Baggas' Blog

Bible Belt – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Bible Belt is an informal term for an area in which socially conservative Christian Evangelical Protestantism is a dominant part of the culture. The term “Bible Belt” was coined by the American journalist and social commentator H.L. Mencken in the early 1920s.

In particular, in the United States it is an idiom^[1] for the region where the Southern Baptist Convention denomination is strongest (though many other denominations, such as the Church of Christ and Assemblies of God can be found there as well), usually meaning the South and nearby areas.

Much of the Bible Belt consists of the American South. Ironically, this region was originally colonized not for purposes of establishing a religious haven (as was the case in the Puritan colonies of New England), but for economic reasons – specifically, for the growing of cash crops such as tobacco, cotton, rice, and indigo. During the colonial period (1607-1776), the South was a stronghold of the Anglican church. Its transition into a conservative Protestant Bible Belt occurred gradually over the next century, as a series of religious revival movements, many associated with the Baptist denomination, gained great popularity in the region.

Thus, the region is usually contrasted with mainstream Protestants and liberal Catholics of the northeast, the religiously diverse Midwest, the Mormon Corridor in Utah and southern Idaho, and the relatively secular western United States, where the percentage of non-religious people is the highest in the nation, reaching its maximum in the northwestern state of Washington at 27%, compared to the Bible belt state of Alabama, at only 6%. [..read more..]

Nashville, Tennessee – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nashville is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee, after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. Nashville is a major hub for the health care, music, publishing, and transportation industries.

Nashville has a consolidated city-county government which includes seven smaller municipalities in a two-tier system. The population of Nashville-Davidson County stood at 607,413 as of 2005,^[1][2] according to United States Census Bureau estimates. The 2005 population of the entire 13-county Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area was 1,498,836,^[4] making it the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state.

Nashville was founded by James Robertson and a party of Wataugans in 1779, and was originally called Fort Nashborough, after the American Revolutionary War hero Francis Nash. Nashville quickly grew because of its prime location, accessibility as a river port, and its later status as a major railroad center. In 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee.

By 1860, when the first rumblings of secession began to be heard across the South, antebellum Nashville was a very prosperous city. Tennessee reluctantly sided with the Confederacy and became the last state to secede from the Union. The city’s significance as a shipping port made it a desirable prize as a means of controlling important river and railroad transportation routes. In February 1862, Nashville became the first state capital to fall to Union troops.

Though the Civil War left Nashville in dire economic straits, the city quickly rebounded.^{[citation needed]} Within a few years, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and also developed a solid manufacturing base. The post-Civil War years of the late 19th century brought a newfound prosperity to Nashville. These healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area.

It was the advent of the Grand Ole Opry in 1925, combined with an already thriving publishing industry, that positioned it to become “Music City USA“. In 1963, Nashville consolidated its government with Davidson County and thus became the first major city in the United States to form a metropolitan government. Since the 1970s, the city has experienced tremendous growth, particularly during the economic boom of the 1990s under the leadership of Mayor Phil Bredesen, who made urban renewal a priority, and fostered the construction or renovation several city landmarks, including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Public Library downtown, the Sommet Center, and LP Field.   [..read more..]

Boston Tea Party – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Boston Tea Party was an act of protest by the American colonists against Great Britain in which they destroyed many crates of tea bricks on ships in Boston Harbor. The incident, which took place on Thursday, December 16, 1773, has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution.

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, on a signal given by Samuel Adams, the Sons of LibertyMohawk Indians, left the massive protest meeting and headed toward Griffin’s Wharf, where lay HMS thinly disguised as Dartmouth and her newly arrived, tea bearing, sister ships HMS Beaver and HMS Eleanour. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 had been consigned to waters of Boston harbor.^[1] Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter. Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks.  [..read more..]

Royal Liver Building – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Royal Liver Building (prounced [?la?v?]) is one of the city of Liverpool’s most recognisable landmarks. It stands at 90 metres (295 feet) and has 13 floors. Since its completion in 1911, it has overlooked the River Mersey from its waterfront location on the Pier Head, and forms one of the ‘three graces’ along with the Port of Liverpool Building and the Cunard Building. It was designed by Walter Aubrey Thomas, and is one of the earliest examples of multi-storey reinforced concrete construction. This is reflected in the building’s Grade 1 Listed Building status.

The building is crowned by a pair of clock towers from which a ship’s crew could tell the time as it passed en route along the river. The clock faces are actually larger than that of London’s famous landmark, Big Ben, and hold the distinction of being the largest electronically driven clocks in the UK. In 1953, electronic chimes were installed to serve as a memorial to the members of the Royal Liver Friendly Society who died during the two World Wars. During hours of darkness, the clock dials are illuminated.

