a2z Information: 2012-07-01

Saturday, July 7, 2012

5 things to consider before relocating for work

Many employers pay all or a part of the costs, but employees often have to shoulder significant expenses in order to move for a job. Here are five issues to consider before you agree to relocate.

5 things to consider before relocating for work

As unemployment continues to be a major issue across the country, employees are more willing than ever to pull up the tent stakes and move across the state or even across the country for new jobs. Employers often move existing employees to new locations in order to maintain an experienced and trained workforce. Many employers pay all or a part of the costs, but employees often have to shoulder significant expenses in order to move for a job. Here are five issues to consider before you agree to relocate.

A sarpanch who cleared Class 8 at 53

By Stella Paul

The year 2005, Handitola village in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district:
A Dalit hangs himself. The early stench of a decomposing body is what helps identify the tree. Yet, nobody dares go near him; for some, the man’s an untouchable. The others are just plain scared. A woman in a faded sari with that other rural staple, a very cracked heel arrives on the scene. Sukhantibai with a sickle in her hand, stands upon a stool, cuts the rope and lowers the body. The villagers mostly look on. Few days later, the villagers unanimously select Sukhantibai – a Gond Adivasi woman as their Sarpanch.

FIR against builder, bureaucrat in Mumbai land scam

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed an FIR Thursday against realtor Niranjan Hiranandani andMaharashtra's Additional Chief Secretary T.C. Benjamin in a Rs.45,000 crore land scandal.

In an embarrassment for the state government, special judge V.A. Daulatabadkar had on Tuesday asked ACB to lodge a first information report (FIR) under Section 156 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The order came after a complaint by activist Santosh Daundkara against Benjamin, Hiranandaniand other civic officials for alleged involvement in the land scam that is worth Rs.45,000 crore.

The warnings about the Internetproblem have been splashed across Facebook and Google. Internet service providers have sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website.

But hundreds of thousands of people around the world may still lose their Internet service Monday unless they do a quick check of their computers for malwarethat could have taken over their machines more than a year ago.

Despite repeated alerts, the number of computers that probably are infected is more than 277,000 worldwide, down from about 360,000 in April.

The overall Indian market for cloud-- both public & private -- has grown steadily to reach USD 860- 912 million in calendar year 2011, according to market advisory firm Zinnov Management Consulting.

The 'Public Cloud Opportunity in India' study released today highlighted that the public cloud market comprises 20-22 per cent of the share, while the remaining 78-80 per cent is accounted for by private cloud.

The public cloud market has rapidly evolved in the last two years in India with significant traction across SaaS, PaaS & IaaS (software as a service, platform as a service, infrastructure as a service), the study said.

The Great Recession ravaged many of America’s normal behavior patterns - including business startups. In fact, according to a new study from Forrester Consulting, commissioned by security giant Symantec, the recession changed startup entrepreneurs themselves.

Necessity Is the Mother of Invention

The survey found that the “leaders of small businesses launched during the Great Recession are dramatically different than those who launched their company prior to 2008.” The report calls these new business owners “accidental entrepreneurs” and defines the term as a “company founder who started his or her small businesses out of pure necessity rather than a lifelong dream of ‘being their own boss.’”

The Reserve Bank of India has lowered transaction charges for payments made online through debit cards to a maximum of 1 per cent. From July 1, 2012, transaction fee for online payments up to 2,000 made through debit cards has been slashed to 0.75 per cent of the value of the goods or services bought. The charge can be a maximum of 1 per cent for purchases above that value. Banks were earlier charging 1.8 per cent of all online payments made using debit cards.

The RBI's directive to banks on online transactions was issued under Section 18 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007). Banks don't charge a fee for offline use of debit cards. The move is expected to boost ecommerce in India. According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), e-transactions in the country totalled Rs 46,000 crore in 2011.

Mobile device maker Karbonn on Thursday said it will invest Rs 445 crore in brand promotion and product development in the next two years, and expects revenues to touch Rs 3,500 crore by 2013-14.

"We are extending our portfolio to targcustomers of high socio-economic class. We will continue as 'value for money' brand. Our estimate is that we should have Rs 2,500 crore in revenues this fiscal and Rs 3,500 crore in FY'14," Karbonn Mobiles MD Pradeep Jain told reporters.

