Histroy of Goa

The Portuguese rule in Goa lasted for as long as 450 years. The history of the Portuguese in Goa was similar to the British in India. It is interesting to know that while the Portuguese ruled Goa, their country itself was ruled by Spain from the late 16th century for a period of 60 years. The period is known as the 1580 Portuguese succession crisis and is known to be a result of the death of a young king Sebastian of Portugal.

Although Goa is prevailing as a legacy of the Portuguese colonial era, in fact, its history dates back to as early as in the antiquity during which facts were mingled with mythology. However, the evident history of Goa is that it was part of the Mauryan Empire (the 3rd century B.C).

For the next 700 years, Goa was ruled by the succession of Hindu dynasties such as the Shillaharas, the Kadambas, and the Chalukyans. Until 1312, Goa was controlled by the Muslims, and it began to rise as an important landing place for ships carrying horses to Hampi.

By the late 15th century, upon the discovery of a new route to India by the bank of Portuguese adventurers, including Vasco de Gama, Goa became the ideal base for the seafaring Portuguese who determined to overcome the manipulation of the spice route from the East. In the meantime, the Portuguese also took the occasion to spread Christianity – the result the expansion, the consolidation of Portuguese cultures, languages and other legacies of values of the Christian world into Goa. Owing to the wealth gained from the spice trade during the Portuguese domination, Goa came into its golden age.

It became the largest city in the East, boasting of no less than 300 churches within town, and having a population of over 40,000 people. It was also the vice imperial seat of the Portuguese Empire of the East. Despite its decayed power due to the competition of the British, French, and Dutch as well as its inadequate ability to control all over its far-flung territory, the Portuguese continue to dominate Goa until the 20th Century.

There were a series of efforts from the Indian Government to discuss with the Portuguese on the withdrawal from Goa, but the issue seemed to be intractable due to the Portuguese's ignorance. On December 17, 1961, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru then decided to order the military invasion and liberation of Goa. The operation ended with the surrender of the Portuguese Governor General Vassalo da Silva.

History of Computer

The computer as we know it today had its beginning with a 19th century English mathematics professor name Charles Babbage.
He designed the Analytical Engine and it was this design that the basic framework of the computers of today are based on.
Generally speaking, computers can be classified into three generations. Each generation lasted for a certain period of
time,and each gave us either a new and improved computer or an improvement to the existing computer.
First generation: 1937 – 1946 - In 1937 the first electronic digital computer was built by Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. It was called the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). In 1943 an electronic computer name the Colossus was built for the military. Other developments continued until in 1946 the first general– purpose digital computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was built. It is said that this computer weighed 30 tons, and had 18,000 vacuum tubes which was used for processing. When this computer was turned on for the first time lights dim in sections of Philadelphia. Computers of this generation could only perform single task, and they had no operating system.
Second generation: 1947 – 1962 - This generation of computers used transistors instead of vacuum tubes which were more reliable. In 1951 the first computer for commercial use was introduced to the public; the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC 1). In 1953 the International Business Machine (IBM) 650 and 700 series computers made their mark in the computer world. During this generation of computers over 100 computer programming languages were developed, computers had memory and operating systems. Storage media such as tape and disk were in use also were printers for output.
Third generation: 1963 - present - The invention of integrated circuit brought us the third generation of computers. With this invention computers became smaller, more powerful more reliable and they are able to run many different programs at the same time. In1980 Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-Dos) was born and in 1981 IBM introduced the personal computer (PC) for home and office use. Three years later Apple gave us the Macintosh computer with its icon driven interface and the 90s gave us Windows operating system.

India going all-out to enter NSG

As the clock is ticking towards the crucial plenary session of the Nuclear Supplier's Group in Seoul, India is making an all-out push to find a place in the elite 48-member group.

While on the one hand US has been leading the support for India's membership, China's has led the opposition against India's bid. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, team India has launched a diplomatic blitzkrieg to win over the opposing countries and gain entry to the elite group that is crucial to fulfil its future energy requirements. Prime Minister Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tashkent on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.  This meeting of the two leaders coinciding with the crucial ongoing plenary session of the NSG in Seoul could hold the key to Chinese approval for the consensus at Seoul. Earlier, India's NSG bid got momentum with Prime Minister Modi's recent 5 nation tour where he brought Switzerland and Mexico on board. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj categorically saying that China is not opposed to India's NSG entry, it merely needs to be convinced in its favour. After a visit to Beijing, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has left for Seoul, ahead of NSG Plenary from tomorrow, to shore up India's efforts for membership. China articulates its opposition to India on the basis of India's Non-NPT status. By pushing Pakistan's case upfront, China is preventing a consensus in India's favour.  The Chinese Foreign Ministry has asked the 48-member NSG to stay focussed on whether the criteria should be changed on entry of non-NPT countries into the elite group.  China has been opposed to India's entry into the club on the ground that it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT. In September 2008, the NSG granted India a "clean waiver" from its existing rules, which forbid nuclear trade with a country which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Full membership will enable India to be in the mainstream of Global nuclear trade. It will give India complete access to state of the art technology, help India to greatly enhance nuclear electricity generation capacity well above the present 2% and also enable India to export nuclear energy. India has not signed the NPT or CTBT because both regimes are discriminatory leading to dominance of nuclear powers over non-nuclear nations.  India's imposition of a unilateral moratorium fulfils the objectives of both, and its track record in Non proliferation is well known and widely respected.  Also India's recent membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime strengthens India's case for membership to the NSG. Owing to growing support India's membership led by US, UK and Russia, China now says that the door is open for discussions on India's NSG membership bid and that the door for the admission of the non-NPT country was never closed.  Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said NSG members had three rounds of unofficial discussions on India and Pakistan's membership in the grouping. In a exclusive conversation with DD news Mexican ambassador to India Melba Pria has said as a nuclear power and a growing economy India has the right to be part of the NSG.  The comments come as NSG meet is underway in South Korean capital Seoul. Mexico had already supported India's bid for NSG during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the country. The NSG is a group of 48-nations which effectively controls the supply of all nuclear material, equipment and technology worldwide.

