Author: Natarajan

படித்து ரசித்தது… “ஒருவர் செய்த நன்றியை மறப்பவர்க்கு என்றுமே உயர்வில்லை”.

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முல்லை மலர் என்ற காட்டில் விறகு வெட்டுவதற்காக சென்று கொண்டிருந்தான் மனிதன் ஒருவன்.
அப்போது காட்டில் எங்கிருந்தோ சிங்கத்தின் கர்ஜினை
கேட்டது. பயத்துடன் ஓடத் தொடங்கினான் மனிதன்.
“”மனிதனே பயப்படாதே! இங்கே வா! நான் உன்னை ஒன்றும் செய்யமாட்டேன்,” என்ற குரல் கேட்டது.
தயக்கத்துடன் குரல் வந்த திசையை நோக்கிச் சென்றான் மனிதன்.
அங்கு ஒரு கூண்டில் சிங்கம் அடைப்பட்டு இருந்தது. வேட்டைக்காரர்கள் சிலர் சிங்கத்தை உயிருடன் பிடிப்பதற்காக ஒரு கூண்டு செய்து அதற்குள் ஓர் ஆட்டை விட்டு வைத்திருந்தனர். ஆட்டிற்கு ஆசைப்பட்ட சிங்கம் கூண்டிற்குள் மாட்டிக் கொண்டது.
மனிதனைப் பார்த்த சிங்கம், “”மனிதனே, என்னை இந்தக் கூண்டிலிருந்து விடுவித்து விடு… நான் உனக்குப் பல உதவிகளைச் செய்வேன்,” என்றது.
“”நீயோ மனிதர்களைக் கொன்று தின்பவன். உன்னை எப்படி நான் விடுவிக்க முடியும்?” என்றான் மனிதன்.
“”மனிதர்களைக் கொல்லும் சுபாவம் எங்களுக்கு உண்டு தான். அதற்காக உயிர்காக்கும் உன்னைக் கூடவா அடித்துக் கொன்றுவிடுவேன். அவ்வளவு நன்றியில்லாதவனா நான்? பயப்படாமல் கூண்டின் கதவைத்திற. உன்னை ஒன்றும் செய்யமாட்டேன்,” என்று நைசாகப் பேசியது சிங்கம்.
சிங்கத்தின் வார்த்தையை உண்மையென்று நம்பிவிட்டான் மனிதன். கூண்டின் கதவைத் திறந்தான். அவ்வளவுதான்! நன்றி கெட்ட சிங்கம் மனிதன் மேல் பாய்வதற்கு தயாராயிற்று.
இதனைக் கண்ட மனிதன், “”சிங்கமே, நீ செய்வது உனக்கே நியாயமா? உன் பேச்சை நம்பி உன்னைக் கூண்டிலிருந்து விடுவித்தேனே… அதற்கு இதுதானா நீ காட்டும் நன்றி,” என்றான்.
“”என் உயிரைக் காத்துக் கொள்வதற்காக நான் ஆயிரம் பொய் சொல்லுவேன். அதை நீ எவ்வாறு நம்பலாம்? மனிதர்கள் என்றால் பகுத்தறிவுள்ளவர்கள் என்று தானே பொருள். அந்த அறிவைக் கொண்டு இது நல்லது, இது கெட்டது என்று பகுதித்தறிய வேண்டாமா? முட்டாள்தனமான உன் செய்கைக்கு நான் எப்படிப் பொறுப்பாக முடியும்?” என்றது சிங்கம்.
