201 Street » History

The Fountain of Youth

Brody — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:10:00 +0000

There are some searches that have possessed the minds of seekers since the beginning of time. For nearly everyone, the endless quest for the Holy Grail is somehow connected to love and money, and these are inevitably the most elusive. The Fountain of Youth, however, has always been somewhere lurking at the center of all these things, holding the promise of an eternal energy, where one has the time to find what they are looking for.

Scientists have been rather determined to prove that no such thing could exist , whether it exists on a mythical plane, like the fountain Ponce de Leon was looking for, or the metaphorical one where one can reverse the aging process. The idea is still very powerful, and sometimes contemplating it can lead to a feeling of being refreshed, energized, and perhaps most importantly, hopeful.

One can get these same effects by contemplating their own garden fountains . These can add an extraordinary touch to any garden, because their beauty speaks for itself. At the same time, they do hold the same mythical promise that the imaginary fountain of youth holds. Water does have a certain regenerative power. It’s the source of life, and it’s also the element that resonates most with the human being, because the cells are water. There are moments of solitude when one can find that inner source that really is the energy of life.

The Fountain of Youth is a post from: 201 Street

San Francisco’s Haight Street Fair

Brody — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:34:33 +0000

It’s a question that inevitably comes up for anyone who’s thinking about visiting San Francisco. Is Haight Ashbury still like that, the way that it was, back in the 60s? Of course, the answer is mixed, and depends largely on who one might be asking. There are some who say it can never, ever be like that again, that it was one golden moment, and it’s closed forever. Still others will argue that it’s even more like the 60s than the 60s ever were.

One look around at the Haight Ashbury Street Fair that happens every June, and it certainly seems to be the same. Or at least, there’s people who look like the ones in the old photographs. But there are some very marked differences, and the main one might be that there’s a whole lot more that one can buy nowadays.

There’s plenty of memorabilia from what some would consider to be the golden moment in human culture, posters, flyers, and artwork, and a very lovely collection of trinkets. But even this isn’t new to the hippie scene, when early on into the Summer of Love in 1967 , people were already starting to complain that it was all getting much too commercial.

There is a lot more to see in the city than this cross street, and for five star hotels, San Francisco has plenty of excellent choices all over the city. However, it is pretty nifty to take a little trip, at least once, to the area. Today, there are plenty of things to do besides visit the historic markers, although that’s also certainly worth it. There are also excellent restaurants, and coffee shops where one can go to just be for awhile. It is a lot more expensive than it used to be, but after a quick look around, it seems apparent that there is a whole new generation of young people who are trying to make living simply work.

San Francisco’s Haight Street Fair is a post from: 201 Street

To Mission in San Antonio

Brody — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:02:13 +0000

San Antonio Mission National Historic Park was our first sight to see during our short stay. When we entered the grounds, we passed many remnants of some Indian quarters built along the wall. In all the corners of the wall were the colonial workshops and this is where the Indians learned how to blacksmith, weave, do woodwork, make tiles and make bricks. The blacksmith shop had actual people working there and one of the smiths was a woman, which seemed to annoy my husband for some reason, but I thought she was very knowledgeable. She informed us that the iron used in the mission came from Spain, so back then, they were very careful when it came to using the iron.The walls of the mission were made of mortar and stones dug up from right under the mission, and most of the stones where of a limestone base. There are still some of the original walls standing because they were made from cooked stones and mixed with water and mortar, which made the walls rock hard.

Then we headed over to the church, which is famous for its elaborate doorway. We found that Franciscan friars still live there and one brother makes these very exquisite pieces of glass jewelry, which he sells to raise funds for the church. Then we drove to a functioning ancient stone aqueduct that takes water over a creek and into the field of squash, corn, grapes, melons, potatoes, and sugar cane. Very impressive. We then drove to the Mission San Juan Capistrano, then to one of the better preserved missions, Mission San Jose. But, what was the most fascinating part of the mission was the grist mill. The mill wheel was horizontal and it was under the mill house.

We finally got all missioned out, so we headed back into downtown where we had reservations with one of the luxury hotels San Antonio has to offer and checked-in for the night. We were exhausted, so we didn’t even go out for dinner, but instead ordered room service. Tomorrow, we will pick up our mission trail where we left off.

To Mission in San Antonio is a post from: 201 Street

Francis Scott Key and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

Brody — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:59:04 +0000

“The Star Spangled Banner”, the national anthem of the United States. When the song plays, no matter where you are, in a Chicago pub or a Baltimore restaurant, there will be something that tugs you to your feet. I had not thought of myself as particularly patriotic. But one summer, I was sitting outside in San Diego, California. We were at a performance of the San Diego Symphony for the Fourth of July celebration. The music was great. And then they played the song, the anthem. As I sat there listening, the fireworks illuminating the sky, I got tears in my eyes, that made their way to my cheeks. My college boyfriend looked at me with a question on his face. I was a little punk rocker…”America this and America that”…we complained about America in our college days. Many people complain about the country. But when that music played it hit me, just what people went through in order for us to have what we have.

I imagined Francis Scott Key, just a man, just a lawyer who was setting out to rescue his friend, Dr. William Beanes. Just a man held captive on a boat while the British attacked Fort McHenry and the Baltimore Harbor. Everyone knows the story, about how through the blaze and the bombs, Key saw the the American flag, still flying above Fort McHenry while the smoke still hung thick in the air. A man was really standing there seeing that, it is not a myth nor a legend but a truth, and that is what brought tears to my eyes so many years after the fact, sitting at a performance by a symphony in Southern California.

One man stood there and finished the last lines of a poem he had been working on. He wrote it on an old envelope and gave it to Captain Benjamin Eades. Eades later that night, climbed upon a chair in an old tavern and sung the poem to the tune of “Anacreon in Heaven”. Before he was finished, the crowd in the pub was singing along. That is why now, when the song plays, there is something that tugs you to stand. It is not only the big history of the country, but the small history of one man who was just simply trying to rescue his friend from the British. Everything was being blown up around him, and dirty and wounded and held captive on a ship, he wrote a song about a flag. A song about a group of people who just did not give up.

Francis Scott Key and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is a post from: 201 Street

The History of Blinds

Brody — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:08:43 +0000

Blinds may seem like a relatively new invention, with companies such as Next Day Blinds offering a variety of horizontal and vertical blinds, shades and shutters from a variety of wood, metal, and vinyl materials. However, Next Day Blinds and other similar companies are only expanding on a very ancient practice

Blinds come from the concept of blinding someone from seeing into a room or a given area. The ancient Egyptians were among the first to develop blinds both for privacy and temperature control. They gathered reeds from the Nile River, strung them together and hung them over the window. To try and cool the room down, they would have servants poor water over them, cooling the air as it came through the window. The Chinese practiced a similar method with bamboo. In fact, bamboo blinds can still be seen throughout Asia today. Desert dwellers had a slightly different approach to covering their windows. They would take wet clothes and hang them over the windows.

Even some of our more modern designs have their roots in ancient history. During the 16thVenetians discovered the concept of the blind in Persia and then sold them to France. Though the styles have changed over the last several hundred years, the concept of the Venetian blind is still the same. During the 1950’s Venetian blinds were made using metal slates and strips of fabric to move them up and down; however, the 1980’s saw them change to vinyl, which was much quieter and aesthetically pleasing. century

Even though are desires are the same—privacy and comfort—the styles have certainly changed. Today, blinds and window treatments can be purchased in just about any style, color and design you could want. They not only provide for our basic needs but for our more frivolous desires as well.

The History of Blinds is a post from: 201 Street

Wind Turbine Picks up Speed

Brody — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:07:07 +0000

It’s not a new idea to harvest the wind to generate electricity; the wind turbine was created in 1888 by Charles F. Brush in order to do just that. Enough energy was produced with these early turbines to supply one to two homes. Today, large commercial scale wind turbines will produce approximately 3 megawatts of electricity or more and power up to 750 homes in the United States. A dramatic growth in this industry has recently popped up in the U.S., along with an increased wind power capacity of 27 percent. According to the American Wind Energy Association, an additional increase of 26 percent is expected this year. Enthusiasm for small-scale wind turbines is on the rise, too.

Residential wind turbines were established and commercialized around the 20′s in the U.S. and became very popular and wide spread, but then the Rural Electrification Administration extended electric lines to most of the remoter areas in the 30′s and 40′s, which reduced the necessity of wind turbines. The oil crises of the 70′s brought back a flurry of renewed interest in residential wind turbines and the power they produce, tax credits and incentives helped spur the industry, but those supports ended in the 80′s.

Now, in the new century, interest in residential wind power has rebounded. Recent growth in wind turbine companies attribute utility rebate programs and a growing need for cleaner energy technology. Many others in the wind turbine industry say the reason for the increased number of financial incentive programs is to help reduce the very high initial costs associated with purchasing and installing a wind turbine. Another factor in the increase is because people simply want to do the right thing concerning the environment; they are looking for way to make a difference.

So, these days, there are hopes with the residential wind turbine industry to the passing of legislation, which would establish a federal tax credit for people who purchase a wind turbine; an immediate benefit to taxpayers and will aid in driving down the price of wind turbines to due an increase in manufacturing.

Wind Turbine Picks up Speed is a post from: 201 Street

Border signs of Controversy

Brody — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:40:18 +0000

We were driving along the controversial road, after we checked out of our Borders Hotel, where a sign was destroyed because it said ‘Welcome to Scotland’ even thought the sign wasn’t on the England-Scotland border, it was farther south in the City of Carlisle. We read that the two women who posted the sign were shocked by the damage. We wanted to meet with the two women to find out why they were shocked.

When we stopped off in Carlisle we asked about if any could point us to where these women lived. No one really knew, but one person filled us in on what was going on with that controversial sign. He told us that the two women even were receiving threatening emails. We asked what did these women expect with a sign saying ‘Welcome to Scotland’ when it’s nowhere near the Scottish border?

Apparently, it was a statement for the England Arts council which didn’t fund an Outdoor Art Festivals, but apparently they did get funding from Scotland. But, what was really controversial about the two women who posted the sign and why they are receiving threatening emails, is because they believe Carlisle should be a part of Scotland because they believe they’ll receive more support for their artwork from Scotland.

It was obvious to us that the locals of Carlisle think these women are nuts. It’s not the 18th century for Godsakes! Scotland and these two women can no longer try and claim parts of Northern England for Scotland. In defense of these two women, though, they said the sign was a piece of art to promote the art festival and it shouldn’t have been destroyed. I do have agree that if the sign was apart of the art festival, it should’ve been left alone, but I bet they failed to write on the infamous sign, ‘property of the Art Festival’.

Border signs of Controversy is a post from: 201 Street

Event Tickets to Space Race

Brody — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:43:36 +0000

My colleagues and I were having a discussion about the space race, or the lack of it when we were standing in line to get Event Tickets for the next Nasa Shuttle launch. It seemed to us that Europe has not pulled its weight when it comes to sending people into space like the Russians, the Chinese and of course the United States. But, to be fair to Europe, it’s been almost 50 years since Russia’s Yuri Gagarin made the first orbit around earth. Still, we thought, at least Russia has that to boast about, what’s Europe got?

Europe needs to enter the playing field. We figured that they have to eventually get into the race; we figured they surely can’t stay completely out of the manned flights forever, can they? Europe does have the Europe Space Agency, ESA. It even has a module on the International Space Station, plus sent out astronauts into space as passengers on other spacecrafts, no their own. Budget isn’t the issue either for Europeans to launch their own manned spaceflight mission. It’s a matter of willingness politically.

