THE STANDARD HALF BALL

   STANDARD HALF-BALL ANGLES

 

Two standard half-ball angles are shown on the billiards table above. A red ball is blocking access to the top right pocket. In snooker, the white ball, or cue ball, would impact that blocking red ball and push it into the pocket. If you remove that red ball, the white ball would drop into the pocket. What you would then see is two losing hazards, otherwise known as in-offs. 

If you want to pot the red ball, al you have to do in the two pics above is to hit the red object ball on the opposite side! 

Another standard half-ball angle is where you place the cue ball in the centre of the lip of either upper pocket and the object ball on the Black Spot, the spot occupied by the red ball the cueist nearest to us is addressing. A half-ball shot on the inside of the object ball will lead to a losing hazard. A half-ball shot to the outside of that ball will result in a pot of the object ball and a losing hazard in the opposite centre pocket. Try it out!   

Half-ball shots are essential to Billiards and are very easy to play, especially compared with potting. That is why snooker is so difficult a game, and also why there is much more money and global acclaim in snooker vis-a-vis billiards. India has produced and still produces great billiards players, but no really good snooker cue artist. 

Where to aim: If you play without side and point your tip through the centre of the cue ball to the extreme edge of the object ball, this will give a 'true' half-ball.The deflection of the object ball from a half-ball contact is approximately 38°. It is not 45°, which is one misconception most players have throughout their playing days.    

CASH LESS TRANSACTIONS IN A DEMONETISED INDIA

FIVE METHODS OF CASH LESS TRANSACTIONS

    

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong push for a ‘cashless economy’ in his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address. A day later, his office publicised a number of alternative payment modes in a series of tweets titled ‘My mobile. My Bank. My wallet: Transactions without cash’.

Here are the five alternatives that the PMO tweeted about:

1.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

“It’s as easy as sending a message from your phone! Every bank has its own mobile app – so it’s now possible to transact on your smart phone,” read the tweet from the PMO.

How:
Register your mobile number at your bank or ATM
Download the UPI app on your mobile
Make your unique ID
Set your UPI PIN

Advantage:
Transactions can be carried out from any location, between any two individuals
No need to pre-add beneficiary

2.

e-Wallet

“It’s as easy as sending photos through your phone! Through the e-Wallet, money transactions are possible with mobile or computer,” said the PMO tweet.

How:
Choose an e-wallet service of your convenience and download the app
Register your mobile number
Link this with your debit card, credit card or net banking

Advantages:
Many options available, from private players to wallets offered by banks and even telephone companies
Most wallet services allow recharges of denominations of the consumer’s choice

3.

Cards, PoS

These are pretty common in urban areas. PoS stands for ‘point of sale’. These are the payments you can make using your debit cards or credit cards.

How:
Get a debit card against your bank account, or apply for a credit card
Set and remember your PIN
Swipe your card, enter the amount to be paid, punch in your PIN

Advantages:
Debit cards come almost automatically with bank accounts
Cards can be used for withdrawals and deposits at ATMs across the country, and even abroad
Cards can also be used for online transactions

4.

Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS)

“Why rely on your bank, when you can bank on Aadhaar! Now link your Aadhaar card with your bank account,” read the PMO tweet.

How:
Link your Aadhaar card with your bank account
Remember your Aadhaar number or carry a copy of your card
Remember the bank in which you have the account which has been linked to your Aadhaar card
Transactions to be authenticated using fingerprint recorded for Aadhaar biometrics

Advantages:
Balance inquiry, cash withdrawals, cash deposits and Aadhaar-to-Aadhaar fund transfers
No extra registrations needed
Could be useful in rural areas, with transaction carried out by banking correspondents

5.

Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)

This allows fund transfers through the interface of any mobile phone.

How:
Link your mobile number to your bank account
Dial *99# from your phone
Identify your bank by entering the first three letters or the first four letters of your branch’s IFSC code
In the menu that pops up, chose ‘Fund Transfer-MMID’
Enter the mobile phone number and MMID of the recipient
Enter the transfer amount and your MPIN, followed by a space and the last four digits of your account number

Advantages:
No smartphone required
No mobile internet connection needed

JIM MURRAYS' WHISKY BIBLE 2017 RELEASED

JIM MURRAYS' WINNERS 2016

Released by The Whisky Exchange

Jim Murray knows how to surprise. Two years ago, he named the    Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 as his World Whisky of the Year, while last year saw that honour go to Canada, with Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye taking the top gong. And now, the 2017 winner has just been announced. Jim Murray’s best whisky in the world is: Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old. Jim described it as having a ‘brain-draining, mind-blowing’ nose with a finish of ‘amazing depth’, adding that it is a ‘staggering example of a magnificent rye showing exactly what genius in terms of whisky actually means’, scoring it 97.5/100 points.

