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Scuba Diving

2009-07-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

The self-contained underwater breathing apparatus or scuba diving system, as we know it today, is the result of technological developments and innovations that began almost 300 years ago. Scuba diving is the most extensively used system for breathing underwater by recreational divers throughout the world, and in various forms is also widely used to perform underwater work for military, scientific and commercial purposes.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Scuba diving has many advantages over free diving, mixed gas, helmeted, saturation, and other forms of “technical” diving. Scuba divers have great freedom of movement under water because they swim with fins and without heavy equipment; The gear is relatively inexpensive, simple to operate and maintain, and requires a small support crew, or none at all.

Despite all of these apparent advantages, recreational scuba also has its drawbacks. These include no direct link between the diver and the surface; no method of communicating with the diver or monitoring his activities; limited dive time (since the diver must carry all of his air in a tank); and limited depth (since decompression diving is normally avoided due to the limited quantity of air in the tanks).

Quit India Movement ('Do or Die' call)

2009-06-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

In August 1942, Gandhiji started the 'Quit India Movement' and decided to launch a mass civil disobedience movement 'Do or Die' call to force the British to leave India. The movement was followed, nonetheless, by large-scale violence directed at railway stations, telegraph offices, government buildings, and other emblems and institutions of colonial rule. There were widespread acts of sabotage, and the government held Gandhi responsible for these acts of violence, suggesting that they were a deliberate act of Congress policy. However, all the prominent leaders were arrested, the Congress was banned and the police and army were brought out to suppress the movement.

Meanwhile, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who stealthily ran away from the British detention in Calcutta, reached foreign lands and organized the Indian National Army (INA) to overthrow the British from India.

The Second World War broke out in September of 1939 and without consulting the Indian leaders, India was declared a warring state (on behalf of the British) by the Governor General. Subhash Chandra Bose, with the help of Japan, preceded fighting the British forces and not only freed Andaman and Nicobar Islands from the Britishers but also entered the north-eastern border of India. In 1945 Japan was defeated and Netaji proceeded from Japan through an aeroplane to a place of safety but met with an accident and it was given out that he died in that air-crash itself.

"Give me blood and I shall give you freedom" - was one of the most popular statements made by him, where he urges the people of India to join him in his freedom movement.

Check out the new features added to Apple - iPod touch

2009-06-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

More games
With the App Store on iPod touch, hundreds of exciting games and innovative applications are just a tap away.

New design
iPod touch feels even better in your hand thanks to the stunningly thin, contoured enclosure made of polished stainless steel.

Volume controls
Volume buttons are built into the left side of iPod touch, giving you easy access to the most frequently used controls.

Long battery life
Now you can keep on rocking (and watching and playing) even longer. Improved battery life means iPod touch provides up to 36 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback — enough to watch three or four movies between charges.

Built-in speaker
A built-in speaker lets you hear the music, dialogue, and action without headphones, perfect for casual listening.

Rock ’n’ run with Nike+
iPod touch offers built-in wireless support for Nike + iPod. All you need to do is insert a Nike + iPod sensor into your shoe and start running.

Honda Siel to launch Jazz in India soon news

2009-03-19T02:16:00.000-07:00

Honda announced yesterday that it would launch its new hatchback 'Jazz' in India in mid-2009. According to Masahiro Takedagawa, president and chief executive officer, Honda Siel Cars India, "Honda Jazz is a premium hatchback and the company does not expect that it will overcome the sales numbers of the City sedan in India."

The Jazz will be powered by a 1.2-litre intelligent variable valve timing and lift electronic control (i-VTEC) petrol engine. The premium hatchback will have 70 per cent local content initially, which will be scaled up in phases.

Based on the Honda City platform, the 5-door compact car is speculated to be priced above Rs 4.5 lakh, and would be rolled out from the company's Greater Noida facility. Once launched, it will be pitted against other super-hatches like Skoda Fabia, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Ford Fusion and Hyundai i20, and the yet-to-be-launched Fiat Grand Punto in the Indian market.

It is widely believed that Jazz is coming in early in view of the importance of small cars in India and the enthusiastic response to the car at the January 2008 Auto Expo in Delhi. However, pricing may be a problem, as it is priced higher than the City in foreign markets, but this may not be possible in India.

Takedagawa said the Jazz will be a premium segment hatchback with an engine specifically made for the Indian market. This will be Honda's first small car for the domestic market, which means that under government specifications, it must be less than 4-m long, with maximum engine capacity of 1.2 litres and 1.5 litres for the petrol and diesel versions respectively.

Jazz gets the premium tag due to the company's focus on luxury and safety by adding features like airbags, active headrests, pre-tensioner seat belts, ABS, and G-CON Technology (an advanced passive shield that offers extra protection in an accident). Honda believes that customers would be willing to pay for the additional features.

source : http://www.domain-b.com/companies/companies_h/Honda_Siel_Cars/20090318_honda_siel.html

Gartner says key to BI is talk, not tech.

2009-02-25T00:51:00.000-08:00

Research firm Gartner has warned organisations against splurging on technology for Business Intelligence (BI) projects.

Speaking of the discipline of Business Intelligence, rather than the technology, Gartner global BI manager Ian Bertram said organisations will fail if they "throw products at the problem" and do not invest in training or acquire business support.

The BI discipline involves analysis of raw data through data mining and online analytical processing which companies can use to find malfunctioning machines, improve manufacturing processors and cut costs.

The sticking points, Bertram said, are as much about improving poor communication and BI skills, as sifting useful data from the rubbish.

"Organisations tend to throw technology at BI problems. You could have the right tool, but it could be doomed to failure because of political and cultural issues, an absence of executive support so the message doesn't get out, and poor communication and training," Bertram said.

"It provides transparency through all levels of business right down to the forklift driver and can help business to react fast to competition and change."

Gartner says BI is top of mind for CIOs, along with enterprise information and content management, data management and integration, and social software and collaboration. It has remained in top spot for three years in the firm's annual Executive Programmes survey, while the firm predicts BI vendor revenue in the Asia Pacific region will increase by a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 15.5 percent by 2011, thanks in part to emerging green field developments.

Bertram said many organisations struggle to find benchmarks and metrics and do not know where to define objectives.

"Having a standard set of enterprise metrics sounds easy but can be quite complex, we've come across organisations with a 1000 metrics, but follow the old Kaplan and Norton balanced scorecard and focus on 'visionary' metrics at the top," he said.

Subsequent metrics gathered from all levels of an organisation should assist with achieving the "visionary" objectives.

Gartner has defined the BI competency centre to resolve problems it claims derive from poor communication between businesses units. Representatives from each unit chair the centre and are tasked with deciding how BI can best serve their field of work, including defining governance, appropriate metrics and architecture, and staff training.

for more information log on to:http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/022309-gartner-says-key-to-bi.html

Spice announces S-590 phone with Popat VAS application

2009-02-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

Spice Mobiles unveils its latest handset called the Spice S-590 phone. The new mobile phone is one of the most affordable video camera phones available in India. The phone integrates host of great features along with a unique VAS application.

The novel mobile phone features a 3D user interface and comes with 13 various options. The S-590 phone sports a 1.8 inch screen and a digital camera with voice recording function. Other features included in the phone are a FM radio, MP3 player, dazzle ringtones, torch, SMS scheduler, Mobile Tracker and call blacklist.

The main aspect of the phone is the voice prompt application called Popat. The application will actually transform the phone into a talking parrot. It will speak out the number of incoming calls as well as the phonebook and other keys that are accessed on the keypad.

The Popat technology enabled phone can be a boon for blind people or for those who do not know to read or write. The Spice S-590 phone supports GPS and expansion of memory upto 2GB.

The S-590 phone is available in India at an affordable price of Rs 2,499.

source:http://www.mobiletor.com/2009/02/16/spice-announces-s-590-phone-with-popat-vas-application/

Privacy Group: Google Latitude Could Track Unsuspecting Users

2009-02-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

One day after Google released Google Latitude, a new feature for Google Maps on mobile devices that lets users track and find their friends and family from a smartphone, laptop or desktop computer, a privacy group has come forward to criticize the application, saying it can endanger user privacy.

Privacy International, a London-based advocacy group, said Latitude can be used to track unsuspecting users.

"Latitude appears to present an immediate privacy threat," said Privacy International Thursday. "The danger arises when a second party can gain physical access to a user's phone and enables Latitude without the owner's knowledge."

The privacy watchdog said abuse of Latitude could result when an employer gives an employee a Latitude-enabled phone on which reciprocal information-sharing agreement has been enabled, but doesn't tell the employee, or when a person gains access to an unattended phone and enables Latitude without the user's knowledge.

Google introduced the application Wednesday. Latitude gives users the ability to "see if your spouse is stuck in traffic on the way home from work, notice that a buddy is in town for the weekend, or take comfort in knowing that a loved one's flight landed safely, despite bad weather," wrote Vic Gundotra, vice president of engineering for Google's mobile team, in a Google blog. Privicay concerns were also addressed in the announcement.

"Fun aside, we recognize the sensitivity of location data, so we've built fine-grained privacy controls right into the application. Everything about Latitude is opt-in. You not only control exactly who gets to see your location, but you also decide the location that they see," Gundotra wrote.

But Privacy International is more concerned potentially sinister uses of the feature.

"As it stands right now, Latitude could be a gift to stalkers, prying employers, jealous partners and obsessive friends," the group said, somewhat dramatically. "The dangers to a user's privacy and security are as limitless as the imagination of those who would abuse this technology."

sources:http://www.crn.com/mobile/213202180

BlackBerry Storm found pricier to build than Apple's iPhone 3G

2009-01-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

Research house iSuppli has conducted a teardown which puts the price of assembling RIM's first touchscreen BlackBerry at $202.89, not including marketing, shipping and other costs involved in getting the phone to customers.

The expenses result in a phone that, in some circumstances, actually costs more for its American carrier Verizon to sell than it does to produce. While the normal retail price is just short of $250, the online pricing puts the phone at $200.

As such, the phone may cost more to subsidize than its most direct challenger at AT&T, Apple's iPhone 3G. A teardown conducted by iSuppli in July revealed that the iPhone cost a more modest $174.33 just days after its launch -- a figure that may have decreased over recent months as each individual part gets less expensive to build, and $28.56 less than the BlackBerry.

That difference is explained by RIM's decisions to include certain significantly more components, iSuppli says. Since Verizon wanted the BlackBerry to support both its own CDMA and EVDO networks as well as the GSM and HSDPA of its European partner Vodafone, RIM has had to include a Qualcomm processor that costs $34.82 by itself, or about 17.2 percent of the pure manufacturing price. Apple's phone needs only to connect to GSM and HSDPA and can use less expensive equipment to match.

