Maruti Launches All New Estilo

It is more than just a model facelift, for Maruti Suzuki has gone all out to make their Estilo more contemporary and substantially increase its appeal to small car buyers.

From the looks of it, the car boasts of an all new front styling, which includes a revised grill, new headlamps and a macho bumper that has sculpted integrated fog lamps. New wheel covers compliment the entire exterior makeover to give this car a style that is in sync with today's market demands. There is no question about it that Maruti Suzuki has taken the pains in making the new Estilo part of the family and in doing so, they have stripped it of its plain-jane looks and have given it a bolder stance.The interiors remain largely the same; however subtle touches in terms of color and the two tone chocolate-beige dash do wonders in livening up the interior. Apart from that, the car also comes with a digital fuel indicator as standard. Other accessories on the car include a rear windshield wiper, keyless entry and the CATS security system. Of course the accessories depend on the variant being bought. Maruti Suzuki is also offering the top end Estilo VXi with ABS and two airbags as an optional fitment.
Related Story Link

New Estilo: Engine Talk
The biggest change however lies under the hood. Maruti Suzuki has done away with the Wagon R engine and given the new Estilo the famous and KB10 series, 998cc, 3 cylinder petrol engine, which incidentally does duty under the A-Star's hood as well. This engine is more powerful and offers a peppier driving experience. Enhancing the driving experience is the revised gearbox. Gone is the notchy vague feel that plagues the Wagon R and Estilo. The new gearbox is a lot more precise and slots into gears without that vague feeling thanks to the rod mechanism being replaced by cables.

Harley Davidson launching in India

Legendary American motorcycle maker Harley Davidson is all ready to setup shop in India coming week

Just a day stands between America's most successful motorcycle-maker from gracing the Indian shores. Yes, we are talking about the iconic and cult brand Harley Davidson, which has enticed and charmed over a million bikers around the world and it continues to do so with the same enthusiasm and energy that it had 108 years back when William S. Harley made his first blueprint drawing of an engine designed to fit into a bicycle.
Harley Davidson has officially announced on its website that the company will make its foray in the fast-emerging and promising Indian market with its range of elite cruiser motorcycles. The model-range and its pricing are still under wraps as the product is yet to be launched. However this is a clear indication of the impact the recent economic showdown has had on the American economy. The US auto giants are now focusing on developing markets such as ours in order to reap the maximum possible benefits they can, to cover up on the lost ground and tap the potential of an emerging economy.
The import route for bikes above 800cc was opened in mid-2007 when the Indian government traded mangoes for Harley Davidson motorcycles. Yes, you read it right. For last 18 years, the Indian mangoes were banned in the US since the American government believed that the Indian farmers were using too many pesticides. In April 2007, the US government lifted the ban on Indian mangoes which meant that the Indian farmers could now be entitled to farm subsidies. In return, the Indian government revised the rule of importing high-capacity powered two-wheelers to India allowing bikes above 800cc to be imported legally in the Indian market.
However, the excise duties charged by the Indian government on 800cc and above capacity imported motorcycles are extremely difficult to overcome in order to gain a manageable profit margin. Hence Harley Davidson, which was the key factor in opening up the import route, held back its foray into India in 2007. The Japanese bike-maker Yamaha was the first one to make use of the import trade policy to launch its flagship model the YZF-R1 and its street-fighter model, the MT-01. Suzuki and Honda have followed suit by bringing in their international flagships to India and now Harley Davidson is all geared up and ready to roll into the country with its extensive range of life-style cruiser motorcycles.

MISS UNIVERSE 2009

MISS UNIVERSE 2009 - SWIMSUIT COMPETITON. THE BEST CONTESTANTS

Ferrari 360 Spider

The Ferrari 360 is a mid-engine two-seater sports car produced from late 1999 until 2005. The 360 replaced the Ferrari F355 and was itself replaced by the fairly similar Ferrari F430. For the 360, Ferrari partnered with Alcoa to produce an entirely new all-aluminum space-frame chassis that was 40% stiffer than the 355, yet 28% lighter despite a 10% increase in overall dimensions. Along with the new frame was a new Pininfarina body styling that broke ranks with the last decade’s sharp angles and flip-up headlights, replacing them with a rounded appearance that harkened to the 1960s. The new V8 engine, common to all versions, was only slightly larger and more powerful than the 355’s at 3.6 litres and 300 kW (400 bhp) of power, but the lighter frame and added stiffness improved performance; the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration performance improved from 4.6 to 4.4 seconds, and in the Challenge versions it was as low as 4.0 s. An engine replacement resulted in the current V8 road model, the F430 (internally referred to as the evoluzione or evo) which came out in 2004.

Manufacturer: Ferrari

Parent Company: Fiat Group

Production: 1999 to 2005

Class: Sports car

Predecessor: Ferrari F355

Successor: Ferrari F430

Body style(s): 2-seat Coupe, 2-seat Spider

Layout: Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive

Engine(s): 3.6 L V8

Transmission: 6-speed manual 6-speed 'F1' electrohydraulic shift

Swine flu vaccine should be Avilable by September

The first swine flu vaccines are likely to be licensed for use in the general population in September, the World Health Organization has announced.

Several manufacturers have produced initial batches of a H1N1 vaccine and some clinical trials are already underway.

WHO director of vaccine research Dr Marie-Paule Kieny also sought to calm fears about safety of new vaccines.

She said the vaccines were based on "old and proven technology".

Figures show continuing rises in cases in the southern hemisphere in the past seven days.

Argentina has particularly seen a large increase and deaths now stand at 337.

And there has been a rise in cases of 25% in Australia

Although it has not yet been clarified who would be first in line for a vaccine, it is likely to be those who are most vulnerable, such as pregnant women and young children.

Some experts have raised concerns about the lack of safety data on flu vaccines in these groups.

In particular, a very rare neurological condition called Guillain Barre syndrome affected 500 people during a US vaccine programme against swine flu in 1976.

Dr Kieny said much was known about flu vaccines in these groups from seasonal vaccines given every winter and added that regulatory agencies would be monitoring for any signs of adverse reaction.

"The quality controls on today's vaccine are much better than they were 30 years ago," she added.

Fast track

Regulators in the US and Europe have special plans in place to fast-track swine flu vaccines, some of which are based on conventional seasonal flu vaccines and some which use newer technology.

Clinical trials are already underway in China, Australia, USA, UK, and Germany.

It comes as drug company, Baxter, has announced the production of the first commercial batches of its swine flu vaccine Celvapan.

The quality controls on today's vaccine are much better than they were 30 years ago Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO

The vaccine has been grown using cell culture, a much faster method than the traditional way of growing it in eggs.

Baxter is one of two companies contracted to provide pandemic flu vaccine to the UK, the other being GlaxoSmithKline, and both plan to start clinical trials this month.

One key part of the trials is to work out whether people need one or two doses of the vaccine.

Ministers have repeatedly said they expect to have enough doses for half the UK population by the end of the year.

For More Details..........

Pune-based institute in race to develop vaccine for Swine flu

Pune, Tuesday, August 11, 2009: The "Serum Institute of India (SIIL)" may figure among the first of the global drug companies to develop a vaccine for swine flu. Scientists at the Pune-based company are gearing up for animal trials by next month in order to commercialise the vaccine before the end of next year.

SIIL successfully developed small quantities of the vaccine, required for animal trials, within three weeks of receiving the sample strains from the World Health Organization (WHO). The company is currently developing a seed bank and a standardisation process to proceed to the animal trial stage. If successful, the vaccine-specialised drug maker will invest over Rs 80 crore to set up manufacturing facilities for the vaccine, SIIL Executive Director Dr Suresh Jadhav told Business Standard.

“If the animal trials are successful, we hope the human clinical trial stage can begin by November. Then the vaccine can be given a fast-track status by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to help the country develop and commercialise an India-made vaccine by as early as the end of next year,” he said.

He pointed out that the SIIL vaccine would be at least 100 per cent cheaper than other vaccines developed by multinational companies for the H1N1 influenza virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) — in association with over 100 companies and research institutions globally — is trying to develop a vaccine for the pandemic flu virus, which has affected over 162,000 people in different parts of the world and is fast spreading in India, too. Multinational companies such as Novartis are working on launching the first vaccine within a few months. In India, biotech companies Panacea Biotech and Bharat Biotech are also trying to develop the vaccine.

Sources said various countries have developed specific regulatory procedures to expedite the approval of pandemic vaccines. In the USA, for example, less data are required when the manufacturer already has a licenced influenza vaccine and intends to use the same manufacturing process for its pandemic vaccine.

In the European Union, the European Medicines Agency uses a rolling review procedure, whereby manufacturers can sendt sets of data for regulatory review as they become available, without having to wait until all data can be put together in a single formal application.

SIIL is already working on developing a vaccine for the H5N1 (bird flu) strain of virus with WHO assistance and has developed a seasonal flu vaccine, which is now in the clinical trial stage.

For More Details........

