Author: Natarajan

Medicinal Value of Turmeric !!!

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Remedies You Can Make From Turmeric!

turmeric

The yellow/orange spice of Turmeric has been in use for over 2,000 years, and is considered one of the most effective medicinal herbs through its active ingridient – Curcumin.
Studies have found that a daily intake of Turmeric can do a great deal of actual benefit to our breathing, digestion, blood flow, heart and even brain. The curcumin has strong anti-inflmmation and anti-cancer properties. It’s amazing what just a spoon of turmeric, mixed with the right ingridients, can do.
But beyond these uses, old and wise men and women have, through the centuries, have come up with great home remedies using turmeric.
Here are 15 uses for this wonder spice that will bring you relief, healing and better living:
1. Treat ulcers and digestion problems: Mix one spoon of turmeric powder in a cup of boiling water, let it cool and then drink (you can sweeten with sugar or honey).
2. To relieve problems of digestion and acidiness in the stomach: Mix half a spoon of turmeric with 1/4 spoon of black pepper and a 1/4 spoon of cardamom, and swallow after your meal.
3. To relieve a sore throat: Mix a spoon of honey with a spoon of turmeric and swallow about 4 times a day.
A second option: Mix 1/2 a spoon of turmeric and 1/2 a spoon of salt in a glass of warm water and gurgle in the throat.
4. To treat fungs on the foot and nails: Mix turmeric powder with lemon juice until an ointment is created. Smear the ointment on the problematic area for a week. Recommendation: Put socks on them and sleep through the night this way.
turmeric
5. Treating acne: Smear a mix made of a table spoon of milk and a bit of turmeric. This may stain your face, so best to put it on at night and wash your face well in the morning.
6. To stop a bleeding caused by cuts or scrapes: Dub generously with turmeric powder for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammation effects.
7. For quick healing of wounds: Make a thick mixture of turmeric with a bit of water. Smear on the wound and bandage it for at least 24 hours.
8. To treat arthritis: Boil a glass of milk with a spoon and a half of turmeric powder. Wait till it cools and drink.
9. To relieve asthma attacks: Mix 1/4 spoon of turmeric powder in a glass of hot water and drink in small sips.
10. To stop your gums from bleeding: Massage the teeth and gums with a mixture made of equal parts turmeric powder, mustard, oil and salt.
11. To treat mouth wouds: Mix a 1/4 spoon of turmeric in a glass of hot water and wait till it cools. Gurgle several times a day.
12. Treating stubborn calluses: Prepare a thick mix of 50 grams of turmeric powder with 3 table spoons of olive oil. Mix well to receive the salve and then smear it on the callus.
13. To treat insect bites: Make a mixture of turmeric and lemon and smear on the injured area to stop both the itching and suck away the small amount of poison they leave behind which irritates the skin.
14. For rough PMS syndrome and cramps: Mix a spoon and a half of turmeric in a glass of hot milk.
15. To easy a birth: It is recommended for women 9 months pregnant to swallow 1/2 a spoon of turmeric with hot milk every day. This combination, taken late in the pregnancy, should make giving birth a little easier.

Message For the Day…” Giveup Selfishness and Strive for Self Realisation…”

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Every being is suffused with love. It is only for our convenience, for our pleasure, and our own selfish purposes that we develop certain worldly relationships. Give up self­ishness and strive for self-realisation. You must enquire into yourself, “Who am I? Body, mind, intellect, chittha(memories) or ahamkara (ego)?” You are none of these. You are yourself – “I am I.” Recognise this truth. One must render selfless service. The fruit of all actions must then be sacrificed. Only a person, who denounces the fruits of all actions, deserves to be called a Yogi (renunciant). A Yogi is not one who merely sits under a tree, closes one’s eyes and meditates. Real sacrifice involves giving up your desires. Do not be narrow-minded. If you are inflicted with narrow-mindedness your whole life will become narrow. Develop broad-mindedness and cultivate selfless love.   

Sathya Sai Baba

பொற்காலத்தின் பொம்மைகள்….

