Archiwum miesięczne: Sierpień 2014

Travel Through Music

Travel Through Music

  It is always fun to travel. The opportunity to meet new cultures, and experience different customs is always a good way not only to learn new things, but also to rediscover the things we already know. Today we will go on a musical journey through some of the remotest regions of the world and see (or rather “hear”) the musical traditions of various cultures. Inuit Throat Singing Inuits are an indigenous peoples inhabiting some of the coldest places on Earth: the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and the US. The gender roles…Czytaj dalej …
Ice Bucket Challenge

Ice Bucket Challenge

The internet has been ablaze the last couple of weeks with people throwing buckets of icy water over their heads. Why are they doing it? It turns out that these cold showers are to draw attention to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease characterised by gradual loss of muscle control, leading to problems in speaking, swallowing and breathing. Now thousands of people around the world have taken it upon themselves to bring ALS in teh spotlight by throwing buckets of extremely cold water on their heads. Among the people who have already…Czytaj dalej …
My Blackberry Is Not Working

My Blackberry Is Not Working

Here's a funny sketch by British comedian Ronnie Corbett, who walks into a greengrocer to complain about something. Do you understand this humour? Script: I bought something from you last week, and I'm very disappointed. Oh yeah? What's the problem? Yeah, well, my blackberry is not working. What's the matter, it run out of juice? No, no, it's completely frozen! Oh, yeah, I can see that. I tell you what: let's try it on orange. That's got a few black spots, you see... Oh, dear, yes. Sorry about that. Well, is there anything…Czytaj dalej …
Weird Wedding Traditions

Weird Wedding Traditions

I just came back from a Polish wedding this weekend, and while the hangover has passed (partly thanks to a healthy helping of Żurek soup, made with sour rye), I got thinking about the strange traditions of weddings around the world. In Poland, the wedding celebrations traditionally last all night, and a second party is held at around noon the following day! Just after the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are met by their respective parents, who hold a loaf of bread and salt. The newlyweds eat some of the bread dipped…Czytaj dalej …
Would you wear that?

Would you wear that?

Arachnophobes beware: some chilling reading awaits! Man has been making fabrics since time immemorial. The word “textile” comes from the Latin for “weave,” and the oldest textiles ever found come for the area which is now modern-day Georgia and date back to around 35,000 BC (Before Christ). Over history fabrics have been made from a whole palette of materials: cotton, sheep's wool, camel hair, and hemp, to name but a few. Until recently, however, no-one had been able to produce cloth made from one of nature's strongest materials – spider silk. This was…Czytaj dalej …