Month: January 2019

Mozart Week

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756. Every January since 1956, his birthday has been celebrated by the people of Salzburg, Austria, where he was born, with a music festival devoted entirely to his works. The festival also prides itself on presenting many of his lesser known works, which are seldom performed elsewhere. Concerts are given in a number of sites associated with Mozart’s life, including the Mozarteum Building, St. Peter’s Church, the Salzburg Cathedral, and even Mozart’s home. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Language of the Birds

In mythology, medieval literature, and occultism, the language of the birds is often considered a divine or magical language used by birds to communicate with the initiated. A wide variety of historical references to the language of birds exists: Solomon’s wisdom is attributed to it, and Aesop, the legendary Greek fabulist, is said to have understood it. In Norse mythology, ravens keep the god Odin apprised of events on Earth. What beast’s blood is said to confer the ability to understand birds? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Australia Day

The anniversary of the first British settlement in Australia on January 26, 1788, was formerly known as Foundation Day or Anniversary Day. Captain Arthur Phillip and his company of British convicts arrived first at Botany Bay, and when that proved to be unsuitable they moved on to Port Jackson, where the city of Sydney was eventually established. First officially celebrated in 1818, Australia Day has been a public holiday since 1838. It used to be observed on either January 26 or the nearest Monday, but since 1994 it has been observed on January 26 with celebrations all over the country. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Alchemy in the Islamic World

In the 8th century, alchemy, a pseudoscience focused on transforming base metals into gold, reached the Islamic world. Over the next several centuries, Muslim alchemists revolutionized the field, introducing scientific method into alchemical research and developing apparatuses like the alembic, still, and retort, which are still in use in laboratories today, and chemical processes such as pure distillation and filtration. Which Arab alchemist has been called “the father of chemistry”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Festival of the Cow

The Fiesta de la Vaca takes place in the village of San Pablo de los Montes, in the Spanish province of Toledo, on St. Paul‘s Day. While the religious procession and mass for the feast of San Pablo are going on, a group of young men form a counter-procession in the opposite direction. One of them plays the role of the cow, La Vaca, while another is dressed as Mother Sow, Madre Cochina. A third is dressed as a shepherd, and there are others ringing cow bells. Every time the group passes the image of the saint, they call out, “Here goes the cow!” Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Goiters

A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland that can lead to a prominent swelling in the front of the neck—sometimes nearly doubling its size. While the thyroid normally weighs 0.5 to 0.9 oz (15 to 25 g), goitrous thyroid glands can grow to more than 2 lb (1,000 g) and may interfere with breathing and swallowing and cause a choking feeling. A goiter can be caused by underproduction or overproduction of hormones, but endemic goiter, the most common type, results from a deficiency of what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Chinese Pottery

One of the oldest and most widespread of the decorative arts, pottery making dates to prehistoric times. Fragments of painted pottery from the Neolithic period have been unearthed in China. Painted human faces, animals, and geometric designs adorn the fine white, red, and black pottery created by these artisans. During the Tang dynasty, the Chinese developed porcelain to withstand the heat generated in parts of their kilns. What techniques have since been used to make fake Chinese ceramics? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary