Monday, April 21, 2008

Express from Nokia

The Nokia 5320 XpressMusic is a 3G/HSDPA-enabled bar shaped smartphone. Being a music-oriented device, the Nokia 5320 offers dedicated external music controls, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP), a stereo FM radio and a 3.5mm standard audio jack. Nokia say that there is also a dedicated audio chip for better audio quality (which otherwise is a traditional weakness in Nokia phones, we hope they've borrowed the chip from Samsung).

The Nokia 5220 XpressMusic of course hosts a number of music features such as dedicated music keys, light effects that pulse with the music rhythm, stereo FM radio with RDS, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP), a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD memory card slot for storing your music on cards with up to 2GB of capacity (a 512MB card included). The manufacturer also promises the whopping 24 hours of continuous playback time with a single charge.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Champions league

The semi final line up for the champions league has be settled. It will be Chelsea against Liverpool and Manchester United have a daunting task against the Catalian giants Barcelona. Manchester United beat Roma 1 - 0 in the second leg at Old Trafford. Liverpool defeated Arsenal 4 - 2 at Anfield. Barca and Chelsea also won by a single goal difference in their respective matches. So it will be quite interesting semi finals at this years Champions League.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Apple slim laptop


Apple launched the world's slimmest laptop. Its thickness is comparable to that of a sheet of paper. When you view it from the side you'll be able to see only to sheets of paper held together. But when opened up, it had all the capabilities of an ultra power notebook to cater the need of a businessman. This ultra slim model will definitely be a competition to the other notebook manufacturers but alleged reports suggest that there will be many more slim models coming out from the others as well in the nearer future. So are you ready to get slimmer??

Nokia N77

Another N-series phone from Nokia. This time this comes with a feature of 2 mega pixel camera and DVB-H TV broadcaster. The other things are quite same and normal. The major highlight is the TV viewing option. It uses class 32 EDGE technology with 296 / 177 kbps option. You will get clear and quality images, without any jag or noise. Your program will not be interrupted and selecting the channel is also user-friendly, which is the salient feature of any Nokia phone. The camera is 2 mega pixel with resolution of 1600X1200 pixels. The pictures taken in overcast environment lacks certain colors. Otherwise, it is normal to any other 2 mp camera. Video recording is good. It has 20 mb of shared memory and 64 mb of SDRAM memory with ARM 9, 220 MHz processor. It uses the Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel 3.1. It supports JAva games and has other features like Bluetooth, GPRS, HSCSD, 3G and USB. Besides these things, it also has stero FM. My rating for this phone would be 3.2 out of 5.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Sehwag backs Bhajji

Sehwag told he was confident and raring to go against the Australians. He also told that Indians will hit back at the on field sledging, if the Australians started it. The entire team is supporting Bhajji in the racism issue. He added that Bhajji is a matured guy and knows what to speak. In the practice game, the visitors declared at 281 for 4. The ACT XI were reeling at 60 for 3 at the close of play and the match ended in a tame draw. But the selection panel will have increased problems because Karthick, Sehwag and Jaffer finding their touch. So let's wait and watch what team they are fielding for the third test at Perth.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Apple's i-pod Shuffle(d) for you



This is the ipod shuffle 1gb nano 2nd generation totally dis-assembled for you. I was unable to make out anything from its dissection. Only major parts were known and the details of the chips used are enigmatic. Hope you guys get something out of it. If anyone get to know about the component details or the entire functionality, feel free to post it as comment.

3G and Number Protability in Metros


Finally it is here, in all four metros. Indian government has released 3G and Wi-max bands for 3 service providers across India. Yesterday minister Raja announced that 3G and number portability technology will be introduced in Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. The 3G feature is to be made available at 2.1 GHz and the Wi-Max will be available at the frequency range of 2.5 GHz.
The features of 3G technology includes its capability to play videos, show live TV, play mp3 music, video conferencing, video calling, send and receive megapixel images and many more things. Some of the phone features depends upon the service provider and they are the main limiting criteria. You can access mail account and browse the web at data rate of 2Mbps. Voice and data broadband access is also available as a part of 3G technology. Even though the current band width could be allocated for only 3 service providers, it will be incremented if more bids were submitted- reportedly.
Already several 3G compatible handsets are available across India. The users have to select the service providers wisely in order to enjoy the benefits of 3G technology. Currently we do not have any information about the service providers but it will be available before the dawn of 2008.
The number portability allows to use your previous number while your switching from one service provider to another. This facility is believed to be the best option for most of the consumers who tend to avert the change of service provider because of their number. Even though this was planned to be implemented four to five months before, the government decided to postpone its implementation till the availability of 3G and other features.
Speculations are rife that BSNL is currently planning to increase its broadband data rate from 2Mbps to 8Mbps in the next year( probably may 2008). It is more likely that if this is implemented, then all the other service providers will follow suite. But we do not have any official announcements regarding this matter.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Murali equals World record


Srilankan spinner Mutaih Muralidharan today equalled Shane Warne's record of 708 wickets in test matches by scalping Ravi Bopra in the first test match between Sri Lanka and England. Murali has also got three other wickets before scaling the summit. Earlier Australians denied Murali this feat by playing mammoth innings. But now he has done it in his own soil. At the first match in Kandy, he has struck four times to reduce England to 188 for 6 before rain halting his run. Even though there are many controversies surrounding his bowling action there will not be any second opinion about his line and length. He has troubled almost all the batsmen in the international arena with his ball and he deserves this feat. His team has also supported him extraordinarily in achieving this mark. They have stood by him during the time of controversies and have given him their full support on the field. It will be a great honor for him and his team-mates. Earlier he had said that he will also scale the 1000 wicket mark in test cricket. Let's hope he continues his work and achieve that record soon. Hats off to Murali!!

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Sony ericsson w960i review


October dawned a new beginning for walkman phone lovers with the advent of the new Sony Ericsson w960i. This is gifted with a mammoth 8gb internal storage and a 3.15 mega pixel camera. This phone actually caters both the music loving and the picture loving group. The phone also comes with new features like large touch-screen TFT display, 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities. But in reality it doesn't look that gorgeous though. It has same features as that of P1 smartphone. The dimensions include 109X55X16 and weighs around 119 gram. You have the touch sensitive music control keys right on the top of keypad. They have also given the music/camera control keys on the usual right hand side (but it carries a mark saying "8GB", just to show-off). There is only a dual-LED flash for the camera (not the Xenon one, as in the case of cyber-shot). It has GPRS, 3G, Bluetooth, WLAN and USB but there is no EDGE and IR port. It uses Symbian OS along with UIQ, user interface.
The Sony Ericsson W960 interface is UIQ 3.0 - a customizable stylus-based user interface for mobile phones, based on the Symbian 9.1 OS. The interface is the same one used in previous Sony Ericsson smartphones such as the W950, the P990, and the P1. With W960 however, the Walkman functionality is on focus. Probably the biggest update is the ability to change the well-known Today screen with a Walkman one. When the player is inactive, you have a big Walkman shortcut right in the middle of the screen. Once you get your music playlist rolling, the home screen will visualize every detail about the currently running track plus its album art. The most definite eye-catcher of all is the fullscreen visualizations.
On the standby screen, there are two pop-up menus. The first one can is launched by pressing the More softkey and the second one can be opened by touching the triangle in the upper left corner. While some of their functions overlap, the first one offers the option to turn on a connectivity feature, change the ringtone volume, view the smartphone status, and allows access to a call management option for filtering incoming calls. It's here that you can also access the Task manager. The other pop-up gives you access to the most important items or actions you may need or like to do - for example, you can again turn on connectivity options such as Bluetooth or WLAN, make a new call, add a new contact or put down some appointments and notes. Furthermore, it gives you access to the dual time zone clock and allows you to control the volume level for different events centrally. We are very pleased with this menu, as it allows quick access to the most important functions of any smartphone. The only downside is that it's only accessible with the stylus.
Finally for the Walkman lovers it the new phone to own. You will get the ultimate listening experience with the usual walkman features along with a sleek camera. My rating for this one is 4.2 in the scale of 5.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Ready for the Big Fight

William Gallas, Captain of the Arsenal Team said during the press meet that their is ready for the big fight. The young team believes that they could do even better than what they had done in their previous match against the Liverpool. For those who are unaware, both teams had earlier made a tie during this Champions League. And now they are looking forward to for the big fight!

