Ampi-who-what-now? February 23, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: ampitheatre, history, trivia
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The modern ampitheatre is a classically misnamed public viewing arena. True ampitheatres resemble contemporary stadiums with seating all the way around the stage or field. The name ‘ampitheatre’ comes from the Greek “amphi” meaning “around” or “on both sides” and ‘theatron’ meaning “place to view”.
I write this in a incorrectly-named ampitheatre.
On this day… February 12, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: history, invention, steamboat
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…in 1809 Robert Fulton received a patent for the steamboat.
Separation – that’s a good thing right? February 10, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: Baptist Association of Danbury, Bill of Rights, Constitution, history, President, separation of church and state, Thomas Jefferson, United States
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The phrase ‘separation of Church and State’ is not found in the United States Declaration of Independence, nor is it found in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, any Constitutional Amendments or even in the Federalist Papers. The phrase comes from a personal letter written by then-President Thomas Jefferson shortly after he was elected. The Baptist Association of Danbury in Connecticut had written President Jefferson to congratulate him on his election, and to also raise their concerns about the phrasing of ‘free exercise of religion’ in the Constitution. They believed that this phrasing implied that the people’s right to individual and corporate religious expression was granted by the government (alienable right) rather than noted by the Constitution as a God-given right (inalienable right). Their concerns were shared by Jefferson. He was of the opinion that if a centralist government with a particular religious disposition were to be elected, they could potentially have the right to curtail the ‘free exercise of religion’.
In President Jefferson’s written response to the Baptist Association of Danbury, he states:
“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legislative powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”
The separation of Church and State was only ever meant as a way of protecting the Church from persecution or regulation by the State. It wasn’t until 1947 that the Supreme Court of the United States took that phrase from Thomas Jefferson’s letter out of context and used it to justify the removal of prayer from schools and other public forms of religious expression.
Separation of Church and State was meant to be a good thing but has been horribly twisted to fulfill another agenda. Fact.
Contrary to popular belief: February 7, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: baths, children, deaths, guns, statistics, Washington
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Baths are more dangerous for children than having a firearm in the house. In 2003, there were 56 fatal gun accidents involving American children 14 years old and younger (still a tragic number), yet there were 86 incidents of bathtub drownings and an astronomical 285 pool drownings amongst the same group of children.
I wonder why we don’t see left-wing anti-bath lobbyists in Washington D.C.?
E is for elephant, echo and…? February 7, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: trivia
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‘E’ is the most often used letter of the English alphabet.
Now thats fast…. February 3, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: bird, fast, nature, trivia
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Contrary to the popular New Zealand-held belief that the Kiwi is the fastest flightless bird, this feather-in-the-cap actually belongs to the African Ostrich. This two-legged powerhouse of speed has been clocked at 97.5 kilometres per hour.
Fact.
(no)SuicideBowl Sunday January 30, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: community, suicide, sunday, superbowl, trivia
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Every year tens of millions of Americans – and millions more from around the world – tune in to watch the two best teams in the National Football League duke it out in the Superbowl. Beyond the glitz and power of the big hits and long driving plays, something quite significant is going on beneath the surface on Superbowl Sunday (which is actually next weekend). Research carried out for public health initiatives in the United States have discovered that there are remarkably less suicides amongst American males on Superbowl Sunday than any other day in the year. Researchers hypothesised that this was because lonely men would go to sports bars to watch the Bowl and feel that they were part of a community and invested in something bigger than themselves and thus either delay or forgo their decision to kill themselves.
There are two things worth noting about this situation. Firstly, it’s phenomenal that sometimes all it takes is a sense of community for someone to think their life is worthwhile. Secondly, it’s really sad that it takes a football game to give this life-affirming sense of worth.
United States of Columbia January 29, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: America, Amerigo Vespucci, Christopher Columbus, explorer, fact, history
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Have you ever wondered why America is not named after the explorer who is widely credited with its discovery; Christopher Columbus? The name America is believed to have derived from the feminised Latin version of Amerigo Vespucci’s name. Vespucci was a Spanish navigator in the 15th and 16th centuries who is thought to have sailed to the New World 4 times, with 3 confirmed successful voyages. 1507 AD saw Martin Waldseemüller draw up a world map with the new continent proudly named America and the rest, as they say, is history.
America bears the navigators name and not that of Columbus because Amerigo Vespucci was the first to theorise that what-is-now-America was its own continent and not the coast of Asia as was assumed by El Capitan.
Now that’s a fact.
Cleared for landing January 28, 2010
Posted by matterson in Uncategorized.Tags: airport, busy, title, trivia
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In the cut-throat world of airport competition, there are are few titles
as jealously coveted as the ‘World’s Busiest Airport’. As this crown is so
fiercely desired, there is debate as to what constitutes ‘busiest’.
If you were to judge based on passenger traffic alone Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International wins hands down. In fact, ALT has held onto this particular title for the past decade.
If cargo traffic is more your thing, then Memphis International Airport would get your vote. Memphis receives and dispatches more cargo (in weight) than any other airport in the world. Heathrow International in London also makes a convincing claim based on the fact that more international passengers move through their gates than any other sky port.
It’s hard to argue with passenger traffic though, so props (aircraft pun) to Atlanta for being busy.
