Author: Natarajan

A to Z of Weight Reduction…….

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE::::: INPUT FROM ONE OF MY FRIENDS… NICELY CATEGORISED IN AN ALPHABETICAL ORDER …A MUST READ FOR PERSONS CARVING FOR WEIGHT REDUCTION AND ALL OTHERS AS A TIMELY ADVICE AND TIP FOR AVOIDING OBESSITY……

Natarajan

A
AVOID ALCOHOL: You booze, you lose! Alcohol increases your levels of the hormone leptin, which in turn makes you crave sweets.Don’t want to be branded a teetotaller? Order a glass of Sauvignon Blanc – 119 cals per 5 ounces.

B
BREAKFAST: A good breakfast with fibre and protein will keep you full till lunchtime and help you avoid bingeing. Opt for multi-grain cereal, lowfat curd or fruits to kick-start your metabolism.

C
CORTISOL: Prolonged stress leads to high levels of cortisol which makes you crave junk foods. Solution: deal with long-standing stressors. As for short-lived ones, treat yourself to an oil massage.

D
DENSITY: Go for grub with an energy density of two or less. To calculate this, simply divide the calories by the weight in grams (per serving). Stay at it and watch the pounds melt faster.

E
EAT AT REGULAR INTERVALS: Go no longer than five hours between meals. Several small meals through the day lead to a better metabolism and greater control over binges.

F
FRUCTOSE: Ditch the artificially sweetened juices and sodas and get your fructose from natural sources such as fruits. Because natural fructose is kinder to your waistline.

G
GUM: Chewing on gum helps cleanse the mouth of bacteria, satisfies a sweet-tooth and reduces your urge to eat. The next time you feel the urge to reach for a biscuit packet, try a piece of sugarless gum instead for a zero-calorie treat.

H
HEART-HEALTHY FOODS: Overweight people face a greater risk of heart disease. So, switch to olive and vegetable oils. Fill up on omega rich foods like walnuts and fatty fish. Choose non-fat dairy products and lean cuts of mutton and skinless poultry.

I
INSULIN: The amount of insulin you secrete may dictate your diet. High insulin secretors shed more weight on a low-carb diet and less on a lowfat/high carb diet. Got a jelly belly? You secrete excess insulin and could benefit from fewer carbs.

J
JOURNAL: Write down everything you eat and you could cut your intake by 1,000 calories a day. Food journaling may seem boring but goes a long way in making you aware of what you eat and thereby helps you shed pounds.

K
KETOSIS: Ketosis refers to the point where your body runs low on carbs and burns fat for fuel. Therefore, ketosis jump-starts a diet. Restrict carbs and lose more initially. Later, allow yourself wholegrain cereals and roti, in moderation.

L
LOW BLOOD SUGAR: This is often the reason for between-meal cravings especially for sweet. When it strikes, reach for naturally sweet foods such as fruits and accompany it with a little low-fat dahi for a healthy dose of protein.

M
MILK: Get better results from your workout by downing milk. Two cups of skim milk after intense weightlifting can build more muscle and burn twice as much fat as drinking fruit juice. But go with real cow’s milk as it’s more beneficial than soya milk.

N
NUMBERS: Nobody enjoys weigh-ins, but people who hop on the scale once a day are more likely to lose and maintain their loss. Make a standing appointment for yourself. But try to strike a balance rather than obsess over the number you see.

O
OMLETTE: Eggs are an ideal protein source. Protein helps build muscle, which will fry more calories per pound than fat. Bonus: You burn about 25 per cent of the eggs’ calories just by digesting them.

P
PEANUTS = PROTEIN: Take the edge off your appetite by snacking on a handful of peanuts everyday. Because, protein is the “secret” to weight control. Peanuts also boost your resting metabolic rate due to their fatty acid content.

Q:
Q 10
Coenzyme Q10 is one of the nutrients needed to produce energy. Most people an energy – mg a day. Other benefits include a stronger immune system. Besides, it’s also a great antioxidant.

R
REPLACEMENTS: Replace any silly weight loss pills you have been advised to take, with a good low fat smoothie.You will lose just as much weight without the side-effects of a pill.

S
SLIP-UPS: Slip-ups are bound to happen.Anticipate them. Instead of letting them derail your efforts, learn from them and get right back on track by simply keeping your eye on your target.

T
TEA: The fat-busting benefits of green tea boil down to disease-fighting compounds called catechins. Max your results by steeping your tea for longer. The darker the hue of your brew, the more catechin-rich the cup.Add some lime to tone down the bitterness.

U
USER-FRIENDLY: There are a million fad diets around; your friends are probably trying some too. But what helps you lose weight isn’t the type of diet but compliance with it. Find a plan you can live with so you’ll stick to it.

V
VINEGAR: Studies show that consuming 4 tbsp of a vinegar mixture with a high-carb diet drops your calorie intake by 275 per day. If you can’t stomach vinegar, mix into a low-fat dressing to add zing to your salad.

W
WATER: It quenches thirst without the calories. Infact, water also ups your caloric burn rate. Sipping six extra 8-ounce glasses a day can burn 17,400 more calories (about 5 pounds of fat) per year.

X
XYLITOL: Xylitol is a natural substance found in vegetables that tastes and looks just like sugar. But while sugar harms, xylitol protects against disease and has anti-ageing benefits. In its crystalline form, it can replace sugar in cooking.

Y
YOGA: Normal-weight women who practise yoga for four or more years will gain three pounds less over 10 years than those who don’t. Grab your mat and get breathing!

Z
Zs
When you skimp on sleep, your brain thinks you’re low on fuel and sends a message to your stomach to start growling.Women who sleep for 5 hours or less are an average of 5 pounds heavier than women who snoozed for 7 hours.Want to stay slim? Hit the pillow.

Courtesy: Rajendra Deshpande and A.V.Ramanathan

Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary People… Must Read….

Natarajan3 Comments

Received from a friend; found it worth sharing.Hence it is before you for reading and sharing….

Natarajan

Extraordinary Stories About Ordinary People

Sudha Murty, chairperson, Infosys Foundation and author, is known for her ability to glean interesting stories from the lives of ordinary people and weave these narratives into a unique blend of anecdote and fable.

Her latest collection of stories, ‘The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk’, features a fascinating cast of characters, each of whom made an indelible impression on the author. Extracted here is a nugget from ‘Bombay to Bangalore’, one of the most heartwarming stories in this collection:
It was the beginning of summer. I was boarding Udyan Express at Gulbarga railway station. My destination was Bangalore. As I boarded the train, I saw that the second-class reserved compartment was jam-packed with people. I sat down and was pushed to the corner of the berth. Though it was meant for three people, there were already six of us sitting on it…

The ticket collector came in and started checking people’s tickets and reservations.. Suddenly, he looked in my direction and asked, ‘What about your ticket?’ ‘I have already shown my ticket to you,’ I said.
‘Not you, madam, the girl hiding below your berth. Hey, come out, where is your ticket?’ I realized that someone was sitting below my berth. When the collector yelled at her, the girl came out of hiding.

She was thin, dark, scared and looked like she had been crying profusely. She must have been about thirteen or fourteen years old.She had uncombed hair and was dressed in a torn skirt and blouse. She was trembling and folded both her hands.. The collector started forcibly pulling her out from the compartment. Suddenly, I had a strange feeling. I stood up and called out to the collector. ‘Sir, I will pay for her ticket,’ I said.

Then he looked at me and said, ‘Madam, if you give her ten rupees, she will be much happier with that than with the ticket.’

I did not listen to him. I told the collector to give me a ticket to the last destination, Bangalore, so that the girl could get down wherever she wanted.

Slowly, she started talking. She told me that her name was Chitra. She lived in a village near Bidar. Her father was a coolie and she had lost her mother at birth. Her father had remarried and had two sons with her stepmother. But a few months ago, her father had died. Her stepmother started beating her often and did not give her food. She was tired of that life. She did not have anybody to support her so she left home in search of something better.

By this time, the train had reached Bangalore. I said goodbye to Chitra and got down from the train. My driver came and picked up my bags. I felt someone watching me. When I turned back, Chitra was standing there and looking at me with sad eyes. But there was nothing more that I could do. I had paid her ticket out of compassion but I had never thought that she was going to be my responsibility!…

I told her to get into my car. My driver looked at the girl curiously. I told him to take us to my friend Ram’s place. Ram ran separate shelter homes for boys and girls. We at the Infosys Foundation supported him financially. I thought Chitra could stay there for some time and we could talk about her future after I came back from my tours.

I was not sure if Chitra would even be there. But to my surprise, I saw Chitra looking much happier than before. Ram suggested that Chitra could go to a high school nearby. I immediately agreed and said that I would sponsor her expenses as long as she continued to study. I left the shelter knowing that Chitra had found a home and a new direction
in her life.

I got busier and my visits to the shelter reduced to once a year. But I always enquired about Chitra’s well-being over the phone. I knew that she was studying well and that her progress was good.. I offered to sponsor her college studies if she wanted to continue studying. But she said, ‘No, Akka. I have talked to my friends and made up my mind. I would like to do my diploma in computer science so that I can immediately get a job after three years.’ She wanted to become economically independent as soon as possible.. Chitra obtained her diploma with flying colours. She also got a job in a software company as an assistant testing engineer. When she got her first salary, she came to my office with a sari and a box of sweets.

One day, when I was in Delhi, I got a call from Chitra. She was very happy. ‘Akka, my company is sending me to USA! I wanted to meet you and take your blessings but you are not here in Bangalore.’.

Years passed. Occasionally, I received an e-mail from Chitra. She was doing very well in her career. She was posted across several cities in USA and was enjoying life. I silently prayed that she should always be happy wherever she was.

Years later, I was invited to deliver a lecture in San Francisco for Kannada Koota, an organization where families who speak Kannada meet and organize events. The lecture was in a convention hall of a hotel and I decided to stay at the same hotel. After the lecture, I was planning to leave for the airport. When I checked out of the hotel room and went to the reception counter to pay the bill, the receptionist said, ‘Ma’am, you don’t need to pay us anything. The lady over there has already settled your bill. She must know you pretty well.’ I turned around and found Chitra there.

She was standing with a young white man and wore a beautiful sari. She was looking very pretty with short hair. Her dark eyes were beaming with happiness and pride. As soon as she saw me, she gave me a brilliant smile, hugged me and touched my feet. I was overwhelmed with joy and did not know what to say. I was very happy to see the way things had turned out for Chitra. But I came back to my original question. ‘Chitra, why did you pay my hotel bill? That is not right.’ suddenly sobbing, she hugged me and said, ‘Because you paid for my ticket from Bombay to Bangalore!’

(Excerpted with permission from Penguin Books India from Sudha Murty’s ‘The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories From Here and There’
Courtesy: Rajendra Deshpande)

An Amazing Experience of the Passengers of Delta Flight 15 on September 11

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE:::::INPUT FROM ONE OF MY CONTACTS….truly amazing experience …a different and pleasant one …under a difficult circumstance…..It is once again proving that there are Good and Godly people everywhere in this world….worth sharing this story from a flight attendant of Delta Flight 15…..

Natarajan

Here is an amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11:

“On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain.
As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that “All Business” look on the
ir faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta’s main office in Atlanta and simply read, “All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination.”

“No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, New Foundland.
He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately–no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.

“While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message
arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings.
“We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander, New Foundland to have it checked out.

“We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that’s nothing new! Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM! …. that’s 11:00 AM EST.

“There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the U.S. After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason.” Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the U.S. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.

“The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the air crafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane. In the next hour or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were U.S. commercial jets.

“Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC. People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada. Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed.

“Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm. We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament.

“We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning. Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.

“Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word. Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

“About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.

“After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel. We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander! We were told to just relax at
the hotel and we would be contacted when the U.S. airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while.

“We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.

“Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the “plane people.”
We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.
“Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport.
Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days. What we found out was incredible.

“Gander and all the surrounding communities (within about a 75 Kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers. Some had cots set up,
some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up.

“ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the “guests.” Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high
school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.

“Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.

“Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were offered “Excursion” trips. Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests. Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft. In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.

“Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they needed to be on and when
all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully. It was absolutely incredible.

“When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked li ke a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling. Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.

“And then a very unusual thing happened. One of our passengers approached me and asked
if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this time was different. I said “of course” and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days. He reminded them of the hospitality they
had received at the hands of total strangers. He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte.

“He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte. He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000!

“The gentleman, a MD from Virginia, promised to match the donations and to start the
administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well. As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted
134 students in college education.

“I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a far away place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them. It reminds me how much good there is in the world.”

“In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today’s world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good and Godly people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward.

10 Corporate Decisions that Wrecked Their Reputation……

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE:::::Silicon India Net……

Natarajan

 Making mistakes is human, but not if you are a multinational giant and have millions of shareholder’s hard-earned money invested in your company. In such cases, these mistakes make you fall on your face and it is not only you who gets hurt but the all those million investors too.

Here is a list of such decisions that some corporate took and got their reputation hit very bad. Have a look:

1. Company: Coca-Cola
Decision: Changes the formula of their decade old and widely popular Cola and rebranded it as New Coke.
Why it was bad: Coca-Cola was undisputedly the most popular and favorite cola drink and despite numerous claims from Pepsi in which it used to brand it number one, Cola was a distant lead. Still, Cola thrashed its age old formula that made it so popular and tried something as New Coke. No wonder it was disliked by everyone and the company had to face the wrath.
Consequence: Cola bounced back but only as a weakened company whose executives having no clue about anything.

