A little bit of Paradis

The Soul of a Poet

King Richard…

Paradis | October 15, 2009

Richard Plantagenet is revered as one of the great warrior kings of England, best known as “the absent king.” Because during his reign from 1189-1199, he spent a total of six months in England. Richard I was well known for his bravery which earned him the nickname “The Lionheart”. A name that has reached epic and mythological proportions, best seen in literary works such as Robin Hood and Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe.

Richard Plantagenet was born on September 8th 1157 AD  Although born in Oxfordshire England, Richard was a child of Aquitaine a part of Southern France. His native language was not English and he spoke little of it.

He had four brothers and three sisters, the first of which died at a young age. Of the remainder; Henry was named heir to the English throne, Richard was to succeed his mother’s Aquitaine and Geoffrey was to inherit Brittany. John was the poorest to fair out receiving nothing from his father. It is this action that gave him the name John Lackland.

At the age of twelve, Richard pledged homage to the king of France for lands of his. At fourteen, Richard was named the Duke of Aquitane in the church of St. Hillaire at Poitiers. Henry’s sons, who had been given lands but no real power revolted against their King father aided by their mother. In retaliation King Henry had Eleanor jailed.

In 1183 the younger Henry died leaving Richard as the heir to the English throne.
Another family dispute occurred when Richard received the lands of his brother. Henry was expected to give his Aquitaine to his brother John. Richard refused to give up the homeland of his mother. While this dispute over family land raged on, Richard learned of the tragic loss at Hattin, where the Crusaders had lost Jerusalem to the Saracen leader Saladin. Richard soon took up the cross of the crusades, much against his father’s approval.

In 1189, upon the death of Henry II, Richard was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey London. One of his first actions was to free his mother from prison. His second was to begin to raise funds for his crusade known to history as the Third Crusade. He imposed a tax on the English people called a Saladin tithe as a means of aiding his war effort.

After the Third Crusade, Richard began his homeward journey to England. Put ashore by bad weather he found himself in Austria home of Leopold, whom Richard had angered by actions during the crusade. Leopold captured King Richard and imprisoned him in his castle. Eager for a piece of the action the Emperor of Germany offered Leopold 75,000 marks for Richard taking him into custody in Germany.

Rumors ran rampant throughout England over the missing king. There is a legend that the troubadour Blondel heard his king singing in a castle and responded with a song that the both of them were sure to know. Whether true or not the fact remains that two Abbots were soon dispatched to journey for him through the network of the church. Even Eleanor, Richard’s mother wrote to the Pope for assistance in the matter. Richard was found and soon a ransom was set for his return to England. The sum was 150,000 marks an amount equal to three years of annual income and weighing at three tons in silver.

Richard returned to England receiving a hero’s welcome. He forgave his brother John, by saying he was manipulated by cunning people and vowed to punish them and not his brother. Unfortunately for the King he returned to a land in financial troubles. The cost of the Crusade and his large ransom had tapped out the finances of the land. This monetary trouble was to plague him for his remaining five-year reign. He created a new great seal as a means to raise funds and made void all documents signed with the old.

For such a brave and noble man, King Richard’s death came about in a rather strange way. In Chalus, Aquitaine, a peasant plowing his fields came upon a treasure. This treasure consisted of some gold statues and coins. The feudal lord claimed the treasure from his vassal, Richard in turn claimed the treasure from the lord, who refused. This prompted Richard to siege the village.
During the siege Richard was riding close to the castle without the protection of full armor. He spotted an archer with bow in hand on the wall aiming a shot at him. It is said Richard paused to applaud the Bowman. He was struck in the shoulder with the arrow and refused treatment for his wound. Infection set in and Richard the Lionheart died on April the 6th 1199. He was buried in the Fontvraud Abbey in Anjou France.

Paradis

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Einstein’s Learning Disability

Paradis | October 14, 2009

Many may not realize, but Einstein had a Learning Disability and was far from being labeled as ‘intelligent’ in highschool…

Every person has a unique brain which fires neurons differently, So how can we categorize someone who meets such limited criteria such as ‘test’, as intelligent? There are many different types of intelligence and many of those go unrecognized because of our narrow beliefs.

