Kehta Hai Pal Pal Tumse - Sonu Nigam
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, November 14, 2008
Topaz - The Yelllow Gem.
The name topaz comes from the Sanskrit and means fire.
Topaz occurs in a wide range of colors including red, orange, peach, pink, gold, yellow, brown and clear and is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Russia. Naturally pale to medium blue topaz is enhanced by irradiation to produce a more intense blue color.
Red and pink topaz gems were used in the jewelry of the 18th and 19th Century Russian Czarinas and is why topaz is sometimes called "Imperial Topaz".
The most famous topaz is actually a colorless topaz that was originally thought to be a diamond. It is a 1680 carat stone known as the "Braganza Diamond" set in the Portuguese Crown Jewels. Another beautiful topaz is in the Green Vault in Dresden which has one of the world's most important gem collections.
Although topaz is a very hard gemstone, an 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness, it can be split with a single blow and should be protected from hard knocks.
Folklore, Legend, and Healing Properties:
During the Middle Ages topaz was thought to heal both physical and mental disorders and prevent death.
The Greeks believed it had power to increase strength and to make its wearer invisible while the Romans believed it had power to improve eyesight. The Egyptians wore it as an amulet to protect them from injury.
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Healing Therapy: Topaz of Gold
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Happy GuruPurab.
The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev - the first or the founder guru of the Sikhs, is celebrated with great fervour on the full moon day of Kartika. Guru Parab, also known as Jyototsava is one of the most sacred festivals of the Sikhs.
At Nankana Sahib (the birth place of Guru Nanak now in Lahore), there is a beautiful Gurudwara, and a holy tank or sarovar. On Guru Parab, a grand fair and festival is held here, and Sikhs in thousand congregate here from India and abroad.
Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Scripture, is continuously read and recited in the Gurudwaras ('Akhand path') all over the country, lamps are lighted, processions are taken out, free langars (meals) are arranged and prasad (holy food) is distributed. Pandals are set up in various places and 'prasad' is distributed. Guru Purab celebrations at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab is impressive.
Also known as ' Guru Nanak Jayanti ', it is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak who founded the Sikh faith. For two days and nights preceding the festival, the 'Granth Sahib' (Holy Book) is read and on the day of the festival, taken out in a grand procession. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith, was born in the month of Kartik (October / November) and his birthday is known as Guru Nanak Jayanti. He was born in 1469 A.D. at Tolevandi some 30 miles from Lahore. The anniversaries of Sikh Guru's are known as Gurpurabs and are celebrated with devotion and dedication.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Lord Hanuman
Hanuman (Sanskrit: हनुमत् Hanumat; nominative singular हनुमान् Hanumān), known also as 'Anjaneya' (son of Anjana), is one of the most popular concepts of servants of God (bhakti) (devotion to God) in Hinduism and one of the most important personalities in the Indian epic, the Ramayana. His most famous feat, as described in the Hindu epic scripture the Ramayana, was leading a monkey army to fight the demon King Ravana. Hanuman was born to 'Anjana', a female vanara in present day Aanjan village in Gumla, Jharkhand. Anjana was actually an apsara or a celestial being, named 'Punjikasthala', who, due to a curse, was born on the earth as a female vanara. The curse was to be removed upon her giving birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Along with Kesari, Anjana performed intense prayers to Shiva to beget Him as her Child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva granted them the boon they sought.
Relations With Shani
In the Hindu faith, Hanuman and Ganesha are two aspects of god not afflicted by Shani. There is also a belief that all the planets are under the control of Hanuman's tail. Whoever worships Hanuman is granted fortitude and strength.
In the Ramayana,Hanuman is said to have rescued Shani, that is, the planet Saturn, from the clutches of Ravana. In gratitude, Shani promised Hanuman that those who prayed to him (Hanuman) would be rescued from the painful effects of Saturn, which in Hindu astrology, is said to produce malefic effects on one's life when one is afflicted "negatively" with Saturn.
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Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
2008 Sichuan Earthquake
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The 2008 Sichuan earthquake (Chinese: 四川大地震; pinyin: Sìchuān dà dìzhèn), at a magnitude 7.9 Mw, occurred at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC) on 12 May 2008 in Sichuan province of China. In China, it was named the Wenchuan earthquake (Chinese: 汶川大地震; pinyin: Wènchuān dà dìzhèn), after the earthquake's epicenter in Wenchuan County in Sichuan province. The epicenter was 90 kilometres (56 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, with a depth of 19 kilometres (12 mi).[2] The earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing (1,500 km away) and Shanghai (1,700 km away), where office buildings swayed with the tremor.[3] The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries.
Official figures (as of 16 May) state that 22,069 are confirmed dead, including 21,577 in Sichuan province.[1][4] The Chinese government warned that the death toll could soar to 50,000.[5] Tens of thousands are missing, many of them buried, and eight provinces were affected.[6][7] It was the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed over 250,000 people.[8]
Earthquake details
The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 Ms according to the State Seismological Bureau of China and 7.9 Mw according to the United States Geological Survey. The epicenter was in Wenchuan County (Chinese: 汶川县; Pinyin: Wènchuān Xiàn), Ngawa Prefecture, 75 km west/northwest of Chengdu, with its main tremor occurring at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC), on Monday 12 May 2008.
