Everyone has their own personal outlook on life. Many of us don’t choose it – we just follow our feelings, shaped by circumstance and experience. Others decide to choose what their outlook will be, and follow their minds instead. The old man in this story shows us that it takes some wisdom to be able to live happily…
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Author: Natarajan
Message for the Day…” Ways of God’s Showering Grace on HIS Devotee…”
Even when you attain the state of living with God and merger in a divine form (sarupya-mukti), there is still a trace of differential feeling. Just because a devotee has a form like the Lord’s, one may not have the powers of creation, preservation, and destruction that the Lord has. Only when all trace of difference disappears and unity is attained, the highest stage is reached. This is real union (Sayujya). This comes of divine grace won by the essence of the spiritual practice of each; it cannot be claimed as the fruit of effort. The devotee wishes to serve the Lord as one pleases and to experience the joy of the form that one has attributed to the Lord. But the Lord, out of His grace, gives the devotee not only existence with the Lord, witnessing always the glory of the Lord, and being suffused with God-consciousness but also Sayujya – union with Him! The path of devotion results also in attainment of ultimate knowledge (Brahma-jnana). Even if the devotee does not crave it, the Lord Himself vouchsafes it to the devotee.
Rio Celeste, The Blue River…!!!
Winding through the verdant rainforest of Tenorio Volcano National Park of Costa Rica, is a bright blue river called Rio Celeste. The river is formed by the confluence of two smaller rivers called the Sour Creek and the Good View River. At precisely the point where the waters of the two completely transparent rivers meet, that the blue color starts. For that reason, this point is known as El Teñidor, which means “The Dyer” in English.
Until very recently, scientist were unable to fully explain why Río Celeste has such a distinctive turquoise coloration. Many hypotheses were put forward such as the water contained copper or calcium carbonate and sulfur, or that the river’s proximity to the Tenorio Volcano caused it have the blue color. It is now known that the blue color arises due to a physical phenomenon known as Mie scattering triggered by the presence of certain minerals in the river’s water that causes sunlight to reflect in such a manner that it gives the water its incredible hue.
Photo credit: The Rohit/Flickr
As already mentioned, Río Celeste is fed by two rivers — Sour Creek and Good View River. The Good View River carries significant quantities of a type of whitish mineral known as aluminosilicate, that is composed of aluminum, silicon and oxygen. This is the mineral that is responsible for reflecting the blue color in sunlight. But if the mineral is also contained in the Good View River, why doesn’t it appear blue like Río Celeste? The answer lies in the size of the particles.
Researchers found that Good View River particles have a size of 184 nanometers, while in the Río Celeste the particles are much larger at 566 nm.
“This increase in size is what causes the scattering of sunlight, such that it occurs principally in the blue region of the visible spectrum. So that’s why we have that spectacular light blue color of the Rio Celeste” said Dr. Max Chavarría Vargas, lead investigator.
But why are the aluminosilicate particles in Río Celeste bigger than those in Good View River, when the particles itself came from the Good View River? It so happens that Sour Creek, the second river to join Good View River, is highly acidity due to volcanic activity (which is why it’s called Sour Creek). When these two streams mix to form Río Celeste, the drop in pH causes the aluminosilicate particles to aggregate and enlarge producing Mie scattering which gives the river a strong turquoise color.
“It’s one of those quirks of nature where one of the rivers provides mineral material with one size and the other river provides the acidic environment so that those particles grow,” said Dr. Max Chavarría Vargas.
Photo credit: Steve Corey/Flickr
Photo credit: The Rohit/Flickr
Photo credit: Efrain Gonzalez Buitrago/Flickr
Photo credit: The Rohit/Flickr
Photo credit: Bruce Thomson/Flickr
Sources: The Costa Rica Star / Wikipedia
Source…….www.amusingplanet.com
Natarajan
Rare White Giraffe Spotted In Tanzania…!!!
This stunning giraffe has not been photoshopped, she’s real! Omo, the 15-month-old beauty whose skin looks as if it was bleached, is suffering from leucism. It’s a condition that results in a partial loss of pigmentation.
She was spotted in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania by Dr Derek Lee, founder and scientist at the Wild Nature Institute. “Omo appears to get along with the other giraffes, she has always been seen with a large group of normally coloured giraffe – they don’t seem to mind her different colouring,” he explained.
“We and our partners are working on giraffe conservation and anti-poaching to help give Omo and her relatives a better chance of survival. We hope that she lives a long life and that some day she has calves of her own.”
More info: wildnatureinstitute.org
“Omo is the only pale giraffe we are currently aware of,” said Dr Derek Lee
“Omo appears to get along with the other giraffes…they don’t seem to mind her different colouring”
“Adult giraffes are regularly poached for bush meat, and her colouration might make her a target”
“We and our partners are working on giraffe conservation and anti-poaching to help give Omo and her relatives a better chance of survival”
“We hope that she lives a long life and that some day she has calves of her own”
Source………www.boredpanda.com
Natarajan
Image of the Day…Space Station Flyover of the Mediterranean…
Expedition 46 flight engineer Tim Peake of the European Space Agency (ESA) shared this stunning nighttime photograph with his social media followers on Jan. 25, 2016, writing, “Beautiful night pass over Italy, Alps and Mediterranean.”
