“If I told you I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, I’d be lying, because I have no idea where I am right now.”     VBA's Positive News US: Indigenous canoe trip celebrating 400-year-old peace treaty culminates with UN event More than 200 indigenous and non-indigenous canoe paddlers arrived in Manhattan on 9 August, after having travelled for almost two weeks down the Hudson River from upstate New York, to take part in an event at the United Nations to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. This year's International Day aimed to highlight the importance of honouring agreements between States, their citizens and indigenous peoples, emphasizing the principles of friendship, cooperation, and peace. Housing starts trend higher in Canada Housing starts in Canada trended higher in July compared to June, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported. 'For the past few months, total housing starts have followed the stabilizing trend observed in sales of existing homes earlier this year. As expected, the trends in the two market segments typically follow a similar pattern with the new home market lagging behind the existing home market by a few months,' said Mathieu Laberge, deputy chief economist at CMHC in a statement.   China promotes breast-feeding China's rates of breast-feeding are among the world's lowest. But health workers and the government are trying to revive the practice, and a drumbeat of safety scares over commercially produced milk is giving them new leverage. Visitors to Internet forums for new parents are posting comments about the benefits of breast-feeding and the potential hazards with formula. Health experts say breast-feeding is the best source of nutrition for newborns, increasing babies' immune systems and reducing their chances of obesity in adulthood. They also say breast-fed children have higher IQs and are less likely to have chronic diseases such as diabetes. 'First aboriginal health centre in North America receives WHO accreditation for baby-friendly initiative Canada's Kanesatake Health Center has received accreditation under the UNICEF/World Health Organization for their Baby-Friendly Initiative. On 13 December 2012 Kanesatake became the first aboriginal health centre in North America to receive this recognition. The Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) was established in 1991 by WHO/UNICEF to encourage maternity hospitals to implement the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding. Since then, many studies have shown that breastfeeding and a strong mother-baby bond is the foundation for a baby's future health and wellbeing. Video of the Day:

World Round-Up

Political + Congress created hostility between Telangana and Seemandhra: Modi        Hyderabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday tried to do a balancing act on the issue of division of Andhra Pradesh saying that both Telangana and Seemandhra are equally important for BJP. Though Andhra Pradesh had contributed the highest number of MPs for Congress to come to power at the Centre, Congress ended up creating only hostile atmosphere between the two regions of the state, he said. Modi was addressing a massive public meeting here, his first campaign rally since his anointment as BJP's poll campaign committee chief. He recalled how NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee created three new states of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chattisgarh without any hostilities in any region. The chief minister wondered why a new capital city has not been built for Seemandhra since 2004 when Congress came to power. He said BJP favoured development and growth of cities in Seemandhra even better than Hyderabad. Observing that Telugu-speaking people lived in perfect harmony in Gujarat cities like Surat and Ahmedabad, he questioned why Seemahdhra and Telangana cannot live in peace and without animosity towards each other. The Congress' decision to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh has sparked protests in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseems regions with proponents of united Andhra Pradesh have been holding strident protests to oppose creation of the separate state. Modi concluded his speech saying 'Jai Telangana' and 'Jai Seemandhra'. Speaking on the occasion, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu alleged that corruption, price rise, poverty grew by leaps and bounds in the country during Congress rule. "With Congress' popularity on the wane and other major parties like Left and Janata Dal reduced to splinters, it is only BJP that can offer good governance to people and deal with an iron hand against evils like terrorism and communalism," he said. Showering praise on Modi, he said the Gujarat chief minister had emerged as a personification of dynamism, decisiveness and development and his rising popularity is giving sleepless nights to BJP's rivals. At the public meeting, Modi took blessings from two senior citizens - a freedom fighter and a woman - who made it a point to attend the rally though the event was mainly meant for youth.The two senior citizens were invited to the stage where Modi touched their feet. Indrasena Reddy, the freedom fighter, insisted on attending the meeting despite his old age and physical condition, state BJP president G Kishan Reddy said. Reddy recalled how the decision of the state BJP unit to collect a voluntary contribution of five rupees from those who wanted to attend the rally had triggered a huge debate. He said other major parties in the state spent money to mobilise crowds for their events, but BJP has set a new trend by collecting the contribution meant for Uttarakhand relief.The contribution amount of Rs 10 lakh was handed over by the state unit to the party's national level functionary Satishji on the occasion. Astrology   Aries March 21 to April 19 You may be able to taste the progress in your life, but some of the flavors are not quite merging completely. Changes are underfoot in your career, and they will reflect back on your family. Or in another manner, your family may work toward providing some stability that allows you to embrace a new career or work pattern. Either way you may feel the wonderful challenge of trying to make the pieces fit so that you come out on top. These times will bring out the best in you and your skill set, so go with the flow and rest assured.   Taurus April 20 to May 20 Conversations may come in the most advantageous manner and opportunity may be the topic. Opportunity, of course, comes with a cost and that may require new skills and exposure to new arenas. Travel, education, and adventure all combine to provide you with a different outlook. The challenge in this will come from the ability to assimilate all the information in a way that moves you forward. You may decide to investigate ideas further and come up with new lifestyle that has adventure and an alternate plan.                                  Gemini May 21 to June 20 You may review financial plans and investigate options for your life farther down the road. This may include retirement plans for yourself or relatives. Legal matters are likely in light of this topic, so it may be worthwhile to heed the advice of an outsider who has experience in this area. You may be well informed and knowledgeable, but the eyes of an objective source might bring a new set of parameters to consider.                     Cancer June 21 to July 22  You may feel the wonderful warmth of Jupiter in Cancer as he sheds his optimistic expansion on all that you do. This influence is well known in astrology, and you may feel the light on a daily basis. That glow may also reflect back on your significant relationship. This may make perfect sense, especially if you are feeling ebullient and expansive. You may bring that energy to your partner as well. How nice to reap the reward of that feedback from your partner.          Leo July 23 to Aug. 22  Many of your ongoing projects may end. This can be a very optimistic period filled with a sense of accomplishment and progress. Doors open when others close, so you may want to view this with a longer glance on your progress. This may be an excellent time to focus on giving to others. Service may be a particularly relevant theme for you, as there may be a residual effect of the work that you do and the responses you receive.                        BUSINESS+VE                                                                              Reserve Bank and the art of communication       The critical role communication has in the public policy sphere hardly needs an elaboration. How effectively the authorities convey the salient features of say the monetary policy or the budget plays an important role in the success of these policies. Simultaneously, greater public interest in the policy-making process, calls for simpler, lucid policy pronouncements. Indeed, demystification of previously arcane policies is a welcome development and a priority task for authorities in all democracies. Communication has emerged as a powerful policy tool, and sometimes is the policy itself. All the above are in full view in India. At the macro level, the government is trying its utmost to improve the investment sentiment. There is urgency in tapping all available as well as new sources from abroad to finance the burgeoning current account deficit, which is identified as the root cause of the rupee’s free fall. A flurry of announcements to relax foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in a number of sectors may not have reversed the markets’ sentiment — the rupee far from recovering has been sliding to new lows. Early last week, the stock markets tanked. There may not be anything wrong with the government’s communication per se, after all the government’s main spokesperson the Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, is an extremely eloquent communicator. But clearly it is not the style but the substance of the recent communications that has failed to click. This brings us to the larger issues. For communication to be effective, it should be credible and, equally importantly, the communicator must be seen to have the capability to implement whatever he or she is saying. Both these mutually reinforcing attributes are necessary for an effective communication. Very few believe that the relaxation of FDI rules will automatically translate into stable foreign exchange flows immediately. Earlier relaxations relating to multi-brand retail are still mired in one controversy or the other. No worthwhile investment has come in as yet. Despite government’s best intentions, raising the cap on FDI in insurance may not materialise soon, given that it has to be approved by Parliament. A very specific communication exercise — and this what this article is really