Bits & Bobs
Miscellaneous musings
-
Michelangelo—Creative Genius
Greetings, young art aficionados and admirers of beauty! Get ready to immerse yourself in the captivating world of one of history’s greatest artists, Michelangelo. We take a journey today to uncover the talent and masterpieces of this Italian artist. Michelangelo’s art is more than just paint on a canvas or marble sculptures; it’s a gateway to understanding the human spirit and the power of creativity. So, grab your sketchbooks, open your minds to inspiration, and let’s dive into the awe-inspiring world of Michelangelo. Where the imagination knows no limits and beauty unfolds with every stroke of the brush and chisel. Prepare to be amazed as we unveil the genius of Michelangelo and explore the magnificent legacy he has left behind for the world to behold!
The Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer—Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. His work stood out even during the Italian Renaissance, a period known for its many outstanding achievements in art.
We know a lot about Michelangelo’s life because he left many letters, poems, and journals. Because he was so famous, he became the very first artist to have his biography (story of his life) published while he was still living. His biographer, Giorgio Vasari, said that he was the greatest artist of the Renaissance. He was sometimes called Il Divino (“the divine one”). Other artists said that he had terribilità, (his works were so grand and full of powerful emotions that they were scary). Many other artists who saw his work tried to have the same emotional quality.
Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, a town near Florence, Italy. His father was Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti di Simoni, and his mother was Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena. The Buonarrottis were a banking family from Florence. They claimed they were descended from the noble Countess Matilda of Canossa. Michelangelo’s father had lost most of the bank’s money, so he worked for the local government in the town of Chiusi. His mother died when he was only seven.
When Michelangelo was a baby, the family moved back to Florence. Because he was sickly, Michelangelo was sent to live on a small farm with a stonecutter and his wife and family. The stonecutter worked at a marble quarry owned by Michelangelo’s father. Many years later Michelangelo said that the two things that had helped him to be a good artist were being born in the gentle countryside of Arezzo. And being raised in a house where, along with his nurse’s milk, he was given the training to use a chisel and hammer.
When Michelangelo was 13, he studied art with Domenico Ghirlandajo, a leading painter in Florence. He later moved to Rome. There in 1498 he was asked to carve a pietà—an artwork that shows the Virgin Mary supporting the body of Jesus after his death. Michelangelo’s Pietà is a large sculpture carved from one block of marble. It made Michelangelo famous.
In 1501 Michelangelo returned to Florence to create David, a huge marble statue of a young man holding a slingshot. David was a king of ancient Israel who is said to have used only a slingshot to kill the giant Goliath. One of the world’s greatest statues, David represents the Renaissance idea of a perfect human form.
In 1505, Pope Julius II called Michelangelo to Rome to work on statues for a tomb. In 1508, the pope asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Over the next few years, Michelangelo covered the ceiling with majestic frescoes, or paintings created on wet plaster. Michelangelo painted a series of frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel from 1508 to 1512. The frescoes show events and people from the Old Testament books of the Bible. They are some of Michelangelo’s most important works.
He worked perched on a platform about 60 feet above the floor. The main scenes show biblical stories, such as God creating Adam, and Hebrew prophets.
Michelangelo later returned to Florence, where he designed a marble chapel for the powerful Medici family. The marble statues he carved for the chapel are some of his greatest sculptures.
In 1534, Michelangelo started another fresco, the Last Judgment, for the Sistine Chapel. He spent most of the rest of his life working on this large painting and writing poetry. He also designed the impressive dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Capitoline Square in Rome. He died in Rome on February 18, 1564.
AIME
-
Cupcakes Galore!
Hey there, budding bakers! Are you ready to embark on a delightful and delicious adventure in the world of cupcakes? Whether you’re a kitchen novice or an aspiring pastry chef, this is your ticket to cupcake-making mastery. Get ready to roll up your sleeves, don your aprons, and dive into the sweet art of cupcake creation. From choosing the perfect flavors and mixing up the batter to decorating with flair, we’ll guide you through the step-by-step process of crafting delectable treats that will impress friends and family alike. So, grab your measuring cups, gather your ingredients, and let’s whisk our way to cupcake perfection!
Any Time Cupcakes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
- 1/2 cup softened butter (not melted)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 drops of your favorite-color food coloring (swirled through batter)
- cupcake liners
- candy sprinkles decorations
For the Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup softened butter (not melted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or coconut)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 drops food coloring – your choice of colors
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and place liners in a 12-cavity cupcake tin.
