Know the World

This is not a Dead Blog

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Mon, 21 May 2007 17:58:00 +0000

Unfortunately for the next 2 months, I have to leave for a place where internet access is going to be a challenge. As such, dear readers, this blog will stay dormant for the duration.

Dormant, not Dead. For I will be back. Better and more fascinating than ever before. The mission of spreading knowledge will continue.

I thank you for all the support you have given to nosco. See you in some time!

Regards,
thelazygenius

P.S. 'nosco' means 'get to know' in latin.

Queen Elizabeth II

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:09:00 +0000

Elizabeth II (born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) is Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In addition to the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II is also Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, where she is represented by Governors-Generals. She is the world's only monarch who is simultaneously Head of State of more than one independent nation. In practice, however, she personally exercises very little political or executive power, especially outside the UK.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926 in London, the first child of Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, formerly Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (now the Queen Mother). Although her birth generated public interest, there was no reason at the time to believe that she would ever become queen. That was until her uncle Edward VIII abdicated in December 1936. Her father then became King George VI and she having no male siblings, became heir.

Changing a wheel during war service

In 1945, Princess Elizabeth convinced her father that she should be allowed to contribute directly to the war effort. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she was trained as a driver. This training was the first time she had been taught together with other students. It is said that she greatly enjoyed this and that this experience led her to send her own children to school rather than have them educated at home. She was the first, and so far only, female member of the royal family to actually serve in the armed forces, though other royal women have been given honorary ranks.

On her 21st birthday she made an international radio broadcast to the British Commonwealth pledging, "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service."

Elizabeth married Prince Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) on 20 November 1947. The couple are second cousins once removed. They have four children: Prince Charles - now The Prince of Wales; Princess Anne - now The Princess Royal; Prince Andrew - now The Duke of York and Prince Edward - now The Earl of Wessex.

The Queen with Prince Philip

King George VI died on 6 February 1952 while Elizabeth and Philip were in Kenya.
Elizabeth was staying at the Treetops Hotel in Thika, when she was told of her father's death and of her own succession to the throne — a unique circumstance for any such event. She was the first British monarch since the accession of George I to be outside the country at the moment of succession, and also the first in modern times not to know the exact time of her accession (because her father had died in his sleep at an unknown time).
She returned home immediately, and was crowned at Westminster Abbey in June 1953. For more than 50 years, during a period of great change in Britain, the queen has carried out her political duties as head of state, the ceremonial responsibilities of the sovereign and a large annual programme of visits in the United Kingdom as well as numerous foreign tours.

<<-In the White House

<-In Canada

Despite the controversies and scandals surrounding her children and other members of the royal family, she remains a respected head of state. In 2002, Elizabeth celebrated her golden jubilee (50 years on the throne) and in 2006 her 80th birthday.

On May7th 2007, George W.Bush winks at the Queen

The Queen shows her disapproval

A Tribute to Dead Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Thu, 10 May 2007 16:35:00 +0000

According to recent reports, 'Dead Blogs', blogs which have been abandoned by their authors have seen a rapid increase in numbers, slowly leading to the bursting of the 'Blog Bubble'. Honestly, do a blog search and most of the blogs you'll find are dead. Heres a short piece as a tribute to these Blogs, which have been abandoned by their creators. Excuse me for the digression from the main theme of this column.
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O Blog!
Why are you so silent and voiceless? Why are you submerged in the depths of reticence? Why are you dormant, like the deepest file of a collosal library? Where is that thrill, that joy, that compassion that exists ever so blatantly in your counterparts? Where is the Life in you, o blog? Where is that quick zeal that you had when you were born?

Alas, the one who gave birth to you is yours no more. You were discarded pitilessly, into the dark dungeons of abyss. You were betrayed o blog, forced to enter through the posterns of this vicious world. And now, shortly after you crossed those evil gates, you lie abandoned, forlorn, and desolate. The companions who were formerly drawn towards you now have no recollection of you. You have been thrown away from all memories, all remembrances. You have been denied of all the rights that your creator initially pledged. You have been nothing but entangled in your own awaited fate.

As I lament over your lifeless form, a question pops up in my mind, not unlike those awfully annoying internet popups - Why were you made, O Blog? To lie down in this cunningly obscure world of the internet, and exist merely as a reserved name? Or to maintain joyousness in this world of humans, who inspite of being physically in the remote corners of the Earth, could have been linked together by your virtue? The latter is the true answer, O Blog, and alas, what it turned out to be. You wanted to be the cord that joined many a heart. You wished to be the noble messenger, conveying the words of wisdom to many a soul. You desired to be the Phidippides of the web, O Blog; not to be entangled in its countless strands after a few moons of your birth.

