Pick top-quality leaders for our schools to build India's future: Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro

Where the school leadership (principal, head teacher, etc) is good, the school is often good. I am sure this conclusion doesn’t surprise most of us.

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Azim Premji

There are multiple research studies across the world, including India, which attempt to identify schools where learning is genuinely happening, and to understand the factors that influence these outcomes. There are usually a few common factors that are characteristic of those schools where learning really happens. One of the most significant and consistent of these factors is the quality of school leadership.

Where the school leadership ( principal, head teacher, etc) is good, the school is often good. I am sure this conclusion doesn't surprise most of us.

Before we go any further, let me briefly touch upon what I think is good education.

In my view, good education is one that enables the growth and development of the child in multiple dimensions, so that she is able to fulfill and expand her potential, as also to become an active, contributing and concerned citizen of the world.

These multiple dimensions of development of the child that I referred to are cognitive, social, emotional, physical and ethical.

Humans, not just Students

While it's implicit in what I have stated, let me still point out that good education is not rote memorisation and getting good grades, it's about developing a good human being and an active citizen, so that we have a better society.

This understanding of good education that I have shared is certainly not new. It's there in our national policy documents, in the writings of scores of educationists and in our curricular goals.

In the context of this broader and deeper purpose of education, the role of a school leader becomes even more important. Let me share a few thoughts in this regard.

First, I think it's important that the school leader be the visible custodian of the purpose of education in her school. Else, it is very easy for us to slip into the ritualistic, rote-based, marks-driven education that we see all around us. Being a custodian is not easy — it will require battling many forces and continually convincing many people — but that I think is the natural task of any leader.

Second, education of this nature requires capable and confident teachers. For this, school leaders need to create an enabling environment where teachers can grow and develop. This requires a culture of trust, experimentation and openness.

Lead from the Front

Third, the kind of education that we have talked about is not merely an outcome of classroom instruction. It's significantly driven by school culture. And the school leader has the most determining role in shaping the school culture. Let's discuss five specific examples in this regard.

If we want our children to grow up with democratic values, then our schools must have democratic values. This means that the school leader must be able to foster a culture where there is reasoned discussion about everything, and things are not determined by hierarchy. In such a culture, the merit of each view and argument is the important factor, not who has expressed that view.

If we want our children to grow up with a scientific temper and intense curiosity, then the school culture must be that of rigorous inquiry and debate. Questioning must be encouraged, along with coaching for reasoning.

If we want our children to grow up emotionally stable and in a state of well-being, then the school culture must be supportive, encouraging and accepting of the child. The school culture must not be that of fear and punishment. It must help the child discover her interests and abilities, not label them as "good" or "bad".

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Lights, camera… career!

As much as a career in film making seems attractive, young aspirants should be well prepared for the risks

Apeksha Kaushik, TimesJobs.com Bureau

Films are an important media, not only for entertainment and information, but also for communication. As a job, film making encompasses an assortment of tasks, roles, skills and talent. It is an art and science, wherein a film maker is required to have a knack for technology and creativity.
To be or not to be…
Though, film making as a profession is highly lucrative, it is also extremely competitive and uncertain. Where there is scope and opportunities for everybody who has a desire to be a film maker, not everyone can become one. “To be a film maker one has to have an absolute love for the art and every aspect of filmmaking, be it story, music, art, acting or any other thing, which is part of a film. Believe in yourself and your choices search your soul to know if this is your calling. It requires a lot of mental and physical strength to put together a film,” said Abhishek Chauhan, Strategy, Creative Planning Head, Pixel Party, a Delhi based studio involved in TV Channel packaging, promo design, TVCs corporate and motion graphics.
Honing those skills…
Apart from being creative, imaginative and innovative, a film maker has to be ingenious. “The ability to get a film made with minimum resources either by begging, borrowing or even conning is the most essential thing. The independent filmmaker has to be resourceful, fast and driven,” articulated Neeraj Udhwani, bollywood script writer of films like ‘Dil toh baccha hai ji’ and the recently released ‘Mere dad ki maruti’.
“To be an independent filmmaker you must have the entrepreneurial spirit. Marketing, planning, finance, sales, distribution will all be a part of their daily job role. They should also cultivate a strong network, meet people and make the most of opportunities given,” added Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Vice-President – Business Development & Chief Technology Officer, Whistling Woods International.
Lending support…
Though educational qualifications are not deemed essential to be a successful film maker, it helps in better understanding of the fundamentals of film making, as a profession. “Educational qualification is not mandatory but it definitely helps you to understand concepts and various aspects of film making,” stated Nandini Hegde, who teaches film making at Jain Animation School. “It is best to take up a course that requires you to do internships as it helps you to test the waters before jumping into it,” she added.
Highlighting the importance of film schools, Chaitanya said that film school is as important to a filmmaker as going to medical school is for a doctor. “The key aspect of film education is to understand the craft, learn the techniques and enable yourself with the skills to create great pieces of audio-visual content and turn a profit while doing so,” he asserted.
Many aspirants leave their settled careers to pursue their dream of film making. However, there are opportunities, today, where a working professional can learn the basics of film making at their convenience. Corporate Online Institute of Professional Learning (COIPL) is one such institution which provides a platform to working professionals to study the nuances of film making at their comfort. “For professionals who are interested to make a career in film making, we offer online courses like audio engineering, graphic designing and publishing and multimedia and video,” divulged Rahul Walia, Founder & Director, COIPL. This also helps as a self-assessment tool in analyzing whether a career in film maker is right for them.
Light at the end of tunnel…
As much as a career in film making seems attractive there are risks. Young aspirants should be prepared to face the ground realities with dignity and endurance.
“Be prepared for heartbreaks at every stage. Be prepared to see your school mates or college mates earn more money, be more financially secure as compared to you. However, you will be waking up every morning looking forward to the day’s work and that’s what makes everything worthwhile,” sums up Neeraj on this encouraging note

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Foods you shouldn't eat daily

Foods you shouldn't eat daily (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

While you may be making the utmost effort to eat healthy for the majority of your day, it is possible that there are the small daily mistakes you maybe making in your diet, which make weight loss, or weight management more difficult and a slower process than it should be.

Sometimes it is these innocuous morsels of food that make a big difference when it comes to proper weight management. So what are these foods in your daily diet that you should avoid?

1. Glass of milk - While milk is a healthy addition to your meals, it could possibly be the one food that is hindering your progress. If you are used to having a glass of milk before you sleep, at breakfast, or even for a snack in the evening, take a break from drinking milk for a month. If you feel that its making a difference - making you less sluggish, helping you lose weight, clearing up your skin etc - this maybe the solution to your problems. Give it a go.

2. Something sweet after meals - Many people have this habit of wanting just a little something sweet after every meal. This is absolutely unnecessary and you probably know it. Just that addition of sugar after your meals is worth cutting down on if you have it on a daily basis. Let dessert be a treat you save for the weekends and you will probably savour it more.

3. Heavy carbs for your evening snack - How often have you felt so hungry in the time between your lunch and dinner, that you can eat anything without giving a thought as to whether it is right for you or not? You may land up knocking off a sandwich or a samosa. This may be the only unhealthy addition to your diet in the entire day, but consumed daily, this evening snack could be hindering your efforts. Therefore, carry something that has healthy proteins and fats like nuts, with you so that you don't succumb to hunger.

4. Potatoes - Recently dubbed by a study conducted by Harvard, as one of the foods that definitely makes you gain weight over time, potatoes have a way of turning up in our daily food unannounced. You maybe eating a healthy sabzi but a whole potato may have been added in there to improve the flavour. Fresh veggies taste good on their own if you try, so give it a shot.

5. So called 'healthy snacks' - Baked chakris and chips, all of these so called healthy snacks, should be substituted with real nutritious food. Many people eat these unaccounted, thinking they are healthy and will not make a big difference to their health and weight. This is a misconception and you are better off without these highly processed snacks.

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Green tea helps fight against obesity

Green tea helps fight against obesity (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

Penn State food scientists have found that green tea may slow down weight gain and serve as another tool in the fight against obesity.

Mice that were fed Epigallocatechin-3-gallate -- EGCG -- a compound found in most green teas, along with a high-fat diet, gained weight 45 per cent more slowly than the control group of mice eating the same diet without EGCG.

"Our results suggest that if you supplement with EGCG or green tea you gain weight more slowly," said Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science in agricultural sciences.

In addition to lower weight gain, the mice fed the green tea supplement showed a nearly 30 percent increase in fecal lipids, suggesting that the EGCG was limiting fat absorption, according to Lambert.

"There seems to be two prongs to this, first, EGCG reduces the ability to absorb fat and, second, it enhances the ability to use fat," he said.

The findings were reported in the current online version of Obesity.

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7 lifestyle steps that reduce cancer risk

7 lifestyle steps that reduce cancer risk (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

The American Heart Association's seven steps for a healthy heart- dubbed Life's Simple 7 - can also help keep cancer at bay, a new study has claimed.

Laura Rasmussen-Torvik, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said that following even six of the steps can cut cancer risk in half, ABC News reported.

She said that she and her colleagues had a hunch that following healthy-heart guidelines would also decrease the risk of cancer and their findings confirmed it.

According to the study, following four of the steps in 'Life's Simple 7' resulted in a 33 percent cancer risk reduction, and following six or seven of the steps led to a 51 percent cancer risk reduction.

The American Heart Association had developed the seven steps in 2010 with the goal of reducing heart attack and stroke deaths by about 20 percent by 2020.

