Allu Arjun to the knot soon
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
India's ad spend growth highest in AsiaPac, touches $6.7 billion
Advertising spend in India in the twelve months period ended June this year stood at $6.7 billion (around Rs 29,727 crore) across mainstream media, posting the highest annual growth rate of 28 per cent in the Asia Pacific region, according to a survey.
The Nielsen Company's survey that covered a dozen countries in the region, estimated that ad spends across television, newspaper and magazine in India witnessed 32 per cent growth in the second quarter (ended June) of this calender with total ad spend of $1.92 billion (around Rs 8,520 crore)."...the largest proportion of India's media spend was garnered by newspapers, growing at 32 per cent year-on-year (Y-O-Y)," the survey said. The newspaper segment grossed a total of $3.9 billion (around Rs 17,300 crore) during the period.Television followed newspapers in ad spend growth at 24 per cent Y-O-Y in India and stood at USD 2.4 billion (around Rs 10,648 crore). Magazines saw an eight per cent increase YOY at $393 million (about Rs 1740 crore).Over and above the mainstream media ad spend, other media such as radio, outdoor, pay TV, cinema combined showed a growth of 31 per cent in the twelve months up to June 2010 in India totalling $1.2 billion (about Rs 5,320 crore).more at economictimes
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Young Indian population an asset in taking nation to greater heights: Manmohan Singh
Describing people as India's biggest asset, visiting Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday said at a time when the industrialised world is aging rapidly, India has the advantage of a young population.
Taking part in the Khazanah Global Lecture Series 2010 on "India's Development Experience here, Dr. Singh said the dependency burden in India is expected to keep falling for another 20 years."It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan. However, a young population is an asset only if it is educated, skilled and finds productive employment. If this were to happen, our objective of realizing India's potential to grow at ten percent or more per annum for a substantial period of time can become a reality," he added.During the interaction, Dr. Singh reflected on some key features of the new phase in India's economic development. He highlighted six key elements facilitating India's drive towards development and economic well being.First, India seeks rapid economic growth that will create wealth for its people and also generate surpluses to fund our ambitious social development programs.more at sify
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
U.S. slips to historic low in global corruption index
The United States has dropped out of the "top 20" in a global league table of least corrupt nations, tarnished by financial scandals and the influence of money in politics, Transparency International said on Tuesday.
Somalia was judged the most corrupt country, followed by Myanmar and Afghanistan at joint second-worst and then by Iraq, in the Berlin-based watchdog TI's annual corruption perceptions index (CPI).
The United States fell to 22nd from 19th last year, with its CPI score dropping to 7.1 from 7.5 in the 178-nation index, which is based on independent surveys on corruption.
This was the lowest score awarded to the United States in the index's 15-year history and also the first time it had fallen out of the top 20.
more at reuters
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sharing Online, but With More Than 140 Characters
The singer and guitarist John Mayer, whose prolific posts on Twitter drew nearly four million followers, shocked fans in mid-September by closing his account.
But Mr. Mayer hasn’t gone away. He’s switched from Twitter to Tumblr, a free blogging service that has become a hit among Internet enthusiasts. Tumblr, based in New York, says it is drawing 30,000 new members a day. Mr. Mayer, whose heavy Twitter use was said to have upset his girlfriends, posted that “I have an even larger Tumblr addiction.”
The allure of Tumblr and a similar service called Posterous is in their social features and their simplicity. They are only slightly more complicated than Twitter to figure out. Yet they allow you to go well beyond 140 characters of text per post, and to include photos, videos and excerpts from other users’ posts. Mr. Mayer, for example, used Tumblr to share a touching fan letter.
Tumblr’s ad hoc community of users includes Robert Reich, the former labor secretary, who is now a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. “Tumblr is incredibly easy to use, wonderful to navigate,” Mr. Reich said in an e-mail. His Web site, robertreich.org, is actually a Tumblr blog, or “a Tumblr” or “tumblelog” in online jargon.
But the undisputed king of Tumblr is Anthony De Rosa, who has collected nearly 11,000 followers at his SoupSoup page. Mr. De Rosa, a 34-year-old resident of Hoboken, N.J., posts a hard-to-categorize jumble of other people’s blog posts, photos and videos he finds interesting. A picture of Lady Gaga before she became famous. A news item about Internet wiretaps. A parody of bad science reporting. You could easily imagine Stephen Colbert pawing through SoupSoup for joke fodder.
Mr. De Rosa said in an e-mail that when he started using Tumblr in 2007, he saw it as little more than a way to upload photos from his phone.
“Not long after that, I discovered following other people on Tumblr, which means you get all their posts sent to you in your Tumblr dashboard,” he said. “And reblogging, which allows you to take posts from other Tumblrs and place them on your own, usually adding your own commentary on the post. It didn’t take long for it to occur to me that there was a lot of depth that other platforms, like WordPress, were lacking.”
Well-known publications including Newsweek, The Atlantic and Politico have set up their own Tumblrs.
more at nytimes
Friday, October 22, 2010
In the News: Rakta Charitra movie review
Ram Gopal Varma' s Rakta Charitra
Bottom Line:
Rakta Charitra-I is executed well, with not as much violence or controversy as is projected, and makes you look forward to seeing Rakta Charitra-II within the next one month. The first-time experiment of two-part release seems to be worthy a wait on the part of the audience and a confident move on the part of the makers. If you are used to seeing violence on the screen in all recent films where the protagonist goes around carrying ordinary and designer weapons and using them more frequently than the antagonist may use one, this film is probably not very violent for you. Some scenes depicting violence are unsuitable for children! (And, that is, of course, why the film received an 'A' certificate from the Censor Board. Please discourage children from watching any and all such films - it's against the law.) However, given that the film attracts only various pockets of target audience - it's a given that this film may not be suitable for family audience - how it rings the box-office is a wait-and-see affair. Rating 3.5 / 5
Rating 3.5 / 5
Rating 3.25 / 5
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
What Makes People Powerful
Why are some people incredibly powerful? Are there certain traits that we can learn from the Steve Jobses of the world?
A new book from Stanford University professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, Ph.D., delves into this very issue. Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, released his book, Power: Why Some People Have it and Others Don't last month. Pfeffer's argument is that there's a crucial skill set that separates alphas like as Steve Jobs and Google ( GOOG - news - people ) cofounder Larry Page from the omegas--and that potentially matters more than I.Q., charisma, and even hard work.
more at forbes
Sunday, October 17, 2010
At 100, it's not too late for PhD
Freedom fighter Bholaram Das marked his 100th birthday this weekend, announcing he was going back to school.
Mr. Das has enrolled for a PhD programme in Gauhati University, perhaps the oldest university student in the country.“In my 100 years, I have done many things in the sphere of society, politics, governance and religion,” said Mr. Das, dressed in a suit, tie and Gandhi cap at his birthday celebrations on Saturday. “I thought I must work towards a PhD that could satisfy my hunger for learning.”Mr. Das was 19 when he was jailed for participating in a 1930 protest against British rule. He spent two months doing hard labour and went on to study commerce and law. In 1945, he joined the Congress that led India's drive for independence.Mr. Das worked as teacher, lawyer, magistrate and district court judge before retiring in 1971.more at thehindu
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
30 suicides rock Andhra Pradesh! Microfinance bodies under lens
As many as 30 rural borrowers have committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh in the last few months following their inability to pay back loans taken from microfinance institutions at exorbitant interest rates.
With one more case of suicide due to harassment by a microfinance institution coming to light, the Andhra Pradesh government has been jolted into action against the serious irregularities and arm-twisting methods for recovery of money that MFIs adopt.Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah, while issuing a stern warning to the microfinance institutions against charging exorbitant rates of interest and harassing the rural poor, said that the state government will promulgate an ordinance to regulate the activities of the MFIs and will not allow the harassment and exploitation of the poor and women.Rosaiah, who also had a meeting with the officials and the bankers on the issue on Wednesday, has convened a cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss the MFI issue.more at rediff
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
India crosses manchester Games tally
Even as the gold rush continues at the Commonwealth Games, New Delhi, India has crossed its Manchester Games tally.
Heena Sidhu, Annu Raj Singh win gold
It's the shooters who have done India proud again and helped India overcome the Manchester 2002 Games tally. And it happened when shooters Anuraj Singh and Heena Sidhu won the Gold in 10 m Air pistol pair. India, Australia and Canada were tied on 759 but India won on countback. India now have 31 gold.
Tejaswini Sawant settles for silver
India's first women world champion, Tejaswini Sawant, had to settle for the silver medal in the women's 50 metre rifle prone event. Tejaswini was beaten to gold by Scotland's Jen McIntosh.
Samresh Jung & CK Chowdhury win silver
Samresh Jung combined with Chandrasekhar Kumar Chowdhury to win silver in men's 25-metre standard pistol pairs. Jung scored 561 and Chaudhary 542 to win silver with a score of 1103.
Gagan Narang misses out on 5th gold
However, there was also disappointment after Gagan Narang and Hari Om Singh missed a medal in 50m rifle prone pairs after finishing fifth. The result robbed Gagan of the chance of bagging his 5th gold of the Games.
Soumyadeep enters men's singles semis
In table tennis, Soumyadeep became the first ever player to enter semi finals of the men's singles. Soumyadeep beat Cai from Singapore in 4 sets to reach the semi finals.
P Ghatak , Mouma Das advance to semis
There was more cheer in table tennis as Indian women's doubles team of Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das have advanced to the semi finals. Ghatak and Mouma beat their Aussie opponents in tough 5 sets to advance to the last 4.
more at timesnow
Sunday, October 10, 2010
In the News: Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is one of Indian cinema's greatest legends. He is an international superstar who has influenced millions for over four decades. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" and has since acted in some of the biggest blockbusters. Bachchan is today seen in films, television, advertisements and is active online as well in blogs and tweets. He is married to Jaya Bhaduri and has a daughter Shweta and son Abhishek. His daughter-in-law is Aishwarya Rai. We at inhtenews.in wish Amitji a very happy birthday!
more at in
Quiz time with Amitabh Bachchan
Big B’s 68th Birthday! Amitabh Bachchan Penned down his thoughts
KBC 4 to be Aired on Sony TV From Amitabh Bachchan 68th Birthday
"I'll work until I drop": Bachchan, 68
Friday, October 8, 2010
In the News: Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza in the spotlight again!100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR 2010
And the winners are...
There's a new No. 1 in town: tech powerhouse SAS. Yes, even in a tough job market, some employers dole out perks like on-site saunas, discounted massages and classes on Wii bowling. Meet this year's top 100; profiles include maps, contact info and more. More
SAS
Edward Jones
Wegmans
Google
Nugget Market
• See the top 100
DreamWorks Animation
NetApp
Boston Consulting Group
Qualcomm
Camden Property Trust
more at cnn
Mahesh Khaleja - Movie Review
Analysis
Mahesh Babu returns to screen after three years with Khaleja. Is it worth the wait? To put things straight, the film is a huge disappointment. No doubts about it. Forget about expectations and the long gap that the hero has taken, the problem lies in the handling of movie by the director Trivikram. He falters in narrating his flimsy story with dexterity. As a director he gave Atadu, one of the best films in Mahesh’s career and Jalsa, a super Pawan Kalyan’s career, in the past but this time his ideas seem to have lost in execution. First half of the movie is so boring with forced comedy - none of the comic scenes evoke laughter. Towards the climax, it picks up the momentum but by then one would exhaust with lethargic two hours of run time. Only in the climax, the movie spells the magic. The film has Mahesh’s star power to cast a spell, but the proceedings are so dull that his performance and his charisma fail to lift the movie at any moment. No doubt the movie has gloss and superb camerawork, but it takes plenty of time to unravel the crux of the story.
Trivikram’s screenplay is confusing in the first place - it clearly looks like he wanted to run the movie with same age-old ‘prasa’ jokes as he has no story to tell before the interval but his jokes and punch dialogues are trite in this movie. Normally one finds some good writing in Trivikram’s movies but here he fails both as writer and the director. Moreover, he drags the movie on and on and on. And songs come at inappropriate time. Most of them are dream songs and interrupt the proceedings.
more at Telugucinema
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Why The PC Is Not Dead
Pundits have been predicting the death of the PC for some time now. The introduction of each new exciting computing device or software app considered outside the narrow scope of the traditional PC triggers the same, tired PC obituary again and again to the point of a Groundhog Day experience.
But from my industry vantage point, Punxsutawney Phil is nowhere in sight. To the contrary, each new, disruptive innovation is actually a sign of health, and of sustained public desire for the life-enhancing benefits of personal computing and being connected online. In many ways, we've only just begun to experience what a truly "personal" computing experience can look and feel like.
First, millions of people around the world are just now purchasing their first PC, millions aspire to buy one, and millions who already have a PC or multiple personal computing devices would love to do more than their current ones allow.
more at forbes
India wins five gold in CWG; Sweeps Greco-Roman Men's Wrestling
India has swept all the three gold medals that were at stake in wrestling today. This coupled with the superlative performance by shooters in winning two golds, propelled India into the second position in the medals tally. Australia continued to lead the tally with 9 golds.
India's Wrestling trio of Ravinder Singh, Sanjay Singh and Anil Kumar won in three different weights in Greco Roman category.
The Indian shooters came up with an excellent performance winning two Golds and as many silvers medals .
Ace marksman Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang opened India's gold medal haul in the mens 10 meter air rifle pairs event with a games record.
Their feat was followed by a superb display of calm nerves and dead centre shooting by women's duo of Rahi Sarnovat and Aneesa Sayeed, who added the second gold in the women's 25 meter pistol pairs event, with the championship record.
The silver medals were earned by Deepak Sharma and Omkar Singh in the men's 50 meters pistol pairs event and the women's duo of Tejaswini Sawant and Lajja kumari Goswami in 50 meter rifle 3 position.
Indian Boxers also had a good day in the ring, with Amandeep making a winning start in the 49 kg light fly weight. Joining him were Manoj Kumar in light welter category.
In weightlifting 62 kg category for men, Malaysia's A. Jumith won the gold, India finished fourth in this event.
In Badminton mixed team event, second seeded India blanked trounced Barbados 5-0 in their second pool D match of the Badminton mixed team event. India will take on wales tomorrow.
In tennis, India's top player Som Devdevvarman outclassed Devin Mullings from Bahamas 6-4 6-2 in the first round.
In Archery all the Indian recurve archerous barring Tarundeep Rai in Men and Bombayala Devi in Women reaching the quarter finals.
In cycling, Olympic and World Champion Anna Meares of Australia won the Women's 500 meters time tria with a games record.
In men's hockey, Pakistan, looked far from impressive but still carried enough firepower to down Scotland 3-0 in a pool A match.
England, the highest ranked team in the women's hockey competition scored a 4-1 win against arch-rivals Wales .
In swimming, Australia continued to dominate the pool. Cristian Springer set a new games record in the 100 meters breastroke. In the women's 50 meter breaststroke the first two positions went to Australia.
World champion Liam Tancock and Francesca Halsall gave England their first two gold medals in the Commonwealth games pool with Halsall up setting world champion Marieke Guehrer of Australia of the Women's 50 meters fly.
Robert Renwick opened the gold medal tally for Scotland winning the Men's 200 metres freestyle. Kenrick Monk of Australia captured the silver.
Australia took the gold in Women's team gymnastics the Silver going to England and Canada picking up the bronze.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games Organising committee chairman Mr. Suresh Kalmadi today announced that school children and the poor would be given free entry to watch the games.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
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