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“Life itself was only futility, vain words, a squabble of cap and bells. ”
| VBA's Positive News |
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Telesur news channel gives Cubans glimpse of world
Since 20 January, Latin American news channel Telesur has broadcast live about 12 hours a day in Cuba. Telesur's outlook may be sympathetic to Cuba's socialist model, but it's still a relatively unfiltered news source, and many say the decision to carry it here is as groundbreaking as other recent reforms, such as legalizing more private businesses and allowing greater travel freedom. Even Telesur's critics welcome its arrival on the island. 'Putting Telesur (on air) is a challenge that the government has accepted,' analyst and former Cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray told The Associated Press in Havana.
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Russian lawmakers vote to ban smoking in public
Russia's lower house of Parliament has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would ban smoking in public places, a contentious measure in a country with one of the highest smoking rates in the world. The bill has the backing of government leaders, but still must be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin before becoming law. The ban would go into effect on 1 June.
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Young Afghan musicians in NY for date at Carnegie Hall
The Afghan Youth Orchestra, many of whose members are not far removed from eking out a living on the streets of Kabul, is on the New York leg of a US tour that melds Western classics with traditional Afghan music.
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Israel's chief rabbi praises Pope, wishes him good health
Israeli chief rabbi Yona Metzger on Monday praised Pope Benedict's inter-religious outreach and said relations between Israel and the Vatican had never been better. Metzger wished the Pope 'good health and long days', the spokesman said.
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Video of the Day:
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World Round-Up
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Former IAF Chief Tyagi refutes bribe allegation
Former IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal S.P.Tyagi on Wednesday refuted allegations that he was paid bribes to swing a Rs 3,600 crore deal for procuring 12 choppers from Italian firm Finmeccanica to ferry VVIPS.
“I am innocent. These allegations are totally baseless and I am denying them categorically. The deal was signed in 2010 whereas I retired in 2007 itself,” he said.
Asked if he had changed any specifications for the contract to favour Finmeccanica, Mr. Tyagi said the “staff qualitative requirements for the VVIP choppers were frozen in 2003, much before I assumed the office of Chief of Air Staff, and the IAF did not change any requirements after that.”
Asked about his relations with three alleged middlemen for the deal including one ‘former IAF officer Captain Tyagi’, the former Chief said he was his cousin but their relationship did not go beyond this.
Reports today suggested that Italian investigators have alleged in a preliminary inquiry submitted in an Italian court that business conglomerate Finmeccanica bribed S.P.Tyagi when he was chief of the Indian Air Force to swing the controversial AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal in favour of the company.
After the arrest of Finmeccanica’s head yesterday in Italy in connection with the controversial deal, the Defence Ministry here ordered a CBI probe into the charges. “I have been hit by a thunderstorm,” Tyagi told reporters on allegations that the Italian company had bribed him to swing the chopper deal in its favour.
Another scam unfolded with the arrest of the head of a state-controlled Italian aerospace company that is suspected of paying bribes of about Rs 362 crore in India to get orders for helicopters to ferry Indian VVIPs, prompting the government to order a CBI probe.
The Ministry of Defence also decided to put on hold the receipt of the remaining nine of the 12 helicopters for which the Rs 3600 crore deal was struck in 2010.
“Giuseppe Orsi, the head of Italian defence and aerospace giant Finmeccanica, was arrested on Monday in relation to a probe into international corruption. He is suspected of involvement in the payment of bribes regarding the sale to the Indian government of 12 helicopters produced by Finmeccanica’s subsidiary AgustaWestland,” Italian news agency Ansa said.
“There is smoke,” Mr. Tyagi said while favouring a probe into the deal.
“When I became the Air chief in 2004 and in 2007, I retired, during that period no changes were made.
“According to my information, nothing was done which raises a suspicion from my side. But it is true if there are so many reports, then there is something in it. I don’t know what it is but all I can say is that it should be inquired. There should be an inquiry so that all the facts come out. I am not only ready for an inquiry but I want an inquiry,” he said.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
A group effort that you're leading will run smoothly since others will be more receptive to your take-charge attitude. In fact, if you're a member of an organization and there's a meeting to attend, your participation will be key. You may present an idea that instantly appeals to everyone else and suddenly find yourself fleshing it out with the group. If you're involved in any type of humanitarian endeavor, you can expect to make great strides in your effort.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
You'll feel well connected emotionally to your boss or another instrumental figure involved in your career. He or she will likely provide you with behind-the-scenes support you can use to your advantage now with a key project you're working on or in a matter that will help to elevate your status. Alternatively, if you're the one in charge of your own business, the time you spend alone working will be especially productive. Flesh out an innovative idea.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 If you're involved in any broadcasting or media event, expect it to be a resounding success. There's a strong possibility that it will have a global reach - either through the Internet, radio, or television. You'll feel thrilled about having the ability to spread an important message to so many, and it's likely that whatever venue you're working at today will ask you to return since the presentation will likely be well received.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
You may receive extra attention today from an influential figure with the power and the funds to help you in business. If you have an opportunity to pitch an idea or engage in a conversation with this person about a potential investment, be sure to do so. Expect an exchange of original ideas that will leave you feeling extra positive about the financial possibilities that are in the air if you and this VIP decide to join forces.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 Your partner might inspire you to pursue an educational opportunity that you've been considering. Whether it's an advanced degree, certification, or even an adult education course, your mate will likely prompt you to sign up for whatever class or workshop you've been itching to take. The clincher might be that he or she shows interest in the same subject. You may turn into study buddies, which could make the experience even more of an adventure!
