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A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
| VBA's Positive News |
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China offers India a 'handshake across the Himalayas'
India and China will study new ways to ease tensions on their ill-defined border after an army standoff in the Himalayas, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday on his first official foreign trip. The number two in the Chinese leadership offered New Delhi a 'handshake across the Himalayas'. At a joint news conference with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the two men appeared smiling and relaxed. India's Foreign Ministry said they got on well. China and India disagree about large areas of their 4,000 km (2,500 mile) border and fought a brief war 50 years ago. Li said he chose New Delhi as his first destination on his four-nation tour to show how important India is for China.
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Chinese, Indian leaders call for cooperation
The leaders of India and China played down their recent border dispute and other tensions Monday, pledging to work together for regional stability and the economic growth of the world's two most populous nations. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought Monday to focus on the opportunities for cooperation between their nations. Li is to visit Pakistan, Switzerland, and Germany after leaving India.
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Ireland: Ryanair keeps growing, reports record profits
Ryanair reported record profits Monday as Europe's largest budget airline expanded its route network across the continent and into North Africa. Ryanair's share price also surged to an all-time high after the Dublin-based carrier predicted it would enjoy similar, if not better, earnings in the coming year. During the year, Ryanair opened up new bases in Croatia, Greece, Morocco, the Netherlands, and Poland.
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Myanmar leader making landmark White House visit
Myanmar President Thein Sein on Monday becomes the first Myanmar President to be welcomed to the White House in almost 47 years, crowning a dramatic diplomatic rehabilitation for his nation after years of international isolation. President Sein arrived in Washington, DC Saturday, six months after President Obama made history with an unprecedented US presidential visit to the country also known as Burma.
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Video of the Day:
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World Round-Up
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Rahul Gandhi removes all eight zonal presidents from UP Cong
New Delhi: Amid mounting complaints to Rahul Gandhi, Congress on Monday removed all the eight zonal presidents in Uttar Pradesh including two Union Ministers RPN Singh and Jitin Prasada and CWC member Rasheed Masood and brought in local leaders in their place.
Zonal presidents who faced the axe included senior leaders like PL Punia and Rajaram Pal, MP and state leaders Vivek Singh, Anugrah Narayan Singh and Bijendra Singh.
They were appointed as zonal presidents only in late 2012 and there were complaints of 'non-performance' against them in reaching out to the people.
The move to have zonal presidents and vice presidents was the brainchild of Gandhi as part of his plans to tone up the organisation.
The new Zonal Incharges are: Pankaj Malik, MLA, Deepak Kumar, former Minister, Vinod Chowdhery, ex-MLA, Digvijaya Singh, Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, MLA, Bhagwati Chaudhary, Sanjay Kapoor, MLA and Dr Muslim, MLA.
Of these, Malik and Tripathi had earlier been Zonal Vice-Presidents.
The new Zonal Coordinators are: Virendra Singh Guddu, Dilnawaz, MLA, Bansidhar Raj, former Minister, Aslam Rainee, Chandra Shekhar Singh, Virendra Chowdhery, Phoolwati Saini and Yogesh Dixit. Of these, Rainee was a Zonal Vice-President in the outgoing setup.
Reports had it that Gandhi had taken a dim view of the functioning of the zonal presidents as several of them failed to visit even the district headquarters under their charge while some others did so fleetingly.
Along with the zonal incharges and coordinators, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also appointed 31 District Congress chiefs.
Uttar Pradesh is politically most crucial state for the Congress having sent 22 Lok Sabha members out of 80 in the last Parliament elections.
