PINNIPED

Pinnipeds (from Latin pinna, wing or fin) or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobendidae (the walrus), Otariidae (eared seals, including sea lions and fur seals), and Phocidae (earless seals). Formerly classified as a separate biological suborder, Pinnipedia is now sometimes considered a superfamily within Caniformia, a suborder in the Carnivora order, now sometimes considered a superfamily within Caniformia, a suborder in the Carnivora order.

DOLPHIN

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. They vary in size from 1.2 m (4 ft) and 40 kg (90 lb) (Maui’s Dolphin), up to 9.5 m (30 ft) and 10 tonnes (9.8 LT; 11 ST) (the Orca or Killer Whale). They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. The family Delphinidae is the largest in the Cetacean order, and relatively recent; dolphins evolved about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Dolphins are among the most intelligent animals and their often friendly appearance and seemingly playful attitude have made them popular in human culture.

SEA STAR

Sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names “sea star” and “starfish” are sometimes differentiated, with “starfish” used in a broader sense to include the closely related brittle stars, which make up the class Ophiuroidea, as well as excluding sea stars which do not have five arms (have Many arms), such as the sun stars and cushion stars.

Sea stars exhibit a superficially radial symmetry. They typically have five “arms” which radiate from a central disk (pentaradial symmetry). However, the evolutionary ancestors of echinoderms are believed to have had bilateral symmetry. Sea stars do exhibit some superficial remnant of this body structure, evident in their larval pluteus forms.

FISH

Fishes are aquatic animals, cold-blooded animal. Their body is covered by scales and has two sets of paired or unpaired fins, one or two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and tail fin; has jaws. Fish has a streamlined body that allows it to swim rapidly; extracts oxygen from the water using gills. They are found abundantly in sea or fresh water. Fishes are oviparous, they shed their eggs and the eggs are fertilized outside of the female’s body by the male squirting milt onto or around them. Fish range in size from the 16 m (51 ft) whale shark to an 8 mm (just over ¼ of an inch) long stout infant fish.

TABLE MOUNTAIN

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Twon in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

GRAND CANYON

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, one of the first national park in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

BLACK FOREST

The Black Forest is a wooden mountain range in south western Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 meters (4,898 ft). The region is almost rectangular with a length of 200 km (120 mi) and breadth of 60 km (37 mi). Hence it has an area of approximately 12,000 km2.

ANGEL FALLS

Angle Falls is the world’s highest waterfall, with a height of 979m (3212ft) and a clear drop of 807 m (2,647 ft). It is located in the Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the Gran Sabana region of Bolivar State, Venezuela.

The highest of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is atomized by the strong winds and turned into mist.

The fictional “Paradise Falls” in the 2009 Pixar film Up was inspired by Angel Falls. The production staff toured this area of Venezuela prior to the making of the film.

Taj Mahal Story

Male Protagonist: Shah Jahan (Prince Khurram)
Female Protagonist: Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu Begum)

Shah Jahan met Mumtaz Mahal and fell in love. He married her after five years and they were leading a very happy life. While giving birth to their last child, Mumtaz Mahal died due to some complications. A few years later Shah Jahan built the world's most beautiful monument "Taj Mahal" in the memory of his wife.

One of the wonders of the world "Taj Mahal" has a beautiful love story behind its construction. Taj Mahal love story is about Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan, initially named Prince Khurram, took birth in the year 1592. The son of Jehangir, the fourth Mughal emperor of India, he fell in love in Arjumand Banu Begum at first time. At that time he was 14 years old and she, a Muslim Persian princess, was 15. After meeting her, Shah Jahan went back to his father and declared that he wanted to marry her. Read on to know more about the love story behind Taj Mahal of Agra…

The match got solemnized after five years i.e., in the year 1612. Shah Jahan became the Emperor in the year 1628 and entrusted Arjumand Banu with the royal seal. He also bestowed her with the tile of Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the "Jewel of the Palace". Though Shah Jahan had other wives also, but, Mumtaz Mahal was his favorite and accompanied him everywhere, even on military campaigns. In the year 1631, when Mumtaz Mahal was giving birth to their 14th child, she died due to some complications.

It is said that Shah Mahal was so heartbroken after her death that he ordered the court into morning for two years. Some time after her death, Shah Jahan undertook the task of erecting the world's most beautiful monument in the memory of his beloved. It took 22 years and the labor of 22,000 workers to construct the monument, which is also said to be the last wish of Mumtaz Mahal. This magnificent monument came to be known as "Taj Mahal" and now counts amongst the Seven Wonders of the World.

This is the true story of the Taj Mahal of India, which has mesmerized many people with its bewitching beauty.

History of Taj Mahal

The history of the Taj Mahal tells us "why was the Taj Mahal built" and many other myths and facts associated with this wonderful structure. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan erected the Taj Mahal in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan (then Prince Khurram) met Mumtaz Mahal (then Arjumand Banu Begum) at the age of fourteen and fell in love at the first sight. She was a Muslim Persian princess and Shah Jahan was the son of the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir. Five years later, in 1612, they got married. As you read further you will come to know more about the history of the Taj Mahal at Agra…

Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It is believed that during her last moments, Mumtaz Mahal obtained a promise from Shah Jahan that he will build world's most beautiful monument in her memory. But this has not been proven to be true, till date. However, Shah Jahan did indeed build a magnificent monument as a tribute to her wife, which we today know as the "Taj Mahal". Shah Jahan, himself also, lies entombed in this mausoleum along with his wife.

The construction of Taj Mahal started in the year 1631 and it took approximately 22 years to build it. An epitome of love, it made use of the services of 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants. It was built entirely out of white marble, which was brought in from all over India and central Asia. After an expenditure of approximately 32 million rupees (approx US $68000), Taj Mahal was finally completed in the year 1653. However, the history of Taj Mahal of India still has some gaps. For example, there are many theories regarding the architect of this magnificent monument.

GAUTAMA BUDDHA

Siddhartha Gautama was a spiritual teacher in the north eastern region of the Indian subcontinent who found Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha of our age. The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c. 563 BCE to 483 BCE; more recently, however, at a specialist symposium on this question, the majority of those scholars who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha’s death, with others supporting earlier or later dates.

GOD SHIVA

Shiva is a major Hindu god and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of the five primary forms of God.

Followers of Hinduism who focus their worship upon Shiva are called Shaivites or Shaivas. Shaivism, along with Vaisnava traditions that focus on Vishnu and Sakta traditions that focus on the goddess Devi are three of the most influential denominations in Hinduism.

HINDU TEMPLES

These may also be called by other names, including mandir or mandira, koil or kovil, devasthana and devalaya, depending on the region in the Indian subcontinent and its local language.

Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. Some date as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. In the present day magnificent Hindu temples have been built in various countries of the world including India, Great Britain, the United States, Australia, South Africa and Canada.

INDIAN RELIGIONS

Indian religions are the related traditions that originated in the Indian subcontinent, namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Ayyavazhi, inclusive of their sub-schools and various related traditions. They form a subgroup of the larger class of “Eastern religions”. Indian religions have similarities in core beliefs, modes of worship, and associated practices, mainly due to their common history of origin and mutual influence.

The documented history of Indian religions begins with historical Vedic religion, the religious practices of the early Indo-Aryans, which were collected and later redacted into the Samhitas, four canonical collections of hymns or mantras composed in archaic Sanskrit.

Jainism and Buddhism arose from the sramana culture. Buddhism was historically founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a Kshatriya prince-turned-ascetic, and was spread beyond India through missionaries. It later experienced a decline in India, but survived in Nepal and Sri Lanka, and remains more widespread in Southeast and East Asia. Jainism was established by a lineage of 24 enlightened beings culminating with Parsva and Mahavira.

TEMPLE

A temple (from the Latin word templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, of augur. It has the same root as the word “template”, a plain in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur.

Templus also become associated with the dwelling places of a god or gods. This tradition dates back to prehistoric times. For the ancient Egyptians, the word pr could refer not only to a house, but also to a sacred structure since it was believed that the gods resided in houses.

The word “temple” (which dates to about the 6th century BCE), despite the specific set of meanings associated with the religion of the ancient Rome, has now become quite widely used to describe a house of worship for any number of religions and is even used for time periods prior to the Romans.

FLOWER

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, is followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds.

Flower Morphology

Flowering plants are heterosporangiate, producing two types of reproductive spores. The pollen (male spores) and ovules (female spores) are produced in different organs, but the typical flower is a bisporangiate strobilus in that it contains both organs.

Rose

A rose is a perennial flower shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species and comes in a variety of colours. The species form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. It is a common error to error to refer to roses having thorns.

PIG FEVER

Pig Fever is an easy to spread human influenza virus that has normal people talking in muffled voices and the good looking people looking like the ugly. Most airport workers at international airports, except in Trinidad and Tobago, are wearing face mask to reduce the risk of taking sick leave. We, in Trini, are smarter than that and need to look good regardless of the threat of:
Cough
Congestion
Nasal Congestion
Body Aches
Joint Pains
Fevers
Sore throat
Headaches
Fatigue
Decreased energy
Death is rare

These symptoms are nothing new to Trinis and a higher than normal amount of citizens suffer from all these symptoms on Mondays and sometimes even on Fridays so there is concern but not alarm. There are drugs but not easy access to them. There are hospitals but not compassion. There are sick days so they will be taken.

