Photography – Page 229 – Take off with Natarajan

Watch Out …Zebra Crossing !!!

August 18, 2013Natarajan1 Comment

One would think their sheer number, not to mention their sharp horns, would be enough to keep any interlopers at bay.
But this brave group of zebras showed their fearless side as they brazenly barged in front of thousands of imposing wildebeest to cross the Mara River in Masai Mara, Kenya.
Despite the queue-barging, the wildebeest get on well with their zebra friends and are quite comfortable thrashing about in the river together.

Awe-inspiring: A group of zebras bravely gallop in front of a mass of wildebeest to forge clear in the race to cross the Mara River in Kenya

Odd ones out: The striped friends are outnumbered by their horned counterparts but are unfazed as they tackle the treacherous waters

Wonder of the world: The annual migration from the Serengeti involves more than 1.3milion wildebeest and 200,000 zebras

Every year, in one of nature’s great spectacles, a staggering 1.3million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra migrate north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, negotiating the potentially deadly river on their way before returning later in the year.

The Great Migration also involves about 500,000 Thomson’s gazelles, 97,000 Topi and 18,000 elands.

Their main worries are crocodiles, which can pounce at an moment, while many drown in the notoriously choppy waters.
Uncertain future: Many thousands of the animals will fall prey to predators like crocodiles and hippos, while some will drown in the choppy river

Uncertain future: Many thousands of the animals will fall prey to predators like crocodiles and hippos, while some will drown in the choppy river

We did it!These animals make it one from side to the other unscathed but thousands of others aren't so lucky

We did it!These animals make it one from side to the other unscathed but thousands of others aren’t so lucky

Millions of tourists flock to see the awe-inspiring event.

This year, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta stood in a tourist vehicle and marveled at the beauty of it all.

‘I think it’s important for people to visit this park because it gives you a chance, an opportunity to see the majesty of our creation,’ he said.

‘It’s an event that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world. The only place you see this wondrous migration of these animals crossing over from the Serengeti in search of water and grazing land is here in Maasai Mara.’
source::::::mailonline.com UK

natarajan

Things of Past !!!!…..A Nostalgia !!!

August 18, 2013August 18, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

One of the last few telegrams to be sent from Mumbai's Central Telegraph Office.

The Telegram

Big cable tv dishes

Maruti800

Gold Spot

Walkman

Yet another relic from the past -- the telephone directory. Seen here is the Yellow Pages phone book meant exclusively for commercial listings.

Telephone Directory

Pagers

Typewriters

TV antenna

Film Camera

Fountain Pen

VCP AND Cassettes

Handwritten Letters

Encyclopedias

Discman

Grinding Stone …AMMI !!!

Steel Suitcase and Holdall !!!

source ::::rediff.com

Tailpiece …. Few Good Comments for this story on rediff.com site…. you may like to see and smile ….

“The long intervals between TV programs. A typical Chennai DD week was like this; learning to write Tamil on Mondays with that delighful man, Mr. Nannan. The 1 hour drama on Tuesdays, some good, some not so good. Chitrahar on Wednesday, Oliyum Oliyum on Friday, Hindi films on Saturday, A long drama or Charlie Chaplin on Sunday mornings, news for the hearing impaired in the afternoons, followed by regional award winning films guaranteed to put you to sleep. Then the Sunday evening Tamil movie. The thing is the TV was silent for most of the day. I really appreciate it now and keep the TV off for most of the time. Believe me, I enjoy it. Hey what do you guys say, switch off your TV’s. Life is much better” from one Balaji Krishnamurthy !!!

“a few more things that belong to your list…

– Patriotic leaders
– Honesty in public life
– Ambassador & Fiat Padmini cars (& possibly Maruti 800 too)
– Scooters (Chetak & other brands)
– Loyal (One Company) employees (& tolerant employers, too)”,,,from Manjula Radhakrishnan

Natarajan

An Airline Turns Around to Pickup A Child Left Behind @Terminal !!!

August 17, 2013August 17, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

An Israeli airline – with the support of everyone on-board – turned around a plane to pick up an 11-year-old cancer patient.

All set to fly to New York August 7 to attend a camp for paediatric cancer patients, Inbar Chomsky, was taken off an El-Al Airlines flight after her passport went missing. Despite a frantic search by airline staff, passengers and the group Chomsky was travelling with, her passport was gone, flight attendants had no choice but to remove the sick girl.

Tears in their eyes, everyone said good bye to the devastated young girl after a half hour search aided by airline staff and passengers failed to turn up the girl’s passport, according to Haaretz.

She made it: A very happy Inbar Chomsky with her found passport at Camp Simcha

‘El Al sadly called her mother to tell her that Inbar’s passport was lost and that the girl, who had been fighting illness so valiantly, would not be able to fly to Camp Simcha’ Rabbi Yaakov Pinsky, director of of the Israeli branch of Chai Lifeline wrote in Yeshiva World News. ‘What a horrible experience for an 11 year old girl.’

Minutes after the doors closed and the plane taxied away from the gate, a fellow camper looking through another girl’s backpack found Chomsky’s passport and told flight attendants, according to Haaretz.

What happened next is virtually unheard of, especially post-9/11.

The plane’s pilots immediately stopped the plane, according to Haaretz, and after about 45 minutes were able to convince air traffic control to let them return to the gate to pick Chomsky up, Pinsky wrote.

Planes almost never turn around: No one could believe the plane returned to pick up Chomsky

Still overcoming her disappointment while at the gate with Elad Maimon, program director of the Israeli branch of Chai Lifeline, Chomsky and others watched in disbelief as the plane turned around, said Haaretz. ‘The flight attendants could not believe their eyes,’ Maimon told the paper. ‘They told me they had never seen such a thing.’

‘Planes rarely return to the gate after departing, read an El Al statement, continuing that ‘after consulting with El Al crew on the plane and El Al staff at the airport the decision was made and the plane returned to pick up Inbar.’

Passengers cheered and cried, wrote Pinsky, saying they shared ‘Inbar’s happiness and excitement,’ and calling it ‘one of the greatest moments’ he has ever witnessed.

source:::::mailonline.comUK

NATARAJAN

Check out What Economy Class Flying Looked Like In 1970s !!!

August 17, 2013August 17, 2013Natarajan1 Comment

1960s 1747

Everyone’s always whining about how flying sucks now compared to the way it used to be.

Judging from the photo above,, they might have a point.

This photo was tweeted this morning by Soren Dragsbaek Holm. It’s reportedly a shot of an economy-class cabin on a 747 from the 1960s. (The first 747 flew in January, 1970. It’s possible this photo was taken earlier).

UPDATE: Folks on Reddit think the photo is actually a “staged” version of a 747 cabin, which is certainly possible. The cabin has one fewer seat across than today’s cabins, though, and the luggage compartments are smaller, both of which make the cabin look bigger than today’s. So even if it’s a mock-up, it’s likely close to reality. A saved version of the photo here refers to it as a “mock-up,” so perhaps it was used to educate folks as to what flying on a 747 would be like.

UPDATE 2: And hold everything! The photo actually came from a feature that we did a few days ago. It’s from the Pan-Am archives. Check it and others out here.

Of course, when folks pine for the old days of flying, they ignore how relatively cheap and safe this mode of travel has become. Flying cost an arm and a leg in the 1960s. And there were lots more plane crashes.

If people really wanted comfort and service above price today, they’d pony up for First Class or Business Class. And there would be airlines that sold seats on the basis of comfort and service instead of price. But the truth is that the most important factor for most flyers is price. So we get what we pay for.
source:::::businessinsider.com

natarajan

Images For The Weekend !!!!

August 17, 2013Natarajan1 Comment

Giant panda Yuan Yuan sleeping next to her baby panda at the Taipei City Zoo. Taiwan's first new-born panda stayed overnight for the first time with her doting mother, zoo-keepers said

Giant panda Yuan Yuan sleeps next to her baby panda at the Taipei City Zoo. Taiwan’s first new-born panda stayed overnight for the first time with her doting mother, zoo-keepers said

An olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina), described as the first carnivore species to be discovered in the American continents in 35 years, is pictured in South America. The Smithsonian Institution said the new species had been mistaken for similar mammals in the Procyonidae family, which includes raccoons, and that a team of Smithsonian scientists identified it from overlooked museum specimens and trips to Ecuador

Mitch Freedman rides Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance de Lune during a trackwork session at Lady Bay beach in Warrnambool, Australia.

Mitch Freedman rides Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance de Lune during a trackwork session at Lady Bay beach in Warrnambool, Australia

A parrot perches in its cage in the Rio Abajo Nature Preserve, Puerto Rico. One of the world's most endangered bird species has made a major comeback in Puerto Rico. The population of the Puerto Rican parrots had fallen to just 13 at one point

A parrot perches in its cage in the Rio Abajo Nature Preserve, Puerto Rico. One of the world’s most endangered bird species has made a major comeback in Puerto Rico. The population of the Puerto Rican parrots had fallen to just 13 at one point

A photograph taken on board the International Space Station (ISS) shows the Japanese robotic cargo spaceship HTV-4, also called Kounotori-4 ( 'White Stork' in Japanese ) docking at the ISS. The HTV-4 spacecraft reportedly delivered about six tonnes of cargo to the ISS, including a small talking robot called Kirobo.

A photograph taken on board the International Space Station (ISS) shows the Japanese robotic cargo spaceship HTV-4, also called Kounotori-4 (‘White Stork’ in Japanese) docking at the ISS. The HTV-4 spacecraft reportedly delivered about six tonnes of cargo to the ISS, including a small talking robot called Kirobo.

The moon is photographed as birds fly over the parking lot at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

The moon is seen over the Egyptian river Nile in Cairo on the second day of a curfew in several Egyptian cities

In an effort to curb rampant cheating, Bangkok's Kasetsart University created an anti-deceit paper helmet for students to wear during their midterm exams.

In an effort to curb rampant cheating, Bangkok’s Kasetsart University created an anti-deceit paper helmet for students to wear during their midterm exams.

Twins pose during the 20th edition of the Fete des Jumeaux (Festival of Twins), a gathering of twins, triplets and quadruplets, in Pleucadeuc, France

Workers demolish parts of a privately-built villa, surrounded by imitation rocks, on the rooftop of a 26-storey residential building in Beijing. A Chinese property owner has started dismantling the elaborate villa built illegally, complete with a garden, on top of a Beijing apartment block after complaints from his neighbours.

A DC-10 air tanker drops fire retardant chemicals near the Rockport fire in Rockport, Summit County

A frog tries to shelter from a rainstorm at Knowsley safari park in Liverpool

A young bear cub tries to eat a frozen iced treat at Harbin Northern Forest Zoo in China

An Indian Mallakhamb gymnastic performs during Independence Day celebrations in Bangalore, India

Sisters Devan Curtis, 2, and Aliyah, 7 explore the 211,000 gallon Seal and Sea Lion Habitat at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California

Sisters Devan Curtis, 2, and Aliyah, 7 explore the ”Seal and Sea Lion Habitat” at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CaliforniaPicture: AP

source:::::The Telegraph UK

natarajan

Polar Bear Tries to Hitch a Lift on a Pickup Truck !!!!

August 16, 2013Natarajan1 Comment

They are known for being one of the most fearless predators on the earth.
So few people would relish getting up this close and personal with a giant polar bear – let alone get their camera out and start snapping away.
For half an hour, this cheeky polar bear was fascinated by a truck, and even climbed inside to investigate.

How would you react? When this giant polar bear showed an interest in this truck, the driver and photographer took out his camera and starting taking pictures

The curious animal sniffed and inspected the vehicle from the outside before casually clambering aboard.

However, the truck must not have been up to scratch because the 7ft bear, weighing approximately 300lbs, promptly jumped back out and sauntered off.

This amazing sequence of events took place on Barter Island in the eastern Alaskan Arctic and according photographer Steve Kazlowski, who has been photographing polar bears for the last 15 years, this kind of behaviour is not that unusual.

Too close for comfort: The polar bear seemed fascinated with Mr Kazlowski and his truck, staring at him through the window

Too close for comfort: The polar bear seemed fascinated with the driver and his truck, staring at him through the window

Eye level: He then jumped up on his back legs to get an even closer look at the driver

Eye level: He then jumped up on his back legs to get an even closer look at the driver who put his hand up against the window

Investigating: Keeping a close eye on the driver, the polar bear then walked around to the back of the vehicle

investigating: Keeping a close eye on the driver, the polar bear then walked around to the back of the vehicle

Mr Klazowski captured the close encounter from a distance, watching the giant animal investigating every inch of the truck.

He said: ‘It’s definitely not rare for a sub-adult polar bear, as this one was, about five years old, as they are very curious by nature.

‘The older they get, the smarter they get, and they stop doing such risky things.

‘Mentally they grow with age about what is smart to do and not do.’

Curious: The enormous animal seemed more interested in what was in the back of the truck and got up on his back legs to take a look

To the shock of the driver, the fearless predator jumped into the back of his truck, squeezing its enormous body through the opening

Unimpressed: But the bear seemed unimpressed with the inside of the vehicle and promptly did an about turn and leaped back out

Unimpressed: But the bear seemed unimpressed with the inside of the vehicle and promptly did an about-turn and leaped back out

Polar bears are a threatened species and one of the main risks for them in the Alaskan arctic is the loss of sea ice as a habitat.

When ice packs pull away from the shore the bears can become stranded hundreds of miles out at sea leaving them open to starvation or drowning, said Mr Kazlowski.

So by taking their pictures, especially in ‘intimate’ situations, is an important way of raising awareness, he believes.
Photographer Steve Kazlowski, who has been photographing polar bears for the last 15 years, said this kind of behaviour was not that unusual, especially in inquisitive young polar bears

Photographer Steve Kazlowski, who has been photographing polar bears for the last 15 years, said this kind of behaviour was not that unusual, especially in inquisitive young polar bears

Adolescent: Mr Klazowski estimated that the polar bear was around five years old; he said older, wiser bears were less likely to show such an interest in people and trucks

Close encounter: The remarkable pictures were taken on the 1002 coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in North Slope, Alaska

He added: ‘Creating the images and getting them out, first of all, shows that these animals exist in this area which is the Alaskan arctic, and capturing images as intimate as I try to capture them, hopefully causes people to stop and reflect on what is going on in the world with over consumption of natural resources.’

source:::::mailonline.com UK

natarajan

“Help Me Mom …I am stuck !!!”….SOS From a Baby Elephant !!!

August 16, 2013August 16, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

They say that an elephant’s family ties can be stronger than those of even the closest knit human clan.
And the bond between this elephant calf and its relatives probably saved this youngster’s life when his family rallied round to save him from drowning when he got stuck on a muddy river bank.
A touching set of pictures taken in the Sabah region of Borneo show the calf getting into difficulty as it tried to clamber up the steep bank after crossing the river Kinabatangan with his mother

Family affair: The elephant clings closely to his relatives after they came to his aid when he got stuck on a muddy river bank

Mother's love: The elephant had got stuck on the muddy bank after swimming across the river with his mother. He she is pictured helping him out of the water

Slippery: While the adult elephant has no problems getting to grips with the mud, the baby struggles to get a grip without falling over

Not moving: The distressed elephant is unable to make it to the safety of the trees and is seen slipping

Helping hand: The elephant has nearly made it to the top of the bank thanks to a little help from his mother

Distressed: But the elephant slips in the mud once again

With the youngster distressed, mother tries to come to his aid by pushing him up the bank with her trunk.

But the task proves too tricky for her on her own.

Given the animals’ traditionally close family bonds, it is no surprise that two relatives came to the rescue.

The pair managed to flatten the mud around the calf, making it easier for him to climb to safety.

Once the calf is safe, the adult group gather round him as he clings close to his mother’s legs in an adorable show of unity.

Photographer Beniot Goossens, of the Danau Girang Field Centre in Sabah, said that it took all three adults about half an hour to get the baby on its way again.

He said: ‘The mother and baby were crossing the river but the bank proved too steep for the calf.

‘The mother tried to push it but she couldn’t manage on her own so called on two members of her family.

‘While the mother pushed the others flattened the mud to make it more accessible for the calf. About half an hour later they were all on their way.’

Benoit described the sight as ’emotional’.

He added: ‘I’ve been studying elephants for many years but some of the students I was with were blown away by the elephants’ behaviour.

‘It goes to show that animals often take care of each other better than humans.’

Elephants are known for living in tight knit matriarchal families with the adult females looking after their sick, injured, or orphaned offspring.

Like human offspring, calves remain with their mothers until they are teenagers, with some female elephants known to stay with their parent for their entire lives.

Elephants usually give birth to one calf every two to four years with their babies already weighing around 200lbs when born and standing at 3ft tall.
They eventually grow to up to 9.8ft tall and consume a staggering 270kg of food a day.

Asian elephants have been domesticated for thousands of years. The powerful beasts have been employed to move heavy objects, such as felled trees, to carry humans on their backs, and even to wage war.

source:::::::mailonline.comUK

natarajan

Award Winning Images …iphone Photography !!!

August 16, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) is the first and the longest running iPhone photography competition beginning in 2007. IPPAWARDS has been celebrating the creativity of the iPhone since the first iPhone has inspired, excited and engaged the users worldwide.Since then every year, IPPAWARDS has selected the best shots among thousands of images submitted by iPhone photographers from 38 countries around the world. Winners are selected by the jury members in several steps and The Photographer of the Year prize awarded. All winners are published online and will be part of The IPPAWARDS Interactive Annual series of books on iTunes. (IPPA.com)

Take a look at the winners’ outstanding smart phone snaps.

2013 iPhone Photography Awards announced

source:::: yahoo news India

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Message For The Day….Concentrate on Your Mind Too !!!

August 16, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

Each and every one of you has a great deal of concentration. For, every task requires concentration and every one of you have benefitted from it. The carpenter, the weaver, the clerk, the boatman, the scientist, all have it, greater or lesser, and use it in their daily lives. You must learn to apply it towards your own mind also. Direct the mind towards its own working, examine it and train it to restrict itself to good company, good thoughts and good deeds. Practise meditation on any Form of the Lord, and repeat any Name of the Lord, with the awareness of its sweetness. That will teach the mind to be sharp, and produce good music out of the joys as well as the grief that are incidental to life.

Sathya Sai Baba

Cub-side Down !!!…Young Lions Demonstrate Their Fighting Skills !!!

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

Pictures of these cute but feisty lion cubs show them testing out their fledgling fighting skills in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

The spirited youngsters were caught on camera getting their claws out for a play fight, before a mature female lion and the rest of the pride intervened.

Like real-life versions of Disney’s Lion King characters Simba and Nala, the cubs tried out their best moves on each other, even managing a backflip at one point.

Don't mess with the Lioness. . .

Wading in: The rest of the pride became embroiled as they separated the warring youngsters

Photographer Manoj Shah caught the touching scenes as he studied their pride over three months.

He managed to capture not just the youngsters but also the adults at play.

In his series of photographs Manoj shows Africa’s top predators fighting for control of the pride.

Lions in the Masai Mara tend to live in grassland habitat, grouped into families called prides.

Although they are famous for hunting other animals they also sleep a lot and have a playful side
Ouch: A mature female in the pride stepped into stop the fighting in the Great Rift Valley, landing a swift tap on the nose to one of the scrapping cubs

After the intervention the contrite cubs eventually called off their feud

Manoj said: ‘Play is motivated by instinct – when the environment is safe and secure – with mum nearby – and food is easily obtained the cubs will play.

‘Over the course of studying these lions I photographed every age group at play, from the large males, down to the juveniles and the cubs.

‘There’s definitely a softer side to these mighty animals.’
source::::mail online.com UK
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