Qaqortoq, also known by its Danish name "Julianehåb", is a town in southwestern Greenland. With a population of 3,100, it is South Greenland's biggest town. It is the fourth biggest town in Greenland. The name Qaqortoq is Western Greenlandic, and it means "white". Qaqortoq also is the seat of the municipality of Qaqortoq which apart from the town itself includes three small settlements. Qaqortoq was founded by Norwegian Anders Olsen in 1775. Near Qaqortoq are the Hvalsey ruins, the most famous Norse ruins in Greenland.
""Greenland and the Arctic"". By Etain O'Carroll and Mark Elliott. Lonely Planet 2005. .
Sisimiut
Sisimiut (also known by its Danish name 'Holsteinsborg') is a town in southwestern Greenland. With 5,247 people (as of 2005), it is the second biggest town in Greenland. It is 75 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, and is Greenland's most northern year-round port which has no ice.
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude (imaginary lines around the Earth) that are often marked on maps of the Earth. This is the parallel of latitude that (in 2000) runs 66° 33' 39" north of the Equator.
The Arctic Circle is one way to say what part of the Earth is in the Arctic. The North Pole is in the center of the Arctic Circle.
Countries which are partly within the Arctic Circle are:
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed. It directly depends on the Earth's axial tilt. The axial tilt fluctuates within a margin of 2° over a 40,000-year period, mostly due to tidal forces from the orbit of the Moon. The tilt is currently diminishing, so the Arctic Circle is drifting northwards at a speed of about per year.
Kabul
Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan.
According to a 2012 estimate, the population of the city was around 3,289,000. Ths includes Tajiks, Pashtuns, Hazaras and some other smaller ethnic groups. It is the 64th largest and the 5th fastest growing city in the world.
It is 1,800 meters, or 5,900 feet above-sea-level. Kabul is over 3,500 years old.
Parfait
Parfait is a type of food that is eaten as a dessert. It is a French word that means "perfect".
Parfaits are made differently in different countries.
A common parfait is the French kind. A French parfait mixes sugar, whip cream, an egg yolk, sauce, cold fruit and frozen ice cream. French parfaits are usually served on a plate not in a glass.
Japanese parfait made mainly of ice cream and fruit with a sweet ingredient. It is served in a tall glass. It is a classic on a coffee shop menu. It is one of the more popular desserts.
Parrot
Parrots are birds of the order Psittaciformes. There are about 372 species in 86 genera. They are found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The greatest diversity of parrots is found in South America and Australasia.
Parrots are intelligent birds. They have relatively large brains, they can learn, and they can use simple tools. Because some species have the ability to make sounds like human voices and have plumages with bright colors, many species are kept as pets. This includes some endangered and protected species. Parrots are very clever.
Parrots are not very heavy, in relation to their size, and compact body with a large head and a short neck. Their beaks are short, strong and curved. The two parts of the beak are very strong and used to break fruits and seeds. The tongue is large and strong. Most parrots can fly, though many lost their powers of flight after they came to live on oceanic islands. The kakapo is an example.
They have strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet (with two toes facing forward and two toes facing back) that are very useful to climb up trees. Many parrots are vividly coloured, and some are multi-coloured. The plumage of cockatoos ranges from mostly white to mostly black, with a mobile crest of feathers on the tops of their heads. Most parrots exhibit little or no sexual dimorphism.
They form the most variably sized bird order in terms of length. The smallest of the parrots is the pigmy parrot ("Micropsitta pusio") with an adult weight of and a length of . With a length (from the top of its head to the tip of its long pointed tail) of about , the hyacinth macaw ("Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus") is longer than any other species of parrot, although half that length is tail.
The most important components of most parrots' diets are seeds, fruits like nuts, buds and other plant material. A few species sometimes eat animals and carrion (dead animal carcasses), while the lories and lorikeets are specialised for feeding on floral nectar and soft fruits. Almost all parrots nest in tree hollows, and lay white eggs from which hatch altricial (helpless) young.
Parrots are among the most intelligent birds, as are the crow family: ravens, crows, jays and magpies, and the ability of some species to make sounds like human voices enhances their popularity as pets.
The capture of wild parrots for the pet trade, as well as hunting, habitat loss and competition from invasive species, has diminished wild populations, with parrots being subjected to more exploitation than any other group of birds. Measures taken to conserve the habitats of some high-profile species have also protected many of the less charismatic species living in the same ecosystems.
Some parrots can live up to 80 years. Many parrots can imitate human speech; they can speak simple words if repeated a few times.
Transposons in the genomes of passerines and parrots are similar, but those in the genomes of other birds are not. This is strong evidence that parrots are the sister group of passerines.
Europe is the origin of the first presumed parrot fossils, which date from about 50 million years ago (mya). The climate there and then was tropical. Several fairly complete skeletons of parrot-like birds have been found in England and Germany. On the whole it seems likely that these are not direct ancestors of the modern parrots, but related lineages which evolved in the northern hemisphere, and which have since died out.
The earliest records of modern parrots date to about 23–20 mya and are also from Europe. Subsequently, the fossil record—again mainly from Europe—consists of bones clearly recognisable as belonging to parrots of modern type. The southern hemisphere does not have nearly as rich a fossil record for this period as the northern, and contains no known parrot-like remains earlier than the early to middle Miocene, around 20 mya. The first unambiguous parrot fossil (as opposed to a parrot-like one) is found in the Miocene. It is an upper jaw, identical that of modern cockatoos.
Angel food cake
Angel food cake is an example of cake that became popular in the United States in the 19th century. It is also called angel cake. It is very light and fluffy. Because of this, it is named Angel cake because it is said to be "food for the angels."
Angel food cake needs the egg whites to be whipped until they are stiff, and carefully folded into the other ingredients. For this method of "leavening" to work well, it is helpful to have flour that has been made of softer wheat. This causes angel food cake to have a very light texture and taste. Angel food cake should be cut with a serrated knife, as a solid blade tends to compress the cake rather than cut it.
Some people like to add aromatic spices to angel food cake.
Wrench
A wrench (or spanner) is a tool used to provide grip and turn nuts and bolts, and similarly shaped objects.
In British English, "spanner" is the standard term. The most common shapes are called "open-ended spanner" and "ring spanner". The term "wrench" is generally used for tools that turn non-fastening devices (e.g. tap wrench and pipe wrench), or may be used for a monkey wrench – an adjustable spanner.
What a wrench or spanner does is to grip. Pulling or pushing the handle to rotate gives mechanical advantage. It applies torque to turn objects – usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts – or keep them from turning.