Matt's Blog: 07/04/07

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Zürich

Zürich (German: Zürich (help·info) [ˈtsyːʁɪç], Zürich German: Züri [ˈtsyɾi], French: Zurich [zyʁiʃ], in English generally Zurich, Italian: Zurigo [dzu'ɾiːgo]) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 344'241 in 2006; population of urban area is some 1'007'972) and capital of the canton of Zürich. The city is Switzerland's main commercial and cultural center (the political capital of Switzerland being Bern), and is widely considered to be one of the world's global cities. According to several surveys in 2006[1] and 2007[2], Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world.
The origin of the name is probably the Celtic word Turus, a corroborating reference to which was found on a tomb inscription dating from the Roman occupation in the 2nd century; the antique name of the town in its romanized form was Turicum.

In Roman times, Turicum was a tax-collecting point at the border of Gallia Belgica (from AD 90 Germania superior) and Raetia for goods trafficked on the Limmat river. A Carolingian castle, built on the site of the Roman castle by the grandson of Charlemagne, Louis the German, is mentioned in 835 ("in castro Turicino iuxta fluvium Lindemaci"). Louis also founded the Fraumünster abbey in 853 for his daughter Hildegard. He endowed the Benedictine convent with the lands of Zürich, Uri, and the Albis forest, and granted the convent immunity, placing it under his direct authority.
In 1045 , King Henry III granted the convent the right to hold markets, collect tolls, and mint coins, and thus effectively made the abbess the ruler of the city.

The Murerplan of 1576
Zürich became reichsunmittelbar in 1218 with the extinction of the main line of the Zähringer family. A city wall was built during the 1230s, enclosing 38 hectares. Emperor Frederick II promoted the abbess of the Fraumünster to the rank of a duchess in 1234 . The abbess assigned the mayor, and she frequently delegated the minting of coins to citizens of the city. However, the political power of the convent slowly waned in the 14th century, beginning with the establishment of the Zunftordnung (guild laws) in 1336 by Rudolf Brun, who also became the first independent mayor, i.e. not assigned by the abbess.
Zürich joined the Swiss confederation (which at that time was a loose confederation of de facto independent states) as the fifth member in 1351 . Zürich was expelled from the confederation in 1440 due to a war with the other member states over the territory of Toggenburg (the Old Zürich War). Zürich was defeated in 1446 , and re-admitted to the confederation in 1450.
Zwingli started the Swiss reformation at the time when he was the main preacher in Zürich. He lived there from 1484 until his death in 1531.
In 1839 , the city had to yield to the demands of its urban subjects, following the Züriputsch of 6 September. Most of the ramparts built in the 17th century were torn down, without ever having been sieged, to allay rural concerns over the city's hegemony. The Treaty of Zurich between Austria, France, and Sardinia was signed in 1859 . [3]
From 1847 , the Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn, the first railway on Swiss territory, connected Zürich with Baden, putting the Zürich Main Station at the origin of the Swiss rail network. The present building of the Hauptbahnhof (chief railway station) dates to 1871.
Zurich was accidentally bombed during WW II.

Great Presidency Sites

hillaryclinton.com
barackobama.com
johnedwards.com
algore.com

Ricin

The protein ricin (pronounced [ˈraɪsɪn]) is a toxin from the castor bean (Ricinus communis). Ricin can be extracted from castor beans and is known to have an average lethal dose in humans of 0.2 milligrams (1/5,000th of a gram), though some sources give higher figures.[1] It is considered to be twice as deadly as cobra venom. The 2007 Guinness World Records Book considers ricin the world's most potent plant toxin.[

Scratch ‘n sniff ads are back

Those annoying scratch ‘n sniff ads are back. Or did they ever really go away?
This time it will be strawberry cheesecake, sugar cookies and hot chocolate instead of perfume.
These new Kraft ads are in People Magazine, one of the publications found in most waiting rooms.
The next time you take a seat in a waiting room don’t be surprised if you detect the smell of strawberry cheesecake or sugar cookies.

Old Farmers Almanac predicts harsh winter

The venerable Old Farmers Almanac is predicting a harsh winter.
The Old Farmer's Almanac is embracing new technology — from Internet podcasts to a 24-hour Web cam — as the 215-year-old Yankee oracle warns of a harsh North American winter with a chance of snow even in Las Vegas.
North America's oldest continuously published periodical, a compendium of curious articles, zodiac secrets, humorous anecdotes and weather forecasts, says winter temperatures will be as much as 8 degrees F below its 30-year average.
The Almanac has been published continuously since 1792.

New rules outlaw melting US coins for profit

New rules could give stiff fines and jail time to people who melt pennies or nickels to profit from the increased price of metals.
Soaring metals prices mean that the value of the metal in pennies and nickels exceeds the face value of the coins.

"The nation needs its coinage for commerce," U.S. Mint director Ed Moy said in a statement. "We don't want to see our pennies and nickels melted down so a few individuals can take advantage of the American taxpayer. Replacing these coins would be an enormous cost to taxpayers."
Under the new rules, it is illegal to melt pennies and nickels. It is also illegal to export the coins for melting.
Travelers may legally carry up to $5 in 1- and 5-cent coins out of the USA or ship $100 of the coins abroad "for legitimate coinage and numismatic purposes."

