Five Unsolved Mysteries

1. The mighty Incan Empire of South America.

The mighty Incan Empire of South America flourished between 1200 and 1535 AD. They developed drainage systems and canals to expand their crops, and built stone cities atop steep mountains — such as Machu Picchu (above) — without ever inventing the wheel. Despite their vast achievements, the Incan Empire with its 40,000 manned army was no match for 180 Spanish conquistadors armed with advanced weapons and smallpox.

2.Ancient Pyramids in Giza , Egypt

Khafre (l.) and Khufu (r.) are two of the three ancient Pyramids in Giza , Egypt . Khufu is the biggest, consisting of more than 2 million stones with some weighing 9 tons. The Pyramids, built as elaborate tombs for divine kings, date back to 2,550 BC. Modern Egyptologists believe that the Pyramids are made from stones dragged from quarries and, despite ancient Greek testimony, were built predominantly by skilled craftsmen rather than slave labor.

3. The Mayan Temple

According to the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, made famous by the ancient Mayan people, December 2012 marks the ending of the current baktun cycle. This little bit of information has many archeologists spooked. Some believe the Mayans were warning of a coming apocalypse, while others insist it’s simply a mathematical misconception.

4. The Legend of El Dorado.

The Legend of El Dorado originates from the Muisca, who lived in the modern country of Colombia from 1000 to 1538 AD. In a ritual ceremony for their goddess, the tribal chief would cover himself in gold dust and jump into a lake as an offering. This spawned the legend of a lost golden city, which led Spanish conquistadors on a wild goose chase to nowhere.

5. Easter Island

Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, is remotely located 2,000 miles off the coast of Tahiti . The original settlers of the island were Polynesians who migrated to the far-off land between 400 and 600 BC. They built many shrines and statues, called moai, from stones quarried throughout the island including a volcano site. Researchers still question exactly how the large stones were moved.

Significance of Akshaya Tritiya

Significance of Akshaya Tritiya

Every moment is auspicious on the Akshaya Tritiya day, which falls on the third day of the bright half of Hindu month Vaishakh. ‘Akshaya’ in Sanskrit means ‘that which never diminishes.’ It is also the birthday of Parashurama, Lord Vishnu’s Sixth incarnation. Today, Akshaya Tritiya has become the ‘Hindu gold rush’ day.

Astrologically, it is believed that the sun and the moon are most radiant and best placed on the Askhaya Tritiya day. Many devout Hindus choose the day to conduct auspicious functions. There is no need to select a ‘muhurat’ on this day as the entire day is devoid of malefic influences. Large number of marriages and several new beginnings take place on the day.

There are numerous legends associated with Akshaya Tritiya. According to the Puranas, the day marks the beginning to Treta Yuga. On this day, Veda Vyasa began the composition of the Mahabharata. Another myth is that Kuchela visited Lord Krishna on this day.

In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas received the Akshaya Pathram (bowl) from Lord Krishna on this day. The Akshaya Pathram provided unlimited food for the Pandavas during their exile. Due to this reason, people believe that anything that is acquired on this day will be replenished. Therefore people conduct special puja for Goddess Lakshmi and buy new gold and silver ornaments and invest money in shares and real estate.

Nowadays, the media managers of various jewelry houses create hype around Akshaya Tritiya day. Due to this jewelry shops witness heavy rush. To add to the gold craze, many banks bring out special gold coins for the occasion.

Every moment is auspicious on the Akshaya Tritiya day, which falls on the third day of the bright half of Hindu month Vaishakh. ‘Akshaya’ in Sanskrit means ‘that which never diminishes.’ It is also the birthday of Parashurama, Lord Vishnu’s Sixth incarnation. Today, Akshaya Tritiya has become the ‘Hindu gold rush’ day.

Akshaya Trithiya was on 6 May 2011.

Yankee.

Yan·kee   /ˈyæŋki/

[yang-kee]

–noun

1. a native or inhabitant of the United States.

2. a native or inhabitant of New England.

3. a native or inhabitant of a northern U.S. state, especially of one of the northeastern states that sided with the Union in the American civil war.

4. a federal or northern soldier in the American Civil War.

5. a word used in communications to represent the letter Y.

6. Military . the NATO name for a class of Soviet ballistic missile submarine, nuclear powered, with up to 16 missile launchers.

Adjective

7. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a Yankee or Yankees: Yankee ingenuity.

Origin:

1750–60, Americanism ; perhaps back formation from Dutch Jan Kees. John Cheese, nickname (mistaken for plural) applied by the Dutch of colonial New York to English settlers in Connecticut Dictionary.com

Why do we use only red, blue and green colours in 3D glasses?..from the Hindu

Why do we use only red, blue and green colours in 3D glasses?


Presence of any object or image on a screen is perceived by the brain from the light reflected by it and received by the eye as stimuli in the human visual (neural) system. The human visual system basically splits the reflected light in to three components corresponding to blue, green and red regions of the visible spectrum.

Also it is possible to produce any colour just by mixing/ controlling the relative intensities of these three colors. Hence these three colours are called primary colours and are quantified in terms of tri-stimulus values.

In order to generate an illusion or impression of real space (both area and depth) of an object or image in a two dimensional projection, three dimensional (3D) glasses are used which is accomplished with the principle of binocular vision.

That is the two eyes of the human visual system placed apart ( about 5 cms ) perceive the object/image from different positions and angles in turn causing response or stimuli as two different images of the same object in the neural- visual system of the brain.

Binocular vision in our brain uses the difference to calculate distance/depth and has the ability to correlate the images it sees in its two eyes even though they are slightly different. In the binocular system, the same scene is projected simultaneously from two different angles in two different colors usually red and cyan (or blue or green). In order to see things in 3D each eye must see a slightly different picture.

The brain then puts the two pictures together to form one 3D image that has depth eventually generating a three dimensional impression. 3D glasses make use any two of these primary colors ( blue, green and red) one for each eye as the intensity of the third colour can be inferred from difference between total light and the sum of intensities of these two colours to get the complete information on colour of the object or image to be seen through the 3D glass.

All about Adhesives

An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials. Adhesives cure (harden) by either evaporating a solvent or by chemical reactions that occur between two or more constituents.

Adhesives are advantageous for joining thin or dissimilar materials, minimizing weight, and when a vibration dampening joint is needed. A disadvantage to adhesives is that they do not form an instantaneous joint, unlike most other joining processes, because the adhesive needs time to cure.

The earliest known date for a simple glue is 200,000 BC and for a compound glue 70,000 BC.

NATURAL ADHESIVES

Natural adhesivesNatural adhesives are made from organic sources such as vegetable matter, starch (dextrin), natural resins or from animals e.g. casein or animal glue. They are often referred to as bioadhesives. One example is a simple paste made by cooking flour in water. Animal glues are traditionally used in bookbinding, wood joining, and many other areas but now are largely replaced by synthetic glues. Casein are mainly used in glass bottle labelling. Starch based adhesives are used in corrugated board production and paper sack production, paper tube winding, wall paper adhesives. Another form of natural adhesive is blood albumen (made from protein component of blood), which is used in the plywood industry. Animal glue remains the preferred glue of the luthier. Casein based glues are made by precipitating casein from milk protein using the acetic acid from vinegar. This forms curds, which are neutralized with a base, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), to cause them to unclump and become a thicker plastic-like substance.

SYNTHETIC ADHESIVES.

Synthetic adhesivesSynthetic adhesives are based on elastomers, thermoplastics, emulsions, and thermosets. Examples of thermosetting adhesives are: epoxy, polyurethane, cyanoacrylate and acrylic polymers. See also post-it notes.

Mechanisms of adhesion:Adhesion, the attachment between adhesive and substrate may occur either by mechanical means, in which the adhesive works its way into small pores of the substrate, or by one of several chemical mechanisms. The strength of adhesion depends on many factors, including the means by which it occurs.

In some cases, an actual chemical bond occurs between adhesive and substrate. In others, electrostatic forces, as in static electricity, hold the substances together. A third mechanism involves the van der Waals forces that develop between molecules. A fourth means involves the moisture-aided diffusion of the glue into the substrate, followed by hardening.

Glue sticks are solid adhesives in twist or push-up tubes. The user can apply glue by holding the open tube, thus keeping their fingers clean. Because of their ease of use, and their economic value, glue sticks are a popular school and office supply.

A Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Although now available in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, Post-it notes are most commonly a 3-inch (76 mm) square, canary yellow in color. A unique low-tack adhesive allows the notes to be easily attached and removed without leaving marks or residue, unless used on white boards.

Left and Right in politics

LEFT AND RIGHT IN POLTICS.
In politics, the portion of the political spectrum associated in general with egalitarianism and popular or state control of the major institutions of political and economic life. The term dates from the 1790s, when in the French revolutionary parliament the socialist representatives sat to the presiding officer's left. Leftists tend to be hostile to the interests of traditional elites, including the wealthy and members of the aristocracy, and to favour the interests of the working class (see proletariat). They tend to regard social welfare as the most important goal of government. Socialism is the standard leftist ideology in most countries of the world; communism is a more radical leftist ideology.

left wing

The liberal or radical faction of a political group, as in Many consider him a leader of the Democratic Party's left wing. This expression originated in the seating practice of European legislatures, whereby those holding liberal views were assigned to the left side of the house. [First half of 1800s]

right wingn.

A former political party founded in 1948 by Southern Democrats to consolidate opposition to civil rights policies of the regular Democratic Party.

