Source….unknown….input from a friend of mine
Natarajan
Health
Pilot explains what it really means when there’s turbulence during a flight….
Turbulence is far and away the top concern of nervous flyers.
If you’re among those seeking reassurance, please refer to my earlier essay on the topic, a version of which also appears in chapter two of the my book. Many anxious passengers have found this discussion helpful.
In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and reiterate some points:
Turbulence is far and away the top concern of nervous flyers.
In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and reiterate some points:
1. First and foremost, turbulence is, for lack of a better term, normal. Every flight, every day, will encounter some degree of rough air, be it a few light burbles or a more pronounced and consistent chop that sometimes gets your coffee spilling and the plates rattling in the galley. From a pilot’s perspective, garden-variety turbulence is seen as a comfort and convenience issue, not a safety issue per se. It’s annoying, but it is not dangerous.
2. In rare circumstances, however, it’s worse, to the point where a plane’s occupants can be injured or, even more uncommonly, aircraft components can be damaged. How rare? Put it this way: The type of encounter that United and Cathay ran into is the sort of thing even the most frequent flyer will not experience in a lifetime. And of the small number of passengers injured each year, the vast majority of them are people who did not have their seat belts on when they should have.
3. Can turbulence occur unexpectedly — or, as the news people have been embellishing it, “out of nowhere”? Yes. Pilots receive weather and turbulence forecasts prior to flight; once aloft we get periodic updates from our dispatchers and meteorologists on the ground. We have weather radar in the cockpit, as well as our eyes to see and avoid the worst weather. And perhaps most helpful of all, we receive real-time reports from nearby aircraft. With all of these tools at our disposal, we have a pretty good idea of the where, when, and how bad of the bumps. But every so often they happen without warning. Almost always it’s a mild nuisance, but the lesson here is to always have your belt fastened, even when conditions are smooth.
4. Do pilots keep their belts fastened in the cockpit? Yes, always. Is this one of those things that, well, hey, we sometimes ignore and get lackadaisical about? No, and neither should you.
5. For what it’s worth, thinking back over the whole history of modern commercial aviation, I cannot recall a single jetliner crash caused by turbulence, strictly speaking. Maybe there have been one or two, but airplanes are engineered to withstand an extreme amount of stress, and the amount of turbulence required to, for instance, tear off a wing, is far beyond anything you’ll ever experience.
6. During turbulence, the pilots are not fighting the controls. Planes are designed with what we call positive stability, meaning that when nudged from their original point in space, by their nature they wish to return there. The best way of handling rough air is to effectively ride it out, hands-off. (Some autopilots have a turbulence mode that desensitizes the system, to avoid over-controlling.) It can be uncomfortable, but the jet is not going to flip upside down.
7. Be wary of analogies. You might hear somebody compare turbulence to “driving over a rough road,” or to “a ship in rough seas.” I don’t like these comparisons, because potholes routinely pop tires, break axles and ruin suspensions, while ships can be capsized or swamped. There are no accurate equivalents in the air.
8. Be wary of passenger accounts in news stories. Not to insult anyone’s powers of observation, but people have a terrible habit of misinterpreting and exaggerating the sensations of flight, particularly if they’re scared. Even in considerably bumpy air — what a pilot might call “moderate turbulence,” a plane is seldom displaced in altitude by more than 20 feet, and usually less. Passengers might feel the plane “plummeting” or “diving” — words the media can’t get enough of — when in fact it’s hardly moving.
9. Will climate change increase the number of severe turbulence encounters? Possibly, but in the meantime remember there are also more airplanes flying than ever before. The worldwide jetliner fleet has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and it continues to grow. It stands to reason that as the number of flights goes up, the number of incidents will also go up, regardless of changes in the weather.
Read the original article on AskThePilot.com. Copyright 2015. Follow AskThePilot.com onTwitter.
