Rieker shoes as a brand is now more than a century and a quarter old and in the one hundred and thirty years or so of its existence the company has grown to epic proportions. The shoe company was started as a simple shoe factory in the city of Tuttlingen by Heinrich Rieker and Carl Seitz under their last names, Rieker & Seitz. A couple of decades later in 1901 Carl Seitz left the company and his name was dropped from the company’s name. Just four years after this Heinrich died in 1905 and the management of the company was taken over by his three sons Karl, Ernst and Heinrich.

By 1969 the company had grown so large that it had to be split into three parts to function effectively. It now employed over two thousand workers in its factories and offices. The company was split into three parts with three members of the Rieker family as the head of each division. One company that was soon to be dissolved however a few years later would produce ski boots and it was headed by Justus R. A second company was to be headed by Kurt R. and was to concentrate on the development and production of ladies’ and gents sports shoes. This division was to be based in Tuttlingen. The third and final division of the company, headed by Roland R. was now transferred to the town of Donaueschingen where it would manufacture and sell children’s shoes.

Today the company is still based in the city of Tuttlingen in Germany though its headquarters are now in Switzerland in a city called a Thayngen. The company’s products are sold in approximately seven thousand five hundred retailers all over Europe. It also employs over twelve thousand people worldwide in its various factories, offices and sales departments.

Rieker makes a huge range of shoes for women and men today such as its famous Strobel stitched shoes which are known all around Europe as being one of the most comfortable and light weight shoes that are on sale today. The shoes have a light weight sole made out of Polyurethane and this is corner stitched to high quality leather uppers.

The company also makes a range of very stylish and practical loafers for both men and women in styles with names lie Doro Whitney and Tamara for women and Garrit and Joshua for men. Their most popular product though is sports shoes for both men and women.

The Philistines had come. The Isrealites were scared.

To move or be courageous, no one even dared.

A giant named Goliath, stood waiting for a fight.

No one there came forth, considering his height.

There was a boy named David, who played the harp for Saul.

Now he was very young, but he gave the Lord his all.

He was the youngest in his family, but very good with a sling.

He was willing to fight Goliath, both for God and for the king.

But his brothers mocked and teased him, they said he was to small.

“How can you fight a giant that is nine feet tall?”

But David had the Lord, joining him this fight.

And he would need no armor, he would travel light.

With God he killed a lion, and he had slain a bear.

God would protect him, so no armor would he wear.

The only weapon he had, was a very small sling.

He headed towards the brook, for five small stones would he bring.

Getting his five stones, he headed for the war.

After talking to the king, he headed out the door.

Goliath was out waiting, armed with weapons sharp.

He made fun of David, the boy who played the harp.

“You bring me a dog!” he looked at David with disgust.

“Come on now little boy, fight me if you must!”

But David was determined, into his sling he put a stone.

“Come get me!” said Goliath, in a very mocking tone.

Then David raised his sling, and swung it all around.

It hit the giant in the head, and he toppled to the ground.

The Isrealites were pleased, Goliath was now dead.

They were victorious, they took a sword to the giants head.

The Philistines fled, they ran very fast.

Against God, there was no way they could last.

Be strong, and be courageous, and don’t forget the Lord.

For David killed goliath with God and not a sword.

When you or your significant other are forced to move away for whatever reason, the necessity of saving a long distance relationship is the last thing on your mind. However, the chances are that neither of you has any real idea how to make your long distance relationship work.

Initially you’re both head over heels in love and, while you’re sad at the idea of being apart, you’re both determined that nothing will stop you from being together. You make all the usual promises to each other and for a while things are great. The problem is that in all probability you never got down to the nitty gritty reality of what it would actually be like to be hundreds or even thousands of miles apart, so you’re not prepared for the loneliness that inevitably comes as part of a long distance relationship package.

The initial elation and determination to be together no matter what begins to fade slowly and inevitably, and that’s usually when the insecurities start to set in.