Why, you were adored at the outset, those softsoap butterers acclaiming your creation, bragging about your virtues, grinning at their glory, only to abandon you at last in none but a few days, bored by you, yawning at your sight, and labelling you 'useless', 'pathetic', and 'ineffective'. You were hurriedly forgotten, o blog, as a dancer with the black pestilence, tossed out of their memories like a disturbing thought, non-existent to the best of their knowledge. Even today, O Blog, if one reminds them of you, they exclaim in surprise: What Blog?. What was it you performed to deserve this injustice? What was it you did to deserve life yet not live? Was it your goodness? Or was it your desire to serve?

As I observe your woeful form, O blog, I cannot help but express it in this dispatch. You recline there inaudibly, tangled in the wicked chains of inferno, which refuse to let go. You lie there in obscurity, desperately yearning for a beam of hope, craving for what you had lost virtually a revolution ago. I percieve your expectant eyes gaze far out, seemingly in search of something- or someone? You attempt to create a vocal vibration to cry out, with your voice box apparently jammed in helplessness. You try to reclaim your existence and your being, but oh, the malicious adhesive refuses to let go. You possess no choice, o blog. You must stay.

What villain hath done this to you, O Blog! What human being made this of you? Was it your sly creator, who ever so tenderly composed your being, only to obnoxiously desert you out of spite and malice. He seemed to be relentlessly conniving against your noble spirit, longing for you to depart from our awareness, perhaps resentful of your incalculable virtues. Thou has't no one.

Now I must leave. I have lamented enough.

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Sun, 06 May 2007 19:56:00 +0000

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond, set on the Crown of Queen Elizabeth I of England

The Koh-i-Noor (Persian: "Mountain of Light") is a 105 carat diamond that was once the largest known diamond in the world. Presently, it is estimated to be the costliest in the world. The Koh-i-Noor originated in India, and belonged to various Indian and Persian rulers who fought bitterly over it at various points in history. It was never bought or sold, but changed many hands. Koh-i-noor has left a trail that speaks of greed, power, murder, mayhem and unhappiness. It was considered a priceless stone, and its owner often gained the respect not given to other rulers. It was the ultimate symbol of Indian wealth and power.
The Koh-i-Noor kept on passing from powerful rulers to more powerful rulers within India.
However, when the British conquered India in the 19th century, it was taken as a trophy of war, and became part of the British Crown Jewels.

Like all significant jewels, the Koh-i-Noor has its share of legends. It is reputed to bring misfortune or death to any male who wears or owns it. Conversely, it is reputed to bring good luck to its female owners.

Mughal Empire of India

The first confirmed note historically mentioning the Koh-i-Noor dates from 1526. The founder of the Mughal Empire in India - Babur - mentions in his memoirs the "Baburnama", that the stone had belonged to an unnamed Rajah(King) of Malwa in 1294. It was then acquired by the dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate(Muslim Sultans who had Delhi as the capital of their empire), finally coming into the possession of Babur himself in 1526 when he conquered Delhi. Babur held the stone's value to be such as to feed the whole world for two days. Despite some debate about the identity of Babur's Diamond, it is likely that it was the stone which later became known as Kohinoor.

Babur with the Koh-i-Noor

Babur ruled only for four years and died in 1530 after a brief illness. After his death the precious stone was passed on to his son Humayun and later on - to successive generations of Moghul rulers, including Shah Jahan - the builder of Taj Mahal, who set the priceless gem in his famous Peacock Throne as one of the peacock’s eyes. In 1719, Muhammad Shah was crowned the Mughal Emperor of Delhi, when he was barely seventeen years old, inheriting the Koh-i-Noor.

Nadir Shah

During the same period on the other side of the border, the fortunes of the Persian(now Iran) Empire were on the rise. Nadir Shah, a humble shepherd's son and now the King of Persia marched into Delhi and defeated the already crumbling Mughal Empire. However, the Koh-i-Noor was nowhere to be seen. He heard later that Muhammad Shah hid it in his own turban. Consequently, Nadir Shah ordered a grand ceremony to be held where he would hand over the control of the Mughal Empire back to Muhammad Shah. During the ceremony, he reminded Muhammad Shah of the ancient tradition of exchanging turbans between kings as a sign of friendship and fraternal ties, leaving the latter with no choice but to perform the gesture. Nadir Shah hurried into his apartments and eagerly undid the folds of the turban, where he found the hidden diamond. Wonderstruck at its size, beauty, and brilliance, he exclaimed: "Koh-i-noor" , which in Persian means "Mountain of Light", and the gem gained its present name. He then took it to Persia with him.

