Historical
Greece in Neolithic times
The Neolithic (New Stone Age) era in ancient Greece must be reckoned to date from around 6800 BCE to 3200 BCE. Climatic changes made it possible for groups of people to settle in fixed locations and for the hunter-gatherer economy of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras to give way to more settled ways of life, including farming, stock-rearing, and the creation of pottery. Around 1,000 sites have been identified that show signs of occupation in the Neolithic period.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
"God Save the Queen": the UK national anthem
The British national anthem was the first in the world to be adopted as such, with every other country subsequently following suit with its own anthem, sometimes even using the same tune as the British one. Like many British institutions it was a matter of evolution rather than deliberate creation, coming about almost by accident.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Napoleon Bonaparte: a short dictator?
There is a general belief that Napoleon Bonaparte was unusually short, and that he is therefore part of the common perception that dictators tend to be short people who make up for it by being particularly unpleasant to everybody else and conquering as many countries as they can. But, in Napoleon’s case, is this true?
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Way down yonder in the Pawpaw patch
When I was a little girl, my maternal great grandmother used to sing various songs throughout the day. One of the lines she often sang was to the tune of Ten Little Indians and was the chorus from a folk song called The Pawpaw Patch. The chorus was:
By Cheryl E Preston5 years ago in FYI
How wheellock weapons worked
Early firearms worked by the direct application of heat to gunpowder, an operation that was clearly fraught with danger, especially as this took place a few inches in front of the gunman’s face. The earliest such weapons used the “matchlock” system, in which the heat was supplied by a naked flame in the form of a smouldering piece of cord brought into direct contact with gunpowder in an open pan, a process that was not only dangerous but unreliable. The way forward was to use friction as the heat source, and the first method to do so was the wheellock, which was used on weapons from around 1550 to 1650, although weapons from both before and after these dates can be found.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Radiance: The Brilliant Career of Marie Curie. Top Story - May 2021.
AN AILING François Mitterrand, in the final weeks of his last term as French president, finally made amends for centuries of Gallic sexism. At an April 1995 ceremony in the Panthéon, the great monument to French national heroes, he enshrined the ashes of Marie Curie — the first woman to be so honoured for her achievements.
By Wilson da Silva5 years ago in FYI
GENERATIONAL RIPPLES OF HATE:
Introduction: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, suffering is seemingly the new societal norm the world over. With the entire human race on edge out of fear of an unseen destructive force in our midst, it seems illogical to not be concerned (even if only a little). Every race and nationality have seen its own plethora of challenges. From genetic pre-dispositions to underlying health conditions that lead to an increased susceptibility to a novel new enemy, everyone has suffered in some capacity. Some have been worse off than others, however, and still are exploring their own depths for survival. Whether that be mentally, physically, or economically, the struggle is apparent. Socio-economic status, healthcare infrastructure stability, social class (caste), and even the color of your skin has been analyzed through scientific research. psychological analysis, and sociological input. This has proven that over this past year and a half (depending on global location). Reactance theory and racism has shown us the worst of us all. While those that stepped up when they were needed to go that extra mile have highlighted the best. But what began as an inevitable horror of phylogenetic morphology (the strain varied and changed) of a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) strain, has evolved into a resurgence of something much more devious. A resurgence of hate against the general population, but specifically crimes against those of Asian Ancestry (BBC America, 2021). Violence against Asian Americans (AA) is not a new phenomenon, it is however making a comeback. Unfortunately, due to ignorance and undereducated masses so are the numbers on Pacific Islanders (PI) statistics. The number of race specific attacks, be them physical or verbal, are on the rise owing to a lack of understanding by those who identify them as ‘Asian’ (Porterfield, 2021). Mostly falling under the category of ignorance of other cultures that is unfortunately an American sociological cliché when viewed through the eyes of the rest of the worlds preconceived notions of the ‘socially ignorant American’. This rise in hate and violence against any group of people, to me, is a problem that needs to be handled quickly, and decisively.
By Stanli McCallum5 years ago in FYI
Lewis and Clark's contribution to American English
Lewis and Clark were two explorers who were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the interior and west of the North American continent. Inadvertently, they also made important contributions to the development of American English.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
