HindiWeb.net

For spreading awareness about Internet, Google India announced the launch of mobile Internet bus to provide the experience of worldwide web to people across Tamil Nadu.

Google India (Research and Development) Centre Head Prasad Ram told reporters in Chennai that this bus project is based on four themes –

1. Information,
2. Communication,
3. Entertainment and
4. Education,

The Internet Bus will have content in English and Tamil to give users an understanding of how the Internet can be used for all these needs.

He also told “We want to educate people about the benefit of Internet and this bus would make them to understand the usage of Internet in a much effective way.”

The bus will cover 15 towns across the state over a period of one-and-a-half months.
Google India Product Manager Prem Ramaswami said later that this was like a pilot project for them and based on the response they get from this project, they would continue it in other states as well.

It is like a pilot study. More than 19 per cent of Tamilians prefer Google Tamil for accessing the Internet and that is also one of the reasons to launch the bus project from Tamil Nadu.

The bus is designed to make the introduction of the Internet simple for a user. The message will be shared through videos that talk about how people are using the Internet for varied reasons and activities: For instance, grandparents using e-mail and video sites to interact with children in another city; a student from a small city using search to find information that is not otherwise physically accessible and a local music group using YouTube to share their talent with the world.

Explaining about the project, Prasad Ram said that it would explain a user on what all services it could offer through audio-visual format so that a user would be able to get the required information.

He said once the project was completed, they would be able to share some vital information to the state Government as well.

Popularity: 4% [?]

On Friday 6th Feb 2008 Dr. Monteksingh Ahluwalia, Dy Chairman of the Planning Commission launched the Global Credit Card of PNB (Punjab National Bank). This International Credit Card is alunched in association with VISA and is acceptable in over 290 lac Merchant Establishments and 10 lac ATM’s all over the world. This credit card will also be accepted at a host of e-commerce sites.

On this occasion, Dr. Ahluwalia said that PNB global credit card will add to the customer convenience. The card with pan-India presence has host of features such as photo card and SMS alerts.

Chairman and Managing Director of the bank Mr. KC Chakrabarty said that initially the bank is launching two consumer credit cards —

1. PNB Global Gold and
2. PNB Global Classic

which would meet the needs of its customers and will cater to the requirement of different income groups. PNB credit card has a bouquet of features and offers a free credit period of 20-50 days. There is no joining, renewal, annual fee or fuel surcharge on this Credit Card.

Finance charges and cash advance charges are the most competitive in the industry. The reward point programme are also made attractive. To start with the credit card will initially be made available at 84 identified centres all over the country. It will also send SMS alerts to all its customers in case of e-commerce and high value transactions.

The bank also announced that it has achieved completion of 100% core banking solution (CBS) at all its 4,604 branches and extension counters through the Finacle universal banking solution from Infosys Technologies and set up a new benchmark for Indian banking industry.

Year 2008-09 is declared as the year of financial inclusion by the bank and during the year the bank has opened more than 25 lac beneficiary accounts.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The ninth consecutive ODI (one day international) win moved India to the Second Spot in the latest ICC (Internation Cricket Council) rankings released on Friday.

Australia, slipped to the third spot after their second consecutive loss in the ODI series against New Zealand at home.

The points table shows South Africa on top with 125 points, India Second with 122 points and Australia third with 121 points (difference of 1 point only). New Zealand is fourth with 117 points.

Pakistan are fifth while England and Sri Lanka are sixth and seventh, respectively.

The number one ODI team April 1 will be richer by $175,000 with the runners-up getting $75,000.

Rankings:

1. South Africa 125 rating points
2. India 122
3. Australia 121
4. New Zealand 117
5. Pakistan 111
6. England 108
7. Sri Lanka 103
8. West Indies 91
9. Bangladesh 46
10. Zimbabwe 23
11. Ireland 19
12. Kenya 0

Popularity: 6% [?]

On Thursday 5th Feb 2008 the Indian Union Cabinet approved two more AIIMS-like medical institutions, one in West Bengal and the other in Uttar Pradesh, at a cost of Rs. 823 crore each.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters that it is also decided to upgrade five government medical colleges in five States to the AIIMS level .

The proposed institution in Bengal will come up at Raiganj in North Dinajpur district, the site for the AIIMS-like college and hospital and in UP is to be identified yet.

Each institution, is being set up under the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY), will have a 960-bed hospital will provide healthcare facilities in 39 speciality or super-speciality disciplines.

There will be 500 beds for the medical college hospital; 300 for speciality or super-speciality, 100 for ICU or accident trauma, 30 for physical medicine and rehabilitation and 30 beds dedicated to Ayush (Ayrvedic, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy). The medical college will have a 100 under-graduate intake, besides facilities for imparting post-graduate or doctoral courses and a nursing college.

The Cabinet has also approved upgrading of the following government medical colleges 

1. Amritsar (Punjab),
2. Tanda (Himachal Pradesh),
3. Madurai (Tamil Nadu),
4. Nagpur (Maharashtra) and the
5. Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College of the Aligarh Muslim University.

Upgrading of each medical college will be done at an estimated cost of Rs. 150 crore. Of this, the Centre will contribute Rs. 125 crore and a minimum amount of Rs. 25 crore will be borne by the respective State governments.

In respect of the Aligarh Muslim University, Rs. 25 crore will be provided by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Popularity: 3% [?]

What is the Indian Premier League (IPL)?

The Indian Premier League is created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It is a Twenty20 cricket competition. It is formed by BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi. It is modelled along the lines of club football in Europe. The best players from around the world will not play according to their nationality but as per the market forces.

The first season of the Indian Premier League began on April 18, 2008, in Bangalore and ended on June 1, 2008, with the victory of the Rajasthan Royals in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai., It is also known as the DLF Indian Premier League

Why it is so lucrative?

The sheer big money of the IPL is unprecedented at this level of cricket. It’s an entire cricket economy out there.
It is predicted that the IPL will bring the BCCI income of approximately US$1 billion, over a period of five to ten years. All of these revenues will be directed to a central pool, 40 per cent of which will go to the IPL itself, 54 per cent to the franchisees and 6 per cent as prize money. The money will be distributed in these proportions until 2017, after which the share of IPL will be 50 per cent, franchisees 45 per cent and prize money 5 per cent.

Who are the cricketers involved?

This time the event will have new set of players with some of England’s top stars joining the bandwagon. Pakistan has barred its cricketers from playing in the tournament. So many of last crowd-pullers will be badly missed this time.

While stars like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff will no doubt add more glitter to the event, cricket enthisiasts will miss the likes of Shoaib Akthar, Umar Gul and Sohail Tanveer.

What’s the format?

Eight teams with 16 players in each squad.

Fixtures

Teams play each other two times in a round robin system, with equal number of home and away matches. The top four ranking sides will progress to the semi-finals.

The inaugural 2008 tournament lasted for 46 days, with 59 matches scheduled, out of which 58 took place and one was washed out due to rain.

Who is a icon player?

In the Indian Premier League, an icon player is a player who can only play for his home city in the competition. Unlike all the other players involved, the icon players will not go through bidding. Each of the icon players is guaranteed to get paid at least 15 per cent more than the next top earner in their team, making them the highest paid player.

List of icon players

1. Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai Indians
2. Rahul Dravid for Bangalore Royal Challengers
3. Sourav Ganguly for Kolkata Knight Riders
4. Yuvraj Singh for Punjab Kings
5. Virender Sehwag for Delhi DareDevils

What’s an Orange Cap

Taking a cue from other famous events like the Tour de France, the DLF Indian Premier League has announced the introduction of the Orange Cap which would be worn by the batsman with the most cumulative runs to his name on each day of the event.

The holder of the Orange Cap at the end of the Twenty20 extravaganza will be honoured with the Winner of Orange Cap 2008 on the day of grand finale in Mumbai on June 1, the IPL said in a release.

The leader of the multi-stage gruelling cycle race Tour de France wears the yellow jacket at the start of each new stage to help identify the overall leader easily.

How’s IPL different from ICL?

Unlike the Indian Cricket League (ICL), the IPL is an official sanctioned Twenty20 tournament. Owing to its recognition by the International Cricket Council (ICC), it will enjoy a better status and international reach. Also each team has individual owners.

Media Rights

On January 15, 2008, it was announced that a consortium consisting of India’s Sony Entertainment Television network and Singapore-based World Sport Group secured the global broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League.

The highlights:

A total of $1.026 billion over 10 years, which includes a $108 million commitment on promotions.