After the death of Nadir Shah, the Koh-i-noor ended in possession of one of his sons Shah Shuja. In the changing fortunes of war, Shah Shuja was defeated by the allies of his brother, Mahmud Shah. Shah Shuja, now the deposed ruler of Persia, managed to flee with the Koh-i-Noor diamond. In 1830, he then came to Lahore, the capital of Maharaja(King) Ranjit Singh, where he presented it to him. The Maharaja had the prized jewel fitted in his turban. Later he had it sewn into an armlet, which he wore on all the important state occasions, where it remained for twenty years.

In 1849, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's successor surrendered the Koh-i-noor diamond to the British under the terms of a treaty, at the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War. The treaty specified that, "The gem called the Koh-i-Noor which was taken from Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk by Maharajah Ranjit Singh shall be surrendered by the Maharajah of Lahore to the Queen of England."

In 1851, The Koh-i-noor was formally handed over to Queen Victoria in a private ceremony held in Buckingham Palace. In 1936, the stone was set in the Maltese Cross at the front of the crown made for Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). Given the long and bloody history of the diamond, there are many countries with a claim on it. In 1976, Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto asked British Prime Minister Jim Callaghan for the Koh-i-Noor to be returned to Pakistan. The prime minister replied to Mr Bhutto with a polite "No", and British diplomats in the countries likely to counter this claim were asked to 'kill the story'. Other claims have been made by India, the Taliban regime of Afghanistan, and Iran.

Today, the Koh-i-noor is kept with other precious objects of the British Crown in a round display case in the basement of the "Jewel House" of the Tower of London, far away from playing any role in intrigues, assassinations, battles, wars and lust - as had happened with its possessors in the past. It only casts its brilliance on the millions of tourists who, for the most part, are unaware of its long history in shaping the destinies of great men.

Concorde Supersonic Transport

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Thu, 03 May 2007 15:54:00 +0000

Only two supersonic passenger airliners have operated commercially, and the Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was the more successful one of them. First flown in 1969, commercial flights by British airways and Air France commenced in 1976 and continued for 27 years. It regularly flew from London Heathrow (British Airways) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (Air France) to New York JFK and Washington Dulles. It set many records, including circumnavigating the world in a time of 31 hours 27 minutes 49 seconds. It also employed a trademark droop nose for visibility to pilots on approach. Concorde had an average cruise speed of Mach 2.02 (2.02 times the speed of sound, about 2,140 km/h or 1,330 mph).

In the late 1950s, the United Kingdom, France, United States and Soviet Union were considering developing supersonic transport. Britain's Bristol Aeroplane Company and France's Sud Aviation were both working on designs, largely funded by their respective governments. The designs were both ready to start prototype construction in the early 1960s, but the cost was so great that the British government made it a requirement that BAC look for international co-operation. Approaches were made to a number of countries, but only France showed real interest. The development project was negotiated as an international treaty between the two countries. By this time, both companies had been merged into new ones, thus the Concorde project was between the British Aircraft Corporation and Aerospatiale.

Concorde vs Boeing 747

The new consortium secured orders for over 100 of the long-range jets from the premier airlines of the day, including Pan Am, Air France, Panair do Brasil, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada, Iran Air, etc.
When the aircraft was fully tested by 1973 however, a combination of factors(the oil crisis, environmental concerns, etc.) led to a sudden number of order cancellations.
In the end, Only Air France and British Airways took up their orders.

Passenger experience on Concorde differed in many ways from that on subsonic commercial airliners. British Airways and Air France configured the passenger cabin as a single class with around 100 seats — four seats across with a central aisle. Headroom in the central aisle was barely six feet (1.8 m) and the leather seats were unusually narrow with legroom comparable to economy class on large airliners. With almost no room for overhead storage, carry-on luggage was severely restricted. Unlike the Boeing 747, video entertainment, rotating or reclining seats and walking areas were absent from Concorde.

Inside a Concorde

However, the flight time from London to New York of approximately 3.5 hrs compensated for the lack of those features. There was usually a plasma display at the front of the cabin showing the altitude, the air temperature and the current speed in both miles per hour and Mach number.
To make up for these missing "comfort" features, a high level of passenger service was maintained. Meals were served using specially designed compact Wedgwood crockery with short silver cutlery.

