கோயில்களில் தேங்காய் உடைப்பதற்கான தாத்பரியம்

கோயில்களில் தேங்காய் உடைப்பதற்கான தாத்பரியம் என்ன? ஸ்வாமிக்கு சமர்ப்பித்த தேங்காயில் ஒரு மூடியை அர்ச்சகருக்குத் தரவேண்டுமா? எனில், இரண்டு மூடிகளில் எதைத் தருவது?


"தாவரங்கள் அவனது படைப்பு. ஓஷதிகளும் (அரிசி, கோதுமை போன்ற) பயிரினங்களும், தென்னை, மா, பலா போன்ற வனஸ்பதிகளும் மற்ற உயிரினங்களுக்கு உணவாகும் நோக்கத்தில் இறைவனால் படைக்கப்பட்டவை.

வனஸ்பதியைச் சார்ந்தது தேங்காய். அதை உட்கொள்ளும் தகுதி இருப்பதால், அதை அவருக்குப் படைத்து, அவரது திருப்பார்வை பட்டு சுத்தமான தேங்காயை நாம் ஏற்றுக் கொள்கிறோம்.

இறைவனுக்கு அளிக்கும் அளவுக்குத் தூய்மை பெற்றது தேங்காய். இயற்கையாகவே வளர்ந்து நாம் உட்கொள்ளும் அளவுக்கு முழுமை பெற்ற பொருள் அது. அப்படி, கடவுளுக்குப் படைத்து அவரின் பார்வை பட்டுப் புனிதமாகும் பொருளை, தனக்கு மட்டுமே ஒதுக்கிக்கொள்ளாமல் மற்றவருக்கும் பகிர்ந்தளிக்க வேண்டும் எனும் நோக்கத்தில், கடவுளை வழிபடும் பெரியோருக்குப் பகிர்ந்தளிப்பது சிறப்பு.

கண் இல்லாத தேங்காய் மூடியை அர்ச்சகருக்கு அளித்து மகிழலாம்

Breathtaking Landscapes Carved Into Books

Fellow Canadian Guy Laramee was previously featured on the Sifter back in Jaunary. Laramee is an incredibly talented artist with a broad range of skills from painting and sculpting; to music, composition and stage direction.


In his two latest series entitled Guan Yin and El amor por las montanas, Laramee’s remarkable landscape book is on full display.

Represented by Galerie Lacerte, please enjoy this stunning collection below. An artist statement and biography can also be found amidst the gallery. Enjoy!

to read more click <> link

http://twistedsifter.com/2012/06/book-art-landscape-carvings-guy-laramee/

மூக்கையூர் கடற்கரையில் சுனாமிப் பொங்கல்

இப்போதும் தோன்றும் நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகள்!

ந.ஜீவாFirst Published : 20 May 2012 12:00:00 AM IST

நாட்டுப்புறமாவது? கதைகளாவது? அதற்கெல்லாம் எங்கே நேரம் இருக்கிறது? பிறந்ததிலிருந்து சாகும் வரை மனிதன் ஓடிக் கொண்டே இருக்கிறான். கதை கேட்கவும், படிக்கவும் யாருக்கு நேரம் இருக்கிறது? மனதிருக்கிறது என்று சொல்பவரா நீங்கள்?

நீங்கள் அலுத்துக் கொள்வதிலும் உண்மையில்லாமல் இல்லை. பிறக்கப் போகும் குழந்தைக்கு பள்ளியில் இடம் பிடிக்க அலையும் காலம் இது. என்றாலும், கதைகளும், கலைகளுமாக ஓர் உலகம் இயங்கத்தான் செய்கிறது.பாளையங்கோட்டை தூய சவேரியார் நாட்டார் வழக்காற்றியல் ஆய்வு மையத்தின் இயக்குநரான சேவியர் அந்தோனி, இதுவரை 20 ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட நாட்டுப்புற கதைகளை கேட்டிருக்கிறார். 25 புத்தகங்களுக்கு மேல் எழுதியிருக்கிறார். அக்கல்லூரியின் காட்சித் தொடர்பியல்துறையின் தலைவராகவும் இருக்கிறார்.

""நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகள் என்றால் ஏதோ பழங்காலத்தின் கதைகள் என்ற எண்ணம் எல்லாருக்கும் இருக்கிறது. அப்படியெல்லாம் இல்லை. இப்போதைய சூழ்நிலைக்கு ஏற்பவும் புத்தம் புதிய நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகள் தோன்றியிருக்கின்றன'' என்கிறார் அவர்.

""நான் திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்டம் மிக்கேல் பாளையத்தில் பிறந்தேன். பி.எஸ்ஸி இயற்பியல், எம்.ஏ., இதழியல் மற்றும் மக்கள் தகவல் தொடர்பியல், ஊடகத் தொடர்பியலில் இளமுனைவர், முதுமுனைவருக்கான ஆய்வு என படிப்பில் ஒரு சுற்று வந்தேன்.

ஆனால் எனக்குச் சிறுவயதில் இருந்தே நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகளிலும், கலைகளிலும் ஆர்வம் இருந்து வந்தது. அதிலும் நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகளில் நிறைய ஆர்வம். அந்த ஆர்வத்தின் காரணமாக சுமார் 20 ஆயிரம் நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகளைப் படித்தும், கேட்டும் தெரிந்து கொண்டேன்.

