twistedveins-

2011-09-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

History of Bis coctum - Biscuits

The biscuit is one of the India's favorite brands, which comes from the Latin word bis coctum. The word bis coctum means, “twice baked”. The biscuit company was started in the year of 1892 in Calcutta (Kolkata), and the company started with an initial investment of Rs. 295. Today we all know the company named as Britannia today.

The beginning might be humble dreams. But in 1912, with the arrival of electricity, Britannia became the first company of the east of Suez Canal. As an outcome, during the disastrous World War II, the Government repose its hope in Britannia by constricting it to deliver huge quantities of "service biscuits" to the armed forces.

In 1975, the Britannia Biscuit Company took over the delivery of biscuits from Parry's, who is till now distributing Britannia biscuits in India and in 1978, Indian shareholding crossed up to 60%. The following year, Britannia Biscuit Company was re-christened Britannia Industries Limited (BIL) and the biscuits are also called as cookies and the German people call them as keks. In 1983, The Britannia Industries Limited crossed the amount of Rs. 100 crores revenue mark over the world.

Nowadays, the biscuits can be prepared at home, using the ingredients like taking two cup flour, 4 teaspoon baking powder, one-fourth of margarine and a milk and salt will be added. First mix the dry ingredients and margarine. Then add milk and stir it well, and make smooth dough from it and roll out 3/4" thick circles. Then at last cut it with a biscuit cutter and bake it in an oven with a degree of 450 for 10 to 15 minutes.

2009-08-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

Thermostats

Mercury thermostats use mercury tilt switches to sense and control room temperature through communication with heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. A mercury thermostat may contain one or more switches, depending on how many heating and cooling systems it activates.

The Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA), provides a fact sheet with information on the use of mercury in thermostats, including the amount of mercury used in thermostats in the US, non-mercury alternatives, and collection and recycling programs.

Mercury thermostats are unlikely to break or leak mercury while is use, but they need to be properly disposed of when being replaced. If a mercury thermostat is being replaced by a household occupant rather than by a heating and air conditioning professional, the old thermostat should be disposed of by taking it to a state or local household hazardous waste collection center for recycling. For information about these programs, contact your local collection program to find out whether you can drop your old thermostats off any time or whether you should wait for the next collection effort in your area. You can also use earth911.com to find collection programs in your area -- just type in "thermostat" or "mercury" and your zip code to get a list of programs that accept mercury-containing thermostats.

2009-07-19T23:54:00.001-07:00

Invasive Species

Invasive species means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Invasive species are one of the largest threats to our terrestrial, coastal and freshwater ecosystems, as well as being a major global concern. Invasive species can affect aquatic ecosystems directly or by affecting the land in ways that harm aquatic ecosystems. Invasive species represent the second leading cause of species extinction and loss of biodiversity in aquatic environments worldwide. They also result in considerable economic effects through direct economic losses and management/control costs, while dramatically altering ecosystems supporting commercial and recreational activities. Effects on aquatic ecosystems result in decreased native populations, modified water tables, changes in run-off dynamics and fire frequency, among other alterations. These ecological changes in turn impact many recreational and commercial activities dependent on aquatic ecosystems. Common sources of aquatic invasive species introduction include ballast water, aquaculture escapes, and accidental and/or intentional introductions, among others.

2009-07-09T00:05:00.002-07:00

Genetically Engineered Mice shows Clues to blow away Cancer

Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. That’s the conclusion of a recent study in DNA Repair by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the New York University School of Medicine (NYUSM).

Although all cells need oxygen to survive, the element also can be stressful to cells and their components—particularly DNA—as part of “reactive species” in the environment, such as free radicals and peroxides. The damage levied on DNA by these compounds can include lesions, breaks, cross-links and deletions—errors in our normal genetic codes that, if left unchecked, may accelerate the aging process and increase susceptibility to several disease states. In humans, DNA repair genes produce enzymes called DNA glycosylases that excise sections of DNA strands already modified by oxidative stress, and thus protect the genetic material.

One of these repair genes, neil1, was identified and characterized in 2002 by Sankar Mitra and his team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in collaboration with NIST researchers Miral Dizdaroglu and Pawel Jaruga. The gene produces a DNA repair protein, NEIL1 that is nearly identical in humans and mice. Therefore, a mouse serves a perfect model for studying the biological function of the neil1 gene in both species. The researchers state that their results emphasize the role of DNA repair in preventing carcinogenesis. The work may lead to the development of new measurement methods and reference materials for accurate and reproducible assessments of DNA damage and repair and contribute to understanding the role of oxidatively induced DNA damage and its repair in carcinogenesis. Future studies will focus on the role of NEIL1 in disease processes.

2009-07-06T04:20:00.001-07:00

Eco tourism

Eco tourism is more than a catch phrase for nature loving travel and recreation. Eco tourism is consecrated for preserving and sustaining the diversity of the world's natural and cultural environments. It accommodates and entertains visitors in a way that is minimally intrusive or destructive to the environment and sustains & supports the native cultures in the locations it is operating in. Responsibility of both travelers and service providers is the genuine meaning for Eco tourism.

Eco tourism also endeavors to encourage and support the diversity of local economies for which the tourism-related income is important. With support from tourists, local services and producers can compete with larger, foreign companies and local families can support themselves. Besides all these, the revenue produced from tourism helps and encourages governments to fund conservation projects and training programs.

Saving the environment around you and preserving the natural luxuries and forest life, that's what Eco tourism is all about. Whether it's about a nature camp or organizing trekking trips towards the unspoiled and inaccessible regions, one should always keep in mind not to create any mishap or disturbance in the life cycle of nature.

2009-06-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

The story of ice cream

Ice cream has a long history as a well-liked dairy food item. It has developed from a manually manufactured household product to a much automated industrial product.

The birth of ice cream can be marked back to at least the 4th century B.C. In the past the Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37-68) ordered ice to be brought from the mountains and mixed with fruit toppings, and King Tang (A.D. 618-97) of Shang, China who had a method of creating ice and milk drink. Ice cream was likely brought from China back to Europe.

After the dessert was brought to the United States, it was favorite several famous Americans. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson served it to their guests. In 1700, Governor Bladen of Maryland was recorded as having served it to his guests. In 1774, a London caterer named Philip Lenzi announced in a New York newspaper that he would be offering for sale various confections, including ice cream. Dolly Madison served it in 1812.

2009-06-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

THE STORY OF EVOLUTION OF CAR'S

Quite a lot of Italians documented designs for wind driven vehicles. The first was Guido da Vigevano in 1335. It was a windmill sort drive to gears and has wheels. Vaturio designed a related vehicle which was also never built. Later Leonardo da Vinci designed clockwork driven tricycle with wheel steering and a gap mechanism between the rear wheels.

A Catholic priest, Father Ferdinand Verbiest has been said to have designed a steam powered vehicle for the Chinese Emperor Chien Lung in about 1678. There is no information about the vehicle, only the event. Thomas Newcomen builds his first steam engine in 1712 this was possibly a model vehicle powered by a mechanism like Hero's steam engine, a spinning wheel with jets on the edge. Newcomen's engine had a cylinder and a piston and was the first of this kind, and it used steam as a condensing agent to form a vacuum and with an overhead walking beam, pull on a rod to lift water. The steam was not under pressure, just an open boiler piped to the cylinder. It used the same vacuum principle that Thomas Savery had patented to lift water directly with the vacuum, which would have limited his pump to less than 32 feet of lift. In 1765 James Watt developed the first pressurized steam engine which proved to be much well-organized than the Newcomen engine.

The first vehicle to move under its own power was designed by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot and constructed by M. Brezin in 1769. A second unit was built in 1770 which weighed 8000 pounds and had a speed on 2 miles per hour and on the cobble stone streets of Paris this was probably as fast as anyone wanted to go it.

2009-03-19T02:21:00.000-07:00

Mercedes-Benz launches its M-Class Model in Hyderabad

Mercedes-Benz India on Monday launched its popular SUV the M-Class Model in the city. The new M-Class is available in two engine choices: the ML 320 CDI (featuring a high-torque diesel engine) and the ML 350 (powered by a high output gaso line engine).

Talking to media persons here Mr Suhas Kadlaskar, Director, Corporate Affairs of Mercedes-Benz India, said that "The new M-Class offers best of both the worlds the highest levels of luxury, comfort and on-road refinement combined with excellent off-road capabilities and best-in-class safety standards''.

We have maintained the same price for this product despite significant enhancements of equipment, features and performance, thus making the best value for money offering in this segment,'' he added. The new car ML 350 is priced at Rs 53.77 lakhs, ex-show room Mumbai and ML 320 CDI is priced at Rs 54 lakhs, ex-showroom Mumbai.

The New M-Class offers a high-level of on road refinement. It presents a state-of-the art 7-speed automatic transmission (7G-TRONIC), a height adjustable air suspension (AIRMATIC), an Exterior Sports Package featuring 19 inch alloy wheels, and available luxurious leather interior with burr walnut accents.

The M-Class offers excellent off-road capabilities. It features the famous 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive system with a start-off assist & a Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR), Mr Kadlaskar said.

source : http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/02161960.htm

2009-02-25T00:55:00.000-08:00

Indian schools deploy virtual desktops to cut costs

Schools in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have deployed NComputing virtual desktops technology, which distributes the power of a PC across a number of users.

The project, commissioned in November, aimed to bring computer training and e-learning to 5,000 government schools with 1.8 million students. Four months later, the schools have each been equipped with a computer lab with the hardware and software, trained instructors and a reliable power supply, NComputing said on Monday.

PCs currently in the market are so powerful that the vast majority of students only use a small fraction of the computer's capacity, according to the company. Its strategy is to utilize the excess capacity in a PC by sharing it among a number of users. As the client device is not the PC, but a monitor with keyboard and mouse, the economics of delivering computing to users changes dramatically, according to the company.

NComputing said in October that it would be using a version of its technology that would be priced at US$70 per seat, and in addition provide savings in electricity costs. A full deployment including shared cost of the computer, monitor, keyboard and peripherals cost would be closer to $200.

The systems run on the Microsoft Windows Server operating system and use Microsoft's Office Suite.

A number of technology companies including Intel and the One Laptop Per Child association are targeting specialized products at price-sensitive emerging markets.

The Indian government has said it has a prototype of a low-cost access and computing device for education purposes that can run the office suite from OpenOffice.org, besides offering users the ability to do browsing. The device, whose full specifications are still not available, is likely to be priced initially at $20 to $30, with plans to bring the price down to $10 at high volumes, an official in India's Department of Higher Education said earlier this month.

NComputing said it is working with nearly 15 states in India to pilot or implement its virtual desktop computing technologies.

source:http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/022309-indian-schools-deploy-virtual-desktops.html

2009-02-17T22:11:00.000-08:00

paidContent.org - Why Digital Music Companies And The Labels Have So Much Trouble Getting Along

YouTube and Sony (NYSE: SNE) Music Entertainment reached an agreement last week on a music-sharing deal, providing a welcome break from the nasty back and forth between Warner Music and the video behemoth over their collapsed deal. The Sony/YouTube agreement will provide music videos for all to see and presumably will make money for both parties. So why aren't the labels and digital startups (not just YouTube, but others as well) inking more deals? The answer lies in how the deals are usually structured and the way that the two sides approach the negotiating table. (I know a little bit about this subject, having founded a music company and been involved in negotiating sessions over the same types of rights.)

First, the details of the deals, which for the past few years have consisted of the following terms:

The digital company makes large upfront payments to the label (aka advances)?millions of dollars in the case of a company the size of YouTube?that are recouped as revenue from ads sold on the streams.

?The record label receives a penny for every stream whether or not advertising is sold on the content. Recently I've heard that this has fallen to an eighth of a cent because of the economy.

?If advertising is sold on the content, the two parties split the revenue 50/50 after the original penny a stream is paid to the label.

More after the jump...

To understand the implications of these terms for closing deals, consider the penny-per-stream component. It amounts to $10 per 1,000 streams, or a $10 CPM. This means that before the digital company makes any money on advertising it would have to pay the first $10 of the ultimate CPM to the labels, then split what's left 50/50. So, if YouTube were to sell a $20 CPM pre-roll on a music video, it would give the first $10 to the label then keep $5 of the remaining money. That's $15 to the label and $5 to YouTube, or an effective CPM of $5 on a pre-roll ad. That's not going to leave YouTube rolling in revenue, never mind profits. Throw in the fact that it has to pay millions of dollars upfront, and you can see why these talks are so strained.

Then, there is the mindset of each side in the negotiations.

Record labels point to their past negotiations with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) as a mistake they don't want to make again. When Steve Jobs created iTunes he forced the labels to sell their music one song at a time, compensating the labels with 70 percent of the revenue. Seems reasonable, but, as many people know, Apple stock soared to new heights, while label stocks tanked amid the tidal wave of digital music and piracy. This time the labels are making sure they get paid more handsomely. Also driving the labels' negotiating position is that they put a lot of resources into their artists?and take sizable risks on them?but just one in 10 succeed. So they expect guaranteed payments, and healthy returns, from the digital deals on the artists who do succeed. Otherwise, digital companies could simply sit back and cherry pick the best artists at great prices, monetizing their business while labels take all the development risk. Digital companies, meanwhile, believe the labels kill dynamic businesses through greed and a lack of sophistication. On his company's earnings call last week, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser blamed them for "stifling innovation." Jason Herskowitz of the recently shuttered Total Music, a mobile music site funded by the labels, had this to say on his blog last week: "All of the famished participants have to sit at the table?and be content to let all the others have a little bit to eat, even though they are still hungry themselves."

YouTube will probably reach deals with at least two other labels (Warner remains a question mark). But more broadly, the labels and digital startups don't seem to know how to get along. Meanwhile, each side is considering alternative business models that don't depend on the other for success. Digital businesses like YouTube are focusing more on original programming and webisodes rather than music videos, even though music videos remain the most-watched content on the site. Record labels have been discussing creating their own "Hulu-Style" online video site, but have themselves been involved in difficult negotiations about how to divvy up that pie.

Explaining why these talks are so tortured is one thing?finding a solution that satisfies both parties is another. But there are things that each side could do to break this logjam. In a follow-up piece next week, I'll explore some of them.

source:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021701753.html

2009-02-05T23:23:00.000-08:00

UNITED STATES: Obama's strategy shapes stimulus debate

The House of Representatives last week passed an 819 billion dollar economic stimulus bill, which was notable for the unusually partisan character of the vote: the entire Republican caucus opposed it, while all but eleven Democrats voted in favor. The Senate is now debating its own version of the bill, which has swelled to over 900 billion dollars. In theory, the Republicans have the votes to filibuster the package. In practice, the administration is in a strong position to secure its objectives.

Weak Senate opposition. Republican opposition in the Senate is potentially a more serious danger to President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan than in the House, where the minority has little leverage. Senate rules allow a disciplined opposition to effectively block ('filibuster') legislation if it can deny the majority the 60 votes (out of 100) necessary to secure 'cloture' and end debate. However, Senate Republican leaders have not threatened to engage in such tactics -- nor are they likely to do so in the coming weeks, for several reasons:

Obama's intimidating popularity. Most Republican senators do no favor outright obstruction, due to the president's unusually strong approval ratings (65%, according to the latest Gallup reading). The public image of the Republican party also remains very negative.

Lack of unity. Republican leaders doubt whether they can achieve the unity necessary to block the bill in the Senate. The party holds just 41 seats in the chamber, and would need both iron discipline and defections from the Democratic side to have a plausible chance of success. Given that at least ten Republicans favor some sort of stimulus measure, an attempt to block the bill might turn into an embarrassing debacle.

Republican stimulus sympathy. Indeed, many more Senate Republicans would back the bill, provided that more of it were devoted to immediate economic relief (especially in the form of tax cuts and aid to the housing sector) and some extraneous spending items were stripped out.

Bargaining with Obama. Therefore, Senate Republicans are simply testing the concessions that the White House would be willing to make, in order for Obama to secure his stimulus package quickly and plausibly claim it enjoyed 'bipartisan' support. If he achieves these objectives, the president would be able to begin work on the rest of his domestic agenda while he is still in his political 'honeymoon' period. Republican leaders calculate that Obama is more open to their attempts to shape the stimulus package, for these reasons, than many of their Democratic counterparts in the Senate.

This assumption is almost certainly correct, as the White House is likely to accept amendments that:

provide additional tax concessions to the business community;

boost the housing sector (in the form of a 15,000 tax credit for all new home purchases);

water-down 'buy-American' provisions that would restrict government purchases in many areas to 'US products' -- possibly leading to tensions with US trading partners; and

eliminate some provisions in the House version of the bill that smack of 'pork barrel' spending (eg political patronage spending in the districts of influential House members).

If such minor concessions are forthcoming, the likely result would be a Senate bill larger that the president's highly flexible 'limit' of 850 billion dollars (probably approximately 900 billion to 1.0 trillion dollars) which would largely dictate the final shape of the package approved by the House-Senate conference committee. The majority of Senate Republicans would still vote against a bill in this form, but enough would support it to allow for its relatively swift passage this month.

sources:http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/05/news/05oxan-stim.php

2009-01-29T23:07:00.000-08:00

Rumor: App Store Plus to offer premium content

Rumors are swirling about Apple partnering with game manufacturers to provide premium content via the App Store, but as usual, everyone's staying mum on the details.

With the App Store filling up so fast and furiously, there have long been rumors floating around regarding a more exclusive sales venue for high-end software sales. The latest rumor comes courtesy of Pocket Gamer, suggesting that Apple might invite developers like EA Mobile and Gameloft into an exclusive arena where they could sell games for $19.99 each. Of course, as is the norm with such rumors, Apple, EA Mobile, and Gameloft all refused to comment on the speculation.

A premium App Store, an "App Store Plus" if you will, does make sense on a certain level, and yet the iTunes Store has done just fine with a single storefront augmented by targeted sales campaigns. A simple visit to the App Store shows how effectively the current system already works at catching the shopper's eye and funneling buyers to the proper areas. Banner ads already promote software and a "new and noteworthy" section brings discovery into the equation. At best, an App Store Plus might work as a boutique sub-page, showcasing a select collection of the best iPhone applications available.

The suggested $19.99 price point is not out of line when compared to other handheld gaming systems, but seems a little high when contrasted against the $7.99 SEGA Super Monkey Ball gold standard. Super Monkey Ball, which debuted at $9.99, reached its current price point in December. Electronic Arts' Spore Origins currently retails for $5.99 and SimCity goes for $7.99.

Price labels, or at least the lack thereof, represent the biggest difference between the iTunes Store front page and the App Store front page. Unlike the iTunes Store front page, which brandishes its yellow-colored price points and sales, the App Store remains distinctly empty of any cost information. You can see that in the two screen shots in the image on this post. There doesn't seem to be a sales point to advertise because the market is still searching for the application "standard". Without that standard, it's hard to put your application on sale. Can a $4.99 app be "on sale" when most units are retailing for $0.99 or $1.99?

The App Store is just six months old. Developers are still exploring pricing structures and trying to balance sales against application sustainability. The idea of a premium App Store distribution channel makes sense in terms of promoting high-quality products, but there's simply no data out there beyond unfounded rumor as to when Apple might introduce it, how it might do so, and how much Apple would charge consumers to buy in.

source:http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/01/rumor-app-store-plus-to-offer-premium-content.ars

2009-01-24T02:15:00.000-08:00

Tourism will erase North Surigao from list of 10 poorest provinces---PGMA

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the development of the tourism assets of Surigao del Norte is the key factor to the province’s economic progress and eventual graduation from the list of the 10 poorest provinces in the country.

The Arroyo administration’s Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (2004-2010) stated that the tourism sector‘s “primary importance in poverty alleviation lies in its potential to generate millions of jobs for various groups of people.”

“Tourism is the best source of employment…from the most skilled to the least skilled, there is an employment opportunity…” the President said when she was in Siargao Island last Wednesday (April 16).

Thus, the President pledged to help rural areas such as Siargao Island, which is part of Surigao del Norte, to develop their natural resource endowments through support infrastructure, such as airports and roads to make the tourist destinations more accessible.

Tourism is a very complex industry encompassing a wide range of economic activities in every tourist destination in the country, and involves a substantial amount of investments—a reason why it is recognized as a major contributor to the generation of foreign exchange earnings, investments, and revenues, and to the total growth of the country’s output. It also creates human resource-intensive jobs.

Over the years, the Philippine tourism industry has been playing a key role in promoting mutual understanding among nations, and as an instrument of national and economic development through poverty alleviation and conservation of fragile natural and cultural resources.

Tourism can directly and indirectly contribute to employment creation in the country: direct employment in hotels, restaurants (food and beverage sector), retail trade (souvenir sales), nightclubs, transport, sports, and entertainment establishments, travel agencies, tour operators;

Indirect employment, on the other hand, occurs through the supply of goods and services needed by tourism-related businesses like the suppliers and makers of souvenirs, and from professions such as consultancies, lawyering and tax accountancy.

Here in the Philippines, its share in total employment is likewise increasing said Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

These jobs include enterprises within the industry, mostly in micro, small and medium enterprises that the Arroyo administration projected to reach one million in net additional employment from the tourism sector.

Thus, the President is banking on the full development of the tourism assets of Surigao del Norte for the province to finally achieve economic progress.

For a start, she has invited Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to fly directly from Manila to Siargao, the province’s tropical paradise endowed with white powdery sand, underground caves, game fishing spots and surfing havens.

She has also released some P10 million for the water system in the island as well as the concreting of roads leading to the province’s tourist attractions.

2009-01-15T00:52:00.000-08:00

Trichet May Overcome Reluctance to Cut Rates as Slump Deepens

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The European Central Bank will cut interest rates today to counter the deepening recession, even after President Jean-Claude Trichet signaled a reluctance to move this month, a survey of economists shows.