You begin wondering what your partner’s up to. Perhaps they don’t appear to be missing you as much as you’re missing them; maybe they’re not available to talk when you need to. If you’re the one left behind you have the added knowledge that your lover has started a new job and of course you imagine them meeting lots of new people and having a really exciting time. Of course it’s not always the person left behind who has the problems. In your relationship, maybe you’re the one starting the new job and you don’t know anybody. Perhaps you think of your partner back at home surrounded by friends and family and you wonder if they are missing you like you’re missing them, or even if they’re thinking of you at all. But whatever your situation, that feeling of insecurity is horrible and so soul destroying.

You want to talk to your partner but you’re struggling to communicate because you’re frightened of the potential fall-out; that if your lover knew how you really felt, then your relationship would end. At this point, saving a long distance relationship is still not on your mind because the chances are that you are burying your head firmly in the sand, not realizing that by not talking to each other, your relationship is heading inexorably to the rocks.

Eventually loneliness gives way to frustration. You’re not getting what you want out of the relationship so you start to become resentful. Very often at this point it becomes all about you – what your lover wants doesn’t seem to matter.

Slowly frustration begins to turn to anger. Everyone around you seems to be in a relationship in which they’re surgically glued to one another’s side. Your friends and family thinks you’re crazy and give you all kinds of well meaning advice; unfortunately, it’s mostly negative and probably doesn’t involve actually saving a long distance relationship!

Whether you recognize it or not, you are now both firmly at the point of desperately needing to save your long distance relationship and, if neither of you take action, you begin to lose all sense of actually being in a relationship at all and drift towards the final stage in any long distance relationship break down – detachment.

One or both of you allow the resentment and frustration to get the better of you and slowly begin to withdraw into yourself. Your communication dwindles to almost non-existent and when you do speak, neither of you have anything to say.

Maybe at this point saving a long distance relationship seems almost impossible with everything seemingly working against you, but before you get on the phone and end it all, I want to say one final thing: It doesn’t have to be like that!

Ask yourselves this question: Do you and your partner love each other? If the answer to that question is ‘yes’ then, believe me you can save your long distance relationship.

If the love is still there underneath all of the crap that has gotten in the way, you really can halt the slide and pull it back together. Distance doesn’t have to be a deal breaker and you don’t have to be in the same room to share that special intimacy.

It won’t happen overnight, but if you’re both truly prepared to work at it, you won’t only be saving a long distance relationship but making it better than you ever thought possible.

What to expect upon arriving in Jamaica and at your Sandals Resort

When your plane touches down at Sangster International Airport in Jamaica you will have to get your bags and then clear customs. Once through customs there will be many people wanting to help you with your bags etc. I’d suggest just getting your own stuff over to the Sandals Tour desk. Here you’ll find a Sandals rep who will put stickers on your bags so they know which Sandals resort they should go to. A skycap in the red had will then load your bags and take them to the bus. Keep in mind these are not Sandals employees and they will expect a tip. I believe $2.00 USD per bag is customary. If you don’t want to tip, I’d suggest being upfront that you’ll take your own bags. Being that Jamaicans are very good hosts they will likely tell you to not worry and try and carry your stuff anyway. My advice is go with it and enjoy your vacation.

Once at your bus you will likely have to wait a bit for others to board etc. I’d suggest wandering down the parking lot and getting a couple Red Stripes. Whether headed to Negril or Ocho Rios you’re in for a long ride and you’ll feel better if your refreshed. You can even drink your strips on the bus.

If your headed to Negril expect a total trip time of 1.5 hours. You’ll stop at the Apple bar for Red Stripes and a potty break. Again just go with it, don’t be that guy on the bus complaining because we stopped.

If your headed to Dunn’s River or Ocho Rios you have a longer ride. Because the road is still under construction expect a two hour ride with the customary stop for drinks and jerk chicken.

