A preacher was standing at the pulpit giving his Sunday sermon when a note was passed to him. The only word written on the sheet was IDIOT. Looking up at the congregation, the preacher smiled and said: I have heard of men who write letters and forget to sign their names but this is the first time I will see a man sign his name and forget to write the letters.
source::::joke a day .com
Natarajan
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) can see as many as 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24-hour period.
But on some occasions, the location of the station means the sun never sets at all, providing stunning views for the crew on board.
Now, Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman has revealed this incredible sight from orbit, in the first ever Vine video to be sent from space.
The timelapse condenses a 92-minute orbit into the span of around six seconds showing the space station hurtling around the planet at 17,500 mph (27,600 km/h).
This marks the barrier between light and dark on the surface of the Earth.
In this scenario, something known as the ‘beta angle’ increases. This is the imaginary line between the sun and the path of the ISS around Earth.
Writing in the Weather Centre blog, Tony Rice explained that as the beta angle gets higher, the time the ISS is in sunlight also increases.
The sun never sets because the space station’s orbit comes into alignment with the day and night terminator line. This marks the barrier between light and dark on the surface of the Earth
During this period, the so-called ‘beta angle’ increases. This is the imaginary line between the sun and the path of the ISS around Earth. As the beta angle gets higher, the time the ISS is in sunlight increases. When beta angle exceeds 69º, it is in constant sunlight
‘When beta angle exceeds 69º, it is in constant sunlight, and mission control keeps an even closer around-the-clock watch on power production and temperatures,’ he said.
‘This happens two to four times a year but is most extreme near the summer solstice coming on June 21.’
Previous space shuttles would enter something known as a ‘barbeque mode’ which would cause them to do slow barrel rolls to avoid overheating.
On the ISS, an Active Thermal Control System transfers heat through to large radiators extending under the station that can then be released into space.
Reid Wiseman from Baltimore (pictured) is currently serving as flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41. Wiseman’s space Vine has gained over 4,000 likes and nearly 2,000 retweets since it was posted on Saturday
‘1st Vine from space! Single Earth orbit. Sun never sets flying parallel w/terminator line,’ Wiseman explained in the clip, which he shared over the weekend.
Vine is a mobile service that creates short looping videos which are six seconds or less. So far, Wiseman’s Vine has gained over 4,000 likes and nearly 2,000 retweets.
The 38-year-old from Baltimore is currently serving as flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41.
The last time Twitter saw a space ‘first’ was when astronaut Mike Massimino sent the first tweet from orbit in 2009.
‘My parents were waving in Maryland at sunrise, so I took a picture of them,’ Wiseman wrote with this shot
Source:::: y ELLIE ZOLFAGHARIFARD in Daily Mail Australia
Natarajan
The caring marsupial was snapped offering up her lunch to an inquisitive looking feathery friend at Sydney’s Featherdale Animal Park.
And as she held out her ice cream cone full of food, a cute little Joey peeked out from her mother’s pouch.
A four-shot panorama featuring the springtime arc of our Milky Way galaxy reflected in the calm water of Unity Pond, Maine.
Mike Taylor contributed this image, which he captured on May 7, 2014 at 2:45 a.m. He wrote:
This image is a four-shot panorama featuring the springtime arc of our Milky Way galaxy reflected in the calm water of Unity Pond, Maine. The structure on the left is a train trestle located on the unused train tracks. This is a tough spot to shoot from because of the rocky and marshy terrain but well worth it.
There is quite a bit of green airglow in the sky and the orange hue on the horizon is light pollution.
Source:::: earth sky news site
Natarajan
You should not pursue spirituality with any end result in mind. One who works for wages is a worker and not an owner. The daily wage earner will not have any ownership or interest towards completing the tasks. He or she will worry about being present till the schedule, collect their wages and leave. Thus, he or she thinks that they are separate from the organisation. In your home, the wife or the children do their respective duties, but do not demand any wages. The wife does not ask any sort of income for the activities she does. She discharges her responsibility with purity and perfection, and takes care of everything at home. One who prays, just for a result is like that daily wage earner. One who enjoys the feeling that God is his own, and that God is within them, is like the owner. Aspire to become owners and not servants.
