure and contents depending upon the input given by the end-user.

For a commercial website, the following aspects are considered -

1. Quality of images
2. Quality of Content or simply Effective Content Writing
3. User Friendly with simple, efficient and reliable interfaces
4. Search Engines Friendly
5. Color combination of text, background and images
6. Quick downloading of pages
7. Consistency in all web pages of the website
8. Consistency in navigation

1.1 DESIRED PROFILE

* Graduate in any Discipline.
* Good Communication Skills to interact directly with the Client.
* Good knowledge of Designing Concepts,
* Exposure to Search Engine Optimization Techniques
* Awareness of the latest trend in web designing & development.
* Knowledge of HTML, DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, Dreamweaver, Flash, Flash action scripts
* Basic knowledge of server side scripts and database handling.
* Knowledge to customize the web applications for multiple web browsers – Microsoft Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla Firefox

1.2 RESPONSIBILITIES

* Updating and maintaining the company Websites on regular basis.
* To help in providing input and support for design functionality.
* Understanding and gathering the client’s requirements and designing as per specifications
* Delivering Creative Visualizations designs of Websites based on client requisition.
* Designing banners/templates/logo and other media elements including.
* Digital image processing using Adobe PhotoShop, Flash and other tools.

2. FLASH DESIGNER AND GAME SPECIALIST

Flash designer is responsible for developing attractive and eye-catchy animations for the website to attract the visitors. Various 2D/3D designs are developed using Macromedia Flash and Action Scripting. Flash animators work on professional product demos, advertisements and animations. Creativity, good understanding of the design specification and translation of business ideas into stunning animations/presentations is expected from a Flash Designer.

Action script programmers work on online games, corporate intros and product demonstrations. Good knowledge in AS2 and AS3 (Action Script) and SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) are required to become the team member of Action Script programmers.

A fresh animator becomes the part of a team of producers who are responsible for producing effective and high quality games. The key job functions of the animators include producing ultimate games from concept stage till final publishing on the website. The game developers handle the external clients as well as in-house teams.

While working as a key resource in online game development division, the candidates get familiar with various tools for creating wonderful animations.

2.1 DESIRED PROFILE

* Graduate in any discipline
* Strong working knowledge and understanding of current web standards and user interface
* In-depth knowledge and development experience with HTML/XHTML, JavaScript, CSS, Macromedia Flash and ActionScript, and Macromedia Breeze
* Excellent 2D and 3D Animation skills
* Ability to visualize and illustrate storyboards.
* Good conceptualization and visualization skills.
* Proactive in mocking up animation ideas
* Comprehensive knowledge of Multimedia Packages.
* Knowledge of CorelDraw, SoundForge, Flash Action Scripting (AS 2.0 & AS 3.0) and experience as an animator for international clients will be an advantage.
* Good analytical skills and aptitude
* Ability to handle projects independently as well as excellent in interacting with the team members.
* Game enthusiast

2.2 RESPONSIBILITIES

* Interacting with client to analyze their requirement.
* Performing quality work and add value by suggesting innovative ways of game programming and optimization of the game through Programming.
* Video and Audio Editing
* Implementation of new technologies with ease
* Developing a project right from visualization, analysis, design, development and testing.
* Collaborate within the team to design and develop the project.
* Developing eye catchy games and animations.
* Work with other designers – both internally and externally – to connect their designs to our proprietary back-end technology.
* Work with other designers to provide a richer audience experience through the use of Flash, PHP and other advanced web technologies

3. WEBMASTER AND PORTAL MANAGER

The webmaster also called as the web architect web developer, the website author, or the website administrator, is the person who is responsible for designing, developing, marketing, or maintaining a website. Webmasters are responsible for managing all aspects of Web operations including marketing aspects. A webmaster is also named as Internet Specialist, Network/Web Engineer, Web Administrator or Web Application Engineer

Webmasters typically have the expertise in various scripting languages such as PHP, ColdFusion, Perl and Javascript. They are also expert in configuring web servers such as Apache and serve as the server administrator. The main responsibilities of the webmaster include the management of access privileges of different users of a website as well as the appearance and setting up website navigation.

