Author Archives: Cris

Toy Story

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Toy Story

‘To Infinity and Beyond’ – Buzz Lightyear.

  • Toy Story is a computer animated movie produced by Pixar and Walt Disney.
  • Toy Story was released on 22 November 1995 and re-released as a 3D movie on 2 October 2009.
  • Toy Story is about a group of toys that have typical human behaviours, and pretend to be ‘dead’ toys when humans are present; the main characters being Woody, the pull string doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a space action figure.
  • The Toy Story film idea originated from the very successful, animated ‘Tin Toy’, a short film (five minutes) that was made to test new computer animating software in 1988.
  • There are two sequels to Toy Story – Toy Story 2 produced in 1999 and Toy Story 3 in 2010.

Toy Story, Movie, Film, Toys, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Feature Film, Video, Disney, Pixar, Ten Rando Facts

  • The original Toy Story script was rehashed numerous times, and was very different to the released movie.
  • Toy Story was the first, completely computer animated, full length film.
  • Toy Story gained more than $350 million at the box office, with nearly $30 million on the weekend of its release.
  • Production of Toy Story came to a halt in November 1993, and was nearly cancelled due to issues with its story line.
  • Toy Story received numerous awards, including the Academy Special Achievement Award.
Bibliography:
Toy Story, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story>

ANZAC Day

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ANZAC Day

“Lest We Forget”

  • ANZAC Day is the remembrance day, and a holiday, for the Australian and New Zealand community to remember those “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations”.
  • ‘ANZAC’ in ‘ANZAC Day’ stands for ‘Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’.
  • ANZAC Day is remembered on the 25th of April annually.
  • ANZAC Day is the anniversary of  the arrival of the Australian and New Zealand forces on the shores of Gallipoli on the 25th April 1915.
  • ANZAC Day commemorates those Australian and New Zealanders who fought in World War I, the first war with a significant number of Australian and New Zealand casualties.

ANZAC Day, Australian, War Memorial, 5th, 6th Machine Gun Battalion, Poppys, Casuality, Ten Random Facts

  • ANZAC Day was first acknowledged on the 30th April, 1915 in New Zealand, with a half day holiday, and the 25th of April became an official public holiday in New Zealand in 1920.
  • ANZAC Day was officially named ‘ANZAC Day’ in 1916, and in Australia became a public holiday in all states of Australia by 1927.
  • Many ANZAC Day services are held at dawn, all over Australia and New Zealand, and generally consist of the ‘Last Post’ played on the bugle, one minute silence, the ‘Rouse’ or ‘Reveille’ played on the bugle, the fourth stanza of the poem ‘For the Fallen’ and the national anthem.
  • On ANZAC Day, wreaths, often consisting of rosemary, and sometimes laurel and poppies, are laid at war memorials by dignitaries; relatives of those that have fought in war; or by those who wish to show respect.
  • On ANZAC Day, many veterans wear medals to show their participation, or bravery and courage, in the war they fought, and will often participate in an ANZAC Day parade.
Bibliography:
The ANZAC Day Tradition, n.d., Australian War Memorial,  <http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp>

Statue of Liberty

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Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty, the liberty statue.

  • The Statue of Liberty is a neoclassical sculpture, depicting a woman or goddess with connotations of freedom, and can be found on Liberty Island, New York, in the United States of America.
  • The Statue of Liberty was designed by sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi, and given as a gift to the United States by France as a symbol of liberty.
  • The exterior of the Statue of Liberty, known as its ‘skin’, is made from copper and was originally a copper colour, although after a number of years in the weather it gained a green patina, which is still present today.
  • The Statue of Liberty is 46 meters (151 feet) in height and weighs 204.1 tonnes (450,000 pounds).
  • The Statue of Liberty was originally built in France, and was dismantled into 350 pieces and then packed in 214 crates and carted by ship to America.
Statue of Liberty, USA, Monument, New York, Green, Copper, Neoclassical, goddess, Island, Free Digital Photos, Ten Random Facts
Statue of Liberty
Image courtesy of Bill Longshaw/ Free Digital Photos
  • The official opening of the Statue of Liberty was on 28th October, 1886, and the statue has since become iconic of the United States.
  • The Statue of Liberty, originally known as ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
  • Gustave Eiffel, the designer and engineer of the Eiffel Tower, was one of the main engineers used by Bartholdi for the Statue of Liberty.
  • On the tablet in one of the hands of the Statue of Liberty, the date “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” is inscribed, a reference to the day of United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
  • At the Statue of Liberty’s feet is a broken chain, and is the most overlooked feature of the statue.
Bibliography:
Statue of Liberty, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty>

Tibouchina

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Tibouchina

They like to put on a show!

  • The tibouchina is also known as ‘glory bush’, ‘princess flower’, ‘lasiandra’ and ‘glory tree’.
  • Tibouchinas are flowering, evergreen shrubs or trees.
  • Tibouchinas have stunning large purple flowers, although there are a few varieties with pink or white flowers.
  • Tibouchinas flower in Autumn and are an attractive and popular garden plant.
  • Tibouchinas are from the family Melastomataceae and there are over 350 species.

Glory Bush, Purple, Plowers, Green, Tree, Australia, Tibouchina, Ten Random Facts

  • Tibouchinas are native to tropical areas of South America, especially Brazil; the Caribbean; and Mexico.
  • Tibouchinas grow to 0.5 to 6 meters (1.6 to 20 feet) depending on the species.
  • Tibouchinas are susceptible to cold weather and frost.
  • Tibouchinas are classified as an invasive weed in Hawaii.
  • Tibouchinas generally like an acid soil type, and sometimes the edges of  the leaves have a burnt appearance due to the soil not being acidic enough, which can be rectified by the addition of sulphur.
Bibliography:
Tibouchina organensis (Glory Bush), n.d., Backyard Gardener, <http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_23c4.html>

Discus Throw

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Discus Throw

Throw, throw, throw in discus throw.

  • Discus is part of the sporting group, athletics.
  • The aim of discus is to throw a weighted, lens shaped disc, a ‘discus’, as far as one can.
  • Discus has been played in the modern Olympic Games since they started in 1896.
  • A discus weighs between 1 to 2 kg (2.2 to 4.4 pounds), the weight depending on the age and gender of the athlete.
  • A discus usually has a smooth metal rim and a metal core to give the disc its weight, and the material used on the outer sides can be made from plastic, metal, wood, fibreglass or other material, although sometimes solid rubber discs are used.
Discus, Throwing, Disc, About to, Ten Random Facts, 2010, Macalester, Hamline, Flickr
Discus
Image courtesy of Christopher Mitchell/Flickr
  • The athlete must stand in a 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) diameter circle, and not step over it, and throw the discus as far as he or she can without going over the foul lines.
  • The athlete usually spins in the throwing circle before they throw the discus, to build momentum for the throw.
  • As of 2012, discus world records were both held by East Germans – Jürgen Schult (male), with 74.08 meters (243 feet) achieved in 1986, and Gabriele Reinsch (female), 76.8 meters (252 feet), in 1988.
  • Discus was part of the Ancient Olympic Games’ pentathlon from as early as 708 BC.
  • The athlete is not allowed to leave the throwing circle until the discus has landed, and is required to step out from the back half of the circle to avoid disqualification.
Bibliography:
Discus Throw, 2013, Wikipedia, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discus_throw>

Headphone

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Headphone

Boom, boom, boom.

  • Headphones are sound projectors or speakers that are placed over the head and on the ears.
  • Headphones normally have wires that connect to a music player or a communication or sound device, although sometimes they are wireless.
  • Headphones are sometimes known as ‘earspeakers’ or ‘cans’.
  • Headphones sometimes have a microphone included and these headphones are called headsets.
  • In 1910, the first working headphones were created by Nathaniel Baldwin, a professor, among other things, but he didn’t patent his invention.

Headphones, Ear, Black, Silver, Cord, Sennheiser, HD 595, Ten Random Facts

  • Some headphones have a padded area that fits around the ears and presses against the head, and these headphones are called ‘circumaural headphones’; or they have padding that sits and presses onto the ears, and these are called ‘supra-aural headphones’.
  • Nathaniel Baldwin’s headphones were designed for radio communication and he sold them to the US Navy.
  • Headphones are often used to listen to the audio device in private, or to prevent distraction to others, such as in libraries.
  • Using headphones with the volume on high, can cause deafness or other hearing problems.
  • Wearing headphones while exercising can be dangerous due to less blood in the ear, which causes the ears to be more easily damaged by loud volumes during those periods.
Bibliography:
Headphones, 2013 Wikipedia, 19 April 2013, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headphones>
Newman, M n.d. The History of Headphones, Cool Material, <http://coolmaterial.com/roundup/history-of-headphones/>
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