Skydiving

Skydiving (also known as parachuting) is an extreme sport where participants jump out of an airplane at certain altitudes. Skydiving is popular due to the high adrenaline rush it gives and lets participants either jump on their own, in tandem with another person or in a group. Once the plane reaches the desired height of around 13000 feet, the jumper will have 60 seconds of free fall before activating their parachute (http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/skydiving8.htm).

There are many Skydiving competitions, including target landings, acrobatics whilst in free fall, sky surfing with a surf board and group formations (http://www.english-online.at/sports/skydiving/skydiving-an-extreme-sport.html). Skydivers need to have strong fitness and do theory work on wind speed and weather before jumping on their own. It is thought that the first Skydiver Frenchman Andre Garnerin jumped from a hot air balloon in the late 18th century (http://www.english-online.at/sports/skydiving/skydiving-an-extreme-sport.html).

http://www.english-online.at/sports/skydiving/skydiving-an-extreme-sport.html

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/skydiving8.htm

Coconut

Coconuts (cocos nucifera) come from the palm tree family, growing up to 100 feet tall and having a life span of 70-100 years (https://www.coconutsecret.com/Coconutbasics2.html). Coconuts are eaten in many forms as meat, juice, milk and oil as they are rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals as well has having a wealth of other health benefits. Coconut oil is the most popular of oils for healing and is a staple for traditional medicine in Asian and Pacific populations (http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/).

Nearly one third of the world’s population depends on coconuts for food and the economy. Because of this coconuts are highly respected and their tree is referred to as “The Tree of Life” (http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/). The coconuts themselves have the ability to float long distances without geminating and producing new coconut trees on most coastal lines throughout the world (https://www.coconutsecret.com/Coconutbasics2.html).

Home

https://www.coconutsecret.com/Coconutbasics2.html

Pinterest

Pinterest is a site where the user can save (or “pin”) an image or GIF on a web page for the user and others to see and share. It is one of the most popular sites in recent years, especially with women as they make up 79% of users. Pinterest was founded by Ben Silbermann in 2010 whilst working at Google (https://www.fundable.com/learn/startup-stories/pinterest).

Pinterest was originally an idea for a shopping app for the IPhone where people could take data from different catalogues to create 1 personalised catalogue for shopping. The app didn’t do too well when launched in 2009 but the creators realised there were still people using it to send themselves pictures of products. After researching the market they decided to make Pinterest into a web site and for users to be able to add/pin anything so it would appeal to a wider audience. As time went on it became more popular and continues to do so today (http://www.zagg.com/community/blog/how-did-pinterest-get-its-start/).

Pinterest Startup Story

http://www.zagg.com/community/blog/how-did-pinterest-get-its-start/

Clouds

Clouds are water droplets and solid ice crystals in the earths troposphere (the lowest part of the earths atmosphere) that moves with the wind. Clouds form when the water that evaporates from the earth condences into microscopie dust particles floating in the air. The condensation when warm and cold air meet creates the clouds as well as when warm air rises up and cools and when warm air flows over a colder area like water. The cold air holds less water vapor then warm air and the excess water condenses into liquid or ice (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/clouds/).

The high level clouds; Cirrus (wispy), Cirrocurulus (rippled) and Cirrostratus (sheet) clouds do not cause any precipitation. The middle level clouds Altocumulus (large ripple) may produce light showers where as Altostratus (lower grey sheet) can produce rain or snow and Nimbostratus (thicker darker sheet) can produce heavy rain or snow. The low level clouds Stratocumulus (layers, rounded) and Stratus (low level layer, grey) both cause drizzle whereas Cumulus (flat base rolls and tufts) and Cumulonimbus (large, wide spread) produce showers or snow (http://www.bom.gov.au/weather-services/about/cloud/cloud-types.shtml).

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/clouds/

http://www.bom.gov.au/weather-services/about/cloud/cloud-types.shtml

Clownfish

Clownfish (also known as anemonefish) are bright little fish best known as “Nemo” was in the movie “Finding Nemo”. The name Clownfish comes from the bright orange colour and wide stripes down their body but many clownfish have different markings altogether (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/clownfish/prosek-text/2). There are 29 species of Clownfish living in the Indian and Pacific oceans, having a lifespan in the wild of 6-10 years (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/fish/clown-anemonefish/).

Clownfish are all born male and they can change their sex to female to be the dominant female and breed but once changed they cannot change back. Clownfish are also able to be immune from stinging sea anemone, where they feed and also shelter from predators. They live in groups of 1 breeding male and female and several younger male fish with females laying hundreds or thousands of eggs at a time (http://a-z-animals.com/animals/clown-fish/).

