CULTURAL QA 01-2023-24 BEING A COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS
Q1 Whatdo London people think of the London Underground that they had even once steamtrains? A1 Nicholas Stone, Life long interest intrains. Jan 9 >From 1993 to 2022,I lived in London. Throughout these 29 years, I was a >frequent LondonUnderground user. When visiting London now, I still use London >Underground. I think it is remarkable and extraordinary to think thepeople who designed and built the London Underground did so in the age of steamtraction. Harnessing the power of electricity was stillnot fully understood. Recall the world’s first electric railwayopened in Brighton (UK) in 1883 and this was 20 years after the world’s firstunderground railway opened in London in 1863. As modern urbantravellers, we are indebted to Charles Pearson - the MP for Lambeth (southLondon) and a lawyer. Ahead of his time, Mr Pearson campaigned for universalsuffrage, the abolition of capital punishment and an underground railwayconnecting Paddington and Farringdon. His planned railway required financialbacking, innovative use of existing steam traction technology and an act ofparliament. A steam train hauling passenger carriages on the world’sfirst underground railway line, in London (UK). Opened in January 1863,the 6km line connected Paddington and Farringdon. The line is still in usetoday, 160 years later. Picture credit BBC news. Despite the noise, steam and smoke, the world’s firstunderground line was a success. On the first day,the railway carried 38,000 passengers. By the second year, it carried 12million passengers. Such was the success, that the line paved the way forfuture expansion of the network we see today. Sadly Charles Pearson did not travel on his pioneeringunderground railway. He died four months before opening. Q2 Dogood microbes exist in the brain that can stay there doing no harm to humans? A2 Ken Saladin, Former professor ofhistology (microscopic anatomy)2y None. The brain is not like the colon;it is a sterile environment. In addition to neurons, the brain has cells calledmicroglia that wander about in the brain tissue eating up any microbes, celldebris, or foreign matter they find, performing a complete checkup onthe brain several time a day. No stray microbe escapes their surveillance for long. Q3 Whichis good and healthy, guava leaves or papaya leaves? A3 Laura Bailey, Nourish your body,mind, and soul Sat Both guava leaves and papaya leaves have been used forcenturies in traditional medicine due to their potential health benefits.Here are some key points to consider when comparing the two: Guava leaves: Contains compoundslike quercetin, kaempferol, and isoquercitrin, which have anti-inflammatory andantioxidant properties. Can help lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol, andmay have potential benefits for diabetes management. May help to improvegut health by preventing diarrhea and promoting healthy digestion. Can be used as a remedy for skin issues such as acne andeczema. Can be consumedin the form of tea, extract, or powder. Papaya leaves: Contains compoundslike papain and chymopapain, which are digestive enzymes that help break downproteins. May haveanti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Can help to improvegut health by preventing diarrhea and promoting healthy digestion. Can be used as a remedy for skin issues such as acne andeczema. Can be consumed inthe form of tea, extract, or powder. Both guava and papaya leaves are considered to havepotential health benefits, but their effectivenessand safety have not yet been fully established through scientific research.It is always recommended toconsult with a healthcare professional before consuming any herbal remedies. My note- I have not seen any body using theleaves. The QA is posted just for information sake. Never use with outthe advice of the doctor. Q4 Whatshould I definitely not do in Germany to avoid getting into trouble? A4 Amila Chathuranga, Lived in there fora shorter period6y I lived in Bavariaregion for 3 months and for that short period of time I learned thatNEVER EVER walk on the area dedicated for cyclists. They easily getangry when they see someone walking on the bicycle path knowingly orunknowingly. Cyclistsare quite common in most parts of the Europe (even they have a highway forcyclists Germany Launches Its Ambitious National 'Bike Autobahn'Cycle Network) and almost all the roads have a dedicated path for cyclists,sometimes marked with a different color bricks and tourists can easily get unnoticed and walk onthis path. Q5 Whyare Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden so wealthy? A5 Ernest W. Adams,Lives in Sweden Updated5y For different reasons, but a lot of them have to do withsensible use of each nation’s natural resources—i.e. keeping them for thepublic rather than letting private enterprise collectall that money into private hands—and having a fairly small population tospread their wealth among. Norway has a massive sovereign wealth fund that ithas built up through the sale of its North Sea oil. The Norwegian oil companyStatoil is 67% owned by the Norwegian government. Iceland only has 334,000 people, yet it is one of thebiggest fishers of cod in the world. As it also sits