Attitude

Image of the Day…. Jan. 12, 1986 Early Morning Space Shuttle Launch !!!

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On Jan. 12, 1986, the space shuttle Columbia launched at 6:55 a.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center on the STS-61C mission. It was the first spaceflight for now-NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, who was a Pilot on the STS-61C crew along with Mission Commander Robert L. Gibson, Mission Specialists Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Steven A. Hawley and George D. Nelson and Payload Specialists Robert J. Cenker of RCA and U.S. Rep. (now Senator) Bill Nelson. During the six-day flight, crew members deployed the SATCOM KU satellite and conducted experiments in astrophysics and materials processing. The mission was accomplished in 96 orbits of Earth, ending with a successful night landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Jan. 18, 1986. Image Credit: NASA

SOURCE:::: http://www.nasa.gov

Natarajan

Jan 14 2015

” படித்து ரசித்தது… சிந்திக்கவும் ஒரு நொடி …” !!!

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உன்னை உயர்த்தும் 7 அதிசயம் ..!

1) ஏழ்மையிலும் நேர்மை
2) கோபத்திலும் பொறுமை
3) தோல்வியிலும் விடாமுயற்சி
4) வறுமையிலும் உதவிசெய்யும் மனம்
5) துன்பத்திலும் துணிவு
6) செலவத்திலும் எளிமை
7) பதவியிலும் பணிவு

வழிகாட்டும் ஏழு விஷயங்கள்

1) சிந்தித்து பேசவேண்டும்
2) உண்மையே பேசவேண்டும்
3) அன்பாக பேசவேண்டும்.
4) மெதுவாக பேசவேண்டும்
5) சமயம் அறிந்து பேசவேண்டும்
6) இனிமையாக பேசவேண்டும்
7) பேசாதிருக்க பழக வேண்டும்

நல்வாழ்வுக்கான ஏழு விஷயங்கள்

1) மகிழ்ச்சியாக இருக்க பழகுங்கள்
2) பரிசுத்தமாக சிரிக்ககற்று கொள்ளுங்கள்
3) பிறருக்கு உதவுங்கள்
4) யாரையும் வெறுக்காதீர்கள்
5) சுறுசுறுப்பாக இருங்கள்
6) தினமும் உற்சாகமாக வரவேற்கத்தயாராகுங்கள்
7) மகிழ்ச்சியாக இருக்க முயற்ச்சி மேற்கொள்ளுங்கள்

கவனிக்க ஏழு விஷயங்கள்

1) கவனி உன் வார்த்தைகளை
2) கவனி உன் செயல்களை
3) கவனி உன் எண்ணங்களை
4) கவனி உன் நடத்தையை
5) கவனி உன் இதயத்தை
6) கவனி உன் முதுகை
7) கவனி உன் வாழ்க்கையை

SOURCE:::: Unknown… Input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

JAN 14 2015

Message For the Day…”Get Rid of Evil Qualities Within You…Evil spirits Can not Harm You…”

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When Pandavas were in the forest, Krishna visited them. The brothers told Krishna that they took turns during nights to keep a vigil and control the activities of evil spirits and demons. Yuddhistra tried to dissuade Krishna from participating in sentry duty, but Krishna insisted. During the Lord’s turn, no evil spirit appeared. Then came Arjuna, and Krishna watched him from a distance. To Arjuna’s surprise, no evil spirit appeared while Krishna was there. Krishna later explained to Arjuna that evil spirits were only a reflection of one’s hatred and fear, and when one is free from these, no evil spirit would appear or do any harm. Krishna revealed that the Divine existed even in the so-called evil spirits and that if a person gets rid of the evil qualities within him, the evil spirits cannot do any harm. Your anger assumes the form of a demon. If you develop love, everything you confront will have the form of love.

Sathya Sai Baba

” Invincible ” Morris….Oldest Living Australian Test Cricketer….Still Going Strong … !!!…

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Arthur Morris with his wife Judith. Photo: Dinakar
The Hindu

Arthur Morris with his wife Judith. Photo: Dinakar

When Bradman was bowled for nought in his final Test at the Oval in 1948, Arthur Morris was at the other end and made 196 on what he called a ‘wet wicket’ in that innings.

At 92, Arthur Morris is the oldest living Australian Test cricketer. The former left-handed opener was named in Australia’s Test team of the century, and has his place among the golden greats.

On the Invincibles tour of England in 1948, he was incredible, scoring 696 runs . It was the only time in 20 years that the legendary Don Bradman was outscored in a series.

