(Pronounced deh-fuh.ren-shl)
Meaning: This adjective means polite and showing respect.
Origin: Originating in the 17th Century, it meant ‘bearing off or away’, from the French word deferent, which, in turn, was from, Latin deferentem- the present participle of deferre, meaning "to carry down or away". In Middle English, it was used as a word in Ptolemaic astronomy to explain the apparent motion of planets.
Example: People were always deferential to her.
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(Pronounced dau.ti)
Meaning: An adjective, doughty means brave, dauntless or intrepid. It is also used to describe someone who is unwilling to stop trying to achieve something. In other words, the term refers to fearless resolution.
Origin: Doughty is said to have a Germanic origin dyhtig, meaning "competent, strong". It came to be used in Middle English to mean "brave, valiant" from Old English dohtig, a variant of dyhtig.
Usage: She has been for decades a doughty campaigner for children's rights.
They have been stifled by their doughty opponents.
Despite her illness, her doughty spirit kept her going.
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(pronounced as faw.sl)
Meaning: The word fossil corresponds to the remains or impression of a prehistoric animal or plant that is embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form. In a humorous, and sometimes derogatory sense it can also be used to refer to a person or thing that is outdated or resistant to change
Origin: The word has been around since 1610s meaning "anything dug up”. It is derived from French fossile from Latin fossilis “dug up". The restricted noun sense of "geological remains of a plant or animal” that is most popular now has been around from 1736 Despite having some ups and downs, the word has been fairly popular over the last two centuries or so.
Usage: When she grows up, she wants to become a palaeontologist and study fossils.
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(Pronounced: im pla ca·ble)
Meaning: An adjective, implacable means not placable, that is not capable of being appeased, easily calmed or pacified.
Origin: The word is derived from the Latin word implacabilis which means unappeasable or irreconcilable. The word was first used in the 15th century.
Usage: For King Edward, the new friendship between the reigning powers of the neighbouring kingdoms loomed as an implacable threat to his crown.
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Museums are treasure troves of history and culture. So how about taking a look at toy museums that can send us on a nostalgic trip down memory lane?
THE NATIONAL FARM TOY MUSEUM – U.S.
An ode to the farming industry, the National Farm Toy Museum in Iowa, U.S., is unique as it celebrates the spirit of farming. The history of agriculture is narrated through thousands of farm toys. The collection includes scale models, replicas, old wood-pressed lithograph farm toys and other toys based on farm equipment.
POLLOCK'S TOY MUSEUM – U.K
This is U.K.'s oldest toy museum. With curios and toys from the past, the Pollock's Toy Museums in central London displays over 20,000 teddy bears, dolls, games, toy theatres and so on. The museum was named after printer Benjamin Pollock. Sadly the museum shut its doors a few days ago with the owners unable to get a fresh contract on the building. Now, they are out with a fundraising appeal.
BRIGHTON TOY AND MODEL MUSEUM – U.K.
With more than 10,000 toys and models, the Brighton Toy And Model Museum in England is a major tourist attraction. Founded in 1991, one of the museum's most prized collections is the model train collection. The large operational model railway layouts and period pieces are exhibits to watch out for.
THE STRONG NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PLAY- U.S.
Be it experiencing the most famous children's television series "Sesame Street' all over again or walking amidst the adventurous world of superheroes or checking out toy artefacts such as paper dolls, yo-yos, wind-up toys or teddy bears, The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, has everything to transport you to the realm of fun and frolic. It started off as a museum showcasing the personal collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong, the museum's founder. Now, it has a range of exhibits such as unique toy heritage items, vintage paper dolls, early LEGO building sets, Barbie dolls, and so on.
SHANKAR'S INTERNATIONAL DOLLS MUSEUM – INDIA
A museum established by noted political cartoonist K. Shankar Pillai, the Shankar's International Dolls Museum features a grand collection of costume dolls. Located in Children's Book Trust building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi, the museum has a large array of dolls collected from across the world including authentic Indian costume dolls. The Museum's collection of costume dolls was inspired by a gift. In the early fifties, Shankar received a doll as a gift from the Hungarian Ambassador. The doll was to be given away as a competition prize. But Shankar was smitten by the doll and kept it for himself after taking permission from the Ambassador. Over time, he started collecting costume dolls and holding exhibitions. But the constant travel, packing and unpacking significantly damaged the dolls over time which Shankar spoke about during an exhibition in Delhi that was visited by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi who suggested setting up a permanent museum for the dolls. And thus was born Shankars International Dolls Museum.
