O Captain! My Captain!

BY WALT WHITMAN

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

                         But O heart! heart! heart!

                            O the bleeding drops of red,

                               Where on the deck my Captain lies,

                                  Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

                         Here Captain! dear father!

                            The arm beneath your head!

                               It is some dream that on the deck,

                                 You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

                         Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

                            But I with mournful tread,

                               Walk the deck my Captain lies,

                                  Fallen cold and dead.

                             Meaning:

O Captain! My Captain’ is a moving poem in which Whitman expresses his profound sense of grief at a tragic end of a leader of men is addressed to Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents of the United States of America, who fought a war (the American Civil War) against the Southern States to give the Negro slaves freedom and human dignity. The war was won, the slaves were freed, but Lincoln, soon after his election as president for a second term, fell a victim to an assassin’s bullet.
            The leader is being conceived as the brave captain of a ship who falls dead on the deck just when the journey is over and the victory is won. Whitman delivers the message to the captain and declares that their fearful and dangerous trip is done. Their ship had withstood every destructive encounter and their prized reward that they longed for is won. Their weary ship is drawing near the sea-port, the church bells are ringing to celebrate a victory and the people are rejoicing. Yet in the midst the celebration, he sees that within the grim and the daring vessel, his heart would spill profusely with drops of blood of immeasurable sadness to see his captain lying cold and dead.
              Whitman pleads desperately to the captain to get up from his bed and see that the people are flying the flag just for him. The people are blowing their trumpets and bugles and are waiting to present him with bunches of flowers and decorated garlands to honour him-the victor. The seashores are swaying with crowds of cheering people. All the faces of the people on the shore are eager to see the captain addressing them from the deck. Yet the captain, a father to all people of the nation slept still and cold with his arm beneath his head. It is like an unbelievable bad dream that the leader is dead at the moment of victory.

Massive comet will shine brighter than the moon, say astronomers

Science Recorder
Dec 31, 2012

A massive two-mile-wide comet will be visible from Earth in late 2013, possibly appearing brighter than the moon during November and December, according to astronomers.

The comet, discovered by amateur Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, is among the brightest comets ever identified. According to NASA, the comet is currently falling toward the Sun from between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. In early October 2013 it will pass near Mars — where NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover will snap a photo.

The recently discovered object, known as comet ISON, will pass within 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) from the center of the sun on November 28, 2013, according to astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

“Comet ISON appears on course to achieve sungrazer status as it passes within a solar diameter of Sun’s surface in late 2013 November. Whatever survives will then pass nearest the Earth in late 2013 December,” NASA astronomers explained in a posting. “Astronomers around the world will be tracking this large dirty snowball closely to better understand its nature and how it might evolve during the next 15 months.”

COMET TO PASS BY EARTH IN 2013 COULD BE BRIGHTER THAN THE FULL MOON

by Rebecca Pahle | 11:45 am, September 28th, 2012

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Mark it on your calendar: On December 26th of next year the newly-discovered comet C/2012 S1 (it really needs a catchier name–any suggestions?) will reach its closest point to Earth, becoming the brightest comet to pass by us in the last century–brighter than Hale-Bopp, brighter than Halley’s Comet, and maybe even brighter than the full moon.

The comet, discovered by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, is currently just beyond the orbit of Jupiter (awww, guys! It’s passing love notes!), and unless it breaks up at some point—which becomes more and more likely as it gets closer to the sun—it could be visible to the naked eye from early November 2013 to mid-January 2014, possibly even during daylight hours.

Before the apocalypse talk sets in (anyway, the apocalypse is happening in December of thisyear, right?), the closest C/2012 S1 will come to earth is about 36 million miles out, so we’re not looking at another extinction-of-the-dinosaurs scenario. And again, the whole thing might be a total dud, as was the case with the comet Elenin last year.

