Month: May 2019

Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg

The Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg is observed in Luxembourg beginning on the third Sunday after Easter and lasting for 15 days, and her festival is the country’s most outstanding religious celebration. Colorful banners are hung across the streets, and the route of the procession is lined with fir trees. Brass bands, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, school and church groups, and small children dressed as priests, bishops, and cardinals start the procession, scattering rose petals. The image of the Virgin follows, dressed in dark blue velvet embroidered with gold and jewels. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient mechanical computer designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in the early 20th century from a wreck near the Greek island of Antikythera, but its significance was not recognized until decades later. It is thought to have been built in the 2nd century BCE. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until more than a thousand years later. Its degree of mechanical sophistication is comparable to what devices? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Tam Kung Festival

A celebration of the birthday of the god Tam Kung is held at the Tam Kung Temple in Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island. Like Tin Hau, Tam Kung is a popular deity among fisherfolk. He is a Taoist child-god, whose powers were apparent when he was only 12 years old. His greatest gift was controlling the weather, but he could also heal the sick and predict the future. Residents of the Shau Kei Wan area believe he saved many lives during an outbreak of cholera in 1967. His birthday is marked with a grand procession, Cantonese opera, and lion and dragon dances. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Gerontocracy

A gerontocracy is system of oligarchical rule in which leaders are significantly older than most of the adult population. In gerontocracies, political power often accumulates with age. While those holding the most power may not hold formal positions, they often dominate those who do. Such forms of rule are common in communist states where the length of one’s service to the party is among the main qualifications for leadership. In what works of fiction have gerontocracies been depicted? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Münchhausen (1720)

Münchhausen was a German baron who became legendary for his fantastic stories about his adventures as a hunter, sportsman, and soldier. Sent in his youth to serve as a page, he later joined the Russian military and served until 1750, taking part in two campaigns against the Ottoman Turks. Returning home, Münchhausen acquired a reputation as an honest businessman but also as a teller of tall tales. He claimed to have ridden cannonballs, travelled to the moon, and escaped a swamp by doing what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Dazzlers

A dazzler is a type of a directed-energy weapon that employs intense visible light to temporarily blind its target. Compact enough for an individual to carry, dazzlers were initially developed for military use and were possibly first used in combat by the British to thwart low-level Argentinean air attacks during the 1982 Falklands War. Non-military models are now becoming available for use in law enforcement and security applications. How are dazzlers being used by US troops in Iraq? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a diagnostic tool that delivers a high-intensity magnetic pulse over the skull and neck, stimulating the upper motor neurons and nerve tract. This allows the timing of electrical impulses traveling from the brain to muscles to be measured as well as interconnections within the brain to be studied. The technique has also been used to treat neurological conditions, such as migraine, epilepsy, and alcoholism. What are some of the risks associated with TMS? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary