ZYNORIQUE

The registry is a hierarchical database that contains virtually all information about your computer's configuration. Under previous version of Windows, those setting where contained in files like config.sys, autoexec.bat, win.ini, system.ini, control.ini and so on. From this you can understand how important the registry is. The structure of the registry is similar to the ini files structure, but it goes beyond the concept of ini files because it offers a hierarchical structure, similar to the folders and files on hard disk. In fact the procedure to get to the elements of the registry is similar to the way to get to folders and files.
In this section I would be examing the Win95\98 registry only although NT is quite similar.

The Registry Editor
The Registry Editor is a utility by the filename regedit.exe that allows you to see, search, modify and save the registry database of Windows. The Registry Editor doesn't validate the values you are writing: it allows any operation. So you have to pay close attention, because no error message will be shown if you make a wrong operation.
To launch the Registry Editor simply run RegEdit.exe ( under WinNT run RegEdt32.exe with administer privileges).
The registry editor is divided into two sectios in the left one there is a hierarchical structure of the database (the screen looks like Windows Explorer) in the right one there are the values.

The registry is organized into keys and subkeys. Each key contains a value entry , each one has a name, a type or a class and the value itself. The name is a string that identifies the value to the key. The length and the format of the value is dependent on the data type.

As you can see with the Registry Editor, the registry is divided into five principal keys: there is no way to add or delete keys at this level. Only two of these keys are effectively saved on hard disk: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_USERS. The others are jusr branches of the main keys or are dynamically created by Windows.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
This key contains any hardware, applications and services information. Several hardware information is updated automatically while the computer is booting. The data stored in this key is shared with any user. This handle has many subkeys:

Config
Contains configuration data for different hardware configurations.
Enum
This is the device data. For each device in your computer, you can find information such as the device type, the hardware manufacturer, device drivers and the configuration.
Hardware
This key contains a list of serial ports, processors and floating point processors.
Network
Contains network information.
Security
Shows you network security information.
Software
This key contains data about installed software.
System
It contains data that checks which device drivers are used by Windows and how they are configured.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
This key is an alias of the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes and contains OLE, drag'n'drop, shortcut and file association information.

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
This key is also an alias. It contains a copy of the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config, with the current computer configuration.

HKEY_DYN_DATA
Some information stored in the registry changes frequently, so Windows maintains part of the registry in memory instead of on the hard disk. For example it stores PnP information and computer performance. This key has two sub keys

Config Manager
This key contains all hardware information problem codes, with their status. There is also the sub key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum, but written in a different way.
PerfStats
It contains performance data about system and network

HKEY_USERS
This important key contains the sub key .Default and another key for each user that has access to the computer. If there is just one user, only .Default key exists. . Each sub key maintains the preferences of each user, like the desktop colors, the fonts used, and also the settings of many programs. If you open a user subkey you will find five important subkeys:

AppEvent
It contains the path of audio files that Windows plays when some events happen.
Control Panel
Here are the settings defined in the Control Panel. They used to be stored in win.ini and control.ini.
Keyboard Layouts
It contains some advanced code which identifies the actual keyboard disposition how it is set into the Control Panel.
Network
This key stores subkeys that describe current and recent network shortcuts.
RemoteAccess
The settings of Remote Access are stored here.
Software
Contains all software settings. This data was stored in win.ini and private .ini files.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
It is an alias to current user of HKEY_USERS. If your computer is not configured for multi-users usage, it points to the subkey .Default of HKEY_USERS.

Description of .reg file

Here I am assuming that you already have a .reg file on your hard disk and want to know more about how it is structured.Now do not double click the .reg file or it's content will be added to the registry, of course there will be warning message that pops up. Now to view the properties of the .reg file open it in notepad.
To do so first launch notepad by going to Start>Programs>Accessories>Notepad.
Then through the open menu open the .reg file.
Now the thing that differentiates .reg files from other files is the word REGEDIT4. It is found to be the first word in all .reg files. If this word is not there then the registry editor cannot recognize the file to be a .reg file.
Then follows the key declaration which has to be done within square brackets and with the full path.If the key does not exist then it will be created.
After the key declaration you will see a list of values that have to be set in the particular key in the registry.The values look like this:

"value name"=type:value

Value name is in double commas. Type can be absent for string values, dword: for dword values and hex: for binary values. For all other values you have to use the code hex(#): , where # indicate the API code of the type.
So:

"My string" = "string value" is a string
"My dword" = dword:123456789 is a dword
"My binary" = hex:AA,BB,CC is a standard binary
"My other type" = hex(2):AA,BB,00 is an expand string


Important Note: expand string has API code = 2 and extended string has API code = 7.

As you can see, strings are in double quotes, dword is hexadecimal and binary is a sequence of hexadecimal byte pairs, with a comma between each. If you want to add a back slash into a string remember to repeat it two times, so the value "c:\Windows" will be "c:\\Windows".
Before write a new .reg file, make sure you do this else you will get an error message.

Command Line Registry Arguments

FILENAME.REG to merge a .reg file with the registry
/L:SYSTEM to specify the position of SYSTEM.DAT
/R:USER to specify the position of USER.DAT
/e FILENAME.REG [KEY] to export the registry to a file. If the key is specified, the whole branch will be exported.
/c FILENAME.REG to substitute the entire registry with a .reg file
/s to work silently, without prompt information or Warnings.

Kohima
In 1944, Kohima in the Naga Hills of Assam, north-east India, was an important hill station on the only road between the major British supply base at Dimapur and Imphal. When the Japanese launched their U-Go offensive in March 1944, the Kohima garrison was made up from a few units of the Assam Rifles, the 1st Battalion Assam Regiment and line of communication troops. As the full strength and threat of the Japanese offensive became apparent to the British, reinforcements were hastily moved to the Imphal-Dimapur area, many by air from the Arakan.

Of these, the 161st Brigade, of the 5th Indian Division, was flown to Dimapur in late March 1944. The brigade soon advanced down the road to Kohima and began to establish defensive positions around the village. The key terrain was Garrison Hill and the wooded slopes of Kohima Ridge with key features such as Jail Hill, Field Supply Depot (FSD) Hill and Detail Issue (DIS) Hill. There was space to deploy only a single battalion – the 4th Royal West Kents, supported by the Assam Rifles and the Assam Regiment. The brigade's remaining infantry – the 1st/1st Punjab Regiment and the 4th/7th Rajputs were deployed two miles west of Kohima at Jotsoma, with the brigade's artillery.


No sooner had the positions been established by April 5th than the advance guard of the Japanese 31st Division attacked. After the initial attack, the West Kents withdrew from exposed positions and the Japanese were able to establish themselves elsewhere on the ridge. By April 7th, however, the now hard pressed West Kents were reinforced by a company of Rajputs from Jotsoma. Further Japanese attacks began on April 8th and by the next day the defenders had been forced back to the tennis court at the Deputy Commissioner's (DC) Bungalow. At the same time, the defenders were cut off as the Japanese now also blocked the tracks to Jotsoma and the road between Jotsoma and Dimapur. Further Japanese gains at Kohima were made on April 10th and 11th.


Ferocious, hand-hand fighting erupted on April 13th as the Japanese attempted to seize the DC's bungalow and tennis court positions. The attacks were finally beaten by artillery fire from Jotsoma and the Japanese now focussed on eliminating these positions but without success. On April 14th, the newly arrived British 2nd Division and the 161st Brigade had opened the Dimapur-Kohima road. Desperate Japanese attacks were launched against FSD hill on the evening of April 16th and the positions changed hands several times before the British withdrew to Garrison Hill. A dangerous situation for the defenders, now hemmed in on three sides at Garrison Hill was relieved when on April 18th, troops of the 2nd British Division, the 161st Brigade and tanks of the 149th RAC forced the Japanese away from the road and Garrison Hill. The siege of Kohima was lifted.



Now began the bloody task of clearing the Japanese from the Kohima area. By May 13th, many of the Japanese positions had been taken in fierce fighting. A few positions still held out including the DC's bungalow. Continued fighting eventually forced a Japanese withdrawal that began by mid-May. Further reinforcements now came in to relieve the 2nd Division and the 33rd and 161st Brigades whose infantry had born the brunt of the fighting.
[Attention now turned to lifting the siege of Imphal and clearing the Japanese from the road between Kohima and Imphal. Continued heavy and close quarter fighting resulted in the eventual opening of the road and British and Indian troops of the 2nd Division from Kohima and the 5th Division from Imphal met on 22nd June at Milestone 110. The siege of Imphal was now over
The Kohima fighting resulted in British and Indian losses of around 4,000 men dead, wounded and missing. The Japanese lost more then 7,000 in the fighting around Kohima.


--
Richard Belho

IMPHAL AND WW-II

On 7 June 1944, I remember taking shelter in a roadside ditch while the air pummeled a bunkered hilltop. We were listening to All-India radio and heard the long-awaited news that our armies had landed in Normandy. Now everybody thought, we can see the eventual end of the war in Europe and better back-up the forgotten 14th Army. Going off-net was against order but at such times the temptation was too great.Captain P.A. Toole entered in his Diary. The only thing that kept him in the ditch was 'the end of the war would be his not for the world'.

Mankind's unrest, greed and selfishness in the late 1930's staged the onset of World War II.  Adolf Hitler in Germany and his supporter B. Musoolini of Italy seized Europe. On the other side of the world the Japanese were at war with its neighbors. Then the British and French were drawn in the war. America was still an onlooker supplying war materials to its allies. By September 1941 the Japanese had compiled secret plans to invade Malaya and Phillipines. On 7 December 1941, Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor. Next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war against Japan. December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Then the world was on War.

Singapore crumpled at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army on 15 February 1942. The defeat of this critical island in Southeast Asia quickly led to the fall of the Netherlands East Indies. A large number of  European soldiers and civilians were trapped in Singapore. Many were used as forced laborers  to build the infamous Thailand-Burma railway and the much romanticized 'The Bridge over the River Kwai'. More than 45,000 Indian and Malay soldiers  were asked to transfer their loyalties to the Japanese. Many refused and paid the price. Nearly twenty thousand Indians joined the Indian National Army (INA) led by Netaji Subash Chandra Bose in the belief that the Japanese would drive the British out and India would gain Freedom.

The Japanese quickly advanced to Burma, and their progress was unstoppable. General 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell with his troupes including Surgeon G. Seagrave and the missionary hospital Burmese nurses walked 29 days through jungles, crossed strong streams, climbed mountains and finally escaped to Imphal, Manipur, from the closely pursuing Japanese Army. At the same time, the British General William Slim and his group arrived at Imphal from the Arakan section of lower Burma. Another British Brig. Orde Wingate and his force known as the 'Chindit column' escaped into Imphal from upper Burma. Thus, the withdrawal from Burma was over.  By early April 1942, the Japanese had completely occupied Burma.

At Myitkyina, the largest town in upper Burma, the Japanese had assembled a strong force with air-strips. Their goal was to capture the Imphal plain and move up to upper Assam to cut off air supplies to China over the 'HIMALAYAN HUMP'.  This would give them an advantage and a complete supremacy over China and Asia, a disaster for the Allies. The INA led by Subash Bose and his ally the Japanese also marched to take over Imphal and then to proceed toward India with 'Delhi Chalo' slogans. The only  way to enter India from Burma was through Imphal. Therefore, the control of Imphal became the 'DO or DIE' for all sides. The British army and its Indian forces had strongly fortified the Imphal plain and Manipur valley. Airstrips were constructed at Tulihal, Imphal; at Koirengei, north of Imphal and at Palel/Kakching, 45 km south of Imphal at the Moreh-Tamu road. The Japanese army attacked Imphal continuously, and the British and its Allies resisted fiercely.

