LIFECOVER

Oklahoma tornado: Search for survivors nears end

2013-05-22T19:58:00.001+05:30

Rescue workers are combing the ruins left by the gigantic tornado that killed two dozen people, including nine children, in Oklahoma on Monday. Officials say the search for survivors is nearly over as efforts turn towards recovery.

Gary Bird, fire chief of the badly hit Moore suburb, said he was "98% sure" there were no more survivors or bodies to recover from the rubble. The storm has meanwhile been upgraded to the most powerful level of twister. Packing winds of at least 200mph (320km/h), the tornado razed a swathe of Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said the death toll may rise above 24 as some bodies could have been taken directly to funeral homes.

The body count was revised down from 51 after the state medical examiner said some victims may have been counted twice in the confusion. According to Mr Bird, no survivors or bodies have been found since Monday night. He said the goal was to conduct three searches of each location just to be sure.

Emergency crews have had trouble navigating the devastated neighbourhoods because there were no street signs remaining. Some used mobile phones and GPS to navigate. The National Weather Service (NWS) has upgraded the tornado to EF-5, the most powerful type on the Fujita scale. It uses the word "incredible'' to describe the force of such a storm.

The NWS said the twister's path was 17 miles long and 1.3 miles wide. For about 45 minutes on Monday afternoon, the storm battered the suburb of about 55,000 people. Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital, while 237 people were known to have been injured.

Seven of the nine children killed in the tornado died at Plaza Towers Elementary, where the storm ripped off the roof and knocked down walls as students and teachers cowered in hallways and bathrooms. That primary school and one other hit by the storm, Briarwood Elementary, did not have safe rooms that protect against tornadoes, said Albert Ashwood, of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

More than 100 schools in Oklahoma had been provided with state-funded safe rooms, he said, but not those two. Residents were given 16 minutes' warning before the tornado touched down - officials said such advisories were usually issued eight to 10 minutes ahead of a twister.

Oklahoma's insurance commissioner told Reuters news agency the cost of the storm would exceed that of the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, that killed 158 people. He said the Joplin twister caused $3bn (£2bn) in damage.

US President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma and ordered federal authorities to join in the search efforts. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is due in Oklahoma on Wednesday to back rescue and recovery efforts. "The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground there for them, beside them as long as it takes for their homes and schools to rebuild," Mr Obama said from the White House.

Heavy-lifting equipment was deployed under bright floodlights as the operation continued overnight and throughout Tuesday. Rescuers braved the danger of electrocution and fire from downed power lines, as well as ruptured natural gas lines.

Thanks to BBC News.

Lankan army to reduce military presence at former LTTE stronghold in north.

2013-05-22T19:24:00.000+05:30

Sri Lanka Army has said that it would reduce the number of military camps in former rebel stronghold of northern Jaffna and hand over lands back to their original owners. "We will reduce the existing 17 military camps in Jaffna to just three," Army chief Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya said.

The fourteen camps pulled out from different parts in Jaffna would be relocated in the main Palaly cantonment, he said yesterday. Lands which located the camps would be handed back to their original owners and lands that would be difficult to be handed back due to national security considerations would be subject to compensation, he said.

Sri Lanka has come under international pressure for de-escalation of the military presence in Jaffna which is considered crucial to achieving reconciliation with the Tamil minority. The international rights watch groups claim that a large military presence in the north since end to the war with the LTTE in 2009 clamped the civilian life in the former conflict regions.

Thanks to Indian Express.

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

2013-03-20T19:48:00.000+05:30

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, "How do I know if I married the right person?"

I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your husband?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?"

Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.

Here's the answer.

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love... Because it's happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet." Think about the imagery of that __expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.

But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):

THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND. SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't "find" LASTING love. You have to "make" it day in and day out. That's why we have the __expression "the labour of love." Because it takes time, effort, and energy . And most importantly, it takes WISDOM . You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage. Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable. ..you can "make" love.

Love in marriage is indeed a "decision".. . Not just a feeling ..

Remember this always

"God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go."

Thanks to Hitesh shah

Aim of Human Life!

2013-03-10T20:53:00.002+05:30

Shree Hari

There is one main point and it is worth paying attention to, that this human body has been received only for attaining our salvation (Kalyaan). Earning money and enjoying pleasures – is not the purpose of this human body at all. Enjoyment of sense pleasures takes place in all the various different forms of birth. From the demi-gods (devatas) to those creatures lying in hell, they all get sense pleasures.

The pleasures gained by the senses, is also obtained in heaven and in hell. In hell, where there is severe torture, where one is thrown in boiling oil, where the body is cut into many pieces, then too the creatures living in hell, do not die. When they are pulled out of the boiling oil, at that time they experience a certain relief, a comfort. When the body is torn to pieces then one suffers, but on getting the body, one experience a certain pleasure. In this manner, one can get all the sense pleasures even in hell; dog, donkey, pig etc. also get pleasure.

But human body is not for sense enjoyment, not for rest and relaxation at all. This human body is also not for experiencing suffering and sorrow. The majority of pleasure lies in heaven, and majority of suffering lies in hell. In human body both pleasure and pain come, But the human body has been received to rise above both pleasure and pain, and to attain one's salvation.

