September 27th, 2017

Of all the countries in the world, you are most likely to be killed in a car accident in Libya. There are about 73 deaths per 100,000 people in 2013. It appears that, since the fall of Gaddafi's regime, drivers have been especially reckless in the absence of police offers to enforce traffic rules. Though, if one was to look at the deaths compared to the number of vehicles of a country, many African countries eclipse Libya. In Africa as a whole 25% of deaths by injury are car accidents, with Guinea reporting a staggering 1 traffic death per year for every 10 cars in the country. If you happen to visit, look both ways before you cross: most of those deaths are pedestrians. On account of its population, China wins for the sheer number of road deaths per year: approximately 261,000 (close to the population of Iceland).

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September 26th, 2017

Katy Perry has a rather bizarre new video out. If you look closely, you might notice a tattoo in devanagari under her arm. The tattoo reads अनुगच्छतु प्रवाहं, an attempt at translating 'go with the flow' into Sanskrit, and her ex husband Russel Brand has a matching one (probably on account of the fact that they married in a Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan). There have been plenty of other examples of devanagari celebrity tatoos, some of them chronicled here.

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September 25th, 2017

Just as the British took a few words back from India, the French certainly owe a few to their ex-colonies. Today, French is replete with words that originated from North African languages. One example: during France's rule in Algeria, the Arabic word for gunpowder (بارود, baroud) was picked up, and eventually lead to the French word baroudeur - referring to one who fills cannons. The meaning changed over the years, first to mean a fighter in general, and then to the modern meaning: an adventurer.

Bonus:
Walt Disney holds the record for the most Academy Awards, at 22 (from 59 nominations). His very first was for his 1932 animation 'Flowers and Trees', running 8 minutes long.

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September 24th, 2017

If you want to curse at a Hindi speaker, there are certainly many words to choose from. One of the more heavy duty choices would be बहनचूत (behenchoot), which is derived from the words बहन (behen, sister) and चूत (choot, vagina). Saying this to someone implies that you have slept with their sister, and will most likely get you a strong थप्पड़ (thappad, slap). During the time of the British Raj, soldiers misconstrued it as 'barnshoot', which was brought back to the UK as a (somewhat milder) insult.

Bonus:
In the internet era, the insult persists amongst Indians, and is usually written simply 'BC'. If you stumble upon it on an Indian friend's facebook, they are most likely not talking about the era Before Christ...

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September 23rd, 2017

For a variety of reasons, island nations are currently home to the world's fattest people. In some (Nauru, Micronesia, Tonga) over 90% of adults are overweight, and over 70% obese. Though the exact rank of countries by obesity vary, countries in the Levant and Middle East usually follow island nations (Kuwait, Egypt, UAE, Qatar). English speaking countries shouldn't gloat, however, as they tend to have obesity rates of around 30%. The winners? Amongst developed countries East Asia probably takes the cake (well...figuratively at least), with countries reporting rates under 5% (Japan, Korea, China). As for the entire world, the rate is around 13%, equalling around one billion obese people.

Bonus:

In case you were curious, an individual with a Body Mass Index greater than 30 is considered obese (while over 25 is overweight). One's BMI is calculated as:

$BMI = \frac{weight (kg)}{(height (m))^2}$

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September 22nd, 2017

Things I learned at Oktoberfest this evening:

• The beer steins each contain a liter, and each one is about 7% alcohol per volume.
• With the stein, each one weighs about a kilogram, and waitresses carry up to eight at a time.
• To accomplish this, they wear wrist braces.
• Some also wear tags on their drindls that warn festival-goers not to touch, as drunken tourists tend to do.
• The event attracts more and more tourists each year, largely from the UK.
• It is a popular destination for Hen and Stag parties.
• Around 7 million visitors consume about 7 million liters of beer.
• The grounds comprise many beer tents, the largest being around 4000 m$^2$ and fitting upwards of 7000 people.
• Most tents include live music, usually a mix of pop and traditional Bavarian tunes.
• Repeatedly throughout the night, the jingle Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit (A toast to good cheer) is played, which signals that everyone should clink their beers and have a swig.
• The festival is held in a 420,000 m$^2$ space known as Theresienwiesen.
• The space is named after Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen, who wed Ludwig I on the grounds in 1810.
• Their wedding celebrations were attended by much of the Munich public, and it was decided that the festivities should continue every year...
• ...thus the birth of Oktoberfest.

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September 21st, 2017

A Marian Column is, quite simply, a column topped with a statue of the Virgin Mary. They can today be found in many European cities. One of the first such columns can be found in front of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The column was erected 1614, though it had previously belonged to the Basilica of Maxentius, completed in 312 AD. Two earthquakes (in 847 and 1349) destroyed the entirety of the ancient Basilica, except for the one column which stands to this day in front of the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

Bonus:

Marienplatz, a public square in Munich, takes its name from its own Marian Column, erected in 1638, and inspired by the one in Rome.

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September 20th, 2017

George Orwell is the pen name of author Eric Arthur Blair. He is most remembered for his books Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. However, Blair's writings took a jarringly dystopian turn only after the 2$^{nd}$ world war. Before that he wrote of his time in Burma, and was also fascinated with the life of the poor and destitute. He spent a number of years living in poverty, and describes this time in his book Down and Out in Paris and London. Another neat little tidbit: Blair was born in India.

Bonus:

Some Germans rub the salt pieces off of their pretzel before eating them. This can incite debates about whether this is the right thing to do.

