Joke of the Day….” Why should I …” ?

A local United Way office realized that the organization had never received a donation from the town’s most successful lawyer. The person in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute.
“Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least $500,000, you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn’t you like to give back to the community in some way?”
The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied, “First, did your research also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills that are several times her annual income?”
Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbled, “Um … no.”
The lawyer interrupts, “or that my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair?”
The stricken United Way rep began to stammer out an apology, but was interrupted again.
“-or that my sister’s husband died in a traffic accident,” the lawyer’s voice rising in indignation, “leaving her penniless with three children?!”
The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, said simply, “I had no idea…”
On a roll, the lawyer cut him off once again, “So if I don’t give any money to them, why should I give any to YOU??
Source………www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Conditions may Change and Times may alter But Divinity will never Change…”

Sathya Sai Baba

What is seen by your eyes, what moves your mind, what awakens your body and what shapes your entire life is the creation around you. Gopala is well versed in tending the cows, caring for them and nurturing them. The word ‘Go’ refers to cow, earth, sensory organs, heaven, speech, etc. So Gopala can play with you and make you sing. He can move you and all others. He can protect you and make you happy. This is the aspect of Gopala, the Divine Incarnate. The act of creation and the creator are permanent and they go on forever. Conditions may change and times may alter but Divinity will never change. The most important aspect of the Divine(Paramatma) is to look after the cows (His creation), protect them and ultimately ensure they merge in Him. Hence make sincere efforts to promote the divinity that is present in you and enjoy bliss. You should persevere to elevate yourself and never let yourself slip down.

 

President Obama left a moving comment on a ‘Humans of New York’ photo from Iran…

A recent photograph of an Iranian father and his young son posted to the popular “Humans of New York” Facebook page caught the attention of US President Barack Obama.

And on Thursday, Obama — who is presiding over the biggest thaw in US-Iranian relations in decades  — left a comment on the post, saying it “really resonated” with him.

In the original post, the Iranian father wrote about how he knew he was “raising a humanitarian” when he realised his then-5-year-old son had given away two pounds of fresh apricots on their walk home. In his subsequent comment, Obama called it an “inspirational story.”

“One of the most fulfilling things that can happen to you as a parent is to see the values you’ve worked to instill in your kids start to manifest themselves in their actions,” he said. “And this one really resonated with me.”

Obama’s comment from the White House account, signed “-bo,” is below:

Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind “Humans of New York,” is currently travelling in Iran, where he’s been posting the stories of ordinary Iranians. Obama’s comment on the post came a day after he secured enough vote commitments from Democratic senators to ensure that the deal on Iran’s nuclear program would sail through Congress unscathed.

Part of Obama’s gung-ho support for the nuclear deal is the bet that the country’s citizens will lead it down a more moderate path by the time its provisions expire 10-15 years down the road. Obama alluded to this sentiment in his post.

“I’m going to continue doing whatever I can to make this world a place where he and every young person like him can live up to their full potential,” Obama wrote.

The original post is below:

“Today’s his tenth birthday. He’s a very emotional young man. He likes to solve other people’s problems. One time when he was five years old, he came with me to the store and we bought two pounds of fresh apricots. I let him carry the bag home. He walked a little bit behind me the entire way. After awhile, I asked him to hand me an apricot. ‘I can’t,’ he said. ‘I’ve given them all away.’ I knew then that I was raising a humanitarian.”

(Tabriz, Iran)

Source….BRETT LOGIURATO   ….www.businessinsider.com.au and http://www.facebook.com…Humans of Newyork site

Natarajan

” Coffee… The Fuel For You to Start Your Day…” !!!

Some of us just can’t make it through a day without our cup of coffee, and I can’t say it’s hard to see why. People call coffee “the fuel of the modern man” as a joke, but it’s not really too far form the truth. Take a look at any office during the morning hours and the majority of people will be drinking coffee. While I also love tea, there is still much to be said about the benefits and the facts you never knew about coffee:

Your body doesn’t need coffee when you wake up.

coffee facts

We naturally produce a hormone called cortisol which has a very similar effect to caffeine. This hormone is made at certain times of the day based on our circadian rhythm. It’s important to identify the best time to drink your coffee so you can enjoy its maximum efficacy.

Coffee isn’t as dehydrating as people think.

coffee facts

Caffeine was once thought to be a significant diuretic, but it’s really not true unless it’s consumed in large quantities. In fact, studies have shown that urine output isn’t significantly changed when a person drinks a caffeinated drink or a non-caffeinated drink. So as long as you enjoy your coffee in normal amounts, there’s no reason to fear dehydration.

The “powers” of coffee were discovered by goats.

coffee facts

 

According to legend, Ethiopian shepherds were the first to notice the caffeinating effects of coffee. They were herding their goats in the area where the coffee plants grow, and noticed their goats started “dancing” after eating coffee berries.

Coffee can lead to a longer and healthier life.

coffee facts

Coffee has lots of antioxidants that help our body fight chemicals called “free radicals”. Thanks to that, coffee drinkers are at a lower risk of diseases such as Parkinson’s, Type II Diabetes, and certain heart problems. However, coffee drinkers are also more likely to have unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. The study shown above has been adjusted to show what could happen if these other factors weren’t in effect.

Coffee contains important nutrients.

coffee facts

A single cup of coffee contains 11% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin B2, 6% for vitamin B5, 3% of Manganese and Potassium, and much more. As long as you drink good coffee, with no added chemicals or too much sugar, you’re doing your body a favor.

Coffee can help you burn fat.

coffee facts

Studies have proved that caffeine can increase your metabolism by 3 to 11%. It’s one of the few natural chemicals that has the power to encourage the process of burning fat.

All of the coffee is grown in the “The Coffee Belt.”

coffee facts

All the regions that have the conditions needed for coffee growing are located in The Coffee Belt. The plants require lots of sunshine and warmth and the tropical belt has plenty of those.

There’s a reason why iced coffee is more expensive

coffee facts

The resources needed for iced coffee are more numerous and more expensive than your regular coffee drink. From plastic cups, extra napkins, double brewing, and extra electricity power to make it all work. Those things add up, and so establishments charge more for their iced drinks.

Caffeine is a crystal.

coffee facts

The true form of caffeine isn’t liquid but rather tiny 0.0016-inch crystals. As small as they are, they still have a powerful energizing effect on us.

Coffee beans were once red berries.

coffee facts

coffee facts

It takes as little as ten minutes for you to start feeling the effects of caffeine after you take a sip of coffee. It’s one of the fastest effecting foods we eat and drink!

Coffee can help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s.

coffee facts

Several studies have shown that people who drink coffee are up to 65% less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease, and, as a result, are also less likely to suffer from dementia.

The most expensive coffee on Earth is made from poop.

coffee facts

The most expensive coffee types in the worlds are made from beans that have been digested. Black Ivory costs $50 per cup and is made from elephant poo. Luwak, aka civet, coffee is made by feeding coffee beans to mongoose, it costs $160 per pound.

Coffee is great for your liver.

coffee facts

People who drink four cups of coffee a day are 80% less likely to develop cirrhosis, a condition that develops from several diseases affecting the liver. However, four cups of coffee are a lot so don’t drink that much, even at smaller amounts coffee can still help protect your liver.

Coffee houses were once banned in England.

coffee facts

In 1675, King Charles II banned coffee shops and issued closing warrants, because he thought people were meeting in coffee houses to conspire against him.

Caffeine improves your performance when working out.

coffee facts

Another benefit of caffeine is that it increases your levels of adrenaline and releases fatty acids from fat tissues. This leads to better physical performances by those who consume caffeine before working out.

Source….www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

Those red berries in the picture are the coffee berries, they grow on trees and from them we get the coffee beans we need to make our favored drink.

Caffeine kicks in quickly.

This 12-Year-Old Indian Origin Girl Scored More than Einstein and Hawking in IQ Test …..

Lydia Sebastian is just 12, but she has already achieved something that hardly one percent of the people in the world can get. She has scored the highest possible points in the famous Mensa IQ test and has beaten the scores of geniuses like Einstein and Hawking.

When it comes to IQ and intelligence, we cannot skip talking about Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. But would you believe if we told you that a 12-year-old girl has beaten their IQ test scores?

Meet Lydia Sebastian, a 12-year-old Indian-origin girl from Langham, United Kingdom. She has attained a score of 162 points in the renowned mental agility test conducted by Mensa, the largest and oldest society for people with high IQs.

This is the highest score possible in the test. With this achievement, Lydia has beaten geniuses like Einstein and Hawking who had scored 160 points.

