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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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Iceland's clean vision offers a blueprint for the world
Through sustainable farming, business, innovation, and making the most of its as yet largely untapped natural resources, Iceland has the potential to become a completely sustainable nation from which others can learn..
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China hosts Middle East peace forum
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations praised China's growing involvement in the Mideast peace process, saying it enhances the efforts of other nations and should continue to expand. The conference is part of a regular series of United Nations-sponsored discussions involving UN officials, diplomats, academics, and present and former members of the Palestinian and Israeli parliaments.
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Mali and Tuareg rebels sign accord
Mali, which lost half its territory last year to a rebel invasion, signed an accord Tuesday with Tuareg separatists who still control the country's northernmost province, paving the way for the Malian military to return to the areas that remain under rebel control. The agreement, which was signed in front of reporters by two Tuareg representatives and an emissary of the Malian government in Ouagadougou, where the two sides have been holding talks, calls for a cease-fire to go into effect immediately.
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US President Obama to revive push for nuclear weapons cuts in Berlin speech
President Barack Obama will use a speech on Wednesday to revive proposals for a world without nuclear arms by targeting cuts in deployed nuclear weapons of up to a third below levels achieved in a 2010 treaty with Russia, a senior US official said. 'The US intent is to seek negotiated cuts with Russia so that we can continue to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures,' said the US official.
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World Round-Up
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Why the political isolation of Narendra Modi is temporary
Indian politics, says Pratap Bhanu Mehta, is not plagued by too much confrontation, but a covert consensus. He also surmises that the real political and economic consensus on most issues makes it important for there to be a confrontational attitude to individuals. Our politics is thus about confrontational personalities, not opposing ideologies or policies.
A classic example is that of Narendra Modi. There is now a universal outward consensus against him between the ruling party at the centre and the various other opposition parties in centre and states. But the opposition is to him as an individual, even though it is couched as a consensus in favour of secularism.
Why else would Nitish Kumar say Advani-Good-Modi-Bad when the former is the ideological father of the Ram mandir movement that brought leaders like Modi to the fore?
If Modi stands in splendid isolation today, it would appear that he represents a break from the consensual leader. But once again the disagreement over Modi is all about optics.
He is criticised as arrogant and a one-man show, but once again there is a hidden consensus in all political parties that effectively endorses Modi-like arrogance and one-person shows.
Consider the imperiousness of a Mayawati. She will talk to the media when she chooses to and no inconvenient questions will be entertained. Consider the touchy isolation of Mamata Banerjee. Is the Trinamool anything other than a one-woman show?
Ditto for Jayalalithaa. And ditto even for Nitish Kumar. Read Jaya Jaitley’s article in The Indian Express on how Nitish treated George Fernandes and got him defeated. Read also about how he has reduced Sharad Yadav to a cipher. The Janata Dal (United) is about Nitish and no one else, just as the Gujarat BJP is about Modi. Fullstop.
Then consider the Sonia-Rahul duo. Neither will descend from their palaces except for their own purposes. Neither is called arrogant by anyone in the media, but their decision to stay in isolation and refusal to be questioned for anything reeks of arrogance in reality.
So we can see two kinds of consensus here: a real consensus that in Indian politics, only one person should call the shots. And the other is that every person in power should wear an outward garb of humility, never mind whether this humility is genuine or fake.
Why even Modi kept his alleged arrogance aside when he sought Keshubhai Patel’s blessing after winning last December’s Gujarat elections and, more recently, his visit to LK Advani.
It may be fair to presume that Modi does not think much of Advani’s current role in the party, but that did not prevent him from displaying public reverence to the elder statesman.
Mehta’s insight that we build our politics around personalities rather than policy is largely true. The Congress tomtoms growth, just like Modi, but will talk aam aadmi welfarism too.
