DID U KNOW

Did you know?
The Industrial Revolution in Europe first saw the beginning of air pollution, which gradually became a major global problem.
The major air-polluting industries are iron, steel and, cement.
Of the 35-40 million tonnes of flyash generated annually by thermal power plants in India, only 2-3 percent is productively utilized.
The worst industrial disaster in India, occurred in 1984 in Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh. A deadly chemical, methly isocyanate leaked out of the Union Carbide factory killing more than 2500 and leaving thousands sick. In fact the effects of this gas tragedy is being felt even today.
Every year some 50million cars are added to the world’s roads. Car making is now the largest manufacturing industry in the world.
In India the number of motorized vehicles have increased from 0.2 million in 1947 to 36.3 million in 1997.
The number of registered vehicles in Delhi is more than the sum total of registered vehicles in Mumbai, Calcutta, and Chennai.
Major contributor to Delhi's air pollution are vehicles.
Nearly three-fourths of India's population, which is rural, bears 84% of the burden of exposure to air pollution.
Growing population, poverty, and inadequate access to clean fuels in rural areas have perpetuated the use of biomass, thereby condemning more than 90% of rural households and more than 35% of urban hoseholds to high levels of indoor air pollution.
One of the most important measure to counter pollution is planting trees. With neem and peepal being the largest emitters of oxygen, planting them in the gardens purifies the surrounding air and helps in maintaining hygienic conditions. While champa, mogra and chameli have better chances of surviving pollution in summer, bulbous varieties do better in winter.
Courtesy http://edugreen.teri.res.in/

KNOW YOUR FAVOURITE:-SHARUKH KHAN

Shahrukh Khan: The Baadshah of Bollywood
First Name: Shahrukh
Last Name: Khan
Nick Name: Sharu
Birthdate: 2nd November 1965
Star Sign Scorpio
Eye Colour: Brown
Height: 5' 9"
Profession: Modeling & Acting
Visited:
Titles Won:
Likes To:
Family:
Married to Gauri, 1 baby boy called Aryan
Phone Number:
91 22 6486115 / 6281413
Address:
702/a Shree Amrit, Co-op Society, 15th Carter Road, Bandra, Mumbai 400 050
Awards:
Filmfare BEST ACTOR Award 1993 for BAAZIGAR Filmfare BEST VILLAIN Award 1994 for ANJAAM Filmfare BEST ACTOR Award 1996 for DDLJ Filmfare BEST ACTOR Award 1997 for DIL TO PAGAL HAI Cine BEST ACTOR Award 1997 for DIL TO PAGAL HAI Critics Award for KABHI HA KABHI NA


Shah Rukh Khan Filmography
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna ( Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Kiron Kher)
Paheli ( Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Juhi Chawla, Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Anupam Kher)
Swades ( Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Master Smit Sheth)
Veer Zaara ( Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee)
Main Hoon Na ( Shah Rukh Khan, Sunil Shetty, Amrita Rao, Naseeruddin Shah, Sushmita Sen, Zayed Khan)
Kal Ho Na Ho ( Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan)
Chalte Chalte ( Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee)
Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam ( Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan)
Devdaas ( Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit)
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham ( Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor)
Asoka ( Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Rahul Dev)
One 2 Ka 4 ( Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Jackie Shroff)
Mohabbatein ( Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Uday Chopra, Jugal Hansraj, Jimmy Shergill, Shamita Shetty, Kim Sharma, Preeti Jhangiani, Aishwarya Rai)
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ( Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan)
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge ( Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol)
Pardes ( Shah Rukh Khan, Mahima Chaudhary, Amrish Puri)
Koyla ( Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit)
Dil To Pagal Hai ( Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Akshay Kumar)
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani ( Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Shakti Kapoor)
Hey Ram ( Kamal Haasan, Rani Mukherjee, Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah)
Josh ( Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Priya Gill, Chandrachur Singh, Sharad Kapoor)Baadshah ( Shah Rukh Khan, Twinkle Khanna, Rakhee Gulzar, Amrish Puri, Johnny Lever)

