George Washington

Two hundred and twenty years ago, the Electoral College chose George Washington and John Adams as the first President and Vice President of the United States. The Electoral College was created by the Constitution to act as a compromise between those who believed the Chief of State should be elected by popular vote and those who thought he (or she) should be chosen by the legislature. Each state would have a number of electors equal to the number of its US senators and Congressional representatives. In US history, three candidates who lost the popular vote won the electoral vote and became president: Rutherford B. Hayes (1877), Benjamin Harrison (1888) and George W. Bush (2000).

San Francisco

The city that houses the world’s largest man-made park (Golden Gate Park) and the “world’s crookedest street” (Lombard Street) started out as a small mission and presidio on the San Francisco Bay. Established by 18th-century Spanish settlers, the area became a part of Mexican territory when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. The mall trading settlement that was established became known as Yerba Buena, named for the mint-like perennial plant that grew abundantly in that area. The US acquired California in 1846 and changed the name of the town to San Francisco on this date in 1847

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play major league baseball, was born 90 years ago today. As a student at UCLA, Jackie was the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football and track. In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey hired Robinson, thereby changing the face of baseball in America. Ten years before the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed by Congress, Robinson was asked to sign a contract that included a clause forbidding him to complain when people threw things or spit at him. He stole 197 bases, batted .311 and led the Dodgers to six World Series titles, in spite of the abuse he took from teammates, opposing team members and baseball fans.

RIGHT AND WRONG

`Right’ and `wrong’ are relative terms. They vary according to time,
special circumstances, varna (caste), and asrama (stage of life).
Morality is a changing and relative term. The passionate man who
molests his wife frequently to gratify his own passion is more
immoral than man who visits the house of a woman of ill-fame once in
six months. The man who dwells constantly on immoral thoughts is the
most immoral man of all.

Do you clearly note the subtle difference? To kill an enemy is right
for a king but, a brahmana (priest) or a sanyasin (monk) should not
kill anybody, even to protect himself in times of danger. He should
practise strict forbearance and forgiveness. To speak an untruth, to
save the life of a mahatma (holy one) or one’s guru, who has been
unjustly charged by an unjust officer of state, is right. In this
particular case untruth has become truth. To speak a truth which
brings harm to many is untruth only. To kill a robber who murders
wayfarers is ahimsa only. Himsa (violence) becomes ahimsa (non-
violence) under certain circumstances.

Even great sages are bewildered sometimes in finding out what is
right and what is wrong. That is why Lord Krishna says in the
Bhagavad Gita: “What is action and what is inaction? Even the wise
are herein perplexed. Therefore I will declare to thee the action by
knowing which thou shalt be liberated from evil. It is needful to
discriminate action to discriminate unlawful action and to
discriminate inaction. Mysterious is the path of action. He who seeth
inaction in action, and action in inaction, he is wise among men. He
is harmonious even while performing all actions.” (Chapter IV, Verse
16-18).

Rishi Kanada, author of Vaisesika Philosophy, says in the opening
verse: “That which brings supreme bliss and exaltation is right. That
which elevates and brings you nearer to God is right. That which
brings you down and takes you away from God is wrong. That which is
done in strict accordance with the injunctions of the scriptures is
right. That which is done against the injunctions of the scriptures
is wrong. To work in accordance with divine will is right. To work in
opposition to the divine will is wrong.” This is one way of defining
right and wrong.- Swami Sivananda

Serendipity

Serendipity is the act of making a discovery by accident. The most famous example is probably the discovery of penicillin. Alexander Fleming returned from a vacation to find penicillin molds had killed bacteria that Fleming had neglected to disinfect. The meaning of serendipity has expanded in modern usage to include generally fortunate accidents. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale starred in a movie called Serendipity, in which Beckinsale’s character relied on fortunate accidents, treating them as a sign of what should be.

Lewis Carroll’s impact on the world

He set a new trend in childrens literature. His novels broke with contemporary tradition, which produced moralistic childrens books, usually with a lesson on etiquette or a didactic tale regarding the rights and wrongs of life. On the contrary, Carroll’s nonsensical, humorous tone created a new literary trend in the age. His use of simple diction granted readers of all ages access to his works; children were amused by the main characters’ adventures and discoveries, while adults were intrigued with the witty, clever lines and the symbolic social commentary.

Barcarolle

A barcarolle (from French; also Italian barcarolai, barcarole) is a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style. In classical music, the three most famous barcarolles are those by Jacques Offenbach, from his opera The Tales of Hoffmann, Frederic Chopin’s Barcarolle in F sharp major for solo piano, and guitarist Agustin Barrios’s Julia Florida. A barcarolle is characterized by a rhythm reminiscent of the gondolier’s stroke, almost invariably a moderate tempo 6/8 meter.

Barcarolle

A barcarolle (from French; also Italian barcarolai, barcarole) is a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style. In classical music, the three most famous barcarolles are those by Jacques Offenbach, from his opera The Tales of Hoffmann, Frederic Chopin’s Barcarolle in F sharp major for solo piano, and guitarist Agustin Barrios’s Julia Florida. A barcarolle is characterized by a rhythm reminiscent of the gondolier’s stroke, almost invariably a moderate tempo 6/8 meter.

AUSTRALIA

Australia

It’s the sixth-largest country in size, but has the lowest population density in the world — less than one person to a square mile (2.5 square kilometers). It boasts what is considered the world’s oldest civilization; the Aboriginal society dates back some 50,000 years. Yet, the area’s first modern community was only established in the 18th century and the commonwealth was formed just a century ago. Ninety-five percent of the world’s opals and most of the world’s wool and beef are produced here. It has the world’s largest oyster, the world’s longest earthworm and the world’s heaviest crab. The world’s longest continuous fence keeps the dingos from attacking the sheep.