Month: September 2021

Confucius's Birthday

This is a time to commemorate the birth of the teacher Confucius, perhaps the most influential man in China’s history. In Qufu, Shandong Province, China, the birthplace of Confucius, there is a two-week-long Confucian Culture Festival. During the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, Red Guards defaced many of the buildings in Qufu. They have since been restored, and the festival held there attracts scholars from China and abroad. The festival opens with a ceremony accompanied by ancient music and dance and includes exhibitions and lectures on the life and teachings of Confucius. Discuss

Water Politics

According to the World Health Organization, each person requires about 5 gallons (20 liters) of water per day to adequately meet drinking and hygiene needs. Yet billions live without sufficient water resources. The Middle East, for instance, shares about 1 percent of the world’s available water among 5 percent of the world’s population, and its major rivers cross international borders. Such discrepancies can lead to conflict. Which Middle Eastern conflicts have been fueled by water politics? Discuss

Maskal

Maskal is a Christian festival in Ethiopia to commemorate what is believed to have been the finding of the True Cross, the cross on which Christ was crucified. In communities throughout the nation, a tall pole called a demara is set up and topped with a cross. Families place smaller demaras against the big one, and in the evening they are made into a huge bonfire. Religious ceremonies are performed around the bonfire, with songs and dancing. The ashes of the burned-out fire are considered holy, and the people place the powder of the ashes on their foreheads. Discuss

Marie Celeste

A place, location, or high-occupancy vehicle (especially a ship) that is inexplicably deserted or abandoned. An allusion to the Mary Celeste, an American merchant brigantine that was discovered floating off the Azores Islands in 1872 with no one on board and still in seaworthy condition. (Note: The variant spelling of “Marie” is the more common usage for the idiomatic reference, likely due to its use in a story by Arthur Conan Doyle.) Watch the video

The Deathstalker

The deathstalker scorpion stalks the deserts and scrublands of the Middle East and North Africa. Ranging in color from bright green to straw yellow, the deathstalker lives up to its nickname—its venom is a cocktail of neurotoxins that can kill humans, especially those who are very young or old or who have pre-existing medical conditions. Despite the inherent danger, some people keep these deadly creatures as pets. How can the deathstalker’s venom be used therapeutically? Discuss