CULTURAL QA 09-2022-26 BEING ACOMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS
Q1 What are some of the interestingfacts about India? A1 Jack Boettcher, Lives in Australia(2009–present)Sep 17 India has more than300,000 active mosques,more than any Muslim country. India is the secondlargest English speaking country in the world India is the only country to have an entireocean named after it London hasmore Indian restaurants than Mumbai or Delhi. India leads theworld with the largest number of films. Over 4700 dailynewspapers in more than 300 languages are produced in India. Chess was inventedin India.Calculus, Trigonometry, and Algebra originated in India. Indian railwayemploys more than a million people India has thebiggest population of vegetarians in the world. Q2 Do chickens contradict evolution?How did a species of nearly flightless, helpless birds develop and survive? A2 Mats Andersson, B. Sc, M. Sc fromUppsala University Sep 14 They enlisted the help of a totally different species todefend them from predators and see to it that they were fed and safe fromdisease. That way, they no longer needed to be able to fly and defendthemselves, or even tobe very good at finding food. That specieswas us.We took the wild chicken, which was a flying and fit bird with sharp claws anda nasty beak, and fed it, put it in houses where it was safe, and proceeded tolet only the most docile ones breed, as well as those who were crap at flyingso they didn’t escape. They are now probably the most numerous land vertebrate onthe planet—they outnumber us humans four to one. If that’snot evolutionary success, I don’t know what is. Q3 What are some amazing facts aboutthe Indian Railways? A3 Shaunak Bhattacharjeee,Lives inKolkata, West Bengal, India (1996–present)Sat Last month, I visited Darjeeling — a popular hill stationin the north of West Bengal. While I had visitedDarjeeling many times previously, this time, we made an unplanned halt at Ghoom railwaystation, the highest railway station in India and the second highest railwaystation in the world. Situated at an altitude of 7,500 feet abovesea level, Ghoom railway station is a beautiful tourist destination in itself. But what caught my attentionwere the boards on display inside and outside the station. Currently, only the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway operatesat the station. Opened in 1881, the DarjeelingHimalayan Railway and Ghum railway station has been given the status of World Heritage Site by UNESCO —the only one of the four railway stations in India to attain thisachievement. In the late 19th century and most of the 20th century, it used to take 5–6 days totravel on this train from Kolkata to reach Darjeeling. Today, the train operates as a toy train from the nearby town of Siligurito Ghoom. The distance of 60 kilometres, which is usually covered in 2.5hours on road takes 7hours by toy train. In spite of theslow speed, the toy train gets fully booked every day as tourists donot miss a chance to experience this heritage. The interior of the train carriages is saidto be very beautiful. It still runs on a steam engine and on your way toDarjeeling from Siliguri, you will often encounter the toy train. People stop by, cars stand bythe kerb as passengers step outside to click pictures of this trainclimbing up the hilly road. My note- For the toy train ride many take ticketsfrom Ooty to Coonooralso. After opening the counter within minutes all tickets aresold out. I have taken the ride, our tourist car waited at Coonoor totake up again to OOty. Q4 What is the definition of a parasitein biology? What are some examples of parasites that live on humans andanimals? A4 Ken Saladin Ph.D. in Parasitology,Florida State University (Graduated 1977)16h That first questionis a surprisingly tough one. I got my PhD in parasitology and I stillcan’t define the word parasite. I guess this is a little like having a degree in art butbeing unable to define what art is—”I don’t know how to define it, but I knowit when I see it.” Here’s my littletreatise on what parasite is so hard to define. What makes anorganism a parasite? Ken Saladin, Formerprofessor of histology (microscopic anatomy)Updated 17h A parasite istypically conceived of as an organism that depends on another organism of adifferent species (the host) for its survival and that does harm to its host.Some stereotypical examples are a tapeworm that lives in the intestine absorbing a share ofthe host’s nutrients, or a tick that attaches to a host and feeds on its blood.However, there are also parasites that don’t live in or attached to their hostor even feed on host tissues. Cuckoos and cowbirds, for example, are parasitic on songbirds, layingeggs in their nests and depending on them to raise their chicks. The boundaries ofthe parasite concept are obscure, though. I think most of us would agree that if a flock of chickens isinfested with feather mites that crawl around in their plumage and destroy thefeathers, the mites are parasites; poultry farmers can lose whole flocksto them because the frizzled chickens die of hypothermia. There are other mites thatparasitize plant hosts such as citrus crops and cause great economic damage toorchardists. But would anyone call locusts parasites? We think ofthem as free-living herbivores, but what’s the difference between locustseating plant tissues, citrus mites eating tree crops, and lice eating poultrytissues? How can we say one is a parasite and another one isn’t? Also, the evolutionary trend among parasites is to doless and less harm to the host as parasite and host evolve metabolicadaptations to each other. After