2. Company: IBM
Decision: Paid Microsoft a one-time fee for developing PC-DOS.
Why it was bad: IBM was a standalone name that stood synonymous for computers during the 80’s. It believed that hardware is the only evolving thing in the computers and it is easy to clone hardware but not software. They paid Microsoft a one-time fee for developing PC-DOS and as a result it gave Microsoft a chance to develop MS-DOS alongside that swept the market clean. The same is happening with Microsoft today with Linux and other open-source companies dominating the software market. It will be worth noticing if Microsoft will meet IBM’s fate.
Consequence: IBM lost a lot of money to Microsoft’s MS-DOS and the blooming software market.

 Making mistakes is human, but not if you are a multinational giant and have millions of shareholder’s hard-earned

3. Company: Microsoft
Decision: Introduces Microsoft Bob.
Why it was bad: Microsoft has been a rash player in the market with its arrogant behavior most of the times. Introducing Bob pushed the hate-parade against Microsoft even more. The worst part was that it was not alone; it came along with idiotic cousins with an aim to simplify the Windows 3.1 user interface. Most of us might not have experienced Bob exactly but have definitely experienced Clippie that annoyed us every time it popped with MS Office.
Consequence: Annoys even its most faithful users.

4. Company: Apple
Decision: Doesn’t give Gateway 200 license sales of Mac OS.
Why it was bad: Microsoft is today the standalone player in the software market because of a bad decision that Apple took. Apple was continuously innovating in the software field and came out with easy-to-use operating system. Only if it had licensed its software to Gateway it could have easily gained large chunk of market and stopped Microsoft from becoming the lone player. Instead it licensed to smaller clone makers and that hampered its value.
Consequence: Microsoft takes over as the dominating player in the software market.

5. Company: British Airways
Decision: Paints tailfins with ethnically inspired figures.
Why it was bad: BA, hurt by then Prime Minister’s public statement that the airlines was being unpatriotic went way beyond by painting the tail fins of its planes with colorful figures. This did not go down well with its customers and it had to face wide criticism. Within a span of two years the decision was rolled back and the planes were painted with the British flag.
Consequence: The entire decision lead to wastage of money and loss in popularity among the masses.6. Company: CBS and NBC
Decision: Did not broadcast Monday Night Football.
Why it was bad: During the late 60’s, football was not as popular in the masses as today but still it was gaining momentum. When CBS was proposed to telecast the Monday Night Football, it rejected the show which later went to ABC. It has been the second longest running show in the history of television, only after 60 Minutes. It had been tremendously popular and for the same reason CBS and NBC gave up on their Monday night programming given ABC’s ratings. The show is now aired on ESPN but gave ABC a strong base.
Consequence: CBS and NBC lost their Monday night programming to ABC’s popularity.

7. Company: Western Union
Decision: Sticks to its own version of telephone and avoids using Graham Bell’s invention.
Why it was bad: Western Union was one major player in earlier days that was using the telegraph as the means of communication over long distances. It considered Bell’s invention as a toy and invented its own version somewhere around the same time that ultimately led them to fall into a series of patent battle. Bell, won eventually.
Consequence: Such comments wrecked Western Union’s reputation to irreparable levels.

8. Company: M&M
Decision: Walks out of the movie, E.T.
Why it was bad: M&M was first approach to feature in the Stephen Spielberg’s cute little alien movie, E.T. M&M though it will be a flop and hence walked out of the movie. This allowed Reese’s Pieces to feature in the movie which turned out to be a huge hit. M&M lost a rat market share to Reese’s Pieces and were almost sold out.
Consequence: Lost huge market share and was almost sold out to Reese’s Pieces, until the movie no one ever heard of the latter snack.

Laughter …the best medicine !!!!!!

Natarajan2 Comments

SOURCE::::Unknown….But have a hearty laugh with this small joke…

Natarajan

TOM and his friend Jerry entered a chocolate store.

As they were busy looking, Tom stole 3 chocolate bars. As they left the store, Tom said to Jerry “Man I’m the best thief ever, I stole 3 chocolates and no one saw me, you cant beat that.”

Jerry replied: “You wanna see something better, let’s go back to the shop and I’ll show you real stealing.” So they went to the counter and Jerry said to the Shop boy:”Do you wanna see magic?”

Shop boy replied: “Yes”. Jerry said: “Give me one chocolate bar.” The shop boy gave him one, and he ate it. He asked for the second, and he ate that as well. He asked for the third, and finished that one too.