எனவே தமிழ்நாடு முழுக்கச் சுற்றியலைந்து நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகளைக் கேட்டு, அவற்றை பதிவு செய்து கொண்டு வந்தேன். பின்பு அவற்றை நூல் வடிவில் கொண்டு வந்தேன். மாணவர்களுக்கு திசை வழிகாட்டல் நிகழ்ச்சிகளை நடத்துபவர்கள் பலர் என்னுடைய புத்தகங்களில் உள்ள கதைகளைப் பயன்படுத்துகிறார்கள் என்றால் பார்த்துக் கொள்ளுங்களேன்.

நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகள் என்றால் பழங்கதைகள் - நீதிக் கதைகள் - பாட்டி காலத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவை என்ற எண்ணம் பலருக்கு இருக்கிறது. நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகள் மக்களுடைய அன்றாட வாழ்க்கையுடன் தொடர்புடைய நிகழ்வுகளைச் சித்திரிப்பவை. உயிரோட்டமாக வாழ்க்கை நடந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் எக்காலத்திலும் புதிய புதிய நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகள் தோன்றும் என்பதே உண்மை.

உதாரணமாக, 2004 டிசம்பரில் தமிழ்நாட்டை சுனாமிப் பேரலை தாக்கியது. ஆயிரக்கணக்கானவர்கள் உயிர்களை இழந்தனர். உற்றார், உறவினர்களை இழந்தனர். வாழ்க்கையை இழந்தனர். அதில் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட குழந்தைகளுடைய மனதில் பெரிய கேள்வி. சுனாமி ஏன் வந்தது?... சுனாமி ஏன் வந்தது?...


இந்தக் கேள்வியை அவர்கள் வீட்டில் இருக்கும் பெரியவர்களிடம் கேட்டார்கள். அதற்குப் பெரியவர்கள் குட்டிக் கதைகளைச் சொல்லி பதில் அளித்தார்கள். பாட்டிக்கு அவர்களுடைய பாட்டிகள் சொன்ன கதைகளை பேரன்,பேத்திகளுக்குச் சொன்னார்கள். அவற்றையெல்லாம் தமிழகம் முழுக்கச் சென்று நான் சேகரித்தேன். 350 கதைகளைக் கேட்டேன். அவர்கள் சொன்னதைப் பதிவு செய்தேன். அவற்றை பாளையங்கோட்டை தூய சவேரியார் நாட்டார் வழக்காற்றியல் ஆய்வு மையத்தில் உள்ள ஆவணக் காப்பகத்தில் பாதுகாத்து வைத்திருக்கிறேன். அதுமட்டுமல்ல, அந்தக் கதைகளில் 300 கதைகளைத் தேர்ந்தெடுத்து, அவை நான்கு தொகுதிகளாக வெளியிடப்பட்டு உள்ளன.

அந்தக் கதைகளில் இருந்து நான் தெரிந்து கொண்டது இதுதான்:

இந்த பூமி எவ்வளவோ பேரழிவுகளைக் கண்டிருக்கிறது. என்றாலும் அந்த அழிவுகளுக்குப் பிறகும், மீண்டும் உயிர்ப்போடு இயங்க பூமி தன்னைத் தகவமைத்துக் கொள்கிறது. அதுபோலவே பேரழிவுகளால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட மனிதர்களும் தங்களைத் தகவமைத்துக் கொள்கிறார்கள். அப்படித் தகவமைத்துக் கொள்வதின் ஒரு பகுதிதான் இந்த சுனாமி நாட்டுப்புறக் கதைகள்.

சுனாமியை நேரில் அனுபவித்துப் பயந்துபோன குழந்தைகளின் மனதில் இருந்த பயத்தைப் போக்கும்விதமாக, பாட்டிகள் நிறையக் கதைகளை குழந்தைகளுக்குச் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார்கள். கடலைப் பார்த்துப் பயப்படாமல், மீண்டும் கடலோடு நட்புறவு கொள்ளும்விதமாக அவர்களுடைய மனதைப் பக்குவப்படுத்தியிருக்கிறார்கள்.


இன்னொன்றைச் சொன்னால் ஆச்சரியப்படுவீர்கள். உழவர்கள் பொங்கல் வைப்பது வழக்கம். வீட்டுப் பொங்கல், மாட்டுப் பொங்கல் என்று கேள்விப்பட்டிருப்பீர்கள். ஆனால் சுனாமிக்குப் பிறகு சாயல்குடியிலிருந்து ஆறு கி.மீ. தூரம் உள்ள மூக்கையூர் கடற்கரையில்  சுனாமிப் பொங்கல் வைத்து, கடலை வழிபட்டிருக்கிறார்கள். புதிய வழிபாட்டுப் பழக்கம் ஏற்பட்டிருக்கிறது'' என்றார்

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Radhe Krishna All,


It is only through a Guru that we learn even a matter ('vidhya') that can be perceived with our physical eyes. From making a mud pot to matters relating to Science we need a Teacher.

Making a mud pot seems a trivial affair to us. But, unless we approach a Potter who is adept in making mud pots and learn the trick of the trade from him we cannot produce a mud pot.

If, even to learn worldly matters such as these, which can be perceived with our eyes, one has to spend some time, as in a Gurukula , with an expert in the field then what to speak of spiritual matters (God/Paramatma Swaroopa) that cannot be perceived with our eyes?

No one can learn a matter that is beyond the realm of this world ('amanushya', 'alaukeeka', 'adhyartmika') on his own. One has to definitely approach a Master and only through Him can he gain such spiritual knowledge.