Tatas bring Nano touch to Mumbai's realty

MUMBAI: When Ratan Tata talked about his Nano dream, some enterprising builders promised the car free with a high-end apartment. Now, the Tatas are
all set to reverse the equation-they are making Nano apartments that auto makers could well offer free with their hot wheels. Tata Housing, a Tata Group company, on Wednesday unveiled its pan-India Shubh Griha brand, launching a low-cost housing township in Boisar, 98 km from south Mumbai and six stations after Virar on the western line. The upcoming complex, spread over 67 acres, is about 2.8 kms from the Boisar railway station and will have 1,000 small flats, the smallest measuring 283 sq ft of super built up area (SBUA) at Rs 1,380 per sq ft. Boisar, a town with about 1,500 industries and factories, has a population of about 10-15 lakh. "We are looking at first-time buyers earning a steady Rs 3 lakh to 5 lakh a year. Hordes of people travel daily between Mumbai and Boisar to work and this will be a good opportunity for them to shift to Boisar instead of living in rented accommodation,'' said Brotin Banerjee, MD and CEO of Tata Housing. Possession will be given in 2011. In the first phase, the company will construct 1,000 apartments priced between Rs 3.90 lakh and Rs 6.70 lakh excluding stamp duty. However, the these flats are tiny in size-a small one room kitchen unit will have a super built up area (SBUA) of just 283 sq ft while a large one room kitchen will measure 360 sq ft SBUA. The biggest flat (465 sq ft SBUA) will contain a bedroom, hall and kitchen. The difference between SBUA and actual carpet area of these flats would be 20% to 25%, said Banerjee. In fact, the tiniest flat will be smaller than the free tenements offered to authorised slum dwellers under the Slum Redevelopment Scheme in Mumbai. Each slum family is entitled to a 269 sq ft (carpet area) tenement. However, Banerjee said the Boisar township will also contain amenities such as hospital, school, post office, market, community hall, play garden and open landscaped area. Application form booklets will be sold for Rs 200 each at State Bank of India branches and flats will be allotted by a lottery. "We have a clause that prohibits the buyer from selling for at least nine months after allotment, to discourage speculators,'' said Banerjee. The Boisar project is being developed by Tata Housing in a joint venture with an unidentified land owner. The company expects a Rs 100 crore turnover from this project. Interestingly, many Mumbai developers who rode the property boom by catering mainly to high-income buyers are now enticing middle class clients with smaller properties outside BMC limits. Over the past four months, several builders claimed to have registered brisk sales of smaller flats in places like Thane, Virar, Panvel, Kalyan, Ambivali and even Nashik. Tanaji Malusare City (in Karjat), a Matheran Realty project, claims to have been flooded with applications (70,000) for phase one. About 40% of these are 300-sq-ft flats selling for Rs 3 lakh each. The Neptune Group is selling `nano flats' in its upcoming complex in Ambivli near Kalyan and claims to have received 1,750 bookings. The scheme has 2 BHK flats with a carpet area of 387 sq ft and 1 BHK flats with a carpet area of 233 sq ft, going for between Rs 1,499 and Rs 1,599 per sq ft. In Virar, developer Rustomjee claims to have clocked over 200 sales of its low-income houses. US-based PRA Realty, a land acquisition and real estate development company with offices in Mumbai, Pune and Chicago, is for the first time tapping the market for affordable housing in Pune, Nagpur and Nashik. Its proposed housing project on a 130-acre plot in Nagpur is looking at selling 1-BHK and 1.5-BHK flats priced between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 12.5 lakh. But the biggest rush for affordable public housing was witnessed when MHADA received a phenomenal 7.5 lakh applications for 3,863 flats across the city. MMRDA will soon have the first batch of 2,000 low cost rental houses ready in the next two months at Tanaji Malusare Complex at Karjat. The complex will house 6,000 low cost units which will have a minimum of 165 square feet, to be rented out at Rs 800 to Rs 1,500 per month. The developer will recover his cost by selling part of the complex at higher rates. Last year, a report on low-income housing in urban India, prepared by management consultants and merchant bankers Monitor Group, said it is possible to build for lower-middle class urban customers even with current land prices and construction rates.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Tatas-bring-Nano-touch-to-Mumbais-realty/articleshow/4493118.cms

The truth about swine flu

Dear friends,
Evidence is emerging that traces swine flu to giant factory pig farms that are dirty, dangerous, and inhumane. Sign the petition to the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to investigate and regulate these threats to our health:

