Aerial view of the dike system in the Netherlands, from NASA, at nasa.gov.
Dikes not only saved the Netherlands from floods, but perhaps from war as well. The thousand-year-old dike army can be regarded as an authentic progenitor of the concept of “an army enlisted against nature” as proposed by William James in the essay “The Moral Equivalent of War.” Around the year AD 1100, west-Friesland had built an enclosure dike (omringkijk). At the same time, the Frisians established a “dike peace” or strongly enforced consensus that whenever a dike was endangered, family feuds must cease forthwith so that all available manpower could be mobilized to reinforce the dikes.
Chambered locks area a common feature on canals around the world. The first one, however, was located on the Grand Canal in China, dating back to 983 A.D. A lock is a mechanism for moving a boat or ship up or down an elevated portion of a river. The boat enters the first chamber of the lock, which is sealed by watertight gates at either end. The water level then rises or falls to the level of the second chamber, depending on the direction the boat is trying to go: upriver, the chamber fills; downriver, the chamber empties. Once the desired level is reached, the gate in front of the boat opens and the process is repeated. Below is an image of a modern lock from the lower elevation.
Locks on the Ottowa River, from The New York Times, at nytimes.com.
Trevi Fountain, from Wayne State University, at wayne.edu.
Located at the endpoint of what was originally the Aqua Virgo (part of the Roman aqueduct system), the Trevi Fountain’s construction began in 1629, when Pope Urban VIII asked Bernini to design a revamp of the existing fountain, which the Pope saw as too dull. Bernini was not the final designer, although his touch is clearly visible in the Baroque fountain. Construction was revived in 1732 by Pope Clement XII, with Salvi as the artist. Legend has it that if you turn you back to the fountain and toss a coin in, you’re destined to return to Rome.
Herodotus, from The University of Adelaide, at adelaide.edu.au.
Herotodus was arguably the first historian. His only work, The Histories provide accounts of sixth and fifth century BCE life in his homeland (modern Turkey, under Greek rule at the time), as well as places he visited. In total there are nine books, but book six has some interesting discussion of the founding of the city of Cyrene:“Grinus (they say), the son of Aesanius, a descendant of Theras, and king of the island of Thera, went to Delphi to offer a hecatomb on behalf of his native city. On Grinus consulting the oracle about sundry matters, the Pythoness gave him for answer, “that he should found a city in Libya.” When the embassy returned to Thera, small account was taken of the oracle, as the Therans were quite ignorant where Libya was. Seven years passed from the utterance of the oracle, and not a drop of rain fell in Thera: all the trees in the island, except one, were killed with the drought. After a while, everything began to go wrong. Ignorant of the cause of their sufferings, they again sent to Delphi to inquire for what reason they were afflicted. The Pythoness in reply reminded them reproachfully “that if they and Battus would make a settlement at Cyrene in Libya, things would go better with them.”
Supposed ossuary of James, Jesus’ brother, from Time, at time.com.
The selling of relics is usually associated with the Catholic Church, and seen as a obsolete practice. Recent events have proved contrary to this belief. In March 2012, an Israeli antiques dealer was acquitted of charges for forging Biblical and early Jewish relics, including items said to be from the first temple, Solomon’s Temple. The controversy began in 2002, when the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto displayed a box with an Aramaic inscription claiming that the bones inside belonged to James, Jesus’ brother. Red flags were raised and an investigation began that prompted many museums to re-evaluate their own collections. The authenticity of many of the objects in question is still up for debate, and Biblical archaeologists appear divided.
The National Cathedral in Brasilia, designed by Niemeyer, From National Geographic at nationalgeographic.com.
In November,”Building the World” posted about the hospitalization of architect Oscar Niemeyer. At 104 he was still planning on completing two of the projects he was working on at the time. Sadly, Niemeyer passed away Wednesday December 5th in his Rio de Janeiro hospital, just short of his 105th birthday.
Map of “The Emerald Necklace,” from The University of Massachusetts, at umass.edu.
The Big Dig wasn’t the first attempt to green Boston with outdoor spaces for recreation and relaxation. Frederick Law Olmstead, perhaps one of the most prolific American landscape architects, played a major role in creating the system of parks known as “The Emerald Necklace” that winds through Boston. He is perhaps best known for his work on Central Park in New York City, but the eastern seaboard is not the only area lucky enough to have been touched by Olmstead’s green thumb. Perhaps due in part to his love of travel, his designs can be found across the country. To find out more about Olmstead’s work and where to visit, please see:
MTA 86th Street platform flooded by Sandy, from ABC News at abc.go.com.
In the wake of Sandy’s devastation to the New York City subway system, the need for protecting transportation tunnels in the event of disaster has been made a very real issue. Flood control may be one area in which there is a feasible solution. Recently after 5 years of work, a test was done at West Virginia University of an inflatable plug for stopping the flow of water in a flood situation. While this was just a test, it is promising for tunnels large and small. In fact, it offers a possibility for places like the Channel Tunnel, where a leak could lead to a major flood.
Celebrants at the 2012 Abuja Carnival, from Business Day at businessdayonline.com.
Abuja is hosting its carnival between November 24 and 27, with this year’s theme being that of peace and harmony. Nations, government officials, heads of tourism, and locals are all joining forces to foster a sense of community in a time when security changes are causing unrest in Nigeria. The carnival events for this year have nearly doubled in number and kind and has attracted artists from around the world.
Brasilia’s Congress building designed by Oscar Neimeyer, from BBC at bbc.co.uk.
Oscar Neimeyer was a student of Lucio Costa, the primary architect of Brasilia. Costa chose this favored student to design some of Brasilia’s important buildings, including the Congress, the University of Brasilia, the Cathedral and the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima, as well as the Palace of Justice. Costa died in 1998, but Neimeyer is still going strong at 104. He recently was hospitalized for kidney problems, but plans to continue with his designs for a cultural center in Morocco and a library in Algeria.