Screen Shot 2015-09-05 at 8.20.37 am

Photo: Twitter

Hailing from Kerala in India, Lydia had an interest in reading since a very young age and has always been a quick learner. When she was just a few years old, she started reading books that were meant for children several years older than her. She also started talking when she was just six months old. Not only this, she started playing violin since a tender age of four.

A student of Colchester County High School, Lydia took a year to prepare for the test and called it “easy”.

Her incredible score has put her in the top one percent of people with such high IQs. She is now applying for the membership of Mensa which is restricted to only those people whose IQ test scores are within the top two percent of all the tests.

Source……Shreya Pareek…….www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

This Daughter of a Daily Wage Labourer in Odisha Is an IES Exam Rank Holder ……

The daughter of a daily wage labourer from Odisha, has secured the 13th rank in UPSC’s IES examination. Successful after fighting many financial constraints, Aparajita Priyadarshini Behera dedicates her success to her father. This is her story.

24-year-old Aparajita Priyadarshini Behera has set a perfect example to show that financial difficulties, daily hardships and a person’s background can never come in the way of achieving whatever we want to achieve in life.

The daughter of a daily wage labourer from Odisha, Aparajita has secured an all India rank of 13 in the reputed Indian Economic Service (IES) examination conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission).

IES_f

Background image credit: Flickr

A resident of Mahanangala village in Kendrapara district, Aparajita completed her schooling from Mohanangala Primary and Kapileswar High School in the village. She then moved on to Marshaghai college near Kendrapara for plus two, and degree courses. With an urge for learning more and to progress towards her dream, she completed her Post Graduation in Economics from Utkal University. As of now, she is pursuing a PHD from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Aparajita gives the credit for her success to her father, who has been her inspiration and guide. “He sweated it out to financially support me in my studies. He never made me feel the pangs of poverty. Whatever I achieved today is only because of my father. I dedicate my all India job to him,” she was reported saying to PTI.

Her father, Amulya Kumar Behera is a 50-year-old labourer at a fertiliser plant of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO). He works on a daily pay roll basis with an assignment which is completely contractual in nature. His monthly remuneration comes to less than Rs. 10,000. But in spite of financial difficulties, he never neglected the education of his children – a son and two daughters.

Aparajita, who believes that there are no shortcuts to success, read all the required material extensively as her preparation for UPSC’s IES examination. It is her motto to serve for the country with honesty. She was nervous about the final interview, but says that the panel was very supportive and gave her the confidence to reply to all their questions.

Her family, along with the entire village including her school teachers and friends, are overjoyed with the news of her success. “We all are on cloud nine,” said her mother Jemamani to The Indian Express.

Source…….Tanaya Singh…..www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

India’s Successful Missile Testing Site, Wheeler Island Will Now Become Abdul Kalam Island …

Wheeler Island, which is considered the most advanced missile testing site in India, will be renamed after Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. For the man who was fondly called the “Missile Man”, this seems like a fitting tribute.

It has been over a month since we lost our beloved Missile Man, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. And every now and then, we keep finding different ways to pay tribute to him and to keep him alive in our memories.

This time it is the Odisha government which has paid an extra ordinary tribute to Dr. Kalam, by naming the Wheeler Island after him.

Photo: www.abdulkalam.com

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made an announcement about the decision on Monday. He said that the move will inspire youngsters to work passionately and dedicatedly in the field of science. The 2km long and 390 acres big island will now be known as Abdul Kalam Island. The island is located off the coast of Odisha and is approximately 150km from Bhubaneswar.

This is a fitting tribute to the great man since the island is considered to be the country’s most advanced missile testing site.

Wheeler Island was named after an English commandant, Lieutenant Wheeler and has been used to test many successful missiles of India including Akash Missiles, Agni Missiles, Astra Missile, BrahMos, Nirbhay, Prahaar Missile, Prithvi Missiles, Shaurya Missile, Advanced Air Defence (AAD), and Prithvi Air Defence.

Here are a few of them:

Akash Missile Launch from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Wheeler Island

island1

Advanced Air Defence Launch

island2

Shaurya Missile Launch

DRDO successfully test fired canister-launched surface-to-surface missile 'Shourya' from ITR Balasore, Orissa on November 12, 2008.

All pics: Wikipedia

Source….Shreya Pareek…..www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

 

” முப்பாட்டன் முண்டாசு கவிஞன் பாரதிக்கு …”

முப்பாட்டன் முண்டாசுக்காரனுக்கு!