No-one yet knows whether swine flu will become a global pandemic, but it is becoming clear where it came from – most likely a giant pig factory farm run by an American multinational corporation in Veracruz, Mexico.(1)
These factory farms are disgusting and dangerous, and they're rapidly multiplying. Thousands of pigs are brutally crammed into dirty warehouses and sprayed with a cocktail of drugs -- posing a health risk to more than just our food -- they and their manure lagoons create the perfect conditions to breed dangerous new viruses like swine flu. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) must investigate and develop regulations for these farms to protect global health.
Big agrobusiness will try to obstruct and scuttle any attempts at reform, so we need a massive outcry that health authorities can't ignore. Sign the petition below for investigation and regulation of factory farms and tell your friends and family and we will deliver it to the UN agencies. If we reach 200,000 signatures we will deliver it to the WHO in Geneva with a herd of cardboard pigs. For every 1000 petition signatures we will add a pig to the herd:
http://cdn.avaaz.org/en/swine_flu_pandemic
Last week the flu was all that we talked about -- Mexico has been nearly paralysed and across the world leaders halted air travel, banned pork imports and initiated drastic controls to mitigate the spreading virus. As the threat shows signs of subsiding the question becomes where it came from and how we stop another outbreak.
Smithfield Corporation, the largest pig producer in the world whose farm is being fingered as the source of the H1N1 outbreak, denies any connection between their pigs and the flu and big agrobusiness worldwide pays huge sums of money for research to argue that biosafety is ensured in industrial hog production. But the WHO has been saying for years that 'a new pandemic is inevitable'(2) and experts from the European Commission and the FAO have cautioned that the rapid move from small holdings to industrial pig production is in fact increasing the risk of development and transmission of disease epidemics. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that scientists still do not know the extent that infectious compounds produced in factory farms affect human health.(3)
Studies abound of the horrific conditions endured by pigs in concentrated large-scale operations, and the devastating economic impact on small farmer communities of bloated large-scale operations.(4) Smithfield itself has already been fined $12.6m and is currently under another federal investigation in the US for toxic environmental damage from pig excrement lakes.(5)
But even with all of this damaging evidence, a combination of increased global meat consumption and a powerful industry motivated by profit at the cost of human health, means that instead of being shut down - these sickening factory farm operations are propagating around the world and we are subsidising them (6). In the wake of this swine flu threat, let's hold industrial pig producers to account. Sign the petition for investigation and regulation:
http://cdn.avaaz.org/en/swine_flu_pandemic

If we resolve this global health crisis boldly by reassessing our food consumption and production, and urgently calling for an inquiry into the impact of factory farms on human health, we could put in place tough farm practice rules that will save the global population from future animal borne lethal pandemics.
http://cdn.avaaz.org/en/swine_flu_pandemic
in hope, Alice, Pascal, Graziela, Paul, Brett, Ben, Ricken, Iain, Paula, Luis, Raj, Veronique, Milena, Margaret, Taren and the whole Avaaz team
(1) Biosurveillance report tracing the disease to the Smithfields farm: http://biosurveillance.typepad.com/biosurveillance/2009/04/swine-flu-in-mexico-timeline-of-events.html

Reports on the link between the Mexican factory farm and the flu: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/for-la-gloria-the-stench-of-blame-is-from-pig-factories-1675809.html
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-fg-mexico-flu28-2009apr28,0,1701782.story
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=can-swine-flu-be-blamed-on-industri-09-05-01
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227063.800-swine-flu-the-predictable-pandemic.html?full=true
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/swine-flu-outbreak----nat_b_191408.html

(2) WHO pandemic information

http://www.euro.who.int/influenza/20080618_19

(3) FAO, EC and CDC reports on the risks of industrial farming on public healthFAO and CIWF and

http://www.cdc.gov/cafos/about.htm
(4) CIWF and PETA video reports of the disgusting conditions for animals in factory farms and the disease ridden manure swamps:CIWF and PETA

(5) Reports on Smithfield's animal welfare and environmental damage

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/for-la-gloria-the-stench-of-blame-is-from-pig-factories-1675809.html
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/press/releases/new-report-highlights-the-trouble-with-smithfield-article03132008
http://avaazimages.s3.amazonaws.com/SmithfieldJan08.pdf

(6) Reports on UK tax payers subsidising factory farms http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/5225298/Taxpayers-forking-out-700-million-for-factory-farming-in-England.html

Watch all your daily soaps Reality shows and Awards online

Watch all your daily soaps Reality shows and Awards online with full episode without any commerciel break to disturb you in between. All this and lot more only @ infocraz.blogspot.com

Live cricket scores

Get Live cricket scores at a glance all this and more..........

Six Lankan players injured in Lahore terror attack

Lahore, March 03: In a shocking incident, the Sri Lankan cricket team which is in Lahore to play the second Test was attacked upon by a gang of highly trained terrorists early on Tuesday, injuring at least six players.The Sri Lankan Sports Minister, Lokuke Gamini, has confirmed to the reporters that six of the players were injured and taken to hospital. The injured players are: Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Thushara.The extent of injuries is still not clear but reports filtered in that some players were hit by bullets and sharpnels, grievously injuring them. Father of the outgoing team skipper Mahela Jayawardene said his son had just called his wife from Lahore to say that he too had suffered minor injuries in his leg during the attack that had shocked the nation.