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IndiGo to set up regional airline to tap small towns
NEW DELHI: IndiGo, the country's largest airline by market share is understood to be planning to set up a regional airline for connecting small towns using 70-80 seater ATR aircraft, a source in the know of the plan told ET.
According to the source, IndiGo promoter Rahul Bhatia met officials in the civil aviation ministry recently and discussed a plan to set up a subsidiary only to operate on regional routes.
"In the backdrop of the government planning to allow airlines a bigger choice to service remote areas where they are comfortable with operating as opposed to forcing them to go to certain areas, IndiGo plans to start a regional carrier with 18-20 ATR aircraft to begin with," the source told ET, requesting anonymity. When asked about the development, IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh termed it as "false".
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has long been talking of enhancing regional connectivity in India by "nudging" airlines to buy smaller aircraft, compatible for landing on a shorter runway. In that sense, analysts read IndiGo's move as following budget carrier SpiceJet's model of providing regional connectivity using Bombardier Q400 aircraft.
"IndiGo planning a regional airline, following the SpiceJetBSE 3.84 % model, makes sense given the strong long-term demand outlook for tier II and III towns. Maybe, Jet-Etihad deal is forcing other airlines to prepare pre-emptive strategies to retain market share," said Manish Chheda, MD, Auctus Advisors, an infrastructure consultancy firm.
Through aggressive capacity addition last year, IndiGo wrested market share from Jet AirwaysBSE 2.00 %, surpassing it as the largest airline by number of passengers.
The news about IndiGo's regional plan comes at a time when it is already in a spat with the aviation minister for allowing it to import only five instead of 16 aircraft. Meanwhile, the latest meeting of the aircraft acquisition committee, which took place Monday, has reiterated its recommendation of allowing IndiGo to import four more, but the final approval needs to come from the minister.
"The current embroglio with the aviation ministry over the import of aircraft could have expedited this decision. The minister had made it quite clear that they would like to first assess what type of aircraft would be inducted by IndiGo and whether they would be able to fly to the smaller airports as envisaged in the governments policy of increasing connectivity to these towns and cities," independent aviation expert Rajan Mehra said.
Although technically the government has libralised the policy on connecting remote areas, this is their way of arm-twisting the airlines into falling in line, Mehra said.
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'Eating wisely calls for self-control'
People who successfully control their diet eat fewer unhealthy foods because they are satisfied sooner, a study shows.
Some people can exercise real self-control when it comes to eating while others overindulge on unhealthy cookies and candies.
Do the former have more willpower? Or are they simply satisfied more quickly?
In a series of experiments, researchers from Texas A&M University found that people with poor self-control were able to establish greater control when they paid close attention to the quantities of unhealthy foods they consumed because simply paying attention made them more quickly satisfied, the Journal of Consumer Research reported.
In one interesting study, a group of people were asked to eat either a healthy or an unhealthy snack. Some of them were asked to count how many times they swallowed while eating the snack, according to a Texas A&M statement.
People who counted the number of times they swallowed were satisfied more quickly even if they otherwise had a low level of self-control.
Monitoring how much they ate made consumers with low self-control behave like those with high self-control.
"One way is to keep better track of the quantity of unhealthy foods they eat," wrote authors Joseph P. Redden ( University of Minnesota) and Kelly L. Haws (Texas A&M University).
"Although self-control is typically viewed as a battle between willpower and desire, consumers can't rely entirely on willpower to control their eating.
