Setting Up An IT Company A+ A-


Setting up IT software and services operations in India are governed by certain rules and regulations. A brief list of guidelines for individuals/ companies interested in setting up such operations is given below:

Setting up of operations in India by an Indian Citizen/ Company
An Indian citizen can set up IT software and services operations in India in the following manner:

as an Individual/ Proprietor; or
as a Partnership Firm/ Trust; or
as a Company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 ("Co Act").
No prior permission of Government of India is required to set up IT/ software units in India.

Moreover, to encourage units in this sector, Government of India has announced many schemes ie:

Export Promotion Capital Goods ("EPCG") Scheme: This scheme allows import of capital goods at a concessional customs duty rate of 5 percent, where the importer as a condition is required to achieve a specified export obligation. The export obligation and the period within which the same is required to be achieved vary based on the nature of the unit and value of imported capital goods.
Special Economic Zones ("SEZs"): SEZs are designated areas dedicated towards growth of exports, having full flexibility of operations that are permitted to import duty free capital goods and raw material. The movement of goods to and fro between ports and SEZ are unrestricted. The units in SEZ have to export the entire production subject to permitted sales in the DTA. Currently, there are 11 operational SEZs in India which include the Santacruz Electronic Export Promotion Zone, Kandla Export Promotion Zone, Vizag Export Promotion Zone and Cochin Export Promotion Zones which have been converted to SEZs. Fiscal incentives available to SEZ units have been discussed ahead in detail.
100 Percent Export Oriented Unit ("EOU"): In terms of the benefits available, the EOU scheme, on a general basis, is similar to SEZ scheme. But in this scheme, there is no need to be physically located in the designated area (as in the case of SEZs). This scheme offers zero import duty on import of all capital goods, special 10 years income tax rebate (however, such rebate will not be available for Assessment Year 2010-2011 and onwards). The incentives provided to EOUs are generally similar to those provided to SEZ units, except the exemption from central sales tax on purchases.
Software Technology Park ("STP"): This is a special scheme under the Ministry of Information Technology, similar to EOU scheme, which is specific for the software industry. STPs are located at Noida, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur, Mohali and Thiruvanathapuram. This scheme offers zero import duty on import of all capital goods, special 10 years income tax rebate (however, such rebate will not be available for Assessment Year 2010-2011 and onwards), availability of infrastructure facilities like high-speed data communication links, etc. The incentives provided to EOUs are generally similar to those provided to SEZ units, except the exemption from central sales tax on purchases.
Setting up of operations in India by Overseas Company/ Non-Resident



A foreign company or a non-resident planning to set up business operations in India can do so in the following manner:

As a foreign company through a Liaison Office/ Representative Office, Project Office or a Branch Office; or
As an Indian company through a Joint Venture or a Wholly Owned Subsidiary.
A foreign company is one that has been incorporated outside India and conducts business in India. These companies are required to comply with the provisions of Co Act.

Liaison Office/ Representative Office
A liaison office is not allowed to undertake any business activity in India and earn any income in India. The role of liaison office is limited to collecting information about possible market opportunities and providing information about the company and its products to prospective Indian customers.

The Foreign Exchange Management Act ("FEMA") regulates the opening and operation of liaison offices. Prior approval of Reserve Bank of India ("RBI") is required for opening of such offices. Permission for such offices is typically granted for a period of three years initially and may be extended from time to time. These offices have to ensure compliance with the following conditions:

Expenses are met entirely through inward remittances of foreign exchange from Head Office abroad.
These offices do not undertake any trading or commercial activities. Activities should be limited to collecting and transmitting information between overseas Head Office and potential Indian customers.
Such offices should not charge any commission or receive other income from Indian customers for provision of liaison services.
A person resident outside India permitted by RBI to establish a liaison office in India may carry out the following activities:

Represent in India the parent company/ group companies.
Promote export import from/ to India.
Promote technical/ financial collaborations between parent/ group companies and companies in India.
Act as a communication channel between the parent company and the Indian companies.
Further, liaison/ representative offices are required to furnish an annual compliance certificate, from their auditors, with the RBI.



Project Office
Foreign companies planning to execute specific projects in India can set up temporary project/ site offices in India. Under the earlier provisions of FEMA, specific approval was required to be obtained from RBI for establishment of a Project Office. Recently, the RBI has accorded general permission to foreign companies for establishment of Project Offices in India subject to following conditions:

It has secured from an Indian company a contract to execute a project in India;
The project is funded by inward remittance from abroad or bilateral/ multilateral International Finance Agency or the project has been cleared by an appropriate authority or the contracting entity has been granted term loan by a Public Financial Institution or a bank in India for the project; and
Intimation is required to be filed with the regional office of RBI in the prescribed manner.
Further, until recently an approval from the RBI was required for:

opening of foreign currency accounts by Project Offices in India; and/ or
intermittent remittances to be made by such Project Offices.
In order to further liberalize the procedure for Project Offices, the Authorized Dealers (bankers) have been empowered to open foreign currency accounts for the Project Offices as well as permit intermittent remittances by Project Offices without an approval from the RBI, subject to fulfillment of certain conditions.



Branch Office
Foreign companies may set up Branch Offices in India, with prior permission of RBI, for the following purposes:

To represent parent company/ other foreign companies in various matters in India e.g. acting as buying/ selling agents in India.
To conduct research work in the area in which parent company is engaged.
To undertake export and import.
To promote possible technical and financial collaborations between Indian companies and parent/ overseas group companies.
To render professional or consultancy services.
To render services in Information Technology and development of software in India.
To render technical support to products supplied by the parent/ overseas group companies.
A Branch Office is not permitted to carry out manufacturing activities on its own. A Branch Office is required to file an annual compliance letter, from their auditors, with the RBI. Remittance of profits of the Branch Office is permissible by furnishing requisite documents with an authorized dealer.

Further, RBI has granted general permission to foreign companies to establish Branch Offices/ units in SEZs to undertake manufacturing/ service activities subject to the following conditions:

such units function in those sectors where 100 percent FDI is permitted;
such units comply with prescribed requirements of the Co Act;
such units function on a stand-alone basis; and
in the event of winding-up of business and for remittance of winding-up proceeds the branch/ unit shall approach an Authorized Dealer with the prescribed documents.


As an Indian Company
A foreign company can commence operations in India through incorporation of a company under the provisions of Co Act. Foreign equity in such Indian companies can be up to 100 percent depending upon the business plan of the foreign investor, prevailing foreign investment policies of the Government and receipt of requisite approvals.

Joint Venture with an Indian Partner
Foreign companies can set up their operations in India by forming strategic alliances with Indian partners. Setting up of operations through Joint Venture may entail the following advantages to a foreign investor:

Already established distribution/ marketing set up of the Indian partner. Ava
ilable financial resources of the Indian partner.
Already established contacts of the Indian partner that help smoothen the process of setting up operations.
Foreign investments are approved through two routes as under:

Automatic Route: Approvals for foreign equity up to 26 percent, 50 percent, 51 percent, 74 percent and 100 percent are given on an automatic basis subject to fulfillment of prescribed parameters in certain industries as specified by the Government. RBI accords automatic approval to all such cases.
Government Approval: Approval in all other cases where the proposed foreign equity exceeds 26 percent, 50 percent, 51 percent or 74 percent in the specified industries or if the industry is not in the specified list, it requires prior specific approval from Foreign Investment Promotion Board ("FIPB").
Establishing A Presence Outside India
Direct Investment outside India by Indian Corporates
Under the exchange control regulations, Indian corporates are permitted to invest in entities outside India. The investments could be made either under the automatic approval route or the specific prior approval route. Where the proposed investment does not satisfy the conditions of the automatic approval route, the same would require prior approval of RBI.

Some of the key conditions to be satisfied so as to qualify for the automatic approval route are a follows: Terms and conditions for outbound investment under the automatic route


Investment is made in an overseas Joint venture ("JV") or Wholly owned subsidiary ("WOS") engaged in a bona fide business activity.
Total financial commitment of Indian entity does not exceed 200 percent of net worth of the Indian entity as on the date of last audited balance sheet.
Indian entity is not on RBI's caution list or under investigation by Enforcement Directorate.
Indian entity has to comply with certain filing requirements with RBI.
Indian entity routes all transactions relating to such investments through only one branch of an Authorised Dealer designated by it.


Modes of funding the above investment
The investment outside India may be funded out of the following sources:

Balance held in EEFC account of Indian entity maintained with an Authorized Dealer.
Withdrawal of foreign exchange from an Indian banker upto 200 percent of net worth of Indian investor as on the date of last audited balance sheet.
Utilization of proceeds of ADR/ GDR issues raised by Indian entity.
Acquisition of shares of a foreign company engaged in similar core activity in exchange of ADR/ GDRs issued to the latter, subject to certain terms and conditions.
Capitalization of receivables in respect of export of plant, machinery, equipment and other goods/ software to the foreign entity or fees, royalties, commissions or other entitlements for supply of technical know-how, consultancy, managerial or other services. Prior approval of RBI would be required where receivables are more than six months old.
Export of goods/ software/ plant and machinery from India towards equity contribution in a JV/ WOS outside India subject to certain compliances.
ADR/ GDR Linked option for employees of software companies in India
Authorised Dealers may permit resident employees (including working directors) of an Indian software company to purchase foreign securities under ADR/ GDR Linked Stock Option Schemes provided consideration for such purchase does not exceed USD 50,000 or its equivalent in a block of 5 calendar years per eligible employee.

Purchase/ acquisition of foreign securities under Employee Stock Option Plan ("ESOP")
An individual who is an employee or a director of the Indian office or branch of a foreign company or of a subsidiary of a foreign company or an Indian company in which foreign equity holding is not less than 51 percent, may remit any amount towards purchase of equity shares offered by the said foreign company provided that the shares are offered at a concessional price. This relaxation is subject to further notice in this regard by RBI.

In order to further liberalize overseas investment, it has been decided that even in cases where the foreign company is offering its shares under ESOP and has an indirect shareholding in the Indian company, ie through a Special Purpose Vehicle or a step down subsidiary, no prior permission of RBI is required, as long as such holding is not less than 51 percent.



Investments abroad by a firm in India
Firms in India registered under the Indian Partnership Act, 1932 and having a good track record, have been permitted under the automatic route, to make direct investments outside India in an entity engaged in bonafide business activity provided such investment is upto 100 percent of its net worth or USD 10 million or its equivalent, whichever is less, in one financial year. Firms intending to undertake financial services activities would, however, have to satisfy certain additional requirements.

Investments by Proprietary concerns
A proprietary concern may accept shares of a company outside India, with prior approval of RBI, in lieu of professional services rendered to such company subject to following conditions:

Value of shares does not exceed 50 percent of fees receivable; and
The concern's shareholding in one company by virtue of acquisition as above does not exceed 10 percent of paid up capital of such company.
Permission is typically accorded by the RBI for a period of one year.

Microsoft Software Windows
CWmike writes "Microsoft is working on a software distribution scheme along the lines of Apple's iPhone App Store, CEO Steve Ballmer said yesterday at a developer's conference in Sydney, Australia. 'There's not much money being made, but the general concept of giving developers a way not only to get their code distributed, but to really get visibility for the code, is a good idea,' Ballmer said. Ballmer hinted that something similar would be coming soon from Microsoft. While he said Micrsoft was not ready to detail the works in progress, he said '... fear not, we're hard at work, and you'll see some of the benefits [of that] with some of the concepts, particularly Facebook's.'"

DADA RETIRES

For the last innings

It was just a few days before that I wrote about the KING returning to his playground. Never in my worst dreams would I have thought that soon I will have to write a farewell letter to him. Alas! That’s the way life goes.

He came, he saw and he conquered. Now he retire. He say he is retiring because it’s time. He say there is no external pressure. If he says, we will have to believe it.

But the “dark hands” (if they exist) you got to be reminded of something. He won’t be under the control of BCCI for long. After he retires, he is a free man. He might come out and speak the truth that happened. Why he decided to quit. And if those truths in someway lead back to your hands , consider yourself unfortunate. Not because it’s going to hurt your image, but because what you are going to experience then will be such that will make you wish you were never born.

Let me stop this kind of speech. There is a time for this later. My heart is now greaved. I can’t bear to think of his last innings. I can’t see him returning to the pavilion with a silent message that he won’t come back again. He was the most important part of cricket for me for long. And when he goes, cricket no longer exists.

I wish to talk of the career of Ganguly. Why it’s the most talked of career? Why is it going to be the part of cricketing history? Why is it called the golden period of Indian cricket?

Ganguly peaked his career during 1996-2000 before he was made the captain. He was the best batsman of the Indian team then. He came into the team in a test hundred in the debut. He became the faster indian to score 3000,4000,……,9000. A series worth remembering is one against Pakisthan which India 4-1. It was won single handedly by Ganguly. He took around 300 runs and 15 wickets and topped batting and bowling charts. He was the man of the match in all four games india won consecutively. He even now holds the record of most number of consecutive man of the matches. It’s just an example. There are many others too. The highest runs scored in a world cup match is his forte. Sri Lankans were the guys who had to withstand that slaughter. He scored 183 which helped India score a 371 which again helped India get the required run rate for entering the Super Six round.
Victory is always for the KING



Victory is always for the KING

With captaincy his batting performance declined. But considering other players, his batting was still world class. It just declined when compared to his own previous records. Many still think of what Ganguly’s batting scorecard would have been had he not been the captain. But my interest were never on this. It was Ganguly as a captain that astonished me. After the 1999 world Cup Australia went on a win-only-series-of-series. They won each and every test they played. The teams who played against them were afraid.Australians were considered as the ultimate and undefeatable team. It’s in this spirit that Aussies came to India. They expected a similar tense Indian team. But Ganguly proved to be just the opposite. He made Steve Waugh feel some pressure. He never believed Aussies are undefeatable and took special care not to let Aussies feel any kind of superiority. This was a new experience for the Aussies and they succumbed to it, loosing the series 1-2. Ganguly also led India to a World Cup Final, himself scoring a century in the semi final. He took Indian team to Australia. India was stuttering after 3 early wickets with a huge score to overtake. Ganguly came to the middle and scored 144 which is considered as his best Test Innings. He finished only when India were with a comfortable lead. He is also the first Indian to score a century in Australia against Australia.





Victory is for the Roaring Tiger

The rest of the story is about ups and downs, of misfortunes and comebacks. This is a story every single child in India and in all cricketing nation knows. So I am not going into that.

For India, Ganguly was the FORCE. The FORCE that united them, that made them strong, that made them realise their own strength, and that led from front. YES, GANGULY IS RIGHTLY CALLED THE BEST CAPTAIN.

HATS OFF TO YOU, Oh! GOD OF OFF SIDE.

IN YOU WE FOUND A NEW SPIRIT, AN URGE TO CONQUER, A ROAR TO DEFEAT. HOPE YOU CAN CONTINUE TO TO SHOWER IT AROUND TILL THE END. WAITING FOR BENGAL TIGER TO ROAR IN ALL THE REMAINING MATCHES.

A Loyal Fan inspired by your Attitude.

This entry was posted on October 8, 2008 at 11:54 pm and is filed under Cricket, Sourav Ganguly. Tagged: sourav, ganguly, Australia, dada, retire, BCCI, career, captaincy, tiger, bengal, Aussies, Down under, fastest, debut, century, man of the match. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are several locations that developers need to visit when starting out with Flex. Visit these to quickly get started:

1. Flex.org - The single location for everything Flex. We are working on a major update the Flex.org site but this single page of links has a ton of value. Listings of the top blogs, urls for all Flex downloads, Links to Support, Lists and other goodness.

2. Flex Start Page in Flex Builder ( HELP > FLEX START PAGE )This screen was designed to provide the basics for anyone getting started using Flex. It includes “How Flex Works”, Samples, and Tutorials and Help. Here are the jewels:
a. Component Explorer - I still use this when I need a snippet of MXML for a specific component. It is handy and easy to use. You can see component working and the code that created then. Copy, Paste, Next!
b. Flex Style Explorer - There is now a link to the Flex Style Explorer. This app is invaluable for learning the details of skinning. Simply select the component you want to style, edit the properties and CSS is generated. Copy, Paste, Next!

3. Discussion Lists and Forums:
a. FlexCoders - This discussion list is the heart and soul of Flex. All the best developers frequent this list and many engineers are there. Joining FlexCoders is a rite of passage for anyone learning Flex. The list will flood your inbox so be ready, but when you have a question this is the first place to go. Search the archives of FlexCoders first, 99% of the time the answer has already been discussed.
b. FlexComponents - This discussion list is for developers writing components to extend Flex. The list was started after the component developer summit to kick start extending Flex with new components.
c. Adobe Support Forums - The forums are very handy for getting specifics on product details. There are categories for Flex Builder and Data Services so it is a bit more organized than FlexCoders or raw discussion lists. Many of the Flex engineers monitor and participate in these forums.

4. Flex Developer Center - There are fresh articles on Flex here and there are always new articles being posted to this section of the Adobe.com website.

5. Flex Cookbook - The Flex Cookbook is a place to get code and examples for Flex. The site is a mega-wiki to add articles and code from developers. It is a great resource and is growing very fast.

I am often suprised that many people do not know about these great resources for learning flex.
Thanks,
Karthick

Domain Names

If you're seriously doing business on the WWW, you may consider to have your own domain name. Internic is the organization who provide domain name registration in the US. There are other organizations handle the registration in their own country or specific regions. To find out more about an organization who is responsible for domain name registration in your country, check Thomas Ohrbom's page or Yahoo.

Where can I have my site hosted?

This is the difficult question. If you cannot setup your own server, you may consider having web hosting providers to host your site.
You can choose from a lot of different web hosts. It's important to compare between different providers and to make sure that you really get the features you need, you don't want to pay to much, but still you don't want to be stuck with a provider that doesn't upscale your needs. You can read more about this and search for different types of web hosting like dedicated servers at www.webhostingsearch.com
Free Web Pages:
Yahoo provides links to free places. The most popular place people on the web go for free hosting is at Geocities. Anyway, there are many limitations of having your site host with free service providers. For example, you aren't allowed to make sub directories or use your own CGI.

The following types of memberships are offered to individuals:
Student membership:
open to full time students (not for correspondence or part time).
This allows you to borrow 3 books/CD-Roms and 3 journals for a period of 3 weeks. In place of 3 journals 1 book can be borrowed. You also get a lot of added services like free subscription to Class Out journal for a year and access to workshops in the library as part of this membership. The annual subscription is Rs.1000/-

Personal membership:
is open to anyone above the age of 16. This allows you to borrow 3 books / CD-ROMs and 3 journals for a period of 3 weeks. In place of 3 journals 1 book can be borrowed. The annual subscription is Rs.1200/-

Classic DVD membership:
allows you to borrow 3 books/CD-ROMs from the general collection, 3 journals and 1 DVD for a period of 3 weeks. In place of 3 journals 1 book or DVD can be borrowed. .The annual subscription rate is Rs.2000/-

Classic YLC membership:
allows you to borrow 6 books/CD-ROMs from the general collection or Young Learner Centre and 3 journals for a period of 3 weeks. In place of 3 journals 1 book can be borrowed. .The annual subscription rate is Rs.2000/-

Family membership gives you access to both the general and Young Learners Centre collection. The members can borrow 7 books/ CD-ROMs from the general collection or from the Young Learner Centre and 1 DVD for a period of 3 weeks. In place of 3 journals 1 book or DVD can be borrowed. The annual subscription is Rs.2600/-.
We do not offer postal membership and hence open to individuals residing in and around Chennai. For enrolling, you need to fill-up the specified application form (available in the library) and produce a photocopy of the college/ school or work id. (as the case may be).

You are welcome to visit the library any day between Monday and Saturday 11.00am-7.00pm
The subscription can be paid in the form of cash/card or a local cheque in favour of
"British Council Division",
Chennai.
We look forward to enrolling you as a member.
With Regards,Abilash.

ABritish Council Division
737 Anna Salai,
Chennai 600002.
Tel: 044 42050600.
Abilash.Achuthan@in.britishcouncil.org
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DVD RENTALS: NETFLIX http://www.netflix.com/ Rent movies by mail for a flat monthly fee ($20). Keep flicks as long as you want before returning them in postage-paid envelopes. The site lets you watch trailers and read reviews before you add titles to your wish list.

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GENEALOGY: ROOTSWEB.COM http://www.rootsweb.com/ Everything one needs for researching a family tree, including a free database of 181 million ancestor names.

HEALTH HUB: WEBMD http://www.webmd.com/ Hard to beat for basic medical info. Get the lowdown on the condition that ails you, locate a doctor in your area. You can also check out the drug and herb directory for the latest news and discoveries. Or consult MayoClinic.com.

NET RADIO: SPINNER http://www.spinner.com/ The free player program is a snap to download and easy to customize, with plenty of channels to suit any musical taste, from new indie and mod punk to bossa nova and jazz. (Owned by AOL Time Warner.)

NEWS AND DISCUSSION: FARK.COM http://www.fark.com/ Links to the day's strangest, silliest and scariest news stories posted on the Web, with message boards inviting users to comment. Lots of fun.

