Interesting read

You Tube Maami….

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Here is a couple who are familar with NRIs  for their popular You Tube Videos on Indian tradional recipes…..

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YouTube maami

OLYMPIA SHILPA GERALD     ….THE HINDU….

Geetha and Radhakrishnan known in cyberspace as 'Srirangam Radhu' are popular with NRIs for their YouTube videos on traditional recipes. Photo : M. Srinath
Geetha and Radhakrishnan known in cyberspace as ‘Srirangam Radhu’ are popular with NRIs for their YouTube videos on traditional recipes. Photo : M. Srinath

From a tiny kitchen in Srirangam this elderly couple teach NRIs how to make traditional south indian dishes  through YouTube

The cashew sputters and the warm smells of melting ghee hover in the air. The maami in green madisar tosses the pan in her tiny kitchen fitted with traditional brass and copper pans, microwave, stereo and laptop. Her husband flits around her, sometimes helping, sometimes getting in way. As she stirs and stokes amidst peals of bicycle bells and squawking crows in a quiet neighbourhood in Srirangam, there are thousands replicating her moves in compact kitchens at Minnesotta, Canberra, Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam.

A YouTube search for Srirangam prompts up ‘Srirangam Radhu’ even before the iconic Srirangam Temple. Geetha and Radhakrishnan are relatively unknown in their own neighbourhood, but their combined internet avatar as ‘geetradhu’ on YouTube commands a huge fan base among NRI Tamils all over the world.

What originally started as a cooking demonstration of South Indian favourites for their son settled in Canada morphed into a life-saver with 400 videos and counting for students, newly married couples and long-time residents who crave for a taste of home in alien lands. In the process ‘geet radhu’ have created a digital archive of aviyal, karunai kizhangu masiyal, mor kolmabu, ellu chutney and many more in a format that allows for step-by-step learning.

“My son, a mechanical engineer, married a Canadian girl and settled down there,” Geeta recounts. “He was fond of my cooking and said he missed it. We decided to make a video with instructions on preparing aviyal in 2008.”

The video was uploaded on YouTube and Jyothika Sri, someone who stumbled across it, requested for vatha kuzhambu that set the flood of enquiries and subsequent posts. “We made the first few videos with only our son in mind. We never expected them to become so popular. It was like a director’s first film turning into a hit.”

There are umpteen cooking videos to be found on the internet but ‘Srirangam Radhu’ as they are popularly known have a distinctive appeal. Imagine you’re in foreign shores, longing for a taste of home food but know next to nothing about cooking. You chance upon a grandmother figure who can guide you through all your favourite recipes step-by-step and is savvy enough to wield a laptop and camera. And there’s a father figure standing by asking all the questions which you’re afraid are too foolish to ask. All this in a setting that is nostalgic of mom’s kitchen. Now would you prefer Nigella Lawson with gleaming glass bowls and designer kitchens or grandmom standing by your elbow telling you in Tamil what to do and most importantly what not to do?

Inside mom’s kitchen

“One compliment we often get is Amma Nyabagam Varudhu’ (I remember my mom),” says Radhakrishnan who records his wife’s cooking in a pocket recorder while simultaneously playing the part of an amateur cook troubled by culinary doubts. “All the trouble we take is worth the effort when people tell us ‘my child is a poor eater but loved what I cooked today’ and ‘my husband and I no longer fight over cooking,” says Geeta, who believes it is never too late to learn how to ladle up something edible. “I knew nothing about cooking till I got married. Whatever I learnt was from my mother-in-law, an expert cook.”

Though retired, it is perhaps her profession as a school teacher that makes her an ace at giving methodical instructions while speaking to the camera. The videos are real time and offer a close up of all the ingredients, how they look after they are crushed or ground and each stage of preparation. There are no rehearsals or multiple takes which only enhances the output. “Only once we messed up, it has worked out right every other time,” smiles Geeta.

While most people in their age bracket may show reluctance in taking towards technology, Radhakrishnan’s curiosity and love for experimentation has made it possible. “We learnt by trial and error. There are instructions to operate everything from uploading a video to editing,” he shares. “Without his assistance I could have done nothing,” Geeta smiles fondly at her husband. “I hang around asking all the questions. Some viewers say I’m helpful, others feel I talk too much,” he guffaws. The channel has crossed a million views, reached the top ten rankings in YouTube once and later approached by advertisers, brings in around 100 dollars a month. “I think it is the native touch,” Radhakrishnan tries why their YouTube channel has struck a chord. “Two people talking in a kitchen with the sound of a pooja bell, an autorickshaw hoot or a conversation next door quarrel, all bring home closer to them (NRIs).”

Geet Radhu have taken a sabbatical of more than six months to visit their children abroad. Thanks to their YouTube channel they have an extended family all over the globe and advice is solicited on various matters including nose piercing and real estate. On popular demand, the couple also uploaded videos of homam, varalaskshmi nombu and vishu kani rituals for NRIs who tuned in to catch them live. In the course of four years, Radhu maami has now improvised recipes with microwave equivalents, occasionally English translations and planned around ingredients available in European or American markets.

Though a self-confessed orthodox maami, the family’s cosmopolitan nature (her son married Canadian and daughter married a Christian) are reflected in her contemporary take on food like curd rice with cheese.

But the maami who has managed to play foster grandmom to thousands of young people, has her biggest culinary challenge closer home. “Cooking for my British Indian grandson on his holiday here,” she sighs.

Videos: 440

Views: 1.73 million

Subscribers: 1,519

Radhu’s top five:

1. Vatha Kuzhambu

2. Ven Pongal

3. Paruppu Urundai Kuzhlambu

4. Keerai Kootu

5. Mysore Rasam.

பறவை வேண்டும் …பட்டாசு வேண்டாம் !!!!!!

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பறவைகளுக்காக பட்டாசு வெடிக்காத கிராமம்- எல்.முருகராஜ்    …தின மலர் ….

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கோவை மாவட்டம் சூலூர் தாலூகவில் கருமத்தம்பட்டி-அன்னூர் ரோட்டில் ஒதுங்கிக்கிடக்கும் அருமையான சிறியகிராமம்.

இந்த கிராமத்தில் சுமார் இரண்டாயிரம் குடும்பங்கள் உள்ளன,அனைவரும் இன்று எடுத்த ஒரு அருமையான முடிவுதான் இந்த கட்டுரையை எழுத தூண்டியது.
அது என்ன முடிவு என்கிறீர்களா?

கிராமத்தில் விருந்தினர் போல வந்து தங்கியிருக்கும் வவ்வால் மற்றும் நைட் ஹெராயின், புல்புல், இக்ரெட், மைனா உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு பறவை இனங்களுக்கு தொந்திரவாக இருக்கும் என்பதால் வரவிருக்கும் தீபாவளிக்கு யார் வீட்டிலும் பட்டாசு வெடிப்பது இல்லை என்பதுதான் அந்த முடிவு,
இதற்கு முக்கியமான காரணமாக இருப்பவர் இங்குள்ள நொய்யல் பசுமை கழக தலைவர் பழனியாண்டிதான். அவர் தமது கிராமத்தில் உள்ள ஆலமரத்தில் ஆயிரக்கணக்கன வவ்வால்கள் இருப்பதையும், அருகாமையில் உள்ள மரங்களில் மற்ற பறவைகள் தங்கிச் செல்வதையும் பார்த்திருக்கிறார்,