Men have only 30 seconds to impress a new date

A recent study in Scotland found that women are far quicker at making a decision about a date than men.
Half of all women make their minds up within 30 seconds of meeting a man about whether he is potential boyfriend material.
A warning to men: if the Edinburgh Science Festival data is accurate where you live, then you only have 30 seconds to impress a woman!
This study shows just how important “chat-up lines” were in dating.
Failed Casanovas were those who offered up hackneyed comments like "Do you come here often?", or clumsy attempts to impress, such as "I have a PhD in computing".

Is the penny worth keeping?

Has the penny controversy ever really gone away?
On my way to grade school, I would transfer from one bus to another in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While waiting for the Summit Avenue bus at 8th and Phillips, I would look into the window of a lower level barber shop and watch men pitch pennies.
Now an article in the Wall Street Journal asks, Is it time to pitch the penny?
Zinc is the main ingredient making up over 97% of the metal in each penny coin. With the cost of zinc constantly increasing, can we still afford to keep minting the penny?
Zinc is now over $2 per pound making the metal cost of minting pennies more than the face value of the coin.
Penny enemies say fumbling for pennies at cash registers wastes time and money.
Pro-penny partisans counter that the mix of metals in the coin could be changed to cut costs.
The mint estimates that the cost to make and distribute each penny is about 1.23 cents.
If the mint changed to use less expensive metals the penny could end up like the forgettable once cent made during World War II.
The old wartime lead penny was less welcome than the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin (on the left above), also known as the Carter quarter, or the golden colored Sacagawea dollar (on the right above).
A lot of people refused to accept the old wartime lead pennies claiming it was bad luck to even touch the coins.
Most retail merchants will fight any plans to discontinue the penny. Retail prices ending in 99 cents would need to be reduced to 95 cents costing Big Box stores thousands of dollars per store each month.
The penny controversy may be with us for a long time.

Shiny mud balls made by Japanese students

Making hikaru dorodango was a traditional pastime among the children of Japan that is making a comeback.
Hikaru dorodango are balls of mud, molded by hand into perfect spheres, dried, and polished to an unbelievable luster. The process is simple, but the result makes it seem like alchemy.
The exact origin of hikaru dorodango is unknown.
The tradition was dying out until taken up by Professor Fumio Kayo, of the Kyoto University of Education.
With the help of Japanese media, Kayo has revived and extended the popular reach of this tradition to the point where it is now an international phenomenon.
here for the story. Instructions are Link here.

Borneo jungles yield 52 new animals and plants

Scientists have found 52 new animal and plant species in the ‘Lost World’ jungles of Borneo.
They said the previously remote and inaccessible forests of Borneo are one of the "final frontiers for science".
Sorry cryptozoologists, they did not find a Bigfoot or any other humanoid cryptid.

Unpopular U.S. coins and currency

Remember when the $2 bill was re-issued in 1976?
They were never widely accepted by the public as a serious form of currency. They were more of a curiosity and treated as a collector’s item. A lot of people saved them instead of spending them.
They were also not widely accepted by merchants who really didn’t want to use them in making change. Most cash registers did not have an extra space in the currency tray to accommodate the $2 bill.
. The fate of the $2 bill of 1976 was much the same as the $1 Susan B. Anthony coin. The Anthony “silver” dollar was also not accepted by the public.
Incidentally, the Anthony dollar coin was also known as the “Carter quarter.” Hard to tell which was the bigger flop: the Anthony dollar or the Carter presidency.

Vegetarians are more intelligent

A new study from the UK shows that vegetarians are more intelligent than non-vegetarians.
Frequently dismissed as cranks, their fussy eating habits tend to make them unpopular with dinner party hosts and guests alike.
But now it seems they may have the last laugh, with research showing vegetarians are more intelligent than their meat-eating friends.
A study of thousands of men and women revealed that those who stick to a vegetarian diet have IQs that are around five points higher than those who regularly eat meat.

World's Richest People

Jambalaya

INGREDIENTS
6 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup chopped celery
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound cubed cooked ham
1/2 pound cubed cooked chicken
1/2 pound cubed smoked sausage
2 (14.5 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, with liquid
2 cups beef broth
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 cups uncooked white rice
1/2 pound salad shrimp
DIRECTIONS
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add celery, bell pepper, and onion to the bacon drippings, and cook until tender.
Add the ham, chicken and sausage to the pot, and pour in the tomatoes, beef broth and chicken broth. Season with thyme and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, and add the rice. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Stir in the shrimp and bacon just before serving, and heat through. If you use uncooked shrimp, let it cook for about 5 minutes before serving.

Toughest tongue twister in English language

This is said to be the most difficult tongue twister in the English language:
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep is sick

Matt's Blog

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Zürich

Great Presidency Sites

Ricin

Scratch ‘n sniff ads are back

Old Farmers Almanac predicts harsh winter

New rules outlaw melting US coins for profit

Men have only 30 seconds to impress a new date

Is the penny worth keeping?

Shiny mud balls made by Japanese students

Borneo jungles yield 52 new animals and plants

Unpopular U.S. coins and currency

Vegetarians are more intelligent

World's Richest People

Jambalaya

Toughest tongue twister in English language

Love Song Unplugged

Goodbye

Disturbia (Flashlight Mindless Radio Mix)

Great Quote from Winston Churchill

About Me

My Blogroll

My Blogger Panel

Blog Archive

Labels

what do youu think of george bush