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[Visalakshi Ramani]

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I had no idea that this thread will be revived in less than month after my latest post.

One reason why I thought of winding this up was that the response as seen on the face of the figures was not encouraging.:bored:

But many people read from the blog. So the number of views is the sum of the figure on the face of it plus the number of blog views. :flock:

So this thread may be continued after the series of the long articles In Daily Dose of Interesting Information comes to an end.:bump2:

This thread gives me an additional advantage! :thumb:

Can you guess and find out what it could be?!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Less known facts about well known authors

will appear in this thread very soon.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

dear friends,

I hope to be able to resume this thread on 1st October-
if not earlier.

My sons have done their best to free me from the mercy of the unpredictable power cut.

They have set up a wireless which will be ON despite the power cuts.

They have provided the laptop with a Logitech mouse for easier operation.

Theoretically I should be able to work irrespective of the power supply! :typing:

God bless them for their concern and thoughtfulness! ray:

Take care till we met again! :wave:
with warm regards, ray2:
Mrs. V. R.

 

[sadasivam.sridharan]

Gold part # 1.

Gold is the most brilliant and the most sinister metal known to man! It had influenced human history and caused bloody wars, arson, looting, and other heinous crimes which have been committed to win this yellow metal.

In Tamil it is called as "Aatkolli" meaning "slayer of human beings". It is one of the three desires a man should guard himself from! The other two are power and women.

Extreme greed and its harrowing consequences are best conveyed by the story of King Midas. He sought a rare boon from Dionysus, the God of wine, that whatever he touched should be transformed into pure gold. He was thrilled to find that everything he laid hand up on was transformed into pure gold-until it was his dinner time!

When the royal food and drink he touched transformed to gold it became quiet another story. He begged the God to take back his boon. A combination of unlimited greed and utter lack of imagination! Can any one eat or drink Gold?

But one can live in a gold palace, sleep on a gold cot and bathe in a gold tub!

Here is the story of the gold bath tub!
(To be continued)

Srimad Bhagavatham which is the essence of great Vedas declares that the wicked Kali resides in gold which is the cause of miseries for human beings from time immemorial.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#54. கலியின் இருப்பிடங்கள்.

ஒரு நாள் மன்னன் பரீக்ஷித்து கண்டது,
ஒரு கால் எருதினை அடிக்கும் மனிதனை;
அருகினில் ஒரு பசு உருவினில் பூமகள்,
அருவியாய்ப் பெருகிடும் கண்ணீர் வழிந்திட;

முதல் யுகமான கிருத யுகத்தினில்,
முழு எருதாக இருந்தது தர்ம தேவதை.
தவம், ஆசாரம், தயை, சத்யம் என்ற
தன் கால்கள் ஒவ்வொன்றாய் இழந்து;

கலியுகத்தில் சத்யம் என்னும் ஒரே
காலுடன் தடுமாறுகின்றது தர்மம்.
தடியால் அடிப்பவனே கலிபுருடன்,
தாங்க முடியவில்லை மன்னனுக்கு.

“இனி என் நாட்டில் உன்னைப் போன்ற,
இரக்கமில்லதவனுக்கு இடமில்லை “என்று
கலியை விரட்ட முனைந்தான் மன்னன்,
கலியோ தன் பக்க நியாயத்தைப் பகர்ந்தான்.

“இறைவன் என்னை இப்படிப் படைத்தான்,
இதில் என் தவறு ஏதும் இல்லை. நீங்கள்
அளிக்கும் இடத்தில் ஒளிந்து கொள்கின்றேன் ,
அனுமதி தரவும் வேண்டுகின்றேன்” எனப் பணிய,

மது, மாது, கொலை, சூது, தங்கம் என்று
மன்னன் கலிக்கு அளித்தான் ஐந்து இடங்கள்.
போதாது என்று மன்றாடிய கலிக்கு அளித்தான்,
மேதாவி மன்னன் மேலும் ஐந்து இடங்கள்,

காமம், பொய், வெறி, கலகம், பகைமை;
கலிக்கு கிடைத்த வேறு ஐந்து புகலிடங்கள்.
கலியின் புகலிடங்கள் அறிந்து, அவற்றுடன்,
கலப்பதை நாம் அறவே தவிர்ப்போம்! .

வாழ்க வளமுடன்,
விசாலாக்ஷி ரமணி.


THE HIDEOUTS OF KALI.

One day King Pareekshit saw a strange and moving spectacle! An ox was precariously balancing on its only leg. A cruel man was thrashing the ox harshly.

A cow stood nearly shedding copious tears.
The ox was the Dharma Devan. The cow was the Mother earth and the cruel man was the Kali purushan.

