Month: December 2023

The Vision Serpent

In Maya mythology, the serpent symbolizes rebirth and renewal. Of the serpents, the Vision Serpent is most important, representing a direct link between the spirit realm of the gods and the physical world. It is, therefore, depicted frequently in Maya jewelry, pottery, and architecture. During Maya bloodletting ceremonies, participants experienced visions in which they communicated with ancestors or gods in the form of the Vision Serpent. How is the vision quest performed in modern times? Discuss

McGurk's Bar Bombing (1971)

One of the first major atrocities of “the Troubles,” a period of political violence in Ireland that began in the late 1960s, the bombing of Belfast’s predominantly Roman Catholic Tramore Bar—better known as McGurk’s—killed 15 people and injured 17. The first major attack on civilians by any of the region’s paramilitary organizations, the bombing provoked widespread political and public reaction. After losing both his wife and daughter in the bombing, the bar’s owner made what televised request? Discuss

Thomas Carlyle (1795)

Carlyle was a Scottish historian and writer. His adherence to Calvinist values despite his loss of faith in traditional Christianity proved appealing to many Victorians, and he gained notice with his first major work, Sartor, Resartus. Simultaneously factual and fictional, the work forces the reader to confront the problem of where “truth” is to be found and was initially considered bizarre and incomprehensible by some. It had some success in the US, however, where it was admired by whom? Discuss

Marmalade

Marmalade is a sweet preserve with a bitter tang made from citrus fruit, sugar, water, and, in some commercial brands, a gelling agent. The term marmalade stems from marmelo, Portuguese for quince, which is the fruit originally used to make the preserve. The term marmalade first appeared in the English language in the 15th century, and has been used since the 17th century to refer to any preserve derived from citrus fruit. What is the legend of Dundee Marmalade? Discuss

World's First Human Heart Transplant (1967)

After studying medicine at the University of Cape Town, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard came to the US in 1955 to improve his surgical technique. There, he performed his first heart operation before returning to Cape Town, where he was soon appointed director of surgical research at the Groote Schuur Hospital. He made medical history there in 1967 when he completed the world’s first human heart transplant on 55-year-old Louis Washkansky. When was the first pediatric heart transplant? Discuss

Joseph Conrad (1857)

Before becoming a novelist, Conrad lived an adventurous life at sea. He later fictionalized many of his experiences in novels that combine realism and high drama. Though he knew little English before he was 20, Conrad became one of the greatest novelists and prose stylists in English literature. Marked by a distinctive, rich prose, many of his novels are considered masterpieces, but he is perhaps best known for the novella Heart of Darkness. What were some of Conrad’s real-life escapades? Discuss