Kamal Hassan to be felicitated by AMMA

 Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) is going to honour superstar Kamal Hassan. The felicitation is likely to take place in the next six months.

 Kamal Hassan, who started his film career as a child actor in Tamil film Kalathur Kannamma, received his first regional Filmfare Award for his role in a Malayalam film titled Kanyakumari in 1974.

Earlier, AMMA faced criticism for boycotting a state government’s function for felicitating the universal star Kamal Hassan. He had a humble start in Mollywood but later earned stardom with his various powerful performances.

Now, AMMA’s treasurer Jagadeesh has come out to clear the air. He said that they did not attend the event only because it was meant to be aired on a private channel. He said that they had no intention of showing any kind of disrespect to the actor.

Jagadheesh has announced that AMMA is now planning to organize a separate grand function to felicitate Kamal Hassan, and it will be done within six months.

Well, whatever be the truth, one thing is sure that the reputation of Kamal Hassan is not dependant on any award by any organization. Recently, the star returned to Mollywood after a long time.

Kamal Hassan's film scripts published in Malayalam

Bloom Box - Electric Power plant in the backyard of your house

India-born scientist-CEO of Bloom Energy, K.R.Sridhar provided a sneak peek over the weekend at a clean and efficient model of power generation-in-a-box that could eliminate the traditional grid and challenge monopolies.

”Bloom box”, a unique ”power-plant-in-a-box,” scheduled for a big-splash unveiling in Silicon Valley, could be the Holy Grail of the world’s energy quest.

It is already being done on the campuses of Google and eBay among others. eBay said it has already saved $100,000 in electricity costs since its 5 Bloom Boxes were installed nine months ago. It even claims that the Bloom Boxes generate more power than the 3,000 solar panels at its headquarters. Google has a 400 kilowatt installation from Bloom at its Mountain View headquarters.

Bloombox

FedEx, Wal-Mart and Staples are among a score of Fortune 100 companies that have signed up as clients. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, among those who endorse the technology, is on the Board of Directors of Sridhar’s Bloom Energy, an eight-year old stealth start-up that raised more than $ 400 million from Silicon Valley’s venture capitalists. Venture capitalist Kleiner Perkins bankrolled Bloom Energy.

 Companies which installed BloomBox

Sridhar’s Bloom Box claims to be a game-changing fuel cell device that consists of a stack of ceramic disks coated with secret green and black “inks.” The disks are separated by cheap metal plates. Stacking the ceramic disks into a bread loaf-sized unit can produce one kilowatt of electricity, enough to power an American home or four Indian homes.

The green and black cells painted with patented ink

The unit can be scaled up, installed anywhere, and be connected to an electrical grid just like you would connect your PC to the Internet. Hydrocarbons such as natural gas or biofuel (stored separately) are pumped into the Bloom Box to produce clean, scaled-up, and reliable electricity. The company says the unit does not vibrate, emits no sound, and has no smell.

Large-sized Bloom Boxes of the kind installed at some Silicon Valley campuses costs around $ 700,000 to $ 800,000. Sridhar estimates that a Bloom Box for the residential market could be out within a decade for as little as $3,000 to produce electricity throughout the year.

Dr K.R. Sridhar, prior to founding Bloom Energy, was a professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering as well as Director of the Space Technologies Laboratory (STL) at the University of Arizona. He is also, literally, a rocket scientist, having served as an advisor to NASA in the areas of nanotechnology and planetary missions. Sridhar initially developed the idea behind the Bloom Box while working with NASA, as a means of producing oxygen for astronauts landing on Mars.

 Inside BloomBox

Dr. Sridhar received his Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras, India, and moved to in the 1980s to the U.S, where he earned an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Paul, the predicting Octopus is no more

He got every prediction right during the world cup football in South Africa and soon become the talking point in the whole world. Paul the Octopus is unfortunately no more. Football world in deep mourning.

Paul the Octopus, who had won universal accolades for getting every prediction right during the soccer feast in South Africa this summer, is no more. The news was confirmed by Paul's owners, Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany, "He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes, and we are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here."

Porwoll added, "We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered. His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself. We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine."

Paul's death although very sad was not entirely unexpected as the normal lifespan of octopuses is said to be around 2 years.

He predicted Germany would lose against Spain
Paul had achieved amazing popularity with his 100% predictions during the quadrennial event in South Africa. Ironically, he was the only one to have a 100% record through the tournament. Even champions Spain had lost their first game.

Paul first began by predicting the winners of all of Germany's matches. With every prediction coming correct, Paul became the cynosure of all eyes. He got the semi final results with aplomb including the one where he said his country Germany would lose to Spain in the last-four clash. It didn't end there for the psychic Octopus. He got the biggest one perfect as well. Paul's method of prediction was to select one of two boxes; each loaded with a mussel food treat and marked on the outside with one of the teams.

The owners now plan to bury Paul within their family home. "We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine."

Paul is already a part of several advertising ideas in Europe and he is also set to feature in a documentary to be released early next year

Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland - predictions only for Germany's matches

Germany's opponent	Result	Paul's prediction
Poland	Germany won 2-0	Correct
Croatia	Germany lost 1-2	Incorrect
Austria	Germany won 1-0	Correct
Portugal	Germany won 3-2	Correct
Turkey	Germany won 3-2	Correct
Spain	Germany lost 0-1	Incorrect

World Cup 2010 - Germany matches

Australia	Germany won 4-0	Correct
Serbia	Germany lost 0-1	Correct
Ghana	Germany won 1-0	Correct
England	Germany won 4-1	Correct
Argentina	Germany won 4-0	Correct
Spain	Germany lost 0-1	Correct
Uruguay	Germany won 3-2	Correct

World Cup 2010 final

Spain Vs Netherlands	Spain won 1-0	Correct

Source: India Syndicate

Rajini's 'Sultan - The warrior' renamed as 'Hara'

Superstar Rajinikanth's next film Sultan - The Warrior has been rechristened as Hara, which is one of the names of Lord Shiva. The animated historical drama film is written, produced, and designed by Soundarya, daughter of Rajinikanth.

"While Soundarya will take care of the animation part, Ravikumar will wield the megaphone for some crucial scenes in which fans would get to see the real Rajini in action. Hara will be a real treat for the audience", sources say. A few portions of Rajini for this film will be shot by ace director KS Ravikumar.

Interestingly, this is not the first time for the superstar to act in a film that has Lord Shiva's name as the title. The earlier films were Annamalai and Arunachalam and both were blockbusters in the 1990s.

He brings hot meals to India's homeless – so please vote for this 'CNN Hero'

If you had not heard of Narayanan Krishnan, as I had not, it is a collective failure. This is one of the most incredible stories of personal commitment.

Narayanan Krishnan, all of 29 years old now, does what he was professionally trained to do as a chef. Feed people. Only Krishnan does not do this in the swanky confines of a 5-star hotel. Every day, he wakes up at 4 am, cooks a simple hot meal and then, along with his team, loads it in a van and travels about 200 km feeding the homeless in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Krishnan feeds, often with his hands, almost 400 destitute people every day. And for those who need it, he provides a free haircut too.

According to CNN, eight years ago, this award-winning chef with a five-star hotel chain was all set to go to Switzerland for a high-profile posting. On a visit to a Madurai temple, he came across a homeless, old man eating his own human waste. That stark sight changed Krishnan's life.

Much to the dismay of his parents, CNN says, Krishnan abandoned his career plans and decided to spend his life and his professional training in looking after those who could not care for themselves. He has provided more than 1.2 million hot meals through his nonprofit organisation Akshaya Trust, and now hopes to extend this to shelter for the homeless too.

Krishnan is the only Indian in a list of 10 heroes that CNN has picked worldwide to honour. One of them will be chosen CNN Hero of the Year, selected by the public through an online poll. If many Indians get together to vote for this inspiring man, he can win by a long mile.

If Krishnan wins he will get $100,000 in addition to the $25,000 that he gets for being shortlisted for the Top 10. Akshaya Trust needs all the monetary support it can get to build on Krishnan's dream. Let's help him get there.

Vote for Krishnan here. The poll continues through November 18 at 6 a.m. ET.

CNN Report:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/01/cnnheroes.krishnan.hunger/index.html

Link to vote for him:

http://heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx

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Longest Bunch of Banana

Click image to enlarge

Vazhachal & Athirapally - Niagara in Kerala

Desi Niagara 

Try to chalk out a holiday in September just after the monsoons.  The waterfalls will be in full force then.  A tranquil & much needed escape from the troubles & stress of life!

 
Vazhachal Falls
Perched high above in the the Sholayar forest ranges on the fringes of Kerala's famed rain forests, the waterfalls provides a restful escape for those wanting to leave the hurried pace of city life behind. wild and beautiful, unspoilt by the passing of time.

Both this waterfalls are a part of the Chalakudy river and 5 km apart on the road to hill station (valparai) which has excellent tea estate and is one of India's highest elephant density habitats and is a crucial corridor between Parambikulam and Malayattur.

