He brings hot meals to India's homeless – so please vote for this 'CNN Hero'

If you had not heard of Narayanan Krishnan, as I had not, it is a collective failure. This is one of the most incredible stories of personal commitment.

Narayanan Krishnan, all of 29 years old now, does what he was professionally trained to do as a chef. Feed people. Only Krishnan does not do this in the swanky confines of a 5-star hotel. Every day, he wakes up at 4 am, cooks a simple hot meal and then, along with his team, loads it in a van and travels about 200 km feeding the homeless in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Krishnan feeds, often with his hands, almost 400 destitute people every day. And for those who need it, he provides a free haircut too.

According to CNN, eight years ago, this award-winning chef with a five-star hotel chain was all set to go to Switzerland for a high-profile posting. On a visit to a Madurai temple, he came across a homeless, old man eating his own human waste. That stark sight changed Krishnan's life.



Much to the dismay of his parents, CNN says, Krishnan abandoned his career plans and decided to spend his life and his professional training in looking after those who could not care for themselves. He has provided more than 1.2 million hot meals through his nonprofit organisation Akshaya Trust, and now hopes to extend this to shelter for the homeless too.

Krishnan is the only Indian in a list of 10 heroes that CNN has picked worldwide to honour. One of them will be chosen CNN Hero of the Year, selected by the public through an online poll. If many Indians get together to vote for this inspiring man, he can win by a long mile.



If Krishnan wins he will get $100,000 in addition to the $25,000 that he gets for being shortlisted for the Top 10. Akshaya Trust needs all the monetary support it can get to build on Krishnan's dream. Let's help him get there.



Vote for Krishnan here. The poll continues through November 18 at 6 a.m. ET.



CNN Report:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/01/cnnheroes.krishnan.hunger/index.html

Link to vote for him:

http://heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx

.

Vazhachal & Athirapally - Niagara in Kerala

Desi Niagara 

Try to chalk out a holiday in September just after the monsoons.  The waterfalls will be in full force then.  A tranquil & much needed escape from the troubles & stress of life!

 
Vazhachal Falls

Perched high above in the the Sholayar forest ranges on the fringes of Kerala's famed rain forests, the waterfalls provides a restful escape for those wanting to leave the hurried pace of city life behind. wild and beautiful, unspoilt by the passing of time.

Both this waterfalls are a part of the Chalakudy river and 5 km apart on the road to hill station (valparai) which has excellent tea estate and is one of India's highest elephant density habitats and is a crucial corridor between Parambikulam and Malayattur.

Perched high above in the the Sholayar forest ranges on the fringes of Kerala's famed rain forests, the Athirapalli waterfalls provides a restful escape for those wanting to leave the hurried pace of city life behind. The water plunges and joins to the Chalakudi River. The scenic attraction of Vazhachal, the other picnic spot is just a drive from Athirampally. These scintillating waterfalls in thick green forest are a part of the Chalakudy river stream.



The riparian forests of the Chalakudy River have revealed the existence of a thick riparian vegetation of more than 10 metres width for a distance of 10.5 km downstream from Peringalkuth, covering an area of 58.5 hectares. Out of this, 26.4 hectares lie within the Vazachal area, including three large islands densely covered by riparian forests.



The riparian forests of the area have been found to be characterised by the presence of typical riparian species of plants, in addition to evergreen and semi-evergreen species.Out of the 319 species of flowering plants identified from the study area, 24 are endemic species of the Western Ghats and 10 are rare and endangered.

Moreover, the Chalakudy River is known for its diversity, as it contains 85 species of fresh water fishes out of the 152 species known from Kerala. Among these, 35 are endemic species of the Western Ghats and nine are considered to be endangered.



 Athirapally Waterfalls

Athirappally Waterfalls is located 78 kms from Kochi (Cochin), located at the entrance to Sholayar ranges, this waterfall is a popular picnic spot. Affording to the onlookers, one of the most bewitching sights, Athirappally Falls is about 80 feet high and located in the forest area.   Combined with the greenery, it infuses freshness into any tired soul.  The Athirapally Falls join the Chalakkudy River after plummeting a drop of 80 feet.



A tranquil and much needed escape from the troubles and stress of life. Let the soothing sounds take you to some of natures most relaxing places - the beautiful waterfalls of Athirampally and Vazhachal (Prounced as vaazhachaal).



The charm of the Athirampally and Vazhachal nature cannot be described by words, Starting calmly from the high ranges, and crashing through gorges overhung with trees, these waterfall is one of the best places in India to re-capture a real sense of the classical idea of the 'Picturesque' - not just calm and sweet, but something wild and natural.





Nearby Places of Interest



Charpa Falls

To the east of athirappilly is the enchanting but lesser known Charpa falls which plunges on to the road during monsoon. It is a sight to watch and enjoy.



Anakkayam

About 20 km from Chalakudy on the sholayar peringalkuthu route, Anakkayam means the "Elephant pit". It is noted for a lake with cool and placid waters. The place is a forest untouched by human encroachments and is a haven for those

who wish to escape from concrete jungles. It attracts the visitor with its bubbling streams, natural rock formations and flora.



Water Theme Parks

For those who want a little extra recreation there are two water theme parks nearby with plenty of adventure games and water sports.



Malakapara Tea Gardens

For the adventurous a family safari through the deep forest and high ranges (Western Ghats) complemented with lots of hairpin curves takes you to the fascinating sculptured beauty of Malakapara tea Gardens. Along the route if you are lucky you may end up seeing some good wildlife.



Thumpurmuzhi Gardens

Thumpurmuzhi is an ideal stopover with its garden, scenic splendor and a classic waterfall.



Peringalkuthu & Sholayar Dams

Deep in the forest on the way to Valpara are the two dams that generate hydroelectric power to the state. Entry to the dam site is with special permission only.



Vazhachal Forest Gardens

With the abundant flora and even herbal plantation maintained by the forest department, Vazhachal is a Botanist's treasure trove.  

Complicated Mechanisms, Explained in simple animations

Radial Engines:

Radial engines are used in aircraft having propeller connected to the shaft delivering power in order to produce thrust its basic mechanism is as follows

 

Steam engine: 

Steam engine once used in locomotives was based on the reciprocating principle as shown below

Sewing Machine

Maltese Cross Mechanism:  

This type of mechanism is used in clocks to power the second hand movement.

Manual Transmission Mechanism:

The mechanism also called as “stick shift” is used in cars to change gears manually

 

Constant Velocity Joint:

This mechanism is used in the front wheel drive cars

 

 

Torpedo-Boat destroyer System:

This system is used to destroy fleet in naval military operations.

 

Rotary Engine:

Also called as Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine has a unique design that converts pressure into rotating motion instead of reciprocating pistons

 







.

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Steve Jobs - CEO, Apple and Pixar Animation - 

delivering his Commencement speech to 

the graduates of Stanford University in 2005. 

Talks about getting fired from Apple in 1985, life & death.