Prime Minister Narendra Modi created quite a buzz on Sunday when he greeted US President Barack Obama at the airport.
PM Modi’s warm welcome was captured in photo and then put up on his official Facebook page. Within minutes of its upload, the image got a lot of love from other users and one of the likes was from none other than the founder of Facebook – Mark Zuckerberg.
Around 11 am, the photograph had received 11.38 lakh and 29,497 comments.
There are four components in the term ‘Ceiling on Desires.’ They are – curb on excessive talk, curb on excessive desires and expenditure, control of consumption of food, check on waste of energy. You need some essential commodities for your sustenance. You should not aspire for more. Learn a lesson in this respect from Nature. Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good. If it is excessive and there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable. When you are thirsty, you can consume only a limited quantity of water. You can’t consume the entire Ganga! Doctors know that the body temperature is normally 98.4. If this goes up to 99 they say fever has set in due to some disorder in the body. So you find that if you cross the limits even to a little extent it is dangerous or harmful.
A young Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, Wing Commander Pooja Thakur, created history on Sunday, becoming the first woman officer to lead a tri-services Guard of Honour in a small and impressive military ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday morning.
US President Barack Obama’s Cadillac “the Beast” was received at the gate of the Rashtrapati Bhavan by a cavalcade of the President’s Bodyguards dressed in bright red with contrasting blue turbans; they formed a ring around the presidential vehicle and escorted him to the forecourt.
A battalion of men from the Army, Air Force and Navy, led by Wg Cdr Thakur, gave the ceremonial Guard of Honour, after which Obama inspected them.
Commissioned in the IAF in 2001, Thakur is posted to the IAF’s publicity cell Disha, looking after the recruitment of officers. Daughter of a retired Army Colonel, she hails from Rajasthan.
“It is a proud moment for me to give the Guard of Honour to the world’s most powerful man. Right from our training days, we are treated just like male officers, so we are officers first and women later,” she said.
For the first time, the three services picked all-woman marching contingents for the Republic Day parade, in keeping with the theme of Nari Shakti (woman power).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presenting a reproduction of telegram sent by U.S. to the Indian Constituent Assembly in 1946 to U.S. President Barack Obama, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Sunday.
The telegram was sent by the then Acting Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, to Sachchidananda Sinha, provisional Chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday gifted President Barack Obama a piece of India-U.S. history, a copy of the first telegram from the United States to India’s Constituent Assembly in 1946.
The telegram was sent by the then Acting Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, to Sachchidananda Sinha, provisional Chairman of the Constituent Assembly. Mr. Modi presented the copy after he received Mr. Obama at Hyderabad House.
The copy was the reproduction of the telegram read out at the inaugural sitting of the Constituent Assembly on December 9, 1946.
In the telegram, Acheson said: “With the approach of December 9, I extend to you as provisional Chairman of the Constituent Assembly and through you to the Indian people the sincere good wishes of the United States Government … and of the people of United States for a successful conclusion of the great task you are about to undertake. India has a great contribution to make to the peace, stability and cultural advancement of mankind and your deliberations will be watched with deep interest and hope by freedom-loving people throughout the entire world.”
Each day you hear of tales of bravery and courage. However, these children — –showed great courage and put their own lives in danger to save the lives of others. For this, the country has bestowed upon them the bravery award for their great valour and spirit of selflessness.
Here are some of their unmatched tales of valour.
1) Mhonbeni Ezung
Mhonbeni Ezung, 8, was given the national bravery award for rescuing her grandmother from a river when she fell into in at Wokha village in Nagaland. She is the youngest recipient of the award this year. After Ezung’s grandmother fell into the river, the little girl managed to pull her out of the five and half feet deep water. Later she fed her grandmother and ran to a nearby village and, returned with locals who took the grandmother to a hospital.
2) Resham Fatima
On February 1 2014, Resham Fatma, a 17-year-old resident of Lucknow, was on the way to tuitions when her uncle Riaz Ahmed, picked her up at knife-point. He took her to a highway and threatened her to marry him. Upon refusing, he poured concentrated sulphuric acid over her head. She suffered serious burns but Resham still took an auto which dropped her to a nearby police station. The uncle was arrested a week later.
3) Zeal Marathe
Zeel Jitendra Marathe, resident of Vadodara, Gujarat, saved some kids in a bus accident. On February 20 last year, she and some other kids were going for a picnic to Shivrajpur along with their school teachers. While returning, the driver lost control of the bus due to which the bus fell towards its right and continued to drag for around 100 kms. The kids started falling from their seats. Upon seeing, Zeal managed to come out of the bus and save a few other children. She called up police and ambulance and tried to keep the other kids conscious.
4) Gunjan Sharma
Gunjan Sharma 13, was conferred the award for offering herself to hostage taker to save friends. The incident took place in December 2013 when she along with her classmates were abducted in Assam’s Simaluguri area. Sharma, the daughter of a businessman, has told the media that the gunman had stuffed a pistol into her mouth to prevent her from responding when security personnel called out her name during a search operation inside the jungle along the Assam-Nagaland border. Eventually, the gunman freed her.