In trying to address complaints that touchscreens lack physical feedback during button presses, RIM has also given the Storm a click-down screen that touches a button below. This requires a special capacitive touchscreen overlay from Synaptics that adds $15.50 to the phone's bottom line.

And while the features add to the price, the cost difference doesn't equate to a one-for-one improvement. The BlackBerry's screen doesn't support the complex multi-touch of the iPhone and is actively limited by the need to push downwards to register most actions, where Apple's touch-only input is quicker and more complex.

"The Storm uses a simple physical button under the primary touch screen to serve to provide haptic feedback," iSuppli senior analyst Tina Teng says. "This allows one physical key press at a time, meaning there is no double-tapping capability with the Storm."

Wi-Fi is also absent from the smartphone.

Whether or not the pricier hardware dents the profits of Verizon as much as it does AT&T is still a matter of debate. Given the flexibility of carrier discounts, Verizon isn't automatically forced to pay more to put the BlackBerry Storm's price tag close enough to the iPhone to remain competitive.

source:http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/01/29/blackberry_storm_found_pricier_to_build_than_apples_iphone_3g.html

PGMA lauds public utility groups for agreeing to roll back fares

2009-01-24T02:13:00.000-08:00

President Gloria Macagapal-Arroyo lauded today the jeepney drivers and operators in the Luzon "urban beltway" for agreeing to cut down their fare charges by 50 centavos beginning Monday.

In a roundtable discussion this morning in Malacañang, the President said the lowering of jeepney fares in Regions 3, 4 and the National Capital Region (NCR) was a welcome and "timely" gift to commuters this Christmas season.

"Mga mahal kong kababayan, noong Lunes binawasan ang pasahe ng singkwenta sentimos sa Metro Manila, Central Luzon and the Southern Tagalog provinces. Napakagandang handog Pamasko ang 50 sentimos na kaltas," she added.

"Ang sunod-sunod na rollback sa presyo ng gasolina at krudo ay nagbigay-daan para maipatupad natin ang kaltas pasahe," she said.

"I thank the jeepney drivers for their cooperation," the President said.

Aside from the fare rollback, taxi drivers and operators have dropped their demand for an increase in flag down rates due to the lowering of fuel prices.

The taxi drivers and operators had petitioned the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to increase their flag down rates by P15. That would have raised the taxi flag down rate from current P30 to P45.

The President enjoined everyone to spread the good news of the fares rollback in Metro Manila, Central and Southern Luzon.

Joining the President in the roundtable discussion were Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, LTFRB chair Thomas Lantion, Manila jeepney drivers and operators representative Olympio Degallo, and Sonia Mamaril a resident of Manila and a regular jeepney commuter.

Bank crisis deepens as ECB rate cut expected

2009-01-15T00:47:00.000-08:00

FRANKFURT/TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of America and Citigroup faced fresh turmoil as investors questioned if they had the capital strength to cope with a global crisis that is set to push the European Central Bank to cut rates later on Thursday.

Data across the developed world pointing to a deepening recession and fears that more public money in the United States may be needed to keep banks afloat weighed on financial markets.

Asian equities followed European and U.S. markets to fall to multi-week lows. Tokyo's Nikkei average slipped close to 5 percent after news that Japan's core machinery orders fell at a record pace in November.

Shares in Bank of America and Citigroup, two of America's biggest banks, fell as they faced a fresh crisis of confidence over whether they have enough capital to cover hemorrhaging losses from toxic assets and the struggling global economy.

"The large banks in the U.S. are not lending, and they're desperate to conserve capital," said Dan Alpert at Westwood Capital in New York. "Banks only remain going concerns because the federal government is topping up their equity."

The financial crisis began in credit markets in 2007, when bank lending dried up in the face huge losses in the U.S. housing market. The global economy has deteriorated relentlessly since, pushing the biggest developed countries into recession and raising alarm bells over rising job losses.

Citigroup, whose shares dived 23 percent on Wednesday, plans to report quarterly results six days ahead of schedule on Friday and analysts are looking for a fifth straight multibillion-dollar loss.

The bank was also widely expected to provide details of a reorganization of the company designed to ensure its survival.

Bank of America is close to receiving billions of dollars of support from the U.S. government, a source familiar with the matter said, as it tries to digest Merrill Lynch & Co Inc, the investment bank and brokerage it bought on January 1.

Merrill has billions in troubled assets -- ranging from commercial real estate to subprime mortgages -- that suffered during a brutal fourth quarter.

Citigroup has already been propped up with $45 billion in government funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), while Bank of America and Merrill have received $25 billion.

"You'd think the news on banks is baked in, but there's still a lot of headwinds," said Rich Parker, head of trading at Stanford Group in New York, after Citigroup shares fell below $5 for the first time since a government rescue in November.

And there is no relief in sight, warned Jamie Dimon, chief executive of rival JPMorgan Chase & Co.

"The worst of the economic situation is not yet behind us. It looks as if it will continue to deteriorate for most of 2009," he told the Financial Times. "In terms of our sector, we expect consumer loans and credit cards to continue to get worse."

sources:http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4B70ME20090115

British Tabloids Are Feasting On Another Harry Situation

2009-01-13T01:02:00.000-08:00

January in London. Cold, wet, dark. Recession is setting in like mildew in the basement.

The tabloids are cranky and restless.

Thank goodness for Prince Harry.

Even on a day when the Sun splashed a story about a British woman about to give birth to a two-headed baby, Monday's tabloids were still feasting almost exclusively on the Bad Boy Prince.

"Sorry's Not Good Enough," howled the indignant Daily Mirror.

Harry, the younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and third in line to the British throne, is in deep yogurt again, this time over referring to one fellow army officer as a "Paki" and another as a "raghead."

On Sunday, the News of the World ran a sensational story revealing that Harry had used those phrases in a video made three years ago, when he was 21.

The video is shot and narrated by Harry, who describes the scene in an airport lounge as he and his fellow military academy cadets prepare to fly to Cyprus for a training exercise.

As the camera pans over the sleeping men in camouflage uniforms, Harry zooms in on fellow cadet Ahmed Raza Khan, who is from Pakistan, and says, "Ah, our little Paki friend, Ahmed."

In another segment, Harry zooms in on another cadet wearing a camouflage covering over his head and says, "You look like a raghead."

for more information log into:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011203383.html

Friends, Fans Gather to Remember Jett Travolta

2009-01-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

A memorial service for John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son Jett took place Thursday in the family's Ocala, Fla., hometown, and many of the couples' celebrity friends attended to pay their respects.

Lisa Marie Presley, James Gandolfini, Kirstie Alley, Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood, and Forest Whitaker all came to support the family, the Ocala Star-Banner reported.

Fans also made a point of expressing their condolences by leaving cards and flowers with the guards who were posted at the entrance to the neighborhood complex where the Travoltas live.

Barbara Weiland and her 13-year-old son Bobby drove 2 ½ hours to deliver two dozen daisies. "We felt it was important to come out and let them know that every day people loved Jett too."

The residents of Ocala certainly felt a strong bond with Jett. Bonnie Morehardt, a former airline pilot who caters for the family, prepared apple strudel with cranberries and chocolate plus Jett's favorite brownies for the memorial service.

"From the very beginning, one of Jett and John's favorites were my brownies. One day I remember John saying to Jett, 'Oh look Bonnie left us brownies. Let's dig into these.' And they sat together like two big kids and popped them into their mouths."

Jett's close bond with his father was easy to see. "Jett was a quiet boy but he did connect, with his dad especially," Morehardt says. "He didn't look at others the way he looked at John."

Jett died of a seizure disorder Jan. 2 while the family was vacationing in Grand Bahamas.

source:http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20251117,00.html

2009-01-07T03:58:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) Motorola Inc unveiled a cell phone made of recycled water bottles on Tuesday, hoping to cash in on the trend for environmentally friendly products.

The company, which dropped to No. 4 in the global handset market in the most recently reported quarter due to a weak product line-up, said the W233 Renew eco-friendly phone would be sold by Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA in the current quarter.

It did not disclose pricing for the phone, which will be showcased at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Motorola said it was the world's first carbon neutral phone. As well as using recycled materials for the plastic casing, the company also pledged to offset the carbon dioxide used in manufacturing, distribution and operation of the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation.

Motorola, which has lost market share by being slow to follow trends such as touchscreens and high-speed data links, also plans to showcase three different items at CES: a relatively large touchscreen tablet phone, a rugged phone, and a rechargeable cable TV remote control with a find feature.

The Motosurf A3100 touch-control tablet supports short-range, Wi-Fi networks and high-speed cellular connections and can be operated using a stylus, a trackball or touching the screen with fingers.

The device allows for video conferencing and updating of social network sites, and is to be available in Asia and Latin America during the first quarter, Motorola said. It did not say which carriers had agreed to sell the tablet.

Motorola said its rugged Tundra VA76r phone, which includes a walkie-talkie style feature, would go on sale on January 13 at AT&T Inc, the biggest U.S. mobile provider.

For more information:http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNewsMolt/idUKTRE5057JF20090106

Miladi Sherif

2008-12-23T00:56:00.000-08:00

Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam, was born on the 20th April, 571 AD. Muslims all over the world celebrate the birth of the Prophet in various ways. In Kerala the practice of large scale celebration of the Prophet's birthday is of recent origin. Reading what is commonly known as the 'Maulod' which is a short biography of the Prophet written both in verse and prose in the Arabic language has been the common ritual of the day. Of late in Kerala, there has developed another practice connected with the Miladi Sherif. Night lectures are organised during the first twelve days of the month when Muslim Ulemas through their discourses enlighten the people on the various aspects of the life of the Prophet. Thus through the celebrations connected with the Miladi Sherif, the Muslim masses get an opportunity to be enlightened on the life and teachings of the Prophet.

The celebration of the Miladi Sherif in certain parts of the State, for instance Ponnani, is marked by busy activity connected with large scale feeding of the poor. Here in the Muslim Centre, one finds that the town is active during the whole night busily engaged in the charitable work of supplying food to the poor.

Recently Miladi Sherif celebration has assumed greater importance in Kerala. On this occasion colourful processions are taken out through the towns reciting Thakbir. These processions finally converge on some central place where public meetings are held These public gatherings are addressed by well-known speakers who deals with the various aspects of the Prophet's life. Such meetings are often attended largely by non-Muslims also.

Pure protection insurance

2008-12-18T02:56:00.000-08:00

Pure protection insurance includes:

term assurance (life insurance);
critical illness insurance;
income protection insurance; and
payment protection insurance – includes elements of pure protection and general insurance.

Mandir Shri Dad Devi Mata Ji

2008-12-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Cause of Establishment:The Tanwar Rajputs hold Mother Goddess Shri Dadh Devi as their clan goddess. It is they who built this temple. In due course of time, the Maharaja of Kota Shri Ummed Shinghji Hada built one more temple near the principal temple and he wanted the idol to be shifted to this new temple, but despite all his efforts, the idol could not be moved and the idol did not buzz. The Hada kings perform their Navratras of Ashwin at this temple and on the fifth Navratra, a big fair is also held.
Brief of the Diety: The Goddess is seated on a lion. She is ten armed and each arm holds a weapon. This idol is in stone.In her ten arms who holds reymitar,discus, mace,lance,arrow,and bow Bludgeon, bhushundi,skull and conch. The three-eyed goddess, well-clad does glow with splenderous tinge of sapphire glean .Ten headed , ten froted mahakali, I venerate To kill madhu and Kaitabha when Hari was asleep whom lotus born Brahma too did propitiate.
Important Architectural Characteristics:The temple is built in the Nagar style of architecture. The temple has been built on a square platform and its roof is supported by 12 pillars which give the temple a square shape. Infront of the temple is a holy water kund which is filled with water coming from under the inner temple. The sanctum sanctorum is also square. The dome of the temple is round shaped and on the top is built a lotus flower.

Shell

2008-12-02T21:59:00.001-08:00

Shell or Stone Cameo is a name for a carved figure that is raised and layered from shell or stone. The stone can be agate, onyx, sard onyx, carnelian onyx, or niccolo. To create a cameo, a piece of the layered stone is cut out or broken out and the bottom layer is dyed a dark color and the top layer is left white. The top, white layer is then carved, usually into a woman's head historically, but more recently, the carving can be whatever the artist desires.

Chandan Yatra

2008-11-18T03:03:00.001-08:00

This festival is generally famous in Puri but in other pars of Orissa this is also observed related to Lord Jagannath or Krishna. This Takes place in the month of Vaisaksha and continues for long 42 days. But, generally speaking it is a Festival of first 21 days only.The first period of 21 days is known as "Bahar Chandan"or outer Chandan. During this period,the representative images of Rama,Krushna, Madanmohan,Sridevi and Bhudevi are taken in a procession to Narendra tank.The images of Siva from 5 Siva Temples known as "Pancha Pandavas" also accompany them to the Narendra tank, At Narendra tank the images play in well decorated boats and are worshipped. The second period of 21 days known as "Bhitar Chandana" is celebrated inside the Temple. The rites observed on this period are not popularly enjoyed.

Cochin Harbour and Willingdon Island

2008-11-11T03:43:00.001-08:00

Cochin, one of the finest natural harbours in the world, and the only all weather harbour on the west coast, south of Bombay, affords a safe anchorage to ships,Willingdon Island is a man made one which was formed with materials dredged while deepening the Cochin Port and channel, It is the seat of the harbour and cochin Port Trust. The Southern Naval Command has its headquarters here. The seaport, naval airport and the railway terminus are all on this island.

BBS

2008-11-05T03:35:00.001-08:00

Breeding Bird Survey. This survey is typically performed in June by volunteers on over 4000 bird counts. The counts are done by vehicle during the morning. Many nocturnal or less vocal species are not well surveyed by the BBS. Data from this survey is used to generate the BBS maps.

Naga Dance

2008-10-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

The most virile and spectacular dance during the religious processions in the district of Puri is known as Naga dance. Generally young and energetic men are chosen for the dance. The costume is heavy and elaborate. The dancer wears a huge head-gear profusely decorated with silver ornaments and a false beard almost covering the face. Multi-coloured attached in two bamboo sticks are tightly fitted to the arms. With jerky movement of the shoulders he dances in heroic steps. Sometimes he holds a gun. He moves at the head of the procession along with the drummers who provide rhythm to his movements.

Location of body fat

2008-10-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

Research suggests that the location of body fat also is an important factor in health risks for adults. Excess fat in the abdomen (stomach area) is a greater health risk than excess fat in the hips and thighs. Extra fat in the abdomen is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, early heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Smoking and too much alcohol increase abdominal fat and the risk for diseases related to obesity. Vigorous exercise helps to reduce abdominal fat and decrease the risk for these diseases. The easiest way to check your body fat distribution is to measure around your waistline with a tape measure and compare this with the measure around your hips or buttocks to see if your abdomen is larger. If you are in doubt, you may wish to seek advice from a health professional.

Non-Sticky Oils

2008-10-13T21:16:00.001-07:00

These oils have a waxy or oily feel. Class B oils are less toxic and adhere more firmly to surfaces than Class A oils, although they can be removed from surfaces by vigorous flushing. As temperatures rise, their tendency to penetrate porous substrates increases and they can be persistent. Evaporation of volatiles may lead to a Class C or D residue. Medium to heavy paraffin-based oils fall into this class.

Black Widow

2008-09-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

A good old oldie that every aquarist seems to have kept since the early part of this century. Its clear, neatly defined, contrasting black markings on a silver green sheened body, its bright, red rimmed eyes, all show its need for clear waters, well lit, with strongly growing foliage interspersed with open spaces.

Its size is around 21/2 inch.

Coconut

2008-09-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

The coconut is found along tropical seashores around the world, and in some areas it is cultivated far inland. It provides man with food, drink, fuel oil, and many other products.

There are about 8.5 million acres of coconuts, of which 2.45 million are in the Philippines, 1.59 in India, 1.5 in Indonesia, 1.07 in Ceylon, 0.6 in Malaya, 0.6 in other south sea islands, and 0.7 million acres elsewhere (Minon and Pandalai 1958, Woodruff 1970). Apacible (1968) indicated that there were 4.5 million acres in 1967 as against 2.4 million in 1958. Apacible (1968) also stated that coconut production has increased at the rate of 5 percent a year for the last 50 years. In the United States, coconuts are found in Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The largest coconut plantation in the United States consists of about 30,000 trees in Key Biscayne, Fla. (Woodruff 1970).

Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research Unit

2008-09-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

The overall goals are to develop economically, socially and environmentally acceptable integrated disease and insect pest management strategies based on improved understanding of disease epidemiology, pathogen biology and ecology, insect vector biology and ecology, complex host plant-pathogen-vector interactions, and host plant resistance; and improve perennial fruit crop varieties, quality and disease resistance through breeding and marker-assisted selection. [Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Research Service (ARS)]

Satellite Power System (SPS)

2008-09-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Concept for providing large amounts of electricity for use on the Earth from one or more satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit. A very large array of solar cells on each satellite would provide electricity, which would be converted to microwave energy and beamed to a receiving antenna on the ground. There, it would be reconverted into electricity and distributed the same as any other centrally generated power, through a grid.

Power

2008-08-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

The availability of coal in abundance makes Jharkhand an ideal state for setting up thermal power plants. The Government of Jharkhand has taken several initiatives for the development of this industry. It has signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of India as a token of its commitment to the reforms in the power sector. Rural electrification has been accorded top priority. The work on renovation and modernization of existing power generating stations has already commenced. The State is attracting private investment in the industry for its further growth.

Education

2008-08-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Education encompasses both the teaching and learning of knowledge, good conduct, and technical aptitude. It thus focuses on the cultivation of skills, profession, trades sessions, as well as moral, mental & aesthetic development.

Proper education consists of systematic training, instruction and training by professional teachers. This consists of the application of pedagogy and the growth of curricula. In a liberal education tradition, teachers draw on many different disciplines for their lessons, including psychology, philosophy, in sequence technology, biology, linguistics and sociology. Teachers in expert professions such as astrophysics, law, or zoology may teach only in a narrow area, frequently as professors at institutions of higher learning. There is much specialist instruction in fields of trade for those who want specific skills, such as required to be a pilot, for example. Finally, there is an array of educational opportunity in the informal sphere- for this reason; society subsidizes institutions such as museums and libraries. Informal education also includes knowledge and skills learned and refined during the course of life, including education that comes from experience in practicing a profession.

List of vineyard soil types

2008-08-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

The soil composition of vineyards is one of the significant viticultural considerations when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrients that the vine is uncovered to. The ideal circumstance for a vine is an area of thin topsoil and subsoil that adequately retain waters but also has good drainage so that the vine roots don't become overly soaked. The ability of the soil to retain heat and/or reproduce it back up to the vine is also a vital consideration that affects the ripening of the grape.

There are more than a few minerals that are very important to the health of vines that all good vineyard soils have. These include calcium which helps to counteract the Soil pH levels, iron which is necessary for photosynthesis, magnesium which is a significant component of chlorophyll, nitrogen which is assimilated in the form of nitrates, phosphates which encourage root development, and potassium which improve the vine metabolisms and increase it health for next year's crop.

Cost and Freight

2008-08-06T23:32:00.001-07:00

It is also know as C&F, CFR, CNF. Cost and freight charges is payable by the importer. The exporter pays the ocean shipping/air freight costs to the particular location. Example, C&F Los Angeles (the exporter pays the ocean shipping/air freight costs to Los Angeles). A lot of shipping carriers (such as UPS, DHL, and FEDEX) offer guarantees on their delivery times. These are recognized as GSR guarantees or "guaranteed service refunds". This means that if the parcels are not delivered on time, the customer is allowed to a refund on the shipping cost. UPS, DHL and FEDEX make it very hard however for customers to determine which parcels are late and request their refunds, and thereby permit approximately 90% of potential refunds to go unclaimed. That amounts to over $1 billion USD per year in unclaimed refunds.

Process of oil painting

2008-07-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

The process of oil painting varies from artist to artist, but frequently includes certain steps. First, the artist prepares the surface. Although surfaces like linoleum, panel, paper, slate, pressed wood, and cardboard have been used, the most well-liked surface since the 16th century has been canvas, even though many artists used panel through the 17th century and beyond. Before that it was panel, which is more luxurious, heavier, less easy to transport, and prone to warp or split in poor conditions. For fine detail, however, the absolute solidity of a wooden panel gives an advantage.

The artist might sketch an outline of their subject prior to apply pigment to the surface. "Pigment" may be any number of natural substances with color, such as sulphur for yellow or cobalt for blue. The pigment is varied with oil, usually linseed oil but other oils may be used as well. The various oils dry in a different way creating assorted effects.