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பால பருவத்தில் நவராத்திரி என்றாலே விசேஷம்தான். ஒன்பது நாள் விடுமுறைக் கொண்டாட்டமாயிற்றே! நண்பர்களின் வீடுகளுக்குச் சென்று விதவிதமாகக் கொலு அமைக்க வேலை பார்ப்பேன். மணல், மண் கலந்து பரப்பிக் கடுகு தூவி தண்ணீர் தெளித்தால் புல் புல்லாகச் செடிகள் துளிர் விடும். அந்தத் தோட்டத்தில் பினாகா பற்பசையுடன் இலவச இணைப்பாகக் கிடைக்கும் குரங்கு, புலி, கரடி, மான் பொம்மைகள் மற்றும் ரப்பர் பாம்பு, பூரான், தேள், பல்லி எல்லாம் சேர்ந்து வரிசையாக நடப்பட்ட தீக்குச்சி வேலிக்குள் அட்டகாசமான ‘ஆஃப்ரிக்கன் சஃபாரி’யாகச் சுதந்திரமாக உலா வரும். இந்த இயற்கைத் தோட்டத்திலேயே இன்னொரு தீக்குச்சி வேலி அடைப்புக்குள் மரச் சறுக்கு மரம், சீசாப் பலகை, ஊஞ்சல் ஆகியவை நிறைந்த விளையாட்டு மைதானத்தில் குழந்தைகள் விளையாடுவார்கள்.

பளபள கோயில்

சரிவாக மண்மேடு அமைத்து உச்சியில் அருகருகே இரு குன்றுகளை உருவாக்கி அதன் ஒரு பக்கம் ஓடைக்கான குழிவுப் பாதை. உயரத்தில் திரைமறைவில் தகர வாளியிலிருந்து ரப்பர் குழாய் வழியாக ஓடையில் சலசலவென்று நீர். அதற்கு அருகிலேயே மலைப் பாதை. மனித பொம்மைகள் மேலேறும். உச்சிக் குன்றுகளுக்கு இடையில் காவிப் பட்டையும் வெள்ளைப் பட்டையும் அடிக்கப்பட்ட மதிலுடன் கூடிய பளபள கோயில்.

அடுத்த நாள் மாப்பிள்ளை காரைத் தூக்கிவிட்டு அங்கே பல்லக்கை வைத்து விட்டால் சுவாமி திருவீதி உலா. அதற்கும் அடுத்த நாள் பல்லக்குக்குப் பதிலாக வடம் பிடித்து இழுக்கும் மனிதர்களுடன் தேரை வைத்தால் தேர்த் திருவிழா. கலைடாஸ்கோப் காட்சிபோல் இந்த பொம்மைக் குழு தினம் தினம் உருமாறும்.

செட்டியார் பொம்மையும் செந்தேளும்

சின்ன வயதில் வறுமை. அதனால் வீட்டில் கொலு இல்லை. ஒவ்வொரு நவராத்திரியின் போதும் ஊரிலிருந்து பெரியம்மா பெண், சித்தி பெண் என்று யாராவது ஒரு டிக்கெட் ஆஜராகும். மாலையானவுடன் அந்த ‘அக்கா’வைச் சீவிச் சிங்காரித்து ‘போய் வெத்தலை பாக்கு வாங்கிட்டு வா…’ என்று அனுப்புவார்கள். துணைக்கு, சாணளவு ஆண்களான நான், சித்தி பையன் ராஜூ, அத்தை பையன் சத்யா.

தெருவில் காலை வைக்கும்முன் எங்கள் கைகளில் ஆளுக்கொரு மஞ்சப்பை தொங்க விடப்படும். புதுத்தெரு, நடுத்தெரு, கடலங்குடி தெரு என்று ஒவ்வொரு தெருவாக, ஒவ்வொரு வீடாகச் சென்று, அப்போது பிரபலமான ‘புன்னகை மன்னன் பூ விழிக் கண்ணன் ருக்மணிக்காக’ கொலுப் பாட்டைத் தேய் தேய் என்று தேய்த்துக் காகிதச் சுண்டல் பொட்டலங்களை மஞ்சப்பைகளில் சேகரித்து வருவோம்.

ஒரு நவராத்திரியின்போது மூன்று வயதுப் பெண் குழந்தை ஒன்றை அவ்வாறு மணையில் உட்கார வைத்து இந்தச் சடங்குகளையெல்லாம் செய்தார்கள். அதற்குச் சடங்குகளில் எல்லாம் பிரியம் இல்லை. கொலுவில் வைத்திருந்த செட்டியார் பொம்மை மீதே கண்ணாக இருந்தது. “மாமி இந்தப் பொம்மையை நானே வச்சிக்கவா?” என்று கேட்டுக்கொண்டே பொம்மையைக் கையில் எடுத்துவிட்டது. அந்த செட்டியார் பொம்மையின் அடிப்பாகத்தில் ஒற்றை ரூபாய் நாணயம் அளவுக்கு ஓட்டை. குழந்தை பொம்மையைக் கையில் எடுத்தவுடன் ஓட்டையிலிருந்து ஒரு ஜீவராசி தலை நீட்டியது. தொப்பென்று கீழே குதித்தது.

கொடுக்கை உயரத் தூக்கியபடி விரல் நீளத்துக்கு ஒரு செந்தேள். முன்னே பின்னே அந்தக் குழந்தை தேளைப் பார்த்ததில்லையாதலால், அதற்கு அந்தத் தேள் ஒரு காட்சிப் பொருளாகத் தோன்றியது. என்னவோ விளையாட்டுப் பொம்மை என்று தனது சின்ன உள்ளங்கையை அதன் மேல் வைக்கப் போக, சுற்றி நின்று பார்த்துப் பதைத்துக்கொண்டிருந்தவர்களெல்லாம் ‘ஐயோ’ என்று அலற, தேளோ பரபரவென்று அங்கே இருந்த சரஸ்வதி பொம்மையைச் சுற்றிவிட்டு வாசலைத் தாண்டி தெருவில் இறங்கி ஓடி மறைந்தது.

“மஹா பெரியவா சொன்னார்ங்கறதுக்காக நாங்க இந்த மாதிரி செய்ய ஆரம்பிச்சோம். இப்பவும் அவர்தான் கொழந்தையையும் தேளையும் காப்பாத்தியிருக்கார்…” என்று அந்த வீட்டு மாமி குரல் தழுதழுக்கக் கூறிவிட்டுக் குழந்தையை வாரி அணைத்துக்கொண்ட காட்சியை மறக்க முடியுமா?

துக்கத்தை மாற்றிய கொலு

ஒவ்வொரு கொலுவுக்கும் அய்யம்பேட்டையில் ஒரு ஜமீன்தார் வீட்டின் கிரிக்கெட் மைதானம் போன்ற முன் கூடத்தில் படிகள் அமைத்து முழுக்க பொம்மைகளாக அடுக்கி வைத்திருப்பார்கள். ஒவ்வொன்றும் ஒவ்வொரு விதம். கொலுவை வேடிக்கை பார்க்க வீட்டின் உள்ளே நுழைவதற்கு எங்களுக்குத் தைரியம் பத்தாது. அதனால் திண்ணையில் இருக்கும் ஜன்னல் வழியாகப் பத்துப் பதினைந்து பேர் முட்டி, மோதிக்கொண்டு வேடிக்கை பார்ப்போம். அங்கே நின்று வேடிக்கை பார்க்கும் ஐந்து, பத்து நிமிடங்களும் சொர்க்கம்!

அப்படி எதிர்பார்த்துதான் அந்த வருஷமும் திண்ணை ஏறினோம். ஜன்னல் வழியே தெரிந்த கூடம் வெறிச்சோடி இருந்தது. ஏமாற்றமென்றால் ஏமாற்றம் ஜமீன்தார் வெளியே வந்தார்.

“வளர்ந்த பையனைப் பறிகொடுத்துட்டு பரிதவிக்கிற வீட்ல கொலுவாவது இன்னொண்ணாவது. போங்கடா.. போங்க’’ என்று எங்களைப் பார்த்து தொண்டை அடைக்கக் கூறினார். எங்களில் ஒரு பையன் தைரியமாக அவர் முன்னால் சென்றான். “உங்க பையன் சாமிகிட்டத்தானே போயிருக்கான்? சாமி பொம்மைக்குப் பக்கத்திலேயே உங்க பையனோட பொம்மையையும் வெச்சுக் கொலு வைக்கலாம் இல்ல..?” என்று துடுக்குத்தனமாகக் கேட்டான். ஜமீன்தார் அவனை ஆழமாகப் பார்த்தார். சில விநாடிகள் தர்மசங்கடமான மவுனம். பின் அவரே மவுனத்தை உடைத்து, “அப்படியாடா… அப்ப நீங்க எல்லாம் நாளைக்கு வாங்க. தவறாம வரணும், என்ன?” என்றார்.

மறுநாள் ஜமீன்தார் வாசலிலேயே நின்றிருந்தார். எங்களைக் கைப்பிடித்து உள்ளே கூட்டிச் சென்றார். கூடத்தில் அமர்க்களமாகக் கொலு பொம்மைகள். கலர் கலராக சீரியல் பல்புகள் மின்னி மின்னி ஒளிர்ந்தன. அமர்க்களமான கொலு. படிகளின் நட்ட நடுவே, சாமி பொம்மைகளுக்கு இடையில் எங்கள் வயதொத்த ஒரு சிறுவனின் புகைப்படம் வைக்கப்பட்டு அதற்கு பொட்டு, மாலை அலங்காரம். எங்கள் எல்லோருக்கும் அன்றிரவு வயிறாரச் சாப்பாடு. அப்போது குஷியாக இருந்தது. இப்போது நெகிழ்வாக இருக்கிறது. மறக்க முடியுமா?

-சுபா, எழுத்தாளர், தொடர்புக்கு: dsuresh.subha@gmail.com

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SOURCE:::::The Hindu…Tamil
Natarajan

World Heart Day…29 Sep …Tune into the First-Ever Heart Song !!!

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World Heart Day is celebrated across the globe to create awareness on heartdiseases.

In today’s age, heart ailments have become common among Indians too. In 2010, heart disease was cited as the no. 1 killer in rural and urban India. Studies have also pointed out that 3 out of every 5 woman in India develop the risk of heart disease.

In this scenario, dna has put forth an initiative to create a song that will help promote healthy heart in the country with the great support from its readers. Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh too showed he had a giving heart.

 

 

Source::::: Apoorva Rao  in http://www.dnaindia.com/  and you tube

Natarajan

 

Nauru”s Downfall From Rich Nation to Sick Economy ….

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The island of Nauru. Picture: Bradley Hunter

The island of Nauru. Picture: Bradley Hunter Source: News Limited

IT’S a deeply troubled nation that has been plunged into a nightmare scenario, struggling with a failed economy, health crisis and the destruction of its natural beauty. But life wasn’t always like this in Nauru.

At just 21 square kilometres, it’s the smallest island nation in the world and has a population of just over 10,000. Yet this former British colony, which lies approximately 4000km from Sydney in the Pacific Ocean, was once so prosperous that it was the envy of the entire world.

And it was all thanks to bird poo.

We’re not kidding. The discovery of huge deposits of fossilised bird poo that had accumulated for over 1000 years changed this nation forever. It made for an excellent fertiliser and sparked a huge mining effort, first by foreign companies, then by the islanders themselves in 1968 when they achieved independence from Britain.

By 1980 Nauru had become the wealthiest nation on the planet, per capita. A monumental achievement for such a tiny, remote island.

Secondary mining of phosphate in Nauru, 2007. Picture: Lorrie Graham

Secondary mining of phosphate in Nauru, 2007. Picture: Lorrie Graham Source: Flickr

Rolling in riches, the locals abandoned their traditional lifestyles and turned to unhealthy food, alcohol and cigarettes.

It wasn’t long before a health crisis hit, and hard.

Life expectancy plunged to just 50, while rates of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses skyrocketed along with their waistlines. In 2007, 94.5 per cent of its residents were identified by the World Health Organisation as overweight, and 71.7 per cent obese — the highest rate in the world. It was overtaken in the obesity stakes by Mexico in 2013.

These days, Nauru has the highest prevalence of type-two diabetes in the world, affecting 31 per cent of adults.

