IPL auction
February 6, 2009
Mumbai Indians bought South African sensation JP Duminy for USD 950,000. His base price was initially set at USD 300,000.
Shaun Tait went to the Rajasthan Royals for USD 375,000.
But it was the two Englishmen attracted the most attention as well as the highest bids.
Franchises bid fervently for Andrew Flintoff before Chennai Super Kings finally acquired him USD 1.55 million.
As expected, Bangalore Royal Challengers left no stone unturned as they acquired former England captain Kevin Pietersen for USD 1.55 million.
Fidel Edwards was sold to Deccan Chargers for his base price of USD 150,000.
Chamara Kapugedera found no bidders and remains unsold. He will be up for consideration at the end of the auction. Australian wicket keeper Brad Haddin and Stuart Clark remained unsold as well.
Owais Shah, who was part of Middlesex’s victorious campaign last year, found himself being fought over by Kolkata and Delhi before Bangalore joined the fight. But Delhi were certain they wanted the English batsman and outbid Bangalore to acquire him for USD 275,000.
Paul Collingwood, the English all-rounder, was also acquired by Delhi for USD 275,000.
Tyron Henderson, the big-hitting South African all-rounder who also played for Middlesex last year, was the surprise package. His base price was set at USD 100,000 but was sold at USD 650,000 as Rajasthan and Deccan Chargers fought fiercely to outbid one another before Deccan Chargers finally bowed out.
Phil Jacques, the Australian opener with a base price of USD 100, 000, remained unsold.
Ashwell Prince (USD 150,000), Andre Nel (USD 120,000) found no takers either.
Both Bangalore and Chennai fought for English all-rounder Ravi Bopara (base price: USD 150,000) until Punjab joined the race at USD 400, 000 and eventually acquired him for USD 450,000.
Luke Wright (USD 100,000), another England all-rounder, didn’t attract any bids. Neither did Sri Lanka paceman Nuwan Kulasekara (USD 100,000).
Another Sri Lankan Thilan Thushara was about to be sold for his base price of USD 120,000 before Kolkata expressed their interest and joined Chennai in the race but Chennai eventually got him for USD 140, 000.
The auctioneer mistakenly declared NZ opener Jesse Ryder (USD 100,000) unsold before realizing that Bangalore had bid for him. As it turned out, there were more than a few parties interested before he went to Bangalore for USD 160,000.
Kyle Mills, the Kiwi all-rounder, was bought for his base price of USD 150,000 by the Mumbai Indians.
RRB allahabad result
February 5, 2009
Results
Date of Announcement Result Description
Thursday, January 29, 2009 Based on selections organised by RRB/ALD, candidates with following Roll Nos., in order of merit, (to be read horizontally) for the posts (Cat 19, 20, 25, 27 of 02/2007, have been selected and placed on the final panel provisionally
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 On the basis of Preliminary Written Exam conducted on 13th July, 2008 for the post of Assistant Station Master, Cat 18 of Employment Notice No. 2/2007, and Preliminary Written Exam conducted on 12th October, 2008 for the post of Sr. Clerk, Cat 15 of Employment Notice No. 1/2008, candidates with following Roll Nos. have provisionally been found eligible for being called for Main Written examination (2nd Stage Written exam) to be held on …….
Thursday, January 15, 2009 On the basis of Written Exam conducted on 20/07/2008 for the post of Steno (Hindi) Cat 17 of Employment Notice no. 2/2007, candidates with following Roll Nos. have provisionally been found eligible for being called for Stenography Skill Test scheduled to be held from 20/02/2009 to 21/02/2009 ……
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 On the basis of Main Written Exam conducted on 07/12/2008 for the post of Asstt. Loco Pilot Cat 31 of Employment Notice no. 1/2008 candidates with following Roll Nos. have provisionally been found eligible for being called for Aptitude Test/Psycho analysis test scheduled to be held from 2/2/2009 to 7/2/2009 in the office of Railway Recruitment Board, Allahabad…..
Indian IT industry
February 5, 2009
The Indian software and services industry is expected to grow 16 per cent this fiscal and log revenues of $60 billion despite the global slowdown, a top lobby for the industry said on Wednesday.
The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) said together with the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, the revenues are expected to top $71.7 billion with a growth of 17 per cent.
Of this, the export of software and services will account for $47 billion, growing by 16-17 per cent. The association also said that the domestic BPO industry would log a growth of as much as 40 per cent this fiscal.
“The current financial year has been challenging for economies across the globe. But the Indian IT-BPO industry has exhibited a balanced growth,” said Ganesh Natarajan, chairman of Nasscom and global chief executive of Zensar Technologies.
“We have seen Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world grow more than US, reaffirming geographical diversification as an encouraging trend for this industry,” Natarajan told reporters, while releasing the association’s report.
