Magical Moments

Life is a pretty humdrum existence most of the time. With some ups and downs, along with long stretches when nothing extraordinary or interesting seems to be happening. But in most everybody’s life there are also special moments, some of which are almost magical.

Language Day #7

This time in Language Day, let’s talk a little about countries. Anyone who watches international sports events such as the Olympic Games is well aware of that many national teams like to display the name of their country in their own language. Which can be very different from how it is said in English.

Anybody Out There?

When you think about the ins and outs of things, don’t you think there should be something out there, in the universe, living more or less like we live here on Earth, circumstances withstanding?

Let’s take this from start. Logically thinking, if you’re inside a box, and knowing what you know about the world (which is very limited for all of us),

IPCC

IPCC – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – had it’s latest conference a couple of months ago in Katowice, Poland. Widely reported throughout the world, IPCC got a lot of attention. One of the speakers at the conference was Sir Richard Attenborough, whom most of us know from his splendid nature documentaries. He had an urgent message to give to the rest of the world.

Maija Who?

This time in First Names First a Finnish name – Maija! The name Maija is half of the double connotation of “Matti ja Maija Meikäläinen” which roughly translated means Mr and Mrs Smith. And since we a fortnight ago already had Matti, the counterpart this month will be Maija. Some of them from other countries, and double names accepted here as well. And also the international Maya of course!

Data for 1778

Display at West Point, NY consisting of thirteen links of The Great Chain

A long chain is stretched across the Hudson river to prevent the British fleet from advancing there (Apr 30), France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain (Jul 10), the Continental Congress passes the first budget of the United States (Sep 19), James Cook becomes the first European to land on Maui (Nov 26), the American Revolutionary War goes on – and all these fine people were born:

Streets of Sydney

Streets & Squares takes you this time to Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales on the east coast of Australia.

As always, clicking on an address will take you to Google Maps, and clicking on a name to the person’s Wikipedia page. See who lies behind the name of these streets and squares.

Government One

Let’s have some fun – and points to ponder! Let’s explore the self from within on a “governmental platform”. Let’s assume that we are all governments onto ourselves – as we indeed are – and see what sort of roles we could be building within ourselves in order to make the most of our lives here on earth.

Peter, Paul and Mary

Paul, Peter & Mary

Peter, Paul and Mary was a popular American folk group active between 1961 and 2009. For many of us pretty unknown or just a distant reminder of the past. But as you watch them perform – albeit seemingly old-fashioned in style and tempo – the emotions you sense there are really no different from any age we live in. If you are feeling stressed and in need to slow down a bit, watching these three singing will do the trick.

Who Said That! #18

This time in Who Said That! another quote to ponder upon. And if you want to try to guess or remember who said that, just remember to   s c r o l l  down very slowly so you won’t reveal it ahead of time!

When one door of happiness closes,
another opens;
but often we look so long at the closed door that
we do not see the one
which has been opened for us.

Data for 1600

Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy in Rome (Feb 17), Tycho Brahe observes a solar eclipse (Jul 10), and colleague Longomontanus works with him with Moon’s orbital theory (Jul), Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats Ishida Mitsunari and sets the stage for the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. This begins the Edo period (Oct 21), sumo wrestling becomes a professional sport in Japan – and all these fine people were born:

Monthly Latin #10

Time for some Latin. This one is something that some of us dream of, but very few can realize. To be able to have so little that you can carry it all with you, anywhere you go. To have that freedom. It is about minimalism, the strive to have so little that material things do not present an obstacle to one’s living and moving around.

Perhaps we can stretch this in our modern world to having everything you own fit in your camper. Where you have a neat painting hanging on the wall reminding you that there is “A place for everything and everything in its place“. So, not quite like in that distressing picture above (which is meant as a joke of course), but still, covered by this fine phrase:

Omnia mea mecum porto

1000 Years Ago Today #2

Yalu River between China and Korea

Here’s the second piece in our series 1000 Years Ago Today, published every now and then. When you think about it, not much of essence differentiates us from the people who lived a thousand years ago. Their surroundings and circumstances sure were different, but

Women in UFC

On this Women’s Day, let’s have something specially for women. Some of you might ask what makes a woman want to fight professionally? And the minute you do, you already know the answer.

Fighting is not just for men. We all have the need to assert ourselves, defend ourselves and even attack when need be. And some of us want to watch people fight, professionally that is. There is big business built around all that.

Born in Hawaii

Let’s make a closer acquaintance with the Hawaiian islands, the chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. And then see who was born there throughout the years.

First there was the Kingdom of Hawaii (1795-1898), then the Territory of Hawaii of the United States (1898-1959), and as of the 21st of August 1959, the State of Hawaii, the 50th and the most recent state of the United States.

Did You Know That…

A Three-Star restaurant according to the Michelin Guide

the world famous Michelin Guide is not just about restaurants, but actually a series of guide books, published by the French tire company Michelin for more than a century. The one giving those stars for restaurants and hotels around the world is called Michelin Red Guide, but in addition to that, Michelin also publishes a series of general guides to cities, regions, and countries, called the Michelin Green Guides.

Data for 2011

A tsunami kills thousands in eastern Japan (Mar 11), U.S. President Barack Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden (May 2), the planet Neptune completes its first orbit since its discovery in 1846 (Jul 12), NASA announces that liquid water may be found on Mars (Aug 5), Occupy Wall Street protests begin in New York City (Sep 17),

Matti Who?

Once again, “First Names First“! A chronological list of persons with their first name here. Pick one, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about the person, and see what if anything he or she could contribute your life with. Inspiration, passion, encouragement, empathy, etc. Give a couple of minutes of your life to this. Lives lived have all something worthwhile to tell us – let them!

This time around it will be a Finnish name – Matti! Akin to Matt and Matthew, and more or less the same name, but since it is such a popular name in Finland, it gets its own page here. Publication today as a homage to Matti Nykänen, the great Finnish ski jumper, as he is buried today in his hometown Jyväskylä, Finland.