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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

நீங்கள் மொசில்லா பயர்பாக்ஸ் பயன்படுத்துபவரா? பயர்பாக்ஸ் புது வசதிகள்:-


ஓப்பன் சோர்ஸ் (Open Source) முறை என்று சொல்லப்படுகின்ற திறந்த நிலை சிஸ்டம் வரிகளுடன் அமைக்கப்பட்டது பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசர். இதனால் இதன் புரோகிராமிங் வரிகளைப் பெற்று, பல கணிப்பொறி வல்லுநர்கள், இதற்கான ஆட் ஆன் (Add on) தொகுப்புகளை இலவசமாக வழங்கி வருகின்றனர். இவற்றினால் பல கூடுதல் வசதிகள் நமக்குக் கிடைக்கின்றன. இவற்றைப் பற்றி ஏற்கனவே இந்த பகுதியில் குறிப்பிட்டிருக்கிறோம். அண்மையில் மேலும் சில கூடுதல் வசதிகளைத் தரும் தொகுப்புகளைப் பார்க்க நேர்ந்தது. அவற்றில் சிறப்பான சிலவற்றை இங்கே பார்க்கலாம்.

1. மல்ட்டி ரோ புக்மார்க்: நமக்குப் பிடித்த அல்லது நமக்குப் பயன்தரும் இணைய தள முகவரிகளைப் புக் மார்க் (Book Mark) என்ற பெயரில் பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசரில் பட்டியலிட்டு வைக்கிறோம். புக்மார்க் டூல்பாரில் கிளிக் செய்தவுடன் 20க்கும் மேற்பட்ட தளங்களுக்கான புக்மார்க்குகள் நமக்குக் கிடைக்கின்றன. இவற்றில் கிளிக் செய்தவுடன், அந்த இணைய தளங்களுக்கு நாம் எடுத்துச் செல்லப்படுகிறோம். ஆனால் புக்மார்க்குகளின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகமாகும் போது, கூடுதலாக இருப்பவைகள், ஒரு கீழ்விரி மெனுவாக நமக்குக் கிடைக்கிறது. கீழாகச் சென்று கிளிக் செய்தால், மெனு விரிந்து நமக்கு அவை கிடைக்கின்றன. இதற்குப் பதிலாக அருகே ஒரு பட்டியல் விரிந்து அவை அனைத்தும் கிடைத்தால் நன்றாக இருக்கும் அல்லவா! இதற்கென ஒரு ஆட் ஆன் தொகுப்பு இலவசமாகக் கிடைக்கிறது. Multirow Bookmarks Toolbar என இது அழைக்கப்படுகிறது. இதனைப் பெறhttps://addons.mozilla.org/enUS/firefox/addon/6937 என்ற முகவரியில் உள்ள இணையப் பக்கத்திற்குச் செல்ல வேண்டும். இதனை இன்ஸ்டால் செய்த பின்னர், மெனுவில் புக்மார்க்குகள் சென்று தங்குவதில்லை. வரிசையாகப் பட்டியலிடப்படுகின்றன.

2. யு.எஸ்.பி.யில் பயர்பாக்ஸ்: சென்ற மாதம் ஒரு நாள் அவசரமாக வெளியூர் சென்றிருந்த போது, இணையத்தில் சில தகவல்களைத் தேடி ஒரு இன்டர்நெட் சென்டருக்கு சென்றேன். அங்கே இன்டர்நெட் எக்ஸ்புளோரர் தொகுப்பும், குரோம்பிரவுசரும் வைத்திருந்தனர். எனக்கு இவற்றை இயக்குவது தெரியும் என்றாலும், பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசரில் பழகிவிட்டதால், அது இல்லாதது சிறிது கஷ்டமாக இருந்தது. அப்போதுதான், ஏன் நாம் எடுத்துச் செல்லும் வகையில் பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசருக்கான பைலை வைத்திருக்கலாமே என்று யோசனை பிறந்தது. அதே நோக்கத்துடன் தேடுகையில் போர்ட்டபிள் பயர்பாக்ஸ் என்ற ஒரு புரோகிராம் பைல் இருப்பது தெரிய வந்தது. இதனை ஜான் டி ஹேலர் என்பவர் உருவாக்கி இலவசமாகத் தந்துள்ளார். இந்த பைலின் அளவு 5710 கேபி தான். இதனை ஒரு யு.எஸ்.பி.யில் இன்ஸ்டால் செய்து எடுத்துச் சென்றால், பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசரை இதிலிருந்தே இயக்கி பிரவுஸ் செய்திடலாம். இதனைப் பெறவும், இது குறித்து மேலும் தகவல்களைப் பெறவும் http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_ portable என்ற முகவரியில் உள்ள தளத்திற்குச் செல்லவும்.

3. தண்டர்போர்டு போர்ட்டபிள் (Thunderbird Portable): பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசர் பயன்படுத்துபவர்கள் எல்லாரும்,மொஸில்லா தரும் இமெயில் கிளையண்ட் புரோகிராமான தண்டர்பேர்ட் பயன்படுத்துவார்கள். இந்த புரோகிராமும் யு.எஸ்.பி.யில் இன்ஸ்டால் செய்து பயன்படுத்தும் வகையில் கிடைக்கிறது. 5950 கேபி அளவுள்ள பைலில் இது அடங்கியுள்ளது. இதனை யு.எஸ்.பி.யில் இன்ஸ்டால் செய்து இயக்கி பயன்படுத்தலாம்.

4. ஒன் கிளிக் ஆன்ஸர் (One Click Answer): பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசரில் எந்த இணைய தளத்தில் இருந்தாலும், ஏதேனும் ஒரு சொல்லுக்குரிய பொருள் தெரிய வேண்டுமா? ஒன் கிளிக் ஆன்ஸர்ஸ் என்ற ஆட் ஆன் தொகுப்பினை இன்ஸ்டால் செய்தால் போதும். எந்த சொல்லிலும் கர்சரை வைத்து ரைட் கிளிக் செய்தால், உடனே Answers.com என்ற தளத்திலிருந்து பொருள் விளக்கம் பெறப்பட்டு ஒரு பாப் அப் விண்டோவாகக் கிடைக்கும். இந்த ஆட் ஆன் தொகுப்பைhttp://www.answers.com/ என்ற முகவரியில் உள்ள தளத்தில் பெறலாம்.

5. வண்ணங்களில் டேப்கள்: பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசரில் திறக்கப்பட்ட ஒவ்வொரு இணைய தளத்திற்குமான டேப்களை ஒரே நிறத்தில் தான் பார்க்கிறோம். அதற்குப் பதிலாக அவற்றை வண்ணங்களில் பார்த்தால் நன்றாக இருக்குமே! ஒன்றுக்கொன்று வித்தியாசமான வண்ணங்களில் வேறுபடுத்திப் பார்க்கலாமே!! இதற்கான புரோகிராம்http://binaryturf.com/ என்கிற முகவரியில் உள்ள தளத்தில் கிடைக்கிறது. இதுவும் இலவசம்தான்.

6. வெப்சைட் பி.டி.எப். பைலாக: பல நேரங்களில் நாம் பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் வெப்சைட்டை அப்படியே பி.டி.எப். பார்மட்டில் ஒரு பைலாக மாற்றி வைத்துக் கொள்ளலாமே என்ற எண்ணம் ஏற்படும், இல்லையா? ஏனென்றால் பல எச்.டி.எம்.எல். பைல்கள் இணைந்த ஓர் இணைய தளத்தை காப்பி செய்வது சற்று சிரமமான வேலையாகும். இதற்கென ஓர் ஆட் ஆன் தொகுப்பு PDFIt என்கிற பெயரில் கிடைக்கிறது. இதன் மூலம் நீங்கள் பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் இணையதளம் முழுவதையும் அல்லது பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் திரைக் காட்சியை மட்டும், பி.டி.எப். பைலாக மாற்றிக் கொள்ளலாம். இந்த ஆட் ஆன் தொகுப்பை இன்ஸ்டால் செய்து கொண்டால், எந்த தளத்தைப் பார்க்கும்போதும் மவுஸால் ரைட் கிளிக் செய்தால், கிடைக்கும் மெனுவில் பி.டி.எப். பைலாக மாற்றும் வசதி கிடைக்கும். அல்லது ஷார்ட் கட் கீகளைப் பயன்படுத்தியும் கீழ்க்கண்ட முறையில் பி.டி.எப். பைல்களைப் பெறலாம்.

மொத்த பக்கத்தினையும் முழு இமேஜாகப் பெற: Alt + 1

பார்க்கும் ஏரியாவை மட்டும் இமேஜ் ஆகப் பெற: Alt + 2

மொத்த பக்கத்தினையும் பி.டி.எப். பைலாகப் பெற: Alt + 3

பார்க்கும் ஏரியாவை மட்டும் பி.டி.எப் பைலாகப் பெற: Alt + 4

இதில் இன்னும் சில கூடுதல் வசதிகள் கிடைக்கின்றன. உருவாக்கப்படும் இமேஜுக்கு ஒரு டைட்டில் தரலாம். அந்த தலைப்பு என்ன எழுத்து வகையில், என்ன வண்ணத்தில், எந்த இடத்தில் அமைய வேண்டும் என்பதை செட் செய்திடலாம். பக்கத்தை இமேஜாக மாற்றுகையில் பல பில்டர்களைப் பயன்படுத்தலாம்.

உருவாக்கப்பட்ட இமேஜை பி.டி.எப். பைலாக மாற்ற www.touchpdf.com என்ற தளம் உதவுகிறது. இந்த ஆட் ஆன் தொகுப்பை உங்கள் பயர்பாக்ஸ் பிரவுசரில் இன்ஸ்டால் செய்திடhttps://addons.mozilla.org/enUS/firefox/addon/7528 என்கிற முகவரியில் உள்ள தளத்திற்குச் செல்லவும்.

thanks: anbuthil.com

Know Your Laptop Parts To Service


Where Is God Located In the Brain?

 Importance of Religion Is Related To Thickness Of The Cerebral Cortex

Made entirely of gray matter and distinguished by its characteristic folds, the cerebral cortex is the brain's outermost layer covering the hemispheres. Now, researchers from New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University found the importance of religion or spirituality to individuals may be linked to the thickness of their cerebral cortices. “Importance of religion or spirituality, but not frequency of [house of worship] attendance, was associated with thicker cortices in the left and right parietal and occipital regions, the mesial frontal lobe of the right hemisphere, and the cuneus and precuneus in the left hemisphere,” wrote the authors in their study, published this month in JAMA Psychology. Significantly, this relationship between spiritual importance and cortex thickness was observed to be strongest among those at high risk of depression.

Depression Related to Importance of Divinity
In their previous work, the team of researchers reported that among adults in families at high risk for major depression, those that expressed a strong interest in their spirituality had a 90 percent decreased risk of the illness when compared to those who did not find religion so important. The team of colleagues also showed in a previous study that high-risk adults showed large expanses of cortical thinning across the lateral surface of the right hemisphere of the brain. For their new study, the team returned to this issue of cerebral cortex thickness. They began by questioning 103 adults between the ages of 18 and 54 about the importance of spirituality in their lives and how often they attended religious services. Then, they repeated these questions after five years. Some participants were the children or grandchildren of participants in an earlier study about depression and so were deemed at high risk for the illness; others had no family history of this mental illness and so served as a comparison group. The researchers imaged the brains of all the participants to determine the thickness of the cortices. What did they discover?

Those who expressed a stronger spiritual bent also displayed thicker cortices above both the left and right hemispheres. Trying to explain their results, the researchers wrote, “A thicker cortex associated with a high importance of religion or spirituality may confer resilience to the development of depressive illness in individuals at high familial risk for major depression, possibly by expanding a cortical reserve that counters to some extent the vulnerability that cortical thinning poses for developing familial depressive illness.”

Significantly, the researchers stated that their findings are simply correlational; importance of religion does not necessarily cause greater thickness, or vice versa. In an unrelated study, University of Missouri scientists, who similarly searched the brain for signs of spirituality, found that transcendence is associated with decreased right parietal lobe functioning, while other aspects of spiritual functioning are related to increased activity in the frontal lobe.

Location of Spirituality in the Brain

"We have found a neuropsychological basis for spirituality, but it's not isolated to one specific area of the brain," Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology, stated in a press release. For the study published last year in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, Johnstone and his colleagues studied 20 people with traumatic brain injuries that affected the right parietal lobe, the area of the brain situated a few inches above the right ear. The team questioned participants about their spiritual beliefs, asking how close they felt to a higher power, and if they considered their lives to be part of a divine plan.

BRIEF HISTORY OF COPPER (Cu)

Copper was discovered by Known since ancient times at no data in not known. Origin of name: from the Latin word "cuprum" meaning the island of "Cyprus". The discovery of copper dates from prehistoric times. There are reports of copper beads dating back to 9000BC found in Iraq. Methods for refining copper from its ores were discovered around 5000BC and a 1000 or so years later it was being used in pottery in North Africa. Part of the reason for it being used so early is simply that it is relatively easy to shape. However it is somewhat too soft for many tools and around 5000 years ago it was discovered that when copper is mixed with other metals the resulting alloys are harder than copper itself. As examples, brass is a mixture of copper and zinc while bronze is a mixture of copper and tin. Copper is one of the elements which has an alchemical symbol, shown below (alchemy is an ancient pursuit concerned with, for instance, the transformation of other metals into gold.
Copper is considered the first metal to have been utilized by humans dating back over 10,000 years; a copper pendant discovered in modern northern Iraq is dated to approximately 8700 BC provides this basic dating. It is assumed that the Neolithic man began using copper as a substitute for stone around 8000 BC. More complex usages, facilitated by the application of metallurgy and casting, has been discovered in Egypt as early as 4000 BC. Using fire and charcoal, the smelting and alloying of copper began leading to the copper-tin alloy of Bronze, giving rise to the historic and progressive Bronze Age (3200-600 BC)
The origins of the word Copper has its roots in Roman history as they obtained copper from Cyprus, and was thus known as aes Cyprium, meaning "metal of Cyprus." In time this was shortened to cyprium, turned coprum, and eventually termed copper as it is known today.
Traders the world over relied upon coins made of copper or its alloys as currency for transactions. This legacy continues today throughout the world as many coins continue to be made, in large part, of copper. The Royal Canadian Mint issued pennies that were from 95-98% copper until 1996 at which point alloys replaced copper as the primary element. Although the US penny now only contains only 2.6% copper, the nickel is contains 75% copper, while the dime and quarter, contain 91.67% copper.

