Engineering

Images of the Day…With a Message Behind…!!!

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happy facts

Squirrels plant thousands of new trees each year simply by forgetting where they put their acorns.  To those who have ever asked themselves if squirrels play a part in our ecological system – here’s your answer. Every animal has its place, and squirrels have been planting trees with their acorns for countless generations. Thank you Mr. Squirrel!

happy facts

In a famous study, cattle were penned on their own, with their best friend or with another cow they did not know. They stayed with them for 30 minutes. During that time, their heart rates were measured at 15-second intervals.  The research showed that the heart rates of cows that got a friend to ‘hang out’ with, were significantly lower than when they were with a stranger.

 

The voices of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse got married in real life. 

happy facts

Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylores were married for 20 years together (and probably made some funny noises at home) until Wayne unfortunately passed away in 2009.

Source….www.ba-bamail.com

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Pictures of the Day….

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Asiatic lion cubs sit near their den in the Khutani area of the sanctuary in the Junagadh region of Gujarat.

Asiatic lion cubs sit near their den at a sanctuary in the Khutani area of the Junagadh region of GujaratPicture: AFP

Two Palestinian men rides their horses on Gaza beach before breaking fast during the holy month of Ramadan to the west of Gaza City

Two men ride their horses on Gaza beach before breaking fast during the holy month of RamadanPicture: EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

Mother elephant Yashoda with her unnamed newborn baby at Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg

Mother elephant Yashoda with her unnamed newborn baby at Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg

Picture: Action Press/REX Shutterstock

A policeman helps ducks cross road, in Catford, south east London

A policeman helps ducks cross the road in Catford, south east LondonPicture: Lewisham MPS/REX Shutterstock

Eagle with seagull in talons and other seagull attempting to free its friend) A photographer has captured a once-in-a-lifetime shot of an epic mid-air battle between an eagle and two seagulls. After initially stalking its prey, the eagle quickly latched onto an unsuspecting gull and flew off with it tightly in its talons. But a brave gull gave chase - frantically pecking at the predators back in a fearless attempt to free its friend. After a pursuit that lasted a few seconds, the other gull eventually gave up, leaving the eagle to fly a further 200 yards to have its feast.

A bald eagle flies off with its seagull dinner clamped firmly between its talons in Prince William Sound in Alaska. But a brave gull gave chase – frantically pecking at the predators back in a fearless attempt to free its friend.

Picture: DAVID CANALES / CATERS NEWS

Source…..www.telegraph.co.uk

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Saigon Post Office …Delivers on Style …

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Old world charm of the Ho Chi Minh City post office.

Old world charm of the Ho Chi Minh City post office. Photo: Brian Johnston

In this era of Instragrams and emails, sending postcards is a thing of the past. When I was young, I stamp-licked in colonial-era post offices across Asia, and picked up my poste restante at Singapore’s GPO. It’s years since I was in an overseas post office but, luckily, Ho Chi Minh City’s is hard to miss.

It looks like a petite palace on the outside, all apricot paintwork and neoclassical moulding. Green shutters are folded back like butterfly wings. Couples borrow its romantic, Paris-style backdrop for wedding photos. Inside, though, vaulted steel arches are reminiscent of a Victorian-era railway station: no surprise when you learn the building was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who had already made his name designing bridges for French and Vietnamese railways.

Completed in 1891, Saigon post office has the optimistic architecture of a time when rail travel and telegraphy were rapidly expanding. Step inside and you’ll see a frescoed wall to your left that vaunts the telegraph lines snaking over 1930s Indochina. On the opposite wall, a map shows Saigon’s then rapidly expanding suburbs.

The clock above the entrance of the Ho Chi Minh City post office.

The clock above the entrance of the Ho Chi Minh City post office. Photo: Brian Johnston

The post office was completed in 1891. It’s a clever design, light yet airy. Green-painted ironwork clashes with salmon walls and the bright yellow uniforms of post-office staff. The floor is a glory of patterned tiles. But all eyes are drawn down the main hall to a huge portrait of Ho Chi Minh with a Mona Lisa smile. His moustache is impressive, his beard a wispy tangle.

Travellers of a certain age might feel sentimental. There are rows of still-working phone booths of the sort I used in my youth to call home, after considerable discussion with operators and much clicking on the lines. Young Korean tourists find them curious, and pose for photos with the old-fashioned earpieces to their heads. It tells you something about changed times, and the relentless, exhausting speed of our modern communications.

Slow down, look around. Peer through doors and spot workers at desks teetering with documents. Listen to clanking wind chimes from the souvenir shops that have taken over the entrance arcades. At the “parcels and items for packing” counter under the Uncle Ho portrait, watch parcels being wrapped. Elsewhere, locals send flowers and buy tickets for water-puppet shows.

