Lapis Lazuli is an intense blue semi-precious stone. It has been mined for 6,500 years in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. It has lazurite as the main component. It’s used in jewellery, mosaics, architecture and as a pigment called ultramarine in tempera paintings. It was used by Assyrians and Babylonians for seals, as an eyeshadow by Cleopatra and Romans believed it to be …

A place or a state of being out of touch with reality or A place known for frivolous activities. For Example: “wow, they’re in their own world.” Well that world is la la land. La La Land is also a name of a song by Demi Lovato, and it is a nickname for Los Angeles, California, USA.

Laissez faire is a French phrase and means to let things pass. The term is used to describe an economic system where the government intervenes as little as possible and leaves the private sector to organize most economic activity through markets. Classical economists were great advocates of a laissez faire system.

Kangaroo closure is a measure coined as early as 1911 reserved for parliamentary procedure wherein the chairman or speaker selects certain amendments for discussion and excludes others. It is termed as such because the chairman, in essence, “leaps” over certain amendments for discussion.

Jipijapa Hat (named after a town in Ecuador, once a centre for hat trade) or a Panama hat or just Panama is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant. Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19 and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first …

Jeu de Paume is also called ‘real tennis’ or ‘court tennis’. It is the precursor of modern tennis and was a rage in Renaissance Europe. Jeu de Paume traces its history to the 11th century when French monks played the sport using their bare hands to volley cloth bags of hair or cork. Translated, it means ‘Game of palm’. It …

Jetsam is the cargo thrown overboard by the crew of a ship to lighten its weight when the ship is in distress. Normally, jetsam is used as a part of the phrase ‘flotsam and jetsam’. Flotsam is any cargo or wreckage that remains afloat after a ship has sunk. The combined term is also used to describe discarded cargo or …

James Biggs of Bristol claimed to have invented the white cane in 1921. After he lost his vision in an accident, the artist felt threatened by increased motor vehicle traffic around his home and decided to paint his walking stick white to make himself more visible to motorists. It was not, however, until 10 years later the white cane became …

With a ranking of 0.968, Iceland had the highest Human Development Index (HDI) ranking in 2007. The HDI ranking takes into consideration a country’s life expectancy, literacy, educational attainment and GDP per capita. Currently though, Iceland’s top-ranking status is rather ironic, considering the global financial crisis has almost wiped out its economy and the country is virtually bankrupt.

In the UK, hillwalking is to walk up the hills and mountains without the planned use of a climbing rope or other climbing aids. Outside the UK, it is usually referred to as trekking, but the principles are the same and the necessary skills similar. As walking is an everyday activity which we all do, the skills and experience needed …