At the resort you’ll be seated in the lobby. Men will be instructed to hang back to ensure all bags are accounted for. I’d suggest in advance making sure your man knows what your bags look like. (I didn’t) I just expected my wife to watch hers and I’d watch mine. When all bags are accounted for your man will join you in the lobby. Sometimes you will receive a damp towel and most times a glass of champagne. In Negril I like to hit the bar and get a real drink as its just steps from the lobby.

Soon after a host will collect your travel papers and return with a bag full of aloe lotion and suntan lotion as well as you room key. From here a bell hop will take your bags and you to the room. If you have any objections to your room now is the time to voice them. In our case our bell hop called the desk and we had a new room immediately.

From here, I’d suggest a drink and a walk around the resort. If your in time for the orientation get right in there it will help you get adjusted to what happens when. If not then try to hit that the next day. I know it sounds dumb but we would have been up to speed immediately had we gone our first visit.

Grandparents visitation rights are being talked about now more than ever. The number of grandparents raising grandchildren is on the rise.The reasons include drug abuse, other addictions, jail, unemployment and many more.It is alarming to me that there are so many parents not raising their own children. The reason that I mention these things are that it is more important now than ever to maintain a close relationship with your grandchildren because they may need you more than you realize. If you don’t believe that just look at these numbers it may make you wonder when the next census is taken will you add to that already high number.

According to the US Census Bureau, about 6 million children across the U.S. are living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives. About 4.5 million of these children in grandparent-headed households. The remaining 1.5 million children live in households headed by other relatives such as aunts, uncles, siblings, or great-grandparents. These data are from the 2000 U.S. Census.

There are lots of arguments for and against grandparents visitation rights and probably with both positive and negative reasons on both sides. I would like to give you some pros and cons for and against grandparents visitation and these may help you in making up your mind as to whether you should be getting them.

In Support Of

• Grandparents may offer a stable place in their grandchildren’s lives, particularly after a divorce or the death of one of their parents.
• If grandparents have been a part of there grandchild’s life, it can be painful to the child if suddenly they don’t get to visit with that grandparent.
• The mere fact that parents situations have changed or the grandparents child dies or is in jail or maybe rehab, should not instantly allow the custodial parent the right to cut the ties between the grandparents and grandchildren.

Arguments Against

• State doesn’t have any business interfering with the child-rearing choices of capable parents, even if the parent decides that grandparent visitation will not be allowed.
• Many grandparents are excluded from their grandchildren’s lives for good reason – for instance, maybe they were abusive to their own children and cannot be trustworthy with the grandchildren. Some grandparents interfere with ordinary parental decision-making, or talk bad about one or both parents to the grandchildren
• If differences exist between parents and grandparents, even if the parents are wrong, court interference may make the home atmosphere of the grandchildren unstable.

These are a few of the reasons why some people are for and some people are against grandparents visitation rights but the facts don’t lie and the numbers of grandparents raising grandchildren are growing.

Yellow Parrots can be found in the native regions of Central America, Mexico and South America and there are different kinds of sub species among them. Double headed Yellow Amazon, orange winged amazon, blue fronted amazon, red lored amazon and yellow naped amazon are some of the common varieties. Yellow nape parrot is known for its incredible singing and talking abilities and they are intelligent creatures, which display human sound very well. The size of the Yellow nape parrot ranges from 12-15 inches and the weight is around 480-680 gms. They are slowly becoming endangered species and they can be usually found along the regions of South Mexico, Costa Rica and Central America.

These pets can be wonderful companions, if the pet owners are willing to devote time and give them proper attention, otherwise they can get easily bored in the absence of mental stimulus. Hence, it is important to keep them active by imparting training sessions to them or by giving them toys, which they can chew. Another vital aspect of the personality of yellow parrot is that the males can get quite aggressive and display dominant behavior when they reach their peak levels of sexual maturity. In such times, the Yellow Amazon Parrots may have to be trained to become gentle and help them to cope well in such situations. This requires the ability to understand their varying mood patterns by the pet owners with a careful study and good deal of research.

