“The future starts today, not tomorrow. ”     VBA's Positive News Solar-powered air conditioning coming soon to trains in India Trains are an interesting and environmentally-friendly way to travel. In hot and crowded countries like India, however, comfort might be a poor adjective to describe the experience of the average train passenger. But Indian Railways, a government owned and operated rail network, recently announced that it would be tapping the power of the sun to make travelling in its coach cars a more palatable experience. A partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology will allow the installation of solar harvesting equipment that will supply enough electricity for on-board air conditioning, as well as more efficient internal lighting.  US: White House installing solar panels on first family residence The White House has started installing solar panels on the first family residence as part of an energy retrofit that will improve the efficiency of the building, a White House official said on Thursday. President Obama in 2009 directed federal agencies to improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy, and in late 2010 pledged to put solar panels on the White House. US builders broke ground on more homes in July US developers broke ground on homes at a faster pace in July - mostly apartments. Friday's report from the Commerce Department suggests that home building is maintaining its recovery but might be starting to be restrained by higher mortgage rates. However, demand for new homes remains strong even as supply is tight. That trend has pushed up prices and should encourage more construction. Over the past 12 months, the home construction data looked strong: Builders broke ground on 15 per cent more single-family homes in July than a year earlier. And including apartments, housing starts have surged 21 per cent in the past year. South Africa: Wheelchair Wednesday gets Bay residents mobile One hundred mobility-impaired Nelson Mandela Bay residents received brand-new wheelchairs at the official handover ceremony for the SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday initiative, which took place at the NMB Stadium on Wednesday. Speaking at the event, the Association for Persons with Disabilities (APD) chairman Garth van Niekerk reminded the assembled guests what the wheelchairs meant to their recipients. Every Wednesday throughout May, representatives of participating companies spent four hours in a wheelchair, with their corporate employers donating funds for the privilege of doing so.   Video of the Day:

World Round-Up

Political + Centre targets 'unsecular' Modi, submits affidavit in Supreme Court blaming Gujarat CM for alienation of Muslims in the state     Congress countershocks continued to ripple out of the capital the day after the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his Independence Day speech at Lalan College, Bhuj. The attack was two-pronged: a Central government affidavit in the Supreme Court blasting the Gujarat government for the "deteriorating condition" of Muslims in the state, and a phalanx of senior Congress leaders going to town with unrestrained criticism of Modi, one calling him a "frog in a well". In the Supreme Court, the Centre lashed out at the Narendra Modi government for opposing the Prime Minister's pre-matric scholarship scheme for students belonging to minority communities, despite the "deteriorating condition" of the Muslims in Gujarat. The Ministry of Minority Affairs also stated in its hard-hitting affidavit that Gujarat, according to the Sachar Committee report, had fared poorly "in terms of mean per capita expenditure of the Muslim community". The affidavit came in response to a petition by the Modi government challenging the scheme in which the Centre shares 75 per cent of the financial burden. The attack by the Centre was expected as the scheme was formulated as part of the Prime Minister's new 15-point programme that came into effect in 2008. "The Sachar Committee found a majority of Muslims living in urban areas in Gujarat and, in these areas, poverty amongst Muslims in Gujarat is higher than the SCs/STs," Pradeep Kumar, under secretary in the ministry, said in the sworn document. "The 2002 riots have increased the sense of alienation among Muslims in Gujarat and have further reduced their participation in the mainstream," the affidavit said. The scholarship scheme being opposed by Modi is for poor students from all minority communities, but the Centre targeted Modi specifically over the poor economic development of the Muslim community. "The claim that the minority communities in Gujarat are far more developed and educationally advanced as compared to other states in the country is without basis. No material has been provided by the petitioner in support of the claim," the ministry said. The Gujarat government has contended in its petition that the scheme is discriminatory and would "not help the cause of taking the people of India together on the path of development". The Modi government decided to take the battle to the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court on February 20 upheld the validity of the scheme and directed the state government to implement it. As per the scheme, students from minority