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Potala Palace

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Potala Palace

Potala Palace is quite high up.

  • Potala Palace is a historic Buddhist building located on Red Mountain, Red Hill, or Marpo Ri as it is known, in Tibet’s Lhasa, in Asia.
  • The construction of the Potala Palace began in 1645, taking three years to build the outside structure, and it was completed in the 1690s.
  • Potala Palace was created due to the recommendation of the adviser of the Head of State and fifth Dalai Lama, Lozang Gyatso, and it was suggested that the location would be advantageous for political reasons.
  •  A smaller palace originated on the site of Potala Palace, which was built in the 600s, while sections of the older building are still evident in some parts.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage Convention designated Potala Palace a World Heritage Site in 1994, which was expanded to include other surrounding historical buildings in 2000 and 2001.
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Potala Palace
Image courtesy of Will De Freitas/Flickr
  • Since 2003, numbers of tourists that can enter Potala Palace each day have been limited, so as to reduce damage to the building, however it remains a popular tourist attraction.
  • Potala Palace is split into two differently purposed buildings, or palaces, as they are called – one for general living and one for religious purposes, marked via white and red colours respectively, and known as Potrang Karpo (White Palace) and Potrang Marpo (Red Palace).
  • Potala Palace extends to an area of more than 130,000 square metres (1.4 million square feet) and is 110 metres (161 feet) in height.
  • To prevent destruction caused by earthquakes, the base of Potala Palace is said to have been reinforced with copper during the original construction.
  • The palace, officially ‘Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace’, has been known as ‘Bùdálā Gōng’ in Pinyin, and the name ‘Potala’ is a reference to a sacred mountain in India.
Bibliography:
Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/707
Potala Palace, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potala_Palace

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Cichlid

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Cichlid

Cichlids are cute little fish with a vicious appetite.

  • Cichlids are a family of fish, of small to medium size, with in excess of 1600 discovered species out of the estimated 2000 to 3000 in total.
  • The scientific name of a cichlid is Cichlidae, and it is from the suborder Labroidei, the suborder that also includes wrasses, surfperches and damselfish, among others.
  • Cichlids are found in freshwater regions in many countries across the globe, and they are native primarily to South America, southern North America and Africa, and some are also found in certain areas in Asia.
  • The size of cichlids ranges quite widely among species, from 2.5 to 100 centimetres (1 to 39.4 inches).
  • Cichlids are popularly kept in aquariums as pets, with many different hybrids bred specifically for the pet industry.
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A Cichlid
Image courtesy of Marcell Sigg/Flickr
  • The diet of cichlids, depending on the species, consists primarily of plants, fish – even from the same family, algae, parasites and insect larvae.
  • Cichlids are often fished as a sport, and some species are mass-bred for commercial reasons, commonly for food or as pets.
  • The colours of cichlids range from black, yellow, orange, green, blue, red, silver or white, and they are commonly patterned in their colouring.
  • An average of 200 eggs is produced by a female cichlid at one time, and the fry are generally cared for by both parents until the babies are capable of swimming alone.
  • Cichlids typically live to be 5 to 60 years of age; and fellow fish, eels, birds and humans are common predators.
Bibliography:
Cichlid, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/cichlid/
Cichlid, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cichlid

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Cheddar Cheese

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Cheddar Cheese

Have you ever seen a mouse nibbling on cheddar cheese?

  • Cheddar cheese, also known as ‘tasty cheese’ and ‘cheddar’, that is also commonly called by the simple term ‘cheese’, is a firm cheese made from cow’s milk, that is highly popular around the globe, and it is commonly purchased in large rectangular blocks.
  • Cheddar cheese is typically a cream colour or a light yellow, and the variants in colour can be a result of the diet of the cows, although the cheese is sometimes coloured yellow-orange, generally due to a colouring agent.
  • The 1100s saw the invention of cheddar cheese, first made in Somerset’s Cheddar, a village in England, Europe, made in caves where cheese maturing conditions were superb.
  • In the 1800s English dairyman Joseph Harding of Somerset devised a modern process to make cheese, especially cheddar cheese, which led him to be named ‘Father of Cheddar’.
  • Cheddar cheese is made like typical cheese – heating the milk curds and whey, although it also includes a process of turning the curds, and adding salt, and the entire cheese-making process takes 3 to 18 months.

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  • The flavour of cheddar cheese can be sharp, tasty or mild, and the taste varies depending on the length of the maturing process, with the mild version being ready the quickest; and the cheese may also contain spices or other organic items to alter and enhance the taste.
  • In Australia, cheddar cheese is the most commonly eaten cheese, with a share of more than 50% of the market, while in the United States cheddar is the second most popular cheese, behind mozzarella.
  • The United Kingdom produced around 262,000 tonnes (258,000 tons) of cheddar cheese in 2008, while the United States produced roughly 1,467,000 tonnes (1,443,000 tons) in 2010.
  • In 1989, the heaviest cheddar cheese was made by members of the Federation of American Cheese-makers, weighing 25,790 kilograms (56,850 pounds).
  • Cheddar cheese is normally very high in calcium and high in protein, phosphorus, sodium, riboflavin, vitamin A, zinc and selenium, and it is also high in fat, like most cheeses.
Bibliography:
Cheddar, 2011, Saputo, http://saputo.ca/FoodieLounge/Detail.aspx?id=762
Cheddar, 2015, Cheese.com, http://www.cheese.com/cheddar/
Cheddar Cheese, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheddar_cheese
Why is Cheddar Cheese Orange?, 2015, Wonderopolis, http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-cheddar-cheese-orange/

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Domestic Power Plug

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Domestic Power Plug

Plug in and relax with the domestic power plug.

