Messages

31

Art / What Makes Art Beautiful?

« on: October 22, 2019, 03:53:42 PM »

Beauty in terms of art refers to an interaction between line, color, texture, sound, shape, motion, and size that is pleasing to the senses.

What makes art beautiful is a complicated concept, since beauty is subjective and can change based on context. However, there is a basic human instinct, or internal appreciation, for harmony, balance, and rhythm which can be defined as beauty.

Aesthetic Art:

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and appreciation of art, beauty, and taste. Aesthetics is central to any exploration of art. The word “aesthetic” is derived from the Greek “aisthetikos,” meaning “esthetic, sensitive, or sentient. ” In practice, aesthetic judgment refers to the sensory contemplation or appreciation of an object (not necessarily a work of art), while artistic judgment refers to the recognition, appreciation, or criticism of a work of art.

Numerous philosophers have attempted to tackle the concept of beauty and art. For Immanuel Kant, the aesthetic experience of beauty is a judgment of a subjective, but common, human truth. He argued that all people should agree that a rose is beautiful if it indeed is. There are many common conceptions of beauty; for example, Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine Chapel are widely recognized as beautiful works of art. However, Kant believes beauty cannot be reduced to any basic set of characteristics or features.

For Arthur Schopenhauer, aesthetic contemplation of beauty is the freest and most pure that intellect can be. He believes that only in terms of aesthetics do we contemplate perfection of form without any kind of worldly agenda.

Beauty in art can be difficult to put into words due to a seeming lack of accurate language. An aesthetic judgment cannot be an empirical judgment but must instead be processed on a more intuitive level.

Art and Human Emotion:

Sometimes beauty is not the artist’s ultimate goal. Art is often intended to appeal to, and connect with, human emotion. Artists may express something so that their audience is stimulated in some way—creating feelings, religious faith, curiosity, interest, identification with a group, memories, thoughts, or creativity. For example, performance art often does not aim to please the audience but instead evokes feelings, reactions, conversations, or questions from the viewer . In these cases, aesthetics may be an irrelevant measure of “beautiful” art.

Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/what-is-art/

32

Banking / What offshore banking does

« on: October 05, 2019, 02:49:03 PM »

Offshore banking can play a crucial role, internationally and domestically

The concept of offshore banking in Bangladesh is not new, and is getting very popular to among business-people in Bangladesh due to its overwhelming capacity to unlock the international financial settlement.

Offshore banking, by its name and structure, can play a pivotal role both in domestic and international territory. The banking facility handles the currency other than the local currency; customers with foreign currency necessity instead of the local currency ease international transaction instead of the domestic transaction.

The offshore banking activities in Bangladesh are taking new shapes and facing suddenly surfaced challenges in Bangladesh. To face the growing demand of the foreign currency of Bangladesh’s international trade participants, offshore banking is at its peak, to be guided with a re-energized and renewed look by the regulators, who are formulating guidelines with the recent change and challenges of the industry, though this is being heard for a long time.

Almost all the banks in Bangladesh have offshore banking licenses, but only 31 banks are actively participating in the business, most of whom are doing business on the discounting of local import and export bills, which is not the core function of offshore banking.

Offshore banking should be a window of a bank that is engaged to arrange foreign currency by borrowing, depositing and placing foreign currency from the international foreign currency holders.

In the age of the internationalized economy, the foreign currency reserves of a commercial bank is very poor, because of the slowing export operations throughout the bank, lowering remittance routing, and sluggish foreign direct investments to Bangladesh.

The offshore banking unit of a bank can boost the foreign currency reserve of a bank by engaging and participating in the international foreign currency market. A bank is as strong as its ability to arrange foreign currency for its customers who run their international transactions through that bank.

Not only that, offshore banking is free to lend in foreign currency, receive deposits in foreign currency, and conduct cross border transactions.