Curved benches inside the post office.
Curved benches inside the post office. Photo: Brian Johnston

 

A public writer sits by a wooden desk awaiting customers. Duong Van Ngo is in his 80s and has worked for 60 years in this post office. He has wrist bones brittle as a bird’s wings, a full head of grey hair neatly combed. His face is a wrinkled map of history. He must remember the Americans and even the French, and what stories he could write down if he wasn’t scribbling for other people.

I like the colonial, tropical or perhaps communist lack of hurry, measured by the slow drag of flip-flops and the turn of ceiling fans that send wall calendars flapping. Workers sit stupefied behind computers, or read newspapers. Clients stretch and wait patiently, as if they, too, have succumbed to the post office’s opium charms. Only the tourists, who are on holiday, seem in a hurry, with their snap-snap of photos. Sit on a bench and linger a while, and be rewarded by entering a wrinkle in time in the midst of a city of boom and bustle.

See www.vietnamtourism.com

Source….Brian Johnston  in http://www.traveller.com.au

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” உலகிலேயே சிறந்த வீடு இது …”

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நிம்மதியாக வாழ ஓரிடம் வேண்டும் என்பதால் வீடு கட்டுவோர் ஒரு வகை. மற்றொரு பிரிவினர் தங்கள் வீட்டைப் பார்த்து பிறர் ஆச்சரியப்பட்டு நிற்க வேண்டும் என விரும்புவார்கள். இரண்டாம் பிரிவினருக்கு உலகத்திலேயே சிறந்த வீடாகத் தங்கள் வீடே இருக்க வேண்டும் என்ற ஆசையே இருக்கும்.

ஒருவேளை இப்படியோர் ஆசையில் வீடு கட்டத் தொடங்கி, அதை வெற்றிகரமாக முடிக்க விரும்புபவராக நீங்கள் இருந்தால் உங்களுக்கு மைக் ஸ்பிங், அவருடைய மனைவி மரியா ஆகியோர் கட்டியிருக்கும் வீடு கடும் சவாலாக இருக்கும். இந்தச் சவாலை முறியடித்தால் மட்டுமே நீங்கள் அவருடைய வீட்டை மிஞ்சி ஒரு வீடு கட்ட முடியும். ஏனென்றால் இந்தத் தம்பதி கடந்த ஐந்து வருடங்களில் உலகில் கட்டப்பட்ட வீடுகளில் சிறந்த வீட்டைக் கட்டியிருக்கிறார்கள்.

உலகிலேயே சிறந்த வீடு என்றால் அது எப்படி இருக்கும் என்ற கற்பனையுடன் அந்த வீட்டை நீங்கள் பார்க்கும்போது அந்த வீடு உங்களை ஏமாற்றக்கூடும். ஏனெனில் அந்த வீடு ஒரே தளத்தை மட்டுமே கொண்டிருக்கிறது. ஒரே தளத்தைக் கொண்ட வீடு அதுவும் பார்ப்பதற்கு போர் சமயத்தில் பதுங்க உதவும் பதுங்குக் குழி போன்ற தோற்றத்தைக் கொண்ட வீடு எப்படிச் சிறந்த வீடாக இருக்க முடியும் என்ற எண்ணமே மேலெழும்.

ஆனால் வெளிச்சமும் காற்றும் தங்கு தடையின்றிப் புழங்கும் வகையில், பசுமையான சூழலின் நடுவே வெள்ளை நிறத்தில் எழும்பி நிற்கும் அந்த வீட்டை ஒரு முறை பார்த்தாலே மனதில் அப்படியே ஒட்டிக்கொள்ளும் தன்மையை அந்த வீடு கொண்டிருக்கிறது.

தென்கிழக்கு இங்கிலாந்தின் ஆக்ஸ்ஃபோர்டுஷைரில் அமைந்துள்ளது, ஃபில்ண்ட் ஹவுஸ் என்னும் அந்த வீடு. மூன்று படுக்கை அறைகளைக் கொண்டது அது. 2015-ம் ஆண்டுக்கான ‘த ஆர்க்கிடெக்ஸுரல் ரிவ்யூ ஹவுஸ் அவார்ட்’டை அந்த வீடு பெற்றிருக்கிறது. விருதுக் குழுவினர் மைக் ஸ்பிங்கின் வீட்டை முழுமையாக ஆராய்ந்து இந்த விருதை வழங்கியுள்ளார்கள். கட்டுறுதிமிக்கது, ஒழுங்கு முறையான வெளித் தோற்றம் கொண்டது, சவால் விடும் வடிவமைப்பு கொண்டது என வீட்டைக் குறித்து விருதுக் குழுவின் நடுவர்கள் கருத்துத் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