The party, however, suffered a debacle in the Assembly elections in 2012 as it secured just 28 seats in the 403-member House.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
You may already feel the potency behind Friday night's lunar eclipse building - especially if you're involved in any legal matter or international business. Something important might be coming to culmination now, and if so, there's likely to be a contract or verbal agreement involved. Rest assured that despite any second guessing or anxiety, you'll make the right decision now. Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter will be tightly connected at the time of this eclipse in your communication sector. Trust your judgment.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
The solar eclipse on May 9 likely brought with it a significant event since it occurred in Taurus. While you may feel more drained than usual (Saturn is also opposing your Sun), at the same time it's clear that you're building a strong personal foundation now and overcoming any obstacles presented by others. Continue to plan and move steadily forward knowing that you'll have the financial resources to back you up as well as the determination to reach your goal.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 Although the upcoming lunar eclipse won't occur until later Friday night, you might already feel things begin to stir between you and a close partner. If it has become clear that you are no longer a fit, you might part ways. This might be a personal relationship but can also be a business link. The good news is that you'll be in a strong position since Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter will all be in Gemini. Whatever happens will clearly be in your best interests.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
You might decide that it's time to find a new job. Alternatively, various circumstances beyond your control may necessitate you giving notice that you'll be leaving your current position. If this happens, know that an even better one is on the horizon - one that will actually help to elevate your status. Friday night's lunar eclipse in your workaday sector will be at a fine angle to Uranus, now in your career sector. A breakthrough is likely.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 Your social life is certainly busy and filled with pleasure these days. You might find yourself making rounds at several different events or parties on the weekend lately since you'll have a difficult time refusing any invitation! Not only are you likely to be the center of attention at these gatherings, but you'll soak up every drop of flattery that comes your way. If you're single, don't be surprised if a new romantic prospect opens up through a friend's introduction.
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Cooperative-commercial link could fuel systemic risk: RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has stumbled upon a possible nexus between cooperative and commercial banks that, in its opinion, could be allowing large amounts of unaccounted funds to be channelled into banks.
The RBI has extended its initial probe into three private sector banks to 30 banks — the thematic study on these banks is yet to be made public. Commercial banks, RBI's report says, allowed clients of cooperative banks to issue at par cheques on them for third-party payments and remittances. Large parts of this money may have found its way into mutual funds and insurance schemes.
The central bank may disallow cheques of commercial banks to be used by a third party, as a demand draft or an at par cheque. The RBI plans to re-visit allowing cooperative banks to draw at par cheques on commercial banks for third-party payments and remittances, since it believes this is necessary to prevent systemic risks to the banking system. The RBI has found instances of DD payments being stopped, although this is not permitted; the central bank feels that DDs may have been obtained by depositing cash and the cancelled DDs are repaid by a pay order, a process allowing unaccounted money to become legitimate. Indeed, concerns on the "inter-connectedness" in the system, the RBI says warrants a relook at the 'fit and proper' criteria of existing banks.
In a report that captures how a few banks have been flouting KYC and other norms relating to customer identification, thereby allowing customers to transact in cash, the RBI highlights the inadequacies in the system needed to flag large cash transactions or suspicious transactions noting that less than 1% of these were reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) over the past three years. "This could be mainly attributed to the negligible number of employees deployed by each of these banks for monitoring and closure of alerts," the central bank notes. The report follows an investigation by the RBI into allegations of money laundering in the banking system by the news website Cobrapost.
The probe revealed that banks were accepting cash deposits above R50,000 without proper PAN card details and also that transactions were being split to keep the amount below R50,000 so that customers did not need to submit a PAN card. The report notes that "there was predominance of high value of cash transactions without PAN. Moreover, in many cases where PAN was provided, it was dummy PAN."
The most serious concerns appear to be centred around the "huge amounts of cash" being funnelled into the banking system through cooperative banks. The RBI feels banks are drawn to this kind of business due to the float funds and fixed deposits they may attract from cooperative banks. The report finds that Axis Bank had a float of R863 crore or 3.2% of daily current account balances while HDFC Bank had a float of R473 crore or 1.15% of the average daily current account balances.
The RBI may also clamp down on banks selling third-party products including gold and insurance products, since it has stumbled upon several malpractices. At ICICI Bank, for instance, it was found that cash deposits of R1 -10 lakh were being accepted for investment in insurance products. At HDFC Bank, it was found that KYC norms were not being followed for walk-in customers to whom it sold insurance products. ICICI Bank did not respond to an email query sent by FE.
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Exercises for staying mentally fit
Staying fit mentally is as important as maintaining our physical health. It is vital to exercise our brain regularly just like we exercise the rest of our body.
According to studies, physical activity and brain exercise programs help reduce anxiety and depression in individuals. Moreover, such programs also play a key role in enhancing the plasticity of the brain which is its ability to continue to develop and change throughout your life.
Due to this unique physical process of brain plasticity, people can grow and develop their mental capacities throughout their lifetime. There are various ways by which you can stimulate your brain to strengthen its functioning and remain fit mentally. Read on...
Solving puzzles: Did you know that brain growth in humans is a continuous process? Even in old age, studies have shown that the brain can rewire itself and grow new neurons or brain cells. Whatever, age-related memory loss occurs is due to the lack of adequate mental stimulation. Stimulating your brain with crossword puzzles or Sudoku helps to improve brain function and prevent any form of cognitive decline.
According to Cognitive Rx, such exercises particularly help to improve your left brain function which uses logic, knows facts and is detail oriented. You can even add complexity to such exercises by choosing puzzles with hidden themes.
Strategy games: Games of strategy like card games or board games are regarded as great brain stimulators. This is because they enable a person to think in logical patterns. With advancement of technology, computer or gaming systems also offer a great opportunity to challenge one's cognitive functions. However, it is imperative to avoid playing the same games at all times. Strategy games should be subjected to frequent alterations in terms of nature of the games and complexity.
Cardiovascular fitness: An effective way to boost your mental fitness is by indulging in cardio trainings. Besides improving your mental health, such form of exercises also prevents the fall of brain cells with age. Hence, cardio workouts are regarded as a great way to prevent age-related memory loss like Alzheimer's disease.
Neurobic exercises: These exercises involve intentional stimulation of the brain for increased mental fitness and flexibility. Wondering what is so specific about these exercises? For an exercise to be regarded as neurobic, it involves using more than one of your senses at a time for performing an ordinary work. Taking a shower with your eyes closed or using only visual cues while eating are all examples of neurobic training. This also involves breaking routine habits in an unexpected, novel way like taking a new route to work.
Relaxation techniques: The beneficial effects of relaxation techniques for stree relief have been known since a long time. Merely grabbing a few extra hours of sleep is not sufficient to combat stress. You need to activate the natural relaxation process of your body with the help of specific techniques.
This involves practicing deep breathing techniques, meditation, visualization, rhythmic exercises and yoga postures. All these fitness modules will enable you to overcome stress when it becomes overwhelming at times.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Be sure to make the most of the incredible career prospects that have come your way over the last year. Until June 24, Jupiter will continue to move through the area of your chart that rules accomplishment and honor. These days he's joined by Mercury and Venus - which makes even more of a statement. You'll want to pursue one of your most ambitious goals now because the universe is certainly conspiring to ensure that it's a smashing success. You can't go wrong!
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
Are you a writer? In the sales industry? In either scenario it's possible that you're gearing up to finish a major project - or make the sale of a lifetime! Be cautious when it comes to your endeavor if it's a team effort since your vision of this assignment may differ from someone else you're collaborating with. Don't assume that he or she disagrees with you - what's more likely is that others simply don't understand. Take the time to explain. You'll be glad you did.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 There's an interesting turn of events in store for you when it comes to money. Although it's possible that a source of income may dry up now, what you might also discover is that you're able to rely on another person's resources to help fill any gaps in your financial picture while you're figuring out how to regroup. You might also find that you're earning more money now from passive income, allowing you a greater amount of financial freedom altogether.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
A lunar eclipse in Sagittarius will fall late Friday night but you're likely to feel it already. If you're more sensitive, try not to be so hard on yourself. You might react strongly to news about a relationship going south - either in business or your personal life. You may also feel more physically drained, so be sure to get enough rest over the next several days. The good news? You're about to turn the page and begin writing an entire new chapter in the book of you.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 You continue to enjoy harmony at the workplace as well as plenty of extra assignments or freelance opportunities. In fact, until June 25, you may be in a position of overwork which might finally catch up to you. Indeed, it's possible that the upcoming lunar eclipse Friday night will be a clear sign that you've taken on so much extra work recently, that you're now exhausted. Take time to recharge. You deserve it.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 Your social life might be exhausting you - particularly if there's a friend you consider more high maintenance than usual. This pal might be going through a personal crisis. As a result, you may have noticed that he or she is leaning on you more and more. While you want to be there for your friend, at the same time you might need to admit that this situation is taking more of a toll on you than you anticipated. Recognize your limits.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
A turning point in your career is likely. If you've been working hard toward a professional goal, it's possible that soon you'll achieve it. In addition, whatever this feat is, it's likely to garner you plenty of attention and possibly even an important honor or award. Alternatively, if you're not on the right career path and have been increasingly unhappy, it's possible that you'll realize it's time to change fields. Be honest with yourself. Are you on track?
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Moral Story
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SMS
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
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LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
"True love doesn't mean being inseparable; it means being separated and nothing changes."
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
Some scientists decided to do the following experiments on a dog.
For the first experiment, they cut one of the dog's legs off, then they told the dog to walk. The dog got up and walked, so they they learned that a dog could walk with just three legs.
For the second experiment, they cut off a second leg from the dog, then they told the dog once more to walk. The dog was still able to walk with only two legs.
For the third experiment, they cut off yet another leg from the dog and once more they told the dog to walk. However, the dog wasn't able to walk with only one leg.
As a result of these three experiments, the scientists wrote in their final report that the dog had lost it's hearing after having three legs cut off.
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Delhi University asks English teacher to take math course
NEW DELHI: Here's another mindbender from Delhi University. An English teacher has been invited to an orientation programme on the foundation course, 'Building Mathematical Ability'. Her attendance, says the invite, is "mandatory".
The training for foundation courses kicked off on Monday with orientation programmes for 'Building Mathematical Ability' and 'Language, Literature and Creativity'.
Sherina Joshi, an English teacher at Deshbandhu College, was taken aback last week when she was intimated by the university that she has been selected for the first programme.
"I'm an English teacher and can never teach maths. I wrote to the university on Saturday expressing my inability to attend the training," Joshi said.
The three-day orientation programme was to get underway with VC Dinesh Singh's 'Introduction: Setting Scene'. It includes sessions on "paradigm shift in teaching methodology", "exploring the primes", "validation of simple mathematical models" and "quantification of experiences and data collection".
"Will a three-day crash course suffice? DU is playing with the careers of students. The Four-Year Undergraduate Programme is speeding up the destruction of higher education in India," physics teacher at Dayal Singh College Naveen Gaur said.
The foundation course includes five projects. These are: "Prepare a questionnaire for your friend on money spent by him under heads such as movies, mobile recharging, etc.", "Collect data about accidents by Blueline buses and DTC buses, is DTC safer"; "Visit a village near Delhi and collect data on various crops, temperature variation, rain effect, effect on crops"; "Predict a stock market crash/ outcome of an election/ infant mortality/weather" and "Visit kirana shop near your home and get data on sale of a particular commodity or stock and how to maximize profit".
Unlike the rest of the courses which were placed as agenda item in the statutory bodies of the university, DU continues to maintain silence on the identity of the 'experts' who designed the 11 foundation courses to be offered during the first two years of FYUP.
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Mumbai take on Chennai as fight for final spot begins
NEW DELHI: Just a stone's throw away from the Delhi Police headquarters, where the poking and prodding into the IPL's backstage shenanigans is being engineered with increased intensity, the Ferozeshah Kotla resembles a bubble universe.
Watch IPL Videos
Here, everybody has a mask on. This is the area under the spotlight which will be open to the public glare when Mumbai Indians face Chennai Super Kings in the first Qualifier. Here, the spot-fixing shame can be spoken about only in whispers or the occasional sneer, and where the show must go on at all costs come Tuesday.
It's an unenviable task. Ask any of the players, who went about their training routines in the searing mid-afternoon Monday heat, and all talk of corruption, police chasing fixers and bookies, team morale or tournament credibility is likely to be dismissed with a wave of the hand. Here, going by appearances, nothing ever happened to disrupt the big T20 party.
Pretensions, though, can only go so far. For one, there are new Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officers assigned to the remaining four franchises, as promised by the BCCI. MI and CSK have already been assigned an officer each who will stay and travel with the team and work with its security-in-charge, and the same will go for Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers, who play the Eliminator here on Wednesday.
On the eve of what people are referring to as the "dry run for the final" - the loser here gets one more shot at the title, courtesy the second qualifier in Kolkata - some questions were bound to be raised, no matter how uncomfortable. CSK coach Stephen Fleming, for one, tried to veer the discussion away from the controversies to the cricket as deftly as he could.
"It's very disappointing," he said of the spot-fixing bust, "The standard of cricket in the IPL has been excellent. It's a pity it's being overshadowed...we've got one week now to push aside some of the events. We want the IPL to finish on a high. Forget the rubbish that's being going on."
Fleming admitted every mishit, every no-ball, every change in the batting order and every dropped catch was in danger of facing both scrutiny and ridicule. "It's under suspicion from the outside... you (the players) have to keep in isolation and be the best that you can be. We try to let nothing else crop up in the dressing room. We'd like to win tomorrow."
Purely in terms of the cricket, this is on paper the tournament's most explosive match-up. This is a neutral venue and the teams are hoping the Kotla pitch doesn't upset some plans. MI are desperate for their first title and CSK are the one team which could foul up their plans if they make the final.
MI have also beaten CSK twice this season, the second one by the huge margin of 60 runs, yet CSK handle pressure better and have a bevy of game-changers who can step up a gear. The team that wins will go into the final.
Mumbai Indians
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Coach: John Wright
X-Factor: Dhawal Kulkarni has the knack of getting early wickets. If the young seamer strikes a good rhythm, he can jolt the CSK innings. He can move the ball around and will be hungry to perform on a big stage.
Recent form: Under the stewardship of Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians have been a force to reckon with, having won all their eight matches at home. MI have shown that they have a number of match-winners who can turn a match on their day.
Weakness: Sachin Tendulkar is likely to make a comeback at the top of the order, but the senior batsman hasn't been in great form, having made 287 runs from 14 matches this season at an average of shade over 22. If the pitch is slow, it may aid CSK more.
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I Love New Year
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I Love New Year
Movie Name : I Love New Year
Release Date : May 24, 2013
Genre : Rom Com
Producer : Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar
Director : Radhika Rao, Vinay Sapru
Music Director : Pritam
Cast : Sunny Deol, Kangana Ranaut, Navin Choudhary, Tannishta Chatterjee, Prem Chopra, Reema Lagoo, Maya Alagh, Manoj Joshi, Jiten Mukhi, Virag Mishra, Arbaaz Khan
Synopsis:
I Love New Year is an upcoming romantic comedy film starring Sunny Deol and Kangana Ranaut in the lead. It's a story on what happens between two people in a span of two days over the New Year's Eve.
The movie follows two strangers, a beautiful musician (Kangana Ranaut) and a serious Wall Street banker (Sunny Deol), that have a chance encounter on New Year's Eve that the banker can't seem to remember and the events that come about as a result of the two meeting.
In 2011 directors Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru announced their intent to begin work on I Love New Year. The film originally had the working title of Happy New Year, but had to change the title due to Shahrukh Khan who also was using the title for a film he was working on during the same time period. Actors Sunny Deol and Kangana Ranaut are starring in the film, with Ranaut stating that she trained over a month in order to gain the correct expressions and body language of a musician. Filming commenced in summer of 2011 at Filmalaya Studios in Mumbai, with the final scenes having to be filmed in New York City.
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the names of all continents both start and end with the same letter.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
Great people are always humble
Lord Raama, the paramaathma, was ofcourse the greatest warrior ever. Lord Krishna in Bhagavadgita remarks “I am Raama among warriors”.
He learnt all the Shastras and unparalled Dhanurvidya under the guidance of the great Vasishtha.
He was also given super-human powers like bala, ati bala by the great Vishwamithra, the Rishi of Gayathri manthra.
Vishwamithra maharshi also taught him all the secret astras that ever existed, which only he in this whole universe knew (he originally learnt it from Lord Shiva).
In addition to these, Agasthya mahamuni gave him many additional powers.A few glimpses of Lord Raama’s valour:
With one arrow Raama kills taataki, the mighty raakshasi.
With two simultaneous arrows he kills subaahu and throws Maaricha seven seas away.
Effortlessly lifts the Shiva dhanush, which was pulled to the court by around 50000 well built people.
Raama kills Khara, Dhushana, their 1000 brothers and their army in 14 minutes single handed.
Despite being such a great warrior, he never displayed in strength on his own to show others. The anger on the samudra stands as a good example for this quality of Raama:
Raavana gives 30 days time to sita maata to decide if she will marry him, else will kill her.
Bharata took word from Raama saying that if he does’nt return on the next moment of 14 yrs of aranyavaas, then he will sacrifice himself.
Raama and his army reaches the shores of ocean with barely 30 days in hand.
They have to cross the ocean, defeat Ravana & his army, take sita back to ayodhya in around 30 days time.
With such a press for time and given the strength of Raama, Lakshmana suggests Raama not to spend time asking ocean God for way, but to order him.
What Raama does is unbelievable. Though he had the strength and power to control the ocean God, he did not do it.
He did penance on the shores of the ocean for 3 long days to give them a way.
Finally after 3 days Raama gets angry on the ocean and to make remember his duty, aims an astra at him and immediately ocean God appears and suggests a way of crossing him…
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"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
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