Source…….Patrick Smith…ask the pilot.com ….www.businessinsider .com
Natarajan
Message for the Day…” Immerse Yourself in Spiritual Practice to keep Yourself Away from Worldly Worries…”
The almanac might indicate that ten units of rain will fall, but even if you fold that news sheet ten times and squeeze, not a drop of rain can be extracted. Almanac’s purpose is to give information about rain. Rain is in the clouds above. After learning from scriptures, if you immerse yourself in spiritual practice, then the world and its worries will not affect you. It is only when you are far from practice that you experience suffering and feel pain. As you approach the marketplace, you hear a huge indistinct uproar. But when you enter it, you can clearly distinguish each conversation. So too until the reality of the Supreme (Paramatma) is known to you, you are overpowered and stunned by the uproar of the world! But when you practice sincerely, everything becomes clear and the Divine reality awakens within you. Until then, you will be caught up in the meaningless noise of argumentation, disputation, and exhibitionist flamboyance.
Message for the Day….” Remember, Nothing will Please God more than Rigorous Adherence to Righteousness (Dharma)….”
When you desire to transform a silver statue into a Krishna idol, you cannot succeed by simply covering the silver idol with a cloth and uncovering it after a few seconds! You have to break the statue into pieces, melt the bits and pour the silver into the Krishna mould! So too when you yearn to transform yourself into Divine, you must break the pieces with the help of the attitude of detachment, melt them in the fire of wisdom (jnana), and pour your mind into the mould of devotion. Then the entire consciousness takes on the Divine Name, Form and Substance. Then, whatever is spoken or done or thought assumes the splendour and purity of the Divine. Remember, nothing will please God more than rigorous adherence to righteousness (Dharma). You can stick to the path of Dharma only if you are conscious of the Divine in everything that you see or hear, touch or taste.
” The Antidote of Fifty Enemies is ONE Friend….” !!!
Growing up, my mother bought me a poster with two puppies and the quote “Friends make everything twice as fun”. Many years later, I still find it just as true. Nothing makes life richer than your jack of all trades friends: jesters, memory sharers, shoulders to cry on and life companions. Here are some thoughtful quotes, by minds with more wisdom than mine, about the joys of true friendships.
Source…….www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan
நித்தமும் சுத்தம்; மேகாலயாவின் சொர்க்க பூமி மாவுலிநாங்…”ஆசியாவின் சுத்தமான கிராமம்” !!!…..
நாட்டின் வட கிழக்கில் அமைந்துள்ள, மேகாலயா மாநிலத்தில் உள்ளது, மாவுலி நாங் கிராமம். இயற்கை எழில் கொஞ்சும் இங்கு வசிக்கும், காஷி இன மக்கள், 100 சதவீதம் எழுத்தறிவு பெற்றுள்ள போதும், இவர்களின் பிரதான தொழில் விவசாயம் தான்! வளைந்து நெளிந்து செல்லும் சாலைகளின் இரு மருங்கிலும் காணப்படும் மூங்கில் வீடுகள், காண்போரின் கண்களை மட்டுமல்லாது நெஞ்சத்தையும் கவர்கின்றன. சாலையின் எந்த ஒரு பகுதியிலும் குப்பையை காண
முடிவதில்லை. காரணம், சாலைகளின் இரு மருங்கிலும் கனிம மற்றும் கரிமக் கழிவுகளை தனித்தனியாக தரம் பிரித்து கொட்டுவதற்காகவே, மூங்கிலால் ஆன குப்பைக் கூடைகள் வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. இவற்றில் சேகரமாகும் குப்பை, உரமாக பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது. பெரியவர்கள் மட்டுமின்றி, சிறியவர்களும், தங்கள் பொறுப்புணர்ந்து செயல்படுவதால், கிராமமே சொர்க்கமாகக் காட்சியளிக்கிறது.