When Bradman was bowled for nought in his final Test at the Oval in 1948, Morris was at the other end. In fact, Morris made 196 on what he called a ‘wet wicket’ in that innings.

In the then world record chase of 404 in the earlier Test at Leeds, Morris (182) and Bradman (173 not out) starred for Australia on the final day.

It was a privilege to meet Morris and his kind wife Judith in their lovely home in Erina, a serene coastal town 85km from Sydney.

In an exclusive conversation with The Hindu, Morris — his memory remarkably sharp — recalled his playing days.

Predictably, the focus was on Australia’s epic 1948 tour of England. And on Bradman’s dismissal in his final Test innings at the Oval. “There was silence in the ground when Eric Hollies bowled Bradman with a wrong ‘un.  He had bowled a couple of leg-spinners earlier. The War was over, and the crowds in that series came to see Bradman play. They were stunned.”

Remembering one of the most gripping moments in cricketing history, Morris said “If it had happened today, if a bowler had got the wicket of such a batsman in his final Test, the fielders would have been all over him. But all that happened was Norman Yardley shouting from mid-on, ‘Jolly-well bowled Hollies.’ That was it.”

Morris said, “After the Test, Bradman gave a farewell speech. He also gave gifts to all his team members. We got cufflinks. It was emotional. There were some who jokingly told me that had I not got all those runs, they would have got to see Bradman bat in the second innings.”

The left-hander — with 3533 runs in 46 Tests — recalled Bradman speaking to him about his rich vein of form during the 1948 series, “He said, ‘I do not know how you do it, but keep doing it.’ Bradman used to play all his shots along the ground. I used to play a lot of lofted shots.”

Morris had fond memories of the Test at Leeds where Australia chased down 404 on the final day, after England had batted in the first session.

“Bradman had some problems against Denis Compton’s Chinaman bowling that day. He came to me and said, ‘Take him on, open him up.’ Then I played a lot of shots against Compton. We won the Test. In the morning, the English papers had said there was no way we could win the Test. This is where we got our satisfaction from,” he said.

On the Invincibles, Morris said, “We had strong batting, good bowling, and great characters. We had Miller, Lindwall, the wicketkeeper Tallon, my opening partner Sid Barnes, and of course, Bradman.”

He came up with some wonderful anecdotes too. “It was getting dark, and Sam Loxton spoke to the umpires to convince them. Then, he said to them, ‘I cannot see you, but can hear you!”

Morris reminisced, “Len Hutton was a fine opening batsman, but it was a tough day with Lindwall nipping the ball around. He got a single, got off strike, and said, ‘Cyril Washbrook (his partner) cannot get the ones!’ Good batsmen rotate the strike.”

A stylish top-order batsman, Morris believed batting was a lot about footwork. “You get back to go forward. You should have that little movement in your back leg to set it up. You cannot get committed on the front foot. Whether it is boxing or tennis, footwork is essential. As a batsman you have to dictate terms to the bowlers with your footwork, not allow them to dominate you.”

It was footwork that enabled Morris to be a terrific player on ‘wet pitches’ during the demanding days of uncovered pitches. A strong back-foot player, he hooked and cut the pacemen. “When you hook, you have to get inside the line of the ball. A lot of batsmen do not do it now.”

He faced several exceptional pace bowlers in his time. “Frank Tyson was fast, Statham was lively too. But Alec Bedser was the toughest. He was accurate and he moved the ball. In fact, Neil Harvey and I spoke about this some time back.”

Morris keeps in touch with Harvey — the only other surviving member of the Invincibles. “He lost his wife some time ago. I went to the funeral. We meet often.”

The Australian made a mention of the modern-day super bats too. “Even the mishits go for six. I had to whack the ball. We have to do with our records now.”

Morris leaves us with a nugget. “It used to take six weeks to England while travelling by sea. In 1948, Bombay was a stopover.  But as Bradman looked out of the ship, he saw about ten thousand people outside wanting to see him. He never got out of the ship.”

Keywords: Australian cricket legends, Arthur Morris, Invincibles tour of England 1948

 

SOPURCE:::::S.Dinakar in http://www.the hindu.com

Natarajan

JAN 13 2015

ஸ்ரீ ரமண மஹரிஷி வாழ்வில் …” யாருக்கும் அனுமதி இல்லை …” !!!

