There are a lot of strange clouds!
26/02/24
Cloud names are taken from the 4 cloud forms, Cirro, strato, cumulo and nimbo-form. Clouds are classified according to their height.
The name of the highest cloud form is prefixed with the latin word 'cirro' which means 'curl of hair'. They are often whiter than any other cloud and appear delicate and wispy with white strands resembling a tuft of hair. They are found at high altitudes above 6000 metres which is about 20,000 feet.
(A foot is a unit from another measurement system called the imperial system and measures approximately 30.5cm in our metric system. You will have heard of miles when you are travelling. There are 5280 feet in a mile! That's a lot of feet! Imperial dimensions are used in aviation. 'Aviation' is from the Latin root 'avis' which means 'bird' and deals with all sorts of travel by air)
The mid level clouds are prefixed with the latin word 'alto' from the latin root 'altus' which means 'high'. They are large sheets of thin featureless clouds spread over a large area. These are found between 2000 & 6000 metres (6500 - 20,000ft).
Low level clouds are known as stratus clouds. 'Stratus' comes from the latin prefix 'strato' meaning 'layer'. They are flat, hazy, featureless clouds which vary in colour from grey to white.
'Nimbo' is taken from the latin 'nimbus' which means 'dark cloud'. It is used with a cloud type to indicate rain. Nimbostratus are thick, dense featureless layers of cloud which are thick enough to block out the sun and produces rain or snow. This is known as a weather front. Similar to the Nimbostratus in form, the Stratocumulus cloud develops ahead of or after the nimbostratus.
Cumulo means 'to heap' or 'to pile' in latin. This is the root of the English word accumulate. They are big white and puffy detached clouds. They grow upward as hot thermals rise.
Based on these classifications we find clouds such as Cumulonimbus, nimbostratus, stratocumulus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrocumulus and many more variations. We will look a bit deeper into this subject together soon…
The name of the highest cloud form is prefixed with the latin word 'cirro' which means 'curl of hair'. They are often whiter than any other cloud and appear delicate and wispy with white strands resembling a tuft of hair. They are found at high altitudes above 6000 metres which is about 20,000 feet.
(A foot is a unit from another measurement system called the imperial system and measures approximately 30.5cm in our metric system. You will have heard of miles when you are travelling. There are 5280 feet in a mile! That's a lot of feet! Imperial dimensions are used in aviation. 'Aviation' is from the Latin root 'avis' which means 'bird' and deals with all sorts of travel by air)
The mid level clouds are prefixed with the latin word 'alto' from the latin root 'altus' which means 'high'. They are large sheets of thin featureless clouds spread over a large area. These are found between 2000 & 6000 metres (6500 - 20,000ft).
Low level clouds are known as stratus clouds. 'Stratus' comes from the latin prefix 'strato' meaning 'layer'. They are flat, hazy, featureless clouds which vary in colour from grey to white.
'Nimbo' is taken from the latin 'nimbus' which means 'dark cloud'. It is used with a cloud type to indicate rain. Nimbostratus are thick, dense featureless layers of cloud which are thick enough to block out the sun and produces rain or snow. This is known as a weather front. Similar to the Nimbostratus in form, the Stratocumulus cloud develops ahead of or after the nimbostratus.
Cumulo means 'to heap' or 'to pile' in latin. This is the root of the English word accumulate. They are big white and puffy detached clouds. They grow upward as hot thermals rise.
Based on these classifications we find clouds such as Cumulonimbus, nimbostratus, stratocumulus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrocumulus and many more variations. We will look a bit deeper into this subject together soon…
What are the hazard lights for?
23/02/24
Why did we not win a toy with the grab machine when I caught it perfectly?
16/02/24
That’s because the claw is programmed to grab tightly only part of the time! It’s not just that the stuffed animals are packed tightly together. The machine's owner can fine-tune the strength of the claw beforehand by programming the voltage sent to the claw so that it only has a strong grip a fraction of the time that people play. The dropping skill can be adjusted as well which means that the claw will drop a prize that it's grabbed before it delivers it to you. The machines also allow the owner to select a desired level of profit automatically adjusting the claw strength to make sure that players are only winning a limited number of times. If someone manages to get something out of the machine it is little to do with skill! If you play, only have a few tries for fun. Don’t waste your money!
When we jump up and down, what stops your heart moving about?
18/01/24
The pericardium consists of 2 layers and encloses the heart and the major heart vessels at the top of the heart. Its base is attached to the diaphragm by the ‘pericardia-co-phrenic’ ligament! What a name! A small amount of pericardial fluid lubricates between the two layers and prevents friction during heart contractions. Remember, your heart can beat more than 130 times every minute when you are running and playing! When someone gets a big fright we sometimes say that their heart is in their mouth! We don’t really need to get too worried though because the pericardium is there to hold it in place.
"Daddy, what's a mortgage?"
