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“People learn differently. Success comes from wanting to win. We just all tend to educate ourselves differently..”
| VBA's Positive News |
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Solar-powered plane takes off for flight across US
A solar-powered airplane that developers hope to eventually pilot around the world took off early on Friday from San Francisco Bay on the first leg of an attempt to fly across the United States with no fuel but the sun's energy. Swiss pilots and co-founders of the project, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, will take turns flying the plane, built with a single-seat cockpit, with Piccard at the controls for the first flight to Arizona. Project organizers say the journey is intended to boost worldwide support for the adoption of clean-energy technologies.
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Australia's art history to go on show in London
The Royal Academy of Arts in London is preparing to showcase the biggest collection of Australian art to be displayed in the United Kingdom. The September exhibition called Australia will include paintings, drawings, and multimedia on loan from galleries across the country. The Academy's Kathleen Soriano says the collection will convey Australia's history and landscape over more than 200 years.
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US: Principal fires security guards to hire art teachers - and transforms elementary school
A pilot school for grades K-8, Orchard Gardens was built on grand expectations in Roxbury, Massachusetts. But, the school was plagued by violence and disorder from the start, and by 2010 it was rank in the bottom five of all public schools in the state of Massachusetts. That was when Andrew Bott -- the sixth principal in seven years -- showed up, and everything started to change. 'We got rid of the security guards,' said Bott, who reinvested all the money used for security infrastructure into the arts. Now, three years later, the school is almost unrecognizable.
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South Africa wins Offshoring Destination of the Year Award 2013
South Africa has won the European Outsourcing Association (EOA) Offshoring Destination of the Year Award, confirming its status as a leading Business Process Outsource destination. The annual awards ceremony, hosted in Amsterdam, acknowledges destinations and operators that have excelled in servicing the European outsourcing market.
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Video of the Day:
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World Round-Up
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Karnataka polls: Congress confident, BJP faces Yeddyurappa challenge
Bangalore: As the countdown begins for Sunday's voting in the Karnataka elections, the Congress is wearing a confident look and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to offset the BS Yeddyurappa factor and hold on to power.
High-profile leaders have made their pitch in the last few days of the campaign. As voters get ready to exercise their will in the 223 constituencies, most pre-poll surveys are giving the Congress an edge.
"We are confident we will come back (to power). There is no doubt. I said this many times even before the elections that we're going to come back," said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwar.
But for all the optimism, the going is not that easy for the Congress. Infighting in the party has gone out of control.
For the ruling BJP too, salvaging its first government in south India has been tough, especially after its poster-boy - former chief minister Yeddyurappa - rebelled, quit the party and formed the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP). "It's an unfortunate thing.
If they want to build their party, it's okay. Their aim is to destroy the prospects of the BJP, not come to power," said outgoing Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.
In the ongoing battle, the Janata Dal (Secular) is gaining ground in many places.
Its state president HD Kumaraswamy, who is seen as an unreliable coalition partner, is eyeing his chances and could be the most-sought-after man when the results are declared on May 8.
"National parties depend on regional parties. Even in Delhi, whether the BJP comes to power or the Congress, they have to run the government on the mercy of regional parties," said Kumaraswamy.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
You may want to refresh your look by making a significant change in your personal appearance. At first you may decide to update your wardrobe, but after trying on new clothes you may feel that you need to work out. As a result, you may join a gym, sign up for yoga classes, or hire a personal trainer. If your budget is tight, you may decide to purchase a DVD or research online workouts so you can exercise at home.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
You may be chomping at the bit to get started on a new work assignment. Your ambition may be strong now, and if this is a group effort, you may volunteer to be the team leader. When lunchtime rolls around, you may join your colleagues for a bite to eat. While dining, someone may catch your eye and flirt with you. You may feel a strong attraction between you, and if so, you may invite this person to meet you for a drink later in the week.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 A new position at your current place of employment that will make greater use of your creative abilities may be on your radar. With so much planetary activity in the most private sector of your chart, you may have to do a bit of sleuthing to find out the details. Since colleagues may compete with you for this position, they may not be the best source of information. Instead, you may wish to look to a trusted support staff member for the inside scoop.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
A romantic partner or close friend may invite you to come along on a trip. Initially you may not be sure that you can take the time off from work, but then a co-worker may offer to cover for you. On a different topic, you may feel motivated to become involved in a charitable cause. Mentoring a young person may appeal to you at this time, and if so, you may volunteer to be a big brother or sister.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 There may be an unexpected need to travel in connection with your work. A co-worker's sudden inability to attend a business meeting or trade show may require you to take his or her place. While there, you may make an important contact with someone who may be able to help you in the future. Although the timing of this trip may interfere with family plans or obligations, your willingness to make your career a top priority will earn you significant respect from your superiors.