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ரமணருக்கு முதுமையுடன் நோயும் சேர்ந்து உடல் மிக நலிந்திருந்த சமயம். ஆனால் எப்போதும் யாராவது அவரைத் தரிசிக்க வந்தவண்ணம் இருந்தனர். மருத்துவரோ கண்டிப்பாக ஒய்வு தேவை என்று கூறினார். குறைந்தபட்சம் மதியச் சாப்பாட்டுக்குப் பின் பகவான் சற்று ஒய்வு எடுக்கட்டும் என்று மிகுந்த நல்லெண்ணத்தோடு தீமானித்த நிர்வாகம் ஒரு போர்டு வைத்தது. ‘பகல் பன்னிரண்டு மணி முதல் இரண்டு மணி வரை யாருக்கும் அனுமதியில்லை’ என்று அதில் எழுதியிருந்தது.
சாப்பிடப் போயிருந்த பகவான் திரும்பி வந்தார். போர்டைப் பார்த்தார். பேசாமல் கூடத்துக்கு வெளியே உட்கார்ந்து விட்டார்.
‘பகவான் உள்ளே போகலாமே’ என்று மற்றவர்கள் கூறினர்.
‘யாருக்கும் அனுமதியில்லை என்று எழுதியிருக்கிறதே. அது நமக்கும் தானே’ என்று சொல்லிப் பகவான் எல்லோரையும் திகைக்க வைத்தார்.
……………
Natarajan
Jan 13 2015

Ten Indian Villages That Set a Worthy Example for the Whole Country …

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LET US BE PROUD OF OUR COUNTRY. IT IS A PARTICIPATIVE ACHIEVEMENT.

Interesting to read about villages that are different.

10 Indian Villages That Set A Worthy Example For The Whole Country
November 12 , 2014

India, having an agro-based economy, depends the most on its villages for growth. Thegaon always has that distinct nostalgic charm that Indians alone can understand. Sarson ke khet, tea plantations, mud houses, clean air, charpaai, mitti, star-lit sky; these are just some of the happy things that we associate with life in an Indian village.
But unfortunately, that feeling is slowly waning. Poverty, lack of education, lack of sanitation, etc are the first associations that the media paints about Indian villages for our benefit.
Here’s a little fact: Gaons aren’t a bad place to live. In fact, some of them are way better than any metro. And these exemplary examples prove just that.

1. Mawlynnong – Asia’s cleanest village

Mawlynnong, a small village in Meghalaya, was awarded the prestigious tag of ‘Cleanest Village in Asia’ in 2003 by Discover India Magazine. Located at about 90kms from Shillong, the village offers a sky walk for you to take in the beauty as you explore it. According to visitors, you cannot find a single cigarette butt/plastic bag lying around there.

Source: Flickr

2. Punsari – The village with WiFi, CCTVs, AC classrooms and more

Punsari, located in Gujarat, puts most metros to shame. Funded by the Indian government and the village’s own funding model, Punsari is no NRI-blessed zone. The village also boasts of a mini-bus commute system and various other facilities. Believe it.
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Source: Dainik Bhaskar

3. Hiware Bazar – The village of 60 millionaires

Hiware Bazar, located in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, has transformed from being a place fraught with issues to being possibly the richest village in India. The sole reason for this fairy-tale change is one man called Popatrao Pawar. He banned all addictive substances to minimize expense and encouraged the villagers to invest in rain-water harvesting, milch cattle, etc.
There are a record 60 millionaires in the village and barely any poor. From 168 Below Poverty Line families in 1995, Hiware Bazar now has just three. The villagers continue to strive to see a day when not one person is poor.

Source:  Hiware Bazar

4. Dharnai – First fully solar-powered village

Dharnai, a village in Bihar, beat 30 years of darkness by developing its own solar-powered system for electricity. With the aid of Greenpeace, Dharnai declared itself anenery-independent village in July. Students no long need to limit their studies to the day time, women no longer limit themselves to stepping out in the day in this village of 2400 residents. Now if only cities could do the same, right?

Source: Greenpeace

5. Chappar – A village that distributes sweets when a girl is born

Chappar village in Haryana has a woman Sarpanch. But Neelam is no ordinarySarpanch. She made it her life’s mission to change the attitude of the villagers towards women, and she succeeded. Not only do the women of the village not wear theghunghat anymore, but despite Haryana being the state with the lowest girls ratio (an abysmal 877) in this village every newborn, regardless of his/her sex, is welcomed into the world with sweets and festivities.