At the beginning of the Chatur yuga, the ox had all is four legs intact. During the first three yugas, viz Kritha, Treta and Dwapara , it lost three of its legs called Tapas, Achaaram and Daya. In Kali Yuga it was left with a solitary leg called satyam.

The King became very angry and ordered the kali purushan to leave his country immediately. But Kali presented the king his side of the problem.

“Oh King! It is not my fault that you find me disagreeable. I was made this way by God Himself. I too need a place to live in. So please give me some place to live and I will not disturb your citizens. I will confine myself in the allotted space.”

It looked reasonable and the King gave him five places to hide. They were wine, women, murder, gambling and gold!

Kali demanded for five more places until the king gave him these five more places viz Lust, Falsehood, Frenzy, Fury and Enmity.

Now that we know Kali’s hideouts we must avoid them very carefully – if we do not wish to be bothered by Kali.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Strange facts about some famous authors.

# 1. JOSEPH CONRAD.

This famous novelist is praised highly for his mastery over English.

Can you believe that he did not know a single word of English-until he was nineteen years old?

He was born in Poland. His real name was Teodor Jozef Konrad Walecz Korzeniowksi
(a real tongue-twister! isn't it ?)

He learned English after becoming a mariner, aboard a merchant ship, in the 1870s.

He published his first novel, Almayer's Folly,
in 1895, when he was 38 years old!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Posts in this thread will appear only every other day!

That will give me twice as much time to explore and

prepare them! :clock:

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 2. A gruesome reminder!

The brilliance of Cicero the famous Roman orator, resulted in his head and right hand being cut off and nailed to the public rostrum from-which he had delivered his brilliant speeches.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony was was in control of Rome. Cicero was rash enough to to challenge and attack Anthony, his former friend.

He was declared and outlaw. When he tried to escape to Greece, he was captured and killed by the bounty hunters.

Cicero's head and right hand were brought and displayed as gruesome relics-the head that spoke against and the hand that wrote against Mark Anthony!

So much for past friendship! :scared:

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 3. Vladimir Nabokov.

This Russian born American writer is world famous for his satirical novel Lolita, published in 1955.

Nabokov was a lepidopterist... or a collector of butterflies!

He considers as his greatest achievement the discovery of several species of butterflies that bear his name.

His favorite is Eupithecia nabokovi, discovered in Utah in 1093.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 4. Novel born out of a nightmare!

R.L. Stevenson threw the first version of his macabre masterpiece titled The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on fire and burnt it to ash.

His American wife Fanny disliked the novel. A quarrel ensued and in a fit of temper, he threw his work into a fire. :flame:

The unusual plot for the novel occurred to the Scottish writer in one of his nightmares in 1885!

He sat and wrote the whole novel in three days and three nights non-stop!

He resented his hasty action later. He sat and wrote the 30,000 words again in just three days.:typing:

The book was published as a Shilling Shocker in 1886. :scared:

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 5. The deadly glass of water.

Arnold Bennett was a famous English novelist. He died because of an act of mindless dare devilry which backfired!

He wanted to prove that the drinking water supplied in Paris was safe and pure enough to be drunk.

So he defiantly drank water from a carafe in the restaurant of a small Paris hotel. He caught typhoid and tied in London two months later.

What a way to lose one's precious life - betting on dirty water!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 6. A book worth a million pounds!

Bible may be the most printed book in the world. But it made the first printer Gutenberg bankrupt, penniless and heartbroken!

The Gutenberg bible was the first work to be printed in Europe with a movable type. To exploit this new type, Gutenberg formed a partnership with Johann Fust - a lawyer and a goldsmith( a dangerous combination?)

He borrowed money from Fust. The first Gutenberg bible appeared in 1455. But Gutenberg was unable to repay his loan. The partnership dissolved and Fust took over the press and types.

He made the printing business lucrative and successful with the help of his son in law - who was already in the printing business.

Gutenberg was forgotten and died a destitute at the age of seventy!
Of the 200 copies originally printed by him, 48 are believed to survive to this day.

Strangely a copy of Gutenberg Bible is worth a million pounds today!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 7. Winners never quit!

British author John Creasey( 1908 to 1973) had published 564 mystery novels under his own name and 13 other pseudonyms. :typing:

Can you believe that he had received the rejection slip 743 times before his first work appeared? :hand:

What a self confidence, determination and tenacity! :thumb: :clap2:

 

[Haridasa Siva]

Water water everywhere……..

Agriculture consumes 71% of all water globally. Industry consumes 16% and individual consumers the balance.

It takes 2 906 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. This includes the water to grow cotton.


Global average per capita water consumption: 1 003 gallons/day
In the U.S., it is 2 057 gallons/day. Yet another case of U.S. consuming more of the resources on earth?