As pointed out by astronomer Bill Gray in a blog for the Planetary Society:

n the words of Thomas Jefferson, a great thinker of his time, “Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.” In a society certain behavior is acceptable and some is deplorable. The behavior which is acceptable and admired by the society is considered to be social value. The honesty, sincerity, compassion, friendliness etc. are to be considered as social values. Out of all these social values honesty is considered as most important. Honesty has always been considered as the best policy. The society has always believed in honesty and has recognized it as the most important social value. Today it appears that we have forgotten this first chapter of book wisdom known as honesty. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, a great Indian social reformer, “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.” It is therefore clear that sincerity, truthfulness, genuineness, integrity etc. which are beliefs of society, if followed by someone, he is honest.

The honesty as stated above is a combination of sincerity, truthfulness, genuineness, integrity, fairness and similar other values. It therefore is the most important social value. The honesty has always been considered as best policy. The reason why honesty is best policy is discussed in underline paragraphs.

The Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to chose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young executives in his company together.

"It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO," he said. "I have
decided to choose one of you."

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to
give each one of you a seed today - a very special seed. I want you to
plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what
you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants
that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a
seed.

He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a
pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about
three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds
and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but
nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others
were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt
like a failure.

Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed
his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim
didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and
fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought
their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't
going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what
happened.

Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing
moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.

The honesty in thoughts is the first thing. Honest thoughts are of great value for society. If we are honest in thoughts we contribute a lot to society. The honest thoughts can help in formulating a better society. The honesty in thought can give better ideas in formulating a happy society free from malice and disputes. We can ourselves see that how every day the crime rate is increasing in the society. This all is because of dishonest thoughts. Our thoughts today are not honest. This has deformed the society to the extent that crime is visible everywhere. Thus we ourselves can conclude that honesty in thoughts is of great value for the society.

The honesty in action is the second thing which is equally important for society. Honesty in actions has a great value for the society. The honest actions pay a great dividend in the long run. We can formulate better rules and plans for the society but without honest action all these plans and rules are futile. We can ourselves visualize, today numerous rules and directives are framed by different societies. In the absence of honest actions these rules and directives remain unimplemented. This has given us a deformed society. If we want a flawless society we have to have honesty in our actions. Thus we can visualize that honest actions are of great value for the society.

The honesty in relations is the third thing which is important for society. If relations are not honest the society becomes corrupt. In a society we are supposed to maintain certain framed relations with each other. For example the relation between husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends, relatives etc. have been framed by society. We are supposed to maintain honest relations as defined by society. Today we fail to maintain these honest relations. This has caused deformity in society. The relations are on the verge of breaking. Thus we can ourselves conclude that honest relations have got a great social value.

In addition to above, honesty in business, in service or in any field always pays in long run. We can build a nation and its character with honest actions only. In a nutshell, honesty is the best policy. 

He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at
the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful in
all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his
colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young
executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back.

"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO.

"Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty
pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front.

Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will
have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed.
Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then
announced to the young executives, "Here is your next Chief Executive! His
name is Jim!"

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be
the new CEO the others said?

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a
seed.

I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me
today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not
possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.

"When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed
for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty
to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be
the new Chief Executive!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

‘Is it safe to go to Mexico?’ We hear that question weekly. And the answer is always yes, if you know where to go and do your research.

Despite increased reports of grisly drug-war murders that tend to cluster in northern border zones, travel to Mexico did edge back up a bit in 2010. Still many more potential visitors are passing on Mexico – or even staying aboard the cruise ship when it docks at places like the essentially crime-free Cozumel.

Before brushing a Mexico trip aside this year, consider that about 245,000 square miles are free from the State Department’s warning list (for a visual, check this CNN map) and it neatly matches areas people usually visit (Cabo, Cancún, Cozumel, Tulum, Mexico City, Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende).

Recently, the San Francisco Chronicle listed the five safest Mexican states to visit, in terms of per-capita drug-related homicides (per Mexican government statistics). We’d like to add to the list by zeroing in on our eight top places to visit (there are dozens of other candidates), in terms of travel appeal and safety record. None are on the US State Department’s warning list.

