Austin High School gets OK for Music Hall of Fame

Austin High School will have a Music Hall of Fame.

Ken Jensen's request to establish the hall of fame was approve unanimously Monday by the Austin School Board.

One person will be inducted into the hall from each decade, beginning in the 1930s. The first group will be inducted next year during the Big Nine Music Festival.

"We would like your blessing and approval," said Jensen who taught music in Austin for 35 years. He said he's already found at least 70 graduates who fit the criteria.

"You have my blessing, for what it's worth," said board member Richard Lees.

The idea also received the board's blessing with a unanimous vote.

Jensen said the idea for a glass casing featuring pictures of AHS graduates who have chosen music as their profession or those who have made an outstanding contribution to the high school in the field of music has been floating around for almost 10 years.

Previously, he said, "I thought it was time to actually do something with the idea."

Jensen told the Austin P-B last week that alumni are "all over the world, in Australia and Europe. We have so many people that have contributed to the cultural life of Austin through music and they deserve to be recognized."

Austin Music Hall of Fame criteria

• The person must be an Austin High School graduate.

• Must make a living, or made a living, in the field of music.

• Graduated at least 10 or more years before induction.

• Could be elected if person did outstanding work in the community for music but didn't have music as the main source of income.



Source: postbulletin.com

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Wins a Blues Music Award

BURBANK, CA -- 05/13/08 -- Renowned blues/rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd won a Blues Music Award (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards) for Best DVD for his critically acclaimed DVD/CD "10 Days Out: Blues From the Backroads" which was released by Reprise Records on January 23, 2007.

"10 Days Out: Blues From the Backroads" is an historic documentary in which Kenny Wayne Shepherd takes you on a 10-day journey meeting Blues pioneers such as the Music Maker Relief Foundation's Etta Baker, Cootie Stark, and Neal Pattman, as well as Blues elders B.B. King, Henry Townsend, Hubert Sumlin, Gatemouth Brown, Honeyboy Edwards, Pinetop Perkins, and many others. Since filming was completed, six of these artists have passed away, making the film's historic value immense. The acoustic and electric pairings provide these masters a platform to show the world how the Blues was intended to be heard. In addition to home visits, the film ends with a concert featuring the surviving members of both Muddy Waters' and Howlin' Wolf's bands. While Shepherd is present throughout, it is obvious his goal is to spotlight these inspiring veterans.

Proceeds from the sale of this DVD/CD are being donated to the Music Maker Relief Foundation (www.musicmaker.org). Music Maker Relief Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern musical traditions gain recognition and meet their day-to-day needs. Today, many such musicians are living in extreme poverty and need food, shelter, medical care, and other assistance. Music Maker's aid and service programs improve the quality of recipients' lives.

"10 Days Out: Blues From the Backroads" was the # 1 selling Blues Album of the Year in 2007, received two Grammy nominations and earlier this year, Kenny Wayne accepted the Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Film/Television for it. Each year, the Blues Foundation presents the Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Blues music. Each Award is selected on the basis of merit by a select panel of Blues professionals.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a four-time GRAMMY® nominee who has sold millions of albums worldwide with four No. 1 Blues albums and a string of No. 1 mainstream rock singles. He has also received two Billboard Music Awards and was twice awarded the Orville H. Gibson Award for Best Blues Guitarist.

Source: earthtimes.org

Sourav Ganguly wins toss, Kolkata to bat

Kolkata (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat against Delhi Daredevils at Eden Gardens here today.

Knight Riders made two changes to the side which played the previous match, bringing in Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar and left arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah in place of Umar Gul and Murali Kartik.

The Delhi side made a single change, as Dinesh Kaarthick made way for Manoj Tiwary. A B de Villiers would keep wickets.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Aakash Chopra, Salman Butt, David Hussey, Shoaib Akhtar, Tatenda Taibu, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, iqbal Abdullah and Ashok Dinda.

Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag (Captain), AB de Villiers, Shikhar Dhawan, Tilakratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwary, Glenn McGrath, Ferveej Maharoof, V Yo Mahesh, P Sangwan and Amit Mishra.


Source: hindu.com

The Chronicles of Bollywood at Cannes

Red carpet drama. Cream of cinema. And an international flurry of celebrities. Welcome to Cannes Film Festival, which turns 61 this year.
Even though Indian movies are yet to spell their magic as actively as one would like, Bollywood stars are more than happy to lend their brand of glamour to the proceedings. It all started with a certain Mrs Rai-Bachchan. Let's face it, the event gained prominence in our media ever since Ash became a regular at Cannes.

With the festival just around the corner, rediff.com goes into flashback mode. Here's a look at the Bollywood presence in Cannes during the last few years.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Cannes marks a very special place in Aishwarya's life. The love affair started with her visit in 2002 to promote Devdas alongwith director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-star Shah Rukh Khan.