பிள்ளைகளுக்கு சிறு வயது முதலே, சுத்தம், சுகாதாரம் குறித்து பெற்றோரால் பாலபாடம் நடத்தப்படுகிறது. இங்குள்ள பொதுக் கழிப்பறையை சுத்தம் செய்ய யாரும் தயங்குவதில்லை. தவிர, தோட்டங்கள், சாலைகள் மற்றும் பொது இடங்களை பொதுமக்களே சுத்தம் செய்து
பராமரிக்கின்றனர்.
இந்தப் பணி, ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் மாலையில் நடக்கிறது. சீரான, சுத்தமான சாலைகள், திட்டமிட்ட கட்டமைப்பு, தடையில்லா, சுத்தமான குடிநீர் வசதி போன்றவை, மக்களின் நிம்மதியான சுகாதாரமான வாழ்க்கைக்கு வித்திடுகிறது.
கல்வியையும், விவசாயத்தையும் இரு கண்களாய் எண்ணும் இவர்கள், காடுகளை பாதுகாப்பது குறித்த விழிப்புணர்வு பிரசாரத்திலும் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளனர். ‘நாடு வளம் பெற காடுகள் தேவை’ என்பதை உணர்ந்துள்ள இவர்கள், அதை போற்றி பாதுகாக்கவும் செய்கின்றனர்.
மேகாலயாவின், கிழக்கு காஷி மலைகள் மாவட்டத்தில் அமைந்துள்ள மாவுலிநாங், சிறந்த சுற்றுலா தளமாகவும் விளங்குகிறது. இயற்கை அன்னையின் அருளை பரிபூரணமாக பெற்றுள்ள இந்த கிராமத்திற்கு, ஆண்டுதோறும், உள்நாட்டு மற்றும் வெளிநாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த ஆயிரக்கணக்கான
சுற்றுலா பயணிகள் வந்து செல்கின்றனர். மலைகள், நீர்வீழ்ச்சிகள், காடுகள், அரிய வகை மரங்கள் என இயற்கை படைப்புகளோடு, தொழில்நுட்ப ரீதியாகவும் இக்கிராமம் வளர்ச்சி அடைந்துள்ளது. ‘சுற்றுச்சூழல் பாதுகாப்புடனான வளர்ச்சி’ என்ற வகையில், இக்கிராம மக்கள் தங்கள் தேவைகளை பூர்த்தி செய்து கொள்கின்றனர்.
சுற்றுலா பத்திரிகையான, ‘டிஸ்கவர் இந்தியா’ மாவுலிநாங் கிராமத்திற்கு, ‘ஆசியாவிலேயே சுத்தமான கிராமம்’ என்ற விருது வழங்கி கவுரவித்துள்ளது. பரம்பரை பரம்பரையாக இங்குள்ள மக்கள், சுத்தம் மற்றும் சுகாதாரத்தை பேணி பாதுகாத்து வருகின்றனர். சுற்றுச்சூழல் பாதிப்பற்ற வகையில் சுத்தம், சுகாதாரத்தை பேணுவதே இவர்களின் தலையாய கடமையாகக் கொண்டுள்ளனர்.
இங்குள்ள மக்கள், தாய் வழி சமூகத்திற்கே முக்கியத்துவம் அளிக்கின்றனர். அதாவது, தாயின் சொத்துகள், அவரின் கடைசி மகளுக்கே சென்று சேர்கிறது.
‘மன் கி பாத்’ என்ற நிகழ்ச்சியின் மூலம் வானொலியில் உரையாற்றிய பிரதமர் மோடி, மாவுலிநாங் கிராமத்தை வெகுவாக பாராட்டினார். ‘நாட்டின் ஒவ்வொரு குடிமகனும், இக்கிராம மக்களைப் போல் செயல்பட்டால், இந்தியா விரைவில் சுத்தமான நாடாக மாறும்’ எனவும் தெரிவித்தார்.