Our society values memory. if someone remembers well, they do well on tests. they therefore are labled ‘intelligent’. our culture values tests as a measure of intelligence.

This to me is an absurd way to measure intelligence, since it only measures one very limited aspect of knowledge – not intelligence. Many seem to equate knowledge with intelligence. That is a mistake. Some of the most intelligent people were illiterate.

IQ tests are not complete…it only measures one aspect of intelligence…musicians, artists, and even atheletes have a great amount of intelligence that allows them to focus on their talents.

Paradis

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Pattern Recognition

Paradis | October 14, 2009

It seems to me that everything seems to evolve around some kind of pattern.

Whatever you believe or disbelieve is based on a Pattern Recognition you have come to know and accept. Once a pattern is established, the individual looks for things to substantiate the pattern, disregarding things that do not substantiate or enhance the particular pattern

People develop into a pattern of thought/action that they are accustomed to. As to whether the pattern is correct/incorrect is based purely on speculation and whether or not it fits another persons particular pattern of thought.

Isn’t it just because it is the pattern in things that attracts our attention, that everything seems (to us) to evolve around patterns?
Now, why are we attracted to patterns?

Patterns = predictability. The more predictability in our lives, the more control we have over our lives, as we can move to avoid what we don’t want.
Lack of patterns => unpredictability. The less predictability in our lives, the less in control we are/feel as we can’t/don’t know what’s coming next. As we grow we learn to recognise harder and harder patterns.

We exploit patterns for our own survival, which is why we’re quite good at it. Without pattern it would be incredibly hard to define any sort of survival strategy. Seeking out pattern is part of a survival strategy. Instilling pattern on the world is too. Humans love patterns and we tend to stick to them even if they are detrimental to the planet. “It’s the way we have always done it” syndrome. We need to get perspective and recognize the patterns in our lives so we can evaluate the impacts of our actions.

Paradis

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Tea in Britain

Paradis | October 14, 2009

Tea, is the most quintessential of English drinks. Although the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China, it was not until the mid 17th century that the beverage first appeared in England. It was the Portuguese and Dutch traders who first imported tea to Europe, with regular shipments by 1610

It was the London coffee houses that were responsible for introducing tea to England. One of the first coffee house merchants to offer tea was Thomas Garway, who owned an establishment in Exchange Alley. He sold both liquid and dry tea to the public as early as 1657.

Tea gained popularity quickly in the coffee houses, and by 1700 over 500 coffee houses sold it. This distressed the tavern owners, as tea cut their sales of ale and gin. By 1750 tea had become the favoured drink of Britain’s lower classes.

Charles II did his bit to counter the growth of tea, forbidding its sale in private houses. But this law was so unpopular that it was impossible to enforce. A 1676 act taxed tea and required coffee house operators to apply for a license. This was the start of government attempts to control and profit from the popularity of tea in Britain. Afternoon tea is said to have originated with one person; Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. In the early 1800’s she launched the idea of having tea in the late afternoon to bridge the gap between luncheon and dinner, which might not be served until 8 o’clock at night. This fashionable custom soon evolved into high tea among the working classes, where this late afternoon repast became the main meal of the day.

Tea in China was traditionally drunk from cups without handles. When tea became popular in Britain, there was a need for good cups with handles.
British Clipper Ship Cutty Sark 1869

In 1869 Captain John Willis commissioned a tea clipper that he hoped would outstrip all others, including the newly built Thermopylae. He enlisted the talents of a young designer, Hercules Linton, a partner in the recently established firm of Scott & Linton at Dumbarton.

Although never as swift as Thermopylae or Titania, The Cutty Sark outran all other clippers, and was at her best when hard-driven.

In March of 1870 Cutty Sark departed for China on her maiden voyage, beginning a career which would outlast those of all other tea clippers but she remained in the tea trade only a few years. The year she was built, 1869, has also seen the opening of the Suez Canal, which enabled steamships to cut a month or more off the best passages of the tea clippers, forcing the clippers into other trades.

