SEDONA-NATURE'S PARADISE

The town of Sedona is about 120 miles from Tempe,Arizona State. It was named after the wife of T.Carl Schnebly,who came to the area when there were just 5 other families.Carl and Sedona built a wooden home that was the only one in the area large enough to accommodate visitors.
It is situated in a unique geological area that has mesmerized people for decades.The picturesque city,surrounded by red rock monoliths named for the distinctive objects,their shapes resemble Bell,Cathedral,Coffee Pot,Snoopy,etc-rates as one of the country's most beautiful places.
Towering high above Sedona and its hall mark Canyon rises the Mogollon Rim,which was formed from ancient deposits of limestone, mud-stone and sand stone,when the area was the west coast of a still emerging continent.
Sedona's natural endowments also include the 1.8 million acre Coconino Natural Forest which essentially engulfs the city and encompasses seven wilderness areas.The vast and scenic woodland features magnificent ponderosa pines and trees with colourful leaves(Fall season) ,lakes,spectacular canyons,snow capped pinnacles and abundant wild life and it is also the site of ancient ruins with valuable historic significance.
At Out of Africa Wildlife Park, we get a completely different view of wild life as it is not a Zoo.Here,exotic animals from around the world roam in spacious habitats,giving us a chance to see these beautiful creatures and their natural behaviour up-close.
Uptown Sedona is a diverse mix of galleries restaurants and shops.Route 89 A becomes a main street of fine art and fashion along with fun souvenirs and recreational art fitting.It is full of  prominent store-fronts and hidden retail gems.
There is a lovely and world renowned Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts village on State route 179.

OLD IS GOLD

A 101 year old Rolls Royce has been dubbed the "Best car in the world" and is expected to fetch 550000 pounds(Approximately Rs 4.7 crores) at a forthcoming auction in UK. It was delivered on 1/4/1911 to Sir Adolph Tuck,the son of millionaire Raphael Tuck,who made his fortune in the post card industry at the end of the 19th century.

SOURCE: Business Today 2/9/2012

RAISE A TOAST

A piece of toast left uneaten by Prince Charles on the day he married Diana,31 years ago,sold for 230 pounds at an auction.Two bidders fought it out over the slice of white bread,which went under the hammer at Charles Hanson Auctioneers at Etwall, Derby.The slice has been billed as the "World's most upper crust piece of toast."It was sold on behalf of Rosemarie Smith,whose daughter was a royal maid for almost three decades.

SOURCE: Business Today 19/8/2012

WALLOW IN THE MUD

A man cover his face with mud at the 15th Annual Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach,in Boryeong,South Korea on 15/7/2012.The festival features mud wresting,mud sliding and mud king contest.
(Source-Business Line dated 16/7/2012)

42 YEARS AFTER THEFT CAR RECOVERED

Forty two years after it was stolen from his home, a US man tracked down his beloved 1967 sports car,AustinHealey, after spotting it on eBay.Robert Russel,who now lives in Texas,had his 1967 Austin Healey stolenwhen he lived in Philadelphia in 1970. He never gave up looking for the car and continued his search,scouring the internet.In May,with his original certificate of title,he was able to match the vehicle identification number on a car being sold on eBay. Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives recovered the car and returned to Russel.He said that the car was intact and in fair condition,requiring a bit of exterior and interior work. Russel said he continued to search for the vehicle not for its monetary value,but for its sentimental value to him and his wife. Russel told deputies that he bought the car for $3000.It's now valued at $23000.


(SOURCE:BUSINESS LINE DATED 17/7/2012)

WORLD'S UGLIEST DOG TITLE

Chinese crested's short snout,beady eyes and white whiskers earned it the title of world's ugliest dog at the annual contest in Northern California o Friday.Competing for fame,$1000 and a year's worth of dog cookies, 8 year old Mugly won the honour by beating out 28 other ugly dogs.
Source: Times of India dated 24th , June 2012

VALUE OF TIME

To realize the value of one year ask a student who has failed in the exam.

To realize the value of month ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week ask the editor of a weekly.

To realize the value of one day ask a daily labourer.

To realize the value of one hour ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute ask the person who missed the train.

To realize the value of one second ask the person who has survived the accident.

To realize the value of one milli second ask the person who has won the silver medal in Olympics.

KEEPING TRADITION ALIVE

A man dressed up as he devil jumps over babies lying on a mattress in the street during the "Baby Jumping Festival" in a Spanish village.Baby jumping (EL Colacho) is a traditional Spanish practice dating back to 1620,that takes place every yea to celebrate the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi.
Source:Times of India dated 12/6/2012

WAKE UP FROM COMA

A seven year old girl,who had been fighting for life with a brain haemorrhage,has awaken from a week- long coma,after her mother sang an Adele song to her.Charlotte Neve,from Trawden, Lancashire, had suffered the haemorrhage in her sleep that almost killed her. Following two operations she was left in a coma, with doctors telling her mother Leila,to bid her daughter goodbye.But when Leila went into the room,Adele's " Rolling in the deep" came on the radio. Leila began singing it to her and Charlotte began to smile. Within two days,she had started speaking,could focus on colours and manage to get up from her bed.
Source: Times of India dated 20th June,2012

AGE IS NO BAR

A 97 year old retired Australian dentist was to receive his Masters Degree in Clinical Science  in what Southern Cross University said could make him the world's oldest new graduate.Allan Stewart,born on March,7,1915,is already a holder of the Guinness World Records Title for being the .oldest graduate after completing a law degree in 2006 at the age of 91. It was not immediately clear whether anyone older had graduated since.


