Archive for the ‘Did you Know?’ Category
How to tell the difference between a spruce, pine and fir.
May 10th, 2011 | 
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Telling the difference between spruce, pine and fir can be tricky. There is however a quick and simple way to tell these three conifers apart.
Simply look at the number of needles that come out of the same spot on a twig. If a twig has needles in groups of two, three, or five, you can safely say it’s a pine. If the twig carries its needles singly, it’s a good bet you’ve got a fir or a spruce. Now pull off a needle, and roll it between your fingers. If it feels flat and doesn’t roll easily, it’s a fir. If the needle has four sides and, rolls easily between your fingers, it’s a spruce.
The History of the Match
Learning to control fire was perhaps man’s greatest achievement. It allowed him to live in places formerly uninhabitable, to cook his food, change his landscape, and make weapons. The ability to create fire whenever and wherever it was needed was essential to the advancement of technology, and it could be argued that the invention of matches marked the birth of modern society.
The Arctic
The Arctic is the area surrounding the earths North Pole. The Arctic includes parts of Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Lapland and Norway (including Svalbard), as well as the Arctic Ocean. The 10°C (50°F) July isotherm is used to define the border of the Arctic region.
The Arctic is also known as the land of the Midnight Sun as it within the Arctic Circle.
The name Arctic comes from the ancient Greek ??????, meaning ‘bear’, and is a reference to the constellation of the Great Bear and the Little Bear, which are located near the North Star (which is actually part of the Little Bear).
How Jerky got Its Name
Do you know where the word Jerky (as in jerked beef) originated?
Just over a hundred years ago the women of the Comanche Indians used to butcher the buffalo that had been hunted and killed by the Comanche men. They then sliced the meat as thinly as possible and hung it to dry in the sun. They lit fires, not to cook the meat but to produce smoke to keep away the flies and other insects. This dried buffalo meat was called charqui. Over time the word was Anglicized to the word we know today, jerky.
The Bear Totem
Throughout history the bear has been a significant creature, a symbol of both raw courage and power both admired and feared by man. It is not without good reason that the heavenly guardian of the wandering traveller, Ursa Major – the Great Bear, points to the North Star as an ever watchful sentry boldly guiding our way through even in the darkest night.