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“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there..”
| VBA's Positive News |
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US economy growing throughout country
Strong auto sales, better hiring, and a continued housing recovery helped the US economy grow in January and February throughout the country, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve. The survey noted that 10 of the Fed's 12 banking districts reported moderate or modest growth. Consumer spending increased in most regions. Housing markets showed more strength in nearly all parts of the country. Manufacturing grew modestly in most regions after struggling in through most of 2012. And many districts reported improvement in individual jobs markets.
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US: The Dow pushed further into record territory Thursday
The Dow pushed further into record territory Thursday, having surpassed its previous all-time high two days ago. The catalyst was the latest evidence that hiring is picking up. Stocks started higher after the Labor Department reported that the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell by 7,000 last week, driving the four-week average to its lowest in five years. The drop is a positive sign ahead of Friday's employment report.
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Catholic church opens up to yoga and meditation
A key Italian bishop and doctrinal expert has given his green light to integrating yoga and meditation into Roman Catholic spiritual practices. Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, the bishop of the city of Frascati, near Rome, said that he is 'open' to forms of eastern meditation previously rejected by the Vatican, as long as they are used in conjunction with the framework of Christian spirituality, writes La Stampa.
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Scotland: Electric cars becoming a realistic option
When you champion electric vehicles (EVs), three main criticisms are thrown at you: they are expensive, risky (because you might run out of charge), and they are for the future, not now. But things are changing. transport minister Keith Brown climbed into an electric sports car this month to promise that EV drivers on trunk roads will never be more than 50 miles from a public charging point. This helps to tackle the 'range anxiety' of a breakdown, as most EVs can go 80 miles-plus on a single charge. Mr Brown also offered free charging points at home, while Nissan has announced plans to mass-produce Leaf EVs at its plant near Sunderland as battery technology improves and brings down costs.
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Video of the Day:
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World Round-Up
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Congress wins, BSY delivers knock-out punch to BJP
Bangalore: The Congress returned to power in Karnataka after seven years, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a huge margin. Securing a clear majority on its own in a triangular fight, the party is now set to form the government on its own in Karnataka. The BJP suffered a major blow and stood neck and neck with Janata Dal Secular as the second spot.
The final tally of votes stood at Congress winning 121 seats, BJP and JDS winning 40 seats each and KJP winning 6 seats. Other parties and Independents won 16 seats.
Former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa's Karnataka Janata Paksha could not make a mark and managed to win just a handful of seats. However, his absence from the BJP did hit the party hard leading to its massive defeat even though he won from Shikaripura by over 15,000 votes.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has accepted the defeat and Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar is set to resign on Wednesday evening. "We accept people's mandate; will resign this evening," says Shettar.
Political observers noted that the Congress managed to sweep the urban votes including major seats in Bangalore, where corruption was a major issue. The party did very well north and central Karnataka while the BJP lost badly both in rural and urban areas. Coastal Karnataka, Mumbai-Karnataka, Hyderabad-Karnataka and Central Karnataka districts voted against the BJP in a big way.
Lingayats, the largest caste in the state, seem to have returned to Congress. At least 40 per cent of the Lingayat votes went to the Congress. In Vokkaliga dominated Old Mysore, votes were split between the Congress and the JDS.
The BJP was wiped out in its strongholds including Udupi, Mangalore, Karwar, Shimoga, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Haveri, Davanagere, Tumkur, Mysore and parts of Bangalore.
In the elections five years ago when BJP stormed to power for the first time in a southern state on its own, the party had won 110 seats against Congress's 80 and JD(S) 28.
Karnataka had recorded the second highest voter turnout in 35 years with a polling percentage of 71.29 in the May 5 voting. Although Karnataka Assembly has 224 seats, election in Periyapatna in Mysore district had been put off to May 28 following the death of a BJP candidate.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the result in Karnataka was a failure of the BJP ideology. Reacting to the poll results, Manmohan Singh said, "I congratulates the Congress for working hard. Certainly corruption by the BJP is a message of electorate. Corruption is a big issue for the country."
While the Congress celebrated, it now remains to be seen as to who will be the chief minister with party leaders Siddaramaiah and Mallikarjuna Kharge being the frontrunners.
While party leaders said the party high command will decide on this, party president Sonia Gandhi said, "I am happy with the victory, it's a joint effort and legislators will decide the leader."
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
This may be an extremely interesting day for you as you have the wonderful combination of three planets supporting you in your financial sector. This may be an opportune time to test financial waters by realigning your investments with the advice of a guided expert. You may also be prone to impulse spending as your ruler Mars, will align with acquisitive Venus, and the lure of nice items will tempt you in the most teasing way. This should be a generally positive time with lots of warmth and energy for you to expend if you don't overspend.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
You are probably feeling quite full of yourself these days, and rightfully so. You have a lot of support currently with four planets in Taurus, which may make you feel quite on top of things and in charge. This can be an excellent time to begin a new trend, habit, or routine. You may decide to put some time and effort into your health or you may be looking for a new romance. Your ruler, Venus, can guide you when it comes to love, but trust your hunch, in the end.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 This may be a time of transition of some sort, most likely at work. You have been working hard and perhaps putting in overtime to meet a deadline, which may be looming on the horizon. It may be that you are about to cross a finish line and relief may be on the way. Your time could also be spent considering how much you are willing to give to support a cause or other effort. Have you overextended yourself and need time to recover? A change can be incredibly refreshing and might be worth a try.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
If you are feeling particularly creative, you may want to follow your hunches and get together with some friends for some carefree frivolity. This can be a time for fun and adventure, and the more people involved, the merrier. With a lot of positive planetary influence in your group sector, you would do well to call up your friends or business pals and get a project going that has fun written all over it. As long as you keep costs in control, you should do well.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 You will most likely spend a lot of time working on your career. The good news is that you are probably receiving rave reviews, even if you are not aware yet. That sector of your life has the support of four planets and all of that positive power coming your way. As a result this would be a great time to seek your way and offer up your plans and agenda for moving forward. You could be drawing lots of attention, and it would be wise to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak. The spotlight may be on you, so step into the light and dance.
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Telenor, Tatas rope in merchant bankers for Uninor-TTSL alliance
Telecom Lead India: Norwegian telecom major Telenor has hired Citibank and the Tatas have appointed Lazard to discuss possible alliance between Uninor and Tata Teleservices (TTSL).
Discussion on the possible strategic alliance may lead to merger or sale of equity in Tata Teleservices, Business Standard reported on Wednesday.
The combined Uninor-TTSL will be able to compete with Airtel, Reliance Jio, Reliance Communications, etc in both 3G and 4G areas.
Tata Teleservices has 3G spectrum for nine telecom circles. Uninor will be in a position to launch 4G / LTE in its six circles with the new spectrum it bought in November for Rs 4,018 crore.
The merger alliance is important for Telenor which is looking for a pan-India presence in the country. Since NTT Docomo, the joint venture partner in TTSL, is keen to exit from the Indian telecom business, getting the right partner is a top priority for the Tatas. The shareholding structure of the merged entity is not known.
Both TTSL and Uninor would together command 11.46 percent share of the mobile market in terms of subscriber base. This would help the two close in on the large gap they have with their rivals Idea Cellular (13.84 percent), Reliance Communications (13.92 percent) and BSNL (11.65 percent). It could also give Telenor a pan-Indian footprint.
The Tatas own 59.5 percent equity stake in Tata Teleservices and 27.9 percent in the listed Tata Teleservices Maharashtra. Japanese telecom major Docomo owns 26 percent in Tata Teleservices, while the remaining equity is held by minority investors, including the Sivasankaran group.
In Telenor’s Indian arm — Telewings Communications — Sun Pharma’s Sudhir Valia is the Indian partner with 26 percent stake.
Telenor had 31.7 million mobile customers in six circles till February-end.
Tata Teleservices had 66.9 million subscribers. It has decided to return in 13 circles the spectrum it holds beyond 2.5 MHz.
In the past five years, the Tata group has put in equity capital of around Rs 3,250 crore in Tata Teleservices, the report said.
Docomo, according to the terms of its agreement, has the option to exit from TTSL by March 31, 2014. The Japanese company has hinted at divesting its stake. NTT Docomo paid Rs 13,070 crore for its stake in Tata Teleservices in 2009.
The ARPU of Tata Teleservices is Rs 136 compared with the industry average of Rs 140 a month. Unitech Wireless has an ARPU of Rs 97.
Uninor has posted 3.1 percent increase in third quarter 2012 revenues to 863 million Norwegian crowns against 837 million Norwegian crowns in the same quarter last year.
For the nine months ended December 2012, Tata Teleservices reported an operating loss of Rs 190 crore (operating loss margin of two per cent), compared with Rs 247 crore (margin of three per cent) in the same period the previous year.
