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Baatara Gorge Waterfall

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Baatara Gorge Waterfall

Baatara Gorge Waterfall is a wonder of erosion.

  • Baatara Gorge Waterfall is a waterfall that drops through a sinkhole, and is located in Lebanon’s Tannourine, in the Middle East.
  • ‘Baatara Gorge Waterfall’ is also known as ‘Balaa Gorge Waterfall’ and ‘Baatara Pothole Waterfall’.
  • The Wadi Baatara stream is the water supply of the Baatara Gorge Waterfall, that originates mostly from the two springs Ain Arin and Ain Daaouq.
  • Baatara Gorge Waterfall plummets vertically down a chasm, or pothole, made of limestone, named the ‘Baatara Pothole’, ‘Baatara Sinkhole’, ‘Three Bridges Chasm’ or ‘Cave of Three Bridges’.
  • The water of the Baatara Gorge Waterfall drops a distance of approximately 100 metres (328 feet) while the chasm it falls into is around 255 metres (837 feet) deep.

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Baatara Gorge Waterfall
Image courtesy of Bo Stern/Flickr
  • Henri Coiffait, a speleologist from France, was the first westerner to discover the existence of Baatara Gorge Waterfall, doing so in 1952.
  • Three naturally formed rock bridges partially obscure the view of Baatara Gorge Waterfall and they can also be utilised as vantage points.
  • Once at the bottom of the chasm, the water from the Baatara Gorge Waterfall travels underground in streams which feed into an underground lake.
  • Baatara Gorge Waterfall is most active during snow melts, which takes place from March to April, and the falls can cease running during other parts of the year.
  • Baatara Gorge Waterfall’s water eventually flows into the Nabaa Dalli spring, and this was first discovered in the 1980s after dye tests were undertaken.
Bibliography:
Baatara Gorge, n.d, eGuide Travel, http://www.eguidetravel.com/activities/baatara-gorge/
Baatara Gorge Waterfall, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baatara_gorge_waterfall
Baatara Gorge Waterfall – Top Waterfalls in the World, 2015, World Top Top, http://www.worldtoptop.com/baatara-gorge-waterfall/
Baatara Pothole Sign Photograph, n.d,  Tourism Lebanon, http://www.tourism-lebanon.com/PhotoGallery/BaataraPothole/BaataraInfo.JPG
Breathtaking Baatara Gorge Waterfall & Cave of the Three Bridges [31 PICS], 2012, Love These Pics, http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/08/breathtaking-baatara-gorge-waterfall-cave-of-the-three-bridges-31-pics/

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Careers

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Careers

Now you can explore Careers from your own living room!

  • Careers is a popular board game that involves scoring a previously determined amount of points and money, by exploring career paths.
  • Careers is played by moving around the spaces on the outside edge of the board, while different interior paths create loops, and are travelled along to collect points.
  • Before the game starts, players of Careers are required to create their own targets totalling 60 points, using the three point types – ‘happiness’ represented by hearts; ‘money’ represented by dollar signs; and ‘fame’ represented by stars; to create their own success formula which is kept secret until the end of the game.
  • In the game of Careers, the first person to collect their specified quantities of points, and cash in the case of ‘money’, wins the game.
  • Careers is a two to six player game, and is notably different to many other games in that it requires significant data recording by the players during play, as collected points and other information is required to be documented on paper.

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  • James Cooke Brown, an American sci-fi author and sociologist, invented Careers in 1955, and it was his only published game.
  • Originally the career paths in the game of Careers included ‘Farming’, ‘Uranium Prospecting’, ‘Going to Sea’, ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Expedition to the Moon’; which were changed to ‘Teaching’, ‘Ecology’, ‘Sports’, ‘The Arts’ and ‘Space’ in some of the later versions.
  • Careers was published by Parker Brothers in 1955, and while there was a redesign of the game by the original designer at a later time, it was never published.
  • The game of Careers includes money, dice, ‘Opportunity Knocks’ and ‘Experience’ cards, playing pieces, a game board, and a ‘Success Formula’ pad for keeping track of points.
  • Due to the personalised winning conditions in Careers, strategies and game play can vary each game, which is significant in its ongoing appeal.
Bibliography:
The Best Classic Board Games – Careers (1955 – 2009), 2010, Recycled Thoughts From A Retro Gamer, https://magisterrex.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/the-best-classic-board-games-careers-1955-2009/
Careers, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Careers_(board_game)
Whitehill B, Careers, The Big Game Hunter, http://thebiggamehunter.com/games-one-by-one/careers/

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Buttonhole

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Buttonhole

Buttonholes are relatively new in comparison to its button partner.

