Monday, November 17, 2008

Soil Impacts

With all the lushness and productivity that exist in tropical forests, it can be surprising to learn that tropical soils are actually very thin and poor in nutrients. The underlying “parent” rock weathers rapidly in the tropics’ high temperatures and heavy rains, and over time, most of the minerals have washed from the soil. Nearly all the nutrient content of a tropical forest is in the living plants and the decomposing litter on the forest floor.When an area is completely deforested for farming, the farmer typically burns the trees and vegetation to create a fertilizing layer of ash. After this slash-and-burn deforestation, the nutrient reservoir is lost, flooding and erosion rates are high, and soils often become unable to support crops in just a few years. If the area is then turned into cattle pasture, the ground may become compacted as well, slowing down or preventing forest recovery.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Fort Cochin

Lies 10 kms away ,from Ernakulam . The architectural style of the buildings and lay-out of the town mark out Fort Cochin from other cities and towns of Kerala. The buildings show the influence of European architecture. The Chief attraction of Fort Cochin is the St. Francis Church built by the Portuguese It is believed to be the first church built by Europeans in India. The body of Vasco Da Gama was buried here. Close to St. Francis Church is Santa Cruz Church. some beautiful paintings can be seen in the Roman Catholic Church.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Basilica of Bom Jesus (Goa)

10 km east of Panaji, along the Mandovi river, is the town of Old Goa, where lie some of India’s greatest churches and among them, the most popular and the most revered by Christians worldwide is the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The Basilica, dedicated to Infant Jesus, has been declared a World Heritage Monument now. 'Bom Jesus' means 'Infant Jesus' or 'Good Jesus'. Renowned throughout the Catholic world, the 16th century cathedral is India’s first Minor Basilica, and is considered as one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India. The layout follows simple Renaissance norms while the detailing and decoration is unabashed Baroque. It’s an opulent structure which incorporates white marble and has beautifully gilded altars decorated with frescoes and inlay work.

The Basilica houses the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of Goa who died in 1552. The mortal remains of the saint were gifted to the church by Cosimo de Medici III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Today, the embalmed body lies in an airtight glass coffin positioned in a silver casket crafted by a 17th century Florentine sculptor, Giovanni Batista Foggini. In accordance with his wishes, his remains were transferred to Goa the following year after his death. It is said that, while transferring, the saint's body was found to be as fresh as the day it was buried. This miraculous phenomenon continues to attract the devout from all lands, and an ‘Exposition’ or public viewing of his body happens, once every decade, to allow pilgrims to view it. The saint is believed to have miraculous powers of healing, and pilgrims come from all over the world to offer prayers. The silver casket is lowered for public viewing only during the public exposition. Last exposition was in 2004.

Intricately carved basalt embellishments make it one of the richest facades in Goa. The layout follows simple Renaissance norms while the detailing and decoration is unabashed Baroque. The mausoleum of St. Xavier is a marvel of Italian art (the marble base) and Hindu craftsmanship (the silver casket). The elaborately gilded altars are beautiful examples of sculptures and carvings in wood, stone, gold and granite. Columns are covered with marble and inlaid with precious stones. The church also houses paintings depicting the life of St. Francis Xavier. Visitors are overcome by the deep spirituality and tranquility of the place. Every year thousands of people visit the cathedral especially in December. A trip to Goa is incomplete without a visit to the revered Basilica.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

History of the modern olympics

The Olympics or Olympic Games is a multi-sport event which takes place every four years. The games are a revival of the Olympic Games held in ancient Greece. They were revived by a French nobleman, Baron de Coubertin, in 1894, with the objective of promoting international peace and understanding through sporting competition. The Summer Olympics is formally called the Games of the Olympiad. The first Olympiad was held in Athens, Greece.

The Winter Olympics, established in 1924, features winter sports held in ice or snow and is also held every four years. Until 1994, the Winter and Summer Olympics were held in the same year, but in 1986 the International Olympic Committee, which organises the Olympics, decided to separate them, so as to spread costs for all involved parties.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Foods vary in their amounts of calories and nutrients

Some foods such as grain products, vegetables, and fruits have many nutrients and other healthful substances but are relatively low in calories. Fat and alcohol are high in calories. Foods high in both sugars and fat contain many calories but often are low in vitamins, minerals, or fiber.

