“The future starts today, not tomorrow. ”     VBA's Positive News US: Times Square takes yoga time-out on summer solstice New York's Times Square, one of the world's busiest crossroads, has come to a standstill to allow yoga enthusiasts to mark the summer solstice. The Manhattan square became a sea of yogis exercising in time on their mats, beneath the billboards. Tim Tompkins, co-founder of event, said part of its appeal was finding stillness and calm amid the city rush on the longest day of the year. Into its 11th year, the event has grown from three people to more than 15,000.     South Africa's supercomputing champs First-time entrant South Africa stunned heavyweights China and the USA at an international student supercomputing competition in Germany on Wednesday, scooping overall top honours with the highest scores across the board. 'South Africa's resounding success was unsuspected, dropping a few jaws in the hall since the country was a first-time entrant,' the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) said in a statement on Thursday. Sites in North Korea win World Heritage status The remains of a fortress that once surrounded Kaesong, the ancient capital of Korea's Koryo Dynasty, is among sites in North Korea that made it onto UNESCO's World Heritage list on Sunday. 'These valuable cultural relics are the pride of our nation and they are precious cultural relics that show the long history of our nation,' Kim Jin Sok, a researcher at Kaesong City Management Office for Preserving National Heritage, told The Associated Press. 'Also these relics, some preserved for very long periods, are well known as relics with which we can stand proud in the eyes of the world.' Vegies keep ticking over after harvest - US study Fruit and vegetables are still alive after they're picked, continuing to respond to changes in light across the day and night, a study has found. Fruits and vegetables respond to light signals and change their biology in ways that may affect health value and insect resistance, says Professor Janet Braam of Rice University in Houston, Texas. According to Braam, the compounds used by cabbages and other fruit and vegetables to prevent pest attack are also beneficial to humans. 'These same chemicals that are used in pest defence are also important metabolites for people. These are chemicals that are among the most potent natural anti-cancer compounds known,' she says.       Video of the Day:

World Round-Up

Political + Tewari hits back at Modi, says he is tom-tomming 'myths'     New Delhi: Accusing Narendra Modi of politicising the Uttarakhand tragedy, I&B Minister Manish Tewari on Sunday said that after making a "tourist detour" via the deluge-hit state, some people were tom-tomming "myths" that they had rescued thousands of people. "It is indeed unfortunate that when a part of India is trying to grapple with a natural disaster, there are some people who are absolutely unabashed in politicising it. They had to go to Pathankot so they make a tourist detour via Uttarakhand and then started claiming, that solo, they were able to rescue 15,000 people," Tewari said in an apparent reference to Modi. "If someone can put out such myths, I leave it to the people of the country, how reliable are their utterances and how profound are their achievements," he said. The Information and Broadcasting Minister was referring to reports which said Modi, on his trip to Uttarakhand, had with the help of a team of his officials managed to evacuate 15,000 people from the deluge-affected areas of the hill state. He also took pot shots at the Gujarat CM, saying his criticism of the UPA government's Bharat Nirman campaign reflected that the Opposition was scared. "The Bharat Nirman campaign has indeed hit where it hurts. And the hurt manifest themselves whenever the Chief Minister of Gujarat speaks. He has only seen phase-I of Bharat Nirman, there are other phases coming," Tewari said. "So, they should wait and prepare themselves because it is very evident that they are scared of facing the truth in the mirror of Bharat Nirman," he said. In his speech at Pathankot on Saturday afternoon, Modi took a dig at Bharat Nirman advertising campaign run by UPA government on various TV channels. "The advertisement said 'bharat ke nirman pe haq hai mera' (I have a right to India's development). I say 'bharat nirman pe shaq hai mera' (I have doubt over India's development)," Modi had said. Tewari told reporters here, "...If somebody wants to become a Rambo and claims that he alone in a span of two days during a trip of disaster tourism brought out 15,000 people, I am afraid for the lack of a better word, it just reflects rank opportunism and sheer desperation to try and politicise and even milk a tragedy for political reasons." Tewari rejected Modi's criticism of the UPA government on matters related to national security and economy in the speech that the BJP leader gave in Pathankot. "I am surprised that homilies are being delivered to us on national security by those people who had chaperoned terrorists all the way to Kandahar and by those people who on affidavit have submitted before the Supreme Court that their governments were responsible