IPL 3 Is Back - Are You Ready?

By Renita D'Souza

If you you enjoyed the glamour & excitement that came along with the Indian Premier League & are an ardent fan of the modernized cricket - Then you have a reason to cheer about. The much awaited IPL is back to make the country go crazy in 2010.

There are 97 players who have registered for the IPL 2010 auction. The list of players includes a maximum of 26 players from Pakistan, 17 from Sri Lanka, 12 from South Africa, 9 from New Zealand, 9 from Australia, 8 from West Indies, 8 from England, 2 from Bangladesh, 2 from Zimbabwe, 2 from Canada, 1 Ireland and 1 from the Netherlands. The players will be listed in the January 19th auction if the franchises express interest in them. Last year in 2009, out of 100 that registered 50 were in auction.

Several individuals and companies have shown a growing interest in owning IPL teams, such as actors Ajay Devgan, Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, and the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.

Bidders will be offered a choice of 8 to 10 cities that can be made their home team venues and they will be allowed to bid for any number of cities. The highest two bids will be chosen and companies will use the name of that city as their home base and sport their team brand.

The final schedule of IPL 2010 which is to be played in India has been announced. The first match will be held between the Kolkata Knight Riders & the defending champions Deccan Chargers. The IPL 2010 will begin on 12th March and the final match will be on 25th April, 2010. This time no new teams will be added but new players including the former ICL players will be available for auction for IPL 3. A few new venues - Vishakapatnam, Ahmedabad and Dharamsala have been added apart from the existing 8 home venues of each of the teams.

Initially, the craze started when Celebrities like Shah Rukh khan & top Industrialists like Mukesh Ambani participated in the auction and successfully won the bids for owning franchises in the Indian Premier League. The highest amount in this auction was for the Mumbai team. This team was successfully bid for an astonishing amount of $111.9 million or Rs. 503.5 Crores by Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani. The next highest was for the Bangalore team which was successfully bid for $111.6 million or Rs. 502.2 Crores by the liquor king Vijay Malaya.

This huge amount of money was never seen in the history of cricket. The prize money announced was three times the prize money of a cricket world cup. This is the main reason why the cricketers from all around the world are trying to make their place in the Indian Premier League. IPL has managed to squash everything in its way & create history in the world of cricket.

The God of cricket is here. Cricket is considered to be more like a religion in India than just a sport. So it's going to be yet another season full of enthusiasm, excitement, glamour, & fun. The pre- IPL craze says it all. It is going to be a success story all over again. So gear yourself up and get ready for IPL 2010. You surely wouldn't want to miss it, would you?

About the Author:

Want to know more about Shane Warne & Saurav Ganguly? Stay tuned for more acton & fun.

The Mapes Hotel: Lost Landmark Of Northern Nevada History

By Ross Everett

On a cold, gray morning in late January 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The controlled demolition came despite years of effort by a number of groups within the community and nationally to preserve the building with lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots lobbying efforts.

While the efficacy and justification of demolishing the Mapes is debatable, one thing that is not is the glorious history of the hotel. It was built in'47, and signaled the start of the modern era of casino gambling. Despite the notoriety of Bugsy Siegel and the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was the Mapes that became the first building in the nation to have a hotel, casino and live entertainment under one roof. It also became the hotel of choice for celebrities staying in Northern Nevada. Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe stayed at The Mapes during the filming of 'The Misfits'. Joseph McCarthy, America's famed anti-Communist crusader, admitted to a reporter over cocktails in the Mapes Lounge that he really didn't have a list of Communists in the US despite his frequent and vitriolic insistence to the contrary.

During the 'Rat Pack' era of the 50's and 60's it became along with the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The 11th floor, window walled Sky Room Lounge hosted performances by a roster of entertainment legends including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Milton Berle and Mae West. Downtown Reno struggled during the'60's and 70's but the Mapes continued to prosper. The hotel finally closed in'82, due to financial problems experienced by the Mapes Family brought about by their other Northern Nevada casino holdings.

Reno never experienced the massive growth that occurred in Las Vegas and southern Nevada, and for that reason the destruction of the Mapes is more open to debate than the hotel demolitions to the south. Even the demolition of The Sands--perhaps the most historically significant casino in the state--is hard to argue against given the inability of such a small property to compete in the current Las Vegas marketplace and in light of the value of the mid-strip real estate. The old properties may have historic value to pop culture historians, but their survival doesn't make economic sense. They're simply 'analog players in a digital world'.

