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New Guiness Record at IISF Chennai 2017 

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The largest Biology Lesson in the world, Verified by Guiness World Records at the IISF 2017, Chennai

Day two of the India International Science Festival (IISF) in Anna University campus at Chennai saw the making of a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Biology Lesson. One thousand forty nine (1049) students participated in the record breaking session. While inaugurating the Largest Biology Lesson, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Science, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that it is the vision of the Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modi, to encourage and promote science and the Govt. of India has launched many Flagship Programmes in this regard. He also invoked C V Raman and how he has won the Nobel Prize, which is first by any Indian to do so.

World Record attempts have been a key part of India International Science Festival since 2015, which leads to encouragement and popularizing of Science through public participation. In IISF 2015, students took a successful shot at the Guinness World record for the world’s largest science Lesson at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. In IISF 2016 at National Physical Laboratory, Pusa, New Delhi, a group of 550 students attempted the world record for largest gathering of people dressed as Noble Prize winning scientist Albert Einstein. Continue reading “New Guiness Record at IISF Chennai 2017 “

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Jia Panpan & Jia Yueyue Celebrate their Second Birthday at the Toronto Zoo!

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In March 2013, Er Shun and Da Mao arrived at the Toronto Zoo as part of a Global Giant Panda Conservation Breeding Program. On the morning of October 13, 2015, the Toronto Zoo announced that Er Shun had given birth to the first giant panda cubs born in Canada. Continue reading “Jia Panpan & Jia Yueyue Celebrate their Second Birthday at the Toronto Zoo!”

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Welcome Back, My Friends, to the Show That Never Ends!

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–Lachman Balani

For classic rock lovers, that is a saying that is reminiscent of the iconic band Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP).

Carl Palmer, original band member of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, is making sure that is the case as he tours the world with Paul Bielatowicz and Simon Fitzpatrick keeping the ELP legacy alive.

Earlier this week , Palmer , looking as fit as a fiddle, walked onto the stage at The Rose Theatre in Brampton and without further ado showed the audience the stuff he is made of with thunderous beats of his drums at lightning speed leaving the patrons awe-struck right from the start!

“Man he just came on like a bat outta hell!” exclaimed a fan.

After the death of his former band mates Keith Emerson and Greg Lake within a few a months of each other last year, Palmer has been touring hard under the banner “Emerson, Lake and Palmer lives on : Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy” . The concert consists of two totally instrumental sets of ELP’s greatest hits. Continue reading “Welcome Back, My Friends, to the Show That Never Ends!”

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RIU donates $400,000 to help victims of the earthquakes in Mexico

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Palma de Majorca, Spain on October 10th, 2017

  • The hotel chain has signed an agreement with UNICEF for this organisation to manage these resources, which will be dedicated to the “Back to School” programme
  • RIU’s donation will serve to set up and equip temporary classrooms so that children will not have to interrupt their education while their schools are being rebuilt or repaired

RIU Hotels & Resorts has donated $400,000 to UNICEF to address the most urgent needs in the area of education and protection following the earthquakes that occurred on 7 and 19 September in Mexico. This aid will used to build temporary classrooms, as well as for purchasing the furniture and equipment needed by students and teachers. According to UNICEF calculations, RIU’s donation could contribute to building and setting up nearly 100 classrooms, which would enable hundreds of children to immediately resume their education while waiting for schools to be repaired or rebuilt. Continue reading “RIU donates $400,000 to help victims of the earthquakes in Mexico”

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Rubin Museum New York hosting 24-hour ragas festival

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Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) in New York is hosting “Ragas Live Festival—24 hours of sacred sound” on October 21-22, where guests with a $280 ticket get handpicked gallery sleeping spot under an artwork and may bring bedding.

Starting 10 am on October 21 and ending at 10 am on October 22, this overnight Indian classical music concert, whose tagline is “Color your mind at Ragas Live Festival”, includes performances by over 50 master musicians and is a first for RMA. Museum will also provide lounge areas in the lobby for naps and spaces where guests can make themselves cozy.

A worldwide audience will share this “immersive 24-hour global listening experience” in real time via a live radio broadcast. Museum Café will serve “mango lassis”, and the event includes meditation and traditional Hindu sunrise puja (prayer).

Musical instruments to be used during the festival include sitar, kanjira, tabla, bansuri, sarod, sarangi, harmonium, mridangam, santoor, etc. It would showcase some hundreds of years old compositions and includes many artists from India. Continue reading “Rubin Museum New York hosting 24-hour ragas festival”

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“Each of us has a role to play to change our world for the better”- P.M. Trudeau

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The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Thanksgiving:

“Today, Canadians across the country will celebrate Thanksgiving – a day to gather with family and friends and give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy in our lives.

“Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the harvest, and a chance to appreciate the many people who contribute every day to our communities. We honour our service members, who courageously and selflessly defend our country’s fundamental values of justice, democracy, and freedom. We also give thanks for the people who work each day to change our lives for the better. People across Canada contribute in thousands of ways to keep us healthy and safe, and to make our communities stronger and more open.