Atop each tower stand the mythical Liver Birds, designed by Carl Bernard Bartels. Popular legend has it that while one giant bird looks out over the city to protect its people, the other bird looks out to sea at the new sailors coming in to port. [..read more..]

Manchester – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manchester (pronounced /?mænt??st?/) is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. Manchester, which has had city status since 1853, has a population of 441,200, making it the most populous district of Greater Manchester.^[1] Manchester also forms part of the larger Greater Manchester Urban Area which has a population of 2,240,230,^[2] making it the United Kingdom’s third largest conurbation. Two opinion polls in recent years have shown that many believe Manchester to be the United Kingdom’s second city^[3][4][5][6].

Manchester is often described as the “Capital of the North“.^[7][8] Forming part of the English Core Cities Group, Manchester today is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and commerce. Manchester is also regarded as the second best place to locate a business in the UK after London.^[9] It is the third most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors, after London and Edinburgh.^[10]sporting connections, with two major Premier League football teams, Manchester United and Manchester City,^[11] and hosted the XVII Commonwealth Games in 2002. Manchester is also well known for its

Manchester is credited as one of the world’s first industrialised cities^{[12][13][14][15][16]} and for the subsequent central role it played during the Industrial Revolution. It was the dominant international centre of textile manufacture and cotton spinning.^[17] During the 19th century it was nicknamed Cottonopolis,^[18] denoting that the area was a metropolis of cotton mills. Manchester City Centre is now on a “tentative list” of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, mainly due to its network of canals and mills, which facilitated its development during the 19th century.    [..read more..]

Cleopatra’s Needle – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cleopatra’s Needles are a trio of obelisks in London, Paris, and New York City. Each is made of red granite, stands about 21 metres (68 feet) high, weighs about 180 tons and is inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs. Although the needles are genuine Ancient Egyptian obelisks, they are somewhat misnamed as none has any connection with queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt. They were originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, around 1450 BC. The material of which they were cut is granite, brought from the quarries of Aswan, near the first cataract of the Nile. The inscriptions were added about 200 years later by Ramses II to commemorate his military victories. The obelisks were moved to Alexandria and set up in the Caesarium — a temple built by Cleopatra in honor of Mark Antony — by the Romans in 12 BC, during the reign of Augustus Caesar, but were toppled some time later. This had the fortuitous effect of burying their faces and so preserving most of the hieroglyphs from the effects of weathering.

The London needle is in the City of Westminster, on the Victoria Embankment near the Golden Jubilee Bridges. It was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by Mehemet Ali, the Albanian-born viceroy of Egypt, in commemoration of the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Although the British government welcomed the gesture, it declined to fund the expense of transporting it to London.

The obelisk remained in Alexandria until 1877 when Sir William James Erasmus Wilson, a distinguished anatomist and dermatologist, sponsored its transportation to London at a cost of some £10,000 (a very considerable sum in those days). It was dug out of the sand in which it had been buried for nearly 2,000 years and was encased in a great iron cylinder, 92 feet long and 15 feet in diameter, designed by the engineer John Dixon and dubbed Cleopatra. It had a vertical stem and stern, a rudder, two bilge keels, a mast for balancing sails, and a deck house. This acted as a floating pontoon which was to be towed to London by the ship Olga.   [..read more..]

London Eye – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is an observation wheel that completed construction in 1999 and opened to the public in March, 2000. As of June 2007, it is the largest observation wheel in the world, although there are larger ferris wheels, such as The Star of Nanchang, and a contender for the title in the Singapore Flyer due for completion in 2007.

The London Eye has become the most popular paid for UK visitor attraction, visited by over 3.5 million people a year.[1]

The London Eye stands 135 metres (443 ft) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, England, between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges (Coordinates: 51°30?12?N, 00°07?11?W). [..read more..]

Marble Arch – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument near Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, at the western end of Oxford Street, London, England, near the tube station of the same name. Only members of the royal family and the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are allowed to pass through the arch. 

In 1828, John Nash designed the arch based on the triumphal arch of Constantine in Rome. It was originally erected on The Mall as a gateway to the new Buckingham Palace (rebuilt by Nash from the former Buckingham House).

In 1851, the arch was moved to its present location during the building of the east front of the Palace. (A popular story says that the arch was moved because it was too narrow for the Queen’s state coach to pass through, but in fact the Gold State Coach passed under it during the Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953.) [..read more..]

London Heathrow Airport – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL), is one of the busiest airports in the world.^[1] The airport is the United Kingdom’s busiest airport, as well as being Europe’s busiest airport for passenger traffic (see Busiest airport claims section below) and the world’s busiest airport by international passenger traffic. The airport is owned and operated by BAA^[2] which is owned by the Spanish Ferrovial Group.^[3].