India set to become a member of SCO

India is set to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) when the security grouping meets for its summit in Uzbekistan capital Tashkent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Tashkent to attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit. During his meeting with Chinese President, he thanked China for supporting India's membership of SCO. Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent, is hosting the important Shanghai Cooperation Organization annual meeting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the two day meeting from June 23. Following his arrival in Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Prime Minister said that his talks at the SCO Summit will strengthen India's bilateral ties with the SCO nations.  During his bilateral meeting with Chinese President, Prime Minister thanked China for supporting India's membership to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. India, which had earlier attended the SCO as an observer, will now do so as a full member of the organization. The meeting assumes greater significance for India. Since 2005 Indian has been an observer country at the SCO.  In December 2014 India applied for SCO membership. On May 24 this year the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Tashkent adopted the memorandum of obligations for India to gain full membership. The SCO started as the Shanghai Five in April 1996 in Shanghai when China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed a Treaty on Deepening Military Trust among them. In June 2001, the group was renamed as the SCO by including Uzbekistan. It aimed to increase trade and investment and also increase cooperation in combating terrorism.  India's investment in Iran's Chabahar port has opened the West Asian Market to Indian trade and commerce.  Now with the SCO membership India can also access via sea and road links a huge market extending to Central Asia and Europe.  The Central Asian countries have rich reserves of various minerals, oil, gas and coal.  The region can play a major role in meeting India's energy as well as strategic needs.

Anil Kumble appointed as Team India head coach

Former captain Anil Kumble was appointed as the Indian cricket team's head coach for one-year tenure on Thursday.

The 45-year-old Kumble pipped former Team Director Ravi Shastri, Australians Tom Moody and Stuart Law and a host of others to clinch the high-profile position following an elaborate selection process headed by a three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). The committee comprising greats Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly had interviewed 10 candidates for the job in Kolkata on Tuesday in a marathon session which lasted close to 10 hours. "BCCI has been very transparent. We fixed a criteria. There was the CAC as well. They have gone through the process, interviewed and recommended few names. After discussions with various stakeholders, we have decided that Anil Kumble will be the head coach of the Indian cricket team for the next one year," BCCI President Anurag Thakur said in a press conference in Dharamsala. "It is not about Indian or foreign, it is about who is best for the job. I think we have used the services of best players who have served Indian cricket. There was no such limitation that we have to have only an Indian coach. We wanted the best for the Indian team," he added. Kumble, the highest wicket-taker for India till date and third in the international list behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne, emerged as a front-runner in the last few days even though he has no experience in coaching in the international arena. Kumble's stint as a mentor with IPL teams such as Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians as well as his vast experience as an international cricketer might have tilted the scale in his favour. The former leg-spinner played 132 Test matches and 271 ODIs in a career spanning close to two decades. Kumble finished his Test career with 619 scalps and accumulated 337 ODI wickets which put his combined tally at 956 in two formats. The leg-spinner was the only bowler after England's Jim Laker to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings. Thakur said the names of the other support staff will be announced later. Explaining the decision to appoint Kumble despite his lack of experience as an international coach, Thakur said the former spinner's record itself is a testimony to his worthiness for the job. The BCCI chief said nonetheless, Kumble's performance would be up for a review after one year. "He has been a match-winner for India. He has a great record and that speaks for Anil Kumble as far as winning matches for India is concerned. His performance will be reviewed after one year," he said. Thakur said the decision to appoint Kumble was taken after discussion with all the stakeholders. “Kumble is a great cricketer. The CAC looked into all applications, they shortlisted a few names. When the names came to us, we discussed with other stakeholders. We take feedback from all stakeholders. We wanted to be more transparent," he said. BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke said the decision to keep Kumble's tenure at one year for the time being has been taken to ensure professionalism. "This is the first time that we have gone through a process starting with advertisements. It has been a large amount of cricketing process. It has been very elaborate. There were marathon meetings. This is a professional appointment and that is the reason we want to be in a position to review our decision. But I hope that we won't need to do that," he explained. Shirke also dismissed the charge that since Kumble was running a player management firm, his appointment was open to conflict of interest. "Conflict of interest has become a fashionable word to use. That has been addressed prior to taking this decision," he said. Kumble will take charge from the upcoming of tour of West Indies which starts July 9. "We took feedbacks from various sectors since cricket is followed by millions in India. He will take over from the West Indies tour," Thakur said. On why Shastri was not picked given that he has been with the team for a long time, Thakur merely said, "Our Indian coaches are good. The team's performance improved after the appointment of Ravi Shastri as team director." Shirke said there were 11 names in the final list including four foreigners. The BCCI received 57 applications for the post and trimmed it down to 21 before handing over the list to CAC that interviewed the candidates shortlisted by them. Among them were Ravi Shastri, Lalchand Rajput, Pravin Amre, Kumble, Tom Moody, Stuart Law and Andy Moles.

Britan votes to exit EU in historic referendum

Britan votes to exit EU in historic referendum

In a historic development, the UK has voted to leave the European Union after 43 years as the 'Brexit' camp on Friday took a seemingly unassailable lead over the 'Remain' camp in a down-to-wire referendum with far reaching implications for the world.

52 per cent of the Britons in Thursday's vote favoured leaving the 28-member EU, while 48 per cent supported staying in the bloc. The final national result is to be officially declared by the UK Electoral Commission's chief counting officer.  London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but the remain vote has been undermined by poor results in the north of England. Voters in Wales and the English shires have backed Brexit in large numbers. The vote - which saw an extremely high turnout of around 72 per cent with over 30 million people voting- reverses the public verdict back in 1975, when the UK voted to remain a member of then European Economic Community, which later became the EU. The UK will be the first country to leave the bloc. The argument has swiftly moved to the future and what happens next after the Brexit vote. While the result of a referendum is not legally binding on the UK government, Cameron has repeatedly promised that the will of the people will be accepted. In the immediate aftermath, Britain will remain a member of the EU and nothing will change instantly.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched a record 20 satellites