  • Buttonholes are a slit or hole in fabric that can hold a button, and normally as a result, hold two pieces of fabric together.
  • The edges of the hole designed for buttons are generally stitched over to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to limit wear on the hole edge, and this is done by sewing machine or hand, and the latter method typically uses a stitch called ‘buttonhole stitch’.
  • Many traditional garments for men have buttonholes located on the left hand side, while women have them on the right, and there are a number of speculations as to why, with one being that it was due to the slits needing to face the right way on women’s clothes, so that their maids could do up their buttons more easily, while men did their own buttons themselves.
  • A button is secured in a buttonhole by sliding the side of the button into the back of the hole and pulling through to the front on one side, and then sliding the other side of the fabric edge behind the button so that the button sits in front of the hole.
  • The French word ’boutonnière’ means ‘buttonhole’, and both terms are used for flower/s that are typically inserted into a slit that usually looks the same as those used for buttons, located on the lapel of a jacket or coat.

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  • Buttonholes are most often found on clothing items like jackets, shirts and coats, but they are also used on pants, and they are usually just long enough to comfortably fit the appropriate button through the slit.
  • Button loops were originally used before buttonholes, though they serve a similar purpose, but holes, rather than loops are now more commonly used on clothing.
  • In the 1200s in Germany, Europe, practical buttonholes were first recorded, although Persians may have invented the idea, and the 1400s saw much more widespread use of them across Europe, primarily due to the increased use of buttons themselves.
  • Buttonholes generally sit horizontally, especially on jackets, as vertical slits allow for the button to slip and unbutton more easily, while the horizontal ones allow for more flexibility in fitting, but on the fronts of shirts they are mostly vertical, as they take up less room on a narrow placket and they will allow the button to sit more centrally on it.
  • Keyhole buttonholes are a slit with a hole at one end, and this allows buttons with shanks to sit in the hole without puckering the fabric.
Bibliography:
Buttonhole, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttonhole
The History of the Button, 2013, h2g2, http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A23623616
Parthasarathi V, Who Invented Buttons and Buttonholes on Shirts?, 2013, Quora, https://www.quora.com/Who-invented-buttons-and-buttonholes-on-shirts

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Gila Monster

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Gila Monster

Gila monsters have turned back the clock!

  • Gila monsters are a lizard of larger size native to the southwest of the United States and to the northwest of Mexico, and were named after the Gila River Basin or the Gila River, where they were initially found, in the United State’s Arizona.
  • A Gila monster has the scientific name Heloderma suspectum and is from the family Helodermatidae, the family of American venomous lizards.
  • Gila monsters typically grow to be 30 to 60 centimetres (12 to 24 inches) in length, making them the largest living land-dwelling lizard in the United States, and they usually weigh between 1.3 to 2.2 kilograms (3 to 5 pounds).
  • Habitats that Gila monsters thrive in include desert, shrubby areas, woodlands and rocky areas, and they mostly live alone in burrows spending most of their time there.
  • The diet of Gila monsters is carnivorous, consisting primarily of frogs, eggs, insects, birds, small mammals and lizards.
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A Gila Monster
Image courtesy of walknboston/Flickr
  • Gila monsters can live without food for months, although they may eat up to a third of their body weight in a single sitting, mostly eating their prey by swallowing whole.
  • Gila monsters have a very strong grip and are thus difficult to pry from a bite, while submerging underwater is the best method to force release, and although their bite is venomous it is not lethal to a healthy adult despite causing symptoms of weakness, great pain and a drastic reduction in blood pressure.
  • Around two to thirteen eggs are produced by female Gila monsters at a single time, and they are buried in a shallow hole.
  • Gila monsters are listed as near threatened, and in 1952, they were protected under law and were the first venomous animal to receive such protection.
  • The saliva of Gila monsters contains a chemical that can be used as a treatment for those with diabetes, as it assists in controlling blood sugar levels.
Bibliography:
Gila Monster, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/gila-monster/
Gila Monster, 2015, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/reptiles/gila-monster/
Gila Monster, 2015, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/gila-monster
Gila Monster, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gila_monster

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Tiramisu

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Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a mix of quite exquisite flavours.

