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The one who is filled with love has great peace of mind, is pure at heart and is unruffled by any adverse circumstances, failures or losses. This fortitude is derived from love of the Lord, and it endows one with self-confidence. Self-confidence generates an immense internal power. Everyone has to develop this power to experience the bliss of the Self (Atma-Ananda). Love should be free from feelings of expectation of any return or reward. Love which arises out of a desire for something in return is not true love. Utterly selfless and motiveless love should be developed. This is the bounden duty of all. You should not pray to God seeking this favour or that, for your vision is limited. None of you can fathom what immensely precious, Divine and magnificent treasures lie when you secure the treasure-house of Divine Grace.
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Photography
” Did Fliers Really Get Out and ‘ Push’ Frozen Russian Jetliner !!
Video of that appears to show passengers dislodging a frozen Russian plane is making the rounds on social media and in various news outlets.
In its report, the AFP news agency writes “Siberian air passengers had to get out and push their plane in temperatures of minus-52 degrees Celsius (-62F) after its chassis froze, Russian prosecutors said Wednesday. The extraordinary story emerged after a passenger posted a video on YouTube showing a group of cheery travelers pushing the Tupolev plane on the snow-covered runway in Igarka, which is beyond the Arctic Circle.”
The Guardian newspaper of London was among others to jump on the story, writingthat “it might sound like a bad joke about budget flights but for passengers at a remote Siberian airport there was little to laugh about when they were asked to leave the plane in extreme cold weather and help push it along the tarmac.”
But a report from Russia-centric website RT.com puts a somewhat different spin on the story.
RT’s report does say the wheels of the UTair Tupolev Tu-134 were frozen to the ground at the airport, about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. However, RT suggests the video was more of a “selfie” photo-op than an actual effort to move the heavy aircraft.
RT.com: Siberia: Over 70 passengers ‘push’ frozen plane to runway
RT says the charter flight’s 74 passengers offered to exit the plane in an effort to lighten the aircraft as airport crews tried to get the plane headed toward the runway.
“The passengers disembarked to lighten the weight, and then they volunteered to move it,” a spokeswoman for UTair tells RT.
RT adds that the director of the airport – whom RT did not identify by name – told RT he was doubtful that passengers would have been able to move the heavy aircraft. RT writes the airport director “added that it would be hard to reach its two-meter-high wings, and if you did manage, the cover and flaps could get damaged.”
“The passengers … must have decided to make some sort of a ‘selfie’. The joke proved right and became a good one in the internet,” the airport director is quoted as saying by RT.
The plane did eventually take off from Igarka for the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. As for the possibility of damaging the aircraft, Russian authorities say they’ve launched an investigation.
Regardlessof the precise details, the video has been a hit on the Web.
TWITTER: You can follow me at twitter.com/TodayInTheSky
SOURCE:::: https://www.youtube.com/and Ben Mutzabaugh,in www.usatoday.com
Natarajan
Image of the Day…” Ice-Covered Light House ” !!!
Ice-covered lighthouse in Michigan
Wow! A fearsome ice king! Outer lighthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan last Friday night.
Joshua Nowicki took this photo in St. Joseph, a city on the shores of Lake Michigan, on November 21, 2014, after last week’s winter storm swept through.
Nikon D5100, 35 mm lens, f/2.2, 15 seconds, ISO 800.
By the way, the St. Joe Lighthouse has its own live webcam.
See more of Joshua Nowicki’s pics, including more of this lighthouse here.
Posted by Eleanor Imster in http://earthsky.org/todays-image/
Natarajan
The Most Expensive Book In the World !!!
| A copy of John James Audubon’s Birds of America was sold at an auction in London for £7.3 million ($11.5 million), and thus became the most expensive book ever sold. The auction was a rare chance to own one of the best-preserved editions of the 19th- century masterpiece, with its 435 hand-colored illustrations. The winning bid was placed by London-based art dealer Michael Tollemache, who outbid three others during the auction.Don’t miss the video of the book at the bottom! |
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| Only 120 complete sets of Audubon’s 435 hand-colored, life-sized engravings of America’s birds are believed to exist today, with the majority (107) owned by institutions. The last full edition of The Birds of America, which went up for auction in 2010, sold for £7.3m at Sotheby’s, breaking the world record for a single book. |
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| “Birds of America is most significant for its sheer beauty. It’s a masterpiece of illustration,” the words of Richard Davies, a rare and used books specialist. “Aside from being famous in the rare book world, Birds of America also has immense historical and ornithological importance. Some of the birds John James Audubon painted are extinct, and he also discovered new species.” |
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| Measuring over three feet in height and running to four volumes, The Birds of America was created by Audubon between 1827 and 1838. Son of a French sea captain , Audubon was an itinerant artist who traveled America’s wilderness drawing the birds he loved. He was insistent that The Birds of America was made up of life-size illustrations and that it showed all the known species of north America, making the finished volume |
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| Each of the printed books were colored by hand, and it was an extremely laborious process. Even by today’s standards, the vividness of its illustrations of birds is extraordinary but when it was being released in the 1830s it was mindboggling. Audubon employed a rather shocking technique to produce the book. He hunted the birds down and shot them before propping them up on wires to paint. Each drawing would take about 60 hours to complete. Ironically, many of his beautifully rendered subjects are now extinct, such as the Carolina Parakeet, Passenger Pigeon, Labrador Duck, Great Auk, Esquimaux Curlew, and Pinnated Grouse. |
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| Picking up a copy of the “book” is a two-person job, said the dealer, who examined an edition at Sotheby’s once prior to the auction. “The (very nervous) resident expert and I (gingerly) turned the pages together, him at the top and me at the bottom, and peeled them back (respectfully) into just the right conjunction with the rest of the plates,” said Gekoski. “You have to be careful how you handle a gargantuan book worth more than 10 million dollars.” |
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Video Link ….
SOURCE::::: http://www.ba-bamail..com and You Tube
Natarajan
Australia has plans for the world’s biggest hotel !!!
The proposed $8.15 billion Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort planned for Yorkeys Knob in Cairns. Source: Supplied
WHEN you think of the world’s biggest hotels, you usually conjure up images of the main strip of Vegas.
However plans for the world’s biggest hotel have been submitted right here in Australia.
The $8.15 billion Aquis project was put forward by Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung for a six star hotel and casino with 7500 rooms just outside of Cairns.
However the grand plans have come to a grinding halt as Queensland’s Gaming Commission refused to speed up its approval for the takeover bid of Reef Casino Trust, which owns Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns, as part of the project.
The proposed resort is to sit over a lagoon complex. Source: Supplied
Proposed design of the casino lobby with an aquarium. Source: Supplied
The decision to grant regulatory approval for the proposed takeover expires on November 28 and Aquis says it will not extend meaning the offer will lapse. Plans for the resort are likely to still go ahead.
Caught up in red tape, Far North Queensland civic and business leaders yesterday urged the Newman Government to hasten the process and support tourism.
The resort is planned on a former sugar cane farm in Yorkey’s Knob, 15km north of Cairns, and is to feature an 18 hole golf course and lagoon.
Aboriginal artwork is to decorate its walls. Source: Supplied
Imagine the housekeeping for 7500 rooms. Source: Supplied
The property at Yorkeys Knob which will be the site of the proposed $4.2 billion AQUIS Great Barrier Reef Resort. Picture: Mccormack Marc Source: News Corp Australia
Currently the biggest hotel in Australia is the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney with 682 rooms, meaning the proposed resort would be a whopping 11 times bigger.
The Four Points by Sheraton, Sydney takes the gong as Australia’s biggest. Picture: NSW Department of Planning.Source: Supplied
A look at the world’s biggest hotels
MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Rooms: 6,852
The MGM Grand is one of the hotels / casinos on the Las Vegas strip Source: Getty Images
First World Hotel, Malaysia
Rooms: 6,118
Ambassador City, Thailand
Rooms: 4,219
The Venetian, Las Vegas
Rooms: 4,027
The Venetian hotel and casino is like a floating city. Source: Supplied
Excalibur, Las Vegas
Rooms: 3,981
Which pool should you swim at today? Source: Supplied
SOURCE::::news.com.au
Natarajan
Incredible Airports in India ….You Must See !!!
