“The future starts today, not tomorrow. ”     VBA's Positive News Germany: Volkswagen putting XL1 plug-in hybrid car into production Volkswagen is to put into production one of the most exotic vehicles ever to carry the German group's badge -- a two-seater with many features normally only seen on concept cars at motor shows. VW will start making the hybrid XL1, which burns less than one litre of diesel per 100 kilometres, has gullwing doors, enclosed rear wheels, and camera-based mirrors, in the first half of the year, it said on Thursday. Power for the XL1 is provided by a system comprising a 48-horsepower twin-cylinder diesel engine and a 27-horsepower electric motor.     Get South Africa reading on World Read Aloud Day Nal'ibali, a national reading-for-enjoyment initiative driven in partnership by Times Media and PRAESA (The Project for the Study of Alternative Education in SA), are calling all South Africans to celebrate World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday 6 March. In an attempt to get the largest number of people reading out loud at the same time, Nal'ibali aims to raise awareness around the rights of children to read and write and the joy and benefits of sharing stories with them. Social innovation: Organic farming, climate change, and Bhutan The Kingdom of Bhutan, nestled in the Himalayas, plans to become the first country in the world to turn its agriculture completely organic, banning the sales of pesticides and herbicides, and relying on its own animals and farm waste for fertilizers. It's going back to basics and traditional farming methods. Traditional farming suits this largely Buddhists nation, which believes in living in harmony with nature. US: Public service announcements promote good eating, exercise Sesame Street's Big Bird is helping Michelle Obama encourage children to eat healthier and be more active. They're starring in a pair of public service announcements that will be distributed to more than 300 Public Broadcasting Service stations. One ad features the first lady and Big Bird in the White House kitchen showing how easy it is to eat healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables. In the other spot, Big Bird jogs, jumps and dances as Mrs Obama explains that daily exercise is important for good health.         Video of the Day:

World Round-Up

Political + Shinde under fire, BJP says he has turned out to be the worst Home Minister     New Delhi: A day after twin blasts killed at least 16 people and injured 117 others in Hyderabad, all eyes are on an under-fire Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, the man in charge of internal security in the country. Shinde is under fire for several ill-judged statements, with many now asking whether the Home Minister is up to the challenge of tackling terror. During a debate on India at 9, CNN-IBN's Bhupendra Chaubey asked Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi whether Shinde was a complete misfit as a Home Minister. Singhvi said, ".. please assume that if the Home Minister is to resign for the lust of his blood by the BJP, now tomorrow you are going to have a headless India or the Home Ministry. Our enemies are going to clap. What good is it going to do to you apart from scoring a point BJP member Sheshadri Chari retorted that it's a waste of time to run after Shinde. Chari said, "This Home Minister, I personally feel, may be a Congressman but he has turned out to be a worst Home Minister." Security Analyst Bharat Verma said, "Firstly there's a massive contradiction in what Shinde said yesterday and what he said today. Claiming that 5 cities were alerted, I think that's a cover because these are general advisories. You can't really act because they are not specific enough." Meanwhile, the Home Minister has denied the allegations saying sometimes state governments take intelligence inputs in a lighter vein. He further reiterated that information about a possible terror strike was passed on to states including Andhra Pradesh on February 16. "We will take strongest possible action...The government is taking firm steps. There should not be talk of any politicisation," Shinde said. The Home Minister said that the government was ready to to go ahead with the creation of proposed apex counter-terror organisation - National Counter Terrorism Centre - but many state governments had opposed the proposal. "We are still ready to go ahead with the NCTC with amendments so that states' rights are not ingressed, but we need to sit down and discuss on NCTC," he said. Meanwhile, sources on Friday said that Hyderabad was alerted specifically by the Intelligence Bureau and the Union Home Minister about possible terror strikes. A total of three advisories were issued for Hyderabad - two by the Intelligence Bureau and one by the Home Ministry. A general alert to all state police chiefs was also sent last week about impending Indian Mujahideen/ Lashkar-e-Toiba activities. The alert was repeated to Hyderabad, Bangalore, Hubli, Coimbatore on February 20 and the police forces of the cities had been directed to be on alert about a possible terror strike, sources add. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who visited the blast site in Hyderabad's Dilsukh Nagar on Friday morning, said, "A general alert had been sounded for all the states, for the whole country, and not a specific area."  Astrology   Aries March 21 to April 19 A work assignment you've been carefully working through may now reach completion. You'll take great pride in this endeavor - and rightly so - as it was a project that demanded fine attention to detail. If you've been at a job that no longer feels right, you may decide to put feelers out for another position. A freelance contract may come to an end. You'll feel ready to tackle something new, with more of an opportunity to display your creativity.                                                  