எப்போதும் வித,விதமான சத்தத்துடன் இருக்கும் இந்த பறவைகளின் சுறு,சுறுப்பு காரணமாக இந்த மரங்கள் மட்டுமல்ல, தமது கிராமமே உயிர்ப்புடன் இருப்பதை உணர்ந்தார்.
தனது உறுப்பினர்களுடன் இதே போல பக்கத்து ஊரிலும் பறவைகள் இருப்பதாக அறிந்து பார்க்க போனபோது,அங்குள்ளவர்கள், ” இருந்ததுங்க, ஆனால் தீபாவளியன்னிக்கு பட்டாசு போட்ட போது பயந்து போய் எல்லாம் பறந்து போனதுதான் அப்புறம் திரும்ப வரவேயில்லீங்க” என்றதும் அப்போதே தனது கிட்டாம்பாளையம் கிராமத்து பறவைகளை பாதுகாக்க ஊரில் பட்டாசு வெடிப்பதில்லை என்பதை முடிவு செய்தார்.

ஆனால் தான் தனிப்பட்டு இப்படி ஒரு முடிவு எடுத்து ஒன்றும் ஆகப்போவதில்லை, ஊரார் ஒத்துழைப்போடு நடத்த வேண்டிய விஷயமாயிற்றே என்று தனது நண்பர்களுடன் சிலருடன் சேர்ந்து பறவைகள் கிராமத்தில் இருப்பதால் ஏற்படும் நன்மைகள் குறித்து ஒரு துண்டுபிரசுரம் அடித்து அதனை வீடு,வீடாக போய் விநியோகித்ததுடன், போதுமான விளக்கமும் கொடுத்துவிட்டு கடைசியாக பட்டாசு வெடிப்பதை தவிர்க்கவேண்டும் என்றும் கூறியிருக்கிறார்.
பட்டாசு வெடிக்கக்கூடாது அவ்வளவுதானே,நம்ம பறவைகளுக்காக செஞ்சுட்டாப் போச்சு என்று அனைவரும் சொன்னதுமே தீபாவளியின் ஆனந்தம் அப்போதே வந்துவிட்டதை உணர்ந்தார்.

இந்த கிராமத்து பஞ்சாயத்து தலைவி ஜோதிமணி பேசும்பொழுது.,ஆயிரக்கணக்கான வவ்வால்கள், ஊர் மத்தியில இருக்கிற ஆலமரத்துல இருக்கு,இதுனால ஒரு தொந்திரவும் கிடையாது,மாலை ஐந்து மணிக்கு மேல் பறந்து சென்று இரை தேடிவிட்டு அதிகாலை 4 மணி போல திரும்பவரும். இந்த பறவைகள் எவ்வளவு பிரியமும்,நம்பிக்கையும் இருந்தால் எங்கள் கிராமத்தை தேர்வு செய்து தங்கியிருக்கும்.,ஆகவே அதன் நம்பிக்கையை மட்டுமல்ல சந்தோஷத்தையும் கெடுக்கவிரும்பவில்லை,ஆகவே இந்த தீபாவளிக்கு பட்டாசு வெடிப்பதில்லை என்று முடிவு செய்தோம் என்கிறார்.
வழக்கம் போல புத்தாடை உடுத்தி,இனிப்பு சசாப்பிட்டு உறவுகளையும்,நட்புகளையும் பார்த்து மகிழ்ச்சியை பகிர்ந்துகொள்ளப்போகிறோம்,பட்டாசு வெடிக்காதது ஒன்றும் பிரச்னை இல்லை என்று சொன்ன கிராமத்து பெரியவர்கள் பறவைகள் மீது வைத்துள்ள நேசத்தை பார்த்து நெகிழ்ந்தும்,மகிழ்ந்தும் போய் வாழ்த்து சொன்ன போது.,”உண்மையில் வாழ்த்து சொல்லவேண்டியது நம் கிராமத்து பையன்களுக்குதான் ,ஏன்னா…நம்மூர்ல பட்டாசு விடக்கூடாது,பறவை எல்லாம் பறந்து போய்விடும்,அதுனாலே பட்டாசு விடணும்னு விரும்புற பயலுக பக்கத்து ஊர்ல இருக்க சொந்த,பந்தம் வீட்டுக்கு போகலாமான்னு கேட்டபோது ,அதெல்லாம் வேண்டாம்,நம்ம ஊர் பறவைகளைவிட பட்டாசு பெரிசுல்ல நாங்க தீபாவளிக்கு இங்கேயே இருக்கோம்..நம்ம பறவைகளோடயே இருக்கோம்” என்று சொல்லிவைத்தாற் போல சொன்ன இந்த ஊர் சிறுசுகள்தான் உண்மையில் பாராட்டப்பட வேண்டியவர்கள் என்றனர்.

