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Kitchen pantry cabinets | home Hardware Vanities

If you are not lucky enough to have a walk in pantry in your kitchen, then a kitchen pantry cabinet is a must for you. Pantry cabinets allow you to store and organize the various ingredients in the kitchen. Oftentimes, pantry is the most cluttered area in the kitchen with a melange of food ingredients. Due to this haphazard arrangement, many food items get mysteriously lost and are eventually discovered when you least expect them. A good solution to this problem would be a kitchen pantry cabinet, which can help you to stay organized. Given below are some kitchen pantry cabinet ideas. More on kitchen pantry ideas.

Kitchen Pantry Cabinet Ideas

Space is the foremost issue that needs to be addressed while designing kitchen pantry cabinets. If you can have a spare wall in the kitchen which can be shelved, then this could be an ideal pantry cabinet for your kitchen. Kitchen pantry cabinet sizes may vary considerably depending upon the available space. Given below are some popular kitchen pantry cabinet designs. More on choosing kitchen cabinets.

Open Cabinets
Open pantry cabinets are the most convenient of all. These kitchen cabinets have no doors and the shelves can be arranged according to your choice. If you must, you can install doors to only those shelves where you are likely to store things you would rather not have your visitors see. The biggest advantage of this design is that whatever you need is always right in front of your eyes. Another advantage is that people are more likely to keep it uncluttered since anyone who walks by the kitchen can easily see the mess.

Concealed Cabinets
If you are not comfortable with the idea of displaying your pantry items to errant visitors in your kitchen, you should probably go for this style. The idea is to match the hardware and doors with the existing cabinets so as to create a seamless appearance.

Slide Out Cabinets
If you cannot afford the luxury of having a large cabinet or a walk in closet, due to limited space in your kitchen, then this style is for you. Slide out cabinets are also called as pull out or rolling pantry cabinets. This type of pantry cabinets allow you to store a large number of things without occupying too much of space. Moreover, they can be snugly fitted in tight spaces in kitchen such as between the refrigerator and countertop.

Corner Cabinets
Corner cabinets is yet another style for space challenged kitchen. Oftentimes, the corners of the kitchen go waste due to lack of usage. The corner cabinets are designed such that they can perfectly fit into the narrow corners of the kitchen. This way you can put the wasted space to good use.

Glass Door Cabinets
If you have a very modern kitchen which flaunts a spic and span look, then you sure do not want to go for old bulky cabinets. Glass door cabinets are apt for such kitchens. However, if you are not okay with the clear view that glass doors offer, you might as well go for frosted glass doors.

Recycled Door Cabinets
If you are looking for something unique and trendy, go for recycled doors, which render an antique look to your kitchen cabinets. These doors can be found in stores that specialize in antique home décor parts. This is a sure shot way of adding a hint of old world charm to your kitchen.

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RAW SECURITY CAM Phoenix jewelry Store Robbery 1/5/09 – Each Perp Shot

General Knowledge Pt. XVII

 

What is terroir?

Terroir is a French term that means soil or earth and is generally used to refer to all the physical and environmental characteristics in and around a particular vineyard that influence the quality of wine — climate, soil composition and geographical location. Without a direct English equivalent, terroir specifically refers to the consistent, distinctive qualities in wine that are not the results of the variety of the grape or the skills of the grower and winemaker.

What is sabre-raifling?

Sabre-rattling is an idiomatic phrase that originated in the early 20th century when an officer would threaten to draw his sabre. It usually refers to a flamboyant display of military power or as an implied threat like a company threatening another with a lawsuit.

What are heartwood and sapwood?

Wood is, in fact, the secondary xylem formed by cambium (layers of tissues) during secondary growth. As the tree grows old, the wood at the centre ceases to perform the function of conduction and is blocked with organic compounds like oil, resins, and tannins, and develops a dark colour. This darkcoloured portion of the wood is called heartwood. The peripheral, light-coloured, better water-conducting wood is called sapwood.

What was austria’s currency before the euro was introduced?

From 1924 to 1938 and between 1945 to 1999, Austria’s currency was the schilling, which was divided into 100 groschen. Thereafter, the euro replaced the schilling.

What’s special about the encoded cylinder?

The encoded cylinder refers to the Cyrillic Projector sculp ture by American artist James Sanborn which was created in the early 1990s. The 32-character Cyrillic alphabet has been used on it with the Russ ian word for ‘shadow’ — TEHb — appearing several times.

What is the big read?

It is an initiative of the National Endowment for the arts of America designed to encourage book reading among citizens. The literature in focus is on American popular culture. The National Endowment has partnered the Institute of Museum and Library Services and arts Midwest. Support for the Big Read is given by the W K Kellogg Foundation and a grant by the Paul G Alien family Foundation.

How old is tintin?

Tintin is 80 — he was created in post-war France by Belgian artist Georges Remi, who took the name of Herge. Tintin is a Belgian reporter, and has a faithful fox terrier called Snowy. The comic series first appeared on January 10,1929, in a Belgian newspaper and was a hit with children. Later, Herge added the popular Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, the two incompetent detectives, Thomson an4 Thompson and the opera singer Bianca Castafiore.

What is zorbing?

Zorbing is an extreme adventure sport involving a ball made of PVC, also called the zorb. The person, or persons,in case of ‘group zorbing’, getsinside and the ball is closed. Itis then rolled down a hill. There are two ways to zorb: one involves getting wet.

What is the devil quartet?

The devil or ‘evil quartet’ is a sobriquet used to describe four major causes that have led to the accelerated rate of extinction of species. These causes have been attributed mainly to human activities like extensive deforestation and poaching.

Which is the oldest civilization?

The Sumerian civilization is the oldest civilization known to mankind. The term ‘Sumer’ is today used to designate southern Mesopotamia. In 3,000 BC, a flourishing urban civilization existed. China is the oldest surviving civilization.

What is meant by “ceteris paribus’?

‘Ceteris paribus’ is a Latin phrase that means “with other things the same”. Ceteris paribus clauses are widely used in economics to simplify formulation and description of economic outcomes.

What is the governor’s ball at the academy awards?

The Governor’s Ball at the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood is its concluding event, and a celebration for the around 1,500 invitees, winners, nominees and other guests.

What is seaflux?

It is a study of the changes in oceans and its waves affected by momentum, heat and quantum of water. It involves creation of comparable datasets and constant observation of the effect of heat and momentum on the ocean front.

What is a sungrazer?

When comets break up, smaller comets and sungrazers are formed. As these approach the sun, they break into smaller fragments before colliding into it. Sungrazers are classified into families and the largest is the Kreutz family with over 500 sungrazers.

Why are zodiac signs named after animals?

The term ‘zodiac’ stands for animals. However, all zodiac signs do not represent animals, like Libra is represented by a balance. Astrologically and astronomically, zodiac signs are representative of various pattern formed by stars.

What does ‘jack of all trades’ mean?

‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ is a figure of speech used for a person who is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any particular one. The phrase was in common use during the 1600s and was used as a term of praise. ‘Jack’ in those days was a generic term for ‘man’.

What is kosher rating?

By definition, Kosher is food prepared according to Orthodox Jewish law. Kosher rating is an internationally accepted symbol of purity and quality that is both recognized and respected throughout the world. To achieve this qualitymark, arabbi froma certified laboratoryis required toinspect the processing facilities, the formula of the stabilization method, the manufacturing process and all the ingredients in the products. The standard set are high and rigidly adhered to. Many religious groups throughout the world, especially the Jewish faith, perceive the Kosher mark as an accepted measure of high quality.

Why is the black sea called so?

In ancient times, colours were assigned to the cardinal directions — with black referring to the north. The Black Sea is an inland sea bou nd by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. It was also called “inhospitable” (dark area, black) before Greek colonization, because it was difficult to navigate, and because its shores were inhabited by savage tribes. The waters of the Black Sea appear darker than the Mediterranean because of its hydrogen sulphide layer that begins about 200 metres below the surface and supports a uniciue microbial population which produces black sediments.

What is astrobiology?

A branch of astronomy that deals with the identification of habitable regions in the universe, the search for extraterrestrial life and effects of outer space environments on living organisms. It is the study of the origin and distribution of life in the universe. Astrobiology makes use of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, molecular biology, ecology, planetary science, geography and geology to investigate the possibility of life in other worlds.

What is the benga blast?

Benga is the predominant style of popular music in Kenya performed in Swahili. It combines indigenous dance rhythms with guitar music. Daniel Owino Misiani was a musician from Kenya and was known as the “the grandfather of Benga”. In 1989, D.O. Misiani and Shirati Band produced an album called Benga Blast! This was a compilation of older material and two additional tracks, Meg Nyangiand Augustine Opiyo Ochino.

What is kangaroo touch?

Kangaroo touch is a technique used to encourage skin-to-skin contact between a newborn, usually premature baby and its mother as this touch is believed to keep it healthy It is also encouraged between siblings. The name comes from the way kangaroos hold their young in their pouches. Kangaroo touch or care is now increasingly promoted in hospitals for the many benefits the mother‘s warmth provides to the baby. It was initially developed to care for pre-term infants the way an incubator would in areas where it was not available.

What is a time capsule?

A time capsule is a cache of goods/information created to serve as a mode of communication with people in the future. These may include archaeologists, anthropologists or historians. The capsules are sometimes buried at sites where events are held. The term has been used since about 1939. There are two types of capsules: intentional and unintentional. Intentional time capsules are placed somewhere deliberately, to be accessed at a particular future date. Unintentional capsules are usually archaeological in nature.

Why does a bull react violently to the colour red?

It is the movement of the cloth that makes the bull react violently as like most mammals, the bull too is colourblind and cannot be affected by the colour of the cloth. When a matador moves a cloth (irrespective of the colour) in front of the bull, it perceives the movement as a threat and is angered, and as a result, reacts violently

What is the Cinderella effect?

The Cinderella effect is a term used by psychologists to describe the high incidence of stepchildren being physically or sexually abused, neglected or murdered, or otherwise mistreated at the hands of their step parents at a significantly higher rate than their genetic counterparts. It takes its name from the character Cindrella from the fairytale, who in the story was cruelly treated by her stepmother and stepsisters.

What is the origin of the term manhole?

The term manhole originated between 1785 and 1795. A manhole is a hole, usually with a round cover, through which a person may enter a sewer, drain, steam boiler, etc, especially one located in a city street. The word is a Combination of two words man and ‘hole”. However in today‘s era of gender neutrality, some would argue that any use of the word ‘man’ in manhole is biased and should be avoided.

Who are the Berbers?

Berbers are the indigenous people of North Africa. They were made up of many tribes but had managed to retain their culture, Hamitic language and considerable military power during successive invasions of their land. Some berbers were christian, some Jewish and some maintained their polytheist religion before being converted to Islam by the Arabs. The Berbers once occupied the entire stretch of land along the coast of Libya and Tunisia through Algeria, up to Morocco.

What is edupunk?