On the trail of the Snow Leopard

By Wing Commander (Retd) Partha De Sarkar

I had been planning this project for almost a year — photographing Snow Leopards and other rare Himalayan wildlife. This trip was planned as a reconnaissance, to get a lay of the land and figure out a strategy for getting good shots of each of the species on my list. On the morning of November 2, I was joined by Satyaki Ghosh (a keen wildlife photographer, former Photo Safari India client and now friend) on a Kingfisher Airlines flight bound for Leh.

The elusive Snow Leopard. Image: ThinkStock

10 simple tips for a healthier home

Health and hygiene go hand in hand. Here are some super simple things you can do in your own home to make it more hygienic, and thus healthier, for you and your family.

Simple tips for a healthier home:

Tips for a healthy home

Dust your house regularly: Dust in the house is one of the primary reasons for many respiratory diseases and allergies. Keep your home dust-free by dusting regularly (a damp cloth picks up dust far better than a feather duster), changing your bed sheets once a week and minimising clutter than can accumulate unwanted dust.

Sachin Tendulkar and wife Anjali in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon

Record-breaking Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Friday scotched speculation over his future in one-day cricket, saying he had no plans to retire as long as he was enjoying the game.

What do you do when friends come for dinner unannounced? We asked four Cosmo women to share their ultimate recipe, ready in 15 mins. Bring out your aprons ladies!

What do you do when friends come for dinner unannounced? We asked four Cosmo women to share their ultimate recipe, ready in 15 mins. Bring out your aprons ladies!

By Sanchita Ajjampur
Fashion designer

India to give free medicine to hundreds of millions

By Henry Foy

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India has put in place a $5.4 billion policy to provide free medicine to its people, a decision that could change the lives of hundreds of millions, but a ban on branded drugs stands to cut Big Pharma out of the windfall.

From city hospitals to tiny rural clinics, India's public doctors will soon be able to prescribe free generic drugs to all comers, vastly expanding access to medicine in a country where public spending on health was just $4.50 per person last year.

The plan was quietly adopted last year but not publicised. Initial funding has been allocated in recent weeks, officials said.

Internet may go down for thousands on July 9

The warnings about the internet problem have been splashed acrossFacebook and Google. Internet service providershave sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website.

But tens of thousands of Americans may still lose their internet service Monday unless they do a quick check of their computers formalware that could have taken over their machines more than a year ago.

Despite repeated alerts, the number of computers that probably are infected is more than 277,000 worldwide, down from about 360,000 in April. Of those still infected, the FBI believes that about 64,000 are in the United States.

Nokia India is set to roll out two new smartphones running on Windows Phone 7.5 (Tango) in India tomorrow, Lumia 900 and Lumia 610. As per the press invite sent by the Finnish manufacturer, it will also launch The Dark Knight Edition of the former at the event. There is no official statement regarding the prices of the phones.

Lumia 900 is a top-end smartphone that boasts of a 4.3-inch AMOLED display and 8MP rear camera. It will run on a 1.4GHz processor coupled with a 512MB RAM and have 16GB internal memory. The Lumia 900 Batman edition smartphone, which has already hit stores in UK, will be offered with exclusive The Dark Knight Rises content, including themed wallpapers, ringtones and limited edition Batman or Bane character images.

Huawei has announced the launch of world's first plug and link data card, HiLink E303Cs in India. HiLink E303Cs automatically connects users to the internet in less than 15 seconds after the datacard is inserted into the USB port, without any driver installation or manual configuration.

Huawei HiLink E303Cs is the first EDGE/GPRS/GSM-compatible product in the HiLink series that supports HSPA+network with 7.2 Mbps Downlink. The device is available in the market at a price of Rs 2,199.

After successfully acquiring the international operations of a US-based BPO firm and picking up minority stake in an Indian software firm, Mahindra Satyam has said it is looking at acquisitions in South and Central America and Eastern Europe.

CEO of MSat CP Gurnani said the Mahindra Group Company prefers to acquire stakes in industrialisation processes and platforms and also in cloud and mobility areas.

In the Bay of Bengal, floating across hundreds of nautical miles, are about 1800 small buoyant sensors, which record wave height, speed and changes in ocean current. These sensors transmit the information to a satellite, which relays to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services in Hyderabad, helping it alert coastal towns to the likelihood of any tsunamis.

Put in place three years back by the India arm of world's second largest technology company, IBM, the system can send out alerts 2-3 hours before catastrophes strike. "India can rest assured the aftermath of the tsunami in 2005 will never happen again," says Pradeep Nair, who heads the software group at IBM India, which is developing such technologies out of Bangalore.