The experience of passing through the sound barrier was less dramatic than might be expected. The moment, accompanied by a slight surge in acceleration, was announced by one of the pilots. On certain early evening transatlantic flights departing from Heathrow or Paris, it was possible to take off just after sunset and catch up with the sun, landing in daylight; from the cockpit, the sun could be seen rising from the horizon in the west. This was much publicised by British Airways, who used the slogan "Arrive before you leave."

The social and environmental impact of extreme technology was an issue of debate during its flight time. It produced sonic boom over the areas it passed at supersonic speeds. These booms sound not different from thunder. Hence the flight of the concorde over residential areas was very restricted. Normally, it flew over oceans and seas to prevent this.

On fire

On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed in Gonesse, France, killing all 100 passengers and nine crew on board the flight, and four people on the ground. It was the first and only fatal incident involving the type.
According to the official investigation conducted by the French accident investigation bureau, it was caused by a titanium strip, part of a thrust reverser, that fell from a Continental Airlines DC-10 that had taken off about four minutes earlier. This metal fragment punctured a tyre on the left main wheel bogie. The tyre exploded, and a piece of rubber hit the fuel tank and broke an electrical cable. So much for a piece of metal.

On 10 April 2003, British Airways and Air France simultaneously announced that they would retire Concorde later that year. They cited low passenger numbers following the 25 July 2000 crash, the slump in air travel following 9/11 and rising maintenance costs.

It has been suggested that Concorde was not withdrawn for the reasons usually given, and that the airlines discovered during the grounding that Concorde's first class passengers were loyal to the airlines, and carrying them on subsonic aircraft gave greater revenue and that this was the real reason for the withdrawal from service.

Last flight

The Concorde's enigma was such that an overflight would frequently temporarily halt day-to-day business. It was usually referred to by the British as simply "Concorde" and the French as "le Concorde". As a symbol of national pride, a plane from the British Airways fleet made occasional flypasts at selected Royal events, major airshows and other special occasions, sometimes in formation with the Red Arrows. On the final day of commercial service, public interest was so great that grandstands were erected at London's Heathrow Airport to manage a view of the final arrivals. Crowds filled the boundary road around the airport along with extensive media coverage.

The Concorde being towed through New York harbour, to the "Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum" on the Hudson River.

Thirty-seven years after her first test flight, Concorde was announced the winner of the Great British Design Quest, organised by the BBC and the Design Museum. In total, 20 Concordes were built, six for development and 14 for commercial service.

Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 11:07:00 +0000

You've undoubtedly seen a scene of this statue's amazing view on Television or some other media. Whenever one looks at it, one is overcome with its power and expression. It potrays Jesus standing on top a mountain, directly overlooking the 360 degree view of Rio de Janiero with open arms. It signifies fond welcoming, as well as the notion that Jesus has his arms spread for all, blessing Rio and the world. The aerial view of this statue is definitely my personal favourite, and I urge you to vote for it @ http://www.new7wonders.com.
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Christ the Redeemer is a large statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 38m tall and is located at the peak of the 710m Corcovado mountain overlooking the city. As well as being a potent symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of the city. What more, it can be seen from every corner of the metropolis.

The first recording of this statue's history is in 1859 when Vincentian father Pedro Maria Boss arrived in Rio de Janeiro and was struck by the mysterious beauty of the Corcovado mountain. He suggested the the construction of a religous monument, and requested Princess Isabel to finance its construction. Princess Isabel did not think much of the idea.

In 1921, however, the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro organized an event to attract donations for the idea of a great statue of christ viewable by all in the marvelous city of Rio. Brazilian Catholics cooperated, and eventually the statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms was chosen.
It was designed by a Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and realised in stone by the French sculptor Paul Landowski.
The monument was inaugurated on October 12, 1931, by President Getúlio Vargas in a large, lavish ceremony.

The statue can be accessed by road or by the Corcovado Rack Railway. Until recently, the statue could only be reached from the train terminal via a large 222-step stairway, a huge hurdle for handicapped or elderly visitors. However, in 2002, the monument went through a large renovation process, when panoramic elevators and escalators were installed.

Escalator on the mount

In October 2006, on the occasion of the statue's 75th anniversary, Archbishop of Rio Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid consecrated a chapel under the statue. This allows Catholics to hold baptisms and weddings there from January 2007.

Austrian base jumper Felix Baumgartner set a record for the lowest base jump(29m) when he leapt from one arm of the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

The Dalai Lama

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:10:00 +0000

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. Born to a peasant family, His Holiness was recognized at the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor - the 13th Dalai Lama.

The 14th Dalai Lama

Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama to be one of innumerable incarnations of the bodhisattva of compassion. Dalai Lama means Ocean of Wisdom.

Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the Tibetan government, administering a large portion of the country from the capital Lhasa. The Dalai Lama is considered the supreme head of Tibetan Buddhism, and the leaders of all four schools of Buddhism consider the Dalai Lama to be the highest monk of the Tibetan traditions.

The Potala Palace, residence of Dalai Lama in Lhasa, Tibet

In 1950, at age 16, His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power as Head of State and Government when Tibet was threatened by the might of China.

In 1959 the capital of Tibet, Lhasa, exploded with the largest demonstration in Tibetan history, calling on China to leave Tibet and reaffirming Tibet's independence. The Tibetan National Uprising was brutally crushed by the Chinese army. When China occupied Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama sought refuge within India. The then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was instrumental in granting safe refuge to the Dalai Lama and his fellow Tibetans. The Dalai Lama has since been in refuge in Dharamsala, in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, where the Central Tibetan Administration (The Tibetan Government in Exile) is also established. Tibetan refugees have constructed and opened many schools and Buddhist temples in Dharamsala.

Little monk in Dharamsala.

In the early years of exile, His Holiness appealed to the United Nations on the question of Tibet, resulting in three resolutions adopted by the General Assembly (in 1959, 1961 and 1965) calling on China to respect the human rights of Tibetans.

In Washington D.C., at the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1987, The Dalai Lama proposed a Five-Point Peace Plan, calling for the designation of Tibet as a zone of peace, an end to the massive transfer of ethnic Chinese into Tibet and the abandonment of China's use of Tibet for nuclear weapons production.

Recieving Nobel Peace Prize

The awarding of the 1989 Peace Prize to His Holiness won worldwide praise and applause, with exception of China. His Holiness accepted the prize on the behalf of all those who struggle for freedom and work for world peace, and of course, the people of Tibet. In his remarks he said,

"The prize reaffirms our conviction that with truth, courage and determination as our weapons, Tibet will be liberated. Our struggle must remain nonviolent and free of hatred."

The current Dalai Lama repeatedly states that he will never be reborn inside territory controlled by the People's Republic of China, and has occasionally suggested that he might choose to be the last Dalai Lama by not being reborn at all. However, he has also stated that the purpose of his repeated incarnations is to continue unfinished work and as such, if the situation in Tibet remains unchanged, it is very likely that he will be reborn to finish his work.

His Holiness often says, "I am just a simple Buddhist monk - no more, nor less."
He follows the life of Buddhist monk. Living in a small cottage in Dharamsala, he rises at 4 A.M. to meditate, pursues an ongoing schedule of administrative meetings, private audiences and religious teachings and ceremonies. He concludes each day with further prayer before retiring.

Such is the beauty and brilliance of the Dalai Lama. 48 years ago, he had been forced into India - and yet, he continues to fight and struggle for his lost land, in a peaceful way.
Peaceful, but Powerful.

Just Beer

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:51:00 +0000

Beer is the world's oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage, selling more than 133 billion liters (35 billion gallons) per year. It is produced by the fermentation of sugars derived from starch-based material—the most common being malted barley; however wheat, corn and rice are also widely used usually in conjunction with the barley.

The type of yeast and production method may be used to classify beer into ale, lager and spontaneously fermented beers.

An Egyptian servant girl pours beer

Beer is one of the oldest human-produced beverages, possibly dating back to the 7th millennium BC (perhaps prior even to bread), and recorded in the written history of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Beer produced before the Industrial Revolution was mainly made and sold on a domestic scale. During the Industrial Revolution, the manufacture of beer moved from artisan manufacture to industrial manufacture.

Some suggest that beer is the basis of modern civilization. Before beer, humanity wandered around and followed goats. Then our ever so gullible ancestors realized that barley could be grown, sprouted and made into a bread, and crumbled and converted into a liquid which gave a nice, warm, cozy feeling.
They stayed put while the grain grew and while the beer was brewed, villages were formed from tents, villages became towns, and those towns became cities.

Beer is drunk from a variety of vessels, such as a glass, a beer stein, a mug, a pewter tankard or even a beer bottle or can. Many drinkers consider that the type of vessel influences their enjoyment of the beer. In Europe, many breweries produce glassware intended only for their own beers.