Traditionally, an artist assorted his or her own paints for each project. Handling and mixing the raw pigments and mediums was prohibitive to transportation. This changed in the late 1800s, when oil paint in tubes became extensively available. Artists could mix colors rapidly and easily without having to grind their own pigments. Also, the portability of tube paints allowed for plein air, or outdoor painting.

Advertising

2008-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

It is a form of message that typically attempts to influence the potential customers to buy or to consume more particular brand of product or service. Many advertisements are planned to generate increased consumption of those products and services through the creation and reinforcement of "brand image" and "brand loyalty". For these purposes, advertisements sometimes implant their persuasive message with truthful information. Every major medium is used to deliver these messages, including television, cinema, radio, magazines, internet, newspapers, video games, and billboards. Advertising is often placed by an advertising organization on behalf of a company or other organization.

The Ancient Egypt Portal

2008-07-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

The culture of Ancient Egypt lived along the Nile River in Egypt from before the 5th millennium BC awaiting the 4th Century AD. Ancient Egyptian society was based on farming the lush Nile valley which flooded every year, inspiring the soil with nutrients. The government of ancient Egypt, headed by the Pharaoh, was in charge for organizing farming efforts and collecting taxes for the state, which protected the country's borders and built grand monuments to the gods. The ancient Egyptian civilization successfully ended after the Roman domination, but the pyramids and colossal statues they left behind stand as testimony to the power of the pharaohs.

Snooker

2008-07-08T02:23:00.000-07:00

Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a huge baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the extended side cushions. A regulation (full-size) table is 12 ft × 6 ft (3.6 m x 1.8 m). It is played by a cue and snooker balls: one white cue ball, 15 red balls worth one point each, and six balls of different colours yellow (2), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6) and black (7).A player (or team) wins a enclose (individual game) of snooker by scoring more points than the opponent(s), using the cue ball to pot the red and colored balls. A player wins a match, when a certain number of frames have been won.
Snooker is mainly popular in many of the English-speaking and Commonwealth countries, and in China, with the top expert players attaining multi-million pound profession earnings from the game.

Electronic Filing System

2008-07-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

The Electronic Filing System (or EFS) is the Singapore Judiciary's electronic platform for filing and service of papers within the proceedings process. In addition, it provides to register in the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts with an electronic registry and workflow scheme; and an electronic case file. Recent enhancement has added a module which facilitates the conduct of inquiry using documents that have been electronically filed.

The EFS provides the legal profession with a elementary online case file from which documents can be electronically filed with the courts or served on the other parties in a case. The EFS is also the source for electronic cause book searches that are provided through the Litigation module of LawNet.

The Role of the Authority

2008-06-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

"Our feeling was that we should think about the issues before Internet usage in schools is widespread"John Rooney, Curriculum Services Manager, Renfrewshire Council

Providing guidance: The recommendations

The Authority should assign personnel to keep up to date with Internet and personal safety issues.On behalf of those in their schools, the authority should ensure it has access to legal advice concerning the Internet as well as to Internet specialists.

Art Deco

2008-06-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, core design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film. This movement was, in a intelligence, an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was simply decorative. At the time, this style was seen as graceful, functional, and modern.

Tata Nano

2008-06-03T21:44:00.001-07:00

The Tata Nano is a planned city car debuted by India's Tata Motors at the 9th annual Auto Expo on January 10, 2008 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, India.

Called the people’s car in Tata's promotional material, it was projected to be the smallest amount luxurious production car in the world. The standard version of the Nano is projected to sell for Rs.100,000 (approximately US $2500, GBP 1277, or € 1700), not including fees or delivery.

Newsweek identify the Nano as a part of a "new breed of 21st-century cars" that embodies "a contrarian philosophy of smaller, lighter, and cheaper" and portends a new era in inexpensive personal transportation - and potentially, "global gridlock". The Wall Street Journal confirms a global trend toward small cars, led by the Nano.

The prefix "Nano" derives from the Greek root 'nanos', meaning dwarf - as with nanometer. "Nano" also means "small" in Gujarati, the native verbal communication of the Tata family, founders of the Tata Group.

Siege of Rhodes

2008-05-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

Alexander the Great of Macedonia died at an early age in 323 BC without having time to put into place any plans for his succession. Fighting broke out among his generals, the Diadochi, with four of them finally divides up much of his empire in the Mediterranean area. During the fighting Rhodes had sided with Ptolemy, and when Ptolemy eventually took control of Egypt, Rhodes and Ptolemaic Egypt formed an alliance which controlled much of the trade in the eastern Mediterranean.

Antigonus I Monopetalous, was upset by this turn of events. In 305 BC he had his son Demetrius Poliorcetes, also a general, to invade Rhodes with an army of 40,000; however, the city was well defended, and Demetrius-whose name "Poliorcetes" signifies the "besieger of cities"-had to start construction of a number of massive siege towers in order to increase access to the walls. The first was mounted on six ships, but these were capsized in a storm before they could be used. He tried again with a larger, land-based tower named Helepolis, but the Rohan defenders stopped this by flooding the land in front of the walls so that the rolling tower could not move.

In 304 BC a relief force of ships sent by Ptolemy arrived, and Demetrius's army abandoned the siege, leaving most of their siege equipment. To celebrate their victory, the Rhodians sold the equipment left behind for 300 talents (roughly US$360 million in today's money) and decided to use the money to build a colossal statue of their patron god, Helios. Construction was left to the direction of Chares, a native of Lindos in Rhodes, who had been concerned with large-scale statues before. His teacher, the sculptor Lysippos, had constructed a 22 meter (70 ft) high bronze sculpture of Zeus at Tarentum.

Railways

2008-05-19T22:12:00.001-07:00

Rail transport is the transport of passengers and supplies by means of wheeled vehicles mainly intended to run down railways.

A railway/railroad track includes of two parallel iron rails, usually anchored vertical to beams, termed sleepers or ties, concrete, or steel to keep a steady space apart, or gauge. The rails and perpendicular beams are normally then placed on a base made of concrete or condensed earth and gravel in a bed of weight to stop the track from buckling as the ground settles over time below and under the weight of the vehicles passing above. The vehicles traveling on the rails are placed in a train; a string of individual powered or empowered vehicles joined together, displaying markers.

Letterpress Printing Process

2008-05-13T00:44:00.001-07:00

It is one of the oldest printing techniques in use since the 13th century. Johann Guttenberg is known to have introduced printing from individually-cast, movable type-reusable letters set together in a frame in the 14th century.

Also known as Typographic Printing, this commercial printing technique, includes production of many copies of an image by repeated direct feeling of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper.

Foreign exchange reserves

2008-05-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

It is also called Forex reserves in a strict sense are only the foreign currency deposits detained by central banks and monetary authorities. However, the term in popular usage usually includes foreign exchange and gold, SDRs and IMF reserve positions. This broader figure is more readily available, but it is more accurately termed official reserves or international reserves. These are assets of the central bank held in special reserve currencies, such as the dollar, euro and yen, and used to back its liabilities, e.g. the local currency issued, and the various bank reserves deposited with the central bank, by the government or financial institutions.

Spamdexing

2008-04-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

It has frequent methods, such as repeating unrelated phrases, to control the relevancy or fame of resources indexed by a search engine, in a way inconsistent with the idea of the indexing system. It consider it to be a part of search engine optimization; though there are frequent of search engine optimization methods to get better quality and exterior of the content of web sites and serve content useful to many users. Search engines use a diversity of algorithms to end relevancy ranking. Some of these contain determining whether the search term appears in the META keywords tag, others whether the search term appear in the body text or URL of a web page. Many search engines test out for instances of spamdexing and will remove believe pages from their indexes. In addition people working for a search-engine organization can quickly block the results-listing from whole websites that use spamdexing, perhaps aware by user objects of false matches. The rise of spamdexing in the mid-1990s made the majority significant search engines of the time less useful.

Balance of payments

2008-04-21T21:17:00.001-07:00

In economics, the balance of payments, (or BOP) deals with the payments that flow between any individual country and all other countries. It is used to review all international economic transactions for that country during a specific time period, typically a year. The BOP is determined by the country's exports and imports of goods, services, and financial capital, as well as financial transfers. It reflects all payments and liabilities to foreigners (debits) and all payments and obligations received from foreigners (credits). Balance of payments is one of the major indicators of a country's status in international trade, with net capital outflow.

The balance, like other accounting statements, is prepared in a single currency, generally the domestic. Foreign assets and flows are treasured at the exchange rate of the time of transaction.

Cooking

2008-04-07T22:24:00.001-07:00

Cooking is the work of preparing food for eating. The word cooking encompasses all methods of food preparation with non-heated methods. It includes a huge range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to change the taste or digestibility of food. It is the method of select, measuring and mixing of ingredients in a planned procedure in a try to get the desired result. Factors affecting the final result include the inconsistency of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools, and the skill of the person doing the genuine cooking.

The variety of cooking universal is a reflection of the several nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, cultural and religious considerations that crash upon it.

Cooking normally requires applying heat to a food, which regularly, though not always, chemically transforms it, therefore varying its flavor, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties. There is archaeological evidence of roasted foodstuffs, equally animal and vegetable, in human campsites dating from the initial known use of fire, some 800,000 years ago.

Electrostatic Printing

2008-03-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

It a printing technique done without any plate, ink or type form. The paper is covered with a thin layer of zinc oxide, making it an insulator in the dark and at the same time a conductor of electricity when exposed to light.

These machines are worn for printing of geographic maps. With the progression in technology and higher speed, the machines are also being used to print small books. Electrostatic printers are used for short run printing as they are faster and also do not cost much.

Typewriter

2008-03-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

A typewriter is a mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic device with a set of "keys" that, when pushed, causes characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. For much of the 20th century, typewriters were vital tools in business offices and for many professional writers. By the end of the 1980s, word processor applications on personal computers had largely replaced the tasks previously talented with typewriters. Typewriters, however, remain popular in the developing world and between some niche markets.

Flexography Printing

2008-03-17T22:23:00.001-07:00

Flexography is a major printing technique, broadly used to print packaging materials. This technique is used to print on a number of materials and products including corrugated boxes, folding cartons, multi-wall sacks, paper sacks, plastic bags etc.

Flexography is used for printing on a variety of materials including plastic, paper etc. This printing technique makes use of flexible printing plates made up of rubber, Plastic. The inked plates with a slightly raised image are rotated on a cylinder which transfers the image to the substrate.

