“Success is how high you Bounce when you hit Bottom.”     VBA's Positive News US: President Obama proposes $100M for brain mapping project President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed an effort to map the brain's activity in unprecedented detail. He asked Congress to spend $100 million next year to start a project that will explore details of the brain, which contains 100 billion cells and trillions of connections. Brain scientists unconnected with the project were enthusiastic. The President also wants a study of the ethical, legal, and societal implications of the research.     Australia: Trade deficit shrinks as exports recover Australia's trade deficit has shrunk to its lowest level in more than a year for February, as exporters received higher prices for their commodities and imports declined. The latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics show the trade deficit shrank to $178 million dollars in the month in seasonally adjusted terms, down from downwardly revised deficit of $1.2 billion in January. Exports increased by 3 per cent in the month, bringing in just over $25.6 billion in revenue.         Canada opens diplomatic office in Iraq Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird arrived in Iraq on 1 April to open a new diplomatic mission aimed at fostering trade with the troubled Mideast country that has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. This is the first visit to Iraq by a Canadian foreign minister since 1976. As part of the mission, Baird is opening a diplomatic office that will be an offshoot of Canada's embassy in Amman, Jordan. The new office, however, will operate out of the British Embassy in Baghdad.  China March services PMIs hit multi-month highs Growth in China's services sectors rose to multi-month highs in March as a construction boom and firmer demand lifted business and confidence, auguring well for a modest recovery in the world's second largest economy. Analysts welcomed the news as an encouraging sign that China's moderate economic revival is extending beyond its factories into an increasingly-important services industry.       Video of the Day:

World Round-Up

Political + Democracy to flourish in Pakistan despite conspiracies: Zardari       In a surprise move, the top leaders of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) held a closed door meeting at the party’s headquarters in Sindh province after midnight in the wake of Taliban threat to its leadership. The PPP, which governed Pakistan for the last five years, had earlier cancelled a public rally at Naudero, Gardhi Khuda Baksh, where it was supposed to start its elections campaign on the death anniversary of its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. But late Wednesday night President Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto, the Chairman of the PPP, addressed the gathering which started with a two minutes silence observed for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was hanged 34 years ago by military dictator Zia-ul Haq after being toppled by the Army. Only the state-owned PTV was allowed to cover the meeting live as all other media channels were barred from coverage. The top PPP leadership was present at the meeting where Mr. Zardari said his party had strengthened democracy in Pakistan. “Despite many problems, hurdles and criticism we have kept democracy alive and for the first time a peaceful civilian transfer of power will take place after elections,” Mr. Zardari said, adding that in coming days democracy would be further strengthened in the country. “I am proud to say there was not a single political prisoner in the jails in our tenure,” he said. Mr. Zardari, while admitting that there were some mistakes made by the PPP-led coalition government in the last five years, said still the party had taken steps that would benefit the future generations of Pakistan. Mr. Bilawal, who returned home from Dubai a day earlier after speculations in the media about him leaving Karachi after tiff with his father over party matters, also addressed the gathering describing his grandfather as a visionary leader. He said the party’s manifesto in the coming elections remained the slogan raised by ZA Bhutto, “Roti, Kapra aur Makan” (food, clothes and house). Mr. Bilawal urged people to vote for the PPP candidates to keep alive the spirit of the Bhutto family. The closed door meeting apparently was the result of threats from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan which has threatened to hit the PPP and its coalition partners in the run-up to the May 11 polls. Senior party officials have said that in the wake of security threats it was decided to hold smaller meetings and rallies in different districts. Interestingly, the President made no reference to the terrorism in the country nor about the threats made to target politicians in the run-up to the elections. Mr. Zardari in the latter part of his speech addressed the participants in his native Sindhi language urging them to pay tributes to late ZA Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide attack during an election rally in Rawalpindi in 2007. “ZA Bhutto and my mother Benazir Bhutto made Pakistan a powerful nuclear power and brought in modern technology to boost the country’s defence,” Mr. Bilawal said. Senior PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira had last week said that Mr. Bilawal, 24, who is too young to contest a seat, would make few public appearances “due to security concerns.” This year’s rallies and arrangements in Naudero to mark the death anniversary of ZA Bhutto are very low key in comparison to previous years when massive public rallies were organized to mark the occasion. Astrology   Aries March 21 to April 19 Career options may slowly come your way. As the leader and the most impulsive member of the zodiac, this may appear as quite a challenge. You may prefer the fast pace of change and excitement to the labored crawl of a shifting work landscape. Yet if you find a way to channel your restlessness into a worthy outlet, you may store up information for later. If you view this as a time for charging your batteries, you should be ready to go when the time is right.                                              Taurus April 20 to May 20 You may be standing on the cusp of a new direction. As such, you might see a wide variety of options before you. You may observe this as closing doors or necessary endings or they may portend a new range of possibilities. Your ability to educate and expose yourself to new and adventurous ideas as possibilities will most likely serve you well. The broader your view of things, the better your chances are for landing in a sweet spot.                                 