NASA’s Mission Phoenix on MARS

A telescopic camera in orbit around Mars caught a view of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander suspended from its parachute during the lander's successful arrival at Mars Sunday evening, May 25.

The image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter marks the first time ever one spacecraft has photographed another one in the act of landing on Mars.

Meanwhile, scientists pored over initial images from Phoenix, the first ever taken from the surface of Mars' polar regions. Phoenix returned information that it was in good health after its first night on Mars, and the Phoenix team sent the spacecraft its to-do list for the day.

"We can see cracks in the troughs that make us think the ice is still modifying the surface," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "We see fresh cracks. Cracks can't be old. They would fill in." Camera pointing for the image from HiRISE used navigational information about Phoenix updated on landing day. The camera team and Phoenix team would not know until the image was sent to Earth whether it had actually caught Phoenix.

McEwen said, "We've never taken an image at such an oblique angle before."

Monday's tasks for Phoenix include checkouts of some instruments and systems, plus additional imaging of the lander's surroundings.

Keywords: NASA, NASA's Phoenix, MARS, HiRISE, Earth, Globe

Indian Govt. to take Fuel Price RISE decision soon..!

With the price of oil skyrocketing Indian consumers are waiting anxiously for their governments' decision on raising petrol prices. After pressure from the left, second round of cabinet talks are planned with a decision expected soon. India's Petroleum Ministry on Friday said a domestic fuel price hike was "inevitable" to bail out state oil firms that sell fuel at hugely discounted rates and are reeling from surging global prices.

A "price hike is inevitable," Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan said, but added the "specific quantity of the price increase" was still being worked out. The Press Trust of India reported without naming sources that the petroleum ministry was seeking a 10-rupee-a-litre increase in Petrol prices and a 5-rupee-a-litre hike in Diesel prices. Based on current pump prices in New Delhi, this would represent a 22 percent increase for Petrol and 16 percent on Diesel.

State-owned refiners have been reporting combined revenue losses of 105 million dollars a day as international prices have surged. The government sets the massively discounted prices at which fuels are sold to shield the country's poverty-hit masses from high fuel costs and to help contain inflation.

The ministry was proposing a combination of price hikes and duty cuts to reduce the revenue shortfalls suffered by state-owned refiners from sales of petrol, diesel, liquid petroleum gas and kerosene.

But the Congress-led government which faces general elections within a year, is fearful any fuel rise could trigger a backlash from voters already reeling from high overall inflation running at 7.82 percent, far above the central bank's target of 5.5 percent.

In February this year, India hiked gasoline and diesel prices for the first time in 20 months.

Keywords: Indian Petroleum Ministry, Petroleum, Petrol, Diesel, Indian Economy

Google expands Free Phone Number and Voicemail Project

Google is partnering with homeless shelters in San Francisco to distribute free phone numbers and voicemail accounts to those without homes, the company said Wednesday.

The Internet giant is expanding a service that was started by Grand Central, a San Francisco-based start-up that Google acquired last year. Grand Central's technology allows calls to be routed to a home, business, or cell phone using a single phone number. The service offers people a way to organize and unify their communications, a Google spokesman said.

Grand Central had already been offering the free phone number and voicemail service to people in San Francisco through Mayor Gavin Newsom's Project Homeless Connect, which brings together nonprofit organizations and other social-service providers in one location to provide on-the-spot services for homeless. The services include medical, mental health, substance abuse, housing, dental, and legal services, plus free eyeglasses, California ID, food, clothing, and wheelchair repair.

Since the acquisition of Grand Central last year, Google has been participating in periodic Project Homeless Connect events in which it has been providing the homeless with free phone numbers and voicemail accounts that they can access from any phone. More than 4,000 phone numbers and voicemail accounts have been distributed this way, Craig Walker, a senior product manager of voice products for Google, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

On Wednesday, Google announced that it would expand Grand Central's project and partner directly with homeless shelters that will now be able to give out phone numbers and voicemail accounts and help individuals set up their accounts anytime. The idea is to expand the service, and eventually offer it in other cities, a Google spokesman said.

"When you lose your home, you lose more than your house," said Google's spokesman. "You lose a permanent way of staying in touch with family members, employers, and social service providers. Being able to give a phone number to people and access voicemail can be a very powerful thing in sustaining quality of life."

Keywords: VoIP, Google, Grand Central, Free voicemail and Phone number

Top Golden Rules of Dalal Street for Investments/Savings

Currently, the Indian markets are in doldrums and nobody is talking of stocks or investments. You may think justifiably so, as the markets are headed in no direction. Is it not exactly the opposite of the exuberant times we were witnessing a few months back. Conversely, bottoms are made in turbulent times.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to say when the markets will halt their southward journey and change direction for the better. Who knows, we might have already hit the bottom and the markets may soon return back to their upward trajectory. My empirical observation and research have proved it that wealth making in the market has more to do with discipline and the power of time to compound growth than being smart at stock picking and timing the markets just right.

To help you in your quest to make wealth in our markets, I suggest you follow the golden rules of markets that will virtually ensure reasonable, steady wealth appreciation.

Bear in mind, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. Saving and consumption do not go hand-in-hand. You need to plan today for the lifestyle you want after you stop working, i.e. the finances you will require after you retire. Accordingly, save the necessary portion of your income to invest in equities. Equities, or stocks, may appear risky, but they are just volatile, they go up and down, and time is the perfect hedge against volatility.