Yellow Amazon Parrots are also known for making loud noises, which can get irritating to others, if not trained properly. The average life span of these parrot species ranges from 40-60 years and their chances of high survival also depend on the quality of food and nutrition which is provided to them. A healthy diet for a yellow parrot may consist of fresh fruits and vegetables with pellets which can be included in the diet. Besides, these pets also require physical activities in the absence of which they can become inactive and obese.

Pet owners also need to ensure that these pets get adequate sleep otherwise, they can become aggressive and stubborn. Some of the other behavioral traits that are usually exhibited by these parrot species include biting, excessive habit of chewing including screeching loudly. These behavior patterns can be improved by giving proper behavioral guidance and training during crucial phases of their life. It is necessary to develop a good rapport with the Yellow Parrot and provide necessary care and attention, which it deserves so that it can become your perfect companion.

Have you heard the expression getting “beaten like a redheaded stepchild?” There should be no doubt this expression has a clear and strong derogatory meaning. The negative stepchild reference is based on the idea the stepchild tends to be treated poorly when compared to biological children. You would punish a stepchild more severely than your other children because you care more for your own child. Remember the story of Cinderella? But why red heads? Why not blondes, brunettes or considering today’s hairstyles pink or purple?

Origin Theories of the Redheaded Stepchild

Vikings

Redheaded children were the result of the 11th century Viking invasions of Britain and Ireland. In the course of raping and pillaging, the Vikings left behind a few red-headed children. The children’s red hair made them standout from the majority. Because of their Viking heritage, the redheaded children were subject to harsh treatment by parents and discrimination by the rest of the population.

Slavery

The phrase “redheaded stepchild” actually started as “redheaded nigger.” It referred to the frequently redheaded mulatto (mixed race) slave children on plantations as a result of the slave owners having sex with the slaves.

Little Orphan Annie – A Redheaded Stepchild

The phrase originated with the musical Annie. The red-headed Annie would be beaten by her stepmother with a hairbrush.

Irish

The phrase “red-haired stepchild” originated in the early 1800’s when Irish emigrants began arriving in America. The newly arrived Irish ranked somewhere below free blacks on the social strata and lived in segregated communities. The prejudice against the Irish was so severe signs in front of restaurants, bars or hotels used to say, “No dogs or Irish”. As young men are sometimes prone to do, young Irish men were having premarital sex. This resulted in out-of-wedlock children with red Irish hair. When these young women did finally marry, usually to a young man not of Irish descent, the new husband was not particularly patient or sympathetic to the redheaded stepchild and treated them harshly.

Some Facts about Redheads

• Throughout history, redheads have been mistrusted and maligned.
• In ancient Egypt, red hair was seen as so unlucky, red-haired girls were burned alive.
• In medieval Europe, the infamous witch-hunting manual, “Malleus Maleficarum,” instructed red hair, green eyes, and freckles were marks of a witch. This idea might have come from the general belief redheads were evil, wanton, and hot-tempered.
• Redheads make up 4% of the European population.
• Scotland has the highest percentage.
• Ireland has the second highest percentage.
• In the United States, redheads make up 2-6% of the population.
• Largest population of redheads in the world: 6 -18 million.
• Redheads have influenced history out of proportion to their numbers. Famous redheads include Roman emperor Nero, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, the ancient god of love Aphrodite, Queen Elizabeth I, Napoleon Bonaparte, Oliver Cromwell, Emily Dickinson, Antonio Vivaldi, Thomas Jefferson, Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, James Joyce, Winston Churchill, Malcolm X, Galileo, and King David.
• Natural redheads have a higher pain threshold than others; they can withstand 25% more electric shock.
• Red hair is a recessive trait. A child must inherit one red hair gene from each parent. Recessive traits often come in pairs; redheads are more likely than other people to be left-handed.
• Red hair doesn’t gray as much as other hair colors. Red hair initially tends to turn blond and then white.

Final Thoughts

Initially, I was going to reveal the correct theory behind origination of the expression, but what difference would it make? Would it make using the expression less offensive and insulting? Expressions like these are based on false generalizations which are rooted in fear. They should have no place in our language. Having red hair is the result of genetics – no more, no less. To treat a child harshly because they aren’t biologically yours or they have red hair is also wrong. To continue to use the expression in any context perpetuates the lie.

There are many options to consider when signing-up for a price protection program with your heating fuel provider. One of those options is called “downside protection”. Adding downside protection to your fixed price heating oil or propane purchase may be a good investment this year. When you add downside protection to your fixed price option, you pay no more than the fixed price, but if the market price drops, you pay the lower market price. Think back to June 2008, Wall Street was melting down, crude oil was in the stratosphere and everyone was fearful that home heating oil prices were headed to $6.00 per gallon. Some consumers purchased fixed price heating oil contracts that averaged over $4.50 per gallon in the summer of 2008 only to have the market price drop below $3.00 during the winter. Here are two viewpoints to consider:

Reasons to Sign Up for Downside Protection this Year:

We do not know were prices are headed and experts have published forecast that include prices higher, lower, and flat. With all the market uncertainty, prices could just as easily continue to climb as drop. If you want the benefit of ensuring your price will not go higher and benefiting if prices drop, then you can pay an extra fee for downside protection. This way you will know the most you will pay for propane or heating oil and will be able to set aside money ahead of time and not worry about rising prices. You pay for peace of mind, just like when you pay for insurance on a major purchase. Last, if prices drop, then you will have some money left over that you can use on other bills or for something fun.

Reasons Not to Sign Up for Downside Protection this Year:

Downside protection costs more money. It costs more for the heating provider to offer it, because they need to purchase the insurance from another company, it is a real cost and they pass on that cost to the customer. The price will need to fall by more than the cost of the downside protection for the consumer to benefit. If you are not worried about where prices are headed, then it is better to save the money and stay on a variable price plan for your propane or heating oil.

Whether or not you choose to downside protect your price protection plan will come down to what is most important to you. If you feel like you will lose out if prices drop, then downside protection might be something you will seriously consider. If the extra cost of downside protection is not worth the benefit of not feeling like you lost, then you might seriously consider not adding it to your fixed price plan. Either way, make sure you take the time to decide what is most important you.

When a celebrity takes on an unconventional new hairstyle it always makes headlines, and nothing draws curiosity or comment more than a shaved head, especially when the head in question belongs to a woman.

But the words “shaved” and “bald” have a tendency to get tossed around far too often these days, for haircuts that bear little resemblance to bald, haircuts that would never be called shaved if they were on a man. If we want to be finicky, a shave demands a razor and baldness customarily means a smooth head. Is it because we are so hung up on the notion that women need long, luxurious tresses that anything substantially short of that is bald? Is it only creative exaggeration by the press? You make up your own mind.

To illustrate, here’s an assortment of famous women who allegedly went bald at some point in their careers. Let’s spot who was really shaved and who wasn’t?

Persis Khambatta (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) – Unmistakably shaved completely and utterly bald. I would go as far as to declare Persis the benchmark for celebrity female baldness. She had a smooth, bald, totally bare dome. They don’t come much smoother than model and former beauty queen was around 1978-79. Years after her death, it’s still the image most closely associated with her.

Britney Spears – She buzzed it to the skin, but Britney stopped short of shaving her noggin. Why, of all the dumb things Britney did around that time, is cutting her hair deemed the ultimate proof of insanity? It’s doubtlessly one of the most benign.

Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta) – A really nice combination. Somebody who already has a following of horny fanboys, and is typically considered hot, gets shorn for a part in a movie and rocks the stubbled look both on and off screen. There are definite parallels to Persis, and Portman might well have done for the female buzzcut what Persis did for bald women, but let’s be perfectly honest. Natalie Portman was not bald.

Amber Rose – The bleach-blonde hair does create an illusion of baldness to the casual observer, and she has buzzed it pretty close to the scalp at times, but she is not bald. As a model and celebrity girlfriend, she does seem to take some criticism for her extreme coiffure. I think she looks fantastic, albeit not the sort of girl I’d take home to meet Mom.

Cassie, Rihanna and the rest of the buzzed-side gals – The single clippered side is an interesting look, it attracts attention, but come on. That isn’t even remotely close to a bald head.

Sigourney Weaver (Alien 3) – Buzzed very close, but not smooth. I did admire her reaction to being asked to take her hair off for the movie. She wanted more money. Good for her. I can never make up my mind whether Sigourney looks good in a buzz or not, but then, I can never make up my mind whether I find Sigourney attractive or not. Her appeal seems to change from movie to movie, and I can never quite figure out why.

Maggie McOmie (THX 1138) – Maggie might be up for debate. She did get a proper shave before shooting began, but we mostly see her sporting varying amounts of peach fuzz on screen. I suppose she counts as shaved, because she did really did have her head shaved smooth.

Demi Moore (G.I. Jane) – This is another grey area. She wasn’t bald for the movie. She cut it with clippers on-screen, and spent the rest of the movie just a bit of stubble, making her technically not bald. However, after Demi finished shooting the movie, she then shaved her head smooth on her own time, and appeared in public with her shaved dome. Pretty cool.

Bai Ling (Anna and the King) – Shaved, for sure. Bai Ling is another one with some real guts, since her raven hair was past her butt when she shaved her head, and it was only for a little bit of actual on-screen baldness.

Joan Chen (You Seng: Temptation of a Monk) – Joan not only shaved her head, but we see a bit of lather-free straight razor shaving in this Asian flick. Chen’s character, a sort of bounty hunter, poses as an initiate in order to infiltrate a temple where a fugitive general is posing as a monk. Chen shaved her head for just a brief part of the movie. Again, a truly bald dome, and not a bad movie either.

Samantha Morton (Minority Report) – Although she was was described in the media at the time as bald or shaved, Samantha Morton was buzzed to stubble for the role of Agatha, one of three psychics enslaved by the police of the future to predict criminal acts before they occur. Definitely not bald.

Annie Burgstede (Smallville) – A bald pate does seem like a reasonable move for a character homicidally obsessed with Lex Luthor, but to actually do it, and do it for real, is more than I expected from Smallville. I have to salute any woman who would shave her head completely bald for the final act of an hour-long TV episode. That goes double in Burgstede’s case, when it’s a teen drama full of beautiful people, and she’s the bald nut sharing a scene with a perfectly-coiffed Erica Durance. Pretty brave.

Virginia Hey (Farscape) – In Mad Max 2, she was the hottie with the crossbow and the big, golden 80s hair. And in the 90s, she adopted a hairless pate to play an alien hottie (shades of Persis there) in the series Farscape. She was already in love with the role when the subject of shaving her head came up, and she was ready to do it. What is really impressive here is the commitment. It’s one thing to shave your head for a part in a movie or a single episode, but it’s quite another to do it for a series that might require you to stay bald for the better part of the next four or five years.

Linh Dan Pham and Simona Maicanescu (Dante 01) – Both women, and the the entire cast were shaved smooth on top for this French sci-fi film. Not exactly sure why this was, other than to give things a sterile, dystopian look, and it was reminiscent of both THX 1138 and Alien 3.

Delphine Chaneac (Splice) – With all the digital tricks the filmmakers used to make this charming French actress into a genetically modified human-animal chimera, you’d almost have expected them to fake the bald head too, but it’s the real deal. Chaneac apparently had no qualms about shaving her head, and enjoyed being bald. And in spite of the somewhat unnatural nature of her character, she manages to be very pretty, in a creepy sort of way.

Robin Tunney (Empire Records) – Not shaved, but a close on-screen buzz cut with clippers for the role of a troubled teenager. A memorable scene in an otherwise forgettable movie.

Judith Light (Wit) – Judith Light, from the 80s sitcom Who’s the Boss, had her head shaved bald for the role of Prof. Vivian Bearing in this drama, as many other actresses have done to star in many productions of the play over the years. A professional stage play is another potentially long-term commitment to staying bald, and this was a drastic change from the poofy blonde 80s hair we all remember.

Emma Thompson (Wit) – Thompson was shaved for the role of Bearing in the HBO TV movie of Wit.

Sofia Vassilieva (My Sister’s Keeper) – The teenage actress had her hair and eyebrows shaved off for the part of a cancer patient. Vassilieva said at the time that it was the least she could do for such a wonderful character, and it gave her a better idea of what her character was going through. Compare that to her costar, Cameron Diaz, who opted for a latex cap that gave her a bloated, saggy alien head. And yet Diaz, looking anything but realistic managed to capture headlines for her “bald” look. Go figure.

There are, of course many more women in show business who have shaved or buzzed their hair, either in public, on stage or screen, or in the media, but the ones listed here make the point well enough. If you know of others, make up your own mind if they really shaved.

Just remember, there is shaved and there is buzzed, but bald caps never count… ever.

The ten headed King of Sri Lanka is no myth but reality. Popularly known for his high wisdom, he actually had as much wisdom as ten people collectively put together, and so called ‘The Ten Headed’. He was known to the secret of using so many chemicals and well educated in reading the environmental changes around. It is not wrong if he is called the The Great Scientist of all times.

In the fossils found which report of the existence of ‘Great Flying Dragons’ also showed how the gas like Hydrogen helped creatures to fly. Ravana the king of Sri Lanka took a step further to use it in flying from one place to another. He knew about the thermal winds that shifted between India and Sri Lanka and made best use of air maneuvering to his advantage.

He was well read in the seasons and time of the year when the thermal winds started from one place to another and their strength in carrying capacity. He used this knowledge intensively in his favour. He was successful in crossing the Palk Straits, the sea between India and Sri Lanka several times. He got dummy horses shaped like dragons to scare his enemies. They were actually light weight structures of leather or fabric filled with sufficient amount of Hydrogen.

When Ravana wanted to reach India or get back to Sri Lanka, he used to reach the actual place around the coast and waited for favorable direction, speed, and power of lifting of the thermal winds. When he judged right all the resources to work best, he would launch his charriot which was also fitted with hydrogen containers to make it light weight. The thermal winds, the light dummy dragon shaped carriers and light charriot took him across the either sides of the sea.

He would fly at a height he knew to be best favorable and the masses looking up were always overwhelmed by his miraculous flight that was why all feared and respected him. The masses compared to him were far low in intelligence but he proved a great practical scientist so he was given high respect around his place and even the wise men of the time, though intelligent and known to various secrets were not practicable as him.

The mention in legends and myths that huge size of Ravana used to appear to the Indian people in the South skies as if a huge giant shaped cloud in the shape of demon suspended in the air was a fact. But the secret behind was that the soldiers and craftsmen working for Ravana on his orders had prepared a huge super sized dummy resembling Ravan and made to look fierce having big teeth showing outside with a hanging blood red tongue and great set of horns on the head to scare and keep away the enemies and intruders.

When it was raised high up into the sky, the natural phenomenon in nature called illusionery perception worked in their favor and this phenomenon cast a huge image multiplied by many times appeared in the sky over Sri Lanka and the people watching from Indian shores were sent into shivers. Sometimes, the natural flashing of thunder and lightening added a more demonic and dramatic look to the figure.

The incident of Ravana abducting Sita can be seen in such realistic light too. After abducting her he started the launch back to Sri Lanka in his air craft. The great vulture mentioned in the scriptures to have encountered the flying air craft with abducted Sita is not a myth. Actually, there were great sized vultures in the past as compared to today. The “Gurur” or the great vulture during those times must have taken the air craft as another vulture treading or violating its territory, and so it attacked the air craft carrying Ravana and Sita in mid air.