When I think of birds, my mind immediately associates them with flight, however there are numerous species around the world that have evolved in such a way that they’ve lost their ability to take to the skies. Here are 9 curious flightless birds from around the world: 1. Takahe Image Source This mid-sized bird from New Zealand is a master of hide-and-seek. It was thought be extinct at the end of the 19th Century, but its rediscovery in 1948 confirmed that it was still in existence. Takapes can live for up to 20 years. 2. Kiwi  Image Source This endangered bird is the national symbol of New Zealand. Kiwis are nocturnal and quite shy. When a male and a female pair up, they usually stay together for life. There are five distinct subspecies of Kiwi, and the one pictured is a Southern Brown. 3. Kakapo  Image Source Yet another flightless bird species native to New Zealand, the Kakapo, is the world’s only flightless parrot, and also its largest. Males make a distinctive booming call that can be heard from up to half a mile away. 4. Cassowary  Image Source Cassowaries are native to the forests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia. There are three subspecies of this bird, and the one pictured is a Southern Cassowary, which is the second-heaviest bird species in the world. They’re known to cause serious injuries when provoked. 5. Inaccessible Island Rail  Image Source This species is only found on an extinct volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is the smallest flightless bird in the world. It has managed to remain in existence because Inaccessible Island, the place from which it gets its name, has remained free of predators. 6. Emperor Penguin  Image Source No list of flightless birds is complete without a penguin featuring in it. The Emperor Penguin is the largest and heaviest of all 18 penguin species extant today. They are excellent swimmers and fishers. 7. Ostrich  image Source Native to Africa, ostriches are the largest birds on the planet, bar none. They can grow to over nine feet tall and weigh 300 pounds. Despite their girth, they can also run at speeds of up to 45mph. 8. Greater Rhea Image Source South America’s answer to the ostrich has a pair of gigantic wings and has a knack for adapting to different living environments. Males incubate eggs laid by a harem of females in a large nest, which they build to impress them. 9. Emu  Image Source These birds behave slightly neurotically, swinging between sleep and looking around to ensure their security. They also run around erratically when being attacked, but they can be quite vicious toward an assailant when attacked.   Source…..www.ba-bamail.com Natarajan

A man was walking in the city, when he was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking bum who asked him for a couple of dollars for dinner. The man took out his wallet, extracted two dollars and asked, “If I gave you this money, will you take it and buy whiskey?” “No, I stopped drinking years ago,” the bum said. “Will you use it to gamble?” I don’t gamble. I need everything I can get just to stay alive.” “Will you spend the money on greens fees at a golf course?” “Are you NUTS!? I haven’t played golf in 20 years!” The man said, “Well, I’m not going to give you two dollars. Instead, I’m going to take you to my home for a terrific dinner cooked by my wife.” The bum was astounded. “Won’t your wife be furious with you for doing that? I know I’m dirty, and I probably smell pretty bad.” The man replied: “That’s OK. I just want her to see what a man who’s given up drinking, gambling and golf looks like.” Source……..www.ba-bamail.com natarajan

Worth the cold trek, said Sharon Killips Alexander in Connecticut.

| Taken February 6, 2016 by Sharon Killips Alexander in Connecticut. She got this shot at the Suffield Wildlife Management Area.

Source…..www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

 

Sankar Arumugam had an experience with Sri MahaPeriyava recently. Sankar Arumugam narrates in his own words… வணக்கம் சாமி, என் பெயர் சங்கர் ஆறுமுகம். காஞ்சி மஹா பெரியவர் மற்றும் சிவன் சாரின் …

Source: நான் பாவி அல்ல!

ஸார்…..ஸார்…. மெட்ராஸ் ஸம்ஸ்க்ருத கல்லூரியில் பெரியவா முகாம். தினமும் வீதி வலம் வருவார். பக்தர்கள் அழைப்பை ஏற்று அவர்களது வீடுகளுக்குச் சென்று, அவர்களுடைய பூர்ணகும்ப மரியாதைகளை ஏற்று, ஆ…

Source: Daily Nectar : ஸார், எங்காத்துக்கு வாங்கோ !

Dependence on righteousness (dharma) will ensure your happiness and increase it. It can remove the spite that one develops toward others. It will not allow you to swell with pride when another suffers or grieves. Can such wickedness confer happiness on you? Remember you can be happy only when all are happy! The mind and conscience have to be kept straight on the path of welfare of all mankind (sarva-manava-sukha). Dharma will shine and illumine only in the person who serves all and confers joy on all. Such a person will receive not only the grace of the Lord but also the unique privilege of merging in Him. Whenever you give or take anything from anyone, see that you do not transgress the boundaries of dharma. Do not go against its commands. Follow it at all times, believing this to be your bounden duty. Fill every ounce of your energy with the essence of dharma and endeavour to progress in that path, more and more, with every passing day.

Bharatiya Samskriti (Culture of Bharat) is a composite of purity, divinity, sublimity and beauty. This combination is reflected in sports and games. Although there may be differences among nations in their food and recreational habits, the spirit of harmony and unity displayed in sports is a gratifying example to all. It is a distinctive quality of sports that differences are forgotten and persons engage themselves in games in a divine spirit of friendliness and camaraderie. Sports help the players not only to improve their health but also to experience joy. Students, however, should not be content with realising these benefits. It is equally essential to promote purity of the mind and develop large heartedness. True humanness blossoms only when the body, the mind and the spirit are developed harmoniously. The enthusiasm and effort which you display in sports should also be manifested in the spheres of morality and spirituality.