Offshore banking, since its inception in Bangladesh in 1988, is being run with the circular of the erstwhile Banking Control Division (BCD), which is very concise in magnitude, but very informative and elaborate in information.

On top of that, Bangladesh Bank issued two circulars by permitting the offshore banking units of the local banks to finance the import and export bills of the local businesses.

But there lacks lending, working, and treasury guidance for the offshore banks in Bangladesh, because offshore banks basically borrow foreign currency funds from abroad and create debt burden on the economy.

If the debt to the overseas lender is beyond the capacity and control, it will be a mess. So a proper, studied and time-befitting guideline from the regulators is the demand of the time.

By and large, offshore banking helps all global banking facilities stay in the local territory. It is not only a banking concept, but also a key to unlocking any padlock on international banking.

Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2018/09/11/what-offshore-banking-does

33

Place / World's 10 longest highways

« on: August 24, 2019, 04:22:16 PM »

A highway is any road on land what is named by the government that develops and maintains it. These highways offer the network for the most extended road trips possible amid two places in the world. This is an extensive list of longest highways in the world.

10#.Interstate 80(1-80), United States

Interstate 80(1-80) is a 4666 km long highway and is also named as Christopher Columbus Highway. It is listed on number tenth in longest highways in the world. It starts at an interchange with U.S. Route 101 in San Francisco, California and ends at New Jersey. It passes through more than 11 states in the US. This highway is also the leanest stretch in the entire Interstate Highway system in the US. This is one of the longest highways in the United States.

9#.Interstate 90 (I-90), US

This highway is said to be the world’s ninth longest highway and is 4860.2 km long. It is also known to be the longest Interstate Highway in the US. It passes through 13 states and runs parallel to US Route 20. The construction of this highway started in 1950 and finished in 1985. This highway runs through two longest floating bridges in US (Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge).

8#.US Route 6

US route 6 stretches nearly about 5158 km and is considered as the eight longest highway in the world and also second continues highway in the US. Until 1964 this highway was considered as a transcontinental route. It was also known named as Roosevelt Highway in the 1920s before it was officially designed by AASHO. It actually adopted by the US numbering system and after that named it as US route

7#.US Route 20, United States

This highway is known to be the seventh longest highway in the world and stretches 5415 km. It is also considered as the longest road in the US. This was constructed in 1926 and extended in 1940 it crosses up to nine US states and also divides into two by Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. Initially, US route 20 finishes at Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park, but after the extension of the route, it runs after it.

6#.China National Highway 010

China National Highway 010 is a 5700 km long highway also known as Tongsan expressway and is on the sixth position in the list of world’s longest highways. It stretches from Tongjiang City to Sonya. China National Highway 010 is one of the five north to south highways and seventh east to the west highway in China.

5#.The Golden Quadrilateral, India

The Golden Quadrilateral comprises of a network of highways which connects four major Indian states, i.e. Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata and is known to be the fifth-longest highway in the world. The planning of the Golden Quadrilateral was done in 1999 and construction started in 2001 and was finished in 2012. It is a 5846 km long highway maintained by National Highways Authority of India. It featured four to six lanes and was constructed in four sections.

4#.Trans-Canada Highway, Canada

The overall length of Trans-Canada highway is 7821 km and is said to be the fourth longest highway in the world. And also second longest national highways in the world. The construction of this highway initiated in 1950 and route started in 1962. Many other developments work continues till 1971. It extends from Victoria in British Columbia to St. John’s City in Newfoundland as well as Labrador. It passes through nearly about ten Canadian provinces and connects all major cities in the country.

3#.Trans-Siberian highway, Russia

Trans-Siberian highway is recognized as a third longest highway in the world which stretches from St.Petersburg to Vladivostok in Russia. It includes seven federal highways in its stretch and coincides with European route E30 which passes through Kazakhstan. The segment of the route spanning the Asian Highway Network is known as AH6.