JIM MURRAY’S 2017 WORLD WHISKIES OF THE YEAR

1. Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old
2. Glen Grant 18 Year Old
3. William Larue Weller Bourbon (Bot.2015)

Scotch Whisky

Scotch Whisky of the Year
Glen Grant 18 Year Old

Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 18 Year Old

Single Malt of the Year (Single Cask)
That Boutique-y Whisky Co Macallan 25 Year Old Batch 5

Scotch Blend of the Year
The Last Drop 1971

Scotch Grain of the Year
Whiskyace Invergordon 24 Year Old

Scotch Vatted Malt of the Year
Compass Box Flaming Heart 2015 Edition
Single Malt Scotch

No Age Statement (Multiple Casks)
Glenlivet Cipher

No Age Statement (Runner Up)
Port Askaig 100 Proof

10 Years & Under (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 10 Year Old

10 Years & Under (Single Cask)
Kilchoman Guze Cask Finish

11-15 Years (Multiple Casks)
Lagavulin 12 Year Old

11-15 Years (Single Cask)
The Single Cask Glentauchers 2002 14 Year Old

16-21 Years (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 18 Year Old

16-21 Years (Single Cask)
Scyfion Choice Mortlach 1996 19 Year Old (Berry Bros & Rudd)

22-27 Years (Multiple Casks)
Dalwhinnie 1989 25 Year Old Special Releases 2015

22-27 Years (Single Cask)
The Boutique-y Co Macallan 25 Year Old Batch 5

28-34 Years (Multiple Casks)
Port Ellen 1983 32 Year Old Special Releases 2015

28-34 Years (Single Cask)
Cadenhead Caol Ila 31 Year Old

35-40 Years (Multiple Casks)
Brora 37 Year Old Special Releases 2015

35-40 Years (Single Cask)
Cadenhead Glentauchers 38 Year Old

41 Years & Over (Multiple Casks)
Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 1952

41 Years & Over (Single Cask)
Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 1950 65 Year Old

Blended Scotch

No Age Statement (Standard)
Ballantine’s Finest

No Age Statement (Premium)
Ballantine’s Limited

5-12 Years
Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old

13-18 Years
Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Ultimate Cask Collection First Fill American Oak

19 – 25 Years
Royal Salute 21 Year Old

26 – 50 Years
The Last Drop 1971

THE DIGITAL BOOM: FROM CONCEPT TO SHELF

The Rise of Digital Merchandising

With increased competitiveness, emergence of new brands entering the market and cautious consumers, it is becoming even more important to not only have a unique way of presenting but also change the look of the store often. though it may sound simple, changing the entire look takes a lot of time and effort. in fast changing world, technology plays a pivotal role and internationally there is a rise in digital merchandising.

What is Digital Merchandising?

Digital is fast becoming a disruptive innovation, transforming the way fashion brands and retailers traditionally have created and deployed collections, from concept to shelf. New line planning and merchandising software, equipped with the latest 3D visualization capabilities, enables a more creative, innovation-based workflow. This latest technology is upending traditional processes, prompting executives to re-evaluate and change some time-tested ways of doing things. Those who are able to lead their companies through the transition will strengthen their brand positioning, protect brand integrity and inspire the consumer with compelling products. 

3D product planning and program management software has been steadily improving in recent years. Its progress and trajectory align well with the theories of Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, who coined the term “disruptive innovation.” Christensen makes the case that a disruptive innovation displaces an earlier technology, in part by being much more affordable and accessible to an expanded group of users. 

For fashion retail, 3D design, planning and merchandising technology has matured to a point that it is light years ahead of where it was a decade ago. Today’s technology offers not only powerful graphics and realistic renderings of 3D products and collections, but also pragmatic financial capabilities. Within reach for apparel businesses of all sizes,the software enables more companies to reap great efficiency from design through merchandising and to deliver

 sophisticated, interactive product presentations to their   customers. In this way, 3D merchandising technology is a

great democratiser. Companies of all sizes can leverage it to make their brands stand out with sparkle and sophistication. “It’s highly disruptive. It’s a completely new paradigm of planning for the apparel industry,” says Joshua Young, a former Nike executive and now an independent digital product creation consultant. “The benefits are so obvious in terms of time, money, accuracy and brand message that

apparel firms cannot ignore them. If they do, they are going to find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.”

