Cloth patches are rectangles of cloth that are used to cover up holes in clothing and other fabric items. Patches are usually used on clothes and soft things like cushions, teddy bears and blankets. Patches are sewn on with a needle and thread or glued on using a hot iron.
Many types of uniforms use cloth patches that have embroidered words or images on them. For example, police officers' uniforms have patches that state the name of the police force. Military uniforms have patches that have the flag of the country embroidered on them and the military unit that the soldier is part of. Many uniforms for businesses have cloth patches with the name of the company and the company logo embroidered on them.
As well, many people wear patches on their regular clothing. Some patches are sold by tourist stores. These patches have the name of a region on them. Other patches worn by teenagers have the names and logos of rock bands on them. Motorcycle biker gang members, such as members of the Hells Angels wear patches on their leather vests that state the name of their gang and the logo of the gang.
Leather patches are rectangles of leather that are used to cover up holes in clothing and other fabric items. Leather patches are usually used on heavy-duty work clothes, or on the elbows of jackets, or on the knees of pants. Leather patches are sewn on with a needle and thread.
Rubber patches are rectangles, squares, or circular pieces of flat, thin rubber that are glued onto bicycle tire inner tubes, car tire inner tubes, and inflatable toys to repair holes.
Savanna
The word savanna comes from a Panamanian word for prairie or plains.
They are covered with tall grasses. They may have scattered bushes and trees, but not enough to keep grasses from growing. The most common definition of savanna is the tropical grassland, such as in Africa. They have seasonal rains and dry periods. All savanna plants and trees can survive periods of drought. Most savannas get enough rain to support the forest, but the forest never happens because something keeps the trees from growing. This can be animals that graze and knock over trees (like elephants in Africa), or fires that kill most kinds of trees. Instead there is lots of grasses and other plants that can regrow from the roots.
The savannas of Africa are the best known savannas. Some herbivores found in the savanna are antelopes, impalas, gazelles, buffalos, wildebeests, zebras, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, and warthogs. There is also a large number of carnivores, including cats (lions, leopards, cheetahs, servals), dogs (jackals, wild dogs), and hyenas. The vegetation in the Eastern African is also rich with grass and some scattered trees, mostly acacia trees. The dry season is the winter, from December to February it may not rain at all. But in the summer there is lots of rain.
In North America, the word savanna is also used to describe the tall grass prairies that have scattered trees, typically oaks. This is a temperate climate (colder than the tropics). It is called an "oak savanna" since the oak tree is the main tree. At least half of the view of the sky must be open. If there are more trees, then it is called a grove or a woodland. If there are fewer trees, it is a prairie. (If there are many kinds of trees and brush and very little grass, then it is a forest). Oak savannas are found in California and Oregon on the west coast. In the southwest it is found in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. In the midwest it is found in the tall-grass prairie. Often a grove or a savanna is east of a river, which stopped the fire often enough to let trees grow. Large oak trees will survive grass fires. The savannas in the midwest of the United States are kept open by regular fires, not because it is too dry for many trees.
Brazil's "cerrado" is an open woodland of short twisted trees. The are many kinds of plants and animals here, many that don't exist anywhere else on earth.
The "llanos" of the Orinoco basin of Venezuela and Colombia are grass savannas, some parts of it get flooded every year.
Northern Australia also has a savanna. Eucalyptus trees are the main tree in the Australian savanna. There are many species of kangaroos but not much else.
Peasant
A peasant is a name for a person that worked for others on a farm and never had much money. They usually wore rough clothes and lived in small houses.
The word peasant came from the French word for "country" in the medieval era (15th century). In feudalism peasants, like other farmers, had to be able to do a number of jobs on the farm. They lived in rural areas and made up a large amount of the population. Most peasants could not read or write. They did not usually talk with the higher society unless it was about work. Some were serfs meaning they were not free to leave their lord's land.
Male peasants were not the only ones who worked in the fields. Their wives and other woman also worked in the fields if necessary. Female peasants usually did women's work in the house such as cooking, cleaning, making clothes, and looking after children.
Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Mary Donaldson, Crown Princess of Denmark (5 February 1972) was born in Hobart, Tasmania. She is the youngest daughter of John Dalgleish Donaldson, a professor of applied mathematics, and Henrietta Clark Donaldson. Her parents were Scots. She has two sisters and one brother. She graduated from University of Tasmania in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in Commerce and Law.
On May 14, 2004, Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark were married in Copenhagen Cathedral. They have four children: HRH Prince Christian, HRH Princess Isabella, HRH Prince Vincent and HRH Princess Josephine. The Crown Prince Couple live both in Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg and in the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace.
Racquet
A racquet (sometimes racket) is used in sports to hit an object. It differs from a paddle because the head is a grid of strings instead of solid.
A tennis racquet has a long handle and a large oval-shaped area used to hit a tennis ball. It has many strings stretched across its surface (or face) both horizontally and vertically. The strings supply bounce to hit the ball. The handle and frame of the racquet is usually made out of light materials such as graphite. Older racquets were made out of wood. Tennis racquets come in different sizes and weights.
Tennis racquets can be bought at sports equipment stores or department stores. A beginner racquet can cost as little as $30, but they can cost much more for very good quality rackets ($500 or more).
A badminton racquet has a longer, thinner neck than a tennis racquet with softer strings as the shuttlecock is hit up over a net.
Secondary school
Secondary school is the next step up from primary school. Secondary schools are often called high schools or middle school in United States. In Britain, secondary schools may be public schools, grammar schools or comprehensive schools.
In Australia, a person will generally begin secondary school when they are at the age of 12 and finish (or graduate) when they are either 16 or 18 years of age. This is dependent upon whether they finish with year levels (or grades) 11 and 12. In secondary school, a person will advance through the year levels (or grades) each year.
In the United Kingdom, a person starts secondary school at the age of 11 and generally finishes secondary at either 16 or 18 depending on whether the secondary school has a sixth form offering post 16 education.
In the United States school system, secondary school is usually divided into two separate schools. One is called middle school and consists grades 6, 7, and 8. And the other is called high school and has grades 9 through 12. A person generally starts middle school at age 11 or 12 and starts high school at age 14 or 15 and finishes at age 18.