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"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."
| VBA's Positive News |
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Britain's Prince Harry in Washington, DC to accept award for service
Britain's Prince Harry accepted an award for his charitable work with wounded soldiers during a formal event Monday in Washington, DC, his first visit to the city. Prince Harry, 27, was being recognized along with his older brother Prince William for their charitable foundation's work. Prince Harry has worked with a number of charities including Walking with the Wounded, a British charity that retrains and re-educates veterans, and Help for Heroes, which helps wounded servicemen and women. Prince Harry urged Americans and the British to work together to heal and support wounded veterans, pooling expertise and experience.
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US: Highway deaths per mile fall to record low
US highway deaths declined again last year, reaching their lowest rate when compared to miles driven since such record-keeping began in 1921, according preliminary government data released Monday. Overall, traffic fatalities have plummeted 26 per cent since 2005.
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South Africa, Germany commit to strengthen partnership
Acknowledging the solid relationship between them, South Africa and Germany on Tuesday committed to further intensify their partnership in strategic areas during the 7th Bi-National Commission (BNC) meeting in Berlin. Germany welcomed a report on South Africa's infrastructure development programme and acknowledged the potential commercial opportunities this entailed. The countries also agreed to enhance entrepreneurial initiatives aimed at increasing export opportunities for South African SMEs.
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US employers posted 3.74 million March jobs
US companies in March posted the highest number of job openings in nearly four years, a sign that hiring could strengthen in the coming months after slowing this spring. The US Labor Department said Tuesday that employers advertised 3.74 million job openings in March. That's up from a revised 3.57 million in February and the most since July 2008, just before the financial crisis erupted.
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World Round-Up
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We cannot declare India a tax haven to attract FDI: Pranab
A day after announcing the deferment of the implementation of GAAR (General Anti-Avoidance Rules) to the next fiscal, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said there would be no going back on taxing Vodafone-type transactions and asserted Parliament's right to amend the relevant laws with retrospective effect to ensure that India was not treated as a tax haven by foreign investors.
In his reply to the debate on the Finance Bill, 2012 in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Mukherjee put up a spirited defence of his tax proposals — especially the retrospective amendments — saying that while the judiciary has the powers to interpret the law, the legislature has the right and authority to carry out the necessary amendments so that corporates cannot get away without paying tax by virtue of operating from a tax haven.
“I am fully aware of my right as a legislator, law-making power only vests in Parliament. The Supreme Court may interpret law but equally Parliament has right — legislative right — to express its intention by making amendment to correct the SC judgement,” Mr. Mukherjee said, amidst all-round thumping of desks.
Ostensibly irked at the concerted campaign globally and at home against taxing Vodafone on its acquisition of the Hutchison stake in Hutchison Essar in 2007, Mr. Mukherjee noted that he would like to be guided either by the DTAA (Double-Taxation Avoidance Agreement) or tax and sought to convey a firm message to those who had been harping on the negative impact that such a tax would have on the country's FDI (foreign direct investment) inflow.
“There cannot be a situation that somebody will make money on an asset located in India and will not pay tax either in India or to the country of its origin… because of making some arrangements through certain tax haven areas through a complicated setting up of series of subsidiaries and having huge capital gains on the assets located in India,” he said.
‘India is entitled'
In a forceful argument, explaining the purpose of the retrospective amendment in tax law in the wake of the apex court's verdict on the Vodafone case, Mr. Mukherjee pointed to an amendment of a similar nature in the United Kingdom in 2008 with retrospective effect from 1987 and said: “If they are entitled, then surely India is equally entitled. India is not an inferior country compared to anyone.”
Rebutting opinions that such a tax would deter foreign investors, Mr. Mukherjee said India had a high domestic savings rate and, despite the current negative environment owing to high current account deficit, it was not in such a “desperate” situation.