Agatti Airport
1. Agatti Airport, Lakshadweep
source:fsairport.net
HolidayIQ Traveller Gautam Barman says, “Agatti is a small island and hence, one can enjoy the sea, the lagoons and the beach. You can go to Bangaram and enjoy a full day there. It is about an hour’s journey by boat. Make sure that the permit and formalities are taken care of beforehand.”
Surrounded by nothing but the Indian Ocean, the 4,000-foot-long Agatti Airport is so random and petite that it could pass off as a piece of a larger runway lost at sea. The airport is the only one in Lakshadweep – a Indian Union Territory comprising 36 exotic islands located off of the southwestern coast of India, and sits on the island of Agatti.
2. Lengpui Airport, Mizoram
source:sevendiary.com
HolidayIQ Traveller Dharmender Singh says, “The nearest airport to Mizoram is Lengpui airport. To enter Mizoram by any means inner line permit is required. At airport ILP counter is there were ILP is issued on arrival.”
The 2,500 metre runway of the Lengpui airport is unique as it has many hilly streams running und
3. Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh
source:flickr.com
HolidayIQ Traveller Jayesh from Kolkata says, “Leh is beautiful and is known as the cold desert. Drass, the second coldest place in the world, and Khardungla, known as the world’s highest motorable road, are a must visit. Things that one should not miss while in Leh – Lamayuru, Thiksey Monastery, double-humped camels at Hunder, sand dunes, Diskit Monastery, Shyok River and shopping in Leh.”
Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport is an airport in Leh. It’s one of the highest airports in the world at 3,256 m (10,682 ft) above sea level.
4. Jubbarhatti Airport, Shimla
source: dailymail.co.uk
“The state, with many a snow-bound Himalayan peak, has some of the most spectacular landscapes in the country. It also has some very popular holiday resorts which are easily accessible. Apart from sightseeing, it offers immense scope for trekking, skiing and rafting. Shivalik, Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal are the major mountain ranges in the state,” says HolidayIQ Traveller Peaceman Travel.
Shimla Airport is located in Jabarhatti, 22 kilometres from Shimla. The airport was constructed by cutting down a mountaintop and levelling the area to form the single runway. The small apron has space for two small aircrafts to park simultaneously.
5. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
source:quoracdn.net
It showcases to the world the beauty of Indian art and design. Unlike other museums, you would need an international air ticket to enter — this museum with nearly 7,000 artefacts, a 3 km-long art wall and works by over 1,500 artists, is actually housed inside an airport! Somewhere between check-in and baggage claim, Mumbai’s new integrated terminal T2 shows off some of the best of Indian arts and craft to foreign visitors as well as Indians.
Dabolim Airport, Goa
source:thepointsguy.com
HolidayIQ Traveller Nikhil says, “Airport of Goa is marvellous in its own. It has cafes and shops to keep the passengers busy but the items are quite expensive.”
Goa International Airport, more commonly known as Dabolim Airport, is located in the city of Dabolim. It is one of the most beautiful airports in India. It offers a breathtaking view of the Arabian Sea.
” A Teashop Owner Couple …Who Have Visited 16 Countries …” !!!
“If you really wish to chase your dreams, nothing can stop you from it,” – a line like this may sound tacky in isolation, but when Vijayan , a 65-year-old wayside tea-seller owning a tiny tea shop in Kochi says it , a decade’s worth of stories echoing hard work, sweat and conquered dreams tumble out.
Vijayan has been a tea-seller for over forty years, however, that hasn’t stopped him and his wife from touring almost every scenic destination in India along with a whopping 16 other countries- Britain, France, Austria, Egypt, UAE, the list goes on.
His tea-stall is his only source of income, something that has never been an obstacle in fulfilling his dream of travelling all over the world. “I got the obsession in traveling from my dad; he took me to different places since I was 6 year old. We went to Madurai, Palani and many other places. Those travel memories with my dad helped me unleash my dreams” says Vijayan.
Life was not easy on Vijayan while he was growing up. Trips with his father to almost all temples in Kerala triggered his passion for travelling; however his father’s death brought all possibilities of travelling to a standstill as he took up all family responsibilities. It was only in 1988 that he resumed travelling when he accompanied a man as his cook on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas.