Rasmussen-Torvik and her fellow researchers examined two decades of data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, going through the health records of 13,253 patients from 1987 to 2006 and discovered that the more steps the patients followed, the more they cut down on cancer risk.

Here are the steps in the Life Simple 7:

1. Get active — AHA recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise a week.
2. Control cholesterol — Cholesterol should be lower than 200 milligrams per deciliter.
3. Eat better — This means foods high in whole grain, fruits, vegetables and lean protein such as fish. Limiting sodium, added sugars, trans and saturated fats is also important.
4. Manage blood pressure — It should be less than 120/80.
5. Lose weight — body mass index should be below 25.
6. Reduce blood sugar — Fasting blood sugar level should be below 100, which can be achieved by avoiding soda, candy and other desserts, as well as getting exercise.
7. Stop smoking — AHA says do "whatever it takes."

The researchers also found that the steps are cumulative, but quitting smoking was especially helpful.

There's also a considerable amount of overlap in the steps, considering that getting active and eating better — steps 1 and 3 — also help with cholesterol, blood pressure, weight and blood sugar - steps 2, 4, 5, and 6.

The study has been published in the journal Circulation.

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TCS ranked top employer in Europe

Indian IT leader Tata Consultancy Services has announced that it has been ranked as number top employer in Europe for 2013 by CRF Institute.

LONDON/MUMBAI: Indian IT leader Tata Consultancy Services has announced that it has been ranked as number one top employer in Europe for 2013, by CRF Institute.

TCS was chosen as first among the final 20 companies participating at a continental level. To reach the continental level, every company was required to have been previously certified as a top employer in at least five individual countries in Europe.

The final group of 20 companies had participated at a national level in 26 European countries with their 129 certified subsidiaries. In national rounds, TCS has been adjudged a top employer for the first time in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland; while its UK unit secured the certification for a third year in a row.

Founded in 1991, the CRF Institute is an independent organisation that identifies top performers in the field of human resources worldwide.

"We are very proud to have certified TCS as a Top Employer Europe 2013 .... TCS was assessed for the first time at the continental level. Based on the outstanding conditions they create for their staff, they conclusively showed a remarkable performance in our research. They are not only a great employer for their staff, but also set an example for other employers around the world," said David Plink, CEO, CRF Institute.

"We are very pleased to have been rated the foremost employer across Europe. Over decades, TCS has focused heavily on a long-term career building approach with its employees, which is being validated with this award. In the IT industry - employees are the foremost asset for any company and TCS' strong retained talent base is a key strength in providing winning teams and the highest quality of services to our clients in Europe," said DP Nambiar, director, HR, TCS Europe.

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Kohli, Raina in top 10 in ICC T20 rankings

Virat Kohli with 731 points is at number eight position, followed by Suresh Raina (719) in the latest rankings table, which is headed by New Zealand's Brendon McCullum (810).

DUBAI: Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are the two Indians to figure in the list of top 10 in ICC Player Rankings for T20I batsmen, while India continue to hold onto the number three slot in the teams category, issued on Friday.


Kohli with 731 points is at number eight position, followed by Raina (719) in the latest rankings table, which is headed by New Zealand's wicketkeeper captain Brendon McCullum (810).

Yuvraj Singh (14) and Gautam Gambhir (18) are the other two Indians to have found a place in the top-20 batsmen's list.

In the team rankings, India are placed third behind Sri Lanka and T20 champions the West Indies.

Offie Ravichandran Ashwin is the only Indian to have featured in the list of top-20 bowlers in the shortest format, which is headed by Sunil Narine of the West Indies.

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Internet connectivity in India likely to stay affected for two weeks

Internet connectivity in India likely to stay affected for two weeks: Report

Internet connectivity is likely to stay affected for the next two weeks in India as three undersea cables have suffered multilple cuts, according to a report by Livemint. The report quotes a Bharti Airtel spokesperson who informed that there have been multiple fibre cuts on SMW4, IMEWE and EIG cable systems, disrupting communication traffic between India and Europe. The spokesperson added that Bharti Airtel was working with the cable consortium for restoring services and that data traffic would be routed on alternate routes, while voice traffic had been already normalised.

It also quotes a Tata Communications spokesperson who confirmed that the SMW4 cable system suffered a cut but mentioned that the company has taken other measures to reroute customers minimising service disruption and that the restoration of the cable is under way. Bharti Airtel is part of the consortium that manages all the three cables while Tata Communications looks after SMW4 and IMEWE cables.

The SMW4(South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4) cable connects Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France, while the IMEWE (India-Middle East-Western Europe) cable goes through Mumbai, Karachi, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Italy and France.The EIG(Europe India Gateway) connects Portugal, Gibraltar, Monaco, France, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Oman and the UAE.

The Livemint report also clarifies that services offered by Reliance Communications and BSNL have not been affected.