Fifty-two major aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4.4 to 6.0, were recorded within 72 hours of the main tremor.[9] Preliminary rupture models of the earthquake indicated displacement of up to 9 meters along a fault approximately 240 km long by 20 km deep.[10] The earthquake generated deformations of the surface greater than 3 meters[11] and increased the stress (and probability of occurrence of future events) at the northeastern and southwestern ends of the fault.[11]
Office workers in Chengdu reported a "continuous shaking for about two or three minutes", and many people rushed outside.[12]
Tremors felt in different places
China (mainland): All regions except Xinjiang, Jilin and Heilongjiang were affected by the quake.[13]
Bangladesh: Tremors were felt eight and a half minutes after the quake in all parts of Bangladesh.[14]
Hong Kong: Tremors were felt approximately three minutes after the quake, continuing for about half a minute. This was also the farthest distance from the epicentre felt in Hong Kong's record.[15][16][14][17]
India: Tremors were felt approximately nine minutes after the earthquake in parts of India.[14][18]
Japan: Tremors were felt in Tokyo.[18]
Macau: Tremors were felt approximately three minutes after the quake.[19]
Mongolia: Tremors were felt approximately eight minutes after the earthquake in parts of Mongolia.[14]
Nepal: Tremors were felt approximately eight and a half minutes after the quake.[14]
Pakistan: In parts of Northern Pakistan tremors were felt ten minutes after the quake.[14]
Russia: Tremors were felt in Tuva, no casualties reported.[14]
Taiwan: It took about eight minutes for the quake to reach Taiwan, then the tremors continued for one to two minutes; no damage or injuries were reported.[20]
Thailand: In parts of Thailand tremors were felt six minutes after the quake, continuing for 7 to 8 minutes.[18]
Vietnam: Tremors were felt approximately five minutes after the earthquake in Northern parts of Vietnam.[21][22][18]
Tectonics
USGS National Earthquake Information
According to the United States Geological Survey:[23]
The earthquake occurred as the result of motion on a northeast striking reverse fault or thrust fault on the northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake’s epicenter and focal-mechanism are consistent with it having occurred as the result of movement on the Longmenshan fault or a tectonically related fault. The earthquake reflects tectonic stresses resulting from the convergence of crustal material slowly moving from the high Tibetan Plateau, to the west, against strong crust underlying the Sichuan Basin and southeastern China.
On a continental scale, the seismicity of central and eastern Asia is a result of northward convergence of the Indian Plate against the Eurasian Plate with a velocity of about 50 mm/y. The convergence of the two plates is broadly accommodated by the uplift of the Asian highlands and by the motion of crustal material to the east away from the uplifted Tibetan Plateau. The northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin has previously experienced destructive earthquakes. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake of August 25, 1933 killed more than 9,300 people.
According to the British Geological Survey:[24]
The earthquake occurred 92 km northwest of the city of Chengdu in eastern Sichuan province and over 1500 km from Beijing, where it was also strongly felt. Earthquakes of this size have the potential to cause extensive damage and loss of life. The epicentre was in the mountains of the Eastern Margin of Qing-Tibet Plateau at the northwest margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake occurred as a result of motion on a northeast striking thrust fault that runs along the margin of the basin. The seismicity of central and eastern Asia is caused by the northward movement of the India plate at a rate of 5cm/year and its collision with Eurasia, resulting in the uplift of the Himalaya and Tibetan plateau and associated earthquake activity. This deformation also results in the extrusion of crustal material from the high Tibetan Plateau in the west towards the Sichuan Basin and southeastern China. China frequently suffers large and deadly earthquakes. In August 1933 a magnitude 7.5 earthquake about 90 km notheast of today's earthquake destroyed the town of Diexi and surrounding villages, and caused many landslides, some of which dammed the rivers.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
History of Minnesota
The history of Minnesota is the story of a U.S. state shaped by its original Native American residents, European exploration and settlement, and the emergence of industries made possible by the state's natural resources. Minnesota achieved prominence through fur trading, logging, and farming, and later through railroads, flour milling, and iron mining. While those industries remain important, the state's economy is now driven by banking, computers, and health care.
The earliest known settlers followed herds of large game to the region during the last glacial period. They preceded the Anishinaabe, the Sioux, and other Native American inhabitants. Fur traders from France arrived during the 17th century. Europeans, moving west during the 19th century, drove out most of the Native Americans. Fort Snelling, built to protect United States territorial interests, brought early settlers to the area. Early settlers used Saint Anthony Falls for powering sawmills in the area that became Minneapolis, while others settled downriver in the area that became Saint Paul.
Minnesota became a part of the United States as the Minnesota Territory in 1849, and became the 32nd U.S. state on May 11, 1858. After the upheaval of the American Civil War and the Dakota War of 1862, the state's economy started to develop when natural resources were tapped for logging and farming. Railroads attracted immigrants, established the farm economy, and brought goods to market. The power provided by Saint Anthony Falls spurred the growth of Minneapolis, and the innovative milling methods gave it the title of the "milling capital of the world."
New industry came from iron ore, discovered in the north, mined relatively easily from open pits, and shipped to Great Lakes steel mills from the ports at Duluth and Two Harbors. Economic development and social changes led to an expanded role for state government and a population shift from rural areas to cities. The Great Depression brought layoffs in mining and tension in labor relations but New Deal programs helped the state. After World War II, Minnesota became known for technology, fueled by early computer companies Sperry Rand, Control Data and Cray. The Twin Cities also became a regional center for the arts with cultural institutions such as the Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Walker Art Center.
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