ECB policy makers meeting in Frankfurt will lower the benchmark lending rate by half a percentage point to 2 percent, according to the median of 60 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey. That would match the lowest rate since the ECB took charge of monetary policy in 1999. The bank will reduce the rate to a record low of 1.5 percent in March, another survey shows.

Trichet said last month there’s a limit to how far the ECB can cut rates and has refused to give any signal for January, suggesting he favors a pause. At the same time, data show the economy of the 16 nations sharing the euro is slipping deeper into recession as the global financial crisis hurts exports, damps spending and swells budget deficits across the region.

“There’s no other option but to lower rates further,” said Jacques Cailloux, chief euro-area economist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc in London. While it’s “highly unusual” for Trichet to refrain from signaling a cut, “I’ve reluctantly moved away from paying attention to ECB rhetoric and started to focus more on the economy,” Cailloux said.

The ECB announces its decision at 1:45 p.m. and Trichet holds a press conference 45 minutes later. The ECB is lagging counterparts such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the Swiss central bank, which have reduced borrowing costs aggressively as the world’s largest economies slide simultaneously into recession for the first time since World War II.

Close to Zero

The Bank of England on Jan. 8 cut its main lending rate to 1.5 percent, the lowest since the bank was founded in 1694. The Fed last month lowered its key rate to a target range of zero to 0.25 percent. Japanese and Swiss rates are also close to zero.

The ECB has reduced its benchmark by 175 basis points since early October. Trichet told journalists on Dec. 15 the bank was focused on making sure those reductions flow through to the economy. It wants to avoid being “trapped” with rates that are “too low,” he said. Executive Board member Juergen Stark said on Dec. 10 the scope for further moves was “very limited.”

The faltering economy is pushing up bond yields in Italy, Spain and Greece, making ECB rate cuts less effective.

Standard & Poor’s yesterday lowered Greece’s sovereign credit rating one notch to A-, saying the financial crisis has “exacerbated an underlying loss of competitiveness in the Greek economy.” The ratings of Ireland, Portugal and Spain are also under threat.

‘Original Thinking’

European confidence has plunged to the lowest on record and the unemployment rate rose to 7.8 percent in November, a two-year high. The German economy, Europe’s largest, may have contracted as much as 2 percent in the fourth quarter, the country’s statistics office said yesterday. That would be the biggest slump in more than two decades.

“It was clearly the original thinking to keep rates on hold, but the Governing Council will find it very hard to resist a cut in the face of such extreme economic weakness,” said Julian Callow, chief European economist at Barclays Capital in London. “This meeting is one of the hardest to predict -- they could go 25 basis points, 50 basis points, or keep rates unchanged.”

Some council members have signaled they see leeway to lower borrowing costs further. ECB Vice President Lucas Papademos and council member Vitor Constancio both said this month that lower rates may be warranted if inflation falls too far below 2 percent, the bank’s definition of price stability.

The rate declined to 1.6 percent in December.

‘Too Optimistic’

The ECB last month forecast inflation would average 1.4 percent this year and 1.8 percent next year. It predicted the economy would contract 0.5 percent in 2009 before rebounding to expand 1 percent in 2010.

Those projections are “far too optimistic,” said Cailloux. “The economy could be three to four times weaker than suggested by the ECB last month.”

The shadow ECB council, a group of economists that monitors the central bank, on Jan. 13 called for a full percentage point cut. A worsening recession increases the risk of “excessive disinflation” and this should be as much a concern to the ECB as inflation above its target, the economists said.

Investors expect the ECB to lower the benchmark rate by at least 50 basis points today and to take it to as low as 1.25 percent by June, Eonia forward contracts show.

“Economic activity is falling off a cliff, inflation has crashed through the 2 percent floor of price stability, while unemployment is rising significantly,” the European Trade Union Confederation said in a statement yesterday. Another interest-rate cut is “the only sensible thing” for the ECB to do.

sources:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aFGbmXAXYmOE&refer=europe

2009-01-13T01:09:00.000-08:00

IRAQ

Biden Assures Leaders Of Ongoing U.S. Amity

Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived in Baghdad on Monday for the last leg of a trip that included stops in Pakistan and Afghanistan, battlegrounds the Obama administration will inherit in a week.

Biden met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a staunch U.S. ally, whose office said in a statement that Biden had assured the Iraqis that "Obama and the new administration are Iraq's friends."

The Democratic senator from Delaware, accompanied by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), didn't speak to reporters during his first day in Baghdad, and a spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy said there was no plan to organize a news conference Tuesday.
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The visit occurred on a day when a series of attacks in Baghdad killed at least eight people and wounded more than two dozen, according to Iraqi officials.

In the New Baghdad neighborhood, in southeastern Baghdad, a suspected magnetic bomb detonated under a crane about 7 a.m., residents said. When police officers and others rushed toward the site of the blast, a man in a white sedan drove toward the crowd, jumped out of the vehicle and detonated explosives inside it. Three people were killed, including an Iraqi policeman who tried to prevent the driver of the vehicle from approaching.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military announced Monday that it turned over control of one of its largest bases in Anbar province, in western Iraq, to the Iraqi government. Camp Fallujah is the latest of several large bases the U.S. military has shut down.

more information:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011203352.html

2009-01-09T23:26:00.001-08:00

24: Season 7, First 4 Episodes Review

24 season 7 premieres in a couple of days. It's been long coming. The writers' strike impeded its release into the wild by one full year. Now, finally, FOX is ready to unsheathe Jack Bauer. I have watched the first four hours of 24's seventh season, and I'm here to report that true 24 fans will get the 24 they're used to. The first four hours, interestingly enough, are not as good as the first four hours of season 6 (say what you will about the disappointment of that season, but the first four episodes were great), but one gets the feeling that it's building to bigger and better things. Of course, this could be wishful thinking from a staunch 24 fan. Let's all hope not. I fear that parts of the 24 audience will be underwhelmed by what they see on Sunday and Monday, but I think the episodes are solid enough to warrant continued viewership. FOX certainly hopes so.

Season 7 picks up a couple years after the events of season 6, and a couple of months following the events of 24: Redemption. Jack is brought in front of a senate hearing. He has to answer to accusations of torture. Jack will be indicted, it is clear, but before the proceedings can finish, Jack is summoned by a comely FBI agent to assist in a national crises. I didn't know FBI agents could walk in and interrupt senate hearings with such ease, but I guess we can let it slide.

A rogue, domestic terrorist organization has gained access into the government's infrastructure – roads, traffic lights, air traffic control, the water supply, etc. Early in the episode, we find out that Tony Almeida is the leader of this terrorist organization. Jack is informed of this, and from there, the season gets off and running.

I don't want to give away much else away. Just know that these four episodes feel like a precursor for the events to come, more so than the beginning of previous seasons. There's nothing wrong with this, but viewers looking for crazy action right out of the gate might be disappointed.

One worry, that may permeate throughout the season, is that the plot points unearthed during 24: Redemption threaten to undermine a great deal of the suspense of season 7, especially in these first four episodes. I think 24: Redemption, in this respect, was a mistake, especially how they introduced Jon Voight's character. But, the jury is still out on this.

24 is back. It's not a slam dunk so far, but anyone who enters the season with an open mind will find enough to their liking to stick with it.

source:http://www.buddytv.com/articles/24/24-season-7-first-4-episodes-r-25575.aspx

2009-01-07T04:06:00.000-08:00

Expo: Microsoft to enhance Entourage Exchange, SharePoint on the Mac:

A quarter-century after it began making products for the Mac, Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit announced future updates to Microsoft Office that will enhance collaboration and sharing.

Entourage will get a makeover, at least under the hood. Microsoft will stop using the WebDAV protocol in favor of the Exchange Web Services—a change the company said would bring better compatibility, performance, and reliability. When using WebDAV, Entourage sends out up to six instructions when communicating with a server, but with Exchange it uses one.

The MacBU plans to release the Entourage update in late January as a public beta. The final release will come later this year and will be free for all Office 2008 users.

The second update to Office for Mac will give Mac users the ability to work with SharePoint Products and Technologies and Office Live Workspaces. With the help of a new application called the Document Collaboration Companion, Mac users will be able to download and upload documents, use document check-out/in, offline document caching, and SharePoint Workspace, Document Library, and Office Live Workspace.

Document Collaboration Companion—Microsoft’s first full Cocoa application—will debut as a private beta in February, with a final release slated for later this year.

By switching to the Exchange technology and giving users a collaboration application, Mac users would be able to work with shared documents and servers just as easily as their Windows counterparts, according to Eric Wilfrid, general manager of the MacBU.

“Compatibility has always been one of the biggest concerns for us,” Wilfrid told Macworld. “The question is always can Mac and Windows users work on the same team and share information?”

The moves by Microsoft fit into a strategy at the company to deliver software plus services on all platforms. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talked about the company’s vision last October when he introduced the concept of the “Windows Cloud” as an operating system that would help developers write Internet-based applications. Last year, Microsoft announced plans for Office Web, a lightweight version of its Office suite that will run online; Office Web apps are expected to work with the Safari and Firefox Web browsers.

“These releases are the first step for the MacBU in harnessing the power of software plus services on the Mac,” said Wilfrid.

source:http://www.macworld.com/article/137950/2009/01/officeupdates.html

2008-12-23T00:58:00.000-08:00

Easter

Easter is the oldest Christian festival, as old as Christianity itself. The Central tenet of Christianity is not the birth of Jesus, but his resurrection. Easter derived from this paschal mystery and from the events of Good Friday.

The content of Easter was gradually analysed into historical events and each began to be celebrated on a different day. As a result, Easter grew into a Holy Week and came to have a preparatory season to precede and a festive season to follow. Thus we have four distinct periods in connection with the observance of Easter - 1. Lent, the forty preparatory penitential days. 2. Holy Week including the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 3. the Octave of Easter (classical time for Baptism) and 4. the paschal season or Easter time extending over forty more days. On Holy Thursday the Lord's supper is held in the evening. The washing of feet is a remarkable trait, emphasising the love for one another. At home there will be the rite of the pashcal bread. After supper, the 'cross cake' is brought out and cut into pieces. A piece is broken, dipped into sauce and handed over to each member of the family in due order. Good Friday is a day of grief when churches are empty and dark. Services are held in the afternoon. In most churches one finds a bitter drink prepared from leaves, vinegar, etc for everyone to taste after the service. Holy Saturday is a day of mourning and wailing. A total silence reigns the church from morning to dusk. But by ten at night the church is full to observe the Easter Vigil. In the gloom which envelops the church, new fire is struck from flint and blessed. A big candle is then consecrated and from it is lighted many candled indicating the resurrection. Bells peal, music fills the air and light floods the hall. Hallelujah is the joyous word of Easter wish.Easter Sunday is a quiet day and the celebrations rather spiritual and inward rather than social and showy. There will be grand dinner at homes and visit of relatives.