Tata Teleservices had a total debt of Rs 29,300 crore as on December 31, 2012.
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Study says BP drugs may lower Alzheimer’s risk
Common blood pressure drugs may cut the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.
U.S. researchers found beta blockers — prescribed since the 1960s to lower blood pressure — may protect against changes in the brain, which could be signs of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
Having high blood pressure in middle age puts patients more at risk of developing these conditions, as well as heart and circulatory disorders, the Daily Mail reported.
In a study, researchers examined the brains of 774 elderly Japanese-American men after death. They had all taken part in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.
Of the men, 610 had high blood pressure or were being treated for high blood pressure.
Among the 350 who had been treated, 15 per cent had received beta blockers alone, 18 per cent had been given beta blockers plus another high blood pressure medication and the rest had received other blood pressure drugs.
The study found that all types of high blood pressure treatments were clearly better at protecting the brain than no treatment, according to preliminary data presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in San Diego.
But men who had been given beta blockers as their only blood pressure medication had fewer brain abnormalities compared with those who had not been treated for hypertension, or those who had received other high blood pressure drugs.
The brains of men who had received beta blockers along with other high blood pressure medication showed an intermediate reduction in brain abnormalities.
“These results are exciting, especially since beta blockers are a common treatment for high blood pressure,” study author Dr. Lon White, of the Pacific Health Research and Education Institute in Honolulu, said.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Grab your suitcase and your travel journal and hit the road. The universe may be guiding you to a journey of magnificent depth and purpose. This may be a time when your search yields something quite profound and rich. As such, it might be wise to visit a spa or a spiritual retreat or other expansive activity. Even if you never leave you house, you may find yourself on a journey of some sort while surfing the web or deeply immersed in some sort of study. Like cool water on a parched tongue, this may be a welcome period.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
You may be reviewing your financial picture and discover that you have got some unexpected outside support. Maybe one of your relatives has showed some interest in the work you are pursuing or your partner's family has reached out to you with suggestions of some sort. The same can be said for large institutions such as banks and mortgage companies, so the timing may be right for considering re-financing your condo or taking out a loan. With all of this attention on other people's money, you may be getting some necessary help.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 Saturn has been trailing you for some time and urging you to do the right thing. This may be especially true with regard to your significant partner. You may feel as if the time has come to restate your opinions or perhaps change the responsibilities some. Circumstances may have led you to see things in a new light and you have the conviction to ask for more. This period may be very useful for stating your opinions, but you may get much farther if you can be flexible.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
The gym may be calling you, and you may be wise to answer the call. This should be an excellent time for getting out your bicycle or starting any sort of new exercise routine. The change of the weather can bring about a renewed sense of well-being. Of course any effort you put into your health should yield positive results. This could also be an opportune time to shelve a few bad habits. Transitions could be important right now so why not take the opportunity and get yourself moving in the right direction.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 Your creative spirit may be getting some well-deserved attention. With four planets in your creative sector, you may find new creative outlets and have a great time in the process. This can be a richly satisfying experience since the spotlight may be shining on your talents today. If you can take advantage of this warm and supportive alignment, you may be quite pleased with the reaction of those who have been watching you grow. The challenges may come from group work, but those may only serve to enhance your experience.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 Why not pick up your phone and see what's happening back home? You may have a lot of positive activity in that area of your life as relatives help to renew your spirit and sense of self. There truly is no place like home, so if you can use this opportunity to engage your family, you should be well served. The challenge may come from trying to complete projects at work in time to get back for a gathering. If you can strike that balance between work and home, you may find the effort worthwhile.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
Words and communicating may top your list of highlights today. With your ability to express yourself with conviction and authority, you may well draw attention from the right people in your life. This could be a time when your hard work and research begin to show real signs of progress. Whether you are delivering a presentation or simply writing an important email, your words may be hitting the target with precision and impact. With all the supportive planets gathering in your communication sector, you may truly have the floor.
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Moral Story
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SMS
“Success is sweet: the sweeter if long delayed and attained through manifold struggles and defeats. ”
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.”
Patient: Doctor, I have a pain in my eye whenever I drink tea.
Doctor: Take the spoon out of the mug before you drink.
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Gujarat firm to design new Nalanda University campus
AHMEDABAD/PATNA: Although Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar do not see eye to eye on development, it seems that ideas to make Bihar better frequently emerge from Gujarat.
A Gujarat-based consultancy firm, Vastu Shilpa consultants - mentored by architect B V Doshi - has been asked to design the prestigious Nalanda International University in Patna.
Not too long ago, the Ahmedabad-based Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (Cept) University was selected to prepare a city development plan for Patna. As for the Nalanda project the consultant was selected by a jury in New Delhi, said the university's vice chancellor, Gopa Sabharwal.
"Vastu Shilpa Consultants was one of the eight shortlisted and it impressed the jury," Sabharwal told the media, adding that the work would start at the earliest. A total of 79 proposals, drawn through a competition launched by the university, were received for the job.
The jury included architects like Liu Thai Ker of Singapore, Li Xiaodong of China, Osamu Ishiyama of Japan, and Neelkanth Chhaya of Cept University. The jury had visited the site of the proposed university in Nalanda district last week.
The new university campus will come up on 446 acre area in Rajgir, 10 km from the site of the ancient university in Nalanda, about 100km southeast of Patna. The university will be fully residential, like the ancient Nalanda University.
It will offer courses in science, philosophy and spiritualism along with social sciences. The project took shape in 2006 at the initiative of A P J Abdul Kalam, who was the President then. The ancient university at Nalanda existed until AD 1197 and attracted students and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey.
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Halftime is the best time to make an observation: Ferguson
One must actually see to believe who is the boss at Manchester United. It is undoubtedly Alex Ferguson. Just the walk through the tunnel to the pitch leading his team into the dugout, waving at the fans, the gait and the swagger with a packed stadium going crazy over a man is proof enough of the fact that Ferguson is the monarch in this part of the world.
In Pics: A legend called Sir Alex Ferguson | Ferguson's notable signings
It has been a fixture at Old Trafford for the last 26 years. However, once August comes and United stars troop out to defend their 20th league title, Ferguson won't be leading the charge. There will be no one who can say " Football, bloody hell" like him.
Bobby Charlton, who brought Ferguson to United in the winter of 1986, says, "I am a director but I hardly do anything because we are winning all the time and it is all down to Alex Ferguson. He would get up in the middle of the night and travel 300 miles if he thought there was a school boy that he could sign."
Excerpts from the interview:
On his most famous pupil, David Beckham
"I still remember one particular aspect about that group with which we won the treble in 1999. They wanted to train all the time. Beckham used to come late in the evening to work with the kids and the coaches."
For the boys
If I was to give the young lads here at MUPC some advice, it would be to just enjoy themselves, relax, enjoy themselves and they'll express themselves much better. They just need to concentrate on the game because sometimes what with the hype, the occasion and so on they can easily lose their concentration and become too nervous about things going on off the pitch. Just concentrate on playing the game and enjoying it.
For the coaches
To the coach I would say that now he's really done his job already - the players have put in the work in training and so on, so the coach really mustn't keep shouting and bawling from the touchline. The last thing you want to do is put a young player under pressure. Any boy going into a match has his own mental perception of the game - don't start interfering with that - giving instructions and things at the last minute - you'll just confuse them - let them concentrate. Half time is the best time to make an observational point, just to encourage them and correct any tactical errors in a nice way at half-time.
What attracts him in a young one
The first thing that will always attract you with a young lad is his talent, his ability to do something, be a man, do something perhaps that you didn't see and then you notice and think that was alright. But then you need to look deeper. Like his enthusiasm to play and willingness and appreciation of being in a team and not just his individual part. What he's like when his team has the ball, when they don't have the ball, stamina, understanding of play, etc.
The leader on the pitch
There are very few roles that a captain performs that are important these days. It's such a team game now and at our level there's such a preparation and focus on teamwork. You'll get the odd captain who will have an influence. There aren't many around today. No Bryan Robsons. He was the best Captain we've ever had. He was marvellous, could see things in a game and change them and had a marvellous influence on the players and he had a marvellous belief in himself too, he knew he was doing right. There are very few captains like that; he had the experience too, the trust and admiration of the players and he was a great player himself.
On being a good student
Being a good perceptive student is also important - and Gary Neville was probably one of the best. No disrespect to him because Gary's a fantastic player and I love him but he had an ordinary ability and he got to the top by application - by listening and making sure he applied himself to what he has listening to. As a young kid - he made himself a player through attitude and by listening.
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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 "
Life
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.
You never know who these people may be – a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger – but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.
Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.
Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.
If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.
If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.
Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say.
Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.
You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.
And if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.
Learn a lesson in life each day that you live!
Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.
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“I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone. ”
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