Gemini May 21 to June 20 Group activities are a natural place for you to shine, so get involved in as many as possible. Your presence could be particularly useful in coping with large organizational entities that require a quick thinker to maneuver the landscape. You also might find yourself working with elders who may present a challenge. Institutions, legal forums, and other arenas are likely scenes in this current climate. You can be most effective when you actively participate, so don't hesitate to jump in.                       Cancer June 21 to July 22  Your career may blossom with new opportunities and the promise for advancement and change. At the same time, you may be in a direct conversation with your partner about which direction to go. It may appear as if you have to choose between one or the other, unless, of course, you can find a convenient method for compromise. This is a nugget well worth digging for, so roll up your sleeves and see if you can find a solution that allows you to push your career forward and satisfy your partner as well.                                                          Leo July 23 to Aug. 22  You might be in front of others teaching and spreading your creativity to great effect. This is where your advice may come in quite handy. You can serve others best when you relate your experiences. Your credibility may be most effective since everyone knows that you have to walk the walk in order to talk the talk. You may have done plenty of walking, so seize this time to do just that, and you may be surprised at how well you are received.                                BUSINESS+VE                                                                              Civil aviation ministry tried to thwart AirAsia's India plans       NEW DELHI: As Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia readies to spread wings in India announcing hiring plans on Wednesday, documents available with ET reveal that the civil aviation ministry had tried to thwart the foreign airline's India plans. The aviation ministry had disapproved of AirAsia's India entry, arguing that the Indian promoters — Tata Sons and Arun Bhatia — should have first set up an airline company, obtained a flying permit and then sold off 49% to the foreign partner, minutes of foreign investment proposal-clearing committee, reviewed by ET, reveal. "The proposal is supported in principle, but the applicant should first set up the company, obtain licence from ministry of civil aviation and then divest to a foreign collaborator in order to follow the policy intent," the civil aviation ministry had argued on March 6 in the meeting of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), which had taken up AirAsia's proposal for clearance. Interestingly, AirAsia India still hasn't approached the civil aviation ministry for a noobjection certificate (NOC), a prerequisite for getting a flying permit — though has shortlisted the name of an India CEO and will also hire cabin crew next week in Chennai. The aviation ministry had also asked the commerce ministry to issue a clarification to the policy on aviation FDI, which would apply to "JVs to be incorporated". "This would be required not only for the policy in letter, but also in spirit. This was the Cabinet note, which elaborated the background for the policy amendment had clearly delineated that the amendment was aimed at infusing capital into existing cash-starved aviation companies," the aviation ministry had further argued. Later on March 26, when the government gave the final nod to setting up AirAsia India in partnership with Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace's Arun Bhatia, Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said that this three-way venture could face some procedural problems. "The Air Asia-Tata airline JV is facing procedural issues. We will support the joint venture," Singh said at a CII conference. Singh has been pointing out at impending procedural issues for the JV ever since the proposal got FIPB clearance on March 6, without clearly enlisting what they could be. The minutes further reveal that the industry ministry or Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), shot down the aviation ministry's opposition saying that the policy allowing foreign carriers to buy 49% stake in Indian airlines "did not refer only to the existing airlines" and that the "policy needed no clarification." "...the spirit of the FDI policy was to get fresh investment into the country," the DIPP secretary says, as recorded in the minutes. Earlier, ET had reported that a host of bureaucratic hurdles could come in the way of AirAsia's flying plans as a miffed civil aviation ministry may cite the airline's losses on south-east Asian routes and lack of airport infrastructure in India to delay or even deny key permissions. Some of the country's leading airlines have also indicated their opposition to AirAsia's aircraft purchase programme, saying they could lobby with the ministry to scuttle the purchases if they are large in number. HEALTH+VE                                                              Need control on alcohol, diet to curb cancer: Doctors       Two-thirds of the cancer cases in India can be prevented either by making effective policies or better implementation of the existing ones, say experts. What's more, a grip on alcohol consumption and obesity can help prevent a large percentage of cancer. According to the World Economic Forum, cancer is among one of the three greatest risks to the global economy. This may be due to escalating cost of care, the threat to productivity from death and disability, and the effects of costs on household impoverishment. But this year's theme of World Cancer Day: "Dispel damaging myths and misconceptions about cancer" can help change the situation, say experts. Last year, representatives from 117 countries converged at the United Nations to address the prevention and control of cancer and non-communicable diseases and declared four key strategies: control tobacco, unsafe use of alcohol, obesity and encourage better nutrition. While improving the nutritional status of a 100-crore population nation is an uphill task, control on tobacco, areca nut, alcohol and junk food is well within the reach of policymakers, say experts. "There is awareness about the cancer-causing