Exploratoria

This blog has moved.

2009-08-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

This blog has moved ~ the new URL address is:

http://exploratoria.posterous.com/

Hope to see you there soon!

Miranda, paleolinguist

2009-03-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

In an early stage in his military career, an intrigued and ever curious young Miranda copied these odd inscriptions found on excavations surrounding the Alhambra - he then saved the copies in his Travels archives, along with his diaries:

Translation, anyone?

Best Travel Books of All Time

2009-03-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Telegraph has just published their list of the twenty best travel books of all times- a selection worth reviewing.

Second Earth (2009)

2009-02-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

From the bright minds of NOAA comes this fascinating merger of technologies towards a better 3D visualization of topographic and satellite data, combined with the versatility of the Second Life platform. The potential is vast.

William White's Notes and Queries (1854)

2009-02-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

"In one of the bodegas or cellars belonging to the firm of M. P. Domecq, at Xeres, are to be seen five or six casks of immense size and antiquity (some of them, it is said, exceeding a century). Each of them bears the name of some distinguished hero of the age in which it was produced, Wellington and Napoleon figuring conspicuously amongst others: the former is preserved exclusively for the taste of Englishmen."

From Notes and Queries by William White, published by Oxford University Press, 1854; picture of the Domecq casks which still exist in Bodega El Molino, Jerez de la Frontera, courtesy of sherry.org

A discovery: Hale Farm & Village (1863)

2008-07-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

It must be said that the place exudes the very kindness and good spirit of the people who work there. I am convinced that to stumble across it, in the very heart of Bath Township in Summit County, may be the best thing that could possibly happen to you this or any Ohio summer on a warm Sunday afternoon.

There is a number of very well preserved buildings and many paths to explore. You can learn about bricks & crafts, good schooling and maple syrup; about living in a cabin, religious traditions and Mister Benjamin Franklin Wade. Our thoughts flew to families with nine children living in a dark log cabin in winter, without glass windows.

And we sang the 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' by the piano with cheerful patriotic folks, and attended a domestic session of bread-making.

To be sure, the gloomy days of the War between the States seem less wearisome and more hopeful in Hale, and should God place you in Mr. Richard and his daughter Mrs. Williams' stately home whenever a tornado becomes a happenstance, you should consider yourself lucky.

They will entertain you and be quite hospitable - Mr. Richards even offered his crisp copy of Harper's New Monthly for me to peruse until the rain eventually ceased.

Hallelujah! We shall return to visit our new acquaintances and friends soon.

Fawcett's Basalt Idol

2008-07-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

Before disappearing forever in the jungle in 1925, Percy Harrison Fawcett took with him this mysterious basalt idol, a gift of Sir Henry Rider Haggard (June 22, 1856 – May 14, 1925), the famed writer.

Apparently, the idol had belonged to Rider Haggard's son. Fawcett insisted there was some weird electricity generated from inside the idol, that would reach up the arm of those who held it.

Some claim he had obtained it from a slave in a Brazilian fazienda - a plantation; others attribute the finding to the British Consul O'Sullivan Beare. Fawcett had sent it to the British Museum for analysis, but the research came out inconclusive.

A few researchers like Prof. Barry Fell have reported progress in deciphering the writing on the statue; that the language was creole Minoan Hitite and that it was an appeal for people to visit a temple and pay a token.

Perhaps someday in the future, someone will rescue it back from the heart of the jungle and modern science shall be able to examine it more closely...

The Mysterious Peruvian

2008-06-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

So, who is this mysterious Peruvian mentioned by Benjamin Franklin in his 1788 letter to James Bowdoin?:

"A Circumstance observ'd by the Inhabitants of South America
in their last great Earthquake, that Noise coming from a
Place some Degrees north of Lima, and being trac'd by
enquiry quite down to Buenos Ayres, proceeded regularly
from North to South at the rate of Leagues per
minute, as I was inform'd by a very ingenious Peruvian
whom I met with at Paris.

I am ever, my very dear friend, yours most affectionately,

B. FRANKLIN."

Is it perhaps Miranda, who already admired him and was called in France Le Péruvien?

If so, this may be the piece of evidence that I have been seeking of an encounter between Benjamin Franklin and Francisco de Miranda... I am writing a small article on Miranda and the Founding Fathers.

An online version of the Diary of Miranda (in Spanish)

2008-04-20T13:18:00.001-07:00

An online version (in Spanish) of the diary of Francisco de Miranda, defender of freedom and forerunner of the independence of South America:

The number 9

2008-03-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

Consider any number with 2 figures - say "68", for example.

6+8 = 14.

Substract the sum obtained from the original: 68-14 = 54.

Can you see the 9, always there?

Life and the Secret of Ages

2008-02-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

“Life is a beautiful magnificent thing, even to a jelly fish”
Charlie Chaplin in Limelight (in answer to the question: “What is there to fight for?”)

In one of those forgotten, lost books you never expect to see again, I once read that somewhere in Notre-Dame-de-Paris there was an Ankh (the Egyptian symbol of Life, the Crux Ansata or cross with a loop), carved in one of the stairs. The memory of this oddity laid quietly ignored in the dusty shelves of my mind until one day, for no apparent reason, it suddenly awoke and began to demand verification. And so, following a relatively short Google search, words from the mysterious Fulcanelli himself finally uncover something: that the abside of the great cathedrals, and of course, that of Notre-Dame, had been designed in the shape of an Ankh, always in the elliptical apse joined to the choir (Patrick Riviere’s Fulcanelli: His True Identity Revealed).

It seems that the notion of Universal Life embedded in all matter and represented in the crucible, a symbol of the human institution for which the building was designed, was thus imprinted into the heart of the building itself. Alas, a victory of secret wisdom of the Old Master Builders - the Gothic Architects... a genial bit revealed by Master Fulcanelli, the obscure man who died in 1933, in his 6th floor attic of 59 Rue Rochechouart...

Coincidence?

We’ll close this entry with a quote from Vincent Bridges:

“Symbolic knowledge is locked within the architectural ornamentation of Notre-Dame and other gothic cathedrals. Understanding the symbology is the key to unlocking the secrets of the ages.”

PilotGirl's blog

2008-02-03T20:55:00.001-08:00

Today's recommended blog is Sony Stark's, a.k.a. PilotGirl. As per her own statement, PilotGirl is a videographer who has traveled to 25 countries on all five continents... ran the Marine Corps Marathon ... in her spare time, she hangs out with her golden retriever, Rocco. Ms. Stark has pretty good pictures, well organized, great authentic material - everything any good decent blog ought to have. The blog entries are usually brief and to the point, peppered with substantial tips and professional impressions. The picture of friendly Quatis, to the right, comes from PilotGirl's blog.

As for here, the cold is still out there, although receding - for the time being. Present choice of reading is J. M. Roberts' The Penguin Short History of the World (now short it is not, I don't think so, it will take ages to finish it but it's such a great classic, it's well worth all the paragraph by paragraph re-reading). Eyeing The Investigation, bought last month but have not found the time to start yet. Written by a retired Federal Agent on the allegedly forged Howard Hughes will and conclusions as to why it may prove to be true, after all. If so, poor Melvin Dummar (whose thumbprint was supposedly found both on the will and on the cover of a book on hoaxes at his college library and caused a Nevada claim to dismiss the will in 1978) was the victim of a sad bad error in judgment and should have had access to his 1/16 stake of the multi-million dollar estate of The Aviator.

Fragment (chosen for friend John C.): "Lincolnshire has been an absolute treasure this weekend. Who knew that so many major motion films shot in dozens of stately castles, cathedrals and churches here? When Westminster Abbey rebuffed Ron Howard’s Da Vinci Code request the film crews came to Lincolnshire and filmed beautiful lcations inside the Lincoln Cathedral. Just down the road a bit is Keira Knightley’s Pride and Prejudice was filmed. And next summer, Judy Dench stars in another iconic film shot here. This place is more popular than New Zealand! Of course, I’m having the time of my life! There are so many idyllic cobble-stone streets lined with food stalls, fresh markets, crumbling stone walls, quaint cafes and fresh bakeries. The area is rich with scholarly influence dating back 900 years, long before Oxford and Cambridge were founded. And every 15 minutes the Cathedral bells silence the frenetic masses into quiet contemplation. Its chimes can be heard for miles. Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about the The Burghley Castle, its 76 fireplaces, the witty and congenial Miss Lady Victoria and a restaurant with 46 varieties of cheese just for dessert. So much more to come."

A Controversial Conference

2008-01-19T11:46:00.001-08:00

And how else to describe one on the Unidentified Flying Objects phenomenon, with some very unusual retired military and former governor testimonies? This was held at the National Press Center in Washington D.C. on Nov. 12, 2007 - barely two months ago. Regardless of the stance anyone might take on the highly controversial, inflamatory issue of UFOs, this series of short statements will surely provide some serious entertaining material for debate. You can enjoy the 1 h 34 min video of the many surprising, candid statements by clicking here.

Diary of a Mad Natural Historian

2008-01-14T16:41:00.000-08:00

A novelty... the Diary of a Mad Natural Historian is both refreshing and tastefully written. Latest entry has some pictures of a lamb stew. No recipe, though it looks very enticing.

Education, the Moebius Strip and Second Life (SL)

2007-12-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

Today, about one in every 1,000 people on Earth is signed up as a guest/member/visitor to Second Life; however, this number is likely to increase exponentially as the technology becomes more accessible to the masses.

Traditional institutions like Harvard, M.I.T. and Princeton have already realized SL's vast potential for education and quickly created a presence in this immersive 3D academic world populated with all kinds of teacher and student avatars. And yet the amazing possibilities for those who wish to learn in this new brilliant cybermedium are mostly still untapped.

In the picture (to the right) , for example, is a 3D representation of a Moebius strip that could only be walked through with the help of this immersive resource. The internal continuity of the strip (you can walk and fly through all its internal tunnels and reach the end at your starting point, simply by following your path forward) offers students one of many mysteries of science and space, now within their grasp.

The model was developed by an MIT student and a high school student on MIT's island in SL, to explore the unusual topological features noticed by Professor Gonzalo Velez-Jahn (Universidad Central de Venezuela) when he first developed this Moebius model in the mid 1970s.

On the track of Steve Fossett's airplane

2007-10-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

According to an entry on Steve Fossett's official website, "the aircraft's last confirmed position on Monday (3 September) at approximately 10:30 A.M. local time showed Steve west of Powell Canyon (south of Walker Lake and southwest of Hawthorne), proceeding east towards the canyon. This location is less than 30 miles SE from his point of departure / expected arrival. Steve was expected to return to the ranch around 11:00 - 11:30 AM. ". The picture to the left is of the actual plane, a Bellanca Super Decathlon. Below, a satellite picture marking the area where the plane was last seen and the direction of flight at the time - the yellow circle points at our most likely target area.

