Happy Janmashtami

Janmashtami is celebrated to welcome and enjoy Lord Krishna's birth.

According to some scholars, Krishna was born on Wednesday,the eighth day of second fortnight in Sravana month in the year of Visvavasu around 3227 BC, also known as Dwapur Yug. July 19th 3228 BC, according to the Gregorian calendar.

Lord Krishna was born in a prison cell in the captivity of King Kansa. Soon after the birth, a chain of events astonished father Vasudev, when he saw the gates of the cell flow open and all the guards fast asleep. He immediately thought of Nand ,his close friend in Gokul and decided to handover his child to him in order to save him from the clutch of Kansa.

Father Vasudev taking Krishna to Gokul on the stormy night through a flooded Jamuna, while the great snake Sheshnag shades the child from the pouring rain.


With foster mother Yashoda


Sucking the lifeblood out of demoness Putna who was trying to poison him with her poison-laced breastmilk


Foster mother Yashoda sees the universe in the mouth of the child


Stealing butter stealthily from foster mother Yashoda's kitchen


With (foster) brother Balram and other shepherd kids


With (foster) brother Balram


Taming the evil serpent Kalia


With (foster) brother Balram, beating the demon league of Dhenukasura, after Balram has killed the demon king himself


Picking up the Mt Govardhan with his little finger to save the villagers and crush the pride of the rain-God Indra


Playing the flute for a devotee


Viraat roop (divine form), to explain to Arjuna the divinity of the soul during Geeta


Sounding the battle conch, with Arjuna


As Arjuna's driver in the war


Battle-raged Krishna going for Bhishma, with Arjuna pleading him to stop (Krishna had pledged not to fire a weapon in the war)

VIDEO: Obama's Running Mate on Experience

Here's senator Joe Biden, senator Barak Obama's Vice-Presidential candidate, on the importance of experience. Enjoy!

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Of course, the ad is from Biden's 1988 bid for the Oval Office.

VIDEO: Take Your Best Shot

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VIDEO: The Laser Cat

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The Biggest Water Fountains in the World

As you are aware, Dubai has the world's only 7-star hotel (Burj Al Arab) and is building the world's largest amusement/ theme park (Dubailand) and the world's tallest building (Burj tower). Click here for the Dec 2007 post with pictures of all these.

Now comes news that they are building the world's largest fountain next to the world's tallest building.

In May, Emaar Properties unveiled a world-class permanent water fountain project with an integral light and sound show for Downtown Burj Dubai. It will be the world’s largest fountain at over 900 ft (275 metres) in length, equivalent to that of over two football fields and it is about 25 per cent larger than The Fountains at Bellagio in Las Vegas in area. Powerful water nozzles will shoot water sprays to heights of over 500 ft (150 metres), equivalent to that of a 50-story building.

The fountains - which are yet to be named - will feature over 6,600 lights and 50 colour projectors that will create a vibrant visual spectrum of over 1,000 different water expressions by shooting 22,000 gallons of water. The total cost to built this is AED 800 million (US$218 million)! This project is expected to draw over 10 million visitors annually.

The fountain is positioned next to Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, and The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations. As I have said before, these fountains are yet to be named, and a cash prize of $27,225 will be given to the person who suggests the perfect name for this water fountain project.

This fountain project is scheduled to be operational in 2009!

Here are some pictures of what it is expected to look like:

VIDEO: He Remembers Love

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Reunion of Christian, the erstwhile London-dwelling and now Africa-based lion, with his human Londoner friends, in Africa.

A Little Thing Called Faith

This is the story of a little dog named Faith. He was born on Christmas Eve in 2002 with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which need to be amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.



His first owner also did not think that he could survive. Therefore, he was thinking of putting him to sleep. At this time, his present owner Jude Stringfellow met him and wanted to take care of him. She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. Therefore she named him "Faith."

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surf board to let him feel the movements of the water. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and to reward him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dogs at home helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, after only 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow, he can now walk like a human being.



Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared in various newspapers and TV shows. There is even one book entitled "With a little faith" being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.



His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching job and plans to take him around the world to preach, that "even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul."



























"Life is not holding a good hand; Life is playing a poor hand well." ~ Danish proverb

B+

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Perceptual Filters

Ziggy

Job of the UN

Non Sequitur

Cleaning Up the Mess

Non Sequitur

VIDEO: Time for some campaignin'

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Geography

Ben Sargent

Calling the Kettle Black

Pat Oliphant

World's Oldest Jokes

Based on research conducted by UK TV channel Dave:

1. Something which has never occurred since time immemorial: a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap (1900 BC – 1600 BC Sumerian Proverb Collection 1.12-1.13)

2. How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish (An abridged version first found in 1600 BC on the Westcar Papryus)

3. Three ox drivers from Adab were thirsty: one owned the ox, the other owned the cow and the other owned the wagon's load. The owner of the ox refused to get water because he feared his ox would be eaten by a lion; the owner of the cow refused because he thought his cow might wander off into the desert; the owner of the wagon refused because he feared his load would be stolen. So they all went. In their absence the ox made love to the cow which gave birth to a calf which ate the wagon's load. Problem: Who owns the calf?! (1200 BC)

4. A woman who was blind in one eye has been married to a man for 20 years. When he found another woman he said to her, "I shall divorce you because you are said to be blind in one eye." And she answered him: "Have you just discovered that after 20 years of marriage!?" (Egyptian circa 1100 BC)

5. Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his real name is nobody. When Odysseus instructs his men to attack the Cyclops, the Cyclops shouts: "Help, nobody is attacking me!" No one comes to help. (Homer. The Odyssey 800 BC)

6. Question: What animal walks on four feet in the morning, two at noon and three at evening? Answer: Man. He goes on all fours as a baby, on two feet as a man and uses a cane in old age (Appears in Oedipus Tyrannus and first performed in 429 BC)

7. Man is even more eager to copulate than a donkey - his purse is what restrains him (Egyptian, Ptolemaic Period 304 BC – 30 BC)

8. Augustus was touring his Empire and noticed a man in the crowd who bore a striking resemblance to himself. Intrigued he asked: "Was your mother at one time in service at the Palace?" "No your Highness," he replied, "but my father was." (Credited to the Emporer Augustus 63 BC – 29 AD)

9. Wishing to teach his donkey not to eat, a pedant did not offer him any food. When the donkey died of hunger, he said "I've had a great loss. Just when he had learned not to eat, he died." (Dated to the Philogelos 4th /5th Century AD)

10. Asked by the court barber how he wanted his hair cut, the king replied: "In silence." (Collected in the Philogelos or "Laughter-Lover" the oldest extant jest book and compiled in the 4th/5th Century AD)

VIDEO: BBC Bible Code

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The Bible Code on BBC Horizon

VIDEO: Zamfir Unplugged

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The dance of clouds around Ben Nevis in Scotland.

Why men wear clothes...

Early experiences that convinced the human male to clothe himself.....