2008-12-18T02:58:00.001-08:00

General insurance includes:

motor insurance;
household insurance;
some travel insurance (see below for travel insurance we do not regulate);
health cover; and
pet insurance.

2008-12-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

Mandir Shri Nimbark Peeth

Cause of Establishment:To liberate people from the tyrannical practices of a Tantrika Fiquir Masting Shah and to propagate Vaishnava doctrines amongst them.
Brief of the Diety:Shalagram idol of the size of a Gunja (Abrus prectorious grain) representing Shri Sarveshwar Prabhu
Important Architectural Characteristics:Bhati chief of Khejarli Shri Sheoji and Gopal Singh Ji Bhati founded this Peeth following instructions of his holiness Shri Nimbarkacharya Peethadhishwara Shri Parashu Ram-Devacharya Ji. The temple has been so designed that the Deity is visible for Darshan the moment one enters the main gate.A flight of seven steps leads to the main entrance . The wide main gate has two small upraised gates, one on earchside. This is typical of the architectural designs adopted for the main gate of a temple in the 15th century .

2008-12-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

Ivory

Ivory is a white to creamy colored organic substance or mineraloid. It has a hardness of 2-3 and low specific gravity of 1.7-2. The fracture is fibrous and it is opaque to translucent. Ivory can refer to the tusk or teeth of elephant, hippopotamus, narwhal, sea lion, and wild boar. There is a worldwide ban on trade in elephant ivory (since 1989) and US ban since 1994.

2008-11-18T03:04:00.000-08:00

Setting Goals for Weight Loss

There are lots of reasons for people who are overweight or obese to lose weight. To be healthier. To look better. To feel better. To have more energy.

No matter what the reason, successful weight loss and healthy weight management depend on sensible goals and expectations. If you set sensible goals for yourself, chances are you'll be more likely to meet them and have a better chance of keeping the weight off. In fact, losing even five to 10 percent of your weight is the kind of goal that can help improve your health.

Most overweight people should lose weight gradually. For safe and healthy weight loss, try not to exceed a rate of two pounds per week. Sometimes, people with serious health problems associated with obesity may have legitimate reasons for losing weight rapidly. If so, a physician's supervision is required.

2008-11-11T03:44:00.001-08:00

Kodanadu

This is a forest elephant care centre. Here you can see baby elephants rescued from the forests being cared for. Elephants are also trained here. Kodanadu is 15 km from Perumbavoor which is on the Kochi-Munnar route (via Aluva).Art Complex - Madhavan Nair Foundation, Edappally - Located at Edappally, 10 kms north of Ernakulam en route to Alwaye, the complex consists of two units: the Gallery of Paintings and Sculptures, which presents over 200 original paintings by contemporary Indian artists, some of them internationally acclaimed, and works of reputed Indian sculptures. The other unit, the Centre for Visual Arts is reserved for authentic reproductions of selected world masters from Leonardo da Vinci to those of the present century. The centre also exhibits certain larger-than-life mural reproductions of ancient Indian art.

2008-11-05T03:35:00.000-08:00

Fatehpur Sikri

The royal city at Fatehpur Sikri, situated 26 miles west of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, was built under the orders of the great Mughal Emperor Akbar. In honour of saint Shaikh Salim Chisti, Akbar founded a magnificent city on Sikri ridge. In 1571, he ordered the construction of buildings for his own use and asked the noblemen to build houses for themselves.

Within a year, most of the work was finished and within the next few years, a well planned administrative, residential and religious buildings came into existence.

The Jami Mosque was perhaps among the first buildings to come up. Its epigraph gives AH 979 (AD 1571-72) as the date of its completion. The Buland-Darwaza was added some five years later. Among other important buildings are the tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti, Naubat-or Naqqar Khana (drum-house), Taksal (mint), Karkhanas (royal workshop), Khazana (treasury), Hakim's quarters, Diwan-i-Am (hall of public audience), house of Maryam also called Sunahra Makan (Golden House), palace of Jodh Bai, Birbal's house, etc.

2008-10-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

Papier Mache

This skill has been creatively practised by craftspersons from all over Orissa. Paper, waste cloth and different kinds of natural fibres are soaked and beaten into pulp, then mixed with a variety of seeds and gums for strength and as protection from termites. Special clays and bio-wastes are added for body and reinforcement. The enitre process results in a medium so malleable that it requirs little skill to be moulded into countless forms. However, despite its versatility this craft has remained neglected.

2008-10-21T00:55:00.000-07:00

What about vegetarian diets?

Some Americans eat vegetarian diets for reasons of culture, belief, or health. Most vegetarians eat milk products and eggs, and as a group, these lacto-ovo-vegetarians enjoy excellent health. Vegetarian diets are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and can meet Recommended Dietary Allowances for nutrients. You can get enough protein from a vegetarian diet as long as the variety and amounts of foods consumed are adequate. Meat, fish, and poultry are major contributors of iron, zinc, and B vitamins in most American diets, and vegetarians should pay special attention to these nutrients.

Vegans eat only food of plant origin. Because animal products are the only food sources of vitamin B12, vegans must supplement their diets with a source of this vitamin. In addition, vegan diets, particularly those of children, require care to ensure adequacy of vitamin D and calcium, which most Americans obtain from milk products.

2008-10-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Nonfluid Oils

Oils are relatively non-toxic, do not penetrate porous substrates, and are usually black or dark brown in color. When heated,oils may melt and coat surfaces making cleanup very difficult. Residual oils, heavy crude oils, some high paraffin oils, and some weathered oils fall into this class.

2008-09-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

Gold Fish - Lionhead (Oranda)

The Oranda, or so-called Dutch Lionhea, is one of the largest forms of this variey. It reaches a length of 30 cm, with the length of the tail equalling that of the head and body combined. All the fins are long. The Dutch Lionhead was apparently brought from China to Japan (Nagasaki) by Dutch merchants in the 17th century and bred further in that country

2008-09-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

Mango

Several hundred acres of mango are grown commercially in Hawaii in addition to numerous dooryard plantings (Yee 1958). Singh (1960) reported that mangos cover about 7,000 acres in Florida but D. O. Wolfenbarger (personal commun., 1970) estimated that there were only about 2,000 acres.

Mango is grown for the egg-shaped, 2- to 6-inch long, greenish or yellowish to reddish fruit, which has a skin slightly thicker than that of a peach. The juicy, sweet to acid flesh around the hard mono- or polyembryonic stone is a popular fruit for millions of people in the tropical and subtropical areas around the world.

2008-09-10T21:44:00.001-07:00

Appalachian Fruit Research Station (AFRS)

The mission of the Appalachian Fruit Research Station (AFRS) is to identify critical problems of temperate fruit production; develop the science, technology, and genetic base needed to maximize productivity and quality of fruit crops; and minimize the adverse effects of biotic and environmental factors on these crops. [Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Research Service (ARS)]

2008-09-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Solar Spectrum

The total distribution of electromagnetic radiation emanating from the sun. The different regions of the solar spectrum are described by their wavelength range. The visible region extends from about 390 to 780 nanometers (a nanometer is one billionth of one meter). About 99 percent of solar radiation is contained in a wavelength region from 300 nm (ultraviolet) to 3,000 nm (near-infrared). The combined radiation in the wavelength region from 280 nm to 4,000 nm is called the broadband, or total, solar radiation.

2008-08-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Information Technology (IT)

The Government considers IT as an agent capable of transforming the State into a knowledge based society. It has resolved to make Jharkhand an IT powerhouse and a front runner in the IT revolution. In order to fulfil these objectives, it has formulated an IT policy. The underlying vision of the policy is 'to ensure overall socio-economic development, sustained growth, transparency in government decisions, and enhanced service delivery to the people through an effective use of IT.

The Government has also provided special incentives for the IT industry subject to the prescribed conditions. These include: (i) exemption from environmental clearance; (ii) exemption from zoning regulations for purposes of location; (iii) self-certification for purposes of compliance with certain Acts; (iv) general permission to run a three-shift operation; (v) rebate in the cost of land allotted to an IT Industry subject to the prescribed conditions; etc.

2008-08-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

Systems of formal education

Education systems are established to provide education and training, frequently for children and the young. A curriculum defines what students should know, understand and be capable to do as the result of education. A teaching profession delivers teaching which enables learning and a system of rules, policies, conduct exams, regulations, structures and funding enables teachers to teach to the best of their abilities. Sometimes education systems can be used to endorse doctrines or ideals as well as knowledge, which is known as social engineering. This can lead to political mistreatment of the system, particularly in totalitarian states and government.

Education is a broad concept, referring to all the experiences in which students can learn something. Instruction refers to the deliberate facilitating of learning toward identified goals, delivered either by an instructor or other forms. Teaching refers to the actions of a real live instructor planned to impart learning to the student. Training refers to learning with a view toward preparing learners with exact knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion.

2008-08-13T01:59:00.001-07:00

2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony was conducted at the Beijing National Stadium, also called as the Bird's Nest. It started at 8:00 pm China Standard Time (UTC+8) on 8 of August 2008. The number 8 is linked with prosperity and self-confidence in Chinese culture. Organisers claim that the stadium was filled to its 91,000 capacity. The ceremony was co-directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and Chinese choreographer Zhang Jigang. It was renowned for its focus on ancient Chinese culture, and for its creativity. The musical score for the ceremony was set by composer Tan Dun. The final climb to the torch featured Olympic gymnast Li Ning, who appear to run through air around the top ring of the stadium. Featuring more than 15,000 performers, the ceremony lasted over four hours and was reported to have cost over $300 million to produce. The opening ceremony was lauded by audience and a variety of international presses as impressive and spellbinding.

2008-08-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

Shipping

Shipping is physical progression of transporting goods and cargo. Virtually every product ever made, buy, or sold has been exaggerated by shipping. Despite the many variables in shipped products and locations, there are only three basic types of shipments: land, air, and sea.

Land or "ground" shipping can be either by train or by truck. Trucking is easily the most well-liked form of shipping. Even in Air and Sea shipments, ground transportation is still required to take the product from its origin to the airport or seaport and then to its destination. Ground transportation is typically more reasonable than air shipments, but more expensive than shipping by sea. Trucks are also much faster than ships and rail but slower than planes.
Shipping can more usually refer to the transport of freight "shipments", independent of the mode of transport.

2008-07-30T00:24:00.001-07:00

Virus classification

It involves naming and placing viruses into a taxonomic system. Like the comparatively consistent classification systems seen for cellular organisms, virus classification is the subject of ongoing debate and proposal. This is mainly due to the pseudo-living nature of viruses, which are not yet definitively living or non-living. As such, they do not fit neatly into the recognized biological classification system in place for cellular organisms, such as plants and animals.