Media rights comprise:

1. Sony for 1-5 years for TV rights for the Indian sub-continent
2. Singapore-based World Sport Group (WSG) for 1-5 years for International TV, global radio, mobile and Internet
3. WSG for 6-10 years for the global media rights

IPL Franchisee Financial Model
In addition to the marketing benefits that accrue to IPL teams, each team will have a share of
central revenues and local revenues. IPL Franchisees will receive the following returns:

Central revenues

80 per cent of TV revenues in 1-5 years, and 60 per cent from 5-10 years
60 per cent of sponsorship revenues from 1-10 years
100 per cent of local revenues

Local revenues (100 per cent)

1. Gate revenues
2. Franchisee shirt sponsorship
3. Local sponsorship
4. Licensing programme
5. Uniform merchandising
6. Hospitality and premium seating
7. Match-day concessions
8. Match-day promotions
9. Team media platforms

Popularity

The IPL has become one of the most popular events in India. In other cricketing nations, the response has been mixed. In Pakistan the reception was said to be massive, suggesting that it attracted even non-regular cricket followers and that the popularity of the Kolkata Knight Riders was great. With the right mix of cricket and glamour, the high-octane drama, at one stage, seemed to be threatening Bollywood’s popularity across the border. One of Pakistan’s top cricketers who was a member of the IPL Delhi Daredevils squad last year, went on to remark, “People there have lapped it up like movies. It’s like enjoying a cinema with popcorn. The three-hour duration (of the matches) also helped to create the craze.”

A similar positive reaction was seen in Sri Lanka, with interest in the Mumbai Indians being large due to the presence of Sanath Jayasuriya. Bangladesh has also positively reacted despite only one Bangladeshi player being involved. The Knight Riders were the most popular team. These subcontinental countries were also helped in that the time-slot of the matches fitted in with prime time in these nations.

South Africa saw a moderate viewership but people found it enjoyable. However, many were unable to relate to any of the teams, although a large number simply supported Mumbai Indians because of the presence of Shaun Pollock. England did not allow its players to take part, but it was very popular with those who had access to the cable television channels.

In the West Indies, the IPL became so popular that it threatened to overtake Test cricket completely among certain sections of fans. However, the event was less popular in Australia and in New Zealand it consistently won its free-to-air timeslot.

Rules

The official rules for the tournament are here:

There are five ways that a franchise can acquire a player. In the annual auction, buying domestic players, signing uncapped players through trading and buying replacements. In the trading window the player can only be traded with his consent. The franchise will have to pay the difference between the old contract price and the new contract price. If the new contract is worth more than the older one then the difference will be shared between the player and the franchise selling the player.

Some of the team composition rules are:

1. Minimum squad strength of 16 players plus one physio and a coach.
2. No more than 8 foreign players in the squad and at most 4 in the playing XI.For the 2009 edition franchises are allowed 10 foreign players in the squad. The number allowed in the playing XI remains unchanged at 4.
3. A minimum of 8 local players must be included in each team.
4. A minimum of 2 players from the BCCI under-22 pool in each team.
5. The players accorded “icon” status are: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag .
6. The total spending cap for a franchisee in the first player auction was US $5m. Under-22 players are to be remunerated with a minimum annual salary of US $20,000 while for others it is US $50,000. Icon players are to be paid 15% more than the highest paid player in their respective teams.

Who have got the title sponsorship rights?

Indian real estate developer DLF Universal secured exclusive rights to the Indian Premier League title sponsorship worth INR 200 crore (over US$50 million) for five years.

What are the franchises?

The magnitude of the Indian Premier League was confirmed when the winning bidders for the eight franchises were announced on January 24, 2008. While the total base price for auction was US$400 million, the auction fetched US$723.59 million. The official list of franchise owners announced and the winning bids were as follows.

Who are the franchise owners and what’s the money involved?

Existing Eight:

1. Bangalore – Vijay Mallya/UB group – $111.6 million
2. Chennai – India Cements – $91 million
3. Delhi – GMR group – $84 million
4. Hyderabad – Deccan Chronicle – $107 million
5. Jaipur – Emerging Media (Manoj Badale, Lachlan Murdoch, Suresh Chellaram and investors) – $67 million
6. Kolkata – Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment in partnership with Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta – $75.09 million
7. Mohali – Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia (Bombay Dyeing), Karan Paul (Apeejay Surendera Group) and Dabur’s Mohit Burman – $76 million
8. Mumbai – Mumbai Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited – $111.9 million.