The following year she was invited to be part of the festival's prestigious jury, a first for an Indian actress. Unluckily for Ash, she made more news for her tacky wardrobe, designed by Neeta Lulla instead of rubbing shoulders with fellow judges like Meg Ryan and Steven Soderbergh.

Ash was back at Cannes in a sexier, improved super-glam avatar in 2004 as a representative of L'Oreal cosmetics -- a tradition that continues till the soon-to-be-held fest.

In 2005, besides flaunting her style, she also delivered the inaugural speech with Sideways director Alexander Payne. The year 2006 turned out just great as well. Her film, Provoked based on the true life story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, premiered at the festival. 2007 couldn't have been any better for the newly wed Mrs Bachchan, as the stunner made her first post-marriage appearance at the Cannes red carpet sporting hubby Abhishek in arm.

Unlike her demure outings at filmi dos in Mumbai, the Jodhaa Akbar beauty has, over the years, religiously opted for sizzling designer fare by Gucci, Armani and Roberto Cavalli.

Source: rediff.com

Bangalore airport to open by May end: Ministry

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday said the new Bangalore airport would open for operations by May end. While the existing HAL airport in the city is likely to close down for commercial air traffic once the new airport opens, officials indicated that talks will continue with BIAL and other stakeholders to examine how it can be kept operational for commercial air traffic.

BIAL will also be charging a User Development Fee (UDF) of Rs 1,075 for all international passengers from Day One of operations. International passengers, in fact, will have to pay the UDF amount in cash initially as airlines will only be able to incorporate it with the ticket amount little later. Domestic passengers will pay UDF three months after operations start. The new airport will open any day after the Karnataka elections end on May 23, officials said.

At a meeting between officials from the ministry, Karnataka Government and the Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), the latter is said to have categorically stated that keeping the two airports open was not a ‘workable’ idea. The BIAL officials carried out a study on the possibility of keeping both airports open and have finally concluded that it would cause a “significant dip in revenue” for them and was therefore “out of the question”.

The high-level meeting was held after Parliamentary Standing Committee chairman and CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury wrote to the Prime Minister demanding that the existing Bangalore airport be also allowed to operate for small aircraft as is done in Dallas, Houston and Newark. The closure of existing airports as agreed upon by the Government in their contractual agreement with private partners developing the two new Greenfield airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad had not gone down well with the Parliamentary Standing Committee. The committee had recommended that the ministry renegotiate with the private partners on this issue.

Source: indianexpress.com

P-N Junction

One of the crucial keys to solid state electronics is the nature of the P-N junction. When p-type and n-type materials are placed in contact with each other, the junction behaves very differently than either type of material alone. Specifically, current will flow readily in one direction (forward biased) but not in the other (reverse biased), creating the basic diode. This non-reversing behavior arises from the nature of the charge transport process in the two types of materials.


Source: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/pnjun.html

Radio Mirchi is official radio partner of Bangalore Marathon

MUMBAI: Radio Mirchi is the official radio partner for Bangalore Marathon Sunfeast 10K to be on 18 May. The radio station has been promoting the marathon by the campaign ‘Run Maadi Run’.

As part of its various on-air activities, Radio Mirchi has designed an on-air mascot Benne Dose Babu, who is 120 kg and an unfit guy but has decided to get in shape for the run. He has been training hard for the run while listening to Mirchi’s early morning Race Hour between 7 to 8 am.

Mirchi activations is organisng the Pasta party of Bangalore in the “Get Active-Expo” from 14 to 18 May. Radio Mirchi plans to do a live broadcast from the venue on the 15 May and 16 May where RJs will interact with the listeners and have a Teen RJ hunt.

Radio Mirchi cluster business head- Karnataka and Kerala Rahul Balyan said, “World 10K will be a great addition to the already rich cultural landscape of Bangalore and we are happy to lend our support to this world-class event. There are many on-air innovations that we have done to create awareness about running and getting people to participate in the 10K run. This event is for everyone and is all about fun and spirit of Bangalore which will get the whole city together. We strongly urge everyone to turn-up for the event and participate in all the fun and excitement. The entire team of Radio Mirchi is also training for the run and will be participating too.”


Source: indiantelevision.com

Knight Riders beat Bangalore by five runs

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders came back to winning ways, defeating Bangalore Royal Challengers by five runs in a pulsating rain-curtailed encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday night.

Sourav Ganguly's side restricted Royal Challengers to 124 for four after posting a challenging score of 129 for seven in their allotted 16 overs.

The match witnessed a keen tussle between the two sides fighting for their survival in the Twenty20 league. Though it was not a high scoring game, the highlight of the match was some eye-catching fielding and disciplined bowling from both sides.