Take this into consideration if you would like to join in the search for Mr. Fossett with the Amazon's Mechanical Turk system, using GoogleEarth, with fresh images by Google's provider GeoEye. There is a chance that he might still be alive, somewhere out there in the rough Nevada desert.

Against very fierce winds

2007-09-16T21:41:00.001-07:00

In an old Spanish book (Diccionario ilustrado de rarezas, inverosimilitudes y curiosidades, Vicente Vega, ISBN 0785908676), there is a reference to an odd place where houses could be seen chained to the ground. This was in hope to avoid being swept away by the frequent hurricanes. The place is appropriately named Hell's Gate, in the small mountainous island of Saba. While it was impossible to find any other reference to those unusual Caribbean houses of the Windwardside, you may see here (sourced from Wikimedia) another 'shingled' house in a diametrically different location with similar erratic weather: Mount Washington, New Hampshire.

-------------------

Read this week: Amazon's blog for Alan Greenspan's upcoming controversial memoir 'Age of Turbulence' (sadly ominous) and Jeffrey Archer's official blog (here on blogspot); entertaining and informative literature and nutritious food for thought.

Also read for the first time: Willard Van Orman Quine's Two Dogmas of Empiricism, suppressing the distinction between analytic and synthetic propositions. Quine's original view on circularity (and the a priori vs. a posteriori debate) is one that Kant himself would have probably found very amusing, to say the least.

2007-09-06T20:46:00.001-07:00

If you feel like reading an interesting diary entry about any particular subject or location, enjoy our new search engines, aimed at both classic and modern diaries (and blogs).

Intrepid Journeys

2007-06-24T09:41:00.003-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Television New Zealand

'Intrepid Journeys' is a collection of diaries sponsored by Television New Zealand.

Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant (1885)

2007-06-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Once again we are thankful to Project Gutenberg for making available to the public this very touching document which we have edited to a more convenient format, courtesy of issuu.com. In the memoirs, General Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States, does not ponder very much on his Presidency or his childhood. It is a poignant diary, penned in the last days of his life (he had terminal throat cancer) to be able to provide for his family. The book became a bestseller, and restored the family fortune.

We have also find samples of his amazing character in a letter he wrote to his brother at 37, edited by Jesse Grant Cramer. The excerpt below is a small gem of his belief in "the essential honesty of every man":

"I have been postponing writing to you hoping to make a return for your horse, but as yet I have received nothing for him. About two weeks ago a man spoke to me for him and said that he would try him the next day, and if he suited, give me $100 for him. I have not seen the man since; but one week ago last Saturday he went to the stable and got the horse, saddle and bridle, since which I have seen neither man nor horse. From this I presume he must like him. The man, I understand, lives in Florisant, about twelve miles from the city. "

How I found Livingstone: Diary of Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1872)

2007-03-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Statue of Henry Morgan Stanley, late 19th Century explorer sent by King Leopold II of Belgium (Congo-Kinshasa).
Source: Ellington, University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, Africa Focus

Courtesy of the the Library of the University of the beautiful city of Adelaide in Australia, consider the diary of Sir Henry Morton Stanley, G.C.B..

"I would have run to him, only I was a coward in the presence of such a mob--would have embraced him, but that I did not know how he would receive me; so I did what moral cowardice and false pride suggested was the best thing--walked deliberately to him, took off my hat, and said:
"DR. LIVINSTONE, I PRESUME?"
"Yes," said he, with a kind, cordial smile, lifting his cap slightly."

A Most Mysterious Manuscript

2007-03-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Compelling press

Wilfrid Voynich found it in 1912, in the Jesuit school of Villa Mondragone, near Rome. Two hundred and twenty some pages of a unique medieval writing that has endured the most sophisticated computer and human analysis, eluding all attempts to decrypt it.
Who wrote it? When? Why? What does it say? A puzzling collection of cosmologica, botanica, zoodiacal volvelles and strings of nymphs bathing in green watered tubs connected by odd pipes... In the course of the past four hundred years, many distinguished scholars have attempted to break the secret... , but in vain, for such Sphinxes as these obey no-one but their master...
If you dare to learn more, here is the entrance: it is kept at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, at Yale University: read the entry, then click on the link to see the digital pictures in amazing high resolution:

Link to High Definition Images of the MS408 at Beinecke

But be forewarned: this is a cryptological syren... too many have succumbed to its charms and end up abandoning seizable portions of their time and lives in pursuit its many secrets...

If you do succumb, remember: 1) read the thick correspondence in our mailing list since 1980... almost everything you can possibly think of has been said there before:

http://voynich.ms/

2) explore the fascinating different theories;

3) you can get your copy of D'Imperio on B&N for $25...

4) I haven't read Nick's book yet, but some say it's a must-read...

5) Baresch's works are the Holy Grail of Voynichologists, yes.

6) Find links to some of our members' Voynich (MS408) pages here:

http://www.dcc.unicamp.br/~stolfi/voynich/

ok, so now you're all set. Happy Hunting!

Nan Matol - but a pyramid?

2007-03-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Henry Jones' blog

On P. Kent's website we read that Harry Mason wrote in 1989:

"In 1978 I was working in New Guinea on a mineral exploration project. Whilst at an expat club in Port Moresby one night I saw an 8mm film of a huge stepped pyramid city that was built like Venice with canals. Some 2/3rds of this massive affair was buried in the nearby Lagoon but could apparently still be seen with scuba gear. The film showed a yacht sailing down a "main street" canal with temples, houses, and pyramids for miles on either side sticking out of the jungle. The canals formed a regular interlocking grid - just like a typical USA city block system. Examination convinced the researcher that this city was designed and built with canals and had not just had it's roads flooded.

The film was shot by a sailor and his family who had toured the Pacific researching historical sites - I believe that the city location was on an island in either the Marianas or the Caroline Island Groups - sorry cannot recall exactly which one.

My main point on this is that all the structures were built from basalt and showed precision leveling of the rock surfaces, whilst the building structures were amazingly orthogonal. These strongly resembled the recent web site photos of the structures located underwater south-west of Japan. Perhaps someone has documented this "Venice" in the present day literature on Pacific Archaeology - re stepped pyramids and boat travellers from South America ???"

As Mr. Kent points out, this is probably Nan Matol (Madol?)... any other theories?

The Last Thylacine (1936)

2007-02-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE:
De Buidelwolf

Thylacinus cynocephalus - the last known member of this species ('Benjamin'), a.k.a. Tasmanian wolf, died of exposure in the Hobart Zoo in 1936. There are ongoing attempts to bring it back to life by cloning its DNA; especially commendable are the efforts led by Don Colgan.

The thylacine's retractile jaw (very impressive) and odd striped fur made it a very unique mammal... you can see its last appearances in rare film (now preserved in Youtube).

On the Aussie website 'A day in the life sciences in Australia', do not miss 'Reviving the Lost Tigers' by Peter Ridgeway and Michelle Brown. Well done work, it highlights the DNA work and progress of Dr. Colgan at the Museum; it includes some pictures of the data. Another excellent piece on the subject can be found at "Attempting to make a genomic library of an extinct animal: Australian Museum online", although the best video (a must-see) on the Thylacine DNA & genome is possibly this one, "Return of the Tasmanian Tiger".

Blondin across Niagara Falls (1859)

2007-02-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: England in Particular

There is this extraordinary, almost forgotten incident related to Blondin's famous feat: on August 17, 1859, as he walked the rope over the roaring waters of Niagara Falls, Blondin was carrying on his shoulders a man by the name of Henry M. Colcord; at one point the man had to get off Blondin's back, in order to get some rest! You can read about Henry's goosebumping ride in an old Chicago Times-Herald clip reproduced here

The One Cent Magenta - worth millions!

2006-10-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Guyana.org

One unusual story is that of what until recently was the most expensive stamp in the world , secret dream to every reputable philatelist. You can also read about some forgery attempts involving it here.

Voyages of The Adventure and Beagle: the diaries of Charles Darwin (1832)

2006-10-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Cambridge University Library Online

Here's another website with Darwin's diaries (in addition to the one posted earlier about his Journals in Galapagos)...

Excerpt on his trip to Brazil: "During the remainder of my stay at Rio, I resided in a cottage at Botofogo Bay. It was impossible to wish for any thing more delightful than thus to spend some weeks in so magnificent a country. In England any person fond of natural history enjoys in his walks a great advantage, by always having something to attract his attention; but in these fertile climates, teeming with life, the attractions are so numerous, that he is scarcely able to walk at all."

The picture above is one of a sketch Darwin drew of Botofogo Bay in 1833.

Celebrating Poe

2006-10-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: heritagepreservation.org

" "If it is any point requiring reflection," observed Dupin, as he forbore to enkindle the wick, "we shall examine it to better purpose in the dark."
"That is another of your odd notions," said the Prefect, who had a fashion of calling every thing "odd" that was beyond his comprehension, and thus lived amid an absolute legion of "oddities".
-Edgar Allan Poe, The Purloined Letter (1845)

Another October marks the anniversary of Poe's death - one nice way to celebrate his life and works is to explore the E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore's interesting and comprehensive website. Or, if you prefer, take a look at the original manuscript of his famous last poem, 'Annabel Lee', courtesy of Columbia University.

Chasing the lost bones of the Peking Man (2006)

2006-10-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: China Heritage Newsletter

Thanks to John Hawks' cool Anthropology weblog for posting a reference to a Chinese newspaper with an article on some potential clues on the search for the Peking Man bones; it also includes a statement from the last man who saw the boxes before they disappeared in 1941, presumably while being shipped across the Pacific Ocean.

Autumn - the colors are here!

2006-10-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Hudson Library and Historical Society, photo by J A Taylor

Watch the full splendor of Fall in Hudson, Ohio in large scale, courtesy of the Hudson Library and Historical Society (photo by J E Taylor), just click here.

The Dorchester Vase (1852)

2006-07-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Wikipedia

In their June 1852 issue, Scientific American published a small note regarding this 'relic of a by-gone age'. While its present whereabouts are unknown, it was kept for a while by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It appears that it was found stuck in some rock material during an excavation in Massachusetts. Can anyone identify the pattern or match it to a known style? Where is this vase now?

W. Woodville Rockhill: An American in Tibet. Among the Mongols of the Azur Lake (1890)

2006-07-16T13:45:00.001-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: US Embassy in Moscow

William Woodville Rockhill was a diplomat, explorer and scholar born in 1854 - he never received any exploration medals or merits despite his many achievements. However, his legend lives on...

