” Dear Pilots of the Plane …Who are Taking Me Home…”

WE’RE in the midst of one of aviation’s darkest times.

We have been left shocked and heartbroken time after time again over the past year with a series of unimaginable flight tragedies, the latest seeing 150 people killed on board Germanwings Flight 9525.

So it’s to be expected that we’re all looking for answers, hoping to prevent another tragedy from happening in our skies. And as more and more harrowing information comes to light of the terrifying final moments on board the doomed Germanwings jet, many flyers are on edge at the thought of taking to the skies.

So imagine this pilot’s surprise when a passenger decided to share some kindness in a rather unexpected way.

The pilot and airline cannot be named for security reasons.

The pilot and airline cannot be named for security reasons. Source: Supplied 

The pilot, who is unnamed for security reasons, was handed a note from the passenger during a flight from Spain to the south of England on Monday.

Instead of being a complaint or criticism, the glowing note voiced appreciation for the incredible job pilots do, ultimately seeking to inject kindness into a shocked world.

Pilot handed incredible note

The letter doing the rounds Source: Supplied 

The thrilled pilot shared the note with a colleague, Jai Dillon, who then posted it onto Twitter where it has already been shared thousands of times.

Dillon, a pilot based in the UK who has been flying commercially for the past three years, told news.com.au his co-worker wanted to share the letter that had touched his heart.

“They were incredible happy,” Dillon, 23, said. “I feel that the positive message is worth spreading.”

It’s a good reminder that thousands of pilots and crew get millions of people safely from point A to B every year. To you all, we say thank you.

Source::::: http://www.news.com.au

Natarajan

Message For the Day…”Discard Both Praise and Blame …”

Every aspirant who seeks the Divine through the path of devotion should strive to keep away from the turmoil, cruelties, and falsehoods of this world and practice truth, righteousness, love, and peace. Those who seek union with God and the welfare of the world should discard as worthless both praise and blame, appreciation and derision, prosperity and adversity. They should courageously keep steady faith in their own innate reality and dedicate themselves to spiritual uplift. No one, including a Maha-purusha (Avatar), can ever escape criticism and blame. But such people do not bend, but hold on to truth. Those who indulge in criticism or blame later wade through unbearable trouble and then realise the real nature of great ones and start to praise them. Their weakness and ignorance is the root-cause for such criticism. So, keep away from doubters and ignorant people and desist from discussing your beliefs with them.

Sathya Sai Baba

Shortest Lunar Eclipse of the Century…. on 4 April 2015….

Total lunar eclipse in 2004 by Fred Espenak

The total eclipse of the full moon on April 4, 2015 will last less than five minutes, making it the shortest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. It’s perfect for short attention spans! The total lunar eclipse will be visible from western North America, eastern Asia, the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. At North American time zones, that means the greatest eclipse happens before sunrise on April 4 – the morning of April 4, not the evening. From the world’s Eastern Hemisphere – eastern Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia – the greatest eclipse takes place after sunset April 4. Follow the links below to learn eclipse times and more:

Eclipse times in Universal Time

Eclipse times for for North American time zones

Is this the third of four Blood Moon eclipses?

Who will see a partial lunar eclipse?

What causes a lunar eclipse?

Time lapse of October 8, 2014 lunar eclipse as reflected in a pond in central Illinois, by Greg Lepper.

Time lapse of October 8, 2014 lunar eclipse as reflected in a pond in central Illinois, by Greg Lepper 

source:::::www.earthskynews.org

Natarajan

The Strange History of April Fool’s Day…!!!

Have you ever stopped to think WHY you’re Saran Wrapping a toilet seat on April Fools’ Day?

Do you think the first time a man pranked his neighbor everyone reveled in the delight of it so much they decided to make a holiday out of it? Is that where April Fools’ Day came from?

Well, it’s as good a guess as any because the origins of this high jinx-filled holiday aren’t entirely

solidified. There are, however, some strong theories of how it came about.

The most popular theory of the holiday actually has Catholic origins: In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII replaced the widely used Julian calendar with the now currently instated Gregorian calendar. This moved the start of the year from April 1st to January 1st.

