Ancient History, Number Thirty-Seven!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from September 30th that occurred pre-1492 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1492 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• Following the death of Pope Nicholas II (July 22), Anselm of Baggio, bishop of Lucca, is elected as Pope Alexander II, the first pope elected according to the election decree of Nicholas II (1061 AD).
• The empress Matilda, widow of the late Holy Roman Emperor Henry V and daughter of the late King Henry I of England, comes to England to lead her partisans against King Stephen (1139 AD).
• King Henry II of England makes peace with his sons and issues an amnesty for their supporters (1174 AD).
• Grand Prince Jaroslav II of Vladimir-Suzdal dies at the Mongol court in Karkorum (1246 AD).
• A revolt break out in Wales, under Madog ap Llywelyn, preventing King Edward I of England from invading France (1294 AD).
• The Papal legate Bertrand du Poujet takes Parma, Italy (1326 AD).
• An English force defeats Charles of Blois at Morlaix, in Brittany. King Edward III of England arrives in Brittany on October 10 and campaigns against the French force supporting Charles (1342 AD).
• The city of L’Aquila in Abruzzi, Italy, rebels, signaling a widespread baronial insurrection against King Ferrante of Naples, backed by Pope Innocent VIII (1485 AD).

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

It’s Element-ary, Number Twenty-Six!

This month we move on to the next of the transition elements: zirconium. Zirconium is a really hard and tough element (as hard as a diamond, and just a sparkly). It is heat resistant and is often used as the ladle for molten metal. It is impervious to chemical attacks and strong enough for nuclear reactors. Zirconia crystals are used to make incredibly sharp cutting blades.

zirconium – discovered in 1824 A.D.

Symbol: Zr
Atomic number: 40
Atomic weight: 91.224
Density: 6.511 g/cm³
Melting point: 1,855°C (3,371°F)
Boiling point: 4,409°C (7,968°F)
Color: silvery-white
Standard state: solid at 25°C (77°F)
Classification: metallic

Source: The Complete Periodic Table: Elements with Style, by Adrian Dingle and Dan Green.

Out of My Control!

A few weeks ago, I posted about the word “tardy” and about the importance of being on time for appointments. However, every now and then, something comes up that makes you unavoidably detained and thereby causing you to be tardy to the next appointment. Check out some synonyms for “unavoidably” below.

unavoidably

\ uhn–uh–voi–duh–blee \, adverb;

1. unable to be avoided; inevitable.

Other words you may consider using (depending on your context/usage, of course):

• ineluctably
• ineludibly
• perforce

Source: The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich. Definitions courtesy of http://www.dictionary.com

Happy Birthday George!

Today marks the birth of George Cruikshank (in 1792), a British cartoonist and illustrator of children’s literature. And, he came from a family of caricaturists — both his father and his older brother. Some of the books that Cruikshank illustrated included the 1823 translation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and several of Charles Dickens’ books, including Oliver Twist, which Cruikshank attempted to claim credit for the plot several years later. Interestingly enough, Cruikshank was originally buried in the Kensal Green Cemetery but later moved to and reburied at St. Paul’s Cathedral. After his death, it was also discovered that he had fathered eleven (11) illegitimate children with Adelaide Attree (a former servant/mistress).

College Football 2012, Week Four!

The Spartans had their Big Ten home opener today and hosted the Cornhuskers of Nebraska. Nebraska out played the Spartans for most of the game, but the Spartans finished the fourth quarter strong and won in overtime. Next up for the Spartans: at home to play the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Go Green!

The Big Ten now has six (6) teams ranked in the AP top-25: Iowa (#5), Penn State (#6), Ohio State (#10), Wisconsin (#18), Michigan (#19), and Michigan State (#20).

The upsets this week included:
Texas A&M (#7) losing to Arkansas (#16).
Clemson (#9) losing to unranked NC State by six (6) points in double overtime.
Iowa State (#14) losing to unranked Baylor by two (2) points.
North Carolina (#21) losing to unranked Georgia Tech.
Kansas State (#25) losing to unranked Oklahoma State.

The close calls this week (games that were won by a touchdown or less) included:
Oklahoma (#4) defeating unranked West Virginia by three (3) points.
Michigan (#19) defeating unranked Rutgers by seven (7) points.
Michigan State (#20) defeating unranked Nebraska by three (3) points in overtime.

Top-25 match-ups won by the higher-ranked team included:
Notre Dame (#12) defeating Wisconsin (#18).

