India Ink: Bangalore Startup Promises Unbiased News, Cheaply

A long, winding staircase ends on the seventh floor of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corp. building in Yashwantpur, Bangalore. At the entrance to Public TV, a new Kannada-language network, rows of green plants greet visitors. Like everything else at the TV station, the potted plants were purchased from an abandoned enterprise ? in this case, a software firm.

?I got these lights for just 40 rupees each (76 U.S. cents) when Wipro closed one of its branches in Bangalore,? said H.R. Ranganath, chairman and managing director of Public TV, pointing at the ceiling.

?These cubicles, which my reporters and editors use, were bought from a shut-down office of Kingfisher,?? he added, while doors were purchased from a Siemens branch that closed. Salvaging equipment from failed companies was the only way that Mr. Ranganath was able to create an independent TV network, free from corporate or political influence.

Mr. Ranganath, 45, has been a journalist for 25 years in the southwest state of Karnataka, where Kannada is the official language. He was the editor in chief of a Kannada-language daily, Kannada Prabha, and the editorial head of a regional news channel, Suvarna.

The state of Karnataka has seven Kannada-language news channels; out of those, six have overt backing from political or business leaders.

In November 2011, Mr. Ranganath came up with the idea of starting a Kannada-language television channel without any political or corporate financing. ?If software professionals can do Infosys, then why can?t we journalists start a self-financed company?? he wondered.

According to Mr. Ranganath, the cost of starting up a regional television news channel in Karnataka is anywhere from 45 to 50 crores, or 450 million to 500 million rupees ($8.5 million to $9.4 million). He figured that if he could cut capital and operational costs at least in half, then he would be able to build a network without any outside financial help.

He was able to get Public TV to begin broadcasting in March by investing less than 10 crores, or 100 million, rupees, financed by himself and Arun Kumar, the network?s chief executive, who used to run ?a construction business. Mr. Ranganath also said his operational costs are only 30 percent of his rivals? costs.

For a few months, Mr. Ranganath and his staff went hunting for used equipment from shuttered television stations across the country. ?We bought the cameras we use for 200,000 rupees each,? said Shashi Deshpande, facilities manager at Public TV. ?Each of them would have cost us one million or more if purchased new.?

The Public TV office also has three fully equipped studios, which can expand to six if a few chairs and background sets are moved around. No more than a few thousand rupees have been spent on each of these sets.

Mr. Ranganath kept operational costs down by hiring fresh college graduates to fill 80 percent of the 200 or so staff positions. ?That means some pressure on the 20 percent senior, experienced people on board, but someone?s got to give the new graduates a chance,? he said.

On the day that the channel began operations in March, Mr. Ranganath declared on the air that the public was free to check his and Mr. Kumar?s assets to make sure that there was no illegal money involved in starting the channel. ?I don?t want anyone to question my credentials,? Mr. Ranganath said. ?In any case, the viewers should know who is giving them their daily dose of news.?

The ratings reports for the past two months show that Public TV has been struggling to gain popularity. But Mr. Ranganath said that he was not worried and that the network was already planning to expand its operations.

?We are No. 5 or 6 among the seven channels,? he said. ?We will surely do better as time progresses.?

Viewers said they liked the network?s transparency and commitment to integrity. ?I am impressed by Public TV as it has no overt political connections,? said Shiva Prasad, 45, a resident of Bangalore. ?If they improve on their news presentation, I would love to watch them regularly.?

hope solo dancing with the stars hope solo dancing with the stars jack wagner snow white and the huntsman trailer snow white and the huntsman trailer sexiest man alive bob costas

