source::::best of photograph collections from National Geographic site
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Art
Message For the Day….” Nama Sankirtan ” is Healthy Habit…Make it a Daily Routine !!!!
source::::periva.proboards .com
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Indian -American Boy is The New Spelling Bee !!!
MARYLAND: The US-born son of immigrants from India overcame his longstanding problem with words of Germanic origin Thursday to win the 86th national spelling bee.
Arvind Mahankali, 13, from New York City, correctly spelled knaidel, a type of dumpling also known as a matzah ball, to become the sixth youth of south Asian heritage to win the coveted title in as many years.
He is also the first boy to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2008.
Mahankali, the eldest son of an IT consultant father and a physician mother, had placed ninth in 2010, then third in 2011 and 2012. More often than not, it was words of Germanic words that denied him the championship.
“The German curse has turned into a German blessing,” he said after besting eight other finalists in a nail-biting finale to a three-day nationally televised competition that started with 281 contestants from eight nations.
Earlier in the evening, Mahankali had aced such words as tokonoma (a recess opening in a Japanese living room) and kaumographer (someone who transfers designs onto cloth with a hot iron).
The youngster plans to save the $30,000 cash prize — plus a $2,500 US savings bond — for college, where he hopes to eventually get a doctorate degree in science.
Second place went to Pranav Sivakumar, 13, from Illinois, while Sriram Hathwar, 13, from New York, came in third. Amber Born, 14, a crowd-pleaser with her tension-breaking jokes, was the best among the girls in fourth place.
Arvind Mahankali, 13, from New York City, correctly spelled knaidel, a type of dumpling also known as a matzah ball, to become the sixth youth of south Asian heritage.
source::::Economic Times..
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Crazy !!!! Yet Amazing Photos !!!!!
French dancer Philippe Priasso performs a Pas de Deux with a Digger during the Neuhardenberg-Nacht (Neuhardenberg Night) on May 18, 2013 at Neuhardenberg Palace in Neuhardenberg, eastern Germany
A high-wire dancer of the acrobat group “Geschwister Weisheit” (wisdom siblings) performs on the tightrope on May 25, 2013 during the German Gymnastics Festival in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany
Kristin tries out a mirror experiment during the “Wanderings about the Senses” exhibition on May 29, 2013 in Dresden, eastern Germany.
Baby elephant “Moyo” is helped up by his mother “Sabie” during his first outing at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany, on May 15, 2013. “Moyo” was born on May 13, 2013 at the zoo.
A large sea bream object, made from colourful debris found drifting at sea, such as plastic tanks, toys and wires, and produced by Japanese art group Yodogawa Tecnique, is displayed at the Setouchi Triennale art event at the port of Uno, Okayama prefecture in western Japan on May 19, 2013.
Dog puppy “Sandy” protects against the rain with an umbrella fixed on her leash during a stroll in Rust, southern Germany, on May 26, 2013.
Workers install a golden winged car on the roof of the City Museum in Cologne, western Germany, on April 4, 2013. The car, a creation by German artist HA Schult, is brought back to the roof after its restauration at Ford.
A man looks at ” MaskII” a sculpture by Australian artist Ron Mueck exhibited at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, on April 15, 2013 in Paris.
A green flying frog, also named Reinwardt’s tree frog or black-webbed tree frog, sits on a finger on April 24, 2013 at the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe, southern Germany
Spanish player Rafael Nadal bites his trophy as he celebrates his victory over his compatriot Nicolas Almagro after the final of the Barcelona Open tennis tournament Conde de Godo in Barcelona on April 28, 2013
A visitor walks past a poster at the 2013 Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE2013) held at the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre on Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai on April 16, 2013.
Civilian passengers of the Airbus A330 Zero-G, who are not astronauts nor scientists, enjoy the weightlessness, on March 15, 2013, during the first zero gravity flight for paying passengers in Europe. All boarding cards, costing 6,000 euros, were sold for the years 2013 and 2014. Zero gravity flights for paying passengers have already taken place in the United States and Russia. The zero-gravity of space is simulated by flying a series of parabolic flight maneuvers that counter the forces of gravity and allow astronauts and cosmonauts to learn how to accomplish tasks with no gravity…
Visitors watch Mirella Ferraz, known as Brazilian mermaid, as she swims with fish in a giant tank during a show at an aquarium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 10, 2013.
A combination picture shows former England captain David Beckham slipping as he free kicks at a sports field during his visit in Wuhan, Hubei province
Indonesian dog lover Handoko Njotokusumo and Ace ride through traffic during their weekend joy ride on a motorcycle in Surabaya located in eastern Java island on March 2, 2013. Handoko, 57 a retired businessman, regularly takes Ace, a golden retriever, for a ride around the city.
A technician works on the engine of an Airbus A 380 airplane on January 28, 2013 at the maintenance hall of German airline Lufthansa in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany.
A young Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) swims in its outdoor enclosure on January 7, 2013 at the zoo in Duisburg, western Germany.
Yoko, a chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes), reacts after receiving a Christmas hamper, at Rio de Janeiro’s zoo on December 18, 2012.
Skiers are seen on a cable car above the fog on December 1, 2012 in the Titlis mountain above Engelberg, Central Switzerland.
source::::yahoonews.com
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What is Heaven and What is Hell !!!!
The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his
legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep
meditation, he sat. Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh
and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. “Old man! Teach me about
heaven and hell!”
