08.08.08, lucky or unlucky?

Number 8 in Indian Numerology

Ruling Planet: Saturn

As psychic Number: Strong constitution, action motivated, serious, heavy, goal oriented, good judge of character, slow, business minded, materially focused. Able to manage wealth, fame and fortune with skill and savvy, major ups and downs with finances. Independent, radical revolutionary, problems with authorities, stubborn, frustrated by limitations. Intimidating, dare devil, ruthless, intense, lonely, dependable and solid. Do not scare or panic easily, responsible to their own law only. Prefer to work alone, accomplish much.

As Destiny Number: Struggle with opposition, delays, failures, humiliation. Exceptional endurance, persevering, ambitious, success driven, desire fame, and materially oriented. want to deliver something major in life and manifest a legacy. Isolated from themselves and others. Get entangled with the law and substance abuse, prone to addictions and depression and extreme states of consciousness. Age prematurely, suicidal tendencies, easily feel unwanted, unloved, neglected and rejected. Argumentative, manipulative. Need to learn to harness their considerable powers for the good of all to be satisfied.

As Name Number: WORKER, will revolutionize society and manifest through fame and fortune.

Now let us see what experts say about 08.08.08

You do not need to be a numerologist to find the date - 08.08.08 interesting.
Although astrologers, numerologists and Feng Shui experts differ on the 'auspiciousness' of the date, yet they agree it is a special one. Even the Chinese are kicking off the Olympics on 08.08.08.
"In India, we believe that the number 8 is an unlucky number. However, the Chinese believe it to be a very lucky number. It has also proved to be lucky for them," says Bejan Daruwalla, famous astrologer.
Numerologist Swetta Jhumani believes, "The date is special. Although the number 8 is not a very auspicious number in numerology, yet the presence of three 8 takes the total to 24 (8+8+8=24), which is considered a good number in numerology."
Mumbai-based numerologist Niraj Mancchanda agrees, "Three 8's together offset the negative vibes of the number 8 as the total is 24. Otherwise, disasters could have happened. Many disasters have occurred on the 8th or on a date, the total of which comes to 8.
The number 8 is not a very auspicious number. It brings hardship and bad luck."
But Feng Shui experts says that the number 8 is a very auspicious number.
"It is a very auspicious number. The number 8 brings us fortune and wealth. This is the reason why the Chinese are kicking off the Olympics on 08.08.2008," says Charuhas Naik, a well-known Feng Shui expert.
However, Jhumani says, "Most of the earthquakes in China have happened on the 8th. Even though, they are orgainsing the biggest sporting extravaganza in the world on 08.08.2008."
The date is not a good one for organising marriage and other auspicious ceremonies, believes numerolgists.
"The number - 8 is a karmic number, which brings success only when you struggle and work hard. It is either very good or very bad," adds Mancchanda.

Robot Etymology

The word robot was introduced to the public at large by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which premiered in 1921. The play begins in a factory that makes 'artificial people' - they are called robots, but are closer to the modern idea of androids or even clones, creatures who can be mistaken for humans. They can plainly think for themselves, though they seem happy to serve. At issue is whether the "Robots" are being exploited and, if so, what follows?
However, Karel Čapek himself was not the originator of the word; he wrote a short letter in reference to an article in the Oxford English Dictionary etymology in which he named his brother, painter and writer Josef Čapek , as its actual inventor. In an article in the Czech journal Lidové noviny in 1933, he also explained that he had originally wanted to call the creatures laboři (from Latin labor, work). However, he did not like the word, seeing it as too artificial, and sought advice from his brother Josef, who suggested "roboti".
The word robot comes from the word robota meaning literally labor or work and historically applied specifically to serf labor, and figuratively "drudgery" or "hard work" in Czech,Slovak,Ukrainian, Russian and Polish. The origin of the word is the old Church Slavonic rabota "servitude" ("work" in contemporary Bulgarian and Russian), which in turn comes from the Indo-European root *orbh-. "Robota" in the sense of serfdom was outlawed in 1848 in Bohemia, so at the time Čapek wrote R.U.R., usage of the term had broadened to include various types of work, but the archaic sense of serfdom would still have been known. Robot is cognate with the German word Arbeiter (worker).
In Hungary, the robot was a feudal service, which was rendered to local magnates by peasants every year.

PUFFIN-THE BEAUTIFUL SEABIRD

Puffins belong to the Alcidae (Auk) family of seabirds. There are 4 species of puffins. They are:

a) Atlantic Puffin: The Atlantic Puffin (formerly Common Puffin) lives in the North Atlantic. It is the smallest of the puffins and is readily separated from the similar Horned Puffin by the steel-blue triangle at the base of its beak.

b) Horned Puffin: The Horned Puffin looks similar to the Atlantic Puffin however it is easily distinguished by its mostly yellow bill with orange tip (missing blue/gray section towards base of bill). The Horned Puffin receives its name from the horny projections that extend above its eyes.

c) Tufted Puffin: The Tufted Puffin is the largest puffin and is characterized by long, straw-colored feathers extending back from its crown during the mating season.

d) Rhinoceros Auklet: Although this Puffin differs noticeably in outward appearance from the other three species of puffin (which accounts for its misnaming), this sooty-brown bird is anatomically still a puffin. During the breeding season a pale knob projects upward from the base of the upper mandible giving a Rhinoceros-like appearance to its otherwise more narrow and shallower bill. This puffin usually comes to land at night.

Males are usually slightly larger than females, which is most noticeable only when a pair is standing together. Most puffins do not breed until they are 5 years old. Puffins lay 1 egg per year. They usually keep the same mate every season and use the same burrow as in previous years. The male and female share the duties of incubating the egg and rearing the chick.Puffins often live 20 years or more.

PUFFIN BURROWS

Puffins dig their burrows using their bills and feet. They prefer to make their burrows in earth or between rocks on steep sea cliffs so predators cannot easily reach them. They use their bills to cut into soil and then shovel away loose material with their feet. They dig dog-like, shoveling dirt out behind themselves. Most burrows are 2 to 3 feet long (70 to 110 cm), which is as long as the arm length of an adult human. At the back of the burrow the parents build a soft nest of feathers and grass where they incubate the egg. The burrows often have a toilet area at the first bend. The young chick uses this area as a bathroom so it doesn’t soil its feathers. As it matures, the toilet is moved closer to the burrow entrance, helping to keep the chick clean. If the chick became too soiled, it may damage it’s waterproofing, a fatal circumstance once the chick takes to sea.