Singapore Sling

Posted on June 19, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

No study of Singapore’s contributions to history could be complete without mention of the “Singapore Sling,” a cocktail invented in 1915 in the Raffles Hotel by Ngiam Tong Boon, a bartender of multicultural background. The mélange of ingredients in the exotic drink turns the potion pink. Interested in cuisine? A mix of Chinese and Malay traditions resulted in a new kind of fare called Peranakan or Nonya cuisine. Travelers say the dishes pair well with a certain concoction made by Ngiam Tong Boon.

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

Low Bridge!

Posted on June 12, 2012June 12, 2012 by zoequinn001

Perhaps you sang it in music class in elementary school, but “Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal” is not a song about a pet mule. This song commemorates a time in the Erie Canal’s History when mule barges were a common way of moving products down the canal. Later, like in most of the United States, steam became the best way to perform this task.

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.

Beards are so last season!

Posted on June 5, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

Peter the Great set a new style. He wanted Russians to look more European and not so “old fashioned.” The move of the capital to the western area of Russia emphasized connection with Europe. And so he taxed beards to dissuade men from wearing them. Many portraits of Peter shows him without beard, but sporting a fashionable mustache:

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.

It’s All in the Timing

Posted on May 29, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

The Canal des Deux Mers was not a new idea by Riquet’s time, although he perfected it. The Archbishop of Toulouse headed a special commission chartered by King Henry IV (1553-1610) to study feasibility of a canal linking the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Henry IV was following a line of similar visionaries. Even Charlemagne wanted to build the canal. There is evidence of ancient Roman emperors trying to engineer the route. Charlemagne, to be fair, didn’t have the technology. But Riquet was able to conquer a rocky patch near Beziers by blasting a tunnel – measuring 157 meters (515 feet) long, 6.7 meters (22 feet) wide and 8 meters (27 feet) high – with black powder. It was one of the earliest uses of explosives in subterranean construction.

The tunnel as it exists today, from canaldumidi.org

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.

Islamic Art

Posted on May 22, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

script — Calligraphy on the exterior of the Taj Mahal

Islamic art is known for its intricacy and beauty. Ranking highest on the list of perfected Islamic art is the Taj Mahal. Not only does this astounding structure embody the physical nature of Islamic art – of symmetry and proportion – but it follows the rules of Islam as a religion as well. As Islam was (and is) a wide-spread religion, it had an impact on Muslims and non-Muslims alike. As a result, secular Islamic art can be found in many of the areas previously under Mughal rule. The Taj Mahal, however, is an example of the religious wing of Islamic art, and Muslim tradition can be seen throughout the structure. For example, the outside of the building is decorated with quotes from the Qur’an and the coffins of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are plain in contrast to the rest of the building (as Muslim law disallows ornate graves).

For more information on Islamic art, please visit: http://www.lacma.org/islamic_art/intro.htm

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 Charlemagne Scholarship

Posted on May 15, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

On June 1, 2000, the Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen, of Aachen University, awarded the Charlemagne Prize to the President of the United States. To continue the association, the university instituted the Charlemagne Scholarship, awarded annually to a U.S. student of engineering who is placed in an industry-oriented research unit with the option of attending advanced courses. Tuition is free, and there is also a period of German language training customized for the winner’s needs. The goal of the program is to continue to bridge and share the highest technological standards for both the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany to develop “young scientists and engineers with a strong international orientation.”

The spirit of learning exchange is also reflected in the ERASMUS program that invites EU students to take a year of study at another university within the Eurozone, promoting shared understanding among a fresh cadre of multi-lingual young professionals. The program fosters expanding the vision of a new generation who will think of themselves first as Europeans and second as nationals of a particular country.

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.

Rebuilding Eden

Posted on May 9, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

dry — Result of the draining, from bbc.co.uk.

Baghdad is not the only important settlement on the Tigris and the Euphrates. The wetlands of southern Iraq lay claim to being the Eden of Christian faith. Located on the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, these marshes were home to a large wildlife population and supported whole human villages. Sadly they were drained in the 1990s under Saddam Hussein, an action that quickly destroyed the ecosystem and local communities. Since the fall of Hussein there has been a move to restore the marshes and the ancient way of life with some success. For the whole story please visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9364000/9364044.stm

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.

Schiphol Airport

Posted on May 1, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

The name, Schiphol, means “ships’s hell.” The spot where Amsterdam’s airport lies is the drained lake bed of Haarlemmermeer (Lake of Haarlem). This lake had increased over centuries and regularly flooded, to the detriment and damage of Amsterdam and Leiden. In the seventeenth century, 170 windmills were estimated to be needed to drain the lake but the project was dropped due to expense. In 1836 when floods once again assaulted Amsterdam and Leiden, the central government began the effort to drain the lake using three steam-driven pumps. Amsterdam’s airport is now on the site, named after a lake where many ships were wrecked. Hopefully, the name bears the exact opposite for predictions regarding ships of the sky.

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.

Roman Baths

Posted on April 24, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

Rome was a city whose culture revolved around water, and was enabled by the aqueducts leading to the city. This love of water went beyond the heart of the empire, however, to the outer reaches of the Caesar’s rule. England was one of the farthest outposts of the Roman Empire, but the culture of Rome made quite a mark on the land just the same. A visitor to England today is likely to take a trip to the city of Bath, named after, well, the baths located there. The baths at Bath were built around Britain’s only hot springs and were a social hot spot in the Roman period. Today the ruins stand fairly well-kept, and if you dare you may have a drink of the spring’s water, which supposedly has healing properties. To learn more please visit the official website of the baths at http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/default.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.

The Oracle at Delphi

Posted on April 17, 2012August 28, 2012 by zoequinn001

apollo temple — Temple of Apollo, Delphi, from Sweet Briar College, at sbc.edu.

The Oracle at Delphi is credited as having told the Greeks to settle at Cyrene, among many other prophesies, but who was the Oracle? She has most traditionally been associated with Apollo, but her beginnings were more humble than that. Her powers were actually discovered by a shepherd and his sheep. The shepherd noticed his sheep near a chasm and acting rather strangely; when he went to investigate, he was overcome with a fit. The vapors coming from the cavern that caused the strange behavior in the shepherd and his sheep were the source of the Oracle’s powers.

The Oracle fell from favor with the introduction of Christianity to the area, but she did not fall from interest. More recently a group of scientists studied the prophetic vapors, and discovered that they have a narcotic effect on people, and in large concentrations could send one into a trance similar to that of the Oracle.

To read more please visit National Geographic

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.