The Web Portal Manager works in the same way as a webmaster but his role is quite diversified. A web portal presents information in a website from different sources in a unified way.

Varying from the standard search engines, web portals provide other services such as

* Matrimonial Services
* E-mail
* News
* Sports
* Shopping
* Travels and Tour Management
* Stock prices and Business Details
* Career counseling and education
* Information
* Entertainment and many more

Some of the famous web portals are

* Rediff.com
* Yahoo.com
* Google.com
* Indiatimes.com
* India.gov.in

3.1 DESIRED PROFILE

* Sound knowledge of website development, and should be creative enough to produce innovative designs and ideas.
* Candidate should have rich relevant experience on weblogic or websphere administration (dual skills have added advantage)
* Experience in a production environment.
* Coding (HTML / PHP / .net / ASP / Database / Java script / Joomla / oscommerce / other shopping carts / payment integration / vBulletin / CSS etc.
* Good knowledge of UNIX and Linux administration with network troubleshooting.
* Hands on Experience on CA Siteminder. CA Siteminder is a Web access management system which is having all features to manage a website or web portal.
* Web design skills and experience
* Excellent knowledge and experience with HTML at the tag level
* Experience with DHTML, COM and client-side JavaScript programming experience is also required.
* Thorough knowledge of browser compatibility issues for all platforms/major browsers is necessary.
* Knowledge of conversion of existing images (TIFF, BMP, PSD) for online use (JPG, GIF) using Adobe ImageReady and PhotoShop.
* Thorough knowledge of browser compatibility issues for all platforms/major browsers.

3.2 RESPONSIBILITIES

* Creating and maintaining websites and online marketing
* Handling issues with technology
* Creating new content and updating old content on websites
* Monitoring search engine optimization and placement
* Tracking effectiveness of online marketing and website lead capturing
* Trading links with appropriate sites
* Install SSL certificates
* Integration of web infrastructure components with each other and Line of Business applications
* Installation of database plug-ins and connectivity
* Managing URL redirections
* Managing concurrency and security in website.

Author

Gaurav Kumar

Author is a Sr. Lecturer (Department of Computer Applications) in

Chitkara Institute of Engineering and Technology

Rajpura, Punjab

source: employment news

Writing for the Web

Writing for the Web
Your headline should be short and as literal as possible, explaining clearly what your story is about. Remember, the headline is the only thing potential readers have to go on when scanning for interesting stories; if your title is interesting and accurately reflects what your article is about, then your readers’ expectations will be fulfilled.

Most internet users will scan a story looking for links and relevant keywords before committing to reading it in full. By putting important words or sentences in bold text and hyperlinking text from the story page to a relevant destination page (think Wikipedia, or another NowPublic story) you encourage potential readers to read your entire piece and help them find the information they’re looking for.

Keep your story concise. Reading onscreen is much more difficult than reading on paper, so be direct in your arguments. Paragraphs should be short and express just one idea at a time - steer clear of dense blocks of text or wordy sentences. Online readers love bullet points and lists, so if it makes sense to present information in this way do it. Stories should ideally be between 200-800 words.

Explain the context of your story upfront, and let your readers know immediately why they should care. If you don’t get to the point right away, you’ll lose your audience. When using Highlight, be sure to introduce the story or highlighted text with your own original thoughts. Clearly you think the story is important, but don’t forget to tell the rest of us why.

Take advantage of the ability to edit your NowPublic story by updating the headline and introduction if new details emerge. You can also time-stamp updates within the article if there are continual developments in a breaking story.

To boil it down, remember that the key points of successful online writing are: simplicity, accessibility and intelligence.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Katy Perry: Don't F**k with the Gaga!

How to succeed in journalism ...