The shop boy asked: “But where’s the magic?”
Jerry replied: “Check in my friend Tom”s pocket, and you’ll find them.”

YOU CAN’T BEAT JERRY!!!!!!

Interesting Information on Airlines and Airport….

Natarajan3 Comments

Source::::Input from one of my contacts ….being shared with you all.

Natarajan

• All International Airline Pilots speaks English.

• Flights longer than 8 hours require 3 pilots (1 captain and 2 first officers) to rotate flying duties. Flights longer than 12 hours require 4 pilots (1 captain and 3 first officers). They usually fly 3-4 hour shifts. (There are different norms of Indian companies Pilots)

•Each airline pilot flying the aircraft, eats a different meal to minimize the risk of all pilots on board being ill.

•On average, pilots fly between 9 to 14 days a month (Indian companies pilot fly 24 to 26 days)

•All airlines have an agreement to let each others’ travelling pilots occupy empty seats. If no seats are available, the travelling pilot can also occupy an extra seat in the cockpit that is usually empty.

•The main function of flight attendants are for the safety and security of their passengers, and passenger comfort is only secondary.

•The first female flight attendants in 1930 were required to weigh less than 115 pounds. In addition, they had to be nurses and unmarried.

•Flight attendants must not have any tattoos visible when a uniform is worn. These requirements are designed to give the airlines a positive representation.

•The normal ratio of Flight Attendants to passenger seats is one Flight Attendant for every 50 passenger seats.

•The height requirement for Flight Attendant is for safety reasons, making sure that all flight attendants can reach overhead safety equipment.

•An air traveler can lose approximately 1.5 liters of water in the body during a three-hour flight.

•The reason why the lights are turned out during takeoff and landing – Is for your eyes to adjust to lower levels of light. If there’s an accident and they have to activate the emergency slides, studies have shown that you will be able to see better and therefore be able to evacuate more quickly and safely.

•The World’s largest Airline in terms of Fleet Size is Delta Airlines (United States) with 744 aircraft and 121 aircraft on order as of March 2011.

•The largest passenger plane is the Airbus 380 – nearly 240 feet long, almost 80 feet high, and has a wingspan of more than 260 feet. The double-decker plane has a standard seating capacity of 555 passengers.

•The world’s busiest airport in terms of passenger volume or the number of takeoffs and landings, is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, United States – with more than 88 million passengers shuffled through the Atlanta airport in 2009, with another 20 million in the first three months of 2010, and with aircraft take-off and landings approximately every 37 seconds.

•The world’s Largest Airport is Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan (as of 2011). By 2013 Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates is planned to be the largest airport in the world.

•The airport with the longest runway in the world is Qamdo Bangda Airport in the Peoples Republic of China with 5.50 kilometers in length (as of 2011).

•American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by removing 1 olive from each salad served in first class.

•Singapore Airlines spends about $700 million on food every year and $16 million on wine alone. First class passengers consume 20,000 bottles of alcohol every month and Singapore Airlines is the second largest buyer of Dom Perignon champagne in the world.

•KLM of Netherlands stands for Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (meaning Royal Dutch Airlines).

•KLM is the worlds’ oldest airline established in 1919.

•QANTAS – Australia’s national airline, originally stood for Queensland And Northern Territories Air Service.

•QANTAS is the second world’s oldest airline established in 1920.

•QANTAS still has the world’s best safety record with no crashes as of 2011.

•Abu Dhabi Airport Services once did a complete turn-around for a Boeing 777 in under 40 minutes, as opposed to a normal minimum of one hour. They unloaded passengers, cargo, mail, cleaned the aircraft, and loaded outbound passengers, cargo and mail in that short time.

•In 2001, Dubai Duty Free sold 1,570,214 cartons of cigarettes, 2,003,151 bottles of liquor, 2,909 kilograms of gold, 101,824 watches, 690,502 bottles of perfume, 52,119 mobile phones.

இது தெரியுமா உங்களுக்கு ?….3

NatarajanLeave a comment

Source:::: “DINA MALAR”…Tamil daily…

Natarajan

ஸ்வாமி நிவேதனம் …வெற்றிலை , பாக்கு ஏன் அவசியம் ?

சுவாமிக்கு வெற்றிலை பாக்கு வைத்து வணங்குவது நமது மரபு. தாம்பூலம் எனப்படும் வெற்றிலைக்கு ஜீரணத்தன்மையை அதிகரிக்கச் செய்யும் ஆற்றல் உண்டு. வெற்றிலையோடு சேர்ந்த சுண்ணாம்பு உடம்புக்கு தேவையான கால்சியச் சத்தையும் தருகிறது. சுபநிகழ்ச்சிகளில், விருந்துக்குப் பிறகு ஜீரணத்துக்காக வெற்றிலை பாக்கு கொடுத்து வழியனுப்பும் வழக்கம் ஏற்பட்டது. திருமணம் போன்ற சுபநிகழ்ச்சிகளுக்கு அழைக்கும்போது அழைப்பிதழோடு வெற்றிலை, பணம் வைத்து அழைப்பார்கள். வெற்றிலையின் நுனியில் லட்சுமியும், நடுவில் சரஸ்வதியும், காம்பில் பார்வதிதேவியும் இருப்பதாக தகவல் உண்டு. இறைவனுக்கு எத்தனை பதார்த்தங்களை நிவேதனம் செய்தாலும், வெற்றிலை பாக்கு வைக்காவிட்டால் அந்நிவேதனம் முற்றுப்பெறுவதில்லை என்பர்.

கோயிலுக்கு கிளம்பும் முன் இதை வாசியுங்க!

கோயிலில் மூலவருக்கோ, பிரகாரத்திலுள்ள மற்ற சுவாமிகளுக்கோ அபிஷேகம் செய்யும் போது உட்பிரகாரத்தில் வலம் வருவது கூடாது. அஷ்டமி, நவமி, அமாவாசை, பவுர்ணமி, மாதப்பிறப்பு, சோமவாரம், சதுர்த்தி நாளில் வில்வ இலைகளைப் பறிக்கக்கூடாது. அங்கவஸ்திரம், துண்டு ஆகியவற்றை தோளில் இருந்து எடுத்து இடுப்பில் கட்டிக் கொள்ள வேண்டும். கொடி மரம், நந்தி, பலிபீடம், கோபுரம் நிழல்களை மிதிப்பது கூடாது. நந்திக்கு குறுக்கே செல்லக்கூடாது. பிரகாரத்தை வலம் இடமாகச் சுற்றிக் கொண்டு போகக் கூடாது. கோயிலுக்குள் வீண்கதைகளையோ, தகாத வார்த்தைகளையோ பேசக்கூடாது. கோயிலுக்குள் தூங்குவது கூடாது. விளக்கில்லாத போதோ, திரையிட்டிருக்கும் போது தெய்வங்களை வணங்குவது கூடாது. கோயிலுக்குச் சென்று திரும்பியதும் கால் கழுவக் கூடாது. சிவாலயங்களில் சண்டிகேஸ்வரர், சண்டிகேஸ்வரி முன்பு அமைதியாக வணங்க வேண்டும். கைதட்டுதல், நூலைப் போடுதல் ஆகியவற்றைச் செய்யக்கூடாது.

Laughter the Best Medicine…..Airline jokes !!!!

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE::::: NET JOKES ON AVIATION

Natarajan

I DESERVE A FIRST CLASS SEAT…..

A blonde gets on an airplane and sits down in the first class section of the plane. The stewardess rushes over to her and tells her she must move to coach because she doesn’t have a first class ticket. The blonde replies, “I’m blonde, I’m smart, I have a good job, and I’m staying in first class until we reach Jamaica.”

The disgusted stewardess gets the head stewardess who asks the blonde to leave. The blonde yet again repeats “I’m blonde, I’m smart, I have a good job and I’m staying in first class until we reach Jamaica.” The head stewardesses doesn’t even know what to do at this point because they still have to get the rest of the passengers seated to take off; the blode is causing a problem with boarding now, so the stewardess gets the copilot.

The copilot goes up to the blonde and whispers in her ear. She immediately gets up and goes to her seat in the coach section. The head stewardess asks the copilot in amazement what he said to get her to move to her correct seat. The copilot replies, “I told her the front half of the airplane wasn’t going to Jamaica.”

FLYING WITHOUT A PARACHUTE…..

A man jumps out of an airplane with a parachute on his back. As he’s falling, he realizes hiss chute is broken. He doesn’t know anything about parachutes, but as the earth rapidly approaches, he realizes his options are limited; he takes off the parachute and tries to fix it himself on the way down. The wind is ripping past his face, he’s dropping like a rock, and at 5000 feet, another man goes shooting up past him. In desperation, the man with the chute looks up and yells, “Hey do you know anything about parachutes?!”

The guy flying up looks down and yells, “No, do you know anything about gas stoves?!”

ARE BLIND PILOTS FLYING???!!!!!

