Author Archives: Cris

Balloon

By | |
Leave a comment
Balloon

The balloon goes up, up and away!

  • Balloons are like an artificial sac and are inflated by filling with a type of gas, so that they become 25 – 3o cm (10 – 12 inches) in diameter, although larger and small size balloons are manufactured.
  • Historically, balloons were made from dried animal bladders or intestines and modern balloons are made from rubber, latex, polychloroprene, nylon fabric or foil.
  • In 1824, modern style rubber balloons were invented by an English scientist, Michael Faraday, who was using them in his gas related experiments.
  • Party balloons, the most common type, are typically made of latex and are inexpensive.
  • Balloons will naturally deflate, because the gas inside eventually escapes through the balloon wall, although foil balloons will hold the gas in for much longer periods of time.

Balloon, latex, inflated, deaflated, lotes, small, tied, waterballoons, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Balloon modelling involves long tubular balloons that are inflated, that can then be twisted into animals or objects, and are common at parties or fairs.
  • Dropping or releasing balloons outside is popular at celebrations, such as New Year’s Eve or weddings, although many authorities disagree with releasing balloons as they can damage wildlife, environment or power lines.
  • Some balloons are intended to contain water and are easily popped, and are great for throwing at each other, creating a water ‘fight’.
  • Balloons are commonly filled with air or helium, but other gases include oxygen, nitrous oxide and hydrogen.
  • Large balloons have been used in transportation, and are generally known as hot air balloons.
Bibliography:
Balloon, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon>
The History of Balloons, 2002, Balloon HQ, <https://www.balloonhq.com/faq/history.html>

Amazon:     

Chia Seed

By | |
Leave a comment
Chia Seed

Teensy little chia seeds.

  • Chia seeds are generally small ovular shaped seeds that are brown, black, grey or white in colour.
  • Chia seeds are said to have the most omega 3, fibre and protein of all plant based food, and are also a good source of manganese, phosphorous, and calcium.
  • The scientific name of chia seeds is salvia hispanica, and they grow on a blue, purple or white flowering herb from the family of Lamiaceae, which is the family of mint.
  • Chia seeds are a traditional ingredient that comes from Mexico and Guatemala, where the plant is native, and in the south west of the United States they are also commonly consumed.
  • It is suggested that a small quantity, a tablespoon for an adult and a teaspoon for a child, of chia seeds be eaten each day, because of their source of nutrients.

Chia seeds, Brown, White, Seeds, Focus, Large, Pile, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The word ‘Chia’ comes from the native Mexican language, from the Nahuatl word ‘chian’, which means ‘oily’.
  • Chia can be eaten whole in its raw form or milled, or can be added to foods such as bread, drinks, cereals, muesli bars, baked goods, or yoghurt.
  • Chia seeds do not have much flavour so they do not change the flavour of foods that they are combined with.
  • Chia seeds are 1 millimetre (0.04inches) in diameter but the chia herb grows to 1 metre (3.3 feet) in height.
  • Chia seeds can be used as an egg replacement, as the seeds form a gel-like substance which thicken and combine with other ingredients.
Bibliography:
Salvia Hispanica, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_hispanica>
Seeds of Goodness, 2013, Life & Style, <http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/blogs/chew-on-this/seeds-of-goodness-20130429-2inue.html>

Amazon:     

Ngorongoro Crater

By | |
2 Comments
Ngorongoro Crater

‘The Garden of Eden’ – Ngorongoro Crater.

  • Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact caldera, a cooking pot shaped collapsed volcano, in the world, with a crater 259 square kilometres (100 square miles) in area and with walls 600 meters (1970 feet) in height.
  • Ngorongoro Crater is situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania, Africa.
  • It is believed that the Ngorongoro Crater volcano was originally taller than, or as high as Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the highest mountains in the world.
  • Ngorongoro Crater is host to approximately 30,000 to 40,000 birds and animals, most notably some stunning pink flamingos and the rare black rhino.
  • In the centre of the Ngorongoro Crater is a salt-water lake by the name of ‘Makat’ or ‘Magadi’, and to the east of the crater is a spring named Ngoitokitok Spring.

Beautiful, Sharp, Colour, Lush, River, Africa, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Ngorongoro Crater
Image courtesy of William Warby/Flickr
  • The Ngorongoro Crater sees approximately 450,000 tourists a year, who are required to be accompanied by a guide and a permit.
  • ‘Ngorongoro Crater’ is also known as the ‘Garden of Eden’, due to the crater’s beauty and it being a paradise for animals.
  • Many significant fossils have been found in the area surrounding the Ngorongoro Crater, some of which can be found in a nearby museum, and burial mounds have been found in the crater itself.
  • Ngorongoro Crater became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, as part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which also includes two other craters.
  • A native African tribe, Masaii, can be found in the area of the Ngorongoro Crater, and the crater has the highest density of lions in the world.

 

Bibliography:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, 2013, UNESCO World Heritage, <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/39>
 Ngorongoro Crater, n.d., Base Camp Tanzania, <http://www.basecamptanzania.com/NP_NgorongoroCrater.htm>

Amazon:    

Albert Einstein

By | |
Leave a comment
Albert Einstein

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein.

  • Albert Einstein was a German Jew who worked in the area of theoretical physics, teaching at many universities as a professor, and amongst other things, discovered the theory of relativity, the law of the photoelectric effect, and the equation: E = mc², meaning ‘energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared’.
  • Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany on the 14 March, 1879 and died in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, due to internal bleeding which he refused surgery for, on the 18 April, 1955.
  • Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, as well as a few other awards while he was alive, and has been honoured in numerous ways since his death.
  • When Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, Albert Einstein was touring the United States, and being a Jew he did not return to Germany and took America’s side, as well as eventually learning that he was a German assassination target.
  • Albert Einstein published over 450 documents, with the majority based on the topics of science and physics.

Albert Einstein. Person, Sitting, Thinking, Scientist, Black and White, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Einstein
Image courtesy of Sharon Doaner/Flickr
  • The term ‘Einstein’ has become a dictionary word meaning ‘genius’, due to Albert’s achievements and intellect, and he has been said to be ‘the greatest physicist of all time’.
  • Many believe Albert Einstein was left handed and had trouble speaking which are both incorrect beliefs, and due to his appearance, he has often been a symbol of an absent-minded or crazy scientist.
  • Albert Einstein married Mileva Marić in 1905, with whom he had at least two children by the names of Hans and Eduard, and a mentioned daughter ‘Lieserl’, and later married, Elsa Löwenthal, who was his first and second cousin, in June 1919.
  • Besides Germany and the United States, where he eventually settled, Albert Einstein lectured in and toured various countries around the world, most notably Singapore, Palestine and Japan, with Einstein liking the Japanese people the most.
  • Albert Einstein enjoyed music and learnt to play the violin from 5 years of age, but only gained interest in learning the instrument at 13 years when he heard Mozart’s music.
Bibliography:
Albert Einstein, 2013, Biography, <http://www.biography.com/people/albert-einstein-9285408>
Albert Einstein, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein>

Saltwater Crocodile

By | |
Leave a comment
Saltwater Crocodile

It is Saltie the Saltwater Crocodile!

  • Saltwater crocodiles are the world’s largest reptiles, growing an average of 3 to 5 meters (10 to 17 feet) in length, depending on the gender, and can grow up to 7 meters (23 feet) long.
  • ‘Saltwater crocodiles’ are also known as ‘salties’, ‘estuarine’ and ‘Indo-Pacific crocodiles’, and their scientific name is crocodylus porosus.
  • Saltwater crocodiles generally weigh between 400 to 1000 kilograms (880 to 2200 pounds) but they can be as heavy as 2000 kilograms (4400 pounds).
  • Saltwater crocodiles are typically found in mangrove swamps, deltas, lagoons, rivers, and estuaries, and can also be found swimming in the ocean, which they sometimes use to travel long distances during different seasons.
  • Saltwater crocodiles are native to South-east Asia, including India, and Australia.

Saltwater, Croc, Saltie, Two Third Body, Swamp, Sun Basking, Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, Jason Edwards

 

Saltwater Crocodile
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Saltwater crocodiles have vibration-sensing teeth, and their diet generally consists of fish, sharks, reptiles, birds, crustaceans and mammals although they cannot swallow their prey underwater.
  • A saltwater crocodile’s bite is the strongest of all non-extinct animals, as its teeth are designed to hold its prey and prevent it from escaping.
  • Saltwater crocodiles are the most dangerous crocodile, although attacks are not frequent, however there are usually a couple of human fatalities each year.
  • Saltwater crocodiles can lay up to 60 eggs at a time and baby salties are pale yellow in colour with black patterns, while the adults are generally murky green or greenish-black in colour with a pale yellow underbelly.
  • In 1971, 95% of the original Australian saltwater crocodile population had been hunted, commonly for its skin, however the species is now protected in Australia, and the population has recovered.
Bibliography:
Saltwater Crocodile, 2012, Northern Territory Tourism Central, <http://www.nttc.com.au/saltwater-crocodile>
Saltwater Crocodile, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_crocodile>

Amazon:     

Azalea

By | |
3 Comments
Azalea

Pretty, showy azaleas.

  • ‘Azaleas’ are also known as the ‘Royalty of the Garden’, and are shrubs that bloom in from autumn to spring, depending on the variety.
  • Azaleas are either deciduous or evergreen, depending on the species, and generally like to grow under the shade of trees.
  • Azaleas are from the family ‘Ericaceae’, which is the family of heaths or heathers, and belong to the genus ‘Rhododendron’, which are a group of woody plants.
  • Azaleas grow up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) tall, although some only grow to half that height.
  • Azalea nectar and leaves are highly poisonous, and in the past, have been seen as a death threat if the flowers have been given in a black vase.White, Azalea, Group, Flower, Pretty, Ten Random Facts, Australia
  • Places in Japan, Korea and the United States have festivals to celebrate azaleas.
  • Azaleas are mostly native to North America, and eastern parts of Asia, and the American species are generally deciduous, while the Asian species are generally evergreen.
  • Azalea flowers come in white, pink, mauve, purple, red, orange and yellow in colour, and the single varieties generally have 5 petals, but doubles can have up to 30.
  • Azaleas are popular garden plants, although many people do not know how to grow them properly, as they require specific growing conditions, which include the need for acidic soil.
  • Over 10,000 different cultivars of azaleas have been recorded and the plant and flowers are very similar to rhododendrons in appearance, so it is often difficult to tell them apart.
Bibliography:
Azalea, 2007, Azalea Society of America, <http://azaleas.org/azaleas.html>
Azalea, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azalea>

Amazon:     

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...