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Muhammad Ali

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Muhammad Ali

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” – Muhammad Ali

  • Muhammad Ali was a largely popular professional boxer, and was considered one of the greatest boxers to live.
  • Muhammad Ali was an African American, born in Kentucky’s Louisville, in the United States, on 17th January 1942 as ‘Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr’.
  • Muhammad Ali became interested in boxing and subsequently began training at twelve years of age, after encouragement from police officer and boxing coach Joe Martin, when Ali was seeking revenge on the thief that stole his new bicycle.
  • In the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, Muhammad Ali won the gold medal for the light heavyweight category in boxing, as an amateur, and afterwards in the same year, boxed his first professional match.
  • In February 1964 in Miami, United States, Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston for the title of World Boxing Champion, and later regained the title in 1974 and 1978.
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Muhammad Ali (L) against Ernie Terrell (1967)
Image courtesy of Cliff/Flickr
  • Muhammad Ali converted to the Islam religion in the late 1950s/early 1960s, and consequently in 1964, changed his name from his ‘slave name’ of Cassius Clay, to his commonly known name.
  • On 3rd June 2016, at age 74, Muhammad Ali died from septic shock caused by respiratory problems, in Arizona USA; and in his lifetime he developed Parkinson’s disease, and was married four times, and produced a total of nine children.
  • Muhammad Ali was known for his unique boxing style, which he described as “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”; and he extensively taunted his opponents both during and outside matches.
  • Muhammad Ali was drafted in 1967 to join the US military for the Vietnam War, however he opposed this on the basis of religious and political beliefs, and was convicted and suspended from boxing until 1971, when the Supreme Court overturned the conviction on appeal.
  • Muhammad Ali was only defeated five times in his professional career, which lasted until 1981, and he remained undefeated during his first ten years of boxing.
Bibliography:
The Legend, 2015, Muhammad Ali, http://muhammadali.com/legend/
Muhammad Ali, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali
Muhammad Ali: The Ultimate Fighter, 1942, British Broadcasting Company, http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zy3hycw#z34yrdm

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Red-Handed Tamarin

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Red-Handed Tamarin

When working hard, you might get as red-handed as the red-handed tamarin.

  • Red-handed tamarins are a species of small primate native to countries of northeast South America, including Guyana, Suriname, Brazil and French Guiana.
  • ‘Red-handed tamarins’ are also known as ‘Midas tamarins’ and ‘golden-handed tamarins’.
  • The scientific name of red-handed tamarins is Saguinus midas and it is from the family Callitrichidae, a family of New World monkeys.
  • Red-handed tamarins grow to be 20.5 to 28 centimetres (8 to 11 inches) in height, excluding the tail, and they generally weigh between 400 to 550 grams (14 to 19.4 ounces).
  • The hair colour of red-haired tamarins is black, except for the hands and feet, which are coloured yellow to red.
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Red-handed Tamarin
Image courtesy of Mathius Appel/Flickr
  • Red-handed tamarins live in troops of 2 to 16 individuals, typically cooperating as they forage and to raise young.
  • The diet of red-handed tamarins consists primarily of insects, fruit, spiders, sap, eggs, small animals and leaves.
  • Red-handed tamarins have sharp teeth and claws, and they use these when threatened or to protect their territory.
  • Female red-handed tamarins usually give birth to one to three young each year, though it is typically two at a time, and their lifespan is up to 10 years or more in the wild, and up to 21 years in captivity.
  • Red-handed tamarins can jump from heights of at least 20 metres (66 feet) from a tree, to a solid surface without sustaining injuries.
Bibliography:
Cloyd E, Saguinus midas, 2000, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Saguinus_midas/
Red-handed Tamarin, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-handed_tamarin
Red-handed Tamarin, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/red-handed-tamarin/

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Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg

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Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg

Would you choose the Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg for a night of accommodation?

