Nalanda University

Nalanda, is located in Bihar, was a site of ancient university. The university  flourished as an important centre of learning for about 800 years, from 5 th century . It fell into ruins in the 13th century, and the British archaeologists discovered the historic remains in the 19th century.

A modern international university is going to come up near the old ruins of Nalanda ( Rajgir). Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is the Vice Chancellor.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22160989

Sorry For The DELAY

Friends, my exams are going to start, so i will not be posting here for next week till 3rd June. But after that i will start with new and interesting posts for you all in the field of Geography, History, and General Knowledge .....Thank you for your consideration to this Blog ....we will continue after a break ....Keep visiting the Blog...

Intrusive Igneous Rocks

When rising magma cools and solidifies below the Earth's surface then it forms intrusive Igneous Rocks. These rocks are coarse grained. The central cores of major mountain ranges consist of intrusive igneous rocks, usually granite. Coarse grained intrusive igneous rocks which form at depth within the crust are termed as abyssal; intrusive igneous rocks which are near the surface are termed hypabyssal.Eg. Granite, Basalt, Diorite etc.

http://geology.campus.ad.csulb.edu/people/bperry/IgneousRocksTour/IntrusiveIgneousRocks.html

"SIR" Alex Ferguson

"Sir" Alexander Chapman Ferguson is a former Scottish football manager and player who managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. His time at the club has led to Ferguson being regarded as one of the most admired and respected managers in the history of the game.Ferguson is the longest serving manager of Manchester United and longest serving of all current League.
He has managed different clubs like:
1.East Stirlingshire
2.St. Mirren
3.Aberdeen
4.Scotland
5.Manchester United
Manchester utd was one of the worst club before his arrival, but with his hard work, experience, concentration, as well self-confidence THE CLUB "MANCHESTER UNITED" is now world's most famous and great club, under Ferguson's management club has achieved :
13 PREMIER LEAGUES, 5 FA CUP, 4 LEAGUE CUP, 10 COMMUNITY SHIELDS, 2 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, 1 CHAMPIONS CUP, 1 SUPER CUP, 1 INTERCONTINENTAL CUP, 1 CLUB WORLD CUP. He served for 27 years to Manchester united.
Sir ferguson has now declared retirement from club forever. In 2013 he is awarded as manager of year and he has also won many other titles, awards, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Ferguson

Karzai in Delhi set to push for India military aid

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in India to press for more military aid, ahead of the withdrawal of Nato-led forces from Afghanistan in 2014.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22605636

Pimlico Race?

The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies 121 lb (55 kg). 

for more information visit;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preakness_Stakes

Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams (born 1981) is an American professional tennis player currently ranked No. 1 in women's singles tennis. She has won 30 Grand Slam titles : 15 in singles, 13 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles.She recently has been in news for winning the Miami,Charleston, S.C., Madrid and Italian open. Is going for the French Open this weekend.(26 may 2013).

Deep sea "gold rush"

The idea of exploiting the gold, copper, manganese, cobalt and other metals of the ocean floor has been considered for decades but only recently became feasible with high commodity prices and new technology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22546875

Same sex marriage in France legalised

After signing of gay marriage and adoption bill  by  President Francois Hollande, France became 14 th country to legalise same sex marriage.

source http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/20135185834403828.html

Sea Planes for Mumbai, Pune and Nashik

Maharashtra Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd (MEHAIR) and The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) have signed a MOU for operating sea plane services.the sea planes can land in any water body , lakes, dams , creeks etc. It will reduce travel time and fatigue considerably.cost wise also , it is going to very affordable, for example Juhu to Nariman Point in Rs 850, a similar cost of radio taxi.

Tourism in Maharastra is going to be lot of fun from June onwards !

Stapled Visa

Stapled Visa is in the news.This procedure is used to invite persons from not so friendly country and particularly from border areas. No record is kept on visa by stamping and visa is only stapled on the passport. Recently, it was in the news that China is offering this visa to persons from J & K, which was not liked by India. Now, it is learnt that persons from Arunachal Pradesh are also being lured into this 'stapled visa'.

God of Small Things

A novel written by Arundhati Roy, was awarded Man Booker Prize in 1997

Bangalore the garden city

Bangalore, is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is India's third most populous city and the 18th most populous city in the world. It is among the top 10 preferred entrepreneurial locations in the world As a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Bangalore confronts substantial pollution and other logistical and socio-economic problems.But has a Gross domestic product of $83 billion.

Bangalore is home to many well-recognized colleges and research institutions in India. Numerous public sector heavy industries, technology companies, aerospace, telecommunications, and defence organisations are located in the city. Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of India because of its position as the nation's leading IT exporter.The Forbes magazine considers the city as one of "The Next Decade's Fastest-Growing Cities"-Economically.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)

ASHAs are community health workers instituted by the Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) as part of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The Mission began in 2005.Now there is "an ASHA in every village or after population of 1000" in India.there are over 8 lac ashas in India now.

From The Hindu.

ASHAs are local women trained to act as health educators and health promoters in their localities.They motivate women for normal and hospitalized delivery, improve immunization among children and pregnant women, provide health education, encourage family planning , treat basic illness with first aid, keep demographic records, and improve village sanitation. They have decreased the maternal and child mortality rate in India.

Popocatépetl

Popocatépetl is an active volcano located in the State of Mexico, and Morelos, in Central Mexico, and lies in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. At 5,426 m (17,802 ft) it is the second highest peak in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba at 5,636 m.Magma erupting from Popocatepetl has historically been predominantly andesitic, but it has also erupted large volumes of dacite. Magma produced in the current cycle of activity tends to be a mixture of the two.

The lava has erupted a number of times from this volcano. This time on 8 may 2013 it was its 22nd eruption.

source; wikipedia and the daily beast.

Types of Igneous Rocks

Though originated from the same lava Igneous rocks are of different types and texture ,,how amazing are the Earth processes..
The classification is on the following basis;
1. on the basis of amount of the SiO2 :acidic ( granite, biotite mica) or basic(gabbro,)






2. on the basis of texture: Felsic or light group(quartz, Feldspar),

Mafic or dark group(pyroxenes, amphiboles,)

and ultramafic(pridotite, dunite).

Dutite

3.on the basis of mode of occurance : Intrusive and extrusive (  to be discussed in later posts)

Diastrophic Forces

Our Earth is continuously undergoing changes within its core, mantle and crust. Thus making number of Earth movements; some of them being slow and some appear on Earth crust to be abrupt but    all of them have cause very slow and mostly result in change in the relief features on the crust.
This post is on diastrophic forces a type of slow endogenous forces.
They are of two types depending on their effect ;
1. Epeirogenetic Forces(epeiro=continent; genetic=origin): the forces which give rise to mountains, plateaus,etc. The effects are noticed on the uppermost layer. 

Grand Canyon

i)The Forces may cause upliftment or subsidence of continental masses; either whole of it or a part of it or it may be upliftment of sea coast.eg . formation of Himalayas,  West coast of North and South America.as shown;

ii)The Forces may also cause downward movement of the crustal mass; either subsidence of land area or submergence of coastal area.eg.drowned river valleys or rias or ofglaciated valleys or fjords.

LIONEL MESSI

Whenever we talk of inspirational stories we have the biographies of Bill gates, Steave jobes, Rattan tata, etc. now lets talk of youthful example......... LIONEL MESSI:
Messi was born in Argentina, to parents from poor background .At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario. He became part of a local youth powerhouse that lost only one match in the next four years and became locally known as "The Machine of '87", from the year of their birth.

His greatest record is that he has maximum records........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi

UEFA European league

 The UEFA Europa League is an annual men's association football club competition organized by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions.The 2013 UEFA Europa League Final was played between Portuguese team Benfica and English team Chelsea. Chelsea won 2–1 to secure their first title in this competition and will play against the winners of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League

Why Jaipur called Pink City?