for killing innocents in fake encounters," he said. Tewari said the government was being subjected to homilies on economy but statistics show that from 1998 to 2004 (under NDA rule), Indian economy grew by 5.8 per cent while between 2004 and 2013 (under UPA), despite the economic meltdown, the economy grew at eight per cent. The minister counter attacked BJP on another barb that Modi had hurled at the government by saying there were two bosses in the country. "They say there are two power centres in Delhi. How many power 'un'centres are there in the Bharatiya Janata Party, may I ask?," he said, adding he had earlier tweeted that there was a civil between the Sangh and the party. Astrology   Aries March 21 to April 19 Jupiter will move into your domestic sector today, where it will remain for an entire year. While Jupiter is here, you can expect a once-in-twelve-year cycle of extraordinary opportunity for home and family expansion. You might decide to move or complete a renovation to your home. Whatever you do, you likely will experience it as an upsize - even if you don't move to more spacious living quarters. Your level of domestic harmony will be incredible.                                                     Taurus April 20 to May 20 If you're a writer, or in the sales or communications industry, expect plenty of prosperity. Today, Jupiter will enter your message sector, offering you an opportunity to expand - possibly financially - in this area of your life. You might write more than ever before or take on a teaching position or a new sales job. You might also find that your relationship with siblings improves and that you enjoy their company immensely.                                        Gemini May 21 to June 20 Get ready for a year of incredible financial growth. Jupiter will enter your earned income sector today, where it will remain for an entire year. Not only will this help boost your confidence in developing your talents and monetizing them, but if you use this cycle wisely, it'll help set you up for a stronger financial future as well. Be careful not to squander money on extravagant items, as you might be tempted.                              Cancer June 21 to July 22  This will be your year. Jupiter, the planet of abundance and prosperity, will enter Cancer - a once-in-twelve-year event. For the next year, you'll be the celestial favorite and can expect a plethora of doors to open in your life. You'll make vital new contacts, and any relationship you begin this year likely will be favorable. You'll also enjoy a fantastic sense of optimism, knowing that this year, the sky is truly the limit.                                                          Leo July 23 to Aug. 22  ThStarting today, and for the next year, you'll enjoy a special form of cosmic protection. Jupiter, the planet of expansion, will tour the most private area of your chart. During this time, you'll gain more spiritual prosperity than you can imagine. Even if this doesn't sound exciting compared to other, more material gifts Jupiter can bestow, in many ways you'll be the luckiest of all. Just when a situation seems bleakest, you'll be rescued from it. You are sheltered.                                BUSINESS+VE                                                                              RPT-Ambani bets on 4G broadband in India, but risks abound       Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani hopes his multi-billion dollar bet on cheap high-speed wireless broadband could change the way nearly a billion of his countrymen use mobile devices from the way they do banking to watching cricket. In a country where most people own a mobile phone yet lack basic Internet access, it is a risky gamble even for India's richest man. He is counting on an unproven strategy and still-developing technology in a market with very little pricing power. Three years ago energy conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) won an exclusive nationwide licence to roll out 4G across India, giving it a foothold to tap a potentially lucrative market in phones, tablets, computers and television. The data-focused service could start to roll-out in New Delhi and Mumbai by the end of the year, sources familiar with the matter, who asked not be named, told Reuters. Eventually, the plan is to run it across hundreds of cities. Ambani has refused to divulge any specifics on the launch. In what is one of the world's poorest countries, Ambani's 4G mantra is affordability. This has fuelled industry worries of a price war in a still-crowded telecoms sector that has recently started seeing stability after years of cut-throat competition and regulatory uncertainty. Ambani's strategy is cut-price handsets and data, even if it means he has to subsidise the devices from his own cash pile. Fortunately, he has very deep pockets. Reliance's cash hoard of $15 billion stands in contrast to rival telecoms carriers who are estimated to have a combined debt load of $32 billion. "Broadband and digital services will no longer be a luxury item - a scarce commodity - to be rationed amongst the privileged few," Ambani, the world's 22nd richest person according to Forbes