Perched high above in the the Sholayar forest ranges on the fringes of Kerala's famed rain forests, the Athirapalli waterfalls provides a restful escape for those wanting to leave the hurried pace of city life behind. The water plunges and joins to the Chalakudi River. The scenic attraction of Vazhachal, the other picnic spot is just a drive from Athirampally. These scintillating waterfalls in thick green forest are a part of the Chalakudy river stream.

The riparian forests of the Chalakudy River have revealed the existence of a thick riparian vegetation of more than 10 metres width for a distance of 10.5 km downstream from Peringalkuth, covering an area of 58.5 hectares. Out of this, 26.4 hectares lie within the Vazachal area, including three large islands densely covered by riparian forests.

The riparian forests of the area have been found to be characterised by the presence of typical riparian species of plants, in addition to evergreen and semi-evergreen species.Out of the 319 species of flowering plants identified from the study area, 24 are endemic species of the Western Ghats and 10 are rare and endangered.

Moreover, the Chalakudy River is known for its diversity, as it contains 85 species of fresh water fishes out of the 152 species known from Kerala. Among these, 35 are endemic species of the Western Ghats and nine are considered to be endangered.

 Athirapally Waterfalls
Athirappally Waterfalls is located 78 kms from Kochi (Cochin), located at the entrance to Sholayar ranges, this waterfall is a popular picnic spot. Affording to the onlookers, one of the most bewitching sights, Athirappally Falls is about 80 feet high and located in the forest area.   Combined with the greenery, it infuses freshness into any tired soul.  The Athirapally Falls join the Chalakkudy River after plummeting a drop of 80 feet.

A tranquil and much needed escape from the troubles and stress of life. Let the soothing sounds take you to some of natures most relaxing places - the beautiful waterfalls of Athirampally and Vazhachal (Prounced as vaazhachaal).

The charm of the Athirampally and Vazhachal nature cannot be described by words, Starting calmly from the high ranges, and crashing through gorges overhung with trees, these waterfall is one of the best places in India to re-capture a real sense of the classical idea of the 'Picturesque' - not just calm and sweet, but something wild and natural.


Nearby Places of Interest

Charpa Falls
To the east of athirappilly is the enchanting but lesser known Charpa falls which plunges on to the road during monsoon. It is a sight to watch and enjoy.

Anakkayam
About 20 km from Chalakudy on the sholayar peringalkuthu route, Anakkayam means the "Elephant pit". It is noted for a lake with cool and placid waters. The place is a forest untouched by human encroachments and is a haven for those
who wish to escape from concrete jungles. It attracts the visitor with its bubbling streams, natural rock formations and flora.

Water Theme Parks
For those who want a little extra recreation there are two water theme parks nearby with plenty of adventure games and water sports.

Malakapara Tea Gardens
For the adventurous a family safari through the deep forest and high ranges (Western Ghats) complemented with lots of hairpin curves takes you to the fascinating sculptured beauty of Malakapara tea Gardens. Along the route if you are lucky you may end up seeing some good wildlife.

Thumpurmuzhi Gardens
Thumpurmuzhi is an ideal stopover with its garden, scenic splendor and a classic waterfall.

Peringalkuthu & Sholayar Dams
Deep in the forest on the way to Valpara are the two dams that generate hydroelectric power to the state. Entry to the dam site is with special permission only.

Vazhachal Forest Gardens
With the abundant flora and even herbal plantation maintained by the forest department, Vazhachal is a Botanist's treasure trove.  

Mehendi - an Indian art

A photos of an Indian art, Mehendi

SEARCH TAGS: Mehandhi, Mehendhi, Mehendi, Mehandi, Mehndi, Mehndhi, henna, Indian, art, hand, ceremony, palm, design.

Complicated Mechanisms, Explained in simple animations

Radial Engines:

Radial engines are used in aircraft having propeller connected to the shaft delivering power in order to produce thrust its basic mechanism is as follows

 

Steam engine: 

Steam engine once used in locomotives was based on the reciprocating principle as shown below

Sewing Machine

Maltese Cross Mechanism:  

This type of mechanism is used in clocks to power the second hand movement.

Manual Transmission Mechanism:

The mechanism also called as “stick shift” is used in cars to change gears manually

 

Constant Velocity Joint:

This mechanism is used in the front wheel drive cars

 

 

Torpedo-Boat destroyer System:

This system is used to destroy fleet in naval military operations.

 

Rotary Engine:

Also called as Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine has a unique design that converts pressure into rotating motion instead of reciprocating pistons

 



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