Virus classification is based chiefly on phenotypic characteristics, including morphology, nucleic acid type, and mode of replication, host organisms, and the kind of disease they cause. A mixture of two main schemes is currently in widespread use for the classification of viruses. David Baltimore, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist, devised the Baltimore classification system, which places viruses into one of seven groups. These groups are designated by Roman numerals and separate viruses based on their mode of replication, and genome type. Accompanying this broad method of classification are exact naming conventions and further classification strategy set out by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

2008-07-23T00:02:00.000-07:00

Billboard

A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), naturally found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers. Typically showing large, amusing slogans and distinctive visuals, billboards are extremely visible in the top selected market areas.

Bulletins are the largest, most impact standard-size billboards. Located primarily on major highways, expressways or principal arterials, they authority high-density consumer exposure (mostly to vehicular traffic). Bulletins afford greatest visibility due not only to their size, but because they allow imaginative "customizing" through extensions and embellishments.

Poster is the another type of advertising in the form of billboard advertising, located chiefly in marketable and industrial areas on primary and secondary major roads. Posters are a smaller format than bulletins and are viewed principally by residents and commuter traffic, with some walker exposure.

2008-07-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

British Empire

The British Empire was the main empire in history and for a considerable time was the leading global power. It was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the 15th century that spark the age of the European colonial empires.

By 1921, the British Empire detained bend over a population of about 458 million people, about one-quarter of the world's population. It enclosed about 36.6 million km² (14.2 million square miles), about a quarter of Earth's total land area. As a result, its inheritance is widespread, in legal and governmental systems, educational system, militarily, economic practice, sports (such as cricket, rugby and football), traffic practices (such as driving on the left), and in the global extend of the English language. At the peak of its power, it was frequently said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because its span crossways the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous colonies or subject nations.

During the five decades following World War II, most of the territories of the Empire became independent. Many went on to join the Commonwealth of Nations, a free organization of independent states.

2008-07-08T02:31:00.001-07:00

Sumo

Sumo is a spirited contact sport where two wrestlers (rikishi) attempt to force one another out of a circular ring (dohyo) or to stroke the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originates in Japan, the only country where it is experienced professionally. The Japanese consider sumo a gendai budō (a modern Japanese martial art), though the sport has a history with a leg on each side of many centuries.

The sumo tradition is very ancient and even today the sport include many ritual elements, such as the use of salt for sanitization, from the days sumo was used in the Shinto religion. Life as a rikishi is extremely regimented, with rules laid down by the Sumo Association. Professional sumo wrestlers are necessary to live in communal "sumo training stables" known in Japanese as heya where all aspect of their daily lives - from meals to their way of dress - is dictating by strict tradition.

2008-07-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

Records management

Records management, or RM, is the practice of identifying, classifying, archiving, preserving, and destroying records. The ISO 15489: 2001 standard defines it as The field of management in charge for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and nature of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining proof of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.

The ISO defines records as information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligation or in the transaction of business. The International Council on Archives (ICA) Committee on Electronic Records defines a record as, recorded information fashioned or received in the start, conduct or completion of an institutional or individual activity and that comprises content, context and structure enough to provide evidence of the activity. While the definition of a record is often recognized strongly with a document, a record can be either a tangible object or digital information which has value to an organization. For example, birth certificates, medical x-rays, office documents, databases, application data, and e-mail are all examples of records. Records are to be managed according to their value to the organization quite than their physical or logical characteristics.

The other crucial aspect of the above definitions is their reliable reference to records as evidence. Indeed, records management can be seen as being mainly concerned with the identification and management of the evidence of an organization's business activities.

2008-06-20T03:26:00.000-07:00

Professional Development

Teachers should be fully aware of the school's Internet access arrangements so that they know whether access to the web and to newsgroups is filtered or blocked at all.
Senior management should ensure that appropriate time and resources for professional development are made available so that staff can keep themselves up to date with Internet issues and use.All staff should be able to engage in a professional development programme which covers at least the following basic objectives:
Using and understanding the Internet;
Appreciating the strengths and weaknesses of the Internet;
Understanding the potential role of the Internet across the curriculum;
Recognizing how Internet use and Personal Safety Programmes can reinforce each other;
Developing Internet-related policies with ethically-sound foundations; and,
Responding to queries from other professionals and from the wider community regarding the Internet arrangements and policies within their own establishment, and the underlying rationale.

Schools are likely to benefit from having their own small group, which keeps up to date with Internet and Child Safety issues and shares new experience with colleagues.

2008-06-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Watercolor painting

Watercolor (WE) or Watercolour (UK) and “aquarelle” in French are one of the painting methods. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork, in which the paints are made of pigments poised in a water soluble vehicle. The traditional and most common support for watercolor paintings is paper; other supports include papyrus, bark papers, plastics, vellum or leather, fabric, wood, and canvas. In East Asia, watercolor painting with inks is referred to as brush painting or scroll painting. In Chinese and Japanese painting it has been the dominant medium, often in monochrome black or browns. India, Ethiopia and other countries also have long traditions. Finger-painting with watercolor paints originated in China.

2008-06-03T21:55:00.001-07:00

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are an animal rights organization. Base in the United States and with two million members and supporters there and in another place, PETA says it is the largest animal rights collection in the world.

Founded in 1980 and based in Norfolk, Virginia, the organization is a nonprofit, tax exempt 501(c) (3) corporation with 187 employees, fund nearly completely by its members. Outside the U.S., there are joined offices in Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Republic of China (Taiwan), and the United Kingdom. There is also the peta2 Street Team for high school and college-age activists, and the Foundation to Support Animal Protection, which manages PETA's assets. Ingrid Newkirk is PETA's international president.

PETA's slogan is "animals are not ours to eat, wear experiment on, or use for entertainment." In support of that position, it focuses on four core issues: factory farming, fur farming, animal testing, and animals in entertainment. It also campaigns against fishing, the killing of animals observe as pests, abuse of chained, backyard dogs, cock fighting, bullfighting and the utilization of meat. It aims to inform the public of its position through advertisements, secretly investigations, animal rescue, and lobbying.

The organization has been criticized for some of its campaigns and for the number of animals it euthanizes. It was also criticized in 2005 by Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, who stated that PETA had acted as a "spokes group" for the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front, after activist associated with those groups had devoted what Inhofe called "acts of terrorism.

2008-05-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

Temple of Artemis

The Temple of Artemis also known less precisely as Temple of Diana was a temple dedicated to Artemis completed in its most famous phase, approximately 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian Empire. Nothing remains of the temple, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Temple of Artemis was not the first on its site, where proof of a sanctuary dates as early as the Bronze Age.

The temple was a 120-year project in progress by Croesus of Lydia. It was described by Antipater of Sidon, who compiles a list of the Seven Wonders:

I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, "Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never look on aught (anything) so grand".

2008-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Keyword stuffing in SEO

Keyword stuffing is measured to be an immoral search engine optimization (SEO) method. Keyword stuffing happens when a web page is loaded with keywords in the Meta tags or in content. The replication of words in Meta tags may explain why many search engines no longer use these tags.
Keyword stuffing can be known to be either a white hat or a black hat tactic, conditional on the context of the technique, and the opinion of the person judging it. While a great deal of keyword stuffing is employed to help in spamdexing, which is of little gain to the user, keyword stuffing in certain situation is designed to help the user and not skew results in a misleading manner. Whether the term carries a pejorative or neutral connotation is in need of whether the practice is used to pollute the results with pages of little significance, or to direct traffic to a page of importance that would have otherwise been de-emphasized due to the search engine's inability to interpret and recognize related ideas.

2008-05-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

Screen Printing Technique

A screen made of a piece of porous, finely woven fabric including silk, polyester or nylon is stretched over a wooden or aluminum frame. Areas of the screen are blocked off with a non-permeable material (a stencil) which in revolve is a negative of the image to be printed.

The screen is placed on top of a piece of paper or fabric. Ink is placed on top of the screen, and a rubber blade is used to spread the ink consistently across the screen. The ink passes through the open spaces in the screen onto the paper or fabric below; followed by lifting of the screen. The screen can be again being re-used after cleaning. For multiple color screens printing on the same surface, the ink is allowed to dry and then the entire process is repeated with another screen and different color of ink.

2008-05-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

Swaption

A swaption is an option granting its owner the right but not the obligation to enter into a fundamental swap. Although options can be traded on a diversity of swaps, the term "swaption" typically refers to options on interest rate swaps.

There are two types of swaption contracts:

A payer swaption gives the owner of the swaption the right to come into a swap where they pay the fixed leg and obtain the floating leg.
A receiver swaption gives the owner of the swaption the right to enter into a swap where they will receive the fixed leg, and pay the floating leg.
The buyer and seller of the swaption agree on:

The premium (price) of the swaption
the strike rate (equal to the fixed rate of the underlying swap)
Length of the option period (which frequently ends two business days prior to the start date of the underlying swap),
the term of the underlying swap,
Notional amount,
Amortization, if any
Frequency of settlement payments on the underlying swap.

2008-04-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Forest

A forest is a region with a high width of trees. There are lots of definitions of a forest, based on a range of criteria. These plant communities cover large areas of the world and function as animal habitats, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, comprise one of the most main aspects of the Earth's biosphere. Although often thought of as carbon dioxide sinks, grown-up forests are about carbon neutral with only disturbed and young forests acting as carbon sinks. However mature forests do play an significant role in the global carbon cycle as stable carbon pools, and clearance of forests leads to an increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Forests can be found in all regions talented of behind tree growth, at altitudes capable of the tree-line, except where natural fire frequency is too high, or where the surroundings has been impair by natural processes or by human activities.

2008-04-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Technology

Technology is a great impression that deals with a species' procedure and information of tools and crafts, and how it affects a group' ability to control and get used to its environment. In human culture, it is a significance of science and engineering, even though numerous technical advances predate the two concepts

Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In several societies, technology has helped increase more advanced economies and has allowed the rise of a spare time class. However, many technological processes make unwanted by-product, recognized as pollution, and lessen natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Different implementations of technology control the values of a society and latest technology raises new moral questions. For Examples contain the rise of the concept of effectiveness in terms of human productivity, a word initially useful only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.

2008-03-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

Embossing Printing

Embossing or embossed printing is known as blind printing or relief printing. It technique allows to transfer the text or images as a relief into various substrates including paper, cardboard and metal foils. The front side of the print shows the image as a relief, whereas the real embossing is done on the back side.

The printing technique involves raise the area of the image or text on the paper, the image stands out giving a three dimensional effect. The technique enhances the emerge of the products and also increases the printing cost.

2008-03-25T00:24:00.001-07:00

Computer printer

A computer printer, or more normally a printer, produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic form, frequently on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are mostly used as local computer peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable to a computer which serves as a document source. Some printers, commonly known as network printers, have built-in network interface (typically wireless or Ethernet), and can serve as a hardcopy device for any user on the network. Individual printers are frequently intended to support both local and network connected users at the same time.

In addition, many modern printers can directly interface to electronic media such as memory sticks or memory cards, or to image capture devices such as digital cameras, scanners; a number of printers are combined with a scanners and/or fax machines in a single unit. Printers that contain non-printing features are sometimes called Multifunction Printers (MFP) or Multi-Function Devices (MFD).

