#reading about how to combine greek words based on how the grammar works

[wetbloodworm]

the worldbuilding doc for my new storyline is going well

[gemsofgreece]

Hi there, a big goal of mine is to become fluent in Greek. Do you know of any good sources that could possibly set me on that path? Thank you!

Hey! Well, I never needed to look into it so I’m not sure what would work best. I assume you mean Modern Greek. Here’s a video of a Belgian man who learned Greek and he now speaks fluently (not perfectly but impressively well) so the method and the courses he followed may be helpful to you too. 

Since I can’t help much with sources here’s some general advice on what to expect, what’s easier and what’s harder. I agree with everything the man above says except maybe for one detail:

Like the Belgian also says, Greek is challenging but NOWHERE as hard as it is stereotypically believed. I’d say, Modern Greek is like difficult German that sounds like ancient Spanish (whatever that means lol). Maybe rated 3,5-4 max out of 5 in difficulty. Definitely not a 5.

If you watch youtube lessons, DON’T watch lessons by Non-Greeks or Greek Americans etc. Always opt for native Greeks otherwise you’ll never get accurate exposure to Greek pronunciation and accents. English speakers traditionally have a hard time using correct pronunciation in Greek no matter how well they know the language and vice versa. These two languages have entirely different phonetics. Greek sounds more like Spanish or Italian. Watch a lot of Greek TV shows and movies. A lot is available on youtube.

Greek is an easy language to learn on a basic level in order to communicate but quite hard to master (that’s where the notorious difficulty rumours are earned) . After you learn the alphabet and a few basic rules about double vowels and consonants and you have a lexicon next to you, you are ready to pronounce, read and understand everything. Piece of cake. Next step is listening. People think Greeks speak very quickly which is not true but it is a misonception until learners understand how syllables with open codas work in Greek. Greek words are somewhat long with usually a consonant-vowel succession and they usually end in vowels which confuses people as to where a word starts and ends. The moment you get the hang of this, the language slows down rapidly and listening becomes also very easy because Greek is spoken very clearly. Next comes syntax which is easy yet a little tricky when you have to use it yourself. Modern Greek syntax is very flexible and has no strict structure at all. You can change the place of the words based on what you want to emphasize. The tricky part is that you still need to make sense and change words accordingly with what you are trying to focus on, not just start mixing words randomly duh. Next level: vocabulary. Medium difficulty. Many words in other Indoeuropean languages derive from Greek so you’ll find similarities and it’s gonna be entertaining. Fun fact: Greek students find Vocabulary to be the easiest thing when learning other european languages exactly for that reason. What truly makes Vocabulary hard like the Belgian Greek speaker says will be my last note.Tip: when you learn a new greek word, a long one, always check its etymology. Trust me. Next level: Grammar. Okay, no lie here, you will have to work. You will have a lot of things to memorize and get used to. Greek Grammar is very similar to German Grammar, their philosophy is the same, only the greek one is more complex and harder. But both languages function in a similar way and Modern Greek has a way more flexible syntax than German. Last level: dictation. RIP. Which is why it’s much easier to understand, read and speak Greek than to actually write it. Greek dictation is a beast and most courses will probably force you to memorize all of the vocabulary with its weird as heck vowel combinations. Let me give you an example: take a word that means (he/she/it) “realises”. The word is pronounced: sinithitopií. However, it’s written “συνειδητοποιεί”. Imagine having to memorize dictation for this and words like this. However, here’s why in order to get used to greek dictation you need a good understanding of etymology and grammar. Third person verbs that end in “ee” always are written with an “ει”. From the etymology you can understand that the word is formed from the word pií which means “does”. Pií is written as ποιεἰ  so if you know this simple word you can then conclude how words that derive from it are written. Same with the first part of the word but it is a little more complex so I’m not gonna go there. In short, my advice: don’t be discouraged at all by the alphabet, reading and listening, read as many books and watch as many shows as you can (preferably with subtitles like Το Νησί (To Nisi) - The island TV show in yt) and when you start comprehending how the language works and learn words, then start delving deep into the grammar and start becoming more fluent. Lastly, Greek language does not have many irregularities and it is based on logic. Everything makes sense and has an explanation even if it initially looks weird. If you have any question on why something is like that, google it. Google is full of very good databases on greek grammar and etymology. Most sites I’ve seen are reliable. What is not at all accurate are the accent and pronunciation courses. Remember!!! ONLY Native Greek videos!!!

[fantroll-purgatory]

World: Alternia! For once Name: Pirzes Orvaik. Honestly I used a generator for this one, I’m pretty sure.

Hmm. Well, Pirzes could be reorganized to Prizes, so if you made her the kind of Parental Figure that like gives her kiddos Positive Reinforcement for everything, I think that could work well! 

Maybe we could change Orvaik to Orstak, which is a scrambling of Arktos, the Greek word for Bear. Because… mama bear jokes are eternal, really. 

Age: Didn’t think too hard about this, but 7-8 sweeps just about

Theme/Story: Pirzes is desperately protective of her friends, and has a love of all wigglers. She used to entirely buy into the Alternian culture of culling all who were different/mutated/etc, until she herself had to cull one, simply for hatching as a lime- Something she herself viewed as beautiful, not to mention incredibly rare. For perigees afterwards, she subtly hid mutated or otherwise cull-worthy wigglers in her own hiveblock until during the day, she ran with them. She left to her friend’s hive, and has been trying to hide and raise the wigglers ever since.

I love this setup so much, but you probably need to map timelines and come up with ideas for wrigglerhood in your head. If she stashes them for perigees, then are some of them like troll-toddlers now? Slightly bigger and harder to keep under wraps? Is that why she had to run?   Goals: General advice, please! plus a few suggestions? Strife Specibus: I don’t know.

I’m trying to think of good like Mom Jokes. Broomkind? Or if she has to wrangle wrigglers a lot to keep them out of danger, she could be partial to something like Netkind. Or you could give her a more traditional weapon like an axe or a sword, but she’s put one of these things on it. 

Fetch Modus: Also don’t know!

ABC modus where she has to spell out the word with magnets to get the item (she adopted this to help teach her wrigglers how to spell, but gee if it isn’t exhausting sometimes)

Blood Color: She is a Jade! Symbol and Meaning: Virpio! Tis her zodiac

(SIGN OF THE HEARTH) (I must ask- where did you decide upon this? You make a lot of comments where it’s “oh her zodiac decided it!” but… that’s not how it works, character writing wise. If she’s going to be Prospit/Light, you have to actually write her that way. If you don’t want to write a character with those traits… there’s 23 other sign combinations per color!! You have the power!)

(My reccomendation is going to be:)

( VIRITTANIUS, SIGN OF THE DELIBERATE)

Handle: Don’t know, whoops

caretakerNaturae might be a good one, as an obvious reference to Lusus Naturae. It’s fitting enough for a jade that no one would bat any eyes, but still reveals more about her activities than anyone realizes. Quirk: { She puts brackets around her speech, like this! She doesn’t close them until she’s done speaking. She uses proper grammar, but speaks fairly casually }

She could probably censor her swears, too, if she ever swears at all of course. More habits picked up from trying to raise some babies! You could also have her do that thing a lot of Daycare Employees or Kindergarten teachers will accidentally do where they’ll tell their fellow friends like ‘Say bye, bus.’ Goofy mistakes make a good character.  Special Abilities: Latent rainbowdrinker abilities of course, and the resistance to the sun all jades have! Lusus/Guardian: Did. not think of this. She probably left her lusus behind when running to her friend’s hive (A seadweller)

Jades don’t seem to have lusii, since they appear to live in the caverns with one another and to raise wrigglers/look upon prospective lusii, so you may not have to worry about this. If you want to, though, you could give her one, or give her a favorite lusus from the pack. 

Interests: She enjoys video games, cooking, and occasional sewing. Her friends lately have introduced her to hacking, law related stuff, hunting, and robotics. Though due to raising the wigglers, she’s lost most of her free time, but she hopes once they pupate she’ll get back into it. 

She should probably be interested in lusus naturae and their parenting behavior, too. Reading up on papers about wriggler socialization! How does she help her little buggies grow?!     Appearance: Pirzes is a bit more than average height, and looks just plain exhausted all the time. Her hair is cut short to make it easier to manage, and she doesn’t wear any makeup. Her outfits are generally picked based on functionality more than style, and she always has one of her wigglers swaddled in her arms. Her horns are tall, and both have a hook at the end, but she’s kind of filed them down a little, so they aren’t a hazard. Personality: She’s a kindly person, but easily stressed and frazzled. She can tend to be defensive towards strangers, especially highbloods, though she thinks that her friend’s status as a violet will protect her. She’s fiercely protective of her friends and wigglers, and tends to let her words get away from her quickly. (Now here’s where I’m getting the weird vibe: Where’s the Light Player Relentlessness? Where’s the Prospit flexibility? Where’s the parts of her character that exist outside of the story you have for her?) Lunar Sway: Prospit! Cuz, uh, extended zodiac? (But… why though. Why make Virpio her sign if you don’t have a good reason for it?) (Prospit characters struggle specifically with Deception, and I think that’s a key thing to keep in mind for your character. If she’s a Prospit dreamer, she’s probably not used to rebelling or hiding her true feelings- that could cause her a lot of strife. If those sound like things she’d be used to, she’s Derse.) Title: She’s a light player, but that’s all i know, really.  (But are you SURE about that? Light players are aggressive, they don’t take no for an answer and they love to take the spotlight. None of that seems fitting for a character like this.) (In my head, the narrative arc for her is deliberately making the decision to rebel, something she thought long and hard about, and scares her deeply. But she must do it. Like any good Void player, she’s casting doubt on things that are already “understood” the worth of mutants, limes, and other “undesirable” wigglers.) (Her hiding of the Wigglers for a while is also pretty classic Void- Equius’ nature as the Heir of Void allows him to hide the cue ball- something another Touched By Void character (Rose) uses to access knowledge.) (My thought is somewhere around Witch of Sylph- but she has less character than she has Story, so it’s difficult to ascertain. She’s someone who plays with shadow in order to save the candles from being snuffed out, hiding the life of these wigglers in order to better use their lives.) Land: None!

[pretty-prima-blog]

General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

New Post has been published on https://app2chart.com/general-knowledge-pt-xviii/

General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl’s original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott’s Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:’Web’ and ‘episode’. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn’t joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government’s chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual ‘pardoning the turkey’ during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita’presidential pardon’.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets ‘schlimazzeled’. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes’ talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes’ techniques are generally of the form, ‘If p, then q, where ‘p’ is observed evidence and ‘q’ is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word ‘syntax’?

The word ‘syntax’ is derivedfrom the Greek word ‘syntaxis’, meaning ‘together’ and ‘sequence’. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn’t until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term ‘zero-watt’, though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map legend?

Amap legend is a guide to allthe symbols used on a map. It helps a person read a map correctly. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on a map. Stated simply, a map legend is a sort of dictionary so that you can understand what the map represents. Vegetation, topographic features, surface features etc are all represented by unique symbols which, in most cases, are standardised.

Whatis the Olympic Tower 2016?

The Olympic Tower 2016 is a vertical structure that will be placed in Cotonduba Island. It will serve both as an observation tower, and a welcome sign for visitors arriving by air and by sea at Rio de Janeiro, where the Olympic Games 2016 will take place. The project is from Zurique, and utilizes solar energy during the day with its solo power panels to pump sea water.

What is the flamenco?

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumentalmusic and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and a dancing pattern that evolved over the centuries. The theatrical presentation is a ballet.

Who is an Aunt Millie?

Aunt is a term used to describe an uneducated or unsophisticated investor who is new and unfamiliar with investing, which makes him prone to poor investment choices. It has a derogatory connotation in the financial sector. Aunt Millie is used with reference to a low-risk investment offered to first-time, inexperienced investors.

What is the Bourbon Trail?

A tour programme managed by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), the Bourbon Trail or Kentucky Bourbon Trail meant to promote the bourbon industry in Kentucky which is over 200 years old. People who mail in a promotional passport which has been stamped by all the participating distilleries get free T-shirts courtesy the Association. The trail was launched in 1999 by seven of the eight distilleries in the region.

WhatisSukkot?

Sukkot is one of the three “Pilgrim Festivals” in the Jewish tradition. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month ofTishri, i.e. late September to late October, it is a reminder of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thefestivallasts seven days. The first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services. The remaining days are known as Chol Hamoed (“festival weekdays “).

What is the littoral zone?

The littoral zone is that part of the river or sea which is closest to the shore. It extends from the shoreline to 600 feet (183 metres) out into the water and is divided into three zones called supralittoral, intertidal and sublittoral. The zone is a tricky area when it comes to predicting water conditions because so many factors affect it. Coastal currents, onshore and offshore winds, reefs, bays arid the share of the shoreline are some of the things sailors have to deal with when passing through this zone.

What is Greco-Roman wrestling?

It is style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. The style is different from freestyle wrestling as it forbids holding below the waist. This directs the emphasis on throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbingtheir opponent’s leg.

What does stirring up a hornets nest mean?

Hornets are wasp-like insects. Their nests are similar to the ones made by bees. Stirring up a hornet’s nest metaphorically means to stir a silent/calm situation into that filled with rage, discord or one with chaos. It also means to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. This metaphor is self-explanatory as when one ‘stirs a hornet’s nest’ the hornets fly out of their nest in a temper and attack the cause of the disturbance.

What is the hour-glass ceiling?

It is a time-based impediment to career advancement, often faced by working mothers where they spend much more time than working fathers with their families, instead of at the workplace. Almost all senior level positions demand longer hours at the workplace but mothers are rarely able to work out flexible work timings, mostly as a result of inadequate cooperation from the people around them.

What is carrom ball in cricket?

Carrom ball is where the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a conventional release, is squeezed out and flicked by the fingers like how a disc is flicked on a carrom board. The first bowler known to have used this style of delivery was Australian Jack Iverson from Victoria, who used it throughout his test career in the period after the Second World War, although he did not use the name ‘carrom ball’. It is used by off-spinners and was again introduced by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka in 2007-08. At present, only Ajantha Mendis and Ravichandran Ashwin of India use it in international cricket.

What is the Bom Sabado?

‘Born Sabado’ is a Portuguese word Which means ‘Good Saturday’ in English. Bom Sabado, in recent months, l|as come to refer to a javascriptbiased virus that has infected the social networking site Orkut. The virus hit the site on a Saturday in September 2010. It is an auto-generated message which fills the user’s scrapbook, like a scrap from a friends’ list.

What is a currency war?

Currency war, also known as ‘competitive devaluation’, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their home currency, so as to help their domestic industry. Currency wars have been rare throughout history as even at times when a system of fixed exchange rates have not been in place, countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency or have been content to allow its value to be set by the markets.

What is the origin of ‘high five’ in sports?

The term ‘high five’ is a hand gesture made by two partners to congratulate each other on a combined achtevement. A high five involves the two partners raising a hand each with outstretched fingers, and slap,; ping’each other’s palms, while saying ‘give me five’. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980, and is saidto have its origins in US basketball. Some say high five was used first in basketball in 1977 by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, whereas some others say the gesture was used first by Lament Street in the 1960s.

What is beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport which is mainly played on sand (though it can sometimes be played indoors) but what mainly distinguishes it from, indoor volleyball is that each team has two players each. Like other Variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team’s court. Originating in Southern California and Hawaii, beach volleyball is now popular worldwide, even in countries without traditional beaches like Switzerland.

What is a dramedy?

A style of television entertainment that combines two genres, dramedy also comprises many styles of television, theatre andfilm. It balances humour and drama, or serious content, to an almost equal extent. A dramedy is also called comedy-drama or seriocomedy One of the first times a dramedywasattempedwas with Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid’.

What is black energy ?

In astronomy, black energy is a hypothetical form of energy that per- meates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. Black energy currently accounts for 73% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Black energy has been used as a crucial ingredient in a recent attempt to formulate a cyclic model for the universe. The nature of black energy is very homogeneous, not too dense.

What is a docusoap?

The term docusoap is made up from two words — documentary and soap (television serials). A docusoap therefore is a television documentary with soap opera elements: a television programme that combines documentary style with aspects of soap opera, eg by showing the personal lives of people at their workplace. The term came into circulation in the late 20th century.

What is Nido (Nest) Therapy?

Nido(Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person’s environment, not their personality The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido(Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction and chemical dependency. It is also used in the treatment of substance abuse, psychosis and personality disorders.

What is scarlet day?

Scarlet day is the term used in the University of Cambridge to designate those days on which doctors are required to wear the festal form of academic dress. It is so called because of the scarlet elements in the gowns and hoods of the festal full dress worn by doctors as opposed to the everyday black gowns. On these days, it is also permitted for members of the University to wear the academic dress of other universities from which they have obtained degrees.

What is the origin of judo?

Judo has its origin in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, (alsojujitsu) a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are usually credited with developing jujutsu. In their time, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, in which fighters fought, fully clad in Japanese armour. The chronicle of the Japanese nation, documents public, unarmed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 B C. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, thejujutsufighterwas expected to be pliable, winning by appearing to yield.

What is a NEET?

NEET is a British term used for a young person who is not engaged by way of any work, academics, or training programme. It’s an acronym derived from the phrase ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’, a government classification often used to refer to the stage that teenagers or young adults go through when they have nothing to do. However, the age group of people under this category varies from county to country.

Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled The History of John Bull’ but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.

What is the origin of the term Trench Kiss’?

One theory is associated with France being known as the city of love, with the Eiffel Tower and Paris considered the ultimate symbols of romance. Another theory is that French Kiss was a derogatory term used during war: —it was said that the French would rather make love with their faces than fight. The term dates back to at least the 1820s and became popular again during the 1920s when the French were believed to be preoccupied then with passion and love.

Why is the international dateline drawn in a zigzag manner?

The International Date Line (IDL) passes through the Pacific Ocean. It is an imaginary line, like longitudes and latitudes. The time difference on either side of this line is 24 hours. So, the date changes as soon as one crosses this line. To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner.

Why are celestial bodies spherical in shape?

Celestial bodied, are spherical in shape because of gravity Whenever enough mass gathers close together, the resultant gravity, which follows the inverse square law, pulls equally in all directions and results in a spherical shape. Irrespective of the material composition of the celestial body a diameter of a few hundred kilometers is sufficient to create a spherical form.

What are Humboldt penguins?

They are South American penguins that breed in coastal Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins are named after the cold water current they swims in, which takes its name after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. These birds are medium-sized with blackish-grey upper parts and whitish under parts and a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breastband. They have spines on their tongues, which are used to hold prey.

What is infoganda?

Infoganda — a portmanteau of information and propaganda — has found currency to describe a news item or a literary piece of work that is informative and also has an underlying agenda. Infoganda is often used by governments and religious bodies to promote a certain message. The word has a negative slant to it.

What is a chicken market in the stocks trade? .

‘Chicken market’ is used to represent one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an investor who is afraid to take risks.

What is the Chandrasekhar limit in astronomy?

When the sun cools down in about five billion years, gravity will make it shrink. It will end up as a solid lump — a dead star called white dwarf. In the early 1930s, Indian scientist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar found out that if a white dwarf has more than 1.4 times as much mass as the sun, it will not be able to support itself. This is the Chandrasekhar limit.

Why does a person cry while having a hearty laugh?

People cry in response to emotion, whether it is good or bad, because of signals from the higher centres of the brain that tell the tear glands whether they are happy or sad. These signals travel through the parasympathetic pathways, part of the complicated patterns of emotion that our body instinctively recognizes.

What is the origin of the relay race?

The relay race, which is now an Olympic event, first began with Aboriginals carrying messages between tribes. Legends were passed from generation to generation and from tribe to tribe. In some cases, when the messages were urgent, two separate messengers were sent in different directions with the same message. In some cases, messages had to be relayed from tribe to tribe as one person could not cover such huge distances. This was how relay races began.

What is 2-D technology in cars?

Nowadays, 2-D barcodes are used in cars. There are two types of barcodes that are widely used: one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D). 1-D barcode is common in most household products, while 2-D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label.

What is Anubis associated with?

Anubis’ is the Greek name for the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis was known as ‘Inpu’. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom’s pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead, but was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. After that, Anubis was changed into one of the many sons of Osiris, and the conductor of souls of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt near the cemeteries throughout Egypt.

WHAT IS SLACKTIVISM?

Slacktivism is used to describe activism which does not require a person to put in any great effort. Slaektivistsjoin causes on the internet and get a feeling of satisfaction without even moving out of their chairs. It is a slightly derogatory term for meaningless causes, as opposed to activism as a crusade, A slacktivist is rarely identified with the cause and is not a flag-waving, card-carrying type.

What is cloud computing?

The term cloud computing with reference to IT is a service offered by a third party — typically a Technology Services Provider— and offered on subscription basis by leveraging the internet. The key proposition is to move away from expensive; capex heavy, on-premises options to affordable, cost-efficient arrangements that are offered on a one-to-many basis. It is a misperception that cloud computing refers to only software; it includes hardware as a service enabling computing on demand.

Why is the countdown so important while launching a rocket?

A countdown is loudly counting in reverse from 10 to 1, prior to an event. In a rocket launch, a countdown is a carefully devised set of procedures ending with the ignition of a rocket engine, which starts 72 to 96 hours prior to its launch time. During the countdown, step-by-step procedures like placing the vehicle at the launch site, loading the essentials needed for the launch, setting up communication with the launch centre, etc are executed. When everything is okayed, ‘T minus Time’, that is, 3 minutes and 40 seconds is set and the process of ignition begins.

Who is Jack Frost?

A common figure in Western folklore, Jack Frost is a personification of the nippiest winter weather, credited with leaving beautiful plant-like patterns on windows and frosting on leaves. His name is probably of Norse derivation— the Norsemen knew him as ‘Jokul FYosir or Jack Frost. The Saxons who settled in Britain had their Lord Snow and King Frost.

What is the mystery of Easter Island?

Easter Island is the eastern-most island of Polynesia, located 3,200 km west of Chile, which annexed it in 1888. The island is called so because it was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen. Its mystery lies in the hundreds of carved stone statues, as high as 12 metres, found on the island, although it was uninhabited when discovered.

What is Cloud Gate?

Cloud Gate is the internationally renowned sculpture designed by British artist of Indian origin, Anish Kapoor, It is located at the centre of the AT&T Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, and was completed in 2006. The stainless steel sculpture is arch- shaped, and is about 12 feet long and weighs 110 tonnes. It is the result of a competition which Anish Kapoor won. Despite experts raising concerns about design and feasibility, it was completed with little or no modifications and is now considered an architectural marvel.

What is a jungle gym?

A jungle gym, also known as monkey bars or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of thin material, such as metal pipes or, in more current playgrounds, rope, on which children can climb, hang, and sit. It was traditionally constructed as a frame of metal bars and was introduced in 1920 by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.

What is a vacation bank?

A vacation banker leave bank is what an employer allots to a staffer every year. A Vacation Deprivation study found that many employees failed to use their leave completely, adding many man-days to production. An employee dips into the bank to lengthen weekends, and sprinkles them over the year. ‘Vacation bank’ has gained a more current meaning — the creation of a bank of unused vacation hours by staffers. Instead of letting leave lapse, an employee can transfer the days to the company’s ‘vacation time bank’ — these can be used by any employee in a crisis.

What is Blue Ocean strategy?

It is a business strategy for creating uncontested, virgin market space. The metaphor of red and blue oceans describes the market: blue oceans denote the industries not in existence today where demand is created rather than fought over. Red oceans are industries existing today — boundaries are defined and competitive rules are known. Cut-throat competition turns the ocean bloody, which gives it the term ‘red oceans’. It is explained in the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What do sugar-free products contain?

Sugar-free products contain sugar substitutes, some natural and some synthetic. Artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. Artificial sweeteners are cornpounds with sweetness 300-500 times that of sucrose (table sugar). As a result, less sweetener is required, energy contribution is often negligible and blood glucose levels are not effected.

What is emission trading?

It is an advanced method to control pollution by providing economic incentives. A government authority sets a limit or cap on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in an open environment. Manufacturers are issued emission permits and allotted an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) to emit a specific amount of pollutants. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from companies which pollute less — this is referred to as emissions trade.

What are crop circles?

Crop circles are mystery circles which farmers in southern England have observed, especially in 1980. Large sections of their fields were trampled into circles overnight. Sometimes, the crops were flattened into strange designs. Though it was made to look like machines were used,the crops were not damaged.

What is Area 51?

Area 51 is a term used in CIA dbcupients for a military base 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site. It is a block of land six by 10 miles, on which is a large secret air base, at the shore of Groom Lake. The base was created in 1954 to test the secret U-2 spy plane, besides research on UFOs and extra-terrestrial bodies.

What is a Tea Party protest?

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by the

British government.

What is cloud music?

Cloud music is a new service which has done away with the need to download music. Music lovers now have music at their fingertips simply by subscribing to companies logging on to this new business. Subscription is dirt-cheap and the song/album is played instantly over a mobile device that links to the internet via the cellphone network. The royalties from cloud music subscription go back to music companies.

What is a Parthian shot?

The Parthian shot was a famous military combat tactic practised by the Parthians, the ancient Iranian people hailing from the north-eastern region of Iran called Parthia. The theme ‘Parthian tactic’ was to surprise the enemy with the hit-and-run action using light horses, dividing their own forces by pretending retreat and then turning unexpectedly back and showering the enemy with deadly arrows, surrounding and destroying them.

How is the market price of a share established during trading ?

The price at which buying and selling transactions take place is determined by market forces, that is, demand and supply for a particular stock. If a company enjoys high investor confidence and its stock price is expected to rise, many people would want to buy it (high demand) and very few will sell it at the current market price (less supply). Buyers have to bid higher to match the asking price from the seller, thus increasing stock price. If there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price falls.

What is cross-branding? How does it work?

Cross-branding is a market approach to enhance two brands by associating them with each other. Amazon, corn is well-known for applying the concept, working with such brands such as Toysrus, Office Depot and Weight Watchers. Another example is of Grasim taking over L&T Cement and using the brand.

What are rubber rooms?

The ‘rubber room’ is where hundreds of New York City school teachers sit and do nothing, but are paid their full salary Each year, hundreds of school teachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. While awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they report to an off-campus location called the ‘rubber room’.

What is the resonant frequency of an object?

Every object has its a natural frequency at which it achieves maximum amplitude during vibrations, if left to vibrate free after applying external force. This frequency is known as resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of an object depends on factors such as shape, mass and density of material. Even a house or bridge has its own unique resonant frequency A bridge vibrating at resonant frequency may collapse.

What is Jujutsu?

Jujutsu or Jiu-jitsu literally meaning the “art of softness” or “way of yielding” is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles, including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method to defeat an armed and armoured opponent without weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking against an armoured opponent, the method to neutralize an enemy is using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than oppose it. ;

What is a rehook?

A rehook is a film which is so powerful and appealing that cinema goers go back for repeat viewings. These blockbuster shows keep the box office coffers full. Good examples are classics like “Gone with the Wind”, “Titanic”, even the Bond series. New hit “Inception” is another rehook, with many people returning for repeat shows, but more because the plot is so complex that viewers want to make sense of it. This is the power of the rehook. ‘

How did ‘Hello’ come to be used as a greeting over the phone?

The first word used to answer the phone was the nautical greeting ‘ahoy’ because the first regular phone system was in the maritime state of Connecticut. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, answered with the Gaelic ‘hoy’. But it was Thomas Edison’s greeting of ‘hello’, an exclamation of surprise dating back to the Middle Ages, that caught on, and so we answer the telephone today with, ‘Hello?’ Another theory is that after inventing the telephone, he rang his girlfriend whose name was ‘Hello’, thus the first word said by him on telephone became a greeting. Before ‘Hello’ became popular, telephone operators started conversations with, “Are you there?”

What is La-La-Land?

Originally coined in 1981 by San Francisco native Bill (William) D Froelich, the term was first used in the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Froelich was explaining to his fellow workers that he was about to visit his girlfriend’s parents in La La Land, otherwise known as Los Angeles. The term was quite indicative of Froelich’s view towards the city at the time. There are bold parallels between the term la-la (unconsciousness; an elevated mind state) and Froelich’s regard for Los Angeles. After 29 years, Bill Froelich now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. His in-laws still live in La La Land.

Why is Winston Churchill’s speech known as the ‘Iron Curtain Speech’?

Winston Churchill made a speech at Fulton, Missourie in March 1946, at the onset of the Cold War. He said, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” He was the first to coin the term in order to define Stalin’s aggressive drive to control all areas east of Russia and west of Germany Thereafter, the term became popular to describe the Communists’ stronghold over East Europe.

What is the Hubbert Peak Theory?

The theory is named after American geophysicist M King Hubbert. The theory posits that for any given geographical area, from an individual oilproducing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve. It is one of the primary theories on peak oil and is based on the observation that the amount of oil under the ground in any region is finite, therefore the rate of discovery which initially increases quickly must reach a maximum and decline.

What language is spoken in Minsk?

Minsk has been a city of many languages over time. Initially it was Ruthenian (later developed into modern Belarusian). After 1569, Polish became the official language. Belarusian national revival increased the use of Belarusian language but after World War II (by mid 1980s), Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. Most residents now use Russian in day-to-day life. Belarusian is understood as well. Today, the most commonly used international language is English.

What is soundbite TV?

Children who are hooked to the tele- vision show an inability to concentrate in class during an indepth lesson, say some teachers. They blame it on ‘soundbite TV — the fast pace of television. Fed a diet of sound and visuals, these children display very short attention spans and struggle to focus in class. Teachers also complain that such children are also disruptive when they are denied their dose of ‘sound and vision bites’.

What is software entropy?

The tendency, over time, for software to become difficult and costly to maintain is known as software entropy. A software system that undergoes continuous change, like new functionality added to its original design, will eventually become more complex, losing its original design structure, and may even become disorganized as it grows. In theory, it may be better to redesign the software in order to support the changes rather than build on the existing programme.

Why is a sperm whale called so?

Sperm whale is a type of toothed whale (physeter catodon) with a very large head which has cavities containing spermaceti, a sperm oil. It is a white, waxy substance consisting of various esters of fatty acids used for making candles, ointments and cosmetics. It has no relation to sperm, the male gamete.

What is arachnophobia?

An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of arachnophobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or non-existent. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie “Arachnophobia”. The word is derived from the Greek ‘arachne’ (spider) and ‘phobos’ (fear) after the mythical Arachne, a maiden who was a skilled weaver, whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider on being challenged to a weaving contest.

What are horse latitudes and how did they get the name?

There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudeSfc|5 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It is said that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term ‘horse latitudes’.

What does ‘dumping’ mean in computer lingo?

Dumping refers to the cleaning of stored data from the core memory area of a computer into trash or somewhere else in an unorganised manner. Dumping may be done in the event of a system failure or as part of maintenance work. The reason for dumping, in most cases, is that the data has lost its value over time and occupies huge memory space. Retrieval from the dump is difficult but not impossible.

What is a flying saucer?

Many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects, also known as UFOs, in the sky. Some of them described these objects in the shape of discs or saucers hovering overhead with a glow around them. These have been mostly interpreted as transport vehicles of aliens visiting earth, but photographs of them are now believed to be hoaxes. The first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24,1947, resulted in the creation of the term by US newspapers.

What is surface diffusion?

Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms (adsorbed atom lying on a crystal surface, used in surface chemistry when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness), molecules, and atomic clusters (adparticles) at solid material surfaces. Tunnelling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunnelling effect.

What is a flophouse?

A flophouse is a place of cheap lodging. It’s normally an apartment where some occupants pay rent while others are unemployed and do nothing with their lives except party and abuse drugs. They generally share bathroom facilities and reside in very cramped quarters. The people who use these places are often called transients, although some people stay in them for years. They are just a step above being homeless. Quarters in flophouses are very small and may resemble office cubicles more than a regular hotel room. In the past, flophouses were called working men’s hotel and were rather dirty. Some cities that have flophouses in abundance become well known in their own right such as the Bowery in New York.

How are points in a stock exchange calculated?

Nifty is actually an index of 50, not 100, stocks. Also, sensex is calculated on free-float market cap only i.e. shares held by the public and not by promoters. But, Nifty is calculated by total market capitalisation. Hence, shares like ONGC where the promoter holding is large gets very little weight in the sensex as compared to the Nifty.

Who is a hypermiler?

Hypermilers are those who try to extract every bit of mileage from their cars by trying out various techniques like coasting when it’s possible, at times even switching off the engine, not switching on the air-conditioner, etc. The term originated in hybrid driving clubs. Some radical techniques are employed by hypermilers, which are called renegades. They use extreme techniques that may even compromise their security

What is the grettis saga?

The Grettis Saga is one of the finest Icelandic family sagas, which details the life of Grettis Asmundarson, an Icelandic warrior who became an outlaw. It was written in the 13th and early 14th century Well-born, brave but troubleprone Grettis, at 14, kills a man in a quarrel and is outlawed. He spends these years in Norway performing many brave deeds. On his return to Iceland, he saves people from the malicious ghost of Glam. The dying fiend imposes a curse on him, predicting that he will grow afraid of the dark. Grettis accidentally kills the chieftain’s son and is outlawed again. Grettis is pursued by kinsmen of men he has wronged and by other outlaws for the price on his head. At last, his enemies overwhelm him with the aid of witchcraft. His brother avenges his death. The saga’s theme can be summed up thus: good gifts and good luck are often worlds apart.

What is the windfall tax?

The windfall tax is what’s imposed on windfall gains, an abnormal increase in the profits of any organization or company in the normal course of its business due to certain circumstances. A good example would be the recent increase in the price of oil over the world. In this case, the oil exploration and production (E&P) companies will make huge gains if they sell oil to local refining companies at international prices, which are high. Such a gain is due to circumstances favouring E&P companies and not due to their cost-cutting or other efficient operations. These are windfall gains and the tax on such gains is called windfall tax.

What is unique about the hangzhou bay bridge?

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a bridge across Hangzhou Bay off the eastern coast of China. It links the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. It’s the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world although it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. The bridge is 36 km long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The construction started on June 8, 2003 and was completed on June 14, 2007. It is not open for public transportation but is only being used for test and evaluation purpose.

why the bucket seat in automobiles is called so?

According to some sources, the word bucket comes from the French word ‘baquet’ which means cockpit. A bucket seat is much more comfortable, especially for long journeys. Bucket seats came into use after World War II in small cars due to the lack of seating room for a third passenger on account of the presence of a floor-mounted gear handle.

what is pareto’s (80-20) rule of automation?

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian engineer-sociologist who, in the 19th century studied the number of people in various income classes and represented his findings in diagrams. His important conclusion was that 80% of the total wealth in the world is owned by 20% of people and that 20% of wealth is owned by 80% of people. A similar pattern is observed in many other problem areas where number of causes contribute to a particular problem. In other words, 20% of the causes contribute to 80% of the problem. The specific Pareto’s (80-20) rule for automation is, however, unheard of.

what is special about the garden city of palkenberg?

The Garden City of Falkenberg is a housing estate in Berlin, Germany designed and built by the celebrated German architect and town planner Bruno Taut (1880-1938). In designing the complex, Taut applied the garden city concept he learnt from England. The most striking aspect of this architecture is its use of colour: each part of a building bears a different, contrasting colour with respect to the other parts, and all the parts together produce a harmonious and pleasing effect. Falkenberg is also the name of an important town in the Halland county on the west coast of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of the river Atran. The town is wellknown for its food and beverage industry, and has several beaches and lakes- which form its major tourist attraction.

what is the origin of the term horse trading ?

The term horse trading. Which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses? As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterised by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support for one of his initiatives for another Bill or legislation.

what is moribund capitalism?

It’s a concept introduced by Vladimir Lenin, who wrote that when capitalism becomes imperialistic, it is moribund capitalism. He describes the height of imperialist capitalism as “ripe and rotten-ripe capitalism” which will eventually collapse and make way for socialism. The concept was mentioned in his 1916 book, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

who is hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor is a minor Nubian king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from 205 BC to 186 BC. He successfully rebelled against the then king Ptolemy IV in 205 BC and ruled a larger part of Egypt for 19 years and was succeeded by Ankhmakis.

what is a chromophore?

A chromophore is a group of atoms and electrons (or moiety) i.e. part of organic molecules responsible for its colour. It is an extended delocalised systems of electrons in a compound which gives its colour e.g. chlorophyll’s porphin ring, or an azo dyes benzene ring linked to N=N double bond. When a molecule absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light and transmits or reflects others, the molecule has a colour. A chromophore is a region in a molecule where the energy difference between two different molecular orbitals falls within the range of the visible spectrum. Visible light that’hits the chromophore can thus be absorbed by exciting an electron from its ground state into an excited state. In biological molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy the chromophore is a moiety that causes a confermational change of the molecule when hit by light.

in the stock market, what is the concept of grey marketing?

Grey marketing is a trade of something legal but through unofficial and unauthorised distribution channels. In contrast, black marketing is a trade of illegal goods or services through illegal channels. The grey market of goods is to import and sell products through market channels which are not authorized by the manufacturers. It occurs when the prices of a product differs significantly in different countries. The grey market of securities markets and IPO (Initial Public Offer) is to buy and sell the shares to be allotted in the future. Once the trading is done in the grey market at a stipulated price, the seller must deliver the sold number of shares to the buyer on the day of listing to honour the commitment.

what is unique about the production ‘dralion’?

‘Dralion’ is an entertainment show produced by Montreal-based company Cirque du Soleil Inc, well known for its circus-based dance dramas. The show ‘Dralion’, which has already toured different parts of the world, is currently located at Sydney and been seen by seven million people. It’s main theme is to project human life as an integral part of nature, and, specifically, to celebrate the harmony between human life and the four natural elements — earth, air, water, and fire. The theme is inspired by Chinese philosophy. It’s dances combine the traditional acts of Chinese circus and the gravitydefying acrobatics unique to Cirque du Soleil. The show presents a highly imaginative and magical perspective. The title is a combination of the two symbols of East and West — the dragon and the lion.

Why is glass brittle?

Ordinary glass is soda-lime glass and is a mixture of silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium etc. It is brittle because its molecular structure is composed of tetrahedral crystals. These crystals do not have a good large-area orderly crystalline structure. Therefore, when it is under stress, the structure gets ruptured.

What dyes are used to ink tattoos?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood.

What does roadrunner refer to?

It’s the world’s fastest supercomputer built by scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US military It can compute about 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be primarily used for military problems, particularly to ensure the accurate functioning of ageing nuclear weapons.

What is the armenian genocide?

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1923. About 1.5 million Armenians out of the 2.5 million in the empire were killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate the tragedy on April 24 every year.

What’s distinctive about davos?

Situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres, in the heart of the Alps in Switzerland, the town of Davos has the distinction of being the largest mountain resort in the Alps and the highest town of Europe. Its major tourist attraction are winter sports. It is also a preferred place for holding international conferences like the World Economic Forum.

What is fat tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, where gras is French for fat and Mardi is French for Tuesday The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting on a fattened calf on the last day of a carnival. The annual festivities start on January 6 and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday.

What is a gazebo?

A gazebo is a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape and a place to rest.

What is a slumpometer?

The global slumpometer is a yardstick economists use to measure the severity of the recession in various economies across the world. It takes into account unemployment. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). To the average person, rising unemployment and pink slips mean a recession. While for many economists, a recession has arrived when there’s a dip in GDP for two successive quarters. For others, a recession is when the GDI begins to dip, and is a more reliable factor than GDP.

What is a surgical strike?

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so that they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc.

How did the term ‘window dressing’ originate?

Textile and readymade shops dress mannequins (models of human bodies) with attractive clothing they sell and place them in display windows. Likewise, mutual funds and banks add more temporary assets and liabilities on year ends to ensure their balance sheets remain attractive to the public, especially to investors. As their intention is to dress up their balance sheets to make them attractive like a shopper does to the mannequins, the term ‘window dressing’ is used to mean artificial inflation of assets which will wear off after the year-end.

How do clouds move?

Clouds are formed when water evaporates from rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes. High cirrus clouds are moved by a jet stream and sometimes travel at 100 kmph. When clouds are a part of a thunderstorm, they usually travel at 30-40 kmph.

What is the jagd and hund fair?

It is the ‘Hunting and Hounds fair where exhibitors present the latest trends in fishing and hunting.

What is the nathan rothschild maxim?

The Nathan Rothschild maxim says that you ‘make money in the stock market when blood flows in the streets’. Nathan Rothschild was a stock dealer in the London stock market who took advantage of early knowledge of England’s victory at Waterloo. First, he sold all his shares, which caused heavy meltdown in the market. Towards the end, he bought all the shares at a very low price before the news of England’s victory reached London. With England’s victory, the share market rose rapidly and in the process, Nathan made a lot of money.

What is icor in economics?

Incremental Capital .Output Ratio (ICOR) is the additional capital required to increase one unit of output. This ratio is used to measure the efficiency of an industrial unit or country as an economic unit. The lesser the ICOR, more efficient the organization.

What is a suction excavator?

A suction excavator is a combination of excavator and a pump for dual function of excavating earth and pumping the soil out. It has an air pump for generating the required flow of air, a nozzle through which air is drawn and a mechanism for separating soil from the air drawn through the nozzle.

What is the treynor ratio?

The Treynor Ratio (reward-tovolatility ratio) was developed by Jack Treynor, one of the fathers of modern portfolio theory the ratio measures the returns earned from a portfolio over and above the normal return that would have been earned on a risk-free investment. The formula for the Treynor Ratio is: average return of the portfolio minus average return of the risk free rate divided by the beta of the portfolio. In short, the excess return over the risk-free return of the portfolio is divided by the beta of the portfolio to get the Treynor Ratio. Beta is a measure of market-related risk in a stock or collection of stocks. A high Treynor Ratio indicates better performance. A risk-free investment is akin to an investment in a government of India Treasury bill.

Which is the biggest container port in the world?

Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twentyfeet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.

What is the great manmade river?

The Great Manmade River (better known as GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara desert to Libya from a fossil aquifer. This aquifer is known as Nublon Sandstone Aquifer System. GMR is considered to be the largest underground network of pipes in the world. It has more than 1,300 wells supplying more than 7,100,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other major cities of this African nation. Some wells are as deep as 650 metres. In 1953, when drilling for the search of oil, explorers found huge quantities of freshwater. GMRP (Great Manmade River Project) was developed in 1960 and it took shape in 1984. About 88 million cubic metres of excavation was done for the completion of the first of five phases, and it. was inaugurated on August 28,1991. This mammoth project, designed by Brown Root and Price Brothers, is funded by the Libyan government and owned by the Great Manmade River Authority The Guiness Book of World Records has acknowledged it as the world’s largest irrigation project.

What is sistine chapel famous for?

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV It’s best known for being the location of papal conclaves, for the election of a new Pope. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

What do riders represent in the fiesta of san joan?

The Spanish fiesta of San Joan dates back to the 14th century and has religious significance. The riders participating in it or caixers as they are called represent the social strata of the church, nobility, craftsmen and country people (mostly farmers).

What does zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which country receives the highest rainfall in the world?

Of the 95 wettest countries in the world, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Sierra Leone are ranked the top three in order of maximum rainfall received on an average in a year, according to the World Statistics Pocket Book and the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations. The records are for the period 1931-1960. Guinea, also known as the Republic of Guinea, with its capital named Conakry, is in Western Africa receives a monsoon-type of rainfall from June to November. Against the global weighted annual average rainfall of 9.627 cm, Guinea gets 37.84 cm, the Solomon Islands gets 32.90 cm and Sierra Leone gets 29.46 cm. Conakry is the wettest capital in the world and receives rainfall on ah average of 134 days each year. India is the ninth wettest country with 21.68 cm of average annual rainfall. The UN World Statistics for 2007 record these figures: Guinea – 37.76 cm, Solomon Islands – 32.9 cm, Sierra Leone – 29.46 cm and India 24.01 cm. Guinea was still top of the list and India retained the ninth position.

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create a spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl’s original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott’s Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:’Web’ and ‘episode’. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn’t joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government’s chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual ‘pardoning the turkey’ during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita’presidential pardon’.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets ‘schlimazzeled’. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes’ talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes’ techniques are generally of the form, ‘If p, then q, where ‘p’ is observed evidence and ‘q’ is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word ‘syntax’?

The word ‘syntax’ is derivedfrom the Greek word ‘syntaxis’, meaning ‘together’ and ‘sequence’. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn’t until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term ‘zero-watt’, though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map legend?

Amap legend is a guide to allthe symbols used on a map. It helps a person read a map correctly. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on a map. Stated simply, a map legend is a sort of dictionary so that you can understand what the map represents. Vegetation, topographic features, surface features etc are all represented by unique symbols which, in most cases, are standardised.

Whatis the Olympic Tower 2016?

The Olympic Tower 2016 is a vertical structure that will be placed in Cotonduba Island. It will serve both as an observation tower, and a welcome sign for visitors arriving by air and by sea at Rio de Janeiro, where the Olympic Games 2016 will take place. The project is from Zurique, and utilizes solar energy during the day with its solo power panels to pump sea water.

What is the flamenco?

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumentalmusic and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and a dancing pattern that evolved over the centuries. The theatrical presentation is a ballet.

Who is an Aunt Millie?

Aunt is a term used to describe an uneducated or unsophisticated investor who is new and unfamiliar with investing, which makes him prone to poor investment choices. It has a derogatory connotation in the financial sector. Aunt Millie is used with reference to a low-risk investment offered to first-time, inexperienced investors.

What is the Bourbon Trail?

A tour programme managed by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), the Bourbon Trail or Kentucky Bourbon Trail meant to promote the bourbon industry in Kentucky which is over 200 years old. People who mail in a promotional passport which has been stamped by all the participating distilleries get free T-shirts courtesy the Association. The trail was launched in 1999 by seven of the eight distilleries in the region.

WhatisSukkot?

Sukkot is one of the three “Pilgrim Festivals” in the Jewish tradition. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month ofTishri, i.e. late September to late October, it is a reminder of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thefestivallasts seven days. The first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services. The remaining days are known as Chol Hamoed (“festival weekdays “).

What is the littoral zone?

The littoral zone is that part of the river or sea which is closest to the shore. It extends from the shoreline to 600 feet (183 metres) out into the water and is divided into three zones called supralittoral, intertidal and sublittoral. The zone is a tricky area when it comes to predicting water conditions because so many factors affect it. Coastal currents, onshore and offshore winds, reefs, bays arid the share of the shoreline are some of the things sailors have to deal with when passing through this zone.

What is Greco-Roman wrestling?

It is style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. The style is different from freestyle wrestling as it forbids holding below the waist. This directs the emphasis on throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbingtheir opponent’s leg.

What does stirring up a hornets nest mean?

Hornets are wasp-like insects. Their nests are similar to the ones made by bees. Stirring up a hornet’s nest metaphorically means to stir a silent/calm situation into that filled with rage, discord or one with chaos. It also means to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. This metaphor is self-explanatory as when one ‘stirs a hornet’s nest’ the hornets fly out of their nest in a temper and attack the cause of the disturbance.

What is the hour-glass ceiling?

It is a time-based impediment to career advancement, often faced by working mothers where they spend much more time than working fathers with their families, instead of at the workplace. Almost all senior level positions demand longer hours at the workplace but mothers are rarely able to work out flexible work timings, mostly as a result of inadequate cooperation from the people around them.

What is carrom ball in cricket?

Carrom ball is where the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a conventional release, is squeezed out and flicked by the fingers like how a disc is flicked on a carrom board. The first bowler known to have used this style of delivery was Australian Jack Iverson from Victoria, who used it throughout his test career in the period after the Second World War, although he did not use the name ‘carrom ball’. It is used by off-spinners and was again introduced by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka in 2007-08. At present, only Ajantha Mendis and Ravichandran Ashwin of India use it in international cricket.

What is the Bom Sabado?

‘Born Sabado’ is a Portuguese word Which means ‘Good Saturday’ in English. Bom Sabado, in recent months, l|as come to refer to a javascriptbiased virus that has infected the social networking site Orkut. The virus hit the site on a Saturday in September 2010. It is an auto-generated message which fills the user’s scrapbook, like a scrap from a friends’ list.

What is a currency war?

Currency war, also known as ‘competitive devaluation’, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their home currency, so as to help their domestic industry. Currency wars have been rare throughout history as even at times when a system of fixed exchange rates have not been in place, countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency or have been content to allow its value to be set by the markets.

What is the origin of ‘high five’ in sports?

The term ‘high five’ is a hand gesture made by two partners to congratulate each other on a combined achtevement. A high five involves the two partners raising a hand each with outstretched fingers, and slap,; ping’each other’s palms, while saying ‘give me five’. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980, and is saidto have its origins in US basketball. Some say high five was used first in basketball in 1977 by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, whereas some others say the gesture was used first by Lament Street in the 1960s.

What is beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport which is mainly played on sand (though it can sometimes be played indoors) but what mainly distinguishes it from, indoor volleyball is that each team has two players each. Like other Variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team’s court. Originating in Southern California and Hawaii, beach volleyball is now popular worldwide, even in countries without traditional beaches like Switzerland.

What is a dramedy?

A style of television entertainment that combines two genres, dramedy also comprises many styles of television, theatre andfilm. It balances humour and drama, or serious content, to an almost equal extent. A dramedy is also called comedy-drama or seriocomedy One of the first times a dramedywasattempedwas with Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid’.

What is black energy ?

In astronomy, black energy is a hypothetical form of energy that per- meates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. Black energy currently accounts for 73% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Black energy has been used as a crucial ingredient in a recent attempt to formulate a cyclic model for the universe. The nature of black energy is very homogeneous, not too dense.

What is a docusoap?

The term docusoap is made up from two words — documentary and soap (television serials). A docusoap therefore is a television documentary with soap opera elements: a television programme that combines documentary style with aspects of soap opera, eg by showing the personal lives of people at their workplace. The term came into circulation in the late 20th century.

What is Nido (Nest) Therapy?

Nido(Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person’s environment, not their personality The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido(Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction and chemical dependency. It is also used in the treatment of substance abuse, psychosis and personality disorders.

What is scarlet day?

Scarlet day is the term used in the University of Cambridge to designate those days on which doctors are required to wear the festal form of academic dress. It is so called because of the scarlet elements in the gowns and hoods of the festal full dress worn by doctors as opposed to the everyday black gowns. On these days, it is also permitted for members of the University to wear the academic dress of other universities from which they have obtained degrees.

What is the origin of judo?

Judo has its origin in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, (alsojujitsu) a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are usually credited with developing jujutsu. In their time, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, in which fighters fought, fully clad in Japanese armour. The chronicle of the Japanese nation, documents public, unarmed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 B C. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, thejujutsufighterwas expected to be pliable, winning by appearing to yield.

What is a NEET?

NEET is a British term used for a young person who is not engaged by way of any work, academics, or training programme. It’s an acronym derived from the phrase ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’, a government classification often used to refer to the stage that teenagers or young adults go through when they have nothing to do. However, the age group of people under this category varies from county to country.

Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled The History of John Bull’ but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.

What is the origin of the term Trench Kiss’?

One theory is associated with France being known as the city of love, with the Eiffel Tower and Paris considered the ultimate symbols of romance. Another theory is that French Kiss was a derogatory term used during war: —it was said that the French would rather make love with their faces than fight. The term dates back to at least the 1820s and became popular again during the 1920s when the French were believed to be preoccupied then with passion and love.

Why is the international dateline drawn in a zigzag manner?

The International Date Line (IDL) passes through the Pacific Ocean. It is an imaginary line, like longitudes and latitudes. The time difference on either side of this line is 24 hours. So, the date changes as soon as one crosses this line. To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner.

Why are celestial bodies spherical in shape?

Celestial bodied, are spherical in shape because of gravity Whenever enough mass gathers close together, the resultant gravity, which follows the inverse square law, pulls equally in all directions and results in a spherical shape. Irrespective of the material composition of the celestial body a diameter of a few hundred kilometers is sufficient to create a spherical form.

What are Humboldt penguins?

They are South American penguins that breed in coastal Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins are named after the cold water current they swims in, which takes its name after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. These birds are medium-sized with blackish-grey upper parts and whitish under parts and a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breastband. They have spines on their tongues, which are used to hold prey.

What is infoganda?

Infoganda — a portmanteau of information and propaganda — has found currency to describe a news item or a literary piece of work that is informative and also has an underlying agenda. Infoganda is often used by governments and religious bodies to promote a certain message. The word has a negative slant to it.

What is a chicken market in the stocks trade? .

‘Chicken market’ is used to represent one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an investor who is afraid to take risks.

What is the Chandrasekhar limit in astronomy?

When the sun cools down in about five billion years, gravity will make it shrink. It will end up as a solid lump — a dead star called white dwarf. In the early 1930s, Indian scientist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar found out that if a white dwarf has more than 1.4 times as much mass as the sun, it will not be able to support itself. This is the Chandrasekhar limit.

Why does a person cry while having a hearty laugh?

People cry in response to emotion, whether it is good or bad, because of signals from the higher centres of the brain that tell the tear glands whether they are happy or sad. These signals travel through the parasympathetic pathways, part of the complicated patterns of emotion that our body instinctively recognizes.

What is the origin of the relay race?

The relay race, which is now an Olympic event, first began with Aboriginals carrying messages between tribes. Legends were passed from generation to generation and from tribe to tribe. In some cases, when the messages were urgent, two separate messengers were sent in different directions with the same message. In some cases, messages had to be relayed from tribe to tribe as one person could not cover such huge distances. This was how relay races began.

What is 2-D technology in cars?

Nowadays, 2-D barcodes are used in cars. There are two types of barcodes that are widely used: one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D). 1-D barcode is common in most household products, while 2-D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label.

What is Anubis associated with?

Anubis’ is the Greek name for the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis was known as ‘Inpu’. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom’s pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead, but was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. After that, Anubis was changed into one of the many sons of Osiris, and the conductor of souls of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt near the cemeteries throughout Egypt.

WHAT IS SLACKTIVISM?

Slacktivism is used to describe activism which does not require a person to put in any great effort. Slaektivistsjoin causes on the internet and get a feeling of satisfaction without even moving out of their chairs. It is a slightly derogatory term for meaningless causes, as opposed to activism as a crusade, A slacktivist is rarely identified with the cause and is not a flag-waving, card-carrying type.

What is cloud computing?

The term cloud computing with reference to IT is a service offered by a third party — typically a Technology Services Provider— and offered on subscription basis by leveraging the internet. The key proposition is to move away from expensive; capex heavy, on-premises options to affordable, cost-efficient arrangements that are offered on a one-to-many basis. It is a misperception that cloud computing refers to only software; it includes hardware as a service enabling computing on demand.

Why is the countdown so important while launching a rocket?

A countdown is loudly counting in reverse from 10 to 1, prior to an event. In a rocket launch, a countdown is a carefully devised set of procedures ending with the ignition of a rocket engine, which starts 72 to 96 hours prior to its launch time. During the countdown, step-by-step procedures like placing the vehicle at the launch site, loading the essentials needed for the launch, setting up communication with the launch centre, etc are executed. When everything is okayed, ‘T minus Time’, that is, 3 minutes and 40 seconds is set and the process of ignition begins.

Who is Jack Frost?

A common figure in Western folklore, Jack Frost is a personification of the nippiest winter weather, credited with leaving beautiful plant-like patterns on windows and frosting on leaves. His name is probably of Norse derivation— the Norsemen knew him as ‘Jokul FYosir or Jack Frost. The Saxons who settled in Britain had their Lord Snow and King Frost.

What is the mystery of Easter Island?

Easter Island is the eastern-most island of Polynesia, located 3,200 km west of Chile, which annexed it in 1888. The island is called so because it was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen. Its mystery lies in the hundreds of carved stone statues, as high as 12 metres, found on the island, although it was uninhabited when discovered.

What is Cloud Gate?

Cloud Gate is the internationally renowned sculpture designed by British artist of Indian origin, Anish Kapoor, It is located at the centre of the AT&T Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, and was completed in 2006. The stainless steel sculpture is arch- shaped, and is about 12 feet long and weighs 110 tonnes. It is the result of a competition which Anish Kapoor won. Despite experts raising concerns about design and feasibility, it was completed with little or no modifications and is now considered an architectural marvel.

What is a jungle gym?

A jungle gym, also known as monkey bars or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of thin material, such as metal pipes or, in more current playgrounds, rope, on which children can climb, hang, and sit. It was traditionally constructed as a frame of metal bars and was introduced in 1920 by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.

What is a vacation bank?

A vacation banker leave bank is what an employer allots to a staffer every year. A Vacation Deprivation study found that many employees failed to use their leave completely, adding many man-days to production. An employee dips into the bank to lengthen weekends, and sprinkles them over the year. ‘Vacation bank’ has gained a more current meaning — the creation of a bank of unused vacation hours by staffers. Instead of letting leave lapse, an employee can transfer the days to the company’s ‘vacation time bank’ — these can be used by any employee in a crisis.

What is Blue Ocean strategy?

It is a business strategy for creating uncontested, virgin market space. The metaphor of red and blue oceans describes the market: blue oceans denote the industries not in existence today where demand is created rather than fought over. Red oceans are industries existing today — boundaries are defined and competitive rules are known. Cut-throat competition turns the ocean bloody, which gives it the term ‘red oceans’. It is explained in the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What do sugar-free products contain?

Sugar-free products contain sugar substitutes, some natural and some synthetic. Artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. Artificial sweeteners are cornpounds with sweetness 300-500 times that of sucrose (table sugar). As a result, less sweetener is required, energy contribution is often negligible and blood glucose levels are not effected.

What is emission trading?

It is an advanced method to control pollution by providing economic incentives. A government authority sets a limit or cap on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in an open environment. Manufacturers are issued emission permits and allotted an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) to emit a specific amount of pollutants. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from companies which pollute less — this is referred to as emissions trade.

What are crop circles?

Crop circles are mystery circles which farmers in southern England have observed, especially in 1980. Large sections of their fields were trampled into circles overnight. Sometimes, the crops were flattened into strange designs. Though it was made to look like machines were used,the crops were not damaged.

What is Area 51?

Area 51 is a term used in CIA dbcupients for a military base 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site. It is a block of land six by 10 miles, on which is a large secret air base, at the shore of Groom Lake. The base was created in 1954 to test the secret U-2 spy plane, besides research on UFOs and extra-terrestrial bodies.

What is a Tea Party protest?

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by the

British government.

What is cloud music?

Cloud music is a new service which has done away with the need to download music. Music lovers now have music at their fingertips simply by subscribing to companies logging on to this new business. Subscription is dirt-cheap and the song/album is played instantly over a mobile device that links to the internet via the cellphone network. The royalties from cloud music subscription go back to music companies.

What is a Parthian shot?

The Parthian shot was a famous military combat tactic practised by the Parthians, the ancient Iranian people hailing from the north-eastern region of Iran called Parthia. The theme ‘Parthian tactic’ was to surprise the enemy with the hit-and-run action using light horses, dividing their own forces by pretending retreat and then turning unexpectedly back and showering the enemy with deadly arrows, surrounding and destroying them.

How is the market price of a share established during trading ?

The price at which buying and selling transactions take place is determined by market forces, that is, demand and supply for a particular stock. If a company enjoys high investor confidence and its stock price is expected to rise, many people would want to buy it (high demand) and very few will sell it at the current market price (less supply). Buyers have to bid higher to match the asking price from the seller, thus increasing stock price. If there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price falls.

What is cross-branding? How does it work?

Cross-branding is a market approach to enhance two brands by associating them with each other. Amazon, corn is well-known for applying the concept, working with such brands such as Toysrus, Office Depot and Weight Watchers. Another example is of Grasim taking over L&T Cement and using the brand.

What are rubber rooms?

The ‘rubber room’ is where hundreds of New York City school teachers sit and do nothing, but are paid their full salary Each year, hundreds of school teachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. While awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they report to an off-campus location called the ‘rubber room’.

What is the resonant frequency of an object?

Every object has its a natural frequency at which it achieves maximum amplitude during vibrations, if left to vibrate free after applying external force. This frequency is known as resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of an object depends on factors such as shape, mass and density of material. Even a house or bridge has its own unique resonant frequency A bridge vibrating at resonant frequency may collapse.

What is Jujutsu?

Jujutsu or Jiu-jitsu literally meaning the “art of softness” or “way of yielding” is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles, including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method to defeat an armed and armoured opponent without weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking against an armoured opponent, the method to neutralize an enemy is using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than oppose it. ;

What is a rehook?

A rehook is a film which is so powerful and appealing that cinema goers go back for repeat viewings. These blockbuster shows keep the box office coffers full. Good examples are classics like “Gone with the Wind”, “Titanic”, even the Bond series. New hit “Inception” is another rehook, with many people returning for repeat shows, but more because the plot is so complex that viewers want to make sense of it. This is the power of the rehook. ‘

How did ‘Hello’ come to be used as a greeting over the phone?

The first word used to answer the phone was the nautical greeting ‘ahoy’ because the first regular phone system was in the maritime state of Connecticut. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, answered with the Gaelic ‘hoy’. But it was Thomas Edison’s greeting of ‘hello’, an exclamation of surprise dating back to the Middle Ages, that caught on, and so we answer the telephone today with, ‘Hello?’ Another theory is that after inventing the telephone, he rang his girlfriend whose name was ‘Hello’, thus the first word said by him on telephone became a greeting. Before ‘Hello’ became popular, telephone operators started conversations with, “Are you there?”

What is La-La-Land?

Originally coined in 1981 by San Francisco native Bill (William) D Froelich, the term was first used in the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Froelich was explaining to his fellow workers that he was about to visit his girlfriend’s parents in La La Land, otherwise known as Los Angeles. The term was quite indicative of Froelich’s view towards the city at the time. There are bold parallels between the term la-la (unconsciousness; an elevated mind state) and Froelich’s regard for Los Angeles. After 29 years, Bill Froelich now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. His in-laws still live in La La Land.

Why is Winston Churchill’s speech known as the ‘Iron Curtain Speech’?

Winston Churchill made a speech at Fulton, Missourie in March 1946, at the onset of the Cold War. He said, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” He was the first to coin the term in order to define Stalin’s aggressive drive to control all areas east of Russia and west of Germany Thereafter, the term became popular to describe the Communists’ stronghold over East Europe.

What is the Hubbert Peak Theory?

The theory is named after American geophysicist M King Hubbert. The theory posits that for any given geographical area, from an individual oilproducing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve. It is one of the primary theories on peak oil and is based on the observation that the amount of oil under the ground in any region is finite, therefore the rate of discovery which initially increases quickly must reach a maximum and decline.

What language is spoken in Minsk?

Minsk has been a city of many languages over time. Initially it was Ruthenian (later developed into modern Belarusian). After 1569, Polish became the official language. Belarusian national revival increased the use of Belarusian language but after World War II (by mid 1980s), Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. Most residents now use Russian in day-to-day life. Belarusian is understood as well. Today, the most commonly used international language is English.

What is soundbite TV?

Children who are hooked to the tele- vision show an inability to concentrate in class during an indepth lesson, say some teachers. They blame it on ‘soundbite TV — the fast pace of television. Fed a diet of sound and visuals, these children display very short attention spans and struggle to focus in class. Teachers also complain that such children are also disruptive when they are denied their dose of ‘sound and vision bites’.

What is software entropy?

The tendency, over time, for software to become difficult and costly to maintain is known as software entropy. A software system that undergoes continuous change, like new functionality added to its original design, will eventually become more complex, losing its original design structure, and may even become disorganized as it grows. In theory, it may be better to redesign the software in order to support the changes rather than build on the existing programme.

Why is a sperm whale called so?

Sperm whale is a type of toothed whale (physeter catodon) with a very large head which has cavities containing spermaceti, a sperm oil. It is a white, waxy substance consisting of various esters of fatty acids used for making candles, ointments and cosmetics. It has no relation to sperm, the male gamete.

What is arachnophobia?

An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of arachnophobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or non-existent. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie “Arachnophobia”. The word is derived from the Greek ‘arachne’ (spider) and ‘phobos’ (fear) after the mythical Arachne, a maiden who was a skilled weaver, whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider on being challenged to a weaving contest.

What are horse latitudes and how did they get the name?

There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudeSfc|5 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It is said that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term ‘horse latitudes’.

What does ‘dumping’ mean in computer lingo?

Dumping refers to the cleaning of stored data from the core memory area of a computer into trash or somewhere else in an unorganised manner. Dumping may be done in the event of a system failure or as part of maintenance work. The reason for dumping, in most cases, is that the data has lost its value over time and occupies huge memory space. Retrieval from the dump is difficult but not impossible.

What is a flying saucer?

Many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects, also known as UFOs, in the sky. Some of them described these objects in the shape of discs or saucers hovering overhead with a glow around them. These have been mostly interpreted as transport vehicles of aliens visiting earth, but photographs of them are now believed to be hoaxes. The first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24,1947, resulted in the creation of the term by US newspapers.

What is surface diffusion?

Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms (adsorbed atom lying on a crystal surface, used in surface chemistry when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness), molecules, and atomic clusters (adparticles) at solid material surfaces. Tunnelling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunnelling effect.

What is a flophouse?

A flophouse is a place of cheap lodging. It’s normally an apartment where some occupants pay rent while others are unemployed and do nothing with their lives except party and abuse drugs. They generally share bathroom facilities and reside in very cramped quarters. The people who use these places are often called transients, although some people stay in them for years. They are just a step above being homeless. Quarters in flophouses are very small and may resemble office cubicles more than a regular hotel room. In the past, flophouses were called working men’s hotel and were rather dirty. Some cities that have flophouses in abundance become well known in their own right such as the Bowery in New York.

How are points in a stock exchange calculated?

Nifty is actually an index of 50, not 100, stocks. Also, sensex is calculated on free-float market cap only i.e. shares held by the public and not by promoters. But, Nifty is calculated by total market capitalisation. Hence, shares like ONGC where the promoter holding is large gets very little weight in the sensex as compared to the Nifty.

Who is a hypermiler?

Hypermilers are those who try to extract every bit of mileage from their cars by trying out various techniques like coasting when it’s possible, at times even switching off the engine, not switching on the air-conditioner, etc. The term originated in hybrid driving clubs. Some radical techniques are employed by hypermilers, which are called renegades. They use extreme techniques that may even compromise their security

What is the grettis saga?

The Grettis Saga is one of the finest Icelandic family sagas, which details the life of Grettis Asmundarson, an Icelandic warrior who became an outlaw. It was written in the 13th and early 14th century Well-born, brave but troubleprone Grettis, at 14, kills a man in a quarrel and is outlawed. He spends these years in Norway performing many brave deeds. On his return to Iceland, he saves people from the malicious ghost of Glam. The dying fiend imposes a curse on him, predicting that he will grow afraid of the dark. Grettis accidentally kills the chieftain’s son and is outlawed again. Grettis is pursued by kinsmen of men he has wronged and by other outlaws for the price on his head. At last, his enemies overwhelm him with the aid of witchcraft. His brother avenges his death. The saga’s theme can be summed up thus: good gifts and good luck are often worlds apart.

What is the windfall tax?

The windfall tax is what’s imposed on windfall gains, an abnormal increase in the profits of any organization or company in the normal course of its business due to certain circumstances. A good example would be the recent increase in the price of oil over the world. In this case, the oil exploration and production (E&P) companies will make huge gains if they sell oil to local refining companies at international prices, which are high. Such a gain is due to circumstances favouring E&P companies and not due to their cost-cutting or other efficient operations. These are windfall gains and the tax on such gains is called windfall tax.

What is unique about the hangzhou bay bridge?

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a bridge across Hangzhou Bay off the eastern coast of China. It links the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. It’s the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world although it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. The bridge is 36 km long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The construction started on June 8, 2003 and was completed on June 14, 2007. It is not open for public transportation but is only being used for test and evaluation purpose.

why the bucket seat in automobiles is called so?

According to some sources, the word bucket comes from the French word ‘baquet’ which means cockpit. A bucket seat is much more comfortable, especially for long journeys. Bucket seats came into use after World War II in small cars due to the lack of seating room for a third passenger on account of the presence of a floor-mounted gear handle.

what is pareto’s (80-20) rule of automation?

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian engineer-sociologist who, in the 19th century studied the number of people in various income classes and represented his findings in diagrams. His important conclusion was that 80% of the total wealth in the world is owned by 20% of people and that 20% of wealth is owned by 80% of people. A similar pattern is observed in many other problem areas where number of causes contribute to a particular problem. In other words, 20% of the causes contribute to 80% of the problem. The specific Pareto’s (80-20) rule for automation is, however, unheard of.

what is special about the garden city of palkenberg?

The Garden City of Falkenberg is a housing estate in Berlin, Germany designed and built by the celebrated German architect and town planner Bruno Taut (1880-1938). In designing the complex, Taut applied the garden city concept he learnt from England. The most striking aspect of this architecture is its use of colour: each part of a building bears a different, contrasting colour with respect to the other parts, and all the parts together produce a harmonious and pleasing effect. Falkenberg is also the name of an important town in the Halland county on the west coast of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of the river Atran. The town is wellknown for its food and beverage industry, and has several beaches and lakes- which form its major tourist attraction.

what is the origin of the term horse trading ?

The term horse trading. Which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses? As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterised by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support for one of his initiatives for another Bill or legislation.

what is moribund capitalism?

It’s a concept introduced by Vladimir Lenin, who wrote that when capitalism becomes imperialistic, it is moribund capitalism. He describes the height of imperialist capitalism as “ripe and rotten-ripe capitalism” which will eventually collapse and make way for socialism. The concept was mentioned in his 1916 book, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

who is hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor is a minor Nubian king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from 205 BC to 186 BC. He successfully rebelled against the then king Ptolemy IV in 205 BC and ruled a larger part of Egypt for 19 years and was succeeded by Ankhmakis.

what is a chromophore?

A chromophore is a group of atoms and electrons (or moiety) i.e. part of organic molecules responsible for its colour. It is an extended delocalised systems of electrons in a compound which gives its colour e.g. chlorophyll’s porphin ring, or an azo dyes benzene ring linked to N=N double bond. When a molecule absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light and transmits or reflects others, the molecule has a colour. A chromophore is a region in a molecule where the energy difference between two different molecular orbitals falls within the range of the visible spectrum. Visible light that’hits the chromophore can thus be absorbed by exciting an electron from its ground state into an excited state. In biological molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy the chromophore is a moiety that causes a confermational change of the molecule when hit by light.

in the stock market, what is the concept of grey marketing?

Grey marketing is a trade of something legal but through unofficial and unauthorised distribution channels. In contrast, black marketing is a trade of illegal goods or services through illegal channels. The grey market of goods is to import and sell products through market channels which are not authorized by the manufacturers. It occurs when the prices of a product differs significantly in different countries. The grey market of securities markets and IPO (Initial Public Offer) is to buy and sell the shares to be allotted in the future. Once the trading is done in the grey market at a stipulated price, the seller must deliver the sold number of shares to the buyer on the day of listing to honour the commitment.

what is unique about the production ‘dralion’?

‘Dralion’ is an entertainment show produced by Montreal-based company Cirque du Soleil Inc, well known for its circus-based dance dramas. The show ‘Dralion’, which has already toured different parts of the world, is currently located at Sydney and been seen by seven million people. It’s main theme is to project human life as an integral part of nature, and, specifically, to celebrate the harmony between human life and the four natural elements — earth, air, water, and fire. The theme is inspired by Chinese philosophy. It’s dances combine the traditional acts of Chinese circus and the gravitydefying acrobatics unique to Cirque du Soleil. The show presents a highly imaginative and magical perspective. The title is a combination of the two symbols of East and West — the dragon and the lion.

Why is glass brittle?

Ordinary glass is soda-lime glass and is a mixture of silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium etc. It is brittle because its molecular structure is composed of tetrahedral crystals. These crystals do not have a good large-area orderly crystalline structure. Therefore, when it is under stress, the structure gets ruptured.

What dyes are used to ink tattoos?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood.

What does roadrunner refer to?

It’s the world’s fastest supercomputer built by scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US military It can compute about 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be primarily used for military problems, particularly to ensure the accurate functioning of ageing nuclear weapons.

What is the armenian genocide?

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1923. About 1.5 million Armenians out of the 2.5 million in the empire were killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate the tragedy on April 24 every year.

What’s distinctive about davos?

Situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres, in the heart of the Alps in Switzerland, the town of Davos has the distinction of being the largest mountain resort in the Alps and the highest town of Europe. Its major tourist attraction are winter sports. It is also a preferred place for holding international conferences like the World Economic Forum.

What is fat tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, where gras is French for fat and Mardi is French for Tuesday The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting on a fattened calf on the last day of a carnival. The annual festivities start on January 6 and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday.

What is a gazebo?

A gazebo is a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape and a place to rest.

What is a slumpometer?

The global slumpometer is a yardstick economists use to measure the severity of the recession in various economies across the world. It takes into account unemployment. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). To the average person, rising unemployment and pink slips mean a recession. While for many economists, a recession has arrived when there’s a dip in GDP for two successive quarters. For others, a recession is when the GDI begins to dip, and is a more reliable factor than GDP.

What is a surgical strike?

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so that they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc.

How did the term ‘window dressing’ originate?

Textile and readymade shops dress mannequins (models of human bodies) with attractive clothing they sell and place them in display windows. Likewise, mutual funds and banks add more temporary assets and liabilities on year ends to ensure their balance sheets remain attractive to the public, especially to investors. As their intention is to dress up their balance sheets to make them attractive like a shopper does to the mannequins, the term ‘window dressing’ is used to mean artificial inflation of assets which will wear off after the year-end.

How do clouds move?

Clouds are formed when water evaporates from rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes. High cirrus clouds are moved by a jet stream and sometimes travel at 100 kmph. When clouds are a part of a thunderstorm, they usually travel at 30-40 kmph.

What is the jagd and hund fair?

It is the ‘Hunting and Hounds fair where exhibitors present the latest trends in fishing and hunting.

What is the nathan rothschild maxim?

The Nathan Rothschild maxim says that you ‘make money in the stock market when blood flows in the streets’. Nathan Rothschild was a stock dealer in the London stock market who took advantage of early knowledge of England’s victory at Waterloo. First, he sold all his shares, which caused heavy meltdown in the market. Towards the end, he bought all the shares at a very low price before the news of England’s victory reached London. With England’s victory, the share market rose rapidly and in the process, Nathan made a lot of money.

What is icor in economics?

Incremental Capital .Output Ratio (ICOR) is the additional capital required to increase one unit of output. This ratio is used to measure the efficiency of an industrial unit or country as an economic unit. The lesser the ICOR, more efficient the organization.

What is a suction excavator?

A suction excavator is a combination of excavator and a pump for dual function of excavating earth and pumping the soil out. It has an air pump for generating the required flow of air, a nozzle through which air is drawn and a mechanism for separating soil from the air drawn through the nozzle.

What is the treynor ratio?

The Treynor Ratio (reward-tovolatility ratio) was developed by Jack Treynor, one of the fathers of modern portfolio theory the ratio measures the returns earned from a portfolio over and above the normal return that would have been earned on a risk-free investment. The formula for the Treynor Ratio is: average return of the portfolio minus average return of the risk free rate divided by the beta of the portfolio. In short, the excess return over the risk-free return of the portfolio is divided by the beta of the portfolio to get the Treynor Ratio. Beta is a measure of market-related risk in a stock or collection of stocks. A high Treynor Ratio indicates better performance. A risk-free investment is akin to an investment in a government of India Treasury bill.

Which is the biggest container port in the world?

Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twentyfeet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.

What is the great manmade river?

The Great Manmade River (better known as GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara desert to Libya from a fossil aquifer. This aquifer is known as Nublon Sandstone Aquifer System. GMR is considered to be the largest underground network of pipes in the world. It has more than 1,300 wells supplying more than 7,100,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other major cities of this African nation. Some wells are as deep as 650 metres. In 1953, when drilling for the search of oil, explorers found huge quantities of freshwater. GMRP (Great Manmade River Project) was developed in 1960 and it took shape in 1984. About 88 million cubic metres of excavation was done for the completion of the first of five phases, and it. was inaugurated on August 28,1991. This mammoth project, designed by Brown Root and Price Brothers, is funded by the Libyan government and owned by the Great Manmade River Authority The Guiness Book of World Records has acknowledged it as the world’s largest irrigation project.

What is sistine chapel famous for?

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV It’s best known for being the location of papal conclaves, for the election of a new Pope. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

What do riders represent in the fiesta of san joan?

The Spanish fiesta of San Joan dates back to the 14th century and has religious significance. The riders participating in it or caixers as they are called represent the social strata of the church, nobility, craftsmen and country people (mostly farmers).

What does zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which country receives the highest rainfall in the world?

Of the 95 wettest countries in the world, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Sierra Leone are ranked the top three in order of maximum rainfall received on an average in a year, according to the World Statistics Pocket Book and the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations. The records are for the period 1931-1960. Guinea, also known as the Republic of Guinea, with its capital named Conakry, is in Western Africa receives a monsoon-type of rainfall from June to November. Against the global weighted annual average rainfall of 9.627 cm, Guinea gets 37.84 cm, the Solomon Islands gets 32.90 cm and Sierra Leone gets 29.46 cm. Conakry is the wettest capital in the world and receives rainfall on ah average of 134 days each year. India is the ninth wettest country with 21.68 cm of average annual rainfall. The UN World Statistics for 2007 record these figures: Guinea – 37.76 cm, Solomon Islands – 32.9 cm, Sierra Leone – 29.46 cm and India 24.01 cm. Guinea was still top of the list and India retained the ninth position.

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create a spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl’s original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott’s Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:’Web’ and ‘episode’. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn’t joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government’s chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual ‘pardoning the turkey’ during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita’presidential pardon’.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets ‘schlimazzeled’. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes’ talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes’ techniques are generally of the form, ‘If p, then q, where ‘p’ is observed evidence and ‘q’ is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word ‘syntax’?

The word ‘syntax’ is derivedfrom the Greek word ‘syntaxis’, meaning ‘together’ and ‘sequence’. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn’t until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term ‘zero-watt’, though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map legend?

Amap legend is a guide to allthe symbols used on a map. It helps a person read a map correctly. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on a map. Stated simply, a map legend is a sort of dictionary so that you can understand what the map represents. Vegetation, topographic features, surface features etc are all represented by unique symbols which, in most cases, are standardised.

Whatis the Olympic Tower 2016?

The Olympic Tower 2016 is a vertical structure that will be placed in Cotonduba Island. It will serve both as an observation tower, and a welcome sign for visitors arriving by air and by sea at Rio de Janeiro, where the Olympic Games 2016 will take place. The project is from Zurique, and utilizes solar energy during the day with its solo power panels to pump sea water.

What is the flamenco?

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumentalmusic and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and a dancing pattern that evolved over the centuries. The theatrical presentation is a ballet.

Who is an Aunt Millie?

Aunt is a term used to describe an uneducated or unsophisticated investor who is new and unfamiliar with investing, which makes him prone to poor investment choices. It has a derogatory connotation in the financial sector. Aunt Millie is used with reference to a low-risk investment offered to first-time, inexperienced investors.

What is the Bourbon Trail?

A tour programme managed by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), the Bourbon Trail or Kentucky Bourbon Trail meant to promote the bourbon industry in Kentucky which is over 200 years old. People who mail in a promotional passport which has been stamped by all the participating distilleries get free T-shirts courtesy the Association. The trail was launched in 1999 by seven of the eight distilleries in the region.

WhatisSukkot?

Sukkot is one of the three “Pilgrim Festivals” in the Jewish tradition. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month ofTishri, i.e. late September to late October, it is a reminder of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thefestivallasts seven days. The first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services. The remaining days are known as Chol Hamoed (“festival weekdays “).

What is the littoral zone?

The littoral zone is that part of the river or sea which is closest to the shore. It extends from the shoreline to 600 feet (183 metres) out into the water and is divided into three zones called supralittoral, intertidal and sublittoral. The zone is a tricky area when it comes to predicting water conditions because so many factors affect it. Coastal currents, onshore and offshore winds, reefs, bays arid the share of the shoreline are some of the things sailors have to deal with when passing through this zone.

What is Greco-Roman wrestling?

It is style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. The style is different from freestyle wrestling as it forbids holding below the waist. This directs the emphasis on throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbingtheir opponent’s leg.

What does stirring up a hornets nest mean?

Hornets are wasp-like insects. Their nests are similar to the ones made by bees. Stirring up a hornet’s nest metaphorically means to stir a silent/calm situation into that filled with rage, discord or one with chaos. It also means to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. This metaphor is self-explanatory as when one ‘stirs a hornet’s nest’ the hornets fly out of their nest in a temper and attack the cause of the disturbance.

What is the hour-glass ceiling?

It is a time-based impediment to career advancement, often faced by working mothers where they spend much more time than working fathers with their families, instead of at the workplace. Almost all senior level positions demand longer hours at the workplace but mothers are rarely able to work out flexible work timings, mostly as a result of inadequate cooperation from the people around them.

What is carrom ball in cricket?

Carrom ball is where the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a conventional release, is squeezed out and flicked by the fingers like how a disc is flicked on a carrom board. The first bowler known to have used this style of delivery was Australian Jack Iverson from Victoria, who used it throughout his test career in the period after the Second World War, although he did not use the name ‘carrom ball’. It is used by off-spinners and was again introduced by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka in 2007-08. At present, only Ajantha Mendis and Ravichandran Ashwin of India use it in international cricket.

What is the Bom Sabado?

‘Born Sabado’ is a Portuguese word Which means ‘Good Saturday’ in English. Bom Sabado, in recent months, l|as come to refer to a javascriptbiased virus that has infected the social networking site Orkut. The virus hit the site on a Saturday in September 2010. It is an auto-generated message which fills the user’s scrapbook, like a scrap from a friends’ list.

What is a currency war?

Currency war, also known as ‘competitive devaluation’, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their home currency, so as to help their domestic industry. Currency wars have been rare throughout history as even at times when a system of fixed exchange rates have not been in place, countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency or have been content to allow its value to be set by the markets.

What is the origin of ‘high five’ in sports?

The term ‘high five’ is a hand gesture made by two partners to congratulate each other on a combined achtevement. A high five involves the two partners raising a hand each with outstretched fingers, and slap,; ping’each other’s palms, while saying ‘give me five’. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980, and is saidto have its origins in US basketball. Some say high five was used first in basketball in 1977 by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, whereas some others say the gesture was used first by Lament Street in the 1960s.

What is beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport which is mainly played on sand (though it can sometimes be played indoors) but what mainly distinguishes it from, indoor volleyball is that each team has two players each. Like other Variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team’s court. Originating in Southern California and Hawaii, beach volleyball is now popular worldwide, even in countries without traditional beaches like Switzerland.

What is a dramedy?

A style of television entertainment that combines two genres, dramedy also comprises many styles of television, theatre andfilm. It balances humour and drama, or serious content, to an almost equal extent. A dramedy is also called comedy-drama or seriocomedy One of the first times a dramedywasattempedwas with Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid’.

What is black energy ?

In astronomy, black energy is a hypothetical form of energy that per- meates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. Black energy currently accounts for 73% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Black energy has been used as a crucial ingredient in a recent attempt to formulate a cyclic model for the universe. The nature of black energy is very homogeneous, not too dense.

What is a docusoap?

The term docusoap is made up from two words — documentary and soap (television serials). A docusoap therefore is a television documentary with soap opera elements: a television programme that combines documentary style with aspects of soap opera, eg by showing the personal lives of people at their workplace. The term came into circulation in the late 20th century.

What is Nido (Nest) Therapy?

Nido(Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person’s environment, not their personality The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido(Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction and chemical dependency. It is also used in the treatment of substance abuse, psychosis and personality disorders.

What is scarlet day?

Scarlet day is the term used in the University of Cambridge to designate those days on which doctors are required to wear the festal form of academic dress. It is so called because of the scarlet elements in the gowns and hoods of the festal full dress worn by doctors as opposed to the everyday black gowns. On these days, it is also permitted for members of the University to wear the academic dress of other universities from which they have obtained degrees.

What is the origin of judo?

Judo has its origin in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, (alsojujitsu) a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are usually credited with developing jujutsu. In their time, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, in which fighters fought, fully clad in Japanese armour. The chronicle of the Japanese nation, documents public, unarmed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 B C. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, thejujutsufighterwas expected to be pliable, winning by appearing to yield.

What is a NEET?

NEET is a British term used for a young person who is not engaged by way of any work, academics, or training programme. It’s an acronym derived from the phrase ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’, a government classification often used to refer to the stage that teenagers or young adults go through when they have nothing to do. However, the age group of people under this category varies from county to country.

Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled The History of John Bull’ but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.

What is the origin of the term Trench Kiss’?

One theory is associated with France being known as the city of love, with the Eiffel Tower and Paris considered the ultimate symbols of romance. Another theory is that French Kiss was a derogatory term used during war: —it was said that the French would rather make love with their faces than fight. The term dates back to at least the 1820s and became popular again during the 1920s when the French were believed to be preoccupied then with passion and love.

Why is the international dateline drawn in a zigzag manner?

The International Date Line (IDL) passes through the Pacific Ocean. It is an imaginary line, like longitudes and latitudes. The time difference on either side of this line is 24 hours. So, the date changes as soon as one crosses this line. To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner.

Why are celestial bodies spherical in shape?

Celestial bodied, are spherical in shape because of gravity Whenever enough mass gathers close together, the resultant gravity, which follows the inverse square law, pulls equally in all directions and results in a spherical shape. Irrespective of the material composition of the celestial body a diameter of a few hundred kilometers is sufficient to create a spherical form.

What are Humboldt penguins?

They are South American penguins that breed in coastal Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins are named after the cold water current they swims in, which takes its name after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. These birds are medium-sized with blackish-grey upper parts and whitish under parts and a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breastband. They have spines on their tongues, which are used to hold prey.

What is infoganda?

Infoganda — a portmanteau of information and propaganda — has found currency to describe a news item or a literary piece of work that is informative and also has an underlying agenda. Infoganda is often used by governments and religious bodies to promote a certain message. The word has a negative slant to it.

What is a chicken market in the stocks trade? .

‘Chicken market’ is used to represent one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an investor who is afraid to take risks.

What is the Chandrasekhar limit in astronomy?

When the sun cools down in about five billion years, gravity will make it shrink. It will end up as a solid lump — a dead star called white dwarf. In the early 1930s, Indian scientist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar found out that if a white dwarf has more than 1.4 times as much mass as the sun, it will not be able to support itself. This is the Chandrasekhar limit.

Why does a person cry while having a hearty laugh?

People cry in response to emotion, whether it is good or bad, because of signals from the higher centres of the brain that tell the tear glands whether they are happy or sad. These signals travel through the parasympathetic pathways, part of the complicated patterns of emotion that our body instinctively recognizes.

What is the origin of the relay race?

The relay race, which is now an Olympic event, first began with Aboriginals carrying messages between tribes. Legends were passed from generation to generation and from tribe to tribe. In some cases, when the messages were urgent, two separate messengers were sent in different directions with the same message. In some cases, messages had to be relayed from tribe to tribe as one person could not cover such huge distances. This was how relay races began.

What is 2-D technology in cars?

Nowadays, 2-D barcodes are used in cars. There are two types of barcodes that are widely used: one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D). 1-D barcode is common in most household products, while 2-D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label.

What is Anubis associated with?

Anubis’ is the Greek name for the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis was known as ‘Inpu’. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom’s pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead, but was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. After that, Anubis was changed into one of the many sons of Osiris, and the conductor of souls of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt near the cemeteries throughout Egypt.

WHAT IS SLACKTIVISM?

Slacktivism is used to describe activism which does not require a person to put in any great effort. Slaektivistsjoin causes on the internet and get a feeling of satisfaction without even moving out of their chairs. It is a slightly derogatory term for meaningless causes, as opposed to activism as a crusade, A slacktivist is rarely identified with the cause and is not a flag-waving, card-carrying type.

What is cloud computing?

The term cloud computing with reference to IT is a service offered by a third party — typically a Technology Services Provider— and offered on subscription basis by leveraging the internet. The key proposition is to move away from expensive; capex heavy, on-premises options to affordable, cost-efficient arrangements that are offered on a one-to-many basis. It is a misperception that cloud computing refers to only software; it includes hardware as a service enabling computing on demand.

Why is the countdown so important while launching a rocket?

A countdown is loudly counting in reverse from 10 to 1, prior to an event. In a rocket launch, a countdown is a carefully devised set of procedures ending with the ignition of a rocket engine, which starts 72 to 96 hours prior to its launch time. During the countdown, step-by-step procedures like placing the vehicle at the launch site, loading the essentials needed for the launch, setting up communication with the launch centre, etc are executed. When everything is okayed, ‘T minus Time’, that is, 3 minutes and 40 seconds is set and the process of ignition begins.

Who is Jack Frost?

A common figure in Western folklore, Jack Frost is a personification of the nippiest winter weather, credited with leaving beautiful plant-like patterns on windows and frosting on leaves. His name is probably of Norse derivation— the Norsemen knew him as ‘Jokul FYosir or Jack Frost. The Saxons who settled in Britain had their Lord Snow and King Frost.

What is the mystery of Easter Island?

Easter Island is the eastern-most island of Polynesia, located 3,200 km west of Chile, which annexed it in 1888. The island is called so because it was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen. Its mystery lies in the hundreds of carved stone statues, as high as 12 metres, found on the island, although it was uninhabited when discovered.

What is Cloud Gate?

Cloud Gate is the internationally renowned sculpture designed by British artist of Indian origin, Anish Kapoor, It is located at the centre of the AT&T Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, and was completed in 2006. The stainless steel sculpture is arch- shaped, and is about 12 feet long and weighs 110 tonnes. It is the result of a competition which Anish Kapoor won. Despite experts raising concerns about design and feasibility, it was completed with little or no modifications and is now considered an architectural marvel.

What is a jungle gym?

A jungle gym, also known as monkey bars or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of thin material, such as metal pipes or, in more current playgrounds, rope, on which children can climb, hang, and sit. It was traditionally constructed as a frame of metal bars and was introduced in 1920 by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.

What is a vacation bank?

A vacation banker leave bank is what an employer allots to a staffer every year. A Vacation Deprivation study found that many employees failed to use their leave completely, adding many man-days to production. An employee dips into the bank to lengthen weekends, and sprinkles them over the year. ‘Vacation bank’ has gained a more current meaning — the creation of a bank of unused vacation hours by staffers. Instead of letting leave lapse, an employee can transfer the days to the company’s ‘vacation time bank’ — these can be used by any employee in a crisis.

What is Blue Ocean strategy?

It is a business strategy for creating uncontested, virgin market space. The metaphor of red and blue oceans describes the market: blue oceans denote the industries not in existence today where demand is created rather than fought over. Red oceans are industries existing today — boundaries are defined and competitive rules are known. Cut-throat competition turns the ocean bloody, which gives it the term ‘red oceans’. It is explained in the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What do sugar-free products contain?

Sugar-free products contain sugar substitutes, some natural and some synthetic. Artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. Artificial sweeteners are cornpounds with sweetness 300-500 times that of sucrose (table sugar). As a result, less sweetener is required, energy contribution is often negligible and blood glucose levels are not effected.

What is emission trading?

It is an advanced method to control pollution by providing economic incentives. A government authority sets a limit or cap on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in an open environment. Manufacturers are issued emission permits and allotted an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) to emit a specific amount of pollutants. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from companies which pollute less — this is referred to as emissions trade.

What are crop circles?

Crop circles are mystery circles which farmers in southern England have observed, especially in 1980. Large sections of their fields were trampled into circles overnight. Sometimes, the crops were flattened into strange designs. Though it was made to look like machines were used,the crops were not damaged.

What is Area 51?

Area 51 is a term used in CIA dbcupients for a military base 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site. It is a block of land six by 10 miles, on which is a large secret air base, at the shore of Groom Lake. The base was created in 1954 to test the secret U-2 spy plane, besides research on UFOs and extra-terrestrial bodies.

What is a Tea Party protest?

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by the

British government.

What is cloud music?

Cloud music is a new service which has done away with the need to download music. Music lovers now have music at their fingertips simply by subscribing to companies logging on to this new business. Subscription is dirt-cheap and the song/album is played instantly over a mobile device that links to the internet via the cellphone network. The royalties from cloud music subscription go back to music companies.

What is a Parthian shot?

The Parthian shot was a famous military combat tactic practised by the Parthians, the ancient Iranian people hailing from the north-eastern region of Iran called Parthia. The theme ‘Parthian tactic’ was to surprise the enemy with the hit-and-run action using light horses, dividing their own forces by pretending retreat and then turning unexpectedly back and showering the enemy with deadly arrows, surrounding and destroying them.

How is the market price of a share established during trading ?

The price at which buying and selling transactions take place is determined by market forces, that is, demand and supply for a particular stock. If a company enjoys high investor confidence and its stock price is expected to rise, many people would want to buy it (high demand) and very few will sell it at the current market price (less supply). Buyers have to bid higher to match the asking price from the seller, thus increasing stock price. If there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price falls.

What is cross-branding? How does it work?

Cross-branding is a market approach to enhance two brands by associating them with each other. Amazon, corn is well-known for applying the concept, working with such brands such as Toysrus, Office Depot and Weight Watchers. Another example is of Grasim taking over L&T Cement and using the brand.

What are rubber rooms?

The ‘rubber room’ is where hundreds of New York City school teachers sit and do nothing, but are paid their full salary Each year, hundreds of school teachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. While awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they report to an off-campus location called the ‘rubber room’.

What is the resonant frequency of an object?

Every object has its a natural frequency at which it achieves maximum amplitude during vibrations, if left to vibrate free after applying external force. This frequency is known as resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of an object depends on factors such as shape, mass and density of material. Even a house or bridge has its own unique resonant frequency A bridge vibrating at resonant frequency may collapse.

What is Jujutsu?

Jujutsu or Jiu-jitsu literally meaning the “art of softness” or “way of yielding” is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles, including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method to defeat an armed and armoured opponent without weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking against an armoured opponent, the method to neutralize an enemy is using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than oppose it. ;

What is a rehook?

A rehook is a film which is so powerful and appealing that cinema goers go back for repeat viewings. These blockbuster shows keep the box office coffers full. Good examples are classics like “Gone with the Wind”, “Titanic”, even the Bond series. New hit “Inception” is another rehook, with many people returning for repeat shows, but more because the plot is so complex that viewers want to make sense of it. This is the power of the rehook. ‘

How did ‘Hello’ come to be used as a greeting over the phone?

The first word used to answer the phone was the nautical greeting ‘ahoy’ because the first regular phone system was in the maritime state of Connecticut. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, answered with the Gaelic ‘hoy’. But it was Thomas Edison’s greeting of ‘hello’, an exclamation of surprise dating back to the Middle Ages, that caught on, and so we answer the telephone today with, ‘Hello?’ Another theory is that after inventing the telephone, he rang his girlfriend whose name was ‘Hello’, thus the first word said by him on telephone became a greeting. Before ‘Hello’ became popular, telephone operators started conversations with, “Are you there?”

What is La-La-Land?

Originally coined in 1981 by San Francisco native Bill (William) D Froelich, the term was first used in the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Froelich was explaining to his fellow workers that he was about to visit his girlfriend’s parents in La La Land, otherwise known as Los Angeles. The term was quite indicative of Froelich’s view towards the city at the time. There are bold parallels between the term la-la (unconsciousness; an elevated mind state) and Froelich’s regard for Los Angeles. After 29 years, Bill Froelich now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. His in-laws still live in La La Land.

Why is Winston Churchill’s speech known as the ‘Iron Curtain Speech’?

Winston Churchill made a speech at Fulton, Missourie in March 1946, at the onset of the Cold War. He said, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” He was the first to coin the term in order to define Stalin’s aggressive drive to control all areas east of Russia and west of Germany Thereafter, the term became popular to describe the Communists’ stronghold over East Europe.

What is the Hubbert Peak Theory?

The theory is named after American geophysicist M King Hubbert. The theory posits that for any given geographical area, from an individual oilproducing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve. It is one of the primary theories on peak oil and is based on the observation that the amount of oil under the ground in any region is finite, therefore the rate of discovery which initially increases quickly must reach a maximum and decline.

What language is spoken in Minsk?

Minsk has been a city of many languages over time. Initially it was Ruthenian (later developed into modern Belarusian). After 1569, Polish became the official language. Belarusian national revival increased the use of Belarusian language but after World War II (by mid 1980s), Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. Most residents now use Russian in day-to-day life. Belarusian is understood as well. Today, the most commonly used international language is English.

What is soundbite TV?

Children who are hooked to the tele- vision show an inability to concentrate in class during an indepth lesson, say some teachers. They blame it on ‘soundbite TV — the fast pace of television. Fed a diet of sound and visuals, these children display very short attention spans and struggle to focus in class. Teachers also complain that such children are also disruptive when they are denied their dose of ‘sound and vision bites’.

What is software entropy?

The tendency, over time, for software to become difficult and costly to maintain is known as software entropy. A software system that undergoes continuous change, like new functionality added to its original design, will eventually become more complex, losing its original design structure, and may even become disorganized as it grows. In theory, it may be better to redesign the software in order to support the changes rather than build on the existing programme.

Why is a sperm whale called so?

Sperm whale is a type of toothed whale (physeter catodon) with a very large head which has cavities containing spermaceti, a sperm oil. It is a white, waxy substance consisting of various esters of fatty acids used for making candles, ointments and cosmetics. It has no relation to sperm, the male gamete.

What is arachnophobia?

An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of arachnophobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or non-existent. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie “Arachnophobia”. The word is derived from the Greek ‘arachne’ (spider) and ‘phobos’ (fear) after the mythical Arachne, a maiden who was a skilled weaver, whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider on being challenged to a weaving contest.

What are horse latitudes and how did they get the name?

There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudeSfc|5 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It is said that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term ‘horse latitudes’.

What does ‘dumping’ mean in computer lingo?

Dumping refers to the cleaning of stored data from the core memory area of a computer into trash or somewhere else in an unorganised manner. Dumping may be done in the event of a system failure or as part of maintenance work. The reason for dumping, in most cases, is that the data has lost its value over time and occupies huge memory space. Retrieval from the dump is difficult but not impossible.

What is a flying saucer?

Many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects, also known as UFOs, in the sky. Some of them described these objects in the shape of discs or saucers hovering overhead with a glow around them. These have been mostly interpreted as transport vehicles of aliens visiting earth, but photographs of them are now believed to be hoaxes. The first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24,1947, resulted in the creation of the term by US newspapers.

What is surface diffusion?

Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms (adsorbed atom lying on a crystal surface, used in surface chemistry when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness), molecules, and atomic clusters (adparticles) at solid material surfaces. Tunnelling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunnelling effect.

What is a flophouse?

A flophouse is a place of cheap lodging. It’s normally an apartment where some occupants pay rent while others are unemployed and do nothing with their lives except party and abuse drugs. They generally share bathroom facilities and reside in very cramped quarters. The people who use these places are often called transients, although some people stay in them for years. They are just a step above being homeless. Quarters in flophouses are very small and may resemble office cubicles more than a regular hotel room. In the past, flophouses were called working men’s hotel and were rather dirty. Some cities that have flophouses in abundance become well known in their own right such as the Bowery in New York.

How are points in a stock exchange calculated?

Nifty is actually an index of 50, not 100, stocks. Also, sensex is calculated on free-float market cap only i.e. shares held by the public and not by promoters. But, Nifty is calculated by total market capitalisation. Hence, shares like ONGC where the promoter holding is large gets very little weight in the sensex as compared to the Nifty.

Who is a hypermiler?

Hypermilers are those who try to extract every bit of mileage from their cars by trying out various techniques like coasting when it’s possible, at times even switching off the engine, not switching on the air-conditioner, etc. The term originated in hybrid driving clubs. Some radical techniques are employed by hypermilers, which are called renegades. They use extreme techniques that may even compromise their security

What is the grettis saga?

The Grettis Saga is one of the finest Icelandic family sagas, which details the life of Grettis Asmundarson, an Icelandic warrior who became an outlaw. It was written in the 13th and early 14th century Well-born, brave but troubleprone Grettis, at 14, kills a man in a quarrel and is outlawed. He spends these years in Norway performing many brave deeds. On his return to Iceland, he saves people from the malicious ghost of Glam. The dying fiend imposes a curse on him, predicting that he will grow afraid of the dark. Grettis accidentally kills the chieftain’s son and is outlawed again. Grettis is pursued by kinsmen of men he has wronged and by other outlaws for the price on his head. At last, his enemies overwhelm him with the aid of witchcraft. His brother avenges his death. The saga’s theme can be summed up thus: good gifts and good luck are often worlds apart.

What is the windfall tax?

The windfall tax is what’s imposed on windfall gains, an abnormal increase in the profits of any organization or company in the normal course of its business due to certain circumstances. A good example would be the recent increase in the price of oil over the world. In this case, the oil exploration and production (E&P) companies will make huge gains if they sell oil to local refining companies at international prices, which are high. Such a gain is due to circumstances favouring E&P companies and not due to their cost-cutting or other efficient operations. These are windfall gains and the tax on such gains is called windfall tax.

What is unique about the hangzhou bay bridge?

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a bridge across Hangzhou Bay off the eastern coast of China. It links the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. It’s the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world although it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. The bridge is 36 km long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The construction started on June 8, 2003 and was completed on June 14, 2007. It is not open for public transportation but is only being used for test and evaluation purpose.

why the bucket seat in automobiles is called so?

According to some sources, the word bucket comes from the French word ‘baquet’ which means cockpit. A bucket seat is much more comfortable, especially for long journeys. Bucket seats came into use after World War II in small cars due to the lack of seating room for a third passenger on account of the presence of a floor-mounted gear handle.

what is pareto’s (80-20) rule of automation?

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian engineer-sociologist who, in the 19th century studied the number of people in various income classes and represented his findings in diagrams. His important conclusion was that 80% of the total wealth in the world is owned by 20% of people and that 20% of wealth is owned by 80% of people. A similar pattern is observed in many other problem areas where number of causes contribute to a particular problem. In other words, 20% of the causes contribute to 80% of the problem. The specific Pareto’s (80-20) rule for automation is, however, unheard of.

what is special about the garden city of palkenberg?

The Garden City of Falkenberg is a housing estate in Berlin, Germany designed and built by the celebrated German architect and town planner Bruno Taut (1880-1938). In designing the complex, Taut applied the garden city concept he learnt from England. The most striking aspect of this architecture is its use of colour: each part of a building bears a different, contrasting colour with respect to the other parts, and all the parts together produce a harmonious and pleasing effect. Falkenberg is also the name of an important town in the Halland county on the west coast of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of the river Atran. The town is wellknown for its food and beverage industry, and has several beaches and lakes- which form its major tourist attraction.

what is the origin of the term horse trading ?

The term horse trading. Which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses? As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterised by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support for one of his initiatives for another Bill or legislation.

what is moribund capitalism?

It’s a concept introduced by Vladimir Lenin, who wrote that when capitalism becomes imperialistic, it is moribund capitalism. He describes the height of imperialist capitalism as “ripe and rotten-ripe capitalism” which will eventually collapse and make way for socialism. The concept was mentioned in his 1916 book, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

who is hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor is a minor Nubian king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from 205 BC to 186 BC. He successfully rebelled against the then king Ptolemy IV in 205 BC and ruled a larger part of Egypt for 19 years and was succeeded by Ankhmakis.

what is a chromophore?

A chromophore is a group of atoms and electrons (or moiety) i.e. part of organic molecules responsible for its colour. It is an extended delocalised systems of electrons in a compound which gives its colour e.g. chlorophyll’s porphin ring, or an azo dyes benzene ring linked to N=N double bond. When a molecule absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light and transmits or reflects others, the molecule has a colour. A chromophore is a region in a molecule where the energy difference between two different molecular orbitals falls within the range of the visible spectrum. Visible light that’hits the chromophore can thus be absorbed by exciting an electron from its ground state into an excited state. In biological molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy the chromophore is a moiety that causes a confermational change of the molecule when hit by light.

in the stock market, what is the concept of grey marketing?

Grey marketing is a trade of something legal but through unofficial and unauthorised distribution channels. In contrast, black marketing is a trade of illegal goods or services through illegal channels. The grey market of goods is to import and sell products through market channels which are not authorized by the manufacturers. It occurs when the prices of a product differs significantly in different countries. The grey market of securities markets and IPO (Initial Public Offer) is to buy and sell the shares to be allotted in the future. Once the trading is done in the grey market at a stipulated price, the seller must deliver the sold number of shares to the buyer on the day of listing to honour the commitment.

what is unique about the production ‘dralion’?

‘Dralion’ is an entertainment show produced by Montreal-based company Cirque du Soleil Inc, well known for its circus-based dance dramas. The show ‘Dralion’, which has already toured different parts of the world, is currently located at Sydney and been seen by seven million people. It’s main theme is to project human life as an integral part of nature, and, specifically, to celebrate the harmony between human life and the four natural elements — earth, air, water, and fire. The theme is inspired by Chinese philosophy. It’s dances combine the traditional acts of Chinese circus and the gravitydefying acrobatics unique to Cirque du Soleil. The show presents a highly imaginative and magical perspective. The title is a combination of the two symbols of East and West — the dragon and the lion.

Why is glass brittle?

Ordinary glass is soda-lime glass and is a mixture of silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium etc. It is brittle because its molecular structure is composed of tetrahedral crystals. These crystals do not have a good large-area orderly crystalline structure. Therefore, when it is under stress, the structure gets ruptured.

What dyes are used to ink tattoos?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood.

What does roadrunner refer to?

It’s the world’s fastest supercomputer built by scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US military It can compute about 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be primarily used for military problems, particularly to ensure the accurate functioning of ageing nuclear weapons.

What is the armenian genocide?

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1923. About 1.5 million Armenians out of the 2.5 million in the empire were killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate the tragedy on April 24 every year.

What’s distinctive about davos?

Situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres, in the heart of the Alps in Switzerland, the town of Davos has the distinction of being the largest mountain resort in the Alps and the highest town of Europe. Its major tourist attraction are winter sports. It is also a preferred place for holding international conferences like the World Economic Forum.

What is fat tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, where gras is French for fat and Mardi is French for Tuesday The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting on a fattened calf on the last day of a carnival. The annual festivities start on January 6 and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday.

What is a gazebo?

A gazebo is a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape and a place to rest.

What is a slumpometer?

The global slumpometer is a yardstick economists use to measure the severity of the recession in various economies across the world. It takes into account unemployment. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). To the average person, rising unemployment and pink slips mean a recession. While for many economists, a recession has arrived when there’s a dip in GDP for two successive quarters. For others, a recession is when the GDI begins to dip, and is a more reliable factor than GDP.

What is a surgical strike?

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so that they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc.

How did the term ‘window dressing’ originate?

Textile and readymade shops dress mannequins (models of human bodies) with attractive clothing they sell and place them in display windows. Likewise, mutual funds and banks add more temporary assets and liabilities on year ends to ensure their balance sheets remain attractive to the public, especially to investors. As their intention is to dress up their balance sheets to make them attractive like a shopper does to the mannequins, the term ‘window dressing’ is used to mean artificial inflation of assets which will wear off after the year-end.

How do clouds move?

Clouds are formed when water evaporates from rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes. High cirrus clouds are moved by a jet stream and sometimes travel at 100 kmph. When clouds are a part of a thunderstorm, they usually travel at 30-40 kmph.

What is the jagd and hund fair?

It is the ‘Hunting and Hounds fair where exhibitors present the latest trends in fishing and hunting.

What is the nathan rothschild maxim?

The Nathan Rothschild maxim says that you ‘make money in the stock market when blood flows in the streets’. Nathan Rothschild was a stock dealer in the London stock market who took advantage of early knowledge of England’s victory at Waterloo. First, he sold all his shares, which caused heavy meltdown in the market. Towards the end, he bought all the shares at a very low price before the news of England’s victory reached London. With England’s victory, the share market rose rapidly and in the process, Nathan made a lot of money.

What is icor in economics?

Incremental Capital .Output Ratio (ICOR) is the additional capital required to increase one unit of output. This ratio is used to measure the efficiency of an industrial unit or country as an economic unit. The lesser the ICOR, more efficient the organization.

What is a suction excavator?

A suction excavator is a combination of excavator and a pump for dual function of excavating earth and pumping the soil out. It has an air pump for generating the required flow of air, a nozzle through which air is drawn and a mechanism for separating soil from the air drawn through the nozzle.

What is the treynor ratio?

The Treynor Ratio (reward-tovolatility ratio) was developed by Jack Treynor, one of the fathers of modern portfolio theory the ratio measures the returns earned from a portfolio over and above the normal return that would have been earned on a risk-free investment. The formula for the Treynor Ratio is: average return of the portfolio minus average return of the risk free rate divided by the beta of the portfolio. In short, the excess return over the risk-free return of the portfolio is divided by the beta of the portfolio to get the Treynor Ratio. Beta is a measure of market-related risk in a stock or collection of stocks. A high Treynor Ratio indicates better performance. A risk-free investment is akin to an investment in a government of India Treasury bill.

Which is the biggest container port in the world?

Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twentyfeet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.

What is the great manmade river?

The Great Manmade River (better known as GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara desert to Libya from a fossil aquifer. This aquifer is known as Nublon Sandstone Aquifer System. GMR is considered to be the largest underground network of pipes in the world. It has more than 1,300 wells supplying more than 7,100,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other major cities of this African nation. Some wells are as deep as 650 metres. In 1953, when drilling for the search of oil, explorers found huge quantities of freshwater. GMRP (Great Manmade River Project) was developed in 1960 and it took shape in 1984. About 88 million cubic metres of excavation was done for the completion of the first of five phases, and it. was inaugurated on August 28,1991. This mammoth project, designed by Brown Root and Price Brothers, is funded by the Libyan government and owned by the Great Manmade River Authority The Guiness Book of World Records has acknowledged it as the world’s largest irrigation project.

What is sistine chapel famous for?

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV It’s best known for being the location of papal conclaves, for the election of a new Pope. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

What do riders represent in the fiesta of san joan?

The Spanish fiesta of San Joan dates back to the 14th century and has religious significance. The riders participating in it or caixers as they are called represent the social strata of the church, nobility, craftsmen and country people (mostly farmers).

What does zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which country receives the highest rainfall in the world?

Of the 95 wettest countries in the world, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Sierra Leone are ranked the top three in order of maximum rainfall received on an average in a year, according to the World Statistics Pocket Book and the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations. The records are for the period 1931-1960. Guinea, also known as the Republic of Guinea, with its capital named Conakry, is in Western Africa receives a monsoon-type of rainfall from June to November. Against the global weighted annual average rainfall of 9.627 cm, Guinea gets 37.84 cm, the Solomon Islands gets 32.90 cm and Sierra Leone gets 29.46 cm. Conakry is the wettest capital in the world and receives rainfall on ah average of 134 days each year. India is the ninth wettest country with 21.68 cm of average annual rainfall. The UN World Statistics for 2007 record these figures: Guinea – 37.76 cm, Solomon Islands – 32.9 cm, Sierra Leone – 29.46 cm and India 24.01 cm. Guinea was still top of the list and India retained the ninth position.

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create a spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl’s original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott’s Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:’Web’ and ‘episode’. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn’t joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government’s chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual ‘pardoning the turkey’ during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita’presidential pardon’.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets ‘schlimazzeled’. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes’ talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes’ techniques are generally of the form, ‘If p, then q, where ‘p’ is observed evidence and ‘q’ is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word ‘syntax’?

The word ‘syntax’ is derivedfrom the Greek word ‘syntaxis’, meaning ‘together’ and ‘sequence’. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn’t until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term ‘zero-watt’, though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map legend?

Amap legend is a guide to allthe symbols used on a map. It helps a person read a map correctly. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on a map. Stated simply, a map legend is a sort of dictionary so that you can understand what the map represents. Vegetation, topographic features, surface features etc are all represented by unique symbols which, in most cases, are standardised.

Whatis the Olympic Tower 2016?

The Olympic Tower 2016 is a vertical structure that will be placed in Cotonduba Island. It will serve both as an observation tower, and a welcome sign for visitors arriving by air and by sea at Rio de Janeiro, where the Olympic Games 2016 will take place. The project is from Zurique, and utilizes solar energy during the day with its solo power panels to pump sea water.

What is the flamenco?

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumentalmusic and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and a dancing pattern that evolved over the centuries. The theatrical presentation is a ballet.

Who is an Aunt Millie?

Aunt is a term used to describe an uneducated or unsophisticated investor who is new and unfamiliar with investing, which makes him prone to poor investment choices. It has a derogatory connotation in the financial sector. Aunt Millie is used with reference to a low-risk investment offered to first-time, inexperienced investors.

What is the Bourbon Trail?

A tour programme managed by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), the Bourbon Trail or Kentucky Bourbon Trail meant to promote the bourbon industry in Kentucky which is over 200 years old. People who mail in a promotional passport which has been stamped by all the participating distilleries get free T-shirts courtesy the Association. The trail was launched in 1999 by seven of the eight distilleries in the region.

WhatisSukkot?

Sukkot is one of the three “Pilgrim Festivals” in the Jewish tradition. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month ofTishri, i.e. late September to late October, it is a reminder of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thefestivallasts seven days. The first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services. The remaining days are known as Chol Hamoed (“festival weekdays “).

What is the littoral zone?

The littoral zone is that part of the river or sea which is closest to the shore. It extends from the shoreline to 600 feet (183 metres) out into the water and is divided into three zones called supralittoral, intertidal and sublittoral. The zone is a tricky area when it comes to predicting water conditions because so many factors affect it. Coastal currents, onshore and offshore winds, reefs, bays arid the share of the shoreline are some of the things sailors have to deal with when passing through this zone.

What is Greco-Roman wrestling?

It is style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. The style is different from freestyle wrestling as it forbids holding below the waist. This directs the emphasis on throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbingtheir opponent’s leg.

What does stirring up a hornets nest mean?

Hornets are wasp-like insects. Their nests are similar to the ones made by bees. Stirring up a hornet’s nest metaphorically means to stir a silent/calm situation into that filled with rage, discord or one with chaos. It also means to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. This metaphor is self-explanatory as when one ‘stirs a hornet’s nest’ the hornets fly out of their nest in a temper and attack the cause of the disturbance.

What is the hour-glass ceiling?

It is a time-based impediment to career advancement, often faced by working mothers where they spend much more time than working fathers with their families, instead of at the workplace. Almost all senior level positions demand longer hours at the workplace but mothers are rarely able to work out flexible work timings, mostly as a result of inadequate cooperation from the people around them.

What is carrom ball in cricket?

Carrom ball is where the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a conventional release, is squeezed out and flicked by the fingers like how a disc is flicked on a carrom board. The first bowler known to have used this style of delivery was Australian Jack Iverson from Victoria, who used it throughout his test career in the period after the Second World War, although he did not use the name ‘carrom ball’. It is used by off-spinners and was again introduced by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka in 2007-08. At present, only Ajantha Mendis and Ravichandran Ashwin of India use it in international cricket.

What is the Bom Sabado?

‘Born Sabado’ is a Portuguese word Which means ‘Good Saturday’ in English. Bom Sabado, in recent months, l|as come to refer to a javascriptbiased virus that has infected the social networking site Orkut. The virus hit the site on a Saturday in September 2010. It is an auto-generated message which fills the user’s scrapbook, like a scrap from a friends’ list.

What is a currency war?

Currency war, also known as ‘competitive devaluation’, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their home currency, so as to help their domestic industry. Currency wars have been rare throughout history as even at times when a system of fixed exchange rates have not been in place, countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency or have been content to allow its value to be set by the markets.

What is the origin of ‘high five’ in sports?

The term ‘high five’ is a hand gesture made by two partners to congratulate each other on a combined achtevement. A high five involves the two partners raising a hand each with outstretched fingers, and slap,; ping’each other’s palms, while saying ‘give me five’. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980, and is saidto have its origins in US basketball. Some say high five was used first in basketball in 1977 by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, whereas some others say the gesture was used first by Lament Street in the 1960s.

What is beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport which is mainly played on sand (though it can sometimes be played indoors) but what mainly distinguishes it from, indoor volleyball is that each team has two players each. Like other Variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team’s court. Originating in Southern California and Hawaii, beach volleyball is now popular worldwide, even in countries without traditional beaches like Switzerland.

What is a dramedy?

A style of television entertainment that combines two genres, dramedy also comprises many styles of television, theatre andfilm. It balances humour and drama, or serious content, to an almost equal extent. A dramedy is also called comedy-drama or seriocomedy One of the first times a dramedywasattempedwas with Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid’.

What is black energy ?

In astronomy, black energy is a hypothetical form of energy that per- meates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. Black energy currently accounts for 73% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Black energy has been used as a crucial ingredient in a recent attempt to formulate a cyclic model for the universe. The nature of black energy is very homogeneous, not too dense.

What is a docusoap?

The term docusoap is made up from two words — documentary and soap (television serials). A docusoap therefore is a television documentary with soap opera elements: a television programme that combines documentary style with aspects of soap opera, eg by showing the personal lives of people at their workplace. The term came into circulation in the late 20th century.

What is Nido (Nest) Therapy?

Nido(Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person’s environment, not their personality The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido(Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction and chemical dependency. It is also used in the treatment of substance abuse, psychosis and personality disorders.

What is scarlet day?

Scarlet day is the term used in the University of Cambridge to designate those days on which doctors are required to wear the festal form of academic dress. It is so called because of the scarlet elements in the gowns and hoods of the festal full dress worn by doctors as opposed to the everyday black gowns. On these days, it is also permitted for members of the University to wear the academic dress of other universities from which they have obtained degrees.

What is the origin of judo?

Judo has its origin in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, (alsojujitsu) a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are usually credited with developing jujutsu. In their time, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, in which fighters fought, fully clad in Japanese armour. The chronicle of the Japanese nation, documents public, unarmed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 B C. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, thejujutsufighterwas expected to be pliable, winning by appearing to yield.

What is a NEET?

NEET is a British term used for a young person who is not engaged by way of any work, academics, or training programme. It’s an acronym derived from the phrase ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’, a government classification often used to refer to the stage that teenagers or young adults go through when they have nothing to do. However, the age group of people under this category varies from county to country.

Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled The History of John Bull’ but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.

What is the origin of the term Trench Kiss’?

One theory is associated with France being known as the city of love, with the Eiffel Tower and Paris considered the ultimate symbols of romance. Another theory is that French Kiss was a derogatory term used during war: —it was said that the French would rather make love with their faces than fight. The term dates back to at least the 1820s and became popular again during the 1920s when the French were believed to be preoccupied then with passion and love.

Why is the international dateline drawn in a zigzag manner?

The International Date Line (IDL) passes through the Pacific Ocean. It is an imaginary line, like longitudes and latitudes. The time difference on either side of this line is 24 hours. So, the date changes as soon as one crosses this line. To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner.

Why are celestial bodies spherical in shape?

Celestial bodied, are spherical in shape because of gravity Whenever enough mass gathers close together, the resultant gravity, which follows the inverse square law, pulls equally in all directions and results in a spherical shape. Irrespective of the material composition of the celestial body a diameter of a few hundred kilometers is sufficient to create a spherical form.

What are Humboldt penguins?

They are South American penguins that breed in coastal Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins are named after the cold water current they swims in, which takes its name after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. These birds are medium-sized with blackish-grey upper parts and whitish under parts and a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breastband. They have spines on their tongues, which are used to hold prey.

What is infoganda?

Infoganda — a portmanteau of information and propaganda — has found currency to describe a news item or a literary piece of work that is informative and also has an underlying agenda. Infoganda is often used by governments and religious bodies to promote a certain message. The word has a negative slant to it.

What is a chicken market in the stocks trade? .

‘Chicken market’ is used to represent one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an investor who is afraid to take risks.

What is the Chandrasekhar limit in astronomy?

When the sun cools down in about five billion years, gravity will make it shrink. It will end up as a solid lump — a dead star called white dwarf. In the early 1930s, Indian scientist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar found out that if a white dwarf has more than 1.4 times as much mass as the sun, it will not be able to support itself. This is the Chandrasekhar limit.

Why does a person cry while having a hearty laugh?

People cry in response to emotion, whether it is good or bad, because of signals from the higher centres of the brain that tell the tear glands whether they are happy or sad. These signals travel through the parasympathetic pathways, part of the complicated patterns of emotion that our body instinctively recognizes.

What is the origin of the relay race?

The relay race, which is now an Olympic event, first began with Aboriginals carrying messages between tribes. Legends were passed from generation to generation and from tribe to tribe. In some cases, when the messages were urgent, two separate messengers were sent in different directions with the same message. In some cases, messages had to be relayed from tribe to tribe as one person could not cover such huge distances. This was how relay races began.

What is 2-D technology in cars?

Nowadays, 2-D barcodes are used in cars. There are two types of barcodes that are widely used: one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D). 1-D barcode is common in most household products, while 2-D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label.

What is Anubis associated with?

Anubis’ is the Greek name for the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis was known as ‘Inpu’. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom’s pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead, but was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. After that, Anubis was changed into one of the many sons of Osiris, and the conductor of souls of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt near the cemeteries throughout Egypt.

WHAT IS SLACKTIVISM?

Slacktivism is used to describe activism which does not require a person to put in any great effort. Slaektivistsjoin causes on the internet and get a feeling of satisfaction without even moving out of their chairs. It is a slightly derogatory term for meaningless causes, as opposed to activism as a crusade, A slacktivist is rarely identified with the cause and is not a flag-waving, card-carrying type.

What is cloud computing?

The term cloud computing with reference to IT is a service offered by a third party — typically a Technology Services Provider— and offered on subscription basis by leveraging the internet. The key proposition is to move away from expensive; capex heavy, on-premises options to affordable, cost-efficient arrangements that are offered on a one-to-many basis. It is a misperception that cloud computing refers to only software; it includes hardware as a service enabling computing on demand.

Why is the countdown so important while launching a rocket?

A countdown is loudly counting in reverse from 10 to 1, prior to an event. In a rocket launch, a countdown is a carefully devised set of procedures ending with the ignition of a rocket engine, which starts 72 to 96 hours prior to its launch time. During the countdown, step-by-step procedures like placing the vehicle at the launch site, loading the essentials needed for the launch, setting up communication with the launch centre, etc are executed. When everything is okayed, ‘T minus Time’, that is, 3 minutes and 40 seconds is set and the process of ignition begins.

Who is Jack Frost?

A common figure in Western folklore, Jack Frost is a personification of the nippiest winter weather, credited with leaving beautiful plant-like patterns on windows and frosting on leaves. His name is probably of Norse derivation— the Norsemen knew him as ‘Jokul FYosir or Jack Frost. The Saxons who settled in Britain had their Lord Snow and King Frost.

What is the mystery of Easter Island?

Easter Island is the eastern-most island of Polynesia, located 3,200 km west of Chile, which annexed it in 1888. The island is called so because it was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen. Its mystery lies in the hundreds of carved stone statues, as high as 12 metres, found on the island, although it was uninhabited when discovered.

What is Cloud Gate?

Cloud Gate is the internationally renowned sculpture designed by British artist of Indian origin, Anish Kapoor, It is located at the centre of the AT&T Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, and was completed in 2006. The stainless steel sculpture is arch- shaped, and is about 12 feet long and weighs 110 tonnes. It is the result of a competition which Anish Kapoor won. Despite experts raising concerns about design and feasibility, it was completed with little or no modifications and is now considered an architectural marvel.

What is a jungle gym?

A jungle gym, also known as monkey bars or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of thin material, such as metal pipes or, in more current playgrounds, rope, on which children can climb, hang, and sit. It was traditionally constructed as a frame of metal bars and was introduced in 1920 by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.

What is a vacation bank?

A vacation banker leave bank is what an employer allots to a staffer every year. A Vacation Deprivation study found that many employees failed to use their leave completely, adding many man-days to production. An employee dips into the bank to lengthen weekends, and sprinkles them over the year. ‘Vacation bank’ has gained a more current meaning — the creation of a bank of unused vacation hours by staffers. Instead of letting leave lapse, an employee can transfer the days to the company’s ‘vacation time bank’ — these can be used by any employee in a crisis.

What is Blue Ocean strategy?

It is a business strategy for creating uncontested, virgin market space. The metaphor of red and blue oceans describes the market: blue oceans denote the industries not in existence today where demand is created rather than fought over. Red oceans are industries existing today — boundaries are defined and competitive rules are known. Cut-throat competition turns the ocean bloody, which gives it the term ‘red oceans’. It is explained in the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What do sugar-free products contain?

Sugar-free products contain sugar substitutes, some natural and some synthetic. Artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. Artificial sweeteners are cornpounds with sweetness 300-500 times that of sucrose (table sugar). As a result, less sweetener is required, energy contribution is often negligible and blood glucose levels are not effected.

What is emission trading?

It is an advanced method to control pollution by providing economic incentives. A government authority sets a limit or cap on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in an open environment. Manufacturers are issued emission permits and allotted an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) to emit a specific amount of pollutants. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from companies which pollute less — this is referred to as emissions trade.

What are crop circles?

Crop circles are mystery circles which farmers in southern England have observed, especially in 1980. Large sections of their fields were trampled into circles overnight. Sometimes, the crops were flattened into strange designs. Though it was made to look like machines were used,the crops were not damaged.

What is Area 51?

Area 51 is a term used in CIA dbcupients for a military base 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site. It is a block of land six by 10 miles, on which is a large secret air base, at the shore of Groom Lake. The base was created in 1954 to test the secret U-2 spy plane, besides research on UFOs and extra-terrestrial bodies.

What is a Tea Party protest?

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by the

British government.

What is cloud music?

Cloud music is a new service which has done away with the need to download music. Music lovers now have music at their fingertips simply by subscribing to companies logging on to this new business. Subscription is dirt-cheap and the song/album is played instantly over a mobile device that links to the internet via the cellphone network. The royalties from cloud music subscription go back to music companies.

What is a Parthian shot?

The Parthian shot was a famous military combat tactic practised by the Parthians, the ancient Iranian people hailing from the north-eastern region of Iran called Parthia. The theme ‘Parthian tactic’ was to surprise the enemy with the hit-and-run action using light horses, dividing their own forces by pretending retreat and then turning unexpectedly back and showering the enemy with deadly arrows, surrounding and destroying them.

How is the market price of a share established during trading ?

The price at which buying and selling transactions take place is determined by market forces, that is, demand and supply for a particular stock. If a company enjoys high investor confidence and its stock price is expected to rise, many people would want to buy it (high demand) and very few will sell it at the current market price (less supply). Buyers have to bid higher to match the asking price from the seller, thus increasing stock price. If there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price falls.

What is cross-branding? How does it work?

Cross-branding is a market approach to enhance two brands by associating them with each other. Amazon, corn is well-known for applying the concept, working with such brands such as Toysrus, Office Depot and Weight Watchers. Another example is of Grasim taking over L&T Cement and using the brand.

What are rubber rooms?

The ‘rubber room’ is where hundreds of New York City school teachers sit and do nothing, but are paid their full salary Each year, hundreds of school teachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. While awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they report to an off-campus location called the ‘rubber room’.

What is the resonant frequency of an object?

Every object has its a natural frequency at which it achieves maximum amplitude during vibrations, if left to vibrate free after applying external force. This frequency is known as resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of an object depends on factors such as shape, mass and density of material. Even a house or bridge has its own unique resonant frequency A bridge vibrating at resonant frequency may collapse.

What is Jujutsu?

Jujutsu or Jiu-jitsu literally meaning the “art of softness” or “way of yielding” is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles, including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method to defeat an armed and armoured opponent without weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking against an armoured opponent, the method to neutralize an enemy is using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than oppose it. ;

What is a rehook?

A rehook is a film which is so powerful and appealing that cinema goers go back for repeat viewings. These blockbuster shows keep the box office coffers full. Good examples are classics like “Gone with the Wind”, “Titanic”, even the Bond series. New hit “Inception” is another rehook, with many people returning for repeat shows, but more because the plot is so complex that viewers want to make sense of it. This is the power of the rehook. ‘

How did ‘Hello’ come to be used as a greeting over the phone?

The first word used to answer the phone was the nautical greeting ‘ahoy’ because the first regular phone system was in the maritime state of Connecticut. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, answered with the Gaelic ‘hoy’. But it was Thomas Edison’s greeting of ‘hello’, an exclamation of surprise dating back to the Middle Ages, that caught on, and so we answer the telephone today with, ‘Hello?’ Another theory is that after inventing the telephone, he rang his girlfriend whose name was ‘Hello’, thus the first word said by him on telephone became a greeting. Before ‘Hello’ became popular, telephone operators started conversations with, “Are you there?”

What is La-La-Land?

Originally coined in 1981 by San Francisco native Bill (William) D Froelich, the term was first used in the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Froelich was explaining to his fellow workers that he was about to visit his girlfriend’s parents in La La Land, otherwise known as Los Angeles. The term was quite indicative of Froelich’s view towards the city at the time. There are bold parallels between the term la-la (unconsciousness; an elevated mind state) and Froelich’s regard for Los Angeles. After 29 years, Bill Froelich now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. His in-laws still live in La La Land.

Why is Winston Churchill’s speech known as the ‘Iron Curtain Speech’?

Winston Churchill made a speech at Fulton, Missourie in March 1946, at the onset of the Cold War. He said, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” He was the first to coin the term in order to define Stalin’s aggressive drive to control all areas east of Russia and west of Germany Thereafter, the term became popular to describe the Communists’ stronghold over East Europe.

What is the Hubbert Peak Theory?

The theory is named after American geophysicist M King Hubbert. The theory posits that for any given geographical area, from an individual oilproducing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve. It is one of the primary theories on peak oil and is based on the observation that the amount of oil under the ground in any region is finite, therefore the rate of discovery which initially increases quickly must reach a maximum and decline.

What language is spoken in Minsk?

Minsk has been a city of many languages over time. Initially it was Ruthenian (later developed into modern Belarusian). After 1569, Polish became the official language. Belarusian national revival increased the use of Belarusian language but after World War II (by mid 1980s), Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. Most residents now use Russian in day-to-day life. Belarusian is understood as well. Today, the most commonly used international language is English.

What is soundbite TV?

Children who are hooked to the tele- vision show an inability to concentrate in class during an indepth lesson, say some teachers. They blame it on ‘soundbite TV — the fast pace of television. Fed a diet of sound and visuals, these children display very short attention spans and struggle to focus in class. Teachers also complain that such children are also disruptive when they are denied their dose of ‘sound and vision bites’.

What is software entropy?

The tendency, over time, for software to become difficult and costly to maintain is known as software entropy. A software system that undergoes continuous change, like new functionality added to its original design, will eventually become more complex, losing its original design structure, and may even become disorganized as it grows. In theory, it may be better to redesign the software in order to support the changes rather than build on the existing programme.

Why is a sperm whale called so?

Sperm whale is a type of toothed whale (physeter catodon) with a very large head which has cavities containing spermaceti, a sperm oil. It is a white, waxy substance consisting of various esters of fatty acids used for making candles, ointments and cosmetics. It has no relation to sperm, the male gamete.

What is arachnophobia?

An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of arachnophobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or non-existent. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie “Arachnophobia”. The word is derived from the Greek ‘arachne’ (spider) and ‘phobos’ (fear) after the mythical Arachne, a maiden who was a skilled weaver, whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider on being challenged to a weaving contest.

What are horse latitudes and how did they get the name?

There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudeSfc|5 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It is said that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term ‘horse latitudes’.

What does ‘dumping’ mean in computer lingo?

Dumping refers to the cleaning of stored data from the core memory area of a computer into trash or somewhere else in an unorganised manner. Dumping may be done in the event of a system failure or as part of maintenance work. The reason for dumping, in most cases, is that the data has lost its value over time and occupies huge memory space. Retrieval from the dump is difficult but not impossible.

What is a flying saucer?

Many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects, also known as UFOs, in the sky. Some of them described these objects in the shape of discs or saucers hovering overhead with a glow around them. These have been mostly interpreted as transport vehicles of aliens visiting earth, but photographs of them are now believed to be hoaxes. The first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24,1947, resulted in the creation of the term by US newspapers.

What is surface diffusion?

Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms (adsorbed atom lying on a crystal surface, used in surface chemistry when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness), molecules, and atomic clusters (adparticles) at solid material surfaces. Tunnelling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunnelling effect.

What is a flophouse?

A flophouse is a place of cheap lodging. It’s normally an apartment where some occupants pay rent while others are unemployed and do nothing with their lives except party and abuse drugs. They generally share bathroom facilities and reside in very cramped quarters. The people who use these places are often called transients, although some people stay in them for years. They are just a step above being homeless. Quarters in flophouses are very small and may resemble office cubicles more than a regular hotel room. In the past, flophouses were called working men’s hotel and were rather dirty. Some cities that have flophouses in abundance become well known in their own right such as the Bowery in New York.

How are points in a stock exchange calculated?

Nifty is actually an index of 50, not 100, stocks. Also, sensex is calculated on free-float market cap only i.e. shares held by the public and not by promoters. But, Nifty is calculated by total market capitalisation. Hence, shares like ONGC where the promoter holding is large gets very little weight in the sensex as compared to the Nifty.

Who is a hypermiler?

Hypermilers are those who try to extract every bit of mileage from their cars by trying out various techniques like coasting when it’s possible, at times even switching off the engine, not switching on the air-conditioner, etc. The term originated in hybrid driving clubs. Some radical techniques are employed by hypermilers, which are called renegades. They use extreme techniques that may even compromise their security

What is the grettis saga?

The Grettis Saga is one of the finest Icelandic family sagas, which details the life of Grettis Asmundarson, an Icelandic warrior who became an outlaw. It was written in the 13th and early 14th century Well-born, brave but troubleprone Grettis, at 14, kills a man in a quarrel and is outlawed. He spends these years in Norway performing many brave deeds. On his return to Iceland, he saves people from the malicious ghost of Glam. The dying fiend imposes a curse on him, predicting that he will grow afraid of the dark. Grettis accidentally kills the chieftain’s son and is outlawed again. Grettis is pursued by kinsmen of men he has wronged and by other outlaws for the price on his head. At last, his enemies overwhelm him with the aid of witchcraft. His brother avenges his death. The saga’s theme can be summed up thus: good gifts and good luck are often worlds apart.

What is the windfall tax?

The windfall tax is what’s imposed on windfall gains, an abnormal increase in the profits of any organization or company in the normal course of its business due to certain circumstances. A good example would be the recent increase in the price of oil over the world. In this case, the oil exploration and production (E&P) companies will make huge gains if they sell oil to local refining companies at international prices, which are high. Such a gain is due to circumstances favouring E&P companies and not due to their cost-cutting or other efficient operations. These are windfall gains and the tax on such gains is called windfall tax.

What is unique about the hangzhou bay bridge?

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a bridge across Hangzhou Bay off the eastern coast of China. It links the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. It’s the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world although it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. The bridge is 36 km long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The construction started on June 8, 2003 and was completed on June 14, 2007. It is not open for public transportation but is only being used for test and evaluation purpose.

why the bucket seat in automobiles is called so?

According to some sources, the word bucket comes from the French word ‘baquet’ which means cockpit. A bucket seat is much more comfortable, especially for long journeys. Bucket seats came into use after World War II in small cars due to the lack of seating room for a third passenger on account of the presence of a floor-mounted gear handle.

what is pareto’s (80-20) rule of automation?

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian engineer-sociologist who, in the 19th century studied the number of people in various income classes and represented his findings in diagrams. His important conclusion was that 80% of the total wealth in the world is owned by 20% of people and that 20% of wealth is owned by 80% of people. A similar pattern is observed in many other problem areas where number of causes contribute to a particular problem. In other words, 20% of the causes contribute to 80% of the problem. The specific Pareto’s (80-20) rule for automation is, however, unheard of.

what is special about the garden city of palkenberg?

The Garden City of Falkenberg is a housing estate in Berlin, Germany designed and built by the celebrated German architect and town planner Bruno Taut (1880-1938). In designing the complex, Taut applied the garden city concept he learnt from England. The most striking aspect of this architecture is its use of colour: each part of a building bears a different, contrasting colour with respect to the other parts, and all the parts together produce a harmonious and pleasing effect. Falkenberg is also the name of an important town in the Halland county on the west coast of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of the river Atran. The town is wellknown for its food and beverage industry, and has several beaches and lakes- which form its major tourist attraction.

what is the origin of the term horse trading ?

The term horse trading. Which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses? As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterised by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support for one of his initiatives for another Bill or legislation.

what is moribund capitalism?

It’s a concept introduced by Vladimir Lenin, who wrote that when capitalism becomes imperialistic, it is moribund capitalism. He describes the height of imperialist capitalism as “ripe and rotten-ripe capitalism” which will eventually collapse and make way for socialism. The concept was mentioned in his 1916 book, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

who is hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor is a minor Nubian king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from 205 BC to 186 BC. He successfully rebelled against the then king Ptolemy IV in 205 BC and ruled a larger part of Egypt for 19 years and was succeeded by Ankhmakis.

what is a chromophore?

A chromophore is a group of atoms and electrons (or moiety) i.e. part of organic molecules responsible for its colour. It is an extended delocalised systems of electrons in a compound which gives its colour e.g. chlorophyll’s porphin ring, or an azo dyes benzene ring linked to N=N double bond. When a molecule absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light and transmits or reflects others, the molecule has a colour. A chromophore is a region in a molecule where the energy difference between two different molecular orbitals falls within the range of the visible spectrum. Visible light that’hits the chromophore can thus be absorbed by exciting an electron from its ground state into an excited state. In biological molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy the chromophore is a moiety that causes a confermational change of the molecule when hit by light.

in the stock market, what is the concept of grey marketing?

Grey marketing is a trade of something legal but through unofficial and unauthorised distribution channels. In contrast, black marketing is a trade of illegal goods or services through illegal channels. The grey market of goods is to import and sell products through market channels which are not authorized by the manufacturers. It occurs when the prices of a product differs significantly in different countries. The grey market of securities markets and IPO (Initial Public Offer) is to buy and sell the shares to be allotted in the future. Once the trading is done in the grey market at a stipulated price, the seller must deliver the sold number of shares to the buyer on the day of listing to honour the commitment.

what is unique about the production ‘dralion’?

‘Dralion’ is an entertainment show produced by Montreal-based company Cirque du Soleil Inc, well known for its circus-based dance dramas. The show ‘Dralion’, which has already toured different parts of the world, is currently located at Sydney and been seen by seven million people. It’s main theme is to project human life as an integral part of nature, and, specifically, to celebrate the harmony between human life and the four natural elements — earth, air, water, and fire. The theme is inspired by Chinese philosophy. It’s dances combine the traditional acts of Chinese circus and the gravitydefying acrobatics unique to Cirque du Soleil. The show presents a highly imaginative and magical perspective. The title is a combination of the two symbols of East and West — the dragon and the lion.

Why is glass brittle?

Ordinary glass is soda-lime glass and is a mixture of silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium etc. It is brittle because its molecular structure is composed of tetrahedral crystals. These crystals do not have a good large-area orderly crystalline structure. Therefore, when it is under stress, the structure gets ruptured.

What dyes are used to ink tattoos?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood.

What does roadrunner refer to?

It’s the world’s fastest supercomputer built by scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US military It can compute about 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be primarily used for military problems, particularly to ensure the accurate functioning of ageing nuclear weapons.

What is the armenian genocide?

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1923. About 1.5 million Armenians out of the 2.5 million in the empire were killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate the tragedy on April 24 every year.

What’s distinctive about davos?

Situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres, in the heart of the Alps in Switzerland, the town of Davos has the distinction of being the largest mountain resort in the Alps and the highest town of Europe. Its major tourist attraction are winter sports. It is also a preferred place for holding international conferences like the World Economic Forum.

What is fat tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, where gras is French for fat and Mardi is French for Tuesday The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting on a fattened calf on the last day of a carnival. The annual festivities start on January 6 and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday.

What is a gazebo?

A gazebo is a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape and a place to rest.

What is a slumpometer?

The global slumpometer is a yardstick economists use to measure the severity of the recession in various economies across the world. It takes into account unemployment. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). To the average person, rising unemployment and pink slips mean a recession. While for many economists, a recession has arrived when there’s a dip in GDP for two successive quarters. For others, a recession is when the GDI begins to dip, and is a more reliable factor than GDP.

What is a surgical strike?

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so that they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc.

How did the term ‘window dressing’ originate?

Textile and readymade shops dress mannequins (models of human bodies) with attractive clothing they sell and place them in display windows. Likewise, mutual funds and banks add more temporary assets and liabilities on year ends to ensure their balance sheets remain attractive to the public, especially to investors. As their intention is to dress up their balance sheets to make them attractive like a shopper does to the mannequins, the term ‘window dressing’ is used to mean artificial inflation of assets which will wear off after the year-end.

How do clouds move?

Clouds are formed when water evaporates from rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes. High cirrus clouds are moved by a jet stream and sometimes travel at 100 kmph. When clouds are a part of a thunderstorm, they usually travel at 30-40 kmph.

What is the jagd and hund fair?

It is the ‘Hunting and Hounds fair where exhibitors present the latest trends in fishing and hunting.

What is the nathan rothschild maxim?

The Nathan Rothschild maxim says that you ‘make money in the stock market when blood flows in the streets’. Nathan Rothschild was a stock dealer in the London stock market who took advantage of early knowledge of England’s victory at Waterloo. First, he sold all his shares, which caused heavy meltdown in the market. Towards the end, he bought all the shares at a very low price before the news of England’s victory reached London. With England’s victory, the share market rose rapidly and in the process, Nathan made a lot of money.

What is icor in economics?

Incremental Capital .Output Ratio (ICOR) is the additional capital required to increase one unit of output. This ratio is used to measure the efficiency of an industrial unit or country as an economic unit. The lesser the ICOR, more efficient the organization.

What is a suction excavator?

A suction excavator is a combination of excavator and a pump for dual function of excavating earth and pumping the soil out. It has an air pump for generating the required flow of air, a nozzle through which air is drawn and a mechanism for separating soil from the air drawn through the nozzle.

What is the treynor ratio?

The Treynor Ratio (reward-tovolatility ratio) was developed by Jack Treynor, one of the fathers of modern portfolio theory the ratio measures the returns earned from a portfolio over and above the normal return that would have been earned on a risk-free investment. The formula for the Treynor Ratio is: average return of the portfolio minus average return of the risk free rate divided by the beta of the portfolio. In short, the excess return over the risk-free return of the portfolio is divided by the beta of the portfolio to get the Treynor Ratio. Beta is a measure of market-related risk in a stock or collection of stocks. A high Treynor Ratio indicates better performance. A risk-free investment is akin to an investment in a government of India Treasury bill.

Which is the biggest container port in the world?

Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twentyfeet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.

What is the great manmade river?

The Great Manmade River (better known as GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara desert to Libya from a fossil aquifer. This aquifer is known as Nublon Sandstone Aquifer System. GMR is considered to be the largest underground network of pipes in the world. It has more than 1,300 wells supplying more than 7,100,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other major cities of this African nation. Some wells are as deep as 650 metres. In 1953, when drilling for the search of oil, explorers found huge quantities of freshwater. GMRP (Great Manmade River Project) was developed in 1960 and it took shape in 1984. About 88 million cubic metres of excavation was done for the completion of the first of five phases, and it. was inaugurated on August 28,1991. This mammoth project, designed by Brown Root and Price Brothers, is funded by the Libyan government and owned by the Great Manmade River Authority The Guiness Book of World Records has acknowledged it as the world’s largest irrigation project.

What is sistine chapel famous for?

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV It’s best known for being the location of papal conclaves, for the election of a new Pope. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

What do riders represent in the fiesta of san joan?

The Spanish fiesta of San Joan dates back to the 14th century and has religious significance. The riders participating in it or caixers as they are called represent the social strata of the church, nobility, craftsmen and country people (mostly farmers).

What does zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which country receives the highest rainfall in the world?

Of the 95 wettest countries in the world, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Sierra Leone are ranked the top three in order of maximum rainfall received on an average in a year, according to the World Statistics Pocket Book and the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations. The records are for the period 1931-1960. Guinea, also known as the Republic of Guinea, with its capital named Conakry, is in Western Africa receives a monsoon-type of rainfall from June to November. Against the global weighted annual average rainfall of 9.627 cm, Guinea gets 37.84 cm, the Solomon Islands gets 32.90 cm and Sierra Leone gets 29.46 cm. Conakry is the wettest capital in the world and receives rainfall on ah average of 134 days each year. India is the ninth wettest country with 21.68 cm of average annual rainfall. The UN World Statistics for 2007 record these figures: Guinea – 37.76 cm, Solomon Islands – 32.9 cm, Sierra Leone – 29.46 cm and India 24.01 cm. Guinea was still top of the list and India retained the ninth position.

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create a spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

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5 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Began Learning Specific Languages

We all make mistakes.

In over two decades of language learning, I’ve made my fair share of them. Just like learning a single language is a process, learning how to learn languages is a process, too.

Generally speaking, there are no shortcuts to this process. You only get better with time, effort, and deliberate practice.

One thing, however, which can speed up the process—if not shorten it altogether—is tolearn from the mistakes of others. To learn the lessons others learned through struggle, error, and failure, and to do your best not to repeat them.

I’ve done this many times. I’ve been fortunate to surround myself with many excellent language learning role models over the years, and I’ve learned from them all.

But this article is not about how I’ve learned from the mistakes of others.

It’s about how you, dear reader, can learn from my mistakes.

Today, I want to share with you five things I wish I had known when I began learning specific languages. It is my hope that you can take these lessons, learned from my own mistakes and failures, and put them to use in your own learning, to ultimately speed up your own language learning success.

1. When Learning Close Languages, Start Speaking Early

Sometimes, it’s so easy to get stuck in a routine that it’s difficult to notice when other approaches would give much faster results.

Take, for example, the time I began learning Portuguese in 2008.

I had already had a well-developed learning method that I had tried and tested with several other languages. Part of this method required me to study a language using its corresponding Assimil course for an entire 6 months prior to actively speaking it with natives. This was my plan for Portuguese.

While this is well and good for most languages, I was overlooking one huge fact: I should have started speaking much, much earlier!

You see, Portuguese is a member of the Romance language family, meaning that it is descended from Latin.

At the time I started Portuguese, I had learned and mastered two other Romance languages: Spanish, and my native Italian.

Since Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian have lots in common in terms of grammar, vocabulary, phonetics, and syntax, I didn’t actually have to absorb a whole lot of new information to be able to speak Portuguese well. All I had to do was “convert” a lot of my underlying Spanish and Italian knowledge into correct Portuguese.

Since Portuguese was a “close” language to languages I already knew well, it turns out that I didn’t have to wait six months to start speaking it—I probably didn’t even have to wait six weeks!

The time one should wait to speak a language depends very much on the individual and his or her own language experience, but I know now that when learning very close languages, it’s much more efficient to speak as early as possible, since a lot of the skills and knowledge of a previous language can transfer to the new one.

2. When Learning Distant Languages, Keep it Simple

The amount of linguistic diversity on the planet is staggering. Languages are incredibly complex, and they can differ from one another in both subtle and obvious ways.

This diversity means that just because a routine or approach has helped you learn one, two, five, or ten languages, it won’t necessarily be just as successful in helping you learn the next one.

This was the lesson I learned from Japanese.

As I mentioned in the Portuguese example above, my language learning method focuses primarily on gaining input (listening and reading) for six months to a year, before then focusing on output (speaking & writing).

Typically, once I reach the end of the input phase in a particular language, I’m able to build up my speaking skills very quickly, and converse at an intermediate level or higher.

This is how it worked for many of my previous languages. Even difficult ones, like Russian, Polish, and Mandarin Chinese.

I had no such luck with Japanese, however. Once I began trying to speak, I was confused to find that I couldn’t, even after many attempts at conversation.

Here, the problem was the opposite of the one I had with Portuguese: instead of it being too close a language, Japanese was too distant from any language I had previously learned.

More specifically, every other language in my repertoire at the time had a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) syntax. This means that they form sentences like “I (subject) ate (verb) the cake (object).”

Japanese doesn’t do this. It has, instead, an SOV word order, meaning the above sentence in Japanese is structured as “I the cake ate”.

If you’re accustomed to SVO languages as I was, trying to speak in an SOV language feels like a mental juggling act, as you suddenly have to start building sentences in a way that feels almost entirely backwards.

Now, I did know at the time that Japanese has a different word order. The problem is that I started speaking Japanese by trying to form sentences that would have been easy in SVO languages, but were far too complicated to manage in Japanese. Sentences with multiple clauses—something like “I started learning Japanese because I think Japanese culture is fascinating”—were most often the culprit.

Had I known then what I know now, I would have avoided these complex sentences entirely. While I could express them after a year of learning an SVO language, they simply weren’t appropriate for Japanese. Instead, what I needed to do was simplify things as much as possible.

Japanese syntax was so new to me that I needed to go back to basics; in essence, to speak like a child speaks. This means starting with a focus on simple sentences (such as “I’m learning Japanese” and “I like Japanese culture) and gradually working up to forming more complex sentences through connectors (“I’m learning Japanese because I like Japanese culture”). This “bottom-up” approach would have helped me grow accustomed to the new syntax while avoiding the mental stress of trying to say things that are above my level.

If you are trying to learn a language that is extremely different from any you have learned before, I recommend this approach. At the beginning, simplify everything as much as you can, until you’re comfortable with the basics. Once that happens, build up your tolerance for complexity, but do so gradually. And don’t be afraid to resimplify if you get overwhelmed!

3. When Learning a Language with a New Script, Acquire the Right Tools Quickly

Language learning difficulties can often arise in the most unexpected of places.

When I started learning Russian in 2004, I had already been forewarned many times about the maze of declensions that is the Russian case system. As such, if I was going to struggle with Russian, I figured it would be with its grammar.

Fast forward to four months later, and I was just about to give up learning Russian altogether.

The cases, surprisingly, were not the culprit. While challenging, they didn’t make me want to quit.

It was Cyrillic that nearly drove me to the edge.

Yes, Cyrillic, the nearly-Latin, nearly-Greek alphabet that looks oh-so simple, was giving me fits.

And here’s the thing—I could read and handwrite it with no problems!

When it came to typing, however, I was at a total loss.

I tried learning the Russian keyboard, but it was completely alien to me. Even the letters that Cyrillic shares with Latin (“M”, “T”, “O”, “P”, etc.) were in completely new positions, so learning to use the Russian keyboard would be starting from scratch. I didn’t have the patience for it.

So, I resorted to a different method. One that was much simpler, but much, much slower: I input each letter from the symbols menu, one character at a time. Needless to say, typing anything longer than my name was a complete nightmare. Entire text conversations were practically impossible.

What I needed then were better tools. Clearly, the Russian keyboard and Symbols menu weren’t going to help me get the job done.

I eventually did find the right tool for the job, in the form of something now known as Google Input Tools. This is a browser-based text window that converts text in the Latin alphabet to the Cyrillic alphabet automatically. This allows me to type in Russian while still keeping my keyboard layout the same.

Knowledge of typing resources like Google Input Tools helped me immensely once I tried to learn Mandarin Chinese, which also has a completely different script from my own. Though attempting to type in Chinese characters could have been another Cyrillic-esque nightmare, an application known as Google Pinyin helped me communicate through text without any added stress to my learning.

If you wish to learn a language with a script that’s unfamiliar to you, I strongly advise that you find the tools you’ll need to handwrite and/or type as soon as you can, and learn to use them right away. Look for the option that will get you writing or typing the fastest, without slowing down your learning. You can always look into more complex options later.

4. When Learning a Tonal Language, Use a Top-Down Approach

Amongst language learners, tonal languages are notorious for their difficulty. If you don’t already speak a language with tones, the very idea that the meaning of a word can change according to its pitch can be hard to wrap your head around. This is why many people who are learning languages like Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Thai, or Vietnamese can often struggle mightily when trying to speak.

When I started learning Mandarin Chinese in 2008, I tried to tackle the tones using the usual bottom-up approach that is usually recommended to learners. This means that I started by learning and memorizing the tones, then applying them to the smallest “tonal units” (syllables, in this case) and then combined those units into larger pieces (words) and then combined those into even larger pieces (sentences).

When it came time to pronounce a sentence, then, I had to run through the whole procedure every time: remember the tone number of each syllable, then put the syllables together, then the words together, then the sentence. Mentally, it was a lot to keep track of all at once—and due to a phenomenon called tone sandhi, it’s not always even accurate.

Unsatisfied with the mental acrobatics required by the method, I looked for something better. And I eventually found it.

One day, I stumbled on a surprising fact about children who speak tonal languages natively: they don’t use tone numbers!

I realized then that tonal language speakers don’t piece a correctly toned sentence tone by tone, syllable by syllable, like learners usually do. Instead, they learn tones in chunks—either entire phrases or sentences—and can work down from there if necessary.

This “top-down” approach is much more intuitive, and eliminates the confusion caused by tone sandhi, since you’re not focused on tone changes at the syllable level.

If you’re learning a tonal language, then I recommend you take this top-down approach to learning tones, and avoid the headaches that bottom-up approaches can cause.

5. Practice Proper Phonetics From the Beginning

Having a proper mastery of the phonetics of a language is immensely important if you want to be understood by natives.

The example of learning Chinese tones (above) is one of the more common and obvious examples of this. If you can’t handle the tones, it will be very difficult for people to know what you are trying to say.

Tonal languages are considerably rare, however, so it’s easy to think that you can ignore something like intonation when learning languages that don’t have complex tone systems.

But that’s not quite true. And I found that out the hard way.

In 2008, I posted my first video on YouTube. In it, I displayed my skill in the eight languages I knew at the time.

The video was well-received, and I got a lot of good feedback.

For one language, however, I received comments I wasn’t sure what to make of.

A few people noticed that my intonation was off for Swedish. I found this odd, since I had never had any major intonation troubles with other European languages, and already spoke related languages like German and Dutch at a high level.

I initially chalked it up to YouTube commenters being overly critical, but the comments kept coming. So I decided to look into it.

It turns out that even though Swedish is not a tonal language, it can be considered a “semi-tonal” language, as it has a phonetic feature called “pitch accent”. This means that certain Swedish words can be intoned in two different ways, each intonation having a separate meaning.

This is an important feature of Swedish phonetics that I had only found out about (or at least paid proper attention to) nearly two whole years after beginning the language. By that time, the improper intonation was already deeply ingrained into my Swedish, and undoing all that “damage” would take years of hard work.

Since then, I’ve spent considerable time and effort in re-learning Swedish intonation, but I haven’t managed to completely eradicate the former, erroneous patterns with my speech.

This is why I implore you to focus on phonetics as early as you can when learning a language. Practice pronunciation and intonation and get frequent feedback so that you can eliminate errors as soon as they arise. Errors that get ignored or left alone tend to fossilize, and can be much more difficult to eliminate later on. If you want to speak as naturally as possible in your languages, don’t make that mistake.

Conclusion

Twenty-two years of language learning experience has taught me a whole host of lessons. Some I have learned from other learners, some I have learned from my own success. Most of them, however, I’ve learned from my own mistakes.

Of course, it is possible for you to make the same mistakes that I have made. However, if you learn from the above five lessons, you won’t have to. In the end, this will make your language learning experience much easier, quicker, and more rewarding.

Written by Luca Lampariello and Kevin Morehouse

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

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What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl’s original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott’s Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:’Web’ and ‘episode’. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn’t joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government’s chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual ‘pardoning the turkey’ during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita’presidential pardon’.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets ‘schlimazzeled’. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes’ talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes’ techniques are generally of the form, ‘If p, then q, where ‘p’ is observed evidence and ‘q’ is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word ‘syntax’?

The word ‘syntax’ is derivedfrom the Greek word ‘syntaxis’, meaning ‘together’ and ‘sequence’. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn’t until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term ‘zero-watt’, though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map legend?

Amap legend is a guide to allthe symbols used on a map. It helps a person read a map correctly. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on a map. Stated simply, a map legend is a sort of dictionary so that you can understand what the map represents. Vegetation, topographic features, surface features etc are all represented by unique symbols which, in most cases, are standardised.

Whatis the Olympic Tower 2016?

The Olympic Tower 2016 is a vertical structure that will be placed in Cotonduba Island. It will serve both as an observation tower, and a welcome sign for visitors arriving by air and by sea at Rio de Janeiro, where the Olympic Games 2016 will take place. The project is from Zurique, and utilizes solar energy during the day with its solo power panels to pump sea water.

What is the flamenco?

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumentalmusic and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and a dancing pattern that evolved over the centuries. The theatrical presentation is a ballet.

Who is an Aunt Millie?

Aunt is a term used to describe an uneducated or unsophisticated investor who is new and unfamiliar with investing, which makes him prone to poor investment choices. It has a derogatory connotation in the financial sector. Aunt Millie is used with reference to a low-risk investment offered to first-time, inexperienced investors.

What is the Bourbon Trail?

A tour programme managed by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), the Bourbon Trail or Kentucky Bourbon Trail meant to promote the bourbon industry in Kentucky which is over 200 years old. People who mail in a promotional passport which has been stamped by all the participating distilleries get free T-shirts courtesy the Association. The trail was launched in 1999 by seven of the eight distilleries in the region.

WhatisSukkot?

Sukkot is one of the three “Pilgrim Festivals” in the Jewish tradition. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month ofTishri, i.e. late September to late October, it is a reminder of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thefestivallasts seven days. The first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services. The remaining days are known as Chol Hamoed (“festival weekdays “).

What is the littoral zone?

The littoral zone is that part of the river or sea which is closest to the shore. It extends from the shoreline to 600 feet (183 metres) out into the water and is divided into three zones called supralittoral, intertidal and sublittoral. The zone is a tricky area when it comes to predicting water conditions because so many factors affect it. Coastal currents, onshore and offshore winds, reefs, bays arid the share of the shoreline are some of the things sailors have to deal with when passing through this zone.

What is Greco-Roman wrestling?

It is style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. The style is different from freestyle wrestling as it forbids holding below the waist. This directs the emphasis on throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbingtheir opponent’s leg.

What does stirring up a hornets nest mean?

Hornets are wasp-like insects. Their nests are similar to the ones made by bees. Stirring up a hornet’s nest metaphorically means to stir a silent/calm situation into that filled with rage, discord or one with chaos. It also means to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. This metaphor is self-explanatory as when one ‘stirs a hornet’s nest’ the hornets fly out of their nest in a temper and attack the cause of the disturbance.

What is the hour-glass ceiling?

It is a time-based impediment to career advancement, often faced by working mothers where they spend much more time than working fathers with their families, instead of at the workplace. Almost all senior level positions demand longer hours at the workplace but mothers are rarely able to work out flexible work timings, mostly as a result of inadequate cooperation from the people around them.

What is carrom ball in cricket?

Carrom ball is where the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a conventional release, is squeezed out and flicked by the fingers like how a disc is flicked on a carrom board. The first bowler known to have used this style of delivery was Australian Jack Iverson from Victoria, who used it throughout his test career in the period after the Second World War, although he did not use the name ‘carrom ball’. It is used by off-spinners and was again introduced by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka in 2007-08. At present, only Ajantha Mendis and Ravichandran Ashwin of India use it in international cricket.

What is the Bom Sabado?

‘Born Sabado’ is a Portuguese word Which means ‘Good Saturday’ in English. Bom Sabado, in recent months, l|as come to refer to a javascriptbiased virus that has infected the social networking site Orkut. The virus hit the site on a Saturday in September 2010. It is an auto-generated message which fills the user’s scrapbook, like a scrap from a friends’ list.

What is a currency war?

Currency war, also known as ‘competitive devaluation’, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their home currency, so as to help their domestic industry. Currency wars have been rare throughout history as even at times when a system of fixed exchange rates have not been in place, countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency or have been content to allow its value to be set by the markets.

What is the origin of ‘high five’ in sports?

The term ‘high five’ is a hand gesture made by two partners to congratulate each other on a combined achtevement. A high five involves the two partners raising a hand each with outstretched fingers, and slap,; ping’each other’s palms, while saying ‘give me five’. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980, and is saidto have its origins in US basketball. Some say high five was used first in basketball in 1977 by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, whereas some others say the gesture was used first by Lament Street in the 1960s.

What is beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport which is mainly played on sand (though it can sometimes be played indoors) but what mainly distinguishes it from, indoor volleyball is that each team has two players each. Like other Variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team’s court. Originating in Southern California and Hawaii, beach volleyball is now popular worldwide, even in countries without traditional beaches like Switzerland.

What is a dramedy?

A style of television entertainment that combines two genres, dramedy also comprises many styles of television, theatre andfilm. It balances humour and drama, or serious content, to an almost equal extent. A dramedy is also called comedy-drama or seriocomedy One of the first times a dramedywasattempedwas with Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid’.

What is black energy ?

In astronomy, black energy is a hypothetical form of energy that per- meates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. Black energy currently accounts for 73% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Black energy has been used as a crucial ingredient in a recent attempt to formulate a cyclic model for the universe. The nature of black energy is very homogeneous, not too dense.

What is a docusoap?

The term docusoap is made up from two words — documentary and soap (television serials). A docusoap therefore is a television documentary with soap opera elements: a television programme that combines documentary style with aspects of soap opera, eg by showing the personal lives of people at their workplace. The term came into circulation in the late 20th century.

What is Nido (Nest) Therapy?

Nido(Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person’s environment, not their personality The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido(Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction and chemical dependency. It is also used in the treatment of substance abuse, psychosis and personality disorders.

What is scarlet day?

Scarlet day is the term used in the University of Cambridge to designate those days on which doctors are required to wear the festal form of academic dress. It is so called because of the scarlet elements in the gowns and hoods of the festal full dress worn by doctors as opposed to the everyday black gowns. On these days, it is also permitted for members of the University to wear the academic dress of other universities from which they have obtained degrees.

What is the origin of judo?

Judo has its origin in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, (alsojujitsu) a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are usually credited with developing jujutsu. In their time, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, in which fighters fought, fully clad in Japanese armour. The chronicle of the Japanese nation, documents public, unarmed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 B C. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, thejujutsufighterwas expected to be pliable, winning by appearing to yield.

What is a NEET?

NEET is a British term used for a young person who is not engaged by way of any work, academics, or training programme. It’s an acronym derived from the phrase ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’, a government classification often used to refer to the stage that teenagers or young adults go through when they have nothing to do. However, the age group of people under this category varies from county to country.

Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled The History of John Bull’ but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.

What is the origin of the term Trench Kiss’?

One theory is associated with France being known as the city of love, with the Eiffel Tower and Paris considered the ultimate symbols of romance. Another theory is that French Kiss was a derogatory term used during war: —it was said that the French would rather make love with their faces than fight. The term dates back to at least the 1820s and became popular again during the 1920s when the French were believed to be preoccupied then with passion and love.

Why is the international dateline drawn in a zigzag manner?

The International Date Line (IDL) passes through the Pacific Ocean. It is an imaginary line, like longitudes and latitudes. The time difference on either side of this line is 24 hours. So, the date changes as soon as one crosses this line. To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner.

Why are celestial bodies spherical in shape?

Celestial bodied, are spherical in shape because of gravity Whenever enough mass gathers close together, the resultant gravity, which follows the inverse square law, pulls equally in all directions and results in a spherical shape. Irrespective of the material composition of the celestial body a diameter of a few hundred kilometers is sufficient to create a spherical form.

What are Humboldt penguins?

They are South American penguins that breed in coastal Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins are named after the cold water current they swims in, which takes its name after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. These birds are medium-sized with blackish-grey upper parts and whitish under parts and a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breastband. They have spines on their tongues, which are used to hold prey.

What is infoganda?

Infoganda — a portmanteau of information and propaganda — has found currency to describe a news item or a literary piece of work that is informative and also has an underlying agenda. Infoganda is often used by governments and religious bodies to promote a certain message. The word has a negative slant to it.

What is a chicken market in the stocks trade? .

‘Chicken market’ is used to represent one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an investor who is afraid to take risks.

What is the Chandrasekhar limit in astronomy?