FEVER

(332) Fever means a high body temperature. It may occur with little or no other symptoms. The causes will in most cases be associated with bacterial or viral infections or, rarely stress.

SYMPTOMS:

All Pigs:
Vomiting
Temperature
Inappetence
No milk
Dehydration
Dullness / Lameness
Increased respiration
Reddening of skin. Blue skin.
Metritis
Mastitis
Abortion
Shivering

Causes / contributing factors
Mastitis or metritis
Retention of a dead pig.
Retention of after birth.
A bacterial septicaemia (e.g. erysipelas).
Flu or PRRS
Secondary bacterial infections associated with flu or PRRS.
Cystitis/pyelonephritis.
Acute stress or eclampsia.
Heat stroke.

CLINICAL SIGNS & TREATMENT

Usually the sow appears dull and sometimes shows a reddening of the skin. The respiratory rate may be raised. Clinically examinations will often indicate a cause and always look for the obvious first. Temperatures will range from 39-40ºC (103-109ºF).

TREATMENT
In most cases fevers in sows will be associated with bacterial infections and a broad spectrum antibiotic should always be used. Check the temperature at and 24 hours after treatment.

Broad acting antibiotics include, oxytetracycline, trimethoprim/sulpha, amoxicillin and penicillin / streptomycin.

PIG FEVER AND LIBRARIAN

Michaele Casey, Bernardsville librarian, once again asked Keiko to help her with this year's summer reading display, and Keiko came up with a design concept that incorporated her fondness for pigs. It was decided that pigs doing creative things would be the perfect visual accent to the summer reading theme. Obviously, Keiko was the first one to come down with "Pig Fever" because she worked feverishly for two months to create the piggies out of papier mache and other materials.

OLYMPIC 1948, LONDON

OLYMPIC EMBLEM

In 1940 and 1944, the Olympics were not held die to World War II. The 1948 London Games were the first to be shown on home television, although very few people in Britain actually owned sets. 17 years old Bob Mathias of America won the decathlon only four months after taking up the sport. He is youngest Olympian to win a men’s athletics event.

1952, HELSINKI, FINLAND

OLYMPIC EMBLEM

The 1952 Olympics started in spectacular fashion with Paavo Nurmi, then aged 55, entering the stadium with the Olympic flame, and lighting the cauldron on the ground.

1956, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

OLYMPIC EMBLEM

The Melbourne Games were the first to be held in the southern hemisphere. Prior to 1956, the athletes in the closing ceremony marched by nation, as they did in the opening ceremony.

1960, ROME, ITALY

OLYMPIC EMBLEM

The Italians made the most of their dramatic history, holding the competitions in spectacular setting of the ancient sites.

OLYMPIC 1964, TOKYO

Olympic Emblem

The Tokyo Games were the first to be held in Asia. The Japanese showcased their successful reconstruction after World War II by choosing as the final torchbearer Yoshinori Sakai, who was born in Hiroshima, the day that city was destroyed by an atomic bomb.

OLYMPIC 1968, MEXICO CITY

Olympic Emblem

The Choice of Mexico City to host the Olympics was a controversial one because of the city’s high altitude, 2300m which meant that the air contained 30% less oxygen than at sea level. American Debbie Meyer became the first woman swimmer to win three individual golds at one Olympics.

OLYMPIC 1972, MUNICH, WEST GERMANY

Olympic Emblem

Munich Games were the biggest of the century, setting records in all categories, with 195 events and 7173 athletes from 121 nations.

OLYMPIC 1976, MONTREAL

Olympic Emblem

The Montreal Games were marred by an African boycott to protest the fact that the national rugby team of New Zealand had toured South Africa and New Zealand was scheduled to compete in the Olympics. 14 year old gymnast Nadia Comaneci of Romania caused a sensation when, for her performance on the uneven bars, she was awarded the first-ever perfect score of 10. The judges awarded her the maximum mark seven times.

OLYMPIC 1980, MOSCOW, U.S.S.R

Olympic Emblem

The 1980 Olympics were held in Moscow. A U.S led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 80, the lowest number since 1956.

OLYMPIC 1984, LOS ANGELES

Olympic Emblem

A record 140 nations took part in the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles. Carl Lewis won the 100m and 200m sprints and the long jump.

OLYMPIC 1988, SEOUL, KOREA

Olympic Emblem

For the first time in 12 years, all leading Olympic nations except Cuba and Ethiopia took part in the Seoul Olympics. Although the drug disqualification of sprinter Ben Johnson was the biggest story of the 1988 Olympics, it was highlighted by numerous exceptional performances.