about — by the Reserve Bank of India — has all the ingredients for an excellent case study. On July 30, while reviewing its credit policy, it issued its guidance — its assessment of what the monetary stance would be in the future. Of particular interest to all was when the RBI will roll back its liquidity squeezing measures it had announced in instalments a few weeks ahead of the policy to curb volatility in the rupee The RBI’s statement that “(these) will be rolled back in a calibrated manner as stability is restored in the foreign exchange market, enabling monetary policy to supporting growth with continuing vigil on inflation” has evoked two diametrically opposite reactions. On the one side, there has been criticism that the RBI is prematurely promising a return to accommodative policies. The rupee battle is far from over. Should RBI even countenance a relaxation? The opposite view is that RBI has not done anything to ease interest rates, a course of action deemed necessary to revive the economy. The special tightening measures have indirectly raised the interest rates and there has been no signal to the contrary in the monetary policy review. The RBI Governor outlined recently the need for an effective communication strategy in a speech in London on July 17. Greater openness in communication can be a powerful tool provided the central bank is seen to be credible. Among the other points he made: Winning credibility, however, is quite a challenge, talking of guidance specially (the practice is relatively new), its language is important. Forward guidance is always conditional. The dilemma is how precisely the conditionality is to be communicated, and how to ensure that the market does not ignore the conditionality and interpret the guidance as an irrevocable commitment. Further, how does the RBI ensure that it becomes a hostage to its own guidance? Also, the more uncertain the environment is the more difficult it is to give guidance. But it is precisely then a clear communication is needed. These dilemmas give at least a partial explanation of why the monetary policy guidance has been interpreted so differently. HEALTH+VE                                                              Get some ginger in your diet       Ginger is one of the popular medicinal herbs used in traditional Chinese medicines and Ayurveda for centuries. Some people call it a plant directly from the Garden of Eden. Though this piece of information may be a matter of faith, there's hardly any doubt about the health benefits of ginger. Prevents motion sickness: It is believed that having some fresh ginger before taking a flight can prevent motion sickness.Controls blood sugar levels: Some health experts ask diabetes patients to drink ginger tea early in the morning. It helps to control blood sugar levels. Anti-inflammatory properties: Ginger is a source of potent anti-inflammatory compounds known as gingerols. They aid in alleviating the symptoms of arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.Relieves stomach problems: Ginger is ideal for relieving stomach aches, stomach cramps and other digestive problems and aids in digestion. In fact, some Japanese researchers found that gingerols present in ginger block vomit reflex. Boosts immunity: Consuming a little bit of fresh ginger daily boosts your immunity. For morning sickness: Ginger is known to be effective in providing relief from morning sickness, showing a 75% success rate in some health studies.Blood circulation: Ginger contains minerals like zinc, chromium and magnesium that help optimum blood circulation in the body. Prevents colon cancer: A health study conducted at the University of Minnesota, US, showed that ginger might slow down the growth rate of colorectal cancer cells. Protects cardiovascular health: Consuming ginger regularly is said to reduce levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. It also lowers the risk of stroke and heart attacks by improving blood circulation and elevating levels of high-density lipoproteins.     Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22  Working with others may present great value for you if you can find the right outlet. The expression that says that two heads are better than one may be the best way to summarize this influence. This type of working arrangement may be unique because of a certain trigger. You may suggest something that triggers an idea in your friends and vice versa. This back-and-forth exchange of ideas may provide the jewel you are seeking in the creative process.                                  Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 Career plans may be in high focus as Jupiter works through that area of your life. Expansion and optimism are quite likely under this theme, and you may want to take advantage of it while the timing is on your side. One of the things you may have to consider is the effect a new position at work might have on your daily routine. Would your new role or involvement at work alter the patterns you have established with your family or your home? You may want to think of the long-term impact before you make a significant change.                              Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 You may be particularly fond of research. As one of your ruling planets, Pluto may influence your desire to dig more deeply into topics. During your investigation, you may stumble upon a realm of information that was previously unknown to you. This may come in the form of exposure to new skills or education that you have pursued. That thirst for knowledge may be quite compelling for you as Jupiter moves into that area of your life.                             Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 This may be an opportune time to open up a talk with a lawyer or other financial planner. You may feel the influence of Jupiter as it moves through that area of your life and see it as an opportunity to put aside more money or shift your investments to benefit you down the road further. Plans that you establish now may have a long-term impact so you may lean on the expertise of a trusted adviser before you make any move - and wisely so.   Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 Things may click along pleasantly in your significant relationship, and you may be able to bask in that warmth. However, you may have been in a much different place not too long ago, so the progress you may witness has been in the works for a while. You may have made great headway, and you can even think of your partner as partly responsible for where you are today. Maybe this might be the time to thank your partner for his or her guidance with a night on the town.                              Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18  You may be in the mood for starting something new. This could be a new health routine or other program that helps you to refocus your motives. This same theme may also apply to working with others. You may have a natural ability to bring a humanitarian spirit to all that you undertake, so this may feel quite normal. Public charities, neighborhood committees, and the like are highly favored under these skies so try to seek out these outlets. You may be able to leave a long-standing impact in this area of your life.                 Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20  This may be an especially rich period for you to express yourself creatively. If you can find others to work with you on projects, you may find even greater success. Collaboration has distinct advantages since it introduces new concepts and conversations that can spark your creative output. Jupiter will be your guide in this area of your life, so if you can tap into that expansive, hopeful realm you may find great satisfaction in your work.                   Moral Story       SMS     “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”      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.     Wife comes home late at night and quietly opens the door to her bedroom. From under the blanket she sees four legs instead of two! She reaches for a baseball bat and starts hitting the blanket as hard as she can. Once she's done, she goes to the kitchen to have a drink. As she enters, she sees her husband there, reading a magazine. :s "hi darling", he says, "your parents have come to visit us, so I let them stay in our bedroom. Hope you have said hello to them.

EDUCATION +VE Engineering students opt for other states as Telangana stir hits Eamcet counselling       HYDERABAD: With the protest over formation of Telangana taking centre stage and the government failing to announce Eamcetcounselling for close to two months, Andhra Pradesh has lost quite a bit of its young tech talent pool to neighbouring states this year. With no signs of counselling taking place immediately here, engineering college managements said a whopping 40,000 students out of a total 1.5 lakh, who had cleared Eamcet this year, have taken admission in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. "The state council of higher education moved the file asking the government to conduct counselling for just convener quota seats. But the file has not been signed by the ministers concerned so far. We are expecting very poor student strength this year, owing to this debacle," said Rajeswar Reddy, general secretary, Consortium of Private Engineering College Management's Association. Eamcet counselling was first delayed by three weeks with some college managements opposing the state government's decision to conduct online counselling for management quota seats. While a petition was filed in AP High Court, the state government wanted to conduct counselling for at least the convener quota seats, but with most officials in the Secretariat busy with Telangana or Seemandhra protests, the move did not materialize. If Eamcet counselling gets further delayed, more students are expected to leave the state, college officials rued. Reddy said the government should make a quick move and release the notification so that more students do not leave the state. Many meritorious students have taken admission in private deemed universities, officials pointed out. "The cream of our young tech talent have taken admission in deemed universities this year, unlike the previous years where they would take admission in Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University or even top private colleges located in Hyderabad and surrounding areas," a college official said. Officials of higher education department feel that they might not be able to conduct counselling even after the government approves it. "We had to postpone Icet counselling in Seemandhra region due to protests. If students can't get their certificates verified due to lack of trouble in the region we will not be able to announce the