They also need to create situations that will make them lose interest in food," they concluded.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
If a project you're working on requires any change, today you'll revamp your approach with enthusiasm. In fact, you might decide on a completely different protocol. If so, this shift will likely turn out to be more productive and successful than your previous methodology. Also, if you're in the midst of a health care choice between a new insurance plan option or a new doctor, expect to make a lightning-fast decision with confidence.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
If you're celebrating Valentine's Day, expect all the typical romantic trimmings. Your sweetheart will likely surprise you with an original way to showcase his or her affection, and the end result will leave you feeling completely loved. Venus will continue to move through your true love sector, and if you're single, until February 25 you will have a spectacular opportunity to meet someone special. Be sure to socialize and circulate to maximize your potential to find romance.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 You'll have a stronger urge to stay close to home and might even begin to work from your house occasionally. If your company allows this, the change will renew you in more ways than one. You might find it more relaxing to focus on work assignments without the usual distractions at the office such as constant conversation amongst colleagues. Remember, however, that working from home requires a certain amount of discipline. You'll be up for the task.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
A romantic Valentine's Day is on the agenda. Expect your sweetheart to express his or her heartfelt feelings either in a beautiful love letter, poem, or verbally. You'll certainly appreciate whatever gift you receive, but it may pale in comparison to the card attached since today love will be so easy to convey. If someone has captured your heart but he or she doesn't know how strong your feelings are, now will be an ideal time to voice your sentiments.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 Now will be a perfect time to make a purchase for your home such as new furniture or an appliance. Not only will you love the style, but you'll also feel like you received a fair deal. If you do save money, you might feel the urge to spend whatever you saved on another item for your house. Remember not to go overboard since it'll be easy to turn the need for buying one piece of furniture into an entire decorating project.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 With Venus in Aquarius until February 25, you'll certainly remain the most alluring this Valentine's Day. Whether you're single or attached, expect plenty of attention from potential suitors. In fact, you won't need to go very far to enjoy this favor. Your very own neighborhood may be where a romantic evening waits. If someone in your apartment building or near your home asks you out on a date, be sure to accept. Love might blossom!
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
You might prefer to keep romantic matters private these days. Any urge to remain discreet about your love life rather than broadcasting your feelings for someone special out to the world might be more out of insecurity than necessity. If you're in a situation where you're not able to openly express your love for someone or worry that it will not be reciprocated, take heart: this may change after February 25 when Venus moves into Pisces.
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Moral Story
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SMS
“Life has a value only when it has something valuable as its object.”
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
"True love doesn't mean being inseparable; it means being separated and nothing changes."
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.”
A man was telling his friends, "When my wife is infuriated, she starts shouting
at me, my children and even at our dogs and nobody dares
answer her."
One of his friends asked. "And when you are angry, what do you do?"
The man replied, "I also shout angrily at the windows and doors of the house
and none of them dare to answer back."
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Question bank for NEET, JEE now on website
AHMEDABAD: Officials of Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) said that the question bank for HSC (science) students preparing for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), the common engineering test and National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), common medical entrance test for admission to colleges across India, has been uploaded on the board's official website. Students can download the material for free and use it to prepare for the entrance exams.
Officials also said that a helpline for SSC and HSC board students and their parents, will be launched from Friday. The toll-free number of the helpline is 1800 233 5500. The helpline will be active from February 15 to March 25. Students can call at any time from 8 am to 8 pm.
Later, the helpline will be activated from April 8 to 16 for students and parents who have questions regarding the Gujarat Common Entrance Test as well NEET and JEE.
Students seeking answers for questions regarding the exams and those feeling anxious and stressed can call the helpline. The number will be manned by both education and psychological counselors.
It needs mention that the board launched the question bank on February 6, for the benefit of students. Since there was tremendous response, the board decided to upload the question bank on its website.
"Given the response from students, there would have been an issue reprinting booklets. Plus, the students had to come to the DEO in each district to take the booklets. Hence we decided to upload the booklet for the benefit of the students," said a board official.
Officials said the question bank consists of 3,015 questions in physics, 3,488 in chemistry, 4,789 in biology and 1,980 questions in maths.
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Rassol scalps seven to help Board President's XI bowl Australia out for 241
CHENNAI: If their first outing is anything to go by, the Australian batsmen have some work to do if they are going to survive the onslaught of spin that they will face over the course of their upcoming four-Test series. Jammu & Kashmir off-spinner Parvez Rassol took 7-45 as the Australians were bowled out for 241 in 88.3 overs on the first day of their two-day warm-up match against the Board President's XI.
Rassol and leg-spinner Sarabjit Ladda (2-90) accounted for nine wickets after the visitors won the toss and elected to bat on a placid wicket at the Guru Nanak College ground here on Tuesday. The Australians had said that they would look to attack the spinners and sweeping as well as stepping down the track were two possible ways they would look to do so. However, they may have to work on both going by Tuesday's proceedings.