Taurus April 20 to May 20 If you've been dating someone and feel there isn't enough long-term potential, you possibly will decide to part ways. At the same time, you may feel as if an opportunity for new love is right around the corner. Indeed, this may be the case, and a friend may offer to set you up on a date with someone he or she believes will be an ideal match. Keep an open mind - and an open heart.                                       Gemini May 21 to June 20 Emotional news from a relative may come as a surprise. This likely will be a blessing, such as an announcement from a family member that a baby is on the way, but whatever the case, you'll feel sentimental about it. In addition, your career star will be on the rise. Venus will enter the top of your chart and will remain here until March 21, offering you an incredible and charming edge as you reach for a promotion or other professional reward.                               Cancer June 21 to July 22  If you're on a short trip - most likely for business - the end probably is near. You may also be ready to put the finishing touch on a writing project or contract negotiation and if so, you won't miss any detail necessary to ensure its success. Today's full moon might also bring sensitive news from a sibling or neighbor. He or she may need a helping hand and if so, you'll be ready to lend one.                                                       Leo July 23 to Aug. 22  If a source of income related to your direct earnings dries up, try not to worry. In fact, there's a strong potential for a speedy replacement. You might, for example, notice that royalties pick up or an investment finally pays off. You might also find that the reason for your temporary loss in income is not really because of a true loss. You may, in fact, be ready to pay off a large debt. You'll feel thrilled about this milestone.                                BUSINESS+VE                                                                              Air Asia's entry wont impact domestic airlines: Ajit Singh       Post the announcement of Air Asia forming an alliance with Tatas to form an airline, Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh discusses at length the possible implications of this deal for the Indian market with Disha Kanwar. Earlier you said that you were opposed to giving fresh licenses to new joint ventures or companies for the time being. Have you changed your stance? I never said anything about JVs at all. Nobody else has applied so far except Gopinath, so there was nothing we could do, and he already has a regional license. Let him run that first and then we would consider upgrading it. No new company, person or JV has applied up till now. So there was no question of giving or not giving them license. Did Ratan Tata inform you before going for this JV? No, they did not inform us. The talk was there in the air but nobody “said” or “met” or anything. In fact, Tata had denied it earlier. The main purpose of FDI was to help the existing airlines. If this JV happens, don’t you think that somewhere this purpose would be compromised? Earlier, the general idea created by press was that we were doing it for Kingfisher Airlines. As Kingfisher was in financial trouble the impression was created that FDI is for financial reasons. Repeatedly, I said that it is an enabling provision. We are doing it because we expect Indian airlines to get technical and management expertise and the reach of the companies who invest. That is what we have said all along. If this JV goes through, do you think that from a foreign company perspective it would seem wiser to form a JV rather than investing in the existing carriers? It is for them to decide. It is their business decision. If they plan to get on board with the running company, the situation is different and if they want to start something afresh, the situation is different. As far as we are concerned, the policy framework is very clear, 49% FDI in airlines including the investments by the foreign airlines and that is through the government approval route and not automatic. Secondly, we have regulatory requirements and guidelines. Anybody who wants to come, Indian, foreign, JV has to go through them. We have no problem of anybody forming a JV or investing in existing airlines as long as they meet the policy guidelines and regulatory requirements. Can the problems arising in Jet-Etihad deal be seen in context of this formation of new JV also.  Don’t you think that direct investments in existing carriers are likely to be impacted if this JV goes through? As far as government is concerned, we have nothing to do with the negotiations and the due diligence that is going on in Jet-Etihad deal. I do not know why it should be impacted. Etihad has taken stake across the world in so many other companies. Their strategy is probably different from others' strategy. Probably they want to be part of other airlines. It is for them to decide. HEALTH+VE                                                              How to use ginger for better health             It is a well known fact that a majority of Indians prefer home remedies to OTC drugs. The use of ginger is numero uno when it comes to curing common cold and cough. But there are other reasons why ginger is a remedial herb. Dr. Jaishree Bhattacharjee, Ayurvedic consultant with Satvikshop.com shares some top tips and methods to use ginger for various ailments. Read on to discover how you can use ginger