communities securing not less than 50 per cent marks in their previous final examination and whose parents do not have an annual income of more than Rs.1 lakh are eligible for the scholarship. The number of scholarships in a year is, however, fixed and weightage is to be given to poverty while selecting beneficiaries. Further, 30 per cent of the scholarships are reserved for girls.Targeting the Modi government, the Centre stated that some reports had highlighted the fact that there were no Muslim beneficiaries in the self-help group programme and BPL cards had not been issued to eligible persons from the community in villages of Gujarat. Astrology   Aries March 21 to April 19 You may have been watching things shift in your career and your household over the last several months. Slow, sometimes subtle changes may have been interesting to track as you move forward. Of course, change is inevitable, but as you watch movement in your career, you might be able to see the impact in your home. Perhaps you are traveling more, which leaves the home empty, or maybe your efforts are realized back home. You likely will witness new patterns as your life evolves into a shape you may never have expected just a few short years ago.                                           Taurus April 20 to May 20 You may have been looking at the world through different eyes lately as you move and travel to new vistas. These experiences may be rich with inspiration, as they expose you to new possibilities and options. Some careful investigation on your part might reveal a possibility you had never before considered. Pluto in your education sector may help to open your eyes to an adventure you may have never considered. Are you bold enough to take that leap? You may be surprised by how a few events can shift your view dramatically.                       Gemini May 21 to June 20 This may be the perfect opportunity to make big changes in your financial plans for the future. Simple steps can leave a permanent and positive impact. You may do your best work if you take the time to investigate before acting. Use your curious mind to dig for background information. What looked good at first may have a few strings attached. You may be happy that you took the time to do your homework.                             Cancer June 21 to July 22  You may feel as if the world has been opening doors for you lately and that may be true. With Jupiter in Cancer, you may feel as if you can do no wrong. Relationships may blossom as well, which may feel as if you are being reborn. The Jupiter influence can be a fabulous jolt of optimism, but be cautious at the same time and tread slowly with new people in your life, as all that glitters may not be gold. With Pluto in your love sector, the steps you take may be long term.                                                        Leo July 23 to Aug. 22  This may be a wonderful period for starting a new project or collaboration. An area that might show the greatest potential could be in the humanitarian sector of your world. With Pluto in your service sector, you may feel like giving back. The universe shines on those who give selflessly, so open up and let your light glow. You may also enjoy the feeling you get from sharing, as it fills a part of you that you may have been lacking recently.          BUSINESS+VE                                                                              Clouds darken over economy as rupee hits new low, shares plunge       A Friday of Fear saw the rupee hit an all-time low against the dollar, shares fall by their steepest in nearly two years and the price of gold scale a six-month high just when Indians wanted to start stocking up for the wedding season. Strong signs of a recovery in the US are prompting global investors to invest there and pull out of emerging market share indices and currencies like the Sensex and the rupee. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been doing its best to protect the currency, but its latest string of measures proved, once again, to no avail. Friday’s falls came two days after the release of strong US employment data and measures by the RBI to restrict the amount of dollars Indians can spend abroad. Markets were closed on Thursday, so Friday was the first chance investors got to react. And react they did. The rupee fell to 62.03 to a dollar before ending at 61.65, as investors gave their thumbs up to the US economy;  the Sensex lost nearly 4%, or 769 points, driven primarily by worries about the impact of the new capital controls on Indian companies and foreign funds pulling out of India. Overseas funds have pulled out $11.58 billion from India’s equity and debt markets in just over two months. Finance minister P Chidambaram said the government was monitoring the situation. “A number of measures are being taken. Let’s wait to see what the first quarter growth rates are,” he said. A sliding rupee is toxic. For a start, it means that India needs to shell out more cash to import fuel, and this in turn raises the prices of transporting goods, leading to higher inflation. And high inflation means that the RBI will hesitate to cut interest rates, a step needed to boost economic growth. So consumers need to keep paying large chunks of their income every month towards