J Arun Kumar (22 off 17) and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul (7) gave a perfect start to Royal Challengers' run chase putting on 17 runs for the first wicket. However, a sensational direct hit from Brad Hodge cut short Arun Kumar's innings to bring the match at even terms at 33 for two in 4.5 overs. In his brief stay at the crease, Arun Kumar threatened to take the game away from the hosts.

Royal Challengers' captain Rahul Dravid (5) and Mark Boucher (50 off 40 balls) then shared 19 runs for the fourth wicket before Ganguly cleaned his counterpart to reel the visitors at 51 for three in 9.1 overs.

Australian Cameron White (30 off 16) accelerated Challengers' run chase, hitting Laxmi Ratan Shukla for a six and four in the 11th over.

Needing 62 off 30 balls, both Boucher and White launched an all-round attack. The duo picked up 15 runs in the 13th over from Umar Gul. However, it was followed by a brilliant over by Ishant Sharma (25/1), in which he gave just five runs.

In the first of ball of the 15th over, Murali Kartik outsmarted dangerman White with a clever piece of fieldwork of his own bowling. But Boucher was in no mood to give up the fight as he hit Kartik for two fours and a six to keep Challengers in the hunt at 111 for four.

Needing 19 off the last over, the South African wicketkeeper fought a lonely battle and hit Ishant for a boundary in the first ball to reduce the margin. That was all he could manage, as his valiant effort could not see his side through and they fell short by five runs.

Ganguly was adjudged the man of the match for his excellent bowling. He gave up just seven runs in his three overs in which he picked the important wicket of Dravid.

Earlier, Royal Challengers dampened the home crowd's spirit, restricting the Knight Riders to 129 for seven.

Opting to bat in a 16-over-per-side match that was delayed by rain, Knight Riders' top order once again faltered and their innings never really took off. A changed opening combination of Akash Chopra (2) and Brad Hodge (10) failed to provide the hosts a solid start.

Ganguly (20 off 22 balls) and David Hussey (26 off 12) tried to resurrect Knight Riders' innings and shared a 26-run stand for the fourth wicket, but two crucial runouts and some disciplined work on the field from Challengers eventually led to their downfall.

Ganguly was first of the two runouts as White pulling off a spectacular direct hit from mid-on.

The going was slow for Knight Riders and it was Hussey who stepped up the gear and accelerated the innings. The Australian hit Kumble for two back-to-back sixes in the ninth over, but in the very next ball a sensational throw from Steyn from the fine-leg found Hussey short of the crease while he was running for a non-existent second run.

However, the hosts' lower middle order saved the day for them. Debutant Tatenda Taibu (15), Shukla (11), Wriddhiman Saha (unbeaten 17) and Kartik (17) made some valuable contributions down the order to set a challenging target before Royal Challengers.

Saha and Kartik made a quick 34-run stand for the seventh wicket, the highest partnership of the innings. Saha was lucky not to be caught off Zaheer Khan, with Dale Steyn losing the ball in the Eden floodlights.

Steyn was the pick of the bowlers for Royal Challengers, taking three wickets for 27 runs in his four overs, while Zaheer (27/1) and Praveen Kumar (36/1) were the other wicket takers.

With this victory, Knight Riders now have 2-0 win-loss record against Royal Challengers. Ganguly's men had thrashed the Bangalore side in the opening match of the IPL last month in Bangalore.


Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

David Cook of American Idol

David Cook only decided to audition alongside his younger brother at the last minute, but now the 25-year-old is among the last four singers in the season seven competition. Having sung everything from Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" to Free's "All Right Now," the Missouri native sat down for an exclusive Billboard interview, revealing how he chooses his songs, how former contestant Michael Johns' departure was a wake up call, and how "Idol" fans' interest in him has been "awe inspiring" and how the whole experience has been "vindicating."

You have been in a couple of bands and have released a solo album. How did you decide to audition for "American Idol"

My little brother Andrew had wanted to try out for a long time. I didn’t really have any interest. I was working on another record and was really content to do it my way [but] he asked me if I would go as moral support up to Omaha while he tried out.

As we got closer to it, my mom and my little brother were being a little bit more persuasive in trying to get me to audition with him. So at the last minute, I decided to do it. He didn’t make the first cut and we were in the same audition group of four. It was very awkward, like to the point where I turned to him and said, “Is this something you want me to do, because if you don’t want me to it, I won’t.” And his response was, “If you don’t, I’ll beat your ass.” So yeah, it’s entirely his and my mother’s fault that I’m here and I’m very grateful for it.

What songs did you and your brother sing at the audition?


I’d done some acoustic gigs and played “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi but there’s a version they did that was a little more mellow called “Prayer ’94” off their “Crossroads” record [that] I played at shows and stuff so I knew I could do it. Andrew auditioned with “Last Request” by Paolo Nutini. I really thought he would make it through at least the first cut with that song because he did really well with it. I’ve given up trying to figure out other people’s logic.