“”கடவுள் உன்னை தண்டிப்பார். உன் உயிரை காப்பாற்றிய என்னையே சாப்பிடுவது நியாயமா?” உன்னை விடுவித்ததற்கு இம்மாதிரி நடந்து கொள்வது முறையல்ல,” என்றான் மனிதன்.
அவ்வழியாக ஒரு நரி வந்தது.
“”இதனிடம் நியாயம் கேட்போம்,” என்று கூறிய மனிதன் நடந்த கதையனைத்தையும் நரியிடம் கூறினான்.
“”எங்கள் தொழில் அனைவரையும் அடித்துக் கொன்று சாப்பிடுவதுதான். இது இவனுக்கு நன்றாகத் தெரிந்திருந்தும் கூட என்னைக் கூண்டிலிருந்து விடுவித்தான். முட்டாள்தனமான இந்தச் செய்கைக்கு உரிய பலனை இவன் அனுபவித்தே தீர வேண்டும். நீ என்ன சொல்ற நரியாரே…” என்றது.
அனைத்தையும் கேட்ட நரி ஒன்றும் புரியாததைப் போல் பாவனை செய்தது.
“”நீங்கள் இந்த மாதிரி சொன்னால் எனக்கு ஒன்றுமே புரியல. ஆரம்பத்திலிருந்து சொல்லுங்கள்,” என்றது நரி.
உடனே சிங்கம் சொல்லத் தொடங்கியது.
“”நான் அந்தக் கூண்டிற்குள் அடைந்து கிடந்தேன்…”
“”எந்தக் கூண்டிற்குள்?” என்றது நரி.
“”அதோ இருக்கிறதே அந்தக் கூண்டிற்குள்,” என்றது சிங்கம்.
“”எப்படி அடைந்து கிடந்தீர்கள்?” என்றது நரி.
சிங்கம் விடுவிடுவென்று கூண்டிற்குள் சென்றது. இதுதான் சமயம் என்று கருதிய நரி சட்டென்று கூண்டுக் கதவை இழுத்து மூடியது.
“”நரியாரே! இது என்ன அயோக்கியத்தனம்! நியாயம் கூறுவதாகக் கூறி என்னை மறுபடியும் கூண்டில் அடைத்துவிட்டீரே!” என்று கத்தியது சிங்கம்.
“”நீங்கள் பேசாமல் கூண்டிற்குள்ளேயே இருங்கள். நான் ஒன்றும் இந்த மனிதனைப் போல் முட்டாள் அல்ல. உங்களுக்குச் சாதகமாக நியாயம் சொன்னால் முதலில் மனிதனை அடித்துக் கொல்வீர்கள். பிறகு என்னையே அடித்துக் கொன்று விடுவீர்கள். அதனால் தான் உங்களைக் கூண்டிற்குள் செல்லுமாறு செய்து கதவைப் பூட்டி விட்டேன்,” என்றது நரி.
நன்றி மறந்த சிங்கம் தன் நிலையை நினைத்து நொந்து போனது.
குறள்நீதி: “எந்நன்றி கொன்றார்க்கும் உய்வுண்டு; உய்வில்லை செய்நன்றி கொன்ற மகற்கு.”
 ஒருவர் செய்த நன்றியை மறப்பவர்க்கு என்றுமே உயர்வில்லை. ஆகவே, பெற்றவுதவி சிறியதோ/ பெரியதோ என்றுமே நன்றி மறவாது வாழ்வோம்.
Source….Input from a friend of mine
Natarajan

12 Health Myths We Shouldn’t Believe …!!!

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We all know the excitement that we experience when we read about some wonderful health benefit we never knew about. And to be sure, many of these stories are true and genuinely important. But that doesn’t mean a few myths and lies haven’t slipped through the net over the years. Here is a list of 12 ‘health facts’ that for one reason of another are either misleading or downright false.

1. You can lose loads of weight doing yoga.

Yoga can provide you with many rich benefits. It’s relaxing, strengthening and even empowering, however it is not very aerobic at all. Some have suggested trying the so called ‘power yoga’ as a more intense alternative, yet even this will only burn 300 calories per 90-minute session. Furthermore, these sessions do not increase your metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn while at rest), post workout.

If you do use yoga, or are thinking of doing so, remember to supplement this worthwhile activity with other cardiovascular exercises. Balance, as ever, is the key.

2. Running damages your knees.
A study conducted by Stanford University has found that those who have run regularly for many years have knees as healthy as those who haven’t. The only time running might cause trouble for your knees is when there is a previously existing knee complaint that is aggravated by the sudden workout. If your knees are already fine, don’t let them put you off running.
3. Up to 90% of your body heat escapes through your head.
The real amount of heat you lose from your head is much closer to 10% since the head only accounts for this amount of your body’s surface area. Therefore, if the rest of your body (90%) is covered up with clothing during winter, but your head is bare, this area is more greatly exposed to heat loss. However, this would still account for even less than 50% of the heat you emit.

So, by all means, continue to wear a hat. But don’t fall for this 90% myth.

4. Bathroom scales show you much fat you’ve burned.
You should bear in mind that scales only really give you a snapshot of your weight at a certain time. Your weight can be effected by the amount of water in your system, the size of your last meal, or the amount of bloating you have. Furthermore, many people are surprised to find that a new lifestyle designed to improve their health will actually see their weight increase. This is because muscle is denser and weightier than fat.

So, if you have been exercising to lose weight, you should be prepared for a slight disappointment. However, even though you may gain weight, you will be getting slimmer, but your scale will not show this.

5. Microwaves give you cancer.
Microwave ovens are certainly a little terrifying thanks to the magnetic field they generate. However, the amount of energy this produces is not nearly enough to make a dent on your genetic material. The type of radiation used is ‘non-ionizing’, which also doesn’t affect a change in your cells. If you think about it, a microwave also does not alter the food it cooks either. It just heats it up. There is, therefore, no evidence that microwaves cause cancer.
6. The 5-second rule.
When we are talking about minute bacteria contamination, time is not very important. It only takes milliseconds for food to become contaminated once contact is made. Therefore, rather than fixating on the amount of time your food has spent on the floor, think instead of the environment it is in. Environment is a far greater factor than anything else.
7. You can be detoxified by drinking a juice cleanse.
Juice fasts are one of the latest health crazes that you’ve probably heard a good deal about. What they require is that you only consume the juices, cutting out all other foods for a certain time, in order to rid your body of toxins and induce other health benefits. However, the benefits that accrue have not been shown to go beyond the feel-good factor of the placebo effect.

The reason it helps lose weight is because it’s a fast that eliminates protein from your diet. This reduces both fat and muscle from your body. The important thing to grasp is that your body already has a perfect detoxifying system, utilizing your kidneys, liver and digestive tract. Drinking fiber-free juices all day, in place of real food, may actually be contributing to a worsening of your health.

8. To stay healthy we should drink eight glasses of water every day.
Although drinking too much water can lead to fatal water intoxication, eight glasses is not too much. The number though is quite strange, since no one can say where this recommendation came from. Among healthy people there is nothing to say that drinking eight glasses per day will have any positive effect at all.

However, as with all such myths, there is a grain of truth, since if you drink plenty of water, you will not feel the need to drink much worse beverages instead. High sugar drinks boost our calorie intake to dangerous levels.

When it comes to drinking water, the best advice is to drink when you feel thirsty – unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

9. Diabetes is caused by sugar.
It’s commonly believed that consuming too much sugar leads to this disease, but the truth is much more complicated. Type 1 diabetes is entirely genetic, and is not caused by diet whatsoever. Type 2 diabetes is caused by both genetic factors and lifestyle factors. Though certain sugary drinks are said to be culprits when it comes to increasing the risk of diabetes, this is not just because of the sugar content, but because of the sugar content allied to the high-calorie count.

Obesity and generally poor eating habits are a greater predictor of diabetes than sugar is.

