Are elephants more emotional than humans?

Source: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/10/a-moment-of-zen-elephant-intelligence-a-mystery-of-our-universe.html

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whisperer, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003.

Photo of Swami Vivekananda taken between 1885 - 1895, Place: Jaipur

Vivekananda with brother sanyasis at Baranagar

Swami Vivekananda with brother sanyasis

This is a rare photo of Swami Vivekananda with his brother disciples. Swami Turiyananda is sitting second from the right.

Swami Vivekananda at South Pasadena

Swami Vivekananda at Parliament of Religions

Space Race Blast Off - First facebook game by NASA!!

Space Race Blastoff, NASA's first online game for the social media age.

Who was the first American to walk in space? Who launched the first liquid-fueled rocket? In what movie did O.J. Simpson play NASA astronaut?

If you know the answers to these questions, or are just curious to find out, you're ready to play Space Race Blastoff, NASA's first online game for the social media age.

Available through its own Facebook page, Space Race Blastoff pits players in remote locations in a test of their knowledge of NASA history, technology, science and pop culture. Players who correctly answer questions earn virtual badges depicting NASA astronauts, spacecraft and astronomical objects. Players also earn points they can use to obtain additional badges to complete sets that earn premium badges.

"We're hoping Space Race Blastoff opens up NASA's history and research to a wide new audience of people accustomed to using social media," said David Weaver, NASA's associate administrator for communications. "We're really excited to see what the interest will be."

NASA chose to make the game available through Facebook to take advantage of the social media site's large audience and enable players to compete against others. Individuals can also play solo games.

Once in the game, players can choose an avatar and answer 10 multiple-choice questions. Each correct answer earns 100 points, with a 20-point bonus to the player who answers first. The winner advances to the bonus round to answer one additional question for more points. Answering the bonus question earns the player a badge, which may depict an astronaut, a spacecraft, a planet or other person or object. Additional badges can be obtained for 1,500 points.

The game, developed by Scott Hanger, Todd Powell and Jamie Noguchi of NASA's Internet Services Group in the Office of Communications, is available via its Facebook page: http://apps.facebook.com/spacerace.

Do you want to increase your Alexa rank very easily?

I don't want to explain what is Alexa. You came here because you know about Alexa and want to increase your Alexa Rank.

Easiest way to increase Alexa Rank is to install Alexa Site Widget in your blog. The widget will look like this:

Click on that widget and it will show the traffic chart and many other site related info. People have reported that within few days of installing the widget, their traffic has gone up significantly and this has improved their Alexa ranking!

Goto this link: http://www.alexa.com/siteowners/widgets    to get the widget.

In that page, you will see a button "Build Widget" and adjacent to that is a text box. Enter your blog url in the text box and click on the button. It will give you a code and add that code in your blogger.

Gravity map of the Moon taken by GRAIL (NASA)

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/multimedia/zuber4.html

This image shows the variations in the lunar gravity field as measured by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory GRAIL) during the primary mapping mission from March to May 2012. Very precise microwave measurements between two spacecraft, named Ebb and Flow, were used to map gravity with high precision and high spatial resolution. The field shown resolves blocks on the surface of about 12 miles (20 kilometers) and measurements are three to five orders of magnitude improved over previous data. Red corresponds to mass excesses and blue corresponds to mass deficiencies. The map shows more small-scale detail on the far side of the moon compared to the nearside because the far side has many more small craters.

Do you want to use cases or covers for your mobile?

Mobile Phones have overtaken Internet in the last 5 years. We see mobile in every hand!

What caught my attention is that, the younger generation is using it as a fashion! They want fancy cases and covers. Some of these cases/covers are as costly as the mobile itself!!

A website has made a survey (About.com Reader's Choice) to find the most popular mobile case/cover brands. The brands which made to final are: Incase, Krusell, OtterBox, The Joy Factory, and Wrapsol.

The OtterBox was chosen as the best!

And if you are thinking of looking for mobile cases/covers, you can look at the link: cell phone case.

The forgotten Gandhi - Firoze Gandhi!!

Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/top-story/96353-the-forgotten-gandhi.html

The forgotten Gandhi

SATURDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 2012 16:05

A SURYA PRAKASH

Son-in-law to one Prime Minister, husband to another and father to a third, he should have been a well-known face in the country’s political landscape. But this is not the case with Feroze Gandhi whose birth centenary on September 12 has just gone unnoticed

September 12, 2012, the birth centenary of Feroze Gandhi — India’s greatest investigative parliamentarian, crusader against corruption, advocate of press freedom and the first campaigner for the people’s right to information — has gone unnoticed. He was such a cerebral, diligent and ruthless pursuer of truth that he was once described by a fellow MP as a “dangerously well-informed person”. While the nation remains obsessed with the fortunes of the family which has 10, Janpath as its postal address, it appears to have forgotten the real Gandhi who bequeathed this magical surname to Sonia et al.

An excellent article about "1993 Mumbai Serial Bomb Blasts" by Oscar Newton Luvis

Is hanging of Kasab wrong?

Some people are of the opinion that, hanging people is not a solution. Also, people ask questions such as, "Who are we to take out lives, when we cannot give life"  (When vegetarians ask the same question about killing animals for food, people don't accept that)!

So, is hanging of terrorists wrong?

People like Kasab are already convinced that "killing the infidels will reserve his place in heaven"!

So, they are motivated people and you cannot make them think otherwise.

Either you have to keep them in jails and spend crores of rupees or hang them.

Keeping them in jail not only is a drain on public money, it also sends a strong signal to other

such terrorists that they can live happily even after killing people!!

You can read more about "Islamic concept of Heaven" here: 

http://www.islamreview.com/articles/islamicheaven.shtml

One paragraph from the above link sums it all:

"In my childhood I asked our Huzur (Imam of the Mosque) what exactly will be the likes of heavenly rewards from Allah for which all Muslims are fawning Allah by five times prayers per day, and fasting for one month. The Imam shaheb replied: “after your death you will be resurrected again as an healthy young man of 25 year old. There in the heaven you will be given beautiful Houris/Gillman, wine, and plenty of foods to eat. You will stay young for ever and death, disease will never come near you again.” Folks, all those Islamic Mullahs, Maoulanas, all those Jihadis of Kashmir, Palestine, Osama-Bin-Laden’s terrorist gang, and all other gullible Muslims ardently believe just that."

Here are some more links talking about heaven, 72 virgins, different layers of heaven, etc:

1. http://wikiislam.net/wiki/72_Virgins

2. http://www.hilalplaza.com/islam/Heaven.html

3. http://www.shariahprogram.ca/articles/paradise-heaven-life-after-death.shtml

4. http://muslimvoices.org/levels-of-heaven-islam/

5. http://www.islam-watch.org/AliSina/7Layers.htm

6. http://www.islam-watch.org/authors/79-mirza/1106-islamic-heaven.html

How much water should we drink daily!?

Banana is a "Super Fruit"!!

5 things YOU MUST KNOW about the "End of the world in 2012"!

Source: http://www.griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/special/2012.html

While the "end of the Maya calendar" debate is the starting point for most 2012 discussions, several other astronomical "events" have been drawn into the mix. 5 of the most important points have been listed below, followed by a straightforward discussion of whether they are true or not.

1. The Maya Calendar is “Ending”

FALSE. The Maya calendar is not spooling up the thread of time. It is coming to the end of a particular cycle in an unending sequence of cycles. According to the rules of the Maya calendar system, a primary interval, Baktun 13, for all practical purposes ends on the winter solstice, 2012. Although pseudoscientific claims have linked this calendrical curiosity to a Maya prophecy of the end of time, there is no evidence for ancient Maya belief in the world's end in 2012 or even in any unusual significance to the cycle's completion. 

The Maya calendar relied on multiple cycles of time. In Maya tradition, these cycles of time run far into the future, and there are ancient Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions that project time into the future well beyond 21 December 2012. At the end of Baktun 13 (a period of 144,000 days or 394 years), a new baktun will begin. There is no Baktun-13 end of time. The notion of a Baktun-13 transformational end of time is modern. It originated in Mexico Mystique, a book published in 1975 by an American writer, Frank Waters, who made computational errors.