“This holiday also reminds us that many people, in Canada and around the world, do not share equally in the benefits we enjoy. Thanksgiving asks us to remember those less fortunate, and to show compassion to those in need – not only today, but every day. Continue reading ““Each of us has a role to play to change our world for the better”- P.M. Trudeau”

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SUPERFLY? SUPER FREAK? UNITE UNDER A GHOSTLY GROOVE WITH CHUNK o’ FUNK

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Got the soul for getting down? Ready to put some stank on it? Then step back in time this Halloween as the oracles of 70’s soul Chunk o’ Funk defibrillate a cold, funk-less world with the most righteous Halloween party ever! The legendary 14-piece funk masters will tear the roof off the Danforth Music Hall on October 28, 2017 – and everyone’s invited. Chunk o’ Funk’s mega-funk explosion promises anyone with a nostalgia for pure funk complete with hi-hats, wah -wah pedals, righteous clothes and gravity-defying hair, a chance to rekindle that flame and celebrate a definitive part of Toronto’s live music legacy.

During the height of their popularity, Chunk o’ Funk — Toronto’s “apostles of slinky

good vibes” –regularly packed infamous live music hotspots such as the BamBoo and Copa. People drawn to the funk would soon discover the (literally) unbelievable mythology of the band that had themselves frozen in cryogenic suspension and “unthawed” to bring the funk to a soulless future.
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Tune the Thought Channel!

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Thankfulness makes us content. That’s what most customs and traditions   have us believe. Is there truth in it? Absolutely! It’s been proven scientifically that an attitude of gratitude is good for mental health. Consequently our physical health. For instance, if you try to keep a buoyant mood, even though you experience challenges – personal or professional you won’t be defeated and deflated by any of the negative issues.
Just like a TV remote which is used to change the channel you do not wish, tune your mind to switch to positive thoughts when things don’t go your way. When you think about what you are grateful for and count your blessings, you automatically feel happier.

Scientific studies have proven that grateful people display higher levels of optimism, enthusiasm and less importance for materialism. Such people are more compassionate, generous and report fewer physical symptoms.

Initially, tuning your thought channels may take practice and may take effort. Eventually, it becomes second nature. As a family, if we set aside sometime during dinner when each member can share what went well with them that day, it would be a great ritual.

It could be anything- a sale, friend’s success in school, a party, beautiful weather or whatever it maybe. Tuning it in a positive direction can be – luckily you had an umbrella with you while walking back from the grocery store and it started pouring! Now you do not complain about the lousy weather! Perhaps there was too much traffic while driving, but you had the opportunity to listen to your favorite C.D! If you are single, you could maintain a journal in which you record your positive thoughts. Continue reading “Tune the Thought Channel!”

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This Thanksgiving, Gobble Up Ontario Goodness

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To make the most of your festive meal this Thanksgiving, be sure to include locally grown and harvested food and beverages. Local food is healthy and delicious, and supporting local farmers across Ontario is a great way to celebrate those who grow, produce and harvest the good things we eat and drink.

Here are some quick tips to make the most of Ontario’s harvest:

  • Turkey Tips – Smoke, roast or barbecue a locally raised turkey. It’s packed with vitamins and nutrients, and low in cholesterol and sodium, making it the perfect centrepiece of your meal. Learn the best way to cook a turkey at Turkey Farmers of Ontario’s makesitsuper.ca.
  • Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill – To help ensure your holiday meal is prepared safely, follow four simple steps. Clean your hands, surfaces and equipment well and often. Separate cooked or ready-to-eat foods from raw meat, other uncooked foods or contaminated utensils. Cook food thoroughly, and chill leftovers to reduce the risk of food poisoning.
  • Family Favourite Recipes – Whether your family loves tradition or likes to try new things, Foodland Ontario has a number of simple recipes that are a delicious way to feature Ontario’s bounty on your table.
  • Local Ingredients – Choosing local ingredients from the abundance of Ontario’s harvest is easy at farmers’ markets, pick-your-own farms and on-farm markets. Visit Harvest Ontario and Ontario Farm Fresh to learn more about where to buy local. The Foodland Ontario logo makes it easy to find local products where you shop.
  • Celebrating the Feast – Raise your glass of local Ontario wine, craft beer or ciderthis Thanksgiving. Continue reading “This Thanksgiving, Gobble Up Ontario Goodness”
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Nobel Prize for Physics, 2017 – Indian Connection 

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The 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics has been conferred to three scientists namely Rainer Weiss, Barry C Barish & Kip S Thorne under the LIGO Project for their discovery of gravitational waves, 100 years after Einstein’s General Relativity predicted it. The Nobel Prize for Physics 2017 celebrates the direct detection of Gravitational waves arriving from the merger two large Black holes in a distant galaxy a Billion of light years away. Gravitational waves carry information about their dramatic origins and about the nature of gravity that cannot otherwise be obtained. This opens a new window to Astronomy since Gravitational Waves are an entirely new way of observing the most violent events in space.

This is a proud moment for India also, since the discovery paper has 39 Indian authors/scientists from nine institutions-, CMI Chennai, ICTS-TIFR Bengaluru, IISER-Kolkata, IISER-Trivandrum, IIT Gandhinagar, IPR Gandhinagar, IUCAA Pune, RRCAT Indore and TIFR Mumbai. primarily funded through individual/ institutional grants by Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Science & Technology and Ministry of Human Resource Development AE, DST and MHRD, who are co-authors of this discovery paper.

The group led by Bala Iyer (currently at ICTS-TIFR) at the Raman Research Institute in collaboration with scientists in France had pioneered the mathematical calculations used to model Gravitational Wave signals from orbiting black holes and neutron stars. Theoretical work that combined black holes and gravitational waves was published by C. V. Vishveshwara in 1970. These contributions are prominently cited in the discovery paper. Continue reading “Nobel Prize for Physics, 2017 – Indian Connection “