collection of interesting articles/ quotes

In politics, democracy is the most famous Greek idea that has come down to us.  It is closely followed by Science (Scientia= Knowledge originally).  This  most profitable area in human activity is generally reckoned to have  begun at Ionia,  the western fringe of Asia Minor (Modern Turkey) and the islands of the coast.  According to Erwin Schrodinger there are three main reasons why science began there.[Erwin Schroedinger, was a Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist who developed a number of fundamental results in the field of quantum theory, which formed the basis of wave mechanics: ]  First the region did not belong to a powerful State, which are usually hostile to free thinking.   Second, Ionians were a sea faring people, interposed between east and west, with strong trading links.  Mercantile exchange is always the principal force in the exchange of ideas,  which often stem from the solving of practical problems- navigation, means of transport,  water supply, handicrafts techniques. Third,  the area was not “priest- ridden”:  there was not , as  in Babylon and Egypt a hereditary,  privileged, priestly caste with a vested interest in the status quo.

What is reality?

"......

                   In other words reality is a lifeless piece of machinery, in which everything that occurs is the outcome of inert, material atoms moving according to their nature.  “No mind and no divinity intrude  into this world….There is no room for purpose or freedom”  (Atomists-Greece 2000 BC)

Evaluation

When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advances to the state of science, whatever the matter may be.

-Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)

****

One could not be a successful scientist without relasing that in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and the mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull but also just stupid.

-James Watson

which card was it?

There are three friends Mr.A, Mr.B and Mr.C. Mr.C takes out 16 cards from a pack of cards which are as under:-

Hearts: A, Q,4.
Spades:J,8,4,2,7,3
Club: K,Q,5,4,6
Diamonds: A,5.

All the three persons know these 16 cards which are taken out.

Shri C inverts all the cards and shuffles them. He now takes out one card from the pack of 16 cards, in the presence of A and B,  without revealing the card either to A or B. He then inform  only the number to Mr.A( not the colour).(of course is not informed).
Thereafter he goes to Mr.B and and informs him about the colour of the card.

He then asks the Both A and B( when both A and B are present and hear each other) as to which card from the pack of 16 was taken out.The following reply is furnished by them

First A: I do not know
Then B: I knew you do  not know
Then A: Now I know
Then B: Now I also know.

which card was it

Fire-tailed Sunbird November 2014 Pangot

(Prunus cerasoides) Wild Himalayan Cherry is a deciduous tree found in the forests of the Himalayas, from Himachal Pradesh in India to SW China and Burma. It grows at altitudes of 1200-2400 m above sea level. It is a medium sized tree which grows up to 30 metres in height. The bark is smooth, and peels off in thin horizontal strips. The leaves are elliptic, long pointed, with toothed margin. They are short-stalked, 5-8 cm long. It flowers in autumn and winter, with the flowers generally appearing on bare branches, or with young leaves. Flowers are pink, long-stalked, often paired or in few-flowered clusters at the end of branches. They have 5 pink, obovate petals, spreading outwards. Fruit is yellow, maturing to red, ovoid, 1.3-1.6 cm long. Flowering: October-November

Buji and I visited Pangot again in November 6th to 8th November. As ususal we stayed at Kafal House. The Padam Flowers were in full bloom. It got us two lifers -Fire-tailed and Mrs. Goulds sunbird.On the third day on our further journey to Sattal, we also got Buffy fish Owl (not Brown Fish Owl) for which full credit goes to  Harish (09690252767). Without him it was not possible. We also got the Koklas in which Pangot has never failed us.

November.

Mrs.Goulds Sunbird

firetailed sunbird

Koklas pheasant

buffy fish owl

Pangot with Laltu October 3rd to 5th 2014

In my 23 years of service in the Government, I do not recall having , continuous five days as holidays. Thursday was 2nd October and Gandhi Jayanti. 3rd October was Dusshehra. 4th and 5th Saturday and Sunday and 6th October was Id-ul-zuha. Lovely isn't i? Laltu (Swaroop Saha) my brother-in-Law and a senior banker who goes to office even on Sundays desperately wanted a  break and I suggested Pangot (Kafal House) to him. Ishani decided to stay  back because of her studies of Class-12 (although I feel that was only an excuse- she actually wanted to accompany her friends in the Pujo Pandal hopping during our absence). The gang comprised of-Laltu, Pinki , Anjana, Shom and of course the team leader Shri Sandeep Mukherjee the famous author, explorer and ornithologist. We hired a Toyota Innova driven by our favorite driver Shri Dinesh.

tea on arrival at Kafal House

We started on 3rd October early morning at 0430 and reached  Pangot by 1215 hours. It was one of the smoothest ride to Pangot in the last few years. We stayed upto 5th October. Highlight of the visit was the night safari and some memorable shots of the White-tailed nuthatch and yellow-breasted Green Finch on the sunflower both by me and Shom. 

Sachin-bringing more tea

miss xeno canto on the job

in search of a bird

Anjana posing for a photo with the famous author

evening adda

evening adda

laltu, pinki and shom just before boarding the car on return journey on 5th

white tailed nuthatch

white tailed nuthatch

grey hooded warbler

yellow breasted green finch

crimson sunbird

crimson sunbird

white tailed nuthatch

Purple Rumped Sunbird-Goa September 2014

A two day visit to Goa got me these very satisfying shots. Birding at a banana plantation in Old Goa, in search of the spider hunter (which so far I have not ever seen) I was wondering as to why I had not heard the call of the sunbirds too, when suddenly I heard a faint call from a far off shrub. A little help from Miss canto I got them to some looking for me. Rest was the work of Nikon Technology. September was also the time for ripening of the paddy. It attracted white-rumped munias and also the beautiful weaver bird.

white-rumped munias

Reyanshi's first outing -to Pangot August 2014(15th to 18th August)