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“If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.”
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VBA's Positive News
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Kinder children are more popular - US researchers
Performing deliberate acts of kindness makes pre-teen children more popular with their peers, say scientists. A team led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, 'assigned' children three acts of kindness each week for four weeks. After the four weeks, children were happier and more liked by classmates. The researchers say that encouraging such simple 'positive acts' could help children to get along with classmates and even prevent instances of bullying.
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Israel eases ban on building material for Gaza
Israel eased its blockade of Gaza on Sunday, allowing a shipment of gravel for private construction into the Palestinian territory for the first time since Hamas seized control in 2007. A Palestinian official with knowledge of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that ended eight days of fighting last month between Israel and Gaza militants said the move had been expected as part of the deal.
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Thailand: Prime Minister cites 2013 as the year for sustainable development and new opportunities
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has cited 2013 as the year for sustainable development and new opportunities, saying that Thailand needs to enhance its competitiveness. Apart from strengthening the country's economy, the Prime Minister pointed out that the Government would also improve the people's quality of life.
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US: For 150th anniversary, Emancipation Proclamation gets a show
Across the United States, there will be re-enactments and parades, cannon salutes, and speeches. The US Postal Service plans to issue a commemorative stamp, while the Massachusetts Historical Society will display the pen Abraham Lincoln used on 1 January 1863, to formally declare millions of slaves free. But the star of next week's 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation will be the document itself, which Washington's National Archives is set to display for three days starting on Sunday in a rare showing.
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Video of the Day:
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World Round-Up
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Modi’s strategy: a new NDA minus Nitish
Days after making a political point by having a range of regional leaders attend his swearing-in, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi once again reached for a larger national profile by being the only chief minister to speak on national affairs at the NDC meeting on Friday.
Recent praise from union minister Praful Patel of the Nationalist Congress Party, a UPA partner, has only helped Modi. In Mumbai on December 28, Patel said: “Modi was successful in gaining trust of the people. Modi won because of the work he has done,” Praful Patel said.
At the NDC meeting, Modi held forth on “policy paralysis and lack of leadership” at the Centre. He said the world was looking at India for development but the country was pessimistic, even as he presented Gujarat as a model of growth.
Sources said Modi’s gameplan is to create an NDA minus the sulking partner Janata Dal-United and its Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Besides Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK, Om Prakash Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal, Ramdas Athawale of Republican Party of India and Raj Thackeray of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena attended his swearing-in — none of them is an NDA partner at the moment.
Overtures are also being made to Patnaik of the Biju Janata Dal and Asom Gana Parishad, who are former NDA allies. The Shiromani Akali Dal is still with the NDA and so are Shiv Sena, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and other smaller parties.
Modi simply ignored Nitish Kumar at the NDC meeting, held just a day after his glittering swearing-in event that the JD-U boycotted.
He went around greeting everyone including Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, and congratulated Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh for his huge victory in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. When mediapersons asked him if he would not meet Nitish pointing to where he was sitting, Modi only thanked them for drawing his attention.
Praful Patel’s statement here is significant despite the fact that the NCP did not attend Modi’s swearing-in though concerted efforts were made to get veteran leader Sharad Pawar there.
Addressing party workers in Mumbai, Patel asserted, “In Gujarat, we had a tie-up with Congress to avoid division of secular votes. However, the Congress put up candidates in all the seats NCP contested. A review should be done to find out who is responsible for the defeat in Gujarat.
NCP had contested nine seats in the Assembly elections and its candidates won in two constituencies.
“Ideologically, we are with Congress and will continue to be with them. But there is nothing wrong with thinking about our growth,” he said.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
Your Happy New Year will begin on a positive note. You are likely to embark on new paths of physical and fiscal self-discipline. In addition, you may resolve to build lasting personal and business relationships. You will spend today with close companions who share your humanitarian values. There is cosmic potential for your group to make a big difference in your community in the days ahead, so take planning sessions seriously. You may be last on a short list of employees on call today, but you'll still look forward to a festive holiday.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
The time you spend today with young family members will increase your optimism about the future. You may look forward to a mid-winter vacation or a special event at your faith community. Although one of your cash flow sources recently may have been diminished, an idealistic friend might inspire you to donate funds to your favorite non-profit organization now. Your creativity will be high and your talents will be used most successfully through artistic renditions of current events. The stars hint that there may be an older, well-established agent or publisher in your future.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 Your Mercury sign ruler will be in a unique cosmic condition today through January 13. This might be reflected in your New Year's resolution to return jointly held investments, taxes, and insurance to a state of normalcy. National and world events may make this temporarily confusing for you and your current employer. However, you will have much to celebrate as 2013 begins. Make a list of your blessings and give thanks for them. A non-traditional, somewhat eccentric friend may help you start that list.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
Your moon ruler will move slowly today, assuring that you'll have plenty of time for celebrating the New Year and making fresh resolutions too. Your leisurely morning will be followed by a busy afternoon with family, friends, and neighbors. You may attend a parade, sports event, or special program in your community. When your moon enters Virgo later today, you may make resolutions that will improve both your health and your checkbook, especially if you favor nature and the natural over high technology in your plans.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 The stars appear to be urging you toward good health habits this year. One of your New Year's resolutions might include replacing one practice that doesn't work with a positive one that will enhance your overall well-being. You may be willing to spend freely on new diet ingredients, workout equipment, DVDs, and self-help books in order to reach your 2013 goals. Not all of this is necessary, so try each new activity for several weeks and judge what works for you and what doesn't.
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China HSBC December manufacturing PMI at highest since May 2011
BEIJING: Activity in China's vast manufacturing sector hit its fastest pace in December since May 2011, a survey of private factory managers showed, with a sub-index for new orders pointing to continued strength in the new year.
The final reading for the HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 51.5 in December, well above the preliminary reading of 50.9 published in the middle of the month and November's final reading of 50.5.
A complementary December survey by China's National Bureau of Statistics, due to be published on Tuesday, is expected to show similar signs of manufacturing strength. Economists polled by Reuters expect the official PMI to show a rise to 51.0 from 50.6 in November, expanding at its fastest pace in eight months.
The HSBC PMI rose above 50, the line that demarcates accelerating from slowing growth, in November for the first time in more than a year.
The survey results fit with a growing consensus that the Chinese economy revved back up in the fourth quarter, after growth slowed for the seventh consecutive quarter to 7.4 per cent in the third.
A sub-index tracking new orders showed even more room for optimism, rising to 52.9, its highest level since January 2011.
"Such a momentum is likely to be sustained in the coming months when infrastructure construction runs into full speed and property market conditions stabilise," Hongbin Qu, HSBC's chief economist for China, wrote in a note accompanying the survey.
"This, plus Beijing's reiteration of keeping pro-growth policy in place into the coming year, should support a modest growth recovery of around 8.6 per cent year-on-year in 2013, despite the ongoing external headwinds."
In another sign of factory-sector growth, a sub-index tracking output rose to its highest level since May 2011.
The improving economic picture seems primarily linked to domestic demand, as China's export sector continues to grapple with a slowdown in its biggest markets. A new export orders sub-index retreated below 50 in December, after rising into expansionary territory in November for the first time in seven months.
"Infrastructure and housing are picking up, so related sectors like steel and cement are picking up," said analyst Zhang Zhiwei from Nomura International in Hong Kong.
"It's more driven by investment than consumption."
UPTICK
China is on course to achieve growth of 7.7 per cent in 2012, according to forecasts in a benchmark Reuters poll, the slowest full year of expansion since 1999.
While that is way above the world's other major economies, it is below the roughly 10 per cent annual growth seen for most of the last 30 years.
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What food should you have on what day?
We suggest ideal foods for different days of the week.
Sunday
Apart from it being a weekly off for most people, this is also the best day to tuck into different kinds of foods including plants, meat and fruits as all of it radiate the Sun's vibrance.
Monday
Since it's the day of the Moon, which signifies the element of water, it makes sense to consume things that have a high water content like watermelon, cucumbers and pumpkins.
Tuesday
Mars is the planet that rules this day and it radiates heat. Try mangoes, dates and pineapples on Tuesday.
Wednesday
This day belongs to Mercury, which is a dual planet. Hence you can consume all kinds of food on this day.
Thursday
The day belongs to Jupiter. Consume food that are orange or yellow in colour like oranges, lemons and bananas.
