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 ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER EIGHTY-FIVE |
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| Kinokuni Hill and Distant View of Akasaka Tameike (Kinokunizada Akasaka Tameike enkei) |
| The forward guard of a daimyo procession comes strutting up Kinokuni Hill as we look down over the Akasaka district in the distance.
Previous commentators have faulted Hiroshige for the downhill appearance of this uphill slope, but he is merely setting the necessary stage for the cocky performers, whose antics outdid those of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We see here what is probably one side of a double-file procession, marching in a rhythmic goose-step that is only hinted at by the guards' tense posture. The lead figures were particularly known for their performing skills. They adroitly balanced their tufted standards in the cup of the palm, as we see here, and engaged from time to time in displays that involved twirling and tossing these standards in the air. The leader is a model of the type, his tough expression set off by a smart jacket of indigo-dyed "shobu leather," named after the stylized pattern of shobu leaves on the shoulders, a pun on another meaning of shobu, "respect for the military." |
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This relative of the apple and pear is one of the earliest known fruits. For over 4,000 years, trees have grown in Asia and the Mediterranean. Today, it is also found in Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. The fruit as we know it in the United States is a different fruit from that found in Western Asia and tropical countries, where the fruit is softer and more juicy. In colder climates, the fruit has a fine, handsome shape, a rich golden color when ripe, and a strong fragrance, judged by some to be heavy and overpowering. In the raw form, the rind is rough and woolly, and the flesh is hard and unpalatable, with an astringent, acidulous taste. In hotter countries, the woolly rind disappears and the fruit can be eaten raw. Because it's rarely used in its raw form in the United States, the hard and dry flesh of this fruit turns light pink to purple, becoming softer and sweeter when it's cooked. Because of the astringent, tart flavor, they are commonly made into preserves and jellies.
Can you name this fruit?
PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
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| AMERICAN WIDGEON |
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 |  THAT I HAVE NOT READ ... BUT WOULD LIKE TO |
 | No one gives better parties than Jazz Age zillionaire Jay Gatsby. No one has a bigger house or a bigger pool, or drives a longer, sleeker, more opulent automobile. His silk shirts alone--"shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple green and lavender and faint orange with monograms of Indian blue"--can and do reduce women to tears. But who is he? Where does he come from, where did he make his megabucks, and why--his sober, straight-arrow neighbor (and narrator) Nick wonders--does he stand on his dock at night and stretch out his arms to a green light shining across the bay from his magnificent mansion? The Great Gatsby lays bare the empty, tragic heart of the self-made man. It's not only a page-turner and a heartbreaker, it's one of the most quintessentially American novels ever written. |
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| Ise-yebi and Shiba-yebi (Two Shrimp and Lobster) Ando Hiroshige |
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What small vegetable takes its name for its part in the diet of one of the branches of the U.S. military in the second half of the 19th century?
PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
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| KENTUCKY | |
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| Placed on a navy blue field is the seal and words "Commonwealth of Kentucky." The two friends shaking hands, a pioneer and a statesman, represent all the people. They are acting out the meaning of Kentucky's motto: "United We Stand; Divided We Fall."
Sprays of the state flower {goldenrod} extend in a half circle around the picture. This flag was adopted 1918 and amended in 1928 and 1962. | |
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| Placed on a navy blue field are the seal and words "Commonwealth of Kentucky." The two people on the seal, a pioneer and a statesman, represent all the people. They are acting out the meaning of Kentucky's motto: "United We Stand; Divided We Fall." Sprays of goldenrod extend in a half circle around the picture. | |
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| Pencil sketching is an interesting and powerful element of design. To put it correctly, pencil sketching can be termed as "the mother of graphic arts."
The general perception about drawing pencil sketches is that it is either a part of initial training given to Fine Arts students or it's a good hobby for anyone who can draw well. What most of us don't know is that making pencil sketches is almost an inevitable part of design and a unique branch of art in itself. |
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This relative of buckwheat originated in Western China and neighboring areas. Its traditional role was medicinal - the dried root was a popular remedy for a wide range of illnesses. Its primary function was to induce vomiting, although it is also a mild astringent. This medicinal role caused the price of the dried root to rise. In 1542, it sold for ten times the price of cinnamon in France and in 1657 it sold for over twice the price of opium in England. Beginning in the eighteenth century, it began to be consumed in foods, primarily drinks and meat stews. Botanically speaking, it is considered a vegetable, but it's most often treated as a fruit — though it's rarely eaten raw. It was introduced to the United States at the end of the eighteenth century. Today most of it is frozen for commercial and institutional use; only about a quarter of the crop is sold fresh.
What is this strange plant?
PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
