Apple's iBook 2: Textbooks that come alive...!!

Apple’s announcement on Thursday that it would be introducing a new iPad textbook experience and iBooks authoring tool presents huge opportunities for technology in classrooms.

The company is selling textbooks from McGraw-Hill, Pearson and Houghton Mifflin at a price comparable to print versions, and it’s presented an unprecedented opportunity for teachers to compile their own materials.

But Apple has a long way to go — and logistical hurdles to clear in tens of thousands of schools — before it dominates K-12 classrooms the way it has done the music industry.

Instructional Technology Resource Teacher Jenny Grabiec recently purchased iPads for two of the ESL classrooms in her 160-school district using federal funds allocated for students with limited English proficiency.

Getting approval for the actual purchase was fairly easy. She sent a written request to the district CIO, and he approved it. But it took five months to get the iPads up and running after they arrived.

In order to download new apps, she needed to get the Apple volume purchase program approved as a vendor by the budget group. But who would explain to the budget committee the process of paying with an Apple ID? Who would be responsible for downloading the volume-purchased apps? Could the students use them outside of their hour-long ESL class? The list of logistical issues went on.

“Because nobody in our district had done it before, it took a long time,” Grabiec says.

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Becoming The Next Big Thing

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By Apple’s count, 1.5 million iPads are being used by schools. But there are 55.5 million students enrolled in more than 130,000 U.S. schools. No matter how you slice it, the iPad is not a mainstream phenomenon in K-12.

Nor is there any guarantee it will become so. One-to-one initiatives for laptops have been pushing forward for years without mainstream adoption. Maine, for instance, gave 33,000 middle school students and 3,000 teachers personal laptops as early as 2002.

But in 2009, a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics found that while 99% of public school teachers have some access to computers, just 29% of public school teachers use them during instructional time “often.” Just 3% of schools in a 2010 survey by the FCC said they have a one-to-one computer ratio.

iPads do have a couple of advantages over one-to-one laptop initiatives. Grabiec points out that the iPads’ batteries last longer than the laptops she oversees in other classrooms. They also have been less expensive to maintain than the computers — not a single one has been damaged — and don’t work as stand-ins for desktop computers, but as cameras, GPS devices and video cameras.

“With a laptop you were stuck with consuming content,” says Timothy Smith, who works as an Instructional Technology Specialist in the same district as Grabiec. “But with the iPad you’re taking videos and looking at ideas in a new way.”

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Textbook Availability

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Even though Apple’s first iPad textbooks will sell for $15 or less, they won’t be any less expensive for schools than paper books. Vineet Madan, head McGraw-Hill Higher Education eLabs, tells Mashable that iBooks will be sold to schools rather than directly to students, but that schools will grant students access to those books through their personal IDs.

In other words, even if a school reuses iPads, it won’t be able to reuse books. The books will be kept on individual students’ iTunes accounts.

Schools reuse the same paper book for about five years, and those books usually cost about $75. Because a new book will be purchased every year, the iBook version still costs $75 for five years.

Relying on iBooks as textbooks isn’t a feasible option for most public schools at the moment because Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson have each dedicated just a small number of titles each. Madan puts the typical cycle for textbook approval in most states at about five years.

Unless the school happens to be using one of the selected titles, it can’t use iBooks yet. Most other options for digital textbooks that can be read on an iPad –including Coursesmart, Kno, Chegg and Inkling — focus on books for higher education.

Unless major publishers decide to add more of their titles to iBooks, it won’t be a feasible default reader in most schools. Madan says that McGraw has already committed to adding five additional titles before September, but it will commit to additional titles based on uptake.

In a FTC 2010 survey of the schools in its program for discounted telecommunications, almost 80% said their Internet connections don’t fully meet their current needs.

“It’s not atypical to see one classroom of students on connected devices bring down a network,” Madan says.

Before schools introduce connected devices, many of them will need to introduce better Internet connections. And that’s just one logistical issue. Schools and districts will likely have a longer list specific to their circumstances. Consider the situation that Smith, who recently helped put an iPad in the hands of every administrator in his district, faces when he thinks about introducing iPads district-wide:

Some types of funding, like the one used to buy iPads for the ESL classrooms, can’t be used for anything already being paid for by the school district. If the district bought iPads for some students, in other words, it would be cutting off other sources of funding. It’s a puzzle.

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Bringing iPads to the Mainstream

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Many schools already use iPads in their courses. Policies that allow students to bring their own devices to school might make make this more common.

According to a 2011 Pearson Foundation survey, 70% percent of college students and college-bound high school seniors are interested in owning a tablet device, and 20% expect to purchase a tablet within the next six months.

The inevitable price decline on the iPad could also make iPads a more mainstream conduit for educational material.

“This is a change in how school districts think,” Smith says, “and in a larger school district, that can take some time."

source: Mashable

Space station to drop into ocean in 2020

NEWS

Russia and its partners plan to let the International Space Station fall into the ocean when it reaches the end of its lifecycle in 2020, according to a new report.

The International Space Station will be pulled out of its orbit and allowed to fall into the sea when it ends its lifespan in 2020. Photo credit: Nasa

Agence France-Presse reports that the Russian space agency's reason is simple: left alone, the ISS poses great risk as an enormous bundle of space junk.

Read this

Space station marks 10 years in service

Read more

"After it completes its existence, we will be forced to sink the ISS. It cannot be left in orbit, it's too complex, too heavy an object, it can leave behind lots of rubbish," deputy head of Roskosmos space agency Vitaly Davydov reportedly said.

The ISS, home to scientific experiments since its launch in 1998, orbits 220 miles above Earth's surface and hosts researchers hailing from Russia, the US, Europe, Japan and Canada. It was originally planned to operate through 2013, but its service was officially extended last year through 2020.

However, it is still unclear whether a final decision has been made to junk the space station. CBS News space analyst William Harwood noted that the ISS would need more funding if it goes beyond its 2020 end date. It is unclear whether the partner nations are of a mind to invest more money, given shrinking budgets and other pressing domestic priorities.

But whenever funding runs out, they will, in fact, crash it into the atmosphere so the debris falls in the Pacific, well away from populated areas. That is standard procedure for something like this, according to Harwood.

"They can't just leave it up on its own; everything in low Earth orbit will eventually fall back to Earth," Harwood noted. "With something as large as the station, they'll do a targeted re-entry to make sure it doesn't rain down on, say, New York."

With something as large as the station, they'll do a targeted re-entry to make sure it doesn't rain down on, say, New York.

– William Harwood, space analyst

Whenever its final plunge arrives, the ISS will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, Russia's Mir, which was sunk into the Pacific Ocean in 2001.

At one point in its history, the ISS was talked about as a possible staging base for future missions to the Moon and Mars. But those plans fell by the wayside as the US shifted its plans for space exploration toward the use of unmanned probes. Last week, Nasa marked the return of its final space shuttle Atlantis from a trip to the ISS.

With one of its main customers calling it quits, the concept of an orbiting space station — not to mention the concomitant expense to maintain the base — has lost much of its allure. The news about the future of the space station comes on the heels of China's announcement that it isreadying its first space station module for launch.

CBS staff contributed to this story.

For more on this ZDNet UK-selected story, see International Space Station to fall into ocean in 2020 on SmartPlanet.

Social Phobia

Dealing with other people can be a terrifying situation for those who suffer from social phobia. 

We’ve all experienced them; those moments when you just can’t bring yourself to leave the house to attend a social engagement. For many of us, the reason is just laziness. But for some people, there is a psychological reason. The idea of mingling with others makes them quake in fear, a condition known as social phobia.

The condition

Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, is a condition characterised by a fear of certain situations. These situations can be extremely diverse, ranging from a job interview or a presentation at work, to attending a party with friends and even eating or drinking in public.

While many of us have a trepidation of public speaking, for those with social phobia, this fear can be so paralysing that it interferes with their lives.

People with social phobia also fear being watched or criticised by others. Although they may know that their fears are unfounded or unreasonable, they are unable to overcome them.

Do I have social phobia?

Worried about that presentation you have to make at a meeting? Chances are, you are merely apprehensive about having to stand in front of a group and expressing your thoughts.

How can a person tell if he/she has social phobia? The following symptoms may be key signals.

•   Fear or apprehension about a social meeting or engagement (this fear could last for days or even weeks).

•   Fear of being embarrassed in public.

•  Fear of being watched, judged or criticised by people, particularly strangers.

•  Fear that other people will note your nervousness and uneasiness.

•  Avoidance of social events or even places like work or school to avoid any of the abovementioned fears.

These physical symptoms may accompany the psychological ones mentioned above.

·       Nausea.

·       Dizziness.

·       Fainting spells.

·       Breathlessness or rapid breathing.

·       Trembling.

·       Hot flashes.

·       Profuse sweating and clammy hands.

·       Shaky voice and difficulty speaking.

·       Blushing.

·       Muscle tightness.

·       Palpitations.

What can be done?

Medical options

There are medications that can overcome some of the symptoms of social phobia. However, they are not a ‘cure-all’ method, as stopping treatment will cause a relapse of symptoms.

Some of the medications prescribed include:
• Anti-anxiety drugs.
• Beta blockers – to control physiological symptoms caused by anxiety, including sweating, rapid heartbeat and shaky hands.

• Anti-depressants – used in situations where social phobia is extremely severe and interferes with a person’s ability to function.

Behavioural therapy

More often than not, treatment involves therapy and lifestyle changes. Cognitive therapy can help a person identify the situations he/she fears most and learn how to change his/her thought patterns so as to no longer fear these situations.

The person will also learn how to control anxiety attacks  with the help of several methods, eg, relaxation and breathing techniques. He/she can also learn how to deal with a ‘scary’ situation as opposed to avoiding it altogether.

Some therapists encourage role-playing during their sessions to help patients develop better social and conversational skills to enable them to cope better in social settings.

Lifestyle changes

Just like it does for numerous health conditions, lifestyle modifications can help reduce the symptoms of social phobia.

·     Are you sleeping enough? A lack of sleep can make you more prone to anxiety attacks. Adequate sleep will help you stay relaxed throughout the day, especially in social settings.

·     Reduce your caffeine intake. Not only will it keep you up at night, caffeine acts as a stimulant and also exacerbates the symptoms of anxiety. Cut down on coffee and other caffeinated drinks.

·     Try to better manage your stress levels. Relaxation and breathing exercises may help. Scheduling some time each day to indulge in ‘me-time’ helps, too! Whether it is a warm bath, a massage or facial, or even reading a book, find an activity that relaxes you.

·     Although some people may consume alcohol to ‘loosen up’ before a social setting, in reality, alcohol worsens anxiety symptoms. It may give you a relaxed feeling at first, but after a while, alcohol acts as a stimulant, increasing your risk of a panic attack.

