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Buxus

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Buxus

Grow a hedge of buxus.

  • Buxus is a group of evergreen plants that contain 70 species that are native to parts of Europe, Asia, America and Africa.
  • Buxus suit a wide range of conditions and are generally best grown in full sun, although shady conditions can be tolerated by some species.
  • ‘Buxus’ is also known as ‘boxwood’ and ‘box’, and comes from the family Buxaceae, the box family.
  • Buxus are shrubs or small trees that grow to a height of 2 metres to a maximum of 15 metres (6.5 to 50 feet) in height, depending on the species and whether the plant is clipped to contain its size.
  • Buxus have flowers that are small and coloured in yellow-green shades, that generally appear in spring.

Buxus, boxwood, plant, hedge, white, green, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Buxus are slow growing and are popularly used as a decorative plant, particularly as hedges, topiary or bonsai.
  • Buxus plants have very good quality, hard wood, which is denser than water, and has historically been used to make boxes, chess pieces, printing using woodblocks, and musical instruments and parts, particularly form the strings and woodwind class and is still used for many of these purposes today.
  • Small branches of Buxus have been found in Ancient Romans’ tombs.
  • Buxus sometimes have a scent of a fox or cat urine, which displeases some people.
  • Buxus leaves have a low level of toxicity if consumed, although it can be fatal for small animals.
Bibliography:
Boxwood, n.d, BCI, http://www.bonsai-bci.com/files/Boxwood.pdf
Buxus, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxus

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Lake Nakuru

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Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru is a blue and pink lake.

  • Lake Nakuru is an alkaline rich lake located in Kenya, Africa, in the East African Rift.
  • Lake Nakuru has been included in Lake Nakuru National Park, since 1961, which supports endangered white rhinoceroses, black rhinoceroses and giraffes.
  • Lake Nakuru covers an approximate area of up to 45 kilometres squared (17 miles squared) and has an approximate depth of 2.3 metres (7.5 feet).
  • Lake Nakuru is popularly known for its abundant attraction of thousands to millions of flamingos, although this number has been diminishing, that feed on the large quantities of blue-green algae growing on the lake.
  • Wildlife surrounding Lake Nakuru , in the national park, include black and white rhinoceroses, giraffes, waterbucks, lions, leopards, baboons, cheetahs, warthogs and pythons, as well as 300 different bird species.

Lake Nakuru, Flamingos, Flying, Alkaline, Soda, Africa, Kenya, National Park, Ten Random Facts

Flamingos on Lake Nakuru
Image courtesy of Andrea Schieber/Flickr

  • During 1951 to 1953, Lake Nakuru was dry, which led to programs of alkaline dust control.
  • Lake Nakuru contains fauna including the salt tolerant fish, Tilapia grahami, clawless otters and hippopotamuses.
  • Lake Nakuru is protected and is surrounded by a fence to deter poachers, and the word ‘nakuru’ is a local Maasai word meaning ‘dust’ or ‘dusty place’.
  • In 2007, Lake Nakuru boasted a tourism count of nearly 347,000 people, which included visits from local Kenyans, as well as visitors from around the world.
  • Lake Nakuru has been in danger of industrial and domestic pollution from nearby Nakuru town situated 4 km (2.5 miles) away, that causes poisonous water and shortage of algae, which has led to large migrations and fatalities of flamingos.
Bibliography:
Lake Nakuru, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nakuru
Lake Nakuru National Park, 2013, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1344/
Parks & Reserves: Lake Nakuru National Park, 2013, Kenyalogy, http://www.kenyalogy.com/eng/parques/nakuru.html

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Proboscis Monkey

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Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis monkeys: unusual monkeys, unusual facts.

  • ‘Proboscis monkeys’ are also known as ‘long-nosed monkeys’, and in the Malay language, ‘bekantan’ and ‘monyet belanda’, the latter literally meaning ‘Dutch monkey’, referring to the perceived appearance of some Dutchmen.
  • Proboscis monkeys are endangered primates from the family Cercopithecidae, the family of Old World monkeys and they can only be found in the wild on Asia’s Borneo, an island that has regions that belong to Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
  • Proboscis monkeys can grow to be 53 to 76 centimetres (21 to 30 inches) in height and typically weigh 16 to 22.5 kilograms (35 to 50 pounds) in males or 7 to 12 kilograms (15 to 26 pounds) in females, and greater weights for both genders have been recorded.
  • Proboscis monkeys have a fur coat that differs in colour, that can include orange shades, red-brown, yellow-brown and shades of grey in colour.
  • Male proboscis monkeys have exceptionally large noses, growing up to at least 10 centimetres (3.9 inches) in length, that are believed to be used to project sound, and both genders have protruding bellies.

Proboscis Monkey, Male, Sitting in tree, big nose, primate, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic, Borneo, Malaysia,

Male Proboscis Monkey
Image courtesy of National Geographic

  • Proboscis monkeys generally live in single-male or male-only bands or harems, of up to 60 and 19 monkeys respectively, and the females give birth to their young most commonly during night or early in the morning.
  • Proboscis monkeys are preyed on by leopards, monitor lizards, pythons, eagles and crocodiles.
  • Proboscis monkeys usually live a close distance to water, usually in forests near rivers, oceans, and swamps, and they have webbed feet and are accomplished swimmers, reaching depths of 20 metres (65.5 feet), sometimes ‘belly flopping’ into the water from trees.
  • Proboscis monkeys commonly use honk noises to vocalize when communicating, although they use roaring or snarling sounds when aggressive.
  • Proboscis monkeys’ diet mainly consists of fruit, seeds, and leaves, and the fruit is usually eaten when it is not ripe due to the sugar content in ripe fruit that can cause death due to bloating.
Bibliography:
Proboscis Monkey, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/proboscis-monkey/
Proboscis Monkey, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proboscis_monkey