for better health. Why is ginger important? Dr. Jaishree Bhattacharjee explains the importance of ginger, "Ginger is very popularly used in Ayurveda for its benefits in digestion and respiratory disorders. It is a wonderful carminative, ant flatulent, stimulant and expectorant." She adds, "Ginger has many useful minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc and few others." Ginger as an appetizer? Our specialist also makes a unique point about the benefits ginger, "When used before meals, ginger improves appetite by igniting jatharagni (digestive fire) due to its hot potency. It also enhances digestion due to its pungent taste and alleviates ama (toxins of indigestion) from the body." Besides cold, ginger is useful for... "Fresh juice of ginger is used to cure symptoms of cough and cold. It helps stop watery discharge from nose and help cure headache and fever associated with common cold if taken in tea or as decoction with basil and honey," Dr. Jaishree continues to list hidden benefits of ginger. How is ginger beneficial for travellers? "Ginger regulates digestive enzymes and improves assimilation and transportation of nutrients to body tissues. When kept in mouth before travelling it helps combat motion sickness." Did you know, ginger is good for joint pain? The doctor let's you in on a secret, "Dried ginger or sounth has analgesic and anti inflammatory properties which is used therapeutically to alleviate joint pain and inflammation in arthritis. Other than these situations, ginger is an excellent spice that can be used daily."       Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22  You might feel as if you're on the precipice of a significant turning point in a personal endeavor or relationship, thanks to today's full moon in Virgo. If there's anything of which you must let go before opening the door to new opportunity, now will be the time to do so. In partnership matters, whether business or personal, you may have greater harmony. Venus will be in your relationship sector until March 21, and you'll feel exceptionally well supported by someone close.                                Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 A noticeable difference at the office will be likely with regard to how everyone gets along. Not only will you discover a greater sense of harmony, but if you're involved in any project that requires collaboration, every participant will have an easy time with the give-and-take. Also, for today you might decide to take time out for yourself and schedule a massage or take a yoga class. Nourishing your soul will leave you feeling rejuvenated and ready for anything.                    Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 You may decide to offer an organization a greater commitment. If you're asked, for example, to take on a role as a board member or work on a media project, you likely will accept the proposal. In matters of the heart, from today until March 21, you'll likely meet someone new. If you are attached, you may feel the spark come back to your love life in a fun way.        Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 Expect attention for a professional achievement. You may receive an honor, award or other type of recognition because of your contribution to your industry. You'll likely revel in the glory but at the same time, this acknowledgement will prompt you to work even harder to achieve your next set of goals. In other news, you likely will notice a greater sense of peace on the domestic front until March 21. Your home will be your sanctuary.                                               Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 If you're studying for a final exam or preparing to defend your thesis, the level of relief you likely will feel may be intense, once you've completed your task. You may worry more than usual about how you'll do but this apprehension will lead to extra preparation and will be your key to success. In fact, when it comes to conveying any message, you'll have an edge from now until March 21, thanks to Venus touring through your communication sector.                                   Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18  Your financial landscape may go through a renovation or two. Although an adjustment might be necessary, you'll have the ability to accept the change in how your personal funds are allocated. In fact, the good news is that a source of income may open up or an existing source might start to flow beautifully in your favor. Use this extra cash to make an extra payment on a loan or sock it away in your IRA.                            Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20  If a business or personal relationship has turned stale, you may decide to move on. Today's full moon in your partnership sector will provide a turning point, and if an alliance has become sour, you'll feel ready to end it. If, on the other hand, you're emotionally connected to this person and feel positive about your future, a commitment might be made. In addition, from now until March 21, you'll have extra allure and charm. Use it wisely.    Moral Story     SMS   “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”      LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS   "True love doesn't mean being inseparable; it means being separated and nothing changes."   LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS      “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on..”        Once Very Funny Girl comes late to class. Teacher: Why are you late? Very Funny Girl : One boy was following me, sir. Teacher: So, What? Very Funny Girl : That boy was walking very slow.

EDUCATION +VE Assam board to give 8 marks for goof-up in Sanskrit paper         GUWAHATI: The Secondary Education Board of Assam (Seba) is in the news for setting eight marks question in Sanskrit from outside the syllabus in the HSLC Modern Indian Language (MIL) exam. The experts who were entrusted with the responsibility of setting the question paper took the job casually, said the board, adding action will be initiated against them. The board has decided to grant eight marks to the students opting for Sanskrit in the MIL section. The move was initiated after the board held an academic council meeting with the SEBA officials and Sanskrit teachers. SEBA chairman Shantikam Hazarika said, "The board had earlier called up three experts of Sanskrit to examine the Sanskrit section of MIL, acting on the report of alleged goofing up of the same question paper carrying 10 marks for questions from outside the syllabus. This was reported on the first day of the MIL exam on February 18. In the preliminary meeting with our officials, the teachers confirmed that in Group C of Sanskrit carrying 25 marks, eight marks questions were set from outside the syllabus. The report has been forwarded to the academic council." In the academic council meeting held on Thursday, the question paper was again reviewed and it was decided that the students opting for Sanksrit will be granted eight marks. "The fault lies with the experts who have set the question paper without knowing what is there in the syllabus. They took their job casually owing to which the students had to suffer. The board cannot take any action individually so the matter has been forwarded to the higher authorities for further action, he added. After the exams, there will be a review meeting of the committee where different matters, right from setting of papers, changing of question patterns and what to do for next year's exam will be discussed. "We cannot change anything immediately because the syllabus is already set for another two years," said the chairman. SPORTS +VE Did India err in dropping Pragyan Ojha?         CHENNAI: No one could believe what they were seeing when the team sheets were given out. Pragyan Ojha, with 20 wickets in the recently-concluded England series, was not there and it was Ravindra Jadeja who was playing ahead of the Hyderabad left-arm spinner. And if that was not enough, UP medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was picked as Ishant Sharma's back-up as Ajinkya Rahane was left to carry the drinks once again. The second pacer on the Chepauk track, which was termed by Shane Warne on Twitter as "a fifth-day pitch" even before the first ball was bowled, was clearly a luxury. And when Dhoni brought on Harbhajan Singh as early as the fifth over of the day, it was quite clear that even the skipper doesn't have too much faith in his pacer. Bhuvi and Ishant bowled 22 overs in the day, giving away 94 runs. The moment the two were brought on, the Aussies felt comfortable. Debutant Moises Henriques, though, wasn't too harsh on the Indian pacers, even though he had it pretty easy against them. "They were bowling to two well-set batsmen. I guess that's why they didn't have much of an impact," Henriques said. The Aussie felt that India's decision to play off-spinners had a lot to do with the four left-handers in the visitors' batting line-up. "The offies had a better chance and Ashwin, bowling the right areas, showed that," he said. When Ashwin was asked whether he lacked support at the other end, the Chennai boy went on the defensive. "I thought Jadeja bowled well on this track and stuck to a line and length. As for me, everything was coming out very well, I had one of those days," he said, not going into how Harbhajan bowled. Given the composition of the Australian batting lineup, the Indians were probably forced to play the two offies, but still it didn't justify Ojha's omission from the playing XI. When Ashwin was made to face the query, the tall offie was clearly ill at ease. "I wish I could answer that. I would have answered that if I knew what the reason is. But the fact that they had a lot of left-handers, we had to play two off-spinners." He added that Jadeja was picked to "balance the attack". "We needed a left-armer and that's where Jadeja came in...If I was the captain, I, too, probably would have done that." Ashwin felt that Jadeja's batting abilities too might have gone in his favour. But it's common knowledge that the Saurashtra man is suspect against pace and it's to be seen whether Dhoni can expose him at No. 6 against the likes of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc.     I, Me Aur Main   I, Me Aur Main  Movie Name :   I, Me Aur Main   Release Date :   1 March 2013 Genre :  Romance Drama  Producer : Goldie Behl & Shrishti Behl Arya Director :   Kapil Sharma Music Director :  Falak Shabir, Sachin-Jigar, Gourav Dasgupta, Raghav Sachar   Cast : John Abraham, Prachi Desai, Chitrangada Singh   Synopsis: I Me Aur Main is an upcoming Hindi film starring John Abraham who plays the role of Ishaan- a charismatic, good-looking music producer from Mumbai. He lives a sheltered existence, is the centre of his life, the apple of his mother's (Zarina Wahab) eye, always protected by his elder sister Shivani (Mini Mathur) and stays at his girlfriend Anushka's (Chitrangda Singh's) house.   He takes them all for granted! One day his life falls apart like a house of cards. At this point, his new neighbour Gauri (Prachi Desai) comes into his life and from her he learns the importance of relationships. He starts taking initiatives towards mending and maintaining his past relationships.   Ishaan begins to truly fall in love with Gauri. There comes a point when he has to make a choice between his love that made him a better person or being a better person by taking responsibility of the actions he has done in the past.   Armadillos have 4 babies at a time and are all the same sex. " INSPIRING STORY "     Power of always speaking the Truth   Paushya’s mahaarani gives her kundalas to Udanka, but warns him that “Takshaka always has an eye on this — so be careful”. Udanka thanks the queen and returns to Paushya to ask him for leave.   Paushya, who knows the shaastras, pleaded Udanka to accept his aatithyam and eat at his place. Udanka accepted the King’s request and Udanka sat to eat in a separate Bhojana shaala for vidvaans. The very first piece he was about to eat had a hair strand in it! For Indians, parishubhrata is of utmost importance and especially for eating. There are many rules in shaastras about how a person who eats must be, how the person who cooks must be and who clean the food itself must be etc.   Even after following all the rules, some doshas might creep in. Hence Indians always put godhrutam (cow ghee) in the food before eating, considering the food as havis, the person who eats as havirbhokta and the the act of eating as a yagnyam!  Ukdanda gets angry on Paushya for offering uncleaned food. Since he knows all shaastras, he knows that neither the cook nor the person who served nor the head of the bhojanashaala must be blamed, it is the ajamaani who gave aatithyam, the King, who needs to be blamed for this (see this story).   He, in the anger, says to Paushya “Since you gave me such food, may you become blind”. Knowing that Udanka gave him such a big punishment for a small mistake, Paushya says to Udanka “May you have no children”. Since both Udanka and Paushya never deviated from the path of Truth, whatever they said now, in anger, became really true!   The nature of a sajjana is that, he will never become angry and if he becomes angry, his anger will be like the spill of boiling milk, just for a fraction of a second. Immediately Paushya and Udanka realize their mistake and Paushya asks Udanka to save him from blindness.     Udanka, with his tapas-shakti, told Paushya that he will be blind for a very short time. However Paushya could not give a shaapaavasaanam to Udanka. Paushya says “O great scholar!   Since you are a sage and have immense tapas-shakti you were able to help me, but I cannot do it and my words cannot be changed, because of my satya-vaak-paripaalana”. Udanka then takes leave of Paushya and immediately resumes the work given by his Guru-patni. Will Udanka be able to take the kundalas safely to his guru-patni? Wont Takshaka cause any trouble? Please keep reading to know the answers :) .

“Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.”