Pollination

2008-03-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

Pollination is a significant step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the organization that contains the ovule (female gamete). The accessible part of the carpel is called a stigma in the flowers of angiosperms and a micro Pyle in gymnosperms. The study of pollination brings equally many disciplines, such as botany, horticulture, entomology, and ecology. Pollination is significant in horticulture because most plant fruits will not expand if the ovules are not fertilized. The pollination process as communication between flower and vector was initial addressed in the 18th century by Christian Konrad Sprengel.

Players

2008-03-06T01:33:00.000-08:00

A team consists of eleven players Depending on his or her primary skills; a player may be classifying as an expert batsman or bowler. A balanced team frequently has five or six specialist batsmen and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always take in a specialist wicket-keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a captain, who is responsible for making planned decisions such as formative the batting order, the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers.

A player who excels in mutually batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", every so often regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounder is rare; most players focus on either batting or bowling skills.

Inkjet printers

2008-02-25T02:20:00.000-08:00

Inkjet printers operate by propelling various size (mostly tiny) droplets of liquid or molten material (ink) onto almost any media. They are the most common type of computer printer for the general consumer[citation needed] due to their low cost, high quality of output, capability of printing in vivid color, and ease of use.

Like most modern technologies, the present-day inkjet has built on the progress made by many earlier versions. Among many contributors, Epson, Hewlett-Packard and Canon can claim a substantial share of credit for the development of the modern inkjet. In the worldwide consumer market, four manufacturers account for the majority of inkjet printer sales: Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epson, and Lexmark.

Technology

2008-02-18T22:51:00.000-08:00

Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. In human society, it is a consequence of science and engineering, although several technological advances predate the two concepts. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" ("craft") and "logia", "λογία" ("saying").

However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology".

Definition of Glass

2007-11-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

The materials meaning of a glass is a uniform amorphous solid material, generally produced when a rightfully viscous molten material cools very quickly to below its glass transition temperature, thus not giving enough time for a regular crystal lattice to form. A simple instance is when table sugar is melted and cooled quickly by dumping the liquid sugar onto a cold surface. The resulting solid is amorphous, not crystalline similar to the sugar was originally, which can be seen in its concordat fracture.
The word of glass comes from Latin glacies (ice) and corresponds to German Glass, M.E. glas, A.S. gales. Germanic tribes used the word gales to say amber, recorded by Roman historians as glaesum. Anglo-Saxons used the word glaer for amber.
The residue of this article will be concerned with a definite type of glass—the silica-based glasses in common make use of as a building, container or pretty material.
In its pure form, glass is a clear, relatively strong, hard-wearing, basically inert and biologically inactive material which can be shaped with very smooth and impervious surfaces. These pleasing properties lead to a great many uses of glass. Glass is, on the other hand, brittle and will break into sharp shards. These properties can be modified, or even changed completely, with the addition of other compounds or heat treatment.
Common glass is generally amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2), which is the same chemical compound establish in quartz, or in its polycrystalline shape, sand.

Knife box

2007-11-04T22:37:00.001-08:00

The knife-box is one of the most pleasant of the minor pieces of furniture which we owe to the artistic taste and mechanical ingenuity of the English cabinet-makers of the final quarter of the 18th century. Some of the most graceful were the works of Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton. Occasionally flat-topped boxes, they were most regularly either rod-shaped, or tall and narrow with a sloping tip necessitated by a series of raised veins for exhibiting the handles of knives and the bowls of spoons. Mahogany and satinwood were the woods most regularly employed, and they were occasionally inlaid with marqueterie or edged with boxwood. These attractive receptacles still exist in large numbers; they are often converted into stationery cabinets.

God and his attributes:

2007-10-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

God most normally refers to the holy being worshipped by followers of monotheistic and monolatrist religions, whom they accept as true to be the creator and ruler of the world.

Theologians have ascribed various attributes to a variety of conceptions of God. The most ordinary among these consist of omniscience, perfect goodness, omnipotence, omnipresence, divine simplicity, and everlasting and necessary existence. God has also been conceived as being incorporeal, a personal being, the source of the entire moral obligations, and the "greatest conceivable existent". These attributes were all supported to varying degrees by the early Christian, Jewish and Muslim theologian philosophers, including Augustine of Hippo, Al-Ghazali, and Maimonides. Many famous medieval philosophers developed arguments for the existence of God, attempting to fight with the obvious contradictions implied by many of these attributes.

Grape

2007-10-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

A grape is the non-climacteric fruit that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the folks Vitaceae. Grapes grow up in clusters of 6 to 300, and can be black, blue, golden, green, purple, red, pink, brown, peach or white. They can be eaten raw or used for producting jam, grape juice, jelly, wine and grape seed oil. Cultivation of grapevines occurs in vineyards, and is called viticulture. One who studies and practises growing grapes for wine is called a viticulturist.The leaves of the grape vine itself are considered safe to eat and are used in the production of dolmades.

Butter chicken

2007-10-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is an Indian dish accepted in countries all over the world that have a tradition of Indian restaurants. While the dish's general recipe is well known, the actual flavour can differ from restaurant to restaurant even within Delhi. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice.

It is a dish prepared by marinating a chicken overnight in a yoghurt and spice mixture usually together with garam masala, ginger, lemon or lime, pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli, methi and garlic. It is in various ways like to chicken tikka masala. The chicken is then roasted or dry as a bone.

Tree

2007-09-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

A tree is a big recurrent woody plant, larger than a shrub. It is sometimes distinct as a woody plant that attains diameter of 10 cm (30 cm girth) or additional at breast height (130 cm above ground). However, there is no set agreement concerning minimum size, the term regularly applies to plants that produce to at least 5-6 meters (15-20 ft) high at development [citation needed] and having secondary branches supported on a main stem or stems, called a trunk. Most trees display clear apical domination, though this is not always the case. Compared with mainly other plants, trees are long-lived, some of them receiving to be some thousand years old and increasing to up to 115 meters (375 ft) high.
Trees are an main component of the natural countryside due to their prevention of erosion and the provision of a specific weather-sheltered ecosystem in and less than their foliage. Trees have also been found to play an important role in producing oxygen[citation needed] and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as well as moderating ground temperatures. They are also significant elements in landscaping and agriculture, both for their aesthetic appeal and their orchard crops (such as apples). Wood from trees is a common building material.

White throated Kingfisher

2007-09-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

The White-throated Kingfisher, White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis, is a tree kingfisher which is generally spread in south Asia from Turkey east to the Philippines. This kingfisher is fundamentally occupant over much of its range, not together from seasonal movements.

The first of the alternative English names is to be favorite because the geographical name is too preventive for this widespread bird, and the easternmost race lacks a white breast.

This is a large kingfisher, 28 cm in length. The mature has a bright blue back, wings and tail. Its head, shoulders, flanks and lower belly are chestnut, and the throat and breast are white.

There are four races opposed mostly in plumage shades, but H. s. glairs of the Philippines have only the neck and throat white. The flight of the White-throated Kingfisher is quick and straight, the short rounded wings whirring. The large bill and legs are intense red.

In flight, large white patches are visible on the blue and black wings. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are a duller adaptation of the adult. The call of this noisy kingfisher is a chuckling chake-ake-ake-ake-ake.

White-throated Kingfisher is a common class of a variety of habitats with some trees, and its range is expanding. It perches noticeably on wires or other exposed perches within its territory, and is a frequent sight in south Asia. This species mostly hunts large insects, rodents, snakes, fish and frogs. It is alleged to eat tired migratory passerine birds like Chiffchaffs where the opportunity arises.

Salad

2007-09-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

Salad is a light meal — or, as part of a larger meal, much more of an taster — consisting of mixed vegetables (usually including at least one leaf vegetable) or fruit, frequently with a dressing or sauce, occasionally nuts and sometimes with the addition of meat, fish or cheese. It is generally seen as a healthy dish, although not always low in calories, salt, sugar, or fat because of the dressing that is often added.The word "salad" comes from the French salade of the same meaning, which in twist is from the Latin salata, "salty", from sal, "salt".

Traffic light

2007-08-21T23:37:00.000-07:00

A traffic light or traffic signal is a signalling device positioned at a road junction or pedestrian crossing to indicate when it is safe to drive, ride or walk, using a universal color code.Traffic lights for usual vehicles or pedestrians always have two main lights, a red one that means stop and a green one that means go. Generally, the red light contains some orange in its hue, and the green light contains some blue, to provide some support for people with red-green color blindness. In most countries there is also a yellow (or amber) light, which when on and not flashing means stop if able to do so securely. In some systems, a flashing amber means that a motorist may go in advance with care if the road is clear, giving way to pedestrians and to other road vehicles that may have precedence. A flashing red effectively means the same as a regular stop sign. There may be additional lights (usually a green arrow or "filter") to allow turns (called a lead light in the U.S., because it is usually leading the main green light).

Fresh skin-care tips

2007-08-13T21:06:00.001-07:00

Select fresh, organically grown fruit and vegetables for the highest benefits. Avoid making more than you require for a single application.Clean and sanitize all countertops and mixing utensils ahead of making any of the recipes. Clean all fruit and vegetables before using as ingredients. Leave all ingredients out of the fridge for up to an hour before integration. Don't let fruit acquire any warmer than room temperature.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are especially high in acids. If you apply anything to your skin and encounter a burning sensation, take out immediately and apply cool water.If you are in the care of a dermatologist and on acne medications, please consult with your physician first.

Traffic Claming

2007-07-30T01:47:00.001-07:00

Traffic calming is a set of strategies used by urban planners and traffic engineers which aims to slow down traffic and get better safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, although some of these features can also be hazardous to cyclists. It is now comparatively common in Europe, especially Northern Europe; less so in North America.Traffic calming has conventionally been justified on the grounds of pedestrian safety and reduction of noise and local air pollution which are side effects of the traffic. However, it has become more and more apparent that streets have many social and recreational functions which are severely impaired by fast car traffic. For much of the twentieth century, streets were designed by engineers who were charged only with ensuring traffic flow and not with development other functions of streets. The rationale for traffic reassuring is now broadening to include designing for these functions.

CPU Socket

2007-07-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

The term CPU socket (or CPU slot) is commonly used to describe the connector linking the motherboard to the CPU in certain types of desktop and server computers, particularly those compatible with the Intel x86 architecture.

