Spinner dolphins

This week, when we went for our usual morning walk at the nearby beach, we were surprised to spot some dolphins. We felt happy to watch the friendly dolphins, which leaped four feet and turned around three times in the air. One of my friends, a marine biologist, told me that they are spinner dolphins. The mammals looked slender with long thin-beak and a distinct stripe connected the long and pointed flippers to the eyes.

Spinner dolphins are commonly found in the tropical and sub-tropical oceans. He also told me that only spinner dolphins can spin several times in the air. They frequently jump high out of the water and spin around like a spinning top. Some scientists believe that the spinning behavior is a way of communicating with the other spinners. It may also show the alertness and communicate the school where they are. This acrobatic jump may also help the spinner dolphins to free their food that can be attached to other large fish.

According to some resources from the net, I found out that the morning times are the celebration time for the spinner dolphins as they play together. The spinners touch and rub each other and engage in playful games. They swim underneath one another and move their pectoral fins back and forth. Some spinners hold hands with their flippers and caress each other with their tail flukes.

Spinner dolphins may differ in body size, shape and color patterns. But, in general they have common characters, namely, slender bodies, long and thin beak, small flippers pointed at the tips, and appeared in dark gray, light gray and white colors. Most of these spinner dolphins have white bellies.

Spinner dolphins have 45 to 65 teeth, which are pointed in each side of the upper and lower jaws. The spinner dolphin feed on small fishes and squids. The female spinners reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 to 7 years and the male spinners reach maturity at the age of 7 to 10 years. The newborn calves measure 80cm in length. The female spinner dolphins nurse their calves from one to two years.

Resources:
http://wilddolphin.org/spinner.html
http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/SpinnerDolphin.htm

Insect feelers

To start with, I remember an incident that happened when my daughter loved to walk and move around non-stop. I remember, as a two year old toddler, the most fearful thing that made her scream is the antennae or the feelers of a cockroach.

 

One day when we were both watching an animated cartoon story in the television, a small cockroach somehow made its way from the kitchen to the drawing room. It walked and stopped near me. The cockroach was just standing there, but the feelers touched her tiny little left leg.

 

Tickled by the sensation of the feeler, she screamed and jumped into my lap and hugged me tightly. I can fear her little heart beating loudly with fear, and it took me sometime to pacify her. But, for me, the feelers of the insects always fascinate me.

 

The most interesting feature in an insect that attracts me is antennae or feelers. Most of the insects have feelers. I don’t remember seeing an insect without feelers. The antennae are a pair of sense organs found at the front side of the head of an insect. These feelers have olfactory receivers that can detect smell in the air. It is surprising to note that many insects use their feelers to sense the level of moisture.There are many types of antennae or feelers.

 

Bristle like feelers (dragonflies), thread likeFeelers (cockroaches), bead like feelers (termites), comb like feelers (male glowworms),brush like feelers (mosquitoes), saw-toothed feelers (beetles), gradually clubbed feelers (carrion beetles), abruptly clubbed feelers (butterflies), nested plate like feelers (scarab beetles), elbowed feelers (ants and weevils), and pouch like feelers with lateral bristle (houseflies).

 

Mosquitoes find out sounds with the helps of their feelers. Many flies use their feelers to measure the speed of the air when they are flying. Isn’t it surprising to find out that antennae helped monarch butterflies to find out the exact direction of their migration?

 

Resources:http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/tutorial/antenna.html

Pumpkins

 The first thing that comes to my mind while thinking about pumpkins is their flowers. Every year during the month of Markazhi, the Tamil month, which comes in between November and December, every house in the villages and towns decorate the traditional kolams with pumpkin flowers. The whole month of Markazhi has religious significance in Hinduism.

 

Celebrations will be going on in all the temples of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The whole town or village wakes up around 4 a.m. in the morning. Pumpkins are creepers that run along the ground. In villages, these creepers can be seen in and around all homes. The big yellow flowers of pumpkins are a treat to eyes. Young women and girls will clean the front yard of their homes, sprinkle water and draw beautiful kolams with the white stone powder. Then to ward off evil, they will take small amount of cow dung and roll it into a little mount to place at the middle of the kolam.

 

Pumpkin flowers from the male pumpkin creepers are then plucked and placed on the top of the little dung mount. For the past ten years, it has become a routine practice, even in cities like Chennai, to smash pumpkins at 12 noon on a New Moon day. The top portion of the pumpkin is carved and a small opening is made. Turmeric kumkum powder is sprinkled inside the pumpkin through the opening. One rupee coin is dropped inside the pumpkin and the opening is once again closed and sealed.

 

Exactly at 12 noon, especially people who own shops and agencies will take the pumpkin and lit a piece of camphor at the top of the pumpkin. The pumpkin is then taken around the shop and smashed in front of the shop. This is done on every New Moon day to ward of evil and to invoke gods to bring good business and prosperity. In Tamil Nadu cuisine, pumpkin is used in making sambar on a Friday. It is believed that sambar made with pumpkin on a Friday or on a New Moon day will bring prosperity to homes.

 

Sambar is a curry done with dhoor dhal. Slices of pumpkins are added to the sambar to bring the real flavor of sambar. Pumpkin acts as a coolant and helps the body to remain cool. Pumpkin sambar is prepared on the day of Pongal and it perfectly suits the Pongal recipe prepared with moong dhal without adding jaggery.  

Flowers

The world will not be a beautiful place if it is without flowers. Flowers with their varied colors and perfume tell the human beings that the life is here to live and enjoy life as it is. Flowers have the power to make even a shabby place look as a place worth living. A flower can bring along with it cleanliness, beauty and peace of mind to the place.

 

According to wikipedia, a flower is a reproductive structure found in flowering plants. The four main parts of a flower are the calyx, corolla, stamen and pistil. The parts of a flower are arranged in a circular pattern called a whorl. Calyx is the outer whorl of sepals. Calyx is green in color and in some plants it looks like a petal. As a collective unit the sepals form a calyx, and the petals form the Corolla.

 

The Corolla is the inner whorl of petals. The petals are thin, soft and colorful to attract insects for pollination. A whorl of stamens consists of a bunch of filaments. Each filament is topped by an anther, in which pollen is produced. The pollen contains the male gametes. The pistil is the female part of the flower. The pistil has the carpel, which is the female reproductive organ of a flower. The sticky tip of the pistil is called stigma and it receives the pollen grains.

 

The floral structure of every plant is different from the other. The main parts of a flower are described by their position and not by their function. It is surprising to note that all the flowers do not have all the four main parts of a flower. Some flowers lack some parts or some times they are modified for some specific function.

 

The floral formula is used by the botanists to represent the structure of a flower. Specific letters, symbols and numerals are used to describe the structure of a flower.

 

Ca – calyx

Co – corolla

A – androecium

G – gynoecium

 

Many flowers are used as symbols with specific meanings. Red roses are considered as symbols for love, beauty and passion. Daisies are considered as symbols for innocence. Lilies are considered as symbols for resurrection and life. Jasmine is also considered as a symbol for love. Orchids are symbols for perfection, and sunflowers are considered as a symbol for infatuation. In Hindu mythology, Lotus is considered as a symbol for fertility, purity and creation.

Water, Water, Water

How precious it is for you - the single drop of water that reaches the ground? Do you spend every day few minutes to think how you fail to preserve water in its pure state? Hardly, a very few can tell, it is every one’s responsibility to do so.

 

Water is the basic granule of life that could turn a place rich and green or poor and yellow. Dehydration can spoil your health and make you deprived of energy that runs your life. Scarcity of water in your body mass can dry your cells, make them shrink and invite all kinds of health issues. Water is not only important for this planet Earth; it is important to every living thing in this world. It will be my humble plea that every one who are here to spend their lives as a human being must respect every drop of water and understand the vital importance of water to every individual life in this Earth, a human being, an animal, a bird or a plant. Even a car will not run smoothly if the radiator gets heated and runs dry without water.

 

Air, Air, Air

 

Yes, how good you feel when you breathe in through your nose, the fresh air that smells of fragrant flowers or delicious smell of fruits that nature has blessed us with. Definitely, this may remind you of your loved ones who serve with fresh fruits or flowers to brighten up your spirit and make you feel confident and happy. The stretch of air that envelops this Earth must always be pure and pure and pure to make our lives healthy.

 

It is true, we could not live in this world sans technical comfort that technology has brought into our routine life style. Every technical marvel that flies in the sky as high-speed travel utilities mar the purity of the air and make every unit of air in this world turn impure. It is important to be pure not only in our thoughts, words, and actions. It is very important we maintain the air around us to be purest to the core. Invisible particles that make the air impure can be a spoiler to your good health and prevent you from enjoying a comfortable life that the technology has provided. Make a promise today that you will spare the air from becoming impure at least for few seconds if not for minutes.

Earth, Earth, Earth

How long can you stand the slap that hits you hard on your cheek every second? It is similar to the pounding that hits the Earth every second with drills and pounders. What will happen if the Earth hits back and make us feel the pain? Now-a-days natural disasters are all human induced and not a natural one. Be it rains, storms, tremors, shakes or pulls - human hands have induced more severe natural disasters than nature could evoke.

