ghostly images caught on camera
General Knowledge Pt. XV
What does guyliner refer to?
Guyliner is a kohl pencil for men. It's getting popular among men in some western countries after celebrities started sporting it. The most famous examples are Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 3, and Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of the band Green Day
What's the origin of phrase 'gild the lily'?
William Shakespeare used a similar expression in his play King John: 'To gild refined gold, to paint the lily.. is wasteful and ridiculous excess'. Over the years, the phrase got shortened to just 'gild the lily'. Gild means to cover with a thin layer of gold. Why did Shakespeare refer to the lily? Because it is a beautiful flower, and covering it with gold to make it more beautiful would be unnecessary. So, the phrase came to mean to spoil something which is already beautiful by adding something extra.
What is. A scram shutdown and why it is called so?
SCRAM shutdown is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor by inserting a large number of negative reactions into the system. It is derived from the World War II usage of the term 'Safety control rod axe man' which referred to emergency situations wherein a rope was cut to stop the operations urgently and to limit the damages arising out of continuance of such an operation. The dictionary meaning of scram is to leave a place very quickly, so that one is not caught.
Why is a transformer core always cubical in shape?
It is not true that cores are always cubical. Current Transformers (CTs) and Potential Transformers (PTs) have ring-type cores. Power transformers have cubical cores. The ideal transformer is to have all the magnetic flux produced by one winding linking the other. This is not attained in practical transformers. Flux that does not link both windings is called leakage flux and has the effect of adding an inductance that produces a voltage drop when there is a current. Leakage is affected by the shape of me core and by the arrangement of the windings.To reduce leakage, the core must be compact and the windings close together. (ii) The cores used in the transformer are generally made up of laminated silicon steel with high permeability (to minimize eddy current losses). They are rectangular in shape due to many reasons: i) Their winding requires lesser complexity and, hence, equipment is cheaper; ii) They are robust and need very less maintenance; in) There is a very small inflow of current when switched on and iv) Central fixing is easy Due to these reasons, even though toroidal core is better for smaller constructions and due to lesser external magnetic field interference, rectangular cores are preferred.
What are btl advertisements?
Below-the-line (BTL) advertisements refer to a marketing technique in which non-conventional, non-media route is taken to promote a product or service. Usually, it has a limited target group. It includes promoting through e-mail, SMSes, ringtones, direct mail, MMS, freebies, quizzes on a particular product, free interactive sessions explaining a product, etc. It is different from above-the-line (ATL) ads which take the media route of TV; radio, podcasts, cinema, banners, newspapers, etc.
What is laser photonics fabrication?
Laser photonics fabrication is a branch of physics which deals with the manufacture of devices which deploy lasers to transmit, gather and process information. Typical usage would be in optic fiber cables to move data over long distances and sensors to measure temperature in engineering structures. It's a highly specialized area of study and scientists hope to use this to develop high-speed communication devices.
What is acrolein?
Acrolein, CH2=CH-CHO, is a chemical compound. Its IUPAC name is 2-propenal, and it is the simplest unsaturated aldehyde. It was used as a chemical weapon during World War I. It is, however, not outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention. Acrolein is a suspected human carcinogen. In October 2006, researchers found connections between acrolein in the smoke from tobacco cigarettes and the risk of lung cancer.
What is unique about bagdad beach?
Bagdad beach is located on the gulf coast of Mexico, in the eastern state of Tamulipas, near the mouth of the river Rio Grande. Although an isolated area today the place played an important role during the Civil War of America which took place in the early 1860s. The town of Bagdad established around the beach in 1848 was an insignificant port till the beginnings of the civil war in the US. When Lincoln blocked US ports for use by the defiant southern states, which formed into the Confederacy, the latter turned to the neutral Mexico for the use of the seaport at Bagdad for their cotton exports. Because of this, the town of Bagdad boomed and expanded during the Civil War. However, with the defeat of the Confederacy and the subsequent ending of the Civil War, Bagdad too declined. Its port was finally closed when the area was hit by a cyclone in 1889. Now, there are no traces of the port town but the beach there is used for recreation and fishing. It is also the centre of an important festival called the Festival of the Sea.
What is xeriscaping?
The word is derived from the Greek word xeros, meaning dry It refers to landscaping which doesn't require additional water. It uses plants which are suited to the local climate, and practitioners ensure that water doesn't evaporate or run off. Xeriscaping is also referred to as water-conserving landscapes, zeroscaping, drought-tolerant landscaping, and smartscaping. It was developed by the water department of Denver, Colorado.
What is maniole?
Maniole is a place in Zaire, currently called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The average annual temperature here is about 250 degrees Celsius. From 1967, its currency is Zaore.
What is the 'plum pudding' model of an atom?
The 'plum pudding' model of the atom was proposed by JJ Thomson, who had also discovered the electron. It was put forth before the discovery of the nucleus. According to this model, the atom is a sphere of positive charge, and negatively charged electrons are embedded in it to balance the total positive charge. The electrons are like plums in a pudding. However, this model was discarded when Rutherford performed the famous alpha particle scattering experiment and put forth his model of the atom, which was similar to our solar system, with electrons revolving around a positively charged, dense nucleus.
What is the latur pattern of study?
The Latur pattern of study involves continuous and methodical practice of model question papers months before the board exams. This method was devised by principal Aniruddha Jadhav of Rajarishi Shahu College in Latur, who felt this mechanical methodology of continuous study helps students in providing point-topoint answers to questions which could be expected in the examination. This methodology, however, has been lambasted by educationists who consider it a tool to gain temporary advantage that does not aim to prepare them for advanced learning.
What is molecular phylogeny?
In Greek, phyle means tribe, and genesis means birth. Molecular phylogeny is the attempt to reconstruct the lineage of species through study of amino acid sequences in fossils. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree.
Who was king frederic ii?
