SANGEET RAJ'S BLOG

Sachin Tendulkar Records - List of Records Held by Sachin Tendulkar

2012-08-15T17:47:00.001+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar Records - List of Records Held by Sachin
Tendulkar

This page contains the list of world records held by the Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin
Tendulkar is the cricketer who is born to break all records. It has been 21 years since Sachin Tendulkar
stepped in to the International Cricket. Sachin has been breaking cricket records ever since his debut, and
will surely break more records in the time to come. Sachin Tendulkar records list has been growing every
year. Here is the full list of Sachin Tendulkar's world records.

Sachin Tendulkar Records List
Here is a huge collection of records held by Sachin Tendulkar in his cricket career. Take a look at the
records that Sachin Tendulkar has accumulated against his name since making his debut for India in 1989.

Highest Run scorer in the ODI (One Day International)

Most number of hundreds (41) in the ODI

Most number of nineties in the ODI

Most number of man of the matches (56) in the ODI's

Most number of man of the series (14) in ODI's

Best average for man of the matches in ODI's

First Cricketer to pass 10000 run in the ODI

First Cricketer to pass 15000 run in the ODI

He is the highest run scorer in the world cup (1,796 at an average of 59.87 as on 20 March 2007)

Most number of the man of the matches in the world cup.

Most number of runs 1996 world cup 523 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of 87.16

Most number of runs in the 2003 world cup 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player
in a single Cricket World Cup.

He was Player of the World Cup Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

Most number of Fifties (87) in ODI's

Appeared in maximum number of ODI's 407

He is the only player to be in top 10 ICC ranking for 10 years.

Most number of 100's in test's 38

He is one of the three batsmen to surpass 11,000 runs in Test cricket, and the first Indian to do so.

He is thus far the only cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting
honor.

In 2003, Wisden rated Tendulkar as d No. 1 and Richards at No. 2 in all time Greatest ODI player.

In 2002, Wisden rated him as the second greatest Test batsman after Sir Donald Bradman.

He was involved in unbroken 664-run partnership in a Harris Shield game in 1988 with friend and
team mate Vinod Kambli.

Tendulkar is the only player to score a century in all three of his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and
Irani Trophy debuts.

In 1992, at the age of 19, Tendulkar became the first overseas born player to represent Yorkshire.

Tendulkar has been granted the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Padma Shri by Indian
government. He is the only Indian cricketer to get all of them.

Tendulkar has scored over 1000 runs in a calendar year in ODI's 7 times

Tendulkar has scored 1894 runs in calendar year in ODI's most by any batsman.

He is the highest earning cricketer in the world.

He has the least percentage of the man of the matches awards won when team looses a match. Out
of his 56 man of the match awards only 5 times India has lost.

Tendulkar most number man of match awards (10) against Australia.

In August of 2003, Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the "Greatest Sportsman" of the country in the sport
personalities category in the Best of India poll conducted by Zee News.

In November 2006, Time magazine named Tendulkar as one of the Asian Heroes.

In December 2006, he was named ?Sports person of the Year?.

The current India Poised campaign run by The Times of India has nominated him as the Face of New
India next to the likes of Amartya Sen and Mahatma Gandhi among others.

Tendulkar was the first batsman in history to score over 50 centuries in international cricket.

Tendulkar was the first batsman in history to score over 75 centuries in international cricket: 79
centuries.

Has the most overall runs in cricket, (ODIs+Tests+ Twenty-20s), as of 30 June 2007 he had
accumulated almost 26,000 runs overall.

He is second on the most number of runs in test cricket just after Brian Lara.

Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly holds the world record for the maximum number of runs scored
by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,271 runs in 128 matches.

The 20 century partnerships for opening pair with Sourav Ganguly is a world record.

Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODI matches
when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999.

Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he
shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998.

Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs (41 Centuries and 87 Fifties) (as of 18th Nov, 2007).

The only player ever to cross the 13,000-14,000 and 15,000 run marks IN ODI.

Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999).

The score of 186 is listed the fifth highest score recorded in ODI matches.

Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major cricketing nations.

Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average
among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs.

Most number of Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds.

Consecutive ODI Appearances: 185

On his debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the second youngest debutant in the world.

When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century.

Tendulkar's record of five test centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record.

Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test
cricket by an Indian when captaining the side.

Tendulkar has scored centuries against all test playing nations. He was the third batman to achieve
the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten.

Tendulkar has 4 seasons in test cricket with 1000 or more runs - 2002 (1392 runs), 1999 (1088 runs),
2001 (1003 runs) and 1997 (1000 runs). Gavaskar is the only other Indian with four seasons of 1000+
runs.

He is second most number of seasons with over 1000 runs in world.

On 3 January 2007 Sachin Tendulkar (5751) edged past Brian Lara's (5736) world record of runs
scored in Tests away from home.

Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them
achieved this in 195 innings.

Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.

Became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark and the third International player behind
Allan Border and Brian Lara.

Tendulkar is fourth on the list of players with most Test caps. Steve Waugh (168 Tests), Allan Border
(158 Tests), Shane Warne (145 Tests) have appeared in more games than Tendulkar.

Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches (144) for India (Kapil Dev is second with 131
Test appearances).

First to score 25,000 international runs.

Tendulkar's 25,016 runs in international cricket include 14,537 runs in ODI's, 10,469 Tests runs and
10 runs in the lone Twenty20 that India has played.

On December 10, 2005, Tendulkar made his 35th century in Tests at Delhi against Sri Lanka. He
surpassed Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 centuries to become the man with the most number of
hundreds in Test cricket.

Tendulkar is the only player who has 150 wickets and more than 15000 runs in ODI.

Tendulkar is the only player who has 40 wickets and more than 11000 runs in Tests.

Only batsman to have 100 hundreds in the first class cricket.
Career Statistics of Sachin Tendulkar (As on 21-04-2011)
Take a look at the numbers that Sachin Tendulkar has accumulated against his name since making his debut
for India in 1989.

Tests - Batting
Matches Innings Runs Average Highest 100s/50s
177 290 14692 56.94 248 N.O. 51/59

Tests – Bowling
Matches Wickets Average Best bowling
177 45 53.06 3/10

ODIs – Batting
Matches Runs Average Highest Strike rate 100s 50s
453 18111 45.16 200 N.O. 86.32 48 95

ODIs – Bowling
Matches Wickets Average Economy rate Strike rate Best bowling 4 wkts
453 154 44.4 5.10 52.2 5/32 4

T20s – Batting (Includes IPL)
Matches Runs Average Highest Strike rate 100s 50s
47 1717 44.02 100 N.O. 128.8 1 12

Records given as per 2011year ending

Interesting Facts

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Interesting Facts

Here are some interesting, but true facts, that you may or may not have known.

1. The Statue of Liberty's index finger is eight feet long.

2. Rain has never been recorded in some parts of the Atacama Desert in Chile.

3. A 75 year old person will have slept about 23 years.

4. Boeing 747's wing span is longer than the Wright brother's first flight. The Wright brother's invented the
airplane.

5. There are as many chickens on earth as there are humans.

6. One type of hummingbird weighs less than a penny.

7. The word "set" has the most number of definitions in the English language; 192 Slugs have four noses.

8. Sharks can live up to 100 years.

9. Mosquitos are more attracted to the color blue than any other color.

10. Kangaroos can't walk backwards.

11. About 75 acres of pizza are eaten in in the U.S. everyday.

12. The largest recorded snowflake was 15 Inch wide and 8 Inch thick. It fell in Montana in 1887.

13. The tip of a bullwhip moves so fast that the sound it makes is actually a tiny sonic boom.

14. Former president Bill Clinton only sent 2 emails in his entire 8 year presidency.

15. Koalas and humans are the only animals that have finger prints.

16. There are 200,000,000 insects for every one human.

17. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery had in it to begin with.

18. The world's largest Montessori school is in India, with 26,312 students in 2002.

19. Octopus have three hearts.

20. If you ate too many carrots, you would turn orange.

21. The average person spends two weeks waiting for a traffic light to change.

22. 1 in 2,000,000,000 people will live to be 116 or old.

23. The body has 2-3 million sweat glands.

24. Sperm whales have the biggest brains; 20 lbs.

25. Tiger shark embroyos fight each other in their mother's womb. The survivor is born.

26. Most cats are left pawed.

27. 250 people have fallen off the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

28. A Blue whale's tongue weighs more than an elephant.

29. You use 14 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. Keep Smiling!

30. Bamboo can grow up to 3 ft in 24 hours.

31. An eyeball weighs about 1 ounce.

100 Interesting Facts About Human Body

2012-08-15T17:18:00.001+05:30

The human body is an incredibly complex and intricate system, one that still baffles doctors and researchers
on a regular basis despite thousands of years of medical knowledge. As a result, it should not be any surprise
that even body parts and functions we deal with every day have bizarre or unexpected facts and explanations
behind them. From sneezes to finger-nail growth, here are 100 weird, wacky, and interesting facts about
the human body.

Facts About The Brain
The human brain is the most complex and least understood part of the human anatomy. There may be a lot
we don't know, but here are a few interesting facts that we've got covered.

1. Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour. Ever wonder how you can
react so fast to things around you or why that stubbed toe hurts right away? It's due to the
super-speedy movement of nerve impulses from your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa,
bringing reactions at the speed of a high powered luxury sports car.

2. The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb. The cartoon image of a light
bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn't too far off the mark. Your brain generates as
much energy as a small light bulb even when you're sleeping.

3. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica. Or any
other encyclopedia for that matter. Scientists have yet to settle on a definitive amount, but the storage
capacity of the brain in electronic terms is thought to be between 3 or even 1,000 terabytes. The
National Archives of Britain, containing over 900 years of history, only takes up 70 terabytes, making
your brain's memory power pretty darn impressive.

4. Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream. The brain only makes up about 2%
of our body mass, yet consumes more oxygen than any other organ in the body, making it extremely
susceptible to damage related to oxygen deprivation. So breathe deep to keep your brain happy and
swimming in oxygenated cells.

5. The brain is much more active at night than during the day. Logically, you would think that all the
moving around, complicated calculations and tasks and general interaction we do on a daily basis
during our working hours would take a lot more brain power than, say, lying in bed. Turns out, the
opposite is true. When you turn off your brain turns on. Scientists don't yet know why this is but you
can thank the hard work of your brain while you sleep for all those pleasant dreams.

6. Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream. While this may be true, don't take it as a sign
you're mentally lacking if you can't recall your dreams. Most of us don't remember many of our dreams
and the average length of most dreams is only 2-3 seconds–barely long enough to register.

7. Neurons continue to grow throughout human life. For years scientists and doctors thought that brain
and neural tissue couldn't grow or regenerate. While it doesn't act in the same manner as tissues in
many other parts of the body, neurons can and do grow throughout your life, adding a whole new
dimension to the study of the brain and the illnesses that affect it.

8. Information travels at different speeds within different types of neurons. Not all neurons are the same.
There are a few different types within the body and transmission along these different kinds can be as
slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec.

9. The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be the pain center when you cut your finger or
burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain. That doesn't mean
your head can't hurt. The brain is surrounded by loads of tissues, nerves and blood vessels that are
plenty receptive to pain and can give you a pounding headache.

10. 80% of the brain is water. Your brain isn't the firm, gray mass you've seen on TV. Living brain tissue
is a squishy, pink and jelly-like organ thanks to the loads of blood and high water content of the
tissue. So the next time you're feeling dehydrated get a drink to keep your brain hydrated.

The human body is an incredibly complex and intricate system, one that still baffles doctors and researchers
on a regular basis despite thousands of years of medical knowledge. As a result, it should not be any surprise
that even body parts and functions we deal with every day have bizarre or unexpected facts and explanations
behind them. From sneezes to finger-nail growth, here are 100 weird, wacky, and interesting facts about
the human body.

Facts About Hair and Nails
While they're not a living part of your body, most people spend a good amount of time caring for their hair and
nails. The next time you're heading in for a haircut or manicure, think of these facts.

1. Facial hair grows faster than any other hair on the body. If you've ever had a covering of stubble on
your face as you're clocking out at 5 o'clock you're probably pretty familiar with this. In fact, if the
average man never shaved his beard it would grow to over 30 feet during his lifetime, longer than a
killer whale.

2. Every day the average person loses 60-100 strands of hair. Unless you're already bald, chances are
good that you're shedding pretty heavily on a daily basis. Your hair loss will vary in accordance with
the season, pregnancy, illness, diet and age.

3. Women's hair is about half the diameter of men's hair. While it might sound strange, it shouldn't come
as too much of a surprise that men's hair should be coarser than that of women. Hair diameter also
varies on average between races, making hair plugs on some men look especially obvious.

4. One human hair can support 3.5 ounces. That's about the weight of two full size candy bars, and with
hundreds of thousands of hairs on the human head, makes the tale of Rapunzel much more plausible.

5. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. And the nail on the middle finger of your dominant
hand will grow the fastest of all. Why is not entirely known, but nail growth is related to the length of the
finger, with the longest fingers growing nails the fastest and shortest the slowest.

6. There are as many hairs per square inch on your body as a chimpanzee. Humans are not quite the
naked apes that we're made out to be. We have lots of hair, but on most of us it's not obvious as a
majority of the hairs are too fine or light to be seen.

7. Blondes have more hair. They're said to have more fun, and they definitely have more hair. Hair color
determines how dense the hair on your head is. The average human has 100,000 hair follicles, each of
which is capable of producing 20 individual hairs during a person's lifetime. Blondes average 146,000
follicles while people with black hair tend to have about 110,000 follicles. Those with brown hair fit the
average with 100,000 follicles and redheads have the least dense hair, with about 86,000 follicles.

8. Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toe nails. If you notice that you're trimming your fingernails
much more frequently than your toenails you're not just imagining it. The nails that get the most
exposure and are used most frequently grow the fastest. On average, nails on both the toes and
fingers grow about one-tenth of an inch each month.

9. The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average. While you quite a few hairs each day, your
hairs actually have a pretty long life providing they aren't subject to any trauma. Your hairs will likely
get to see several different haircuts, styles, and even possibly decades before they fall out on their
own.

10. You must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone. You lose hundreds of
hairs a day but you'll have to lose a lot more before you or anyone else will notice. Half of the hairs on
your pretty little head will have to disappear before your impending baldness will become obvious to
all those around you.

11. Human hair is virtually indestructible. Aside from it's flammability, human hair decays at such a slow
rate that it is practically non-disintegrative. If you've ever wondered how your how clogs up your pipes
so quick consider this: hair cannot be destroyed by cold, change of climate, water, or other natural
forces and it is resistant to many kinds of acids and corrosive chemicals.

Facts About Internal Organs
Though we may not give them much thought unless they're bothering us, our internal organs are what allow
us to go on eating, breathing and walking around. Here are some things to consider the next time you hear
your stomach growl.

Best Motivational Quotes You Will Ever Find

2012-08-15T17:11:00.001+05:30

Best Motivational Quotes
You Will Ever Find

You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind.
Author Unknown

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
William B. Sprague

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
Theodore Roosevelt

Fortune favors the brave.
Publius Terence

He who hesitates is lost.
Proverb

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein

Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
Lucretius

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
W.W. Ziege

There is only one success--to be able to spend your life in your own way.
Christopher Morley

To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.
Shakespeare

People often say that motivation doesn't last.
Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.
Zig Ziglar

That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.
Abraham Lincoln

People seldom see the halting and painful steps by which
the most insignificant success is achieved.
Anne Sullivan

Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments.
Henry Ward Beecher

What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?
Robert Schuller

Real difficulties can be overcome;
it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable.
Theodore N. Vail

Our greatest battles are that with our own minds.
Jameson Frank

Triumphs without difficulties are empty. Indeed, it is difficulties
that make the triumph. It is no feat to travel the smooth road.
Source Unknown

For every mountain there is a miracle.
Robert H. Schuller

The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and
convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors.
African Proverb

We will either find a way, or make one!
Hannibal

In order to discover new lands, one must be willing to
lose sight of the shore for a very long time.
Anonymous

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
Muhammad Ali

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.
African Proverb

If you can't make a mistake, you can't make anything.
Marva Collins

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs
even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor
spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in
that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt

So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can.
Because that's where you will find success. On the far side of failure.
Thomas J. Watson, Sr.

We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success; we often
discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably
he who never make a mistake never made a discovery.
Samuel Smiles

A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honourable
but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
George Bernard Shaw

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth
- not going all the way, and not starting.
Buddha

If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.
Thomas Watson, Sr

Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill

I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love
than to be a success at something you hate.
George Burns

Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet.
German Proverb

Remember: Success is nothing but luck. Just ask any failure.
Anonymous

What ever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
Napolean Hill

9 Easy Steps to Turning Dreams into Reality!

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9 Easy Steps to Turning Dreams into Reality!

1. Mindset vs. Knowledge
The first thing that we need to understand about turning
dreams into reality is that we will need two distinct attributes.
We need to have both the right Knowledge and a positive
Mindset. Many people forget about Mindset and consequently
are more likely to fail in their attempts to achieve what they
want, when they want.
As you can see the act of achieving anything is mostly having
the right mindset. In fact it is about ¾ Mindset and ¼
Knowledge.
Having the right Knowledge is pretty straightforward, it is
learning the skills and strategies required to carry out the tasks
you will set for yourself. The Mindset however is something
the many people struggle with.
To have a champion Mindset means that you are highly
Motivated and have the Determination and Will Power
required to make the sacrifices you will need to make.

2. Finding Your Life Purpose
One of the biggest Barriers holding most people back is that
they do not have a clearly defined ideal to strive for in their
lives. That is that even though these people may state they want
a big house and a Porsche, and even go as far as setting these
items as goals, they do not realise their true purpose in life.
To work out you Life Purpose your need to ask yourself
some questions. You need to make a list of what you do and do
not want in your life. These can be feelings, people, ideas or
objects, anything you can think of.
Next make a list of Obstacles that stand in your way of
getting these things that you want in your life.
Then think about what you want your family, friends and
colleagues to say about your life after you have died. I know
that sounds a bit morbid, but thinking about your life in this
light can be very motivational.
Finally, write up your Life Purpose as a statement of a few
sentences. Print this out, pin it up in a place were you can
review it daily.

3. Getting Motivated
One of the great methods I like to use is dream posters. The
basic idea of this is to cut out pictures from magazines of
houses, cars and boats etc that you want to have in your life.
Then take some time every day to review your poster and
Visualise the life you want for yourself.
Another method is to print out Inspirational phrases and
Quotes and place them on the walls in your personal
workspace.
Take some time to Meditate, just sit quietly with some music
that you like and Visualise your life the way you want it to be.
See yourself on a holiday in the Bahamas or spending time with
your kids in the park, use your imagination.

4. S.M.A.R.T Goals
Before we set any goals it is important that we have an idea
of how to write effective goals. We want goals that are Well
Defined and are easy to motivate ourselves toward and,
ultimately, achieve.
The best framework that I have come across is the
S.M.A.R.T. philosophy. That is our goals must be:
Specific,
Measurable,
Action-oriented,
Realistic, and
Time/Resource constrained.
So, now that we have a proven framework to base our goals
on, we can now start setting some goals.

5. Defining Objectives
We now need to think about an Objective that we want to
achieve. This is something which is quite large like owning a
house on the waterfront or getting a job as an Engineer.
We will of course break this down into Milestones and then
into individual Tasks later to make them more achievable.
However, for now you need to decide on some area that you
want to improve and then write it out using the S.M.A.R.T.
philosophy outlined above.

6. Signposting Milestones
Now we can look at the main Milestones that we need to
take in order to achieve our Objective.
Carrying on with the example of getting a job as an Engineer,
there are certain major steps we need to take in order to realise
this goal. For instance, the most obvious Milestone we need to
reach is to complete an Engineering degree.
As you can see, we are progressively breaking our goals
down into smaller, more manageable pieces.

7. Setting Tasks
Next we need to break these Milestones down into specific
Tasks. These are great because you can effectively set yourself
a Task and then check it off your list. It is so easy to check your
progress.
To use another example; our Objective this time is to ‘make
$1 million from the stock market in 3 months, from an initial
investment of $10 000, by investing in stock options,’ notice this
is a S.M.A.R.T. goal.
Then let’s make our first Milestone to ‘learn how to invest in
the stock market,’ we could then proceed to break this down
into smaller Tasks.
Our first Task could then be ‘read Options Trading by Joe
Bloggs by 02 Mar 07, one chapter a night,’ notice this is also a
S.M.A.R.T. goal.
We would then of course write this up on a checklist, in our
Daily Planner or on a wall etc. And check it off when done.

8. Success Credo
You can draw parallels between your Success Credo and the
statement of your Life Purpose. However, your Credo is more
of a statement of your Beliefs and Promises as to how you will
live your life.
It will provide a basis for your decision making and also
serve as yet another motivational reminder. Feel free to include
some affirmations like ‘I am always calm in a crisis,’ these
words will provide some extra motivation.
And if you state and believe these words often enough, with
conviction, your behaviour will change subconsciously to
reflect this.

9. Success Questions
It does not do much good, when you are reviewing your
goals every day, to simply say to yourself “well, I think I’m
going OK” and that is the end of it.
You need to actually look at your progress and ask yourself
Questions along the lines of; ‘How can I be doing this better?’