OVERSEAS-TRAVEL: HANDBOOK U.S. DEPT. OF STATE www.state.gov/travel Even when the U.S. isn't at war, it's a good idea to check whether the government has issued any travel warnings for the country you're headed to. The site also posts global crime rates, traffic reports and hospital ratings.

PARTY PLANNING: EVITE http://www.evite.com/ Take the headache out of organizing potluck dinners and other casual get-togethers. Send out snazzy e-mail invites, post maps and directions, and keep track of R.S.V.P.S. (Not recommended for weddings or formal dinners.)

PC AWAY FROM HOME: GOTOMYPC http://www.gotomypc.com/ For a monthly fee ($14.95 or $19.95, depending on length of contract), this service lets you access and remotely operate your work or home PC from any Windows computer with a Net connection. Try it for free for 60 minutes online or 30 days, whichever expires first.

PEOPLE FINDER: CLASSMATES http://www.classmates.com/ Locate former school sweethearts and chums by designating the school you attended. Registration required but free.
PHOTO SERVICE: OFOTO http://www.ofoto.com/ Share your snaps online by mailing in a 35-mm roll or uploading your digital images. Do some minor editing and order Kodak prints at decent prices.

RARE BOOKS: ALIBRIS http://www.alibris.com/ Virtually no out-of-print book is out of reach for Alibris, an emporium of rare, first-edition, foreign and otherwise hard-to-find volumes.

RELIGION: BELIEFNET http://www.beliefnet.com/ Thank God: Here's a multi-faith community open to talking about whatever's on your mind or in your soul without proselytizing. Religion shopping? Key your credo into the Belief-o-matic to find the closest-fitting faith.

SHOPPING: BIZRATE.COM http://www.bizrate.com/ Comparison shop online for everything from apparel to electronics to housewares. BizRate.com also provides user-submitted ratings of merchants. Also check out DealTime http://www.dealtime.com/).

TECHSPEAK EXPLAINED: WHATIS.COM http://www.whatis.com/ Plain-English encyclopedic explanations of all things tech, from general computing terms like broadband to the more obscure jargon you come across in product manuals.

TUNES OF THE TRADE SPUN http://www.spun.com/ Think of it as a fantastic music store, minus the crabby clerk in the Ramones T shirt. Buy new and used CDs, dvds and games; exchange your old goods for store credit. If something isn't in stock, Spun will e-mail you when it arrives.

TV CRITICS: TELEVISION WITHOUT PITY http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ It takes some time to read through each snarky episode recap of popular TV shows like Dawson's Creek and Ally McBeal, but you'll find yourself sucked in by the critics' love-hate relationship with the programs they spend so much time analyzing. You'll also laugh out loud. The site was formerly known as Mighty Big TV.

URBAN LEGENDS: SNOPES http://www.snopes.com/ Was a bound pair of hands found atop a building near ground zero? (Yes.) Were a bunch of 9/11 domain names registered before the attacks? (No.) Urban-legend hobbyists David and Barbara Mikkelson debunk non-WTC myths too.

WORLD NEWS: BBC news.bbc.co.uk If international news is your bag, the Brits do it best. In-depth articles on what's happening around the globe, plus cool multimedia features. Coverage of the U.S., in partic-ular, is worth a look for the BBC's detached perspective.

'ZINEs: SALON http://www.salon.com/ A fresh blend of news and features, from Washington politics to counterculture book reviews. Some articles (including adults-only fare) require subscription, but the comics are free. When you're done, you can head over to Slate http://www.slate.com/) for more.

AMAZON.COM http://www.amazon.com/ The place to buy things.

EBAY http://www.ebay.com/ The place to auction things.

YAHOO NEWS dailynews.yahoo.com Top stories throughout the day.

EPICURIOUS http://www.epicurious.com/ The Web's best recipe database.

GOOGLE http://www.google.com/ Find everything.

INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE http://www.imdb.com/ A movie fan's dream: archives include cast credits, actor and director bios and movie trivia.

PAYPAL http://www.paypal.com/ Web money: send or receive payments via e-mail.

WEATHER.COM http://www.weather.com/ Best of the weather sites.

QUICKEN.COM http://www.quicken.com/ Manage your personal finances.

MAPQUEST http://www.mapquest.com/ Driving directions galore as well as maps from around the world.

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