As we reported earlier the Internet has been majorly affected since the last two days with cable cuts, outages and a cyber war going on between two Internet companies.

While the cause of the cuts is still not clear reports indicate that three divers were caught by Egypt's coastguard trying to cut through an undersea Internet cable.

One of the other major reasons for the slowdown was a tiff between Spamhaus, a group fighting spam and Cyberbunker, a Dutch company that hosts Web sites said to be sending spam that led to one of the largest computer attacks on the Internet, causing widespread congestion and jamming crucial infrastructure around the world. 

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Change of heart? IE11 might speed Web graphics with WebGL

A leaked build of Microsoft's next browser shows signs that the company could be reversing its opposition to a standard for accelerated 2D and 3D graphics on the Web.

The WebGL-powered version of Google Maps shows transparent 3D buildings such as this view of Kowloon and offers other fancy effects.

Microsoft's next version of Internet Explorer might just support WebGL, a standard for accelerated 3D graphics on the Web that the company previously has attacked as a security risk.
A leaked version of the next version of Windows, code-named Blue, came with a version of IE11, and developer's scrutiny of the browser shows evidence of WebGL.
"It seems like WebGL interfaces are defined but not functional at this time," said Web developer and author Francois Remy in a blog post this week. That means that the IE11 build has some infrastructure in place to support WebGL, but lacks actual support at this stage.
Microsoft won't confirm anything at this stage. "We don't comment on rumors or speculation," the company said in a statement.
WebGL got its start at Mozilla and won Google's endorsement as a way to bring 3D graphics to the Web and to speed them up with hardware acceleration. WebGL, also helpful with 2D graphics acceleration, is good for games and potentially other graphics-intense tasks. Google offers WebGL as an option for Google Maps, for example. WebGL offers a JavaScript interface to the low-level OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics library, but there are libraries that let programmers draw on WebGL services with higher-level programming.

Microsoft disparaged WebGL as a security risk, a concern that Mozilla derided. However, developers have been working on addressing security shortcomings.
And it's not inconceivable that Microsoft might have a change of heart: Paul Cotton, head of Microsoft's Web standards work, said last year that WebGL support consistently is a top IE feature request.
"It would be great to have interoperable 3D graphics on the Web. If we can solve the security problems, I think we'd seriously look at some way of producing 3D graphics for the Web," he said at the time. "If we were ever going to implement WebGL, we think finding a solution to those problems is not optional but actually mandatory."

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Today`s quotes

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

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5 Lies women always tell men

5 Lies that women tell men

Here's a little help for men to figure out when their gal isn't being completely honest with them. Our tips help to decode female behaviour...

Though a recent study claims that a woman's face is like an open book that reveals her state of mind, but men need to beware!

Better not take it as the last verdict, for irrespective of how much you trust and adore your little angel, women do lie to their significant others at times.

Sometimes to carry off a situation without hurting his feelings or to save herself from trouble, while on occasions to contain her emotions and pose as Ms. Goody...popping casual, white lies is no big deal for women when it comes to playing it safe in the relationship.

White lies are no big blunders or massive betrayals, but small lies or 'truth manipulated' to handle a situation. At times she might fib to make her man feel better, to avoid a fight, or an embarrassing situation.

Here's a little help so that men can figure out when their adorable darling is not speaking her heart out and help them handle the situation with care...

Lie #1: "Oh! It's fine. I'm OK"
Guards on guys! You must know that she's not fine at all and nothing is OK. And sooner or later you will have to bear the burnt of her pent up emotions that she has somehow managed to hold back until now. You'll find her taking this emotional defense on occasions when you may have forgotten her birthday, taken her for granted or have done anything that hurts her.

"Whenever my girlfriend lets go off my not so fatal error with a cool 'it's fine', I know it's nothing but the calm before a cyclone that I am fated to face in the time to come," shares Sandeep Sharma, a Delhi-based management student.

To portray that she doesn't care, the emotional lady prefers taking a refuge in this lie. Charu Marwah, a software engineer admits, "I prefer staying that 'It's OK' because if I react I'll be blamed of being a constant cribber, who is in complaining mode always. Though, I actually want him to go down on his knees and plead forgiveness."

Lie detector: Well, an experienced lover would know of the crime that he has committed, but the amateurs should look out for her reactions. She might not get vocal, but will do everything to make you feel guilty about the fact that you have hurt her. From being tight-lipped to giving the briefest responses that don't go beyond 'hmms, huhs or yes and no', to mean tones and loads of sarcasm - are a few hints that you can look out for. "Women have a tendency of expecting their man to understand the said, as well as the unsaid, and that leaves men in a dicey situation. And even here, by keeping quite or going away with a small 'I'm fine', she expects him to know that she's hurt," explains psychologist, Dr. Aruna Broota.