2#.Highway-1, Australia

Highway 1 in Australia is listed as the world second longest highways and first longest national highways in the world. It comprises interconnected highways and covers 14500 km stretch. In 1955 it was inscribed as a national highway and included both single as well as multi-lane roads. The route of Highway 1 touches all states in Australia excluding Brisbane and Darwin. It carries more than a million people daily.

1 #.Pan-American Highway, Multiple countries

Pan American Highway comprises the entire US interstate highway system and is known to be the world’s longest highway which covers a length of about 48000 km. This project was planned in 1923, and Mexico completed its first half in 1950.it is designed as interconnecting highways and links more than 20 countries in America excluding a gap halfway amid Panama and Columbia, it is a 100 km stretch and is known as Darien gap. It stretches from Buenos Aries in SA to Edmonton in NA. Longest highway in the world.

Highways are designed to make approach easier, and well-designed highways offer a very comfortable journey from one place to another. These were the longest highways of the world.

Source: https://keytop10.com/2018/04/26/ten-longest-highways-in-the-world/

34

Person / Barack Obama: Life In Brief

« on: August 20, 2019, 05:41:33 PM »

Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States—becoming the first African American to serve in that office—on January 20, 2009.

The son of a white American mother and a black Kenyan father, Obama grew up in Hawaii. Leaving the state to attend college, he earned degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago, where he met and married Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in 1992. Their two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha (Sasha), were born in 1998 and 2001, respectively. Obama was elected to the Illinois state senate in 1996 and served there for eight years. In 2004, he was elected by a record majority to the US Senate from Illinois and, in February 2007, announced his candidacy for president. After winning a closely fought contest against New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, Obama handily defeated Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican nominee for president, in the general election.

When President Obama took office, he faced very significant challenges. The economy was officially in a recession, and the outgoing administration of George W. Bush had begun to implement a controversial "bail-out" package to try to help struggling financial institutions. In foreign affairs, the United States still had troops deployed in difficult conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the first two years of his first term, President Obama was able to work with the Democratic-controlled Congress to improve the economy, pass health-care reform legislation, and withdraw most US troops from Iraq. After the Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in 2010, the president spent significant time and political effort negotiating, for the most part unsuccessfully, with congressional Republicans about taxes, budgets, and the deficit. After winning reelection in 2012, Obama began his second term focused on securing legislation on immigration reform and gun control, neither of which he was able to achieve. When the Republicans won the Senate in 2014, Obama refocused on actions that he could take unilaterally, invoking his executive authority as president. In foreign policy, Obama concentrated during the second term on the Middle East and climate change.

Obama left the presidency, at age fifty-five, after his constitutionally limited two terms ended on January 20, 2017. He announced plans to remain in Washington, DC, until his younger daughter finished high school and, as a former president, to play a restrained but active role in public affairs. He also devoted energy to raising money and planning for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Source: https://millercenter.org/president/obama/life-in-brief

35

Happiness / FIND HAPPINESS

« on: July 13, 2019, 06:06:41 PM »

Once a group of 50 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each attendee one balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now these delegates were let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon. Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker then began, “This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life…the pursuit of happiness.”

Source: https://livelifehappy.com/live-life-happy-stories/

36

Common Forum/Request/Suggestions / Semester Result through SMS

« on: September 27, 2018, 03:56:21 PM »

For getting Semester Result through SMS, students are requested to follow the instruction:

1) For getting current semester result:

diu space res space Student ID and send it to 16322.

For example: diu res 113-14-598

2) For getting previous semester result:

diu space res space Student ID space Semester ID* and send it to 16322.

For example: diu res 113-14-598 133

* Semester ID example 142, 141, 133, 132, 131, ………………..

37

Time Management / Time Management Is Really Life Management

« on: September 05, 2018, 02:43:07 PM »

Time is one of life’s most valuable possessions, as it is something one can never get back. Subsequently, one of the most essential life skills to master is time management. After all, time management is really life management. Learning how to make every day count for something is the objective. But it takes ridding your life of procrastination and a great deal of self-discipline.