Recently, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and Dubai-based businessman
Raj Kundra picked up 12 per cent stake worth over $11.6 million in the
Rajasthan Royals franchise team.
2010-11 Expansion

After the success of the first season, it has been reported that four new franchises will join the IPL in 2010-11, increasing the total number of teams to 12.

Proposed Expansions for 2010-11 Season(4 new teams)

1. IPL Ahmedabad
2. IPL Kanpur

Any two from the following:

1. Patna-Ranchi joined franchisee
2. One team from the North-East
3. One team from the north-western states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand

2012-13 Expansion

The unselected team from the three postulated for the 2010-11 expansion will be considered for another set of expansions in the 2012-13 season. An expansion of two more teams is expected for 2012-13.

Franchise Earnings

The first season that concluded on June 1, 2008, was a roaring success for the IPL. It’s noteworthy that during the first season no one had expected the franchises to break even since most of them had invested huge amounts, but even then the table below shows that some of them are already profitable from Season 1.

2008 Winners

1. Winner – Rajasthan Royals
2. Runner Up – Chennai Super Kings
3. Lost in Semifinals – Kings XI Punjab & Delhi Daredevils

2009 Season

Lalit Modi, Chairman & League Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League, announced that the tentative dates for the second season of the DLF Indian Premier League will be from April 10, 2009, to May 29, 2009. He also said that the format of the tournament will remain the same as that of the inaugural season.

Other existing T20 tournaments across the globe

1. England – Twenty20 Cup
2. India – Indian Cricket League
3. Pakistan – Pakistan Super League
4. South Africa – Standard Bank Pro 20 Series
5. Sri Lanka – Inter-Provincial Twenty20
6. Australia – KFC Twenty20 Big Bash
7. New Zealand – State Twenty20
8. West Indies – Stanford 20/20
9. Zimbabwe – Metropolitan Bank Twenty20
10. Kenya – National Elite League Twenty20
11. Canada – Scotiabank National T20 Championship

Popularity: 5% [?]

China has declared a top-level emergency plan for the country’s worst drought in five decades that has hit eight wheat-growing northern provinces and left more than 4 million people without proper drinking water.

The crisis was raised on late Thursday to level one emergency from level two, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief said on its Web site.

That means the Flood Control and Drought Relief office takes control of the relief effort. It also triggers help from railway, civil aviation and other transport departments.

The announcement said rainfall in many parts of northern and central China has been 50 to 80% less than normal rainfall, and that 4.29 million people and more than 2 million livestock were without proper drinking water.

China suffers from an uneven distribution of its water resources. Availability of water for a person in north is less than one-fourth that in southern China. Weather patterns in the arid north and flood-prone south cost the government tens of millions of dollars in lost productivity each year.

The announcement said that the drought, which began in November, has affected 25.5 million acres (10.33 million hectares) of crops.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that almost half of the wheat crop in the eight provinces — Hebei, Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi and Gansu — were threatened. About 43 percent of the country’s winter wheat supplies are at risk,
after some areas have seen no rain for 100 days or more.

Xinhua reported that President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao had ordered all-out efforts to fight the drought at a Cabinet meeting Thursday. It said the government had allocated 400 million yuan ($58.5 million) for relief work.

Television news broadcasts have shown dry, cracked farm fields and crops withering in the ground.

State media has reported that the drought was the worst in some areas since the early 1950s.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Popularity: 4% [?]

Valentine’s Day started in the time of the Roman Empire.

In ancient rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars.

Each young man would draw a girl’s name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families.

As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off .

He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.

The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine’s Day for the celebration of this new feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.

After that we young girls and boys in whole world start celebrating velentine day(Lovers day) on 14th Feb every year.

Wish you all a happy valentine day to you all.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Nobody wants you
NOBODY wants U
NOBODY wants U
NOBODY Loves U
NOBODY misses U
NOBODY needs U
NOBODY cares about U
NOBODY makes U happy,
Don’t Cry My Name is NOBODY Read it Now!

Click
C.L.I.C.K. means :
C= Cant live without u
L= Love u
I= I miss u
C= Care about u
K= Kiss from my heart 2 u
So Click on Valentine day SmS

My love request
If i reached for your hand , will u hold it?
If i hold out my arms, will u hug me?
If i go for your lips, will u kiss me?
If i capture ur heart , will u love me?
Please Go out with me on this
Valentine’s day

Be My Valentine
I dream about you every night
I shiver when your in sight
I long to hold you close n tight
I wanna be there with all my might
I m just hoping I’m the girl whose right

Love Means
Luv means to see someone with closed eyes
To miss some1 in crowd,
To find some1 in every thought,
To live 4 some1, luv some1,
But sure tht sum1 is ONLY one!

All The time
24hrs make a lovely day,
7 days make a lovely week,
52 weeks make a lovely year & knowing a person like me will make ur life lovely.
Have a lovely Valentine’s day

LOVE SOMEONE
Love isn’t a decision,
it’s a feeling.
If we could decide who to love then,
Life would be much simpler,
But then less magical.

Don’t wait
Don’t wait until it’s too late to tell someone how much you love,
How much you care.
Because when they’re gone, no matter how loud you shout and cry,
They won’t hear you anymore.

Happy Valentine’s day
Phool bankar muskarana zindagi,
Muskarake gum bhulana zindagi,
Jeet kar koi khush ho to kya hua,
Haar kar khushiya manana bhi zindagi.
Happy Valentine’s day

I wish
I wish to live in ur eyes
Die in ur armz
&
Be burried in ur heart
Happy Valentine’s day

On Valentine’s Day
On Valentine’s Day, I’m thinking about the special ways you have made my life better. The little things, the not-so-little things… Your kindness, the way you always listen and pay attention to me. You make my world brighter and richer. You’re a gift to me, and I thank you for being you.

uR minE VALENTINE…
uR minE LOVE & uR minE VALENTINE… i dO LOVE U & itS truE…i nevR knW mY lifE wthouT U.. i wanA livE BUT itS onlY wtH U honeY… plyX bE mine.

Will you be my Valentine
Will you be my Valentine? I know that I am yours. You are like a ocean, And I am like your shores. You are like an endless wave And I your waiting sand. And I will wait forever as You come and smooth my hand. I will wait forever, yet You are a part of me. I hold you in my arms, while you Come to me endlessly. Will you be my Valentine? I know that I am yours. I love you with a love that yearns To be your golden shores.

Let the world stop turning,
Let the world stop turning,
Let the sun stop burning,
Let them tell me love’s not worth going through.
If it all falls apart,
I will know deep in my heart,
The only dream that mattered had come true
…In this life I was loved by you.

3 – 2 = one heart praying 4 you
3 – 2 = one heart praying 4 you
1 + 1= two eyes looking for you
3+2= five sensesmissing you.
4+3= seven days in a week i desire you.
7+5= 12months asking god to bless you

Apke aane se zindagi kitni khubsoorat hai,
Apke aane se zindagi kitni khubsoorat hai,
Dil me basayi hai jo woh apki hi surat hai,
Dur jaana nahi humse kabhi bhulker bhi,
Hume har kadam per aapki zarurat hai.

Lamhe judai ke bekarar karte hain,
Lamhe judai ke bekarar karte hain,
Haalat meri mujhe laachar karte hain,
Aankhe meri pad lo kabhi,
Ham khud kaise kahe ki
hum aapse pyaar karte hain.

Ur precious love has
Ur precious love has
turned my life completely around,
I feel lik Im wlaking but
my feet dont seem 2 touch d ground..!!

Pani main pathar mat pheko
Pani main pathar mat pheko
Koi pani pita hai
Pani main pathar mat pheko
Koi pani pita hai
Apne chehre par muskuhart sajaye rakha karo
Koi isi muskan ke liye jita hai

Let’s share the world
A sea is for you, and waves are for me.
The sky is for you, and stars are for me.
The sun is for you, and light is for me.
Everything is for you, and you are for me.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Try to take this test mentally.
Dont write anything down .

1. Pick a number from 2-9.It can be 2, 9 or anything in between.
2. Take that number, and multiply it by 9.
3. That should give you a two digit number. Take those two digits and add them together.
4. Take the resulting number and subtract 5 from it.
5. Take that number and correspond it to the alphabet, numbering the letters A=1,B=2,C=3 and so on…
6. Take your letter, and think of a country that begins with that letter.
7. Take the last letter in the name of that country, and think of an animal that starts with this letter.
8. Now, take the last letter in the name of that animal, and think of a color that starts with this letter.

Note : There are no Orange Kangaroos in Denmark ….

Popularity: 4% [?]