TORONTO (TIP): Researchers have developed a chin strap that can generate electricity from jaw movements such as eating, chewing and talking to power a number of small-scale implantable or wearable electronic devices. Jaw movements have proved to be one of the most promising candidates for generating electricity from human body movements, with researchers estimating that an average of around 7 milliwatts of power could be generated from chewing during meals alone.
To harvest this energy , the study’s researchers, from Sonomax-ETS Industrial Research Chair in In-ear Technologies (CRITIAS) at Ecole de technologie superieure (ETS) in Montreal, Canada, created a chin strap made from piezoelectric fiber composites (PFC). PFC is a type of piezoelectric smart material that consists of integrated electrodes and an adhesive polymer matrix. The material is able to produce an electric charge when it stretches and is subjected to mechanical stress.
The researchers created an energy-harvesting chin strap made from a single layer of PFC and attached it to a pair of ear muffs using a pair of elastic side straps. The chin strap was fitted snugly to the user, so when the jaw moved, it caused the strap to stretch. To test the performance, the subject was asked to chew gum for 60 seconds whilst wearing the head-mounted device; at the same time the researchers recorded a number of different parameters.
The maximum amount of power that could be harvested from the jaw movements was around 18 microwatts, but taking into account the optimum set-up for the head-mounted device, the power output was around 10 microwatts. “Given that the average power available from chewing is around 7 milliwatts, we have a long way to go before we perfect the performance of the device,” said co-author of the study Aidin Delnavaz. “For example, 20 PFC layers, with a thickness of 6 mm, would be able to power a 200 microwatts intelligent hearing protector.”
Month: September 2014
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NOW, POWER YOUR DEVICES WHILE TALKING, CHEWING
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Scientists study how fear is processed in brain
WASHINGTON (TIP): Scientists have mapped brain activity to illustrate how fear arises when individuals are exposed to threatening images. Researchers from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas built on previous animal and human research to identify an electrophysiological marker for threat in the brain. “We are trying to find where thought exists in the mind,” said John Hart, Medical Science Director at the Center for BrainHealth.
“We know that groups of neurons firing on and off create a frequency and pattern that tell other areas of the brain what to do. By identifying these rhythms, we can correlate them with a cognitive unit such as fear,” he said. Utilising electroencephalography (EEG), Hart’s research team identified theta and beta wave activity that signifies the brain’s reaction to visually threatening images. “We have known for a long time that the brain prioritises threatening information over other cognitive processes,” said Bambi DeLaRosa, lead author of the study. “These findings show us how this happens.
Theta wave activity starts in the back of the brain, in it’s fear center — the amygdala — and then interacts with brain’s memory center — the hippocampus — before travelling to the frontal lobe where thought processing areas are engaged. “At the same time, beta wave activity indicates that the motor cortex is revving up in case the feet need to move to avoid the perceived threat,” DeLaRosa said. For the study, 26 adults (19 female, 7 male), ages 19-30 were shown 224 randomised images that were either unidentifiably scrambled or real pictures.
Real pictures were separated into two categories: threatening (weapons, combat, nature or animals) and nonthreatening (pleasant situations, food, nature or animals). -
Afridi vows to lead by example, hails PCB
KARACHI (TIP): Newly appointed Pakistan twenty20 skipper Shahid Afridi has hailed the decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appoint him as captain until the 2016 World T20 event. The outspoken and flamboyant allrounder said that making him captain until 2016 would ensure they were no problems within the team. “By doing this the board has sent out a clear message to the other players that who is your leader for the next two years,” Afridi said on Geo Super channel.
“It is a good decision because it will discourage an environment where they are always some players who have pretensions to the captaincy and they start becoming ambitious and create a uncomfortable environment in the dressing room,” he said candidly. Afridi who has played 381 one-day internationals and 74 T20 matches for his country said his main job was to blend the team into a fighting unit.
“And you need a cohesive environment to do this,” he said. Ironically, before the PCB announced Afridi as the national T20 captain once again after he was sacked as captain in 2011, some of the players including Umar Gul, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal had no issues proclaiming they were ready for the challenge if asked to captain the side. Afridi said a captain could only be successful if one led by example. “I can’t expect others to dive around in the field if I don’t do it myself it is as simple as that. -
Top Indian challengers @ 2014 Asian Games
KILLER PUNCH: Mary Kom (boxing)
The Manipuri police officer is now a household name across the country. The five-time World Champion has got little left to prove, after punching her way to the bronze medal in London, but Mary Kom is still determined to add more medals to her collection. At a time when her biopic is raking in the moolah at the box office, Mary will be keen to recapture the golden moments in the ring at the Incheon Games. By topping the trials, after missing the selection for the CWG, the mother-of-three now guns for another triumph. In the 2010 edition, she won the bronze in flyweight.
FEATHER TOUCH: PV Sindhu (badminton)
The teenager goes into the Asiad as a strong contender to end the Chinese dominance, along with her more illustrious teammate Saina Nehwal. PV Sindhu recently became the first Indian to win two medals in consecutive World Championships. Though her World Cup conqueror Carolina Marin won’t be there in Incheon, the Chinese, Chinese Taipei and Thailand shuttlers will be out in full strength to make her job tougher.
SHARP SHOOTER: Jitu Rai (shooting)
The Nepal-born sharp shooter is literally on fire as he has shot down most of the medals that came his way this season. It began with a double at the World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia in June. The 26-year-old pistol shooter from the 11 Gorkha regiment created history when he won medals in both the 10m and 50m events. Then came the Commonwealth Games and Rai easily asserted his supremacy. The World Championships followed and the Indian was again bang on target settling for the silver and a quota place between a Korean and a Japanese who will again challenge him at the Asaid.
BULL’S EYE: Deepika Kumari (archery)
The Tata Academy product is showing signs that she has finally got over the crushing defeat at Lord’s in the 2012 Olympics. Deepika Kumari went into the Games as one of the top medal contenders in recurve competition but went out in the preliminary round itself, crashing under the weight of expectations. The 20-year-old once again starts as a strong medal contender after showing great form in the recent World Cups. The three-time World Cup Finals silver medallist is peaking at the right time and will be keen to make amends after missing out on a bronze at Guangzhou.
