"Beauty is not caused. It is." - Emily Dickinson
Source: Brainy quotes
Photo: emilydickinsonmuseum.org, theblueporch.blogspot.com
Photo: emilydickinsonmuseum.org, theblueporch.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Today is the day for Nobel Prizes!
Except for the Peace Prize, the Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm, Sweden, at the annual Prize Award Ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
The recipients' lectures are normally held in the days prior to the award ceremony. The Peace Prize and its recipients' lectures are presented at the annual Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo, Norway, usually on 10 December.
The award ceremonies and the associated banquets are typically major international events. The Prizes awarded in Sweden's ceremonies' are held at the Stockholm Concert Hall, with the Nobel banquet following immediately at Stockholm City Hall. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony has been held at the Norwegian Nobel Institute (1905–1946), at the auditorium of the University of Oslo (1947–1989) and at Oslo City Hall(1990–present).
The highlight of the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm occurs when each Nobel Laureate steps forward to receive the prize from the hands of the King of Sweden.
In Oslo, the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee presents the Nobel Peace Prize in the presence of the King of Norway. At first King Oscar II did not approve of awarding grand prizes to foreigners. It is said that his mind changed once his attention had been drawn to the publicity value of the prizes for Sweden.
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895.
The prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace were first awarded in 1901.
The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, while the other prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. Each Nobel Prize is regarded as the most prestigious award in its field.
Here Fritz Haber's diploma is shown, which he received for the development of a method to synthesise ammonia.
Each recipient, or laureate, receives a gold medal, a diploma, and a sum of money which depends on the Nobel Foundation's income that year. In 2011, each prize was worth SEK 10 million (c. US$1.46 million, €1.16 million). The prize is not awarded posthumously; however, if a person is awarded a prize and dies before receiving it, the prize may still be presented." A prize may not be shared among more than three people. The average number of laureates per prize has increased substantially over the 20th century.
Namesake
Alfred Bernhard Nobel (21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer. He is the inventor of dynamite. Nobel also owned Bofors, which he had redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments. Nobel held 355 different patents, dynamite being the most famous. In his last will, he used his enormous fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes.
Why did he start the Nobel Prizes?
In 1888 Alfred's brother Ludvig died while visiting Cannes and a French newspaper erroneously published Alfred's obituary. It condemned him for his invention of dynamite and is said to have brought about his decision to leave a better legacy after his death. The obituary stated Le marchand de la mort est mort ("The merchant of death is dead") and went on to say, "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday."
Alfred was disappointed with what he read and concerned with how he would be remembered Alfred was only 55 years old at the time of his brother's death. On 27 November 1895, at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, Nobel signed his last will and testament and set aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prizes, to be awarded annually without distinction of nationality. He died of a stroke on 10 December 1896 at Sanremo, Italy at the age of 63. After taxes and bequests to individuals, Nobel's will gave 31,225,000 Swedish kronor (equivalent to about 1.8 billion kronor or 250 million US dollars in 2008) to fund the prizes.
The Nobel Prizes are awarded on the anniversary of his death for a positive remembrance of his legacy.
This year's winners:
2011
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS
Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt, Adam G. Riess
Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt, Adam G. Riess
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY
Dan Shechtman
Dan Shechtman
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE
Bruce A. Beutler, Jules A. Hoffmann, Ralph M. Steinman
Bruce A. Beutler, Jules A. Hoffmann, Ralph M. Steinman
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
Tomas Tranströmer
Tomas Tranströmer
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman
THE PRIZE IN ECONOMIC SCIENCES
Thomas J. Sargent, Christopher A. Sims
Thomas J. Sargent, Christopher A. Sims
Source/Photo credit: Wikipedia, nobelprize.org
Today is Human Rights Day
"Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government.
They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity.
The right to life does not depend, and must not be contingent,
on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or sovereign...
You must weep that your own government, at present, seems blind to this truth."
- Mother Teresa
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted on 10 December 1948. The date has since served to mark Human Rights Day worldwide. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the main UN rights official, and her Office play a major role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observance of Human Rights Day.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta at a pro-life meeting in 1986 in Bonn, Germany
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
"Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty."
President Ronald Reagan presents Mother Teresa with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
at a White House ceremony, 1985
"America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other way around.
Human rights invented America." - Jimmy Carter
Source: Un.org, indianmirror.com, brainyquote.com, Wikipedia
Photo credit: indianmirror.com, Wikipedia
Austrian Christmas sights
Christmas time in Ramsau (Austria). A little snow that was still lacking, but I think the sentiment still very nice!
see the moon?
Total Lunar Eclipse This Weekend—Last One Until 2014
Saturday event will paint full moon red.
Source/photo credit:
A composite picture of the full moon before, during, and after a total lunar eclipse.
Photograph courtesy Akira Fujii, Sky & Telescope
got beer?
- December 10, 2011 is
- It’s National Lager Day! Lager is a type of German beer that is bottom fermented and lightly hopped. It is usually stored for at least three weeks after brewing before it is served.Lager is the dominant style of beer throughout the world, except in England where ale is the favorite style. The only real difference between ale and lager is that ales ferment and age quickly at warm temperatures, while lagers ferment and age slowly at cool temperatures. These different types of fermentation allow for a vast difference in flavor and aroma.To celebrate National Lager Day, head to your favorite pub and enjoy a refreshing brew of your favorite lager or try brewing your own! Punchbowl.com
National Lager Day
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