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Gene therapy

2008-09-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

In most gene therapy studies, a "correct copy" or "wild type" gene is provided or inserted into the genome. Generally, it is not an exact replacement of the "abnormal," disease-causing gene, but rather extra, correct copies of genes are provided to complement the loss of function. A carrier called a vector must be used to deliver the therapeutic gene to the patient's target cells. Currently, the most common type of vectors are viruses that have been genetically altered to carry normal human DNA. Viruses have evolved a way of encapsulating and delivering their genes to human cells in a pathogenic manner. Scientists have tried to harness this ability by manipulating the viral genome to remove disease-causing genes and insert therapeutic ones.

Target cells such as the patient's liver or lung cells are infected with the vector. The vector then unloads its genetic material containing the therapeutic human gene into the target cell. The generation of a functional protein product from the therapeutic gene restores the target cell to a normal state.

Adeno-associated viruses

2008-08-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Adeno-associated viruses, from the parvovirus family, are small viruses with a genome of single stranded DNA. The wild type AAV can insert genetic material at a specific site on chromosome 19 with near 100% certainty. But the recombinant AAV, which does not contain any viral genes and only the therapeutic gene, does not integrate into the genome. Instead the recombinant viral genome fuses at its ends via the ITR (inverted terminal repeats) recombination to form circular, episomal forms which are predicted to be the primary cause of the long term gene expression. There are a few disadvantages to using AAV, including the small amount of DNA it can carry (low capacity) and the difficulty in producing it. This type of virus is being used, however, because it is non-pathogenic (most people carry this harmless virus). In contrast to adenoviruses, most people treated with AAV will not build an immune response to remove the virus and the cells that have been successfully treated with it. Several trials with AAV are on-going or in preparation, mainly trying to treat muscle and eye diseases; the two tissues where the virus seems particularly useful. However, clinical trials have also been initiated where AAV vectors are used to deliver genes to the brain. This is possible because AAV viruses can infect non-dividing (quiescent) cells, such as neurons in which their genomes are expressed for a long time.

Active Object

2008-08-22T22:49:00.001-07:00

This article is about a multi-threading technique. For the lockstep protocol variant, see Active objects.

The Active Object design pattern decouples method execution from method invocation that reside in their own thread of control.s The goal is to introduce concurrency, by using asynchronous method invocation and a scheduler for handling requests.

The pattern consists of six elements:

* a proxy, which provides an interface towards clients with publicly accessible methods
* an interface which defines the method request on an active object
* a list of pending requests from clients
* a scheduler, which decides which request to execute next
* the implementation of the active object method.
* a callback or variable for the client to receive the result.

Wide Area Augmentation System

2008-08-12T22:19:00.001-07:00

The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is an air navigation aid developed by the Federal Aviation Administration to augment the Global Positioning System (GPS), with the goal of improving its accuracy, integrity, and availability. Essentially, WAAS is intended to enable aircraft to rely on GPS for all phases of flight, including precision approaches to any airport within its coverage area.

WAAS uses a network of ground-based reference stations (Benchmark DGPSRs transmitting differential corrections (DCs, located within spaces protected from the public inside airportsin North America and Hawaii, to measure small variations in the GPS satellites' signals in the western hemisphere. Measurements from the reference stations are routed to master stations, which queue the received DCs and send the correction messages to geostationary WAAS satellites in a timely manner (at least every 5 seconds or better). Those satellites broadcast the correction messages back to Earth, where WAAS-enabled GPS receiver uses the corrections while computing its position to improve accuracy. The longer any given DC has been delayed, the less benefit it will produce.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) calls this type of system a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). Europe and Asia are developing their own SBASs, the Indian Gagan, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and the Japanese Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), respectively. Commercial systems include StarFire and OmniSTAR.

Quartz rate sensors

2008-08-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

This system is usually integrated on a silicon chip. It has two mass-balanced quartz tuning forks, arranged "handle-to-handle" so forces cancel. Aluminum electrodes evaporated onto the forks and the underlying chip both drive and sense the motion. The system is both manufacturable and inexpensive. Since quartz is dimensionally stable, the system can be accurate.

As the forks are twisted about the axis of the handle, the vibration of the tines tends to continue in the same plane of motion. This motion has to be resisted by electrostatic forces from the electrodes under the tines. By measuring the difference in capacitance between the two tines of a fork, the system can determine the rate of angular motion.

Current state of the art non-military technology (2005) can build small solid state sensors that can measure human body movements. These devices have no moving parts, and weigh about 50 grams.

Solid state devices using the same physical principles are used to stabilize images taken with small cameras or camcorders. These can be extremely small (≈5 mm) and are built with MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) technologies.

.NET Framework

2008-07-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

The .NET Framework provides a run-time that is used to interpret intermediate code, code that is compiled from a development environment such as Microsoft’s Visual Studio when the language is C# or Visual Basic.NET. The code requires the run-time in order to execute. The code is referred to as “intermediate” because the result of the compilation is not a result that could be run at the machine level, or in other words to run without the aid of the run-time. The run-time is a service process that provides the framework for the execution of the intermediate code. The run-time acts as an interpreter of the intermediate code and then provides the structure for it to run on the operating system. Lower level capabilities it provides includes memory management, process management, and I/O management. In many cases the run-time is simply providing an abstraction level to the Windows API opening up nearly all of its capabilities to the programmer

The purpose of a run-time is to support the use rapid application development languages, such as C# and Visual Basic.NET. Highly capable run-times, such as the .NET Framework offer significant capabilities and access to the operating system and I/O. This allows a developer to create a powerful application very quickly.

Run-times are not necessarily striving for cross platform compatibility, while run-times such as Sun’s Java might.

Scripting (meta) language interpreters act similar to a run-time, although the code for many scripting languages is not pre-compiled as they are in .NET languages. Pre-compiling speeds up the act of loading the application into memory and also ensures a more compact executable file.

Information ecology

2008-07-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

In the context of an evolving information society, the term information ecology was coined by various persons in the 1980s and 1990s. It marks a connection between ecological ideas with the dynamics and properties of the increasingly dense, complex and important digital informational environment and has been gaining progressively wider acceptance in a growing number of disciplines. "Information ecology" often is used as metaphor, viewing the informational space as an ecosystem.

Data profiling

2008-07-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Data profiling is the process of examining the data available in an existing data source (e.g. a database or a file) and collecting statistics and information about that data. The purpose of these statistics may be to:

1. find out whether existing data can easily be used for other purposes
2. give metrics on data quality including whether the data conforms to company standards
3. assess the risk involved in integrating data for new applications, including the challenges of joins
4. track data quality
5. assess whether metadata accurately describes the actual values in the source database
6. understanding data challenges early in any data intensive project, so that late project surprises are avoided. Finding data problems late in the project can incur time delays and project cost overruns.
7. have an enterprise view of all data, for uses such as Master Data Management where key data is needed, or Data governance for improving data quality

Multidimensional database

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

Multidimensional databases are variously (depending on the context) data aggregators which combine data from a multitude of data sources; databases which offer networks, hierarchies, arrays and other data formats difficult to model in SQL; or databases which give a high degree of flexibility in the definition of dimensions, units, and unit relationships, regardless of data format.

Multi-dimensional databases are especially useful in sales and marketing applications that involve time series. Large volumes of sales and inventory data can be stored to ultimately be used for logistics and executive planning. For example, data can be more readily segregated by sales region, product, or time period.

While many of the major database vendors have recognized and implemented at least a partial solution, most frequently they rely upon a Star schema database design. However, the star design for relational databases can result in "sparse data," or sets of ordered data with large gaps between data entries. While modern database engines use strategies to limit the impact of sparse data sets on query performance, such as compressing large blocks of empty data elements for quicker access, star databases can still present worse performance than other alternatives.

Theft of service

2008-07-02T23:17:00.001-07:00

Spammers frequently seek out and make use of vulnerable third-party systems such as open mail relays and open proxy servers. SMTP forwards mail from one server to another—mail servers that ISPs run commonly require some form of authentication to ensure that the user is a customer of that ISP. Open relays, however, do not properly check who is using the mail server and pass all mail to the destination address, making it harder to track down spammers.

Increasingly, spammers use networks of malware-infected PCs (zombies) to send their spam. Zombie networks are also known as Botnets (such zombifying malware is known as a bot, short for robot). In June 2006, an estimated 80% of e-mail spam was sent by zombie PCs, an increase of 30% from the prior year. An estimated 55 billion e-mail spam were sent each day in June 2006, an increase of 25 billion per day from June 2005.

Sending secure messages

2008-06-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

1. The sender writes an eMail online and sends it over a secure SSL-connection to the secure messaging server.
2. The recipient is notified through a normal eMail that a secure message is waiting for delivery on the secure server. The recipient is invited to download the message through a link.
3. The sender provides the recipient with a message unlock code. The code is required in order to access the pending message. If the recipient has already been in contact with the sender through secure messaging server and has registered, this step is not required.
4. The secure message and confidential documents such as contracts, business plans, resumes or loan documents can then be accessed with the message unlock code and downloaded.

Trojan horse

2008-06-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

In the context of computing and software, a Trojan horse, or simply trojan, is a piece of software which appears to perform a certain action but in fact performs another such as transmitting a computer virus. Contrary to popular belief, this action, usually encoded in a hidden payload, may or may not be actually malicious, but Trojan horses are notorious today for their use in the installation of backdoor programs. Simply put, a Trojan horse is not a computer virus. Unlike such malware, it does not propagate by self-replication but relies heavily on the exploitation of an end-user. It is instead a categorical attribute which can encompass many different forms of codes. Therefore, a computer worm or virus may be a Trojan horse. The term is derived from the classical story of the Trojan Horse.

Homeodynamics

2008-06-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

"HOMEODYNAMICS - One of the dominating motifs in biological thinking was provided by the physiologist Claude Bernard in Paris in the 1850s. Bernard, who among many other discoveries carried out some of the earliest systematic studies on what were later to become known as enzymes and hormones, saw living systems as explicable neither by vitalism (the belief that there existed some special 'life forces' beyond the reach of chemistry or physics) nor by mechanism. "He regarded stability as a major organising physiological principle, and emphasised the constancy of what he described as the milieu interieur - the 'internal environment' - of multicellular organisms, their tendency to work to regulate this environment in terms of temperature, acidity, ionic composition and so forth. This capacity he saw as providing a stable context in which the individual cells of the body can function with a minimum of disruptive turmoil. "Seventy years later the American physiologist Walter Cannon generalzed Bernard's concept by introducing the term homeostasis - the tendency of a regulated system to maintain itself close to some fixed point, like the temperature of a room controlled by a central heating system and a thermostat. No modern textbook account of physiological or psychological mechanisms fails to locate itself within this homeostatic metaphor. But the metaphor of homeostasis contrains our view of living systems. "Lifelines are not purely homeostatic: they have a beginning at conception, and an end at death. Organisms, and indeed ecosystems, develop, mature and age. The set oints of homeostatic theory are not themselves constant during this trajectory but change over time. The organism switches its own thermostat. Organisms are active players in their own fate, not simply the playthings of the gods, nature or the inevitable workings-out of replicator-driven natural selection. To understand lifelines, therefore, we need to replace homeostasis with a richer concept, that of homeodynamics."

Organizational psychology

2008-06-03T23:36:00.001-07:00

Industrial and organizational psychology also known as "work psychology", "occupational psychology" or "personnel psychology" concerns the application of psychological theories, research methods, and intervention strategies to workplace issues. Industrial and organizational psychologists are interested in making organizations more productive while ensuring workers are able to lead physically and psychologically healthy lives. Relevant topics include personnel psychology, motivation and leadership, employee selection, training and development, organization development and guided change, organizational behavior, and work and family issues.

FLOSS

2008-05-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

"FLOSS" was used in 2001 as a project acronym by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh as an acronym for Free/Libre/Open-Source Software. Later that year, the European Commission (EC) used the phrase when they funded a study on the topic.

Unlike "libre software", which aimed to solve the ambiguity problem, "FLOSS" aimed to avoid taking sides in the debate over whether it was better to say "free software" or to say "open-source software".

Proponents of the term point out that parts of the FLOSS acronym can be translated into other European languages, with for example the "F" representing free (English) or frei (German), and the "L" representing libre (Spanish or French), livre (Portuguese), or libero (Italian). However, this term is not often used in official, non-English, documents, since the words in these languages for "free as in freedom" do not have the ambiguity problem of English's "free".

Human ecosystem

2008-05-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

Human ecosystems are complex cybernetic systems that are increasingly being used by ecological anthropologists and other scholars to examine the ecological aspects of human communities in a way that integrates multiple factors as economics, socio-political organization, psychological factors, and physical factors related to the environment.

Natural biotic types

2008-05-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Some living things use naturally occurring cellular automata in their functioning.

Patterns of some seashells, like the ones in Conus and Cymbiola genus, are generated by natural CA. The pigment cells reside in a narrow band along the shell's lip. Each cell secretes pigments according to the activating and inhibiting activity of its neighbour pigment cells, obeying a natural version of a mathematical rule.[citation needed] The cell band leaves the colored pattern on the shell as it grows slowly. For example, the widespread species Conus textile bears a pattern resembling the Rule 30 CA described above.

Plants regulate their intake and loss of gases via a CA mechanism. Each stoma on the leaf acts as a cell.

Neural networks can be used as cellular automata, too. The complex moving wave patterns on the skin of cephalopods are a good display of corresponding activation patterns in the animals' brain.

Green travel

2008-05-07T22:37:00.001-07:00

Green travel is a method for people to travel while reducing their impact on the environment.

Some forms of green travel include:

* Use of walking, cycling, and public transport instead of car use, when possible.

* Use of biodiesel fuels.

* Taking advantage of ridesharing and carpools

* Booking travel through a green website like Green Travel by RezHub.com [1]. They not only offers bookings with green travel suppliers (hotels, hybrid car rentals, carbon offstting), they also donate a portion of all revenue to a green organization.

* Stay at a green hotel or lodge.

Caecilius Metellus

2008-04-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Pomponius Mela writes, and is copied by Pliny the Elder, that Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer (died 59 BCE), proconsul in Gaul received "several Indians" (Indi) as a present from a Germanic king. The Indians were driven by a storm to the coasts of Germania (in tempestatem ex Indicis aequoribus).

Metellus Celer recalls the following: when he was proconsul in Gaul, he was given people from "India" by the king of the Sueves; upon requesting why they were in this land, he learnt that they were caught in a storm away from India, that they became castaways, and finally landed on the coast of Germany. They thus resisted the sea, but suffered from the cold for the rest of their travel, and that is the reason why they left.

It is unclear whether these castaways may have been people from India or Eastern Asia, or possibly American Indians. Edward Herbert Bunbury suggested that they were Finns. This account is open to some question, since Metellus Celer died just after his consulship, before he ever got to Gaul.

Sustainable transport

2008-04-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Sustainable transport, also commonly referred to as Sustainable Transportation or Sustainable Mobility, has no widely accepted definition. Since it is a sector-specific sub-set to the post-1988 sustainable development movement, it is often defined in words such as this: “Sustainable transportation is about meeting or helping meet the mobility needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” But this is only a starting point.

The concept of sustainable mobility is a reaction to things that have gone radically and visibly wrong with current transportation policy, practice and performance over the last half of the twentieth century. In particular unsustainable transportation consumes more energy and creates pollution and declining service levels despite increasing investments. It delivers poor service for specific social and economic groups.

Relational database management system

2008-04-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

A Relational database management system (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd. Most popular commercial and open source databases currently in use are based on the relational model.

A short definition of an RDBMS may be a DBMS in which data is stored in the form of tables and the relationship among the data is also stored in the form of tables.

Software development kit

2008-04-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

A software development kit (SDK or "devkit") is typically a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.

It may be something as simple as an application programming interface in the form of some files to interface to a particular programming language or include sophisticated hardware to communicate with a certain embedded system. Common tools include debugging aids and other utilities often presented in an IDE. SDKs also frequently include sample code and supporting technical notes or other supporting documentation to help clarify points from the primary reference material.

Database normalization

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

Database normalization, sometimes referred to as canonical synthesis, is a technique for designing relational database tables to minimize duplication of information and, in so doing, to safeguard the database against certain types of logical or structural problems, namely data anomalies. For example, when multiple instances of a given piece of information occur in a table, the possibility exists that these instances will not be kept consistent when the data within the table is updated, leading to a loss of data integrity. A table that is sufficiently normalized is less vulnerable to problems of this kind, because its structure reflects the basic assumptions for when multiple instances of the same information should be represented by a single instance only.

Database

2008-03-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

A computer database is a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system. A database relies upon software to organize the storage of data. In other words, the software models the database structure in what are known as database models (or data models). The model in most common use today is the relational model. Other models such as the hierarchical model and the network model use a more explicit representation of relationships .

PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language)

2008-03-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) is Oracle Corporation's proprietary procedural extension to the SQL database language. Some other SQL database management systems offer similar extensions to the SQL language. PL/SQL's syntax strongly resembles that of Ada, and just like Ada compilers of the 80-s the PL/SQL runtime system uses Diana (intermediate language) as intermediate representation.

The key strength of PL/SQL is its tight integration with the Oracle database.

PL/SQL is one of three languages embedded in the Oracle Database, the other two being SQL and Java.

Molecular mechanics

2008-03-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

In many cases, large molecular systems can be modeled successfully while avoiding quantum mechanical calculations entirely. Molecular mechanics simulations, for example, use a single classical expression for the energy of a compound, for instance the harmonic oscillator. All constants appearing in the equations must be obtained beforehand from experimental data or ab initio calculations.

The database of compounds used for parameterization, i.e., the resulting set of parameters and functions is called the force field, is crucial to the success of molecular mechanics calculations. A force field parameterized against a specific class of molecules, for instance proteins, would be expected to only have any relevance when describing other molecules of the same class.

Ship transport

2008-03-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

Ship transport is primarily used for the carriage of people and non-perishable goods, generally referred to as cargo.

Although the historic importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased, due to the rise of commercial aviation, it is still very effective for short trips and pleasure cruises. Sea transport remains the largest carrier of freight in the world.

Thin-film processing

2008-02-25T02:35:00.000-08:00

Thin-film solar cells use less than 1% of the raw material (silicon or other light absorbers) compared to wafer based solar cells, leading to a significant price drop per kWh. There are many research groups around the world actively researching different thin-film approaches and/or materials, however it remains to be seen[vague] if these solutions can generate the same space-efficiency as traditional silicon processing.

One particularly promising technology is crystalline silicon thin films on glass substrates. This technology makes use of the advantages of crystalline silicon as a solar cell material, with the cost savings of using a thin-film approach.

Mass-market telephony

2008-02-18T23:09:00.000-08:00

A major development starting in 2004 has been the introduction of mass-market VoIP services over broadband Internet access services, in which subscribers make and receive calls as they would over the PSTN. Full phone service VoIP phone companies provide inbound and outbound calling with Direct Inbound Dialing. Many offer unlimited calling to the U.S., and some to Canada or selected countries in Europe or Asia as well, for a flat monthly fee.

These services take a wide variety of forms which can be more or less similar to traditional POTS. At one extreme, an analog telephone adapter (ATA) may be connected to the broadband Internet connection and an existing telephone jack in order to provide service nearly indistinguishable from POTS on all the other jacks in the residence. This type of service, which is fixed to one location, is generally offered by broadband Internet providers such as cable companies and telephone companies as a cheaper flat-rate traditional phone service. Often the phrase "VoIP" is not used in selling these services, but instead the industry has marketed the phrases "Internet Phone", "Digital Phone" or "Softphone" which is aimed at typical phone users who are not necessarily tech-savvy. Typically, the provider touts the advantage of being able to keep one's existing phone number.

A cold winter morning

2008-01-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

I am lying on a white, sandy beach with the glowing sun beating down directly on my tanned summer body. I notice the beautiful, Puerto Rican Cabana boy heading over to replenish my newly empty Margarita glass. I look around my private beach and at the crystal clear, sparkling ocean water tempting me warmly in to its open arms. I get up from my bed on the sand, walking gradually to the water. The sand is flaming my bare feet with such passion that I speed my walk up almost into a jog. As I reach the waterfront I stop, as a falling wave is heading toward my glazing body; I step closer to be in its direct path. I move smoothly in with such grace; I prepare myself for the cool, refreshing bath. I hear an alarm bell screaming, I look around in a panic as it is hurting my ears and giving me a powerful headache. My beach is wandering away, and then it is gone. The ‘warmness my body feels is gone.
I open my eyes; I am gloomy, lifeless room. My alarm clock is going off and the sound can only be compared with exhausted your fingernails across a chalkboard.