1. Mexico City

There really is no more fascinating city in the world than Mexico’s misunderstood capital. With a population of over 21 million (and a crime rate about a third of Washington, DC’s), Mexico City had a serious scrub-up for its bi-centennial, and now some places like mariachi-filled Plaza Garibaldi are considered (like Times Square in New York) safe enough to be a ‘Disney version’ of its former gritty self. Also, many restored colonial buildings show details long obscured by years of pollution build-up. Meanwhile, this ancient city built over a filled-in lake has Aztec canals, pyramids, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s old studio, and hipster dining in chic eateries of the Condesa and Polanco. That and a million other things.

Soak up the 21st-century style at the great B&B Red Tree House, built in an ultra-stylish 1930s home in Condesa. Rooms start at $79.

2. Mérida

Four hours inland from Cancún, Mérida is ‘real Mexico,’ a colonial city of 750,000 lived-in and loved by locals and near several days’ worth of superb daytrips. It’s not only an underrated add-on from a beach vacation, but a destination in its own right. The city’s best on weekends, when the historical core – a scene of 17th-century cathedrals made from Mayan bricks – closes to vehicles and fills with open-air stages, taco stands and much life. By day, the Ruta Puuc is an easy DIY bus loop of Uxmal and four other interesting Mayan sites. To the northwest, you can tour flamingo-filled mangroves at the fishing village of Celestún.

Los Arcos is a fun B&B, with courtyard pool and art-filled rooms, made from a 19th-century home.

3. Todos Santos

If you’ve not been – and most haven’t – circle ‘Todos Santos’ for the next Baja trip. Sure, some long-timers say it’s not what it used to be, as popularity has swelled (and its ‘gringo: Mexicano’ ratio has evened out), but it still beats the Cabo San Lucas condos for laid-back sense of peace in Baja Sur (incidentally one of Mexico’s safest states). A couple hours from the Cabo or La Paz airports, it’s a mountain-backed artist community near very good surfing beaches. You can easily drive into Sammy Hagar bars and boat trips at Cabo, then return for the quiet at night. Plus the Hotel California here likes to claim it’s the Hotel Califoria (it isn’t, but don’t tell them we said so).

Learn to surf at Pescadero Surf Camp, complete with lessons and (yay!) a BYO swim-up bar. If it’s just comfort you want, Posada La Posa is one of Baja’s most atmospheric inns.

4. San Miguel de Allende

Yes, it’s obvious, and with reason. A bit of an American-expat go-to of the silver towns of the central highlands north of Mexico City (and two hours from the León airport), San Miguel de Allende is a stunner, with any worry of drug violence a distant rumor. The town itself – as seen in Robert Rodriguez’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico – is the main attraction. A Unesco World Heritage site since 2008, the town of 62,000 is filled with handicraft shops, 17th-century cathedrals, botanic gardens, organic farmer restaurants and lovely (sometimes luxe) guesthouses.

San Miguel’s a good spot to study Spanish or cooking. Set in a colonial building,Academia Hispano Americano is a good choice (and can arrange homestays).

5. Huatulco

If it’s resorts you want, Huatulco is a rare success story in recent resort development. This former fishing village has become the Oaxacan beach resort of choice lately, benefiting from its gentle development plan that keeps much of the 12 miles of sandy shoreline completely unspoiled and the town under six-stories high. Activities can fill several days. Snorkeling, diving, kayaking, surfing, cycling and rafting trips are easy to find, as are tours to waterfalls and coffee farms. There are flights in from Mexico City and Oaxaca City.

The Mediterranean, hacienda-styled Camino Real Zaashila is, by our authors’ estimation, one of the greatest stays on the Pacific Coast. Most of the rooms in the gorgeously landscaped property have private pools.

6. Playa del Carmen

Speaking of forward-thinking resort towns, Playa del Carmen corrects nearly every mistake of Cancún’s Zona Hotelera just up the road of the Yucatán Peninsula. With direct buses to the Cancún airport, the ped-oriented Fifth Ave (‘La Quinta’ – where it’s wise to keep an eye out on your belongings after hours) is lined with bars, nightclubs, take-away tacos and tacky souvenirs. And it’s one block from the water. Yes, it’s touristy (particularly when the cruise ships are in), but you can keep walking north to more remote beaches where the crystal-clear water is home to some of the world’s better snorkeling (even better if you daytrip by boat to nearby Cozumel Island). Also consider renting a car and go cenote-hopping for a surreal dip in rain-filled limestone sinkholes.