There is one extra-ordinary point. The number of gratifying things that a human being receives, it is received only for doing something beneficial (hit) to others. Also the gratifying things that one gets, are only for removing the sense of pleasure from them. One must think deeply about these two points. What is worldly pleasure? The things that we desire, if we acquire them then we get pleasure from it.

Just as if we long for money, then on getting money we are pleased. If we are desperately hungry, then on getting food we are gratified. And if we are terribly thirsty, then on getting water, we feel delighted as our thirst is quenched. In this way, on the fulfillment of a desire there is a pleasant feeling. The pleasure is dependent on desire. If there is no intense hunger, then even if you get the best of foods, then too, you will not be gratified. If there is no greed in the mind, then even on getting a lot of money, you will not become delighted.

The point is that - Only a man who is unhappy due to not having a thing, becomes happy on getting that thing. All the unions that are there in this world, in them at first there was pain, then only one can get pleasure from the union. If there is no pain, then worldly objects will not give pleasure. Thus the reason for that pleasure is pain, and after that pleasure also there will surely be pain. Just as on getting wealth one becomes happy, and when the wealth goes away, then one becomes unhappy. On getting favorable things, one becomes pleased, and when it goes away, then on becomes displeased.

When pleasure comes then one feels good, and when it goes away, then one feels bad. Similarly when pain comes then one feels bad, and when it goes away, then one feels good. Feeling good and feeling bad is in both. On one side, one enjoys pleasures and another side one suffers pain, but if one weighs both, then there is no difference in the two!

How to Realize the Essence? - 2

2013-03-10T20:37:00.001+05:30

Shree Hari

I will share with you one very fine point, which I have read in books and heard from saints. God exists (is present) and exists at all times. There is no time when God is not there. The time is within God's enclosure. God is at no time non-existent, but in God the time is non-existent. God who is present at all times, therefore He is present now as well. If he was not there right now, then how can God be there at all times?

God is at all places, therefore he is here as well. If God is not here, then how can God be considered to be everywhere?

God is in everyone, therefore God is in me also. If God is not in me, then how can God be regarded as being in everyone?

One other exceptional point is that God is our very own! The body is not ours, intellect is not ours, senses are not ours, because they are all in all the workings of Nature, they are inert, they are the kind to be born and later perish.

Just as you say that "I am", then in this, is there any doubt whether "I am or not?" Do you need to ask anyone about this? Do you need to take testimony from anyone regarding this? This is axiomatic. In this "I am," the sense of "I"- ness is linked with Nature, whereas the "am" –ness is linked with "Is" (God, Existence). That "Is" has become "am". On severing affinity with Nature, "Is" remains and "am" also washes away. This is the experience and realization of Saints. Accept this point with an unflinching and resolute conviction, then all work will be alright.

In this there is one very big obstacle. Now what is that obstacle? I will share with you. Pay extra attention . Even on doing spiritual practices, prayer and meditation, one does not see this. Even after giving lectures for years, this point did not come into my intellect. This very same point I will tell you now straight-forwardly, which you accept at this very moment. This fleeting pleasure that we relish, that alone is the main obstacle.

The amount of eating-drinking, sleeping-waking, sitting-speaking and honor-fame etc. that is there, then due to an affinity with it, one experiences pleasure. The attachment and attraction that one has towards this pleasure, this is the main obstacle. What is the means of getting rid of this? Having the sentiments that how can others be happy? If these clothes are very good, then how can others get them?

If honor and fame are great, then how can others get them? In this manner, let the feelings and sentiments be one of giving to others. This is a very easy means, to be free of contact born pleasures! This work you can start from home itself. Give happiness and pleasure to all – mother-father, wife-son etc., but do not take anything from them. You are giving them happiness, but in return you have the sentiments that my son should listen to me, if I serve my mother, then she will give the jewellery to me only - such thinking is dangerous.

These sentiments of wanting to take, is the main binding thing. Therefore, leave the sentiments of wanting to take, and serve the mother only to make her pleased. Tell the mother that whatever jewellery you have, the money that you have, either give it to my brother or to my sister, or give it to some Brahmin, wherever you want, you give it there. But only let me serve you, in this please do not hesitate.

Our work is only to serve. We are to serve our mother-father. If you have married a women and brought her home, then do not make her unhappy - it is your duty, whether she serves or not. If she troubles you, gives you sorrow, then understand that God has showered His immense grace on you. If she were to promptly serve and do as we wish, then we would get trapped in attachment.

God alone is taking service from us, coming in the form of our mother - father, wife-son etc. If one develops such sentiments, then attachment to pleasures will go away. The moment that attachment to pleasure goes away, God will be realized; because God is ever present, everywhere. In all space, time, things, in all incidents, in all situations, it is only God. Where will someone else come from? Therefore a very easy means of God Realization is giving happiness to others and the obstacle to it is – taking pleasure.

How to Realize the Essence? - 1

2013-03-08T21:11:00.001+05:30

When we were studying at that time the teacher wrote and explained "A, B, C, D…." and we accepted it as it being so and remembered it, and thus become learned in due time. Now we do not quite know how the "A" became an "A". Two lines were drawn vertically at an angle and one line was drawn through them and it was called "A" by the teacher, and we accepted it to be so, that yes Sir, this is an "A". Now we have no other way out, besides accepting it to be so.

Whatever the teacher said, we followed suit, and we continued to learn and one day became very scholarly. In the same way, if we follow whatever is said by the Saints and great souls that we have faith in, then we will have the same realizations. In this there is no doubt. In the knowledge of alphabets, there is great and small; but in the knowledge of the Essence (Divinity), there is no great and small. So far all those that have become great men, like Sanakaadik, Naradji, Vyasji, etc., who have attained enlightenment. That very same state where there is no knowledge greater than that, there is no joy greater than that, there is no progress greater than that, there is no greater thing than that, that Enlightenment can be attained by an ordinary man.

It can be attained by all men. It is only for the attainment of that Essence (tattva) that this human birth has been bestowed. Eating, drinking, sleeping is also done by dogs and donkeys. They too have children, and families. Now if human beings only do that much, then what is the significance of having a human birth? This all is brute, inhumanity. The form and appearance is that of a human being, but it is not human. Human kind is that for which God out of His grace has given this human body -

Kabahunk kari karunaa nar dehi

Det is binu hetu sanehi || (Manas 7/44/3)

Such an outstanding opportunity was presented to you. You have instead used it in sense enjoyments and hoarding. What work are you indulging in? In the middle, what trading and business are you trifling in? Where were you to rise and where have you got stuck? These sense enjoyments will also depart right here, the body will also be left right here, money will also be left behind here.

What have you gained from those things that are going to depart? The genuine union is that which never leaves, which always remains with you. Therefore gentlemen! Take that thing which remains always with you, One that is never displaced, one that never goes here and there. Even if the body is cut into many pieces, then too, no one can take that thing away from you.

North Lake in Flames, Bishop, California.

2013-03-08T20:48:00.000+05:30

Potato Chips!

2013-03-08T18:23:00.002+05:30

Take 60 seconds to read this wonderful story. It will give you time to settle your brain, gather your thoughts, calm down and be blessed.

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of juices and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his juices when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. He gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him juice. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever..

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old man also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

Have lunch with God.......bring chips.

Thanks Hitesh Shah.

Circle of Fear!

2013-03-06T13:21:00.000+05:30

Perfect Man!

2013-03-06T13:16:00.001+05:30

How to Realize the Essence?

2013-03-06T11:31:00.000+05:30

Shree Hari

To ask someone about their spiritual experiences, their realizations and to tell them about yours – both these are not very good things. Secondly, any speaker, will tell the very best points from his own perspective, as every body wants to feel honored. He too cares about his reputation, therefore why will he tell you some thing inferior? How will he hide his experiences, and realizations?

It has come in the speeches of saints, that one can test saints and ascetics through words - "Sadhu pichaaniye shabd sunaataa." One can come to know the feelings and sentiments of ascetics, by what they say. If you talk properly to any man, if you pay attention to what they are saying, then you will get to know their inner feelings and sentiments, and how they are? How highly developed they are?

From seeing Gita one can tell about God's feelings and sentiments. On studying the Gita, it has come to my understanding that God has placed great emphasis on two points - one is to do spiritual practices until death (for the length of your life) and secondly, be very careful (attentive) at the very last moment before death. The amount that God has spoken about these two subjects, he has not spoken about any other subject.

How to experience that Essence?

First accept this point that everything is only Paramatma (God); whether we see it or not; whether we understand it or not. It is the main principle of Gita - "Vasudevah Sarvamiti sa Mahatma sudurlabhah" (Gita 7/19). In other words, the great soul who experiences that all is only Paramatma (God) is a rarity. I have heard talks of such great and elevated souls and read that when they explain a point to someone or give a response to a question, then too in their minds the thought does not arise that I know a lot, and the questioner is ignorant and doesnt know. I am the one revealing this to him. I am making him aware of this; he is learning and I am teaching him - great souls do not have such feelings. Then what feelings and sentiments do they have? It is my Lord (Prabhu, God) only who taking on His pervasive form is asking me. Whatever is Lord's views and philosophy, these I am relaying. In this manner, I am serving the Lord. God becomes ignorant and then asks a question, to satisfy the desire and attachment that I have within me to speak. God is only asking to shower His grace on me. It is to get rid of my attachment to speaking that Lord has created this circumstance. It is God's divine play only. Whatever form is seen of this world, it is the Lord's form (swaroop). And whatever efforts are taking place in the world, they are all God's divine play (lila). It is God only out of His kindness, carrying out His special divine play (lila). God has nothing to do with anyone, no motive whatsoever. He has nothing He wishes to take from anyone, nor to learn from anyone. He is only doing this out of His mercy. Therefore it is His mercy and grace all the way – this point we must all accept. From the very beginning, if we accept and believe the realizations of the great souls, then these realizations will begin to be perceived.

Is Varun Dhawan dating Taapsee?