Those who were late to catch on or refused to acknowledge the change and still celebrated the New Year in April were mocked and teased (humans are the best!). In France, a common prank was throwing paper fish at the springtime New Year’s celebrators and calling them poisson d’avril, or April Fish, a term for a gullible person.

Other cultures and societies have springtime celebrations centering around foolishness and joviality. Hilaria was an ancient Roman celebration on the vernal equinox for Cybele, the mother of the gods. People would dress up in costumes and masks, imitating those in higher positions of power.

Sizdah Be-dar, which falls thirteen days after Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is an occasion where families gather outside for picnics and celebrate the return to ordinary life after the New Year. It’s a day where laughter is used to overpower the bad omens and thoughts for the upcoming year.

In Hinduism, Holi is the spring festival of colors where crowds welcome the warming weather and longer days by throwing colored dyes on each other. Covered in layers of powdered dyes, people were indistinguishable by class, caste, or gender.

As with many other traditions/holidays, like Santa Claus, Thanksgiving, or Halloween, there doesn’t seem to be one exact origin of April Fools’ Day, which might be for the best. Why do we need one excuse to be silly?

Fool on, pranksters!

This article originally appeared at Modern Notion. Copyright 2015. Follow Modern Notion on Twitter.

Read more: http://modernnotion.com/history-april-fools-day/#ixzz3W05QCApf

Source:::::www.businessinsider.com

Natarajan

 

Great-Great -Grand Parents with their Great-Great Grandchildren….Simply Great !!!

A photo of a 101-year-old great-great-grandmother holding her great-great-grandson, posted on the parenting blog Life of Dad, has seen hundreds of people share similar pictures.

The original image, which received more than 23,000 comments, inspired countless new submissions — proving that having a relative whose bond crosses multiple generations is not as rare as many may have thought.

‘Seriously incredible. We need to arrange a meetup of Centennials and their great-grand kids,’ wrote Life of Dad.

A photo of a 101-year-old great-great-grandmother holding her great-great-grandson, posted on the parenting blog Life of Dad, has seen hundreds of people share similar pictures

A photo of a 101-year-old great-great-grandmother holding her great-great-grandson, posted on the parenting blog Life of Dad, has seen hundreds of people share similar pictures

One image shows Ohio mom Amanda Garber’s son, Samuel, with his great-great-grandmother, Helen Willaman.

‘My son and grandma are almost 101 years apart. I feel extremely blessed to have her in our lives,’ Ms Garber told Today.

‘I love to hear the stories of when she was a little girl, or when she had a baby and how different it was back then.’

This image shows Ohio mom Amanda Garber's son, Samuel, with his great-great-grandmother, Helen Willaman - a 101-year difference

This image shows Ohio mom Amanda Garber’s son, Samuel, with his great-great-grandmother, Helen Willaman – a 101-year difference

Australian mom Leanne Young posted this image of a 102-year difference between a great-great-grandfather and his great-great-grandson

Australian mom Leanne Young posted this image of a 102-year difference between a great-great-grandfather and his great-great-grandson

Jennifer Browder Goodman from South Carolina submitted this image of her grandmother holding her daughter for the first time 'She will be 95 in August!' she wrote

Jennifer Browder Goodman from South Carolina submitted this image of her grandmother holding her daughter for the first time ‘She will be 95 in August!’ she wrote

Meanwhile Washington-based mom Breean Ferreira shared an image of her 113-year-old great grandmother and her one-year-old son.

Grandmother Laura Kayizzi also shared in the fun, posting a photo of her own grandmother, who was born in who was born in 1915 and passed away this winter.

Ms Kayizzi’s image shows her daughter’s son being held by his great-great-grandmother, revealing that ‘her advice to my daughter about being a mom was, “Love them as much as you can. They grow up fast.”‘

Candice Joynt, from Colorado, posted this image with the caption: '101 years, 4 months and 12 days apart'

 

Candice Joynt, from Colorado, posted this image with the caption: ‘101 years, 4 months and 12 days apart’

According to this submission from Pennsilvania, the age differnce here is 93 years

According to this submission from Pennsilvania, the age differnce here is 93 years

Jody Robinson, from Birmingham, wrote: 'This is a special family photo. My dad, aged 93, holding his great granddaughter, then ten days old, for the first time. He was desperate to hold her. He died 2 weeks later'

Jody Robinson, from Birmingham, wrote: ‘This is a special family photo. My dad, aged 93, holding his great granddaughter, then ten days old, for the first time. He was desperate to hold her. He died 2 weeks later’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3018386/Great-great-grandmothers-seen-cuddling-newborn-family-members-touching-

Natarajan

Image of the Day…Spacecraft Launch on March 27 2015…

One-year crew lift-off success

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will spend a year aboard the International Space Station.

Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft launch on March 27, 2015

Media photograph the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft as it launches to the International Space Station with Expedition 43 NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) onboard.

Liftoff was at 3:42 p.m. EDT Friday, March 27, 2015 (March 28 Kazakh time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.

The goal of the mission is to help scientists better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh environment of space.

Source:::: http://www.earthskynews.org

Natarajan

 

Message For the Day…”Your Journey will be Smooth , if Your Axle is Truth and Your Goal is Peace…”

The vehicle of human life is drawn by the senses, driven by the intellect, with discrimination and detachment as the reins on the two wheels of Time and Action. The spokes of the wheel are the rules of righteousness, bound by the rim of Love. Your journey will be smooth, if your axle is Truth and your goal is Peace. Be careful to not exaggerate the importance of things that have material utility. They fade, even while you grasp them. Search for truth (Sath) – that which suffers no change, and Awareness (Chith) – the state of consciousness which is pure, unaffected by gusts of passion and is free from egoism or the desire to possess. Then you will experience Light, and illumine the Path for others. Experience the joy that emanates from Love with no blemish of attachment.

Sathya Sai Baba

பெற்றோர் போற்றுதும்! …

நாம் ஒவ்வொருவரும் ஒரு கட்டத்தில் பெற்றோராகிறோம் என்றாலும், அந்த நேரத்தில் நம்மைப் பெற்றோரை நினைத்துப் பார்க்கும் போதுதான் அவர்கள் பட்ட கஷ்டம் நமக்குப் புரிகிறது. வாழ்க்கையில் வயது கூடக் கூட பாசமும் பயமும் பக்குவமும் அதிகரிக்கும் என்பது பொதுவான விதி. தன்னுடைய பிள்ளைகளின் எதிர்காலம் சிறப்பாக அமைய வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக தங்களுடைய நிகழ்காலத்தின் சுமைகளைத் தாங்கும் உறவுகள் தாய், தந்தையைத் தவிர வேறு உண்டா? வாழ்க்கையில் எத்தனையோ வளர்ச்சிகளைப் பிள்ளைகளுக்கு உரித்தாக்கி அவற்றைக் கண்ணாரக் கண்டு மகிழ்வோர் பெற்றோர் மட்டுமே.

அறிவியல் வளர்ச்சி மனிதனை ஆகாயம் வரை உயர்த்தி விட்டது. அந்த அபார வெளிச்சத்தில் உறவு, பந்தம், பாசம், நேசம் அன்பு எல்லாம் பொசுங்கிப் போய் விட்டன. மனித நேயம் கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக மரித்துப் போய் விட்டது. ஆனால், இன்றளவும் அதற்கு விதி விலக்காக இருப்பது பெற்றோர் – பிள்ளைகள் உறவு மட்டும்தானே. தாயும், தந்தையும் தன் பிள்ளைகள் மேல் வைத்திருக்கும் அன்பையும் பாசத்தையும் எந்த அறிவியலால் பிரிக்க முடியும்?

பிள்ளைகள் உதட்டில் புன்னகையைப் பார்த்தால் பரவசப்படுவதும், கண்களில் கலக்கத்தைக் கண்டால் ஓடி வந்து தாங்கிப் பிடிப்பதும் ஈன்றெடுத்த தாயும், பேணி வளர்த்த தந்தையும்தானே.

உணவு – உடை – பண்பாடு – கலாசாரம் எல்லாம் மாறிப் போனாலும், தலைமுறைகளைக் கடந்தும் மாறாதவை அன்னையின் அன்பும் தந்தையின் பாசமும்தான். அந்தத் தூய்மையான அன்பிலும் கலப்படமில்லாத பாசத்திலும் திளைத்த பிள்ளைகள், தங்கள் பெற்றோரைக் கொண்டாட வேண்டாமா? விழா எடுத்து மகிழ வேண்டாமா? பெற்றோரைக் கொண்டாடப் பிள்ளைகளுக்குக் காரணம் தேவையில்லை என்றாலும், சமூகம் சில காரணங்களைக் கண்டுபிடித்து வைத்திருக்கிறது. மணி விழா, முத்து விழா, வைர விழா, அறுபதாண்டு விழா, எண்பதாண்டு விழா என, ஏதாவது ஒரு பெயரில் விழா எடுக்கலாம். பெயர் முக்கியமல்ல; பெற்றோரைப் போற்றுவதே முக்கியம்.

அடுத்த பிறவியிலும் இவர்களுக்கே மகனாகவோ, மகளாகவோ பிறக்க வேண்டும் என்று மனமுருகி வேண்ட வேண்டும். பெற்றோரின் மறைவுக்குப் பிறகு அவர்களுக்கு நினைவு நாள் கடைப்பிடிப்பது இவற்றையெல்லாம் விட, பெற்றோர் வாழும் போதே அவர்களைப் போற்றிக் கொண்டாட வேண்டும். காரணம், பெற்றோரைப் போற்றிக் கொண்டாடுவோரே நிறைவான வாழ்க்கை வாழ்ந்தவராவர்.

நம்மில் எத்தனை பேர் நம்முடைய பிறந்த நாள், திருமண நாள் மற்றும் பண்டிகை நாள்களில் நமது பெற்றோரின் கால்களில் விழுந்து ஆசி பெற்றிருக்கிறோம்? கட்சித் தலைவர்கள், திரைப்பட நடிகர்களின் கால்களில் கூச்சப்படாமல் விழுபவர்கள் கூட, பெற்றோர் காலில் விழுவதற்குக் கூச்சப்படுகிறார்கள் அல்லது தயங்குகிறார்கள்.

ஒரு கையை நீட்டி எந்தப் பொருள்களும் கொடுக்கக் கூடாது. அந்தக் கையை மறு கையால் பிடித்துக் கொண்டே கொடுக்க வேண்டும். பெரியவர்கள் முன்பாக கால் மேல் கால் போட்டபடியோ, கால் ஆட்டியபடியோ உட்காரக் கூடாது.

பிறந்த நாள், பண்டிகைக் காலங்களில் பெற்றோர் காலில் விழுந்து ஆசி வாங்க வேண்டும். கோயிலுக்குப் போகும் போதும் பெரியவர்களைப் பார்க்கப் போகும்போதும் வெறுங்கையுடன் போகக் கூடாது. இவற்றையெல்லாம் பின்பற்றிப் பார்த்தால்தான் அருமை புரியும். தமிழர் பண்பாடே இப்படி என்றால் தமிழர்கள் பெற்றோரைப் பராமரிக்கும் விதம் எப்படி இருக்க வேண்டும்.

இது போன்ற நல்ல விஷயங்களையெல்லாம் எடுத்துச் சொல்லி நம்மை வாழ்க்கையில் வழி நடத்த அனுபவம் மிக்க நமது பெற்றோரால் மட்டுமே முடியும். அப்படிப்பட்ட பெற்றோரைப் போற்றி வாழ்ந்தால் நம் வாழ்க்கை இனிதாக அமையும் என்பதில் சிறிதும் ஐயமில்லை!

source::: மன்னை பாஸ்கர், சென்னை. in http://www.dinamani.com

Natarajan

Message For the Day…” Need of the Hour is Harmony of Religions and Faith…”

Since many separate religions have spread worldwide, they have lost fraternal feelings and thereby have suffered in validity. There is an urgent need for harmony. The principle of harmonizing is the very heart of all religions and faiths. The principles of coordination and reconciliation must be expanded and expounded. Though religions have separate names and distinct doctrines, in essence, all are one emphasising a common core. The experience and wisdom of great seers who have unveiled the mystery of the cosmos and their feelings of universal love are not appreciated, accepted, and respected. The same God is extolled and adored in various names through varied ceremonial rituals. In every age, in every race, God sent prophets to establish peace and goodwill. All great people are images of God. They form one single caste in the realm of God; they belong to one nation, the Divine Fellowship.

