Author Archives: Cris

Halloween

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Halloween

Halloween? Where did it come from? What does it mean? What is it? This post tells the truth behind Halloween that many don’t know.

  • Halloween is also know as ‘All Hallows Evening or Eve’, ‘All Hallows, ‘All Saints’ and Hallowe’en and is often celebrated the weekend before the 31st of October, the 31st being Halloween, and sometimes the 1st of November.
  • Halloween’s origin is uncertain. Halloween may have originated as a Roman feast of Pomona (goddess of fruit and seeds); Parentara – festival of the dead; a Celtic festival of Samhain; or an old Christian tradition of honouring saints and praying for those who have left you.
  • According to the Celtic festival, evil spirits and fairies haunted the homes and people on the festival occurrence.
  • The Celtics wore costumes at their festival to scare away evil spirits and fairies, which is probably where the tradition of dressing up for Halloween comes from.
  • At the Celtic festival, pumpkins were used to protect the homes of people from the evil spirits and fairies.

 Halloween carved pumpkin, Smile, Single, One, Circle, Triangular, Evil, Laugh, Orange lid, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos

Halloween Pumpkin
Image courtesy of Lobster20/ Free Digital Photos
  • North America inherited the Halloween tradition from the mass immigration of the Irish and Scottish in the mid 19th century.
  • The current Halloween themes of death, evil, magic, sorcery and mystical monsters were probably inherited from horror books and movies.
  • At Halloween, many Christians take a more biblical approach, like dressing up as biblical characters, praying for others and call it ‘All Hallows Eve’.
  • Halloween, the festival of the dead, celebrates and encourages paganism, magic and sorcery and other death related things.
  • The custom of trick or treating (guising) could have originated from Ireland, when people collected food from houses for the Samhain feast, while wearing costumes; or Moray, since in the 18th century, boys went to houses to collect fuel for the Samhain bonfire; or trick or treating could have even originated from Europe in the 12th century when poor people went houses to collect soul cakes.

What is your opinion of Halloween? Comment below.

Biliography
Halloween 31 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween>

 

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Dandelion

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Dandelion

Yellow or 0range, pretty and lovely. That is what a dandelion is!

  • Dandelions are native to Eurasia and North America.
  • The leaves of a dandelion are 5-25 cms long and can grow longer.
  • A dandelion flower is yellowy-orange colour and opens in the day and closes at night.
  • A dandelion has hair-like seeds that float like a parachute.
  • There are 34 macro species, 2000 microspecies and 60 classified species.

Yellow dandelions, weeds, Ten Random Facts

  • Dandelions have been used as food and herbs throughout history, although some people have allergic reactions when they consume or touch them.
  • A dandelion is a good type of weed since it adds minerals and nitrogen to the soil and attracts pollinating insects.
  • The leaves of a dandelion contain vitamins A, C and K and contain calcium, potassium, iron and manganese.
  • Dandelions has been used in medicine in Europe, North America and China. The medicine helps cure infections, bile or liver problems.
  • Four dandelions appear on the West Virginia emblem, White Sulphur Springs.
Bibliography:
Taraxacum 11 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum>

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Apple

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Apple

Golden Delicious or Granny Smith. All are nice and sweet – just like Ten Random Facts you see.

  • An apple is a pomaceous fruit and grows on a deciduous tree.
  • The apple tree originated from Asia.
  • There are more than 7,500 different cultivars of apple.
  • 69 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide, in 2010. China produced just under half of this amount.
  • The seeds of an apple are a little poisonous.

Red Apple, Pink Lady Apple, Ten Random Facts

  • China produces most of the world’s apples, followed by the United States, Turkey, Italy and India.
  • The flowers of an apple tree are normally white with a pinkish tinge.
  • A test on the Golden Delicious apple in 2010 showed that apples have 57,000 genes.
  • If you are allergic to birch pollen you are allergic to apples.
  • 149 grams of apple contain approximately 77 calories.
Bibliography:
Apple 27 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple>

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Chicken Pox

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Chicken Pox

One disease and ten facts.

  • Chicken pox is a highly contagious disease on the body, infected by the virus named Varicella Zoster Virus (the VZV).
  • The main symptom of chicken pox is a spotty, itchy, blistery rash.
  • The chicken pox virus spreads through air by coughing and sneezing and can spread by direct contact with a pox.
  • Chicken pox blisters become scabs and fall off in approximately six days.
  • The mammal group called primates are able to catch chicken pox. This group includes chimpanzees and gorillas.

Chicken Pox Blisters, rashes, kid, boy, red, spots, young, half face, brown eye, disease, sickness, illness, sick, ill, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Stare, TRF, Brown hair, small, not many spots, nose, face, tiny, medium size,

  • Chicken pox symptoms in an adult can include headaches, aching muscles, loss of appetite, rashes and/or a fever.
  • The chicken pox scabs can appear all over the body, including on the face, nostrils, mouth, lips, eyelids, ears, palms of your hands, soles of your feet and in your throat.
  • Adults, especially males, normally have more severe chicken pox.
  • Having chicken pox as a child may trigger shingles as an adult.
  • A vaccine was developed by Michiaki Takahashi in 1974 and has been available in the United States since 1995.
Bibliography:
Chickenpox 23 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenpox>

 

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Diamond

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Diamond

Ooooooooh – pretty! Well, pretty if polished and cut. Polished and cut facts coming right up!

  • Diamond is one of the rarest and prettiest stones in the world.
  • Diamonds are made from carbon.
  • Diamond is the hardest natural material ever discovered.  The hardness results from the strong carbon atom arrangement.
  • Originally, the main diamond producers were India, Africa and Brazil but currently, Australia and Russia have the greatest supplies and mine more diamonds than any other country in the world.
  • Diamond is normally found in rivers or in a type of rock called kimberlite.Blue cut polished diamond, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos
Polished, Cut Diamond
Image courtesy of Anusorn P Nachol/ Free Digital Photos
  • Diamonds are bought and sold using a measurement called carats, which is equal to 0.2 grams.
  • Before kimberlite was discovered, diamond was often dug out from the sand.
  • Now people use x-rays to separate diamond from kimberlite rock.
  • 75%-80% of people’s engagement rings contain a diamond.
  • Nearly 80% of the diamonds that are mined are used for tools or other equipment since they are not suitable to be used as gemstones.
Bibliography:
Diamond 12 October 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond>
Herbert, S 1980, Diamonds, Wayland Publishers Limited, England

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Hammerhead Shark

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Hammerhead Shark

Wonderful wildlife, wonderful facts. Strange wildlife, strange facts. Wonderful and strange wildlife? Wonderful and strange facts.

  • There are nine species of hammerhead sharks.
  • Most hammerheads live in warm temperature and tropical seas.
  • Hammerheads normally live in small schools together where there are more females than males.
  • Female hammerheads fight with other females to be in the centre, so they are noticeable to the males.
  • By dusk, the hammerheads leave the school to find a place to eat and by dawn, the hammerheads regroup into schools again, at the same spot they left.

Hammerhead shark Silloutte, Fish, Ocean, Sea, Ten Random Facts, Free Stock Photos

Hammerhead Shark 
Image courtesy of Free Stock Photos
  • Stingrays are the hammerhead’s favourite food.
  • The smallest hammerhead alive is the Bonnethead, which grows to 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, and the largest hammerhead, the Great Hammerhead, grows to 6 meters (19.5 feet) long.
  • The hammer shaped head of the hammerhead helps the shark to swim faster.
  • A hammerhead swings it’s head side to side to see it’s surroundings.
  • The hammerhead’s head has many ampullae of Lorenzini which can sense small electric currents produced by their prey.
Bibliography:
Macquitty, M 2004, Shark, Dorling Kindersley, United States

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