Frederic 11 (1712-1786) was the king of Prussia during 1740-1786. During his reign, Prussia prospered greatly and doubled in area. For his military prowess and welfare orientation, he was affectionately called Frederic the Great by his countrymen. He was the son of Frederic William-I and Sophie Dorothia von Hannover. As a crown prince, he disliked military affairs, but as soon as he became the king, he exhibited great military genius by waging and winning many wars against neighbouring countries like Austria, Russia, and France. Declaring himself to be the first servant of his people, he achieved remarkable economic and social development of Prussia, by taking several progressive and reformatory steps. He believed in enlightened absolutism, showed great religious tolerance, and fostered the arts, sciences, and education. Besides being a powerful and benevolent monarch, he was deeply interested in philosophy and music. He authored books on a variety of subjects, and befriended intellectuals like Voltaire, D'Alembert, and Lagrange. As he was childless, he chose his nephew, Frederic William-II, as his Successor.
Who invented shorthand?
Shorthand is believed to have been invented by Tiro, a slave of Marcus Tullius Cicero, to keep pace with the speeches his master delivered. Cicero (January 3,106 BC — December 7,43 BC), a statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and philosopher, is considered one of Rome's greatest orators. His political speeches are well known, and he delivered these in an elaborate and flowery style, which came to be known as the Ciceronian rhetorical style. Tiro perfected a system of Latin shorthand, which served to"preserve the speeches. The Tironian notes consisted of word stem abbreviations (notae) and word ending abbreviations (titulae). The original Tironian notes consisted of about 4,000 signs but the number gradually increased to 13,000. After Cicero's death, Tiro published many of Cicero's speeches. He is also credited with writing a biography of Cicero, a book on grammar and a book on philosophical questions.
What is a lame duck session of parliament?
A lame duck session is conducted after election of new members but before they are installed. Hence, in such a session participants vote for the last time as elected officials because of their failure to get reelected or because they are retiring voluntarily. In the US, it is a term for a person or legislature that continues to hold office after losing an election. The practice in the US of holding presidential elections in November with the winner taking office only in January means that often there are lame duck Presidents.
What is the coriolis force?
The Coriolis Force is an important element in meteorology. It" acts on the atmosphere and is caused by the rotation of Earth, which rotates on its own axis from west to east with an angular velocity of 15 degree per hour and gives rise to an apparent force called Coriolis Force or geostrophic force. It acts at right angles to the wind vector, to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere. It was first postulated by a scientist named Coriolis.
What are t-rays?
T-rays stand for terahertz radiation. It is used to scan airline passengers for explosives and illegal drugs. The rays are particularly effective, as they can see through clothing, paper, leather, plastic, wood, and ceramics. They don't penetrate as well as x-rays, but they also don't damage living tissue. They can read spectroscopic signatures, detecting the difference between, say, hair gel and an explosive.
What is the scopes trial?
The Scopes Trial brought about a prosecution in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. The prosecution was of a high school biology teacher who taught the theory of evolution. The teacher, John T Scopes, was accused of having violated the Butler Act, a Tennessee law that forbade the teaching of the theory of evolution in public schools because it contradicted the account of creation in the Bible. The press dubbed it the Monkey Trial because, according to popular belief, evolution meant that humans had evolved from monkeys. The defence argued for the scientific validity of evolution and against the constitutionality of the Butler Act, but it did not deny that Scopes had broken the law. He was convicted and fined $100, but the verdict was later reversed on technical grounds by the Supreme Court. The Butler Act remained on the books until 1967.
When was the kite invented?
The exact date and origin of the kite is not known but it is believed that they were flown in China more than 2,000 years ago. The earliest written account' of kite flying was in about 200 BC when the Chinese general Han Hsin of the Han dynasty flew a kite over the walls of a city he was attacking to measure how far his army would have to tunnel to reach past the defences. Calculating this distance correctly, his troops reached the inside of the city surprised their enemy, and were victorious. Kite flying was eventually spread by traders from China to Korea, and across Asia to India.
Which country has the highest male-female ratio?
The male-female ratio is the proportion of males to females in a given population at a specified stage in life e.g. at conception, at birth and at any chosen stage between birth and death. This is usually expressed as the number of males per 100 females. Qatar has the highest ratio with 187 males to 100 females. However, the ratio for the entire world population is 101 males to 100 females. Qatar's high male-female ratio is mainly on account of large immigrant labourers staying without families. In Qatar, the ratio goes up to 284 males to 100 females for the population above 65 years on account of aging male immigrants and comparatively higher average mortality rate for females.
Why is earthing necessary for electrical appliances?
As it's a safety factor, earthing is essential and mandatory. It's an electrical connection between the exposed metallic parts of an electrical appliance or installation and the earth, regarded to have zero potential. Proper earthing provides an alternative and easy path for leakage or faulty current to flow. It ensures that any exposed conductive part of the appliance does not reach a dangerous level of potential or voltage that endangers the life of the user. A proper earthing system should have least electrical resistance, good corrosion resistance and ability of dissipating high faulty current.
What is ethical fashion?
Ethical fashion involves taking into consideration the various people involved in making a piece of clothing. For instance, even as one buys a pair of jeans, not many think about the farmers who grew the cotton that went into creating the material, the workers (mainly from poor countries) who helped sew the jeans, the various chemicals used on it and the economics of production. Ethical fashion involves creating clothes that don't adversely impact people or the environment.
What is the fenian movement?
The Fenian Movement or Fenians is a secret revolutionary society organized in 1858 in Ireland and the United States to achieve Irish independence from England by force. It was known variously as the Fenian Brotherhood, Fenian Society, Irish Republican Brotherhood, and Irish-American Brotherhood. The famine of the 1840s brought to a crisis Irish discontent with English rule, culminating in the abortive Young Ireland uprising of 1848, led by William Snpth O'Brien.
What is project blue beam?
Project Blue Beam is a conspiracy theory about a supposed project whose purpose is to create an artificial Second Coming, in order to control people. As per the alleged theory, the new world order's purpose is: 1. To abolish all Christian and traditional religions in order to replace them with a one-world religion based on the cult of man. 2. To abolish all national identities and national pride in order to establish a world identity and a world pride. 3. To abolish the family as known today in order to replace them with individuals all working for the glory of the new one-world government. 4. To destroy all individual artistic and scientific creativity to implement a one-world government, one-mindset.
What is the priory of sion?
The Priory of Sion is a very obscure group whose presence has not been established with concrete evidence. Papers relating to their existence were found in 1975 at Paris Bibliothhque Nationale, which named Da Vinci and Isaac Newton among its Grand Masters. According to the most popular theory, it is believed that the priory started out as an administrative wing of the Knights Templar. They had something (though it's not very clear what it is) that gave them immense power and authority, even over the Pope. The most accepted answer among scholars is that they had documents written in the years Christ walked the Earth, which gave evidence that He was married to Mary Magdalene.
What is dragon's triangle?
The Dragon's Triangle is at the polar opposite of the Bermuda Triangle. Both triangles are located at 35 degrees west and 35 degrees east latitude and longitude which means if you were to start out at the Bermuda Triangle and travel straight through the centre of the Earth, you would come out at the Dragon's Triangle. This dangerous ocean triangle has reportedly claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of ships, airplanes, and submarines since it was first written about in the 13th century. This is a result of bad oceanic conditions or maybe something more mysterious.
What is bear bile farming?
The Chinese practice of extracting bile from captive bears for use in traditional medicinal products is called bile farming. Many animal welfare groups decry this as inhumane. Bear bile has been prized in the traditional Chinese medicine community for thousands of years. It's got a reputation as being a sort of wonder drug, and its active ingredient, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), is believed to cure a number of ailments — everything from cardiac illness to impotence, according to the Humane Society of the United States. As an unhappy consequence, more than 10,000 bears are currently held in captivity on bear bile farms in China today, according to the Animals Asia Foundation.
What is guano?
Guano is accumulated dung or excrement and remains of seabirds, bats and seals found along certain coastal areas and caves. It's found mainly on the coastal islands of Peru, Africa, Chile and the West Indies. It contains about 6% phosphorus, 9% nitrogen, 2% potassium and moisture. Guano is found mixed with feathers and bones and used mainly as a fertilizer. Bird guano is comparatively a better fertilizer than bat guano found in caves and seal guano, accumulated on islands off north-western Peru. Since the global reserves of phosphorus will only last another 30 years, the use of guano as a fertilizer is gaining importance.
What is coriolis force?
Coriolis Force occurs whenever a rotating body moves along a curved path. Hence, two rotary movements (rotation on its axis and precession about a line) are necessary conditions. Whenever a vehicle in motion takes a turn, the wheels rotate about their axis and the entire vehicle, including the wheels, goes round the bend, resulting in Coriolis Force. This is the most common occurrence of this force.
What is the principle of a voltage stabilizer?
A voltage stabilizer is an electro cal appliance used to feed constant voltage current to costly electrical gadgets like ACs and computers, and protects them from damage due to voltage fluctuations. A voltage stabilizer works on the principle of a transformer, where the input current is connected to primary windings and output is received from secondary windings. Whenever there is a drop in incoming voltage, it activates electromagnetic relays which add to more number of turns in the secondary winding, thus giving higher voltage which compensates for loss in output voltage due to drop in incoming voltage. When there is rise in the incoming voltage, the reverse happens, and, thus, the voltage at the output side remains almost unchanged.
What is haarp?
HAARP is an acronym for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a research initiative aimed at studying the effect on the performance of communication, navigation and surveillance systems by simulated heating of the ionosphere. It was started in 1993 and is expected to continue till 2013. It is defence oriented and toided by various US defence agencies, including the air force and the navy. A powerful HF signal is transmitted to heat a limited area of the ionosphere for a specified time. Scientists then record the effects of temporarily altered conditions through advanced instruments. It's been at the centre of controversies, with some organizations claiming that the transmission antennae may be used as weapons.
What is argemone oil?
Argemone oil is extracted from argemone seeds. It is mixed with sunflower oil and sesame oil to raise their quantity. Consumption of this oil leads to health disorders among children. To avoid this, we must check the contents of the cooking oil. Many oil brands mention 'no argemone oil' on their packs.
What is switchgrass?
Switchgrass, known in Botany as Panicum Virgatum L., is the perennial tall grass found in the prairies of North America and many parts of Mexico. Its height varies from 5 ft to 12 ft, and the diameter of its stem at ground level is about 20 inches. It can grow easily even in poor-quality soil, with low requirement of inputs like fertilisers, and can tolerate hostile environmental conditions, including floods and drought. The grass has both main roots that penetrate deep into the soil, and many temporary fine roots, which enable it to conserve the soil in which it grows, and make the soil nutritionally rich. Therefore, switchgrass has been grown traditionally for soil conservation and to serve as fodder. Since the 1990s, interest in this plant has increased because it generates a lot of biomass, which can be used for producing fibre, ethanol, electricity, and other chemicals.
Which compound is used in making bulletproof jackets?
Bulletproof jackets were being manufactured with ballistic nylon material till the 1970s. In 1965, a compound — poly- paraphenyleneterephthalamide — was invented with the brand name Kevlar. This is a liquid polymer which can be spun into fibre and woven into cloth. Kevlar was originally developed for tyres and, later, for ropes, gaskets and various parts of planes and boats. The efficacy of the material led to its usage for the manufacture of bulletproof jackets. Another product with the brand name Spectra was developed in 1989 as a competitor for Kevlar. Spectra is a polyethylene fibre originally developed as a sail cloth and, later, used to make stronger and lighter non-woven material for bulletproof jackets.
Who invented the board game monopoly?
Charles Darrow, a US citizen, invented Monopoly in 1931, during the Great Depression. Out of work, Darrow earned a living doing part time jobs and inventing puzzles and games, to sell to toy-makers. With some difficulty, he sold Monopoly to Parker Brothers on a royalty basis. The game sold so well that Darrow soon became a millionaire. The original game had properties named after streets, hotels, etc. in Atlantic City, where Darrow lived. In India, we initially played with the British version, containing London-based names like Old Kent Road and Piccadilly. Later, an Indian version was released; it was called Trade and featured, sites in Mumbai, such as Churchgate Station and Byculla.
What is maniole?
The average temperature in Maniole is perhaps 25 degrees Celsius (Aug. 24).
Who is a wardriver?
A wardriver is someone who accesses an unsecured wireless connection through a PDA or laptop in a moving vehicle. It's derived from the word wardialling from the film WarGames. Other related concepts are warbiking (accessing a wi-fi connection on a motorbike or bicycle) and warwalking/ jogging (doing the same while on foot). While there are several softwares to enable wardriving, they can be easily misused as well. In India, terror e-mails were sent by wardrivers who accessed anunprotected wireless connection.
What are the cod wars?
The three Icelandic Cod Wars that took place in 1958, 1973 and 1975 were precipitated by concerns on the part of Iceland that the stocks of cod fish were being seriously depleted by over-fishing. With timber, agriculture, fuel or mineral deposits being the few natural resources in Iceland, the country relies heavily on its stocks of cod fish and the Cod Wars have been vital in protecting this industry In 1958, the first Icelandic Cod War took place after it extended its fishing limits from 4 miles to 12 miles off Iceland's coast. In 1972, Iceland further extended its limits to a 50-mile radius which prompted a hostile response from other nations, not least Britain, and the second war took place. An agreement was reached in 1973, when Britain agreed to limit fishing for cod to designated areas within the 50-mile radius. What further instigated the third war, apart from the expiry of the agreement made at the end of the second war, was Iceland's move to extend the radius to 200 miles.
What is the karakoram highway?
The Karakoram Highway (KH) or Friendship Highway or N35 connects the Kashgar town in Xinjiang region in China to Havelian (Abbottabad district) in Pakistan, which extends further to the junction of Grand Trunk (GT) Road at Hasan Abdal in Pakistan. KH is the world's highest paved international road constructed across the Karakoram mountain range and through the Khunjerab Pass located at an altitude of 4,877 metres. It was built by the governments of China and Pakistan between 1966 and 1986. KH has given a boost to adventure tourism by giving easier access to high mountains, five major lakes and glaciers like Baltoro for mountaineers and adventure-seekers. KH is sometimes referred to as the Ninth Wonder of the World because of its high altitude and difficulties encountered in construction.
What is magic acid?
Magic Acid, H2S03F+, is one of the inorganic superacids. This extremely strong acid has a pKa of 20 and is strong enough to protonate saturated alkanes to form carbonium ions. Magic Acid is made by mixing antimonypentafluoride (SbF55) and fluorosulphonic acid. It is considered a superacid and is called Magic Acid because of its strength. It can dissolve a wax candle, something that even sulphuric acid cannot do.
What is enneagram personality?
The term enneagram is derived from two Greek words, ennea (nine) and grammos (something written or drawn). The Enneagram is a ninepointed figure inscribed in a circle. The meaning of the symbol itself, together with the personality types organized around the nine points, convey a system of knowledge about nine distinct but interrelated personality types, or nine ways of seeing and experiencing the world. The enneagram of personality is generally presented as a psycho-spiritual system for mapping the nine possible personalities, like nine facets of a stone that develop through the natural growth of the human psyche.
What is the bossa nova?
The Bossa Nova is a type of Brazil- ian music system, innovated in 1958. The system merges the samba rhythms, typical to traditional Brazilian dance music, with the melodies of jazz. Catching the fancy of college students, this system of fusion reached the peak of popularity between 1958 and 1963. The system contributed a lot of popular songs to the standard set of jazz compositions of that era. Later, Bossa Nova underwent many modifications and enhancements giving rise to several variants. In Europe, electronic music was incorporated in Bossa Nova, producing a new musical system called Bossa Electrica. The term Bossa Nova in Portuguese language means 'new way'.
What is a fitbit tracker?
It's a tiny fitness gadget which constantly monitors if you're eating right, exercising enough and sleeping adequately The rationale is to motivate people to lead a healthy Lifestyle. The FitBit tracker is wireless and functions with the help of a motion sensor called accelerometer, which keeps tabs on movements. When a person walks by a wireless base station, the information thus collected is uploaded on to the website fitbit.com.
Do magnets work in space?
A magnet works on the principal of electromagnetism. Magnetic force is independent of the Earth's gravitational force. Therefore, a magnet will work in space. As the Earth is also a big magnet with two poles (south and north), it too exerts a force on other astronomical bodies.
What is an atomic pile?
The atomic pile is an early model of a nuclear reactor whose core consisted of layers of graphite blocks interspersed with uranium, designed to create a sustained fission reaction. The first atomic pile was created by Ernico Fermi and his colleagues at Columbia in 1942. It consisted of a stack of pure graphite bricks surrounding a neutron source. This first step enabled the examination of graphite's effect on neutron activity: absorption and re-emission, quantities, fissions. Later, they added uranium pieces in some of the graphite bricks.
What is chi-x?
Chi-x Europe Limited has received recognition as a Multilateral Trading Facility (MTF) from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and is authorized to provide services to firms throughout Europe. Established in response to clients' demands for a faster, cheaper and higher capacity alternative to trading, Chi-x is the first orderdriven, pan-European matching engine and central limit order book. It is up to 10 times faster and. cheaper than trading equities on traditional equity exchanges. Live trading in European equities started on March 30, 2007.
Which is the strongest industrial glue?
There are many adhesives and they are used depending on the application and material to be bonded. The most common one is e-600 series, a high-performance elastomeric adhesive, which bonds a broad range of materials.
What is sweet crude oil?
If the percentage of sulphur is less than 0.5% in petroleum, then it is called sweet crude oil. It came to be called 'sweet' because the low level of sulphur gives the oil a mildly sweet taste and pleasant smell. It also contains a small amount of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide.
What is confessionalism?
The word confessionalism occurs in the fields of religion, politics and poetry, each having a different meaning. In religion, particularly in Christianity, confessionalism refers to the belief that a truly religious person should accept the entire teaching of the religion, both its values and rituals. It lays a lot of emphasis on religious dogma and does not allow for alternative interpretations of the religion. Non-confessionalists, on the other hand, believe that shared values and religious spirit and religious experience are more important than ritual and dogma of a religion. In the field of politics, it signifies a system of government which apportions seats in its legislature and various government jobs to different groups of people strictly based on demographic composition. For instance, the government of Lebanon is based on the confessionalist model. In poetry, confessionalism refers to a movement, which became popular in the 1950s and '60s. In this form of poetry, the work focuses on intimate details of the poet's life, however unpleasant they may be.
What is the snow white project?
Installation artist Catherine Bay obviously feels rather strongly about consumerism. In her recent work, the Snow White Project, currently on display in New York, she makes a grand statement against it by showcasing several avatars of the fairytale character Snow White. They are clad in various costumes and hold placards proclaiming 'I Am An Everyday Consumer Product' and 'My Life Depends On People Wanting To Use Me.
What are ironwoods?
It's a tree, and as the name implies, an ironwood is an extremely dense hardwood. The ironwood tree is an evergreen and grows only in the Sonoran Desert, and can live for over 1,000 years. Its woord is very hard and very heavy, and doesn't rot easily.
Why is a bmw car also kmrwn as a beemer?
The terms Bimmer, Beemer or Beamer refer to BMW vehicles. However, Bimmer is the correct term for BMW cars while Beemer and Beamer are used for BMW motorcycles. Why all these different terms? BMW started big in motorcycles and was very active in motorsports then. One of its biggest competitors at the racing track was BSA, which was. also a big name in motorcycles. Since BSA motorcycles were known as Beesers, BMW fans decided to call BMW motorcycles Beemers. Over time, different people (who couldn't spell very well and didn't take the trouble to find out) started to use the term Beamer. BMW went on to design and manufacture cars which subsequently outshone their two-wheeler cousins. The BMW car enthusiasts wanted a new term to differentiate cars from motorcycles and coined the term Bimmer.
What is the inert pair effect?
To understand the inert pair effect, we need to understand the periodic table. There are some inherent properties of elements in the table. The inert pair effect is nothing but the extra stability concept. Generally p-block elements belonging to 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, etc. show variable valency. For example, Sn element of group 4A shows +4 and +2 oxidation state. The higher oxidation stats is called the group number oxidation state and +2 oxidation state is called the lower oxidation state which is equal to Group-2. Consider the configuration, if the electrons are lost from ns and np level, then group oxidation state of +4 is obtained while np electrons are only lost then +2 oxidation state is obtained due to its extra stability of ns electrons which are called inert pair. The effect is the inert pair effect.
What is an amoled display?
The term AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode/ Device/ Display. An Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), also Light Emitting Polymer (LEP) and Organic Electro Luminescence (OEL), is any Light Emitting Diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds. The layer usually contains a polymer substance that allows suitable organic compounds to be deposited. They are deposited in rows and columns onto a flat carrier by a simple printing process. The resulting matrix of pixels can emit light of different colours.
Does an electric field affect plant growth?
Yes, an electric field affects plant growth. In the presence of an electric field, the height of the stem and the length of the roots are more than those without an electric field. The change in growth rate depends on electric field, temperature and humidity. Experiments show that if an electric field intensity of 25 kv/m is applied and temperature and humidity are controlled at 28 degree Celsius and 65% respectively, then the height of the stem increases by 24% and length of roots by 33 %.
What is air hunger?
Air hunger is the urge to brythe, which is caused by the deytion of high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood by sensors in the carotid sinus. It is one of the body's homeostatic mechanisms to ensure proper oxygenation. Air hunger may be caused by insufficient pulmonary minute ventilation, a sustained breath-hold constriction of the alveoli of the lungs, as in asthma, or high ambient levels of carbon dioxide in the air. Air hunger can be very distressing and triggers strong reactions to restore breathing. Air hunger is caused due to excess of carbon dioxide rather than lack of oxygen.
What is the address' made of?
Alfred Aquilizan and his wife Isabel specialize in installation art works comprising articles of dayto-day use and ownership. Their work Address5 is made of articles such as books, clothes, bedsheets, blankets, CD/ DVDs, PC keyboards, toys, printers, fake flowers, etc.
What are wave snakes?
Wave snakes are long red tubes that help convert the motion of waves into electricity and form part of a commercial wave power station. It was developed by a British company and took 10 years to create. Currently, the pilot wavepower project has been launched off the coast of a Portuguese town called Agucadoura, and aims to power 1,000 families homes in its initial phase.
What is summer ploughing?
Ploughing one month in advance i.e. in the month of May for kharif crops is known as summer ploughing. There are the three usual harvests known as the kharif or autumn (June-September), the rabi or spring (October-March) and zaid or extra harvest (March-June). Summer ploughing helps to kill weeds, hibernating insects and diseasecausing organisms by exposing them to the summer heat. Summer ploughing of groundnut is always advantageous.
What is the god particle?
God Particle is the nickname given to Higgs boson particle, so far a hypothetical sub-atomic particle believed to impart mass to the atom and, eventually, to all matter in the universe. The particle has come to the limelight in the wake of the ongoing Big Bang experiment in the Large Hadron Collider at Geneva, which expects to verify the very existence of the particle for the first time.
What is munchausen syndrome?
Munchausen Syndrome, also known as hospital addiction, factitious illness, afflicting those referred to as professional patients, is a repeated fabrication of clinically convincing simulations of disease for the purpose of gaining medical attention. It refers to patients who wander from hospital to hospital feigning acute medical or surgical illness and giving false and fanciful information about their medical and social background for no apparent reason other than to gain attention. The cause is unclear, prognosis poor and treatment often unsuccessful in these psychiatric patients.
What is einstein's rule of 72?
The rule of 72 is a rule of thumb (credited to Albert Einstein) that investors use to approximate the time it takes for money to double at a given rate of return. It states that if you divide the number 72 by any given rate of return, the answer you get is the time it takes for money to double at that given interest rate (assuming you can get the same rate each year and it is compounded annually). For example, if you earn 10% on your money it would double in 7.2 years (72 divided by 10 = 7.2). The value 72 is a convenient choice of numerator, since it has many small divisors: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 12. It provides a good approximation for annual compounding, and for compounding at typical rates (from 6% to 10%). The approximations are less accurate at higher interest rates.
What is concentrated solar power plant?
Concentrated solar power plants (CSPs) generate electricity by using the sun's energy to convert water into steam to run turbines connected to generators. Such a power plant consists of large sun-tracking mirrors (heliostats) to focus sunlight on a receiver at the top of a tower. The receiver uses solar power to heat up a heat-transfer fluid to generate steam which, in turn, is used in a convection turbine generator to produce electricity Such plants are similar to those of coal or gas-based plants. Nowadays, molten ammonium nitrate salt is used as a heat-transfer fluid, which can store heat inside it. Hence, these plants can even work at night or on a cloudy day
Which is the first company to use barcode for sales?
On June 26,1974, a 10-pack Wrigley's chewing guni was the first product logged in a grocery store by a barcoding system using the modern universal product code. Later that year, the Uniform Grocery Product Code Council became the UPCC which regulates the issue and use of all universal product codes. At the same time, companies pursued the use of barcodes in industrial and other applications. In 1971, th Plessey Company developed a barcode scanner and tracking system for library book checkout. The Codabar barcode was developed by Monarch Marking Systems around the same time for blood collection and book tracking applications. Intermec developed Code 3 of 9, a barcode that could store alphanumeric information. All other codes prior to this could only represent numeric digits.
What does acropolis mean?
Acropolis is a Greek term, and refers generally to an elevated area in the centre of a city, acting as its focal point for cultural, religious, and civil activities. In particular, the term refers to the rocky hill at the centre of Athens, Greece, on which are located several ancient monuments, including the famous Parthenon, the temple for the Goddess Athena, constructed around 5th century BC. In Greek, aero means high and polls means city All ancient cities were supposed to have been first set up on elevated areas, primarily for defence. Even after a city grew around the initial elevated area, the elevated area continued to act as a nucleus for the city's growth and culture. By generalization, the term acropolis is now used to refer to a central complex of structures in some cities.
What is round tripping?
Round tripping has several meanings. In finance, it refers to money that leaves the country, often routed to the diaspora, making its way back to the country in the form of foreign direct investment. It also refers to a company that sells an unused asset to another company, while agreeing to buy it or a similar asset at the same price. This is also referred to as Lazy Susans. In technology round tripping refers to the repeated conversion of a document from one format to another – for instance, a rich text format to a doc format and so on. This sort of round tripping may affect the quality of the content.
What is creative capitalism?
It is a new idea that aims to achieve both the goals of generating profits as well as solving the problem of inequality between the rich and poor by using market forces in a better way. Several companies around the world have adopted this concept by integrating philanthropic motives with product development, and treating the poor as a new class of customers. It involves a systematic approach to research, product design, distribution, partnership and profit models to help this new class of customers which businesses have traditionally ignored. .
What is the kit-cat club?
Kit-Cat Club was London's political and literary club, active between 1700 and 1720. The four dozen members included leading Whig politicians and London's best young writers. Among them were Charles Seymour, the sixth duke of Somerset; Sir Robert Walpole; Thomas Pelham-Holles, the duke of Newcastle; William Congreve; Joseph Addison; Sir Richard Steele; and Sir Godfrey Kneller, who did portraits of the members. The club was the centre of opposition during Queen Anne's Tory ministry (1710-14).
What is the captcha project?
CAPTCHA refers to a category of information technologies used to ensure that a human rather than a computer is making an online transaction. It is an acronym for Completely Automated Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart and patented by Carnegie Mellon University It is a challengeresponse test used in computing to determine whether the user is a human. A typical CAPTCHA requires a user to type the letters of a distorted image, sometimes with the addition of an obscured sequence of letters or digits that appear on the user's screen. The origin of the CAPTCHAs was to counter the characteristics of software agents (bots) that automatically fill up web forms as individual users.
What is a false vacuum?
False vacuum and true vacuum form a metastable system. Metastable state is a state which does not change with time but is susceptible to falling into lower-energy states with only slight interaction. It is analogous to being at the bottom of a small valley when there is a deeper valley close by. True vacuum is the name applied to a condition of the true lowest energy state of the vacuum. False vacuum refers to a condition with an elevated vacuum energy density. The two conditions are separated by some energy barrier — which is why they form a metastable system. If the current universe is in a state of false vacuum, it is conceivable that some experiment would concentrate enough energy into a small enough place to coax the vacuum over the energy barrier and into the true vacuum state. This could perhaps be catastrophic.
What is dissociative identity disorder?
Dissociative Identity Disorder is defined as the occurrence of two or more personalities within the same individual, each of which, during some time in the person's life, is able to take control. This is not often a mentally healthy thing when the personalities vie for control. It's also known as multiple personality disorder (MPD). In 1994, the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-IV replaced the acronym MPD with dissociative identity disorder (DID).
Why does the moon appear upside down in the southern hemisphere?
The moon orbits near the equator of the Earth. In the southern hemisphere, we are standing at the opposite side of the globe, from a person who is standing in the northern hemisphere. So, we are literally standing upside down with relation to the person at the other end. We, therefore, see the moon from a completely different vantage point. So, if a man sees the moon crescent facing up in the northern hemisphere, it'll appear upside down to a person in the southern hemisphere.
Which is the world's hottest pepper?
The bhut jolokia variety which grows in north-eastern India, was given a rating of 8,55,000 Scoville heat units by Ritesh Mathur and his colleagues at the Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior. They reported their finding in an August 2000 issue of Current Science. The scientists tested a Tezpur variety of the bhut, or Capsicum Frutescens var. (botanists know it as Nagahari). The Guinness Book of World Records recently certified the bhut jolokia as the world's hottest chilli pepper. The chilli probably gets its name owing to its demonic bite — bhut means ghost and jolokia means chilli. A single seed of the bhut can cause intense spicy sensations in the mouth for up to 30 minutes. Smeared on fences, they are also employed to scare off wild elephants.
What is iceland's hdi ranking?
With a ranking of 0.968, Iceland had the highest Human Development Index (HDI) ranking in 2007. The HDI ranking takes into consideration a country's life expectancy literacy educational attainment and GDP per capita. Currently though, Iceland's top-ranking status is rather ironic, considering the global financial crisis has almost wiped out its economy and the country is virtually bankrupt.
What is the aufbau principle?
The Aufbau Principle states that in the ground state of an atom, an electron enters the orbital with lowest energy first and subsequent electrons are fed in the order of increasing energies. The word 'aufbau' in German means 'building up Here, it refers to the filling up of orbitals with electrons.
What is chargafts rule of base equivalence?
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material found in the chromosomes of all animals and plants. It is made up of only four types of organic nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). Of these, A and G are the purines and T and C are the pyrimidines. Chargaff gave the base pairing rule or the rule of base equivalence which states that only one purine can combine with one. pyrimidine. That means A can combine with T and G with C. Two purines or two pyrimidines cannot combine with each other; if they do so, there will be a sudden change in the characteristic of an organism. This sudden change is called mutation.
Who are neo consumers?
The NEO consumers are new highvalue consumers of the new economic order (NEO). It is a newly emerging segment of customers from all age groups, ethnicities, income bands, locations and have high propensity to spend their income on disposable goods, NEO consumers are valuable as they consume constantly and favour a sense of investment, discretionary choices and value-added services. They seek rich information and authenticity; are motivated by choice, options and quality; sceptical about whether deals and discounts will deliver to their expectations; loyal to brands that understand them and comfortable with calculated risk.
What is pansori?
Pansori is a folk art which has lasted since the 17th century in Korea. Singers sing and gesture according to the beats of the traditional Korean drum, tambour. Pansori consists of 12 episodes and is based on classical literature. It typically takes a few hours to complete a Pansori performance. Most young Koreans don't go see to see it now. It is aired on television on traditional Korean holidays like the lunar new year day and Korean thanksgiving day called 'Chuseok'.
What is skinflation?
It refers to the increase in marketing of beauty products, which use scientific jargon that confuses consumers. Such marketing works on the premise that using words that sound scientific may be considered more effective by the consumer, and help justify high prices.
What are auroras?
The beautiful patterns of green and blue lights that occur in the atmosphere of the polar region are known as auroras. Although there are several mythological stories related to auroras, in 1716, perhaps the first scientific research on auroras began in Europe. They occur in the mesosphere, which is present about 50 to 80 miles above sea level. They are known as Aurora Borealis or northern lights, and Aurora Australis or the southern lights, in northern and southern hemisphere respectively. Auroras are natural phenomena and occur when a flow of charged particles from the sun (called solar wind) collide with air molecules in the atmosphere. lonization takes place and this produces coloured light. Although such collisions only take place near magnetic poles of the Earth, auroras are also visible in mid-latitude regions in case of intense solar activity.
What is love bombing?
Whenever an individual or a group of individuals overtly convey to another individual or group their concern and affection frequently, consistently and profusely, then the former is said to be love bombing the latter. There is a controversy on whether love bombing indicates genuine affection. Love bombing is said to be practised by members of several religious organizations and cults. Critics of cults feel that love bombing is a ploy to lure recruits. Members of Unification Church, where the above term was said to have originated, oppose this view. According to them, love bombing involves giving a lot of positive attention, thereby fulfilling the basic human need for self-esteem and love.
What are the speeds of diesel and electric locomotive engines?
Diesel locomotive engines are classified as diesel-mechanical (DM), diesel-electric (DE) and diesel-hydraulic (DH) engines. DM engines run at an average speed of 60 kmph, while DE engines travel at an average speed of 80 kmph, also the average speed of an electric engine. The DH engines are heavy-duty ones and maintain an average speed of 120 kmph.
Who is capeta?
It's a sport anime about cart racing. Capeta is a 10-year-old boy with a single-parent. His father works for a paving company. While working on a go-karting track, his father gets broken pieces out of a trash pile and cobbles together a kart. A determined Capeta masters the mangled kart and impresses the manager of a racing team, who helps him gain entry into the world of racing, secretly as a rival to her son.
What is pork barrel politics and why is it called so?
Pork barrel politics refers to government spending intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for his or her political support, either in the form of campaign contribution or votes. Typically, it involves funding for government programmes whose economic or service benefits are concentrated in a particular area but whose costs are spread among all taxpayers. Public projects and agricultural subsidies are the common examples. This has been associated with US politics, where legislators seek to base military or transport facilities, and government agencies, in their constituency. Pork barrel originally referred to American slaves' rushed attempts to obtain some of the pork given to them as a group in large barrels. Electoral prospects, especially for Congressmen, often depended on how much pork they could divert to their home district.
What is a koan?
A koan is a story dialogue, question or statement used in the practice of Zen Buddhism. It contains aspects that are generally inaccessible to normal or logical understanding, but which are be accessible at a spiritual level. Koans originate in the sayings and doings of sages, holy persons and legendary figures who are usually teachers subscribing to Buddhism.
What is the oera linda?
The Oera Linda Book is an ancient manuscript that was discovered in the Netherlands in the 19th century It is allegedly several thousand years old. The book tells of the destruction of Atlantis in 2194 BC, and the subsequent history of the Frisian people. The book was forgotten until 1977, when ancient mysteries writer Robert Scrutton wrote a lengthy commentary and introduction for an abridged edition of the Oera Linda Book. Entitled 'The Other Atlantis', it was an instant bestseller.
Who is a stealth shopper?
A stealth shopper is a person who shops secretly to avoid flaunting wealth or to hide expenses from a spouse.
How was the first world map drawn?
The first world map was chis elled on a clay tablet in ancient Babylon in 6 BC. The first reasonably accurate world map was drawn by hand on paper by Gerardus Mercator, a Flemish geographer. His first world map was produced in 1538 and improved upon in 1585.
What is the meaning of 'go over like a lead balloon'?
The correct phrase in English is 'It went down like a lead balloon'. It means it dropped straight to the floor, or was a disaster. The phrase 'Go over like a lead balloon' means to fail completely or to go over badly and be considered a flop. It is the US version of the original phrase.
What is a black forest dress?
Black Forest or Schwarzwald is a thickly wooded mountainous region in southwest Germany, extending over 4,600 square miles. Three neighbouring parishes — Gutach, Wolfach-Kirnbach, and Hornberg-Reichenbach of Black Forest — are'known for their women's traditional costumes known as the 'Black Forest dress' worn on special occasions.
What is a wedsite?
It is a website where a couple posts information about their upcoming or recent wedding. After the wedding, pictures and posts are uploaded; it could also be interactive. It is a relatively new concept and includes information as to how the couple met, invitations to friends and relatives, wedding clothes of the bride and groom, the 'wedding album' photo gallery and blogs related to preand post wedding events.
What is an amap?
An aMap (argument map) is a visual representation of the structure of an argument in informal logic. It includes the components of an argument such as the main contention, premises, objections and rebuttals. The techniques were first presented by Facione and Facione in 'Thinking and Reasoning in Human Decision Making: The Method of Argument and Heuristic Analysis'.
Why are the emmy awards so called?
The Emmy Awards were instituted,by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) as a television equivalent for me Academy Awards for films. Thename 'Emmy' is the feminization of 'Inuny' — the nickname for the image of the orthicon camera tube that led to the development of television.
What's unique about the art cologne fair?
Art Cologne is an art fair held annually in Cologne, Germany It is Germany's leading art fair and was established in 1967. It bills itself as the 'world's oldest art fair' although the 57th Street Art Fair was founded in 1948, almost two decades earlier.
What is stevenson's screen?
Stevenson's Screen is a wooden box fitted into a steel frame, specially designed to protect weather instruments like thermometer, barometer, etc. from the sun's rays and other natural heat radiation. British civil engineer Thomas Stevenson designed the first Stevenson's Screen in 1818.
Why don't oceans dry up?
It is estimated oceans hold about 97.5% of the total water available on the earth. While the oceans constantly lose water through evaporation by sunlight and wind, at the same time they receive water through rivers, underground channels and rainfall. The loss and gain is almost the same.
Apart from nice, where is the 'lemon festival' celebrated?
The 'Lemon Festival' is also celebrated in Goleta Valley in California, where lemon farming is an important agricultural activity.
Where is the annual ice festival in china held?
The annual Ice Festival is held in Harbin, northern China, and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province. Harbin is known for its very cold winters. The month-long festival starts on January 5. Harbin's festival is one of the world's four largest Ice and Snow Festivals, along with Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada's Quebec City Winter Carnival and Norway's Ski Festival.
What are stoas?
Stoas in ancient Greek architecture are covered walkways or porticos meant for public use. Some of the famous stoas are Stoa Poikile, Stoa of Attalos, Stoa Basileios (Royal Stoa).
What is a toxic wife?
A toxic wife is one who quits her job after marriage to supposedly take care of the home and raise children, but instead hires an army of domestic help. While this gives her time to spend extravagantly, it burdens the husband. It's been reported in the UK that many such women have divorced their spouses, who lost their jobs and money in the recent downturn.
Who owns antarctica and its resources?
Antarctica is considered politically neutral and is owned by no nation. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 sets aside the continent as a scientific preserve, established freedom of scientific investigation, envi ronmental protection, and banned military activity on that continent. An Act called The Madrid Protocol bans all mining activities in Antarctica, designating the continent as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science.
Who are carpet-baggers?
Newcomers who enter a territory seeking success are called carpet-baggers. This term originated from ambitious northerners in the US who flocked to the post-Civil War South, carrying their possessions in a handbag made of carpet material. They sought opportunities to help newly-enfranchised Black citizens run for political office.
What is hillwalking?
In the UK, hillwalking is to walk up the hills and mountains without the planned use of a climbing rope or other climbing aids. Outside the UK, it is usually referred to as trekking, but the principles are the same and the necessary skills similar.
What is helicopter parenting?
It's a colloquial term that refers to a style of parenting, which involves paying extremely close attention to children. It's also called over parenting. It gets its name from the fact that parents hover over children like a helicopter
What is defty?
Almost every institutional investor and offshore fund enterprise with equity exposure in India would like to have an instrument for measuring returns on their equity investment in terms of dollars. To facilitate this, a new index the S&P CNX Defty, a dollar-denominated S&P CNX Nifty has been developed. S&P CNX Defty is S&P CNX Nifty, measured in dollars. It provides an effective tool for hedging Indian equity exposure.
What is the law of parsimony?
The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. The principle is often expressed in Latin as the Lex Parsimoniae (law of parsimony or law of succinctness).
How many types of wines are produced in the world?
Wines of all types can be classified by either the primary grape variety or the region where the grapes are grown. Even within types of wines, there is a great variety of flavour and texture because the climate varies in different regions. The two major categories are red and white.
What is vigenere cipher?
It is a technique for encrypting messages consisting of only text, and no special characters or numeric digits. It is derived from a much simpler and one of the oldest known encryption systems called Caesar cipher.
What is the keynesian prescription?
The Keynesian prescription was a tool employed by John Maynard Keynes to show that in times of depression it is up to the government to step in where dispirited businesses will not and spend money through fiscal policy on anything that will get the unemployed back to work. Fiscal policy refers to instruments (public expenditure) by which a government tries to regulate the economy.
What is a black corner notice?
A Black Corner Notice is one of the seven major types of notices issued by the Interpol to its member countries to share information related to criminal investigation. Six of these are known by the colour in which the mterpol logo is printed, different colours denoting notices carrymg different types of information. The Black Corner Notice contains information related to unidentified dead bodies, specifically those related to individuals suspected to have died while using a false identity.
What is isinglass?
Isinglass, which is called so because of its glass-like translucency, refers to thin sheets of mica. It's used as peepholes in boilers and lanterns. It was preferred over glass because it would not splinter on breaking due to extreme temperature gradients. The name also applies to a collagen derived from the swim bladders of fish, especially the Beluga Sturgeon, used for making desserts and in the clarification of wines and beers. Isinglass is also the name of a famous British thoroughbred racehorse that won an English Triple Crown.
Who was the zodiac killer?
The Zodiac killer was a serial killer in California, supposedly responsible for five murders and two failed attempts that took place from 1968 to 1969. He created a sensation and a scare by publishing letters in newspapers with Zodiac as his pen name. In his letters, he used to claim responsibility for murders that had taken place and would disclose his plans for future murders.
About the Author
Dr. Ashok Kumar Sharma, M.A.(History); Certificate in Taxidermy(Madras); Certifate in Library Science (TOPPER-ML Sukhadia Uni. Udaipur,(Rajasthan) INDIA. Hobby: Cricket; Postal Stamp Collection and Collection of Quotations since 1981.
US $4.72
![American Ruins by Camilo Jose Vergara Hardcover]](http://www.historicstrolls.net/images/e/200709780358_0.jpg)