Archive for April 2012
The Vice President of the United States is elected together with the President and they serve the same term in office. The Vice President is the first in line to take on the Presidency if the President dies, resigns or is removed from office. The role of Vice President also includes casting a tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate, and presiding over the counting and presentation of the Electoral College votes. The Vice President also has many other informal roles. We all know that the President lives in the White House, but have you ever wondered where the Vice President lives?
Charlotte’s Web is a popular children’s novel about a pig named Wilbur, who is born a runt and is saved by the farmer’s daughter Fern. Wilbur is then sold to Fern’s uncle who plans to kill and eat him at Christmas. Wilbur is saved by a spider, named Charlotte, who writes words in her web about Wilbur. In 2000, the book was listed as the bestselling children’s paperback of all time. The popular novel has been adapted into two films, a video game and a stage musical. If you have ever wondered who wrote this children’s book, keep reading to find out.
Llamas are a domesticated animal related to camels, alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas. They are mostly found in South America where they are farmed for their meat and fiber. They are extremely social animals and quickly form a herd. These herds have a social ladder, which is constantly changing. One behavior commonly observed in these herds is spitting. If you have ever wondered why llamas spit, keep reading to find the answer.
Vasco da Gama was a famous Portuguese explorer of the 15th and 16th century. He is known as being the first European to sail from Europe to India, which was made possible by the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. He led a fleet of 4 ships in July 1497 around the Cape and onto India, where they arrived in May 1498. He was rewarded for his voyage when he returned to Portugal. His second voyage to India was not as successful and he lost favor with the rulers of Portugal. After threatening to defect to Spain the Portuguese King decided it was best to keep Vasco da Gama on his side. Let’s take a look at the events that led up to the death of this famous explorer.
Gary Sinise is a celebrity actor who founded the Steppenwolf Theatre Company with 2 friends in 1974. This helped Sinise launch his acting and directing career. His breakthrough in feature film came in 1994 with the movie “Forrest Gump” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Before long he landed many other important film roles. In his later career he has also added regular television work to his experience in the crime drama CSI: New York. The following is a list of movies that Gary Sinise has acted in during his career so far.
Vanilla is a flavoring that is derived from a species of orchid. It is commonly used to flavor sweet dishes and in perfume scents and aromatherapy. It is the second most expensive spice after saffron due to the labor required to grow and harvest the vanilla pods. There are three type of vanilla plant grown throughout the world. Madagascar and its surrounding islands is currently the world’s largest producer of vanilla.
Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area. It covers a massive surface area of 68,800 km2 (26,600 sq mi). However, it is a relatively shallow lake with a maximum depth of 84 meters (276 ft) and average depth of 40 meters (130 ft). The lake is an important source of fresh water and an important fishery; the introduced Nile perch is exported to many different countries. The lake was named after Queen Victoria by explorer John Hanning Speke, who was the first European to discover the lake. Continue reading to find out where this important lake is located.
Forest Gump is a film based on a novel written by Winston Groom. The story follows the life of Forrest Gump who witnesses some of the most important events of his time. The movie stars Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump and Robin Wright as Jenny Curran. The film was released in 1994 and was an instant hit. It made over $677 million at the box office, from a budget of just $55 million, and held the number one position for 10 weeks. The film won 6 Academy Awards, from 13 nominations. These included the awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. Let’s take a look at who directed this popular movie.
Native Americans are the indigenous people of North America. They were split into many tribes that populated much of the continent. It is thought that they originally came to the continent via a land bridge that once connected present day Alaska and Siberia (now the Bering Strait). Native Americans first encountered Europeans after the 1492 European discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Since this time, Native Americans have been commonly known as Indians or American Indians in the United States. if you have ever wondered where these names come from, keep reading to find out.
An octopus is a marine animal best known for their flexibility, and 8 arms that usually have a number of suction cups. They are classified as a cephalopod, along with the squid and cuttlefish. There are approximately 300 different species of octopuses and they can be found throughout most of the world ocean’s. Although these species have some differences, all octopuses have the same number of hearts.