Licensing: Help To Grow Existing Product Lines
February 21, 2012 | 
Author The attraction of licensing trademarks for business intentions appears to be at an all-time high, mostly in the fashion arena where consumers are buying more licensed products and brand names than ever before. For retailers, licensing opportunities provide them with a point of difference from their competitors.
Licensing is leasing a legally protected property (like trademarked or copyrighted name, logo, likeness, character, phrase or design) to another party in combination with a product, service or promotion. It is a process which lays stress on consumer management, development of brand equity in line with international imagery, providing right shopping ambience and perhaps is less about manufacturing. Licensing is a way of growing with an already established brand. It provides the brand recall benefits, which are not achievable in case one comes out with a brand new image.
There are many types of licensing business like art & design, corporate brands, events, fashion brands, food & drink, institutional, magazine brands, music, personalities, sports and television licensing to name a few.
The advantages of licensing for licensors
The main advantage for a licensor is the facility to use and develop its brand or property.
Licensing can achieve this by:
. Improving its brand existence at a retail or distribution outlet.
. Making further brand perception to support its core products or services.
. Providing and increasing its core values through various links with the licensed products/service or category.
. Coming into new markets (consumer or geographical) which were unfeasible with its own strengths.
. Making new revenue flows, often with little involvement or additional financial resources
The advantage of licensing for licensees
The main advantage for a licensee (particularly manufacturer or retailer) is the capability to considerably upsurge consumer interest in and sales of its products or services.
Licensing can achieve this by:
. Shifting the values and consumer favour towards the licensed product or service.
. Providing added value and differentiation in the competitive market.
. Offering additional marketing support or speed from the core property’s activity given by the licensor.
. Attracting new target markets who have not been paid attention in a licensee’s product or service.
. Providing credibility for shifting into new market sectors through product extension.
. Attaining additional retail space and favor.
Licensing: The increasing scenario worldwide
Reviewing the year-after-year worldwide retail sales from 2000 to 2004, the licensing business this year has shown an increase. In general, 2004 anticipated worldwide retail sales of licensed business increased 1.5 per cent to $175.3 billion against 2003 $172.7 billion, with the USA making nearly $110 billion (nearly $5.805 billion in royalties) and Europe $34 billion. In UK, the brand licensing industry is worth approximately £7billion in retail and £368million in royalties.
Recently many international textile-garment-apparel manufacturing companies are in news due to their licensing agreement with many other companies.
Everlast Worldwide Inc, which is a men’s and women’s apparel and accessories seller, recently announced signing a new four-year license agreement with Jacques Moret Inc of New York City. As of January 1, 2006, this new agreement grants Moret, a major supplier to the US apparel market, a license for Everlast men’s activewear, sportswear, outerwear and swimwear in the United States. Moret will partner with M. Hidary and Company Inc for design, development and sales of the activewear portion of the license. M. Hidary has achieved great success with its vast experience in the men’s branded activewear business. They will purchase certain men’s apparel inventory owned by Everlast and assume other transitional costs associated with the men’s business. Additionally, certain key sales, merchandising and operational personnel will join the new group.
Burnaby, B.C.-based ID Wear, a group of Pimlico Apparel, has recently received the sole license for the manufacture, design and sale of the Playboy brand of high-end denims for the North American market. Pimlico produces denim products for its own brands, ID Wear and private labels such as Nordstrom’s and Harley-Davidson. Moreover, ID Wear is the first North American company to provide laser logoing on its garments.
Marvel Enterprises, Inc., a global character-based entertainment licensing company, recently declared that it is strengthening its important apparel licensing business with leading partners Kids Headquarters (as master apparel licensee) and Mad Engine (which will spearhead t-shirts and tops). This statement means a brand new partnership with Kids Headquarters and an expanded relationship with Mad Engine.
Juicy Couture has partnered with Sàfilo Group for a full eyewear collection that it will introduce in spring 2006. A budget-priced set of sunglasses and ophthalmic eyewear for men will also be introduced via an agreement between fashion brand Haggar Clothing Co. and The Feldman Corporation’s I-dealoptics division.
Aviation and military-inspired leather outerwear and sportswear brand Avirex signed a multi-year license agreement with Kids Headquarters for sportswear and outerwear for boys.
Outerwear and Sportswear Company G-III Apparel Group obtained privately held outerwear companies Marvin Richards and Winlit Group Ltd. G-III now possesses licenses for Calvin Klein and Guess men’s and women’s outerwear, Tommy Hilfiger leather outerwear, London Fog and Pacific Trail.
Top 5 Children’s Apparel Character Licenses: 2004
1. Winnie the Pooh & Friends
2. Disney Princess
3. Spider-Man
4. Mickey Mouse & Friends
5. SpongeBob SquarePants
Sesame Workshop and Pearl Izumi, an athletic-wear producer, have tied up to launch Sesame Street cycling jerseys and socks. Through a licensing agreement with plus-size apparel manufacturer Bodywaves, Inc., Champion has set up Champion Plus, a full line of women’s activewear that covers both performance fitness and “ath-leisure” styles. Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Tunk Limited., a CINQ Group brand, have partnered to make tops, jackets and headwear.
Licensing practice in India on a rise.
Nowadays, many Indian textiles companies are entering into licensing agreements with international brands, leading to the growth of the concept of business through licensing.
Gokaldas Images Ltd, which owns and markets the apparel brand Weekender, has signed an agreement with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for licensing and marketing the apparels with the WWE logos in the domestic market. A successful form of licensing – sports licensing, has developed into a multi¬billion dollar systematic business and has increased its scope to sporting events like WWE, the Olympics, EURO, Cricket and Soccer World Cups. It is estimated that one fifth of the WWE’s $ 300 million per annum profit is achieved by licensing. Moreover, Weekender – Gokaldas Images Ltd. markets the Enamour lingerie as well.
Character and entertainment licensing too has benefited in last few decades, making billions of dollars of profits each year.
S. Kumars is planning to introduce six new international brands into the country and it is looking towards a long-term partnership with these international textile brands.
Recently, Indus Clothing Ltd signed a licensing agreement with Disney cConsumer Products (DCP) to produce its kids’ wear brand Disney cJeans in India. This deal will permit Indus Clothing Ltd to venture into standalone retail stores for the complete product line covering the Disney brand. The company intends to invest about Rs. 21 crore to establish 20 standalone Disney jeans outlets by the end of 2007 and 50 outlets the following year. Their main focus is to put up a strong retail network for the brand and subsequently plan to develop and maintain a consistent brand image. Indus Clothing Ltd is also the licensee for Lee Cooper apparel to market their products in India.
Madura Garments possesses the world license for three brands namely, Louis Philippe, Allen Solly and Peter England. It has now also come into a strategic tie-up with the fast-growing brand Esprit, with an objective of strengthening its brand portfolio in key segments like women’s segment, premium relaxed clothes segment and accessories. An Italian brand that is synonymous with MTV, UMM (Underground Music Movement) has joined Pantaloon, one of India’s largest retail chain stores.
American innerwear brand Jockey entered the Indian market in 1998 through a marketing arrangement with Bangalore based Page Apparels. Besides the normal production and distribution rights in India, the brand also has a buyback arrangement with the parent company.
The Shirt Company (TSC) has been granted the license by the owner of the Barbie brand – Mattel, to make and retail Barbie apparel in India. For this it works closely with Smith & Brooks, the official licensee for Barbie clothing in the European market. Moreover, the apparel division of the Forbes Gokak Group is the licensee for brands like Daks, Trussardi and Savile Row.
