We have heard about railway crossing or bus crossing or even ship crossing under the bridges. But have u ever heard about Aeroplane crossing ... ?
See the picture where the vehicles wait for the aeroplane to cross the road. This is in Germany where the runway crosses a road.
In 1783 an Icelandic eruption threw up enough dust to temporarily block out the sun over Europe.
The first international cricket match was held between the US and Canada in 1844. The match was played in New York and Canada won by 23 runs.
India were all out for 54 in October 2000, their lowest ever total in One Day Internationals against Sri Lanka.
Sir D. Bradman of Australia is considered the bestbatsman of all times. He played 80 test innings with an average of 99.9. He scored 29 centuries and 13 fifties. His highest score was 334.
Australia holds the record of most consecutive wons in test matches i.e. 16 consecutive test matches won.
West Indies holds the record of Most consecutive test matches drwan i.e. 10 test matches drawn consecutively.
Pakistan's Mohammed Yousuf holds the record of most runs in a calender year and most centuries in a calender year. He broke both these records in 2006.
Australia has the best win record in test matches, that is 63.92% wins, they have won 319 of 686 test matches since march 1887.
Shahid Afridi of Pakistan scored fastes ODI century in 1996. It was scored on 37 balls. He still holds that record
The longest test match of all was played between England and South Africa at Durban in 1938-39. This was a timeless test which lasted for 9 days, despite which the match ended in a draw since the England players had to leave to catch the boat back to England!
Only four test series have ended 0-0 with all five matches being drawn. India was involved in three of them, including two in a row against Pakistan.
Two spectators were killed and several injured when a stand collapsed during the India v England game at Nagpur in January 1985
England's John Jameson, who was born in India, made his highest Test score( 82 ) against India.
South African player Herschelle Gibbs was banned for two test matches after abusing Pakistani spectators in the first test match of a 3 test match series against pakistan in 2007.
At an individual level, 1982 Duleep Mendis of Sri Lanka scored 105 in both innings against India. He is the only batsman to hit identical hundreds in both innings of a test match.
1) Hunger and malnutrition kill more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
2) Every five seconds a child dies because he or she was hungry.
3) There are more than 800 million people around the world who know what it is like to go to bed hungry.
4) The world produces enough food to feed everyone but still these 800 million remain chronically hungry.
5) In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, there are 198 million hungry people.
6) More than 2 million people are likely to be dependent on food aid in the Darfur region of western Sudan by next year.
7) Almost 10 million people are killed around the world each year by hunger and malnutrition. That is more than the total number of people who died in World War I.
8) One out of every three people in Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from hunger.
9) Almost a quarter of the world's hungry people live in Africa.
10) Good nutrition helps prolongs the life of HIV sufferers.
11) Africa has already lost more farmers to AIDS (7 million) than there are farmers in Europe and North America.
12) By 2020, HIV is expected to have killed 20% of southern Africa's farm workers.
13) HIV and hunger work together. Malnutrition accelerates the progress of HIV. HIV worsens malnutrition.
14) There are 11 million AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. Most never learnt how their parents grew or prepared food.
15) 10 pence a day is all it takes to feed a hungry child at school.
16) Hunger is inherited. Each year 17 million children are born underweight because their mothers are malnourished.
17) Providing pregnant mothers with nutritionally balanced food can reduce the likelihood of an underweight baby by 32%.
18) In the 1990s, global poverty dropped by 20% but the number of undernourished people around the world increased.
19) The World Food Programme devotes a larger proportion of its assistance (on average half) to Africa than any other UN agency or individual government donor.
20) Food aid from the World Food Programme has reached 1.2 billion of the world's poor over the past 4 decades - that's almost the equal to the population of India.
1. Nuclear weapons were needed to defeat Japan in World War II. This is not the opinion of many leading US military figures in the war. General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II and later US president, wrote, “I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives.
It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of ‘face’….”
2. Nuclear weapons prevented a war between the United States and the Soviet Union. There were many deadly conflicts and “proxy” wars carried out by the superpowers in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Vietnam War, which took several million lives, is a prominent example. These wars made the supposed nuclear peace very bloody and deadly.
3. Nuclear threats have gone away since the end of the Cold War. In the aftermath of the Cold War, a variety of new nuclear threats have emerged. Among these are the following dangers:
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Increased chances of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists willing to use them;
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Policies of the US government to make nuclear weapons smaller and more usable;
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Use of nuclear weapons by accident, particularly because of decaying Russian infrastructure; and
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Spread of nuclear weapons to other states that may perceive them to be an “equalizer” against a more
powerful state.
4. The United States needs nuclear weapons for its national security. US national security would be far improved if the US took a leadership role in seeking to eliminate nuclear weapons throughout the world. Nuclear weapons are the only weapons that could actually destroy the United States, and their existence and proliferation threaten US security.
5. Nuclear weapons make a country safer. By threatening massive retaliation, the argument goes, nuclear weapons prevent an attacker from starting a war. There are many ways, though, in which deterrence could fail, including misunderstandings, faulty communications, irrational leaders, miscalculations and accidents.
6. No leader would be crazy enough to actually use nuclear weapons. US leaders, considered by some to be highly rational, have used nuclear weapons in war, against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Globally and historically, leaders have done their best to prove that they would use nuclear weapons.