In this world ('prãkrita loka') a child who has no parents is termed an orphan ('anath') and we sympathise with this child. Likewise, in spiritual matters ('adhyatmika') he indeed is an orphan who has no Guru!
One who has no Guru is also an orphan! No one can learn this 'Brahma Vidya' (knowledge of the Self) without the guidance of a Guru.

How should this Guru be? If one says, "I have a Guru" and we question him, "How do you call him a Guru?" he explains, "My Guru knows my past and can also read my future!" But one cannot attain the status of a Guru just because he is able to foretell your future or recount the past events in your life. This is because an expert astrologer has the capacity to read your future and recount the past events in your life. A person does not become a Guru for the mere reason of sporting a beard or adorning a garb of the dispassionate. Performance of miracles also does not confer the status of a Sadguru as even a magician is capable of performing miracles!


Then what is the sign ('lakshana') of a true Guru?
What kind of physical attributes does he possess?
How does he speak?
How are we to recognize the Master?

We can neither recognize nor understand the Sadguru through our intellect. This is because our intellect is a 'physical' attribute ('parichinamana vasthu'). It is subject to limitations. With the intellect that is subject to limitations it is absolutely impossible to comprehend the limitless, i.e. understand the Mahans who are verily the form of Bliss ('ananda swaroopa').

Well! It is said that one can learn 'atma vidhya' (knowledge of the Self) only through the guidance of a Guru. But at the same time it is also said that one cannot recognize a (Sad) Guru. Then what is the way to recognize the Guru?
If we truly pine for God, if we truly recognise the blessing of having acquired the human birth - 'janthunam nara janma durlabhah' - says the Achharya (Adi Sankara) in Viveka Choodamani and the Mahans have said (in Tamizh),
'aridhu aridhu manidarai pirathal aridhu' (rare indeed is it to be born as a human) the Sadguru will Himself come to us!

What is the greatness of this human birth?




When we study the hierarchy of creation we find that human birth is in the center of creation. If one has to explain this status of the human birth it could be shown that far below us are the innumerable germs, bacteria, etc. Just above them in the ladder of creation is the earthworm. Above the earthworm are creatures such as cockroach, lizard, etc. above these are rabbits, higher than them are the dog, the donkey and the like.


Higher still are animals such as horse, cow, and elephant. Higher than these is the mighty lion. But man, through his intellect, controls even this mighty lion. So, for the mere reason of his intellect Man is placed in a higher status than all these creatures.

Above Man are the 'Pitrus'(ancestors), above the 'Pitrus' are the Devas, Yakshas, Kinnars. Higher than these are the devatas(demigods), higher still is God and then highest is the Brahman ('atma swaroopa'). So, Man is in the center in the hierarchy of creation.

"Azhaikkindraan Arangan"


http://youtu.be/KYN7Eu8ind8 - (14-5-12)
http://youtu.be/eZhvEVM59vc - (15-5-12)
http://youtu.be/sjsl5TsXg_U - (16-5-12)
http://youtu.be/TRd3U-QHD2o - (17-5-12)
http://youtu.be/eVXz_NGdvZs - (18-5-12)

From 2nd April - 2012, Sri Swamiji's new discourse series "Azhaikkindraan Arangan" is been telecasted on STAR VIJAY TV from Monday to Friday at 7:15 AM.... For live telecast - http://livetvchannelsfree.in/starvijay.htm

Don't miss it!

Regards & Chant the Maha Mantra:
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
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Stay connected while you go: Bathrooms go high-tech

Stay connected while you go: Bathrooms go high-tech


Not even the bathroom is free from technology these days.
Now it's becoming the iBathroom.
As bathrooms overtake kitchens as the nation's top remodeling priority, more consumers
are going high-tech: steam showers with built-in speakers, medicine cabinets with integrated
TVs, and toilets with MP3/phone docking stations.


Pricey new gadgets are making it even easier for people to stay connected. Already,
three-quarters of Americans say they use their smartphones in the bathroom, according to
a survey this year by marketing firm 11Mark.

STORY: Baths are popular remodel targets with practicality as goal

"They're for the guy taking his iPod into the bathroom anyway," says Home Depot bath merchant Jennifer Hartman. What's on tap?


•Programmable steam showers with built-in speakers for music from personalized playlists,
offered by Kohler and Steamist.


•Tubs that vibrate with the rhythm of music from invisible speakers. "It's like you're at
an underwater concert," says Kohler's Travis Rotelli of the $3,000-plus VibrAcoustic Bath,
launched last month. MTI Bath also makes one.

•Mirrors that double as flat TV screens, offered by Seura and Electric Mirror, speakers that
attach to existing medicine cabinets or cabinets with an integrated TV. "It's really slick,"
Tony Sweeney says of the $2,200-plus Robern TViD in his remodeled Chicago bath.

•Toilets, dubbed iPoos by critics, with automatic bidet-like cleansing, heated seats,
built-in speakers and smartphone docking stations. "It's completely unnecessary but just fun,
" Sweeney says of his $6,000-plus Kohler Numi. Inax's Regio Smart Toilet has similar features.

Not all are buying. Jerry Levine, a Washington, D.C.-area remodeler, says many clients want to

upgrade their bathrooms — the most common remodeling projects in a survey this month by the National Association of Home Builders— but still struggle with cost.


"We're still seeing more interest on the practical side," says Home Depot's Hartman.
She says $20 to $40 non-slipping toilet seats sell well, adding: "You never have to worry
 about the seat shifting again."