“We cannot declare India a tax haven simply to attract foreign investment. Please remember, when the investment was also not there we did not eat lizards. Till today, the investment required is substantially met by our rate of domestic savings. Therefore, we are not in that desperate a situation that a country of 120 crore people will be treated as a tax haven like Cayman Islands, Isle of Mann or Virgin Island. We cannot be equated with them. Either pay tax here or you pay tax in your own country with which we have DTAA” he said.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
A visceral change may be occurring in your career as of late. The themes and emotions may be so diverse you are not quite sure what they are all about, yet you may feel inclined to follow them. Resistance at this point may seem futile and you may fall into wonderful new experiences brought about by new connections that occur. Your current mood may be bold and revolutionary as you may feel a strong desire to be something completely different than you have in the past.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
A newly discovered confidence seems to have moved into your house of self. You will likely feel more buoyant and sure of yourself. You might consider changing careers or social circles since your renewed demeanor may display your new attitude. This could be the perfect time to start a new relationship or branch into a new career altogether. You may even feel a certain responsibility to change, as though you owe it to yourself to finally get moving.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
A bold and brave new time may be unfolding that will allow you to pursue a dream. Perhaps you have always longed to be in radio or television or some other media outlet, and new opportunities and connections may be getting you closer to your goal. At times like these it may be wise to use some discretion because your desires may be so strong that you forget to read the fine print. If you can step back for a few minutes and review the situation, you may end up in a much better place.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
There may be quite a lot of activity around your business associates and friends. You could be branching out in new arenas and many connections may occur that bring you to an entirely different place. You might make some contacts through an old friend or you'll connect two people together in the same fashion. Since so much of your life revolves around associations, you could be pleased with the new direction. The relationship that could have the most impact may be your most significant one.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
A wonderfully bold and adventurous time could await you as your career begins to gather momentum. You might asked to open a new office and get to manage it in your own unique manner. Education and travel are especially favored, so it would be fun to enter into such opportunities. New clients will likely come your way, and you'll have an ideal situation for bringing them on board. Service could be a key component of your success, so be sure to give out so that you can get back.
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Cognizant to enlarge share re-purchase programme
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has decided to enlarge its share re-purchase programme. Consequently, it has upped the authorisation under the share re-purchase programme by $400 million to $1 billion. Thus far, it has re-purchased $423 million of shares.
Besides enlarging the programme, Cognizant has also extended the expiry date for the re-purchase programme to December 31, 2013, says a release from the company.
Share re-purchase, according to the release, can happen either in the open market or through privately-negotiated deals in conformity with the law. The timing and extent of the buy, however, will be determined by the management, depending upon market conditions and assorted other factors. “The re-purchase will be funded using the company's case on hand and cash generated from operations,'' says the release.
Meanwhile, the company reported $1.71 billion revenue in the first quarter as against $1.37 billion in the same quarter in 2011, an increase of 24.8 per cent. GAPP-based net income stood at $243.7 million ($208.3 million). GAPP operating margin for the quarter was 18.6 per cent.
In a statement, Francisco D'Souza, Chief Executive Officer, said, “due to slower than anticipated acceleration in demand, we are adopting a more conservative stance for the remainder of the year and revising our guidelines to at least 20 per cent revenue growth for 2012.''
The company's revenue guidance for the second quarter is $1.79 billion. And, for the whole 2012, the revenue guidance is $7.34 billion.
Headcount
During a conference call, Cognizant said it had closed the quarter with 805 active customers. The number of strategic accounts had increased by 5 to 196 during the quarter under review. Cognizant said it finished the quarter with almost $2.5 billion of cash and short-term investments.
“We spent approximately $60.50 million for capital expenditures during the quarter. During 2012, we expect our capital expenditures to total about $370 million,'' officials said during the conference call.
The net headcount increased by almost 2,800 people during the quarter. About 30 per cent of gross additions for the quarter were direct college hires, while the reminder were lateral hires of experienced professionals. Cognizant ended the quarter with about 140,500 employees globally.
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Top 5 superfoods for instant energy
Load up on energy with these low cal boosters.
