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Quinoa

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Quinoa

Quinoa is the superfood.

  • Quinoa is an edible grain that is native to parts of the central and northern areas of the Andes, in South America.
  • The word ‘quinoa’, pronounced ‘KEEN-wah’, in the South American Quechua language is ‘kinwa’, while the English word comes from the Spanish word ‘quinua’, and it has also been dubbed as a ‘super grain’ and a ‘super food’.
  • Quinoa is the small edible seed of an annual plant with the same name, that grows to 1 to 2 metres (3.3 to 6.6 feet) in height, of which there are different varieties that produce seeds coloured red, black or white.
  • Quinoa has the scientific plant name Chenopodium quinoa, and is a species of goosefoot, from the Amaranthaceae family, the family of amaranths.
  • Quinoa is, when raw, covered with a layer of bitter saponin, which is disliked by birds, and is the reason the grain needs washing before cooking.

Quinoa, White, Brown, Curls, Cooked, seeds, grain, uncooked, Ten Random Facts, Food, Gluten Free

  • Quinoa was the staple grain of the Ancient South and Central Americans, the Incans, Mayans and Aztecs.
  • Quinoa is typically not mechanically picked, and instead, picked by hand as the plant ripens individually, although consistent ripening varieties are being established for harvesting by machine.
  • In 2011, South America’s Peru was the greatest producer of quinoa, producing 41,200 tonnes (45,400 tons), over half of the total worldwide production, and Bolivia ranked as a close second.
  • Quinoa has a nut-like flavour and a texture similar to rice, is gluten free, and high in protein, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, fibre, iron, copper, zinc and folate, and contains a significant source of other vitamins and minerals.
  • Quinoa can be purchased as an uncooked grain, like rice; as a ground flour; and as flakes used like rolled oats; and can be cooked to make a porridge; used instead of rice or couscous; added to salads; and in used as an ingredient in baked goods.
Bibliography:
Quinoa, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=142
Quinoa, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

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Camphor Laurel

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Camphor Laurel

Sit under the shade of a camphor laurel tree.

  • Camphor laurels are large shade trees that are evergreen and are typically used in parkland areas and gardens as an ornamental tree.
  • ‘Camphor laurels’ are also known as ‘camphor trees’ and ‘camphorwood’.
  • The scientific name of a camphor laurel tree is Cinnamomum camphora, from the family Lauraceae, the family of laurels.
  • Camphor laurels grow to be 20 to 30 metres (65 to 100 feet) in height and can live for hundreds of years.
  • Camphor laurel leaves are typically green and glossy, and if they are crushed they give off a camphor scent.

camphor laurel, tree, water, Brisbane, vegetation, large, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • In spring, camphor laurel trees have tiny flowers that are generally white in colour, that develop into small green berries that turn black when ripe, that contain a seed.
  • Camphor laurels are a significantly invasive species in Australia’s Queensland and New South Wales and in the United State’s Florida, as well as a weed in other states of the United States, and they are commonly spread by birds and animals that eat the berries and expel the seeds.
  • Camphor laurel trees produce camphor, that is extracted from the wood, which are chemical crystals that have a waxy texture and are used as a moth repellent, as well as for medicinal and culinary purposes.
  • Camphor laurels have a tendency to have a spreading and invasive root system that can disturb buildings and underground water and waste services.
  • Camphor laurels are native to south-east Asia, including China, Japan, Borneo, Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea and prefer hot, damp conditions.
Bibliography:
Cinnamomum camphora, 2009, Metropolitan Tree Growers, http://www.metrotrees.com.au/treehandbook/page-listings/cinnamomum-camphora.html
Cinnamomum camphora, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamomum_camphora
D Firth, Camphor laurel, 2009, NSW Government: Department of Primary Industries, http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pests-weeds/weeds/profiles/camphor-laurel

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Scrabble

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Scrabble

“Every word’s a winner.” – slogan of Scrabble.

  • Scrabble is a 2 to 4 player game revolving around words, requiring orthographic, strategy and probability skills.
  • ‘Scrabble’, meaning to ‘scratch’, ‘scramble’ or ‘struggle’, is played by placing tiles to make interconnecting words, in a way that scores points, left to right or downwards, on a board.
  • Since 1999, Scrabble has been produced by Hasbro Inc, in the United States and Canada, and it is manufactured by Mattel in all other countries.
  • Scrabble is sold in many countries and languages, 121 and 29 respectively, but the game cannot be played in Chinese or Japanese.
  • The square tiles used in Scrabble are typically made of wood or plastic, and are 0.4 cm  (0.16 in) high and 1.9 centimetres (0.75 inches) square,

Scrabble, Old, Original, Started, same, Play, Words, Wooden Tiles, Board, Ten Random facts

  • In 1938, Alfred Mosher Butts, an architect and artist from New York in the United States, invented Scrabble, originally known as ‘Lexico’ and then ‘Criss-Crosswords’, but the game did not start becoming popular until the 1950s.
  • Scrabble typically contains 100 tiles in the English version, and the words accepted in the game are generally those found in standard dictionaries or word game dictionaries.
  • Major tournaments for Scrabble include the World Championships, National Championships and the Brand’s Crossword Game King’s Cup.
  • There are many variations of the game Scrabble, that can be played, including online or digital versions that can be played by two players or one player.
  • It is estimated that 150 million Scrabble sets have been sold in the world, since its invention.

 

Bibliography:
Scrabble, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrabble
Scrabble History, n.d, Hasbro Gaming, http://www.hasbro.com/scrabble/en_US/discover/history.cfm

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New York City

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New York City

“I ♥ New York City.”

