The best answer to the question asked in an interview, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?”
. . . “In the mirror as always . . ”
SOURCE:::joke a day .com
Natarajan
environment
Picture of the Day… Hon.PM with Children @ Brisbane on Children”s Day…
Interacting with students at the venue, the Prime Minister said he is fortunate to be meeting them on the 125th birth anniversary of India`s first Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru.
Natarajan
” Philae probe drills into comet, turns toward light…”
The spacecraft that landed on a comet performed two tricky maneuvers Friday, by drilling into the rocky surface and rotating itself to catch more sunlight.
Both operations carried considerable risks, because they could have toppled the probe or pushed it out into the void. But without them the Philae lander that scored a historic first by touching down on a comet Wednesday risked skipping a key scientific experiment and running out of battery.
Scientists at the European Space Agency said the maneuvers appeared to have worked.
“My rotation was successful (35 degrees). Looks like a whole new comet from this angle,” read a message posted on the lander’s official Twitter account.
Earlier, the scientists tweeted: “First comet drilling is a fact!”
Since landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko some 311 million miles (500 million kilometers) away, the lander has performed a series of tests and sent reams of data, including photos, back to Earth.
But with just two or three days of power in its primary battery, the lander has to rely on solar panels to generate electricity after that.
The space agency said late Friday that the batteries eventually depleted and without enough sunlight to recharge them, Philae fell into ‘idle mode,’ and all instruments and most of the systems on board shut down.
However, “Prior to falling silent, the lander was able to transmit all science data gathered during the First Science Sequence,” said Stephan Ulamec, lander manager.
Scientists were concerned to find Thursday that not only had Philae unexpectedly bounced twice before coming to rest untethered to the surface, but photos indicated it was next to a cliff that largely blocked sunlight from reaching two of its three solar panels.
With time running out, scientists decided to risk moving the lander and performing one of the most important experiments it was sent into space for.
Material beneath the surface of the comet has remained almost unchanged for 4.5 billion years, making the mining samples a cosmic time capsule that scientists are eager to study.
Mission controllers said Philae was able to bore 25 centimeters (10 inches) into the comet to start collecting the samples, but it’s unclear whether it has enough power to deliver any information on them.
It also wasn’t immediately clear whether the rotation had succeeded in putting the lander’s solar panels out of the shadow. Scientists are likely to know for sure early Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Rosetta — Philae’s mother ship, which is streaking through space in tandem with the comet — will use its 11 instruments to analyze the comet over the coming months.
Scientists hope the $1.6 billion (1.3 billion-euro) project that was launched a decade ago will help them answer questions about the origins of the universe and life on Earth.
Communication with the lander is slow, with signals taking more than 28 minutes to travel between Earth and Rosetta.
“Let’s stop looking at things that we could have done if everything had worked properly,” said flight director Andrea Accomazzo. “Let us look at things that we have done, what we have achieved and what we have on the ground. This is unique and will be unique forever.”
___
Online: http://www.esa.int/rosetta
SOURCE::::__ | Associated Press IN https://in.news.yahoo.com_
Natarajan
Associated Press writers David Rising and Frank Jordans in Berlin and Dave Bryan in New York contributed to this report.
Message For the Day…” Understand The Logical Basis of Advaita..”
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A flower has many petals. These petals appear distinct from each other. But all petals have emerged from the same single stem. The stem is the seat of the Atma, from which the petals have emanated. But we view the flower as a single object. The flower is one, but the petals are many. Same analogy is applicable to the endless number of waves arising on the ocean. The waves are many and distinct. But they are of the same stuff as the ocean. From the waves arises the foam, which has the same properties as the waves and the ocean though different in form and name. All the three are based on the ocean. This is the logical basis forAdvaita (philosophy of non-dualism). The Atma is the basis for everything. Ignoring this truth people pursue the myriad ephemeral objects of the phenomenal world, but ultimately all come to a realisation of the Atmic Principle.
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” Home is Where the Address Proof is… “
I came to live in Chennai 14 years ago with Rs. 40,000 of my father’s hard-earned money, which remained concealed throughout the train journey in a special pocket sewn onto my vest by my mother (at that time, electronic transfer of money was unheard of and ATMs were almost non-existent).
I was aware that landlords in Chennai usually demand 10 months’ rent in advance; and I had no one to turn to except my father, who nursed an unexplained fondness for the city and was happy to help his son settle down there.
It took me about 10 days to find a house to my liking. By then the bundle of notes had thinned down to almost half. But fortunately for me, the landlord asked for only five months’ rent as deposit. With whatever little money was left after paying the broker, I bought a mattress and a pillow and — on February 1, 2001 — moved into Kamakoti Flats on Murugesan Street in T. Nagar. I formally became a resident of Chennai, with an address of my own.