Capt. George Moodie was in command for her first three voyages. In 1895 she was sold to the Portuguese firm of Ferreira & Co., and renamed Ferreira.

In September 1949 she was offered to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich and her name reinstated. The Cutty Sark was officially opened to the public on June 25th, 1957 and receives more than a quarter of a million visitors each year at Greenwich.
Tea in China

Known as the birthplace of tea, for hundreds of years China produced the only teas known to the western world. China still accounts for over 18% of world exports. Most teas from China are not easily found in the general marketplace.

According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf from the tree dropped into the water and Shen Nung decided to try the brew. The tree was a wild tea tree. Thus, tea drinking began. However, until the end of the sixth century, tea continued to be drunk primarily as a remedy for illnesses.

From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink. By the third century AD many stories were being told and some written about tea and the benefits of tea drinking, but it was not until the Tang Dynasty that tea became China’s national drink and the word ch’a was used to describe tea.
Tea Clippers

In the early 1800’s ships carrying tea from the Far East to Britain could take over a year to bring home their cargo. When the East India Company was given a monopoly on the tea trade in 1832, they realized the need to cut the time of this journey. The Americans actually designed the first

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The Samurai

Paradis | October 14, 2009

The origins of the samurai class go back to when the Heike and Genji fought bitter wars against each other during the 10th and 11th century. To have better control over the samurai they were ordered to live permanently in castles. Before Hideyoshi’s reforms, most samurai cultivated a piece of land. And only in war times they were called to arms.

Hideyoshi introduced a system of social classes with samurai on top of the hierarchy, next the farmers, then the crafts persons, and the merchants at the lowest end.The membership to a class was defined by birth. Moving from one class to another was impossible. The samurai had many privileges. Only they were allowed to wear weapons, and were above the law. The life of a samurai was defined by bushido, a code of honour, where loyalty towards one’s master and the conviction that an honorable death is preferable to a life in shame. This period of roughly 265 years was a time of peace, stability and modest wealth under the strict rule of the Tokugawa bakufu.

The samurai class was about 8% of the total population. Due to the absence of war, they were without an occupation, an idle class that had to be fed by the classes of the farmers, craftsmen and merchants. In January 1868, troupes from Satsuma and Choshu had marched to Kyoto in a coup, occupied the imperial palace and proclaimed the restoration of power to the emperor. The Japanese emperor had been a purely representative figure for more than a thousand years. In 1868 the emperor Prince Mutsuhito, was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. It marked the official end of the Tokugawa rule and the beginning of the Meiji era, (Meiji means the Enlightened Leader)

In 1868, two thousand men loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate were gunned down by imperial troops under the leadership of Saigo Takamori. It was clear that the medieval class structure and customs of samurai could not be tolerated any longer, so reforms had to be introduced, which abolished the class of the samurai. In 1872 the Japanese government announced its intention to establish a national Japanese army of conscripts after Western patterns. Saigo Takamori had supported the reforms in the beginning, but when the privileges of his own samurai class were abandoned, he was torn between loyalty towards his country and his own class.

In the beginning of the Meiji government, many samurai found an employment in the imperial forces. Wearing swords was forbidden with the exception of ceremonial events, it upset the majority of the samurai and local riots broke out. Saigo Takamori resigned from his government post and went back to Kagoshima. He founded a local military school and samurai gathered around him in large numbers, proclaiming Saigo as their leader. With an army of roughly 25,000 men, his first military charge was the siege of the imperial garrison in the castle of Kumamoto. The siege of Kumamoto castle ended after 54 days, when Saigo’s troops were pushed back to Kagoshima.

The bodies of Saigo Takamori and other leaders of the rebellion were found beheaded. The last samurais had committed seppuku by cutting off each other’s head with one strike of the sword. This was the traditional samurai way of committing suicide on the battlefield when no time was left for a ceremonial suicide.

Paradis

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Facts to know

Paradis | October 13, 2009

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple.

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Facts to know

Paradis | October 13, 2009

“I am.” is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

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Facts to know

Paradis | October 13, 2009

Mark Twain didn’t graduate from elementary school.

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Facts to know

Paradis | October 13, 2009

First novel ever written on a typewriter was “Tom Sawyer”.

