Chigongin si romana...

"Răbdare, prietenul meu albastru."

[ Qui-Gon Jinn ]

today's history

======Events======

* 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures and flee to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan. (Traditional Japanese date: Twenty-fifth Day of the Seventh Month of the Second Year of Juei).
* 1385 - Portuguese Crisis of 1383–1385: Battle of Aljubarrota - Portuguese forces commanded by King João I and his general Nuno Álvares Pereira defeat the Castilian army of King Juan I.
* 1598 - Nine Years War: Battle of the Yellow Ford - Irish forces under Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, defeat an English expeditionary force under Henry Bagenal.
* 1791 - Ceremony at Bois Caiman, Haiti; Haitian Revolution begins.
* 1842 - Indian Wars: Second Seminole War ends, with the Seminoles forced from Florida to Oklahoma.
* 1846 - The Cape Girardeau meteorite, a 2.3 kg chondrite-type meteorite strikes near the town of Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri..
* 1880 - Cologne Cathedral, the most famous landmark in Cologne, Germany, completed.
* 1885 - Japan's first patent is issued to the inventor of a rust-proof paint.
* 1893 - France introduces motor vehicle registration.
* 1897 - The town of Anosimena is captured by French troops from Menabe defenders in Madagascar.
* 1901 - The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21.
* 1908 - First beauty contest held in Folkestone, England.
* 1912 - United States Marines invade Nicaragua to support the U.S.-backed government installed there after José Santos Zelaya resigned three years earlier.
* 1921 - Tannu Tuva, later Tuvinian People's Republic is established as a completely independent country (which is supported by Russia).
* 1936 - Rainey Bethea is hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky in the last public execution in the United States. * 1941 - World War II - Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt sign the Atlantic Charter of war stating postwar aims.
* 1945 - Japan accepts the Allied terms of surrender in World War II and the Emperor records the Imperial Rescript on Surrender (August 15 in Japan standard time).
* 1947 - Pakistan gains Independence from the British Indian Empire under the administration of United Kingdom and joins the British Commonwealth.
* 1969 - United Kingdom troops deploy in Northern Ireland.
* 1980 - Lech Wałęsa leads strikes at Gdańsk, Poland shipyards.
* 1994 - Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, the terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal", is captured.
* 2003 - Widescale power blackout in the northeast United States and Canada.

============Birthdays============

1740 - Pope Pius VII
1867 - John Galsworthy, Nobel Prize Laureate
1933 - Richard R. Ernst, Swiss chemist and Nobel Prize Laureate
1945 - Steve Martin, American comedian
1959 - Magic Johnson, American basketball player
1960 - Sarah Brightman, English soprano
1966 - Halle Berry, American actress

============ Holidays============

* Morocco - Allegiance of Oued Eddahab or Río de Oro.
* Pakistan - Independence Day (From the Indian Empire and from the British colonialist and imperialists under the foreign control of the United Kingdom, 1947).
* Paraguay - Flag Day.
* United States - National Creamsicles Day.

ce se mai intampla prin lume....

rain and vitamin B12

Ready to find out that:

♦ To an observer standing on Pluto, the sun would appear no brighter than Venus appears in our evening sky.


♦ A cosmic year is the amount of time it takes the sun to revolve around the center of the Milky Way, about 225 million years.

♦ A day on the planet Mercury is twice as long as its year. Mercury rotates very slowly but revolves around the sun in slightly less than 88 days.

♦ A dog was killed by a meteor at Nakhla, Egypt, in 1911. The unlucky canine is the only creature known to have been killed by a meteor.

♦ The first "technology" corporation to move into California's Silicon Valley was Hewlett-Packard, in 1938. Stanford University engineers Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their company in a Palo Alto garage, with $1,538. Their first product was an audio oscillator bought by Walt Disney Studios for use in making Fantasia.

♦ Rain contains vitamin B12.