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched a record 20 satellites in a single mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. These satellites including India’s latest earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 were launched using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-34. With this successful launch, ISRO surpassed its previous record of placing 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission in 2008. Key facts The primary satellite in this mission was India’s latest earth observation satellite Cartosat-2. It was PSLV’s 35th continuous successful launch of its total 36th flight. Other 19 satellites were from countries US (13), Canada (2), Germany (1) and Indonesia (1). It also had two satellites from Chennai’s Sathyabama University and College of Engineering, Pune (COEP). Cartosat-2 Cartosat-2 satellite is similar to the earlier Cartosat-2, 2A and 2B. It will be placed a 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) It will be used for detailed mapping and other cartographic applications as well as applications in Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS). The images sent by Cartosat-2 will be used for drawing maps, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, road network monitoring and water distribution. Other satellites launched LAPAN A3: It is Indonesian micro-satellite which will be used for earth’s magnetic field monitoring and surveillance purpose. BIROS: It is German satellite to be used for remote sensing of high temperature events. SKYSAT GEN 2-1: The micro-satellite developed by Google’s subsidiary company Terra Bella’s. It will be used for earth imaging. 12 Flock-2P Earth imaging satellites: These are earth imaging satellites from United States. M3MSAT (Maritime Monitoring and Messaging Microsatellite): It is Canadian micro-satellite that will be used for study and collection of automatic identification system signals from low earth orbit. GHGSat-D: It is Canadian earth observation satellite. It will be used for measuring the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) especially Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4). Sathyabamasat: The satellite has been designed and built by Chennai based Sathyabama University. The satellite aims to collect data on greenhouse gases (GHGs). Swayam: It has been designed and built by College of Engineering, Pune (COEP). It will be used to provide point to point messaging services to the HAM (amateur radio) community.

Rare blue galaxy may shed new light on Big Bang

Astronomers have discovered a faint blue galaxy about 30 million light-years from Earth that could shed new light on conditions at the birth of the universe.

The galaxy nicknamed Leoncino, or "little lion," located in the constellation Leo Minor, contains the lowest level of heavy chemical elements, or "metals" ever observed in a gravitationally bound system of stars. "Finding the most metal-poor galaxy ever is exciting since it could help contribute to a quantitative test of the Big Bang," said John J Salzer, a professor at Indiana University in the US.  "There are relatively few ways to explore conditions at the birth of the universe, but low-metal galaxies are among the most promising," Salzer said.  This is because the current accepted model of the start of the universe makes clear predictions about the amount of helium and hydrogen present during the Big Bang, and the ratio of these atoms in metal-poor galaxies provides a direct test of the model.  In astronomy, any element other than hydrogen or helium is referred to as a metal.  The elemental make-up of metal-poor galaxies is very close to that of the early universe.  "Low metal abundance is essentially a sign that very little stellar activity has taken place compared to most galaxies," said lead author Alec S Hirschauer, a graduate student at Indiana University.  Leoncino is considered a member of the "local universe," a region of space within about 1 billion light years from Earth and estimated to contain several million galaxies, of which only a small portion have been catalogued.  A galaxy previously recognised to possess the lowest metal abundance was identified in 2005; however, Leoncino has an estimated 29 per cent lower metal abundance. The abundance of elements in a galaxy is estimated based upon spectroscopic observations, which capture the light waves emitted by these systems.  Regions of space that form stars, for example, emit light that contains specific types of bright lines, each indicating the atoms from various gases: hydrogen, helium, oxygen, nitrogen and more.  In the light of the star-forming region in Leoncino, scientists detected lines from these elements, after which they used the laws of atomic physics to calculate the abundance of specific elements.  Aside from low levels of heavier elements, Leoncino is unique in several other ways.  A so-called "dwarf galaxy," it is only about 1,000 light years in diameter and composed of several million stars.  The Milky Way, by comparison, contains an estimated 200 billion to 400 billion stars. Leoncino is also blue in colour, due to the presence of recently formed hot stars, but surprisingly dim, with the lowest luminosity level ever observed in a system of its type.

India successfully test fires indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile

India has successfully test fired indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile as part of a user trial by army from test range at Chandipur in Odisha.

Inducted into India's armed forces in 2003, Prithvi II, is the first missile to be developed by DRDO under the prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. Notably, Prithvi is India's first indigenously-built ballistic missile. Prithvi-II has been designed to operate with both liquid and solid fuels and is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear payloads. The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted on February 16, 2016, preceded by a trial on 14th of November 2014.

Parliament House (India)

History

Originally called the House of Parliament, it was designed by the British architect Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1912-1913 and construction began in 1921. The opening ceremony of the Parliament House, then called the Central Legislative Assembly, was performed on 18 January 1927 by Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. The third session of Central Legislative Assembly was held in this house on 19 January 1927.

The Parliament Museum, opened in 2006, stands next to the Parliament House.

Rear Admiral Lord Mountbattenaddressing the Chamber of Princes asViceroy in 1947

The shape is circular, which is based on the Ashoka Chakra. Separate halls were constructed for the sessions of the Chamber of Princes, the State Council, and the Central Legislative Assembly.

The building is surrounded by large gardens and the perimeter is fenced off by sandstone railings (jali) modeled after the Great Stupa of Sanchi.
Central Hall

U.S. President Barack Obamagiving a speech to both houses in a Joint Session of the Parliament in the central hall (November 2010)

The Central Hall of the Parliament is designed to be circular in shape. The dome is 98 ft. (29.87 metres) in diameter and is believed that it is one of the most magnificent domes in the world. The Central Hall is a place of historical importance in India for two reasons: The transfer of colonial power to the Provisional Government under Nehru in 1947 and the framing of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly took place in this very hall. At present, the Central Hall is used for holding Joint Sittings of the two Houses. At the commencement of the first session after each General Election to Lok Sabha and at the commencement of the first session of each year, the President addresses both the Houses of Parliament assembled together in the Central Hall. When the Houses are in session, the Central Hall is used by Members for informal discussions among themselves. Central Hall is also used for special occasions when the Members of Parliament are addressed by distinguished Heads of States of other countries. The Hall is also equipped with Simultaneous Interpretation System.
Proposal for a new building.