properties of tobacco, but most people are still unaware of the harmful effects of alcohol, areca nut and obesity," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, oncosurgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital. "Alcohol is causally related to cancers of the mouth, oropharynx, liver, oesophagus and breast. The risk becomes much higher when tobacco is consumed along with alcohol," he said. Another cause of worry for oncologists is obesity. A study, using National Cancer Institute surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data, estimated that in 2007 in the US, about 34,000 new cases of cancer in men (4%) and 50,500 in women (7%) were due to obesity. This analysis also found that if every adult reduced their Body Mass Index by 1%, which would be equivalent to a weight loss of roughly 1kg for an adult of average weight, this would actually result in the avoidance of about one lakh new cases. Head of Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr Rajan Badwe said an unhealthy diet is one of the major contributors in cancer among the obese. "Adolescent obesity is known to produce diabetes, hypertension and cancers like those of breast, ovary and uterus among women and stomach, kidney and colon among men in the later years," Dr Badwe said.Worrying numbers * There are about 30 lakh new cases of cancer in India at any particular point of time * About 5 lakh deaths a year in the country are due to cancer. * 40% of cancer cases are due to the use of tobacco * The leading sites of cancer are the oral cavity, lungs, oesophagus and stomach among men and cervix, breast and oral cavity among women. Cancer accounts for more deaths worldwide than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. * As per the World Health Organisation Report 2005, the estimated number of cancer deaths in India will increase to 7 lakh by 2015           Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22  Large institutions and legal matters may occupy a great deal of your time. This could involve insurance claims, mortgages, or other process-oriented matters. These may appear to be a bit unwieldy at times, but they may also be a necessary means to an end. If you can find the creative jewel in the mix, you may be able to come out quite well. Agreements and other contracts may work in your favor if you take the time to work on them.                                Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 Friends, family, and partners may all figure quite heavily in your day. Partners in particular may seek out your advice. Your will have the support of four planets in your relationship sector, so you may be drawn to that area of your life. You may make plans for renovations in your home or try to find an amicable solution to a long-running situation. You might be surprised by the outcome, so keep your eyes open and your options wide.                              Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 You should feel quite responsible and focused on your health. New exercise routines, eating habits, and other lifestyle changes may serve you well at this time. In order for you to be effective, you may require a new approach. This should be seen as a welcome and necessary change. It may be wise to do as much background research as possible before you make any moves that are too radical. You might be able to set in motion new habits that will remain with you for some time.                              Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 Your creative spirit may be on fire, with ideas and inventions coming into full view. If you can capitalize on these flashes of creativity, you may be able to do quite well. Your biggest challenge may come in finding funding. If you can take the long view and research new and unusual forms of income, you may be able to forge ahead successfully. You may even take bold actions to ensure that possibility. You may want to act cautiously as the impact could be long-standing.                       Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 Family matters may top your agenda as you have a lot of planetary activity in that sector of your life right now. You may be involved in making plans for a new residence or simply sprucing up your existing one. Roommates, siblings, and parents may all figure into this mix so be certain to keep an open mind and see what comes of it. Surprises may be in store with Uranus as an influence, so try to envision the wonderful possibilities when things are shaken up in your home.                                Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18  The research bug may have bitten you, and your quest for information seems bottomless. This may be a fabulous opportunity to finish long-standing ideas or projects. You may consider collecting your observations of this period and see what comes of it. If you have been diligent in your record keeping this may be an excellent time to capture the facts and gather them into a cohesive form. Writing and investigation may come quite effortlessly to you during this time, but your primary focus may be a transition.      Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20  Financial matters may be a top priority for you, as you have wonderful support for all monetary matters during this period. This may be especially true when working with professional peers. If you are involved in partnerships or other collaborative ventures, you may make great progress and see significant results. With so much activity in your financial zone, you may be able to form long-term contracts or other investment plans.            Moral Story     SMS   “Every king was once crying baby, & every building was once a map.. . its not important what u r today.. but where u reach tomorrow.. = ).”      LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS   Relationship is like a violin, Music may stop now n then, But strings are attached forever. So if u r in touch or not, U r always remembered. .   LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS      “There is great comfort and inspiration in the feeling of close human relationships and its bearing on our mutual fortunes – a powerful force, to overcome the “tough breaks” which are certain to come to most of us from time to time.  All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.”       Santa has to sell his dog. Banta wants to buy it. Banta: Is this dog faithful ? Santa: Yes, I have sold it 3 times earlier also. It is so faithful, everytime it returned back to me.

