Monday, January 3, 2011

SOME FAMOUS WARS OF WORLD HISTORY:

  • Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.)—This battle was fought between the Greeks and Persians in 490 B.C. A small Greek Army defeated much larger Persian force.
  • Battle of Hastings (1066 A.D.)—This war was fought between England and Normans in 1066 A.D. King Harold of England was defeated and England came under the Norman control.
  • ‘Hundred Years’ War (1338-1453)—It was fought between France and England. The war was brought to an end by the sacrifice of Joan of Arc.
  • War between Henry VII and Richard (1455-85)—It was a civil war fought in 1455-85 between Henry VII and Richard (The Duke of York) both claiming the British throne on Henry VI’s death. Richard was defeated in this war.
  • Defeat of Spanish Armada (1588)—The British fleet defeated Spanish Armada. The British supremacy over the seas was established. Also, it led to renaissance in English life and literature.
  • Civil War in England (1642-49)—It was fought between the Parliament and Charles I of England.
  • War of Spanish Succession (1702)—It was fought between England and France in 1702. The latter were defeated.
  • Battle of Blenheim (1704)—England and Austria defeated the French and Bavarians.
  • Seven Years War (1756-63)—England and Prussia defeated Austria, France, Poland and Russia. It was caused by a revolutionary change in the diplomatic pattern.
  • American War of Independence (1776-83)—It was fought during 1776-1783. In this war, George Washington defeated the English forces and America became independent.
  • Battle of the Nile (1798)—A naval fight between British and French fleet in 1798. The British fleet commanded by Nelson was victorious.
  • Battle of Trafalgar (1805)—The British fleet under Nelson defeated the combined line of French and Spanish fleet.
  • Battle of Waterloo (1815)—The British under Duke of Wellington defeated Napolean. Napolean was captured and exiled to St. Helena where he died in 1821.
  • Crimean War (1854-56)—It was fought during 1854-56 between Russia and the combined forces of England, France and Turkey.
  • American Civil War (1861-65)—This was fought during 1861-65 between the Northern and Southern States of America.
  • Boer War (1889-1901)—This war was fought between British and Dutch forces in 1889-1901 in South Africa.
  • Sino Japanese War (1894-95)—Japan defeated China and occupied Formosa and Korea.
  • Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)—Also known as the Battle of the sea of Japan. The Japanese fleet defeated the Russian fleet. It led to the emergence of the wave of Asian resurgence.
  • World War I (1914-18)—The Allied Powers (Britain, France, U.S.A., Belgium) etc. defeated Germany and her associated powers.
  • World War II (1939-45)—The Allies (Britain, France, U.S.A. and Russia and Benelux countries etc. defeated the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan).
  • Battle of El-Alamein (1942)—The Allies Victory during the Second World War and retreat of Field Marshal General Rommel’s forces.
  • Korean War (1950-53)—It was fought between North and South Korea from 1950 to 1953 A.D.
  • 4th Arab-Israel War (Oct. 1973)—An indecisive war led to Geneva Peace Conference on West Asia (Dec. 1973).
  • China-Vietnam War (Feb. 1979)—China invaded Vietnam and overran a large chunk of Vietnamese territory. It however, proclaimed ceasefire in the following month and withdrew its forces.
  • Iran-Iraq War (Oct. 1980-Aug. 1988)
  • Falkland War (1983)—It was fought between Britain and Argentina.
  • U.S.-Panama War (1989)—It was fought between United States and Panama.
  • Gulf War (Jan. 17, 1991-Feb. 26, 1991)—It was fought between multinational forces led by the U.S.A. and Iraq.
  • Gulf War-2 (March 20, 2003 to April 2003)—The US led coalition forces launched a full scale attack on Iraq on March 20, 2003. It made use of the latest and the fiercest weaponry to subdue the Iraqi forces. Baghdad fell on April 9, 10 and other cities followed suit. By April 20 the coalition armies were in full control of Iraq. It marked the downfall of President Saddam Hussein.