ST. PETERSBURG TOY MUSEUM RUSSIA
At St. Petersburg Toy Museum, Russia, toys are not just considered playthings but also works of art. Featuring a grand collection of more than 17,000 items, the museum is home to Russian and foreign games and toys that even date back centuries. The collection includes thematic toys, folk toys, artisanal toys, factory toys, and the most famous toys made in Sergiyev Posad- the matryoshka dolls, among others.
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Speculation has been intensifying over recent months that a deal could be struck to return some of the marble sculptures, which have been on display in the British Museum since 1832 after being controversially stripped from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, a British diplomat.
Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin, became British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1799. In 1801, he negotiated what he claimed was permission from the Turks – who then controlled Athens – to remove statues from the Parthenon.
The British Museum maintains that Elgin was an official diplomat and had acted with the permission of Turkish authorities. Greece argues that the Turks were a foreign force acting against the will of the people they had invaded.
The Marbles which were taken to Britain include about a half-around 75 metres – of the sculpted frieze that once ran all round the building, plus 17 life-sized marble figures from its pediments and 15 of the 92 metopes, or sculpted panels, originally displayed high up above its columns.
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As the world's oceans continue to take in more and more heat, it affects more than just the water. How? Come, let's find out
A new record
The world's oceans, which have absorbed most of the excess heat caused by humanity's carbon pollution, continued to see record-breaking temperatures last year, according to research published recently. The research, published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, was based on observations from 24 scientists across 16 institutes worldwide. The study, by researchers in China, the U.S., Italy, and New Zealand, said that 2022 was "the hottest year ever recorded in the world's oceans". Heat content in the oceans exceeded the previous years levels by around 10 Zetta joules-equivalent to 100 times the electricity generation worldwide in 2021. according to the authors. Records going back to the late 1950s show a relentless rise in ocean temperatures with almost continuous increases going back to around 1985.
Why are oceans important?
About half of the world's total amount of oxygen is produced in oceans, through the plants there. Equally importantly, oceans play a crucial role in the climate of the world. They carry the Sun's heat from the Equator to the Poles, thereby regulating our climate and weather patterns. Apart from these, oceans are indispensable for the world economy, through several aspects such as trade, transport, food, medicine, recreational activities, tourism, etc. In fact, the livelihood of millions of people across the globe are dependent on oceans and seas. In addition to all these, oceans are thriving ecosystems, nurturing all kinds of life forms-from the smallest to the largest- within them.
What causes the warming of oceans?
More than two-thirds of our planet's surface is covered by water, and oceans make up a large portion of that. Due to their sheer size, they can absorb heat from the Sun without their temperatures increasing much. Apart from sunlight, oceans receive heat from other sources such as greenhouse gases. But when there's a lot of heat to be absorbed, oceans become warmer with substantial difference in temperature increase. A study has found that over the last few decades, nearly 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the ocean while the rest are absorbed by land, the atmosphere, etc. While land surfaces are protected due to this, it warms oceans to devastating results.
What happens when oceans warm?
Due to thermal expansion, the volume of water increases when it is warm. In addition, warm ocean water melts sea ice and delays ice formation during winter. This is a major reason for global sea-level increase. Extremely high temperatures in the ocean are called marine heatwaves, and they can harm marine creatures. Further, they can affect migration of marine animals, cause coral bleaching, ocean acidification (increase in the waters acidic content due to excessive intake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere), and deoxygenation (warm water can hold only low amounts of dissolved oxygen). Aspects such as acidification and deoxygenation affect not just marine creatures but also their habitats and ecosystems.
The ocean-land connection
Whatever affects the oceans and seas affects the land too – either directly or indirectly. Warming ocean waters impact how heat is distributed globally. This results in erratic climate and weather patterns, leading to extreme weather events such as drought heat waves, cold waves, wildfires, floods, severe cyclones, etc. As sea levels increase, they can submerge coastal areas, displacing those inhabiting these regions. Further, those dependent on the oceans for their livelihood-for example, fisherfolk- may lose their livelihood if oceans cannot help marine creatures survive. If more and more people choose to leave behind coastal areas threatened thus, it could lead to crowding of non-coastal areas, leaving a society that's constantly in conflict over food space, opportunities, and life itself.
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The opening lines of a book are paramount in setting the tone for the story. Here are a few riveting first lines from some of the most famous books in literature.
Pride and Prejudice
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
These are the sarcastic opening lines from English author Jane Austen's 1813 novel ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ Set in the Regency Era (1811-1820) this novel revolves around five daughters of the Bennet family and their economic anxiety. At the time Austen was writing this masterpiece marrying into a rich and well-off family was a financial necessity for young women. Through this novel, the author explores the complexities between an individual's quest for love and the financial benefits of making a match.
