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All Hope Was Lost At This Crash Site…Until They Made A Shocking Discovery…

November 7, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Just yesterday, on November 4, 2015, a devastating accident rocked South Sudan as a cargo plane full of passengers crashed shortly after takeoff. When investigators and rescue workers arrived on the scene, they knew that there was little hope of finding survivors in the charred, twisted wreckage.

But just as they were about to give up all hope, they made a miraculous discovery.

Prospects were grim as rescue workers stepped onto the site of the horrific crash.

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The plane was only designed to hold cargo and about 12 crew members, so it’s believed that overcrowding caused it to go down.

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Approximately 36 passengers are confirmed dead, but numbers will likely rise as the wreckage is moved.

But just as they were about to give up hope, rescuers made a heartbreaking — but completely amazing — discovery.

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They found a one-year-old girl crying underneath the wreckage. She’s one of two reported survivors, and volunteers were completely floored by the tiny child’s will to live. The other survivor ultimately succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash, but somehow, this brave little one made it.

The girl, named Nyalou Thong, was immediately rushed to the hospital. She’s reportedly doing well after receiving treatment for a broken leg and other minor injuries.

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Sadly, Nyalou’s mother and brother died in the crash. As of now, rescuers are attempting to contact other family members.

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She is expected to make a full recovery.

(via Mashable)

This child truly is a tiny miracle. Officials and volunteers who responded to the crash signed on for the recovery mission with heavy hearts, but this discovery proved to be a glimmer of hope. We’re sending our thoughts to the people of South Sudan as they recover from this tragedy, and to little Nyalou as she heals.

Source..Madeline Distasio……www.viralnova.com

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Image of the Day…. “Elephant Foot Glacier” ….

November 7, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The Elephant Foot Glacier in northeastern Greenland, looks like a bowl of batter that has been poured over a pan. The sheer pressure of the zillion-ton ice has broken through the mountain and spilled into the sea in a near symmetric, fan-shaped lobe. Such glaciers are known as piedmont glaciers, and the Elephant Foot Glacier is a perfect example of it. Its shape is so distinct that it stands out dramatically from its surroundings when viewed from high above.

Glaciers are one of the most extraordinary of the earth’s natural phenomena. These rivers of frozen snow accumulated over centuries of precipitation are so densely packed that it exceeds its overall ablation. They are in a constant state of flux, flowing down in the direction of the slope towards a valley or a water body. You can’t really tell if it’s moving but come back in a few decades and you will be able to see thedramatic change in the landscape.

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Photo credit: unknown

The Elephant Foot Glacier is located on the Kronprins Christian Land peninsula. It is not connected to Greenland’s main ice sheet. Rather, it’s part of a network of glaciers and ice caps that hangs around the periphery of the island. Research has shown that as a whole, these outlying glaciers and ice caps account for 5 to 7 percent of Greenland’s total ice coverage, but they are responsible for 20 percent of its contribution to sea level rise.

Another example of piedmont glaciers is the Malaspina Glacier in southeastern Alaska. 65-km long and 45-km wide, it is the largest piedmont glacier in the world. The glacier arises where several valley glaciers, primarily the Seward Glacier and Agassiz Glacier, spill out from the Saint Elias Mountains onto the coastal plain facing the Gulf of Alaska.

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Photo credit: Thobu/Panoramio

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Photo credit: eggertsae/Panoramio

Photo credit: phys.org

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Malaspina Glacier. Photo credit: Bob Mattson/Panoramio

Sources: NASA / Wikipedia

Source….www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day….” Contentment, Humility and Detachment Keep You on the path of Truth” …

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Some profess that since this is Kali yuga, falsehood alone can succeed. No! In spite of all appearances, honesty is still the best policy. One lie must be couched by a hundred others; whereas uttering truth is the easiest, simplest and safest. Be what you profess to be; speak what you intend to do; utter what you have experienced; no more, no less. It is a hard job to maintain a false stand, while it is always safe to be straight and honest. Do not take the first false step and then be led, on and on, to perdition. Truth is one’s real nature and when you are yourself, there comes a great flood of joy welling up within you. When you deny and deceive yourself, shame darkens your mind and breeds fear. You take the path of falsehood because of the Rajasikpassions of lust, greed, hate and pride. Contentment, humility and detachment – these keep you on the path of Truth.

Earthquake-Resistant Houses? These Residents of Uttarakhand Had Cracked It 900 Years Ago! ….

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Despite being located in an earthquake-prone region, residents of Uttarkashi do not hesitate in constructing multi-storey houses. These elaborate buildings in Rajgarhi area of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand are perfect examples of splendid architecture as well as earthquake-resistant engineering.

Called Koti Banal, these buildings have been named after a village in the district and have successfully survived many minor and major earthquakes in the past ten centuries.

Even the extremely disastrous earthquakes, in recent times the 1991 and the 1999 ones that killed thousands of people and caused immense damage to property including many concrete structures in the state, could not move these buildings. One such building in Guna has been standing tall for more than 728 years now.

Koti Banal style came into existence about 900 years ago and is hailed as one of the finest specimens of architecture as well as of earthquake-resistant design. The houses are built using locally available materials like stone-filled solid platforms and there is an extensive use of wood, which offer special advantages over other materials during earthquakes.

The height of these houses is usually 7 to 12 metres above the base. The traditional houses usually have five storeys. Some of the key features of these houses include a simple layout of the structure; construction on an elaborate, solid and raised platform; incorporation of wooden beams all through the height of the building at regular intervals; small openings and shear walls.

Extensive use of locally available wood was made in these homes since wood is an elasto-plastic material with the ability to absorb the brunt of an earthquake.

The sole objective behind the construction of these houses was safety and not much attention was paid to the comfort of the inhabitants. This reason has led to many such dwellings being abandoned in recent times.

People have also started destroying these structures in order to use the building material for the construction of new and modern houses. Lack of awareness is further causing the slow death of these traditional houses which represent a strong cultural heritage.

Photos and inputs from : Dr. Piyoosh Rautela and Girish Chandra Joshi. Check out their full report on these extra ordinary structures.

Watch the video that explains more about the technique – –

Featured image: www.worldfpa.org]

source….Shreya Pareek

http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

Two guys wearing jetpacks fly alongside an Airbus A380….!!!

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

We’ve already seen ex-fighter pilot Yves Rossy — a.k.a. Jetman — fly his jet-propelled wing in formation with another pilot, and we’ve seen him whizz around Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

His latest stunt, however, again performed with parachuter Vince Reffet, is perhaps the most impressive so far. The two pilots fly their jetpacks in formation with an Emirates-owned Airbus A380.

In the stunt, once again available in 4K resolution, the pilots whir incredibly close to the airplane as it flies above the Dubai skyline. The airplane’s size — the A380 is the world’s largest passenger airliner, some 238 feet long — gives a great sense of scale, showing how incredibly small the pilots’ jetpacks really are.

Filming the video was no easy feat either; every little detail had to be carefully planned, with a team of videographers recording the stunt from another, smaller plane. Check out the “making of” video below.

Source…… STAN SCHROEDER…..www.mashable.com

Natarajan

His Father Died. The Next Morning, He Went On To Save Delhi From The Jaws Of Defeat…..23e

November 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Date: December 18, 2006
Match: Delhi vs Karnataka
Tournament: Ranji Trophy Group ‘A’ Match
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

This is one story that has been etched in Ferozeshah Kotla’s history and will be narrated for years to come. It is the tale of an 18-year-old teenager, who loved cricket. An act, which stunned not just his teammates but also his opposition.

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This is the story of Virat Kohli.

Day 1:

The year was 2006 and Karnataka scored 446 in their first innings at Feroz Shah Kotla.

Day 2:

It was a cold and difficult day for the Delhi Ranji team. They lost 5 wickets chasing Karnataka’s mammoth first innings total. With half of the side back in the hut on the 2nd day itself, it was an uphill task for Kohli and Co. to save the match. The 18-year-old walked out and along with wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht helped reach Delhi 103 at the end of the day’s play, without losing another wicket. Kohli stood solid and unbeaten at 40, but Delhi still needed to go a long way with the last recognized pair in the middle.

That night, his world turned upside down. His father, Prem Kohli, just 54-years-old, passed away.

Day 3:

Kohli faced an awful choice – whether to cremate his father or to go and finish his innings for Delhi. The news of Prem Kohli’s demise had already travelled throughout the Delhi dressing room. Chetanya Nanda was informed that Kohli won’t come to bat and he was asked to pad up. But, his teammates, opposition and even the match officials were shocked to see Virat Kohli arriving in the dressing room in full cricketing gear. He chose to go in and bat.

He played for 281 minutes and faced 238 balls. When he was declared out after scoring a match-saving 90, just before lunch though the bat had brushed the pad as replays showed, his team was clearly out of trouble, with only 36 runs needed to avoid the follow-on.

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At around 12, he watched the replay of his dismissal in the dressing room, quietly removed his pads and went straight to attend the funeral. From 14-4 (top order back to the pavilion), Delhi had managed to save the match and the man who lost his father the night before, was responsible for Delhi’s turnaround.

He knew that his father was gone. But he surely knew Delhi needed him and match could be saved. He just wanted to fulfil his father’s dreams, knowing that some part of his life would never be the same. This shows how big a team man he is.

His father was cremated later that evening and the rest is history. Kohli transformed from an 18-year-old teenager into a mature adult overnight.

Mithun Manhas, the skipper of Delhi Ranji team was all praise for the youngster’s determination:

We asked him what made him come here. And we also told him that if he decided to go back and be with his family, the entire team would support him. He decided to play. That is an act of great commitment to the team and his innings turned out to be crucial.”

Chetan Chauhan, the then Delhi coach, was amazed at his dedication:

“He was barely 18 and he had lost his father at 4 am. I spoke to Virat and his brother and was told that he was in the mental shape to actually go out and bat. Hats off to his attitude and determination. It’s unfortunate that he missed out on a hundred but what matters today is that how he played, not how much he made.”

He never looked back. What followed was sheer beauty.

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In his Ranji debut season, putting aside his personal tragedy and saving his team from the jaws of defeat certainly proves his mental strength. Only a person with remarkable passion and love for what he or she is doing can go ahead and do something so so…remarkable.

For him, life is cricket. India comes above everything.
Happy Birthday, Virat Kohli. You are a synonym of dedication. 🎂

Source…..Shuvro Ghoshal in http://www.storypick.com

Natarajan

Meet Harjit Sajjan, An Indian-Origin Who Will Be Canada’s New Defence Minister….

November 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

We told you about this monumental move – Punjab being listed as the third language in the Parliament of Canada and that a new cabinet will be unveiled.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his new cabinet. And now, Canada’s new Defence Minister will be Indian origin Harjit Sajjan.

He is one of the 20 Punjabi speaking members elected to the latest Canadian cabinet.

Here are a few things that you probably didn’t know about him:

1. He hails from a small village of Bombeli, which is located in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab. He shifted to Canada because of his father, who left for Canada when he was young.

2. He has been living in Vancouver South since he was 5 years old.

3. He served in the gang squad of the Vancouver Police Department for 11 years.

4. After that, he became Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Armed Force. As demanded by this post, he went to Afghanistan 3 times. Among many other recognitions, he was awarded Meritorious Service Medal and the Order of Military Merit.
He was known for his bravery. Canadian Brigadier General, David Fraser praised him for his diligence, bravery, and unwavering determination.

He took to Twitter to announce about his new ‘post’. His jubilance was quite noticeable.

Other than Harjit Singh Sajjan, there are three other Indian-origin Sikh ministers in the newly formed cabinet.

Amarjeet Sohi: Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

Navdeep Bains: Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Bardish Chagger: Minister for Small Business and Tourism

Also, Canada’s Prime Minister has shown that he’s a staunch believer of gender equality by appointing the equal number of men and women in his cabinet.

This is definitely a big step for Canada and also for India. We congratulate them for this feat

News Source: Times Of India

Cover Image Source

Source….Aparajita Mishra in http://www.storypick.com

Natarajan

Used Wimbledon Tennis Balls Become Tiny Homes for Mice….!!!

November 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Every year, an astonishing number of tennis balls are used during the Wimbledon tournament — more than 54,000. This high figure is due to the fact that tennis balls are replaced at frequent intervals during a match to make sure they aren’t worn down or become too warm to affect the ball’s physical dynamics. Used balls are resold every day at the club to spectators on the grounds, and nearly 700 balls go missing every year, probably taken by the audience and kept as souvenirs. Since 2001, some of these balls are being donated to various animals conservatives around Britain who make cute little homes for harvest mice.

The Eurasian harvest mouse is typically found in fields of cereal crops, such as wheat and oats, in reed beds and in other tall ground vegetation, such as long grass. An adult mouse weighs as little as 4 grams. The mice normally weave their homes out of shredded grass and reeds, attached to stems well above the ground.

Photo credit

In recent years, their habitat has come under increasing threat from intensive farming methods. Yearly floods also destroy their homes.

Some animal conservatives then discovered that tennis balls make excellent, waterproof homes for these tiny rodents once you cut a small hole into the balls. The balls are attached to poles about a meter or a meter-and-half off the ground where they can make their nests in relative safety from birds of prey and weasels, which are too big to get through the hole.

Now aside from Wimbledon, many lawn tennis clubs around the United Kingdom regularly donates used tennis balls to various wildlife conservation organizations to help them in their conservation efforts.

The natural nest of a harvest mouse. Photo credit

Source….bbc ….www.amusingplanets.com

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Runway Over The Highway at Leipzig/Halle Airport…

November 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The Leipzig/Halle Airport, sometimes called Schkeuditz Airport, is located in Schkeuditz, Germany and serves both Leipzig and Halle – two of the largest cities in the country. Lack of space required the modern airport terminal structure to spill over the adjacent motorway and railway that intersects the runway at right angles. To make room for the runway without affecting vehicular traffic on motorway A14 and rail traffic, three bridges were constructed over the motorway and the tracks, that allowed the parallel runways to extend to their full length of 3.6 km. These bridges are called Taxiways. Aircrafts would taxi on these taxiways at the time of takeoff and landing, while vehicles ply on the motorway below.

Taxiway E7 and E8 on the east are used as one way taxis and connect the terminal with the northern runway, while the third taxiway W1 in the west is used in both direction.

Photo credit

Source…..www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

When an airport becomes a home: A Kurdish family has been stuck in an airport for over 40 days….

November 4, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

BBCStill from a video showing Hasan Ahmad in the disused smoking area where he has been living with his family for over 40 days now.

Hasan Ahmad’s family has been living inside Terminal E at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport for over 40 days, the BBC reports.

The Syrian Kurdish family of six recently fled their home in northern Iraq after ISIS militants kept coming closer. The family decided to flee to Russia where Ahmad’s wife has family.

But the nightmare began as soon as they got to the airport.

At first, they were put in detention for two weeks after the Russian authorities claimed they were using fake Syrian passports and illegally trying to cross into Russia, according to the BBC.

Most of the family had Iraqi passports, but the two youngest children, who are 3 and 7 years old, got Syrian ones through Hasan’s nationality.

Their asylum request was rejected because of the allegedly fake Syrian passports, though Syrian officials have since confirmed they are genuine, according to ABC.

The family is appealing the decision, but in the meantime they are stuck at the airport because they’re not allowed to step on Russian soil.

BBCStill from a BBC video showing Hasan and his four children in the disused smoking area.

The Ahmads have since been living in an old glass smoking area surrounded by the few bags they brought with them.

The situation stressed Ahmad’s wife, Gulistan, so much that a couple of weeks ago she collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital, where two guards were positioned outside her ward, according to the BBC.

“We left our homes, everything. We just wanted to live in peace like other people. But they refused us asylum. They said this is not Europe,” Gulistan told the BBC.

Now all the family can do is wait, not knowing when or if their appeal will be processed and having to depend on the generosity of strangers for food and warm clothes. The UN also brings them big water bottles every five days.

BBCStill from a BBC video the disused smoking area where the Ahmad family has been living.

The situation has only gotten worse recently. According to the BBC, the heaters stopped working over two weeks ago, making it even harder for the family to stay warm and dry.

“I don’t know how people can be so heartless. I don’t understand. People are fleeing from war, from violence,” Ahmad told the BBC.

The civil war raging in Syria — as well as ISIS’ reign of terror in different parts of Iraq — have displaced millions of people from those countries. Hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe and other countries, and many have yet to find a permanent home.

Source….BARBARA TASCH….www.business insider.com.au

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