31 August: Grape Blessing Day

Today is Grape Blessing Day in Armenia. 10 things you might not know about grapes.

1. In botanical terms, a grape is a berry rather than a fruit.
2. We get the word grape from the French word for a bunch of grapes (une grappe de raisins). Raisin is the French word for a fresh grape, but in English is used to refer to a dried grape. The word currant refers to a particular type of dried grape, a Corinth grape, and a sultana was originally a dried Sultana grape from Turkey.
3. Whether the grapes are grown for making Wine or to eat, they come from the same species of vine - Vitis vinifera. The vines will have been selectively bred for the characteristics of eating or wine-making grapes. Eating grapes tend to be larger with thinner skins and are more likely to be seedless.
4. It is thanks to grape harvests in Norman times that we have the word "vacation". William the Conqueror introduced a custom to the UK whereby people would move to a summer home in order to pick the grapes - "vacating" their usual residence.
5. Grapes are first mentioned in the Bible when Noah grows them on his farm.
6. In Spain, there is a tradition in which people eat a grape for every strike of the bell at midnight on December 31st.
7. If you slice a grape and put it in the Microwave, it might explode into a fireball of super-heated plasma. Something to do with the little flap of skin connecting the two halves drying out and sparking. You can see a demonstration here.
8. There is a grape vine in Slovenia which is over 500 years old. Having survived the Napoleonic wars and two world wars, 100 bottles of wine are still produced from it each year.
9. Never feed grapes to your dog. Grapes, and indeed raisins, are extremely toxic to them. Grapes cause kidney failure in dogs.
10. Seedless grapes are the result of a mutation which prevents the seeds from forming properly. On the subject of the seeds, although they might not taste as nice as the grape, they are edible and actually very good for you. They've been found to contain properties which fight acne, asthma, arthritis, fat and even cancer.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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