Monday, February 10, 2014

GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORD

THE BEST OF EXTRA ORDINARY RECORDS

The longest distance keeping a table lifted with the teeth is 11.80 m (38 ft 8 in) and was achieved by Georges Christen (Luxembourg) who ran this distance holding a 12 kg (26 lb 7 oz) heavy table with a person weighing 50 kg (110 lb 3 oz) sitting on it, on the set of 'Lo show dei record', in Madrid, Spain.

The longest fingernails belonged to Lee Redmond (USA), who started to grow them in 1979 and carefully manicured them to reach a total length of 8.65 m (28 ft 4.5 in) as measured on the set of Lo show dei record in Madrid, Spain.

The fastest time to burst three balloons with the back is 12 seconds, set by Julia Gunthel, aka 'Zlata' (Germany) on the set of Guinness World Records - Die Grossten Weltrekorde in Cologne, Germany.

The heaviest object sword-swallowed is a Dewalt D25980 demolition hammer weighing 38kg (83lb 12 oz). Thomas Blackthorne (UK) swallowed the 24mm (.94 inch) thick drill bit, then held the full weight of the hammer and bit for over 3 seconds, on the set of "Guinness World Records - Die Größten Weltrekorde", in Cologne, Germany.The hammer was switched on.

The record for the longest distance walking over hot plates is 22.90 m (75 ft 1 in) and was achieved by Rolf Iven (Germany) on the set of Lo Show Dei Record, in Milan, Italy.

The longest fingernails on a pair of male hands belonged to Melvin Boothe (USA) whose nails had a combined length of 9.85 m (32 ft 3.8 in), when measured in Troy, Michigan, USA.

THE BEST OF SIZE RECORDS

Chad Fell (USA) blew a bubblegum bubble with a diameter of 50.8 cm (20 in) without using his hands at the Double Springs High School, Winston County, Alabama, USA.

The largest egg on record weighed 2.589 kg (5 lb 11.36 oz) and was laid by an ostrich (Struthio camelus) at a farm owned by Kerstin and Gunnar Sahlin (Sweden) in Borlänge, Sweden.

The largest horn circumference on a steer measured 95.25 cm (37.5 in)

The largest playing card structure was a replica of The Venetian® Macao, The Plaza® Macao and Sands Macao. It measured 10.39 m (34 ft 1.05 in) long, 2.88 m (9 ft 5.39 in) tall and 3.54 m (11 ft 7.37 in) wide, and was created by Bryan Berg (USA) in Macau, China.

The largest hiking boot measures 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in) long, 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in) wide and 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) tall and was made by Schuh Marke (Germany). It was presented in Hauenstein, Germany.

The highest height a human was catapulted using a reverse bungee system is 54.25 m (178 ft) and was achieved by Ben Shephard (UK) on the set of Guinness World Records - Smashed, in London, UK.

THE BEST OF DEDICATION RECORDS

Charlotte Lee (USA) has 5,631 different rubber ducks, which she has been collecting since 1996.

Kevin Fast (Canada) pulled a CC-177 Globemaster III, weighing 188.83 tonnes (416,299 lb), a distance of 8.8 m (28 ft 10.46 in) at Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario, Canada

The greatest distance travelled with a pool cue on the chin is 1,668 m (5,472 ft 9 in) set by Ashrita Furman (USA) at the Joe Austin Playground in Jamaica, New York, USA

Jake Lonsway of Bay City, Michigan, USA, created the largest ball of cling film, which measured 351 cm (138 in) in circumference and weighed 127.7 kg (281 lb 8 oz).

The highest bunny hop on a bicycle is 1.42 m (4 ft 8 in) and was achieved by Benito Ros (Spain) at the 2009 "bike the rock" festival, Heubach, Germany.

The only male gurner to win the world title an amazing 12 times is Tommy Mattinson (UK), whose flexible face took the top prize at the annual Gurning World Championship at Egremont Crab Fair, Cumbria, UK, in 1986-87 and then 10 times between 1999 and 2010.

