The Niagara Falls!

The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.

Niagara Falls is divided into the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. The Horseshoe Falls drop about 173 feet (53 m), the height of the American Falls varies between 70-100 feet (21 m) because of the presence of giant boulders at its base. The larger Horseshoe Falls are about 2,600 feet (792 m) wide, while the American Falls are 1,060 feet (323 m) wide.

Aerial view of Niagara Falls, with American Falls on the left and the Horseshoe Falls on the right
The volume of water approaching the falls during peak flow season may sometimes be as much as 202,000 cubic feet per second (5,720 m³/s). By comparison Africa's spectacular Victoria Falls has over 19 million cubic feet (546,000 m³) of water falling over its crest line each minute during the peak of the wet season (320,000 cu ft/9,100 m³ per second). Since the flow is a direct function of the Lake Erie water elevation, it typically peaks in late spring or early summer. During the summer months, 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,832 m³/s) of water actually traverses the Falls, some 90% of which goes over the Horseshoe Falls, while the balance is diverted to hydroelectric facilities. This is accomplished by employing a weir with movable gates upstream from the Horseshoe Falls. The Falls flow is further halved at night, and during the low tourist season in the winter, remains a flat 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,416 m³/s). Water diversion is regulated by the 1950 Niagara Treaty and is administered by the International Niagara Board of Control (IJC).

Viewpoints on the American shore generally are astride or behind the falls. The falls face directly toward the Canadian shore. Thus, the most complete views of Niagara Falls are available from the Canadian side of the river.

The cuisine of India!

The cuisine of India is characterized by its sophisticated and subtle use of many spices and herbs grown across India and also for the widespread practice of vegetarianism across its society. Considered by some to be one of the world's most diverse cuisines, each family of this cuisine is characterized by a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. As a consequence, Indian cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse Indian subcontinent. India's religious beliefs and culture has played an influential role in the evolution of its cuisine. However, cuisine across India also evolved due to the subcontinent's large-scale cultural interactions with neighboring Persia, ancient Greece, Mongols and West Asia, making it a unique blend of various cuisines across Asia. The colonial period introduced European cooking styles to India adding to its flexibility and diversity. Indian cuisine has also influenced cuisines across the world, especially those from South East Asia.

As a land that has experienced extensive immigration and intermingling through many millennia, India's cuisine has benefited from numerous food influences. The diverse climate in the region, ranging from deep tropical to alpine, has also helped considerably broaden the set of ingredients readily available to the many schools of cookery in India. In many cases, food has become a marker of religious and social identity, with varying taboos and preferences (for instance, a segment of the Jain population consume no roots or subterranean vegetable; see Jain vegetarianism) which has also driven these groups to innovate extensively with the food sources that are deemed acceptable.

Sony Ericsson!

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to make mobile phones. The stated reason for this venture is to combine Sony's consumer electronics expertise with Ericsson's technological leadership in the communications sector. Both companies have stopped making their own mobile phones.

The company's global management is based in Hammersmith, London, and it has research & development teams in Sweden, Japan, China, Germany, the United States, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

Ericsson, which had been in the cellular phone market for decades, decided to divest this business in 2001 following huge losses. Ericsson had decided to source on chips for its phones from a single source, a Philips facility in New Mexico. In March 2000 a fire at the Philips factory contaminated the sterile facility. Philips assured Ericsson and Nokia (the other major customer of the facility) that production would be delayed by less than a week. When it became clear that production would actually be compromised for months, Ericsson was faced with a serious shortage. Nokia had already begun to obtain parts from alternative sources, but Ericsson's position was much worse as both production of current models and the launch of new ones was held up.

Sony Ericsson currently concentrates on the categories of: music, camera, business (web and email), design, all-rounder, and budget focused phones. The Walkman-branded W series music phones, launched in 2005.The Sony Ericsson W-series music phones are notable for being the first music-centric series mobile phones, prompting a whole new market for portable music that was developing at the time. Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones have previously been commercially endorsed by pop stars Christina Aguilera and Jason Kay across Europe.

The Cyber-Shot-branded line of phones, launched in 2006 in newer models of the K series phones.This range of phones are focused on the quality of the camera included with the phone. Cyber-shot phones always include a flash, some with a xenon flash, and also include auto-focus cameras. Sony Ericsson kicked off its global marketing campaign for Cyber-shot phone with the launch of ‘Never Miss a Shot’.

Rotorcraft!

Rotorcraft, or rotary-wing aircraft, use a spinning rotor with aerofoil section blades (a rotary wing) to provide lift. Types include helicopters, autogyros and various hybrids such as gyrodynes and compound rotorcraft.