A new Parliament building may replace the existing complex. The new building is being considered on account of the stability concerns regarding the current complex. A committee to suggest alternatives to the current building has been set up by the ex-Speaker, Meira Kumar. The present building, an 85-year-old structure suffers from inadequacy of space to house members and their staff and is thought to suffer from structural issues. The building also needs to be protected because of its heritage tag.

The Untold Stories Of Mahatma Gandhi

I feel like a kid who is receiving a lot of awards and gifts today.

Today is a day of gifts.

It is often said, ‘Life itself is a gift from God, to all of us.’ Let us honor this gift.

Today I thank the Morehouse College, the Dean, the President and all the dignitaries here who have found me worthy of getting this award and bestowing this award to me.

I rededicate this award to all those who work ceaselessly in their silent manner, in their little corners, in their community for peace and non-violence.

This recognition of peace and non-violence as a driving force for social change, social justice is noteworthy.

There are medals for war, people who fight in wars do get medals. But getting a medal for peace and non-violence, in itself, changes the paradigm of society.

Unfortunately, in the last several decades, aggression has got itself attached to pride. It is time now, that we reverse this tendency. Pride should be in non-violence and in peace.

When we were growing up as children, we grew up with stories of Mahatma Gandhi. I want to tell you about my teacher who is still alive, and who has completed 118 years of his life today. This gentleman taught Mahatma Gandhi the scripture, Bhagavad Gita, when he came back from South Africa. And he was with him for 40 years as his tutor, and also as his writer.

He used to be the translator and script writer for the southern languages. His name is Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi.

So he used to tell us the stories or the incidents he had with Mahatma Gandhi. Some of them are not recorded, so you don’t find them in any books. I would like to narrate a few such stories which might inspire you.

One incident was when Mahatma Gandhi was travelling in a small train uphill to Darjeeling. Darjeeling is a hill station in India, and you have a small train that goes there. It is a narrow gauge train. Now what happened is that, when the train was moving up the hill, somewhere, the engine got itself disconnected from the coaches. So the engine went ahead and the coaches started sliding backward.

Just imagine on a big hilly terrain, coaches are sliding backward, what would happen? There was huge panic, as people were between life and death. Any moment the coaches could fall off the hill, and one would not even find a trace of a bone. It was the Himalayas.

So while there was panic all around, Mahatma Gandhi was dictating letters, and he said to my teacher; he used to call him Bangalori, because he was from Bangalore; ‘Bangalori, take dictation.’

My teacher said, ‘Bapu (father, referring to Mahatma Gandhi), do you know what is happening? We may not be alive. We are in-between life and death. The coaches are moving backward with nothing to stop it, and its gaining speed.’

Do you know what Mahatma Gandhi said then? He said, ‘Suppose we get saved, we would have wasted all this time. If we die, we die. But if we are saved, we wasted so much time? So, come on, take dictation.’

With trembling hands my teacher was taking dictation.

He used to tell me, ‘Look at this old man, he would not waste a moment of his life.’

There is another story I would like to share with you.

Once Gandhi’s dhoti, i.e., his garment was torn, and someone said, ‘Bapu, your dhoti is torn.’ So Gandhi goes into the bathroom and adjusts his garments a little bit, and then says, ‘See now, and tell me where it is torn? There is a lot of it left to get torn.’

So his idea was not to waste resources; not to be a consumerist by nature.

There is enough for everybody’s need, but not for everybody’s greed - this was the message he used to give.

Gandhi had such a soft heart like that of a child; innocence of a child.

What is needed today is the innocence of Gandhi, and the valor, vigor, commitment and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. These two things combined together, is the answer for the situation we are in today.

I won’t say that Gandhi’s principles alone will work in today’s scenario. If you are fasting, people will say, ‘You keep fasting, never mind. You can do that much good for the world.’ You need along with that, the heart and the commitment that Martin Luther King had shown to the world. Then it makes it complete, and then social justice, and the much needed revolution in today’s world would come forth. And it has to come forth from the youth of today. All of you who are sitting here, you have to stand up for non-violence.

In the United States of America, last year alone, there has been ten million recorded incidents of violence. Violence against children, violence against women, violence against races, violence against religious groups, etc. Intolerance is growing in society. But we don’t need to panic, because truth and non-violence will always win.

What we need to do is to create a billion acts of non-violence. For every act of violence, we have to create hundred acts of non-violence. The voice of non-violence has to be heard loud and clear. This is what we need.

We all sang today, ‘We will be the change that we want to see in the world.’ So the change starts from right here, where we are; from each one of us.

Another incident of Mahatma Gandhi that my teacher used to share.

My teacher was in Yerwada jail, along with Mahatma Gandhi. There were only three of them, Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s wife Kasturba Gandhi, and my teacher.

This incident is of the last day of Kasturba Gandhi. She was on her death bed, and Mahatma Gandhi comes out of the room, and he says, ‘Bangalori, today is the day of my trial. Today is the day to see how I can maintain my equanimity. How I can see everybody in the same way. Today is the day of my test.’

As he was saying these words, drops of tears were flowing down his eyes.

My teacher said, ‘I have never seen him in that state ever before. But those drops of tears said it all.’

Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Today, I have to say good-bye to my companion of 40 years. She was my strength, she was my inspiration, and she was the one who took all my garbage, all my weaknesses and who swallowed it and stood by my side. Now, today, I have to keep myself in equanimity. Today is the test of my spirituality.’

So, these moments in life, where you personally observe, watch, understand yourself, and see what is happening within you, makes a big difference in your life.

Who are you? What do you want, and what do you want to convey? Observing this, makes a difference.

Do you know, neither at school, nor at home, does anyone learn how to get rid of negative emotions, or how do be centered, or how to feel belongingness with everyone. This is exactly what we need today. We need to reach out to communities.

Communities can no longer remain as isolated groups. Each community should come and shake hand with the other communities.

I am so happy that the Ikeda Foundation is also involved here and they are doing such good work in so many countries, bringing different communities together.

The teachings of Buddha, the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of Krishna, they all point towards one thing, that we are all made up of love, and we are love. Let us live this. Let us find an expression to this. Let us recognize this spirit in each one of us.

The message of Jesus is, ‘You are love and God is love.’ The interfaith community has a bigger role to play today, of uniting the fragmented communities, and reaching out to all those people who are engaging in violence. This is inclusive of domestic violence and societal violence. Also, being violent towards oneself, is a thing to be considered.

Many people eventually commit suicide because they are too hard on themselves. Thousands of people are committing suicide in the world today. Depression is taking such a big toll. In these circumstances, we all have to raise our voice and work towards non-violence.

A while back, I was in South America, in Mexico, at the traffic light signal, there was an argument between two taxi drivers. They both got out of the car and shot each other. There were passengers sitting in the taxis and they didn’t know what to do. The drivers were gone. Intolerance and stress have to be attended to.

Let us all join together and in this year create one billion acts of non-violence, acts of friendship, and acts of compassion. Our children should get a better world than what we have inherited.

No, Mercury Retrograde Will Not Mess Up Your Life

For people of the astrological persuasion, few planetary trends are as noteworthy as Mercury in retrograde. As the solar system's smallest planet appears to reverse through the sky, you'll hear it blamed for a wealth of frustrating situations, including overspending on new purchases, poorly planned work pitches and unimpressive first dates.

The common astrological advice for people during Mercury retrograde is to avoid starting anything new and to focus instead on reassessment, mimicking the way the planet appears to be retracing its own movements. In 2016, Mercury retrograde will occur four times, totaling about 80 days. That is a lot of time for reassessment.

Astronomers tend to disagree with these associations. "The idea that the gravity from these very distant bodies affects our lives in some way just doesn't work in the framework of physics," said Jean-Luc Margot, a planetary astronomer and professor at UCLA.

Finding the facts about Mercury's retrograde motion is complicated because it's both a real and imagined phenomenon. "All the planets rotate around the sun in the same direction, and that never changes," Margot said. However, if a person were able to trace Mercury's position during retrograde — which is a challenge, because the sun blocks our view — they'd end up with a line that changes direction. This is because Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion resulting from our position (on Earth) relative to Mercury.

The term "retrograde" in this instance refers to a perceived reversal in the standard west-to-east movement of Mercury through the stars. While some objects in space do experience true retrograde motion — Venus spins about its axis in the opposite direction than the other planets, a situation called retrograde spin — Mercury's backtracking is an issue of perspective. Its orbit is smaller and faster than Earth's. When its orbit catches up to and passes Earth, it creates the illusion that Mercury is backtracking, astronomers say.

Put more plainly, pretend you're Earth, watching Mercury run around a track. As it runs its loop, it will start out moving from the left side of your field of vision to your right. Then, it rounds the corner and, although not moving backward, is now running from right to left. This analogy is oversimplified because it doesn't take into account the fact that Earth is also moving, but it gives a good idea of how this optical illusion plays out.

All of the planets exhibit apparent retrograde motion, although it plays out slightly differently for planets farther from the sun than Earth versus those, like Mercury, that are closer to the sun than Earth.
Pseudo planetary effects

As for the potential influence of this seemingly odd movement on our daily lives, science doesn't back it up. In his 1974 book "The Jupiter Effect" (Walker Books), writer John R. Gribbinpredicted that the alignment of all of the planets and the sun on the same side of the Earth would have catastrophic effects.

James Zimbelman, a geologist at the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, said this prediction actually prompted some scientists to look into the magnitude of the gravitational effects of planetary objects on Earth. "The net result of all of that was, the force is so small compared to either the sun or the moon, that any kind of planetary effect would just be swamped by the things the Earth is always feeling by either the sun or the moon," Zimbelman told Live Science.

(For reference, Margot said the gravitational effects a person experiences when standing next to another person are thousands to tens of thousands of times greater than the gravitational forces exerted on them by the moon.)

The vast number of internet sources mentioning Mercury's retrograde are astrological sites, which then go on to offer advice on how to combat its influence. Mars' apparent retrograde motion is the most obvious of the retrogrades because people can easily view Mars in the night sky as it is the closest planet and, unlike Mercury and Venus, doesn't require a person to look at the sun in order to observe it. This apparent retrograde motion garners much more notice from educational sources. Of the three experts contacted by Live Science, all three considered Mercury retrograde fairly unworthy of discussion.

"All planets appear to go through a period of retrograde (east-to-west) motion against the stars as seen from the Earth," Geoff Chester, a spokesman for the U.S. Naval Observatory, wrote in an email to Live Science. "There is nothing unusual in this. Mercury is no exception. There is no story here."
The Mercury transit

Even if retrograde isn't worthy of much scientific thought, it does overlap with a more exciting astronomical event. About once every 10 years, while Mercury is passing Earth, everything lines up just right, and Mercury crosses in front of the sun from our point of view on Earth. This is called the transit of Mercury and will occur on May 9

Enjoying the transit may be perhaps the greatest, clearest effect Mercury retrograde can have on your life.

New Print-Out Lasers Are So Cheap They're Disposable

Everyone's heard of disposable razors, but what about disposable lasers? Using inkjet printers, scientists have made laser devices cheap enough to be thrown out after a single use.

Lasers create their high-energy beams using a so-called gain medium, which takes advantage of the interactions between the electrons of its atoms and incoming photons to amplify light to high intensities. Typically, the gain medium is made from inorganic materials such as glasses, crystals or gallium-based semiconductors, but in recent years, researchers have investigated using organic carbon-based dyes instead.

Organic lasers hold great promise because they are low-cost and can emit light in a wide range of wavelengths, but they are limited because the dyes degrade rapidly.

Now, researchers from France and Hungary have used inkjet printers to produce the organic laser chips at the heart of these devices for mere cents, making it cost-effective to regularly replace the degraded parts.

"I think that this is an exciting piece of work with great potential for applications," said organic laser expert Graham Turnbull, a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. "The lasers could have future applications as disposable light sources for chemical analysis such as medical screening or pollution monitoring," Turnbull, who was not involved in the new study, told Live Science.