EDUCATION +VE Times school of journalism calls for applications           NEW DELHI: Times School of Journalism (TSJ), a leading journalism institute run by India's largest media house - The Times of India Group - has called for applications to its Post Graduate diploma courses in English and Hindi for 2013-14. The one-year-long programme at TSJ comprises 4-6 months of hands-on paid internship in leading industry brands like The Times of India, Navbharat Times, The Economic Times, ET Now, Indiatimes.com, Economictimes.com and select media brands outside the Times group. The course focuses on integrated journalism across all three media platforms - print, broadcast and online. The faculty at TSJ comprises senior reporters and editors working with the Times of India group and other media brands, offering students the opportunity of being trained by their future recruiters. To be eligible, one needs to be a graduate in any stream with at least 45% marks and aged below 28 years. Those appearing for their final year exams are also eligible to apply. TSJ has a track record of 100% placement for all performers. All those who are passionate about a career in journalism, have a way with words, love to tackle challenges and deadlines and enjoy a supercharged work environment are invited to apply. Last date for applications is April 30, 2013. For further details, visit www.tcms.in.      SPORTS +VE Royal Challengers Bangalore hoping to set home record straight               BANGALORE: Taking on a strong outfit like Mumbai Indians first up may not always be the best launch pad for a successful Indian Premier League campaign, but Royal Challengers Bangalore go into Thursday's clash at the Chinnaswamy stadium with hope. No two IPL teams' fortunes have mirrored each other over the past five seasons like RCB's and Mumbai's. Like RCB's disastrous seventh-placed finish in the opening season, Mumbai too know what it feels like at the bottom rungs of the ladder when they finished second from last the following year.   Runners-up in 2009 and 2011, RCB will be sympathetic towards Mumbai's pain of finishing second in 2010. When Mumbai's only silverware came in the Champions League T20 in 2011, they beat a red-hot RCB in the final. For two of IPL's perennial underachievers, the sixth season presents an opportunity to break barriers. With new skipper Virat Kohli at the helm, RCB's main target would be to get their team combination right. While the likes of Chris Gayle and T Dilshan pick themselves, RCB will be without South African AB de Villiers, the team's wicketkeeper.   De Villiers' absence due to his wedding and domestic commitments will throw up the chance for youngster KB Arun Karthik behind the stumps. Out with a finger injury, Cheteshwar Pujara too will be absent for RCB's first few matches. And in a strange twist, both teams will be without their top pacer. RCB's Zaheer Khan, who opted out of a number of practice sessions in the lead up to the day-nighter against his old side, is ruled out with a new injury. "Zak's got a bit of a side strain," Kohli said on Wednesday. "He's almost 70-80% fit, so he'll be ready to go in a couple of games." MI's Lasith Malinga, out for the first two games with a sore back, will join his team only in Mumbai. "It's obviously disappointing not to have him for the first game," said MI skipper Ricky Ponting.   "He's probably the leading fast-bowler in world T20 cricket and it would have been nice to have him in our team tomorrow night, but that's not the case. We're just hoping for a speedy recovery, and hopefully he'll be okay for Game Three." Despite their injury concern, MI, big-spenders in the last IPL auction, still possess a far more settled look with Sachin Tendulkar leading an array of talented batsmen. In the rejuvenated Ponting, they have an able leader but how the Aussie handles his resources will be interesting to watch.   While Rohit Sharma, Ambatti Rayudu, Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik Kieron Pollard and James Franklin lend batting steel to the spine, Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh offer the penetration and guile that MI will need against RCB. Meanwhile, RCB's newly-strengthened bowling attack will also have to shoulder additional responsibility to balance a team that has largely depended on its batsmen -- in particular Gayle.     Chashme Baddoor Chashme Baddoor  Movie Name :   Chashme Baddoor   Release Date :   5 April 2013 Genre :  Comedy , Drama  Producer : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Director :   David Dhawan Music Director : Sajid-Wajid Cast : Ali Zafar, Siddharth, Taapsee Pannu, Divyendu Sharma   Synopsis: Sid, Jai & Omi are three friends, who live together in a small house in Goa, India. Omi and Jai lead a carefree life, Large on wants, needs and everything else. The only thing that seem to keep Omi and Jai going are the women in Goa. Sid is their sober roommate, who leads a simple, straight forward and humble life. The two womanizing slackers attempt to woo “Seema” the new girl on the block, while their quite roommate Sid is the one to win her heart. Green with envy, the two men set into motion a wild and devious plot to break the lovebirds apart.  the least used letter in the alphabet is Q. " INSPIRING STORY "   A story for Passover A good Passover story should always involve cakes. Austrian baker Manfred Klaschka is the subject of this year’s story. He was in the news because of his most recent catalogue of cake designs; Klaschka is a pastry specialist. Of course, Austrian pastries are famous the world over. Now, pastry baker Manfred Klaschka’s most recent catalogue of such tasty delights was in the news this week because it included cakes decorated with swastikas – as well as one with a baby raising its right arm in a Nazi salute.  Herr Klaschka insists he is not a Nazi. After the news story broke, he even met with a Holocaust awareness group, and apologized for what he had done, and he then baked a cake to say he was sorry – a cake with Jewish and Christian symbols. The point of the story – the bit I found interesting – is Herr Klaschka’s explanation for what he did. "I see it was a mistake, anyone who knows me knows what kind of person I am. I am no Nazi", said Klaschka, who had earlier said he was just a pastry maker fulfilling his customers’ wishes. Fulfilling his customers’ wishes? There is a market in Austria in 2011 for cakes with babies raising their arms in Nazi salutes, cakes with swastikas on them? There are parties where people serve such cakes? Maybe birthday parties for babies? f course there are such people, and there are such parties, and because of that, there is a market – there is consumer demand – for swastika cakes. Which is why Herr Klaschka was happy to bake them. And not only in Austria. You may remember the case of the Campbell family from New Jersey. When Kurt Waldheim was exposed as a war criminal his popularity rose. The neo-Nazi Freedom Party headed by the late Jorg Haider, won 27% of the vote in the 2000 elections and became part of the coalition government – the first time since 1945 that Nazis had sat in a European government.   But this never happened in New Jersey – which is why I want to talk about the Campbell family. The Campbell family in New Jersey made the news back in 2008 when they tried to get a birthday cake made for their son — they have a son and two daughters — at the local Shop Rite in Holland Township.The store refused their request. And the reason was that Mr. Campbell wanted the cake to read "Happy birthday Adolf Hitler". Because, you see, his son’s name was Adolf Hitler Campell. One of the daughters is named is named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. Well, you get the point. When I read about the Austrian baker Manfred Klaschka, I thought – here was a marketing opportunity for him. He would have happily baked a cake for the Campbell family. So what does all this have to do with Passover? This week, when we are forbidden to eat Sachertore or Linzer tort or even the delightfully named Punschkrapfen, we might want to pause and think about something we say every year at the Passover seder: 'In every generation it is the duty of man to consider himself as if he had come forth from Egypt'. Because in this generation, as in all others, there are those who order custom-made swastika cakes. There are those who name their children after Adolf Hitler. And there are others who fire anti-tank missiles at school busses with Jewish children in them.     Because there are those who are building nuclear weapons, having told the world that their intention is to wipe the Jewish state off the face of the earth. Because people like that make Pharaoh look like a nice guy. Because getting out of the house of bondage, out of slavery in Egypt, was not the end of the story for the Jewish people, but was the beginning. It is a story of a never-ending struggle for freedom, for dignity, for respect, for human rights, that has universal resonance and meaning — for all people, everywhere, always.

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.. ”