MR HERCULES: Vikas Gowda (athletics)
If there is one athlete who should get constant backing from the government then it’s this Mysore-born discus thrower, and that too just for his unwavering dedication. Vikas Gowda has trained his sights on the Rio Olympics and success at the Asian Games will only add to his confidence levels. The recent success at the Glasgow CWG shut out his critics and they are now backing him for the Asiad gold. At Incheon, Vikas, who is topping the Asian list with a throw of 65.62m, will face competition from two Iranians and one Chinese. However, exposure in the Diamond League circuit will surely help him produce the winning throw.
MUSCLE MAN: Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling)
In the absence of Sushil Kumar, London Olympics bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt will be India’s trump card in wrestling. The 31-year-old Haryana wrestler proved his form at the Glasgow CWG powering past his opponents, including in the final, with ease to bag the gold. It will be Yogeshwar’s second attempt at the Asiad after winning a bronze in the Doha Games in 2006. The Asian Championship winner in 2012 knows that Incheon will pose a much tougher competition with grapplers lining up from Iran, Japan and Korea. Yogeshwar has skipped the World Championships to focus on the Asiad gold.
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SONAM IS BIT CLUMSY IN REAL LIFE TOO
Bollywood’s style diva Sonam Kapoor says she is as clumsy as her character in her forthcoming film ‘Khoobsurat’. She has been tagged as a royal misfit in the posters and trailers of the film, a remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s directorial venture that starred Rekha and Rakesh Roshan in the lead roles. While Sonam has replaced Rekha, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan has stepped into Roshan’s shoes in the remake.
Asked how much she relates to her character, Sonam said: “I am a bit clumsy in real life too, but I feel that it’s difficult being clumsy in reel life because you have to do all the wrong things on cue, and at the right time.” Sonam also feels that every girl will relate to her role in the film, when it comes out on Friday. “It’s the story of all those girls who don’t want to change themselves because of others. Every girl will relate to my character and my journey in the film,” she said. Khoobsurat has been directed by Shashanka Ghosh and produced by Sonam’s sister Rhea. -
SONAKSHI SINHA JETS OFF TO AUSTRIA
Travelling is perhaps one of the best parts of an actor’s life, and this time, actress Sonakshi Sinha is getting to go to Austria for her film ‘Action Jackson’. “Action Jackson in Austria. Taking off now,” Sonakshi tweeted in the early hours of Monday morning. Directed by Prabhu Dheva, the film stars Ajay Devgn, who recently gave a glimpse of his chiselled body frame.
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PRIYANKA CHOPRA EXCITED ABOUT GUWAHATI VISIT
After regaling movie aficionados with her act as Manipuri boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom in Bollywood film ‘Mary Kom’, actress Priyanka Chopra is excited about her visit to the northeastern city of Guwahati in Assam. “Heading to Guwahati…So glad to go to the North Eastern part of the country. Esp after #MaryKom. Looking forward… In more ways than one (sic),” the National Award winning actress tweeted. Filmmakers, celebrities and fans have come forward to applaud Priyanka for her power-packed act in the film. Mary Kom had a limited release in the northeast region, which is made of eight states, also including Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim.
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The Prince
Cast: Bruce Willis, John Cusack, Jason Patric, 50 Cent,
Gia Mantegna, Jessica Lowndes
Direction: Brian A Miller
Genre: Action
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Story: Paul (Jason Patric) is a devoted dad who has left behind his life of crime. But he reprises his past combat experience as he, with some help from an old chum (Cusack), shoots his way through a trail of bad guys in the quest to locate and rescue his missing daughter Beth (Gia Mantegna). Along the way, Paul faces up his old gangster nemesis Omar (Bruce Willis).
Review: The Prince follows a fairly by-the-numbers plot of the angry dad (remember Liam Neeson in *Taken*?) who will break as many bones as necessary and let loose a hail of gunfire in order to bring his daughter to safety. Paul’s daughter seems a nice enough college-type girl, but as is always the case in movies like this, there’s more than meets the eye as regards her disappearance.
New Orleans forms the backdrop for this theatre of testosterone, where Paul and mob boss Omar are on a collision course. Paul used to be a mobster who is now on the mend. But he has to selectively bring to life some of his old skills in order to get the job done. The casting of this film would raise a few eyebrows. For starters, Willis just does not come across as convincing enough to be playing a bad guy; most of his memorable performances have him playing a good guy who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
In fact, he looks bored in most scenes. We are made to believe that Paul is a ruthless, badass man-on-a-mission. And yet, his performance seems a bit forced, as if he is doing his best to convince you of his grit and determination. Whether this is part of his character sketch or not is uncertain, but Cusack just looks plain irritable for the most part. 50 Cent plays a drug lord aptly named The Pharmacist, presumably as a reference to the pills and powders his line of business involves. The greatest effort seems to have gone into getting the look of the fight scenes correctly in an otherwise bland film. -
KELLY BROOK WANTS TO START FAMILY WITH BEAU
Kelly Brooks is desperate to have a child with David McIntosh, as soon as they get married later this year. The model-turned-actress, who suffered a miscarriage when she was expecting a baby with her former boyfriend Thom Evans in 2011, said that hopefully she will have a baby soon, the Daily Star reported. The 34-year-old TV star, who had originally planned to marry McIntosh in September, has postponed their wedding due to new filming commitments.
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NATALIE PORTMAN HONOURED TO BE FACE OF DIOR
Actress Natalie Portman says it is an “honour” to front campaigns for Dior and is constantly excited about working on new projects with the Parisian label. The “Black Swan” star, who has worked with the Parisian fashion house since 2010, gushed over her collaboration with the luxury label and admitted she feels constantly excited to get to work on the brand’s latest projects, reports contactmusic.com. She told Hello! magazine: “I remember when I first met the team – the elegant simplicity of the environment, the grey and white Parisian dream.” “Dior is very chic and very modern – bold, elegant, Parisian. Being the face of Dior is a great honour. Every time the team asks me about a new project, I’m excited about it,” she added.