The airport is located towards the southern end of the London Borough of Hillingdon, 24 km (15 miles) west of Central London. It is one of two international London airports to be located within the boundary of the Greater London Area. To the north, Heathrow is surrounded by the built-up areas of Harlington, Harmondsworth, Longford and Cranford, to the east are Hounslow and Hatton, and to the south are East Bedfont and Stanwell. To the west, the M25 motorway separates the airport from Colnbrook in Berkshire.  [..read more..]

Yoweri Museveni – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (born c. 1944,^[1] Ntungamo, Uganda^[2]) has been the President of Uganda since January 29, 1986.

Museveni was involved in the war that toppled Idi Amin’s (1971–79) rule and the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of Milton Obote’s (1980–85) regime. With the notable exception of northern areas, Museveni has brought relative stability and economic growth to a country that has endured decades of government mismanagement, rebel activity and civil war. His tenure has also witnessed one of the most effective national responses to HIV/AIDS in Africa.

In the mid to late 1990s, Museveni was lauded by the West as part of a new generation of African leaders. His presidency has been marred, however, by involvement in civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other Great Lakes region conflicts. Rebellion in the north of Uganda continues to perpetuate one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies. Recent developments, including the abolition of Presidential term limits before the 2006 elections and the harassment of democratic opposition, have attracted concern from domestic commentators and the international community. [..read more..]

Ruwenzori Range – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ruwenzori Range, now officially called Rwenzori Mountains (the spelling having been changed in about 1980 to conform more closely with the local tribal name) is a small but spectacular mountain range of central Africa, often referred to as Mt. Rwenzori, located on the border between Uganda and the DRC, with heights of up to 5,109 m (16,761 ft) at 0°23?09?N, 29°52?18?ECoordinates: 0°23?09?N, 29°52?18?E. The highest Rwenzoris are permanently snow-capped, and they, along with Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya are the only such in Africa. The Ruwenzoris are often identified with the “Mountains of the Moon” mentioned by Ptolemy, but the descriptions are too vague to make this definite.

The range is about 120 km (75 mi) long and 65 km (40 mi) wide. It consists of six massifs separated by deep gorges: Mount Stanley (5,109m), Mount Speke (4,890m), Mount Baker (4,843m), Mount Emin (4,798m), Mount Gessi (4,715m) and Mount Luigi di Savoia (4,627m).^[1] Mount Stanley is the largest and has several subsidiary summits, with Margherita Peak being the highest point. The rock is metamorphic, and the mountains are believed to have been tilted and squeezed upwards by plate movement. They are in an extremely humid area, and frequently enveloped in clouds.

The Ruwenzori are known for their vegetation, ranging from tropical rainforest through alpine meadows to snow; and for their animal population, including forest elephants, several primate species and many endemic birds. One zone is known for its six metre high heather covered in moss, another for its giant lobelia. Most of the range is now a World Heritage Site and is covered jointly by The Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda and the Parc National des Virunga in Congo. [..read more..]

John Hanning Speke – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Hanning Speke (May 4, 1827 – September 15, 1864) was an officer in the British Indian army, who made three voyages of exploration to Africa.In 1844 he joined the British Indian Army where he served in the Sikh War under Sir Colin Campbell. He spent his leave exploring the Himalaya Mountains and once crossed into Tibet.

In 1854 he made his first voyage, joining the already famous Richard Francis Burton on an expedition to Somalia. The expedition did not go well. The party was attacked and Burton and Speke were both severely wounded. Speke was captured and stabbed several times with spears before he was able to free himself and escape. Burton escaped with a javelin impaling both cheeks. Speke returned to England to recover and then served in the Crimea War.

In 1856, Speke and Burton made a voyage to East Africa to find the great lakes which were rumoured to exist in the center of the country. Both men clearly hoped that their expedition would locate the source of the Nile. The journey was extremely strenuous and both men fell ill from a variety of tropical diseases. Speke suffered severely when he became temporarily deaf after a beetle crawled into his ear and he had to remove it with a knife. He also later went temporarily blind. After an arduous journey the two became the first Europeans to discover Lake Tanganyika (although Speke was still blind at this point and could not properly see the lake). They heard of a second lake in the area, but Burton was too sick to make the voyage. Speke thus went alone, and found the lake, which he christened Lake Victoria. It was this lake which eventually proved to be the source of the river Nile. However, much of the expedition’s survey equipment had been lost at this point and thus vital questions about the height and extent of the lake could not be answered. [..read more..]

Uganda – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa, bordered on the east by Kenya, the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom, which encompasses a portion of the south of the country including the capital Kampala.

