Monday, October 31, 2011

Haunted White House


Photo courtesy CherylHarness.com

In addition to many former presidents, presidents' wives, a black cat, and a British soldier, probably the most widely reported spectre to haunt the White House is Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).  Many guests of the White House, including Queen Wihelmina of the Netherlands (1880-1962), has reported seeing him in rooms or in the halls.

Not only have ghosts been reported just sitting or walking in the White House, some have been seen hard at work.  Abigail Adams (1880-1962), wife of John Adams (1735-1826), used to do her own laundry, and has been reported hanging her laundry in the East Room to dry just as she did during the time she lived in the White House.

For more information, see this topic on the websites of Suite101.com, Haunted-Places.com, and History.com.  Also see the book by Cheryl Harness, Ghosts of the White House (photo above).

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Klicks


Photo courtesy military.com

The term "klick", used by the U.S. Military, is slang for kilometer, which is 1000 meters or 0.62 miles.  Its use by the American military is speculated to have begun in the 1950's or 1960's, possibly when American soldiers heard this or a similar term used by Germans, or Canadians, or Australians when referring to kilometers.

For more information on this and other U.S. military history, visit the Olive-Drab website for a listing of military history websites.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Can You Recite the Aeneid By Heart In Latin?

Garfield, James Abram images
Photo:  Public Domain

James Garfield (1831-1881), 20th president of the United States of America, was a great intellect.  In addition to his accomplishments both greater and lesser, he could recite the entire Aenid by heart in Latin!

For more information, see the interview with Candice Millard about her book, Destiny of the Republic.

Friday, October 28, 2011

A Natural Hole in the Head

Brain : x-ray head - healthy brain
Photo courtesy of 123rf.com

Johns Hopkins has developed a new brain surgery technique that leaves no scar, because entry to the brain is gained through a "natural hole" in the head:  inside the mouth behind the molars, above the jawbone, and beneath the cheekbone.

For more information, see the article at MedicalNewsToday.com.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Bark Cloth


Photo courtesy National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka

For centuries cloth has been made out of tree bark by people in parts of Africa, India, Polynesia, Hawaii, Fiji, Malay Peninsula, Samoa, and Central America.  The outer tree bark is stripped away, then the inner bark is cut or stripped from trees such as fig, paper mulberry, and breadfruit.  The soft inner-bark of these trees is flexible to begin with, then it is soaked and beaten until it's very flexible, then decorated and used as clothing, house decoration, and in religious ceremonies.

For more information see the article on Questia.com.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Would You Fly In A Plastic Plane?



Photo courtesy of boeing787.net

The newest airplane in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner series landed its inaugural flight in Hong Kong a couple of hours ago.  This new plane is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, not the metal of traditional planes.  It is comparatively light-weight, therefore is requires less fuel and maintenance, and so is cheaper to operate.

For more information, see an older news-story on the website for BBC News, and a current update from the Associated Press story in the Peoria, IL Journal Star newspaper's website.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Golden & Orange & Red, Oh My!


Photo courtesy of freeimages.co.uk

My favorite tree is the Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum (pictured above).  I love the red, lacy leaves that are beautiful in the summer and even more brilliant in the fall.  What I didn't know is that there are more than 400 varieties of Japanese Maple trees divided into five types based on size, leaf shape, and color; and that some have golden or yellow or orange leaves!  I also didn't know that some Japanese Maples are cultivars, which means they are not propagated by seed, but by cuttings, tissue cultures, budding or grafting.

For more information, see the websites of the National Gardening Association and the National Plant Data Center.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The World's Best Diamonds Are...

The Hope Diamond Necklace
Photo of the Hope Diamond courtesy of the Smithsonian

Most people in the U.S. know that the largest deep blue diamond in the world, the Hope Diamond, is housed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.  What you may not know--I did not know--is that it is believed to have been mined from the legendary and now depleted Golconda diamond mine in India.  The diamonds that came from the Golconda mine are identified by a complete lack of nitrogen, making them the most beautiful diamonds in existence, with their own special classification of IIa.  Only 2% of all diamonds qualify for this classification.  Golconda diamonds are some of the largest diamonds in the world, and are also characterized by their unique "old-world" cuts.

