Looks like screech owls like to snuggle, too
A friend, Janet Furlong, posted this photo to EarthSky Facebook. Isn’t it sweet? When we passed the image along on Facebook last week, many noticed that the bark on tree in the lower right also looks like an owl. Seeing recognizable objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. Read about pareidolia, here.
Source….www.earthsky.org
Natarajan
Five centuries after the passing of Guru Nanak, his words still resonate with his followers. Let’s take a look at 10 of his teachings that make sense to this day.
Arvind Balaraman | Flickr
This mantra was relevant in 1500 when there was no concept of poverty alleviation, and is just as relevant now, when poverty hasn’t left the world. When Nanak was 12, his father gave him Rs. 20 to set up a business. Nanak bought food worth Rs. 20 and gave it away. When his father asked him about this investment, Nanak told him it was a “true business”.
Today, a Gurudwara named Sacha Sauda (true business) exists, where Guru Nanak fed the poor.
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Using religion to segregate people into categories is awful. In the Guru’s own words, “There is neither Hindu nor Muslim.”
On his visit to Hardiwar, he saw people offering the water of the Ganges towards the sun in the east, as an offering to their ancestors in heaven. He began to throw water towards the West. When others ridiculed him, he said: “If Ganges water will reach your ancestors in heaven, why should the water I throw not reach my fields in the Punjab, which are far less distant?
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At a time when other Indian religions wanted quiet, demure women in the temple and no women in the mosque, he permitted women to join religious gatherings and openly sing their praises of God.
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“…Remember the essence of religion/ Is meekness and sympathy/ But a life of goodness and purity/ Amid the world’s temptations…” (Guru Nanak)
Maybe one could achieve enlightenment in forests centuries ago, but we’re not capable of that today. And Guru Nanak doesn’t even require you to do that. He believed that living as a householder was better than going away for a divine truth. Nanak himself was a farmer even after achieving enlightenment.
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a. Ego b. Anger c. Greed d. Attachment and e. Lust.
Most, if not all, suffering of big city life comes from these five evils.
You need a mentor to guide you on how to live right. In Guru Nanak’s words, living right is much superior to visiting pilgrimage destinations.
The Punjab Golden Temple feeds over a 100,000 people of all religions every single day. Not because there is some divine gain, but because it is a sacred duty. For Nanak, the concept of selfless service was a way of life.
Nanak devoted his life to attacking formal rituals, caste, and practices that didn’t make any sense. This is the simplest way you can find meaning and purpose in your own life – cutting out the clutter of what society dictates you should do.
hindustantimes
It is not hard to practice the tenets of Sikhism. There are only 3!
Vand Chako: Sharing with others
Kirat Karo: Making an honest living
Naam Japna: Remembering God at all time
There is much to be gained from your journeys. At a time when religious leaders never ventured out of their villages, Guru Nanak walked, yes, walked, to Iraq, Ladakh, Tibet and Saudi Arabia!
Source……www.indiatimes.com
Natarajan
Couples with a Sense of Adventure |
| Some senior citizens like to take life slowly, and some don’t realize their age. Having fun should be a lifelong goal. These inspiring couples show us that you’re never too old to go on an adventure and that fun should be a lifelong pursuit. Not only are these images bursting with life, but they are filled with love and a healthy sense of humor.
Source….www.ba-bamail.com Natarajan |
Image Courtesy: Screengrab taken from YouTube video uploaded by @Coca-Cola
This is your Monday pick-me-up – a heartwarming video that is guaranteed to put a huge smile on your face.
For their ‘Choose Happiness’ campaign, a beverage brand has compiled a montage of lots of babies, all smiling and grinning with toothless abandon. What’s more, they dare you watch it without cracking a smile yourself.
“Children smile up to 40 times more than adults every day,” it says in the video, which has gone viral with over 5.1 million views since it was posted on YouTube on May 11. “It’s the first thing we ever learn to do – before we learn to crawl, walk or talk,” it says.
Has the business of living made us forget the first thing we ever learnt?
So here’s all the help you need. Watch till the end for a real laughter-inducing experience.
Source…..www.ndtv.com
Natarajan
The elephant selfie or “elphie” has taken social media users by storm. Photo credit: IANS
If you were left stunned by a black macaque’s selfie last year that became a tug of war between Wikipedia and the photographer about who owned the selfie, this awesome “elphie” is going to floor you completely.
Now trending on social media, the elephant selfie or “elphie” has taken users by storm.
The “elphie” is courtesy Christian LeBlanc, a former student from University of British Columbia, who is now studying in Thailand, globalnews.ca reported.
The “elphie” was taken on Koh Phangan Island in southeast Thailand.
“I was taking photos and feeding the elephant bananas until I ran out of bananas and the elephant grabbed my Gopro while the camera was set to ‘timelapse’,” LeBlanc told globalnews.ca. This allowed the camera continuous shooting and enabled it to take the “elphie”.
The stunning photo has now been shared by LeBlanc on her Instragram account.
Last year, a selfie taken by a black macaque on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi had become a tug of war between Wikipedia and the photographer who claims he is the owner of the selfie. Wikipedia has refused to remove the famous selfie, saying the monkey – and not the photographer – owns the copyright because the animal took it.
The photographer David Slater was clicking photos of crested black macaques in 2011 when one of the endangered monkeys hijacked his camera and snapped hundreds of pictures. Among those, there were some stunning images, including a selfie of the macaque that made headlines.
Later, the US Copyright Office confirmed that a monkey – or any other animal – that takes a selfie does not own the copyright of the photo.
In an update to copyright regulations and practices, the US regulator spelled out examples of works that are not eligible for protection. These included — photograph taken by a “monkey” and — mural painted by an elephant”.
Source….www.ndtv.com
Natarajan
In picture: The annual White House Passover Seder held last month
A President’s work is never done. Between being ribbed by Bill Cinton and shown up by FLOTUS on Twitter, Barack Obama has enough non-Presidential matters to keep him occupied without this.
‘This’ being a little kid’s full-blown temper tantrum at a White House do with POTUS, FLOTUS and other West Wing bigwigs looking on.
Take a look at this amazing image going viral all over the internet.
The photo – of epic proportions, may we say – was taken at the annual White House Passover Seder held last month.
In the picture, little Claudia Moser lies face-down on the carpet in what parents will recognize as classic tantrum pose. What makes the picture even more adorable is the expression on Obama’s face, as if he were saying “you see what I have to deal with?”
The tantrum however has made Claudia a hit on the internet.
This isn’t the first time Obama had to deal with an unhappy under-10. (Read this: Kids Who’re Completely Unimpressed With The Most Powerful Man on Earth)
So what do you think of this picture?….!!!!
Source…..www.ndtv.com
Natarajan
Three degrees … all part of 11-year-old Tanishq Abraham’s master plan. Picture: KCRA Source: Supplied
STUDENTS graduating at a California college on Wednesday were celebrating alongside an unusual classmate — 11-year-old Tanishq Abraham, who took out not one but three degrees.
Tanishq, who graduated from American River College in Sacramento with a perfect grade point average of 4.0, successfully took out degrees in maths, science and foreign languages studies.
All this was just one year after he completed California’s early-exit high school exam, aged 10, KCRA reports.
Prodigious … Tanishq Abraham, right, with younger sister Tiara, on the way home from college classes. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied
Baby steps … 11-year-old Tanishq Abraham on his graduation day. Picture: Fox40 Source: Supplied
“This isn’t much of a big thing for me,” Tanishq said, with his sights already set on some bigger prizes. “I want to become a doctor, but I also want to become a medical researcher, and also the president of the United States.”
On Twitter, he said it felt awesome to graduate the degrees, but called the accomplishment his “first few baby steps”.
Team work … Tiara, Bijou, Tanishq and Taji Abraham enjoy a celebratory dinner. Picture: Twitter Source: Supplied
Tanishq wore a brightly coloured scarf with his graduation robes, and decorated his mortar board with his favourite Toy Story quote: “2 Infinity and Beyond”.
Reflecting on college life, he said some of his classmates “were intimidated” by him but “a lot of others were really happy” to have a kid in their class.
Happy family … Tiara and Taji with Tanishq Abraham, who just graduated with three degrees at age 11. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied
His parents knew early on that he was intellectually gifted. “Even in kindergarten he was pretty ahead, a few years ahead — and then it just went from there,” his mother Taji Abraham said.
Tanishq was home schooled until he began attending college
Big day for a little boy … 11-year-old Tanishq Abraham at his college graduation. Picture: Fox40 Source: Supplied
Celebrating with him on his big day were his father Bijou Abraham, a software engineer, his mother Taji (a doctor of veterinary medicine) and sister Tiara, 9.
“We did it as a family, as teamwork,” Ms Abraham told Fox40. “And I was just cheering, I was just crying there when I saw Tanishq walk down the stage.”
His younger sister Tiara is also a child prodigy and, like her brother, began taking college classes at age 7. She also loves singing and painting.
Just kids … Tiara mucks around with older brother Tanishq Abraham on her ninth birthday. Picture: Facebook Source:Supplied
Source……www.news.com.au
Natarajan
To thwart a bear attack, make yourself look bigger and scarier.
This is how you escape from a bear attack.
Ralph Perrson was walking with his wife and dog in the woods when he noticed his dog was barking differently, the Swedish outlet The Local reported. Suddenly a large Eurasian brown bear ran out of the woods and charged at him.
Fortunately for Perrson, he knew bears are much more scared of us than we are of them. Standing his ground, he raised his arms and let out a primal yell. The very startled bear spun right around and ran back into the woods.
Like black bears in the US, Eurasian brown bears avoid humans and rarely attack unless provoked or startled, which this one probably was. There have only been two fatal attacks in Sweden in the past century.
Experts recommend using the same tactics to avoid encounters with both species: Make yourself big, speak loudly, and never run away. (Be warned though: If you run into a grizzly bear in the US, this approach might not work.)
Perrson kept his head on straight, and both bear and human got away safely.
Watch the video below to hear Perrson’s bear-repelling scream — and see incredible footage from his phone.
Source….www.businessinsider.com and http://www.youtube.com
Natarajan
This composite image of southern Africa and the surrounding oceans was captured by six orbits of the NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership spacecraft on April 9, 2015, by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument. Tropical Cyclone Joalane can be seen over the Indian Ocean.
Winds, tides and density differences constantly stir the oceans while phytoplankton continually grow and die. Orbiting radiometers such as VIIRS allows scientists to track this variability over time and contribute to better understanding of ocean processes that are beneficial to human survival on Earth. The image was created by the Ocean Biology Processing Group at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
For more information, please visit: http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ and http://www.nasa.gov/npp
Image Credit: Ocean Biology Processing Group at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Source…..www.nasa.gov
Natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 