Friday, September 30, 2011
272.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
271.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
This is a Victorian poem by William Ernest Henly. This poem lends its name to a 2009 movie and has strongly influenced one of the most famous leaders in the world. The leader said that this poem has been his inspiration and has helped get through tough times.
Identify the poem and the leader.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
269.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
268.
Friday, September 23, 2011
267.
Monday, September 19, 2011
266.
Friday, September 16, 2011
265.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
264.
X was invented by the French mathematician Édouard Lucas in 1883. There is a legend about an Indian temple which contains a large room with three time-worn posts in it surrounded by 64 golden plates. Brahmin priests, acting out the command of an ancient prophecy, have been moving these disks, since that time. Therefore X is also named after Brahma. According to the legend, when the last move is completed, the world will end. It is not clear whether Lucas invented this legend or was inspired by it.
There are many variations on this legend. For instance, in some tellings, the temple is a monastery and the priests are monks. The temple or monastery may be said to be in different parts of the world — including _________, and may be associated with any religion. In some versions, other elements are introduced, such as the fact that the tower was created at the beginning of the world, or that the priests or monks may make only one move per day. Some also claim that X was named for the building in the picture.
Identify X.