In a paper published today (May 3) in the Journal of Applied Physics, the researchers said the key to their approach's low cost is its efficiency. The most popular method for creating organic laser chips in the past has been spin coating. In this process, the surface on which the dye solution is to be deposited is spun rapidly so that centrifugal force spreads the liquid evenly to form a uniform thin film.

Inkjet printed "lasing capsules" serve as the core of an organic laser. Figure (a) shows a schematic of the laser setup, while figure (b) shows actual lasing capsules, which would cost only a few cents to produce. OC stands for "Output Coupler" and FP stands for Febry-Perot etalon.Credit: Sanaur, et al/JAP

But with typical spin-coating techniques, the vast majority of the dye solution spins off the surface and thus is wasted; as little as 2 percent is actually deposited usefully, the researchers said. In contrast, inkjet printers can accurately squirt small jets of fluid onto the underlying material, they added.

"You print 'where you want, when you want,' without wasting raw materials," study lead researcher Sébastien Sanaur, an associate professor of microelectronics at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne in France, said in a statement.

For the laser dyes to be printed, they first needed to be mixed with an ink. Although the researchers experimented with inks specifically designed for optical applications, they eventually settled on a commercial variety called EMD6415 that exhibited excellent printing and optical properties.

Then, the solution was printed onto a slide made of quartz in 0.08-square-inch (50 square millimeter) pixels to make the laser chip. The chip was placed between two mirrors that reflected light back and forth through the gain medium during amplification. Another laser, known as the pump, was used to provide the light energy input, the researchers said.

Importantly, the scientists said the laser chip can be switched out easily when it deteriorates. They also demonstrated that they could use two different dyes to produce laser emissions ranging in color from yellow to deep red.

"The major advance here is the perfection of the inkjet printing process for the fabrication of organic 'gain' chips," said Stéphane Kéna-Cohen, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at Polytechnique Montréal in Canada. "When used in a laser cavity, these can be used to fabricate broadly tunable lasers, and several dyes exist that together can span the entire visible spectrum," Kéna-Cohen, who was not involved with the new study, told Live Science.

Both Kéna-Cohen and Turnbull said one of the most promising aspects of the research is the possibility of printing several dyes onto the same chip to generate a spectrum of colors with the same device.

"The major obstacle, however, is that these organic lasers still need to be pumped by an external, relatively high-energy laser," Kéna-Cohen said. "Finding a way to pump these electrically or with a low-cost LED would be a major breakthrough for many practical purposes."- See more at: http://www.livescience.com/54632-disposable-lasers-made-from-inkjet-printers.html#sthash.wpz9uo7h.dpuf

Mercury's rare 'transit' across the sun today: Here's how you can see it

The celestial event will be visible from all parts of India for varying durations depending on the location, starting around 4:40 pm.

Stargazers will have a rare opportunity on Monday to witness Mercury fly directly across the face of the sun, a sight that unfolds once every 10 years or so, as Earth and its smaller neighboring planet come into perfect alignment.

In Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the event will begin at 4:41 pm.

In Delhi, the event can be seen for a duration of about 2 hours 20 minutes, in Kolkata about 1 hour 26 minutes, in Mumbai about 2 hours 24 minutes, and in Chennai about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Dwarka in Gujarat will experience the longest transit (2 hour 43 minutes).

Port Blair in the east will see it for only 54 minutes.

In Shimla and Chandigarh the event can be seen for over 2 hours.

It will be difficult to see the Mercury at transit over the face of the Sun without some form of aid such as binoculars or telescopes.

The Earth Sciences ministry suggested that a proper solar filter will be required to avoid viewing the sun with the naked eye such as aluminized mylar, black polymer or welding glass of shade number 14

Mercury is too small to see without high-powered binoculars or a telescope, and looking directly at the sun, even with sunglasses, could cause permanent eye damage.

Fortunately NASA and astronomy organizations are providing virtual ringside seats for the show by live-streaming images of the transit in its entirety and providing expert commentary.

The tiny planet, slightly larger than Earth's moon, will start off as a small black dot on the edge of the sun at 7:12 a.m. Eastern (1112 GMT). Traveling 30 miles (48 km) a second, Mercury will take 7.5 hours to cross the face of the sun, which is about 864,300 miles (1.39 million km) in diameter, or about 109 times larger than Earth.

"Unlike sunspots, which have irregular shapes and grayish borders, Mercury's silhouette will be black and precisely round," Sky and Telescope said in a press release.

The event will come into view in the western United States after dawn, with the transit already in progress. The show will end at sunset in parts of Europe, Africa and most of Asia.

50 interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln’s life

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, has a birthday today. So how much do you really know about Lincoln, the man?
We’ve gone through the tons of research available about Abraham (don’t call me Abe) Lincoln, so you can impress your friends and family with your Lincoln knowledge.Here are our top 10 Lincoln facts, followed by 40 other pieces of trivia that you can research on your own.