Mastering time management does more than just increase productivity. It can yield important health benefits as well. When time is managed wisely, it minimizes stress and improves the overall quality of life.

Lay the foundation for effectively managing time:

Delegating the appropriate amount of time to get adequate sleep, maintain a healthy diet and exercising regularly are all essential elements to improve both focus and concentration. Making the time to create a healthy lifestyle will help improve your efficiency throughout the day, allowing for more time to complete other tasks.

Identify and evaluate how you are currently spending your time:

If you drive to work, how do you pass the time during your commute? If you take a bus or train, how do you spend all those hours a week? How many audiobooks or language tapes could you have completed while in traffic last month? How many books could you read on the train while getting to and from work the next few weeks?
These are the best times throughout your day to incorporate all those little things that you “wished” you had time for. Over time, these habits become a lifestyle, and you will find yourself well ahead of the pack.

Say no to nonessential tasks and prioritize the ones of extreme value:

Consider your goals and look at your schedule before agreeing to take on more work. If a task is time consuming but not necessarily important to the main goal, pass it off or add it to the bottom of the list.

Dedicate time blocks and limit distractions:

Everyone has a place where they work the most effectively. Some people love to have music in their earbuds, while others need complete silence. Some people can work just as efficiently from their dining table as they can in a library cubicle. Wherever that place is, utilize it. Turn the television off, silence the cell phone, put away the tablet and dedicate complete focus to the task at hand. No responding to texts, no browsing the web.

When you operate your life in a healthy, organized fashion, and are able to execute daily tasks efficiently, stress is reduced, productivity increases and overall satisfaction manifests.

Never hesitate to take a break if needed:

Everyone gets worn out from time to time and piling on more and more tasks leads to stress that will simply derail you from the mission at hand. Take a walk, go to the gym, get some fresh air or take that sick day you’ve been holding out on. Sometimes all we need is a moment of clarity and solitude to clear our overworked minds and recharge our bodies to give us that next big push.

After all, time management is really life management.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242855

38

Place / FUN FACTS ABOUT NORWAY

« on: August 11, 2018, 04:50:16 PM »

Norway or the Kingdom of Norway has the world’s fourth highest per capita GDP – $54,397 – allowing its five million populations to reap the profit of its strong economy. Having large-scale reserves of natural gas, petroleum, minerals, seafood, and fresh water, Norway is the third biggest exporter of natural gas, eighth biggest exporter of crude oil, and ninth biggest exporter of refined oil in the world. Among these publicly known facts, there are some fun facts about Norway that are not so familiar. Some of those follow bellow:

Norway exports its garbage to Sweden to help her run her fuel energy programs by recycling garbage.

Norway holds the position of having won the most number of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in Winter
Olympics.

Hell is the name of a town in Norway which freezes in every winter of the year.

Norway experienced a butter shortage in 2011 resulting in smuggling of butter. One online auction for butter reached as high as $77 for a packet of butter.

The TV owners in Norway need to pay an annual fee of $300.

Grocery prices in Norway are so high that some Norwegians travel to Sweden to buy inexpensive food items.

Norway holds the pride of inventing cheese slicer.

39

Person / The Life of Sam Walton, Founder of WalMart

« on: May 07, 2018, 10:53:27 AM »

Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, one of the world's largest corporations, and one-time richest man in the world, left an estimated $100 billion fortune to his wife and four children when he died. Known as Mr. Sam, Walton was an Eagle Scout, served as an Army captain during World War II, was an avid hunter and outdoorsman, and lived humbly. He had a hard-charging, demanding style, often starting at 4:30 am.
Walton was an innovator in business growth, discount retailing, supply chain management, and business financing.

Born:

Sam Walton was born March 29, 1918, to his parents Thomas Gibson and Nancy Lee Walton near Kingfisher, Oklahoma.

Died:

Sam Walton passed away April 5, 1992, at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Educational Background:

Sam attended the University of Missouri where he was elected Senior Class President. To pay the tuition bill he worked as a lifeguard, waiter and maintained a newspaper delivery route of 160 customers. Following graduation, he aspired to attend the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania but quickly found he couldn't afford it. He instead took a job as a manager trainee at J.C.
Penney. Today, the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas bears his name.

Starting Walmart:

The first Walmart opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Originally, stores were located within a day's driving distance from the company's distribution center to ensure almost instantaneous restocking. Sales increased from $313 million to $1.2 billion during the 1970-1980 period while the number of stores increased 8.5 fold. Much of this increase came from bank debt which was largely paid off with the proceeds of the company's 1970 initial public offering.

In 1991 Walmart surpassed Sears, Roebuck & Company to become the country’s largest retailer. In that same year, as the country was mired in an economic downturn, Walmart increased sales by more than 40 percent.

Technology & Walmart:

Sam Walton's brilliance was evident in the way he had the company embrace technology. In the early 1980's, the business was one of the first to utilize UPC barcodes to automate the inventory process.
In 1983, the business spent tremendous amounts of capital on a private satellite system that could track delivery trucks, speed credit card transactions, and transmit audio and video signals, as well as sales data.
In more recent years, Walmart has introduced online ordering with free pickup and mobile apps. Today, Walmart is one of the largest companies in the world, with a market capitalization of more than $260 billion as of March 2018.

Sam Walton's 10 Commandments:

1. Commit to your business.
2. Share your profits with your associates and treat them like your partners.
3. Energize your colleagues.
4. Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners.
5. Appreciate everything your associates do for the business.
6. Celebrate your success.
7. Listen to everyone in your company.
8. Exceed your customers' expectations.
9. Control your expenses better than your competition.
10. Blaze your own path.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197560

40

Common Forum/Request/Suggestions / Facts and Significance of Earth Day

« on: April 22, 2018, 04:41:27 PM »

Earth Day has been recognized as one of the most widely celebrated environmental events across the world! April 22nd marks the day that events are held worldwide with the intention of increasing awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment. Recycling is emphasized on this day due to all of the positive benefits that it provides for the environment. 

Earth Day Facts
 
1.   Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22nd, 1970
 
2.   Originated in the United States, Earth Day became recognized worldwide in 1990.
 
3.   In 2009, the UN officially renamed Earth Day to International Mother Earth Day.
 
4.   Earth Day Network, the organization behind the Earth Day movement, works with over 22000 partners in more than 192 countries worldwide to raise environmental concerns.
 
5.   Earth Day Network is the global coordinator for Earth Day
 
6.   More than 1 billion people were celebrating Earth Day by 2010, which was Earth Day’s 40th
 
Earth Day Significance
 
Earth Day is a day dedicated to increasing awareness about the Earth and its issues while at the same time promoting new practices to resolve those issues. Today, more than 1 billion people over the world participate in Earth Day activities. Earth Day is considered to be the largest civic observance in the world. As a result of the efforts put into this event, several policy agreements and acts were sanctioned such as Clear Water Act and the Endangered Species act. Earth Day also brings awareness to recycling and the various techniques that can be employed. When it comes to the environment, recycling helps to preserve its natural resources and creating a cleaner atmosphere.

Source:http://incinerationrecycling.com/facts-significance-earth-day/

41

Art / World Art Day

« on: April 17, 2018, 12:56:37 PM »

World Art Day comes on April 15 of every year. World Art Day is celebrated to promote awareness about the creative activity across the worldwide. Art is a broad range of human activities in creating the visual, auditory or performing the artefacts, expressing their creative or technical skill, which intended to be appreciated for their beauty and emotional power. Art comes in various forms, but the main categories (first founded in ancient Greece) were Painting, Architecture, Music, Sculpting, Dance, and Literature. In1911 Cinema, was added as a seventh art by Ricciotto Canudo.