2. We Are Emerging from a Galactic “Beam”

FALSE. In 1987, the notion of the Maya forecast of the end times was linked to a "beam" from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The writer who introduced this galactic element also promoted it through 1987's Harmonic Convergence. According to him, we emerge from the beam on winter solstice, 2012 because that's when the Maya calendar "ends." In reality, there is no galactic beam either observed or predicted). There is no astronomical or observational fact here, just assertion.

3. The Sun’s Pathway Through the Milky Way Is Somehow Related.

FALSE. Others have also noted the gradual precessional shift of the Sun's position at winter solstice across the Milky Way. They have claimed the winter solstice Sun will coincide with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in 2012. In fact, the winter solstice Sun does not get closer than 3 degrees to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. This is equal to six full moons, a very large discrepancy, even for the unaided eye. And the winter solstice Sun is actually closer to the center of Galaxy 200 years after 2012. Even a superficial glance at a typical celestial atlas verifies the current configuration. This is not true. The winter solstice Sun never coincides with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. There is no "galactic alignment" on winter solstice, 2012. There is no meaningful midpoint across the Milky Way. A midpoint for the winter solstice sun's precessional passage across the Milky Way cannot be defined to a century, let alone a single day (and certainly not to 21 December 2012).

4. A Planetary Alignment Will Destroy the Earth.

FALSE. Some have claimed an alignment of planets occurs on winter solstice, 2012, and will cause a catastrophic reversal of the earth's magnetic field. There is no such planetary alignment on winter solstice, 2012, and even if all the planets did align in this fashion, it would not cause such a reversal of the Earth's magnetic field. There have been numerous planetary alignments and they have had no effect on the Earth.

5. The Mysterious Planet Niburu Is Headed Our Way.

FALSE. Conspiracy fatalists are convinced that the imaginary planet Niburu is out there and headed our way. According to this bizarre scenario, NASA, the astronomical community, and presumably everyone else “in the know” (except, of course, the ancient Maya calendar keepers) allegedly have observed the approach of the planet, placed an embargo on this knowledge, and are deliberately misleading the public. Proponents of this view imagine that all of the Earth’s hundreds of thousands of private and public telescopes are linked together in one giant, coordinated effort to mislead the public regarding the existence of this upcoming disaster, though it is not clear why they would do so if the world was going to end anyway. Of course, there is no Niburu on a collision course with Earth for winter solstice, 2012, or for any other date. There is absolutely no evidence of the existence of such a planet at all. The claims about Niburu are like those for the discredited “Planet X” hoax from 2003-04.

Govt doesn't have money for LPG subsidy - But it has 10 Billion US Dollars to give as donation to Eurozone!!

Shocking : India announces $10 billion for debt-wracked Eurozone
June 21, 2012    

Shocking decision taken by Indian Government ! Are all problems in India like poverty, inflation, malnutrition, power shortage solved ? Today crores of Indians can't even get a daily square meal and still Indian Govt. is wasting money to keep its hollow 'Superpower' image intact ! O Indians, now we all should unite and agitate lawfully to force Indian Govt. to revoke donating funds to IMF !

 
LOS CABOS : India today announced a $10 billion contribution to the IMF's additional $430 billion financial firewall to help the debt-wracked 17-nation Eurozone so that the faltering world economy is protected against the spread of any financial contagion.

The announcement of the contribution was made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his address at the Plenary Session of the seventh summit of the Group of developed and developing countries (G20) in this Mexican resort town against the backdrop of growing calls to nations to increase contributions to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the bailout fund.

India's contribution along with pledges by other member countries of the five-nation BRICS bloc has helped increase IMF's resources and give a boost to the $430 billion fund being used as a firewall to support struggling Eurozone economies.

"The IMF has a critical supportive role to play in stabilising the Eurozone. All members must help the Fund to play this role, I am happy to announce that India has decided to contribute $10 billion to the IMF's additional firewall of $430 billion," he told the world leaders at the seventh summit of the grouping which accounts for 80% the world's GDP.