Therefore, Rule No 1: Plan for tomorrow, today. Start saving for it now! Stagger your investments throughout your earning phase. Invest regularly and invest for the long term to buy in at an average price that includes both markets’ up and down ticks.

Never wait until you have large amounts of money to invest. However small the amount you are able to save, start early. The earlier you start, the better are your chances of making great wealth. Remember to make great gains. Time is a crucial factor, as wealth creation is a factor of both the power of compounding and the returns on your investments.

Accordingly, Rule No 2: Start early so that the power of compounding begins sooner; time is the magic that converts paise into rupees. In exuberant phases, when we have earned good money from our investments, most of us get greedy, and derivatives and futures provide an outlet for the expression of human greed. While such instruments often satisfy the whims of human greed, if taken to unrealistic levels, irresponsible investment in these securities can lead to financial ruin.

Hence, Rule No 3: Do not leverage, it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict short-term trends.

Buy markets, not stocks. We all know that our economy is in a secular phase of prosperity and the stock market is the best proxy for the growth of an economy. To benefit from our soaring economy, buy the market as a whole and not any single stock.

Consequently, Rule No 4: Buy stocks that mirror the broader indexes, but never buy a single, or a handful of stock exposures. This means that you need to spread your risk across various market segments in the event a particular stock does not perform for reasons beyond the company’s control. It is easier to predict company earnings, but difficult to predict stock prices of the same company in the short run. Ironically, over the long term, stock prices mirror growth in a corporation’s earnings.

“Wish you all happy savings and happy investments” – Global NEWS.

Keywords: Investments, Savings, Sensex, Dalal Sreet, Equities, Mutual Funds.

US Recession may be Worse than Feared: Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, the world's richest person, said on Monday the US Economy is in a Recession that will be more severe than most people expect. Buffett made his comments on CNBC television after his Berkshire Hathaway Inc agreed to invest $6.5 billion in the takeover of chewing gum maker Wm Wrigley Jr Co by Mars Inc in a $23 billion transaction.

"This is not a field of specialty for me, but my general feeling is that the recession will be longer and deeper than most people think," Buffett said. "This will not be short and shallow. I think consumers are feeling gas and food prices," he added, "and not feeling they've got a lot of money for other things." He was not immediately available for further comment.

Known for his frugality, the 77-year-old Buffett has lived in the same 10-room Omaha, Nebraska, house for a half-century, despite being worth an estimated $62 billion. On Wednesday, the U.S. Commerce Department is expected to say how fast the economy grew in the first quarter. Economists on average have projected that gross domestic product grew at an annualized 0.2 percent rate in the quarter.

Two quarters of declining GDP is a traditional indicator of recession. That last happened in 2001. Economists expect the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday to cut a key lending rate for a seventh time beginning last September. Berkshire is a $197 billion conglomerate best known for its insurance holdings, such as auto insurer Geico Corp, but it owns more than 70 businesses.

In March, Forbes magazine pegged Buffett's net worth at $62 billion, ahead of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim's $60 billion and Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates's $58 billion. Gates is a friend of Buffett and a Berkshire director.

Keywords: Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, USA Economy, USA Recession, Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Wm Wrigley Jr Co.

Microsoft's Board Fails to Decide on YAHOO Bid

Microsoft Corp's board met on Wednesday to discuss its stand-off with Yahoo Inc over its $41.8 billion takeover bid, but failed to reach a decision on what to do next, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Microsoft's board of directors is still weighing whether to adopt a hostile approach and nominate a proxy slate of directors to replace Yahoo's board, sweeten its cash-and-stock offer for Yahoo, or possibly walk away from the deal, the Journal said. A Microsoft spokesman was not available for comment. A Microsoft-imposed deadline for Yahoo to start talks on a final deal or face a proxy battle passed last Saturday. An announcement from Microsoft is expected later this week, the report said.

Microsoft, according to the report, has indicated it would be willing to raise its bid to as much as $33 per share but such an offer may still fall short of the $35 to $37 per share that Yahoo's major shareholders are looking for. Meanwhile, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, who is also a member of the board, has appeared ready in recent days to abandon the offer since Yahoo and its major shareholders want significantly more money, according to the Journal.

Ballmer had said last week that Microsoft was considering walking away from the deal. But most Wall Street analysts dismiss this as a hardball negotiating tactic rather than a real threat to end its two-year-long pursuit of a deal.

Keywords: Microsoft Corp, Yahoo Inc, Steve Ballmer, Wall Street Journal

VODAFONE and Microsoft to launch SMS Search Services in INDIA

Mobile service provider Vodafone on Tuesday said it has joined hands with Microsoft India to provide its users SMS search service at a rate of 30 paisa per query.

This SMS search service, powered by Microsoft's live search, is being developed at Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC), a joint statement said.

The search service would enable users to send their queries through SMS text message at a rate of 30 paisa per query.

"We have incorporated some unique features in SMS search service like local results based on the users city location, keeping track of users search session for 24 hours and delivering results formatted to match the users phone capabilities," Gurpreet S Pall, Director of Live Search and Emerging Markets at MSIDC said.

The service will provide Vodafone mobile users to search contents such as ringtones, images, local directory information.

However, currently the new search directory information service would be available in 8 cities mainly Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad with 21 more cities expected to join the list soon

Keywords: Vodafone, Microsoft, Nokia Mobile, SMS Search Service, MSIDC