The first bombing of Imphal by the Japanese Tojo took place on Sunday, 10 May 1942 at various localities, namely, Khoyathong, Menjorkhul, Thangmeiband, Chingmeirong, Mantripukhri  at Koirengei airstrip, etc. In the south, the Palel/Kakching airstrips were also bombarded. However, the British and their Indian engineers did a marvelous job of reparing the damages quickly every time. The bombing of Imphal and  Manipur valley continued for almost 2 years. Imphal inhabitants had run away to different  villages, which is locally known as 'Japan lanchenba' or running away from the Japan war. The Japanese army took only two months to proceed from Singapore to Burma, and then  the war had become deadlock at Imphal either side not being able to advance. Both the British and Japanese forces had fortified each  side with a large number of soldiers and  the best in their ranks. The Imphal situation was critical.

Lord Louis Mountbatten and members of his Southeast Asia Command authorized Wingate, then a major general, to lead an assault into north-central Burma and capture Myitkyina and Mogaung strongholds of the Japanese army. Mountbatten suggested that Americans help Wingate's expected three-months of campaign by the same unit that operated China over the Hump. The answer from the American Air Transport people was a big NO since they already were involving in China campaign and they did not have extra aircraft and men. Mountbatten requested Gen. H.H. Arnold and President Franklin Roosevelt for help. The matter was given priority in the Quebec conference scheduled for August 1943. In the conference, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill brought Mr.Wingate as a guest. The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff  were so impressed with General Wingate that they not only agreed to supply the air transport but also authorized the first American commando force to serve with it.  In November 1943, Admiral Lord Mountbatten was named as the Supreme Allied Comander. By then both the British and Japanese forces were formulating new strategies to attack the other side.

Fierce fighting continued at the seige of  Imphal. The American Project 90752, code named 'Bond Project', was drafted. Personnels were ordered to duty on May 8, 1944 and directed the reciepents to proceed to Morrison field, West Palm Beach, Florida - Destination unknown, Task temporary air transport command. One hundred experienced pilots, 100 co-pilots, 100 new C-47A airplanes were delivered to Morrision field. Thus, the 3rd Combat Cargo Group, the first one to see  WW II  combat, was created.

Back in Imphal, the Japanese attacked Kohima, 125 km to the north of Imphal with a small garrison of 3500 and without an airstrip, with their 15,000 strong soldiers via 'Hell's Gate' in order to cut off the Dimapur-Imphal road.  This would obstruct the supply of ammunition, medicine, food, water, etc. from the upper Assam plains to Imphal. At the begining of the battle, 5 April 1944, the garrision held all the hillocks which were in a commanding position above Kohima. But they were pushed back and the Japanese soldiers dug in the higher grounds. The fighting was so close that the district commissioner's garden was divided in the middle claiming alternately by the Japanese and the British, which later came to be known as 'no man's land'. They were not shooting at each other anymore but hand to hand bayonet charges were exchanged. Over 600 casualties were handled by Colonel Young D.S.O., a British doctor and his Indian staff.

While Kohima was being attacked, Imphal valley was completely surrounded in all directions by the Japanese army at the hill tops with heavy artilleries. However, at that time, the Japanese had directed their aircrafts towards south in the Arakan region where British forces are attacking. The propaganda from the British Government to the local people  was that the Japanese were invading Manipur and India. Therefore, Subash Chadra Bose and his INA along with the Japanese army did not receive much help they had expected from the natives. Area war veterans narrated  that two Japanese soldiers disguised  themselves as local workers (the British employed a large number of local inhabitants  as laborers and housekeepers) and stole an aircraft from the Palel airstrip.  Subash Chandra Bose used the airplane to drop leaflets narrating that the Japanese and the INA were in fact friends of India and that they were trying to free India from Britain. They had to show the picture of Netaji with Mahatama Gandhi. By that time Manipur already had a large number of followers of Gandhiji's Indian  National Congress and they knew about Subash Bose's earlier role in the Congress Party. Finally, several locals joined INA, and underground movements started. The British army immediately collected all leaflets by offering large sums of money to those who were loyal and would bring it to them. Several members of the Manipur Mahasava and leaders from the hills and plains were rounded up at the Langthabal military camp. Thus, INA led by Netaji Subash Chandra Bose for the first time on 14 April 1944  hoisted the Indian tricolor flag at Moirang, 45 km south of Imphal at Tiddim road.

 In the north,  the 14th British Army was advancing to relieve Kohima from Imphal.  Captain P.A. Toole of  305 Field Park Company, I.E.  and also of 20 field Company, I.E. wrote down the war accounts in his diary. 'I landed from a Dakota on an Imphal airstrip in early April 1944. There had been an air-raid warning whilst we were in flight from Comilla and we had to turn back to Silchar and wait. When we arrived there was a blazing plane at the end of the runway and gunfire at the distance. I had been through the blitz but this was real war and not like the movies. The Japanese 15th division had surrounded the town and here in the north had dig-in on a number of dominating peaks, including those sitting astride the only road north. This road led to Kohima (itself besieged by the Japanese 30th Division). The country was steap, partly jungle with deeply cut ravines running down from the heights above. We had just got across one of these with difficulty to the other side when the distinctive rattle of an enemy light machine gun opened up and everybody laid flat.' That was  when Captain Toole heard  the Allies had landed in Normandy.

On June 11, 1944, 1st Lt. Walter Duch, Commanding Officer of the 10th Cargo Combat Squadron, jumped the gun and sent his aircraft to Imphal from Sylhet (~235 km to the west of Imphal) on their first mission into combat. Those would be the first combat sorties flown by a Combat Cargo Unit.  By that time it was clear that the locals were sympathetic towards  the Japanese; so any strategic discussions were to be held in the absence of the local people. The fighting in the valley resulted in several loses. The 10th Squadron had one plane and crew listed as missing. Tokyo Rose - the female voice of Japan's radio propaganda campaign - broadcasted the news the next day and even listed the names of the dead crew members as well as the number of the air plane. The landing at Imphat airstrip was tricky. Although Japanese aircrafts were not a problem since they were fighting in the Arakans, ground firing was continuous from the hill tops. By then the strategies were no longer secret, the Royal  Air Force (RAF) fighter aircrafts will circle the valley several times in order to  confuse the Japanese artilleries, and the Cargo planes will land quickly on the airstrip below. The air campaign was successful. At last around noon of 22  June 1944 the 14th Army joined the troupe advancing down from Kohima at milestone 109 north of Imphal. By mid-July Ukhrul at the east, a Japanese stronghold between Imphal and Chindwin, was cleared adding to heavy casualties to the Japanese.