 

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Saxophone

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Saxophone

“The potential for the saxophone is unlimited.” Steve Lacey

  • Saxophones are usually a curved, hollow, metal cylinder, with a bell, keys and a mouthpiece with a reed, and different variations and alterations can make different sounds.
  • A ‘Saxophone’ is also known as a ‘sax’, while those who play the instrument are known as ‘saxophonists’.
  • Saxophones are musical instruments of woodwind class, although though are generally made of brass.
  • In 1840, Adolphe Sax, an instrument maker from Belgium, invented the saxophone to bring balance to the combination of woodwinds, brass, and strings, and in the few years following, they were marketed in Paris.
  • Saxophones were first patented in 1846, with a range of 14 instruments that included an E flat and F sopranino, and an E flat and F contrabass, and also other instruments pitched in C and F, as well as the B flat and E flat saxophones that are commonly used today.

Saxophone, King 660, Gold, Silver, Alto, Ten Random Facts, Instrument, Woodwind, copper

  • Saxophones became the subject of modification from 1866, due to Sax’s expired patent; with multiple changes to the keys and a major addition of the F# key.
  • Saxophones are most commonly used in jazz and classical music genres, and are very commonly used in military bands and jazz bands.
  • There are nine instruments in the family of saxophones, all typically pitched in E or B flat, and the most common are, from smallest to largest, soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.
  • Saxophones are generally coated with an acrylic lacquer or often plated with silver to stop the brass from discolouring, but nickel and gold are also used to coat the instrument.
  • Soprano saxophones are usually straight, rather than the typical curved shape, and other straight sax instruments are also available, including the saxello, which has a curved top and a tilted bell.
Bibliography:
The History of the Saxophone, 2014, The Saxophone.com, http://www.the-saxophone.com/history-of-the-saxophone.html
Saxophone, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone

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Michael W. Smith

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Michael W. Smith

“Change your world” – Michael W. Smith

  • Michael W. Smith is a singer-songwriter musician, who performs and writes popular Christian music, and he also plays piano, keyboard and guitar.
  • Michael W. Smith’s full name is Michael Whitaker Smith, and he was born on 7 October, 1957, in Kenova, West Virginia, United States.
  • Michael W. Smith has earned three Grammy Awards, 36 Dove Awards, 16 gold albums and six platinum albums.
  • Of Michael W. Smith’s albums, over 17 million have been sold, with 31 songs featured as number one on the Christian radio charts, and nine in the top 25 on the mainstream charts.
  • After high school, Michael W. Smith became addicted to alcohol and drugs, but he renewed is faith in 1979, and shook off the addictions during a tour with band ‘Higher Ground’.

Michael W Smith, Church Big Day Out, Sing, Ten Random Facts, Christan, Flickr

Michael W. Smith
Image courtesy of Paul Williams/Flickr
  • Michael W. Smith has written popular songs for Sandi Patty, Kathy Troccoli, Bill Gaither and Amy Grant, particularly in 1981 when he worked as a song writer.
  • Michael W. Smith produced his first album in 1983, and has released at least 23 more albums, including instrumental and worship albums.
  • Michael W. Smith founded the Rocketown club for teens, has been a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, a spokesperson in Compassion International and starred in the movie ‘The Second Chance’.
  • Michael W. Smith was married in 1981 to Deborah Davis and has five children by the names of Ryan, Whitney, Tyler, Anna and Emily.
  • Michael W. Smith has released ten videos and written thirteen books, and also contributed to a number of other works.
Bibliography:
Biography, n.d, Michael W. Smith, http://www.michaelwsmith.com/bio.html
Biography, n.d, Michael W. Smith.net, http://www.michaelwsmith.net/biography.html
Michael W. Smith, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W._Smith

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Michael W. Smith Songs

Caraway Seed

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Caraway Seed

Do not be carried away with caraway seeds.

  • Caraway seeds grow on the caraway plant, that has the scientific name of ‘Carum carvi’, and is from the family Apiaceae, the family of parsley and carrot.
  • Caraway seeds are shaped as a crescent and grow to be 2 millimetres (0.08 inches) in length.
  • Caraway seeds are technically dry fruit, rather than seeds, from the European, and possibly Asian and North African, biennial plant of the same name that grows to be 40 to 60 centimetres (15 to 24 inches) in height.
  • Caraway seeds have a taste hinting of anise and a smell of sweet pepper, and sometimes caraway thyme can be used as a replacement, along with similar flavoured spices that include anise, fennel, dill, cumin, liquorice-root and coriander.
  • Caraway seeds are often used as spice, most famously in bread, but are also used in cakes, desserts, alcoholic beverages, German sausages, curry and Indian traditional food, among others.

Caraway Seeds, Spice, Fruit, plant, Bowl, Many, Ten random facts, food

  • Oil can be distilled from caraway seeds, that is then used to add a pleasant smell to soap, perfume and other fragrant toiletry products.
  • Caraway seeds are probably one of the oldest used spices, having been eaten for thousands of years, and in Ancient Egypt they were used to treat digestive system problems, and is still believed to be effective for the digestion of foods, soothe stomach pains and cramps, and to help prevent wind buildup.
  • Caraway seeds have significant quantities of zinc, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus and protein, and are high in calcium and dietary fibre.
  • Caraway seeds were believed to ward off witches, so they were historically used as a ‘protection food’.
  • Caraway seeds are typically brown to grey in colour, with a pale outline, and are harvested in the middle of summer upon ripening.
Bibliography:
Caraway, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caraway
Grieve M, Caraway, 2014, Botanical.com, http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/carawa20.html
History of Caraway, 2014, Our Herb Garden, http://www.ourherbgarden.com/herb-history/caraway.html

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