India has previously pledged to make contributions to the bailout fund but did not disclose the exact amount of its contribution to the fund.

According to Chinese vice finance minister Zhu Guangyo, the BRICS is committed to pledge $60 billion to boost the firewall. Besides India and China, the other countries in the bloc are Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

The IMF fund will serve to help governments that are struggling to cope with debt repayments but Eurozone leaders still faced pressure from their G20 peers to make reforms to head off future financial crisis.

Calls were being made to the Eurozone to put in place a bigger financial firewall to combat the crisis before other countries will pour more cash into the IMF.

Noting that developed countries have expanded the resources of the IMF enormously, largely to support programmes in rich countries, Singh said that steps are now needed to be taken to substantially expand the resource base of multilateral development banks so that they have the firepower to help developing countries pursue their development goals. 

Source : TOI

Pictures of Sandy Storm smashing US!

Researchers Hack Electronic Voting Machine for $26

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2011/09/30/researchers-hack-voting-machine-for-26/#ixzz2AGRZjKVw

Campaigning for the 2012 presidential race has already begun, but what the candidates don't know is that come election day, hackers could be the ones whose votes have the biggest impact.

Researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois have developed a hack that, for about $26 and an 8th-grade science education, can remotely manipulate the electronic voting machines used by millions of voters all across the U.S.

The researchers, Salon reported, performed their proof-of-concept hack on a Diebold Accuvote TS electronic voting machine, a type of touchscreen Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting system that is widely used for government elections.

(Diebold's voting-machine business is now owned by the Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, whose e-voting machines are used in about 22 states.)

In a video, Roger Johnston and Jon Warner from Argonne National Laboratory's Vulnerability Assessment Team demonstrate three different ways an attacker could tamper with, and remotely take full control, of the e-voting machine simply by attaching what they call a piece of "alien electronics" into the machine's circuit board.

                                                                                      

The electronic hacking tool consists of a $1.29 microprocessor and a circuit board that costs about $8. Together with the $15 remote control, which enabled the researchers to modify votes from up to a half-mile away, the whole hack runs about $26.

Two of the takeovers show the researchers controlling the buttons on the keypad despite what the "real" voter enters. But in what Warner called "probably the most relevant attack for vote tampering," the researchers were able to blank the e-voting machine's screen for a split-second after the "vote now" button was pressed. While the screen went dark, they remotely entered their own numbers into the DRE's keypad.

Johnston explained in the video: "When the voter hits the 'vote now' button to register his votes, we can blank the screen and then go back and vote differently and the voter will be unaware that this has happened."

Johnston and Warner say that the ease with which this type of remote hack could be deployed highlights the need for e-voting machines to be designed better, with not just cybersecurity, but physical security in mind.

"Spend an extra four bucks and get a better lock," Johnston said. "You don't have to have state-of-the-art security, but you can do some things were it takes at least a little bit of skill to get in."

World's Simplest Management Secret!!

Source: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/worlds-simplest-management-secret.html

Management books have it all wrong. They all try to tell you how to manage "people."

It's impossible to manage "people"; it's only possible to manage individuals. And because individuals differ from one another, what works with one individual may not work with somebody else.

Some individuals thrive on public praise; others feel uncomfortable when singled out.

Some individuals are all about the money; others thrive on challenging assignments.

Some individuals need mentoring; others find advice to be grating.

The trick is to manage individuals the way that THEY want to be managed, rather than the way that YOU'd prefer to be managed.

The only way to do this is to ASK.

In your first (or next) meeting with each direct report ask:

• How do you prefer to be managed?
• What can I do to help you excel?
• What types of management annoy you?

Listen (really listen) to the response and then, as far as you are able, adapt your coaching, motivation, compensation, and so forth to match that individual's needs.

BTW, a savvy employee won't wait for you to ask; he or she will tell you outright what works. When this happens, you're crazy not to take that employee's advice!

Unfortunately, most individuals aren't that bold, which is why it's up to you to find out how to get the best out of them.

And you'll never get that out of a management book.

There is no one-size-fits-all in a world where everyone is unique.

Britain: longest double-dip recession since World War II

Source: Equity Master

Britain is smack in the middle of the longest double-dip recession since World War II. Official records show that the country ran up its largest current account deficit on record in the second quarter of 2012. The deficit was a whopping GBP 20.8 bn. This includes UK's trade balance and a shortfall on overseas investments. The country's citizens are facing tough times. Household spending was down 0.2% over the quarter. The largest declines were in restaurants and hotels, tobacco, and food and drink, as families cut back. However, one positive was that business investment rose 0.9% over the quarter. Overall, the economy contracted by 0.4% during the quarter, slightly less than the previous 0.5% estimate. The economy is still stagnating, and generating employment is the only way to lift economic sentiment. But this is much easier said than done. 

While Americans want "Walmart" to be thrown out, we are welcoming the same "Walmart"!!

"Walmart = Poverty"

In the largest-ever protest against Walmart in U.S. history, thousands in Los Angeles demanded the world's largest private employer start respecting its workers and communities or stay out of L.A. Union workers from across the L.A. labor movement marched alongside Walmart and warehouse workers, Chinatown residents, community and civil rights groups, faith leaders, and our sisters and brothers from the San Diego, Orange, South Bay and San Francisco labor councils who came on buses to stand up to Walmart and stop the "Walmartization" of L.A. jobs.

Click here to read further.

Two Massachusetts Towns "Say No to Walmart"!!

Last month Walmart pulled out of Somerville and Watertown, two cities outside of Boston, claiming it wasn’t economically feasible for the company to open markets in these areas. Here’s what Walmart spokesperson Steven Restivo told Boston.com: “One of the primary deciding factors on any given site – whether it’s in an urban, suburban or rural market – is that it makes sense from a business perspective and contributes to our bottom line.”

Click here to read further.

Here in India, our government is "more-than-eager" to welcome Walmart. All political parties except Congress are opposed to FDI in retail. The "Bharat Bandh" was total all over India. But, UPA govt is hell-bent on bringing the legislation. Is there a "Foreign Hand" other than the one with remote control playing here!?

Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari

Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari.

Swamy Vivekananda's famous Chicago Speech - today is 119th anniversary

Swami Vivekananda’s speech in World Parliament of Religions, Chicago
September 11, 1893

"Sisters and Brothers of America. [At this moment came the three minute standing ovation from the audience of 7,000] It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

……Because we are “Secular”!!!! - Part2

An instance of Indian secularism is the 1978 directive to NCERT which instructs it to erase all medieval history which paints a picture of clash between native Hindus and invading Muslims of that era!

We have chapters spanning many pages for Akbar to Aurangzeb. But, Shivaji and Maharana Pratap are squeezed into a paragraph each in our history text books!!

Aryan Invasion Theory is proved to be a myth. Still it is taught in Indian schools. Dr||S.R.Rao of “Marine Archaeology Unit” of the “National Institute of Oceanography of India” has done extensive under-sea excavations and research to find the submerged Dwaraka city. This has proved that Mahabharata is not a myth, but a true history of Bharat. But, our history text books do not cover the Mahabharata.

Here are links to information related to finding of Dwaraka:

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Dwaraka.htm

http://itihaasafindings.blogspot.in/2009/07/s-r-rao-and-his-findings.html

LyreBird - This is an amazing bird!!

I came across this video today. Assuming that this video/audio is not morphed.

This bird make so many different sounds. I had never heard about this bird before.

So, I was really surprised and sharing the videos here.

Destruction of statue of Buddha is "Secularism"!! Jai Secularism!!!!

Recently when some Hindoo youths attacked few youths in a homestay in Mangalore, all hell broke loose. The "secularists" were outraged and attacked this "attack" in all platforms - newspapers, television, blogs, interviews, discussions, facebook, twitter....!! And they didn't forget to condemn the "Hindoo Fundamentalism" and "communalism".

Look at the following picture, which clearly shows that Muslims are attacking a Buddha statue. Now, where are our "Secularists"!? Or may be they want this to continue......because what these Muslim youths are doing is nothing but "Secularism"!!