Uganda became an independent nation in 1962, with Edward Muteesa II, the Kabaka (King) of Buganda as the President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces, and Milton Obote as Prime Minister. In 1966, Obote overthrew the constitution and declared himself president, ushering in an era of coups and counter-coups which would last until the mid-1980s. Obote was deposed twice from office, both times by military coup.

Idi Amin took power in 1971, ruling the country with the military for the coming decade.^[7] Idi Amin’s rule cost an estimated 300,000 Ugandans’ lives. He forcibly removed the entrepreneurial Indian minority from Uganda, decimating the economy. His reign was ended after the Uganda-Tanzania War in 1979 in which Tanzanian forces aided by Ugandan exiles invaded Uganda. This led to the return of Obote, who was deposed once more in 1985 by General Tito Okello. Okello ruled for six months until he was deposed after the so called “bush war” by the National Resistance Army (NRM) operating under the leadership of the current president, Yoweri Museveni.

Museveni has been in power since 1986. In the mid to late 1990s, he was lauded by the West as part of a new generation of African leaders. His presidency has been fouled, however, by involvement in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other conflicts in the Great Lakes region, as well as the civil war against the Lord’s Resistance Army. [..read more..]

OR Tambo International Airport – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OR Tambo International Airport (IATA: JNB, ICAO: FAJS) is a large airport near the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to/from South Africa and is Africa’s busiest airport, handling over 16 million passengers in 2005. The airport is the hub of South Africa’s largest international and domestic carrier, South African Airways (SAA), and a number of smaller local airlines.

It was formerly officially known as Johannesburg International Airport and before that as Jan Smuts International Airport (explaining the airport’s ICAO code, FAJS) after the South African statesman of that name. The first renaming was done in 1994 when the newly reformed South African government implemented a national policy of not naming airports after politicians. It was renamed again on 27 October 2006 after Oliver Tambo, the former President of the African National Congress^[2]. (ANC) [..read more..]

Indian Ocean – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world’s oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the Earth’s water surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, after which it is named); on the west by Africa; on the east by the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean (or, traditionally, by Antarctica). One component of the all-encompassing World Ocean, the Indian Ocean is delineated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20° east meridian running south from Cape Agulhas,^[1] and from the Pacific by the 147° east meridian. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30° north latitude in the Persian Gulf and, thus, has asymmetric ocean circulation. This ocean is nearly 10,000 kilometers (6,200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia; its area is 73,556,000 square kilometers (28,400,000 mi²), including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

The ocean’s volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 cubic kilometers (70,086,000 mi³). Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nations within the ocean are Madagascar (formerly Malagasy Republic), the world’s fourth largest island; Comoros; Seychelles; Maldives; Mauritius; and Sri Lanka. Indonesia borders it. The ocean’s importance as a transit route between Asia and Africa has made it a scene of conflict. Because of its size, however, no nation had successfully dominated most of it until the early 1800s when Britain controlled much of the surrounding land. Since World War II, the ocean has been dominated by India and Australia. [..read more..]

Sun Yat-sen – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sun Yat-sen (November 12, 1866 – March 12, 1925) was a Chinese revolutionary and political leader often referred to as the “father of modern China.” Sun played an instrumental role in the eventual overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He was the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912. He later co-founded the Kuomintangpost-Imperial China, and remains unique among 20th century Chinese politicians for being widely revered in both mainland China and in Taiwan. (KMT) where he served as its first leader. Sun was a uniting figure in

Although Sun is considered one of the greatest leaders of modern China, his political life was one of constant struggle and frequent exile. After the success of the revolution, he quickly fell out of power in the newly-founded Republic of China, and led successive revolutionary governments as a challenge to the warlords who controlled much of the nation. Sun did not live to see his party bring about consolidation of power over the country. His party, which formed a fragile alliance with the communists, split into two factions after his death. Sun’s chief legacy resides in his developing a political philosophy known as the Three Principles of the People (nationalism, democracy, and the people’s livelihood/welfare), which still influence Chinese government today. [..read more..]

Tzadikim Nistarim – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tzadikim Nistarim or Lamed Vav Tzadikim (?”? ??????) refers to 36 Righteous (or Saintly) people, a notion rooted within the more mystical dimensions of Judaism. (In Hebrew gematria, Lamed is the letter representing “thirty”, and vav represents “six”. Tzadikim is the plural for “righteous” or “saintly”). They are also known as the Lamed vavniks (the “Thirty Six” [people]). They may also be referred to as Tzadikim Nistarim: “Hidden Righteous [Saints]“.

