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Saturday, November 29, 2014

Beauty in its Flaws

Grey Rose
flickr.com



When life gives you imperfections.
 Find beauty in its flaws. 
When life gives you a shade of gray. Paint it with imagination. 
There is no life as extraordinary as a life live fully.
 Maybe either you complain because roses have thorns or rejoice because thorns have roses. 
It depends on how you look at it.
Nature's Eye: naomispenny.blogspot.com

Monday, November 17, 2014

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Why do we Greet with Hello,its History and Myth

hel·lo  (h-l, h-)
interj.
Used to greet someone, answer the telephone, or express surprise.
n. pl. hel·los
A calling or greeting of "hello."
intr.v. hel·loedhel·lo·inghel·loes
To call "hello."

[Alteration of hallo, alteration of obsolete hollastop!, perhaps from Old French hola : hoho! + lathere (from Latin illcthat way).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

hello (hɛˈləʊ; hÉ™-; ˈhÉ›ləʊ) , hallo or hullo
sentence substitute
1. an expression of greeting used on meeting a person or at the start of a telephone call
2. a call used to attract attention
3. an expression of surprise
4. an expression used to indicate that the speaker thinks his or her listener is naive or slow to realize something: Hello? Have you beenon Mars for the past two weeks or something?.
npl -los
5. the act of saying or calling "hello"
[C19: see hallo]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

hel•lo (hɛˈloÊŠ, hÉ™-, ˈhÉ›l oÊŠ) 

interj., n., pl. -los, interj.
1. (used to express a greeting, answer a telephone, or attract attention.)
2. (used as an exclamation of surprise, wonder, etc.)
3. (used derisively to question the comprehension, intelligence, or common sense of the person being addressed.)
n.
4. an act or instance of saying “hello”; greeting.
v.i.
5. to say or shout “hello.”
v.t.
6. to say “hello” to.
Also, esp. Brit., hullo.
[1850–55, Amer.; variant of hallo]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus Legend:  Synonyms 
Noun1.hello - an expression of greeting; "every morning they exchanged polite hellos"
greetingsalutation - (usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will(especially on meeting)
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
credit/source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hello

History of Hello

A (Shockingly) Short History Of 'Hello'

Hello
What do you say when you pick up the phone?
You say "hello," of course.
What do you say when someone introduces a friend, a relative, anybody at all?
You say "hello."
Hello has to have been the standard English language greeting since English people began greeting, no?
Well, here's a surprise from Ammon Shea, author of The First Telephone Book: Hello is a new word.
Telephone wire.
The Oxford English Dictionary says the first published use of "hello" goes back only to 1827. And it wasn't mainly a greeting back then. Ammon says people in the 1830's said hello to attract attention ("Hello, what do you think you're doing?"), or to express surprise ("Hello, what have we here?"). Hello didn't become "hi" until the telephone arrived.
More telephone wire.
The dictionary says it was Thomas Edison who put hello into common usage. He urged the people who used his phone to say "hello" when answering. His rival, Alexander Graham Bell, thought the better word was "ahoy."
Ahoy?
"Ahoy," it turns out, had been around longer — at least 100 years longer — than hello. It too was a greeting, albeit a nautical one, derived from the Dutch "hoi," meaning "hello." Bell felt so strongly about "ahoy" he used it for the rest of his life.
And so, by the way, does the entirely fictional "Monty" Burns, evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant on The Simpsons. If you watch the program, you may have noticed that Mr. Burns regularly answers his phone "Ahoy-hoy," a coinage the Urban Dictionary says is properly used "to greet or get the attention of small sloop-rigged coasting ship." Mr. Burns, apparently, wasn't told.
Why did hello succeed? Aamon points to the telephone book. The first phone books included authoritative How To sections on their first pages and "hello" was frequently the officially sanctioned greeting.
In fact, the first phone book ever published, by the District Telephone Company of New Haven, Connecticut, in 1878 (with 50 subscribers listed) told users to begin their conversations with "a firm and cheery 'hulloa.'" (I'm guessing the extra "a" is silent.)
Ahoy!
tk
Whatever the reason, hello pushed past ahoy and never looked back. The same cannot be said of the phonebook's recommended Way To End A Phone Conversation. The phonebook recommended: "That is all."
Says Ammon Shea:
This strikes me as an eminently more honest and forthright way to end a phone call than "good-bye." "Good-bye," "bye-bye," and all the other variants are ultimately contractions of the phrase "God Be with you" (or "with ye"). I don't know about you, but I don't really mean to say that when I end a conversation. I suppose I could say "ciao" — which does have a certain etymological background of coming from the Italianschiavo, which means "I am your slave," and I don't much want to say that either...
The more Ammon thought about it, the more he liked "That is all."
...For several decades the great newscaster Walter Cronkite would end his broadcasts by saying "And that's the way it is," a fine turn of phrase that has almost as much pith and truth to it as "That is all." Broadcast journalist Linda Ellerbee had a similar method of ending her news segments, with the trenchant "And so it goes." These are perfectly serviceable phrases, but even they don't have the clarity and utility of "That is all." I should like to see "That is all" make a comeback in colloquial speech, and I have resolved to attempt to adopt it in the few telephone conversations that I engage in.
Well, this probably wasn't fair or even nice, but I decided to call Ammon Shea to see if he practices what he preaches. He answered his phone with a very standard "hello" and then, after I'd gotten permission to quote from his book, when it was time to end our conversation, I gave him no hint, no encouragement, I just waited to see how it would go...hoping to hear him do his "That is all." But no...
He said, "bye."
Goodbye
All illustrations by Adam Cole /NPR