நாட்டின் பெரும்பாலான நகரங்கள், குப்பையாலும் சுற்றுச்சூழல் மாசுபாட்டாலும் சீர்கெட்டுள்ள நிலையில், மாவுலிநாங் கிராம மக்கள், விதிவிலக்காய் வாழ்ந்து வருகின்றனர். இம்மக்களை முன்னோடியாகக் கொண்டு, நாட்டின் பிற பகுதியினர் செயல்பட்டால், மகாத்மா காந்தியின், 150வது பிறந்த ஆண்டான, 2019ல், குப்பை அற்ற சுகாதாரமான இந்தியாவை நம்மால் உருவாக்க முடியும். வி.சண்முகநாதன் மேகாலயா கவர்னர்
Source….www.dinamalar.com
Natarajan
” Ever wondered what happens to your body when you start walking….” !!
Here’s a minute-by-minute rundown of the amazing chain reaction walking and exercise has upon your body, it’s truly amazing!
Minutes 1 to 5
Your first few steps trigger the release of energy-producing chemicals in your cells to fuel your walk. Your heart rate revs-up from about 70 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), boosting blood-flow and warming muscles.
Any stiffness subsides as joints release lubricating fluid to help you move more easily. As you get moving, your body burns 5 calories per minute, compared with only 1 per minute at rest. Your body needs more fuel and starts pulling from its carbohydrates and fat stores.
Minutes 6 to 10
Heartbeat increases from 100 to about 140 bpm, and you’re burning up to 6 calories a minute as you pick up the pace. A slight rise in blood pressure is countered by the release of chemicals that expand blood vessels, bringing more blood and oxygen to working muscles.
Minutes 11 to 20
Your body temperature keeps rising, and you start to perspire as blood vessels near the skin expand to release heat. As your walk becomes brisker, you’ll be burning up to 7 calories a minute and breathing harder. Hormones such as epinephrine and glucagon rise to release fuel to the muscles.
Minutes 21 to 45
Feeling invigorated, you start to relax as your body releases tension, thanks in part to a dose of feel-good chemicals such as endorphins in your brain. As more fat is burned, insulin (which helps store fat) drops–excellent news for anyone battling excess weight or diabetes.
Minutes 46 to 60
Your muscles may feel fatigued as carbohydrates stores are reduced. As you cool down, your heart rate decreases and your breathing slows. You’ll be burning fewer calories but more than you were before you started. Your calorie burn will remain elevated for up to 1 hour.
All this happens without a single conscious thought from us – the human body is amazing.
Source………unknown………input from a friend of mine
Natarajan
Message for the Day…” When You Destroy Your Ego , All Troubles End , all Discontents Vanish and Bliss is Attained….”
The effulgence of your soul (Atma) is obscured by ego. Therefore, when ego is destroyed, all troubles end, all discontents vanish, and bliss is attained. Just as the sun is obscured by mist, so also, the feeling of ego hides eternal bliss. Even if the eyes are open, a piece of cloth or cardboard can prevent vision from functioning effectively and usefully. So too, the screen of selfishness prevents one from seeing God, who is in fact nearer than anything else. Develop the characteristics of truth, kindness, love, patience, forbearance and gratefulness. Ego (ahamkara) cannot subsist wherever these qualities reside, just as darkness disappears with sunrise. Many a spiritual aspirant (sadhaka), recluse, and renunciant (sanyasin) has allowed all excellences won by long years of struggle and sacrifice to slip away through this attachment to the self. Power without the bliss of God-realisation is a wall without a basement.
Message for the Day…..” Selfless Service in a Spirit of total Surrender to the Will of God Will Develop Detachment and Confer Highest Rewards…”
Creation or manifestation started, as the Upanishads say, when the One willed, Ekoham bahusyam – “I am One; let Me become Many. It is the integer (I) that fills the zeros after it with value and validity! The realisation of the function of the ‘I’ and the act of ignoring all zeros that come after it, is the end and goal of all human endeavour. When the mind is unruffled and the intelligence is sharpened, this realisation will take place naturally. Through the discipline of selfless service, you can easily recognise the One who appears as many. To attain that experience, service must be rendered either from a supreme sense of duty or as a humble dedicatory offering to the Highest, or in a spirit of total surrender to the will of God leaving all thought of the consequence to His grace. Any act of service done with these pure motives, will develop detachment and confer highest rewards.
” I’m Going to Antarctica to Find How Climate Change, Penguins & Food Are Inter-Connected”…Says Tejaswi Subramanian
My first brush with environmental consciousness took place when I was 13. I came across the Fourth Assessment Report by IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in 2007, which said that human actions could be held responsible for the climate degradation and change that was visible in various parts of the world. I started thinking about it, and that report affected me very deeply. That’s when and how I became interested in environmental activism. Right from school, I was an active environmentalist. I helped form the eco-club there and was always associated with different activities like selling handmade carry bags to the school cafeteria and nearby shops, organizing awareness events, observing environment day and more.
Growing up, I also gained interest in clean eating habits.
This was about three years ago – I was living alone, was working 8-10 hours a day, was cooking for myself – and amidst all this, I was hit by the realization that I always felt less energetic. I never seemed to have enough energy to do everything. But I was only 20, and I thought, ‘this cannot be right’.
“Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.” – It was then that this quote by Hippocrates changed my life. I had started reading up on healthy eating and came to know about Primal Diet, which advises people to avoid grains and emphasizes on a protein-rich diet that contains healthy fats and is low in carbohydrates. It introduced me to the idea that eating fresh and organic food can heal the body and help us connect with nature. And I witnessed genuine change. I had been suffering with the problem of acne since my early teens, but with my new eating habits, it cleared up in just three months. It was like a miracle. I also witnessed an increase in my energy levels. This lifestyle change fit perfectly with my interest in environmental protection, which further encouraged me to carry on with it.
Additionally, I came across another body of research that motivated me to purchase sustainably-sourced food. It was about Antarctica, one of the last places in the world that remains untouched by rampant human urban settlement and industrialization.
Source: 2041 Foundation
But even in that beautiful place, traces of our irresponsible behaviour towards the environment are clearly visible – in the form of a pesticide. DDT, a chemical pesticide, was banned worldwide because of the harmful effects of the chemicals on the environment. This was done decades ago. However, its traces are found till today in the fatty tissues of Adelie penguins. This is due to the chemical pesticide being washed away and getting drained into the coastal waters, which then finds its way to the ocean. In this consumerist era, our choice to purchase reflects our voice in the systems that support societal norms. What is happening in Antarctica shows that a common thread runs through the universal fabric of our economy and society.
Thus, in the coming months, I plan to research about this issue at the grassroots. I will also be preparing for my expedition to Antarctica, which will host the ‘Leadership on the Edge’ program by Robert Swan, OBE (Order of the British Empire). Through this expedition, I intend to gather first-hand knowledge of the effect that we are having on the ecosystem of Antarctica, despite setting up shop several thousand miles away. Robert Swan is the first person to walk to both Poles. He will be our lead and Chief Guide and will be mentoring us on how we may be able to do our bit in spreading awareness and creating movements toward sustainability back in our homelands.
The idea is to work with like minds in order to spur a sustainable food movement that permeates our food chains and markets.
Source: 2041 Foundation
At a personal level, I am trying to work with sustainably sourced, organic as well as locally grown food. And this program will give me a good idea of how things are being done around the world.
Through this campaign, I am trying to raise funds for the expedition. I strongly believe that we can recreate the health of our bodies, the environment, and the Adelie penguins in Antarctica if we focus on the singular issue of how we source our food. Please support me in my journey. The tentative dates are March 13-25, 2016. Prospective itinerary can be found here. I hope to raise Rs. 12,30,000.
Here’s a break-up of the planned budget.
Source….– Tejaswi Subramanian for http://www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 