My Science School

A pictopedia is a pictorial encyclopedia that aims at making learning fun. With pages full of interesting pictures and interesting information, these innovatively curated books are designed to ignite wonder and curiosity.

Our club announced on the notice board about a week ago for volunteers to make presentations on "A Book that Liked Very Much" in its regular meetings. We were surprised by the huge response, and we selected a student from the eighth class who wanted to speak on pictopedia. As this was totally a new area, we thought many of us would benefit from his input. The following report sums up some of the key ideas he presented.

He began his presentation, "When I was randomly running my eyes over the books on a shelf in a bookshop which was labelled children's literature, I found the expression pictopedia, with the title. What About....Great Personalities? I am familiar with encyclopedias but not this, and hence out of curiosity I flipped through the book. As it was a slender one with only 50 pages and priced at just Rs.150, I asked my father to buy it for me."

This made us realise how visiting libraries and bookshops, rather than merely surfing the net could enable us to identify interesting titles.

As he had brought the book with him, he quoted a few lines from the preface and blurb to emphasise the purpose of this publication: The coinage pictopedia.

indicates a pictorial encyclopaedia...It is meant for young readers who want to open their eyes in wonder to see the world as they see it for the first time; it is also meant for the adult who wishes to recollect what is lost in the corners of the memory.... Making learning fun is the sole aim of the pictopeda' series." Going through the book, he said, he found it useful to whoever wanted to know and recall some of the important details of the personalities included in it.

After reading out the names of a few personalities from the content page, namely, aristotle. Thomas Alva Edison. William Shakespeare, Napoleon, zakir hussain, Archimedes, and osho (Rajaneesh), he pointed out that there are 45 personalities included in the book. For each of them, one page was allocated to cover the most significant details - unlike the usual encyclopedias, it gave only the vital information of a personality in about 100 words. To illustrate it, he read out the details of Nelson Mandela and drew our attention to the details such as his birth, the position he held, his education, the years he spent in prison, and his status as a world leader. These factual descriptions gave us a comprehensive view of his personality, instead of being cluttered with too many details leading to confusion and often forgetting them. The page on Mandela also carried two other features, viz., a large circle highlighting his most distinguishing deeds- half of his salary was donated to the welfare of poor children and the other. Did you Know? which in the form of bullets mentioned the awards and the honours he had received. Along with these, two of his pictures were placed to concretise the portrayal. The same format was observed for all the personalities dealt with

The most noteworthy aspect of the book was the selection of personalities, chosen from different periods multiple walks of life and who excelled in their fields: the timeline chosen extended from the ancient time to the present, for instance, from Aristotle of 384 BC to Aryabhatta of 476 AD to Sachin Tendulkar and to A. R. Rahman, including a large number of the contemporary personalities. Further, they were identified from various fields such as politics, philosophy, technology, painting to films, sports, writers, and music and there were at least four of them representing a particular domain, the range of areas covered brought added value to the book.

Reading about any personality, he observed, took a maximum of five minutes which helped to absorb almost all the details. He proudly mentioned that after becoming familiar with these celebrities, he had turned out to be a popular conversationalist as he was able to refer to them on appropriate occasions while interacting with his friends.

The series, What About is published by navneet Education Limited, based in Mumbai and they have brought out several interesting titles. He concluded by acknowledging the claim made in the blurb of the book that the attractive pictures and unique presentation made the book worthy of possession by any.

Picture Credit : Google

Fiternational Coffee Day is more than just a celebration of a popular beverage its a global recognition of the diverse calluns, economies, and sustainability efforts assodant with coffee. This day serves as a reminder of the millions of individuals who work tirelessly to bring coffee from hean to cup. As we raise a toast to this belowe drink on Cictober 1 lets also take a moment to appreciate the traditions ad compitens that male caffee a symbol of connection and community ammoud the world.

While many countries observe national coffee days at different times of the year, the International Coffee Organization (ICO) officially declared October 1st as International Coffee Day in 2015. The ICO, which comprises 77 member states, dedicated the day to celebrating coffee's diversity, quality, and the millions of people involved in its production and trade.