Great British in Public

Dudley, The Black Country, England. An area in the midlands, The Black Country gained its name in the mid 19th century due to the smoke from the many thousands of ironworking foundries and forges. Street games at the Black Country Living Museum. 2011

Read more: http://lightbox.time.com/2012/05/30/great-british-public/#ixzz1wPuhBhUw

Addiction to the internet could cause damage to the brain

Addiction to the internet could cause damage to the brain similar to that by use of alcohol and drugs, a Chinese study has said.


According to scientists, the internet addiction disorder (IAD) is a recently recognised condition where individuals spend unhealthy amounts of time online, Sky News reported.

Researchers said internet disrupts nerve wiring in adolescent brains in a similar way to people exposed to cocaine and cannabis.

On being denied access to computers, people may experience distress and withdrawal symptoms including tremors, obsessive thoughts and involuntary typing movements of the fingers, the study said.

Earlier research on IAD have focused on psychological assessments rather than the impact on the human body.
The new study involved scans of the brains of 17 internet-addicted teenagers and 16 non-addicted individuals in China.

The scientists, led by Hao Lei from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found in the IAD-diagnosed teenagers evidence of disruption to "white matter" nerve fibres connecting vital parts of the brain involved in emotions, decision making, and self-control.

Earlier studies have shown abnormal white matter structure in brains of people who were addicted to alcohol, cocaine and cannabis.

Unexpected allies aid ants at war with “zombifying” parasite

Unexpected allies aid ants at war with “zombifying” parasite

May 4, 2012
Courtesy of Penn State University
and World Science staff

Trop­i­cal ants plagued by a par­a­site that turns them in­to “zom­bies” have un­ex­pected al­lies in their strug­gle: oth­er par­a­sites, sci­en­tists say.

A group of “zomb­i­fy­ing” par­a­sites known as Ophio­cordy­ceps are fun­gi that hi­jack ants' brains. The fun­gus them al­ters an­t's brain mech­a­nisms so that the in­sect march­es to its death, all in an or­ches­trat­ed pro­cess that fa­cil­i­tates the par­a­site's re­pro­duc­tion.

A dead "zom­bie" ant with the brain-mani­pu­lating fun­gus Ophio­cordy­ceps uni­lat­er­alis s.l. grow­ing out of its head. Its stalk is in turn par­a­si­tized by an­oth­er fun­gus, the whitish-yellow ma­te­ri­al, which sci­en­tists say cas­trates it. (Cred­it: Da­vid Hughes, Penn State U.)

But the fun­gal ty­rant suf­fers op­pres­sion in turn from oth­er fun­gi—which bas­ic­ally cas­trate it chem­ic­ally and dis­rupt its re­pro­duc­tion, ac­cord­ing to the re­search­ers. The counter-par­a­sites keep the first one in check and help pre­vent it from over­run­ning en­tire ant col­o­nies.

It's truly a case where “bi­ol­ogy is strang­er than fic­tion,” said Da­vid Hughes of Penn State Uni­vers­ity, who led a re­search team that pro­duced the find­ings. The re­search was pub­lished May 2 on­line in the sci­en­tif­ic jour­nal PLoS One.

A par­a­site of a par­a­site, called a hyperpar­a­site, “ef­fec­tively cas­trates the zom­bie-ant fun­gus so it can­not spread its spores,” said Hughes. This saves not a few hap­less ants from a hor­ri­fy­ing death. Af­ter com­man­deer­ing their brains, the zomb­i­fy­ing fun­gus makes them march to a mass ant grave near the ants' home, where it drops dead. The fun­gus then promptly sprouts out of the an­t's head­—form­ing a stalk from whence it spreads its fet­id spores to claim more vic­tims.

But the bat­tle—which the re­search­ers stud­ied as it plays out in the At­lantic rain­forests of Bra­zil but which al­so oc­curs in oth­er parts of the world—is­n't so sim­ple. Far from rest­ing easy in its ca­dav­er­ous new home, the zomb­i­fy­ing fun­gus falls prey to its own tor­men­tors. These par­a­sites spread on­to its own stalk and make their home there. “Be­cause the hy­per­par­a­sit­ic fun­gi pre­vents the in­fected zom­bie-ant fun­gus from spread­ing spores, few­er of the ants will be­come zom­bies,” Hughes said.

As part of their re­search, Hughes and col­leagues cre­at­ed a de­tailed mod­el to re­veal de­tails of the in­ter­ac­tions be­tween the fun­gus-in­fected ants and the par­a­site-in­fected zom­bie-ant fun­gus. Sci­en­tists pre­vi­ously had known that ants de­fend their col­o­nies against mi­cro­scop­ic en­e­mies such as fun­gal spores by ef­fi­ciently groom­ing each oth­er. In this stu­dy, the re­search­ers al­so mod­eled the ef­fect of such ant be­hav­ior on lim­it­ing in­fec­tion.

“Interest­ingly, be­yond the well-known ef­fect of de­fen­sive ant be­hav­ior, our new re­search re­veals the added ef­fect of the cas­trat­ing ac­tions of the hyperpar­a­site fun­gi, which may re­sult in sig­nif­i­cantly lim­it­ing the spread of the zom­bie-ant fun­gus,” Hughes said.