அதுனால என்ன அவர்களையும் ஒகோன்னு வாழ்த்திடுவோம்.

 

 

 

Aakash Tablet of India ….World”s Lowest Priced !!!

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UN set to witness Indian Aakash tablet on November 28!

India’s Aakash tablet, which is branded as the “Lowest costing Tablet PC” in the world is set to be focused in a presentation at the United Nations (U.N). (Photo: Ubislate)

Aakash tablet, branded as the “lowest costing tablet PC” in the world, is set to be presented at the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters on Nov. 28.

The presentation, which will put forward the various details of the tablet, will be attended by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General. Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., said in a news conference that Aakash is “the most competitively priced tablet computer by an Indian-origin entrepreneur.”

Aakash was launched in October last year, it received a record number of pre-bookings ( approximately 3.5 million) soon after the launch. The Aakash tablet will reportedly provide Wi-Fi connectivity to users along with a battery backup time of three hours.

 

Designed keeping in mind the interest of the Indian Student community, the Aakash tablet’s competitive price tag is one of the gadget’s notable aspects. The commercial version of Aakash, namely the Ubislate will cost around $65.

There was a lot of hype and speculation regarding the launch date of the tablet, whose official manufacturer is Canada based Datawind, and also regarding the gadget’s pre-bookings in India.

Another improved version of the Aakash tablet, which will cost around $75, is also on the cards and is speculated to be launched in India on Nov. 11. “Hopefully on November 11, you will see the President talking to 20,000 students across the nation (who) will have their hands on Aakash,” Kapil Sibal, India’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology had earlier stated.

source::::: international digital times net

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Let the Garbage Disappear from Your Mind and Feel Relaxed !!!

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source::::: unknown…input from one of my friends…..

A famous spiritualist Junaid, was walking
through the market-place with his disciples.
They saw a man dragging a cow by a rope.

Junaid told the man to wait and asked
his disciples to surround them.
“I am going to teach you something”
and continued…
“Tell me who is bound to whom?
Is the cow bound to this man or
the man is bound to the cow?”

The disciples said without hesitation, “Of
course the cow is bound to the man! The
man is the master. He is holding the rope.
The cow has to follow him wherever he
goes. The man is the master and the cow is
the slave.”

“Now watch this”, said Junaid and took
scissors from his bag and cut the rope. The
cow ran away from the master, and the man
ran after his cow.

“Look, what is happening”, said Junaid. “Do
you see who the Master is? The cow is not at
all interested in this man. The cow in fact,
is trying to escape from this man.”

This is the case with our MIND. All the
non-sense that we carry inside is not
interested in us. WE ARE INTERESTED IN
IT, we are keeping it together somehow
or the other. We are going crazy trying to
keep it all together under our control.

The moment we lose interest in all
the garbage filled in our head, the
moment we understand the futility of it,
it will start to disappear. Like the cow, it
will escape and disappear.”

We can allow to disappear all the unwanted things
in our mind and feel relaxed.

“Have A Great Day”

Natarajan

When NASA Will Call You ?!!!

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When the International Space Station Passes Over your House …

source::::::  Megan Garber ….A  Staff Writer  on Space in  ” THE ATLANTIC”…..

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Good news, space nerds! NASA will send ISS viewing info directly to you.