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September 19th, 2017

Salamanders are fireproof, right? Some property of their oily skin makes them immune to the scalding licks of flames. Heck, there is even a species called the Fire Salamander. Well...not quite. The myth of fireproof salamanders has existed since antiquity, and seems to have come from Salamander's penchant for decaying logs. Toss the logs on a fire, light it up, and the fleeing salamander appears to have been born of the flames. For this reason, salamanders are now abound throughout architecture, lore, and heraldry, usually engulfed in flames. But, as neat as a fireproof salamander would be, keeping one in a fire will most definitely kill it.

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September 18th, 2017

In central Montenegro, a monastery was built into the wall of a cliff face during the 17th century. The Ostrog Monastery has been renovated many times since, now receives over 100,000 visitors each year, and offers a dormitory in which pilgrims can sleep for 5 euros.

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September 17th, 2017

Oktoberfest has begun. The 217 year old festival comes with many quirky traditions. For example, the beer must be authentic Munich brew, and therefore the beer of only six breweries is allowed to be served. These breweries are known as 'The Big Six'. Each year, the mayor of Munich taps a barrel of beer to signify that Oktoberfest has officially begun. The number of hammer strokes required to drive in the tap has become a fascination for Bavarians, with some even placing bets. Currently Christian Ude and Dieter Reiter hold the record: 2 strokes. In 1950, then Mayor Thomas Wimmer apparently took 19 strokes to drive in the tap. Perhaps he'd been sampling the beer beforehand...

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September 16th, 2017

Afghanistan has, throughout the ages, proven itself notoriously difficult to conquer. Its challenging geography, multitude of tribal powers, and general belligerence towards outsiders has earned it the nickname 'Graveyard of Empires'.

Bonus:
The Grotta Palazzese restaurant in Italy is built in a cave on the face of a cliff. Diners get to enjoy their food overlooking the sea.

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September 15th, 2017

The highest grossing film in France (by ticket sales) is Titanic, however the highest grossing French Film in France is Bienvenue Chez les Ch'tis (2$^{nd}$ overall behind the Titanic). The 2008 film examines the cultural differences between communities in southern and northern France, and takes place primarily in Bergues. The town of Bergues was once a citadel, being surrounded by geometric moats and ramparts. Over the years and the wars, much of this were destroyed -- the second world war claiming approximately 80% of the town. Even after this destruction though, Bergues still retains some of its beauty, and is sometimes referred to as "The Other Bruges in Flanders".

Bonus:

Bienvenue Chez les Ch'tis dethroned the previous highest grossing French film in France, which had held the title for over 40 years. This was La Grande Vadrouille, released in 1966. The film tells the story of a group of British pilots who are trapped in Paris during Nazi occupation. It features some icons of comedy at the time, notably French actor André Bourville and British actor Terry-Thomas.

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September 14th, 2017

'Capharnaüm' is a French word meaning 'a big mess'. It's etymology is an interesting one. כפר נחום (Kfar Nahum, meaning 'House of Nahum') was an ancient fishing village on the Sea of Galilee. It is said that Jesus, revered for his healing abilities, was harassed by wild crowds of sickly individuals on entering into the city, all of whom wanted to be healed. The chaos of the scene evolved over the centuries such that the name of the town became the French word.

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September 13th, 2017

The city of Quebec was once the site of an Iroquois village named Stadacona. When Jacques Cartier arrived in Stadacona in 1534 he was introduced to the village chief, Donnacona. The relationship between the French and the Iroquois was turbulent, though with some persuasion Donnacona allowed his two sons to travel to France with Cartier on condition that they returned the next year. Cartier made true on his promise, and returned in 1535, however relations continued to sour. For various political reasons, Cartier decided it would be best if Donnacona were removed, and therefore he persuaded Donnacona himself to come to France, again promising a return within a year. Donnacona went to France in 1536 along with his two sons and 7 other Iroquois. None of them would ever return. Donnacona seems to have died in 1539 or 1540, and may have been buried in Paris, in a grave under what is today rue Séguier, though sources of location (and cause of death) are spotty. Around the same time his two sons, as well as six other Iroquois, also passed away. Only one Iroquois survived: a little girl of around 10 years old. What became of her appears to be lost to history.

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September 12th, 2017

The Ajanta caves in India are thought to date to the 2$^{nd}$ century BC. Within the 29 caves are numerous impressive paintings of Buddhist scenes, the style of which would go on to influence other cultures in South East Asia, and eventually contemporary painters. The caves also contain beautiful sculpted idols, which are mentioned in the song أفرين أفرين (Afreen Afreen) by Indian songwriter Javed Akhtar and Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The latter passed away in 1997, however his nephew upholds the tradition, performing the song in 2016 as part of a Pakistani music show. The sculptors of the Ajanta idols, whoever they were, would surely be pleased to know that their masterpieces are now celebrated in youtube music videos.

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September 11th, 2017

Welcome back!

Donald Trump promised to build a wall along the US-Mexico border during the 2016 campaign. The wall, at 3,201 km, would be one of the longest in the world, but so far no funding has been allotted. If it is completed, the 'Trump Wall' would certainly be a sizable entry in Wikipedia's list of notable walls, but it would still be under half the length of the longest wall ever: unsurprisingly the Great Wall of China, at 8,850 km. But what about fences? The longest fence is, at 5,614 km, the Dingo Fence. It was constructed in the late 1800s to keep dingoes away from farm animals in the fertile southeast of the country.

Bonus:

Speaking of walls, if one wanted to up the ante, they could include the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, a cosmic mass of galaxies measuring 10 billion light years, or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 times the length of the Great Wall of China. In addition to being the biggest 'wall', the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall is the biggest...well...anything.

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