Tommy Hilfiger entered the Indian market through a joint venture between the Murjani Group and the Arvind Mills. Called the Arvind Murjani Brands Private Limited, AMB has the licensing agreement for marketing and distributing Tommy Hilfiger apparel in India. The Murjani Group, located in New York, was established in 1930 by B K Murjani. By 1958, with a production of over 10 million units per annum, Murjani’s became one of the biggest apparel producers in the world.
It was in the early 1970s, when Murjani initiated brand name development and marketing. Over the years, the group has widened and introduced a range of major global brands, such as Gloria Vanderbilt, Coca-Cola Clothes and Tommy Hilfiger. Fashion retailer French Connection UK has firmed its plans to launch the brand in India. The company is assumed to be in talks for the licensee deal with Vijay Murjani, Murjani Group.
Many companies prefer licensing in order to reinforce brand image, create recognition and build brand equity. Licensing is the business arrangement in which the proprietor of the ‘product’, ‘trade mark’ or ‘brand’ allows some other group to use its brand name in return for specified royalties or payment.
Recently, the government of India has approved the UK-based kids’ care retail chain Mothercare Plc’s offer to set up a 100 per cent subsidiary in India with an investment of Rs 32.25 crore. The Indian division will find and purchase textile and garments from local traders and would promote the same in India through franchise operation with third party business associates.
Mothercare has already provided a license to Shopper’s Stop to use its trade mark and brand name on the products to be supplied by its Indian subsidiary to the retail major for sale and distribution in India.
Indian players have used the licensing practice after the huge success of the strategy in the international market. The inclination for making business through licensing has assisted many companies to post some big alternations of the otherwise ‘own brand extension’ concept. Oxford Industries, Inc. is an illustration of how a company can get bigger with licensing. The company is a diversified international producer, licensee and wholesale marketer of branded and private label apparel for men, women and children.
Oxford offers retailers and consumers with a huge variety of apparel products and services to suit their individual requirements. Its major brands cover Tommy Bahama, Indigo Palms, Island Soft, Ben Sherman, Ely and Walker and Oxford Golf. These brands are offered in national chains, specialty catalogues, mass merchants, department stores, specialty stores and Internet retailers. The company also has exclusive licenses to make and sell several product categories under the Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Geoffrey Beene, Slates, Dockers and Oscar de la Renta labels.
Fashion licensing is largely divided into two categories: apparel brands and designer names. The priority of fashion licensing is brand extension, which is mainly obtained by designers through licensing products other than their main apparel lines. Calvin Klein remains one of the premier examples for this type of licensing agreement, as its income tripled after adopting such a marketing strategy.
In 1997, licensing, which is responsible for more than 90 per cent of the label’s sales, has now made the brand’s global retail volume of about $ 5 billion from $ 2.1 billion in 1994. Many international brands catering to Indian players for licensing is a clear signal that a market which was premature a couple of years back, has now been accepted by the entire business community and will reach to its maximum level in the coming years. Licensing prospects now exist in all spheres. Leading international names that offer huge opportunities to harness the power of their name are Warner Bros, You and Me Baby, Nickelodeon, Barcode Kitties and BBC Worldwide, that is famous for operating brand names like Teletubbies, Tweenies and Fimbles.
Conclusion
In year 2004 licensing business shown tremendous growth, with notably 5.6 percent increment in entertainment, 3.8 percent in brands & trademarks and also showed good growth in other categories compared to 2003. So as character and entertainment licensing business showed a healthy growth in last few decades, and making billions of dollars of profits each year, the prospects of over all business, particularly fashion, textile and garment retailing will definitely have a bright future.
Greatest Cricketers Of All Time
Cricket history is full of extremely talented cricketers and many of them have been exceptional. Let us try and figure out the greatest cricketers of all time that have graced the field of cricket. It does not reflect on their personal greatness. It is just about how great cricketers they were. A greater cricketer does not necessarily mean a greater human being than a lesser cricketer in the list or vise versa. The list is purely on cricketing skills.
1. Gary Sobers: Arguably the greatest cricketer of all time that has ever played the game of cricket as claimed by many related to the game of cricket and that was what the intuition suggests if you look at his abilities and statistic. Ability to play as long as to score 365 runs in test cricket, hit six times over the rope in a single over, end up with a test average of more than many of the great batsmen in the history of the game, be a fielder of class, and then being able to contribute with bowling, and you left wondering if there is anything in cricket that he could not do and that is what makes him the greatest all round cricketer and the greatest cricketer of them all. He could have earned a place in any great team only for his batting. He was skillful and versatile as a bowler. He is documented to have bowled pace as well slow bowling. He chipped in many times with his bowling and fielding. The thing with all rounders is that it is like having the privilege of playing an additional player in the team. Just look as to how many cricketers have scored a triple hundred in test match cricket. There are only three instances of six sixes being hit in a single over in the history of first class and International cricket. There have been barely a dozen of cricketers throughout the history of the game who could be hailed as all rounder of class and substance, and Gary is considered the best of them all. You keep on counting. The list goes on.
2. Don Bradman: Probably as strong a contender as Gary Sobers to be called as the greatest cricketer of all time. Don Bradman’s exceptional test average of almost 100 runs makes him a standout cricketer. If you consider the rarity of that feat of having an average of almost 100 runs, Don Bradman should be the greatest cricketer of all time. Where Gary scores over him is probably being able to contribute significantly in every department of the game. Otherwise I do not see any gap between Gary Sobers and Don Bradman as the two greatest cricketers of all time. But again you wonder he must be exceptional to be able to average 100 runs per innings. All those great batsmen throughout the history of the game who have played considerable number of tests has not gone beyond an average of in 60s, and most of these so called greats have averaged between 50s and 60s. So to outshine the next best in your category by 40% is quite unimaginable in any sport. In that sense Don Bradman can be considered not only the greatest cricketer of all time, but also the greatest sportsman of all time. To top it off he scored those almost 100 runs per innings in those days of hostile pitches and raw equipments. Everyone knows how bats and other cricket equipments have evolved over the years. The difference between the bats of today and the bats of say about 20 years ago is quite noticeable. What kind of bats Don Bradman must have played with. Some people say Don played on few grounds, and thus have such record. But even the worse of the pitches today among the many grounds on which cricket is played must be better than the pitches on which Don played. If that was the criteria, why none of the players of even his era could manage an average of even into 70s. All those modern greats of 90s and 00s could manage an average in 50s with all those well developed bat and other cricketing equipment on benign and batting friendly pitches. The pitches one used to see even during the 70s and 80s were much difficult to bat on compared to the pitches prepared today. If that is an indication what kind of pitches Don must have batted on. He still remains the only player to have scored a 300 runs in a single day of a test match.
3. Imran Khan: If Gary Sobers could do everything in the game of cricket then Imran could do even more as a captain. Imran Khan could have earned a place in any leading side just as a bowler, and is one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. In addition he was as good as any good International batsman. He was a good fielder as well. He could win matches with his bowling, contribute significantly as a batsman, and could make significant contribution as the leader of the pack. He is considered the best among the greatest all rounders of his time who themselves are among some of the greatest cricketers of all time. There have not been too many bowlers who were better than him, and among the bowlers who might have been slightly better than him, not many are known for their batting capabilities. Wasim Akram was better bowler than Imran, but Imran was more dependable batsman than Akram, and may be Richard Hadlee was a better bowler than Imran, but Imran surely excelled him as a batsman, and excelled everyone in that all rounders category as a captain. Many people will disagree with me on putting Imran Khan ahead of Vivian Richards. My logic is if Gary Sobers could be greater than Don Bradman, logic says Imran Khan has to be greater than Vivian Richards as a cricketer. But it is so difficult to accurately measure the talent of the players and their value to the team. It is like you can put Don Bradman ahead of Gary Sobers without much fuss. You can as well put Vivian Richards ahead of Imran Khan in the list. But because of Imran Khan’s immense contribution in every department of the game, I opted for Imran Khan at #3 in the list of greatest cricketers of all time.
4. Vivian Richards: Most destructive batsman of all time, and in a time when attacking style of batting was not common. In the modern times, we had the pleasure of watching the likes of Gilchrist, Sehwag, Jaysurya, and occasionally Shahid Afridi destroying the bowling attacks, but none of them are known to be as intimidating as Vivian Richards. To have the fastest test hundred of all time with an average of more than 50, and in one dayers, an average of 47 runs at a strike rate of more than 90 speaks volume about the caliber of the man. None of the above mentioned destructive batsmen have an average of more than 40 compared to 47 by Vivian Richards. In fact many other great batsmen have less average than Viv’s 47 and far lower strike rate compared to Viv’s strike rate of 90. He never changed his batting style irrespective of the state of the match. Without an iota of doubt there has not been a greater batsman than Vivian Richards in one day format of the game. In tests too, he averaged 50 runs scoring those runs at a blistering pace. He was also an exceptional fielder and bowled occasionally. One of the greatest fast bowler of his time Imran Khan has said that Vivian Richards is the only batsman who has frightened him. Nobody else in the history of the game could play like Vivian and hence is probably the greatest batsman of all time save Don Bradman and thus he deserved fourth place in the list of the greatest cricketers of all time.
5. Adam Gilchrist: As a batsman, Adam Gilchrist was almost a Vivian Richards. In addition he would double up as a wicketkeeper. In that sense I was tempted to put Gilchrist ahead of Vivian Richards, but Viv being such an intimidating batsman and in those times when attacking style of play was not so common, I went with Viv at #4. Nonetheless, Adam Gilchrist is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Adam Gilchrist has one of the highest strike rates in both forms of the game and has an average to match the greats of the game. Adam Gilchrist was one of the main reasons for the domination of the Australian cricket for the last decade and half. Adam Gilchrist was one of the three key players in the talent-laden Australian team. As a wicket-keeper batsman if someone can bat like Adam Gilchrist, he is definitely going to add substantially to the strength of the team. He played some of the breathtaking innings in his career. His blistering hundred against Sri Lanka in the 2007 World cup, which Australia eventually won, the innings he played in the semi-final of the IPL edition that his team eventually won, the innings at Mumbai in the first edition of the IPL, and his fastest test hundred off 57 balls, which is the second fastest hundred in the history of the game behind the ultimate Vivian Richard’s 56 ball hundred, and many such innings make you wonder if the Gilchrist was the greatest cricketer of all time.
6. Wasim Akram: Wasim Akram is one of those dream cricketers that even the great cricketers would like to reborn as a cricketer. Wasim is considered as the most naturally talented bowler by many former greats like Allan Donald and Mohammad Azharuddin. It is said that he could bowl six different types of balls in one over. With the bat he was capable of turning the game with his explosive batting. Those two wickets on successive deliveries in the 1992 world cup final against England at a very important stage of the game pushed England totally out of the game. What an occasion to produce probably the best two deliveries of his entire career. You can expect the greatest cricketers to rise to the occasion at the greatest stage. You see a player like Adam Gilchrist playing those extraordinary knocks on big stages like the World cup 2007 against Sri Lanka and sealing the win for his team. Wasim Akram is also the only bowler in the history of the game to have captured hat-tricks as many as four times in his International career. Wasim Akram has often won games for Pakistan singlehandedly. He formed a threatening bowling combination with Waqar Younis, and they together tormented many a batting line-ups. He was probably the greatest bowler of his time with the other one being McGrath. McGrath himself described Wasim Akram as a greater bowler than himself. If he was as great a bowler as McGrath and if you consider what he could do with the bat, and you know the value of Wasim Akram as a cricketer. In the 1992 World cup final before turning the match with his two magic balls, he was instrumental in setting a challenging total with his timely and explosive batting when he scored 33 runs off just 19 balls coming towards the close of innings. What a grand occasion for man of Wasim’s caliber to rise for his team and his country. Many people might not know Wasim also hit a timely six to win the Nehru cup for Pakistan. Many people knew about Miandad hitting a six off the last ball to win when four runs were required off the last ball of the innings. In the Nehru cup final, Pakistan required six runs to win from the last two balls, and Wasim Akram hit a six off the first of those two balls and won the cup for Pakistan.
7. Richard Hadlee: Inarguably the greatest of all New Zealand cricketers till date. One of the greats of all time who could make the grade to any great XI only for his bowling. New Zeeland had a very few match winners in their ranks when Richard Hadlee was around, and it was more often than not that Hadlee was their match winner. Richard Hadlee brought as many laurels to New Zeeland cricket as any of the other greatest cricketers of all time have brought to their own country. One of the ten greatest bowlers of all time. Plus, he was also more than handy with the bat, and perhaps one of the better batsmen in that New Zeeland team. One of the four great all rounders of 70s and 80s. Richard Hadlee was considered by many as the best bowler among the four great all-rounders of his time. Richard Hadlee was capable of creating havoc with his bowling. He also won and saved matches for New Zeeland with his batting. Overall, a very capable match winner.
8. Jacques Kallis: Some consider him to be the greatest cricketer of all time ahead of Gary Sobers, and there are others who rate him as the greatest cricketer from South Africa. Kallis is like a Rahul Dravid and Srinath combined into one unit. Besides being a technically sound, dependable batsman and a useful bowler, Kallis is an excellent fielder. Kallis gives South Africa an additional fast bowler besides being the lynchpin in the batting line up. Kallis has carried the South African team quietly and steadily for around decade-and-half and looks good enough to continue for at least another two to three years. By the time he retires his statistics could be monumental. To give a more significant picture one statistic that could more vital is that he has a higher average in both test and one day cricket than Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. Given that Sachin bats as an opener in one dayers and Kallis bats in the middle order, and for Kallis to have a greater average than Sachin Tendulkar is quite remarkable. Kallis though lacks on the flair aspect one day game, but has played crucial role in success of their one day unit. Jacques Kallis is also an outstanding fielder. He is a regular slip fielder for South African and I still remember his catch in Sharjah playing against Pakistan running from somewhere near extracover to almost near the boundary and then actually having to jump at the last minute to cover the distance with the ball and hold onto it. A Gary Sobers of different type.
9. Kapil Dev: Kapil Dev was the greatest cricketer that India has ever produced. He was equally good with both bat and ball. He was probably the best batsman among the great all rounders of his time. In fact it was his batting that carried India through most part of the 1983 world cup. Kapil was also first genuine fast bowler of Independent India considering Mohammad Nissar’s test career ended before independence, although he continued playing first class cricket for sometime after independence. Kapil Dev was very impressive as a hard hitting batsman and was the leader of India bowling attack for almost a decade-and-half.
10. Walter Hammond: Walter Hammond was an attacking batsman with rare ability to play long innings consistently. He is among those batsmen who consistently scored big and at an impressive strike rate. He almost had every shot in the book. To add to his batting skills, he was also a handy bowler who could make breakthroughs when required the most. A test average of 58.45, 167 first class hundreds, and two five wickets hauls in test cricket prove that he was one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
11. Brian Lara: Brian Lara is easily one of the five greatest batsmen of all time. Scores of 500, 400, and 300 are no ordinary feats. Not many cricketers compiled such huge scores as Brian did. That itself proves his outstanding abilities as a batsman. Probably Brian underachieved because he was part of a weaker West Indian team. Team’s strength and performance often has a bearing on an individual batsman’s performance. I can prove that. Look at Ponting’s performace when the Australian team was the strongest team, and now look at Ponting’s performance with a declining Australian team. Similarly with overall improvement in the Indian team and with the likes of Viru at the top, Sachin’s performance has improved remarkably this year. Being the only player to have scored 500 runs in first class cricket, and to be the only player in the history of the game to score 400 runs in a single innings of test, and to be one of those players to have scored most number of double hundreds makes Brian Lara one of the most outstanding batsmen of all time, and easily the greatest batsman of his time. Brian Lara also to his credit has a couple of entries at around the top of the list for the most number of runs scored in an over. No other batsmen in the history of the game has as many big scores as Brian has to his credit.If you compare his big scores to his contemporaneous rival Sachin Tendulkar, you will find that Sachin despite playing much more cricket has never scored a 400, which Lara did twice, once in test, and his 500 in first class. Brian Lara has significantly more number of double hundreds than Sachin Tendulkar despite playing lesser number of games. Sachin Tendulkar has a better record in one day International because he opened the innings and every time had the opportunity to play all 50 overs.
Shane Warne: The greatest slow bowler of all time. The best exponent of leg spin bowling. Shane Warne most often did magical things with the ball. His famous ball to Mike Gatting that came in sharply from out of the leg side to turn in sharply and dislodge the bail is regarded as the ball of the century. He has often provided the crucial breakthroughs for Australia when they needed the most. The Semi-final game against South Africa in 1999 was one such instance. Chasing Australia’s total, South Africa was one course with The South African openers off to a flying start, and particularly Gibbs was going strong. Shane Warne was brought into the attack, and he immediately got Gibbs with a peach of a delivery that bamboozled Gibbs and dislodged his stumps. From there on, South Africa was on a downslide. Shane Warne was one of the top three cricketers in that Australian invincible team of his time with Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath being other two of the three.
13. Sanath Jaysurya: It was Sanath Jaysurya’s promotion to the opening slot during the 1996 World cup that transformed the Sri Lankan cricket team from a mediocre side to one of the best sides in the world. Even though Jaysurya failed in the semi-finals and finals of the 1996 world cup, it was his exploits during the earlier part of the 1996 World cup that provided Sri Lankan team the momentum and confidence that they could win the World cup. Since then Sri Lanka has remained one of the strongest teams in the world. Jaysurya was an attacking and productive batsman, besides being a potent spin bowler, and an exceptional fielder.
14. Muthiah Muralitharan: The best off-spinner the game has ever seen and the greatest slow bowlers of all time with Shane Warne. Muthia Muralitharn can bamboozle most of the batsmen with his wily deliveries. Murali has most number of wickets by any bowler in both forms of the game. He is one of the three greatest Sri Lankan cricketers that actually defined Sri Lankan cricket.
15. Virender Sehwag: The main reason why India is #1 in ICC rankings. He should be able to climb up this list by the time he is finished as an International cricketer. He has left Sachin Tendulkar behind as a batsman and as the second greatest cricketer of all time behind Kapil Dev. By the time he finishes his career he may end up in the top 10 greatest cricketers of all time. He can hit the ball so consistently that very few could do even on the docile pitch and against a mediocre bowling. He is rated as the best off spin bowler in the current Indian team by Bishen Singh Bedi.
16. Glenn McGrath: Watching Glenn McGrath bowl, I often got the impression that Glenn McGrath was more difficult to play than Wasim Akram. That itself speaks volumes about the abilities of the man. Glenn McGrath was all about line and length. One of the three key players of the dominant Australian team of the late 90s and most part of the 2000s. McGrath was a difficult bowler to bat against, and he completely destroyed the lesser oppositions. One of the main reasons why Australia won three world cups on trot.
17. Sachin Tendulkar: If Sunil Gavaskar was the first Indian batsman who could look into the eyes of fastest bowlers in the world, Sachin Tendulkar is probably the first Indian batsman who could consistently dominate the the fast bowlers. Sachin Tendulkar is arguably one of the best batsmen that the world has ever seen. Sachin Tendulkar was a child prodigy who captured the imagination of the cricketing world when he burst on the International scene at the tender age of 16. He owns many batting records in both forms of the game. Some people may say that Tendulkar was a better player than some of the above in this list, but I think the people above Tendulkar are either more talented than him or more effective than him. Sachin Tendulkar for all his talent has failed when it mattered the most. He is one the greatest batting talent, but cannot handle the pressure according to his ability as a cricketer. For all his batting talent, get struck in 90s whenever approaching a 100 most of the time. I witnessed the entire series between Sri Lanka and India when Tendulkar was around 100 runs short of Brian Lara and the entire focus was on Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar failed the in the entire series. Sachin Tendulkar played exceptionally well throughout the 2003 world cup, but failed in the final when everyone expected him to rise to the occasion. He owns many batting records in cricket, which is a tribute to his batting talent and longevity, but if you look at his average in winning matches he is far behind the likes Bradman, Inzimam, Steve Waugh, Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis to name a few. Moreover if we do not consider the minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe Sachin Tendulkar’s average down even further when compared to other great batsmen of his time. He has fared best in the first innings of a test match, but has not lived up to the expectation in the third or fourth innings and his average in the third and fourth innings does not compare favorably with other modern batting greats.
18. Malcom Marshall: He is considered by the likes of Wasim Akram as the greatest fast bowlers of all time, but McGrath came ahead of him in this list because of pin-point accuracy with which McGrath bowled. Unlike the other West Indian fast bowlers, he was short, but was the quickest of them all. He was almost unplayable when he bowled on the stumps. He ran through the opposition batting line up many times, and might have ended up with more wickets if he did not have to share the wickets with as many as three other great fast bowlers in that great West Indian team of 1980s.
19. Javed Miandad: Javed Miandad was the toughest player on the cricket field. His never-to-say die attitude makes him an standout cricketer. Javed Miandad has an excellent technique as a batsman and could play long innings. He is among those players to have scored most number of double hundreds. Javed Miandad is perhaps the only player throughout the history of test cricket to have maintained a test average of more than 50 runs throughout his career. Javed Miandad also has an average of more than 41 runs in one day format of the game batting in the middle. He played a key role in many of Pakistan victories. He made significant contribution in Pakistan winning the 1992 World cup. Javed will be always remembered for his last ball six to win the game against India when four runs were required to win off one ball. Any all time list or a World XI without Javed Miandad is incomplete.
20. Ian Botham: Ian Botham is one of the four great all rounders of 1970s and 1980s. He is arguably one of the three greatest England cricketers of all time. Ian Botham is still the leading wicket taker for England in test cricket. At his best, he has produced some of the greatest performances of all time, both with the bat and the ball. Botham’s career can be divided into two halves. In the first half of his career he matched the performances of the three other great all rounders of his time or might have even excelled them, but in the later half of his career he ended up at the bottom of the four great all rounders of his time. Nevertheless he was very capable with both bat and the ball.
21. Jack Hobbs: One of the greatest batsman of all time, and probably the greatest that England has produced alongside Walter Hammond. He has a test average of 56.94 and has amassed mountains of runs in first class cricket. He just fell short of a double hundred of 100s in first class cricket. One of the most prolific batsmen of all time. He was voted among the Top Five Cricketers of All Time by leading cricket magazine Wisden.
22. Keith Miller: Keith Miller is the greatest and the only all-rounder that Australia has ever produced. Keith Miller was the only one or one of the few all rounders who has almost the same skills in both batting and bowling. He was equally effective with both bat and ball. He was very good bowler and a very good batsman making him a great all round cricketer.