Obama’s policies will result in fresh terror attacks
February 5, 2009
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney has warned that there is a “high probability” that terrorists will attempt a catastrophic nuclear or biological attack in coming years, and said he fears the Obama administration’s policies will make it more likely the attempt will succeed.
In an interview Tuesday with Politico, Cheney asserted that President Obama will either backtrack on his stated intentions to end Bush administration policies or put the country at risk in ways more severe than most Americans.
“When we get people who are more concerned about reading the rights to an Al Qaeda terrorist than they are with protecting the United States against people who are absolutely committed to do anything they can to kill Americans, then I worry,” Cheney said.
Protecting the country’s security is “a tough, mean, dirty, nasty business,” he said.
“These are evil people. And we’re not going to win this fight by turning the other cheek.”
Citing intelligence reports, Cheney said at least 61 of the inmates who were released from Guantanamo during the Bush administration – “that’s about 11 or 12 percent” – have “gone back into the business of being terrorists.”
The 200 or so inmates still there, he claimed, are “the hard core” whose “recidivism rate would be much higher.”
But he said he worried that “instead of sitting down and carefully evaluating the policies,” Obama officials are unwisely following “campaign rhetoric” and preparing to release terrorism suspects or afford them legal protections granted to more conventional defendants in crime cases.
The choice, he alleged, reflects a naive mindset among the new team in Washington.
“The United States needs to be not so much loved as it needs to be respected. Sometimes, that requires us to take actions that generate controversy. I’m not at all sure that that’s what the Obama administration believes,” Cheney said.
In the interview, Cheney revealed no doubts about his own course – and many about the new administration’s.
“If it hadn’t been for what we did – with respect to the terrorist surveillance program, or enhanced interrogation techniques for high-value detainees, the Patriot Act, and so forth – then we would have been attacked again,” he said.
“Those policies we put in place, in my opinion, were absolutely crucial to getting us through the last seven-plus years without a major-casualty attack on the U.S.”
TN govt
February 2, 2009
Tamil Nadu Government on Sunday asked the authorities to maintain law and order in the state on February 4, the day Sri Lankan Tamils Protection movement has called for a general strike seeking ceasefire in the island nation.
Describing the strike call as ‘against the Supreme Court’s verdict banning bandh’, an official release here said that the government has decided to maintain normal public transport and other essential services on the day.
The release said that a case, filed by the opposition AIADMK on the bandh call given by political parties on Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) last year, was pending before the apex court.
But there was no bandh and only a fast was undertaken during that period, it added.
Sri Lankan Tamils Protection movement, the umbrella organisation consisting of political parties like BJP, PMK, NCP and MDMK, has on Saturday called for the state bandh.
luck by chance review
January 31, 2009
Rating: 4/5
One has often heard, read and seen [on screen] the positive and negative aspects of Bollywood. It would be erroneous to state that LUCK BY CHANCE does a pol-khol of the glamorous industry. Let’s put it this way: The film mirrors the behind-the-scenes drama and manoeuvring exactly the way it occurs in showbiz. Watching LUCK BY CHANCE is like experiencing it first-hand.
If you’re associated with Bollywood, if you know how the machine works, you’d laud and applaud, laugh and smile, identify and understand and at times, empathize and sympathize with the characters in LUCK BY CHANCE. Zoya Akhtar’s take on an industry that attracts millions of hopefuls year after year is bang on target.
Almost three decades ago, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s GUDDI depicted a star-struck teenager’s [Jaya Bhaduri] obsession for a top star [Dharmendra]. Along with the core issue, the film highlighted the behind-the-scenes hard work and labour that went into making movies.
LUCK BY CHANCE taps almost every important facet of Bollywood and presents assorted characters you’ve encountered some time in life: An over-ambitious aspirant who knows to make the right moves; an actress trying hard to get that big break, even if she has to compromise; an icon of the 1970s who desperately wants her daughter to be a star; a producer who looks at riding on big names, script be damned; a failed actor now looking at direction to redeem his career.
One of the prime reasons why LUCK BY CHANCE works is because the writing [Zoya Akhtar] is simply wonderful. Right from the characters, to the individualistic scenes, to the way Zoya puts them in a sequence, LUCK BY CHANCE is easily one of the most cohesive scripts this side of the Atlantic.
The verdict? Leave aside everything and hitch this joyride called LUCK BY CHANCE. It would be sacrilege to miss this one!
Sona [Konkona Sen Sharma] arrives in Mumbai with dreams of becoming a film star. She does whatever it takes, to make it. Vikram [Farhan Akhtar] has just moved to the city leaving the comforts of his Delhi home. He is used to getting what he wants and is smart enough to know when to demand it and when to manipulate it. Gradually, Sona and Vikram develop a romantic relationship.