magazine, told shareholders this month. Ambani hopes to offer 4G devices costing less than 5,000 rupees ($90) and in talks with Samsung Electronics Co and others for sourcing handsets and other devices, one of the sources said. A spokeswoman at Samsung's local unit declined to comment. While it appears to be a risky bet, the payoff for a successful venture is first-mover advantage in mobile data communications, which has transformed media, marketing and business strategies from Europe and the United States to China. In a sign that its rollout is gaining pace, Ambani's Reliance Jio Infocomm unit this month signed a $2 billion telecom tower sharing deal with mobile carrier Reliance Communications, which is owned by his younger brother Anil. That followed an agreement with rival Bharti Airtel for leasing international bandwidth, and two other pacts. India's cellular market is the world's second largest by users after China, with users surging from just over 5 million in 2002 to nearly 870 million now. HEALTH+VE                                                              How to use ginger for better health             It is a well known fact that a majority of Indians prefer home remedies to OTC drugs. The use of ginger is numero uno when it comes to curing common cold and cough. But there are other reasons why ginger is a remedial herb. Dr. Jaishree Bhattacharjee, Ayurvedic consultant with Satvikshop.com shares some top tips and methods to use ginger for various ailments. Read on to discover how you can use ginger for better health. Why is ginger important? Dr. Jaishree Bhattacharjee explains the importance of ginger, "Ginger is very popularly used in Ayurveda for its benefits in digestion and respiratory disorders. It is a wonderful carminative, ant flatulent, stimulant and expectorant." She adds, "Ginger has many useful minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc and few others." Ginger as an appetizer? Our specialist also makes a unique point about the benefits ginger, "When used before meals, ginger improves appetite by igniting jatharagni (digestive fire) due to its hot potency. It also enhances digestion due to its pungent taste and alleviates ama (toxins of indigestion) from the body." Besides cold, ginger is useful for... "Fresh juice of ginger is used to cure symptoms of cough and cold. It helps stop watery discharge from nose and help cure headache and fever associated with common cold if taken in tea or as decoction with basil and honey," Dr. Jaishree continues to list hidden benefits of ginger. How is ginger beneficial for travellers? "Ginger regulates digestive enzymes and improves assimilation and transportation of nutrients to body tissues. When kept in mouth before travelling it helps combat motion sickness." Did you know, ginger is good for joint pain? The doctor let's you in on a secret, "Dried ginger or sounth has analgesic and anti inflammatory properties which is used therapeutically to alleviate joint pain and inflammation in arthritis. Other than these situations, ginger is an excellent spice that can be used daily."       Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22  Your social life is about to explode. Jupiter, the planet of benefits and luck, will enter the area of your chart that has to do with friends, groups and networks. For the next year you'll see how easy it is to be in the right place at the right time and connect with exactly who you need to connect, in order to turn at least one significant personal dream into reality. Friends will help you. Also, expect to make a few influential connections.                 Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 When it comes to professional honors, you have arrived. Jupiter, the planet of reward and growth, will be at the top of your chart starting today, and for the next year. This rare cycle (which only happens every twelve years) will open doors for you in your industry that you might have thought were closed. You might receive a promotion or significant elevation in status and respect in your field. If you've considered launching a new business venture, your time will be now.                   Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 Are you thinking about going back to school for an advanced degree or special certification? If so, you'll have a spectacular edge now and for the next year. Jupiter, the planet of mind expansion, will be in the area of your chart that rules higher education. You might connect with a mentor who proves to be quite instrumental in your academic or spiritual growth over the next year. In addition, you might decide to travel overseas to soak in a new experience.      Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 Today will be nothing short of monumental. That's because your ruling planet, Jupiter, will change signs. This only happens once a year so when Jupiter shifts gears, you'll notice. Now, he'll visit the area of your chart that rules joint resources, which may open up significant financial opportunities. There might be a savvy investment coming your way or even an inheritance. If married, your spouse might enjoy an increase in salary or you might receive a fabulous bonus.                                              Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 Starting today, your closest relationships will be a source of tremendous growth and joy. Jupiter will enter your partnership sector, where it will remain for an entire year. During this time, any alliance you form - whether business or personal - will likely yield significant pleasure. If you're considering marriage, this will be an ideal year to take your vows. If you're thinking about joining forces with a new business alliance, expect it to be a positive venture.  Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18  Are you looking for a second job, or extra freelance assignment? Interested in changing gears and making a lateral move, just to enjoy a different work atmosphere? Well then, you're in luck. Jupiter, the planet of expansion, will enter your workaday sector and will remain here for an entire year. This will open up significant opportunity if you're searching for extra or different work. If you own your own business, then expect to hire staff you know will lift your company up.                            Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20  If you're single and looking for love, then this year, expect your search to be over. Jupiter, the planet of abundance, will enter your romance sector today and will expand opportunity for love in the most spectacular way. You might meet the love of your life but even if you don't, the next year will certainly be filled with plenty of joyful experiences. If you're thinking about conceiving a child, this might be a year of extra special blessings.    Moral Story     SMS   “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”      LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS   "True love doesn't mean being inseparable; it means being separated and nothing changes."   LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS      “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on..”      Once Very Funny Girl comes late to class. Teacher: Why are you late? Very Funny Girl : One boy was following me, sir. Teacher: So, What? Very Funny Girl : That boy was walking very slow.

EDUCATION +VE Mandarin lessons on offer at Jamia Millia Islamia         Students wanting to learn Mandarin can now enroll themselves at Jamia Millia Islamia. The course is being offered by the Academy of International Studies. It would involve an intensive language teaching course of four hours per-day, five days a week i.e. 20 hours per-week. This would include two to five hours per-week of language lab training with necessary audio-visual aids. The number of teaching hours would be (approximately) 360 hours in each semester. The teaching will be done by a native Chinese teacher from Taiwan from the New Tsinghua University (NTHU) Taiwan and an Indian teacher. The course is intensive and intended to give students a grounding in the language so that they could pursue higher degrees (MPhil/PhD) or seek appropriate employment. The number of seats available for the course is 25. Minimum eligibility for admission is an MA degree with a minimum of 55% marks. The applicants would need to have some knowledge of, and an interest in, China and should have an aptitude and capability to learn a foreign language. There would be an entrance test divided into two parts: a written test carrying 60 marks and an interview carrying 40 marks. The written test would be in two parts: 30 objective type questions each carrying one mark; two short notes on topics relating to China, each carrying 15 marks. The aim of the objective questions is to test the general knowledge of the candidate and of the short notes to test knowledge of China and Chinese affairs. Comprehension of, and the ability to write, the English language would also be tested. The last date for submission of applications which was June 20, has now been extended to July 5, 2013. The entrance test would be conducted on July 10 from 11.30 am in the Commerce Building, JMI. For more details on the course, eligibility, etc, students can log on to www.jmi.ac.in  SPORTS +VE Skipper Dhoni hails India's champion spirit       BIRMINGHAM: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised the mental resilience of his side after they beat England by just five runs in a thrilling Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston on Sunday. Scorecard | Match in Pics England, still to win a global one-day international tournament after what was their fifth defeat in a final, were 110 for four come the 18th over chasing 130 after India made 129 for seven in a match reduced by rain from 50 to 20 overs per side. But Ishant Sharma, having been struck for six and bowled successive wides, took two wickets in two balls to remove Eoin Morgan (33) and Ravi Bopara (30) after they rescued England from the depths of 46 for four with a stand of 64. That started a collapse that saw four wickets lost for three runs in eight balls with tailender James Tredwell unable to hit the six off the final delivery of the match that would have given England victory. "It's important to be positive. I said let's look for a good start, that's something that's