It is an education reform movement in which traditional methods teaching are set aside for a self-study approach, involving online technology — through virtual classrooms, downloadable tools and free learning material — as the favoured mode for education People taking to edupunk believe in a do-it-yourself approach and many are driven to this sort of low-cost, even free education, by a troubled economy. While free lectures and online classes may not give one a degree, they can educate effectively.

What is a cloud burst?

A cloud burst is a form of torrential rainfall accompanied by hail and thunder. It is usually observed in high altitude areas and occurs due to the formation of a low pressure area on the top of a mountain. The low pressure zone attracts clouds to the top of the mountain with great force. When they hit the peak, the moisture content is released in the form of rain. The state of Himachal Pradesh witnesses the most number of cloud bursts. Valleys affected by cloud bursts are generally strewn with huge boulders brought down by the rain. Cloud bursts mainly occur in the Himalayas and can cause ramfall of up to 75 mm per hour.

What is the origin of the word —nat’?

In the United Kingdom, Australia and many other parts of the world, the word ‘flat’ is used to mean an apartment or a house. It is derived from the Scottish word ‘fief which means the interior of a house. In Old English, flet means house or floor. The word flat may also be linked to the “flatness” of the abode.

What are lemon laws and why are they called so?

Lemon laws are American state laws that provide a remedy for purchasers of cars as compensation for vehicles that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance. These cars are called lemons. The federal lemon law protects citizens of all states. State lemon laws vary from state to state and need not necessarily cover used or leased cars. The rights afforded to consumers by lemon laws may exceed the warranties expressed in purchase contracts.

Why do men’s shirts have buttons on the left side while women’s shirts have them on the right?

The rationale dates back to over a century: men’s buttons are on the left because men have always tended to dresK rhemseives and most men (and women, for that matter) are right handed. Women’s buttons are on the right side because years ago they re lied on their maids to help them get dressed. They would be right-hand ed and so when dressing someone else up would prefer to have the but tons on their right side (the left side of the garment).

What is an artificial coral?

Corals are porous marine animals that live at the bottom of the ocean. Coral attaches to a strong foundation and then grows to create a coral reef. Coral are naturally vibrant and colourful An artificial coral reef is a human made underwater structure, typically built for the purpose of promoting marine life. Artificial reefs also improve hydrodynamics and help control beach erosion. Making artificial coral also adds colour to an aquarium.

Who is a ghetto parent?

A bad parent is a ghetto parent — someone who does not care for, abuses and hits, and fails to give a good education and upbringing to his or her child. Basically, it is a style of parenting in which the parent has the mindset of those living in a ghetto. But there are many who shrink from using the term ‘ghetto’ as it has racist and class connotations. Actually, a rich and educated person can also be a ghetto parent.

What is the gene revolution?

The gene revolution is the application of bio-technology in food production. It is of great potential to farmers as it provides them with disease-free planting material and develops crops that resist pests and diseases, reducing use of chemicals that harm the environment and human health. It can provide diagnostic tools and vaccines that help control devastating animal diseases. It can also improve the nutritional quality of staple foods such as rice and create new products for health and industrial uses.

What is a cogwheel train?

A cogwheel train is a train fitted with one or more cogwheels, which mesh with the toothed rail-rack, running usually between the normal rails. The system, operating on rack and pinion arrangement, is used in regions where trains operate on steep heights within a short span of time. Most cogwheel railways are mountain railways, although a few are transit railways 6r tramways, built to overcome a steep gradient in an urban environment. The first cog railway was Middleton Railway, UK. Now it is a major tourist attraction of Jungfraujoch, Switzerland.

What is green accounting?

The term ‘green accounting’ hasn’t yet been fully defined. Most agree, however, that in order for a business to be able to reduce its carbon footprint, it must first be able to measure it. Then, once the size of the carbon footprint is known, a business must be able to report the data to regulators, taxation officials, carbon credit trading organizations and other relevant parties. energy-reliant manufacturers and power-generating utilities feel the most pressure to embrace green accounting, but companies in nearly all business sectors can expect to do so at some level within the next few years.

What is a kangaroo court?

A kangaroo court describes sham judicial proceedings which are conducted without giving the rights of defence to the accused by invoking the expediency clause. In this process, prosecution cases are taken up without witnesses and cross-examination. As the trial proceeds by leaps like a kangaroo, it is known as kangaroo court. It may also mean punishing players in sports with fines for coming late and other minor mistakes. Fines collected are given to charity.

Why is the Forbidden City called so?

The Forbidden City, also known as Palace Museum, is a walled section of Beijing located right at its centre, enclosing the Imperial Palace, formerly the residence of the emperor of China. The ‘Forbidden City’ is the English equivalent of the Chinese name ‘Zijin Cheng’ — Jin meaning forbidden, with reference to the fact that no one could enter or leave the walled city or Cheng, without the emperor’s permission. Built in the early 15th century with over 1,000 buildings and a large collection of ancient wood structures, it is now a major tourist at- traction and has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

What is a chop shop?

It is slang for an illegal business or unit where stolen cars or other goods are disassembled and then sold. The other meaning stands for businesses whose products, services or equipment are of questionable quality. The term gained currency when US Senator Charles Schumer used it for Infosys and other IT companies, in context of the US losing jobs. Chop shop can also mean a brokerage that sells fraud non-existent equities. It is used colloquially for shops run by butchers or barbers.

Where is ‘magnetic’ hill in India?

India’s magnetic hill is located close to Leh and is alleged to have magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill. Locals and Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel claim that aircraft passing through the area have to fly at a greater speed to avoid the pull the hill has on the aircraft in order to avoid its radius which could cause the aircraft to jerk. Vehicles allegedly move uphill even with the engines off. There are similar magnetic hills in Mocton in Canada and New Brunswick in the USA.

What is a digital pet?

A digital or virtual pet is an artificial human companion that exists only in hardware. Interaction with the pet may or may not be goal-oriented. If interaction with virtual pets is goal-oriented then the user must keep it alive and even help it to grow by ‘feeding’, grooming and playing with it. If the interaction is not goal-oriented, the user can focus solely on building a relationship with it. There are digital pet cemeteries where, after the use of the pet, the owner can lay it to rest.

How did the *$’ symbol originate?

The origin of the dollar symbol ($) actually comes from the handwritten ‘ps’, an abbreviation for ‘peso’ in old Spanish-American books. The word ‘dollar’ has been derived from the Flemish or Low German word daler (in German taler or thaler), short for Joachimstaler, referring to a coin from the silver mines of Joachimstal in Bohemia. It was adopted as the name of the US currency unit in the late 18th century Some believe it is US, with the S written over U with a flourish.

Why don’t we sneeze while we are sleeping?

Sneezing is a normal physiological phenomenon caused by irritation in the nasal membrane. This may be due to an infection, allergy to pollens, dust or smoke. While sleeping, we do not sneeze because the reticular process — a part of brain that controls sleep, does not allow many stimuli, including that of a sneeze, to come into the central nervous system.

What is pina?

Pina in Spanish means pineapple, the fruit. A cocktail called pina colada, made with pineapple, rum, and coconut milk, is a common drink in Cuba and Puerto Rico. In the Philippines, the fibre extracted from the leaves of the pineapple plant is used for making textile fabric called pina. Pina fabric is known for its lustrous white colour, lightness, stiffness, and transparency. It is used for making table linen, bags and mats.

What is future mail?

Future mail is a facility through which a person can send a letter — even to oneself — in the future. The sender can choose the time and date of delivery and the letter will reach the address at that particular time. Beside letters, future emails can also be sent sometimes as reminders to oneself. While email is all about speed and in stant messaging, this facility can be timed. Many find this the best way to capture feelings and freeze them. Future mail business is especially picking up in China where service agencies deliver letters, flowers and gifts in the future.

What is the Bridge of Sighs?

The Bridge of Sighs, in Venice, Italy, houses two overlapping corridors and was built at the beginning of the 17th century. It served as a link between the Old Prisons and the New Prisons in the Doge’s Palace situated beyond the Palazzo river. The name ‘Bridge of Sighs’ is an invention of Romantic literature: Legend has it that from this bridge one could hear the sighs of the condemned as they were led to prison.

What is the origin of the copyright symbol?

The copyright symbol originated in the US copyright law, according to which a work was required to have a proper copyright notice. Without this notice, the work would not be protected by copyright. The copyright symbol is C in a circle or), and its original meaning is to indicate that copyright has been obtained for the work on which it is displayed.

What is a cosmic microwave?

Just after the birth of the universe, the atmosphere was extremely dense and glowing white hot. Through the ages, the universe has been cooling — a process that is still going on. Light waves from a very distant part of the early universe reached the earth, making it possible to see the glow. However, since the universe is still expanding, the frequency of the waves of visible light changes to microwave frequency This occurs due to the relative motion of either the source or receiver of the waves or both, with respect to each other. These waves, originating in the early stage of the cosmos, are cosmic microwaves.

What is fat Tuesday?

fat Tuesday (also known as Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday among other names) is the name given to the last day of epiphany or the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent? The word Fat (Gras in French) referred to the ritual of eating sugary fat-filled foods before Lent, when rich foods are given up. In some customs, it refers to the entire season of epiphany where practices like wearing masks and costumes, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc were held before the fasting and religious obligations of Lent. Fat Tuesday is also Mardi Gras, the festival in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Who invented soap bubbles?

The history of soap bubbles is as old as that of soap. But bubbles are no longer simply soap and water. Invented by Taiwanese bubble solution expert Jackie Lin, the top-secret solution contains a polymer that allows bubbles to resist evaporation. The polymer reacts with air to harden three to four seconds after a bubble is blown. With little or no disturbance, the bubbles can last as long as 10 days and can be caught with dry hands without popping.

What is latte art?

It is art in a coffee cup — the pattern is formed when milk and shots of espresso are poured into a cup of coffee. It could get a designer touch, depending on the expertise of the person serving it. This art could take the form of a creamy-looking heart, a flower, leaves, even cartoon faces, anything which can fit into the cup. All the artist needs is the espresso machine and a deft hand. Latte art takes its name from the Italian caffelatte, meaning coffee-milk.

Why is a theatre screen called silver screen?

Since the advent of films in the early 1900s, theatres have been trying to optimize their viewing quality During the 1920s, movie producers began to incorporate silver because of its reflective qualities, which delivered a better image. Eventually the use of silver lenticular screens would fall out of fashion as alternatives became available. But because of the early prevalence of silver in the production of screens, the term “silver screen” stuck.

Why are the Nazca drawings one of the great mysteries of archaeology?

In the hot deserts of southwest Peru are some immense, mysterious drawings called geoglyphs. Huge geometric patterns, spirals and figures of animals, and thousands of straight lines are immaculately drawn on the desert surface. Known as the Nazca Lines, after the Nazca Indians who lived there in ancient times, the drawings have mystified scientists ever since they were discovered in the 1920s. From the ground level, the drawings seem like a confused mass of lines. Only when viewed from the air, they convey a definite pattern. Scientists feel they could represent an astronomical calendar, or were part of a religious ritual.

Which plant has the biggest seed in the plant kingdom?

The nut of the coco de mer, also called giant fan palm, double coconut, Seychelles nut, or Maldive coconut, is considered to be the biggest nut in the entire plant kingdom. It is the size of a coconuty and weighs around 27 kg. The alm is found only in the islands of Praslin and Curieuse of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and its botanical name is Lodoicea Maldivica. It is a rare species. The nuts were well-known as they were always floating in the sea around Seychelles, but their source was discovered only in 1768.

What is cruel accounting?

There are two methods of maintaining accounts of a business enterprise, namely cash method and accrual method. In cash method, revenues/expenses are taken into account only when hard cash has been received/paid. In accrual method of accounting, revenues are recognized the moment goods or services are pr(|Mg

vided. Both revenue and expenses are

recorded, regardless of income or out go in terms of cash. The accrual method provides better matching of income and expenditure than cash method, but is complicated, errorprone and costly No wonder people call it cruel accounting.

What is a scale model?

A scale model is a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller in size. Its size is proportionate to the original size of the object that it represents. The proportion is often shown in some ratio eg 1:10, which means one inch of scale model is equivalent to 10 inches of original object. Very often, the scale model is smaller than the original and is used to represent an original object, an imagination or model for an upcoming project. Scale models are built for many cars, buildings, landscapes and huge projects.

What is cybertecture?

It is architecture in another form, the creation of living and working spaces which are a harmonious blend of technology, multimedia, intelligent systems and user interactivity. These spaces can be customized and the residents can claim to be the world’s most connected community. Cybertecture even allows a person to select preferred background music. One such cyberstructure is coming up on an area of 32,000 square metres in Mumbai called the Cybertecture Egg. It will have 13 floors of offices, and include a feature to monitor occupants’ health, besides virtual scenery which can be changed.

What was Indian mythological figure Rishyashringa or Shringirishi famous for?

Shringirishi, son of rishi Vibhandak and descendant of Lord Brahma, was a noble rishi. He was famous for performing Puttreshthi and Parjanya yagna. He performed Parjanya yagna to the rain god to help King Rompad overcome famine in his kingdom, Ang Desh (Bihar). On an invitation from rishi Vashishtha, he performed the uttreshthi yagna for King Dasharath, and four sons — Rama, Laxman, Bharat, and Shatrughna — were born to him. It is believed Rishyashringa led the way for the Mahanadi river from Sihoba, Chhattisgarh and em- phasized water management. There are 64 temples and ashrams dedicated to him.

How did the term French leave originate?

French leave primarily means taking leave without permission from work. Some believe it is meant to convey the act of leisurely desertion from a military unit. Being away on leave from one’s post or duties has its roots in the 17th century and does not so much have its origins in cowardice but in a French custom of leaving a party without saying goodbye or thanking the hosts. The term is still in use in the Indian Navy for sailors who overstay on land.

What is crowdfunding?

The crowdfunding approach has its precedent in charity. It is inspired by crowd sourcing, that describes the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money together, usually via the internet, to support efforts by other people. Crowdfunding occurs for purposes like disaster relief, artistes seeking support from fans and political campaigns. Crowdfunding is now receiving attention from both commercial and social entrepreneurs, as social media, online communities and micropayment technology make it straightforward to secure donations from potentially interested supporters at very low cost.

What is guerrilla advertising?

Guerrilla advertising encompasses all forms of non traditional methods of communication. They can be open and honest like environmentally friendly high-impact street advertising or subversive like supermar kets pumping up the smell of fresh bread at the entrance. Guerrilla advertising is exposure that is unconventional and unexpected. It can be anything from street teams in costume to abnormal promotional exhibits to provocative street poster campaigns. Basically, guerilla advertising can be anything that is not used on a mass scale already.

What is the Sidewalk Catwalk?

The Sidewalk Catwalk is an unorthodox fashion show on display from June 24 to September 3. The show has a collection of 33 mannequins; each dressed by a designer and is staged on the streets of the Garment District in New York.

Who is the Omega man?

The Omega man is an ordinary, nextdoor, happy-go-lucky chap, who may or may not have a regular job, prefers to stay with his parents, and likes to stay single. He has no qualms about cooking his meals and doing his laundry The Omega man is the antithesis of the Alpha male. He does not set any goals for himself and stays out of the rat race. Yet, he does not consider this trait less masculine. This new-age man is finding voice in today’s movies.

What are cookies in computer language?

A cookie is a text string that is included with Hypertext Transfer Protocol requests and responses. Cookies are used to maintain information as you navigate different pages on a website or return to the website at a later time. Cookies cannot be used to run code (programmes) or deliver viruses to your computer. One of their primary purposes is to provide a convenience feature that you can use to save time — it tells the web server that you have returned to the page. If you personalize web pages or register for products and services, a cookie helps the page server recall your specific information, like billing address, shipping address.

Why do tornadoes usually spin anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere?

The spin in the two hemispheres is explained by the coriolis effect, which states that the earth, when viewed from the poles, rotates anti-clockwise in the northern, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Hence, thunderstorms (which usually travel from the equator to the poles) tend to veer to their left in the northern and right in the southern hemisphere. Tornadoes which occur in a particular area tend to inherit their spin from the direction of the prevailing winds, but this phenomenon is evident in only in large tornadoes.

What is albedo?

Albedo is a term used in reflectivity It is derived from Latin and means ‘whiteness’. The albedo of an object is a measure of how strongly it reflects light from sources like the sun. It is given as a number from 0 (dark) to 1 (bright). It is the ratio of total reflected to incident electromagnetic radiation, and is an important expression used in climatology, astronomy, computer graphics and computer vision.

Is smoking hookah better than smoking cigarettes?

It is a myth that smoking a hookah is safer than smoking cigarettes because hookah smoke is filtered through water before it is inhaled. Recent studies have found that hookah smokers actually inhale more nicotine than cigarette smokers because of the massive volume of smoke they inhale. A recent World Health Organization advisory laid that a typical one-hour hookah session exposes the user to 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette. Even after passing through water, the smoke produced contains high levels of toxic corn pounds, including carbon monoxide heavy metals and carcinogens.

What is the Albertopolis?

Albertopolis is the nickname for the area around South Kensington in London, between Cromwell Road and Kensington Gore, which contains a large number of educational and cultural sites, including Imperial College, London, natural history Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Royal College of Art, Royal College of Music, Royal Geographical Society, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Albert Memorial.

What is neurolaw?

Neurolaw is a new discipline that studies the effect of neuroscientific evidence on law and legal cases. It also sets standards as to how neuroscience should be used in relation to the legal system. It is believed that neurolaw could play a more decisive role in cases involving rape and murder, where detection of the truth becomes im- perative. Proponents of neurolaw say neuroscience could have a huge impact on guilt, quantum of punishment, and detection of lies and biases.

What is a hermit crab?

The hermit crab is a type of crab that doesn’t have a very hard shell. Since its shell is not strong enough, it uses old shells of other animals for protection, especially that of old whelk. This habit of living in a second-hand shell gives rise to the popular name ‘hermit’ crab. Most hermit crab species live on the ocean floor, though there are many that live on land. Female terrestrial hermit crabs must return to the sea to breed. Hermit crabs are invertebrates, omnivores, and scavengers.

What is a banana problem?

The term comes from the story of the little girl who said, “I know how to spell ‘banana’, I just don’t know when to stop”. The banana problem basically means not knowing where or when to stop. It is usually used in computer programming when an algorithm with improper termination commands leads to repetition. It also applies to a web design, which is subjected to feature creep or the rapid expansion of features which complicate the simple design.

What is Operation Smile?

Based in Norfolk, Virginia (USA), Operation Smile is a non-profit medical charity NGO with branches in more than 50 countries, including India, providing remedial surgeries to children with cleft lips and cleft palates. Established in 1982 by Dr William Magee and Kathleen S Magee, Operation Smile organizes international volunteer missions, coordinates training for physicians and helps host countries in treating these medical complications. Operation Smile* has provided free cure to nearly 1,50,000 children and young adults across the world.

Who invented the kite and when?

No one knows exactly how or who invented the first kite. It is thought that the earliest use of kite s was among the Chinese, approximately 2,800 years ago. The kite was said to be the invention of the famous 5th century BC Chinese philosophers Mozi and Lu Ban. By 549 AD, paper kites were being flown — in that year a paper kite was used as a message for a rescue mission. Ancient and mediaeval Chinese sources list other uses of kite for measuring distances, testing the wind, lifting men, signalling, and military communication.

What is the White Revolution?

In India, Gujarat and Rajasthan has excess production as compared to local consumption of milk. In 1970, the National Dairy Development Board initiated activities like building veterinary centres, milk chilling centres, processing plants and strengthened the milk cooperative movement based on Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL). This was done through Operation Flood, with aid from the Food and Agriculture Organisation in the form of butter oil and milk powder. This ushered in the White Revolution in India, making it the world’s largest milk producing country.

What is a nap pod?

A nap pod is a sleep chair designed like a cocoon to allow office-goers a power nap. Companies are opting for nap pods as part of their furniture, as a cat nap is being increasingly believed to refresh a person and increase productivity. The chairs are designed ergonomically to improve blood supply to the back and head; the cocoon-like structure keeps out office noise. There is also an alarm to wake up the sleeper.

What are transparent soaps made of?

Transparent soaps are made of glycerin, and are partly soap and partly solvent. Sodium hydroxide causes crystals to form in soap, which is why the soap becomes opaque. In order to make it transparent, the soap has to be dissolved in enough solvent to make the crystals so small that light passes freely through, making the soap look transparent. There is no magic number when it comes to the quantity of solvent required. A good way to find the right quantity of solvents is to start by calculating a 60:40 soap-solvent ratio and then changing it to a 50:50 soap-solvent ratio.

How does a computer or laptop keep track of time even when it is switched off?

A desktop PC has a lithium cell or battery (the same is used in digital diaries) called a BIOS cell inside the CPU, and attached to the motherboard, which keeps track of time even after the computer is powered down, whereas in laptops, the battery of the laptop itself is used to keep track of time. This battery also saves the settings required during a boot operation.

What is carnival glass?

Carnival glass is pressed glass, meaning that hot molten glass which may or may not contain colour of its own is poured into metal moulds and conforms to their shape. While the glass is still hot, various solutions of metallic salts are sprayed onto the surface and the piece is reheated. The result is a piece of iridescent glassware with a rainbow-hued finish. Many pieces of carnival glass feature a distinctive marigold colour with random swirls of other colours strewn throughout the glass. Carnival glass originated as a glass called Iridill, produced in 1908 by the Fenton Art Glass Company. Iridill was inspired by the fine blown art glass of makers like Tiffany and Steuben, but Fenton sold it cheap. They were used as carnival prizes and thus the name.

What is the origin of the term chutzpah?

The word chutzpah entered the English language in the late 19th century It is supposed to have been derived from khutspe, belonging to the Yiddish language Khuptse means impudence or gall. Khuptse itself was derived from the Hebrew word hutspah. Today, chutzpah means supreme self-confidence, courage bordering on arrogance, audacity or nerve. The words chutzpa, hutzpah and hutzpa are its variants.