A nice mid-range choice, a couple blocks from the main strip, Kinbé Hotel is an Italian-owned hotel with a breezy rooftop terrace and a lush courtyard.

7. Guanajuato

A gorgeous hill town of 16th-century cathedrals and brightly colored homes on alleys ways and plazas lined with laurel trees, Guanajuato is best visited during October’s Festival Cervantino – a serious cultural extravaganza with orchestras, ballet folklórico, modern art, mariachis, Moroccan folk, Mexico City punk bands. And most of it’s free. At any time of year it’s a great hub for laid-back colonial life and a look at a mummy museum, plus a visit could easily be combined with nearby San Miguel de Allende. The town’s 30 minutes from León’s Bajío airport, or five hours by bus from Mexico City.

Several schools offer Spanish classes and homestays, including Escuela Mexicana (www.escuelamexicana.com). Or just sign up for puppet workshops with Mika Matsuishi & Felipe Olmos (lunamika47@hotmail.com).

8. Puebla

A ‘mini Mexico City’ – with a mere 1.5 million residents – Puebla is a colonial wonder city, packed with cathedrals and a wonderful museum devoted to ancient artifacts, and is far more manageable and laid-back than the size attests. The historic center is the place to stay, with building decked in azuelos (painted tiles) and many spots to sample the local taco árabe (Arabic taco), made of marinated pork served on Middle Eastern-style flat bread. (Try Las Ranas at Av 2 Pte 102). More adventurous should ask for escamoles (rice-like ant larvae sauteed in butter). It’s two hours by bus from Mexico City.

Puerto Vallarta

Nestled among the Sierra Madre Mountains and providing more than 40 miles of coastline, Puerto Vallartaoffers a plethora of outdoor activities set against a scenic backdrop. Plus, the city is a cultural mecca for art, cuisine, and music, which is why it's not surprising so many readers claim this as their number one spot for a tropical getaway.

Reader ochogger said, "It has to be Puerto Vallarta!!!!! From the moment you land at the airport you are welcomed by some of the friendliest people on earth. The weather is perfect with an endless number of outdoor activities to stay busy having fun. Numerous spas and malls for those not interested in outdoor activities. It truly is heaven on earth."

Reader VisitNewport said, "The 'Juan & only' place I love is Puerto Vallarta. My heart was captured the first time I saw the color-filled sunsets illuminating over the Bay of Banderas. I have held adorable tiger cubs at the zoo; rode the seas in a panga to view a mother whale with her baby and having dolphin pods leaping alongside; afternoon stroll along the sea side Malecon leads to an evening filled with tempting sounds and smells of street vendors and restaurants to come eat, enjoy the live music of mariachi, blues, or 'tequila reggae.' The main square, a kaleidoscope of activity; children practicing their folklorico dances; mimes; couples salsa dancing; 'Flying Indians' spiral down a 40-foot pole. These are my 'rocking chair memories.'"

 AMAZING FACTS About  METEORITE

A meteorite is a meteoroid (a solid piece of debris from such sources as asteroids or comets) originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. A meteorite's size can range from small to extremely large. When a meteoroid enters the atmosphere, frictional, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause the body to heat up and emit light, thus forming a fireball, also known as a meteor or shooting/falling star. The term bolide refers to either an extraterrestrial body that collides with the Earth, or to an exceptionally bright, fireball-like meteor regardless of whether it ultimately impacts the surface.More generally, a meteorite on the surface of any celestial body is a natural object that has come from elsewhere in space. Meteorites have been found on the Moon^[1][2] and Mars.^[3] Meteorites that are recovered after being observed as they transited the atmosphere or impacted the Earth are called falls. All other meteorites are known as finds. As of February 2010, there are approximately 1,086 witnessed falls having specimens in the world's collections. In contrast, there are more than 38,660 well-documented meteorite finds.^[4]Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories: stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel; and, stony-iron meteorites contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material. Modern classification schemes divide meteorites into groups according to their structure, chemical and isotopic composition and mineralogy. Meteorites smaller than 2mm are classified as micrometeorites.