How to succeed in journalism ...
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/06/how-to-succeed-in-journalism-and-at-a-world-cup.html
Media boom in Andhra Pradesh

Snapshot:-
In India there are about 4,720 newspapers, 400 TV channels. Andhra Pradesh has highest number of Television news channels in South India. 13 channels out of 36 TV channels in AP are news channels. 12 channels are entertainment channels
Telugu TV channels
Music – 2
Children – 3
Women -1
Spiritual – 5
News – 13
Entertainment 12
Total 36

'All Facebook' Blogger Explains Reporting Process, Decision to Unpublish Erroneous Post
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=184967

Reinventing the newspaper

http://theslot.blogspot.com/2010/05/reinventing-newspaper.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+billwalsh+(Bill+Walsh's+Blogslot)

10 hella funny videos about journalism you must see

Read more: http://www.multimediashooter.com/wp/tipstricks/10-hella-funny-videos-about-journalism-you-must-see/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Multimediashooter+%28MultimediaShooter%29#ixzz0rSx8LKb9

Truth about fiction
http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/books/article475833.ece

http://www.multimediashooter.com/wp/tipstricks/10-hella-funny-videos-about-journalism-you-must-see/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Multimediashooter+(MultimediaShooter)

In the News, May 2010

25K people to stop using Facebook from today (ibnlive)
Facebook Beats Yahoo, Wikipedia in Pageviews; Zuckerberg Gloats (dailytech)
China develops fastest super computer (ndtv)
Jagan supporters approach BJP (expressbuzz)
Jaganmohan Reddy detained ahead of controversial yatra (Hindustan Times)
Only 2% Kashmiris want to join Pak: Survey(Zee News)
Apple overtakes Microsoft as biggest tech company (zee news)
Maya declares assets worth Rs 88 cr (samaylive)
Kalahasti gopuram collapses (DC)
Air India employees' strike continues, cancels 76 flights (Times of India)
Molester cop Rathore arrested, sentence enhanced to 18 months (ians)
Anil Ambani eyeing Team India sponsorship (zeenews)
Rajdhani Express derails in Bihar, no casualties (zeenews)
OU plans portal for job offers (DC)
Evaluation at JNTU under CCTV gaze (Times of India)
India adds 2 crore mobile users/month (DC)
No differences with Jagan: Rosaiah (PTI)
AI plane crash: Black box recovered (zee news)
Nizamabad tops AP in SSC results (DC)
Dhirubhai, Sachin were not high scorers in exams (rediff)
Will take action against corruption: Prime Minister (rediff)
Kites opens in Top 10 at US Box Office (Hindustan Times)
BJP to withdraw support from Soren government (ET)
Will step down for Rahul: Prime Minister (rediff)
Anil and Mukesh Ambani bury differences (Times of India)
Ambanis bury hatchet; agree for cordial competition (zeenews)
Plane's black box found, kin bid loved ones adieu (ians)
Indian Airliner's Data Recorder Found (voa)
'Art of Living counsellors to counsel Air India staff' (ians)
Wynncom 7 Dual SIM mobile launched in India at starting price of Rs. 1500 (infocera)
Kites grosses Rs 21 crore on opening day‎(Economic Times)
Rosaiah asks Congressmen in Andhra Pradesh not to criticise Sonia Gandi, PM (DNA India)
Veturi Sundararama Murthy (29 January 1936 – 22 May 2010)

Air India plane from Dubai with 166 onboard crashes at Mangalore airport; 158 dead, 8 rescued (starnews)

'The plane had broken into two. I jumped out' survivor tells (Vancouver Sun)

Eight people survived the crash: Air India Director (ibnlive)
Delhi court dismisses bail plea of Madhuri Gupta accused of spying. (ndtv)
Darjeeling tense after separatist leader's murder (Economic Times)
Respite for coastal Andhra as cyclone weakens (sify)
71,000 people in 300 relief camps in coastal Andhra Pradesh (dnaindia)
Ramalinga Raju too unwell for CBI, meets visitors regularly (dnaindia)
Hrithik Roshan's 'Kites' not flying too high! (pti)
Cyclone Laila stationary, toll up at 27 in coastal Andhra (ians)
Srikrishna Committee to complete consultations by June 18 (newkerala)
Cyclone 'Laila' kills 12 people (yahoo)
Maya statues would be replaced with Lord Rama's: Varun (yahoo)
40,000 people evacuated, cyclone shows signs of weakening (DC)
Chiru security reviewed after Naxal threat (dc)
Laila to hit Andhra coast by Noon (samaylive)
Afridi admits there may be match fixing (cricket next)
Cyclone Laila won't impact monsoon: IMD (india infoline)
Heavy rains batter coastal Andhra as cyclone inches closer (ians)
Cyclone Laila crosses coast near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh (zeenews)
After Facebook, Pak blocks YouTube (ndtv)
Cyclone Laila to hit Andhra coast today afternoon (rediff)
Yahoo Buys Online Content Factory for $90 Million (wired)
Stop reading newspapers early in the day, advises SC (aol)
'Sexiest video ever' spreads virus on Facebook (aol)
Well dressed staff taken more seriously: Poll (ibnlive)
Naxals strike again: 4 CRPF men killed in Bengal (ndtv)
Rains lash north Tamil Nadu as Cyclone Laila nears coast (Times of India)
AP on high alert as Cyclone Laila nears coast (zee news)
Laila 'returns' after 20 years with more fury (msnindia)
UK to get Diet Facebook(theregister)
Pakistan court orders Facebook ban: Site ordered to be blocked after contest sought Prophet Mohammed's cartoons (al jazeera)
3G spectrum auction closes, licence bids across India touch Rs16,828cr (Times of India)
Andhra Cyclone Laila 10000 Evacuated, 10 Dead (india-server)
Cyclone Laila to bring heavy rains north Tamil Nadu, Andhra coasts(dna)
BCCI issues show cause notice to six players (Hindustan Times)
First Muslim crowned Miss USA (mid day)

Divergent views on T: Naidu faces trouble (Times of India)
'Indians will soon buy 3 million cars a year' (rediff)
Maoist bandh hits 5 states, trains cancelled (Times of India)
BJP-JMM deal: Arjun Munda to be Jharkhand CM first (Times of India)
Welcome Pa, says Abhishek as Big B joins Twitter (ians)
We will defeat BSP in the next election: Rahul Gandhi(starnews)
Monsoon to reach Kerala on June 1 (rediff)
Andhra Pradesh Government to File Criminal Cases Against Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Using Coercion (microcapital)
Andhra Pradesh calls in rescue teams as cyclone threat grows (ians)
Maiosts blast rail tracks in Bengal, 2 drivers injured (rediff)
Cylone `Laila' to cause heavy rains (Hindu)

Craig Kieswetter helps England thrash Australia to win World Twenty20 (guardian)
Half-fit players would not be selected: BCCI (Hindustan Times)
Naxals blow up bus near Dantewada, 50 feared killed (ndtv)
Storm brewing in Bay of Bengal; coastal Andhra likely to be hit (dnaindia)
Delhi's hottest day of 2010, 47.6°C at IGI (Times of India)
2010 is warmest ever in recorded history (zee news)
15 Dantewada victims battle for life (ians)
PM calls high level meet to review Naxal strategy (zee news)
77-year-old clears XII board exam in TN (zeenews)
Dawood Ibrahim third on Forbes' Most Wanted Fugitives list (ians)
England outclass Australia to win World Twenty20 (ians)
Azlan Shah Cup: Impressive India share title with South Korea (ians)
In a first, online voting in Gujarat civic polls this year(Times of India)
Over 1,000 executed every year for drugs: Report (Times of India)
Naxals burn Youth Congress leader alive in Jharkhand (ndtv)
Passenger plane carrying 40 crashes in Afghanistan (ap)
Shuttle Atlantis races to space station (washington post)
Australian teen Jessica Watson completes around-the-world sail (espn)
Heat wave claims 26 lives in AP (DC)
Sania Mirza returns to competitive tennis next month (PTI)
Islamic group claims hand behind Hyd attack(ibnlive)
Former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat dies (ndtv)
Kannada actor Anand held for dowry harassment (ians)
Shilpa Mohan is TD spy:Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy (DC)

