The Unique Flower Auction at Aalsmeer…….

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

The Aalsmeer Flower Auction or Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer in Dutch, takes place in the town of Aalsmeer in North Holland near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and is by far the busiest and largest floral market in the world. Everyday 20 million flowers arrive here from all over the world. Whilst a large majority of the flowers sold here are from the Netherlands, many come from far off places like Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The warehouse itself, where the trading takes place, is the largest building by footprint in the world, covering 518,000 square meters or 243 acres.

Flowers arrive the night before the auction, at around 10 PM, and are cooled and sorted during the night. The auction starts early morning. Carts of flowers are presented to the buyers, one at a time, while they bid on them. The flowers get bought and distributed almost immediately. By late afternoon, all the flowers will have moved out and the warehouse prepared for the next round.

Crates of flowers waiting to be auctioned off at Aalsmeer Flower Auction. Photo credit: CGP Grey

Flowers in Aalsmeer are sold using the infamous Dutch auction system. The price is set high and a clock starts ticking down from 100. As time falls, so does the price of the cart. The first person to make a bid gets the cart. Anyone buying too fast risks overpay, but those waiting too long for the price to drop may go home empty handed. This unique system was invented in the 17th century for selling Dutch tulip bulbs, and is based on a pricing system devised by Nobel prize winning economist William Vickrey. The ingenuity of the Dutch auction ensures that flowers are sold off quickly while extracting the highest price out of the dealer who wants the lot the most.

The bidding process can be seen on the large screens inside the auction room. Visitors are allowed but neither them nor buyers can get close to the flowers. The most interesting aspect of the Aalsmeer flower market is seeing the logistics in action, rather than admiring flowers up close. The closest one can get to the flowers are from two elevated walkways high above the busy warehouse. The actual trading can be observed through soundproof windows high above two auction rooms.

Photo credit: faungg’s photos/Flickr

The auction room. Photo credit: faungg’s photos/Flickr

Photo credit: faungg’s photos/Flickr

An auction in progress. Photo credit: bert knottenbeld/Flickr

Photo credit: faungg’s photos/Flickr

Photo credit: bert knottenbeld/Flickr

Sources: European Traveller / Flower Experts / Investor Words

Source….www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

” It’s easy to get carried away… but stay grounded…”

January 6, 2016January 6, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Pranav Dhanawade getting ready to start his innings on Tuesday. He went to make an unbeaten 1009. – PHOTO: PRASHANT NAKWE

Amol Muzumdar was part of Mumbai’s eight Ranji Trophy titles. Having retired as the second-highest scorer in Ranji Trophy, he is now a television expert

Let me start on a light note. Even in book cricket, you will find it virtually impossible to score a thousand runs. It is just unthinkable.

To put things into perspective, not many times are you left speechless. And it is something that would put you in that position. Any form of the game. To not commit a mistake for that amount of time and to keep connecting the ball for that long is something incredible, to say the least.

Mumbai school circuit has always been robust, especially when it comes to batsmen. I have seen two outstanding schoolboys (Kambli and Tendulkar) plunder tons of runs against hapless bowling attacks since my schooldays.

But over the last decade, there has been more than one instance of a run-machine in schools finding it difficult to elevate to the next level. The world has evolved and so has the media. I am sure he would have given dozens of interviews and would have been approached by numerous talent scouts by now.

But he has to realise that it’s too early for him. It’s imperative for him to keep his head on his shoulders. It’s very important for his parents, for his coaches, for his senior players to keep him grounded. Of course, what he has done has never been achieved but there are many other things which have not been achieved.

Just look around, and you will get a good perspective. It’s important for him to keep looking. I know it’s easy to say for us but you have to do it. He needs to be proud of what he has achieved but at the same time he has to keep looking around, and just take this as a stepping stone. He has laid the foundation for building a career and now it’s up to him how to shape it up.

Many would feel that coming from a humble background, it’s easier for him to get carried away. But I wouldn’t say that. It’s entirely up to the individual and the environment that he grows up in. There will be successes, there will be failures. I hope he is a humble guy and I am sure he would settle down. At the moment, he is bound to be high and he would enjoy the wave but I hope he enjoys the lull later on as well.

