ICL asks for ICC recognition for rebel T20 league

MUMBAI, April 16: The International Cricket Council has received a communication from the rebel Indian Cricket League bankrolled by the Essel Group of Subash Chandra for recognition from the world governing council and the matter is under consideration, a top ICC official said on Wednesday.

"There are two parts to that. Until recently the ICL had never sought recognition from the ICC, so it never asked the question. About ten days ago lawyers acting on behalf of ICL contacted ICC and sought recognition from the ICC," said Malcolm Speed, the outgoing CEO of ICC, on Wednesday during an interaction with reporters.

"We are awaiting advice from our lawyers on that issue and I expect it within the next week or so (after which) we'll respond to the ICL lawyers," Speed added.

"The question is never been asked whether ICC will recognize ICL one way or the other. It's a fairly complicated legal issue and we are taking legal advice," said the ICC CEO who will step down from his post in June.

Speed also revealed that the Indian cricket board had never sent anything in writing to the ICC that the ICL was an unsanctioned event or the BCCI did not recognize it.

"BCCI has never sent anything in writing to the ICC terming the ICL as unsanctioned or that they don't recognize it. The law is different in every country on issues such as the state of trade, competition and these sorts of issues.

"So the position that the members have taken is subject to ICC obtaining legal advice they do not recognize ICL and they will deal with their player as they fit under the law of their country," Speed elaborated.

"Similarly the ICC has never been asked if the ICC will recognize the IPL. IPL doesn't need ICC recognition because it's a competition run by BCCI just as county cricket or Pura Cup doesn't need ICC recognition," he reiterated.

http://cricket.indiatimes.com/ICL_asks_for_ICC_recognition_for_T20_league/articleshow/2956250.cms

 

 

Beijing Olympics

The Politics of the Beijing Olympics
By Henning Laptop
This is acutely apparent now in regards to the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, six months before events begin. China was a controversial selection to host these Olympics, and what they thought would be their coming out party as an ...
Social Europe Blog - http://blog.social-europe.eu

BOYCOTTING THE BEIJING OLYMPICS
BOYCOTTING THE BEIJING OLYMPICS – A GOOD IDEA? I just read a very interesting article by Chinese actress and director, Joan Chen in The Washington Post. The thrust of the article is that the current clamor for boycotting the Beijing ...
Scribd Feed - http://www.scribd.com/

 

Dining out at Germany's fully automated restaurant

check out the news on automated restaurant...

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7335351.stm

 

Google App Engine

Google isn’t just talking about hosting applications in the cloud any more. Tonight at 9pm PT they’re launching Google App Engine, an ambitious new project that offers a full-stack, hosted, automatically scalable web application platform. It consists of Python application servers, BigTable database access (anticipated here and here) and GFS data store services.

 

http://code.google.com/appengine/

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/07/google-jumps-head-first-into-web-services-with-google-app-engine/

 

Shoaib Akthar banned for 5 years

April 1, 2008

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, 32, has been banned for five years by a disciplinary committee of the PCB for violating the players' code of conduct. The ban extends to cricket for and in Pakistan but will leave him free to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins later this month.

Legspinner Danish Kaneria, also charged with criticising the PCB, was let off with a severe reprimand as it was his first offence.

Shoaib had appeared before a disciplinary committee in February after being charged with publicly criticising the Pakistan board for offering him a retainership instead of a contract. The board had offered contracts to 15 players, based on a formula that took into account their performance, but Shoaib was demoted to a retainership from the Category A contract he held last year.

"The board has lost confidence in Shoaib Akhtar and therefore felt his presence in the field was damaging to the Pakistan team, for Pakistan players and for the image of Pakistan cricket," the PCB chairman, Nasim Ashraf, told AFP. "The committee has recommended a five-year ban for Shoaib Akhtar. He will be ineligible to play in Pakistan or to play for Pakistan anywhere else in the world. [It is] a sad day for me and for Shoaib Akhtar. He is such a talented player."

Shoaib, 32, said he was "deeply disappointed and hurt" by the decision. "I will go to court and fight against the ban."

Read the complete article here...

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/344698.html

 

 

Cricket News

South Africa move to the top of ICC rankings

 

South Africa defeated Bangladesh by a clean sweep 3-0 in the 3 match ODI series and thus have propelled to the top of the ICC rankings pushing below the Australian team.

 

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, has said that it is important to be No. 1 in the one-day rankings after blanking Bangladesh but added that what his team really wants is to beat India in the three-Test series starting in Chennai on March 26.

 

 

Priceless Poipu: Low cost leisure on Kauai's South Shore

Rainbows are free. So, of course, are blazing red sunsets, plumeria-scented trade breezes, golden sand, sensuously warm water and nodding coconut palms.

You can spend a prince's ransom enjoying these things in Poipu - or anywhere else in Hawaii - but you don't have to. It's a point well worth remembering in this season of economic nail-biting. We'll show you how to save money - sometimes a lot of money - on all the sensory elements of a classic Hawaiian vacation.

Justly famed for its broad beach park on Kauai's South Shore, Poipu offers plenty of high style, but low-cost options exist for those who prefer their paradise a little more low key. What follows are my favorite discoveries at both ends of the price spectrum.

Just keep in mind that developers the area are kicking up a lot of red dirt (see "New homes and hotel," Page D8), so don't wait too long to kick back if you'd prefer to enjoy these pleasures in relative privacy.

Island cuisine

High style: The restaurants in Poipu's resort hotels and condo communities rely on their surroundings rather than on quality to jack up prices. But the independently operated Beach House on Lawai Road routinely rates as Kauai's top restaurant and one of the best in the state. Unusual in its ability to pair a superb view with superior food (much of it locally grown or fresh-caught), the dinner-only establishment frequently books up well in advance - especially for sunset dining - so call before you go to the Garden Isle, and expect to pay $50-$60 per person for a three-course meal, excluding tax, tip and beverages.

Low key: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on Oahu's North Shore may have spawned a bevy of nearby imitators, but Savage Shrimp at the intersection of Lawai and Ho'onani roads is the only one of its kind on Kauai. I was glad to learn recently that the owner, who simply goes by Susan, has vowed she won't let the major construction zone across the street drive her away. Susan serves two kinds of shrimp: a very garlicky scampi and a slightly less garlicky Brazilian style with coconut milk, both served over rice, for $10.

The truck's open from about 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. most days, or until she runs out of shrimp. (If you can see her cooking through the bamboo-mat-framed window, go for it). There's one table and four plastic chairs, shaded by a tree but not protected from road noise, so you may want to order your shrimp plate to go, with a can of Pass-O-Guava soda (to cut the garlic aftertaste), and enjoy a picnic at the beach. Don't forget napkins - lots of napkins - since the shrimp come with shells on.

Since that only covers lunch (and shrimp eaters), keep in mind the Kalaheo Cafe for breakfast and lunch, about a 10-minute drive to its mauka (toward the mountains) location along the main highway. Carb lovers, you have your choice of white or brown rice, or hash browns or cafe fries, as well as several kinds of toast, with a wide variety of egg dishes; most dishes, including sandwiches, are well under $10.

The cafe is across the street from Brick Oven Pizza, a bustling dinner spot with pretty good pizza, but we prefer to cruise the counters of the Kukuiula Market back in Poipu for homemade items like ahi poke (marinated tuna) and mochi (pounded rice) desserts, along with fresh fish to grill. And when we've missed the weekly farmers market in Koloa, the roadside stand off Ala Kinoiki (the bypass road) offers another chance at sweet white corn, dark-skinned oranges and ripe papaya. .......

Read the complete article here...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/17/TR6MUPD74.DTL