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/02/17/133785829/a-shockingly-short-history-of-hello

credit/source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich

Truth or Myth on Margaret Hello

 Bell's girlfriend on 1873 is Mabel Hubbard which he marries on 1877. The telephone was patented in 1876. BTW Mabel Hubbard is deaf. His father-in-law is one of the two financial backers for his invention. 
credit/souece: http://www.answers.com/Q/Is_margaret_hello_grahambell%27s_girlfriend

My Note; Therefore I conclude it was impossible for Alexander Graham Bell to give tribute to Margret Hello of  his invention because of the date existence of telephone and his marriage. More so, Margaret Hello did not exist during that time not had met Bell no documents had been presented. 

All articles and pictures reserved to the writers'sources.

Friday, November 14, 2014

What is good in Goodbye? History and Meaning



good·bye or good-bye also good-by  (gd-b)
interj.
Used to express an acknowledgment of parting.
n. pl. good·byes or good-byes also good-bys
1. An acknowledgment at parting, especially by saying "goodbye."
2. An act of parting or leave-taking: many sad goodbyes.

[Alteration (influenced by good day) of God be with you.]
Word History: No doubt more than one reader has wondered exactly how goodbye is derived from t
he phrase "God be with you." Tounderstand this, it is helpful to see earlier forms of the expression, 

such as God be wy you, god b'w'y, godbwye, god buy' ye, and good-b'wy. The first word of the expression is now good and not God, for good replaced God by analogy 
with such expressions as good day,perhaps after people no longer had a clear idea of the original sense 
of the expression. A letter of 1573 written by Gabriel Harveycontains the first recorded use of goodbye:
 "To requite your gallonde [gallon] of godbwyes, I regive you a pottle of howdyes," recalling another
contraction that is still used.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

goodbye (ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ)
sentence substitute
1. farewell: a conventional expression used at leave-taking or parting with people and at the loss or rejection of things or ideas
n
2. a leave-taking; parting: they prolonged their goodbyes for a few more minutes.
3. a farewell: they said goodbyes to each other.
[C16: contraction of God be with ye]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Thesaurus Legend:  Synonyms
Noun1.goodbye - a farewell remark; "they said their good-byes"
farewellword of farewell - an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

credit/source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/goodbye
http://www.thefreedictionary.com

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Sources / Forms of Renewable Energy

Hydropower:

