E lectricity carries some
N ever seen when by itself
E ver circulating through the universe
R esting only when not used
G ravity provides it
Y ou are using lots of it
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Dogs
An introduction to the domestic dog:
More than 30,000 years ago, Canis Lupus, or the Gray Wolf, came into evolution. About 15,000 years ago wolves got hungry and came into the homes of our distant relatives. This was the domestication of the modern dog.Dogs were the first, as cats were domesticated about 7,000 years ago. There are now more than a hundred kinds of dogs bred for hunting, scenting, guarding, working, herding, aiding blind people, and other things.
The domestic dog is a subspecies of Canis Lupus. The scientific name is Canis Lupus Familiaris.
It is a mystery how dogs changed from violent, aggressive wolves to the friendly companions we have bred some of those wolves into. One time some scientists got about a hundred wolf pups and tried to breed them into non-aggressive wolf pups. But the few wolves that were tame enough to be allowed to breed had aggressive pups, so the scientists were not able to succeed. Could it be a mutation?
 |
| This is a picture of two dogs. The one on the left is Cobi, a mix-breed, and the one on the right is Lyra, a flat-coated retriever. Lyra is only one example out of the many breeds of dogs. |
Overall, there seems to be only one thing that dogs are bred for: helping people. Dogs have helped people in many ways from guarding their house to just being a companion. Take Lyra, in the picture, for example. Flat-coated Retrievers are bred as gun dogs but they look and behave like puppies their whole lives(which makes them very energetic and playful). They are usually black but very few are brown or yellow, and they have a characteristic feathery tail and shiny coat.
Have you seen a dog chasing an animal? Chasing things is a natural behaviour that most dogs have from their wolf ancestors. Other behaviours like this include licking someones face(which came from wolf pups licking their mother's muzzle to make her regurgitate food), howling(which came from wolves howling to defend their territory), and digging(which came from wolves digging into an animal's burrow to catch it).
There are dogs in mythology, too. In Greek mythology, Cerberus is a three-headed dog that is the pet of Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. Cerberus guards the underworld and stops dead spirits from getting out.
Here is something to remember if you want to get a dog: Don't buy your dog online. Many puppies sold online come from puppy mills. If you haven't been introduced to puppy mills, they are places where dogs are bred. But they are sad breeding conditions. In 2005, a survey was taken out on the puppy mills in California. Out of all the dogs, 1 out of 4 did not have a healthy amount of food or water, and 32% were bred in cramped or overcrowded conditions. Puppies in most puppy mills are taken away from their mothers too young. Dogs in puppy mills lead unhealthy(in both body and mind) and short lives, being put down at the age of 4. If you are going to buy a dog, get it from a good and healthy breeder, and don't buy it online.
But getting a dog(from a good breeder) is not a bad idea. I've heard people who own dogs are happier, and having a dog around decreases the chance of dying during a heart attack.
Big or small, retriever or spaniel, we all enjoy man's best friend.
Sunday, 4 May 2014
How to get rid of an Australian land leech
Australia includes the wild, the weird, and the wonderful. However, it also has a secret bad side, not known to every tourist. Australia includes the most venomous snakes, the freakiest spiders, and the most disgusting lizard on earth.
Compared to lots of the continent's wildlife, land leeches are barely annoying. But nobody would enjoy seeing a leech inside their shoe, and that is why I am writing this post.
Before we begin, you need to know what exactly an Australian land leech is.
An Australian land leech is an animal that moves like a caterpillar, is as slimy as a snail, and for short, has the appearance of a very small lamprey. The color is very dark brown, almost black with some telltale streaks of orange running from its mouth.
Land leeches are usually active only in damp conditions, but don't let that information fool you. I have had leeches on my shoes even in very dry conditions.
Land leeches only drain a few drops of blood and you may not notice that any leech has been sucking your blood at all, but a lot of the time you do notice, and it looks really disgusting (Believe me, I screamed when I first had a leech sucking me).
Before learning how to get rid of land leeches, you must know how to prevent one from biting you. Here are the ways:
1. Avoid where they are. Basically, avoid where it is damp. This includes temperate rainforests, valleys close to the sea, swamps, marshes, and other muddy areas. Another place they are always found is on unclear trails.