Apparel brands and retailers are still focused on great designs, assortment savvy and financially viable merchandising plans. Apparel design, product development, line planning and merchandising teams long have rowed

  together, often struggling with different information systems to complete collections — season after season,navigating through new trends, delivery deadlines and shifting market conditions. 

Now, with digital merchandising technology, they can raise their collaboration and efficiency to a whole new level.To gain the biggest benefits,companies often must break their top-down, bottom-up assortment process flow— adopting a flexible development cycle centred on the end consumer

experience. By comparison, when companies change their approach and employ the latest 3D digital technologies,

their planning and workflow processes remove those barriers and become more like efficient “elevators” — continuously

carrying consumer insights, new concepts,designs and plans between different “floors,” or teams, within the organisation.

 

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN'S RECORDS IN SNOOKER

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WORLD RECORDS IN SNOOKER

1. 1. Became the youngest player to win a ranking event (17 years, 51 weeks) at the 1993 UK Championship.
   2. Quickest player to reach one hundred century breaks and £1million in prize money; then 200 century breaks and £2 million in prize money. Went over £3 million three seasons ago, £4 million two seasons ago – and over 300 centuries during 02/03.
   3. Compiler of fastest 147 in history at five minutes, 20 seconds – 1997 world championship in the first round against Mick Price.
   4. Holds record with 38 consecutive ranking event match wins – in fact his first 38 matches as a professional.
   5. Won world under 21 championship as a 15 year-old, compiled first century at 10, won his first pro-am at 12.
   6. Finally claimed world title his natural talent so richly deserves when he beat John Higgins 18-14 in 2001 final. In all, he captured six titles that season.
   7. Joined Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott and John Higgins as only the fifth player to complete the World and UK Championship double in the same year when he won his third UK Championship at York in December 2001.
   8. Played superbly to beat Stephen Hendry 9-6 in the final of the European Open in March 2003. He compiled the three highest breaks of the event, 142, 140 and 139. Then, in an equally high quality final he beat John Higgins 10-9 to become the Irish Masters champion and only the ninth player in the sport’s history to win back-to-back ranking events.
   9. In April 2003, during his first round defeat by Marco Fu in the Embassy, O’Sullivan became the first player to compile two 147’s at the Crucible. He also became the first player to make a maximum there and lose the match in question.
   10. In January 2004 rallied from 8-5 down to beat Steve Davis 9-8 in a gripping final of the Welsh Open in Cardiff then finished off the season in fine style by winning the Embassy World Championship.
   11. Ronnie has earned more prize money and made more century breaks in 2003/2004 & 2004/2005 seasons than anyone else.
   12. In October 2004 completed a clean sweep of ranking titles by winning the Totesport Grand Prix at Preston Guild Hall. He has now won every one of the eight world ranking tournaments currently on the calendar at least once.
   13. Won 2005 Masters ten years after capturing his first title at Wembley, finishing off with a 134 total clearance, then beat Matthew Stevens 10-8 in the final of the Irish Masters, clinching victory with a memorable 69 clearance to steal the closing frame on the black from 68 adrift.
   14. During the 2005 Irish Masters became only the second player, after Stephen Hendry, to construct 400 centuries in professional competition.
   15. During the Northern Ireland Trophy 2007 became the first player to win a best of 9 frame ranking match with 5 centuries including a 147.
   16. In the semi final of the UK Championships 2007 beat Mark Selby 9-8 with a 147 in the deciding frame.
   17. In his 2008 World Championship last 16 match against Mark Williams Ronnie compiled his record 9th 147.
   18. At the end of the 2007/8 season Ronnie became the first player to regain the World Number 1 spot for a third time
   19. In December 2008 Ronnie won the Premier League title for the 5th consecutive time, and the 8th in total, beating Mark Selby in the final 7-2.
   20. In January 2009 Ronnie broke Hendry’s record number of 41 centuries made in the Masters while playing Maguire in the Semi Final. He now holds the new record with 49 centuries in the competition against 43 to Hendry.
   21. In September 2010, during his World Open last 64 match against Mark King, Ronnie completed the tenth competitive 147 in his career, setting a new all time record.
   22. Ronnie O’Sullivan won the inaugural Power Snooker Tournament held at Indigo, the O2 Arena, London on 30 October 2010, beating Ding Junhui in the Final with a score of 572-258.
   23. In November 2010 Ronnie won the Premier League Snooker and set a new record: he became the only player to win a professional event 9 times, beating Steve Davis’s 8 Irish Masters wins.
   24. In November 2011 He bettered that record by bringing his Premier League tally to 10 titles.
   25. By winning the 2013 World Championship Ronnie became the first player to defend his World crown since Stephen Hendry in 1996. He joined Hendry and Davis in the exclusive club of players who did defend a World crown. The feat was all the more remarkable because he had only played, and lost, one competitive match all season, a low profile last 128 in a PTC. Ronnie also broke a few other records during that tournament: he bettered Hendry’s record of 127 centuries at the Crucible, bringing the new target to 131. He also became the only player to have compiled 6 centuries during a World Final.
   26. In his quarter finals match in the Masters 2014, Ronnie beat Ricky Walden 6-0 in 58 minutes and scored 556 unanswered points, a new record. He broke another record on the next day when he booked his place in the Final, his 10th in this tournament, more than anyone else (Stephen Hendry has 9 final appearances in The Masters). Ronnie then went on to win it.
   27. Ronnie made his 12th maximum break in the final frame, of the Final of the Welsh Open 2014, going one better than Stephen Hendry and setting up a new record. It was also the first time that a maximum break was made in the final frame of a ranking final.
   28. Ronnie made his 13th maximum break in the final frame of his last 16 match against Matthew Selt at the UK Championship 2014, bettering his own record.
   29. In the last frame of his first round match at the Masters 2015, on January 13, 2015, Ronnie made a 116, his 775 competitive century, equalling Stephen Hendry’s record. That was his birthday present to Stephen  and the fact that it was aided by a massive fluke on the last yellow was the cherry on the cake … Two days later, he effectively broke the record when he made a 101 in the first frame of his QF match against Marco Fu. He won that match and by doing so he broke another record: it was Ronnie’s 43th win at the Masters, bettering Hendry’s 42.
   30. He reached the 800 career centuries mark, on January 5, 2016, during his last group phase match of the Group 1 of the Championship League Snooker 2016.
   31. On January 16, 2016, he played (and won) his 62th match at The Masters, a new record: Jimmy White was the previous holder with 61. On the next day, Ronnie joined Stephen Hendry on six Masters titles, 21 years after winning it for the first time as a teenager. At 40, he also became the second older winner after Ray Reardon who last won it at 43.
   32. On 21 February 2016, Ronnie won the Welsh Open, bringing his ranking events tally to 28, on par with Steve Davis and John Higgins, second only to Stephen Hendry. This was also his 4th Welsh Open title, sharing the record with Stephen Hendry and John Higgins.
   33. On 22 January 2017, Ronnie won the Masters for a record seventh time, one better than Stephen Hendry.
   34. On 10 December 2017, Ronnie won the UK Championship fot the sixth time, equalling Steve Davis record, and that brought his tally of majors – World Championship, UK Championship and Masters – to 18, equalling Stephen Hendry’s record.
   35. By winning the Players Championship on March 25, 2018, Ronnie bywinning five ranking events in one season, equalled the joint record held by Mark Selby, Ding Junhui and Stephen Hendry.
   36. On April 3, 2018 Ronnie made his 14th competitive maximum break in the last 64 round in the China Open 2018, setting a new record.
   37. On September 16, 2018, Ronnie won the Shanghai Masters 2018, setting several new records: he became the firts player to defend that title, the first player to win it three times and the first snooker player to pass the £10000000 mark in career prize money.
   38. Ronnie made the 15th maximum of his career on October 17, 2018, playing Allan Taylor in the last 64 of the 2018 English Open in Crawley. It was an absolutely beautiful break, The only difficulty came on the last blue when he had to take a thin cut to a centre pocket, coming in and out of baulk to keep position on the pink, and he played it to perfection.
   39. By defending his UK Championship crown on December 9, 2018, Ronnie broke several records: this was his 7th UK title, more than anyone else, and it brought his tally of “Triple Crowns” to 19, more than anyone else. It was also the first time anyone defended the UK crown since Stephen Hendry in 1996 and to do this 25 years after winning his first, then only 17 years old, is quite an extraordinary achievement.achieve this remarkable
   40. On March 10, 2019, Ronnie wrote history again by making the 1000th competitive century of his career, a 134. He’s the first player to achieve this remarkable feat. And he did it in style: indeed this was the final frame of the final of the 2019 Players Championship, Ronnie’s 35th ranking title.
   41. By winning the Tour Championship 2019, on March 24,2019, Ronnie equalled Stephen Hendry’s record of 36 ranking titles. He also went back to World n°1 for the first time since 2010.  This was all the more remarkable because he only played in half of the tournaments that season.

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Most Tournament Wins

• Stephen Hendry (Ret'd) and Ronnie O'Sullivan have won 36 ranking titles in their careers.
   

• Steve Davis, John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sulivan all have 28 wins. Ronnie O'Sullivan has 7 World Champion titles, followed by Steve Davis with 6.
  
  

  •  Youngest World Professional Champion: Stephen Hendry (Scotland) , at 21 yr 106 days on 29 Apr 1990. 

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Maximum (147) Breaks:

• The first officially ratified 147 was by Joe Davis on 22 Jan 1955.

• The first televised maximum was by Steve Davis on 11 Jan 1982.

• Youngest to score a competitive maximum was Judd Trump at 14 yr 206 days on 13 Mar 2004.

• Ronnie O'Sullivan made a maximum at 15 yr 98 days on 13 Mar 1991.

• Ronnie O'Sullivan (still playing) has 15 professional maximums & 10 in exhibition games. Stephen Hendry (Ret’d) has 11 professional maximums between 1995 & 2012.

• Geet Sethi (India) was the first one to manage one in competition in the Indian Amateur Championships on 21 Feb 1988.

• Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White made 147s in consecutive frames during an exhibition in Ireland, in January 2009.

• Peter Ebdon made two consecutive 147s in an exhibition match against Steve Davis in 2003.

• The highest snooker break in competition is Wally West's 151. His opponent fouled on the blue and left him a free ball. Wally potted green as his free ball with a brown to follow. He then took 14 red and blacks and a pink off the last red. He then cleared up to make the 151. On 06 December 2008, Ricky Walden made a 16 red clearance of 141 against Mark Davis.   
  
  Others
• • Four consecutive century breaks were first compiled in a major tournament by John Higgins: 103, 104, 138 and 128 on 16th October 2005. Shaun Murphy (England) equalled the feat on Feb 14 2007, with 135, 110, 102 and 101.
  • Stephen Hendry made seven centuries in the final of the 1994 UK Championship. He also became the first player ever to make five centuries in seven frames.
  • Ronnie O'Sullivan made five centuries in the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy, the first time that has ever been achieved in a ranking event best-of-nine match.
  • Ronnie O'Sullivan has the all-time record with 556 points unanswered in the 2014 Masters final. He beat Ricky Walden in the quarter finals of the 2014 Dafabet Masters 17 January 2014. He had breaks of 79, 88, 72, 134, 77, 56 and 39.
  • Stephen Hendry holds the record for most tons by one player in a tournament. He made 16 centuries during the 2002 World Championship.
  • Heavyweight? Tap this link
    Most Century Breaks: As of 7 Oct 2016, Ronnie O'Sullivan has made 825 competitive century breaks.
    
    
    Longest Unbeaten Run: From 17 Mar 1990 to his defeat by Jimmy White on 13 Jan 1991, Stephen Hendry won five successive titles and 36 consecutive matches in ranking tournaments. During the summer of 1992, Ronnie O'Sullivan won 38 consecutive matches, but these were in qualifying competition.
    By winning the 2011 Party Casino Premier League, Ronnie O'Sulivan became the first man to win a single professional title on 10 separate occasions. Steve Davis holds eight. 
    
    
    Frame Records
    
    
    1.       The longest frame played lasted 100 minutes and 24 seconds. It was the sixth frame in a first-round match between Alan McManus and Barry Pinches in the 2015 Ruhr Open (Euro Tour 3). The match was won 4-3 by McManus and lasted a total of four hours and 59 minutes.
    2.       Most points scored in a single frame was 192. Peter Lines (England) won 108-84 in a frame versus Dominic Dale (Wales) in the fourth round of the 2012 Wuxi Classic qualifiers. Dale conceded 14 fouls (value 60) to Lines' 8 (36).