Hyderabad, Delhi among world's best airports(rediff)
Indians buying more cars, pushing up gas prices: Obama (ians)
40,000 prostitutes to arrive in SA (Hindustan Times)
Bihar's Super 30 in Time Magazine best list (ians)
Dhoni not to be replaced as T20 captain, says BCCI (PTI)
Khushboo all set to join DMK (zeenews)
Sehwag may replace Dhoni as ODI, T20 captain (Times of India)
AP proposes cut in LPG subsidy (DC)
After T20 exit, Indian cricketers in ugly pub brawl (Hindustan Times)
Bill Gates tours Bihar by boat (NDTV)

Jairam offers to quit over China remarks, PM says no (Times of India)
Parties, travelling during IPL took a toll on fitness: Dhoni (Times of India)
Anil Ambani calls on prime minister (ians)
Hyderabad records 45 degrees, highest in 20 years (ians)

Postman Paul Noga facing jail after stealing 76,000 letters and packages (dailymail)

RJD, SP, Congress slam Gadkari for calling Lalu, Mulayam 'dogs' (Times of India)
Nithari killing: Koli sentenced to death (zeenews)
Justice Kapadia sworn in as Chief Justice of India (rediff)
Viswanathan Anand won the World Chess Championship (rediff)
Illegal for women to work, support family: Deoband (Times of India)
Bill Gates arrives in Bihar on maiden visit (rediff)
David Cameron Britain's new PM (samaylive)
India out of ICC WC T20 (samaylive)
Libyan plane arriving from South Africa crashes at Tripoli airport killing 105 people (starnews)

Google's Android outsells iPhone, threatens BlackBerry (ians)
Marisa Miller named ‘Sexiest Woman in the World’ by FHM (spicezee)
JMM demands sharing of power on 50:50 basis (rediff)
Jairam faces music from PM, Sonia over China comment (zeenews)
Kasab may be hanged by year-end: Govt (Zee News)
BCCI provides evidences of ‘Wrongdoings’ to Modi (samaylive)
Government to rekindle interest in Tagore's rich legacy: PM (ians)
Mumbai fourth on list of world`s most expensive office space (zeenews)
Government owner of KG basin gas:SC (newsalso)
Kasab gets death sentence on 4 counts, life on 5 counts (NDTV)

Kasab: the Mumbai murderer sent to death row (Dawn)

Kasab breaks down after death sentence (Times of India)

Mumbai Attacks Convict Kasab Sentenced to Death (wsj)

Kasab sentenced to death (Indian Express)

Ajmal Kasab, 26/11 terrorist, gets death sentence (ibnlive)

Kasab enjoyed the act of killing: Nikam (ndtv)

Hanging Kasab may take years (Times of India)

Kasab sentenced to death for Mumbai attacks (reuters)

Kasab gets the noose for 26/11 attack (ians)

No narcoanalysis test without consent, says SC (Times of India)
CRPF violated all norms in Dantewada, says report (PTI)
Neil Robertson wins the World Snooker Championship, becoming the first Australian to do so since 1952.
United Airlines and Continental agree to merge, forming the world's largest carrier.
iPad sales cross million mark twice as fast as original iPhone (buzz)
Pakistani Man Convicted in 2008 Mumbai Attacks (nytimes)
Housefull gets biggest opening since 3 Idiots(rediff)
Suspect taken into custody in failed TimesSquare car bomb attack(AP)
I want Kasab hanged, says Kavita Karkare (rediff)
Drama Critics name 'Orphans Home Cycle' best play (ap)
Ketan Desai remanded (Hindu)
A Delhi court today remanded MCI president Ketan Desai and three others to 13-day judicial custody after their arrest for allegedly taking bribe to allow a medical college in Punjab to admit students despite lack of infrastructure.