Wherever you see, whoever you see, there is nothing but Divinity that is present. Salute all beings, even if you think they are inferior to you. Remember, you are not saluting the individual but to the Divine within them. If you have one thousand pots filled with water, the reflection of the Sun shining above will be the same in all the pots. So too, the reflection of the Divine is present equally in all beings. Just as the reflection of Sun will depend upon what is present within the pot, what you see around you is a reflection, reaction and resound of your own actions. Whatever you do or say comes back to you. You see your own form in the mirror. If you hate others, you hate yourself. There is no use in blaming God for your own actions. God is attributeless, sacred, pure and wise. It is human ignorance to attribute qualities to God.
The ocean from Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. We chose it partly because Canada helped start World Oceans Day, which happens every June 8.
Morning mist over the beach and ocean, in Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. Photo by EarthSky Facebook friend Ryong Lee
To help celebrate World Oceans Day, Ryong Lee of Canada posted this beautiful photo onEarthSky’s Facebook page. When we started talking about World Oceans Day on our social media pages last week, several people said they had never heard of it. In fact, Canada made the original proposal for World Oceans Day in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The day has been unofficially celebrated every June 8 since then, and, in 2008, the United Nations did officially recognize it. Since then, World Oceans Day has been coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network. These organizations say it has greater success and global participation each year.
Sylvia Earle, perhaps the world’s most recognized and respected oceanographer, made a video plea to protect the oceans, which was released today. Among other things, Earle said:
I think of the ocean as the blue heart of the planet
Source:::: Earth sky news site
Natarajan
Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the Rhode Island State house in Providence, one from Cranston, and another from North Kingstown and the third, Exeter. They go with a State house official to examine the fence.
The North Kingstown contractor takes out a tape measure and does some Measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. “Well,” he says, “I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me.”
The Exeter contractor also does some measuring and figuring, and then says I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me.”
The Cranston contractor doesn’t measure or figure, but leans over to the State House official and whispers, “$2,700.”
The official, incredulous, says, “You didn’t even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?”
The Cranston contractor whispers back, “$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the guy from Exeter to fix the fence.”
Source::: joke a day.com
Natarajan
விடுதலைப் போராட்ட வீரர், சிறந்த பேச்சாளர், ‘தமிழ்ப் பண்ணை’ என்ற பதிப்பக உரிமையாளர், காமராஜரின் அருந்தொண்டர், சிவாஜி கணேசன் ரசிகர்மன்ற மாநிலத் தலைவர் என்றெல்லாம் இருந்து, பிரபலம் பெற்றவர் மறைந்த சின்ன அண்ணாமலை. அவர் எழுதுகிறார்:
வங்காள கவர்னராக ராஜாஜி, 1947ல் பதவி ஏற்ற போது, நாங்கள் மே.வங்க தலைநகரான கல்கத்தாவுக்கு சென்றிருந்தோம். ராஜாஜியின் விருந்தினராகத் தங்கும் பாக்கியம் கிடைத்தது. சாந்திநிகேதனில் ராஜாஜிக்கு, ஒரு வரவேற்பு. வங்காளத்தின் பெரிய பெரிய அறிஞர்கள் எல்லாம் கூடியிருந்த அந்த சபையில், என்னைப் பேசும்படி தலைமை வகித்த பி.சி.கோஷ் (அப்போதைய வங்காள முதலமைச்சர்) அழைத்தார். நான் திடுக்கிட்டு,
ராஜாஜியை பரிதாபமாகப் பார்த் தேன்.
‘சும்மா தமிழிலேயே பேசுங்க; டி.கே.சி., ஆங்கிலத்தில் மொழி பெயர்ப்பார்…’ என்று, கூறினார் ராஜாஜி.
‘சரி’ என்று, மைக் அருகில் வந்தேன். திடீரென்று ராஜாஜியே எழுந்து, ஒரு மாலையை என் கழுத்தில் போட்டார். சபையோரின் பலத்த கரகோஷம்; நான் ராஜாஜியின் அன்பினால் திக்குமுக்காடி, பேச ஆரம்பித்தேன்…
‘ராமபிரானுடைய ஆண்மையும், கிருஷ்ணனுடைய ராஜதந்திரமும், புத்தருடைய தூய்மையும், சி.பி. சக்கரவர்த்தியின் தியாகமும், ராமானுஜரின் மத பக்தியும், வள்ளுவரின் வாய்மையும் சேர்ந்து, உருவெடுத்து வந்திருப்பவர் ராஜாஜி.
‘ராமகிருஷ்ண பரமஹம்சர், விவேகானந்தர் மூலம், இந்து மதத்திற்குப் புத்துயிர் உண்டாயிற்று. விபின் சந்திரபால் சென்னைக்கு வந்து, ஆறு சொற்பொழிவுகள் ஆற்றியதன் மூலம், தமிழகத்தில் தேசபக்தியை உண்டாக்கினார்; சித்தரஞ்சன் தாஸ் நாடு முழுவதும் விடுதலைக் கிளர்ச்சியை உண்டாக்கினார். ராஜாராம் மோகன்ராய், ரவீந்திரநாத் தாகூர், நேதாஜி முதலியவர் களால், தமிழகத்துக்கு எவ்வளவோ பயன் கிட்டியிருக்கிறது. இவர்கள் எல்லாம், வங்காளத்தில் பிறந்தவர்கள். அப்பேர் பட்ட வங்கத்திற்கு, நாம் என்ன கைம்மாறு செய்யலாம்; செய்ய முடியும் என்று, ஏங்கிக் கொண்டிருந்தோம்.
‘ஆனால், அதற்கெல்லாம் வட்டியும், முதலுமாக, எங்கள் ராஜாஜியை உங்களுக்கு கவர்னராக கொடுக்கிறோம். ராஜாஜியை கவர்னராக அடைய, இந்த வங்காளம், 100 ஆண்டு காலம் தவம் செய்திருக்க வேண்டும்…’ என்று நான் கூறிய போது, ‘ராஜாஜிக்கு ஜே!’ என்ற கோஷம், விண்ணை பிளந்தது.
நானும் மரியாதையாக, அத்துடன் பேச்சை முடித்துக் கொண்டேன்; விழா முடிந்தது. திரும்பும்போது, ராஜாஜியிடம், ‘என்னை எதற்காகப் பேசும்படி பணித்தீர்கள்.
டி.கே.சி., பேசினால் போதாதா?’ என்றேன். அதற்கு ராஜாஜி, ‘ரசிகமணி ஆங்கிலத்தில் பேசுவதாக இருந்தது. எனவே, நம் தமிழ் மொழியை வங்காளிகள் தெரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டுமல்லவா? அதனால்தான், உங்களைப் பேசச் சொன்னது…’ என்று சொல்லி, சிறிது நேரம் மவுனமாக இருந்து பின், ‘நானே உங்களுக்கு மாலை போட்டது ஏன் தெரியுமா?’ என்ற கேள்வியையும் போட்டு, பதிலையும் சொன்னார்.
‘உங்களை இங்கு ஒருவருக்கும் தெரியாது. நீங்கள் பேசும்போது, யாரோ என்று வங்காளிகள் அசிரத்தையாக, இருந்துவிட்டால், உங்கள் தமிழை கவனித்துக் கேட்க முடியாது. நான் மதித்து மாலை போடக்கூடிய ஆள் என்று தெரிந்துவிட்டால், எல்லாரும் கவனமாகத் கேட்பர். அதற்காகத்தான்…’ என்று கூறினார். ராஜாஜியின் பெருந்தன்மையை நினைத்து உருகிப் போனேன்.
—’சொன்னால் நம்ப மாட்டீர்கள்…’ நூலிலிருந்து.
Source:::: DINAMALAR …Tamil Daily… In VAARA MALAR
Natarajan
Accept everything as God’s gift (Prasadam). Always feel that whatever you have is not yours, and it has come from God. Accept pain too as God’s gift and be content with that. Learn to be happy that God has given you two square sufficient meals. If you compare yourself with a wealthy person, who has four rich meals while you are having two, you will feel discontented. On the other hand, think of the poor man who cannot manage even one meal a day. In this manner, develop contentment. You must learn to be satisfied in simple things too. It is only then that Divinity can blossom from humanness. Being contented is a most important human quality and it can be gained through incessant devotion to the Lord. Continue chanting His name and develop your Love for Him, and dedicate your Life unto Him.
Take off with Natarajan 