AUTHOR FACTS

Jennifer Ashley's Penelope & Print Charming has spent 5 weeks on the Barnes & Noble top 50 bestsellers list and 3 weeks on Bookscan top 100.
Ashley Gardner's The Sudbury School Murders won the RT Reviewer's Choice award for Best Historical Mystery of 2005.
Vijaya Schartz's workshops at the Ice Escape Writers Conference at the East Phoenix Sheraton in Mesa, on March 17-18-19, "12 Secrets to write Compelling Fiction" and "E-publishers, is it for you?" were so successful that they filled the room each time and Vijaya was asked to speak at several future writers conferences, including one in Las Vegas in the spring of 2007.
Jennifer Ashley accepted an offer from Berkeley to write a mainstream historical novel, tentatively titled The Queen's Handmaiden.
Laurien Gardner's novel A Lady Raised High: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, was picked up by Bookspan (Book of the Month / DoubleDay) for a hardback print.
Pat Hubbard is happy to announce that she just signed a contract with Five Star for her novel, ONLY TIME WILL TELL. It's a blended culture suspense with romantic elements set in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Deborah Shelley (Shelley Mosley and Deborah Mazoyer) have been told that their book, It's in His Kiss, is now available in Danish. This is their second title in that language. Their books have also been translated into French and Dutch
Tina Gerow: just signed her contract for Fire Maiden with Triskelion. It will come out in June 2006. She is now working her derriere off to finish it. Stone Maiden was also chosen for the bi-yearly EcataRomance Reviewer's Choice Award.
Evanell's manuscript arrested the interest of Granite Publishing in Utah. They like it but it's too long and pushes the envelope for their inspirational line. They asked Evanell to submit a shorter manuscript, which she will do shortly.
Jan Walkosz signed a contract with Whiskey Creek Press for the sequel to Unveiled Treasures entitled Sinful Innocence. Sinful Innocence is scheduled for release September 1, 2006.
Ashley Gardner's mystery novel, The Sudbury School Murders, was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for best Historical Mystery of 2005.
Vijaya Schartz received two five star reviews for The Garrison Lockdown, and a four-star review from Ecataromance. Another of her novels, Operation Pleiades - RELICS, just received a three-star review from Romantic Times. Vijaya also received an award for her seven years of service as President of the Arizona Authors Association, in front of the press, during the Arizona Literary Awards Banquet.
Calista Fox sold Simon's Wicked Web to Liquid Silver Books. The contemporary erotic romance will be released in the spring of 2006, under her pseudonym Ava McKnight. Calista is also excited about the sale of Shameless to Venus Press, also to be released under Ava McKnight. The Invitation was chosen for the Over The Mood Award for 2005 for short story sci-fi. May Reviews.
Rhonda Woodward's December release, Lady Emma's Dilemna, is a nominee for the Romantic Times Reviewer's choice Award for the best Regency Romance.
Kerrie Droban received a book contract for her true crime book with Lyons Press? Release date will be Fall 2006. Her fiction is still outstanding with Robin Rue at Writer's House and Paige Wheeler at Creative Media.
Laura Phelps' manuscript, Strings of Love, is a finalist in the short contemporary category of the Golden Rose contest for the Rose City Romance Writers in Portland, Oregon. The judge for the final round is Wanda Ottewell of Silhouette Desire.
Jennifer Ashley was invited to write a novella for a vampire anthology, due out in 2007. She will also launch a series called "The Immortals" written with other authors. She will write book 1 and 4, The Calling, and The Gathering. The series will be an erotic paranormal series for Dorchester.
Allyson James made four sales to Ellora's Cave, Tales of the Shareem: Rio (novel), Planetary Passions: Gemini (novel), Dragonmagic (a short story for Ellora's Cavemen anthologies due out in March 2006.
Tina LaVon placed second in the long contemporary category of Toronto's Original Golden Opportunity contest. On a related note, Julie Barrett of Bombshell indicated that she'd like to see more of Liquid Hypnosis. Yeah, Tina!
Theresa Meyers was thrilled to hear that she is a finalist in the American Tigle 2 contest in Romantic Times for her historical, The Devil's Maiden.
Vijaya Schartz' novel RELICS from Triskelion Publishing received a three-star review in Romantic Times. Although the book received many five-star reviews and finaled in the Golden Quill awards, it's quite an achievement for such an unusual category as Romantic Sci-Fi suspense.
Marion Ekholm sold another short story to True Love, titled: "I Was Kidnapped Before My Wedding."

