Author Archives: Cris

Steamroller

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Steamroller

Before diesel.

  • Steamrollers were rollers that flattened roads.
  • Steamrollers were powered by steam, although the term steamroller is still applied to the more modern rollers run by diesel.
  • Steamrollers flattened surfaces due to the mass of the vehicle and the cylindrical like drums, called rolls.
  • Steamrollers typically had three rolls and were controlled by gears.
  • Steamrollers are often seen in action at steam shows.
Steamroller, Old Fashion, Betsy, Steam Motor, Road roller, Flickr, Mr Pbps, Ten Random Facts, Green, Olive
Steamroller
Image courtesy of Mr Pbps/Flickr
  • The most famous steamroller manufacturer was the British company, Aveling and Porter.
  • Britian was the largest steamroller producer and exported many of the machines to other countries.
  • Part of the M1 motorway, the highway from London to Leeds, England, was built by steamrollers.
  • Sometimes stemrollers had scraper bars fitted, that removed foreign material from the surface of the roll.
  • Steamrollers have been popular in movies, music and books, including the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends series and Bob the Builder episodes.
Bibliography:
Steamroller 27 February 2013 , Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamroller>

Dodgeball

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Dodgeball

Throw the ball and jump!

  • In the sport of dodgeball, two teams throw balls at their opponents while dodging the balls that are thrown back at them.
  • Dodgeball is typically played in primary and secondary school, and university.
  • The aim of dodgeball is to throw balls at the opposite team and hit them with the ball, or to catch balls thrown from the opposite team, before the balls bounce.
  • Dodgeball games generally use three to ten dodgeballs.
  • A typical dodgeball  ball is made from foam and is about the size of a volleyball.
dodgeball, action, four balls, throw, blue, Yellow, Red, BOSS Dodgeball Tournament, California, America, General, Sport, Presidio of Monterey: DLIFLC & USAG, Flickr, Ten Random Facts,
Dodgeball
Image courtesy of Presidio of Monterey: DLIFLC & USAG/Flickr
  • Dodgeball is generally played on a basketball court, enclosed area or soccer field.
  • There are many different rule variations to the dodgeball game including the use of pins or bottles.
  • Dodgeball can be dangerous, as you could be hurt by a dodgeball or slip.
  • A record was set for a dodgeball game with the most players on 25 September, 2012 by the University of California, Irvine (UCI) with 6,084 players.
  • The phrase ‘playing dodgeball’ is sometimes used in America in reference to something unpleasant that was attempted to be avoided.
Bibliography:
Dodgeball 15 February 2013 , Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgeball>

Celosia

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Celosia

Flame headed flowers.

  • Celosia are plants with beautiful blooming flowers that are used for decoration in the garden, and can be eaten.
  • Celosia are plants from the amaranthaceae, which is the family of amaranth.
  • Celosia comes from the Greek word κηλος, pronounced kelos, meaning burned, referring to the flower heads that look like flames.
  • Celosia are also known as woolflowers and cockscomb.
  • Celosia is often used for medicinal purposes to treat intestinal worms; blood diseases; mouth and eye problems; and the seeds can be used to treat chest problems and the flowers as a treatment for diarrhoea.

Celosia, Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Line, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • One thousand celosia seeds weigh 1-1.2 grams (0.035-0.042 ounces).
  • Celosia are native to South America, tropical Africa, and the South and East parts of Asia.
  • Most parts of celosia are commonly eaten in stews, and is a staple food of Nigeria.
  • The leaves of celosia have a taste similar to spinach.
  • Celosia are easy to grow almost anywhere, and are generally resistant to disease and pests.
Bibliography:
Celosia 28 February 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celosia>

Clothes Iron

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Clothes Iron

Put the clothes iron on the clothes and presto! No creases.

  • Irons are also known as flat irons, smoothing irons or clothes irons.
  • Irons are handheld electrical appliances used to uncrease creased clothes with it’s heated triangular surface.
  • Irons remove creases due to the combination of a hard surface, and heat pressed on the fibres of the clothes which stretches and flattens the fibres.
  • Henry Seeley invented the first electric iron in 1882.
  • More than a thousand years ago in China, pieces of heated metal were used like an iron to uncrease clothes.

Clothes Iron, Sunbeam 1800 watt, vertical steam, ultra 5500 platinium, water, standing, sole plate, Ten Random Facts Model

  • The metal part of an iron, that is used for pressing, is called the sole plate and is generally heated to 180ºC-220°C (356°F-428ºF) when ironing.
  • Irons use a combination of heat, electricity and mechanical energy to uncrease clothes, as well as the use of steam for some items.
  • Historically, a metal box made from iron was heated by charcoal and used as an iron to uncrease clothes.
  • Burning coconut shells were used to heat irons instead of charcoal in India, since it had a similar effect to burning charcoal.
  • The Gochsheim Castle, Karlshruhe, Germany has one of the largest collections of irons, about 1300 irons.
Bibliography:
Clothes Iron 21 February 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothes_iron>
Ironing 24 February 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironing>

Black Pepper

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Black Pepper

Many different types of pepper; black, white and more.

  • Pepper is a vine that flowers and produces fruit, peppercorns, that are simply referred to as pepper.
  • Cooked and dried, unripe peppercorns makes black pepper; dried unripe peppercorns makes green pepper; and dried peppercorn seeds makes white pepper.
  • Pepper is native to South and South-East Asia, most notably India.
  • Dried peppercorn is most often used as a spice, and out of all known spices, peppercorn is traded the most.
  • The chemical piperine is responsible for the peppercorn’s spice.

Pepper, Black Pepper, Grounded, Powder, Ten Random Facts

  • Oil and pepper spirit, which is used in beverages such as Coca Cola, can be extracted from peppercorn when dried.
  • Pepper vines grow up to 4 metres (13 feet) in height and produce numerous pepper drupes (berry fruit) on long curvy shaped spikes on the stems of the plant.
  • Peppercorn was discovered rammed up the Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses II’s nose (1213 BC).
  • Historically, pepper was said to cure many health problems, from earaches to heart and lung diseases, and it is still sometimes used in modern times for medicinal purposes.
  • Vietnam, the world’s biggest producer of pepper, produces 34% of the world’s pepper products.
Bibliography:
Black Pepper 4 March 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper>

Snow Leopard

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Snow Leopard

Snow leopard sneaks among the white snow…

  • Snow leopards are medium large cats and the scientific name is panthera uncia or uncia uncia.
  • Snow leopards are native to the mountainous regions of Central Asia and they live in snowy, rocky or forest terrain usually by themselves.
  • Snow leopards typically weigh 27-55 kg (60-120 pounds), and have a short body but a long tail, 80-100 cm (31 to 39 in) long.
  • Snow leopards can’t roar but instead hiss, chuff, mew, growl and wail.
  • Snow leopards have litters of, on average, one to five cubs.

 

Snow Leopard, Melbourne Zoo, Victoria, Australia, predator stare, portrait, Ten Radnom Facts, National Geographic, Jason Edwards

Snow Leopard
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • When travelling, snow leopards generally don’t like to make there own tracks so travel along another animal’s tracks instead.
  • Snow leopards live at altitudes of 2,700-6,000 meters (8,900-20,000 feet) in summer and in winter live at altitudes of 1,200-2,000 meters (3,900-6,600 feet)
  • Snow leopards dig up snow and then spray urine in the hole to mark its territory.
  • The snow leopard’s white coat helps it to be camaflouged in the snow.
  • Snow leopard’s diet consists of meat of various animals, depending on the season, and sometimes grass.
Bibliography:
Snow leopards 23 February 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard>
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