10. High-fructose corn syrup is much more dangerous for you than natural sugars.
It’s enough said that high-fructose corn syrup should be avoided like the plague. However, scientists agree that when it comes to processing, energy and byproducts, corn syrup has the same effects as any other natural sugar. The only reason that high-fructose corn syrup may be considered less healthy is that it contains more sugar per serving than natural sugars, such as honey. Therefore, if used in concentrated doses, there is no difference.
11. Echinacea fixes colds and reduces the symptoms.
Most of the early promise that studies once showed about the effectiveness of this plant has been unfulfilled. There is, in fact, no evidence of any kind that Echinacea does anything at all to soothe or banish away your cold or its symptoms. Recent clinical trials have not found any reason for you to purchase medication with this ingredient.
12. Green tea is full of antioxidants, helps weight-loss, is safe and healthy.
The grain of truth contained in this health myth is that fresh green tea leaves do have some health benefits, and contain plenty of antioxidants. The problem is not with these fresh leaves, instead it’s with powders and extracts. Incredibly, Consumer Reports magazine includes Green Tea Powder Extract as one of its 15 ingredients we should always avoid. They say it can cause dizzy spells, increased blood pressure, ringing in the ears, liver damage and even death.
This is all because the powder is more potent than the original leaves. The process of concentration and synthesis produces troubling effects in people with pre-existing conditions, particularly if they use the tea frequently.

Furthermore, one should be aware that tea also contains a lot of caffeine, to which some people can be quite sensitive (remember that caffeine was not a part of many European people’s diets for thousands of years).

Source….www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan

வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை …” எழுத்து “…!

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எழுத்து
……….
எண்ணங்களின் பிரதி பலிப்பே
ஒருவன்  எழுதும் கவிதையும்  , கதையும் !
உறங்கும் மக்களையும்  நாட்டையும் உலுக்கி
அவர்தம்  உரிமைக்கு குரல் கொடுக்க வைப்பதும்
அந்த  எழுத்தின் சக்தியே !
ஒருவன் தலை எழுத்தை மாற்றும் சக்தியும் உண்டு
அந்த எண்ணுக்கும் எழுத்துக்கும் !
ஒரு கையெழுத்தின் மதிப்பைக் கூட்டுவதும்
அதே எண் , எழுத்தின் சக்திதான் !
எழுத்தாணி காலம் முதல் இன்றைய மின்னஞ்சல்
யுகம் வரை எண்ணும்  எழுத்தும், இமையும்
விழியுமே  ஒரு  மனிதனுக்கு !
Natarajan  in http://www.dinamani.com dated 3rd Oct 2016
Natarajan

கொலு சிறக்க…….

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அம்பாளுக்கு உரிய ஒன்பது சிறப்பு நாட்கள், நவராத்திரி. இந்நாட்களில், அம்பாளை பிரார்த்தனை செய்தால் கிடைக்கும் பலன் போன்று, வேறு எப்போது பிரார்த்தனை செய்தாலும் கிட்டாது. கலை, பொருள் மற்றும் சக்தியின் அம்சமான அம்பாளை, இந்த ஒன்பது நாட்களும் பிரார்த்தனை, பாராயணம் செய்தால், மேற்கூறிய பலன்களையும் நமக்கு நல்குவாள். உலகில் உயிர் வாழ, இந்த சக்திகளும் இன்றியமையாதவை. வரும் நவராத்திரி கொலுவை வித்தியாசமாக கொண்டாட சில, ‘டிப்ஸ்’ இதோ…
* கொலு ஷாப்பிங் செல்பவர்கள், புத்தக கடைகளுக்கு சென்று, ‘ராமகிருஷ்ண பரமஹம்சரின் பொன்மொழிகள், விவேகானந்தர், ரமண மகரிஷி மற்றும் காஞ்சி பெரியவரின் உபதேசங்கள், ‘வாழ்வில் சிறக்க’ மற்றும் ‘மனஅமைதி பெற என்ன செய்யலாம்’ இப்படி பல குட்டி புத்தகங்கள் பத்து ரூபாய்க்கு கிடைக்கின்றன. இவற்றை கொலுவிற்கு வருவோருக்கு தரலாம். 50 ரூபாய் பிளவுஸ் பிட்டில் கிடைக்கும் திருப்தி, இப்புத்தகத்திலும் கிடைக்கும்.
* குழந்தைகளுக்கு நம் நாட்டு கலாசாரம், பண்பாடு மற்றும் இதிகாச புராணங்களை தெரிய வைக்க, நவராத்திரி பண்டிகை நல்ல சந்தர்ப்பம். கொலுவில், ராமாயணம் மற்றும் மகாபாரத கதைகளின் முக்கிய நிகழ்வுகளை, ‘தீமாக’ அமைக்கலாம். அத்துடன், ஹாரிபார்ட்டர் கதைகள் மற்றும் டோரா புஜ்ஜி போன்றவற்றை கூட அமைக்கலாம். இது, பழமைக்கும், புதுமைக்கும் பாலம் அமைத்து, இந்த நவராத்திரியை களை கட்ட வைக்கும்.
* உங்கள் பிள்ளைகளை, கரும் பலகையில், நவராத்திரி பற்றிய விஷயங்களை தினம் ஒன்று எழுதச் சொல்லி, கொலுவில் வைக்கலாம். நவராத்திரி கலச…