The day is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a cup of joe and celebrate with fellow connoisseurs worldwide. The choice of October 1st as the date for this celebration was not arbitrary. It was chosen to coincide with the start of the coffee harvesting season in many coffee-producing countries, Since its inception, this annual event has grown in popularity and significance, highlighting coffee's global reach and influence.

Though Coffee's birthplace is considered to be Kefa in Ethiopia, by the 15th century it was placed under cultivation in Arabia. Its popularity grew amongst the Arabs, and became the quintessence of cultural bonding, via the coffeehouse. By the 16th and 17th centuries, coffee slowly got its entry into European countries, which started flourishing by the 17th century across Britain, the British colonies in America, and continental Europe. Before the 17th century ended, Yemen's southern province was the only source of coffee in the world. However, due to the beverage's rising popularity, the plant quickly spread to Java and other islands in the Indonesian archipelago during the 17th century, and to the Americas during the 18th century.

In 1825, coffee cultivation was initiated in the Hawaiian Islands. During the 20th century, the highest amount of coffee production was focused in Brazil. Coffee is cultivated in regions near the equator, commonly referred to as the bean belt. Due to their favorable equatorial climates that make them ideal for coffee production, countries like Brazil, Columbia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, spread across three continents, are considered coffee capitals.

Brazil stands out as the world's primary exporter of coffee beans, accounting for 45% of all coffee bean exports globally. On the other hand, the US tops the list as the world's largest importer of coffee. Finland is considered the coffee capital of the world, though it doesn't produce any, due to its long-standing relationship with coffee, dating back to the 19th century when the country was under Russian rule. After gaining independence in 1917, Finland embraced Western customs and traditions. In contrast to Russia's preference for tea, Finns opted to challenge the norm and consume coffee instead.

BREW YOUR COFFEE RIGHT

When it comes to coffee, the type of bean used plays a big role in determining the flavour. For a coffee aficionado or someone who is beginning to explore the specialities of coffee, knowing the differences between types of coffee beans can help in finding the perfect brew to suit the taste.

Growing coffee beans is a complex process that requires significant effort. Unlike crops like corn or soybeans that can be rotated annually, coffee plants can take up to five years to produce fruit and around ten years before they're ready for commercial harvesting. However, once they begin producing, they can continue to do so for up to 30 years, so choosing the right type of plant is crucial for planters. There are two main types of coffee plants that provide the world's coffee supply: Coffea arabica and C. canephora. Arabica coffee is known for its mild, flavourful, and aromatic qualities, while Robusta coffee, which comes from the main variety of C. canephora, has a less complex taste.

The Arabica bean is flatter and more elongated, but also more fragile and vulnerable to pests. It requires a cool subtropical climate and grows at higher elevations of 2,000-6,500 feet.

Arabica coffee needs a lot of moisture and specific shade requirements. Arabica plants are currently grown in over 50 equatorial countries, and the beans' taste and aroma differ significantly between nations and regions. It is commonly produced in Latin America, eastern Africa, Asia, and Arabia.

On the other hand, Robusta coffee has a rounder, more convex bean and is hardier. It can grow at lower altitudes from sea level to 2,000 feet.

Robusta coffee is cheaper to produce and has twice the caffeine content of Arabica. It is often used in commercial coffee brands, ie, the instant coffee that is less expensive. Major producers of Robusta coffee are Western and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and Brazil.

Liberica and Excelsa are the less preferred coffee beans which were in existence earlier. Liberica coffee beans are rare and have a unique "woody" taste. They became popular when a plant disease called "coffee rust' wiped out Arabica plants worldwide. The Philippines were the first to harvest Liberica, but when they declared independence, the U.S. imposed sanctions, causing the beans to almost disappear from markets.

Excelsa is the newest type of coffee bean and is mostly grown in Southeast Asia. It has a fruity, tart flavour and combines the attributes of both light and dark roast coffees.

Picture Credit : Google