Below Imphal at Bishenpur, the Japanese 33rd Division held against the 17th Division (Black Cat) and the fighting was bitter with no side gaining any advantage. To root the Japanese, heaviest artillery was got together and bombarded the Japanese at Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou where the Japanese were at their strongest. It is said that not a single leaf was left on a tree after this action. Imphal seize was as costly for the Japanese as Flanders was for the Germans in World War I for here on the 'Bloody Plains' 50,000 of the Japanese best soldiers lost their lives.

By early August 1944, Myitkyina was captured, and the Japanese were loosing at Imphal too. Monsoon was at its peak; heat, mosquito, shortage of food supply and ammunition caused a lack of enthusiasm and will power among the Japanese soldiers to proceed further. They were hungry, sick from malaria, and homesick fell upon them. Netaji Subash Chandra Bose was heart-broken: his dream of capturing  India had failed. He flew back to Singapore and was never found. The sick and retreating Japanese soldiers were provided help, food and shelter by local inhabitants of the hills and plains of Manipur. Despite the monsoon British and Allied forces decided to start an advance which could be largely supplied by air since the necessay technique had become highly developed and the RAF had command of the air. One line of progress would be Palel-Moreh/Tamu-Kalemyo and the other would be at Bishenpur-Moirang-Churachandpur-Tiddim.

After six weeks of Japanese seize, the Imphal plain was  rescued. On 16 November 1944 the British moved to Moreh near Tamu but the advance was slow towards the Tiddim road because of mine fields led by the retreating Japanese. Victory in Imphal was in fact the turning point of this war. The Japanese army for the first time was fighting a retreating war but not until many more lives were lost in both sides. After the conquest of the Imphal battle, Lord Mountbatten went to Sylhet and thanked the American Combat Cargo Groups personally. In December at Imphal in front of the Scottish, Gurkha and Punjab regiments General Slim was knighted by the viceroy along with three Corps Commanders, Christison, Scones and Stopford.

World War II ended after the atomic bomb 'Little Boy' was dropped from Enola Gay, the American B-29 Bomber, at Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and another at Nagasaki three days later. In a true sense the rescue of Imphal-Kohima could be described as the 'NORMANDY OF THE EAST'. Later after the war, World War II Memorial Cemetries were established both at Imphal and Kohima. The Imphal cemetry has 1300 British Burials, 10 Canadians, 5 Australians, 220 Indian, 40 East Africans, 10 West Africans and 10 Burmese. A more or less  equal number of burials were also laid at Kohima. However, the most ignored were those innocent local people who died in this war.  When two gaint elephants fight,  the uprooted are the inculpable grass. The forgotten Imphal-Kohima War will come to life every time you visit these War Cemetries. The burial sites are marked with bronze plaques recording their anguish and sacrifice: 'WHEN YOU GO HOME TELL THEM OF US AND SAY FOR YOUR TOMORROW WE GAVE OUR TODAY' depicts the war in an inscription at Kohima.  At Bishenpur, south of Imphal,  a Japanese War Memorial was also erected and another for the Indian National Army and Netaji Subash Chandra Bose at Moirang, 45 km to the south of Imphal at Tiddim Road.

credit-http://themanipurpage.tripod.com/history/wwII.html
--
Richard Belho

Termites constitute a separate order of insects called 'Iseptora'  ( ises is 'equal' and pteron means 'wing' in Greek). Although, they are commonly called white ants, they are not related to ants. The front pair of wings of the ants'are longer than their hind pair whereas in termites, both pairs are equal. There are over two thousand species of termites of which about 220 are found in India. All these species are not considered to be serious pests.

 According to their habits, termites can be divided into two well defined groups:

a) Subterranean or ground nesting termites which build nest. in the soil and live in them, and

b) Non-subterranean or wood nesting termites which live in wood with no contact with soil.

 

 Subterranean termites require moisture to sustain their life. They normally need access to ground at all times. They build tunnels between their nest and source of food through covered runways. These covered tunnels provide humidity conditions thus preventing desiccation and protection against predators, darkness necessary for their movement and for maintaining contact with earth. The subterranean termites enter a building from ground level, under the foundation; working their way upwards through floors, destroying all before them. So little is seen of  these termite operations that sometimes the structural member attacked  is found to be merely a shell with the inside completely riddled and eaten away.

 Non-Subterranean or Drywood Termites  The wood nesting species comprise dry wood and dampwood during t termites.  Dry wood termites  which predominate are able to live even in  fairly dry wood and with no contact with soil. These frequently construct ted   nests within large dimensional timbers, such as rafters, pests, door and window frames, etc, which they destroy, if not speedily exterminated.  However, they are not as prevalent and common as subterranean termites, workers. and are generally confined to coastal regions and interior of eastern  India. A termite colony consists of a pair of reproductives,  the so-called  king and queen and a large number of sterile workers, soldiers, and existing nymphs. If however, the queen is lost or destroyed, her place is taken by a number of supplementary reproductives in some group of termites; thus  by removing the queen, the colony will not be destroyed. All the work of , the colony is carried out by the workers. Guarding the colony is the  work of the soldiers. The adult workers and soldiers are wingless. The workers are generally grayish white in colour. The soldiers are generally darker than the workers and have a large head and longer mandibles.  There are, however, other types of soldiers whose mandibles are small, degenerated and functionless; instead the frontal part of the head is  prolonged to form a long nasus; they dispel the enemy by squirting out of white poisonous fluid through the nasus. The reproductivcs, that is,  flying adults, have brown or black bodies and are provided with two pairs of long wings of almost equal size in contrast to the reproductives of ants which have two pairs of wings of unequal size.

