A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval

“If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.” ~ L. D. Brandeis

"To respond is positive, to react is negative." Zig Ziglar

Two stallions fight at a wild horse conservation center in South Dakota. It's an equine echo of an ongoing struggle across the western United States, where mustangs compete for space with ranching and energy development.
The victor will never be asked if he told the truth. -Adolf Hitler

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. -Mark Twain


The mountain's moods aren't all bad. Spring warmth draws crowds to New England's Tuckerman Ravine, including thrill seekers who attempt to ski a steep headwall. Others simply relax in the sun-washed glacial cirque and bask in the presence of the peak.
If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn't swim. -Margaret Thatcher

'It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end' Ursula LeQuin.

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
Nelson Mandela

Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.
Margaret Peters


A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.
Mark Twain

We are each responsible for our own life - no other person is or even can be.
Oprah Winfrey

You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.
Steve Jobs

Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.
J. K. Rowling

In the news April, 2008

Bobby Jindal
30.4.2008
Time Warner Sees AOL 2Q Display Ad Revenue Down From Year Ago (cnn)
US troop deaths hit 7-month high in Iraq (ap)
Shoaib Akhtar allowed to play in IPL (Hindustan Times)

Gorshkov: Russia wants India to pay $1.2 bn more (Times of India)
29.4.2008
U.S. Marines launch Afghan operation (cnn)
Moon mission in 3rd quarter of '08: ISRO (Times of India)
Indo-US civil nuclear deal not dead: White House (Hindu)
Oil falls towards $118 from record-peak, eyes on Fed (Economic Times)
Pakistan defers Sarabjit hanging by 21 days (Times of India)
Mugabe Supporters Reject Opposition Calls for Resignation (voa)
Report: Buddhist monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, to reopen (ap)
Perfect 10 for ISRO, PSLV lifts off successfully (ibnlive)

India launches PSLV with 10 satellites (Hindustan Times)

28.4.2008

PSLV-C9 launched successfully with 10 satellites (rediff)
Gilchrist marks his Twenty20 territory (cricinfo)
Indians to take over billionaires’ club (financial chronicle)
Train collision kills at least 66 in eastern China (ap)
Police say Austrian man raped daughter, fathered 6 children (ap)
Asia's rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: experts (afp)
Teenage diver Daley seizes British imagination (reuters
25.4.2008
Tashan is a stylish spectacle (rediff)

India's inflation up at 7.33% for the week ended Apr 12 (hindustan times)
AP to exclude creamy layer from quota for OBCs (Deccan)
Rice prices hit record highs (reuters)
Journalists mourn Reuters cameraman (reuters)
U.S. Stocks Fall as Consumer Confidence Trails Estimates (bloomberg)


India’s Bharti considers S Africa’s MTN (ft)

TV sting operation red-cards Jothikumaran (New Indian Express)
Sting shows IHF secretary general taking bribe (NDTV)
Jothikumaran caught accepting bribe money in sting operation (Hindustan Times)
22.4.2008

Hillary Clinton wins crucial Pennsylvania primary: Report (rediff)
Clinton grinds out victory over Obama in Pennsylvania (ap)
UN: Food crisis threatens 100 mln (xinhua)
Yahoo quarterly results improve; Microsoft shrugs (reuters)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., waves to supporters after winning the Pennsylvania primary in Philadelphia Tuesday, April 22, 2008. At right, former president Bill Clinton
Advertiser suing Google for defrauding (xinhua)
Cash-for-cap shame: Pay up to be a team player (ibnlive)
Senators debate future of Web (ap)
Africans' newest form of dissent: blogs (The Christian Science Monitor)
World Food Program warns of 'silent tsunami' of hunger (ap)



20.4.2008
Financial Times Publisher Plans New India Newspaper (wsj)

Pearson PLC, U.K. publisher of the Financial Times newspaper, plans to start a new daily business newspaper in India with local partner Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd., which controls India's largest business news television channel CNBC-TV18.

Pearson is looking to boost its profile in India's growing media market, according to a person familiar with its plans. While the newspaper ...