repaying housing loans, even as the cost of food and petrol rises and the prospect of decent salary hikes recedes because the economy is struggling. “Earlier we used to budget for a month. Now we have to revise the budget almost every day,” said Manju Malik, a Delhi-based homemaker. It’s not just households. Companies that import raw materials are hurting badly, a situation certain to further hurt economic growth. Students wanting to study abroad or families who wish to go overseas for a holiday might also be forced to reconsider. Amid all this, gold prices hit a six-month high of R31,010 per 10 g. The government has warned Indians to cut down on gold consumption so as to keep the current account deficit -- the difference between dollar inflows and outflows -- under control. This deficit may also limit the RBI’s ability to prop up the rupee by dipping into its foreign exchange reserves, which have fallen to $278 billion, enough to cover imports for just seven months. 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  Working with others might feel like the ideal outlet for you now. You have much to contribute, but the added energy of working with others may kick things up a notch for you. The exchanges between you and others may bring a new element to the dialogue that allows you to expand in the most positive ways. It may be important that you choose the right collaborators, though, as your associations will do better and go farther if they are grounded in positive endeavors.                Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 The spotlight may shine brightly on your career as opportunities and responsibilities will come your way. This may allow you to expand into new areas you never thought possible. With Jupiter in that sector of your life, you may feel as if you can accomplish anything. Your choices may also affect others, so be mindful of your choices. You may want to ask yourself how your home life will change if your career changes, and then make your decisions.                    Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 Travel and adventure opportunities may be the horizon, so keep your senses tuned to those options. You may have a special affinity for research and investigation, so do background work before you decide on your adventure. You may be surprised by how nicely events line up for you, especially if you have been doing research on your own. This may feel remarkably coincidental, but if it feels right, go for it.    Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 Investments and financial plans may be a hot topic for you lately. You may be trying to raise outside money to help with one of your projects or looking for an investor. You may be wise to thoroughly investigate your options before you agree to any long-term plans. Decisions you make with Pluto in your money sector tend to be long term, so simply make your choices with that in mind. You may permanently alter the direction of your financial future, so act cautiously.                               Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 Your relationship may look quite different than it did a year ago. You may see great potential for growth and maybe even a newfound commitment to your joint future. This warm and positive expression may be due to optimistic Jupiter in your romance sector. The choices you make now may have a long-term impact on your life, so pause and move cautiously, if for no other reason than just to explore all your options. There may be something you overlooked.                               Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18  You should not be surprised if you are feeling particularly generous these days. With Jupiter in your service sector, you may be open to offering yourself to everyone. While this can be extremely gratifying, especially for the humanitarian in you, act carefully and make wise choices, as those you help will most likely be with you for some time. You may be able to leave a lasting impression, but you may also do your best work if you choose wisely.                            Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20  If you are feeling especially creative, take this opportunity to follow your passion. Redecorating, artistic adventures, and the like may be the ideal outlets for you. One of the best ways to express yourself may be through working with a group. It may be that your ideas just need a little extra push from an outsider. Collaborating can be very gratifying particularly when you see the final outcome. You may also enjoy the bond that comes from working closely in a group of like-minded friends.        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 Over 100 engineering seats unfilled in Goa         PANAJI: Ten seats in mining engineering and close to 100 seats in information technology streams in Goa will go vacant for the academic year 2013-14. The seats found no takers at the first spot admission round carried out by the directorate of technical education (DTE) this year on August 12, 13 and 14. While the mining engineering course is being offered only by the Goa engineering college at Farmagudi, the 100 other seats that will remain unfilled are at the Shiroda-based Shree Rayeshwar institute of engineering and information technology (RIEIT). In the last two years, two new engineering colleges - the Don Bosco college of engineering in Fatorda and Agnel institute of technology in Assagao - have opened in Goa, taking the total number of engineering colleges in the state to five and offering students a wider choice of institutes. "The response at the first spot admission round of DTE was poor. And even when the students turned up, they did not want the seats available. They had come for seats in institutes like Don Bosco, which were already filled. A few of the computer science and electronics seats at RIEIT, however, were filled during the on-the-spot admission round," a source informed. As many as 50 of the 60 information technology seats at the RIEIT will now remain unfilled. The DTE held the first spot admission round after the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) directed states to fill up all seats in professional colleges before August 15 each year, unlike the previous years where unending number of admission rounds were held by states till the vacant seats had takers. At the spot admission round, all students that had answered the 2013 Goa Common Entrance Test could come forward for a seat, even if they had not applied with their common entrance test scores earlier. As per the earlier procedure, only the students that have applied within the DTE deadline for the seats could vie for them. SPORTS +VE Serena cruises to Cincinnati semifinals       CINCINNATI: World number one Serena Williams was at her lethal best as she crushed Romanian Simona Halep 6-0, 6-4 to romp into the semifinals of the Western and Southern Open on Friday. Williams' devastating form suggests that there is little standing in the way of the muscular American from adding the prestigious Cincinnati hardcourt event to her long resume. In a career that has generated 54 singles titles, including 16 Grand Slams, Williams has won just about everything there is to win in her sport but Cincinnati, one of the WTA Tour's most prestigious tournaments, is not among them. With Friday's rout, Williams sets up a semifinal date with defending champion Li Na of China, who received a walkover into the last four when Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew from the tournament to attend her grandfather's funeral. Williams was in ruthless form to open the match, steamrolling past her opponent to take the first set in just 16 minutes. Halep offered token resistance in the second but there was never any doubt Williams would prevail as she went on to wrap up her 59th match win of the season in just over an hour. With eight titles and 10 finals appearances from 11 events this season while losing only three matches, it would be hard to defect any flaw in Williams' game. Certainly Halep, who beat Marion Bartoli in what was the final match of the Frenchwoman's career before her shock retirement announcement on Wednesday, never threatened to send Williams to a fourth defeat. Though the American's performance in Cincinnati has impressed nearly everyone else, under her own critical eye it has been something of a disappointment. "I definitely haven't felt good all week, so surprised I'm still in the event, to be honest," Williams told reporters. "It's not really about how you play at the end...it's about being able to win, whether you play good or bad. "I was able to so far and be in the semifinals. So, you know, considering, it's a good result. I obviously want to do better, and I'll just see how it goes." Earlier, 14th-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic, the 2009 Cincinnati champion and runner-up in 2011, needed just 63 minutes to book her place in the last four as she pounded 12th seed Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-0 6-4. "I started aggressive and I felt the ball great," said Jankovic. "I'm really pleased with my performance today, so that's important. "I love playing here in Cincinnati because I have great results in the past, I was a finalist and a champion before so you always love coming back to places where you can win."     Madras Cafe Madras Cafe Movie Name :   Madras Cafe Release Date :   August 23, 2013 Genre :    Political espionage thriller Producer :   John Abraham,Ronnie Lahiri,Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Director :   Shoojit Sircar Music Director :   Shantanu Moitra Cast :   John Abraham,Nargis Fakhri   Synopsis: As per John Abraham, "Madras Cafe brings us closer to what changed the political history of India." The film, set in India and Sri Lanka, is a political spy thriller set against backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war.Vikram Singh (John Abraham) is an Indian Army special officer who is appointed by the intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing to conduct covert operations in Sri Lanka shortly after Indian Peace Keeping Force was forced to withdraw.As he journeys to Sri Lanka, with the intention of disrupting a rebel group, he discovers the larger issue. There he meets a British journalist (Jaya) who wants to reveal the truth about the civil war, and in the process he uncovers a conspiracy.         the names of all continents both start and end with the same letter. " 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.”