My Science School

Following victories in Euro 2008 and the FIFA World Cup 2010, Spain made it three global competitions in a row when they won the Euro title again in 2012.

Spain were in Group C along with Italy, Croatia and Republic of Ireland in Euro 2012, which was held in Poland and Ukraine. Following a 1-1 draw against Italy in their opener, they produced two wins, defeating Republic of Ireland and Croatia 4-0 and 1-0 respectively. With seven points from their three games, Spain topped their group ahead of Italy, who had five points.

In the quarter-final against France, Spain won 2-0 to progress to the semi-final against Portugal. That game ended as a goalless draw even after extra time and had to be settled by penalties. Spain went through to the final on the back of a 4-2 win in the penalties. The final between Spain and Italy was played in Kiev and turned out to be totally one-sided. Spain were runaway winners as they scored four goals and conceded none. The 4-0 victory allowed them to defend their Euro title and lift the trophy once again.

Did you know?

Spain's Fernando Torres won the Golden Boot in Euro 2012. He was tied with five others on three goals. Among those five, he was tied with Germany's Mario Gomez on assists as well. But since Torres had played fewer minutes than Gomez in the tournament, he won the Golden Boot.

By scoring in their 4-0 win in the final against Italy, Torres became the first person to score in two finals, having also scored the only goal in their 1-0 Euro 2008 final win against Germany.

Spain also produced the best player of the tournament as Andres Iniesta was awarded the UEFA Player of the Tournament award.

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The perfect start to

My favourite book to start the New Year with is the book ‘She Can You Can’ by Garima Kushwaha which is a collection of stories about inspirational Indian women who have reached great heights in their life and paved paths for other women to succeed. The struggles and successes of these women motivate me.

I would like to start the new year reading this book because it teaches me to keep trying, stay strong and face challenges bravely. Reading this book in the beginning of the year will keep me stimulated and determined throughout the year.

Always a potterhead

When my mother bought the complete collection of the Harry Potter series, I was very excited to read it. I have liked the series a lot and am eager to start my new year with "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'. I have read all the novels in the Harry Potter series and I have loved the way J. K. Rowling has described the characters and brought the magical world alive. I have read and heard a lot about "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and am interested to read it because I am curious to know what happens after the seventh book and who is the cursed child.

Take your chance

My favourite book to start the New Year with is Robert Kiyosakis top rated book Rich Dad Poor Dad I recently ordered its hard copy but previously I had read a little bit of the book. In this book the author has written about two fathers. One is his biological father or "Poor dad and the other is his friend's father "Rich Dad". Both were successful in their own fields. The poor dad was a PhD holder and yet he died broke. On the other hand the rich dad had never pursued his education beyond eighth class yet he left a million dollars. Both the fathers taught Robert different lessons. I learnt from the book that getting good grades in school is not sufficient, acquiring more knowledge and taking risks at every moment is most important in life.

No miscalculations

The book I would start the New Year with is The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl' by Stacy McAnulty. The story is about twelve-year-old Lucy, a highly introverted math genius, who joins middle school with a goal to make one friend, do one activity, and read one non-mathematical or economical book. Her struggles to socialise and make friends because of her weird disabilities and side effects of her Einstein-like math skills after being struck by lightning, give us a new outlook. The book teaches us that there is more to life than what we have already done and that we need to start fresh on broken friendships, find solutions to problems and enter the New Year positively.

Kindle the inner detective

My favourite book to start the New Year with is The Sherlock Holmes it's been a while since I've been a Holmeshead. Seeing my deep interest and urge to read the books, my father decided to get them for me. I love investigation. Even my favourite movie genres would be action and investigation. While browsing through the library when I was 12, I saw Sherlock Holmes books in a corner of the shelf. But I couldn't borrow any of the books. This rapidly increased my urge to read Sherlock Holmes. I've waited two years and at last I am going to start 2022 with The Sherlock Holmes'.

Look at the bright side

My favourite book to start the New Year with is The Borrowers by Mary Norton. It tells the story of a family of little people who live beneath the kitchen floor of a deteriorating English country home. Pod and Homily Clock care their adventurous daughter Arrietty by borrowing what they have, and a touch more, from human "beans" who live up above. To not arouse suspicion, they take only things which might not be missed, like sheets of paper and old cigar boxes. This book teaches us life lessons, as was evident in Arrietty's first borrowing' mission. Rather than scolding her for losing the ice cube, her father emphasised her good points and areas to enhance, I like to read this book because it can make me line the positive priorities and intentions of setting new goals for this New Year.

Fiction lover

With New Year approaching, I have been preparing my 2022 book list and on the top of it is The Shadowhunters' by Cassandra Clare. This is a book series filled with adventure, emotions, fiction, and above everything we get to see the friendship between two shadowhunters - James and William. For a fiction lover like myself, this book series is perfect to start the year. I would re-read this book with the hope to remind myself of all the values I need to be a better person.

Starting the New Year with a laugh

Though there are many books I'd suggest for all to read on the New Year, one book I think is the best is 'Crazy Times with Uncle Ken, written by Ruskin Bond. Uncle Ken is Ruskin Bond's uncle, who does not have a job. He frequently comes to Bond's grandmother's house to pass free time (which he always has), and every time he pays a visit, you can be sure that something mischievous is going to happen! The book sets us rolling with laughter with various moments such as when Uncle Ken accidentally drives a car into the Maharaja's compound wall, as Ruskin Bond and Uncle Ken visit a mental hospital, as Uncle Ken suddenly turns into a bird enthusiast and goes gallivanting into a forest only to be chased by an infuriated elephant! In the book, Ruskin Bond shares all his crazy experiences with his crazy uncle, which makes one wonder if such an eccentric human even exists on Earth. All in all, reading Crazy Times with Uncle Ken' has been a wonderful experience for me, and I'm sure it is perfect to start a new year with a nice, hearty laugh.

Be content

I usually set myself a list of New Year resolutions that I make in an attempt to fulfil during the coming year. Although it is an efficient way to cultivate discipline, one must not set unrealistic tasks for themselves.

For this reason, the story How Much Land Does a Man Need' by Leo Tolstoy is one of my favourite books to read as the New Year begins. The tale illustrates how a man's greed to own as much land as he can leads to his unfortunate death and the loss of what little land he had. In our quests for the big things in life, we mustn't forget the significant small things that have kept us happy.

An action-packed start

The moment I read the topic of the weekend inbox I immediately knew which book to read. The Hidden oracle is an amazing book to start the New Year with. An once immortal Greek god of archery and medicine (Apollo) is banished from Olympus after angering his father. Apollo thinks that this is a temporary change, however, he comes to realise that he has to defeat his arch enemy, who event the gods are afraid of. Can Apollo learn to become human? Will he ever defeat his enemy? Can he get rid of his big ego? This action-packed book is filled with humor, sacrifices, betrayals, mystery, and suspicion. I highly recommend this book and am 100% sure that it is the perfect way to start the New Year.

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Extradition

Meaning

Extradition is the official surrender of alleged offender or fugitive by a state (government/country) to the state where the alleged offence was committed.

Origin

The word comes from 19th Century French 'extradition which in turn came from Latin ‘ex’ meaning ‘out’ + ‘traditionem’ meaning 'delivering or handing over’.

Usage

India has requested the UK for the extradition of the businessman who faces charges of fraud and money laundering.

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Scowl

The word is used to describe an angry look or expression.

Origin

The word finds its origin in late Middle English as a verb, probably of Scandinavian origin, from Danish skule, meaning 'scowl. As a noun, it dates from the early 16th century.

Usage:

Raj looked at his friend with a scowl.

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Kerb

The word kerb corresponds to the edge of a raised path nearest to the road and which also separates it from the road.

Origin

The word, which has been around since the 1660s, is a spelling variant of curb that has turned out to become the preferred British English spelling for certain specialised senses, like "edging of stone or pavement"

Prevalence

The word has grown in usage over the past two centuries and even though there was a dip late in the last century, it has again risen to match its previous bests.

Usage

Providing ramped kerbs at crossing places makes it easier for those with wheelchairs and prams.

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Meaning:

This noun means injustice, unfairness. It refers to a lack of equality and is often used in social, economic and educational contexts.

Origin:

The term inequity is formed from the Latin prefixin- meaning "not" + English equity meaning equal. A similar word "iniquity" means "sin, wickedness", involving a strong moral component. Iniquity is the older word to enter English from Old French iniquite which in turn came from Latin iniquitas (in meaning "not" + aequus meaning "just, level or equal"). And inequity was constructed much later. Though the words "inequity" and "iniquity" are etymologically related to the Latin word for equal, they have different meanings and associations. Today, "inequity" is more frequently used than "iniquity."

Usage:

COVID-19 highlights inequity in education. An inequity in salaries exists in many organisations. Activity: Use the word in a sentence of your own.

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Mottled

This adjective refers to something being marked with shapes of different colours without a regular pattern.

Origin:

The word mottled originated in the 18th Century, and is presumed to be a back-formation of the word motley, which has a similar meaning -varied in appearance, and made up of many colour. Back-formation is a word that is created from a word that already exists.

Example:

The drying leaves of the plant were mottled and looked beautiful.

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JWST's primary aim is to shed light on our cosmic origins: it will observe the Universe's first galaxies, reveal the birth of stars and planets, and look for exoplanets with the potential for life.

ESA, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have collaborated since 1996 on the definition of a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a general-purpose observatory with a large aperture telescope optimised for infrared observations and a suite of state-of-the-art astronomical instruments capable of addressing many outstanding issues in astronomy.

JWST's investigations will cover questions such as: What did the early Universe look like? When did the first stars and galaxies emerge? How did the first galaxies evolve over time? What can we learn about dark matter and dark energy? How and where do stars form? What determines how many of them form and their individual masses? How do stars die and how does their death impact the surrounding medium? Where and how do planetary systems form and evolve?

The James Webb Space Telescope honours NASA's second administrator, James E. Webb, who headed the agency from February 1961 to October 1968, at the time of the Apollo programme. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was formerly known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST).

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Complacency refers to when the perceived risks of vaccine-preventable diseases are low, and therefore vaccination is not deemed a necessary preventative action. Vaccination convenience is a significant factor when physical availability, affordability and accessibility affect uptake

Two months ago, India crossed the landmark figure of 100 crore administered vaccines—for the first and second dose combined. By December, 10, ~81 crore of its adult population received its first dose, with ~51 crore also having received a second dose so as to be admitted in the once elusive, fully vaccinated against COVID-19 club. While the figure is laudable for a developing country, it's important to continue examining our progress, especially as this impressive feat is occurring along with a dramatic decline in disease incidence since the peak of the second wave and a looming possible third wave driven by the new Omicron variant.

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