Or whatever Hindoo's does is communal and whatever a Muslim does is "Secular"!!

Jai Secularism!!!!

……Because we are “Secular”!!!! - Part1

India has 80% Hindu population. It is the only homeland of Hindus in the world.

But, the birthdays of great sons of the soil, Shri Ram and Shri Krishna, are not compulsory central government  holidays.

The birthday of Saudi Arabia born Prophet Mohammad is a compulsory holiday!

Both birthday and crucification-day of Bethlehem born Jesus, are compulsory holidays!

There are only 2 Hindu holidays out of compulsory 14, in contrast with 4 Muslim ones!!

……Because we are “Secular”!!!!

Love Marriage or Arranged Marriage

Both Love Marriage and Arranged Marriage have their own pros and cons.

In India arranged marriages are part of the Hindu tradition and also culture. But, we cannot say love marriages are banned or looked down in Hindus. Marriage of Krishna and Rukmini was a love marriage. Marriage of dushyanta and shakuntala was a love marriage - our country got the name Bharat from their son!

We had many different types of marriages and all were accepted by the society. Love marriage was also called as "Gandharva Vivaha". Also, there was swayamvara - this also is not considered as arranged marriage. But, all these were mainly practiced by kings and their families.

Today, girls are also getting formal education just like boys. After that they are also seeking a career and go out to work. So, chances of boys meeting girls is more today than ever before. So, it is very natural for a boy to get attracted to a girl and vice-versa. This is leading to more love marriages now-a-days.

The main problem that comes in the ways of love marriage is the caste and family tradition. Slowly the society is starting to accept inter-caste marriages and that would reduce the caste-ism, untouchability, etc, which are plaguing Hindu society for more than a century. I see this as a positive outcome of love marriage. But, the biggest problem with love marriage is the love itself. The boy and girl would have got attracted to each other and this they think as love. This attractions blinds their mind and they forget the ground realities. So, chances of them committing mistake and repent later is more. But, realizing the mistake later is going to cost the life itself. Girls are more emotional and they goto the extreme step of taking out the life itself in the end!

India's foremost contribution to the world is "Family System". Marriage is a very important aspect of this system. The young couple should realize this. Marriage is not just about a girl and boy coming together; It is about building a family.

So, whether it is a arranged marriage or a love marriage, the most important thing is how they live after the marriage; how is their family life? Living together in a family for life-long needs lot of sacrifice - both husband and wife have to sacrifice lot of things. The foremost thing that they need to sacrifice is their ego. If this is not done, whatever kind of marriage it doesn't matter - they will fail.

When we talk about love marriages, people immediately draw our attention to the fact that many of them lead to divorce. But, I have witnessed many love marriages (in-fact most of the marriages happening today are all love marriages) and majority of them are leading a good life. Also, I have witnessed failed arranged marriages. So, given this background, the conclusion that I make is that, it doesn't matter what kind of marriage is yours - the only thing matters is, how is your life after that.

How do we make our kids feel one with the nature!?

Today when we go around Bangalore, we keep seeing only concrete jungle. Lot of trees have been cut to widen the roads, for the "Namma Metro" project, to build underpass and flyovers. Lakes have been disappearing one by one. And Bangalore has been growing vertically - thousands of apartments have come up in Bangalore and wherever we go, we see only concrete everywhere! When I see all this, I keep remembering my childhood days.
The place around our house was not cemented. So, we had so much soil all around. So, our favourite passtime was to grow plants, observe different plants, observe the insects, spiders, etc. Every evening, we used to water the plants. We had lot of plants in and around our house. So, we used to make paths for the water to flow - put water at one end and see it go and reach all the plants! It was so much fun and was bringing us very close to nature. When we were doing this, we used to see many new plants coming up in our compound - many of these were growing on their own. And also, we used to see many different insects and small birds coming to our garden! Books and gardening used to keep us busy all the time. Those were the days, when we didn't have television, we didn't have mobile phones (even a landline telephone was a luxury!), we didn't have shopping malls, we didn't have Internet, we couldn't afford video games.......so, we had lot of time - in fact, "Full 24 Hours" was ours.
I feel today's kids miss all that. They don't get to touch the soil much. They don't get to play with the plants and insects. So, it will be difficult for them to feel one with the nature. How do we change all this?

Why Sonia Gandhi fears Narendra Modi?

Source: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/headon/entry/target-modi

Target Modi by Minhaz Merchant

As she choreographs Rahul’s political trajectory, there is one Indian politician UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi fears most: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Why? It can’t be the 2002 communal riots alone. More people have been killed in communal riots and pogroms outside Gujarat  – including the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom – than in Gujarat. 

It can’t be that Gujarat has been a BJP fortress for 17 years. The Congress has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh for 23 years and in West Bengal for 35.  It can’t be governance. Gujarat has been recognised internationally as India’s best governed large state. It has had no riots since 2002. There is little apparent nepotism or corruption and certainly no family dynasty. And yet, Modi remains the principal target for vilification. An entire ecosystem has been built to sustain this campaign: journalists, social activists and local dissidents.

Adv.: Buddha Inspired Statues

Adv.: Do you want to get a Signed Copy of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by JK Rowling? Then click on this link!

Sunita Williams to Carry Upanishads to Space!!

Buddha Inspired Statues

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-02/ahmedabad/32507386_1_upanishads-indian-american-astronaut-sunita-williams

Upanishads to fire Sunita Williams’ spiritual odyssey in space

Bharat Yagnik, TNN Jul 2, 2012, 02.46AM IST

AHMEDABAD: When Sunita Williams is thousands  of miles above the earth taking a bird's eye view of the universe from her space shuttle window, she will try to understand universal truths of the Upanishads. The Indian American astronaut — who will spend six months in space from July 14 — is carrying with her an English translation of one of the most important Hindu scriptures.

Her father, Deepak Pandya, is hoping that the farther she goes from earth, the closer she will come to understanding her Indian roots. It was his idea that she carry a copy of the Upanishads with her.

"The last time she went into space, I had given her a copy of the Bhagavad Gita," Pandya told TOI. "She was full of questions when she came back. She wanted to know why it became necessary for Krishna to narrate the Gita, what were its eternal teachings, was it not possible to gain similar knowledge from other works, and many such questions. I feel that she will find some of the answers in the Upanishads."

Pandya, himself a Shiv bhakt, says that up in space his daughter will perhaps be able to better chart her spiritual journey with the Upanishads assisting her.

"All the same, we don't discuss space when she calls amid her preparations," Pandya adds. "We have normal father-daughter conversations."

The astronaut is all set to go into quarantine ahead of her second space odyssey after which it will become increasingly difficult for the family to stay in touch with her. Williams last worked aboard the International Space Station for six months in 2006. She will take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with two other astronauts, a Russian and a Japanese.

Our Presidents so far.....

Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963)  Term of Office: 26 January 1950 TO 13 May 1962

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India. Rajendra Prasad was a great freedom-fighter, and the architect of the Indian Constitution, having served as President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of the Republic from 1948 to 1950. He had also served as a Cabinet Minister briefly in the first Government of Independent India. He was a crucial leader of the Indian Independence Movement. Prasad was born in Jiradei, in the Siwan district of Bihar. His father, Mahadev Sahay, was a Persian and Sanskrit language scholar; his mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a devout lady. He was married at the age of 12 to Rajvanshi Devi. After India became independent he was elected the President of India. In 1962, after 12 years as President, he announced his decision to retire. He was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian award. He died on 28 February 1963 with 'Ram Ram Ram' on his lips.

Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) Term of Office: 13 May 1962 TO 13 May 1967

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is best known as the man who introduced the thinking of western idealist philosophers into Indian thought. He was an Oxford don who became the first Vice President and the second President of India. He was born at Tiruttani, 64 km to the northeast of Madras in South India. His mother tongue was Telugu. When he became the President of India in 1962, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, September 5. He replied, "Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teacher's Day." Since then, Teacher's Day has been celebrated in India. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1954. The University of Oxford instituted the Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships and the Radhakrishnan Memorial Award in his memory. He also received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1961.