How It Happened ?

As per initial reports the attack happened outside the Gaddafi stadium when the team was passing through the Liberty roundabout. A group of gunmen (Reportedly 12 in number), armed with automatic weapons, were waiting there in a white car, then resorted to indiscriminate firing at the convoy and even fired rocket launchers.Seven policemen have lost their lives while two other are reportedly injured.Some of the slain policemen have been identified: Zafar Khan, Mudassar, Tipu Sultan and Tanvir Ahmed.

Tour Cancelled......

The Sri Lankan cricket board has cancelled the tour with immediate effect while the encounter with the unidentified gunmen is still going on.

Striking Similarities with Mumbai Attacks.......

The authorities are suspecting it as a handiwork of one Pakistan’s many active terror groups. Punjab Governor, Salmaan Tahseer, while confirming the incident claimed that the attackers were highly trained and bore resemblance to the Mumbai terror attacks in the way it was executed.In the meanwhile, the Pakistan police have released the sketches of the assailants and it has been confirmed that they had automatic weapons.Incidentally, media reports claimed that the police knew of a plan to attack the team and hence the route taken by the convoy today was kept a secret but it seems that the terrorists had better information.A witness told reporters he believed two police commandos were killed along with a regular policeman and a traffic warden. Shopkeeper Ahmed Ali said the two police commandos had been driving behind the team bus when they were hit."It was a very heavy firing and I heard at least two explosions at the time," said a witness who had been on his way to cover the test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.Pakistan only invited the Sri Lanka team to tour after India's team pulled out with security concerns following the militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai in November.

Sri Lanka cricketers wounded in shooting

Gunmen in Pakistan opened fire on a vehicle carrying members of Sri Lanka's national cricket team, killing five police officers and wounding at least eight team members, officials say.
Tuesday's attack in Lahore came at a time of unrest in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, both battling insurgencies but it was unclear who was behind the carefully coordinated assault.
City police chief Haji Habibur Rehman said five policemen died in the shooting.
The attack was likely the work of "well-trained terrorists", he said.
Eight members of the Sri Lankan team were injured near Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan Cricket Board security official Nadeem Iqbal said.
Sri Lankan team manager Brendon Kruppu confirmed the incident and said batsman Kumar Sangakkara, was among the injured.
Sri Lankan Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge named two injured players as Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera and said they were taken to hospital in Lahore after the shooting.
Skipper Mahela Jayawardena was slightly wounded in the foot, his father told a local television station after speaking with him by telephone.
The team bus came under fire as the players headed to the Gaddafi stadium for the third day of the second Test against Pakistan.
"We are assessing the situation," Pakistan cricket board chief Ejaz Butt said.
Security concerns have plagued Pakistan for years and some foreign sports teams including from Australia have refused to play in the troubled nation.
Sri Lanka agreed to tour - allowing Pakistan to host its first test cricket matches in 14 months - after India and Australia postponed scheduled tours.

kartiki gaikwad idea sa re ga ma pa lil champs 2009 winner

"KARTIKI DEVICHA VIJAY ASO "

kartiki gaikwad wins the sa re ga ma pa lil champs title beatingprathmesh laghate, Kartiki brought so many new songs to Little Champs. Most of her songs were such that people were hearing those for d first time.

