TAA Information Session for Marathon Training at 2 pm on Apr-22/Sun at MIT

Have you been thinking about -
* Helping those less fortunate than yourself
* Getting in shape
* Meeting new people
* Finding the answer to life, the universe and everything!!

Allow me to introduce you to an opportunity that will help you achieve these goals (well maybe 3 out of 4)! I am talking about the Run for a Change 2012 program organized jointly by the Boston/MIT chapters of Association for India's Development (AID) and Asha for Education. This hugely popular and successful initiative has been providing a way for people like you to challenge themselves physically while doing something noble and at the same time, finding like-minded people to socialize with and make some very strong and lasting friendships. The TeamAIDAsha Marathon program is about to embark on its 10th year and we would like to welcome you to the FREE information session at MIT. You can join us for the Saturday runs, even if you miss the information session on April 22nd. Please check us out online and join our email lists and Facebook page.
Please help the spread the word:
We are a group of volunteers working for this program and we request your help in spreading the word. Please forward this email to friends and acquaintances who might be interested. Make those few clicks and help change the world for better. Hope to see you on April 22nd!

Information Session: Sunday, April 22th, 2011, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Where: MIT Building 4, Room 270
77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA
Google map: http://goo.gl/jdcPY
Entry: Free
For Who: Couch potatoes, seasoned runners, and everyone in between
RSVP at our web site: www.teamaidasha.org
‘Like’ us on Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/TeamAIDAsha

RSVP on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/334995006547928/

Follow us on twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/teamaidasha
Join our email lists or learn more at:
http://www.teamaidasha.org
Questions? Email us at: info@teamaidasha.org

Get Involved in 'Asha for Education'

Hello Folks,

We are actively looking for more volunteers to join our web, treasury and projects team at Boston/MIT. There are various ways in which you can volunteer with the Asha Boston/MIT Chapter. We offer opportunities to get involved in the grassroots projects we support in India as well in the process of raising the funds to support these projects. If interested, please email us at mit [at] ashanet [dot] org for more details.

With hope...

Palmers Restaurant and Tavern

There was good crowd hanging in the Andover square and live music so I decided to try out Palmers. We bought the Groupon which gave us one appetizer, 2 entrees and a dessert.

Menu
Appetizers: Crab cakes
Entrees: Grilled Salmon, Pan roasted Chicken
Dessert: Sticky Toffee Pudding

http://palmers-restaurant.com/menus.htm

Love the atmosphere and the food.

Amesbury Sports Park @ MA

Carrom Tournament in Cambridge, MA organized by Asha for Education!!

Asha for Education’s Boston chapter is pleased to invite you to a carrom tournament in Cambridge’s Central Square on Saturday, March 3^rd. Need a reason to compete?

5. Unravel the laws of physics. As the striker transfers its momentum to the carrom coins, prove that Newton’s laws of motions still work. Or become famous by proving that they don’t.

4. Nostalgia. Carrom is an incredibly popular board game in South Asia. Relive your childhood… or perhaps your South Asian friend’s childhood. For more information on how that friend spent his formative years, see www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrom.

3. Learn a new board game. Haven’t you been looking for an alternative to Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit? Carrom is more strategic than chutes-and-ladders but less intense than chess — and you can learn the game in just a few minutes.

2. Have fun. Bring a cheering squad. And those other friends who are not so into cheering. Play carrom in the company of some cool people and have a shot at being Carrom King or Queen of Boston.

1. Make the world a better place. Asha for Education’s Boston/MIT Chapter currently supports 9 grassroots projects working with hundreds of underprivileged students. Help them hit the books by taking a break from your own.

To register, visit www.ashanet.org/mit. Spaces are limited.

Asha-Boston Carrom Tournament

3PM on Saturday, March 3^rd

100 Lansdowne Street

Cambridge, MA

Ristorante Pavarotti at Reading, MA

Had a wonderful evening at the Ristorante Pavarotti Italian fine dining at Reading. Its a nice and cozy place with good choices for meat lovers. 


We tried the Antipasto Della Casa appetizer consisting of Prosciuttto, sopressata, fresh mozzarella, Italian cheese, artichokes, roasted peppers and grilled zucchini. It was very tang in taste but something different as compared to out favorite Fried Calamari. 

Pumpkin Butternut Squash Ravioli was Served in a mascarpone cheese cream sauce and fresh sage. It was a little sweet and awesome! We also got the Lobster in garlic white wine sauce with Penne. The Lobster was juicy and perfectly prepared. 

The service was quick. The place was noisy and needs reservations. The waitress Cristina was very friendly and nice. Overall we were very satisfied. The place is pricey but with lots of parking around I would rather go there than try to find parking at the North End.

Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica MA

 

 

 

 

BUZJG5ESTHK7

Casa Blanca at North Andover

Casa Blanca is a casual fine mexican  dining place. The Veggie Green Burrito is fabulous loaded with lots of very fresh veggies.  The chips are great along with the three homemade salsas : normal, hot and green. Green and hot salsa were awesome. We had grilled chicken torta sandwich which was served with huge fries.  The shrimp Casa Blanca is always great.  The portions will never leave you hungry.  The service is always friendly & the food comes out hot, quick & most importantly fresh.  Nachos Idaho and Veggie Quesidila were loaded with cheese and awesomeness. 


Try their margaritas : we tried the Tropical Tuscan.


Rating: 4/5


Website: http://www.casablancamexican.com/index.php

Mother Teresa

Quote from Mother Teresa. Beautiful words to live by:

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

Ubuntu installation with wubi

Click here to view these pictures larger

Car maintenance schedule

Every 5,000 miles 
Oil change (they also do their 19 point inspection or whatever at every oil change) 


Every 6,000 miles 
Rotate tires 


Every 30,000 miles 
Replace transmission fluid 
Replace air filter 


Every 60,000 miles 
Replace coolant 
Replace cabin filter 


Whenever car shimmies or brakes chirp 
Replace front brake pads, resurface/replace rotors if necessary, check/clean rear drums 


Whenever (~50k)
New Tires 


Around 98,000 miles
timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, and all other belts and hoses replaced. 

Time saving tricks (life hacks)

XBox Kinect–You shape Fitness evolved

XBox Kinect - Your shape Fitness evolved

Girls scouts. Lemonades

Real good cookies

Year end Charitable Donation

"Education is a companion which no future can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate, and no nepotism can enslave."

As 2011 comes to an end, we at the Asha-Boston/MIT chapter want to wish you Happy Holidays. We also want to tell you the impact our work has made in the lives of the most underprivileged children. None of this life-changing impact would have been possible without your kind and generous support! While we enjoy the festive season with our families and friends, please take the time to note the amazing work that has been done through your support and the relentless efforts of our volunteers.

*Standing tall:*

Asha-Boston provides fund for the day-to-day operations of the Vikas Bharati school located near Hyderabad and administered by Kamalakar Memorial Trust. With the help of 14 teachers, this school provides education from kindergarten to 10th standard to over 200 students who come from slums or are children of migrant laborers. Also, the school endeavors to enrich students' learning through various co-curricular and extra-curricular activities such as painting, essay writing competitions, science fairs, educational excursions and health camps. Recently, the school has experimented with activity based learning to encourage curiosity and critical thinking in the students. In addition, the school plans to shift in a new larger leased building this year.

*Growing strong:*

This year, Asha-Boston supported 3 residential schools that provide education, lodging and food to nearly 400 students. These schools are run by Navsarjan, a grassroots organization dedicated to upliftment of the Dalit people. With the help of Asha-Boston, Navsarjan expects to provide education and shelter to more than 100 girl students. At these residential schools, teachers and staff regularly do "more with less": multi-functional rooms are used as classrooms during the day and as lodging during the night. A student's typical day includes activities such as prayer, sports, exercise, in addition to education. This year  we have expanded our partnership with Navsarjan to include Asha's "Quality in Education" (QED) "National Rural Employment Guarantee Act" (NREGA) initiatives.

