Mother Teresa Biography

Born: August 27, 1910

Died: September 5, 1997

Achievements: Started Missionaries of Charity in 1950; received Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979; received Bharat Ratna in 1980.

Mother Teresa was one of the great servants of humanity.

She was an Albanian Catholic nun who came to India and founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. Her selfless work among the poverty-stricken people of Kolkata (Calcutta) is an inspiration for people all over the world and she was honored with Nobel Prize for her work. Mother Teresa's original name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu.

She was born on August 27, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia. Her father was a successful merchant and she was youngest of the three siblings. At the age of 12, she decided that she wanted to be a missionary and spread the love of Christ. At the age of 18 she left her parental home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. After a few months of training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin Mother

Teresa came to India. On May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography and catechism at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta. However, the prevailing poverty in Calcutta had a deep impact on Mother Teresa's mind and in 1948, she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, she returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. She started an open-air school for homeless children. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers, and she received financial support from church organizations and the municipal authorities. On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Vatican to start her own order. Vatican originally labeled the order as the Diocesan Congregation of the Calcutta Diocese, and it later came to known as the "Missionaries of Charity".

The primary task of the Missionaries of Charity was to take care of those persons who nobody was prepared to look after.The Missionaries of Charity, which began as a small Order with 12 members in Calcutta, today has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages, AIDS hospices, charity centres worldwide, and caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless and victims of floods, epidemics and famine in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, Poland, and Australia. In 1965, by granting a Decree of Praise, Pope Paul VI granted Mother Teresa permission to expand her order to other countries. The order's first house outside India was in Venezuela. Presently, the "Missionaries of Charity" has presence in more than 100 countries.Mother Teresa's work has been recognised and acclaimed throughout the world and she has received a number of awards and distinctions. These include the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971), Nehru Prize for Promotion of International Peace & Understanding (1972), Balzan Prize (1978), Nobel Peace Prize (1979) and Bharat Ratna (1980).On March 13, 1997, Mother Teresa stepped down from the head of Missionaries of Charity and died on September 5, 1997, just 9 days after her 87th birthday.

Following Mother Teresa's death, the Holy See began the process of beatification, the second step towards possible canonization, or sainthood.

This process requires the documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa. In 2002, the Vatican recognized as a miracle the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following the application of a locket containing Teresa's picture. Monica Besra said that a beam of light emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother Teresa was formally beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. A second miracle is required for her to proceed to canonization.

Mahatma Gandhi Quote

Here are some famous quotes by Mahatma Gandhi. These quotes reveal his thinking and are a guiding light and source of inspiration to others.

• I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away.
  
• Abstinence is forgiveness only when there is power to punish; it is meaningless when it pretends to proceed from a helpless creature.
  Action for one's own self binds, action for the sake of others delivers from bondage.
  


• What is faith worth if it is not translated into action?
  You assist an administration most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil administration never deserves such allegiance.
  Ahimsa is the highest ideal. It is meant for the brave, never for the cowardly.
  


• Ahimsa is the eradication of the desire to injure or to kill.
  


• Ahimsa is an attribute of the brave. Cowardice and ahimsa don't go together any more that water and fire.
  True ahimsa should mean a complete freedom from ill-will and anger and hate and an overflowing love for all.
  
• The removal of untouchability is one of the highest expressions of ahimsa.
  
• The strength to kill is not essential for self-defence; one ought to have the strength to die.
  
• Khadi has been conceived as the foundation and the image of ahimsa. A real khadi-wearer will not utter an untruth. A real khadi-wearer will harbour no violence, no deceit, no impurity.
  
• No power on earth can subjugate you when you are armed with the sword of ahimsa. It ennobles both the victor and the vanquished.
  
• The votary of ahimsa has only one fear, that is, of God.
  
• The hardest heart and the grossest ignorance must disappear before the rising sun of suffering without anger and without malice.
  The power of unarmed nonviolence is any day far superior to that of armed force.
  
• I know nothing of the science of astrology and I consider it to be a science, if it is a science, of doubtful value, to be severely left alone by those who have any faith in Providence.
  
• God is conscience. He is even the atheism of the atheist.

Facts About Mahatma Gandhi

Here is a brief summary of some of the major facts associated with Mahatma Gandhi. These facts highlight some of the major achievements of Mohandas Gandhi and provide valuable information on Mahatama Gandhi.
Birth: October 2, 1869
Death: January 30, 1948
Place of Birth: Porbandar, Gujarat
Father: Karamchand Gandhi
Mother: Putlibai
Wife: Katurbai
1888-1891: Studied law in London
1893: Sailed for South Africa
1906: Began Satyagraha campaign in South Africa to protest the requirement that Indians be fingerprinted and carry identification cards
1915: Returned to India from South Africa
1917: Initiated Champaran Satyagraha to alleviate the condition of indigo planters
1919: Instituted Satyagraha campaign in India to protest the Rowlatt Acts, which deprived all Indians of important civil liberties.
1922: Ended Non-Cooperation movement against British Raj after his followers were involved in a series of riots and disturbances that violated his policy of nonviolence
1930: Led Dandi March to collect salt in protest of the British salt tax.
1931: Signed a pact with Lord Irwin to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and went to London to attend Round Table Conference.
1932: Fasted to protest the treatment of people who belonged to no Hindu caste, the Harijans or Untouchables
1942: Launched Quit India Movement against British Raj.
January 30, 1948: Assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.

