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Ballot

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Ballot

Did you remember to complete your ballot paper?

  • Ballots are items used in elections to perform confidential voting in a public environment, and are a common way to choose a government and other leaders.
  • A ‘ballot’ is also known as a ‘ballot paper’ and the term can also refer to the act of voting.
  • Ballots are generally in the form of paper slips, or in electronic form, while small white and black balls were historically used.
  • The ancient Greeks wrote names on broken ceramics, called ‘ostraca’, and the pieces were used like a ballot to privately banish someone from a town, hence the term ‘ostracised’; while in India, they used palm leaves to elect assemblies, from the tenth century AD.
  • Ballots may involve choosing candidates by preference, or choosing a single party or person, and the process varies in different organisations, states and countries.

Ballot paper, Australia, Box, Paper, Slip, Rectangle, Three, Parties

  • Romans began using a secret ballot system in 139 BC, via a writing tablet or document; while it is said that the first time Americans cast a vote using paper was in 1629.
  • Ballots can require the writing of specific names, marking boxes, entering data using a machine, or entering information via the internet.
  • Ballot papers, especially in government elections, are often submitted into a box that is located at a polling location.
  • The term ‘ballot’ originates from Italy’s Venice, in Europe, from the words ‘ballotta’ and ‘pallotte’, meaning ‘small ball used for voting’ when translated from Italian.
  • Each submitted ballot paper in government elections is usually checked, to see if it is a ‘formal’ or valid vote, or ‘informal’ or invalid vote, because ‘informal’ votes, those with insufficient or incorrect markings, are disqualified from being counted.
Bibliography:
Fact Sheet – Ballot Papers, 2015, Elections ACT, http://www.elections.act.gov.au/education/act_electoral_commission_fact_sheets/fact_sheets_-_general_html/elections_act_factsheet_ballot_papers
Ballot, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballot

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Cheesecake

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Cheesecake

Always savour your last mouthful of cheesecake.

  • Cheesecakes are generally a type of dessert that are made primarily of a cream cheese mixture, and they often feature multiple layers.
  • Ancient Greeks are believed to be the first to have designed cheese-based cakes, somewhat similar to modern recipes; and it is said that the Greek Aegimus, a physician in the 5th century BC, wrote the first cheesecake recipe.
  • The main ingredients of a cheesecake generally include sugar and cream cheese, or other type of creamy cheese like cottage cheese or ricotta, and sometimes eggs or cream are included.
  • Cheesecakes may have a crust that is often a type of pastry or cookie crumb mixture, and/or a top layer of fruit, cream, syrup, sauce and/or nuts.
  • An early recipe for a cheesecake was developed in the 1300s, in a Middle-English recipe collection.

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  • Cheesecakes can be either baked in an oven or chilled in the fridge, depending on the ingredients and recipe, while these vary depending on the country or region; and there is some controversy as to whether the dessert is a custard, pie or tart.
  • The baked New York cheesecake is one of today’s most common versions, and its main ingredient, cream cheese, was invented by the American William Lawrence, in the United State’s New York in the 1870s, with the new styled desserts becoming popular soon after.
  • Cheesecakes are commonly made at home, but they are often available in cafes and restaurants as a dessert option, and they can also be purchased from specialised cheesecake shops, and often from supermarkets in a fresh or frozen form.
  • The United States national day for cheesecakes is observed on the 30th of July, and it is commonly celebrated by the dessert outlets around the country with discounted products.
  • Cheesecakes can be a good source of vitamin A, riboflavin, protein, and phosphorus, although they usually contain a significant amount of fat.
Bibliography:
Cheesecake, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesecake
The Rich History of a Favorite Dessert, 2014, Cheesecake.com, http://www.cheesecake.com/History-Of-Cheesecake.asp

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Hercules Beetle

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Hercules Beetle

Hercules beetles have undeniable strength.

  • Hercules beetles are rainforest and jungle insects that are found in South and Central America.
  • The scientific name of a Hercules beetle is Dynastes hercules, and it is from the family Scarabaeidae, the family of scarabs.
  • Hercules beetles can grow to be 4 to 18 centimetres (1.6 to 7 inches) in length, placing them among the top three largest beetles.
  • Male Hercules beetles always have horns, or large pincers, which females lack, although the latter generally have a larger body.
  • The outer shell of a Hercules beetle is generally a combination of brown or black, and yellow or green, and it can change colour, depending on the humidity.
Hercules Beetle, Animals, Insect, Beetle, Large, Ten Random Facts, Side, BlackHercules Beetle
Image courtesy of Mr Bluff/Flickr
  • The diet of a Hercules beetle typically consists of decomposing fruit, wood, leaves or other vegetation, and sometimes little insects.
  • Hercules beetles are among the strongest animals in relation to body weight, with the ability to carry their own weight multiplied by 80.
  • Hercules beetles hatch from eggs laid by the females, and the larvae spend a year or two burrowing through wood, which they eat, until the young become adults through a pupa, then moulting stage.
  • Male Hercules beetles sometimes battle each other with their pincers, and the pincers can be longer than the main part of their body.
  • Hercules beetles can live up to twelve months as an adult, making a total lifespan of close to three years.
Bibliography:
Hercules Beetle, 2008, University of Kentucky Etymology, http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/beetles/hercules/hercules.htm
Hercules Beetle, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/hercules-beetle/
Hercules Beetle, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_beetle

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Okapi Wildlife Reserve

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Okapi Wildlife Reserve

Watch the spectacular wildlife at Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo, in the Ituri Rainforest.
  • ‘Okapi Wildlife Reserve’ is named after its primary protected animal, the okapi, with roughly 5000 located in the park, a sixth of the estimated total population.
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve covers an area of 13,726 square kilometres (5,300 square miles).
  • Over 100 species of mammal are found in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, including, but not limited to, leopards, antelope, elephants, crocodiles, okapis, primates, buffalo; as well as more than 370 bird species.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage Convention declared Okapi Wildlife Reserve a World Heritage Site in 1996.
Okapi National Park, River, Reserve, Rocks, Water, Land, Environment, Place, Africa
 Part of Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve is the home to three rivers, the Epulu, Ituri and Nepoko Rivers; Mbiya Mountain; as well as numerous deposits of various rocks and minerals including gneiss, mica and granite.
  • The Okapi Conservation Project supports and partners with the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, and helped to establish the reserve in 1992.
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve is the home of the Epulu Conservation and Research Center, established in 1928, where the Okapi Conservation Project does its work; and the function of the centre is to manage the okapi breeding program, conservation and research, and occasionally send small quantities of okapi to zoos.
  • Approximately 80% of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve can be used for hunting by the thousands of native people living there, for the purpose of providing food to the local communities and villages, as long as traditional techniques are used; but despite this, poaching, deforestation, gold mining and political instability all continue to endanger the reserve.
  • The Epulu Conservation and Research Center and the Okapi Conservation Project in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve suffered a major setback in 2012, when it was directly attacked by a group of rebels and poachers, which resulted in blazed buildings, a number of human fatalities, and death of all fourteen okapi in the breeding program.
Bibliography:
Okapi Wildlife Reserve, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi_Wildlife_Reserve
Okapi Wildlife Reserve, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/718
Okapi Faunal Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo, n.d, The Encyclopaedia of Earth, http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/155015/

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Basket

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Basket

Have you looked inside the wicker basket recently?

  • Baskets are receptacles used for the primary purpose of storing objects, or for holding objects so that they can be easily moved.
  • Baskets are typically woven, and can range from an open-weave form to a solid-walled structure, and materials commonly used include leaves, grass, wicker, cane, wood, straw, bamboo, plastic, metal and horse hair.
  • Many baskets can be woven with an attached or removable lid, or often they have no lid at all.
  • Baskets can be used ornamentally; in cooking; as a trap; for holding laundry; as a rattle; and they are also sometimes used for traditional religious purposes.
  • Baskets were originally intended for carrying loose items so that that could easily be transported.

Basket, Brown, Wicker, Ten Random Facts, Two, Assortment, Size, Large, Handles, invention

  • The first baskets were said to be originally short-lived because they were made of bark; and the containers were later supported with woven fibres to further extend their use.
  • Baskets have been in use for thousands of years and the remains of well preserved baskets have been discovered from possibly as early as 5000 BC.
  • Baskets can come in numerous varieties of shapes, sizes, colours and patterns and they can range from 0.6 to 90 centimetres (0.24 to 35.4 inches) in diameter, or more; and in many circumstances they can be considered to be an art.
  • Baskets may feature handles for ease of carrying with one’s hands, and some can be placed on one’s head to carry, which is a common traditional practice.
  • Nearly every ancient culture has made an abundance of baskets throughout history, including Egyptian, Chinese, Roman, Greek, Japanese, and Native American, while the latter are particularly well known for their baskets.
Bibliography:
Basket, 2015, Made How, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Basket.html
Basket, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket

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Bay Leaf

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Bayleaf, Leaf, Culinary, Bay, Ten Random Facts, Flavour, Dried, Plant

Make tea with style, using a bay leaf, or two.

  • A bay leaf is vegetation that is typically used for culinary purposes, as a flavouring, and the leaves can be derived from a variety of plants.
  • Bay leaves come from plants of the families Lauraceae and Myrtaceae, the family of true laurels and myrtles respectively, while the most commonly available leaves are from the bay laurel tree with the scientific name Laurus nobilis.
  • Bay leaves are typically light in weight, and range from green to a light brown in colour; and they can be used fresh or dried, and are commonly available in a dried form in supermarkets.
  • Ancient Greeks used bay leaves to flavour foods, and they have also been used in Mediterranean, American and some Asian cuisines.
  • The bay leaf has a flavour from sharp to bitter, and if used fresh, the flavour will be mild, while the dried leaf emits an aroma similar to herbs.

Bayleaf, Leaf, Culinary, Bay, Ten Random Facts, Flavour, Dried, Plant

  • Whole, crumbled or ground bay leaves can be used in cooking, while the latter two methods unleash more flavour, however crushed or whole bay leaves are usually removed from the food before serving, as consuming them can be unpleasant and a hazard.
  • The aroma from a bay leaf can ward off insects, especially pantry moths, and they can also inhibit mould; while a special oil can be derived from the leaves, which can be sold as essential oil.
  • Caution should be taken when obtaining bay leaves, as similar looking leaves can be toxic to humans if they are accidentally used instead.
  • Food that can be flavoured with bay leaves includes soup, meat dishes, breads, cream, seafood, vegetables, rice, and condiments; and the leaves are one of the main ingredients in the bundle of herbs called ‘bouquet garnis’.
  • Bay leaves are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, vitamin B6 and manganese and the leaves can be used to make a tea drink.
Bibliography:
Bay Leaf Nutrition Facts, 2015, Nutrition And You, http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/bay-leaf.html
Bay Leaf, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_leaf

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