கட்டுமான அதிபர் மைக் ஸ்பிங் தனது பெருமைக்குரிய வீட்டுக்கான இடத்தை 2008-ல் வாங்கியுள்ளார். அப்போது அதன் விலை சுமார் 66 கோடி. 50 ஏக்கர் பரப்பு கொண்ட இடத்தில்தான் விருதுபெற்ற இல்லத்தை அமைத்திருக்கிறார் அவர். அந்த இடத்தில் முன்பு வடிவமைப்பு ரீதியான எந்த முக்கியத்துவமுமற்ற 20-ம் நூற்றாண்டின் தொடக்க கால அமைப்பைக் கொண்ட வீடு ஒன்று இருந்திருக்கிறது.

தொடர்ச்சியான எட்டுக் கட்டிடங்களைக் கொண்டதாகவும், ஓர் உடற்பயிற்சிக் கூடம், ஒரு பண்ணை இல்லம், ஒரு நீச்சல் குளம் ஆகியவற்றைக் கொண்டதாகவும் அந்த வீடு இருந்திருக்கிறது. இதை வாங்கி அந்த இடத்தில்தான் மைக் தன் கனவு இல்லத்தைக் கட்டி முடித்திருக்கிறார்.

கட்டிடக் கலையில் நிபுணத்துவம் பெற்ற டேவிட் சிப்பர்ஃபீல்டு என்னும் கட்டிடக் கலைஞரிடம் வீட்டை நிர்மானிக்கும் பொறுப்பை மைக் ஒப்படைத்துவிட்டார். அவர் உருவாக்கிய நவீனமும் பாரம்பரியமும் சரிவிகிதத்தில் கலந்த இந்த மூன்று படுக்கையறை வீடுதான் இன்று மைக்குக்குப் பெருமை தேடித் தந்துள்ளது. 11 கான்கிரீட் தூண்களின் மேலே கம்பீரமாக நிற்கும் அந்தப் பாரம்பரிய இங்கிலாந்து வீட்டைப் பார்ப்பவர்கள் அவ்வளவு எளிதில் மறந்துவிட மாட்டார்கள்.

Source….www.tamil.thehindu.com
Natarajan

NGO Sponsors Civil Service Aspirants From Minority Community…A Charitable Move

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The Zakat Foundation of India runs welfare initiatives for the destitute and helps with the education of poor students. Upasna Pandey/ Rediff.com discover the origins of this organisation

When Shah Faesel from Jammu and Kashmir topped the Civil Services Exam in 2010, it marked the beginning of a new dream. This year a new chapter was added after Afaq Ahmad Giri joined the ranks of those who made it through the Union Public Service Commission entrance examinations.

For Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood, who founded the Zakat Foundation of India, it is a realisation of dream to enable youth from minorities to join mainstream and be empowered.

“Ever since 2010, when Shah Faesal, who was the first from Jammu and Kashmir topped the civil services, we have seen a steady rise in awareness and interest in the national exams and we are supporting such aspirants,” says Dr Sayed Zafar Mahmood, founding president of Zakat Foundation of India and Interfaith Coalition for Peace, which has been sponsoring civil service aspirants from Muslim and other minority communities.

The ZFI was set up in 1997 by Dr Zafar, who retired as a chief commissioner, income tax, in 2009.

He started with running welfare initiatives for the destitute and helping pay of tuition fees of poor students, support for widows, single women, among others.

But in 2007, Dr Zafar realised that more needed to be done.

I was inspired by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who in 1887 started the Mohammedan Civil Services Fund Association to finance the travel of Muslims to London to write the ICS examination. The Sir Syed Coaching and Guidance Centre for Civil Services was set up in 2007. In eight years, 63 of its students have cleared UPSC including the 15 in the current year, the 63 include seven Christians. Of the 40-odd it sponsored this year, 26 cleared the UPSC prelims and 15 made it to the selection list,” he said.

Dr Zafar explains the reasons for setting up ZFI.

“Among Islam’s five basic pillars, ‘zakat’ is the third. According to this mandate, each Muslim has to annually donate as charity 2.5 per cent of his wealth and annual savings. In addition, there is the ‘sadaqah’, an optional means of charity extending to all that is not needed by the family,” Dr Zafar.