Mystical Hasidic Judaism as well as other segments of Judaism know that there is the Jewish tradition of 36 righteous men whose role in life is to justify the purpose of mankind in the eyes of God; their identity is unknown to each other; if one of them comes to a realization of his true purpose then he may die and his role is immediately assumed by another person:

The Lamed-Vav Tzaddikim are also called the Nistarim (“concealed ones”). In our folk tales, they emerge from their self-imposed concealment and, by the mystic powers, which they possess, they succeed in averting the threatened disasters of a people persecuted by the enemies that surround them. They return to their anonymity as soon as their task is accomplished, ‘concealing’ themselves once again in a Jewish community wherein they are relatively unknown. The lamed-vavniks, scattered as they are throughout the Diaspora, have no acquaintance with one another. On very rare occasions, one of them is ‘discovered’ by accident, in which case the secret of their identity must not be disclosed. The lamed-vavniks do not themselves know that they are one of the 36. In fact, tradition has it that should a person claim to be one of the 36, that is proof positive that he is certainly not one. Since the 36 are each exemplars of anavah, (“humility”), having such a virtue would preclude against one’s self-proclamation of being among the special righteous. The 36 are simply too humble to believe that they are one of the 36. [..read more..]

Independence Day (film) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Independence Day (also known as its promotional abbreviation ID4) is an Academy Award winning 1996 science fictionfilm directed by Roland Emmerich. The film’s main plot is about an attempted alien takeover of Earth and features several scenes of major landmarks being destroyed by the aliens, such as the White House, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the US Bank Tower in Los Angeles.The film’s success was partially credited to an extensive marketing campaign which began in the United States with a dramatic commercial during Super Bowl XXX. The movie was scheduled for release on July 3, 1996, but due to the high level of anticipation for the film, many theaters began showing it on the evening of July 2, 1996, the same day the action in the film begins. The movie’s total gross was $816,969,268, the 15th highest gross for a movie all-time. [..read more..]

Itäkeskus shopping centre – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Itäkeskus shopping centre is a shopping centre in the district of Itäkeskus in East Helsinki, Finland. It is the largest covered-in shopping centre in the Nordic countries, with a gross leasable area of 96,300 square metres, nearly 240 different shops (including about 30 restaurants and cafés) and 3000 parking spaces. Located nearby is also the Itäkeskus metro station.

The shopping centre is divided into four sections: Pasaasi, Pikku-Bulevardi, Bulevardi, and Piazza. It has five floors, with the shops and other commercial services mainly concentrated on the first and second floors. The other floors are reserved mainly for parking and office space. The largest shops in the complex are Stockmann, Anttila, and H&M. [..read more..]

Robotic surgery – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robotic surgery is the use of robots in performing surgery. Three major advances aided by surgical robots have been remote surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and unmanned surgery.^[1] Major potential advantages of robotic surgery are precision and miniaturization. Further advantages are articulation beyond normal manipulation and three-dimensional magnification. Some surgical robots are autonomous, and they are not always under the control of a surgeon. They are only sometimes used as tools to extend the surgical skills of a trained surgeon.

In 1985 a robot, the PUMA 560, was used to place a needle for a brain biopsy using CT guidance. In 1988, the PROBOT, developed at Imperial College London, was used to perform prostatic surgery. The ROBODOC from Integrated Surgical Systems was introduced in 1992, and is a robot to mill out precise fittings in the femur for hip replacement surgery. Further development of robotic systems was carried out by Intuitive Surgical with the introduction of the da Vinci Surgical SystemComputer Motion with the and AESOP and the ZEUS robotic surgical system. [..read more..]

Pope John XX – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There has never been a Pope John XX, because the 20th pope of this name, formerly Petrus Hispanus, decided to skip the number XX and to be counted as John XXI instead. He wanted to correct what in his time was believed to be an error in the counting of his predecessors John XV through XIX.  [..read more..]

Warren “Potsie” Weber – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Warren “Potsie” Weber was played by Anson Williams on the sitcom Happy Days. He was a friend of Richie CunninghamRalph Malph, who often spent time at Arnold’s Drive In. He was characterized as not being very bright, somewhat gullible, socially clumsy, and in modern hindsight, very “square”. An enthusiastic singer, he was frequently called a nerd by friends and acquaintances. Potsie’s extremely sour relationship with his dad, (never seen on camera), was a minor running joke on the series, with lines such as “I’m gonna talk to my dad too… it will be the first time in six months!” and

Initially at the start of the series, he appeared with best friend Richie in the plots and appeared to be more savvy than Richie, a character trait that would be dropped by the writers. As the series progressed, and with the breakout character Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli becoming close friends with Richie, Postie was more commonly paired with Ralph in stories, even more so when the pair rented an appartment together upon leaving high-school. [..read more..]

