Category Career Queries

Which U.S. president is known as the father of the United States of America?

No one deserves title ‘the father of the United States of America’ more than George Washington, a highly-respected hero of the American Revolution and one of the founders of the nation.

George Washington was one among the leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies and led the war for independence from Great Britain. He was also instrumental in building the framework of the government for the new United States of America upon republican principles, during the latter decades of the 18th century. He set enduring precedents for the office of president, including the title “Mr. President”.

Born in a planter family in Virginia in 1732, George Washington was raised to become a well-mannered Virginian gentleman with all the moral values of the time. He even served with the British army during the French and Indian Wars.

By 1775, the colonies were upset with the British as they had to pay huge amounts of taxes. George Washington was present at the Continental Congresses when leaders came together to discuss what could be done.

A colonial army was formed to fight the British as a result of the Continental Congresses of 1774, 1775 and 1776. George Washington was asked to take the command of the army. He took command on July 3, 1775 and the war lasted for six long years at the end of which he forced the British to surrender in Yorktown, with some help from the French allies.

In 1783, the British gave up their control over the colonies and America became a free country. Five years later, the new Constitution was approved. When the time came to elect a president to the newly formed nation – the United States of America, Washington was the man everybody trusted. George Washington served as the president for two terms from 1789 to 1797.

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What are the interesting facts of Grand Canyon in the U.S.?

How old is it?

No one really knows how old the Grand Canyon is. While it was earlier thought to be six million years old, around the time the Colorado river cut through the landscape, many believe the Canyon could date back as far as 70 million years. This thought came to the fore after a study released in the early 2010s suggested some of the rocks in the Canyon may have been eroded and exposed at the surface millions of years ago. However, the debate, on how old the Grand Canyon actually is, goes on.

Not the deepest canyon

Though it is one of the most popular gorges, and a natural wonder of the world, the Grand Canyon is not the deepest or the longest gorge. The average depth of the Canyon is 1.6 km and it stretches nearly 446 km. However, the Guinness Book of World Records states that the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in the Himalayas is the world’s longest and deepest canyon with its maximum depth reaching about 5,382 m and the canyon stretching nearly 496.3 km.

Experience different weather conditions

With an elevation spanning 2000 feet to 8000 feet, one can experience a variety of weather conditions at the Grand Canyon. With every 1000-feet loss in elevation at the Canyon, the temperature increases by 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hidden Caves

It is estimated that there are nearly 1,000 caves spread across the Grand Canyon. However, only 335 of them have been recorded and explored so far. Of the 335, only one cave, the Cave of the Domes on Horseshoe Mesa, is open to the public.

Beware the rock squirrel

The Grand Canyon is home to a large array of wildlife from the bighorn sheep and the Gila monster, to the California condor and Ridgway’s rail. But the most dangerous animal at the Canyon is the rock squirrel! Every year dozens of visitors to the Canyon are bitten by these animals when they try to feed them. Hence, one can find signs around the park asking people not to feed animals.

 

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What is net-zero emission?

The U.S. president-elect Joe Biden has declared that the U.S. will return to the Paris Agreement and vowed to reach net-zero emission by 2050. China has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Iceland and scores of other countries and corporates such as Pepsico have all set net-zero goals. A new study shows that climate disaster could be curtailed within a couple of decades if net-zero emissions are reached.

So, what does net-zero mean?

Do not be confused with the word ‘zero’. Net-zero emission does not necessarily mean reaching zero emission. Under a net-zero scenario, emissions will still be generated, but this emission must be removed from the atmosphere through measures such as reforestation and artificial carbon sequestering. In other words, net-zero means achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases put out into the atmosphere and those removed. The term “carbon-neutral” is sometimes used instead of net-zero, and they broadly mean the same thing. It’s not just countries that can achieve net-zero emissions, even a state, city, company or a single building can also strive to achieve net-zero emissions.

However, climate activists such as Greta Thunberg are demanding for zero emissions, meaning no emissions are produced in the first place.

How can net-zero be achieved?

  • By reducing the use of fossil fuels and by adopting renewable energy sources.
  • By developing energy-efficient technologies. 
  • By adopting massive reforestation or tree-planting measures.
  • By investing in technologies such as carbon sequestration that can remove carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide underground permanently and safely.

However, no technology or quantity of trees planted could offset the emissions currently generated globally, unless every country and every household is part of this solution.

 

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Loring and Schwerdt search for a virus

If the year 2020 taught us anything, it is to serve as a reminder that humanity isn’t all powerful and that we are just a tiny speck in the vast timeline of our universe. For not even in our wildest dreams would we have imagined that a virus would lockdown the majority of humankind at the same time.

The reason for this, as you obviously know, is the coronavirus. The disease might have been named COVID-19 for COronaVIrus Disease 2019, but the pandemic raged through 2020 and shows little signs of abating even now in 2021. This, despite the fact that a mountain load of human resources, on top of huge financial impetus, has been funnelled towards the cause of checking the spread of the disease.

Nature of the problem

In case you, or anyone around you, are wondering why it is taking us so long to find a fix, it is important to remember that that is indeed the nature of this problem. It isn’t the first one confronting us and a look at the poliovirus would illustrate it further.

Poliovirus is the causative agent of polio, a highly infectious disease that can totally paralyse a person in a few hours and is especially lethal against children under the age of five. If you ask the elders at your house, they would tell you that you too were administered a vaccine against the poliovirus as a child.

Our fight against the poliovirus, which is still ongoing, has spanned over decades. From affecting nearly 3,50,000 in over 125 countries even as recently as 1988, the numbers have dropped down to hundreds in the recent years. We have many people to thank along the way… Stanford scientists Hubert Scott Loring and Carlton Everett Schwerdt among them.

Loring’s laboratory

In the fall of 1939, with the world about to be embroiled in World War II, Professor Loring joined the faculty of the Stanford University Chemistry Department. His important research activities here took place in the early and mid-1940s.

Loring’s laboratory was characterised by a friendly atmosphere and subdued excitement. With his students, he was involved in two major areas during this time – the purification of the poliomyelitis virus and the structure and metabolism of ribonucleic acids.

Along with his student Schwerdt, Loring spent three years searching for the poliovirus. Their efforts led to the successful isolation of the Lansing strain of the poliovirus in 1946. Schwerdt completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry by the time their results were announced on January 10, 1947.

Tempers excitement

Loring and Schwerdt were able to obtain the virus with at least 80% purity. They were able to extract it from cotton rats, the only species then known to contract polio other than primates. Even though they had opened the door to further experimentation and the development of a vaccine against polio, Loring tempered the excitement, cautioning that the path ahead might still be long.

They were able to come up with a crude vaccine against polio in cotton rats later in 1947 before Schwerdt switched to the Virus Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley. Here, he was able to further improve both his techniques and the product.

Working alongside his colleagues at Berkeley, Schwerdt developed a method to purify the poliovirus and also photographed it for the first time in pure form in 1953. He was involved in crystallising the pure virus in 1955 and also purified all three known major strains of poliovirus in 1957.

Our journey towards a polio-free world continues, even as the COVID-19 pandemic tries to undo some of the great work already achieved. Polio survives among the world’s poorest and marginalised, and the lockdowns and restrictions imposed to curtail the spread of coronavirus has also hindered administering vaccines against polio and other diseases to those who need it.

The work done by Loring, Schwerdt and many others ensured that the polio vaccine was safe when it came about in the 1950s. We will have countless more to thank when effective vaccines against COVID-19 also become a part of our lives.

 

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What is the history of the Colosseum in Rome Italy?

1. A little history

A popular tourist site today and one of the world’s largest sporting arenas, the Colosseum was built between 72 AD and 80 AD by the Roman emperor Vespasian. Though construction started during the time of Vespasian, he did not live to see its completion. His son, Titus opened the arena. The Colosseum is built using stone and concrete and the manpower of tens and thousands of Jewish slaves.

The first-ever games at the Colosseum were held in 80 AD by Titus. It went on for 100 days straight

2. Largest amphitheatre in the world

The oval-shaped Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre in the world. It measures 189m long, 156m wide and 50m high. The arena was so big that it could fit a modern-day football pitch inside. The Colosseum had 80 entrances and could seat approximately 50,000 spectators at a time.

3. Free for all, mostly

Sporting events at the arena included gladiatorial combats, wild animal hunts and naval battles. These games continued to be held for centuries, with gladiatorial combats held till the fifth century, and wild animal hunts till the sixth Most the major events held at the Colosseum, which were often organised and paid for by the emperors, were free for spectators. Sometimes free food was also served to the spectators. Emperors did this to gain popularity and support from the public.

4. What’s underground?

There were numerous rooms and passages below the Colosseum. This is where the gladiators and the animals were kept before they were allowed entry into the arena. The Colosseum also had 36 trap doors for special effects during games.

5. A graveyard for animals

Along with other sporting events, Romans staged wild animal fights and hunts at the Colosseum. This left thousands of animals such as elephants, tigers, lions, bears and other exotic creatures wounded or dead.

 

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What are the opportunities in comic book industry?

The term comic book often brings to mind colourful images of gallant superheroes swooping in to save the day from the evil schemes of ghostly villians. But comic books can be more than just entertaining, they can offer a lucrative career path.

Comics are no longer limited to books and newspaper columns alone. Thanks to the popularity of graphic novels, manga and films-based on comic books, the industry is expanding and opening up myriad career options.

Who is a comic book artist?

A comic book artist illustrates books by drawing characters and scenes. Some artists also write stories and dialogue.

How it works

  • Storyboard artists: Artists with cinematography and editing knowledge are hired by production houses to draw up storyboards for films. A storyboard is illustrations displayed in a sequence for visualising a film.
  • Animated films: Professionals with a background in comics industry are roped in by animation studios to work on their projects and films.
  • Graphic novels: Many Indian writers have ventured into graphic novels. More and more original characters – especially those based on characters from Indian mythology – are emerging.
  • Commercial projects: Illustrating and creating mascots for sports teams. Ad agencies, restaurants and retail chains also hire comic book artists to reach out to customers using humour.

Required skills

One of the most important skills required in this profession is a vivid imagination. Comic book artists have to actively create new characters and worlds. Drawing skills are also equally essential. Writing for comic books requires additional skills. It requires you to understand the comic language, where pictures speak louder than words. So the writer must be a visual communicator.

What to study

Anyone with drawing skills and an imagination can become a comic book artist. Unlike other professions, a multifaceted background helps in this line. While a formal education is not always necessary for a career in this field, enrolling in an art school usually helps artists strengthen their skills. It can help them leam the basics and acquire a variety of different skills to add to their portfolio. You can major in animation, sequential art or illustration.

Where to study:

  • Venkateshwara Open University: Master of Arts (M.A.) in Drawing and Painting
  • College of Art, New Delhi: Diploma in Fine Arts
  • Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Drawing and Painting).
  • National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad: Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) and Master of Design (M. Des.)

Abroad:

  • Camberwell College of Arts, University of Arts, London: Short courses in Introduction to Illustration Online
  • Brighton University, the U.K.: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (Hons.) Illustration.

 

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