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“Brief and powerless is man's life; on him and all his race the slow, sure doom falls pitiless and dark.”
| VBA's Positive News |
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US: Heritage language programmes on the rise
Universities are adapting their foreign language curriculum, in part to better prepare graduates for a globalized world where it pays to be professionally fluent in more than one language. Heritage language programs have existed in the US in some form for more than a century as a way to retain both language and culture -- even as English-only movements waxed and waned. German schools were common in the late 1800s. Youth in California have long attended weekend Chinese and Japanese programmes. Bilingual Spanish classes have been around for decades. Yet the development of separate heritage language university instruction is relatively new. The University of Texas-Pan American received funding from the Department of Education in 2007 to create a minor in medical Spanish for heritage speakers, and other schools are beginning to replicate the programme.
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Toronto, Canada man wants to build greenhouses in Nunavut
A Toronto resident has established an organization to try and set up greenhouses in every community in Nunavut. Nathan Lawlor has established the Pangnirtung Greenhouse Corporation and wants to set up two geodesic greenhouse domes in that community. Lawlor says each dome would produce more than 3200 pounds of fresh produce per year such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, along with cut flowers and house plants. He says the greenhouse would operate year-round, powered by solar panels in the summer and the community's diesel power plant through the months of 24-hour darkness in the winter.
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Construction of Liberian library and community centre being helped by Canada
Call it a new chapter for Liberia -- the construction of a $2-million library and community centre in Paynesville, on the coast of African nation of Liberia. The library is being built in part by Leo Johnson, a Liberian who escaped a civil war in the 90s to come to Canada. He said he was inspired to start building the Liberian Learning Centre by reading the biography of Samuel Morris, a Liberian prince who moved to the US and went to Taylor University. It was the book he read during his time in the refugee camps.
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UN report highlights technology's potential to foster inclusion of persons with disabilities
A report released by the United Nations and its partners illustrates how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can help give access to resources to persons with disabilities. The report stresses that governments play a key role in introducing ICT-enabled solutions adapted to the needs of persons with disabilities, and private sector entities can contribute by increasing research and development efforts to develop accessible ICTs. For their part, civil society organizations have a key role in raising awareness of accessibility barriers.
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World Round-Up
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Manmohan Singh confirms meeting with Nawaz Sharif in New York on Sunday
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has confirmed what most people knew weeks ago that he will be meeting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York on Sunday.In a statement released an hour before he boarded the flight for a five-day visit to the United States, the PM said he would interact with leaders from Bangladesh Nepal and Pakistan.
The meeting is scheduled for Sunday morning and will be the first between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan since Manmohan Singh met Yousaf Raza Gilani in 2010. The Indian government meanwhile has defended Manmohan Singh's decision to meet with Nawaz Sharif.
"If you have to make peace with you enemies, you need to talk to them," said a senior foreign affairs advisor to the Prime Minister.Government functionaries have tried to justify the meeting."It's important for us to meet so that India's concerns on terrorism, tension on the LoC and trade and economy are raised at the highest level and that can only happen if we meet with the other side," said a foreign affairs mandarin.
Sunday's meeting will be the first between the two prime ministers and also the first high-level interaction between the two sides since the beheading of two Indian soldiers in early January and the killing of five Indian soldiers on the LoC on August 6.The last time that Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart was three years ago in Thimpu in 2010.
He did host a lunch for Asif Ali Zardari in Delhi last year, while the then Pakistani president was on his way to Ajmer for a pilgrimage. He also met him briefly at the NAM summit in Tehran last yearManmohan Singh has been often criticised for his initiatives in trying to normalise relations with Pakistan.
His foreign policy advisors are conscious of the fact that should the latest initiative fail to yields results, his government will be roundly criticised once again for following a weak-kneed policy towards Pakistan.Yet his advisors believe this is a risk worth taking. "We have some very serious concerns and it's only in the fitness of things that we raise this with the new dispensation in Pakistan," said a senior functionary in the government.
The prime minister's foreign policy advisors have also been trying to tone down expectations from Sunday's meeting."This is the first interaction with the new Prime Minister of Pakistan. Let's see what comes out of it. Let's not expect anything dramatic to happen," cautioned a senior official travelling with the PM.
Conscious of the fact that the government might come in for a fresh round of criticism from the opposition if the talks do not yield concrete results, the government has been trying to stress on the positives.Government officials say that the very fact that talks are happening is a positive development since in diplomacy, one should never shut the door on talks and the channels of communication must always be open.
