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” One Word …’ YOGA’… United the Entire World …” !!!

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Some practised their stretches on a boat as they floated across River Siene in Paris; the others did their asanas outside the world famous ruins of Angkor Vat in Cambodia.

Fitness enthusiasts embraced our ancient practice with great fervour across the world. The pictures tell the story of the grand success of the first International Yoga Day.

People perform yoga to mark International Day of Yoga in Seoul, South Korea. Milions of people worldwide took part in the first International Day of Yoga, which was declared by the United Nations last year. Photograph: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Yoga demonstration on boat as it makes way past the bridges of Paris on River Seine.Photograph@Indian_Embassy/Twitter

Participants perform yoga to mark the International Day of Yoga under the Eiffel tower in Paris, France. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Participants attend the Yoga Fest to mark the International Day of Yoga at the Medeo skating rink at the altitude of some 1600 metres above sea level in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Photograph: Reuters

Tashkent, Uzbekistan celebrates International Day of Yoga. Photograph:@MEA/India

On Sunday, London was completely engrossed in yoga. Photograph: @chris_vasiliou/Twitter

Yoga enthusiasts do the Suptvajrasan in Brussels. Photograph:@IndEmbassyBru/Twitter

International Yoga Day celebration is in full swing in Samara, Russia.Photograph: @IndEmbMoscow

Over 4,000 yogis gathered at the Grand Halle de la Villette, Paris.Photograph: @Indian_Embassy

Britain gets its mat out on Yoga Day. Photograph: @SGadiLondon/Twitter

Sri Sri Ravishanker shares this picture from the Art of Living Yogathon in Japan.Photograph: @SriSri/Twitter

Afghans practise their asanas on Yoga Day.

Yoga Day fever grips Mongolia. Photograph:@IndianDiplomacy/Twitter

Nepali Actress Mala Limbu participates in Yoga Day celebrations. Photograph: @IndiainNepal/Twitter

I do yoga. Do you?’ has become the catchphrase in Vietnam.

Hhundreds took part in the celebrations at Hanoi’s Quan Ngua Sports Palace, and in Ho Chi Minh city and seven other provinces. “The response was amazing, way beyond our expectations,” Preeti Saran, India’s ambassador to Vietnam said. Photograph: @cghcm/Twitter

From the iconic Angkor Vat and Ta Prohm Temples in Cambodia, the full beauty of Yoga Day was on display. Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter

In China, events were organised at the prestigious Peking University and Geely University. People from different walks of life took part in the exercise.

About a week ahead of the International Yoga Day, the India-China Yoga college was inaugurated at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, the first such college in the country.Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter

More than a thousand people took part in several events across Australia to mark the day, with Prime Minister Tony Abott appreciating Yoga’s universal appeal.

“For thousands of years, yoga has provided its followers with a guide to bringing their mind, body and spirit into balance,” Abott said.

“Yoga’s universal and growing popularity demonstrates its appeal to people from all the walks of life and its great potential to foster better health among individuals and populations around the world,” he said.

Melbourne saw over 500 people gathered at the Springers Leisure Centre to kick off the day with ‘Surya Namaskar’ and bending and twisting their bodies in complex postures.Photograph: @navdeepsuri/Twitter 

Revellers participate in yoga as they celebrate the summer solstice and International Yoga Day at Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in southern England, Britain. Photograph: Kieran Doherty/Reuters

Source….www.rediff.com

Natarajan

India yoga: PM Narendra Modi leads thousands in celebration

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led thousands in a mass yoga programme in the capital, Delhi, on the first ever International Yoga Day.

Mr Modi did stretches, bends and breathing exercises with 35,000 school children, bureaucrats and soldiers.

Security was tight in the city with thousands of police and paramilitary deployed for Sunday morning’s event.

Millions of others are expected to do yoga at similar events planned in hundreds of Indian cities and towns.

Mr Modi, a yoga enthusiast who says he practises the ancient Indian art daily, lobbied the United Nations to declare 21 June International Yoga Day.

Thousands of colourful mats were laid out on Rajpath – King’s Avenue – where the main event was held.

Officials had earlier said the prime minister will attend the event and address the gathering, but not do yoga.

But Mr Modi surprised participants by joining in with the exercises.

Modi enlists yoga for ‘brand India’

On glacier and at sea

Authorities said 35,000 people attended the 35-minute yoga session on Rajpath, aimed at setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest yoga class at a single venue.

Guinness officials said they would announce the results in a few hours.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised participants by joining in with the yoga exercises

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Participants arrived early in the morning for the session on Rajpath in Delhi

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Indian army soldiers are also taking part in the yoga day celebrations

Yoga was also being performed on the Siachen glacier and the high seas, the defence ministry said.

The day is also being celebrated around the world and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj says “tens of millions” will do yoga on Sunday.

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Ms Swaraj herself will be in New York where she will attend the celebrations with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In Times Square, 30,000 people are expected to do yoga.

But the day, being billed as one to promote “harmony and peace”, has hit a controversial note with some Muslim organisations saying yoga is essentially a Hindu religious practice and is against Islam.

Many others say Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has an agenda in promoting the ancient Indian discipline.

However, the authorities deny the charge – they say participation in the yoga day is not mandatory and reports that Muslims are opposed to yoga are exaggerated.

International Yoga Day in numbers:

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  • 35,000 officials, soldiers and students attend the main event on Rajpath in Delhi, including PM Narendra Modi
  • 300m rupees ($4.67m; £2.97m): Cost of Delhi event
  • 650 of India’s 676 districts participating
  • Of the 193 UN member countries, celebrations will be held in 192 countries – the exception is Yemen, because of the conflict there
  • Events being held in 251 cities in six continents
  • 30,000 people to perform yoga in Times Square in New York

Source….www.bbc.com

Natarajan

NASA’s Mission to Pluto …!!!

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It’s been over 3,000 days and nearly three billion miles since NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft set out for Pluto.

It’s a mission that faced countless roadblocks and setbacks before it ever got off the ground. Now the spacecraft is closing in on Pluto and its moon system that sit at the very edge of our solar system.

This will be the first time we’ve ever visited the distant dwarf planet.

The National Space Society put together an incredible video preview of the history-making moment. It has the vibe of a movie trailer, complete with epic narration and stunning visuals, and it perfectly captures why space enthusiasts are so psyched about the New Horizons mission.

The video sweeps you through a timeline of the last half century of space exploration using beautiful images of each planet we’ve explored, starting with Venus in 1962 and ending with Neptune in 1989.

New Horizons will reach Pluto and its moons on July 14, and they will be “the farthest worlds ever to be explored by humankind,” the video says.

So far that the sun appears as a faint dot:

And the moment we reach Pluto, we’ll get an up close look at a world no one has seen before. All we’ve glimpsed of Pluto are fuzzy, far-away images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. New Horizons will send back images thousands of times closer.

“Who knows what wonders await us at these new horizons.”

We’ll have to wait and see.

NASA is already counting down the days, hours, minutes, and even seconds until the arrival.

You can watch the whole video below, which we definitely recommend:

Source….www.businessinsider .in and http://www.you tube.com

Natarajan

Standing tall: Charles Correa’s ICONIC buildings….

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India’s greatest contemporary architect Charles Correa died on Tuesday night at the age of 84. He was best known for his “open-to-sky” designs, which were reflected in some of his famous projects.

Rediff.com takes a look at some popular buildings that got the Correa touch. 

1. Islamic Centre, Toronto, Canada

Toronto’s Islamic cultural centre stands out because of its stunning glass dome. It shares a patch of parkland with the Aga Khan Museum.

Correa designed the structure in partnership with local studio Moriyama & Teshima Architects to provide a cultural centre for the Islamic community. Photograph: deezeen.com

2. Champalimaud Centre for The Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal

Champalimaud Centre rings a bell, doesn’t it? Yes, here’s where Lalit Modi’s wife was treated for cancer in 2014.

This research and diagnostic centre with its state-of-the-art facility is a work-in-progress.Photograph: Carlos Luis M C da Cruz/Wikipedia 

3) Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, New York

Designed by the legendary Correa, the building has a red granite base and a double-height penthouse porch at the top, which houses offices of India’s permanent representative, deputy permanent representative, a minister and political coordinator, six counsellors, a colonel-rank military advisor and several other secretaries.

It is just down the road from the UN Headquarters in New York. Photograph: Julio Ferrer/Flickr

4) Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalay, Sabarmati Ashram

The museum at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad was designed by Correa. It was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru on 10 May 1963. Photograph: Sanyam Bahga/Wikipedia

5) Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

This arts centre built in 1992 is dedicated to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

It is a contemporary building based on the archaic notion of the cosmos — the navgraha (nine planets) mandal, according to Correa’s website (charlescorrea.net).  Photograph:
Sahil Latheef/travellingsahil.blogspot.com

6) Vidhan Bhavan, Bhopal

Correa designed Vidhan Bhavan in Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh. It overlooks courtyards and gardens — there are gardens within gardens divided into nine squares, according to Correa’s website.

He also designed the Bharat Bhavan. Photograph: archnet.org

7) Kanchenjunga, Mumbai

Kanchenjunga is one of the most luxurious apartment blocks in the city located at the upmarket Peddar Road. The interlocking duplexes in the building are somewhat like the Permanent Mission of India to the UN structure in New York.

8) Cidade de Goa, Goa

This five-star beach resort, a few minutes drive from Panaji, is built on a sloping site which descends down to the beach on a river. Photograph: Cidade de Goa/Facebook

9) British Council, Delhi

Built in 1992, the new building of the British Council houses a library, an auditorium and an art gallery. These elements are arranged in a series of layers, recalling the historic interfaces that existed between India and Britain. Photograph: Courtesy British Council

10) Portuguese Church, Mumbai

One of Mumbai’s oldest churches, the Portuguese Church (The Church of Our Lady of Salvation) was redesigned by Correa in the 1970s. The shell roofs are ventilated at the top and the skylight in the baptistery is by noted Indian artists M F Husain.

 

Source….www.rediff.com

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“Mumbai remains the most expensive city in India”….says a survey….

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Mumbai has emerged as one of the costliest cities in the world due to increase in foods prices, home services and rentals, says a Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey 2015.

Mumbai has emerged as one of the most expensive cities to live in, according to a survey. Photograph: Reuters

Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, held its position as the most expensive city in India and is ranked above Dallas, Frankfurt and Vancouver, according to a recent survey

Image: Luanda is the world’s most expensive city to live in, according to a survey. Photograph: Reuters

Luanda, the capital of Angola, has been rated the world’s costliest city to live in, for third consecutive year, as per Mercer’s ‘Cost of Living Survey 2015’

Image: Hong Kong is the second most expensive city in the world for expats. Photograph: Scott Audette/Reuters

“India’s most expensive city, Mumbai (at 74th place), climbed 66 places in the ranking due to its rapid economic growth, inflation and services basket and a stable currency against the US dollar,” the survey has revealed.

Image: Zurich is the third most expensive city in the world, according to a survey. Photograph: Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

“It (Mumbai) has witnessed higher inflation over the last one year compared to other metro cities, higher cost of fuel, transportation, increased prices of food items, home services and rentals, impacting the cost of living,” it said.

The survey further said that Mumbai is ranked higher and more expensive than cities like Dallas (77), Munich (87), Luxembourg (94), Frankfurt (98) and Vancouver (119).

Image: Cost of living in Singapore is one of the highest in the world. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Mumbai, the most populous city in the country, is followed by New Delhi (132nd place) and Chennai (157), which rose in the ranking by 25 and 28 spots, respectively.

Besides, Bengaluru (183) and Kolkata (193), the least expensive Indian cities, climbed in the ranking as well, it said.

Image: Rentals, food, travelling and related costs are very high in Geneva, says a survey. Photograph: Reuters

The survey includes 207 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.