One day at a busy airport, the passengers on a commercial airliner are seated waiting for the pilot to show up so they can get under way.

The pilot and copilot finally appear in the rear of the plane and begin walking up to the cockpit through the center aisle. Both appear to be blind; the pilot is using a white cane, bumping into passengers right and left as he stumbles down the aisle. The copilot is using a guide dog. Both have their eyes covered with sunglasses.

At first, the passengers do not react thinking that it must be some sort of practical joke. After a few minutes though, the engines start revving, and the airplane begins moving down the runway.

The passengers look at each other with some uneasiness. They start whispering among themselves and look desperately to the stewardesses for reassurance.

Yet, the plane starts accelerating rapidly, and people begin panicking. Some passengers are praying, and as the plane gets closer and closer to the end of the runway, the voices are becoming more and more hysterical.

When the plane has less than twenty feet of runway left, there is a sudden change in the pitch of the shouts as everyone screams at once. At the very last moment, the plane lifts off and is airborne.

Up in the cockpit, the copilot breathes a sigh of relief and tells the pilot: “You know, one of these days the passengers aren’t going to scream, and we aren’t going to know when to take off!”

இது உங்களுக்கு தெரியுமா ? ….2

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE:::::” DINA MALAR “…TAMIL DAILY…

Natarajan

சிவபூஜையில் கரடி’ என்பதன் பொருள் என்ன?

சிலருக்கு நல்லதே பிடிக்காது. நாலுபேர் மகிழ்ச்சியாய்ப் பேசிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் போது அவர்களின் மகிழ்ச்சியைக் கெடுக்கும் வகையில் ஒருவர் வலிய சண்டைக்கு வருவார். இந்தச் சூழலில் அவர் கரடிக்குச் சமமானவர். ஏன் கரடியை மட்டும் குறிப்பிடுகிறார்கள் என்றால் கொடிய மிருகங்களாகிய சிங்கமும், புலியும் தமது இரையைத் தாமே போரிட்டுக் கொன்று தின்னும் சிறப்புடையது. கரடி அப்படி கிடையாது. பிற மிருகங்கள் இரை உண்ணும்போது அவற்றை விரட்டி விட்டு தின்னும் குணமுள்ளது. பசி அடங்கி விட்டால் சிங்கமும், புலியும் யாரையும் தொந்தரவு செய்யாது. ஆனால், கரடி எந்த நேரத்திலும் கொடூரமாக உயிர்களைத் துன்புறுத்தும். சிவபூஜை செய்பவர்கள் தம்மைச் சுற்றி எது நடந்தாலும் கவலைப்படாமல் பூஜையிலேயே கவனமாக இருப்பார்கள். சிங்கம் புலியைக் கூடக் கண்டு அஞ்சமாட்டார்கள். அவற்றால் உயிருக்கு மட்டும் தானே ஆபத்து என்று கவலையில்லாமல் இருப்பார்கள். ஆனால், கொடூரகுணம் கொண்ட கரடி பூஜை செய்யும் சூழலையே கெடுத்து, விக்ரஹங்களையும் சேதப்படுத்திவிடுமே என்று அஞ்சுவார்கள். எதிரிகளைச் சமாளிப்பது வேறு. அசிகைப் பிடித்தவர்களை சமாளிப்பது என்பது வேறு. இரண்டாவதாகக் கூறப்படுபவர்கள் எங்கு வந்தாலும் சிவபூஜையில் கரடி தான்.

எல்லாம் அவன் செயல் !!!!

ராமானுஜரின் சீடரான எம்பார் ஸ்ரீரங்கத்தில் தங்கியிருந்து, காலட்சேபம் செய்து கொண்டிந்தார். பல பக்தர்கள் தினமும் வந்து கேட்பார்கள். ஒருமுறை, காஞ்சிபுரத்தில் இருந்து வந்த சில பக்தர்கள் காலட்சேபத்தைக் கேட்டு ரசித்தனர்.
தங்கள் ஊரில் நிரந்தரமாகத் தங்கி காலட்சேபம் நடத்த கேட்டுக்கொண்டனர். எம்பார் மறுத்து விட்டார். அவ்வாறு வந்தவர்களில் ஒருவர் திரும்பத் திரும்ப ஸ்ரீரங்கம் வந்து அவரைக் காஞ்சிபுரம் வரும்படி வற்புறுத்தியபடியே இருந்தார். பல ஆண்டுகளாக மறுத்துவிட்ட எம்பாருக்கு திடீரென காஞ்சிபுரம் போகும் எண்ணம் தோன்றியது. கிளம்பி விட்டார். அங்கே ஓரிடத்தில் தங்கி காலட்சேபம் செய்தார். அவரிடம் கூட்டத்தினர்,””இங்கே வர மறுத்தீர்களே! இப்போது எப்படி வந்தீர்கள்?” என்று கேட்டனர்.
எம்பார் அவர்களிடம், “”இதோ! இந்த பக்தர் தொடர்ந்து ஸ்ரீரங்கம் வந்து என்னை அழைத்ததால் தான் நான் இங்கு வந்தேன் என்று நினைப்பவர்கள் கையைத் தூக்குங்கள்,” என்றார். ஒரு சிலர் கை தூக்கினர். அடுத்து, “”நானாகவே மனம் மாறி வந்தேன் என்று நினைப்பவர்கள் கை தூக்குங்கள்,” என்றார். அதற்கும் சிலர் கை தூக்கினர். இப்படியாக வந்திருந்தவர்கள் அனைவரும் கை தூக்கியாயிற்று. கை தூக்காதவர் எம்பார் மட்டுமே. “”நீங்கள் நினைப்பது போல் இல்லை. அந்த பக்தர் கூப்பிட்டதாலும் வரவில்லை, நானாகவும் வரவில்லை. பகவான் நினைத்தான், அதனால் வந்தேன், எல்லாம் அவன் செயல்,” என்றார்.

SIX MONEY MYTHS…..

NatarajanLeave a comment

SOURCE:::::SILICON INDIA NET

Natarajan

Money is the most loved possession. You want money and hence you work hard to earn it. And if you have a huge bank balance, then what do you do with it? Either you save or spend. Something which you often do is spending it over things which you feel are benefiting you. If you feel that all your decisions are always right then just compare them with the 6 money myths which will show whether you make financial mistakes or not, as reported by Allison Kade from Learrvest.com.

Falling for Flash “Sale” Sites

The word “sale” always brings a happy smile on your face. It makes you feel that you can buy a very costly thing at a very affordable price. You also think these sale offer are best for people who are price conscious. For example if a shoe of 1200 is available at 950 then you will be attracted to buy it. What if the offer is for limited period then will you wait? No not exactly and you will make an immediate purchase as you think waiting would be a waste of time and opportunity. This is where you actually go wrong because here you spend money then you intend to.

Buying Cheap Stuff

Goods which are less costly will always have more number of buyers. It will not be very surprising if you find yourself being one of them. Before you buy something then don’t only consider its price but also its quality especially when you intend to use it for a longer period. You can use this easy rule of thumb to calculate the cost per use. For example, compare buying a pair of shoe of 200, which can wear maximum for 40 days, this will cost you 5 per wear. Now consider buying a pair of shoe of 600 which you can easily wear for nearly 200 days, this will cost you 3 per wear.

Choosing Junk Food

Are you a junk food lover? Even if you say no but then your poor health condition provides a good evidence of the truth. Fast food easily attracts you because it’s cheaper and tastier than plain healthy food products. Fast foods have always remained the main cause of obesity. Choosing Samosa, chats, golgappa, vada pav……may make you spend little, but in the long run can cause serious health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Always remember an ounce spend in prevention is better than a pound spend in cure. Your health is of major concerns so don’t exploit it over short term gains if not in future to correct your health conditions you will be spending lakhs.

Hanging Onto Your Retirement Payments

Even if you feel your retirement is a far off tale, but are you prepared for it. Don’t think if you put in your money in some retirement plan then you are making anadditional expenditure that’s why you can keep forgoing it. It is advisable to start on with early saving as say, if you start investing with a smaller amount of 2,000 a month at 20, you will accumulate 1.26 crore by the time you are 60 (at 10 percent rate of interest). If, on the other hand, you start saving the same amount at 30, you will be able to pile up only 65 lakh.

Skipping Insurance

Insurance is not a negative term and stop running away, it’s not meant to harm you. It doesn’t matter how many times you have said no to the insurance agents and have skipped the insurance policy. All that matters is you and your financial security, and you can protect both by signing in for some insurance policy, as by choosing a health insurance or car insurance policy will safeguard of sudden and bigger expenditure which you will be find difficult to arrange from monthly salaries whensome unpleasant situations arises unexpectedly.

Forgoing Lawyer Fees

It’s very important to keep your legal documents up-to-date. When you are alive you don’t think of your death and preparing a will never occurs in your mind. Forgoing lawyer’s fee today may help you save some money but later when you will pass away then your children and other dependents will have to spend thousands together in court fees.