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Acne

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Acne

Acne is a nuisance and can be embarrassing.

  • ‘Acne’ is medically known as ‘acne vulgaris’, which is believed to be caused by hormones, and it occurs in approximately 80-90% of teenagers.
  • Acne is a skin disease that often occurs in the period when children become adults, known as puberty, and can last until the age of 25, but can continue on for many years beyond this for some people.
  • Acne occurs when skin pores are blocked due to excess skin and hair oil called ‘sebum’, as well as bacteria, and dead skin cells.
  • Acne causes black, white or red bumpy spots known as ‘blackheads’, ‘whiteheads’, and ‘pimples’, which are also known as ‘zits’.
  • Acne often appears on people’s faces, chests and backs.

Acne, Pimple, Disease, Teenager, Skin, Face, Ten Random Facts

  • Acne can cause scars, particularly when one scratches or picks at it, and can possibly cause inflammation and cysts.
  • Contrary to popular belief, chocolate does not cause acne, but regularly drinking milk, having a diet high in glucose, and significant stress can all increase the chance of acne.
  • Special medication, lotions and creams can be used to treat acne, and in severe cases, antibiotics.
  • To help prevent acne, you should wash your face gently, at least one daily, but do not scrub it.
  • Acne can often cause mental side effects, typically due to embarrassment, including decreased self-esteem, and in some cases, depression and the urge to commit suicide.
Bibliography:
Acne, 2011, Kids Health, <http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/body_stuff/acne.html>
Acne Vulgaris, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne_vulgaris>

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Coat Hanger

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Coat Hanger

Need something to stop those creases? Use a coat hanger.

  • ‘Coat hangers’ are also known as ‘coathangers’ or ‘clothes hangers’ and have become an almost essential item in homes and clothes shops throughout the world.
  • Coat hangers act like the shoulders of humans, to hang jackets, coats, jumpers, shirts, dresses or blouses and by adding clips, skirts, kilts and trousers can hang from the waist.
  • Coat hangers are typically shaped as a triangle, or they have two rod like pieces joined at an angle.
  • Coat hangers are designed in all sorts of styles and sizes and are typically made from wire, wood or plastic materials, with plastic being the most popular material.
  • Coat hangers have been used for many things beside hanging clothes, such as cooking food over a fire, locking (and unlocking) mechanisms, connecting electrical circuits, welding and performing emergency lung surgery.

Coathanger, Clothes Hanger, Wooden, Plastic, Black, Brown, Kid, Bear, Metal, Ten Random Facts

  • Coat hangers are said to have been first used in the mid 1800s, which became popular due to the fancy Victorian dresses, and our modern hangers are believed to be based on a clothes hook invented in 1869.
  • Albert J Parkhouse designed a coat hanger in 1903, which was later patented, by twisting wire to hang his and his co-workers clothes on because they were running out of clothes hooks, although it is believed that the owner of the company, John Timberlake, was the one that profited from the design.
  • In the first six years of the 20th century, more than 180 patents were lodged for coathangers.
  • Some wooden and wired coat hangers are padded and covered in fabric or other material to protect delicate garments, to help keep the clothes shape in good condition and so that less creases are formed in the garment.
  • Some coat hangers have become collectible items, due to their age and uniqueness, and there are some manufacturers who encrust their hangers with Swarovski crystals or cover them in gold leaf.
Bibliography:
Clothes Hanger, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothes_hanger>
Deen J, Hanger History, 2006, Displayarama Store Fixtures <http://www.displayarama.com/hangers.htm>
Wire Coat Hanger, 2007, The Great Idea Finder, <http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/coathanger.htm>

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Walnut

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Walnut

Abstract shaped walnuts.

  • Walnuts grow on trees with the scientific name ‘Juglans’, of which there are over 20 species, and they belong to the family Juglandaceae, the family of walnuts.
  • Walnut trees are deciduous and grow from 10-40 metres (32-131ft) in height, and can live for a few hundred years, bearing fruit (a green husk) which is not edible but do contain edible seeds, known as walnuts, which are encased in a hard shell.
  • Walnuts are generally dried for two weeks before they are stored or sold, and can easily become mouldy or insect infected if not suitably stored, and if this occurs, the whole batch of nuts must be discarded.
  • Walnut kernels have a bumpy texture, an abstract shape, and are typically a creamy brown colour.
  • Commercial walnuts are usually from Juglans regia trees, known as the ‘English’ or ‘Persian walnut’, and are popular because they have a large kernel and a thin shell, and the ‘black walnut’ is also available commercially, but not as common.

Walnut, Food, Nut, Pile, Ten Random Facts

  • China and USA are the two biggest producers of walnuts, with almost all of the nuts in America, grown in California.
  • Walnuts are a good source of protein, folate and copper; a very good source of omega 3, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorous; contain the highest amount of antioxidants out of all the nuts, and have many beneficial health effects.
  • The US Air Force used to use ground walnut shells to clean parts of their aircraft until a Chinook helicopter crashed, causing deaths, due to the nut’s grit clogging up the machinery.
  • Walnuts can be eaten raw or with salad dishes, vegetable and fruit meals or snacks and desserts or used in baking, and sometimes the oil is extracted and used for various purposes.
  • Depending on the species, walnuts are native to various countries around the world, including Iran, North America and Japan.

 

Bibliography:
Walnut, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut>
Walnuts, 2013, The World’s Healthiest Foods, <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99>

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United States of America

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United States of America

The world power: the United States of America.

  • The  ‘United States of America’ is also known as the ‘USA’, ‘US’, ‘U.S.A’, ‘U.S’, the ‘United States’ and ‘the States’ and covers an area of 9.83 million square kilometres (3.79 million square miles), making it the fourth largest country.
  • The United States of America became a nation on July 4, 1776, known as Independence Day, and is a republic of 50 states located in central America and north west America.
  • The capital of the United States of America is Washington DC, which is also the home of the White House and the president.
  • The United States of America is one of the most multicultural countries, with a population of over 315 million people, ranking it third in the world, and over 70% of the population are white Americans, and two thirds of the adult population is either overweight or obese.
  • In 2013, the United States of America was the wealthiest country in the world, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over $16 trillion, the highest in the world, and more than a third of world’s wealth is own by Americans.

USA, US, United States, Road Map, Whole, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Map of the USA
Image courtesy of Breki74/Flickr
  • The United States of America has been involved in numerous wars, and one of the most significant wars in its history was the American Civil War in 1861 to 1865, which was based on the issue of slavery and killed approximately 620,000 soldiers.
  • The United States of America has many geographical structures and national parks and over 400 mammals, 500 reptiles and 750 birds, make the US their home, as well as 91,000 species of insects and 17,000 species of plants.
  • The United States of America is the largest importer in the world and ranks as the second largest exporter, with China, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Japan being all major traders, and the country is also the second largest carbon dioxide producer.
  • Cars are the main form of personal transport in the United States of America, and the country caters for motorists with its 13 million roads which include some of the longest in the world.
  • The United States of America has won more than double the number of medals than any other country, throughout the history of the Summer Olympic Games.
Bibliography:
United States of America, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States>
United States of America Country Profile, 2012, BBC, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm>

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Pacific Black Duck

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Pacific Black Duck

Have you seen a pacific black duck’s speculum?

  • Pacific black ducks are dabbling ducks, which are ducks that generally feed on the surface of the water, and poke their head into the water for food, while the back half of the duck remains out of the water.
  • Pacific black ducks are native to most of Australasia and the Pacific islands and parts of Southeast Asia.
  • ‘Pacific black ducks’ are also known as ‘grey ducks’, ‘black ducks’, ‘brown ducks’, ‘wild ducks’, ‘blackies’, ‘Australian wild ducks’ and ‘Parera’, a New Zealand Maori term.
  • Pacific black ducks live in or near ponds, wetlands, lakes or marshes and nest in woven grass, leaves and other foliage, laying 7-13 white eggs.
  • Pacific black ducks are typically dark brown in colour, with a paler head and neck, with distinctive stripes on their face.

Pacific black ducks, Brown, lake, swimming, group, adult, water, lake, Ten Random Facts

  • Pacific black ducks are generally between 50 to 60 centimetres (1.6 to 2 feet) in length, with males generally larger than females.
  • The scientific name of pacific black ducks is Anas superciliosa and they are from the family Anatidae, which is the family of ducks, swans and geese.
  • Pacific black ducks are similar to their introduced cousins, mallards, that the ducks can and do breed with.
  • Pacific black ducks are covered with waterproof oil that the ducks produce, and have a magnificent green speculum (patch on their feathers), which is best seen when the ducks are in flight.
  • Pacific black ducks feed on seeds of aquatic vegetation, shrimps, yabbies, crustaceans and insects, and they will sometimes forage for food on the ground.
Bibliography:
Davis D, Pacific Black Duck, 2013, Wires Northern Rivers, <http://www.wiresnr.org/pacificblackduck.html>
Pacific Black Duck, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Black_Duck>

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Yo-yo

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Yo-yo

Spin, spin… Can you do tricks on a yo-yo?

  • Yo-yos are essentially toys, generally composed of  two cylindrical discs connected by an axle, with an attached string.
  • Terracotta examples of yo-yos have been found in Ancient Greek art dating between 400 – 500 BC.
  • The first modern patent of a yo-yo was in 1866 by James Haven and Charles Hettrich, and it was named a ‘whirligig’ and a ‘bandalore’.
  • International yo-yo competitions, where performance is judged, are held all over the world every year, with contestants from many backgrounds.
  • The term ‘yo-yo’ possibly came from one of the languages spoken in the Philippines, from a word meaning ‘come back’ or ‘spring’, although its origins are uncertain.

Easing rebound, Yo-yo, Ned Boomerang, Brand, Trick, Special, Ten Random Facts

  • A yo-yo has also been called a ‘bandalore’ (a French term) and a ‘quiz’, and was named a ‘yo-yo’ in 1928 in the United States, by Pedro Flores, who was a Filipino immigrant.
  • Japan has some of the best yo-yo masters, most notably world champion Shinji Saito.
  • One of the most common yo-yo tricks is ‘walk the dog’, which is when the toy appears to be spinning along the ground in front of your feet.
  • Cheap yo-yos can spin approximately 10-20 seconds, with a record of nearly 4 minutes, while professional ball bearing yo-yos can spin for 1-4 minutes, with a record of just over 21 minutes.
  • Yo-yos are generally symmetrical, with weight distributed more on the edges of the discs, although this can vary.
Bibliography:
Behar, S & Yarham, R 2008, Great Inventions, Igloo Books Ltd, Cottage Farm, Sywell
Yo-yo, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo-yo>

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