Source: Youth Connect Mag

6. Korkrebellur – A village that really loves its birds

Korkrebellur, a small village in Karnataka, believes in the conservation of nature. While most other villages consider birds a nuisance because they harm crops, Kokrebellurboasts of rare species of birds that fly around and don’t even mind humans much. The villagers treat their winged compatriots as family and have even created an area for wounded birds to rest and heal. Wonderful, isn’t it?

Source: Flickr

7. Ballia – The village that beat arsenic poisoning with an indigenous method

Ballia village of Uttar Pradesh had an itchy problem to deal with. The water that the villagers were drinking contained arsenic, which causes serious skin problems and even physical deformation. What is arsenic, you ask? A harmless element on its own, but when combined with oxygen or water, it turns toxic.
Ironically, the village faced the problem after the government introduced many hand-pumps in the area for easy water access. The level at which the hand-pumps were dug led to excessive interaction between arsenic and water. When the villagers realised what had happened, instead of waiting for the government to act on it, they (physically) fixed their old wells and went back to an older, safer time. The best part? Even 95-year-old Dhanikram Verma joined in.

Source: The Better India

8. Pothanikkad – The village with a 100% literacy rate

Unsurprisingly in Kerala, Pothanikkad village was the first in the country to achieve a 100% literacy rate. Not only does the village boast of city-standard high-schools, but it also has primary schools and private schools. Guess the number of people the village has educated? Well, according to the 2001 census there are 17563 residents living in the village. The best part is that it answers the question.
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Source: Deokothamangalam

9. Bekkinakeri – The village that rid itself of open defecation by ‘greeting’ lota-bearers

Bekkinakeri village in Karnataka has redefined the point of wishing someone a ‘Good morning’. Frustrated with the practice of open defecation, the village council attempted to curb it by requesting people to not do so. When that didn’t work, they stationed themselves early morning near ‘popular’ defecation sites and wished every perpetrator a very good morning. The trick worked! Too embarrassed to go on with their business, the openly defecating population has now stopped the practice completely.

Source: World Bank

10. Shani Shingnapur – A village so safe that people don’t need doors

Shani Shingnapur, located in Maharashtra, is a village that defies every newspaper report you have ever read. Touted as the safest village in India, this place is known for its lack of doors to houses. Not just that, there is no police station in the village. And no, we are not making this up.
By the way, Shani Shingnapur has ‘broken’ another interesting record. The village has the country’s first lockless bank branch (UCO bank) now.

Source: Woman Planet

SOURCE:::: input from a friend of mine and www. scoop whoop .com

Natarajan

Janb 13 2015

Meanwhile…. British English versus American English !!!

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An English friend of mine says that he nearly had a heart attack on a flight in the United States when the American pilot announced that the plane would be airborne “momentarily.’ ‘In British English, the language my friend speaks, “momentarily” means “for a moment,” and he thought the pilot was suggesting an imminent crash soon after takeoff. In American English, however, “momentarily” means “in a moment,” and the pilot was merely appeasing the impatient passengers.

The plane took off, stayed aloft, my friend’s heart stopped thudding, and he lived to tell the tale. But he understood better than ever before the old adage that Britain and the United States are two countries divided by a common language.

Anecdotes abound about the misunderstandings that arise when foreigners come to the United States thinking that they know the language.

In one anecdote, a young man, in the course of a passionate courtship, tells his American girlfriend, “I’ll give you a ring tomorrow.” All he meant was that he would call her by telephone. But she understood him to have offered betrothal, and the relationship didn’t survive the misunderstanding.

Then there’s the hotel that failed to understand an English guest who called to say he had left his “trousers in the wardrobe.” Translators had to be summoned before the hotel staff finally cottoned on: “Oh, you’ve left your pants in the closet. Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

Sometimes you can get the right word but the wrong concept. India’s former foreign minister, M. C. Chagla, once ruefully recounted the time he wanted to order a modest bite from room service in a New York hotel and requested sandwiches.

“How many do you want?” Chagla was asked. Imagining delicate little triangles of thinly-sliced bread, he replied: “Oh, half-a-dozen should be enough.” Six sandwiches duly arrived, each about a foot long (30 centimeters) and four inches high.

In my first week on a U.S. university campus, I asked an American where I could post a letter to my parents. “There’s a bulletin board at the Student Center,” he replied, “but are you sure you want to post something so personal?” I soon learned that I needed to “mail” letters, not “post” them (even though in the United States you mail them at the “post office”).

In Britain, one concludes a restaurant meal by asking for the bill, and conceivably paying by cheque; in America, one asks for the check and pays with bills.