Civil Rights

 

Some records in cricket

Viv's slow start, and Ryan's awesome averageAlso, a first-class baby, Tendulkar's nineties, Murali's ducks, and a triple in the second innings.

May 3, 2011

 

Muttiah Muralitharan: the world record-holder for most ducks

 

Hammad Azam of Pakistan played his first ODI as an allrounder in the West Indies last week, but didn't contribute with bat or ball. How many people have done nothing in their first one-day international? asked Khurram Malik from Pakistan

Hammad Azam, who had a quiet debut for Pakistan in St Lucia last week, is far from unique. A total of 71 players - many of them wicketkeepers - neither batted nor bowled in their first one-day international, although 26 of them did take at least one catch, including Mohammad Salman, who made his debut in the same match as Azam. The most famous name on the list is the first man to suffer this fate: Viv Richards neither batted nor bowled - and didn't take a catch either - as West Indies beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets at Old Trafford in the first World Cup in 1975.

 

After 32 innings in 33 one-day internationals, Ryan ten Doeschate of Netherlands has a batting average of 67.00. Has anyone had a better average than this at that point in their career? asked Chris Laughton from Colchester

Excellent as Ryan ten Doeschate's one-day batting average is, he has to give best to Australia's Mike Hussey, who averaged 84.33 after 32 ODI innings. He holds the record for the best average from the 11th innings to his 72nd (55.98), at which point Michael Bevan takes over until the 196th innings (53.58). After that Jacques Kallis is on top until the 300th innings (45.45), being briefly supplanted for 228 innings by Sourav Ganguly (43.30). From innings 301 onwards it's Sachin Tendulkar all the way: he currently averages 45.16 after 442 visits to the crease. As a matter of interest, ten Doeschate's Netherlands team-mate Tom Cooper had the best average of anyone after two ODI innings - 167.00.

 

Is it true that Barney Gibson of Yorkshire is the youngest player ever to appear in English first-class cricket? asked Mick Simpson from Bradford

Yes, Barney Gibson from Pudsey was only 27 days past his 15th birthday when he played for Yorkshire against Durham MCCU in Durham last week. He settled any nerves by taking a catch in the tenth over, and held on to another one later on. Gibson became, by more than three months, the youngest player known to have appeared in first-class cricket in England, beating a record from 1867, when the appropriately named Charles Young played for Hampshire against Kent when 15 years 131 days old. Just six other Englishmen are known to have played a first-class match before turning 16, among them WG Grace's brother GF (Fred), in 1866. Only one - Roy Gabe-Jones of Glamorgan in 1922 - was in the 20th century.

Sachin Tendulkar has reached the nineties a record 26 times in international cricket without reaching a hundred. But which player has been stranded in the nineties most often without ever making a hundred? asked Keith D'Souza from Nigeria

You're right, Sachin Tendulkar has been stranded in the nineties on 26 occasions in all international cricket, in addition to his 99 centuries. He is way ahead on this list, with Rahul Dravid next on 14, one ahead of Jacques Kallis. As for the second part of your question, there are 13 men who have scored two nineties in internationals without ever managing a century (some are current players who may yet get off this list). Arguably pride of place should go to the West Indian Deryck Murray, who was twice out in the nineties in Tests, and also made 95 for the Rest of the World in one of the "Tests" later deemed unofficial in England in 1970. The others with two international nineties but no hundreds are the Australians Tommy Andrews, Alec Bannerman and Shane Warne, Geoff Miller of England (two 98s in Tests, one not out, both of them made before he'd even scored a first-class hundred), India's Chetan Chauhan, the Pakistanis Asim Kamal (both in Tests, including 99 on debut) and Azhar Ali, Adam Bacher of South Africa, Thilina Kandamby (both in ODIs, and both not out) and Chamara Kapugedera of Sri Lanka, another West Indian in Derek Sealy, and Zimbabwe's Andy Blignaut.

Has anyone ever scored a triple-century in the second innings of a Test? asked David Pelham from London

The only man to do this is Hanif Mohammad, who made 337 in the second innings to stave off defeat after Pakistan followed on 473 runs behind against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58. Someone who came agonisingly close was Martin Crowe, who made 299 in New Zealand's second innings against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 1990-91. There have been only 28 scores of 200 or more in the second innings in all Tests, with Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar and Gordon Greenidge making two apiece. Only five of those double-centuries came in the fourth innings of the Test: George Headley's 223 for West Indies against England in Kingston in 1929-30 remains the highest.

Muttiah Muralitharan recently retired from international cricket having bagged 59 ducks all told. Has anyone made more? asked Jude Franco from India

Muttiah Muralitharan's haul of 59 ducks in all forms of international cricket - 33 in Tests, 25 in ODIs and one in a Twenty20 international - is indeed a record. Courtney Walsh, the leader in Tests alone with 43 zeroes, had 11 in one-day internationals as well, to make a combined total of 54. The name of the only other man with more than 50 international ducks is something of a surprise: Sanath Jayasuriya bagged 15 in Tests, 34 in ODIs and four in Twenty20 internationals. Glenn McGrath retired with 49 international ducks to his name.

Steven Lynch is the editor of the Wisden Guide to International Cricket. If you want to ask Steven a question, use our feedback form. The most interesting questions will be answered here each week. Ask Steven is also now on Facebook

Symbols of various religons.

Symbols of 14 religons.

Left or Right side of the Road?

The terms right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic refer to regulations requiring all bidirectional traffic to keep either to the right or the left side of the road, respectively. This is so fundamental to traffic flow that it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road. This basic rule eases traffic flow and reduces the risk of head-on collisions. Though originally most traffic drove on the left worldwide, today about 66.1% of the world's people live in right-hand traffic countries and 33.9% in left-hand traffic countries. About 72% of the world's total road distance carries traffic on the right, and 28% on the left.

Blue ...Left sided drive. Red...Right sided.

Left-hand traffic

 

A sign on Australia's Great Ocean Road reminding foreign motorists to keep left.All traffic is generally required to keep left unless overtaking.

Oncoming traffic is seen coming from the right.

Right-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.

Most traffic signs facing motorists are on the left side of the road.

Traffic on roundabouts (traffic circles or rotaries) goes clockwise.

Pedestrians crossing a two-way road look first for traffic from their right.

The lane designated for normal driving and turning left is on the left

Most dual carriageway (divided highway) exits are on the left

Other vehicles are overtaken (passed) on the right, though in some circumstances overtaking on the left is permitted.

Most vehicles have the driving seat on the right.

A left turn at a red light may be allowed after stopping.

On roads without a footpath pedestrians may be advised to walk on the right.

 Right-hand traffic

All traffic is generally required to keep right unless overtaking.

Oncoming traffic is seen coming from the left.

Left-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.

Most traffic signs facing motorists are on the right side of the road.

Traffic on roundabouts (traffic circles or rotaries) goes anticlockwise.

Pedestrians crossing a two-way road look first for traffic from their left.

The lane designated for normal driving and turning right is on the right.

Most dual carriageway (divided highway) exits are on the right

Other vehicles are generally overtaken (passed) on the left, though in some circumstances overtaking on the right is permitted.

Most vehicles have the driving seat on the left.

A right turn at a red light may be allowed after stopping.

On roads without a footpath pedestrians may be advised to walk on the left.

 

History. In 1998, archaeologists found a well-preserved track leading to a Roman quarry near Swindon, England. The grooves in the road on the left side (viewed facing down the track away from the quarry) were much deeper than those on the right side. These grooves suggest that the Romans drove on the left, at least in this particular location, since carts would exit the quarry heavily loaded, and enter it empty.

 

Some historians, such as C. Northcote Parkinson, believed that ancient travellers on horseback generally rode on the left side of the road. As more people are right-handed, a horseman would thus be able to hold the reins with his left hand and keep his right hand free—to offer in friendship to passing riders or to defend himself with a sword, if necessary.

In the late 18th century, the shift from left to right that took place in countries such as the United States was based on teamsters' use of large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. The wagons had no driver's seat, so a postilion sat on the left rear horse and held his whip in his right hand. Seated on the left, the driver preferred that other wagons pass him on the left so that he could be sure to keep clear of the wheels of oncoming wagons. He did that by driving on the right side of the road.

Paper for currency

Most banknotes are made from cotton paper (see also paper) with a weight of 80 to 90 grams per square meter. The cotton is sometimes mixed with linen, abaca, or other textile fibres. Generally, the paper used is different from ordinary paper: it is much more resilient, resists wear and tear (the average life of a banknote is two years), and also does not contain the usual agents that make ordinary paper glow slightly under ultraviolet light. Unlike most printing and writing paper, banknote paper is infused with polyvinyl alcohol or gelatin to give it extra strength. Early Chinese banknotes were printed on paper made of mulberry bark and this fiber is used in Japanese banknote paper today.

Most banknotes are made using the mould made process in which a watermark and thread is incorporated during the paper forming process. The thread is a simple looking security component found in most banknotes. It is however often rather complex in construction comprising fluorescent, magnetic, metallic and micro print elements. By combining it with watermarking technology the thread can be made to surface periodically on one side only. This is known as windowed thread and further increases the counterfeit resistance of the banknote paper. This process was invented by Portals, part of the De La Rue group in the UK. Other related methods include watermarking to reduce the number of corner folds by strengthening this part of the note, coatings to reduce the accumulation of dirt on the note, and plastic windows in the paper that make it very hard to copy.