Source-Times of India

PYRAMID VALLEY INTERNATIONAL

About 35 kms from Bangalore,there is a mega-Pyramid (Kebbedoddi village,Harohalli Hobli,Kanakapura Road) of size 160 feet by 160 feet with height of 102 feet.This Pyramid,called "Pyramid Valley International" is managed by the Pyramid Spirritual Trust (India) and is a new age meditation and Spiritual Science Centre.
The energy in the Pyramid is supposed to be amplified by over 640 natural Himalayan Crystals filled inside the hall. Its spiral and vibrant king's chamber,at a height of 34 feet is the most energetic spot in the Pyramid. The external faces depict elements of nature and its hall at the basement has beautiful art murals in rememberance of Buddha's great teachings and service to humanity
Entry to the meditation hall is restricted for children below the age of four,since absolute silence needs to observed inside the hall.Also entry to king's chamber is restricted.
There is no entrance fee and a book shop is situated,selling spiritual books and various sizes of Pyramids.
This place is worth visiting.


For further details visit the site www.pssmovement.org

GANESH CHATURTHI

Vinayaka chaturthi or Ganesh festival is celebrated on the fourth day after the full moon in the month of Sravana(August-September).As far as Hindus are concerned, a nation is built on the foundations of spirituality. Ganesh Chaturthi makes clear the nature of the propitious relationship between spirituality and nationhood. Ganapati is the leader of the Ganas,which means community. A nation is a community of people.Therefore,worshipping nationhood is Ganesh Worship. A huge efficacy of Ganesh is made and it is worshipped through rituals and cultural performances. The end of the festival is marked by immersing the effigy in an ocean or any other large body of water. This ritual illustrates the spiritual principle that worship of God with form eventually culminates in the realization of God without form

GOLDEN EGG

A rare edition of 19th century master piece The Birds of America fetched US Dollar 7.9 million at a Christie's auction in New York. In 2010,another copy of first edition-which went under the hammer at Sotheby's in London-sold for US Dollar 11.5 million. The book,by American Ornithologist John James Audubon,depicts more than 400 species of birds and is considered a master piece of Ornithology art.

CHARLES DICKENS

For Charles Dickens fans, it was certainly the best of times. On 7th February,2012, the World celebrated the Th birth anniversary of the greatest English novelist of the Victorian era.

In London,Prince Charles visited the poet's corner in the Westminster Abbey and laid a wreath at the writer's grave,signalling the start of anniversary celebrations that spread from India to Russia and Argentina to UAE. "Despite the many years passed,Dickens remains one of the greatest writers of the English language,one who used his creative genius to campaign passionately for social service.His characterisation is as fresh today as it was on the day it was written",said Charles.

MAN'S PAL

Dog ,man's best pal for 30000 years: They are not just man's best friend,but dogs are the oldest pals too, says a new study. In their study a team at Arizona University claims that dogs have been man's best friend for at least 30000 years-in fact,the canines were domesticated before any other animal. Researchers have based their findings on an analysis of two skulls unearthed in separate digs-first an ancient dog skull found in Siberia dating back 33000 years and then a similar find in Belgium.

POPCORN

Researchers have found evidence that suggests communities living along the coast of Peru were eating popcorns some 6700 years ago,about 1000 years earlier than previously predicted.They arrived at this conclusion after unearthing corn husks,stalks,cobs and tassels (pollen-producing flowers on corn) dating 6700 to 3000 years ago,at Paredones and Huaca Prieta,two sites on Peru's northern coast.

"The evidence was unearthed during the past three years" study researcher Dolores Piperno told Life science. The characteristics of the corncobs suggest that the sites ancient inhabitants prepared and ate corn in several ways, including making corn flour and pop corn.The researcher also found corn micro-fossils containing starch grains and phytoliths which are microscopic particles formed by plants and mainly composed of silicon dioxide. The Peruvian popcorn is the oldest macro-fossil evidence for popcorn in South America.

Electric Theatre

Mount Road Post Office in Chennai was built in 1900 by Warwick Major as Electric Theatre,the first ever cinema house in South India. This building was bought in by Post and Telegraphs Department. For many years it housed Mount Road Post Office.

Chepauk palace

Muhammad Ali Wallajah (1749-1795),the first soveriegn ruler of the Carnatic,built the Chepauk palace in 1768. The original complex with two blocks was spread across 121 acres extended upto Pycrofts Road,Triplicane,Chennai.