The language of politics is also not exempt from the politics of language. When a member of Parliament in Britain “tables” a resolution, he puts it forward for debate and passage; when an American Congressman tables a resolution, he kills it off. A “moot” point is one the Englishman wants to argue; but if it’s moot, the American considers it null and void.

Such differences of usage reveal something of the nature of American society.

It is no wonder, after all, that while the British “stand” for election, Americans “run” for office.

A British linguist once told a New York audience that whereas a double negative could make a positive, there was no language in the world in which a double positive made a negative. A heckler put paid to his thesis in forthright American: “Yeah, right.”

Yeah, right, indeed. With the universality of English largely a result of U.S. global dominance, it’s time for other English speakers to stop quibbling about whether the American usage is right or wrong. It simply is.

And as the Americans have taught the rest of us to say: that’s O.K. Though not even they can tell us what those two initials are meant to represent.

The writer grapples regularly with the differences between British English and American English, both as a novelist and as undersecretary-general for communications and public information at the United Nations. This is a personal comment.

SOURCE:::: Sashi Tharoor in http://www.nytimes.com

Natarajan

Jan 13 2015

Message For the Day…” A Story to Explain the Limitless Grace of God …”

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Everyone appreciated the wonderful way in which Parikshith sought the lap of the Lord and praised the steady faith he already attained. Yudhishtira was puzzled at the child’s act and requested Vyasa, the great sage, to explain. Vyasa said, “Yudhishtira! When this child was in the womb, the deadly arrow that Aswathama aimed at it to destroy it was about to hit its target. Lord Krishna entered the foetal home and saved it from destruction. This child has been eager to know who had saved him from within the womb. He started examining everyone to find out whether anyone had the same effulgence that he saw while a foetus in the womb. Today, when he saw that divine form with all its splendour, he went straight towards Him and prayed to be seated on His lap. The Lord too, immediately yielded to his prayer.” Yudhishtira then shed tears of joy and thankfulness to the limitless grace of the Lord.

Sathya Sai Baba

A Simple Story with a Strong Message to all of us…

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Read this – it is a beautiful message.

In an ancient temple, a number of pigeons lived happily on roof top.

When the renovation of the temple began for the annual temple festival,  the pigeons   relocated themselves                                                                            to a Church nearby. The existing Pigeons in the Church   accomadated  the new comers very well

Christmas was nearing and the Church was given a facelift. All the pigeons had to move out and look for another place                                                                    They were fortunate to find a  place in a Nearby Mosque  .   Pigeons in the Mosque welcomed the new friends Happily.

It was Ramadan time and the Mosque  was repainted. All the pigeons now Came back to the same ancient Temple .

One day the pigeons on top found some Sound and  clash below in a market square.     A Baby Pigeon

                                                asked the mother pigeon “Who are these people ?”.

The mother replied that they were called  “Human beings”.

The baby asked, “but why are they fighting with each other”.

The mother said “These human beings going to temple are called ‘Hindus’ and the  people going to the Church                                                    are called ‘Christians’ …. The people going to Mosque are called ‘Muslims’.

The Baby pigeon asked, “why is it so? Look, when we were in the Temple we were called  PIGEONS only !!! ….When we were in the Church , we were called as PIGEONS  . And , we were in the MOSQUE  too, we were called as PIGEONS only.                    Similarly all of them down below should be called just “HUMAN BEINGS ” wherever they go”.

The mother Pigeon said, ‘You and me and our Pigeon friends have experienced God and that’s why                                 we are living here in a highly elevated place Peacefully. These people are yet to experience God.                                Hence they are living  below us and fighting and killing each other”.

A nice Story with a Strong Message to all of us ….

SOURCE :::: UNKNOWN…. Input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

Jan 13 2015

Message For the Day…”Spend Your Time in Pursuing Noble Tasks…”

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Avoid spending precious time in useless pursuits and be ever vigilant. Engage the senses of perception and action, and the body in congenial but noble tasks to keep them busy. There should be no chance for sloth (tamas) to creep in. And, every act must promote the good of others. While confining oneself to activities that reflect one’s natural duties (swa-dharma), it is possible to sublimate them into spiritual practices for the body and the senses. You must also withdraw from sensory objects. This implies having a state of mind that is beyond all dualities that agitate and affect, such as joy and grief, liking and disliking, good and bad, praise and blame. Such common experiences one encounters can be overcome or negated by means of spiritual exercises or intellectual inquiry. Endeavour to escape from the opposites and dualities, and attain balance and stability.

Sathya Sai Baba