Here is a fragment of his travel notes , published in 'The Century' in 1891 and digitally preserved by the Library of Congress:

"In olden times, when came the winter and the lake [Koko-nor, the Azure Lake] was covered with ice, the people who lived on its shores used to take their mares and drive them to the island. In the spring, just before the ice broke up, for then, as now, there were no boats on the lake, they went back to the island, and 16! with each mare there was a colt, and these were known as dragon colts, and could travel three hundred miles a day. There are no more dragons or dragon colts on the island nowadays, but only a few ascetics, to whom the people carry food in the winter when they can cross over to them on the ice."

Lost & Found (2006)

2006-06-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

This should be fair material for future postings - must make a mental note to look out for updates on the searches for:

- The Peking Man skulls.
- The Amber Room.
- The Amelia Earhart plane.
- The Peabody Museum artworks.
- The stolen Stradivarius.
- (the lost bones of) Grand Duchess Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei Romanov.
- The key to the meaning and origins of the Voynich Manuscript and the Beale ciphers.
- The Missing History Books of Titus Livius.
- The lost Imperial Easter Eggs.
- The treasure at Coco Island.
- D. B. Cooper and his ransom money ($200,000 minus the $6,000 that kid found = $194,000).
- The Money Pit Treasure at Oak Island.
- The 1925 Percy Fawcett expedition.

Shipwreck Central

2006-06-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

I found Shipwreck Central through a link from James Delgado's website. James is a famous underwater archaeologist (you may have seen him in 'The Sea Hunters', on the National Geographic Channel). Among other feats, James participated in the Clive Cussler successful expedition to find that legendary mystery ship, Mary Celeste (see our earlier entry:" Diving for the 'Mary Celeste' - Weird Caribbean (1)".

The Shipwreck Central presents us with the most comprehensive resource out there for those with a passion for shipwreck diving and history. To this day, they cover 1172 shipwrecks (and growing). Their interactive map tour is noteworthy, as well as their "Live from the Dive" blog. They also have a fairly good store, where you can buy t-shirts, jackets and different stuff. In short, a highly recommended website - don't miss it.

A Hidden Message from the Past: Maillardet's Automaton (1800)

2006-05-21T11:59:00.001-07:00

Another childhood story resurrected: this time, it involved a mechanical doll with a secret message, hidden for centuries. Legend had it that the scribe had been sitting there for ages, a pen in her hand, frozen in time.

It seems that one day, after cleaning it, someone had found and triggered the lost mechanism - and voila, the message was released! It was a small poem and a note related to its creator, forgotten after so many centuries.

That's all Dad could remember. So he told us the story, and the years went by, and one day the memory woke up and reappeared, like the message concealed in the doll.

And sure enough, somewhere in the Internet, the key to the mystery was waiting. I found it in a website to a small museum in Pennsylvania: the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. According to it, Maillardot only made only one other Automaton that could write; it wrote in Chinese and was made for the Emperor of China as a gift from King George III of England. Whatever became of it, I wonder?

You can read the entire fabulous story (and see some pictures) here. And the poem, of course:

A young child whom zeal guides,
Of your favors solicits the price,
And obtains, don't be surprised,
The gift of pleasing you, a child to these wonders.

Curse of Tlaloc: Torrential Downpours over Mexico City (1964)

2006-04-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: redescolar.ilce.edu.mx

When we were children, my father would tell us a story he had heard from a cab driver during a visit to Mexico. We would listen in awe to the tale of Tlaloc, the huge stone statue of the Aztec God of Rain, and what an unbelievable amount of rain had poured on the very same day it was moved into Mexico City. It was, according to the driver, the idol's curse for being removed from San Miguel Coatlinchan, the small village where it had been concealed for centuries. Naturally I was quite tickled by the 'curse of Tlaloc' story, then forgot about it for several years and then, a few months ago, decided to do some research into it. Was there any truth to the Tlaloc deluge urban myth?

Here's the story of the rainy curse of Tlaloc, Lord of the Tecomates, as reported by diverse sources:

'At the entrance [of the National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City] is an imposing statue of Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. They say that on the day it was brought to its current location, an unforgettable, torrential rain fell on Mexico City... '

'...Also at the entrance is a massive statue of Tlaloc, the god of rain. It weighs 167 tons and stands 23 feet high. The legend is that when the statue was brought to the museum telephone and electrical wires en route all had to be raised or removed so the special trailer could get through the city streets. And even though this move was made in the dry season, a thunderstorm took place during the journey. Such is the power of gods.'

'Tlaloc was the Aztec rain god, and one of the two large temples in Tenochtitlan was dedicated to him. Long before Tenochtilan fell to the European conquerers in 1521, there existed a statue of Tlaloc, hewn from a huge monolith. The statue was 23 feet tall and weighed 168 tons. The invaders had heard about it but they were never able to locate it. They must have wondered how something so massive could possibly be hidden.'

'It seems that more than 400 years later a farmer was plowing his field near Texcoco, across the former lake from Tenochtitlan, when he came upon this incredible statue. It was unearthed, and in 1964 it was moved to Mexico City where it now occupies a special place of honor in front of the Anthropological Museum. Apparently the day Tlaloc was moved into Mexico City there was an incredible downpour. It is claimed to have been the heaviest rainfall since records were kept.'

Finally, a nearly forgotten article in Spanish, published by Luisa Riley in a Mexican newspaper following the day of the removal - April 16, 1964. Find it here, as well as a couple of pictures posted on another website of the day of that unusual journey.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

In Pursuit of the Tasmanian Globster (1960)

2006-04-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: progettopo.net

Western Tasmania, land of thylacines and other exciting oddities...

In June 2004 a team of scientists reported in The Biological Bulletin that the intriguing 'globster' creature found near the Interview River (near the Pieman), in August 1960, had been found to be whale blubber, along with that of other 4 famous globsters found elsewhere. It was disappointing news, from a mere cryptozoological point of view, but exciting in that somebody (possibly CSIRO's Bruce Mollison, from the expedition funded by Hobart businessman and museum trustee G.C Cramp two years later) had collected a sample, a sample that existed - stll exists - somewhere. DNA could not be amplified from the Tasmanian tissue (too small, it seems), but an electron micrograph can be seen on the link below.

Hobart's 'The Mercury' described the finding near Temma (or was it Sandy Cape?) beach at the time:

"ABOUT 20ft. long, 18ft. wide and about 4 1/2 ft. thick, with an estimated weight of between five and 10 tons... The part exposed was hard and rubbery and in an extremely good state of preservation... The party described it in general outline as like a huge turtle, without appendages. It was initially covered with fine hair, described by stockmen as being like sheep's wool, with a greasy feel... The animal had a hump of about four feet in front and tapered gradually to about six inches to what they presumed to be the back. There were five or six gill-like hairless slits on each side of the fore part. There were four large hanging lobes in the front, and between the center pair was a smooth, gullet-like orifice. The margin of the hind part had cushion like protuberances about 2ft. wide by 18in. deep, and each of these carried a single row of spines, sharp, and hard, about as thick as a pencil and quill-like. There was no appearance of eyes or other organs... They made a deep incision in the high part and encountered a resilient flesh which appeared to be composed of numerous tendon-like threads welded together in a fatty substance. At no stage in the investigation did they encounter any bone material... It was obviously extremely durable and had withstood the weather particularly well."

But since when do whales have hair like sheep? Or rows of sharp spines? It was never clear that the carcass examined by the expedition was the same one found by Ben Fenton, Jack Boote and Ray Anthony... Boote and Mollison didn't think it was - too small compared with what they had seen and altogether too different.

Well - the picture above belongs to another Tasmanian globster, found in 1997 in Four Mile Island. In Americanmonsters.com you can see a better picture of this odd finding, not a nice sight. Interesting, though. For those who seek more, there was an article on the Tasmanian Naturalist in 1980, by L.E. Wall. Then there's another article by John Moore in Strange Magazine - you'll find it on their website. But these are the basic facts.

See the comparative study here.

Napoleon's Chess set

2006-04-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

On the book "Master Pieces", by Gareth Williams (2000 Quintet Publishing Limited, Hardcover, 160 pp.) we learn that in 1933, a plan to rescue Napoleon Bonaparte from St. Helena was discovered within a chess set especially designed by his supporters, made from ivory and mother-of-pearl. However, Napoleon never found out that the chessmen had held inside any secret messages, since "the officer bringing the set to Napoleon died while at sea and was thus unable to explain the hidden significance."

Could this be the same chess set that the Vanderbilt family acquired for the Biltmore Estate? You may see some pictures in this article by Mike McLeod on the antiques of Biltmore Estate.

Calling All Bradbury Fans! The Scent of Yesterday is Here!

2006-04-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Columbia College, Chicago

If you are a Ray Bradbury fan and would like to pay a tribute to his inspiration, this would be a good time. Send us a short story - the theme is "discovery of a time capsule, fifty years from now"; the rest is up to you. You can emulate his style, someone else's or use your own. This has been done before (William Nolan & Martin Greenberg's 'The Bradbury Chronicles' etc) but this collection will be copyright-free (no royalties or fees), so it can be printed, published and/or distributed freely over the Internet (especially to schools).

If you would like to contribute, please email us your short story with a brief note about yourself to:

exploratoria@exploratoria.com

Please make sure you send your story before June 30, 2006.

And thanks for helping preserve for tomorrow the scent of Today - our kids will thank you!

Satellite Archaeology and Anomaly Remote Research

2006-03-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Satellite Discoveries - Eye in the Sky

This picture shows some very unusual underwater patterns detected near the coast of Scotland.

Using remote sensing technology and satellite imaging, more areas previously inaccessible to public scrutiny are being revisited and open to new discoveries... The Lost City of Ubar (or Uqbar), Paititi, Angkor Watt - these have been famous targets of this new field of research. Indeed, the game to uncover archaeological anomalies from the skies is clearly afoot.

Some hot anomalies worth of attention: some odd grid-like formation in the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico , courtesy of the National Geophysical Data Center, a NOAA Satellite and Information Service. and of course the no less atypical Bosnian 'pyramid'.

The Legend of The Great Omar

2006-03-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

Source: Sangorski & Sutcliffe - Shepherds - talasonline.com

'Lost on the Titanic: The Story of The Great Omar and its tragic loss on the Titanic' was published in 2001 to celebrate the centenary of Sangorski & Sutcliffe.

Illustrated with black and white illustrations taken from half-tone plates in the S&S archive and 10 tipped-in full colour plates, the book tells the story of 'The Great Omar', a magnificent jewelled binding of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam that went down with the fateful liner.

It took two years of continuous work to complete and boasted over a thousand precious and semi-precious jewels inlaid into the book's covers. Finally completed in 1911, the book was on voyage to America when it was tragically lost and a few months later its creator Francis Sangorski drowned in a bathing accident.

As noted in Shepherd's site, 'Lost on the Titanic' "...traces the history of the binding and describes how the book was designed and constructed by reproducing the original working drawings and tooling patterns. Until now, the only image of the 'The Great Omar' was an old black and white photograph but with the help of recently discovered archive material and the latest computer technology, it has been possible to recreate an image of the book in full colour. The process of creating a colour image of the binding gives a unique insight into how the book was made, the scanning and image editing procedure mirroring the binding process itself. Each stage of the process has been reproduced in full colour, culminating the full-scale print which accompanies the book. Ninety years after its completion, 'The Great Omar' can once again be seen as it might have looked in 1912."

You may buy your own copy of this nice, well done book on the lost treasure from the prestigious house of Sangorski & Sutcliffe (formerly Shepherds) in the United Kingdom, or a poster if you prefer.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

2006-03-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: The New Library of Alexandria

The odd shaped building is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria. We read on its website that it is dedicated to recapture the spirit of the original, once the largest in the world. This fascinating new Library is aimed to be the World's window on Egypt; Egypt's window on the world; a leading institution of the digital age; and above all, a center for learning, tolerance, dialogue and understanding.".

The New Bibliotheca contains a library that can hold millions of books; a center for the Internet and its archive; 6 specialized libraries; 3 Museums for Antiquities, Manuscripts and The history of science; a Planetarium; an ALEXploratorium for children's exhibitions; 2 permanent exhibitions; 6 art galleries for temporary exhibitions; a conference center; 7 research institutes covering: Manuscripts; Documentation of heritage; Calligraphy and writing; Information sciences; Mediterranean and Alexandrian studies; Arts Center; scientific research; and a discussion forum.

Check out the Wikipedia's site on the original Library to learn more about it and even see a sweet virtual reconstruction , of what it must have looked like.

I recommend two good books on the subject - Luciano Canfora's 'The Vanished Library' and, for the bilingual, 'Historia Universal de la Destruccion de los Libros' by Fernando Baez. Mr. Baez points out at 3 probable causes for its destruction : (1) the Romans (Theophile and Julius Caesar have been blamed by different authors); (2) earthquakes ("at least 23 devastated Alexandria between 320 and 1303") and (3) neglect, as librarians chose to go to more peaceful cities.

Journal of an Imprisonment in Seringapatam (1781-1784)

2006-01-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: The Napoleon Series

Here's the Journal of an Imprisonment in Seringapatam during the years 1781,1782,1783, and part of 1780 and 1784, by the Hon. John Lindsay , courtesy of Hanover Press.

Excerpt of the day:

"May 17. I this day made a most agreeable discovery in my berth, for, as I was fixing a rope from a part near the roof, I pulled out a tile, and upon looking through this hole, was agreeably surprised to find that that part of the prison looked into the principal street of the town, and the vast concourse of people that presented themselves to the sight, and the various objects that were continually passing backwards and forwards, was an agreeable amusement to feast the eyes with. I therefore took care to place the tile so as to move it to one side when I wanted to look, and to keep it shut at other times, that the guard might not take notice of it.. "

The Apolo 11 Mission videos (1969)

2005-10-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Nasa.com

The crucial, bold moments of the Apolo 11 mission are preserved in video, when on a summer day in July, 1969, Man reached the Moon .

109:24:48 Armstrong: That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind. (Long Pause)

109:25:08 Armstrong: Yes, the surface is fine and powdery. I can kick it up loosely with my toe. It does adhere in fine layers, like powdered charcoal, to the sole and sides of my boots. I only go in a small fraction of an inch, maybe an eighth of an inch, but I can see the footprints of my boots and the treads in the fine, sandy particles.

Tom Lewsey's Journals (2004)

2005-10-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: travelersdigest.com

A fellow travel diarist, Tom Lewsey, 29; make sure you don't miss his entertaining collection of travel diary entries .

An excerpt:

"We decided to do our bit by giving custom to lots of restaurants, shops, doing some excellent diving with a local dive operator, and we even encouraged investment by upgrading our rooms to a plush air conditioned job. (our original room hadnt been redecorated since Dec 26th, and had Full Moon Party - still going strong at dawn Full Image
an ugly water line about 5 foot from the floor - not a nice reminder!). We also took a boat trip to neighbouring uninhabited Phi Phi Ley, where the huge cliffs tower around a secluded bay, and a stunning beach. This is where they filmed "The Beach" a few years ago, and it was certainly jaw droppingly lovely. "

Les Aventures de Lydia au Maroc (2004)

2005-09-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Lydia's website

I felt it would be an injustice to deprive our modest audience from Lydia's Les Aventures de Lydia au Maroc . Even for those who can't or won't read French, there are some peculiar pictures of Morocco... Vive la différence!

Excerpt: "Après une heure et demie de marche, nous apercevons les premiers "rochers peints". En fait, il s'agit de l'oeuvre d'un belge qui a décidé, un jour, de recouvrir de peinture des roches perdues dans la campagne. Pour être honnête, je trouve que ça gache le paysage. Cependant, c'est une attraction qui fait venir les touristes et, après tout, atteindre ces rochers est l'occasion d'une très belle balade.."

David Morgan-Mar's Travel and Other Diaries

2005-09-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: David Morgan-Mar's website

As it is often the case with food, the best literary pleasures can sometimes be light and simple, like David Morgan-Mar's Travel and Other Diaries .

Excerpt: "Italy Trip Diary - Day 15: ...We had a 45 minute wait at Foligno, and while waiting on the platform we witnessed the Miracle of the Mad Nun of Foligno. An old nun started using the public phone near where we were standing and spoke into it in a rapid stream of non-stop Italian for about 20 minutes, feeding new coins into the phone every minute or so. She didn't appear to stop once to actually listen to anything the person on the other end might be saying and indeed didn't even have the earpiece anywhere near her ear - it was more like over her eye. As she spoke she continually punched the air with a stabbing hand motion in front of her every so often to make a particularly emphatic point. She must have been delivering a nasty curse of some sort, using her evil eye. Eventually she hung up and walked off to wait for the train.

The Rome-bound train pulled in and we climbed aboard, expecting it might be difficult to find seats and finding this to be the case, since the train had originated at some other station. We managed to find two separate seats, facing backwards, on opposite sides of the carriage, and two rows apart. In the group of seats opposite me was a woman with a dog, who seemed to have a seat of his own since when people asked the woman if the seat next to her was free she would say something that conveyed the impression that it was for the dog. It was a nice-looking golden brown dog of medium size - not sure what breed, but it was well-behaved and sat quietly except for one point when the train passed a town and a dog outside barked. At that point it let out a few good loud barks until the woman shushed it."

David Patrick Columbia's New York Social Diary (2005)

2005-08-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: New York Social Diary

The evanescence of good times in (sometimes) good society will be recorded, of course, in the New York Social Diary .

Fragment - ’Anatomy of a Gossip Item’:"I got a call late Monday afternoon from a man identifying himself as Hud Morgan, assistant to Lloyd Grove who has a column in the Daily News. He wanted to ask me some questions about Melania Trump, Donald Trump’s new bride.
Okay; it’s not unusual for someone in the media to call me about a social personality in New York, and I am always accommodating, if possible.
So Mr. Morgan says to me: ’she’s the chairwoman of a benefit for the Martha Graham Dance Company and she’s calling herself ’Melania Trump.’’
Okay, so?
Mr. Morgan asks something like ’don’t you think it’s a bit early for her to be calling herself Melania Trump?’"

The rockblasting poet's diary: Julius Chingono (2003)

2005-08-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Poetry International

Experience the incredible shrinking salary effect of the endlessly crude, rampant Zimbabwean inflation between the lines of a local poet's diary... Poetry International provides a summary of his bio: "Julius Chingono works as a quarryman [a rockblaster, really] and a priest besides writing poetry. He frequently shows himself to be a keen observer of his country’s situation and the way it affects his countrymen. His poems have appeared in several anthologies, including Flags of Love (1983) and Flag of Rags (1996).".

Fragment of his short diary:"The engineer for CPG Associated called before I arrived. I revise the quotation of the cost of explosives that he wants. The new quotation is $2,306,058.20, a rise of about $900,000 since October 2003. Words are forcing into verses in mind. I feel I must give in to this, to write. Such visitations I know never repeat themselves. I scribble in my notebook. "Give me a chisel and hammer/ I want to engrave/ on granite/ names of unsung heroes/ deleted in history books/ written on people’s lips/ names whispered aloud." I do not finish. The CPG engineer is on the line again. I fill him with the details of the revised quotation."

From Opotiki, New Zealand: Diaries of Jessica and Michael (2003)

2005-08-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Capeview Cottages

Two holiday diaries by two children (brother and sister) that live in the charming Capeview cottage at the very remote location of Opotiki, NZ. Simple yet somehow fitting, their travel reflections bring back warm memories of childhood.

Excerpt (from Michael's): "Day: 9
I leapt out of bed to find that mum and dad were still sleeping. After they woke up we went to a cafe on the front. I had an English breakfast, which had bacon and eggs. Then we followed Mum around the places, which she had been in an earlier visit to Crete. Then she took us to this big market where they sell lots of meat and fish. I knew they were rabbits, as they still had fur on them. Then we had to find our way back to the pension."

Whatever happened to the portrait of Carlota Valdez?

2005-08-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: The Power of Vertigo

Carlota Valdez was Madeleine Elster/Judy (Kim Novak)'s alter ego/great-grandmother in Hitchcock's masterpiece Vertigo (1958). Her portrait plays an important role in the movie, a ghostly bond with a past that merges with the present in a spellbinding, supernatural way.

The painting in question got lost when removed from the Palais de la Legion d'Honneur in San Francisco. It was the work of an American Expressionist painter, John Ferren (1905-1970), by request of Alfred Hitchcock. Ferren initially painted Vera Miles, who had to decline the role when she became pregnant of her third child. I'm not really sure if there was a second painting or if Ferren merely changed the face when Kin Novak was chosen.

Just like the red balalaika in David Lean's Dr Zhivago or the the red sled used by Orson Welles for Citizen Kane, its whereabouts remain unknown...

On Sunken Megalithic Ruins

2005-08-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

They exercise an irresistible appeal to imagination, and have the ability to excite the most arid minds: everybody loves a good mystery. Tales of lost cities have inspired expeditions, successful and doomed alike. These are myths that created temporary heroes like Schliemann and Fawcett, and were cursed by the families of those who ended up lost themselves.

An underwater 'finding' off the Western coast of the island of Cuba (see sonar pictures below) promises to deliver controversy to the very least.
Also, from AndrewCollins.com we quote: "Among those who felt they had glimpsed the remains of a lost citadel in Cuban waters was Leicester Hemingway, brother of the writer Ernest Hemingway. During a flight into the country, Leicester noticed, beyond its northern coast, 'an expanse of stone ruins, several acres in area and apparently white, as if they were marble'. The exact location of these underwater features remains unclear."
Let's see what develops!