How have you gone about choosing songs each week?

For lack of a better way to phrase it, there’s an idiot savant aspect to the way that I pick these songs. When given a theme like the Beatles or the ’80s, there are parameters which help because it gives me a limited list of songs. If the vibe of a song grips me and/or if I can immediately hear what I would want to do with that song, that’s usually a good indicator that I probably should do that song. As far as arrangement, I operate on the mantra, "just keep it simple, stupid." If I feel like the song needs something to access the vibe that I want to go with it, I’ll try it but I try not to over-think anything. Like with inspirational week, I really second-guessed myself on how I wanted to do that song [“Innocent” by Our Lady of Peace] and so by the time I got to perform it, my head was just going a million miles a second as opposed to just really focusing on the vibe of the song. Another lesson learned. I’ve had to force myself to trust myself.

What other lessons have you learned doing the show?

This show and this whole process has allotted me a brand new lease on life in that I’m more sure of who I am now than I ever was before. When you’re trying to be a career musician and you have $200 in the bank and your car’s breaking down and you’re lonely, you tend to think about whether or not you’ve got what it takes to do this, you know? To be here now, be in the top [four] and to have this outpouring of support from people I’ve never met and may never meet, it’s awe inspiring that in a couple months time that large an amount of people have managed to invest themselves in who I am. It’s allowed me to walk around with this new aura about me. I feel like, “All right, I’m in this. I know why I’m here and know what I want to do and I’m not going to accept anything less,” which is cool. So yeah, I think the whole process has been very vindicating.

I think everyone wonders if they are good enough.

I’ve been fortunate in that some really cool things have happened to me throughout this show that have kind of alleviated the day-to-day concerns. When Michael Johns left, that taught me a huge lesson, because it was like you can go home at any time. So if you get caught up in this week-to-week thing, you’re going to flounder.

Since then, it’s given me a new lease because it’s like I’m just going to go out on stage and I’m going to embrace that minute and a half. If it doesn’t work, I’m okay with that. During the Mariah Carey week, there were a few things personally going on that I would choose to remain private, but with all that going on, to have the judges say what they said, to get a standing O from Randy and everybody, that moment solidified the whole experience for me. I could walk away tomorrow and feel like that moment was my bookend. I said [when I made the] top 24, I feel like I already won. I still feel that way.

How do you feel about being judged after every performance?

It’s been a process for me. To have three people of their caliber invest their time enough to say anything, it’s pretty cool in and of itself. But what it took for me was really kind of detaching myself from the song as soon as I got done singing, and that’s been the hard part for me. In order for me to do these songs the way I want to, I have to spend that week leading up to it investing myself in that song.

I learned a very hard lesson in week two when I sang Free’s “All Right Now” and Simon referenced the pre-packaged video and I made some comment and I didn’t say anything bad and I certainly was not trying to be demeaning toward him in any way but at the time, it was a speak-before-you-think kind of vibe. The lesson I learned is when Randy, Paula or Simon talks to you, unless they ask you a question, you probably shouldn’t say a word, which in turn has allowed me to listen a little bit more.

You were under the radar before you emerged as a front-runner. What has that experience been like?

I loved the way that this has all panned out. I do. I like that I snuck up on people in those first couple weeks. There are 24 people to sift through and so my vibe was, “You don’t have to be one of the best yet. Just don’t be one of the worst.” It was fun for me because I felt like there wasn’t a whole lot of pressure. I was able to find my footing doing what I wanted to do.

As we get further into this, the only pressure that I really feel is to try to one-up myself, which is fun for me because I don’t feel like I’m competing against the other kids. I feel like I’m competing against last week’s version of myself, it allows me to evolve. I watch myself when I did “Happy Together” during week one and I watch myself coming into Neil Diamond week and I’m a completely different performer.

I feel like I’ve done what I needed to do, whether or not that makes me a frontrunner is not really up to me. If the other contestants see me as a frontrunner, if anybody else sees me as a frontrunner, I take it as a compliment and nothing more at this stage, because anybody can go home at any point and if I’m the last one standing, awesome. If I come out [fourth], that’s nothing to be ashamed of.


Source: billboard.com

Madonna Earns Double Hot Shot Debut Honors

The latest news in the world of Billboard's definitive sales and airplay charts.

A closer look at the Greatest Gainers, Hot Shot Debuts and Pacesetters on this week's Billboard charts.

Hot Shot Debuts: Madonna puts the "hot" in Hot Shot Debut this week as the diva scores her seventh Billboard 200 No. 1 with "Hard Candy." The feat breaks a tie with Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey to give Madge sole ownership of the No. 2 spot on the all-time list of album No. 1s among female artists. Only Barbra Streisand, with eight, has more. "Hard Candy" moved 280,000 units its first week out.