Rolly [Rishi Kapoor] is a successful though superstitious producer who only works with the biggest stars. He is making a potential blockbuster launching Niki [Isha Sharwani], the daughter of 1970s superstar Neena [Dimple Kapadia]. The hero of the film, Zaffar Khan [Hrithik Roshan], is the superstar.
Zaffar decides to opt out of Rolly’s film and that creates havoc in Rolly’s life. Rolly decides to cast newcomers and finally, Vikram is shortlisted for the main role…
LUCK BY CHANCE picks up characters straight out of life and that’s the beauty of this script. The interesting part is that each of these characters has a story running parallel to the main story. Although the writing is foolproof, this review would be incomplete if one failed to acknowledge a number of scenes that are the hallmark of this enterprise…
# Note the sequence when Rishi Kapoor breaking down after Hrithik has walked out of his movie. It moves you!
# On the lighter side, Farhan strikes a conversation with Dimple at a movie premiere and extols lavish praises on her.
# Much later, an angry Dimple instructs Isha to patch up with Farhan, soon after Farhan and Isha’s debut film has been declared a success. Watch the moments when Dimple recalls her early years.
# The sequence featuring SRK.
If Zoya’s writing is superb, her execution of the written material deserves distinction marks. This may be Zoya’s directorial debut, but she treats the difficult subject like a veteran. Javed Akhtar’s dialogues are remarkable. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is a mixed bag; the score could’ve been better. However, the choreography of the circus song is remarkable. Carlos Catalan’s cinematography captures the right moods.
Farhan Akhtar is evolving into one of the most dependable actors of his generation. He’s very real, very believable. No wonder, this character stands out. Konkona Sen Sharma is exceptional. The supremely talented actress delivers a sparkling performance yet again. Rishi Kapoor is incredible. A performance that merits the highest praise. Dimple Kapadia is in terrific form. It easily ranks amongst her most accomplished works. Juhi Chawla is first-rate. Isha Sharwani does her part well. Sanjay Kapoor springs a surprise. He registers an impact. Aly Khan is perfect.
Hrithik Roshan is truly wonderful. Note the sequence when he strikes a conversation with Karan Johar, only to realize that he himself had paved the way for Farhan in the industry. Only an accomplished actor could’ve handled this sequence with aplomb. Amongst the A-listers who make fleeting appearances in the film, the one who registers the maximum impact is Shah Rukh Khan.
On the whole, LUCK BY CHANCE is an outstanding film in all respects. A magnificent outing from the producers of ROCK ON!!, LUCK BY CHANCE is sure to prove an extremely lucky and rewarding experience at the box-office. Strongly recommended!
luck by chance review
January 30, 2009
Rating 4/5
Vikram (Farhan Akhtar, the director’s brother) arrives in Mumbai from New Delhi hoping to crack the movie business, and he soon finds romance with Sona (Konkona Sen Sharma), who is a few years ahead of him in terms of making inroads but is still waiting for her big break. The film gets its digs in early and often, populating the movie-making universe with characters who are vacuous, weaselly or both.
Ms. Akhtar, who also wrote the screenplay, shows herself to be a master of extremes. A fabulous circus-theme musical number pulls out all the stops, but a scene in which an acting teacher explains why Hindi stars have to be more talented than those in Hollywood is a subtle comic gem.
It is Vikram who finally manipulates and lucks his way into a breakthrough, and it is Mr. Akhtar whose understated performance holds together this far-ranging, cameo-filled film. He manages to remain sympathetic even while wreaking romantic havoc.
pcc results
January 29, 2009
Fourth-Quarter Highlights
– Sales were $1.1 billion, down about 30% both sequentially and year over year.
– Earnings per share were $0.16. Excluding special items, earnings per share were $0.13*, down about 70% both sequentially and year over year.
– Display Technologies’ combined LCD glass volume, including Corning’s wholly owned business and Samsung Corning Precision Glass Co., Ltd. (SCP), was down 35% sequentially and 28% year over year. Volume in the company’s wholly owned business was down about 50% sequentially and year over year, while volume at SCP was down 26% sequentially and only 4% year over year.
– Gross margin was 28%, reflecting lower volumes in all segments and the cost of capacity reductions.
– At the end of the fourth quarter the company had $2.8 billion in cash and short-term investments, $1.2 billion greater than debt.
Full-Year Highlights
– Sales were $5.9 billion, up 1.5% from 2007.
– Earnings per share were $3.32. Excluding special items, earnings per share were $1.53*, up 9% versus 2007.
– Display Technologies’ combined LCD glass volume was up 14%, including volume increases of 1% in the wholly owned business and 28% at SCP. Price declines were approximately 8% in both the wholly owned business and at SCP.
india srilanka live cricket scores
January 28, 2009
http://india-srilanka.cricket.deepthi.com/
The live cricket scores between india and sri lanka can be found on the above mentioned website.