SPACE SCIENCE

Hop, Bounce and Roll on Mars Summary (Jul 24, 2006): MIT engineers and scientist colleagues have a new vision for the future of Mars exploration: a swarm of probes, each the size of a baseball, spreading out across the planet in every direction.Display Options:
Hop, Bounce and Roll on Marsbased on a MIT release

An artist's rendering shows the baseball-sized probes being designed by MIT researchers for Mars exploration. Credit: Gus Federick MIT engineers and scientist colleagues have a new vision for the future of Mars exploration: a swarm of probes, each the size of a baseball, spreading out across the planet in every direction. Thousands of probes, powered by fuel cells, could cover a vast area now beyond the reach of today's rovers, including exploring remote and rocky terrain that large rovers cannot navigate."They would start to hop, bounce and roll and distribute themselves across the surface of the planet, exploring as they go, taking scientific data samples," said Steven Dubowsky, the MIT professor of mechanical engineering who is leading the research team.Dubowsky's team plans to test prototypes on Earth this fall and estimates that a trip to Mars is about 10 years away. He is now working with Penelope Boston, director of the cave research program at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, to create probes that can handle the rough terrain of Mars.Scientists believe that lava tubes commonly seen on Mars are a promising location to search for signs of water. Lava tubes are tunnels left behind by underground lava flows. Signs of these tubes, which are also present in many locations on Earth, can be seen above ground. The tubes could be entered through holes that formed on the Mars surface where sections of the tubes have collapsed, but these formations are too treacherous for today's rovers to explore. However, tiny bouncing probes could make their way inside the caves.

This illustration shows what a swarm of mini probes might look like exploring the surface of Mars. Credit: Steven Dubowsky
Mars also features canyons that could have once had rivers flowing through them. The canyons, too, are inaccessible to rovers, but small probes might be able to make their way down the canyon faces. One of the major advantages of the mini probes is that losing a few out of hundreds or thousands of probes sent into a treacherous area would not derail the overall mission, Dubowsky said. "You would certainly be willing to sacrifice some of these 1,000 balls" to gather information from remote areas, he said. Each probe would weigh about 100 grams (4 ounces) and would carry its own tiny fuel cell. "You could hop for a long, long time on a few grams of fuel," Dubowsky said.Artificial muscles inside the probes could make them hop an average of six times per hour, with a maximum rate of 60 hops per hour. The devices would travel about 1.5 meters per hop; they can also bounce or roll. In 30 days, a swarm of probes could cover 50 square miles, according to Dubowsky.Each probe would carry different types of sensors, including cameras and environmental sensors. The probes are made of durable and lightweight plastic that could withstand the rigors of Mars travel and the extreme cold. Their fuel cells will provide enough heat to keep their electronics and sensors operable.One thousand of the probes would have the same volume and weight as the Spirit rover. "For the weight and size of Spirit you could certainly send more than 1,000 of these sensors up there, which would have much greater capability," Dubowsky said.

Planetary Setting For Large-Scale Planetary Surface & Subsurface Exploration. Image Credit: Render by R.D.Gus Frederick
The probes would be able to communicate with nearby probes through a local area network (LAN). Data would be sent to a base station that would transmit information back to Earth.Other possible applications for the small robots include search and rescue missions in collapsed buildings or other dangerous sites, and counter-terrorist activities (searching for terrorists in caves).Last year, the researchers got funding from the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). The NIAC grant is meant to help move the project from the concept stage to the prototype stage.Other collaborators on the project include Jean-Sebastien Plante, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Fritz Prinz and Mark Cutkowsky of Stanford University.

know your favourites: AISWARYA RAI

Aiswarya Rai


Birth Date: November 1, 1973.
Place of Birth: Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Affectionately Known As: Aishu, Ash, and the Queen of Bollywood

Trivia #1: Rai is the first actress and performer from India to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.
Trivia #2: She is the highest paid actress in Bollywood.
Trivia #3: Rai has made over 50 music videos in only seven years.
Biography: Aiswarya Rai is one of Bollywood's pre-eminent leading ladies. She burst upon the world stage, winning the Miss World crown in 1994. The former architecture major soon became one of India's most famous models landing a prestigious Pepsi campaign and appearing in Vogue Magazine. Rai made her film debut in Mani Rathnam's "Iruvar" (1997). Her performance in Rahul Rawail's "…Aur Paar Ho Gaya" (1997) garnered her the Best Female Debutante Award. In 2000 she was awarded Best Actress by FilmFare and Zee Cine for her work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam". In 2001 Ash was nominated for FilmFare's Best Supporting Actress Award for Satish Kaushik's "Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai".
Aiswarya Rai reteamed with Sajay Leela Bhansali in "Devdas," most successful film in Bollywood history. It became the first Bollywood picture to ever receive a special screening at this year's Cannes Film Festival and broke box-office records in India and the United States. Rai was showered with praise with her performance in the sumptious drama. Julia Roberts calls her "the world's most beautiful woman".
In 2003, Rai became the first Indian actor to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. She recently completed filming "Bride and Prejudice", a re-working of the Jane Austin classic, directed by Gurinder Chadha ("Bend It Like Beckham"). She is set to star in "Chaos" opposite Meryl Streep for French Director Coline Serreau, Roland Joffe's "Singularity" and Barton Randall's "I Know a Place" and will end the year with "Mistress of Spices" once again with Director Gurinder Chadha.