Former India coach says Dravid as captain did not get team’s full support

Greg Chappell with Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly during his stint as India coach

Former India coach Greg Chappell has opened old wounds, claiming that some players did not give their best when Rahul Dravid was leading the national team. Had Dravid been given “ wholehearted support” by all the players, he could have gone on to become India’s most successful captain ever, says the former Australia captain.

5 Ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off at the Doctor s Office

Most of us can think of at least a few times when we took our car to the mechanic and got the sense they were trying to sell us services we didn't need, or worse yet, overcharging us for the ones we do receive. And most of us can't deny that we've felt a similarly nagging feeling from time to time while sitting on the doctor's examining table, or in the dentist's chair. But we don't like to believe our intuition. It's been ingrained that our doctor knows what's best for us, and that their services are required and worth the money we pay.

So when a special advisory medical panel met last April, they cited up to 45 overused medical tests and procedures that should be used less in doctors' offices and hospitals. From that extra set of x-rays that isn't needed, to pointless stress tests for perfectly healthy people, or certain questionable prescription medications, the recommendations from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation brought to light something we've hardly had the courage to express, but always wanted to: Sometimes we're just sick and tired of getting ripped off at the doctor's.

No proof of corruption against Mayawati, SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed a Central Bureau of Investigation probe against Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati in a massive corruption and disproportionate assets case.

The Apex Court ruled that there is no finding and no material report pertaining to disproportionate assets case against Mayawati.

So your ambition in life is to be a millionaire before you turn 30! Fabulous.

It’s a great ambition. It is not difficult, but it is not that easy either, as you might very well know. There are many routes that people take to become a millionaire – betting on horses, gambling, investing in real estate, winning a lottery, becoming an entrepreneur. Some rely on luck while some work hard for it. Luck is fleeting, rare, but hard work pays, hundred percent. So, how do you become a millionaire? Here’s how:

Earnings from your job

China is known for counterfeiting and fakes. While it maybe illegal, at the same time one can't but marvel at the ingenuity of the fakes. Most of the time you can't tell the difference: an entire Disneyland re-created, Apple stores that stock original Apple products; KFC, McDonalds and many other brands have fallen prey to Chinese fakes. We present a few of the brands that have been slighted.

Apple: The iconic consumer electronics company was not flattered when it found out that its signature Apple store's design was copied and its logo emblazoned all over it.

How are Tendulkar's selective appearances helping rebuild the Indian team?

Tendulkar has opted out of another tour, again.

For a fortnight, players of the Indian team have been arriving at Bangalore’s National Cricket Academy one by one. They’re here to shed holiday flab and get ready for the arduous cricket schedule ahead. One player not expected for the training sessions was Sachin Tendulkar, who, having completed his hundredth hundred and appearing for Mumbai Indians in IPL, was vacationing. This hinted at his possible sitting out of the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

On Wednesday, announcing the Indian squad for the tour, chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth said, “Sachin is not available (for selection). He must be aiming for the England and Australia series later this season.” Since Srikkanth didn’t mention any health issues, it can be safely assumed Tendulkar is fit, but wants to extend his break. Although he is expected to play New Zealand in a home series in August, a trip to the Emerald Isle, it appears, ranks below IPL duties for the little master.

Now that he has skipped the tour, let’s recall what Sachin had said in one of his many interviews after completing his century of centuries: “I feel when I am batting well, it is important that I continue to serve the country and not give up. It is extremely selfish to suggest that I should give up when I am doing well. That’s the time to serve the country. And when I am not doing well and am unable to serve India, I will stand down and give it all up.”

Another aspect that begs discussion is Tendulkar’s unwillingness to give up his batting positions.The above quote is taken in its entirety, leaving no room for misinterpretation or misunderstanding. Tendulkar had said this in response to a question about the possibility of his retirement. It was a valid query. He’d been through a full year in search of an elusive hundred. Days passed, failures piled up and — by his own admission — frustration grew. He can’t say he was “doing well” in this period.

Tendulkar then played the tri-series in Australia — a myopic decision that was deservedly criticised. And when he failed to cross fifty in that tournament, he played on in the Asia Cup, still on a quest for the mother of all centuries. Consequently, two opportunities to groom a young batsman were missed. Tendulkar insisted he wasn’t in it for records. But the moment the milestone was reached, he proceeded to celebrate it – somewhat defiantly – with a succession of media events, accepting praises with practised modesty.

The quality of that hundred against Bangladesh, and what it cost India, has been discussed elsewhere. Yes, he batted slowly. Yes, the bowlers bowled badly. Yes, India lost. We needn’t bring that up again. The point of interest now is the clever patriotic spin Tendulkar gave to the achievement when he said he wants to serve the country when on top.

