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“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure!”
| VBA's Positive News |
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EU to ban pesticides blamed for harming bees
The European Union will ban three of the world's most widely-used pesticides for two years because of fears they are linked to a plunge in the population of bees critical to the production of crops. The executive European Commission said on Monday it would press ahead with the ban on a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, produced mainly by Germany's Bayer and Switzerland's Syngenta, despite the EU's 27-member states failing to reach an agreement on the matter.
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Australia: Banks push share market to five-year high
Australia's share market has surged to its highest level for almost five years as the big banks continue their record run. The All Ordinaries added 1.2 per cent to close at 5,169 and the ASX 200 rose by 1.33 per cent to 5,191. That close represents a high of four years and nine months. The stage was set for a strong day for local stocks after the S&P 500 on Wall Street rose 0.66 per cent to an all-time high. But the gains were much bigger than expected after the ANZ Bank reported a rise in half-year profit and boosted its dividend payments.
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More consumers seeking out ethical, green apparel choices
While low-priced garments may prove alluring for many cost-conscious consumers, there has been a growing movement among many to be more mindful in their buying habits and a renewed focus on the manufacturing practices of brands that sell affordable goods for mass consumption. Dara O'Rourke is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the co-founder of GoodGuide, an online resource that provides information about the health, environmental, and social performance of products and companies.
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US: Verizon to invest $100 million in solar, fuel cell technology
Verizon said on Tuesday it plans to invest $100 million in solar power and fuel cells at 19 facilities in seven US states to cut its carbon footprint and make its operations more resilient to storms and other disasters. The energy project should be complete by next year, with installations at corporate offices, call centres, data centres, and central offices of the telecommunications giant in Arizona, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina.
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Video of the Day:
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World Round-Up
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PM calls Sarabjit a 'brave son of India', demands punishment for those responsible for his death
New Delhi: Calling Sarabjit Singh a "brave son of India", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled his death in Pakistan and demanded that those responsible for the attack on the Indian prisoner should be brought to justice.
"I am deeply saddened by the passing away of Sarabjit Singh. He was a brave son of India who bore his tribulations with valiant fortitude.
The criminals responsible for the barbaric and murderous attack on him must be brought to justice," he said in a statement on Thursday morning.
Manmohan Singh assured the government will make arrangements to bring Sarabjit's remains home.
"May his soul be granted the peace that he could not enjoy in life.
The government will make the arrangements to bring his remains home and for his last rites to be conducted in consultation with his family. The nation shares their profound grief with them," he said.
The Prime Minister also attacked Pakistan over the issue saying it was "regrettable that the government of Pakistan did not head the pleas of the government of India, Sarabjit's family and of civil society of India and Pakistan to take a humanitarian view of this case".
Sarabjit died of cardiac arrest at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore in the wee hours on Thursday after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by his fellow inmates in a high-security jail in the city.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
It may be time to reel in your expenses after a bit of a spree. You may have recently cast your financial fate to the wind and bought impulsively or simply stepped out of your comfort zone. Maybe while on a trip things looked a little differently than they do back home and the bills come due. Simply bear down and chip away and get yourself back in line. A tax bill or other financial obligation that you may have overlooked may also surprise you.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
The new changes you may be trying out could push you in new directions you may never have imagined. All of the newness may allow you to feel in charge of your own destiny. You have a great deal of support from many planets in Taurus, supporting your decisions. You may want to settle a few differences with significant people in your life in a responsible manner. This may be especially true if you are in pursuit of a new lifestyle.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 This should be an excellent period for wrapping up projects and shifting gears. New opportunities seem to come at you with great frequency, and you may be wise to embrace them in every way imaginable. This may not be the time to be an obstructionist. Let the slow transitions work their magic on you as you find new ways to cope, cooperate, and offer yourself to the responsible outcome of your project.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
This should be a fabulous time for creativity, despite the challenges of working in a collaborative manner. You may be immersed in a group with friends and associates, and your goal will be to complete something in a timely and creative fashion. The deadline may not be flexible, but your attitude and willingness to help can be.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 The long hours you are dedicating to your career may raise your stature professionally. While this may bring more business your way, you must also realize that there is a price to be paid for that. Challenges may arise at home as your time gets allocated to other areas of your life. This should be a time to seek balance in all areas of your daily life. If you can continue your focus on your career while maintaining a strong connection to your home and family, you may be able to find equanimity.