Kamakoti Flats has been my home ever since. This piece, needless to say, is being written in the building, in the same silence of the night that gave me company for 14 years. But by the time it appears in print, I would have moved out to another street nearby. The ‘packers and movers’ arrive tomorrow morning.
I am suddenly facing an identity crisis. Countless articles may have appeared under my byline; my name may appear on the spines of three books; but my identity is invalid without an ‘address proof’. For nearly every basic requirement in life — from opening a bank account to buying life insurance to getting a phone connection, not to mention applying for a loan — you need to prove that you reside in a certain address; and now that I am moving out of the address that had served as the proof of my identity for 14 years, I will have to start from scratch.
And all this while, I toiled night after night, believing that I was building an identity for myself.
Keywords: Writer’s block column, life in Chennai
SOURCE:::: BISHWANATH GHOSH in http://www.thehindu.com
Natarajan
” Catherine Destivelle Climbing Solo in Mali…” Incredible and Amazing !!!
This pre-YouTube video is of Catherine Destivelle soloing in Mali. Filmed in 1987, High Magazine commented,
“the film Seo of her soloing on a sandstone cliff in the Mali desert is one that has been seen worldwide and the one clear image that has stuck in the minds of the general public in Britain”.
This was undoubtedly true at the time, and most climbers of a certain generation will have seen this film before, however now that video is ubiquitous across the internet, it is easy to forget such classics as this.
The film examines the local people, the Dogons of Sanga, for whom climbing is part of their everyday life. Catherine is fascinated by these people, and they admire her daring solo climbs.
SOURCE:::: Jack Geldard – Editor – UKC in http://www.ukclimbing.com
Natarajan
“அப்ப எங்களுக்கும் குரு நீங்கதானே …” !!!
1939 ஜூனில் காசி யாத்திரையின் முடிவாக ஸ்ரீசரணாள் வடபுலத்திலிருந்து திரும்பி தென்கோடியான ராமேஸ்வரம் சென்றுகொண்டிருக்கறார். ஏறக்குறைய இறுதிக்கட்டம். திருப்புனவாயிலைக் கடந்து தேவிபட்டணம் போகும் வழி..
சுக்ரவார பூஜை பொருத்தமாக தேவிபட்டணத்தில் ஏற்பாடாகியிருந்தத. அதற்குத்தான் விரைகிறார்..
ஆயின் தேவி அங்கே காளிரூபம் கொண்டிருப்பதாக அல்லவோ தோன்றுகிறது?
அங்கு ஊராட்சி முக்யஸ்தர் ஒரு முஸ்லீம் மரைக்காயர்.. வெளிப்படவே ஐக்கிய இந்தியக் கொள்கையிலும், ஹிந்து மதத்தாரிடமும் முஸ்லீம் லீக் பகமை பாராட்டி வந்த அந்நாளில் அவர் அங்கு ஒரு பெரிய கட்சிக்கூட்டத்திறகு ஏற்பாடு செய்திருந்தார். அதன் தொண்டர்கள் ஹிந்து சமுதாயத்தின் விஷயமாக குண்டர்களே ஆகித் தெருக்களில் ஆயுதமும் கையுமாக அன்று செய்த தர்பாரில் ஊரே கிடுகிடுத்துக் கொண்டிருந்தது. ஹிந்துக்கள் நடுநடுங்கிக்கொண்டருந்தனர்.
செல்லும் வழியில் ஸ்ரீசரணாளுக்குச் செய்தி வந்தது. பயணத்தைத் தொடராமல், இருந்த இடத்திலேயே அப்போதைக்கு ‘நிப்பாட்டி’ விடலாம்; தேவிபட்டணத்தில் கூட்டம் முடிந்து, ஊர் அமைதிக்குத் திரும்பியபின்னர் மீண்டும் பயணம் மேற்கொள்ளலாம்; வேறு வழியில்லை என்று அனைவரும் கருதினர்.
அந்த அனைவர் கருத்தும் எந்த ஒருவரின் அங்கீகாரத்தில்தான காரியமாகுமோ, அவர் ஏதும் சொல்லாமலே மோன சாந்த விக்ரஹமாக, ஆயினும் உத்ஸவ விக்ரஹமாக மேலே சென்று கொண்டேயிருந்தார்.
அதே வழியில் அந்த மரைக்காயரே எதிர்ப்படும்படி நேர்ந்தது! கூட்டத்திற்கான ஏற்பாடுகளைச் சுற்றுப்பிரதேசங்கலும் செய்து விட்டு அவர் திரும்புகையில் ஸ்ரீசரணாரின் பரிவாரம் வருவதைக் கண்டார்!
