Ambergris is a solid, waxy material produced in the sperm whale and in the pygmy sperm whale. Ambergris is formed in the rectum of the whale by indigestible objects from animals on which it feeds (like beaks of squid and cuttlefish). The ambergris is usually released when the whale dies. When released, it is pale white and soft with a …

Goddess Parvati is regarded as the power and divine consort of Lord Shiva – the Destroyer. Like her consort Shiva, Goddess Parvati is said to have both mild and terrible aspects Goddess Parvati is known by different names like Lalita, Uma, Gauri, Kali, Durga, Haimavati etc. Two of her fierce but very powerful forms are Durga (Goddess beyond reach) and …

A wistar rat is an outbred strain of the albino or white rat belonging to the species Rattus norwegicus. It is characterised by its wide head, long ears and a tail length always less than its body length. This is currently one of the most popular rat strains for laboratory research. It was developed by the Wistar Institute for use …

A once-exotic word that has now entered the everyday lexicon, a tsunami refers to a shock of water that spreads through the sea, usually after a sub-sea floor quake. A section of seabed is thrust up or driven down by violent movement of the Earth’s crust. The rift displaces vast quantities of water that move as waves, able to cover …

A toxic wife is one who quits her job after marriage to supposedly take care of the home and raise children, but instead hires an army of domestic help. While this gives her time to spend extravagantly, it burdens the husband, especially during times of recession. It�s been reported in the United Kingdom that many such women have divorced their …

A totem is a stipulated ancestor of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe. Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem. Normally this belief is accompanied by a totemic myth. Although the term is of Ojibwe …

A Tea Party protest is part of a series of anti-government protests being organized all over the US since early 2009 to express anger and frustration over government policy, which supposedly promotes wasteful expenditure by the government and leads to high taxes. The term is based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, which opposed tea taxation imposed by …

A surgical strike is an attack using missiles, bombers or on the ground against certain specific targets. The strike is planned with surgical precision so they cause damage only to the planned targets and cause minimum damage to their surroundings. These attacks are usually carried out against terrorist camps, training grounds, or facilities such as power stations, armouries, etc. The …

Stupa’s are associated with the religion Buddhism. A stupa is a dome shaped mound of brick or stone covering a site or object sacred to Buddha. Many stupas are found in India, the birthplace of Buddhism about 2,500 years ago.

A staycation is a neologism in vogue, where a person or family stays home instead of taking expensive and stressful vacations to exotic locations. It is a new travel word and is very popular what with today’s recession and high prices. It could involve taking day trips in and around the city. Such a vacation could also include activities like …