2013-03-05T21:12:00.000+05:30

The 'Student Of The Year' actor and the South actress Taapsee were spotted at a suburban five star hotel. Ever since Varun Dhawan made his Bollywood debut in Karan Johars Student of the Year, there has been a lot of curiosity about his romantic status.

Ever since Varun Dhawan made his Bollywood debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, there has been a lot of curiosity about his romantic status. While there was buzz that Varun could be secretly dating his co-star Alia Bhatt, these pictures indicate quite a different story.

Sources say that his ladylove is none other than South actress Taapsee, who is all set to make her Bollywood debut in David Dhawan’s remake of Chashme Buddoor. An insider informs, “Varun met Taapsee at his father’s office even before Student of the Year released. Ever since he has been in touch with her. Although there have been rumours also about him dating someone called Natasha, Varun was caught meeting his sweetheart at a suburban five star hotel.”

Thanks hotklix.

The Greatness of an Firm Determination-1

2013-03-05T20:48:00.000+05:30

Shree Hari

Believe and accept God and know the world. How to know God? By knowing God is present (existing, IS, Eternal, Permanent). And how to know the world? By knowing that the world is NOT (it is non-existing, impermanent, perishing, constantly changing). On knowing the world correctly, God will manifest.

If this point is clearly witnessed, then why is it not examined deeper? In this the reason is that we take pleasure from this world. As long as there is greed for worldly pleasures, till then even on saying that "this world is perishable, it is impermanent, it is unreal," then too it will not be seen as so.

A black bee, drills a hole in a bamboo and lives there. The bamboo is so very hard, but the teeth of a bee are so strong that it is able to drill holes in it! But when it rests on a lotus flower, and at night when the lotus closes it's petals, then it is unable to drill its way out. It thinks that the night will pass by, and when the morning comes, with the sunrise, then the lotus will blossom again and at that time I will fly away. It makes holes in a very hard bamboo, but is unable to drill the soft petals of the lotus.

Is it so weak? It becomes weak because it takes pleasure from the lotus, therefore it becomes weak! Similarly men take pleasure from the world, and therefore they become weak. There is a saying in Bikaner - "raadaraa kaacha" in other worlds, in front of a woman, a man becomes weak and "kaccha". What is kacchapan? Taking pleasure from the world is itself "Kacchapan". We have to get rid of this "kacchapan".

"God is" is accepted and "the world is perishable" is self-evident. If you correctly and truthfully get to know the world, then God will manifest Himself, that is all there is to it. Sit for sometime and let this point settle in that outside-inside, up–down, everywhere there is only God. Just as while taking a dip in the ocean, there is water everywhere, on all four sides, like that there is only God and God only everywhere. The pitiable world is getting destroyed just like that!

How to be free of wanting to take pleasure from the world?

If you understand this to be your weakness, then it will be go away. It will go away when you let it go away. Someone else cannot get rid of it. Therefore you exert your full effort. Thereafter if it does not go away, then call out to the Lord "He Naath! He Naath!" It is a principle that when a man becomes helpless, then he most certainly takes the support of the Almighty. One is that you do not want to get rid of the attraction you have towards worldly pleasures. And another is that you do not get rid of it. These are the two obstacles.

When these two obstacles are removed, then too if attraction to pleasure does not leave, then at that time, you will call out to God on your own. Even when things don't happen according to the child's wishes, then he begins to cry, and on crying all work gets done. In the same way, Gentlemen! Cry in front of the Lord, then all will be alright. That Lord is entirely capable. When He is present, why must we experience suffering? God is ours. The child says that mother is mine, then the mother has to take him in her lap. She is only a mother of this life; but Lord is the Eternal Mother of all.

The Greatness of an Firm Determination.

2013-03-05T17:06:00.000+05:30

Shree Hari

I have heard from saints that if one firmly ascertains with an unyielding conviction that "Paramatma Hai" (God IS) – then the responsibility is shouldered by God to make Himself known. We cannot know God by our efforts, but when the sentiments are firm that "God is every where," then God makes Himself known.

God is everywhere - this point is already apt, then what is lacking in this? In this there is one thing that is lacking that we know that this world was not like this at first, and will not remain like this later on, and even at present it is changing every single moment, then too we regard the world as "existent" (Permanent, Is). In other words, we are disregarding our own experience. Due to this there is something lacking in having a firm determination, a unyielding conviction to accept that "God Is" (Existent). Therefore honor your own experience.

Just as, one cannot have a dream until one falls a sleep, and also when one wakes up, then the dream does not remain, but in between the dream comes. Then too in between you believe it to be real, as such, it is not there at all. In the same way, accept the world as the world, the body was not there at first, it will not be there later on, in between too it is only seen, as such it is not there. Now if someone says that the world, this body etc., is visibly and evidently seen, how can we accept it to be "non-existent (is not)? Then brothers! Did the dream appear to be any less real ? When we were seeing the dream, it looked perfectly real. However, it was on waking, the dream was not seen. From this it is proven that it was not there at all.

Hundred years back, from today, was this body there? And hundred years from today, will this body remain? Even man can accept, that it will most certainly not be there. "Adaavante cha yannasti vartamaanepi tattathaa," in other words, that which is not there in the beginning and not there in the end, is not there in the middle (at present) also. With this view, this all-in-all is constantly enlisting into "non-existent" state. The number of years that have gone by, that many years you have surely been enlisted into "non-existent" (Is not). Now the number of years that are remaining, that too is every moment enlisting in to "non-existence". This entire world is every moment moving towards non-existence. The grand creation is moving towards grand destruction, and the grand destruction towards creation.

This world is known as impermanent, destructible. Just as due to having money, a man is called wealthy. If he did not have money, he would not be called wealthy. Similarly if the world is called destructible, then besides destruction there is nothing else in it. There is destruction and only destruction. If one firmly resolves that "God is" then the unreal that has be assumed to be real (existent), will get out of the way and only God will manifest! The reason is God is there, He is never non-existent.

Since God is present everywhere, God is present here as well. Since God is present all the time, therefore God is present now as well, being present in everyone, God is present in me, as well. Since God belongs to every one, therefore God is mine, as well. God's absence can never take place, it has never taken place, whereas the world is never ongoing, it can never be ongoing - on knowing this reality with a firm conviction, then in place of the world, you will begin to see only God.

Even right now, God only is seen; because the world has no independent existence. It is only due to the existence of God that the existence of the world appears real. In this the real is only that One Parmatma (God). Then why does the world appear to be real.

Jaasu satyataa te jad maya |

Bhaas satya iva moha sahaayaa || (Manas 1/117/4)

It is due to foolishness that this world appears real. He who know, but does not believe, he is called foolish. We know that this world is impermanent, and liable to perish, then too we regard it as stationary – this is foolishness. If we acknowledge as much as we know, then the foolishness will not remain and we will be greatly benefited.

Beautiful Morning!

2013-02-24T21:44:00.001+05:30

A habit is something you

can do without thinking.

Which is why most of us

have so many of them.

Daily life Images

2013-02-24T21:23:00.000+05:30

Thanks to Hitesh Shah and Other Friends.

Motherhood!

2013-02-24T20:17:00.000+05:30

Husbands (Sorry Ladies)

2013-02-24T20:05:00.000+05:30

Marriage is like an Indian public toilet.

Those waiting outside are desperate to get in & those inside are desperate to come out.

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No man can ever be satisfied with 4 things in life.

(1) Mobile

(2) Automobile

(3) TV

(4) Wife

Because there is always a better model in the neighborhood.

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Searched these keywords on Google `How to tackle wife?`

Google search result thrown up was, `Good day sir, Even we are searching`.

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Imagine living with 3 wives in one compound and never leaving the house for 5 years.

Osama Bin Laden must have called the US Navy Seals himself!

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It is said that when a woman closes her eyes, she sees the person she is in love the most;

and when a man does that... the slide show begins.

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It takes thousand workers to build a castle, million soldiers to protect a country,

but just one woman to make a Happy Home --------- a Good Maid!

===

Funny quote on a husband`s T-Shirt:

All women are devils, but my wife is the queen -- of them.

Thanks Hitesh Shah.

XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language).

2013-02-12T19:39:00.000+05:30

XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language) is a family of XML markup languages that mirror or extend versions of the widely used Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the language in which web pages are written.

While HTML (prior to HTML5) was defined as an application of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), a very flexible markup language framework, XHTML is an application of XML, a more restrictive subset of SGML. Because XHTML documents need to be well-formed, they can be parsed using standard XML parsers—unlike HTML, which requires a lenient HTML-specific parser.

XHTML 1.0 became a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendation on January 26, 2000. XHTML 1.1 became a W3C Recommendation on May 31, 2001. XHTML5 is undergoing development as of September 2009, as part of the HTML5 specification.

Overview :

XHTML 1.0 is ''a reformulation of the three HTML 4 document types as applications of XML 1.0''. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) also continues to maintain the HTML 4.01 Recommendation, and the specifications for HTML5 and XHTML5 are being actively developed. In the current XHTML 1.0 Recommendation document, as published and revised to August 2002, the W3C commented that, ''The XHTML family is the next step in the evolution of the Internet. By migrating to XHTML today, content developers can enter the XML world with all of its attendant benefits, while still remaining confident in their content's backward and future compatibility.''

However, in 2005, the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) formed, independently of the W3C, to work on advancing ordinary HTML not based on XHTML. The WHATWG eventually began working on a standard that supported both XML and non-XML serializations, HTML5, in parallel to W3C standards such as XHTML 2. In 2007, the W3C's HTML working group voted to officially recognize HTML5 and work on it as the next-generated HTML standard. In 2009, the W3C allowed the XHTML 2 Working Group's charter to expire, acknowledging that HTML5 would be the sole next-generation HTML standard, including both XML and non-XML serializations. Of the two serializations, the W3C suggests that most authors use the HTML syntax, rather than the XHTML syntax.

