Scissors, especially, cause left-handed people some trouble. Most scissors are made for right-handed people. Because they are designed this way, if a person tries to cut something while holding the scissors in their left hand, they cannot see the edge they are cutting. The way the cutting action works is also designed for right-handers, and left-handed people tend to force the blades open instead of cutting cleanly. Even though some scissors say that they can be used by both left and right-handed people, these scissors only have their handles changed. They are still right-handed scissors and still cause the same issues.
It can be difficult for left-handed children to learn to write if the teacher does not give them special help. The reason for this is that most writing moves from left to right across the page. This means that left-handed writers may hold their hand over what has just been written.
In many countries, children are allowed to write with whichever hand is easier, although there are some countries where children may be made to write with the right hand. Many things can be difficult for left-handed writers. Chairs with writing boards may all be made for right-handed people. This makes left-handed people sit uncomfortably and hold their pens in an different way.
Recent research has shown that it can be an advantage for animals and for humans to be left-handed. Being able to do things differently from most people can be a great help in many sports, such as tennis or fighting with swords. Left-handed people from Norse settlements in Ireland in the 10th Century were more favoured than right-handed people as they had the advantage of swinging with their left hand as they were on a horse or running down the stairs of a castle in attack or defence.
In tennis, left-handed players hold the racket in their left hand. Because of this, their grip of the handle is supposedly adjusted in a slightly different style from right-handed players. Some world champion tennis players that have played with their left hand include Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Marcelo Ríos, and Rafael Nadal.
Cumulus cloud
Cumulus clouds are white clouds that are dense and large. They are known to look like cauliflower. Mostly, you can see easily that cumulus clouds have flat bottoms but the tops are always changing shape.
Seeing a cumulus cloud means that the air is well mixed by up and down vertical drafts. When a cumulus cloud grows into a thunderstorm, the cloud is called a cumulonimbus cloud. This is a sign that the air is rising to the stratosphere.
Alyosha Karamazov
Alexei Fyodorovich Karamazov is the "hero" of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel, "The Brothers Karamazov". He is also called Alyosha, Alyoshka, Alyoshenka, Alyoshechka, Alexeichik, Lyosha, and Lyoshenka. He is the youngest of the Karamazov brothers, being "then only twenty (his brother Ivan was twenty-three and their older brother, Dmitry, twenty-seven)". The author's preface and first chapters declare that he is the novel's hero.
Alyosha is physically described as:
His personality is remarkably unselfish, extremely mature in his religious faith, sensitive to other people's feelings, and loving - "he certainly loved people: throughout his life he seemed to believe in people and to trust them, and yet no one ever thought him simple-minded or naive. There was something in him (and it stayed with him all his life) that made people realize that he refused to sit in judgment on others, that he felt he had no right to, and that, whatever happened, he would never condemn anyone." He passes on the influence of Zosima to the "younger generation" (the schoolboys) of the town. Even with all his kind goodness, he has a gentle personality that makes almost everybody love him and feel comfortable around him. Proud young Kolya Krasotkin says that the best thing about Alyosha is that he treats him like "an equal".
Anna-Theresa Tymieniecka says that Alyosha, like Prince Myshkin, the protagonist in another Dostoevsky novel, "The Idiot", are almost Jesus-like characters, who are, however, unable to stop the greatest suffering of those around them. She suggests that Alyosha is too calm, and does not do much action in the events of the novel.
Rufus W. Mathewson, however, argues that Alyosha Karamazov is a more successful positive hero than Prince Myshkin. He argues that Alyosha's most impressive success as helping Dmitri. He describes Alyosha as using forgiveness, kindness and natural justice, rather than trying to change people.
It is probable that Dostoevsky used his friend Vladimir Solovyov's character for Alyosha. Vladimir Solovyov was a Russian poet and philosopher who was very generous, even giving away his clothes to people in the street.
Stratus cloud
Stratus clouds are low altitude gray clouds that make a flat base. The name comes from the Latin word "stratus", which means to "stretch" or "extend." You can see stratus clouds as thick cloud blankets near the sea. They are sometimes called "high fogs". Light rain and drizzle often fall from stratus clouds. When rain falls from stratus clouds they are mostly called nimbostratus The name derives from the Latin word "nimbus" = rain, and "stratus" = spread out.
Pliosaur
The Pliosaurs were a group of large submarine plesiosaur reptiles from the Mesozoic era. They had short necks and large heads, in contrast to other plesiosaurs. Their sizes ranged from two to 15 metres, and they were predators of large fish and other reptiles. Their streamlined body shape suggests they swam and ate under water.
The first specimen was found by Mary Anning, on the 'Jurassic Coast' of Lyme Regis, England in the 1820s. Many of her finds are on display in the Natural History Museum, London.
It was suggested by D.M.S. Watson that plesiosaurs fell into two groups. The pliosaurs were large predators which ate large prey in deep water. The other plesiosaurs were long-necked with smaller heads. Their method was as surface swimmers, mostly eating with their head above water, darting down to snatch smaller fish which were feeding on plankton.
Ball lightning
Ball lightning is a glowing ball of lightning that sometimes appears in a thunderstorm, but usually lasts much longer than lightning. Scientists do not understand ball lightning very well, and some even do not think ball lightning is real, because it is so strange. However, it has been widely reported in weather journals by many trustworthy people. So, it is very possible that it is real.
Those who have seen it say it's the size of a grapefruit or basketball; it has even been said to be as big as a car. The glowing ball is either red, orange, or yellow. A few people have seen it falling from clouds. Sometimes, ball lightning floats or glides just above the ground for a few seconds, or it can roll on the surface of an object. Hissing noises come from the fiery orb. Some have even thought it was a UFO. Ball lightning sometimes explodes loudly, while other times it just quietly disappears. It has been known to smash or simply go through windows, hopping and sizzling across the floor, and then disappear into things like TVs or up the chimney. Some say that ball lightning can kill humans, while others say that its effect on humans are harmless.
Many people are said to have seen ball lightning. Ebenezer Cobham Brewer wrote about "globular lightning", saying they may fall to the ground or explode like a cannon. Laura Ingalls Wilder writes in her book about ball lightning, saying that when she was little, she saw balls of light, which her mother chased away with a broom.
Czar Nicholas II, Russia's last emperor, said he had seen ball lightning:
Sauropterygia