Australia had only one recognised opener in Ed Cowan as only 11 of their 17-man squad are currently in Chennai for the match, so the responsibility of partnering Cowan at the top fell to left-hander Usman Khawaja. As expected, the Australian openers had little trouble against seamers Mohammad Shami, Parvinder Awana and Stuart Binny in the first session. Despite taking four overs to score a run, they put on 77 for the first wicket before Khawaja (32) holed out at deep mid-wicket attempting a sweep just before lunch, in Ladda's first over.
After Khawaja's dismissal, the sweep shot, which has been the weapon of choice for most visiting teams against spinners was seldom seen.
Skipper Matthew Wade joined Cowan at the crease and they took Australia into lunch at 81-1. Cowan, who looked assured at the crease, brought up his half-century (58) but fell soon after when he snicked one to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel off the bowling of Rassol.
After that, Rassol, whose performance was characterised more by discipline rather than explosive turn and bounce, came into his own. He tempted Wade out of his crease and the left-hander mistimed his shot to be snapped up by substitute Kamlesh Makvana at long-off.
Mumbai Indians' million-dollar man Glenn Maxwell failed to live up to expectations in his first outing as he was sent back for a duck after he was caught behind off Binny.
New-man Moises Henriques was dropped by skipper Abhinav Mukund at slip.
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Murder 3
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Murder 3
Movie Name : Murder 3
Release Date : February 15, 2013
Genre : Suspense, Thriller
Producer : Vishesh Films, Fox Star Studios
Director : Vishesh Bhatt
Music Director : Pritam
Cast : Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sara Loren.
Synopsis:
A hot-shot fashion and wildlife photographer Vikram (Randeep Hooda) gets into a relationship with a waitress from a lounge, Nisha (Sara Loren). She moves in with him in his palatial house outside of the city.
The old world house, made decades ago is as beautiful as scary it is. It holds many secrets which Nisha is soon to unearth; of the life of the man who made it and of Vikram, who is dealing with the mysterious disappearance of his former girlfriend Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari).Roshni is actually hiding in a secret room meant originally to protect Vikram.
However , she forgets the Key to the room which is locked and the Key is picked up by Vikram's new Girlfriend,Nisha. Nisha embarks on a Trail to find the Secret Room.
She accidentally opens the Secret room and finds Roshni in a zombie like state inside. Roshni ,who now knows of Nisha's affair with her exboyfriend stabs her to death. She then goes to a lonely place to find new love and contemplate upon what's happened until the Police arrives and drives Roshni to Jail.
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11% of people are left handed.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
The story of Rantideva
A hand is odorned with daanam rather than with kankanaas. Daanam must be done expecting absolutely nothing in return, admiring the greatness of the dana-grahita, for giving the daata an opportunity to help the grahita. Stories of great Daatas are huge in number in our Indian history, who gave away everything they had.
King Rantideva is well known not only in Bhuloka, but also in the urdhva lokas for his daana gunam. Rantideva never endeavored to earn anything for himself. He would enjoy whatever he got by vidhi and when atithis came he would give them what they needed. He gave away everything he had to the poor and underwent considerable suffering, along with the members of his family. Finally, he and his family members did not even get food and water, yet Rantideva always was always satisfied — a sthita pragnya.
One morning, after fasting for forty-eight days, Rantideva received some water and some paramaannam (paayasam with rice, milk and ghee). Just when about to eat them, a brahmana atithi arrived. Because Rantideva perceived the presence of the Paramaatma everywhere, and in every living entity, he received the atithi with faith and respect and gave him a share of the paramaannam. The brahmana ate his share and left the place satisfied. Thereafter, having divided the remaining paramaannam with his family, Rantideva was just about to eat his own share when another atithi, a shudra arrived. Seeing the shudra in relationship with the Purushottama, King Rantideva gave him also a share of the paramaannam. When the shudra went away, another atithi arrived, surrounded by dogs, and said, “O King, I and my company of dogs are very hungry. Please give us something to eat.” With great respect, King Rantideva offered the balance of the paramaannam to the dogs and the master of the dogs, who had come as atithis. Thereafter, only the drinking water remained, and there was only enough to satisfy one person, but when the King was just about to drink it, a chandaala appeared and said, “O King, although I am lowborn, kindly give me some drinking water.”
Aggrieved at hearing the pitiable words of the poor fatigued chandaala, Rantideva spoke the following madhura vaakyas. “I do not pray to the Lord for the ashta siddhis, nor for vimukti from samsaara saagaram. I want to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering. By offering my water to maintain the life of this poor chandaala, who is struggling to live, I have been freed from all hunger, thirst, fatigue, trembling of the body, moroseness, distress, lamentation and illusion”. Having spoken thus, King Rantideva, although on the verge of death because of thirst, gave his own portion of water to the chandaala without hesitation, for he was naturally very kind.
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“Never tell your problems to anyone...20% don't care and the other 80% are glad you have them.”
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