The pouring process has an influence on a beer's presentation. The rate of flow from the tap or other serving vessel, tilt of the glass, and position of the pour (in the center or down the side) into the glass all influence the end result.

Beer Advertisements.

Beer is considered to be a social lubricant in many societies. Beer is consumed in countries all over the world. There are breweries in Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and Syria as well as African countries and remote countries such as Mongolia. Sales of beer are four times as much as wine, which is the second most popular alcoholic beverage. Consumption of alcohol is discouraged by most religions. Yet parties, pubs and clubs are not devoid of beer services. Beer remains the most popular alcoholic drink by a huge margin.

A pub joke says- He who drinks beer sleeps well. He who sleeps well cannot sin. He who does not sin goes to heaven.

The Papertainer Museum, South Korea

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:07:00 +0000

Papertainer Museum, as the name suggests is constructed only of paper old cargo containers. This huge structure has an aesthetic appeal that few buildings have, and it is supported entirely by dense tubes of paper. The entire museum, designed by renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, consists of 353 paper columns and 166 cargo containers.

This type of paper-design has its own distinguishing qualities. It uses no cement, no stone. It causes no pollution and is completely made of friendly material (neglecting of course, the sheer number of trees felled for this purpose).
It exhibits items of art made purely from recycled materials.

What more, it is water and fire proof to boot. The secret of its safety lies in the density of the paper, which is not as vulnerable as the usual paper we are accustomed to using.

You might have noticed that I did not mention a city in South Korea where it is situated. This is because it does not have a fixed location! It can be dismantled and constructed elsewhere, bringing the aspect of mobility in its already unique design. Infact, from Seoul, it may travel to Pusan and Kwangju.

It is indeed, a revolutionary marvel of architecture.

``This eco-friendly, recyclable museum, is rich in symbolism using containers that transport art and paper tubes that prop up culture,’’ said Lee Young-hye, CEO of Design House, the company that constructed it.

The History of Shaving

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 01:17:00 +0000

The earliest shaving razors discovered were flint blades made possibly as far back as 30,000 B.C. Flint could provide an extremely sharp edge for shaving; these were, of course, the first disposable shavers because flint becomes dull rather quickly. Not only did early man cut or shave off body hair with flint, he also seemed to enjoy carving unusual artistic designs into his skin. If he added natural dyes and colors to these cuts, he ended up with a tattoo.

Flint Blade

In Greece, it was popular for men to crop hair very short and shave the face. Alexander the Great is pretty much the man responsible for this trend because he was obsessed with shaving. He even shaved during wartime, and would not allow himself to be seen going into battle with a five o’clock shadow. Greeks back then considered it an aesthetic approach to personal hygiene, like the Middle Eastern cultures.

Roman men had a skilled live-in servant to shave them; otherwise they started their day with a trip to the tonsor, or barber, who would shave a face with an iron novacila, or Roman razor. This type of shaver corroded quickly and became blunt; so most customers usually, or eventually, got cut. But don’t worry- the tonsor could fix this by applying to the face a soothing plaster made from special perfumed ointment and spider webs soaked in oil and vinegar. Despite the dangers of going to the barbershop, Roman men continued to flock in daily because they were also great centers for gossip and news.

Roman razor

7000 years ago, in Egypt, men of the upper classes shaved their faces and heads. Mastabas (tombs) dating from 4000 B.C. have yielded razors and tweezers and hieroglyphics explaining their use. The Mesopotamian of 3000 B.C. shaved with finely-chipped obsidian blades secured to slate handles, and the Sumerians in 2800 B.C. went clean-shaven as well.

Egyptian King Tutankhamun

As the practice of shaving grew popular, Straight Steel Razors were produced in Sheffield, England, and remained in demand until the mid 1800s. The bad news was these razors become dull quickly, so they had to be honed and stropped frequently in order to use over and over.

Straight Steel Razor and brush

In 1880, the Kampfe Brothers file a patent for the first Safety Razor, featuring a wire skin guard along one side of the razor’s edge. Only one side of the actual blade wass used which had to be removed often for sharpening. This was the best available shaving method on the market that wouldn’t cut a user like straight steel razors.

On November 15, 1904, patent #775,134 was granted to King C. Gillette for another safety razor. It was an entirely new concept — a razor with a safe, inexpensive, and disposable blade. Along with MIT graduate William Nickerson, the Gillette Safety Razor Company started operations in South Boston. During World War I, the U.S. Government issued Gillette safety razors to the entire armed forces. By the end of the war, some 3.5 million razors and 32 million blades were put into military hands, thereby converting an entire nation to the Gillette safety razor. The entire Industry had been revolutionized.