- For the cupcake batter, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, milk, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full.
- Mix in a few drops of food coloring into the remaining batter.
- Top the cupcake liners with a dollop of icing and use the toothpick to swirl the food color into the batter.
- Bake 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
- For the Frosting: Combine powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla extract and whip until it has reached your desired consistency. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir to combine (or swirl).
- Frost each cupcake in a circular motion, gently squeezing the bag and keeping it off the cupcake (slightly raised).
- Once the cupcakes are iced, sprinkle the decorations on top and you’re ready to party!
AIME
-
The Enchanting World of Cellos!
Hey there, young music enthusiasts! Get ready to embark on a melodic adventure as we dive into the wonderful world of cellos. Let’s explore the fascinating sounds and rich history of this captivating instrument!
The cello is a musical instrument that is also called violoncello, French violoncelle, and German cello or violoncello. It is a bass musical instrument of the violin group, with four strings, pitched C–G–D–A upward from two octaves below middle C. The cello, about 27.5 inches long (47 inches with the neck), has proportionally deeper ribs and a shorter neck than the violin.
The earliest cellos were developed during the 16th century and frequently were made with five strings. They served mainly to reinforce the bass line in ensembles. Only during the 17th and 18th centuries did the cello replace the bass viola da gamba as a solo instrument. During the 17th century, the combination of cello and harpsichord for basso continuo parts became standard. Joseph Haydn, Mozart, and later composers gave increased prominence to the cello in instrumental ensembles. Outstanding cellists of the 20th and 21st centuries include Pablo Casals and Yo-Yo Ma, among others.
Like the violin and viola, the cello has a hollow wooden body with two sound holes and four strings running along the body and neck. However, it is much larger, and cellists usually play the instrument seated with the body of the cello place between the legs. Modern cellos usually have an endpin, a spike that supports the instrument on the floor.
Like all the members of the violin family, the cello first emerged in Northern Italy in the first half of the 16th century in the workshops of famous instrument makers like Andrea Amati and Gasparo da Salo. This family of instruments evolved from the viola da braccio, an instrument that was held aloft in the arm, played with a bow, and bore a strong resemblance to today’s violin.
Also, widely in use at the time was an instrument that looked similar to the cello, called the viola da gamba. This instrument was very popular and used in both low and high parts of society as musical accompaniment for many events. It too was a large violin shaped instrument played with a bow. However, it had sloped shoulders like a string bass, while the violoncello had rounded shoulders like the viola and violin.
The cello’s superior design and volume made it more popular than the gamba. During the Renaissance, the size of orchestras expanded and there was a race to deliver louder and louder instruments in compensation.
By 1700, the cello had become the preferred instrument over the violone and a cello design popularized by famous luthier Antonio Stradivari became the design of choice. Almost all violones were cut and reshaped to match Antonio Stradivari’s cello dimensions. By the mid-18th century, they had standardized the cello at a size similar to today’s design.
Players and instrument makers improved the cello’s design around the turn of the 19th century. Instrument makers set the string tension higher still, which led to a quicker response from the instrument and a clearer tone. Combined with a thinner, taller bridge, the result was more volume and the ability to cut through an orchestra or ensemble for solo work. They also adjusted the neck angle to a sharper angle.
The “spike” is now included in the cello’s design, allowing the player to stabilize it while playing. This innovation arrived at the end of the 19th century. Before that, the player had to balance the cello on their calves with their ankles close together.
Introducing steel strings in the 1920s led to some changes in repertoire for the cello. This invention improved sound quality and volume by another step. It also helped composers to expand the use of cellos into more sustained lines and increased its popularity among players and music-lovers. Its long history and distinctive tone make the cello a timeless favorite.
So, the next time you listen to music that includes a cello in the orchestra, pay attention to the cello player—and enjoy the music!
AIME
-
Bluegrass Music—The Magic of Toe-Tapping Melodies
Hey there, young music enthusiasts and lovers of rhythm! Prepare for a toe-tapping journey into the vibrant world of bluegrass music. We will dive into the rich history and infectious energy of bluegrass, a uniquely American style of music that blends elements of folk, country, and blues. Bluegrass isn’t just about the instruments and harmonies; it’s a celebration of community, storytelling, and the joy of making music together. So, grab your banjos, fiddles, and mandolins, and join us as we explore the enchanting melodies, toe-tapping rhythms, and the captivating spirit of bluegrass music. Let’s embark on a musical journey that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for this timeless genre!