History of World Art Day

The IAA (International Association of Art) designed the day April 15 as World Art Day. The main idea is to create a day for all the lovers of art and artists in the world to celebrate, not only the members of International Association of Art (IAA). The aim is to create a day to emphasise the importance of art in the lives of everyone, of all ages and races. Every art centre, gallery, University, Museum, and artist are free to organize their activities. April 15 was chosen in honour of Leonardo Da Vinci’s birthday, who is considered a symbol of multiculturalism, free expression, world peace, tolerance, and visionary in the world of arts. Events on this day can vary from special museum hours to conferences and special exhibitions. Hence World Art Day will permit to all the art lovers and artists of the world, to feel the preciousness and the power of art simultaneously and let all of us breathe it is vital for all the nations of the world.

Source: https://happydays-365.com/world-art-day/world-art-day-april-15/

42

Story, Article & Poetry / Article on Landlocked Countries

« on: April 17, 2018, 12:44:38 PM »

Approximately one-fifth of the world's countries are landlocked, meaning they have no access to the oceans. There are 44 landlocked countries that do not have direct access to an ocean or ocean-accessible sea (such as the Mediterranean Sea).

Why Is Being Landlocked an Issue?

While a country such as Switzerland has thrived despite its lack of access to the world's oceans, being landlocked has many disadvantages.
Some landlocked countries rank among the poorest in the world. Some of the issues of being landlocked include:

•   Lack of access to fishing and oceanic food sources
•   High transportation and transit costs because of a lack of access to ports and world shipping operations
•   Geopolitical vulnerabilities from dependence on neighboring countries for access to world markets and natural resources
•   Military limitations because of the lack of naval options

What Continents Have No Landlocked-Countries?

North America has no landlocked countries, and Australia is rather obviously not landlocked. Within the United States, over half of the 50 states are landlocked with no direct access to the world's oceans. Many states, however, do have water access to the oceans via the Hudson Bay, Chesapeake Bay, or Mississippi River.

Landlocked Countries in South America:

South America has just two landlocked countries: Bolivia and Paraguay.

Landlocked Countries in Europe:

Europe has 14 landlocked countries: Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Vatican City.

Landlocked Countries in Africa:

Africa has 16 landlocked countries: Botswana, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho,  Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, South Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Lesotho is unusual in that it is landlocked by just one country (South Africa).

Landlocked Countries in Asia:

Asia has 12 landlocked countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Laos, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Note that several of the countries in western Asia border the landlocked Caspian Sea, a feature that does open some transit and trade opportunities.

Disputed Regions that Are Landlocked:

Four regions that are not fully recognized as independent countries are landlocked: Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Transnistria.

What Are the Two Doubly-Landlocked Countries?

There are two, special, landlocked countries that are known as doubly-landlocked countries, completely surrounded by other landlocked countries. The two doubly-landlocked countries are Uzbekistan (surrounded by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and, Turkmenistan) and Liechtenstein (surrounded by Austria and Switzerland).

What Is the Largest Landlocked Country?

Kazakhstan is the world's ninth largest country but is the world's largest landlocked country. It's 1.03 million square miles (2.67 million km2) and is bordered by Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the landlocked Caspian Sea.

What Are the Most Recently Added Landlocked Countries?

The most recent addition to the list of landlocked countries is South Sudan which gained independence in 2011.
Serbia is also a recent addition to the list of landlocked countries. The country formerly had access to the Adriatic Sea, but when Montenegro became an independent country in 2006, Serbia lost its ocean access.

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/landlocked-countries-1435421

43

Place / Kazakhstan

« on: April 17, 2018, 12:18:48 PM »

Destination Kazakhstan, a republic in Central Asia, south of Russia, that extends east from the Caspian Sea to the Altai Mountains and China in west. Until 1991 Kazakhstan was one of the fifteen Soviet republics.

Kazakhstan's small area west of the Ural river (in Kazakhstan known as Zhayyq) is geographically, even though not politically, located within Europe.