At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible
response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the
faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as
the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more
agitated with each passing second. “You wish to know the secrets of
heaven and hell?” replied the monk at last. “You who are so unkempt.
You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is
uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and
neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You
would ask me of heaven and hell?”
The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high
above his head. His face turned to crimson and the veins on his neck
stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk’s head from
its shoulders.
“That is hell,” said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its
descent.
In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement,
awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk
his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in
mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.
“And that,” said the monk, “is heaven.”
source:::unknown
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Extreme Closeup of Bugs!!!…. An Excellence in Macro Photography!!!
Sometimes just a change in perspective can make a world of a difference. Take for instance tiny bugs. They are from our standpoint little critters we can literally brush aside, ignore, or squash dead if we choose to. Now put yourself on equal footing with these tiny creatures, meaning see them scaled the same size as humans, and what you have are utterly hideous looking monsters that would scare the living daylights out of anybody. Photographer Nicolas Reusens’ interest in insects captures extremely detailed images of these diminutive creatures through his interest in macro photography.
Reusens uses a technique known as focus stacking, which combines several images but taken in differing depths of field. Using this technique has produced some pretty scary close-ups of these tiny insects that are straight out of a science fiction B-movie. Using focus stacking was necessary to achieve an increase in the depth of field while not stopping down his aperture, which would require longer shutter times. This compromise leads to diffraction and diminished sharpness. He combines anywhere between 2 to 200 exposures with the use of Zerene Stacker.
Reusens’ photos are from different parts of the world. He gets around quite a bit being half Swedish, while residing in Spain. He is well-travelled having been to countries in Latin America, Asia, South Africa, and Mexico to name a few. He also says that this frequent travelling has allowed him to acquire a better world view, understanding the diversity of cultures around the globe.
Reusens shares his enthusiasm for both travel and nature in his website, saying,
“I’ve always had a sharp eye for nature and been fascinated by insects, so three years ago I bought my first reflex camera with which I started from scratch experimenting and learning the ‘secrets’ of THE macro photography as I imagined it should be when as a kid I collected ants, moths and other insects in matchboxes.I guess you could call me a perfectionist or maybe even a freak, but this is how I’ve always felt things should be done.
One of the greatest satisfactions of photography is traveling around the world and ‘capturing’ the weird and wonderful creatures I’m showing you herewith.”
source:::: Patrica Romos in exposure guide.
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A Look At the Rare Planetary Alignment …. Showing Venus, Jupiter and Mercury !!!!
Teale Britstra snapped a brilliant photo of the planetary alignment from Australia.
Flickr user Teale Britstra told us about how he captured this shot from his location in suburban Brisbane, Australia:
“I was lucky to capture the conjunction yesterday, because I’ve had cloud on my western horizon for the last few days. Luckily, they cleared at the last minute, so I found a position in my front yard where I could see all three planets. That was harder than it sounds, because of all the surrounding trees, though I found a spot wedged between fence and a tree that worked.
From here in the southern hemisphere, the planets appear a little north of west just after sunset, though for my northern counterparts it will be a little south of west.
I think these conjunctions are great to watch over the course of a few nights, as they really give people an idea of the relative motions of the planets in 3-D space — a lesson in Solar System dynamics using nothing but the naked eye.”
Photo credit: Teale Britstra
For the past couple of days, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury have been putting on a rare show in the western sky.
The three planets are in the middle of what is known as a planetary conjunction, when they appear unusually close together. The three planets won’t do this again until 2021.
The event peaked for viewers in the western hemisphere on Sunday, May 26. But the three planets will still be quite noticeable for the next week or so, even as they move away from each other.
We’ve collected several photos of the planetary conjunction taken from various locations around the world. The above one is a photograph from Brisbane, Auatralia..
source::::businessinsider.com
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Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-from-triple-conjunction-of-venus-jupiter-and-mercury-2013-5?op=1#ixzz2UhIkJLo4
Divine Image Of the Day…Shirdi Sai !!!!
If you worship Him wholeheartedly and chant His name ceaselessly, you will experience His leelas.
Message For The Day…Namasmarana Helps you For Purification Of Heart !!!
The three qualities (gunas) of the mind have to be transcended sequentially. Lethargy (Thamas) should be transformed into passionate activity (Rajas) and Rajas into serenity and poise (Sathwa) and finally into atributelessness. The Gunas bind the person and leave impressions. Thamas is like the worms that creep and crawl in offal. Rajas is like the fly that sits on foul and also good things. Sathwa is like the bee that visits only fragrant flowers. But all the three are drawn towards objects nonetheless. One should be free from all traces of attachment. When your heart is infested with flies and worms, the pesticide of Namasmarana (constant remembrance of the Name of the Lord) has to be used for disinfecting.
– Divine Discourse, Aug 15, 1964.
A to Z For Art Of Living !!!!
alphabets are so intelligently arranged, that
they show you the way of life….
“A”lways “B”e “C”ool.
“D”on’t have “E”go with “F”riends n Family.
“G”iveup “H”urting “I”ndividuals.
“J”ust “K”eep “L”oving “M”ankind.
“N”ever “O”mit “P”rayers.
“Q”uietly “R”emember God.
“S”peak “T”ruth.
“U”se “V”alid “W”ords.
“X”press “Y”our “Z”eal.
SOURCE :::::Unknown…
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