SOME ACCOUNTING TERMS:

  • ·         Accountancy- is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers.[1]  The communication is generally in the form of financial statements  that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in selecting the information that is relevant to the user and is reliable.
  • ·         Accounting – process of identifying, measuring, and reporting financial information of an entity
  • ·         Accounting Equationassets = liabilities + equity
  • ·         Accounts Payable – money owed to creditors, vendors, etc.
  • ·         Accounts Receivable – money owed to a business, i.e.: credit sales
  • ·         Accrual Accounting – a method in which income is recorded when it is earned and expenses are recorded when they are incurred
  • ·         Asset – property with a cash value that is owned by a business or individual
  • ·         Balance Sheet – summary of a company’s financial status, including assets, liabilities, and equity
  • ·         Bookkeeping – recording financial information
  • ·         Cash-Basis Accounting – a method in which income and expenses are recorded when they are paid.
  • ·         Chart of Accounts – a listing of a company’s accounts and their corresponding numbers
  • ·         Cost Accounting – a type of accounting that focuses on recording, defining, and reporting costs associated with specific operating functions
  • ·         Credit – an account entry with a negative value for assets, and positive value for liabilities and equity.
  • ·         Debit - an account entry with a positive value for assets, and negative value for liabilities and equity.
  • ·         Depreciation – recognizing the decrease in the value of an asset due to age and use
  •       Double-Entry Bookkeeping - system of accounting in which every transaction has a corresponding positive and negative entry (debits and credits)
  • ·         Equity – money owed to the owner or owners of a company, also known as “owner’s equity”
  • ·         Financial Accounting – accounting focused on reporting an entity’s activities to an external party; ie: shareholders
  • ·         Financial Statement - a record containing the balance sheet and the income statement
  • ·         Fixed Asset - long-term tangible property; building, land, computers, etc.
  • ·         General Ledger - a record of all financial transactions within an entity
  • ·         Income Statement - a summary of income and expenses
  • ·         Job Costing – system of tracking costs associated with a job or project (labor, equipment, etc) and comparing with forecasted costs
  • ·         Journal – a record where transactions are recorded, also known as an “account”
  • ·         Liability - money owed to creditors, vendors, etc
  •            Loan – money borrowed from a lender and usually repaid with interest
  • ·         Net Income - cash or other property that can be easily converted to cash
  • ·         Net Income - money remaining after all expenses and taxes have been paid
  •  ·       Non-operating Income – income generated from non-recurring transactions; ie: sale of an old building
  • ·         Note - a written agreement to repay borrowed money; sometimes used in place of “loan”
  •      Operating Income – income generated from regular business operations
  • ·         Payroll - a list of employees and their wages
  • ·         Revenue - total income before expenses.
  • ·         Single-Entry Bookkeeping - system of accounting in which transactions are entered into one account

SOME AWARD WINNING BOOKS OF 2009-10:

The 2010 Pulitzer Prizes: Paul Harding's debut novel, Tinkers, and T.J. Stiles's Biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, which also won the National Book Award:
·        Fiction: Tinkers by Paul Harding
·        General Nonfiction: The Dead Hand by David E. Hoffman
·        Biography: The First Tycoon by T.J. Stiles
·        History: Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed
·        Poetry: Versed by Rae Armantrout
·        Drama: Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey

Howard Jacobson - The Finkler Question.
The rest of the shortlist included:
·        Fiction: Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
·        Nonfiction: Just Kids by Patti Smith
·        Poetry: Lighthead by Terrance Hayes
·        Young People's Literature: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
2009 National Book Critics Circle Awards:
Booker winner, for The other winners:
·        Fiction: Wolf Hall- Hilary Mantel
·        Nonfiction: The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes
·        Biography: Cheever by Blake Bailey
·        Autobiography: Somewhere Toward the End by Diana Athill
·        Criticism: Notes from No Man's Land by Eula Biss
·        Poetry: Versed by Rae Armantrout

BOOKS AND AUTHORS WHO WON THE BOOKER PRIZES:

Year
 Author
 Title
 Country
1969
1970
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010