Price of tap water:
Mumbai: US $ 0.04
New York: US $ 0.39
London: US $ 0.73
Copenhagen: US $ 3.03

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Price of tap water:
Mumbai: US $ 0.04
New York: US $ 0.39
London: US $ 0.73
Copenhagen: US $ 3.03

You forgot to specify the unit of volume of water!

 

[Haridasa Siva]

I guess it is per gallon.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Sorry! Guessing is NOT allowed! :nono:
Please find out the correct unit of volume.

I guess it is per gallon.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 8. Premonition?

The Russian poet Alexander Pushkin ( 1799 to 1837) anticipated his own death in his novel (in verse form) Eugene Onegin, published in 1831.

In the novel, Onegin- a cynical and shallow fellow- visits his country estate. he rejects the amorous advances of a teenage girl who falls in love with him.

Seeking excitement, he challenges a romantic young poet Lenski and kills him. Later this situation was duplicated in his own life.:shocked:

Pushkin married Natasha - a frivolous seventeen year old girl. She became infatuated with a Baron. Pushkin insulted the Baron. This led to a pistol duel and the poet was mortally wounded by the Baron in 1837.:attention:

The premonition proved futile in saving his life! :doh:

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 9. Halley's Comet.

Mark Twin, the U.S. writer was born in 1835 - the year of Halley's Comet!

He predicted that since he had entered the world along with the comet, he would also leave the world along with it!

The Halley's Comet returned in May 1910. Mark Twain died in April 1910.
He is the famous creator of the fascinating characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

His real name was Samuel Clemens. He assumed his pen name as Mark Twain from the cry of the Mississippi boats men. He had worked with them as a river pilot for some time.

"Mark Twain!" was the call of the sailor for sounding the shallows, a depth of two fathoms of twelve feet.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 10. The Lunatic Lunar kiss!

According to the ancient Chinese historians, one of the Chinese poets Li Po (705 to 762 A.D) died due his twin passions in life- the wine :spit: and love !

He was drunk to his eyebrows and tried to kiss the reflection of the full moon, while traveling in a boat! :fish2:

He fell out of the boat and died in a vain attempt of a lunatic's lunar lip-lock! :tsk:

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 11. A Gift from the coffin!

Dante Gabriel Rossetti watched his wife die on a night in February in 1862.

He was overcome by grief and a feeling of guilt that he had been working on his manuscript, while his wife lay suffering from consumption.

He placed the only manuscript of his lyrical poems in her coffin. They had been married for less than two years. But she had been his model and inspiration for a much longer period!

Seven years after her death, his wife Lizzie visited him in the form of Chaffinch. She told him to reclaim his poems from her coffin.

On 4 th October 1869, his poems were retrieved from her coffin.

The poem was published in 1870. The first edition sold out in less than two weeks. Six more editions appeared during that year, earning the poet a handsome royalty!opcorn:

Truly a Gift from the coffin! :thumb:

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 12. Oh! What a family!

No one could have emerged from a stranger family than Lord Tennyson- the poet Lurette of Victorian Britain.

His father was a violent drunkard who terrorized the neighborhood. Out of his twelve siblings, two were insane, one was a drug-addict, one was an alcoholic, and another subject to equally violent outbursts as his father!

All were subject to out bursts, fits, depression, and different degrees of mania.

In spite of having such a strange family, Lord Tennyson produced some of the most popular poems of the 19th Century.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 13. "Mad, bad and dangerous!"

"I woke up one morning and found myself famous!" wrote Lord Byron, after the publication of the first two cantos of his epic poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, in 1812.

Byron was the first English poet who achieved worldwide fame during his own lifetime. Childe Harold was a portrait of himself. The melancholic, romantic hero fleeing from the idle pleasures and a life of dispassion.

He was described as "mad, bad and dangerous to know!"by his mistress Lady Caroline Lamb.

His unfinished satirical master pieces Don Juan gives his views on society, money, power, poetry and the state of England.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

# 14. The villainous Villon.

The 2000 line poem Le grand Testament made the poet Francois Villon famous. It also brought to light his real portrait as a vagabond, a thief
and a beggar!

Born in Paris in 1431, he was a brilliant student. He got involved in a number of drunken brawls and killed a priest with his sword. He was banished from Paris in 1455, but was later given a royal pardon.

He was in and out of prison for theft and for fighting. Another person got killed by him. Villon was sentenced to death by hanging.

Good friends intervened and got his death sentence changed into ten years of exile. He left the prison in 1463 and was never heard of of again!

His poetry gives an urivalled picture of the criminal life in medieval France.

 

[guruvayurappan]

namasthe !
very elaborate details about lead.thanks
will you elaborate why we use lead vessel for making rasam in our kitchen if it is poison as well as medicine?