Military families to get free national parks pass

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) ? Active-duty military personnel and their dependents will soon be able to enter every national park for free as part of an effort to thank service members and their families for the sacrifices they make, the Interior Department announced Tuesday.
An annual pass will be made available to members of the military free of charge beginning Saturday, which is Armed Forces Day. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Annual Pass ordinarily costs $80. It provides access to more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands.
The initiative is being marked with a Tuesday ceremony at Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Va., the site of the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. The park is nestled in a region of Virginia that plays host to all five branches of the military, including the world's largest naval base.
"I think when one goes into Virginia and you see all the sites, the Yorktown battlefield and the whole history of the country, it's important that those who have fought in the tradition of making sure the nation's democracy and freedom are protected also have access to these wonderful sites there," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a conference call with reporters in advance of the announcement.
The National Park Service estimates that giving away the passes to service members and their families will result in a revenue loss between $2 million and $6 million. The passes allow the owner and passengers in a single private vehicle access to sites that charge per vehicle. At sites where entrance fees are charged per-person, it covers the pass owner and three adults age 16 and older.
"We collect about $150 million in fees nationwide, so we don't think that this amount of decrease will be significant to the overall operations of the service," said Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service.
Military personnel can get the passes at any national park or wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee by showing their military ID. Each family member will also be able to obtain their own pass even if the service member is deployed or if they are traveling separately.
The pass will be accepted at National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees. The free pass will be made available for activated members of the National Guard and Reserves, but not for military veterans or retirees.
The effort compliments the Joining Forces initiative being spearheaded by first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, to support military families.
"Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our servicemen and women who make great sacrifices to protect our country and preserve our freedom," Jill Biden said.

hes just not that into you texas longhorns texas longhorns francesca woodman kennedy center honors danny gokey sonny rollins

Songify Released for Android, Time to Quit Your Day Job and Become an Auto-Tuned Pop Star

If you happen to be familiar with YouTube personalities and the world of Internet memes, then you most likely have knowledge of the Double Rainbow song and the Bed Intruder. The people behind the auto-tuned remixes of these classics are the Gregory Brothers and they have hired Smule to create the?Songify application. With Songify, all the user has to do is talk normally into the mic. Once you record the audio, the app then processes the file through auto-tune software, puts it on a backing track and voil? ? instant hit single.?

The app comes with only a few tracks and users need to buy additional songs. It is just like the T-Pain application which is highly successful on iOS, but never made its way to Android. It?s a really fun app and it?s nice that people don?t need to be self-conscience about their singing if they want to use it. Go have some fun and let us know what you think down below. As an added bonus, I have added my favorite video by them down below.

Play Link

Can?t Hug Every Cat:

dodgeball 2012 pro bowl postsecret ufc on fox 2 supercross christina aguilera etta james funeral sundance film festival

Facebook IPO: five things to know before buying the stock

About 1 out of every 8 people on the planet have a Facebook account. Now, with the arrival of a public stock offering, all those people have a chance to be part owners of this social hub.

Can you really buy this stock? Should you?

Here's a glimpse inside the most publicized initial stock offering in years, including some of the things you should be aware of before deciding to buy shares.

Lots of people want to buy this stock when trading starts this week, for a simple reason: Facebook is one of the most visible companies in the world, where Internet technology meets everyday activities like chatting and sharing photos with friends. Now, for the first time, its shares will be traded on public exchanges ? offering the chance for people on the outside to own a stake in the company's rapid growth and rich potential.

This won't be the largest initial public offering (IPO) ever, but it is expected to be the largest ever for an Internet company ? raising some $12 billion for the firm and its early investors. When Google went public with similar fanfare in 2004, it raised about $1.67 billion.

At the expected offer price between $34 and $38 per share, the Facebook IPO will imply a market value for the whole company close to $100 billion. (That's because much of the stock held by founders and early investors is not being sold to the public.)

But if Facebook will instantly rank among the stock market's largest high-tech companies, that doesn't mean it's automatically a good buy. In fact, amid all the excitement and anticipation, it could be a money loser for incoming investors.

So do some hard thinking before placing a "buy" order. It may be that your Facebook account is a better deal ("It's free and always will be," the firm says).

The five issues covered here will help you think through this investment decision.

- Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer

1. The insiders are the big winners

Remember that when a hot new investment comes to market, the small investor stands last in line. First served by the IPO will be the firm's founders and other investors who took early risks during the start-up phase. They already have a big equity stake in the firm, and they often see the value of their holdings surge as the IPO occurs.

Next at the trough will be financial firms and privileged investors. They can get in at that "offer price" in the neighborhood of $36 per share.

Last, and least, is everyone else.

When trading in Facebook starts on the Nasdaq market under the ticker symbol "FB," financial pros expect the shares to open significantly higher than the official offer price. If that's the case, you'll need to decide whether that higher price feels worth it.

houston nutt peter marshall peter marshall zombie boy zombie boy harvard yale joe paterno lung cancer

13 Qbs On Nfl Networks "top 100" Players...matt Ryan Must Be On That List

Treason, on 15 May 2012 - 08:26 AM, said:

Atljbo - has also said Ryan not on it . I trust Tandy . She is on top of her stuff
Ryan deserves to be in top 100 . He deserves to be on list over Peyton and Vick based off last year play . I can care less about Tebow . He helped lead that Bronco team to playoffs and had a great game in wildcard . Ryan is better then Tebow but I can see why he made the list

If you are just looking at last year...then yeah. Ryan would rank ahead of both Vick and Manning. But I'm not sure that is what the list is really about. Even though Manning didn't play a snap in 2011...it doesn't change the fact that, as of today, he is a top 3 QB in the NFL. They aren't going to take him off the list because he had a surgery that prevented him from playing.

Now if 2012 shows that he isn't the same player, or the effects of it drive his level of play 'way' down, then we can discuss where he should rank on the 2013 list. But until that is known, I'm assuming he's going to perform at a very high level. He's probably one of the smartest QBs to ever put a helmet on.

resurrection masters tickets one direction tulsa news scalloped potatoes the ten commandments charlton heston

Product Review Hot Toys Classic Predator review, and something ...

Hot Toys Classic Predator review, and something else coming...

I have two Hot Toys reviews going up, but not quite yet. My review of the Classic Predator went up tonight - and yes, he's a great version of the character. But I also have a special guest review from Jeff Parker of a figure not yet out, but it can't go up til tomorrow morning. Check back then to see what it is!

You can find my review already at the usual:

http://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading,

Michael
MWC

south carolina primary results marco scutaro betty white ed reed football schedule jo paterno dead south carolina

76ers even series with 82-81 win over Celts

Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Evan Turner (12) gets past Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, left, small forward Paul Pierce (34), and guard Rajon Rondo to score the go-ahead basket in the final minute of the second half of Game 2 in their NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series in Boston, Monday, May 14, 2012. The 76ers won 82-81. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Evan Turner (12) gets past Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, left, small forward Paul Pierce (34), and guard Rajon Rondo to score the go-ahead basket in the final minute of the second half of Game 2 in their NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series in Boston, Monday, May 14, 2012. The 76ers won 82-81. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Evan Turner (12) gets past Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) to score the go-ahead basket in the final minute of the second half of Game 2 in their NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series in Boston, Monday, May 14, 2012. The 76ers won 82-81. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) argues a personal foul call against him during the final minute of the second half of Game 2 in the NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers in Boston, Monday, May 14, 2012. The 76ers won 82-81. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON (AP) ? After taking out the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the opening round of the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76er's weren't about to get discouraged by a one-point loss to Boston to start the second round.

The feisty Sixers learned from it and outscrapped the Celtics in Game 2, winning 82-81 on Monday night to even the second-round series.

"I think we're growing. We have a young team," said Jrue Holiday, who led Philadelphia with 18 points. "I can't preach enough on our vets, really, just taking us under their wings and just keeping us focused and paying attention to detail ? the little things that helped us win this game."

Lots of little things added up to one very big win for the Sixers, who let another fourth-quarter lead slip away in Boston, but this time fought to take it right back. Philadelphia fought off every run the Celtics made down the stretch.