It is often said that after a huge knock, the next innings differentiates the ordinary from the exceptional. But I would say forget about the next knock, each of his innings over the next five years would be important. Everyone will be watching what this kid is doing. But the fact that he has made international news at the age of 15 means there is something to be tapped. You need to keep an eye on him. And he needs to stay grounded.

(Amol Muzumdar was part of Mumbai’s eight Ranji Trophy titles. Having retired as the second-highest scorer in Ranji Trophy, he is now a television expert)

source…….

AMOL MUZUMDAR in www. thehindu.com
Natarajan

Asia’s Largest Man-Made Waterfall Opens in China…

January 6, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

The largest man-made waterfall in Asia has opened to the public in Kunming in China’s Yunnan Province. The waterfalls is 12.5 meters high and 400 meters wide, and was created as part of a project designed to divert water from the Niulan River into Dianchi Lake, the biggest freshwater lake in Yunnan. The diversion will not only help reduce flooding in the Niulan River but will also function as a water supply for emergencies. The project took two years to finish at a cost of 1.1 billion yuan (roughly 170 million US dollars). A park was created around the waterfalls for public viewing free of charge.

Source….www.amusingplanet.com

natarajan

NASA Research Could Save Commercial Airlines Billions in New Era of Aviation….

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Researchers with NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation project coordinated wind-tunnel tests of an Active Flow Control system — tiny jets installed on a full-size aircraft vertical tail that blow air — to prove they would provide enough side force and stability that it might someday be possible to design smaller vertical tails that would reduce drag and save fuel.

Credits: NASA/Dominic Hart

The nation’s airlines could realize more than $250 billion dollars in savings in the near future thanks to green-related technologies developed and refined by NASA’s aeronautics researchers during the past six years.

These new technologies, developed under the purview of NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project, could cut airline fuel use in half, pollution by 75 percent and noise to nearly one-eighth of today’s levels.

“If these technologies start finding their way into the airline fleet, our computer models show the economic impact could amount to $255 billion in operational savings between 2025 and 2050,” said Jaiwon Shin, NASA’s associate administrator for aeronautics research.

Created in 2009 and completed in 2015, ERA’s mission was to explore and document the feasibility, benefits and technical risk of inventive vehicle concepts and enabling technologies that would reduce aviation’s impact on the environment. Project researchers focused on eight major integrated technology demonstrations falling into three categories – airframe technology, propulsion technology and vehicle systems integration.

By the time ERA officially concluded its six-year run, NASA had invested more than $400 million, with another $250 million in-kind resources invested by industry partners who were involved in ERA from the start.

“It was challenging because we had a fixed window, a fixed budget, and all eight demonstrations needed to finish at the same time,” said Fayette Collier, ERA project manager. “We then had to synthesize all the results and complete our analysis so we could tell the world what the impact would be. We really did quite well.”

Here is a brief summary of each of the eight integrated technology demonstrations completed by the ERA researchers:

Tiny embedded nozzles blowing air over the surface of an airplane’s vertical tail fin showed that future aircraft could safely be designed with smaller tails, reducing weight and drag. This technology was tested using Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator 757 flying laboratory. Also flown was a test of surface coatings designed to minimize drag caused by bug residue building up on the wing’s leading edge.
NASA developed a new process for stitching together large sections of lightweight composite materials to create damage-tolerant structures that could be used in building uniquely shaped future aircraft that weighed as much as 20 percent less than a similar all-metal aircraft.
Teaming with the Air Force Research Laboratory and FlexSys Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, NASA successfully tested a radical new morphing wing technology that allows an aircraft to seamlessly extend its flaps, leaving no drag-inducing, noise-enhancing gaps for air to flow through. FlexSys and Aviation Partners of Seattle already have announced plans to commercialize this technology.
NASA worked with General Electric to refine the design of the compressor stage of a turbine engine to improve its aerodynamic efficiency and, after testing, realized that future engines employing this technology could save 2.5 percent in fuel burn.
The agency worked with Pratt & Whitney on the company’s geared turbofan jet engine to mature an advanced fan design to improve propulsion efficiency and reduce noise. If introduced on the next-generation engine, the technology could reduce fuel burn by 15 percent and significantly reduce noise.
NASA also worked with Pratt & Whitney on an improved design for a jet engine combustor, the chamber in which fuel is burned, in an attempt to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides produced. While the goal was to reduce generated pollution by 75 percent, tests of the new design showed reductions closer to 80 percent.
New design tools were developed to aid engineers in reducing noise from deployed wing flaps and landing gear during takeoffs and landings. Information from a successful wind-tunnel campaign, combined with baseline flight tests, were joined together for the first time to create computer-based simulations that could help mature future designs.
Significant studies were performed on a hybrid wing body concept in which the wings join the fuselage in a continuous, seamless line and the jet engines are mounted on top of the airplane in the rear. Research included wind-tunnel runs to test how well the aircraft would operate at low speeds and to find the optimal engine placement, while also minimizing fuel burn and reducing noise.