Sathya Sai Baba

Airports’ Three Letter Nick Names…!!!….Story Behind the Codes…!!!

When booking flights online, knowing your local airport’s code can come in handy.

There’s 3,000 miles’ difference between BUR (Burbank, California) and BTV (Burlington, Vermont). And you probably don’t want to end up in Venezuela just in time for Oktoberfest (Munich’s code is MUC, not MUN).

Those enigmatic three-letter signifiers that help you search for flights on Kayak or Priceline are doled out by the

International  Transport Association, and distinguish airports from one another. But the average traveler may not know where those letters come from.

Arizona-based designer Lynn Fisher, who travels a lot and loves trivia, became interested in the rationale behind those IATA codes a few years ago but couldn’t find one place online that explained them all. She and developer Nick Crohn decided to create a website that did just that.

The result, airportcod.es, pairs a “unique aspect of each airport, whether it be architecture, art, or a great view,” with its three-letter code and the origin story behind it. Some, like Fisher and Crohn’s local airport, PHX, are straightforward; others are more obscure or random.

Visit their website to browse codes from more than 200 airports around the world. Here’s a sample:

ARN
Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Stockholm

Stockholm’s airport is named ARlaNda, a made-up word combining Arland, another name for the nearby parish of Ärlinghundra, and landa, the Swedish verb meaning “to land.”

CDG
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris

Renamed and officially opened in 1974, France’s largest airport is named after Charles De Gaulle, former president and founder of the French Fifth Republic.

CGK
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia

Soekarno–Hatta International serves the capital city of Jakarta and honors Indonesia’s first president and first vice president. It receives its code from the CenGKareng district in the city of Tangerang, where it’s located.

CVG
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Cincinnati

Serving the greater Cincinnati metro area, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky’s airport code comes from the nearby city of CoVinGton.

DXB
Dubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

When Dubai International opened in 1960, the airport code DUB was already in use by Dublin. DuBai subbed an X for the U, making its unique airport code of DXB.

EWR
Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey

When airport codes switched from two letters to three, the Navy reserved all codes starting with N. NEWaRk, then, used the other letters in its name to make EWR.

IAD
Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C.

Dulles International Airport’s three-letter code was once DIA. When handwritten, it was often misread as DCA, another Washington airport. It was reversed to IAD to avoid confusion.

LAX
Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles

Before the 1930s, airports had two-letter codes. When codes switched to three letters, many added the letter X to the end. LA (Los Angeles) became LAX. (See also:PDX.)

LHR
London Heathrow Airport, London

London HeathRow takes its name from Heathrow, a hamlet northwest of where the then-small airfield was started in 1929.

OGG
Kahului Airport, Kahului, Hawaii

Kahului Airport is named after its home city, but its airport code honors Hawaiian-born pilot Bertram J. HOGG.

ORD
O’Hare International Airport, Chicago

Before the airport was renamed after Medal of Honor recipient Edward O’Hare in 1949, it was known as ORcharD Field Airport.

SFO
San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco

When codes switched to three letters from two, many added the letter X to the end.San FranciscO instead used its last letter O.

SUX
Sioux Gateway Airport, Sioux City, Iowa

SioUX City petitioned twice to have its airport code, SUX, changed. With no great alternatives, it stuck with it and now uses the slogan “Fly SUX.”

UIO
Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Quito, Ecuador

Mariscal Sucre International is named after Antonio José de Sucre, who fought for the independence of Quito, in what is now Ecuador. Because the Federal Communications Commission reserved codes starting with Q, it opted for other letters from its home city of QUItO.

YYZ
Pearson International Airport, Toronto

Airport codes starting with Y designate Canadian airports. The YZ isn’t as clear but is said to be the old railway station code for Malton, an area west of Toronto where the airport is located.

For more airport codes and their origin stories, visit airportcod.es.

Source::::: http://www.businessinsider .com

Natarajan