ANVITA BHATIA

VI-A

BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL,BRIJ VIHAR,GHAZIABAD

Sunday, February 9, 2014

UNKNOWN PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTED FOR THE WORLD.........

1.Ibn al-Haytham

Born in Basra, al-Haytham was a preeminent thinker of his age. He made valuable contributions in maths, anatomy, astronomy, engineering, medicine, philosophy, physics, and he also introduced a scientific methodology of experimentation and observation. Most important was his work on optics, and his text, The Book of Optics is regarded as being responsible for a revolution in the study of optics and visual perception. His was the first description of acamera obscura (dark chamber), and he also laid foundations for the development of the microscope, the telescope and establishing optical principles of Renaissance art.

2.Tim Berners-Lee

If it weren't for Tim Berners-Lee, you would not be able to read this article. He is the man responsible for the introduction of the World Wide Web, having developed it as a communication utility while working at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. Remarkably, he refused to patent his invention, giving it as a gift to the world instead. The internet has since revolutionized the way people communicate, as well as their ability to acquire information and the speed and efficiency with which global commerce operates. His invention was a truly revolutionary moment in communication, with the potential to surpass the discoveries of Marconi and Alexander Graham-Bell.

3.Avicenna

One of the most influential of all Islamic scientists, Avicenna, like many of his peers, worked on many aspects of science including medicine, maths, logic, and geology to name but a few. He wrote almost 450 texts on a wide variety of subjects, his two most famous being The Canon of Medicine and The Book of Healing. These were used as standard university textbooks across Europe for hundreds of years. However, his influence extended farther, as he is also considered responsible for the introduction of quarantine to avoid spreading infections, as well as introducing clinical trials and systematic experimentation

4.Thomas Midgley

Thomas Midgley is a man who has made a massive contribution to the modern world. Sadly, his contribution was not a positive one. First, Midgley discovered that the addition of lead to petrol stopped the "knocking" effect incar engines. However, this also caused massive health problems globally. Subsequently, he was the man responsible for the development of CFCs, one of the most destructive compounds in our atmosphere today, and a major contributor to global warming. It has been remarked that Midgley “had a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other organism in history.” Sadly for him, but possibly good for the fate of mankind, he contracted polio, and after devising an elaborate pulley system to help him get out of bed, he inadvertently tangled himself up in the strings and strangled himself.

5.James Clerk Maxwell

Acclaimed by some as the father of modern physics, James Clerk Maxwell is a hugely influential figure in the fields of electricity, thermodynamics, photography, nuclear energy, and others. His discovery of the electromagnetic spectrum led to the development of television, radio, microwaves, as well as aiding in the development of radio and infrared telescopes. His equations on the electromagnetic field were essential for the Special Theory of Relativity, by one Albert Einstein. He also produced the first color photograph, a picture of a tartan ribbon. His work actually marked a departure from the work of another great scientist, Isaac Newton, and helped to inform the science behind many of the great technological developments of the modern era.

ANVITA BHATIA

VI-A

BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL, BRIJ VIHAR, GHAZIABAD

Saturday, February 8, 2014

STRANGE BUT USEFUL INVENTIONS

1. Butter Stick Type

Essentially, butter in a glue stick tube. Easy application……………

2. Motorized Ice Cream Cones

The battery-powered, plastic cone contains a small dish that rotates your melting scoop for you. Prevents dripping and cone turning……..

3. Training Wheel High Heels

Helps you keep your balance……

4. Dine Ink Utensils

Ballpoint pens with fork, knife, and spoon caps. Handy for a snack……

5. Glass Toaster

This allows you to watch your bread while it’s toasting. Tired of burned toast????? NOT NOW……

6. Wearcom Jeans

These jeans have a special transparent pocket for your iPhone. Convenient way of checking your texts……………….

7. Portable Fish Tank

Makes your goldfish happy…………

8. Light Bites Candle Holders

Because why should you have to buy candles and forks separately? Party time saver………

9. The Baby Mop

One side with a mop attached. Do crawling babies speed up cleaning......