Kitchen Intel, Number Thirty-One!

Today’s topic: cutting a mango.

• Note: the mango contains a large, flat seed that doesn’t separate readily from the juicy flesh, so the flesh needs to be cut away from the seed. Mango flesh can be slippery, so leaving the skin on until you’ve dealt with the seed will help your grip.
• First, balance the mango on one of its narrow sides, then slice off one of the wide sides of the fruit. Try to cut as close to the seed as possible (usually about 3/4 of an inch from the center). Repeat with the other wide side, then slice off the remaining narrow pieces of fruit.
• Second, to dice a mango, cup one of the unpeeled pieces in your palm and use a paring knife to score the fruit into the size of dice you want. Be careful not to cut through the skin of the fruit or into the palm of your hand.
• Third, use your fingertips to pop the mango inside out, then use the paring knife to slice the dice away from the skin.

Source: How to Break an Egg, by the editors, contributors, and readers of Fine Cooking magazine, p. 338.

Fun Fact Friday, Number 248!

Today’s real facts (courtesy of http://www.snapple.com) are all about the flag.  Did you know that . . .

• Ohio is the only U.S. state that does not have a rectangular flag?  (Real Fact #332)
• Robert Heft, who designed the current U.S. flag in a high school project, received a B- because it “lacked originality?”  (Real Fact #1255)

Source: http://www.snapple.com/real-facts

Birthday Ode!

Since September is my birth month, here is a poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne entitled: “Birthday Ode.”

I
    Love and praise, and a length of days whose shadow cast upon time is light,
    Days whose sound was a spell shed round from wheeling wings as of doves in flight,
    Meet in one, that the mounting sun to-day may triumph, and cast out night.
    Two years more than the full fourscore lay hallowing hands on a sacred head,
    Scarce one score of the perfect four uncrowned of fame as they smiled and fled:
    Still and soft and alive aloft their sunlight stays though the suns be dead.
    Ere we were or were thought on, ere the love that gave us to life began,
    Fame grew strong with his crescent song, to greet the goal of the race they ran,
    Song with fame, and the lustrous name with years whose changes acclaimed the man.

II
    Soon, ere time in the rounding rhyme of choral seasons had hailed us men,
    We too heard and acclaimed the word whose breath was life upon England then,
    Life more bright than the breathless light of soundless noon in a songless glen.
    Ah, the joy of the heartstruck boy whose ear was opened of love to hear!
    Ah, the bliss of the burning kiss of song and spirit, the mounting cheer
    Lit with fire of divine desire and love that knew not if love were fear!
    Fear and love as of heaven above and earth enkindled of heaven were one;
    One white flame, that around his name grew keen and strong as the worldwide sun;
    Awe made bright with implied delight, as weft with weft of the rainbow spun.

III
    He that fears not the voice he hears and loves shall never have heart to sing:
    All the grace of the sun-god’s face that bids the soul as a fountain spring
    Bids the brow that receives it bow, and hail his likeness on earth as king.
    We that knew when the sun’s shaft flew beheld and worshipped, adored and heard:
    Light rang round it of shining sound, whence all men’s hearts were subdued and stirred:
    Joy, love, sorrow, the day, the morrow, took life upon them in one man’s word.
    Not for him can the years wax dim, nor downward swerve on a darkening way:
    Upward wind they, and leave behind such light as lightens the front of May:
    Fair as youth and sublime as truth we find the fame that we hail to-day.

Source: https://www.public-domain-poetry.com/algernon-charles-swinburne/birthday-ode-8104

Summer Boathouse!

Here is a beautiful painting of a very calming water-front scene. Very reminiscent of the cottages and boathouses that can be found lining the shores of any northern Michigan inland lake. The title: Summer Boathouse, the artist: Joseph Gagnier, the medium: watercolor. Yet another painting acquired from my parents’ collection.

Amazing Adjectives, Number Ninety-One!

From the Latin nebulosis, meaning “misty, cloudy,” from the Latin nebula, meaning “mist, vapor, cloud.” As exemplified in The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate.

“Because of her relative unfamiliarity with the subjects they had begun to study, Miriam had only a nebulous idea of where her efforts might lead.”

nebulous

\ neb-yuh-luhs \, adjective;

1. hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused
2. .cloudy or cloudlike.
3. of or resembling a nebula or nebulae in deep space; nebular.

Source: The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich and http://www.dictionary.com