People who do not need many calories or who must restrict their food intake need to choose nutrient-rich foods from the five major food groups with special care. They should obtain most of their calories from foods that contain a high proportion of essential nutrients and fiber.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Nonfluid Oils

oils are relatively non-toxic, do not penetrate porous substrates, and are usually black or dark brown in color. When heated, Oil 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.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Definition of AIDS-related cancers

Certain cancer types that are more likely to occur in people who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The most common types are Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Other AIDS-related cancers include Hodgkin disease and cancers of the lung, mouth, cervix, and digestive system.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Barbs

Scientifically knows as Tetrazone, the tiger barb has clear cut markings, golden sheened body, slightly arched, all suggest clear waters, warm temperatures, nimble movements rather than long swims, bright light, and some definite plant shading.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Coconut

The coconut is found along tropical seashores around the world, and in some areas it is cultivated far inland. It provides man with food, drink, fuel oil, and many other products.

There are about 8.5 million acres of coconuts, of which 2.45 million are in the Philippines, 1.59 in India, 1.5 in Indonesia, 1.07 in Ceylon, 0.6 in Malaya, 0.6 in other south sea islands, and 0.7 million acres elsewhere (Minon and Pandalai 1958, Woodruff 1970). Apacible (1968) indicated that there were 4.5 million acres in 1967 as against 2.4 million in 1958. Apacible (1968) also stated that coconut production has increased at the rate of 5 percent a year for the last 50 years. In the United States, coconuts are found in Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The largest coconut plantation in the United States consists of about 30,000 trees in Key Biscayne, Fla. (Woodruff 1970).

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Tornado!

Tornado is a most violent Storms. Greg Stumpf Although tornadoes occur in many parts of the world, these destructive forces of nature are found most frequently in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains during the spring and summer months. In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or more. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Once a tornado in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, carried a motel sign 30 miles and dropped it in Arkansas!

Monday, September 01, 2008

Satellite Power System (SPS)

Concept for providing large amounts of electricity for use on the Earth from one or more satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit. A very large array of solar cells on each satellite would provide electricity, which would be converted to microwave energy and beamed to a receiving antenna on the ground. There, it would be reconverted into electricity and distributed the same as any other centrally generated power, through a grid.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Mineral based industry

The State being a rich reserve of mineral resources, it has an immense potential for the growth of mining and mineral based industries. The important minerals available in the State are coal, iron ore, limestone, copper ore, bauxite, pyrite, china clay, kyanite, fine clay, dolomite, graphite, bentonite, soap stone, quartz sand and silica sand. Given this, there are numerable opportunities for the investors, in the following areas:

Iron ore (export potential); Steel production; Sponge iron plant; Cement plant; Graphite electrodes and graphite powder; Granite (export Potential); Chemicals and fertilizers; Bleaching powder, calcium carbide and lime related chemicals; Ground mica, mica bricks and electrical appliances; etc.

The State Government has been making all efforts to attract investment into this industry. These include, simplification of the procedures with respect to grant of mining leases; provision of certain relief to make mining activities easier; suitable steps for adoption of state of art technology in mining; etc.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Teaching

Teachers need the capacity to understand a subject well enough to convey its spirit to a new generation of students. The goal is to set up a sound knowledge base on which students will be talented to build as they are bare to different life experiences. The passing of knowledge from generation to generation allows students to grow into useful members of society. Good teachers can interpret information, experience, good decision, and wisdom into relevant knowledge that a student can understand, retain and pass to others. Studies from the US suggest that the quality of teachers is the single most significant factor affecting student performance, and that countries which score extremely on international tests have multiple policies in place to make sure that the teachers they employ are as successful as possible.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Topsoil

Top Soil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, generally the top 2 to 8 inches. It has the most concentration of organic matter and microorganisms, and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs. Plants regularly concentrate their roots in, and obtain most of their nutrients from this layer. The actual depth of the topsoil layer can be purposeful as the depth from the surface to the first densely packed soil layer known as subsoil.