Jaipur is called the Pink City because at the time,In 1853, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted pink to welcome him during the regime of Sawai Ram Singh. Today, the houses remain painted in pink, provide a distinctive appearance to the city. 
Jaipur is called the pink city because most of the old buildings are painted in pink. 

old city of jaipur

http://travel.paintedstork.com/blog/2008/05/jaipur-old-city-may-their-souls-rest-in.html

Jaipur

Jaipur ,is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, after whom the city has been named. Jaipur is known as the Pink City of India.Included on the Golden Triangle tourist circuit, along with Delhi and Agra, Jaipur is an extremely popular tourist destination in Rajasthan and India.Jaipur has a number of forts and monuments like
Hawa Mahal,

Clockwise from top: Jal Mahal, Lakshmi-Narayan Temple, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar

Amber Fort,
Jaigarh Fort,
Nahargarh Fort,
City Palace,
Jantar Mantar,
Jal Mahal,
Rambagh Palace,
Central Museum,
Albert Hall Museum.

Endogenous forces

The forces that have origin lying within the Earth are called Endogenous forces.They are of two types;
1.diastrophic forces: include vertical and horizontal movement forces.
and occur very slowly ie taking time of several years. They are also called constructional forces as they always end in construction of earth reliefs at various places.Eg. formation of mountains, 

platitudes, cracks, faults, folds etc.

2.sudden forces: they occur very quickly and usually cause massive destruction at or within Earths surface, though their causes are usually of diastrophic type . Eg. Earthquakes, volcanoes etc. they are also constructional in nature some times as earthquakes give rise to faults, folds on surface volcanoes after cooling give various rocks and may form mountains.

Igneous Rocks

They are formed due to cooling, solidification and crystallization of molten Earth material(lava). Found in the volcano prone regions. 

Characteristics:

1.hard( except basalt)

2.impermeable(water cannot pass through)

3.are of crystalline structure ( the crystal size vary depending on the place and rate of solidification)

4.they do not have layers unless repeated volcanic eruption have created them eg at khandala, valleys of koyna river. 

5.they do not contain fossils within them due to there origin lying in the immense heated and pressurized region.

6.are not affected by the chemical weathering except basalt etc.

Working gun made with 3D printer

This week a 25-year-old law student at the University of Texas named Cody Wilson made international headlines when he used a 3-D printer to "print out" a functional .38 caliber pistol.

He then put design software online so that—in theory, at least—anyone in the world who downloaded the software and had access to a commercial 3-D printer and $60 worth of plastic could make their own handgun.

3d printer

In much the same way that your desktop printer is directed to print the words in a document, the 3-D printer's jets, guided by computer-assisted design (CAD) software, create an object by spraying or squeezing one thin layer of material at a time onto the platform, then melding them into place with a precisely directed laser.  This precision results in a finished product that is both more finely made and up to 60 percent lighter in weight—something of particular interest to the aviation industry.

Nicknames Of Indian Cities :-

Pink City - Jaipur (Rajastan)

Garden City - Bangalore (Karnataka)

Diamond City - Surat (Gujarat)

Egg city - Namakkal (Tamilnadu)

Lake City - Udaipur (Rajastan)

Sun City - Jodhpur (Rajastan)

City of Palaces - Kolkata (West Bengal)

Bangle City - Hyderabad (Andra Pradesh)

Golden City - Jaisalmer(Rajas ­tan)

City of Dawn - Auroville (Pondichery)

White City - Udaipur (Rajastan)

City of golden Temple - amritsar (Punjab)

Twin Cities - Hyderabad and Secundarabad(An ­dra pradesh)

Pearl City - Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu)

Weavers city - Panipat (Haryana)

Temple City - Bhuvaneswar (Orissa)

Sandal Wood City - Mysore (Karnataka)

City of Blood - Tezpur (Assam)

Orange City - Nagpur (Maharashtra)

City of seven Islands - Mumbai (Maharashtra)
from http://www.facebook.com/Currentupdates?ref=stream&hc_location=stream

Real Madrid

Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain.Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, has traditionally worn a white home kit since.The club is the world's richest football club in terms of revenue,

Records:  Real Madrid has won a record 32 La Liga titles, 18 Copas del Rey, 9 Supercopas de España, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la Liga Internationally it has won a record nine European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and a joint record three Intercontinental Cups, as well as two UEFA Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup.