The sci­en­tists re­port that only about 6.5 per­cent of the spore-producing or­gans of the zom­bie-ant fun­gus were vi­a­ble. “Even though there are a lot of dead and in­fected zom­bie ants in the neigh­bor­hood, only a few of the spores of the zom­bie-ant fun­gus will be­come ma­ture and able to in­fect healthy ants,” Hughes said. “Our re­search in­di­cates that the dan­ger to the ant col­o­ny is much smaller than the high dens­ity of zom­bie-ant ca­dav­ers in the gra­veyard might sug­gest. This com­plex in­ter­ac­tion be­tween ant col­o­nies, their brain-mani­pu­lat­ing par­a­sites, and oth­er fun­gi capa­ble of lend­ing as­sis­tance to the col­o­ny un­der­scores the need to study so­cial in­sects un­der nat­u­ral con­di­tions.”

Art appreciation, self-reflection may go together in the brain

Art appreciation, self-reflection may go together in the brain

April 26, 2012
Courtesy
and World Science staff

A net­work of brain struc­tures ac­ti­vat­ed dur­ing in­tense aes­thet­ic ex­pe­ri­ences over­laps with an­other that’s as­so­ci­at­ed with in­ward con­templa­t­ion and self-assessment, re­search­ers have found.

New York Uni­vers­ity sci­en­tists asked 16 paid study sub­jects, hav­ing slight to mod­er­ate lev­els of past ex­po­sure or educa­t­ion in art, to ex­am­ine 109 im­ages of pic­tures from mu­se­ums in a database. The art­works were from a wide range of cul­tures, time pe­ri­ods and styles, in­clud­ing some ab­stract works; none were par­tic­u­larly fa­mous.

Sub­jects were asked to rate each work based on how strongly it “moved” them—not fo­cus­ing nec­es­sarily on beau­ty, but rath­er on what struck them as “pow­er­ful, pleas­ing, or pro­found.” Dur­ing all this, their brain ac­ti­vity was scanned with a tech­nol­o­gy called func­tion­al mag­net­ic res­o­nance im­ag­ing.

There was lit­tle agree­ment among view­ers in terms of which art­works re­ceived their high­est rat­ings—fours, on a scale from one to four. But one con­sist­ent find­ing was that a spe­cif­ic net­work of brain re­gions went in­to ac­tion for view­ers as they looked at those art­works that they found spe­cial, ac­cord­ing to the re­search­ers.

The net­work con­sisted of front­al ar­eas of the brain, just be­hind the fore­head, and “sub­cor­ti­cal” re­gions, which are rel­a­tively deep in the brain. This ac­ti­vity al­so in­clud­ed sev­er­al re­gions be­long­ing to the brain’s “de­fault mode net­work,” which had pre­vi­ously been as­so­ci­at­ed with self-referential think­ing, the in­ves­ti­ga­tors said.

“Aes­thetic judg­ments for paint­ings are highly in­di­vid­ual, in that the paint­ings ex­pe­ri­enced as mov­ing dif­fer widely across peo­ple,” they wrote, re­port­ing their find­ings in the jour­nal Fron­tiers in Hu­man Neu­ro­sci­ence. “But the neu­ral sys­tems sup­port­ing aes­thet­ic reac­tions re­main largely the same from per­son to per­son. More­o­ver, the most mov­ing paint­ings pro­duce a se­lec­tive ac­tiva­t­ion of a net­work of brain re­gions which is known to ac­tivate when we think about per­sonally rel­e­vant mat­ters such as our own per­sonal­ity traits and day­dreams, or when we con­template our fu­ture.”

Loving the mountain trainsVM

Loving the mountain trains

VM Govind Krishnan, a resident of Sector 13, Dwarka, grew up in Mount Pleasant, Coonoor, watching the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) chugging past his home. He distinctly remembers the first journey he took on that train with his grandmother. He was in awe of the way the little train climbed its way through the dense forest and steep hills.


“The sight of the train entering a tunnel and coming out bellowing steam was mesmerising. Even today, the sight moves me beyond words,” says he.

All his professional life (34 years) he worked with Air India, but his heart remained firmly on movement on the ground. He has been in love with trains in general and more specifically with the mountain trains in India.

He has travelled a number of times on all the five operating mountain trains in India and has written extensively on these journeys.

His book, Nilgiri Mountain Railway - From Lifeline to Oblivion, narrates the struggle to save the NMR and throws light on the importance of the railway, as an engineering marvel and from the heritage point of view.

A revised edition of the book, with more photographs, was released this year in February. The first edition of the book came out in 2008.

It took him 40 years to collect the material to write this book.

Says he, “I had started collecting material for the book when the Union Government had proposed to dismantle the scenic railway in 1968 as it was not economically viable. I just wanted this train to continue chugging along.”

He also took hundreds of pictures of the NMR covering all sections of its 46-km route. One of these pictures is displayed in the office of the station master, Coonoor.

“The efforts of train enthusiasts like me met with success when the NMR was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in July 2005. NMR has only one parallel in the world, in Switzerland. Today the revival of the NMR is truly on. The Southern Railways is building new engines that will continue to run the train in the times to come,” he says.

His love for mountain trains does not end with the NMR. He has travelled extensively in other mountain trains of India and has written about them, besides coming out with a picture book on these other mountain trains to Darjeeling, Joginder Nagar (from Pathankot), Shimla and Matheran (Maharashtra).

“If you fall in love with trains, you will never come out of it all your life. A mountain train journey is the most beautiful and romantic journey one can take and we should make sure that our future generations do not miss out on that experience,” says he.

- Hindustan Times, New Delhi

கோடிகளைக் குவித்த கோபப் பறவைகள்! Angry Birds...

கோடிகளைக் குவித்த கோபப் பறவைகள்!

Angry Birds... ஆண்டிராய்ட் போன்கள் அறிமுகம்போது, அதன் விற்பனைக்கு முக்கியக் காரணமான இருந்த மொபைல் கேம்!