  • Domestic power plugs are an invention used to connect an external device to an electrical power source.
  • ‘Domestic power plugs’ are also known as ‘AC power plugs’, ‘plugs’, ‘power plugs’, ‘electrical plugs’, ‘power connectors’ and ‘plug tops’.
  • Two to three pins, commonly made of brass or other conducting material, are typically found on domestic power plugs, which are inserted into specific holes in a socket and when the plug is attached to an appliance, it completes an electrical circuit.
  • Domestic power plugs were invented in the 1880s, and T.T Smith of England is said to have invented one of the first plugs in 1883.
  • Domestic power plugs were invented as a response to the dangerous use of appliances with sockets designed for light bulbs.

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  • As a safety precaution and to prevent electrical shocks, many domestic power plugs feature a pin that directs current away from an appliance during a fault, and may also feature insulators around the pins’ upper section or the plugs themselves.
  • There are at least fourteen differently pinned domestic power plugs, with around twelve of those commonly used across the globe, and the plugs are categorised by letters from ‘A’ to ‘N’, and the pins range from the rectangular shapes of American plugs to the circular shapes of those in Europe.
  • Domestic power plug housings vary greatly in shape and size, and come in varying colours, commonly black, white or grey, and are generally made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other insulating material.
  • A globalised standard of domestic power plugs has been seen as a beneficial project, and while the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and others have promoted the idea, and despite persistent efforts to reach an international standard for many years, some of which were hampered by World War II, adoption of such has been so far unsuccessful.
  • Universal domestic power plug adapters are available, and these have various pin and socket options so that travellers can use their own power appliances in countries with different socket options.
Bibliography:
AC Power Plugs and Sockets, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets
J Herrman, Giz Explains: Why Every Country Has a Different F#$%ing Plug, 2009, Gizmodo, http://gizmodo.com/5391271/giz-explains-why-every-country-has-a-different-fing-plug
World Plugs, 2015, International Electrotechnical Commission, http://www.iec.ch/worldplugs/map.htm

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Cotton-top Tamarin

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Cotton-top Tamarin

Top it all off with the cotton-top tamarin.

  • Cotton-top tamarins are small primates, native to the forests of north-west Columbia, in South America.
  • Cotton-top tamarins are among the smallest monkeys, with a size of 18 to 30 centimetres (7 to 12 inches) in length and 220 to 900 grams (7.7 to 32 ounces) in weight.
  • The hair on the head of a cotton-top tamarin is coloured white, hence its common name, while the monkey has fur on its body that ranges from white, brown, black and tan in colour.
  • The scientific name of a cotton-top tamarin is Saguinus oedipus, and it is from the family Callitrichidae, a family of New-world monkeys.
  • The diet of cotton-top tamarins consists primarily of fruit, insects, nectar, rodents and sap, and they spend much of their time, including sleeping, in trees.
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Cotton-top Tamarin
Image courtesy of Mark Kent/Flickr
  • Cotton-top tamarins have been protected since 1969, however, they are listed as critically endangered, with total population numbers decreasing due to major habitat loss, and they have been sought after for the pet industry, even though it is illegal.
  • Cotton-top tamarins live in troops with two to fourteen individuals, with the head consisting of a female and her choice of male partner, and they are generally the only pair that breeds, due to the breeding suppressing pheromones that the dominant female releases.
  • Generally, female cotton-top tamarins produce two babies at single time, although one is not uncommon, and the young are transported on the back of the parents, and are also cared for by others in the group.
  • Cotton-top tamarins are preyed on by snakes, birds of prey, and wild cats, and they have an average lifespan of 8 to 15 years in the wild.
  • Sounds made by cotton-top tamarins are similar to those of birds, and include whistles, chirps and trills, and they are able to make 38 different sounds.
Bibliography:
Cotton-Top Tamarin, 2011, Perth Zoo, http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Cotton-top-Tamarin-Fact-Sheet-2012.pdf
Cotton-top Tamarin, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton-top_tamarin
Cottontop Tamarin, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/cottontop-tamarin/

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Green

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Green

What does green mean to you?

  • Green is a colour found between yellow and blue on the visual spectrum with a wavelength of 495 to 570 nanometres (nm), and it has the hex code #00FF00 and RGB code (0,255,0).
  • Along with red and blue, green is among the three primary colours of light in the RGB colour model, and it is made by yellow and blue pigments in the RYB colour wheel.
  • ‘Green’ derives from the word ‘grene’ of Old English and ‘groene’ of Northumbrian origin, from the Germanic word ‘gronja’, and these words were used in reference to the nature or colour of living things like plants and grass.
  • Common shades of green include olive, apple, lime, jade, emerald, aqua, avocado and turquoise, and it is the colour with the most individual shades.
  • Green pigment was not commonly used in ancient cave paintings or the dyeing of clothes, as good sources were not readily available from plants or minerals, although malachite was used for painting murals by Ancient Egyptians, while clothes were dyed with mixture of yellow and blue plant dyes to obtain the colour required.

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  • Green has been used to represent life, growth, youth, jealousy, rebirth, fertility, luck, plants, poison, love and safety.
  • Green is one of the most appealing colours to look at, second to blue, as it is less harsh to human eyes.
  • Limes, ferns, avocados, olives, leaves, lawns and moss are typically coloured green, while some birds, frogs, reptiles and insects are also primarily this colour.
  • The Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai languages have all had, or still have, an identical word for ‘green’ and ‘blue’.
  • Flavin, hemanovadin, chlorophyll, porphyrin and turacoverdin are all examples of chemicals that naturally make objects appear green, particularly in animals and vegetation.
Bibliography:
Green, 2015, Color Matters, http://www.colormatters.com/the-meanings-of-colors/green
Green, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green

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