The real facts about Pluto

2007-11-14T23:17:00.000-08:00

Pluto orbits away from the orbit of Neptune (usually). It is greatly smaller than any of the official planets and currently classified as a "dwarf planet". Pluto is lesser than seven of the solar system's moons (the Moon, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Titan and Triton). Pluto has been given number 134340 in the minor planet catalog. Pluto's orbit is extremely eccentric. At times it is nearer to the Sun than Neptune (as it was from January 1979 thru February 11 1999). Pluto rotates in the conflicting direction from most of the other planets.

Pluto is safe in a 3:2 resonance with Neptune; i.e. Pluto's orbital period is just 1.5 times longer than Neptune's. Its orbital inclination is as well much higher than the other planets'. Thus though it looks that Pluto's orbit crosses Neptune's, it actually doesn't and they will never collide. Pluto's composition is unidentified, but its density (about 2 gm/cm3) indicates that it is almost certainly a mixture of 70% rock and 30% water ice much like Triton. The bright areas of the surface appear to be covered with ices of nitrogen with lesser amounts of (solid) methane, ethane and carbon monoxide. The composition of the darker areas of Pluto's surface is unidentified but may be due to primordial organic material or photochemical reactions driven by cosmic rays.

Little is recognized about Pluto's atmosphere, but it perhaps consists primarily of nitrogen with some carbon monoxide and methane. It is very tenuous, the surface pressure being only some microbars. Pluto's atmosphere can exist as a gas only when Pluto is near its perihelion; for the greater part of Pluto's long year, the atmospheric gases are frozen into ice. Close to perihelion, it is likely that some of the atmosphere escapes to space possibly even interacting with Charon. NASA mission planners want to appear at Pluto while the atmosphere is still unfrozen.

Asian Paradise Flycatcher

2007-10-28T22:10:00.001-07:00

The Asian Paradise Flycatcher, also known as the universal Paradise Flycatcher, is a medium-sized passerine bird. It was until that time classified with the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, but the paradise flycatchers, monarch flycatchers and Australasian fantails are now in general grouped with the drongos in the family Dicruridae, which has most of its members in Australasia and tropical southern Asia.

The Asian Paradise Flycatcher breeds from Turkistan to Manchuria. It is drifting, wintering in tropical Asia. There are resident populations further south, for example in southern India and Sri Lanka, so both visiting migrants and the close by breeding variety occurs in these areas in winter.

This species is typically found in thick forests and other well-wooded habitats. Three or four eggs are laid in a cup nest in a tree.

The adult male Asian Paradise Flycatcher is about 20 cm long, but the long tail decorations double this. It has a black crested head, chestnut upperparts and pale grey under parts.

The female of all races resembles the stale joke male, but has a grey throat, smaller crest and lacks the tail streamers.

The Asian Paradise Flycatcher is a noisy bird with a sharp sweet call. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched significantly, like a shrike. It is insectivorous, often hunting by fly catching.

The real facts about Earth

2007-10-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest of the planet. Earth is the only planet whose English name does not originate from Greek/Roman mythology. The name derives from Old English and Germanic.

Earth, for sure, can be studied without the aid of spacecraft. However it was not until the twentieth century that we had maps of the complete planet. Pictures of the planet taken from space are of significant importance; for instance, they are a huge help in weather prediction and especially in tracking and predicting hurricanes. And they are amazingly beautiful. The Earth's magnetic field and its relations with the solar wind also generate the Van Allen emission belts, a pair of doughnut shaped rings of ionized gas (or plasma) trapped in orbit just about the Earth. The outer belt stretches from 19,000 km in altitude to 41,000 km; the inner belt lies involving 13,000 km and 7,600 km in altitude.

The Earth's surface is extremely young. In the relatively short (by astronomical standards) time of 500,000,000 years or so erosion and tectonic processes destroy and remake most of the Earth's surface and thus eliminate almost all traces of earlier geologic surface history (such as impact craters). Thus the very early on history of the Earth has mostly been erased. The Earth is 4.5 to 4.6 billion years old, but the oldest recognized rocks are about 4 billion years old and rocks older than 3 billion years are rare. The oldest fossils of existing organisms are less than 3.9 billion years old. There is no evidence of the critical period when life was first getting in progress.

The Earth's atmosphere is 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, with draws of argon, carbon dioxide and water. There was perhaps a very much larger amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere when the Earth was first created, but it has since been nearly all incorporated into carbonate rocks and to a smaller extent dissolved into the oceans and consumed by living plants. Plate tectonics and biological processes now keep a repeated flow of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to these various "sinks" and back over again. The small amount of carbon dioxide occupant in the atmosphere at any time is very important to the maintenance of the Earth's surface temperature through the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect raises the average surface temperature regarding 35 degrees C above what it would if not be (from a frigid -21 C to a comfortable +14 C); without it the oceans would freeze and life as we know it would be impossible.

Butter chicken

2007-10-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

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

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

Sandstones

2007-09-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

Sandstone is an arenaceous sedimentary rock composed mostly of feldspar and quartz and varies in colour (in a similar way to sand), through grey, yellow, red, and white. Since sandstones often form extremely visible cliffs and other rock formations, certain colors of sandstone may be strongly identified with certain regions. For instance, much of the North American West is familiar for its red sandstones.

British Half Penny coin

2007-09-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

100 The British decimal Half Penny or Ha'penny coin was issued on 15 February 1971, the day the British currency was decimalized. In put into practice it had been available from banks in bags for some weeks previously.

The main idea behind the coin's configuration was to enable certain pre-decimal coins—most notably the sixpence—to remain in circulation during the transition to decimal coinage; in the same vein a decimal quarter-penny coin was also proposed, but ended up never being formed.

The coin was minted in figurine. The coin weighed 1.78 grams and had a diameter of 17.14 millimeters. It was the smallest coin used in the decimal currency coinage by both size and value, and was nicknamed the "tidier" on account of its size. By the early 1980s its value was minimal and its main utility was as a useful driver of small screws. The 1984 half penny was only issued in mint and proof sets by the Royal Mint, and the coin was demonetized and withdrawn from circulation in December 1984.

The reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, was simply a crown, with the fraction "½" below the crown, and either NEW PENNY or HALF PENNY above the crown.

Tumor

2007-09-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

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

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

Sandstones

2007-08-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

Salad

2007-08-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

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

Apple Computer

2007-07-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Apple Computer, Inc. NASDAQ: AAPL is a Silicon Valley company based in Cupertino, California, whose nucleus business is computer technologies. Apple helped originate the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II microcomputer and has since further shaped it with the Macintosh. Apple is known for its original, well-designed hardware, such as the iPod and iMac, as well as software offerings exemplified through iTunes as part of the iLife suite and Mac OS X, its flagship operating system.

Traffic Light

2007-07-23T00:07:00.001-07:00

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

Cookie

2007-07-16T01:43:00.000-07:00

In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a tiny, round, flat cake. In most English-speaking countries outer North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have diverse meanings—a cookie is a bun in Scotland, while in the United States a biscuit is a kind of quick bread not unlike a scone.

Cookies can be baked until crisp or just long enough that they stay soft. Depending on the kind of cookie, some cookies are not cooked at all. Cookies are made in a broad variety of styles, using an array of ingredients including sugars, spices, chocolate, butter, peanut butter, nuts or dried fruits. The smoothness of the cookie may depend on how long it is baked.

Accumulator

2007-07-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

In a computer CPU, an accumulator is a register in which intermediary arithmetic and logic results are stored. Without a register like an accumulator, it would be necessary to write the result of each calculation (addition, multiplication, shift, etc.) to main memory, possibly only to be read right back again for use in the next operation. Access to main memory is slower than access to a register like the accumulator because the technology used for the huge main memory is slower (but cheaper) than that used for a register.

The canonical example for accumulator use is adding a list of numbers. The accumulator is initially set to zero, then each number in spin is added to the value in the accumulator. Only when all numbers have been added is the result seized in the accumulator written to main memory or to another, non-accumulator, CPU register.

Topiary

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

Topiary is the art of creating sculptures using clipped trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener, topiarius, creator of topia or "places", a Greek word that Romans applied also to fictive indoor landscapes executed in fresco. No doubt the use of a Greek word betokens the art's origins in the Hellenistic world that was influenced by Persia, for neither Classical Greece nor Republican Rome developed any complicated tradition of artful pleasure grounds.

The plants used in topiary are evergreen, have small leaves or needles, produce dense foliage, and have compact and/or columnar growth habits. Common plants used in topiary comprise cultivars of box, arborvitae, bay laurel, holly, myrtle, yew, and privet. Shaped wire cages are sometimes working in modern topiary to guide untutored shears, but traditional topiary depends on patience and a steady hand; small-leaved ivy can be used to cover a cage and provide the look of topiary in a few months.

Shark

2007-07-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sharks are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a streamlined body. They respire with the use of five to seven gill slits. Sharks have a covering of dermal denticles to protect their skin from injure and parasites and to improve fluid dynamics; they also have replaceable teeth.Sharks include species ranging from the hand-sized pygmy shark, Euprotomicrus bispinatus, a deep sea class of only 22 centimetres (9 in) in length, to the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, the largest fish, which grows to a length of about 12 metres (39 ft) and which, like the great whales, feeds only on plankton through filter feeding. The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, is the best known of several species to swim in both salt and fresh water and in deltas.

Motorcycle

2007-06-27T22:36:00.001-07:00

A motorcycle is a two-wheeled , single-track motor vehicle powered by an engine. Styles of motorcycles changes according to the task for which they are designed. Motorcycles are the most widespread the least expensive forms of motorised transport in many parts of the world. Street and off-road motorcycle are the two major type of motorcycle. Within these, there are many different types of motorcycles for many different purposes.Choppers,Cruisers,electric motorcycles,Mini bikes,Mopeds,Scooters etc are street motorcycle.Motocross,Supermotos,Dual-sports,Enduros are the off-road motorcycle.
A motorcycle is broadly defined by law in some countries for the purposes of registration, taxation or licensing riders as a two-wheel motor vehicle "fit to drive." Other countries distinguished between mopeds and other small bikes and the larger, more powerful vehicles.