சிறைப்பட்டிருக்கும் சிறு பறவைகளை விடுவிக்கும் வகையில் உருவாக்கப்பட்ட Angry Birds கேம்தான் முதலில் வ...ெளியிடப்பட்டது. இதற்கு கிடைத்த வரவேற்பைத் தொடர்ந்து, இரண்டாம் பாகம் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டது. இம்முறை பச்சை நிறப் பன்றித் தலைகளை அடித்து வீழ்த்த வேண்டும் என்பதே விதிமுறை. இது, முந்தைய பாகத்தின் ரெக்கார்டை ஒரே நாளில் முறியடித்தது.

Angry Birds கேம் பாதிப்பில், ஆங்கிலத்தில் 'ரியோ' என்ற அனிமேஷன் படமும் வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இதுவும் ஹிட்.

இதனிடையே, Angry Birds Space புது வெர்ஷன் கேம் வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இதுவும் சூப்பர் ஹிட்!

தற்போது, ஆண்டிராய்டை தொடர்ந்து மைக்ரோசாப்ட், ஆப்பிள் கம்ப்யூட்டர்ஸ், பிளாக் பெர்ரி மொபைல் போன், கூகுள் குரோம், பிளே ஸ்டேஷன் 3 வரை சிறகடித்துப் பறக்கிறது, Angry Birds.
சுட்டிகளை விட, பெரியவர்கள் தான் இந்த கேமை அதிகமாக விளையாடித் தீர்க்கிறார்கள்.


இதெல்லாம் இருக்கட்டும்... இந்த Angry Birds கேம், ஒரே ஆண்டில் 100 மில்லியன் டாலர்கள் வருவாயை ஈட்டியிருக்கிறது என்பதே அண்மைத் தகவல்!

airport body scanners

airport body scanners


Homeland Security investigators have found "vulnerabilities" with the X-ray body scanning machines that are replacing the traditional "magnetometers" at the nation's airports, Wired magazine reports.

Wired cites an internal report from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. The report is classified, but DHS at some point did quietly publish a summary of the report, actually dated in November, on its website. The summary mentions eight recommendations for improved screening, but those apparently are only available in the classified version.
The summary also says the "quantitative and qualitative results of our testing are classified."

"Exactly how bad the body scanners are is not being divulged publicly," Wired notes.

DHS has spent $87 million replacing magnetometers with the X-ray body scanners designed to detect items a metal detector could miss. Another $7 million is being spent to "remove the human factor from the image review process" and replace the passenger's image with an avatar.

Wired has found flaw with the body scanners before. "Even the Government Accountability Office — Congress' investigative arm — said the devices might be ineffective," Wired says.

she landed in wrong place at the wrong time.

Melanie Marken was headed to her hotel to rest up for
a business meeting in Bloomington, Ind.,
last month when she made a discovery.

She was in the wrong Bloomington.

Marken's travel agent had mistakenly booked her on
 a flight to Bloomington, Ill.
 And she had to drive nearly five hours to make her meeting
in the Indiana city with the same name.
she landed in wrong place at the wrong time.


Even the most veteran of business travelers can inadvertently end up on the wrong flight — and in the wrong city. It's embarrassing, and even worse, it can foul up business meetings and potentially cost a company money.



Causes for a mix-up can range from the carelessness of a weary
 traveler to a travel agent's error in booking a ticket to the wrong city,
Road Warriors and travel experts say.


"The traveler can e-mail a request for tickets to Philadelphia, for example,
and end up on a flight to Philadelphia, Miss., not the intended destination,"
says Kevin Mitchell, of the Business Travel Coalition. "Sure, there are opportunities
 to catch such a mistake before leaving home or even at the airport.
However, sometimes a harried business traveler is operating on information overload,
or is just too tired to catch the error until an onboard announcement."

Garbage helps power up part of this township

Garbage helps power up part of this township

by Kiran Wadhwa, Hindustan Times


At Hiranandani Estate in Thane, wet waste is not just given away to the municipality garbage collectors. It is carefully segregated and sent to a biomethanation or biogas plant, where it is converted into fuel. This fuel is then used to power the sewage treatment plant in the estate. From solar lights in the compound to occupancy censors in common areas such as staircases and washrooms, where the lights only come on when people are around, the complex is a mix of fixtures that help save energy.


The biogas plant, for example, produces 125 units of energy every day, but has the capacity to do much more. "The plant can process five tonnes of biodegradable waste every day, but we only get a little over a tonne. Now, 21 more buildings are coming up in the estate so the plant will be sued to its full capacity," said Anant Palkar, general manager, Hiranandani Constructions Private Ltd. The plant was installed two years ago. "These systems are easy to maintain, but regular maintenance is a must," added Palkar.

Biogas can be used for anything from cooking to running motor vehicles. Biogas is the gas produced through the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen.


The company is now applying for carbon credits. But while the systems are in place, are the residents equally environment-conscious? "Residents of the complex are environmentally sensitive and work towards energy conservation. Without the support of the residents, all these systems would fail," added Palkar.

STOP WATCH AND WALK -fun video

STOP  WATCH  AND  WALK   STOP WATCH AND WALK STOP WATCH AND WALK

how2 save pets from stray dosgs

how to save your pets from stray dogs - video

Cat washes its own dish plate-video

Cat washes its own dish  - video

பூனைக் குட்டி ஒன்று தான் உணவு உண்ணுவதற்காகப் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் கோப்பையை தானே கழுவிச் சுத்தம் செய்கின்றது.