Success for 1st Russian rocket since crash

A Russian rocket carrying a European SIRIUS 4 satellite has successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It's the first launch of a Proton-M spacecraft since a carrier of this type crashed during take-off on September 6.
The SIRIUS 4 satellite is designed to provide telecommunication services for European and North African consumers.Satellites operated by the same provider are used to broadcast our very own Russia Today to viewers in Northern Europe and the Baltic States.

New map brings Antarctic to life

Researchers hope to closely track climate change in the Antarctic after the world's most detailed map of the continent was developed.

It offers the most geographically accurate view of the world's southern-most and least inhabited continent. The map has been made from satellite images collected by NASA with a resolution ten times higher than ever before. Researchers say they are able to track geological and climate change in the region using the new technique.

Space station gets ready for new laboratory

Astronauts at the International Space Station are preparing a new module for the arrival of the space shuttle Atlantis. The NASA spacecraft is due to be launched on 6 December and will carry the European Columbus laboratory to the ISS.

The new research facility will allow Earth based scientists and the Space Station crew to conduct thousands of experiments over the next ten years. NASA astronauts will be working on the module for about six hours.

Russian military find their 'Top Gun'

The Russian armed forces have chosen their top man. More than thirty career troops took part in a week of competitions from shooting to singing.

Sergeant Roman Galkin, a 21-year-old from the city of Tula, joined the service after completing his studies in law. Many of those participating have already displayed their courage in hot spots such as Chechnya and Dagestan.For six days they showed off their abilities both at shooting and on the assault course in bidding to claim the title. They also demonsted their knowledge of Russian history and, of course, their stamina.The Defence Ministry hopes the contests will attract more young people to take up a career in the armed forces.

Russian Entertainment & Media Industry worth $27.9 bn by 2011

28 June 2007 — Russia’s entertainment & media industry (E&M) had the highest growth rate in Europe in 2006, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2007–2011. The industry grew by 7.1%, with the cumulative annual growth rate in 2007–2011 forecast at 6.9%. PricewaterhouseCoopers valued the Russian E&M market in 2006 at $19.9 bn, to reach $21.1 bn this year.
Internet advertising and access had the highest spending in Russia (and globally), coming to $3.7 bn. This will continue to be the fastest growing segment for the next five years, expanding at 20% a year on average. The television distribution market was second in terms of growth, at 18.3% a year. Book publishing will have the slowest growth rates (3.1%), in line with international trends. The casino and recording segments will slow on average by 22.7% and 7.7% respectively.

E&M segments in Russia

Filmed Entertainment
Spending in filmed entertainment (box office and rentals in various formats) grew in 2006 by almost 13% to $703m, of which $412m were cinema box office takings, an 18% rise on 2005. The box office market is expected to more than double in size over the next five years to $941m. The segment as a whole will be worth $1.4 bn.

Television, radio and out-of-home advertising
The Russian television advertising market in 2006 was worth almost $3 bn—28% higher than in 2005. The forecast for 2007 is growth to $3.7 bn. Radio advertising grew at an even faster rate—total sales in 2006 were $350m, a 40% hike on the previous year. Analysts expect growth to slow, but to remain at the relatively high level of around 3.6% a year. Out-of-home advertising saw much lower growth rates. In 2006 this segment was worth $1.1 bn and growth in 2007 is forecast at just 9%, much lower than in previous years. This fall-off is expected to continue, the segment growing by just 2.7% to 2011.

Print media
Newspaper purchases in Russia amounted to $1.5 bn, with advertising spending increasing by 19% to reach $345m in 2006. The print advertising market is expected to grow at 6.4% a year on average. Due to changes in advertising legislation, the Russian magazine advertising market will see healthy growth. In 2006 advertisers paid around $700m for space in magazines, and the market is expected to reach $800m in 2007. Magazine purchases in 2006 came to $286m, while the compound annual growth rate over the next five years in this segment is forecast at just 4.4%.

Book publishing
Russia’s book publishing sector had a volume of $1.88 bn in 2006. The cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next few years will be small, at just 3.1%. Fiction, entertainment and children's books make up half the market, educational books 35% and business literature 15%. These market shares will continue in the future.

Internet advertising and access
PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates show that Russia had 11.5 million dial-up Internet subscribers and 2.5 million broadband users in 2006; the latter group is expected to grow in the next five years by almost 50% a year. The Internet will expand primarily through broadband, with subscribers expected to number 17.5 million by 2011. Dial-up households will drop in number, but not significantly. Consumer spending on internet access in 2006 was $3.6 bn and is expected to grow on average by 18.7% over the next five years. By 2011, Russia will represent two-thirds of total spending on Internet access in Central and Eastern Europe.

Notes to Editor
1, For additional information please contact Vera Totskaya, PR Manager, or Olesya Kuzminskaya, PR Assistant Manager.
2, About the Outlook
PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2007–2011, the eighth annual edition, contains in-depth analyses and forecasts of 14 major industry segments across five regions of the globe — the United States, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Canada – plus a Global Overview. It is available in hard copy or electronically (PDF) for US$995 on our website. The Global Overview is available separately for US$95 in hard copy or electronically, and individual segment chapters are also available for US$95 in electronic format only.
3 About PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focussed assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 140,000 people in 149 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.