The BJP is not a study in contrasts. It will oppose the Food Security Bill not for its mindless populism, but for not being even more generous in handouts to the alleged poor.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
The Sun's entry into Cancer today will emphasize now and over the next month just how fundamental and enjoyable a supportive home and a loving family can truly be.If things are running well there, your foundation is strong for going out into the world to make your mark every day. Balance your focus in the world with a continual investment and appreciation for what and who supports you, and you'll ensure it lasts.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
As the Sun enters Cancer today, it will also enter your communication sector, where it will remain for about a month, putting an emphasis not only on what you say but how you say it. A gentle and kind style may be best, but don't let it be at the expense of the bottom-line point you're trying to convey. Jupiter ensures more success if you focus on the positive and communicate solutions and ideas, rather than stopping at pointing out problems.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 The approaching full moon in practical Capricorn may have already begun to call your attention to your finances, not just in short-term budgeting but also long-term investments and financial plans. Identify your top priorities in living with enough of a feeling of security as well as what you want to have in the future and the resources you'll need to do it. The Sun moves into your financial sector today as well, so remember and have confidence that not all of your resources are monetary. Your skills and abilities make you the whole package.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
The Sun enters Cancer today, kicking off your birthday season and a reason to celebrate yourself. You instinctively care for others in your life, but now's the time to make sure you're placing yourself on the top of that list. The approaching full moon may already be bringing a certain relationship into focus. Think pragmatically about the balance between you and this person and how you allow that person to support you.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 The Sun's entry into Cancer today marks an ideal time to slow the pace down and enjoy life, but the approaching full moon will culminate in your work sector, which may make it challenging to balance life's demands with your own. However, balance is the key subject for this full moon on June 23; it may emphasize the areas of your life that are not in balance. Working harder may not be the answer; making more room for pleasure in your life, though counterintuitive when you have so much to do, may actually be the place to start..
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India under watch? Govt 'sets up' system to tap phone calls, e-mail
India has launched a wide-ranging surveillance programme that will give its security agencies and even income tax officials the ability to tap directly into e-mails and phone calls without oversight by courts or parliament, several sources said.
The expanded surveillance in the world's most populous democracy, which the government says will help safeguard national security, has alarmed privacy advocates at a time when allegations of massive US digital snooping beyond American shores has set off a global furore.
"If India doesn't want to look like an authoritarian regime, it needs to be transparent about who will be authorized to collect data, what data will be collected, how it will be used, and how the right to privacy will be protected," said Cynthia Wong, an Internet researcher at New York-based Human Rights Watch.
The Central Monitoring System (CMS) was announced in 2011 but there has been no public debate and the government has said little about how it will work or how it will ensure that the system is not abused.
The government started to quietly roll the system out state by state in April this year, according to government officials. Eventually it will be able to target any of India's 900 million landline and mobile phone subscribers and 120 million Internet users.
Interior ministry spokesman KS Dhatwalia said he did not have details of CMS and therefore could not comment on the privacy concerns. A spokeswoman for the telecommunications ministry, which will oversee CMS, did not respond to queries. Indian officials said making details of the project public would limit its effectiveness as a clandestine intelligence-gathering tool.
"Security of the country is very important. All countries have these surveillance programmes," said a senior telecommunications ministry official, defending the need for a large-scale eavesdropping system like CMS.
"You can see terrorists getting caught, you see crimes being stopped. You need surveillance. This is to protect you and your country," said the official, who is directly involved in setting up the project. He did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.
No independent oversight
The new system will allow the government to listen to and tape phone conversations, read e-mails and text messages, monitor posts on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and track searches on Google of selected targets, according to interviews with two other officials involved in setting up the new surveillance programme, human rights activists and cyber experts.
In 2012, India sent in 4,750 requests to Google Inc for user data, the highest in the world after the United States.
Security agencies will no longer need to seek a court order for surveillance or depend, as they do now, on Internet or telephone service providers to give them the data, the government officials said. Government intercept data servers are being built on the premises of private telecommunications firms. These will allow the government to tap into communications at will without telling the service providers, according to the officials and public documents. The top bureaucrat in the federal interior ministry and his state-level deputies will have the power to approve requests for surveillance of specific phone numbers, e-mails or social media accounts, the government officials said.