♦ The first man-made item to exceed the speed of sound is the bull whip or leather whip. When the whip is snapped, the knotted end makes a "crack" or popping noise. It is actually causing a mini sonic boom as it exceeds the speed of sound.

art from sand :)

world wonders - The Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza

It is the one and only Wonder which does not require a description by early historians and poets. It is the one and only Wonder that does not need speculations concerning its appearance, size, and shape. It is the oldest, yet it is the only surviving of the Seven Ancient Wonders. It is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Location
At the city of Giza, a necropolis of ancient Memphis, and today part of Greater Cairo, Egypt.

History
Contrary to the common belief, only the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), not all three Great Pyramids, is on top of the list of Wonders. The monument was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty around the year 2560 BC to serve as a tomb when he dies. The tradition of pyramid building started in Ancient Egypt as a sophistication of the idea of a mastaba or "platform" covering the royal tomb. Later, several stacked mastabas were used. Early pyramids, such as the Step Pyramid of King Zoser (Djoser) at Saqqara by the famous Egyptian architect, Imhotep, illustrate this connection.

The great pyramid is believed to have been built over a 20 year period. The site was first prepared, and blocks of stone were transported and placed. An outer casing (which disappeared over the years) was then used to smooth the surface. Although it is not known how the blocks were put in place, several theories have been proposed. One theory involves the construction of a straight or spiral ramp that was raised as the construction proceeded. This ramp, coated with mud and water, eased the displacement of the blocks which were pushed (or pulled) into place. A second theory suggests that the blocks were placed using long levers with a short angled foot.

New theories concerning the origin and purpose of the Pyramids of Giza have been proposed... Astronomic observatories... Places of cult worship... Geometric structures constructed by a long-gone civilization... Even extraterrestrial-related theories have been proposed with little evidence in support... The overwhelming scientific and historic evidence still supports the conclusion that, like many smaller pyramids in the region, the Great Pyramids were built by the great Ancient Egyptian civilization off the West bank of the Nile as tombs for their magnificent Kings... Tombs where Khufu, Khefre, and Menkaure could start their mystic journey to the afterlife.

so much time to quit smoking...

and yet,so little...

astronews

August 15, 2007 - Mercury in superior conjunction

August 17, 2007 - Venus in inferior conjunction

[Conjunction is a term used in positional astronomy and astrology. It means that, as seen from some place (usually the Earth), two celestial bodies appear near one another in the sky. The event is also sometimes known as an appulse.]

[ trips ] - what to carry in your survival kit

YOUR PERSONAL SURVIVAL KIT

Each survival kit will reflect the needs of the user. Fill yours with items that you know you will use, and alter the contents to reflect the expected environment you will be travelling in.
This is a list of items that you can select from to fill your kit. Add to this list when you discover another useful item. There is no need to carry all of these items:

a. matches – at least 20, the kind that will strike anywhere and are waterproof – it is a good idea to store matches in a separate container inside you kit.
b. candles – tea light or small candles;
c. strong thin cord – 10m;
d. fishing gear – 5m of 15 lbs line, bare hooks, a lead weight and a cork;
e. medical kit – iodine, adhesive bandages of various sizes, roll bandage, small medical scissors, adhesive tape and dressing, moleskin or second skin for blisters, water purification tabs;
f. small safety pins;
g. plastic bags – 2 large orange garbage bags for shelter and signaling, 2 small bags for water collection;
h. food – concentrated soup, tea, coffee, sugar, hard candy, or OXO cubes;
i aluminum foil – 3 m (to bake or to make a temporary pot);
j. fuel tablets or fire starters – sealed in plastic to avoid contamination of the rest of your kit;
k. alternate to matches for fire starting – magnesium stick or flint and steel;
l. mirror – unbreakable and shatter proof (not glass), for signaling;
m. emergency blanket;
n. spare flashlight bulb and batteries;
o. several sizes of needles and 2m strong thread;
p. crayon (will write anywhere) and paper;
q. personal hygiene items – dental floss, baking soda for teeth brushing, a small piece of soap;
r. duct tape (wrapped around crayon or outside of container).

Note: if you can carry only a bare minimum, carry matches, a signaling device (whistle), protection for your body from the elements (garbage bags), a container to heat water, quick energy food and adhesive bandages. In winter you can dip string in paraffin wax and wrap this around your matches. This will make the match burn longer and will help with starting fires.