Bacteriology

                                 

 A few days ago mosquitoes, flies, ticks and related biting and blood sucking insects were considered by most of the people to be unworthy objects of serious study, but now it is known that they are the most important factors in the spread of diseases, especially in tropical countries.

 It has been established by many investigators that these creatures are the sole agents of inoculation into man of the germs of malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness, plague, typhus fever, recurrent fever and other maladies which have brought suffering and death to millions of people.

In most cases, they are not merely mechanical bearers of disease germs from one victim to another, for if that were so the problem of discovering the part they would play would be relatively simple.
Usually, their bodies are breeding places of micro-organisms which they suck from the blood of one victim beast or man and these parasites are afterwards injected into their victims. Insects have thus been shown to be intimately related to the life of man and a branch of study which was formerly considered to be purely of zoological interest has proved to be closely connected with the practical problems of finding the cause and the cure of several human diseases. This branch of study is known as bacteriology.

The Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway is a natural rock formation. It consists of about 40,000 interlocking columns, most of which are hexagonal. The columns form huge stepping stones which slope down to the sea . It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. In 1986 , UNESCO declared this as a World Heritage Site.

The Giant's Causeway was actually formed by Volcanic activity about 50 million years ago. As the lava rapidly cooled , it contracted into the distinctive shapes. The Causeway is an excellent place to spot sea birds. Some rare plants also bloom here.

The Earth Day

Earth Day is a special day that celebrates the Earth. It is the time when we remind ourselves that our earth is precious and we need to take care of it.   

 The celebration of Earth Day was first introduced on 22nd April, 1970 in California by an American, Gaylord Nelson , who thought of observing the day  to make people understand the importance of keeping our planet healthy and clean . Now over 140 different countries join together in the celebration of Earth Day every year.

The most serious problems, earth is facing today are pollution and loss of the earth's plants and animals. Pollution means contaminating the air,soil and water around us. This affects life on earth. All animals and plants find it difficult to breathe polluted air , drink polluted water and live in polluted soil . Taking steps to prevent pollution in our own lives and throughout the world is one of the most important things we can do to keep life on earth going.

We ought to take care of the earth everyday, not just on Earth Day. But Earth Day  is important because it reminds us to stop and look at the problems of our environment and think of ways to prevent them.

The Squeeze

A California sea lion peers out from a restraint nicknamed “The Squeeze" near Oregon City, Ore., as it is prepared for transport by truck to the Pacific Ocean about 130 miles away. 

     The male sea lion was released south of Newport, Ore.,in a program designed to reduce the threat to wild winter steelhead and spring chinook salmon in the Willamette River. Oregon wildlife officials have started killing sea lions that threaten a fragile run of winter steelhead in the Willamette River. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife obtained a federal permit in November to kill up to 93 California sea lions per year below Willamette Falls south of Portland, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported this news.

Sewing Machine

There are some inventions like rockets to Mars and humanoid robot that take our breathaway. And there are some common inventions that we take it for granted like the sewing machine.
          So who invented this great machine? There are several contenders for the big honour - USA, Germany, France,Russia and the United Kingdom.
     

First Sewing
Machine

      In 1755, a German mechanic working in London, England by the name of Charles Weisenthal was awarded the first British patent for a mechanical device for sewing - a double pointed needle with an eye at one end.        
   Then in 1790, Thomas Saint , an Englishman, patented an idea for a machine that would punch holes in leather, then run a needle through them. It  was an intriguing idea that never took shape.

Sewing Machine

invented by Thomas Saint.

          Many more German and American inventors of the early 19th century developed machines but none of them were very efficient.
           The first major breakthrough came around 1830. French tailor Barthelemy  Thimonnier patented a machine which used a hooked needle to produce a consistent stitch. He won a contract from the French army, but some 200 rioting tailors, who feared that the invention would ruin their businesses, destroyed the machines in 1831.
          There were major improvements in the sewing machines built by Walter Hunt of New York City in about 1832 - 34, which was never patented , and by Elias Howe of Massachusetts, patented in 1846.