Great Smog of 1952 – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Great Smog also referred to as the Big Smoke, befell London starting on 5 December 1952, and lasted until 9 December 1952. This catastrophe caused or advanced the death of thousands and formed an important impetus to the modern environmental movement.

Early in December 1952, a cold fog descended upon London. Because of the cold, Londoners began to burn more coal than usual. The resulting air pollution was trapped by the inversion layer formed by the dense mass of cold air. Concentrations of pollutants, coal smoke in particular, built up dramatically. The problem was made worse by use of low-quality high-sulfur coal for home heating in London in order to permit export of higher-quality coal, because of the country’s tenuous economic situation [1]. The “fog,” or smog, was so thick that driving became difficult or impossible. It entered indoors easily, and concerts and screenings of films were cancelled as the audience could not see the stage or screen.

Since London was known for its fog, there was no great panic at the time. In the weeks that followed, the medical services compiled statistics and found that the fog had killed 4,000 people—most of whom were very young or elderly, or had pre-existing respiratory problems. There was relief that Queen Mary The Queen Dowager, then aged 85 and suffering with respiratory problems, was not at Buckingham Palace at the time of the incident. Another 8,000 died in the weeks and months that followed. 12,000 Londoners died during and after the Great London Smog.  [..read more..]

Arnhem Land – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arnhem Land is an area of 97,000 km² in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, Australia. The region was named by Matthew Flinders after the Dutch ship Arnhem which explored the coast in 1623.

Declared an Aboriginal Reserve in 1931, it remains one of the largest Aboriginal Reserves in Australia and is perhaps best known for its remoteness, its art, and the strong continuing traditions of its Indigenous inhabitants. Northeast Arnhem Land is home to the indigenous Yolngu people, one of the largest Indigenous groups in Australia, and one of the few groups who have succeeded in maintaining a vigorous traditional indigenous culture.The area extends from Port Roper on the Gulf of Carpentaria around the coast to the East Alligator River where it adjoins Kakadu National Park. The major centres are Jabiru on the Kakadu National Park border, Maningrida on the Liverpool River mouth, and Nhulunbuy (also known as Gove) in the far north-east, on the Gove Peninsula. Gove is the site of large scale Bauxite mining with an associated alumina refinery. Its administrative centre is the town of Nhulunbuy, the fourth-largest population centre in the Northern Territory.  [..read more..]

George Barna – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Barna is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture. He leads seminars for church leaders, speaks at ministry conferences, has taught at seminaries, and has been a pastor. He has also written more than three-dozen books on contemporary Christian issues, with topics ranging from children to leadership. Barna has coined several terms, including Mosaic Generation, which he uses to describe those born between 1984 and 2002; theolographics, used to describe the theological perspectives and applications of people; and spiritainment, which describes the blending of spiritality and entertainment toward influencing people’s spiritual perspectives.

Polls produced by The Barna Group are the most quoted polls within Evangelical circles. They are generally interpreted from an evangelical perspective. His research has revealed “a radical gap between what we heard Christians professing they believed and the values and the lifestyle that grew out of the values.” [..read more..]

Methodism – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Methodism or the Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity. The Methodist movement traces its origin to the evangelistic teaching of John Wesley. It originated in 18th century Britain, and through vigorous missionary activity, spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond. Originally it appealed especially to workers, agricultural workers, and slaves. Theologically most Methodists are Arminian, emphasizing that Christ accomplished salvation for every human being, and that humans must exercise an act of the will to be saved (as opposed to the Calvinist doctrine of limited atonement); and low church in liturgy (although this varies greatly in individual chapels; the Wesleys themselves greatly valued the Anglican liturgy and tradition). There are also a number of Calvinistic Methodists in Wales. In 2006 Methodism claimed some seventy-five million members worldwide.  [..read more..]

Diners Club – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Diners Club International, originally founded as Diners Club, is a credit card company formed in 1950 by Frank X. McNamara, Ralph Schneider and Casey R. Taylor. When it first emerged, it became the first independent credit card company in the world.

While many stores and businesses were in the practice of extending credit to their customers, or allowing them to set up charge accounts, the idea behind Diners Club was that the same card could be used to pay a variety of merchants. In 1950, the first Diners Club cards were given out to 200 associates of McNamara, mostly salesmen who often needed to dine with clients. Diners Club had signed up 14 restaurants in New York City. Membership grew quickly as both new customers applied for the card and more restaurants signed on. By the end of 1950, Diners Club had 20,000 customers and was accepted at over 1000 restaurants.  [..read more..]

Bruce Cockburn – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bruce Cockburn, OC (IPA ['kob?rn]; phonetically: “co-burn”) (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer/songwriter. He has recorded an immense volume of work, his 29th album being released in summer 2006, and has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.

He had made his first solo appearance at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1967, and was the headliner when Neil Young cancelled in order to appear at Woodstock. In 1970 he released his first, self-titled, solo album. Cockburn’s phenomenal guitar work and songwriting skills won him an enthusiastic following. His early work sparkles with rural and nautical imagery, biblical metaphors, and a sense of delight in the belief that whatever happens here on earth, heaven isn’t far away. Early in his career he became a devout Christian; many of his albums from the 1970s show evidence of his religious beliefs. His use of Christianity in his music is from such a fresh and personal perspective that it draws in nonbelievers and people from other faiths almost voyeuristically. “I’m certainly not a Christian, but if I were, I’d want to be one like Bruce” is a not uncommon refrain among his listeners.  [..read more..]

W. G. Grace – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Gilbert “WG” Grace (July 18, 1848 – October 23, 1915) was an English cricketer who, by his extraordinary skills, made cricket perhaps the first modern spectator sport, and who developed most of the techniques of modern batting.

He was often referred to in print by his initials, and “W.G.” became something of a sobriquet for him. He had many others, too, including a few family ones that were never used in cricketing circles (“Gilby”, “Willy”, “William” and, most commonly, “Gilbert”). His mother is described as admonishing him, after he had been dismissed playing a poor shot: “How many times, Gilbert, have I told you how to play that ball?” He was also known in his later career as “The Doctor”, “The Old Man” (although this came into being when he was still in his early thirties) or, perhaps most fittingly, “The Champion”.

Grace played Test cricket against Australia from 1880 onwards, but he was already past his peak at that stage.

He was a doctor by profession and played cricket as a (nominal) amateur throughout his career.  [..read more..]

Maputo – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maputo is the capital of Mozambique. A port on the Indian Ocean, its economy is centered around the harbour. It has an official population of approximately 966,837 (1997), but the actual population is estimated to be much higher due to slums and other unofficial settlements. Coal, cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwood are the chief exports. The city manufactures cement, pottery, furniture, shoes, and rubber. There is also a large aluminiumsmelting plant, Mozal. The city is surrounded by Maputo Province, but is administered as its own province. Maputo is located on the west side of Maputo Bay, at the mouth of the Tembe River. The bay is 95 km (50 mi) long and 30 km (20 mi) wide. The Maputo River empties into the southern end of the bay. [..read more..]

Jerry Seinfeld – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jerome Seinfeld (born April 29, 1954) is a Golden Globe- and Emmy award-winning American comedian, actor, and writer. Seinfeld is often described as an observational comedian. He is best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the long-running sitcom Seinfeld, which he co-created and executive produced.

Seinfeld was born in Brooklyn, New York City to Jewish parents. His father, Kálmán, was of Hungarian Jewish background and his mother, Betty, was of Syrian Jewish background. He grew up in Massapequa, New York and went to Massapequa High School. He then attended the State University of New York at Oswego in upstate New York, but he transferred out after a few semesters. During his time in college, he was an amateur wrestler who called himself “The Jewish Terror.” [..read more..]

Seven Years’ War – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Seven Years’ War⁽ⁱ⁾ (1754 and 1756–1763), incorporating the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War, enveloped both European and colonial theatres. The war was described by Winston Churchill as the first world war,^[1] as it was the first conflict in human history to be fought around the globe, although most of the combatants were either European nations or their overseas colonies.

This war involved all of the major European powers of the period: Prussia, Hanover, and Great Britain (including British colonies in North America, the British East India Company, and Ireland) were pitted against Austria, France (including the North American colony of New France and the French East India Company), the Russian Empire, Sweden, and Saxony. Spain and Portugal were later drawn into the conflict, and a force from the neutral Netherlands was attacked in India.  [..read more..]

Paul Broca – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pierre Paul Broca (June 28, 1824 – July 9, 1880) was a French physician, anatomist, and anthropologist. He was born in Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, France.

Broca was a brilliant student. He entered medical school in Paris when he was only 17 years old and graduated at 20, when most of his contemporaries were just beginning as medical students.

Broca soon became a professor of surgical pathology at the University of Paris. He quickly excelled as a noted medical researcher in many areas. At the age of 24 he had received many awards, medals, and important positions. His early scientific works dealt with the histology of cartilage and bone, but he also studied cancer pathology, the treatment of aneurysms, and infant mortality. One of his major concerns was the comparative anatomy of the brain. His celebrated paper refers to many animal species. As a neuroanatomist he made important contributions to the understanding of the limbic system and rhinencephalon. Olfaction was for him a sign of animality. His research on the localization of speech led to entirely new research into the lateralization of brain function.

Burundi – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Burundi (IPA: /bu?undi/), officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa. It is bordered by Rwanda on the north, Tanzania on the south and east, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west. Although the country is landlocked, much of its western border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika. The country’s modern name is derived from its Bantu language, Kirundi.

