Didcot - The Railway Town with a Scientific String to its Bow

The town of Didcot, known for its railway heritage (the railway station opened as part of the Great Western Main Line in 1844), and 15 miles south of Oxford, is home to several scientific hubs for the UK.  

These include the Harwell Campus.  

The CCFE (Culham Centre for Fusion Energy) is also in the vicinity where the Joint European Torus (JET) is located. Culham's aim is to bring fusion energy to the grid. Fusion consists of fusing light nuclei to form heavier nuclei, at the same time releasing energy. The Culham approach is to heat a combination of hydrogen gases (deuterium and tritium) to very high temperatures (over 100 million degrees Celcius) to turn the gas into plasma. Nuclei combine to form a helium nucleus and a neutron, a small fraction of the mass is converted to energy. A ring-shaped magnetic chamber called a 'tokamak' is used to control the plasma. 

More details on science facility development in the UK can be found on the UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) dedicated site.

What is Success, Reflections of Arsene Wenger

 Success is finding the meaning of your life and being able to live it - Wenger

Ne me quitte pas by Jacques Brel

"Ne me quitte pas" by Belgian singer-songwriter is one Arsene Wenger's favourite songs.

Pounds to Kilograms

 A pound is just under half a kilo. It is actually 0.4535kg.  11 pounds is just under 5 kilos (4.9895kg).

Habeas Corpus in History

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or detainee before the court to determine if the person's imprisonment or detention is lawful. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus in the United States in 1861 to give military authorities the right to silence dissenters and rebels.

Plexiglass is not Glass..

Plexiglass is a plastic alternative to glass. It is made from polymers of methyl methacrylate. Benefits include being shatter-proof - downsides include yellowing over time.

What are Bioplastics? They've been around a while...

 Bioplastics are plastic materials made from biomass sources such as corn, starch, straw, woodchips and so forth. The first bioplastic was discovered in 1926 by Maurice Lemoigne. It is known as PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate). One hazard of bioplastics is the production on methane gas on decomposition.

Aurigids Meteor Shower

On 31 August 2020 the Aurigids meteor shower took place, producing an average of six "shooting stars" per hour on average. The comet Kiess is the source of the material causing the shower.

Aesthetics

There are a multitude of aesthetics in this world. Some find elegant reference in magazines such as the Tatler. Consider the notion of cottagecore.

Why are Noble Gases called Noble Gases?

 The term "noble gas" is a direct translation of the German term "Edelgas". 

This is the same word "Edel" as in "Edelweiss", which is a famous, alpine flower. Noble gases are also called inert gases.

Noble gases are gases at ordinary room temperature and pressure.  This leads to the interesting question of what happens when we liquefy or freeze the Noble gases.

Helium can be liquefied at standard atmospheric pressure. Liquid helium has been studied by Baku-born Soviet physicist Lev Landau and American Richard Feynman.

What is the Cocoa Nut?

Cocoa nut is the obsolete name for the cacao nut, which is not a nut per se, but the seed of the cacao tree. The name cacao comes from the Nahuatl word, cacahuatl.

Colchester, the Romans and Literature

Colchester is a market town in the English county of Essex. 

It was an important town for the Romans and was for a time the capital of Roman Britain. It contains a Norman fort known as Colchester Castle. The Roman name was Camulodunum. 

Part of Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders was set in Colchester and the town was also mentioned explicitly in Orwell's 1984.

The English Chamber Orchestra

 The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) has performed in more countries than any other orchestra. Its patron is HRH The Prince of Wales. Kiri Te Kanawa and Luciana Pavarotti are among the names who have recorded with the ECO.

Judith Kerr

Judith Kerr was a children's author and illustrator. She started publishing in her forties. Her family fled Germany in 1933, first to Switzerland and eventually settling in England.

Hillingdon - The Home of Heathrow

The London Borough of Hillingdon is a borough of West London.  Ruislip, Hayes and Uxbridge (home of Brunel University) are settlements in Hillingdon. Heathrow Airport straddles Hillingdon and Hounslow. 

Pianos for the Aficionado

Bosendorfer, which hails from Vienna, Austria, is one of the oldest luxury piano makers in the world. Bluthner and Steinway are also famous manufacturers. Bosendorfer pianos were chosen by Franz Liszt for his concerts in Vienna.

Where Music Meets Literature - Symphonic Poems

A symphonic poem is orchestral music evoking the content of a poem. The German word Tondichtung (literally "tone poem") refers to the same concept.  The Hungarian composer Liszt created thirteen such compositions which in turn inspired Dvorak and Richard Strauss to pen compositions with the same intent.

Bach's Goldberg Variations

The Goldberg Variations is a piece for harpsichord by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. A harpsichord is like a keyboard that internally plays a harp. It was thought to have been composed for the Russian diplomat Count Keyserling as a sleeping aid who paid Bach with a golden goblet filled with coins. The composition was published in 1741 and consists of 30 variations.

Jersey-born Count Basie's Classic Jazz

Count Basie, an American jazz pianist, founded his own orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, in 1935, leading the group for almost 50 years.

