General Knowledge and IT Questions 043

1. It is an interpretation that the logo represents a building surrounded by four boundary walls leaving spaces on each side. It has a meaning that the bank will help people in building their dream homes focusing completely on the housing sector.

Which financial institution are we talking about?



Answer: Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC)

2. Kraft durch Freude (KdF) meaning strength through joy was a German leisure organization, organizing tourist trips and resorts in Nazi Germany which soon became the world’s largest tourism operator in the 1930’s.

An idea for a new product had been conceptualised by KdF in the 1930’s whose aim had been for a small car that could carry a German family of five. To buy one, people had to join a special savings scheme run by the organisation.

However the product couldn’t materialize due to WW2. After the war, it became a symbol of Germany worldwide. What are we talking about?



Answer: Volkswagen Beetle

3. Connect the following companies to a recent announcement.

Answer: Internet on the Moon

4. Below is the coat of arms of which company whose motto means Step by Step, Ferociously? The name of the company itself refers to the point of origin of the company.

Answer: Blue Origin

5. While at college, co-founder Marc Ewing was given the Cornell lacrosse team cap by his grandfather. People would often turn to him to solve their problems and was referred to as ‘that guy in the ___ ___’.  By the time he wrote the manual for the beta version of X he had lost his ___ ___ and hence included an appeal in the manual to return his ___ ___ if found, which later became the name of the company itself.

Fill in the blanks which is the company we are talking about.

Answer: Red Hat Inc.

General Knowledge Questions 040

1. Yes Madam, Sir, is nonfiction feature film which has been produced by Australian film maker, Megan Doneman. On whose life is this movie based upon? He/ She had been awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1994 and a UN Medal in 2004.

    Answer: Kiran Bedi

2. What is being displayed in the below picture (edited)?

    

    Answer: This is the last menu of the last meal served to first-class passengers on board the Titanic which has fetched 76,000 pounds at an auction held recently. The original photo below.

3. What is the significance of the Google doodle below?

    Answer: It is to mark the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day in 2011.

4. Identify this Google Product.

    Answer: Gmail Tap (https://mail.google.com/mail/help/promos/tap/index.html - It's a prank played by Google on the occasion of April Fool's Day)

5. Hirsz, Aaron, Szmul, Itzhak are better known as?

     Answer: Warner Bros. (Harry was born "Hirsz," Albert was "Aaron," Sam was "Szmul," and Jack was "Itzhak." Their original surname is also unknown.)

General Knowledge - 26th January Republic Day

1. This note is a type of fantasy money issued in India as a means of helping to fight systemic political corruption. The notes are paid in protest by angry citizens to government functionaries who solicit bribes in return for services which are supposed to be free. What are these notes called?

    Answer: Zero Rupee Note

2. It was previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day, and ANA Day. It is the official national day of the country. Which day are we talking about?

   Answer: Australia Day (Celebrated every year on 26th January)

3. Identify the person below.

    Answer: Pingali Venkayya (Designer of India's national flag.)

4. Identify the woman below. She is the first female in her country to hold the post she holds presently. She came to India as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day Function. Who is she?

    Answer: Yingluck Shinawatra (She is the first female Prime Minister of Thailand and also the youngest at the age of 44 in over 60 years.)

5. This ceremony is conducted on January 29th ever year at Raisina Hills and an adjacent square, Vijay Chowk, with the President of India as its Chief Guest. Which ceremony are we talking about?

  Answer: Beating Retreat (It officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities)

DID YOU KNOW?


On August 29, 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as its Chairman.

General Knowledge 034

1. Identify and name. What extraordinary record does it hold?

   Answer: Sunswift Ivy (It is the fastest solar car which recently recorded a speed of 88 km/hr.)

2. Below is a picture of a very famous ad campaign. Identify this mascot and the service which uses them.

    Answer: United States Forest Service. The mascot is "Smokey Bear" famous for the ad campaign to educated people about the dangers of forest fires.

3. Below is the ad of which non profit institution?

    Answer: National Geographic Kids(The ad suggests that the channel can be watched by parents and their kids together.)

4. Identify the girl below and what record does she hold?

   Answer: Laura Dekker (She is youngest person to sail solo around the globe.)