all, it does no good fora parasite to weaken or kill the host on which it depends for its own life. Ifa parasite evolves far enough in the direction of harmlessness, it becomes (byour artificial definitions) a commensal rather than a parasite. A commensal is an an organismthat lives in, on, or in close proximity to a host of another species, gettingsome benefit from that host but causing it no harm. But where inthis evolutionary process would we stop calling the guest organism a parasite? I have a very goodtextbook of parasitology with a glossary that doesn’t even try to seriouslydefine parasite. The entry for that word is “a parasitologist’s raison d’etre,”and then it defines parasitologist as “a curious fellow who sits on one stoolstaring at another.” All of which just goes to show that even parasitologistsdon’t have a good, iron-clad definition of what a parasite is. My note- There are some parasites growing on mango trees called “Ithil” in Malayalam. Itwould appear white formation over the skin. Q5 Why weren't the ancient Egyptianshairy like ancient Europeans? A5 Bob deWitt, Art History Professor,Utah Valley University Sep 8 Becauseancient Egyptians didn’t like body hair. As a result theyshaved their hair off—in some cases, all of it. Vanity, hygiene, a hot climate, and simplicitywere the main motivations behind the Egyptian’s obsession for beingclean-shaven, with High Priests opting for full-body shaves. Initially, tweezers were used to pull hair, oralternatively, waxing. Over time, blades and razors wereproduced, making life a whole lot easier for the Ancient Egyptians. Kings were often buried with jewel-encrusted or solid gold razors,ensuring the smooth look in the After-life. However, despitethe obsession with cleanliness and hygiene, the elites still loved the ‘long hair’ look when it cameto acts of worship and displays of eminence. This iswhere wigs came into play, with animal and other people’s hair being used tomake wigs for the wealthy, often elaborately decorated and styled withluxurious oils and scents. Even the OldTestament makes a point of the importance of shaving and cleanliness in Egypt.In Genesis 41:14 when Joseph was brought before Pharaoh it was important thathe had been shaved first: “So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quicklybrought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he camebefore Pharaoh.” Q6 Other than cooling, can an Airconditioner also purify the air inside the room? A6 LG India, Lives in India Fri Technically, your air conditioner is intended to justkeep your home cool, which it accomplishes by acyclical process that happens between your interior and outdoor units. The air conditioning process, on the other hand, eliminates excesshumidity from the air, and each air handling unit contains a filter thatfurther decreases airborne pollutants, which helps to improve air qualityinside the space. Ihave been using LG Air conditioners for a while and I know they have somesalient features that help in making the air quality of a room better. I willtry to list them all as follows : ● EZ Clean filter with Anti Virus Protection - LG AirConditioners come with an ‘Anti-Virus’ protection layer fitted HD Filter. Thefilter mesh is coated with Cationic Silver Ions (AgNPs) that deactivate morethan 99% of viruses and bacteria in contact. To be precise, it demobilizes upto 99.76% Virus# and up to 99.99% bacteria*. ● UV Nano Feature- LG Air Conditioner’s UV Nanotechnology showers germs with UltraViolet rays that destroy their DNA and helpto circulate sterilized germ-free air every time you use the AC. ● Ocean Black Fin- LG air conditioners areequipped with Ocean Black Fins, which provide unrivaled protection againstdust, smoke, and chemicals in the environment, as well as protection againstfin corrosion, resulting in better air quality inside your room. ● PM 1.0 Sensor- LG ACs have a PM 1.0 Sensor thatdetects and activates the Ion Diffuser when air quality deteriorates. IonDiffusers discharge 5 million negative ions that are attached to microscopicparticles, effectively cleaning gas pollutants and purifying indoor air. Italso has Micro Dust Filters that filter out even the minute dust particles. I hope this washelpful for you, I have tried to explain these features to the best of myability. LG has a whole list of options in air-conditioners depending on yourneeds and budget. You can visit https://www.lg.com/in/air-conditionersfor more information. My note- Other air conditioners also have similar features.Mainly I have added this QA for the filter of air and antivirus protection Q7 What do I do when an air conditionerblows out warm air? A7 Gopala Krishnan, Former AssistantGeneral Manager 1996-2004 at Department of Telecom (1966–2004)Aug 25 I am writing fromChennai, India. If sufficient cooling does not occur, problem can be eitherfilter not cleaned or coolantin the compressor has worked for many years. Coolant can be replaced. If no cooling atall, the problem can be eithercompressor not working or fan in the external unit not working in split ACoutdoor unit. Problem can be with running capacitor also. Call thecompany technician to attend the problems. Answer is only for information. Q8 What is the difference betweenEarthing and Grounding? A8 CuriosityTea , Answered by MichaelMk Thu Earthing andgrounding are similar terms. Still, these are having many differences. • Earthing meansconnecting the dead part (it means the part which does not carries currentunder normal condition) to the earth for example electricalequipment’s frames, enclosures, supports etc. • The purpose of earthing is to minimize risk ofreceiving an electric