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CAD biggest risk to Indian economy: RBI
Describing high Current Account Deficit (CAD) as the biggest risk to Indian economy, the RBI on Friday said any further deterioration of CAD could result in its policy reversal stance.
“The biggest risk to the economy stems from the CAD which, last year, was historically the highest...Monetary policy will also have to remain alert to the risks on the account of the CAD and its financing, which could warrant a swift reversal of the policy stance.”
CAD, which is the difference between the inflow and outflow of foreign currency, had touched a record high of 6.7 per cent in the December quarter of last fiscal year. The CAD in 2012-13 fiscal is likely to be around 5 per cent of the GDP.
Elaborating further, the RBI said, “the outlook for Advanced Economies (AEs) remains uncertain, and even if there may be no event shocks, there could well be process shocks which could result in capital outflows from Emerging Developing Economies (EDEs)”.
It said even as the large CAD is a risk by itself, its financing exposes the economy to the risk of sudden stop and reversal of capital flows, should global liquidity rapidly tighten.
“Further, with quantitative easing (QE), AE central banks are in uncharted territory with considerable uncertainty about the trajectory of recovery and the calibration of QE.
Should global liquidity conditions rapidly tighten, India could potentially face a problem of sudden stop and reversal of capital flows, jeopardising our macro-financial stability.
The apex bank also noted that a large CAD, appreciably above the sustainable level, year after year, will put pressure on servicing of external liabilities.
It said sustained revival of growth is not possible without a revival of investment.
On Thursday, the apex bank in its Macroconomic and Monetary Developments Report 2012-13 had said the CAD in FY14 was likely to benefit from the moderation in global commodity prices.
Gold prices had fallen to a 21 month low at Rs 26,440 per 10 grams in the domestic markets on April 16 due to continued sell-off in the global markets.
Though there have been some recovery in gold prices in the spot as well as futures market, uncertainty looms large over the way prices would move, going forward.
Gold prices had touched all-time high of Rs 32,975 per 10 gm on November 27, 2012.
The apex bank had also expressed concern over rising external debt and short-term borrowings to meet the widening CAD.
“Short-term debt on a residual maturity basis increased to 44 per cent of total debt and 56 per cent of the foreign exchange reserves by end-December 2012,” it had said.
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Breakthrough might lead to changes in HIV treatment guidelines
An announcement in Mississippi of the curing of an HIV born infant has generated excitement about the possibilities of HIV cure in infants.
If proven true after a long term follow up, the development has the possibility of pushing for a change in the guidelines regarding the timing of HIV treatment in infants, in the longer future.
Currently under WHO guidelines, it is only 6 weeks after birth that detection tests are done. In this case, the treatment happened 30 hours after birth. Moreover, treatment was more intense than usual where doctors at the University Mississippi medical centre used three antiretroviral drugs instead of the usual singe dosage, agencies reported.
Though the presence of the virus had not been detected in the mother, the treatment was done before the virus could set into the body completely.
Hannah Gay, a pediatric HIV specialist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, was quoted by CNN as saying, “ We are hoping that future studies will show that very early institution of effective therapy will result in this same outcome consistently,".
However, doctors and experts in India who DNA contacted, refused to comment till they have more details and till long termfollow up is done. They also hinted at the possibility of this being an 'exceptional case.'.
A National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) official told DNA that “ There are some researchers in South Africa who have also been talking about taking treatment in the direction of early treatment, unlike the current 6 weeks directive.
But on the basis of one case like this, one cannot expect a change in guidelines which have been formulated after years of research and sample cases. Neither is it advisable to push for it on the basis of just one case.”
The official added that “cure” is too early a word to use. “ A case certainly is being made for early detection leading to a reduction in mortality. I would not use the word cure. Currently, 25% of HIV infected infants die within year and 50 % in 2 years” the official said.
India has the third largest number of people living with HIV according to government's 2011-12 data. However, according to the Department of AIDS Control's Annual Report 2011-12 , only 5% of HIV cases in India are transmitted from mother to child.
Yet, the news remains relevant to India as to other parts of the world because pregnant HIV infected women are a vulnerable group because of lack of infrastructure, testing facilities, knowledge and income levels. Detection facilities too have lagged behind.
This means that most women would not even know they are infected with the virus till it is too late and the baby already born. This is why the Missisippi case, if proven to be applicable universally, makes sense for India since the infant had been born with the virus in an undetected mother.
Anjali Gopalan director of Naaz Foundation which works with individuals affected by HIV says, “It's too early to say whether the cure will be applicable to India, but if it is then it is definitely exciting news. It gives hope to newly born infants infected with the virus”.
The infant from Mississippi was born HIV-positive to a mother who had not been diagnosed as HIV-positive herself until just before delivery. After initial treatment, the mother and child remained absent from the hospital for 5 months. They returned to the hospital when the child was 2 years old, and doctors found remarkably, that she tested negative after repeated tests.