Motivation :

XHTML was developed to make HTML more extensible and increase interoperability with other data formats. HTML 4 was ostensibly an application of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML); however the specification for SGML was complex, and neither web browsers nor the HTML 4 Recommendation were fully conformant to it. The XML standard, approved in 1998, provided a simpler data format closer in simplicity to HTML 4. By shifting to an XML format, it was hoped HTML would become compatible with common XML tools; servers and proxies would be able to transform content, as necessary, for constrained devices such as mobile phones. By utilizing namespaces, XHTML documents could provide extensibility by including fragments from other XML-based languages such as Scalable Vector Graphics and MathML. Finally, the renewed work would provide an opportunity to divide HTML into reusable components (XHTML Modularization) and clean up untidy parts of the language.

Relationship to HTML :

There are various differences between XHTML and HTML. The Document Object Model is a tree structure that represents the page internally in applications, and XHTML and HTML are two different ways of representing that in markup (serializations). Both are less expressive than the DOM (for example, "--" may be placed in comments in the DOM, but cannot be represented in a comment in either XHTML or HTML), and generally XHTML's XML syntax is a little more expressive than HTML (for example, arbitrary namespaces are not allowed in HTML). So, firstly one source of differences is immediate : XHTML uses an XML syntax, while HTML uses a pseudo-SGML syntax (officially SGML for HTML 4 and under, but never in practice, and standardised away from SGML in HTML5). Secondly however, because the expressible contents of the DOM in syntax are slightly different, there are some changes in actual behavior between the two models.

First, there are some differences in syntax :

* Broadly, the XML rules require that all elements be closed, either by a separate closing tag or using self-closing syntax (e.g. <br />), while HTML syntax permits some elements to be unclosed because either they are always empty (e.g. <input>) or their end can be determined implicitly ("omissibility", e.g. <p>).

* XML is case-sensitive for element and attribute names, while HTML is not.

* Some shorthand features in HTML are omitted in XML, such as (1) attribute minimization, where attribute values or their quotes may be omitted (e.g. <option selected> or <option selected=selected>, while XML this must be expressed as <option selected="selected">); (2) element minimization may be used to remove elements entirely (such as <tbody> inferred in a table if not given); and (3) the rarely used SGML syntax for element minimization ("shorttag"), which most browsers do not implement.

* There are numerous other technical requirements surrounding namespaces and precise parsing of whitespace and certain characters and elements. The exact parsing of HTML in practice has been undefined until recently; see the HTML5 specification ([HTML5]) for full details, or the working summary (HTML vs. XHTML).

Secondly, in contrast to these minor syntactical differences, there are some behavioral differences, mostly arising from the underlying differences in serialization. For example :

* Most prominently, behavior on parse errors differ. A fatal parse error in XML (such as an incorrect tag structure) causes document processing to be aborted.

* Most content requiring namespaces will not work in HTML, except the built-in support for SVG and MathML in the HTML5 parser along with certain magic prefixes such as xlink.

* JavaScript processing is a little different in XHTML, with minor changes in case sensitivity to some functions, and further precautions to restrict processing to well-formed content. Scripts must not use the document.write() method; it is not available for XHTML. The innerHTML property is available, but will not insert non-well-formed content. On the other hand, it can be used to insert well-formed namespaced content into XHTML.

* CSS is also applied slightly differently. Due to XHTML's case-sensitivity, all CSS selectors become case sensitive for XHTML documents. Some CSS properties, such as backgrounds, set on the <body> element in HTML are 'inherited upwards' into the <html> element; this appears not to be the case for XHTML.

Adoption :

The similarities between HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 led many web sites and content management systems to adopt the initial W3C XHTML 1.0 Recommendation. To aid authors in the transition, the W3C provided guidance on how to publish XHTML 1.0 documents in an HTML-compatible manner, and serve them to browsers that were not designed for XHTML.

Such "HTML-compatible" content is sent using the HTML media type (text/html) rather than the official Internet media type for XHTML (application/xhtml+xml). When measuring the adoption of XHTML to that of regular HTML, therefore, it is important to distinguish whether it is media type usage or actual document contents that is being compared.

Most web browsers have mature support for all of the possible XHTML media types. The notable exception is Internet Explorer versions 8 and earlier by Microsoft; rather than rendering application/xhtml+xml content, a dialog box invites the user to save the content to disk instead. Both Internet Explorer 7 (released in 2006) and Internet Explorer 8 (released in March 2009) exhibit this behavior. Microsoft developer Chris Wilson explained in 2005 that IE7’s priorities were improved browser security and CSS support, and that proper XHTML support would be difficult to graft onto IE’s compatibility-oriented HTML parser; however, Microsoft added support for true XHTML in IE9.

As long as support is not widespread, most web developers avoid using XHTML that is not HTML-compatible, so advantages of XML such as namespaces, faster parsing and smaller-footprint browsers do not benefit the user.

Criticism :

In the early 2000s, some web developers began to question why Web authors ever made the leap into authoring in XHTML. Others countered that the problems ascribed to the use of XHTML could mostly be attributed to two main sources: the production of invalid XHTML documents by some Web authors and the lack of support for XHTML built into Internet Explorer 6. They went on to describe the benefits of XML-based Web documents (i.e. XHTML) regarding searching, indexing and parsing as well as future-proofing the Web itself.