Helping Hands

There are many people who are in need of your help. Wondering how to help them? It’s simple. This post is for those people who would like to donate boats or yatch to needy people. You need not worry a bit on the hassles of doing these boat donations. The boatangel.org takes complete care of the legal paper works. You could even get tax benefits for the charity you’ve done. Benefit yourselves by helping others. Make your donation now. Just click here. Donate my Boat to Charity.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Man U Vs Roma

The breathtaking form of Cristiano Ronaldo shows no sign of abating as Manchester United took two huge steps towards the Champions League semi-finals. Ronaldo made the breakthrough with his 36th goal of the campaign to leave Roma stunned. Then to heap more misery on the Italian title-chasers Wayne Rooney extended United's lead in the second half after a defensive mix-up in the six-yard box.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

India's strong Reply

South Africa made 540 all out. Amla scored more than 150 runs. Sreeshanth and Sehwag took one wicket each. Kumble took two but it was Harbhajan, who walked away with five wickets. Chennai has been the best hunting ground for Harbhajan. He has already scrapped 15 Australian wickets in the same soil in 2001. In reply to 540, Indians made a steady start and they were 87 for no loss at stumps. Sehwag scored his 14th half century and Jaffer was unbeaten on 29.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Arsenal out of race

Arsenal’s title dreams were thrashed by Chelsea, here at Stanford Bridge. Chelsea managed to win 2 – 1, courtesy a brace from Dider Drogba. Arsenal scored the opener from Cesc corner. Sagna netted his first goal for Arsenal but that was not enough to keep the host from winning. Avaram Grant’s substitution worked well this time too. Anelka gave a stunning pass to Drogba which he netted gleefully.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

F1 racing

Lewis Hamilton won his 8th race from pole position to claim the australian grand prix. Heidfeld of BMW came second and he was closely followed by Roseburg of Williams. The race saw only 7 of the entire lot completing it. It was total disaster for Fischicella and Force India, as he managed to cross only the first turn after which his car was nudged by someone from behind. There were several crashes and most of them retired due to track's soaring temparature.

Man City truimphs

Manchester City came from behind to win 2 - 1 against Tottenham. Onuoha scored his first goal for Man City which proved to be the turning point of the match. Earlier Spurs were leading, courtesy a goal from the captain Keane. It was 1 - 0 at half time. Then Onuoha scored a header from the corner. Bent netted the ball when it was just five minutes from time. So the final tally stood as 2 - 1 in favor of Man city. Sven will be very pleased with the result

Newcastle settles for a draw

Michel Owen scored his seventh goal of the season to get a valuable point for New castle. This is third point for the team in 8 matches. Earlier James McFadden scored the first goal of the match by breaking down the new castle defence. Later on things were leveled during tenth minute of the second half by Michel Owen. The scores remained 1 - 1 till the end.

Monday, March 10, 2008

ICL starts again

ICL's twenty20 matches started yesterday (9th). The first match was between Ahemadabad and Chandigarh Lions. In this second tournament, the first match between Ahmedabad Rockets and Chandigarh Lions. DR Martyn lead the Ahmedabad Rockets team. Chandigarh lions lead by CL cairns. Good entertainment for indian fans. ahemadabad won the toss and chose to bat. They made 158 runs. In reply Chandigarh managed to score only 139. Wavell hinds was adjudged player of the match.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Black Friday

Hello friends, today i'm going to write about 2008 thanksgiving specials. This site called black friday Ads is the official site for all the ads. They are reported to this site during the holiday season. This site provides you with useful details such as offers from different stores around your city. there are several famous stores like walmart, overstock,cyber stock.com, office depot and many more.

You can get details about the offers in each and every store upon specific products too. There are several coupons that are available for you to make your shopping experience easier and pleasant. You can get details like offers, shopping lists, deals, coupons, etc. The stores around you display their offers in the ‘Black Friday News’ section. There are also several black Friday ads that are available to choose from. This site will be very useful for you, if you are about to submit a black Friday ad or you a person related to media. In the deals section you find the best deals that are around you. There are several products that are available at the lowest possible price. With instant rebate, you almost get nearly 25 % off. So visit the site and get the best possible deal as soon as possible.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Sachin stars in India's win

India won the first final of the CB series by six wickets. This is due to sublime batting display from Sachin and Rohit. Sachin got his first ton on Australian soil and 42nd ton overall. He scored 117 runs in just 120 balls with 10 boundaries. He was in fine touch and it showed right from the start. He dispatched each and every bowler and never looked in trouble.
India's first wicket partnership reached the fifty mark and immediately Robin got out, he was on 17 at that time. Gambhir had a mix up with Sachin and got run out when he was on three. Yuvi as usual got out to Hogg when he had just 10 runs against his name. Indians looked to be in trouble at 87 for 3. But Rohit and Sachin got into the 120+ partnership to take India to their first ever win in SCG. This is the win for Indians in a final in Australian soil. Good Luck team India!!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

India in U - 19 finals

It is India Vs South Africa in the U - 19 world cup finals. South Africa defeated the defending champions Pakistan by 98 runs in the rain curtailed second ODI of the WC. They won by Duck worth Lewis method. Earlier India beat NZ by 3 wickets to enter the finals. The final is on Sunday 2nd March. Hope, the hat trick finalist become champions atleast this time. Most of the seniors have expressed their greetings to the U - 19 team. Lets extend our best wishes too.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Stars shine down

Today, IPL has started its auction for the players to share among the 8 teams. Chennai Super Kings nabbed Dhoni for a whopping 6 crore rupees. Gilchrist got the next highest bid of 2.8 crores from Hyderabad. Muralitharan joined Chennai for a sum of 2.4 crores. Mohali got Jayawardene for 1.8 crores. Shane Warne chipped in for Jaipur for 1.8 crores. SRK roped in Shoaib Akthar for $425,000 for his Kolkota team. Sangakara joined Mohali for USD 700,000.

NZ Vs England

This is really unbelievable. England set a target of 340 to win the fourth ODI for the NZ. But the result stunned everyone. It got tied. Ya, NZ managed to score same 340 runs but for the loss of 5 wickets. This means NZ are leading the series by 2 - 1 with the final ODI yet to be played. One question will remain for the readers, 'How was it possible to chase that mammoth target?'. The answer lies within. It because of 'How'. How managed to score 139 runs of 116 balls to give NZ a sight of victory but they squandered the opportunity at the slog overs. This match holds the record for highest total to be tied.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Manchester United thrash Arsenal

Manchester United ended Arsenal's FA Cup hopes with an astonishing salvo that saw the league leaders fall apart at the seams as last year's finalists glittered. Two goals from Darren Fletcher and one each from Wayne Rooney and Nani secured their place in the quarter-final. Arsenal's cause was not helped after Emmanuel Eboue was sent off in the 49th minute for a reckless challenge on Patrice Evra. Both United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger made five changes with vital Champions League matches ahead next week.

It was Ferguson, however, who was left smiling after this rout of their title rivals. United were the first to show and won a free-kick in the third minute when Fletcher was obstructed by Alexander Hleb. Anderson swung in the free-kick from the right but Rooney was unable to get any power or direction on his header. Nemanja Vidic then tried to pick out Rooney with a long ball, only for William Gallas to make a crucial interception.

United had started brightly and Anderson cracked in a volley in the ninth minute that Jens Lehmann did well to take cleanly. Arsenal again found themselves on the back foot in the 13th minute when Fletcher found space on the right. He delivered the ball into the area but it just skidded away from Park, who was in a good position. United made the breakthrough in the 16th minute following a corner from Nani.

Anderson flicked the ball on and Rooney headed it beyond Lehmann for his 11th goal of the season. Three minutes later United made it 2-0 after good work by Nani on the left. He chipped the ball into the area and Fletcher marked his first start in two months by heading home, although his effort seemed to take a deflection off Gallas. It was all United at this stage with Arsenal looking lethargic and out of sorts.

Nani and Anderson were showing good skill while Rooney was bright after missing the derby defeat by Manchester City through suspension. He latched on to a pass from Evra in the 32nd minute only to clip his effort wide of the post. Fletcher then picked out Rooney two minutes later but he failed to test Lehmann from inside the area.

However, Arsenal boss Wenger must have been alarmed at the amount of room Rooney was being given. And United made it 3-0 in the 38th minute following a pinpoint pass from Carrick from deep. Nani was alert and skipped goal-side of Hoyte to score with a low drive into the corner. It was becoming a rout with United making Arsenal pay for overtaking them at the top of the league last Monday.

Wenger was shifting uneasily in the technical area after seeing his side being ripped apart in the first half. However he had the option of bringing Adebayor on in the second half in what appeared already to be a damage-limitation exercise.

United started the second half where they had left off in the first with Rooney testing Lehmann in the 47th minute. A minute later the Arsenal goalkeeper had to look alert as a free-kick from Rooney spun off Fletcher. Arsenal's problems increased in the 49th minute when they were reduced to 10 men. Eboue was dismissed by referee Alan Wiley after a clumsy challenge left Evra on the floor.

Eboue refused to accept the decision and questioned the decision before being led away down the touchline. United were spraying the ball around, particularly Carrick, and Arsenal were being constantly stretched. Evra then picked out Nani inside the six-yard box after 58 minutes but his effort was safely taken by Lehmann.

While Lehmann was being kept busy, his opposite number Edwin van der Sar was having little to do. Rooney could have extended United's lead in the space of a couple of minutes but each time his finish was wasteful. Arsenal launched a rare counter-attack in the 64th minute but Eduardo da Silva headed over the top following a cross from Cesc Fabregas. Anderson then found himself in acres of space, only to toe-poke his effort wide of the target. Arsenal striker Adebayor was introduced in the 71st minute but three minutes later United made it 4-0. Fletcher scored his second goal of the game with a header at the far post following a cross from the irrepressible Nani.

The Portuguese star was beginning to showboat - much to the delight of the home fans. However he took exception to the way he was being marked and squared up to Gallas. United could have added to their tally but this was a super show nonetheless and secured their place in the quarter-finals. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson felt the FA Cup drubbing of Arsenal was the perfect response to last week's Manchester derby defeat.

Courtesy : Espn-star

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Raul and Casillas for Real Madrid throughout their life

Real Madrid striker Raul and goalkeeper Iker Casillas have signed contract extensions that will keep them at the Primera Liga club for the rest of their playing careers.

Spain's first-choice goalkeeper Casillas, 26, has tied himself to Real until 2017 while club captain Raul, 30, extended his deal by one year to 2011.

Both agreements will automatically roll over beyond the contracted periods if the players complete 30 official matches in the previous season.

"Iker Casillas and Raul have both agreed to stay with the club for the rest of their sporting lives," Real president Ramon Calderon told a news conference on Thursday.

"On this day, which is Valentine's day, Iker, Raul and Real can say they love each other, they need each other, and complement each other and will commit for life.

"I am not going to speak about money but I can say they will earn less than they deserve because the example they set for the young and the enthusiasm they transmit to the fans isn't quantifiable and you cannot put a value on it."

Both players entered Real's first team from the youth ranks, Raul in 1994 and Casillas in 1999, and have gone on to become stalwarts in the side.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Srilanka registers their first win

SrioLankans won a rain ridden 5th ODI against India to register their first win in this tri-series. Sreeshanth's quick fire 48 off just 18 balls helped Srilanks to gain an easy 8 wicket victory over the Indians, as he scored his runs during his bowling. He gave away 23 runs in a single over to boost up the run rate. The Indian batting clicked this time to score a whopping 195 runs in just 29 overs but that was not enough to stop Lankans especially Jayasurya who was in a punishing mood. He scored 27 runs in just 13 balls to up the ante early in the game. Tilakaratne Dilshan managed to stay till the end and become the man of the match for his fine knock of 62 in 59 balls. Mahela was the other batsman at the crease with 36 runs off 35 balls. Ishanth and Bhajji shared a piece each and the other bowlers were smashed all over the park. For India Rohit made 70 runs and remained unbeaten.

Arsenal Vs Blackburn

Arsenal beat Blackburn Rovers 2 - 0 to gain all three points from their home game. This ensured that Arsenal stayed on top of the premier league and are now five points clear of the second placed Manchester United. Senderos struck early for Arsenal. But after that Arsenal were made to sweat their heart out to maintain their lead. Adebayor ensured at the final moments that victory is sealed for the Gunners by scoring a stunning goal off Hleb's pass.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Man City wins

You've got the title right. Yes! It was victory for Manchester City and celebrations for Arsenal fans as they witnessed a stunning performance from City that brought down United by 2 - 1 at the Old Trafford. Man City dominated for most part of the first half and they took a deserving lead at the 24th minute. This time goal was scored by Vassel after a mad scramble in the box. Edwin saved twice but failed to hold the ball on both the occasions. This meant that Vassel was in with an easy chance and he made no mistakes in firing a left footed drive past the goal keeper. Later, just before half time, Benjani made it out of reach for Man U by slotting in a corner from Petrov. Man U pulled one back in the second half injury time. But it was too little too late. Now Arsenal are two points clear and also have a match in hand. If they win their home match against Blackburn, then it will almost clear the road for Arsenal. Wait here for the updates of Chelsea Vs Liverpool.

India win

India beat Australia by five wickets to win their third match in the survivor series. India moved to the top spot while Australians were pushed to second in the league table. This win can be contributed to the spirited bowling performance by the Indian Pace factory. Ishanth Sharma picked up four wickets and the rest of the pacers shared two wickets each. Regarding batting, Sachin got out after making 43 runs. Rest of the wickets fell cheaply. Dhoni and Rohit managed to stay at the crease till the end to guide India to a historic five wicket win.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Should Sachin follow Gilchrist's footsteps?

This is the poll conducted by Yahoo. Gilchrist has retired at the right time. He has retired when he is still in peak of his career, that too after breaking the world record for most number of dismissals by a wicket-keeper. Critics felt that Sachin should do the same. But what people felt is entirely different. Only 17% of the people felt that Sachin should follow Gilchrist. Nearly 70% felt that Sachin should continue and play his cricket. That's my wish too..

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Chelsea Vs Liverpool

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has all but ruled Fernando Torres out of Sunday's Barclays Premier League trip to Chelsea, despite the player's belief he would be fit to play. The 23-year-old lasted just 23 minutes of Spain's 1-0 friendly victory over France last night, asking to be substituted after suffering a hamstring problem. Benitez said on the club's official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv: "The news we have on Torres is that it is a hamstring injury. I need to talk to the doctor but I think he will miss this game. Normally it is a week when a player goes off like this. It is a big problem for us."

Torres revealed he had requested to be substituted last night and he had been confident of being fit for the trip to Stamford Bridge. "I preferred not to risk it. I demanded the change," he said. "I will have medical tests but I intend to play on Sunday against Chelsea." The loss of the club's top scorer would be a major blow for Benitez, who is already without Daniel Agger, Andriy Voronin, Alvaro Arbeloa, Fabio Aurelio and the suspended Xabi Alonso. On top of this, Javier Mascherano will not arrive back at Melwood until tomorrow, with Argentina playing a friendly against Guatemala later today.

Benitez said: "We have lost Torres and Mascherano is not back until tomorrow.

"I don't think it (the international friendly situation) is fair. I think Mascherano will be okay for Sunday but we will have to see."

IPL stars

Now that we know who owns the IPL teams, it is time to find out just who will grab the big name players and how much of a hole will the big names burn in the pockets of their franchise owners.

The tournament runs for a month and a half and CNN-IBN has learnt that the teams will have to fork out quite a handy sum to get these big name players.

Iconic players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahuld Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly will cost at least 400,000 US dollars each, that's about 1.6 crore rupees for each year. MS Dhoni will cost about the same.

Anil Kumble may not play the shorter version of the game for India anymore but whoever snaps him up will have to pay a neat 250,000 dollars. Harbhajan Singh will cost the same. Irfan Pathan will be cheaper but only by 75,000 dollars.

Surprisingly, Kumble may be more expensive for a team to acquire than the stars of India's Twenty20 world cup winning team.

Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag will cost at least 200,000 dollars each, that's about 80 lakh rupees.

But that still leaves one question unanswered. While some players like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Yuvraj have to play for their home franchises, who wants the others?

M S Dhoni, sources say, is being wooed by both Shah Rukh Khan for his Kolkata team and Mukesh Ambani for his Mumbai team. Robin Uthappa is on the radar of Vijay Mallaya's Bangalore team and Deccan Chronicle's Hyderabad team. And Preity Zinta is keen on getting Sreesanth to play for Mohali. Not surprisingly, the franchise owners aren't revealing their plans.

Vijay Rekhi, MD, United Spirits says: "We have already made a tentative list which has been about broadly. But that's a wish list, you know. Ultimately we have to decide after the availability of the players is known to us. "

Teams will have about 3.3 million dollars each to buy these players. The auction will take place sometime in the third week of February.

Courtesy : Yahoo news

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Rain plays spoilsport

The second one day international between India and Sri Lanka was washed out due to incessant rains. The play ended at the half way mark with Srilankans yet to bat. Earlier in the day Indians had a solid start, courtesy Viru and Sachin. But when both of them fell in quick succession, Indians were reeling at 84 for 4. Yuvi failed yet again. He managed to score only 2 runs and got out in the first over of Murali. Rohit Sharma was declared out by Rudi Koertzen. I still dunno the reason behind that. Sharma was fined some percent of his match fee for showing dissent. The Indian skipper stepped in and steadied the ship along with Gautham Gambhir. They fend off the pressure and started scoring at ease in the slog overs. They amassed 184 runs for the fifth wicket partnership. Gambhir completed his third ODI ton and Dhoni was unbeaten on 88 runs, India ended at 267 for 4 in 50 overs. There was yet another milestone waiting for the little master and he crossed it in style. This time he became the first man to cross 16000 runs in ODIs. No one is anywhere near him. Jayasurya, the second highest run getter is still 4000 runs behind. Undoubtedly, he is a master class.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Sania opts out of Bangalore open

Sania Mirza announced that she will not be participating in the upcoming Bangalore open. She told the reporters that she has decided to quit because of the controversies surrounding her. She added that if she participated in this open, she will be introduced to some controversies or other, so she opted out of it. She made a stunning revelation that she even considered quitting tennis due to these controversies but decided against that.

Arsenal on regains top spot

Manchester United salvaged a draw against TottenHam Hotspurs. A late goal by Carlos Tevez saved Man U from a grim defeat. Spurs were in a sublime form and were all set to win. They opened the scoring at the early first half with a strike from Berbatov. Tottenham also missed several chances to extend their lead. Carlos Tevez tapped in a free kick at 93rd minute to give one point for United. In some other game Chelsea were held to a one all draw by Pompey. Liverpool won 3 - 0 against Sunderland. Arsenal is now two points ahead of Man U with 60 points. Chelsea are 6 points behind the title leaders with 54 points.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Arsenal secures a win

Arsenal proved that they are the best side in the EPL by being the first tam to win at Eastlands at this season. They beat Man City 3 - 1 to snatch a temporary lead. Manchester United was supposed to start well but they were down 0 - 1 within few minutes of the start. Arsenal's win was due to Adebayor's brace and Edurado's scissors kick. Arsenal led 2 - 1 at the half time and they were the dominating team throughout the match. Even though Man City managed to put some pressure, Arsenal did fend off by their natural game play. Eventually the better team won in the end

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Gilchrist on retirement

Gilchrist made his one day debut in the year 1996 but he has retired now. That came as a shocker to the cricketing world. He told the reporters that dropping Laxman's catch made him realise that he is no longer agile and should shy away from the game. He added that he has taken the decision when he is in the pinnacle of his career, by achieving the feat of most number of dismissals by any keeper. So he is retiring with pride.

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Tait quits cricket indefinitely

Tait, the destructive bowler in the Australian side, has decided to give up cricket for a short span of time. Tait played a key role in the Australian world cup victory by claiming 23 wickets in the tournament. He cited emotional and physical exhaustion as the reasons to quit cricket indefinitely. His come back game against the Indians proved to be a useless one with Tait ending up without any entries in the wicket column. He said that he will undergo some special programs to recuperate soon. Tait's absence will leave the Aussies devastated. It is note worthy that Mcgrath has also retired from the ODI squad.

Harbhajan Singh's charges dropped

The announcement came as a relief for most of the cricket fans. All racism charges against Harbhajan Singh are dropped and the tour of India will continue as planned. Three weeks after the controversy erupted, the racism charge against Harbhajan Singh was found to be not proven by Justice John Hansen, hearing the appeal, on Tuesday. Harbhajan was instead charged with a Level 2.8 offence - abuse and insult not amounting to racism - to which he pleaded guilty and was fined 50 per cent of his match fees. Justice Hansen said that he was convinced that level 3.3 offense was not proven against Bhajji, instead he can be charged under level 2.8 for which bhajji pleaded guilty. Cricket Australia spokesmen said that both the Indian and the Australian cricket boards are happy with the decision.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Connectors

Small things matter a lot while building a house. You might have seen the famous advertisement about the leaking fiber which leads to loss of money and data. It is from the warehouse of a famous seal makers. But you can avoid such mishaps by just ensuring that the connectors which you use are of highest quality and does not leak at any cost.
Econnek is the best place where you can buy all sorts of connectors. Connectors range from simple plastic connectors to much high end metal connectors with 5 plugs in it. They are well known for their quality. These are the best connectors you can find along the globe. They have excellent service facilities and other associated things like customer care, etc.
The best thing is that they provide replacement for faulty parts without much questioning and other formalities. There are several push pull connectors to meet your size and schedule. They can be broadly classified into metals and plastics. There are metal plugs and metal receptacles, plastic plugs and plastic receptacles. Their replacement parts work with your electrical interconnect system design to provide a cost-effective alternative to high-priced brand name components.
Once you have decided the type of the connector, then you can concentrate on the design, price and shipping,etc,. The other main aspect is the cost. Most of the replacement parts are cost effective. While viewing the connectors available, you can sort them according to the price, quality, availability, etc. They are having shipping times as low as 24 hours. Maximum time taken for shipping would be just 4 days. They accept all well established credit cards like Visa, Master card, etc. So that has made your payment more easier. If you have intentions to buy more then you can make your own shopping cart by signing up in this site and just collecting the items you need.

Filintoff hopes to return

ngland all rounder Andrew Flintoff said he hopes to make his return from injury this summer.

Flintoff, 30, underwent a fourth operation on his troublesome left ankle in October and has since been building up his fitness with rehabilitation periods in South Africa and the United States.

"I'm not making big statements about when I'll be playing again but, fingers crossed, I'll be OK for the summer," he told British daily The Sun on Monday.

"I'm just taking things steadily. It's not worked the last three or four times I've tried to get back so I won't rush it this time."

England host New Zealand and South Africa in test series this summer

Australia wins the series

The fourth and the final test match between India and Australia ended in a draw which meant that the Australians have retained their Border - Gavaskar trophy. Sehwag scored a beautiful 151 runs before getting out. Indians ended the day at 267 for 7. Both the teams managed to play out for a draw. It was disappointing that Dhoni failed yet again. Sachin was awarded man of the match whereas Brett Lee was awarded man of the series. It is worth to note that this is the last match for Gilchrist

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sania Mirza loses


Mahesh Bhupati and Sania Mirza lost in the finals of the Australian open to Sun and Zim. The match lasted only for a couple of sets and ended within an hour. They lost 7 - 6, 6 - 4 in straight sets. They came through the first set well but did not managed to hold on in the tie breaker. Chinese are well known for their performance and they have proved it again. They denied Sania her first career grand slam title.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Gilchrist Retires

Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement from the test cricket. He made this shocking announcement earlier today after the conclusion of the third day's play in Adelaide. He also said that he will retire from the ODI after the triangular series. Gilchrist currently surpassed the record for most number of dismissals by any wicket keeper. It would be really difficult job for Australia to find a replacement for him. This Adelaide test will be his last one. Earlier Australia ended the day at 322 for 3. The match is clearly heading towards a draw. R P singh injured himself and will not play for the next couple weeks.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Federer out of Aus open

It was a shoking defeat for Federer as he lost to Djokovic in straight sets earlier this day. Federer who was the defending champion was knocked out by the third seeded Djokovic in an uncharacteristically short match in which the final sets read 7 - 5, 6 - 1 and 7 - 6 against the world no.1. Now it will be the turn of Djokovic to face the music against Tsong in the finals which will be held tomorrow. Tsong knocked out Rafael Nadal in the other semi-final match. Federer committed too many unforced errors which lost the match for him. He should improve his game as he came out of a similar situation earlier in the tournament against Tipseravic. Meanwhile, Sania and Mahesh Bupathi advanced to the finals of the mixed doubles events. This is the first grand slam finals for the Indian tennis star Sania Mirza. Mahesh has won 6 mixed doubles title with 6 different partners. Let's hope he does that again.

From marks to No marks

Hi friends , its a known fact that the Stretch marks are mostly common to every women who experience being pregnant and give birth. Many of them found its depressing and desperately looking for stretch marks cream to get rid of them as possible others uses some creams while they are pregnant to prevent stretch marks. However if you are among of those women who are suffering from those scarry looking stretch marks in you abdomen, revitol stretch mark cream is perfect for you.

Revitol stretch mark cream can bring back the natural elasticity or your skin. It protects the skin, but also regenerates the damaged cells of your skin. It further strengthens the collagen and elastin found in lower epidermis with the help of vitamin E and grapefruit seed extract. This cream has been proven and tested by many people who were having the same problem as yours. They found it really helpful and worked great either you applied it during early stages of pregnancy or after delivering a baby. You just don't have to forget to apply it daily to the areas where stretch marks are noticeble. In addition, this product is not only effective in preventing stretch marks but eventually its effective at scars too.

So why not try it now! Experience a beautiful and youthful change of your skin. Get back your skin that you had before pregnancy. Lead a beautiful life.

India in control

Indians ended their first innings at a mammoth total of 526 runs with half centuries from Kumble and Harbhajan Singh taking India past the 500 run mark. Indians started the day badly as they lost both Sachin and Dhoni in quick succession. Dhoni failing yet again in this innings as he managed only 16 runs of just 64 balls. Sachin crossed 150 run mark and fell to a bouncer from Lee. Indians were reeling at 359 for 7. That marked the beginning of the partnership between Kumble and Bhaji. Kumble played a captain's knock and scored 87 runs. Bhajji got out after crafting 63 runs to his credit. This is his second fifty in this series. They held a partnership of 107 runs. R P singh departed as soon as he came. Ishanth Sharma was unbeaten on 14. Kumble was the last wicket to fall to Johnson. Gilchrist crossed the world record for most number of dismissal by a wicket-keeper by taking the wicket of Kumble. Australians were 62 for no loss at stumps on day 2.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Dhoni on DADA

"It has affected the press more than us" said Dhoni when he was asked about the exclusion of Sourav Ganguly. Indian ODI captain dismissed reports about Ganguly's unhappiness and said that the practice sessions for the Adelaide test were going on as usual. Earlier Dhoni was blamed for DADA's exclusion. Ganguly and dravid were not informed before hand about their exclusion, so that really upset them. Alleged reports suggested that immediately after the announcement of the team Ganguly was unhappy and went to the beach to get out this mood. Dhoni has picked his own team that nealy contained all the players from the T20 winning side.

Sensex crash yet again

The Indian stock market tumbled for second day in a row today. BSE Sensex lost more than 2000 points in the intra day trade and NIFTY touched the 4500 mark and then both of them started recovering. Now BSE has recovered 1200 points but it is still at 16797 and NSE has recovered 450 points with its current tally of 4894. Mean while, the finance minister has asked the investors to stay calm and he assured them that this fall will not affect the market in the long run. Prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh said that Indian economy will not falter as it is having strong foundation and the investors need not worry about their future. Similar trend is reflected in the other Asian and American stock markets too.

Monday, January 21, 2008

SIR Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar


Its another honor at stake for Sachin Tendulkar. He has crossed several milestones in his careers and he will be remembered as the greatest cricketer of all time in the annals of cricketing history. This time, visiting British Prime minister, Gordon Brown has declared that sports persons like Sachin should be honored for his works. He also told that he will recommend his name for the 'SIR' title. There are only a few greats who have received such high accords from the British government. It includes greats like Donald Bradman, Edmund Hilary, etc. Sachin will be proud and so will be the whole India, if his name is accepted.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Ganguly dropped - ODI squad announced

The big three, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman, were dropped for the ODI series which is set to begin from February. It also includes a T20 match. The squad lies like this, Sachin, Sehwag, Piyush, Ishanth Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Kartick, Dhoni (c & wk), Yuvraj Singh (vc), Munaf, Irfan Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Praveen Kumar. Mark my words, they will definitely face a humiliating defeat at the hands of Australians and the Sri lankans. The pitches will be of great challenge for such young guns to withstand. They will perish. They will bite dust. They will suffer

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Australian open

Federer survived a scare to come from behind and win a match in its fifth set. The match lasted for almost 4 hours and 15 minutes. Federer was given a run for his money by Tipsarevic. In the first set Federer dominated and led 5 - 3. But TIP broke the serve of fedex to win the first set 7 - 6. Later Federer won the second 7 - 5. The third set also went to the wire and TIP won the tie-breaker 7 - 6. But Fedex came back strongly and won the fourtrh 6 - 1. With that win everyone thought that it would be Federer all the way. But it was not so. TIP came back strongly and didn't allow federer to break his serve. Federer held his serve for long enough. The match proceeded as both the players had won 6 games each in the final set. Atlast, Federer managed to break TIP's serve when he was serving for his 9th game of the set. And then as usual Federer held on to the lead to proceed to the next round winning the final set 10 - 8. In some other match Sania Mirza succumbed to Venus Williams 7 - 6, 6 - 4. She reached the 3rd round, which was her best performance in any grand slam event. But after that she couldn't manage to survive. But she still has a chance in the doubles event.

India conquers Perth

Finally, the battle of Perth ended in just four days. Australians were sent packing out of WACA. Indians have created history by winning the third test match against Australia by 72 runs. India playing with 11 against 11 (not 13 or 14 this time) managed to take 20 Australian wickets in just under 2 days. That's really special. Australians have not lost a match in Perth for the past ten years. But by this victory, Indians halt the winning run of the Australia and denied Ponting to be the most successful captain with more consecutive wins in the history of test cricket. Earlier in the day Ponting and Hussey continued the proceedings until Ishanth Sharma struck. He dismissed Ponting for second time in the same match. Ponting misjudged the bounce and edged on back which was taken safely in the slips.
Hussey fell to R P singh's brilliant delivery. He was out LBW when he was on 43. Clarke was in sublime touch and continued to threaten the Indians. He along with Symonds scored at his own will. Jumbo got rid of Symonds and turned the tide. Gilchrist tried to settle in but captain, Kumble made a wise decision by giving the ball to Sehwag. Sehwag picked up two quick wickets to put Aussies in the back foot. From then on, it was India all the way. Finally R P Singh dismissed Tait to claim the much fought Indian victory. Australians fell short of 72 runs to their assigned 413 target. There will be wild celebrations all over the country and I'm going to join them.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Transfer News

Fred disappoints Tottenham fans as he plans to stay in the Lyon for years to come. He said that he was happy with the current club and will not leave to any other club. Lassa Diarra is confident of striking a 5.5 million deal for a move from Arsenal to Portsmouth. Lucas Podolski expressed his desire to play for Manchester City. So Sven Goran Ericsson is set to sign his first player for this year in the January transfer window. Seria A leaders Inter Milan have signed Maniche on loan for the rest of the season. Meanwhile Juventus are planning to sign Diego, the Brazilian play maker who is valued at 30 million pounds.

India in control

Indians are in full control of the third test match against Australia in Perth. Yes, its true. Indians are leading the Aussies by 170 runs. Sehwag and Pathan are still in crease. In a day which saw loss of 15 wickets (10 of them are Australians), Indians did managed to get out of the umpiring saga and performed extremely well. At close of play, Indians were 52 for the loss of 1 wicket. Wasim Jaffer was the man to go and tomorrow's play will determine the winner. If India manages to score 350 plus runs in the third day then they are the winners. But on the other hand, if Australians get rid of India below 300, then it will be their 17 straight win. So, the match is said to be evenly poised but the Indians have an edge over the Aussies. Let's hope for some real action on day three.

Kumble bags 600th wicket

It will in the history book as a golden page, Kumble became the first Indian bowler to cross 600 test wickets. On the second day of the Perth test Kumble achieved this feat by scalping the in-form Andrew Symonds. He is the third bowler in the world to cross the 600 wicket mark. Only Shane Warne and Muthaih Muralidharan are ahead of Jumbo. Australians were reeling at 179 for 6 in their first innings. Earlier Indians were bowled out for 330 runs. Dhoni managed to score only 19 runs, Pathan scored 27, Kumble out for 1 and RP singh for a duck. The Indian Pace battery ran through the Australian top order. Hussey out for duck, Rogers managing only 4 runs, Phil out for just 8 and Ponting getting himself out at 20. But Australia recovered from 67 for 5 to reach 148 for 5 at tea. Thanks to the sublime batting display from Andrews and Gilly. But then Kumble came in and took the wicket of Symmo in an important juncture. Indians are having the upper hand in this test match. But there is still a lot of time left for the Aussies to recover and turn the tables.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Sony and World Sports Group Bag IPL TV rights

It was the world's largest telecast deals in the cricketing history. The India based Sony television network and Singapore based World Sports Group bagged the rights for the Indian Premier League. They grabbed the ten year deal for over 1 billion USD. This is sub divided into 908 million dollars for telecast rights and 108 million dollars for promoting the event. The IPL is a BCCI-backed Twenty20 league involving eight franchises and its inaugural season will consist of 59 games and is scheduled to start in April 2008. Each franchise will play the others on a home-and-away basis, with the top four sides going through to the semi-finals. The two IPL finalists will also advance to the new Champions Twenty20 tournament, which features the best teams of the domestic Twenty20 tournaments, tentatively scheduled for October 2008.

Wenger frustrated with his team's attitude

Arsenal were supposed to be leading the group table with three points from the match against Birmingham. But they took their opponents very lightly and paid the price for it. Birmingham battled well to hold Gunners to a 1 - 1 draw. Wenger was very much frustrated. He later told that, "The crowd pushed us on, but we paid the price for losing concentration on the set pieces. We thought that it was going to be very easy but we didn't create that many chances." Arsenal were missing Thomas Rosicky and Robin Van Persie. But their efforts seemed to be below par when it came to handling the late pressure. It was a disappointing performance by the Arsenal for the fans. It was like rubbing salt to the wounds when Manchester united thrashed New Castle 6 - 0. Definitely this title race will go to the wire. Enjoy all the action here..

Hogg charges dropped

Indians drop charges agianst Bradd Hogg as a notion of good will. This decision came up after the Ponting - Kumble meet. Both captains were satisfied with the way the meeting went and were confident of carrying forward the game in its right spirit. In the meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh's hearing will most probably conducted after the end of the fourth test match in the down under series. Ranjan Madugalle, who presided over the meeting was happier and hoped that no more controversies mar the rest of the series. Bradd Hogg also welcomed the gesture.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Arsenal slips to second spot

Manchester United and Arsenal share the same points but Man U are leading the EPL table with respect to the goal difference. These were due to the last night premier league action. Birmingham salvaged a draw against the Gallic Gunners but Manchester United thrashed New castle 6 - 0. Arsenal opened their account by scoring in the penalty chance. But Birmingham scored as soon as the second half started and managed to held on to a draw. But it was Manchester united all the way. They scored six goals in all to win in an over-whelming manner and maintain a decent goal difference. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and others like Tevez, Ferdinand scored the goals. Let's hope that Arsenal manages to win the forthcoming games and possibly regain the top spot at the end of the season.

J K Ritheesh is back

The 'Kaanal neer' hero, J K Ritheesh is back in the news. He is acting in the movie 'Naayagan'. Some unconfirmed reports suggest that he has voiced his protest against the ban of Jalli kattu. This is the traditional game which has been in India since 16th century. A bull is made to run at a bewildering speed and the youngsters around will try and control the bull. Usually, most of the people will get injured and only a few will manage to halt its run. Supreme court has banned this sport saying that bull is being tortured too much in this game. Protests have been coming from all angles and the farmers and others have planned to observe 'Black Pongal' in view of this ban.

Some Rugby News

I have some special interest in the sports department and hence I used to gather lot of information about the sports which are not so popular in my country. That's how I landed on this sport. While collecting the statistics I found that rbs6nations site was very useful to me. It helped me a lot by giving up to date information about the rugby game and its also having the future fixtures and predictions. This rugby podcast site, which I found while surfing, consists of information regarding the international, under20, under18 and many other rugby events. It is also having a lot of news about the women rugby which was very rare to find across the web. There are several nations playing rugby but nations like England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales are the formidable ones. Besides having textual reports this website boasts of having multimedia content related to match. You can watch the important moments of a match, if you have missed a match due to some reasons. They are also podcasting it on the mobile phones too but unfortunately it is only for those who are having an O2 handset. Along with these things they also have magazine, online store and fan zone, which are stocked with many interesting things for the rugby lovers. So if you are very much interested in playing rugby this site would be definitely useful for you.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Sehwag hits a ton

Karthick and Sehwag were set to score a ton for each of them but unfortunately Karthick missed out. But the highlight of the final day's play is the innings of Viru. He did a sort of Blitzkrieg attack on the opposition bowlers. He scored 113 runs off 78 runs. It included 18 fours and 2 sixes. Karthick was scoring steadily and made a fine knock of 97 runs before falling leg before wicket to Bulger. Jaffer managed only 21 runs in the second innings. But it became a usual thing for Yuvi to get out in single digit scores. He continued his sublime form by getting out after scoring three runsto Perera. Now Rahul Dravid and Irfan Pathan are at the crease with India scoring 281 for the loss of four wickets.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Yuvi fails yet again

Even in the practice match Yuvraj Singh failed to make an impact as Indians resumed their on field action on Day one of the warm up match in Australia against ACT XI. Indians declared the day at 325 for 9 with Wasim Jaffer missing out a well deserved century and Rahul Dravid, the only senior in the side, contributing 68 runs in the middle order. Sehwag, who was set to find a place in the playing XI for the next test, failed to capitalise on a good start. He got out in the same fashion as he has done i the past after scoring a well conjured 24 runs. Dinesh Karthick followed him y playing a loose shot after making 25 runs. Dhoni managed just 38 runs. But the greatest failure was Yuvi, who scored only two runs. ACT XI were 10 for no loss at stumps.

Arsenal held by Spurs

Arsenal manged to score a late equalizer to square the home match and there by maintaining the undefeated run. Tottenham looked to get away with a win and celebrate their first victory over Gunners since 1999 but Theo Walcott ensured that his side clinged to the feat for some more time by scoring a lucky goal past the Spurs' keeper. It was cruel on Spurs after they dominated for long spells but at least they have the consolation of going back to White Hart Lane for the second leg on January 22 with the tie still in the balance.

“Tottenham played well but we came back,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports. “In the second-half they were on top of us because we weren’t at our best physically but we came back to 1-1 so that’s a positive result.”

Spurs captain Ledley King, one of several young English players who would have impressed watching England manager Fabio Capello, said: “I thought we deserved to win the game.

“We knew they would come back at us, they always seem to come back and we are disappointed we didn’t get the win.

“It’s half the job done at the moment. It will be a tough game (in the second leg) but we’re ready for it.”

Ramos finally lost patience with Paul Robinson, dropping the goalkeeper to the bench after his latest error-strewn display against Reading on Saturday.

Robinson, who has already lost his England place this season, was replaced by Radek Cerny, the Czech keeper making just his fifth appearance this term.

As usual in the League Cup, Wenger fielded a mixture of precocious youngsters and experienced reserves, with Robin van Persie, back from a knee injury, in the starting line-up for only the second time in three months.

Lets hope Arsenal win their away match which is scheduled on 22nd of this month to ensure progress in the cup

Tata NANO


Tata proved his critics wrong by unveiling the world's cheapest car, TATA Nano. He drove his way into the gallery in his dream car and said that he has kept his promise by delivering the car at the price tag of Rs. 1 lakh. It is the much awaited car not only in the Indian market but also globally. He said that his car would meet all the requirements of clean standards and will have emissions lower than that of a two wheeler. He also said that he is planning to release it by the end of this year. The car is a beauty with 624cc engine which is at its back and has a length of only 3.1 meters. The petrol variant has the mileage of 23 kmpl and the diesel variant is expected to be released by the fall of this year. This will be the hottest cake if TATAs are able to maintain the quality when they are mass producing it. Let's hope it revolutionizes the entire car market.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Types of computer viruses

Types of computer viruses
Adam and Eve virus: Takes a couple of bytes out of your Apple.

Airline virus: You're in Dallas, but your data is in Singapore.

Anita Hill virus: Lies dormant for ten years.

Arnold Schwarzenegger virus: Terminates and stays resident. It'll be back.

AT&T virus: Every three minutes it tells you what great service you are getting.

The MCI virus: Every three minutes it reminds you that you're paying too much for the AT&T virus.

Bill Clinton virus: This virus mutates from region to region and we're not exactly sure what it does.

Bill Clinton virus: Promises to give equal time to all processes: 50% to poor, slow processes; 50% to middle-class processes, and 50% to rich ones. This virus protests your computer's involvement in other computer's affairs, even though it has been having one of its own for 12 years.

Congressional Virus: Overdraws your computer.

Congressional Virus: The computer locks up, screen splits erratically with a message appearing on each half blaming the other side for the problem.

Dan Quayle virus: Prevents your system from spawning any child processes without joining into a binary network.

Dan Quayle virus: Simplye addse ane ee toe everye worde youe typee..

David Duke virus: Makes your screen go completely white.

Elvis virus: Your computer gets fat, slow, and lazy and then self destructs, only to resurface at shopping malls and service stations across rural America.

Federal bureaucrat virus: Divides your hard disk into hundreds of little units, each of which do practically nothing, but all of which claim to be the most important part of the computer.

Freudian virus: Your computer becomes obsessed with marrying its own motherboard.

Gallup virus: Sixty percent of the PCs infected will lose 38 percent of their data 14 percent of the time (plus or minus a 3.5 percent margin of error).

George Bush virus: Doesn't do anything, but you can't get rid of it until November.

Government economist virus: Nothing works, but all your diagnostic software says everything is fine.

Jerry Brown virus: Blanks your screen and begins flashing an 800 number.

Madonna virus: If your computer gets this virus, lock up your dog!

Mario Cuomo virus: It would be a great virus, but it refuses to run.

Michael Jackson virus: Hard to identify because it is constantly altering its appearance. This virus won't harm your PC, but it will trash your car.

New World Order virus: probably harmless, but it makes a lot of people really mad just thinking about it.

Nike virus: Just Does It!

Ollie North virus: Turns your printer into a document shredder.

Oprah Winfrey virus: Your 200MB hard drive suddenly shrinks to 80MB, and then slowly expands back to 200MB.

Pat Buchanan virus: Shifts all your output to the extreme right of your screen.

Paul Revere virus: This revolutionary virus does not horse around. It warns you of impending hard disk attack---once if by LAN, twice if by C:.

Paul Tsongas virus: Pops up on December 25 and says, "I'm not Santa Claus."

PBS virus: Your PC stops every few minutes to ask for money.

Politically correct virus: Never calls itself a "virus", but instead refers to itself as an "electronic microorganism".

Richard Nixon virus: Also known as the "Tricky Dick Virus", you can wipe it out but it always makes a comeback.

Right To Life virus: Won't allow you to delete a file, regardless of how old it is. If you attempt to erase a file, it requires you to first see a counselor about possible alternatives.

Ross Perot virus: Activates every component in your system, just before the whole thing quits.

Ted Kennedy virus: Crashes your computer but denies it ever happened.

Ted Turner virus: Colorizes your monochrome monitor.

Terry Randle virus: Prints "Oh no you don't" whenever you choose "Abort" from the "Abort, Retry, Fail" message.

Texas virus: Makes sure that it's bigger than any other file.

UK Parliament virus: Splits the screen into two with a message in each half blaming other side for the state of the system.

Warren Commission virus: Won't allow you to open your files for 75 years.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Primera Liga

Another action packed night in whichReal Madrid restored their seven-point lead at the top of the Primera Liga on Sunday after downing Real Zaragoza, but it was far from comfortable for the leaders. Zaragoza created the better chances in the first hour of the match, but two goals in quick succession from Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robinho earned Real their ninth league win out of nine at the Bernabeu this season.

It also ensured Bernd Schuster's men did not see their advantage at the top of the table trimmed by second-placed Barcelona's victory on Saturday night. The opening 20 minutes passed by with precious little goalmouth action of note, with Real's best effort coming from a Julio Baptista header that was comfortably saved by Javier Lopez Vallejo.

At the other end, Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas also had a fairly comfortable start to the match, with Zaragoza's highly-rated strike duo of Ricardo Oliveira and Diego Milito being kept relatively quiet.

The game began to liven up after that though, with Oliveira convinced he had put Zaragoza ahead in the 22nd minute only to see his celebrations cut short by an offside flag, before Milito was denied by Casillas when clean through on goal.

Soon after Oliveira's disallowed effort, hosts Real created their best opening of the half through Miguel Torres, who was on as a replacement for the injured Gabriel Heinze. The young defender did well to work his way through the visiting defence and he was unlucky to see his chip over Lopez Vallejo blocked by a covering defender with the goal gaping.

Casillas was proving the busier of the two keepers in the first half though, and he was forced into a diving stop just before the break by Sergio Garcia'slow shot. League leaders Real continued to look out of sorts at the start of the second half as well, and Casillas was immediately called into action to push away Alberto Zapater's shot from the edge of the box.

Soon after that Real coach Schuster decided to make his second change of the match, bringing on playmaker Guti to the delight of the home fans. Despite that switch it was still Zaragoza who were looking the more likely scorers, and Carlos Diogo had a great chance to put his side ahead only to see his 59th-minute header superbly stopped on the line by Casillas.

Real were then saved by the woodwork two minutes later when Oliveira's shot from the corner of the area beat Casillas but ebounded back out off the far post. A first home league defeat in almost a year for Real looked on the cards at that point but, totally against the run of play, the champions managed to take an undeserved lead in the 66th minute.

For just about the first time in the match Robinho attacked his marker with speed and, having easily bypassed Zaragoza full-back Juanfran, the Brazilian then dinked in a pinpoint cross that Van Nistelrooy headed home from six yards out.

Robinho himself then made it 2-0 in the 77th minute. Zaragoza centre-back Sergio lost possession in Real territory and Baptista quickly fed the Brazilian who raced from the halfway line before firing home from the edge of the box. Raul could have made it 3-0 seconds later but he put the ball wide following Van Nistelrooy's low cross It was not to prove costly however even though Casillas was called into action to make two vital stops late on.

Brad Hogg charged

Atlast some actions against the champion side. Acting upon Chetan Chauhan's complaint ICC has charged the Chinaman bowler, Brad Hogg, with level 3 of ICC code of conduct. It has to be noted that earlier Harbhajan was also charged under the same code and was later found guilty. Brad Hogg was seen using foul language on Kumble and Dhoni in the field. His hearing is on 14th of this month and he could also face a ban of 2-4 tests, if found guilty.

Is this a victory?