This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The official reason that the Mapes had to come down was that the city needed the land--which sits along the banks of the Truckee River--to expand its riverside district of art galleries, restaurants and shops. The revitalization of downtown Reno is definitely needed and a legitimate goal, but at the same time it is hard to think that the Mapes was a barrier to this. Indeed, a number of proposals for redevelopment including office space, artists lofts and upscale senior housing would have probably served to enhance the livability of the downtown area. For whatever reason, the City Redevelopment Authority wouldn't approve any of the proposals and the fate of the Mapes was sealed.

The role of the City Redevelopment Authority was questioned throughout the process. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was on a prime location between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. A number of sound financial proposals were presented that would preserve the integrity of the structure including condominiums, office space, and perhaps most viable, upscale senior apartments. Oddly, all of these proposals were turned down by the citys Redevelopment Agency which continued to maintain that demolition was the only viable option despite copious evidence to the contrary.

Following the 2000 demolition, the lot remained vacant for over a year until a temporary ice skating rink was hastily constructed the following winter. The site now houses a permanent ice skating rink which, while not a bad use for the land, isn't the sort of game changing improvement suggested by the City Redevelopment Agency and their adamant insistence that the building be demolished. To the contrary, it appears they had no specific plan or even general idea of what to do with the land but for some reason wanted to see the hotel come down. This has led to all manner of speculation, ranging from financial self interest to a rumor that the structure was 'haunted' and needed to be destroyed to forestall future paranormal activity in Washoe County. Whatever the reason, the city of Reno lost a valuable landmark that played a significant part in the economic growth of the entire state.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected sports betting expert. He is also a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook and is in charge of setting NFL lines. He has written extensively on sports handicapping theory along with a wide range of other topics including fencing, boxing and dog training.

Learn How To Play Online Slots

What's wonderful about today's technology is the way that it brings so many activities right into your home. For instance, you can work from home. But it doesn't end there. You can also do all your shopping from groceries to books online. You can also have a lot of fun online. There are tons of entertainment options, such as social networking, videos, blogs, and even games. One of the best innovations in the world of online entertainment is online gambling. That means that if you like the gamble but can't get out to a casino either because of the distance or time constrains posed by your job, you could still have a lot of fun playing gambling games. Really, no matter what type of casino activity trips your trigger, you should find it online. For instance, if you want to learn how to play online slots it is really just a few clicks away.

The first thing you are going to want to do when you start to play the slots online is to protect your money. You need to make sure that you only play with what you could afford to lose. You also need to make sure that the site you will be using is legitimate and won't defraud you as you play.

Because of these reasons, it is best to look for a site that lets you deposit money into a fixed account. That way you don't draw down your credit card as you play, or worse yet, let an unscrupulous site have access to your personal information.

Once you know that you are playing safely, the next thing you have to do is make sure that the site your looking on is going to be fun for you.

Check out the different types of slot machines and see if they have good graphics and sound effects.

This will make for a better playing environment. Also, you should check out what kind of jackpots are available on the site. For instance, some slots have a fixed jackpot.

Others are progressive and get larger and larger the more people play. These slots can be likened to a state lottery. No matter what site you finally land on just make sure that it's safe and what you are looking for. In no time, you'll find that learning how to play online slots is a lot like playing them in real time.

Wicked Broadway Musical

By Richie Stephenson

If you are looking for a nice musical to take your kids and whole family to, Wicked could just be the one that all of you could enjoy most. Wicked is a Broadway musical also being performed at the West End. In New York, it has gathered enough positive criticisms to get a Tony Award and prove its worth.

This musical is based on a novel written by Gregory Maguire entitled "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West". This best-selling literature is actually written in parallel to the classical story entitled "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum.

In the story, there are two witches, Elphaba, who will eventually become the wicked witch and Glinda, the supposedly good witch. These two witches became friends, although they have contrasting personalities and view points. Their friendship did suffer bumps and trials along the way of course. They do share one thing in common though - they both love the same guy.

The setting of the story happened before Dorothy arrived in Oz with the help of her ruby slippers. With that said, the audience could expect notable references, dialogues, and scenes in the equally popular "The Wizard of Oz" movie of 1939.

You need not see the story of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz to appreciate this show and its plot. But those who simply love the classical tale are very much invited to see who the wicked witch of Oz really is. While you may think that she's the person that made things miserable for the people at Emerald City, you might think differently about her after watching this entertaining Broadway show.

Before finding its way to New York, Wicked was first shown at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. It debuted in May 2003 before being presented in Broadway five months after. The force behind this musical is none other than Universal Pictures and is under the direction of Joe Mantello. Musical staging credits go to Wayne Cilento.

In the US, Wicked is being shown not only in New York but in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Chicago as well. It also has had a big opening in London, more particularly at the West End. A tour is also being held regularly, with the show already taken to Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio, among others.

The main characters of the story, aside from the two witches are The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Madame Morrible, Fiyero, Nessarose, Boq, and Doctor Dillamond. Each one of these characters features a distinct singing voice in the play that makes the musical more entertaining and lively. The most popular numbers of the musical are "No One Mourns the Wicked", "Dear Old Shiz", "As Long as You're Mine", and "For Good", among others.

Kids and adults would surely love this show simply because it is a very good one. The tale is rich and eventful, with the musical rendition quite memorable. Take your whole family to enjoy the performance. It is truly going to be a night of entertainment for all of you.

About the Author:

Rich Stephenson is in the SEO field for a ticket agency that sells tickets to sports, concert and theater events. Ticket agency also sells Wicked Tickets as well as Cheap Theater Tickets for all theater events.

Learning How To Play Online Slots Is Easy And Fun

One of the great things about the internet is how much it can bring right into your own home. In fact, if you didn't want to go, you probably wouldn't need to leave your house ever. After all, you can work from your own home. You can also chat with friends on your computer. You can even use your computer for shopping for things from electronics to groceries. You now can even entertain yourself using your computer in ways that you never thought possible before. Sure, you could watch videos and play puzzle games, but now you should even learn how to play online slots and enjoy the rush you would feel at a casino with the hassle of driving down to one. It gives you the chance to concentrate solely on the game and not on the extraneous details.

When you start exploring the world of online slots you first need to make sure that you and your money are protected. Most sites are very good and offer you a great place to have some fun online, but there are few unscrupulous sites out there that want to scam unsuspecting people.

In order to make sure that you stay safe, only choose to visit a site that lets you set up an account with them.

Don't give them your credit card number; PayPal is always a better option in these cases. Also, for your own personal benefit, never put more money into your online slot account than any one can afford to lose.

Once you find a few safe sites from which you decide to choose, look for one that has all the bells and whistles that you like. Slots are more enjoyable if you have exciting graphics and music while you are playing. Also, take a look at what kind of jackpots are available.

Some sites have fixed jackpots that are easier to win. Other sites have progressive jackpots that get bigger the more people that play. These sites, however, don't let you win as often.

However, with all of these legitimate sites, know that the computer is playing on the same random algorithm that governs physical slot machines. Your chances of winning overall are exactly the same. As you can see, learning to play online slots only takes a few minutes and should be just as easy and fun as going to a real casino and playing that way.

Home Computer Training - News

By Jason Kendall

Only one in ten people in the United Kingdom are enjoying job satisfaction. Naturally most won't do a thing. The reality of your getting here at a minimum tells us that you're considering or may be ready for a change.

We recommend you seek advice first - talk to a knowledgeable person; a guide who can really get to know you and find the best job role for you, and offer only the learning programs that will suit you:

* Would you like to work with others? If so, do you want a team or are you more comfortable dealing with strangers? Alternatively, do you like to deal with your responsibilities alone?

* The banks and building sector are none too stable right now, so it's important to look very carefully at what sector would suit you best?

* Once your training has been completed, would you like your skills to serve you till you retire?

* Would you like the course you're re-training in to be in a market sector where you're comfortable you'll have a job until your pension kicks in?

The largest sector in this country to tick all of the above boxes is the IT sector. There's a need for more knowledgeable staff in the industry, - take a look at any jobsite and there'll be a long list. Don't misunderstand and think it's only geeky nerds sitting in front ofscreens every day - there's a lot more to it than that. Most of workers in the industry are just like the rest of us, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.

Considering the amount of options that are available, it's not really surprising that a large majority of newcomers to the industry have no idea which career they could be successful with.

As without any previous experience in IT, how can most of us be expected to understand what someone in a particular job does?

To work through this, there should be a discussion of several definitive areas:

* Our personalities play an important role - what gets you 'up and running', and what are the areas that put a frown on your face.

* What time-frame are you looking at for the retraining?

* What scale of importance is the salary - is an increase your main motivator, or is enjoying your job a little higher on your priority-list?

* Understanding what the main Information technology areas and markets are - and what makes them different.

* You'll also need to think hard about the amount of time and effort you'll put into your education.

In actuality, your only option to seek advice on these matters tends to be through a good talk with someone that has years of experience in IT (and chiefly the commercial needs and requirements.)

Of course: the training itself or a certification isn't what this is about; a job that you want to end up in is. Far too many training organisations put too much weight in just the training course.

Students often train for a single year but end up doing a job for a lifetime. Avoid the mistake of opting for what may seem to be a program of interest to you only to spend 20 years doing a job you don't like!

It's a good idea to understand the exact expectations industry will have. What exams you'll be required to have and how to gain experience. Spend some time thinking about how far you think you'll want to build your skill-set as it will present a very specific set of exams.

We'd recommend you take advice from an experienced industry advisor before you begin some particular study path, so you can be sure that the content of a learning package provides the skills necessary.

Validated exam preparation and simulation materials are essential - and really must be sought from your training provider.

Ensure that the exams you practice haven't just got questions in the right areas, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will ask them. It completely unsettles trainees if they're met with completely different formats and phraseologies.

It's a good idea to have some simulated exam questions so you'll be able to check your understanding along the way. Practice exams log the information in your brain - then the actual exam is much easier.

Be watchful that any accreditations you're considering doing will be recognised by employers and are up-to-date. The 'in-house' certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment.

All the major IT organisations like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA have internationally recognised skills programmes. These big-hitters will give some sparkle to your CV.

About the Author:

Copyright Scott Edwards. Visit MCSE Courses or MCSE Course.

Real Series Slots- Why They're the Best Software

If you take a look at all the casinos online today, the elite companies choose to use Real Series Slots. If you haven't heard of them before you might have heard of Real Time Gaming or RTG. Companies have raved about this software for quite some time and if you're looking for an online gaming experience like no other, it's definitely worth utilizing. You will have plenty of games to choose from, extremely fast payouts, and some of the best customer service out there.

What Should You Expect from Real Series Slot?

One of the biggest benefits you can expect from Real Series Slots is the attention to detail they're casino software offers. Out of all the available choices today, they are considered to be the closest thing to your local casino. The only difference is it's not overcrowded, you can play what you want when you want, and money on gas, food costs, and adult beverage purchases.

Real Series Slots Features

Quick Gaming Experience- Once you're able to start playing, it won't matter if you have the slowest connection out there, or the fastest one. You will be able to enjoy the same benefits either way.

Amazing Look- You will also find that the gaming appeal alone is one way ahead of its time. When you look at the graphics you will see that they are as realistic to a slot machine in the casino near you as possible. This means the same fun and excitement, and with some eye catching animations as well.

Small Cost- Lower denomination slots are also available through the Real Series Slots. So if you only want to play to relieve some stress or just budget your money better, you'll be able to do so with lower cost slots.

Multiple Pay Lines- Having more than one chance to win on each spin is very enticing to some, and if this is the case for you then multiple pay lines will be the best choice. You can find everything from 3 lines to 200 depending on the game.

Other Features

While everything above looks great, there will be additional features on some of the RTG slots like:

- Earning free spins.

- Bonus rounds.

- Progressive Jackpots

Some RTG Slots

If we had to produce a downfall to the RTG type software, it's probably choosing which ones you want to play. Below you will find a few that are popular today:

- Archilees Slot: offers free spin bonuses up to 25 spins at 3x

- Ronin: higher risk game with random bonus round to earn free spins

- Prince of Sherwood: a fun themed game that offers some unique bonus rounds

However, once you get your hands on these you won't want to go back to what you were playing with before. The Real Series Slots are the best choice for anyone looking to play or start their own online casino. Unfortunately, telling you about all the benefits isn't nearly as good as seeing them in action yourself.