[optional image description]

This composite of 70 exposures shows the trail of the ISS (with gaps between exposures) as it moved left to right over the city of Tübingen in southern Germany on February 7, 2008. As seen from Tübingen, the passage took about 4 minutes. (Till Credner via NASA)

The International Space Station is, after the sun and the moon, the third brightest object in the sky. If you know where to look for it, you can easily see it — no telescope required. But: if you know where to look for it. Since the Earth spins as the ISS orbits it, the station’s position in the sky at any given moment — relative to a position on land — is hard to know for sure.

You know who always knows where the ISS is, though? NASA. Several times a week, Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston determines sighting opportunities for 4,600 terrestrial locations worldwide — places from which the space station is visible for a long distance. Now, NASA is publicizing that list … and sending it, in fact, directly to you. Spot the Station lets you sign up for email or text-message alerts that will let you know, a few hours beforehand, when the ISS will be passing over your area.

“This service will only notify you of ‘good’ sighting opportunities, NASA says — “sightings that are high enough in the sky (40 degrees or more) and last long enough to give you the best view of the orbiting laboratory.” That viewing opportunity could come as often as once or twice a week or as rarely as once or twice a month, depending on the Earth’s rotation and on sky clarity. (So “don’t worry,” NASA says, “if there are big gaps in between sightings!”)

Being, for better or for worse, pretty much the target demographic for this particular service, I just signed up for it. For Washington, D.C., Spot the Station offered location options down to the neighborhood level. And it allowed me to clarify whether I preferred to learn about morning or evening sighting opportunities. (I chose both, because why not.) We’ll see how well it works. For the moment, though, the service is a nice, thoughtful feature: a way to take work that NASA is already doing … and transform it into public wonder and goodwill.

20000 Trillion Calculations in a Blink !!!!!!!!!!

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Supercomputer Does 20,000 Trillion Calculations In A Blink

super

Washington: New supercomputer Titan can process more than 20,000 trillion calculations, or 20 petaflops, in a mere blink by employing a series of graphic processing units first created for computer gaming.

Launched by the Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), Titan will be 10 times as powerful as ORNL’s last world-leading system, Jaguar, overcoming power and space limitations inherent in the previous generation of high-performance computers.

Using a grid of 14-km cells, the new system will be able to simulate from one to five years per day of computing time, up from the three months or so that Jaguar was able to churn through in a day, according to an ORNL statement.

Titan, which is supported by the US Department of Energy, will provide unprecedented computing power for research in energy, climate change, efficient engines, materials and other disciplines and pave the way for a wide range of achievements in science and technology.

Titan also has more than 700 terabytes of memory. The combination of central processing units, the traditional foundation of high-performance computers, and more recent graphics processing unit (GPUs) will allow Titan to occupy the same space as its Jaguar predecessor while using only marginally more electricity.

“One challenge in supercomputers today is power consumption,” said Jeff Nichols, associate lab director for computing and computational sciences.

“Combining GPUs and CPUs in a single system requires less power than CPUs alone and is a responsible move toward lowering our carbon footprint. Titan will provide unprecedented computing power for research in energy, climate change, materials and other disciplines to enable scientific leadership,” he added.

By relying on its 299,008 CPU cores to guide simulations and allowing its new NVIDIA GPUs to do the heavy lifting, Titan will enable researchers to run scientific calculations with greater speed and accuracy.

“Titan will allow scientists to simulate physical systems more realistically and in far greater detail,” said James Hack, director of ORNL’s National Centre for Computational Sciences.

Source: IANS….silicon india net….
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Before Pratibha , Came Stematis in 1966 !!!

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November 2, 2012

Before Pratibha, came Stematis

A. SRIVATHSAN   ” THE HINDU”

Nostalgia for me espicially !!!!!!….. I have seen the STEMETIS  at MARINA shore as 16 year old boy then !!!! ,,.. Now  i  am seeing the photo of  STEMETIS   in THE HINDU   again   at the age of 62 !!!!!

