This is our ఉగాది పచ్చడి. Obvious missing item is వేప పూత (Neem flower)!!! Sad, couldn't find it in this country! ¶ 3/30/2006 07:43:00 AM 0 comments
Bhopal disaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bhopal Disaster of 1984 is claimed by many as the worst industrial disaster in history. It was caused by the accidental release of 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) from a Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL, now known as Eveready Industries India, Limited) pesticide plant located in the heart of the city of Bhopal, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. UCIL was a joint venture between Union Carbide and a consortium of Indian investors.
In the early hours of December 3, 1984, a holding tank with stored MIC overheated and released toxic heavier-than-air MIC gas, which rolled along the ground through the surrounding streets killing thousands outright. The transportation system in the city collapsed and many people were trampled trying to escape. The gases also injured anywhere from 150,000 to 600,000 people, at least 15,000 of whom later died.
The majority of deaths and serious injuries were related to pulmonary edema, but the gas caused a wide variety of other ailments. Signs and symptoms of methyl isocyanate normally include cough, dyspnea, chest pain, lacrimation, eyelid edema, and unconsciousness. These effects might progress over the next 24 to 72 hours to include acute lung injury, cardiac arrest, and death. Because of the hypothesized reactions that took place within the storage tank and in the surrounding atmosphere, it is thought that apart from MIC, phosgene, and hydrogen cyanide along with other poisonous gases all played a significant role in this disaster.
Information on the exact chemical mixture was never provided by the company, but blood and viscera of some victimes showed cherry-red color characteristic in acute cyanide poisoning. A series of studies made five years later showed that many of the survivors were still suffering from one or several of the following ailments: partial or complete blindness, gastrointestinal disorders, impaired immune systems, post traumatic stress disorders, and menstrual problems in women. A rise in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and offspring with genetic defects was also noted. In addition, a BBC investigation conducted in November 2004 confirmed that contamination is still present.
Personal accounts of the Bhopal disaster can be found on Wikipedia at Bhopal disaster (witness accounts).
Read more on Bhopal Disaster...¶ 3/27/2006 07:50:00 PM 0 comments
".....crew showed respect and joy at my return. I feel embarrassed. Tomorrow is another day, another challenge."
¶ 3/24/2006 11:56:00 PM 0 comments
| Sanskrit Word | English Word | Sanskrit Meaning |
| Matar | Mother | |
| Pitar | Papa/Father | |
| Bhratar | Brother | |
| Dinam | Day | |
| Dvaar | Door | |
| Eka | Equal | The same |
| Ishyati | Incite | |
| Lekhah | Letter | |
| Ma | Me | First person pronoun |
| Mithas | Mutually | |
| Naman | Name | |
| Nava | New | |
| Svasar | Sister | |
| Gati | Gait | |
| Gyaamti | Geometry | Measuring the Earth |
| Roshah | rage | |
| Shabdhah | Sound | |
| Savitr | Sun | |
| Smi | Smile | |
| Dvi | Two | |
| Tada | Then | |
| Taru | Tree | |
| Tri | Three | |
| Trikonamiti | Trigonometry | Measuring triangular forms |
| Vaani | Voice | |
| Vamati | Vomit | |
| Yuvan | Young | |
| Yauti | Unite | |
In English | In Telugu |
| Bengal Gram | Senaga pappu |
| Green Gram | Pesara pappu |
| Red Gram | Kandhi pappu |
| Black Gram | Minappappu |
| Urad dal | Minappappu |
| Gram Flour | Senaga pindi |
| Corn Flour | Mokka jonna pindi |
| Roasted gram | Gulla senaga pappu |
| Aubergine,Brinjal,Eggplant | Vankaaya |
| Bringle | Vaakkaya |
| Colcesia | Chaama dumpalu |
| Capsicum | Bengulooru Mirapakaya |
| Coriander leaves | Kothimeera |
| chick peas | Senagalu |
| Palmyrah | Tati kaaya |
| Asafoetida | Inguva |
| Bay Leaf | Masala Aku / Biryani aaku |
| Cinnamon | Dalchini chekka |
| Cloves | Lavangam |
| Cumin Seeds | Jeelakarra |
| Curry leaves | Karivepaku |
| Fennel seeds | Vaamu |
| Fenugreek seeds | Menthulu |
| Yogurt | Perugu |
| Jaggery | Bellamu |
| Coriander Seeds | Dhaniyalu |
| Mustard seeds | Aavaalu |
| Poppy Seeds | Gasagasaalu |
¶ 3/13/2006 11:24:00 PM 0 comments
Klaibyam maa sma gamah Partha naitat
tvayyupapadyate
Kshudram hrdaya dourbalyam tyaktvottishta
Parantapa
"Yield not to impotence, 0 Arjuna, It does not befit
you,
Cast off this mean weakness of heart. Stand up."