मुंबई - तब्बल सहा महिने महाराष्ट्रासह अवघ्या जगाला आपल्या जादुई गायकीने मंत्रमुग्ध करणाऱ्या आणि रसिकांचे पंचप्राण बनलेल्या "सारेगमप'च्या "लिटील चॅम्प्स'नी आज महाअंतिम फेरीसाठी हजारोंच्या संख्येने जमलेल्या प्रेक्षकांवरही गारूड केले. सर्व स्तरावरून पाचही "लिटील चॅम्प्स'ना विजयी करा, असा आग्रह वाढत गेल्याने उत्तरोत्तर रंगत गेलेल्या या कार्यक्रमात शेवटपर्यंत चुरस कायम होती. अखेर भावगीत, भक्तिगीत, गजल, लावणी आणि शास्त्रीय संगीत अशा साऱ्या प्रकारातली गायकी लीलया सादर करणाऱ्या आळंदीच्या कार्तिकी गायकवाडने "महाराष्ट्राचा उद्याचा आवाज' पदावर मोहोर उमटवली. परीक्षक आणि ज्युरींनीही प्रेक्षकांची निवड सार्थ ठरवीत कार्तिकीला आपली पसंती दिली. ज्येष्ठ संगीतकार श्रीनिवास खळे यांनी कार्तिकीचे नाव "लिटल चॅम्प'ची विजेती म्हणून जाहीर करताच टाळ्यांचा प्रचंड कडकडाट झाला. खचाखच भरलेल्या मैदानात एकच जल्लोष उडाला. मुग्धा वैशंपायन, आर्या आंबेकर, प्रथमेश लघाटे आणि रोहित राऊत यांना उपविजेते म्हणून घोषित करण्यात आले.संगीताच्या पुढील शिक्षणासाठी पाचही स्पर्धकांना "झी मराठी'तर्फे स्कॉलरशिप देण्यात आली आहे. कार्तिकीला "झी'तर्फे दोन लाखांचे नॅशनल सेव्हिंग सर्टिफिकीट आणि दोन लाखांची स्कॉलरशिप देऊन गौरविण्यात आले. उर्वरित चारही स्पर्धकांना उपविजेते म्हणून घोषित करण्यात आले असून त्यांना "झी'तर्फे प्रत्येकी दोन लाखांची स्कॉलरशिप आणि एक लाखांचे नॅशनल सर्टिफिकीट देण्यात आले.कार्तिकीबरोबरच रत्नागिरीचा प्रथमेश, अलिबागची मुग्धा, लातूरचा रोहित आणि पुण्याची आर्या यांच्यात कमालीची चुरस होती. वारकरी संप्रदायात वाढलेल्या कार्तिकीने पूर्ण स्पर्धेत जितक्‍या आत्मीयतेने अभंग सादर केले तितक्‍यचा प्रभावीने तिने उडत्या चालींची गाणी सादर करून परीक्षकांबरोबच प्रेक्षकांना मंत्रमुग्ध केले. विशेष म्हणजे, "कॉलबॅक' एपिसोडद्वारे कार्तिकीने स्पर्धेत पुनरागमन केले होते. म्हणूनच तिचे आजचे यश उल्लेखनीय ठरते.

Obama Ads Online: Search Advertising Analysis by Kate Kaye

This is an article by Kate Kaye, senior editor of ClickZ News, entitled “Politics 2.0: Political Change Comes to Search, Too.” It looks at the search marketing tactics that Chicago’s own Barack Obama and his rivals used during the 2008 presidential electiion.

Check your website’s competitiveness for free

There is a myriad of SEO tools available out there for webmasters who want to check their site’s competitiveness, link popularity and more. ReviewMyWeb is a new free SEO service. It is designed to help you better understand how well your website is performing against the competition. We have tested ReviewMyWeb to see what kind of information this service offers.


ReviewMyWeb is easy to use: Visit the web page, enter the URL of your site and that of one or two of your competitors. Then you add your email address and in a wink the link to the report waiting in your in box.

The report rates your website’s competitiveness and provides insight into how it performs across different parameters:


Traffic rank
Back links (in Google, Yahoo and Ask)
Number on indexed pages (in Google, Yahoo, Live and Ask)
Blog coverage (in Google Blog Search and Technorati)
Blog competitiveness (in Google Blog Search and Technorati)
On page criteria (description, keywords, H1, H2 and H3 tags plus keyword density)
You get easy to read graphs comparing your site to your competitors’. In addition, there is a relatively detailed report with tips for improving the competitiveness of your site.
If you are new to SEO, the report from ReviewMyWeb is a good introduction to important parameters to track and benchmark to improve your web site’s traffic, relevancy and popularity compared to the competition.
Be aware though, that when the link to your report is mailed to you, it is also published in a list of recent reports at ReviewMyWeb, so your report is available to anyone who wants to check it out.

6 easy SEO strategies

More and more people are responsible for information dissemination on the Web, often without any formal — or even informal — training in search engine optimization. Here is a presentation I gave at the Online Information Conference in London On December 2:
The presentation outlines six tounge-in-cheek typologies representing tried and true ways of making content visible online. These techniques do not include tweaking of meta tags. In fact they don’t require HTML skills at all. They focus, not on building web pages that search engines like, but on writing content that real web searchers are looking for.

Google jockeying search engines in the classroom

Google jockeying search engines in the classroom
The innovative teaching practice called Google jockeying might be an effective tool to help students acquire skills for online research while mimicking their own learning strategies.

Come again?
Are you asking yourself what on earth Google jockeying might be and trying to figure out where horse racing enters into web searching? The answer is not so outlandish:

A Google jockey is someone who takes part in a presentation or class and surfs the Internet for web sites or resources mentioned by the presenter or terms and ideas related to the topic. These searches are displayed along with the presentation and are meant clarify the topic and provide further learning opportunities.