Never mind that he had limped to the milestone. Tendulkar said the hundred was a gentle reminder to his critics that he was still around — and he emphasised that he will be around. “When I retire is something I will decide because when I started it was not decided by someone else,” he said.

There are two points to be made here. One: normally, it’s the selectors who pick, drop or rest players. Tendulkar must be the only player in international cricket who decides when he will condescend to play, and when he will not. After the World Cup, he appeared in the IPL for Mumbai Indians, but skipped national duty in the West Indies. The selectors, who clearly need to grow a pair, obliged him and his whips every single time. To them, or to Tendulkar’s countless cheerleaders, he has earned the right to rest when he wants.

Two: let’s nitpick his 'patriotic' comments for a bit. If he’s fit, and when he clearly believes he is on top of his game, why hasn’t Tendulkar now agreed to tour Sri Lanka? Shouldn’t he be serving the country this moment? Is it because no apparent records are at stake? Is it because he knows he has the Board (and his legions of fans) by their family jewels? Or has unprecedented, incomparable success blinded the great man into believing that he can do no wrong?

Another aspect that begs discussion is Tendulkar’s unwillingness to compromise on his batting positions. In ODIs, he always opens. In Tests, he always bats at No. 4. Remember that India at the moment are in the dumps (forget the IPL, remember the recent 0-8 Test record!). It’s important for the country to try out new players and discover batting combinations that would see them through the next decade. But every time Tendulkar returns from his self-imposed breaks, potential combinations have to be broken up to accommodate him in his usual slot.

Finally — and it all boils down to this — where is Tendulkar taking the team to with his super-selective tactics? Srikkanth mentioned he wants to prolong his career since there’s a long season ahead. But he doesn’t mention how Tendulkar will help the team recover from its slump. For too long, there’s been an individualistic streak to India’s pursuits on the cricket field. When that changes, the team can hope to start winning again. And who better to ring in the change than the favourite son who can do no wrong.

Destination USA

U. S. travel and tourism earnings have dipped so badly since 9/ 11 that President Obama has had to flag off an initiative to get tourists back. India is a major target market of this effort. When America turned itself into an impregnable fortress in the aftermath of the 9/ 11 terror attacks, what really took a drubbing was its travel and tourism business. A report released last year by the U. S. Travel Association, the national organisation of the American travel and tourism sector, showed that the industry lost around $606 billion potential earnings since the attacks in 2001. America’s share of the global travel market too dropped from 17 per cent in 2000 to 12.4 per cent in 2010 at a time when global long- haul travel actually grew by 40 per cent. America has forgotten to promote tourism after 9/11,” the U. S. Embassy’s Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs, Jim Herman, said on the sidelines Visit USA, a travel and tourism industry seminar organised by the embassy New Delhi last week. Visitors are good for the economy and they improve people to people contact,” he added.

While it is important to include a wide variety of vitamins and minerals into your diet, there are some important nutrients you need to pay special attention to; ones that many of us aren’t getting enough of. Here are 5 essential nutrients you really need.

Essential nutrient 1: Omega-3 fatty acids

Why you need it: Do you want to live longer, look better and feel happier? Then you need to eat more omega-3 fatty acids. Research studies have shown that an omega-3 deficiency can lead to depression, aggressive behavior and mood swings, while the essential fatty acids can also prevent heart disease, maintain good eye health, help you lose weight and keep your skin and hair in great condition. However, despite all of these benefits, many of the population consistently fail to get enough omega-3 fatty acids into their diets.

Busted, Top myths related to male fertility

Whenever a couple is diagnosed as infertile, fingers are always pointed towards women first. People think that there's something wrong with her and that is why she can't conceive. This is nothing but a myth.

The fact is that men too can be infertile. In fact, during the last few years male fertility cases have shot up and is on the rise. In this article, we'll bust more such myths related to male fertility:

Computers with deadly virus to lose web link, FBI

London, July 5 (IANS) Internet users across the world have been warned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that if they have the "Alureon/DNS Changer bot" virus on their computers, they will lose their internet connections July 9.

The virus "spoofs" popular websites in an attempt to steal personal information, the Daily Mail reported.

The software found its way into thousands of computers worldwide last year. It redirect users away from trusted websites, towards spoof websites in a bid to steal financial and personal information.

India s Memorable Olympic Moments

India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) winning two medals in athletics. However, India has won only 20 Olympic medals until the 2008 Beijing Games - 9 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze. Here's looking at some of the most memorable moments for India in the Summer Olympics.

Abhinav Bindra's gold medal at Beijing: At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra won the gold for the Men's 10m Air Rifle final after shooting a total of 700.5. He scored 596 (fourth) in the qualifying round and out-scored all other shooters in the finals with a round of 104.5. By winning the gold, Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games. It was also India's first gold medal since 1980, when the Men's Field Hockey Team won the gold.

The magnificent wildlife of Patagonia, brought to you by National Geographic.

Patagonian Puma
A Patagonian puma rests in tall grass at the Patagonian Institute in Punta Arenas, Chile. Pumas, known as mountain lions or cougars in North America, are among the most wide-ranging animals in the Americas. Patagonian pumas were once hunted to endangered levels by ranchers protecting sheep flocks, but government protections have helped their numbers rebound.

London police arrest six terrorism suspects

LONDON (Reuters) - Five men and one woman suspected of preparing terrorist attacks were arrested during early morning police raids across London on Thursday, the capital's Metropolitan Police said.

Police said the operation was not linked to the Olympics, which start in London on July 27, but was part of a planned intelligence-led operation.

In a separate and apparently unrelated incident, armed police closed both carriageways of a motorway near Britain's second biggest city,Birmingham, after reports of a man acting suspiciously on a coach heading for London.

A security source said the London arrests were related to international Islamist terrorism and were made at an early stage of plotting. It was not clear if any targets were identified.

Home loans up to Rs.15 lakh get 1 percent cheaper

New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The government Wednesday announced one percent interest subsidy on housing loan up to Rs.15 lakh to give a boost to low-cost housing projects in the country.

The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave a nod to the proposal for extending the scheme of interest subvention of one percent on housing loans up to Rs.15 lakh where the cost of the house does not exceed Rs.25 lakh.

The extended scheme will benefit all house loans availed in financial year 2012-13.

50 guy trips that will change your life

You've always wanted to see the world. How about starting with India? Travel should transform. Choose your destination wisely, and then the voyage, the people you meet, the cuisines you sample and the experiences you have will mean you've arrived in a whole new place-physically, spiritually, philosophically. This kind of travel isn't exactly relaxing, but is mere relaxation ever really that satisfying? Our purpose here- on these pages-is to squeeze the maximum amount of fun, fulfillment, challenge and a sense of accomplishment out of our allotted time. What better way to do that than to travel to places that don't just spell change of scene, but also stimulate a change in you? Maybe it's time to get lost, and find yourself.

Burn some rubber
For a truly fast experience, drive to Kolkata from Delhi. The 1,800-km route is an experience you'll never forget. After Agra, the road opens up, with miles of flat tarmac, zero traffic and detours through some of the most amazing country sides India has to offer. Throw in a heady stopover like Varanasi with its rustic and magical charm, and you'll have a story that will spice up any dinner-table conversation for years to come. Just carry along an interesting co-driver.

Help your children become successful on and off the court.

I want my three daughters to succeed in everything from schoolwork to after school activities. I hope they'll find something they love and that they can excel at. I want them to be happy and well-adjusted.

Fastest Way to Chill a Drink

The heat of the summer is upon us. And I'm sure I'm not the only one asking: What's the fastest way to chill a drink?

Fridge
Depending on the starting temperature, cooling drinks in the fridge takes anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours. Not nearly fast enough when you're parched.

Freezer
To speed the process, you can wrap a wet paper towel around them and stick them in the freezer. That's faster — like 20 minutes. And the physics of the wet paper towel is pretty interesting. It works the same way that perspiration cools you down: evaporation draws the heat away from your skin — or away from your drinks. Just don't let your drinks freeze all the way.

5 Ways To Get Rich Online

To cash in online you need to be a game-changer. When Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, there was nothing like it. He is now worth $17.5 billion according to recent Forbes valuations. DrewHouston saw money to be made in online storage, and co-founded Dropbox, the web-based tool that hit $240 million in revenue in 2011. Eric Lefkofsky spotted the potential in Groupon and gave $1 million to CEO and founder Andrew Mason. This year, Lefkofsky made the Forbes Billionaires list with a net worth of $2.9 billion. There are still fortunes to be made online, and we have found a few ways to do so.