on several volcanoes, itmakes use of nearly free geothermal energy to refine ore. Some countries shiptheir raw ore all the way to Iceland, where it’s refined and shipped back. Thisis actually less expensive than doing it in the country of origin. Sweden is a big exporter of arms, wood products,and heavy equipment. They make Volvo cars, trucks, construction equipment, andmarine engines. Saab-Scania makes Scania trucks. As Sweden is neutral, it cansell arms to anyone. They’ve also gone into high technology in a big way. Andthey weren’t hammered by World War II, because they weren’t in it. Finland is also very into high technology and woodproducts. They’re the homeof Nokia, the mobile phone manufacturer. They also do a lot ofshipbuilding, and make huge ship engines that are used by ships all over theworld. Here’s one. The crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons. Denmark is home to the world’s largest shippingcompany, Maersk, which also does other kinds of transport and logistics.Denmark is also a net exporter of food (especially pork), energy, andmedicines. Denmark has one of the lowest levels of wealth inequality in theworld. All these nations are pretty heavily unionized, whichensures that profits go to the workers and not just to the owners. Q6 Whenit comes to food, what is an “only-in-Tamil Nadu” moment? A6 Bhuvana Rameshwar, Tamil culture andheritage Updated 2y In Tamil Nadu Lord Hanuman is called as Anjaneyar.We have Anjaneya in all our Rama temples, Vishnu temples and in the corridorsof Shiva temple on pillars. In some places he is found in gigantic sizes like inNamakkal, Nanganallur and Suchidram temples to name a few.The characterestic prasadam (blessed food) of these Hanuman temples in TamilNadu are the dry crisp vadas.You do not get these in the north or even in other South Indian states unlessinfluenced by Tamizh Vaishnavite culture. This vada is made with a hole in it. Then hundreds of themare hung together as a garland to please Lord Hanuman.It is called as Vada Mala ritual. Many devotees appease Lord by doing thisafter their special wishes are fulfilled. This vada is ground within ten minutes of soaking urad dhal.It is ground without water and pepper is added as a spice. Onions, chillies are not added.Rice powder asafoetida and salt are added. The vada is deep fried. The vada is givento devotees after the Pooja as prasadam. It stays good for more than three weeks as it is dry andcrisp like chaklis (murukku). Anjaneya with vadasadorning him during a festival. Simple poojas have a single string of say 101or 201 vadas, but bigger ones have 1001 and more vadas. This vada ischaracterestic of Anjaneya temples of Tamil Nadu. Nowadays a few other templestoo make these and sell them as prasadam as they are long lasting. This vada is foundonly in Tamil Nadu, although some Tamilians have spread this ritual to otherstates in the South. My note- I had visited Namakkal about 5 yearsback and desired to offer Vadamalai. It was over booked and I paid the moneyfor a particular day and returned. After a week the priest send by currierprasadam. My son was to come on vacation in 10 days time . I just kept itclosed after eating one or two. It was good exactly as it was on the date of receipt after tendays. I was working at Namakkal as Sub Divisionalofficer from 1984 to 1989. It is a place famous for water scarcity. However it would have improved now. And Lorry body building. My wife was afrequent visitor to the temple. All Hindu officers coming on inspection positivelyvisited the temple. Q7 Isit possible to dry off a towel without wringing it? A7 Gopala Krishnan,Former AssistantGeneral Manager 1996-2004 at Department of Telecom (1966–2004)Just now Yes. Many times after wiping due to distractionsturkey towels are left like that by some. If they are put on clothesline theydry. If repeated due todead skins and dirt wiped by it will produce foul smell. Many in India useordinary towels. Here too the same repeats. If one has dipped the towels in water and put on clothesline water will be dripping falling on the ground, and on drying appear stiff. Always after bath,wiping with towel, one should wash the towel in detergent/soap water,squeezeand dry it in clothes line. Then only the towel will be neat. I have answered the question because many youngsters havethe habit of leaving the towel to washing bucket,and clothes will be washed later. There are possibilitiesof germs developing Q8 Howdid slavery begin? Why didn't the Africans just fight back against theEuropeans or were the Europeans just too powerful? A8 Susanna Viljanen, Works at AaltoUniversity Updated 1y Slavery has been around since the Neolithic Stone Age andinvention of agriculture. Instead ofkilling the captured enemies outright, humans began to put them on coercedwork. Slavery is literally old as dirt, and it has existed in allcontinents and among each and every nation. In Africa, theAfricans enslaved each other and raided each other’s tribes to get slaves.They were then sold toslave traders - which were mainly Arabs or Jews. Very often Africanchieftains and kings sold their prisoners-of-war and their own subjects to theslave traders. The majority- some 75% - of the African slave trade directed to Islamic world.The Muslims