Zardari says no power to confront Musharraf (Hindustan Times)




19.4.208
Google earnings surprise may give Yahoo leverage (reuters)
The World has $54.31 trillion of external debt: exactly who is the World indebted to? (chycho)

McCullum flays Bangalore challenge (rediff)
Israel sets plans for more homes in West Bank settlements (ap)
U.S. economic slowdown likely to bring Mexican workers north (McClatchy)

17.4.2008

Putin set to marry 24-yr old gymnast (Indian Express)
NASA scientists outsmarted by 13-year-old schoolboy!

(ani)
Orkut goes the Facebook way (Indian Express)
Should Shriya star opposite Rajni in Robot? (rediff)

Wall Street Winners Get Billion-Dollar Paydays (nytimes)
Merrill Posts Loss on Mortgage Writedowns, Cuts Jobs (bloomberg)


National Geographic Magazine

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/best/

16.4.2008
Pope in landmark White House trip (bbc)
At least 44 die when bus plunges into canal in western India (AP)
Putin in Libya to close $2.5b arms deal (jpost)
Deccan Chronicle increases advt tariff by 30% (business line)
Google's Growth in Paid Clicks Slows (wsj)
Pakistan grants visas to Sarabjit's family (rediff)

15.4.2008

More than 50 killed by car bombs in Iraq (ap)
Priyanka confirms meeting Rajiv's killer (ndtv)
On board the Friendship Express (bbc)
Infosys sees challenges, strong growth momentum (reuters)
Electoral thunderbolt for Nepal (bbc)
Blast kills at least 34 in Iraq (UPI)
14.4.2008
Higher antitrust bar for Yahoo-Google (reuters)
Journalists group appeals to China to allow unrestricted coverage around Olympics (International Herald Tribune)
Economic ministers urge action on food shortages (iht)
'Shame' on Clinton: Obama hits back in guns and religion row (AFP)
Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express flagged off (NDTV)

12.4.2008

Did you know:-

Cleaning improves mental health:-
It's housework that has been linked to improved mental health, according to a survey in the British Journal of Sports Medicine on Wednesday.
(BBC)


pick of the day:
When it's OK to say "OH SH*T"...

http://botw.org/articles/oh-shit.html

Inflation hits consumers worldwide (Christian Science monitor)
Obama Says Some Voters Are Angry, Bitter (ap)
Nepal polls: PM's party, Maoists in close race (Hindustan Times)
China denounces European parliament over Tibet (reuters)
Agreement over Nizam’s millions (Hindustan Times)
Nath target of $200 bn aims to work up 1 cr jobs (Economic Times)
11.4.2008

France: Hostages held off Somalia freed (ap)
Big Ben marks 150th birthday (ap)
Thousands queue up for train tickets to Dhaka (sify)

Average viewer rating: U Me Aur Hum
***(NDTV)
Asia's first artificial heart transplant in Bangalore (Times of India)

Burney: I'll get justice for Sarabjit (Times Now)

9.4.2008

Washington Post Wins 6 Pulitzer Prizes (nytimes)
Malaysia probes plane fruit knife panic (afp)
Bible is America's favorite book: poll (reuters)
Gossip Blogger Expands Into Radio (wsj)

8.4.2008

107 defence officers seek premature exit (Times of India)
India, Africa seek to meet climate challenges together (Hindu)
India to Achieve 500 million Mobile Phone Consumers by 2010 (techgadgets)
Nooyi earns 81 times more than world's richest man (ibnlive)
Hs Legacy Tarnished, Greenspan Goes on Defensive (wsj)

7.4.2008

Court to rule on Zimbabwe result (bbc)
Sri Lanka bombs Tamil Tiger bases (alzajeera)
Japan prime minister set to submit third choice for central bank governor (International Herald Tribune)
Study: aroused men make risky financial choices (xinhua)


6.4.208

Minister among 11 killed in Lanka blast (ndtv)
'NDA will cancel schemes announced by UPA to appease minority' (HIndu)
Crazy In Love: Beyoncé weds rapper Jay-Z in star-studded New York ceremony (dailymail)

**
Steve Jobs was the world’s first Zillionaire at age 29
Apparently at the ripe age of 29 Steve was the world’s first Zillionaire - no small feat, given that those are 1985 dollars (not to mention the fact that a Zillion is technically an imaginary number).