Lie # 2: "I love you for what you are"
...and I don't want you to change. Well, may God be your saviour if you believe her for this. No wonders, if sheer pampering or impressing you might strictly be on her mind when she's saying this. "I just loved my wife whenever she averred this phrase. But gradually the knick-picking started and reality dawned upon me. At times it was my eating choice that bugged her, while at others it was my dressing style that she wanted to improve. Yet she continued to tell the blatant lie that she loved me for what I was," complained Madhukar Suhas, a Mumbai-based advertising professional.

Agreed, that you don't like this lie. But just imagine how it would feel if on your face she told you much she hated your paunch or how bad you looked in those lose-fitted denims. Thank her appreciating you taking care of your confidence levels.

"What do I do? I have to blow his trumpet when he does the right thing. After all, it was his qualities only that I married him for. And also, it becomes important to boost his confidence at times and those words just have the right impact," says Madhu Chandra, a Delhi-based-teacher.

Lie detector: If you start observing the occasions when she backs this mushy phrase, you might just realise she's not lying at all. On most of the occasions it comes when you have made her happy with anything like a gift, a movie, a romantic dinner or for that matter by doing anything and everything that she loves. You were good to her and that's your innate quality, which made her fall for you.

Lie # 3: You stare, I don't care!
Either you are too lucky to have the coolest woman by your side, or you are getting an inflated ego without any reason if you believe her on this. No matter how hard she tries to look cool and composed, but the fact remains that no woman loves it when her man ogles at another woman. "After all, who wants to feel like second best? And the 'I don't care attitude' is usually to hide the vulnerability and a pretence. Most women hate their man staring at another woman," confesses Radhika Khattar, a Delhi-based housewife.

Lie detector: She doesn't want to show you how she's feeling and is no less desperate to tell you that you are torturing her to the core. Well, easy indications to know she's lying can be the trail of questions she'll end up asking you. Casually and candidly she'll ask you things like 'Isn't she hot?' 'What makes her so hot? 'Did you like her?' She might appear to be your best buddy, but actually she wants to ask you, 'Do I score less that the chic you are ogling at?' And your answer will decide your fate not immediately, but definitely in the future, so better beware of what you say!

Lie # 4: Your friends are cool!
This might not be a lie always, but many a times your friends are nothing but a 'passion spoiler' for your girl, especially when they pop up during private moments. "When we started dating, on many occasions we went out with my friends. And every time I used to ask her, 'I hope you are enjoying?' she answered, 'They're cool!' The real shock came when one day I was planning another group date and she gave me a good piece of her mind. It's then that I realised that she didn't love them as much I thought she did. But she could have initially told me," says Rajat Sarin, a 20-year-old college student.

"Most of the times women end up praising your friends for you. They don't want to hurt you by revealing the truth and hope that you'll understand without saying, which usually doesn't happen," explains psychologist, Dr Sameer Parekh.

Lie detector: A sure shot hint to the lie is written on her face. Despite being in the group she'll remain an outsider. The smile that's usually worth a million dollars might just look purely artificial and forced. Her replies to all your enquiries will end in a cover up lie, 'I'm fine sweet heart' or 'I'm enjoying myself' and that takes you to Lie #1. So, when you get something like this from your girl, understand that you are getting into too much buddy-bonding!

Lie # 5: Tell me, trust me I won't get angry
This one is tricky, leaving you with a ditch on one side and a bigger ditch on the other. This lie is usually thrown at you when she wants an honest opinion and knows what it can be, but still wants to hear it. Beware guys! Irrespective of what you say, she is going to get furious for sure. This usually happens in questions related to her looks, the food that she cooks, that tangy orange shirt she brought for you etc.

"Sometimes it is tough to handle. Once, my wife asked my honest opinion on a super tight dress that she had worn. And, I told her honestly that she was looking like a stuffed pillow and she was mad at me. Taking cues from my past experience; on another occasion I did my best to flatter her. To my sheer surprise, even that made her angry and she blamed me for not being a fair critic," complains Suraj Malhotra, a Delhi-based architect.

Lie detector: Well, there's no detector for this one, for undoubtedly she's lying. Then what's the solution? Answers Parekh, "It's not that women cannot take true criticism from their man or expect praises all the time. But what they actually expect is that criticism should come in a softer and suggestive manner, rather than a striking taunt on her looks. So, without being too critical or over flattering, just tell her that she needs to work out on her minuses."

PHEW! This was from us. Now it's your turn to share the sweet and salty white lies that you tell your man or your wife pours on you to leave you playing a guessing game of truth and false.

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Lakshmipathy Balaji engaged!

Cricketer Lakshmipathy Balaji and city model Priya Thalur have decided to make their relationship official. The two got engaged in a hushhush ceremony, held recently at the model's home in Chennai.