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A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL SURVIVED A 2 MILE FALL WITHOUT A PARACHUTE, THEN TREKKED ALONE 10 DAYS THROUGH THE PERUVIAN RAINFOREST..

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juliane-koepcke

Today I found out that a 17 year old girl survived a 2 mile fall from a plane without a parachute, then trekked alone 10 days through the Peruvian rainforest.

On Christmas Eve, 1971, just a few hours after attending her high school graduation, 17 year old Juliane Koepcke and her mother, Maria, got on a flight from Lima, Peru to Pucallpa. The two were headed out to join Juliane’s father, Hans-Wilhelm, a famous German zoologist who was working at a remote research station in the rainforest.

Approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the plane entered very thick, black clouds. “The clouds became darker and darker and the flight became more turbulent. Then we were in the midst of pitch-black clouds and a proper storm with thunder and lightning,” said Koepcke. “It was pitch-black all around us and there was constant lightning. Then I saw a glistening light on the right wing… The motor was hit by lightning. ”

While planes get struck by lightning all the time with no real problems ensuing, this time there was a big problem.  Directly after the wing was struck, the aircraft was ripped apart, largely thanks to the fact that the Electra aircraft they were on wasn’t built for flying in heavy turbulence to begin with, due to its very rigid wings. Contrary to what is often reported, Koepcke states the wing “definitely didn’t explode.”  Rather, the plane was simply ripped apart in the air after the wing fell off.

The last words Koepcke ever heard from her mother were when the lightning struck the wing, “it’s all over”… LIES!!!  Well, at least for her daughter (and technically not the immediate end for her mother either, as you’ll soon see). Still strapped to her seat, Juliane Koepcke was ejected from the aircraft and fell approximately 2 miles into the dense Peruvian rainforest.

I heard the incredibly loud motor and people screaming and then the plane fell extremely steeply. And then it was calm—incredibly calm compared with the noise before that. I could only hear the wind in my ears. I was still attached to my seat. My mother and the man sitting by the aisle had both been propelled out of their seats. I was free-falling, that’s what I registered for sure. I was in a tailspin. I saw the forest beneath me—like ‘green cauliflower, like broccoli,’ is how I described it later on. Then I lost consciousness and regained it only way later, the next day.

Koepcke became the sole survivor of Lansa flight 508, all 91 other passengers and crew died. It isn’t known what exact factors played into Juliane’s surviving the fall. Some have speculated that her fall was slowed by the row of seats she was strapped to rotating like a helicopter, and then helped cushion her landing thanks to striking the dense forest on her way down.  The actual cushion of her seat itself also likely played a small role.

Whatever the case, over the next 19 hours or so, Koepcke lapsed in and out of consciousness and at some point unknown to her, she managed to unstrap herself from her seat and crawl under it, she thinks as a response to rain.  Finally, at 9am, she became lucid and in somewhat of a daze took stock of her situation. She was lying on the ground, dressed in only a sleeveless mini-dress and was missing one of her sandals and glasses.  While she didn’t realize all her injuries at the time, she had survived the fall with a broken collar bone; a torn ACL; one of her eyes swollen shut; her capillaries in her eyes had popped (due to rapid decompression from the plane); a strained vertebrae in her neck; a partially fractured shin; and several deep cuts on her arms and legs.

It took her half the day just to be able to stand without getting too dizzy, but eventually she managed it and at first set out to find her mother, searching for a full day before giving up. During her search for her mother, though, she did find a bag of candy, which was her only food she had during her journey, and more importantly, a stream.  Her father had once given her the very good advice that if she were ever lost in the rainforest and came across a stream or river, she should follow it downstream; because people tend to live on or near water, following a river long enough, should get you to civilization eventually.

She then set out.  She knew from experience that snakes particularly liked to lay camouflaged under dry leaves, so when she wasn’t walking in the water, she used her one shoe, thrown before her, to test the ground for snakes and the like (she couldn’t see very well due to missing her glasses).  Luckily, she never encountered any, that she saw at least. She walked as much as possible in the river as it was an easier way to go, rather than through the dense foliage. Of course, this came with hazards of its own.

Within a couple days, she started hearing King vultures around her, the sound of which she recognized from living at her parent’s research station a year and a half before, only about 30 miles from where the plane crashed.  Because King vultures usually only land when there is carrion around, she figured there must be dead bodies about that they were feeding on, but at first didn’t encounter any.  On the fourth day, she finally spotted some; three other passengers still strapped to their seats and rammed several feet, headfirst into the ground.

I couldn’t really see that much, only people’s feet pointing up. I poked their feet with a stick. I couldn’t touch the dead bodies. I couldn’t smell anything and they hadn’t been eaten yet or started to decay. I mean, sure, decay must have started, but I couldn’t notice it. I could tell it was a woman because she had polished toenails and the others must have been two men, judging by their pants and shoes. I moved on after a while, but in the first moment after finding them, it was like I was paralyzed.

During her trek, several of her wounds became infected and a large cut on her right arm was infested with maggots.  This is something she’d seen happen to her dog before, with near disastrous results for the dog.  Try as she might, though, she couldn’t manage to get the maggots out as they were too deep in the wound.  “I had this ring that was open on one side that you could squeeze together, and I tried with that. It didn’t work because the hole was so deep. So I tried with a stick, but that didn’t work either.”

On the tenth day she came across a boat, which in her delirious state at this point, she thought was a mirage until she finally came up to it and touched it. Next to the boat was a path, which she crawled up (at this point being extremely weak, making walking up the path somewhat difficult).  At the end of the path was a small hut that was being used by lumbermen. Empty at the time, she found an outboard motor and some diesel fuel in a barrel.

She used a tube to suck out some of the fuel from the barrel and put that on her wound that was maggot infested, something her father had done to her dog, though with kerosene.  Albeit extremely painful, this worked and most of the maggots, while initially trying to burrow deeper into her arm, eventually came to the surface and she was able pick them out.

She then tried to sleep in the hut, but found the ground to be much too hard, so she went back down to the river side and laid in the sand.  The next day, she woke up and, hearing frogs all around her, tried to catch some to eat.  Luckily for her she was unable to as they were poisonous dart frogs.  At this point, she was debating whether to take the boat or not, something she didn’t want to do as it was stealing, but ultimately decided to spend the night at the hut.

She ended up not having to do so alone, though, because she soon heard voices, “like hearing angels’ voices”.  Three people came out of the forest and spotted her. At first they thought she was a “Yemanjá”, a type of blond, pale skinned water spirit. “When they saw me, they were pretty freaked out.” However, she explained what had happened and how she got there, and they had heard of the plane crash, so accepted her tale.  They then fed her and cared for her wounds as best they could and took her downstream on about a seven hour boat ride to a lumber station/village. (who says the deforestation of the rainforest is all bad?  That’s one life that would have ended had there been no lumbermen about) 😉

Once there, a local pilot knew of some missionaries nearby running a hospital in Pucuallpa.  The pilot took her on what must have been a freaky, for Juliane, 15 minute flight to the hospital and the day after her rescue, she was reunited with her father.  She then helped the search parties locate the crash site. On January 12th, they finally discovered her mother’s body. Like Juliane, her mother apparently survived the fall. However, her injuries prevented her from moving and she ended up dying several days later.

Now known as Juliane Diller, she has a PhD in Zoology and is a librarian at the Bacarian State Zoological Collection in Munich. Her autobiography “When I Fell From The Sky” (“Als ich vom Himmel fiel”) was released on March 10, 2011 and she received the Corine Literature Prize for her publication in 2011.

Bonus Facts:

  • According to the Guardian newspaper, there have been well over 20 documented cases of single survivors of civilian air crashes. The military also has many documented cases of similar events. According to David Learmount, an air safety expert, young, fit male passengers who sit in rear seats (note: Juliane and her mother were sitting in the second to last row of seats) and are frequent travelers are statistically more likely to survive an accident. When asked about why being a frequent traveler helps, Learmount states, it is likely because they “know where the exits are”.
  • The average number of deaths per year for commercial air carriers is just 138. That means you have a 1 in 2 million chance of being killed if you chose to fly, or 1 in 11 million for the average American.
  • The chance of being killed in a car crash is 1 in 7,700. The chance of being killed in a motorcycle accident is 1 in 91,500. If you think that these numbers make it sound like motorcycles are a safer way to travel, you have to consider that more people are likely travel in a car versus a motorcycle. To illustrate, the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles is 1.3 for a car, and 31.3 for a motorcycle. Wear your helmets kids!
  • You are statistically more likely to die in a railroad accident than a bicycle accident. On average, 931 people die each year in railroad accidents and 695 die in bicycle accidents. The odds are 1 in 306,000 for railroads and 1 in 410,000 for bicycles.
  • The two riskiest portions of a flight are during takeoff and landing; 75% of all crashes occur during these two phases of the flight. This is mainly due to the fact that takeoff demands the most from an airplane and landing demands the most from the cockpit crew. Save your prayers for just before these points during your travel.
  • If these numbers are beginning to scare you, don’t worry. Over the past 30 years, there has been a 10 fold increase in the number of miles flown before a fatal accident. Also, consider that from 1983 to 2000 there were just 568 commercial plane crashes in the world. 53,487 people were involved in those crashes and 51,207 survived to tell the tale.
  • Professor Ed Galea, of the University of Greenwich, is a world expert in aviation safety. His tips for helping you survive a plane crash are as follows:
    1. Do not push the button on your safety belt to try and undo it. You have to pull it. Most people in a panic will tend to push the belts button as if they were traveling in a car.
    2. Adopt the brace position (head in your lap). This will prevent you from flying forward and striking the seat in front of you.
    3. Count the seat rows between you and the exit when you get on a plane. Most crashes end up with a fire and resulting smoke. The smoke may make it difficult or impossible to see and should you take a deep breath, may kill you. By feeling, and counting the seat-backs you will know which row is the exit and be able to get there quickly.
    4. Make a plan prior to take-off, every time you fly. This should include: where the flight attendants are that can help you escape, the number of rows and locations of all the exits nearest you, and have a plan of how to get to each one.
    5. Do not inflate your life jacket inside the aircraft. This will increase your body size and make it more difficult to escape.

Source…..www.today i foundout.com

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