There are only a few savory samples of deep water unusuals out there: the most famous, Bimini and Yonaguni (check Biminiundersea.com and Graham Hancock's official website), may not count officially as ruins. They have been dismissed as 'geological accidents'. But there are some legitimate ones - Alexandria (Egypt), the Bay of Aboukir (Egypt), Lake Titicaca (Peru), Mahabalipuram (India), Gulf of Khambhat or Cambay (India again) and Gebel Gol-Bahar, off the coast of Sliema (Malta)... truly Graham Hancock's 'Underworld' (such is the title of his bestselling book on underwater megalithic ruins).

Thanks to Archeologists Jean-Yves Empereur (read here his NOVA interview on the PBS website) and Franck Goddio, who patiently continue to bring to the surface the magic of stones carved in ancient times.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Diveagency.org

Bill's Correspondence Chess Diary (ongoing 2005)

2005-07-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

A good choice , for those readers who enjoy chess and diaries.
Brought to mind a memorable match with Bobby Fischer , the presently "politically incorrect", former whiz kid and World Champion - he was 12 when he played that particular game.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: microsiervos.com

Dot's Diary: Diary of a dyslexia teacher (2005)

2005-07-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Dyslexia-teacher.com

Dot's diary is the diary of a dyslexia teacher , that is, of children with dyslexia problems. Although it is a short piece by our usual standards, one can be a witness to the approaches that modern education now provides for this type of handicap.

Excerpt: "Saturday: After looking through a few examples of David's schoolwork I have identified that nearly all of the common spelling errors among dyslexic children (any, many, does, because, friend, island, eyes, said, enought) give him trouble at some time or another. 'Any' is spelt 'eny, with 'many' following on as 'meny', 'said' becomes 'sed'. Remarkably I noticed that not only does he spell them wrongly but also that he is not even consistent with his mistakes. For example he spells the word 'does' as either 'dus' or 'dose'; 'friends' becomes sometimes 'frens' and at others 'frends'."

Matsuo Basho's Travel Diary (1689): Narrow Road to the Deep North

2005-07-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Stephen Kohl's website

A travel diary written in 1689, Matsuo Basho's "Narrow Road to the Deep North" is truly the story of a journey of self-discovery. It carries within itself that soft Oriental breeze of spirituality - that inner urge that human beings often experience, the need to be closer to Divinity - or to their own soul.

As author Theresa Williams notes, Basho's diary is written in the form of haibun, blending brief prose and haiku. Four translations are provided, by Britton, Corman, McCullough and Miner; primary translation is by Nobuyuki Yuasa, from "The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches".

A favorite passage, which inspired the picture above: "As I was plodding though the grass, I noticed a horse grazing by the roadside and a farmer cutting grass with a sickle. I asked him to do me the favor of lending me his horse. The farmer hesitated for a while, but finally with a touch of sympathy in his face, he said to me, 'There are hundreds of cross-roads in the grass-moor. A stranger like you can easily go astray. This horse knows the way. You can send him back when he won't go any further.' So I mounted the horse and started off, when two small children came running after me. One of them was a girl named kasane, which means manifold. I thought her name was somewhat strange but exceptionally beautiful.

If your name, Kasane,
Means manifold,
How befitting it is also
For a double-flowered pink.

By and by I came to a small village. I therefore sent back the horse, with a small amount of money tied to the saddle."

Alec Guinness: "My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor" (1997)

2005-07-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Barnes & Noble (bn.com)

Sir Alec Guinness. Colonel Nicholson. General Yevgraf Zhivago. Obi Wan Kenobi. Prince Faisal. Professor Marcus. Mystery Guest Star. Alec Guinness. He was these and many more, many faces, all different, all Alec Guinness.

This diary is a little jewel. Unlike most diaries in Exploratoria, there is no link to it because it is not publicly available online. I had already mentioned it briefly in the entry "John Copeland: Diary of a Septuagenarian" because it does remind me in many ways of John's careful, brilliant prose. My Name Escapes Me - these are the words of a conservative rebel, rejecting a world of decidedly uncomfortable changes, yet embracing candidly those that seem, well, not so inconvenient.

There is so much of England in this book. So much Humanity, too. Honesty is such a priced value when it comes to diaries, and Sir Alec's finely edited manuscript is a monument of it. So take a good look at this exercise in sincere self-insight - Merula, his wife, must have been very proud. I still need to track and read other books of his: "Blessings in Disguise (1985)", "A Positively Final Appearance: A Journal, 1996-98" (1999), "A Commonplace Book" (2001) and apparently, other titles that do escape me at this point.

One cannot but agree with Sheila O'Malley ('The Sheila Variations'), in her opinion of this diary: "...filled with great stuff - and is made up only of entries from 1995 and 1996 - Only a year from his life, and basically from way after he has mostly retired. So it is not a journal of ambition, or great stories - just ruminations of a great actor, who loves his garden, loves going to Mass, loves reading with his wife. His humor is so delicate, so wonderful.". She quotes an excerpt, among others:

"Tuesday 21 February: Today I have picked up a rather good notice in an American film trade paper for a performance I have never given in a film I have never heard of. It says that I am 'almost unrecognizable' in the film. I like the 'almost'."

Conversation with Jorge Luis Borges (1982)

2005-07-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: letralia.com

I began reading Borges while still in my childhood; from a distant past, a few lines of his preface to the Spanish edition of Ray Bradbury's 'Martian Chronicles' come to mind: "What has this man from Illinois done, I wonder as I close the pages of his book, that episodes of the conquest of another planet haunt me with horror and loneliness? How can these fantasies touch me, and in such an intimate way?". After such eloquent introduction, who could help not being intrigued over the work that laid ahead ? I owe my taste for all things Bradbury to my father, and to Borges.

Famed Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, fond of mirrors and doppelgangers and tigers and immortality, knives and Buenos Aires, left behind an immortal legacy of literary treasures, in his elegant, uniquely Borgesian way. His highly controversial political views annoyed both left and right wingers all the same, and it is likely they eliminated for him the chances for a Nobel Prize in Literature. Shame, for he was by far the best writer Latin America has ever produced - ever. It's only an opinion, of course.

An excerpt from the Conversation with Borges, courtesy of The Artful Dodge at the College of Wooster, Ohio (www.wooster.edu): [Borges:] "I think that the meanings are more or less irrelevant. What is important, or the two important facts I should say, are emotion, and then words arising from emotion. I don't think you can write in an emotionless way. If you attempt it, the result is artificial. I don't like that kind of writing. I think that if a poem is really great, you should think of it as having written itself despite the author. It should flow."

An autobiography by Jack S. Kilby (2000)

2005-06-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Nobelprize.org

Jack Kilby changed our lives in ways unimaginable. When he invented the integrated circuit he created a whole new world of possibilities for computers and therefore, for mankind. We can discover and learn a little about Jack's life and significant invention in his own words , courtesy of the Nobel Foundation's website.

Excerpt: "I would like to mention another right person at the right time, namely Robert Noyce, a contemporary of mine who worked at Fairchild Semiconductor. While Robert and I followed our own paths, we worked hard together to achieve commercial acceptance for integrated circuits. If he were still living, I have no doubt we would have shared this prize."

The Diary of Sebastian Vizcaino (1602)

2005-06-27T05:31:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: bajainsider.com

Follow the adventures of this Spanish explorer in California here .

Excerpt: "To this bay was given the name of San Francisco. It has many fish - mackerel, white sea-bass, and many other kinds of which the soldiers caught a great number with sail-rope and small lines and bent needles and pins. We found in the rancherias of the Indians some horns larger than those of bulls and small ones like those of goats; they said that the large ones are buffalo horns, and the Indians said by signs that there were cattle inland. This country has a good climate and is pleasant to travel in."

Collecting Gardel

2005-06-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: trajeser.com

Carlos Gardel is a legend from the past, almost unknown to the younger generations. As South America's undisputed #1 crooner & singer in the 30's, his presence drove crowds of fans insane with frenzy and admiration in every social circle, rich or poor. Throughout his life, "el morocho del abasto" (an affectionate fan name meaning 'kid from the market') represented dreams of success, romance, national pride, nostalgia - Tango, in one word. Suddenly, immortality came to him in the flash of an airplane crash, having reached the peak of his fame. And thus he joined the club of those rising stars who left the party too soon: Valentino, Carol Lombard, Glenn Miller, James Dean, Buddy Holly...

Today, collecting Gardel memorabilia has become one of those dedicated hobbies to which many surrender their passion in private; in a way, rather secretly. For a better understanding of this section of the Gardelian underworld, try looking at this page in Gardelweb's website.

In Wikipedia's words , "Gardel is still revered in Buenos Aires, where people like to say of him "he sings better and better every day." Courtesy of todotango.com, listen to a sample of his famous voice in Gardel's 'Margot'.

Angelina Jolie's Jordan Diaries (2003)

2005-06-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: BRockNYLA's photos

Celebrity diaries are often interesting. You can download Angelina's Jordan Diary and others from the unrefugees.org website. I find some of her writing quite compelling, for the usual celebrity, that is.

Excerpt: "I notice a man with a very bad burn. On his hand and up the side of his face. His damaged hand lays limp in a cloth sling. I can only imagine how badly his arm must be burnt by the way it is covered. He steps forward. People are fighting to speak. The Somali man has kind eyes. He has been rejected two times for refugee status, he lost his father and rest of his family. He set himself on fire. "40% of my body is burnt." Can you imagine a life that is so bad that setting yourself on fire is your desperate call for help?"

Wynne's Diary: The Life and Times of an Edwardian Lady (1895-1931)

2005-06-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Wynnesdiary.com

Wynne's Diary contains the journal of Winifred Llewhellin, born on June 15, 1879. Wynne's entries covered 30 volumes over a span of 36 years. The website is still under construction (a true titanic effort, well worth a good praise) and we look forward to reading more as it develops further.

Two entries from the same year, 1913:

"January 8th, Wednesday:
My days are spent in writing, reading, working and driving, this is the programme and I am utterly content for the rest and change. I love my life but sometimes it is a relief just to do nothing as our days are very full at home always."

and

"July 9th:
I was to have returned to home and duty today but Ell persuaded me to stay till tomorrow as he had taken tickets at the Palace for the Williamsons and me. At 11.0 I went off to Lords where I met him and watched an interesting end to the Match in favour of Cambridge, then to lunch after which Ell and I drove off to the Club. ... (In the evening) I dressed hastily, had dinner and went off to meet the others at the Palace. There we saw an excellent performance and the immortal Pavlova who never danced better in her life - to the Carlton to supper, very nice and sat there till past 1.0."

We are not too late to watch the extraordinary Anna Pavlova in a rare performance of Saint-Saëns' Le Cygne.