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Indian-American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal considering president run
BATON ROUGE (TIP): Indian- American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has for the first time acknowledged that he is considering a 2016 presidential run and will make a decision on it after the November Congressional polls. Republican Party member Jindal has said he is thinking and praying about running for presidency in 2016. Though his name did not garner much enthusiasm in a new CNN/ORC poll of GOP presidential probables in New Hampshire, Jindal said he will make his decision after the November Congressional elections.
“If I were to decide to run for 2016, it would have nothing to do with polls or fundraising,” he was quoted as saying by the Christian Science Monitor. Jindal said his decision-making process would be much like the ones he used in deciding to run in other races-for Louisiana Governor in 2003, which he lost, for the US House in 2004 and again for the Governorship in 2007 which he won and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2011.
The determining questions, he said, are, “Do I think I can make a difference, do I think I have something unique to offer?” On his possible presidential bid, Jindal touted the progress that Louisiana has made while he has been the Governor. The youngest governor at the time in the United States when he was elected, Jindal said that he would not be dissuaded by the recent CNN poll numbers showing him trailing badly among New Hampshire Republicans. Only 3 per cent of New Hampshire Republican primary voters backed him in CNN’s September 8-11 survey.
The Governor finished at the bottom of a field of 11 potential presidential candidates. “I think at this point polls are measuring name ID. The first time I ran for office, I was … polling within the margin of error, which means I was at zero,” he was quoted as saying by CNN. “There’s no reason to be coy. I am thinking, I am praying about whether I’ll run in 2016,” he added. -
President Obama meets Indian-American Spelling bee champs
Ansun Sujoe from Fort Worth, Texas and Sriram Hathwar from Painted Post, New York
WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Barack Obama might be one of the world’s most powerful man but he is no spelling champion as he failed to spell two words correctly given to him by this year’s Indian-American cochampions of the prestigious Spelling Bee contest. “He (the President) is very humble. I think he (Obama) is appropriate for the job,” Sriram Hathway from New York told PTI in an interview, moments after he and co-champion of Scripps National Spelling Bee Ansun Sujoe from Texas met the US President at his Oval Office, Monday, September 15. The two co-champions were accompanied by their proud parents in their interaction with Obama, who had invited them to the White House.
Soon after Sriram, 14, and Ansun, 13, were declared co-champions of this year’s Spelling Bee, Obama had tweeted, “Congrats to Ansun and Sriram, the incredible co-champs of the #ScrippsNationalSpellingBee. You make us all proud!”. This was for the first time since 1962 that the annual spelling contest had ended in a tie. “The President greeted us. He is very nice. He talked to us little bit. He gave us some advice. He also spelled a couple of words for us. Like the two words we misspelled — corpsbruder and antigropelos. He did not spell them correctly.
But it was quite fun to hear it and to talk with the President and interact,” Ansun told PTI outside the White House after his memorable meeting with Obama. During the spelling bee competition this year both Sriram and Ansun stumbled one time with the words “Corpsbruder (a close comrade)” and “Antigropelos (waterproof leggings)” respectively. And both passed on these words to Obama for spelling. For the Spelling bee champions, this was not a surprise. “He (tried) to spell those two words. We got to shake hands with him. He greeted us very humbly…very welcoming. It was an honor to meet him,” Sriram said.
Obama presented the two young Indian- Americans a book of constitutional amendments in which he wrote “Dream, Big Dreams.” For the past several years, Indian Americans have dominated the annual spelling bee contest. “Just try to give your best. Do not give up your passion,” Sriram said when asked about his message to other young Indian- Americans. “Without hard work, you can’t succeed. If anybody is interested in spelling or any other competition, I would just tell them to persuade. Do not give up. Work hard at it and try the best,” said Ansun, who wants to become a computer engineer like his father. Sriram said he wants to become an ophthalmologist. “I have always been interested in the eye,” he said. -
Prime Minister Modi has a busy schedule in the United States
NEW YORK (TIP): Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will be arriving in New York a day before he addresses the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations on September 27th. It will be his first global speech and he will give his address in Hindi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit ‘Ground Zero’ after delivering a speech at United Nations General Assembly on September 27.
Ground Zero is the site where Twin Towers of World Trade Centre stood before they collapsed in the deadly terror strike on September 11, 2001. Modi is also expected to make a stop at the 9/11 museum inaugurated in May this year by US President Barack Obama to commemorate the victims of the terror strike. It is expected that Modi’s will have his hands full as he would be required to attend a Global Citizen Festival being organized in the Great Lawn of the Central Park.
The event is specially organized to coincide with the UNGA. On the sidelines of UNGA meeting, Modi is scheduled to meet the head of the states of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Later, he will see former US President Bill Clinton. On September 28 morning, over 20,000 Indian Americans, largest congregation of community members, will accord a grand reception to the Prime Minister at Madison Square Garden. The reception will be followed by a dinner, organized by the Indian Embassy, in the evening at the Taj Pierre hotel near Central Park. Modi is also expected to attend the investors’ conference in New York before visiting Washington DC.
On September 29, Modi will leave for Washington to hold much-anticipated bilateral meeting with Barack Obama. Announcing the Modi-Obama meeting, White House Press Secretary Josh Ernest said, “President Obama looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to the White House on September 29-30.” It is expected that both the leaders will discuss a wide range of issues concerning both the countries. It will include trade ties as well.” Obama will host a working dinner for India’s visiting Prime Minister before initiating bilateral talks at the White House the next day followed by a lunch hosted by Vice President Joe Biden at the State Department. -
BRICS bank not aimed at challenging existing multilateral institutions: RBI Governor
NEW YORK (TIP): The move to establish BRICS bank is meant to provide patient money and not aimed at challenging the existing multilateral financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said. “I don’t think it was primarily meant to challenge the existing multilateral institutions but it is certainly saying look we have plenty of money ourselves, why don’t we put some of this money to use in a way that benefits us rather than necessarily depending on the multilateral institutions to change which is taking much more time than anybody thought of,” he said.