Blue rose

2007-06-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

Since roses lack a gene to create delphinidin, the primary plant pigment that produces true blue flowers, blue roses were usually created by dyeing white roses. So-called "blue roses" have been breed by conventional hybridization methods, but the results, such as "Blue Moon" are more precisely described as lilac in color. However, after 13 years of joint research by an Australian company Florigene, and Japanese company Suntory, a blue rose was formed in 2004 by genetic engineering. The delphinidin gene was cloned from the petunia and inserted into a mauve-blend rose, the Old Garden Rose 'Cardinal de Richelieu.' (a Rosa gallica) However, since the pigment cyanidin was still present, the rose was more dark burgundy than true blue. Further work on the rose using RNAi technology to depress the production of cyanidin produced a very dark mauve plant, with only trace amounts of cyanidin.

Blue roses conventionally signify mystery or attaining the impossible. They are supposed to be able to grant the owner youth or grant wishes. This symbolism derives from the rose's meaning in the language of plants common in Victorian times.

Society

2007-06-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

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

Dry foods

2007-06-11T23:07:00.001-07:00

Flake food is a type of proprietary or artificially manufactured fish food inspired by a wide variety of tropical and saltwater fish and invertebrates. It is ideally suited to top dwellers and mid-water fish though numerous bottom dwelling species consume flake food once it has settled on the bottom. Flake food is baked to remove moisture and create the flaking, thus allowing for a longer shelf life. Generally the more moisture a particular example of fish food contains, the more readily it will deteriorate in quality.
Dry foods is also available as pellets, sticks, tablets, granules, and wafers, manufactured to float or sink, depending on the species they are designed to feed.

Pollarding

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

Pollarding is a woodland management method of hopeful lateral branches by cutting off a tree stem or minor branches two metres or so above ground level. The tree is given a year to regrow, after the first cutting, but once begun, pollarding requires annual maintenance by pruning. This will ultimately result in somewhat expanded (or swollen) nodes topping the tree trunk with multiple new side and top shoots growing from it.
A tree that has been pollarded is known as a pollard. A tree which has not been pollarded is called a maiden or maiden tree; which also refers to the fact that pollarding is usually first undertaken when the tree is quite young. Pollarding older trees typically result in the death of the tree. Pollarding is sometimes abused in attempts to curb the growth of older or taller trees. However, when performed properly it is useful in the practice of arboriculture for tree management.

Malai

2007-06-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Malai is a South Asian term for clotted cream or Devonshire cream. It is made by heating non-homogenized whole milk to about 80ºC (180ºF) for about one hour and then allowing to cool. A thick yellowish layer of fat and coagulated proteins forms on the surface, which is skimmed off. The process is typically repeated to remove most of the fat. Malai has about 55% butterfat. Buffalo milk is thought to produce better malai because of its high fat content.Malai is used in such recipes as Malai Kofta dumplings and the sweet Malai Kulfi.

Kolkata

2007-05-28T23:50:00.001-07:00

Calcutta is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in eastern India on the east bank of the River Hooghly. The city has a population of almost 11 million, with an extended metropolitan population of over 14 million, making it the third-largest urban agglomeration and the third-largest city in India.

The city was very populated and served as the capital of India during the British Raj until 1911. Once the centre of modern education, science, culture and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation in the years following India's independence in 1947. However, since the year 2000, an economic rejuvenation has arrested the morbid decline, leading to a spurt in the city's growth. Like other large cities, Kolkata continues to struggle with urbanisation problems like poverty, pollution and traffic congestion.

A vibrant city with a distinct socio-political culture, Kolkata is noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist and trade union movements.

Hyphy

2007-05-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hyphy is a style of music and dance primarily associated with the Bay Area hip hop culture. Although the hyphy movement started in the early '90s, it began to emerge in the early 2000s as a response from Bay Area rappers next to commercial hip hop for not acknowledging the Bay for setting trends in the hip hop industry.Although the "hyphy movement" has just newly seen light in mainstream America, it has been a long standing and evolving culture in the Bay Area. Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak takes credit for coining the term when, as a young boy, his mother would often tell him he was hyperactive. He would repeat the word "hyper" as "hyphy".

Hyphy music is illustrious by gritty, pounding rhythms and in this sense can be associated with the Bay Area as crunk music is to the South; however, contrary to popular belief, the musical aspect of the Hyphy movement has very few similarities to crunk music as it is dictated by more up-tempo beats. An individual is said to "get hyphy" when they act or dance in an overstated and ridiculous manner. Those who consider themselves part of the Hyphy movement would describe this behavior as acting "stupid" or "going dumb." In contrast to much of popular American culture where these phrases would be considered negative or even insulting, Hyphy is illustrious by taking this kind of behavior as a form of pride

Scientific Methods

2007-05-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

The scientific method seeks to explain the complexities of nature in a replicable way, and to use these explanations to construct useful predictions. It provides an objective method to find solutions to problems in a number of scientific and technological fields. Often scientists have a predilection for one outcome over another, and scientists are conscientious that it is vital that this preference does not bias their interpretation. A strict following of the scientific method attempts to minimize the pressure of a scientist's bias on the outcome of an experiment. This can be achieved by correct experimental design, and a thorough peer assessment of the experimental results as well as conclusions of a study.

Scientists use models to refer to a explanation or depiction of something, specifically one which can be used to construct predictions that can be tested by experiment or observation. A hypothesis is a disputation that has been neither well supported nor yet ruled out by experiment. A theory, in the context of science, is a logically self-consistent model or framework for recitation the behavior of certain natural phenomena. A theory typically describes the behavior of much broader sets of phenomena than a hypothesis — commonly, a large number of hypotheses may be logically bound together by a single theory. A physical law or law of nature is a scientific generalization based on a adequately large number of empirical observations that it is taken as fully verified.

First stamps

2007-05-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

1847 10c, Scott #2Congress finally provided for the issuance of stamps by passing an act on
March 3, 1847, and the Postmaster-General instantly let a agreement to the New York City firm of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson. The first stamp issues of the US were offered for sale on July 1, 1847, in NYC, with Boston receiving stamps the following year and other cities subsequently. They consisted of an engraved 5-cent red brown stamp depicting Benjamin Franklin, and a 10-cent value in black with George Washington. As for all US stamps until 1857, they were imperforate. Although a number of philatelists have studied these stamps for years, much remains unknown about the facts of the original contract, design process, and the printing of these stamps.1 cent, 1851, type IIThe post office had become so well-organized by 1851 that Congress was able to condense the common rate to three cents, necessitating a new issue of stamps. Values integrated a 1c profile of Franklin in blue, a 3c profile of Washington in red brown, a 5c portrait of Thomas Jefferson, and portraits of Washington for 10c green and 12c black values. The 1c stamp achieved disrepute, at least among philatelists, because production problems led to considerable plate modifications, and there are no less than seven major varieties, ranging in price from $100 to $200,000, and sharp-eyed collectors occasionally find the rare types going unrecognized.Civil war The outbreak of the American Civil War threw the postal system into turmoil. On April 13, 1861 John H. Reagan, postmaster-general of the Confederate States of America, ordered local postmasters to return their US stamps to Washington DC, while in May the Union decided to withdraw and invalidate all existing US stamps, and to issue new stamps. Associate post offices were left without genuine stamps for several months, and while many reverted to the old system of cash payment at the post office, over one hundred post offices across the South came up with their own temporary issues. Many of these are quite rare, with only single examples existing of some types. Ultimately the Confederate government issued its own stamps; see stamps and postal history of the Confederate States.

Butter cream

2007-05-12T00:51:00.001-07:00

Butter cream or buttercream or mock cream is a type of icing used in cakes, as a coating, and as decoration. In its simplest form, it is made by creaming butter with icing sugar, though other fats can be used, such as margarine or even avocado. Colourings and flavorings are often added, such as cocoa powder or vanilla extract.
A notable use of buttercream is in butterfly cakes, though it is popular as a topping for many other forms of Victoria sponge.

Solar System

2007-05-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

solar system consists of the Sun and the supplementary celestial objects gravitationally bound to it: the eight planets, their 162 known moons,three at present recognized dwarf planets (including Pluto) and their four known moons, and billions of small bodies. This last category includes asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, comets, meteoroids and interplanetary dust.
In broad terms, the charted regions of the Solar System consist of the Sun, four terrestrial inner planets, an asteroid belt composed of small rocky bodies, four gas giant outer planets, and a second belt, called the Kuiper belt, collected of icy objects. Beyond the Kuiper belt lies the dotted disc, the heliopause, and ultimately the hypothetical Oort cloud.

Artistamp

2007-05-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Artist amp refers to a postage stamp-like art form. It is similar to a Cinderella stamp, in that it is not valid for postage, but it differs from a forgery or a bogus stamp in that no intention is made to fool any post office or collector of stamps. The artist amp is intended to be a miniature art form which can depict or remember any subject its creator chooses.

Techniques for the creation of artist amps may or may not include perforating the boundaries of the piece to more resemble a stamp, as well as applying gum to the reverse side of the paper. Whole sheets of such stamps are often made at one time. The artwork can be hand-drawn or painted, lithographed or offset-printed, photographed, Xeroxed, rubber stamped, or even output by computer-driven printer.

Creators of art within this genre include Donald Evans, Anna Banana, Steve Smith and the surprisingly prolific New Zealander Bruce Henderson. Henderson's output spans more than three decades and encompasses an entire alternative universe of artist amp countries. These include the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno, the Kingdom of all the Sedan, the Sultanate of Upper Yafa, the People's Republic of Kemp land, the Free Vineland Republic, the Republic of Liegerland, the Republic of Port Maria, Tui Tui, Aldabra, Karenni, Raoul, the Land of Muggy, Terra Candella, Cryonica, Aramoana, Whangamomona, Laré, Nova Arcadia, the Antarctic Confederation and the Khanate of Bokhara. Henderson's artist amp world even has its own imaginary "United Nations," the "International Council of Independent States". His creations are sometimes identified as micro nations, however, being completely imaginary and without "participants", they do not fit the definition.

Bonneville Dam

2007-04-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

100 Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of a number of dam structures that together whole a span of the Columbia River between the US states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is situated 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon, in what is now the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The main functions of Bonneville Lock and Dam are those of electrical power generation and river navigation. The dam was built and is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Electrical power generated at Bonneville is spread by the Bonneville Power Administration. Bonneville Lock and Dam are named for Army Capt. Benjamin Bonneville, an early explorer endorsed with charting much of the Oregon Trail. The name is marked BAH-nee-vill.

History
The unusual structures: a lock and powerhouse constructed on the south side of Bradford Island and a spillway on the north side were built by the Army Corps of Engineers during the New Deal—started in 1933 and finished in 1937. Prior to this damming of the river, a set of locks that were opened in 1896 moved ships around Cascades Rapids, situated several miles upstream of Bonneville. Both the cascades and the old lock structure were submerged by Lake Bonneville, the tank that formed behind the dam. The original navigation lock at Bonneville was opened in 1938 and was, at that time, the biggest single-lift lock in the world.