Atlast ICC has officially announced that it has replaced the umpires by a new set and hence Bucknor will not be officiating in the third test. But unfortunately for this announcement itself most of the people were celebrating down the street. This is not a victory at all. Still we have Bhajji's decision pending. ICC has given him some respite by saying that he can play until the final verdict arrives. But I do not think there is any action taken against Punter, Clarke and Hogg. This clearly shows that somewhere something went terribly wrong. Now the fate of the series lies in the hands of ICC's decision. Meanwhile, Indian players took a day off from the happenings by enjoying the Sydney beach. Lets hope the series doesn't get uglier and ends in a fair manner.

Deepika and Nayanthara for Robot

This is the latest unconfirmed news about the Rajni starrer Robot, the two hot heroines of Indian film industry are set to join hands for this film. Already this mega budget film is making waves in the industry. Nayantara, who played superstar’s pair in ‘Chandramukhi’, is tipped to become his pair again, it is rumored that the latest Bollywood sensation Deepika Padukone would don an important role. Both girls are hot and happening. Nayantara has made everyone sit up and watch her by her stunning looks in ‘Billa’, while Deepika has grabbed the attention of entire nation by her magical charm in Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Om Santhi Om’. Going by the huge expectations of the mega budget film, the two popular heroines would definitely add colour to the science fiction story of Shankar. Lets hope Rajni rocks in this film too.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Who is Racist?

An Australian newspaper morphed Symonds' face with that of god Hanuman and published it after his truimph over Harbhajan Singh. This has led to strong protest across the country. Earlier, Bhajji was awarded a three match ban. But many believed that he did not utter any sort of nonsense. There were alleged reports that there is no direct evidence that proves Bhajji to be offensive. But the committee decided against him. BCCI has decided to appeal against the ban. The future of the ongoing series lies in this verdict. Reports suggest that Indians might cancel the tour if the ban is not lifted. They have not yet moved out of Sydney. Let's hope the ban gets lifted yet team India cancels its tour!?

Sunday, January 6, 2008

****ing umpiring decisions

In a match where Ricky ponting became the third umpire and Indians were playing against 13 on field opponents yet they manged to bring it down the wire. Top three batsmen were given out based on the appeals by the australians, worst of all Ganguly was given out by Ponting rather than the umpire. Just a chat with any Australians regarding this will land them into trouble of racial slur. Umpires have judged Sachin 4 out of 6 times wrongly when he was in the late nineties last year. Now a match which India could have won easily was forced to a defeat. Indians almost managed to come out of a defeat but the umpires stood in the way. BCCI has expressed concern over these things. They are planning to lodge an official complaint to the ICC. But I think it will not do any good, Ponting and the umpires have to be fined for breaching the rules and if this situation continues, the Indians should recall the tour. They should not have any regrets in doing so. Indians are cheated right from the start of the series down under. Seven decisions went against the Indian team when they were batting and four when they were bowling. So these decisions turned the match entirely in favor of Australia. The Australians should be 200 to 300 runs short but with the help of the umpires they have made it. It takes great team effort, technique and character to win a test match, in this manner, Ponting should be really proud about this win.

Please note : The four letters in the title is just "hurt" and not any other four letter word. click the play button twice to play the video.

Unparalled old gems

After India has won the T20 world championship many believed that seniors are just burden to the team rather than assets. With Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman being out of form, Sachin with his injury woes, they all thought that team India will no longer require their services. Youngsters proved that in the shorter version of the game against Pakistan. But when it comes to test cricket, where technique mattered more than power, courage counted more than aggression, the youngsters failed. Dhoni, Yuvi and Jaffer have not crossed the 20 run mark in the first three innings of the test series down under. To accommodate Yuvraj, the entire Indian batting line up was shattered yet he failed three consecutive times. He failed to capitalize on the opportunity given to him by the team management.
If we have a look at the Australians, then we can learn that they will not compromise an established position for a new comer. For example Ricky ponting did not sacrifice his position for any new comer. They allowed the new comer as opener and he performed well. This is what the Indians should have done. When they are having the world's best one-down batsmen, why are you converting him as an opener and wasting him? Laxman is also know for his ability to bat with the tail. By sending him up the order, we are wasting him too. This is all done for Yuvi but he failed to cross the double digit mark.
Now coming Dhoni, he has not proved his point in test cricket. He "was" a great one-day player but in tests he still has room for improvement. He also cannot take his place in the test team for granted. He should put a price on his wicket, then only he will justify his selection. He got out playing similar shots in almost all the three innings. It would be better if we bring Sehwag in and reshuffle the entire batting order to the old one. Let's hope it is implemented sooner rather than the end of a series white wash.

Cesc Fabregas happy with Arsenal

Another speculation and another denial. This time its from Cesc. Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas admits it is flattering to be linked with Real Madrid, but has again insisted he is happy at the Gunners. Real have long been admirers of the Spanish international, and Fabregas revealed last summer he had spoken with president Ramon Calderon and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic during the close season. Real have so far been unable to bring the former Barcelona youth product back to his homeland, but reports in Spain continue to link the Primera Liga champions with the 20-year-old, with suggestions of a potential swoop this summer.

However, Fabregas is adamant he knows nothing about the rumours and that he is still fully committed to achieving success with Arsenal, with whom he signed an eight-year contract extension last season. "I don't know. We are in January and I don't know anything," said Fabregas in Spanish newspaper AS. "Everybody already knows it makes me happy that a team like Real Madrid wants me. It is a great compliment. (But) now I am at Arsenal and I want to win the Premier League. Right now, I would die for Arsenal. "Here I feel very relaxed and important, and for me that is fundamental. That is invaluable. I enjoy playing." Fabregas admits there is no way of knowing what the future holds for him, though.

"At the age I am now, with all that has happened and when you see how things change in football, it is very difficult for me to say that I am going to go or that I am going to stay," he added. "It depends on many factors. Now I am happy, but you never know what is going to happen."

Birthday Boy


Its time to celebrate for all A R Rahaman fans. He turns 42 today and will continue to rock. He is one of the greatest music directors the film industry has ever produced. His first film is Roja (Tamil). He has mesmerized all audiences without any language barriers. He has won several awards and appreciations. His highs include performing for on stage version of the famous Lord of the Rings, Bombay Dreams and more recently Sivaji. Most of his movies have become a hit due to his music alone. He is the favorite music director for millions of people across the globe and will continue to be the same.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Deepika - Yuvi

Deepika padukone turns 22 on saturday. She is in Australia for a film shoot. But reports suggest that she is there due to the invitation of Yuvi to watch play (pretty unfortunate). Some claim that the entire trip of Deepika is sponsored by Yuvaraj Singh and she will spend the birthday party with him. Earlier Deepika has hosted Yuvraj's birthday which came on the month of December. Before leaving to Australia Deepika visited a temple and prayed for the better performance of team India. Reports suggest that Dhoni is out of race and Deepika will pair up with Yuvi. But her presence has not improved the performance of both these youngsters. Let's hope the Yuvi - Dhoni pair up for more better performance.

Arsenal recaptures the lead

On the Christmas eve, Arsenal were a couple of points behind the title leaders Man U but it was only a short burst as Arsenal won the Boxing day and the New Year's matches. Now they are on top with fifty points with United trailing them by two. Man U lost the important match against Villa 2 - 1. But they managed to beat Birmingham. Arsenal, on the other hand, came from behind to beat Everton 4 - 1 and also pulled off an emphatic 2 - 0 victory against West Ham. So definitely each and every match will count. The title race will come down to the wire. Let's hope Arsenal continues its run and win the EPL.

Sachin "Ton"dulkar

Oops, he did it again!! Ya. But it is for the 38th time in his cricketing career, Sachin has gone past the triple digit mark. This time in a much needed situation. He was on 154 when he ran out of partners and India were dismissed for a mammoth 532 with Ishanth Sharma, RP singh and Harbhajan contributing nearly 200 runs. Sachin crafted his innings with 14 fours and a six. His innings over-shadowed the wristy Laxman's tremendous century of just 140 balls. Dhoni as usual failed with the bat managing to score only 2 runs. Harbhajan and Sachin's seventh wicket partnership was worth 129 runs in which Bhajji contributed 63 runs. RP Singh got out after a well made 13 runs. Lee dismissed Ishanth for 23 runs to seal his fifth victim of the match.