Gillete's razor

Today's trend for fuzz-free legs and armpits started with the May 1915 edition of the magazine, Harper's Bazaar, which featured a model wearing a sleeveless evening gown with hairless armpits.
The mode for smooth pits was aided by the Wilkinson Sword Company who had the bright idea of running an ad campaign in the 1920s to persuade women that underarm hair was unhygienic and unfeminine.
In two years, the sales of razor blades doubled as our grandmothers and great grandmothers made themselves conform to this socially constructed gender stereotype. This norm for North American women has been reinforced by several generations of daughters who role-modeled their mothers.

Today, of course, the types of shaving technologies are unlimited. From efficient electric shavers to the QuickShave razor. I don't feel the need to describe them here. I'll leave you with some photos, though.

Devil's Marbles

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 14:06:00 +0000

If you drive along the highway through the scenic Australian desert near the outback town of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, you will encounter a wierd and wonderful sight. Mysteriously balanced on top of one another, are giant boulders of granite, miraculously smooth and round, like marbles. Some of these are split into half as though stricken by a bolt of lightning thrown by Zeus himself. Non-Aboriginal people call them Devil's Marbles - marbles of the devil or giants. Aborigines, who believe they are the eggs of the Rainbow Serpent know them as Karlu Karlu.

Scattered across a wide, shallow valley, the Devils Marbles consist of thousands of granite boulders precariously balanced on top of one another. Geological evidence exists that molten lava from deep within the earth's crust was squeezed into huge domes just below the surface and the rocky overlay was worn away over an estimated 1500 million years to expose the boulders. The Devils Marbles range in size from tiny to massive to tiny, and often glow with a dramatic fiery colour at sunset. They are on average about 4m high and from 13m to 33m wide.

John Flynn's Grave
One of the marbles was removed from a formation in 1953 and taken to Alice Springs to form a permanent memorial to John Flynn, the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia. At the time, this was seen as a way of remembering his link to the outback, but in later decades it was a source of great Controversy because the rock was removed from a sacred site without the direct permission of the tribal elders. In the late 1990s, a boulder swap was arranged, and the missing marble was removed from the grave, cleaned, and returned to its original place. The grave is now marked with a similar boulder donated by the local Arrernte people.

Apple's 1984 Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:35:00 +0000

In the third quarter of the 1984 Super Bowl, a strange and disorienting advertisement appeared on the TV screens of the millions of viewers tuned in to the yearly ritual. The ad opens on a gray network of futuristic tubes connecting blank, ominous buildings. Inside the tubes, we see cowed subjects marching towards a cavernous auditorium, where they bow before a Big Brother figure pontificating from a giant TV screen. But one lone woman remains unbroken. Chased by storm troopers, she runs up to the screen, hurls a hammer with a heroic grunt, and shatters the TV image. As the screen explodes, bathing the stunned audience in the light of freedom, a voice-over announces, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like "1984."

The 60-second film was created by the advertising agency Chiat/Day, with copy written by Steve Hayden and direction by Ridley Scott (who had just finished filming Blade Runner).The film was shot in London and most of the actors were British skinheads hired for the day at a cost of 125 USD each as the director was unable to find enough actors prepared to shave their heads. The original script had suggested a baseball bat but this was later revised to a sledgehammer. The weight of the hammer made it difficult to cast the part of the runner until Anya Major (a discus thrower) applied.

So, what exactly made the commercial so compelling to so many viewers? The production values, of course, were amazing. Nobody had ever spent the money to make a commercial look as good as a big-budget movie. "1984" changed all that. Today, few Hollywood blockbusters can match the gloss of the most expensive commercials for major multi-national corporations.

But few commercials have ever been more influential. The commercial is frequently voted top in surveys of influential marketing campaigns. For example, Advertising Age named it the 1980s "Commercial of the Decade", and in 1999 the US TV Guide selected it as number one in their list of "50 Greatest Commercials of All Time". You can still see its echoes today in futuristic ads for technology and telecommunications multinationals such as AT&T, MCI, and Intel.

Despite costing $800,000 USD to make and a further $800,000 of air time, the film was originally shown nationally only once. However, it was aired on television one other time.

I leave you with a parody of this commercial, shown in an episode of Futurama!