14/01/24
How do leaves grow on wood?
19/12/23
"Daddy, what are the wee lights in the middle of the road?"
22/11/23
Those are the cat's eyes! They help us to see the road at night or when it's foggy. They were invented a long time ago by a man called Percy Shaw from Yorkshire in England. He was driving home and would have fallen down a steep bank if not for a cat sitting one side of the road. This gave him the idea to make artificial 'cat's eyes' which we see on the roads all over the world! They are made by fitting glass reflectors in a rubber mould. The ones in the middle of the road are white, and there are red ones to the edges road with green reflectors at the junctions.
"Daddy, what are the white lines on the road made of?"
20/11/23
Very observant! The majority of the lines on the roads are made from hot thermoplastic which is a synthetic resin with colouring pigments and glass beads to make it reflective. It is heated in the tank of a special line marking machine. It melts into the surface and lasts for up to 10 years!
There's also a cold plastic paint which is mixed with a catalyst to make it harden. It is very durable but expensive. Solvent based paints are better for wet countries whilst water based paints are better in dry climates. Both take a bit longer to dry so we need to be careful not to step on the lines too soon! The easiest line marking comes in a roll and is cut to length and laid on the ground. It is heated and it melts onto the road. It is the most expensive so not much use if you have a lot of lines to paint!
"Daddy, what is trick or treat?"
31/10/23
Trick or Treat?
Many people celebrate Halloween without having the slightest notion of its true origin. To most, it is just a holiday or an excuse to get dressed up and a bit of fun. Most blindly celebrate it without considering what it is really about. Those who govern this world and the powers behind them have deceived the the people into forgetting why Halloween was celebrated in the first instance.
Halloween originated in the pagan Gaelic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sah-win) which means ‘summer’s end’. It was celebrated to bring in the dark half of the year. Pagans believe that the god of death would rise with fallen spirits and wreak havoc on the 31st of October bringing in the cold dark winter. Celtic priests, or Druids, believed that this particular night allowed them to easily communicate with the dead and look into the future to foretell, or divine, things to come. One form of divination was to put apples in a tub and bob for them. The one who first successfully came up with one without putting them in his teeth was to have good luck throughout the year. They would then peel the apples and throw the peeling over their shoulders and then quickly look around. They expected to see a vision or an apparition of the one they were to marry. In order to conceal themselves and blend in with the evil spirits who were out in abundance this night, the Druids cloaked themselves in animal skins, skulls, bones, and whatever else they could find that looked like the spirits they wanted to talk to. On October 31, the druids went from house to house demanding certain foods, and all those who refused were cursed. As they went, the druids carried large turnips which they had hollowed out and on which they had carved demon faces as charms. Each one was believed to contain the demon spirit that personally led or guided that priest. They built altars to make food offerings and ritual sacrifices.
The Romans persecuted the early christian church for 3 centuries after Jesus resurrection but failed to quash their faith. Realising that the Roman Empire was in decline, Constantine the Great claimed that he had a heavenly vision calling him to Christianity. As a result, religious peace was established in 325AD at the council of Nicaea and Christianity was then adopted as the official religion of the Roman empire in 380AD. Mixings the celebrations would have been a good political move for the Romans stabilising the Empire. Pagan belief systems of the Roman Empire were mixed into Christianity. Pagan festivals were renamed after newly created ‘saints’ and became Christian holidays. Samhain, the festival of the dead was rebranded as All Saints Day in honour of the christian martyrs.
So the Romans disguised their pagan festival with Christian beliefs. The Pagan celebration of Samhain fell on the eve of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day), so it is called Hallows Eve or Halloween. Under the guise of a Christian festival the same death themed costumes were worn to appease the demonic spirits were now said to scare them off. Groups of poor people, often children, would go door-to-door collecting soul cakes, in exchange for praying for the souls of the dead. They would carry a pumpkin with carved demon faces in place of a turnip. Whilst many celebrate the commercialised version of Halloween others still celebrate the pagan Samhain who was the so-called lord of the dead. Satan the devil is lord, or master, of the dead! The ancient Celts, who thought they were serving God, were deceived into worshipping the god of this world, who is the father of lies and religious deception.
The Bible admonishes, “Learn not the way of the heathen…for the customs of the people are vain” (Jeremiah 10:2-3). “Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 18:30). Should a Christian celebrate Halloween? We can call it a “harvest festival”or a “light party” or and even dress up as Bible characters but we are still observing Halloween, the highest satanic holy day of the year.
Many people celebrate Halloween without having the slightest notion of its true origin. To most, it is just a holiday or an excuse to get dressed up and a bit of fun. Most blindly celebrate it without considering what it is really about. Those who govern this world and the powers behind them have deceived the the people into forgetting why Halloween was celebrated in the first instance.
Halloween originated in the pagan Gaelic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sah-win) which means ‘summer’s end’. It was celebrated to bring in the dark half of the year. Pagans believe that the god of death would rise with fallen spirits and wreak havoc on the 31st of October bringing in the cold dark winter. Celtic priests, or Druids, believed that this particular night allowed them to easily communicate with the dead and look into the future to foretell, or divine, things to come. One form of divination was to put apples in a tub and bob for them. The one who first successfully came up with one without putting them in his teeth was to have good luck throughout the year. They would then peel the apples and throw the peeling over their shoulders and then quickly look around. They expected to see a vision or an apparition of the one they were to marry. In order to conceal themselves and blend in with the evil spirits who were out in abundance this night, the Druids cloaked themselves in animal skins, skulls, bones, and whatever else they could find that looked like the spirits they wanted to talk to. On October 31, the druids went from house to house demanding certain foods, and all those who refused were cursed. As they went, the druids carried large turnips which they had hollowed out and on which they had carved demon faces as charms. Each one was believed to contain the demon spirit that personally led or guided that priest. They built altars to make food offerings and ritual sacrifices.
The Romans persecuted the early christian church for 3 centuries after Jesus resurrection but failed to quash their faith. Realising that the Roman Empire was in decline, Constantine the Great claimed that he had a heavenly vision calling him to Christianity. As a result, religious peace was established in 325AD at the council of Nicaea and Christianity was then adopted as the official religion of the Roman empire in 380AD. Mixings the celebrations would have been a good political move for the Romans stabilising the Empire. Pagan belief systems of the Roman Empire were mixed into Christianity. Pagan festivals were renamed after newly created ‘saints’ and became Christian holidays. Samhain, the festival of the dead was rebranded as All Saints Day in honour of the christian martyrs.
So the Romans disguised their pagan festival with Christian beliefs. The Pagan celebration of Samhain fell on the eve of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day), so it is called Hallows Eve or Halloween. Under the guise of a Christian festival the same death themed costumes were worn to appease the demonic spirits were now said to scare them off. Groups of poor people, often children, would go door-to-door collecting soul cakes, in exchange for praying for the souls of the dead. They would carry a pumpkin with carved demon faces in place of a turnip. Whilst many celebrate the commercialised version of Halloween others still celebrate the pagan Samhain who was the so-called lord of the dead. Satan the devil is lord, or master, of the dead! The ancient Celts, who thought they were serving God, were deceived into worshipping the god of this world, who is the father of lies and religious deception.
The Bible admonishes, “Learn not the way of the heathen…for the customs of the people are vain” (Jeremiah 10:2-3). “Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 18:30). Should a Christian celebrate Halloween? We can call it a “harvest festival”or a “light party” or and even dress up as Bible characters but we are still observing Halloween, the highest satanic holy day of the year.
Wisdom of a child
19/10/23
The book of Proverbs teaches us about values, morality and conduct and entreats us to seek wisdom. Chapter 3 verse 21 - 26 reads “My child, hold on to wisdom and reason. Don’t let them out of your sight! They will give you life. Like a necklace, they will beautify your life. Then you will go on your way in safety and you will not get hurt. You won’t need to be afraid when you lie down. When you lie down, your sleep will be peaceful. You won’t need to be afraid of trouble coming suddenly. You won’t need to fear the ruin that comes to the wicked. The Lord will keep you safe.” (ICB translation) Again, chapter 4 verses 5-9, “get wisdom and understanding. Don’t forget or ignore my words. Use wisdom, and it will take care of you. Love wisdom, and it will keep you safe. Wisdom is the most important thing. So get wisdom. If it costs everything you have, get understanding. Believe in the value of wisdom, and it will make you great. Use it, and it will bring honour to you. Like flowers in your hair, it will beautify your life. Like a crown, it will make you look beautiful.”
Children have an innate wisdom, they know and believe in a way that adults can’t. I have the God given privilege to care for 2 wonderful daughters who are sometimes wise beyond their years. I have often been surprised by the way their minds question things that we often take for granted. Once, when reading from Genesis chapter 3, where the serpent was cursed by God to crawl on its belly, I was asked, “does that mean that it used to walk.” That’s an age old question that we will address later. Again, while driving along a few weeks ago the question arose “what are the white lines made of?” Another good question that most would take for granted. This inspired the creation of this blog in which we will look at some of these insightful queries in more depth.
Children have an innate wisdom, they know and believe in a way that adults can’t. I have the God given privilege to care for 2 wonderful daughters who are sometimes wise beyond their years. I have often been surprised by the way their minds question things that we often take for granted. Once, when reading from Genesis chapter 3, where the serpent was cursed by God to crawl on its belly, I was asked, “does that mean that it used to walk.” That’s an age old question that we will address later. Again, while driving along a few weeks ago the question arose “what are the white lines made of?” Another good question that most would take for granted. This inspired the creation of this blog in which we will look at some of these insightful queries in more depth.