The downfall of the world’s richest country

Locals walk to fight obesity. Picture: DFAT Source: Flickr

That was just the start of their problems. The phosphates ran out in the early 1980s, along with the nation’s primary income source.

With so much of the island mined, all that was left was an environmental wasteland riddled with decay. The damage is so severe that 75 per cent of the country is uninhabitable.

While Nauru was formerly known as “Pleasant Island” due to its lavish tropical vegetation, it’s a harsh reality that it no longer lives up to this name.

A message in Nauru. Picture: Lorrie Graham

A message in Nauru. Picture: Lorrie Graham Source: Flickr

‘The effects of mining are very distinctive, because the phosphate develops within coral pinnacles, so you have to scoop the phosphate out from within the pinnacles themselves,” Professor John Connell, head of the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney told the ABC. “So those scooped areas descend about three metres … So it produces an extraordinary landscape which is visually quite dramatic and is totally useless for anything else.”

The coral pinnacles of Nauru. Picture: Bradley Hunter

The coral pinnacles of Nauru. Picture: Bradley Hunter Source: News Limited

Locals were devastated at the loss of their once-stunning scenery.

“I wish we’d never discovered that phosphate,” Rev. James Aingimea, 84, the minister of the Nauru Congregational Church told the New York Times at the time. “I wish Nauru could be like it was before. When I was a boy, it was so beautiful. There were trees. It was green everywhere, and we could eat the fresh coconuts and breadfruit. Now I see what has happened here, and I want to cry.”

Health warnings in Nauru. Picture: DFAT

Health warnings in Nauru. Picture: DFAT Source: Flickr

Many residents had quit their jobs and went on huge spending sprees including expensive holiday and shopping trips, and importing sports cars – even a Lamborghini. So there was little cash left.

“Hardly anyone thought of investing the money. Dollar notes were even used as toilet paper,” a local told the BBC. “It was like every day was party day.”

In the years that followed, the island went virtually bankrupt. The government, who had made a series of bad investment choices, froze wages and started borrowing heavily from trusts.

The island. Picture: ARM, Wikipedia

The island. Picture: ARM, Wikipedia Source: Supplied

“A lot of money was invested in things which never actually turned out to work,” Professor John Connell, head of the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney told the ABC. ‘For example, buildings in overseas countries, like Nauru House in Melbourne, hotels in some countries, phosphate factories, curiously, in countries like India and the Philippines, most of which never really survived.”

Now, many homes are run down, and those sports cars are rusted wrecks.

Locals enjoy a game of volleyball. Picture: DFAT

Locals enjoy a game of volleyball. Picture: DFAT Source: Flickr

With little financial options, in 2001 Nauru entered into an agreement with Australia to house a detention centre in return for foreign aid, of which they became reliant. As of this year, that amount Australia provides is $27.1 million.

Detention centre being constructed. Picture: Deidenang Clint

Detention centre being constructed. Picture: Deidenang Clint Source: Supplied

These days, for many Australians, the first thing we think of when Nauru is mentioned is the plight of asylum seekers there. But all that could soon change; the more than 1000 asylum seekers in Nauru could soon be moved to Cambodia under a new deal.

Source::::KATE SCHNEIDER, Travel Editor in news.com.au

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What happens when you flush a toilet on a plane? …!!!

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What Really Happens When You Flush on an Airplane?

AHHH, aeroplane bathrooms. If only they all looked like the fancy lavs in Emirates’ first-class cabins, which even have showers. Sadly, the cattle-class facilities are usually a little more, well, cozy and humble.

But the aeroplane toilet, no matter if it’s in first class or economy, is something to celebrate. Really.

Next time you pay a visit to the bathroom mid-flight, spare a thought for inventor James Kemper. In a masterpiece of aviation engineering, he conceived the vacuum toilet — something for which every airline passenger since the 1980s should be thankful.

So how does it work? If you think this is what happens when you flush at 35,000 feet …

Plane toilet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scYYusYxtU4

… think again! The plane in this video has actually been converted to fight fires — so, that’s just the aircraft doing its job — not a toilet flushing!

The typical household toilet relies on a combination of water and gravity to flush, but Kemper’s invention uses a vacuum to suck the non-stick (just like a modern day frying pan) bowl clear of its contents.

The Emirates bathroom.

The Emirates bathroom. Source: AFP

That really loud sound you hear when you flush is the vacuum suctioning waste away. Toilets typically secrete a little sanitising solution during the suction process for hygiene and odour-busting.

Removing all that water from the equation not only helped cut turbulence-induced spills, but also greatly reduced the amount of weight a plane needed to carry.

Contrary to urban myth, that “waste” isn’t then flushed out of the plane in midair. It’s actually stored in a tank in the bottom of the plane. A sanitation crew at the airport empties the tank after arrival.

 

Be thankful there even are toilets on planes!

A history of plane toilets:

• 1982: First vacuum toilet is installed by Boeing.

• 1975: James Kemper patents the vacuum toilet.

• 1958: Inflight lavatories adopt flush toilets.

• 1945: First fixed toilet bowl appears on a long-haul passenger plane.

• 1930s: First separate plane lavatory installed with removable toilet bowls.

• Pre-1930s: Empty buckets at the back of the planes used as toilets, or no toilet facilities were available at all.

Written by insider city guide series Hg2 and was sourced via Cheapflights.  

Source:::: BRETT ACKROYD,  in Cheapflights…. news.com.au

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World”s Longest Flight On Biggest Plane ….

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A380 pushing the limits

QANTAS is making aviation history today as the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the superjumbo A380, starts flying the world’s longest route — a non-stop trip lasting nearly 16 hours.

Well, it’s 14 hours 50 minutes to get from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth, but a longer 15 hours 30 minutes to return.

Passengers travelling on the route are now privy to the glam and size of the increasingly popular A380 with Qantas operating six direct return services per week.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce says the move reflect the airline’s history of endurance, setting records and connecting Australians to the world.

“Today, Qantas is leading the way again with the introduction of the world’s largest passenger aircraft on the world’s longest route, Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth, with a flying time of almost 16 hours,” Mr Joyce said this morning at a media conference at Sydney Airport.

So what’s the attraction of arriving in the boot/scooting cowboy-laden city?

“Since starting on the route in 2011 the feedback from our corporate customers, especially those in the resources, technology and agricultural sectors, tells us they like flying into the Dallas hub because it gets them closer to their final destination in the US and offers great onward connections.

“The Dallas/Fort Worth service offers direct access right into the heart of the US with over 50 connections to all US major cities all within four hours, including Orlando, Boston and Houston.”

Qantas recently announced increased services to the US, and will now offer 41 services per week to North America. About half of these services are operated by A380 aircraft and the other half by B747s with A380-style interiors.

Alan Joyce at the meeting event today.

Alan Joyce at the meeting event today. Source: NewsComAu

Mr Joyce said introducing A380 services between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth, which is the only direct flight from Australia to inland United States, would provide enhance the customer experience and boost capacity.

“We know our customers will value the comfort of the A380 on this route,” he said. “It’s also a vote of confidence in Qantas’s business going forward.

“Not only will the A380 increase seats on the route by more than 10 per cent each week, it will also provide us with greater fuel efficiency and the range to operate the return service direct back to Sydney.

Dallas, here we come.

Dallas, here we come. Source: News Limited

“Our customers also now have the choice of four cabins to both Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth as we introduce our Marc Newson designed First Class Suites on the Dallas/Fort Worth route for the first time.”

The new A380 service will also create further opportunities for both tourism and TRADE between Australia and the US.

“Dallas/Fort Worth is home to our partner American Airlines, and it’s the perfect hub for both business and leisure travellers heading in either direction across the Pacific.”

Mr Joyce said the fall in the Australian dollar actually has a positive impact on its international business.

“Sure there is always an impact in fuel prices but luckily we have seen a decrease in fuel prices of late regardless.”

 

The world’s longest flights in distance include The Sydney — Dallas/Fort Worth leg at 13,804km followed by Delta’s Johannesburg to Atlanta at 13,582km and Emirates Dubai — Los Angeles at 13,420km.

In 1989, Qantas operated the world’s longest non-stop delivery flight, when it flew a Boeing B747-400 from London to Sydney in 21 hours. Meanwhile Qantas holds the record for the longest regular commercial flight time-wise, set in 1944 from Perth to Sri Lanka.

The new flight replaces the current Boeing 747-400ER aircraft used on the route. The A380 will step up to a daily service over the 2014-2015 summer holiday season, from December 9 2014 to January 20 2015.

DFW airport is upgrading one terminal with three extra aerobridges to load passengers on the double-decker jet, while Qantas’ partner Emirates is set to begin A380 flights between DFW and Dubai from October 1.

Qantas’ existing flights between Melbourne, Dubai and London will be retimed to make room for these extra A380 services.

“This schedule change unlocks more A380 flying time that we can use on the Dallas route, and now offers four times the number of onward connections to Europe because of the new arrival time of the Melbourne flight into Dubai,” adds Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

Qantas says the current mix of Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 flights from Sydney to Hong Kong will also face “adjustments”, although the airline hasn’t yet revealed whether the A380 will disappear from Asia entirely.

Fun flying facts:

• The Qantas A380 carries 323,000 litres of fuel, equivalent to eight backyard swimming pools.

• The Qantas A380 is fitted with a First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabin offering 484 seats, (14 First, 64 Business, 35 Premium Economy and 371 Economy).

• Qantas is the larger purchaser of Australian wines.

• The A380 delivers up to 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions per revenue tonne kilometre, than most of today’s largest passenger jets.

• Qantas began flying to Dallas Fort Worth in May 2011 and is the only carrier to operate direct services from Australia to Dallas/Fort Worth.

The writer is flying as a guest of Qantas.Follow Melissa’s (mis)adventures to Texas on Instagram and Twitter @melissahoyer.   

Source:::: MELISSA HOYER  in news.com.au

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Message For the Day…” Never Befriend a Bad Personality …”

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The goal of celebrating the Dasara festival is to control the ten senses. Legend says that Goddess Chamundi killed the demon Mahisha during this occasion. The inner meaning of this story is that, under no circumstances, associate yourselves with demonic qualities. Always be in good company. If you join bad company, you will also become evil. Hence, never befriend a bad person. The moment you come across such people, just say ‘goodbye’ and move on. You need not develop hatred towards them. Whomever you come across, consider them as embodiments of Divinity and salute them. Even when you come across people who hate you, offer your salutations (pranams) to them and ask them, “How are you brother?” Then they too will respond in the same manner. A human being is one who is endowed with human values and also exhibits them. Always speak truth and observe righteousness (Dharma). Be peaceful. Be happy and blissful.

Sathya Sai Baba

Joke of the Day… ” What comes First ? …Day or Night …”

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There was a student who was desirous of taking admission for a study course.

He was smart enough to get through the written test, a GD and was to appear for the personal interview. Later, as the interview progressed, the interviewer found this boy to be bright since he could answer all the questions correctly. The interviewer got impatient and decided to corner the boy.

“Tell me your choice;” said he to the boy, “What’s your choice: I shall either ask you ten easy questions or ONE real difficult. Think well before you make up your mind.”

The boy thought for a while and said, “My choice is ONE real difficult question.”

“Well, good luck to you, you have made your own choice!” said the man on the opposite side. Tell me: What comes first, Day or Night?”

The boy was jolted first but he waited for a while and said: “It’s the DAY, sir.”

“How???????” the interviewer was smiling (“At last, I got you!” he said to himself.)

“Sorry sir, you promised me that you will not ask me a SECOND difficult question!”

Admission for the course was thus secured.

 

Source::::Joke a day.com

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Message For the Day…” Only Truth Is Eternal and is Beyond Past , Present and Future…”

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You are wasting your precious time thinking that all that you see in this objective world is true. No! None of these objects is real. Truth is eternal and is beyond the three periods of time – past, present and future. That Truth is Divinity. God is only one, now and forever. How foolish it is to think that the worldly vision which is subject to change from time to time is real. You are a student today. Tomorrow you will become an officer in an Organization and few years later you will be a retired officer. Then, which is true? Is it the life as a student or as an officer or as a retired official? Thus, all that you see in this objective world and all the relationships between individuals are only temporary, never real and permanent. Divinity is not like that. Recognise the Truth that the Divine is omnipresent – yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

Sathya Sai Baba