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SC upholds 51% FDI in multi-brand retail
NEW DELHI: After getting cornered by the Supreme Court for scams and controversies for quite some time, the UPA government on Wednesday had something to cheer about with the apex court upholding the constitutional validity of its decision allowing 51% foreign direct investment in the multi-brand retail sector.
A bench of Justices R M Lodha, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, which on Tuesday tore into the CBI and the Centre for sharing the coal scam probe report with the political executive, saw merit in attorney general G E Vahanvati's arguments and said the policy aimed to eliminate middlemen and help provide farmers a better price for their produce.
"The middlemen are a curse to the country. They work like Shylocks and suckers. If they are sought to be thrown out of the system, what is wrong with the policy," the bench said and asked petitioner advocate M L Sharma to point out constitutional and statutory deficiencies in the policy already debated and approved by Parliament in December last year.
Sharma said nobody would shed a tear if middlemen were eliminated but the policy would hit small retail traders, who would be ill-equipped to compete with the might and business skills of multinationals venturing into the retail sector.
The bench said it would not hazard a guess about the success of the policy but there was no harm in giving it a chance. "The policy may fail, who knows? But it deserves a chance. The government has done studies and found that those countries were FDI in retail had been permitted, the small traders continued to control an overwhelming percentage of food product retail chain," it said.
The court found no merit in the petition and dismissed it. But before this, Sharma had pointed out certain procedural deficiencies in the notification of the decision permitting FDI in retail and had forced the government to rush with an amendment to the earlier notification bringing it in order with Foreign Exchange Management Act regulations.
The court also took note of Vahanvati's contention that implementation of the Centre's policy was optional and was not being foisted on the states. In addition, the policy, when fully implemented, would touch the lives of only 13.3% of the country's population living in 53 cities. The government said its policy on FDI in multi-brand retail stipulated that retail sales outlets could be set up only in cities with a population of over 1 million.
"Even if the policy is fully implemented throughout the country, there are only 53 urban agglomerates/cities with million plus population. These 53 comprise only 0.67% of the total number of cities and have a total population of 160.7 million, compared to the total population of India of 1210 million, which is only 13.3%," the Centre had said.
The Centre had given examples of China, Brazil, Argentina, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand where FDI was permitted up to 100% and still local retailers co-existed with organized retail. "In Indonesia, even after several years of emergence of supermarkets, 99% of fresh food retail and 70% of all food retail continues to be controlled by traditional retailers," the Centre said.
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Fitness facts all women must know
Not finding the time for fitness due to household chores and grocery shopping? To ward away hazardous ailments and keep yourself toned, it is important to adhere to a set fitness regime.
Many Indian women, particularly after reaching a certain age, feel that good looks do not matter much. However, the discussion here is not about good looks but of health. A fitness routine is as important for older women as it is for a teenager or a young girl.
Regular physical activity will not only help you tackle weight-related issues but will also enable you to prevent conditions associated with weight gain, like rheumatoid arthritis and varicose veins. Still not motivated enough? Here's a list of some important fitness facts for women that will help you to get moving.
Avoid obesity: With the dangerous bulging obesity ratios in India, recent statistics revealed that almost one in six women in the country are overweight and are in dire need to trim for avoiding health hazards associated with obesity. This is due to the increased adoption of sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits.
30 minutes a day: Your fitness level can be improved by merely adding a few minutes of movement into your daily routine. According to fitness experts; just 30 minute workout for 5 days a week is sufficient to overcome the adverse effects of inactivity and sedentary lifestyle.
You can also incorporate minor changes in your daily lifestyle like taking the stairs instead of the lift, parking the car in the last row of the parking lot and walking briskly for a few minutes between your parked car and your office.
The importance of de-stressing: Women are more prone to stress and pressure as compared to men and this, in turn, leads to various health issues. Work on basic relaxation and breathing techniques whenever you can - even while performing your regular chores.
Muscle and joint pain: Be careful not to neglect any kind of muscle tightness or joint pains as everything in your body are interlinked with each other. Overlooking such fitness factors may affect the proper functioning of other body joints and muscles as well. Hence, ensure that you address such issues at the earliest.
Cardio and weight training: The ideal fitness program for women should include exercises that increase their muscle tone and elevate their heart rate. A continuous, repetitive aerobic workout plan that affects all the large muscle groups in their body is the best option, when coupled with adequate strength training to retain and develop bone density.
Consistency: To see any form of measurable changes in your fitness levels, you should continue your workout and fitness program for a minimum of 12-13 weeks.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
This should be an advantageous time to be immersed in study or travel. Adventure and mental expansion may feel like top priorities to you. Your adventure sector has the support of four major planets, so it would be no surprise to find you at the library or dashing off to the airport. You may soak up information like a sponge, but the challenge may come in what to do with all that data. You may have to recall your experiences in a meaningful way, so be sure to take good notes along the way.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
You may receive news regarding your taxes or some other financial matter. Do not worry; you may simply be missing a piece of information or other detail, but it may be important to follow through on it. In other words, don't dally. It may be that you simply need to find a receipt or fill in a blank on a form that you overlooked. By the same token you may find yourself helping an elderly relative with paperwork as well. This may be an opportunity to show your devotion and dependability.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 This may be an excellent time to pause before you speak. You will have a powerful collection of planets in your relationship sector. You may try to make a mutual decision on a project, and this may be one time when you simply don't see eye to eye. Diversity does make for good outcomes, though, so try to view this as an opportunity to be responsible and mindful of your partner’s views. You do like to stand by your thoughts, but you might do better if you bend a little this time.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
This may be a great time to consider volunteer work. If you have good intentions, you may be surprised by what is asked of you. The challenge may come from taking on too much. If you are tapped out by your regular responsibilities, you may find that the extra effort to help others has its downside, but still worthy in the end. The end may be in sight, so simply go the extra mile, and get the job done once and for all.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 Having fun and being creative may never have seemed so exciting. You have plenty of activity and action in your creative sector, so things may be coming up roses with four wonderful planets there to support you. As fun as it may be, you still may have that deadline looming in the distance. If you are working with others to meet that due date, see if you can convince them to put in extra hours and get over that finish line on time. Responsibility has its own set of rewards.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 Life may be rich and full of promise as you scout out new living arrangements. You should do quite well with lots of support in your house and home sector. While all of that may feel right, you may still have to divide your time with your career. Working and moving can be a challenge, but once you settle in, you'll be glad you made the move. You might make a point to check your work email frequently and text a few team players to stay in close contact.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
You may seem to be in high demand, as your knowledge will have great appeal to colleagues and clients. To sweeten the situation, you may also have lots to say. A new book or presentation might get you out on the road and in front of new faces. While your excitement may be real, you may face a few travel challenges so be wise and allow for flexibility on your part. A wonderful opportunity may be waiting for you, but it may require more than a taxi to get there.
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Moral Story
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SMS
“3 nice thoughts-
“Kill the tension before tension kills YOU”.
“Reach your goal before goal kicks YOU”,
“Live LIFE before LIFE leaves YOU”:-).”
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love will not serve those who do not live for her, and in her, and to whom she is not the breath of life.
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
Husband: can u be the moon of my life?
Wife: Awww Yes sweetheart..!
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Husband: Great! then….
Stay 9,955,887.6 kms away from Me..!!!
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HRD ministry seeks expenditure panel’s nod for higher education drive
NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry has sought the Expenditure Finance Committee's clearance for its mammoth Rashtriaya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) that is going to cost Rs 98,983 crore over the 12th and 13th Plan.
RUSA, to be launched in mission mode, aims to take the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 32% by 2022-23. The current GER is estimated to be around 20%. In its proposal, the ministry has said the overall growth in GER hinges on the quality of 286 state universities and thousands of colleges. But funding of these institutions by state governments is abysmally low. For instance, the average spending by state government on higher education is 0.5% of Gross State Domestic Product (GDSP). In case of states like Maharashtra and Jharkhand it is as low as 0.14% of GSDP. Out of 286 state universities, 104 do not receive any funding from the UGC and only 6,787 colleges out of 35,539 central/state/private colleges get central funding. Even the rest who get the central fund it is not substantive.
RUSA proposes to fill this gap. In the process it would subsume two existing centrally-sponsored schemes, namely the plan to set up a model degree college in 374 educationally-backward districts and incentive to state government or setting up new institutions and expanding existing institutions. Funding scheme for RUSA would be in the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and north-eastern states and J&K. In case of special category states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh funding would be in the ratio of 75:25 and for rest of the country it would be in the ratio of 65:35.
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Bayern Munich humiliate Barcelona to reach Champions League final
BARCELONA: Bayern Munich cruised into a first all-German Champions League final when they routed Barcelona 3-0 at the Nou Camp on Wednesday to secure a crushing 7-0 aggregate success.
The newly-crowned Bundesliga champions, who will play Borussia Dortmund in the May 25 final in London, had effectively killed off the tie with last week's 4-0 victory and there was no way back for Barca when Arjen Robben blasted the ball past Victor Valdes in the 49th minute.
Barca's humiliation was completed late in the game when Gerard Pique skewed the ball into his own net and Thomas Mueller, who scored twice in last week's first leg, nodded a third for Bayern who are seeking a fifth European crown.
The Spaniards, last defeated in both legs of a European knockout tie in 1987, were deprived of the talents of Lionel Messi, who is coming back from a hamstring injury and was left on the bench. Without the talismanic World Player of the Year they barely threatened.
"We played an outstanding game but there is a difference of Barca with and without Messi. But it is a result one could not forecast," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes told ZDF television.
"I know the philsophy of Barcelona and my team understood extremely well how to deploy our tactics. It was harder than it looked. My team was very focused... we knew what we were up against."
Cesc Fabregas was initially deployed in Messi's roving forward role in a three-pronged attack with Spain team mates Pedro and David Villa.
Bayern were first to threaten when Robben burst clear on the left in the 13th minute but the Dutch winger was denied by a fine covering tackle from Pique.
The Spain centre back made another excellent intervention to nip the ball away from Philipp Lahm six minutes later before Manuel Neuer had to be alert to tip a long-range Pedro effort over the crossbar and Xavi volleyed high and wide when well placed.
As the half wore on and Bayern looked increasingly comfortable against Barca's toothless attacks, their boisterous fans high up in the stadium began to make themselves heard on a balmy night in the Catalan capital.
The home crowd were silenced two minutes later when David Alaba sprayed the ball across to Robben on the right wing and he cut inside Adriano before crashing a left-foot drive past Valdes.
Barca now needed six goals to get through and any fans looking towards the bench to see if Messi was warming up were disappointed.
The Germans began to stroke the ball around in the style Barca have made their own in recent years, each pass being greeted with an "Ole!" from their travelling support.
Barca huffed and puffed for a goal to salvage some pride but Pique's own goal and Mueller's back-post header completed a miserable night.
Bayern will be appearing in the final for the third time in four seasons after defeats to Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea last season and are on course for a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.
Their success at the Nou Camp may help them banish the painful memory of losing a dramatic Champions League final there against Manchester United in 1999, when the English Premier struck twice late on for a 2-1 comeback triumph.
Barca should wrap up the La Liga title in the next couple of weeks but a domestic league title is scant reward for a team which has set a new standard for European club football in recent years.
Dortmund reached the final after overcoming Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate on Tuesday.
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Bombay Talkies
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Bombay Talkies
Movie Name : Bombay Talkies
Release Date : May 3, 2013
Genre : Anthology
Producer : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures & Ashi Dua
Director : Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar
Music Director : Amit Trivedi
Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Saqib Saleem, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor.
Synopsis:
Bombay Talkies is a 2013 Indian anthology film consisting of four short films, directed by Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee. The film will release on May 3, 2013, to mark the centenary year of Indian cinema.
Dream Desire Thought Joy Pain Want Love Sorrow - Four story tellers come together to celebrate the emotion of cinema.The film's story revolves around the lives and problems of common people of our society while all the actors who played their roles looks much perfect and real.
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The Statue of Liberty's tablet is two feet thick.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
Keep your dream
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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“We can win life by all means if we simply avoid two things in our lives.“Comparing with others” and “Expecting from others.” ”
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