YouTube has launched the career of many a musician, including Justin Bieber, the teen pop sensation who earned $108 million in the past two years. But have you heard of Karmin, the pop duo who signed a million dollar record deal after their Chris Brown "Look At Me Now" cover went viral? The duo, real-life couple Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, hit it big when the video gained over 68 million views after its upload in April 2011, propelling Karmin to a million dollar deal with label heavyweight Epic Records just a month later. "Brokenhearted," the lead single from their debut album, has now gone platinum. [More from Forbes: 10 horrible reasons to get rich]

Your hair dilemmas solved with quick fixes you can find in your home.

A gorgeous, healthy mane without the help of a professional stylist can sometimes seem as elusive as the Holy Grail.

So what if a bad hair day strikes when you're short of time - or cash- and can't make a quick trip to the salon?

Fear not, because some of Britain's top hair experts have revealed their unusual but clever home remedies for lack-lustre locks.

It is a boson, Higgs quest bears new particle

GENEVA (Reuters) - Scientists at Europe's CERN research centre have found a new subatomic particle, a basic building block of the universe, which appears to be the boson imagined and named half a century ago by theoretical physicist Peter Higgs.

"We have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature," CERN director general Rolf Heuer told a gathering of scientists and the world's media near Geneva on Wednesday.

"The discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson opens the way to more detailed studies, requiring larger statistics, which will pin down the new particle's properties, and is likely to shed light on other mysteries of our universe."

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched a power-efficient desktop called HP Pavilion P2, which is capable of cutting desktop-related energy costs by up to 60% according to the company.

This desktop works on a 90W power adaptor as against conventional desktops that work on 250W power supply units. This reduces power consumption by 60-70% under normal usage conditions and results in savings of almost Rs 6000, claims the company.

YouTubers love complaining about how bad the Google-owned company is when it comes to responding to user feedback, but at this year's unofficial YouTuber conference, VidCon, the YouTube team revealed a slew of much-needed site revisions and features, as well as their sense of humor. We sat down with five YouTubers and asked them what they thought of the changes.

Immediately before announcing the site changes, YouTube employees aired a skit by Barely Political, titled "YouTube Complaints!" starring actress Laura McDonald as a YouTube HQ receptionist fielding complaints from the at-times irate user base, which happens to be YouTube celebrities.

Telecom major Vodafone India today launched its mobile health website 'Ask a Doctor - Health@5' in the country.

With this service, Vodafone subscribers can ask health related queries for Rs 5 per day and a panel of medical professionals will get back to the subscriber with the answer within 24 hours, Vodafone said in a statement.

The service will also allow users to browse through information on disease management, myths, trivia, general remedies, latest updates, diet and fitness information.

Now that there’s Google Compute engine, there is yet another infrastructure service that IT managers and startups have to consider. So how do IT managers decide to how to efficiently spend on cloud services?

A Dublin-based startup called Cloud Vertical is stepping in with analytics that measure everything from everyday spending to EC2 instances, Amazon S3, Elastic Map Reduce and more. It currently supports Amazon Web Services, Heroku and VMWare.

“With the old model, you never had to track flexible capacity,” said chief executive Ed Byrne, who sold his last company Hosting 365 to Sungard for an undisclosed amount in 2010. “But in the new model, you can always add more capacity. Capacity can be infinite.”

Nasdaq-listed travel services providerMakeMytrip today said it is looking at 32 per cent growth in revenues at nearly Rs 560 rpt 560 crore in the current fiscal on account of new initiatives for expansion.

"We are aiming at a growth between 30-32 per cent for FY'13 on account of the initiatives for both organic and inorganic expansion," MakeMytrip Founder and CEO Deep Kalra told PTI.

The travel firm that picked up stake in three companies last year said it is on the lookout for enhancing its product offerings.

CDMA service provider MTS India on Wednesday announced a new scheme under which subscribers can make local, STD, roaming and ISD calls at a flat rate of 30 paise per minute.

An SMS will also cost 30 paise, while data usage is priced at 30 paise/MB.

"Under this distinctive and unmatched plan, MTS will provide all services, including local, STD, roaming and ISD calls, SMS and Data usage at flat 30 paisa," MTS India's Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Leonid Musatov said in a statement.

IT and technology companiesare taking longer to fill corner room vacancies.Senior management positions are taking up to 6-8 months to be filled, a sign that business is slowing down and managements are not in a hurry to fill vacancies. In good times, vacancies get filled in 2-3 months.

The long gestation is also indicative of growing wariness among senior execs to switch jobs, a phenomenon visible in times of economic slowdown. People see their current employers, where they would have worked for a while and built relationships, as safer places to be. This also means companies that are looking to fill positions have fewer candidates on offer.

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