As part of the closeout work for the ERA project, information and results regarding each of these technology demonstrations were categorized and stored for future access and use by the aerospace industry, and will be discussed at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Sci-Tech Conference in San Diego this week.

For more information about NASA aeronautics research, go to:

http://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics

Source……….www.nasa.gov

natarajan

” Never underestimate your Mother …” !!!

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Never underestimate Moms!

Things were going exactly as Srinivasan had feared, his Mother would come in from India and crush his American way of life under her strong South Indian influence. For a genetic scientist like Vasu, as Srinivasan was called by his friends, the only kind of order was disorder. So consumed he was by his research that the world and it’s affairs mattered little to him. When his last girlfriend walked out on him, “Find a girl on planet Srinivasan,” she had screamed as she stomped out.

Now Vasu’s Mother had taken over the administration of the planet. It irritated him, this milk at night and chyawanprash every morning. “Have you been wearing the same pair of Jeans for the past three days?” Mother was beginning her morning interrogation.

Vasu stared at the hot idlis in front of him, the chywanprash to follow and the wardrobe interrogation that had begun. Something snapped in his mind. “Mom I love you and I love that you come all the way from India to take care of me but please don’t fuss over me! It irritates me! And then I cannot work!”

His Mother did not really care if Vasu was upset, “The idlis are getting cold,” was her matter of fact response.

“You don’t really care, do you Mom?”

“I care about you Vasu. The work you do is alright. If you don’t do it, someone else will do it.”
“Mom, I am a genetic scientist. I am working on the evolution of man. Theory of evolution, Charles Darwin, have you heard of him? ” Vasu was exasperated with her unwillingness to understand.

His Mother sat down next to him and smiled, “I know Darwin, Vasu. I also know that what you think he discovered, was old news in India.”

“Yeah sure Mom!” Vasu said with sarcasm.

“Well if you are too smart then listen to this,” his Mother countered.” Have you heard of the Dashavatara ? The ten avataras of Vishnu ?” Vasu nodded. “Then let me tell you what you and Mr. Darwin don’t know.

The first avatara was the Matsya avatara, it means the fish. That is because life began in the water. Is that not right ?” Vasu began to listen with a little more attention..

“Then came the Kurma avatara, which means the tortoise, because life moved from the water to the land. The amphibian. So the Tortoise denoted the evolution from sea to land.

Third was the Varaha avatara, the wild boar, which meant wild animals with not much intellect, you call them the Dinosaurs, correct ?” Vasu nodded wide eyed.

“The fourth avatara was the Narasimha avatars, half man and half animal, the evolution from wild animals to intelligent beings.

Fifth was the Vamana avatara, the midget or the dwarf, who could grow really tall. Do you know why that is so ? Because there were two kinds of humans, Homo Erectus and the Homo Sapiens and Homo Sapiens won that battle.” Vasu could see that his Mother was in full flow and he was stupefied.

“The Sixth avatara was Parshurama, the man who wielded the axe, the man who was a cave and forest dweller. Angry, and not social but the seventh avatara was Ram, the first thinking social being, who laid out the laws of society and the basis of all relationships.

The eighth avatara was Krishna, the statesman, the politician, the lover who played the game of the society and taught how to live and thrive in the social structure.

The Ninth avatara,was Balarama the man who rose from Narasimha and found man’s true nature.

And finally, my boy, will come Kalki, the man you are working on. The man who will be genetically supreme.”

The last Avatar is yet to appear, and in many versions of the mythology, the ninth incarnation is mentioned as Lord Buddha. But this is a much later addition done at a time when the concept of Dashavatara was already fully developed.

Vasu looked at his Mother speechless. “This is amazing Mom, how did you.. This makes sense !”

“Yes it does Vasu ! Now have your chyawanaprash ! ”

source……input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

” மஹா விஷ்ணுவும் , கொசுவும் ஒண்ணு …..” !!!

January 5, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

ஒரு நாள் மடத்தில் உள்ளவர்களிடம்,” மகா விஷ்ணுவும்

கொசுவும் ஒண்ணு, உனக்குத் தெரியுமா?” என்றார் பெரியவா.

வழக்கம்போல் தானே அந்தப் புதிரையும் விடுவிக்கிறார்.

“விஷ்ணுவின் கையில் சக்கரம் சுற்றிக்கொண்டிருக்கு,கொசுவும்

சக்கரமாய் சுற்றிக்கொண்டுதான் இருக்கு.

கெட்டவர்கள் விஷ்ணுவைப் பார்க்க முடியாமல் ஒதுங்கிக் கொள்வார்கள்.

கண் வலிக்காரர்கள் கொசுவைப் பார்க்க முடியாமல் ஒதுங்கி விடுவார்கள். ச்ருதியிடம் விளையாடுபவர்

விஷ்ணு. [ச்ருதி=வேதம்] ச்ருதி முனையில் ஙொய் என்று கத்திக்கொண்டு விளையாடும் கொசு [ச்ருதி=காது]!”

இந்த சிலேடை சொன்னதுக்குக் காரணம் மடத்தோடு

அவர்கள் இருந்த முகாமில் கொசுத்தொல்லை தாங்க முடியாது.

“அனந்தசயனம் பண்ணும் பெருமாள்தான் கொசுன்னு

நினைச்சுண்டேன்னா, பகவத் ஸ்மரணையோடு தூங்கலாம்!” என்று எல்லோரையும் சமாதானம் செய்வாராம்.

இப்படி எந்தக் கஷ்டத்தையும் நகைச்சுவை ததும்ப சரி செய்துவிடும் அழகையும் பெரியவாளிடம் அனுபவிக்க முடியும்.

ஒரு நீண்ட உபன்யாசம் நடந்து கொண்டிருந்தது. பெரியவாளும் கேட்டார். ஒரு வழியாக உபன்யாசம் முடிந்தது.உடனே பெரியவா”சாக்கு கிடைச்சுதுன்னு நன்னா ரொம்ப நேரம் சொன்னயா?”என்றார்: “நீ ஒக்காந்துண்டிருந்தது ஒரு சாக்குமேலே…அந்த சாக்கைச் சொன்னேன்!” என்று தமாஷ் பண்ணினாராம்

Source ……..www.perivaproboards.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Only one who has so filled themselves with love and who lives in the light of that love deserves to be called human.”

January 5, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Humans are full of love (prema). Their hearts are springs of mercy. They are endowed with true speech. Peace is the characteristic of the mind of humans. It is the innate quality of the mind. Do not search for peace outside. Just as gold and silver lie hidden under the earth, and pearl and coral under the sea, peace and joy lie hidden in the activities of the mind. If you desire to acquire these hidden treasures, dive deep and turn your mental activities inward, you will become full of love. Only one who has so filled themselves with love and who lives in the light of that love deserves to be called human. Those devoid of love are demons and monsters. Within every man, the holy quality of love is ever present, without change. It is one and indivisible. Those saturated with love are incapable of spite, selfishness, injustice, wrong, and misconduc

Sathya Sai Baba

Meet Pranav Dhanawde – the kid who scored 1009 runs in one innings !!!

January 5, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Pranav

His mother Mohini Prashant Dhanavde was in tears when Pranav scored 1000. “I would have never imagined that my son would make a world record. I remember scolding him so that he would concentrate on his studies more than cricket,” she said.

“My next goal is to be selected for under-19,” says 15-year-old Pranav Dhanawde who created a world record by scoring 1009 runs in 323 balls. The match was held between KC Gandhi School and Arya Gurukul School in which the later team scored 52/9 in 14.5 overs and KC Gandhi scored 1465/3 wickets in 94 overs.

The match was part of the under-16 Bhandari Trophy Inter-School Tournament organised by Mumbai Cricket Academy. On the first day, Pranav scored 652 not out in 199 balls and played for 5 hours on Kalyan’s Wayle Nagar’s Union Cricket Academy.

Pranav’s father Prashant Dhanawde who is an auto driver could not contain his joy. “Although I drive an auto, I have never stopped my son from achieving success. Last night when he broke world record by scoring 652, he told me that next day he will score 1000 and he did it,” said Prashant.

“I am fortunate to have parents who have understood my dream and supported me. Yesterday, I had not think about making a world record but as I completed 500 runs, I became more confident. Now, I want to get selected for under-19 team,” said Paranav Dhanavde. Pranav’s coach Harish Sharma said: “He is always focussed and a hard-hitting batsman. He was on 6th position but I decided to make him the opening batsmen and he didn’t prove me wrong.”

“Congrats #PranavDhanawade on being the first ever to score 1000 runs in an innings. Well done and work hard. You need to scale new peaks!” tweeted Sachin Tendulkar. Dhanawade, who opened the innings against Arya Gurukul School, had gone past Arthur Collins’ 628 not out, the previous highest in minor cricket scored in 1899 in England, on Monday. The son of an autorickshaw driver, Dhanawade had also gone past the highest individual score by an Indian in minor cricket, a record previously held by Prithvi Shaw who scored 546 in the Harris Shield in 2013-14.

Source……..www.dnaindia.com

natarajan

Photos That Prove 2015 Wasn’t The Worst Year After All…!!!

January 5, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

2015 is over, and while many in the media have focused on the negative, readers of Bored Panda know that there were many good things that happened this year. Yes, politicians continue to start new wars, but it’s up to us, regular, everyday people to make the world a better place, and we believe that the stories below prove this to be true.

Entire Neighbourhood Secretly Learns Sign Language To Surprise Deaf Neighbor

Man Buys Turtles From Food Market And Releases Them Back To The Sea

The Young Guy Sitting Down Was Struggling With His Tie When The Older Gentleman Moved Without Hesitation And Gave Him A Step-By-Step Tutorial

Heart Surgeon Calms Weeping 2-Year-Old Girl Before Heart Operation

Turkish Bride & Groom Spend Their Wedding Day Feeding 4,000 Refugees

Donkey Smiles From Ear To Ear After Being Rescued From Flood In Ireland

This Guy Has This Dog, And She Can’t Walk Anymore. So He Takes Her Out For A Walk Every Day In A Wheelchair

When A Student’s Baby Started Crying In Class, This Professor Had The Best Response Ever

Mom Adopts All 4 Of Her Best Friend’s Daughters After She Died Of Brain Cancer

This Coffee Shop Lets Stray Dogs Sleep Inside Every Night When The Customers Leave

Man Has Heart Attack While Mowing Lawn; Firefighters Finish Mowing Lawn After Saving Him

These Kids In Canada Tied Coats To Street Poles To Help Homeless Prepare For Winter

Baby Deer Refuses To Leave The Human Who Saved Her Life

Anonymous Spiderman Feeds Homeless At Night, Shows Everyone Can Be A Hero

Hungarians Bring Their Shoes To The Budapest Train Station For Arriving Migrants

Soaked Dad Protecting His Schoolboy From Rain Shows What Parenting Is

97-Year-Old Cries Tears Of Joy After She Finally Gets Her High School Diploma

This Shop Owner Who Promised To Help Those In Need

Quincy’s Been Waiting All Week To Show The Garbage Men His Garbage Truck. But, In The Moment, He Was Overwhelmed In The Presence Of His Heroes

Barber Goes Extra Mile To Conquer Autistic Boy’s Fear Of Haircuts

This Boy Offering A Bottle Of Water To A Policeman During A Hot Day In Baltimore

Hospital Makes Exception And Allows Couple Married 68 Years To Be Together In Same Room

Son With No Arms Spoon-Feeds His Paralyzed Mom Using His Teeth

103-Year-Old Celebrates Birthday By Dressing Up As Wonder Woman And Volunteering At Senior Center

Source….www.boredpanda.com

natarajan

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Airport Natarajan's Digital home

discipline

” மஹா விஷ்ணுவும் , கொசுவும் ஒண்ணு …..” !!!

Message for the Day…” Only one who has so filled themselves with love and who lives in the light of that love deserves to be called human.”

Meet Pranav Dhanawde – the kid who scored 1009 runs in one innings !!!