Fall phenomena[edit source | editbeta]

Meteorite which fell inWisconsin in 1868 (Full image).

Most meteoroids disintegrate when entering Earth's atmosphere. Only 5 or 6 a year are typically recovered and made known to scientists. Few meteorites are large enough to create large impact craters. Instead, they typically arrive at the surface at their terminal velocity and, at most, create a small pit. Even so, falling meteorites have reportedly caused damage to property, and injuries to livestock and people.

Campo del Cielo iron meteorite with natural hole

Large meteoroids may strike the ground with a significant fraction of their cosmic velocity, leaving behind ahypervelocity impact crater. The kind of crater will depend on the size, composition, degree of fragmentation, and incoming angle of the impactor. The force of such collisions has the potential to cause widespread destruction.^[6][7]The most frequent hypervelocity cratering events on the Earth are caused by iron meteoroids, which are most easily able to transit the atmosphere intact. Examples of craters caused by iron meteoroids include Barringer Meteor Crater, Odessa Meteor Crater, Wabar craters, and Wolfe Creek crater; iron meteorites are found in association with all of these craters. In contrast, even relatively large stony or icy bodies like small comets or asteroids, up to millions of tons, are disrupted in the atmosphere, and do not make impact craters.^[8] Although such disruption events are uncommon, they can cause a considerable concussion to occur; the famed Tunguska event probably resulted from such an incident. Very large stony objects, hundreds of meters in diameter or more, weighing tens of millions of tons or more, can reach the surface and cause large craters, but are very rare. Such events are generally so energetic that the impactor is completely destroyed, leaving no meteorites. (The very first example of a stony meteorite found in association with a large impact crater, the Morokweng crater in South Africa, was reported in May 2006.^[9])

Several phenomena are well documented during witnessed meteorite falls too small to produce hypervelocity craters.^[10] The fireball that occurs as the meteoroid passes through the atmosphere can appear to be very bright, rivaling the sun in intensity, although most are far dimmer and may not even be noticed during daytime. Various colors have been reported, including yellow, green, and red. Flashes and bursts of light can occur as the object breaks up. Explosions, detonations, and rumblings are often heard during meteorite falls, which can be caused by sonic booms as well as shock waves resulting from major fragmentation events. These sounds can be heard over wide areas, up to many thousands of square km. Whistling and hissing sounds are also sometimes heard, but are poorly understood. Following passage of the fireball, it is not unusual for a dust trail to linger in the atmosphere for some time.

As meteoroids are heated during atmospheric entry, their surfaces melt and experience ablation. They can be sculpted into various shapes during this process, sometimes resulting in deep "thumb-print" like indentations on their surfaces called regmaglypts. If the meteoroid maintains a fixed orientation for some time, without tumbling, it may develop a conical "nose cone" or "heat shield" shape. As it decelerates, eventually the molten surface layer solidifies into a thin fusion crust, which on most meteorites is black (on some achondrites, the fusion crust may be very light colored). On stony meteorites, the heat-affected zone is at most a few mm deep; in iron meteorites, which are more thermally conductive, the structure of the metal may be affected by heat up to 1 centimetre (0.39 in) below the surface. Meteorites are sometimes reported to be warm to the touch when they land, but they are never hot. Reports, however, vary greatly, with some meteorites being reported as "burning hot to the touch" upon landing,^[11][12] and others forming a frost upon their surface.^[13]

Meteoroids that experience disruption in the atmosphere may fall as meteorite showers, which can range from only a few up to thousands of separate individuals. The area over which a meteorite shower falls is known as its strewn field. Strewn fields are commonly elliptical in shape, with the major axis parallel to the direction of flight. In most cases, the largest meteorites in a shower are found farthest down-range in the strewn field.

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA