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Monday, February 28, 2011

Fielding positions in cricket


I am always confused about te fielding positions in cricket and am not able to follow the commentary or where the ball is going. Let me try with this diagram to understand.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Interesting Facts about some common inventions

Before invention of the thermometer, brewers used to check the temperature by dipping their thumb, to find whether appropriate for adding Yeast. Too hot, the yeast would die. This is where we get the phrase " The Rule of the Thumb".

Sliced bread was patented by a jeweller, Otto Rohwedder, in 1928. He had been working on it for 16 years, having started in 1912.

Joseph Niepce developed the world's first photographic image in 1827. Thomas Edison and W K L Dickson introduced the film camera in 1894. But the first projection of an image on a screen was made by a German priest. In 1646, Athanasius Kircher used a candle or oil lamp to project hand-painted images onto a white screen.

Interesting Fact is that The Sumerians invented writing.

The Sumerians, who lived in the Middle East, invented the wheel in about 3450 BC.

Karl Benz invented the first gas powered car. The car had only three wheels. The first car with four wheels was made in France in 1901 by Panhard et LeVassor.

JOSEPH RECHENDORFER was the first person to think of putting a piece of rubber onto the top of a pencil which makes it real easy to rub out mistakes.

Interesting Facts is that India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.

Bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laserbprinters,all were invented by women.

In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

The first rocket was invented by the Chinese in the 13th century.

False eyelashes were invented by the American film director D.W. Griffith while he was making his 1916 epic, "Intolerance". Griffith wanted actress Seena Owen to have lashes that brushed her cheeks, to make her eyes shine larger than life. A wigmaker wove human hair through fine gauze, which was then gummed to Owen's eyelids. "Intolerance" was critically acclaimed but flopped financially, leaving Griffith with huge debts that he might have been able to settle easily - had he only thought to patent the eyelashes.

The fortune cookie was invented in 1916 by George Jung, a Los Angeles noodlemaker.

Everyone thinks it was Whitcomb Judson who invented the zipper but it was really Elias Howe. Elias was so busy inventing the sewing machine that he didn't get around to selling his zipper invention which he called a "clothing closure".

The Can opener wasn't invented until 48 years after the can.

Diet Coke was only invented in 1982.



Dry cereal for breakfast was invented by John Henry Kellogg at the turn of the century Inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver in 1836.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Eccentrics in Cricket

World Cup Cricket


Ali Bacher is one of the great runners of all time. Every morning he hauls himself out of the bed he got into just a few hours before and goes for a jog to clear his head in readiness for the juggernaut of the day ahead.

He has spent a lot of his time running to Johannesburg International airport this week, where, together with the ever-entertaining Percy Sonn, he has been a member of the "meet and greet" show that welcomes teams to the Cricket World Cup.

His welcoming is as relentless as his running and while I do not doubt that he means it in all sincerity every time he says it, I will scream if I hear him say: "Welcome to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. You are coming to a country that has gone cricket mad," once more. Actually I will hear it once more. I am due at the Australian press conference as soon as I finish writing this column.
I discovered this week that there was a time when Bacher ran too much for his own good. The second-last entry in the The Cricketer Book of Cricket Eccentrics and Eccentric Behaviour notes an incident they call "possibly the world's worst running episode" in which the good doctor had a prominent part.
He was playing in a club match for Balfour Park, batting with Archer Wilson when Wilson hit the ball into the covers and both batsmen started on a quick single.

"Halfway down the track, Wilson called 'No' and turned back. Both batsmen were heading for the striker's wicket, and both made their ground. The ball was sent immediately to the bowler's end, and the bowler, doubtless surprised by finding both batsmen heading towards him, broke the wicket without the ball in his hand.

"The batsmen then split up, Wilson heading for the 'keeper's end and Bacher staying put. But then communications between 'keeper and bowler broke down, and Bacher and Wilson were tempted out of their respective creases.

"Further cries of 'Yes', 'No', 'Wait', 'Sorry' ensued, and by the time order had been restored, the batsmen were still not out but both had run more than 100 yards, both sets of stumps were flat on the ground, and not a single run had been scored."
We may be sadly short of eccentrics at this World Cup, with professionalism having sucked the fun out of most sports.

I'm sure we can count on Herschelle Gibbs to add a little sparkle to his catching celebrations, Ricky Ponting to ignore his stated mission to make Australia a better behaved team and thus indulge in some world-class sledging and one of the Canadians to score a six off the back of his bat.

But will we ever see the likes of Bobby Peel, a bowler with Yorkshire who was a drinker with a cricket problem? Like most drinkers he believed that he would be good on the other side of the bar counter and bought himself a pub, which he used to top up his blood alcohol level as often as possible.
How he played well is a mystery.

He was banned from the team for "running the wrong way and bowling at the pavilion in the belief that it was a batsman". Or there was the time, the final time, when he celebrated scoring 210 not out, his highest score ever, by going on the tear. The next day, still in a state of disrepair, he walked on to the field and "relieved himself on the pitch". He was banned for life.

He's not the only one. Graeme Pollock, Eddie Barlow and a few other South Africans took a whizz on the Old Trafford pitch after they had won a match there.
The Book of Eccentrics lists a few words of war from Fred Trueman and South Africa's Peter Heine that Brett Lee and Allan Donald may want to consider using in the World Cup.

Trueman hit Middlesex and England batsman Peter Parfitt full in the face and Parfitt retired hurt. Having discovered that nothing was broken Parfitt returned to be greeted by Trueman: "When I hit 'em they don't usually come back."

Heine was as vicious a bowler and as astute a talker. After a batsman had taken one of his deliveries to the head, Heine walked up to his victim and looked at his head: "No blood? I must be getting old."
The IT director at The Star is Dave Tiffin, who happens to be the brother of the Zimbabwean umpire Russell. As his brother has copped it in the neck a few times for his decisions in Australia, Dave may want to tell Russell this story.


When Australian captain Bill Lawry asked why he was given out umpire Arthur Fagg said straight-faced: "LBW."

"LBW?" said Lawry in disgust, "but I hit the bloody ball."

"I know," said Fagg. "That's why you were given out caught behind."

And, finally, the reason China is not at the World Cup is because of a man who did not like running at all. A fat Chinaman who had discovered cricket in England introduced his mates to the game when he got back home. As he did not enjoy fielding, he attached the ball, via a long string, to the bowler, making the deep fielders redundant. Only two runs were scored in the match, "which had an adverse effect on the Chinamen, who declared that cricket was futile and promptly retired from the game".


























The Great Wall Myth

The Great Wall Myth




It is common mistake to say that The Great wall of China is visible from outer space. It is too thin to be noticed from such a great distance. There are no man made structures that are visible from space or moon. Man made objects start to disappear after 300 miles up. From that distance you can barely see the outline of the Great China Wall. If we consider that distance from Earth to Moon is around 384,403 kilometers/238,857 miles then we can draw reasonable conclusion that it would be impossible to see any man-made structures from such a distance. Astronaut Alan Bean said: "The only thing you can see from the moon is a beautiful sphere, mostly white (clouds), some blue (ocean), patches of yellow (deserts), and every once in a while some green vegetation. No man-made object is visible on this scale. In fact, when first leaving earth's orbit and only a few thousand miles away, no man-made object is visible at that point either."









New Words in the latest Oxford dictionary

This year new words including 'bloggable', 'clickjacking' and 'scareware' have been granted entry. Other new tecchy terms to make it in are 'sexting', 'tbh' and 'feature phone'.











Language is a constantly evolving thing, like a monkey exposed to high levels of radiation, and has been growing and changing more rapidly than ever since the rise of the internet.

Sigmund Freud..Founder of Psychoanalysis.

Sigmund Freud


Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was a controversial figure. People either loved his theories or hated them. Even his own disciples got into disagreements. Freud believed that every person has an unconscious that can be discovered through a process called "psychoanalysis." In psychoanalysis, a patient would relax, perhaps on a couch, and use free association to talk about whatever they wanted. Freud believed that these monologues could reveal the inner workings of the patient's mind. Freud also postulated that slips of the tongue (now known as "Freudian slips") and dreams were also a way to understand the unconscious mind. Although many of Freud's theories are no longer in regular use, he established a new way of thinking about ourselves.

The “X” in “Xmas” , it's origin

The “X” in “Xmas” — Learn the sacred, 1,000-year-old meaning of the “X”


December 13, 2010 307 Comments Share Here’s a holiday surprise that only the dictionary can provide. Do you find the word “Xmas,” as an abbreviation for Christmas, offensive? Many people do.






You won’t find Xmas in church songbooks or even on many greeting cards. Xmas is popularly associated with a trend towards materialism, and sometimes the target of people who decry the emergence of general “holiday” observance instead of particular cultural and religious ritual.



But the history of the word “Xmas” is actually more respectable — and fascinating — than you might suspect.



First of all, the abbreviation predates by centuries its use in gaudy advertisements. It was first used in the mid 1500s.



X is the Greek letter “chi,” the initial letter in the word Χριστός. And here’s the kicker: Χριστός means “Christ.” X has been an acceptable representation of the word “Christ” for hundreds of years. This device is known as a Christogram.



The “mas” in Xmas is the Old English word for “mass.” The thought-provoking etymology of “mass” can be found here.






In the same vein, the dignified terms “Xpian” and “Xtian” have been used in place of the word “Christian.”



As lovers of the alphabet, we are transfixed by the flexibility of “X.” The same letter can represent the sacred, the profane (“rated X”), and the unknown (“X-ray.”) What does the “X” in Xbox stand for?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Edward Goodrich Acheson - Carborundum

Edward Goodrich Acheson - Carborundum


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Edward Goodrich Acheson patented a method of making an abrasive he named Carborundum - U.S.


On February 28, 1893, Edward Goodrich Acheson (1856–1931) patented a method for making an industrial abrasive he called "Carborundum" or silicon carbide. On May 19, 1896, Edward Goodrich Acheson was also issued a patent for an electrical furnace used to produce carborundum. The United States Patent Office named carborundum as one of the 22 patents most responsible for the industrial age (1926). According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, "without carborundum, the mass production manufacturing of precision-ground, interchangeable metal parts would be practically impossible."



Acheson went on to discover that when carborundum was heated to a high temperature it produced an almost pure and perfected form of graphite that could be used as a lubricant. He patented his graphite-making process in 1896.



During his lifetime, Edward Goodrich Acheson was granted 70 patents for industrial abrasives, several graphite products, processes for the reduction of oxides, and refractories.

Earlier in Acheson's career, the inventor had worked for Thomas A. Edison. In 1880, Acheson helped in the development of the incandescent lamp at Edison's laboratories at Menlo Park, N.J.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Youngest mother ever!

Lina Medina, the 5 year-old mother (youngest ever)



Lina Medina (born September 27, 1933 in Paurange, Peru) gave birth at the age of 5 years, 7 months and 21 days and is the youngest confirmed mother in medical history. This world record is closely followed by a similar case in Russia.

Lina was brought to a hospital by her parents at the age of 5 years because of increasing abdominal size. She was originally thought to have had a tumor, but her doctors determined she was in the seventh month of pregnancy. There was never evidence that Lina Medina's pregnancy occurred in any but the usual way, but she never revealed the father of the child, nor the circumstances of her impregnation. She refuses interviews.









Bill Clinton Jokes

I, Bill Clinton, President of the United States and all-around liar, cheater, socialist, resolve to do the following in 1998:


With Al Gore's help, I've realized that as an individual, I am a totally immoral person and I shall seek the government's help to make me a moral person.

I also resolve to never forget that as President, I am the government, and therefore can do whatever I want.

I resolve to have Janet cover up whatver it is that I can't do.

I resolve that if there's another bimbo eruption, I'll stay on top of her. IT! I meant, stay on top of it!

I resolve to find a way to loot all the funds of the RNC now that I've put the DNC into serious debt.

I resolve to meet with Prince Charles and have him invite over all five Spice Girls, especially that butt-grabbing one.



I resolve to let Susan McDugal rot in jail -- Oh, no, wait that was last year's resolution.



Let's just say, I promise to cut loose and sink any old friends and associates as they become liabilities. I resolve to discredit them should they try to turn state's evidence. (But that one goes without saying.)




Tuesday, February 22, 2011

ECCENTRIC DOCTOR INVENTORS

ECCENTRIC DOCTOR INVENTORS


Some of the greatest advances in medicine were spearheaded by some of the most eccentric characters. Ben Chandler reviews his top five eccentric medrepreneurs.



Horace Wells (1815-1848)

Wells was an American dentist with a dislike for inflicting pain on his patients. His flash of genius occurred at a travelling show where he observed an audience member injure their leg while under the influence of laughing gas (nitrous oxide). Wells noted that the person experienced no pain and realised that this gas might also bring to an end the pain of dental surgery.

In his first experiment he took the gas himself for his own tooth extraction and subsequently used it on a number of patients. A month later he staged his first public demonstration but unfortunately the patient was not sufficiently anaesthetised and cried out in pain when the tooth was extracted. The audience were not impressed and booed Wells from the stage. After some time promoting his work in France Wells returned to the USA and continued researching anaesthetics. Unfortunately on one occasion whilst taking chloroform he became deranged and threw acid over two prostitutes, later committing suicide once he realised what he had done.

Alexis Carrel (1873-1944)

Alexis Carrel was a gifted surgeon, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for devising methods of suturing blood vessels, as well as developing an aseptic technique that was used extensively throughout the First World War.

However, he was a controversial character, firstly drawing criticism amongst some medics for publishing a book about miracle cures at Lourdes, and later for his political views and eugenics work. He died in 1944 having been accused but never tried for collaborating with the Nazi party in occupied France.

James Barry (1792-1865)

Barry was a surgeon with the British Army and an early pioneer of the caesarean section. History suggests that Barry was actually a woman, born Margaret Ann Bulkley. Barry is likely to have been the first British female doctor.

She is alleged to have hidden her sex to allow her to follow her chosen career in medicine. It was only following her death that her true identity was discovered when underneath her gentlemen's garments was the body of a women.


Christiaan Barnard (1922-2001)

Known as the "film star surgeon" Barnard became an overnight celebrity when he performed the first human heart transplant in 1967. Always pushing the boundaries of possibility, he also transplanted primate hearts into humans on two occasions (one from a baboon and one from a chimpanzee).

His private life resembled that of a modern celebrity with rumours of numerous affairs with famous women. He married three times, twice to fashion models - the final time to a girl young enough to be his granddaughter.


Werner Forssmann (1904-1979)

Forssmann eventually became a urologist but in his earlier career he made his name by pushing catheters into places other than the urethra. His defining experiment was in 1929 when he inserted a catheter 65cm into his own cephalic vein before calmly walking up two flights of stairs to have an X-ray taken showing the tip in his right atrium. He published his feat along with suggestions for its use. However not everybody was impressed, and following disciplinary action for his self-experimentation he quit cardiology and pursued a career in urology. His work was eventually followed up and in 1956 he was awarded a Nobel Prize.






Monday, February 21, 2011

Gratitude

How many times do we regret not expressing love or gratitude? Perhaps, a number of times. This is rather unfortunate but true. Most people are very quick when it comes to criticizing others but keep quiet when a few positive words from them can help people. Death is one reality no one can deny and sooner or later, in a person’s life the day comes when his earthly existence ends. It would be a shame if we die without expressing positive feelings for people who are important to us. Worse is, if the people we love die before us without knowing how much they mattered to us.


Gratitude is the best attitude and it is the memory of the heart. A person is really hurt when a beneficiary says the routine “thanks” that comes without warmth. On the other hand it is very comforting to feel that some people keep fresh always the memory of favours they receive and continue to show their gratitude for long. In life one comes across many thankless persons who are a disgrace to the society. An honest taxi driver who roamed the whole day searching to return a money bag containing currency notes and gold to its owner received not a word of thanks. On the other hand the owner asked him why he not pointed it out to him at the time when he had got down from the taxi.

The best example of gratitude is of a person who goes to blood bank every year to donate his blood because someone had once given him a pint of blood through blood transfusion when he was sick. We may also recall the example of the learned administrator Mr.V.P.Menon, the man behind the integration of the princely states, who took the help of Rs.20/- from an unknown Sikh at Delhi railway station. At that time Mr.Menon was struggling in life.Mr.Menon asked the Sikh to whom he should return the amount, for that the Sikh replied that he could give it to someone in need. A little before his death Mr.Menon asked his daughter to bring the money bag from his room. He then took out two ten rupees notes, gave them to the beggar who was crying at the door.

What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it-would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have. “Thank you” and “please” are the little words with which we make our way smooth in life. We should thank the milkman who brings us milk, the hawker who brings us newspaper, the liftman who carries us up and down, a taxi driver or auto driver who drops us and so on. Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

Let us express love and gratitude to people who deserve it and tell them how much they mean to us. Let us motivate those who need encouragement. Our feelings in terms of affection add up as blessings for both us and the ones we harbour such feelings for.



Last but not least “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them”.









Taj Mahal

Inventor of the Assenbly line.

INVENTOR OF
of the Assembly Line by Ransom E. Olds in 1901. ASSEMBLY LINE



In order to keep up with the increasing demand for those newfangled contraptions, horseless carriages, Ransom E. Olds created the assembly line in 1901. The new approach to putting together automobiles enabled him to more than quadruple his factory’s output, from 425 cars in 1901 to 2,500 in 1902.

Olds should have become known as "The father of automotive assembly line," although many people think that it was Henry Ford who invented the assembly line. What Ford did do was to improve upon Olds’s idea by installing conveyor belts. That cut the time of manufacturing a Model T from a day and a half to a mere ninety minutes. Henry Ford should been called "The father of automotive mass production

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Unexplained Mysteries of Science

Unexplained Mysteries of Science

Thethinker Modern science is a wonderful process that brings us closer to understanding ourselves, and the nature of the universe. But it’s important to remember that “science” is a process, and through the scientific process we often find that previously accepted “scientific truths” are actually not true at all! In some gray areas, traditional scientific methods are ill equipped to explain many of life’s mysteries. Here are a few popular examples:
The Mind/Body Connection
While the medical community likes to pretend that they were always on board with the trend—it was only a few years ago when anyone who thought they could influence their health with “mindpower” was a crackpot. Science is only now beginning to understand the ways in which the mind influences the body. Scientists do not know exactly how the placebo effect, for example, can physically cause a relief in medical symptoms simply by the individual believing the cures to be effective. Now there is a plethora of research and evidence that supports that our state of mind and beliefs do have a significant effect on our health. However, exactly how our thoughts/feelings influence physical health is still poorly understood.
Near-Death Experiences
Many individuals who have died and subsequently revived report a similar and yet personal mystical experience that often involves a tunnel, emerging into light and being reunited with a deceased loved one, etc., that in theory could suggest a form of spiritual existence that continues beyond death. Several hypothesis have been suggested for these events. Some believe they are hallucinations of a traumatized brain. Some neurological experts say that the experience is “hard-wired” into our brains and can even be induced in lab experiments. What science can’t explain is why “mother nature” or evolution would have evolved us this way, or if this hard-wiring is indicative of some kind of physical/spiritual connection. Currently, there is no way to know with certainty what causes near-death experiences, or if they truly a glimpse of the other side.
Deja vu
Deja vu is a French phrase meaning “already seen”, which refers to the distinctly odd feeling one has when an experience seems to have already occurred. For example, a woman might visit a foreign country on a business trip and sit down for a meeting with people she has never previously met. Suddenly a profound and eery feeling settles on her that she has sat down and talked with this exact group in this exact place before—even though that would be impossible. Some attribute deja vu to psychic experiences or a glimpse of a past life. Research into human psychology has offered some reasonable sounding naturalistic explanations, but ultimately the cause and nature of this fairly common phenomenon is unknown.
Intuition
Some refer to intuition as a “gut feeling”, or a sixth sense. Most individuals have experienced intuition at one time in their life or another. It can come as a distinct impression to do something, avoid a specific situation or an “instinct” of something about to occur. An example is humming a tune a few seconds before the same song begins to play on the radio, or having a distinct impression to slam on your breaks even before there is any sign of a road hazard ahead. Psychologists note that people subconsciously pick up information about the world around us, and we may get impressions based on information that we are not aware that we possess. Intuition may be nothing more than intellectual thinking that is real but not clearly conscious. However, cases of intuition are difficult to prove and study because they are situational and nearly impossible to reproduce. So far, psychology has only provided partial answers, and the “six sense” is still largely experienced and little understood.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

ICC World Cup winners.

Unsolved Mystery..The Bermuda Triangle


Bermuda Triangle

Here is another intriguing wonder to the world. The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's triangle, is a triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean (305,000 km2) where the disappearances of ships, airplanes, and boats has led to the belief that "supernatural" forces inhabit this area of the sea. Many planes, ships, and boats are believed to have disappeared in this triangle without a trace. This includes the disappearance of over 1,000 seamen and airmen. In most of these disappearances, it is the fact that no distress signal was ever received from the disappearing ships or planes that enhances the cloud of mystery that surrounds them. Although violent storms and downward air currents frequently occur in the area, scientists have not revealed anything extremely peculiar. Boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle are formed by drawing an imaginary line from Melbourne, Florida, to Bermuda, to Puerto Rico, and back to Florida. Could there truly be an unnatural force at work in this geographical triangle or are these disappearances merely coincidence? Either way, numerous people remain unwilling to step over the boundary line into the Devil's Triangle.

Friday, February 18, 2011

A Miracle Baby Indeed.

Meet India's miracle baby

By: Alifiya Khan    






Now 4-month-old and 2.4 kg, baby weighing 495 grams at birth is smallest surviving infant in India, say docs

Survivor: The baby weighed 495 kg at birth
In what is being termed as a scientific miracle, a pre-term baby girl weighing just 495 grams at birth ” probably the smallest in the country ” was presented to the world by the Oyster and Pearl Tulip Hospital after three-and-half months of care. On an average, a baby weighs 2.5-3 kg at birth.

The infant, said to be the baby with the lowest birth weight to survive in the country, was born premature at 27 weeks of pregnancy on October 2. She had to be kept in neo-natal care for 90 days. Doctors waited until the baby reached a "safe survival period" and reported the incident only after it had attained a weight of 2.4 kg.

A team of senior hospital doctors led by Dr Avinash Phadnis, director of obstetrics and gynaecology, and neo-natologist Dr Tushar Parikh have been involved in taking care of the baby so far.
Doctors said the girl, who is yet to be named, was born to Narayangaon resident Shaila Pawar (36), who had a bad obstetric history.


This was Pawar's 14th pregnancy. The previous 13 pregnancies were unsuccessful, with three abortions and three intra-uterine deaths.
"She went to a doctor couple in Narayangaon, who realised that she might have hypertension related complications and referred her case to us when she was six months pregnant. She was put under the care of Dr Avinash Phadnis and put on anti-hypertensive pills to keep the blood pressure in control," said senior obstretician Dr Neena Sathe.
A few days later Pawar had sudden elevation in blood pressure at home and she was rushed to Oyster and Pearl Tulip by her gynaecologist, where doctors decided to do an emergency caesarean after looking at her condition.
"Pawar's baby was born premature, weighing just 495 grams at birth. The baby required artificial breathing support to regularise her breathing and then she was quickly transferred to the neo-natal ICU," said Dr Tushar Parikh. "To salvage the life of such a small baby was challenging as there were no reports of a baby weighing so little surviving in India."

The doctor said the last reported smallest survival was a baby weighing 540 grams.

According to doctors, babies born this small have extremely poor function of all body organs, including the lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, intestine, skin and adrenals. All of these organs need support for the survival of the child.

The baby stayed in the neo-natal ICU for almost 90 days and when discharged, its weight was close to 1,400 grams.

"We could have reported this case much earlier, but we wanted to ensure that the baby continues to grow normally and remains healthy after discharge. Now the baby is four-month-old and her weight is 2.4 kg,"

HOMONYMS, HOMOPHONES AND HOMOGRAPHS.

Basic Definitions

When we start talking about words with multiple meanings, there are some basic definitions that we need to discuss first. Those defintions are the ones attached to homonyms, homophones, and homographs.
  • Homonyms are words which have the same spelling and pronounciation, but have different meanings.
  • Homophones are words which have the same pronounication, but different spellings and meanings.
  • Homographs are words that are spelt the same, but have different pronounications and meanings.
Since the topic of words with multiple meanings is so broad, we will cover examples from each of these three unique areas. What follows are lists of homonyms, homophones, and homographs, and an explanation as to why each word belongs in that category if it is not apparent from the spellings.

Homonyms

  • crane: That bird is a crane./They had to use a crane to lift the object./She had to crane her neck to see the movie.
  • date: Her favorite fruit to eat is a date./Joe took Alexandria out on a date.
  • engaged: They got engaged on March 7th./The students were very engaged in the presentation.
  • foil: Please wrap the sandwich in foil./They learned about the role of a dramatic foil in English class.
  • leaves: The children love to play in the leaves./They do not like when their father leaves for work.
  • net: What was your net gain for the year?/Crabbing is easier if you bring a net along.
  • point: The pencil has a sharp point./It is not polite to point at people.
  • right: You were right./Make a right turn at the light.
  • rose: My favorite flower is a rose./He quickly rose from his seat.-
  •  type: He can type over 100 words per minute./That dress is really not her type.

Homophones

  • pale/pail
  • ate/eight
  • alter/altar
  • band/banned
  • buy/bye/by
  • red/read
  • blew/blue
  • boar/bore
  • canon/cannon
  • coarse/course
  • fair/fare
  • genes/jeans
  • foul/fowl
  • grate/great
  • in/inn
  • hour/our
  • knight/night
  • no/know
  • nose/knows
  • maize/maze
  • meddle/metal
  • rain/reign
  • sea/see
  • role/roll
  • their/there/theyre
  • veil/vale

Homographs

  • bass: They caught a bass./His voice belongs in the bass section.
  • read: She is going to read the book later./He read the book last night.
  • bow: She put a bow in her daughter's hair./Please bow down to the emperor.
  • minute: That is only a minute problem./Wait a minute!
  • learned: The class learned that information last week./He is a very learned individual.
  • sewer: The rats crept through the sewer./She is a fine sewer.
  • wound: They wound up the toy as soon as they got it./She received a wound from the punch.
  • does: He does his homework every night./There were many does in the forest.
  • wind: The wind swept up the leaves./Wind the clock up before you go to bed.
  • sow: A sow is a female pig./Please sow the hole in your pants before the party.

WHY ARE THEY CALLED 'HOT DOGS'

The name hot dog dates back to the 17th century when a sausage maker referred to his sausage as a "little dachshunds" or little dogs. The name evolved from there. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, people commonly believed that the thin sausages contained actual dog meat!!!.

Madme Marie Curie...Mobel Prize winner in Physics and Chemistry.










MMarie CurieARIE SKLODOWSKA CURIE opened up the science of radioactivity. She is best known as the discoverer of the radioactive elements polonium and radium and as the first person to win two Nobel prizes. For scientists and the public, her radium was a key to a basic change in our understanding of matter and energy. Her work not only influenced the development of fundamental science but also ushered in a new era in medical research and treatment.  

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Valentine's Day History and things

Valentine's Day History and things

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.

Over time, February 14 has become the date for exchanging love messages and a celebration of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. The date is marked by sending poems and simple gifts, such as flowers, to loved ones and secret loves. By far, Valentine's Day Flowers are the most popular gift today.

History of the Internet

wm club

Self Confidence..The key to success.

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The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.  Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said.  After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time." Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
 
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!  "I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.  With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.  
 
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.  "I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller." And she led the old man away by the arm.
 
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after!
 
Joke of the Day!
 
A trainee in a big multinational companay, dialed C.E.O. by mistake and said: “hey send a hot cofee in accounts deptt, in 2 mins”.
C.E.O. shouted: “Do U know with whom U are talking to?”
Trainee : “No.”
C.E.O: “I am C.E.O. of the company”.
Trainee in the same tone: “Do U know with whom U are talking ?”
C.E.O : “No.”
Trainee said: “Thank God”& disconnected the phone!

Good Deeds are rewarded by God...Churchill and Fleming.


Sir Alexander Fleming

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the boy. There mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

‘I want to repay you,’ said the nobleman… ‘You saved my son’s life.’

Lord Randolph Churchill

‘No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,’ the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel.

‘Is that your son?’ the nobleman asked.
‘Yes,’ the farmer replied proudly.

‘I’ll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.’ And that he did.
Farmer Fleming’s son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman’s son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill .. His son’s name?
Sir Winston Churchill.

Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: 
What goes around comes around. 
Work like you don’t need the money.
Money earning is just for living
Love like you've never been hurt. 
Dance like nobody’s watching. 
Sing like nobody’s listening. 
Live like it’s Heaven on Earth.

Monday, February 14, 2011

This page lists the principal inventions and discoveries of Thomas Edison. A complete list of Edison's patents.
1868
  • Invented the electrical vote recorder.
1869
  • Invented the universal stock ticker and the unison stop.
1872
  • Invented the motograph.
  • Invented the automatic telegraph system.
  • Invented duplex, quadruplex, sextuplex, and multiplex telegraph systems.
  • Invented paraffin paper.
  • Invented the carbon rheostat.
1875
  • Discovered "Etheric Force," an electric phenomenon that is the foundation of wireless telegraphy.
1876
  • Invented the electric pen used for the first mimeographs.
1877
  • Invented the carbon telephone transmitter, making telephony commercially practical. This included the microphone used in radio.
1877
  • Invented the phonograph. This was Edison's favorite invention. He sponsored the Edison Phonograph Polka to help popularize the new device.
1879
  • Discovered incandescent light.
  • Radically improved dynamos and generators.
  • Discovered a system of distribution, regulation, and measurement of electric current-switches, fuses, sockets, and meters.
1880
  • Invented the magnetic ore separator.
1880
  • Discovered the "Edison Effect," the fundamental principle of electronics.
1885
  • Discovered a system of wireless induction telegraph between moving trains and stations. He also patented similar systems for ship-to-shore use.
1891
  • Invented the motion picture camera.
1896
  • Invented the fluoroscope.
  • Invented the fluorescent electric lamp.
1900
  • Invented the nickel-iron-alkaline storage battery.
1914
  • Invented the electric safety miner's lamp.
  • Discovered the process for manufacturing synthetic carbolic acid.
1915
  • Conducted special experiments on more than 40 major war problems for the Navy Department. Edison served as Chairman of the Naval Consulting Board and did much other work on National Defense.
1927-1931
  • Tested 17,000 plants for rubber content as a source of rubber in war emergencies. A piece of vulcanized rubber was made from a Goldenrod strain he developed.

Cell Structure and Function

Cell Structure and Function

Organelles and Their Functions
In this lab you will look at the eukaryotic cells of plants and animals. Eukaryotic cells are distinguished from the more primitive prokaryotic cells by the presence of 1) cytoplasmic membranous organelles, 2) a nuclear membrane (i.e. a true nucleus), and 3) chromosomal proteins.  In this lab we will focus primarily on organelles, their functions within the cell and how they differ between plant and animal cells.
Think of the cell as a microscopic city. Like a real city it requires many services to keep it clean and running smoothly. Think of some of the services a real city needs: traffic control, waste disposal, and authority figure just to name a few. Like our imagined city a cell needs the same services. Organelles are the “workers” that provide these services. The following is a list describing the various functions of some common organelles.

 The NUCLEUS (“mayor of city hall”)

The nucleus houses the majority of genetic material of a cell. The nucleus is the “brain” of the cell and controls all activity within the cell. Using DNA as a blueprint
(like the blueprints of a city) the nucleus directs the production of proteins.  You will learn about this process in the DNA Transcription and Translation lab.
                                   
A nucleus with the DNA coiled into chromatin.                Electron microscope picture of a nucleus

RIBOSOMES (“lumber or brick yard”)

The ribosomes carry out manual labor in the form of protein synthesis for the nucleus. They bring together all the raw ingredients such as RNA (copies of the original DNA blueprints) and amino acids to assemble proteins. The proteins created are essential to cell and organismal function.  Think of proteins as machinery for cell functions much like electricity and plumbing are essential in a real city.  For example, enzymes are a type of protein without which life could not exist.
 
The large and small subunits of ribosomal RNA translating an mRNA strand into a polypeptide chain.
Refer to DNA Transcription and Translation for further reading.

The ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (“highways and road systems”)

There are two types of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) – Smooth ER and Rough ER. This extensive network makes up approximately one half of all membranous tissue of the cell and is the site of membrane and protein synthesis. The ER system is much like a road system along which industry can be found. Goods are manufactured and shipped to needed areas via the road system. Rough ER is named for the presence of ribosomes along its membrane and is the source of proteins. Smooth ER lacks ribosomes and is responsible for lipid synthesis and processes a variety of metabolic processes such as drug detoxification.

Can you tell the difference between the smooth and rough ER?

CELL MEMBRANE (“City Border”) and CELL WALL (“City Wall”)

Cell membranes are found in animal cells whereas cell walls are found in plant cells. Cell walls and membranes have similar functions. Like a city perimeter, cell membranes surround the cell and have the ability to regulate entrance and exit of substances, thereby maintaining internal balance. These membranes also protect the inner cell from outside forces. Cell walls, as the city analogy implies, are much stronger than cell membranes and protect cells from lysing (exploding) in extremely hypotonic (diluted) solutions. You will learn more about these concepts in the Biological Membranes lab.
       
Artist rendition of an animal cell membrane.                   Artist rendition of a plant cell wall.             

CYTOSKELETON (“steel girders”)

The cytoskeleton makes up the internal framework, like the steel girders that are the framework for buildings in a city that gives each cell its distinctive shape and high level of organization. It is important for cell movement and cell division (mitosis).

Picture of a cell’s cytoskeleton- a complex network of tubules and filaments.

CYTOPLASM (“lawns and parks”)

Cytoplasm is a semi-fluid substance (think gelatin) found inside the cell. The cytoplasm encases, cushions and protects the internal organelles. It is the cell landscape found in any space where organelles are not and therefore is much like the lawns and parks of our city.

The cytoplasm is the substance surrounding the visible vacuoles in this cell.

GOLGI APPARATUS (“post office”)

Like a post office, the golgi apparatus is used for shipping those goods created by the ER and ribosomes to the rest of cell.
           
EM picture of a golgi apparatus                    Artist rendition of the Golgi Complex

CHLOROPLASTS (“solar energy plant”)

Chloroplasts are organelles found only in plant cells. Like a solar energy plant they use sunlight to create energy for the city. Chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis a process in which the plant uses carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to create energy in the form of glucose for the plant cell as well as heterotrophs that consume the plant.

Artist rendition of a chloroplast- site of photosynthesis in plant cells.

MITOCHONDRIA (“energy plant”)

Mitochondria are found in both plant and animal cells and is the site of cellular respiration. Through this process that will be covered in the Photosynthesis and Respiration lab ATP is created which is used for energy by the cell.

Electron microscope picture of a mitochondria.

LYSOSOMES (“waste disposal and recycling”)

The lysosomes are digestive sacs that can break down macromolecules in the cell using the process of hydrolysis. The digestion is carried out with lysosomal enzymes found in the lysosome. Like waste disposal in a city, lysosomes help keep excessive or bulky macromolecules from building up in the cell.

Electron microscope picture of a lysosome.

VACUOLES and VESICLES (“warehouses, water towers or garbage dumps”)

Think of these membrane sacs that have a variety of functions as containment units for anything in excess in a city. They can hold many substances from organic molecules to simple excess water. Plant cells have a central vacuole that is important in maintaining plant turgidity. You can read more about this phenomenon in the Biological Membranes Lab.

Central vacuole of a plant cell.