• 1. He was the only president to have a patent: Lincoln invented a device to free steamboats that ran aground.
• 2. He practiced law without a degree. Lincoln had about 18 months of formal schooling.
• 3. He wanted women to have the vote in 1836. The future president was a suffragette before it became fashionable.
• 4. He was a big animal lover, but he wouldn’t hunt or fish. If he were alive today, Lincoln would be running an animal shelter.
• 5. He really was a wrestler. Lincoln was documented as taking part in wrestling bouts. We don’t think he wore a mask or had a manager.
• 6. He lost in his first bid for a presidential ticket. The unknown Lincoln was an unsuccessful vice presidential candidate in 1856 at the Republican convention.
• 7. He never belonged to an organized church. Lincoln read the Bible daily, but he never joined an organized church in his lifetime.
• 8. He didn’t drink, smoke, or chew. Lincoln was a simple man of tastes, and he never drank in the White House.
• 9. He didn’t have a middle name. Lincoln went through his life with two names.
• 10. He hated being called Abe. Apparently, he preferred being called by his last name.
• 11. Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
• 12. He was the first president born outside of the 13 original states.
• 13. Lincoln loved to eat oysters.
• 14. Lincoln’s cat ate at the White House dinner table.
• 15. His dog was named Fido.
• 16. His cat was named Tabby.
• 17. His favorite food was fruit.
• 18. He was also a big fan of chicken casserole.
• 19. Lincoln was the first president to use the telegraph.
• 20. He used the telegraph like email to communicate with generals.
• 21. Lincoln’s mother was killed by poisoned milk.
• 22. Lincoln’s life was saved twice when he was young.
• 23. Grave robbers were foiled in 1876 when they tried to steal Lincoln’s body.
• 24. He was the first president with a beard.
• 25. Lincoln argued a case before the Supreme Court in 1849 and lost.
• 26. Lincoln failed in his first business.
• 27. Lincoln’s shoe size was between 12 and 14.
• 28. His coffin has been opened five times.
• 29. Lincoln was estranged from his father and didn’t attend his funeral.
• 30. Lincoln didn’t play musical instruments.
• 31. Lincoln served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• 32. He ran for the U.S. Senate twice and lost.
• 33. Lincoln won the popular vote in Senate campaign against Douglas but lost the election.
• 34. Lincoln was shot on Good Friday.
• 35. Lincoln was photographed with John Wilkes Booth at his second inauguration.
• 36. There are no direct living descendants of Abraham Lincoln.
• 37. Booth’s brother saved the life of Lincoln’s son on a New Jersey train platform.
• 38. Lincoln was part of séances after his son died in the White House.
• 39. Lincoln’s animals also died in a White House stable fire.
• 40. Someone shot at Lincoln in 1864 and put a hole in his stovepipe hat.
• 41. Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated.
• 42. He was a judge on the circuit court in Illinois.
• 43. Lincoln defended the son of his most famous wrestling opponent from murder charges.
• 44. Lincoln battled depression for much of his life.
• 45. Lincoln was seemingly obsessed with cats.
• 46. He was set to take part in a duel, but it was cancelled at the last second.
• 47. Lincoln kept his important documents inside his hat.
• 48. Lincoln’s dog Fido was killed by a drunken assailant a year after Lincoln died.
• 49. Lincoln’s suit was made by Brooks Brothers.
• 50. Lincoln’s guest at Ford’s Theater was Ulysses S. Grant, who cancelled at the last second.

Bermuda Triangle - Facts and Myths

Bermuda Triangle is a strange triangular area on the Atlantic ocean where many ships sailing through it or planes flying over it have apparently disappeared without a trace. In few of such cases where wrecks could be found, the crew had vanished. And such incidents have been happening since centuries. More than 1,000 ships and planes have disappeared in the triangle area over the past five centuries. 

 

And all these happened when apparently there were no human errors, equipment failures or even natural disasters. Strangely, the ships and aircraft just vanish when everything seems to be okay. Many believe that Devil is at play here and therefore call the area also as Devil's Triangle.  

So getting excited already? Well, the facts however are quite far from what is generally known or believed to be true. Many stories and myths have been created by writers through sheer imagination which they used rampantly to draw publicity to their books. In many cases, the facts got blurred. Many theories, controversies and counter arguments have come up over the years challenging the mysteries that created fear psychosis among people since ages. 

 

So what is the fact? Is it at all true? Partially true? Or all nonsense? Let's dig deeper to understand that while keeping in mind that far too many incidents have taken place in this area for it to be ignored casually. 

 

How did it all start? 

It all started by authors who were novel writers, and the mystery was initially perpetuated by them. But don't jump into a conclusion yet. While we all know that novel writers are good in wild imaginations, many of these writers were actually popular and well respected authors of their times. The abnormalities on the sea was first noted in 1950 by Edward Jones in the daily newspaper Miami Herald published in Florida. However the mystery started catching wide-scale attention in 1952 when George Sand wrote in Fate magazine about incidents like Flight-19, a training flight of five torpedo bomber planes, all of which went missing during a routine training session in 1945 and never returned. 

 

Subsequently several authors wrote about various other mysterious incidents in the triangle area. While some of such reports were dubious or without much substance, several incidents had actually occurred and remained unexplained. The words around the mystery started spreading fast, and soon Bermuda Triangle was a reality, at least in the minds of millions all over the world. Visit History of Bermuda Triangle to know more about its genesis. 

 

Where is Bermuda Triangle? 

By the simplest of all definitions, Bermuda Triangle is located off the South-Eastern coast of the United States and in the Atlantic Ocean. The three corners of the triangle are: Miami (in Florida); San Juan (in Puerto Rico); and Bermuda (a north-Atlantic island). The American author Vincent Gaddis was the first to define this boundary in 1964 in an issue of the magazine named Argosy and called the area 'The Deadly Bermuda Triangle'. 

 

Bermuda Triangle 

 

 

However over the years, several other authors kept extending the area beyond its original boundary because they seemed to identify mysterious incidents in nearby areas as well. Visit Triangle Location & Map to get details about the area, how it is actually laid out on the Atlantic, understand if it actually has a map to identify the location (i.e. latitude / longitude), and whether you will ever know when you are entering the dreaded area as you take a cruise or flight. 

Incidents of disappearances: Lost Planes & Ships in Bermuda Triangle 

Here are some of the most amazing stories of planes and ships that disappeared or met with ill fate while crossing the triangle area. As you visit the links, you will also see my findings behind such great mysteries of all times. In most cases I have discussed and explained the possible causes, in some cases I have also given excerpts from official reports that were produced by US Navy, US Air Force or US Coast Guards after completing the search operations. And in several cases, I have given updates on further findings. 

 

Flight 19: The Avenger planes of Flight-19 took off from the U.S Naval Base of Florida for a routine training session on an afternoon of December 1945, but strangely this time they never returned. 

 

PBM Martin Mariner: When all hopes for the above Flight-19 planes were quickly fading, two Martin Mariner planes (flying boats) were sent by US Navy to search them out. One came back, but the other didn't and disappeared forever. Read the full story to know what happened. 

 

Tudor Star Tiger: Star Tiger, a Tudor Mark-IV aircraft disappeared in Bermuda Triangle shortly before it was about to land at the Bermuda airport. 

 

Fight DC-3: The flight DC-3 NC16002 disappeared when it was only 50 miles south of Florida and about to land in Miami. 