Helicopters have powered rotors. The rotor is driven (directly or indirectly) by an engine and pushes air downwards to create lift. By tilting the rotor forwards, the downwards flow is tilted backwards, producing thrust for forward flight.

Autogyros or gyroplanes have unpowered rotors, with a separate power plant to provide thrust. The rotor is tilted backwards. As the autogyro moves forward, air blows upwards through it, making it spin.

This spinning dramatically increases the speed of airflow over the rotor, to provide lift. Juan de la Cierva (a Spanish civil engineer) used the product name autogiro, and Bensen used gyrocopter. Rotor kites, such as the Focke Achgelis Fa 330 are unpowered autogyros, which must be towed by a tether to give them forward ground speed or else be tether-anchored to a static anchor in a high-wind situation for kited flight.

Gyrodynes are a form of helicopter, where forward thrust is obtained from a separate propulsion device rather than from tilting the rotor. The definition of a 'gyrodyne' has changed over the years, sometimes including equivalent autogyro designs. The most important characteristic is that in forward flight air does not flow significantly either up or down through the rotor disc but primarily across it. The Heliplane is a similar idea.

Pink Panther!

The Pink Panther cartoon character is the main character in a series of animated short films. The character originally appeared in the opening and closing credit sequences of the 1963 live-action feature film The Pink Panther. The popularity of the character spawned a series of animated short films, and the character would appear in the opening sequence of every film in The Pink Panther series (except A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau). The cool cat starred in 126 shorts (either theatrical or made-for-television), 10 television shows and 3 prime-time television specials. The animated Pink Panther character's initial appearance in the live action film's title sequence, directed by Friz Freleng, was such a success with audiences and United Artists that the studio signed Freleng and his DePatie-Freleng Enterprises studio to a multi-year contract for a series of Pink Panther theatrical cartoon shorts.

As Pink Panther historian Jerry Beck notes, "Classic animation pretty much died in the '60s, everyone had kind of bailed out. But his creators didn't rest on their laurels. They didn't make the cartoons to look like Warner Bros. cartoons, or Disney cartoons, or the UPA look of Mister Magoo and Gerald McBoing-Boing. They came up with their own clever new style. The only other important cartoon of the '60s was Yellow Submarine.

The Pink Panther was therefore a notable contribution to the animation art form. Top animation directors such as Hawley Pratt, Robert McKimson, and Sid Marcus contributed to a distinctive style, supported by master story writer John W. Dunn. Produced after theatrical cartooning's golden age of the 1940s and 50s, they were constrained to the limited animation techniques applied to Saturday morning cartoons of 1960s and after. Within these limitations, the Pink Panther made creative use of absurd and surreal themes and visual puns and an almost completely wordless pantomime style, set to the ubiquitous Pink Panther theme and its variations by Henry Mancini. The overall approach is reminiscent of the classic silent movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

Galaxy!

A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system consisting of stars, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and dark matter.The name is from the Greek root galaxias [γαλαξίας], meaning "milky," a reference to the Milky Way galaxy. Typical galaxies range from dwarfs with as few as ten million (107) stars up to giants with one trillion (1012) stars, all orbiting a common center of mass. Galaxies can also contain many multiple star systems, star clusters, and various interstellar clouds. The Sun is one of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy; the Solar System includes the Earth and all the other objects that orbit the Sun.

Historically, galaxies have been categorized according to their apparent shape (usually referred to as their visual morphology). A common form is the elliptical galaxy, which has an ellipse-shaped light profile. Spiral galaxies are disk-shaped assemblages with curving, dusty arms. Galaxies with irregular or unusual shapes are known as peculiar galaxies, and typically result from disruption by the gravitational pull of neighboring galaxies. Such interactions between nearby galaxies, which may ultimately result in galaxies merging, may induce episodes of significantly increased star formation, producing what is called a starburst galaxy. Small galaxies that lack a coherent structure could also be referred to as irregular galaxies.

There are probably more than 100 billion (1011) galaxies in the observable universe.Most galaxies are 1,000 to 100,000 parsecs in diameter and are usually separated by distances on the order of millions of parsecs (or megaparsecs). Intergalactic space (the space between galaxies) is filled with a tenuous gas of an average density less than one atom per cubic meter. The majority of galaxies are organized into a hierarchy of associations called clusters, which, in turn, can form larger groups called superclusters. These larger structures are generally arranged into sheets and filaments, which surround immense voids in the universe.

Sports Car!