10. Apple Sweaters

Pack your lunchtime apple in a sweater to prevent bruising. Adorably protective……

11. Broom and Dustpan Slippers

You’ll never have to bend over again. Prevents achy backs……

12. Staircase Drawers

Is it a staircase? Nope! Well, yes. But it’s also a set of drawers. Space saver……

13. Anti-Theft Lunch Bags

Plastic bags with fake mold graphics keep sticky fingers off your sandwiches. Clever trick………….

14. The Dry Side Bench

Bench is wet? No problem, just turn the crank to get to the dry side.

15. The pillow hug

16. LED slippers avoid tripping over the corners of furniture

17. BABY SHOWER CAP

18. Pizza scissors 2 in 1

19. The special belt system to remind you that you are becoming fat

20. Chairs for football Sunday

ANVITA BHATIA

VI-A

BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOLL,BRIJ VIHAR, GHAZIABAD

Friday, February 7, 2014

US state gets world’s first ‘BOOKLESS’ Public Library

In the world’s first bookless public library in the US state of Texas, the rows-upon-rows of books that fill traditional libraries have been replaced with high-tech gadgets that cater to both adults and children.

Instead of taking home books, registered residents of the south Texas county of Bexar — which has neverhad a public library or a bookstore —will be able to access over tens of thousands of titles from e-readers for free.

Since September, the county’s 1.7 million residents have been able to check out and take home the machines, as well as use their own devices to access the library ’s catalogue. According to its website, the $1.5 million BiblioTech currently has 600 e-readers, 200 pre-loaded enhanced e-readers for children, and 48 computer stations, 10 laptops and 40 tablets to use on-site.

It claims its mission is to give the county’s residents with “necessary tools to thrive as citizens of the 21st century” for the “purposes of enhancing education and literacy” and “promoting reading as recreation”.

Laura Cole, special project coordinator at BiblioTech, said, “We wanted to create the best, most cost-effective way of providing li brary services to a population that is geographically distanced from existing services and a digital library was an obvious choice. Geography doesn’t matter if your library is in the cloud,” she said, referring to the ‘cloud’ system where the library ’s books are stored online.

Addressing concerns that library users may be put off by technology, she said: “The thing that excites me most is that our staff can dedicate their time to helping out the visitors here.”

Replacement costs have also been factored in to the project. To prevent thefts, the devices cannot access the internet once they leave the li brary. THE INDEPENDENT

Source | Times of India | 5 February 2014

How social media changed the world

When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com in February 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would unleash. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world.

To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound - as were previous generations of humans - by what they were taught. They are limited by their curiosity and ambition.

During my childhood, all knowledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, preachers and friends. If you were privileged and had access to a library or an encyclopedia, you could learn a little more. You surely couldn't follow and reach out to the people that you read about; learn what people all over the world had to say; or ask the difficult, uncomfortable, questions.

With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips and encouragement from each other, today's children are rising above the fears and biases of their parents. That is why youth in the Middle East are fermenting revolutions and the Chinese are getting restless.

Adults are also participating in this revolution. India's normally docile middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders, such as President Barack Obama, are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors unleashed.

As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new problems. It is commonly addictive and provides a tool for stalking children. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to solicit and brainwash recruits.

And it exposes us and our friends to unsavory spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals who may want to rob us exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail us.

Governments don't need informers any more. Social media allows government agencies to spy on their political masters, their own citizens, in a way that would make Big Brother jealous. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them. We tell governments our friends' names, email addresses and contact numbers, and we tag photographs of them. And as computers become more powerful, they will be able to analyze our social-media information and correlate it with what our friends and acquaintances say about us.

The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict what we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles; it wants to be our personal assistant. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to mitigate the dangers.

Getting back to the bright side, major changes are happening in fields such as health care because of social media. Already, by analyzing Google searches, researchers can track the spread of disease across the world. Patients are able to converse with others who have had the same ailment as they now have and learn which remedies or methods worked for others and which didn't. People all over the world are providing each other with advice and moral support.