23. Dennis Lillee: Dennis Lille was furiously fast and one of the fastest bowlers of all time. He formed one of the most lethal bowling attacks of all time with Jeff Thompson. He also shares a world-record partnership with wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh for affecting most number of dismissals through bowler-wicketkeeper dismissals for caught by a keeper and bowled by a bowler. He was included in Bradman’s all-time XI and ESPN cricinfo’s all time World XI. But I would have rather preferred a Richard Hadlee or an Imran Khan instead of Dennis Lillee in all time XI.
24. Greg Chappell: Greg Chappell was one of the greatest batsmen of all time. As a batsman, I would rate Greg Chappell just slightly behind Vivian Richards and Brian Lara and on par with Sachin Tendulkar. Greg Chappell mastered at playing pace as well as spin bowling on both sides of the wicket. He produced some of the finest performances against possibly the finest attack in World Series Cricket. If that is any indication he is second to none. Greg Chappell was also a useful medium pace bowler who could contribute with the ball.
25. Sunil Gavaskar: Probably the first megastar of Indian cricket. He must have been the inspiration for many Indian batting superstars that emerged during 80s and 90s. He is Dilip Kumar of Indian cricket. He was the first Indian batsman who could look into the eyes of the fast bowlers. His best innings came against the best fast bowlers of his time. He has an impressive record against West Indies, Australia, and Pakistan, the three teams that had the best fast bowlers in the world at that time. His feats against the West Indian team are legendary. His test debut was against West Indies on bouncy tracks of West Indies, and he emerged as find of the tournament. To face Malcom Marshall and Michael Holding as opener and score back to back hundreds speaks volume about caliber of Sunil Gavaskar as a batsman. He is rated quite highly by the other greats like Gary Sobers, Vivian Richards, and Imran Khan. If that is an indication he should be higher in the list. A technician rather than a stroke player, he would not have been able to meet the requirement of modern day one dayers and would not have suited for T20. And that is exactly the reason why he is at 25 and not at 10 in this list.
Most Popular Sports Around The World
All types of sports are popular globally, but what sports can we call THE most popular in the world? Some of the answers may surprise you.
It’s no surprise that football, or what Americans call “soccer” is the world’s most popular sport to play and to watch. An estimated 3.5 billion people either watch or play football. The World Cup is the global championship of the sport and this tournament is played every four years. The World Cup itself is one of the highest rated sports on television, with many countries tuning in en masse to watch their country’s team play. Football is popular in all of the UK, Europe, Asia as well as South America. However, with so many other sports being popular, the Unites States still lags behind in their interest in “soccer”.
Next, we have cricket. This sport which consists of a bat and a ball, has been around for hundreds of years and originated in England. The sport is popular in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, some African countries, some Caribbean countries and it is the most popular sport in the countries of India and Pakistan. An estimated 3 billion people watch or play cricket each year.
The next most popular sport is a sure surprise, and that is field hockey, with an estimated 2 billion players or watchers, mostly in Asian countries, European countries, Australia and around Africa. This sport tends to be played in high schools in the United States, usually by girls only.
Coming up next is tennis. Not so surprising, but there are an estimated 1 billion players and watchers of tennis around the world. Tennis tends to be popular in richer countries, including the United States, Asian countries, Australia and Europe. There are four main tournaments in tennis, called “Grand Slams” at which players from many countries play. The first is the Australian Open, then the French Open, Wimbledon and then the US Open in late August. The Grand Slam tournaments tend to get the most attention during the tennis season.
Next we have volleyball. Yet another surprise, with an estimated 900 million viewers or players around the world. Volleyball is popular in the United States, where the sport originated, as well as in Brazil, all over Europe, Russia, China and Japan. Volleyball is a popular high school sport in many countries due to it’s team centered play and lack of specialized equipment requirements.
Also popular is table tennis, otherwise known as Ping Pong. This is another surprisingly popular sport around the world, with an estimated 900 million watchers or players. Table tennis originated in England as an after dinner activity for Victorians in the late 19th century. Table tennis as a competitive sport is popular in many countries but is especially popular in China, Korea and Singapore.
After these sports, we have a triumvirate of more mainstream American sports including baseball, golf, American football and basketball, with each sport attracting between 400 and 500 million players or watchers worldwide.
Promotion "Above the Line" and "Below the Line"
Promotion can be loosely classified as “above the line” and “below the line” promotion. The promotional activities carried out through mass media like television, radio, newspaper etc. is above the line promotion.
The terms ‘below-the-line’ promotion or communications, refers to forms of non-media communication, even non-media advertising. Below-the-line promotions are becoming increasingly important within the communications mix of many companies, not only those involved in fmcg products, but also for industrial goods.
Some of the ways by which companies do BTL (below the line) promotions are by exhibitions, sponsorship activities, public relations and sales promotions like giving freebies with goods, trade discounts given to dealers and customers, reduced price offers on products, giving coupons which can be redeemed later etc.
BELOW THE LINE SALES PROMOTION
Below the line sales promotions are short-term incentives, largely aimed at consumers. With the increasing pressure on the marketing team to achieve communication objectives more efficiently in a limited budget, there has been a need to find out more effective and cost efficient ways to communicate with the target markets. This has led to a shift from the regular media based advertising.
A definition of below-the-line sales promotion given by Hugh Davidson:
‘An immediate or delayed incentive to purchase, expressed in cash or in kind, and having only a short term or temporary duration’.
Methods of below the line sales promotion
1. Price promotions
Price promotions are also commonly known as” price discounting”. These can be done in two ways:
(1) A discount to the normal selling price of a product, or
(2) More of the product at the normal price.
Price promotions however can also have a negative effect by spoiling the brand reputation or just a temporary sales boost (during the discounts) followed by a lull when the discount would be called off.
2. Coupons
Coupons are another, very versatile, way of offering a discount. Consider the following examples of the use of coupons:
- On a pack to encourage repeat purchase
- In coupon books sent out in newspapers allowing customers to redeem the coupon at a retailer
- A cut-out coupon as part of an advert
- On the back of till receipts
The key objective with a coupon promotion is to maximize the redemption rate – this is the proportion of customers actually using the coupon.
It must be ensured when a company uses coupons that the retailers must hold sufficient stock to avoid customer disappointment.
Use of coupon promotions is often best for new products or perhaps to encourage sales of existing products that are slowing down.
3. Gift with purchase
The “gift with purchase” is a very common promotional technique. In this scheme, the customer gets something extra along with the normal good purchased. It works best for
- Subscription-based products (e.g. magazines)
- Consumer luxuries (e.g. perfumes)
4. Competitions and prizes
This is an important tool to increase brand awareness amongst the target consumer. It can be used to boost up sales for temporary period and ensure usage amongst first time users.
5. Money refunds
Here, a customer receives a money refund after submitting a proof of purchase to the manufacturer.
Customers often view these schemes with some suspicion – particularly if the method of obtaining a refund looks unusual or onerous.
6. Frequent user / loyalty incentives
Repeat purchases may be stimulated by frequent user incentives. Perhaps the best examples of this are the many frequent flyer or user schemes used by airlines, train companies, car hire companies etc.
7. Point-of-sale displays
Shopping habits are changing for the people living in metropolitan cities. People prefer big retail outlets like Big Bazaar to local kirana stores. Most of the decisions of buying are taken by the virtue of point-of-sale displays in these retail outlets.
SOME INTERSTING EXAMPLES OF BTL PROMOTION
Most of the big brands are following the suit of BTL promotion because of rising prices of media based promotion, advertising clutter and increased impulse purchasing.