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/fish/clown-anemonefish/

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/clownfish/prosek-text/2

http://a-z-animals.com/animals/clown-fish/

Dubstep

Dubstep is an genre of electronic dance music with all different beats playing in the one song. Dubstep is regarded as the mix of dub reggae and two step but has many different other types of music mixed in(http://entertainment.time.com/2012/10/19/dubstep-the-music-trend-that-just-wont-go-away/). Dubstep originated as a remix of garage tracks in London the late 1990’s before gaining popularity in the early 2000’s then becoming more mainstream in the late 2000’s (http://cwhsphoenix.org/1480/articles/the-history-of-dubstep/). Today it is used quite often in popular music and has a huge following.

http://cwhsphoenix.org/1480/articles/the-history-of-dubstep/

Dubstep—the Music Trend That Just Won’t Go Away

Fencing

Fencing originated as a military training exercise in the 14th/15th century. It has been an Olympic sport since the first games in Athens in 1896 with women’s fencing being introduced in 1924 in Paris (http://www.olympic.org/fencing-equipment-and-history). The aim of fencing is to strike the opponent whilst not being hit. The weapons, epée, foil and sabre are used as well as protective outfits to prevent injuries. The epée sword is the heaviest, followed by the foil which is lighter and used for thrusting then the sabre as a cutting and thrusting sword. The uniform worn includes a fencing jacket, pads and glove on the weapon hand with other pads on other parts of the body. The headwear is a tough mesh see through mask and helmet covering the whole head (http://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/fencing.html).

Scoring varies between the 3 types of fencing. When playing using the foil points count when the foil strikes the other players torso, neck, groin, and back using the tip of the blade. The sabre does not count strikes beneath the waist or hands but both the tip and the blade of the sabre can be used. Both the sabre and the foil players can strike at the same time with the referee ruling the point to the player that attacked first. In the epée both players can score at the same time, with the whole body as the target but only the tip of the weapon being used (http://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/fencing.html).

http://www.olympic.org/fencing-equipment-and-history

http://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/fencing.html

Walnuts

Walnuts are a highly nutritious nut, best known for looking like the human brain. They contain omega 3 fatty acids as well as vitamin E and minerals and are highly recommended by many health groups for boosting nutrients. There are 3 different specices of walnuts coming from trees; the Jugland regia (English or Persian walnut), Juglans nigra (black walnut) and the Juglans cinerea (white or butternut walnut). The English and Persian walnuts are the most popular because of their mild taste (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99).

Walnuts are used in many ways. Walnut oil is moisturising to skin and is used in practices such as massages and aromatherapy, as well as being used in cooking. The nuts themselves are a popular snack and are added to most if not all dishes as they have a ton of energy and are versatile (http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/walnuts.html). Walnuts were known as “the nut of Jupiter” as they were thought to be suitable for their gods (http://humannhealth.com/health-benefits-and-nutrition-facts-of-walnuts/385/).

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/walnuts.html

http://humannhealth.com/health-benefits-and-nutrition-facts-of-walnuts/385/

Diamonds

Diamonds are the most sought after gems in the world and are popular because of their strength and beauty. Their name comes from the Greek word “Adamas” which means “unconquerable” (http://www.brilliance.com/history-of-diamonds). They are most commonly used for jewellery but are also used in tools with needed strength such as drilling and grinding (http://geology.com/minerals/diamond.shtml). Diamonds are formed using a long drawn out process. They form deep underground, where carbon is exposed to extremely high temperatures and pressure. This matter is then projected upwards towards the earths surface where there it is mined, then is cleaned and cut until they are shiny (http://www.gia.edu/diamond-history-lore).

Diamonds reflect a large amount of the light that hits its surface giving them their sparkly look. When white light passes through the diamond high dispersion separates the white light into colours (http://geology.com/minerals/diamond.shtml). The cut of the diamond impacts its value with the most popular cuts being the traditional shapes. 2 out of 3 women own diamonds and 85% of couples buy diamond engagement rings (http://www.heartsonfire.com.au/history-of-diamonds/from-a-mine-to-you.aspx).

http://www.gia.edu/diamond-history-lore

http://www.brilliance.com/history-of-diamonds

http://geology.com/minerals/diamond.shtml

http://www.heartsonfire.com.au/history-of-diamonds/from-a-mine-to-you.aspx

Finland

Finland is situated in Scandinavia between Sweden and Russia. It has the area of 338,424 km², a population of 5.4 million, with Helsinki as the capital with the population of 1.25 million people (http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx). The seasons seem long and cold with winter lasting up to 5 months with temperatures ranging from 0 to -35 degrees C. In the summertime the capital Helsinki is still light at 10pm with the most northern parts of Finland staying bright and sunny all night (http://www.visitfinland.com/). Finns are very close to nature, it is abundant in their everyday lives and is often the source of inspiration for their designs and architecture. Water is also a huge part of the Finnish culture there are 180,000 lakes alone in Finland making water sports a favourite past time (http://www.visitfinland.com/).

In Finland both woman and men are classed as equal and everyone is treated fairly. They have a very honest culture where honesty is highly valued as well as punctuality and modesty (http://www.infopankki.fi/en/information-about-finland/basic-information-about-finland). Saunas play a huge role in Finn’s everyday lives helping people to relax and unwind. They have been said to have great spiritual healing powers, most if not all residents in Finland have one their homes and use them daily (http://www.visitfinland.com/).

http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx

http://www.visitfinland.com/

http://www.infopankki.fi/en/information-about-finland/basic-information-about-finland