Nineteen Eighty -Four
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
This ominous opening sentence belongs to George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel titled Nineteen Eighty-Four. Set in a fictional vile and gritty state of Oceania where the citizens are under constant government surveillance, it story acts as a warning against a totalitarian form of government that does not promote individual freedom or the idea of free speech. Through this book, the English novelist also highlights how the written word and language can alter society and its functions.
The Metamorphosis
"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
The shocking, strange and unnerving beginning of German author Franz Kafka's ‘The Metamorphosis’ (1915) draws the readers in with an uncanny grip. It summarises the premise of the novel which revolves around salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a monstrous vermin and narrates how he deals with the social isolation and emotional distress that he must endure because of his new state. Originally written in German, this story is one of the most successful fictional works produced by Kafka.
A Tale of Two Cities
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
These introductory lines from Charles Dicken's ‘Tale of Two Cities’ are easily some of the most popular lines in literary history. Set in London and Paris in the run-up to and during the French Revolution, this historic novel opens with a contrasting set of clauses to highlight the struggle between good and evil which is a recurring theme in the novel. This classic novel was originally printed in instalments in the English author's weekly periodical All the Year Round and has been estimated to have sold more than 200 million copies since its first publication.
The Hobbit
"In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit."
This intriguing first line marks the beginning of English author J. R. R. Tolkien's children's fantasy novel The Hobbit. Writing to English poet W.H. Auden in 1955, Tolkien revealed that the idea for this book came to him while correcting papers as a professor at Oxford University in the early 1930s. The book revolves around a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins, who takes up an adventurous quest to fight the dragon called Smaug and win back the stolen treasures and reclaim the home of the dwarves. Published in 1937, this book was the public's first introduction to Tolkien's elaborate imagined world of Middle Earth. The success of this novel motivated the author to pen a sequel, which would eventually lead to the extraordinary ‘Lord of the Rings series.’
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Origin of Black Death
Studying ancient DNA samples, a team of international researchers traced the origin of the Black Death to modem-day Kyrgyzstan in the late 1330s. In June 2022 researchers analysed ancient DNA taken from the teeth of seven skeletons discovered in burial sites in the Tian Shar Shan showed region. The sequencing they contained Yersinia pestis the plague bacterium. Also, archaeological evidence from the cemeteries of Kara-Djigach and Burana, located in the Tian Shan region, identified a disproportionately high number of burials between 1338 and 1339 and a number of the tombstones noted the cause of death as pestilence. The Black Death was first detected in the 1330s and was the initial wave of a nearly 500-year-long pandemic termed the Second Plague Pandemic. It swept across Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa killing up to 60% of the population.
Changesite-(Y)
China announced the discovery of a new mineral from moon samples in September 2022. The China National Space Administration named the phosphate mineral Changesite-(Y). The mineral contains the isotope Helium 3, which is considered a great potential source of nuclear fusion energy.
The announcement places China as only the third nation to find a new mineral on the moon, after the U.S. and Russia, and is the sixth mineral to be identified since the first samples were brought back by NASA's Apollo 11 in 1969.
A rescue helicopter flies on July 4, 2022 over the glacier that collapsed the day before on the mountain of Marmolada, the highest in the Dolomites, one day after a record-high temperature of 10 degrees Celsius was recorded at the glaciers summit. Rescuers resumed the search for survivors after an avalanche set off by the collapse of the glacier. the largest in the Italian Alps, killed at least six people and injured eight others.
Going, going, gone?
In November 2022, a UNESCO report revealed that some of the world's most famous glaciers are set to disappear by 2050 due to global warming. Glaciers in a third of UN World Heritage sites will melt within three decades, the report said.
About 18,600 glaciers have been identified across 50 UN World Heritage sites. They represent almost 10% of the Earth's glacierised area and include some of the world's best-known glaciers, such as the Dolomites in Italy, the Yosemite and Yellowstone parks in the U.S. and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
The remaining glaciers in the other two thirds of UN World Heritage sites could be saved, but only if the world limits global warming to 1.5C the authors say.
Nun cho ga is here…
Miners working in the Yukon in northwestern Canada uncovered a frozen baby mammoth while excavating permafrost in July 2022. They named the animal "Nun cho ga." which means "big baby animal" in the local native language. Incidentally, this was not the only mammoth news of 2022.
Colossal Biosciences, which calls itself the world's first de-extinction company, stirred up a debate about bringing back the woolly mammoth to life.
Tut's discovery: A century on…
It is one hundred years since the British archaeologist Howard Carter (1874-1939) discovered the 3,000 year-old tomb of the "boy king" Tutankhamun, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. It was on Nov 1, 1922, that Carter began clearing a row of ancient stone huts, formerly used by workmen and close to a much larger tomb, rubble from which was strewn around the site it led to the discovery of not just the tomb, but some of the most priceless archeological wonders.
Picture Credit : Goog1e
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