  • Tiramisu is a layered dessert, often considered a cake, that is primarily flavoured with coffee.
  • It is thought that tiramisu originated in Italy’s Veneto in Europe, in the 1960s, although other places and dates, as late as the early 80s, have been suggested.
  • Traditionally, tiramisu consists of ladyfinger or sponge finger biscuits, coffee, mascarpone cheese, cocoa, sugar and egg yolks, however there are numerous variations of the recipe.
  • Tiramisu can be made in a variety of shapes, and although traditionally circular, the dessert is more commonly made in a rectangular shape due to it being easier because of the shape of the finger biscuits.
  • ‘Tiramisu’ is an Italian word that can be translated as ‘pick me up’, often thought to be referring to either the appealing nature, or the energy boosting caffeine and sugar content.
Tiramisu, Dessert, Food, Culinary, Italy, Scotchfinger, Custard, Chocolate, Bon Appetit, Square, Delicacy
Tiramisu
Image courtesy of Alexis Fam/Flickr
  • Tiramisu is typically made by soaking finger biscuits in coffee that may be mixed with a liqueur, which are then arranged in a dish so that a mascarpone mixture can be layered on top, with possibly a custard mix on top of that, all of which is repeated one or two times.
  • The top tiramisu layer is usually a cream or mascarpone layer, which is generally sprinkled with cocoa.
  • Fruit is not an uncommon substitute for various layers of tiramisu, while other ingredients may also be swapped with alternative options.
  • In Italy, tiramisu is often reserved for festive or special occasions, and it is now eaten in many countries around the world.
  • Tiramisu is very high in fat, and is high in protein, vitamin A, riboflavin, phosphorus, manganese and copper, and has many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Tiramisu: A Cause for Celebration, 2015, Delallo, http://www.delallo.com/articles/tiramisu-italys-dessert
Tiramisu, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiramisu
Volpi A, The History of Tiramisu’ Cake, 2003, Anna Maria’s Open Kitchen, http://www.annamariavolpi.com/page38.html

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Son Doong Cave

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Son Doong Cave

How could a rock hold such a large cave as the Son Doong Cave?

  • Son Doong Cave is a rock cave found in Central Vietnam, in Southeast Asia, close to the border of Laos.
  • ‘Son Doong Cave’ is also known as ‘Hang Son Doong’, which is Vietnamese for ‘mountain river cave’.
  • The Son Doong Cave entrance was discovered in the early 1990s by a local Vietnamese named Ho Khanh, however the cave remained untouched and hidden for many more years, due to its relatively inaccessible location.
  • Son Doong Cave is the home of the large Rao Thuong River, that flows quite quickly underground, notably making rushing and roaring sounds audible outside the cave.
  • The entrance to Son Doong Cave was rediscovered in 2008, again by Ho Khanh, and it wasn’t until 2009 that it was first explored, with Ho Khanh’s assistance and a team of cave experts and scientists, as steep inclines and intimidating sounds caused by the hidden river, would’ve deterred locals.
Son Doong Cave, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Cave, Water, Vietnam, Entry, Exit, Light, Reflection
Son Doong Cave
Image courtesy of Doug Knuth/Flickr
  • As of 2015, Son Doong Cave was still listed as the largest known cave on Earth, at 200 metres (660 feet) in height, 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) in length and 150 metres (490 feet) in width, at the greatest points.
  • Limestone is the main stone type that makes up Son Doong Cave and it also has some large deposits of calcite.
  • Particularly large cave pearls and stalagmites can be found in Son Doong Cave, with the cave pearls reaching sizes of around 7.5 cm (3 inches) in diameter and stalagmites reaching up to 80 metres (262 feet) in height.
  • The first tourists to explore Son Doong Cave did so in late 2013, spending $3,000 USD per person, while only 500 permits to enter the cave were given out in 2015.
  • Son Doong Cave is located in a section of the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
Bibliography:
Lee J, Dive Into ‘Infinity’ With Dizzying Views of A Colossal Cave, 2015, National Geographic, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150520-infinity-cave-son-doong-vietnam-virtual-tour-photography-conservation/
Son Doong Cave, 2015, Oxalis Travel, http://oxalis.com.vn/cave/son-doong-cave/
Sơn Đoòng Cave, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C6%A1n_%C4%90o%C3%B2ng_Cave

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