A sports car is a term used to describe a class of automobile. The exact definition varies, but generally it is used to refer to a low to ground, light weight vehicle with a powerful engine. Most vehicles referred to as sports cars are rear-wheel drive, have two seats, two doors, and are designed for more precise handling, acceleration, and aesthetics. A sports car's dominant considerations can be superior road handling, braking, maneuverability, low weight, and high power, rather than passenger space, comfort, and fuel economy.

Sports cars can be either luxurious or spartan, but driving mechanical performance is the key attraction. Many drivers regard brand name and the subsequent racing reputation and history as important indications of sporting quality (for example, Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus), but some brands, such as Lamborghini, which do not race or build racing cars, are also highly regarded.
A car may be a sporting automobile without being a sports car. Performance modifications of regular, production cars, such as sport compacts, sports sedans, muscle cars, hot hatches and the like, generally are not considered sports cars, yet share traits common to sports cars. They are sometimes called "sports cars" for marketing purposes for increased advertising and promotional purposes. Performance cars of all configurations are grouped as Sports and Grand tourer cars, or, occasionally, as performance cars.

Global Warming!

Global warming is the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. The temperature of the atmosphere near the earth's surface is warmed through a natural process called the greenhouse effect. Visible, shortwave light comes from the sun to the earth, passing unimpeded through a blanket of thermal, or greenhouse, gases composed largely of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Infrared radiation reflects off the planet's surface toward space but does not easily pass through the thermal blanket. Some of it is trapped and reflected downward, keeping the planet at an average temperature suitable to life, about 60F (16 degree Celcius).

Growth in industry, agriculture, and transportation since the Industrial Revolution has produced additional quantities of the natural greenhouse gases plus chlorofluorocarbons and other gases, augmenting the thermal blanket. It is generally accepted that this increase in the quantity of greenhouse gases is trapping more heat and increasing global temperatures, making a process that has been beneficial to life potentially disruptive and harmful. During the past century, the atmospheric temperature has risen 1.1F (0.6 degree Celcius), and sea level has risen several inches. Some projected, longer-term results of global warming include melting of polar ice, with a resulting rise in sea level and coastal flooding; disruption of drinking water supplies dependent on snow melts; profound changes in agriculture due to climate change; extinction of species as ecological niches disappear; more frequent tropical storms; and an increased incidence of tropical diseases.

Among factors that may be contributing to global warming are the burning of coal and petroleum products (sources of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone); deforestation, which increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; methane gas released in animal waste; and increased cattle production, which contributes to deforestation, methane production, and use of fossil fuels.

Baskin Robbins!

The birth of Baskin-Robbins were traced back to the year 1945 in Los Angeles, where the founders, Mr. Burt Baskin and Mr. Irv Robbins started their first store by injecting creative ingenuity and philosophy of fun into their ice-cream store. With a humble beginning, the store attracted public interest and in just three year, they had grown to eight stores.

Now, in a time-span of 60 years, there are 2,500 stores operating in U.S.A and 2,500 stores outside U.S.A.

All ice-cream products selling in Malaysia’s Baskin-Robbins stores are fully imported from United States. To ensure the consistency and taste of its products, each shipment of delicious Baskin-Robbins flavors is subjected to stringent quality control from the very first step to the time they serve their premium ice-cream to their customer.

They call that “Magical Moments” with Baskin-Robbins. Being an ice - cream lover I really crave for Baskin Robbins which is one of my favourites. The Baskin Robbins products are divided into five different categories which are the cup and cones, splits and special, fountain, handpacked, as well as deserts.

Public Safety!

Public safety is essential as it ensures social peace and stability in the country. The two components of the Public Safety Index are crime rate and road accidents. The crime rate was measured as per thousand populations while road accidents were measured as per thousand vehicles. The Public Safety Index declined during the period from 78.4 points in 1980 to 72.1 points in 1998, mainly due to an increase in road accidents, while changes in the crime rate were constant except in 1985-1986 and 1997-1998, coinciding with the period of economic downturn.


Crimes per thousand population increased from 5.3 in 1980 to 7.2 in 1998, while the average crime rate for the 19-year period was only 4.7. For the period 1980-1989, the average crime rate was 5.1, as compared to 3.8 for the period 1990-1996, indicating an overall decline in crime rate during the period of strong economic growth. Crime rate however, rose to 5.6 and 7.2 in 1997 and 1998 respectively during the period of economic slowdown.


Road accidents per thousand vehicles decreased from 25.1 in 1980 to 23.6 in 1998, as reflected by the declining trend of the road accidents sub-index. Theaverage rate of road accidents per thousand vehicles for the 19-year period was 22.6. Normally during festive seasons almost all the road networks in the country will be used to maximum capacity, especially during the days prior to and after a festival. Records indicate an increase in road accidents during festive season as compared to a normal day. In 1998, most fatal accidents occurred on State and Municipal roads and only 7 percent of the fatal accidents occurred on privatised expressways.


The quality of life of Malaysians during the period 1980-1998, witnessed an overall improvement as reflected by the upward movement in the MQLI. In almost all areas, substantial improvements were attained as evident by the positive developments in the areas of income and distribution, education, family life, health, transport and communications, social participation, housing, and working life. Although environment and public safety recorded declines, primarily due to a deterioration in the river water quality and an increase in the number of road accidents, continuous efforts are being undertaken to remedy the situation to ensure that the people continue to enjoy a better quality of life.

Measuring the Heat of neutralization!

Introduction

Chemical reactions almost always involve the transfer of heat energy: a reaction will either give off heat, or it will absorb heat. Many times the heat transfer associated with a chemical reaction is more important than the reaction itself. For instance, consider the reaction of methane (CH4, the principal component of natural gas) and oxygen:

CH4(g) + 2 O2(g) → CO2(g) + 2 H2O(l)

The water and carbon dioxide produced by this reaction are not nearly as useful as the large amount of heat that it generates. This is heat we can use to heat our homes with a gas furnace, or to heat a reaction beaker with a Bunsen burner.

The study of the heat transfer associated with chemical reactions is called thermochemistry. There are several fundamental terms used in thermochemistry that must be clear to us as we begin this discussion. First, the system is defined as the actual atoms, ions, and molecules that take part in a reaction. Everything else in the universe is part of the surroundings. A reaction which gives off heat is known as an exothermic reaction. More precisely we say that in an exothermic reaction the system gives off heat to the surroundings, resulting in an increase in the temperature of the surroundings. Oppositely, a reaction that absorbs heat is known as an endothermic reaction. In an endothermic reaction the system absorbs heat from the surroundings, causing the temperature of the surroundings to decrease.

exothermic: system gives off heat to surroundings ⇒ Tsurroundings increases
endothermic: system absorbs heat from surroundings ⇒ Tsurroundings decreases

We are often interested in the actual amount of heat transferred in a chemical reaction. By definition, the amount of heat transferred when a reaction is carried out at constant pressure is known as the enthalpy change (ΔH) of the reaction. We often include an "rxn" subscript and refer to ΔHrxn as the enthalpy of reaction, or the heat of reaction. The enthalpy (H) of a substance is related to the total amount of energy the substance
possesses, and the enthalpy change of a reaction is defined as:

ΔHrxn = Hproducts – Hreactants

If ΔHrxn is a negative value, then we can see by Equation 1 that the products possess less enthalpy (energy) than the reactants. Where did this energy go? It was given off by the reaction as heat! In other words, the reaction is exothermic. Therefore, if ΔHrxn is less than zero then the reaction is exothermic. Similarly, if ΔHrxn is greater than zero, the reaction absorbs heat and is endothermic.

ΔHrxn <> 0 ⇒ endothermic

Based on the general information about the neutralization process, I manage to carry out an experiment in the lab using Sodium hydroxide and Hydrochloric acid.

The Taj Mahal...

What could I say more? Taj Mahal being my dream vacation has always been an insipiration to me to work hard so that I would get a chance to look at it for real.

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, that was built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal (also "the Taj") is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage."
While the white domed marble and tile mausoleum is most familiar, Taj Mahal is an integrated symmetric complex of structures that was completed around 1648. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.



The Taj Mahal was built on a parcel of land to the south of the walled city of Agra. Shah Jahan presented Maharajah Jai Singh with a large palace in the center of Agra in exchange for the land.



An area of roughly three acres was excavated, filled with dirt to reduce seepage and leveled at 50 meters above riverbank. In the tomb area, wells were dug and filled with stone and rubble as the footings of the tomb. Instead of lashed bamboo, workmen constructed a colossal brick scaffold that mirrored the tomb. The scaffold was so enormous that foremen estimated it would take years to dismantle. According to the legend, Shah Jahan decreed that anyone could keep the bricks taken from the scaffold, and thus it was dismantled by peasants overnight.



A fifteen kilometer tamped-earth ramp was built to transport marble and materials to the construction site. Teams of twenty or thirty oxen were strained to pull blocks on specially constructed wagons. An elaborate post-and-beam pulley system was used to raise the blocks into desired position. Water was drawn from the river by a series of purs, an animal-powered rope and bucket mechanism, into a large storage tank and raised to large distribution tank. It was passed into three subsidiary tanks, from which it was piped to the complex.



These were the some information about Taj Mahal that I was able to derive and share with you. Have a look at the pictures below:

Your Intelligence Makeover!

This book is simply superb. When I glanced through few pages I realised that there are many things that how one can learn to nip and tuck his or her knowledge. You will double or triple your reading speed and dramatically improve your memory. Then you will have access to a wide body of information to kick it up a notch and rise to a higher level of intellectual plane.



Besides, your intelligence makeover is a fascinating book that helps the reader focus on learning in a more effective manner. By strengthening our reading, memory, writing, and speaking skills I realised that we can achieve a richer, fuller life.



This book also includes great tips on raising reading speed and comprehension where it aids one to remember details in a well organised way. I feel that the intelligence quizzes are worth the price of the book, just to take it for gathering to test my friends.



All in all, I feel this is a great book to stimulate the growth of knowledge.

How to write a thriller novel?

Today, as I was surfing the net came across an article about 'How to write a thriller novel?'. From the article I obtained many interesting and useful information about writting a thriller novel. Initially, before we write a thriller novel you should browse the shelves of your local bookstore to see what kind of thriller seems to be flying off the rack. Technological thriller novels may be hot, or the book season may be defined by political intrigue. Later, determine what is missing in the current market. Ask yourself what isn't being done right now that will likely appeal to a mass audience. Then, ask dedicated thriller novel readers what it is they like best about the genre. Remember that writing for your audience is key to being successful with any kind of popular fiction.

Now while you start writing your novel, pace your novel intelligently. Readers appreciate enough character development to make them care about the people in the story, but they still crave for adventure. You can also insert crisp dialogue to make the characters talk like real people. At the same time, only include conversations relevant to the advancement of your story. Another technique is to put your protagonist in dangerous situations and keep raising the stakes. A hero has to continually defy expectations to keep your readers turning the page.

Finally, when you are done with your writing, seek an agent specializing in thriller fiction. Thrillers are quite lucrative if placed with the proper publishing house. Think of ways to actively and creatively market your manuscript. Entering novel contests are an excellent way to attract an agent's attention. You must remain active in your book's promotion once it is published. Authors who believe in their work convince readers that it is worth reading.

Daisies!

As I was surfing the internet, I came across this beautiful flower called Daisy and this eventually lead me to share with you some informations about Daisy

As we all know, there are lots of beautiful flowers in the huge Compositae family, and daisies are very typical of the group. Although the three plants described here are not really closely related, they are in the same family and have the connection of the common name "daisy."

A very satisfying native perennial to grow, Engelmann Daisy (Engelmannia pinnatifida), pictured above, is hardy and prolific. The flower grows from a huge tuberous root and sends up numerous fuzzy stems and leaves, sometimes reaching about 3 feet in height and sprawling about that wide as well. During the spring, each plant produces lots of bright yellow blossoms, and when seen in a field or along a road, they are very eye-catching. As the seed heads mature, the stems die and by mid-summer, almost all of the foliage is dead and the plant remains dormant until late winter.

Zexmenia (Wedelia hispida) is another well-adapted native perennial. Other names for this plant include orange daisy and hairy wedelia. It is extremely common, grows under any conditions, and is easy to start from seed. The dark green foliage is attractive, but the plant gets to be rather spreading and messy looking, and the flowers are usually not very profuse during the hottest parts of the summer. It seems that when the temperature is over 100°F many species of plants either stop producing blossoms or the individual flowers are small and misshapen. The zexmenia flowers are not very large but they are a beautiful orange color and the plant blooms non-stop from late winter to early winter.

The final flower here is the cultivated English daisy (Bellis perennis), which also does well for us. This perennial slowly spreads into a mat of small green leaves, managing to survive the really hot spells and blooming when it cools or if we have some rain. Most of the blossoming occurs in the early spring, but an occasional flower pops up throughout the summer. The center blossoms are arranged in a mathematician's dream spiral pattern. I'm sorry, but I don't know the formula offhand. The symmetry of the white petals and yellow center is very appealing to us humans, but merely another meal for a hungry caterpillar.

Presentation about myself?

I was given a task to do a presentation about myself by my technical english lecturer, Mr Mohd Shafierul Zaman. As I was preparing my slides on my presentation, I realised that this was a good opportunity for me to enhance my speaking skills and at the same time build confidence in myself. Preparing the slides for the presentation was a simple thing that anyone could do but the disaster started when I felt it was rather intimidating when you have to speak infront of your classmates standing all by yourself with nothing else to depend on except yourself alone. What could I say more? Even though, the presentation was meant to be just about three minutes it seemed to me like it was for three hours. I just don't know why whenever I am facing a crowd or audience I feel nervous. However, during this presentation I felt that I was able to control my feeling of nervousness.