We all love seeing white, pearly smiles, and would love for our teeth to shine. However, our coffee, nicotine and other habits make this extremely difficult, and we end up with either stained or yellow teeth, that make us feel we are not getting our money’s worth out of our smile! Although there are many whitening products, they don’t all work and some have nasty side-effects.
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Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first India-born player to be selected in the 2015 NBA draft after being picked by Dallas Mavericks.
“Satnam Singh, Center from India, gets selected #52 by the @dallasmavs! #NBADraft @NBAIndia,” @NBA tweeted on Friday morning.
The 19-year-old was the 52nd pick in the NBA Draft.
The 7 feet 2 inches tall Satnam, tagged a bright basketball prospect for the last few years, hails from Barnala district in Punjab. He was one of the few players to be selected to train at the IMG Academy in Florida five years ago.
At 16 years of age, he was the youngest player to represent India at the 26th Asian Basketball Championship, at Wuhan in China, in 2011.
Satnam has quite a following in Bollywood and actor Abhishek Bachchan was the first to congratulate him.
“Congratulations Satnam Singh. The 1st ever Indian to be drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks”, he posted on his Twitter page.
Last year, Akshay Kumar had tweeted about his meeting with the then NBA prodigy.
He shared a picture of them together and tweeted: ‘Meet my new friend Satnam Singh! India’s most influential Basketball player! He has a story that would melt ur hearts! I met him in America at my niece’s summer camp where she’s training to live her dream of being a brilliant Basketball player for India one day.
Satnam is not only incredibly tall but unbelievably dedicated & talented at what he does here at the IMG Basketball school. What he’s been through to get where he is, is an inspiration in itself.’
‘He reminded me of me, when nothing but ur dreams matter.
‘I wish this lovely young man a super successful life & I urge many of you to follow him & learn from his story. I’ve been in America for nearly a month now, but when I leave, I’ll be taking his hardship & training myself like a true champ for my next film, he’s really given me the spirit to fight on…”
Earlier this year, Canadian-born Gursimran “Sim” Bhullar became the NBA’s first player of Indian descent to make the league when he was signed by the Sacramento Kings.
Since their inaugural 1980–81 season, the Dallas Mavericks won three division titles (1987, 2007, 2010), two Conference championships (2006, 2011), and one NBA Championship (2011).
Image: Satnam Singh of the Dallas Mavericks at the 2015 NBA Draft
Photograph: NBA Draft/Twitter
Source….www.rediff.com
Natarajan
Aspirants are engaged in contemplation of the Lord (Sarveswara-chinthana) as ceaselessly as the waves of the sea; they accumulate the wealth of equality and equal love to all, and are content in the thought that all is the Lord’s and nothing is theirs. Unlike the regular person, the spiritual seeker won’t easily bend before grief or loss, anger or hatred or selfishness, hunger, thirst or fickleness. One should master all the above good things as much as possible and journey through life in fortitude, courage, joy, peace, charity, and humility. Realising that tending the body is not all-important, one has to bear even hunger and thirst patiently and be engaged uninterruptedly in contemplation of the Lord. Quarreling at every tiny little thing, losing one’s temper, becoming sad at the slightest provocation, getting angry at the smallest insult, worried at thirst, hunger, and loss of sleep — these can never be the characteristics of an aspirant.
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Some of us have reached our golden years, and some of us have not. But these suggestions should be read by everyone. They have been collected from many a senior, each with his or her own piece of advice. Some you know, some may surprise you, and some will remind you of what’s important. So read well, share with your loved ones, and have a great day and a great life
 1. It’s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard earned capital. Warning: This is also a bad time for an investment, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries and this is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.
2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.
3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, get tested even when you’re feeling well. Stay informed.
4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together.
5. Don’t stress over the little things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten
 6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.”
7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.
8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.
9. ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised which old friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.
10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them of yesterday’s wisdom that still applies today.
11. Never use the phrase: “In my time”. Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.
12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.
 13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.
14. Don’t abandon your hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer at an NGO or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.
15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don’t get upset when you’re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there
16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.
 17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.
18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them. If you’ve offended someone – apologize. Don’t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t matter who was right. Someone once said: “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Don’t take that poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your life.
19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.
20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what’s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.
21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved. Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still much to be written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you can be!
Photos courtesy of Ambro, Stockimages / freedidigitalphotos.net Source: Tony L. in http://www.ba-bamail.com Natarajan |
Don’t forget to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and the simple games that make it fun to be alive.
Enjoy a good, hot bath, and relax.
And above all – don’t forget to give a big smile!