Soon after Sharif took over after the May elections in Pakistan, he expressed a desire to buy electricity from India.The government indicated that it is willing to entertain the request on a "commercial basis".In fact, a delegation from the power ministry of Pakistan is expected in India in the next couple of days to work out the technicalities.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
You may feel restless now and perhaps eager to begin a new project or undertake a new challenge. Tension may develop as you attempt to balance responsibilities at home with the need for adventure of your own. With the moon in your sector of home and family today, you will have an appreciation for the security offered there, but Uranus will challenge the moon and will ask that you pay attention to your own creative self-expression as well.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
You may receive an unexpected email or phone call from someone who needs to discuss an issue from your past. With an emphasis on your partnership sector, progress may be made in relationships that may need attention because of recent conflict. Open communication will be imperative, and with the moon in your communication sector in ultra-sensitive Cancer, you will easily find the right words to express yourself clearly.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 Your creativity will be heightened today, but you will be unusually sensitive to harsh words and criticism of the ideas that you bring forth. You may encounter clashes at work with people who disagree with you. In discussions with colleagues, try to focus on remaining objective and carefully consider which ideas are most valuable to the project as a whole. Teamwork will be emphasized now, and group creativity can flourish in an open and supportive atmosphere.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
Today you could face a challenge in balancing your need for personal recognition with your need to work with a group toward a greater cause. A well-placed moon in Cancer suggests that sudden insights may come easily to you, paving a way for the recognition and creative expression you desire. Allow your intuition to carry creative projects forward, but look out for obstacles that may arise from people who do not completely understand your vision.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 You may start the day with energy and enthusiasm to direct toward a project, only to meet unexpected opposition from family or colleagues. Tension between the moon and Uranus suggests that opposition may come from people whose ideas are very different from your own, and distance will be needed in order to find a compromise. Try not to let seemingly irreconcilable differences discourage you; your natural leadership skills will help in ultimately reaching a solution.
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BGR Energy forms new management team
CHENNAI: Power company BGR Energy has named A Swaminathan the joint managing director and CEO of the company and V R Mahadevan as the joint managing director of the company.
Sasikala Raghupathy, wife of the late founder B G Raghupathy will be the Chairman of the board. The changes in the management team come close to two months after the passing away of the founder-chairman of the company, B G Raghupathy.
Mahadevan, who is currently director - technology and HR, will be in-charge of projects, and Swaminathan, now director-marketing, will be in-charge of technology and new growth areas and joint ventures of BGR.
While the team's immediate focus will be on commissioning power projects on hand and reworking billing cycles to get back receivables, the company is also looking at working overseas. "We will look outside India.
We now have a mature management team and will look at projects in Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Africa," Swaminathan said. With these, the company expects faster topline growth at 20% against the 12% growth it currently sees.
The company provides EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) services for power projects in India.
BGR has an order backlog of Rs 11,900 crore, part of which is an order it won through its joint venture with Japanese company Hitachi to supply boilers and turbines for a Rs 1600 crore order from NTPC for supplying equipment for its super-critical thermal plants.
The projects will be commissioned during 2015-16, Swaminathan said.
BGR and Hitachi had also jointly invested about Rs 4,000 crore to set up a manufacturing unit for boilers and turbines in Tamil Nadu, but the investment has now been downsized to Rs 2,700 crore as a result of the sluggish demand in the power sector and also because the timelines for delivery of the products to NTPC were not in sync with the progress of the manufacturing unit, Swaminathan said. Land acquisition for the plant, however, is complete and products from the unit will be rolled out from late 2015, he added.
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Read the first sign of tooth decay
If your teeth are showing the first sign of decay, here's how you can remineralise them naturally
You can brush, you can floss, but you can't escape tooth decay — or that's what you have been told. The truth though is that your teeth aren't designed to rot. Before you helplessly let bacteria drill cavities into your pearly whites, you can restore their strength, density and sparkle by remineralising them.
Tooth matters
Remineralisation refers to your teeth's natural healing mechanism; a process in which minerals are restored to the tooth's molecular structure. It is essentially the reversing of demineralisation — the first stage of tooth decay where your teeth lose minerals and become 'sensitive'. So if your teeth have chalky white discolouration or brownish black pits, you may just be in time to remineralise them.
Studies have shown that people who didn't eat modern foods had flawless tooth structure and virtually no tooth decay. Noted anthropologist Earnest Hooton once said, "It is store food that has given us store teeth." While modern foods are to be blamed — refined flour, refined sugar, fast foods and colas — the problem is compounded when the enamel isn't strong to begin with.
In 1883, Dr W D Miller, a pioneer in modern dentistry, said that a strong, dense tooth would "indefinitely resist" an attack from acid; be it from bacteria or food. The difference between Dr Miller's 130-yearold theory and today's dentistry is summed up aptly in Ramiel Nagel's book Cure Tooth Decay. "Dr Miller knew that the tooth's density and structure are what protected it against tooth decay, whereas today, dentists are taught that it is the bacteria by themselves that cause tooth decay," Nagel points out.
Remineralise up
While conventional dentistry harps on what foods bacteria might be feeding off on, the solution lies in realising what food you might be feeding the bacteria. Dentist Dr Pooja Gunjikar says foods high in sugar and acidic content encourage plaque, setting off demineralisation. "For instance, eating chocolates makes your pH level drop, which causes formation of acids that erode the enamel of your teeth," she says.
Calcium and phosphorous are the most vital minerals for healthy teeth, followed by magnesium, copper, iron and manganese. "Calcium and phosphorous help form hydroxyapatite in the enamel, which replenishes the teeth's molecular structure," she says.
Foods that work
Calcium-rich foods like dairy products, leafy greens, tofu, broccoli, almonds and sardines help boost teeth health. For your phosphorous fix, eat pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds and cheese. But it's the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K that are critical in helping our bodies utilise minerals.
Phosphorous, calcium and hormones need vitamins A and D for our cells to produce osteocalcin — the protein responsible for deposition of calcium and phosphorous into our bones and teeth. For vitamin A, you can pick from sweet potato, carrot, watermelon, eggs, spinach, oatmeal and chicken liver, while sunlight, seafood, raw butter and eggs are excellent sources of vitamin D. The best twoin-one option for teeth health is cod liver oil.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Daydreaming may be inevitable today and may divert your attention to memories and connections with the past. Rather than fighting to stay focused, give yourself a few minutes during your day to reflect. A break from your routine at home or at work can provide the space you will need to be alone with your thoughts. Once you can refocus, you will feel more relaxed and better equipped to tackle the mental tasks required of you today.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
Challenges you have encountered lately surrounding your needs within a relationship may be intensified today, and now may be a time to determine if you can improve some aspects of your closest relationships. Consider the needs of your partner as well. Finding a balance between autonomy and security in a relationship will be important. Keep in mind that progress may be made now, as a spotlight will shine on any area within your relationship that may need improvement.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 Today you may feel divided by your need for self-expression and the obligations that you feel coming from family or colleagues. You may feel tempted to break away from the established order of your life but could be drawn back by the appeal of security and stability that routine brings. A tension between Venus and Mars today suggests that solutions will come by looking for ways to find balance in your life.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
Today you may feel a need to convince others to accept your beliefs, and controversy may arise. Even if heated debates are necessary to reach common ground, in the end, greater appreciation for all viewpoints will be a welcome result. A challenge between the moon and Uranus suggests that tensions can mount, and you may feel a particular need to defend your position. However, intense emotions will subside in coming days when Venus moves into Sagittarius.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 You may feel under-appreciated today and could benefit from open conversation with a partner or friend to reinforce connections. The Cancer moon in your partnership sector suggests an extra need to feel security in your intimate relationship, but a challenge from Uranus may cause uneasiness until you make an effort to address the situation. The tendency may be to protect yourself emotionally, but make an effort to be as open as possible in communications.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 You may have trouble with a boss or another authority figure today, and any confrontations that result could be intense. Interplay between Venus and Mars suggests basic differences of opinion, so think twice before speaking but also be careful to listen fully and understand the other person's ideas. Cooperation may seem elusive today but may be achieved with additional energy directed toward reaching compromises. Positive outcomes are possible if you show sensitivity to another person's viewpoints.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
Your innate creativity may feel blocked today and if you work in a creative field, this might be especially frustrating. Distractions may come from unsettling memories that surface and draw your attention away from the task. Be patient and give yourself time to let creative ideas take hold. With an emphasis in your sector of philosophy and spirituality, your thoughts may expand naturally if you let ideas develop without pressuring yourself.
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Moral Story
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SMS
“Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by so quick you can hardly catch it going.”