Elias Howe

          Sewing machines were first mass produced after the 1850's when Isaac Singer built the first commercially successful machine . In his machine the needle moved up and down rather than the side-to-side and the needle was powered by a foot treadle. However, singer's machine used the same lock stitch that Howe had patented. Elias Howe sued Isaac Singer for patent infringement and won in 1854. 

Isaac Singer

       Helen Augusta Blanchard of portland. Maine (1840-1922) patented the first zig-zag stitch  machine in 1873. The zig- zag stitch better seals the edges of a seam. making a garment sturdier. Helen Blanchard also patented 28 other inventions including the hat-sewing machine,surgical needles, and other improvements to sewing machines.

zig-zag stitch machine

Marathon

Have you heard of the Olympic Game? Athletes and sportsmen from all over the world come together. They run and jump and swim and ride horses and play many different sports and games. The Olympic Games are held every four years. One of the most famous Olympic races is Marathon Race. Only the strongest man can run this race of nearly thirty miles.

          first Marathon Race and a great Olympic hero.

          This is the story of the first Marathon Race and a great Olympic hero. The first Olympic Games were held at Mount Olympus in Greece thousands of years ago. There were many city- states in ancient Greece. Each city ruled the land around it. So it was called a city-state. Athens and Sparta were the strongest among the city-states. These two were great rivals. Athens had great artists and wise teachers. Sparta had strong, brave soldiers.

Darius was the King of Persia. He wanted to conquer Greece. He sent a great army to Greece in 490 B.C. Athens heard the news. They knew that the Persian horseman were the best in the world. The Athenians thought of taking the help of the Spartans to defeat a common enemy. But Sparta was more than a hundred miles south of Athens. There was very little time to send a message.
           The first runner in all Greece was Phidippides. He was an Athenian. He had won the races in the last Olympic Games. He was a toll handsome boy. He was brave and strong as a young lion. So the Athenians asked Phidippides to run to Sparta and he ran like a deer uphill and downhill. He swam across rivers and climbed over mountains. He never stopped for too long. He knew how much Athens needed help. At last he reached Sparta. He told the Spartans, ”I have been running for three days to bring this news. We must fight together against Persia.”The Spartans did not want to help Athens. So they said, “we have an important festival now. We shall come after that.

          Phidippides ran back to Athens. Hearing this bad news the Athenians fought like heroes to the death. The Greek army met the Persians at a place called Marathon, beside the sea. They attacked the Persians like ten thousand heroes. The Athenians fight like tigers. At last Athens won the Battle of Marathon. It is one of the greatest battles in history. The Athenians were very happy. They told  Pheddipides to run to Athens from marathon to give the good news. The people of Athens waited anxiously for the news.  They saw their young hero running twords them.He ran as far as the gate of the coty and fell into the arms of his friends. He had run his last race. His heart break as he feel. His last worgs were, “Rejoice! We have won”.

Michael Phelps

          Michael Phelps, the swimming champion, set a world record when he won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.Not only did Michael set a new record, but this young swimmer surpassed the previously set record of seven gold medals by Mark Spitz. 

          Michael Phelps, whose nick name is ‘MP’ was born in Baltimore, United States. In fact as a child he was afraid of water. He tried his hands at various sports like soccer and baseball but gradually moved away from other sports and began trying to be a swimmer under coach Bob Bowman.
          At the age of seven, Michael was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperacitivity Disorder), a condition in which a child is constantly active and is unable to focus his/her attention on anything for even a short span of time. Michael found a release for this extra energy in swimming. Despite all odds, Michael’s focus never changed and he become what he dreamt of becoming –a real champion! 

          In the 2004 Olympics held at Athens, Greece, Michael won six gold and two bronze medals. During an interview after the Athens games, Michael recalls how he had tried for the games.
          On cold, dark winter morning when he did not feel like getting up to train at 5.30 a.m., he would look inside his swimming cap. His cap had ‘ATHENS’ stitched on the inside. He focused on the word ATHENS. It reminded him of his goal and he would grab his bag and head for the pool. He has been doing that ever since. He does not recall missing his training for anything – Christmas, New Year or Thanksgiving. 

          This young athlete spends most of his time training in the pool. Like most young people he is found of movies and music. His favourit movie is Austin Powers and he loves video games and rap music. In one of his interviews he says that, “you should dream as big as possible because only then can you achieve your dream”
     

    Michael studies tapes of his races over and over again so that he doesn’t repeat the same mistakes and can better his performance. He hates losing. Michael’s determination and focused endeavor have made him a youth icon.

Disneyland

          Imagine you wake up one fine morning and find yourself in a land full of your favorite characters from fairly tales and cartoon films!
          You walk out of your house and step out onto a yellow brick road. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse have their house nearby. Winnie the Pooh is tasting honey from the honey pot. The Big Bad Wolf is trying to blow down the house of the three little pigs. Oh and look! Here is the white rabbit from Alice in wonderland, look how he’s scampering off into his hole. Snow White is cooking a meal for the seven dwarfs. Aladdin is taking a ride on his magic carper and beauty and the Beast have become friends forever. Isn’t it a wonderful place! But does a world exist? Yes it does. It is called Disneyland.   

Disneyland

          Walter Elias Disney created this world for us on 17 July 1955, in California. Walt Disney was a film producer, director and animator. He started the Walt Disney Company with his brother Roy Disney. The company produced a number of successful animated movies which have been passed down from generation to generation. Animated movie are movies in which characters down by hand behave like real people for they can walk, talk, laugh, cry and do nearly everything that real people do in films. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck films are the best Disney films.
           

Walter Elias Disney

  But how did Walt Disney think of creating Disneyland? One day Walt Disney took his daughters to an amusement park. The children had fun while he set on a bench and got bored. He then thought that there should be a place where children and parents could have a good time together. And that’s when he thought of Disneyland, a sort of dream world “I don’t want the public to see the world they live in while they’re in the park (Disneyland). I want to feel they’re in another world” he said.
          Disneyland is a land of fantasy, a make-believe world. It is a land of fairies and magic. You can become a Cinderella or a Robin Hood, dine at Cinderella’s royal table, take a tour of this magical land in a steam train, watch Disney characters in the dazzling parade at night and so on. There is fun not only for children but there are events which parents enjoy as well. So what are you waiting for – pack your bags and get ready for some magic!

gravitational waves

          We are all familiar with the concept of gravitation. But when we say GRAVITATIONAL WAVES, what exactly do we mean by it? Let us first welcome our member in the wave family, “gravitational waves” Till date, we have come access light waves, sound waves etc, but gravitation waves? So, let’s try to figure it out.

          What are gravitational waves??
It is a ripple in the fabric of space and time just like a stone which creates ripples in the pond when it is thrown. Let us imagine that space is a big sheet of rubber. Anything that has mass causes this rubber sheet to bend. More the mass, the space gets bent and destroyed by gravity. Gravitational waves are causes when every mass accelerates changing the distortion of space. Anything having mass energy can produce gravitational waves. 

 However, we need something massive to produce it, like exploding stars, collisions between ultra dense neutron stars etc. But these waves are very difficult to detect because by the time they reach us from the distant event, they distort space-time by minuscule amounts. These distortions are believed to be less than the width of a proton and hence measuring such changes is impossible for most instruments. But this was made possible by the LIGO (Laser interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) detector located in USA . 

LIGO uses laser interferometer to mea sure  the minute ripples in the space-time caused by gravitational waves. This theory of gravitational waves was first predicted by Albert Einstein. The 2017's Nobel prize in physics was awarded to Rainer Weiss, Berry C. Brish and Kip s. Thorne for their contribution towards the LIGO derector and observation of gravitational waves.

Florence Nightingle.