Dimensions and statistics

Aerial view of spillway flanked by powerhouses, Bonneville Lock and Lake Bonneville beyond First Powerhouse – Constructed in 1933-37; 313 m long; 10 generators with an output capacity of 526,700 kW.
Spillway – Constructed 1933-37; 18 gates over a length of 442 m; maintains the reservoir usually 18 m above the river on the downstream side;
Second Powerhouse – Constructed 1974-81; 300.5 m long; 8 generators with a total generating capacity of 558,200 kW.
Bonneville Lock – Constructed in 1993 at a cost of $341 million; 26 m wide, 206 m long; transit time is approx. 30 minutes.
Lake Bonneville – 77 km long reservoir on the Columbia River created by Bonneville Dam; part of the Columbia-Snake Inland Waterway.

Longleaf Pine

2007-04-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

The Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) is a pine native to the southeast United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia.
It reaches a height of 30-35 m (100-115 ft) and a diameter of 0.7 m (28"). In the past, they reportedly grew to 47 m (154 ft) with a diameter of 1.2 m (47").
The bark is thick, reddish-brown, and scaly. The dark green, needle-like leaves occur in bundles of three. They are often twisted and are remarkably long 20-45 cm (8-18") in length. It is one of the two southern pines with long needles, the other being Slash Pine.
The cones, both male (catkins) and female (cones), are initiated during the growing season before buds emerge. Male cones begin forming in their buds in July, while female conelets are shaped during a relatively short period of time in August. Pollination occurs early the next spring, with the male cones 3-8 cm (1-3") long. The female (seed) cones mature in about 20 months from pollination; when grown-up they are yellow-brown in color, 15-25 cm long, 5-7 cm broad opening to 12 cm (6-10" long, 2-2½" broad opening to 5" broad), and have a small but sharp downward-pointing spine on the middle of each scale. The seeds are 7-9 mm long, with a 25-40 mm wing (1/3" long, with a 1 - 1¾" wing).
Longleaf Pine takes 100 to 150 years to turn out to be full size and can live to 300 years old. When young, they grow a long taproot, which is frequently 2-3 m (6-10 ft) long; by maturity they have a wide spreading lateral root system with several deep 'sinker' roots. It grows on well-drained, regularly sandy soil, often in pure stands. The scientific name meaning "of marshes" is a misunderstanding on the part of Philip Miller who described the species, from seeing Longleaf Pine forests with temporary winter flooding.Longleaf Pine is also known as Southern Yellow Pine or Longleaf Yellow Pine, and in the past as Pitch Pine (dropped as it caused confusion with Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida). Long leaf pines are found in the upland pine forest habitat

Airliner

2007-04-18T22:30:00.001-07:00

Definition and description

An airliner is a great fixed-wing aircraft whose key function is for the carry of paying passenger. Airliners are typically operated by an airline company which owns or leases the aircraft.
An Airbus A340 airliner operated by Air Jamaica. The description of an airliner can differ from country to country, but typically, 20 or more traveler seats or an unfilled weight above 50,000 lb qualifies an aircraft as an airliner.
Passenger aircraft with fewer than 20 passenger places are called commuter aircraft or air taxis, depending on their size, engines and seating configurations.
While piston engines were common on prop liners like the Douglas DC-3 until the opening of the jet age, nearly all modern airliners are powered by turbine engines, either turbofans or turboprops, since they work resourcefully at much higher altitudes, are far more dependable than piston engines, and provide a ride with less shaking and noise for the passengers.
There may be variants of an airliner that are residential for moving freight or for luxury corporate use. Many airliners have also been adapted for government use as "VIP" transports and for various unarmed functions such as airborne, air ambulance, reconnaissance as well as the more obvious troop-carrying roles.

Magnetic recording

2007-04-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Magnetic recording was established in principle as early as 1898 by Valdemar Poulsen in his telegraphone. Magnetic wire recording, and its successor, magnetic tape recording, involve the use of a magnetizable medium which moves with a constant speed past a recording head. An electrical signal, which is analogous to the sound that is to be recorded, is fed to the recording head, inducing a pattern of magnetization like to the signal. A playback head can then pick up the changes in magnetic field from the tape and convert it into an electrical signal.

Irish pound coin

2007-04-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Irish pound coin was introduced on June 20, 1990 using the design of a red deer, by the Irish artist Tom Ryan. The 2000 Millennium was used to subject a commemorative coin, the design was based on the "Broighter Boat" in the National Museum of Ireland; the coins design was by Alan Ardiff and Garrett Stokes and were issued on November 29, 1999. The coin featured a milled edge - unique in Irish coinage.
The "Broighter Boat" issue for 2000.The Irish pound coin, which was introduced in 1990, remains the largest Irish coin introduced since decimalisation at 3.11 centimetres diameter and was 10 grams weight. The coin was almost the same in dimensions to the old penny coin that circulated before 1971, and was quite similar in diameter to, but thinner, than the half-crown coin.
During the early circulation of the coin, many payphone and vending machines which had been changed to accept the pound coin also accepted the old penny because of the similar size, the latter coin which was no longer legal tender and had little value to collectors. As a result losses accrued to vending machine operators due to the substitution of the penny coin and further costs were associated with updating the machines so they would no longer accept the penny.

Banksia

2007-04-01T22:30:00.001-07:00

Banksia is a genus of around 80 species in the plant family Proteaceae. They are native to Australia, happening in all but the most arid areas. Easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones", Banksia are a well-known Australian wildflower and a popular garden plant. They grow in forms changeable from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up to 25 metres tall. They are generally known as Banksias or Australian Honeysuckle Trees.
Banksias grow as trees or woody shrubs. The largest trees, the Coast Banksia, B. integrifolia, and the River Banksia, B. seminuda, often grow over 15 metres tall, and may be up to 25 metres tall. Banksia species that grow as shrubs are typically erect, but there are several species that are prostrate, with branches that grow on or below the soil.

Mainframe computer

2007-03-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Mainframes are large and "expensive" computers used mainly by government institutions and large companies for mission critical applications, characteristically bulk data processing such as censuses, industry/consumer statistics, ERP, and financial transaction processing.
The term originated through the early 1970s with the introduction of smaller, less complex computers such as the DEC PDP-8 and PDP-11 series, which became known as minicomputers or just minis. The industry/users then coined the term "mainframe" to describe larger, earlier types (previously known simply as "computers").
Modern mainframe computers contain abilities not so much defined by their performance capabilities as by their high-quality internal engineering and resulting proven reliability, expensive but high-quality technical support, top-notch security, and strict backward compatibility for older software. These machines can and do run successfully for years with no interruption, with repairs taking place whilst they continue to run. Mainframe vendors offer such services as off-site redundancy — if a machine does break down, the vendor offers the option to run customers' applications on their own machines (often without users even noticing the change) whilst repairs go on.

Polymer

2007-03-22T22:24:00.001-07:00

A polymer is a general term used to explain a substantially long molecule. This long molecule consists of structural units and repeating units strung together throughout chemical bonds. The process of converting these units to a polymer is called polymerization. These units are called monomers, which are characteristically small molecules of low molecular weight.
The monomers can be identical, or they can have one or more substituted chemical groups. These differences between monomers can have an effect on properties such as solubility, flexibility, or strength. In proteins, these differences can give the polymer the ability to preferentially adopt one conformation over another, as opposed to adopting a random coil (see self-assembly). Although most polymers are organic (based on carbon chains), there are also inorganic polymers, mainly based on a silicon backbone.
The term polymer covers a large, diverse group of molecules, including substances from proteins to high-strength kevlar fibres. A key feature that distinguishes polymers from other large molecules is the repetition of units of atoms (monomers) in their chains. This occurs during polymerization, in which many monomer molecules link to each other.

Piers

2007-03-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Palace Pier (renamed Brighton Pier in 2000) opened in May 1899 and is still popular. It suffered a large fire on 4 February 2003 but the injure was limited and most of the pier was able to reopen the next day.
The even older West Pier, built in 1866, has been closed since 1975 awaiting renovation. The West Pier is one of only two Grade I listed piers in the UK, the other being Clevedon Pier. Plans to renovate the pier have been different by some local residents who claim that the future new onshore structures - which the renovators need to pay for the work on the pier - would obstruct their view of the sea. The restoration is also opposed by the owners of the Brighton Pier, who supposedly see its subsidised rebuilding, were it to happen, as unfair competition.
The West Pier incompletely collapsed on December 29, 2002 when a walkway connecting the concert hall and pavilion fell into the sea after being battered by storms. On January 20, 2003 a further collapse saw the destruction of the concert hall in the middle of the pier. On March 28, 2003 the pavilion at the end of the pier caught fire. Firefighters were unable to save the building from destruction because of the precarious state of the walkway. The cause of the fire remains unknown. On May 12, 2003, another fire broke out, intense most of what was left of the concert hall. Arson was supposed. On June 23, 2004 high winds caused the middle of the pier to completely collapse.
Despite all these setbacks, the owner of the site West Pier Trust remained obstinate they would soon begin full restoration work. Finally, in December 2004, the trust admitted defeat, after their plans were discarded by English Heritage and the Lottery Heritage Fund. They still hope to reconstruct the pier in some form, though restoration is no longer their goal.

Ice travel

2007-03-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Ice can also be an obstacle; for harbors near the poles, being ice-free is an significant advantage, ideally all-year round. Examples are Murmansk (Russia), Petsamo (Russia, formerly Finland) and Vardø (Norway). Harbors that are not ice-free are opened up using icebreakers.
Ice forming on roads is a unsafe winter hazard. Black ice is very difficult to see because it lacks the predictable glossy surface. Whenever there is freezing rain or snow that occurs at a temperature near the melting point, it is common for ice to build up on the windows of vehicles. Driving safely requires the removal of the ice build-up. Ice scrapers are tools designed to break the ice free and clear the windows, while removing the ice can be a long and labor-intensive process.
Far enough below the freezing point, a thin layer of ice crystals can form on the inside surface of windows. This frequently happens when a vehicle has been left alone after being driven for a while, but can happen while driving if the outside temperature is low enough. Moisture from the driver's breath is the source of water for the crystals. It is troublesome to take away this form of ice, so people often open their windows somewhat when the vehicle is parked in order to let the moisture dissipate, and it is now common for cars to have rear-window defrosters to combat the problem. A similar problem can happen in homes, which is one reason why many colder regions require double-pane windows for insulation.
When the outdoor temperature stays below freezing for comprehensive periods, very thick layers of ice can form on lakes and other bodies of water (although places with flowing water require much colder temperatures). The ice can become thick enough to drive onto with automobiles and trucks. Doing this safely requires a thickness of at least 30 centimeters (one foot).

Piano

2007-03-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

A piano or pianoforte is a musical instrument classified as a keyboard, percussion, or string instrument, depending on the system of categorization used. The piano produces sound by striking steel strings with felt hammers that at once rebound allowing the string to continue vibrating at its resonant frequency. These vibrations are transmitted through the bridges to the soundboard, which amplifies them.
The piano is generally used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment. It is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal. Even though not portable and often expensive, the piano's versatility and ubiquity has made it among the most familiar of musical instruments.
The word piano is a shortened form of the word pianoforte, which is seldom used except in formal language and resultant from the original Italian name for the instrument, gravicèmbalo col piano e forte (literally harpsichord with soft and loud). This refers to the capability of the piano to produce notes at different volumes depending on the amount of force used to press the keys.

Morello Cherry

2007-03-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

The Sour Cherry or Morello Cherry, (Prunus cerasus) is a class of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the Wild Cherry (P. avium), also known as sweet cherry, but has a fruit which is more acidic, and so is useful mainly for culinary purposes.
The tree is smaller than the Wild Cherry, increasing up to 4-10 m tall, and has twiggy branches, whilst the crimson to black fruit is borne on shorter stalks.
Sour Cherries require comparable cultivation conditions to pears, that is, they prefer a rich, well-drained moist soil, although they demand more nitrogen and water than sweet cherries. Trees will do badly if waterlogged, but have larger tolerance of poor drainage than sweet varieties. As with sweet cherries, Morellos are usually cultivated by budding onto strong growing rootstocks, which produce trees too large for most gardens, although newer dwarfing rootstocks such as Colt and Gisella are now available. During spring, flowers should be sheltered, and trees weeded, mulched and sprayed with seaweed solution. This is also the time when any required pruning should be carried out (note that cherries should not be pruned during the dormant winter months). Morello cherry trees fruit on younger wood than sweet varieties, and thus can be pruned harder. They are usually grown as standards, but can be fan trained, cropping well even on cold walls, or grown as low bushes.

University

2007-02-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels bachelor, master, and doctorate in a variety of subjects. A university provides both tertiary and quaternary education. The word university is resultant from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, roughly meaning community of masters and scholars.
Because of the above definition, there is some controversy concerning which is the world's oldest university.
If we consider a university as a corporation of students, then Plato's Academy is the first historically known university. The original Latin word "universitas", first used at the time of renewed interest in Classical Greek and Roman tradition, tried to reflect this feature of Academy. If we consider university simply as a higher education institution, then it could be Shangyang, which was founded before the 21st c. BC in China, if it is not a just myth. In the western world, the choice is between Takshashila, Nalanda, Ratnagiri University and Al-Azhar University.

Biology

2007-02-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

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

Music

2007-02-15T21:53:00.001-08:00

Music is composed and performed for several purposes, ranging from aesthetic satisfaction, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment creation for the marketplace. Amateur musicians compose and make music for their own pleasure, and they do not attempt to take their income from music. Professional musicians are engaged by a range of institutions and organizations, with equipped forces, churches and synagogues, symphony orchestras, broadcasting or film making companies, and music schools. As well, professional musicians work as freelancers, seeking contracts and arrangements in a variety of settings.
Although amateur musicians vary from professional musicians in that amateur musicians have a non-musical source of income, there are often many links between amateur and professional musicians. Beginning amateur musical group take lessons with professional musicians. In community settings, highly developed amateur musicians perform with professional musicians in a variety of ensembles and orchestras. In some rare cases, amateur musicians reach a professional level of competence, and they are able to perform in professional performance settings.
A difference is often made between music performed for the advantage of a live audience and music that is performed for the use of being recorded and distributed through the music retail system or the broadcasting system. However, there are also many cases where a live performance in front of an audience is recorded and spread (or broadcast).

Software

2007-02-08T22:09:00.001-08:00

Software basically is the distinct image or representation of physical or material position that constitute configuration to or functional identity of a machine, usually a computer. As a substance of memory, software in principle can be changed without the alteration to the static paradigm of the hardware thus without the remanufacturing thereof. generally software is of an algorithmic form which translates into being to a progression of machine instructions. Some software, however, is of a relational form which translate into being the map of a recognition network.
Software is a program that enables a computer to achieve a specific task, as contrasting to the physical components of the system (hardware). This include application software such as a word processor, which enables a user to achieve a task, and system software such as an operating system, which enables other software to run suitably, by interfacing with hardware and with other software.
The term "software" was first used in this intellect by John W. Tukey in 1957. In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all computer program. The perception of reading different sequences of instructions into the memory of a apparatus to control computations was invented by Charles Babbage as part of his difference engine. The theory that is the source for most modern software was first projected by Alan Turing in his 1935 essay Computable numbers with an application to the Entscheidungs problem.
TypesPractical computer systems partition software into three major classes: system software, programming software and application software, although the division is subjective, and often blurred.
* System software is one of the major class helps run the computer hardware and computer system. It includes working systems, device drivers, analytical tools, servers, windowing systems, utilities and more. The intention of systems software is to protect the applications programmer as much as possible from the details of theexacting computer complex being use, especially memory and other hardware features, and such accessory procedure as communications, printers, readers, displays, keyboards, etc.
* Programming software usually provide tools to support a programmer in writing computer programs and software with different programming languages in a more suitable way.The tools comprise text editors, compilers, interpreters, linkers, debuggers, and so on, An incorporated development environment (IDE) merge those tools into a software bundle, and a programmer may not need to type various command for compiling, interpreter, debugging, tracing, and etc., because the IDE typically has an sophisticated graphical user interface, or GUI.
* Application software allows humans to complete one or more explicit (non-computer related) tasks. typical applications include manufacturingautomation, business software, educational software, medical software, databases and computer games. Businesses are possibly the biggest users of application software, but approximately every field of human action now uses some form of application software. It is used tocomputerizeall sorts of functions.

The Real Miracle

2007-02-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

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

Journalism Basics

2007-01-26T20:47:00.000-08:00

Journalism is a concrete, professionally oriented major that involves gathering, interpreting, distilling, and other reporting information to the general audiences through a variety of media means. Journalism majors learn about every possible kind of Journalism (including magazine, newspaper, online journalism, photojournalism, broadcast journalism, and public relations).
That's not all, though. In addition to dedicated training in writing, editing, and reporting, Journalism wants a working knowledge of history, culture, and current events. You'll more than likely be required to take up a broad range of courses that runs the range from statistics to the hard sciences to economics to history. There would also be a lot of haughty talk about professional ethics and civic responsibility too - and you'll be tested on it. To top it all off, you'll perhaps work on the university newspaper or radio station, or possibly complete an internship with a magazine or a mass media conglomerate.

Computer science

2006-12-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

Computer science, or computing science, is the study of the theoretical basics of information and calculation and their execution and application in computer systems. Computer science has lot of sub-fields; a few highlight the calculation of exact consequences (such as computer graphics), whereas others (such as computational complexity theory) relate to properties of computational difficulties. Still others focus on the challenges in applying calculations. For instance, programming language theory studies move toward to describe calculations, whereas computer programming applies precise programming languages to answer precise computational difficulties.

Mars

2006-12-06T02:51:00.000-08:00

Mars (IPA: /ˈmɑɹz/ (GenAm); /ˈmɑːz/ (RP)) is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system and is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Mars is also known as the "Red Planet" due to its reddish appearance when seen from Earth. The prefix areo-, from the Greek god of war, Ares, refers to Mars in the same way geo- refers to Earth.

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and oddly-shaped. These may be captured asteroids similar to 5261 Eureka, a Mars Trojan asteroid. Mars can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its apparent magnitude reaches -2.9, a brightness surpassed only by Venus, the Moon, and the Sun. For much of the year, Jupiter may appear brighter to the naked eye than Mars.

Until the first flyby of Mars by Mariner 4 in 1965, it was hoped, both within and especially perhaps outside scientific circles, especially in the popular media and literary circles, that Mars had ample liquid water. This was based on observations of periodic variations in light and dark patches, particularly in the polar latitudes, and long dark striations that could perhaps even be irrigation channels of liquid water.

Animal

2006-11-27T23:14:00.000-08:00

Animals are a main cluster of organisms, classified as the kingdom. In common they are multicellular, capable of locomotion, responsive to their surroundings, and feed by overriding other organisms. Their body plan becomes fixed as they expand, usually in the early hours on in their growth as embryos, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on. More particularly, animals can be defined as heterotrophic eukaryotes without cell walls, which shift through a blastula stage in early development.

The word "animal" comes from the Latin sound animal, of which is the plural, and is derivative from anima, meaning "vital breath" or "soul". An ordinary usage of the term may be limited to so-called inferior animals and refer to humans only in a disapproving or humorous context.

Earth

2006-11-23T21:46:00.000-08:00

Earth is the third planet in the planetary system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. It is also the major of its planetary system's terrestrial planets, making it the biggest solid body in the solar system, and it is the only place in the world known to humans to support life. It is also the densest planet in the solar system. The extensively accepted scientific theory states that the Earth was formed around 4.57 billion years ago and its natural satellite, the Moon, was orbiting it shortly subsequently, around 4.53 billion years ago.

Since it shaped, the Earth has altered through geological and biological processes that have secreted traces of the original conditions. The outer surface is divided into several tectonic plates that steadily migrate across the surface over geologic time spans. The interior of the earth remains active, with a thick layer of convecting up till now solid Earth covering and an iron core that generates a fascinating field. Its atmospheric conditions have been significantly altered by the presence of life forms, which create an ecological balance that modifies the surface circumstances. About 71% of the surface is covered in salt-water oceans, and the remainder consists of continents and islands.

Leather types

2006-11-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

In general, leather is sold in three forms:
Full-Grain leather, made from the finest raw material, are clean natural hides which have not been sanded to remove imperfections. Only the hair has been removed. The grain remains in its normal state which will allow the best fiber power, resulting in greater strength. The natural grain also has natural breath ability, ensuing in greater comfort. The normal Full-Grain surface will wear recovered than other fur. Rather than wearing out, it will develop a natural "Patina" and grow more beautiful over time. The finest furniture, and footwear, are prepared from Full Grain leather.
Corrected-Grain leather, also known as Top-Grain leather, is wooly on one side and smooth on the other. The smooth side is the side where the hair and normal grain used to be. The hides, which are made from mediocre quality raw materials, have all of the natural grain sanded off, and a simulated grain applied. Top grain leather generally must be heavily painted to cover up the sanding and stamping process.

Great Pyramid of Giza

2006-11-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only outstanding structure of the Seven Wonders of the World. Most Egyptologists agree the pyramid was constructed over a 20 year period closing around 2560 BC.It is generally understood that the Great Pyramid was built as the tomb of Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu, after whom it is sometimes called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu.Khufu's vizier, Hemon, is qualified as the architect of the Great Pyramid.

The Great Pyramid is the oldest and biggest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis nearby what is now Cairo, Egypt in Africa. It is the main part of a compound setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu, three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised land bridge connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding the pyramid for aristocracy. One of the small pyramids contains the tomb of queen Hetepheres, sister and wife of Sneferu and the mother of Khufu.

Agriculture

2006-11-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other goods by the methodical raising of plants and animals.Agri is from Latin ager, and culture is from Latin cultura, meaning "cultivation" in the strict sense of tillage of the soil. A literal understanding of the English word yields: tillage of the soil of a field. In modern usage, the word Agriculture covers all activities essential to food/feed/fiber production, counting all techniques for raising and processing livestock.

Agriculture is also short for the study of the practice of agriculture more formally known as agricultural science. The history of agriculture is closely associated to human history, and agricultural developments have been crucual factors in social change, including the specialty of human activity. The world's laborers are working in agriculture, making it by far the most common occupation. However, agricultural production accounts for less than 5% of the Gross World Product.

Events

2006-11-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

Constitution Dock In order to foster tourism, the state government encourages or supports several different annual events in and around the island. The best known of these would be the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, starting on Boxing Day in Sydney and usually arriving at Constitution Dock in Hobart around three to four days later, during the Hobart Summer Festival.Agfest is a three-day agricultural show held at Carrick in early May, and despite its agricultural focus it attracts city and country residents –people. Major shows include the Royal Hobart Show and Royal Launceston Show, held in October of each year.
A recent addition to the state has been the 10 Days on the Island arts festival. The Basin Concert was a music concert held at the Cataract Gorge in Launceston. Current festivals include Gone South, Falls Festival a Victoria event now held in both Victoria and Tasmania on New Year's Eve. The Antarctic Midwinter Festival celebrates Hobart's special connection with the Antarctic, on the winter solstice in June each year. Taste of Tasmania is an annual food and wine festival centered around the Hobart foreshore on and around New Year.

Women in ancient India

2006-11-02T04:17:00.000-08:00

In ancient India, women were occupying a very important position with, in a superior top position to, man. By the Literary evidence suggests that kings and towns were destroyed because a single woman was wronged by the state. Sillapathigaram by Elango Adigal tells us Madurai, the capital of the Pandya Kings was burnt by kannaki because the king Pandyan Nedunchezhiyan mistakenly killed her husband on theft charges. And also The Ramayana by Valmiki' teaches us that Ravana and his entire family were wiped out because he abducted Sita. Mahabharatha by Vyasa teaches us that all the Kauravas were killed because they humiliated Draupadi in public.

To implant such high ideals in humankind, Indian ancestors created a plethora of godesses who enjoyed equal status with their husbands.

Now the Government also sponsored and passed a law that required all political parties to maintain a count of at least one-third of the total candidates in elections to be women. Anyway, it is horrifying to see that they happen. In the other hand, some wives are burnt because they did not bring enough "dowry. The women are victimized by powerful local political figures and their family; some women are abducted by rich youths with Impunity; and there are credible stories of female infanticide in rural India.

To Choose University:

2006-10-16T04:25:00.000-07:00

College is a creepy thing on its own. Leaving away from parents and the rest of your friends to start your own life and how you’re going to live it. To choose a college can be a very tough decision there are many things that one must think about in order to decide which one is right for you and will you be accepted. For me it was an interesting process in which I decided to choose the college which is right for me and whether or not they might have the right program for me. At First, I was looking at schools in my area around Texas but I really didn’t like Texas that much so I decided I need a college that was more in an area where I feel more at home.
There are many things that can help you decide which is the correct one for you. There are chooses to be made about whether you like the fine and fun atmosphere of a large university. You have been wondered if you are a big city person or a small town type of person.
Yet may be at larger university you have more opportunities to join many different types of organizations.
There are many more benefits to each type of setting at a smaller school you are able to connect to you professors and even know them on a personal basis.
I have to have an argument about that the larger university is better because of all the new people you can meet and all the opportunities for a bigger field of intramural.

Hundred years war

2006-10-12T03:15:00.000-07:00

The predefined definition of the Golden Rule is that those with the gold make the rules. In the other words, those with the gold have the power as well as those with the power have the gold. The History books will reveal the general reasons for war such as freedom from adversity or freedom from religion. But the real issue for any war is the thirst for power and control; and the means to finance them are the economic Nations will endure years of fighting for power and control. The European countries like France and England fought each other for more than a hundred years to have control of the Channel trade routes. So this century of warring was known as The Hundred Years' War and is the longest war in record history. The war has been began in 1337 when King Edward III invaded Normandy and ended in 1453 when France won the Battle of Bordeaux. Even though, it was not a hundred years of constant battle; there were periods of truces One cause for the Hundred Years' War was the claim to the French throne. He became a French regent and upon Charles VI's death, the King of England would succeed to a dual monarchy. Consequently, the archer could destroy the effectiveness of a French calvary charge. King Richard II was not a good general. Among the other European countries, France was the richest country in Europe and its army was much larger than England's. But the political conditions of 1442-53 they might have able to resist the bribes, threats, and sanctions employed by a stronger and wealthier monarchy. The English people occupied the side of a small hill, while the heavy number of French men-at-arms and hired Genoese crossbowmen were at the foot of the hill on a plain. However the archers were below the knight on the social ladder, they were not ashamed to fight side by side. Subsequently, France gradually gained control of the Channel trade routes The war soldiers were happy to receive a salary and eager to fight on French soil. The maintenance of a dual kingdom became a financial strain and England was far in debt on military wages. Or France would raid unprotected towns and villages, take what they could, then burn them to the ground. The English pastures produced fleeces that were the envy of Europe which Flanders depended on for its wool and linen market.

Egyptian transportation

2006-08-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

Egyptian transportation:

There are three types of transportation they are Passenger trains, Sleeper trains, Bus & ferry services.

ER is the backbone of passenger transportation in Egypt with 800 million passenger miles annually. Air-conditioned passenger trains usually have 1st and 2nd class service, while non-air-conditioned trains will have 2nd and 3 rd class. Most of the network connects the densely populated area of the Nile delta with Cairo and Alexandria as hubs. Train fares in commuter trains and 3rd class passenger trains are kept low as a social service. The Alexandria-Cairo-Luxor-Aswan link is served daily in both directions by air-conditioned sleeper trains of Abela Egypt. This service is especially attractive to tourists who can spend the night on the train as it covers the stretch between Cairo and Luxor a luxury express train also connects Cairo with Marsa Matruh towards the Lybian border. ENR serves a number of places by bus services including Abu Simbel, Sharm el Sheik, Siwa oasis, and Hurghada.

Early Stages of a pregnant woman and her health

2006-08-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy is not an easy job for a woman. Starting from conception to birth, a woman's body carries out the most miraculous process of fertilization, implantation and the maturity and growth of her baby (or babies). Her body is her baby's dwelling place for the next nine months (or around 40 weeks) and the occurrences of pregnancy turn into a journey of many new physical feelings. Whether it is first, second, third (or more) pregnancy, her body will respond in a different way to each individual pregnancy. So health of a pregnant woman is very important to be taken care of. Throughout the first 12 weeks of pregnancy called the '1st trimester’, a woman's body adjust to present a fostering and protective environment for her baby to grow and develop. Seldom, the early signs of pregnancy can make a woman feel puzzled. This may be for the reason that many of the physical signs of in the early hours of pregnancy such as enlarged tender breasts, sensitivity of tiredness, overstuffed and perhaps experiencing spasms and/or pelvic uneasiness can be considered as normal pre-menstrual signs. In all these stages the health of the woman declines because she is not only feeding herself, also her little developing fetus.
They may also sense disgusted or sick, due to morning sickness. It is not unusual to feel unsure about what is 'normal' during the early stages of pregnancy development, and unfamiliar signs or sensations may trigger concerns about the health, of her and baby. It’s been proved by the Gynecologists that every woman's body will react in a different way to being pregnant. Many women find their early pregnancy symptoms very difficult to cope with, both at work and generally.

Due to continuous vomiting and nourishing the fetus the pregnant woman may be exhausted very easily. She has to constantly keep her energetic by maintaining a healthy diet schedule as prescribed by the physicians. She can have more fresh green vegetables and fruit juices to make her feel fresh and energetic. It’s always significant to make sure that she avoids drinking and smoking because whatever she has will be directly absorbed by the baby. Once the fetus starts developing she has to get primed for all the obstacles she has to experience throughout pregnancy. Many psychologists predict that a healthy pregnancy is not only from taking care of the nutrition for the pregnant women, more than that she has to be taken care from all the hassles in her family. It’s the duty of a loving husband to caress her comfortably and keep her happy always throughout the gestation period. This will not only make the woman feel happy and hopeful it will directly lead to the good development of the fetus.

Super Computer

2006-07-28T04:33:00.000-07:00

A supercomputer is a computer that leads the world in terms of processing capacity and speed of calculation. New York World newspaper in 1929 to refer to a large custom-built tabulators IBM made for Columbia University first used the term “Super Computing”. Super Computers introduced in the year 1960s and were designed by Seymour Cray at Control Data Corporation (CDC), and led the market into the 1970s. The term supercomputer itself is rather fluid, and today's supercomputer tends to become tomorrow's also-ran. Technologies developed for Supercomputers include: Vector processing Liquid cooling Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) Striped disks Parallel file systems Supercomputers traditionally gained their speed over conventional computers through the use of innovative designs that allow them to perform many tasks in parallel, as well as complex detail engineering. They tend to be specialized for certain types of computation, usually numerical calculations, and perform poorly at more general computing tasks. Their memory hierarchy is very carefully designed to ensure the processor; much of the performance difference between slower computers and supercomputers is due to the memory hierarchy. Their I/O systems tend to be designed to support high bandwidth, with latency less of an issue, because supercomputers are not used for transaction processing. Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as weather forecasting, climate research (including research into global warming), molecular modeling (computing the structures and properties of chemical compounds, biological macromolecules, polymers, and crystals), physical simulations (such as simulation of airplanes in wind tunnels, simulation of the detonation of nuclear weapons, and research into nuclear fusion), cryptanalysis, and the like. Major universities, military agencies and scientific research laboratories are heavy users.

WAINSCOTING

2006-07-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Wainscot or wainscoting in American English mean to cover the lower levels(1.2m-1.5m) of the interior wall. it may be also be said other materials used for decorating the wall. It's general purpose is to cover the lower level of the wall where the house constructed is with poor damp-proof courses which gets usually affected by rising dampness. Though the house is constructed with good house damp- proofing it is been used now a days for the purpose of decorative.

Degassing lakes

2006-06-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

Efforts have been underway for several years to remove the gas from these lakes to prevent a build-up that could lead to another catastrophe. A team of French scientists began experimenting with siphons at Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos in 1990 in an attempt to slowly remove the gas from the lakes in a controlled manner. Vertical pipes from the bottom of the lake were put in. Interestingly, only a bit of water has to be pumped out, because as the saturated water rises, the CO2 comes out of solution and its buoyancy ejects the water high into the air and continues itself in a self sustaining manner. This is exactly the process that leads to an eruption, but it is controlled by the size of the pipes. Many more pipes are needed because the pipes only can pump so much water and there is still CO2 down there. But many scientists fear that more pipes could cause another eruption. Despite this success, these lakes are still considered dangerous today.

2006-06-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

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2006-06-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

Homeoffersusa

Online home sales have become more prominent in the real estate field. As per the recent data it’s recorded that most of the prominent states in USA and other prominent states worldwide prefer to sell home fast and therefore look forward for professionals who buy houses for cash and complete the real estate transactions quickly and easily within a short span of time. The deliberate devise of the internet in the web world has fastened the rate of home sales in this way. The online home sales professionals have real estate listings on their site covering most of the prominent states and other provinces worldwide especially USA, UK and Europe.

This novel strategy with which the people can make their home buying and selling process themselves by just sitting at home browsing through the net. This is the best way the buyer or seller prefers without lose of time and energy. More over there is no brokerage commission or any other fees to be paid to the online home sale professionals because they provide all the information’s cost free because they want to achieve a fast rate buying & selling process in the real estate field with their valued customers.

Some of online home buyers buy any type of homes for sales confined to a particular locality. They buy old, ugly, ruined, spoilt, damaged houses which are not preferred by most of the home buyers. They buy houses for cash demanded by the home seller. Home selling process which was very tiresome to people sometime back has now turned to be an easy going process with online home sale experts. In spite of high competition in the real estate field for new houses in most of the important destinies, the online home sales experts have proved to gather more homes in the market. They can easily buy homes for sale in such places.

Any lay man can make the home buying & selling process easy by just gathering the information’s in the internet. The online home sales professionals would be glad to welcome you and find the dream house for you in just few days time. They also give ample information’s regarding the search for a home in a particular city. Nowadays home buyers are very particular in selecting their house and for this reason; most of the online realtors furnish all the details of the house in the real estate listings along with the photos, sketch and maps of the house destined to the particular location within the country. They also help people to find houses in the country where they are recently relocated.

2006-06-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

India tourism

We organize tourism in India, building India tourism a pleasurable affair. We offer variable custom-made travel tour India packages customized to cover Indiana tourism in a more successful way. You can merge into the India culture sports and tourism surrounded by India tour breaks. Toptourguide.com gives you all the information essential for an unforgettable experience in India tourism. Make the best opportunity to tour and travel in India – a country of culture and conditions.

2006-06-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

Vacation Villas

A villa is a luxurious house built for the upper class people of Rome. An ancient author and Natural philosopher Mr. Pliny describes more in writtings about the Roman villas of the empire. He categorises the villas as two types they are the villa urbana and villa rustica. The villa urbana was a country seat which could easily be reached within a night or two from the Rome or another city. And the villa rustica is the farm house estate. These farm house estates are permanently occupied by the servants who had charge generally of the estate, which would center on the villa itself, perhaps these villas are seasonally occupied.

The dwelling quarters, consisting of several low buildings, included recreation facilities and lodgings for the servants. The villa rustica, which is the farmhouse type, had barns, orchards, and vineyards, and the villa urbana type which are used as a pleasure retreat had the incidental garden architecture adorned with fountains and sculptures.

There are other villas that originated during different periods like post-roman villas, renaissance villas, Palladio’s villas, English villas and modern villas.

2006-06-01T23:47:00.001-07:00

Florida Lifestyle

Florida is an enchanting city located in southern United States. This magical land is filled with fun and excitement. Popularly called as “The Sunshine City”, Florida exhibits a wonderful moderate climate through out the year. The major attraction in Florida is its superb weather, this city experiences long and warm summers and cool winters. Extremes of climate are very rare in Florida. This is the reason for the migration of elderly people from the colder northern parts of United States. This pleasant weather also attracts a lot of tourists. The most fascinating aspect of Florida is its diversified cities. Each city located in Florida houses something unique and different.

People flock to Florida not only for its tourist attractions but also for its employment opportunities. Florida presents a variety of job opportunities; this is because mixtures of industries are present in this state. There are many media and gaming industries in various cities in Florida, so people interested in this field come to Florida. This state contains a lot of software and hardware industries, which invites all the software and hardware professionals.

Living in the orange country Florida gives you a fabulous experience. The taxes collected in Florida are, the sales tax, the use tax, intangible tax and the corporate income tax. There is no need to pay the personnel income tax in Florida. Some people consider the cost of living in Florida to be a bit expensive; the housing prices are also high in and around the state of Florida.

All kinds of foodstuffs are available in Florida. Owing to its suitable climate it produces a variety of fruits and vegetables. Florida is the dream place for people from other parts of the world; the reason for this is the breadth taking “Disney Land” in Orlando. This popular attraction point receives more than a million of visitors every year. Florida’s major part of economy comes from the tourists industry, while the other kind of manufacturing industries also give a helping hand.

Since millions of people visit Florida, this state is also filled with restaurants, bars and clubs. Florida contains a large variety of restaurants, and these restaurants serve different cuisines. Nightclubs and bars are also popular in this city.

2006-06-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

Florida Vacation Resort

Florida is the most beautiful state in southeast United States. Florida is situated on the peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and Straits of Florida. The Florida also has a Spanish adjective meaning called flowery. Tallahassee is the capital for the state florida. Jacksonville is the largest city in florida. The Florida has a nickname called "The Sunshine State". In United States the Central florida is called the lightning capital. Florida is said to be the most beautiful state in United States. It has various vacation spots like disney land, busch garden, sea world, everglades, florida beaches and many more. Orlando has become the most popular tourist area, because of disney world. As the major attraction is tourism in florida, it plays the major part for improving the florida economy.

2006-06-01T23:46:00.001-07:00

Fabvillas

Florida, being the harbor city invites enormous tourists to spend their holidays in an unimagined way. Authentic Florida will help you discover a new thrill and excitement throughout your vacation in the prominent places of interest such as the Orlando coastline beach, the Disney land, etc, of the sunshine state. Finding the best rentals/villas in such a place in very difficult but the private rentals/villas organizers over there help you to reduce your time in sorting out luxury rentals in such places.

Florida, being an island is simply magnificent surrounded by water. If mankind has thought of a water sport, then it is bound to be available here. Parasailing above the water, skiing on the water and swimming in the water sounds to be a thrilling experience both for the young and the old. Besides all these attractions, finding a comfortable place to stay is a bit tedious process for the visitors. The private luxury rental home owner’s help people discover the luxurious and all expected rentals at affordable rates confined to a particular area. They also offer flexible services to their customers by providing them the best standardized rentals and make them feel it as a home away from home. All the private rentals/villas are confined to the prominent places which make the tourists feel comfortable in sighting through the places in and around Florida.

The tourists will find all the information and details about the privately owned vacation rentals or villas in Florida when they browse online. Many private rentals/villas offer much information on the luxury rental homes with all the needs and standards to satisfy the tourists. They also provide the travelers with certain tips to help them plan their vacation in the new place and suggest visiting nearby places including various new entertainment and activities put forth by some organizations in Florida especially for children. They also offer the tourists with the opportunity of selecting the rental home of their own choice in any prominent locality of their interest. They have flexible rentals to suit all needs whether it being just a couple or the whole extended family. Private vacation rental homes are privately owned and are situated in desirable locations. Their rental homes offer their special attention to the tourists from various parts oft the world who are new to Florida and provide them with all the details that many hotels are unable to offer making a villa holiday a true home from home experience.

2006-06-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

Auto Transport

Transportation was considered to be a luxury in the ancient times but now it has become a real necessity. Man being a technological animal has developed various modes of transportation. In which auto-transport stands out to be the striking feature.
Vehicle shipping is not a very easy task, before this vehicle shipping came in to existence, people were helpless about transporting there vehicles. So if they needed to move out of the city or country their vehicle transportation was impossible. But auto transport served to be a real remedy for this problem.
Auto transportation service is nothing but a carrier service which transports your vehicles, across the city or country. If you plan to leave the country or city then you are now free to take your vehicle with you. This service is economical than selling your own vehicle in one place and then buying the same in another new place.
Auto transport proves to be the best way, or it is the only way of shipping your adored vehicles safely. But there are some basic points to be checked before selecting a auto- transportation service.

1. First we need to check whether our vehicles are in safe hands, so that our vehicles remain undamaged during the transportation process.
2. Regardless of the mode of transportation employed we have to obtain insurance for our vehicle. This proves to be a protective method.
3. The services offered by the vehicle shipping company should be taken into consideration. Their delivery services and our conveniences should be taken into account.
4. If our vehicle needs to be stored, be it short or long term, we have to check whether the storage facilities are up to the mark.
5. If you need to check whether any company is properly licensed then visit the website of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
6. Before you ship your vehicle enquire about the transportation time in advance, check out whether the company offers speedy vehicle shipping
7. Confirm with the company about their inspection services.
8. Enquire about the conditions and environment about the carrier which is used to transport your vehicle.
9. And finally select a company which demands a fair shipping price in accordance with their services.