And that’s not the only accomplishment for the pop great this week, as she also own the Hot Shot Debut title on The Billboard Hot 100 with new single "Give It 2 Me," which entered at No. 57, almost entirely on the strength of digital sales. The single moved 38,000 downloads to earn the No. 21 spot on Hot Digital Songs.

Over on Top Country Albums, it's the very reliable Tim McGraw who earns Hot Shot Debut stripes, as his "Greatest Hits: Limited Edition" starts at No. 1 with sales of 29,000. This is his 10th No. 1 on the chart. Meanwhile, "Kristofferson," the fifth single from McGraw’s latest studio set "Let It Go," is at No. 20 on Hot Country Songs.

Lyfe Jennings gets the Hot Shot Debut prize on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with "Lyfe Change," which bows at No. 1. This is his second consecutive No. 1 on the chart. "Change" shifted 80,000 units on The Billboard 200 to grab the No. 4 position, Jennings' second bow in the top five.

Greatest Gainers: Marvin Sapp's "Thirsty" is the Greatest Gainer on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as it climbs 11-8 with the help of a 50% sales increase. This is Sapp's first top 10 on the chart. Meanwhile, his single "Never Would Have Made It" marks its 32nd week atop Hot Gospel Songs and enters the history books: no song has ever reigned longer on any radio chart in Nielsen BDS history.


On Top Country Albums, Taylor Swift earns the Greatest Gainer trophy with her self-titled set, even as it holds steady in the No. 2 position. The album is in its 80th week on the chart.

But it's Natasha Bedingfield who is the greatest of the gainers this week, as she sews on Greatest Gainer stripes on The Billboard 200 and Greatest Gainer/Digital stripes on The Billboard Hot 100. The singer performed on the ever-helpful "American Idol" last week and watches her album "Pocketful of Sunshine" rocket 97-24 while her single of the same name jumps 19-8. The single moved 135,000 downloads, an increase of 110%, to put it at No. 4 on Hot Digital Songs. The album saw sales bounce 199%, to 19,000.

Meanwhile, Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" earns the Greatest Gainer/Airplay award on The Billboard Hot 100 even as the track holds steady at No. 2. The song, featuring Static Major, arrives at No. 1 on Hot 100 Airplay in just its seventh chart week, the fastest coronation since Alicia Keys' "No One" topped the list in seven frames in November.

Pacesetters: Ne-Yo sets the pace on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with "Because of You," which moves 56-41 with the help of his latest single, "Closer." The song moves 54-41 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Although "Closer" comes from a new album not yet out, "Because of You" is reaping the rewards of the single's early success.

On Top Country Albums, it’s Alan Jackson who takes home the Pacesetter prize for "16 Biggest Hits," which steps 39-35 behind a 32% sales increase to 3,000. The album is in its 39th week. It debuted at No. 22 -- which remains its highest position -- in August 2007.

On The Billboard 200, Vicente Fernandez is the week's Pacesetter with "Para Siempre," which climbs 53-48 -- a new peak -- on the back of a 32% sales bump to 13,000. The album is in its 23rd week.

--Susan Visakowitz with additional reporting by Keith Caulfield, Raphael George, Katie Hasty, Wade Jessen, Geoff Mayfield and Silvio Pietroluongo


Source: billboard.com

Nadine to launch candle shop

Is Nadine Coyle trying to tell us something? It seems the Irish Girls Aloud singer is not content with being part of one the most successful pop groups but she also wants to be a shrewd businesswoman.

Not happy with owning a Mexican restaurant and properties across the globe the singer has now turned her attention to scented candles.

Yes, we said scented candles. Nadine has realised all good celebs like smelly candles in their homes and she has plans to open a chain of shops in LA.

Nadine told the Daily Mirror: "I'm so excited about it. LA's the perfect place for it too as people love to get pampered.

"I've already got my brother-in-law to create the decor.

"He's an artist and does amazing canvases so it will be a proper family business - and really personal. I've got my mum to run it while I'm away working with the band.

"I'll also bring some candles to go in our dressing rooms to calm our nerves before the shows."

All of Nadine's family live in LA now and her parents even run a pub, so is this the end of Girls Aloud?

She told the Mirror: "There's no way I'm quitting the band. The candle shop and my businesses are something else I love to do.

"I'm having such a laugh with the band. Where else can you get your hair and make-up done for free for hours on end, then you go on stage with a great bunch of girls and have a blast?"

I suppose she can also have a candle stall backstage.


Source: ananova.com

Apple iPhone To Be Launched on Two Networks In India

TUESDAY, May 13, (News Locale) - Apple's iconic iPhone will see a double launch in India with the company deciding to go for non-exclusive deals in the country. As a result the iPhone will be released on Vodafone Essar as well as Bharti Airtel this October.