ICMR Secretray Dr V M Katoch refused to comment till further details are forthcoming. Most doctors too reserved their opinion till they got further details. The NACO official also insisted that “long term follow up is necessary before a comment can be made”.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
You'll experience an emphasis on teaching, traveling, and public speaking. If you are training or coaching someone on a one-to-one basis, you may be extremely effective. Alternatively, you may feel a bit uneasy when speaking before a very large audience. It may be that you fear you won't be able to answer everyone's questions. However, a beautiful angle between Saturn and Neptune may help you to think quickly on your feet while Jupiter's bountiful presence in your career sector may help you make a good impression.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
You may be determined to take control of your investments by learning how to invest your money safely but much more gainfully. You may begin by visiting the websites of top financial companies to read their articles and view their investment tutorials. As you explore these sites, you may see an announcement for an upcoming free seminar scheduled in your area. However, you may not want to go alone, so invite a friend or a co-worker to go with you.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 A significant romantic relationship may be uppermost in your thoughts as you contemplate taking it to the next level. You may make an appointment to consult with an attorney about a possible prenuptial agreement. Turning to business, this may be a fortunate time to woo investors who may be able to write substantial checks. On the other hand, someone may woo you with an opportunity to invest in a new company or join an established one as a partner or board member.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
You may be responsible for organizing a surprise party to celebrate a co-worker's transfer, promotion, or retirement. At first, you may decide to hold the event at a restaurant, but that may prove challenging because it may be difficult to satisfy everyone's food preferences. Consequently, you may consult with a caterer about tailoring the menu to the guests' tastes. On a personal note, a close friend may ask you to take care of her pet while she is out of town for a few days.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 You may entertain thoughts of moving or someone may move in or out of your residence. Another possibility is that you welcome a new pet into your home. At work, a co-worker may leave and you may be next in line for this newly vacant office. Thanks to the presence of expansive Jupiter in your work sector, this office may boast a window and be much bigger than your present office. As a result, you may add a bookcase or more chairs to balance it out.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 Your mind may be on faraway places, and you may invest a considerable amount of time and effort seeking an affordable yet luxurious vacation spot. A family member may recommend a high-end spa or all-inclusive resort and offer to join you there. However, you may prefer to spend your vacation with friends, and a few of you may chip in to rent a beach house. While viewing rental properties online, you may be so smitten with them that you make a mental note to pick up real estate brochures for the area.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
You may plan a short trip with a sibling. As you map out the best route, you may realize that your car is overdue for routine maintenance. This unexpected expense may prompt you to search out the very best deals on hotel rooms. When you make your reservation, you may request a small refrigerator so you can save money on food by bringing your own snacks and drinks. On another note, you may join a book club or decide to host one in your home.
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Moral Story
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SMS
“Nice definition of ‘TODAY.
.
T – This is an
O – Opportunity to
D – Do
A – A work, better than
Y -Yesterday..”
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Good relationships are like trees
They demand attention & care in the beginning
but once they blossoms
they provide U shade in all situations of life .
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know; the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who
will have sought and found how to serve.”
Question: "How to kill an ant?"
Asked in an exam for 10 marks!
Student:
Mix chilli powder with sugar,
&
Keep it outside the ant's hole
After eating,
ant will search for some water near a water tank.
Push ant in to it!
Now ant will go to dry itself near fire,
When it reaches fire, put a bomb into d fire!
Then admit wounded ant in icu!
And then
remove oxygen mask from it's mouth and kill the ant :-|
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Parliamentary panel favours continuance of UGC, AICTE
NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel on Friday pitched for continuance of UGC and AICTE thereby rejecting a government proposal for setting up an over-arching commission that would subsume the two regulators of higher and technical education.
"The Committee had strongly recommended for continuance of the existence of these vital bodies (UGC and AICTE) for effective regulation of higher and techical education," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD said.
Making a strong pitch for strengthening the UGC and AICTE, it said there should be no dearth of funds for these agencies for fulfilment of their objectives.
"The Committee is afraid that with the proposed legislation on the over-arching Commission still to be brought again before Parliament, an element of uncertainty about the status of the UGC and AICTE must have crept in," it said.
Observing that the uncertainty may increase with the passing of time, the Committee said that "required action may be taken by the Government on an urgent basis, ensuring that both UGC and AICTE continue to function in a more organised and effective manner."
The Committee has already rejected a Bill proposing to set up an over-arching Commission to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Councul for Technical Education (AICTE).
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A lot of people want you to fail: Kieron Pollard
Mumbai Indians superstar Kieron Pollard tells Sai Prasad Mohapatra that one has to accept failures, perform well and move forward in life
Your batting style was more slam-bang than conventional. If your six unbeaten outings in IPL 6 are anything to go by, you are a mature batsman now..
Yeah, that’s true. You have to learn from every situation. Playing international cricket and getting to play in the IPL has been good for me. Rubbing shoulders with different international stars and learning different things have been ‘fantabulous’ for me. I have just tried to better myself each and every time and hopefully I can just hope to get better from here.
There is still a debate over your position in the batting order. Where do you want to bat?
Sometimes, it could be too early (up the order) and sometimes it could be too late. But in life, you just have to accept certain things and you got to accept that you are a certain type of batsman in a situation that’s best required for the team. And to try and find the right balance, I think you have to forget it. What you can do as an individual is win games from that situation. If you go early, you bat long but you have to bat according to the situation. That’s been my mantra. Sometimes, it can frustrate you but you have to take it in your stride. I have to take it as it comes.
You’ve spent six years on the international circuit. How badly you want to see yourself play Test cricket?
Yeah, it’s a dream. When I started playing cricket, it was just Tests and ODIs. I still reckon it’s high on the agenda. But I have told myself whichever format I play, I am not going to sit back and wait. Hopefully, my time will come. Nothing happens before it’s time.
And when it happens, nobody can take that away from me. I just have to continue doing what I am doing.
Will that not lead to an internal conflict? A conflict against your instinct, playing the waiting game, leaving deliveries, etc?
It does not matter if it is an internal conflict. At the end of the day, it’s a game of cricket. Even if it’s Test cricket, if there is a ball there to be hit, you have to hit it. It is just a matter of shot selection. You have to discipline yourself. Sometimes, it comes off; sometimes, it doesn’t. You will have your failures. Obviously there are lot of people who are just waiting to see you fail, but you just have to accept failures and perform well and you take that forward in life.
Mumbai Indians started out with an extremely successful captain in Ricky Ponting before giving the job to a relatively inexperienced Rohit Sharma. How has the captaincy pattern and thinking changed since?
I guess you have to ask Rohit how his thinking pattern has changed. But from my knowledge, he has led the Mumbai Ranji team recently. He has some sort of experience.
He is young, intelligent and a talented cricketer. I think it is an easy transition coming into the hot seat. In cricket, you have 10 other players helping you out. He is getting the support and whoever entrusted with that role is going to get the same support. You know your job. You don’t let your captain down, you can’t let yourself down.
Bowlers dread bowling to you, but is there someone who gets you thinking?
Well, there is this bowler but if I let out my secret then I will let out my thinking pattern. So I will leave it at that and I will fight with that internally. But I will continue to play fearless cricket. That’s what I am about. And I back myself and my ability.
From the collage of fantastic catches you have pulled off so far, which one is your favourite?
I think the match against Chennai Super Kings was an important one. Also, the one I took against Kings XI Punjab. Shaun Marsh is a dangerous batsman. But to get MS Dhoni at that point in time, the way he was going, it’s a no-brainer. That catch won the match for us and it felt good to have contributed to our win.
Chennai, Bangalore and Rajasthan have this habit of winning most of their home games. In fact, they’ve set a trend of making their home ground a fortress. How consciously are Mumbai Indians thinking of making Wankhede their den?
I guess you always want your home to be a fortress. You don’t want anybody to come to your home and do things. So playing at home, we should know our conditions. We adapt to our environment better and if we can win all our home games and win a couple of ‘away’ games, it augurs well for us.
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Gippi
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Gippi
Movie Name : Gippi
Release Date : 10 May 2013
Genre : Comedy, Drama
Producer : Karan Johar
Director : Sonam Nair
Music Director : Vishal–Shekhar
Cast : Riya Vij, Taaha Shah, Divya Dutta
Synopsis:
Gippi is a 14-year-old girl who lives in Simla with her mother Pappi and little brother Booboo. She is overweight and awkward and doesn't know how to handle the physical, emotional and social changes happening in her life. In school, she is a backbencher and is constantly bullied by the popular queen-bee Shamira. At home, she's trying to figure out how to deal with living in a broken home. In the middle of all this chaos, she falls madly in love with an older, brooding heartbreaker. When her love story comes to a humiliating end, and she is publicly scorned, she decides to take her life in her hands and accepts Shamira's challenge to stand against her in the school elections. Whatever the final outcome might be, Gippi makes sure she has a great time in the journey, filling it with delicious desserts, funny teachers, school crushes, and Shammi Kapoor dances. Gippi is a coming-of-age story of an ordinary, overweight girl, who, through the course of the film, learns to love herself for exactly who she is. It is also a tale of an underdog, who picks herself up from nothing and finds herself at the top of her own little world.
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the names of all continents both start and end with the same letter.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
Two frogs in the milk
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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“Success goes to those, whose dreams are always alive. Nothing happens with only wings, it also further requires courage to fly. ”
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