• Canada: TSX hits highest close in nearly four months
• Canadian dollar sails to three-month high on US jobs data
• Chinese energy firm, Spanish firm in solar power joint venture-source

• UK professionals: Transcendental Meditation improves work ability
• Professionals in UK: Transcendental Meditation makes us more creative
• 15 minutes is all it takes with the MERU Master Builder System

• Possibility of unregistered passengers on capsized Costa Concordia - Italian officials
• Italian ship disaster
• US: Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, expert says

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Canada: TSX hits highest close in nearly four months
4 February 2012 - Canadian stocks closed at their highest level in nearly four months on Friday, boosted by financial and energy issues as surprisingly healthy US employment figures offset sluggish Canadian jobs data and uncertainty over a Greek debt deal. 'We've had a stream of generally positive numbers and the rally is already looking pretty strong,' said Gavin Graham, President at Graham Investment Strategy. (more)

Canadian dollar sails to three-month high on US jobs data
4 February 2012 - The Canadian dollar bounced to its strongest level in just over three months on Friday as a surge in US job creation boosted investor confidence about the outlook for the world's biggest economy. Shaun Osborne, chief currency strategist at TD Securities, said the currency outperformed against most of the crosses, including the euro, yen, and Swiss franc. (more)

Chinese energy firm, Spanish firm in solar power joint venture-source
4 February 2012 - China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), China's biggest offshore energy firm, is spending $300 million for a majority stake in a new joint venture with Spain's solar company Isofoton SA, a source familiar with the deal told Reuters. 'The joint venture will be formally launched in March or April, and will first focus on investing in solar power projects before building a component plant,' said the source. It will build solar projects in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. (more)

Earnings, US data lift Britain's FTSE to best week in two months
4 February 2012 - Britain's top shares surged on Friday as a surprisingly strong US employment report offered further proof of a healthier global economy, enabling the FTSE-100 to post its biggest weekly gain in two months. The strong US data added to earlier upbeat numbers on the British services sector and Chinese manufacturing, brightening the prospects for global demand for everything from restaurant meals to metals. (more)

Nasdaq vaults to 11-year high on surge in US jobs
4 February 2012 - A surge in hiring in the world's largest economy last month drove the Nasdaq to an 11-year high on Friday as optimism grew that the labour market is on a steady path to recovery. The broad-based gains on solid trading volume also sent the Dow Jones industrial average near a four-year high. The S and P 500 extended its 2012 advance to about 7 per cent and was at its highest level in more than six months. (more)

Prestigious recognition of Thailand's tourism industry
4 February 2012 - Being at the top of international rankings and receiving awards can guarantee the reputation of Thailand's tourism industry, which has been booming over the past years. Recently, Thailand and Thai Airways International, its flag carrier, have been awarded best tourist destination and airline for Norwegians, while Thailand's Mandarin Oriental Hotel ranks 25th among the top luxury hotels in the world. (more)

Puerto Rico touts new plans for giant telescope
4 February 2012 - Puerto Rico plans to build a hotel and a planetarium as part of a $50 million project to attract more visitors to the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, officials said Tuesday. Among the project's objectives is to create a doctoral programme in astronomy and space science and to attract more than 50,000 students a year, said Puerto Rico's Metropolitan University President. The observatory, located on the island's north coast, opened in 1963 and was operated by Cornell University until last year. (more)

UK: Recession risk eases as service sector grows
4 February 2012 - Britain's dominant services sector grew at the fastest pace in 10 months in January and firms became much more optimistic, a survey showed on Friday, crowning a raft of upbeat economic news this week that raised hopes Britain may avoid recession. The improvement in services follows PMI releases showing that manufacturing unexpectedly returned to growth last month, while construction firms became more upbeat despite a slower expansion in activity. (more)

US data boost global equities
4 February 2012 - Stocks surged and the dollar rose against the yen on Friday as news of a jump in US job creation fuelled hopes for recovery in the world's largest economy. The January US jobs report propelled the Nasdaq stock index to an 11-year high, with European stocks closing at their highest in more than six months. (more)