When the sun cools down in about five billion years, gravity will make it shrink. It will end up as a solid lump — a dead star called white dwarf. In the early 1930s, Indian scientist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar found out that if a white dwarf has more than 1.4 times as much mass as the sun, it will not be able to support itself. This is the Chandrasekhar limit.

Why does a person cry while having a hearty laugh?

People cry in response to emotion, whether it is good or bad, because of signals from the higher centres of the brain that tell the tear glands whether they are happy or sad. These signals travel through the parasympathetic pathways, part of the complicated patterns of emotion that our body instinctively recognizes.

What is the origin of the relay race?

The relay race, which is now an Olympic event, first began with Aboriginals carrying messages between tribes. Legends were passed from generation to generation and from tribe to tribe. In some cases, when the messages were urgent, two separate messengers were sent in different directions with the same message. In some cases, messages had to be relayed from tribe to tribe as one person could not cover such huge distances. This was how relay races began.

What is 2-D technology in cars?

Nowadays, 2-D barcodes are used in cars. There are two types of barcodes that are widely used: one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D). 1-D barcode is common in most household products, while 2-D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label.

What is Anubis associated with?

Anubis’ is the Greek name for the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis was known as ‘Inpu’. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom’s pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead, but was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. After that, Anubis was changed into one of the many sons of Osiris, and the conductor of souls of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt near the cemeteries throughout Egypt.

WHAT IS SLACKTIVISM?

Slacktivism is used to describe activism which does not require a person to put in any great effort. Slaektivistsjoin causes on the internet and get a feeling of satisfaction without even moving out of their chairs. It is a slightly derogatory term for meaningless causes, as opposed to activism as a crusade, A slacktivist is rarely identified with the cause and is not a flag-waving, card-carrying type.

What is cloud computing?

The term cloud computing with reference to IT is a service offered by a third party — typically a Technology Services Provider— and offered on subscription basis by leveraging the internet. The key proposition is to move away from expensive; capex heavy, on-premises options to affordable, cost-efficient arrangements that are offered on a one-to-many basis. It is a misperception that cloud computing refers to only software; it includes hardware as a service enabling computing on demand.

Why is the countdown so important while launching a rocket?

A countdown is loudly counting in reverse from 10 to 1, prior to an event. In a rocket launch, a countdown is a carefully devised set of procedures ending with the ignition of a rocket engine, which starts 72 to 96 hours prior to its launch time. During the countdown, step-by-step procedures like placing the vehicle at the launch site, loading the essentials needed for the launch, setting up communication with the launch centre, etc are executed. When everything is okayed, ‘T minus Time’, that is, 3 minutes and 40 seconds is set and the process of ignition begins.

Who is Jack Frost?

A common figure in Western folklore, Jack Frost is a personification of the nippiest winter weather, credited with leaving beautiful plant-like patterns on windows and frosting on leaves. His name is probably of Norse derivation— the Norsemen knew him as ‘Jokul FYosir or Jack Frost. The Saxons who settled in Britain had their Lord Snow and King Frost.

What is the mystery of Easter Island?

Easter Island is the eastern-most island of Polynesia, located 3,200 km west of Chile, which annexed it in 1888. The island is called so because it was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen. Its mystery lies in the hundreds of carved stone statues, as high as 12 metres, found on the island, although it was uninhabited when discovered.

What is Cloud Gate?

Cloud Gate is the internationally renowned sculpture designed by British artist of Indian origin, Anish Kapoor, It is located at the centre of the AT&T Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, and was completed in 2006. The stainless steel sculpture is arch- shaped, and is about 12 feet long and weighs 110 tonnes. It is the result of a competition which Anish Kapoor won. Despite experts raising concerns about design and feasibility, it was completed with little or no modifications and is now considered an architectural marvel.

What is a jungle gym?

A jungle gym, also known as monkey bars or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of thin material, such as metal pipes or, in more current playgrounds, rope, on which children can climb, hang, and sit. It was traditionally constructed as a frame of metal bars and was introduced in 1920 by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.

What is a vacation bank?

A vacation banker leave bank is what an employer allots to a staffer every year. A Vacation Deprivation study found that many employees failed to use their leave completely, adding many man-days to production. An employee dips into the bank to lengthen weekends, and sprinkles them over the year. ‘Vacation bank’ has gained a more current meaning — the creation of a bank of unused vacation hours by staffers. Instead of letting leave lapse, an employee can transfer the days to the company’s ‘vacation time bank’ — these can be used by any employee in a crisis.

What is Blue Ocean strategy?

It is a business strategy for creating uncontested, virgin market space. The metaphor of red and blue oceans describes the market: blue oceans denote the industries not in existence today where demand is created rather than fought over. Red oceans are industries existing today — boundaries are defined and competitive rules are known. Cut-throat competition turns the ocean bloody, which gives it the term ‘red oceans’. It is explained in the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What do sugar-free products contain?

Sugar-free products contain sugar substitutes, some natural and some synthetic. Artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. Artificial sweeteners are cornpounds with sweetness 300-500 times that of sucrose (table sugar). As a result, less sweetener is required, energy contribution is often negligible and blood glucose levels are not effected.

What is emission trading?

It is an advanced method to control pollution by providing economic incentives. A government authority sets a limit or cap on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in an open environment. Manufacturers are issued emission permits and allotted an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) to emit a specific amount of pollutants. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from companies which pollute less — this is referred to as emissions trade.

What are crop circles?

Crop circles are mystery circles which farmers in southern England have observed, especially in 1980. Large sections of their fields were trampled into circles overnight. Sometimes, the crops were flattened into strange designs. Though it was made to look like machines were used,the crops were not damaged.

What is Area 51?

Area 51 is a term used in CIA dbcupients for a military base 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site. It is a block of land six by 10 miles, on which is a large secret air base, at the shore of Groom Lake. The base was created in 1954 to test the secret U-2 spy plane, besides research on UFOs and extra-terrestrial bodies.

What is a Tea Party protest?

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by the

British government.

What is cloud music?

Cloud music is a new service which has done away with the need to download music. Music lovers now have music at their fingertips simply by subscribing to companies logging on to this new business. Subscription is dirt-cheap and the song/album is played instantly over a mobile device that links to the internet via the cellphone network. The royalties from cloud music subscription go back to music companies.

What is a Parthian shot?

The Parthian shot was a famous military combat tactic practised by the Parthians, the ancient Iranian people hailing from the north-eastern region of Iran called Parthia. The theme ‘Parthian tactic’ was to surprise the enemy with the hit-and-run action using light horses, dividing their own forces by pretending retreat and then turning unexpectedly back and showering the enemy with deadly arrows, surrounding and destroying them.

How is the market price of a share established during trading ?

The price at which buying and selling transactions take place is determined by market forces, that is, demand and supply for a particular stock. If a company enjoys high investor confidence and its stock price is expected to rise, many people would want to buy it (high demand) and very few will sell it at the current market price (less supply). Buyers have to bid higher to match the asking price from the seller, thus increasing stock price. If there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price falls.

What is cross-branding? How does it work?

Cross-branding is a market approach to enhance two brands by associating them with each other. Amazon, corn is well-known for applying the concept, working with such brands such as Toysrus, Office Depot and Weight Watchers. Another example is of Grasim taking over L&T Cement and using the brand.

What are rubber rooms?

The ‘rubber room’ is where hundreds of New York City school teachers sit and do nothing, but are paid their full salary Each year, hundreds of school teachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. While awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they report to an off-campus location called the ‘rubber room’.

What is the resonant frequency of an object?

Every object has its a natural frequency at which it achieves maximum amplitude during vibrations, if left to vibrate free after applying external force. This frequency is known as resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of an object depends on factors such as shape, mass and density of material. Even a house or bridge has its own unique resonant frequency A bridge vibrating at resonant frequency may collapse.

What is Jujutsu?

Jujutsu or Jiu-jitsu literally meaning the “art of softness” or “way of yielding” is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles, including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method to defeat an armed and armoured opponent without weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking against an armoured opponent, the method to neutralize an enemy is using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than oppose it. ;

What is a rehook?

A rehook is a film which is so powerful and appealing that cinema goers go back for repeat viewings. These blockbuster shows keep the box office coffers full. Good examples are classics like “Gone with the Wind”, “Titanic”, even the Bond series. New hit “Inception” is another rehook, with many people returning for repeat shows, but more because the plot is so complex that viewers want to make sense of it. This is the power of the rehook. ‘

How did ‘Hello’ come to be used as a greeting over the phone?

The first word used to answer the phone was the nautical greeting ‘ahoy’ because the first regular phone system was in the maritime state of Connecticut. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, answered with the Gaelic ‘hoy’. But it was Thomas Edison’s greeting of ‘hello’, an exclamation of surprise dating back to the Middle Ages, that caught on, and so we answer the telephone today with, ‘Hello?’ Another theory is that after inventing the telephone, he rang his girlfriend whose name was ‘Hello’, thus the first word said by him on telephone became a greeting. Before ‘Hello’ became popular, telephone operators started conversations with, “Are you there?”

What is La-La-Land?

Originally coined in 1981 by San Francisco native Bill (William) D Froelich, the term was first used in the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Froelich was explaining to his fellow workers that he was about to visit his girlfriend’s parents in La La Land, otherwise known as Los Angeles. The term was quite indicative of Froelich’s view towards the city at the time. There are bold parallels between the term la-la (unconsciousness; an elevated mind state) and Froelich’s regard for Los Angeles. After 29 years, Bill Froelich now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. His in-laws still live in La La Land.

Why is Winston Churchill’s speech known as the ‘Iron Curtain Speech’?

Winston Churchill made a speech at Fulton, Missourie in March 1946, at the onset of the Cold War. He said, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” He was the first to coin the term in order to define Stalin’s aggressive drive to control all areas east of Russia and west of Germany Thereafter, the term became popular to describe the Communists’ stronghold over East Europe.

What is the Hubbert Peak Theory?

The theory is named after American geophysicist M King Hubbert. The theory posits that for any given geographical area, from an individual oilproducing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve. It is one of the primary theories on peak oil and is based on the observation that the amount of oil under the ground in any region is finite, therefore the rate of discovery which initially increases quickly must reach a maximum and decline.

What language is spoken in Minsk?

Minsk has been a city of many languages over time. Initially it was Ruthenian (later developed into modern Belarusian). After 1569, Polish became the official language. Belarusian national revival increased the use of Belarusian language but after World War II (by mid 1980s), Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. Most residents now use Russian in day-to-day life. Belarusian is understood as well. Today, the most commonly used international language is English.

What is soundbite TV?

Children who are hooked to the tele- vision show an inability to concentrate in class during an indepth lesson, say some teachers. They blame it on ‘soundbite TV — the fast pace of television. Fed a diet of sound and visuals, these children display very short attention spans and struggle to focus in class. Teachers also complain that such children are also disruptive when they are denied their dose of ‘sound and vision bites’.

What is software entropy?

The tendency, over time, for software to become difficult and costly to maintain is known as software entropy. A software system that undergoes continuous change, like new functionality added to its original design, will eventually become more complex, losing its original design structure, and may even become disorganized as it grows. In theory, it may be better to redesign the software in order to support the changes rather than build on the existing programme.

Why is a sperm whale called so?

Sperm whale is a type of toothed whale (physeter catodon) with a very large head which has cavities containing spermaceti, a sperm oil. It is a white, waxy substance consisting of various esters of fatty acids used for making candles, ointments and cosmetics. It has no relation to sperm, the male gamete.

What is arachnophobia?

An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of arachnophobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or non-existent. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie “Arachnophobia”. The word is derived from the Greek ‘arachne’ (spider) and ‘phobos’ (fear) after the mythical Arachne, a maiden who was a skilled weaver, whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider on being challenged to a weaving contest.

What are horse latitudes and how did they get the name?

There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudeSfc|5 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It is said that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term ‘horse latitudes’.

What does ‘dumping’ mean in computer lingo?

Dumping refers to the cleaning of stored data from the core memory area of a computer into trash or somewhere else in an unorganised manner. Dumping may be done in the event of a system failure or as part of maintenance work. The reason for dumping, in most cases, is that the data has lost its value over time and occupies huge memory space. Retrieval from the dump is difficult but not impossible.

What is a flying saucer?

Many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects, also known as UFOs, in the sky. Some of them described these objects in the shape of discs or saucers hovering overhead with a glow around them. These have been mostly interpreted as transport vehicles of aliens visiting earth, but photographs of them are now believed to be hoaxes. The first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24,1947, resulted in the creation of the term by US newspapers.

What is surface diffusion?

Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms (adsorbed atom lying on a crystal surface, used in surface chemistry when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness), molecules, and atomic clusters (adparticles) at solid material surfaces. Tunnelling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunnelling effect.

What is a flophouse?

A flophouse is a place of cheap lodging. It’s normally an apartment where some occupants pay rent while others are unemployed and do nothing with their lives except party and abuse drugs. They generally share bathroom facilities and reside in very cramped quarters. The people who use these places are often called transients, although some people stay in them for years. They are just a step above being homeless. Quarters in flophouses are very small and may resemble office cubicles more than a regular hotel room. In the past, flophouses were called working men’s hotel and were rather dirty. Some cities that have flophouses in abundance become well known in their own right such as the Bowery in New York.

How are points in a stock exchange calculated?

Nifty is actually an index of 50, not 100, stocks. Also, sensex is calculated on free-float market cap only i.e. shares held by the public and not by promoters. But, Nifty is calculated by total market capitalisation. Hence, shares like ONGC where the promoter holding is large gets very little weight in the sensex as compared to the Nifty.

Who is a hypermiler?

Hypermilers are those who try to extract every bit of mileage from their cars by trying out various techniques like coasting when it’s possible, at times even switching off the engine, not switching on the air-conditioner, etc. The term originated in hybrid driving clubs. Some radical techniques are employed by hypermilers, which are called renegades. They use extreme techniques that may even compromise their security

What is the grettis saga?

The Grettis Saga is one of the finest Icelandic family sagas, which details the life of Grettis Asmundarson, an Icelandic warrior who became an outlaw. It was written in the 13th and early 14th century Well-born, brave but troubleprone Grettis, at 14, kills a man in a quarrel and is outlawed. He spends these years in Norway performing many brave deeds. On his return to Iceland, he saves people from the malicious ghost of Glam. The dying fiend imposes a curse on him, predicting that he will grow afraid of the dark. Grettis accidentally kills the chieftain’s son and is outlawed again. Grettis is pursued by kinsmen of men he has wronged and by other outlaws for the price on his head. At last, his enemies overwhelm him with the aid of witchcraft. His brother avenges his death. The saga’s theme can be summed up thus: good gifts and good luck are often worlds apart.

What is the windfall tax?

The windfall tax is what’s imposed on windfall gains, an abnormal increase in the profits of any organization or company in the normal course of its business due to certain circumstances. A good example would be the recent increase in the price of oil over the world. In this case, the oil exploration and production (E&P) companies will make huge gains if they sell oil to local refining companies at international prices, which are high. Such a gain is due to circumstances favouring E&P companies and not due to their cost-cutting or other efficient operations. These are windfall gains and the tax on such gains is called windfall tax.

What is unique about the hangzhou bay bridge?

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a bridge across Hangzhou Bay off the eastern coast of China. It links the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. It’s the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world although it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. The bridge is 36 km long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The construction started on June 8, 2003 and was completed on June 14, 2007. It is not open for public transportation but is only being used for test and evaluation purpose.

why the bucket seat in automobiles is called so?

According to some sources, the word bucket comes from the French word ‘baquet’ which means cockpit. A bucket seat is much more comfortable, especially for long journeys. Bucket seats came into use after World War II in small cars due to the lack of seating room for a third passenger on account of the presence of a floor-mounted gear handle.

what is pareto’s (80-20) rule of automation?

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian engineer-sociologist who, in the 19th century studied the number of people in various income classes and represented his findings in diagrams. His important conclusion was that 80% of the total wealth in the world is owned by 20% of people and that 20% of wealth is owned by 80% of people. A similar pattern is observed in many other problem areas where number of causes contribute to a particular problem. In other words, 20% of the causes contribute to 80% of the problem. The specific Pareto’s (80-20) rule for automation is, however, unheard of.

what is special about the garden city of palkenberg?

The Garden City of Falkenberg is a housing estate in Berlin, Germany designed and built by the celebrated German architect and town planner Bruno Taut (1880-1938). In designing the complex, Taut applied the garden city concept he learnt from England. The most striking aspect of this architecture is its use of colour: each part of a building bears a different, contrasting colour with respect to the other parts, and all the parts together produce a harmonious and pleasing effect. Falkenberg is also the name of an important town in the Halland county on the west coast of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of the river Atran. The town is wellknown for its food and beverage industry, and has several beaches and lakes- which form its major tourist attraction.

what is the origin of the term horse trading ?

The term horse trading. Which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses? As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterised by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support for one of his initiatives for another Bill or legislation.

what is moribund capitalism?

It’s a concept introduced by Vladimir Lenin, who wrote that when capitalism becomes imperialistic, it is moribund capitalism. He describes the height of imperialist capitalism as “ripe and rotten-ripe capitalism” which will eventually collapse and make way for socialism. The concept was mentioned in his 1916 book, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

who is hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor is a minor Nubian king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from 205 BC to 186 BC. He successfully rebelled against the then king Ptolemy IV in 205 BC and ruled a larger part of Egypt for 19 years and was succeeded by Ankhmakis.

what is a chromophore?

A chromophore is a group of atoms and electrons (or moiety) i.e. part of organic molecules responsible for its colour. It is an extended delocalised systems of electrons in a compound which gives its colour e.g. chlorophyll’s porphin ring, or an azo dyes benzene ring linked to N=N double bond. When a molecule absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light and transmits or reflects others, the molecule has a colour. A chromophore is a region in a molecule where the energy difference between two different molecular orbitals falls within the range of the visible spectrum. Visible light that’hits the chromophore can thus be absorbed by exciting an electron from its ground state into an excited state. In biological molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy the chromophore is a moiety that causes a confermational change of the molecule when hit by light.

in the stock market, what is the concept of grey marketing?

Grey marketing is a trade of something legal but through unofficial and unauthorised distribution channels. In contrast, black marketing is a trade of illegal goods or services through illegal channels. The grey market of goods is to import and sell products through market channels which are not authorized by the manufacturers. It occurs when the prices of a product differs significantly in different countries. The grey market of securities markets and IPO (Initial Public Offer) is to buy and sell the shares to be allotted in the future. Once the trading is done in the grey market at a stipulated price, the seller must deliver the sold number of shares to the buyer on the day of listing to honour the commitment.

what is unique about the production ‘dralion’?

‘Dralion’ is an entertainment show produced by Montreal-based company Cirque du Soleil Inc, well known for its circus-based dance dramas. The show ‘Dralion’, which has already toured different parts of the world, is currently located at Sydney and been seen by seven million people. It’s main theme is to project human life as an integral part of nature, and, specifically, to celebrate the harmony between human life and the four natural elements — earth, air, water, and fire. The theme is inspired by Chinese philosophy. It’s dances combine the traditional acts of Chinese circus and the gravitydefying acrobatics unique to Cirque du Soleil. The show presents a highly imaginative and magical perspective. The title is a combination of the two symbols of East and West — the dragon and the lion.

Why is glass brittle?

Ordinary glass is soda-lime glass and is a mixture of silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium etc. It is brittle because its molecular structure is composed of tetrahedral crystals. These crystals do not have a good large-area orderly crystalline structure. Therefore, when it is under stress, the structure gets ruptured.

What dyes are used to ink tattoos?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood.

What does roadrunner refer to?

It’s the world’s fastest supercomputer built by scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US military It can compute about 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be primarily used for military problems, particularly to ensure the accurate functioning of ageing nuclear weapons.

What is the armenian genocide?

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1923. About 1.5 million Armenians out of the 2.5 million in the empire were killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate the tragedy on April 24 every year.

What’s distinctive about davos?

Situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres, in the heart of the Alps in Switzerland, the town of Davos has the distinction of being the largest mountain resort in the Alps and the highest town of Europe. Its major tourist attraction are winter sports. It is also a preferred place for holding international conferences like the World Economic Forum.

What is fat tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, where gras is French for fat and Mardi is French for Tuesday The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting on a fattened calf on the last day of a carnival. The annual festivities start on January 6 and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday.

What is a gazebo?

A gazebo is a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape and a place to rest.

What is a slumpometer?

The global slumpometer is a yardstick economists use to measure the severity of the recession in various economies across the world. It takes into account unemployment. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). To the average person, rising unemployment and pink slips mean a recession. While for many economists, a recession has arrived when there’s a dip in GDP for two successive quarters. For others, a recession is when the GDI begins to dip, and is a more reliable factor than GDP.

What is a surgical strike?

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so that they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc.

How did the term ‘window dressing’ originate?

Textile and readymade shops dress mannequins (models of human bodies) with attractive clothing they sell and place them in display windows. Likewise, mutual funds and banks add more temporary assets and liabilities on year ends to ensure their balance sheets remain attractive to the public, especially to investors. As their intention is to dress up their balance sheets to make them attractive like a shopper does to the mannequins, the term ‘window dressing’ is used to mean artificial inflation of assets which will wear off after the year-end.

How do clouds move?

Clouds are formed when water evaporates from rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes. High cirrus clouds are moved by a jet stream and sometimes travel at 100 kmph. When clouds are a part of a thunderstorm, they usually travel at 30-40 kmph.

What is the jagd and hund fair?

It is the ‘Hunting and Hounds fair where exhibitors present the latest trends in fishing and hunting.

What is the nathan rothschild maxim?

The Nathan Rothschild maxim says that you ‘make money in the stock market when blood flows in the streets’. Nathan Rothschild was a stock dealer in the London stock market who took advantage of early knowledge of England’s victory at Waterloo. First, he sold all his shares, which caused heavy meltdown in the market. Towards the end, he bought all the shares at a very low price before the news of England’s victory reached London. With England’s victory, the share market rose rapidly and in the process, Nathan made a lot of money.

What is icor in economics?

Incremental Capital .Output Ratio (ICOR) is the additional capital required to increase one unit of output. This ratio is used to measure the efficiency of an industrial unit or country as an economic unit. The lesser the ICOR, more efficient the organization.

What is a suction excavator?

A suction excavator is a combination of excavator and a pump for dual function of excavating earth and pumping the soil out. It has an air pump for generating the required flow of air, a nozzle through which air is drawn and a mechanism for separating soil from the air drawn through the nozzle.

What is the treynor ratio?

The Treynor Ratio (reward-tovolatility ratio) was developed by Jack Treynor, one of the fathers of modern portfolio theory the ratio measures the returns earned from a portfolio over and above the normal return that would have been earned on a risk-free investment. The formula for the Treynor Ratio is: average return of the portfolio minus average return of the risk free rate divided by the beta of the portfolio. In short, the excess return over the risk-free return of the portfolio is divided by the beta of the portfolio to get the Treynor Ratio. Beta is a measure of market-related risk in a stock or collection of stocks. A high Treynor Ratio indicates better performance. A risk-free investment is akin to an investment in a government of India Treasury bill.

Which is the biggest container port in the world?

Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twentyfeet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.

What is the great manmade river?

The Great Manmade River (better known as GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara desert to Libya from a fossil aquifer. This aquifer is known as Nublon Sandstone Aquifer System. GMR is considered to be the largest underground network of pipes in the world. It has more than 1,300 wells supplying more than 7,100,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other major cities of this African nation. Some wells are as deep as 650 metres. In 1953, when drilling for the search of oil, explorers found huge quantities of freshwater. GMRP (Great Manmade River Project) was developed in 1960 and it took shape in 1984. About 88 million cubic metres of excavation was done for the completion of the first of five phases, and it. was inaugurated on August 28,1991. This mammoth project, designed by Brown Root and Price Brothers, is funded by the Libyan government and owned by the Great Manmade River Authority The Guiness Book of World Records has acknowledged it as the world’s largest irrigation project.

What is sistine chapel famous for?

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV It’s best known for being the location of papal conclaves, for the election of a new Pope. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

What do riders represent in the fiesta of san joan?

The Spanish fiesta of San Joan dates back to the 14th century and has religious significance. The riders participating in it or caixers as they are called represent the social strata of the church, nobility, craftsmen and country people (mostly farmers).

What does zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which country receives the highest rainfall in the world?

Of the 95 wettest countries in the world, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Sierra Leone are ranked the top three in order of maximum rainfall received on an average in a year, according to the World Statistics Pocket Book and the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations. The records are for the period 1931-1960. Guinea, also known as the Republic of Guinea, with its capital named Conakry, is in Western Africa receives a monsoon-type of rainfall from June to November. Against the global weighted annual average rainfall of 9.627 cm, Guinea gets 37.84 cm, the Solomon Islands gets 32.90 cm and Sierra Leone gets 29.46 cm. Conakry is the wettest capital in the world and receives rainfall on ah average of 134 days each year. India is the ninth wettest country with 21.68 cm of average annual rainfall. The UN World Statistics for 2007 record these figures: Guinea – 37.76 cm, Solomon Islands – 32.9 cm, Sierra Leone – 29.46 cm and India 24.01 cm. Guinea was still top of the list and India retained the ninth position.

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create a spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

Wh[ad_2] Source by Mr. Ashok Sharma

[vernicle]

General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

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What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl's original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott's Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:'Web' and 'episode'. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn't joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government's chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual 'pardoning the turkey' during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita'presidential pardon'.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets 'schlimazzeled'. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes' talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes' techniques are generally of the form, 'If p, then q, where 'p' is observed evidence and 'q' is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word 'syntax'?

The word 'syntax' is derivedfrom the Greek word 'syntaxis', meaning 'together' and 'sequence'. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn't until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term 'zero-watt', though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map legend?

Amap legend is a guide to allthe symbols used on a map. It helps a person read a map correctly. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on a map. Stated simply, a map legend is a sort of dictionary so that you can understand what the map represents. Vegetation, topographic features, surface features etc are all represented by unique symbols which, in most cases, are standardised.

Whatis the Olympic Tower 2016?

The Olympic Tower 2016 is a vertical structure that will be placed in Cotonduba Island. It will serve both as an observation tower, and a welcome sign for visitors arriving by air and by sea at Rio de Janeiro, where the Olympic Games 2016 will take place. The project is from Zurique, and utilizes solar energy during the day with its solo power panels to pump sea water.

What is the flamenco?

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumentalmusic and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and a dancing pattern that evolved over the centuries. The theatrical presentation is a ballet.

Who is an Aunt Millie?

Aunt is a term used to describe an uneducated or unsophisticated investor who is new and unfamiliar with investing, which makes him prone to poor investment choices. It has a derogatory connotation in the financial sector. Aunt Millie is used with reference to a low-risk investment offered to first-time, inexperienced investors.

What is the Bourbon Trail?

A tour programme managed by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), the Bourbon Trail or Kentucky Bourbon Trail meant to promote the bourbon industry in Kentucky which is over 200 years old. People who mail in a promotional passport which has been stamped by all the participating distilleries get free T-shirts courtesy the Association. The trail was launched in 1999 by seven of the eight distilleries in the region.

WhatisSukkot?

Sukkot is one of the three "Pilgrim Festivals" in the Jewish tradition. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month ofTishri, i.e. late September to late October, it is a reminder of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thefestivallasts seven days. The first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services. The remaining days are known as Chol Hamoed ("festival weekdays ").

What is the littoral zone?

The littoral zone is that part of the river or sea which is closest to the shore. It extends from the shoreline to 600 feet (183 metres) out into the water and is divided into three zones called supralittoral, intertidal and sublittoral. The zone is a tricky area when it comes to predicting water conditions because so many factors affect it. Coastal currents, onshore and offshore winds, reefs, bays arid the share of the shoreline are some of the things sailors have to deal with when passing through this zone.

What is Greco-Roman wrestling?

It is style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. The style is different from freestyle wrestling as it forbids holding below the waist. This directs the emphasis on throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbingtheir opponent's leg.

What does stirring up a hornets nest mean?

Hornets are wasp-like insects. Their nests are similar to the ones made by bees. Stirring up a hornet's nest metaphorically means to stir a silent/calm situation into that filled with rage, discord or one with chaos. It also means to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. This metaphor is self-explanatory as when one 'stirs a hornet's nest' the hornets fly out of their nest in a temper and attack the cause of the disturbance.

What is the hour-glass ceiling?

It is a time-based impediment to career advancement, often faced by working mothers where they spend much more time than working fathers with their families, instead of at the workplace. Almost all senior level positions demand longer hours at the workplace but mothers are rarely able to work out flexible work timings, mostly as a result of inadequate cooperation from the people around them.

What is carrom ball in cricket?

Carrom ball is where the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a conventional release, is squeezed out and flicked by the fingers like how a disc is flicked on a carrom board. The first bowler known to have used this style of delivery was Australian Jack Iverson from Victoria, who used it throughout his test career in the period after the Second World War, although he did not use the name 'carrom ball'. It is used by off-spinners and was again introduced by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka in 2007-08. At present, only Ajantha Mendis and Ravichandran Ashwin of India use it in international cricket.

What is the Bom Sabado?

'Born Sabado' is a Portuguese word Which means 'Good Saturday' in English. Bom Sabado, in recent months, l|as come to refer to a javascriptbiased virus that has infected the social networking site Orkut. The virus hit the site on a Saturday in September 2010. It is an auto-generated message which fills the user's scrapbook, like a scrap from a friends' list.

What is a currency war?

Currency war, also known as 'competitive devaluation', is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their home currency, so as to help their domestic industry. Currency wars have been rare throughout history as even at times when a system of fixed exchange rates have not been in place, countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency or have been content to allow its value to be set by the markets.

What is the origin of 'high five' in sports?

The term 'high five' is a hand gesture made by two partners to congratulate each other on a combined achtevement. A high five involves the two partners raising a hand each with outstretched fingers, and slap,; ping'each other's palms, while saying 'give me five'. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980, and is saidto have its origins in US basketball. Some say high five was used first in basketball in 1977 by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, whereas some others say the gesture was used first by Lament Street in the 1960s.

What is beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport which is mainly played on sand (though it can sometimes be played indoors) but what mainly distinguishes it from, indoor volleyball is that each team has two players each. Like other Variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team's court. Originating in Southern California and Hawaii, beach volleyball is now popular worldwide, even in countries without traditional beaches like Switzerland.

What is a dramedy?

A style of television entertainment that combines two genres, dramedy also comprises many styles of television, theatre andfilm. It balances humour and drama, or serious content, to an almost equal extent. A dramedy is also called comedy-drama or seriocomedy One of the first times a dramedywasattempedwas with Charlie Chaplin's The Kid'.

What is black energy ?

In astronomy, black energy is a hypothetical form of energy that per- meates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. Black energy currently accounts for 73% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Black energy has been used as a crucial ingredient in a recent attempt to formulate a cyclic model for the universe. The nature of black energy is very homogeneous, not too dense.

What is a docusoap?

The term docusoap is made up from two words — documentary and soap (television serials). A docusoap therefore is a television documentary with soap opera elements: a television programme that combines documentary style with aspects of soap opera, eg by showing the personal lives of people at their workplace. The term came into circulation in the late 20th century.

What is Nido (Nest) Therapy?

Nido(Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person's environment, not their personality The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido(Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction and chemical dependency. It is also used in the treatment of substance abuse, psychosis and personality disorders.

What is scarlet day?

Scarlet day is the term used in the University of Cambridge to designate those days on which doctors are required to wear the festal form of academic dress. It is so called because of the scarlet elements in the gowns and hoods of the festal full dress worn by doctors as opposed to the everyday black gowns. On these days, it is also permitted for members of the University to wear the academic dress of other universities from which they have obtained degrees.

What is the origin of judo?

Judo has its origin in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, (alsojujitsu) a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are usually credited with developing jujutsu. In their time, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, in which fighters fought, fully clad in Japanese armour. The chronicle of the Japanese nation, documents public, unarmed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 B C. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, thejujutsufighterwas expected to be pliable, winning by appearing to yield.

What is a NEET?

NEET is a British term used for a young person who is not engaged by way of any work, academics, or training programme. It's an acronym derived from the phrase 'Not in Employment, Education or Training', a government classification often used to refer to the stage that teenagers or young adults go through when they have nothing to do. However, the age group of people under this category varies from county to country.

Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne's physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled The History of John Bull' but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.

What is the origin of the term Trench Kiss'?

One theory is associated with France being known as the city of love, with the Eiffel Tower and Paris considered the ultimate symbols of romance. Another theory is that French Kiss was a derogatory term used during war: —it was said that the French would rather make love with their faces than fight. The term dates back to at least the 1820s and became popular again during the 1920s when the French were believed to be preoccupied then with passion and love.

Why is the international dateline drawn in a zigzag manner?

The International Date Line (IDL) passes through the Pacific Ocean. It is an imaginary line, like longitudes and latitudes. The time difference on either side of this line is 24 hours. So, the date changes as soon as one crosses this line. To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner.

Why are celestial bodies spherical in shape?

Celestial bodied, are spherical in shape because of gravity Whenever enough mass gathers close together, the resultant gravity, which follows the inverse square law, pulls equally in all directions and results in a spherical shape. Irrespective of the material composition of the celestial body a diameter of a few hundred kilometers is sufficient to create a spherical form.

What are Humboldt penguins?

They are South American penguins that breed in coastal Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins are named after the cold water current they swims in, which takes its name after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. These birds are medium-sized with blackish-grey upper parts and whitish under parts and a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breastband. They have spines on their tongues, which are used to hold prey.

What is infoganda?

Infoganda — a portmanteau of information and propaganda — has found currency to describe a news item or a literary piece of work that is informative and also has an underlying agenda. Infoganda is often used by governments and religious bodies to promote a certain message. The word has a negative slant to it.

What is a chicken market in the stocks trade? .

'Chicken market' is used to represent one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an investor who is afraid to take risks.

What is the Chandrasekhar limit in astronomy?

When the sun cools down in about five billion years, gravity will make it shrink. It will end up as a solid lump — a dead star called white dwarf. In the early 1930s, Indian scientist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar found out that if a white dwarf has more than 1.4 times as much mass as the sun, it will not be able to support itself. This is the Chandrasekhar limit.

Why does a person cry while having a hearty laugh?

People cry in response to emotion, whether it is good or bad, because of signals from the higher centres of the brain that tell the tear glands whether they are happy or sad. These signals travel through the parasympathetic pathways, part of the complicated patterns of emotion that our body instinctively recognizes.

What is the origin of the relay race?

The relay race, which is now an Olympic event, first began with Aboriginals carrying messages between tribes. Legends were passed from generation to generation and from tribe to tribe. In some cases, when the messages were urgent, two separate messengers were sent in different directions with the same message. In some cases, messages had to be relayed from tribe to tribe as one person could not cover such huge distances. This was how relay races began.

What is 2-D technology in cars?

Nowadays, 2-D barcodes are used in cars. There are two types of barcodes that are widely used: one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D). 1-D barcode is common in most household products, while 2-D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label.

What is Anubis associated with?

Anubis' is the Greek name for the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis was known as 'Inpu'. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom's pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead, but was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. After that, Anubis was changed into one of the many sons of Osiris, and the conductor of souls of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt near the cemeteries throughout Egypt.

WHAT IS SLACKTIVISM?

Slacktivism is used to describe activism which does not require a person to put in any great effort. Slaektivistsjoin causes on the internet and get a feeling of satisfaction without even moving out of their chairs. It is a slightly derogatory term for meaningless causes, as opposed to activism as a crusade, A slacktivist is rarely identified with the cause and is not a flag-waving, card-carrying type.

What is cloud computing?

The term cloud computing with reference to IT is a service offered by a third party — typically a Technology Services Provider— and offered on subscription basis by leveraging the internet. The key proposition is to move away from expensive; capex heavy, on-premises options to affordable, cost-efficient arrangements that are offered on a one-to-many basis. It is a misperception that cloud computing refers to only software; it includes hardware as a service enabling computing on demand.

Why is the countdown so important while launching a rocket?

A countdown is loudly counting in reverse from 10 to 1, prior to an event. In a rocket launch, a countdown is a carefully devised set of procedures ending with the ignition of a rocket engine, which starts 72 to 96 hours prior to its launch time. During the countdown, step-by-step procedures like placing the vehicle at the launch site, loading the essentials needed for the launch, setting up communication with the launch centre, etc are executed. When everything is okayed, 'T minus Time', that is, 3 minutes and 40 seconds is set and the process of ignition begins.

Who is Jack Frost?

A common figure in Western folklore, Jack Frost is a personification of the nippiest winter weather, credited with leaving beautiful plant-like patterns on windows and frosting on leaves. His name is probably of Norse derivation— the Norsemen knew him as 'Jokul FYosir or Jack Frost. The Saxons who settled in Britain had their Lord Snow and King Frost.

What is the mystery of Easter Island?

Easter Island is the eastern-most island of Polynesia, located 3,200 km west of Chile, which annexed it in 1888. The island is called so because it was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen. Its mystery lies in the hundreds of carved stone statues, as high as 12 metres, found on the island, although it was uninhabited when discovered.

What is Cloud Gate?

Cloud Gate is the internationally renowned sculpture designed by British artist of Indian origin, Anish Kapoor, It is located at the centre of the AT&T Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, and was completed in 2006. The stainless steel sculpture is arch- shaped, and is about 12 feet long and weighs 110 tonnes. It is the result of a competition which Anish Kapoor won. Despite experts raising concerns about design and feasibility, it was completed with little or no modifications and is now considered an architectural marvel.

What is a jungle gym?

A jungle gym, also known as monkey bars or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of thin material, such as metal pipes or, in more current playgrounds, rope, on which children can climb, hang, and sit. It was traditionally constructed as a frame of metal bars and was introduced in 1920 by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.

What is a vacation bank?

A vacation banker leave bank is what an employer allots to a staffer every year. A Vacation Deprivation study found that many employees failed to use their leave completely, adding many man-days to production. An employee dips into the bank to lengthen weekends, and sprinkles them over the year. 'Vacation bank' has gained a more current meaning — the creation of a bank of unused vacation hours by staffers. Instead of letting leave lapse, an employee can transfer the days to the company's 'vacation time bank' — these can be used by any employee in a crisis.

What is Blue Ocean strategy?

It is a business strategy for creating uncontested, virgin market space. The metaphor of red and blue oceans describes the market: blue oceans denote the industries not in existence today where demand is created rather than fought over. Red oceans are industries existing today — boundaries are defined and competitive rules are known. Cut-throat competition turns the ocean bloody, which gives it the term 'red oceans'. It is explained in the book "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What do sugar-free products contain?

Sugar-free products contain sugar substitutes, some natural and some synthetic. Artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. Artificial sweeteners are cornpounds with sweetness 300-500 times that of sucrose (table sugar). As a result, less sweetener is required, energy contribution is often negligible and blood glucose levels are not effected.

What is emission trading?

It is an advanced method to control pollution by providing economic incentives. A government authority sets a limit or cap on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in an open environment. Manufacturers are issued emission permits and allotted an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) to emit a specific amount of pollutants. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from companies which pollute less — this is referred to as emissions trade.

What are crop circles?

Crop circles are mystery circles which farmers in southern England have observed, especially in 1980. Large sections of their fields were trampled into circles overnight. Sometimes, the crops were flattened into strange designs. Though it was made to look like machines were used,the crops were not damaged.

What is Area 51?

Area 51 is a term used in CIA dbcupients for a military base 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site. It is a block of land six by 10 miles, on which is a large secret air base, at the shore of Groom Lake. The base was created in 1954 to test the secret U-2 spy plane, besides research on UFOs and extra-terrestrial bodies.

What is a Tea Party protest?

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by the

British government.

What is cloud music?

Cloud music is a new service which has done away with the need to download music. Music lovers now have music at their fingertips simply by subscribing to companies logging on to this new business. Subscription is dirt-cheap and the song/album is played instantly over a mobile device that links to the internet via the cellphone network. The royalties from cloud music subscription go back to music companies.

What is a Parthian shot?

The Parthian shot was a famous military combat tactic practised by the Parthians, the ancient Iranian people hailing from the north-eastern region of Iran called Parthia. The theme 'Parthian tactic' was to surprise the enemy with the hit-and-run action using light horses, dividing their own forces by pretending retreat and then turning unexpectedly back and showering the enemy with deadly arrows, surrounding and destroying them.

How is the market price of a share established during trading ?

The price at which buying and selling transactions take place is determined by market forces, that is, demand and supply for a particular stock. If a company enjoys high investor confidence and its stock price is expected to rise, many people would want to buy it (high demand) and very few will sell it at the current market price (less supply). Buyers have to bid higher to match the asking price from the seller, thus increasing stock price. If there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price falls.

What is cross-branding? How does it work?

Cross-branding is a market approach to enhance two brands by associating them with each other. Amazon, corn is well-known for applying the concept, working with such brands such as Toysrus, Office Depot and Weight Watchers. Another example is of Grasim taking over L&T Cement and using the brand.

What are rubber rooms?

The 'rubber room' is where hundreds of New York City school teachers sit and do nothing, but are paid their full salary Each year, hundreds of school teachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. While awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they report to an off-campus location called the 'rubber room'.

What is the resonant frequency of an object?

Every object has its a natural frequency at which it achieves maximum amplitude during vibrations, if left to vibrate free after applying external force. This frequency is known as resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of an object depends on factors such as shape, mass and density of material. Even a house or bridge has its own unique resonant frequency A bridge vibrating at resonant frequency may collapse.

What is Jujutsu?

Jujutsu or Jiu-jitsu literally meaning the "art of softness" or "way of yielding" is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles, including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method to defeat an armed and armoured opponent without weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking against an armoured opponent, the method to neutralize an enemy is using an attacker's energy against him, rather than oppose it. ;

What is a rehook?

A rehook is a film which is so powerful and appealing that cinema goers go back for repeat viewings. These blockbuster shows keep the box office coffers full. Good examples are classics like "Gone with the Wind", "Titanic", even the Bond series. New hit "Inception" is another rehook, with many people returning for repeat shows, but more because the plot is so complex that viewers want to make sense of it. This is the power of the rehook. '

How did 'Hello' come to be used as a greeting over the phone?

The first word used to answer the phone was the nautical greeting 'ahoy' because the first regular phone system was in the maritime state of Connecticut. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, answered with the Gaelic 'hoy'. But it was Thomas Edison's greeting of 'hello', an exclamation of surprise dating back to the Middle Ages, that caught on, and so we answer the telephone today with, 'Hello?' Another theory is that after inventing the telephone, he rang his girlfriend whose name was 'Hello', thus the first word said by him on telephone became a greeting. Before 'Hello' became popular, telephone operators started conversations with, "Are you there?"

What is La-La-Land?

Originally coined in 1981 by San Francisco native Bill (William) D Froelich, the term was first used in the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Froelich was explaining to his fellow workers that he was about to visit his girlfriend's parents in La La Land, otherwise known as Los Angeles. The term was quite indicative of Froelich's view towards the city at the time. There are bold parallels between the term la-la (unconsciousness; an elevated mind state) and Froelich's regard for Los Angeles. After 29 years, Bill Froelich now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. His in-laws still live in La La Land.

Why is Winston Churchill's speech known as the ‘Iron Curtain Speech'?

Winston Churchill made a speech at Fulton, Missourie in March 1946, at the onset of the Cold War. He said, "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent." He was the first to coin the term in order to define Stalin's aggressive drive to control all areas east of Russia and west of Germany Thereafter, the term became popular to describe the Communists' stronghold over East Europe.

What is the Hubbert Peak Theory?

The theory is named after American geophysicist M King Hubbert. The theory posits that for any given geographical area, from an individual oilproducing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve. It is one of the primary theories on peak oil and is based on the observation that the amount of oil under the ground in any region is finite, therefore the rate of discovery which initially increases quickly must reach a maximum and decline.

What language is spoken in Minsk?

Minsk has been a city of many languages over time. Initially it was Ruthenian (later developed into modern Belarusian). After 1569, Polish became the official language. Belarusian national revival increased the use of Belarusian language but after World War II (by mid 1980s), Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. Most residents now use Russian in day-to-day life. Belarusian is understood as well. Today, the most commonly used international language is English.

What is soundbite TV?

Children who are hooked to the tele- vision show an inability to concentrate in class during an indepth lesson, say some teachers. They blame it on 'soundbite TV — the fast pace of television. Fed a diet of sound and visuals, these children display very short attention spans and struggle to focus in class. Teachers also complain that such children are also disruptive when they are denied their dose of 'sound and vision bites'.

What is software entropy?

The tendency, over time, for software to become difficult and costly to maintain is known as software entropy. A software system that undergoes continuous change, like new functionality added to its original design, will eventually become more complex, losing its original design structure, and may even become disorganized as it grows. In theory, it may be better to redesign the software in order to support the changes rather than build on the existing programme.

Why is a sperm whale called so?

Sperm whale is a type of toothed whale (physeter catodon) with a very large head which has cavities containing spermaceti, a sperm oil. It is a white, waxy substance consisting of various esters of fatty acids used for making candles, ointments and cosmetics. It has no relation to sperm, the male gamete.

What is arachnophobia?

An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of arachnophobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or non-existent. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie "Arachnophobia". The word is derived from the Greek 'arachne' (spider) and 'phobos' (fear) after the mythical Arachne, a maiden who was a skilled weaver, whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider on being challenged to a weaving contest.

What are horse latitudes and how did they get the name?

There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudeSfc|5 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It is said that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term 'horse latitudes'.

What does 'dumping' mean in computer lingo?

Dumping refers to the cleaning of stored data from the core memory area of a computer into trash or somewhere else in an unorganised manner. Dumping may be done in the event of a system failure or as part of maintenance work. The reason for dumping, in most cases, is that the data has lost its value over time and occupies huge memory space. Retrieval from the dump is difficult but not impossible.

What is a flying saucer?

Many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects, also known as UFOs, in the sky. Some of them described these objects in the shape of discs or saucers hovering overhead with a glow around them. These have been mostly interpreted as transport vehicles of aliens visiting earth, but photographs of them are now believed to be hoaxes. The first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24,1947, resulted in the creation of the term by US newspapers.

What is surface diffusion?

Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms (adsorbed atom lying on a crystal surface, used in surface chemistry when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness), molecules, and atomic clusters (adparticles) at solid material surfaces. Tunnelling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunnelling effect.

What is a flophouse?

A flophouse is a place of cheap lodging. It's normally an apartment where some occupants pay rent while others are unemployed and do nothing with their lives except party and abuse drugs. They generally share bathroom facilities and reside in very cramped quarters. The people who use these places are often called transients, although some people stay in them for years. They are just a step above being homeless. Quarters in flophouses are very small and may resemble office cubicles more than a regular hotel room. In the past, flophouses were called working men's hotel and were rather dirty. Some cities that have flophouses in abundance become well known in their own right such as the Bowery in New York.

How are points in a stock exchange calculated?

Nifty is actually an index of 50, not 100, stocks. Also, sensex is calculated on free-float market cap only i.e. shares held by the public and not by promoters. But, Nifty is calculated by total market capitalisation. Hence, shares like ONGC where the promoter holding is large gets very little weight in the sensex as compared to the Nifty.

Who is a hypermiler?

Hypermilers are those who try to extract every bit of mileage from their cars by trying out various techniques like coasting when it's possible, at times even switching off the engine, not switching on the air-conditioner, etc. The term originated in hybrid driving clubs. Some radical techniques are employed by hypermilers, which are called renegades. They use extreme techniques that may even compromise their security

What is the grettis saga?

The Grettis Saga is one of the finest Icelandic family sagas, which details the life of Grettis Asmundarson, an Icelandic warrior who became an outlaw. It was written in the 13th and early 14th century Well-born, brave but troubleprone Grettis, at 14, kills a man in a quarrel and is outlawed. He spends these years in Norway performing many brave deeds. On his return to Iceland, he saves people from the malicious ghost of Glam. The dying fiend imposes a curse on him, predicting that he will grow afraid of the dark. Grettis accidentally kills the chieftain's son and is outlawed again. Grettis is pursued by kinsmen of men he has wronged and by other outlaws for the price on his head. At last, his enemies overwhelm him with the aid of witchcraft. His brother avenges his death. The saga's theme can be summed up thus: good gifts and good luck are often worlds apart.

What is the windfall tax?

The windfall tax is what's imposed on windfall gains, an abnormal increase in the profits of any organization or company in the normal course of its business due to certain circumstances. A good example would be the recent increase in the price of oil over the world. In this case, the oil exploration and production (E&P) companies will make huge gains if they sell oil to local refining companies at international prices, which are high. Such a gain is due to circumstances favouring E&P companies and not due to their cost-cutting or other efficient operations. These are windfall gains and the tax on such gains is called windfall tax.

What is unique about the hangzhou bay bridge?

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a bridge across Hangzhou Bay off the eastern coast of China. It links the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. It's the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world although it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. The bridge is 36 km long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The construction started on June 8, 2003 and was completed on June 14, 2007. It is not open for public transportation but is only being used for test and evaluation purpose.

why the bucket seat in automobiles is called so?

According to some sources, the word bucket comes from the French word 'baquet' which means cockpit. A bucket seat is much more comfortable, especially for long journeys. Bucket seats came into use after World War II in small cars due to the lack of seating room for a third passenger on account of the presence of a floor-mounted gear handle.

what is pareto's (80-20) rule of automation?

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian engineer-sociologist who, in the 19th century studied the number of people in various income classes and represented his findings in diagrams. His important conclusion was that 80% of the total wealth in the world is owned by 20% of people and that 20% of wealth is owned by 80% of people. A similar pattern is observed in many other problem areas where number of causes contribute to a particular problem. In other words, 20% of the causes contribute to 80% of the problem. The specific Pareto's (80-20) rule for automation is, however, unheard of.

what is special about the garden city of palkenberg?

The Garden City of Falkenberg is a housing estate in Berlin, Germany designed and built by the celebrated German architect and town planner Bruno Taut (1880-1938). In designing the complex, Taut applied the garden city concept he learnt from England. The most striking aspect of this architecture is its use of colour: each part of a building bears a different, contrasting colour with respect to the other parts, and all the parts together produce a harmonious and pleasing effect. Falkenberg is also the name of an important town in the Halland county on the west coast of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of the river Atran. The town is wellknown for its food and beverage industry, and has several beaches and lakes- which form its major tourist attraction.

what is the origin of the term horse trading ?

The term horse trading. Which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses? As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterised by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support for one of his initiatives for another Bill or legislation.

what is moribund capitalism?

It's a concept introduced by Vladimir Lenin, who wrote that when capitalism becomes imperialistic, it is moribund capitalism. He describes the height of imperialist capitalism as "ripe and rotten-ripe capitalism" which will eventually collapse and make way for socialism. The concept was mentioned in his 1916 book, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

who is hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor is a minor Nubian king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from 205 BC to 186 BC. He successfully rebelled against the then king Ptolemy IV in 205 BC and ruled a larger part of Egypt for 19 years and was succeeded by Ankhmakis.

what is a chromophore?

A chromophore is a group of atoms and electrons (or moiety) i.e. part of organic molecules responsible for its colour. It is an extended delocalised systems of electrons in a compound which gives its colour e.g. chlorophyll's porphin ring, or an azo dyes benzene ring linked to N=N double bond. When a molecule absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light and transmits or reflects others, the molecule has a colour. A chromophore is a region in a molecule where the energy difference between two different molecular orbitals falls within the range of the visible spectrum. Visible light that'hits the chromophore can thus be absorbed by exciting an electron from its ground state into an excited state. In biological molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy the chromophore is a moiety that causes a confermational change of the molecule when hit by light.

in the stock market, what is the concept of grey marketing?

Grey marketing is a trade of something legal but through unofficial and unauthorised distribution channels. In contrast, black marketing is a trade of illegal goods or services through illegal channels. The grey market of goods is to import and sell products through market channels which are not authorized by the manufacturers. It occurs when the prices of a product differs significantly in different countries. The grey market of securities markets and IPO (Initial Public Offer) is to buy and sell the shares to be allotted in the future. Once the trading is done in the grey market at a stipulated price, the seller must deliver the sold number of shares to the buyer on the day of listing to honour the commitment.

what is unique about the production 'dralion'?

'Dralion' is an entertainment show produced by Montreal-based company Cirque du Soleil Inc, well known for its circus-based dance dramas. The show 'Dralion', which has already toured different parts of the world, is currently located at Sydney and been seen by seven million people. It's main theme is to project human life as an integral part of nature, and, specifically, to celebrate the harmony between human life and the four natural elements — earth, air, water, and fire. The theme is inspired by Chinese philosophy. It's dances combine the traditional acts of Chinese circus and the gravitydefying acrobatics unique to Cirque du Soleil. The show presents a highly imaginative and magical perspective. The title is a combination of the two symbols of East and West — the dragon and the lion.

Why is glass brittle?

Ordinary glass is soda-lime glass and is a mixture of silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium etc. It is brittle because its molecular structure is composed of tetrahedral crystals. These crystals do not have a good large-area orderly crystalline structure. Therefore, when it is under stress, the structure gets ruptured.

What dyes are used to ink tattoos?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood.

What does roadrunner refer to?

It's the world's fastest supercomputer built by scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US military It can compute about 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be primarily used for military problems, particularly to ensure the accurate functioning of ageing nuclear weapons.

What is the armenian genocide?

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1923. About 1.5 million Armenians out of the 2.5 million in the empire were killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate the tragedy on April 24 every year.

What's distinctive about davos?

Situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres, in the heart of the Alps in Switzerland, the town of Davos has the distinction of being the largest mountain resort in the Alps and the highest town of Europe. Its major tourist attraction are winter sports. It is also a preferred place for holding international conferences like the World Economic Forum.

What is fat tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, where gras is French for fat and Mardi is French for Tuesday The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting on a fattened calf on the last day of a carnival. The annual festivities start on January 6 and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday.

What is a gazebo?

A gazebo is a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape and a place to rest.

What is a slumpometer?

The global slumpometer is a yardstick economists use to measure the severity of the recession in various economies across the world. It takes into account unemployment. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). To the average person, rising unemployment and pink slips mean a recession. While for many economists, a recession has arrived when there's a dip in GDP for two successive quarters. For others, a recession is when the GDI begins to dip, and is a more reliable factor than GDP.

What is a surgical strike?

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so that they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc.

How did the term 'window dressing' originate?

Textile and readymade shops dress mannequins (models of human bodies) with attractive clothing they sell and place them in display windows. Likewise, mutual funds and banks add more temporary assets and liabilities on year ends to ensure their balance sheets remain attractive to the public, especially to investors. As their intention is to dress up their balance sheets to make them attractive like a shopper does to the mannequins, the term 'window dressing' is used to mean artificial inflation of assets which will wear off after the year-end.

How do clouds move?

Clouds are formed when water evaporates from rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes. High cirrus clouds are moved by a jet stream and sometimes travel at 100 kmph. When clouds are a part of a thunderstorm, they usually travel at 30-40 kmph.

What is the jagd and hund fair?

It is the 'Hunting and Hounds fair where exhibitors present the latest trends in fishing and hunting.

What is the nathan rothschild maxim?

The Nathan Rothschild maxim says that you 'make money in the stock market when blood flows in the streets'. Nathan Rothschild was a stock dealer in the London stock market who took advantage of early knowledge of England's victory at Waterloo. First, he sold all his shares, which caused heavy meltdown in the market. Towards the end, he bought all the shares at a very low price before the news of England's victory reached London. With England's victory, the share market rose rapidly and in the process, Nathan made a lot of money.

What is icor in economics?

Incremental Capital .Output Ratio (ICOR) is the additional capital required to increase one unit of output. This ratio is used to measure the efficiency of an industrial unit or country as an economic unit. The lesser the ICOR, more efficient the organization.

What is a suction excavator?

A suction excavator is a combination of excavator and a pump for dual function of excavating earth and pumping the soil out. It has an air pump for generating the required flow of air, a nozzle through which air is drawn and a mechanism for separating soil from the air drawn through the nozzle.

What is the treynor ratio?

The Treynor Ratio (reward-tovolatility ratio) was developed by Jack Treynor, one of the fathers of modern portfolio theory the ratio measures the returns earned from a portfolio over and above the normal return that would have been earned on a risk-free investment. The formula for the Treynor Ratio is: average return of the portfolio minus average return of the risk free rate divided by the beta of the portfolio. In short, the excess return over the risk-free return of the portfolio is divided by the beta of the portfolio to get the Treynor Ratio. Beta is a measure of market-related risk in a stock or collection of stocks. A high Treynor Ratio indicates better performance. A risk-free investment is akin to an investment in a government of India Treasury bill.

Which is the biggest container port in the world?

Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twentyfeet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.

What is the great manmade river?

The Great Manmade River (better known as GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara desert to Libya from a fossil aquifer. This aquifer is known as Nublon Sandstone Aquifer System. GMR is considered to be the largest underground network of pipes in the world. It has more than 1,300 wells supplying more than 7,100,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other major cities of this African nation. Some wells are as deep as 650 metres. In 1953, when drilling for the search of oil, explorers found huge quantities of freshwater. GMRP (Great Manmade River Project) was developed in 1960 and it took shape in 1984. About 88 million cubic metres of excavation was done for the completion of the first of five phases, and it. was inaugurated on August 28,1991. This mammoth project, designed by Brown Root and Price Brothers, is funded by the Libyan government and owned by the Great Manmade River Authority The Guiness Book of World Records has acknowledged it as the world's largest irrigation project.

What is sistine chapel famous for?

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV It's best known for being the location of papal conclaves, for the election of a new Pope. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

What do riders represent in the fiesta of san joan?

The Spanish fiesta of San Joan dates back to the 14th century and has religious significance. The riders participating in it or caixers as they are called represent the social strata of the church, nobility, craftsmen and country people (mostly farmers).

What does zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which country receives the highest rainfall in the world?

Of the 95 wettest countries in the world, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Sierra Leone are ranked the top three in order of maximum rainfall received on an average in a year, according to the World Statistics Pocket Book and the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations. The records are for the period 1931-1960. Guinea, also known as the Republic of Guinea, with its capital named Conakry, is in Western Africa receives a monsoon-type of rainfall from June to November. Against the global weighted annual average rainfall of 9.627 cm, Guinea gets 37.84 cm, the Solomon Islands gets 32.90 cm and Sierra Leone gets 29.46 cm. Conakry is the wettest capital in the world and receives rainfall on ah average of 134 days each year. India is the ninth wettest country with 21.68 cm of average annual rainfall. The UN World Statistics for 2007 record these figures: Guinea - 37.76 cm, Solomon Islands - 32.9 cm, Sierra Leone - 29.46 cm and India 24.01 cm. Guinea was still top of the list and India retained the ninth position.

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create a spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

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General Knowledge Pt. XVIII

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What is uranium dating?

Uranium dating is one of the ways of determining the age of ancient objects, even one million years old, by measuring how much of the following are present in them: the amount of radioactive isotopes of uranium, and the amount of other materials into which the radioactive isotopes would decompose. These measurements, when combined with knowledge about the initial state of matter under study (that is, composition at the time of death of an organism, or formation of a mineral) and the rate at which radioactivity takes place, would yield the age of the object. Uranium dating is useful where even radio carbon dating cannot be used.

Why is Scotland Yard so called?

The name of the police headquarters is derived from its original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street within Whitehall. According to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings in the area used to accommodate Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. The original commissioners of the Metropolitan police, Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne, worked out of a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto an open courtyard that came to be known as Scotland Yard.

What was the screech owl's original name?

Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops. The species name Kennicotti was created in honour of American explorer and naturalist Robert Kennicotti. It was officially called Kennicott's Owl. Twenty-one living species are known at present, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered on a regular basis, especially in the Andes. They are restricted to the Americas.

Who is a vegivore?

A vegivore is a person who craves or has a special fondness for vegetables. This need not be because the person has an aversion to eating meat but solely due to an intense craving for vegetables. To a vegivore, meat products may only seem like an accompaniment to add flavour to the dish. He/she will find the vegetable dish more satiating than the meat dish.

What is a webisode?

A webisode is a single push technology episode. A webisode can be a preview or promotion of aparticularTV show, music, video or other showpresented on a website by streaming videos or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting webisodes.Inshort,webisodes are the episodes that we watch on the web. It is formed by a combination of two words:'Web' and 'episode'. A webisode creates a web series, a series of episodes released via internet or mobile cellular devices.

Who is a Twude and who is a Twidette?

A Twude is a person who is rude on twitter while a Twidette is a person who still hasn't joined twitter. For tweeple (read as people) who want to know more such twitter-based words, an online dictionary called twittonary used extensively by tweeters, is available.

What is the difference between an attorney general and solicitor general?

The attorney general of India is the Indian government's chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in dealing with the Supreme Court of India. The attorney general for India is appointed by the President under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. The solicitor general of India is appointed to assist the attorney general along with four additional solicitors general.

What does the arrow mark on defence vehicle number plates mean?

Unlike other license numbering systems, defence vehicles have a unique numbering system. The numbers are registered by the ministry of defence in New Delhi, The first (or the third) character is always an arrow pointing upwards. The next two digits (or the two preceding the arrow) signify the year in which the defence department procured the vehicle. The next is the base code, followed by the serial number. The letter ending after the serial number indicates the class of the vehicle. The arrow prevents the number from being read wrongly in case the number plate (and/or the vehicle bearing it) turns upside down.

What is the significance of the ritual 'pardoning the turkey' during Thanksgiving?

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden. The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The ceremony allows the President to unofficially usher in the holiday season. Formany years, presidents have spared the life of the National Turkey by grantingita'presidential pardon'.

Who is a schlimazel?

A schlimazel is a person who is accident-prone and so, considered unlucky, and for the same reason, even thoughtof asabornloser. The person is inept and fails at most things he attempts. Schlimazel is also used as a verb, for instance, a person gets 'schlimazzeled'. The word has its origins in the Yiddish vernacular.

What is Holmesian deduction?

Holmes stories often begin with a bravura display of Holmes' talent for deduction. Holmesian (British adjective) or Sherlockian deduction (American) are mainly about drawing inferences based on straightforward practical principles which are the result of careful inductive study. Holmes' techniques are generally of the form, 'If p, then q, where 'p' is observed evidence and 'q' is what the evidence indicates. But there are also. Some intermediate principles based on plain simplicity of a current situation.

What is the origin of the word 'syntax'?

The word 'syntax' is derivedfrom the Greek word 'syntaxis', meaning 'together' and 'sequence'. The term is used for the way in which words are put together in an orderly system to formphrases or sentences. Basically, syntax is the rule by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the set of rules which puts signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses and sentences.

What is toasted skin syndrome?

Toasted skin syndrome occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discolouration on the skin. The condition can cause permanent skin discolouration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of damage. In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and blacksmiths, were often affected. Today, many people get it simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptops on their laps for hours at a time.

How are jersey numbers allotted to cricket players?

The 1995-96 World Cup series in Australia saw the first use of shirt numbers in international cricket, with most players assigned their number and some players getting to choose their number. Other countries soon adopted the practice, but it wasn't until several years later that players would consistently wear the same number all year. Player numbering was first used in the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number Ij ersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 15.

What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

The Bolshoi Theatre, also called the grand or great theatre, is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by the architect Joseph Bovi, which holds ballet and opera performances. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and greatest ballet and opera companies of the world, respectively Thetheat re is the parent company of The Bolshot Ballet Academy.

Who is a tweetheart?

Atweetheartis a person whois much admired and followed on Twitter. A tweetheart could be a celebrity, or even a public figure who usually sets a trend, and picks up a fan — Twitter — following. Some tweethearts are journalists and even activists who break new ground. Many celebrities revealtheir lives via Twitter, andthis is lapped up by other tweeters. There is another meaning to the term too: tweeters who find soulmates while networking turn info tweethearts.

Why is a 10-watt bulb known as a zero bulb?

Technically, it is not possible to light an electric bulb without drawing input greater than zero watts. Zero watts is actually not zero, but refers to the minimum wattage. The inaccurate electric meters of the early days could not measure such a negligible amount of consumption as during those days, the watt hour meter had a rotating disc and when all the other lights were switched off, the disc would have only minimum rotation, which would not record even a 10W consumption. Thisled to theorigin of the term 'zero-watt', though it is incorrect. Nowadays, electric meters can record even electricity used as indicators in switches.

What is dual use technology?

Dual use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military means. It often refers to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, butthat of bio-weapons is a major issue as well. Many types of nuclear reactors produce fissile material, such as plutonium, as a byproduct, which could be used in the development of a nuclear weapon, However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes, like providing electricity to a city. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology, which could carry humans into space.

What is a map legend?

Amap legend is a guide to allthe symbols used on a map. It helps a person read a map correctly. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on a map. Stated simply, a map legend is a sort of dictionary so that you can understand what the map represents. Vegetation, topographic features, surface features etc are all represented by unique symbols which, in most cases, are standardised.

Whatis the Olympic Tower 2016?

The Olympic Tower 2016 is a vertical structure that will be placed in Cotonduba Island. It will serve both as an observation tower, and a welcome sign for visitors arriving by air and by sea at Rio de Janeiro, where the Olympic Games 2016 will take place. The project is from Zurique, and utilizes solar energy during the day with its solo power panels to pump sea water.

What is the flamenco?

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumentalmusic and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and a dancing pattern that evolved over the centuries. The theatrical presentation is a ballet.

Who is an Aunt Millie?

Aunt is a term used to describe an uneducated or unsophisticated investor who is new and unfamiliar with investing, which makes him prone to poor investment choices. It has a derogatory connotation in the financial sector. Aunt Millie is used with reference to a low-risk investment offered to first-time, inexperienced investors.

What is the Bourbon Trail?