 

It is so sad that we fail to realize how blessed are we to be born in this Earth to enjoy the bountiful nature that touches everything with colour and prosperity. How long are we going to live taking everything granted and believe everything will be the same forever. The onset of global warming has already triggered numerous man made natural disasters. We have no time to ponder on this line of thought but take an immediate action that will set the human kind to be on the path of revival and happiness. 

Aviation Safety

With globalization more people are travelling across the world.  Aviation industry has made it possible by connecting people from every nook and corner of the world. Though some of the recent air accidents may chill our nerves, still flying is considered as the quickest form of transport that assures 100% percent safety for both passengers and their goods.  Practically, there is more chance of getting killed while walking down the pedestrian-cross or riding a bicycle in the safe zone.  Fatality rate due to travel was found to be 0.27 by rail, 2.57 by car and 0.003 by air.

Safety has been the first priority in the aviation industry, but unexpected aviation accidents are still nightmares.  Risk management, training, and technology have brought commendable improvements in the aviation industry. The updated, technically sound risk management tools are successful in identifying even negligible issues and prevent them from turning into significant issues. Aircraft safety inspections and investigations for air accidents have also become effective due to excellence in quality control and manufacture. Significant changes in the safety management have totally modified the view of human factor in the air line sector. Cockpit data monitoring systems utilize digital audio and visual recording equipment to identify safety trends that can help to explore causes for accidents.

Aviation accidents always involved an element of human error. The tools that help to run airline risk management departments and identify problems before they become critical, have also improved greatly. Though there are several factors that take responsibility for improvement, jet engines in 1950s brought in the much-awaited development.   Unlike piston engines used in the earlier flights, jet engines provided reliability and safety.  In today’s context, it has been proved that chances for any engine failure has been eliminated completely by it.

Introduction of digital instruments in the 1970s and the fly-by-wire technology in the 1980s are also worth to notice.  Tremendous improvement in air-traffic control technology, sensors, and navigation equipment has also brought the ultimate change. Changes in aircraft designs are also much sought after to make flights more affordable even to the common man.  Not only this, the growing concern for healthy environment may have an impact in the aviation technology. Solar powered planes, electric and hybrid planes are also available with their new techniques and designs to uplift air travel to a different level.

Handling Flight Emergencies

With more and more people choosing to fly by air to reach their destination, it is not fair to scare them by highlighting the risks and dangers of taking a flight. Aviation industry has been following excellent rules of safety and it is not scary anymore to fly up in the sky and conquer your dreams of achieving the best.

If you want to make your travel smooth, easy and memorable, always remember the simple tips that can help you act sensibly during an emergency landing.
Your dress: Take care to choose your dress to be flame retardant and protect your skin from flame or friction during an emergency. Wool or cotton will be the best choice. It is better for women to avoid wearing stockings and skirts. When it comes to foot wear, always choose tennis shoes for they can help you to act quickly during an evacuation.
Your run kit: Get ready with your run kit or your small wallet, which will hold your passport, list of medicines, cash, and a list of contact numbers that you should not miss during an emergency. You must wear your small wallet bag during your entire travel schedule and it must not invite the attention of any attendants on the flight.
The safety video: Never skip watching the safety video! Even if you are watching it for the hundredth time. One may feel bored to watch it again and again, but it will have all the important information you may need during an emergency.

You may be travelling with your laptop with important information for your business trip. Always remember to maintain a backup for your files and records on a hard-drive. You may prefer to listen to music using your own headphones. But it is always better to use the in-flight system. During emergencies, you immediately listen to the instructions given by the flight crew or captain and act accordingly. Relax and enjoy your flight travel. Look around and get familiar with the place around you. Note where the exit door is placed and also note down the distance between your seat and the exit. It will help you to manage your move towards the exit door.  Flight attendants are your emergency service personnel who are trained to help you during an emergency. Listen and follow their instructions without fail.

Strengthening Your Karate Skills

Believed to be from China and Japan, Karate as a martial art has now turned to be a popular self-defense skill to learn and to excel. Though it had its origin from China, it developed into a method of self-defense in Japan. Karate existed during a period when weapons were banned and this martial art was practiced using empty hands. Consistent practice of techniques used in Karate will help you understand the important basics. There are different styles of Karate such as modern, traditional and western that include Full-contact and American Freestyle. Yet, the base techniques remain the same. 

• Shotokan - powerful, steady movements, be at centre in all positions
• Goju-Ryu - slower movements, focus breathing, linear move
Spend your time to know how Karate differs from other existing martial arts. It is easy to confuse with different styles and unknowingly interchange names of those marital arts. It is also true all martial arts employ techniques that resemble one another.

Karate focuses on techniques involving open hands and striking moves. It also uses kicking, knee and elbow strikes and punches. Practicing involves four essential style aspects. With a combination of techniques, these four aspects include distinct form of movements.
• Kihon - learning basic techniques
• Kata - learning a strategy that combines techniques in a flow
• Bunkai - learning to analyze movements and apply in real
• Kumite - learning free sparring

You must know how to excel basic punches in Karate. Every punch is straight, and twisting the wrist near the point of impact. To avoid getting hurt, always use your first two knuckles to hit and ensure you didn’t lock your elbow.
In Karate, kicks help you to maintain the distance between your opponent and you. It is also used as an option when you are not able to move due to a block or while preventing an attack. Karate is not used for offence, but it is used for self-defense. You must know how to defend yourself in any situation.
Front kick – to hit with your foot
Side kick – to keep your toes pointing down and hit with the foot
Roundhouse kick – to hit with your foot, toes curled up, with the foot turned sideways
Hook kick – a roundhouse, reversed kick
Back kick - to kick and hit using your heel

Learning Your Karate Moves

In real life, we rarely hear about Jeet Kune Do or Judo experts who walk into a public place and start to thrash everything across the street. Experts in martial arts prefer to use it for self-defense and not for killing. They still know some dangerous moves can be killing blows. Killer moves are never taught in usual classes where they teach martial arts. It is true, in practice some of the moves have been discontinued. Most of them are found only in military training for practicing hand-to-hand combat.  Even if you enjoy watching martial arts, you will not be able to watch those moves in authorized matches. Practicing these moves in the match is not allowed because if you happen to practice these moves in the wrong way, each hold can kill or bring in damage permanently. 

Performing Elbow Strike
When you are hit with your opponent’s elbow going straight down onto the back of your head or neck, it will cause immense pain. The elbow strike may not kill you, but you will be out of the fight for some time. Though the move is still considered legal to use in an MMA match, it is not regarded as a good move. In this move, in downward elbows, the elbow of the attacker starts at the 12 o’clock position and moves down to the 6 o’clock position.
If you want to defeat your opponent, then you need to punch in the throat to shut him down. This move when performed in the correct way can crush your windpipe. Even a half-hearted punch on the throat may still knock your opponent to go off balance and deal with pain.
Performing A Killer Move
One of the well-known dangerous moves in martial arts is the reverse neck choke or the sleeper hold. The most difficult part of this move is to position yourself behind your opponent. Once you get your position, you can wrap your arm easily around the neck of your opponent and lock the hold until oxygen is cut off in the brain. Now you can knock out your opponent or hold the choke to cause death or damage to the brain permanently. Fish-hooking is another dangerous move to consider in a fight where survival at the end becomes the goal. This move when applied with sufficient pressure can cause permanent damage. In modern contests, this move is banned.

Safety Measures In Aviation

 With globalisation more people are travelling across the world. Aviation industry has made it possible by connecting people from every nook and corner of the world.  Though some of the recent air accidents may chill our nerves, still flying is considered as the quickest form of transport that assures 100% percent safety for both passengers and their goods. Practically, there is more chance of getting killed while walking down the pedestrian-cross or riding a bicycle in the safe zone. Fatality rate due to travel was found to be 0.27 by rail, 2.57 by car and 0.003 by air.

 

Safety has been the first priority in the aviation industry, but unexpected aviation accidents are still nightmares. Risk management, training, and technology have brought commendable improvements in the aviation industry. The updated, technically sound risk management tools are successful in identifying even negligible issues and prevent them from turning into significant issues. Aircraft safety inspections and investigations for air accidents have also become effective due to excellence in quality control and manufacture.

 

Significant changes in the safety management have totally modified the view of human factor in the air line sector. Cockpit data monitoring systems utilize digital audio and visual recording equipment to identify safety trends that can help to explore causes for accidents. Aviation accidents always involved an element of human error. The tools that help to run airline risk management departments and identify problems before they become critical, have also improved greatly. Though there are several factors that take responsibility for improvement, jet engines in 1950s brought in the much-awaited development. Unlike piston engines used in the earlier flights, jet engines provided reliability and safety. In today’s context, it has been proved that chances for any engine failure has been eliminated completely by it. Introduction of digital instruments in the 1970s and the fly-by-wire technology in the 1980s are also worth to notice. Tremendous improvement in air-traffic control technology, sensors, and navigation equipment has also brought the ultimate change.

 

Changes in aircraft designs are also much sought after to make flights more affordable even to the common man. Not only this, the growing concern for healthy environment may have an impact in the aviation technology. Solar powered planes, electric and hybrid planes are also available with their new techniques and designs to uplift air travel to a different level.

Impressum

Texte: Kalai Selvi Arivalagan
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 11.04.2011

Alle Rechte vorbehalten

Widmung:
My love for information