Asian cities dominate the top 10 costliest cities rankings along with major cities in Switzerland, it said. Hong Kong (2), Zurich (3), Singapore (4) and Geneva (5) top the list of most expensive cities for expatriates, while Bishkek (207),

Windhoek (206) and Karachi (205) are considered world’s least expensive cities for expatriates, according to the survey. Tel Aviv (18) continues to be the most expensive city in the Middle East for expatriates.

Source…..www.rediff.com

Natarajan

” What LIFE on Mars would be …” ?

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Could

IN A quest to see if people could survive living on Mars, NASA sent six scientists to Hawaii for eight months in an enclosure that simulates the conditions of life on the Red Planet.

This meant that fresh air, sunshine and fresh food were all off the table. The only food available was anything that could be freeze-dried. If they wanted to talk a short walk outside their 11-meter diameter dome, they even had to chuck on a space suit.

They were monitored by surveillance cameras, body movement trackers and electronic surveys.

Last week the crew were finally free to leave their Mars dome.

The scientist’s home for eight months.

The scientist’s home for eight months. Source: AP

Crew member Jocelyn Dunn told AP it was awesome to feel the sensation of wind on her skin.

“When we first walked out the door, it was scary not to have a suit on,” said Dunn, 27, a doctoral candidate at Purdue University. “We’ve been pretending for so long.”

The dome’s volcanic location, silence and its simulated airlock seal provided an atmosphere similar to space. Looking out the dome’s porthole windows, all the scientists could see were lava fields and mountains, said University of Hawaii professor Kim Binsted, principal investigator for the study.

Tracking the crew members’ emotions and performance in the isolated environment could help ground crews during future missions to determine if a crew member is becoming depressed or if the team is having communication problems.

“Astronauts are very stoic people, very level-headed, and there’s a certain hesitancy to report problems,” Binsted said. “So this is a way for people on the ground to detect cohesion-related problems before they become a real issue.”

Spending eight months in a confined space with six people had its challenges, but crew members relieved stress doing team workouts and yoga. They were able to use a solar-powered treadmill and stationary bike, but only in the afternoons on sunny days.

“When you’re having a good day its fine, it’s fun. You have friends around to share in the enjoyment of a good day,” Dunn said. “But if you have a bad day, it’s really tough to be in a confined environment. You can’t get out and go for a walk … it’s constantly witnessed by everyone.”

Could we be living on the Red Planet soon?

Could we be living on the Red Planet soon? Source: AP

The hardest part was being far away from family and missing events like her sister’s wedding, for which she delivered a toast via video, Dunn said. “I’m glad I was able to be there in that way, but … I just always dreamt of being there to help,” she said.

The first thing crew members did when they emerged from the dome was to chow down on foods they’ve been craving — juicy watermelon, devilled eggs, peaches and croissants, which was a step up from the freeze dried chilli they’d been eating.

Next on Dunn’s list: going for a swim. Showers in the isolated environment were limited to six minutes per week, she said.

Next on Dunn’s list: going for a swim. Showers in the isolated environment were limited to six minutes per week, she said.

“To be able to just submerge myself in water for as long as I want, to feel the sun, will be amazing,” Dunn said. “I feel like a ghost.”

Source…news.com.au

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Amazing Vertical Take Off…Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner…!!!

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IT has to be seen to be believed.

In the lead-up to the Paris Air Show, which begins on June 15, Boeing has set the bar high after releasing a video of its newest version of the Dreamliner aircraft — the 787-9 — performing some impressive aerial moves.

But it’s the takeoff which has everyone talking as the passenger jet makes an almost vertical ascent seconds after leaving the ground.

The steep climb looks impressive, though it has its doubters.

Boeing 767 pilot Patrick Smith told CNN: “It looks like the takeoff is at a near vertical 90 degree angle — trust me it’s not.”

He said a 787 with passengers making a 20 degree pitch-up on takeoff would be pretty strong.