Border countries are China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

An area of 2,724,900 km² makes Kazakhstan to the largest landlocked country in the world, although it has a shoreline at the Caspian Sea but the country has no immediate access to the world’s oceans. Compared it is almost the size of Argentina or slightly less than four times the size of the US state of Texas.

The multiethnic country has a population of 17,7 million people (in 2016), making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Vast regions of the territory of the republic are uninhabited. Capital is Astana, largest city is Almaty. Spoken languages are Kazakh (official) and Russian as second language.

Souce: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/kazakhstan.htm

44

Tennis / One of the greatest tennis players in history: Roger Federer

« on: March 18, 2018, 02:25:30 PM »

Who Is Roger Federer?

Born in 1981 in Switzerland, Roger Federer was among his country's top junior tennis players by age 11. He turned pro in 1998, and with his victory at Wimbledon in 2003 he became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title. Federer has won a record-setting 20 Grand Slam singles championships. In July 2017, the tennis star won a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title, at the age of 35.

Early Life:

Tennis star Roger Federer was born on August 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland, to Swiss father Robert Federer and South African mother Lynette Du Rand. Federer's parents met while on a business trip for a pharmaceutical company, where they both worked.

Federer took an interest in sports at an early age, playing tennis and soccer at the age of 8. By age 11, he was among the Top 3 junior tennis players in Switzerland. At age 12, he decided to quit other sports and focus all his efforts on tennis, which he felt he excelled at more naturally. By 14, he was fully immersed in the game, playing two or three tournaments per month and practicing six hours a week, along with up to three hours of conditioning. To perfect his technique, he often imitated his idols, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.

At age 14, Federer became the national junior champion in Switzerland, and was chosen to train at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublens. He joined the International Tennis Federation junior tennis circuit in July 1996, and had his his first sponsorship by age 16. In 1998, shortly before he turned pro, Federer won the junior Wimbledon title and the Orange Bowl. He was recognized as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion of the year.

Record-setting Career:

Federer won the Wimbledon boys' singles and doubles titles in 1998, and turned professional later that year. At Wimbledon in 2001, he caused a sensation by knocking out reigning singles champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round. In 2003, following a successful season on grass, Federer became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title when he emerged victorious at Wimbledon.

At the beginning of 2004, Federer had a world ranking of No. 2, and that same year, he won the Australian Open, the U.S. Open, the ATP Masters and retained the Wimbledon singles title. He was ranked No. 1 at the start of 2005, and his successes that year included the Wimbledon singles title (for a third successive year) and the U.S. Open.

Federer held on to his No. 1 ranking from 2004 into 2008. In 2006 and '07, he won the singles championships at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. A paragon of graceful athleticism, Federer was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year from 2005-08.

In 2008, Federer beat Scottish player Andy Murray at the U.S. Open—his fifth U.S. Open win. However, that year proved to be a difficult time in Federer's career: He lost to rival Rafael Nadal at both the French Open and Wimbledon, and lost to another young star, Novak Djokovic, at the 2008 Australian Open. His ranking also slid to No. 2 for the first time in four years.

The 2009 season was a memorable one for the Swiss star. He beat Robin Soderling to win the French Open and complete the career Grand Slam, and defeated Andy Roddick in an epic Wimbledon final to surpass Sampras for a record 15th Grand Slam singles title. Federer also reached the finals of the two other major tournaments, falling in five sets to Nadal at the Australian Open and to Juan Martin del Potro at the U.S. Open. His brilliant all-around play enabled him to regain the world's No. 1 ranking.

Federer's career escalated once again in 2012, when he defeated Andy Murray for a record-tying seventh Wimbledon singles title. The victory helped the 30-year-old tennis star return to the No. 1 spot, and by the end of the year he had established a record with a total of 302 weeks atop the world rankings.

In 2013, Federer made a surprise departure from Wimbledon. He was knocked out of the singles competition in the second round by Sergiy Stakhovsky, who was ranked 116th at the time. At the U.S. Open, Federer again struggled on the court. He was beaten by Spain's Tommy Robredo in the fourth round, losing in three straight sets. According to the U.S. Open website, Federer admitted that he "struggled throughout, which is not very satisfying." His confidence seemingly shaken by the loss, he lamented how he "missed so many opportunities" and that his "rhythm was off" during the match.

Federer battled Djokovic in the 2014 men’s singles final at Wimbledon, but was denied a record eighth championship on the famed grass courts in a five-set loss. He then lost in the semifinals of the U.S. Open to hard-hitting Croatian Marin Cilic, who went on to win the tournament.

Federer's 2015 season began on a disappointing note with a loss to Italy's Andreas Seppi in the third round of the Australian Open. He proved he could still compete with the sport's elite players by defeating Djokovic to win the Dubai Championships in February, but his quest for a second French Open crown was thwarted with a quarterfinal loss to countryman Stan Wawrinka.

Federer charged through the draw at Wimbledon a month later, but he was defeated in the final by Djokovic, delaying his quest for a record eighth title for at least another year. His fate was the same at the U.S. Open: Despite an impressive showing that suggested career Grand Slam title No. 18 was on the way, Federer simply could not get past the top-ranked Djokovic in a hard-fought final.

In July 2016, Federer didn’t make it to the Wimbeldon finals either. He was defeated in five sets by Milos Raonic in a historic victory for Raonic, who became the first Canadian man to reach a grand slam final. Earlier that year Federer lost the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic, and after their match Federer was sidelined with a knee injury. Later in the season, Federer suffered back problems, and he was forced to withdraw from the French Open to avoid further injury.

Personal Life:

In 2009, Federer married Mirka Vavrinec, a former professional tennis player. That July, the couple became the parents of identical twin girls, Myla and Charlene. On May 6, 2014, the couple welcomed their second set of twins, boys Leo and Lenny. Federer lives with his family in Bottmingen, Switzerland.

In 2003, Federer established the Roger Federer Foundation, which helps provide grants to poor countries that have child mortality rates of more than 15 percent, for education- and sports-related projects, among others.

Source: https://www.biography.com/people/roger-federer-13612203

45

Inspiration Stories / Alibaba Founder Jack Ma Has Inspiring Words for All

« on: July 10, 2017, 03:43:46 PM »

Alibaba Founder Jack Ma Has Inspiring Words for All, Says Success Depends On Handling Rejection:

Today, Jack Ma is China’s richest man, valued at over $30.9 billion as of May 2017. However, the founder and chairman of the country’s e-commerce leader, the Alibaba Group, wasn’t born into money. His rags to riches story is truly inspiring, but Ma says he faced a lot of disappointment and heartbreak before he managed to claw his way to the top.

In a chat at a World Economic Forum event, Jack Ma talked about how his early career, and indeed much of his school life, was filled with failure.

“I had a lot of failures, for funny things,” he said. “I failed a key primary school test two times, and I failed three times for middle schools.” He says he even failed his university exams two times, before finally being accepted into “what was considered my city's worst university, Hangzhou Teachers University.”

“I applied for thirty jobs [after college], got rejected. I went to join the police force and they said ‘No, you’re not good’. Five people went [for the test], I was the only one they did not proceed with. When KFC came to China, came to my city, 24 people went for the job – 23 people were accepted, I was the only guy who got rejected."

“I applied for Harvard, rejected. I knew I’d be rejected I just wanted to see,” he laughs.

“I don’t think there are a lot of people in this world being rejected more than 30 times. The only thing is that we never get up, we keep on fighting,” he says.

I find that when people make a mistake or fail, if they only complain about others, this guy will never come back. But the one who only checks himself, he has hope.”

Source:http://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-has-inspiring-words-for-all-says-success-depends-on-handling-rejection-322693.html