The BRICS bank is meant to provide patient money, risk capital to long-term projects, he said in a speech at an event organized in Chicago on Friday, September 5, by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “One of the biggest lacunae in emerging markets is patient, risk-bearing money, so if we can have a bank which is willing to take junior stakes or equity stakes…that would be a really good thing,” he said.
The announcement about the bank and a $100-billion currency reserve arrangement (CRA) that will help countries to deal with short-term liquidity pressures, was made on July 15 at the conclusion of the 6th BRICS Summit in Brazil attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Africa President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff. India will hold the Presidency of the bank for the first six years. The New Development Bank, to be based in Shanghai, China’s financial hub, will become operational in about two years.
India’s presidency will be followed by Brazil and Russia who will have five years term each under an agreement reached after intense negotiations among the five countrygrouping BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. -
THE RAMAYANA
continued from previous issue
Through the chamber of confection, where each viand wooed the taste,
Every object in profusion as in regions of the blest, Through Kaikeyi’s inner closet lighted with a softened sheen, Walked the king with eager longing,–but Kaikeyi was not seen! Thoughts of love and gentle dalliance woke-within his ancient heart, And the magic of her beauty and the glamour of her art,
With a soft desire the monarch vainly searched the vanished fair,
Found her not in royal chamber, found her not in gay parterre! Filled with love and longing languor loitered not the radiant queen, In her soft voluptuous chamber, in the garden, grove or green,
And he asked the faithful warder of Kaikeyi loved and lost,
She who served him with devotion and his wishes never crost,
Spake the warder in his terror that the queen with rage distraught.
Weeping silent tears of anguish had the mourner’s chamber sought! Thither flew the stricken monarch; on the bare and unswept ground, Trembling with tumultuous passion was the Queen Kaikeyi found, On the cold uncovered pavement sorrowing lay the weeping wife, Young wife of an ancient husband,
dearer than his heart and life! Like a bright and blossoming creeper rudely severed from the earth,
Like a fallen fair Apsara, beauteous nymph of heavenly birth, Like a female forest-ranger bleeding from the hunter’s dart, Whom her mate the forest-monarch soothes with soft endearing art,
Lay the queen in tears of anguish! And with sweet and gentle word To the lotus-eyéd lady softly spake her loving lord: Wherefore thus, my Queen and Empress, sorrow-laden is thy heart,
Who with daring slight or insult seeks to cause thy bosom smart? If some unknown ailment pains thee, evil spirit of the air, Skilled physicians wait upon thee, priests with incantations fair,
If from human foe some insult, wipe thy tears and doom his fate,
Rich reward or royal vengeance shall upon thy mandate wait! Wilt thou doom to death the guiltless, free whom direst sins debase, Wilt thou lift the poor and lowly or the proud and great disgrace,
Speak, and I and all my courtiers Queen Kaikeyi’s hest obey, For thy might is boundless,
Empress, limitless thy regal sway! Rolls my chariot-wheel revolving from the sea to farthest sea, And the wide earth is my empire, monarchs list my proud decree,
Nations of the eastern regions and of Sindhu’s western wave, Brave Saurashtras and the races who the ocean’s dangers brave, Vangas, Angas and Magadhas, warlike Matsyas of the west,
Kasis and the southern races, brave Kosalas first and best, Nations of my world-wide empire,
rich in corn and sheep and kine, All shall serve my Queen Kaikeyi and their treasures all are thine, Speak, command thy king a obedience, and thy wrath will melt away,
Like the melting snow of winter ‘neath the sun’s reviving ray!” Blinded was the ancient husband as he lifted up her head, Heedless oath and word he plighted that her wish should be obeyed,
Scheming for a fatal purpose, inly then Kaikeyi smiled, And by sacred oath and promise bound the monarch love-beguiled: “Thou hast given, Dasa-ratha, troth and word and royal oath,
Three and thirty Gods be witness, watchers of the righteous truth, Sun and Moon and Stars be witness, Sky and Day and sable Night, Rolling Worlds and this our wide Earth, and each dark and unseen wight,
Witness Rangers of the forest, Household Gods that guard us both, Mortal beings and Immortal,–witness ye the monarch’s oath, Ever faithful to his promise, ever truthful in his word,
Dasa-ratha grants my prayer, Spirits and the Gods have heard! Call to mind,
O righteous monarch, days when in a bygone strife, Warring with thy foes immortal thou hadst almost lost thy life, With a woman’s loving tendance poor Kaikeyi cured thy wound, Till from death and danger rescued, thou wert by a promise bound, Two rewards my husband offered, what my loving heart might seek,
Long delayed their wished fulfilment,-now let poor Kaikeyi speak,
And if royal deeds redeem not what thy royal lips did say, Victim to thy broken promise Queen Kaikeyi dies to-day! By these rites ordained for Rama,-such the news my menials bring,– Let my Bharat, and not Rama, be anointed Regent King, Wearing skins and matted tresses, in the cave or hermit’s cell,
Fourteen years in Dandak’s forests let the elder Rama dwell, These are Queen Kaikeyi’s wishes, these are boons for which I pray, I would see my son anointed, Rama banished on this day!”
THE KING’S LAMENT
Is this torturing dream or madness, do my feeble senses fail,
O’er my darkened mind and bosom doth a fainting fit prevail? So the stricken monarch pondered and in hushed and silent fear, Looked on her as on a tigress looks the dazed and stricken deer,
Lying on the unswept pavement still he heaved the choking sigh,
Like a wild and hissing serpent quelled by incantations high! Sobs convulsive shook his bosom and his speech and accent failed, And a dark and deathlike faintness o’er his feeble soul prevailed,
Stunned awhile remained the monarch, then in furious passion woke. And his eyeballs flamed with redfire, to the queen as thus he spoke: “Traitress to thy king and husband, fell destroyer of thy race,
Wherefore seeks thy ruthless rancour Rama rich in righteous grace, Traitress to thy kith and kindred,
Rama loves thee as thy own, Wherefore then with causeless vengeance as a mother hate thy son! Have I courted thee, Kaikeyi, throned thee in my heart of truth,
Nursed thee in my home and bosom like a snake of poisoned tooth, Have I courted thee, Kaikeyi, placed thee on Ayodhya’s throne, That my Rama,
loved of people, thou shouldst banish from his own? Banish far my Queen Kausalya, Queen Sumitra saintly wife, Wrench from me my ancient empire, from my bosom wrench my life,
But with brave and princely Rama never can his father part, Till his ancient life is ended, cold and still his beating heart! Sunless roll the world in darkness, rainless may the harvests thrive,
But from ri~hteous Rama severed, never can his sire survive, Feeble is thy aged husband,
few and brief on earth his day, Lend me, wife, a woman’s kindness, as a consort be my stay! Ask for other boon, Kaikeyi, aught my seagirt empire yields, Wealth or treasure, gem or jewel,
castled town or smiling fields, Ask for other gift, Kaikeyi, and thy wishes shall be given,
Stain me not with crime unholy in the eye of righteous Heaven!”
to be continued -
Burger King releases black burger with ‘bamboo charcoal cheese and squid ink sauce’ in Japan
TOKYA (TIP): Burger King in Japan is taking bizarre fast food to new heights with black cheeseburgers complete with black buns, black cheese and black sauce. The chain started the Premium Kuro Burger (kuro means “black”) in 2012, colouring the bread with bamboo charcoal and adding squid ink to the ketchup. Last year it evolved to the Kuro Ninja, which had all the above with a slice of bacon for a tongue, and now Burger King is on the third generation. Apparently Japanese customers quite liked the bamboo charcoal, so it is now in the cheese slices as well, along with beef burgers made with black pepper, an onion and garlic sauce with squid ink and the black bread.While the smaller Kuro Pearl contains the burger, cheese and sauce, the upgraded Kuro Diamond also comes with more edible-looking lettuce, tomato, onion and the usual trimmings. A press release from Burger King Japan said there had been a “favourable reception” to previous Kuro burgers, which have all be limited editions. The current inventions will be available from 19 September, with the Kuro Pearl priced at 480 yen (£2.80) and the Kuro Diamond at (£4.00).Black buns been seen before, when rivals McDonald’s released “ying and yang” style burgers in China. Chinese bloggers reasoned that the concept came from a proverb about black and white representing good and evil in society.
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CHINA PUTS 4 ON TRIAL FOR TRAIN STATION ATTACK IN KUNMING
BEIJING (TIP): Trials started on Friday for four people accused of killing 31 people in a knife attack outside a railway station in the southern Chinese city of Kunming. Kunming Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement released Friday that Iskandar Ehet, Turgun Tohtunyaz and Hasayn Muhammad were standing trial on charges of organizing and leading a terror group and murder.
The fourth person, Patigul Tohti, was being tried on charges of joining a terror group and murder. The court said they were part of a terror group that plotted the March 1 attack, when five knife-wielding assailants hacked 31 people to death and injured another 141 people. The attack shook the country amid escalating ethnic tensions between China’s Muslim minority group of Uighurs and the majority Han people, which were once contained in the ethnic region of Xinjiang but began to spill to the rest of China late last year. The court did not identify the suspects’ ethnicity, but all have Uighur-sounding names.
Beijing has blamed religioninfluenced terrorists with foreign ties for the Kunming attack and other violent incidents, which have left hundreds of people dead this year in and outside Xinjiang. Critics say China’s suppressive ethnic policies and practices as well as economic disenfranchisement have increasingly alienated the Uighurs, who may have been driven into religious extremism. The Kunming court said the suspects, influenced by religious fundamentalism, had been plotting the attack since December.
Local authorities arrested Ehet, Tohtunyaz and Muhammad two days before the attack as they were attempting to illegally cross the border, the court said. Having lost the contact with the three men, five other members of the group mounted the attack as planned, the court said. Police shot dead four attackers and captured Tohti on the scene, the court said. More than 300 people, including some victims and relatives of the suspects, were in attendance of the trials, the court said. -
SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS ISSUE
|| 7 || Go and ask the travellers, how to walk on the Path as His slave. They know the Lord to be their King, and at the Door to His Home, their way is not blocked. O Nanak, the One is pervading everywhere; there is no other at all. || 8 || 6 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Through the Guru, the Pure One is known, and the human body becomes pure as well. The Pure, True Lord abides within the mind; He knows the pain of our hearts. With intuitive ease, a great peace is found, and the arrow of death shall not strike you.
|| 1 || O Siblings of Destiny, filth is washed away by bathing in the Pure Water of the Name. You alone are Perfectly Pure, O True Lord; all other places are filled with filth. || 1 || Pause || The Temple of the Lord is beautiful; it was made by the Creator Lord. The sun and the moon are lamps of incomparably beautiful light. Throughout the three worlds, the Infinite Light is pervading. In the shops of the city of the body, in the fortresses and in the huts, the True Merchandise is traded.
|| 2 || The ointment of spiritual wisdom is the destroyer of fear; through love, the Pure One is seen. The mysteries of the seen and the unseen are all known, if the mind is kept centered and balanced. If one finds such a True Guru, the Lord is met with intuitive ease. || 3 || He draws us to His Touchstone, to test our love and consciousness. The counterfeit have no place there, but the genuine are placed in His Treasury. Let your hopes and anxieties depart; thus pollution is washed away.