US: Factory orders up, business spending rises
4 February 2012 - New orders for US factory-made products posted a second straight monthly rise in December and business capital spending also picked up, a government report on Friday showed. November's gain was revised up to 2.2 per cent from a previously reported 1.8 per cent and there were signs in the report of a firmer pace of overall factory activity. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

UK professionals: Transcendental Meditation improves work ability
2 February 2012 - 'Doing Transcendental Meditation is probably the most value additive in terms of the work that I do,' says James Scott, a professional in corporate finance. Mr Scott, and other professionals like him, were interviewed for a new introductory video produced in the UK about Transcendental Meditation. (more)

Professionals in UK: Transcendental Meditation makes us more creative
29 December 2011 - People interviewed for a recent video on Transcendental Meditation included many successful professionals who have noticed improvements in their lives since beginning the practice, especially in their creative abilities. Nigel Barlow, a leading authority on innovation, creativity, and leadership, says, 'There's a myth that people need stress in order to perform or to create. It is a myth. What people need is a challenge, but they also need the clarity of mind and the energy levels to rise to that challenge.' (more)

15 minutes is all it takes with the MERU Master Builder System
21 December 2011 - In a short video, British architect Jonathon Phillips reports on the MERU Master Builder System as it has just been implemented in the city of Erfurt in Germany. This is the construction site of a Maharishi Vastu (Vedic architecture) building that will serve as the local Centre for Transcendental Meditation and related programmes. In this system, developed in MERU, Holland, the pre-cast, all natural, self-insulating, liapor (popped clay) outside wall elements are erected in an astonishing 15 minutes per panel. (more)

Corporations in Latin America participate in advanced meditation programme to create social coherence
20 December 2011 - In a new development in Latin America, some corporations are beginning to support their staff learning not only Transcendental Meditation, but its advanced techniques including Yogic Flying. All the staff, from the heads of the organization to entry-level people, participate in the programme. The coherence generated by their group meditations supports their own well-being--and the rise of invincible peace and prosperity for their nation. (more)

Maharishi University of Management Rotarians win competitive grant for Nepal well
10 December 2011 - A community of 10,000 people at the base of the Himalayas in Chitwan province in Nepal will now have a well, thanks to a winning grant proposal submitted to the Rotary International Foundation by Maharishi University of Management professor Andy Bargerstock and MBA alumnus Naya Raj Baral. (more)

Maharishi University of Management faculty present at conferences
17 November 2011 - 
Management faculty members David Goodman and John Revolinski from Maharishi University of Management recently shared their expert knowledge on decision making and workplace productivity at academic conferences. Their presentations also highlighted the value of the Transcendental Meditation Technique in expanding consciousness, relieving stress, and enhancing productivity. (more)

'Transcending Green': Green building is not enough
1 November 2011 - Continuing his recent speech -- 'Transcending Green' -- to the Garrison Institute in New York, Jeffrey Abramson, partner in The Tower Companies, a leading developer of LEED certified buildings in the United States, spoke about his realization that environmentally friendly, or green, building is not enough. While green building supports the outer environment, it doesn't necessarily support the inner environment, the building's occupants. (more)

Climate, Buildings, and Behavior symposium features characteristics of Maharishi Vedic Architecture
1 November 2011 - The Garrison Institute's 2011 Symposium on Climate, Buildings, and Behavior featured a presentation about using Maharishi Vedic Architecture to enhance life inside a building and to create positive influences for the inner and outer environment. The talk, entitled 'Transcending Green', was given by Jeffrey Abramson, a leading green real estate developer. (more)

Garrison Institute: Jeffrey Abramson lectures on benefits of Maharishi Vastu in the workplace
1 November 2011 - One of the distinguished speakers at the Garrison Institute's 2011 Symposium on Climate, Buildings, and Behavior earlier this year was Jeffrey Abramson, partner in The Tower Companies, the largest green real estate developer in the Washington, DC area. Mr Abramson spoke on 'Transcending Green', explaining how his company applies Maharishi Vastu architecture principles to promote business success as well as employee health, well-being, and efficiency. (more)

Maharishi University of Management alumni take helm of national magazine
1 November 2011 - Three Maharishi University of Management alumni have recently taken the helm of iPhone Life, an international glossy magazine based in Fairfield, Iowa, USA with a readership of over 100,000. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Possibility of unregistered passengers on capsized Costa Concordia - Italian officials
22 January 2012 - Unregistered passengers might have been aboard the stricken cruise liner that capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio, a top rescue official said Sunday, raising the possibility that the number of missing might be higher than previously announced. Italian authorities raised the possibility that the real number of the missing was unknown because some unregistered passengers might have been aboard. As of Sunday, 19 people are listed as missing, but that number could be higher. 'There could have been X persons who we don't know about who were inside, who were clandestine' passengers aboard the ship, Franco Gabrielli, the national civil protection official in charge of the rescue effort, told reporters at a briefing on the island of Giglio, where the ship, with 4,200 people aboard rammed a reef and sliced open its hull on 13 January before turning over on its side. (more)

Italian ship disaster
15 January 2012 - Italian rescue workers were searching for about 40 people still missing early on Sunday, more than a day after a cruise ship with more than 4,000 on board capsized off Italy's west coast, killing at least three people and injuring 70. Francesco Schettino, the captain of the luxury 114,500-tonne Costa Concordia, was held in jail accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship, Italian police said. Magistrates said Schettino, whose ship was carrying 4,229 passengers and crew, abandoned the vessel before all the passengers were taken off. Passengers, some saying it felt like a rerun of the Titanic disaster, told of people leaping into the sea and fighting over lifejackets in panic when the ship hit a rock and ran aground near the island of Giglio, late on Friday. (more)

US: Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, expert says
4 January 2012 - A 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Ohio on New Year's Eve did not occur naturally and may have been caused by high-pressure liquid injection related to oil and gas exploration and production, an expert said on Tuesday. Ohio's Department of Natural Resources suspended operations at five deep well sites in Youngstown, Ohio, where the injection of water was taking place, while they evaluate seismological data from a rare quake in the area. The wells are about 9,000 feet deep and are used to dispose of water from oil and gas wells. The process is related to fracking, the controversial injection of chemical-laced water and sand into rock to release oil and gas. Critics say that the high pressure injection of the liquid causes seismic activity. According to Won-Young Kim, a research professor of Seismology Geology and Tectonophysics at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, this is not the first time Ohio tremors have been linked to human activities. 'We have several examples of earthquakes from deep well disposal in the past,' he said. (more)

Shell oil spill off Nigeria likely worst in decade
22 December 2011 - An oil spill near the coast of Nigeria is likely the worst to hit those waters in a decade, a government official said Thursday, as slicks from the Royal Dutch Shell PLC spill approached the country's southern shoreline. The slick from Shell's Bonga field has affected 115 miles (185 kilometres) of ocean near Nigeria's coast. The slick continued to move toward the shore Thursday night, putting at risk birds, fish, and other wildlife in the area. Environmentalists blame Shell and other foreign oil firms for polluting the country's oil-rich Niger Delta. Some environmentalists say as much as 550 million gallons of oil poured into the delta during Shell's roughly 50 years of production in Nigeria -- a rate roughly comparable to one Exxon Valdez disaster per year. An estimated 11 million gallons was released during the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. (more)

Blood diamond monitoring programme ineffective
9 December 2011 - The efficacy of the Kimberley Process (KP) has been thrown into doubt by a diamond field operating under a recognised government, not a rebel army, that is widely criticised for abuses of its own. The scheme signed in January 2003 was aimed at cutting off 'blood diamond' financing for rebel groups fighting a UN-recognised government. But allowing exports from Zimbabawe's Marange mine has exposed a loophole: it has no mechanism to hold either the industry or producer countries to account. Campaign group Global Witness, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for its work on conflict diamonds, said the process it helped found had failed several tests. 'The Kimberley Process is essentially giving its stamp of approval to blood diamonds,' said Annie Dunnebacke, a senior campaigner at Global Witness. (more)