Kapadia, next Chief Justice of India (Hindu)
Dalai Lama marks half century in exile (Ottawa Citizen)

Manasvi Mamgai
Manasvi Mamgai is Miss India World 2010 (ibnlive)
Spy case: Madhuri sent to 14-day judicial remand (rediff)
Ash inspired me to do Hindi 'Raavan': Vikram (msnindia)
Madhuri deeply resentful of IFS, her arrest blew RAW officer's cover (Indian Express)
Manmohan, Tendulkar among world's most influential: Time (IANS)
Climate change in Thimphu: Singh, Gilani strike a bargain (Indian Express)

In the news, April 2010

BCCI to scrutinise Modi; Chirayu Amin named IPL chief (zee news)
Sachin most-googled player at IPL (ndtv)
Lisa Ray back and fully healed of cancer (Times of India)

Juan Antonio Samaranch, the seventh president of the International Olympic Committee, dies at the age of 89.

The United People's Freedom Alliance, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, wins the Sri Lankan general election, securing 144 of the 225 parliamentary seats.

Sri Lanka's former army chief Sarath Fonseka requests his freedom from "illegal detention" in his first speech in parliament. (Al Jazeera)

Keflavík International Airport, Iceland's largest airport, is shut down due to volcanic ash.
Earth Day 2010 grows a Google Doodle forest for its 30th birthday (guardian)
Shashi Tharoor Resigns: India Cricket Scandal Takes Down Government Minister (huffingtonpost)
RBI hikes key rates, CRR by 25 bps (zeenews)
Jessica Lall case: Manu Sharma gets life sentence from Supreme Court (NDTV)

Shashi Tharoor quits over IPL controversy (zee news)
37.2 per cent of population BPL, 10 crore families to get food security (Indian Express)
Tharoor meets PM; Sunanda to surrender Kochi IPL stake (NDTV)
Teen girls drinking may increase breast cancer risk (xinhua)

From left: Russia's President Dmitri Medvedev, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's President Hu Jintao and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pose for the family photo of the II BRIC Summit in Brasilia on April 15.
BRIC leaders: IMF, World Bank has 'legitimacy deficits'(cnn)
Ten hurt in cricket match bombings (independent)
India, China sign agreement to establish hotline between PMs (PTI)
71 mln People used the Internet in India Last Year (techtree)
1.45-crore people take dip in the Ganga (Hindu)
Nearly 1.45-crore pilgrims took a dip in the Ganga on Wednesday, the day of the last royal bath during the Mahakumbh here.
76-years-old talk-show host Larry King files for divorce (xinhua)
World agrees to secure nukes in four years (zee news)
Summit agrees to protect nuclear stocks 'in four years' (bbc)
Polish leader, 95 others dead in Russia jet crash (AP)
Space shuttle Discovery, 7 astronauts blast off (ap)
World's oldest sheep, Lucky, dies in Australia at 23 (bbc)
The world's oldest sheep has died in Australia at the age of 23 - twice the normal life expectancy - after succumbing to a record heatwave.

Lucky hit the Guinness record in 2007 and was a celebrity in her hometown of Lake Bolac, near Melbourne.

The mother and uncle of M. Sunil Kumar, who killed himself to aid a statehood struggle in India.

Suicides, Some for Separatist Cause, Jolt India (nytimes)

Sania should play for Pakistan after marriage: PTF chief (rediff)

India launches biometric census (bbc)

UNESCO, ILO and UNICEF Welcome India's Right To Education Act (oneindia)
US teen sells 7-yr-old sister for sex (Times of India)
Unpaid Spanish air hostesses strip in protest (reuters)
Affluent non-T forces behind violence: JAC (new indian express)
Vice President becomes the second person enumerated for 2011 Census (ANI)
India a world mathematics power, says Professor Raghunathan (Hindu)

India's 15 most-read newspapers

Dainik Jagran
India's 15 most-read newspapers
Dainik Jagran continues to be India's most read newspaper across all languages.