What is Germany’s official name?or gall

Because of Germany’s geographic position in the centre of Europe and its long history as a disunited region of distinct tribes and states, it has many varying names in different languages, perhaps more than for any other European nation. For example, in German, the country is known as Deutschland, in French as Allemagne, and in Polish as Niemcy However, the official name of Germany is Bundesrepublik Deutschland. It is also known as the Federal Republic of Germany.

What is a halfalogue?

It is half a dialogue. For a person lis- tening in on a phone conversation, only half is audible. This audible half is termed halfalogue. Those who listen in — or are forced to simply because they happen to be in the vicinity — on such conversations generally find a halfalogue irritating. But a one-sided conversation usually piques a person’s interest into overhearing what is being said.

Who is a soul surfer?

The first published mention of soul surfer was in 1963, in an instrumen-tal ‘Soul Surfer’ by Southern Californian surf guitarist Johnny For-tune. It was intended to harness the popularity of the ‘soul’ movement in music, m 1969, theologian Tom Blake’s ‘Voice of the Wave’ examined the re-

ligious elements of surfing. The Soul Surfer expresses himself through his unity with the breaking wave, using his body to translate the essence of the wave’s spirit into art with no care for fame.

What is a bonobo?

The bonobo (pan paniscus) is a great ape most closely related to the chimpanzee. It is the least known of the great apes because it lives in a remote rain-forest region of central Africa, and was identified as a species only in 1933. Because of the similar morphological traits (physical appearance) between bonobos and humans, some anthropologists consider the bonobo to be the best living prototype for the common ancestor of humans.

What is the ‘Thor’s Hammer’?

Mjollnir is the hammer of Thor, a major god associated with thunder in Norse mythology. Distinctively shaped, Mjollnir is depicted as one of the most fearsome weapons, capable of levelling mountains. Thor is associated with strength and the protection of mankind. Ultimately stemming from Proto-Indo-European religion, Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples.

How did the handshake originate?

The origin of the handshake is difficult to specifically determine. Herbert Spencer in his book “The Principles of Sociology”* mentions that two Arabs met in a desert, accepting that they wouldn’t kiss each other’s hand and only clasp it, as kissing was consid ered an insult. A more practical ori gin comes from mediaeval Europe, where kings and knights would extend and grasp each other’s hand as a demonstration that they did not pos sess concealed weapons and intended no harm to each other.

From which language is the term ‘gymnastics‘ derived?

The term ‘gymnastics‘ is derived from the Greek word ‘gymnos’, meaning to exercise naked, a rule that applied in ancient Greece to all exercises practised in the gymnasium by male athletes. It was done so as to increase an appreciation of the male body and as a tribute to the gods. Of the modern events currently considered to be gymnastics, only tumbling and a primitive form of vaulting were known then.

What is email apnea?

Email apnea is the stress caused by the inability to process emails and connect even as mails flood the inbox. It is marked by a suspension of breathing, shallow breathing or hyperventilating while checking mail. Researcher Linda Stone coined this term after realizing that many people go through this process every morning, the mind whirling from mail to mail, filing, forwarding etc. She also found the effect of this kind of apnea on general health to be negative in the long term.

— Sanjay Singh, Bhopal

What is time dilation?

In the theory of special relativity the slowing down of a clock as determined by an observer who is in relative motion with respect to that clock, is called time dilation. In this phenomenon, a person finds a clock (or other time device) similar or identical to their own, ticking at a slower pace, making the observer believe that time has “slowed down” for the other clock but in reality, tune passes at a constant rate. For example, as a spacecraft approaches, to an observer on earth, if he watches the clock on a spacecraft, it will seem that the clock is ticking slower than their own, as a result of relative motion.

What is marketing myopia?

The term was first used by Theodore Levitt, an economist and editor of Harvard Business Review, who is also famous for the term ‘globalization’. Management gurus define marketing myopia as a company’s short-sighted, ternporary or narrow-minded approach while marketing their product. Companies need to adapt themselves to the changing market. When a firm changes its marketing focus from customer to its product or the company itself, it is also called myopia. A classic example is Hindustan Motors, which failed to change with the economy

How is market size calculated?

Market size refers to the total revenue generated through the sales of a par- ticular good or commodity The most basic methodology is to multiply customer base with its wallet share for a typical customer. For instance, to calculate market size of toothpaste in India, we need to find the product of the number of toothpaste buyers across India with the price of toothpaste. A more accurate estimate can be found by segmenting the customer base as per income or geography, as they dictate the money spent on a particular commodity

What is the anti-sense gene?

The term anti-sense comes from the fact that messenger RNA is synthesized from one of the two strands of the DNA double helix — that strand is called the template, or sense strand. The complementary strand of DNA is called the anti-sense strand. The two DNA strands— sense and anti sense -—are complementary toeach other and form a double helix. The two RNA strands produced from these DNA strands are also complementary When bound into a double helix, the RNA strands cannot function to produce proteins.

How is the date of Buddha’s birthday celebration determined?

Traditionally Buddha’s birthday is known as Vesak or Visakah Puje Vesak is the major Buddhist festivel of the year as it celebrates the birth enlightenment and death of the Bud dha on the one day, the first full moon day of the sixth month of the Bud

dhist lunar calendar, or the fourth month of the Chinese calendar or in May, (except in a leap year when the festival is held in June). This celebration is called Vesak, the name of the month in the Indian calendar.

What is sunlighting?

A take-off from moonlighting — which means taking up a second job in the evening — sunlighting means taking time off from one’s day job to fit in other work and be paid for it. Sunlighting has a slightly adverse meaning: a person takes up a second job, and it begins interfering with the first job. Sometimes, moonlighting stretches into the day, and turns into sunlighting.

What is sweat equity?

The phrase ‘sweat equity’ refers to equity shares given to the company’s employees on favourable terms, in recognition of their work. With sweat equity, employees become part owners and participate in the profits, apart from earning salaries. The Companies Act defines ‘sweat equity shares’ as shares issued to employees or directors at a discount, for providing knowhow or making available intellectual property rights or value additions.

What is a super galaxy?

A galaxy is a group of large number of stars in the sky which have generally the same origin of evolution, such as our Milky Way. A galaxy may contain billions of stars. A cluster of galaxies, which may have up to 10 or even more galaxies is called a local group. Clusters of galaxies are known as a super galaxy, or a super cluster. This may have up to 50 or even 1,000 galaxies. The Milky Way is a member of the Virgo super cluster.

Who is dubbed patient zero?

Patient zero is the first patient who indicates the outbreak of a disease, and may help indicate its source and possible spread. The term was used by Dr William Darrow to refer to the spread of HIV in North America, which showed how ‘patient zero’ had infected multiple partners with HIV, and how the virus had spread across the world. Journalist Randy Shilts wrote about patient zero, Gaetan Dugas, a promiscuous flight attendant, based on Darrow’s findings.

What is a Jovian planet?

Jovian planets, also known as gas giants, is a collective term for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The term Jovian came from planet Jupiter, which describes the other gas giants in our solar system which are like Jupiter. These planets are surrounded by a number of moons and rings and their rotation is faster than terrestrial planets. Jovian planets have a dense core surrounded by a huge layer of gas which is made up of hydrogen and helium.

What is a baker’s, dozen and how did the phrase originate?

Baker’s dozen means 13, instead of 12. The tale behind its origin is that a mediaeval law specified the weight of bread loaves, and any baker who supplied less to a customer was in for dire punishment. So bakers would include a thirteenth loaf with each dozen just to be safe. It is said that during good harvests, bakers sold one excess loaf to middlemen. A baker’s dozen takes on importance in large families, where that little extra goes a long way

What is a vaudeville show?

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s to early 1930s. Each performance was a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together. They included popular and classical musicians, dancers, comedians, magicians, female and male impersonators, acrobats, even scenes from plays and movies. Called “the heart of American show business”, vaudeville was very popular.

Who is a downager?

A downager is a person who acts younger than his or her age. There is a growing trend among women aged over 60 to live it up, hence the term dowager has been reinvented as downager. A study of independent, socially active Australian women found them working, studying, starting businesses and changing careers at the age of 60 and above. Downager reflects the “act younger, live younger” attitude of women who were earlier thought of as grandmotherly, retired individuals.

How does calcium carbide ripen mangoes?

For reasons of safe transportation of fruits, mangoes, bananas etc are picked before they ripen fully Slightly green harvested mangoes are subjected to small containers of calcium carbide (CaC2) with a plastic covering. CaC2 reacts with the moisture in the air to release acetylene (or ethyne) gas, which like ethyleneis — a chemical substance produced by fruits to accelerate the normal process of fruit maturation — is a ripening hormone. Industrial-grade calcium carbide contains arsenic and phosphorus, and its use for the purpose of ripening is illegal in many countries.

What is wet wing in aeronautical terms?

A wet wing is an aerospace engineering technique where an aircraft’s wing structure is sealed and used as a fuel tank. By eliminating the need for fuel bladders, aircraft can weigh less and offer improved performance. Wet wings are common among civilian designs, from airliners to small general aviation aircraft. Because tanks are an integral part of the structure, they cannot be removed, and require access panels for routine maintenance and visual inspections.

Who, or what, is Attaboy?

Attaboy is an alteration of ‘That’s the boy!’ It Is used to cheer somebody on and to express enthusiastic encouragement or approval to a man or boy. It is an act of congratulating somebody on an achievement. Example: he received several attaboys from the top management after the presentation.

What is gas flaring and why is it done?

In chemical factories, oil refineries, oil wells, rigs and landfills, gaseous waste products and sometimes even non-waste gases produced are routed to an elevated vertical chimney called a gas flare and burnt off at its tip. This is called gas flaring. Waste gases are subjected to such a process either because the gases are waste or it is difficult to store and transport them. Non-waste gases are burnt off to protect the processing equipment when unexpected high pressure develops within them. Gas flaring in oil rigs and wells contribute significantly to greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

What is Bafana Bafana and how does it get its name?

The word ‘Bafana’ is a Zulu word, plural for ‘umfaan’, meaning boy. There is also a movie about Mandela in jail called “Goodbye Bafana”. Bafana Bafana is the national football team of South Africa and is controlled by the South African football Association, which will be hosting the 19th FIFA World Cup in June 2010. Bafana Bafana, meaning Boys Boys, was coined by three Sowetan sports reporters in 1992, shortly after the readmission of South Africa to world football. South African football team members wear blazers with a springbok on the left breast pocket and are also referred to as Springboks.

What is an aggressocracy?

Aggressocracy is a society in which the most aggressive members rise to the top. The Greek lexicon describes it as a social sphere or group consisting of or dominated by predatory or conquest-oriented individuals. Aggressocratic hierarchies were once structured by penis length, but that was later changed.

Who won the first Paime d’Or at Cannes?

The Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the best feature film at the annual Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the organizing committee, and the first was awarded to director Delbert Martin Mann Jr for his film “Marty”. The Palme d’Or was established as the film festival’s highest award until 1964, when it temporarily resumed awarding Grand Prix due to copyright problems with the Palm. In 1975, the Paime d’Or was reintroduced and became the symbol of the Cannes Film Festival.

What is biomagnification?

Some compounds are neither recycled by decomposers nor are they released into the atmosphere. Instead, they remain in the ecosystem in virtually unchanged form as they are passed from one organism to another by predation. For example, if a large fish consumes five small ones every day for several years, some of the compounds in their flesh is transferred to the larger fish. Over time, the larger fish accumulates these compounds. An example is the pesticide DDT — its toxic effects may not be apparent in the little fish but accumulation in the larger fish allows the effects to be magnified. Hence, the term biomagnification.

What is apogee?

Apogee is the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited. With reference to earth, it is the point in the orbit of a heavenly body, especially the moon, or a man-made satellite, which is farthest or most distant from the centre of the earth. It is also the farthest or highest point — the apex or climax. Perigee is the opposite of apogee and is the point in the orbit which is nearest to the earth.

What is the difference between rights and bonus issue?

Bonus issues are shares issued free of charge to shareholders. When a company accumulates a large fund from profits, much beyond its needs, the directors may decide to distribute a part of it among the shareholders in the form of bonus. Once a bonus is issued, the price of the shares is likely to drop as the value of the company’s assets is now spread over larger number of shares. Right shares are issued to existing shareholders who have the privilege to buy a specified number of new shares from the firm at a specified price within a specified time. A company can opt for a rights issue to raise capital under secondary market offering.

What is the Yellow Revolution?

The growth, development and adoption of new varieties of oilseeds and complementary technologies nearly doubled oilseeds production from 12.6 mt in 1987-88 to 24.4 mt in 1996-97, catalyzed by the Technology Mission on Oilseeds, brought about the Yellow Revolution.The term also stands for the People Power Revolution in Phillipines in 1986 against then President Ferdinand Marcos. It was a series non-violent protests where demonstrators used yellow ribbons during the arrival of Ninoy Aquino.

What is rumourtrage?

Rumourtrage is the practice of spreading false news about a company, leading to a drop in its stock price, and followed by increased trade in its shares. This is usually done before a takeover bid. Rumourtrage is common in the corporate world and authorities have found it tough to stamp out the practice as it hinges on hearsay. It is especially used by traders when the market is volatile.

Why do people sweat when theyare frightened?

Fight or flight are two universal responses to any stressful or life-threatening situation in every animal, including humans. In case of severe stress, the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated, which is meant for tackling such situations. It causes the release of adrenaline or epinephrine from the adrenal gland and nerve endings, this results in manifestations of symptoms of fright like sweating, increased heart rate, nervousness, pupil dilation, goose bumps, increased muscular and mental activity and blood supply to the brain and muscles.

What is the Kuiper belt?

The Kuiper belt is a region of the solar system beyond the planets, extending from the orbit of Neptune. It is similar to the asteroid belt, although it is far larger — 20 times as wide and 200 times as massive. Like the asteroid belt, it consists mainly small bodies or remnants from the solar systern’s formation. The Kuiper belt objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles (termed ‘ices’), such as methane, ammonia and water. It is home to at least three dwarf planets — Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. Pluto, discovered in 1930, is considered its largest member.

Which was the first major language of Europe?

Most historians agree that Semitic was the mother of all European languages, including a few Asiatic languages. But Semitic had its birth in Asia (Syria and Palestine), so it cannot be called the first indigenous language in Europe. The first recorded indigenous language in Europe was an evolved form of ancient Phoenician, which later travelled north and west to the budding civilization in Greece where this language (crude with just around 22 characters) was developed by the addition of vowels. Thus, ancient Greek was the first major language of Europe.

Who invented the helmet and what is it made of?

The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900 BC. They wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from blunt objects, sword blows and arrows in combat. Soldiers still wear helmets, now often made of lightweight plastic material, to protect the head from bullets and shell fragments. Today’s armed services use high-quality helmets made of ballistic materials such as Kevlar, which have excellent bullet and fragment stopping power.

What is a coco taxi?

Coco taxis are the Cuban equivalent of a rickshaw — a three-wheeled, fibre glass egg-shaped vehicle with two seats glued to a moped. They are called so because they are almost like spherical giant coconuts. Their plastic and fibre glass body, which looks round from the back and sides, forms a protective canopy around the passengers. They tend to flock around busy tourist areas in Cuban cities. Coco taxis, powered by a 75cc two-stroke petrol engine are noisy and more affordable than a regular taxi.

What are time dollars?

Time dollars are the credit a person earns hourly in a Time Bank, set up to facilitate people in a community. A member of a Time Bank earns it by doing something for someone in the community, like baby-sitting or running an errand. After the time dollars are credited in the member’s account, he can spend it on whatever he needs. It is a sort of barter system which is serving to bond communities and has turned into a social change movement in 22 countries.

What is the origin of the term Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is the anglicized form of the Danish word Bletand — Ble meaning blue — the victory title given to the 10th century King Harald Gormsson. Harald was born in circa 935 and ruled as King of Denmark around 958 and as King of Norway around 970. Bluetooth technology was invented in 1994 by Swedish company Ericsson, which found it appropriate to name it after the Scandinavian king who had united several Danish tribes and parts of Norway into a single kingdom. The implication is that a Bluetooth does the work of uniting different communication protocols into one universal standard.

What is the Lady Macbeth Effect?

Lady Macbeth, a character from Shakespear’s play “Macbeth”, had plotted to kill the king and would repeatedly wash her imaginary bloodstained hands, hoping it would wash away her sins. The Lady Macbeth Effect describes a psychological condition in which people who have done something wrong feel a need to wash their hands or body in order to clear their conscience. They tend to think that physical cleanliness can be a substitute for moral purity.

What is a barcode?

A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data on certain products. It can be read by optical scanners called barcode readers or scanned from an image by special software. It is the small image of lines (bars) and spaces affixed to retail store items, identification cards and postal mail to identify a particular product number, person or location. The code uses this sequence to represent numbers and other symbols. A barcode symbol typically consists of five parts: a quiet zone, a start character, data characters (including an optional checkcharacter), a stop character, and another quiet zone. There is no standard barcode.

What is brand interest?

Establishing a brand in the market is the true art of marketing. It’s not the product being consumed, but rather the image one has of it. Building a brand is not simply giving a product a name, but also creating an experience. This means keeping in mind the contact people have with the brand. A brand is a name, but when it is powerful, it makes a person think of much more: this is brand interest.

What does breaking bread mean?

Breaking of bread refers to the rite of Holy Communion by Christians. In the Gospel of St Mathew, 26:26, it is mentioned: While they were at supper, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said: ‘Take this and eat it, this is my body’. In other places also in the Bible, wherever the breakingof bread is mentioned, it refers to the celebration of the Holy Communion by Christ himself, or by the early Christians.

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Dr. Ashok Kumar Sharma, Taxidermist, M.A.(History); Certificate in Taxidermy(Madras); Certifate in Library Science (TOPPER-ML Sukhadia Uni. Udaipur,(Rajasthan) INDIA. Hobby: cricket; Postal Stamp Collection and Collection of Quotations since 1981.

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Telescopic Sight

history

This section requires expansion.

The first experiments directed to give shooters optical aiming aids go back to the early 17th century. For centuries different optical aiming aids and primitive predecessors of telescopic sights were created that had practical or performance limitations. The first practical refractor telescope based telescopic sight was built in 1880 by August Fiedler (Stronsdorf, Austria), forestry commissioner of Prince Reuss. Telescopic sights with extra long eye relief are available for handgun and scout rifle use. A historic example of a telescopic sight with a long eye relief is the German ZF41 which was used during World War II on Karabiner 98k rifles.

Types

A Swift model 687M variable power rifle scope with parallax compensation (the ring around the objective lens is used for making parallax adjustments).

Telescopic sights are classified in terms of the optical magnification and the objective lens diameter, e.g. 1050. This would denote 10 times magnification with a 50 mm objective lens. In general terms, larger objective lens diameters, due to their ability to gather larger amounts of light, provide a larger exit pupil and hence provide a brighter image at the eyepiece. On fixed magnification sights the magnification power and objective diameter should be chosen on the basis of the intended use.

There are also telescopic sights with variable magnification. The magnification can be varied by manually operating a zoom mechanism. Variable sights offer more flexibility regarding shooting at varying ranges, targets and light conditions and offer a relative wide field of view at lower magnification settings. The syntax for variable sights is the following: minimal magnification maximum magnification objective lens, for example, 3940.

Confusingly, some older telescopic sights, mainly of German or other European manufacture, have a different classification where the second part of the designation refers to ‘light gathering power.’ In these cases, a 481 (4 magnification) sight would be presumed to have a brighter sight picture than a 2.570 (2.5 magnification), but the objective lens diameter would not bear any direct relation to picture brightness, as brightness is affected also by the magnification factor. Typically objective lenses on early sights are smaller than modern sights, in these examples the 481 would have an objective approximately 32mm diameter and the 2.570 might be approximately 25mm.

Optical parameters

Telescopic sights are usually designed for the specific application for which they are intended. Those different designs create certain optical parameters. Those parameters are:

Magnification The ratio of the focal length of the eyepiece divided into the focal length of the objective gives the linear magnifying power of telescopes. A magnification of factor 10, for example, produces an image as if one were 10 times closer to the object. The amount of magnification depends upon the application the telescopic sight is designed for. Lower magnifications lead to less susceptibility to shaking. A larger magnification leads to a smaller field of view.

Objective lens diameter The diameter of the objective lens determines how much light can be gathered to form an image. It is usually expressed in millimeters.

Field of view The field of view of a telescopic sight is determined by its optical design. It is usually notated in a linear value, such as how many meters (feet) in width will be seen at 100 m (or 100 yd), or in an angular value of how many degrees can be viewed.

Exit pupil Telescopic sights concentrate the light gathered by the objective into a beam, the exit pupil, whose diameter is the objective diameter divided by the magnifying power. For maximum effective light-gathering and brightest image, the exit pupil should equal the diameter of the fully dilated iris of the human eye about 7 mm, reducing with age. If the cone of light streaming out of the eyepiece is larger than the pupil it is going into, any light larger than the pupil is wasted in terms of providing information to the eye.

However, a larger exit pupil makes it easier to put the eye where it can receive the light: anywhere in the large exit pupil cone of light will do. This ease of placement helps avoid vignetting, which is a darkened or obscured view that occurs when the light path is partially blocked. And, it means that the image can be quickly found which is important when aiming at game animals that move rapidly. A narrow exit pupil telescopic sight may also be fatiguing because the instrument must be held exactly in place in front of the eyes to provide a useful image. Finally, many people in Europe use their telescopic sights at dusk, dawn and at night, when their pupils are larger. Thus the daytime exit pupil of about 3 to 4 mm is not a universally desirable standard. For comfort, ease of use, and flexibility in applications, larger telescopic sights with larger exit pupils are satisfying choices even if their capability is not fully used by day.

Telescopic sight on a Ruger M77 Mark II frontier scout rifle.

Eye relief Eye relief is the distance from the rear eyepiece lens to the exit pupil or eye point. It is the distance the observer must position his or her eye behind the eyepiece in order to see an unvignetted image. The longer the focal length of the eyepiece, the greater the eye relief. Typical telescopic sights may have eye relief ranging from 25 mm (1 in) to over 100 mm (4 in), but telescopic sights intended for scout rifles or handguns need much longer eye relief to present an unvignetted image. Telescopic sights with relatively long eye relief are favourable to avoid recoil induced facial and eye injuries and use in instances where it is difficult to hold the eyepiece steady. Eye relief can be particularly important for eyeglass wearers. The eye of an eyeglass wearer is typically further from the eye piece which necessitates a longer eye relief in order to still see the entire field of view.

Reticles

Various reticles.

Rangefinder reticle.

Telescopic sights come with a variety of different reticles, ranging from the traditional crosshairs to complex reticles designed to allow the shooter to estimate accurately the range to a target, to compensate for the bullet drop, and to compensate for the windage required due to crosswinds. A user can estimate the range to objects of known size, the size of objects at known distances, and even roughly compensate for both bullet drop and wind drifts at known ranges with a reticle-equipped scope.

For example, with a typical Leupold brand duplex 16 MOA reticle (of a type as shown in image B) on a fixed power scope, the distance from post to post (that is, between the heavy lines of the reticle spanning the center of the scope picture) is approximately 32 inches (81.3 cm) at 200 yards (183 m), or, equivalently, approximately 16 inches (40.65 cm) from the center to any post at 200 yards. If a target of a known diameter of 16 inches fills just half of the total post-to-post distance (i.e. filling from scope center to post), then the distance to target is approximately 200 yards (183 m). With a target of a diameter of 16 inches that fills the entire sight picture from post to post, the range is approximately 100 yards. Other ranges can be similarly estimated accurately in an analog fashion for known target sizes through proportionality calculations. Holdover, for estimating vertical point of aim offset required for bullet drop compensation on level terrain, and horizontal windage offset (for estimating side to side point of aim offsets required for wind effect corrections) can similarly be compensated for through using approximations based on the wind speed (from observing flags or other objects) by a trained user through using the reticle marks. The less-commonly used holdunder, used for shooting on sloping terrain, can even be estimated by an appropriately-skilled user with a reticle-equipped scope, once the slope of the terrain and the slant range to target are both known.

There are two main types of reticles:

Wire reticles

Etched reticles

Wire reticles are the oldest type of reticles and are made out of metal wire. They are mounted in an optically appropriate position in the telescopic sight’s tube. Etched reticles are images of the desired reticle layout that are etched on an optic element. This optical element (lens) with the etched reticle is then mounted in the telescopic sights tube as an integrated part of the optics chain of the sight. When backlit through the ocular a wire reticle will reflect incoming light and not present a black reticule with high-contrast. An etched reticle will stay black if backlit. Etched reticles are by most considered to be a more refined solution and offer greater reticle lay out flexibility. Because of this some manufacturers can provide client designed custom reticles on special order. In the more expensive and high end contemporary telescopic sights etched reticles dominate the market. In cheaper telescopic sights wire reticles are still often mounted to avoid a rather specialized and costly production step.

Mil-dot reticles

If the helmeted head of a man ( 0.25 m tall) fits between the fourth bar and the horizontal line, the man is at approximately 100 meters distance. When the upper part of the body of a man ( 1 m tall) fits under the first line, he stands at approximately 400 meters distance.

Modern military and law enforcement reticles are generally designed for (stadiametric) rangefinding purposes. Perhaps the most flexible ranging reticle is the “Mil-dot” reticle, which consists of duplex crosshairs with small dots at milliradian (Mil) intervals in the field of view. A milliradian equates to 3.43774677078493 MOA, that is, approximately 21.6 inches at 600 yards; each MOA equates to 1.0471975511966 inch at 100 yards, often rounded to 1 inch at 100 yards for fast mental calculations.

Users who use the metric system are better off with a Mil-dot reticle, since they do not have to hassle with the unnecessary complications of a non metric system of measurement during mental calculations. Also the Mil-dot measurements and ranging calculations are always exact in the metric system.

A trained user can relatively accurately measure the range to objects of known size, the size of objects at known distances, and compensate for both bullet drop and wind drifts at known ranges with a Mil-dot reticle-equipped scope.

This is what a Netherlands Army sniper sees through his Schmidt & Bender 3-12×50 PM II telescopic sight. The Mil-dots can be seen on the cross hairs. By means of a mathematical formula – (width or height of the target/ number of mil of dots) x 1000 = distance – the user can measure the range to a target. An object of 1 meter tall or wide is exactly 1 Mil tall or wide at 1000 meters distance. If the user sees an object of 1.8 m tall for example as three mil dots tall through the riflescope the object is at 600 m distance – (1.8 / 3) x 1000 = 600.

The four horizontal bars over the horizontal line are also intended for (quick) ranging purposes.

Reticle focal plane

Typical internal construction of a scope with its reticle in the First Focal Plane.

The reticle may be located at the front or rear focal plane (First Focal Plane (FFP) or Second Focal Plane (SFP)) of the telescopic sight. On fixed power telescopic sights there is no significant difference, but on variable power telescopic sights the front plane reticle remains at a constant size compared to the target, while rear plane reticles remain a constant size to the user as the target image grows and shrinks. Front focal plane reticles are slightly more durable, but most American users prefer that the reticle remains constant as the image changes size, so nearly all modern American variable power telescopic sights are rear focal plane designs. European high end optics manufacturers often leave the customer the choice between a FFP or SFP mounted reticle.

Variable power telescopic sights with front focal plane reticles have no problems with point of impact shifts. Variable power telescopic sights with rear focal plane reticles can have slight point of impact shifts through their magnification range caused by the positioning of the reticle in the mechanical zoom mechanism in the rear part of the telescopic sight. Normally these impact shifts are insignificant but make accuracy oriented users, that wish to use their telescopic sight trouble-free at several magnification levels, often opt for front focal plane reticles. Around the year 2005 Zeiss was the first high end European telescopic sight manufacturer who brought out variable magnification military grade telescopic sight models with rear focal plane mounted reticles. They get around impermissible impact shifts for these sights by laboriously hand adjusting every military grade telescopic sight. The American high end telescopic sight manufacturer U.S. Optics Inc. also offers variable magnification military grade telescopic sight models with rear focal plane mounted reticles.

Reticle illumination

Either type of reticle can be illuminated for use in low-light or daytime conditions. With any illuminated low-light reticle, it is essential that its brightness can be adjusted. A reticle that is too bright will cause glare in the operator eye, interfering with his ability to see in low-light conditions. This is because the pupil of the human eye closes quickly upon receiving any source of light. Most illuminated reticles provide adjustable brightness settings to adjust the reticle precisely to the ambient light.

Illumination is usually provided by a battery powered LED, though other electric light sources can be used. The light is projected forward through the scope, and reflects off the back surface of the reticle. Red is the most common colour used, as it least impedes the shooter’s night vision. This illumination method can be used to provide both daytime and low-light conditions reticle illumination.

Radioactive isotopes can also be used as a light source, to provide an illuminated reticule for low-light condition aiming. In sights like the SUSAT or Elcan C79 Optical Sight tritium-illuminated reticles are used for low-light condition aiming. Trijicon Corporation uses tritium in their combat and hunting-grade firearm optics, including the ACOG. The (radioactive) tritium light source has to be replaced every 812 years, since it gradually loses its brightness due to radioactive decay.

With fiber optics ambient (day)light can be collected and directed to an illuminated daytime reticle. Fiber optics reticles automatically interact with the ambient light level that dictates the brightness of the reticle. Trijicon uses fiber optics combined with other low-light conditions illumination methods in their AccuPoint telescopic sights and some of their ACOG sights models.

Parallax compensation

Parallax problems result from the image from the objective not being coincident with the reticle. If the image is not coplanar with the reticle (that is the image of the objective is either in front of or behind the reticle), then putting your eye at different points behind the ocular causes the reticle crosshairs to appear to be at different points on the target. This optical effect causes parallax induced aiming errors that can make a telescopic sight user miss a small target at a distance for which the telescopic sight was not parallax adjusted.

To eliminate parallax induced aiming errors, telescopic sights can be equipped with a parallax compensation mechanism which basically consists of a movable optical element that enables the optical system to project the picture of objects at varying distances and the reticle crosshairs pictures together in exactly the same optical plane. There are two main methods to achieve this.

By making the objective lens of the telescopic sight adjustable so the telescopic sight can compensate parallax errors. These models are often called AO or A/O models, for adjustable objective.

By making an internal lens in the internal optical groups mounted somewhere in front of the reticle plane adjustable so the telescopic sight can compensate parallax errors. This method is technically more complicated to build, but generally more liked by parallax adjustable telescopic sight usersnlike AO models, which are read from the top, the sidewheel’s setting can be read with minimal movement of the head. These models are often called side focus or sidewheel models.

Most telescopic sights lack parallax compensation because they can perform very acceptably without this refinement. Telescopic sights manufacturers adjust these scopes at a distance that best suits their intended usage. Typical standard factory parallax adjustment distances for hunting telescopic sights are 100 yd or 100 m to make them suited for hunting shots that rarely exceed 300 yd/m. Some target and military style telescopic sights without parallax compensation may be adjusted to be parallax free at ranges up to 300 yd/m to make them better suited for aiming at longer ranges. Scopes for rimfires, shotguns, and muzzleloaders will have shorter parallax settings, commonly 50 yd/m for rimfire scopes and 100 yd/m for shotguns and muzzleloaders. Scopes for airguns are very often found with adjustable parallax, usually in the form of an adjustable objective, or AO. These may adjust down as far as 3 yards (2.74 m).

The reason why scopes intended for short range use are often equipped with parallax compensation is that at short range (and at high magnification) parallax errors become more noticeable. A typical scope objective has a focal length of 100 mm. An optical ideal 10x scope in this example has been perfectly parallax corrected at 1000 m and functions flawlessly at that distance. If the same scope is used at 100 m the target-picture would be projected (1000 m / 100 m) / 100 mm = 0.1 mm behind the reticle plain. At 10x magnification the error would be 10 * 0.1 mm = 1 mm at the ocular. If the same scope was used at 10 m the target-picture would be (1000 m / 10 m) / 100 mm = 1 mm projected behind the reticle plain. When 10x magnified the error would be 10 mm at the ocular.

Bullet Drop Compensation

Bullet Drop Compensation (BDC) (sometimes referred to as ballistic elevation) is a feature available on some rifle scopes. The feature compensates for the effect of gravity on the bullet at given distances (referred to as “bullet drop”). The feature must be tuned for the particular ballistic trajectory of a particular combination of rifle and cartridge at a predefined air density. Inevitable BDC induced errors will occur if the environmental and meteorological circumstances deviate from the circumstances the BDC was calibrated for. Marksmen can be trained to compensate for these errors.

Adjustment controls

The adjustment controls of a telescopic sight with an elevation adjustment knob featuring a zero-stop and second revolution indicator.

A telescopic sight can have several adjustment controls.

Focusing control at the ocular end of the sight – meant to obtain a sharp picture of the object and reticle.

Elevation or vertical adjustment control of the reticle.

Zero-stop elevation controls can be set to prevent inadvertently dialing the adjustment knob “below” the primary zero (usually 100 meters or 100 yards for long-range scopes), or at least prevent dialing more than a couple adjustment clicks below zero. This feature is also useful on long-range scopes because it allows the shooter to physically verify the elevation knob is dialed all the way down avoiding confusion regarding the elevation status on two- or multi-revolution elevation knobs.

Windage or horizontal adjustment control of the reticle.

Magnification control – meant to change the magnification by turning a ring that is generally marked with several magnification power levels.

Illumination adjustment control of the reticule – meant to regulate the brightness level of the lit parts of the reticles crosshairs.

Parallax compensation control.

Most contemporary telescopic sights offer the first three adjustment controls. The other three are found on telescopic sights that offer a variable magnification, an illuminated reticle and/or parallax compensation. A rather common problem with the elevation and windage adjustment controls is that once smooth working adjustment turrets et stuck over the years. This is generally caused by long time lack of movement in the lubricated turret mechanisms.

Older telescopic sights often did not offer windage and elevation adjustments in the scope, but rather used adjustable mounts to provide adjustment. Some modern mounts also allow for adjustment, but it is generally intended to supplement the scope adjustments. For example, some situations require fairly extreme elevation adjustments, such as very short range shooting common with airguns, or very long range shooting, where the bullet drop becomes very significant. In this case, rather than adjusting the scope to the extremes of its elevation adjustment, the scope mount can be adjusted. This allows the scope to operate near the center of its adjustment range. Some companies offer adjustable bases, while others offer bases with a given amount of elevation built in. The adjustable bases are more flexible, but the fixed bases are more durable, as adjustable bases may loosen and shift under recoil.

Accessories

Scrome LTE J10 F1 with a lens hood mounted at the ocular and a flip-open cover at the objective.

Typical accessories for telescopic sights are:

Lens hoods for mounting on the objective and/or ocular to reduce/eliminate image quality impairing stray light.

Lens hoods that extend the full length of a gun barrel to improve image quality by blocking out shot strings induced mirage (“heat waves” or aberrations resulting from a hot gun barrel).

Covers to protect the objective and/or ocular external lens surface against foul weather and damage. There are slide-over, bikini and flip-open type covers without or with transparent covering material.

Optical filters like Grey, Yellow and Polarising filters to optimize image quality in various lighting conditions.

Kill Flash or honeycomb filters to eliminate light reflections from the objective that could compromise a sniper.

Eye safe laser filters to protect operators against being wounded/blinded by laser light sources. These filters are often an internal part in the assembly of lens elements.

Transit and protection pouches and cases.

Optronic technologies

Integrated laser rangefinder

In 1997 Swarovski Optik introduced the LRS series telescopic sight, the first riflescope on the civilian market with an integrated laser rangefinder. The LRS 2-12×50 sight can measure ranges up to 600 m (660 yd). The LRS sights are currently (2008) not produced anymore, but sights with similar features are commercially available from several manufacturers.

Ballistic support devices

An integrated ballistic computer/riflescope system known as BORS has been developed by the Barrett Firearms Company and became commercially available around 2007. The BORS module is in essence an electronic Bullet Drop Compensation (BDC) sensor/calculator package intended for long-range sniping out to 2500 m (2734 yd) for some telescopic sight models made by Leupold and Nightforce. To establish the appropriate elevation setting the shooter needs to enter the ammunition type into the BORS (using touch pads on the BORS console) determine the range (either mechanically or through a laser rangefinder) and crank the elevation knob on the scope until the proper range appears in the BORS display. The BORS automatically determines the air density, as well as the cant or tilt in the rifle itself, and incorporates these environmental factors into its elevation calculations.

The SAM (Shooter-supporting Attachment Module) measures and provides aiming and ballistic relevant data and displays this to the user in the ocular of the Zeiss 6-24×72 telescopic sight it is developed for. The SAM has different sensors integrated (temperature, air pressure, shooting angle) and calculates the actuall ballistic compensation. All indications are displayed in the ocular. It memorizes up to 4 different ballistics and 4 different firing tables. So it is possible to use 1 SAM with 4 total different weapons without an additional adjustment.

CCD and LCD technology

A totally different approach has been applied in the ELCAN DigitalHunter Digital Rifle Scope series which combines CCD and LCD technology with electronic ballistics compensation, automatic video capture, 4 field selectable reticles and customizable reticles. In 2008 a DigitalHunter DayNight Riflescope that uses infra red light captured by the CCD to enhance low light capabilities became available. It is also possible to attach infra red light sources to use this telescopic sight as an active night sight in total darkness. Some jurisdictions however forbid or limit to use of night vision devices for civilian or gun aiming use.

Mounting

Colt Python Silhouette, with 8-inch barrel, factory scope, and case 500 made in 1981 by the Colt Custom Gun shop.

As very few firearms come with built-in telescopic sights (military designs such as the Steyr AUG and the H&K G36 being exceptions) mounting a scope to a firearm requires additional equipment. Equipment is available to mount scopes on most production firearms. A typical scope mounting system consists of two parts, the scope base and the scope rings. By picking the appropriate combination of scope base to fit the firearm and scope rings to fit the scope, a wide range of scopes may be mounted to most firearms. With the appropriate combination of adjustable scope bases and scope rings it is also possible to mount several telescopic sights on the same gun to make the gun more versatile. However, it is important to take into consideration whether or not a gun is particularly hard to mount. If it is or if a gun is intended for long-range shooting, it could be that the amount of vertical adjustment range is smaller than required. This can be solved with the help of a vertically canted base or canted rings. Typical cant angles offered by mounting components manufacturers are 20 and 30 MOA. It is always wise to buy telescopic sights that provide a decent adjustment range, preferably at least 60 MOA or more.

Scope bases

The base is attached to the rifle, usually with screws, and is often designed to have a low profile, and to allow use of the iron sights if the scope is not present. Some manufacturers provide integral bases on many of their firearms; an example of such a firearm is the Ruger Super Redhawk revolver. The most commonly encountered mounting systems are the 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) and the 11 mm dovetail mounts (sometimes called tip-off mounts), commonly found on rimfires and air guns, the Weaver type base and the STANAG 2324 (MIL-STD-1913 “Picatinny rail”) base. Ruger uses a proprietary scope base system, though adapters are available to convert the Ruger bases into Weaver type bases. Scope base and mounting systems are also manufactured in Europe. Specialized manufacturers like Ernst Apel GmbH offer an elaborate program of mounting solutions for many different guns. Some of the European mounting solutions are virtually unknown and hence rarely applied in America. Many European gun manufacturers also developed and offer proprietary scope base systems for their guns, for example Sako has tapered dovetails and Tikka uses 16mm dovetail.

Scope rings

In addition to needing the right type of connector to attach to the desired base, scope rings must be used to hold the scope to the mount. The rings must be of the proper size to fit the scope; common sizes are 3/4 inch (19.05 mm), 22 mm, 1 inch (25.4 mm), 26 mm, 30 mm and 34 mm. Red dot sights commonly are found in larger sizes, such as 40 mm, and these often use ringless mounting systems designed to fit dovetail or Weaver type bases. Rings are also available in a variety of heights and materials. Ring height is chosen to place the scope high enough to clear the firearm, and at a height comfortable for the shooter.

Scope mounting rails

Schmidt & Bender Classic 4×36 with mounting rails fitted with a Suhler claw mount on a Gebrder Merkel Drilling. Manufactured in May, 1985.

European telescopic sight manufacturers often offer the option to have mounting rails underneath the riflescope to provide for mounting solutions that do not use scope rings or a single scope ring around the objective of the scope. These rails are an integral part of the scope body and can not be removed. The mounting rail permits the riflescope to be securely and tension-free mounted at the preferred height and correct distance from the shooter’s eye and on different guns.

There are several mounting rail systems offered:

Standard prism

Zeiss ZM/VM, also used by DOCTER

Swarovski Optik SR

Schmidt & Bender Convex

The traditional standard prism mounting rail system requires to have the scope rail drilled from the side for fixture screws. The more recent propriety systems mainly offer aesthetic advantages for people who have problems with redundant drill holes in sight in case the riflescope is used on different guns. To avoid drilling the scope rail, the propriety rail mounting systems have special shape connections machined in the inside of the rail. These shape connections prevent ever showing any exterior damage from mounting work on the rifle scope. The propriety rail systems use matching slide-in mount fasteners to connect the riflescope to the gun. Some propriety rails also offer the possibility to tilt the scope up to 1 to the left or right.

Rail interface systems

Telescopic sight fitted with scope rings on a Picatinny/MIL-STD-1913 rail mounted above the receiver of a sniper rifle.

For mounting telescopic sights and/or other accessories to guns several rail interface systems are available to provide a standardized mounting platform. Probably the best known rail interface system is the Picatinny rail or STANAG 2324 rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail used by NATO forces and other official and civil users. The name of this interface system comes from the Picatinny Arsenal in New jersey, where it was originally tested and was used to distinguish it from other rail standards at the time. The Picatinny rail comprises a series of ridges with a T-shaped cross-section interspersed with flat “spacing slots”. Telescopic sight mounting rings are mounted either by sliding them on from one end or the other; by means of a “rail-grabber” which is clamped to the rail with bolts, thumbscrews or levers; or onto the slots between the raised sections. Another commercially available rail interface system is the Weaver rail mount from Weaver Optics. The only difference between the Picatinny rail and the Weaver rail is the size of the slots, although many rail-grabber-mounted accessories can be used on either type of rail.

Mounting issues

Scopes for use on light recoiling firearms, such as rimfire guns, can be mounted with a single ring, and this method is not uncommon on handguns, where space is at a premium. Most scopes are mounted with two rings, one in the front half of the scope and one on the back half, which provides additional strength and support. The heaviest recoiling firearms, such as Thompson Center Arms Contender pistols in heavy recoiling calibers, will use three rings for maximum support of the scope. Use of too few rings can result not only in the scope moving under recoil, but also excessive torque on the scope tube as the gun rolls up under recoil.

Scopes on heavy recoiling firearms and spring piston airguns (which have a heavy “reverse recoil” caused by the piston reaching the end of its travel) suffer from a condition called scope creep, where the inertia of the scope holds it still as the firearm recoils under it. Because of this, scope rings must be precisely fitted to the scope, and tightened very consistently to provide maximum hold without putting uneven stress on the body of the scope. Rings that are out of round, misaligned in the bases, or tightened unevenly can warp or crush the body of the scope.

Another problem is mounting a scope on a rifle, such as some lever action designs, where the shell is ejected out the top of the rifle. Usually this results in the scope being offset to one side (to the left for right-handed people, right for left-handed) to allow the shell to clear the scope. Alternately a scout rifle type mount can be used, which places a long eye relief scope forward of the action.

A firearm may not always be able to fit all aiming optics solutions, so it is wise to have a preferred aiming optics solution first reviewed by a professional.

Uses

Telescopic sights have both advantages and disadvantages relative to iron sights. Standard doctrine with iron sights is to focus the eye on the front sight and align it with the resulting blur of the target and the rear sight; most shooters have difficulty doing this, as the eye tends to be drawn to the target, blurring both sights. Gun users over 30 years of age with keen eyesight will find it harder to keep the target, front sight element and rear sight element well enough into focus for aiming purposes as human eyes gradually lose focusing flexibility with rising age. Telescopic sights allow the user to focus on both the crosshair and the target at the same time, as the lenses project the crosshair into the distance (50 m or yd for rimfire scopes, 100 m or yd more for centerfire calibers). This, combined with telescopic magnification, clarifies the target and makes the target stand out against the background. The main disadvantage of magnification is that the area to either side of the target is obscured by the tube of the sight. The higher the magnification, the narrower the field of view in the sight, and the more area that is hidden. Rapid fire target shooters use reflex sights, which have no magnification; this gives them the best field of view while maintaining the single focal plane of a telescopic sight. Telescopic sights are expensive, and require additional training to align. Sight alignment with telescopic sights is a matter of making the field of vision circular to minimize parallax error. For maximum effective light-gathering and brightest image, the exit pupil should equal the diameter of the fully dilated iris of the human eye about 7 mm, reducing with age.

Military

Looking through a USMC sniper rifle’s scope at a practice range camp Hansen.

Russian PSO-1M2 current military issue 4×26 telescopic sight.

I.O.R. LPS 4×6 TIP2 reticle, the bottom-left corner can be used to determine the distance from a 170 cm tall target.

Dual combat sighting system: ZF 3×4 optical sight topped with red dot sight as used on German G36A1 assault rifles.

Until the 1990s, military use of telescopic sights was restricted to snipers because of the fragility and expense of optical components, though they had been used as early as the American Civil War on rifles, and even earlier for other jobs. The glass lenses are prone to breakage, and environmental conditions such as condensation, precipitation, dirt, and mud obscure external lenses. The scope tube also adds significant bulk to the rifle. Snipers generally used moderate to high magnification scopes with special reticles that allow them to estimate range to the target.

Telescopic sights provide some tactical disadvantages. Snipers rely on stealth and concealment to get close to their target. A telescopic sight can hinder this because sunlight may reflect from the lens and a sniper raising his head to use a telescopic sight might reveal his position. The famous Finnish sniper Simo Hyh preferred to use iron sights rather than telescopic sights to present less of a target. Harsh climate can also cause problems for telescopic sights as they are less rugged than iron sights. Many Finnish snipers in WWII used iron sights heavily because telescopic sights did not cope with very cold Finnish winters.

The market for military telescopic sights intended for military long-range shooting is highly competitive. Several high end optics manufacturers are constantly adapting and improving their telescopic sights to fulfill specific demands of military organizations. Two European companies that are active this field are Schmidt & Bender and Zeiss/Hensoldt. American companies that are also very active in this field are Nightforce, U.S. Optics Inc. and Premier Reticles. These high end sighting components generally cost 1500 / $ 2000 or more. Typical options for military telescopic sights are reticle illumination for use under adverse light circumstances and the presentation of scope settings or ballistic relevant environmental measurements data to the operator through the sights ocular. Military organizations also are a main driving force behind the development of ever more versatile mil-dot reticles, like the Generation II mil-dot reticle from Premier Reticles the US Marine Corps specified for their 7000 USMC M8541 Premier/Schmidt & Bender 3-12×50 PM II LP telescopic sights. Other range finding reticle variations like Schmidt & Bender’s P4-fine reticule, which uses mil-hash marks instead of mil-dots for ranging purposes, also were developed on request of active snipers and other long-range field shooters.

The former Warsaw Pact members produce military telescopic sights for their designated marksmen and developed a range finding reticle based on the height of an average human. The reticle used in the Romanian I.O.R. LPS 4×6 TIP2 4×24 rifle scope is calibrated for ranging a 1.7 m tall target from 200 m to 1000 m. This Romanian scope shares the basic design and stadiametric rangefinder found in the reticle of the original Russian PSO-1 and POSP scope series. The target base has to be lined up on the horizontal line of the range-finding scale and the target top point has to touch the upper (dotted) line of the scale without clearance. The digit under which this line up occurs determines the distance to the target.

The Israeli military began widespread use of telescopic sights by ordinary infantrymen to increase hit probability (especially in dim light) and extend effective range of standard issue infantry rifles. Palestinian militants in the al Aqsa Intifada likewise found that adding an inexpensive scope to an AK-47 increased its effectiveness.

today, several militaries issue telescopic sights to their infantry, usually compact, low-magnification sights suitable for snap-shooting, like reflex sights. The US military issues ACOG, Aimpoint CompM2 and EOTech 553 combat optics. American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan frequently purchase their own combat optics and carry them from home. The British army fields the SA80 rifle with the SUSAT 4 optical sight as standard issue. The Canadian Forces standard C7 rifle has a 3.4 Elcan C79 optical sight. Both Austria and Australia field variants of the Austrian Steyr AUG which has built an integral 1.5x optical sight since its deployment in the late 1970s. The German Army G36 assault rifles have a more or less built in dual combat sighting system consisting of a ZF 3×4 telescopic sight combined with an unmagnified electronic red dot reflex sight. The dual combat sighting system weighs 30 gr (1 oz) due to a housing made out of glass fibre reinforced polyamide. All German G36 rifles are adapted to use the Hensoldt NSA 80 II third-generation night sight, which clamps into the G36 carry handle adapter in front of the optical sight housing and mates with the rifle’s standard dual combat sighting system.

See also

Picatinny rail

References

^ Who invented the Rifle “Scope”.

^ Important Dates in Gun history, Compiled and Researched by the American Firearms Institute

^ “Introduction to Optics 2nd ed.”, pp.141-142, Pedrotti & Pedrotti, Prentice-Hall 1993

^ Schmidt & Bender 3-12×50 PM II

^ Zeiss: Telescopic sights for handheld weapons

^ U.S. Optics Inc.

^ BSA side wheel focus riflescopes

^ Schmidt & Bender PM II specs

^ BSA rimfire scopes

^ BSA shotgun/muzzleloader scope

^ Leapers 3-9×32 Mini Mil-Dot Illuminated AO Scope (SCP-M392AOMDL), parallax adjustable from 3 yards to

^ Mac 1 Airgun “drooper” mounts

^ Pyramid Air article on adjustable scope bases

^ Jon R. Sondra (October 1997). “Swarovski promotion includes free Remington and Browning rifles – Swarovski AG rifle-scope marketing campaign”. Shooting Industry,. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3197/is_n10_v42/ai_20045306. 

^ LRS 2-12×50

^ Barrett BORS Manual

^ 6-24×72 SAM telescopic sight

^ DigitalHunter Digital Rifle Scope series

^ guide for Tactical and Rifle Scopes (tips and Considerations)

^ EAW scope mounts

^ EAW mounts catalog

^ High-speed video of a Schmidt & Bender PMII telescopic sight, mounting and barrel flexing on a .50 BMG Accuracy International AS50.

^ Premier Reticles

^ Fighting Optics for the AR-15 by Zak Smith

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Telescopic sights

Demigodllc.com, Practial Long-Range Rifle Shooting – Part II: Optics by Zak Smith

Demigodllc.com, Introduction to High-End Long-Range Rifle Scopes by Zak Smith

TheTallEngineer.com, MILS and MOA – A Comprehensive Manual to Understanding: types of “Mils”, types of Minute of Angle (moa), the Derivation of The Range Estimation Equations by Robert J. Simeone

AllWorldWars.com, Description of 2-inch Telescopic Sights Model 1906, designed by Warner & Swasey Co., Cleveland

ChuckHawks.com, Telescopic and Red Dot Sights By Chuck Hawks

Categories: Firearm sights | HuntingHidden categories: Articles to be expanded from December 2009 | All articles to be expanded
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Whether guns and weaponry are something that one chooses to have as a matter of personal requirement, or whether collecting guns is a hobby one is passionate about, all those that own guns would choose to have a display area for them, and there can be nothing better than Amish gun cabinets for this. These beautifully designed, handcrafted items of furniture which are heirloom quality not only provide pride of place for your arms, they are something that are a joy to own and display even by themselves.

One’s prized shotguns or rifles are something that one would want to show off to best advantage and what better than an Amish gun cabinet to do it in. Typically these cabinets are tall with glass fronts or doors on the top area which works as a display area, and then below you can have wooden cabinets that can house your handguns, ammunition or even cleaning equipment that you wouldn’t want to usually display.

The great thing about these gun cabinets is that you can have custom cabinets made as per your particular requirements. Whether it is long guns, shot guns or handguns that you want to have displayed, or whether you want to have a side pullout installed where you can conceal your guns, Amish custom furniture makers will take care of this. The custom cabinets can be modified as per specifications, the drawers or storage shelves can be changed or amended to fit the decor or color scheme of your room so that you can have things not only color coordinated but also make sure that the furniture item fits into the niche that you want and is not too big or small.

Since the Amish make their furniture the traditional old fashioned way they are able to make provisions for custom furniture that a person may require. There is a wide range of the kinds of wood that can be used to hand craft Amish gun cabinets; you can choose from among walnut, pine, mahogany, oak, maple, hickory, cherry, etc.

One can have a custom cabinet fashioned not only by choosing the kind of wood, the color and the stain but even alter the specifications, the size and dimensions of the piece. This is because this is not your run of the mill assembly line furniture, this is handcrafted furniture made the old fashioned way and by using age old techniques so that each piece is one of a kind rather than the soulless mass-produced furniture that we normally see.

To be sure, gun cabinets may not be for everyone; not all of us have a keen interest in weaponry and arms and ammunition. Even fewer of us will have enough in the way of guns to actually require a display cabinet. However Amish gun cabinets are very versatile; they can be used as a display area for a number of other things: curios, precious family heirlooms or photos, valuable crockery etc. they can even be used as an entertainment center or a hutch, so versatile are they. The fact that they can be customized makes them all the more so!

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buy a dining set for your home from this Ann Arbor furniture store. Also available is custom kitchen cabinetry for better use of space.

How to Burn Water

What is the point of ‘dropping’ a jager meister into red bull?

So my friend kept going on to me about jager bombs, in case you don’t know what they are I’ll put a link at the bottom.

So basically you drop a shot of jager meister into a glass of red bull and drink, but what’s the point of dropping it in, couldn’t you just pour it in? I mean I tried both ways and apparently dropping it is supposed to get you drunker but I didn’t notice any difference.

If it does get you drunk does anyone have an explanation as to why?
thanks in advance.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A4gerbomb

That’s what makes it a jagerbomb. Otherwise, it would just be a mixed drink of jager and redbull. As for why? It’s more fun that way. That’s really the only reason. It doesn’t get you drunk any faster, that’s for sure.

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