மனிதர்ளே சில வேளைகளில் இவ்வாறு சுத்தம் செய்வதற்கு தயக்கம் காட்டும் தருணத்தில் செல்லப்பிராணியாக வளர்க்கப்படுத் பூனைக்குட்டி மிகுந்த பொறுப்புடன் தனது கோப்பையை தானே சுத்தப்படுத்துவது ஆச்சரியம் ஊட்டும் வகையில் காணப்படுதுடன் சிலருக்கு இது ஒரு பாடமாகவும் அமைகின்றது.

Bowling with My Family

I woke up at 5 am and screamed at the top of my lungs, “Today is bowling day”. My dad heard me and said in a grumpy voice, “Go back to sleep, Rahul. We are not going bowling if you don’t get into bed and sleep”.

I was very excited and I could not go back to sleep. So I tiptoed into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, took my bath, went to the garage to exercise, drank some milk with cereal and played a game alone.

Just then my mom came down and saw me. She asked me “Are you ready?” I said in a pleased voice, “Yes. I am waiting for everyone to get ready”.

Finally my mom, dad, uncle, aunt, sister and cousin got ready. We set out to the bowling alley. When we got there we booked the alley for one game and everyone rented a pair of bowling shoes. I got the shoe size two and half. The color of the shoes was green and it felt funny when I wore it. We got to our bowling lane. Then we typed in our names, youngest to the oldest. My youngest cousin, who is just three years old, was not included in the game. My older cousin, Esha bowled first and got eight points.

I took a six pound, green bowling ball and struggled to hold it. I managed to get enough strength to bowl it in the lane. Since there were no bumpers both my balls were gutter balls. Everyone at least put one pin down.

The same thing happened on the second round. I was very upset after that turn. Then, my parents saw me and said, “Don’t get upset, be a good sport and we will put bumpers for you”.

From the third round I scored some points but I still had to catch up with the rest of my family. Then on one turn, I made a strike without hitting the bumpers and gave everyone a high five.

Later by accident my youngest cousin threw the ball! Phew, no one got hurt. Because I was having so much fun, I did not realize the time passed by and the game was coming to an end. I was in the third place with 87 points and my aunt won with 97 points. It was the best day of my life!

The next time I go bowling I will make sure to put the bumpers before playing.

************

Prayer for Recovering Lost Items

Prayer for Recovering Lost Items


(Posted June 5, 2009 by meeraghu in lyrics, Madhwa Calendar.)
This prayer was also taught by my Father. We however lost track of the prayer and just remembered the name of Raja Kartivirarjuna and just said his name. As I said earlier also, the Madhwa Calendar has this prayer and I typed the same word by word into Baraha. Here it is for your recital.
Hope you don’t loose anything, but if you do, just say this prayer until you find the lost item.
Recover Lost Items or kaLeda vastu prAptigAgi

kArtavIryArjunO nAma
rAjA bAhusahasravAn
tasya smaraNamAtrENa
gataM naShTaM ca labhyatE

Left Eye Twitching

Left Eye Twitching Superstition - China


There is an old Chinese saying about twitching eyelids that says that "the twitching of the left eyelid indicates the coming of good fortune; while the right one is a warning about the coming bad luck." So while a twitch in the left eye indicates good luck or even a major gold rush, a twitching right eye is considered a bad omen which foretells of bad luck headed your way! In case of women the tables are turned, as a twitching right eye signifies good luck while a twitching left one is considered a bad omen. People also believe in other eyelid twitching superstitions where a twitch in the lower left eyelid means you can expect to cry soon or someone is gossiping about you.






Left Eye Twitching Superstition - India


In India, the left eye twitching superstition is the reverse of the Chinese version. It is again an old belief that if your right eye twitches, you are likely to hear good news. On the other hand, left eye jumping or twitching is considered inauspicious. At times, eyelid twitching can also be based on the gender as well. While left eye twitching is considered good for women, it might be a bad sign for men.






Left Eye Twitching Superstition - Parts of Africa


In certain parts of Africa, twitching in your lower eyelid signals that you will soon be shedding tears. When the upper eyelid twitches, it&apos;s a sign that you will meet someone unexpectedly. The Nigerians also follow the Chinese version of the left eye twitching and consider it to be a sign of bad luck.






Left Eye Twitching Superstition - Hawaii


In Hawaii, twitching in the left eye can signal the arrival of a stranger. In addition to these beliefs, there are some other versions of the left eye twitching superstition where a constant twitching of your left eye might signal a demise in the family and the twitching of the right may signal an impending birth.

Medical Causes of Left Eye Twitching



Although the left eye twitching superstitions might make for a good reading, there is a scientific reason behind left eye twitching. While the fluttering sensation that may sometimes be felt in and around the eyelids can certainly be irritating, it may not be a cause of serious concern. However, those who suffer from recurring episodes of constant repetitive contraction of the eyelid muscles must seek medical help in order to rule out the possibility of an underlying medical condition. Involuntary eye twitching, which is also referred to as eye muscle spasm, can be attributed to an eye problem known as benign essential blepharospasm. The condition is actually caused by uncontrollable contractions of the muscles around the eyelids. This chronic, uncontrollable blinking of the eyes could be the result of dry eyes, conjunctivitis or light sensitivity.