  • The Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg is a mostly deserted salt mine found underneath Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth largest city.
  • The tunnels of the Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg are naturally patterned with colourful swirls and stripes.
  • The Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg can be found at a depth of 200 metres (650 feet) below ground.
  • The walls and ceilings of the tunnels of the Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg have patterns mainly ranging from red, orange, yellow, cream and white in colour; and sometimes blue colours are also evident.
  • Generally the Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg is off-limits to the public; however a permit from the government can be obtained to gain access.
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Part of the Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg
Image assumed Public Domain/Retrieved from the Daily Mail
  • The Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg is risky to journey through, due to the potential of tunnels caving in and gas leaks from hydrogen sulphide, methane and carbon dioxide.
  • The tunnels of the Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg are large, some reaching greater than 6.4 kilometres (4 miles) in length.
  • The atmosphere of the Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg is filled with immensely dry salty air, causing significant thirst for any visitors that may venture into its depths.
  • The Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg is rich in the mineral of carnallite, containing magnesium and potassium, that is often used as an ingredient in plant fertiliser.
  • The Salt Mine of Yekaterinburg became more well known in 2014, after photographer Mikhail Mishainik revealed its beauty via his photographs.
Bibliography:
A Psychedelic Salt Mine in Yekaterinburg, 2014, Amusing Planet, http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/06/a-psychedelic-salt-mine-in-yekaterinburg.html
Malm S, Inside the Psychedelic Salt Mine: Abandoned Russian Tunnels where Mind-Bending Patterns Naturally Cover Every Surface, 2014, Daily Mail Australia, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2552245/The-psychedelic-salt-Abandoned-Russian-tunnels-mind-bending-patterns-naturally-cover-surface.html
Psychedelic Salt Mines of Yekaterinburg, 2014, Weird Russia, http://weirdrussia.com/2014/06/20/psychedelic-salt-mines-of-yekaterinburg/

 

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Salak

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Salak

The salak will surely snake its way into your fruit basket.

  • Salaks are a species of exotic fruit with over 30 varieties, and is native to Indonesia in Southeast Asia.
  • ‘Salak’ is also known as ‘sala’, ‘snake fruit’, ‘yingan’, ‘salacca fruit’, and ‘snakeskin fruit’; and it grows on a specific type of palm tree.
  • The scientific name of the plant salaks grow on is Salacca zalacca and it is from the family Arecaceae, the family of palm trees.
  • Salaks are of a fig-like shape and are roughly 5 to 7 centimetres (2 to 2.7 inches) in length, and the fruit usually contains one to three seeds.
  • Salaks are a mixture of sweet, sour and acidic flavours, comparable to pineapples and apples, and is often quite juicy.
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Salak
Image courtesy of Jayson Emery/Flickr
  • The skin of salaks is a brown colour resembling snake skin, hence its alternate names; and the skin can have small spines.
  • Salak flesh is typically divided in three segments and is cream coloured with a texture that can be firm, spongy or crispy, or sometimes dry and crumbly.
  • Salaks typically bunch on the palm tree, towards the base of the trunk, in groups of ten to forty individual fruits.
  • It is traditional for salaks to be eaten fresh just as they are, or in fruit salad, but they can also be pickled, sugared, canned or made into wine.
  • Salaks are high in iron and are a good source of vitamin C, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Bali Salak, n.d, Fruitipedia, http://www.fruitipedia.com/bali_salak%20Salaca%20edulis.htm
Nuwer R, Meet the Salak, the Ubiquitous Indonesian Fruit You’ve Never Head Of, 2012, Smithsonian, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/meet-the-salak-the-ubiquitous-indonesian-fruit-youve-never-heard-of-115942678/?no-ist
Salak, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salak
Salak – An Exotic Indonesian Fruit, n.d, Blue Karma Resort, http://bluekarmaresort.com/salak-an-exotic-indonesian-fruit/

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Leopard Lily

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Leopard Lily

Leopard lilies are on the prowl.