The Golconda mines were opened in about the 4th century B.C., and were depleted by the mid-1800's.  Some of the most famous diamonds in the world come from the mine, including the pink Darya-i-Nur (Sea of Light) that is set in a brooch, and the pink Noor-ol-Ain that is set in a tiara, both of which are in the collection of the Iranian Crown Jewels; and the Orlov that is set in the sceptre of Catherine the Great.

For more information, see the DiamondVues website, and the AllAboutGemstones website.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Getting Mushy About Mushrooms


Photo of matsutake mushrooms courtesy of JapanGuidebook.com

There are over 10,000 types of mushrooms.  The mushroom is a member of the Fungi Kingdom classification (separate from plants, animals, and bacteria).  Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi.  The most expensive mushroom in the world is Japan's matsuki mushroom, which can sell for $1,000 per pound.

Here is a cookbook, Wild About Mushrooms, published by the Mycological Society of San Francisco.

For more information about mushrooms, visit the websites for The Mushroom Council, The American Mushroom Institute, and Mushroom-Appreciation.com.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Tokyo Governor's Crazed Fruit

Crazed Fruit
Photo courtesy of ProductWiki

Considered by some to be the Japanese equivalent of Rebel Without a Cause, Ko Nakahira's Crazed Fruit has long been one of my favorite movies (see View My Complete Profile near the bottom of this page).  It is a 1956 film based on the novel, Season of the Sun, by Ishahara Shintaro (born 1932), which won the Akutagawa Prize in 1955.  It is about the "Sun Tribe", which was a discontented-youth culture in 1950's Japan. 

What I didn't know was that one of the film's stars was the brother of Ishihara Shintaro, Ishihara Yujiro (1934-1987).  I also didn't know that Ishihara Yujiro became an icon of 1950's and 1960's Japanese films, and achieved a status in Japan much like that of James Dean in the United States.  I also didn't know that since 1999 Ishihara Shintaro has been governor of Tokyo.

Here's the Toronto Japanese Film Appreciation Pow-Wow blog about The Top Ten Films that Changed Japanese Cinema; Crazed Fruit is number six.

Here's an interview on FORA.tv with Donald Richie, writer, journalist, and a leading authority on Japanese films.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Did You Remember To Get Your REM Sleep?

Brain And Thinking : Head illuminated by the energy of the brain. Concept of thinking, the power of mind.
Photo courtesy 123rf.com

During REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) sleep, information is transferred from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.  Although individuals vary in the amount of sleep necessary to function well in their waking lives, lack of enough deep sleep interferes with one's having enough REM cycles necessary to allow the brain to process memory fully and properly.

For more information, see this article by Jie John Zhang, Ph.D. in the Journal of Theoretics.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Have You Heard of Herds of Seahorses?



seahorse facts

Yes, a group of seahorses is called a herd.  Seahorses are carnivorous fish found in shallow tropical waters.  They do not have teeth or a stomach, so food passes quickly through them, which requires that they constantly eat to stay alive.   A two-week old seahorse can eat up to 4,000 brine shrimp per day.  The average lifespan of seahorses is one to five years.  The scientific name is Hippocampus, and there are over 50 kinds of seahorses.  The different kinds of seahorses range in size from 1/2 inch to 8 inches.

Mating occurs year-round, usually under a full moon.  During mating a female seahorse will deposit her eggs into the pouch of a male.  The male fertilizes the eggs by releasing his sperm into the water then swimming through it.  Then the male continues to carry the eggs until birth, which is unique in all of nature.  Gestation lasts up to six weeks.  As few as five or as many as about 1,500 can be born.  Less than 1% of young seahorses make it to adulthood, mainly because they have to fend for themselves as soon as they are born.

For more information, pictures, and videos, click to view Seahorse Worlds website.


The Fascinating Celebes Sea

The Celebes Sea is home to more underwater species than anywhere else on the earth, including 580 of the world's 793 species of reef-building corals, and about 3,000 species of fish.

For more info, click to view The Encyclopedia of Earth website.

For more maps, click to view The World Atlas website

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fully Intact Viking Boat Burial Site Discovered in Scotland

map of Scotland showing Adrnamurchen

"The UK mainland's first fully intact Viking boat burial site has been uncovered in the west Highlands, archaeologists have said.  The site, at Ardnamurchan, is thought to be more than 1,000 years old.   Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.  Archaeologist Dr Hannah Cobb said the 'artefacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain'."  Read more and see pictures at BBC News Highlands and Islands.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Sextus Julius Frontinus & the Roman Aqueducts

Roman Empire waterway in Nimes

"By the middle of the 1st century AD Rome had nine aqueducts, which were the subject of a detailed treatise written by the distinguished Roman senator and consul Sextus Julius Frontinus in his capacity as curator aquarum (head of the water board).  Only two aqueducts were added in the later empire, bringing the total length to over 450 km (280 miles).  It is Frontinus who gives us much of the statistical data usually cited on the aqueducts of Rome, although some of his figures are questionable."  From page 235 of The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World:  The Great Monuments and How They Were Built, edited by Chris Scarre, published by Thames & Hudson.

For more information, see the page on Sextus Julius Frontinus at WaterHistory.org.

Maps and History

"The history and pre-history of the historical atlas are commonly understood in Western terms.  The first known historical atlas is generally given as the Parergon of Abraham Ortelius, published in Antwerp in 1579, initially as part of his general atlas, but from 1624 as a separate work. 

Yet it is also possible to draw attention to independent developments in China.  The first map in China dates from about 2100 BC and appeared on the outside of a ding (ancient cooking vessel), and a map of a graveyard produced between 323-15 BC was uncovered in a tomb in 1977.  Maps in China certainly became more common under the Western (or 'Former') Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 9), although very few have survived from before the twelfth century."

From page 2 of Maps and History: Constructing Images of the Past, by Jeremy Black, published by Yale University Press.
Go to "Maps and History: Constructing Images of the Past" page

Monday, October 17, 2011

What does Denim have to do with the metal Iron?

Iron : View of wrought iron decorative fence surrounding a gravesite in an old graveyard Stock PhotoDenim : Closeup detail of a blue jeans Stock Photo
Photos courtesy of 123rf.com

In the process of dying bluejean-denim indigo blue, the synthetic indigo-dye first turns the cotton yarn a bright green, then as it dries the oxidation process turns it dark indigo blue, a process that is much the same as the oxidation of iron.  See how it's done on "Factory Made" on the Science Channel today: http://science.discovery.com/videos/factory-made-full/

Epicurus, the "Garden Philosopher"

Epicurus
Epicurus of Sámos (341-270 BCE), the Greek “garden philosopher,” was an ancient sage who left us an enduring message of optimism. His philosophy conveyed the ultimate conviction that individuals can live in serene happiness, fortified by the continual experience of modest pleasures.  http://www.epicurus.info/

He is called the garden philosopher because in 307 or 306 BC in Athens he founded The Garden, a school named for the garden that served as the school's meeting place.

Hindu Doctrine: Music is Origin of Life


"Music was linked with the origin of life itself in some traditions, notably in India where sound is regarded in Hindu doctrine as the primordial vibration of divine energy.  From this comes the legend of Krishna's flute, which brought the world into existence."  Dictionary of Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons, and Emblems, by Jack Tresidder, published by Chronicle Books.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Pumpkin-Shaped Cake!

You can make a cake that looks like a pumpkin by baking two bundt cakes and placing one upside down on a plate, and placing the second one on top with the flat sides together--clever!

For recipe and assembly, click here for the chocolate version pictured below. It is number 4 in the slide show.

For a similar recipe and assembly, click here for a vanilla version with different icing.


Monarch Butterflies: Fall 2011 Migration to Mexico


Photo courtesy of Photos.com
Because the extreme drought in Texas this summer has left much less than normal water and flowers for the Monarch Butterflies to feed on as they travel south from Canada along the Eastern Seaboard to their winter home about 60 miles west of Mexico City, the numbers arriving in Mexico are expected to be the lowest in history.  Click here for more details.

Christmas Trees in the United States

Concolor Fir
In the 19th century, cultivated trees from tree farms became popular and preferred as they had a more symmetrical shape than those grown in the wild.  Today, the Christmas tree farm industry is made up of 15,000 growers, employing 100,000 people, and producing 33 to 36 million trees per year.  Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii!  Each year, 77 million trees are planted, because it takes 6 to 12 years, depending on the species, for an evergreen tree to mature.  For more information, click here to go to the National Christmas Tree Association's website.

Thanks to Deborah Mitek's article, "O Tannenbaum", in the November 2011 edition of Needle Pointers magazine, a publication of the American Needlepoint Guild, for this information.