Bluegrass music isa genre of American roots music that developed after World War II in the Appalachian region of the country. It is named after the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass is distinguished from the older string-band music by its more syncopated (off-beat) rhythm, its relatively high-pitched tenor (lead) vocals, tight harmonies, and a strong influence of jazz and blues. Bluegrass stands out from other country and western music with its energetic rhythms and banjo played in the three-finger style. Mandolin and fiddle are generally featured considerably more in bluegrass than in other country and western music, and traditional square-dance tunes, traditional religious songs, and ballads furnish a much larger part of the repertory.
It is characterized by the use of acoustic string instruments, such as banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, steel guitar, and Dobro. It differs from other types of country and western music in its repertory and banjo style. Bluegrass is a mix of improvisation, mountain music, fiddling, blues, gospel, and popular music.
Just so you know—the term “dobro” is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro has a distinctive sound that is louder and brighter than a regular acoustic guitar. It is often used in genres such as rock, blues, and bluegrass.
The bluegrass style emerged fully in the years 1945–48, and by the late 1940s, a number of bands were playing the music. The most successful were usually led by musicians who had at one time, or another played with the Blue Grass Boys and learned the style directly from Bill Monroe.
Bluegrass moved from performances on the radio in small Southern communities in the 1940s to television and “hillbilly” bars in the 1950s, to college concerts, coffeehouses, and folk festivals in the 1960s; and in the 1970s, the influx of younger musicians interested in bluegrass brought some influence from rock music.
What are the distinguishing characteristics of Bluegrass music?
Bluegrass is distinguished from the older string-band music by its more syncopated (off-beat) rhythm, its relatively high-pitched tenor (lead) vocals, tight harmonies, and a strong influence of jazz and blues. Although this style of music began in the United States, it still owes its roots to the United Kingdom, mostly English, Scottish, and Irish dance tunes.
The violin (also known as the fiddle), five-string banjo, guitar, mandolin, and upright bass (string bass) are often joined by the resonator guitar (also referred to as a Dobro) and (occasionally) harmonica or Jew’s harp. This instrumentation originated in rural dance bands and is the basis on which the earliest bluegrass bands were formed. The fiddle, made by Italians and first used in sixteenth century Europe, was one of the first instruments to be brought into America.
Banjos were brought to America through the African slave trade. Guitars are used primarily for rhythmic purposes to provide a base melody. The instrument originates from eighteenth century Spain. There were no American-made models until the C.F. Martin Company started to manufacture them in the 1830s.
Bluegrass is a genre of music that is REALLY hard to sing or play but sounds excellent when done correctly.
AIME
-
A Golden Era: Unearthing the Excitement of California’s Gold Rush
Hello, young adventurers and seekers of fortune! Are you ready to travel back in time to an era filled with dreams of striking it rich and the allure of glittering treasures? Today we are diving into the exhilarating chapter of history known as the California Gold Rush, a period that captivated the hearts and minds of people around the world. The California Gold Rush wasn’t just about finding shiny nuggets; it was a transformative event that shaped the landscapes and communities of California and beyond. So, put on your imaginary prospecting hats, grab your pickaxes, and let’s journey through the thrilling pages of history as we uncover the tales of bold miners, bustling towns, and the quest for gold. Get ready to experience the excitement of the California Gold Rush like never before!
Gold became highly concentrated in California as the result of global forces operating over hundreds of millions of years. Volcanoes, tectonic plates and erosion all combined to concentrate billions of dollars’ worth of gold in the mountains of California. Later, experienced gold-diggers could tell pyrite, or fool’s gold, from real gold.
The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) was a period in American history marked by world-wide interest following the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, and later in Northern California.
The gold rush began when James W. Marshal discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California on January 24, 1848. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.
From outside of California, the first to arrive were from Oregon, the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii), and Latin America in late 1848. Of the approximately 300,000 people who came to California during the Gold Rush, about half arrived by sea and half came overland on the California Trail and the Gila River trail; the Forty-Niners often faced substantial hardships on the trip. By 1854, over 300,000 immigrants had arrived from around the world.
While most of the newly arrived were Americans, the gold rush attracted thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and China. Agriculture and ranching expanded throughout the state to meet the needs of the settlers.
San Francisco grew from a small settlement of about 200 residents in 1846 to a boomtown of about 36,000 by 1852. Roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. In 1849, a state constitution was written. The new constitution was adopted by a referendum vote, and the future state’s interim first governor and legislature were chosen. In September 1850, California became a state.
Gold valued at billions of modern U.S. dollars was found, resulting in great wealth for a few, while most participants in the California Gold Rush made no more than they began with.
Because the gold in the California gravel beds was so richly concentrated, the early Forty-Niners simply panned for gold in California’s rivers and streams. The Forty-Niners also engaged in “hard-rock mining,” that is, extracting the gold directly from the rock, which contained it (typically quartz), usually by digging and blasting to follow and remove veins of the gold-bearing quartz. Once the gold-bearing rocks were brought to the surface, the rocks were crushed, and the gold was leached out, typically by using arsenic or mercury. Eventually, hard-rock mining wound up being the single largest source of gold produced in the Mother Lode.
The sudden influx of gold into the money supply reinvigorated the American economy, and the sudden population increase allowed California to go rapidly to statehood, in the Compromise of 1850. California went from a sparsely populated ex-Mexican territory to having its first two U.S. Senators in 1856, one of whom, John C. Frémont, was chosen as the first presidential nominee for the new Republican Party.
But the Gold Rush had a downside. Traditional hunting, gathering and agriculture of Native Americans were destroyed by prospecting operations. The surge in the mining population also resulted in the disappearance of game and food gathering locales as gold camps and other settlements were built amidst them. Later, farming spread to supply the settlers’ camps, taking more land away from the Native Americans.
AIME
-
Syzygy and Selenelion
Since the recent lunar mission by Japan has been in the news lately, let’s revisit a space related issue with two words every stargazer should know—syzygy (pronounced sih-ZIH-jee) and selenelion.
Syzygy is when the sun, Earth, and the moon align. This happens twice a month during the full moon and the new moon. Syzygy can also occur when the sun, Earth, and another planet line up. During a new moon syzygy, the sun and the moon lie on the same side of Earth. We know this as a conjunction.
The full moon syzygy happens when Earth comes between the sun and the moon. People know this as opposition. And a third example of syzygy is during a total lunar eclipse, when the full moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
A fourth example of syzygy happens during an annular eclipse when the moon aligns between Earth and the sun. It leaves a ring of the sun’s light still visible around the moon. This alignment usually occurs every year or two, but it is only visible across a small area on Earth. This is because the moon is so much smaller than the sun.
A solar eclipse is the fifth example of syzygy. This happens when the moon orbits Earth and it moves between Earth and the sun in its passage. This is called a solar eclipse, and the moon appears as a dark shadow on just a small part of the sun’s gigantic surface.
Since both the sun and the moon orbit Earth, why don’t eclipses occur every single month at the full and new moons?
If Earth and the moon orbited on the same plane around the sun, we would indeed have a total solar eclipse—and a total lunar eclipse—every month. But the moon’s orbit is inclined to Earth’s orbit by about five degrees. So, no total eclipses every month.
Now what is a selenelion, which is sometimes called a selenehelion? First, it helps to understand what the word means. It is a French word that comes from the ancient Greek words selēnē, moon and hēlios sun. This is an uncommon eclipse phenomenon where you can see the sun near the horizon and the eclipsed moon near the opposite horizon at the same time.
Wouldn’t that be a cool thing to see?
You can now impress your friends with your stargazing knowledge. Look how much you have learned in a short time about eclipses and planet alignments. Plus, you now have two interesting words you can use that most adults have never heard before. Have fun using them and impressing the people around you. Who knows, maybe you can interest them into learning more fun facts about the world around them.
AIME
-
The Milky Way—Exploring Our Galactic Home
Greetings, young astronomers, and cosmic adventurers! Get ready to embark on an awe-inspiring journey through the vast expanse of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Today we’ll delve into the mysteries that lie beyond our Earthly borders, where billions of stars twinkle in the darkness, and captivating wonders await. The Milky Way isn’t just a band of faint light across the night sky; it’s our galactic home, a place where countless celestial marvels reside. So, strap on your imaginary spacesuits, grab your telescopes, and join us as we set out to explore the wonders of our galaxy. From dazzling star clusters to swirling spiral arms, we’ll unravel the secrets of the Milky Way and expand our understanding of the magnificent universe that surrounds us. Get ready to be dazzled as we embark on a cosmic adventure through the extraordinary realm of the Milky Way!
