Amazing Zion National Park

Zion National Park is located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the 229-square-mile (590 km2) park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles (24 km) long and up to half a mile (800 m) deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. The lowest elevation is 3,666 ft (1,117 m) at Coalpits Wash and the highest elevation is 8,726 ft (2,660 m) at Horse Ranch Mountain. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park's unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. Numerous plant species as well as 289 species of birds, 75 mammals (including 19 species of bat), and 32 reptiles inhabit the park's four life zones: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. Zion National Park includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers, slot canyons, and natural arches.

It was established in July 31, 1909 and the average visitors are 2,665,972 (in 2010).

Zion Canyon near the park entrance

The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area includes 9 formations that together represent 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation. At various periods in that time warm, shallow seas, streams, ponds and lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments covered the area. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3,000 m) starting 13 million years ago.

Driving through the east side of Zion to U.S. Route 89 allows access to Bryce Canyon National Park in the north or to the north rim of the Grand Canyon in the south. Due to the narrowness of the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel, RVs and buses must obtain a special pass and can only drive through the tunnel during limited hours.

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Aquada can run on land and water

The Gibbs Aquada is a high speed amphibious vehicle developed by Gibbs Technologies, an Alan Gibbs company. It is capable of speeds over 160 km/h (100 mph) on land and 50 km/h (30 mph / 26 knots) on water. Rather than adding wheels to a boat design, or creating a car that floats, the Aquada was designed from the ground up to perform very well in both fields, with over 60 patents covering technical innovations.

In 2004 Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin Group, used a Gibbs Aquada to set a new record for crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. Branson cut 4 hours 20 minutes off the previous record of 6 hours, which had stood since the late 1960s. The officially recorded time was 1 hour 40 minutes, 6 seconds.

For the August 2004 edition of Top Gear magazine, journalist Paul Walton drove an Aquada into and around the Monaco harbour during the Grand Prix of Monaco to watch the event for free. He found the Aquada fast and responsive both in and out of the water but was too low to see any of the race.

The Aquada was developed in the UK and Detroit.

It might look like something from a James Bond movie - but this could be the future of public transport. On land, the Aquada is a sports car. But on water, it transforms into a speedboat. The three-seat combination vehicle, to be built by British-based Gibbs Technologies, can reach speeds of up to 30 mph [miles per hour] on water. The Aquada is expected to go on sale in 2009 at a price of around $85,000. The company is also hoping to develop an amphibious military vehicle, the Humdinger, and a personal water craft, the Aquaski.

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Tata Motors upgrading old Nanos with new starter motor

Tata Motors is upgrading old Tata Nanos, produced up to mid-September 2011, with a new starter motor to enhance their performance. This is in line with the company's practice of upgrading its vehicles; on the Nano itself, the company had upgraded the exhaust and the electrical system in November 2010, as was announced then.

The installation of the new starter motor, which is a vendor supplied part, began in October this year. Owners of all old Nanos were informed about the exercise, and about 50,000 cars have already been done. There are about 65,000 owners who are yet to visit their dealerships and the company is in continuous contact with them.

This new starter motor is already installed in the Nano 2012, which was introduced in November this year with a host of new features, of new colours, new interiors, best-in-class AC, a more powerful gasoline engine and even greater fuel efficiency of 25.4 kmpl, further improving on its record as India's most fuel efficient petrol car - all at the same price as before.

Making the Tata Nano even more desirable, the car's 624cc engine has been made more powerful delivering an impressive 38PS of power (earlier 35 PS) and 51Nm of torque (earlier 48 Nm). Yet fuel efficiency, already a high point with Tata Nano owners, has been taken to a new high of 25.4 kmpl (earlier 23.6 kmpl). The ride and handling, also already highly appreciated by existing owners, now has become even better with a revised suspension set-up, including an anti-roll bar at the front, and a steering mechanism made even easier. The interiors are completely new with enhanced premiumness in look and feel - luxurious beige in the Nano LX, rich black in the Nano CX and stunning medium graphite in the Standard version. The exteriors are now a veritable vibgyor of 10 colours, eight of them new. All the variants come with an unmatched warranty of 4 years or 60,000 kms, whichever is earlier.

Tata Motors' customer satisfaction studies with Nano owners indicate that over 90% are delighted with the car, because of it being small yet spacious, its performance, maneuverability, durability, mileage, safety etc. The surveys also demonstrate that the owners deeply treasure their Nanos, resulting in spontaneous suggestions of improvements. Several new features in the Nano 2012 are such insights from the owners.
Tata Motors will continue to add new features to the Nano, even as marketing initiatives, expansion of distribution network and good customer response to the Nano is resulting in a progressive increase in the car's sales.

Source: http://tatamotors.com/media/press-releases.php?id=727

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2012 in Hinduism

Lot of predictions and discussions are going on around the world regarding the year 2012. Primarily, the calendar of the Mayans (Ancient Maya Civilization of South America) ends on December 21, 2012). People are also now trying to find a connection between Kali Yuga and 2012. Some astrologers are predicting that Kali Yuga will end in 2012 and Satya Yuga will begin from December 21, 2012 (doomsday).

Recently an astrologer and modern day guru Dattatreya Siva Baba while addressing public in Chennai said this about 2012:

The world is changing for the good now, he says. Joining the increasing numbers who are making predictions about 2012 A.D. he says from the December of that year, the world will move into a golden age, marking the beginning of Satya Yuga.

 This is not a smooth process though. There will be natural calamities, financial problems, wars and global warming. This is also the time when Mayans end their calendar.

‘But our old ways of thinking, including our biology will change as the Sun, Earth and Pleides line up in space. This will cause an increase in discharge of photons from the sun which is bound to cause changes in our brain pattern,’ he says. (expressbuzz)

We will get to hear many more such comments on 2012 in the coming days. Currently one of the most popular theories going around is connecting 2012 to Kali Yuga.

 In Hinduism, the universe begins in the Satya Yuga and ends in the Kali Yuga. There are total four Yugas. And the cycle – creation and destruction – is repeated.

Satya Yuga lasts for 1,728,000. Treta Yuga lasts for 1,296,000. Dwapara Yuga lasts for 864,000 and Kali Yuga for 432,000.

It is widely believed that Kali Yuga began in 3102 B.C.

Now there are several people quoting Puranas to indicate that Lord Krishna had predicted an end the Kali Yuga after 5000 years and the beginning of the Golden Era.

But traditional scriptures do not agree to this as Kali Yuga will last for 432,000 years.

Now those who are stating that Kali Yuga will end after 5000 years are indicating the beginning of Golden Age in 2012. They are scrupulously using a mix of solar and lunar calendars used by Hindus to suggest that Kali Yuga will end in 2012.

The widely accepted belief of Hindus is that Kali Yuga will see total annihilation. Creation will once again begin after total destruction. This will be Satya Yuga.

So connecting 2012 to Hinduism and Vedic astrology is done by those people who want to create fear and optimism at the same time among people – and earn a living by predictions and writing books.

Hinduism teaches that all animate and inanimate is Brahman. Doomsday predictions and 2012 are products of ego or ignorance, which hampers self realization. To the realized there is no beginning and end.       

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