The Angkor Wat

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:21:00 +0000

It is often regarded as the ultimate magnum opus of ancient architecture. Welcome to the knowledge of the supreme masterpiece of Khmer empire. Yes, I'm talking about the largest religious monument in the world - The Angkor Wat. The sheer size of the place leaves visitors in awe and the complex designs illustrate the skills of long gone priest architects. Every spare inch has been carved with intricate works of art.

The Angkor Wat has become a symbol of Cambodia(or Kampuchea), and is a source of great pride for the country's people. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of every Cambodian national flag, hence the only building to appear on any national flag.

In January 2003 riots erupted in Phnom Penh (Cambodia's capital) when a false rumour circulated that a Thai soap opera actress had claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.

Covering an area of about 81 hectares, the complex consists of five towers, which are presently shown on the Cambodian national flag. These towers are believed to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the Home of Gods and Center of the Hindu Universe. The modern name Angkor Wat means "City Temple" in Khmer, Cambodia's official language.

<- the Cambodian national flag
The Temple of Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu by King Suryavarman II, who reigned between AD 1131 and 1150. The Temple was constructed over a period of 30 years, and illustrates some of the most beautiful examples of Khmer and Hindu art. In the later centuries, it was converted into a Buddhist temple by latter day Khmer kings, who changed the state religion from Hinduism to Buddhism.

Buddhist monks in the temple

An interesting story follows:
For hundreds of years, the lost city of Angkor was itself a legend, lost in time. Cambodian peasants living on the edge of the thick jungle around the Tonle Sap lake reported findings which puzzled the French colonialists who arrived in Indo-China in the 1860s. The peasants said they had found "temples built by gods or by giants". Their stories were casually dismissed as folktales by the pragmatic Europeans. Yet some did believe that there really was a lost city of a Cambodian empire which had once been powerful and wealthy, but had crumbled many years ago.
Henri Mahout's discovery of the Angkor temples in 1860 opened up this `lost city' to the world. The legend became fact and a stream of explorers, historians and archaeologists came to Angkor to explain the meaning of these vast buildings. Gradually, some of the mysteries were explained, the Sanskrit inscriptions deciphered and the history of Angkor slowly pieced together, mainly by French scholars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Since the 1990s Angkor Wat has seen a resumption of conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism, although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities.

Antonio da Magdalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said it

is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of.

Opium and Afghanistan

noreply@blogger.com (thelazygenius) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:49:00 +0000

Yes, I start this promising column with an account of the long linkage of Opium and Afghanistan. May I apprise you in advance, however, that the topics of this column will vary, and will seldom be of the same genre. That said, I assure you that they will provide bulk of information that you will be exceedingly interested in.
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Opium was first cultivated in ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians then referred to it as Hul Gil, 'the joy plant'. The poppy plant is used in the production of narcotics, or drugs as we often refer to them. Opium is typically not transported and sold raw. Typically opium is processed to separate the pharmacologically active morphine (along with some codeine) which is then converted into heroin. The conversion of morphine to heroin cuts down the mass and therefore volume significantly while at the same time increasing the potency. Naturally this makes the process of smuggling much easier.

Opium Poppy

Which brings us to the worlds largest producer of opium - Afghanistan. Yes, Opium is a boom in Afghanistan, infact a driving force of the economy there. As much as one-third of Afghanistan's GDP comes from growing poppy and illicit drugs. Today, it accounts for more than 90% of the world's supply, the famed region of Helmand responsible for most of it.

Why, one may ask, is it so?
Since being largely outlawed and illegal, the production of opium has significantly decreased around the world, despite an increasing demand. Due to large extent of growth and dependence on this flower, however, the ban is not well enforced in this country.

Poppy farm in Afghanistan

In 2000, Taliban leader Mullah Omar banned poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The Taliban then ruled ~95% of the country, and used harsh methods to enforce this ban. Talibani trucks would tour farms, armed with explosives. According to them, Opium and narcotics was haram, or against the Quran. United Nations Drug Control Program(UNDCP) confirmed opium production eradicated that year. Farmers started planting wheat, and other licit crops.

Board in Afghanistan

In 2001, however, Taliban regime was overthrown by the US and Northern Alliance.
In 2002, UNDCP announced that Afghanistan had regained its position as the world's largest opium producer. It continues to be so, due to the lack of proper law enforcement, and prevalence of bribery in the police forces.

The multi-billion-dollar business that is fed by Afghanistan's vast opium fields is damaging the country's national security, economy and reputation

says President of the newly formed government, Hamid Karzai.

Experts fear of the country turning into a "narco-state" where drugs barons have more power than the government.
Infact, an opium farmer may be earning 10 times as much as the government soldier or policeman.