"We just found a way," Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. "All season long we couldn't win these games and now our guys are believing they can do it. And it is pretty special to watch."

Game 3 is Wednesday in Philadelphia, where the Sixers are 3-0 in the playoffs. The city hasn't hosted a second-round game in nine years and will be welcoming home a confident, young group of players who have shown the kind of grit Philadelphia fans love.

"We knew to expect the same type of game," said Evan Turner, whose layup with 40.4 seconds to play put Philadelphia ahead to stay. "We did what we needed to do to win this game, just like we didn't the first time around."

Turner's layup gave the Sixers a 76-75 lead and Philadelphia clinched it by going 6 for 6 from the free throw line over the final 12 seconds.

Turner finished with 10 points, Jrue Holiday scored 18 and Andre Iguodala added 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Sixers, who blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead in the Celtics' Game 1 victory.

Philadelphia failed to hang on to the lead again, but this time the Sixers outplayed the Celtics down the stretch.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia won its first playoff game in Boston since 1982 despite committing a playoff-high 19 turnovers and getting outrebounded 47-36.

"We're keeping our composure. We're keeping our confidence and know it's going to be grind-out games," Iguodala said.

Every time the Celtics appeared to have regained the momentum, the Sixers came up with an answer. After trailing by eight points entering the fourth quarter, Boston's Kevin Garnett tied it at 65-all on a turnaround jumper with 4:33 to play. The Celtics had the Sixers on the verge of a turnover when Paul Pierce blocked Lou Williams and the ball went out of bounds with just .9 seconds left on the shot clock.

No problem.

Lavoy Allen got the inbounds pass and banked in a shot from 22 feet and the Sixers were back in the lead.

"Well, the clock was down to point-nine seconds. I did what I could," Allen said.

Garnett scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 12 rebounds. Ray Allen scored 17 points for Boston.

Brandon Bass had 12 points for the Celtics, who couldn't quite repeat their comeback in the series-opening 92-91 victory.

"Listen, we put ourselves in that position," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "You put yourself in position to let someone else do something, then you can lose games and that's what happened."

Philadelphia led 57-49 entering the fourth, but Boston tied it twice before going up 72-71 on Avery Bradley's 3-pointer, setting off a series of shots from beyond the arc.

Holiday answered with a 3 for the Sixers, then Ray Allen got the lead right back for the Celtics on a 3-pointer with 1:40 left. The Celtics had a chance to extend the lead after forcing the Sixers into a 24-second shot clock violation, but Rajon Rondo missed a shot and Iguodala got the rebound, leading to Turner's layup to put the Sixers up 76-75.

"We gave them a couple shots that if we could get back we would love to have back," Ray Allen said.

Rondo and Allen both missed shots that would have put Boston ahead, then Rondo fouled Turner with 14.4 seconds left. The Celtics fouled Turner again with 12 seconds and he hit both free throws to extend the lead to 78-76.

"We knew it'd be a close game. We just needed to get stops down the stretch and we didn't," said Pierce, who finished with seven points. "The third quarter really hurt us. We couldn't score, and then Turner made some tough shots down the stretch."

Notes: The Celtics scored the first nine points. ... Boston made its first five shots, not missing until Spencer Hawes blocked Bradley's attempt 3:24 into the game. ... Rondo had eight assists in the first half, including alley-oop setups for Greg Stiemsma and Ryan Hollins, who had to reach behind his head for the pass but still corralled it for the two-handed dunk to put the Celtics up 33-29. ... Holiday led Philadelphia with 13 points in the first half. He was the only Sixer to score in double figures in the first two periods. Hawes was the next closest with six points. ... The Sixers had lost their last seven playoff games in Boston, last winning on May 23, 1982, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Associated Press

bo jackson bo jackson weather houston weather houston small business saturday small business saturday hank baskett