*Your support:*

As you know, Asha is truly a grass-roots organization; from fund-raising to project management through thousands of well-wishers, donors and volunteers. A lot has been done in the last few years with this support but a lot still needs to be done. Your continued support and commitment makes all this possible. We encourage you to get involved.
In this festive season, please share the joy of giving. If you wish to make a charitable contribution and know more about Asha please visit:

http://www.ashanet.org/mit/

Please note: Your donation is fully tax-deductible.

*Volunteers:*

Last but certainly not the least, kudos to all the volunteers who have done an amazing job running this institution ensuring minimal overhead so that every dollar you donate can create the maximum possible impact. Also, we want to specially thank Marathon runners who have generously raised money to fund our projects.  Thank you all for your support and best wishes for the New Year!

PS: Please pass this along to your friends, families and colleagues who are interested in participating or donating for a great cause.

15 Great thoughts by Chanakya

‎15 GREAT THOUGHTS BY CHANAKYA
1) "Learn from the mistakes of others... you can't live long enough to make them all yourselves!!"
2)"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are screwed first."
3)"Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."
4)"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."
5)" Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."
6)"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
7)"The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman."
8)"Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."
9)"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
10)"God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."
11) "A man is great by deeds, not by birth."
12) "Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness."
13) "Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends."
14) "Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person."
15) "Education is the Best Friend. An Educated Person is Respected Everywhere. Education beats the Beauty and the Youth."

Match fixing??

Some evidence into why I believe there is abundant match-fixing in cricket:-
1. Why was there no enforcement of follow-on:-http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63850.html
http://cricketnext.in.com/news/kapil-forced-sachin-change-decision-in-test/61036-13.html
2. 10 back to back ODIs. Why? There are 10 other nations who play cricket!
Result : 0-3 and 5-0. Something seems fishy!
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/series/474461.html
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/series/521214.html
3. Every international team fixed matches in 1990s: Condon
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Every-international-team-fixed-matches-in-1990s-Condon/articleshow/10755050.cms#write
4. Match fixing in county cricket
http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/549087.html
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/476232.html

Don't use ReliableCom Phone service

The service is calling card service. I tried contacting the customer card on phone, email and chat but I did not get any response from them. the access number provided does not work most of the times. Even when it works there is so much disturbance I can hardly hear what the other person is talking. 


There is no way I can contact them or get new access number. There is no account history or tracking of minutes. There is no easy dial/speed dial numbers


 I am totally dissatisfied with the service

Last day of WAH 2011! Donate Now!

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Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom - George Washington Carver LAST DAY!!!  20 Projects 70 Schools  4415 Students Dear Asha Patron, The breadth and depth of issues that stem out of illiteracy can not be fathomed by us. In the absence of our support, these communities continue to be exploited and live in a world of zero opportunities for a life of dignity.    Have you been in discussions on how you would like to see the India of your dreams? This is your day to show that you are being the change you wish to see in India.  Make a small donation on the last day of WAH campaign and make a difference in 2011.    4415 children isn't a small number; WAH needs support from many donors like you to realize our dreams.       US Residents             Non US Residents            Work An Hour, Help Empower the Underprivileged.

Last 3 days of WAH 2011

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Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.  - Malcolm Forbes Dear Asha Patron,   With the help of generous donors like you, we have raised over $80,000 so far as part of our Work An Hour 2011 campaign to help provide education to more than 4000 underprivileged students.    As we are in the last three days of our campaign, we are looking to raise additional $20,000.   Children who stay in school for a couple of years will be able to read and write and are less likely to be child laborers or exploited as adults. Help us empower the underprivileged children in India by donating generously to Work An Hour.   US Residents Non - US Residents        An Hour of your time,  Hope for a Life time