In addition to the aforementioned causes, eyelid twitching could also be attributed to neurological disorders like epilepsy, Parkinson&apos;s disease, Tourette syndrome or certain eye allergies and injuries. If it is an extreme condition you need to consult a doctor who might prescribe oral medications or certain eye drops. In an extreme case, myectomy or surgery for treating blinking eyes may have to be performed to cure the excessive twitching of the eyes. Eye twitches can also be triggered by eye strain. Watching television or working on a computer for long stretches of time can cause eye strain. Lack of sleep can also be a contributory factor. If excessive strain is causing twitching in the eyes, it can be cured by taking rest and cutting down on one&apos;s intake of caffeine or alcohol.



This was some information on superstitions associated with eye twitching. So the next time your left eye twitches, don&apos;t you worry about a catastrophe befalling you. Don&apos;t let such beliefs take away your peace of mind. Just stay calm and hope for the best.

giant whale shark near Karachi

A giant whale shark near Karachi fisheries harbor in Karachi, Pakistan on Feb. 7 and was sold for 1.7 million PKR

A giant whale shark near Karachi fisheries harbor in Karachi, Pakistan on Feb. 7 and was sold for 1.7 million PKR

அனைத்துமான இறைவனும் நம்மிடம்

செய்வதெல்லாம் சரிதான்



முப்பொழுதும் எப்பொழுதும் நமக்கு


சற்று தள்ளிநின்று நாம் சரிதானா


என்று நமக்குள்ளே உற்றுநோக்குவோம்.

உயிராய் உயிர்ப்புடன் உள்ளவையனைத்தும்


மறு மாற்றத்திற்கு உரியன.

மலர்கள் கனியாகவும் விதைகள்


மரமாகவும் மாறுவது விதி.

நாமும் நன்மை கருதி நம்மை


மாற்றிக்கொண்டால் நன்மையே

பண்புடன் பணிவுடன் அன்புடன்


கருணையுடன் கனிவுடன் அன்புசெய்

இன்புசெய், இழப்பது ஏதுமில்லை


இனியொருமுறை வாழ்வு இல்லை.

உலகம், நட்பு, காதல், உறவுகள்


அனைத்துமான இறைவனும் நம்மிடம்

TREE IS OUR LIFE

TREE IS OUR LIFE
In one day a human being breathes oxygen equivalent to 3 cylinders.


Each oxygen cylinder on an average costs Rs 700, so in a day one uses


Oxygen worth Rs 2100 and for a full year it is Rs 7,66,500. If we


consider an average life span of 65 years; the costs of oxygen we use


become a staggering sum of around Rs 5 Cr.. All this oxygen is derived


free of cost from the surrounding trees. Very few people look at trees


as a resource and there is rampart tree cutting going on everywhere


which should stop.

Blogger: Blogger Dashboard

Blogger: Blogger Dashboard

Rig Veda to particle physics

Rig Veda to particle physics


By G.S. Mudur
www.telegraphindia.com


New Delhi, Dec. 13:


Physicist Vivek Sharma who was born in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, and now leads an international group hunting for the Higgs boson sees the search as an attempt to seek out answers to questions posed in the Rig Veda.


Sharma, who went to a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Pune and pursued master's in physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, says he was drawn to experimental particle physics after learning Rig Veda hymns from his mother, a Sanskrit scholar. The ancient text has a hymn on creation that speculates on the origin of the universe and describes a period when "all that existed was void and formless".



"It was a shock, it left an impression in my mind. Thousands of years ago people were contemplating our origins," said Sharma, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, and head of a Higgs search team at CERN, the European research laboratory.


He was still a high school student but began thinking how modern technology might be used to probe creation. The Higgs boson, the subatomic particle that Sharma and his colleagues are looking for, was predicted in the 1960s to explain the origin of mass.



A discovery of the Higgs boson is important for physicists because it is the last missing, or unseen, piece of a bedrock theory of physics called the Standard Model that explains all the forces and particles in nature except gravity.


Sharma moved to the US in 1984, treating higher studies in the US as a route to plunge intoexperimental physics requiring expensive machines ' particle accelerators ' but spent five years at CERN in the early 1990s where he discovered two new subatomic particles, including a cousin of the proton, but five times heavier.

His enthusiasm for experimental physics emerges in his talks ' whether delivered to fellow-physicists or aspiring students. It also appears to temper any emotions that might spring each time particle detectors at CERN spot signals resembling traces of the Higgs boson.


"Experiments will ultimately tell us what is right and what is wrong," he said. In the coming months, Sharma and his colleagues will refine their analyses and combine the data from the two main particle detectors looking for the Higgs boson.


"Our curiosity about our origins doesn't change anybody's life, but there is a satisfaction from understanding such things," Sharma said in a telephone interview ahead of the CERN seminar where scientists presented their latest results from the Higgs search.



"But when we build machines like the Large Hadron Collider (the particle accelerator at CERN where proton-proton collisions are used to search for the Higgs boson), it requires us to invent new technologies that can change people's lives," he said.



The World Wide Web was created at CERN to help physicists move data around between different computers in a seamless fashion. "It's a great example of how something that is good for physicists turned out to be fantastic for the public," Sharma said.


New technologies and ideas that are born in experimental physics laboratories may have implications in information technology and medicine. "Our goals are esoteric, but what sometimes comes out benefits the public," he said.

Sharma, whose routine in recent years has been eight weeks at CERN and 10 to 15 days with his wife and 7-year-old daughter in San Diego, is also keen on drawing more students to physics.

His homepage has a link to a talk he once delivered to prospective students and their parents. "The popular belief that physicists do not make much money is totally false," the link says. "Physics majors make more money than chemistry or bio majors."