  • Electronics (smartphones, televisions, computers, stereos, etc.), cellular towers, transmission systems, etc.
  • Modern smartphones contain roughly 14 grams of copper, more than all the other metals required for production combined, and accounting for more than 12% of your phone’s total weight.
  • With increased sophistication and advancement in mobile technologies and products, the Copper amount of copper required for their production will continue to rise
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  • IBM and other major computer firms, use copper instead of aluminum in their most powerful computer chips on account of copper's superior electrical conductivity. Doing so enables conductor channel lengths and widths to be significantly reduced resulting in much faster operating speeds and greater circuit integration – upwards of 400 million transistors can be packed onto a single chip while power requirements are now reduced to less than 1.8 volts, and have a much cooler running temperature.
  • Heat is the greatest contributor to electronic component failure. Copper's thermal conductivity, or capacity to conduct heat, is about 60 percent greater than that of aluminum permitting it to dissipate heat significantly quicker. As a rule, the lower the operating temperature of a processor, the greater the efficiency and longevity.
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  • Electrically powered subway cars, trolleys, and buses contain between 285 kilograms (kg) and 4173kg of copper each, accounting for an average of 1043kg pounds per unit.
  • In 1948, the average family car contained approximately 55 wires amounting to an average total length of 46 metres, while current luxury cars average 1,500 copper wires totalling 1.7 kilometres in length. This equates to 23 kilograms (kg) of copper, 18kg for electrical and about 5kg for nonelectrical components.
  • Hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, contain upwards of 27kg of copper per vehicle while fully electric cars, which require much more electrical componentry and wiring, require significantly more copper. It is expected that future generations of hybrid and electric cars will require even more copper in an attempt to increase efficiency.
  • Learn how copper rotor induction motors are revolutionizing the hybrid/electric vehicles.  
  • Copper also contributes to engine function and longevity as a critical antioxidant additive in motor and crankcase lubricants.
    o An average motorized farm vehicle contains 29kg of copper, while construction vehicles an average 30kg.
  • An electric forklift truck contains approximately 59kg.
  • A US Navy Triton-class nuclear submarine uses approximately 90,720kg of copper.
  • About 2%, or 4080kg, of the total weight of a Boeing 747-200 jet plane is attributable to copper; this includes the 632,000 feet of copper wire.
  • The H.M.S. Beagle, used by Charles Darwin for his historic voyages around the world, was built in 1825 with copper skins below the water line. The copper sheathing extended hull life and protected against barnacles and other kinds of biofouling. Today, most seagoing vessels use a copper-containing paint for hull protection.
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  • Copper is an essential element to human metabolism and has a Health Canada recommended daily intake of 2 milligrams for adults, or 30 µg/kg body weight per day.
  • Copper is needed for the normal growth and development of human fetuses, infants and children; while in adults, it is integral for the growth, development and maintenance of bone, connective tissue, brain, heart and many other body organs.
  • It is also involved in the formation of red blood cells, the absorption and utilization of iron, and the synthesis and release of life-sustaining proteins and enzymes. These enzymes produce cellular energy and regulate nerve transmission, blood clotting and oxygen transport.
  • Copper is also known to stimulate the immune system, help repair injured tissues and promote healing. Copper has been shown to help neutralize "free radicals," which can cause severe damage to cells.
  • It is essential for the normal utilization (metabolism) of iron, because of the requirement of ferroxidase (ceruloplasmin) for iron transport.
  • According to Health Canada, a deficiency of copper in one’s diet, less than about 2 mg/day, is often accompanied by anaemia, resulting from the inability of reticulocytes to obtain iron from transferrin and to synthesize haem from iron(III) and protoporphyrin at a normal rate.
  • Copper-rich foods include: grains, nuts and seeds, organ meats such as liver and kidneys, shellfish, dried fruits, legume vegetables (eg: string beans, squash, potatoes), chicken and some unexpected and delightful sources such as cocoa and chocolate. Vegetarians generally get ample copper from their diet
  • Copper vessels optimal for brewing beer and the distillation process for fine liquors as the element helps to maintain the distillates’ sweetness by removing unpleasant tasting sulfur-based compounds from the alcohol. The use of copper brewing vessels is estimated to have begun around 2000 B.C., during the middle of the Bronze Age.
  • Find out what foods have the highest concentration of Copper
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  • Medical equipment (scalpels and other surgical utensils, antimicrobial agent and coating in hospitals and medical facilities, medical imagery equipment (MRI, XRay, etc.);

Industrial Activities and Manufacturing

  • Electrical generation and transportation (wires, electrical components, transformers, PV (solar) panels, power stations, etc.);
Copper is found throughout the home as well, have a look!

Diamonds are an explosive’s best friend

Scientists from China have coated the high energy explosive RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) with nanodiamonds in an attempt to make safer explosives.
The group, led by Yi Tong, from the Beijing Institute of Technology, prepared detonation nanodiamonds by detonating a mixture of TNT and RDX in a closed metallic chamber. Detonation nanodiamonds are known to have excellent mechanical properties, including high thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity, whilst being chemically reactive but also environmentally benign. RDX was coated with different proportions of nanodiamonds to try to stabilise the explosive. This is important as you don’t want explosives to detonate if they are accidently heated when in storage.

By studying the thermodynamics of the resulting composites, the group found that nanodiamond coatings of between 1/7 and 1/5 of the mass of the RDX led to composites that were more stable than RDX alone, but that were more reactive than composites with thinner coatings. They also found that increasing the nanodiamond ratio to more than 1/3 of the mass of the RDX hindered the decomposition of the material.

‘A key aspect of energetic material formulation is the compatibility of the individual ingredients, which affects the explosive handling safety and long-term storage viability,’ says Jennifer Gottfried, an expert in nanodiamonds and energetic materials at the US Army Research Laboratory. ‘The discovery that thicker nanodiamond coatings hinder the decomposition of the RDX will have important implications for the development of nanodiamond-coated energetic materials.’

The future challenges for this work include testing the detonation performance of these composite materials and understanding how impurities might affect their performance.

Architecture with music


Shi Cheng – Ancient Underwater City in China.


ராஜஸ்தான் மாநிலம், ராஜ்சமண்ட் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள கும்பல்கர் கோட்டையின் இந்த 23 மைல் நீள மதில் சுவர்...

ராஜஸ்தான் மாநிலம், ராஜ்சமண்ட் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள கும்பல்கர் கோட்டையின் இந்த 23 மைல் நீள மதில் சுவர்...சீனப் பெருஞ்சுவருக்கு அடுத்தபடியாக உலகின் மிக நீண்ட சுவராக கருதப்படுகிறது

Hinduism played a very significant role in molding Japanese character and culture.

"Shintoism has been designated by some scholars as the Japanese version of Hinduism" - Chaman Lal. 

The new teachings of the Shingon sect originated in India much before it was introduced in China in the 8th century A.D. The Shingon or esoteric principles are based on Tantric rituals which were practiced in India by the followers of Sanatan Dharma since early times. China received esoterism in the fourth century A.D. it actually flourished there from the eighth century onward. From there it reached Japan through Saicho (Dengyo Daishi) and Kukai (Kobo Daishi).

Hindu deities accepted in Indian Buddhism found their way to China as part of Buddhist pantheon, and the mode of worship of these divinities was exactly the same as followed by the Buddhists in India. The Chinese transformed the Indian elements in Buddhism in their own way, with the result that the character and role of the Buddhism oriented Hindu Gods and Goddesses who found their way to Japan and China slightly changed, ‘hued in Chinese dye.’

The Hindu deities in course of time again passed through another phase of transformation to suit the Japanese thoughts and ideas, and many of these transformed deities gained highly revered positions which they had never before attained either in India or China. In fact, several minor gods and goddesses who were too insignificant to merit careful attention in India, attained a considerably exalted position in Japanese Buddhist pantheon. It is commonly believed in Japan that the Hindu deities if worshipped properly, bestow quickly material benefits and other favors in day to day life on their devotees rather than any spiritual gain. This has made these gods and goddesses very popular in Japan as “the common people are more interested in worldly or material benefits than in the so-called abstract spiritual achievement.”

Of the various Hindu deities who were widely worshipped in Japan:

Indra (Taishaku-ten), Varuna (Sui-ten), Yama (Emma), Agni (Ka-ten), Mahakala (Daikoku-ten), Sarasvati (Benzai-ten or Banten), Ganesa (Sho-ten or Kangi-ten), Brahma (Bonten), Vayu (Hu-ten), Vaisravana or Kubera (Bishamon-ten), Mahesvara (Makei-shura-ten), Isana (Ishana-ten), Nilakantha (Shokyo-Kannon), Prithvi (Ji-ten), Surya (Nit-ten), Chandra (Gat-ten), Narayana or Vishnu (Naraen-ten), Kumara or Kartitikeya (Kumara-ten), Lakshmi (Kichijo-ten) Marishiten, Idaten (Skanda) and many other minor deities.