In October 2006, HTML inventor and W3C chair Tim Berners-Lee, introducing a major W3C effort to develop a new HTML specification, posted in his blog that, "The attempt to get the world to switch to XML … all at once didn't work. The large HTML-generating public did not move … Some large communities did shift and are enjoying the fruits of well-formed systems … The plan is to charter a completely new HTML group." The current HTML5 working draft says "special attention has been given to defining clear conformance criteria for user agents in an effort to improve interoperability … while at the same time updating the HTML specifications to address issues raised in the past few years." Ian Hickson, editor of the HTML5 specification criticising the improper use of XHTML in 2002, is a member of the group developing this specification and is listed as one of the co-editors of the current working draft.

Simon Pieters researched the XML-compliance of mobile browsers and concluded “the claim that XHTML would be needed for mobile devices is simply a myth”.

Thanks to en.wikipedia.org

Rare Photos in Taj Mahal!

2013-02-11T20:17:00.001+05:30

Aerial view of the Taj Mahal

The interior water well

Frontal view of the Taj Mahal and dome

Close up of the dome with pinnacle

Close up of the pinnacle

Inlaid pinnacle pattern in courtyard

Red lotus at apex of the entrance

Rear view of the Taj & 22 apartments

View of sealed doors & windows in back

Typical Vedic style corridors

The Music House--a contradiction

A locked room on upper floor

A marble apartment on ground floor

The OM in the flowers on the walls

Staircase that leads to the lower levels

300 foot long corridor inside apartments

One of the 22 rooms in the secret lower level

Interior of one of the 22 secret rooms

Interior of another of the locked rooms

Vedic design on ceiling of a locked room

Huge ventilator sealed shut with bricks

Secret walled door that leads to other rooms

Secret bricked door that hides more evidence

Palace in Barhanpur where Mumtaz died

Pavilion where Mumtaz is said to be buried

Photos Only!

2013-02-11T13:30:00.000+05:30

Air pollution linked to low birth weight in babies!

2013-02-10T20:15:00.002+05:30

Pregnant women who live in areas with high air pollution are significantly more likely to bear children of low birth weight, according to the largest international study of its kind. Mothers who are exposed to particulate air pollution of the type emitted by vehicles, urban heating and coal power plants risk having babies of low birth weight, according to the study.

The study analysed data collected from more than three million births in nine nations at 14 sites in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The study was led by co-principal investigator Tracey J Woodruff, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at UC San Francisco along with Jennifer Parker, of the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers found that at sites worldwide, the higher the pollution rate, the greater the rate of low birth weight. Low birth weight, a weight below 2500 grams, is associated with serious health consequences, including increased risk of postnatal morbidity and mortality and chronic health problems in later life, noted lead author Payam Dadvand, of the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) in Barcelona, Spain.

In the study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the team assessed data collected from research centres in the International Collaboration on Air Pollution and Pregnancy Outcomes, an international research collaborative established in 2007 to study the effects of pollution on pregnancy outcomes.

Most of the data assessed was collected during the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, and in some cases, earlier. "What's significant is that these are air pollution levels to which practically everyone in the world is commonly exposed. These microscopic particles, which are smaller than the width of a human hair, are in the air that we all breathe," said Woodruff in a statement.

Woodruff noted that nations with tighter regulations on particulate air pollution have lower levels of these air pollutants. "In the United States, we have shown over the last several decades that the benefits to health and wellbeing from reducing air pollution are far greater than the costs. This is a lesson that all nations can learn from," Woodruff said. Study co-author Mark Nieuwenhuijsen observed that particulate air pollution in Beijing, China has recently been measured higher than 700 microgrammes per cubic meter.

"From the perspective of world health, levels like this are obviously completely unsustainable," he said. Whether these pregnancy exposures can have effects later in life, currently is under investigation through an epidemiological follow-up of some of the children included in these studies

Thanks to Press Trust of India.

Salt on Old Wounds : Post-War Sri Lanka.

2013-02-10T19:34:00.004+05:30

The Systematic Sinhalization of Sri Lanka’s North, East and Hill Country’ the first study published by The Social Architects (TSA), seeks to set out the systematic, increasing and widespread process of Sinhalization that is taking place in historically Tamil areas in the North, East and Hill Country in post-war Sri Lanka. While focusing on the process of Sinhalization that is currently being implemented, this monograph seeks to situate it within the broader historical process of Sinhalization that has been carried out by different governments spanning a number of decades.

The report argues that even though Sinhalization is not a new phenomenon, the sweeping changes which continue to occur in historically Tamil areas inhibit the country’s ability to heal after nearly three decades of civil war. Although the current government’s rhetoric gives importance to building bridges between communities by ensuring those affected are able to fully and freely exercise their rights, in reality, its actions are evidence of the Sri Lankan State’s lack of respect for the rights of all its citizens, particularly the Tamil people.

This paper will show that the concept of Sinhalization extends well beyond the subjects of strategic state-planned settlements, land, military intrusion, boundary changes and the renaming of villages. Sinhalization has made its way into Tamil cultural events, religious life, economic activity, public sector recruitment and even the Sri Lankan education system. Since the Tamil community is attempting to recover from the devastating impact of the civil war and rebuild social networks and community structures, attempts to control and demolish socio-cultural aspects of their lives, such as the take over and destruction of temples, inhibit their attempts to engage in emotional healing and community regeneration even minimally.

The most important element of the process of Sinhalization is the continued militarization of many aspects of civilian life. While this is a national phenomenon, it is most aggressively practiced in the Tamil majority areas of the country. Even though at present it is the North and the East that are most militarized, creeping militarization is also evidenced in the Hill Country. As set out in the report, militarization is an effective tool used by the State to gain and maintain both government and Sinhala monopoly of various aspects of day to day life, including the provision of services by civil administration, economic activities and civic activities in Tamil majority areas. It also helps create and maintain a sense of fear within the Tamil community.

Nearly three years following the end of the civil war, state polices such as those discussed in this report have deepened existing feelings of fear, suspicion and mistrust between and within communities rather than creating more understanding amongst them, exacerbated ethnic tensions and further polarized the country. The current government which has exploited the war victory, a weak and fragmented opposition, and a two-third’s majority in parliament, is no longer beholden to its constituents. Instead, it has evolved into a semi-authoritarian populist regime with little tolerance for dissent. In this context, rising Sinhala nationalism and the concomitant disregard for Tamil rights means that members of this community are unable to even voice their needs and concerns, let alone express dissent and protest against restrictions imposed upon them.

This paper is not meant to be an exhaustive discourse on Sinhalization or Extremist Sinhala Buddhist ideology. Rather its purpose is to inform, educate and provide clear, convincing evidence that, with the explicit backing of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, State-sponsored Sinhalization has been increasing in Tamil majority areas in post-war Sri Lanka.

Thanks to international policy digest.

Facts about obesity!

2013-02-10T12:06:00.000+05:30

According to Webmed, "Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. A person is considered overweight if his or her BMI is between 25 and 29.9; a person is considered obese if his or her BMI is over 30."

With obesity becoming a global WHO in May 2012 announced, "Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Once associated with high-income countries, obesity is now also prevalent in low- and middle-income countries."

Facts about Obesity 1

Consuming too many calories.

People are eating much more than they used to. This used to be the case just in developed nations - however, the trend has spread worldwide. Despite billions of dollars being spent on public awareness campaigns that attempt to encourage people to eat healthily, the majority of us continue to overeat. In 1980 14% of the adult population of the USA was obese; by 2000 the figure reached 31% (The Obesity Society).

Facts about Obesity 2

Leading a sedentary lifestyle.

With the arrival of televisions, computers, video games, remote controls, washing machines, dish washers and other modern convenience devices, majority of people are leading a much more sedentary lifestyle compared to their parents and grandparents. People moved from using their feet to driving their cars to get their provisions. In some countries, dependence on the car has become so strong that many people will drive even if their destination is only half-a-mile away.

The less you move around the fewer calories you burn. However, this is not only a question of calories. Physical activity has an effect on how your hormones work, and hormones have an effect on how your body deals with food. Several studies have shown that physical activity has a beneficial effect on your insulin levels - keeping them stable. Unstable insulin levels are closely associated with weight gain.

Facts about Obesity 3

Not sleeping enough.

If you do not sleep enough your risk of becoming obese doubles, According to a research, "the 'epidemic' of obesity is paralleled by a 'silent epidemic' of reduced sleep duration with short sleep duration linked to increased risk of obesity both in adults and in children. These trends are detectable in adults as well as in children as young as 5 years."

Sleep deprivation may lead to obesity through increased appetite as a result of hormonal changes. If you do not sleep enough you produce Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite. Lack of sleep also results in your body producing less Leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite.

Facts about Obesity 4

Lower rates of smoking (smoking suppresses appetite)

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) "Not everyone gains weight when they stop smoking. Among people who do, the average weight gain is between 6 and 8 pounds. Roughly 10 percent of people who stop smoking gain a large amount of weight - 30 pounds or more."

Facts about Obesity 5

Medications that make patients put on weight

Some medications cause weight gain. "Clinically significant weight gain is associated with some commonly prescribed medicines. There is wide interindividual variation in response and variation of the degree of weight gain within drug classes. Where possible, alternative therapy should be selected, especially for individuals predisposed to overweight and obesity."

Google invites you to make India Maps better!

2013-02-10T11:18:00.001+05:30

Google India has announced Mapathon 2013, the country's first mapping competition. It is a crowdsourcing initiative aimed to improve Google Maps in India. Registrations for the competition, which commences on February 12 and concludes on March 25, 2013, have begun. The top 1000 mappers stand a chance to win Android tablets, smartphones, gift vouchers and Google merchandise, the company said.

Those who sign up for the competition can update the maps via Google Map Maker. It is a tool to add details to Google Maps via satellite imagery or users' own local knowledge. Once an entry has been submitted to Google, it will be verified and then added to Google Maps. Apart from adding new locations, participants can also update sites that are already listed on Google Maps.

Highlighting the USP of Google Map Maker, Jayanth Mysore, product manager, Google India says, "Google aims to provide better maps for India by building better maps for the users, by the users. Today, citizens across India can participate in this great project through Mapathon 2013."