The Diaries and Letters of Lt. Ralph Clark (1787-1792)

2005-06-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

From the Illinois Wesleyan University News Advisory: Stephanie
Bliese '06, as "Mary Brenham" and Brian DeCaluwe '05, as 2nd
Lt. Ralph Clark go over the script of the play "The Recruiting Officer."
SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Illinois Wesleyan University News Advisory

In a bulky pdf version (500 pages!), you may download here the Diaries and Letters of Lt. Ralph Clark (1787-1792), courtesy of the University of Sidney, Australia.

Excerpt: "Thursday the 2- got early up for I could not Sleep on Account of dreaming of being with my beloved Betsey - hope in god that ther is nothink amiss with her or my Son - found a strange Sail in company with the fleet who hoisted Portigues coulers - Soon out Saild the Stranger although she is standing the Same way that we are - lost my dog Efford overboard I am apt to think that he was thrown over board by the first mate if I was certain I would make some of the men give him a good thrashing - I am sorry that I lost him poor dog for he begane to be very fond of me."

Dan Washburn's Shanghai Diaries: The Trip Archives (2004)

2005-06-16T10:40:00.002-07:00

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Dan's 2004 China trip — 18 provinces in four months. Click on the map for stories from a particular location.

Robert Whyte's The Journey of an Irish Coffin Ship (1847)

2005-06-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: www.aepizeta.org

I found Robert Whyte' diary in a website that posts the following description:

"Robert Whyte's immigrant diary, The Ocean Plague: The Diary of a Cabin Passenger, appeared in print in 1848, one year after the author said he made his journey from famine-stricken Ireland to Canada. Whyte later crossed the boarder into the United States. Nothing is known about Robert Whyte, including whether such a person even existed; the name could very well be a pseudonym. All that is left is this diary, published in 1994 by Mercier Press and edited by James Mangan under the title Robert Whyte's 1847 Famine Ship Diary."

Ivan Noble's Cancer Diary (2003)

2005-06-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: BBC.co.uk

Ivan's diary is one of the most touching testimonies of courage and humanity ever published in Exploratoria. While some may find it deppressing because of the crude aspects associated with being diagnosed with a brain tumor ('tumour' for the UK), it is nonetheless a very compelling and dramatic document, courtesy of the BBC. May it serve as a monument of inspiration to many of us, sick or healthy, and give proper perspective to our own problems and misfortunes. Ivan, thank you for sharing your thoughts at such difficult times with the world.

For Freedom: The Travel Diaries of Francisco de Miranda (1783)

2005-05-27T18:19:00.001-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: embavenez-us.org

According to Wikipedia , "Francisco de Miranda (born on March 28, 1750, died on July 14, 1816) was a South American revolutionary whose own plan for the independence of the Spanish American colonies failed, but is someone regarded as a forerunner of Bolivar and other more effective American fighters for independence. Born and raised in Caracas, Miranda was the son of a wealthy merchant from the Canary Islands, a province of Spain. He traveled throughout Europe, becoming a social sensation and garnering support for the independence of Spanish America. He had made friends with many important leaders and political figures throughout Europe, such as British Prime Minister William Pitt. Some claim he even had an affair with Catherine the Great of Russia, although this is improbable and unconfirmed (there was a large age difference). Miranda took part in military operations in the three continents: Africa, Europe and America, and played an important role in some of the great historical events of the time. In the American Revolutionary War, he commanded Spanish troops aiding American insurgents in Florida and Mississippi. While in the U.S. he met with George Washington, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, among others. He had a home in London where he married a British lady and had two children. Earlier, in middle of the French Revolution, he served France as an important general. His name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. His greatest contribution is probably in the independence struggle for the liberation of the colonies in Spanish America.".

Miranda wrote extensive, fascinating diaries - most of them remain still largely untranslated to English. I believe they would make excellent material for a mini-series or a movie ('For Freedom' is the title I have chosen for it). I'm working on that idea with my father and in the Hollywood marketing with my cousin and a friend, while also engaging ocassionally in the daunting, patient task of translating Miranda's diaries. It is by no means an easy one, because of the old Spanish used by Miranda. But the historical value of this document is undeniable, and it should be very welcome by the English-speaking readers interested in history.

Yesterday I read that Leonardo Padron, Venezuelan screenplay writer of 'Manuela Sanz' is also working on one about this very same character, but for a movie, 'Miranda'. I wish him good luck, he's a very good screenwriter.

Note - Sept '05: In June 2005, following prudent advice, I took care of legally protecting my copyright for the "For Freedom" screenplay title, ideas and synopsis at writesafe.com. I suppose it makes sense these days, in order to be in a position to market the project.

For inquiries about the script of "For Freedom" and a pdf version of the Spanish, nearly complete copy of the 'Diario de viajes', please send me an email.

The TravelBlog of Sarah Kennedy + Pete Sherratt (2004)

2005-05-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

Pete and Sarah (or PeteSarah, a label of their own) are determined travelers. They have covered " about half of South America, most of New Zealand, some of Australia", and now they're in Singapore, "scratching the surface of Asia" before heading home. Anyway, it's all in their travelblog .

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Travelblog.org

Excerpt: "After missing the 1st of Feb (it didn't exist for us because we crossed the international dateline backwards) we landed in Auckland on the 2nd of Feb. This article will probably be added to shortly as we write about our adventures so far in NZ."

They even visited Karikari Beach , where a famous scene of Jane Campion's 'The Piano' were filmed.

Robert Walker's Diary (1856-1866)

2005-05-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's not so much the content that Robert Walker's brief diary provides, but rather the accurate comments about it (and the pictures) you'll find on the website.

Take Walker's own words in describing a forgotten tragedy: "Not within the memory of man has there been such a destruction of life and property on our coast as within the last few days. The continued easterly gales came to a high yesterday as night accompanied with snow and lightning... It is unknown how many have foundered at sea, the whole coast is covered with wreckage. It is believed that three hundred lives have been lost on the east coast. Today three disabled ships have been bought into Peterhead. Inland there is a severe snow storm and trains have been stopped on all the lines."

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: nefa.net

Dr Felicia R. Beardsley's Micronesian Diary (1998-1999)

2005-05-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dr. Beardsley, an archaeologist, writes her Micronesian diary , starting in Kolonia.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Intangible.org

Interesting note: "Youser Anson, Chief of Division of Lands, was noting how attendance at funerals was changing --- a change that has been brought about by roads and improved transportation. Now, he says, more people are attending funerals. In the past, families would send representatives to these things, and the representatives would simply bring sufficient food to feed themselves along with some sort of tribute item, depending on the rank of the deceased. For example, if it was a high-ranked person, you would bring a very old yam or a very old pig --- as if to say, see, I grew these things for so long and cherished them over these many years, but with your passing I hand them over to you. Now, though, people bring tons of food, big pigs (not necessarily old), yams are passé since canned food is now considered a higher prestige item, as well as sacks of rice. These are then distributed to those who come to the funeral. People now, Youser said, mostly use funerals as a way of getting out of work."

Toby's and Serena's Travel Diaries (2003)

2005-05-15T05:27:00.001-07:00

Meet a British couple who decided to publish online their colorful "Big Tripout" travel diaries to multiple destinations: England, Russia, Mongolia, China, Nepal/Tibet, India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, French Polynesia, Easter Island, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, U.S.A, Spain, and England (again).

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Thebig.tripout.co.uk
Serena: "Ruben showed us the seed of one of the trees that had seeds used for dying clothes and other things. He put some of it on our faces like war paint and we then headed of to see the field of the highly important vegetable (can't remember the name) that is used everyday in the staple diet of the locals. We were also shown how it is grated and juiced then cooked to make a substance like flour which is used for bread etc. The only people that seemed to be around were a family consisting of 3 kids and granny, mum and dad who showed us some locally made crafts which i bought a load of (Xmas is coming.....) They had a pool table outside which we all then had a couple of games on and a lovely cold coke. The family showed us their water turtle which is currently a pet but will probably be eaten some time in the future as turtle and their eggs are also part of the diet, as well as monkeys and anything else that moves basically."

Letters from the six wives of Henry VIII

2005-05-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Marilee's Englishhistory.net provides several examples of letters written by the six wives of Henry VIII .

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Englishhistory.net

Excerpt from a letter by Anne Boleyn, written in the late summer of 1526:

" Inexhaustible as is the treasury of your majesty's bounties, I pray you to consider that it cannot be sufficient to your generosity; for, if you recompense so slight a conversation by gifts so great, what will you be able to do for those who are ready to consecrate their entire obedience to your desires? How great soever may be the bounties I have received, the joy that I feel in being loved by a king whom I adore, and to whom I would with pleasure make a sacrifice of my heart, if fortune had rendered it worthy of being offered to him, will ever be infinitely greater.

Ten years later, Anne was beheaded with the King's consent, having been convicted of adultery, witchcraft and treason.

What truly happened is unknown, and her innocence/guilt is still the subject of much speculation.

The Diary of Cristopher Columbus (1492)

2005-05-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Admiral Columbus, or El Almirante, as appointed by Fernando and Isabel, King and Queen of Spain. The many hazards involved in such a perilous trip are told in very illustrative style in his (attributed) Diario del Almirante (in English, courtesy of King's College) or in its original version in Spanish .

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Sailtexas.com

Favorite, intriguing entry:

Wednesday, October 17, 1492 - five days after the Discovery:

"They, the houses, were all like tents, very high and with good chimneys, but of all the villages I have seen, I have not seen one which had more than 12 or 15 houses. Here they found that the married women wore cotton breeches, but not the young girls, except some who were already about eighteen years old. And there were mastiffs and small dogs there, and they found a man who had in his nose a piece of gold about the size of half a castellano, on which they saw letters. I rebuked them for not bartering for it, and giving whatever he asked, in order to see what it was and whose money this was, and they replied that he dared not barter it with them."

A piece of gold on which they saw letters? So much for native iliteracy!

East Africa Trip Journal, June / July 2000

2005-05-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you can take a few moments to enjoy Joyce Carta's appreciative daily entries of her five week trip to several African countries.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Dar es Salaam, courtesy of Forota.net

An excerpt from the June 14, 2000 entry:

"One thing we asked him to do was call ahead to Breezes Beach Resort, our Zanzibar accommodation, and ask them to send a car to meet us. George was happy to comply saying "hakuna matata" (yes, that is REAL Swahili). So we said Asante and Kwa heri (thank you and goodbye) to George and found seats at the very back of the top deck. It was only delayed 1/2 hour (not at all bad for East Africa) as everything from chickens to furniture was loaded onto the lower deck. No "Maximum Occupancy" signs here and people were stuffed on like in a Japanese train. We bought 2 little bags of cashews from an adorable little boy vendor and munched them with Fantas (the official orange soda of the Third World) as suddenly, we left shore. As the harbor receded we were startled by how good Dar looked from a distance and were equally pleased to be appreciating it from afar."

The Diary of Lt. Bruce K. Bockstanz - Prisoner of War (1945)

2005-05-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is a relatively short diary (from 3/8/45 thru 6/24/45) by a Lt. Bruce K. Bockstanz. Mr. Bockstanz was a Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft I.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Remember.org

Here is one particularly chilling entry - a dire reminder of the horrors of WWII:

"Five women and children committed suicide near camp. Buried by Padre Mitchell. More Americans killed while wandering in forbidden places. Russian fighters in area. Concentration camps have been uncovered in this area. They were underground. Prisoners of all nationalities, Germans and numerous Jews. These people have been prisoners for up to nine years. One entrance to confinement. Roof about 3 feet high. Prisoners shackled. No windows. Lived in filth and were terribly crowded. According to eye-witness reports, all were diseased with typhus and dysentery. No hair or teeth. Most did not know where they came from or even who they were. Flesh had disappeared from body. Faces looked like skulls with onion skin stretched over them. Blood practically gone. Instead a fluid that somehow carried oxygen through the system/ few expected to live. They are feeding them with milk and ground crackers. Solid food would probably kill them. There are supposed to be a good many of these prisoners in this area."

Doesn't it sound almost like something out of a movie? Truth can often be stranger - and scarier - than Fiction.

Nessie: amateur video (2003)

2005-05-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Envasion.net (original photograph by Academy of Applied Sciences, Robert Rines, 1971)

Check here the latest Nessie home video from Loch Ness, taken in 2003 , and judge for yourself - skeptics and believers are very welcome to paste their comments below.

Shot in April 2003 at Urquhart (yes, the famous Loch Ness castle ruin), on the north shore of the Loch, the controversial video shares location with many previous sightings: "The part of Urquhart Bay where the object submerges for the last time, in immensely deep water, has over the centuries, been the location for numerous Monster reports. A couple from New England had one such sighting, a certain Dr Robert H Rines and his wife Carol. On 23rd June 1973 they were stunned to see a 20 foot hump cruising through the twilight.". The excitement caused by this video was comparable to that of the 2002 photographs by Roy Johnston .

Seals? Giant Eels? Plesiosaurs? Or perhaps, Divers? Take your guess. The author of the video has chosen to remain anonymous.

Diary of a Foreigner Living in Turkey (1993-1998)

2005-05-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Bechtel.com

Swedish Pierre Flener from Uppsala Univesity takes his daily memories of Ankhara to the WWW: "From September 1993 to August 1998, I lived in Ankara, Turkey. Early on, I started receiving a lot of email from friends and former colleagues, both worried and curious, asking what life was like in Turkey. They had the wildest prejudices about Turkey, imagining that I roasted in desert heat on some sand dunes, that I rode on camel back to my office, that I had trouble learning Arabic and reading/writing the arabic alphabet, and that all my woman students were fully veiled. But that Ankara lies 1,000m high on the Anatolian plateau and has continental climate, that Turkey features almost any geographical landscape you can imagine except deserts, that camels are not native animals there, that Turks speak, well, Turkish, an Altaic language that has nothing to do with Arabic and is written in the Latin alphabet, and that the majority of Turkish women do not even wear headscarves, all these facts had to be established. After responding to these enquiries individually for a while, I realised that I had to repeat myself a lot. I thus started grouping my answers into longer messages, called Impressions from Turkey, which I broadcasted privately. But then I started receiving fan mail from people I had never heard of, and they had my messages from people I also did not know, etc, all this proving that my writings were actually circulating on the internet! So I put the existing impressions onto my personal homepage, after merging some and renaming the series into Diary of a Foreigner Living in Turkey."

Committed: Confessions of a "Former" Cereal Dater (2004-2005)

2005-05-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

A young lady from Columbus, Ohio shares her thoughts in a blog, 'Confessions of a "former" Cereal Dater'. A Republican of sorts, her diary tells the story of a modern American girl, in full frankness that is sometimes blunt, never boring.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Art-cadre.com

Here is a poem she wrote on April 1st, 2004:

The Sum of All Things That I Am

We are the sum of our experiences
Never a day shall pass that truth is not in the phrase.
I am everything in my life to this point
the good and the unpleasant
Should you love me any less because I have seen or done?
Should you love me any more when I have not?
Whatever would I change,
That I should never feel the pain of loss
Or the confusion of a decision mulled over in vain?
Had I never known love, I would not have wanted to find it again.

And yet, I spend so many hours in my own mind
The time has come to open the window
and remember the world around and its beauty,
Lest I forget why life is good.
To forgive myself my errs, and
learn in a way that gives birth to new mistakes,
And realize that it is a comedy in a serious way
or to laugh with conviction at the follies.
If it were so easy, would I be blind to trouble?
This is the woman that I am, and would I be less so another way?

Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography (1913)

2005-04-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Bartleby.com published Teddy Roosevelt's celebrated 'An Autobiography'."Not only are we privy to the formation of his political ideals, but also to his love of the frontier and the great outdoors.". In addition, his diary entries are quite revealing of a very human, honest spirit.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Bartleby.com

Memoirs of Marie Antoinette, by Madame Campan

2005-04-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

Much has been written about Marie Antoinette and her controversial personality. Her first lady in waiting, Madame Campan, writes these compelling detailed historical memoirs of her time with the Queen. The electronic version of the book is hosted by www.authorama.com.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: New York Social Diary

Samuel Pepys (1659-1667)

2005-04-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

British author Samuel Pepys was undoubtedly one of the most famous diarists ever. Although his journals are well-known public historical documents, I've heard they contain some material that may be considered inappropriate for minors - I'm not quite sure what it is, as I haven't read the unabridged Pepys diaries yet. Therefore, if you are a minor, or if you may find that sort of material offensive in any way, please refrain from clicking on the link below. Thanks! Otherwise, explore his literary legacy here or in an abridged, more digestible form, here.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: hpck.co.uk

The Sinking of the RMS Titanic - April 14, 1912

2005-04-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

It was exactly ninety-three years ago last night. To learn everything there is to know about the ship, its tragic fate and that of its crew and passengers, and its discovery by Bob Ballard, visit my friend Philip Hind's Encyclopedia Titanica. Also of interest is Kate Winslet's diary during the making of the famous film.

Titanic, releasing the last rope - April 1912
SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Belfasthotel.com

It was ultimately Pride that sank her, not just the Iceberg; not enough lifeboats, for they were considered unnecessary. After all, what were the chances that such a magnificent ship could sink on her maiden trip? Better skip the additional lifeboats and leave more room for the decks for a truly comfortable journey. Indeed.

The Notebooks of Leonardo

2005-04-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Lines of true wisdom and ingenuity are to be found in Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, of which a small fragment is to be read here, or if you prefer to browse the real ones, go to this BL clever website. and click on 'Leonardo's Notebook'.

Leonardo's grave
SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Yenra: Emerging trends, technologies, and products

Strawberry Hill Forever

2005-04-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

The extraordinary story of Horace Walpole and his Gothic Castle is always worth reading.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: The Universal Pedagogue

Make a Virtual Visit to the vaulted room in Strawberry Hill , by kind arrangement of the BBC.

'Some talk of Gunnersbury,
For Sion some declare;
And some say, that with Chiswick House
No villa can compare;
But all the beaux of Middlesex,
Who know the country well,
Say, that Strawberry Hill, that Strawberry
Doth bear away the bell
Though Surry boasts its Oatlands,
And Claremont kept so grim
And though they talk of Southcote's,
'Tis but a dainty whim;
For ask the gallant Bristow,
Who does in taste excel
If Strawberry Hill, if Strawberry
Don't bear away the bell.'
- Lord Bath (1684-1764)

Comparing Gutenberg Bibles - The British Library's digital versions

2005-04-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

The British Library allows visitors to compare vellum and paper Gutenberg bibles here.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: The fun website of Didyouknow.cd

For an explanation on the history and meaning of the 'Textus Receptus', visit Rich Elliot's website .

Four Hundred Years of Don Quixote

2005-04-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Celebrating four hundred years of the famous Spanish novel, Exploratoria.com makes available "El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha", in two volumes, which you can download free - the pdf ebook (in Spanish only) is courtesy of noveles.com:

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra - Don Quijote de la Mancha I
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra - Don Quijote de la Mancha II

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Longview Texas Community Page

A refined Tokay Dessert Wine

2005-04-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: The Hungarian Wine Society

According to the Hungarian Wine Society, the famous dessert wines of Tokaj "were cherished by European nobles, royals and all lovers of the best and finest for centuries. Botrytis cinerea (the "noble rot" that makes grapes shrivel) was utilized in Tokaj centuries before late harvest wines were made at Chateau d'Yquem.". Furthermore, Louis XIV called it "Wine of Kings, and King of Wines" - and now you can order them here - in different varieties at different prices, too. Click here to order the Tokay wines produced on the estate formerly owned by the Austro-Hungarian Royal Family. This is not a commercial - it just struck me as a perfect, original gift for anyone with a cultivated taste.

But what the heck are "6 puttonyos"?

The Sarashina Diary, by Anonymous (1009- ), Japan

2005-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Penn State University

From Japan, an anonymous lady wrote the Diary of Sarashina, translated by Annie Shepley Omori and Kochi Doi in "Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan" (Boston, Houghton, 1920).

A Spy's story: R.H. Bruce Lockhart, British Agent (1918)

2005-03-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

While this is not a diary, it is by all means a very good account worth reading, full of unique trivia and many fascinating historic details.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Loretto School

Hugh Walpole's introduction notes that "...the great and final quality of this record is its honesty. Here, in this book, there are many of the most hotly-debated events in history. I suppose that there is no European alive today who, in an official position, was able at first hand to watch so long a sequence of the Russian crises as Lockhart. And it is fortunate for us that he is, by nature, so honest a man. You can test it, if you like, by his extreme honesty about himself. He conceals nothing; he is not concerned to conceal anything. He is really burning with a passion for the truth, and he sinks all personal prejudice in his love for it.".

The Great War Primary Document Archive hosts the book, British Agent, by R. H. Bruce Lockhart (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1933, New York and London). Hope you find it interesting!

Diary of Robert E. Peary, North Pole Explorer (February - April 1909)

2005-03-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

Sir Isaac Newton once said: "I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.".

It is that same spirit that hundreds of years before and after moved the great discoverers, explorers and inventors alike, to seek for better, newer grounds of achievement for mankind.

Our choice for today is the Diary of Robert E. Peary, North Pole Explorer, February - April 1909 . Peary lead the first successful expedition to the North Pole that same year, and you can read all about it in this great link put together by matthewhenson.com .

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Pearyhenson.org

Diary of David John Davies, 'Life in the Libyan Desert, Tripoli', 5 November 1915 - 17 January 1916

2005-03-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

'Casglur Tlysau: Gathering the Jewels - The website for Welsh cultural history' hosts, among other documents, the Diary of David John Davies, 'Life in the Libyan Desert, Tripoli', 5 November 1915 - 17 January 1916 .