2008-03-17T22:24:00.001-07:00

Offset Printing

Offset printing is one of the most common types of printing technique used by a number of industries. Although these printing machines, equipments are expensive with high set-up costs, the printing process expense is nominal. The technique is famous because of the higher printing quality and large volume printing.

2008-03-10T23:21:00.001-07:00

The Vanilla orchid

The main type harvest for vanillin is Vanilla planifolia. Even though it is native to Mexico, it is now widely grown throughout the tropics. Madagascar is the world's largest producer; Additional sources contain Vanilla pompona and Vanilla tahitiensis grown in Tahiti, though the vanillin satisfied of these species is much less than Vanilla planifolia.

Vanilla grows as a vine, mountaineering up an existing tree, pole, or other support; it can be matured in a wood on trees, in a plantation on trees or poles, or in a "shader", in increasing orders of productivity. Left alone, it will create as high as possible on the support, with few flowers. Every year, growers fold the senior parts of the plant downwards so that the plants stay at heights accessible by a standing human. This also very much stimulate flowering.

2008-03-06T02:18:00.001-08:00

Umpires

Two on-field umpires control over a match. One umpire stands behind the bowler's wicket, and adjudicate on most decisions. The other (the "square leg umpire") stands with a side view of the batsman (usually near the fielding location called square leg), and assists in decisions for which he or she has an enhanced view. In some professional matches the capability exists for them to refer some decisions to a third umpire, who has the assistance of television replays. In international matches a match referee ensures that play is within the laws of cricket and the courage of the game. The third umpire and referee do not take the field throughout play.

2008-02-19T21:46:00.001-08:00

Liquid Inkjet Printers

Liquid inkjet printers very small, exact amounts (generally a few picolitres) of ink onto the media. These droplet of ink will carry a small electrical charge. The situation of the ink on the page is then determined by the accuse of a cathode and electrode between which the ink moves towards the paper. Inkjet printing (and the related bubble-jet technology) are the most general -quality inkjet printers are inexpensive to produce.

Almost all recent inkjet printers are color devices; some, known as photo printers, include extra pigments to better reproduce the color range needed for high-quality photographic prints (and are additionally capable of printing on photographic card stock, as opposed to plain office paper).

Inkjet printers consist of nozzles that create very small ink bubbles that turn into tiny droplets of ink. The dots shaped are the size of tiny pixels. Ink-jet printers can be able to print high fineness text and graphics. They are also more or less silent in operation. Inkjet printers have a much lesser initial cost than do laser printers, but have a much higher cost-per-copy, as the ink needs to be regularly replaced.

2008-01-23T05:23:00.000-08:00

Between 1985 and 1997 of Penny coin

Between 1985 and 1997 the cranium by Raphael Maklouf was used, in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem. Since 1998 one by Ian Rank-Broadley has been used, again featuring the tiara, with a signature-mark IRB below the portrait. In all cases, the dedication used is ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. date. Mutually sides of the coin are bordered by dots.
One penny and two pence coins are properly permitted tender only up to the sum of 20p; these means that it is potential to decline payment of sums greater than this in one and two pence coins in order to settle a debt.

2008-01-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a hot sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. A Mediterranean sea, it covers most of the Caribbean Plate and is surrounded on the south by South America, on the west and south by Mexico and Central America, and on the north and east by the Antilles: the Greater Antilles islands of Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico lie to the north, and a plethora of Lesser Antilles bound the sea on the east. The entire area of the Caribbean Sea, the numerous islands of the West Indies, and adjacent coasts, are collectively known as the Caribbean.

2007-12-19T03:32:00.000-08:00

Football (soccer)

Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and it is the most fashionable sport in the world. It is a ball game played on a rectangular grass or artificial turf field, with a goal at each of the short ends. The purpose of the game is to score by manoeuvring the ball into the opposing goal. In general play, the goalkeeper is the only player permitted to use their hands or arms to propel the ball; the rest of the team usually use their feet to kick the ball into position, occasionally using their torso or head to intercept a ball in mid air. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition.
The modern game was codified in England following the formation of The Football Association, whose 1863 Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the World Cup, held every four years. This event, the most widely viewed in the world, boasts an audience twice that of the Summer Olympics.

2007-12-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

Uses of Ginger

There are array of uses suggested for ginger. A tea brewed from the is a folk medicine for colds. Ginger ale and ginger beer have been suggested as "stomach settlers" for generation in countries where the beverages are made and ginger water was commonly used to avoid heat cramps in the US. Ginger has also been historically used to take care of inflammation which some scientific studies support, though one arthritis trial showed ginger to be no better than a placebo or ibuprofen. Research on rats suggests that ginger may be valuable for treating diabetes.

2007-12-06T05:21:00.001-08:00

Cricket in India

without doubt the first sport that comes to mind when one thinks of Indian sports today is cricket. Brought to India by her British colonisers, cricket so captured the nation’s thoughts that observers are more or less agreed that today it is the one religion that unites India.
In cities like Calcutta, with everybody glued to their TV sets, life grinds to a stop the progress of the days the Indian team is playing. One-day gear and test matches stimulate equal eagerness; for together, if the match is being played on Indian earth, which by the way supports spin slightly than pace, you’ll get aptitude crowds and a emotional atmosphere seldom matched anywhere outside the subcontinent. Allegations of murky match fixing and a fixed string of matches where the team managed to “grab defeat from the jaws of victory” notwithstanding, the attractiveness of the game continues to rise. Such is the strength of participation with the game that it even affects India’s international relationships. In the result of the 1999 Kargil war, India unilaterally overhanging cricketing relations with Pakistan. The discuss on whether politics and sports should mix enlivens many a discussion, and is yet unresolved.

2007-11-28T05:49:00.001-08:00

Adam Sandler: the Funniest man Alive!

With a hazardous brand of humor that has brought him legions of dedicated fans, Sandler's hit as an actor, stand-up comic, writer and producer is matched by his performance and songwriting skills. It is an shocking gift for lyric and melody that is front and center on Adam Sandler's very funny new Warner Bros. Records release What is Your surname featuring 14 new Sandler originals include such classics as The Goat Song, the Lonesome Kicker, Bad Boyfriend and Corduroy Blues.
What is Your Name continues the musical tradition Sandler began with at a standard Pace, Ode to My Carnd the extremely popular The Chanukah Song. With two platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated albums - They're All Gonna Laugh at you and What the Hell Happened to Me - Already to his credit, Sandler goes for a comedy-three peat with what’s Your Name. The move to an all-music format is a normal one, following his 21 city tour last summer, when he perform both creative material and his favorite childhood tunes, backed by a finest rock and roll band.

2007-11-20T04:04:00.000-08:00

The Banyan Tree
In India the Banyan Tree is consider as National tree. This huge tree overlooks over its neighbors and has the widest reaching roots of all known trees, easily covering several acres. It sends off new shoots from its roots, so that one tree is really a interweave of branches, roots, and trunks. The banyan tree restart and lives for an incredible length of time--thus it is thought of as the everlasting tree.

Its size and leafy shelter are valued in India as a place of relax and mirror image, not to mention defense from the hot sun! It is still the focus and gathering place for local councils and meetings. India has a long history of worship this tree; it figures importantly in many of the oldest stories of the nation.

2007-10-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

A Team Player
The superiority of being a team player is one that everyone should enjoy. A team player is someone with good qualities who makes contributions and has the force to motivate each one around him or her. This individuality can be used in many areas such as games, family life, and in the company. You are more expected to be hired in the production if you have and demonstrate the qualities of a team player. As the business climate gets tougher before it gets improved, it is time to hike the talk if you want to develop.

Managers will require all the cooperation they can get. To land a high paying job with a major business you need to be a team player. Having good qualities is one of the most significant characters you can have. Being a team performer thinks of the team as a whole and is not selfish in their views and decisions.

2007-10-16T03:45:00.000-07:00

A Snapshot of Macro-Economics

Economics is the learning of making choices. High school and college students all over required to take economic courses in order to achieve a diploma. Why is economics so important because it provides a guide for students for real-world situations Economics is divided into two types microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics is the study of economics at a slim level. For example absorbed on how a detailed business functions is microeconomics.
Studying the world economy is classified as Macroeconomics; its center on a much broader level. All students must understand the concept of insufficiency. Scarcity is a condition that occurs because society has unlimited wants and needs however the amount of property is limited. Unlimited wants and needs are what encourage us to create goods and services. We are never satisfied therefore we always have a want or need. On the other hand our income is limited.

2007-10-09T02:48:00.001-07:00

A Civil Role Model

The word civil carries a lot of power. The usage needs to be carefully considered when it's entered into a sentence or an expression. Civil means a wide difference of things. It can be defined as a way to be attentive of the forms required for good reproduction. It can also be a means to the needs and affairs of the common public. However, the latter of the two definitions can also be extended to include a definition of the private rights and the remedy sought by action or costume. The point is that the word civil has a greater significance that has been embraced by our American legal traditions. It is the premise that law is there to provide the people and the lawyers are nothing more than mere guardians of law.
These are thoughts that were measured during the class viewing of A Civil Action. In the events of the case, there were many concerns that were brought up about our permissible culture.

2007-09-25T04:40:00.000-07:00

A Business Plan

The following production plan has been formulated to obtain $200,000 in capital to launch a coffeehouse on the college grounds of Doane College named The Orange Cup. This arrangement will also serve as a formal sketch for the first five year's of operation. The financial forecasts show that this asset has significant pledge for the future.
The Orange Cup will provide for the Doane College Community a comfortable atmosphere while serve quality coffee at a reasonably priced with extraordinary service. An ample variety of coffee products including, gourmet coffees, latte, cappuccino, espresso, and iced coffee, will be offered at The Orange Cup. In addition, The Orange Cup will recommend juice, pop, and bottled water, hot cocoa, hot cider, and tea.

The marking plan for The Orange Cup is to attract students and staff to the coffeehouse to continue in a relaxed atmosphere, or for those customers with excited schedules, the expediency of our products.

2007-09-18T03:18:00.001-07:00

A cold winter morning

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.

2007-09-14T03:13:00.001-07:00

A simple Girl

Around and around it soared in brutal circles, tearing from side to side her animated temples. At a standstill, they did not do anything. Still, they simply laid there with faces of chalk, invalid of all human emotions. She could not look at them in hopes of relieve, for long. The cherry rivers that flowed across her eyes, streamed down her steaming cheeks, made vision impossible.
Life was simply the stack of decayed flesh that enclosed her. From his immortal lips hung the bodies of all those who died struggle for him and all those who had tampered with self luxury. For that, she dammed him for all eternity; in every form he understood she dammed him. He had been her guiding angle and now it became evident to her. No prayer would pass her conditions lips, for this had been his movement she had fought and they had lost other than just a clash.

2007-08-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

TURMERIC

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous continuing plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae which is citizen to tropical South Asia. It wants temperatures between 20 and 30 deg. C. and a significant amount of annual rainfall to succeed. Plants are gathered yearly for their rhizomes, and re-seeded from some of those rhizomes in the following season.It is also often pronounced as tumeric. It’s name vary according to region, in some Asian countries as kunyit.

Its rhizomes are boil for several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are position into a deep orange-yellow powder generally used as a flavor in curries and for dyeing, other South Asian cuisine, and to impart color to mustard condiments. Its active component is curcumin and it has an bitter, earthy, peppery flavor.Sangli, a town in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra, is the largest and most important trade centre for turmeric in Asia or maybe in the entire world.

2007-08-21T02:49:00.000-07:00

Cucumber

Cucumbers are usually harvested while still green. They can be eaten unrefined or cooked, or pickled. Although a smaller amount nutritious than most fruit, the fresh cucumber seeds are still a source of vitamin K, vitamin C, and potassium, also providing nutritional fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, thiamin, folate, and manganese. Cucumbers are used in the attractive food art, graded manger.

Cucumbers can be pickled for taste and longer shelf life. As compare to eating cucumbers, pickling cucumbers tend to be shorter, thicker, less regularly-shaped, and have rough skin with tiny white- or black-dotted spines. They are not at all waxed. Color can be different from creamy yellow to pale or dark green. Pickling cucumbers are sometimes sold fresh as "Kirby" or "Liberty" cucumbers. The pickling practice removes or degrades a large amount of the nutrient content, particularly that of vitamin C. Pickled cucumbers are waterlogged in vinegar or brine or a combination, often along with a mixture of spices.

• English cucumbers can cultivate as long as 2 feet. They are nearly seedless and are sometimes marketed as "Burp less."
• Japanese cucumbers (kyūri) are mild, deep green, slenderand have a bumpy, ridged skin. They can be used for slicing, pickling, salads, etc., and are available year-round.
• Mediterranean cucumbers are smooth-skinned, small and mild. Like the English and Mediterranean cucumbers are nearly seedless.

2007-08-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

JAVA COFFEE
Java coffee is a coffee bent on the island of Java. In the USA, the term "Java" independently is slang for coffee generally. The Indonesian phrase Kopi Jawa refers not only to the origin of the coffee, but is used to distinguish the black, very sweet coffee, strong with powdered grains in the drink, from other forms of the drink.The Dutch began farming of coffee trees on Java (part of the Dutch East Indies) in the 17th century and it has been export internationally since. The coffee farming systems found on Java have changed significantly over time.
A rust disease in the late 1880s killed off much of the plantation stocks in Sukabumi, before distribution to Central Java and parts of East Java. The Dutch respond by replacing the Arabica firstly with Liberica (a tough, but somewhat unpleasant coffee) and later with Robusta. Today Java's old royally era plantations provide just a portion of the coffee grown on the island. Logo of Java programming language is a coffee cup.

2007-08-07T05:25:00.000-07:00

Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a ingredient that readily loses electrons to form positive ions and has metallic bonds between metal atoms. Metals form ionic bonds with non-metals. They are sometimes described as a web of positive ions surrounded by a cloud of delocalized electrons. The metals are one of the three groups of elements as eminent by their ionization and bonding properties, along with the metalloids and nonmetals. On the periodic table, a diagonal line drawn from boron separates the metals from the nonmetals. Most elements on this line are metalloids, sometimes called semi-metals; elements to the lower left are metals; elements to the upper right are nonmetals.

2007-07-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

JAVA

Java (Javanese, Indonesian, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an land mass of Indonesia and the place of its capital city, Jakarta. Once the centre of controlling Hindu kingdoms and the heart of the colonial Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a governing role in the money-making and supporting life of Indonesia. With a population of 124 million, it is the most heavily populated island in the world; it is also one of the most thickly populated regions on Earth.

Java shaped mostly as the result of volcanic events, Java is the 13th leading island in the world and the fifth major island of Indonesia. A sequence of volcanic mountains forms an east-west spine along the island. It has three main languages, and most populace are bilingual, with Indonesian as their second language. While the popular of Javanese are Muslim (or at least supposedly Muslim), Java has a different mixture of religious beliefs and cultures.

2007-07-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sport

Sport is a movement that governs by a set of regulations or rules and frequently engaged in competition. Used by itself, sports usually refer to behavior where the physical capability of the participant are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include behavior such as brainpower sports and cruise sports where mental acuity or apparatus quality are major factors. Sports are used as amusement for the player and the viewer. It has also been established by experiments that daily exercise increases mental strength and power to study.

Keeping pace with the latest sports results is a usual appliance for Semotus wireless technology. As individual sports results come in, they are tailored and sent out to users wirelessly and in real-time. Semotus provides both the technology products and the information services to supply organizations to relay sporting and other information. InfoXtra2 delivers up to the minute content from a variety of leading information sources.

2007-07-17T04:42:00.001-07:00

Interpersonal attraction

Interpersonal attraction (identified as biological attraction in animals/insects) is the pull between people which leads to friendships and idealistic relationships. In an informal sense, interpersonal pull is connected to how much we like, love, dislike, or hate someone. Interpersonal attraction can be thinking of as force acting flanked by two people tending to draw them together, and resisting their parting. In accordance with a personality psychologists' examination, interpersonal attraction is a person's qualities that have a tendency to draw by appealing to another person's desires. When measuring interpersonal attraction, one must refer to the qualities of the attracted with the qualities of the attractor to get predictive exactness. The study of interpersonal attraction is a main area of study in social psychology. They put forward that to find out attraction, personality and situation must be taken into account. Repulsion is also a thing in the process of interpersonal attraction, one's idea of "attraction" to another can differ from great attraction to great repulsion.

2007-07-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

A Personal portal

A Personal portal is a site on the World Wide Web that characteristically provides personalized capabilities to its visitors, given that a pathway to other content. It is intended to use distributed applications, different numbers and types of middleware and hardware to provide services from a number of different sources. In addition, business portals are intended to share collaboration in workplaces. A further business-driven requirement of portals is that the content be able to work on multiple platforms such as personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and cell phones.

2007-07-03T22:46:00.001-07:00

Web proxy

Proxies that hub on WWW traffic are called web proxies. Many web proxies try to block offensive web content. Other web proxies reformat web pages for an exact purpose or audience (e.g., cell phones and PDAs or persons with disabilities). Network operators can also set up proxies to intercept computer viruses and other hostile content served from remote web pages.

Many organizations — including schools, corporations, and countries — use proxy servers to implement acceptable network use policies or to provide security, anti-malware and/or caching services. A traditional web proxy is not translucent to the client application, which must be configured to use the proxy (manually or with a configuration script). In some cases, where substitute means of connection to the Internet are available ,the user may be able to avoid policy control by simply resetting the client configuration and bypassing the proxy. Furthermore administration of browser configuration can be a load for network administrators.

2007-06-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

ARM

The ARM architecture (Advanced RISC Machine or Acorn RISC Machine) is a 32-bit RISC processor architecture developed by ARM Limited that is widely used in a number of embedded designs. Due to their power saving features, ARM CPUs are dominant in the mobile electronics market, where low power consumption is a critical design goal.

Today, the ARM family accounts for over 75% of all 32-bit embedded CPUs, making it one of the most prolific 32-bit architectures in the world. ARM CPUs are found in all corners of consumer electronics, from portable devices to computer peripherals. Important branches in this family include Marvell's XScale and the Texas Instruments OMAP series.

2007-06-26T02:13:00.000-07:00

Pollarding

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.

2007-06-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Shrimp fishery

A shrimp fishery is a fishery directed toward harvesting either shrimp or prawns. Fisheries do not usually differentiate between the two taxa, and the terms are used interchangeably. This article therefore refers to the catching of either shrimp or prawns.

A number of the larger species, including the Atlantic white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus), are caught commercially and used for food. Recipes utilizing shrimp form part of the cuisine of many cultures: examples include jambalaya, okonomiyaki, poon choi, bagoong, Kerala and scampi.
Preparing shrimp for consumption usually involves removing the shell, tail, and "sand vein". As with other seafood, shrimp is high in calcium, protein and low in food energy.
Shrimp and prawns are versatile ingredients, and are often used as an accompaniment to fried rice. Common methods of preparation comprise baking, boiling and frying. As stated in the movie Forrest Gump

2007-06-18T21:21:00.001-07:00

Cotton

Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant , a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, with the Americas, India, and Africa. However, virtually all of the commercial cotton grown today worldwide is grown from varieties of the native American species Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense. The fibre is most often spun into thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fibre cloth in clothing today. The English name derives from the Arabic word al qutun, meaning "cotton fiber".
Cotton fibre, once it has been processed to remove seeds and traces of wax, protein, etc., consists of nearly pure cellulose, a natural polymer. Cotton manufacture is very efficient, in the sense that ten percent or less of the weight is lost in following processing to convert the raw cotton bolls into pure fibre. The cellulose is arranged in a way that gives cotton fibres a high degree of strength, durability, and absorbency. Each fibre is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the cotton boll is opened, the fibres dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn.

2007-06-15T02:38:00.000-07:00

Shark

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.

2007-06-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

Blue rose

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.

2007-06-06T22:12:00.001-07:00

Prevention

In medicine, prevention is any action which reduces the burden of mortality or morbidity from disease. This takes place at primary, secondary and tertiary prevention levels.

Primary prevention avoids the development of a disease. Most population-based health support activities are primary preventive measures.
Secondary prevention activities are aimed at early disease detection, thereby increasing opportunities for interventions to prevent progression of the disease and emergence of symptoms.
Tertiary prevention reduces the negative impact of an already recognized disease by restoring function and reducing disease-related complications.

2007-05-31T21:20:00.001-07:00

Water abstraction

Water abstraction, or water extraction, is the process of taking water from any source, either temporarily or permanently. Most water is used for irrigation or treatment to produce drinking water.
Depending on the environmental legislation in the relevant country, controls may be located on abstraction to limit the amount of water that can be removed. Over abstraction can lead to rivers drying up or the level of groundwater aquifers reducing unacceptably.
The science of hydrogeology is used to assess safe abstraction levels.

2007-05-27T21:04:00.001-07:00

Nutrients in food

Between the extremes of optimal health and death from starvation or malnutrition, there is an array of disease states that can be caused or alleviated by changes in diet. Deficiencies, excesses and imbalances in diet can produce negative impacts on health, which may lead to diseases such as scurvy, obesity or osteoporosis, as well as psychological and behavioral problems. The science of nutrition attempts to understand how and why specific dietary aspects influence health.

Nutrients in food are grouped into several categories. Macronutrients means fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Micronutrients are the minerals and vitamins. Additionally food contains water and dietary fiber.

2007-05-21T22:25:00.001-07:00

Arrestors

A lightning arrestor is a mechanism that shunts or diverts the huge voltage and electrical current of a lightning hit to an earthed ground. Electrical equipment can be protected from lightning by an arrester, a device that contains one or more gas-filled spark gaps between the equipment's cables and earth. An arrester is designed to handle much higher jolts of electricity than a surge protector, which cannot handle a direct strike at all.
When lightning exceeds the arrestor's breakdown voltage, the currents arcs to the ground and prevents arcing around inside sensitive electronic equipment joined further down line. The glimmer gap may be filled with a noble gas, or with air. Other types may work by overcrowding normal irregular current, but allowing the direct current from a lightning discharge.
Lightning arrestors are normally installed on electric power broadcast lines, and on radio tower feed lines between the radio antenna and spreader. Smaller ones can also be installed on the mains electricity service coming into a building, just before the circuit breaker panel. Telephone wires also have fusible links sometimes where they enter a building, joined by carbon which will vaporize with very high current.

2007-05-16T21:33:00.001-07:00

History of Mainframe computer

More than a few manufacturers formed mainframe computers from the late 1950s through the 1970s. In those "glory days" it was "IBM and the Seven Dwarfs": Burroughs, Control Data Corporation, General Electric, Honeywell, NCR, RCA, and UNIVAC. IBM's dominance grew out of their development of the 360 series mainframes; this basic architecture has sustained to develop into their current zSeries/z9 mainframes which are debatably the only mainframe architecture still extant that dates from this early period. That said; while they can still run 24-bit System/360 code, the 64-bit series and System z9 CMOS servers have almost nothing physically in common with the older systems. The larger of the latter IBM competitors were also often referred to as "The BUNCH" from their initials.

2007-05-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Rhizome

In botany, a rhizome is a classically underground, horizontal stem of a plant that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Though a number species of plants have above ground rhizomes or rhizomes that sit at the soil surface with some Iris species. Rhizomes may also be referred to as creeping rootstalks, or rootstocks. A stolon is like to a rhizome, sprouting from an existing stem with long internodes and generating new shoots at the end. Rhizomes have short internodes noramly with papery leaves at the nodes, they root at the underside and form green shoots at the apex.
Many plants have rhizomes that serve to spread the plant by vegetative reproduction. Examples of plants that do this are asparagus, ginger, irises, Lily of the Valley, Cannas and sympodial orchids. The spreading stems of ferns are also called rhizomes.
A tuber is a thickened part of a stolon or root that has been enlarged for use as a storage organ.They are classically high in starch. An example of a tuber is the common potatoa modified stolon. Thought the term tuber is frequently used impresicly and some times applied to plants with rhizomes.

2007-05-08T22:23:00.001-07:00

Puppy

A puppy is a juvenile dog, usually less than one year of age. The term is sometimes abbreviated to pup, a term which is also used for the offspring of wolves.
Puppies are very playful and active. A lethargic or listless puppy is unusual, and often times a precursor to illness.

Types
Some breeds traditionally have their tails docked or ears cropped, or both. Many countries now ban cropping and docking for cosmetic purposes, but other countries have no such prohibitions. Some breeders favor to remove a dog's dewclaws to prevent future injuries. These procedures are usually performed within the first few days after birth, by a veterinarian, or by an experienced breeder.
Size varies among breeds, some puppies are 1-3lbs, while others are 15-20lbs. Coats can change color as the puppy grows older, this is commonly seen in breeds such as the Yorkshire Terrier.

2007-05-04T04:35:00.001-07:00

Asian Paradise Flycatcher

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

The Asian Paradise Flycatcher breeds from Turkistan to Manchuria. It is migratory, wintering in steamy Asia. There are occupant populations further south, for example in southern India and Sri Lanka, so both visiting migrants and the locally breeding subspecies occur in these areas in winter.
This species is usually 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 bunting double this. It has a black crested head, chestnut upperparts and pale grey underpants.
By their second year, the males of the migratory Indian race T. p. paradise begin to obtain white feathers. By the third year, the male plumage is completely white, other than the black head. Males of the sedentary Sri Lankan race T. p. Ceylonese’s are always chestnut.
The female of all races resembles the old joke male, but has a grey throat, smaller crest and lacks the tail streamers.

2007-04-30T21:03:00.001-07:00

Freeway

A freeway is a multi-lane highway designed for high-speed travel by large numbers of vehicles, and having no traffic lights, stop signs, nor other regulations requiring vehicles to stop for cross-traffic.

In general Design features
Freeways have high speed limits and multiple lanes for travel in each direction. The number of lanes may vary from four or six in rural areas to as high as sixteen or eighteen in certain global cities.
A median or central reservation separates the lanes traveling in opposite directions. Partition may be achieved through distance or through the use of high crash barriers like cable barriers and Jersey barriers.
Crossroads are bypassed by grade division using underpasses and overpasses. In addition to the sidewalks attached to roads that go over or under a freeway, nearly all countries also supply specialized pedestrian bridges and underground tunnels. Such structures enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross the freeway without having to make a long detour to the nearest road for which a grade separation has been provided.
Freeway entrances and exits are limited in number, and are designed with special onramps and off ramps, so as to ensure that vehicles do not disrupt the main flow of traffic as they enter or leave the freeway. In some countries, the exits are numbered. Exit numbering may be by mile or kilometer, or in a simple chronological fashion.

2007-04-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Egyptian chairs

The chair is of extreme antiquity, although for many centuries and certainly for thousands of years it was an article of state and dignity rather than an article of ordinary use. “The chair” is still extensively used as the emblem of authority in the House of Commons and in public meetings. It was not, in fact, until the 16th century that it became common anywhere. The chest, the bench and the stool were awaiting then the ordinary seats of everyday life, and the number of chairs which have survived from an earlier date is exceedingly limited; most of such examples are of ecclesiastical or seigneurial origin. Our knowledge of the chairs of remote antiquity is derived almost entirely from monuments, sculpture and paintings. A few definite examples exist in the British Museum, in the Egyptian museum at Cairo, and elsewhere.
Egyptian chairs
In ancient Egypt chairs appear to have been of great richness and splendour. Fashioned of ebony and- ivory, or of carved and gilded wood, they were enclosed with costly materials and supported upon representations of the legs of beasts or the figures of captives. An arm-chair in fine preservation found in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings is astonishingly similar, even in small details, to that "Empire" style which followed Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. The first monuments of Nineveh represent a chair without a back but with attractively carved legs ending in lions’ claws or bulls’ hoofs. Others are supported by figures in the nature of caryatides or by animals.

2007-04-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Atomic clock

An atomic clock is a type of clock so as to uses an atomic resonance frequency standard as its counter. Early atomic clocks were masers by means of attached equipment. Today's best atomic frequency standards (or clocks) are based on more advanced physics involving cold atoms and atomic fountains. National standards agencies maintain an accuracy of 10-9 seconds per day, and a precision equal to the frequency of the radio transmitter pumping the maser. The clocks keep up a continuous and stable time scale, International Atomic Time (TAI). For civil time, another time scale is disseminated, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC is derived from TAI, but coordinated with the passing of day and night based on astronomical observations.

2007-04-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Satellite phone

A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a mobile phone that communicates directly with orbiting communications satellites. Depending on the architecture of a particular system, coverage may comprise the entire Earth, or only specific regions.
Satellite phone (Inmarsat)The mobile equipment, also known as a terminal or earth station, varies generally. A satellite phone handset has a size and weight comparable to that of a late 1980s or early 1990s cell phone, but with a large retractable antenna. These are popular on expeditions into remote areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable.
A fixed installation, such as used shipboard, may include large, rugged, rack-mounted electronics, and a steerable microwave antenna on the mast that mechanically tracks the overhead satellites.

2007-04-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Mobile phone

A mobile phone or cell phone is an electronic telecommunications device. Most current mobile phones connect in its place to the network using a wireless radio wave transmission technology. These mobile phones communicate via a cellular network of base stations, which is in turn connected to the conventional telephone network. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the car phone was the only mobile phone available.In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, a mobile phone can support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging, packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video.Some of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturers include Alcatel, Audiovox, Fujitsu, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Panasonic, Philips, Sagem, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Siemens, SK Teletech, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba.
There are also specialist communication systems linked to, but distinct from mobile phones, such as satellite phones and Professional Mobile Radio. Mobile phones are also separate from cordless telephones, which generally operate only within a limited range of a specific base station.

2007-04-02T22:22:00.001-07:00

Snake River

The Snake River is a river in the western part of the United States. The Snake River is 1,038 miles (1,670 km) in length, and is the Columbia River's main tributary. The Lewis and Clark expedition (1803-6) was the first major U.S. exploration of the river, and the Snake was once well-known as the Lewis River.
The Snake River's many hydroelectric power plants are a main source of electricity in the region. Its watershed provides irrigation for various projects, with the Minidoka, Boise, Palisades, and Owyhee projects by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, as well as a variety of private projects such as at Twin Falls. However, these dams have also had an adverse environmental effect on wildlife, most notably on wild salmon migrations.
The Snake runs through a number of gorges, as well as one of the deepest in the world, Hells Canyon, with a maximum depth of 7,900 feet (2,410 m).
The name "Snake" possibly derived from an S-shaped (snake) sign which the Shoshone Indians made with their hands to mimic swimming salmon. Variant names of the river have included:

2007-03-29T23:47:00.001-07:00

Sandstone

Sandstone is an arenaceous sedimentary rock composed mostly of feldspar and quartz and varies in colour, through grey, yellow, red, and white. Since sandstones often form highly 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 well-known for its red sandstones.
Sandstones are often comparatively soft and easy to work which therefore make them a common building and paving material.
Rock formations that are mainly sandstone usually allow percolation of water, and are porous enough to store large quantities, making them valuable aquifers. Fine grained aquifers, such as sandstones, are more apt to filter out pollutants from the surface than are rocks with cracks and crevices such as limestones or other rocks fractured from seismic activity.

2007-03-26T21:41:00.001-07:00

Tandem Computers

Tandem Computers was an early manufacturer of fault tolerant computer systems, marketed to the growing number of transaction processing customers who used them for ATMs, banks, stock exchanges and other similar needs. Tandem systems used a number of superfluous processors and storage devices to provide high-speed "failover" in the case of a hardware failure, an architecture that they called NonStop. Over the two decades from the 1970s into the mid-90s, Tandem systems evolved from custom hardware to commodity CPU designs. The company was ultimately purchased by Compaq in 1997 in order to provide that company with more robust server offerings. Today their software is still known as NonStop, as a separate product line offered by Hewlett-Packard.

2007-03-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Bottle

A bottle is a small container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth." Bottles are often made of glass, plastic or aluminum, and characteristically used to store liquids. e.g. water, milk, soft drinks, beer, wine, oil for cooking and as fuel, medicine, liquid soap, shampoo, ink, etc.
For some bottles a deposit is paid, which is returned after returning the bottle to the retailer. For other glass bottles there is often separate garbage collection for recycling.
A device used to close the mouth of a bottle is called a bottle cap.
A make-shift mail method after stranding on a deserted island is a message in a bottle: current may bring it to a shore where the message is read so that a rescue operation can be started. Glass is inert, rigid, and almost completely impermeable, so if the bottle is properly closed a letter inside can stay intact and readable for a long time.