Friday
This day belongs to Mercury, which is a dual planet. Hence you can consume all kinds of food on this day.
Saturday
On the day of Saturn you can gorge on junk and oily food as the planet rules oil.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Mercury governs Virgo and for the next two weeks, that planet will be on a rare course through the zodiac. Your life will mirror this unusual path throughout the first month of this New Year .You may sometimes be outside of your comfort zone when making new relationship arrangements with your significant other and business associates. However, this period will be a learning experience you will treasure in the future. There are also hints that you might welcome a new child or stepchild into your life. Celebrate the possibilities in all pending changes now.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
Following a busy holiday season, you likely will welcome time at home, even though it is likely to be anything but quiet. You may host a New Year event for family and friends today or join those that live close to you for dinner at their place or a nearby restaurant. However, there will be cosmic potential for you to profit from real estate and property management and sales now, so working at a New Year's Day open house might prove lucrative. You might put some profits made this week toward a vacation or theater tickets.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 Time might seem to slow down today if you are waiting for a particular event to transpire in the near future, which may be connected with your family and property and might produce financial profits. Your resolution for the coming year may include embracing a new form of fiscal discipline, connecting regularly with close friends, more volunteer work within your community, or writing a novel. Your creativity may combine with your excellent self-discipline to make any or all of these resolutions successful.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
Today you'll generate many fresh ideas for investments and work-related activities that might increase your overall income during this New Year. Your personal and business partners appear to be financially stable and supportive of you. Your cash flow may be directed toward your business or to support a non-profit organization that you are fond of. Your creativity will be high now and your ideas promising. Share some but not all of them with the people you are with today and get second opinions that you can trust.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 The stars reveal two possibilities for your day. Your employer values your expertise and may ask you to work in a public setting. However, you may feel under the weather and decline the privilege. Assuming you are well, you'll make interesting contacts with the public and spiritual individuals in your local faith community as well as neighbors and siblings. If you do feel like spending New Year's Day at home, a bowl of your mother's chicken soup might come your way. In either instance, make phone calls to loved ones throughout the day.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 You may spend this holiday with family members or in a public place. You'll enjoy these festivities but later this afternoon will be pleased to have time alone to consider how to implement your New Year's resolutions. You likely will have made a few broad outlines of matters you would like to change but are still short on the details of how you'll accomplish them. Any that are connected with exercise and other physical activities will be easy to implement. Financial self-discipline is another matter, especially for accounts you hold in common with other people.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
You may hold a few nostalgic ideas about how to celebrate New Year's Day and will do your best now to see that this holiday lives up to your expectations. It might include attending a parade, watching football with friends, or hosting an elegant dinner in your home. The heavens reveal that you will have a new partner, friend, or helper this year to help make your traditional celebration a happy one.
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Moral Story
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SMS
“Each successful person has a painful story.
Each painful story has a Successful ending.
Accept the pain and Taste the success..”
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
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
Manager asked to santa at an interview
Can you spell a word that has more than 100 letters in it?
Santa replyed: -P-O-S-T-B-O-X.
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Hyderabad students to challenge new National Eligibility Test guidelines
HYDERABAD: Students are planning to challenge UGC's new National Eligibility Test (NET) guidelines for lecturer posts. University Grants Commission (UGC) recently introduced a new rule stating that only top 15% candidates in NET will be eligible for taking up teaching jobs in colleges and universities.
Till last year, any candidate who scored minimum marks was eligible for teaching posts. Students from English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) on Sunday said they would approach court against UGC guidelines.
The protesting students said that the UGC's decision was in violation of a Kerala HC order, issued on December 17, 2012. A total of 28,000 students appeared for the NET examination from Osmania University centre on Sunday.
"In its order, the Kerala HC had clearly stated that NET was only an eligibility test and not a competitive examination. The exam is only meant to test whether the candidates are qualified to teach or do research.
However, by deciding to grant NET certificates to only the top 15% candidates, UGC is denying an opportunity to others," said Mohan Dharavath, student leader, Eflu. Students said that new guidelines would do more harm than good.
"Those candidates who had secured NET in the past would appear for the examination to get grants under Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). Such candidates are likely to figure in the top 15% of the merit list over and over again denying opportunity to others," said Dharavat.