  • A leopard lily is a species of perennial flowering plant, native to China, Japan and India in central Asia.
  • ‘Leopard lilies’ are also known as ‘blackberry lilies’ and ‘leopard flowers’, and the plants have green sword-like leaves, that grow in a fan formation.
  • The scientific name of the leopard lily is Iris domestica and it is from the family Iridaceae, the family of irises, though it was formerly known as Belamcanda chinensis.
  • The height of a leopard lily plant can reach from 60 to 90 centimetres (2 to 3 feet) and a clump can spread out to 22 to 60 centimetres (0.75 to 2 feet) in diameter.
  • Leopard lilies have showy flowers that are coloured yellow, orange or red, or often a combination of those colours, and they have red or dark orange spots.
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Leopard Lily
Image courtesy of Odonata98/Flickr
  • The seeds that form after a leopard lily blooms, have the appearance of blackberries, as the glossy black seeds grow together in a cluster.
  • Leopard lilies grow best in conditions where there is full sun, and soil that is well drained.
  • Leopard lily plants grow from rhizomes, and these have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat asthma, malaria and swelling, among other health issues.
  • Leopard lilies bloom in the summer months, and the flowers are around 5 centimetres (2 inches) in diameter, with six petals.
  • Leopard lilies are commonly used for ornamental purposes in the garden, and the seed stems and flowers are sometimes used decoratively as dried or fresh cut flowers.
Bibliography:
Iris Domestica, 2014, Some Magnetic Island Plants, http://www.somemagneticislandplants.com.au/index.php/plants/518-iris-domestica
Iris Domestica, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_domestica
Iris Domestica, n.d, Missouri Botanical Garden, http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b690

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Squash (Sport)

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Squash (Sport)

If you like to move around then squash is the game for you.

  • Squash is a racquet-and-ball sport that involves players hitting a ball at a wall in a confined space, and it is a game played as singles or doubles, with two or four players respectively.
  • The aim of a player in squash is to cause the opponent to fail to hit the ball into the marked boundaries before two floor bounces; and a game will generally last up to 40 minutes as a player attempts to reach a score of 11 first.
  • Squash is typically played in an enclosed rectangular court with four walls and the standard dimensions of 6.4 to 9.75 metres (21 to 32 feet); and the sport is great exercise as it uses the cardiovascular system extensively, along with the legs and arms; though to prevent eye injury, goggles are typically worn.
  • The game of squash uses a hollow ball that is made from butyl rubber, and is generally from 39.5 to 40.5 millimetres (1.56 to 1.59 inches) in diameter and weighs 23 to 25 grams (0.81 to 0.88 ounces).
  • ‘Squash rackets’ was the original name of the sport of squash, and it was a variation of the game of rackets, which used a hard ball; and the pastime was born in about 1830, in the Harrow School of London, in England, when a perforated hard racket ball was used in a game of rackets and proved to make the game more interesting and energetic due to the more flexible and squashable ball.
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A Game of Squash
Image courtesy of Groton School/Flickr
  • Squash balls require warming up before a game for them to become bouncy, though depending on their composition, some balls are bouncier than others, making the game play faster or slower accordingly.
  • Modern squash racquets are typically a flat egg shape with a pointed end toward the handle, and are generally lighter than tennis racquets at 90 to 175 grams (3 to 6 ounces).
  • Due to the small playing space, interference (getting in an opponent’s way) in squash is common and typically results in a replay when appealed, although a referee may make other calls dependent on intent and the play of the game.
  • Squash is a rapidly growing sport, and increased by 82% from 2007 to 2011 in the USA; and in 2009, almost 50,000 courts in 188 countries were recognised; while in 2016, Egypt tended to dominate the competitive squash scene.
  • As of 2016, squash was yet to be incorporated in the Olympic Games program, even though it has been considered for inclusion for a number of years; however, it has been integrated into both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games since 1998.
Bibliography:
About Squash, 2015, Squash Revolution, http://www.squashrevolution.com/about-squash.html
Nair D, Squash or Tennis, Which One is the Harder Sport?, Racquet Social, http://racquetsocial.com/squash-or-tennis-which-one-is-the-harder-sport/
Squash (Sport), 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport)
Wallbutton T, World Squash Federation One Hundred and Forty Years of Squash, n.d, World Squash Federation, http://www.worldsquash.org/ws/wsf-information/squash-history/140-years-of-squash

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