|| 4 || Everyone begs for happiness; no one asks for suffering. But in the wake of happiness, there comes great suffering. The self-willed manmukhs do not understand this. Those who see pain and pleasure as one and the same find peace; they are pierced through by the Shabad. || 5 || The Vedas proclaim, and the words of Vyaasa tell us, that the silent sages, the servants of the Lord, and those who practice a life of spiritual discipline are attuned to the Naam, the Treasure of Excellence. Those who are attuned to the True Name win the game of life; I am forever a sacrifice to them.
|| 6 || Those who do not have the Naam in their mouths are filled with pollution; they are filthy throughout the four ages. Without loving devotion to God, their faces are blackened, and their honor is lost. Those who have forgotten the Naam are plundered by evil; they weep and wail in dismay. || 7 || I searched and searched, and found God. In the Fear of God, I have been united in His Union. Through self-realization, people dwell within the home of their inner being; egotism and desire depart. O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Name of the Lord are immaculate and radiant.
|| 8 || 7 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Listen, O deluded and demented mind: hold tight to the Guru’s Feet. Chant and meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord; death will be afraid of you, and suffering shall depart. The deserted wife suffers terrible pain. How can her Husband Lord remain with her forever? || 1 || O Siblings of Destiny, I have no other place to go. The Guru has given me the Treasure of the Wealth of the Naam; I am a sacrifice to Him. || 1 || Pause || The Guru’s Teachings bring honor. Blessed is He – may I meet and be with Him! Without Him, I cannot live, even for a moment. Without His Name, I die. I am blind – may I never forget the Naam! Under His Protection, I shall reach my true home.
|| 2 || Those chaylaas, those devotees, whose spiritual teacher is blind, shall not find their place of rest. Without the True Guru, the Name is not obtained. Without the Name, what is the use of it all? People come and go, regretting and repenting, like crows in a deserted house. || 3 || Without the Name, the body suffers in pain; it crumbles like a wall of sand. As long as Truth does not enter into the consciousness, the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence is not found. Attuned to the Shabad, we enter our home, and obtain the Eternal State of Nirvaanaa.
|| 4 || I ask my Guru for His Advice, and I follow the Guru’s Advice. With the Shabads of Praise abiding in the mind, the pain of egotism is burnt away. We are intuitively united with Him, and we meet the Truest of the True. || 5 || Those who are attuned to the Shabad are spotless and pure; they renounce sexual desire, anger, selfishness and conceit. They sing the Praises of the Naam, forever and ever; they keep the Lord enshrined within their hearts. How could we ever forget Him from our minds? He is the Support of all beings.
|| 6 || One who dies in the Shabad is beyond death, and shall never die again. Through the Shabad, we find Him, and embrace love for the Name of the Lord. Without the Shabad, the world is deceived; it dies and is reborn, over and over again. || 7 || All praise themselves, and call themselves the greatest of the great. Without the Guru, one’s self cannot be known. By merely speaking and listening, what is accomplished? O Nanak, one who realizes the Shabad does not act in egotism.
|| 8 || 8 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Without her Husband, the soul-bride’s youth and ornaments are useless and wretched. She does not enjoy the pleasure of His Bed; without her Husband, her ornaments are absurd. The discarded bride suffers terrible pain; her Husband does not come to the bed of her home. || 1 || O mind, meditate on the Lord, and find peace. Without the Guru, love is not found. United with the Shabad, happiness is found. || 1 || Pause || Serving the Guru, she finds peace, and her Husband Lord adorns her with intuitive wisdom. Truly, she enjoys the Bed of her Husband, through her deep love and affection. As Gurmukh, she comes to know Him. Meeting with the Guru, she maintains a virtuous lifestyle.
|| 2 || Through Truth, meet your Husband Lord, O soul-bride. Enchanted by your Husband, enshrine love for Him. Your mind and body shall blossom forth in Truth. The value of this cannot be described. The soul-bride finds her Husband Lord in the home of her own being; she is purified by the True Name. || 3 || If the mind within the mind dies, then the Husband ravishes and enjoys His bride. They are woven into one texture, like pearls on a necklace around the neck. In the Society of the Saints, peace wells up; the Gurmukhs take the Support of the Naam.
|| 4 || In an instant, one is born, and in an instant, one dies. In an instant one comes, and in an instant one goes. One who recognizes the Shabad merges into it, and is not afflicted by death. Our Lord and Master is Unweighable; He cannot be weighed. He cannot be found merely by talking. || 5 || The merchants and the traders have come; their profits are preordained. Those who practice Truth reap the profits, abiding in the Will of God. With the Merchandise of Truth, they meet the Guru, who does not have a trace of greed.
|| 6 || As Gurmukh, they are weighed and measured, in the balance and the scales of Truth. The enticements of hope and desire are quieted by the Guru, whose Word is True. He Himself weighs with the scale; perfect is the weighing of the Perfect One. || 7 || No one is saved by mere talk and speech, nor by reading loads of books. The body does not obtain purity without loving devotion to the Lord. O Nanak, never forget the Naam; the Guru shall unite us with the Creator. || 8 || 9 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Meeting the Perfect True Guru, we find the jewel of meditative reflection. Surrendering our minds to our Guru, we find universal love. We find the wealth of liberation, and our demerits are erased.
|| 1 || O Siblings of Destiny, without the Guru, there is no spiritual wisdom. Go and ask Brahma, Naarad and Vyaas, the writer of the Vedas. || 1 || Pause || Know that from the vibration of the Word, we obtain spiritual wisdom and meditation. Through it, we speak the Unspoken. He is the fruit-bearing Tree, luxuriantly green with abundant shade. The rubies, jewels and emeralds are in the Guru’s Treasury.
|| 2 || From the Guru’s Treasury, we receive the Love of the Immaculate Naam, the Name of the Lord. We gather in the True Merchandise, through the Perfect Grace of the Infinite. The True Guru is the Giver of peace, the Dispeller of pain, the Destroyer of demons. || 3 || The terrifying world-ocean is difficult and dreadful; there is no shore on this side or the one beyond. There is no boat, no raft, no oars and no boatman. The True Guru is the only boat on this terrifying ocean. His Glance of Grace carries us across.
|| 4 || If I forget my Beloved, even for an instant, suffering overtakes me and peace departs. Let that tongue be burnt in flames, which does not chant the Naam with love. When the pitcher of the body bursts, there is terrible pain; those who are caught by the Minister of Death regret and repent.
|| 5 || Crying out, “Mine! Mine!”, they have departed, but their bodies, their wealth, and their wives did not go with them. Without the Name, wealth is useless; deceived by wealth, they have lost their way. So serve the True Lord; become Gurmukh, and speak the Unspoken. || 6 || Coming and going, people wander through reincarnation; they act according to their past actions.
