interesting facts

BioBlitz at Central Library this Saturday

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If you are interested in science, nature and the environment we have a free and fun event for you!

On Saturday the 19th February between 10am–12noon you can come along and meet marine scientists from NIWA and have a peer through their microscopes at all the weird and wonderful things they have found in and near the sea during the Mana 2011 BioBlitz

Learn about identifying and classifying species and find out how you and your family can be involved in the BioBlitz – you might even help discover a new species!

Believe It or Not!

debbie

Are you ready for the latest 2011 special edition of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

It is full of the weird, wonderful and crazy stuff that you would expect,plus plenty of new stuff.  Here are some interesting things that I discovered.

Russian surgeons thought that Artyom Sidorkin had a tumor in his lung, but instead they discovered a tiny fir tree. They assume that he had inhaled a seed, which germinated inside his lung.

In 1978 a teenager Doug Pritchard went to the doctor with a sore foot. Perhaps he should have gone to the dentist instead. The cause of his pain was a tooth growing in his instep.

The purple dye used for royal robes was made by soaking shellfish in urine until they rotted. Yuk!

And lets not forget ninety-one year old Louise Brown from Scotland who has borrowed more that 25,000 books from her local library, without a single fine for late returns. Mrs Brown has been visiting the library for 60 years and has read almost every book on their shelves.

Answers, Answers & Answers!

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Are you one of those people who can’t get by without asking a question? Well I’ve found a book for you!  Why don’t you have a look at Ask Me Anything and have all the answers you need! It is a ginormous book full of every fact you ever wanted to know. It even dares you to ask any question, anything you like because it will surely have the answers.  Why are most gases invisible? Why is blood red?Why does the wind blow? Want to know the answers? Then head on down the library and check out this book. Have fun!

Nosey at what others eat

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What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio is a fascinating book.

The authors visited 25 families in 21 countries and recorded everything they ate in one week.  That was 525 meals. Some of the countries visited were India, Mexico, Greenland, Poland, Mali, United States, China and Australia.

There are large photos of a week’s food spread out so you can really have a good nosey at what they ate. You may be surprised at how many brands you recognise. Some have lots of meat while others have many vegetables. Some are mainly packaged . They also calculated the cost per week which of course varied significantly depending on the wealth of the nation. There are lots of great photos of the families cooking and shopping plus features and facts on life expectancy, literacy and fast foods.

What’s the difference?

debbie

Alligators and crocodiles – they are the world’s largest reptiles and the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs but if you would like to learn what the difference is between them then this book is for you.

I discovered that the word “crocodile” comes from the word krokodeilos (kro-KO-day-los), which means “lizard” in Greek and the word “alligator” comes from the word el lagarto (L la-GAR-toe), which means lizard in Spanish.

I also learnt something new. I discovered that there are two different kinds of alligators and fourteen different kinds of crocodile and the only place in the world were you will find them both together is the southern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys. They can swim up to 6 miles an hour and can stay underwater for as long as two hours.

So if you want to learn more take a look at Alligators and Crocodiles. They are amazing creatures but don’t get too close!

Why, why, why????

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Do you get one of those days when you are just about brimming with questions about stuff? Normal everyday stuff like why is there fizz in our soda? Or why do you cry when you cut an onion? Or animal stuff like why is a giraffe’s tongue purple? Why are flies attracted to manure? Does this sound like the questions that are popping in your head? Question no more! Check out the book You Asked For It by Marg Meikle and find the answers.

The Secret of Stonehenge

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What is the secret of Stonehenge?

Who put up the circle of stone near Salisbury in England?

Why did people 4,500 years ago drag 35-ton rocks mile after mile and then place them to align with the sun on two special days of the year?

For centuries people have puzzled over Stonehenge – seeing it as the work of Merlin, or Druids, or even aliens from outer space. Most recently, archaeologists have come up with a completely new idea: Stonehenge was one-half of a pair of circles that marked the lands of the living and of the dead. What If Stones could Speak. They would certainly have an amazing story to tell.

Multiplication Secret Strategy

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I always get stuck when I try and multiply 11 with another two digit number. I can do the first nine multiples because you just write the same number twice. Like 2 x 11 = 22 all the way to 9 x 11=99. But multiplying it with a double digit number is another story until I came across this secret strategy that I’ll share with you. For example:

12 x 11 will be 1+2=3

Insert the 3 between the 1 and 2: the answer is 132!

Or 14 x 11 will 1+4=5

Insert 5 between 1 and 4 : answer is 154!

And if the two digits also add up to a two digit number, insert the second and add the first. For example:

75 x 11

7 + 5 =12

Insert the second digit as before between the 7 and 5: 725

Then add the first digit from 12 which is 1 to the 7: answer 825!

Try it: it’s awesome! If you’d like to know more shortcuts about anything check out  Thirty days has September at the library now.

Phobia Buster

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Some of us would scream ourselves hoarse at the sight of  a spider, snake or bee. I for one am terrified of them. Most of us are terrified of something that would normally be fine with others. I can’t remember why I am scared of these things and how they built up to become phobias. Then I came across this cool book called Stuff that Scares your Pants Off! by Glenn Murphy and was amazed at all the other phobias that existed. I’m glad I don’t have Dendrophobia, which is the fear of trees. Yikes! I had a really good read and came away with a lot of information to conquer my fears and look terror in the eye! I still am a little bit scared of spiders and snakes but I don’t scream anymore I just squeak! Happy reading!

Dr Frankenstein’s Masterplan

debbie

Come inside, Dr Frankenstein’s the name.

 

I’m sure you’ve heard it many times. Glad you could join me. You find me in a state of excitement. In all my years dedicated to the study of science and nature, this is the most extraordinary experiment I’ve ever undertaken.

 

As you can see, my laboratory shelves are bursting with body parts, Don’t look so startled – that’s everything we need to make a living, breathing human being. As my assistant, you’ll be helping me every step of the way, but be warned, this is not for the faint-hearted.

 

Now follow me. You are about to embark on the experience of a lifetime……