  • New York City is a city located in the New York State, in the United States of America, and it is the home of many well known places, notably Times Square; the Statue of Liberty; the World Trade Centers; New York Stock Exchange; the Unisphere; Brooklyn Bridge; and Central Park.
  • ‘New York City’ is also known as ‘New York’, ‘City of New York’, ‘NYC’, ‘NY’, ‘Big Apple’ and ‘The City’.
  • During 1785 to 1790, New York City was the capital of the United States of America, and since then, it has had the greatest city population in the US , with an estimated 8.4 million people living in the city itself in 2013 and approximately 20 million in the metropolitan area,
  • New York City was visited by an explorer from Italy, Giovanni da Verrazzano, for the French monarchy, in 1524, which was the first recorded visit by Europeans.
  • New York City itself covers a total area of approximately 1,214 square kilometres (469 square miles), and the metropolitan area extends to 34,490 square kilometres (13,318 square miles).

New York City, Skyline, sky, High, Skyscraper, Highrise, United States of America, Ten Random Facts, Flickr,

Skyline
Image courtesy of Rakkhi Samarasekera/Flickr
  • In 2011, New York City was the home to 5,937 high rises,including the new One World Trade Center, the highest building in the Western hemisphere.
  • New York City has five districts, or boroughs, and is the home to 500 galleries of art, 1,200 schools, four of the costliest sporting stadiums on earth and 113 square kilometres (43.75 square miles) of parkland.
  • It is estimated that more than 800 languages are spoken in New York City, and the city is popularly known for its bagels, pizza and cheesecake, as well as other foreign cuisine.
  • Fifty-two percent of New York City’s families do not own a car, and therefore the city has numerous taxis, the largest and one of the most used subways of rapid transit in the world,  and some of the busiest airline and ferry services.
  • New York City is visited by approximately 55 million people every year, is one of the most significant centres for commerce and business in the world, and in 2010 it had a GMP (gross metropolitan product) of US$1.28 trillion.
Bibliography:
New York City, 2014, History, http://www.history.com/topics/new-york-city
New York City, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City

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Brown Bear

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Brown Bear

Be wary around those brown bears!

  • Brown bears are large mammals native to northern Europe, Asia and North America, and along with polar bears, are the largest bears and land predators.
  • Brown bears have the scientific name Ursus arctos, meaning ‘bear’ in Latin and Greek respectively, and they are from the family Ursidae, the family of bears.
  • Brown bears have a formal subspecies count of 16, although there is debate about this number and others suggest between 5 and 90 exist.
  • Brown bears typically have a fur colour of a variety of brown shades, depending on the subspecies, with the fur in winter growing up to 11 to 12 centimetres (4 to 5 inches) long.
  • Brown bears are generally 1.5 to 2.5 metres (5 to 8 feet) in height and can weigh 55 to 680 kilograms (121 to 1500 pounds) depending on the subspecies and the environment in which they live, and they can weigh twice as much as they would normally before winter when they store fat on their bodies, so that they can semi-hibernate in dens during the cold season.

Brown Bear, Fur, Water, Stalking, Grass, Mammal, Alaska, Ten Random Facts, America, National Geographic

Brown Bear
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Some subspecies of brown bears are extinct or endangered, but the species is classified as a ‘least concern’, and they have a population of approximately 200,000 bears in the wild.
  • Brown bears are mostly nocturnal, and are typically found in forests with open land areas, as well as mountainous environments.
  • Brown bears do not often attack humans, but leading causes include surprise or curiosity, and they can run at speeds of 48 kilometres per hour (30 miles per hour).
  • Female brown bears give birth in their den in winter, and litters range from one to four cubs.
  • Brown bears can live up to 37 years in the wild, although longer in captivity, and their diet mainly consists of vegetation such as berries, roots and grass, small mammals and salmon, but sometimes larger animals are preyed upon.
Bibliography:
Brown Bear, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/brown-bear/
Brown Bear, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_bear

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Tape Measure

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Tape Measure

What would you do with out a tape measure?

  • Tape measures are rulers that are flexible and are used for measuring.
  • ‘Tape measures’ are also known as ‘measuring tapes’.
  • Tape measures are primarily very long rectangles made of metal, plastic, cloth or fibreglass, or sometimes paper, that include markings in increments according to a specific system of measurement.
  • Tape measures are typically used in tailoring or construction, the latter often using metal tapes.
  • Tape measures are typically stored rolled in a circle, and sometimes they retract into small containers, and these types of tape measures were originally referred to as ‘spring-click tapes’ and are now commonly called ‘retractable tape measures’.

Tape measure, Metric, yellow, White, Metal, Construction, Tailor, Blue, Purple, Fibreglass, Ten Random Facts, Measuring Tape, Three

  • Metal tape measures used for construction purposes are semi rigid when extended, typically have a perpendicular metal tab to hook onto objects, and sometimes they include specific markings to mark out trusses and studs in house construction.
  • Englishman, James Chesterman from Sheffield, invented, or improved upon, the retractable tape measure in 1829, which was successfully patented, and then later improved upon by Alvin Fellows in Connecticut’s New Haven, in the United States, on 14 July, 1868.
  • The longest tape measure in the world is gold plated and was made in 1956 by a surveyor and tape-maker, Justus Roe, and it measures 180 metres (600 feet).
  • Tape measures are often double sided, with metric measurements on one side, and imperial on the other.
  • Retractable tape measures usually have a stop mechanism so that they tape can be extended and held into position, and then released with the press of a button.

 

Bibliography:
Tape measure, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tape_measure
What is a Tape Measure?, 2014, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-tape-measure.htm

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