very critical, don't look at the result," explained Dhoni when asked what he told his team when they took the field in defence of a modest total. "The first and foremost thing was don't look up, God is not coming to save you, you have to fight it out," added the wicketkeeper-batsman, one of just three survivors along with Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina from the India team that beat Sri Lanka in a Mumbai final to win the 2011 World Cup. "We're the number one ranked team, let's play like that." This win against the tournament hosts, albeit in front of a capacity Edgbaston crowd dominated by India fans, meant the World Cup holders, in what is set to be the last Champions Trophy before its replacement by a World Test Championship, won all five of their matches after a pair of warm-up victories. "Even the warm-up games for us are important because if we lose one then people start saying we can't play overseas," said Kohli, who top-scored for India with a rapid 43. "The guys winning seven games out of seven and showing their character like we did, everyone's really really happy." England needed 20 to win off 16 balls with six wickets standing only to 'choke' in a manner more usually associated with South Africa. "Clearly from there you would back yourself to win more times than you would lose in that situation, but it shows how quickly games can change in Twenty20 when you lose a couple of wickets," said dejected England captain Alastair Cook. Asked if this was his worst day on England duty, the opener replied: "As a captain, yeah." "It's a tough pill to swallow at the moment. We had high hopes coming in today of achieving something special. "We got close. I'm proud of the way the lads have fought from being under a fair bit of pressure in this tournament." Cook was unusually vocal in his criticism of Australian television umpire Bruce Oxenford for giving out Ian Bell stumped by Dhoni off left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, the man-of-the-match for his 33 not out and two for 24. It was a close call but Oxenford ruled in India's favour and a disbelieving Bell, on his Warwickshire home ground, was out for 13 with England in trouble at 46 for four. "I thought it was a poor decision," said Cook. "I only saw the replay a couple of times on the Belly one. Maybe he (Oxenford) saw a different angle to the one we saw. "It loomed pretty clear that he was in. "But he's paid to make those decisions. If he's made the decision...it's an umpire's game isn't it?"     Ghanchakkar   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.   Armadillos have 4 babies at a time and are all the same sex. " INSPIRING STORY "       Power of always speaking the Truth     Paushya’s mahaarani gives her kundalas to Udanka, but warns him that “Takshaka always has an eye on this — so be careful”. Udanka thanks the queen and returns to Paushya to ask him for leave.   Paushya, who knows the shaastras, pleaded Udanka to accept his aatithyam and eat at his place.   Udanka accepted the King’s request and Udanka sat to eat in a separate Bhojana shaala for vidvaans. The very first piece he was about to eat had a hair strand in it! For Indians, parishubhrata is of utmost importance and especially for eating. There are many rules in shaastras about how a person who eats must be, how the person who cooks must be and who clean the food itself must be etc.   Even after following all the rules, some doshas might creep in.   Hence Indians always put godhrutam (cow ghee) in the food before eating, considering the food as havis, the person who eats as havirbhokta and the the act of eating as a yagnyam!  Ukdanda gets angry on Paushya for offering uncleaned food.   Since he knows all shaastras, he knows that neither the cook nor the person who served nor the head of the bhojanashaala must be blamed, it is the ajamaani who gave aatithyam, the King, who needs to be blamed for this (see this story).   He, in the anger, says to Paushya “Since you gave me such food, may you become blind”.   Knowing that Udanka gave him such a big punishment for a small mistake, Paushya says to Udanka “May you have no children”. Since both Udanka and Paushya never deviated from the path of Truth, whatever they said now, in anger, became really true!   The nature of a sajjana is that, he will never become angry and if he becomes angry, his anger will be like the spill of boiling milk, just for a fraction of a second.   Immediately Paushya and Udanka realize their mistake and Paushya asks Udanka to save him from blindness.     Udanka, with his tapas-shakti, told Paushya that he will be blind for a very short time. However Paushya could not give a shaapaavasaanam to Udanka. Paushya says “O great scholar!   Since you are a sage and have immense tapas-shakti you were able to help me, but I cannot do it and my words cannot be changed, because of my satya-vaak-paripaalana”.   Udanka then takes leave of Paushya and immediately resumes the work given by his Guru-patni. Will Udanka be able to take the kundalas safely to his guru-patni? Wont Takshaka cause any trouble? Please keep reading to know the answers :) .

“Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.”