“The ZFI is a registered trust and it undertakes the organised collection and utilisation of zakat, sadaqah and other charitable donations. I got an opportunity to organise the Haj pilgrimages as part of the Indian consulate in Saudi Arabia, which was a great learning opportunity. Also, I served on the Sachar Committee, appointed in 2005 to ascertain the socio-economic condition of Muslims in India. The Committee travelled and met departments, miniseries across states, it was an exhaustive exercise. The main findings were that Muslims are lagging behind every field and there is need for institutional measures. I realised that the community needs to also take responsibility,” recalls Dr Zafar.

There is an annual written test and interview for selection of ZFI `fellows’ and the focus is to get an all India representation. “We are more keen to have girl aspirants as their representation is the poorest but there are not many coming forward for the coaching,” laments Dr Zafar.

Zainab Saeed of West Bengal, qualified for UPSC on her third attempt this year. She toldRediff.com that “there need to be many more ZFI like organizations in smaller cities and towns. I came to Delhi to attend free mock interview sessions which were organised by ZFI, which proved very helpful.”

“The core purpose is to assimilate Muslims, in more numbers, from different parts of the country, into the mainstream governance of the country. We need to inspire them, sponsor them and help prepare them better for the civil services. We organise orientation sessions across backward areas across the country to build awareness, I start by showing photographs  of North Block and South Block and young district collectors, police officers, and revenue officers. I urge the youth that they could sit in these offices by appearing for civil services. This creates impact and there are people who show faith in ZFI,” shares Dr Zafar.

Over the years, more people have shown confidence in giving charity for the civil service coaching program of ZFI.

ZFI allows students to choose best coaching institutes in Delhi. “ZFI provides hostel accommodation and we pay for the coaching fee which is around Rs 1.75 lakh per aspirant. It is around a 20 month cycle for each aspirant which includes preparation for prelims, mains and interview level,” explains Dr Zafar.

Dr Zafar says that “Civil services are the most fair and institutionalised way of empowering people from diverse backgrounds. But unfortunately, sufficient numbers of Muslims are not appearing for civil services exams.”

Yunice R Ismail, ZFI fellow from 2013, now posted as assistant collector in West Bengal, toldRediff.com that “in the poorer parts of the country, there is ignorance about the benefits and empowerment one gets by joining the civil services. Also, the coaching centres there are not of high quality.”

Ismail, who belongs to Kerela, hopes to be part of the orientation for Muslim dominant areas such as Malappuram in the state. He is also using social media to reach out to create awareness about civil services.

“We need to bring more community role models and instil confidence in the youth,” he adds.

Shahnawaz came to ZFI in 2013 and has attempted once to clear UPSC prelim exams.

“I have been focusing on my strategy to crack the prelims and then the interview. At ZFI, we get exposure to a diverse group of aspirants so we benefit in our preparations. Also, the group discussions, which are organised are enriching as these are done by retired or serving bureaucrats and prove to be beneficial. I spend around 12 hours every day for preparations and am confident I will make it in the next attempt,” said Shahnawaz.

The steps may be small but it is important that a beginning has been made. More such efforts are needed to take the nation forward and ensure that no one is left behind.

Image: Students participate in mock interview sessions organised by ZFI. Photograph: ZFI

Upasna Pandey in New Delhi for http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

 

How a Differently Abled Student’s Letter to Nike is Now Changing Many Lives…

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How a Differently Abled Student's Letter to Nike is Now Changing Many Lives

Image Courtesy: Screengrab taken from YouTube video uploaded by Nike Basketball

A 16 year old cerebral palsy had a very simple request. He was going to college soon and wouldn’t have his parents there to tie his shoelaces for him. So he wrote a letter to one of the biggest shoe brands in the world and put it up on social media.

And it was Matthew Walzer’s 2012 letter to Mark Parker, Chief Executive Officer of Nike, that resulted in an invention that will help millions of differently abled people in the world.

“I wanted to say look, this is a real issue; these are daily challenges that millions of disabled people face,” says Matthew Walzer in a video released by Nike. It explains how designer Tobie Hatfield and the company came up with the idea of a “wraparound zipper system” that makes getting in and out of shoes much easier for those who face difficulty while using their hands.

“I’ll never forget that night. Taking them out of the box and putting them on – I just felt this wave of independence that I never got to experience before,” says Matthew.

The video makes for a beautiful watch, not only because of the shoes they present to Matthew. They also surprise him by introducing him to one of his favourite sportstars.
Take a look at video below and always remember Tobie Hatfield’s words: “At some point, some people become less able sooner than others. But eventually, we all become less able.”

Source….www.ndtv.com and http://www.you tube.com

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‘Turmeric may help treat diabetes’….

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Curcumin, a substance in turmeric, combined with an omega-3 fat may delay or prevent the onset of type-2 diabetes.