Geographically isolated, facing population pressures and having sparse resources, Burundi has the lowest GDP per capita in the world arguably making it the poorest country on the planet. It is also one of the most conflict-ridden countries in Africa and in the world. Its small size belies the magnitude of the problems it faces in reconciling the claims of the Tutsi minority with the Hutu majority. [..read more..]

Queen’s Personal Australian Flag – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Queen’s Personal Australian Flag, sometimes known as the Royal Standard of Australia is the personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II in her role as Queen of Australia. The flag was approved for use in 1962. It is only used by the Queen when she is in Australia, or attending an event abroad in her role as head of state of Australia. The Queen’s representative, the Governor-General of Australia has their own flag.

The flag consists of a banner of the coat of arms of Australia, defaced with a gold seven-pointed star with a blue disc containing the letter E below a crown, surrounded by a garland of golden roses. [..read more..]

Fairport Convention – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fairport Convention is often credited with being the first English electric folk band. Formed in April 1967, with Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, Ashley Hutchings and Shaun Frater, Fairport rapidly developed from playing cover versions of American ‘west coast’ style music to an individual style which melded rock music with traditional English tunes and songs.

Bedevilled by numerous personnel changes throughout its first decade, Fairport Convention was temporarily disbanded in 1979 but played annual reunion concerts until it reformed in 1985. Since then, it has enjoyed stability and continues to tour and record regularly.

In part, the continuing success of Fairport Convention is due to the annual music festival it organises. Cropredy Festival has been held every year since 1974 near Cropredy, a village five miles north of Banbury, Oxfordshire and attracts 20,000 fans. Now renamed Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, it remains one of the key events in the UK folk festival calendar. [..read more..]

Project Daedalus – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Project Daedalus was a study conducted between 1973 and 1978 by the British Interplanetary Society to design a plausible interstellar unmanned spacecraft. A dozen scientists and engineers led by Alan Bond worked on the project, and settled on proposing a fusion rocket as its drive.

The design criteria had specified that the spacecraft had to use current or near-future technology and had to be able to reach its destination within a human lifetime (a flight time of 50 years was allocated). However, as noted above, it was not to be manned, being intended mainly as a scientific probe.

The target chosen was Barnard’s Star, 5.9 light years away, which at the time was believed to possess at least one planet (the evidence on which this belief was based has since been discredited). However, the design was required to be flexible enough that it could be sent to any of a number of other target stars. [..read more.. ]

Alcestis – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alcestis is a princess in Greek mythology, known for her love of her husband. Her story was popularised in Euripides’s tragedy Alcestis. She was the daughter of Pelias, king of Iolcus, and either Anaxibia or Phylomache.

In the story, many suitors appeared before King Pelias, her father, when she became of age to marry. It was declared she would marry the first man to yoke a lion and a boar (or a bear in some cases) to a chariot. The man who would do this, King Admetus, was helped by Apollo, who had been banished from Olympus for 9 years to serve as a shepherd to Admetus. With Apollo’s help, Admetus completed the king’s task, and was allowed to marry Alcestis. After the wedding, Admetus forgot to make the required sacrifice to Artemis, and found his bed full of snakes.  [..read more.. ]

Archbishop of Uppsala – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Archbishop of Uppsala (spelled Upsala until early 20th century) has been the primate in Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church.

There have been bishops in Uppsala from the time of Swedish King Ingold the Elder in the 11th century. They were governed by the archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen until Uppsala was made an archbishopric in 1164. The archbishop in Lund (which at that time belonged to Denmark) was simultaneously declared primate of Sweden, meaning it was his right to select and ordain the Uppsala archbishop by handing him the pallium. But to gain independence, Folke Johansson Ängel in 1274 went to Rome and was ordained directly by the Pope. This practice was ever increasing, so that no Uppsala archbishop has been ordained in Lund after Olov Björnsson, in 1318. But not until 1457 was the archbishop Jöns Bengtsson (Oxenstierna) allowed to declare himself prima Suecia. [..read more.. ]

Cat flap – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A cat flap (British English) or kitty door (American English) is a hinged flap set into a door, wall or window to allow cats to enter and exit a house on their own without needing a human to open the door. Doggie doors similarly exist for dogs.

Cat flaps are popular in some countries, particularly the United Kingdom where it is believed that about 90% of cats have access to the outdoors.

The cat flap was invented by Sir Isaac Newton when he was conducting experiments on light and prisms in his attic. His carefully controlled lighting conditions could be maintained and allow access for his cat. The pendulum effect of the cat flap also demonstrates Newton’s Third law of motion.  [..read more.. ]