2. Take routes where they are not. Land leeches hate boardwalks, metal stairs and well trodden trails. They also hate places with thin tree canopies and dry soil.
3. Spray insect repellent on your shoes. You can get it at many Australian stores. It is mainly used against mosquitoes, but it works against land leeches as well. However, do not trust insect repellent completely. I had a leech attack once when my shoes were sprayed with repellent. However, they exhibited weird behavior, not biting but writhing in agony.
4. Do not walk right after rain as this is when land leeches are active. My first big leech attack happened after days of terrible weather. To be safe, walk in sunlight.
5. The popularity. Once we were taking a rainforest hike and got attacked by leeches near the dry picnic area at the very end. As we figured out later, because there was not very much wildlife in the area, the leeches' chosen prey was people.
Here are the ways to get rid of Australian land leeches when they are sucking your blood! However, there are pros and cons to each one, as listed below:
1. Pick them off.
Pros: The quickest and cleanest way of getting a land leech off your foot. The most foolproof way. Grab the leech as close to the skin as possible.
Cons: Looks disgusting. Leech may hold on very tight. Possible that leech might get on your fingers. The cut also bleeds a lot and itches.
2. Pour salt on them.
Pros: Almost foolproof for getting leech off.
Cons: Only for last resort as leech bleeds terribly.
3. Wait until it stops sucking.
Pros: You do not have to do anything. The healthiest and easiest way.
Cons: Terrible wet feeling. Blood all over your sock. Can take an hour.
To wrap it up, here are questions about Australian land leeches answered!
Q: How much blood do leeches drain?
A: Land leeches can drain everything from a drop to 30 to 40 millilitres! Not much more, though.
Q: What is worse, a leech or a tick?
A: Ticks suck longer, hurt much more, and are harder to get off.
Q: How scared should tourists be of land leeches?
A: It should not stop you doing anything. Leeches are easy to avoid and get rid of.
Compared to lots of the continent's wildlife, land leeches are barely annoying. But nobody would enjoy seeing a leech inside their shoe, and that is why I am writing this post.
Before we begin, you need to know what exactly an Australian land leech is.
An Australian land leech is an animal that moves like a caterpillar, is as slimy as a snail, and for short, has the appearance of a very small lamprey. The color is very dark brown, almost black with some telltale streaks of orange running from its mouth.
Land leeches are usually active only in damp conditions, but don't let that information fool you. I have had leeches on my shoes even in very dry conditions.
Land leeches only drain a few drops of blood and you may not notice that any leech has been sucking your blood at all, but a lot of the time you do notice, and it looks really disgusting (Believe me, I screamed when I first had a leech sucking me).
Before learning how to get rid of land leeches, you must know how to prevent one from biting you. Here are the ways:
1. Avoid where they are. Basically, avoid where it is damp. This includes temperate rainforests, valleys close to the sea, swamps, marshes, and other muddy areas. Another place they are always found is on unclear trails.
2. Take routes where they are not. Land leeches hate boardwalks, metal stairs and well trodden trails. They also hate places with thin tree canopies and dry soil.
3. Spray insect repellent on your shoes. You can get it at many Australian stores. It is mainly used against mosquitoes, but it works against land leeches as well. However, do not trust insect repellent completely. I had a leech attack once when my shoes were sprayed with repellent. However, they exhibited weird behavior, not biting but writhing in agony.
4. Do not walk right after rain as this is when land leeches are active. My first big leech attack happened after days of terrible weather. To be safe, walk in sunlight.
5. The popularity. Once we were taking a rainforest hike and got attacked by leeches near the dry picnic area at the very end. As we figured out later, because there was not very much wildlife in the area, the leeches' chosen prey was people.
Here are the ways to get rid of Australian land leeches when they are sucking your blood! However, there are pros and cons to each one, as listed below:
1. Pick them off.
Pros: The quickest and cleanest way of getting a land leech off your foot. The most foolproof way. Grab the leech as close to the skin as possible.
Cons: Looks disgusting. Leech may hold on very tight. Possible that leech might get on your fingers. The cut also bleeds a lot and itches.
2. Pour salt on them.
Pros: Almost foolproof for getting leech off.
Cons: Only for last resort as leech bleeds terribly.