Curcumin, a substance in turmeric, combined with an omega-3 fat may potentially delay or prevent the onset of type-2 diabetes, researchers, led by an Indian-origin scientist, say.

Health scientists from the University of Newcastle’s Nutraceuticals Research Group, led by Professor Manohar Garg, are seeking 80 recruits for a new clinical study to find out whether the Indian spice combined with an omega-3 fat can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes or prevent it altogether.

“The root cause of type 2 diabetes is systemic inflammation, which impacts insulin secretion and function,” said Garg.

“We want to nip the inflammation in the bud,” he said.

“This study will use two bioactive compounds that we find in food — curcumin and omega—3 fat. Both are very important anti-inflammatory agents,” Garg said.

Curcumin, derived from turmeric, is part of the ginger family and commonly used for food colouration. Its healing properties are well known in India.

“Turmeric has been used for centuries to promote healing of bruises, sprains, wounds and inflammation,” he said.

Nowadays in India the level of curcumin (turmeric) intake has dropped considerably as people switch to Westernised fast foods, and it parallels with a significant rise in type 2 diabetes cases. In fact the disease is now an epidemic in India and may soon be the number one health burden,” said Garg.

The randomised control trial will test both compounds, with the recruitment group being segregated into four.

One will get curcumin only, the second will get omega-3 fat only, the third will receive both, and the fourth will serve as a control group.

The capsules contain 200 mg of curcumin and one gm of omega-3 fat respectively.

People who are prone to develop diabetes because of impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose, and who are aged between 30 and 70, may be eligible.

“The anti-inflammatory mechanisms surrounding curcumin and omega-3 fats are different, so we want to test if they complement each other and have treatment synergies beyond their individual effects,” Garg said.

“Our thinking is that the combination is safe, free of any side-effects and may prove to be as effective as drugs used for management of diabetes,” he added.

Keywords: turmeric, ancient Indian medicine, University of Newcastle research

Source….www.the hindu.com

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” Have a Look at the Question Papers of 8th grade in 1895 …” !!!

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Look at these question papers of 8th grade in 1895.
1895 8th grade final exam
 


Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , Kansas , USA .. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , and reprinted by the Salina Journal..

8th Grade Final Exam:

Salina , KS – 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications

3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.

4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of ‘lie,’ ‘play,’ and ‘run’ 

5. Define case; illustrate each case.

6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.

7 – 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.


Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet Long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs, what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs for tare?

4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7percent per annum.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft long at $20 per metre?

8… Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus .

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States ..

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion 

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.


Orthography (Time, one hour)

[Do we even know what this is??] 

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?

4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e.’ Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7 Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.

9.. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication

Geography (Time, one hour)

1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2.. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?

3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America .

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco . 

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each..

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9.. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

HUH??? Are they kidding??? This is hard to believe…. 

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.

Gives the saying ‘he only had an 8th grade education’ a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?!

Also shows you how poor our education system has become and, NO, I don’t have the answers!

The recent news of colleges under Delhi University setting a cut-off of 99 per cent and above marks has shocked educationists, scholars, teachers, commentators all over the country. Not only is such a high marks preposterous but also it defies logic and in general the real worth of those who score such a high percentage. Are these students really that good to achieve such marks or is it the system which is churning out students capable of scoring high marks and yet are bogged down when it comes to innovation and cutting-edge research? Are we ‘manufacturing’ drones instead of learned, wise men? Should there be an alternative to the present marks-based system? Also in spite of boasting students endowed with high-intellect and IQ why are Indian Universities lagging far behind their US and European counterparts? What is the solution? Is private participation and relaxation of rules and regulations the way out? What do those students do who fail to score high marks?

Source….nidokidos@yahoogroups.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…” When this World will bask in Peace and Joy …” ?

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Sathya Sai Baba

Police and law-makers can defeat only external foes; they have no power to destroy internal enemies. They will find the task impossible, for they are not the authorities for that. The internal foes, six enemies(arishadvarga) that operate within a person, can be uprooted only with the teachings of great saints, love for God, and the company of the noble and holy. The world suffers harm at the hands of wicked people when the law-makers responsible for apprehending thieves themselves become entangled with them. Equally, the world becomes enveloped in darker ignorance when righteousness (dharma) is destroyed and those contemplating on the Brahman incessantly and the ‘great’ spiritual aspirants give up the path of well-being of the world and become victims of sense enjoyment or ambition to earn name and fame. Then suffering will increase every single day. The whole world will bask in peace and joy only when everyone — leaders of countries and spiritual aspirants alike — realize the righteous path and ponder the omnipotence of the Lord.