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Galaxy S4 priced at $249.99 with contract at AT&T

 

AT&T said customers can pre-order Samsung's flagship phone on April 16. A launch date hasn't yet been given.

AT&T said today it would begin taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S4, which it is pricing at $249.99 with a two-year contract.
Eager customers can place their order starting April 16. AT&T hasn't yet announced when the smartphone would actually hit stores, and a representative declined to provide a specific date.

The $249.99 price tag is slightly higher than the standard flagship phone, which typically retails at $199.99. But Samsung and its carrier partners are hoping that the Galaxy brand, the improved specifications, and the strong buzz behind the product will drive sales. AT&T confirmed that the $249.99 price is for the 16GB base model.
The Galaxy S4 is expected to be the big seller early in the year ahead of the launch of the next iPhone. Still, the phone faces improved competition from the likes of the HTC One, as well as a big marketing campaign from BlackBerry and its Z10 and Q10 phones.
While AT&T is mum about the launch date, T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert told CNET that its Galaxy S4 will launch on or before May 1.

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YouTube expands live video streaming tools

The company has new tools for game makers to add live video streaming to their software.

SAN FRANCISCO--YouTube today added a way for developers to publish live videos from their mobile applications.
A new set of application programming interfaces, or APIs, introduced today by the company at the Game Developers Conference, lets developers push out a video stream of an app for live viewing.
In practice, this means game developers can add some code into their existing games, then publish gameplay live from a smartphone or tablet.
Such a system has been in place for a handful of desktop gaming titles, including Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of videos made by players, and "millions and millions of views," the company said in its presentation today.
To make it all work on portable devices where there may be less horsepower, Google says it's doing all the heavy lifting on things like resizing for various resolutions, and also the quality of the video, on its servers. That goes from 240p content, all the way up to 1080p.

 

YouTube began its efforts in live streaming in 2011 with the launch of YouTube Live, which continues to be limited to certain YouTube partners and accounts. The company also uses the technology extensively to broadcast its own news events, including its conference calls with Wall Street analysts, product launches, and annual developers conference.
Google says more than 72 hours of video are uploaded to the service every minute, and that a quarter of what's actually watched is from mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. The company also pointed out that YouTube is the second largest search engine because of all this content.

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Facebook says come see 'new home on Android' on April 4

The social network is teasing a major Android-related product announcement. True to form, the company is mum on specifics.

 

Facebook today invited members of the media to attend an Android-related product announcement at its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, April 4. The invitation, as pictured above, says, "Come See Our New Home on Android," and includes no other details as to what may be unveiled.
History tells us that the April 4 news will be as grand in scope and implications as Graph Search or the new look for News Feed, two major product announcements that Facebook announced at its campus earlier this year.

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Gmail's nimble compose window pops out for all

After five months of testing, the email provider is making the pop-out composition box the default way to pen new messages.

 

Pop-out messages are the new default in Gmail. Google today announced that its email product has officially embraced a nimbler chat-like compose window, first previewed five months ago, as the default option for penning emails.
The more modern compose window pops out and acts like a chat box, so Gmail users can compose emails while still keeping an eye on other messages in the inbox. The fresh functionality lets people compose multiple messages at the same time, minimize messages like chat threads, and search through the inbox without needing to navigate away from messages. Gmail users should get the new compose window this week as it rolls out -- or pops out, rather -- to all in the next few days, Google Product Manager Phil Sharp said.

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Today`s quote

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

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Why Running Is Like Meditation

Why Running Is Like Meditation

inShare1

The differences between running and meditation are apparent. The amusing part is the commonalities between the two. Are there any? You may ask. The answer is in the affirmative.
If you have been wondering how the two strike a similar chord, running being a hard-core physical form of exercise and meditation being an out-and-out emotional workout, here are some pointers:

The Effect

Both meditating and exercise, for the initial ten minutes, are extremely strenuous when you begin with them. The initial feeling of being worn out goes away only once you become more regular with the two.

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Endorphins

Meditation releases endorphins (the ‘happy’ hormones), and so does running. This is why both running and meditation are considered so important to liven up your mood, particularly when you are feeling low and depressed.

Improved Circulation

The more you run, the more you stimulate the blood flow. The same can be said about meditation as well. Stimulated blood flow acts as prevention against a number of diseases.

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Effect On Body Chakras

Meditation and running both opens up the blockages of chakras. There are 7 chakras in the body and opening up their blockages balances out the body and thus helps you get rid of the diseases gradually.

Reduced Stress

Stress and anxiety are the major reasons for a number of health disorders. Running and meditation help in bringing the stress levels down. Both enable the mind to be calmer and the body to be in better form to accept and adapt to trying circumstances.

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Fitness Factor

Where many know that running helps you shed all that fat, there are few who believe that meditation can do the same. The trick is to breathe better. When your 'pranayam' techniques are right, you start getting in shape.