As one of the layers of soil on the Earth's surface, topsoil nowadays referred to as the A horizon. This layer is shaped from the deposition of eroded material as well as decaying organic matter. A variety of soil mixtures are sold commercially as topsoil, usually for use in civilizing gardens and lawns, or for ideal growing conditions in container gardens, by using potting soil, for example.

A most environmental concern known as topsoil corrosion occurs when the topsoil layer is blown or washed away. Without topsoil, little plant life is feasible. It takes approximately 100 years for one inch of topsoil to be deposited, if there is the correct ratio of organic material, inorganic material and moisture. This can be improved by using the terra preta system. However, there is 25 billion tons of topsoil absent each year.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Air parcel

An air parcel is fantasy volumes of air used by meteorologists to conceptualize the thermodynamic fluid motions of the atmosphere for make use of in weather forecasting. For mathematical simplicity, an air parcel is usually measured a rigid cube which has limited connecting with surrounding environmental air. The dimensions of this parcel are resolute by the atmospheric scale under study.

The significance of the concept of air parcels in meteorology fabrication in its ability to assist meteorologists in conceptualizing how areas of an atmosphere will feature rising and sinking motions, the magnitude of those motions, and the opportunity of ensuing clouds and precipitation. Many older numerical weather forecast models used the conceptual models of air parcels.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Major Wildlife Attractions - Sundarbans

The Sundarbans forest is dwelling to more than 400 tigers. The Bengal Tigers have modified themselves very well to the saline and aqua environs and are extremely good swimmers. As you enter the daring wild land of the Sundarbans you'll be thrilled to see the Chital Dear and Rhesus Monkey.

The aqua fauna of Sundarbans include diversity of fishes, red Fiddler Crabs and Hermit Crabs. There are crocodiles, which can be often seen along the mud banks. Sundarbans national park is also noted for its conservation of the Ridley Sea Turtle. There's is an incredible variety of reptiles also found in Sundarbans, which includes King Cobra, Rock Python and Water Monitor. The endangered river Terrapin, Batagur Baska is found on the Mechua Beach, while the Barkind Deer is found only in Holiday Island in Sunderbans.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Television advertisement

A television advertisement or television commercial (often just commercial or advert) is a length of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a significance. Advertisement revenue provides a significant portion of the funding for most privately own television networks. The vast majority of television advertisements today consist of brief promotion spots, ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes (as well as program-length infomercials). Advertisements of this sort have been used to sell every product conceivable over the years, from household products to goods and services, to political campaigns. The effect of television advertisements upon the viewing public has been so successful and so all-encompassing that it is considered impossible for a politician to wage a successful election campaign, in the United States, without use of television advertising. In certain countries, France for instance, political advertisement is forbidden on television

Monday, July 14, 2008

Classical Civilization

Classical Civilization, also known as standard ancient times, is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Alexander the Great and the Fall of the Roman Empire (5th century AD), ending in the termination of classical culture with the close of Late Antiquity.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Lacrosse

It was first started to play in finland and it full of team spirit. this game is played using a small solid rubber ball and long handled racket called a crosse or lacross stick.The head of the crosse has a loose net strung into it that allows the player to hold the lacrosse ball. Particularly the object of the game is to use the stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball in an effort to score by ultimately hurling the ball into an opponent's goal. Defensively the object is to keep the opposing team from scoring and to dispossess them of the ball through the use of stick checking and body contact. There are three distinct versions of the sport; men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and box lacrosse.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Electronic commerce

Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of goods or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extremely since the spread of the Internet. A wide diversity of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at slightest at some point in the transaction's lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well.

A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted completely electronically for virtual items such as right of entry to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are from time to time known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all large retailers have electronic commerce attendance on the World Wide Web.

Electronic commerce is normally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. It also consists of the exchange of data to make easy the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions.