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 …

An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, or (in the UK) heirloom vegetable is an open-pollinated cultivar that was grown during earlier periods in human history, but not used in modern agriculture. The trend of growing heirloom plants in gardens has been growing in popularity in the Us and Europe over the last decade. This is called heirloom gardening. Some examples are …

Hay fever is a form of allergy belonging to a group of maladies including hives, asthma and skin problems caused by protein sensitization. During certain seasons, many plants, grasses release their pollens into the air in large quantities. A person is said to have hay fever when he / she is sensitive to these pollens and other substances present in …

The Hadaga festival in Maharashtra is to pray for a good monsoon and a good harvest. As Indra is the god of rain, people sing songs to Indra and pray for rain. Pictures of the elephant which is Indra’s vehicle are drawn everywhere to invite the God.

It is a traditional American festival celebrated on February 2. The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: “If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.” It is said that if the groundhog pops out from its electrically-heated burrow, sees his shadow, and then disappears again, it will mean that …

Greenmail is a business tactic used by a company, a syndicate or an individual to threaten another company and make money. After buying a good number of shares of a company, they threaten a takeover. A bargain is then struck to force the company to buy back its shares at an exorbitant rate. ‘Greenmail’ has been derived from greenback and …

Because of Germany’s geographic position in the centre of Europe and its long history as a disunited region of distinct tribes and states, it has many varying names in different languages, perhaps more than for any other European nation. For example, in German, the country is known as Deutschland, in French as Allemagne, and in Polish as Niemcy. However, the …

Garba is a form of dance that originated in the state of Gujarat in India. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term Garbha and Deep . Many traditional garbas are performed around a centrally lit lamp, or a picture or statue of the Goddess Shakti. The circular and spiral figures of Garba have similarities to other spiritual dances, such …