The Milky Way Galaxy is a large spiral system comprising several hundred billion stars, one of which is the Sun. It takes its name from the Milky Way, the irregular luminous band of stars and gas clouds that stretches across the sky as seen from Earth. Astronomers don’t have a full grasp of the Milky Way Galaxy, unlike some other star systems. Interstellar dust hides much of the Galaxy, but radio and infrared telescopes can detect radiation to reveal its structure.
Like early explorers mapping the continents of our globe, astronomers are busy charting the spiral structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Using infrared images from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way’s elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Scientists previously thought that our galaxy had four major arms.
Scientific advances have changed our perception of the galaxy to two major and two minor arms, rather than the old four major arms. The galaxy’s two major arms (Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus) are attached to the ends of a thick central bar, while the two now-demoted minor arms (Norma and Sagittarius) are less distinct and located between the major arms. The major arms consist of the highest densities of both young and old stars; the minor arms are primarily filled with gas and pockets of star-forming activity.
American astronomer Harlow Shapley made the first reliable measurement of the size of the Milky Way Galaxy in 1917. He determined it has a diameter of about 100,000 light-years. His values have held up remarkably well over the years.
For a long time, it was thought that Earth was the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Today we know better. Our Sun lies near a small, partial arm called the Orion Arm, or Orion Spur, located between the Sagittarius and Perseus arms. Our solar system is about 30,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Galaxy itself is thought to be about 100,000 light-years in diameter.
Although most stars in the Galaxy exist either as single stars like the Sun or as double stars, there are many conspicuous groups and clusters of stars that contain tens to thousands of members. These objects can be divided into three types: globular clusters, open clusters, and stellar associations. They differ primarily in age and in the number of member stars.
The largest and most massive star clusters are the globular clusters, so called because of their roughly spherical appearance. The Galaxy contains over 150 globular clusters (the exact number is uncertain because of obscuration by dust in the Milky Way band, which probably prevents some globular clusters from being seen). A conspicuous component of the Galaxy is the collection of large, bright, diffuse gaseous objects called nebulae. The brightest of these cloudlike objects are the emission nebulae, large complexes of interstellar gas and stars in which the gas exists in an ionized and excited state. This condition is produced by the powerful ultraviolet light emitted from the very luminous, hot stars embedded in the gas. Because emission nebulae consist almost entirely of ionized hydrogen, they are usually referred to as H II regions.
The Milky Way is a dynamic and exciting place to explore. There is much known about it. But there is still much more to be discovered.
Maybe you will be part of the team of scientists doing that discovery someday!
AIME
-
The History of Pizza
Hey there, young foodies, and pizza lovers! Are you ready to embark on a mouthwatering adventure that will take you back in time to discover the fascinating origins of everyone’s favorite cheesy delight? Today we’ll dig into the tantalizing history of pizza, a culinary masterpiece that has captured the hearts (and taste buds) of people around the world. From its humble beginnings as a simple flatbread to the mouthwatering creations we know and love today, pizza has a rich and flavorful story to tell. So, grab a napkin, loosen your belts, and get ready to sink your teeth into the captivating history of this beloved dish that has become a global sensation. Let’s follow the tantalizing trail of dough, sauce, and toppings as we unravel the delectable journey of pizza!
Pizza has been around for centuries. An ancestor of pizza probably was the focaccia, a flat bread known to the Romans as Latin panis focacius, to which they added toppings. Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, in the 18th or early 19th century.
The word pizza was first documented in A.D. 997 in Gaeta and successively in different parts of Central and Southern Italy. Pizza was mainly eaten in Italy and by emigrants from there. This changed after World War II when Allied troops stationed in Italy came to enjoy pizza along with other Italian foods.
Just so you know—Gaeta is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. It is set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, and it is 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Rome and 50 mi (80 km) from Naples. Gaeta has a long history dating back to ancient times, when it was a Roman port and resort town. It has many historical and artistic attractions, such as the megalithic walls, the Roman mausoleums of Lucius Munatius Plancus and Lucius Sempronius Atratinus, the medieval castle and the churches of Annunziata and San Francesco. Gaeta is also famous for its beautiful beaches and its delicious food, especially the tiella, a savory pie stuffed with various ingredients.
In Sardinia, French and Italian archaeologists have found bread baked over 7,000 years ago. Foods similar to pizza have been made since antiquity. Records of people adding other ingredients to bread to make it more flavorful can be found throughout ancient history.
- In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers serving under Darius the Great baked flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shields.
- In Ancient Greece, citizens made a flat bread called plakous, which was flavored with toppings like herbs, onion, cheese, and garlic.
- An early reference to a pizza-like food occurs in the Aeneid (ca. 19 BC), when Celaeno, the Harpy queen, foretells that the Trojans would not find peace until they are forced by hunger to eat their tables (Book III). In Book VII, Aeneas and his men are served a meal that includes round cakes (like pita bread) topped with cooked vegetables. When they eat the bread, they realize that these are the “tables” prophesied by Celaeno.
Focaccia is one of the flatbreads that still exists today from ancient Mediterranean times. Foods similar to flatbreads in other parts of the world include Chinese bing (a wheat flour-based Chinese food with a flattened or disk-like shape); the Indian paratha (in which fat is incorporated); the Central and South Asian naan (leavened) and roti (unleavened); the Sardinian carasau, spianata, guttiau, pistoccu; and Finnish rieska.
In 16th-century Naples, a galette flatbread was referred to as a pizza. Known as the dish for poor people, it was sold in the street and was not considered a kitchen recipe for a long time. This was later replaced by oil, tomatoes (after Europeans came into contact with the Americas) or fish. A popular story states that on June 11, 1889, Raffaele Esposito made the “Pizza Margherita” in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy. The pizza was garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, symbolizing the Italian flag. Pizza grew into a type of bread and tomato dish, often served with cheese. Until the late 19th or early 20th century, the dish was a sweet flat bread, similar to schiacciata.
Today people around the world are still enjoying pizza! Are you one of them?
AIME
-
Exploring the Enchanting World of Leprechauns!
Greetings, curious adventurers, and seekers of magical wonders! Are you ready to journey into the enchanting realm of leprechauns, those mischievous beings from Irish folklore? Today, we’ll dive into the captivating world of these pint-sized tricksters and uncover the legends and lore that surround them. Leprechauns have fascinated generations with their pots of gold, colorful attire, and a knack for playing pranks. So, put on your imaginary green hats, grab a four-leaf clover for luck, and let’s follow the rainbow as we unravel the secrets and stories behind these whimsical creatures known as leprechauns!
Leprechauns are a type of fairy, gnome, or elf-like creature. They are small in size and usually have a grouchy disposition. According to legend, leprechauns dance the Irish jig so much they wear out their shoes. Some stories say they are mischievous while others say they are harmless creatures that keep to themselves. Some people claim to have seen a leprechaun and say they are real, while others believe they are just a myth and are not real.
According to some sources, leprechauns live only in Ireland, which is also known as The Emerald Isle. They are a type of male fairy and are a class of fairy folk that live near Fairy Rings, which are ancient Celtic earthworks. They prefer isolation and solitude and often choose dismal and lonely places to make their homes. Some places where leprechauns may live are:
- caves
- caverns
- clover fields
- county lanes
- fairy forts and rings
- glens
- grassy hills
- hollowed fallen logs
- hollowed oak or hawthorn tree trunks
- meadows
- mountains
- mushroom patches
- rocky areas
- shamrock fields or patches
- tree roots
Some leprechaun homes are secret and sacred spaces that lead to fairylands, where time and space operate differently. Leprechauns can also travel through an intricate network of deep underground caves and tunnels. Leprechauns are often neighbor with other fairies in the thousands of fairy forts sprawled within the Irish landscape.
Leprechauns can look different depending on the stories and legends, but they are usually small and round, with red hair and red skin. They often wear green coat and trousers with gold buttons, a black or green hat with a buckle, and shiny black shoes. They also have a beard and pointy ears. Some people think they are cute, while others think they are ugly.
According to some sources, leprechauns make gold by making shoes for fairies, who pay for them in gold. They also trick others into giving them gold or discover it for themselves by living underground. Leprechauns are very good at hiding their gold and keeping it safe from anyone who might try to steal it.