Natarajan

  • Stranded ships are as much an attraction now as they were half a century ago. People flock to see MT Pratibha Cauvery on the beach near Santhome. Photo: V. Ganesan
    Stranded ships are as much an attraction now as they were half a century ago. People flock to see MT Pratibha Cauvery on the beach near Santhome. Photo: V. Ganesan
  • An evening at Marina Beach in Madras, visitors enjoying the waves and cool breeze, not distracted by a shipping vessel ran aground.
    An evening at Marina Beach in Madras, visitors enjoying the waves and cool breeze, not distracted by a shipping vessel ran aground

Many ships have run aground along the Chennai Coast during previous cyclones. Some have even split into two.

But a spectacle that remains etched in the collective memory of the city is the sight of the half-submerged Stematis, a cargo ship flying the Liberian flag, which hit the shores of Marina beach on Nov 3, 1966, and remained as wreckage till the 1990s.

For long, the ruined Stematis was a major attraction. Large number of visitors flocked the beach to see the odd sight of a partially-submerged ship. The more adventurous, after paying the fee of a rupee, sailed the short distance for a closer view.

A cyclonic storm, expected to cross the coast of Nagapattinam, moved north and hit the shores of Madras on the evening of November 3, 1966. Winds blowing at a speed of 100 kmph damaged at least six ships.

The worst affected was the Panamanian cargo ship Progress. The ship split in two after hitting a rock north of the harbour and about 26 crewmembers, mostly Chinese, died.

Two ships, Stematis and Mari Hora, flying Liberian flags jostled violently and drifted. WhileMari Hora ran aground off the Port Trust marshalling yard, Stematis was dragged further and reached the shores of Marina beach. The Madras Steamers Agents’ Association, after a few days, declared that Mari Hora was “as good as wrecked as it had developed a big crack amidship,” but they had some hopes about refloating Stematis.

Ten days later, attempts to pull the ship out of the sand commenced. Large crowds had gathered to witness the event, but they were disappointed since the recovery operations failed.

M/s. Diana Maritime Corporation, the owners, agreed to sell what was remaining of the ship for its scrap value — about Rs. 3.3 lakh — to a local company. However, the wreckage could not be completely removed.

The ruined ship attracted a lot of curious onlookers, but it also turned into a death trap. Many who swam close to it were not aware of the buried, sharp steel girders and were often fatally injured. In January 1983, over three days that followed Pongal, 19 dead bodies were washed ashore. This tragedy created a furore.

“We certainly don’t want many more parents and friends to say he touched the ship and he touched death,” in anguish, wrote Rev. Dr. Joseph A.L. Baynes, a reader of The Hindu, and urged the government to quickly clear the damaged ship.

Finally in 1990, a major effort was made to haul the wreckage to shore. A Bombay-based company mobilised more than 30 strong workers to wrap the broken ship with wires and tried to haul it with the help of two winches. The wreckage was removed, but not completely.

Keywords: Pratibha, Stematis, cycone Nilam

இது தெரியுமா உங்களுக்கு ?…மரத்தடி பிள்ளையார் !