The might of social media already has the Chinese government trembling. Its people are informing each other of local government officials' atrocities and their abuses of power. In New Delhi, we witnessed a political revolution happen as an anti-corruption party came out of nowhere to gain power in the state elections. Political scandals in the United States have become more common because people speak up immediately.

There is no greater force for democracy than social media, and this will empower the masses. So far, only about 2 billion of the world's 7 billion people have come on line. During this decade, another 3 billion will gain connectivity through cheap tablets. Devices that have capabilities similar to iPads will be available for less than $50. Already, basic tablets with 7-inch screens are available for as little as $40 in China and India. Before this Christmas, Datawind made them available in the United States for as little as $38.

It is likely that the majority of the rising billion will use social media. But the winner won't necessarily be Facebook. People will use social networks that are special purpose, geared toward local communities, and in local languages. In parts of New Delhi, for example, localcircles.com is gaining popularity. It connects neighborhoods by allowing them to exchange information about water availability and domestic help; find blood donors; and report corruption. In China, Renren, Weibo and Weixin - which have their own specialties - each have hundreds of millions of users.

Regardless of what social media people use and whether we celebrate Facebook's next 10-year anniversary, one thing is certain: we are in a period of exponential change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself.

Wadhwa is a fellow at Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, director of Research at Duke University, and distinguished scholar at Singularity and Emory universities.

Source | http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/wadhwa-how-social-media-changed-the-world-1.6962077

Monday, February 3, 2014

Now, access online files on Kipling’s time in India

London: Some of the rarest documents surrounding the life of Rudyard Kipling in India have now become public. The documents that were made available by the British Library include Kipling’s baptism record, grant of Probate for his widow, Caroline, reports on lectures given by Kipling on India, and anecdotes of Kipling’s life in India.

Since 1982, the library has been custodian of the 14km of archives of the East India Company and India Office comprising the records created or received in London initially to support commercial activities and later as part of the process of governing the British Empire in India.

These are a part of the 2.5 million India Office records that have now been made available online for the first time. These easily searchable records cover over 200 years, from 1698 to 1947, and chronicle the lives of Europeans here.

Recently, it was confirmed that Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’ that introduced Mowgli, Sher Khan and Bageera to the world may not have been purely from the India-born author’s imagination. In a handwritten letter by Kipling, he hints at having “stolen” some of the ideas from other works.

Source | Time of India | 3 February 2014

PICTURES FROM UNIVERSE

NEBULAE

EARTH

SUPERNOVA

VOLCANIC LAVA

SUN

-ANVITA BHATIA
VI-A
Bal Bharati Public School, Brij Vihar, Ghaziabad

NEW BOOK RELEASES: PAWS AND WHISKERS BY JACQUELINE WILSON

Book Description

Release Date: 13 Feb 2014

This special anthology features the very best stories about cats and dogs from the world of children's literature, chosen by bestselling author and Battersea Cats and Dogs Home patron Jacqueline Wilson.
Includes a brand new story by Jacqueline herself, Leonie's Pet Cat, as well as extracts from treasured classics such as The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith and Gobbolino the Witch's Cat by Ursula Moray Williams, and from modern favourite writers such as Anne Fine and Patrick Ness. The book also features personal new pieces from many authors about their own treasured pets, with contributions from Michael Morpurgo, Philip Pullman, Malorie Blackman and more.
This is a collection to enjoy and share for many years. For every copy sold, a significant donation will be made to Battersea Cats and Dogs Home.

Anvita Bhatia
VI A
Bal Bhatai Public School, Brij Vihar, Ghaziabad

Interesting Facts about India

· India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.

· When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)

· The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

· The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

· Chess was invented in India.

· Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.

· The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.

· The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.

· India is the largest democracy in the world, the 7^th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.

· The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

· The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.

· India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.

· The largest employer in India is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.

· The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

· Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

· India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

· The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.

· Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.

· The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.

· Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).

· Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world
(Source: Gemological Institute of America).

· The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

· Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.

· Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

· India exports software to 90 countries.

· The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.

· Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.

· Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.

· There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.

· The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.

· Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively

· The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.

· The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.

· Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.

· Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

· India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.

· His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.

· Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

· Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.