These deities protected Buddha and the Buddhist world. Indra, the king of gods, played an important role as a virtual protector of Buddhism. In China and Japan, Indra was worshipped with usual vajra (thunderbolt) and guarding the entrance of some monastery or temple. Taishaku-ten, the Japanese name of Indra, is derived from the Chinese Ti-shih-t’ien. He is variously known in Japan as Shakudaikanin (Sakra devanam), Makaba (Maghavan), Basaba (Vasava), Shashibachi, Kausika and Sngan (the thousand-eyed: Sahassa natta). The different Japanese texts, such as Dainichi-kyo (the Mahavairocana Sutra), the Sonsho-Buccho-Shuyuga-Ho-Kigi, the Seiryo-ki, the Shosetsu Fudo-ki and the Kongo-kai-Shichi-shu, are unanimous in placing Indra in eastern gate, wearing jeweled crown and ornaments and holding vajra in his hand.

Besides him, Agni is also one of the twelve guardian-deities in Japan who is everywhere depicted as guarding the south-east corner. He naturally finds his place in Japanese Mandara which has remarkable similarity with the representation of Agni in some Indian sculptures.

The worship of Yama is incorporated in the Ju-o or Ten Kings. He is known as Yama-ten ie. Yama deva when benign and Emma O when dreadful as the Judge of the Dead. In Japan such shrines are dedicated to Yama are called Emma-do ‘Hall of Yama’, with drawings or paintings of ten kings inside the hall.

The other god, who plays a significant part in the religious life of the Japanese people, is Maheshvara (Makeishura-ten), otherwise called Shiva of whom various forms have been conceived in Japan. He is depicted as having two, four, eight and eighteen arms and riding a white ox. Mahakala (Daikoku), the terrific god (another form of Shiva), whose images abound in the temples of Tibet and China enjoys an exhalted position as a household deity in Japan whose association with wealth and prosperity gave rise to a strange but interesting custom known as Fuku-nusubi (fortune-stealing). This custom started with the belief that he who stole divine figures (gods and goddesses) was assured of good fortune, if not caught in the act of stealing. In the course of time stealing of divine images became so common a practice in Japan that the Toshi-no-ichi or the ‘year-end-market’ held in the Asakusa Kannon temple became the main venue of the sale and disposal of such images by the fortune-seekers. Many small stalls were opened where articles including images of Daikoku or Mahakala were sold on the eve of New Year celebrations.

In ancient times, the Japanese warriors went to war in helmets bearing Sanskrit bijas as benediction for victory. Such helmets can still be seen at the Reihokan Museum at Koyasan. The Tokonoma or alcoves in Japanese parlor often have a smiling image of Daikoku or Mahakala, clad in Japanese robes, and standing on two bags of rice representing affluence. Mahakala, as we know, symbolized the Great Time (maha = great and kala = time): the time of affluence, in contradistinction to a-kala (famine): the negation (a) of good time (kala). The Japanese also maintain the Bijaksara of Mahakala as a Siddham-nagari monogram. The traditional pilgrims climbing the holy Mount Ontake wear tenugui on white Japanese scarves with the sacred mantra Om.

Vishnu, one of the Puranic trinity, is not as popular as in India. He is referred to as Naraen-ten (Narayana), also called Kengo-rikishi or Kongo-rikishi or Nio has many common features with Vishnu (Bishinu-ten) in Japanese. Visnu-Narayana, according to Japanese conception, possesses unusual physical strength, generally rides Karura (Garuda), has one face and two arms, or three faces with two arms, the left face assuming the face of an elephant or lion and the right one having the form of a bear. He is shown having four or eight arms only in rare cases. In the Karura-o-Oyobi-Shoten-Mitsugon Kyo he is also refered to as Vijaya, having three faces and four arms, with a halo of green color behind his head. Karura (Garuda) received treatment in Japan apart from his position as Nararen-ten’s mount, and the Sesasayana aspect of Narayana is nowhere referred to in the Japanese text.

In Japan, the Nio guardian figures are named Misshaku Kongo (Agyo) and Naraen Kongo (Ungyo). They represent the use of overt power and latent power, respectively. Naraen is also called Narayana (Sanskrit)

Ganesha or Sho-ten or Shoden (also Vinayaka in Japanese), on the other hand, seems to have been widely worshipped god in Japan with whom is associated the Chinese-Japanese conception of the elephant-headed male-female embracing Vinayaka. One of the most popular deities in Japan, Ganesa traveled through China.

Variously known as Daishokangi-ten (abbreviated as Kangi-ten), Sho-ten, Ganabachi (Ganapati), Nandikeshvara and Binayaka-ten (Vinayaka), he is without doubt the product of the introduction of Tantricism in China and Japan (806 A.D onward) which envisaged an elephant-headed Yogini form of female Vinayaka giving birth to a new concept of Vinayaka couple both elephant-headed – a unique development in the religious history of Japan. It is really strange to find that though the Japanese Durani-shu-kyo (Dharani Samuccaya) originated in India, the concept of this twin form of Ganesa (with Ganesani) could not develop in India proper.

The popularity of this god can be judged from the fact that there were about 250 temples in Japan in which the images of Sho-ten and Kongi-ten are worshipped either as a single image or double-bodied images. In the Hozan-ji temple on Mt. Ikoma in Nara, Sho-ten is worshipped mainly by the merchants. In Osaka we have the biggest temple of Sho-ten, where, besides devotees, a permanent priest offers prayers daily. Moreover, the priests also separately offer prayers to him to remove obstacles in way to success.

In the Japanese test Daisho-kangi-Soshin-Binayaka-tongyo-Zohon-Giki (vol. I) he is also called Daijizai-ten (Maheshvara) a conception which we come across also in Brahaddharma Purana, where Ganesha is given fifty different appellations one of which says that “Shiva and Sankara’ are but the two appellations ascribed to Ganesa which is further corroborated by the Agni Purana (chap. 71) wherein Mahadeva is said to be one of the many appellations of Ganesha. Ganesha is still worshipped in Japan. A special temple is consecrated to the esoteric Twin Ganesa at the Jingoji monastery of Takao where every year worship is held in his honor. Besides this, special shrines are also dedicated to Ganesha in some other Mantraynic monasteries. Sometimes, even in shops one comes across graceful images of either standing or seated Ganesha.

Skanda-Karttikeya also appears to have been one of the extremely popular deities in Japan. Variously known as Kumara-ten, Kenda or Ida-ten he is regarded as the son of Daijizai-ten (Maheshvara) in Japanese mythology.

Saraswati is yet another Hindu deity extremely popular in Japan, and is known by various names such as Benzai-ten, Bezai-ten, Benteu, Benten, Sama, Benzamini, Myo-ongakuten, Meoongten, Myo’on-ten (goddess with sweet voice), Daiben, Dai-Benzai-ten (goddess of great intelligence), Dai-bentenno, Bio-ten, Ku-doku, Mio-on-Tennio. Etc.

The first such goddesses made in Japan were of Kichijo-ten (Sridevi or Lakshmi) and Benzai-ten (Sarasvati). The Indian concept of Sarasvati being the consort of Brahma is also retained in Japan. Generally considered as an extremely beautiful lady, she is supposed to be the ideal of feminine beauty, and the goddess of music, wealth, fortune, beauty, happiness, eloquence and wisdom.

This concept of the goddess, it appears, was irretrievably linked up with her personification with the famous Vedic river Saraswati.

It is interesting to note that while in India she is always depicted as a charming goddess of music, fine arts, and learning holding a vina with her both hands, in Japan she is sometimes portrayed as a ferocious goddess too, embodying ugliness as well as beauty. Benten with a lute is a beautiful lady, but Benten with a sword is a brave lady like Itanuka of whom the people are frightened. There is an image of Benten in war-like posture, in Enoshima, holding a sword in her hand with a serpent and tortoise sitting at her foot and two Deva kings standing on either side.