There are companies in Europe which make space launchers that will carry items such as satellites into space and could possibly make a lunar lander if they choose to do so, but apparently, right now, it seems more viable to focus on sending paying tourists into space which will be outside the government funded space programs. My friends and I though believe Europe needs to be cautious when it comes to space tourism projects due to the financial crisis the whole world is experiencing right now and wait a while for more investments to flow in, but all the same, Europe really needs to get with it and send rocket men into space.

Event Tickets to Space Race is a post from: 201 Street

The Historical Sites at Berwick-upon-Tweed

Brody — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:23:19 +0000

The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the county of Northumberland, Northumberland England is steeped in history, of turbulence and military significance. This is reflected in the many monuments and historical buildings located throughout. Many of these are extremely interesting sites to visit when one takes a Berwick holiday. There are two military fortifications that are still standing, one is Elizabethan and the other is Medieval. In 1926 Edward the First built the walls when he had successfully captured the town. The walls are no longer standing but remains are visible when one reaches the northern end of Berwick. The ruins of the Berwick Castle are also visible from this spot, close to the railroad station of current times. The platform for the station was built in fact on the site that was the Great Hall of the castle, where the King of England met dignitaries and officials of Scotland.

The Elizabethan fortifications are still standing. These were constructed during Queen Elizabeth the First’s reign, between 1558 and 1603. Sir Richard Lee designed the walls, and drew from architectural styles of Italy at the time. These walls were built to protect the town against gunfire, although the occupation ended shortly after the walls were built and the were never used for their intended purpose. Another site one must visit is the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity. This was built during 1650-1652. This is an example of Puritan styled architecture and was just one of the two churches constructed in Great Britain during those years. This church sits next to the Guildhall which houses a museum on the top floor. The rich and turbulent heritage has had lasting effects, one of which has the football team of Berwick playing in the Scottish league. This is a town filled with diverse examples in architecture that reflect the times in which construction was taking place, and is a wonderful location to go for long walks as this region is famous for the beauty and the abundance of the bridges which cross back and forth across the river.

The Historical Sites at Berwick-upon-Tweed is a post from: 201 Street

Madrid City Tours and Landmarks

Brody — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:29:10 +0000

Madrid is known throughout the world for its many diverse aspects and historical significance. It is an incredible Spanish city, full of culturally unique elements and is progressive in the arts. It is one of the major theatre centers in Spain, and it has an international reputation. It is also a popular tourists destination, and many people who plan a European Continent exploration, will put Madrid on their destination list. The best Madrid hotels are excellently suited to contribute to a great holiday in this great Spanish city. They also serve as entertainment and resource centers and can assist with transportation access and landmark directions.

Madrid is not only the capital of Spain, it is also the largest city. This contributes to its global recognition and perspective. It is the third most populated municipality in the European Union, following behind Berlin, Germany and the greater London area in England. The Madrid Royal Palace is one of the most amazing architectural spectacles of the city, and is one of the greatest attractions for tourists. It is the official residence of the King of Spain, though the current King Juan Carlos and the royal family choose to live in the smaller Palacio de la Zarzuela, which lies on the outskirts of the city. The sight of the palace dates from a fortress that was constructed in the 10th century. There are city tours available and they offer the perfect opportunity to get an overall picture of the city and information on certain buildings’ histories and current as well as past significance. Many tourists choose this as a starting adventure and decide from it which areas and attractions they would like to later visit more closely. Many of the tours begin at the historical
Plaza Mayor, which is the city’s main square. Some of the sights that are explored include the Teatro Real, which was built by Queen Isabel II. It was remodeled and opened as an opera house in 1997. Another popular point of interest is the Puerta de Toledo. This quarter encompasses much of what is considered to be the Old Town, and offers a great reflection on the history of the city.

Madrid City Tours and Landmarks is a post from: 201 Street