A Hero and Inspiration: Neil Armstrong

Posted on August 28, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

The tragic loss of one of America’s greatest heros, a title he tried to avoid, has saddened the scientific community, the country and the world. His work is not done, however, as Neil Armstrong is continuing to help demonstrate NASA‘s accomplishments. His death has helped to rekindle the effort to declare the lunar landing sites National Historic Sites, and to highlight the importance of the artifacts left there. With new trips to the moon being planned, it is hoped that disallowing interference in the Apollo sites will preserve the history that lies therein. For more information on the work being done on lunar landing site preservation, please see:
http://www.space.com/17330-neil-armstrong-death-moon-landing-site-preservation.html

For the guidelines for preservation established earlier this year, please see:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/may/HQ_12-168_Lunar_Protection_Guidelines.html

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Panama Canal Promoting More Than Pacific-Atlantic Shipping

Posted on August 21, 2012 by zoequinn001

Workers on the new Panama Canal locks, from cnn.com.

In a recent article in the New York Times, the plans for the future of American ports is credited, perhaps, to the success of the Panama Canal. With more and larger ships slated to be passing through the canal by 2015, some American ports are preparing to accept larger shipments in hopes that their million dollar investments will produce much larger returns.

For more on the developments in Panama and U.S. ports, please see: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/us/us-ports-seek-to-lure-big-ships-after-panama-canal-expands.html?pagewanted=all

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

What a Trip!

Posted on August 14, 2012 by zoequinn001

Although travelling across the vast continent of Asia by train may not be the most convenient means of doing so, it is a trip many choose to make in order to see those parts of the world they cannot experience by plane, and likely could/would not get to otherwise. In the 2008 film, Transsiberian, the characters played by Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer try to do just that, but get caught in some unwelcome business. Below is the trailer:

It’s good to see that the Trans-Siberian Railroad is still inspiring artists today!

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

London 2012: Lee River

Posted on August 7, 2012August 13, 2012 by zoequinn001

slalom — Canoe Slalom at Lee Valley White Water Center, from london2012.com.

The River Lee (or Lea) historically has played an important role in London’s success, as a source for the New River. More recently, the River Lee is playing host to the Olympic canoe slalom at the Lee Valley White Water Center. For more on the venue and the sport, please see:
http://www.london2012.com/venue/lee-valley-white-water-centre/

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

London 2012: Tower Bridge

Posted on July 31, 2012July 31, 2012 by zoequinn001

Olympic rings on London’s Tower Bridge, from dailymail.co.uk

London’s iconic Tower Bridge is often mistaken as London Bridge. Tower Bridge, however, is much larger than London Bridge, and therefore able to accommodate the extra large set of Olympic rings suspended from its center. However, with no shops’ rent, financing these rings was not so easy as financing the original London Bridge. Fore more on the size and cost, please see:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2165518/London-2012-Olympics-Rings-unveiled-Tower-Bridge.html.

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Paris in La Paz

Posted on July 24, 2012July 24, 2012 by zoequinn001

skylight — Skylight designed by Gustav Eiffel, taken by Laura Itzkowitz for untappedcities.com

Gustav Eiffel was an accomplished architect before the monument of his name made him famous. In fact, his work can be found all over Europe and Latin America, as one writer accidentally discovered. To read the whole story, please visit:
http://untappedcities.com/2012/06/30/unexpected-architecture-gustav-eiffel-in-la-paz-2/.

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Silk

Posted on July 17, 2012July 24, 2012 by zoequinn001

cacoon — A silk worm and its cocoon, from illinois.edu.

The Canadian Pacific Railway could be regarded as a technological extension of the Silk Road of China. When this Canadian railway was built, special train cars were created to bring Chinese silk cocoons from the docks in Vancouver, British Columbia, and transport them east to the mills in New Jersey and New York. Silk was extremely rare and valuable, so the train cars were carefully designed to preserve the precious cocoons. So great was the possibility of robbery that the so-called Silk Trains stopped infrequently, speeding quickly to reach their destination with precious cargo intact with armed guards aboard.

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

An Inspiring Bridge

Posted on July 10, 2012July 24, 2012 by zoequinn001

The day it opened, on May 25, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge proved immensely popular. More than 150,300 people crossed on foot. Both common folk and poets approved. The Brooklyn Bridge has inspired verse by Americans, Hart Crane and Jack Kerouac among others, and the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky.

O harp and altar, of the fury fused,
(How could mere toil align thy choiring strings!)
Terrific threshold of the prophet’s pledge,
Prayer of pariah, and the lover’s cry,

Again the traffic lights that skim thy swift
Unfractioned idiom, immaculate sigh of stars,
Beading thy path—condense eternity:
And we have seen night lifted in thine arms.

Under thy shadow by the piers I waited
Only in darkness is thy shadow clear.
The City’s fiery parcel all undone,
Already snow submerges an iron year …

Sleepless as the river under thee,
Vaulting the sea, the riles’ dreaming sod,
Unto us lowliest sometime sweep, descend
And of the curveship lend a myth to God.

– Hart Crane, excerpt from The Bridge.

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The Best Stir Fry in the US?

Posted on July 3, 2012July 17, 2012 by zoequinn001

American fare is notoriously heavy and it turns out it always has been. On the Transcontinental Railroad the Chinese proved to be the healthiest workers. The reason? They cooked light and healthy stir-fry cuisine while other laborers ate heavier fare. In addition, the Chinese tradition of drinking tea served well for cleanliness of water as well as benefits of sobriety. Other workers preferred something stronger.Today stir fry is a fairly common food in America, with recipes in all sorts of cookbooks. For a variety of stir fry recipes see:

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/main-dish/stir-fries/ViewAll.aspx

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Aida

Posted on June 26, 2012July 30, 2012 by zoequinn001

“Aida,” music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, is based on Giuseppe Verdi’s Italian-language opera that was written to celebrate Egypt and the Suez Canal, also called, “Aida.” It follows the story of the Nubian princess, Aida, the future pharaoh of Egypt, Ramades, and his betrothed,, Amneris. The show debuted on Broadway in March 2000, but the clip below is from the Egyptian opening at the Giza Pyramids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUpu-J_B864&feature=fvwrel

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.