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
"Distance means so little when someone means so much."
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
A husband visited a marriage counsellor and said, "When we were first married,
I would come home from the office, my wife would bring my
slippers and our cute little dog would run around barking. Now after ten years
it's all different, I come home, the dog brings the slippers and my
wife runs around barking."
"Why complain?" said the counsellor. "You're still getting the same service!"
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University of Hyderabad in the throes of crisis
HYDERABAD: What's ailing the University of Hyderabad (UoH), the biggest central university in the state which has about 500 teaching staff and 5,000 students?
It seems nothing is going right for the university - one of its academic partners fails to honour a financial agreement, recruitments are stalled, student fellowships and courses get scrapped and seats lie vacant. A clear picture of the varsity's problems emerged at the academic council meeting held last week.
In the meet which lasted for about two hours, vice-chancellor Ramakrishna Ramaswamy was asked to explain the status of a deal struck with Dr Reddy's lab in 2004 concerning the Institute of Life Sciences, which has come up on the university land as part of a public-private partnership programme.
The institute has not paid the dues to the tune of Rs 3 crore to the varsity so far, it was alleged. The meeting concluded with the VC agreeing to move court against ILS for allegedly stalling the payment, sources present in the meeting said.
The recruitment process undertaken by the varsity was earlier challenged in the AP High Court because of alleged failure of the administration in following the reservation policy and, adding insult to injury, students went on strike, alleging that around 495 of OBC, SC and ST seats were vacant.
Besides, the student community is embittered by a sudden rollback of a scholarship programme under which post graduate students were promised a monthly scholarship of Rs 1,000 each. The fellowship programme is currently limited to only a handful of students.
While the administration is caught in a quagmire, academic affairs are hardly anything to write home about. The varsity had kept in abeyance the PG nursing programme after the administration found it unviable. Also, currently there is an order to "examine the question of centres outside the schools of study".
The varsity has arbitrarily planned to elevate two of the eight centres, including University Centre for Earth and Space Sciences and Centre for Neutral and Cognitive Sciences, into schools, a decision which was questioned in a recent academic council meeting. Senior faculty members say the university has gone back on a lot of its promises.
Even the non-teaching staff is up in arms as the university administration is not honouring a commitment to build a housing project for which 60 acres of land was allotted in 2010. The university, sources said, is also under pressure to implement correctional measures to prevent suicides on campus.
"A report which was submitted by a committee following the suicide of a student, P Raju, has not been yet made public as the administration does not want to implement the recommendations. In the last two months, there have been two more suicide attempts," said a student leader.
The university is yet to hold an academic council meeting on Wednesday as the previous one had to be abandoned due to infightings, sources said. "The administration should not just listen to people's problems, it should also implement resolutions for the benefit of the varsity community," a senior faculty member said.
Vice-chancellor Ramakrishna Ramaswamy in a written communication with TOI explained that "the financial arrangements between the ILS and the university will be complied as per the MoU and we are monitoring this."
On issues of faculty recruitment, he wrote individuals approaching courts is not unusual as several academic institutions are facing similar cases. The scholarship programme is restricted only to needy students "as per the recommendation of a committee appointed by university," Ramaswamy said.
On filling of OBC/SC/ST seats, the VC said, "The university announced a special admission drive and some seats were filled through spot admissions on August 30." Decision on the elevation of centres would be taken only after it is debated in appropriate bodies, including the academic council and executive council, he informed.
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Challenger Series: Kohli to look for match-time as Sehwag, Yuvraj eye redemption
INDORE: Team India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli will look to get some batting practice ahead of the ODI series against Australia while Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh will be aiming to get back into national selectors' radar when Delhi meet India Blue in Challenger Series opener.
Kohli, who is expected to play a major part during India's seven-match ODI series against Australia, will like to get into the groove after a six-week break from cricket. Virender Sehwag's final shot at redemption starts with this tournament.
The 'Nawab of Najafgarh' hasn't played any competitve cricket for six months since being dropped from the Indian squad. This will be the first serious tournament that he will be playing and obviously he would like to get some runs under his belt before he takes on West Indies A in the first-class matches next month.
Since being dropped, Sehwag had gone to the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, where he practised on bouncy tracks against the academy bowlers and under the watchful eyes of chief coach Glenn McGrath.
Sehwag, who would be 35 in another four weeks time, knows that his fight to get into the Indian team starts from this tournament and if the returns are not favourable, it might not augur well for him as far as his future in international cricket is concerned.
For Yuvraj, the Challenger series will be an ideal platform to build on the good start that he has got in the limited overs series against West Indies A recently.
The scores of 123, 40, 61 and 52 in three List A and a Twenty20 game has provided Yuvraj with the momentum which he would like to keep up with.
For some of the others in both the squads, this will be an important match. Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, whose international career is as good as over, will like to keep the IPL franchises interested in him while young Unmukt Chand would like to use this opportunity to enhance his reputation as one whose performance should be closely monitored.
In the India Blue squad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar would like to shed off his rustiness after a break while R Vinay Kumar would also be eyeing for one of reserve pacer's slot in the squad.
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Warning
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Warning
Movie Name : Warning
Release Date : 27 September 2013
Genre : Thriller 3D film
Producer : Anubhav Sinha,Jitendra Jain
Director : Gurmmeet Singh
Music Director : Meet Bros Anjjan, Ankit,Sharib Sabri,Toshi Sabri
Cast : Santosh Barmola,Suzana Rodrigues,Manjari Fadnis,Varun Sharma,Jitin Gulati,Sumit Suri,Madhurima Tuli.
Synopsis:
It was a reunion of seven friends. It was a joy ride on a luxury yacht through the middle of a beautiful ocean. It was time to remember the good old times. It was time to catch up on the lost five years. It was time to come face to face with unrequited love. It was Sara's first birthday. It was time for champagne. It was time for a swim. It was time for a disaster to strike.
Seven friends, Neck deep in water, oblivious of their geographical coordinates, unknown miles away from land with no way to get back on to the yacht while little Sara cries incessantly on board. Old conflicts resound and new ones emerge while a new predator comes to kill. This one eats flesh.
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the names of all continents both start and end with the same letter.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
Importance of keeping one’s word
We all know that the pandavas left their kingdom for 13 long years for keeping up their word! Well, for Arjuna going away from the bhogas of a king, for the sake of truth, was not new.
He did it once well before the aranyavaas. The story goes like this:
The kalyaanam of pandavas with Draupadi was an unusual one. However, it was perfectly according to dharma shastras.
Infact Draupadi is one of the greatest pativratas and praised even by Lord Krishna for her Dharma vartana. A few reasons to justify the kalyaanam:
Kunti Devi, the mother of pandavas, who never knew what a lie was, gave her will.
Vyaasa Maharshi, one of the avataar of Lord Vishnu, ordered the kalyaanam to be done.
Lord Shiva, pleased with her tapas, gave a boon to Draupadi to marry the pandavas.
Pandavas, though were five physically, were all amshas of Indra, the King of the Gods. Hence, pandavas were actually one.
Naarada, again an avataar of Lord Vishnu, suggested some rules to be followed by pandavas and Draupadi for living together.
This is because, though they were amshas of Gods and Godesses, since they had a human form some addition rules according to dharma shastras needed to be followed.
One of the rules was that: Draupadi should spend one year with each of the pandavas and while she was with one of them, no other pandavas should visit the palace where they might be.
In case of any breach of their rule, one-year pilgrimage was prescribed by way of penance leaving the kingdom.
The pandavas and Draupadi were living happily until one day: a brahmana came running to Arjuna saying that the thieves had stolen his cows.
Arjuna wanted to rush with him to catch the thieves but he realised that his bow and arrows were kept in Yudhisthira's palace and he was there in the company of Draupadi.
He hesitated for a while, then seeing brahmana's plight he rushed in to Yudhisthira 's palace took his bow and arrows and ran to catch the thieves.
After he caught the thieves and punished them, after restoring the cows of the brahmana, Arjuna came back to Yudhisthira and told him about his transgression of the rule.
Yudhisthira, knowing the reason of the breach of their rule, said their is no need for Arjuna to take the pilgrimage.
Since it is a mistake committed towards him, and that too for a good reason, he will pardon arjuna .
However, Arjuna would never break his word. He immediately set out for a one-year pilgrimage. May be this is why Arjuna is such a favourite sakha of Lord Krishna.
Morals in the Story:
The story shows how important it is to keep up ones word, whether it is of any consequence or not, how much ever difficult it is.
Arjuna, knowing that he will be punished for breaching the rule, did not stop doing his duty as a king to protect his people and punish the theif. Thus, one must always perform his duty without any laziness or any kind of fear.
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“When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. ”
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