பரிவாரத்திடை வந்த பரமரையும் கண்டார்.
எப்படிக் கண்டார்? மைத்ரீ தேவதையாகவேதான் கண்டிருக்கவேண்டும
பெரியவாளிடம் நெருங்கி வந்து பெரிதாகக் கும்பிட்டு நின்றார். அவர் நெஞ்சமெல்லாம் பக்தி பூரிக்க உருகியிருந்தது வெளிப்பார்வைக்கே தெரிந்தது.
முதல் தரிசன மாத்திரத்தில் முழு மனமாற்றம்! மாறு நினைத்த மனம் அன்பிலே கொண்ட அதிசய மாற்றம்!
தற்செயலாகக் கிடைத்த தரிசனம் தாம் எதிர்பார்க்காத அமைதியையும், இன்பத்தையும் ஊட்டியதை அவருக்குத் தெரிந்த மொழிநடையில் உணர்ச்சியுடன் பெரியவாளிடம் தெரிவித்தார்.
“நம்ம ஊர்ல சாமி வந்து பூசை பண்றது பாக்கியங்க! எங்களைச் சேர்ந்தவங்களுக்கு சொல்றேங்க! என்ன பணியானாலும் செஞ்சு குடுப்பாங்க. சாமி நல்லா நம்ம ஊர்ல இருந்து, எங்களுக்கெல்லாம் அருளு பண்ணிட்டுப் போகணுங்க” என்று வேண்டிக் கொண்டார்.
“உங்க மனஸுப்படியே ஆகட்டும்!” என்று ஸ்ரீசரணர் நெகிழ்ந்து கூறி ஆசி வழங்கினார்.
ஒருபுறம் லீக் கூட்டம் அமைதியாகவே நடக்க, மறுபுறம் தேவியின்—காளி ரூபத்தில் அல்ல; ஸௌம்ய லலிதா ரூபத்திலேயே உள்ள தேவியின்——பூஜையும் கோலாஹலமாக நடந்தேறியது.
அன்னையன்பின் வடிவான அவதார அன்னைக்குச் செய்யும் பூஜை மணிக்கணக்கில் நீள்வதுண்டுதானே? அப்படித்தான் அன்றும் நடந்தது.
கூட்டம் முடிந்த பின்னும், பூஜை நடப்பதறிந்த மரைக்காயர் தம் முஸ்லீம் பரிவாரத்துடன் முகாமுக்கு வந்து, அவர்களோடு வெளியே காத்திருந்து, தாங்கள் கொண்டு வந்திருந்த ஏராளமான பழக்கூடைகள், பூக்கூடைகள், கட்டுக்கட்டாக ஊதுபத்தி, புட்டி புட்டியாக அத்தர், பன்னீர் முதலானவற்றை உள்ளே அனுப்பி வைத்தார்.
பூஜை முடிந்ததும் நேரே பெரியவாள் அவர்களுக்குத் தரிசனம் வழங்கத்தான் வந்தார். எப்போதுமே அன்னையன்புக்கு மூர்த்தமான அவரது திருவுருவம் இதுபோன்ற அன்னை வழிபாட்டிற்குப் பின்னோ முன்னிலும் அன்பு மெருகேறி ஜ்வலிப்பது வழக்கம். இன்றோ அந்த வழக்கத்திற்கும் அதிகமான அன்பொளி வீச வந்து நின்று, திருநயனத்தால் அதனை அவர்களுக்கு அள்ளித் தெளித்தார்.
அப்போதும், அன்னிய மதத்தினர், அன்று சில மணிகள் முன்பு கூட, என்ன அநியாயம் செய்வரோ என்று அஞ்ச வைத்தவர்கள், கனிந்த மனத்தோடு, கனியும் மலரும், மணமிகு மற்ற கையுறைகளும் கொண்டுவந்து கொட்டிப் பணிந்தவாறிருந்தனர
‘அன்னியோன்னியம்’ என்று ஒரு அழகான சொல். அன்னியம் என்பது அன்னியமாகிவிடும் ஆரன்பைக் காட்டும் சொல். அதற்கு அற்புதச் சான்றாயிருந்தது அந்த நிகழ்ச்சி.
“இத்தனை அன்பா நீங்க செய்யறதை நான் ஸந்தோஷமா ஏத்துக்கத்தான் வேணும். ஆனாலும் இவ்வளவு தாங்குமா’ன்னு இருக்கு!” என்று உள்ளத்திலிருந்து கூறினார் ஸ்ரீசரணர்.
“ஏங்க தாங்காம?” என்றார் மரைக்காயர், பரம பவ்யமாக. “ சாமியை செகத்து குரு—வுன்னு சொன்னாங்க. அப்ப எங்களுக்கும் குருதானுங்களே! நாங்க என்னதான் செய்யக் கூடாது?” என்றார் அந்த முஸ்லீம் அன்பர் !!
SOURCE:::::www.periva.proboards.com
Natarajan
Read more: http://periva.proboards.com/thread/3928/grace-love-muslim-brethern#ixzz3J3GBZZGy
Joke of the Day…” You are too Drunk …” !!!
An obnoxious drunk stumbles into the front door of a bar and orders a drink, the bartender says, “No way buddy you’re too drunk.”
A few minutes later the drunk comes in through the bathrooms, again he slurs, “give me a drink”, bartender says “No man I told you last time you’re too drunk”
Five minutes later the guy comes in through the back door and orders a drink, again the bartender says, “You’re too drunk”
The drunk scratches his head and says “Damn I must be… the last two places said the same thing.”
SOURCE::: joke a day.com
Natarajan
Message For the Day…” One”s Speech Should Be Soft and Sweet …”
You have immense potency within you. Like the light that illumines, your vision must be pure, sacred and pleasing. Do not taint or pollute the blessing of sight by looking at undesirable objects, or by looking with bad thoughts. A magnetic energy circulates in you. Although this energy is present throughout the body, its presence is conspicuous in the hand. Hence the hands should be employed for good purposes. They should never be used for harming others. The ears listen to gossip, slander and evil talk. The result is that the power of hearing gets polluted. Also the power of speech. This power finds expression in sound waves and it has to be used with great care. The words one utters should be examined to see that they do not excite, irritate or anger others. Bad words come back to the speaker with double strength. Hence one’s speech should be soft and sweet.
” The War and Beyond… Aviation History Month …. November ” ….
Aviation History Month is still underway, and this week we’re looking at airlines from 1940 – 1960. Despite World War II ongoing during the first quarter of the period, aviation still saw a great deal of progression and many new airlines commenced operation.
July 1940 saw the first operational flight of the Boeing Stratoliner which became the first aircraft to fly with a pressurised cabin. The aircraft flew up to 20,000 feet avoiding turbulence, from Miami, Florida to Latin America.
The Gloster ‘Whittle’ E28/39 first flew on May 15 1941 as the first successful jet aircraft, with the engine designed by Frank Whittle.
April 1947 saw United Airlines introducing the Douglas DC-6 aircraft, the first commercial postwar aircraft to feature full-cabin pressurisation.
In March 1949, Luck Lady II made the first non-stop flight around the world. The Boeing B-50A was in the air for 94 hours and one minute, was refuelled four times by strategically positioned B-29s before touching down.
But to continue our theme, Routesonline have taken a look at some of the airlines that began operation between the periods of 1940 – 1960.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines System, as it was originally named, was founded in 1946 and is now the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. It was created after three airlines from Sweden, Denmark and Norway formed a partnership to handle the intercontinental air traffic. By the end of 1947, Scandinavian Airlines had carried more than 18,000 passengers over the Atlantic. This figure was far beyond the 3675 passengers SAS had forecasted for the time.
SAS Saab 90A-2 Scandia, Arne Viking SE-BSK, ready for takeoff [Image by SAS]
Japan Airlines
The national flag carrier commenced operations in 1951, and in the October of the same year launched the first private domestic airline service in Japan during the postwar period with Northwest Airlines in charge of flight operations. The Martin 202 “Mokusei” was the first aircraft to enter service, but in 1952, it crashed on Mt. Mihara in Izu Oshima, killing all 37 passengers on board.
Japan Airlines launches a Boeing 747 jumbo jet (1970) [Image by The Guardian]
Lufthansa
Although the airline originally traces its history to 1926 as the airline ‘Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G’, it was suspended in 1945 following the defeat of Germany in WWII. In order to create a new national airline, a company called Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf (Luftag) founded a new airline in 1953, using many of the staff that worked at the defunct national flag carrier. On 6 August 1954, Luftag acquired the name and logo from the liquidated Deutsche Lufthansa.
The flagship of the Lufthansa fleet: the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation. Their characteristic vertical stabilizers made these aircraft unmistakable. [Image by Lufthansa]
Austrian Airlines
When Austria regained sovereignty over its airspace in 1955 with the signature of the State Treaty, two separate carriers were founded, Air Austria and Austrian Airways. On 4 April 1957, the two companies finally merged to form a single airline, Austrian Airlines.The airline began operations in 1958 with its first service from Vienna – London with one of four chartered Vickers Viscount 779 aircraft.
Austrian Airlines Douglas DC9-MD81 [Image by Austrian Airlines]
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SOURCE::::
Poppy Marello, IN http://www.routesonline.com
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