learn science

scientist can make them happen. And you get to be the scientist!
#1. Home-Grown CrystalsCrystals are minerals that are clear and sparkly. Some crystals have colors, too! Ice, salt, and diamonds are all crystals. So is rock candy! Try growing some of your own crystals with this experiment.You will need:
Jar
Water brought to a boil
A saucepan
1 cup of sugar
Clean string
Pencil
Paper clip
Plastic wrap
Magnifying glass (if you have one)
1. With the help of an adult, bring the water to a boil in the saucepan. Turn off the heat.2. Add the sugar to the hot water a little at a time until no more sugar dissolves into the water. Stir a little bit each time you add the sugar.3. When the sugar water cools a bit, pour it into a jar.4. Tie one end of the string to the middle of the pencil. Attach the paper clip to the other end -- this will keep the string hanging straight in the jar.5. Wet the string with a little water, and then rub some sugar along the string.6. Place the pencil on the jar so that the strings hangs down the middle of the jar. If the paper clip touches the bottom, make the string shorter.7. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pencil and over the opening of the jar so that no dirt will fall into it.8. Put the jar in a place where no one will disturb it for a few days or weeks.9. Take a close look at the sugar crystals that form on the string. Use a magnifying glass if you have one.
Do all the crystals have the same shape? After you finish your observations, you can eat your crystals-on-a-string!
#2. BubblesYou can make some special bubbles.Try this mix:
1 gallon of water
40 drops of glycerin
1/2 cup dishwashing liquid
Mix everything together in a large flat pan. Stir slowly. If you can, let it set for at least one day. The glycerin will make stronger bubbles if you do. For your bubble make, have an adult help you shape a metal hanger. Did your bubble make into the pan and then gently wave it in the air. Try other shapes for your bubble makers.
#3. Homemade Recycled Paper
A fun way to recycle is by making your own paper. You can use this special paper to make note cards, books, collages, and many other things.You will need:
A large mixing bowl
An eggbeater
A cup
A big spoon
An old newspaper
Water
A screen about 3'' square or bigger
A flat pan a little larger than the screen
Starch
1. Tear a half-page of newspaper into very small pieces. Put the paper in a large mixing bowl full of water.2. Let the paper soak for one hour.3. Beat the paper with an eggbeater for 10 minutes. The paper should be soft and mushy. It is now called pulp.4. Mix 2 tablespoons of starch in 1 cup of water. Add this to the pulp. Stir well. The starch makes the paper pulp strong.5. Pour the pulp into the flat pan.6. Slide the screen under the pulp. Carefully move the pan back and forth to form an even layer of pulp on top of the screen.7. With two hands, lift the screen straight up (horizontally) out of the water. Place it on half of the remaining newspaper.8. Fold the other half of the newspaper over the screen and press down very hard. This will squeeze some of the water out of the pulp.9. Carefully peel back the newspaper to uncover the pulp. Let the pulp dry overnight.10. When the paper is dry, carefully peel it from the screen.
Try making paper out of other things, such as paper bags and gift wrap. Add lint from the clothes dryer, pieces of thread, tissue paper, or leaves for a special look.
#4. Presto Change-
OPlace about 5 tablespoons of skim milk in a small glass jar. Slowly add lemon juice (fresh or from concentrate) a drop at a time to the milk, stirring in between each drop. What happens?Make invisible ink with the lemon juice. Using juice from a fresh lemon, take a toothpick and wet the tip in the lemon juice. Use the toothpick as a pen and the lemon juice as the ink. Let the paper dry. Warm the paper over a lamp pulp. What happens?
How is this different from what you saw happen when you added lemon juice to the milk?
#5. Magnet Hunt
Magnets pull some things to them. Most magnets are made of iron and come in many different shapes. Get a magnet and find out what will stick to it.1. Take your magnet and touch it to as many different things as you can find. See the chart below.
Magnet Hunt

Magnet Attracts
Magnet Does Not Attract
1. Straight Pin


2. Paper


3. Popsicle Stick


4. Penny


5. Bean


6. Aluminum Foil


7. Paper Clip


8. Nut


9.


10.


11.


12.


2. Check off on the chart all the things that are pulled to the magnet and all those that are not.3. Touch the magnet to some other things. Add them to the blank spaces on your chart.
#6. Static ElectricityA special kind of electricity, called static electricity, can be made by rubbing some things together. Lightning is a kind of static electricity in the clouds. The spark you sometimes feel when you touch something after walking on a rug is static electricity. You can try making your own static electricity with these activities.You will need:
Balloons
String
Very small pieces of paper
Wool cloth
1. With an adult, blow up the balloons and tie the ends.2. Rub the balloon very quickly on a wool cloth or your hair.3. Hold the balloon over the very small pieces of paper. What happens?4. Take two more balloons and tie a piece of string to each one.5. Rub the balloons on the wool cloth.6. Hold the balloons by the string and try to make them touch.7. Rub another balloon on the wool cloth.8. Hold the balloon next to a thin stream of water from the faucet. What happens?9. Hold the same balloon to the wall. If it has enough static electricity, it will stick. Rub the balloon on the wool cloth again to give it more static electricity.


courtesy(web)

forgotten wonders

Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt
Angkor Wat in Cambodia
The Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Mexico
The Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines
Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
The Great Wall of China
The Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
The Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala
The Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
The Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran
The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
Petra, the rock-carved city in Jordan
The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
Stonehenge in England
Taj Mahal in Agra, India
The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico


courtesy(ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos)

ancient wonders

A gigantic stone structure near the ancient city of Memphis, serving as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu The Great Pyramid of Giza
A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
An enormous statue of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
A beautiful temple in Asia Minor erected in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
A fascinating tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean Island The Colossus of Rhodes
A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city The Lighthouse of Alexandria