What is the point of fulfilling your dreams if you have nobody to share it with, says Vijayan as he refers to his wife Mohana, who joined him forty years ago. Back then her life revolved around Kochi, but post marriage, the couple have explored exotic cities, all on their own. Excitement lights up her face as Mohana explains her most enjoyable journeys.
“I was really excited when we first travelled abroad. Belonging to a very poor family, I never dreamt of a life like this. Later along with him I too became obsessed with the journeys. Switzerland is my favorite among the places we visited”, she says. Switzerland may have been her favourite but according to her, seeing the statue of Jesus in Israel left her rooted to her spot for a long time.
For Vijayan, on the other hand, every experience was different, right from trudging through the deserts of UAE to heading down the magnificent Nile river in Egypt, Nile being one of the spots he wishes to visit again.
It’s hasn’t been easy for the couple to sustain such a lifestyle. With their sole source of income coming from their tea-shop, the only way out for them to pursue their love for travelling was via help through bank loans.
Despite all financial insecurities, the couple would take a loan, travel to a foreign destination, come back and spend the next three years repaying the debt they owed, and the cycle would go on.
Has toiling and working so hard helped him? “There will be many hurdles, but we can overcome that through hard work. If you really wish to chase your dreams, nothing can stop you from it” he says.
Vijayan follows a very simple funda for saving money, “I save rupees 300 a day for our tickets and spend just 10 dollars or less on picking up some tiny souvenirs from the places of visit. We don’t spend anything more.”
There is no question of spending lavishly for this couple.
They may have travelled to 16 countries, but one country on their to-go-list still eludes them – the United States of America, a place they have been wishing to go for a long time now since their last trip to Europe in 2012.
Considering their age, the couple in recent times have faced difficulties in getting loans to finance a loan to their next dream destination. But all is not lost, says Vijayan. “Once I was completely stuck without money, then one of my old acquaintances who resides in South Africa offered me stay and food there. Then I somehow managed the ticket fare and visited the country. So am sure that somehow I will be able to visit the US”, he said.
Despite the financial burden the couple will have to sustain, Vijayan is steadfastly stubborn about one thing, about not leaving his wife behind. “I can’t travel without her, I will happy only when she is around”, says Vijayan smiling.
Some dreams are worth going all out for, and Vijayan’s story sounds like one of those few.
SOURCE:::: Haritha John in http://www.thenewsminute.com/
Natarajan
Is This the World’s Highest Selfie !!!…
Taking the selfie craze to extraordinary heights, a British photographer has clicked himself atop Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.
47-year-old Gerald Donovan took incredible pictures of himself from the top of the world’s tallest skyscraper which could be the world’s highest selfie, the Telegraph reported.
The UAE-based photographer took the images as part of his Dubai 360 project, which involved taking a virtual tour of the city and also a set of panoramas from the top of the world-famous 2,722 feet tall building.
Besides taking photos, Donovan was able to capture some pretty incredible video as well including a fish-eye video which depicts Dubai as its very own planet.
The photographer said this was the first selfie he had ever decided to take and share.
He used a special panoramic camera controlled by an iPhone app to capture the picture.
SOURCE:::: http://www.rediff.com
Natarajan
Golden Words For this Golden Day !!!
SOURCE:::: ba-ba mail site
Natarajan
This Man Set the Parallel Parking World Record !!!
Living in big cities might be great for your professional growth, however, you do fear the weekend, for it is the time when you get out onto crowded roads to shop or just roam around. You have to remember though that you take your car out and the biggest problem is parking your car.
But parking is no problem for Chinese wheelman Han Yue as he has done the seemingly impossible by breaking the tightest car parallel parking record. The Guinness Book of World Records has given its official nod to this feat too. Han managed to neatly slide his way into a gap measuring just 8 cm or 3.15 inch longer than the MINI 3 Door Hatch he was driving.
To give you an understanding of what all that is, the gap was probably smaller than the length of your smartphone. Han’s feat shaves off 0.6cm from British driver Alastair Moffatt’s record set back in July 2013 of 8.6 cm or 3.4 inch. The Chinese stunt driver has previously held the title in 2012 after manoeuvring into a gap of 15 cm (5.91 in).
video link….
SOURCE::::: Ameya Naik in http://www.auto.ndtv.com
Natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 