5 Tricky Questions and Answers

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5 Tricky Questions and Answers

Here are five tricky questions, let's see how many you can answer!
Tricky Questions

1. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging
fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in
3 years. Which room is safest for him?

2. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs
him. But 5 minutes later they both go out and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?

3. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and grey when you throw it away?

4. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday?

5. This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual
about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is
wrong with it! But it is highly unusual, though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find
anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching!

Answers to Tricky Questions

The answers to all these five riddles (tricky questions) are mentioned below.
Answers
1. The third room. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead. That one was easy, right?
2. The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to
dry.
3. Charcoal, as it is used in barbecuing.
4. Sure you can name three consecutive days: yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
5. The letter 'e', the most common in the English language, does not appear even once in the paragraph.

5 Smallest Countries of World

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5 Smallest Countries of World

1. Vatican City
Size: 0.17 sq. mi. (0.44 km²)
Population: 783 (2005 census)
Location: Rome, Italy
The size of a golf course, the Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It's basically a walled enclave
inside of Rome, Italy. It's so small that the entire country does not have a single street address. The Vatican
City may be small, but it is very powerful. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See, or the seat of the
Catholic Church (basically its central government), which has over 1 billion people (about 1 in 6 people on the
planet) as constituents. The Vatican City was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty (which was signed by
one of history's most repressive dictators, Benito Mussolini) and is ruled by the Pope, basically a
non-hereditary, elected monarch who rules with absolute authority (he's the legislative, executive and
judiciary all rolled into one) - indeed, the Pope is the only absolute monarch in Europe. Another unique thing
about the smallest country in the world is that it has no permanent citizens. Citizenship of the Vatican City is
conferred upon those who work at the Vatican (as well as their spouses and children) and is revoked when
they stop working there.
The Vatican City is guarded by the smallest and oldest regular army in the world, the Swiss Guard. It was
originally made up of Swiss mercenaries in 1506, now the army (also personal bodyguards of the Pope)
number 100, all of which are Catholic unmarried male Swiss citizens. The Swiss Guard's Renaissance-style
uniform was commonly attributed as to have been designed by Michelangelo - this was actually incorrect: the
large "skirt" pants were a common style during the Renaissance. Only their uniforms seem antiquated: most
of the Swiss Guards carry pistols and submachine-guns. The official languages of the Vatican City are Latin
and Italian. In fact, its ATMs are the only ones in the world that offer services in Latin! And here you thought
that Latin is a dead language? For a country that has no street address, the Vatican City has a very efficient
post office: an international mail dropped in the Vatican will get there faster than one dropped in Italy just a
few hundred yard away - in fact, there is more mail sent annually per inhabitant from this country (7,200 mails
per person) than anywhere else in the world. The Vatican City has a country code top level domain of .va -
currently there are only 9 publicly known .va domains. It also has a radio broadcasting service, called Vatican
Radio, which was set up by Guglielmo Marconi (the Father of Radio) himself! The country's economy is
unique: it is the only non-commercial economy in the world. Instead, the Vatican City is supported financially
by contributions of Catholics worldwide (called Peter's Pence - hey, even the Pope accepts credit cards!), the
sale of postage stamps and publications, and tourism. Lastly, as an ecclesiastical paradise, the Vatican City
has no taxes.
2. Monaco
Size: 0.8 sq. mi. (1.96 km²)
Population: 35,657 (2006 estimate)
Location: French Riviera on the Mediterranean
Monaco is the second smallest country on Earth (it's roughly the size of New York's Central Park), yet it's the
most densely populated (23,660 people per km²). Actually, Monaco used to be much smaller than it is now -
about 100 acres were reclaimed from the sea and added to its land size. At the narrowest, Monaco is only
382 yards wide!
The Principality of Monaco, its formal name, means that the territory is ruled by a prince. For the last seven
centuries, Monaco was ruled by princes of the Grimaldi family from Genoa. (The whole thing started one
night in 1297 when François Grimaldi disguised himself as a monk and led a small army to conquer the
fortress guarding the Rock of Monaco. The coat of arms of the Grimaldi bears the image of monks with
swords!) Now, the Prince shares legislative authority with a National Council. In 1861, Monaco relinquished
half of its territory to France in exchange for cash and independence. When the reigning prince realized that
most of Monaco's natural resources were on the land that got bartered away, he decided to bet the whole
economy on ? what else, gambling (see, casinos aren't only for American Indians, it's a time-tested, universal
solution!) And so began Monte Carlo, a region of Monaco well known for its glamorous casinos (a setting for
Ian Fleming's first James Bond Novel Casino Royale) and its Formula One Grand Prix.
In 1918, Monaco entered a treaty with France for military protection - the treaty, however, also stipulated that
Monaco would lose its independence (and become French) should the reigning Grimaldi prince died without
leaving a male heir! When Prince Rainier III took over, he was a bachelor and most Monegasques (that
means people of Monaco) were gloomy about the country's future. However, he ended up marrying
Hollywood actress Grace Kelly - the marriage not only produced a male heir, it also helped burnish Monaco's
image as a glamorous place to be for the wealthy. (Monaco can rest easy now, a new treaty with France
stated that the Principality will remain independent even without a male heir). For a long time, Monaco had no
income taxes and was a tax haven for wealthy foreigners and international corporations. This caused a
unique thing about Monaco's population: most of its residents are not native - in fact, only about 1 in 5 people
are native Monegasques. After a long dispute with France, Monaco started to impose income taxes on all of
its residents who are not born there. Its natural citizens are forbidden from entering casinos, but to make up
for it, they do not have to pay any income taxes.
3. Nauru
Size: 8 sq. mi (21 km²)
Population: 13,005 (2005 estimate)
Location: Western Pacific Ocean
Nauru is the world's smallest island nation, the smallest independent republic, and the only republic in the
world without an official capital. Nauru only has one significant source of income: phosphates from thousands
of years' worth of guano or bird droppings. This proved to be both a boon and a bane for Nauruans - for a
long time, its residents enjoyed a relatively high level of income as the country exported its phosphate like
there's no tomorrow. The government employed 95% of Nauruans, and lavished free medical care and
schooling for its citizens. Most didn't take advantage of this offer: only one-third of children went on to
secondary school. The adults didn't really work, either - office hours were flexible and the most popular
pastime was drinking beer and driving the 20-minute circuit around the island. For a while, Nauru was a
paradise - for a brief moment in 1970s, Nauruans were even amongst the richest people on the planet.
Nothing lasts forever and sure enough, Nauru's phosphate reserves soon dried up and left 90% of the island
as a barren, jagged mining wasteland. Wasteful investments (like buying hotels only to leave them to rot) and
gross incompetence by the government (former presidents used to commandeer Air Nauru's planes for
holidays, leaving paying customers stranded on the tarmac!) didn't help either. As if that's not bad enough,
Nauru is also beset by obesity problem. Decades of leisurely lifestyle and high consumption of alcohol and
fatty foods have left as many as 9 out of 10 people overweight! Nauru also has the world's highest level of
type 2 diabetes - over 40% of its population is affected. So now, Nauruans are poverty-stricken and fat - but
they are trying to turn things around. With no natural resource left, in the 1990s, Nauru decided to become a
tax haven and offered passports to foreign nationals for a fee. This attracted the wrong kind of money (but a
lot of it): the Russian mafia funneled over $70 billion to the tiny island nation. Things got so bad that most big
banks refused to handle transactions involving Nauru because of money laundering problems. This led Nauru
to another extraordinary money-making scheme: it became a detention camp for people applying for asylum
to Australia!
4. Tuvalu
Size: 9 sq. mi. (26 km²)
Population: 10,441 (2005 estimate)
Location: South Pacific
Tuvalu is basically a chain of low-lying coral islands, with its highest elevation being 16 feet or 5 meters
above seal level. With total land area of just 9 square miles, Tuvalu is not only a teeny tiny island in the
Pacific Ocean, it may not even exist in the next 50 years if sea level continue to rise (a controversial claim,
nonetheless there were evacuation plans to New Zealand and other Pacific Islands). Even if the sea level
does not rise, other problems such as population growth and coastal erosion still make Tuvalu a very
vulnerable country. During World War II, thousands of American troops were stationed on the islands of
Tuvalu and the island became an Allied base. Airfields were quickly constructed and after the war,
abandoned. In fact, today rusting wrecks can be found on the islands, a constant reminder of its role in the
War. Today, Tuvalu also derives income from renting out its Internet country code top-level domain .tv, as it is
the abbreviation of the word 'television'. This scheme got off to a rocky start (the original company who tried
to do it failed to raise the necessary funds), but finally proved to be the largest source of income for the
country.
5. San Marino
Size: 24 sq. mi. (61 km²)
Population: 28,117 (2005 estimate)
Location: North-central Italy near the Adriatic coast.
With the formal name of The Most Serene Republic of San Marino, it's not surprising that San Marino has got
lots of charms. Founded in AD 301 by a Christian stonecutter named (what else) Marino (or Marinus,
depending on who you ask), who along with a small group of Christians, was seeking escape from religious
persecution, San Marino is the world's oldest republic. Its history belies its simple motto: "Liberty." Indeed,
San Marino was such a good neighbor that it was hardly ever conquered by larger enemies (it was briefly
conquered in the 1500s and the 1700s, for like a month each). Even when Napoleon gobbled most of
Europe, he left San Marino alone, saying it was a model republic! San Marino takes its government seriously:
for such a tiny country, San Marino has a very complex government structure, based on a constitution written
in 1600. The country is ruled by an elected Council of 60, who appoints 2 captain regents (from opposing
political parties, no less) to administer governmental affairs for six-month term. Talk about preserving liberties
through division of authority! Before World War II, San Marino was amongst the poorest countries in Europe.
Today, with more than 3 million tourists visiting every year (half of San Marino's income is derived from
tourism), the people of San Marino are amongst the world's richest people.

10 Most Famous Indian Personalities In History

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10 Most Famous Indian Personalities In History
The term "Indian" may relate to a member of the native, indigenous or aboriginal Americans commonly
referred to "Red Indians" and also to the "West Indians" or the "Indian Indians". An assumption is that on
visiting the East Indies, Columbus called its inhabitants as "Indios." A root of "Indians" is Hindu literally
meaning "black," but mainly standing for the Hindu religion. From it has been coined "Hindustan" which is
another name for "India". It is not known exactly if the great River Indus has something to do with the name
"India". By far the most commonly understood meaning of "Indians" is the inhabitants of the subcontinent of
India before 1947 and the citizens of the State of India after it. It is in this perspective that "Famous Indians of
India" in history will be reviewed.
1. Chanakya
Chanakya was born to Canin and Canesvari in the village Canaka in 350 BC. He was the teacher of
Chandargupta, the first Emperor of Maurya. In the recorded history of the subcontinent, he was the emperor
of entire kingdom. Known also as Kautilya and Vishnu Gupta, Chanakya wrote the oldest Indian book on
politics called "Arthsastra". Although he was born centuries before Machiavelli, but on account of his
thoughts, he is sometimes referred to as the Indian Machiavelli. Having first been taught at Taksasila,
Chanakya taught in the same five centuries old academy. His book Arthasastra was related to economics,
welfare, international relations, and war strategies. In another book Neetisastra he enlightened on the social
aspects of the Indian lifestyle and also extended some guidance for the rulers. He wrote 216 "Neeti Sutras"
as do’s and don’ts for the rulers. Chanakya died in 283 BC.
2. Abul Fazal
Abul Fazal was born as the second son to Sheikh Mubarak in Agra, India on January 14, 1551. He was
assassinated by Vir Singh Bundela during a trip. His severed head was sent to the Mogul Price Salim whose
accession he opposed. Abul Fazal was the vizier of the mogul Emperor Akber, who himself was not a learned
person but liked the company of learned scholars. He had gathered in his court the top nine scholars from
different fields, and they were known as "Nauratan" or nine jewels. Abul Fazal was the brightest among them.
He had written the official history of Akbar’s reign, known as Akber Nama comprising three volumes. Its third
volume, Ain-I-Akbari has special importance in the contemporary writings. He had also translated the Bible
into Persian.
3. Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi, also known as "Bapu" and "Gandhi Ji" was born to Putlibai (mother) and Karamchand
Gandhi (father) in Porbandar, Kathiawar Agency, British-ruled India on October 2, 1869. He was
assassinated by a Hindu Nationalist Nathuram Godsey on January 30, 1948. Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu
leader of the highest renown, more known as one of the two most prominent figures of the Indian
Independence movement. His philosophy of Satyagrah and Ahinsa advocated non-violence. He led a simple
life. He is honored officially as the Father of the Nation, and his birthday is commemorated as a national
holiday.
4. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was born to Nusserwanji and Jeevanbai Tata in Navsari, Gujarat, India on March
3, 1839 and died in Bad Nauheim, German Empire on May 19, 1904 at the age of 65. He was educated at
Elphinstone College, Bombay, India. He considered three basic principles for the industrial progress of India
being: steel as the mother of heavy industry, hydroelectric power as the cheapest source of energy, and
technical education as an essential for industrial advancement. He was an influential person not only in India
but also being well-known in other countries too. George Washington encouraged him to visit Niagara Falls to
review hydroelectric power generation. His son, Sir Dorabji Tata, fulfilled his dream by establishing the Tata
Hydro Electric Power Supply Company in 1910.
5. Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan, popularly known as Amitabh Bachchan, was born to Harivansh Rai Bachchan
and Teji Bachchan in Allahabad, United Provinces in British India on October 11, 1942. He is the most
famous Indian actor, singer, producer, and television presenter. He became known for the first time with his
appearance in the Hindi Film Angry Young Man in the 1970s. He has appeared in more than 180 films since
then. On account of his outstanding career he has been honored with many awards a few of them being:
National Film Award, Film Fare Award, Padam Shiri, and Padma Bhushan Civilian Awards from the Indian
Government, Film Fare Lifetime Achievement Award, Superstar of the Millennium 2000, French Highest
Civilian Award of France, Knight of the Legion of Honor. The BBC voted him "Greatest Star of Stage or
Screen" in 1999. He was the first living Asian to be displayed as a wax statue in Madame Tussauds Wax
Museum in London and later on in New York and Hong Kong.
6. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar was born to Ramesh Tendulkar and Rajni Tendulkar in Bombay, Maharashtra, India on
April 24, 1973. Standing 5’5" (1.65 m) high, popularly known as 'Little Master', right-handed Sachin Tendulkar
is regarded as one of the Greatest Batsman of All Time. Next only to Donald Bradman, Sachin is the second
greatest batsman. He is the second greatest all-time One Day International (ODI) batsman. Sachin Tendulkar
broke Brian Lara’s record for the most runs in test cricket on October 17, 2008 and became the first batsman
to score 15,000 runs in test cricket on November 8, 2011. Tendulkar has been honored with the highest
Indian Civil Award, Padam Vibhushan, and the second highest civil award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. He has
been honored with many honorary degrees and other awards.
7. Kalpana Chawla
Kalpna Chawla was born to Banarsi Lal Chawla and Sanjogta Kharbanda in Karnal, Haryana India on July 1,
1961, and she was one of the seven crew members who died on February 1, 2003, after the disintegration of
the Space Shuttle Columbia on reentry into Earth’s atmosphere during mission STS-107. She received the
Congressional Space Medal of Honor. She received her early education from Tagore Public School Karnal.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh
in 1982, and a master’s from the University of Texas, Arlington, and a Ph.D. In aerospace engineering from
the University of Colorado at Boulder. As an Indian American Astronaut with NASA, she is a permanent
chapter in the history of space engineering. She was posthumously awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal
and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
8. Lakshmi Mittal
Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, commonly known as Lakshmi Mittal, was born in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India on June
15, 1950. He is the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel
manufacturing company. He was educated at St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta. He is best known as a steel
tycoon. In addition to being Chairman and CEO of AcelorMittal, he is also Director of Goldman Sachs, owner
of Karrick Limited, Co-owner of Queens Park Rangers F.C. He is the richest man in India, the U.K., and Asia,
the second richest in Europe, and the sixth richest person in the world with personal wealth over $20.7 billion.
He is the 44th most powerful person of the Forbes list of 68 people. Financial Times named him "Person of
the Year" in 2006 and the Times counted him as one of the "100 Most Influential Persons in the World." In the
recorded history of the world, the wedding of his daughter Vanisha Mittal was the most expensive.
9. Mirza Ghalib
Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was born to Abdullah Baig and Izzat-ul-Nisa Begum in Agra, Mughal Empire on
December 27, 1797 and died in Delhi, Punjab in British India on February 15, 1869 at the age of 72. He was
the most famous and greatest poet of Urdu and Persian. Last Moghul Emperor of India, Bahadur Shah Zafar,
was a poet himself and was tutored by the famous poet "Zauq" who was Ghalib’s rival. Both Ghalib and
Zauq, however, agreed upon the greatness of Meer Taqi Meer, best known for his simplicity and
meaningfulness of his "Ghazal" the most popular genre of Urdu and Persian poetry. The Emperor honored
Mirza Ghalib with three titles; Najm-ud-daula, Dabir-ul-Mulq, and Mirza Nosha. Diwan-I-Ghalib is the most
known book of poetry in Pakistan and India.
10. Kundan Lal Sehgal
Kundan Lal Sehgal was born to Amarchand and Kesar Bai in Jammu, British India on April 11, 1904 and died
in Jalandhar, Punjab, India on January 18, 1947 at the age of 42. He was the most famous vocalist, actor,
and playback singer of his time. He was a school dropout and did some odd jobs like time keeping for the
railway and salesmanship for Remington Typewriters prior to being introduced to the film industry. In 1933 his
four "Bhajans" in the film Puran Bhagat made him known throughout India. Later on he emerged as the most
remembered superstar of the Indian film industry. Saigal was an idol for the post-independence generation by
virtue of his unique voice. Among those who idolized his voice were the superstars like Lata Mageshkar,
Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar.
Conclusion: Fame is what came effortlessly to a few who neither cared nor dreamed of it, and it fell into their
hands like ripe fruit. Contrarily, quite a few others strove hard, though, to capture it and yet failed to see its
glimpses. Some acquired and lost it quicker than they thought, and others retained it even after their death
without any effort on their part.

The Beauty of Mathematics

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1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
Brilliant, isn't it?
And finally, take a look at this symmetry
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=123456789 87654321