Most CPU sockets and processors in use today are built around the pin grid array (PGA) architecture, in which the pins on the base of the processor are inserted into the socket. To aid installation, zero insertion force (ZIF) sockets are usually used, allowing the processor to be inserted without any confrontation, while gripping the pins firmly once the processor is in place to ensure a reliable contact. In contrast to CPU sockets, slot-based processors and CPUs use a single-edged connection rather than a socket, and slot into the motherboard on their side. Slot architectures are not often used today

Tumor

2007-07-16T01:22:00.000-07:00

Tumor or tumour is an irregular growth or mass of tissue. A tumor can be either malignant or benign. Almost all tumors are examples of neoplasia, although certain developmental malformations or inflammatory masses may occasionally be referred to as tumors.

Neoplastic tumors are caused by mutations in DNA of cells, which interfere with a cell's capability to regulate and limit cell division. An accumulation of mutations is needed for a tumor to emerge. Mutations that activate oncogenes or repress tumor suppressor genes can eventually lead to tumors. Cells have mechanisms that repair DNA and other mechanisms that cause the cell to destroy itself by apoptosis if DNA damage gets too severe. Mutations that repress the genes for these mechanisms can also ultimately guide to cancer. A mutation in one oncogene or one tumor repressor gene is usually not enough for a tumor to occur. A combination of a number of mutations is essential.

Extranet

2007-07-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

An extranet is a personal network that uses Internet protocols, network connectivity, and possibly the public telecommunication system to securely share part of an organization's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers or other businesses. An extranet can be viewed as part of a company's Intranet that is extended to users outside the company. It has also been described as a "state of mind" in which the Internet is professed as a way to do business with other companies as well as to sell products to customers.

Society

2007-07-05T22:37:00.001-07:00

A society is a grouping of individuals, which is characterized by common interests and may have distinctive culture and institutions. In a society, members can be from a different ethnic group. A "Society" may refer to a particular people, such as the Nuer, to a nation state, such as Switzerland, or to a broader cultural group, such as a Western society. Society can also refer to an organized group of people linked together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.

Goldfish

2007-07-01T22:14:00.001-07:00

The goldfish, Carassius auratus, was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is still one of the most usually kept aquarium fish and water gardens. A comparatively small member of the carp family ,which also includes the koi carp and the crucian carp, the goldfish is a domesticated version of a dark-gray/brown carp native to East Asia that was introduced to Europe in the late 17th century. The mutation that gave rise to the goldfish is also known from other cyprinid species, such as common carp and tench. Goldfish may grow to a maximum length of 23 inches (59 cm) and a maximum weight of 9.9 pounds (4.5 kg), although this is rare; few goldfish reach even half this size. In optimal conditions, goldfish may live more than 20 years (the world record is 49 years), but most household goldfish generally live only six to eight years, due to being kept in bowls.A group of goldfish is known as a troubling.

History of Motorola

2007-06-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

Motorola started as Galvin developed Corporation in 1928. The name Motorola was adopted in 1947, but the word had been used as a trademark since the 1930s. Founders Paul Galvin and Joe Galvin came up with the name Motorola when his company started manufacturing car radios. A number of early companies making phonographs, radios, and other audio tackle in the early 20th century used the suffix "-ola," the most famous being Victrola; RCA made a "radiola"; there was also a company that made jukeboxes called Rock-Ola, and a film editing device called a Moviola. The Motorola prefix "motor-" was chosen because the company's first focus was in automotive electronics.

Most of Motorola's crop has been radio-related, starting with a battery eliminator for radios, through the first walkie-talkie in the world, defense electronics, cellular infrastructure equipment, and mobile phone manufacturing. The company was also strong in semiconductor technology, including integrated circuits used in computers. Motorola has been the key supplier for the microprocessors used in Commodore Amiga, Apple Macintosh and Power Macintosh personal computers. The chip used in the latter computers, the PowerPC family, was developed with IBM and in a partnership with Apple. Motorola also has a diverse line of communication products, including satellite systems, digital cable boxes and modems.

Coppicing

2007-06-24T22:12:00.001-07:00

Coppicing is a conventional method of woodland organization in which young tree stems are cut down to a low level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will come out and after a number of years the cycle begins again and the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested again.
Typically a coppice woodland is harvested in sections, on a rotation. In this way each year a crop is available. This has the side-effect of as long as a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of dissimilar aged stools growing in it. This is helpful for biodiversity. The cycle length depends upon the species cut, the local custom, and the use to which the product is put. Birch can be coppiced for faggots on a 3- or 4-year cycle, whereas oak can be coppiced over a 50-year cycle for poles or firewood.

Ice

2007-06-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

Ice is the name given to any one of the 14 known solid phases of water. Though in non-scientific contexts, it usually describes ice Ih, which is the most abundant of these phases. It is a crystalline solid, which can appear transparent or an opaque bluish-white color depending on the presence of impurities such as air. The addition of other materials such as soil may further alter appearance. The most common phase transition to ice Ih occurs when liquid water is cooled below 0 °C (273.15 K, 32 °F) at standard atmospheric pressure. However, it can also deposit from a vapor with no intervening liquid phase such as in the formation of frost. Ice appears in varied forms such as hail, ice cubes, and glaciers. It plays an important role with many meteorological phenomena. The ice caps of the polar regions are of significance for the global climate and particularly the water cycle.

Watercraft

2007-06-15T22:38:00.001-07:00

A watercraft is a vehicle, vessel or craft designed to move across water for pleasure, recreation, physical exercise, commerce, transport of people and goods, and military missions. It is resulting from the term "craft" which was used as term to describe all types of water going vessels. Most watercraft would be described as either a ship or a boat. However, there are a number of craft which many people would consider neither a ship nor a boat, such as: canoes, kayaks, rafts, barges, catamarans, hydrofoils, windsurfers, surfboards (when used as a paddle board), underwater robots, torpedos and jet skis.

Whale

2007-06-11T22:44:00.001-07:00

The term whale is ambiguous: it can refer to all cetaceans, to just the larger ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. The last definition is the one followed here. Whales are those cetaceans which are neither dolphins nor porpoises. This can lead to some confusion because Orcas ("Killer Whales") and Pilot whales have "whale" in their name, but they are dolphins for the purpose of classification.

Pruning

2007-06-07T22:45:00.001-07:00

Pruning in landscaping and farming is the practice of removing diseased, non-productive, or otherwise unwanted portions from a plant. The purpose of pruning is to shape the plant by controlling or directing plant growth, to maintain the health of the plant, or to increase the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. Proper pruning is as much a skill as it is an art, since badly pruned plants can become unhealthy or grow in undesirable ways.

Proponents of pruning, both gardeners and orchardists, often argue that it improves the health of the plant and makes sturdier structure, often referred to as the scaffold; opponents consider that pruning harms plants' "natural" forms.

Canonization

2007-06-01T23:33:00.001-07:00

Canonization is the act by which a Christian Church declares some deceased person to be a saint, inscribing that person in the canon, or list, of recognized saints.

In the Catholic Church, the act of canonization is now kept to the Holy See and occurs at the conclusion of a long process requiring extensive proof that the person future for canonization lived, and died, in such a way that he or she is worthy to be recognized as a saint. at first, however, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process, as happened, for instance, in the case of Saint Peter and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Other Christian Churches still follow the older practice
Canonization, whether formal or informal, does not make someone a saint: it is only a declaration that the person is a saint and was a saint even before canonization. It is generally familiar that there are many more saints in heaven than have been canonized on earth.

People

2007-05-28T23:18:00.001-07:00

People are a group of humans, either with not mentioned traits, or specific characteristics (e.g. the people of Spain or the people of the Plains).
The term people is often used in English as the suppletive plural of person. However, the word persons is sometimes used in place of people, particularly when it would be ambiguous with its collective sense (e.g. missing persons instead of missing people). The term people can together refer to all humans or it can be used to identify the citizens of a nation, or members of a tribe, ethnic, or religious group. People of color is a phrase used to describe people with skin color darker than that of white people.

Veganism

2007-05-24T22:31:00.001-07:00

Veganism (also known as strict vegetarianism or pure vegetarianism), as defined by the Vegan Society, is "a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practical—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." A vegan (one who practices veganism) does not consume or use animal products, notably meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products.People become vegans for a variety of reasons, including ethical concerns for animal rights or the environment, as well as supposed or real health benefits and spiritual or religious concerns.

History of Personal computer

2007-05-20T21:57:00.001-07:00

An near the beginning use of the term appeared in a November 3, 1962, New York Times
article exposure John W. Mauchly's vision of expectations computing spoken to a conference of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers that previous day. Mauchly told the gathering, "There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer."

The initial computers that can be called 'personal' were the first Non -main frame computers, the LINC and the PDP-8. By today's standards they were big, expensive, and had small magnetic core memories.

However, they were small and cheap for individual laboratories and research projects to use, freeing them from the consignment dispensation and establishment of the typical industrial or university computing center. In addition, they were reasonably interactive and soon had their own operating systems. Finally, this category became known as the mini-computer, usually with time-sharing and program development facilities. Ultimately, the mini-computer grew up to encompass the VAX and larger mini-computers from Data General, Prime, and others.
Deployment of mini-computer systems was a replica for how personal computers would be used, but few of the mini-computer makers managed to profit from it.

Artistamp

2007-05-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Artist amp refers to a postage stamp-like art form. It is similar to a Cinderella stamp, in that it is not valid for postage, but it differs from a forgery or a bogus stamp in that no intention is made to fool any post office or collector of stamps. The artist amp is intended to be a miniature art form which can depict or remember any subject its creator chooses.Techniques for the creation of artist amps may or may not include perforating the boundaries of the piece to more resemble a stamp, as well as applying gum to the reverse side of the paper. Whole sheets of such stamps are often made at one time. The artwork can be hand-drawn or painted, lithographed or offset-printed, photographed, Xeroxed, rubber stamped, or even output by
computer-driven printer.Creators of art within this genre include Donald Evans, Anna Banana, Steve Smith and the surprisingly prolific New Zealander Bruce Henderson. Henderson's output spans more than three decades and encompasses an entire alternative universe of artist amp countries. These include the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno, the Kingdom of all the Sedan, the Sultanate of Upper Yafa, the people's Republic of Kemp land, the Free Vineland Republic, the Republic of Liegerland, the Republic of Port Maria, Tui Tui, Aldabra, Karenni, Raoul, the Land of Muggy, Terra Candella, Cryonica, Aramoana, Whangamomona, Laré, Nova Arcadia, the Antarctic Confederation and the Khanate of Bokhara. Henderson's artist amp world even has its own imaginary "United Nations," the "International Council of Independent States". His creations are sometimes identified as micro nations, however, being completely imaginary and without "participants", they do not fit the definition.

