Volleyball Basic Rules

THE SERVE
( A ) Server must serve from behind the restraining line ( end line ) until after contact.
( B ) Ball may be served underhand or overhand.
( C ) Ball must be clearly visible to opponents before serve.
( D ) Served ball may graze the net and drop to the other side for point.
( E ) First game serve is determined by a volley, each subsequent game shall be served by the previous game loser.
( F ) Serve must be returned by a bump only. no setting or attacking a serve.

SCORING
Rally scoring will be used.
There will be a point scored on every score of the ball.
Offense will score on a defense miss or out of bounds hit.
Defense will score on an offensive miss, out of bounds hit, or serve into the net.
Game will be played to 25 pts.
Must win by 2 points.

ROTATION
( A ) Team will rotate each time they win the serve.
( B ) Players shall rotate in a clockwise manner.
( C ) There shall be 4-6 players on each side.

PLAYING THE GAME ( VOLLEY )
( A ) Maximum of three hits per side.
( B ) Player may not hit the ball twice in succession ( A block is not considered a hit ).
( C ) Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on serve.
( D ) A ball touching a boundary line is good.
( E ) A legal hit is contact with the ball by a player body above and including the waist which does not allow the ball to visibly come to a rest.
( F ) If two or more players contact the ball simultaneously, it is considered one play and the players involved may not participate in the next play.
( G ) A player must not block or attack a serve.
( H ) Switching positions will be allowed only between front line players. ( After the serve only ).

BASIC VIOLATIONS
( A ) Stepping on or over the line on a serve.
( B ) Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
( C ) Hitting the ball illegally ( Carrying, Palming, Throwing, etc. ).
( D ) Touches of the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play. If the ball is driven into the net with such force that it causes the net to contact an opposing player, no foul will be called, and the ball shall continue to be in play.
( E ) Reaching over the net, except under these conditions:
1 - When executing a follow-through.
2 - When blocking a ball which is in the opponents court but is being returned ( the blocker must not contact the ball until after the opponent who is attempting to return the ball makes contact). Except to block the third play.
( F ) Reaches under the net ( if it interferes with the ball or opposing player ).
( G ) Failure to serve in the correct order.
( H ) Blocks or spikes from a position which is clearly not behind the 10-foot line while in a back row position.

Things to say if caught sleeping at your desk

Face it, we all feel sleepy the moment we enter the office premises. But what if your boss caught you sleeping at your desk? Here is what you can tell him:
• "They told me at the blood bank this might happen."
• "This is just a 15 minute power-nap as described in that time management course you sent me."
• "Whew! Guess I left the top off the White-Out You probably got here just in time!"
• "I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm."
• "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance."
• "I was doing Yoga exercises to relieve work-related stress."
• "Damn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem."
• "The coffee machine is broken..."
• "Someone must've put decaf in the wrong pot..."
• " ... in Jesus' name. Amen."

It's official: Genes do tell a tall story

NEW YORK: Scientists now have a far clearer picture of what makes some people tall — and others not so. Researchers who last year identified the first gene influencing height have now identified a further 20 regions of the genome which, together, can make a difference of up to six centimetres in a person’s height. The results, based on DNA samples of 30,000 people, and published Sunday with two independent studies in the journal Nature Genetics, implies that scientists now know of dozens of genetic regions that influence our height. This provides scientists with a fascinating insight into how the body grows and develops normally and may shed light on diseases such as osteoarthritis and cancer. Unlike a number of other body size characteristics such as obesity, caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors, 90% of normal variation in human height is due to genetic factors rather than, for example, diet. Last year, a team including Tim Frayling from the Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, and Mark McCarthy of Oxford, identified the first common gene variant to affect height, though it made a difference of only 0.5 cm. “The number and variety of genetic regions that we have found show that height is not just caused by a few genes operating in the long bones,” said Frayling. On the basis of DNA samples, researchers have identified 20 regions of genetic code, common variations of which influence adult height. Half of these regions contain genes whose functions are well documented. Other genes have a role in cell-to-cell signalling, an important process in the early development of embryos in the womb. One region in particular is also linked to osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.

We don`t want to scare off talent: IIM-C on fee hike

A combination of plain thinking and sound economics led the board of Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) to decide to break away from other IIMs and keep fees in check.

According to Ajit Balakrishnan, chairman of the board of governors of IIM-C, “Most students who study in IIM-C come from families whose annual income is Rs 5 lakh. We are a public higher education institute funded by taxpayers’ money. Hiking our fees just because IIM-Ahmedabad or IIM-Bangalore has hiked theirs will make IIM-C an opportunist.”

“We are awaiting the recommendations of the IIM review committee, which will explain the process for arriving at the fees,” Balakrishnan pointed out.

According to Balakrishnan, an IIM-C alumnus and founder chairman of Rediff.com India, “Any further fee hike by IIM-C, if at all, would be done in a civilised way, after consulting all the stakeholders, including students and their parents.”

There was a human angle too: “It is very important that we do not scare off talented students as most come from a middle-class background,” said Balakrishnan.

The post-graduate programme of IIMC rakes in one-third of IIM-C’s revenues, so raising the fee a bit will not affect the institution much, Balakrishnan said.

The economics behind the move was highlighted by Dinesh Varma, chief administrative officer of IIM-C. “We calculated our income and expenditure and realised that we don’t need to hike our fee in order to meet expenditures,” reasoned Varma.

“Our biggest expenditure every year is towards employee salaries. On an average, we need around Rs 20 crore per year to run the institute,” Varma added.

IIM-C’s income, in part, came from post-graduate programmes (Rs 12 crore), management development programmes (Rs 10 crore), and the one-year residential executive MBA programme (Rs 3.04 crore). Alumni support and donations supplemented its corpus every year.

To be fair, the IIM-C infrastructure development budget could lead to demands on its financial resources, as over the next three years, it intended to invest Rs 100 crore from its corpus of Rs 150 crore to remodel its campus and make room for 25 per cent more students on an international look venue.

Students taking admission in 2008 were asked to shell out Rs 3 lakh in the first year and Rs 4 lakh in the second year. Students taking admission in 2009 had to pay Rs 4 lakh in the first year and the same amount in the second year.

Unlike the IIM-A and IIM-B, IIM-C decided not to pursue a fee hike till the IIM Review Committee submitted its report in May-June this year.

The IIM Review Committee was headed by former Maruti Udyog chairman R C Bhargava.

IIM-C also decided at its board meeting ahead of its convocation on April 5 to keep on hold an earlier decision to hike the course fees for its core two-year post graduate programme. http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=435248&sid=ENT&ssid=1

Court order terming Sanjay-Manyata illegal stayed

Mumbai, April 07: In what would come as a relief to the beleaguered celebrity couple Sanjay Dutt and Manyata, the Mumbai Sessions Court on Monday ordered a stay on an earlier decision by a court in Bandra that had declared their marriage as illegal. The Sessions Court’s order would give Sanjay and Manyata some more time to put forth their case in a more effective way as the Bandra Court had earlier asked them to furnish all important documents, proving the legality of their marriage, by April 15. Following the Session Court order, the couple need not appear in the court with the documents. Dutt married Manyata as per Hindu rites on February 11 in Mumbai, but the wedding ran into rough weather after a Mumbai undertrial, Meraj Rehman, made bigamy allegations claiming that he was still Manyata`s husband. The couple had earlier solemnised their wedding in Goa, but it came under legal scanner, as the Goa Marriage Registrar`s Office found the residential certificate submitted as fake. The registrar had issued a notice asking the couple to clarify.Replying to the notice, Dutt and Manyata filed an application to the Goa marriage registrar seeking cancellation of their marriage, which was later accepted by the registrar.

What You Get for... $2 Million

WHAT: A 1942 Federal-style attached row house with four bedrooms, four and a half baths and almost 4,000 square feet of space.
HOW MUCH: $2,195,000
PER SQUARE FOOT: $548
SETTING: The house is a few blocks from Georgetown University and near the shopping and restaurants surrounding the school.
COMMON SPACES: The kitchen has stainless steel appliances and a built-in desk. The formal dining room has built-in shelves and French doors. The basement is fully finished and has a playroom.
PERSONAL SPACES: There are two bedrooms on the third level, one on the second level and an au-pair suite on the lower level. The half bath is on the ground floor.
OUTDOOR SPACE: A gated front yard and a landscaped backyard with a patio area.
AMENITIES: A fireplace, a detached two-car garage, central air conditioning and forced air heating.
TAXES: $11,947 a year
CONTACT: Jamie Peva, Washington Fine Properties (202) 258-5050; http://www.wfp.com/
Telluride, Colo.
WHAT: A three-bedroom three-bath log-style cabin with nearly 1,900 square feet of space in an 11-unit condominium complex.
HOW MUCH: $1,750,000
PER SQUARE FOOT: $879
SETTING: The property has ski-in and ski-out access. The center of the village is a few minutes’ walk. The area has year-round outdoor activities including golfing, biking, hiking and fishing.
COMMON SPACES: The living room has vaulted ceilings with rafters and oversized windows offering views of the surrounding mountains. The kitchen is open to the dining area and has a breakfast bar.
PERSONAL SPACES: The master bedroom is on the lower level and has a fireplace and access to the deck. There is a bedroom on the main level; a third bedroom, on the upper level, has a balcony.
OUTDOOR SPACE: An 80-square-foot deck with views of the mountains.
AMENITIES: Two fireplaces and covered parking for one car.
TAXES AND FEES: $4,937 a year; homeowner association dues: $3,630 a quarter
CONTACT: Matthew Hintermeister, Peaks Real Estate Sotheby’s International Realty (970) 729-1200; http://www.peaksrealestate.com/
Paradise Valley, Ariz.
WHAT: A four-bedroom six-bath house
HOW MUCH: $2,000,000
PER SQUARE FOOT: $405
SETTING: This property in the Camelback Country Estates residential golf community, has golf course and mountain views. It’s 30 minutes from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
COMMON SPACES: A kitchen with a central island and a breakfast bar opens to a casual dining area. The family room has oversized French doors that lead out to a covered patio.
PERSONAL SPACES: The master suite has a sitting area, fireplace and bathroom. The other bedrooms have private baths.
OUTDOOR SPACE: Patio, pool and spa.
AMENITIES: Four fireplaces and a three-car garage.
TAXES: $6,556 a year; homeowner association fee: $60 a quarter