Some of the interesting examples are:
Most of the educational institutes like career launcher, Time and PT are holding informative workshops and free tests for students which give a direct interaction of these institutes with the target customer and hence a suitable platform to sell themselves.
Ring tones and music videos on cell phones are helping the entertainment industry to promote for a music video or a movie for dirt-cheap rate as compared to media promotion.
Various companies sponsor sport events to promote their brand, but nowadays media companies like Hindustan Times are holding weekly events through out the country in which companies can put up their stalls, display banners and posters and arrange for some fun activities. These events give the companies a platform at very low price to promote their brand and increase visibility among target consumer. These companies also give discount coupons to winners in the games, which in turn boost the sales of the products and ensure that first time users try these products as well.
Pepsi organized an inter school cricket event for 425 schools across 14 cities which did wonders for the company by promoting the brand amongst the right target customer for almost no cost.
Most of the pharmacy companies do BTL promotion by getting shelf space through doctors to display their products or by giving away free calcium tablets again through doctors, knowing that for a patient a personal advise from a doctor would hold more value as compared to a commercial advertisement.
Another interesting BTL promotion was by NIKE, an athlete dressed up in Nike sportswear could be seen jogging on an elevated treadmill for the whole day on National Highway 8, Delhi.
BTL promotions are gaining popularity among all big companies nowadays considering their effectiveness because of the “individual customer promotion” at a price, which is much lesser than the normal media promotions.
Expat Life in Sri Lanka, Colombo
I recently visited the wonderful island of Sri Lanka, and found a country full of surprises.
Sri Lanka is situated just south of India, in the Indian Ocean. Once known as the Dominium of Ceylon and often referred to as the tea country, tea plantations abundantly thrive across the island, with spice gardens, banana and coconut palms growing randomly to create a jungle of natural resources.
People, animals and transport seem to co-exist side by side with no animosity towards each other. Dogs wonder aimlessly across or bask in the sun at the side of roads, cows and goats roam around everywhere, even on the beaches (which I found rather amusing) and people are everywhere, whether walking, cycling, using a tuc-tuc, motorbike with 5 astride, in a taxi, bus, car or truck, each takes up a space of the not too wide road. But co-exist they do, there is no anger at being stuck behind a truck, merely a short hooting of the horn to say I am here and would like to pass, politeness abounds and the expression and sounds are all of friendliness, within a country that sorely needs help at redeveloping itself since the tsunami. People are poor and yet happiness is everywhere…. Not just for the child on the hip or the person at their side, but for expats and tourists as well.
Tourists fluctuate towards the resorts and some chance the areas slightly outside of these areas, to experience a quieter less harassed holiday. Small pockets of expats can be found, dotted all over the country. When you bump into these people and chat about life on the island, there is not much to complain about. Yes, sometimes the water gets turned off or the electricity, yes the internet is not as fast as they would like it to be. Isn’t that how most people feel in developed countries anyway: The faster it gets the faster we want it. In this little piece of paradise, expats are not too concerned that it takes a little longer to do things here, the people are prepared to wait, not too hasty to move forward too quickly. There was a lot of talk and concern about the elections and safety within the country and there are still road blockades and police / army personnel with guns wandering around keeping peace if necessary. However, with 70% of the population being Buddhists, the lifestyle is peaceful and life simplistic.
From an expat perspective, I could not fault the lifestyle. As said above, yes there are definite things missing, things are slower, it takes a good 4 – 6 hours to get from Colombo to Galle and similarly to anywhere about 200km’s apart. I cannot say that the roads are particularly in good condition, but in the 10 days that I visited, I did not see one accident. Hardships could include the lack of being able to get from one part of the island to another quickly, the lack of fast internet connection, perhaps the human waste / refuse, which allows for the influx of flies, the dirt which is left to lie around and lastly the lack of funds to rebuild the country to what it was before the Tsunami.
Having said that, I have to look at all the good things that you find there, the beauty of the natural resources, how the nationals and expats are trying to rebuild the country, the beaches, game parks and mountains. This is truly a beautiful part of the world.
Expat Cost of living summary
The currency in Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan Rupee LKR
The Exchange rate as at 15 January 2010 was $1 = 114.217 Rupees
I am going to break the Cost of living down according to some of the basket items:
Alcohol and Tobacco: Alcohol at Bar, Beer, Cigarettes, Locally Produced Spirit, Whiskey, Wine
Cigarettes (20s) – $3.14 to $9
Domestic Beer(500ml) – $2.50
Imported Beer (330ml) – $5.80
Wine at a bar – $6 a glass
Wine at a shop – $15 (750ml bottle)
Hotels tend to increase the prices of alcohol as it is the one way that they can make a profit. There are many small hotels and restaurants which create a competitive edge to where you can stay.
Clothing: Business Suits, Casual Clothing, Children’s Clothing and footwear, Coats and hats, Evening Wear, Shoe Repairs, Underwear
Casual Long Sleeved Shirt (Men) – $12
Casual Long Sleeved Trousers (Men) – $20
Shorts (Men) – $11
T-Shirt (Men) – $6
Casual Blouse (Women) – $7
Casual Skirt (Women) – $12
Children’s Jeans (Boys) – $5
Children’s Jeans (Girls) – $3.50
Children’s Shirt(Boys) – $5
Children’s Shirt(Girls) – $4
Clothes are extremely cheap, in Colombo a person can get most of the name branded clothing at fairly reasonable prices in Factory shops.
Communication: Home Telephone Rental and Call Charges, Internet Connection and service provider fees, Mobile / Cellular Phone Contract and Calls
Monthly phone rental – $4.36
Phone call rate – $0.05 for a local call
Internet line connection fee – $104 (buy all equipment with installation)
Internet service provider fee – $17 (1 geg free thereafter)
Monthly mobile contract fee – $2.18 (for the year)
Mobile / cellular call rate – 90% of phones are prepaid,
Mobile Phone 100 Minutes Call – $38
- $0.012 – $0.05 sms peak times
Due to so many of the nationals working overseas to send money home, the communication costs are extremely low and there are often special deals or no cost is involved in the actual call.
Education: Creche / Pre-School Fees, High School / College Fees, Primary School Fees, Tertiary Study Fees
Annual Creche fee – $4.36 per month
Annual Primary school fee – $260 – $436 per month
Annual High School fee – $260 – $436 per month
Annual 1st Year Tertiary / University fee – $260 to $436 per month (dependent on which
private school they go to)
Private schooling is the most expensive on the island for expat children to attend, however the rates in comparison to other countries are reasonable. Expats that I came across spoke highly of the education system in the country and were happy with the private education that their children were receiving.
Furniture and Appliances: DVD Player, Fridge Freezer, Iron, Kettle, Toaster, microwave, Light Bulbs, Television, Vacuum Cleaner, Washing Machine
DVD Player – $87
Fridge / Freezer – $489 (LG / Whirlpool – 4 year guarantee)
Iron – $12 cheap to $35 top of the range
Kettle – $20 cheap to $37 top of the range
Microwave – $191
TV 21 inch – $244 (2 year guarantee)
Washing Machine LG – $570
Discounts can be negotiated with stores on all items
Groceries bought in a grocery store: Baby Consumables, Baked Goods, Baking, Canned Foods, Cheese, Cleaning Products, Dairy, Fresh Fruits, Fresh Vegetables, Fruit Juices, Frozen, Meat, Oil & Vinegars, Pet Food, Pre-Prepared Meals, Sauces, Seafood, Snacks, Soft Drinks, Spices & Herbs
Powdered baby formula (400g) – $7
Plain biscuits (100g) – $0.20
Loaf white bread (200g) – $0.70
Cake Flour (1kg) – $2.80
Baked Beans (415g) – $1.92
Tuna (185g) – $2.75
Cheese: Cheddar (250g) – $6.63
Crisps: Pringles (139g) – $2.50
Autowash clothing powder (750g) – $1.57
Dishwash liquid (500g) – $0.87
Clothing Softener (2l) – $5.40
Breakfast Cereal (250g) – $2.45
Butter (227g) – $2.18
Milk (1l) – $1.40
Eggs (12) – $1.80
Orange Juice (1l) – $2.80
Frozen Mixed Vegetables (1kg) – $6.20
Cooking oil (1l) – $3.22
Olive oil (500ml) – $8.28
Can of cola (355ml) – $1.00
Local Fizzy Soft Drink (1l) – $1.30
Local Natural Mineral Water (5l) – $1.08
Tea Bags (200g) – $1.85
Instant Coffee (100g) – $6.75
Local Ground Coffee (200g) – $3.66
Salt (400g) – $0.26
Pepper (400g) – $0.35
Prices were obtained from local grocery stores, there are no big department stores to shop in.
Healthcare: General Practitioner Consultation rates, Hospital Private Ward Daily, Rate, Non-Prescription Medicine, Private Medical Insurance / Medical Aid Contributions
GP Private rate visit with meds – $3.50
Hospital Private ward rates – $28 per day
Dentistry – Tooth extraction – $4.35
Most expats use Bupa or the Sri Lankan Equivalent
Household: House / Flat Mortgage, House / Flat Rental, Household Electricity Consumption, Household Gas / Fuel Consumption, Household Water Consumption, Local Property Rates / Taxes / Levies
Rent 2 bed Apartment City Centre – $700
Rent 2 bed Apartment outside of City Centre – $600
Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage per – $80 to $90 per month for an average
household, this is expensive when taking household
air conditioning into account
Gas / Fuel – 12 ½ kg bottle – $14
Local property Rates – 8 to 10% of value of property
Expats cannot buy a property directly, this has to be done via a Lawyer who owns the property. Mortgage for locals is 4/5%. This is where most expats find the costs creep in, running the air conditioners is extremely expensive as well as the cost of water.
Miscellaneous: Domestic Help, Dry Cleaning, Linen, Office Supplies, Newspapers and Magazines, Postage Stamps
Domestic Rates – full time per person – $80 average
1 Black inkjet printer cartridge – $14
1 Color inkjet printer cartridge – $21
500 sheets printer paper – $5.23
Local Daily Newspaper – $0.17
International Daily Newspaper – $0.45
International Magazine – $20
International Airmail Stamps – $0.22
Domestic Stamps – $0.12
Domestic help is cheap and most employees either live on the property or close by. Office supplies are reasonable, with CD’s and DVD’s freely available on the street where most locals buy them.
Personal Care: Cosmetics, Haircare, Moisturiser / Sun Block, Nappies, Pain Relief Tablets, Toilet Paper, Toothpaste, Soap / Shampoo / Conditioner
Body lotion (400ml) Vaseline Intensive car – $4.53
Toilet paper 1 ply per roll – $0.50
Toothpaste (200g) – $1.92
Shampoo (200ml) – $2.40
Some of the items that can be purchased can be expensive, like creams, sunblocks and cosmetic creams. Name brand products are the most expensive.
Recreation and Culture: Books, Camera Film, Cinema Ticket, DVD and CD’s, Sports goods, Theatre Ticket
Books paper back – $10
Cinema ticket – $0.50
DVD / CD Imported – $2
Cricket ticket – $0.50 to $8
Theatre Ticket – only in Colombo – $30
Hard cover books are expensive in the country, but paper back books are of a similar cost to the US and UK. Cinema tickets are cheap due to the availability of cheap DVD replicas which can be bought on street corners. International cricket tickets are also kept cheap for the local population.
Restaurants / Meals out / Hotels: Business Dinner, Dinner at Restaurant (non fast food), Hotel Rates, Take Away Drinks & Snacks (fast Food)
Business Dinner excl Alcohol – $22 per person
Dinner / lunch at local restaurant – $8 per person
McDonalds Big Mac – $4.10
Hotel Rates 3* – $8 to $50 pppn
Hotel Rates 4* – $80 to $120 pppn
Hotel Rates 5* – $140 pppn upwards
Take away – Can of cola x 1 – $0.70
Medium pizza – $3.50
Hamburger – $2.00
Coffee – pot x 3 cups – $1.40
As in most countries how much you pay for a meal is dependent on where you go, the local restaurants have great local meals, as well as international flavours, we found a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in Galle, well worth a visit and all prices were fairly cheap. Some restaurants do take advantage of the tourist population and serve sub standard meals. However, most restaurants were good with their portions and meal plans.
Transport: Hire Purchase / Lease of Vehicle, Petrol / Diesel, Public Transport, Service Maintenance, Tyres, Vehicle Insurance, Vehicle Purchase
Hire / Lease car – Sedan Toyota Corolla – $37.14 per day for 1 week
Hire / Lease car – Toyota RAV4 – $46.71 per day for 1 week
Petrol unleaded per litre – $1.23
Diesel per litre – $0.64
Bus Ticket (one way) – $1.00
Taxi Ride – per km – $0.50
Tuc Tuc – 10 km ride – $6.00
Train Ticket 2nd class – $1.57
If you are visiting I would suggest you use the local taxis and tuc-tucs, driving can be a head-ache and unpleasant experience if you are not used to the local norms. However, speeds do not go over 80km on the bigger roads and overall a safe place to drive.
The above detail are some of the items form the basis of the cost of living indexes for each basket group in the Xpatulator calculators, these costs are then used with their indexes and exchange rates to calculate the cost of living in different locations.
For more information on Sri Lanka read more at www.xpatulator.com/outside.cfm.
The Importance of Woodworking Plans
If you’re interested in the fine craft of woodworking, then you should have a healthy appetite for woodworking designs. Anyone who thinks that they can build anything without using any plans should not even be allowed to enter a workshop. Not having a good set of plans before starting a project is just an invitation for disaster.
Even the most experienced craftsmen need to follow a set of plans when doing any kind of project. It makes the whole process run a whole lot smoother, and safer, since you won’t have to stress with thinking of what to do next or what tools you should use. This makes woodworking a lot more relaxing.
All woodworking projects start with a set of plans. Be it small bookends or birdhouses, or big projects like cabinets, tables, or even boats; they all start with an organized set of plans. Even if you’ve already done the project in the past and want to do it again you still need to consult with the plans for it. Whether you are an expert woodworker or a beginner that has absolutely no experience in woodworking whatsoever, you will still need plans.
You can easily get plans for whatever project you will do. You can browse through woodworking magazines and books, or even download them from the internet. Just make sure that the plans you do get are well-detailed and are easy to follow.
So, now that you already have a plan in hand, why not start working?
Cricut Vinyl Ideas – Get Your Project Started Today
Cricut vinyl is a very versatile product with many uses. The most common use is probably decorating, but I suppose that is really up to the individual crafter. Some Cricut vinyl ideas include making decorative wall sayings or silhouette images, decorative sign making, scrapbooking, paper doll making, or even making stencils to paint on something or etching glass. I personally haven’t made paper dolls with the vinyl, but I have heard of it many times.
For starters with Cricut vinyl ideas you will want to take a basic idea, like decorative sign, and cultivate it into a plan for a finished product. So if we take that basic idea of decorative sign and begin to cultivate, we may start somewhere like what is the next holiday coming up. Right now that is Halloween; you may be reading this in June so think of the next holiday. Now take that idea and decide do I want a big project or a small project. I feel like doing a small project right now, so I am choosing a small decorative Halloween sign.
Now in further planning I want to decide how I will display my sign. You could simply cut out your design and then apply it to a wall. Particularly with a seasonal sign you may not want to apply it directly to the wall though because you will want to take it down in a few weeks after the holiday is over. So I am going to make this project on some blocks of wood so that I can put it away and then bring it back out for next Halloween. This is what I am choosing for this project but the point is to use this process to come up with your own Cricut vinyl ideas for any holiday or occasion.
So now I have decided that I am making a small decorative Halloween sign on some blocks of wood. We have a pretty good start on our idea so far, but we are missing something. Vinyl! You can’t very well come up with a good Cricut vinyl idea without the vinyl. I’m looking at my stockpile of vinyl right now though and don’t seem to have any great Halloween colors, but that’s ok. I always have black. Black is a great Halloween color, but it is also just a great color. You can use black in just about any of your Cricut vinyl ideas.
I’ve got some blocks of wood, I’ve got some black vinyl, but I’m not quite done planning yet. My blocks of wood have got to have some color. Now orange and black is a very popular color combination for Halloween, so I could paint my blocks orange and put the black letters on. That would look good. I could also paint my blocks green and purple, also great Halloween colors that work well with black vinyl. I think I will do green and purple, I like things that are a little less traditional.
This idea is coming along great we are almost ready to get to work, just one last detail. What will my sign say? This may be the most difficult step when coming up with a Cricut vinyl idea. I often get a case of writers block, but I think I will go with “Trick or Treat”. You can’t go wrong with something common. Nobody ever enjoys having to explain their idea, so a common phrase always works great.
Now the plan is complete, I am going to paint some small blocks of wood purple and green, and then put black letters on them that say “Trick or Treat”. That gets us a plan for our idea to be turned into something real. Of course there is still the decision of what font to use, but that’s practically a whole other topic.
Their you have it, a simple to follow method to take your Cricut vinyl ideas from concept to completion. Sometimes it is even hard to get the basic idea of what you want to make. You may just want to go out a scour the internet for some good ideas. You can always take this method and apply it to someone else’s idea to make it into something of your own. I’ve come up with my plan now and I’m ready to get to work to put it all together, that’s the easy part. So I’m off to work now, happy crafting!
The History of Leisure and Recreation
When you stop to think about it, humankind has always enjoyed some type of leisure and recreation, so the history of leisure and recreation goes back a very long way. The Romans had the Coliseum, where they watched chariot races and other entertainment. The Greeks had amphitheaters where they viewed drama and comedy, and of course they invented the Olympics, one of the greatest entertainment sport spectacles on earth. The list goes on. Even the Bible discusses singing, dancing, music, and other forms of acceptable recreation, so even the most ancient civilizations enjoyed entertainment and recreation of some sort.
The Middle Ages
Life for most people in the Middle Ages was dark and difficult. More emphasis was put on work, and there was little time for leisure. However, jousting tournaments, hunting tournaments, and the earliest forms of chess, checkers, and other games developed during this time. The people worked hard, the Church forbade many forms of entertainment, but there were still leisure pastimes to help develop the growing history of leisure and recreation.
The Industrial Revolution
This history of leisure and recreation goes far back in time, but leisure and recreation really took off when the Industrial Revolution hit Great Britain in the 1700s. The Industrial Revolution revolutionized work in the modern world, and helped create the modern factory environment. Machines mechanized the manufacture of fabric and fibers, and this ultimately led to more leisure time for the workers. They worked long hours in the factories, but they also had time off, and most employers gave at least some holidays off. Thus, people who had labored from dawn to dusk on farms in rural England, moved to the big city, got jobs in factories, and had leisure time away from their jobs. The Industrial Revolution helped create the notion of leisure time, and it helped create a different view of work and leisure.
The 20th Century
If the Industrial Revolution helped create the history of leisure and recreation, the 20th century helped cement it. Workers demanded shorter working hours, paid vacations and holidays, and weekends off, leading to even more leisure time for the world’s workforce. Today, work and leisure are still strictly separated, but leisure time and recreation are some of the most important aspect of modern life, showing how the history of leisure and recreation has altered throughout time, and become increasingly popular as people gain more freedom from work and toil.
Tribal Warfare
It’s interesting to note that the wide separation between work and leisure in our modern society is something that wasn’t necessary in early, tribal cultures. Early man (and woman), worked when it was necessary to find food or to create items they needed to live, but they did not work continually, they interspersed work with pleasure or leisure, something our society not longer enjoys. For example, in Native American societies, boys “played” at war and warfare, but this play taught them how to use a bow and arrow, useful for hunting as well as defending the tribe. Work became play, while today, the two terms are decidedly distinct.
Bollywood Events
It is rightly said that Bollywood is a religion in our country. People live and die for movies. The fan following for a particular star is so fierce that individuals even eat and drink in a particular style. Hero, heroines have a huge impact on the lives of normal people right from how they live, talk to what they wear.
No doubt magazines with the buzz on Bollywood are high on sale. There is gossip and drama in newspapers, TV, radio….everywhere and boy does it sell. Indians want to know what their stars are doing and wearing. Now known and publicized as Page 3 events termed as those Bollywood gatherings that are captured and mostly put up on the page 3 of newspapers. But the terms is so generalised now that any Bollywood gathering, published or not published is known as a page 3 event.
These events include premiers of movies that are held at leading multiplexes. This is one place where you get to see not only the stars of the movie but also the friends and families of the stars. For instance the Woodstock premiere that happened at Fame cinemas was attended not only by the Kher family as it was the debut film of their son Sikander Kher but also by the entire Bachchan family that was sensational for the media who came in droves to capitalise on their presence. Many other leading film fraternity members also came in making it one Bollywood event to remember.
Launch of a new couture segment, books, departmental stores or restaurants are also other reasons for Bollywood stars to turn up and bring in the buzz. Besides bollywood stars cricket team members, fashion designers and socialists make up a complete Page 3 event buzzing with what’s new and what’s not for the media to get some dope and download on to their newspaper supplements.
Disney Collectibles – Collecting Figurines From the Walt Disney Classics Collection
Introduced in 1992 at the South Bend Collectible Show, the debut of the Walt Disney Classics Collection (WDCC) was the product of three years of work by Disney animation artists and sculptors to create a line of Disney figurines that would closely resemble their animated counterparts. The incredible detail work on the porcelain figures made them a huge hit with Disney fans and collectors. The first three figures released in the series were scenes from Bambi, Cinderella and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia.
To date, there are over 100 different Walt Disney Classics Collection figurines produced and retirements are common, creating a popular secondary market for collectors who desire retired WDCC figures. With each retirement, the molds are actually broken, ensuring that additional figures cannot be created from the same molds. Some figurines are also issued as numbered limited editions and it should be noted that Disney has elected to avoid always starting off their number system with “#1″. All WDCC figures carry a backstamp indicating the year of production and they are also issued with a Certificate of Authenticity.
One year after the collection debut, Disney introduced a collector’s club as an adjunct to the Classics Collection. Called the Walt Disney Collectors Society, members pay $50 a year to join and this entitles them to a free membership figurine from the WDCC each year and access to members-only sculptures, as well as a newsletter and magazine and an annual WDCC catalog. In 1993, the year the club was introduced, the special charter membership sculpture was Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio. The collector’s society was the first membership club sponsored directly by Disney.
Currently, both the Walt Disney Classics Collection and the Walt Disney Collectors Society are managed by Disney licensee, Enesco, with some of the original Disney staff involved to maintain production quality and Disney’s high standards. The transfer of responsibility took place in 2004.