The food of the termite is cellulosic materials like timber, grass, dead trees, droppings of herbivorous animals, paper, etc. Once  termites have found a suitable foot hold in or near a building, they start the. spreading slowly from a central nest -through underground and  unnoticed ground galleries in the case of subterranean termites, and galleries within ' to the! the structural member, once they get direct access to them in the case of drywood termites. In their search for food they by pass any obstacle (like concrete or resistant timber to get a suitable food many metres away .

In subterranean  termite colony, the workers feed the reproductives, soldiers, winged adults and young nymphs. One of the habits of the termites which is of interest is the trophallaxis by means of which food and other material remain in circulation among different members of the ..colony. Workers are also in the habit of licking the secretions of  exudating glands of the physogastric queen.

DEVELOPMENT OF TERMITE COLONY

 At certain periods of the year, particularly after a few warm days followed by rain, emergence of winged adults on colonising flights, occurs. This swarming, also called the nuptial flight, may take place any time during the monsoon or post-monsoon period. The flight is short and most of the adults perish due to one reason or the other. The surviving termites soon find their mates, shed their wings and establish a colony if circumstances are favourable. The female of the pair or queen produces a few eggs in the first year. The first batch of the brood comprises only of workers. The rate of reproduction, however, increases rapidly after 2 to 3 years. Although a colony may increase in size comparatively rapidly, very little damage may occur in a period less than 8 to 10 years.   Any serious damage may occur in a short time is perhaps due to heavy infestation in the initial stages due to large population of termites existing in the soil before the building is constructed.

 RECOGNIZING THE PRESENCE OF TERMITE INFESTATION IN BUILDINGS

 Swarms of winged reproductives flying from the soil or wood are the first indication of termite  infestation in a building. Often the actual flight may not be observed but the presence of wings discarded by them will be a positive indication of a well established termite colony nearby. Termite damage is not always evident from the exterior in the case of subterranean termites, since they do not reduce wood to a powdery mass or push particles like some of the wood borers or drywood termites. These termites are also recognised  by the presence of earth-like shelter tubes which afford them the runways between soil and their food.

Dry wood termites on the contrary may be recognised by their pellets of excreta. Non-subterranean termites excrete pellets of partly digested wood. These may be found in tunnels or on the floor underneath the member which they have attacked. These termites may further be noticed by blisters on wood surfaces due to their forming chambers close .to the surface by eating away the wood and leaving only a thin film of wood on the surface. Also the hollow sound on tapping structural timber will indicate their destructive activity inside.

Anti-Termite Construction Measures

(Subterranean termites)

There should be no way i.e crack or wide joint from where the Subterranean termites can find their way to structural wood above the ground level. The fig is illustrative enough to explain there should be no crack or joint between wall and floor.

Anti-Termite Construction Measures

(Non-Subterranean termites)

Since these termites lives in combatively Drywood and does not depend on ground link the above given method of construction hardly have any effect on such termites. so the best method is to use the treated wood or use insecticides spray and injection as the guidelines of manufactures of such insecticides.

 

--
Richard Belho

What do you really hope to achieve in life? Read this story and you
may find what you are always hoping to achieve, you may be already
having it.

A young businessman was at the pier of a small coastal village when a
small boat with just one fisherman docked. Seeing several large
yellowfin tuna inside the small boat, the businessman complimented the
fisherman on the quality of the fish and asked how long it took to
catch them. "Only a little while", the fisherman replied.

A little surprised, the young business man asked, "Why didn't you stay
out longer and catch more fish?" The content fisherman said, "This is
enough to support my family's immediate needs. I don't need any more."
"But what do you do with the rest of your time?" asked the confused
young man. "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a
walk with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip
wine and play guitar with my buddies; I have a full and busy life."

The lad scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should
spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat with
the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats,
eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling
your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor,
eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product,
processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small
coastal fishing village and move to LA and eventually NYC where you
will run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "How long will this all take?" to which the young
man replied, "15-20 years." "But what then?" The business man laughed
and said "That's the best part. When the time is right you would
announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become
very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions, sir? Then what?"

"Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where
you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a walk
with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could
sip wine and play your guitar with your buddies."

The fisherman was puzzled, "Isn't that what I am doing now?"

So, what does one really hope to achieve in life? What do you hope to
accomplish in the end?

--
Aaron Shangne

Richard Belho

PITCH CONSTRUCTION

Suggestions for a correctly constructed pitch

(a) Carefully assess the drainage requirements. Unless there is a
danger of a perched water table developing, a perimeter drain
surrounding the table should be sufficient to drain surface water and
reduce lateral uptake of water by the table if a plastic lining is not
present.

(b) Avoid elaborate (and unnecessary) combinations of a range of
materials under the bulli. Medium crusher-run stone should be
sufficient.

(c) Ensure that only good quality clay which has been analysed and
passed as suitable is used.

(d) Consult widely and make certain that each stage of construction
has been carefully researched and planned. Do not allow a hurried
operation to justify short cuts.

(e) Be absolutely sure that adequate compaction occurs at every possible stage.

Summary: Recommended procedures for constructing tables vary
considerably. Consult local Cricket Union groundsmen and follow proven
specifications for your area.

A few examples are given here of recommendations which have been
published (our additions are in italics).

Construction specifications will refer to the following factors:

(a) Base conditions and base layers. The general specification is
medium crusher run stone.

(b) Each layer of material must be bonded or keyed into the layer below.

(c) The quality of clay must meet standard specifications. Refer to
your Union groundsman before deciding to purchase bulli.

(d) Good compaction must be achieved at each level and sub-level.

(e) Ten examples of pitch construction revealed that, on average, the
total depth of excavation was some 450mm, of which the clay soil depth
was 240 - 250mm (54%). Our information suggests that senior games
lasting four or five days demand greater depth of clay for adequate
preparation and strength. Shallow bulli must be avoided.

(f) Less than 100mm bulli is not recommended. Bulli of this depth
should be compacted onto a stone layer and not onto loam or sand.

(g) Insert plastic sheeting between the table and the outfield to
prevent encroachment of invader grass species.

Example No 1.

(i) Excavate table to 280 mm.

(ii) Lay strips of plastic down the edges of the excavation to prevent
grass from entering the pitch area from the surrounds.

(iii) Add crushed stone to a depth of 150 mm. Compact the stone and
then score the surface.

(iv) Apply 40 mm fine to medium gravel. Wet and compact. Score the surface.

(v) Complete filling with 90 mm of bulli, firming the material while
filling. (Fertiliser, and particularly phosphate, could be mixed in
with the bulli at filling to promote root growth. The amount needed
can be determined from analysis).

(vi) If necessary, apply potash on the surface.

(vii) Plant sprigs 40 mm apart or spread sprigs over the area after
watering, cover with a thin (5 mm) layer of finely crushed bulli and
roll with a light roller.

(viii) Once established, topdress to level three or four times.

(ix) Fertilise monthly, irrigating the fertiliser in. Apply, in
alternate months, 60 grams of 3.1.5 and 30 grams sulphate of ammonia
per square metre.

(x) Roll in all directions - across, diagonally and in line with the
pitch. Repeat this often after flooding.

(xi) Cut regularly to a height of 20 mm.

Example No. 2.

(i) Excavate to 300 mm. Slope base gently towards a sump, filled with
stones, at one end. Compact base of excavation.

(ii) Line the vertical sides of the excavation with polythene/plastic.

(iii) Place 120 mm of 13 mm crushed stone into the excavation and
compact. Mix in sand to assist with compaction.

(iv) Add 80 mm of a loam soil and mix in 50 g supers and 50 g 2.3.2
fertiliser per square metre. Level, water and compact.

(v) Add 100 mm bulli and compact.

(vi) Wash grass sods to remove all soil and tease sprigs apart. Lay
sprigs on bulli surface. Add a thin layer of sieved bulli to a depth
of not more than 15 mm (sieve apertures 10 mm or smaller) over the
grass and smooth.

(vii) Apply 3.1.5 at 50g per square metre and water.

(viii) Water lightly twice daily with a fine nozzle spray until grass
shown signs of sprouting.

(ix) Continue to water once daily until grass has covered.

(x) Apply Ammonium sulphate or 4.1.1 fertiliser (50g per square metre)
monthly and water.

(xi) Once the grass is well established, topdress.

(xii) Cut to 15 mm.

(xiii) Rub in sieved (1.25 mm gauge screen) bulli, making sure that
the grass tips protrude above the bulli.

(xiv) Lightly water twice daily until grass shoots push through.

(xv) Repeat (xiii) and (xiv) until the final level is reached which
should be slightly above the level of the outfield.

(xvi) Roll for half an hour with a hand roller in a dry state.

(xvii) Once established, cut as short as possible and apply 3.1.5 and
supers (25g/m2 of each) and flood.

(xviii) Commence normal preparation.

--
Richard Belho

Animal Forage

http://www.fao.org/ag/aga/agap/frg/AFRIS/tree/Common.htm presents information about the food value of many crops, including bamboo. When you make a selection from the drop-down box, you'll notice that there are many entries for bamboo. They are for different varieties so you'll just have to look at each one. I noticed one of the "bamboo grass" entries was not actually a bamboo, though.

Arts and Crafts

Fly Rods

Check out Bamboo Fly Rod Magazine.

Ron Blauvelt makes equipment for making bamboo fly rods.

Thomas Penrose provides instructions for making your own rods.

Charles H. Demarest Inc., a major supplier of Tonkin cane for fly rod manufacture, has a home page. The opening page also has a brief bibliography of books written about bamboo fly rods. 

Keone Rodsmiths make bamboo fly rods of several different types. The site was developed by people who are deeply into bamboo fly rods.

Pens

Have you ever tried making a pen from bamboo? Ward Dunham has put together a photo essay on slicing bamboo to make a pen.

Furniture

Look on the Commercial Messages page for a list of furniture makers.

Baskets, Vases, Woven Items

Fish Traps and Related Uses:

Fishing in Many Waters
James Hornell, Cambridge University Press, 1950.

Bamboo Baskets, Maggie Oster
Viking Studio Books, New York, 1995

Yarn - Habu Textiles carries yarn spun from bamboo fibers. The yarn is made by a process similar to the way rayon is made. Have a look at the Habu Web site or contact them via email for more information.

South West Trading Company has bamboo yarn suitable for spinning. Click on the paragraph beginning "How is Soy Silk™ made?" for a bit more information.

Sculptures

Steven Glassman builds bridges out of bamboo.

Stephen Glassman

703 Palms Blvd.

Venice, California 90291

Tel: 310 305 1696

fax: 310 578 5189

Stephen’s Bridge in Bali

Japan

This is very nice web page with basketry, fishing rods, window blinds and such traditional crafts from Japan.

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Bicycles

Yes, people are making bicycles out of bamboo. Here’s the story from Denmark. Unfortunately, the contact information we had for these people who made bamboo bicycles leads nowhere anymore.

And, Austrian bamboo bicycles.
Back in the "good old days" bicycle
wheels were sometimes made of laminated bamboo.

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Boat building

Kayaks, Sailing Rafts, Sailing Boats, the Proa

TUBS Marine of Angeles City, Philippines, has built hybrid (with steel) bamboo boats and bamboo fishing sleds. There are diagrams of the construction details and photos of some of what they make.

Craig O’Donnell (who calls himself a “Junkomologist, Professor of Boatology and Bamboo Constructivist”) has collected information about bamboo boats, including the “proa,” an outrigger canoe with parts made from bamboo: visit his Proa FAQ.

Craig’s Cheap Pages feature three other bamboo boats -- Fridtjof Nansen’s 1894 bamboo-and-fabric Arctic exploring kayak, the Vietnamese basket-boat with a hull of woven bamboo, and the Chinese Tray Boat, or bamboo ocean sailing raft.

Books and Papers:

These are some of the more readily-obtainable books covering nautical applications for bamboo.

Tim Severin’s The China Voyage:
Video and book about a sixty-foot bamboo raft journey from Hong Kong most of the way across the Pacific.

Blue Book of Coastal Vessels of Vietnam

US Dept. of Defense, 1960, and 1968(?)
Most photos are somewhat grainy but there’s more in one place about basket boats than anywhere else. There is also a “Green Book” which covers much the same material.

The Wind Commands
by Harry Morton.
Wesleyan University Press, 1975.
The first part of the book covers early Pacific craft in great detail and there’s much incidental information about bamboo.

Seagoing Rafts

A seagoing bamboo raft of Taiwan, somewhere around 40 feet long.

The man: Fridtjof Nansen. The year: 1895. The place: the Arctic. Two bamboo kayaks lashed together as a Catamaran. The mast and the yard of the sail are bamboo poles.

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Construction

INBAR in Beijing has published an annotated bibliography, “Bamboo as an Engineering Material” covering:

Physical and mechanical properties

Preservation

Application in buildings - there's also a Web page with some information about bamboo housing

Structural reinforcement

Panel Products

Geo-technical applications

Hydraulic applications

Bibliography and handbooks

For information about INBAR’s publications see their Information Portal page and click on “Products and Applications.”

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Bamboo fibers are used to strengthen composite materials.

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The United Nations Industrial Development Organization has a number of publications about bamboo construction and furniture building.

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The University Aachen in Germany has a project researching the use of bamboo construction. They have produced somesamples of construction techniques and documentation of bamboo's mechanical properties, kinds of connectors and techniques.

Christoph Tönges, one of the members of the project, has a nicely-done Web site with interesting close-up images of
bamboo construction techniques. There are also photos of interesting
bamboo buildings designed by Jörg Stamm, and a church by Simón Vélez.

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Tang Y. Yang, a student in the Architecture Department at the University of Utah has some general information promoting bamboo as a building material. In particular, there are some nice photos. This is part of a larger set of pages called a Toolkit for Sustainable Development.

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Michael McDonough an architect, with Linda Garland of the Environment Bamboo Foundation,started the Bamboo Research Initiative at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. He has some Web pages about using laminated bamboo in architecture, bridge building and furniture.

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Bamutec of Germany apparently sells specialized tools they've developed for bamboo joinery.

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Books by Dr. Jules Janssen

Building with Bamboo by Jules J.A. Janssen

London: Intermediate Technology Publications

2nd ed. 1995. ISBN 1853392030

Mechanical Properties of Bamboo by JA Janssen

Kluwer Academic Pub., 1991. ISBN 0792312600

Dr. Janssen also has a Web site at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The research described at this site is aimed at developing, improving, and analyzing bamboo structures for lower income groups in developing countries.

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Bamboo Architecture and Construction with Oscar Hidalgo

Sr. Hidalgo has published an overview of the things that must be taken into consideration when building with bamboo.This is provided by the Natural Building Colloquium Southwest.

Geodesic domes

Build one yourself #1

Software to help you design your dome

Outline Plan for a Geodesic Dome Class

General geodesic dome links

Sources of starplates for dome construction - Stromberg's Chickens and in New Zealand - Avon Electric. During the 1995 ABS annual conference in Savannah, Georgia a dome was build using starplates.

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Bamboo Fencing

David Flanagan, TheBamboo Fencer, now has a Web page full of information about bamboo fencing.

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Bamboo as Reinforcing Bar

This page has some information about the strength of bamboo rebar.
It was a surprise to find this report by the U.S. Navy, Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Construction (February 1966, U. S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Port Hueneme, California).

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General

Information on sustainable agriculture.

A book of books:

Bamboo Architecture: A Selected Bibliography

ISBN: 0792005740

Publish Date: July 1990

Author: Anthony G. White

Binding: Hardcover

List Price: USD 8.00

According to Amazon Books it’s hard to find.

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Erosion Control and Water Treatment

The US Department of Agriculture apparently studied bamboo as an erosion control plant and found it very successful. Unfortunately the original papers from USDA bamboo research are very hard to find. The bibliographies on the ABS pages contain titles. The Bookstore has some of these titles available. Maybe some of the more obscure studies can find their way online some day.
Ecological Engineering gray
water treatment.

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Traditional Chinese Medicine

Melanie Arcudi serves on the board of the International Bamboo Foundation on Maui.
She is a professor of Oriental Medicine, a licensed acupuncturist and uses bamboo in many formulas of traditional Chinese medicine. She also has information on the Indonesian uses for bamboo. Visit the web page.

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Musical Instruments

Way-Out

Richard Waters designs, makes, plays and markets musical instruments, sound devices, and sonic sculptures. His web page is: http://www.waterphone.com/

Flutes

Shakuhachi

Peter Ross of Cloud Hands Music makes bamboo shakuhachi flutes, teaches and give performances. Please visit his Web site for more information.

Jeff Whittier makes bamboo flutes: Indian flutes called bansuri. The Ali Akbar College of Music sells his flutes. See this Web site.

Rod Baird makes bamboo flutes, both traditional Japanese style and western side-blown style.

Chris Harazda (e-mail: harazda@mhv.net)
makes Japanese “hotchiku” flutes, which are very similar to “shakuhachi” flutes.

Monty H. Levenson has a web page for his Tai Hei Shakuhachi Flutes. It includes a little information about the history of these flutes.

Lark in the Morning has a web page describing the musical instruments they sell, including bamboo flutes and digiridoos.

Ken LaCosse - produces shakuhachi flutes and has a Web site here.

Mark Shepard has a very useful-looking site describing how to make and play bamboo flutes.

"Anubodh" makes classical bansuri bamboo flutes. He has a nicely-designed Web site with information about this history, making and care of bansuri flutes. He will also custom-make flutes to your specifications.

Other Instruments

Lark in the Morning: is also the place to buy an angklung, an Indonesian percussion instrument consisting of tuned bamboo tubes hung from a frame.
Black Swamp Percussion makes bamboo timpani mallets.

Since zynorique has been actively involved with bamboo construction and related issue..I guess i will use this page as a resource center for Bamboo Related Topics.

rix

Bamboo Reinforced Concrete Construction

Shri Ram Newpane
Steep hills and mountains characterize approximately 86 percent of the Nepalese area. Elevation ranges from 60 m to 8,848 m (Mount Everest) within a radius of less than 200 km. The country comprises five distinct physiographic regions: the High Himalayas (23.7 percent of the total area), the High Mountains (19.7 percent), the Middle Mountains (29.5 percent), the Siwalik (12.7 percent) and the Terai (14.4 percent), (LRMP, 1986). Due to the presence of steep hills and mountains, frequently occurring erosion and landslides cause instability in slope. The rate of natural erosion in the geologically young and seismically active mountains is high. Laban (1979) estimated that approximately 74 percent of landslides occur under natural conditions and 26 percent of the occurring landslides in Nepal are caused by human activity. Landslides occur in Nepal due to toe cutting of the slope, deforestation in hills and mountains, intensive use of land resource for agriculture, grazing and fuel wood and development of infrastructure such as roads, without adequate conservation measures, and soil mass saturated with water.Control of slope instability caused by severe landslide and erosion usually requires the engineering of structures. However, structural measures involve high investment and a high degree of technology. When vegetative measures are combined with engineering measures, the end result can be effective for landslide protection and dramatic reduction of surface erosion, at relatively low cost and ensuring high sustainability. Bioengineering control measures have been observed in Nepal to be economically desirable and most effective for erosion control in degraded areas. Hence, planting local grasses, shrubs and trees becomes the successful use of vegetation along with engineering structures to increase slope stability against shallow landslide and to protect almost all slopes against erosion. On small sites, bioengineering techniques alone may be adequate. However, bioengineering is closely integrated with civil engineering structures.
The department of roads, through several donor-assisted projects had conducted experiments on bioengineering case studies in the history of Nepal such as:

a) Dharan-Dhankuta road (1988): A complicated failure occurred at certain portion of that road. Vegetative solutions along with engineering structures are applied there which provide support by planting bamboos above toe wall; seeding Khanyu, siris and tanki on all fill and loose debris areas; planting grass sito on critical sections of the middle slope; seeding grasses phurke, Bhujetro and sito at the upper section.

b) Dhankuta-Hile road (1990): An unstable slope in weak, deeply weathered gneiss was disturbed by road construction. Along with engineering structures, as a vegetative solution various plants such as asuro, amliso, simali, phurke, utis, large bamboos, kans, areri and keraukose were planted. Similarly, Amliso grass is planted at Phurke Khola on the Prithvi Highway, 67 km from Kathmandu and in Gajuri which is 73 km from Kathmandu. Asuro is planted at Kurintar on the Prithvi Highway and from Phisling to Benighat. Other examples are Jogbani-Dharan road (1991) and Baglung loop (1997). (Roadside bioengineering, reference manual, DOR). In the year 1991 to 1995 Dhading Development Project DDP/GTZ has widely planted Simali shrub at Dhading Besi-Salyantar road. An example of the ongoing project is DDC/GTZ, where Simali is planted in Tumlingtar-Chhyangkuti road in Sankhuwasabha District.

Vegetation greatly affects shallow soil mass stability mainly by increasing the shear strength of soil via root reinforcement. One major factor responsible for landslide is the role of roots. Roots mechanically reinforce a soil by transfer of shear stress in the soil to tensile resistance in the roots. Increase in soil shear strength due to root reinforcement is directly proportional to root tensile strength, root diameter and root density. Wide variations in the tensile strength of roots depend on species and on site; factors such as growing environment, season, root diameter and orientation. Roots of any deep penetrating vegetation (i.e. grass, shrub and tree) will increase the stability of the soil because all plant root systems hold the soil together. As explained earlier, Nepal is practicing roadside bioengineering from last two decades. Thus the prime attention should be given to an analytical study of some extensively used and abundantly available local grass and shrubs.

Nepal has been experiencing the use of grass and shrubs since the last two decades in roadside bioengineering. Various grasses, shrubs and trees have been used as bioengineering technique by different organizations on a number of highway slopes in Nepal. As far as roadside bio-engineering is concerned, the Department of Roads, HMG has published site handbook on various bio-engineering techniques in detail, covering planted grass lines, brush layers, palisades, live check dams, fascines and vegetated stone pitching walls, large bamboo planting, turfing, site seeding and planting grass, shrubs, small trees, large trees, their spacing and plant growing techniques etc. But it, however, does not cover the analytical part of root strength and root distribution and how it affects in landslide protection. Similarly, no literature concerning the experimental analysis of the strength of various grasses and shrubs roots, their root distribution, increase in soil shear strength due to root reinforcement and suitability of different grasses, shrubs for different soil and climatic condition were found in the Nepali context. Thus an attempt should be made to enhance the experimental analysis of mechanical properties of root. So it is high time for the study of mechanical properties of roots, their role in landslide protection in the context of rapid development of roadside bioengineering technology nationwide as well as worldwide. Considering the above facts a study is needed on an experimental analysis of strength of local grass and shrubs roots widely used for landslide protection in Nepal.

These are some of our Live Projects at the Moment..

It's been a long time since I posted anything here..in fact we were shortstaffed for quite a while, now zynorique has 6 architects..i hope with a bit of luck, i should get some more assistance on the webpage. Atuo is fine, kenei too...Noto is the inspired one, bubu is as efficient as ever..kevi also contributes her share. I hope by October we can have a facelift for www.zynorique.com.
do keep dropping in..got some very interesting articles lined up.
ric