The Sikh Gurus never believed in the exclusivity of their teachings. The Gurus undertook travels to spread their message to peoples of different cultures in their own native languages. The Gurus did not believe in the ideas of any language being ‘sacred’ or ‘special’. It is in this spirit that various Sikh scholars have undertaken efforts to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib into a number of languages in order to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to bring the Sikh religion to the people of the world as Guru Nanak wished.
TO BE CONTINUED -
NAGALAND
NAGALANDNagaland lies in the northeast corner of India and has beautiful steep hills, lush green valleys and exotic tribes. The tourist attractions in Nagaland are very few as it is serene land with an untouched environment that still remains natural. Displaying a strange relationship of myths, history and mystery, Nagaland is a place where valiant people lead a vibrant life steeped in their own customs and heritage. Nagaland contains a multitude of flora and fauna in its dense woodland.
The Tribes
A variety of attractions in Nagaland are among its people, folklores and festivals. The strongly built martial tribes with spears and head-gears display an amazing look. As many as 16 tribes live here which differ from one another in their attires, traditions and cultural heritage.
Kohima
The capital of Nagaland is the land of the Angami Naga Tribe. Kohima has a ceremonial gateway that reflects typical tribal architecture and handicrafts in its houses. The impressive gateway is adorned with designs and patterns of weapons, warriors and folk prosperity-symbols.
World War II Cemetery
During the World War II, the combined troop of the British and Indians stopped the Japanese troop in Kohima. It was known as the “Battle of Kohima”. The martyrs lie buried here on the slopes of Garrison Hill. An epitaph placed over there reads: “When you go home, tell them of us and say for your tomorrow,we gave our today”.
Shangnyu Village
An 8 ft high and 12 ft wide wooden monument stands in this village and is believed that heavenly angels constructed it. The village is ruled by Angh- the hereditary chief; there are other memorial stones in front of the Angh’s palace.
Japfu Peak
The second highest peak in the state boasts of the tallest Rhododendron which measure over 130 ft. in height and the girth at the base of around 11 ft. It was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. The peak fascinates tourists with its breathtaking views of the Himalayan peaks beyond the extensive Kohima town.
Nagaland State Museum
The museum is situated in Kohima and is among the major attractions of Nagaland. The museum exhibits the evolution of Naga culture and offers a look into various tribal habitats existing in the eastern territories of India. The museum contains rare artifacts of the 16 tribes of Nagaland, the Naga Morung hut models, musical instruments made of bamboo and buffalo horns.
Dzukou Valley
Located at a distance of around 25 km from Kohima, the Valley is one of the prime attractions in Nagaland and is famous for its trekking trails. At an altitude of 2,438 m, the dense valley of bamboo bush is decorated with Euphorbia, Aconitum, Lilies, and Rhododendrons.
Dimapur
Dimapur is the largest city of Nagaland and is well-known for the Rangapahar Reserve Forest, the Diezephe Craft Village and mediaeval ruins of Kachari Kingdom. Several edifices can be found here dating back to the 13th century. The Dimapur Green Park is also located here and has lakes with facilities for boating.
Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary
The Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary is located at a distance of approximately 37 km from Dimapur and is popular forest reserves in Nagaland. This sanctuary is inhabited with baboons, elephants, wild buffaloes, barking deer, flying squirrels, tigers, wild dogs, sloth bears, hornbills and many more species of fauna. Facilities for safari are also provided in the sanctuary.
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Dallas voted ‘Best International Skyline’
DALLAS (TIP): Social media was buzzing throughout a USA Today contest as architecture buffs and residents of the various stakeholder cities weighed in with their opinions. But in the end, everything is still bigger in Texas. The highly recognizable Dallas skyline took over 40% of the popular vote. The two experts who nominated Dallas described its worthiness this way: A skyline known around the world with the syndication of the soap opera that bears this City’s name, Dallas has continued to stay flashy.
Controversially, it has done this not with the height or style of its newest architecture, but rather through an internal race to adorn its existing and new icons with colorful interactive lighting that cannot be ignored. Having become initially identifiable by the opening credits of an infamous ’80s TV show, the contemporary Dallas skyline tells a story of big banking, big oil, big money, and occasionally big bust. On an aesthetic order, the overall skyline presents a fairly balanced height gradient.
(Source: USA Today) -
Appeals court weighs stay on ruling over Texas abortion law
AUSTIN, TX (TIP): Most of the abortion clinics in Texas could close by the weekend depending on what happens in a New Orleans courtroom Friday, September 12. The U.S. 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will get its first look at the latest challenge to Texas’s tough new abortion law Friday morning as a three-judge panel weighs half an hour of arguments each from supporters and opponents of two regulations under dispute.
At stake is the fate of at least a dozen abortion clinics that were saved from closure or allowed to reopen, thanks to an Austin-based federal judge’s ruling last month against provisions requiring clinics to meet the standards of hospital-style surgical centers and abortion doctors to obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. State lawyers appealing the district judge’s decision are asking permission to enforce the requirements as the case continues. If the appellate court agrees, all but seven of the abortion facilities in the state are expected to close almost immediately.
“I think we’re all just holding our breath,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, which operates two of the clinics hanging in the balance and filed the lawsuit in April along with other abortion providers. Legal briefs filed by lawyers for the providers and the state show that the arguments Friday likely will mirror those during the week-long trial here last month: the providers will argue the requirements severely reduce abortion access without improving women’s health, while the state will say the requirements protect women and leave enough access to satisfy federal law.
The state will have the burden of showing why it is important for the appeals court to step in and allow enforcement of the law to continue while the trial court judge’s ruling is appealed. “The State will suffer irreparable injury absent a stay because the district court’s injunction prevents the State from enforcing a duly enacted statute,” Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote in his motion for an emergency stay.
Esha Bhandari, an attorney for the providers, said they will argue there is no irreparable harm because one of the provisions at issue has not yet been enforced and enforcement is “not the type of thing a few months down the road can’t be rectified.” The district judge already has rejected a long-shot request by the state to stay his own ruling. While Friday’s arguments in New Orleans will concern only the request for a stay, advocates on both sides will be watching closely for any indication of how the court may be leaning on the overall appeal.
The 5th Circuit is considered one of the most conservative courts in the country, and it acted last fall to uphold a separate part of the tough new Texas law. Both sides acknowledge the state likely caught a break with the outcome of a random selection of the threejudge panel that will hear the arguments Friday. One of the judges on the panel, George W. Bush appointee Jennifer Walker Elrod, was on the panel that unanimously upheld the law last year. Another, Ronald Reagan appointee Jerry E. Smith, was on the panel that upheld another Texas law requiring women seeking an abortion in Texas to first get a sonogram. The third judge, Stephen A. Higginson, is an appointee of President Barack Obama who recently voted to strike down a Mississippi law that was similar to the Texas measure. -
Federal Officials Propose Texas Immigration Lockup
AUSTIN (TIP): Federal authorities want to build a new South Texas immigration lockup for families amid an unprecedented surge in the number of youngsters pouring across the U.S. border, a federal official said Thursday, September 11. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is proposing a residential center in the town of Dilley, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio, agency spokeswoman Adelina Pruneda said. “Structures on the site may be used temporarily to house up to 680 residents while the new facilities are built,” she said.
Pruneda said ICE isn’t discussing further details, including how many adults and children the 50-acre facility would house, how much it would cost or when it might be ready. ICE is working to “finalize contracts with construction and service providers” for the South Texas facility, she said.
The spike in unaccompanied children and families crossing the border has strained federal authorities’ capacity to house those arrested on immigration charges. Many of the immigrants say they are fleeing drug and gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Some are seeking asylum. Others are held in detention while awaiting deportation or placement with relatives already in the U.S. Last month, federal authorities converted an all-male facility in Karnes City, southeast of San Antonio, to accept 532 mothers and their children. Another immigration center for families in Pennsylvania and a temporary site in New Mexico have a combined capacity of about 800.
“ICE’s family residential centers are an effective option to maintain family units as they await the outcome of immigration hearings or return to their home countries,” Pruneda said in a statement. “ICE ensures that family detention facilities operate in an open environment that includes play rooms, social workers, medical care, and classrooms with state-certified teachers and bilingual teachers.” -
South Texas, Dallas area have minor earthquakes
DALLAS (TIP): Minor earthquakes have been recorded in the Dallas area and hundreds of miles away in South Texas but officials had no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says a 2.9 magnitude quake happened at 3:21 a.m. CDT Thursday in North Texas. The quake was centered 2 miles north of Irving. USGS reports a 3.2 magnitude quake happened at 11:53 a.m. Wednesday and was centered 2 miles southeast of Charlotte. The area is 41 miles south-southwest of San Antonio. Emergency officials in Dallas and Atascosa counties say they had no reports of quake damage or people being hurt.
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U.S. and EU add more Sanctions against Russia
MOSCOW (TIP): As the confrontation between U.S. and European Union, on the one hand, and Russia escalates, Russia may ban some imports including clothing and used cars in retaliation to a U.S. and European Union decision to stiffen sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine. European companies and taxpayers “will have to pick up the costs” for the penalties, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told Interfax September 11. The Economy Ministry drafted a list of goods that may be banned, including automobile imports, particularly used cars, as well as textiles and clothing, state-run RIA Novosti reported, citing Kremlin economic aide Andrei Belousov.
The U.S. will “deepen and broaden” measures against Russia’s financial, energy and defense industries, President Barack Obama said in a statement September 11, hours after the announcement by the EU. The latest round of economic restrictions from both the U.S. and the EU takes effect September 12. The sanctions, which go into effect Friday, September 12, take aim at Russia’s energy sector and further constrict the country’s vital financial and defense industries’ access to global markets and resources.
They strengthen measures that the United States and the E.U. instituted in late July to target key engines of the Russian economy after the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine. Western leaders threatened to step up sanctions in recent weeks after Russia was accused of sending military vehicles, weapons and troops into Ukraine to bolster separatist forces fighting the Ukrainian army in the eastern regions. Russian leaders have denied the accusation.
The moves raise the level of confrontation and follow reprisals last month, when the Russian leader banned a range of food imports after an earlier round of U.S. and European penalties. Putin denies any involvement in the fighting that broke out after he annexed Crimea in March in what has become the worst crisis between Russia and its former Cold War adversaries since the fall of the Berlin Wall. -
SATISH & YASMIN GUPTA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, SB HALL GROUNDBREAKING CELEBRATION ON OCTOBER 17
I. S. Saluja DALLAS (TIP): It was October 24, 2013 when University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe in, the presence of the donors, their relations and friends, faculty and students, made the announcement that Satish and Yasmin Gupta have made a $ 12 million donation to University of Dallas. Both, Satish and his wife Yasmin, are graduates of University’s MBA Program. And it will be a week before one year goes out that groundbreaking celebration for Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business, SB Hall will take place. It is scheduled for October 17. The new building, SB Hall, will be a 50,000-square foot, three storey structure atop the highest point in the UD campus from where Downtown will be clearly visible. According to information provided by Chat Ganesh, Vice President Business Development, SB International, Inc. and a close associate of Satish Gupta, the building is expected to be completed by the end of July 2015 and should be ready for the Fall 2015 Semester opening.