·     Just like alcohol and caffeine, nicotine is also a stimulant. If you are a smoker, quit. Remember that smoking before a social gathering will not relax you, but increase your anxiety symptoms.

Exercise is a great way to relax the body and mind, and reduces stress. It helps ease muscle tension and increases energy levels. Exercise also stimulates the production of endorphins (those feel-good hormones)!

TEDx LIVE

UniMAP: Institut Nanoelektronik

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Jun – Institut Kecemerlangan Nano Elektronik Universiti Malaysia Perlis (INEE UniMAP) yang ditubuhkan pada tahun 2008 hari ini diiktiraf sebagai salah sebuah Pusat Kecemerlangan Nano Malaysia oleh Kementerian Sains Teknologi dan Inovasi Malaysia.

Menterinya, Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkily dalam ucapannya berharap kelima-lima Pusat Kecemerlangan yang dipilih ini akan terus menyumbang kepada pembangunan penyelidikan dalam bidang Nano Teknologi.

Ujar beliau, di peringkat awal sebanyak 17 Pusat Penyelidikan Nano Teknologi telah disenarai pendek tetapi buat masa sekarang, hanya 5 yang terpilih sebagai Pusat Kecemerlangan atas kecemerlangan penemuan dan penyelidikan dalam bidang Nano Teknologi.

``Pemilihan kelima-lima Pusat Kecemerlangan ini dibuat oleh satu panel khas dan harus saya akui proses pemilihan adalah sangat sukar memandangkan kesemua 17 pusat penyelidikan Nano Teknologi di Malaysia mempamerkan prestasi yang sangat membanggakan.

``Selepas beberapa tapisan, kita bersetuju dengan pemilihan lima Pusat Kecemerlangan ini (buat masa sekarang) dan tidak menolak kemungkinan akan ada penambahan di masa akan datang. Kesemua lima Pusat Kecemerlangan ini akan memfokuskan kepada bidang kepakaran masing-masing dengan pemantauan berterusan daripada Kementerian dan juga Direktorat Nano Teknologi Kebangsaan (NND),” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang media selepas Majlis Perasmian Nano Malaysia Summit And Expo 2011 serta Penyampaian Pengiktirafan Pusat Kecemerlangan Nano Malaysia di PWTC di sini hari ini.
Pada majlis tersebut, UniMAP diwakili oleh Naib Canselornya, Brig. Jen. Dato Profesor Dr. Kamarudin Hussin dan Pengarah INEE, Prof. Dr. Uda Hashim.

Selain INEE UniMAP, turut terpilih sebagai Pusat Kecemerlangan Nano Malaysia ialah, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dan SIRIM Malaysia Bhd.
Dr. Maximus seterusnya berkata, pihaknya juga akan menjadi perantara dalam mewujudkan kolaborasi pintar antara kelima-lima Pusat Kecemerlangan ini dengan agensi swasta dalam usaha pengkomersialan produk Nano Teknologi.

Beliau bagaimanapun berkata, setiap Pusat Kecemerlangan ini telah memiliki Unit Pengkomersialan masing-masing tetapi, Kementerian dan NND akan membuka lebih banyak peluang terutama di peringkat antarabangsa selain turut membimbing kesemua Pusat Kecemerlangan ini dalam bidang pembangunan tenaga kerja dan kepakaran serta koordinasi program.

Ditanya mengenai dana yang bakal diberikan kepada Pusat Kecemerlangan yang dipilih ini beliau berkata :
``Buat masa sekarang, jumlah dana tidak akan dimaklumkan, tetapi saya memberi jaminan bahawa kelima-lima Pusat Kecemerlangan ini akan diberi keutamaan dalam pemberian dana.”

( 15/6/2011 )

INSTITUT KEJURUTERAAN NANO ELEKTRONIK UniMAP DIIKTIRAF SEBAGAI PUSAT KECEMERLANGAN NANO MALAYSIA

The Universe

The standard package

The theories and discoveries of thousands of physicists over the past century have resulted in a remarkable insight into the fundamental structure of matter: everything in the Universe is found to be made from twelve basic building blocks called fundamental particles, governed by four fundamental forces. Our best understanding of how these twelve particles and three of the forces are related to each other is encapsulated in the Standard Model of particles and forces. Developed in the early 1970s, it has successfully explained a host of experimental results and precisely predicted a wide variety of phenomena. Over time and through many experiments by many physicists, the Standard Model has become established as a well-tested physics theory.

Matter particles

Everything around us is made of matter particles.These occur in two basic types called quarks and leptons.

Each group consists of six particles, which are related in pairs, or ‘generations’. The lightest and most stable particles make up the first generation, whereas the heavier and less stable particles belong to the second and third generations. All stable matter in the Universe is made from particles that belong to the first generation; any heavier particles quickly decay to the next most stable level.

The six quarks are paired in the three generations – the 'up quark' and the 'down quark' form the first generation, followed by the 'charm quark' and 'strange quark', then the 'top quark' and 'bottom quark'. The six leptons are similarly arranged in three generations – the 'electron' and the 'electron-neutrino', the 'muon' and the 'muon-neutrino', and the 'tau' and the 'tau-neutrino'. The electron, the muon and the tau all have an electric charge and a mass, whereas the neutrinos are electrically neutral with very little mass.