Source….www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan
This human birth is the consequence of countless good deeds, and it should not be cast aside; the chance must be fully exploited. As the Kenopanishad says, “This present precious life should not be thrown away (Na Chath Iha Avedheen Mahathee Vinashtih)”. When there are many chances of saving oneself, isn’t it a big loss if no thought is spent on ways of escape? The Kathopanishad exhorts, “Arise, awake!(Uttishthata! Jagratha!).” Those who are agitated by doubts about what to accept and what to reject, those who are blinded by illusion, and those who cannot distinguish between darkness and light, death and immortality —all these should approach great people who can show the path to understand the eternal truth, the self-illumined basis of all creation. Then both this world and heaven will be merged in the same effulgence! For the sake of this realisation, you should have deep yearning and hard, disciplined practice.
கீதா வாக்கியத்தில் ஒரு சின்ன இடறல், இந்தப் புதுச் சூழ்நிலையில் ஏற்பட்டது. அவதாரம் பண்ணி தர்மத்தை நிலைநாட்ட வேண்டியதுதான். அதில் சந்தேகம் இல்லை, இடறல் இல்லை. பின்னே எதில் என்றால், “பரித்ராணாய ஸாதூநாம், விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்“ என்றாரே, அதிலேதான் இடறல்.
“சத்துக்களுடைய ரக்ஷணைக்காகவும், அசத்துக்களுடைய அழிவுக்காகவும், அவதாரம் எடுக்கிறேன்” என்று கீதையில் சொன்னார். சங்கராவதார சமயத்தில், முதலில் சொன்ன சாது ரக்ஷணையைப் பற்றி சிரமமிருக்கவில்லை. மற்ற பூர்வ அவதாரங்களின்போது இருந்த அளவு சிரமம் கூட அப்போது இருக்கவில்லை.
ஏனென்றால், முன்னெல்லாம் பொதுவாக ஜனங்கள் எல்லாருமே சத்துக்களாகத்தான் இருந்தார்கள். எனவே அத்தனை பேரை ‘பரித்ராணம்’ என்பதாகக் கட்டி காப்பது என்றால் சிரமமான காரியமாகத்தான் இருந்திருக்கும். எதையும் சாதிக்க வல்லவனான ஈச்வரனின் அவதாரமானதால் அவனால் இதைச் செய்ய முடிந்தது.
இப்போது கலியிலே அவதரிக்கும்படியான இந்த சந்தர்ப்பம் வந்தபோது சத்துக்கள் பூர்வயுகங்களைவிட ரொம்பக் குறைவாகவே இருந்தார்கள். அதனால் இப்போது ஏற்பட வேண்டிய அவதாரத்திற்கு சாது ரக்ஷணை – “பரித்ராணாய ஸாதூநாம்” என்ற பாதி, முன்னளவுகூட சிரமமில்லாமல் சுலப சாத்தியமான காரியமாகவே இருந்தது.
ஆனால் இன்னொரு பாதி, “விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்” என்று தப்புப் பண்ணுபவர்களை அழிப்பதைச் சொன்னாரே, அதிலேதான் பரமாத்மாவுக்கே கிருஷ்ணாவதாரத்தில் சொன்ன வாக்குப்படிப் பண்ணுவதென்பது ‘ப்ராப்ள’மாகிவிட்டது.
அந்த அவதாரத்திலேயும் அதற்கு முன்னேயும் தப்புப் பண்ணுபவர்கள் அசுரர்கள், ராக்ஷசர்கள், சில துஷ்ட ராஜாக்கள், அவர்களைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் என்று குறிப்பாகச் சில கோஷ்டிகளாக இருந்தனர். பொதுவான ஜன சமூகத்திலிருந்து பிரித்து அவர்களை ‘ஐஸொலேட்’ பண்ண முடிந்தது. அப்படிப் பண்ணி அந்தப் பூர்வ அவதாரங்கள் தப்புப் பண்ணிய வர்களை சம்காரம் செய்தன. “விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்” என்று சொன்னபடி செய்ய முடிந்தது.
ஆனால் இப்போது ஆசார்யாள் காலத்தில் எப்படியிருந்தது? அசுரர், ராக்ஷசர் என்று எவரும் வெளிப்படத் தெரியவில்லை. கம்சன், ஜராசந்தன், காலநேமி போல அசுரர் மாதிரியே நன்றாகத் தெரிந்தவர்களும் இப்போது இல்லை. துரியோதனன் பரிவாரம் போல மனுஷர் மாதிரியே நன்றாக இருந்துகொண்டு, ஆனால் அசுரத்தனமாக இருந்தவர்கள் கிருஷ்ணர் காலத்தைவிட, ரொம்ப நிறையப் பரவிவிட்டார்கள்.
அதோடுகூட, துரியோதனப் பட்டாளம் வெளிப்படவே கொடூரமாக நடந்து கொண்டதுபோல இல்லாமல், வெளியிலே பார்த்தால் நல்லது மாதிரி இருந்துகொண்டே, நல்லதைச் சொல்லிக்கொண்டும், செய்துகொண்டும் இருக்கிற மாதிரி தோன்றிக்கொண்டே, ஏராளமான பேர் அதர்மமாகப் பண்ணுவதென்பதும் இந்த யுகத்துக்கே ஸ்பெஷலாகச் சேர்ந்தது.
மொத்தத்தில் ‘துஷ்க்ருத்’கள் என்று கீதையில் சொல்லி யிருக்கும் ‘கெட்டது செய்கிறவர்’களை ஜன சமூகத்திலிருந்து பிரித்து நாசம் செய்துவிட்டு சாதுவான ஜன சமூகத்தை ரக்ஷிப்பது என்பதற்கு இந்த யுகத்தில் இடமில்லாமல் அபூர்வமான சில சத்துக்களைத் தவிர ஜனசமூகம் முழுவதுமே அதர்மப் பிரவாகத்தில் முழுகித் தப்புப் பண்ணிக் கொண்டிருந்தன.
இந்த நிலையில் “விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்” என்று செய்வதனால் அத்தனை பேரையும் ஹதம் பண்ணி விடுவது என்றுதான் ஆகும். இப்படியொரு “யுனிவர்ஸல் ஹாலோகாஸ்ட்” – சர்வ ஜீவ சர்வ நாசம் – செய்வதா தர்ம சம்ஸ்தாபனம்?
பின்னாடி எப்போதோ வர வேண்டிய பிரளயத்தை உண்டு பண்ணுவதா அவதார லட்சியம்? மனுஷர்களோடு ஈச்வரனும் அன்பிலே பழகுவது, அப்படியே தர்மத்துக்கு வழிகாட்டி அழைத்துப் போவது என்று எதுவுமில்லாமல் சர்வ நாசம் செய்வதென்றால் அப்போது தர்மமும் சம்ஸ்தாபனமாகாமல் நசித்துப் போக வேண்டியதுதான். இப்படி ஒரு அவதாரம் பண்ணவே முடியாது. அவதார ‘பர்ப’ சுக்கே அது விரோதம்.
இதைத்தான் பரமாத்மாவுக்கு ‘ப்ராப்ளம்’ என்று சொன்னது. அசுரன் என்று வெளியில் யாருமில்லாமல் சர்வ ஜனங்களுக்குள்ளேயும் புகுந்து கொண்டிருக்கும்போது எப்படி சம்கரிப்பது? ஒரு அவதாரத்தைக் கொண்டு துஷ்ட சிக்ஷணம், சிஷ்ட ரக்ஷணம், தர்மோத்தாரணம் ஆகியவற்றைச் செய்வதென்றால் எப்படி?
நம்மாலானால் இதற்கு சொல்யூஷன் கண்டுபிடிக்க முடியாமல் போயிருக்கும். பரமாத்மாவானதால் சுலபமாகக் கண்டுபிடித்துவிட்டார். கலிகால அவதாரங்களில் துஷ்ட ஜனங்களை சம்கரிப்பதில்லை. ஜனங்களுக்குள்ளே புகுந்துகொண்டிருக்கும் துஷ்டத்தனத்தையே சம்கரிக்க வேண்டும். இப்படிப் பண்ணி ஜனங்களை நல்லவர்களாக்கிவிடவேண்டும்.
விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்’ – ‘கெட்டகாரியம் செய்பவர்களுடைய அழிவின் பொருட்டு’ என்பதற்கு ஒரு அமென்ட்மெண்ட் போட்டுவிட்டால் போதும். ‘துஷ்க்ருதாம்’ கெட்ட காரியம் செய்பவர்களுடைய- என்பதை ‘துஷ்க்ருத்யானாம்’ கெட்ட காரியங்களுடைய- என்று ‘அமென்ட்’ செய்துவிட்டால் போதும் என்று பரமாத்மா சொல்யூஷன் கண்டுபிடித்துவிட்டார்.
லோகம் பூரா நடக்கும் கோடி கோடி தப்புக் காரியங்களை எப்படி அழிப்பது, அது மட்டும் முடியுமா என்றால், அந்தக் காரியங்களை அழிக்க வேண்டாம். அவை விளைவுதான். இந்த விளைவுக்குக் காரணமுண்டு. வித்து உண்டு. வித்தை ஊன்றினால்தானே விளைச்சல் வரும்?
காரியத்துக்கு வித்து எண்ணம். கெட்ட எண்ணம் முதலில் தோன்றி, அதன் நிறைவேற்றத்திற்காகவே அப்புறம் கெட்ட காரியம் தோன்றுகிறது. ஆனபடியால் ஜனங்களுடைய கெட்ட எண்ணம் போகும்படியாக, அதாவது அவர்களுடைய அறிவு திருந்தும்படியாகப் பண்ணிவிட்டால் போதும். அவதார நோக்கமான தர்ம சமஸ்தாபனம் நடந்துவிடும்.
‘அறிவு திருந்தும்படி எப்படிப் பண்ணுவது? வேறே எப்படி? எல்லாருக்கும் தெரிந்ததுதான். நல்லதை நல்லபடியாக எடுத்துச் சொல்வதால்தான். ஞானோபதேசத்தினால்தான். வாய் உபதேசம் மட்டும் போதாது. வாழ்க்கை உதாரணத்தோடு அது கலந்து வந்தால்தான் பலன் தரும், அதனால் ஞானியாக அவதாரம் செய்யணும். ஞானி என்றால் சந்நியாசியாக அவதாரம் செய்யணும் என்றிப்படி பகவான் தீர்மானம் பண்ணிவிட்டார்.
தெய்வத்தின் குரல் (ஐந்தாம் பகுதி)
ஸ்ரீ சங்கர சரிதம்.
Source…..www.tamil.thehindu.com
Natarajan
In our country, there is a peculiar method of trapping monkeys. This process consists of bringing a big pot with a small mouth and putting some material which is attractive to the monkey inside that pot. A monkey, out of curiosity would put its hand inside the pot and get a handful of that material. It will be trapped, unable to pull its hand out! The monkey imagines that someone inside the pot is holding its hand. Then it will attempt to run away along with the pot! No one is holding the monkey. The monkey trapped itself, due to its own attachment. The moment it lets the material go, it will be free. Similarly in this big pot of the world with narrow mouth of temporal pleasures, people are tempted! When they are lost with involvement in those pleasures, they think that someone or something is binding them down. No one is responsible for this bondage. The moment you give up the pleasures and detach yourself, you will be free!
Those, who are trying to build the human community on a foundation of wealth (dhana), are building on sand; those who seek to build it on the rock of righteousness (dharma) are the wise. Every person consumes specific quantities of food and many even calculate the calories consumed and burnt. Just think for a moment: Have you ever calculated what you have given back to the society that helps you live and enjoy in the world? You must transform the food into service, either to serve your best interests or for the well-being of the society. Mere feeding and care of the body is profitless, for the body is just a container. When the spark of Divinity leaves the body, it becomes a corpse. No one will even keep the corpse for more than a few hours. People will avoid the sight and smell of a dead body; it is disgusting. Never be your own enemy nor be a burden on anyone.
Noise is an issue at many airports, including Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Source: Getty Images
TWO years ago, Dutch land artist Paul de Kort was given a tough brief.
Administrators at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) had long been looking to address the levels of aircraft noise that affected those living near the airport.
So, taking inspiration from the ground, de Kort created a landscape that has had a significant effect on dampening the roar of planes for those living near one of the world’s busiest airports.
But long before de Kort broke ground, researchers from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) had already been studying the noise level at AMS. They noticed that in the fall, after the fields surrounding the airport had been ploughed, noise levels decreased significantly.
It turns out that the furrows created by ploughing helped to absorb, deflect and mute aircraft noise.
The labyrinth design. Picture: Schiphol Group Source: Supplied
Working off these findings, de Kort collaborated with architectural firm H+N+S Lanscapearchitects and scientists from the TNO to create Buitenschot Land Art Park.
Located to the southwest of AMS, just off the edge of the runway, this huge green space is laid out in an interlocking system of ditches and trenches.
While its primary purpose is to dampen the ground noise created by passing aircraft, the park also features bike paths, sports fields and even sculpture to create a space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
To create this mazelike park, de Kort also drew heavily on the past and was particularly inspired by the work of Ernst Chladni, a 17th century German physicist. The scientist’s Chladni patterns served as the inspiration for the furrows and ridges now seen at AMS.
Completed in October 2013, this collaborative project has since been viewed as a renowned success. The creation of Buitenschot had an immediate effect, cutting the decibel level of aircraft noise down by half, the Smithsonian reported. And it has continued being a success since then.
De Kort, however, has one regret. Speaking to Hansman, he explained that, “The ground sound spreads behind the plane that’s taking off, so in fact you fly away in the other directions. You won’t be able to actually see the area from the air.”
Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is one of the world’s busiest. Source: Getty Images
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Source…www.news.com.au
Natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 