Showing posts with label 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2015
5 Interesting Facts About Pencils Did You Know
This post is the first of a series called “Did You Know?”. Lists in these series will be trivia-based, containing fun/amazing/interesting facts about things we use in our everyday life. This post is about pencils.
A pencil, as we all know, is a simple instrument used for writing and drawing. It’s an ordinary item we use everyday; and something an office is incomplete without. Here are five interesting facts about pencils (in some detail):
One. History
The “lead” of the pencils, is actually graphite, as you may already know. This graphite was discovered in a large and very pure quantity near Cumbria, England, sometime in the early-mid 1500s. It was discovered to be very useful for marking sheep. So, the first ever “pencil” was that used for marking sheep.
Also, graphite blocks could be easily cut into sticks. These sticks were then wrapped in sheepskin or string, for stability. So, the first “pencils” weren’t wrapped in wood cases, as we know them now. These wood cases were first thought of by the Italians, several years later. But the actual wooden pencils were produced in the mid seventeenth century, in Germany. The graphite was enclosed between two pieces of wood.
The average pencil (about 18 centimetres long) can draw a line 35 miles long, or write about 45,000 words. Talk about being economical!
By the way, if you’re feeling eager to set a world record, why not try this out? Nobody has, yet
More than 2 billion pencils are used in the United States every year. The global number? More than 14 billion, enough to easily circle the globe about 60 times. Also, more than a million pencils are used annually on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. That’s a lot.
An average sized tree can make about 170,000 pencils. So, it’s safe to assume that if there are 14 billion (14 000 000 000) pencils made each year world wide then, and one tree can produce about 170,000 pencils, there are approximately 82 000 trees cut each year, to meet the annual demand of about 14 billion pencils. That’s a LOT of trees!
Could you ever imagine that something so ordinary could have such a big impact on the environment?
Three. People
Pencils are often associated with great names in the literary world. Henry David Thoreau used pencils to write Walden. John Steinbeck, an American writer used over 300 pencils to write his novel East of Eden. He was one obsessed pencil user!
Four. The Story Of The Eraser
Most pencils, as we know them today, are capped with an eraser at the top. But until about 160 years ago, pencils did not have erasers attached to their tops. One popular theory about the reason for this is that teachers felt that erasers would encourage students to make mistakes. After all, if you’ve made a mistake, you can easily rub it out
Also, most European pencils do not have erasers attached to their tops, while American ones do. Perhaps this is just a matter of preference, but, are Europeans more confident scribblers than Americans
Five. Uses
Pencils are supposed to be used primarily for writing/scribbling or drawing. But, what’s the fun if you cannot find a clever use of something ordinary?
A pencil eraser is soft. It is perfect for sticking and storing things like pins: you just stick the pins into the eraser, and they’ll stay there. Or, you could use a couple of pencils as chopsticks; for pencils are thin and have good control. Use two pencils as tweezers to pick up fallen stuff, or to eat your noodles!
Have an ambitious little plant aiming for the skies? Why not support it’s delicate stem by sticking a pencil into the flower pot, and tying the stem to it with a piece of string? Pencils are ideal for this job!
5 Reasons to Keep Drinking Coffee
For some people, drinking a cup of coffee can be a powerful way to get rid of the sleepiness or even just to satisfy a hobby. But unfortunately, coffee also never be separated from the negative issues. Some research says that coffee can cause anxiety and insomnia in some people.
But beneath it all, the coffee actually has health benefits as a support. Beth Reardon, director of nutrition at Duke Integrative Medicine says that coffee contains important antioxidant compounds more potent than other sources, such as fruits and vegetables. Here are the five best reasons why you should drink coffee:
1. Cut the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Various research shows, the more often a person drinks coffee, the more likely they are affected by type 2 diabetes. For example, postmenopausal women who drank at least four cups of coffee a day were more likely to avoid type 2 diabetes, according to a study by researchers at UCLA School of Public Health and Medicine involving more than 700 women in 2011.
In fact, experts in Australia who published his research in the Archives of Internal Medicine noted, each additional one cup of coffee may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 7 percent.
2. Protecting the ravages of cancer cells
In previous research, the coffee never "accused" as a cause of cancer. However, the findings were not truth, because the researchers did not take into account research other precipitating factors such as alcohol and smoking. But now, there is evidence that coffee may protect against certain cancers, by enhancing DNA repair.
Several studies have found an inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of liver cancer. Even in 2011, for example, researchers from Harvard found that women who drink several cups of coffee a day (caffeinated or decaf) have a lower risk of endometrial cancer. Another study also reported that in men who consumed six cups of coffee a day, have a lower risk of prostate cancer, which amounted to 60 a message.
Other studies have linked coffee drinking with reduced risk of colon cancer, rectal cancer, oral cancer and esophageal cancer.
3. Reduce the risk of dementia
The scientists have so far not fully understand what causes brain changes associated with the development of Alzheimers disease. But they learn more about risk factors for dementia - and coffee drinking habits seem to have an influence in reducing the risk of dementia.
Researchers from Sweden and Denmark have been tracking the impact of coffee consumption in 1400 middle-aged people for an average of 21 years. They found a clear relationship that participants who drank 3-5 cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of developing dementia (65 percent).
4. Protect against Parkinsons disease
For men, it seems clear that coffee helps reduce the possibility of Parkinsons disease. Those who drank about 2-3 cups of coffee a day had 25 percent lower risk of Parkinsons than those who did not suffer at all. The findings are the result of the conclusion of the 26 studies that looked at the relationship between coffee consumption and Parkinsons. However, these researchers have not seen a strong influence for women to drink coffee.
5. Preventing depression
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health to track 50,000 nurse in the Nurses Health Study for more than a quarter century. In 2011, researchers reported that those who drank four cups of coffee or more per day had a 20 percent lower risk for depression, compared with those who rarely or never drink coffee. Meanwhile, those who drank two to three cups a day had 15 percent lower risk of experiencing depression.
Source : http://www.caring.com/
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