preferred to have their slaves castrated, lest they bred and proved problematic.This is the reason why there are no Black minorities inthe Muslim countries- all the slaves there had their balls cut off. Only some 10% of the slaves survived thisgruesome procedure, which made them much more valuable to the slave traders. Some 25% of theAfrican slave trade directed across the Atlantic. The majority went to Brazil and to Caribbean islands,with only 10% (2.5% of all) going to North America. The Europeanspreferred their slaves intact so they could breed and there would always be afresh supply of new labour. The transatlantic voyage wasrisky and proved lethal for many slaves and raised the prices skyhigh. This isthe reason why most Caribbeanisland, Cuba and Brazil inhabitants are descendants of the European immigrantsand African slaves - and why there is the Black minority in the USA. The reason why the Africans did not fight back wasbecause they were shackled at the time when the other Africans sold them to theArab slave traders - and were shackled well until theyreached their destination. After that, they were sold as individuals. Q9 IfChernobyl was declared uninhabitable for 20,000 years due to radiation, howcome the forest thrives there and the wild animals have returned? A9 Franklin VeauxM Professional Writer Updated3y People live, right now, in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. How is thatpossible? Becauseradiation is not Magic Death Cooties. People are easilyterrified. In ages past, the scary monsters in the dark were witches anddemons. Today, the scary monster is radiation. Radiation! Oh no! It’s afteryou! Radiaaaaaaaaaation!!! The initial release of radiation from Chernobyl wasquite high. But here’s the thing: when people say thatsomething is “deadly for 20,000 years,” they are demonstrating a total,complete ignorance of radiation. Some radioactive things are highly radioactive. Theyrelease radiation quickly. They’re dangerous. And they’re short-lived.When you release radiation quickly, you soon decay into less radioactiveelements. Some radioactive things are not very radioactive. Theyremain radioactive for tens of thousands, or millions, or billions of years….becausethey release radiation very slowly. You can hold uranium or plutonium in your bare hands. Theradiation is so feeble, your skin blocks it. You don’t need shielding.(In fact, uranium is sometimes used as shielding.) You don’t want toeat them, or breathe them - because they’re toxic heavy metals just like leadand mercury - but the radiation won’t harm you. Deadly radiation goes away quickly. Things that areradioactive for long periods of time aren’t dangerously radioactive. Everything is radioactive to some extent. Granite, forexample, is naturally radioactive. Do you have granite countertops?Your kitchen is more radioactive than the area around Chernobyl orFukushima!BOO! Better watch out! Radiation will getcha! Radiaaaaaaaaaation!!! Why do governments declare places like Chernobyluninhabitable even though people live there? Because people are frightened.If the government declared those places habitable, people would be all like “The government istrying to kill your children! The government wants to build preschools in themiddle of nuclear contamination! Radiaaaaaaaaaation!!!“ Governmentemployees who want to get elected again won’t do that. When the Fukushimameltdown happened, the radiation release was so tiny the WHO estimated itwould, statistically, cause somewhere between zero and one additional case ofcancer over the next two decades. The evacuation of100,000 the Fukushima exclusion zone caused more than a thousand deaths becauseof accident or injury. The radiation inthe Fukushima exclusion zone is lower than the natural background radiation insome places. Places where people live. Why are places like Chernobyl and Fukushimadeclared uninhabitable? Fear. Stark, unreasoned, pants-wetting fear. Radiation,for many people, is Q10 Whatwas the cheapest invention made that made millions, or better yet, billions? A10 Will Rogers,Former International PoliceAdvisor, Republic of Iraq (2005–2006)Sep 26 My vote remains the ubiquitous “Hesco Barrier”. You can’tswing a dead cat around without bumping into one of these in Iraq orAfghanistan. They are a metal grate that encloses burlap or a tarp-likematerial. You open the silly thing up in the place youwant it to be, and shovel or pour dirt, rocks, or what have you (most likelysand). You then open another one right next to the first one, and repeat adinfinitum. They are roughly 4 feet tall, so if you want an 8 foot barrier yousimply start stacking them. There’s probably about $8 worth of materials in each one. Iprobably saw no less than 80 million of these just around Baghdad.(Okay. Maybe not 80 million. But close!) Whoever had the US contract to supplythese is making money hand over fist! My note- The item as seen from picture is a study cheap materialwhich can be used as enclosure to store things. All the above QA are from Quora website on 23-01- 2023. Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers . Compiled and posted by R. Gopala krishnan on 24-01-2023 -- 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/1381118320.646563.1674528331916%40mail.yahoo.com.