Although this practice takes its name from Google, any search engine will do. The Google jockey will search for definitions, images or multimedia files and other online resources that illuminate the topic.

The practice of Google Jockeying appears to have been started at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California (USC). The idea surfaced while a professor was preparing a lecture in which he would be discussing a wide range of disparate ideas. Colleagues at USC then incorporated the practice into several courses, workshops and conferences.

The activities of the Google jockey might influence the direction of the lecture or the Google jockey might represent a true “back channel,� taking place as a corollary to the primary lecture without affecting it directly.

The pros and cons
This practice is significant because today’s students are Internet natives — they have known this technology since childhood. With the relatively recent addition of broad band Internet access and always-on communication, many students are used to being exposed to multiple sources of input. Some have even come to expect this kind of communication.

Google jockeying mimics a way of working that many students are used to from their work on group assignments. With Google jockeying they benefit both from immediate access to online resources and from the research techniques of the Google jockey.

The success of a practice like this depends on the skill of the Google jockey. If the jockey is not an adept searcher, the benefits of this added activity vanish and it turns into distractions.

Although many students crave the kind of multiple input that Google jockeying provide, others are not comfortable multitasking. They will probably find the practice more distracting than helpful. Because of this, it might be wise to consult students before including this practice in the classroom.

Research skills for students
Google jockeying is described and promoted as a technology supported teaching practice by the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). In their presentation of Google jockeying ELI describe this important benefit of this teaching innovation:

“Students use and understand the tools and techniques of Google jockeying, but evidence shows that many students lack strong information fluency skills, despite having been raised on technology. Students believe in online research, but many are not adept at conducting Web research efficiently or at discerning reliable online information from material that is suspect. Despite research indicating that using multiple search engines significantly expands the results obtained, many latch on to a single search engine and never stray from it. Google jockeying vividly shows the benefits of diversifying searches and functions as a real-time demonstration of searching for, cross-checking, and evaluating online resources.”

So for student groups that have the right kind of technology know-how, Google jockeying might be a means of fostering research skills while at the same time enriching and expanding a course.

The presentation of Google jockeying is part of the “7 Things You Should Know About…” series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, which provides concise information on emerging learning practices and technologies. Each brief focuses on a single practice or technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use “7 Things You Should Know About…” briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.

विलास देशमुखांना खुले पत्र.

बहुतेक वेळा राज्याच्या मुख्यमंत्र्यांना "माननीय" असे संबोधण्याची प्रथा आहे. पण आपणाबाबत आता असे म्हणावेसे वाटेनासे झाले आहे. गेल्या काही
वर्षात आपण व आपल्या पक्षाने महाराष्ट्राचे नक्की काय भले केले काही कल्पना नाही. मुंबईत बड्या बिल्डरांचे मॉल्स आलेत, गिरणगावातून मराठी
हद्दपार होतेच आहे, शेतकरी आत्महत्यांमध्ये महाराष्ट्राचा नंबर पहिला आहे, विजेचा प्रश्न तसाच, टाटांची नॅनो महाराष्ट्राला हुलकावणी देऊन
गुजराथाला निघून गेली. गेली काही वर्ष आपण मुंबईला शांघाय करण्याच्या वावड्या उठविल्या होत्या. ते कधी आणि कसे होणार त्याचा काहीच पत्ता नाही, (मुबईत जागांचे भाव मात्र शांघाय सारखेच !). परंतु, आपण आता मुंबईचे उत्तरप्रदेश अथवा बिहार नक्कीच कराल ह्याबद्दल अजिबातच शंका नाही.
नुकत्याच झालेल्या राज ठाकरेंच्या अटकेनंतर आपण नक्की कोणत्या राज्याचे मुख्यमंत्री आहात असा प्रश्न पडल्याशिवाय राहत नाही. ऐन दिवाळी व छठ पूजेच्या निमित्ताने आपण उत्तरप्रदेश आणि बिहारच्या लोकांना दिलेली हि भेटच! राज ठाकरेंच्या हक्क मागण्याच्या पद्धतीबद्दल आक्षेप असणे स्वाभाविक आहे, परंतु त्यांचे मुद्देही तितकेच योग्य आहेत. आपण त्यांच्या कृतीबद्दल त्यांना तुरुंगात डांबले आणी ज्या मुद्द्यासाठी मनसेने आंदोलन
केले त्या मुद्द्याला मात्र जाणीवपूर्वक बगल दिलीत. लालू यादव ह्यांनी मात्र आपल्या लोकांची पुरेपूर काळजी घेतली. त्यांच्या लोकांच्या रेल्वे भरतीच्या आड येणाऱ्या रा़ज ठाकरेंना तुमच्यातर्फे अटक करविली. आपल्या लोकांसाठी रेल्वेची परीक्षा पुन्हा घेण्याची घोषणा केली व मुंबईत छठपुजेचीही ( मराठी माणसाच्या नाकावर टिच्चून ) पुरेपूर सोय करून घेतली.
आपल्याच बरोबरीने, शिवराज पाटीलही राजवर तितक्याच जोमाने लोकसभेत कडाडले ( हाच कणखरपणा त्यांना अतिरेक्यांच्या बाबतीत मात्र दाखवता आला नाही. ). राज ठाकरेचे विचार मराठी माणसाला मान्य नाहीत अश्या आशयाचे (हास्यास्पद)विधानाही त्यांनी केले. आपल्या काँग्रेसचे महाराष्ट्रातले
इतर खासदारही रेल्वे नोकर भरती संबंधी काहीही आवा़ज उठविताना दिसले नाहीत. पाटलांच्या वक्तव्यावरून त्यांची आणि काँग्रेसची, मराठी माणसांशी
नाळ किती जुळतेय ते लक्ष्यात आले. आपणही, राज ठाकरेंच्या नावाने मराठी माणसांच्या भावनांना मिळणारी वाट, त्यांना अटक करून बंद केलीत. राज ठाकरेंच्या अटकेनंतर आपण रेल्वेभरतीबद्दलही तितकेच आग्रही आणि मराठी हितसंरक्षणासाठी काही घोषणा केली असती, तर आम्हाला तुम्ही आमचे आणि ह्या महाराष्ट्राचे मुख्यमंत्री वाटला असता. परंतु महाराष्ट्राच्या मागण्यांसाठी आमचे दिल्लीतील प्रतिनिधी काहीही करत नाहीत हे राजचे
म्हणणे आपण आणि आपल्या पक्षाच्या खासदारांनी सत्य करून दाखविले.