‘தனியொரு மனிதனுக்கு
உணவில்லையெனில்
ஜகத்தினை அழித்திடுவோம்’
என்று மிரட்டினாய்
அரசு பயந்து அமைத்தது
அம்மா உணவகம்!

‘ஓடி விளையாடு பாப்பா’ என்றாய்
ஓயாமல் விளையாடுகிறோம்
வீடியோ கேம்!

‘ஜாதிகள் இல்லையடி பாப்பா’ என்றாய்
ஜாதிகள் இல்லாமல் போகவே செய்கிறோம்
கவுரவக் கொலைகளால்!

‘ஆடுவோமே
பள்ளு பாடுவோமே
ஆனந்த சுதந்திரம்
அடைந்து விட்டோமென்று’என்றாய்
ஆட்டமாய் ஆடி
பாடாய் படுத்துகின்றனர்
ஆட்சி, அதிகாரத்திலிருப்பவர்கள்!

‘மனதில் உறுதி வேண்டும்’ என்றாய்
நான்கு குவார்ட்டர் அடித்தாலும்
தள்ளாடாமல் நிற்பதற்கு தான்
டாஸ்மாக்கில் பயிற்சி எடுக்கிறோம்!

காணி நிலம் வேண்டும்’ என்று
ஆசை படச் சொன்னாய்…
புறம்போக்கு நிலங்களையும்
வளைத்து விட்டோம்!

‘சிங்களத் தீவினுக்கோர்
பாலம் அமைப்போம்’
என்றதை செய்து பார்த்து
சேது சமுத்திரத் திட்டத்தில்
பைசா பார்த்து விட்டோம்!

‘நெஞ்சு பொறுக்குதில்லையே’ என்று
பாடத் தான் முடிகிறது
பாலியல் வன்முறைகளைப் பார்த்து!

‘சொல்லடி சிவசக்தி…
எனை சுடர் விடும்
அறிவுடன்
ஏன் படைத்தாய்’ என்று
உன்னோடு சேர்ந்து
பாடி அழத் தான் முடிகிறது
வேறு வழியற்று!

அ. யாழினி பர்வதம்,
சென்னை.

Source…www.dinamalar.com

Natarajan

” நான் அனுமனை சொல்கிறேன் …”