Leprechauns have a varied diet that depends on what they can find in the forest. They like to eat sweet things like candy and cake, as well as savory dishes like potatoes and bacon. They also love to drink, and their favorite beverages include beer, whiskey, and green tea. Leprechauns are also fond of wildflowers, especially dandelions, which they used to make tea and salads. They also snack on nuts and other vegetables and fruits that grow in the forest.
People have mixed feelings about leprechauns. Some like them because they are a fairy or elf, and they consider seeing one as good luck. On the other hand, since leprechauns like to trick people into giving them gold, other people think it could be bad luck to encounter a leprechaun. But if you are the one who can trick them into giving up their gold to you. Then, encountering one can turn out to be lucky for you.
What do you think? Have you ever been lucky enough to see a leprechaun?
AIME
-
Dinosaurs in Hollywood
In the past, Hollywood has made a lot of movies about dinosaurs. Especially about dinosaurs living far from the hills of Hollywood. But did you know that 75 million years ago armored dinosaurs once roamed the hills and flatlands where today’s Hollywood tourists now roam? Along with the armored dinosaurs, known as Aletopeltas, saber-tooth tigers hunted their prey in the same area 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. While dire wolves competed for the same food sources 125,000 to 9,500 years ago.
Aletopelta is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaurs that lived in Southern California about 75.5-million-years ago. It is the only dinosaur ever to be found in southern California, and one of the few dinosaurs to be found in the entire state. The name Aletopelta means “wanderer shield,” because it was carried northward by plate tectonics from its original location near Mexico. Aletopelta was about 16 feet long and weighed about 2 tons (4,409 lbs.). It had a bony tail club and a pelvic shield made of osteoderms, which are bony plates embedded in the skin.
Ankylosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur that was the largest of its family of dinosaurs called ankylosaurs. This family of dinosaurs had short, heavy bodies and were protected from head to tail with bony plates and spikes. The plates acted like armor, to help protect the animal against meat-eating dinosaurs (carnivores).
Aletopelta was discovered completely by accident in 1987; a road crew was doing construction work near Carlsbad, (115 miles south of Los Angeles) and the fossil of an Aletopelta was recovered from a ditch that had been excavated for a sewer pipe.
The Saber-Tooth Tiger is far and away the most famous (and most common) prehistoric mammal of California. This is known thanks to the recovery of literally thousands of complete skeletons from the famous La Brea Tar Pits of downtown Los Angeles. This predator was smart, but clearly not quite smart enough, as entire packs of saber-tooths got trapped in the muck when they attempted to feast on already-mired prey.
The saber-tooth tiger had a pair of elongated canine teeth in its upper jaw that were over 7 inches in length. These teeth were probably used for stabbing and slashing prey, such as bison, horses, mastodons, and ground sloths. The saber-tooth tiger was not closely related to the modern tiger or other modern cats. These ancient animals could weigh up to 880 pounds and had a muscular body and short limbs.
The dire wolf, Aenocyon dirus, is an extinct canine that lived in North America and eastern Asia 125,000 to 9,500 years ago. It was about the same size as the largest modern gray wolves, but had a more massive skull, a smaller brain, and relatively light limbs. It was a different species from the modern gray wolf. It is probably the most common mammal species to be found in Los Angeles’s famous La Brea Tar Pits.
Off the coast of Santa Monica, California—which is next door to Hollywood—lurked one of the largest and most powerful predators to have ever lived. It was the 67 foot long, 228,000-pound megalodon, an extinct species of shark. It had a massive skull with enormous jaws and giant teeth that could grow to over 7 inches. These teeth were used for stabbing and slashing prey, such as whales, seals, dolphins, fish, and other sharks. Megalodon fossils have been located in shallow coastal areas around the world, excluding Antarctica.
In 1980, Cuban-born physicist Luis Alvarez — along with his physicist son, Walter, concluded that the Earth was struck 65 million years ago by an iridium-rich meteorite or comet (the Chicxulub comet). The iridium residue from the impact object, along with millions of tons of debris from the impact crater, would have quickly spread all over the globe; the massive amounts of dust blotted out the sun, and thus killed the vegetation eaten by herbivorous dinosaurs, and this led to the demise of the carnivores.
A global catastrophe occurred 250 million years ago, resulting in the extinction of most land and marine animals. Ironically, it was this extinction that cleared the field for the rise of the dinosaurs—after which they managed to hold the world stage for a whopping 150 million years, until that unfortunate visit from the Chicxulub comet.
AIME