He was born in Red Bank, in Monmouth County, New Jersey (speculation exists over the origin of the name Monmouth, it could be a reference to James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, or named after Monmouthshire in Wales).

In Red Bank today, the Count Basie Theatre, is named after him.

Ex Malo Bonum

Ex Malo Bonum - good out of evil.  The origin of this phrase is Saint Augustine of Hippo, who contradicts Seneca the Younger's dictum that no good can come of evil.

Presidential Line of Succession (PRE-LOSS)

The Speaker of the House of Representatives ("House Speaker") is second in the Presidential Line of Succession, after the Vice President. The office was established by the US constitution in 1789.

The House of Representatives is the "lower house" in America's bicameral legislature, the "upper house" being the Senate (where two senators represent each state, irrespective of state population). There being 50 states in the USA, there are correspondingly 100 senators in the Senate.

Baltimore-born Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker (Representatives) since 2019, is the only woman in US history to hold this position. She studied Political Science at Trinity College.

Watteau - Pioneer of Fetes Galantes

Watteau was a French painter.

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 from Liszt

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist. His most famous composition, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, a very brisk and dynamic piece, is also known as Rhapsodie Hongroise No 2.

Climate Chambers and Vacuum Chambers

Climate chambers, also known as climatic chambers, or environmental chambers, can be used to test the effect of certain climate conditions on electronics and other components, and biological items. Vacuum chambers are used to simulate the environment of space. NASA operates the world's largest vacuum chamber at its facility in Sandusky, Ohio (part of the Glenn Research Center established in 1942). which is available for commercial companies to use as well.

The Operas of Andre Gretry

Andre Gretry was a composer from Liege in present day Belgium. He became a French citizen and was known for his operas comiques. The work La Vendemmiatrice, an intermezzo, was his first major success.

Saint Crispin's Day

Saints Crispian and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers and leather workers executed on 25 October 285 or 286 during the reign of Diocletian.

They are commemorated by Saint  Crispin's Day.

Saint Crispin's Day is often used as a reference date for battles, including the 15th Century Battle of Agincourt.

The Battle of Agincourt in 1415 was conducted on Saint Crispin's Day as well as the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War (25 October 1864) in Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade.

The European Tradition of Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday

"Whit Monday" is a holiday celebrated in many European countries, but not the UK.

It is the day after Pentecost, known as Whitsunday or Pentecost Sunday. Some countries in the West Indies also observe this holiday (examples being Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia).

The name Pentecost comes from the Greek meaning "fiftieth" - referring to the fiftieth day after Passover (also known as Pesach) which originated as an agricultural or seasonal feast.

It was a public holiday in the UK until 1967 formally replaced by the Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May in 1971.

CRISPR Technology, Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein) and Underlying Inspiration (Arigato, Ishino San)

CRISPR is a tool for editing genomes (also know as CRISPR-Cas9). By altering DNA sequences, gene function can be modified.

The protein Cas9 ("CRISPR-associated protein 9") is used in this technique which is an enzyme acting as a pair of "molecular scissors".

The technique was inspired by the approach used by bacteria to defend themselves against viruses. 

It was discovered in its current form by molecular biologist Yoshizumi Ishino (PhD Osaka University).

Taking Silk

"Taking silk" refers to appointment as a Queen's Counsel (QC), an honorific title signifying excellence in Law. The designation is used in the United Kingdom, where it originated, and also in several Commonwealth countries, namely Australia, Barbados, Canada and New Zealand (where the biggest concentration is in Auckland).

Saturnalia

The ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia took place in December. The ruins of the Temple of Saturn are still visible in Rome.

Black Rock City

Black Rock City is a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. It is 2-3 hours drive north of Reno.

Sechselaeuten

Sechselaeuten is a Swiss festival to signify the beginning of Spring. It is a German word which literally means the "six o'clock ringing of the bells".

Where is Aylesbury? Why is it Newsworthy?

Aylesbury is a town in Buckinghamshire. 

It was the town where David Bowie debuted Ziggy Stardust. 

Its name literally means "church town", with Ayles derived from Welsh eglwys (from Latin ecclesia).

What is an h-index?

An h-index is an author's influence rating in academia. It is based on an author's citation impact. Head of Research at the ECB, Isabel Schnabel, has an h-index of 24.

Who is "Leonessa D'Italia"? What is the Charlemagne Connection?

"Leonessa d'Italia" means "lioness of Italy" and is the nickname of Brescia, a city and "comune" in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.

Its name in Roman times was Brixia and Roman buildings can be seen in its old town. Brescia has a picturesque piazza known as Piazza della Loggia (the first stone of the associated palazzo, Palazzo della Loggia, was laid in 1492, intended to symbolise good governance to the populace).

Now for the Charlemagne connection.

A former monastery called San Salvatore, where Desiderata (whose name in Latin means "things desired"), wife of Charlemagne (King of the Franks, later King of the Lombards, who gave his name to the Carolingian Empire), is reputed to have spent her exile, has now been turned into a museum,

San Salvatore became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.