Forces and carrier particles

There are four fundamental forces at work in the Universe: the strong force, the weak force, the electromagnetic force, and the gravitational force. They work over different ranges and have different strengths. Gravity is the weakest but it has an infinite range. The electromagnetic force also has infinite range but it is many times stronger than gravity. The weak and strong forces are effective only over a very short range and dominate only at the level of subatomic particles. Despite its name, the weak force is much stronger than gravity but it is indeed the weakest of the other three. The strong force is, as the name says, the strongest among all the four fundamental interactions.

We know that three of the fundamental forces result from the exchange of force carrier particles, which belong to a broader group called ‘bosons’. Matter particles transfer discrete amounts of energy by exchanging bosons with each other. Each fundamental force has its own corresponding boson particle – the strong force is carried by the ‘gluon’, the electromagnetic force is carried by the ‘photon’, and the ‘W and Z bosons’ are responsible for the weak force. Although not yet found, the ‘graviton’ should be the corresponding force-carrying particle of gravity.

The Standard Model includes the electromagnetic, strong and weak forces and all their carrier particles, and explains extremely well how these forces act on all the matter particles. However, the most familiar force in our everyday lives, gravity, is not part of the Standard Model. In fact, fitting gravity comfortably into the framework has proved to be a difficult challenge. The quantum theory used to describe the micro world, and the general theory of relativity used to describe the macro world, are like two children who refuse to play nicely together. No one has managed to make the two mathematically compatible in the context of the Standard Model. But luckily for particle physics, when it comes to the minuscule scale of particles, the effect of gravity is so weak as to be negligible. Only when we have matter in bulk, such as in ourselves or in planets, does the effect of gravity dominate. So the Standard Model still works well despite its reluctant exclusion of one of the fundamental forces.

So far so good, but...

...it is not time for physicists to call it a day just yet. Even though the Standard Model is currently the best description we have of the subatomic world, it does not explain the complete picture. The theory incorporates only three out of the four fundamental forces, omitting gravity. Alas, Newton would be turning in his grave! There are also important questions it cannot answer, such as what is dark matter, what happened to the missing antimatter, and more.

Last but not least, an essential ingredient of the Standard Model, a particle called the Higgs boson, has yet to be found in an experiment. The race is on to hunt for the Higgs – the key to the origin of particle mass. Finding it would be a big step for particle physics, although its discovery would not write the final ending to the story.

So despite the Standard Model's effectiveness at describing the phenomena within its domain, it is nevertheless incomplete. Perhaps it is only a part of a bigger picture that includes new physics that has so far been hidden deep in the subatomic world or in the dark recesses of the Universe. New information from experiments at the Large Hadron Colliderare sure to help us find more of these missing pieces.

what’s the dark matter…do GOD would reveal his image?

Recipe for a Universe

Take a massive explosion to create plenty of stardust and a raging heat. Simmer for an eternity in a background of cosmic microwaves. Let the ingredients congeal and leave to cool and serve cold with cultures of tiny organisms 13.7 billion years later.

To understand the basic ingredients and the ‘cooking conditions’ of the cosmos, from the beginning of time to the present day, particle physicists have to try and reverse-engineer the ‘dish’ of the Universe. Within the complex concoction, cryptic clues hide the instructions for the cosmic recipe.

Slowly simmer

Space, time, matter... everything originated in the Big Bang, an incommensurably huge explosion that happened 13.7 billion years ago. The Universe was then incredibly hot and dense but only a few moments after, as it started to cool down, the conditions were just right to give rise to the building blocks of matter – in particular, the quarks and electrons of which we are all made. A few millionths of a second later, quarks aggregated to produce protons and neutrons, which in turn were bundled into nuclei three minutes later.

Then, as the Universe continued to expand and cool, things began to happen more slowly. It took 380,000 years for the electrons to be trapped in orbits around nuclei, forming the first atoms. These were mainly helium and hydrogen, which are still by far the most abundant elements in the Universe.

Another 1.6 million years later, gravity began to take control as clouds of gas began to form stars and galaxies. Since then heavier atoms, such as carbon, oxygen and iron, of which we are all made, have been continuously ‘cooked’ in the hearts of the stars and stirred in with the rest of the Universe each time a star comes to a spectacular end as a supernova.

The mystery ingredient

So far so good but there is one small detail left out: cosmological and astrophysical observations have now shown that all of the above accounts for only a tiny 4% of the entire Universe. In a way, it is not so much the visible things, such as planets and galaxies, that define the Universe, but rather the void around them!

Most of the Universe is made up of invisible substances known as 'dark matter' (26%) and 'dark energy' (70%). These do not emit electromagnetic radiation, and we detect them only through their gravitational effects. What they are and what role they played in the evolution of the Universe are a mystery, but within this darkness lie intriguing possibilities of hitherto undiscovered physics beyond the established Standard Model.

Kalki avatar and the end of the world

 

   Appearance of Kalki Avatar

The Apocalyptic Horse Rider

"Thereafter, at the conjunction of the two yugas, the Lord of creation will take His birth as the Kalki incarnation and become the son of Visnu Yasa. At this time the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers." [SB 1.3.25]
0 Kesava, O Hari, who have assumed the form of Kalki! You appear like a comet and carry a terrifying sword for bringing about the annihilation of the wicked barbarian men at the end of the Kali-yuga.
[ Sri Dasavatara Stotra, 10th Sloka]

"Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, riding His swift horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, will travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic powers and eight special qualities of Godhead. Displaying His unequalled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions those thieves and rogues who have dared dress as kings." [SB. ]
The Appearance of Lord Kalki, the Avatar or incarnation of Godhead, is foretold in the Srimad Bhagavatam 12th Canto and described also in detail in the Brahmanda-purana. Therein it gives predictions as to where he will appear (the village name), who his parents will be, what his mission will be, and when he will appear.
It is described that he will appear at the conjunction of the two yugas, namely at the end of Kali-yuga and the beginning of Satya-yuga. The great cycle of the four yugas, namely Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali, rotates like the calendar months. The present age of Kali-yuga lasts 432,000 years, out of which we have passed only 5,000 years after the Battle of Kuruksetra and the end of the regime of King Pariksit. So there are 427,000 years balance yet to be finished, till the advent of Lord Kalki. Therefore at the end of this period, the incarnation of Kalki will take place, as foretold in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The name of His father, Visnu Yasa, a learned brahmana, and the village Sambhala are also mentioned.

shambhala-grama-mukhyasya brahmanasya mahatmanah
bhavane vishnuyashasah kalkih pradurbhavishyati

"Lord Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminent brahmana of Shambhala village, the great soul Vishnuyasha."

ashvam ashu-gam aruhya devadattam jagat-patih
asinasadhu-damanam ashtaishvarya-gunanvitah

"Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulence's and eight special qualities of Godhead.

vicarann ashuna kshaunyam hayenapratima-dyutih
nripa-linga-cchado dasyun kotisho nihanishyati

"Displaying His unequalled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions those thieves who have dared dress as kings."

atha tesham bhavishyanti manamsi vishadani vai
vasudevanga-ragati- punya-gandhanila-sprisham
paura-janapadanam vai hatesv akhila-dasyushu

"After all the imposter kings have been killed, the residents of the cities and towns will feel the breezes carrying the most sacred fragrance of the sandalwood paste and other decorations of Lord Kalki, and their minds will thereby become transcendentally pure."

yadavatirno bhagavan kalkir dharma-patir harih
kritam bhavishyati tada praja-sutish ca sattviki

"When the Supreme Lord Hari [Krishna] has appeared on earth as Kalki, the maintainer of religion, Satya-yuga [the age of truth] will begin, and human society will bring forth progeny in the mode of goodness."

The mission of Kalki Avatara is to re-establish the religious principles, which have disappeared by the end of Kali Yuga, the iron age of hypocrisy and quarrel.

yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srijamy aham

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend Myself."
"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium." [BG 4.7-8]

By the End of Kali Yuga, the population of the whole world will be so much reduced to animalism that there will be no more power to understand what is God, or what is spiritualism. And it is already there, the Kali-yuga. It will increase. People will have no power to understand this philosophy, God consciousness. So at that time, when there are no more religious principles, there is no other alternative than to kill them all.
At that time the Kalki avatara will come, and He'll take a sword on the horseback, just like a king send from heaven, He'll simply go on killing all these non-believers, Godless creatures and usher in another Satya-yuga, the golden age of righteousness and truth.

Kalki avatara is the last of the ten major incarnations of Lord Vishnu who will appear in the end of this Kali Yuga to protect religious principles.

Kalki: The Next Avatar of God and the End of Kali-yuga

by Stephen Knapp http://www.stephen-knapp.com/

(An excerpt from The Vedic Prophecies)

The age of Kali-yuga is said to start from the year 3102 BC, after the disappearance of Lord Krishna. Lord Caitanya appeared 500 years ago, at which time the Golden Age within Kali-yuga is supposed to start and last another 10,000 years. As the Golden Age within of Kali-yuga comes to a close, the lower modes of material nature will become so strong that people will lose interest in spiritual topics. It is said that everyone will become godless. Whatever devotees, bhaktas, and sages are left on the planet will be so unique in character and peculiar compared with the rest of society that they will be ridiculed and hunted down in the cities for sport like animals. Thus, they will flee the cities to live underground in caves or high up in the mountains, or simply disengage from the earthly plane of existence. In this way, they will disappear from the face of the earth. That is the time when the dark influence of the age of Kali-yuga will become so dominant that its full influence will manifest without hindrance.

Finally, after 432,000 years from the beginning of the age of Kali, Lord Kalki will appear as the twenty-second incarnation of God. This is very similar to what some people call the second coming of Christ.

THE APPEARANCE OF LORD KALKI

There are many incarnations of the Supreme Being as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam(1.3.26): "O brahmanas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water." However, out of all the various incarnations of the Supreme, the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.28) specifically states "krishnas tu bhagavan svayam," which means that Lord Sri Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of God. All others are His plenary portions, or parts of His plenary portions, who descend into this material world to carry out certain responsibilities and to do specific things. This is especially the case when the planets are overly disturbed by miscreants and atheists. In Kali-yuga many years go by in which constant disturbances and social upheavals are allowed to happen, but the Vedic literature predicts that at the end Lord Kalki will make His appearance to change everything, as described in the following verses:

"Thereafter, at the conjunction of two yugas [Kali-yuga and Satya-yuga], the Lord of the creation will take His birth as the Kalki incarnation and become the son of Vishnuyasha. At this time the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers." (Bhag.1.3.25)

"Lord Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminentbrahmana of Shambhala village, the great soul Vishnuyasha." (Bhag.12.2.18)

"At the end of Kali-yuga, when there exist no topics on the subject of God, even at the residences of so-called saints and respectable gentlemen of the three higher castes, and when the power of government is transferred to the hands of ministers elected from the lowborn shudraclass or those less than them, and when nothing is known of the techniques of sacrifice, even by word, at that time the Lord will appear as the supreme chastiser." (Bhag.2.7.38)

The Vishnu Purana (Book Four, Chapter 24) also explains that, "When the practices taught in the Vedas and institutes of law have nearly ceased, and the close of the Kali age shall be nigh, a portion of that divine being who exists of His own spiritual nature, and who is the beginning and end, and who comprehends all things, shall descend upon earth. He will be born in the family of Vishnuyasha, an eminent brahmana of Shambhala village, as Kalki, endowed with eight superhuman faculties."

The Agni Purana (16.7-9) also explains that when the non-Aryans who pose as kings begin devouring men who appear righteous and feed on human beings, Kalki, as the son of Vishnuyasha, and Yajnavalkya as His priest and teacher, will destroy these non-Aryans with His weapons. He will establish moral law in the form of the fourfold varnas, or the suitable organization of society in four classes. After that people will return to the path of righteousness.

The Padma Purana (6.71.279-282) relates that Lord Kalki will end the age of Kali and will kill all the wicked mlecchas and, thus, destroy the bad condition of the world. He will gather all of the distinguished brahmanas and will propound the highest truth. He will know all the ways of life that have perished and will remove the prolonged hunger of the genuine brahmanas and the pious. He will be the only ruler of the world that cannot be controlled, and will be the banner of victory and adorable to the world.

Here in these verses we find that Lord Kalki will come as a chastiser or warrior. By this time the planet will be filled with people who will be unable to understand logical conversations. They will be too slow-minded and dull-witted, not capable of being taught much, especially in the way of high philosophy regarding the purpose of life. They will not know what they need to do or how to live. And they certainly will be unable to change their ways. Therefore, Lord Kalki does not come to teach, but simply to chastise, punish, and cleanse the planet.

Furthermore, we also find the name of the place where Lord Kalki will appear and the name of the family in which He will be born. The family will be qualified brahmanas. This means that a disciplic and family line of spiritually qualified brahmanas will remain on the planet throughout the age of Kali, no matter how bad things get. Though they may be hidden, living in a small village somewhere, it will be this line of bhaktas, spiritual devotees, from which Lord Kalki will appear in the distant future. No one knows where this village of Shambala is located. Some feel that it is yet to manifest, or that it will be a hidden underground community from which Lord Kalki will appear.

In this connection we find in the Padma Purana (6.242.8-12) the prediction that Lord Kalki will be born in the town of Shambala near the end of Kali-yuga from a brahmanawho is actually an incarnation of Svayambhuva Manu. It is described that Svayambhuva performed austerities at Naimisa on the bank of the Gomati River for acquiring the privilege of having Lord Vishnu as his son in three lifetimes. Lord Vishnu, being pleased with Svayambhuva, granted the blessing that He would appear as Svayambhuva's son as Lord Rama, Krishna, and Kalki. Thus, Svayambhuva would appear as Dasaratha, Vasudeva, and then Vishnuyasha. Also, in the Padma Purana (1.40.46) we find Lord Vishnu admits that He will be born in Kali-yuga. Thus, He will appear as Lord Kalki.

THE ACTIVITIES OF LORD KALKI

The Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.2.19-20) describes Lord Kalki's activities as follows: "Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift white horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulences and eight special qualities of Godhead. Displaying His unequaled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions those thieves who have dared dress as kings."

We should make note here that, as the Vedic literature explains, when the Supreme kills anyone, that person is immediately spiritually purified by His touch and because the person is focused on the Supreme Being while leaving his body. Thus, that person attains the same destination as those yogis who spend years steadying the mind in order to meditate and leave their bodies while focused on the Supreme. So being killed by the Supreme is a great advantage for those of a demoniac mentality who would otherwise enter lower realms of existence or even the hellish planets in their next lives.

The Vishnu Purana (Book Four, Chapter 24) continues to explain Lord Kalki's activities: "By His irresistible might he will destroy all the mlecchas and thieves, and all whose minds are devoted to iniquity. He will reestablish righteousness upon earth, and the minds of those who live at the end of the Kali age shall be awakened, and shall be as clear as crystal. The men who are thus changed by virtue of that peculiar time shall be as the seeds of human beings, and shall give birth to a race who will follow the laws of the Krita age [Satya-yuga], the age of purity. As it is said, 'When the sun and moon, and the lunar asterism Tishya, and the planet Jupiter, are in one mansion, the Krita age shall return.'" The Agni Purana (16.10) also relates that Hari, after giving up the form of Kalki, will go to heaven. Then the Krita or Satya-yuga will return as before.

Additional information that can help us understand the activities of the next coming of God is found in the Linga Purana (40.50-92), the Brahmanda Purana (1.2.31.76-106 & 2.3.73.104-126), and the Vayu Purana (58.75-110). In these texts we find descriptions of Lord Kalki as He will appear in the future and also as how He appeared in previous incarnations as Pramiti in this time period known as the Svayambhuva Manvantara. These texts tell us that as Kali-yuga comes to a close, and after the death of Bhrigu (or in order to slay the Bhrigus), Kalki (Pramiti) took birth in the Lunar dynasty of Manu. He will wander over the planet without being seen by any living being. Then he will start His campaign in His thirty-second year and roam the earth for twenty years. He will take with Him a big army of horses, chariots, and elephants, surrounded by hundreds and thousands of spiritually purified brahmanas armed with weapons. [Being brahmanas, these weapons may be brahminical weapons that are activated by mantras, such as the powerfulbrahmastra rather than base weapons of combat such as knives, swords, and spears, or even guns and ordinary explosives.] Though they may try to do battle with Him, He will kill all of the heretics [and false prophets] and wicked, mleccha kings.

In a previous incarnation He killed the Udicyas (Northerners), Madhya Deshyas (residents of the middle lands), Purvatiyas (mountain dwellers), Pracyas (Easterners), Praticyas (Westerners), Dakshinatyas (of Southern India), the Simhalas (Sri Lankans), Pahlavas (the fair-skinned nomadic tribes of the Caucasus mountains), Yadavas, Tusharas (people of the area of Mandhata, India, or present day Tukharistan), Cinas (Chinese), Shulikas, Khashas, and different tribes of the Kiratas (aboriginal tribes living in north-eastern India and Nepal) and Vrishalas.

No one could stop Him as He wielded His discus and killed all the barbarians. When He was finished He rested in the middle land between the Ganges and Yamuna with His ministers and followers. He allowed only a few people to remain, scattered over the planet. These would be as seeds for the next generations that would follow in the next Satya-yuga. Thereafter, when Lord Kalki has made way for the next age of Satya-yuga, and delivered the earth and whatever is left of civilization from the effects of Kali-yuga, He will go back to His eternal abode along with His army.

Continuing with the description of Lord Kalki as described in the Linga, Brahmanda, andVayu Puranas, they explain that after Lord Kalki returns to His eternal abode, when those subjects surviving at the end of Kali-yuga are enlightened, the yuga changes overnight. Then the minds of all people will become enlightened, and with inevitable force Krita or Satya-yuga sets in. People will then realize the soul, and acquire piety, devotion, tranquility, and clear consciousness. Then those Siddhas [the enlightened and perfected living beings who had remained invisible on a higher dimension through the end of the age of Kali] return to the earthly dimension and again are clearly visible. They establish themselves with the return of the Saptarishis, the seven sages, who instruct everyone about spiritual life, Vedic knowledge, and the progressive organization of society for a peaceful and fulfilling existence. Then again people flourish and perform the sacred rites, and the sages will remain in authority to continue the advancement of the new Satya-yuga.

THE RETURN OF THE GOLDEN AGE -- SATYA-YUGA

Herein we can understand that Lord Kalki will simply chastise by killing all of the evil kings and rogues and thereby bring in a new era of enlightened beings, a race whose minds will be as clear as crystal. They will produce offspring that will follow the tendencies of real human beings as found in the age of Satya-yuga.

Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.2.21-24) further describes that after all of the devious and fake kings have been killed, the remaining residents of the towns and cities will smell the breezes that carry the sacred aroma of the Lord's sandalwood paste and decorations, and their minds will then become spiritually purified. When the Supreme Being appears in their hearts in His form of pure goodness, the remaining citizens will abundantly repopulate the earth. With this appearance of Lord Kalki, Satya-yuga will begin again and the remaining humans will produce children in goodness. Thus, when the moon, the sun, and Jupiter are in the constellation Kartaka, Cancer, and together enter the lunar mansion of Pusya, that is when the age of Satya-yuga will begin. Therefore, as related in theBhagavatam (12.2.34), after one thousand celestial years of Kali-yuga, Satya-yuga will again manifest. At that time the minds of men will be self-effulgent.

The Vishnu Purana (Book Four, Chapter One) also relates that the Vedas and the principles of sanatana-dharma, or the eternal nature of the soul, fade and disappear from the planet at the end of every four ages. The Bhagavatam (8.14.4-5) also confirms that there are saintly persons who help reestablish these principles in Satya-yuga along with the basis of varnashrama, which is the proper organization of society for humanity. TheVishnu Purana continues to explain that it is in the jurisdiction of the seven universal sages or rishis (the Saptarishis) to make sure the Vedic knowledge is given currency again, even if these rishis must descend from the higher planets to do so. So in every Satya-yuga the Manu [the demigod son of Brahma who is the lawgiver of humanity] of that age is the author of the body of law, while the sons of Manu and their descendants are sovereigns of the earth. This means that although the genuine spiritual knowledge or Vedic information may disappear from this planet, it is still dwelling elsewhere in the universe, and it is the duty of higher authorities to reestablish it on Earth.

To help in this regard, it is predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.2.37-38) and theVishnu Purana (Book Four, Chapter 24) that there are two persons who are waiting for the end of Kali-yuga: Devapi of the race of Puru and brother of King Shantanu, and Maru, a descendant of King Ikshvaku. They will be great kings and will help in the process of reestablishing the proper principles in society. These two are alive even now by their great mystic strength obtained through the power of devotion. They have lived through all four of the yugas and reside in the village of Kalapa. They are waiting for the end of Kali-yuga. Then, at the beginning of Satya-yuga, under the instructions of the Supreme, they will return to society and be members of the family of the Manu and reestablish the eternal religion of humanity, sanatana-dharma, and the institution of varnashrama, which is the proper organization of society for its continued harmony in life, and its material and spiritual progress. They will become great kings and form proper government. Thus, by the arrangement of the Supreme Being, there are those who will always be the guardians of that spiritual knowledge that contains the genuine principles for attaining the real goal of human existence.

After all of this is accomplished, as related in the Bhagavatam (12.2.39), the cycle of the four ages of Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali-yugas [a Caturyuga] will continue to repeat itself along with the same general pattern of events.

IS LORD KALKI PREDICTED IN THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS?

Here are some additional interesting points to consider. There are verses from the book ofRevelations in the Bible that are very similar to the above descriptions in the Puranasabout Lord Kalki. These verses are so similar that they cannot be ignored and may provide additional insight for Christians and similarities they may share with Vedic culture. In Revelations (19.11-16, & 19-21) it states:

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, but no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat on the horse."

This sounds so much like the incarnation of Lord Kalki that it could hardly be anyone else. Surely, by the time Lord Kalki appears, no one will have the slightest expectation of Him or His appearance. No one will know His name. And His army of brahmanas will be as pure as if they had descended from heaven. At the time of Lord Kalki's appearance, He will kill the remaining miscreants and deliver the few saintly people from the present conditions of the earth, changing it back to the Golden Age of Satya-yuga. In this regard, Revelations(14.1-3) also describes:

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb [a typical symbol for the Divine or an incarnation of the Divine] stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps; And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."

One significant description in the above verses is that those who are redeemed from the earth will have God's name written on their foreheads. This is a widespread custom of thebrahmanas in India to write the name of God, such as Vishnu or Krishna, on their foreheads. This is tilok, which is usually put on with clay made from the banks of a holy river. We often see this in the middle of the forehead in the shape of a "V" which represents the name of God and that the body is a temple of God, or the three-lined markings of the Shaivites. The Vaishnava mark is made while reciting "Om keshavaya namaha," which means "Salutations to Lord Keshava," another name of Krishna.

So herein could be an indication that when the last of society is delivered from the earth during the end times, they will be those who wear the name of God on their foreheads, at least according to these verses. Also, as in accord with other Vedic prophecies, we can understand that there will be very few people left in the world who will have any piety at all. So it would fit in with the Vedic prophecies that by the time Lord Kalki appears, there may, indeed, be only 144,000 who will be left in the world worthy of being delivered from the godless and chaotic conditions of the earth. Or these may be the seeds of the new civilization that will start the beginning of the next age of Satya-yuga.

Amit Sood: Building a museum of museums on the web

yet again Indians creating history, get your jaw-dropped after watching this video....

'God' particle not a heavyweight, studies suggest

The possibility of a high-mass Higgs boson may have just evaporated with new data released today by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. The result could mean a tougher, more protracted search for a welterweight version of the Higgs, the much-sought-after subatomic particle whose discovery would be a major triumph for particle physics and bring fame to the team who finds it first.

At the heart of the new result is a more precise measurement of the W boson. This is a well known particle, a mediator of the weak force, whose mass is theoretically linked to the Higgs.

The improved measurement will undoubtedly narrow the range of allowable values for the Higgs mass, and may well close off a narrow window on the upper end of that range where direct searches have not yet penetrated.

Prior to last summer, the Higgs was known to reside somewhere in an energy range between 114 Gev and 185 Gev (assuming it exists at all). This is near the limit of where Fermilab's Tevatron can reliably search, but over time researchers have steadily amassed data that could reveal or rule out the Higgs at various energies.

In August, researchers announced they had excluded a value near 170 GeV, the energy where it would be statistically easiest to separate the Higgs signal from background noise. Since then, the possibility that the Higgs might be seen first by the Tevatron, rather than by its successor, the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, has added incentive and drama to the search.

The improved W boson measurement released today was performed by DZero, one of the Tevatrons's two key detectors. The new value, which researchers kept hidden even from themselves until last week, to avoid bias, is 80.401 +/- .044 GeV. This is remarkably close to the current world average of 80.398 GeV.

The chief impact of the measurement is not its value but how much it will reduce the overall uncertainty in the W boson mass. According to Heidi Schellman of Northwestern University, that error could shrink by as much as 10% once it is combined with other measurements. This, in turn, could drop the upper limit on the Higgs mass by 5 GeV or more, making the remaining space between 170 and 180 GeV uncomfortably tight, even for a tiny particle like the Higgs.

"If someone is trying to sell you a 175 GeV Higgs, I wouldn't buy it," Schellman told me.

The news comes just ahead of a widely anticipated announcement on Friday from DZero and its counterpart, CDF, that a wider swath of values around 170 GeV have now been excluded. In other words, a heavy Higgs could be gone by the weekend.

If so, attention will shift to a region below 160 GeV where it is somewhat harder for both the Tevatron and the LHC to see the Higgs. Tevatron seems to be at an advantage, however, because it is working steadily and gradually building up data, while the LHC is on the sidelines following a liquid helium spill last fall.

Earlier this week, researchers at Fermilab also announced they've spotted collisions that produce single top quarks. Such collisions are easily concealed by background noise. Their discovery reinforces predictions that Fermilab should be able to spot a Higgs boson as light as 120 GeV by late 2010.

The Higgs boson is the last undiscovered particle in the so-called Standard Model of particle physics. A first discovery of the Higgs at Fermilab would be electrifying for a facility that is perceived as having long passed its heyday and a shot in the arm for US experimental physicists who have felt that the momentum in their field has shifted to Europe. Researchers agree that even if the Higgs is spotted first at Fermilab, the LHC will still be needed to confirm the find and to explore the new physics that lies beyond, as researchers move into a high-energy domain where the Tevatron cannot follow. 

Illustration: The green shading in the graphs above shows the masses that seem to be ruled out for the Higgs boson. Today's new W boson result lowers the upper limit to an estimated 180 GeV or less. Friday's result is expected to significantly grow the excluded range around 170 GeV, which could seal off the right-hand window of possible values completely. (Courtesy of Dmitri Denisov, DZero)