Archives May 2013

The Julian year (introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C.E.) contained exactly 365.25 days and had a leap year every fourth year (when the year number was divisible by four). But the actual year is 365.24219879 days long and thus the Roman calendar gradually became out of step with reality. By the sixteenth century, the calendar was ten days adrift from the seasons. In 1576 Pope Gregory XIII assembled a commission of astronomers, mathematicians, and clergy, and this advisory body eventually adopted a plan suggested by the Calabrian physician Luigi Lilio, who was also known as Aloysius Lilius. On February 24, 1582, the pope declared that Thursday, October 4, 1582, was to be followed by Friday October 15. From that date, century leap years would only be allowed if the year number was exactly divisible by 400. Thus, 2000 was a leap year, to be followed by 2400,2800, and so more...

In India, there is a parliamentary system of government, according to which the party with the highest majority through a general election is entitled to form the government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister of the country. The  second largest party becomes the opposition party and its leader enjoys the status of the leader of opposition. The ruling party (the government) during Its tenure is free to determine the policies and programmes and make decisions for the welfare of the common people. The opposition parties have a very significant role in a democracy, because they are the representatives of the people to safeguard their interests. Time to time, they criticize the government in case it fails to keep its promises. The opposition parties also warn the government if they think it necessary. Sometimes they show their protest too against the government. Thus they try to keep the government aware more...

One of the remarkable inventions of modern science is certainly radio. Radio is a kind of wireless telegraphy on which, instead of sound, we hear words. With the help of a radio instrument we can hear news, music, speeches etc. from a distance. The credit for inventing this wonderful work goes to the Italian scientist, Marconi. He invented it in 1901. Radio is a useful medium of entertainment. We can listen to songs, music, plays, news, weather reports etc. on it. Radio programmes are relayed from radio stations. Radio has an educative value. We can learn a lot from the views of eminent persons. Also educational speeches are relayed from time to time which are very useful for the audience. The weather forecasts are also very important for sailors, pilots and fishermen. They can be cautioned against any incoming bad weather. Even a ship in distress can send out messages more...

A mosquito is a small insect. It is found mainly in hot and moist parts of the world. Mosquitoes disturb our  sleep at night. Mosquitoes like to live in dark, damp and dirty places. Mosquitoes are a great nuisance to us. Female mosquitoes breed in dirty drains, stagnant water, dark and damp bushes. We are always afraid of mosquito bites. Their buzzing sound is quite disturbing to the ears and their bites are painful to the skin. Only female mosquitoes can suck blood by entering their sharp stings into the skin of their prey. The male mosquitoes cannot do so as they have blunt stings. Mosquitoes are very harmful to men. They spread different diseases like malaria and yellow fever. Very recently, they have been reported to spread dangerous diseases called encephalitis and dengue. To get rid of mosquitoes and their painful bites, we should sleep under mosquito nets and more...

Physical exercise is very essential for all people. It should be carried out under the guidance of a physical instructor. All people, whether manual workers or mental workers, need to exercise in order to keep fit. Physical activity during the course of day's work cannot be called physical exercise, as physical exercise is meant to be done when the mind is free from the day's chores. Physical exercise has various forms. Swimming is the best physical exercise because the entire body gets proper exercise in it. Running, jumping and gymnastics are the other good forms of exercise. Games like soccer, hockey, cricket and tennis are the most popular kinds of physical exercise. Young man like to make their body strong and muscular, for which they can use various types of exercise equipment. Many people in cities and towns go for a morning walk. Yoga is one of the best forms more...

In the nineteenth century there was a confusing multiplicity of units of measurement. In England, for example, length was measured in inches, feet, yards, furlongs, rods, chains, poles, perches, miles, and more. In 1791 the French National Assembly instructed the Academy of Sciences to design a simple decimal system. In 1793 the unit of length, the meter, was chosen to be one ten-millionth of the distance between the north pole of Earth and the equator, the specific meridian that was chosen being the one that passes though Paris. Unfortunately, the length of the meridian had not been measured at the time and this Job was carried out by Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Delambre (1749-1822) and Pierre Mechain (1744-1804). A platinum bar engraved with two marks separated by the new "meter" was then placed in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris. Decimal divisions, such as the centimeter and kilometer were then more...

We live in a scientific age and scientists are respected everywhere. Science developed for the past several centuries has produced results which have caused different reactions in different sections of society. There are many who think science has bettered our lot. It has given us comforts, progress and prosperity by many inventions and discoveries. On the other hand there are those who look upon science as the chief cause of the sufferings of humanity today. The dabate has been on for a long time. But while people talk and argue for and against, science goes on taking long strides, blissfully ignorant of praises or abuses. It is believed that we are suffering because of misuse of scientific inventions. Hence we need not offer any apologies for wishing to be a scientist. But we should be a scientist with a difference. We do not want to be confined to the ivory more...

On  15th May. 1989, the Constitution (64th Amendment) Bill popularly known as Panchayati Raj Bill, was introduced in the Parliament. The argument of the opposition was that the bill violated Article 246 of the Constitution. The Bill aimed at establishing a three tier system of Panchayats, periodical elections under Election Commission supervision, and 30 percent reservation of seats for women. There is no provision for dissolution of the local bodies by Governors. This provision was there in the draft bill, but it was strongly criticised by opposition parties. The Parliament adopted the proposal with the slogan "Power to the people". It was felt that in many states the Panchayati Raj institutions have become weak and ineffective owing to a variety of reasons. The Bill provided the constitution of Finance Commission of the state to review the financial position of the Panchayats and ensure their sound finance through taxes, duties, toll more...

“Jules Verne's story of travel to the moon would be as much science fiction if they went by rubber band." Philip K. Dick, science fiction writer Even though the Mesoamericans of Central America used rubber—made from the sap of the indigenous rubber tree—as early as 1600 B.C.E., it was not until the first half of the nineteenth century that American Charles Goodyear developed a chemical process to make commercially viable rubber. By adding sulfur to naturally milky latex and then heating the substance, he "vulcanized" the rubber, thereby making it harder and more durable. Six years later, in early 1845, Englishman Stephen Perry of Messrs Perry and Co. used this process to produce the world's first vulcanized rubber band. Previously, fellow Englishman Thomas Hancock had produced rubber bands by cutting Central American rubber bottles into sheets and slicing these into thin strips. In order to dispose of the resulting waste more...

Strange are the vagaries of nature. Sometimes, there is heavy and prolonged rainfall giving rise to floods and causing devastation on large scale. At other times, there are no rains or only scanty rains due to which crops get scorched and drought conditions prevail. Both the situations are unhealthy and cause numerous hardships for the common man in general and for the farmers in particular.  Famines and droughts are great natural calamities. The Very word drought brings to our mind a picture of scarcity of water, food, fodder and unemployment. Thousands fail to get ;even one square meal a day. Many have to live on grass,  on wild roots and leaves of trees. Not only this, there are several Starvation deaths too, which is extremely horrifying. Cattle die due to lack of fodder. The wells and rivers go dry and as a result people travel long distances to get  drinking more...