Coronavirus

Coronavirus or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus(MERS-CoV)was first identified in 1960s ; popular in Middle East( Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Yemen, Qatar,etc)  ;cause respiratory infections in both humans and animals. It is transmission limited but at regular exposure to its patient also at weak immune system stage. the virus is fairly fragile and remains alive for 24 hours in the air. It is of various forms.

Symptoms : fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties.
Experts do not have enough information on this to make specific treatments but can only try to regulate the respiratory system. They detect it from DNA test.

Geological Changes

there are two types of geological changes taking Earth's movements in mind;
long period changes( very slow; take years or months) 
short period changes(abrupt)

the forces which affect our Earth's crust are ; 
Exogenous forces : which act form outside the Earth's crust. Eg.Cyclones, wind , solar energy etc.
Endogenous forces : whch act from inside the Earth's crust. eg. Earthquakes, volcanoes, movement of tectonic plates etc.

Rocks

Rocks form the crust or lithosphere or rock sphere of our Earth. Petrology is study f Rocks. Iron, Oxygen,Silica, Magnesium form the 90% of the total mass of the crust. The most abundant element in the earth crust oxygen; and the most abundant mineral is silicon.

More than one element constitute to form the mineral, and minerals organize to form rocks. the important groups of minerals forming the rocks are silicates, carbonates, sulfides, metal oxides, etc.

Nawaz Sharif set for third term as Pakistan Prime Minister

With the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) establishing an insurmountable lead over other parties in the Pakistan National Assembly, the interest was primarily on who would emerge runner-up with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) running neck-and-neck.is a Pakistani politician and industrialist who, after his party won the elections of 11 May 2013, is expected to serve as the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, previously having been Pakistan's 12th Prime Minister for two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993 and from February 1997 to October 1999.
While the fears of a military intervention remain, the historic turnout – rough estimates put it around 60 per cent – despite terror threats is an indication that the people of Pakistan have spoken up in favour of democracy.

Serena Williams kept the No. 1, and added No. 50.

Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open Sunday to retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title, while Rafael Nadal eased by Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury.

frank lampard submits new record

After Lampard nets number 203 to become Chelsea's top scorer, time to pay tribute to Tambling who held record for 47 years

Real draw result hands Barca the title

Barcelona’s fourth La Liga title in five seasons — and the 22nd of its history — was confirmed on Saturday after Real Madrid could only manage a 1-1 draw with Espanyol. According to latest la liga
standings barcelona is at 91 pts and R.madrid at 81 pts,still having  two matches to earn some pts, but it could manage them just upto 2nd position for 

la liga ....which ensures barca's win over the tittle.

NREGA 2

under the NREGA’s new version NAREGA 2  small, marginal and SC-ST farmers will be able to employ NREGA workers on their farms for transplantation, weeding, etc. Farmers will have to grow the SRI variety of rice that gives high yields with low consumption of water.The additional works include the construction of cattle sheds, poultry shelters, fish drying yards, etc.

SEBI

The Securities and Exchange Board of India ( SEBI) is the regulator for the securities market in India.It was officially established by The Government of India in the year 1988 and given statutory powers in 1992 with SEBI Act 1992 being passed by the Indian Parliament. SEBI is having it's Headquarter at the business district of Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai

SEBI has three functions rolled into one body: quasi-legislative, quasi-judicial and quasi-executive. It drafts regulations in its legislative capacity, it conducts investigation and enforcement action in its executive function and it passes rulings and orders in its judicial capacity.

The United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (or UN-REDD Programme) is a collaborative initiative in developing countries, created in response to the UNFCCC decision on REDD at COP 13 and the Bali Action Plan. 

The UN-REDD Programme supports nationally-led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation.

BALI ACTION PLAN (BAP)

it is related to the solution of world problems by the share

vision of participating developing countries for emission

reduction, long term cooperative plans, mitigation for climate

change, enhanced action on mitigation and adaptation, 

technology and development, labour, taxes, etc. Bali Action plan : Going to meet this year at Bali in december..Mainly to address Doha round issues..Like Labour,Tax imposing and subsidy impositng and monetory of developed countries,Sharing the bilateral agreements to all and sharing the tax structure,etc..

Ministry of trade from all over the countries signed under WTO willparticipate...