ராணி மைந்தன் எழுதிய, ‘சாவி – 85’ நூலிலிருந்து: பக்தவத்சலம் அப்போது தமிழக முதல்வராக இருந்தார். பதவியை துறந்து, கட்சி பணியாற்ற வேண்டும் என்ற, ‘காமராஜர் திட்ட’த்தின் கீழ், முதல்வர் பதவியில் இருந்து காமராஜர் விலகிய பின், முதல்வராக பொறுப்பேற்றார் பக்தவத்சலம். ‘தமிழக மக்களிடையே நல்ல பண்புகளும், பழக்க வழக்கங்களும் வளர வேண்டுமானால், நம் புராண இதிகாசக் கதைகளை கதாகாலட்சேபம், நாடகம் வாயிலாக, பட்டி தொட்டியெங்கும் பரப்பும் முயற்சிகளை மேற்கொள்ள வேண்டும்…’ என்ற யோசனையை, திருவையாற்றில் வெளியிட்டார் முதல்வர் பக்தவத்சலம்.
டில்லியில், காமராஜருடன் தங்கியிருந்த போது, பக்தவத்சலம் கூறிய இந்த யோசனை பற்றி சாவி குறிப்பிட்டு, ‘இதற்கு நீங்கள் தான் முயற்சி எடுக்க வேண்டும்…’ என்று கேட்டுக் கொண்டார். ‘என்ன செய்யலாங்கறீங்க?’ என்று கேட்டார் காமராஜர்.
‘நீங்க அனுமதி கொடுத்தால், தேனாம்பேட்டை காங்கிரஸ் மைதானத்தில், வாரியார் சுவாமிகளை வைத்து, ராமாயணக் கதை சொல்ல சொல்லலாம்; எஸ்.வி.சகஸ்ரநாமத்தை, அரிச்சந்திரா நாடகம் போடச் சொல்லலாம். அப்புறம், இதை தமிழகம் முழுவதும் கொண்டு போகலாம்…’ என்று, சாவி சொன்ன யோசனை, காமராஜருக்கு ரொம்பவும் பிடித்துப் போயிற்று.
‘சரி, நீங்களே செய்யுங்க; ஒரு கமிட்டி போட்டுக்குங்க…’ என்று, கணமும் தாமதியாமல் அனுமதி வழங்கி விட்டார் காமராஜர்.
சென்னை வந்ததும், இதற்கென ஒரு கமிட்டியை அமைத்தார் சாவி. ‘சத்திய சபா’ என்று பெயர் சூட்டப்பட்டது. அதன் தலைவராக இருக்கச் சம்மதித்தார் காமராஜர். செயலர் பொறுப்பை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டார் சாவி. வாசன் உபதலைவராகவும், ரத்னம் ஐயர், லிப்கோ சர்மா போன்றோர், கமிட்டி அங்கத்தினர்களாகவும் நியமிக்கப்பட்டு, அடுத்த நாளே வேலை வேகமாக ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டது.
திட்டமிட்டபடி, காங்கிரஸ் மைதானம் மேடு, பள்ளங்கள் திருத்தப்பட்டு, மின் விளக்குகள் பொருத்தப்பட்டு விழாக் கோலம் பூண்டது. ஏ.வி.எம்.செட்டியார், முகப்பு வாயிலை, பிரபல ஓவியர் சேகரை கொண்டு, அலங்கரித்துக் கொடுத்தார். அவ்வையார் படத்துக்காக உருவாக்கப்பட்ட, மிகப்பெரிய பிள்ளையார் சிலையை, ராமாயணக் கதை நடக்கும் இடத்தில் வைத்துக் கொள்ள அனுமதி வழங்கினார் வாசன்.
பக்தவத்சலம் கொடியேற்றி வைக்க, விழாவைத் துவக்கி வைத்தார், அப்போது சென்னை கவர்னராக இருந்த மைசூர் மகாராஜா. ராமாயணக் கதைகளை, கலகலப்பாக சொல்ல துவங்கினார் வாரியார். தொடர்ந்து, 40 நாட்கள்… இடையிடையே, சகஸ்ரநாமத்தின் நாடகங்கள், தினமும் கூட்டம் அதிகமாகிக் கொண்டே போய், மைதானம் நிரம்பி வழிந்தது. எவ்வளவு பேர் வந்தும் என்ன… கதை கேட்க, காமராஜர் வராமலிருக்கிறாரே என்ற குறை சாவிக்கும், வாரியாருக்கும், மற்ற கமிட்டி அங்கத்தினர்களுக்கும் இருந்தது.
ஒருநாள் திடீரென, ‘இன்று கதை கேட்க காமராஜர் வருகிறார்…’ என்று டெலிபோனில் தகவல் வந்தது.
இதை வாரியாரிடம், சாவி சொல்ல, வாரியாருக்கு மகிழ்ச்சி தாங்கவில்லை. அன்று, அனுமன் ஆற்றல் பற்றி, விஸ்தாரமாகப் பேசினார் வாரியார்…
‘தன்னிடம் எந்தக் காரியத்தை ஒப்படைத்தாலும், அதை வெற்றிகரமாகச் சாதிக்க கூடியவர் அனுமர். காரணம், அவர் ஒரு பிரம்மசாரி. பிரம்மசாரிகள் எப்போதுமே, தங்களிடம் ஒப்படைக்கப்படும் பொறுப்புகளை, வெற்றிகரமாக செய்யக் கூடிய ஆற்றலும், வல்லமையும் பெற்றவர்கள்…’ என்று, அவர் சொல்லிக் கொண்டிருந்த தருணத்தில், அரங்கத்துக்குள் நுழைந்தார் காமராஜர்.
காமராஜர் வரும் திக்கு நோக்கி ஆவலோடு திரும்பிப் பார்த்து, ஆரவாரித்தனர் கூட்டத்தினர். ‘நான் அனுமனைச் சொல்கிறேன்… நீங்கள் யாரை எண்ணி மகிழ்கிறீர்களோ…’ என்று வாரியார், தமக்கே உரிய பாணியில் ஒரு போடு போடவும், கூட்டத்தினர் செய்த ஆரவாரமும், எழுப்பிய கரவொலியும் அடங்க வெகு நேரமாயிற்று!

Source…www.dinamalar.com

Natarajan