पटण्यामध्ये आज राजच्या अटकेच्या बातमीने फटाके फुटत होते. वर त्यांना परीक्षा पुन्हा देण्यासंबंधी घोषणाही झाली होती. माघारी परतल्यावर
त्यांनी तिथे केलेली स्टेशनची नासधूस ही काही "मिडिआवाल्यांसाठी" बातमी नव्हतीच. इथे, मात्र राजही अटकेत, रेल्वेभरतीबद्दल मराठी माणसांवर होत
असलेल्या अन्यायाबद्दल आपणाकडून एक शब्दही नाही! आपण व आपल्या पक्षाने, राष्ट्रवादी ( महाराष्ट्रवादी नाही ) काँग्रेसबरोबर मिळून आपल्याच मराठी
माणसाला दिलेली ही दिवाळी भेट अवघा महाराष्ट्र नेहमीचं लक्षात ठेवेल ह्यात अजिबात शंका नाही. ह्यापुढे मात्र आपणास निवडणूक लढवायची

मित्रहो,

राज ठाकरे - एक धगधगते, बंडखोर व्यक्तिमत्व. पण त्याच्या बंडखोरीला एक वेगळाच सुगन्ध आहे.
त्यामधे इतरान्सारखा स्वार्थ इन्चभरही दिसत नाही. अन्याय आणि फ़क्त अन्यायामुळेच शिवसेनेतून
बाहेर पडलेल्या या मराठी युवकास मराठी माणसासाठी खरेच काहीतरी मनापासून करण्याची धडपड,
उर्मी आहे.
समर्थकान्च्या "आगे बढो, हम तुम्हारे साथ है", या सादेला राजने ओ दिलेली आहे आणि त्याच्या
धर्मनिरपेक्ष पक्षाची विजयी घौडदौड सुरूही झालेली आहे.
राजच्या स्वप्नातला महाराष्ट्र सर्वसामान्यान्च्या स्वप्नातल्या महाराष्ट्रापेक्षा वेगळा
नक्कीच नसणार, याची आम्हाला खात्री आहे. आणि म्हणूनच मित्रान्नो, महाराष्ट्राच्या नवनिर्माण
प्रक्रियेचे उगमस्थान, आशास्थान, श्रध्दास्थान, स्फुर्तीस्थान असलेल्या या अस्सल मराठी युवा
नेत्याला आपण खारीच्या वाट्याने का होईना - मदत करू शकतो, नाहीच जमले तर पाठीबा तरी नक्कीच
देऊ शकतो.
मी महाराष्ट्राचा, महाराष्ट्र माझा.

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