Chocolate

2007-05-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

Chocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods that create from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. It is a common ingredient in many kinds of confections such as chocolate bars, candy, ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies, chocolate mousse, and other desserts. It is one of the most popular flavours in the world.
Chocolate was shaped by the Mesoamerican civilization, from cacao beans, and cultivated by pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Maya and Aztec, who used it as a basic part in a variety of sauces and beverages. The cocoa beans were ground and mixed with water to create a variety of beverages, both sweet and bitter, which were kept for only the highest noblemen and clerics of the Mesoamerican world. Chocolate is made from the fermented, roasted, and ground beans taken from the pod of the tropical cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, which was native to Central America and Mexico, but is now cultivated all through the tropics. The beans have an intensely flavoured bitter taste. The resultant products are known as "chocolate" or, in some parts of the world, cocoa.

Cold River (Maine)

2007-05-07T23:25:00.001-07:00

The Cold River is a 16.4 mile long (26.5 km) river situated in western Maine in the United States. It very briefly enters New Hampshire as well. It is part of the Saco River drainage basin.
The Cold River begins at the height of land in Evans Notch, a pass through the eastern White Mountains. Maine Highway 113, a narrow two-lane road, passes through the notch, following the Cold River on the south side and Evans Brook, a tributary of the Androscoggin River, on the north. The Cold River, flowing south, picks up the Mad River, a short stream with waterfalls that flows off the southern faces of East Royce and West Royce mountains, then reaches the southern base of Evans Notch at the junction of Basin Brook, coming out of a large glacial cirque to the west, where the Cold River national forest campground is situated.
South of Basin Brook, the Cold River briefly enters New Hampshire near the village of North Chatham, then veers back into Maine, flowing south-southwest in the town of Stow through an ever-widening valley. The Little Cold River enters from the west near the village of Stow. The Cold River ends at Charles Pond in the northern corner of Fryeburg. Water flows from Charles Pond via the short Charles River, entering the Old Course of the Saco River and finally the Saco itself south of Kezar Pond.

Speed limit

2007-05-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

A speed limit is the highest speed allowed by law for vehicles on a road.

Design speed
Speed limits are only peripherally interrelated to the design speed of the road.
In the United States, the design speed is "a selected speed used to establish the various geometric design features of the roadway" according to the 2001 AASHTO Green Book, the highway design manual. It has been changed from previous versions which considered it the "highest safe speed that can be maintained over a specific section of highway when conditions are so positive that the design facial appearance of the highway governs."

The design speed has largely been discredited as a sole basis for establishing a speed limit. Current U.S. standards for design speed derive from outdated, less-capable automotive technology. Also, the design speed of a given roadway is the theoretical maximum safe speed of the roadway's worst feature .The design speed usually underestimates the highest safe speed for a roadway and is therefore considered only a very conservative "first guess" at a limit.

85th percentile rule
An automobile dashboard viewing the speedometer with primary markings in miles per hour.Since the 1950s, United States traffic engineers have been taught the 85th Percentile Rule. The idea is that the speed limit should be set to the speed below which 85% of vehicles are traveling. The 85th percentile closely corresponds to one normal deviation above the mean of a normal distribution.
Every state in the United States statutorily or administratively picks a particular speed for a speed limit cap, meaning that no speed limit in that state may be set higher than the cap. A practical effect of this cap is that nearly every rural roadway in the U.S. has a speed limit that is well below the 85th percentile speed.

Peafowl

2007-04-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

The peafowl are the three variety of bird in the genera Pavo and Afropavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are most distinguished for the male's profligate tail, a result of sexual selection, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen. In common English custom, however, "peacock" is used to mean any peafowl.

Overview
The characteristic Asiatic peafowl belonging to the genus Pavo comprise the familiar Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus and the poorly known Dragon birds or Green Peafowl Pavo muticus. Some biologists believe that there are at least five characteristic and critically endangered species of Green Peafowl while others classify them into a single species with three species.

The Arakan Dragonbird Pavo spicifer was once inhabitant to Northern Western Myanmar, Southern Tibet and Assam. The Indo-Chinese or Siamese Dragon bird Pavo imperator was once native to South East Myanmar and Thailand. The Annametic Dragonbird Pavo annamensis occupied the broadleaf evergreen forests of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Southern Yunnan China.

The Javanese Green Peafowl, Pavo javanensis is occupant only to the island of Java. The died out Malay or Pahang Peafowl Pavo muticus muticus was fantasy by early naturalists to least the Pliocene rules out an foreword by humans. Northern Yunnan is the home of one of the most fascinating forms of Green Peafowl. The Yunnan Dragonbird, Pavo yunnanensis is most characteristic.

When it is not in show, the long tail rests on the ground and hampers the actions of the peacock

The White Peacock is frequently incorrect for an albino, but is a color change

Northern Cardinal

2007-04-23T22:28:00.001-07:00

The Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, is a associate of the Cardinal family of birds in North America. The bird's name comes from the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals. Its crested head is also said to resemble a bishop's mitre. Cardinals have been also referred to as redbirds and Virginia nightingales. Cardinals were once popular cage birds for their bright color and rich, varied songs.They eat frequently seeds, fruits, wastes, small animals, and insects. Cardinals approximately always come in pairs; if one is seen, its mate will usually be nearby.

Males are bright, deep red with black faces and red beaks. Females are lighter, with frequently grayish-brown tones. Both possess prominent raised crests and strong beaks. Cardinals are abundant across the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and in Canada in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Their variety extends west to the U.S.-Mexico border and south through Mexico to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, northern Guatemala, and northern Belize. They have been introduced in Bermuda, Hawaii, and Southern California. Their usual habitats are woodlands, suburbs, gardens, swamps and thickets.

The male sings in a loud, clear whistle from a tree top to protect his territory, which he jealously guards. He will chase off other males. The pair sometimes sing together before nesting and the male may feed his mate. The female builds a cup nest in a well-concealed spot in dense shrub or a low tree. Both feed the young. Young fledged cardinals resemble adult females in coloring. The male will grow in bright red feathers as he matures and is eventually chased away by his sire.

Climbing specialist

2007-04-18T22:07:00.001-07:00

A climbing specialist is a road bicycle racer who can ride particularly well on highly inclined roads, such as those found among hills or mountains.Colombian road racer Santiago Botero climbing in stage 11 of the 2005 Tour de France.The job of a climber in a cycling team is to create the gruelling work of climbing long stretches easier for his team leader, whether in the peloton or in a breakaway. In a continued climb, the average speed declines and the aerodynamic advantage of drafting is diminished and setting the pace of the group becomes more important. A good climber modulates his speed and chooses the best line on a climb, allowing the next riders to have an easier job. If the group maintains a high tempo, it is more difficult for a rider to attack and ride away from the group.Another important role in climbing is that of attacker or counter-attacker. Climbing specialists use their superior abilities either to attack on climbs and thereby gap the competitors, significant that only other climbing specialists will be able to stay with them, or simply to maintain a high pace that others cannot match. A successful escape can help the climber get a victory if the race has a mountain-top finish, or even in a flat finish if the climber is able to maintain his lead after the climb is over. Climbing stages, along with individual time trials, are key stages in winning long stage races.

Field effect transistor

2007-04-09T22:02:00.001-07:00

The field-effect transistor (FET) is a transistor that relies on an electric field to manage the shape and hence the conductivity of a "channel" in a semiconductor material. FETs are sometimes used as voltage-controlled resistors.
FET Operation
The shape of the conducting channel in a FET is altered when a potential is applied to the Gate terminal (potential relative to either Source or Drain.) In an N-channel device, a negative Gate potential causes an insulating Depletion Zone to expand in size and encroach on the channel from the side, narrowing the channel. If the Depletion Zone pinches the channel closed, the resistance of the channel becomes very large, and the FET is turned off completely. At low voltages, the channel width remains large, and small changes to the Gate potential will alter the channel resistance. This is the "Variable Resistance" mode of FET operation. This mode has uses but is not employed in conventional amplifier circuits.

Postage Stamp

2007-04-05T22:51:00.001-07:00

A postage stamp is proof of pre-paying a fee for postal services. Usually a small paper rectangle which is attached to an envelope, signifying that the person sending the letter or package has paid for delivery, it is the most popular alternative to using a prepaid-postage envelope.
Stamps have been issued in other shapes, however: the circular stamps of New Zealand, triangular and pentagonal, and Sierra Leone and Tonga have issued self-adhesive stamp in the shape of fruit, Bhutan has issued a stamp with its national anthem on a playable record, etc. Stamps have also been made of materials other than paper, usually embossed foil; Switzerland made a stamp partly out of lace and one out of wood, the United States produced one made of plastic, and the German Democratic Republic once issued a stamp made entirely of synthetic chemicals.

Water

2007-04-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Water is a tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless (it has a slight hint of blue) substance in its pure form that is necessary to all known forms of life and is known also as the most universal solvent.Water is an abundant substance on Earth. It exists in many places and forms: frequently in the oceans and polar ice caps, but also as clouds, rain water, rivers, freshwater aquifers, and sea ice. On the planet, water is continuously moving through the cycle involving evaporation, precipitation, and runoff to the sea.
Water that humans consume is called potable water. This usual resource is becoming more scarce in certain places as human population in those places increases, and its availability is a major social and economic concern.

London Gatwick Airport

2007-03-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

Gatwick Airport is London's second airport and the second busiest airport in the UK after Heathrow in terms of passengers per year. It is situated in West Sussex, approximately 40 km (25 miles) south of London, and an equal distance north of Brighton.
Gatwick is the busiest single-runway airport in the world, handling over 31 million passengers yearly, flying to around 200 destinations. Charter airlines are normally not allowed to operate from Heathrow and many use Gatwick instead as their base. Many flights to and from the USA also use Gatwick because of restrictions on transatlantic operations from Heathrow. The airport is also a secondary hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
In 1979, when the last major expansion took place, an agreement was reached with the local council not to expand further before 2019, but recent proposals to build a second runway at Gatwick led to protests about increased noise and pollution and demolition of houses and villages. The government has now decided to expand Stansted and Heathrow but not Gatwick. Gatwick's owners BAA contain published a new consultation which includes a possible second runway south of the airport, but leaves the villages of Charlwood and Hookwood, north of the airport, intact.
In common with many airports car parking is in limited supply, in part due to local planning restrictions, and facilities are full to capacity in the summer months

Digital television

2007-03-22T21:58:00.001-07:00

Digital television (DTV) uses digital modulation and compression to broadcast video, audio and data signals to television sets.
Introduction
A major use of DTV can be to carry more channels in the same amount of bandwidth. Another can be high-definition programming. The digital signal eliminates ordinary analog broadcasting artifacts such as "ghosting", "snow", and static noises in audio. It can restore them with new MPEG compression artifacts, such as "blocking", when transmitted at too low a data rate, and may fail to work wholly in situations where analog television would have formed an impaired but watchable picture. Depending on the sophistication and level of the error correction defined by the standard and chosen by the broadcaster, DTV may either work perfectly or not work at all.
The switch-over to DTV systems often coincides with a change in picture format from an aspect ratio of 4:3 to one of 16:9. This enables TV to get closer to the aspect ratio of movies and human vision. On traditional screens this leads to "letterbox" black bars above and below the picture due to placing the 16:9 picture in a 4:3 frame. The preceding aspect ratio of 4:3 was chosen to match the Academy standard ratio of the day.