Top 25 Universities in the World

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Here is a list of the top 25 universites in the world displayed in decending order. This list of top 25
universities can help you take a look that which university holds what position among top 25 ranks according
to world university rankings 2009.
25. Kyoto University, Japan
Kyoto University rated as 25th best university in World University Rankings 2009. Founded in 1897, Kyoto
University has deeply considered its traditions of liberal and academic freedom, educating many. We
continue to actively maintain these principles, which are the foundation of academic freedom. Kyoto
University places top priority on basic research, develops advanced technology leading to the acquisition of
intellectual property, and then returns this knowledge to society through education, social cooperation, and
the opportunity for lifelong education. Kyoto University has 3 campuses nestled in a basin, which forms the
main part of Kyoto, a city which in tradition and culture of which Kyoto University is a part.
24. University of Hong Kong
University of Hong Kong rated as 24th best university in World University Rankings 2009. The University of
Hong Kong is the territorys oldest university, and with a history that stretches back more than 90 years, it has
grown with and helped shape the city from which it takes its name. The University of Hong Kong, as a
pre-eminent international university in Asia, seeks to sustain and enhance its excellence as an institution of
higher learning through outstanding teaching and world-class research so as to produce well-rounded
graduates with lifelong abilities to provide leadership within the societies they serve. HKU has won a proud
reputation as a world-class comprehensive research university. It offers internationally recognized
qualifications and it is renowned for its academic and research excellence worldwide. As an English-medium
university in China, HKU also offers researchers unique opportunities to bridge cultures and continents, and
to explore more on China-related studies.
23. Kings College London
Kings College London rated as 23rd best university in World University Rankings 2009. Kings College London
is a constituent college of the University of London in the United Kingdom. The college was founded by King
George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and its royal charter is predated in England only by those of
Oxford University and Cambridge University. There are currently more than 19,000 students in nine Schools
of study based at our five London campuses. We offer a vast range of undergraduate programmes, and
whichever programme you choose to pursue, you will work with academics who are often national or
international leaders in their field. As an undergraduate at Kings, you will become part of a vibrant and
intellectually stimulating community. You will be inspired by researchers, discoverers and inventors who are
pushing the boundaries of knowledge and will mix with students from across the UK, Europe and almost
every country in the world. Kings has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern
life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare
professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres Ã¢‚€œ more than any other
university.
22. University of Tokyo
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University of Tokyo rated as 22th best university in World University Rankings 2009. The University of Tokyo
abbreviated as Todai, is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties
with a total of around 30000 students, 2100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Honga, Komaba,
Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in Japan.
21. University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh rated as 21st best university in World University Rankings 2009. The University of
Edinburgh was founded in 1583, making it one of Scotland s ancient universities. The University offers over
600 first degree programmes, which includes over 300 joint degree combinations, spread across some 100
academic disciplines. More than 22000 students study here, from all over the world and from a variety of
backgrounds. The University has 22 Schools in three Colleges: Humanities & Social Science, Medicine &
Veterinary Medicine, and Science & Engineering. World renowned and well respected, a degree from the
University of Edinburgh will be recognised wherever you go. The University of Edinburgh s success is not
limited to Scotland, or even the UK. We have a well-deserved international reputation for excellence, as
demonstrated in our partnerships with other key institutions worldwide, such as our work with Stanford
University on Informatics. Many of our degree programmes offer the opportunity to spend some time studying
abroad. Perhaps this international dimension helps explain why we have the largest proportion of
international students of any Scottish university.
20. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) rated as 20th best university in World University Rankings
2009. ETH Zurich's 16 departments offer Bachelor, Master and Doctoral programmes in engineering and
natural sciences. The language of instruction in the Bachelor programmes is German, whereas English is the
prime language on the graduate level. All degree programmes provide a solid scientific foundation combined
with outstanding all-round skills, equipping ETH graduates with the abilities and flexibility needed for a career
in industry, business or the public sector, as entrepreneur or scientist.
19. University of Michigan, United States
University of Michigan rated as 18th best university in World University Rankings 2009. The University of
Michigan, one of the worlds leading public universities, has 26000 undergraduate and 15000
graduate/professional students from all 50 states and 117 countries. Students may choose from over 200
undergraduate majors, over 90 masters programs, and over 100 doctoral programs. Numerous research and
study abroad opportunities are offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A wide variety of
social, cultural, and athletic activities are available. There is something for everyone here. The University is
located in the culturally rich and exciting community of Ann Arbor. Distinct yet closely integrated with the
University, Ann Arbor offers its own array of social and cultural offerings, to which University students are
enthusiastically welcomed. The city is home to numerous parks and athletic facilities, and boasts an excellent
public transportation system.
18. Mcgill University, Canada
Mcgill University rated as 18th best university in World University Rankings 2009. Innovative research
programs and cutting-edge facilities including our brand new Life Sciences Complex attract internationally
respected faculty. Our faculty excel at research; in 2008, McGill professors Nahum Sonenberg and Charles
Taylor took home, respectively, the Gairdner International Award and the Kyoto Prize, two of the worlds top
research prizes. McGills faculty are committed to excellence in teaching, too, bringing their cutting-edge
breakthroughs into the classroom. McGills 21 faculties and professional schools offer degrees in more than
300 fields of study. McGill offers a full range of bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs as well as
professional degrees in law, dentistry, business and medicine. The world-renowned Faculty of Medicine has
four affiliated teaching hospitals and graduates more than 1000 health care professionals each year.
17. Australian National University
Australian National University rated as 17th best university in World University Rankings 2009. The Australian
National University is one of the worlds foremost research universities. Distinguished by its relentless pursuit
of excellence, ANU attracts leading academics and outstanding students from Australia and around the
world. The primary educational objective of ANU is to become the university of choice for talented students
locally, nationally and internationally by offering a unique range of research-led degree programs. Graduate
education continues as one of the major focuses of the University and about one quarter of the total
enrolment is undertaking post-graduate study. Regardless of whether those students are enrolled in the
Institute of Advanced Studies or the Faculties, the full resources of both and of University Centres are
available to them through the Graduate School.
16. Stanford University, United States
Stanford University rated as 16th best university in World University Rankings 2009. Stanford University,
founded in 1885, is recognized as one of the worlds leading research and teaching institutions, with one of
the most renowned faculties in the nation. Stanford students men and women of all races, ethnicities and
ages are distinguished by their love of learning and desire to contribute to the greater community. Stanford
University offers its students a remarkable range of academic and extracurricular activities. We are
committed to offering an education that is unrivaled among research universities.
15. Cornell University, United States
Cornell University rated as 15th best university in World University Rankings 2009. Once called "the first
American university" by educational historian Frederick Rudolph, Cornell University represents a distinctive
mix of eminent scholarship and democratic ideals. Adding practical subjects to the classics and admitting
qualified students regardless of nationality, race, social circumstance, gender, or religion was quite a
departure when Cornell was founded in 1865. Todays Cornell reflects this heritage of egalitarian excellence.
It is home to the nations first colleges devoted to hotel administration, industrial and labor relations, and
veterinary medicine. Both a private university and the land-grant institution of New York State, Cornell
University is the most educationally diverse member of the Ivy League.
14. Duke University, United States
Duke University rated as 14th best university in World University Rankings 2009. Duke University was created
in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke. The Dukes, a Durham
family that built a worldwide financial empire in the manufacture of tobacco and developed electricity
production in the Carolinas, long had been interested in Trinity College. Trinity traced its roots to 1838 in
nearby Randolph County when local Methodist and Quaker communities opened Union Institute. The school,
then-named Trinity College, moved to Durham in 1892. In December 1924, the provisions of James B. Dukes
indenture created the family philanthropic foundation, The Duke Endowment, which provided for the
expansion of Trinity College into Duke University.
13. Johns Hopkins University, United States
Johns Hopkins University rated as 13th best university in World University Rankings 2009. The Johns Hopkins
University, founded in Baltimore in 1876, was the first university in the Western Hemisphere founded on the
model of the European research institution, where research and the advancement of knowledge were
integrally linked to teaching. Its establishment began a revolution in U.S. higher education. The Johns
Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research
university located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Johns Hopkins also maintains full-time campuses
elsewhere in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Italy, China, and Singapore. Johns Hopkins University has an
affiliated hospital and medical school. It is one of fourteen founding members of the Association of American
Universities.
12. University of Pennsylvania, United States
University of Pennsylvania rated as 12th best university in World University Rankings 2009. The University of
Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university located in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United
States, and is one of several institutions that claims to have been the first university in America. Penn is a
member of the Ivy League and is one of the Colonial Colleges. University of Pennsylvania has been
committed to excellence in scholarship, research and service. From its highly regarded undergraduate,
graduate and professional schools to its wide-ranging program of interdisciplinary research and scholarship,
Penn takes pride in being a place where students and faculty can pursue knowledge without boundaries, a
place where theory and practice combine to produce a better understanding of our world and ourselves.
11. Columbia University, United States
Columbia University rated as 11th best university in World University Rankings 2009. Columbia University is
one of the worlds most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished
learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields.
The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and
teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and
student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with
many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the
highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.
10. California Institute of Technology (Caltech), United States
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) rated as 10th best university in World University Rankings 2009.
The mission of the California Institute of Technology is to expand human knowledge and benefit society
through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in
science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding
students to become creative members of society.
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) rated as 9th best university in World University Rankings 2009.
The Institute is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with
others to bring this knowledge to bear on the worlds great challenges. MIT is dedicated to providing its
students with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the
support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community. We seek to develop in each member of
the MIT community the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of
humankind. The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and
other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.
8. PRINCETON University, United States
PRINCETON University rated as 8th best university in World University Rankings 2009. Princeton is the 4th
oldest college in the United States. As a research university, it seeks to achieve the highest levels of
distinction in the discovery and transmission of knowledge and understanding, and in the education of
graduate students. At the same time, Princeton is distinctive among research universities in its commitment
to undergraduate teaching. The University provides its students with academic, extracurricular and other
resources in a residential community committed to diversity in its student body, faculty and staff that help
them achieve at the highest scholarly levels and prepare them for positions of leadership and lives of service in many fields of human endeavor.
7. University of CHICAGO, United States
University of CHICAGO rated as the 7th best university in World University Rankings 2009. The University of
Chicago was founded in 1890 by the American Baptist Education Society and oil magnate John D.
Rockefeller. The University of Chicago has had a profound impact on American higher education; curricula
across the country have been influenced by the emphasis on broad humanistic and scientific undergraduate
education. The University also has a well-deserved reputation as the teacher of teachers.
6. University of OXFORD, United Kingdom
University of OXFORD rated the sixth best university in World University Rankings 2009. Oxford is the oldest
university in the English-speaking world and lays claim to nine centuries of continuous existence. As an
internationally renowned centre for teaching and research, Oxford attracts students and scholars from across
the globe, with almost a quarter of our students from overseas. More than 130 nationalities are represented
among a student population of over 18,000. Oxford is a collegiate university, with 39 self-governing colleges
related to the University in a type of federal system. There are also seven Permanent Private Halls, founded
by different Christian denominations. Thirty colleges and all halls admit students for both undergraduate and
graduate degrees. Seven other colleges are for graduates only; one has Fellows only, and one specializes in part-time and continuing education.
5. Imperial College London
Imperial College London, rated the 5th best university in the world for 2009. Imperial College London is a
university of world class scholarship, education and research in science, engineering and medicine, with
particular regard to their application in industry, commerce and healthcare. The College has over 3,000
academic and research staff and almost 14,000 students from over 120 different countries. Our reputation for
excellence in teaching and research in science, engineering, medicine and business attracts students and
staff of the highest international calibre. Imperial College staff are frequently consulted by governments, and
also act as members of professional bodies, advise industry, and offer informed comment to the media.
4. UCL (University College London)
UCL (University College London) rated the 4th best university in World University Rankings 2009. UCL is a
multidisciplinary university with an international reputation for the quality of its research and teaching across
the academic spectrum, with subjects spanning the sciences, arts, social sciences and biomedicine. In the
2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) UCL was rated the best research university in London, and third
in the UK overall, for the number of its submissions which were considered of world-leading quality. The
university is located on a compact site in the very heart of London and is surrounded by the greatest
concentration of libraries, museums, archives, cultural institutions and professional bodies in Europe.
3. Yale University, United States
Yale University rated as third best university in the World University Rankings 2009. Yale University is one of
the most famous schools in the United States, with a long history of service and an alumni list that reads like
a "Whos Who" of successful people. Yale University is the fulfillment of a European vision of intellectual
freedom that is aimed at the service of the community and country. It has championed over history and
survived the most destructive calamities such as the American Revolution. Since then, the university has
continually grown and progressed to a center for high quality education that is recognized by the global
community. The university is considered one of the oldest institution of higher education in the US. It was
founded in 1701 and is a proud member of the prestigious Ivy League.
2. Cambridge University, United Kingdom
University of Cambridge rated the second best in World University Rankings 2009. The University of
Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Its
reputation for outstanding academic achievement is known world-wide and reflects the intellectual
achievement of its students, as well as the world-class original research carried out by the staff of the
University and the Colleges. Its reputation is endorsed by the Quality Assurance Agency and by other
external reviewers of learning and teaching, such as External Examiners. These high standards are the result
of both the learning opportunities offered at Cambridge and by its extensive resources, including libraries,
museums and other collections. Teaching consists not only of lectures, seminars and practical classes led by
people who are world experts in their field, but also more personalised teaching arranged through the
Colleges. Many opportunities exist for students to interact with scholars of all levels, both formally and
informally.
1. Harvard University, United States
Harvard University holds the number one position in World University Rankings 2009 thus making it the best
university in whole world. Harvard is America's oldest institution of higher learning, founded 140 years before
the Declaration of Independence was signed. The University has grown from nine students with a single
master to an enrollment of more than 18000 degree candidates, including undergraduates and students in 10
principal academic units. An additional 13000 students are enrolled in one or more courses in the Harvard
Extension School. Over 14000 people work at Harvard, including more than 2000 faculty. There are also
7000 faculty appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals.
Thank you!!!:-)

What is the difference between Knowledge and Information?

