MUMBAI: Multi Commodity Exchange of India on Thursday announced its support to an ongoing computer literacy programme of Microsoft and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals in rural Maharashtra.

This marks the launch of MCX's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative aimed at empowering the youth and women of rural areas of the state with technology skills.

Till now over 15,500 people have been trained and more than 24,000 people are using this service across 16 districts by the means of understanding the futures markets prices of the area specific commodities.

MCX's support will help in increasing deployment of laptop and desktop computers and thereby strengthen the ongoing technology training and adoption efforts through the project.

Home Depot and Lowe’s grow their online presence

The big chains of home improvement stores continue to play a bigger role online. Home Depot and Lowes increased their unique visitors by 12% and 17% in January over January a year ago, while eBay Inc.s Home section experienced a 14% decline in unique visitors, reports Nielsen Online. EBay Home continued, however, to be the No. 1 home and garden web site, Nielsen reports.

The top 10 home and garden sites in January by unique visitors, in millions, with unique visitors in January 2007 and growth, according to Nielsen Online, were: eBay Home, 10.94, 12.70, -14% The Home Depot, 10.72, 9.60, 12% Lowe`s, 8.34, 7.10, 17% eBay Crafts, 4.50, 4.01, 12% Home Shopping Network, 3.99, 3.63, 10% Pottery Barn, 3.28, 1.99, 64% Jo-Ann.com, 2.50, 1.89, 32% IKEA, 2.45, 2.51, -2% Linens `n Things, 2,43, 1.69, 44% Northern Tool + Equipment, 1.87, 1.26, 48% Internet Retailer of the top e-commerce sites in this category based on Nielsen Online data.

Filed under: NFL

-The worst month for sports is what were going through right now. The NBA is hitting the mid-season and there is yet to be any real excitement. You have the NFL that just got over a month ago, and yes, we're all sad because that marks the end of football for another 6-7 months. College Football recruiting is always fun, but we all know that in a sense it is just a waiting game that is boring. We have College Basketball hitting conference schedules real hard which is truely fun to watch, but we then enter the conference tournaments and they mean nothing. MLB isen't even heard of in this month, and NASCAR has qualifying on the week before Daytona. Isen't that just interesting. The month of February is a complete let-down. This month is almost worthless in the world of sports. I mean, the NBA season may be shaping up, but there is another 40 games to be played.

Emissions Trading Commodifies Carbon, But Does It Really Help Solve ...

Proponents of carbon trading see markets as the best mechanism for reducing emissions, while critics characterize carbon trading as a devil's bargain that steers profits to polluters.

Sidelines: By Mark Zeigler

Liverpool: The English giant crashes out of the F.A. Cup with a 1-0 loss – at home, no less – to unfancied Barnsley. Probably the only hope for coach Rafael Benitez to save his job is advancing in the UEFA Champions League.

Strikes, shortages, sniping: FIFA inspectors are back in South Africa this week for one of their periodic site visits, and the mood is positively unsettled. The headline in the Sunday Times newspaper: "2010 Turmoil." The article begins: "Infighting and mistrust is causing widespread tension within the company entrusted to pull off Africa's first FIFA World Cup. Key players in the country's 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) are barely talking to each other, while chief executive Danny Jordaan is being labeled a 'control freak.' " One LOC official was quoted as saying, "It is an accident waiting to happen." Add to that fears that South Africa's recent electricity shortage could spill into the tournament, and a strike among construction workers at one of the stadiums last week came with demands for double their current wages.

Turkey's renaissance and the need for cross cultural communication

Also, the European and American business culture is sometimes hard to digest for some of them. Turks in general want to know their business partners in person, whereas Europeans in general and Americans in particular think mainly about "let's do business". Not being familiar with each other's values and norms does not mean dislike for each other. And as a matter of fact, in the end, most business relations built then became sustainable relationships by now. But many hurdles have to be taken. That is for sure.

The Turkish way

The "Turkish way" of doing business, and more importantly, their business spirit and fine nose for entrepreneurship, can attribute to the European identity, merely because Turkish people are still open and willing, and their enthusiasm can work as a catalyst.

Thieves in the Nigerian Senate

When a corpse comes hurrying to burial with an erect penis, then something is absolutely wrong. Not only that this has all the ingredients of an abominable embarrassment, the corpse is not heading home pretty soon. If he receives an interment, the odours of gossip would ensure his eternal insomnia in the memories of the living. At the dawn of time, long before the birth of taboo, the coffin was already on record as advising the corpse to relax, and make itself comfortable because their journey and alliance is going to be a very long one. Both of them are marching to eternity together. And that is some pretty, long, unending time. Hurrying to get there is not only a waste of time; it is immortal inconvenience. But be that as it may, a corpse sporting a penile erection is not yet ready, or qualified for this journey.

DGCX secures Singapore approval

Dubai: The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) yesterday announced that it had secured approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), making DGCX a Recognised Market Operator (RMO) in Asia's key trading hub.

Commenting on the approval, Ahmad Bin Sulayem, chairman of DGCX, said, "Not only will this approval create opportunities for market participants based in Singapore, but is a clear demonstration of our commitment to meet customer demand for wider marker access". .