Canoe

2007-03-16T22:28:00.001-07:00

A canoe is a relatively small boat, characteristically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. Canoes are pointed at both ends and generally open on top.
In its human-powered form, the canoe is propelled by the use of paddles, with the number of paddlers depending on the size of canoe. Paddlers face in the direction of travel, either seated on supports in the hull, or kneeling directly upon the hull. In this way paddling a canoe can be contrasted with rowing, where the rowers face away from the direction of travel. Paddles may be single-bladed or double-bladed.
Sailing Canoes (see Canoe Sailing) are propelled by means of a variety of sailing rigs. Common classes of modern sailing canoes comprise the 5sqm and the International 10sqm Sailing canoes. The latter is otherwise known as the International Canoe, and is one of the fastest and oldest competitively sailed boat classes in the western world.

Mist

2007-03-12T21:42:00.001-07:00

Mist is a occurrence of small droplets suspended in air. It can happen as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above warmer water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be produced artificially with aerosol canisters if the humidity conditions are right.
The only dissimilarity between mist and fog is visibility . This fact is called fog if the visibility is one kilometre or less (in the UK for driving purposes the definition of fog is visibility less than 200 metres, for pilots the distance is 1 kilometre). Otherwise it is known as mist. Seen from a distance, mist is blueish, while haze is more brownish.
Strong superstitious and religious connotations are related with mist in some cultures.
Mist makes a beam of light visible from the side via refraction and reflection of the suspended water droplets.Scotch Mist refers to a light, steady drizzle. The name being typical of the Scottish penchant for understatement.Mists frequently occurs near the shores, and is often associated with fog.

Federation

2007-03-07T21:35:00.001-08:00

A federation is a combination comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal") government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states is classically constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision of the central government. The form of government or constitutional structure found in a federation is known as federalism (see also federalism as a political philosophy). It can be considered the opposite of another system, the unitary state.
Federations may be multi-ethnic, or cover a large area of territory, although neither is necessarily the case. Federations are often founded on an original agreement between a number of sovereign states.

Potato chip

2007-03-02T21:31:00.001-08:00

A potato chip or crisp is a thin slice of a potato deep fried or baked until crisp. Potato chips dish as an appetizer, side dish, or snack. Commercial varieties are packaged for sale, typically in bags. The simplest chips are simply cooked and salted, but manufacturers can add a wide range of seasonings (mostly made using herbs or spices, artificial additives or MSG). Chips are an significant part of the snack food market in English-speaking countries and many other "western" nations.
There is little steadiness in the English speaking world for names of fried potato slices. North American English uses chips for the above mentioned dish, and sometimes crisps for the same made from batter, and french fries for the chewier dish. In European English, crisps are used for the crispy dish and chips for the chewy dish (as in "fish and chips"). In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, both forms of potato product are simply known as chips, as are the larger "home-style" potato chips. Sometimes the difference is made between hot chips (french fries) and packet chips.
Non-potato based chips also exist. Kumara (sweet potato) chips are eaten in New Zealand and Japan; parsnip crisps are available in the United Kingdom.
There are also regional variations. For example, in parts of the North of England, fried sliced potatoes are now and then called flakies.
In many countries potato chips are being critized because of their high fat percentage (approx. 35%) and their acrylamide content.

Ukraine

2007-02-26T20:59:00.001-08:00

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the northeast, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest and the Black Sea to the south. The famous city of Kiev is the republic's capital.
From at least the ninth century the territory of present-day Ukraine was a centre of medieval East Slavic civilization that created the state that became known as Kievan Rus and for the following several centuries the territory was divided between a number of regional powers. After a brief period of independence (1917-1921) following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Ukraine became one of the origin Soviet Republics in 1922. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic's territory was enlarged westward after the Second World War, and again in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. Ukraine became independent once more after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

Biology

2007-02-21T21:06:00.000-08:00

Biology is a branch of science employing the scientific method to describe and investigate knowledge. Scientific theories are based on scientific explanation, and these theories are sometimes advanced as new scientific information is compiled. Scientific theories can also be used to foresee phenomena that has not yet been observed. Biological systems are sometimes statistically modeled, but as in other branches of science, theories are not always described with mathematics.
The biological sciences are characterized and incorporated by several major underlying principles and concepts: universality, evolution, diversity, continuity, genetics, homeostasis, and interactions.
Many of the associate disciplines of biology, such as botany, zoology, and medicine are ancient. However, biology as a unified science first developed in the nineteenth century, as scientists exposed that all living things shared certain fundamental characteristics and were best studied as a whole. Today biology is one of the most important scientific fields. Over a million papers are published annually in a wide array of biology and medicine journals, and biology is a standard subject of instruction at schools and universities around the world.

Cooking

2007-02-15T21:37:00.001-08:00

Rice is cooked by boiling or steaming. It can be cooked in just enough water to cook it through, or it can be cooked in a large amount of water which is drained before serving. Electric rice cookers, which are popular in Asia and Latin America, make simpler the process of cooking rice.
Rice may also be made into rice porridge by adding more water than usual, so that the cooked rice is saturated with water to the point that it becomes very soft, extended, and fluffy. Rice porridge is very easy to digest, so it is specially suitable for the sick.[citation needed]
Rice may be soaked prior to cooking. Soaked rice cooks faster. For some varieties, soaking improves the texture of the cooked rice by rising expansion of the grains.
In some culinary traditions, particularly those of Latin America and Italy, dry rice grains are fried in oil before cooking in water.
A nutritionally finer method of preparing brown rice known as GABA Rice or GBR (Germinated Brown Rice)[2] may be used. This involves saturated washed brown rice for 20 hours in warm water (38 °C or 100 °F) prior to cooking it. This process stimulates germination, which activates a variety of enzymes in the rice. By this method, a result of research passed out for the United Nations Year of Rice, it is possible to obtain a more whole amino acid profile, including GABA

Jewellery

2007-02-08T21:53:00.001-08:00

Jewellery is factually any piece of fine material used to decorate oneself. Although in earlier times jewellery was created for more convenient uses, such as wealth storage and pinning clothes together, in recent times it has been used almost completely for beautification. The first pieces of jewellery were made from likely materials, such as bone and animal teeth, shell, wood and engraved stone. Jewellery was often made for people of high importance to show their status and, in many cases, they were covered with it.Jewellery is made out of almost every material recognized and has been made to garnish nearly every body part, from hairpins to toe rings and many more types of jewellery. While high-quality and artistic pieces are made with gemstones and valuable metals, less pricey costume jewellery is made from less-valuable materials and is mass-produced.Form and function Kenyan man exhausting tribal beads.Over time, jewellery has been used for a number of reasons: Currency, wealth display and storage, purposeful Symbolism Protection and Artistic display Most cultures have at some point had a practice of observance large amounts of wealth stored in the form of jewellery. Numerous cultures move wedding dowries in the form of jewelry, or create jewelry as a means to store or display coins. on the other hand, jewellery has been used as a currency or trade good; a mostly poignant example being the use of slave beads.
In creating jewellery, a variety of gemstones, coins, or other valuable items can be used, often set into precious metals. Common expensive metals used for modern jewellery include gold, platinum or silver, although alloys of nearly every metal known can be encountered in jewellery -- bronze, for example, was common in Roman times. Most gold jewellery is made of an alloy of gold, the purity of which is affirmed in karats, indicated by a number followed by the letter K. For example, ordinary gold jewellery ranges from 10K (41.7% pure gold) to 22K (91.6% pure gold), while 24K (99.9% pure gold) is considered too soft for jewellery use. Platinum alloys variety from 900 (90% pure) to 950 (95.0% pure). The silver used in jewellery is usually sterling silver, or 92.5% fine silver.Other generally used materials include glass, such as merged glass or enamel; wood, often carved or turned; shells and other natural animal substances such as bone and ivory; natural clay, polymer clay, and even plastics.
Jewellery and society
One universal issue is control over who could wear what jewellery, a point which indicate the powerful symbolism the wearing of jewellery evoked. In ancient Rome, for instance, only convinced ranks could wear rings; later, sumptuary laws dictated who could wear what type of jewellery; again based on rank. Cultural dictate have also played a important role; for example, the wearing of earrings by Western men was considered "effeminate" in the 19th and early 20th centuries. on the other hand, the jewellery industry in the early 20th century launched a crusade to popularize wedding rings for men — which caught on — as well as appointment rings for men , going so far as to make a false history and claim that the practice had Medieval roots. By the mid 1940s, 85% of weddings in the U.S. feature a double-ring ceremony, up from 15% in the 1920s.Religion has also played a role: Islam, for instance, consider the wearing of gold by men as a social taboo,and many religions have edicts against extreme display.

The Real Miracle

2007-02-04T20:44:00.000-08:00

As far as Miracles is concern, turning salty seawater in to sweet water is quite amazing. Regardless of the scientific clarification being doled out—surplus freshwater flowing from the Mahim River into the sea—the thousand mass to Mahim Creek near the beachfront in Mumbai will pretty see the ‘transubstantiation’ as the deed of the late Haji Maqdoom Baba, whose shrine is in the area. Mass hysteria, of course, is only a term to clarify the hordes of believers filling plastic bottles and drinking the water. But the real miracle would be if those glugging the ‘miraculous’ water manages to flee succumbing to serious gastric illness.
The water of Mahim Creek, sweetened or otherwise, is dirty and would scandalize not only the likes of Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment. Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai have already request to people not to drink the water. Industrial waste is not the finest ingredient for a miracle. But telling this to goggle-eyed people facing even more goggle-eyed TV cameras is as worthwhile as persuasive people that a Ganesh idol sipping milk is caused by suction and not godly lactose tolerance.
Fortunately, rumors of the sweetened water turning back to its original brackish form might stop a future surge. Now we only wait for the real miracle of no one complaining of sickness.