The students are planning to file a PIL within a month's time. UGC conducts NET once in every six months.
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Mary Kom: A fistful of courage
It was a bronze that shone brighter than gold. MC Mary Kom's feat in the London Games was the outcome of years of hard work, dedication, determination and single-minded focus.
It's easy to feel contended after winning as many as five World Championship gold, besides several international medals and glory. But this was not the case for this mother of two from Manipur. She is, after all, the stuff legends are made of.
Standing on the podium in the London Games, a lot must be going through her mind, including the long eventful journey to the top of the world. The childhood where she had to train away from the prying eyes of her disapproving parents, the teenage years when she won her first World Championship title at the age of 19, or the time when she appeared uncertain because she was losing her winning streak at the national level. Then there was the traumatic time she went through when her son had to undergo surgery for a heart ailment.
The colour of the metal around her neck did not matter at the ExCeL Arena. All that mattered was that she had earned one of the best medals India had ever won at the Olympics. A medal earned with blood, sweat and lot of guts.
"She's an inspiration as an athlete as well as a person. It's amazing to see a person with so much talent, commitment and drive to succeed. She gives her everything every second, even during training," said Viren Rasquinha, COO of the Olympic Gold Quest, under which Mary Kom trains.
Yet, there was a time when people had started doubting her abilities. They felt that she was finished after troubled times at the national level. The girl who was once invincible had started to lose to lesser-known pugilists. She had started to show her frustration, venting her anger against the jury at times when points did not go in her favour.
The International Olympic Committee's ( IOC) decision to include women's boxing in London offered her a chance at redemption. But it was not easy. The big challenge for the small boxer was to gain weight and fight in the 51kg category, which was three kilograms more than the category she was fighting in then. But the bigger challenge was that the 'Olympic' tag made women's boxing an altogether different ball game.
The route to Olympic glory was tough, but she knew what to do. She had set her sights on winning an Olympic medal and she knew how to go about it. She trained even harder on her strengths to counter the bigger rivals she knew she was going to face in the coming days.
"I used to fight in the 46kg and 48kg before. For the last two years, I have been fighting in the 51kg. It was tough. Reducing weight is easier than putting on," she had said earlier this year.
She fought like a woman on a mission at the Games and could be stopped in her tracks only by Nicola Adams, the eventual champion. "I'm sorry I couldn't win gold or silver. I know my fans prayed and wished for me. I tried my hardest," she had said just after winning bronze. And if you think that she would bid goodbye to the ring after fulfilling the longtime dream of winning an Olympic medal, this is what she had to say: "Support me and pray for me. I will go for gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics."
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Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
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Movie Name : Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
Release Date : January 11, 2013
Genre : Comedy, Drama
Producer : Vishal Bhardwaj
Director : Vishal Bhardwaj
Music Director : Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast : Imran Khan as Matru, Anushka Sharma as Bijlee, Pankaj Kapoor as Mandola, Shabana Azmi as Chaudhari Devi, Arya Babbar as Badal.
Synopsis:
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is an upcoming Bollywood comedy drama film written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film stars Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma and Pankaj Kapur in the lead roles, while Arya Babbar and Shabana Azmi will appear in the supporting roles. Filming began on 14 February 2012. The film is all set to release on 11 January, 2013.
Set in the rustic surroundings of a village in Haryana, Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola is a comedy-drama about Harry Mandola (Pankaj Kapur), a wealthy industrialist who loves his drink, his daughter Bijlee (Anushka Sharma) and the unusual bond they both share with Harry’s man friday, Matru (Imran Khan).
Much to her father's delight, Bijlee is all set to marry Baadal (Arya Babbar), the son of a powerful politician Chaudhari Devi (Shabana Azmi). This alliance which is far from just being a simple union of two young people becomes the seed for a story that brings twists and turns in the lives of Matru, Bijlee and Mandola.
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The Statue of Liberty's tablet is two feet thick.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
Keep your dream
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me after class.’ “The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Why did I receive an F?’
“The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, `Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ “Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.”
“Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.”
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“Every failure redirects and opens a new path; every step on the new path, after failure, will turn into success. So the beginning of success starts with failure.”
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