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The Amber Room

Paradis | October 13, 2009

It is one of the biggest mysteries of World War II: Where is the Amber Room that was once part of the summer palace of the Russian czars?…

After fifty years, treasure hunters are still searching Europe for the priceless amber mosaics that were lost during the war. Russians were saddened by the loss of the jewelled chamber and have worked for eighteen years to recreate this ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. Eleven years of research was needed before they could even begin the task. Fortunately for Russia, ninety percent of the worlds supply comes from Kaliningrad. Two components that are believed to be part of the room surfaced. Both pieces, a stone mosaic and a lacquered wooden chest of drawers were discovered in Germany in the hands of private owners. The present owner inherited the mosaic twelve years ago. Russian art experts are certain the treasures are genuine and hope they will soon be returned to Russia.

Even more, they hope the find will lead to the discovery of the main treasure, the unique Amber Room, a masterpiece of Baroque art. It was given to Peter the Great in 1716 by the king of Prussia. It was created by German craftsmen for the Prussian king’s summer palace residence near Berlin, the room, known at the time in Berlin as the Amber Study Room was given to Peter by the king’s son and heir, Frederick William I. It is the largest work of art ever made out of amber, weighing around six tons and backed in gold leaf. The room was illuminated by 565 candles whose light was reflected on the amber and the mirrors.

Russia and a German company, Ruhrgas AG, from Essen, Germany, have spent millions of dollars to restore the Amber room in St. Petersburg’s Catherine summer Palace. The cutting machines are electrically powered, but about 60 percent of the work is done by hand. a $3.5 million donation to this project from Ruhrgas, Germany’s largest natural gas company assured that the restoration could be completed. Ruhrgas offered the donation to the Tsarskoe Selo Museum after learning about the project through the newspapers.

The original chamber was never found after it was dismantled during World War II. Only two original pieces of the 18th century masterpiece, a chest of drawers and a mosaic, have ever been recovered. The chamber’s eight metre tall walls are covered with about 500,000 amber tiles. A German film company even made an Indiana Jones style movie based on the story.

Unlike marble or granite, amber is not a mineral. Amber is a living material, an organic material that changes colour. It is altered by the atmosphere and becomes covered by cracks that absorb impurities. Amber has been known since prehistoric times and stone age artifacts are common in museums. Amber beads have been found in 4000 year old graves near Stonehenge, England. Amber beads, amulets and carvings have all been found in archaeological sites throughout northern Europe and along the Mediterranian and Asia. Like the diamond (carbon), amber is the only other gemstone that comes from organic matter (resin) and is the lightest gem in the world.

German and Czech teams are digging through an old silver mine on their common border in a race to find the reputed hiding place of hidden loot including the Amber Room. The German treasure hunters are burrowing under the Czech border in an effort to overtake their competitors, who launched their expedition first.The mission has irritated local people, but Czech officials admit that they can do little to block the operation. A legal battle could follow if the Germans find treasure under Czech territory. The real Amber Room’s hiding place remains a mystery, but the Czech and German teams are convinced that it lies in the 800 year old Nicolai Stollen mine.

In 1941, the Amber Room was stolen and taken to Konigsberg in East Prussia on the Baltic coast, where it was last seen in public in 1943. The room’s trail was lost. If the Amber Room lies hidden somewhere, it is most probably in some damp mine, which means it will most certainly be in a state of ruin. Historians of the subject have little hope that the room will ever be found. So where is this mysterious room in all her beauty?

Some said the treasure was buried in a silver mine not far from Berlin. Others say it was hidden on the shores of the Baltic. The room is worth an estimated $100 million to $250 million. If the Amber Room was still in Königsberg during the bombing of 1944 and 1945, it may not have survived the attack.. Amber burns at a temperature of 300 degrees Farenheit.

The Amber Room was taken apart by six men, in just 36 hours, and has taken 18 years of painstaking work to recreate it. So the story has gone full circle, the Germans built the Amber Room, gave it to Russia as a gift, eventually took it back, and now they are paying for the Amber Room’s reconstruction.

Paradis

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