5. What is being signified in the below doodle?

    Answer: Chinese New Year or the "Spring Festival" which was celebrated yesterday (23rd January, 2012).

DID YOU KNOW?


Sir Isaac Newton was an ordained priest in the Church of England.

General Knowledge 014

1. Identify the person below.

   Answer: Vaclav Havel ( He was a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician, last president of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003). He passed away yesterday (18-12-2011) at the age of 75)


2. Identify the person below.

   Answer: Kim Jong-il (He was the dictator of North Korea, ruling it since 1948. His son Kim Jong-un is the heir. He passed away on 17-12-2011.)


3. In Hindu and Buddhist religious art, which general shape is represented by 'mandala'? 
    
   Answer: Circle


4. Which Indian city is known as the Manchester of South India?


    Answer: Coimbatore


5. Which political leader won the Nobel Prize for literature, in 1953? 


    Answer: Winston Churchill


DID YOU KNOW?


English sailors were referred to as "limeys" because the sailors added lime juice to their diet to combat scurvy.

Say Wah! What a Knock !

Yet another double century, by yet another Indian! Congratulations to Virender Sehwag for his superb knock of 219 !!!
His Love for 19s:
Highest Test Score: 319
Highest ODI Score: 219
Highest T20 Score: 119

India also made its highest team score of 418 surpassing the 414 made against Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup.

Kepler-22b

Kepler-22b is the first confirmed extra solar planet which could be a Super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star discovered by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope.

Discovery

The discovery was announced December 5, 2011. The planet was originally discovered on Kepler's third day of science operations in mid-2009. The third transit was detected in late 2010. Additional confirmation data was provided by the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based observations. The planet's radius is roughly 2.4 times the radius of Earth; it is 600 light years away from Earth, in orbit around the G-type star Kepler 22.

Composition and structure

To date, its mass and surface composition remain unknown. If it has an Earth-like density (5.515 g/cm3) then it would contain 13.8 Earth masses, while its surface gravity would be 2.4 times Earth's. If it has water-like density (1 g/cm3) then it would mass 2.5 Earths and have a surface gravity of 0.43 times Earth's. The planet may fall into the category of planets known as super-Earths, depending on what the actual mass is.

Possibility of life

The distance from Kepler-22b to its host star is about 15% less than the distance from Earth to the Sun, but the luminosity (light output) of Kepler-22b's star is about 25% less than that of the Sun. This combination of a shorter distance from the star and a lower stellar luminosity are consistent with a moderate surface temperature. Scientists estimate that in the absence of an atmosphere, the equilibrium temperature would be approximately -11°C. If the atmosphere provides a greenhouse effect similar in magnitude to the one on Earth, the planet would have an average surface temperature of 22 °C (72°F).

At 2.4 times the size of the Earth, Kepler 22b is substantially larger than Earth and may therefore have a different composition. For example, the newly discovered planet may not be Earth-like, but rather more like Neptune, which is mostly ocean with a small rocky core. Nonetheless, Natalie Batalha, one of the scientists on the project, speculated "it's not beyond the realm of possibility that life could exist in such an ocean."

Source: http://www.wikipedia.org/

Jan Lokpal

ABOUT JAN LOKPAL BILL

Too busy to Read?

Watch this video (In Hindi) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8zUo9np1b8&feature=player_embedded)

Salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill

• An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up
• Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.
• Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.
• The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.
• How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.
• So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month’s time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.
• But won’t the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won’t be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.
• What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.
• What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.
• It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EXISTING SYSTEM AND WHAT WE WOULD WANT

Existing System	System Proposed by civil society
No politician or senior officer ever goes to jail despite huge evidence because Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) and CBI directly come under the government. Before starting investigation or initiating prosecution in any case, they have to take permission from the same bosses, against whom the case has to be investigated.	Lokpal at centre and Lokayukta at state level will be independent bodies. ACB and CBI will be merged into these bodies. They will have power to initiate investigations and prosecution against any officer or politician without needing anyone’s permission. Investigation should be completed within 1 year and trial to get over in next 1 year. Within two years, the corrupt should go to jail.
No corrupt officer is dismissed from the job because Central Vigilance Commission, which is supposed to dismiss corrupt officers, is only an advisory body. Whenever it advises government to dismiss any senior corrupt officer, its advice is never implemented.	Lokpal and Lokayukta will have complete powers to order dismissal of a corrupt officer. CVC and all departmental vigilance will be merged into Lokpal and state vigilance will be merged into Lokayukta.
No action is taken against corrupt judges because permission is required from the Chief Justice of India to even register an FIR against corrupt judges.	Lokpal & Lokayukta shall have powers to investigate and prosecute any judge without needing anyone’s permission.
Nowhere to go - People expose corruption but no action is taken on their complaints.	Lokpal & Lokayukta will have to enquire into and hear every complaint.
There is so much corruption within CBI and vigilance departments. Their functioning is so secret that it encourages corruption within these agencies.	All investigations in Lokpal & Lokayukta shall be transparent. After completion of investigation, all case records shall be open to public. Complaint against any staff of Lokpal & Lokayukta shall be enquired and punishment announced within two months.
Weak and corrupt people are appointed as heads of anti-corruption agencies.	Politicians will have absolutely no say in selections of Chairperson and members of Lokpal & Lokayukta. Selections will take place through a transparent and public participatory process.
Citizens face harassment in government offices. Sometimes they are forced to pay bribes. One can only complaint to senior officers. No action is taken on complaints because senior officers also get their cut.	Lokpal & Lokayukta will get public grievances resolved in time bound manner, impose a penalty of Rs 250 per day of delay to be deducted from the salary of guilty officer and award that amount as compensation to the aggrieved citizen.
Nothing in law to recover ill-gotten wealth. A corrupt person can come out of jail and enjoy that money.	Loss caused to the government due to corruption will be recovered from all accused.
Small punishment for corruption- Punishment for corruption is minimum 6 months and maximum 7 years.	Enhanced punishment - The punishment would be minimum 5 years and maximum of life imprisonment.

Should the Prime Minister be brought within the purview of the proposed Lokpal?

The Lokpal Is only an investigative body. If someone comes with credible proof of corruption by the PM, No less than seven members of the eleven members of Lokpal will look into the evidence and decide whether to investigate the PM or not. If it is a frivolous or unsubstantiated complaint, the complainant will be suitably punished. If the complaint has substance the Lokpal will investigate the matter. The 5 ministers from the government said that if any enquiry starts against the PM, the PM would lose all authority to govern and take decisions. We reminded them that in Bofors case also, the then PM was under scanner. But that did not deter him from taking decisions. If the PM takes many portfolios under himself, then all those ministries will become exempt according to the governments logic. Even in this governments own Lokpal bill, the PM was included with some qualifications. Even today, the CBI can investigate the PM but the problem is that the CBI is under the PM’s administrative control so effective investigation is not possible due to conflicts of interest. Therefore, we believe that the PM cannot be exempted from corruption investigation by the Lokpal.

Source: http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/index1.html

Current Affairs 001

    1.   Who was declared as the successor of the Tata Sons by its current Chairman, Ratan Naval Tata?

         Answer: Cyrus P Mistry (He will take office from 2012; he will be the sixth and the youngest Chairman of the Tata Group and only the second non-Tata after Sir Nowroji Saklatvala to head the group; he is also the largest single shareholder (18.4 %) in Tata Sons making his worth about Rs. 38,000 Crore)

Cyrus P Mistry

    2.   Who is the current Governor of Reserve Bank of India?

   Answer: Duvvuri Subbarao (His term has been extended until September 4, 2013)

Duvvuri Subbarao

    3.  Who is the Current Chief Election Commissioner of India?

  Answer: Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi (He succeeded Navin Chawla as C.E.C on 30 July 2010)

S Y Quraishi

    4.  Who was awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for a foundation which focuses on social work and development aid particularly on childhood and youth?

 Answer: Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera for his contributions through the Rafa Nadal Foundation

    5.  Who won the International Man Booker Prize for 2011?

  Answer: Philip Roth

Philip Roth

DID YOU KNOW?

Baskin Robbins plain vanilla ice cream is the number one selling flavour and accounts for a quarter of their sales.