5) Devesh Kumar
The Sanjay Chopra Award for 2014 will be conferred on 16-year old Devesh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh who was shot in the stomach while he chased two chain-snatchers running away with jewellery stolen from his school principal. “I will always chase bad people and protect the weak,” he said.
6) Rumoh Meto
Rumoh Meto of Arunachal Pradesh was given the award for saving a 32-year-old who was stuck to a 33 KV high voltage line.
The year of 2015 has been declared the International Year of Light (IYL) by the United Nations. Organizations, institutions, and individuals involved in the science and applications of light will be joining together for this yearlong celebration to help spread the word about the wonders of light.
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory explores the universe in X-rays, a high-energy form of light. By studying X-ray data and comparing them with observations in other types of light, scientists can develop a better understanding of objects likes stars and galaxies that generate temperatures of millions of degrees and produce X-rays.
To recognize the start of IYL, the Chandra X-ray Center is releasing a set of images that combine data from telescopes tuned to different wavelengths of light. From a distant galaxy to the relatively nearby debris field of an exploded star, these images demonstrate the myriad ways that information about the universe is communicated to us through light.
In this image, an expanding shell of debris called SNR 0519-69.0 is left behind after a massive star exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. Multimillion degree gas is seen in X-rays from Chandra, in blue. The outer edge of the explosion (red) and stars in the field of view are seen in visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The greatness of an individual depends on the cultural perfection attained. ‘Culture’ does not connote mere diligence. It means the removal of evil thoughts and propensities, and the promotion of good thoughts and qualities. It is important that young students live a life characterised by peace and self-control so that they will have a peaceful and contented life later as a citizen. Human life is comparable to a tree and the kinsmen of the individual to its branches. On these branches the flowers of thoughts and feelings blossom. These flowers gradually develop into fruits of good qualities and virtues. The nectarine juice present in these fruits is character. Without roots and fruits, a tree is mere firewood. Self-confidence is the root of the tree of life and character, its fruit. With the hope that you will all become exemplary citizens, purify your hearts and reform society, I bless you all.
In the background is sea smoke – formed when very cold air moves over warmer water – and the rocky Isles of Shoals.
Josh Blash captured this shot early on a mid-January, 2015 morning – at the harbor in Rye, New Hampshire. Doesn’t that owl look chilly? Josh wrote:
I went out to see a cold sunrise this morning at the harbor. While I was out, I saw this snowy owl enjoying the cold, but it wasn’t long before it spread its wings and launched into flight. In the background is sea smoke over the ocean and the Isles of Shoals.
So you know how sometimes you refuse to give in to pressure and stick to what you believe in? Lola, this 15-month-old toddler believes in standing on a table too high for her while her daddy tried to get her to come down.
He expressed his disapproval, while she expressed her disapproval of his disapproval. So basically if you are still confused, they both argue relentlessly and stand their ground, with the baby standing a little higher than she ought to.
Like lawyers hot on a case, each try to argue their side of the story with volumes and pitches rising by the minute till the toddler becomes SO frustrated that she resigns herself to muted mumbling and dejected hand-waving. The video ends with daddy bodily picking Lola off the table, as we well knew it might.
This video posted by Gareth Roe on his YouTube channel has received over a million views, and counting, since January 17, 2015.
First-class airline tickets are expensive. Prices can easily reach $US15,000 a flight, and that’s not even for the really opulent first-class suites that have become more prevalent on the most prestigious carriers.
Those go for as much as $US30,000.
Just for the sake of comparison, Mercedes-Benz is offering its CLA sedan — an entire car — for $US29,995.
For that kind of money, passengers in first class expect a fine glass of champagne, in-flight entertainment, and an environment free from … dried-on stains and thick layers of dust.
That’s why a YouTube video posted by British journalist Owen Thomas last weekend was so shocking. (CNN originally reported Thomas’ experience.)
In the 29-second video — which has garnered more than 1 million views — Thomas documented his “filthy” first-class experience on board a British Airways jet from London to St. Lucia.
Thomas grows increasingly annoyed as he shows off the “cheap, motel-esque” dried stains and deep layers of dust that encrust his very expensive seat.
“This is British Airways first class and it is absolutely filthy,” the enraged journalist says in the video. “You see the marks on here you can just scrape off with you finger.”
“It’s when you open your seat, the real horror begins. This is first class. This is British Airways first class. It’s disgusting,” Thomas added.
British Airways didn’t let the video pass without comment.
“We have contacted our customer to apologise. We are very sorry that on this occasion we have fallen short of our usual high standards,” a representative for the airline told the Telegraph.
“We pride ourselves on delivering a relaxing and pleasant experience in first class, and are taking immediate action to address this issue.”
Thomas’ encounter with what looks like a fairly offensive level of filth is alarming, given that BA has built a solid reputation in recent years for quality service, especially in the first class cabins. After all, the airline’s motto is “To Fly, To Serve.”
But this incident seems to be the exception rather than the rule. British Airways is a Skytrax four-star airline, and reviews for the carrier’s service are generally positive.
And besides, it’s not as if YouTube is jammed with videos about poorly cleaned first-class seats — on BA’s planes or anyone else’s.
SOURCE::::: BENJAMIN ZHANG in www.businessinsider.com .au and YOU TUBE
Take off with Natarajan 