“Presumably the plane was very light because it wasn’t carrying any passengers, probably had a very light fuel load, no freight, so it would have been able to perform a steeper than normal ascent — but not to the extent the video seems to show,” Smith said.

That’s steep ... the Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 takeoff

That’s steep … the Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 takeoff Source: Supplied

video clip..

Source….www.news.com.au and http://www.youtube.com

Natarajan

படித்து ரசித்தது ….” வாழ்க்கைப் பயணம் …”

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வாழ்க்கைப் பயணம்

அமெரிக்க தொழிலதிபரான ராக்ஃபெல்லர், முதுமையிலும் கடுமையாக உழைத்தவர். ஒருமுறை, விமானத்தில் பயணித்தார். அப்போதும் ஏதோ வேலையாக இருந்தவரைக் கண்டு அருகில் இருந்த இளைஞர் வியப்புற்றார். அவர், ”ஐயா, இந்த வயதிலும் இப்படிக் கடுமையாக உழைக்கத்தான் வேண்டுமா? ஏகப்பட்ட சொத்து சேர்த்து விட்டீர்கள்… நிம்மதியாக சாப்பிட்டு, ஓய்வெடுக்கலாமே?!” என்று ராக்ஃபெல்லரிடம் கேட்டார்.

உடனே ராக்ஃபெல்லர், ”விமானி இந்த விமானத்தை இப்போது நல்ல உயரத்தில் பறக்க வைத்து விட்டார். விமானமும் சுலபமாகப் பறக்கிறது. அதற்காக… இப்போது எஞ்ஜினை அணைத்துவிட முடியுமா? எஞ்ஜினை அணைத்துவிட்டால் என்னவாகும் தெரியுமா?” என்று கேட்டார்.

”பெரும் விபத்து நேருமே!”- பதற்றத்துடன் பதிலளித்தான் இளைஞன்.

இதைக் கேட்டுப் புன்னகைத்த ராக்ஃபெல்லர், ”வாழ்க்கைப் பயணமும் இப்படித்தான். கடுமையாக உழைத்து உயரத்துக்கு வர வேண்டியுள்ளது. வந்த பிறகு, ‘உயரத்தைத் தொட்டு விட்டோமே…’ என்று உழைப்பதை நிறுத்தி விட்டால், தொழிலில் விபத்து ஏற்பட்டு விடும். உழைப்பு என்பது வருமானத்துக்காக மட்டுமல்ல, உடல் ஆரோக்கியம் மற்றும் மன நிம்மதிக்காகவும்தான்!” என்று விளக்கம் அளித்தார்.

Source………………unknown…. input from a friend of mine
Natarajan

$ 100000 Cheque Awaits Mystery Owner of Rare Apple 1 Computer !!!

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$100,000 Cheque Awaits Mystery Recycler of Rare Apple 1 Computer

A $100,000 check is waiting for a mystery woman who donated a rare Apple 1 computer.

A $100,000 cheque is waiting for a mystery woman who donated a rare Apple 1 computer to a Silicon Valley recycling firm.

CleanBayArea in Milpitas, California, is trying to track down a woman in her 60s who dropped off some electronic goods in April, when she was cleaning out the garage after her husband died.

In one of the boxes, buried under worthless keyboards, personal computer pieces and wires, was a 1976 Apple 1, a groundbreaking home computer. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak designed and hand-built the computers and sold them for $666.66 each. Only a few dozen are known still to exist.

The recycling firm sold the Apple for $200,000 in a private auction. Its policy is to split the proceeds 50-50 with the person who donated the equipment.

“The body was made out of wood. I’ve never seen anything like that. My first reaction was it was a fake. Then we started looking at it,” said Victor Gichun, vice president of marketing for CleanBayArea.

Gichun declined to say who bought the Apple 1, only that it was a private collector. He’s not sure whether the Apple is still operational.

He said he will recognize the woman, who he believes is local, when he sees her and will write her out a cheque for $100,000.

The boxes sat in the company’s warehouse on a pallet for a couple of weeks because they didn’t expect to find anything valuable, Gichun said.

Source…..www.ndtv.com

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