Image Credit: ESA/NASA
Source…….www.nasa.gov
Natarajan
Message for the Day..” Need for Rigorous Practice of Right conduct in one’s life …”
If you are careless about the discipline of truth, every duty laid on you by dharma and every action prompted by dharma will hang heavy as a burden. Hence, you must search for the reality behind all these phenomena in your daily living, and that search will make all your duties, which are dharmic actions, light and pleasant. The Lord has designed people such that they are inclined towards God and are delighted at the expansion of their vision, and are happy when they are moral and virtuous. So, people must serve their own best interests by adhering to their basic nature, by concentrating on the Divine (Brahman), by assiduously cultivating truth, and by rigorously practicing right conduct (dharma).
Neft Dasları: A City Built On Oil Platforms…!!!
Far out into the Caspian Sea, a hundred kilometers away from the Azerbaijani capital Baku, lies one of the most incredible settlements in the world. A fully functional city of 3,000 living in a network of oil platforms and artificial islands connected by 300 km of trestle bridges. This is Neft Daslari, also known as Oil Rocks, and it lies fully within the world’s largest lake at an incredible distance of 55 km from the lake’s shore.
Azerbaijan has been famed for its rich oil resources since ancient times. There is evidence of oil drilling and actual trade in petroleum as early as the 3rd and 4th centuries. Historical accounts of the area’s oil and natural gas seepage can be found in old Arabic and Persian manuscripts, as well as in the writings of famous travellers such as Marco Polo. The Persians called the area the “Land of Fire”.
Photo credit: geozet.ru
Modern drilling began in 1870 after Russia conquered the territory. By the start of the First World War, Azerbaijan’s oil wells were already supplying 175 million barrels of crude oil a year, or 75 percent of the country’s entire oil production. After the war, while exploring for oil in the Caspian Sea, Soviet engineers struck top-quality oil at a depth of 1,100 meters below the seabed. Shortly thereafter, the world’s first offshore oil platform was built at the spot, and Neft Daslari was born.
The original foundation of Neft Daslari consisted of seven sunken ships including the world’s first oil tanker. Over the decades this grew to some 2,000 drilling platforms spread in a 30-kilometer circle, joined by a network of bridge viaducts spanning 300 kilometers. Over these platforms, workers built eight-story apartment blocks, a beverage factory, soccer pitch, library, bakery, laundry, 300-seat cinema, bathhouse, vegetable garden and even a tree-lined park for which the soil was brought from the mainland. During its heydays, some 5,000 workers lived here.
Neft Daslari’s decline began with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the discovery of new oilfields elsewhere. The workforce was reduced and many oil rigs were abandoned. Neglect and lack of maintenance caused many of them to collapse into the sea. Others are in the process of crumbling. Out of the 300 kilometers of roads, only 45 kilometers remain usable, and even they have fallen into disrepair. To the government, however, the place is still the proud, closely-guarded secret it was in Soviet times. It is still very hard for foreigners to gain access to the city. You can’t even zoom into it on Google Maps.
Photo credit: IPAAT/Panoramio
Photo credit: infoglaz.ru
Photo credit: infoglaz.ru
Photo credit: infoglaz.ru
Photo credit: IPAAT/Panoramio
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Photo credit: geozet.ru
Source……www.amusingplanet.com
Natarajan
Images of the Day…Animals on safari !!!
| Africa promises one of the best safari experiences in the world, enabling you to see the five big wild animal groups: the lion, the leopard, the elephant, the rhino and the buffalo. Capturing a good photo of these beautiful animals is not always easy, and very often, it comes down to being at the right place at the right time. But, the pictures below are pretty incredible. So, get ready to enjoy some animal watching with this great photo series! |
| Male lion ignoring a group of Thomson’s Gazelles.
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joke of the day…..” Dear Dad…” !!!
| A father passing by his son’s bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then, he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow. It was addressed, ‘Dad’. With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:
“Dear Dad, It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend, because I wanted to avoid a scene with you and mom. I’ve found real passion with Stacy. She is so nice, but I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercing’s, tattoos, her tight motorcycle clothes, and because she is so much older than I am. But it’s not only the passion, Dad. She’s pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods, and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn’t really hurt anyone. We’ll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people in the commune for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we’ll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so that Stacy can get better. She sure deserves it! Don’t worry Dad, I’m 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday, I’m sure we’ll be back to visit so you can get to know your many grandchildren. With love, your son, Joshua. P.S . Dad, none of the above is true. I’m over at Jason’s house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the school report that’s on the kitchen table. Call when it is safe for me to come home!” source……www.ba-bamail.com Natarajan |
The Circular Laguna Garzon Bridge in Uruguay……
When building bridges, engineers and architects don’t always look for the shortest possible crossing. The new ring-shaped bridge across Laguna Garzon in Uruguay’s southern coast is such an example.
The concrete structure consist of two semi-circular bridges, joined at either end to create a ring, and was built to replace a raft crossing between the cities of Rocha and Maldonado. On the bridge’s unusual circular design, its architect Rafael Viñoly has a perfectly logical and functional explanation: the curved design will force drivers to slow down the speed of their cars while also prove an opportunity to enjoy the panoramic views of this amazing landscape. The bridge also has a pair of pedestrian walkways.
Before the bridge was built, the raft crossing allowed only two cars to cross at a time. The raft operated only at certain times of the day, and during windy or stormy days it remained closed. The poor connection has kept the region of Rocha away from further developments compared to what Maldonado has been experiencing in the last decades.
The new bridge will allow some 1,000 vehicles to cross the lagoon, and is expected to help drive the development of Rocha’s coastline.
via Dezeen
Source…….www.amusingplanet.com
Natarajan