Lakshmi (Kichijo-ten), the goddess of wealth, is extremely popular. She is variously known as Kichisho-ten or Kissho-ten or Makashiri (Maha Sri) and as Lakushmi.

From the Mikkyo-no-Bijutsu we learn that the image of Laksmi (Kichijo-ten) was the first image of a female deity in Japan in the Nara period (645 – 794 AD) which for the first time witnessed the making of the images of the female divinities like Lakshmi and Sarasvati (Benzai-ten) and Hariti (Kishi-mojin).

From the Mikkyo-no-Bijutsu we learn that when the elegant image of Kichijo-ten was first made it impressed the Japanese Buddhist monks so much that they became ardent devotees of this goddess and her popularity spread far and wide within a very short period. This is further confirmed by a passage in the Nihon Ryoki. The “dazzling beauty” of this goddess “aroused more than ordinary interest on the part of the priests. Needless to say, the popularity of Kissho-ten worship spread quickly. There is even an old story about a man who fell in love with a picture of this splendid beauty.”

She is depicted in various forms. She is generally seen beside Bishamon-ten.

In the Nara period the images of this goddess were made “both in icons and objet d’art. Two images of this deity belonging to the Nara period are still preserved in the refectory of the Horyuji temple and in the Hokke-do shrine of the Todai-ji temple. One of the many images of this goddess, one preserved in the Yakushi-ji temple is very famous. It is painted in fine colors on fine hemp cloth. Another beautiful image made of wood (1078 AD) of the Heian period is preserved in the Golden Hall of the Horyu-ji temple. Yet, another very famous sculpted image of the goddess is preserved in a Zushi or shrine of the Jaruri-ji temple, Kyoto.

Besides these Vedic deities, the Raksasas and the Asuras were also given due place in the Japanese pantheon. In Japanese mythology, Raksasa and Nairrti are known as Rasetsu and Nirichi (Niri-ieio) respectively. Garuda, the mythical bird and mount of Lord Vishnu is known as Karura in Japanese mythology which is also associated
with Naraen-ten or Narayana as his vehicle.

Co-existence of the native Shinto and Indian Buddhists and Vedic deities in the same temple was, and is a common feature in Japan. Like Buddhism, Tantricism, an inseparable part of Hinduism spread far beyond the boundaries of India, Nepal, Tibet and Burma. Thus, we find that the Hindu gods who were incorporated into Indian Buddhism gradually found their way to China and then to Japan where many of these Hindu deities found a status which they had never attained either in India or China.

(source: India and Japan: A Study in interaction during 5th cent - 14th century - By Upendra Thakur p. 27 - 41).

Erotic incredible oil paintings of dreamy women by Yigal Ozeri an Israeli painter



















Fifteen Masterpieces of Alfred Hitchcock

best-Alfred-Hitchcock-film
During his lifetime, Alfred Hitchcock was thought of as a master showman who kept his audiences entertained with suspenseful movies and quirky TV shows. Since his death in 1980, Hitchcock’s legacy has been reappraised by both scholars and the general public, and he is now thought of as one of the most significant – if not THE most significant – filmmaker of the 20th century. Blending humor, suspense and drama with a genuine understanding of the foibles of the human condition, Hitchcock’s films have continued to rank higher and higher on the list of most critics and filmmakers, culminating with Vertigo’s selection in 2012 as the #1 film of all time in the Sight and Sound Critic’s Poll.
These then are the 15 essential films that anyone must see in order to begin to understand Hitchcock’s work and complex filmmaking technique. His career was divided into two distinct periods, the British (pre 1940) and American films, and this list is made up primarily of the American films. But Hitchcock’s early British films are extremely important to his career, and anyone interested in learning more about Hitchcock should also see these honorable mentions: The Lodger, The Manxman, Blackmail, The Man Who Knew too Much (1934), Sabotage and Young and Innocent, as well as the two British masterpieces on this list. Fortunately, most of Hitchcock’s American films have been restored and released on blu-ray and his 9 silent films have also recently been restored by the BFI.

15. Rebecca (1940)
rebecca
In March, 1939, Alfred Hitchcock came to America under a seven year contract with producer David O. Selznick. William Rothman remarked that “Hitchcock’s move to Hollywood is like Haydn’s move to London: for the first time, he has a great orchestra at his disposal.” Although Hitchcock used the technological advancements he found in America to great effect – such great effect that the film would win the Academy Award in 1940 for Best Picture, the only Hitchcock film to do so – he would also later somewhat disavow himself of the film, telling Francois Truffaut “it’s not a Hitchcock picture” and that the film is “lacking in humor”.
Although many view the film as a struggle for control between the domineering producer Selznick and his new ‘employee’, Rebecca is an audacious American debut for Hitchcock, a film steeped in shadows and light, gloomy gothic atmosphere, and a tremendous performance from Dame Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers. The film takes up what will become a major theme for Hitchcock, that of one’s identity becoming subsumed by one who is not there, who is in fact, dead. The dead ruling the living occurs again and again in Hitchcock and is given a fine treatment in this, his first American film. Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine play the leads effectively, and George Sanders is his usual slimy troublemaker as Favell, Rebecca’s “cousin”.

14. Dial ‘M’ for Murder (1954)
Dial M for Murder
Hitchcock was also somewhat dismissive of this film, shot for Warners in 3-D but initially released flat (although it was given a re-release in 1982 in a 3-D version and has now been released on blu-ray in 3-D) telling Truffaut “there isn’t very much we can say about that one, is there?”
A hit play by Frederick Knott, Dial ‘M’ reflects Hitchcock’s love of theater and long standing desire to film a play, which he also attempted with less success in Rope (1948). The film also features the first appearance by Grace Kelly, who became the ultimate ‘Hitchcock blonde’, as well as one of the director’s most suspenseful sequences when Kelly’s Margot is attacked by would be killer Captain Lesgate (Anthony Dawson).
Dial ‘M’ also points to one of Hitchcock’s primary theories, which is that your film is only as good as the villain. In this case, Ray Milland is at his oily best as Tony Wendice, plotting the murder of his beautiful but unfaithful wife on one hand, while eventually trying to frame her for Lesgate’s murder. Robert Cummings is along as the boyfriend and John Williams is a rare positive police figure in a Hitchcock film. Sometimes underrated, you should see it in 3-D if you’re going to see it at all.

13. The Birds (1963)
The Birds
We can’t NOT include it on this list, but The Birds is one of Hitchcock’s most problematic films of his essentials. Made as a follow up to the tremendous success of Psycho, The Birds was Hitchcock’s most hyped film and audiences were somewhat disappointed by the cardboard characters and the oddly ambiguous ending of the film that never reveals a ‘reason’ for the bird attacks.
Hitchcock and Even Hunter adapted a Daphne DuMaurier short story and moved it from the Cornwall coast to northern California’s Bodega Bay, adding his new find Tippi Hedren into the mix as Melanie Daniels, in pursuit of Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) and under the attack of swarms of birds. The film has some truly terrible moments, such as the awkward conversation between Mitch and Melanie during Cathy’s birthday party on an awful fake looking set (many of Hitchcock’s 1960’s Universal films suffered from the studio’s poor production and set design) but the bird attacks are fantastic for the most part, and a great technical achievement for their time.
Tony Lee Moral has written a good book on the making of the film that describes the technical problems Hitchcock faced and, for the most part, overcame. A good supporting cast featuring Suzanne Pleshette and Jessica Tandy help the film along, but Hedren is better in her next film for Hitchcock, Marnie.

12. Notorious (1946)
notorious
Hitchcock worked closely with his screenwriters, although after he came to America he never took a credit. He teamed with esteemed writer Ben Hecht in the mid 1940’s on Spellbound, his second film for Selznick, and Notorious, which was supposed to be his third film for the producer. But Selznick needed cash in order to complete his western epic Duel in the Sun, and so sold the film as a package to RKO, leaving Hitchcock to produce Notorious himself, and make one more film for Selznick, 1947’s unfortunate The Paradine Case.
Notorious is considered by many to be Hitchcock’s greatest film of the 1940’s, featuring the brilliant romantic pairing of Cary Grant as American agent T.R. Devlin and Ingrid Bergman as Miami playgirl Alicia Huberman, who flies down to Rio with Devlin in order to infiltrate a ring of Nazis led by Alexander Sebastian (Claude Raines). When Sebastian asked Alicia to marry him, Devlin most confront the conflict between his growing feelings for Alicia and his duty. Alicia is put in a similarly difficult spot, marrying a man she doesn’t love in order to help the cause and eventually being slowly poisoned by Alex and his mother. The film was beautifully photographed and became a major hit for Hitchcock, his last before suffering a commercial downturn later in the decade.

11. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
the lady vanishes leading roles
The culmination of the ‘sextet’ of 1930’s thrillers that catapulted Hitchcock to international fame, The Lady Vanishes shows the director at the peak of his powers during his British period. Margaret Lockwood’s Iris is riding home on a train to marry her blasé fiancee when she befriends Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty), an elderly English matron who proceeds to disappear as Iris turns the train inside out looking for her.
This theme, of someone leading an ordered, boring, routine life having their world turned upside down by sudden chaos, is repeated again and again in Hitchcock. Michael Redgrave is charming as Gilbert, who at first annoys Iris but eventually falls in love with Iris as he helps her search for Miss Froy despite the interference of the strange and ominous passengers on the train.
The Lady Vanishes has hardly a dull moment, from its opening in a snowbound Balkan hotel to the almost madcap search for Miss Froy to the final shootout with the fascist forces of evil who want to stop her. The Lady Vanishes shows Hitchcock as a filmmaker capable of making the type of screwball comedies popularized by Preston Sturges and Frank Capra, and the film was virtually remade as Silver Streak in 1976 by director Arthur Hiller with Gene Wilder and Jill Clayburgh.

10. The Thirty Nine Steps (1935)
the-39-steps
Hitchcock’s greatest early success was with this adaptation of John Buchan’s 1915 novel, with Robert Donat as Hannay, whose trip to a London music hall propels him into a world of intrigue and danger. Accused of killing a female government agent in his own apartment, Hannay goes on the run to Scotland to uncover the ring of spies that the agent was looking for, and along the way he picks up Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) who at first turns him in but eventually comes to believe him.
As in many Hitchcock films, the story’s ‘MacGuffin’ (in this case uncovering the spy ring and keeping vital secrets from leaving the country) drives the action of the film forward, but the true importance of the story comes when Hannay and Pamela drop their defenses and stop bickering with each other, eventually joining forces and ending up falling in love. The final shot of their clasped hands is a classic.
A film that is very much about public lives versus private lives and the danger that comes when false appearances mask a dark and scary reality, The Thirty Nine Steps established Hitchcock as a force to be reckoned with on the international stage, eventually resulting in him signing a contract with Selznick to come to Hollywood.

9. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
The-Man-Who-Knew-Too-Much-1956
Hitchcock noted that his 1934 British version was the work of a “talented amateur”, while his 1956 Hollywood remake was the work of a “professional”. Featuring James Stewart and Doris Day as the McKennas, an American couple on vacation with their son who is summarily kidnapped after Dr. McKenna receives information from a dying British agent about a planned assassination of a foreign dignitary in London. The couple have to set aside their differences and work together to find their son and face down the kidnappers during the climactic scene at the Royal Albert Hall, almost unquestionably the greatest single sequence of any of Hitchcock’s films.
The Man Who Knew Too Much reveals why many view Hitchcock not only as a Master of Suspense, but also as a master of depicting characters beset by anxiety and stress during a time of great international tension and danger, anticipating the Cold War years to come. Although it may seem to be a little dated, especially during the sequence when Doris Day sings her hit song “Que Sera Sera”, The Man Who Knew Too Much is a major work for Hitchcock, putting forth all of the themes and motifs that preoccupied him for years.

8. Frenzy (1972)
frenzy
After three disappointments in a row in the mid to late 1960’s, many felt that Hitchcock’s career was over. Although scholars were beginning to take Hitchcock more seriously by the time Frenzy was released in the summer of 1972, it had been over a decade since he had made a film that connected with the public in a big way. But Frenzy was a major success for the director and was universally hailed as a return to form.
Returning to his familiar theme of a man falsely accused, Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) is wanted for a series of vicious necktie murders actually committed by Blaney’s friend Bob Rusk (Barry Foster). Eventually Police Inspector Oxford (Alec McGowan) figures out that the police have caught the wrong man, but not before Rusk brutally murders barmaid Babs (Anna Massey) in a scene that features one of Hitchcock’s greatest shots, the uninterrupted crane shot backwards of the camera moving out into the street as Rusk and Babs walk up the stairs to his apartment where she will be murdered.
Hitchcock took advantage of the new relaxed censorship by showing ample violence and nudity in the film, a tactic that surprised some. But Frenzy is most notable for the way Hitchcock implicated his audience in Rusk’s horrific crimes, by linking the killer together with the falsely accused ‘innocent’ protagonist, Blaney, as if they are two of a kind. Frenzy is a dark descent into the mind and methods of a psychotic killer and is also Hitchcock’s great late period triumph.

7. Marnie (1964)
Marnie (1964)
Hitchcock originally intended to film Winston Graham’s novel as the follow up to Psycho, featuring Grace Kelly in her return to the screen as the problematic heroine. But, after expressing interest, the Princess of Monaco pulled out of the project and Hitchcock abandoned it, returning to it after The Birds with new star Tippi Hedren in the lead. Hitchcock changed the structure of the film from the novel, in which two male rivals fight for the interest of Marnie, instead casting heartthrob Sean Connery as Mark Rutland, who captures kleptomaniac thief Marnie after she has robbed his company safe and forces her to marry him. Diane Baker is Lil Mainwaring, who competes with the reluctant Marnie for Mark’s affections.
A complex psychological character study, Marnie features Hitchcock’s most complicated and creative use of color, suggesting Marnie’s state of mind through various palette changes throughout the film. The film also borders at times on the surreal, as the female protagonist struggles to maintain her sanity despite troubling dreams and occasions of emotional upset; indeed, the film seems to have highly influenced the 1966 film Belle de Jour by Spanish surrealist master Luis Bunuel. The final sequence of the film, in which Marnie flashes back to the childhood trauma that has caused her problems (check out Bruce Dern in an early appearance as the sailor who briefly comes between Marnie and her mother) is a tour de force, as the guilty secret is revealed to both Mark and the audience.
Featuring fine performances by Hedren, Connery, Baker and Louise Latham as Marnie’s mother, Marnie was originally decried by critics as ‘Hitch-cock and bull’ and received indifferently by audiences, but after both Robin Wood and Donald Spoto wrote critical reappraisals in their books, the film grew vastly in reputation. This is a must see and essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand the films of Alfred Hitchcock.

6. Strangers on a Train (1951)
Strangers on a Train
In the late 1940’s, Hitchcock went into a commercial slide, with four films in a row that failed at the box office. Setting aside his newly formed production company, Hitchcock signed a production deal with Warner Brothers and produced one of his greatest films, based on the debut novel by mystery writer Patricia Highsmith.
Farley Granger is Guy Haines, tennis star and aspiring politician who has left his unfaithful wife, Miriam for the beautiful Ann Morton (Ruth Roman), daughter of a U.S. Senator. Guy meets Bruno Anthony (brilliantly played by Robert Walker) as strangers on a train, and Bruno suggests to Guy they “swap murders”: Bruno will kill Miriam while Guy murders Bruno’s hated father. Each has killed a total stranger and thus has no apparent motive. But when Bruno goes ahead and murders Miriam, he then expects the hapless Guy to fulfill his part of the bargain, and the rest of the film features a classic Hitchcock dual structure, as Guy is pursued by both Bruno and the police.
Strangers on a Train is notable for the way that Hitchcock adroitly handled the ‘doubling’ motif of the exchange of good and evil; Bruno is Guy’s dark underside, acting out and fulfilling the murderous fantasies that Guy can only half-heartedly joke about. The ‘double’ theme recurs again and again in the film, from the opening shots of the two men’s feet as they arrive at the train station and eventually bump into each other, to the interwoven dual train tracks, playing doubles tennis, drinking ‘doubles’ and finally encountering other strangers on the train. Strangers on a Train became one of Hitchcock’s best known and loved films, popular with audiences and critics alike, a classic example of a merging of form and content and the director at the very top of his game. Doubles, anyone?

5. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
shadow of a doubt
Hitchcock frequently told interviewers that Shadow of a Doubt was his personal favorite film, and it is not hard to understand why. Based on a story idea by writer Gordon McDonnell (which was loosely based on a true incident), Shadow of a Doubt is the story of an innocent young woman, Charlie Newton (Theresa Wright) whose Uncle Charles (Joseph Cotton) comes to stay with her and her family in the scenic all American town of Santa Rosa. But Uncle Charles is actually the cold blooded “Merry Widow Murderer” who is being pursued by the police and as the evidence against him piles up, his distraught niece eventually realizes the truth. A life and death struggle between the two ensues, as young Charlie tries to get her Uncle to leave town before the police nab him and her beloved mother realizes the shocking truth about her brother.
Shadow of a Doubt is filled with numerous references to Hitchcock’s own life and childhood, and so it is not surprising the personal interest that he took in the film. Filmed largely on location in Santa Rosa, which was unusual for the time, Hitchcock took the opportunity to create a number of breathtaking and inventive shots with which to tell his story. As often happens in Hitchcock, the movie opens with young Charlie bemoaning the boredom and predictability of her life, but as her world is shaken by the revelations about her Uncle, the young girl wishes she had her predictable and safe life back given the danger that has befallen her.
The film also is another re-working of the ‘good and evil’ double theme, as under the threat of her Uncle, young Charlie must look within herself to find the evil and darkness that gives her the capability to murder her Uncle. A modest success at the time, Shadow of a Doubt is a film that is essential to understanding the innovative film genus that was Alfred Hitchcock.

4. Vertigo (1958)
vertigo-scottie-and-madeline
After French director Henri-Georges Clouzot had success with Diabolique, writers Boileau and Narcejac wrote the novel D’entres Les Morts with the intention that it be made into a film by Hitchcock. James Stewart is Scotty Ferguson, a police detective who retires after a colleague falls trying to rescue him. Coaxed out of retirement by Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) to watch his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak) who appears to be acting under the influence of a dead relative, Scotty falls in love with Madeleine despite the intervention of his longtime friend Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes). When Madeleine appears to kill herself by leaping from a mission tower, Scotty loses his mind, only to later encounter Judy Barton (Novak) whom he attempts to remake into his lost love.
The film features some of Hitchcock’s greatest shot making, including the now famous ‘track in zoom out’ shot of the mission tower steps as Scotty looks down dizzily (reused by many filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg in Jaws) and the amazing shot of Judy emerging from the fog of her apartment bathroom re-made as Madeleine. Vertigo is a story of obsession, longing and romance, as Scotty follows Madeleine through the hilly, beautiful streets of San Francisco.
Originally considered a misfire on its release, Vertigo was shown occasionally on TV until the early 70’s when, like the mysterious Madeleine, it disappeared. Hitchcock himself owned the rights to the film by this point and pulled it from public viewing until his death in 1980. With Vertigo unavailable, its critical fortunes began to rise as Robin Wood praised the film as a masterpiece and Donald Spoto called it Hitchcock’s greatest film in his 1977 book The Art of Alfred Hitchcock. In 1983 the film was finally re-released to an eager public, which viewed it with a new eye.
Vertigo was also the first Hitchcock film to be fully restored in 1996, although restorers Katz and Harris were criticized for replacing some of the foley soundtrack with new sound effects. Finally, in 2012, Vertigo topped the Sight and Sound Critic’s Poll as the number one film of all time, surpassing Citizen Kane. I find the story of Vertigo a bit too unconvincing and convoluted to consider it to be even Hitchcock’s best, but there is no doubt that the beautiful visual style of the film, the glorious use of colors and the masterful mix of location and soundstage footage is Hitchcock working at his highest level.

3. Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
The richest period of Hitchcock’s filmmaking begins with his move to Paramount studios in 1953, where the first film he made was Rear Window. Taken from a short story by Cornell Woolrich, Rear Window is the story of photographer L.B. Jeffries who has broken his leg and, cooped up in his Greenwich Village apartment, comes to suspect his neighbor, Thorwald (Raymond Burr, made up to look like Hitchcock’s old boss, David Selznick) of murdering his invalid wife. Pressured by his attractive girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) to marry her and settle down as a fashion photographer, each of the windows that Jeffries looks into becomes in some ways a potential future for himself and Lisa: the sexually active newlyweds, the bland middle aged couple, the frustrated composer, the oddball sculptor, Miss Lonelyhearts, Miss Torso the dancer and finally the Thorwalds themselves.
A meditation on voyeurism and living vicariously through the lives of others, Rear Window connected deeply with audiences on its initial release and became one of Hitchcock’s most popular and enduring films, eventually influencing several generations of filmmakers including Antonioni (Blow Up, 1967), Coppola (The Conversation, 1974) and DePalma (Body Double, 1984) as well as the more recent Disturbia (2007).
Featuring great supporting acting from Thelma Ritter as Jeffries’ sarcastic nurse (at one point she muses “Ah, we’ve become a race of Peeping Toms…what people ought to do is get outside of their houses and look in for a change!”) and Wendell Corey as the skeptical police detective, Rear Window features a great script by John Michael Hayes, who worked with Hitchcock on four of his finest films in the mid 1950’s before the two went their separate ways. The subject of a lengthy lawsuit over copyright of Woolrich’s original story, the film was pulled by Hitchcock from public viewing for over a decade before finally being re-released to acclaim with Vertigo in 1983. A definite must see for film buffs in general and Hitchcock buffs in particular.

2. North by Northwest (1959)
north-by-northwest
Screenwriter Ernest Lehman told Hitchcock that he wanted to write ‘the ultimate Hitchcock picture’ and, boy, he sure did. North by Northwest features another of Hitchcock’s falsely accused men on the run, this time Cary Grant as ad man Roger Thornhill, who has become entangled with some spies and is framed for the murder of a U.N. diplomat. Featuring James Mason as Phillip Vandamm, one of Hitchcock’s best and most evil bad guys, Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall, the beautiful double agent and Martin Landau as Leonard, Vandamm’s dangerous sidekick,
North by Northwest functions both as an entertaining suspense chase picture as well as a deep meditation on the meaning of life, love and identity. Thornhill must confront all that is false about him, including his charming, glib exterior and his fascicle, meaningless life, to look down deep inside himself when faced by the danger and challenges posed in the course of the film, eventually coming out the other side as a fully realized human being, capable of love and commitment.
A reworking of The Thirty Nine Steps as well as Hitchcock’s less successful Saboteur (1942), North by Northwest became one of the director’s greatest and most influential films, as well as featuring his best known ‘MacGuffin’ – the microfilm with government secrets on it hidden in a sculpture purchased at a Chicago art auction. The director frequently climaxed his films with sequences in familiar or theatrical settings, and he originally conceived of the film by imagining characters running around across the Mount Rushmore monument (even considering the working title “The Man in Lincoln’s Nose”).
The film’s grand finale on Mount Rushmore does not disappoint, and North by Northwest ends up being the Hitchcock film that succeeds on every level. Made at MGM, where Hitchcock had a unique one picture deal while still under contract at Paramount, North by Northwest has never been out of circulation and photographed in beautiful Vista-vision, it is now available on blu-ray.