Water's usability to generate electricity is tremendous since the kinetic energy of flowing water is amply used to produce hydroelectricity such as to rotate turbines. It's a form of renewable energy where it contributes to less pollution of environment and consumption of fossil fuels. In the United States there are approximately more than 5,000 dams that are used to produce hydroelectricity contributing to 9% of the nation's electricity.
Hydropower doesn't require a large dam to produce electricity but a small canal is enough is channel the river water to rotate the turbine. However, only large projects are able to produce on-demand electricity which unfortunately is the limitation for small projects. Dams producing hydroelectricity also offer other forms of recreation such as habitat for aquatic animals and destructive flooding downstream.
  • Tidal Energy:
Tidal energy also called Tidal power is a renewable source of energy and a form of hydropower used to generate electricity using the energy of the tides. Though not widely used to generate electricity, it can be called as the energy resource of the future with the current rate of depletion of non-renewable resources. High costs and limited availability have kept tidal energy from being utilized to its full potential. Tidal power is generated through Tidal stream generator, Tidal barrage and Dynamic tidal power.
  • Wave Power:
Wave power is the transport of energy on ocean wave to carry out multiple jobs like electricity generation, water desalination and pumping of water into reservoirs. Wave power is not currently used on a commercial scale though the first wave farm was opened in Portugal in 2008.

Geothermal Energy:

Geothermal energy is the thermal energy generated and stored in the earth that verifies the temperature of the matter. This clean and sustainable type of energy is found in shallow hot ground water, hot rocks a few miles beneath the earth's surface and in the molten magma if we go deeper. Geothermal energy produces few emissions and is consistently available for use. Technologies that make geothermal energy usable include geothermal heat pumps which take advantage of the warm ground temperature and use it to cool or heat buildings. Another use is for bathing as medium of hot water as it provides heat directly and also contains medicinal skin properties. Geothermal power plants convert hydrothermal fluids like hot water or steam accessed from deep wells to drive a turbine which then produces electricity.

Wind Energy:

Particularly in seabed, hilly areas and seashores, wind is easily available and hence it is less expensive source of energy. By utilizing the momentum and transferring it to rotor blades, energy can be produced from wind. The process of producing energy from this source does not create any type of pollution but the maintenance can produce negligible amount of water or air pollution. The usage of windmills or wind turbines to produce energy is constrained to installing them in windy areas where wind flows with high speed as otherwise wind cannot be utilized to produce energy. To generate energy, humans have been harnessing the wind since ages. But today's modern wind turbines continue to become more productive and powerful as they supply energy to hundreds of homes than the windmills used in old days which were good enough to produce energy only for small jobs like fetching water from sea or grinding grains.

Solar Energy:

The sun is the most important source of energy. The sun rays can be used as a mean of producing the energy. Photovoltaic cells possessing the characteristic of converting heat to energy are used to generate electricity. When sun rays strike the surface of these photovoltaic cells, electric current is produced. This device is also less expensive as it is made up of silicon which is one of the most abundant elements on earth. The only limitation of using solar energy or solar panels or photovoltaic cells is that they can produce electric current only in the day, when bright sunlight is available in abundance. Installing photovoltaic cells or solar panels hence cannot produce energy in rainy or snowy seasons.

Biomass Energy:

Biomass power is the electricity generated from biomass and is obtained from wood, crops, harvest residues, urban refuse and industrial wastes known as biomass. It is one of the important sources of renewable energy and serves as an essential part of waste management process. Pulp and paper industries in United States are prominent generators of biomass. Obtaining power from biomass substances is more cost-effective than that of obtaining it from wind using wind turbines or windmills or any other source as it requires less investment. Crops, woody plants, grass absorb carbon dioxide during their growth and emit same amount of carbon dioxide when processed to generate electricity. This recycling of atmospheric carbon may reduce global warming.

source: http://renewableenergy.com/sources-of-renewable-energy/

8 different forms of Renewable Energy Resources


All these power generation methods can be defined as renewable as they’re not depleting some resource to generate the energy. While there are numerous large-scale renewable resources of energy production and projects, renewable tools are also suited for minor off-grid applications, occasionally in remote and rural areas which are places where these energy is often vital in human growth.

1. Tidal Power

Tidal power can be produced in two methods, barrage generation or by tidal stream generators. The power created through tidal generators is usually more environment friendly and causes fewer impacts on established ecosystems. Like a wind turbine, numerous tidal stream generators revolve underwater and are driven by the quickly moving thick water.
Tidal Power
Tidal Power

2. Wave Power

The Wave power is created by the transport of power by ocean waves, and the seizure of that energy for doing useful work — say for example for water desalination, electricity generation, or the water pumping (into reservoirs). Wave power can be hard to couple due to the irregularity of the wave and ocean direction.
Wave Power
Wave Power

3. Solar Energy

Photovoltaic (PV) Solar energy is harnessing the sun’s energy to produce power. Being one of the rapid growing renewable resources of energy, new technologies are emerging at a quick pace. Solar batteries are becoming more effectual, transportable and even malleable which allows easier maintenance and cheaper energy in the long run.
solar energy
solar energy

4. Wind Power

Wind power is nothing but the alteration of wind energy through wind turbines into some useful form, like mechanical energy or electricity. Large-scale wind fields are typically connected with the local power communication network with little turbines used to offer electricity to isolated regions.

Wind Power
Wind Power

5. Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is the electricity produced by hydropower that is the production of energy through use of gravitational force of flowing or falling water. It’s the most extensively used resource of renewable energy.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity

6. Radiant Energy

This usual energy can do the same wonders like ordinary electricity at below 1 percent of the cost. This does not behave accurately like electricity, however, that has contributed to scientific community’s mistake.
Radiant Energy
Radiant Energy

7. Geothermal Power

The Geothermal power is a very efficient and powerful way to excerpt renewable energy from earth through natural procedures. This can be done on a small measure to provide warmth for a housing unit (a geothermal heating pump), or at a larger scale for power production by means of a geothermal plant.
Geothermal Power
Geothermal Power

8. Biomass

Biomass, being a renewable source of energy, refers to recently dead and living biological material that could be used as a fuel for industrial production. Here, biomass refers to the plant matter grown for generating electricity, for example trash like dead branches and trees, yard clipping and wood chip biofuel. This this also comprises of animal or plant matter used for creation of fibre, heat or chemicals.
Biomass
Biomass
The area of renewable energy sources are also receiving good funding from the government that has helped them for making it big. They’ve been successful in increasing their market and also achieving their targets.
source: http://www.ecologistblog.com/8-different-forms-of-renewable-energy-resources/

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Reasons / Benefits to Save Trees

Top 22 Benefits of Trees

Here are 22 of the best reasons to plant and care for trees or defend a tree’s standing:

Trees combat the greenhouse effect

Global warming is the result of excess greenhouse gases, created by burning fossil fuels and destroying tropical rain forests. Heat from the sun, reflected back from the earth, is trapped in this thickening layer of gases, causing global temperatures to rise. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas. Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the amount of CO2 produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles.

Trees clean the air

Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.

Trees provide oxygen

In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.

Trees cool the streets and the city

Average temperatures in Los Angeles have risen 6°F in the last 50 years as tree coverage has declined and the number of heat-absorbing roads and buildings has increased.
Trees cool the city by up to 10°F, by shading our homes and streets, breaking up urban “heat islands” and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.

Trees conserve energy

Three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent. By reducing the energy demand for cooling our houses, we reduce carbon dioxide and other pollution emissions from power plants.

Trees save water

Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most newly planted trees need only fifteen gallons of water a week. As trees transpire, they increase atmospheric moisture.

Trees help prevent water pollution

Trees reduce runoff by breaking rainfall thus allowing the water to flow down the trunk and into the earth below the tree. This prevents stormwater from carrying pollutants to the ocean. When mulched, trees act like a sponge that filters this water naturally and uses it to recharge groundwater supplies.

Trees help prevent soil erosion

On hillsides or stream slopes, trees slow runoff and hold soil in place.

Trees shield children from ultra-violet rays

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Trees reduce UV-B exposure by about 50 percent, thus providing protection to children on school campuses and playgrounds - where children spend hours outdoors.

Trees provide food

An apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the tiniest urban lot. Aside from fruit for humans, trees provide food for birds and wildlife.

Trees heal

Studies have shown that patients with views of trees out their windows heal faster and with less complications. Children with ADHD show fewer symptoms when they have access to nature. Exposure to trees and nature aids concentration by reducing mental fatigue.

Trees reduce violence

Neighborhoods and homes that are barren have shown to have a greater incidence of violence in and out of the home than their greener counterparts. Trees and landscaping help to reduce the level of fear.

Trees mark the seasons

Is it winter, spring, summer or fall? Look at the trees.

Trees create economic opportunities

Fruit harvested from community orchards can be sold, thus providing income. Small business opportunities in green waste management and landscaping arise when cities value mulching and its water-saving qualities. Vocational training for youth interested in green jobs is also a great way to develop economic opportunities from trees.

Trees are teachers and playmates

Whether as houses for children or creative and spiritual inspiration for adults, trees have provided the space for human retreat throughout the ages. 

Trees bring diverse groups of people together

Tree plantings provide an opportunity for community involvement and empowerment that improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods. All cultures, ages, and genders have an important role to play at a tree planting or tree care event.

Trees add unity

Trees as landmarks can give a neighborhood a new identity and encourage civic pride.

Trees provide a canopy and habitat for wildlife

Sycamore and oak are among the many urban species that provide excellent urban homes for birds, bees, possums and squirrels.

Trees block things

Trees can mask concrete walls or parking lots, and unsightly views. They muffle sound from nearby streets and freeways, and create an eye-soothing canopy of green. Trees absorb dust and wind and reduce glare.

Trees provide wood

In suburban and rural areas, trees can be selectively harvested for fuel and craft wood.

Trees increase property values

The beauty of a well-planted property and its surrounding street and neighborhood can raise property values by as much as 15 percent.

Trees increase business traffic

Studies show that the more trees and landscaping a business district has, the more business will flow in. A tree-lined street will also slow traffic – enough to allow the drivers to look at the store fronts instead of whizzing by.
source: http://www.treepeople.org/top-22-benefits-trees
/www.treepeople.org





How to Save a Tree

The forest cover on our planet Earth has been rapidly depleting over the past few years as a result of increased use of wood, paper and paper products in our lives. If we know how to save a tree we can take steps to reduce our carbon footprint and thus reduce the effects of global warming on our planet, which have been caused due to deforestation. Afforestation is beneficial to our planet’s climate as it is a well known fact that trees take up carbon from the atmosphere and increase cloud formation, which in turn cools the planet.
Before we look at the different steps we need to take to save tress, we should first know why it is so important to save trees. Here are a few reasons:
  • A single mature tree produces enough oxygen that is required by 10 adults for a period of one year.
  • Trees provide shade and cool and thus reduce the need for fans, coolers and ACs in summer and provide protection from strong winds in winter.
  • Trees also help in cleaning the air of dust particles, reduce the heat and absorb harmful pollutants in the air such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.
  • Trees are also effective in fighting soil erosion, conserving rainwater and reducing sediment deposits and water runoff after storms.
  • People living in areas with heavy green cover are known to suffer from fewer respiratory problems.
  • Trees act as natural sound barriers and muffle urban sounds caused due to vehicular traffic and other noise in crowded areas such as railway stations, bus stations, markets etc.
How to save a tree
Now, we shall look at the various measures that need to be taken to save trees on our planet. Follow these simple tips listed below:
  • Reduce the consumption of products made from trees such as paper and paper products at your home and also in schools, colleges and offices.
  • Provide alternate fuel options in rural areas for cooking, such as biogas, for reducing deforestation.
  • Recycle smartly by categorizing your garbage and putting paper and cardboard rubbish in a separate dustbin for recycling later.
  • Borrow books and magazines from your local library instead of buying new ones.
  • At your workplace, try to minimize the use of paper by printing only those documents that are absolutely necessary. Even then ensure that you print both sides of the paper.
  • As far as possible, use e-mails for communicating with your colleagues, seniors and also with your clients.
  • Reuse paper bags, envelopes and take torn bank receipts or shopping receipts, which you no longer require, for recycling.
  • Use recycled paper in the form of notebooks or diaries as far as possible.
  • Opt for online payment of all your electricity, water, telephone and other bills. It not only saves paper, but also saves time that you would have otherwise spent in standing in a queue.
  • You can also ask your bank not to post account statements to your home; you can check them online too.
  • Schools and colleges can also offer online admission of students instead of paper forms for admissions and entrance examinations.
  • The mode of examinations can also be changed to computer exams, which would help save a lot of paper, which in turn saves trees.
  • Create awareness among people about the advantages of planting more trees and saving the existing ones and educate them about the importance of trees for our survival on this planet.
Always remember that it only takes one second to ruin and waste a sheet of paper, but it takes almost a decade for a tree to grow fully. Therefore, you need to be aware of the consequences of your actions and take initiative to save trees.
credit/source: http://www.howany.com/how-to-save-a-tree/