Downgrade threat could prove final blow to euro rescue fund
6 December 2011 - The threat of a credit downgrade to the euro zone's top economies leaves the bloc's EFSF bailout fund dangerously exposed, piling yet more pressure on the European Central Bank to step in as lender of last resort. The fund has struggled to attract investors even with the backing of six AAA-rated governments, and on Tuesday S%26P followed up a warning of possible downgrades for 15 euro economies by saying it is also reviewing the EFSF. Expanding the lending reach of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), agreed at an emergency summit in October, is central to the euro zone's plan to show investors it can stand behind its wayward sovereigns. But much of the fund's ordinal appeal lay in the top creditworthiness of its guarantors, notable the euro's main paymaster Germany and France, the EFSF's second largest contributor. (more)

Italy's young victims of broken labour market
30 November 2011 - They are called the `'precari', or 'precarious ones' -- Italians in their twenties and thirties armed with ambition and often excellent academic degrees who have spent their entire working lives in poorly paid temporary jobs. They are the rule, not the exception, in a country where young people are hardly ever given regular work but instead move from one 6-month or one-year contract to another. When new types of temporary contracts and agency work were introduced they were widely hailed as a vital injection of flexibility in an ossified system. Now there is a consensus, even among economists and at Italy's central bank, that things have gone too far. Nine out of ten first jobs are now taken under a temporary contract, whether the worker is an unskilled labourer or a graduate. Starting salaries are at the same level as in the 1980s. The system is failing because companies take advantage of the much lower labour costs associated with these contracts by renewing them as often as is allowed and then simply substituting the temporary worker with a new one. (more)

Italy's brightest look abroad for opportunity
24 November 2011 - Burdened by lack of work, low pay, and shaky contracts, growing numbers of highly qualified young Italians are forced to take their skills abroad. The problem has become so acute that the Italian Parliament has passed legislation trying to entice the emigrants to return, but newly installed Prime Minister Mario Monti will have to go much further with the reforms if he hopes to halt the exodus. Italy has far fewer graduates than most EU countries yet, it has the highest number of jobless graduates for more than six months (58 per cent), while average monthly pay for those lucky enough to find work was put at just 1,078 euros ($1,535) in 2009. 'Some great talent is leaving Italy because of its medieval approach to hiring people. It is not what you have done, but who you know,' said Alessandro Capata, a Rome academic actively seeking work abroad. 'If you want to work in a supermarket you can find a job. But if you want to be an architect, a dentist, or a journalist then you will really struggle. It is a feudal system.' (more)

US: Cyber attack on water system
19 November 2011 - Federal investigators are looking into a report that hackers managed to remotely shut down a utility's water pump in central Illinois last week, in what could be the first known foreign cyber attack on a US industrial system. The attackers obtained access to the network of a water utility in a rural community west of the state capital Springfield with credentials stolen from a company that makes software used to control industrial systems. The same group may have attacked other industrial targets or be planning strikes using credentials stolen from the same software maker. Lani Kass, who retired in September as senior policy adviser to the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States should take the possibility of a cyber attack seriously. According to Joe Weiss, a prominent expert on protecting infrastructure from cyber attacks, 'An information technology services and computer repair company checked the computer logs of the system and determined the computer had been hacked into from a computer located in Russia.' (more)

Spain says will miss 2011 growth target
16 November 2011 - Spain is likely to miss its growth forecasts by a wide margin this year, an official admitted for the first time on Wednesday, after figures showed weaker exports and poor domestic demand caused economic stagnation in the third quarter. Economists have long doubted Spain could meet its official target, undermining the credibility of the Socialist government's fiscal austerity programme, seen as key to riding out a renewed attack by bond markets. Only a vigorous export market has prevented the country falling back into recession, but the worsening euro zone debt crisis has taken its toll on Spain's main European trade partners, destination for two thirds of its exports. The contribution of external demand to overall growth dropped to 2 per cent from 2.5 per cent a quarter earlier, while domestic demand had a negative contribution of 1.2 per cent, INE said. (more)