1. Psycho (1960)
psycho
The ultimate Hitchcock film? Perhaps the ultimate film…period?!? By the late 1950’s, Hitchcock realized that the competition was moving up on him, particularly producer/director William Castle, who made several low budget successes in the horror genre at that time. Deciding that even a relatively low budget horror film made by a truly talented filmmaker would be very successful, Hitchcock took Robert Bloch’s plot rich novel Psycho and, along with screenwriter Joseph Stefano, created a truly remarkable film.
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) runs away from Phoenix with $40,000 stolen from her employer to be with her boyfriend, the cash strapped Sam Loomis (John Gavin). But a rainy detour to the Bates Motel run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins in a career defining role) ends up with Marion hacked to death in Hitchcock’s best known scene of all time, the shower murder. Who did it? Jealous Mother Bates? Hitchcock kept the now well-known surprise ending as much of a surprise as he could, and the brilliantly orchestrated publicity campaign ended up with a massive box office that ensured the director’s financial well-being as well as his career legacy.
Psycho destroyed and reconstructed so many film conventions that it is difficult to name them all here. Film techniques employed by Hitchcock in Psycho that still are used commonly today include the quick cutting of the shower sequence, the cutting between objective-subjective points of view in Lila’s approach to the Bates house, the camera moving from a birds eye point of view to the inside of a hotel room in the film’s opening, the extreme close up of Norman’s eye as he looks through a peephole at Marion undressing and the use of 50 mm lens to give a ‘realistic’ point of view. The meeting of Marion Crane and Norman Bates, though, is at the heart of the film and their parlor conversation that precedes the shower murder is one of Hitchcock’s most brilliantly constructed scenes, both on a level of script writing and shot making.
In Psycho, the dead rule the living, as Marion’s sister, Lila (Vera Miles) discovers as she walks through the Bates home, with each room getting creepier and creepier. Hitchcock hid a deep, dark secret in the fruit cellar, and when Lila discovers that secret, it shocked the film world to the core. Hitchcock noted it was a “fun” picture and a bit like taking the audience on a tour of the spook house at a carnival.
Nothing would ever be the same and, eventually, Psycho spawned two sequels in the 1980’s, a 1990 ‘prequel’, a 1998 ‘shot for shot’ remake by director Gus Van Sant and a recent A & E television series, Bates Motel. As an exercise in film technique and brilliant story-telling, Psycho has never been matched. The culmination of Hitchcock’s career, Psycho marked a commercial high point and, while some critic’s didn’t like the film on first release, most eventually came around to admiring the film.
Author Bio: Jim Davidson is a 1980 graduate of Northwestern University’s Radio-TV-Film Dept. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been a video producer since 1987. Jim has written articles for Images Film journal and is currently working on a book about the movie Harold and Maude.

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நோயைச் சொல்லும் ஆசை! ஒருவர் விரும்பிச் சாப்பிடும் சுவையைக்கொண்டே அவருக்கு என்ன பிரச்னை என்பதைக் கண்டறியலாம்


''நம்முடைய உடலில் குறைபாடு ஏற்படும்போது அதைச் சரிப்படுத்திக்கொள்ள நம்முடைய உடல் முயற்சிக்கும். இதற்காக அது சில குறிப்பிட்ட சுவை உள்ள உணவுகளை அதிகம் கேட்கும். ஒருவர் விரும்பிச் சாப்பிடும் சுவையைக்கொண்டே அவருக்கு என்ன பிரச்னை என்பதைக் கண்டறியலாம்'' என்கிறார் அக்குபஞ்சர் மருத்துவர் தனசேகரன்.
இனிப்பு, துவர்ப்பு - மண்ணீரல் மற்றும் வயிறு சம்பந்தப்பட்ட பிரச்னைகள்
புளிப்பு - கல்லீரல், பித்தப்பை தொடர்பான பிரச்னை. கர்ப்பிணிகள் ஆரம்பத்தில் புளிப்பு சுவையுள்ள உணவை அதிகம் சாப்பிடுவர். இந்தக் காலத்தில் தாய், சேய் என இருவருக்கும் சேர்த்து வேலை செய்வதால், தன்னை சரிப்படுத்திக்கொள்ள புளிப்பு சுவையைக் கேட்கிறது.
கசப்பு - இதயம், சிறுகுடல்
காரம்- நுரையீரல், பெருங்குடல்
உப்பு - சிறுநீரகம், சிறுநீர்ப் பை

அருகம்புல் காபி

அருகம்புல் காபி
******************************
தேவையான மூலிகை பொருட்கள் :
*********************************************
1 - ஏலரிசி - 25-கிராம் 
2 - வால்மிளகு - 50 கிராம்
3 - சீரகம் - 100-கிராம்
4 - மிளகு - 200 -கிராம்
இவைகளை வெயிலில் நன்கு காயவைத்து தனித் தனியே
இடித்து தூள் செய்து பிறகு ஒன்று சேர்த்து இடித்து கலந்து
கொள்ளவும்.இது அருகம் புல் காபிக்கு பயன்படும் பொடி
ஆகும்.
நீண்ட கொடி அருகம்புல்லை வேர்,தழை இல்லாமல் தண்டுப்
பகுதியாக இரண்டு கைப்பிடி அளவு எடுத்து மிகச்சிறியதாக
அரிந்து ஒரு பாத்திரத்தில் போட்டு 500- மிலி நீர் விட்டு அடுப்பில்
வைத்து சூடு ஏறியதும் மேலே கூறிய பொடியில் 2-டீஸ்பூன்
போட்டு கலந்து நன்கு கொதிக்க வைத்து 200 -மிலி அளவில்
வற்றிய பிறகு வடி கட்டி எடுத்து இதனுடன் 200 -மிலி காய்ச்சிய
பால் கலந்து சர்க்கரை சேர்த்து காலையில் தினமும் சாப்பிட்டு
வரலாம்.
காபி ருசியும், பூஸ்ட் கலந்த ருசியும் போல் இனிமையாக
இருக்கும்.இதனால் நோய்கள் என்ற பயமே இல்லாமல் வாழலாம்
பல விதமான நோய்கள் கட்டுப்படுகின்றன.
இந்த அருகம் புல் காபியைத் தொடர்ந்து சாப்பிட்டு வர இரத்தம்
சுத்தமாகும்.நீண்ட நாள் ஆங்கில மருந்துகள் உட்கொண்ட
விஷத்தன்மை உடலை விட்டு நீங்குகின்றது.நரம்புத்தளர்ச்சி
நீங்கும்,அதிக பித்தம்,பித்த மயக்கம்,நெஞ்செரிச்சல் நீங்கும்.
குடல் சுத்தமாகும்,மூளை வலுவடைந்து நினைவாற்றல் பெருகு
கின்றது.
உடலின் உட்சூடு மறையும்,பெண்களின் மாதவிடாய் கோளாறுகள்
சீராகும்,வெள்ளைப்படுதல்,அடி வயிறு கனத்தல்,தொடை நரம்பு
இழுத்தல் யாவும் குணமாகும்.
குழந்தைகள் சாப்பிட்டு வர சுறுசுறுப்பாக இருப்பார்கள்,கணை,
மாந்தம் (பிரைமரி காம்ப்ளக்ஸ்)ஏற்படாது.பசி நன்கு எடுக்கும்
சாப்பிடும் உணவுகளின் சத்து உடலில் சேரும்.