Famous Places: ALASKA

Brown Bears of Alaska

 Alaska is the largest and state in the United States. Breathtakingly beautiful, it is spread over 570,374 square miles. Alaska shares its border with Canada in east, the Arctic Ocean in north and the pacific in west and south. The state got its name from the Aleut word alyeska which means great land. The state have incredible natural beauty of endless coastline, teeming wildlife, rivers, fjords, green temperate rain forests, majestic mountain peaks and glorious glaciers. The state is 4^th least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 US states.

1. Who sold Alaska to USA?

Ans: Russia.

2. On 3 January 1959, American President Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Alaska to the Union as the 49^th state of the USA although US had acquired Alaska on 30 March, 1867 for $ 7.2 million.

3. Name the region of the state which is home to over half of the state’s population?

Ans: The South-central region.

The Tsimshian people

4. Alaska’s mostly unpopulated areas of the Alaska Range and west of the Wrangell Mountains also fall within the definition of South-central.

5. Name the group of the indigenous people who came to Alaska from British Columbia in 1887.

Ans: The Tsimshian people.

6. US President Grover Cleveland granted the Tsimshians the permission to settle on Annette Island. They founded the town of Metlakatla.

7. Which national park was developed by the 1912 eruption of the Novarupta volcano?

Ans: Katmai National Park.

8. Major oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope and Cook Inlet basins. Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope is the highest yielding oil field in the United States and on North America, typically producing about 400,000 barrels per day.

9. Which sporting event is annually held for the Eskimos of Alaska in every July?

Ans: World Eskimo- Indian Olympics.

10. Some of Alaska's popular annual events are the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome, World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, the Alaska Hummingbird Festival in Ketchikan, the Sitka Whale Fest, and the Stikine River Garnet Fest in Wrangell.

11. What is the nickname of Alaska?

Ans: The Last Frontier.

Mount McKinley

12. The motto of Alaska is “North to the Future”. “Forget me not” is the state flower of Alaska. The official state song of Alaska is "Alaska's Flag" which was adopted in 1955; it celebrates the flag of Alaska.

13. Name the tallest peak of the North America which is in Alaska?

Ans: Mount McKinley.

14. The highest recorded temperature in Alaska is 37.8 ºC in Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915 and the lowest recorded temperature is -62.2 ºC in Prospect Creek on January 23, 1971 (till this blog was published).

Nature Beauty

15. Name the earthquake which killed 133 people and several villages in 1964.

Ans: The Good Friday Earthquake.

16. The Battle of Attu was fought between United States and the Empire of Japan on Attu Island the coast of Alaska. The battle took place from 11 May to 30 May 1943.

A. R Rahman

AR Rahman

A. R Rahman is an Oscar winning Indian music composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist. Time magazine described him as the world’s most prominent and prolific film composer. He won two Oscar Awards in 2009 for the film Slumdog Millionaire. He has also won two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and 13 Filmfare Awards South in addition to numerous other awards and nominations. Rahman's film scoring career began in the early 1990s with the Tamil film Roja. The rest as you know is history. The UK based World Music magazine “Songlines” named him as one of the “Tomorrow’s World Music Icon” in August 2011.

Rahman in his Studio

1. What is the name Rahman’s studio which was established in his own house?

Ans: The Panchathan Record Inn & AM Studios.

2. What is the meaning of his nickname Isai Puyal?

Ans: Music Storm.

3. Where he studied western classical music?

Ans: Trinity College of Music, Oxford University (UK).

4. Which was his first Hindi language movie as a composer?

Ans: Rangeela (1995).

5. Name the music album by Rahman which was released on 50^th anniversary of Indian independence?

Ans: Vande Mataram.

6. Who was the director of the movie Roja in which Rahman debuted?

Ans: Mani Ratnam.

AR Rahman receiving Oscars

7. For which movie did A.R Rahman won BMI London Award for Best Score in 2010?

Ans: Couples Retreat.

8. What is the name of the music label of A.R Rahman?

Ans: KM Music.

9. Name the Mandarin language film for which he composed music in 2003?

And: Warriors of Heaven and Earth.

10. English musician Mick Jagger formed a supergroup in 2011. The band also includes A. R Rahman with several famous musicians. Name the band.

Ans: SuperHeavy.

Nicole Scherzinger performing in Oscar winning "Jai Ho"

11. Name the single that was released by Rahman commemorating the last day of the Mayan calendar to spread hope, peace and love.

Ans: Infinite Love.

12. For which project he was appointed as the Global Ambassador in 2004 by WHO?

Ans: The Stop TB Partnership.

ABBREVIATIONS

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Abbreviations have been used as long as phonetic scripts have existed, in some sense actually being more common in early literacy, where spelling out a whole word was often avoided and initial letters commonly being used to represent words in specific application. Here I have presented 20 interesting abbreviations and after I wrote I found it to be important also. Enjoy it.

1. What is the full form of FIFA?

Ans: Federation Internationale de Football Association.

2. What is the full form of EMI?

Ans: Equated Monthly Installments.

3. What is the full form of HAL?

Ans: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

4. What is the full form of LCM?

Ans: Lowest Common Multiple.

5. What is the full form of JPEG?

Ans: Joint Photographic Experts Group.

6. What is the full form of MODEM?

Ans: Modulator-Demodulator.

7. What is the full form of OAPEC?

Ans: Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries.

8. What is the full form of PAT?

Ans: Profit After Tax.

9. What is the full form of COPRA?

Ans: Consumer Protection Act.

10. What is the full form of LASER?

Ans: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

11. What is the full form of MAD?

Ans: Mutually Assured Destruction.

12. What is the full form of PIGS?

Ans: Pre-implantation Genetic Screening.

13. What is the full form of UPS?

Ans: Uninterrupted Power Supply.

14. What is the full form of RTG?

Ans: Radio-isotope Thermoelectric Generator. 

15. What is the full form of WAN?

Ans: World Association of Newspaper.

16. What is the full form of NATO?

Ans: North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

17. What is the full form of NEWS?

Ans: North East West South.

18. What is the full form of EDMS?

Ans: Essential Services Maintenance Act.

19. What is the full form of ERM?

Ans: European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

20. What is the full form of SIFT?

Ans:  Sperm Intra-Fallopian Transfer.

People at TOP

Fidel Castro

1. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) is a Cuban communist revolutionary and politician. He was Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President from 1976 to 2008. Commander in Chief of the country’s armed forces from 1959 to 2008. Castro led the Cuban Revolution which ousted Batista in 1959 and brought his own assumption of military and political power.

2. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was a British statesmen, soldiers and author. He was Prime Minister of the UK from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. He was the first and only British Prime Minister in history to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Gaddafi

3. Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (1942- 2011) was a ruler of Libya from 1969 to 2011 until his death. He also served as Chairperson of the African Union from 2009 to 2010. He was the ruler of Libya Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and the “Brother Leader” of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. He was captured and brutally killed by NTC fighters in 2011.

4. Nelson Rolihlala Mandela (born 1918) was the first black President of Republic of South Africa. He was imprisoned for about 27 years from 1964 to 1990 for anti-apartheid revolution. He received Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India in 1990 and Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Indira Gandhi

5. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (1917-1984) was a politician and the first women Prime Minister of Republic of India. She was daughter of the Independent India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. She was first Indian Prime Minister to be assassinated. She was named "Woman of the Millennium" in a poll organized by the BBC in 1999.

Steve Jobs

6. Steve Jobs (1955-2011) was an American entrepreneur. He was co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc. He was best known for iPhone, the Macintosh and iPad. The Forbes magazine estimated his net wealth around $8.3 billion in 2010, making him 42^nd wealthiest American at that time. He died of respiratory arrest related to his metastatic tumor on October 5, 2011.

7. Dhirubhai Ambani (1932-2002) was an Indian entrepreneur.  He founded the Indian MNC Reliance Industries in 1966. He died on July 2, 2002.

8. Sabeer Bhatia (born 1968) is an Indian American entrepreneur who co founded the free web based email service HoTMaiL in 1996. He then sold it to Microsoft for estimated $400 millions in 1997.

Rupert Murdoch

9. Rupert Murdoch (b. 1931) is an Australian America media mogul and entrepreneur. He is the founder, Chairman and CEO of global media holding company News Corporation. He bought the “The Times” in 1981.

10. Jack Dorsey (b. 1976) is an American web developer an entrepreneur widely known as the creator of Twitter and as the founder and CEO of Square, a mobile payments company. The Wall Street Journal gave him the "Innovator of the Year Award" for technology.

Sachin Tendulkar after his 200 runs

11. Sachin Tendulkar (b. 1973) is an Indian Cricketer and one of the world most decorated cricketer in the history of cricket. He made his international debut at the age of 16 in 1989. He is record holder for most centuries in Test and ODI and also most runs. He also won Cricket World Cup with India in 2011.

12. Mike Tyson (b.1976) is a retired American Professional boxer. He is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old.

13. Andre Kirk Agassi (b. 1970) is a former American professional tennis player and former World No. 1. He won Wimbledon once; French Open once, US Open twice and Australian Open four times. He also won a Gold medal in 1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta, US.

Usain Bolt celebrating in his unique style

14. Usain Bolt (b. 1986) is a Jamaican sprinter who has several world records in track and field. He won 6 gold medals in two consecutive Olympics in 2008 and in 2012. He is considered as the fastest man in the world.

15. Yelena Isinbayeva (b. 1982) is a worl record holder Russian pole vaulter. She won two gold medals in two consecutive Olympics in 2004 and 2008. She is also a two time World Champion.

Charles Chaplin without his mustache and hat

16. Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977) ) was an English comic actor and filmmaker who rose to fame in the silent era. Chaplin became a worldwide icon through his screen persona "the Tramp" and is considered one of the most important figures of the film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, from a child in the Victorian era to close to his death at the age of 88, and encompassed both adulation and controversy.

17. Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (b. 1957) is an English actor who won a record three Academy Awards for Best Actor category. He is the son of Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis and actress Jill Balcon.

Mona Lisa

18. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452-1519) was an Italian Renaissance polymath. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. His most famous work is the portrait the Mona Lisa.

19. Mozart (1756- 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical Era from Austria. He started composing from the age of 5.

Bear Grylls

20. Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls (b. 1974) is a world famous British adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is known as Born Survivor in UK. He is best known for TV series Man vs Wild.

The Greatest Playmaker : Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho celebrating one of his goals in his unique style in Barcelona

Ronaldinho is a Brazilian soccer player. He is considered as one of the most gifted player of his era. He was born on March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He came from a family of soccer players. His main playing position is as a attacking midfielder or forward. He is known as the playmaker instead of goal scorer. He is one of few Brazilian players to have played at every international age level. He was a member of the Brazilian under 17 national team which won the 1997 under 17 FIFA World Cup in Egypt for the first time and Brazilian senior national team which won the 2002 FIFA World Cup which was held in S Korea and Japan. He started his career at Brazilian football club Grêmio. He played in Brazil, France, Spain and Italy throughout his career. His unique skills and techniques make one of the greatest player of all time. He won FIFA World Player of the Year for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005. He also won a Ballon d’Or in 2005.

1. What is the full name of Ronaldinho?

Ans: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira.

Ronaldinho with his childhood club

2. Elder brother of Ronaldinho also played for Grêmio. Do you know his name?

Ans: Roberto Assis.

3. Which English club expressed interest to sign Ronaldinho in 2001 but couldn’t sign him after he couldn’t obtain a work permit?

Ans: Arsenal F.C.

4. Which was the first European club of Ronaldinho?

Ans: Paris Saint-Germain.

5. Who was the manager of FC Barcelona when Ronaldinho signed for the club?

Ans: Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard.

Ronaldinho with FIFA world player of the year award

6. In which year he became Spanish citizen?

Ans: January 2007.

7. Due to whose occupying number 10 Ronaldinho selected 80 as his jersey number at AC Milan?

Ans: Clarence Seedorf.

8. After a successful career in Europe which Brazilian club he joined in2011?

Ans: Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.

9. In 1999 in which tournament he won the Golden Ball for best player and Golden Boot award for top scorer?

Ans:  Confederations Cup.

Kaka, Robinho and Ronaldinho after winning 2002 FIFA world cup

10. Name the species of the bee which is named in honor of Ronaldinho in 2012.

Ans: Eulaema Quadragintanovem (“Quadraginta novem” means forty-nine, the number of Ronaldinho’s jersey at Clube Atlético Mineiro)

11. How many times Ronaldinho was in the FIFPro World XI?

Ans: 3 times (three).