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How Dr. John Hunter Influenced Modern Medicine

With all the amazing medical technology and knowledge we have today, it's probably hard to believe that much of modern medicine got its start from a single man, who was born in Scotland in 1728. This man was John Hunter, a surgeon who is regarded as one of the most distinguished surgeons and scientists of his time.   It's interesting to note that Hunter didn't start out wanting to become a surgeon or even a scientist. In fact, he did very poorly in school and by the time he was seventeen he worked as an assistant to a cabinet maker, but he decided he wanted a more settled occupation and obtained a job working for his older brother William (who was an anatomist). William trained John in the art of dissection and specimen preservation. John learned quite a deal from his work and apparently found it very interesting, as he later became a surgeon and opened up his own anatomy school 1764.      John Hunter was known for being very blunt and having an argumentative nature, however, he was also…
Score: 1.16

How Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Got Started

  Many people like going to wax museums to see the life-like recreations of famous people and celebrities, both alive and dead. But did you ever stop to wonder how wax museums became so popular in the first place? Most people already know about the most famous chain of wax museums in the world which is Madame Tussauds. But did you know that she was a real person and that the way she got started creating wax figures was anything but fun?    The Early Life Of Madame Tussaud    She was born December 1st, 1761 in Strasbourg, France. Her real name was Marie Grosholtz. Her father was a soldier who died in combat. Later on, her mother (Anne-Marie Walder) moved to Switzerland and worked for doctor Curtius. Marie was about six years old at the time and she grew very close to doctor Curtius. He taught her a lot about anatomy and creating wax figures. When he died he left his entire wax collection to her.    The Early Career Of Madame Tussaud    In 1777 she made her first wax figure which was a recreation of…
Score: 1.0

The Freedom of Religion and Kirishitan (Christian) Faith in Japan

by Makio

The Persecution of the Kirishitan (Christian) Faith in Japan  In Japan, for 250 years, there were people who hid their Christian faith for more than seven, eight, or nine generations, without being noticed even by their neighbors or the local government.Those who used to be called as Kakure (Hidden) Kirishitan (Christian in old Japanese), are now called Senpuku Kirishitan (潜伏キリシタン), Underground Christian.  I first heard the name during a junior high history class about 30 years ago. At that time, I did not have any impression on them and only acknowledged their past existence. However, as the time passed, I found that the story of these underground Christian is not about the past but rather a dynamic drama that continues to live even now.      There is a statement that shakes the thought lurking under unconsciousness:  “Priests from Portuguese and Spain continue to preach against the government order, speaking ill of Shinto, blaming Buddhism, and lacking righteousness and goodness. Kirishitans…
Score: 1.62

Facts About Joan Of Arc You Might Not Know

 
Most people are at least a little bit familiar with Joan of Arc. She was a female military leader from France who claimed to be able to talk to God and she was burned at the stake. But how much about her is really true and how much is just legend? Here are some things you might not know about the remarkable woman.    Her Name Wasn't JoanShe was from France and "Joan" isn't even a French name. Her name was Jehanne and she actually called herself "Jehanne la Pucelle" which translates to "Jehanne the maid". Since the English translation of "Jehanne" is "Joan", English speakers call her "Joan". But where did "Arc" come from? She was from a village called Domremy. But her father was from Arc-en-Barrois. At that time in France, the custom was for females to inherit their mother's names. But since modern people have a hard time wrapping their heads around that idea, people started calling her by her father's name.    Her Family Wasn't PoorIn movies, she's often portrayed as being a poor girl who…
Score: 1.22

Leave The Star Wars Holiday Special Alone!

It's a Christmas tradition in geek culture as ingrained as Magic: the Gathering booster pack stocking stuffers: making fun of the Star Wars Holiday Special.  And well we should: It has definitely not aged well, to damn it the faintest.  Reviewing it is a guaranteed hit on YouTube, so every major reviewer has a shot at it.  Let's get a few out of the way:  The Nostalgia Critic has the funniest review, hands-down:      The Cinema Snob has a great runner-up:      Dark Corners has a shorter, sweeter review:      Even geek-culture webcomic classic XKCD just had to take a swipe at it. The Star Wars Holiday Special is the very definition of "low-hanging fruit."    Yeah, and you know what? YOU'VE ALL GOT IT WRONG!  You young Millennial whipper-snapper Star Wars fans, I'm sorry, but you can take the next Star Tours shuttle express to planet Get Off My Lawn! There are a whole four decades of cultural and historical context you're all ignoring. What else do you do, break into Egyptian pyramids and graffiti critiques next…
Score: 1.28

In The Shadow Of A Tall Mouse - Disney's Real Monopoly Game

  Recently the excellent post by OldFashionedMillenial, titled "Is Disney Monopolizing Hollywood?," has been getting a lot of hits and general buzz. So the Editors That Be asked the Present Author to weigh in.  What a fortunate pass this is because I happen to have a lot on my mind about Disney. See, I grew up in Southern California, in the south of L.A., and quite a bit of my time was spent in Anaheim, California, home to Disneyland itself. My step-dad worked there as a night engineer. He'd score me free passes and Disney swag all the time. On top of that, going to school in Southern California meant that every time there was a field trip, the whole class would go to Disneyland.  And yet again on top of that, whenever I had friends from out of town to visit, I'd hopefully offer a few activities from the bountiful recreation opportunities in the golden state. We could go surfing, or check out a swanky restaurant I know, or take the Universal Studios tour in Hollywood, or - nope, I was always…
Score: 1.23

Notre Dame Will Be Restored. Look At How These Destroyed Buildings And Cities Came Back

 
The tragic fire which devastated the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is seen as a symbol of the loss of civilization as a whole by many. But the beloved church, like many historic buildings and structures throughout the world, knows the touch of wanton destruction throughout the centuries. Now that the funding for Notre Dame reaches over $1 billion dollars, there will be no problem with its famed being placed at some point in the future.    A Parisian history of catastrophes By definition, Notre Dame is built from destruction — a Roman church was demolished to make space for it in the 12th century. From there it should be no surprise that the cathedral has seen a rather tumultuous history of “improvements” throughout time.    Most famously Notre Dame felt a massive effect during the French Revolution, where supporters of the movement vandalized and damaged the cathedral. More than 20 of its statues were decapitated during the era. Iconoclasts attempted to burn it down a century later but their…
Score: 1.46

Russia and Propaganda: What Does Putin Want?

  There is an old saying that goes: "The greatest lie the devil ever told was convincing the world he didn't exist." The Present Author will paraphrase that to fit our topic:  The Greatest Lie Russia Ever Told Was That The Cold War Is Over.  Oh, we thought so! We had our Reagan / Gorbachev moment, with all that mushy perestroika and glasnost and goodwill getting gooey all over each other.    Anybody remember the feel-good wave we all had as the Berlin Wall came down? Jesus Jones launched us into the '90s with "Right Here, Right Now" bursting with naive Generation X optimism, and David Hasselhoff showed up in a glowing piano jacket and sang a song about how we were all free from our problems forever. You expected them to conjure John Lennon back from the dead to declare this the Lord's Millennium of peace.  Yeah, that was all bullshit. Despite the fact that Russia signed a new constitution in 1993, including some remarkably western-like ideas like article 29, which guaranteed freedom of ideas…
Score: 1.2

US Capitol Insurrection 1/6/2021 : Why the South Will Fall Again

  The United States is still in shock after the January 6th attempt to storm the US capitol and overthrow the government. Indeed, the whole world has the jitters about the incident. Remember, the United States is still the world's leading military power, a cornerstone of the global economy, and one of the most manifested current democracies in the world. What happens in America affects every nation on Earth, at least through our foreign policy if nothing else.         Your humble author has kept his big yawp shut about this whole affair for awhile. For one, I have been waiting to see how events shakedown in the days directly before and after the inauguration of president Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris. For another thing, I have to take some time to absorb the news and get a handle on this mess just like the rest of you. And I've got some insight for that handle which, as usual, I see the rest of you are overlooking.  Let's take a deep breath and relax because things are not as bad…
Score: 1.17

Seeking Online Eden : The Quest For An Intelligent Discussion Community

    This is Diogenes the Cynic. He is known for having roamed the world, lantern aloft, on a lifelong quest for just one honest man. (Spoilers: He never did find one by his definition.) Besides that, he was one of those classical philosophers and public intellectuals whose standard delivery represented our modern concept of "performance art" or "stand-up comedy." He was a tart social critic and overall sourpuss. He is, however, credited with helping to found the seeds of stoicism, one of the most enduring schools of Greek philosophy.  He is one of my heroes.  Like Diogenes, I too have been on a lifelong quest to seek something out. This thing I seek is something we all assume exist, all agree would be a nice thing to have, until we think it over. That thing I have fruitlessly sought is "an intelligent Internet discussion community."  Let's flashback right quick: The original purpose of the Internet was to support communication, to the goal of exchanging information, ideas, and media. When…
Score: 1.66