shock if touching metal partswhen a fault is present. Generally green wire is used for this as anomenclature. • Under faultconditions the non-current carrying metal parts of an electrical installationsuch as frames, enclosures, supports, fencing etc. may attain high potentialwith respect to ground so that any person or stray animal touching these orapproaching these will be subjected to potential difference which may result inthe flow of a current through the body of the person or the animal of such avalue as may prove fatal. • To avoid this non-current carrying metal parts of theelectrical system are connected to the generalmass of earth by meansof an earthing system comprising of earth conductors to conduct the faultcurrents safely to the ground. • Earthing has beenaccomplished through bonding of a metallic system to earth. It is normally achieved by inserting ground rods or other electrodes deepinside earth. • Earthing is toensure safety or Protection of electrical equipment and Human by dischargingthe electrical energy to the earth. • Groundingmeans connecting the live part (it means the part which carries current undernormal condition) to the earth for example neutral of power transformer. • Grounding is done for the protections of power systemequipment and to provide an effective return path from the machine to the powersource. For example grounding of neutral point of astar connected transformer. • Grounding refersthe current carrying part of the system such as neutral (of the transformer orgenerator). • Because oflightning, line surges or unintentional contact with other high voltage lines,dangerously high voltages can develop in the electrical distribution systemwires. Groundingprovides a safe, alternate path around the electrical system of your house thusminimizing damage from such occurrences. • Generally Blackwire is used for this as a nomenclature. • All electrical/electronic circuits (AC & DC) need areference potential (zero volts) which is called ground in order to makepossible the current flow from generator to load.Ground is May or May not be earthed. In Electrical Power distribution it is eitherearthed at distribution Point or at Consumer end but it is not earthed in Automobile( for instance all vehicles’ electrical circuitshave ground connected to the chassis and metallic body that are insulated fromearth through tires).There may exist a neutral to ground voltage due to voltage drop in thewiring, thus neutral does not necessarily have to be at ground potential. • In a properly balanced system, the phase currentsbalance each other, so that the total neutral current is also zero.For individual systems, this is not completely possible, but we strive to comeclose in aggregate. This balancing allows maximum efficiency of thedistribution transformer’s secondary winding. Q9 What is actually legal but feelsillegal in India? A9 Nandita, A student Wed Buying groceriesfrom one store, then going to another grocery store with them. Asking someone toturn on their Hotspot. 🥲 Marrying in late20s or after 30. Flushing toilet inthe middle of the night. Girls having guyfriends and going out with them , similarly boys having female friends whilepados wali aunty notices you. Having something ofyours in your pocket while in a store that also sells that thing. Wife being taller than husband, and similarly wife beingelder than husband. Breaking the kasamyour mom forced to take. Asking someone toreturn your money. Uploading a sadstatus as a teen. Letting female undergarments dry out in open. When your mom iswashing dishes and you put another plate in the basin. Smiling meeklywhile looking at the phone screen and getting noticed. Asking the sales person about the product and ends up notbuying it. Q10 How does storing curd in matka (claypot) make the curd creamier and thicker? A10 Adi Ayu, Aug 3 The advantages ofputting curd in an earthen pot are as follows: 1. The curd can build up thicker and creamier in theporous earthen pot.In order to create earthenware, clayis frequently employed because it is porous by nature. It facilitates waterabsorption. Curd absorbs a lot of water when it is placed in a pot like this. Arich, creamy curd is produced as a result. 2. The pot acts as a natural insulator and protectsagainst temperature changes.The temperatureneeds to be precisely right for the curd to set correctly. Your curd may becomewatery, thin, sour, or flavourless as a result of a slight temperature shift. Aclay pot serves as a good insulator and aids in maintaining the righttemperature. This produces the proper temperature for the curd to set. 3. The curd becomes mineral-rich.Curdwill be full of minerals including calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, andother micronutrients if it is cooked in a clay pot. Compared to curd cooked inplastic or steel containers, this method of making curd is higher in nutrientsand simpler to digest. 4. The pot imparts curd with a distinct earthy flavour.Yourcurd will only have this unique earthy flavour if it is cooked in a clay pot.The flavour is mild enough to not dominate the natural flavour of the curdwhile yet being mouthwatering. Since the earthy flavour of such a curd isdifficult to describe in words, you actually have to sample it to experienceit. My note- Ceramic jars also used earlier, curd had verygood state. Now very few use ceramic jars. All the above QA are from Quora website on 25-09- 2022. Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers . Compiled andposted by R. Gopala krishnan on 26-09-2022 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/201229550.352884.1664150957931%40mail.yahoo.com.