Varanasi reveals new terror network
Wednesday's bomb blasts in Varanasi are yet another telling link in the growing chain of circumstances indicating the rise of a new terrorist network in India.
If viewed together, the blasts in Varanasi and Delhi, the terrorist attacks in Bangalore and Ayodhya, the Mumbai car bombs of August 2003 and the Akshardham attack of September 2002 -- besides numerous arrests of terrorists, their supporters and seizure of weapons and explosives -- point out to a grand merger of various extremist and terrorist groups and organisations within India, and an extensive support base rapidly expanding.
To begin with, there is an alarming indication of Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Tayiba working with the predominantly Bangladeshi Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami to carry out terrorist attacks in India.
HUJI has a considerable presence in the Korangi township of Karachi, Pakistan.
HUJI, like Lashkar, is also linked to Al Qaeda.
Both fought not only during the Afghan jihad but their leaders have close proximity to Osama bin Laden.
Of the two terrorists shot down within hours of the Varanasi explosions, one is an Lashkar commander in Lucknow while the second a HUJI activist from Bangladesh in Delhi.
The HUJI commander Ghulam Yazdani, operating from Dhaka, was one of the main recruits for Lashkar and was involved in the Haren Pandya assassination, the Shramjeevi Express blast and the terrorist attack in Bangalore last year.
Yazdani originally belonged to Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh.
Another key link was the suicide attack on the headquarters of the Special Task Force in Hyderabad on October 12 last year. A suicide bomber blew himself up at the headquarters.
From the charred remains, the investigators could only find parts of rubber slippers, one of which carried a price tag 'Taka 100' -- a clear indication of the place of the dead terrorist's origin.
An important piece of evidence that unravelled after the suicide attack was the chance catch of a Bangladeshi named Kalim from a train in Patna.
He said he was a member of the Jamaitul Mujahideen Bangladesh, the group involved in several terrorist incidents in Bangladesh.
Kalim's interrogation revealed that he was being run by an anonymous handler who had met him twice to brief him about his mission. Kalim subsequently led the police to Lashkar's South India commander Abdul Rehman, another resident of Nalgonda.
This alliance could not have operated across the country without extensive local support.
One of the prominent supporters has been the Students Islamic Movement of India.
SIMI's involvement in such activities has long been discovered. The most prominent case was the serial train blasts in North India, which also heralded the alliance between Pakistan-based terrorist groups and religious groups like Ahl-e-Hadis in India, and the emergence of Lashkar leaders like Azam Ghauri, Abdul Karim Tunda and Jalees Ansari.
Ghauri, instrumental in setting up Lashkar networks in South India especially in Andhra Pradesh, who was killed in a police encounter.
Tunda is Lashkar's operational commander based in Pakistan. Ansari remains in prison. Another sign of SIMI's alleged involvement is the use of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that has been used in Bali, Madrid, WTC 1993 and Istanbul bombings.
Ammonium nitrate has also been used in India, the last incident being the Varanasi bomb blasts.
Similar material was used in the explosions aboard the Shramjeevi Express and in Mulund, Mumbai, in March 2003.
In 2000, similar explosives killed 11 persons aboard the Sabarmati Express near Barabanki.
The use of local recruits and locally available explosive material to create bombs are an indication of a changing strategy of the terror masters in Pakistan and elsewhere.
For groups like Jamaat-ud Dawa, the parent body of Lashkar, it is now easier to deny any links with terrorist attacks in India.
Another important change is to move out of Kashmir, to lessen the international pressure on Islamabad while expanding the terror network across India.
The fast emerging linkages between Lashkar, SIMI and HuJI (and Jam Jamaitul Mujahideen Bangladesh) depict the contours of a pan-Islamist network in Asia, linking groups operating in Iraq and Afghanistan to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and several south Asian countries like Indonesia.
The primary objective of this coalition of terror is to create political upheaval in all these countries, particularly in India, by stoking sectarian and communal violence.
For India, the war on terror has only begun.
Wilson John is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
39 jobs where women make more than men
Men often are the bigger breadwinners ... but sometimes the women win out.
February 28, 2006: 11:57 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Warren Farrell, the San Diego-based author of "Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap – and What Women Can Do About It," has identified more than 80 occupations in which women earn more than men on average.
In the 39 jobs listed below, women's median earnings exceeded men's by at least 5 percent and in some cases by as much as 43 percent.
| How much more | |||
| Sales engineers | $89,908 | $62,660 | 43% |
| Statisticians | $49,140 | $36,296 | 35% |
| Legislators | $43,316 | $32,656 | 33% |
| Other transportation workers | $43,160 | $33,124 | 30% |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | $40,664 | $31,460 | 29% |
| Speech-language pathologists | $45,136 | $35,048 | 29% |
| Library assistants, clerical | $23,608 | $18,512 | 28% |
| Motion picture projectionists | $35,412 | $27,924 | 27% |
| Helpers, construction trades | $26,936 | $21,736 | 24% |
| Funeral services workers | $30,108 | $24,492 | 23% |
| Motor vehicle operators, all other | $22,412 | $18,252 | 23% |
| Baggage porters, bellhops and concierges | $26,468 | $21,684 | 22% |
| Biological technicians | $32,292 | $26,364 | 22% |
| Telephone operators | $22,152 | $18,356 | 21% |
| Food batchmakers | $27,872 | $23,400 | 19% |
| Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | $29,692 | $25,064 | 18% |
| Financial analysts | $69,004 | $58,604 | 18% |
| Personal care and service workers, all other | $19,864 | $17,160 | 16% |
| Meter readers, utilities | $36,348 | $31,668 | 15% |
| Tool and die makers | $46,228 | $40,144 | 15% |
| Library technicians | $33,384 | $29,328 | 14% |
| Crossing guards | $18,824 | $16,640 | 13% |
| Information and record clerks, all other | $29,484 | $26,312 | 12% |
| Telecommunications line installers and repairers | $40,716 | $36,348 | 12% |
| Aerospace engineers | $78,416 | $70,356 | 11% |
| Radiation therapists | $59,124 | $53,300 | 11% |
| Automotive body and related repairers | $30,888 | $28,132 | 10% |
| Other education, training and library workers | $46,176 | $42,120 | 10% |
| Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping | $30,420 | $28,028 | 9% |
| Precision instrument and equipment repairers | $40,612 | $37,648 | 8% |
| Gaming services workers | $24,076 | $22,308 | 8% |
| Engineering managers | $82,784 | $76,752 | 8% |
| Agricultural and food scientists | $41,704 | $39,156 | 7% |
| Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging and systems assemblers | $28,652 | $26,676 | 7% |
| Residential advisers | $24,492 | $23,036 | 6% |
| Supervisors, protective service workers, all other | $34,684 | $32,656 | 6% |
| Surveying and mapping technicians | $34,840 | $32,864 | 6% |
| Lifeguards and other protective service workers | $19,188 | $18,356 | 5% |
| Advertising and promotions managers | $42,068 | $40,144 | 5% |
| Source: Warren Farrell, "Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap -- and What Women Can Do About It" | |||
- The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
- The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
- Chess was invented in India.
- Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
- The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
- The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
- India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.
- The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
- The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
- India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.
- The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
- The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
- Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
- India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
- The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
- Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.
- The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.
- Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also orignated in India. Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C. during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
- Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world (Source : Gemological Institute of America).
- The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
- Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over 2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
- Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
- India exports software to 90 countries.
- The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
- Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.
- Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.
- There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
- The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.
- Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D respectively
- The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.
- The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
- Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.
- Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
- India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.
- His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharamsala in northern India.
- Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
- Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
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Pavan Ashwini