3. Wait until it stops sucking.
Pros: You do not have to do anything. The healthiest and easiest way.
Cons: Terrible wet feeling. Blood all over your sock. Can take an hour.
To wrap it up, here are questions about Australian land leeches answered!
Q: How much blood do leeches drain?
A: Land leeches can drain everything from a drop to 30 to 40 millilitres! Not much more, though.
Q: What is worse, a leech or a tick?
A: Ticks suck longer, hurt much more, and are harder to get off.
Q: How scared should tourists be of land leeches?
A: It should not stop you doing anything. Leeches are easy to avoid and get rid of.
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Blue Mountains Trip
The long-awaited trip to the Blue Mountains finally started on March 30.
The Blue Mountains are Australia's most accessible wilderness and is in the form of deep gullies and gorges carved in a raised plateu. The Gensemer family never went there before save a day trip not long ago.
There are two ways to the Blue Mountains from Umina Beach. The family got there via a long mountain road through a river valley and past towns such as Wisemans ferry, which was built up around a free ferry across the wide Hawkesbury river.
The family stopped in the Mount Tomah botanical gardens, one of the three around Sydney, to have lunch. After lunch they walked around the gardens and saw a few of the garden's many attractions, including the Wollemi pines.
The family finished off the day with a short walk near Govetts Leap lookout, one of the three biggest lookouts in the mountain town of Blackheath, where the family planned to stay in during the vacation.
On the first day started what Daniel Gensemer said was the second best hike the Gensemer family took in the Blue Mountains.
The family parked at the top of the cliff near Scenic World, Katoomba to start a hike. For about half the length of the walk, the family followed the Prince Henry Cliff track, a well-defined trail along the edge of the cliff that included lots of lookouts. After having a snack at Echo Point, the most popular lookout in the Blue Mountains, the family climbed down the cliff via a very steep, 904 -- step staircase known as the Giant Staircase that winded down right next to the Three Sisters.
The family had lunch in the forest below the cliffs before hiking to the Katoomba Falls (Katoomba is Aboriginal australian for "shining, tumbling water), and finally the Scenic Walkway. The Scenic Walkway winded past a coal mine. Wytse Gensemer pointed out that the layer of coal was visible in the rock. Later the family saw a lyrebird, a large songbird that had the ability to mimic other bird's calls.
That night, the family ate at a thai restaraunt in Blackheath.
The family got to see the most on the second day of the trip.
First the family went on a brief visit to Hartley historic site before checking out Mt. Wilson, where they went to the Cathedral of Ferns and took a hike past some cascades. The family had a snack near the apple orchards on Bells Line of Road
before driving back to Blackheath.
To finish up the day, the family drove to Pulpit Rock, a wonderful lookout that provided sweeping views of Grose Gorge, and one of the most popular in Blackheath.
The Wentworth Falls hike was, as the Gensemers agreed, the best hike they went on in the Blue Mountains. It started on the third day of vacation.
After visiting a view, the family hiked to the top of the Wentworth falls, before climbing down stairs to the bottom, or rather, onto a forested ledge halfway down the cliff. For most of the rest of the hike, the family hiked on a trail called the National Pass, keeping a sheer cliff close to the trail on one side and a sheer drop close to the trail on the other. They hiked this way until reaching Empress falls, where the Gensemer family hiked back up the cliff and walked to the car.
At the end of the day, friends visited and the Gensemers drove to Evans Lookout.
On the fourth day the Gensemers went on a magical walk near Mt. Victoria, and visited a sandstone cave and a shady grotto. Later in the day the family drove to the end of Hat Hill Road and visited Perrys Lookdown.
On the fifth day the family visited the Jenolan Caves and took a tour of one of the most beautiful caves in the world. On the same day, they visited the Megalong Valley.
On the last day, the family did not finish off the week with a bushwalk but a walk through the Everglades gardens. The gardens were a great way of finishing off a great vacation.
The Blue Mountains are Australia's most accessible wilderness and is in the form of deep gullies and gorges carved in a raised plateu. The Gensemer family never went there before save a day trip not long ago.
There are two ways to the Blue Mountains from Umina Beach. The family got there via a long mountain road through a river valley and past towns such as Wisemans ferry, which was built up around a free ferry across the wide Hawkesbury river.
The family stopped in the Mount Tomah botanical gardens, one of the three around Sydney, to have lunch. After lunch they walked around the gardens and saw a few of the garden's many attractions, including the Wollemi pines.
The family finished off the day with a short walk near Govetts Leap lookout, one of the three biggest lookouts in the mountain town of Blackheath, where the family planned to stay in during the vacation.
On the first day started what Daniel Gensemer said was the second best hike the Gensemer family took in the Blue Mountains.
The family parked at the top of the cliff near Scenic World, Katoomba to start a hike. For about half the length of the walk, the family followed the Prince Henry Cliff track, a well-defined trail along the edge of the cliff that included lots of lookouts. After having a snack at Echo Point, the most popular lookout in the Blue Mountains, the family climbed down the cliff via a very steep, 904 -- step staircase known as the Giant Staircase that winded down right next to the Three Sisters.
The family had lunch in the forest below the cliffs before hiking to the Katoomba Falls (Katoomba is Aboriginal australian for "shining, tumbling water), and finally the Scenic Walkway. The Scenic Walkway winded past a coal mine. Wytse Gensemer pointed out that the layer of coal was visible in the rock. Later the family saw a lyrebird, a large songbird that had the ability to mimic other bird's calls.
That night, the family ate at a thai restaraunt in Blackheath.
The family got to see the most on the second day of the trip.
First the family went on a brief visit to Hartley historic site before checking out Mt. Wilson, where they went to the Cathedral of Ferns and took a hike past some cascades. The family had a snack near the apple orchards on Bells Line of Road
before driving back to Blackheath.
To finish up the day, the family drove to Pulpit Rock, a wonderful lookout that provided sweeping views of Grose Gorge, and one of the most popular in Blackheath.
The Wentworth Falls hike was, as the Gensemers agreed, the best hike they went on in the Blue Mountains. It started on the third day of vacation.
After visiting a view, the family hiked to the top of the Wentworth falls, before climbing down stairs to the bottom, or rather, onto a forested ledge halfway down the cliff. For most of the rest of the hike, the family hiked on a trail called the National Pass, keeping a sheer cliff close to the trail on one side and a sheer drop close to the trail on the other. They hiked this way until reaching Empress falls, where the Gensemer family hiked back up the cliff and walked to the car.
At the end of the day, friends visited and the Gensemers drove to Evans Lookout.
On the fourth day the Gensemers went on a magical walk near Mt. Victoria, and visited a sandstone cave and a shady grotto. Later in the day the family drove to the end of Hat Hill Road and visited Perrys Lookdown.
On the fifth day the family visited the Jenolan Caves and took a tour of one of the most beautiful caves in the world. On the same day, they visited the Megalong Valley.
On the last day, the family did not finish off the week with a bushwalk but a walk through the Everglades gardens. The gardens were a great way of finishing off a great vacation.
Thursday, 17 April 2014
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Homemade recipe
Rainbow fruit salad
This is a
fruit salad using all colors of the rainbow. It has fruits that each
have a different taste;
chop and mix
together:
1 cup
plumbs
1 cup
melon(green)
2 cups
pineapple
2 cups
berries(a mix of blackberries,
strawberries,
and blueberries works really well)
1 cup
orange slices(optional)
drizzle
honey on top after serving.
(This blog is a repeat of one of the entries written in the Lyra's Letters newsletter)
Medical uses of gold in the past
This is a winning entry to the The Helix Issue number 154 competitions pages:
Gold was used as a medicine even before the 1st century. In fact, use of gold as a medicine goes back to 3,000 BC, the time of the Ancient Egyptians. The form it was used in is called colloidal gold. Colloidal gold is a very fine powder of gold, in water.
In medieval times, gold was used by
the alchemists in Europe. They believed that gold, being an extremely
rare and precious metal, must be healthy. They believed that
gold could restore youth and cure many diseases. They also used
colloidal gold to cure things such as sadness, sorrow, and
depression.
The type of gold that was in use by
the alchemists is inert to anything it encounters in the body. So
even though it is not poisonous, it could not really cure any
diseases. However, the use of gold as a medicine continued into the
1900's, when doctors used to put a gold coin below the skin near an
inflamed joint. Today, a radioactive isotope of gold is used to treat
cancer.
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