While it is not unusual for governments to have equipment at telecommunication companies and service providers, they are usually required to submit warrants or be subject to other forms of independent oversight. "Bypassing courts is really very dangerous and can be easily misused," said Pawan Sinha, who teaches human rights at Delhi University. In most countries in Europe and in the United States, security agencies were obliged to seek court approval or had to function with legal oversight, he said. The senior telecommunications ministry official dismissed suggestions that India's system could be open to abuse. "The home secretary has to have some substantial intelligence input to approve any kind of call tapping or call monitoring. He is not going to randomly decide to tape anybody's phone calls," he said.
"If at all the government reads your e-mails, or taps your phone, that will be done for a good reason. It is not invading your privacy, it is protecting you and your country," he said. The government has arrested people in the past for critical social media posts although there have been no prosecutions. In 2010, India's Outlook news magazine accused intelligence officials of tapping telephone calls of several politicians, including a government minister. The accusations were never proven, but led to a political uproar.
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Stay fit with candle-light yoga
Stay fit with vertical marathons, crosstrain and candle-light yoga.
Climbing 10 floors of a building 10 times in 30 minutes. Sounds scary? Well, it certainly didn't deter a bunch of fitness enthusiasts who recently conducted a mini vertical marathon. Also, in a bid to break away from routine, groups of people have added a twist to their yoga sessions by trying out candle-light yoga, and to beat mental stress, some have even tried to perfect their hand at fire poi. Here's a look at some of these fun workouts that have caught the fancy of fitness freaks:
CrossTrain workouts
This workout is about functional movement wherein you perform actions of running, jumping, squatting, throwing, pushing, etc at a high intensity. This workout is literally like a boot camp. Even in the pouring rain, you see people working out thrice a week. "Come cold, heat or rain, we carry on. It's fun, inspiring, it builds your stamina and makes you fitter," says Pawan Jani, a personal trainer. "It's about high intensity functional movement. You will rarely do the same workout twice. By doing something different every time, you keep the body guessing and eliminate plateaus and boredom common in traditional programmes. Certain benchmark workouts, however, are repeated every 2-3 months to measure performance improvements," adds Pawan.
Vertical Run
A vertical marathon is an alternative to the road marathons wherein participants climb stairs.
Candle-light yoga
As the name suggests, participants do yoga in candle-light. The focus is to be calmer and more relaxed as you go through various yoga asanas. A group of women, who attend yoga classes together, decided to try out something new. "Yoga is also a form of meditation and lighting a candle adds to the experience. I heard about candle-light yoga from a friend living in the UK so we thought of trying it out," says homemaker Kavita Shashidhar. "Post 7.30 pm, we laid our mats out in my garden and lit candles. It was a beautiful experience. We included meditation as well as power yoga and worked out for an hour in the open," she adds.
Fire Poi
It's a performance art aimed at bettering your eye, hand and body coordination. One twirls a poi, which can be made with various materials. It is a good muscle toner and more of a stress buster. As you twirl the fire baton, you need coordination of the eyes, a focussed mind and body movement. Pastry chef Namrataa Kripallani, who undertook a workshop in Poi recently, says, "It's more fun than a routine workout. It betters your coordination and tones your arms.".
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
While you've been busy with projects of your own, the rest of the world is trying to reach you. The Sun's entry into Cancer today will emphasize your social life now and over the next month. Don't waste time on talk about the weather; this can be an opportunity to connect with people from whom you can gain support, especially those that share your ideals and goals. This month, you can accomplish more with the support of others than alone..
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
Today and over the next month, the Sun travels through your public and career sector, so prepare to be in the spotlight. What do you want to show others about what you are really about? The upcoming full moon on June 23 will make it clear to you what you really care about and what your priorities are. Take the opportunity to make it as obvious to others as it is to you, and those in high places may be able to give you opportunities in return.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 The upcoming full moon on June 23 may find you caught between two ideas or decisions, one practical and focused on problem-solving; the other intuitive and driven by what you feel is right, despite all the logical arguments. Jupiter puts his two cents in as well by encouraging you to lean toward the one that you feel stretches you the most. Whatever you settle on, you don't do anything halfway, so lean all the way into it once you make the decision..
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
Someone may be inclined to offer you monetary support or let you take advantage of his or her resources as the power of the full moon strengthens over the next two days. Although you may appreciate the generosity, think twice about whether you should take the offer, especially if there could be strings attached. Don't refuse merely to prove to yourself that you can do it on your own. There is no shame in accepting support graciously.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 Your focus shifts a bit from work to social matters and relationships as the Sun enters Cancer today. With the strength of the Cancer full moon building now, you may find an important relationship needs your care and attention, but you may feel torn if tending to another has you feeling like your needs must take a backseat. Jupiter's involvement says generosity always pays off, but think twice about doing it begrudgingly if your heart isn't in it..
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 As the full moon approaches, you may feel like circumstances at work have you taking care of everyone or everything with a little too much to do. You like to be busy but many personal demands on your time may have you feeling boxed in quickly. Take a little personal time between now and June 23, even if you are still working. The solace of being alone may help you focus.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
The world has its schedule, and it expects you to fall in line, but consider whether you've been playing by society's well-meaning rules at the expense of your own happiness and creativity. As the Sun spends the next month in Cancer, don't hesitate to take life moment to moment, as is your nature. Jupiter will lend his positivity to this full moon, assuring you that surprisingly wonderful things can happen when you don't insist on having complete control over everything
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Moral Story
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SMS
When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.
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LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
“People are islands,' she said. 'They don't really touch. However close they are, they're really quite separate. Even if they've been married for fifty years.”
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Good leaders have a servant’s heart. To some, the term servant implies low respect; Jesus equated servanthood with greatness. Long-term respect does not come from status or ability – it is earned by serving those you are called to lead.
Teacher to Student: Kid, your essay on "My Dog"
is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy from him?
Student: No, teacher, it's about the same dog!
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Delhi University: High marks in maths to help in many courses
NEW DELHI: Having studied mathematics at Class XII or scoring high in the subject will come handy for admission to many undergraduate courses in Delhi University.
Besides making mathematics a mandatory subject in the best of four, DU's additional criteria for general candidates have made the marks in this subject crucial not only for bachelor of mathematics but also for popular courses like economics, statistics, computer science and commerce in many colleges.
For example, at Acharya Narendra Dev College, the admission to computer science would require aspirants to have at least 60% in maths and the same is true for economics in Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College.
The majority of the colleges offering economics as Discipline 1 are asking for mathematics as a mandatory subject in Class XII and a minimum score. The colleges like Dyal Singh requires one to score 85% in maths, while in Lady Shri Ram and Kirori Mal colleges one needs at least 80% and 70%, respectively, in Class XII mathematics for economics. At Shri Ram College of Commerce, too, 70% or above in mathematics is essential for economics.
For bachelor in commerce, the cutoff at Dyal Singh will be higher by 2% for those who have not studied mathematics. For mathematics, too, colleges like Hindu and Hansraj are demanding at least 90% in the subject in Class XII.
For science subjects, mathematics is crucial. Sri Venkateswara is demanding at least mathematics pass at Class XII for statistics while it is mandatory in the aggregate for bachelor in biochemistry. At Kirori Mal, at least 90% in mathematics is mandatory for statistics. LSR is demanding at least 88% in mathematics for statistics and 90% for mathematics. At Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, 75% in mathematics is compulsory for computer science.
"Scoring high in mathematics and English at the Class XII level is always helpful as these are some of the most common mandatory subjects in the best of four options and, therefore, it does boost the aggregate," said P C Jain, principal of SRCC.