7. Nuclear weapons are a cost-effective method of national defense. The cost of US nuclear weapons research, development, testing, deployment and maintenance has exceeded $7.5 trillion.
8. Nuclear weapons are well protected and there is little chance that terrorists could get their hands on one. In the aftermath of the Cold War, the ability of the Russians to protect their nuclear forces has declined precipitously.
In addition, a coup in a country with nuclear weapons, such as Pakistan, could lead to a government coming to power that was willing to provide nuclear weapons to terrorists.
9. The United States is working to fulfill its nuclear disarmament obligations. The United States has failed for nearly four decades to fulfill its obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, requiring good faith negotiations to achieve nuclear disarmament. The United States has failed to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and has withdrawn from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
10. Nuclear weapons are needed to combat threats from terrorists and “rogue states.”
The threat of nuclear force cannot act as a deterrent against terrorists because they do not have a territory to retaliate against. If the leaders of a rogue state do not use a rational calculus regarding their losses from retaliation, deterrence can fail
More Details at :
http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2007/10/facts_myths.pdf
India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.
2. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
3. India is the world's largest democracy.
4. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
5. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
6. The World's first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
7. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.
8. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.
9. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth.
10. The art of Navigation was bornin the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.
11. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
12. The value of pi was first calculated by 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.
13. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were 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(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12(10 to the power of 12).
14. IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.
15. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
16. According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.
17. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
18. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.
19. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
20. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
21. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
22. India is one of the few countries in the World, which gained independence without violence.
23. India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.
24. India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
25. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.
Famous Quotes on India (by non-Indians)
The name of the fruit was NARANJ in Sanskrit. This language was spoken in ancient India. Indians traded with Arabs, so the word passed into Arabic as NARANJAH. The Spaniards were ruled by north African Arabs who passed the fruit and word into Spanish as NARANJA (pronounced as NARANHA).
This came into English where the fruit was a NARANJ. Words ending in J are not common in English so the spelling quickly changed to a NARANGE.
The initial N moved to the a because of mis-hearing to give an ARANGE
FRIDAY THE 13TH is back! Avoid black cats, mirrors, ladders and do not spill the salt. One of the most widespread superstitions of modern day is that Friday the 13th is an inauspicious day. In this symbolism, both Friday as well as 13 are considered to be unlucky and when added, their sum accounts double trouble.
Superstitions revolving around Friday the 13th as being unlucky have existed since ancient times beginning with the Northern countries. The modern day context originated from October 13, 1307 which is regarded as a black day in history. The catastrophe that occurred this day was known as the ‘Decimation of the Knights Templar’, the legendry order of ‘warrior monks’ formed during the crusades. Acclaimed as a fighting force for 2000 years, the order had grown so powerful; it was perceived as a political threat by kings and popes alike who sought to bring it down.
On the infamous Friday of October 13, 1307, officers of King Philip IV of France carried out mass arrests in a well-coordinated raid that left thousands of knights, templars, sergeants and priests charged with heresy, obscenities and homosexuality. None of these charges were ever proven, but the seven years following the arrests thousands of templars and knights suffered excruciating tortures and many of them were executed by the burning stake.
Ancient Romans committed the sixth day of the week to Venus, the goddess of beauty and love. When the Norsemen adopted the Roman method of naming days, they called it Freya, a translation for the goddess which eventually evolved into Friday, which was considered to be the luckiest day of the week.
Muslims regard Friday as the day God created Adam and Christians consider it as the day on which Christ was crucified.
According to a popular Scandinavian belief the number 13 indicated bad luck which resulted from Loki, their 13th demigod, who inflicted great misfortune on humans. In Christianity, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest at the table of The Last Supper.
The biggest drawback in the theory stating that Friday the 13th is unlucky is the fact the there is no documentation of such beliefs prior to the 19th century. There is no evidence to back the fact that people observed it as a day likely to bring misfortune. Superstitions originate from beliefs or practices man used or is using to protect himself. It throws light on the fact the somewhere all of us are insecure. Despite the advancements in science and technology we are still unable to contest the paranormal.
People tend to overlook superstitions unless they are backed by concrete scientific evidence. The origin of every superstition is a belief. The phobia of Friday, the 13th is called Paraskevidekatriaphobia.
Interesting facts
The number 13 is despised by many to this extent that certain cities do not have a 13th Street or Avenue.
Some buildings do not have a 13th floor.
Certain hotels do not have a room numbered 13.
The opera house in Italy has also avoided the number.
Numerology and the number 13
According to numerology, the number signifies change. This can be positive as well as negative. Nothing associated with the number is jinxed. It is an utter myth.
Hype about Friday the 13th
After the release of the Hollywood blockbuster Friday the 13th the media created much hype about the day being ill-fated and unlucky.
Friday the 13th is not a day to be despised. We live in a superstitious world and it is likely for many to be paranoid in response to certain phobias. Today being Friday the 13th thousands of people will stay indoors, avoid driving and indulge in a number of religious affairs to ward off the so-called ill-effects of the day. Any kind of fear is a creation of the mind. One needs to learn to overcome such superstitions and beliefs by taming the mind in the right way.
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