counselling dates," said an official. Counselling dates are expected to be released only after a few weeks, an official said. "The ministers expected to clear the files in the coming weeks. Students will have to wait a bit more," an official said. AP High court rapped the higher education for not conducting counselling on time after some peeved students approached it. against the state government for causing a delay in counselling. The higher education department was also rapped by the HC for not conducting counselling on time. SPORTS +VE Nadal beats Raonic in Montreal final         MONTREAL: Rafael Nadal beat Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday in the Rogers Cup final, spoiling Raonic's bid to become the first Canadian winner in the event in 55 years. Robert Bedard, the last Canadian to win what was then called the Canadian Open in 1955, was in attendance to see Nadal claim his third Rogers Cup title. The Spanish star also won in 2005 and 2008. "To win here, I have to be playing my top level," Nadal said. "Very happy the way that I played almost every match in this tournament. Is very important for me, this title. Just very happy for everything." Raonic was the first Canadian since the now 81-year-old Bedard even to reach the final. "The tournament overall was a great thing," Raonic said. "There were a lot of situations that I'm very happy with the way I dealt with them, and there were a lot of learning experiences through it all. "A lot of stepping stones that I need to do in my career happened this week, so that's great. The match, obviously I'm a little disappointed with myself. I would have hoped to deal with that situation a little bit better." Nadal, playing his first tournament since a first-round loss at Wimbledon in June, posted his eighth tournament win this year and the 58th of his career. On Saturday night in the semifinals, Nadal beat two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2). "I did a lot of things well," Nadal said. "My return was huge this afternoon. I returned a few first serves of his in important moments, decisive. Then I think he play with more mistakes than usual. That helped me." By reaching the final, the 22-year-old Raonic will move up to 10th in world rankings, a record for a Canadian. He will be the youngest player in the top 10. Nadal will move from fourth to third. "With his serve, his chance to be in the top 10 for a long time is very good," Nadal said. "Then what you need is to work on the mental part and in the game from the baseline, to try to play the right way on the important points. I think he will do it. He's still young. He's having great results. This week is going to be very important for him and for tennis in Canada in general." Raonic has worn different colored Davis Cup-style shirts with a maple leaf over the heart all week, but saved a red-and-white one for the final. It didn't help as Nadal needed just 1 hour, 8 minutes to win. The Uniprix Stadium crowd was solidly behind Raonic throughout the one-sided match. Nadal's all-around game, particularly his superior passing shots and baseline play, proved too much for the power-hitting Raonic, who was only effective in games in which his booming serve was working. On a windy afternoon, Nadal had two service breaks in the first set, including one after trailing 0-40, and broke again to open the second. At 2-1 in the second set, Raonic wasted three break points to let his best chance for a break slip away. The Spaniard broke again for a 5-2 lead and served out the match. Nadal is 4-0 against Raonic in his career. Nadal stretched his record for wins in Masters series tournaments to 25 with his fourth this year. He is 48-3 and has reached the final of 10 out of 11 tournaments in 2013.     Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara! Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!  Movie Name :  Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!  Release Date :  15 August 2013 Genre :  Crime/Romance Producer : Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor Director :  Milan Luthria Music Director :  Pritam Cast :  Akshay Kumar,Imran Khan,Sonakshi Sinha   Synopsis: The movie takes off from where the previous film ended with Shoaib Khan (Akshay Kumar) being the reigning don after assassinating his mentor, Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn) thus earning the respect and reverence of the people. He is the charismatic and suave man with womanising skills who has extended his empire upto the Middle east on the west. His sole companions and friends are Javed, who oversees his illegal and shady works for him, his old-time love Mumtaz (Sonali Bendre) and Aslam (Imran Khan), a youth spotted by Shoaib during one of his visits to the slums, where he once spent the early years of his life. The only obstacles on Shoaib's path to supremacy in Bombay are two enemies of Shoaib, Vardha and Arun. Sreenu, a police officer join hands with Vardha and Arjun as the trio's intention of ruining Shoaib coincides. Although the city still being his first love a rising starlet, Jasmin has caught the fancy of Shoaib's heart. In due time this passion takes the shape of obsession and leads to a rift between Shoaib and Aslam as they both vie for Jasmin's love.         The most commonly used letter in the alphabet is E " 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.”

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. ”