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Ind vs SL: Bhuvneshwar Kumar gives India early breakthrough
NEW DELHI: Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck to give Sri Lanka early blow as he dismissed Kusal Perera in the second semifinal of the Champions Trophy at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
Scorecard
Earlier, Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl after rain delayed the scheduled start by 30 minutes but did not lead to a reduction in overs.
Indian retained their winning composition while Sri Lanka included Jeevan Mendis and Thisara Perera in place of Dinesh Chandimal and Shaminda Eranga
Both sides must bat for a minimum of 20 overs for a result to be declared.
The wet outfield delayed the toss by 40 minutes. The rain had stopped before the scheduled start time of 10.30 am (0930 GMT) but the covers were still in place over damp patches on the outfield.
If this game is washed out, India will go through to the final as they come into the knockout stages as the toppers of their group.
India will be the fancied team on paper but the Lankans are also on a high after defeating both England and Australia en route to the semifinal, which would be a repeat of the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai.
While India were the first team to make the last four from the tournament's Group of Death with an all-win record, Sri Lanka grabbed the last semifinal berth on Tuesday after warding off a late challenge from Australia.
The 20-run win against the Aussies at The Oval enabled the Lankans to finish level on points with England, but an inferior run-rate pushed them to No. 2 and earned them a date with India at the Sophia Gardens.
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Ghanchakkar
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Ghanchakkar
Movie Name : Ghanchakkar
Release Date : June 28, 2013
Genre : Romance, Comedy
Producer : Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Director : Rajkumar Gupta
Music Director : Amit Trivedi
Cast : Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Rajesh Sharma, Namit Das
Synopsis:
Ghanchakkar movie is a quasi-realistic urban comedy-thriller highlighting the absurdity of certain real human situations.
Emraan plays the title character in Ghanchakkar - a suave, master safe cracker wants to retire from a career in crime, he decides to team up with two dangerous criminals to commit one last heist. A bank robbery that will ensure that he never has to worry about money again! Everything goes according to plan.
Sanju is given the task of hiding the money till things cool down and the booty can be split. Two months later the associates return to collect their share of the loot, but Sanju refuses to even recognize them! What dangerous game is Sanju playing?
Ghanchakkar is a crazy, quirky rollercoaster suspense ride that will surprise, shock and entertain the audience at every turn.
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85% of plant life is found in the ocean.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
The Dreaming Priest
Long time ago there lived a priest who was extremely lazy and poor at the same time. He did not want to do any hard work but used to dream of being rich one day. He got his food by begging for alms. One morning he got a pot of milk as part of the alms. He was extremely delighted and went home with the pot of milk. He boiled the milk, drank some of it and put the remaining milk in a pot. He added slight curds in the pot for converting the milk to curd. He then lay down to sleep.
Soon he started imagining about the pot of curd while he lay asleep. He dreamed that if he could become rich somehow all his miseries would be gone. His thoughts turned to the pot of milk he had set to form curd. He dreamed on; “By morning the pot of milk would set, it would be converted to curd. I would churn the curd and make butter from it. I would heat the butter and make ghee out of it. I will then go to that market and sell that ghee, and make some money. With that money i will buy a hen. The hen will lay may eggs which will hatch and there will be many chicken. These chicken will in turn lay hundreds of eggs and I will soon have a poultry farm of my own.” He kept on imagining.
“I will sell all the hens of my poultry and buy some cows, and open a milk dairy. All the town people will buy milk from me. I will be very rich and soon I shall buy jewels. The king will buy all the jewels from me. I will be so rich that I will be able to marry an exceptionally beautiful girl from a rich family. Soon I will have a handsome son. If he does any mischief I will be very angry and to teach him a lesson, I will hit him with a big stick.”During this dream, he involuntarily picked up the stick next to his bed and thinking that he was beating his son, raised the stick and hit the pot. The pot of milk broke and he awoke from his day dream.
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"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
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