Pegasus is
one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine
stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in
his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor,
born at a single birthing when his mother was decapitated by Perseus.
Greco-Roman poets write about his ascent to heaven after his birth and his
obeisance to Zeus, king of the gods, who instructed him to bring lightning and
thunder from Olympus. Friend of the Muses, Pegasus is the creator of Hippocrene,
the fountain on Mt. Helicon. He was captured by the Greek hero Bellerophon near
the fountain Peirene with the help of Athena and Poseidon. Pegasus allows the
hero to ride him to defeat a monster, the Chimera, before realizing many other
exploits. His rider, however, falls off his back trying to reach Mount Olympus.
Zeus transformed him into the constellation Pegasus and placed him up in the
sky.
*More than 31,000 page views in the USA, 14,000 in Russia, 9,000 in Singapore and 6,000 in France.
Friday, 8 November 2019
Thursday, 10 October 2019
Scooba (L5U2)
Scooba is
an automated robotic floor mop made by iRobot. It was released in limited
numbers in December 2005 for the Christmas season, with full production
starting in early 2006. The company introduced a lower-priced version, the
Scooba 5800, in the second half of 2006. It introduced a new Scooba 450 at CES
2014 in January 2014.
Linen (L6U2)
![]() |
A linen handkerchief with drawn thread work around the edges. |
Linen is a textile made from the fibers
of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is laborious to
manufacture, but garments made of it are valued for exceptional coolness and
freshness in hot weather.
Many products are made of
linen: aprons, bags, towels (swimming, bath, beach, body and wash towels),
napkins, bed linens, tablecloths, runners, chair covers, and men's &
women's wear.
![]() |
Details of the flax plant,
from which linen fibers are derived.
|
The word "linen"
is of West Germanic origin and cognate to the Latin name for the flax plant linum,
and the earlier Greek (linon). This word history has given rise to a
number of other terms in English, most notably line, from the use of a
linen (flax) thread to determine a straight line.
Textiles in a linen weave
texture, even when made of cotton, hemp and other non-flax fibers, are also
loosely referred to as "linen". Such fabrics generally have their own
specific names also, for example fine cotton yarn in a linen-style weave is
called Madapolam.
Monday, 30 September 2019
Alligator pear (L5U1)
The avocado (Persea
americana) is a tree native to Mexico and Central America, classified in
the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay
laurel. Avocado or alligator pear also refers to the fruit, botanically
a large berry that contains a single seed.
Avocados are commercially
valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout
the world. They have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped,
egg-shaped, or spherical. Commercially, they ripen after harvesting. Trees are
partially self-pollinating and often are propagated through grafting to
maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)