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Fjexpeditions.com

The Travel Journal of Bjørn Christian Tørrissen (2001)

2005-03-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Our choice of reading for today is Bjørn Christian Tørrissen's travel journal from a trip to Argentina, Uruguay, Antarctica, Chile and Peru, which took place from January to April 2001.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Bjørn's website

The Notebooks of Walt Whitman (1847-1896?)

2005-03-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

The Library of Congress hosts the four recovered Whitman notebooks (there are others elsewhere). The notebooks, found in NY in 1994 after being missing for many years, contain the writer's annotations and impressions over many things.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Bailiwick Library, University of Iowa

Letters from the Tsar to the Tsaritsa: 1914-1917

2005-03-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Intercult.ru

A memorable, historic epistolary that speaks of Love and War, from a not so distant past in a sometimes ominous tone.

Ota Benga: a Pygmy at the Bronx Zoo (1906)

2005-03-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

From the Trenton Times (1906):

"MAN IN MONKEY'S CAGE STIRS CITY
Ota Benga Creates Almost as Much Excitement as W.R.Hearst

Publishers' Press Dlrect Wire.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: UC Berkeley - Poster for Alfeu Franca's documentary 'Ota Benga in America'

New York City Sept. 12.- Ota Benga,an African pigmy, exhibited in the same cage in the Bronx Park Zoo with an Orang-outang, is crowding William R. Hearst for the vantage point in the New York spotlight. The ministers of the city are up in arms against the "brutalising" of Ota, while the colored population objects from the racial standpoint. OtaBenga has been in the cage with Dohong, the educated ourang outang, and according to Director Hornaday the little pigmy is having the time of his life.

Do-hong also seemed pleased. Exponents of the Darwin theory and dentists in general were interested in the sight and pronounced it educational. The ministers, however, and the colored population declare that the educational side of the sights eclipsed in the brutalizing influence of putting a man on exhibition in a city's park alongside monkeys.

The movement against the exhibition was led by Dr. MacArthur. Five colored Clergymen called on the mayor to protest at last the exhibition, bu the tent out word that he was "too busy" with politics to discuss pigmys.

The newspapers have taken up the ethical side of it and the "Ota Benga question" has become an issue in city affairs"
--------------------------------------------

and in 1907, the New York Sun prints this:

"OTA BENGA REFUSES TO GO BACK TO THE JUNGLE UNTIL HE IS QUALIFIED TO TEACH.

From the New York Sun.
(10 March 1907)

Ota Benga, the Congo pygmy, -who has been leading the simple life In the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum, at 1550 Bean Street, Brooklyn, since he was rescued from the monkey house In the Bronx Zoo last September by the combined efforts of the negro clergymen of Greater New York, had a chance to go back to the jungle yesterday with his discoverer, Prof. S. p. Verner. Ota didn't care to renew his acquaintance with the simian residents of Central Africa, so the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, which carried tho members of the Congo expedition out yesterday without him.

Prof Verner had an encounter with the Bashilele tribe In Central Africa several years ago, and rescued Ota Benga, who was being held a captive. Ota became deeply attached to Prof. Verner, and when he brought a cluster of pygmies over to the St. Louis Exposition, Ota was one of them. They all took a liking to this country, but Prof Verner had agreed to take them back to the Congo safe and sound, and he carried out his agreement. When Prof. Verner came -over here last summer with two valuable chimpanzees for the Bronx Zoo, Ota drifted along as their custodian. Ota handed his charges over to Dr. W. T. Harnaday, director of the zoo, in prime condition, and made such a hit with the director that he was engaged as assistant keeper of the monkeys. In a little while Ota, who is of a sensitive nature, discovered that because he wasn't a member of the Monkey Keepers' Union, Local No 1, the other keepers were pestering him by hanging cards on the cages of the primates' house, which drew great crowds. These cards announced that at a certain hour every day Ota Benga would appear tn the monkey cage and amuse the ladies and children. When an English-speaking monk tipped Ota off that the other keepers were making a monkey of him, he made things so warm around the zoo that Director Hornaday gladly gave him his discharge papers after the negro clergymen offered to take him away.

Prof. Verner, who is the only person able to converse freely with Benga, told him frankly that if he stayed in this country and went to college he might grow up to be a great man like Washington (Booker), after which he could go back to the Congo Free State and make a great hit as the father of his country. If he went back now the chances were that he would drop what little English he already knows, would settle down with a couple of dozen wives, and be perfectly contented with boosting the rubber business for King Leopold. The pygmy, who may have felt that Prof. Verner hadn't quite done the square thing by him in the Bronx Zoo incident, said he would think it over. While he was trying to decide, the Rev. Mr. Gordon, superintendent of the orphan asylum, finding that Ota was religiously inclined and had been taught to say, "I love God," as though he really meant it, suggested to a number of clergymen that the pygmy was cut out for a missionary. The result was that another half hour was added to his daily English lesson, and in a few days, with the excitement of picking up a 300-word English vocabulary, he forgot all about the Congo. Ota didn't know at first whether he was so keen for the missionary proposition. It seems that he had met a few, and he gave his idea of missionaries in this way: "The white men come. They say 'Look up to heaven.' While we are looking up to heaven, they steal all the ground ". When it was explained that he wouldn't have to be that kind of a missionary, Ota consented to start training. Rev. Gordon said yesterday that the Baptist Ministers Association of New York intends to send Ota down to the Virginia Seminary at Lynchburg as soon as he gets a good hold on the English language. He thinks it will take about eight years to make a good missionary out of Ota. Ota is making a hit with the orphan asylum folks by his exemplary conduct. They say he is easier to manage than a native Brooklynite, and when it comes to work, he will do his share and part of his neighbor's. His chief job is bossing the daily scrubbing and the fish scaling on Wednesdays. Many persons who visit the orphanage to get a glimpse of Ota wrestling with dog, cat, cow, and other preliminaries of the English language are disappointed. He refuses to be looked at since his experience's in the monkey cages."

From emporium.turnpike.net/C/cs/hsota.htm we learn that:

"In time Ota Benga began to hate being the object of curiosity. There were 40,000 visitors to the park on Sunday. Nearly every man, woman and child of this crowd made for the monkey house to see the star attraction in the park - the wild man from Africa. They chased him about the grounds all day, howling, jeering, and yelling. Some of them poked him in the ribs, others tripped him up, all laughed at him." (Creation Ex Nihilo, quoting Phillip V. Bradford and Harvey Blume, "Ota Benga: The Pygmy in the Zoo", St. Martins, 1992, p. 269, from the "New York Times" Sept. 18, 1906) At one point, he got hold of a knife and flourished it around the park, another time he produced a fracas after being denied a soda from the soda fountain."

and a favorite tidbit:

"Finally, after fabricating a small bow and arrows and shooting at obnoxious park visitors he had to leave the park for good."

Can you imagine?

For more about the Ota Benga story, read here

A movie was also recently presented at the Margaret Mead Film Festival.

Twenty-fourth posting: Journals in The Galapagos

2005-02-24T16:08:00.000-08:00

Our selected diaries for today's diary daily (or nearly daily) posting on The Galapagos include Eleanor Roosevelt's 'My Day' and Charles Darwin's diary, complete journals and illustrated notes; and Margret Walbroel Wittmer's 'What happened at The Galapagos?', a compelling narrative based on actual facts. Earl Gray tea is probably a good suggestion with any of the above - enjoy!

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Kompas.si

Our special kudos to the website www.galapagos.to for publishing and hosting these extraordinary accounts.

Anna and the King - a true story?

2005-02-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

Whether it's Ingrid Bergman or Jody Foster that comes to mind when you think of Anna, you should consider as well that a real Anna did once meet the King of Siam (Thailand), at some point in history - circa 1863?

And yet, the true story of Anna Leonowens is quite different from what both cinematic versions have to offer. Learn about her experience here , courtesy of the thaistudents.com website, and ponder again on the many issues of myth vs. fact.

Of a special Diamond - an oversized one

2005-02-23T20:57:00.002-08:00

Legend has it that a French soldier tore it from the eye of an idol in a Hindu temple, and that later, it was given by Count Orloff to Empress Catherine the Great of Russia as a gift meant to regain her favour (it didn't). These days, it can be admired at the Kremlin.

Here's the actual legend in detail, from Famousdiamonds.tripod.com:

"A French soldier, who deserted and found employment in the neighborhood of Srirangem, learned that the temple contained the celebrated idol of a Hindu god, the eyes of which formed by two large diamonds of inestimable value. Thereupon he made a plan to seize the gems, a feat which necessitated years rather than months of planning, since no Christian was ever admitted beyond the fourth of the seven enclosures. So in order to effect his evil purpose, he embraced the Hindu faith and eventually obtained employment within the walls of the temple. By degrees he gained the confidence of the unsuspecting Brahmins and was allowed in as a frequent worshipper at the inner shrine, because of his apparent veneration for this particular divinity. Ultimately, he secured the appointment of guardian to the innermost shrine within which lay the object of his attention.

Then came the moment for which the Frenchman had waited so long, a stormy night that masked the idol in fitful shadows. He laid his sacrilegious hands upon the diety entrusted to his care and prized one of the diamond eyes out of its socket. Losing courage, he then fled the scene leaving the other diamond behind. He scaled the walls of the temple, swam the river and escaped into the surrounding jungle to the comparative safety of the English army encamped at Trichinopoly, and all the while the tempest raged. Finally, he made his way to Madras, where he sold the diamond for £2,000 to an English sea captain who brought it to London and sold it to a Jewish merchant for £12,000."

Count Orloff went on to marry his cousin, and upon her death, he lost his mind and died shortly thereafter.

Admittedly, this is a gem with almost as much personality as the Hope Diamond - if less cursed. Discover a bit more about it here.

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Beadhub.com

Changes

2005-02-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

The Blogger HTML editor does not seem to be working too well. Anyway, I really have not been getting much feedback on the blog's present format; nor has our flow of visitors (about 80 a day) increased in any significant way. I guess that means I'll change the fixed a-diary-a-day format and start combining assorted forms of what people may find interesting enough to provide comments. Hopefully, that shouldn't turn the site into some one of those commercial plastic websites... Well, we'll see how it turns out. For the time being, I'll finish with an appropriate quotation:

'All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.'

Samuel Butler (1835 - 1902), Notebooks, 1912

At first it may sound a little lame, but it's 100% true.

Twenty-third posting: Jennifer Iserloh's Kitchen Diary and Culinary Weblog

2005-02-14T11:25:00.000-08:00

From Hoboken, NJ comes the culinary weblog of chef Jennifer Iserloh, providing some of her culinary daily experiences in a delicious account .

SOURCE FOR THIS PICTURE: Skinnychef.com