A tour programme managed by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA), the Bourbon Trail or Kentucky Bourbon Trail meant to promote the bourbon industry in Kentucky which is over 200 years old. People who mail in a promotional passport which has been stamped by all the participating distilleries get free T-shirts courtesy the Association. The trail was launched in 1999 by seven of the eight distilleries in the region.

WhatisSukkot?

Sukkot is one of the three "Pilgrim Festivals" in the Jewish tradition. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month ofTishri, i.e. late September to late October, it is a reminder of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thefestivallasts seven days. The first day is celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services. The remaining days are known as Chol Hamoed ("festival weekdays ").

What is the littoral zone?

The littoral zone is that part of the river or sea which is closest to the shore. It extends from the shoreline to 600 feet (183 metres) out into the water and is divided into three zones called supralittoral, intertidal and sublittoral. The zone is a tricky area when it comes to predicting water conditions because so many factors affect it. Coastal currents, onshore and offshore winds, reefs, bays arid the share of the shoreline are some of the things sailors have to deal with when passing through this zone.

What is Greco-Roman wrestling?

It is style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. The style is different from freestyle wrestling as it forbids holding below the waist. This directs the emphasis on throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbingtheir opponent's leg.

What does stirring up a hornets nest mean?

Hornets are wasp-like insects. Their nests are similar to the ones made by bees. Stirring up a hornet's nest metaphorically means to stir a silent/calm situation into that filled with rage, discord or one with chaos. It also means to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. This metaphor is self-explanatory as when one 'stirs a hornet's nest' the hornets fly out of their nest in a temper and attack the cause of the disturbance.

What is the hour-glass ceiling?

It is a time-based impediment to career advancement, often faced by working mothers where they spend much more time than working fathers with their families, instead of at the workplace. Almost all senior level positions demand longer hours at the workplace but mothers are rarely able to work out flexible work timings, mostly as a result of inadequate cooperation from the people around them.

What is carrom ball in cricket?

Carrom ball is where the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a conventional release, is squeezed out and flicked by the fingers like how a disc is flicked on a carrom board. The first bowler known to have used this style of delivery was Australian Jack Iverson from Victoria, who used it throughout his test career in the period after the Second World War, although he did not use the name 'carrom ball'. It is used by off-spinners and was again introduced by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka in 2007-08. At present, only Ajantha Mendis and Ravichandran Ashwin of India use it in international cricket.

What is the Bom Sabado?

'Born Sabado' is a Portuguese word Which means 'Good Saturday' in English. Bom Sabado, in recent months, l|as come to refer to a javascriptbiased virus that has infected the social networking site Orkut. The virus hit the site on a Saturday in September 2010. It is an auto-generated message which fills the user's scrapbook, like a scrap from a friends' list.

What is a currency war?

Currency war, also known as 'competitive devaluation', is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their home currency, so as to help their domestic industry. Currency wars have been rare throughout history as even at times when a system of fixed exchange rates have not been in place, countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency or have been content to allow its value to be set by the markets.

What is the origin of 'high five' in sports?

The term 'high five' is a hand gesture made by two partners to congratulate each other on a combined achtevement. A high five involves the two partners raising a hand each with outstretched fingers, and slap,; ping'each other's palms, while saying 'give me five'. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980, and is saidto have its origins in US basketball. Some say high five was used first in basketball in 1977 by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, whereas some others say the gesture was used first by Lament Street in the 1960s.

What is beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport which is mainly played on sand (though it can sometimes be played indoors) but what mainly distinguishes it from, indoor volleyball is that each team has two players each. Like other Variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team's court. Originating in Southern California and Hawaii, beach volleyball is now popular worldwide, even in countries without traditional beaches like Switzerland.

What is a dramedy?

A style of television entertainment that combines two genres, dramedy also comprises many styles of television, theatre andfilm. It balances humour and drama, or serious content, to an almost equal extent. A dramedy is also called comedy-drama or seriocomedy One of the first times a dramedywasattempedwas with Charlie Chaplin's The Kid'.

What is black energy ?

In astronomy, black energy is a hypothetical form of energy that per- meates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe. Black energy currently accounts for 73% of the total mass-energy of the universe. Black energy has been used as a crucial ingredient in a recent attempt to formulate a cyclic model for the universe. The nature of black energy is very homogeneous, not too dense.

What is a docusoap?

The term docusoap is made up from two words — documentary and soap (television serials). A docusoap therefore is a television documentary with soap opera elements: a television programme that combines documentary style with aspects of soap opera, eg by showing the personal lives of people at their workplace. The term came into circulation in the late 20th century.

What is Nido (Nest) Therapy?

Nido(Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person's environment, not their personality The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido(Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction and chemical dependency. It is also used in the treatment of substance abuse, psychosis and personality disorders.

What is scarlet day?

Scarlet day is the term used in the University of Cambridge to designate those days on which doctors are required to wear the festal form of academic dress. It is so called because of the scarlet elements in the gowns and hoods of the festal full dress worn by doctors as opposed to the everyday black gowns. On these days, it is also permitted for members of the University to wear the academic dress of other universities from which they have obtained degrees.

What is the origin of judo?

Judo has its origin in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, (alsojujitsu) a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are usually credited with developing jujutsu. In their time, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, in which fighters fought, fully clad in Japanese armour. The chronicle of the Japanese nation, documents public, unarmed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 B C. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, thejujutsufighterwas expected to be pliable, winning by appearing to yield.

What is a NEET?

NEET is a British term used for a young person who is not engaged by way of any work, academics, or training programme. It's an acronym derived from the phrase 'Not in Employment, Education or Training', a government classification often used to refer to the stage that teenagers or young adults go through when they have nothing to do. However, the age group of people under this category varies from county to country.

Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne's physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled The History of John Bull' but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.

What is the origin of the term Trench Kiss'?

One theory is associated with France being known as the city of love, with the Eiffel Tower and Paris considered the ultimate symbols of romance. Another theory is that French Kiss was a derogatory term used during war: —it was said that the French would rather make love with their faces than fight. The term dates back to at least the 1820s and became popular again during the 1920s when the French were believed to be preoccupied then with passion and love.

Why is the international dateline drawn in a zigzag manner?

The International Date Line (IDL) passes through the Pacific Ocean. It is an imaginary line, like longitudes and latitudes. The time difference on either side of this line is 24 hours. So, the date changes as soon as one crosses this line. To avoid any confusion of date, this line is drawn through where the sea lies and not land. Hence, the IDL is drawn in a zig-zag manner.

Why are celestial bodies spherical in shape?

Celestial bodied, are spherical in shape because of gravity Whenever enough mass gathers close together, the resultant gravity, which follows the inverse square law, pulls equally in all directions and results in a spherical shape. Irrespective of the material composition of the celestial body a diameter of a few hundred kilometers is sufficient to create a spherical form.

What are Humboldt penguins?

They are South American penguins that breed in coastal Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins are named after the cold water current they swims in, which takes its name after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. These birds are medium-sized with blackish-grey upper parts and whitish under parts and a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breastband. They have spines on their tongues, which are used to hold prey.

What is infoganda?

Infoganda — a portmanteau of information and propaganda — has found currency to describe a news item or a literary piece of work that is informative and also has an underlying agenda. Infoganda is often used by governments and religious bodies to promote a certain message. The word has a negative slant to it.

What is a chicken market in the stocks trade? .

'Chicken market' is used to represent one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an investor who is afraid to take risks.

What is the Chandrasekhar limit in astronomy?

When the sun cools down in about five billion years, gravity will make it shrink. It will end up as a solid lump — a dead star called white dwarf. In the early 1930s, Indian scientist Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar found out that if a white dwarf has more than 1.4 times as much mass as the sun, it will not be able to support itself. This is the Chandrasekhar limit.

Why does a person cry while having a hearty laugh?

People cry in response to emotion, whether it is good or bad, because of signals from the higher centres of the brain that tell the tear glands whether they are happy or sad. These signals travel through the parasympathetic pathways, part of the complicated patterns of emotion that our body instinctively recognizes.

What is the origin of the relay race?

The relay race, which is now an Olympic event, first began with Aboriginals carrying messages between tribes. Legends were passed from generation to generation and from tribe to tribe. In some cases, when the messages were urgent, two separate messengers were sent in different directions with the same message. In some cases, messages had to be relayed from tribe to tribe as one person could not cover such huge distances. This was how relay races began.

What is 2-D technology in cars?

Nowadays, 2-D barcodes are used in cars. There are two types of barcodes that are widely used: one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D). 1-D barcode is common in most household products, while 2-D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label.

What is Anubis associated with?

Anubis' is the Greek name for the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis was known as 'Inpu'. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom's pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead, but was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. After that, Anubis was changed into one of the many sons of Osiris, and the conductor of souls of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt near the cemeteries throughout Egypt.

WHAT IS SLACKTIVISM?

Slacktivism is used to describe activism which does not require a person to put in any great effort. Slaektivistsjoin causes on the internet and get a feeling of satisfaction without even moving out of their chairs. It is a slightly derogatory term for meaningless causes, as opposed to activism as a crusade, A slacktivist is rarely identified with the cause and is not a flag-waving, card-carrying type.

What is cloud computing?

The term cloud computing with reference to IT is a service offered by a third party — typically a Technology Services Provider— and offered on subscription basis by leveraging the internet. The key proposition is to move away from expensive; capex heavy, on-premises options to affordable, cost-efficient arrangements that are offered on a one-to-many basis. It is a misperception that cloud computing refers to only software; it includes hardware as a service enabling computing on demand.

Why is the countdown so important while launching a rocket?

A countdown is loudly counting in reverse from 10 to 1, prior to an event. In a rocket launch, a countdown is a carefully devised set of procedures ending with the ignition of a rocket engine, which starts 72 to 96 hours prior to its launch time. During the countdown, step-by-step procedures like placing the vehicle at the launch site, loading the essentials needed for the launch, setting up communication with the launch centre, etc are executed. When everything is okayed, 'T minus Time', that is, 3 minutes and 40 seconds is set and the process of ignition begins.

Who is Jack Frost?

A common figure in Western folklore, Jack Frost is a personification of the nippiest winter weather, credited with leaving beautiful plant-like patterns on windows and frosting on leaves. His name is probably of Norse derivation— the Norsemen knew him as 'Jokul FYosir or Jack Frost. The Saxons who settled in Britain had their Lord Snow and King Frost.

What is the mystery of Easter Island?

Easter Island is the eastern-most island of Polynesia, located 3,200 km west of Chile, which annexed it in 1888. The island is called so because it was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen. Its mystery lies in the hundreds of carved stone statues, as high as 12 metres, found on the island, although it was uninhabited when discovered.

What is Cloud Gate?

Cloud Gate is the internationally renowned sculpture designed by British artist of Indian origin, Anish Kapoor, It is located at the centre of the AT&T Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, and was completed in 2006. The stainless steel sculpture is arch- shaped, and is about 12 feet long and weighs 110 tonnes. It is the result of a competition which Anish Kapoor won. Despite experts raising concerns about design and feasibility, it was completed with little or no modifications and is now considered an architectural marvel.

What is a jungle gym?

A jungle gym, also known as monkey bars or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of thin material, such as metal pipes or, in more current playgrounds, rope, on which children can climb, hang, and sit. It was traditionally constructed as a frame of metal bars and was introduced in 1920 by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.

What is a vacation bank?

A vacation banker leave bank is what an employer allots to a staffer every year. A Vacation Deprivation study found that many employees failed to use their leave completely, adding many man-days to production. An employee dips into the bank to lengthen weekends, and sprinkles them over the year. 'Vacation bank' has gained a more current meaning — the creation of a bank of unused vacation hours by staffers. Instead of letting leave lapse, an employee can transfer the days to the company's 'vacation time bank' — these can be used by any employee in a crisis.

What is Blue Ocean strategy?

It is a business strategy for creating uncontested, virgin market space. The metaphor of red and blue oceans describes the market: blue oceans denote the industries not in existence today where demand is created rather than fought over. Red oceans are industries existing today — boundaries are defined and competitive rules are known. Cut-throat competition turns the ocean bloody, which gives it the term 'red oceans'. It is explained in the book "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

What do sugar-free products contain?

Sugar-free products contain sugar substitutes, some natural and some synthetic. Artificial sweeteners are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. Artificial sweeteners are cornpounds with sweetness 300-500 times that of sucrose (table sugar). As a result, less sweetener is required, energy contribution is often negligible and blood glucose levels are not effected.

What is emission trading?

It is an advanced method to control pollution by providing economic incentives. A government authority sets a limit or cap on the amount of pollutant that can be emitted in an open environment. Manufacturers are issued emission permits and allotted an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) to emit a specific amount of pollutants. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from companies which pollute less — this is referred to as emissions trade.

What are crop circles?

Crop circles are mystery circles which farmers in southern England have observed, especially in 1980. Large sections of their fields were trampled into circles overnight. Sometimes, the crops were flattened into strange designs. Though it was made to look like machines were used,the crops were not damaged.

What is Area 51?

Area 51 is a term used in CIA dbcupients for a military base 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site. It is a block of land six by 10 miles, on which is a large secret air base, at the shore of Groom Lake. The base was created in 1954 to test the secret U-2 spy plane, besides research on UFOs and extra-terrestrial bodies.

What is a Tea Party protest?

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by the

British government.

What is cloud music?

Cloud music is a new service which has done away with the need to download music. Music lovers now have music at their fingertips simply by subscribing to companies logging on to this new business. Subscription is dirt-cheap and the song/album is played instantly over a mobile device that links to the internet via the cellphone network. The royalties from cloud music subscription go back to music companies.

What is a Parthian shot?

The Parthian shot was a famous military combat tactic practised by the Parthians, the ancient Iranian people hailing from the north-eastern region of Iran called Parthia. The theme 'Parthian tactic' was to surprise the enemy with the hit-and-run action using light horses, dividing their own forces by pretending retreat and then turning unexpectedly back and showering the enemy with deadly arrows, surrounding and destroying them.

How is the market price of a share established during trading ?

The price at which buying and selling transactions take place is determined by market forces, that is, demand and supply for a particular stock. If a company enjoys high investor confidence and its stock price is expected to rise, many people would want to buy it (high demand) and very few will sell it at the current market price (less supply). Buyers have to bid higher to match the asking price from the seller, thus increasing stock price. If there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price falls.

What is cross-branding? How does it work?

Cross-branding is a market approach to enhance two brands by associating them with each other. Amazon, corn is well-known for applying the concept, working with such brands such as Toysrus, Office Depot and Weight Watchers. Another example is of Grasim taking over L&T Cement and using the brand.

What are rubber rooms?

The 'rubber room' is where hundreds of New York City school teachers sit and do nothing, but are paid their full salary Each year, hundreds of school teachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. While awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they report to an off-campus location called the 'rubber room'.

What is the resonant frequency of an object?

Every object has its a natural frequency at which it achieves maximum amplitude during vibrations, if left to vibrate free after applying external force. This frequency is known as resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of an object depends on factors such as shape, mass and density of material. Even a house or bridge has its own unique resonant frequency A bridge vibrating at resonant frequency may collapse.

What is Jujutsu?

Jujutsu or Jiu-jitsu literally meaning the "art of softness" or "way of yielding" is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles, including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method to defeat an armed and armoured opponent without weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking against an armoured opponent, the method to neutralize an enemy is using an attacker's energy against him, rather than oppose it. ;

What is a rehook?

A rehook is a film which is so powerful and appealing that cinema goers go back for repeat viewings. These blockbuster shows keep the box office coffers full. Good examples are classics like "Gone with the Wind", "Titanic", even the Bond series. New hit "Inception" is another rehook, with many people returning for repeat shows, but more because the plot is so complex that viewers want to make sense of it. This is the power of the rehook. '

How did 'Hello' come to be used as a greeting over the phone?

The first word used to answer the phone was the nautical greeting 'ahoy' because the first regular phone system was in the maritime state of Connecticut. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, answered with the Gaelic 'hoy'. But it was Thomas Edison's greeting of 'hello', an exclamation of surprise dating back to the Middle Ages, that caught on, and so we answer the telephone today with, 'Hello?' Another theory is that after inventing the telephone, he rang his girlfriend whose name was 'Hello', thus the first word said by him on telephone became a greeting. Before 'Hello' became popular, telephone operators started conversations with, "Are you there?"

What is La-La-Land?

Originally coined in 1981 by San Francisco native Bill (William) D Froelich, the term was first used in the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Froelich was explaining to his fellow workers that he was about to visit his girlfriend's parents in La La Land, otherwise known as Los Angeles. The term was quite indicative of Froelich's view towards the city at the time. There are bold parallels between the term la-la (unconsciousness; an elevated mind state) and Froelich's regard for Los Angeles. After 29 years, Bill Froelich now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. His in-laws still live in La La Land.

Why is Winston Churchill's speech known as the ‘Iron Curtain Speech'?

Winston Churchill made a speech at Fulton, Missourie in March 1946, at the onset of the Cold War. He said, "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent." He was the first to coin the term in order to define Stalin's aggressive drive to control all areas east of Russia and west of Germany Thereafter, the term became popular to describe the Communists' stronghold over East Europe.

What is the Hubbert Peak Theory?

The theory is named after American geophysicist M King Hubbert. The theory posits that for any given geographical area, from an individual oilproducing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve. It is one of the primary theories on peak oil and is based on the observation that the amount of oil under the ground in any region is finite, therefore the rate of discovery which initially increases quickly must reach a maximum and decline.

What language is spoken in Minsk?

Minsk has been a city of many languages over time. Initially it was Ruthenian (later developed into modern Belarusian). After 1569, Polish became the official language. Belarusian national revival increased the use of Belarusian language but after World War II (by mid 1980s), Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. Most residents now use Russian in day-to-day life. Belarusian is understood as well. Today, the most commonly used international language is English.

What is soundbite TV?

Children who are hooked to the tele- vision show an inability to concentrate in class during an indepth lesson, say some teachers. They blame it on 'soundbite TV — the fast pace of television. Fed a diet of sound and visuals, these children display very short attention spans and struggle to focus in class. Teachers also complain that such children are also disruptive when they are denied their dose of 'sound and vision bites'.

What is software entropy?

The tendency, over time, for software to become difficult and costly to maintain is known as software entropy. A software system that undergoes continuous change, like new functionality added to its original design, will eventually become more complex, losing its original design structure, and may even become disorganized as it grows. In theory, it may be better to redesign the software in order to support the changes rather than build on the existing programme.

Why is a sperm whale called so?

Sperm whale is a type of toothed whale (physeter catodon) with a very large head which has cavities containing spermaceti, a sperm oil. It is a white, waxy substance consisting of various esters of fatty acids used for making candles, ointments and cosmetics. It has no relation to sperm, the male gamete.

What is arachnophobia?

An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of arachnophobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or non-existent. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie "Arachnophobia". The word is derived from the Greek 'arachne' (spider) and 'phobos' (fear) after the mythical Arachne, a maiden who was a skilled weaver, whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider on being challenged to a weaving contest.

What are horse latitudes and how did they get the name?

There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudeSfc|5 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It is said that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term 'horse latitudes'.

What does 'dumping' mean in computer lingo?

Dumping refers to the cleaning of stored data from the core memory area of a computer into trash or somewhere else in an unorganised manner. Dumping may be done in the event of a system failure or as part of maintenance work. The reason for dumping, in most cases, is that the data has lost its value over time and occupies huge memory space. Retrieval from the dump is difficult but not impossible.

What is a flying saucer?

Many people have reported seeing unidentified flying objects, also known as UFOs, in the sky. Some of them described these objects in the shape of discs or saucers hovering overhead with a glow around them. These have been mostly interpreted as transport vehicles of aliens visiting earth, but photographs of them are now believed to be hoaxes. The first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold on June 24,1947, resulted in the creation of the term by US newspapers.

What is surface diffusion?

Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms (adsorbed atom lying on a crystal surface, used in surface chemistry when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness), molecules, and atomic clusters (adparticles) at solid material surfaces. Tunnelling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunnelling effect.

What is a flophouse?

A flophouse is a place of cheap lodging. It's normally an apartment where some occupants pay rent while others are unemployed and do nothing with their lives except party and abuse drugs. They generally share bathroom facilities and reside in very cramped quarters. The people who use these places are often called transients, although some people stay in them for years. They are just a step above being homeless. Quarters in flophouses are very small and may resemble office cubicles more than a regular hotel room. In the past, flophouses were called working men's hotel and were rather dirty. Some cities that have flophouses in abundance become well known in their own right such as the Bowery in New York.

How are points in a stock exchange calculated?

Nifty is actually an index of 50, not 100, stocks. Also, sensex is calculated on free-float market cap only i.e. shares held by the public and not by promoters. But, Nifty is calculated by total market capitalisation. Hence, shares like ONGC where the promoter holding is large gets very little weight in the sensex as compared to the Nifty.

Who is a hypermiler?

Hypermilers are those who try to extract every bit of mileage from their cars by trying out various techniques like coasting when it's possible, at times even switching off the engine, not switching on the air-conditioner, etc. The term originated in hybrid driving clubs. Some radical techniques are employed by hypermilers, which are called renegades. They use extreme techniques that may even compromise their security

What is the grettis saga?

The Grettis Saga is one of the finest Icelandic family sagas, which details the life of Grettis Asmundarson, an Icelandic warrior who became an outlaw. It was written in the 13th and early 14th century Well-born, brave but troubleprone Grettis, at 14, kills a man in a quarrel and is outlawed. He spends these years in Norway performing many brave deeds. On his return to Iceland, he saves people from the malicious ghost of Glam. The dying fiend imposes a curse on him, predicting that he will grow afraid of the dark. Grettis accidentally kills the chieftain's son and is outlawed again. Grettis is pursued by kinsmen of men he has wronged and by other outlaws for the price on his head. At last, his enemies overwhelm him with the aid of witchcraft. His brother avenges his death. The saga's theme can be summed up thus: good gifts and good luck are often worlds apart.

What is the windfall tax?

The windfall tax is what's imposed on windfall gains, an abnormal increase in the profits of any organization or company in the normal course of its business due to certain circumstances. A good example would be the recent increase in the price of oil over the world. In this case, the oil exploration and production (E&P) companies will make huge gains if they sell oil to local refining companies at international prices, which are high. Such a gain is due to circumstances favouring E&P companies and not due to their cost-cutting or other efficient operations. These are windfall gains and the tax on such gains is called windfall tax.

What is unique about the hangzhou bay bridge?

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a bridge across Hangzhou Bay off the eastern coast of China. It links the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. It's the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world although it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. The bridge is 36 km long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The construction started on June 8, 2003 and was completed on June 14, 2007. It is not open for public transportation but is only being used for test and evaluation purpose.

why the bucket seat in automobiles is called so?

According to some sources, the word bucket comes from the French word 'baquet' which means cockpit. A bucket seat is much more comfortable, especially for long journeys. Bucket seats came into use after World War II in small cars due to the lack of seating room for a third passenger on account of the presence of a floor-mounted gear handle.

what is pareto's (80-20) rule of automation?

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian engineer-sociologist who, in the 19th century studied the number of people in various income classes and represented his findings in diagrams. His important conclusion was that 80% of the total wealth in the world is owned by 20% of people and that 20% of wealth is owned by 80% of people. A similar pattern is observed in many other problem areas where number of causes contribute to a particular problem. In other words, 20% of the causes contribute to 80% of the problem. The specific Pareto's (80-20) rule for automation is, however, unheard of.

what is special about the garden city of palkenberg?

The Garden City of Falkenberg is a housing estate in Berlin, Germany designed and built by the celebrated German architect and town planner Bruno Taut (1880-1938). In designing the complex, Taut applied the garden city concept he learnt from England. The most striking aspect of this architecture is its use of colour: each part of a building bears a different, contrasting colour with respect to the other parts, and all the parts together produce a harmonious and pleasing effect. Falkenberg is also the name of an important town in the Halland county on the west coast of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of the river Atran. The town is wellknown for its food and beverage industry, and has several beaches and lakes- which form its major tourist attraction.

what is the origin of the term horse trading ?

The term horse trading. Which came into usage around 1820, owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders who bought and sold horses? As per Macmillan English Dictionary, it means difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. In political parlance, it implies any long drawn-out negotiation characterised by hard bargaining and compromises. It frequently takes place in democratic institutions like legislative bodies when a parliamentarian or legislator supports some Bill or trust vote in exchange for support for one of his initiatives for another Bill or legislation.

what is moribund capitalism?

It's a concept introduced by Vladimir Lenin, who wrote that when capitalism becomes imperialistic, it is moribund capitalism. He describes the height of imperialist capitalism as "ripe and rotten-ripe capitalism" which will eventually collapse and make way for socialism. The concept was mentioned in his 1916 book, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

who is hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor is a minor Nubian king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from 205 BC to 186 BC. He successfully rebelled against the then king Ptolemy IV in 205 BC and ruled a larger part of Egypt for 19 years and was succeeded by Ankhmakis.

what is a chromophore?

A chromophore is a group of atoms and electrons (or moiety) i.e. part of organic molecules responsible for its colour. It is an extended delocalised systems of electrons in a compound which gives its colour e.g. chlorophyll's porphin ring, or an azo dyes benzene ring linked to N=N double bond. When a molecule absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light and transmits or reflects others, the molecule has a colour. A chromophore is a region in a molecule where the energy difference between two different molecular orbitals falls within the range of the visible spectrum. Visible light that'hits the chromophore can thus be absorbed by exciting an electron from its ground state into an excited state. In biological molecules that serve to capture or detect light energy the chromophore is a moiety that causes a confermational change of the molecule when hit by light.

in the stock market, what is the concept of grey marketing?

Grey marketing is a trade of something legal but through unofficial and unauthorised distribution channels. In contrast, black marketing is a trade of illegal goods or services through illegal channels. The grey market of goods is to import and sell products through market channels which are not authorized by the manufacturers. It occurs when the prices of a product differs significantly in different countries. The grey market of securities markets and IPO (Initial Public Offer) is to buy and sell the shares to be allotted in the future. Once the trading is done in the grey market at a stipulated price, the seller must deliver the sold number of shares to the buyer on the day of listing to honour the commitment.

what is unique about the production 'dralion'?

'Dralion' is an entertainment show produced by Montreal-based company Cirque du Soleil Inc, well known for its circus-based dance dramas. The show 'Dralion', which has already toured different parts of the world, is currently located at Sydney and been seen by seven million people. It's main theme is to project human life as an integral part of nature, and, specifically, to celebrate the harmony between human life and the four natural elements — earth, air, water, and fire. The theme is inspired by Chinese philosophy. It's dances combine the traditional acts of Chinese circus and the gravitydefying acrobatics unique to Cirque du Soleil. The show presents a highly imaginative and magical perspective. The title is a combination of the two symbols of East and West — the dragon and the lion.

Why is glass brittle?

Ordinary glass is soda-lime glass and is a mixture of silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and aluminium etc. It is brittle because its molecular structure is composed of tetrahedral crystals. These crystals do not have a good large-area orderly crystalline structure. Therefore, when it is under stress, the structure gets ruptured.

What dyes are used to ink tattoos?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood.

What does roadrunner refer to?

It's the world's fastest supercomputer built by scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US military It can compute about 1.026 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be primarily used for military problems, particularly to ensure the accurate functioning of ageing nuclear weapons.

What is the armenian genocide?

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1923. About 1.5 million Armenians out of the 2.5 million in the empire were killed. Armenians all over the world commemorate the tragedy on April 24 every year.

What's distinctive about davos?

Situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres, in the heart of the Alps in Switzerland, the town of Davos has the distinction of being the largest mountain resort in the Alps and the highest town of Europe. Its major tourist attraction are winter sports. It is also a preferred place for holding international conferences like the World Economic Forum.

What is fat tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, where gras is French for fat and Mardi is French for Tuesday The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting on a fattened calf on the last day of a carnival. The annual festivities start on January 6 and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday.

What is a gazebo?

A gazebo is a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape and a place to rest.

What is a slumpometer?

The global slumpometer is a yardstick economists use to measure the severity of the recession in various economies across the world. It takes into account unemployment. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). To the average person, rising unemployment and pink slips mean a recession. While for many economists, a recession has arrived when there's a dip in GDP for two successive quarters. For others, a recession is when the GDI begins to dip, and is a more reliable factor than GDP.

What is a surgical strike?

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so that they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc.

How did the term 'window dressing' originate?

Textile and readymade shops dress mannequins (models of human bodies) with attractive clothing they sell and place them in display windows. Likewise, mutual funds and banks add more temporary assets and liabilities on year ends to ensure their balance sheets remain attractive to the public, especially to investors. As their intention is to dress up their balance sheets to make them attractive like a shopper does to the mannequins, the term 'window dressing' is used to mean artificial inflation of assets which will wear off after the year-end.

How do clouds move?

Clouds are formed when water evaporates from rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes. High cirrus clouds are moved by a jet stream and sometimes travel at 100 kmph. When clouds are a part of a thunderstorm, they usually travel at 30-40 kmph.

What is the jagd and hund fair?

It is the 'Hunting and Hounds fair where exhibitors present the latest trends in fishing and hunting.

What is the nathan rothschild maxim?

The Nathan Rothschild maxim says that you 'make money in the stock market when blood flows in the streets'. Nathan Rothschild was a stock dealer in the London stock market who took advantage of early knowledge of England's victory at Waterloo. First, he sold all his shares, which caused heavy meltdown in the market. Towards the end, he bought all the shares at a very low price before the news of England's victory reached London. With England's victory, the share market rose rapidly and in the process, Nathan made a lot of money.

What is icor in economics?

Incremental Capital .Output Ratio (ICOR) is the additional capital required to increase one unit of output. This ratio is used to measure the efficiency of an industrial unit or country as an economic unit. The lesser the ICOR, more efficient the organization.

What is a suction excavator?

A suction excavator is a combination of excavator and a pump for dual function of excavating earth and pumping the soil out. It has an air pump for generating the required flow of air, a nozzle through which air is drawn and a mechanism for separating soil from the air drawn through the nozzle.

What is the treynor ratio?

The Treynor Ratio (reward-tovolatility ratio) was developed by Jack Treynor, one of the fathers of modern portfolio theory the ratio measures the returns earned from a portfolio over and above the normal return that would have been earned on a risk-free investment. The formula for the Treynor Ratio is: average return of the portfolio minus average return of the risk free rate divided by the beta of the portfolio. In short, the excess return over the risk-free return of the portfolio is divided by the beta of the portfolio to get the Treynor Ratio. Beta is a measure of market-related risk in a stock or collection of stocks. A high Treynor Ratio indicates better performance. A risk-free investment is akin to an investment in a government of India Treasury bill.

Which is the biggest container port in the world?

Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twentyfeet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.

What is the great manmade river?

The Great Manmade River (better known as GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara desert to Libya from a fossil aquifer. This aquifer is known as Nublon Sandstone Aquifer System. GMR is considered to be the largest underground network of pipes in the world. It has more than 1,300 wells supplying more than 7,100,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other major cities of this African nation. Some wells are as deep as 650 metres. In 1953, when drilling for the search of oil, explorers found huge quantities of freshwater. GMRP (Great Manmade River Project) was developed in 1960 and it took shape in 1984. About 88 million cubic metres of excavation was done for the completion of the first of five phases, and it. was inaugurated on August 28,1991. This mammoth project, designed by Brown Root and Price Brothers, is funded by the Libyan government and owned by the Great Manmade River Authority The Guiness Book of World Records has acknowledged it as the world's largest irrigation project.

What is sistine chapel famous for?

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV It's best known for being the location of papal conclaves, for the election of a new Pope. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Sandro Botticelli.

What do riders represent in the fiesta of san joan?

The Spanish fiesta of San Joan dates back to the 14th century and has religious significance. The riders participating in it or caixers as they are called represent the social strata of the church, nobility, craftsmen and country people (mostly farmers).

What does zumba refer to?

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Which country receives the highest rainfall in the world?

Of the 95 wettest countries in the world, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Sierra Leone are ranked the top three in order of maximum rainfall received on an average in a year, according to the World Statistics Pocket Book and the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations. The records are for the period 1931-1960. Guinea, also known as the Republic of Guinea, with its capital named Conakry, is in Western Africa receives a monsoon-type of rainfall from June to November. Against the global weighted annual average rainfall of 9.627 cm, Guinea gets 37.84 cm, the Solomon Islands gets 32.90 cm and Sierra Leone gets 29.46 cm. Conakry is the wettest capital in the world and receives rainfall on ah average of 134 days each year. India is the ninth wettest country with 21.68 cm of average annual rainfall. The UN World Statistics for 2007 record these figures: Guinea - 37.76 cm, Solomon Islands - 32.9 cm, Sierra Leone - 29.46 cm and India 24.01 cm. Guinea was still top of the list and India retained the ninth position.

How do iridium spark plugs differ from regular ones?

Iridium is a precious, silver-white metal and one of the densest materials found on earth. The natural properties of iridium makes the spark plug use less voltage to create a spark, burn fuel more efficiently and spark at leaner air fuel mixtures. It delivers higher horsepower and better mileage.

Wh[ad_2] Source by Mr. Ashok Sharma

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