Meanwhile, of the Top 10 English dailies, five dailies, including The Times of India, The Hindu, Deccan Chronicle, The Economic Times and DNA have seen a drop in total readership.

Interestingly, the readership of Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Mid-Day and Mumbai Mirror has gone up.
Dainik Jagran leads the overall dailies and Hindi dailies lists, according to quarterly Indian Readership Survey by the Media Research Users Council (MRUC).

According to the IRS Q1 2010, Dainik Jagran ranks No. 1 among the dailies with a Total Readership (TR) of 54,254,000. In the last round (R2, 2009), it had gained around 200,000 readers, but in this round it has lost around 500,000 readers.

Dainik Jagran was founded in 1942 by the late Puran Chand Gupta, to 'create a newspaper that would reflect the free voice of the people'. The first edition of Dainik Jagran was launched from Jhansi.

Today, Dainik Jagran has 37 editions across eleven states. Run by the Jagran Prakashan Ltd, the company's business spans across newspapers, Internet, magazines and mobile value added services.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Jagran Prakashan finally bought out Mumbai's Mid-Day newspaper.
Dainik Bhaskar comes second with a readership of 33,432,000. Established by the D B Corp Ltd, the newspaper is present in 9 states with 27 editions.

D B Corp publishes 7 newspapers, 48 newspaper editions and 128 sub-editions in three languages (Hindi, Gujarati and English) across 11 states in India.

The company's newspapers include Dainik Bhaskar, (Hindi), Divya Bhaskar and Saurashtra Samachar, (Gujarati). Other newspapers are Business Bhaskar, DB Gold and DB Star and DNA (in Gujarat and Rajasthan). Dainik Bhaskar added around 400,000 total readers in the current round. It had lost 590,000 readers in the previous round of the survey.
Hindustan comes in third with a readership of 29,411,000. Run by Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd, it is a subsidiary of HT Media Ltd.

HT Media started in 1924 when its flagship newspaper, Hindustan Times, was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. HT Media is today one of India's largest media companies.

The Hindi daily has added around 1.4 million readers in the current round. It has 11 editions. Shobhana Bhartia is the chairperson and editorial director of HT Media.
Amar Ujala stands at the fourth position with a readership of 28,720,000. Amar Ujala was launched on April 18, 1948 from Agra.

It is a leading newspaper in Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi. Amar Ujala also offers four magazines. In the current survey, the paper has lost around 300,000 readers.
The Marathi daily Lokmat comes at the fifth position with a readership of 23,276,000. Lokmat is also the highest read regional daily.

Lokmat was conceptualised and started by Loknayak Bapuji Aney to fight against the British imperialism during the freedom movement of India. It first started as a handwritten newspaper from Yavatmal, a town in Maharashtra.

The late Jawaharlal Darda took over this fortnightly published newspaper in 1953. Jawaharlal Nehru formally inaugurated Lokmat as a daily publication at Yavatmal in 1958. On December 15, 1971, the first full-fledged edition was started from Nagpur.

The newspaper which added about 1 million readers in the previous two rounds has added 100,000 readers in the current round. Today, the paper has editions in Hindi and English.
The Tamil newspaper Daily Thanthi is ranked 6th with a total readership of 20,305,000. Owned by Sivanthi Athithan, it was the first daily newspaper in southern India at the time of the Indian freedom struggle. It was established by Adithanar, a pioneer in the media industry of Tamil Nadu.

Dinakaran

Dinakaran is ranked 7th among the most read newspapers in India. It received a TR of 16,741,000. Owned by Kalanidhi Maran, Dinakaran is a leading Tamil daily newspaper in India with 12 editions.
The Ananda Bazar Patrika stands at the 8th position with a total readership of 15,318,000.

Started as an evening paper in March 1922, Ananda Bazar Patrika soon grew to become the 'voice of Bengal'. It is the only Bengali daily to cross 1.5 million in circulation.

Ananda Bazar Patrika has two editions from Calcutta and Mumbai. In addition, it has seven district splits within West Bengal. In 1922, Ananda Bazar Patrika first came out as a four-page evening daily that sold at two paise and had a circulation of about 1,000 copies a day.

The ABP Group, which owns the paper has eleven premier publications, three 24-hour national TV news channels and two leading book publishing businesses as well as mobile and internet properties.

Eenadu

Eenadu, a Telugu newspaper, is in fifth position among regional language players with a TR of 14,726,000, it is the 9th most read paper in India. Founded by the Indian media baron Ramoji Rao in 1974, it is the largest circulated news daily in Andhra Pradesh.
Rajasthan Patrika with a total readership of 14,205,000 is the 10th most read newspaper in India.

The 52-year-old Rajasthan Patrika started as an evening newspaper with a borrowed capital of Rs 500. Today, it has grown as the fastest growing media conglomerates in India. Rajsthan Patrika established in 1956, is the fifth most-read Hindi daily in India.
The Times of India which tops the English dailies chart is the 11th most read across all languages. Owned by Bennett, Coleman & Co, it is the flagship company of The Times Group, which has been in existence for 150 years.

The Times Group's business spans across newspapers and magazines, television broadcasting, running internet portals, creating and distributing multimedia products and music publishing and retailing. The media conglomerate is headed by brothers Samir and Vineet Jain.

The group has five dailies, two magazines, 29 niche magazines. Founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce, it changed its name to The Times of India in 1861.

Among English dailies, The Times of India has received a TR of 13,447,000, which puts it at No. 1 spot. However, it has lost about 85,000 readers in the current round. However, The Times of India continues to be the leader in Mumbai, followed by Mumbai Mirror.
Hindustan Times is the second most read English daily and the 12th among all newspapers with a total readership of 6,254,000.

In Delhi, Hindustan Times tops among English dailies and is well ahead of The Times of India. According to the Average Issue Readership of Hindustan Times in Delhi stands at 2,012,000, while The Times of India comes second with an AIR of 1,948,000.

HT Media also publishes a national business newspaper, Mint with an exclusive agreement with the Wall Street Journal to publish WSJ-branded news and information in India.
The Hindu is ranked third among English dailies with a total readership of 5,140,000. In the last two years, the daily has lost about 411,000 readers after it started facing competition from Times of India and Deccan Chronicle in Chennai.

The Hindu which started off as a weekly in 1878, became a daily newspaper from 1889. The Hindu is based in Chennai with thirteen editions.

The first issue of The Hindu was published on 20 September, 1878, by a group of six young men, led by G. Subramania Aiyer, a social reformer and school teacher.
The Telegraph is ranked fourth with a total readership 2,877,000. The Telegraph has moved up from its fifth position with an addition of 77,000 readers.
The Telegraph was launched on the 7 July, 1982, by the ABP group of publications. Over 26 years, The Telegraph has become the largest circulated English daily in the eastern region published from Kolkata.

The Telegraph is also published from Guwahati, Siliguri, Jamshedpur, and Ranchi.

Deccan Chronicle

Deccan Chronicle follows at No. 5 among English dailies with a total readership of 2,816,000. Deccan Chronicle has editions in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The paper established in Hyderabad in 1938 is owned by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. The group is managed by brothers, Venkatram Reddy and T Vinayak Ravi Reddy. The group also owns IPL franchisee, Deccan Chargers. The company has a business daily called Financial Chronicle and a majority stake in Asian Age newsaper.

The Economic Times is at the 6th position while The New Indian Express is at No7 among English dailies. The last three in the top 10 list of English dailies are: Mid-Day, Mumbai Mirror and DNA.

source: rediff

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