Tag Archives: Asia

Mother Teresa

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Mother Teresa

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa

  • ‘Mother Teresa’ is also known as ‘Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C’, MC being for ‘Missionaries of Charity’.
  • Mother Teresa was a Roman-catholic nun, whose real name was ‘Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu’.
  • Mother Teresa started a a charity, named Missionaries of Charity, in 1950, which helped the dejected and ‘poorest of the poor’, and can now be found in numerous countries throughout the world.
  • Mother Teresa was known for her work amongst poverty, receiving over 120 awards including the Noble Peace Prize in 1979.
  • Mother Teresa was born on 26 August, 1910, in what is now called the Republic of Macedonia, Europe, to Albanian parents, but spent most of her life in India.
Mother Teresa, Collage, Holding kid, Nun, White, Old, Pray, Books, Colour, Black and white, Ten Random Facts, FlickrBlessed Teresa
Image courtesy of Peta de Aztlan/Flickr
  • Mother Teresa suffered a number of heart attacks from 1983, before her death, caused by an attack, on 5 September 1997.
  • Mother Teresa left her family home at 18 years of age, and became a nun in 1931, choosing the name ‘Thérèse’, or ‘Teresa’ in Spanish after the patron saint of missionaries, Thérèse de Lisieux and became known as ‘Mother Teresa’ on the 24 May 1937, when she took her final vows.
  • Mother Teresa could clearly and confidently speak five languages, being English, Hindi, Albanian, Bengali and Serbon-Croatian.
  • Mother Teresa has a public holiday in Albania named after herself, celebrated on 19 October and known as ‘Mother Teresa Day’.
  • Mother Teresa was involved in a convent school in Calcutta for nearly 20 years, until 1948, being a teacher and later the principal at the school.
Bibliography:
Mother Teresa, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa
Short Biography, n.d, Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center, http://www.motherteresa.org/layout.html

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Rhinoceros

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Rhinoceros

Watch those poachers, big rhinoceros.

  • Rhinoceros are herbivorous mammals from the family Rhinocerotidae and is a group of five species.
  • The word ‘Rhinoceros’ can be shortened to ‘rhinos’, and ‘rhinoceroses’ can also be used as a plural.
  • Two rhinoceros, the ‘black’ and the ‘white’, are native to Africa and three, the ‘Indian’, the ‘Javan’ and the ‘Sumatran’ are native to Asia.
  • Rhinoceros have chunky skin, 1.5 to 5 centimetre (0.6 to 2 inches) thick, and one or two horns up to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length that are made of keratin.
  • Rhinoceros are common targets for poachers, humans being their only predators, as their horns are considered as valuable as gold on the black market, and are used for ornamental and traditional medicine purposes.

Two Black Rhinoceros, Kenya, Solio, Africa, Forward, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic

Rhinos
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • ‘Rhinoceros’ is derived from the Ancient Greek words ‘rhino’ and ‘keras’, which mean ‘nose’ and ‘horn’ respectively.
  • Rhinoceros can weigh up to and beyond 3,500 kilograms (7,700 pounds) and can run at speeds of 48 kilometres/hour (30 miles/hour).
  • Rhinoceros have bad sight but have good hearing and smelling senses and can live up to 35 to 40 years in the wild.
  • Rhinoceros range from being ‘near threatened’ to ‘critically endangered’, with less than 70 of the Javan species of rhino alive.
  • Rhinoceros are the second largest land mammals alive and range from 2.4 – 4.6 metres (7 ft 10 in – 15 ft) in length and can be as tall as a human, depending on the species.
Bibliography:
Rhinoceros, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros Rhincerotidae, n.d, Kids Planet, http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/rhinoceros.html

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Woolly Nightshade

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Woolly Nightshade

Woolly nightshades may look harmless, but they can be deadly.

  • Woolly nightshades are shrubs or small trees that generally grow up to 4 metres (33 feet) in height, however they can sometimes grow much taller than this.
  • Woolly nightshades are native to South America and can live up to 30 years.
  • Woolly nightshades have become an invasive weed where they were introduced as ornamental vegetation in New Zealand, and are also a significant problem in Australia, India, some countries of southern Africa, and many islands, particularly in the Pacific.
  • ‘Woolly nightshades’ are also known as ‘ear-leaved nightshades’, ‘flannel weeds’, ‘bugweeds’, ‘tobacco weeds’, ‘wild tobacco trees’, and ‘kerosene plants’.
  • The scientific name for woolly nightshade is Solanum mauritianum, and it comes from the Solanaceae family, which is the family of tomatoes, potatoes and nightshades.

Woolly Nightshade, green, plant, pest, weed, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Flower

  • Woolly nightshades have a hairy green stem, or trunk, with large leaves covered in very fine hairs  and smell like herbicide, especially when torn or scrunched.
  • Woolly nightshades have purple coloured flowers with yellow middles, which flower mostly in early spring, although they can flower throughout the year.
  • All parts of woolly nightshades are highly poisonous and can cause fatalities, particularly if the yellow berries are consumed, and the hairs can cause irritation to the skin.
  • Woolly nightshades can produce at least 2,000 seeds a year, which come from the yellow berries the plant produces, that are often dispersed by birds.
  • Woolly nightshades is a fast growing plant, and can be killed by cutting or uprooting the plant, and spraying with herbicide.

 

Bibliography:
Solanum mauritianum, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_mauritianum
Woolly Nightshade (Solanum mauritianum), n.d, Vegetation Specialists, http://www.vegetationspecialists.co.nz/woolly-nightshade.html

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Delphinium

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Delphinium

The tall, tall delphiniums.

  • There are over 400 species of Delphiniums, which is a group of tall, perennial flowering plants.
  • Delphiniums are native to the North Hemisphere, and the mountainous African tropics.
  • Delphiniums are from the Rananculaceae family, which is the family of buttercups, and are a popular garden plant due to their height in the garden and their showy flowers.
  • ‘Delphiniums’ are also known as ‘larkspurs’, however, the name ‘larkspur, usually refers to plants in the Consolida genus which is closely related and are annuals, rather than perennials.
  • The name ‘delphinium’ is from the word meaning ‘dolphin’ in Latin, which originally came from the Greek , named due to the plant’s bud and spur that resembles the shape of a dolphin.

Delphinium, Flowers, white, Blue, Garden, mutliple, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The flowers of delphiniums, grow on tall spikes and range from purple, pink, red, yellow, and white in colour.
  • Delphiniums have small, black coloured seeds.
  • Most delphinium plants and seeds are poisonous to humans as well as to cattle, and ingestion can be fatal, and the plant can also cause irritation to the skin, although the plant has been used in medicine.
  • Delphiniums typically grow up to 2.1 metres (7 feet) in height, athough this depends on the species.
  • Historically, parts of delphinium plants have been used to create blue dyes and inks.
Bibliography:
Delphinium, 2013, National Garden Association, <http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2046>
Delphinium, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphinium>

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Mustard

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Mustard

Pass the mustard, please!

  • Mustard is a type of spice and can be in the form of a paste, a sauce, a seed and a ground spice and is often added as a flavouring addition to poultry, wholemeal breads, meats, salads or other mixtures such as dressings.
  • Mustard comes from the seeds of  native European and Asian mustard plant’s from the Brassicaceae family, the family of mustards.
  • Mustard seeds can be coloured from white to yellow to black, and this gives mustard condiments their colour and also their heat, with white seeds being the mildest, and brown and black seeds being the hottest.
  • Mustard paste is made by grinding or cracking the seeds, adding a liquid and sometimes flavours.
  • Romans made a type of mustard by grinding the seeds and then adding grape juice or other liquids, and a recipe using the spice has been found in a Roman cookbook dating back to 300-400 AD .

Mustard, Yellow, Seeds, Mixture Powder, Yellow, Brown, Blobs, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Mustard is very high in selenium, and significantly high in fibre, omega 3 and manganese, phosphorous, iron, calcium and magnesium and is good for the digestive system, although some people are allergic to mustard.
  • Romans probably brought mustard to Gaul in the 900s, which then became popular in Europe, and by the 1200s, Paris was making the mustard paste.
  • ‘Mustard’ is from the words ‘mostarde’ and ‘mustarde’, from Old-French and Anglo-Norman respectively, which is a combination of the Latin words ‘mustum ardens‘ which means ‘burning’ or ‘hot’ ‘must’ (as in wine grape juice).
  • The type of mustard sauce used on hot dogs is called ‘yellow’ or ‘American’, due to its vivid yellow colour and popularity in America, and it sometimes has honey added.
  • Mustard was originally used for medicinal purposes, which included the treatment of tooth aches and scorpion stings.
Bibliography:
Mustard (Condiment), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_(condiment)>
Mustard Seeds, 2013, The World’s Healthiest Foods, <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=106>

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May Bush

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May Bush

May bushes that flower in September in the Southern Hemisphere!

  • May bushes are ornamental, shrubby plants that belong to the genus Spiraea , that has 80 to 100 species and has its origins in the word ‘wreath’ in Greek.
  • The scientific name of the common May bush is Spiraea cantoniensis, which is native to south east China, although other species of Spiraea are native to the Northern Hemisphere, particularly eastern parts of Asia.
  • In the Northern Hemisphere, May bushes bloom in May, and thus they are named ‘May bushes’.
  • May bushes are from the family rosaceae, which is the family of roses.
  • May bushes are deciduous and typically have green leaves 2.5 to 10 centimetres (1 to 4 inches) in length, and the shrub grows up to 2.5 metres (8 feet) in height.

May bush, White, Green, Foliage, Australia, Plant, Ten Random Facts

  • May bushes contain salicylic acid, which has aided the development of the pain killer Asprin.
  • May bush flowers are very small and have five petals that are generally white, but other species have red, yellow, pink or purple flowers.
  • ‘May bushes’ are also known as ‘bridal wreaths’, due to the historical use of the bushes’ branches as wreaths.
  • May bushes like being in full sunlight and growing in moist soil.
  • May bushes usually have long arching branches which are covered in Spring in white flowers, although they are often grown in hedges, and can be trimmed and shaped effectively.
Bibliography:
Dudman P, May Bush for Spring, 2006, The Garden Guru, <http://www.thegardenguru.com.au/content/File/79_may_bush.htm>
Spiraea, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiraea>

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