2012-08-12T18:08:00.003+05:30

Knowledge consists of facts, truths, and beliefs, perspectives and concepts, judgments and expectations,
methodologies and know-how. Knowledge is accumulated and integrated and held over time to handle
specific situations and challenges.
Information consists of facts and data organized to describe a particular situation or condition. We use
knowledge to determine what a specific situation means. Knowledge is applied to interpret information about
the situation and to decide how to handle it.
Difference between Information & Knowledge
To illustrate the difference between information and knowledge, let us take an example. A customer contacts
his broker to conduct a transaction and the distinctions between information and knowledge for this
interchange are:
Customer: "I have an account with you, its number is 76190. What is the balance in my account?" (This is
INFORMATION)
The customer-care executive possesses KNOWLEDGE on how to operate her worksation, how to talk to
customer, how to verify that caller is authorized person, how to interpret customer request, how to interpret
account data, and how to explain it to customer. That knowledge may be considered "How-to" knowledge. In
addition, the executive possesses (or can obtain from others or from support systems) other kinds of
knowledge such as concepts about customers, customer accounts, and brokerage in general. The exective
obtains from her system INFORMATION such as: Account holder's name, needed password, type of
account, account restrictions, account balances.
The above is a practical example of difference between information and knowledge. Today's view about
knowledge is changing. Knowledge is not something that is stored in the brain. Knowledge is created in a
situation, and is never again used in exactly the same way. This is called "situatedness" or "situated action".
As an example; Think about a ballet dancer dancing on stage. There is no symbolic knowledge about the
dance stored in the brain of the dancer. It is created while dancing, listening to the music, feeling the music,
and the audience. It will never be that same dance again. We can represent knowledge as information (i.e
symbols), but that is *not* the same as knowledge. Knowledge is fluid, tacit, and forever changing. We cannot
recall knowledge, as we can recall information, we can only experience a situation as similar and react to it in
a similar way. A knowledge-based system does not contain knowledge, it represents knowledge as
information that can be applied dynamically by the system.
Knowledge vs Information
Information is static; knowledge is information in "knowledge representation" form (conceptual model, objects,
frames, constraints, cases, rules, graphs, etc) and different kind of reasoning (decision making, learning, etc).
Knowledge has an environment and can be shared (information to, but only data). Knowledge management
includes also organisation, strategy, "corporate" decision, and "corporate model".
Information is not knowledge until and unless it is applied effectively.
Information vs Knowledge vs Wisdom
• "Information" is "raw", i.e. un-acted upon by any receiver;
• "Knowledge" is information acted upon cognitively, i.e. transformed into some conceptual framework
and hence manipulable and usable for other cognitive uses;
• "Wisdom" is applied knowledge, i.e. knowledge along with the common (or uncommon) sense to know
when and how to use it.
The interesting distinction is between knowledge and wisdom. By this notion, "knowledge" connotes a solitary
action, capable of being taken in the abstract by any one individual. The addition of wisdom implies the
addition of experience. Experience is a cumulative matter; it may refer to an individual's own experience, or to
the collective experience of more than one individual.

Information about Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams

2012-08-12T18:08:00.000+05:30

Kalpana Chawla (July 1, 1961 - February 1, 2003)
Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-born American astronaut and space shuttle mission specialist. She was one
of seven crew members who died aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during mission STS-107 when the shuttle
disintegrated upon re entry into the Earth's Atmosphere on February 1, 2003.
On February 5, 2003, India's Prime Minister announced that the meteorological series of satellites, 'METSAT',
will be named as 'KALPANA'. The first satellite of the series, 'METSAT-1', launched by India on September
12, 2002 will be now Known as 'KALPANA-1', 'KALPANA-2' is expected to be launched by 2007. Asteroid
51826 Kalpanachawla is named for her. She died a hero and a role model for many young women, especially
in Indian and particularly those in her hometown of Karnal, where her life serves to encourage young people
to follow her footsteps.
Sunita L. Williams
Sunita L. Williams was born on September 10, 1965 in Euclid, Ohio. She was awarded the Navy
Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and
various other service awards. Williams was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy from the
United States Naval Academy over 2770 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.
Selected by NASA in June 1998, she reported for training in August 1998. Williams has worked in Moscow
with the Russian Space Agency on the Russian contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) and with
the first Expedition Crew to the ISS. After the return of Expedition-1, Williams worked within the Robotics
branch on the ISS Robotic Arm and the follow on Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. AS a NEEMO2
crew member she lives underwater for 9 days in the Aquarius habitat. Sunita Williams currently lives and
works aboard the International Space Station. She launched with the crew of STS-116 on December 9, 200,
docking with the station on December 11, 2006. Williams joined expedition-14 progress and served as a flight
engineer during her 195 days tour of duty aboard the ISS.

What goes around comes around (Story)

2012-08-12T18:07:00.003+05:30

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his
family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There,
mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer
Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed
nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment,
the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll
grow to a man you can be proud of." And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St.
Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted
Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin!
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.
His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Avoid Drink Driving - A must read story

2012-08-12T18:07:00.000+05:30

I was walking around in a supermarket when i saw a cashier hand this little boy his money back, the boy
couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old. The Cashier said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough
money to buy this doll." The little boy turned to the old woman next to him, "Granny, are you sure I don't have
enough money?" She replied, "You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear." Then
she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy
was still holding the doll in his hand.
Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. "It's the doll that my sister
loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her." I replied
to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly "No,
Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it
to my sister when she goes there."
His eyes were so sad while saying this, "My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is
going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister." My
heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, "I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I
need her to wait until I come back from the mall."
Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing. He then told me "I want mommy to take
my picture with her so she won't forget me. I love my mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave me, but
daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister." Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very
quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy "Suppose we check again, just in case you do
have enough money for the doll!". "OK" he said, "I hope I do have enough."
I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the
doll and even some spare money. The little boy said, "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he
looked at me and added, "I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money
to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money
to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy
the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses." A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left
with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state of mind from when I started.
I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local newspaper article two days ago, which
mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl
died right away and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on
the life-sustaining machine because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this
the family of the little boy? Two days after this encounter with the little boy I read in the newspaper that the
young woman had passed away. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the
funeral home where the body of the young woman was for people to see and make last wishes before her
burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy
and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed forever.
The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine, and in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.
Now you have 2 choices:
1. Forward this link to your friends or share it on your FaceBook wall and show that your against drink
driving.
2. Ignore it as if it never touched your heart.

This too will pass - Inspirational Story

2012-08-12T18:06:00.003+05:30

Once a King called upon all of his wise men and asked them, "Is there a statement or suggestion which
works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and in every time. All wise men got puzzled by
King's question. But they thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, the oldest and wisest man gave the
king piece of paper. But he put forward a condition - that the king was not to see it out of curiosity; but only
when he was in extreme danger, and there is simply no way.
After a few days, the neighboring kingdom attacked the kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of the
King's enemies. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to flee on his horse his
enemies kept following him.
Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere.
Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished and he
could not return because it was a small road. The sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. King
became restless. There seemed to be no way.
Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden
in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great. The
message was "This too will pass."
The King read it. And read it again. Suddenly something struck him - "Yes! It too will pass. Only a few days
ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all its
pleasures have gone. I am here trying to escape from my enemies. However just like those days of luxuries
have gone, this day of danger too will pass." Calm come over his face. He relaxed and forgot about those
following him.
After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They
moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path.
The brave king reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire.
When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare and rejoicing. People were
dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself, "I am one of the bravest and greatest kings of all
time. It is not easy to defeat me."
With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him. Suddenly the Diamond of his ring
flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He opened it and read it again: "This too will pass"
He became silent. His face went through a total change - from the egoist he moved to a state of utter
humbleness.
• If this too is going to pass, it is not yours.
• The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours.
• You are just a watcher. Everything passes by
• We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life comes and goes.
• Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.
• There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change.
Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all
defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away.
Because nothing remains forever. Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true
face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will remain unchanged. What is
that unchangeable? It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change. Experience it -
Understand the spiritual dimension behind this.

Happiness After Sorrow - Inspirational Story of Teacup

2012-08-12T18:06:00.000+05:30

There was a couple that used to go to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and
especially teacups. One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that?
We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke.
"You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was
clay." My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "let me alone", but he
only smiled, "Not yet."
"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and
around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy!" I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet."
Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and
knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips, as He shook his head,
"Not yet."
Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. "There, that's better," I said. And he
brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. "Stop it, stop it!" I cried. He
only nodded, "Not yet."
Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would
suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding
his head saying, "Not yet."
Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and
he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, "Look at
yourself." And I did. I said, "That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful."
"I want you to remember," then, he said, "I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone,
you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would
have crumbled.
I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.
I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never
would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life.
And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness
would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you."
God knows what He's doing (for all of us). He is the Potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make
us, So that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

