The United States Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house) combine to make up the United States Congress, which is the legislative branch of the federal government. One of the most important roles of the Senate is to carefully consider and debate the various issues and provide advice on these issues. The senate also confirms appointments of certain federal officials, consents to treaties and acts as the jury in an impeachment trial. The Senate consists of 2 senators from each state, which means that the Senate currently has 100 senators. Each senator serves 6 years before an election is held and these 6 year terms are staggered so that only one third of the senators are up for re-election each time. The vast majority of senators have been men and as of May 2012 only 39 women have served in the senate. Let’s find out who was the first female senator.
A shopping mall, usually simply called a mall, is a large complex that houses a number of different shops. The history of the shopping malls can be traced back to the large covered markets from the 15-18th century. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the idea for the modern shopping mall arose after the building of the Burlington Arcade in London and The Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island. The mall increased in popularity with the invention of the motor car. Today shopping malls are not only very popular, but many of them are built to an incredible scale. Let’s find out which mall is the largest ever built.
Lettuce is the name given to a group of green leafy vegetables most commonly used in salads. There are many varieties of lettuce including iceberg lettuce, which is the most popular and common type of lettuce in the United States. Lettuce was first cultivated in Egypt and slowly spread around the world. Today, it is grown in many countries of the world and the largest producers of this vegetable are China (12.5 million tonnes), the United States (4 million tonnes), India (1 million tonnes), Italy and Spain (both about 800,000 tonnes). Let’s take a look at how those green leaves in your salad grow.
Listeriosis is a medical condition that is caused by the bacteria commonly known as listeria (full name Listeria monocytogenes). The most common symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting and muscle aches. If the infection spreads to the nervous system it may cause meningitis, which is a very serious condition. The ability of the bacteria to pass the blood brain barrier and through the placenta make listeriosis is a very serious infection and it kills about 1 in every 5 persons that it infects. This bacteria is commonly encountered in many food products, but an infection with listeria is very uncommon in healthy humans. It can affect the elderly, pregnant mothers, newborn babies and those with a weak immune system. Let’s take a look at how this infection is treated.
The Olympic games are considered to be one of the premiere sporting events in the world and the competition is held every 4 years. The most well known symbol of the Olympic Games is the 5 interlocking colored rings (blue, yellow, black, green and red) on a white background. This design is well recognized and is used on the Olympic flag and to promote the games. Continue reading if you want to know who designed this famous logo.
Honduras is a small country in Central America that is bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The region was controlled by Spain from the 16th century until independence was achieved through the Mexican Empire in 1821. Honduras left this empire and became a sovereign nation in 1838. Let’s take a look at some more fun facts about Honduras.
Nachos are a delicious Mexican food that can be both a snack and a main meal depending on how they are made. The most basic ingredients are usually tortilla chips, cheese and salsa, but there are many variations of this dish. The simplicity and enjoyable taste of nachos led to their popularity in Mexico and their spread to much of the world. Continue reading to find out who invented this delicious dish.
Onions are a strongly flavored edible bulb commonly used in cooking. There are many varieties of onion and the flavor of these can range from strong to sweet. These varieties of common onion come from the onion plant (Allium cepa) and this is closely related to other species that may also be called onions as well as chives, garlic, leek and shallots. These plants have been known and used by humans for many years, but the domestication of the onion didn’t occur until later. Let’s find out where onions come from.
Natural gas is one of the most important energy sources in the world. As the name suggests it is a naturally occurring gas containing mostly methane with some other hydrocarbons and impurities. Natural gas is a fossil fuel and is often found underground along with other fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. It is extracted much the same way as oil and is often obtained as a byproduct of this process. After extraction it undergoes processing to remove the impurities and clean the gas. It is commonly used for heating, cooking, electricity generation, as a vehicle fuel and for a variety of commercial and manufacturing uses. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of this fossil fuel.
Niobium is a soft gray metal and a chemical element represented by the symbol Nb with the atomic number 41. The free metal does not occur in nature, but it can be found in certain minerals such as columbite and pyrochlore. The largest deposits of niobium containing minerals are found in Brazil and Canada and these two countries continue to produce the majority of the element for the world. Niobium is chemically similar to the element tantalum, which meant that its discovery was the subject of much debate.