27.05.2007

• I was asked to explain something about the Carbon Trading Mechanism. I tried to do it in today’s Discover It blog. Take a look at it here.
• What are Gamma scanners?
• Ever noticed the big machines that are seen at the airports, which keep scanning our luggage? These are x-ray scanners. But when huge containers are imported into the country containing tonnes and tonnes of goods, how does one check whether or not they contain hidden arms or drugs?
• They use gamma scanners for this purpose. The CBEC (Central Board Excise and Customs) is importing gamma scanners which have a penetration capacity of 150 mm steel. The IB (Intelligence Bureau) contends that our machines provide low detection capabilities. Even countries like Sri Lanka are using machines which have a penetration capacity of 270 mm.
• Today’s weekend getaway
• Naldehra in Himachal Pradesh. It is about 22 km from Shimla.
• It is famous for being the home of the oldest golf course in the country.
• Soft drink trends
• The US which is the trend setter in carbonated drinks – has witnessed a 50% jump in non-carbonated energy drink sales in the last year.
• In times to come, we may perhaps see a shift happening from carbonated to non-carbonated soft drinks all over the world.
• If you want to get a feel of how leaders think – just recollect how Indra Nooyi (Pepsico CEO) has spotted and perhaps led the trend?
• “The Case of the Bonsai Manager”
• Is a book written by R. Gopalakrishnan, Tata Sons Executive Director.
• This book argues that Manager’s growth can be stunted by their own acts of omission and commission. They should branch out in new directions and draw on their innate genius.
• Ever heard of FIU?
• It stands for Financial Intelligence Unit. It is the nodal agency responsible for receiving and analyzing information relating to suspect financial transactions in India.
• The PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), 2002 has come into effect from July 1, 2005. According to this, every bank, financial institution and intermediary is required to verify the identity of clients, maintain records and furnish reports to FIU.
• What are Opportunity Funds?
• We have heard of equity mutual funds. Opportunity Funds are those that take aggressive positions compared to normal equity funds.
• They take risk in two ways – one by having a concentrated portfolio and the other by having higher cash levels.
• In case of concentrated portfolio, the managers invest in fewer securities and stocks. They also try to time the market (a thing which normally no conservative fund manager would do). Market timing is the strategy of making buy or sell decisions of stocks by attempting to predict future market price movements. For this they hold on to higher cash positions, in contrast to conventional fund managers who prefer to hold lower cash positions.
• India’s first motor race
• It happened in Calcutta in 1904.
• Kinny Lal is India’s first Formula race driver.
• Coffee keeps gout at bay
• Gout is a painful disorder caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood.
• Researchers found that people who drank more coffee everyday had lower levels of uric acid in the blood.
• Ancient rock art dating to 1500 BC found in Tamil Nadu
• These caves are located in Mavadaippu tribal village, about 7 km from the Kadamparai hydel power station in Coimbatore district.
• The paintings have been done on a rock surface that is 40 feet long and 20 feet tall.
• The paintings have been drawn using lime, white kaolin and even ash.
• Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Award
• Presented to Malayala Manorama for 2004, for its ‘Pala Thulli’ (meaning many a drop) campaign.
• The award carries a silver trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs.
• Cricket
• At last some good performance from the Indian team.
• Four batsmen of the team Dinesh Karthik, Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar scored centuries against Bangladesh in the final test match. The first four batsman scoring centuries in a test match is first in the cricket world.
• Some compelling tidbits I found in today’s Time of India. Click on the links and read them. They are good.
• What is the estimated age of the Earth?
• It is believed that the Earth is 4-5 billion years old.
• Which country has the world's largest Navy?
• The United States Navy is the world's largest.
• Who is the youngest Nobel prize recipient?
• The youngest person to receive a Nobel prize was Sir William Lawrence Bragg (Physics, 1915).
• Why does the planet Venus rotate from east to west, and not the other way round like other planets?
• Experiments conducted on rotating semi-plastic spheres in viscous fluids show that they have a tendency to form a broad ring.
• When did white river rafting become a sport?
• Rafting or whitewater rafting is a recreational activity utilising a raft to navigate a river or other water bodies.