          Florence Nightingle did not like the easy and pleasant occupation of society, and instead of going to patties she visited the London hospitals and studied how sick people were nursed back to health and strength.

          In those days hospital nurses were ignorant and she was shocked by the roughness and mismanagement that prevailed in England’s hospitals. So she went to Germany and studied nursing there, and then she went to Paris.
          At last when she was quite certain that she had mastered her subject, she returned to England and began her work of improving the nursing in the hospitals.

          While she was engaged at this work, a war broke out in Crimea between Russia and England. At first people thought only of the glory of battle and the courage of the soldiers who went singing to their death.
          But soon other stories came home to England, dreamful stories of wounded men being left to die. England was shocked by these things and everybody cried out that something must be done, something to stop at once the sufferings of the brave soldiers.
          That was done by Florence Nightingle. 

 She went to Crimea with less than forty nurses and in a few months she  had succeeded in transforming the nursing of soldiers.

TAXILA

Taxila - meaning "city of cut stone" - is located near Rawalpindi in Pakistan, in a region that was part of the ancient Indian subcontinent. Its origin dates back to 10 BC. At the junction of three great trade routes, Taxila held an important position during each of the successive kingdoms. 

  Around 6 BC, it became famous as a centre of advanced learning and attracted students from all over. In fact,it is said to be one of the world's earliest universities. There were a number of reputed teachers, each with a school of his own. Unfortunately, it was all destroyed by the nomadic Huns in 5 AD.

Tiger Conservation

Over the past century the number of tigers in India has fallen about 40,000 to 4,000. Relentless poaching and clearing of habitat for agriculture have the primary facts of this decline. In recent years demand for tiger skin and parts for “medical” purposes has become an increasingly important threat.

However the news is not all bad. Research shows that if protected and given sufficient access to ample prey, tiger populations can quickly stabilize. With India’s large network of protected areas and continued funding from conservation groups like the wildlife conservation society, the outcomes provided hope that tigers can avoid extinction in the wild. The biggest threat to tigers in India is decreasing of their chief prey like deer, wild pigs.

As a result although about 300,000 square kilometers of tiger habitat still remains, much of it is empty of tigers because there is not enough food for them to survive.
          The tiger is not just a charming species. It’s not just a wild animal living in some forest either. The tiger is a unique animal which plays an essential role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem.

It is a top predator in check, thereby maintaining the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed. Therefore the presence of tigers, in the forest is an indicator of the well being of the ecosystem.The extinction of this top predator is an indication that its ecosystem
is not sufficiently protected, and neither would it exist for long thereafter.
 

One important thing that you can do is learn as much about tigers as you can, and teach others about the threats they face. You can do reports at school, or just talk to your friends and family. As people learn more about tigers , they will try harder to protect them.

The Milky Way

          What do you think of when you hear the words, “Milky Way”? Do you think of a candy bar? Well there is another Milky Way, and you live in it! It is our galaxy. A galaxy is a grouping of stars. Scientists have learned that there are many galaxies in our space. The Milky Way is a spiral shaped galaxy with swirls of stars spinning out from the centre of it.

 Scientists believe there are about 200 billion stars in the Milky Way. One of those stars is the sun. Nine planets orbit the sun. One of theme is Earth. Even from earth, on a clear night away from city lights, you can see part of the Milky Way. It is called that because so many stars close together look like a milky white stripe across the sky. However, if you looked at it with telescope, you would see that it is made up of thousands of stars.

The Rasogolla

          Rosogolla is a very popular traditional Bengali desert made with fresh cottage cheese. Festivals and special occasions are incomplete without this sweet dish. Loved by people of all age groups, one can easily prepare this quick dessert recipe at home for your loved ones!
          Ingredients:
1 liter Full Cream Milk
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 and 1/2cup Sugar
4 cup Water
          Process:
Bring the milk to boil over medium flame, Mix lemon juice with 2 tablespoons water.
Add water-lemon juice mixture gradually. Stir continuously, when the solid milk and the liquid milk separate completely, turn off the flame.
Spread a cheese-cloth over large strainer or colander. Transfer over it and drain the whey. Rinse it in running water or pour 2-3 glasses of plain water over it to remove the sourness.

Drain the water and tie the chhena in a muslin cloth. Squeeze it gently to drain the excess water and hang it for 30 minutes to get the right amount of moisture. Do nothing it for more than 30 to 45 minutes.
Untie the muslin cloth and transfer chhena to a plate.

          Knead it with hand. It should be a smooth paste. If it is too dry, the rasogolla will turn hard. If it is too soft, it will break and lose shape after cooking.
          Keep kneading till your palms turn a little greasy. It is an indication that it has started to release fat. Stop kneading after that.(pictture)
Make 13-15 small balls from the kneaded paneer dough. The size of balls will increase to almost double after boiling in sugar syrup in the next step, so do not make very large balls.(picture)
When it comes to a rolling boil, gently drop the prepared balls in it.(picture)
Cover it with a lid and let it cook over a hmedium flame. If you r using a pressure cooker, just put the lid over the cooker do not use the whistle.(picture)
          After about 5 minutes, remove the lid and stir it gently with a spatula. Cover it with a lid again and let it boil over medium flame for 7-8 minutes. Stir it gently once in between. Remove lid and turn off the flame. You will notice that size of balls has increased to almost double.

          The balls will shrink a little after turning off the flame. Transfer them to a large bowl and let them cool for 5-6 hours. The rasogollas are now ready for serving.(picture)

Dhyan Chand

          Dhyan Chand was the greatest of all hockey players. Everyone who has seen him to play was amazed at his skill. In Holland, his stick was broken to check if there was a magnet. The Japanese together that it might have glue. The Germans wanted to buy it. The magic touch of Dhyan Chand came from his natural skill which was inborn. His brilliant career spanned between 1926 and 1936. In this time, India had, without any doubt, the best hockey team in the world.

          Dhyan Chand played in the centre forward position. Today we call this position ‘striker’. He represented India in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics where he scored 6 goals in India’s 8-1 win over Germany. Dhyan Chand’s real talent lay in his extraordinary vision. At a glance he knew where his teammates or his opponents were. He could see the field in the same way a chess player sees the chessboard. It took more than four players to guard him. He was the best and his team was the greatest.
          He opening words of his autobiograbphy Goal is : “You are doubtless aware that I am a common man.” But he never was a common man. India remembers this great sportsman. His birthday 29 August has been declared the 'National Sports Day' in India. 

Kalpana Chawla

          Kalpana Chawla was born in 1961 in Karnal, a small sleepy town of Haryana. She is the first Indian woman astronaut and only the second Indian after Rakesh Sharma to go into space. In her childhood she used to make models of airplanes and dreamt to be a resident of the Milky Way. Kalpana began her education at a school in Karnal. Her dream began when, at the age of eight, her father took her to the Karnal Flying Club for the first time. These was the first step in her journey to space. She did her Bachelor in Aeronautical Engineering from the Punjab Engineering Collage. She was the first womam in India to study Aeronautical Engineering. She went to America to do her higher studies.

          In December 1994, NASA accepted her application to join as a candidate in the group of 15 astronauts. In November 1996 Kalpana’s dream came true when she was assigned in 16 days, mission to the space to be launched in 2003.
          It was 1st February 2003 and the time 8:53 a.m. at the Kennedy Spaces Florida, when the news broke out that the spaceship Colombia with six astronauts on board has exploded due to some technical failure. India lost a daughter who was a role model for many Indians. But her spirit will never die.

The Great Mathematician of India

          Mathematics in India inevitable makes one think of extra-ordinary figure of recent times. This was Srinivas Ramanujan. In his childhood, once a mathematics teacher, teaching in the eighth standard in a small school in South India, was telling the class that any number when divided by the same number becomes unity that is one. Ramanujan asked, ‘Sir is that true of zero, too?’ The teacher left speechless.

 

          This mathematical genius of India was born in a poor Brahmin family in South India. Having no opportunity for a proper education, he became a clerk with the Madras Port Trust. But he was bubbling over with instinctive genius and played with numbers and equations in his spare time.
          By a lucky chance he attracted the attention of a mathematician who sent some of his works to Cambridge in England. People there were impressed and a scholarship was arranged for him. So he left his clerk’s job and went to Cambridge, and during a very brief period there did work of profound value and originality.
          The Royal Society of England went rather out of their was and made him a fellow. But he died two years later, probably of tuberculosis at the age of 33. He was one of the greatest mathematicians of the country.
          Ramanujan’s brief life and death are symbolic to the conditions in India. Of our million’s how few get any education at all. Of even those who get some education, how few have anything to look forward to. If life had opened its gate to them and offered them food and education and healthy condition of living, how many among these millions could help to build a new India and new world.

The Deaert

Deserts are dry barren lands, which is totally isolated and too hot to be in. Deserts are usually formed when some parts of the lands does not receive rainfalls. It leads the land to be very dry and hot. The deserts are usually full of sand.

      The camel, lizard and snakes are found in the deserts. Apart from these animals there are many other too that live in deserts like the scorpions, antelopes, foxes and many more. These animals have learnt to store food, water and energy to live in the dry hot desert.
        Apart from the animals, there are also some plants which are seen to grow in the desert. Of theme cactus is the most common one. They also know how to store water and keep themselves safe from this harsh weather.
          Travelling through a desert is one difficult job. A lot of preparations required to survive from the heat and scarcity of water.
          The Sahara Desert is world’s largest desert which is in Africa. It covers a total of 3.5 million square miles. The weather there is hot and dry. The only place in the desert where there is water is the Nile River.
          In our there is a hot dry desert in the state of Rajasthan. It is called Thar desert.

Longest Canal

Indira Gandhi Canal that flows through the states of Punjab and Rajasthan, is the longest canal of India. It begins at the Harike Barrage - at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers in Punjab - and continues in a southwesterly direction. The canal is 650km long and consists of Rajasthan feeder canal and Rajasthan main canal and runs through 167 km in Rajasthan.

It is a project under the 'Green revolution' in India and also runs through the Great Thar Desert. It provides life to desert regions of Rajasthan from Sri Ganganagar to Jaisalmer. It has made possible an intensive cultivation of food crops and cash crops in otherwise arid regions. It was previously known as the Rajasthan Canal, and was renamed as the Indira Gandhi Canal on 2 November 1984 following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Real Music

Tansen was a famous singer at the court of Akbar. Once Akbar  and Tansen went to meet Sant Haridas. Akbar was dressed not as the Emperor but as an ordinary man, a humble lover of music. He only wanted to hear Sant Haridas sing.
Sant Haridas been Tansen’s music teacher, and he lived the austere life of a hermit. When Tansen and Emperor reached his hut, he was busy with his daily chores. When they asked him to sing he smiled but said firmly, ‘I am long past the age for singing.’ Even his favorite pupil could not persuade him to change his mind.

But Tansen knew how to get round him. He offered to sing before his guru. And he deliberately made a mistake, that’s not the right note, Tansen,’ cried his teacher, amazed. ‘What has happened to you?’
Tansen did not seem to understand and he made the same mistake again. Exasperated, Sant Haridas took the tanpura from Tansen’s hands and sang the right note. Then he went on to the next and the next!
His melodious voice flowed across the forest, like the first glimmer of dawn or the fragrance of jasmine. Both Akbar and Tansen listened to him, hypnotized. The emperor had not known that music could sound like this! He had certainly never heard anything like it before.
As they walked back, the Emperor suddenly broke the silence. ‘Why can’t you sing like that, Ustadji? He asked.
Tansen smiled. ‘Shahenshah, I sing at your command-the command of the Emperor of Hindustan. But Guruji sings forom one who is the King of Kings! His music springs from the depths of his soul, unasked and free. How can my music hope to reach those heights?’