The End-Result

Like the beginnings, the end result of running and meditation is the same. Both forms of exercise increase stamina and concentration.
Meditation is a sedentary form of running. Nonetheless, that’s the whole point of meditating. The most basic comparison that can be drawn between running and meditation is that they enable your mind, body and soul function in harmony with one another.

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There is a clear demand from the engineering services sector and will grow at 30% per year’

Interview of the Day: ‘There is a clear demand from the engineering services sector and will grow at 30% per year’

Sanjay Kumar, CEO & MD, Altran India
TimesJobs.com Bureau
The aerospace industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India. Is this the next hot place for engineering graduates and other professionals?
Yes, however, there is a skill gap in the quality of engineers being produced and the needs of the industry. Since this is a highly complex work environment and requires significant engineering capability the start up time for an engineer to be productive is almost 18 months.
Why do you think more and more engineering graduates/candidates are getting attracted to this space?
Until now, most engineering graduates only preferred IT – which in most cases does not really need engineers , so now engineers prefer sectors like aerospace as it allows them to work in real engineering domains and also on more cutting edge technology.
Which are the most in-demand and high-rewarding functional areas/skills in this domain?
Well, avionics and flight physics are extremely cutting edge but we usually prefer to put engineers with 4-8 years experience in this domain. For freshers’, we start them off in aero-structures with stress and design activities to begin with. Later we can move them to more high-end areas in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and so on.
What is your company’s recruitment strategy to ensure the best fit enter the organisation?
We prefer to take engineers with 2- 5 years experience at least. When we take freshers we prefer if they are at least an M-Tech. We generally find that B- Tech graduates passing out from engineering colleges in India are not able to meet our skill fit or capability requirements. IIT engineers are good but sadly most of them are not looking to be engineers.
What are the current recruitment trends and challenges?
In terms of trends, there is a clear demand coming from the engineering services sector and this will grow at almost 30% per year as offset requirements come in.
Will 2013 witness more influx of engineering talent in the aerospace industry owing to its dynamic and innovative nature of work? What are the factors that will affect this boom?
The offset policy will make a big difference, the signing of the Rafael deal will be the much needed fillip. With the impetus to MRO activity in this budget we clearly see increased hiring from Q2. 2013 will also see significant movement of engineering talent to client location as part of the skill up-gradation process.
What are some of the current campus hiring trends and challenges faced by you?
We are not yet convinced that there is good engineering talent currently available from campuses in India. There are lots of bright engineers on campus but hardly any of them are keen on a long term engineering career. The aerospace Industry is highly complex – one aircraft design takes upto a decade to fructify so it’s difficult to hire fresh engineering talent from colleges in India as they see the first job only in a 12 – 36 month context.
What are the 5 key aspects that every HR head in your industry should have on top of their agenda in 2013?

• Rigour in screening
• Continuous engagement on people development.
• Facilitating inter cultural familiarity as Aerospace work is extremely globalised.
• Ensuring employee value propositions are segmented in a manner that allows critical talent to be retained
• Last but not the least, benchmarking compensation, and benefits to be aligned with organisations position.

Are there new skill sets that will emerge in 2013 (owing to new technology/market forces) that you would like entrants in your industry to be trained/ready for?
Yes, I think manufacturing engineering within aerospace will emerge as a key area as offsets for manufacturing kick in and the industry needs to prepare hard for this.

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10 romantic places to see before you die

10 romantic places to see before you die

There is a romantic in all of us. No matter how much we deny we'd still give anything to be in a place breathtakingly beautiful, and even better if we have someone special to share it with.

Of world's most romantic places Paris tops the chart as the city of eternal romance where even sipping champagne at a roadside cafe facing the Eiffel Tower holds a special meaning. While places like Paris, Venice, the French Riviera are synonymous with ever-lasting romance, we scoured a few other destinations that spell romance, albeit in an unconventional way. Avignon, for instance, and its picturesque purple fields of lavender, the rolling tea estates of Munnar in Kerala, the lonely jungle walks in Portugal's Madeira Island might appeal to your romantic side.

Valentine's Day or otherwise, the below 10 experiences are an absolute must-do before you die.

An evening in Paris
Paris is magical, and a dream-come-true for diehard romantics. An illuminated Eiffel Tower, the life-giving waters of the Seine, the masterpieces at Louvre, the intricate detailing on every structure lining the boulevards, the saucy Moulin Rouge shows, and an atmospheric dinner at the recently refurbished '58 Tour Eiffel' restaurant on the Eiffel Tower, come together in a dizzying array to give you a different perspective on life, love and eternity.

Avignon, where time stands still...
See Europe's biggest gothic structure, the Pope's Palace in Avignon in Southern France among other architectural gems set against the coastal beauty of the Rhone River. The Monastery of the Val de Benediction with its superior frescoes is of particular importance. Stroll down the cobbled streets of Saint Remy, the village which inspired Van Gogh's masterpiece 'Starry Night'. Walk about in vineyards and savour the finest French wines. Explore the gorgeous lavender fields of Avignon; it opens up a painter's canvas of rolling green valleys, sleepy homesteads interspersed by immense blue lavender fields.

The tranquil Cote d' Azur or 'French Riviera'
The charming port of St. Tropez sees chic Parisians and other international jet set spend a laidback vacation in their private yachts. Stunning coastal scenery mingles with a palpable sense of power, wealth and glamour in Nice, the capital of the French Riviera. It's a quaint world there, only its material offerings are exclusive, rich and one-off. From shopping in chic boutiques, museum-hopping, enjoying the quiet beaches, strolling around the Roman ruins, to eating out at quaint roadside cafes, the French Riviera is an ideal retreat for a much-in-love pair.

An artist's haven and a fashionista's hub, Milan
Home to Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper', and the world's top designer labels, Milan is beguiling and addictive. Do the town on coach or foot, and experience the grandeur of the massive marble Duomo, where every opera singer aspires to perform someday. Look up the oddball art pieces and furniture range at Castello Sforzesco. A walk in the evening while browsing the boutiques of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele arcade and the Corso Venezia is an ideal way to spend time in the Italian fashion capital with your beloved.

Venice, the city of canals on a gondola
Bards, painters and filmmakers for generations have glorified this tranquil Italian canal city in their works. A gondola ride on the Grand Canal through ancient bridges past pretty baroque houses of Venice is a feeling you will always hold close to your heart. It is a fine opportunity to soak up the Venetian way of life, the one thousand year old markets around Ponte di Rialto, and experience an architectural richness that makes up Italy's most romantic city.

Lake Como and the Italian Lake District
Affording dramatic mountain scenery, Lake Como is the serenest of the three Italian lakes. In fact, Europeans love coming here because the city of Como is also the silk capital of Italy, what with silk factory outlets and branded stores strewn across its every nook and cranny. It's a great idea to buy a pretty silk scarf or a printed silk dress for your partner on a trip down its narrow, scenic lanes. From Bellagio, an old-world town in the vicinity, you can take in panoramic views of the Alps and the aqua blue waters of Lake Como. Bellagio is characterised by old villas and luxuriant gardens.

The misty tea estates of Munnar
Not just is it the highest peak of the Western Ghats, the undulating, mist-covered tea estates, and gushing waterfalls, add to the other-worldly beauty of Munnar. Drive through dark, winding roads that look like an enchanted ribbon, and discover around every bend a starkly different view. The clouds hang so low that can reach out and touch them. Lush meadows sprayed with wild flowers, the quiet sound of the gurgling brooks through narrow rocks, the green lake at Echo Point, and the warm and hospitable local folks, make Munnar hauntingly romantic.

Witness a breaking dawn in Udaipur
Lovingly called 'city of lakes' and 'city of dawn', Udaipur's romantic appeal lies in the tranquil waters of Lake Pichola and the white marble Lake Palace at its heart. The city virtually came up on the banks of Lake Pichola after Maharana Udai Singh II discovered it following a prophesy by an ascetic who summoned him to rebuild his empire over Lake Pichola after his defeat in Chittorgarh at the hands of Mughal Emperor, Akbar. Set against the looming Aravalis, Udaipur's string of lakes, the sandstone City Palace on the eastern crest of Lake Pichola, the architectural structures dotting the city, the handicraft bazaars, local cuisine, and an idle pace of life are sure to bring you back for more.

Far away in the floating gardens of Madeira Island
Tossed on the sapphire blue waters of the Atlantic, just off the mainland of Portugal, the Madeira Island resembles a gigantic floating garden. Its capital city Funchal receives honeymooners from Europe who find glory in its fine wines, mild climate, bird songs, drunk-red rhododendron blossoms, forests of pine, terraced fields, secret gorges, and the glimmering blue Atlantic visible from every clearing in the jungle. Explore on foot a tired countryside sprawled on the crater of an extinct volcano which still resorts to wicker craft for a living. Follow a levada - an irrigational canal that winds through the jungles - and discover sights of immense natural beauty.

A pint of Guinness in Dublin
Head straight to the 250-year-old brewery, the Guinness Storehouse in Ireland's capital city and find out all there is to know about the world's most celebrated beer. From ground floor to the sky bar 'Gravity' on the seventh floor, the storehouse is an experience unlike any other. From taking you through the fine process of beer making to giving you a taste of their best brews, you can literally spend an entire day among great many varieties of beer. Take your date to Gravity in the evening and enjoy a few mugs of frosty beer with appetisers while looking over a brilliantly lit Dublin city. The haunting romanticism of the Irish Kilkenny and Malahide castles too are worth experiencing. Do it on a day trip from Dublin.

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