The virtue of truth - A Story for all

2012-08-12T18:05:00.002+05:30

After having lost his kingdom in the game of dice with Duryodhana, Yudhishtra, the eldest among the
Pandavas, was living in the forest along with his four brothers and their wife, Draupadi. The Pãndavas
roamed about freely in the forest and thus got acquainted with many seers (Rishis) who dwelled there.
One day while roaming in the forest, Arjuna and Draupadi came across a tree bearing a very large
gooseberry (nellikai). Draupadi had never seen such a huge gooseberry before. Desirous of tasting the fruit,
she asked Arjuna to pluck the same for her. Arjuna also heeded her request and plucked the fruit for her. Just
then a sage came by and having witnessed the act of Arjuna, addressed him thus-?Vijaya! You have acted
improperly in haste. This tree yields a single ripe fruit only once a year. Sage Amitra partakes this fruit alone
once a year. You are already undergoing days of hardship and now you have added to your woes by this act.
Tomorrow is the day sage Amitra usually comes here to partake the fruit.?
On hearing this, Arjuna and Panchali (Draupadi) were remorse-stricken. They took the fruit to Dharma Putra
(Yudhishtra) and narrated the entire incident.
Yudhishtra regretted what had happened, but was unable to decide on a future course of action. Bheema
suggested, ?We will go in search of the sage and handover the fruit to him. That is the only way to escape his
wrath.?
But Nakula said, ?Misfortune befell us only because we played the game of dice without getting the consent
of Lord Krishna. Later, when Lord Krishna inquired as to why we refrained from asking him, we were
dumbfounded.
Lord Krishna saved us when we surrendered unto him in order to escape the wrath of sage Durvasa, who
was sent by Duryodhana. Even now, if we pray to Lord Krishna, he will show us the way out.? Everyone,
including Yudhishtra, appreciated Nakula?s suggestion and prayed to Lord Krishna with fervent devotion.
Heeding the prayer of his ardent devotees - the Pandavas, Lord Krishna appeared before them. After
inquiring about their well being, Lord Krishna asked the Pandavas, the reason for their prayer. The Pandavas
and Draupadi, after prostrating at the Holy feet of Lord Krishna, explained their dilemma and prayed to relieve
them from the crisis.
Filled with love for his guileless devotees, Lord Krishna said, ?I will see to it that the wrath of sage Amitra
does not befall you. In order for that to happen, each one of you must speak only the truth.? Saying thus, he
took them to the gooseberry tree. He placed the large fruit under the tree and said, ?Each one of you should
now speak whatever is in your mind without any deceit. The fruit will go and cling to the tree on its own
accord.? Having said this, he invited Yudhishtra to speak first.
Yudhistra said, ?Truthfulness, honesty, tolerance and righteousness should flourish in this world while
wickedness, conceit and dishonesty should banish entirely. This is my wish. I hold Panchali responsible for
the whole event.? At this, surprisingly, the fruit moved two feet above the ground and remained in the air.
Next, Lord Krishna asked Bheema to speak.
Bheema said, ?I wish I could kill Duryodhana this very moment - the meanest of all the petty-minded people, who does not consider teasing others as a sin, who does not sympathize with others? sufferings, who is not
free from the desire of appropriating others? belongings and who does not respect another man's wife as his
mother. I also feel that our trials and tribulations have increased because of our staying in the forest.? The
fruit moved two feet further up.
Arjuna spoke next. He said, ?Prestige and fame mean more to me than even my life. Unless I kill Karna in the
war, the ambition of my life will not be fulfilled.? The fruit moved up two feet further. Then Nakula said,
?Virtues, a noble birth, wealth or beauty do not give a person what he desires. I believe that a man can attain
fame just by leading a life in this world that is based on his discrimination alone.? Again, the fruit moved up
two feet.
Lord Krishna looked at his beloved Sahadeva and Sahadeva said, ?Truth is my mother. Intelligence is my
father and good deeds are my siblings. The love that I shower on others is my friend. My calm mind is my
wife. The attitude of eradicating the thoughts of hatred, enimity and vendetta is my son. I believe these to be
my real family.? The fruit moved up by two feet again.
Lord Krishna looked at the grief stricken Panchali with benevolence and she said, ?I have five husbands like
the five senses, namely, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and body. Though I have five husbands, I am being the
cause of agony for all. I feel penitent for having acted thoughtlessly inspite of being well educated.? Just as
she completed her statement, the gooseberry moved up and stuck to the tree.
Lord Krishna bid farewell to the Pandavas happily.
Moral: We must always be truthful in our lives. We saw that God loves only those who are truthful. We also
see from this episode that if we surrender unto God when faced with trials and tribulations in our lives, he will
free us from all sorrows...

The Split Milk Story - Learn from your mistakes

2012-08-12T18:04:00.005+05:30

This is a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical
breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was
able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?
He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was
about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he los this grip
on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents allover the kitchen floor creating a veritable sea of milk!
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she
said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of
milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few
minutes before we clean it up?"
Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like
this, eventually you have to clean it upend restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do
that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together
they cleaned up the spilled milk.
His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experimenting how to effectively carry a big
milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can
discover a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top
near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!
This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to
make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new,
which's, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't work," we usually
learn something valuable from it...

Inspirational Story - Flower and a Pearl

2012-08-12T18:04:00.002+05:30

One day, a brilliantly beautiful and fragrant flower with attractive colors met a pearl that lives far in the bottom
of the sea and has none of these characteristics. Both got acquainted with each other.
The flower said: "Our family is large; roses and daisies are members of the family. And there are many other
species that are various and countless; each has a distinctive scent, appearance etc."
Suddenly, a tinge of distress appeared on the flower. "Nothing accounts for sorrow in your talk; so why are
depressed?" The pearl asked.
"Human beings deal with us carelessly; they slight us. They don't grow us for our sake but to get pleasure
from our fragrance and beautiful appearance. They throw us on the street or in the garbage can after we are
dispossessed of the most valuable properties; brilliance and fragrance."
The flower sighed. And then the flower said to the pearl: "Speak to me about your life! How do you live? How
do you feel it? You are buried in the bottom of the sea."
The pearl answered: "Although I have none of your distinctive colors and sweet scents, humans think I am
precious. They do the impossible to procure me. They go on long journeys, dive deep in the seas searching
for me. You might be astounded to know that the further I lay, the more beautiful and brilliant I become.
That's what upraises my value in their thought. I live in a thick shell isolated in the dark seas. However, I'm
happy and proud to be in a safe zone far from wanton and mischievous hands and still the humans consider
me highly valuable."
Do you know what the flower and the pearl symbolize?
You will find that: The flower is the unveiled woman (who shows her charms) and the pearl is the veiled
woman (who conceals her beauties).
Moral: So decide do you want to be like a flower or Pearl, Flower which is used when needed and thrown
away in Garbage after it is used or Pearl which is highly valuable and respected every where...

Cute conversations with kids

2012-08-12T18:03:00.000+05:30

Check out this collection of cute conversations with kids. See how confident they are in their replies and what
logic do they have.
1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter as
she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But
Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!"
2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I
told him, "62." He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"
3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and
proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience
grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed
with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was
THAT?"
4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate
outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony.
We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I
sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"
5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I
mentally polished my halo while I asked, "No, how are we alike?" "You're both old," he replied.
6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing
a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."
7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out
something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I
continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some
of these yourself!"
8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to
keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy
whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."
9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear,
Grandpa," he advised. "Mine says I'm four to six."
10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We
learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool.
"That's interesting," she said, "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to
'i' and add 'es'."
11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The
fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know
what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. "It means carrying a child."
12. A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck
zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the
dog's duties.
"They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.
"No," said another, "he's just for good luck."
A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants"...

Mother is the Angel

2012-08-12T18:02:00.001+05:30

The story began when I was a child; I was born as a son of a poor family. Even for eating, we often got lack
of food. Whenever the time for eating, mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was removing her
rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry". That was Mother's First Lie.
When I was getting to grow up, the persevering mother gave her spare time for fishing in a river near our
house, she hoped that from the fishes she got, she could gave me a little bit nutritious food for my growth.
After fishing, she would cook the fishes to be a fresh fish soup, which raised my appetite. While I was eating
the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat the rest meat of fish, which was still on the bone of the fish I
ate. My heart was touched when I saw it. I then used my chopstick and gave the other fish to her. But she
immediately refused it and said "Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish." That was Mother's Second Lie.
Then, when I was in Junior High School, to fund my study, mother went to an economic enterprise to bring
some used-matches boxes that would be stuck in. It gave her some money for covering our needs. As the
winter came, I woke up from my sleep and looked at my mother who was still awoke, supported by a little
candlelight and within her perseverance she continued the work of sticking some used-matches box. I said,
"Mother, go to sleep, it's late, tomorrow morning you still have to go for work." Mother smiled and said "Go to
sleep, dear. I'm not tired." That was Mother's Third Lie.
At the time of final term, mother asked for a leave from her work in order to accompany me. While the
daytime was coming and the heat of the sun was starting to shine, the strong and persevering mother waited
for me under the heat of the sun's shine for several hours. As the bell rang, which indicated that the final
exam had finished, mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared
before in a cold bottle. The very thick tea was not as thick as my mother's love, which was much thicker.
Seeing my mother covering with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother
said "Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!". That was Mother's Fourth Lie.
After the death of my father because of illness, my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent. By
held on her former job, she had to fund our needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. No days
without sufferance. Seeing our family's condition that was getting worse, there was a nice uncle who lived
near my house came to help us, either in a big problem and a small problem.
Our other neighbors who lived next to us saw that our family's life was so unfortunate, they often advised my
mother to marry again. But mother, who was stubborn, didn't care to their advice, she said "I don't need love."
That was Mother's Fifth Lie.
After I had finished my study and then got a job, it was the time for my old mother to retire. But she didn't
want to; she was sincere to go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetable for fulfilling her
needs. I, who worked in the other city, often sent her some money to help her in fulfilling her needs, but she
was stubborn for not accepting the money. She even sent the money back to me. She said "I have enough
money." That was Mother's Sixth Lie.
After graduated from Bachelor Degree, I then continued my study to Master Degree. I took the degree, which
was funded by a company through a scholarship program, from a famous University in America. I finally
worked in the company. Within a quite high salary, I intended to take my mother to enjoy her life in America.
But my lovely mother didn't want to bother her son, she said to me "I'm not used to." That was Mother's
Seventh Lie.
After entering her old age, mother got a flank cancer and had to be hospitalized. I, who lived in miles away
and across the ocean, directly went home to visit my dearest mother. She lied down in weakness on her bed
after having an operation. Mother, who looked so old, was staring at me in deep yearn. She tried to spread
her smile on her face; even it looked so stiff because of the disease she held out. It was clear enough to see
how the disease broke my mother's body, thus she looked so weak and thin. I stared at my mother within
tears flowing on my face. My heart was hurt, so hurt, seeing my mother on that condition. But mother, with
her strength, said "Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain." That was Mother's Eight Lie.
After saying her eighth lie, my dearest mother closed her eyes forever...
"ANGEL around us is MOTHER"
"M" is for the million things she gave me
"O" means only that she's growing old
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me
"H" is for her heart of purest gold
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining
"R" means right, and right she'll always be
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER", A word that means the world to me. For those who are lucky to
still be blessed with your mom this is beautiful. For those who aren't, this is even more beautiful...