Apple iPhone is one of the most popular devices as it combines a cell phone, a music player and a web browser in one device. The iPhone was launched on June 29 in the United States and is available through AT&T exclusively.

Similar deals have been inked across Europe with 02, Orange and T-Mobile. Earlier this month Vodafone had announced a deal with Apple to bring the 8GB version of the iPhone to India and it was expected that Vodafone, which entered India with its acquisition of Hutch, would be the sole iPhone carrier.

The iPhone will be priced between Rs 25,000 and Rs 28,000 although the 16 GB version will carry a heftier price tag. This version is expected to debut on Indian markets in mid-2009.

The Economic Times is reporting that Apple will not enter into revenue sharing deals with mobile operators and any revenue for the Cupertino, California-based Apple will be through the device itself.

The iPhone has been available in India on the grey market soon after the US launch. However many consumers held back because of the illegality of buying unlocked iPhone. Apple itself estimates that at least 250,000 iPhones have been unlocked. However that number should come down given that the iPhone will be widely available; at least on the Asian markets.


Source: newslocale.org

HAL airport at B'lore to be shut down

With the new airport all set to open in the end of this month, the Government decided to close down the existing HAL airport at Bangalore.

This was decided after Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the private consortium developing the greenfield airport at Bangalore, disagreed to the civil aviation ministry's proposal of keeping both the airports operational.


"They are not agreeble to the proposition," said civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla, after the ministry's meeting with BIAL when asked whether BIAL had agreed to the ministry's proposal. During their last meeting on April 29, the ministry had proposed that the old Bangalore airport be kept open for operations of smaller aircraft having less than 80 seats.


Karnataka High Court had recently advised the government to reconsider the concession agreement with the private developers which says that the existing airport at Bangalore should be shut down after the new one is operational. The court had given its advise while hearing hearing three public interest litigations filed in favour of the continuance of commercial operations at the old airport.


Regarding the issue raised about the capability of the new airport to handle additional traffic, Chawla said that a scientific estimate of the passenger handling capacity would be done soon. BIAL had forecasted a traffic figure of 10.1 million by 2010. However, the passenger traffic is expected to touch 10.8 million by the end of 2007-08 itself. Chawla also said the Director General Civil Aviation had given an assurance that all the licensing formalities for the new airport would be completed in 2-3 days.


BIAL has estimated a loss of Rs 40 crore as the opening has already been delayed by a month. The delay will may affect the expansion plans of over a dozen-odd international as well as domestic and cargo carriers who were planning to introduce additional flights from the city.


Source: business-standard.com

What is earthquake?

BEIJING, May 13 -- What is an earthquake? An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another.

The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane.

The location below the earth's surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.

Sometimes an earthquake has foreshocks. These are smaller earthquakes that happen in the same place as the larger earthquake that follows.

Scientists can’t tell that an earthquake is a foreshock until the larger earthquake happens.

The largest, main earthquake is called the mainshock.

Mainshocks always have aftershocks that follow. These are smaller earthquakes that occur afterwards in the same place as the mainshock.

Depending on the size of the mainshock, aftershocks can continue for weeks, months, and even years after the mainshock!


Source: news.xinhuanet.com

I Love Children, Not Awards, Says Madhuri Dixit

Winning a Padma Shri award would surely be a dream for many, but it is not that worthy for Bollywood’s ‘Dhak Dhak’ girl Madhuri Dixit, who received the prestigious award for her valuable contribution to Indian cinema.

The queen of million hearts said that she loves children, not awards.

She also said that she never aimed for awards but she only wanted to have kids, and that too, a dozen of them.

Neither Madhuri, nor her loving hubby Dr. Nene is very excited for the Padma Shri.

She said, “When I got the letter from India, my husband asked me what is Padma Shri. When I explained the honour, he was so awed.”

Madhuri also said that as a kid, she talked of growing up and having many kids, as she loves children.

Madhuri also said that as a kid, she had a totally different list of must-dos.

“Even as a kid, I talked of growing up and having kids as I love children. I used to tell my mother that I want to have 12 kids. But after two, I just gave up the idea,” she laughed and said.

Proud mother of five-year-old Arin and three-year-old Ryan, the actress also said that her children make her feel beautiful and great.

“When I was carrying Arin, I was nervous, apprehensive and very happy. But the first time I held him in my arms, it all felt so worth it,” she said.


Source: topnews.in

Gastro back again, 35 hospitalized

BANGALORE: Gastroenteritis cases have resurfaced in the city. On Monday itself, over 35 people were treated at the Isolation Hospital from Shamanna Garden area in J J Nagar.

Unhygienic surroundings in the area or food poisoning are suspected to be the cause. Residents complained they fell ill after eating 'chikku' fruit.

"In all, 35 cases have been reported, but there is nothing to panic. The area water has been tested; it has 0.1% chlorine and BWSSB has assured that it's safe for drinking. These cases are mainly because of food poisoning. However, to be on the safer side, we have sent the water samples to the Public Health Institute,'' said Dr Gayathri, chief health officer, BBMP.

Even after repeated warnings, stray gastro cases keep resurfacing, she said, blaming the same for lack of hygiene and eating habits.

BWSSB executive engineer Narayannappa said water samples were indeed tested, though no traces of contamination were found. "We have tested the water, it's safe and not the cause for gastro in the area,'' Narayannappa maintained.

However, residents have been advised to keep the surroundings clean and avoid roadside food.

In January, over 850 gastro cases were reported in Bharatinagar area after drinking water got mixed with sewage. The leaking water and sanitary pipes at three crucial points in the area had caused water contamination.


Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

What is Gastroenteritis?

Gastroenteritis (Gastro):
Infection or irritation of the stomach and intestines, which may be caused by bacteria or parasites from spoiled food or unclean water, or eating food that irritates the stomach lining and emotional upsets such as anger, fear, or stress.

Gastroenteritis (Gastro):
Inflammation of stomach and bowel. Symptoms may include cramping, diarrhea, and fever.


Sources: devoschildrens.org, ostomycanada.ca

Apple to launch iPhone in four Asian regions

SAN FRANCISCO / SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Apple Inc has signed deals to bring the iPhone to four Asian countries later this year, which should help the company surpass its sales goal of 10 million units by the end of 2008.

Agreements with Singapore's Singapore Telecommunications Ltd and three of its affiliates will bring the iPhone to Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia, SingTel and Apple said.

Bharti Airtel Ltd, India's top mobile operator, will carry the iPhone in the world's fastest-growing wireless market, which already has more than 260 million mobile users. SingTel owns more than 30 percent of Bharti Airtel.

SingTel unit Optus will offer the iPhone in Australia, and Globe Telecom will be the Philippine partner. Globe Telecom is owned by SingTel and domestic conglomerate Ayala Corp.

An Apple spokeswoman said the iPhone would make its debut in those countries "later this year," and declined to comment on plans to bring the iPhone to Japan and China.

In its quarter ended March 31, the company sold 1.7 million of the devices, which combine a mobile phone, iPod media player and Web surfing; Apple's goal is to sell 10 million iPhones by year's end.

A flurry of deals with European partners last week prompted American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu to raise his profit estimates for Apple on Monday, saying he expected 2008 iPhone sales of 11 million units, up from his previous forecast of 7 million units.

"IPhone is a relatively minor contributor today at only 2-3 percent of revenue, but we believe it has the potential to become a very significant driver over the next 2-5 years," Wu wrote.

Apple shares rose 2.6 percent to $188.22 by mid-afternoon on the Nasdaq. The stock has soared 50 percent over the past three months as investors regain confidence that Apple can sustain growth even amid a weakening economy.

(Reporting by Scott Hillis in San Francisco and Jennifer Tan in Singapore, editing by Phil Berlowitz)



Source: reuters.com

Grooveshark Lite - Search, Listen, and Purchase MP3’s

GroovesharkLite is a self-contained flash based application which lets you search, listen and purchase mp3’s online. It has a library of over 6 Million songs covering everything from tiny Indies to all the Majors.
It’s a peer to peer music service in the same vein as Limewire, which also allows users to stream and purchase songs.

Users are not required to register or login to their account in order to search and play songs. You are only required to login to your account when you want to purchase a particular mp3. Otherwise you are free listen to songs as much as you want.
You can also get free mp3’s with GroovesharkLite, for example if someone purchases a song that you seed, you would receive a credit that can be used to purchase more songs from the network.

Check it out: http://listen.grooveshark.com


Source: crenk.com

Maria Sharapova Reaches Compromise Over Photo Shoot

ROME (AP) - Maria Sharapova reached a compromise with the WTA Tour and completed a promotional photo shoot before the Italian Open began Monday.

The second-ranked Russian was opposed to the shoot because she does not like distractions before tournaments, and claimed the WTA threatened to fine her more than $300,000 if she refused. Sunday's photo shoot to build publicity for the tour championships was reduced to 90 minutes from several hours, Sharapova said.

''I was riding around in a car for an hour talking - pretending like I'm talking on the phone,'' Sharapova said. ''The timing compromise was still pretty difficult since it's before a very big event for all of us. Considering the time reduction, it definitely makes that a lot easier than going into a four- or five-hour shoot with hair and makeup, which adds another hour.'' Sharapova launched her protest on her Web site two weeks ago, and asked for fans' opinions. ''I've obviously made my point,'' she said. ''I wanted to let my fans know that I didn't feel like people were listening to me. I think it's in the best interest of the tour.''

After a first-round bye, Sharapova will play either Dominika Cibulkova or Gisela Dulko at the clay-court warm-up for the French Open. ''When I set foot in Rome, my priority is to play tennis,'' Sharapova said. ''I already did the talking, and now it's time to play tennis.'' Sharapova is playing her first tournament in Europe this year. She won a clay-court event in Amelia Island last month, then lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals in Charleston a week later.

In August, Sharapova plans to play at the Olympics for the first time. ''I'm absolutely thrilled,'' Sharapova said of the Beijing Games. ''It's been a dream of mine since I was a very young girl, from watching it in the middle of the night on TV, and waking up and watching the opening ceremony, to following all the athletes and waiting until Russia would walk out. It's quite hard to believe that sometimes your dreams can turn to reality. In a few months they will, so that's quite exciting.''

Sharapova also wants to play for Russia in the Fed Cup final against Spain in September. ''If I'm healthy, I'm definitely going to be playing,'' she said. Sharapova won two matches to help Russia beat Israel in the quarterfinals in February, but was left off the team that beat the United States in the semifinals.


Source: starpulse.com

Iron Man beats box office rivals

Iron Man sees Robert Downey Jr make a comeback as an action hero.

Iron Man has seen off its rivals in the North American chart, remaining at number one for a second weekend.

The action film, starring Robert Downey Jr, beat new entry Speed Racer with takings of $50.5m (£25.9m), compared to $100m (£51m) in its opening weekend.

Comic caper What Happens In Vegas, starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, made its debut at three.

The top 10 was dominated by comedies, with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Harold and Kumar in the countdown.

Critical mauling

Dan Fellman, Warner Brothers' president of theatrical distribution, said that Speed Racer - which was some $30m short of Iron Man - "didn't perform to our expectations".

He added that it would be difficult to recoup the anime-inspired movie's $120m (£61.6m) budget.

The film, made by the Wachowski brothers who are best known for The Matrix franchise, had also been subject to a critical mauling.

Box office experts said that Iron Man's second weekend performance - a slide of some 50% in box office returns - was respectable given its massive debut.

Further summer blockbusters will be vying to better the performance of Iron Man in the coming weeks, with the fourth Indiana Jones film and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian due to hit North American cinemas later this month.

This weekend's overall cinema takings were up on the same time last year, but 2008's takings so far are down 2.5% with attendances also down by 5.3%.

US BOX OFFICE TOP FIVE

1 Iron Man - $50.5m
2 Speed Racer (pictured) - $20.2m
3 What Happens In Vegas - $20m
4 Made of Honour - $7.6m
5 Baby Mama - $5.8m

Source: Media By Numbers


Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Earthquake is China's latest pre-Olympic headache

The earthquake hit Sichuan province early in the afternoon. In the capital Beijing, people rushed to find safety, or stayed indoors while their buildings swayed frighteningly. Offices and buildings were full of workers and shoppers.

It is the latest headache for Beijing, ahead of the Olympics this summer. After the worldwide protests against the Olympic Torch, this was another disaster to be dealt with. But there are no reports of damage in the capital, and the showpiece Olympic stadium is said to be unscathed.

Safety experts at the giant Three Gorges Dam report no damage either. Some engineers have warned that the weight of water in the immense reservoir could magnify the scale of any tremors.

News from the earthquake scene has been swiftly relayed to the media and on to the Chinese people. It's seen as further proof of China's more relaxed attitude as it prepares to welcome the world to the Olympics in three months' time.


Source: euronews.net

Rupee falls below 42 against the dollar

The spot rupee touched a one-year low of 42.11 today due to a heavy demand for dollars from oil and non-oil importing companies and a lack of supply of the currency.

According to dealers, oil companies started buying more dollars after crude petroleum prices touched $125 a barrel, contrary to the expectation of a moderation this week.

On its way to 42, most of the dollar-rupee positions of banks ran into losses and they too joined the buying spree to cover open positions.

The spot rupee opened at 41.62, reached a high of 41.58, before hitting a low of 42.11 against the dollar.

At these levels, exporters started covering their long-term dollar receivables and the rupee managed to close at 42.00, said a dealer. Most of the oil-importing companies bought dollars and they were later joined by non-oil importers as well, a dealer added.

"The outlook on the rupee was bearish given the low industrial growth rate and the expectation of a high trade deficit. So there were no major foreign exchange inflows into the market. In fact, the spot rupee may touch 42.25-42.30 this week and if the demand continues, it could even touch 42.50 in two weeks," said a dealer of a nationalised bank.

Newswire18 adds: The Indian unit moved in a wide range of 41.56-42.10 today. "Sentiment for the rupee has turned very negative, so there was huge buying today apart from regular dollar demand from oil companies and other importers," said a dealer at a US bank.

"After the IIP data, most people were convinced the economy may moderate and inflows from foreign funds may slow down," said a dealer of a state-run bank.


Source: business-standard.com