Ginseng tea
Known for centuries as an antioxidant cure-all, ginseng is also a stimulant which provides increased energy and concentration. It's difficult to find dried ginseng, never mind fresh, so we recommend getting your fill of this ancient root through a cup of ginseng tea. Its warmth will have a calming effect on your nerves while simultaneously giving you the energy to power through any late-night task.
Bananas
Boasting three naturally-occurring sugars - sucrose, fructose, and glucose - bananas are an obvious choice for a quick energy boost. But don't let all that sugar fool you into thinking the fix is only temporary. Bananas also contain fibre, which will help sustain the glucose levels in your blood, thus giving you a steady source of energy over a longer period of time.
Aged cheese
Unlike their soft, younger counterparts, aged cheeses contain high levels of the amino acid tyramine - known for its ability to encourage the secretion of stimulant hormones in the body. So, the next time you need a boost, try a piece of Parmesan, Stilton, or any other hard cheese. Beware of eating them in excess, though.
Strawberries
Strawberries are a great, low-cal addition to a healthy lifestyle, packing enough vitamin C, manganese, and fibre for a 'berry' nutritional punch. One serving of strawberries - about eight medium strawberries - is high in fibre and an excellent source of vitamin C. The star player in strawberries is vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps repair the body's tissues, boosts immunity, and fights excess free radical damage.
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is chock full of nutrients. In fact, it contains 25 times the nutrients of vegetables. Many people drink shots of wheatgrass juice as a general health booster. Wheatgrass juice which contains chlorophyll, minerals, and vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, and K, protein and 17 amino acids is easily absorbed in human blood.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Now that Mars is moving forward in Virgo you may feel empowered to get some things out in the open. You may be actively trying to find resources or income for a project and this may require an unusual creative effort on your part. You may find yourself approaching charitable organizations and government agencies to fulfill your needs. You may be asked to provide extensive background information in order to receive such funding, but the effort could be worth it, especially if you get your wish.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
This would be an excellent time to study a new topic or enroll in a new class. Your curiosity may be piqued by a desire to travel and learn. Although you may have had your head down lately trying to get your work done, you may feel the need for a break of some sort. Your house of spirituality and expansion has very supportive activity, so be sure to indulge in anything that brings new insights or opportunities. You never know who you might meet once you begin to push outside your boundaries a bit.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
This could be one of those delicious days where you decide to skip work and head for a spa or a relaxing restaurant with your partner. It may feel like a time to cast your fate to the wind. Since you have been so patient and responsible lately you could easily find a way to rationalize the break. This could also provide an opportunity to have a good long talk about your time together. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
You may be singularly focused on financial matters as your house of income has rather profound activity. You could be looking at long-term investments. Your creative efforts may have begun to pay off and you also may have found some investment money for your projects. This should be a terrific time to take a few well-thought-out risks if you get solid advice first. If your intentions are good, the results should follow suit.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
In your effort to re-invent parts of your life you may have found that through collaboration you can achieve much. It might be the interchange of ideas and concepts that broadens your output or simply the residual feedback from others that makes you feel as if you are truly making great progress. There could be nothing so profound as working with others to open up your eyes to your own gifts. Any creative effort should be worthy now
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
Strong family ties may be tugging at you as your house of home will have great activity. You may feel beholden to family members and siblings to attend reunions or gatherings that bring you all back together. You may feel as if this could be a return of sorts. While you have been out saving the world, all you had to do was call home. Your presence should be favored in all areas of domesticity.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
You may hope to shift a few of your significant partners as Mars moves through your house of relationships. It might feel as if there is no turning back. Consider simply pausing and waiting to see what unfolds since things may not be what they appear. It might be that just the opposite makes more sense. Friends and associates may play a role that subsequently elevates you to a new place amongst them. You may be rewarded for your efforts, so pause before you act.
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Moral Story
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SMS
All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love will not serve those who do not live for her, and in her, and to whom she is not the breath of life.
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
“When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally.”
Once sardarji entered a cybercafe to check his mails.It was crowded so he had to wait.As he waited he saw a man checking his mails.He stood behind him and watched.The man typed his password and was waiting when sardarji cried out "Yes yes I know your password.I can read your mails now.
"Surprised the man asked "Oh yeah, tell me what is it". Sardarji replied " Five stars."
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Taking MBAs to the hinterland
While thousands of management graduates are churned out yearly, many taking seven-figure annual pay packages in multi-national companies, there is a dearth of professionals addressing logistical and marketing concerns of the rural population. And for many educators, this gap is directly linked to the fact that MBA education is driven by salaries.
Currently, most rural entrepreneurship programmes are funded and run by the State and Central Government. Sanjeevani, an entrepreneurial and innovation programme, launched by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department, is one such example. The Central Government scheme, which apart from imparting industry skills to rural youth, will also aid rural entrepreneurship by mobilising capital. The pilot project now covers 20 taluks in Belgaum, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Mysore and Tumkur districts and would soon be implemented across the State.
Similarly, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development of Karnataka (CEDOK), which is aided by the Government, conducts entrepreneurship and managerial training to those subsisting on rural industries. However, as Maltesh Jeevannavar, Director of the CEDOK, puts it, the programmes are meant only to motivate the rural entrepreneur, while leaving it to them to figure out logistics and marketing.
“What a rural entrepreneur produces should be lifted, and the product marketed well. For this, some managerial skill is required,” said B. Vijaya, Professor, Department of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Commerce, Gulbarga University.
However, from the private MBA education point of view, rural management is limited to short projects or electives in the syllabus, with very few students ending up in the hinterland to bolster the entrepreneurship foundation there.
“Only when MBA graduates have support or funding can they be encouraged to work in rural areas. With high pay packages in corporate companies, there is nothing to attract the graduate to the villages,” said Mr. Vijaya. He suggests that if rural management is seen as social responsibility, there may be a higher participation of MBA graduates in the rural sector.
Sanjay Padodi, a Board of Governor of the Institute of Finance and International Management (IFIM), Bangalore, concurred: “Anything with the tag ‘rural' doesn't command the same interest as consulting or marketing with an MNC, and in fact acts as a deterrent for aspiring candidates. Unfortunately, MBA education is driven by salaries, and students look at the prospective salary of campus placements before joining a college.”
To reverse this, he said, it was up to the Government to introduce special schemes for MBA graduates to allow their participation in healthcare, government agricultural storage houses, among others.
Like in most MBA colleges, rural management and rural entrepreneurship in IFIM is taught as an elective; and often, students are encouraged to do their management projects using rural case studies – which are hawked as an opportunity to learn rural marketing demographics.
However, the social impact of short-term projects is limited, said Mr. Jeevannavar. “Rural management cannot really work part-wise or piece-wise. Learning about the marketing, logistics in rural places, and overcoming problems like power supply take a long time,” he said.
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Sajeesh, Poovamma win gold medals
Sajeesh Joseph and M.R. Poovamma won their races in the opening leg of the Asian Grand Prix athletics meet at the National Stadium here on Tuesday.
Joseph, looking for an Olympic qualification standard of 1:46.30, clocked his season best 1:47.78, his seventh sub-1:48 timing, in beating Asian Games silver medallist Adnan Taes of Iraq in the men's 800 metres.
Ghamanda Ram, the other Indian in the fray, finished third in 1:48.71.
Poovamma, leading the Indian challenge in the women's 400 metres, in the absence of the suspended stars, clocked a career-best 52.94s in winning the event from IranianMaryam Toosi, who was just 0.01s behind.
In fine form
This is Poovamma's first sub-53. The 21-year-old woman from Karnataka has been in fine form this season, clocking a 53.70, her best till then, in the Federation Cup at Patiala last month.
She later anchored the Indian 4x400m relay team to the first place, but with a timing of 3:38.76 the team was nowhere near the standards of 3:30 or lower that could be needed to make the top-16 in the world for Olympic qualification.
The others in the quartet were Saraswati Chand, Debashish Majumdar and Ratandeep Kaur.
The Indian men's 4x400m relay team also won, but in a mediocre 3:08.00. Indians placed poorly in other events.
Sinimole Paulose clocked a season best 2:03.19 in taking the third place in the 800 metres. Mayookha Johny (6.31) and M.A. Prajusha (6.00) could manage only the fourth and seventh places in long jump. Both were looking to gain the Olympic qualification mark of 6.65m.
Renjith Maheswary who qualified in triple jump for the Olympics with a jump of 16.85m in the Federation Cup at Patiala last month, could produce only 16.03m for the third place. Young Arpinder Singh who is credited with a 16.63 last year could not go beyond 15.95 for the fourth place.
Long jumper Ankit Sharma was fourth with 6.47m. In the men's 100 metres, B. G. Nagaraj finished third in the ‘A' race with 10.66s while Krishna Kumar Rane was second in the ‘B' race in 10.70s.
India finished third in the men's 4x100m relay (39.51s) and fourth in the women's 4x100m relay (48.97s).
Even though India had entered competitors in men's 110m hurdles and javelin and women discus no Indian figured in these events.
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Dangerous Ishq
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Dangerous Ishq
Movie Name : Dangerous Ishq
Release Date : May 11, 2012
Genre : Thriller
Producer : Arun Rangachari
Director : Vikram Bhatt
Music Director : Himesh Reshammiya
Cast : Karisma Kapoor, Rajniesh Duggall, Jimmy Sheirgill, Divya Dutta, Ruslaan Mumtaz.
Synopsis:
Supermodel Sanjana (Karisma Kapoor) and Rohan (Rajneesh Duggal), son of one of the nation’s foremost business tycoons have been one of the most popular couples in the social circuit. When Sanjana decides against flying to Paris at the last minut e- for a lucrative modeling assignment, she does so, not just because she cannot bear to stay away from her boyfriend, but more importantly because her instincts push her against going. But what her instincts cannot do is stop Rohan from getting kidnapped.
The high profile kidnapping creates chaos in Sanjana’s life. The kidnappers demand Rs 50 crores. The Police however believe that even paying the ransom will not bring Rohan back. Time is of utmost essence. Death stares Rohan in the eye. It is in this extreme trauma that Sanjana discovers something extraordinary. She sees visions of them together – sometime in the past – in different eras. She is confused initially but in her visions lay definitive clues that could lead her to save the love of her life. As she follows clue after clue she gets closer and sometimes further away from the love that has been eluding her through the ages. An enticing suspense thriller, Dangerous Ishq is Sanjana’s tryst with Destiny. Would she be able to unravel the past to save her future? Would she be able to rescue her love and expose his true captors?
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A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to
death.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
The Lazy Farmer
The rain gods had been smiling the whole night. The roads were muddy and the potholes were filled to the brim. It was the day for the market and Raju the farmer was riding his cart along the country road. He had to reach the market early so that he can sell his hay.
It was very difficult for the horses to drag the load through the deep mud. On his journey suddenly the wheels of the horse cart sank into the mire.
The more the horses pulled, the deeper the wheel sank. Raju climbed down from his seat and stood beside his cart. He searched all around but could not find anyone around to help him. Cursing his bad luck, he looked dejected and defeated.
He didn’t make the slightest effort to get down on the wheel and lift it up by himself. Instead he started cursing his luck for what happened. Looking up at the sky, he started shouting at God, “I am so unlucky! Why has this happened to me? Oh God, come down to help me.”
After a long wait, God finally appeared before Raju. He asked Raju, “Do you think you can move the chariot by simply looking at it and whining about it? Nobody will help you unless you make some effort to help yourself.
Did you try to get the wheel out of the pothole by yourself? Get up and put your shoulder to wheel and you will soon find the way out.”
Raju was ashamed of himself. He bent down and put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses. In no time the wheel was out of the mire. Raju learnt his lesson. He thanked God and carried on his journey happily.
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“The pleasures of the senses pass quickly; those of the heart become sorrows,but those of the mind are ever with us, even to the end of our journey.”
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