Two Daughters are the key to a happy family

2012-08-12T18:01:00.002+05:30

Having two daughters is the key to a happy family, according to a new study. Researchers concluded that
two girls are unlikely to fight, will play nicely together, rarely annoy their parents and tend not to wind each
other up. Scientists also claimed that they also make little noise, seldom ignore each other and are more
likely to confide in their mother or father.
Researchers questioned thousands of mothers and fathers of under-16s to come up with the recipe for a
harmonious family life. Those with two girls were most likely to say their children were easy to reason with,
helped around the house and generally got on well with each other. According to new research, the ideal
combination for a family is to have two girls. UK parenting website Bounty examined the lives of over 2000
families with different combinations of children, both male and female. They found that out of all the
variations, the most harmonious families had two daughters. They were found to be unlikely to fight, be less
annoying to their parents, and generally be a pleasure to be around. The two-girl family scenario scored
highly in every category in the study. They were 'easy to reason' with, 'helped around the house' and
generally 'liked each other'.
After two girls, the second most appealing combination of children was one girl and one boy, with 86 per cent
of parents saying their little boy and little girl were genuine friends. The third most favourable combination
was two boys, with parents saying their sons pay each other lots of attention and are close friends - but are
less likely to confide in their mum or dad as they grow up.
"We often assume little girls behave like angels, and if you have two this certainly seems to be the case," the
Daily Mail quoted Faye Mingo from Bounty.com, which commissioned the research, as saying.
"But the more girls you have the more of a handful they become - more so than boys, in fact. Going from two to four girls seems to take parents from one extreme to the other, whilst doubling the amount of boys has
much less impact."
"We expected two, three or four boys to come out as the most difficult combination of children to have, purely
because of their energetic and boisterous personalities."
"Rightly or wrongly, many parents have a set idea about the combination of children that would make up their
ideal family unit. But of course nature doesn't allow us to choose what we actually end up with or even what
personalities our children will have," Mingo added.
'BEST' TO 'WORST' COMBINATIONS OF CHILDREN:
1. Two girls
2. One boy and one girl
3. Two boys
4. Three girls
5. Three boys
6. Four boys
7. Two girls and one boy
8. Two boys and one girl
9. Three boys and one girl
10. Three girls and one boy
11. Two boys and two girls
12. Four girls
BENEFITS OF HAVING TWO GIRLS:
1. Rarely noisy
2. Help around the house
3. Very few fights and arguments
4. Quite easy to reason with
5. Play together nicely
6. Rarely ignore each other
7. They confide in you
8. Very well behaved
9. Rarely try to wind each other up
10. Really like each other...

Wish Happy New Year in Many Languages

2012-08-12T18:00:00.003+05:30

Give New Year Wishes to your friends living in Non-English speaking countries and surprise them. How to
say Happy New Year in many languages? Refer to the list below whenever you want to wish happy new year
to someone in a different language. If you are looking for an innovative way to wish happy new year to your
friends and family members then try wishing them in a different language. This will not only amze them but
also help you learn how to wish new year in many different languages of the world.
Wish New Year in Many Languages
Wish "Happy New Year" in many languages and surprise your friends.
• Afgani - Saale Nao Mubbarak
• Afrikaans - Gelukkige nuwe jaar
• Albanian - Gezuar Vitin e Ri
• Armenian - Snorhavor Nor Tari
• Arabic - Kul ‘am wa antum bikhair
• Assyrian - Sheta Brikhta
• Azeri - Yeni Iliniz Mubarek!
• Balochi - Noki saal mubarrak bibi
• Bengali - Shuvo Nabo Barsho
• Breton - Bloavezh Mat
• Bulgarian - Chestita Nova Godina
• Cambodian - Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
• Catalan - FELIÇ ANY NOU
• Chakma - Nuo bazzor bekkunore
• Chinese - Xin Nian Kuai Le
• Corsican - Pace e Salute
• Croatian - Sretna Nova godina!
• Cymraeg (Welsh) - Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
• Czech - Stastny Novy rok
• Denish - Godt Nytår
• Dhivehi - Ufaaveri Aa Aharakah Edhen
• Dutch - GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!
• Eskimo - Kiortame pivdluaritlo
• Esperanto - Felican Novan Jaron
• Estonians - Head uut aastat!
• Ethiopian: - MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO!
• Ethiopian/Eritrean Tigrigna - RUHUS HADUSH AMET
• Finnish - Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
• French - Bonne Annee
• Gaelic - Bliadhna mhath ur
• Galician - Bo Nadal e Feliz Aninovo
• German - Prosit Neujahr
• Georgian - GILOTSAVT AKHAL TSELS!
• Greek - Kenourios Chronos
• Gujarati - Nutan Varshbhinandan
• Hawaiian - Hauoli Makahiki Hou
• Hebrew - L’Shannah Tovah
• Hindi - Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
• Hong Kong - (Cantonese) Sun Leen Fai Lok
• Hungarian - Boldog Új Évet Kivánok
• Indonesian - Selamat Tahun Baru
• Iranian - Sal -e- no mobarak
• Iraqi - Sanah Jadidah
• Irish - Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
• Italian - Felice anno nuovo
• Japan: - Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
• Kabyle: - Asegwas Amegaz
• Kannada: - Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu
• Kisii: - SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA
• Khasi - Snem Thymmai Basuk Iaphi
• Khmer: - Sua Sdei tfnam tmei
• Korea: - Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo!
• Kurdish: - NEWROZ PIROZBE
• Latvian - Laimgo Jauno Gadu!
• Lithuanian: - Laimingu Naujuju Metu
• Laotian: - Sabai dee pee mai
• Macedonian - Srekjna Nova Godina
• Madagascar - Tratry ny taona
• Malay - Selamat Tahun Baru
• Marathi - Naveen Varshachey Shubhechcha
• Malayalam - Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal
• Mizo - Kum Thar Chibai
• Maltese - Is-Sena t-Tajba
• Nepal - Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
• Norwegian - Godt Nyttår
• Oriya - Nua Barshara Subhechha
• Papua New Guinea - Nupela yia i go long yu
• Pampango (Philippines) - Masaganang Bayung Banua
• Pashto - Nawai Kall Mo Mubarak Shah
• Persian - Sal-e-no mobarak
• Philippines - Manigong Bagong Taon!
• Polish: - Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
• Portuguese - Feliz Ano Novo
• Punjabi - Nave sal di mubarak
• Romanian - AN NOU FERICIT
• Russian - S Novim Godom
• Samoa - Manuia le Tausaga Fou
• Serbo-Croatian - Sretna nova godina
• Sindhi - Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
• Singhalese - Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
• Siraiki - Nawan Saal Shala Mubarak Theevay
• Slovak - Stastny Novy rok
• Slovenian - sreèno novo leto
• Somali - Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican!
• Spanish - Feliz Ano ~Nuevo
• Swahili - Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº
• Swedish - GOTT NYTT ÅR! /Gott nytt år!
• Sudanese - Warsa Enggal
• Tamil - Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
• Tibetian - Losar Tashi Delek
• Telegu - Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu
• Thai - Sawadee Pee Mai
• Turkish - Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
• Ukrainian - Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
• Urdu - Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
• Uzbek - Yangi Yil Bilan
• Vietnamese - Chuc Mung Tan Nien
• Welsh - Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

What do we build in our lives?

2012-08-12T18:00:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time two brothers, who lived on adjoining farms, fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40
years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a conflict.
Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major
difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.
One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's tool box. "I'm
looking for a few days' work" he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help
with? Could I help you?" "Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you."
"Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor; in fact, it's my younger brother. Last week there was
a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well,
he may have done this to spite me, but I'll do him one better."
"See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence --an 8-foot fence -- so I won't need to see
his place or his face anymore."
The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be
able to do a job that pleases you."
The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off
for the day.
The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.
The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge - a bridge
stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all - and the neighbor,
his younger brother was coming toward them, his hand outstretched. "You are quite a fellow to build this
bridge after all I've said and done."
The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hand.
They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of
other projects for you," said the older brother.
"I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, but I have many more bridges to build...

Basic Knowledge about the Earth

2012-08-12T17:59:00.002+05:30

The earth is in the third position from the sun and is the fifth largest planet in the solar system.
The earth is an oblate spheroid (ball flattened at the poles), i.e., almost spherical, flattened a little at the
poles, and with a slight bulge at the centre (equator). The spinning (rotation) of the earth at a high speed has
caused its mass to bulge at the equator and sinking at the poles.
Structure of the Earth

The earth is made up of a number of concentric layers of material as in the bulb of an onion.
Composition of the Earth
The earth is made up of more than 100 different elements. The important ones are:
Oxygen 46.6%
Silicon 27.72%
Aluminum 8.13%
Iron 5.01%
Calcium 3.63%
Sodium 2.85%
Potassium 2.62%
Magnesium 2.09%
The earth has four distinct spheres:
1. Lithosphere: Top crust which includes land surface and ocean floor.
2. Hydrosphere: Water surface which includes oceans, seas, rivers and lakes
3. Atmosphere: The cover of air that envelops the earth?s surface
4. Biosphere: The region where life exists
Important Data about the Earth
Diameter At the equator
At the poles
Mean
diameter
12,756.32 km
12,713.54 km
12,734 km
Equatorial Radius 6377 km
Total Surface Area 509,700,000 sq. km
Total Land Area (29.08%) 148,400,000 sq. km
Total Water area (70.92%) 361,300,000 sq. km
Mean Distance from the Sun 1,49,407,000 sq. km
Time for rotation on its own
Axis
23 h, 56 min and 4.09 sec
Period for Revolution around
the Sun
365 days, 6 hrs, 9 min and
9.54 sec
Earth's Movements
The earth has two types of movements:
Rotation: The earth spins on its own imaginary axis from west to east once in 24 hours. It is also called
diurnal or daily motion, which causes the formation of day and night.
Longest days and nights
Northern
Hemisphere
Southern
Hemisphere
Longest day (shortest night) June 21 December 22
Shortest day (longest night) December 21 June 21
Days and nights are equal at the equator throughout the year because the circle of illumination always
divides the equator into two equal parts.
Revolution: While rotating on its axis, the earth revolves around the sun, along an almost circular path
(elliptical) called its orbit. It is also called annual motion or yearly motion because it takes one solar year to
complete the journey i.e., 365 ¼ days or 365 days, 6 hours 9 minutes and 9.54 seconds. The earth?s
revolution causes a change in season.
How Seasons Change?
The earth's axis is inclined at an angle of 66.5 to the plane of its orbit. As a result of this, the earth is in
different positions while revolving around the sun. During the first half of the year the northern hemisphere
tilts towards the sun resulting in the season of summer in the region. During the second half of the year the
southern hemisphere tilts towards the sun and thus experiences summer and the northern hemisphere
experiences winter during this period.
The revolution causes the four seasons:

1. Spring: When the sun is directly overhead the equator
2. Summer: when the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer ? the north temperate zone
experiences summer
3. Autumn: When the sun returns to the equator and the north temperate zone experiences the season of
autumn
4. Winter: The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and the north temperate zone experiences winter
Equinoxes: Equinoxes are dates when the nights and days are equal. During these days the sun shines
directly over the equator. March 21 is called vernal equinox and September 23 is called autumnal equinox.
Solstice: The time of the year when the difference between the length of days and nights is the largest it is
referred to as solstice.
On, or around June 21, the North Pole tilts towards the sun and the sun shine directly over the Tropic of
Cancer, which is called summer solstice. On or around December 22, the earth is at the opposite end of its
orbit, as a result, the South Pole tilts towards the sun and the North Pole away from it. This is called winter
solstice.
Eclipses: When the light of the sun or the moon is obscured by another body the sun or moon is said to be in
eclipse.
Lunar Eclipse: When the earth comes between the moon and the sun, the shadow cast by the earth on the
moon results in a lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipse occurs only on a full moon day but not on every full moon day.
Solar eclipse: A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the moon is in line with the sun. However,
solar eclipse does not occur on every new moon day.