Of course, there’s always the chance that Steve may have been inflating his net worth a bit just to get chicks, as I noticed coincidentally in the issue is also an article entitled the “Art of Being Cocksure” – step 1 of which was “tell women you have a Zillion dollars“.

5.4.2008
Clintons made $109 million since 2000 (reuters)

Bid to end Zimbabwe poll silence (bbc)
China reports fresh Tibet protest (aljazeera)
India overtakes China as No.1 destination for clinical trials(Times of India)

Sarabjit could be a case of mistaken identity (Times of India)

4.4.2008
Shoaib begins appeal against ban (bbc)
Zimbabwe Veterans March in Show of Force (ap)
China's best face for the Olympics (aljazeera)
Inflation leaps to 7 pc; common man hit hard (Hindu)
Medical tourism booming in India' (Times of India)



2.4.2008

Karnataka poll on May 10, 16, 22; counting on 25th (rediff)
Bush pushes for NATO expansion (ap)
Climate Change talks eye deep emission cut by industrialized countries (xinhua)
Bernanke: Economy could shrink in 1st half 2008 (reuters)


1.4.2008
Bush vows to press for Ukraine, Georgia in NATO (reuters)
Google to allow users to edit word documents offline (xinhua)
Exclusive interview: Ketan Parekh on 1992 scam verdict (moneycontrol)
Saif-Kareena to wed, post Tashan? (rediff)
Bharti Airtel tests 3G services; set to launch operations (Economic Times)
Ousted Pakistan Judge Presses for Return (AP)
Rahul coins new slogan for Congress (NDTV)
Shah Rukh Khan walks out of TV show (zEeenews)
Ancient gold necklace discovered in Peru (ap)
UBS in capital hike after huge loss, chairman quits (reuters)
UBS Seeks Fresh Capital Injection, Expects $19 Billion in Write-Downs (wsj)
UBS to Write Down Another $19 Billion (nytimes)

prove their point

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds ~ Franklin Roosevelt

"I am ready to meet my maker, but whether my maker is prepared for meeting me is another matter." - Winston Churchill

Chaminda Vass
Chaminda Vaas made a big impact in his first game of the tournament
Deccan benefit as Smith and Vaas prove their point (cricinfo)

“The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat.”
Sam Snead


"Give the world the best that you have, and the best will come back to you.”
Madeline Bridges

“If you love some thing, set is free, if it's come back, it's yours, if it doesn't it never was”
Kashif Amin


“When you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.”
Winston Churchill


“The more credit you give away, the more will come back to you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you.”
Brian Tracy quotes

For Love and Money: 5 tips for financial bliss

For Love and Money: 5 tips for financial bliss

It’s the hardest “talk” many couples or would be couples have to have. We are not talking about sex. We are talking about money. Yes finances. In a recently released survey by Paypal, 43 percent of couples say they argue about money and it’s only getting more stressful in this recession.


In my new book: How To Shop For A Husband, I offer tips to those thinking of choosing a mate. I along with my co-author Bonnie Teller stress how important it is to really know who you are marrying and what kind of financial situation you are inheriting.


For those already married, I recommend, having a financial talk at least once a month. Choose a time when the kids are asleep, you are not stressed and can speak to each other calmly. Financial experts say money is the number one reason for divorce.


Here are my 3 tips for couples BEFORE they tie the knot:
1. Discuss Debt: You must know what debt your intended is holding. That includes college loans, credit card balances, mortgage and car loans. How much is there and what is the plan to pay it back?


2. Separate Accounts: It may not sound romantic but once you share an account, you become liable for past debt. As the future progresses, keep an eye on spending and balances and communicate with each other.


3. Have the “talk” early on: Once you become exclusive with each other it’s time to spill. What are your views on saving? What are your priorities? Is he/she a big spender? Tipper? Are all purchases made with a credit card or with cash? How long has your love been employed? Can you afford to live comfortably if one of you loses a job or chooses not to work?

Money Values: How do you each value money? Is it meant to be enjoyed and spent without much planning? Or is one of you a tightwad? Can you come to some agreement without a lot of friction? Similarity helps. Two savers should do fine. Two spenders may need to get a third party to help them to navigate their future.
Find a good money planner: Once you are one your way down the aisle, find a good financial planner who can set you up for your future goals. It’s never too early to put away money for a home, college tuition and retirement.
Remember whether you are married or dating, communication about money is key.

source: rd

Want to feel younger, healthier and more alive? Then grab a trowel and get gardening | Mail Online

Want to feel younger, healthier and more alive? Then grab a trowel and get gardening | Mail Online: "After a tough day getting the garden ready for spring, you may beg to differ.

Yet that aching back and those stiff muscles are, apparently, a good sign because a physical workout in the garden is said to help you feel younger.

Researchers in two new studies reckon that tending your plot exercises the brain, giving you more energy and a ‘zest for life’."

How to Cram for a College Exam

How to Cram for a College Exam

If you haven't cracked a book before now or if you just want to be as prepared as possible, cramming the night before an exam is a must. This how-to will guide you through the process

Don't Freak Out

Panicking isn't going to help at this point, so don't bother. Instead, take a few deep breaths and calmly assess the situation. You need to determine four things:

1. What You Need to Study

Knowing how much information you have to cover to be prepared for an exam is essential. Be realistic and make a list. Put the things you already know at the bottom and the things you are clueless about at the top.

2. How Many Hours You Have to Cram

Since it's the night before the exam, your cram session is sure to be limited. Determine how much time you have. Again, be realistic. If you are confident in your ability to successfully pull an all-nighter, by all means do so. But if you know you can't function without sleep, you're better off setting aside time to get some zzz's.

3. Where You Will Study

You'll need to find a quiet, well-lit place that's completely devoid of distractions. This may mean leaving your room, your house and possibly even your town.

4. Your Plan of Attack

Coming up with some sort of game plan before you get started will save valuable time. To start, decide what study techniques you'll be employing and what you'll need to accomplish your goal. Then, make a schedule or a to-do list to help you execute your plan in a timely manner.


Gather a Few Essentials

Before you begin, gather up everything you think you might need to cram for the exam. These items may include:


Computer
Textbooks or other books
Class notes or other study materials
Blank paper, index cards or something else to write on
Multicolored pens and highlighters
Post-it notes or sticky flags
Voice recorder
Water and several caffeinated beverages
Finger food snacks that don't make a mess


Study Techniques

The study technique you should use will depend heavily on what kind of learner you are and what kind of test you're studying for. Here are a few techniques to pick from:

Using Notes

Hopefully you have class notes. If not, it's time to think about making photocopies of someone else's--preferably someone who takes good notes. If the professor made a specific point of emphasizing specific subject matter in class, it's likely that at least some of this subject matter will appear on the exam.

A few ways to use your notes:


Look through the notes and try to find things that have been underlined or highlighted in some other way. This information is probably important.
Scan the notes and look for key information that you can highlight or flag with post-it notes for easy reference later on.
Rewrite key information from your notes. This will help you memorize and comprehend important points.
Read some of your notes aloud into a voice recorder and replay them later.

Using a Textbook

Reading an entire textbook is not an effective way to cram for an exam. Instead, try concentrating on the summaries that appear at the beginning and end of each chapter. Chapter end questions, illustrative examples and other sections that are located throughout the book may also prove helpful.

A few other techniques to try include:


Looking for bolded words. Words in a bold or italicized font are probably important. Take note of these words by writing them down, highlighting them or flagging them in some other way.
Knowing how to answer chapter end questions. Lazy professors pull their exam questions straight from the back of the book.
Using the table of contents, the glossary and other overlooked parts of the textbook to get an overview of key information.
Reading introductions and conclusions. These parts always include important points.

Using Cliff Notes and Study Guides

Reading or re-reading a book overnight is no easy feat. You may want to consider using Cliff Notes or other types of study guides. These materials usually include plot summaries, character information and step-by-step instructions to help you get through it all. It's not a perfect trade-off, but when you're in a crunch it works. You can find Cliff Notes and study guides online and in book stores.

A few examples:


Cliff Notes - Can be bought in book form or downloaded to your iPod
Spark Notes - Can be bought in book form or downloaded to your iPod
Book Rags - Free ebooks and text viewable online
Pink Monkey - Free study guides and chapter summaries viewable online
Grade Saver - Free online study guides viewable online (downloadable PDF)

Using Other Study Materials

Some professors are kind enough to hand out study materials prior to an exam. If your professor does that, you should use what you are given. The information within these materials will almost certainly be woven into the exam.

Other study materials you may be able to use:


Workbooks or Student Manuals - A lot of college textbooks have accompanying student manuals or workbooks that contain sample essays or quizzes. These are great to study from because some professors take exam questions right out of them.
Past Assignments, Tests and Quizzes - A good way to review for an exam is to focus on what you've already been tested on. You can do this by pulling out any past assignments, tests or quizzes that include the subject you're currently studying.

Using a Voice Recorder

Reading information into a voice recorder or mp3 player is a great way to study because you can listen to everything later on. When you hear something over and over again, it's bound to sink in just a little bit. If you decide to use this steady technique, you can replay what you recorded:


While you sleep (can't hurt, right?)
While you're brushing your teeth and getting ready to go in the morning
While you eat breakfast
While you travel to class or the exam center
While you wait for the exam to be handed out

Using Memorization Techniques

There are tons of different memorization techniques that you can use to cram for an exam. A few of the best include:


Repeating information over and over again. (Do this until you can easily repeat something ten minutes later.)
Rewriting information that you want to retain. (Rewrite at least three times for maximum retention.)
Acting it out. (Make up a dance or hand signals to remember whole sentences.)
Making rhymes and songs out of important dates and facts. (Who can forget that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue?)
Using acronyms to remember facts. (SIM translates to Sedimentary, Igneous and Metamorphic--the three basic rock types.)
Using acrostics to remember words in a specific order. (My Dear Aunt Sally = Multiply and Divide before you Add and Subtract)

Quizzing Yourself

It's a good idea to quiz yourself midway through your cram session to see how well you're retaining information. This way you still have time to switch up your study technique if it isn't working for you. A few ways to quiz yourself:


Use a voice recorder with pre-recorded questions
Use index cards that have questions written on one side and answers on the other
Use chapter-end questions from your textbook
Use questions from past quizzes, tests or assignments
Ask someone else to quiz you


Bonus Study Techniques

A few exam-specific study techniques that might help you through your cram session:

Essay Exams

You can try studying for essay exams like you would study for any other exam, but you'll be better off memorizing a few important points for every bit of subject matter you may be tested on. As long as you know the basics, you should be able to elaborate enough to competently answer the average essay question.

You may also want to think about taking 20 minutes to brush up on your essay writing skills. The inability to write a decent sentence or paragraph could work against you even if you know the exam material. Good places to read up on essay writing include:


Purdue University Online Writing Lab - Writing essay exams
Tulane University - Answering essay questions
Paradigm - Basic punctuation and sentence concepts

Multiple Choice Exams

You might be able to pass your exam by marking 'C' as the answer to every question, but it's highly unlikely. You will be much better off employing one of these methods:


Focus on details while studying. (Multiple choice exams always focus on details.)
Memorize vocabulary words and definitions. (Multiple choice exams test your knowledge of concepts by structuring questions around vocabulary words.)
Understand multi-step processes and event sequences. (Multiple choice exams almost always include questions about groupings and similarities.)

How many nukes needed to destroy humanity?

How many nukes needed to destroy humanity?

source: informationisbeautiful