OLYMPIC 1992, BARCELONA

Olympic Emblem

In 1992 Olympics were held at Barcelona, Spain. Men’s basketball was open to all professionals, an the US sent a ‘Dream Team’ that included Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.

OLYMPIC 1996, ATLANTA

Olympic Emblem

The 1996 Games at Atlanta were given a dramatic start when the cauldron was lit by Muhammad Ali. A record-setting 79 nations won medals, and 53 won gold. Carl Lewis became the third person to win the same individual event four times, and the fourth person to earn a ninth gold medal in the Olympics.

OLYMPIC 2000, SYDNEY

Olympic Emblem


The Sydney 2000 Games were the largest yet, with 10651 athletes completing in 300 events. Despite their size, they were well organized, renewing faith in the Olympic Movement. Birgit Fischer earned two gold medals in Kayak to become the first woman in any sport to win medals 20 years apart. Steven Redgrave became the first rower to win gold medals at five consecutive Olympics.

OLYMPIC 2004, ATHENS

Olympic Emblem

Greece, the birthplace of Olympics hosted the 28the Olympics games, the biggest ever-sporting event. The first Olympics of the millennium commenced on 13th August 2004 in a magnificent opening ceremony in Athens. 10625 athletes from 201 nations took part in over 301 events (one more than in Sydney). American swimmer, Michael Phelps emerged as the face of the Games, by winning eight medals, six of them gold.

OLYMPIC 2008, BEIJING, CHINA

Olympic Emblem

On 13 July 2001, at the 112th IOC session in Moscow, Beijing was elected as the host city for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8 to 24, 2008 at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, People’s Republic in China.

OLYMPIC 2012, LONDON

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, are due to take place in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012.

London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. They are the Earth’s natural means of releasing stress. More than a million earthquakes rattle the world each year. The West Coast is most at risk of having an earthquakes, but earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute.

Sometimes an earthquake has foreshocks. These are smaller earthquakes that happen in the same place as the larger earthquake that follows. Scientists can’t tell that an earthquake is a foreshock until the larger earthquake happens. The largest, main earthquake is smaller mainshock. Mainshocks always have aftershocks that follow. These are smaller earthquakes that occur afterwards in the same place as the mainshock. Depending on the size of the mainshock, aftershocks can continue for weeks, months, and even years after the mainshock!

Earthquake Dip-Slip Faults

Normal Fault

Reverse Fault

Dip-slip faults can be again classified into the types “reverse” and “normal”. A normal fault occurs when the crust is extended. Alternatively such a fault can be called an extensional fault. The hanging wall moves downward, relative to the footwall. A downthrown block between two normal faults dipping towards each other is called a graben. An upthrown block between two normal faults dipping away from each other is called a horst. Low-angle normal faults with regional tectonic significance may be designated detachment faults.

A reverse fault is the opposite of a normal fault – the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall. Reverse faults are indicative of shortening of the crust. The dip of a reverse fault is relatively steep, greater than 45°.

Earthquake Strike-Slip Faults

The fault surface is usually near vertical and the footwall moves either left or right or laterally with very little vertical motion. Strike-slip faults with left-lateral motion are also known as sinistral faults. Those with right-lateral motion are also known as dextral faults.

A special class or strike-slip faults is the transform fault, which is a plate tectonics feature related to spreading centers such as mid-ocean ridges. Transform faults are often referred to as transform plate boundaries.

Earthquake Oblique-Slip Faults

A fault which has a component of dip-slip and a component of strike-slip is termed an Oblique-Slip Fault. Nearly all faults will have some component of both dip-slip and strike-slip, so defining a fault as oblique requires both dip and strike components to be measurable and significant. Some oblique faults occur within transtensional and transpressional regimes, others occur where the direction of extension or shortening changes during the deformation but the earlier formed faults remain active.

The hade angle is defined as the complement of the dip angle; it is the angle between the fault plane and a vertical plane that strikes parallel to the fault.

Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet’s surface or crust, which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanic activity involving the extrusion of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a period of time. The word volcano is derived from the name of Vulcano island off Sicily. In turn, it was named after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.

Volcanoes can be caused by mantle plumes. These so-called hotspots, for example at Hawaii, can occur far from plate boundaries. Hotspot volcanoes are also found elsewhere in the solar system, especially on rocky planets and moons.

Stratovolcanoes (Composite Volcano)

These volcanoes are made of many layers of rubble, old lava, and dome rocks. They grow to be higher than 3000 meters above their bases. They are created from multiple eruptions that occur over many years. Composite cones can continue growing with each eruption until their slopes collapse. Examples include Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Fuji, and Klyuchevskoy Valcano (Russia).