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அரசமரம், வேப்பமரம் இரண்டுக்கும் கீழே விநாயகர் மற்றும் நாகர் சிலைகளைப் பிரதிஷ்டை செய்வது வழக்கமாக இருக்கிறது. இதன் ரகசியம் என்ன தெரியுமா? மழை பெய்தாலோ, நல்ல வெயில் அடித்தாலோ குடை வேண்டும். அரசமரத்திலும், வேப்பமரத்திலும் மழை மற்றும் கோடை காலத்தில் இலைகள் நெருக்கமாக இருக்கும். தன் கீழே பிரதிஷ்டை செய்யப்படும் பிள்ளையாரையும், நாகராஜாவை யும் அவை குடைபிடித்து பாதுகாப்பதாக ஐதீகம். இயற்கையும் இறைவனை வணங்கு கிறது என்பது ஒரு ரகசியம். பனிக்காலம் இலையுதிர் காலம். அப்போது, இந்த மரங்கள் இலையை உதிர்த்து விட்டு கட்டைகளுடன் நிற்கும். அதாவது, குடையை மடக்கி விடும் எனலாம். அப்போது, சூரியன் தன் கதிர்களை இந்த இடைவெளி வழியே பாய்ச்சி, விநாயகரையும், நாகரையும் வழிபடுவான். அதுமட்டுமல்ல, வெயில், மழை காலத்தில் மரத்துக்கு கீழே மனிதர்கள் ஒதுங்குவார்கள். பனிக்காலத்தில் இளவெயில் பட்டால் தான் உடலுக்கு உஷ்ணம் கிடைக்கும். சீதோஷ்ண நிலையால் அவர்களைக் கஷ்டப்படுத்தி விடக்கூடாது என்ற கருணை யுடன் தெய்வங்கள் மரத்தடிகளை தங்கள் இருப்பிடமாக்கிக் கொண்டு விட்டனர் என்பது இன்னொரு ரகசியம். மரத்தடியில் ஒதுங்கும் சாக்கிலாவது, அங்கிருக்கும் இறைவனை ஒருதடவையாவது மனிதன் வணங்கிவிட மாட்டானா என்ற மகான்களின் ஆதங்கம், மரத்தடி தெய்வ பிரதிஷ்டையின் மற்றொரு ரகசியம்.

source:::::DinaMalar…Tamil daily

Natarajan

Challenges Keep us Fresh…Like the Japanese Fish !!!!!

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Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of
a challenging environment

– The Japanese story

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to
Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese
population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The
farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish.

If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh.
The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their
boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers
allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.

However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and
frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a
lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would
catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little
thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull,
but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because
the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste.

The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they
get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies (still)
put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each
tank. The fish, in an attempt to run away from the shark, stay
constantly alert and hence, fresh. The shark may eat a few fish, but
most of the fish arrive in a very lively state.

Lessons from the story:

Like the Japanese fish – “Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the
presence of a challenging environment.”- L. Ron Hubbard.

Challenges are what keep us FRESH! Instead of avoiding challenges,
jump into them. Beat the heck out of them.

Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous,
reorganize the challenge, team up, be resourceful and do not give up.
Failing makes you tired.

If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals.

Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your
group, the society, even mankind.

Don’t create success and lie in it.

You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.

Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

Source::::: unknown….input from one of my contacts…..

Natarajan

Mini Jumbo Jet Battle..Airbus A350 Getting Ready !!!!!!!!!!!!

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source….brisbane times .com    

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‘Mini-jumbo’ jet battle: Airbus A350 takes shape

Airbus A350 expansion escalates Boeing war

The A350 is Europe’s first contribution to a new generation of mid-size wide body airliners and is the next step in its battle with US rival Boeing…

Airbus is looking at increasing planned production for the largest member of its A350 family to power its next important struggle with Boeing for a lucrative corner of the jet market, two people familiar with the matter said.

The plans came as Airbus inaugurated its assembly factory for the A350 in Toulouse, southwest France, last week, which is being developed at an estimated cost of $US15 billion.

The lightweight carbon-composite aircraft is Airbus’s answer to two categories of Boeing long-haul jet: the 787 Dreamliner, which pioneered the large-scale of fuel-saving materials, and the more traditional metallic but still popular 365-seat 777.

Airbus says the A350 will take to the skies in the summer of 2013 and enter service in the second half of 2014.Airbus says the A350 will take to the skies in the summer of 2013 and enter service in the second half of 2014.

The largest variant, the 350-seat A350-1000, will allow Airbus to compete directly with the twin-engined 777 “mini-jumbo”. The duel is shaping as the next major aviation battle, with sales of up to 2000 jets at stake over the next 20 years.

 

Airbus blames a shortage of delivery slots for slow sales of the A350-1000, which has notched up 88 orders and seen several cancellations since launch, though its US rival claims Airbus was wrong to try to compete in two segments with one plane.

Raising production would free up more slots to be sold.

The lightweight carbon-composite A350 aircraft is Airbus's answer to two categories of Boeing long-haul jet: the 787 Dreamliner, which pioneered the large-scale of fuel-saving materials, and the more traditional metallic but still popular 365-seat 777.Click for more photos

Airbus’ Dreamliner rival takes shape

The lightweight carbon-composite A350 aircraft is Airbus’s answer to two categories of Boeing long-haul jet: the 787 Dreamliner, which pioneered the large-scale of fuel-saving materials, and the more traditional metallic but still popular 365-seat 777.

“Airbus is looking at ways of increasing A350-1000 production,” a person familiar with the matter said.

It was not immediately clear whether this would be at the expense of production for the two smaller models of A350 or mean an increase in total production. There has been speculation the A350-800 could be scaled back to focus on larger models.

A spokeswoman for EADS subsidiary Airbus declined specific comment on production for the A350-1000, but said production for the overall series – officially known as the A350 XWB – was designed to accommodate changes in demand.

“The A350 XWB final assembly line is designed to be flexible and to be able to produce all three members of the A350 family (-800, -900, -1000),” the spokeswoman said by email.

“We are working on a ramp-up to 10 per month to be reached four years after the first A350 XWB delivery and are constantly and closely following market trends so that we anticipate and adapt our production to meet our customers’ needs.”

At first, Airbus will focus on production of the 314-seat A350-900, the best-selling of all three A350 models and one designed to compete head-to-head with the 787 Dreamliner.

Airbus says the A350 will take to the skies in the summer of 2013 and enter service in the second half of 2014, a year later than originally scheduled. Three different models of the aircraft will seat between 270 and 350 people.

The first A350-1000 is due in 2017 but it is sold out until late-decade.

The competing 787 Dreamliner went into service in Japan a year ago after complications with a ground-breaking production system and global supply chain delayed its first deliveries by three years.

Even before last week’s inauguration, the 74,000-square metre Toulouse plant has been building the first A350 that will never fly but will be shaken apart in stress tests.

Full production will now begin in earnest ahead of next year’s maiden flight, rising to 10 planes a month by late 2018.

MINI-JUMBO MATCH

Airbus is locked in a psychological battle with Boeing over the A350-1000, which was recently beefed up with a more powerful Rolls-Royce engine to improve payload and range.

Boeing produces seven 777s a month and plans to lift this to 8.3 after a record sales streak for the jet, which was extended by a $US4.5 billion Turkish Airlines order on Monday.

But even the 777’s industry fans acknowledge the 1990s metal design will eventually face headwinds from the A350-1000’s lighter design, and Boeing has been toying for months with a 777 revamp that includes less thirsty engines and new wings.

While Boeing is under pressure from top buyers such as Emirates to firm up its plans for the 777X, as the tentative new version is known, Airbus is under pressure to score quick sales of the A350-1000 to recoup lost momentum. It says the plane offers significant savings over the current 777.

After a flurry when the A350 was launched in 2007, sales of the 350-seat A350-1000 went quiet until Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific placed a new order for 10 and upgraded orders for 16 of the smaller A350-900 model in July.

Industry analysts say that as well as pushing new sales, Airbus is actively trying to persuade buyers of its smaller A350-900 to trade up in pursuit of more payload and range, and a further rejigging of the order backlog cannot be ruled out.

On Tuesday last week, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault fought through fog and an air traffic control strike to fly to Toulouse, southwest France, to name the plant after “Father of Airbus” Roger Beteille, a pioneer of twin-engined long haul passenger jets.

Germany is withholding half of an estimated 1.2 billion euro A350 development loan to voice unease over jobs.

The United States has accused Europe of ignoring recent World Trade Organisation rulings by subsidising the aircraft through development loans, while Germany has withheld part of its share of the loans in a row with Airbus over jobs.

Reuters

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/minijumbo-jet-battle-airbus-a350-takes-shape-20121031-28jjo.html#ixzz2Aw5FM4QF