 

Flight 441: A Super Constellation Naval Airliner disappeared in October 1954. 

 

C-54 Skymaster: Apparently it seemed to be a sudden thunderstorm that had disintegrated the plane. But there was much more to the story. 

 

Mary Celeste - The Ghost Ship: Known as one of the ghost ships of Bermuda Triangle, Mary Celeste had many misadventures even before her mystery voyage in 1872. But this time, although the ship could be salvaged, none on board could ever be traced. 

 

Carroll A. Deering: This is another ghost ship of Bermuda triangle which created one of the biggest maritime mysteries of all times. While returning from Rio de Janeiro of Brazil to Portland in Maine in January 1921, it was found abandoned and derelict at Diamond Shoals, off Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. But all the 11 crewmen including the captain were missing. They vanished for ever and never to be found again. 

 

Marine Sulphur Queen: This 524-foot carrier of molten sulphur started sail on Feb 2, 1963 from Beaumont, Texas with 39 crew. It was reported lost in Florida Straits on February 4, and lost for ever. 

 

Ellen Austin: The Ellen Austin, an American schooner, met with another ship in Bermuda Triangle. The other ship was moving in full speed but strangely had nobody on board. 

 

USS Cyclops: Disappearance of the carrier ship U.S.S. Cyclops in Bermuda Triangle has been one of the greatest mysteries of the sea. 

 

USS Scorpion: USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was a Nuclear powered submarine of United States Navy that disappeared in Bermuda Triangle area in May 1968. 

 

List of Incidents 

The above were only few cases. Check out Bermuda Triangle Incidents for a list of all the major indents in the triangle area that took place over the past centuries including the latest ones along with fascinating stories for many. 

Popular theories solving the mystery 

So what caused the ships and aircraft to disappear mysteriously? There have been many research and explorations done to uncover the mystery. There is no single theory that can explain all the incidents of disappearances. The ships and aircraft could have been victims of different circumstances, and things would have happened quickly and unexpectedly. While many theories have come out trying to explain the various incidents, here are some of the most popular ones including those that took recourse to supernatural powers and events.  

 

Methane Gas trapped under the sea floor can erupt, and as a result can lower the water density and cause ships to sink like a rock. Even planes flying over it, can catch fire and get completely destroyed during such gas blowout. 

 

Sargasso Sea is a strange area that has no shores and bounded only by water currents on all sides. Many ships passing through it have been stranded and made motionless. Many of them were found derelict and without a soul. 

 

Electronic Fog, a strange thick cloud appears from nowhere and engulfs a ship or a plane. Instruments begin to malfunction, and finally the ship or the aircraft vanishes without a trace. 

 

Supernatural Theories: Lost City of Atlantis under the ocean, UFOs, Aliens are also thought to be behind such mysteries. 

 

More Theories... 

There are several other theories that try to solve or explain the mysteries of Bermuda Triangle and try to identify factors causing such incidents. Visit Theories of Bermuda Triangle to know about them all. 

 

Conclusion - The Facts 

Since a magazine first coined the phrase 'Bermuda Triangle' in early 1950s, the mystery has continued to attract attention. When repeated mysterious incidents of such scale take place in the same area, it's understandable that it would spread like fire, draw large interests among people at all levels including critics and take a mammoth shape over time. Indeed Bermuda Triangle has become a living legend. But what is the real truth behind all this? 

 

Larry Kusche, a librarian in Arizona State University was a big critic of Bermuda Triangle and made a deep research into the incidents and finally published his book 'The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved' in 1975. Most of his research was based on referring newspapers of the periods that reported the incidents, checking out the meteorological (weather) reports of the days the incidents took place etc. He concluded that the total number of such incidents in the triangle area is nothing unusual in a place where tropical cyclones or hurricanes are quite common. His study also showed that number of incidents here is not significantly more compared to several other ocean areas.  

 

Kusche further stated that several authors wrongly reported the incidents. He pointed out a case where an author misreported a ship disappearing three days after it left a port in Atlantic while the fact was the ship actually left a port of the same name from Pacific ocean which was over 3,000 miles away. In another case Kusche showed that an author described a ship getting lost in calm sea while the meteorological report showed a strong cyclone was passing by. 

 

Now read this... Lloyd's is a London based insurance body and active in marine insurance market since long. They insure ships on voyage. When Lloyd's was asked by a UK television channel if they noted unusual number of ships sinking or getting lost in Bermuda Triangle, they answered 'NO'. They further confirmed that they do not even charge higher insurance rates for ships passing through Bermuda Triangle area because they consider it safe. The US Coast Guard also supported Lloyd's observation that the number of reported missing cases in Bermuda Triangle is nothing unusual. 

 

Here is one more... A study conducted in 2013 for WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) reported the 10 most accident prone ocean areas in the world for shipping, and that does not include Bermuda Triangle. In fact based on accidents recorded, the most dangerous water areas are South China Sea, the Mediterranean and the North Sea. 

 

So does it all mean the notion of Bermuda Triangle being dreaded is baseless? Is it all hunky-dory out there? 

 

Well, there are several questions which still need to be answered before we can come to that conclusion, if at all. Hundreds of ships and planes were actually lost in that area, and many such cases are not yet explained with evidence. It is a fact that authors fanned the fire to take commercial advantage of the situation. But it is hard to believe that a legend of such gigantic nature is just a baseless myth that continues to engulf the world for so many decades. Despite thorough and sustained investigations, numerous incidents continue to baffle the investigators. 

 

Scientists have found some interesting formations on the seafloor within the Bermuda Triangle boundaries. The ocean floor at some places suddenly drop to huge depths. In fact, some locations within the triangle have deepest trenches in the whole of Atlantic. And within this area many vessels were seemingly lost. 

 

It is also a fact that marine and airway corridors across Bermuda Triangle are some of the busiest and most commercially used routes in the world. They are used extensively by numerous cruise lines and airlines connecting The USA, Europe, Caribbean islands, Bermuda, South America and even Africa. Think of what may happen to billions of dollars of thriving international business and its impact on economy if the area gets to be known as dreaded? Will anybody want such flourishing economy to get jeopardized by calling out the area as dangerous?