The Hobbit – The Movie

July 11 2011 by KSN in Uncategorized |1 Comment

The upcoming Hobbit movies will feature some familiar figures: Orlando Bloom will again play legolas; Sir Ian McKellen, Gandalf; and Elijah Wood, Frodo Baggins. Other interesting participants should include:

  • Beorn – Mikael Persbrandt
  • Bilbo Baggins – Martin Freeman
  • Goblin King – Barry Humphries
  • Thorin – Richard Armitage

The two films, in epic fantasy genre, directed by Peter Jackson, are an adaptation of the 1937 novel by J. R. R. Tolkien and are a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Regarding the history of the original novel The Lord of the Rings, one source has attributed the following to Tolkien: “But for the encouragement of CSL [C. S. Lewis], I do not think that I should ever have completed or offered for publication The Lord of the Rings.”

To quote from the opening of the book The Hobbit:

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle.”

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Why is June 18th Special?

June 18 2011 by KSN in Europe, North America, south Pacific |Comments Off on Why is June 18th Special?

In 1429, Joan of Arc leads French soldiers in defeating the main English army at the Battle of Patay, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.

In 1767, an English sea captain is the first European to reach Tahiti.

In 1812, the U.S. Congress declares war on the United Kingdom, starting the War of 1812.

In 1815, Napoleon loses the Battle of Waterloo.

In 1923, the first Checker Taxi appears on the streets.

In 1937, John D. Rockefeller IV is born (American politician)

In 1939, Lou Brock is born (American baseball player)

In 1942, Paul McCartney is born (musician with the Beatles)

In 1959, Ethel Barrymore dies (American actress)

In 1979, SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.

In 1983, the astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

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Using the Same Bank Account for 98 Years

June 3 2011 by KSN in North America |Comments Off on Using the Same Bank Account for 98 Years

June Gregg, of Ohio, still uses the same bank account that her father opened for her when she was less than two years old. In other words, she had her present savings account opened in 1913, for June Gregg is 100 years old. It may be a record for bank customer loyalty.

(Yahoo News)

“That perked my ears up, because I was like, `1913?!'” said Doug Shoemaker, general manager of what’s now a Huntington National Bank branch in this community, 45 miles south of Columbus. The bank’s investigation found out that not only was it the same account, but also that the account number changed only once, when Columbus-based Huntington acquired the plainly-named Savings Bank in the early 1980s, Shoemaker said.

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Nonextinct Pterosaurs in Australia

May 31 2011 by KSN in Southwest Pacific |1 Comment

(In a Nutshell)

Pterosaur in Australia

Western Australia

“My husband and I both sighted a huge creature flying over a densely populated area, while we were out walking one night in Perth, Western Australia on the coastline around 10:30 pm . . . it had a long tail and a wingspan that we estimated at between 30-50 feet across . . . “This creature was huge and never in my life have I ever seen anything that remotely resembled it until I found a page on Pterosaurs.”

Southern Australia

“I live in Australia in the state of Victoria near the Dandenong Ranges about 25 klms east of Melbourne. I was standing outside about nine o’clock one night. It was full moon and very bright with a cloud bank to the south east extending to and over the Ranges. . . . I glanced to the south and [saw] . . . something flying that appeared to be at the height of light planes that fly around here . . . This thing was at least as large as a light plane, say a Cesna.  It was about 5 klms away and was lazily flapping it’s wings . . . It appeared to be lit up by the moonlight and shining as if it had no feathers.”

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Titanic Launch Anniversary

May 31 2011 by KSN in Europe |Comments Off on Titanic Launch Anniversary

One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched from Belfast, Ireland.

BBC

The passenger liner sank after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912.

It took three years to build the RMS Titanic and just 62 seconds to complete the launch.

From Wikipedia:

The largest passenger steamship in the world, the Olympic-class RMS Titanic was owned by the White Star Line.

She set sail for New York City on 10 April 1912 with 2,223 people on board. The high casualty rate resulting from the sinking was due in part to the fact that, although complying with the regulations of the time, the ship carried lifeboats for only 1,178 people.

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