It is that time of the year again. Ramadan is fast approaching, and so is the shopping season. From cars to consumer electronics to household products, every company tries to woo buyers by offering discounted prices, freebies, lucky coupons, etc.

Joining in the mad rush are PR companies who dump the e-mail boxes of media houses with tons and tons of Press Releases. For the benefit of PR personnel, SD has designed a Press Release generator. Worth trying out!

Recently, a Saudi Arabian man was caught trying to sneak a Russian woman from Dubai to his country. Sadly, cops at the border were too smart for him.

I am a sucker for catchy advertisements and ideation. And, I found the “Opening Soon” concept for this gas station coming up near Darsait roundabout very cool.

“Find Akki at akshaykumar.com”, screams the Mid-Day headline. As you read the story, you realise the website of the Bollywood superstar is just not ready, and still in its conceptualisation stages. Moreover, akshaykumar.com leads you to a site where you can download wallpapers and pictures of Akshay, Twinkle, Hrithik, Bipasha, etc. Keep it coming, Mid-Day!

Please spare a minute and light a candle for the Mumbai blast victims. For every candle you light, CNN-IBN and Channel 7 will donate Re 1 for the relief of the victims. Here’s the link:

Bangalore is witnessing a flurry of newspaper activity these days. Mid-Day has started operations, Times of India has bought Vijayanand Printers (One English and Two Kannada dailies), and Deccan Chronicle is contemplating an edition. With Vijay Times in its fold, it will be interesting to watch the strategy adopted by TOI towards its rivals. I feel there is no room for 7-8 English dailies to survive in the market. With television and FM channels making a beeline for the advertising pie, it will be a tough call for newspaper owners. Meanwhile, the journos are all smiles. Good times are back again for them.