Are you one of those people who thought history was such a boring and unnecessary subject in school, and an adolescent had much better things to do and more important things to learn than reading about people long since gone, and wars waged ? You’re in good company. So many of us think/thought the same way. But alas, just as much as that is true when speaking of the youth, just as much it is true that the older we get, the more past events start to interest us – even when they have nothing to do with us. Continue reading

Menories. A word so powerful and carried with so many layers, dimensions and xxxx and tied with all sorts of emotional and personal xxxx that makes it hard to put into words. But you only need to read one good book, watch one good movie, or talk with one deep-minded person to get a good idea what xxxx x Rebecca . film , based on the novel by xxxx, put it so accurately: Continue reading

xxxxx xx Strongman competitions. 1969-1221 Magnus Samuelson* strongman/arm wrestling champion/actor – Linköping, Sweden 1970-1201 Jouko Ahola* strongman/power-lifter/actor – Hämeenlinna, Finland

Have you ever heard of nominative determinism? Not many of us have - that is why the title of this story is a more familiar one, though even that may lead your thoughts to something else. But we all do sometimes bump into this phenomenon. It is the hypothesis that people tend to gravitate towards areas of work that fit their names - either first or last names. The another matter entirely is that some people change their names to fit their profession. Continue reading

xxxx 1405-09xx Gilles de Rais* soldier/ convicted serial killer – Champtosé-sur-Loire, France (1440/35) 1560-0807 Elisabeth Báthory* serial killer – Nyírbátor, Kingdom of Hungary (1614/54) 1826-0731 Juhani Aataminpoika* horse thief/serial killer – Vesivehmaa, GD of Finland (1854/28) 1845-0916 Matti Haapoja* convicted serial killer – Isokyrö, GD of Finland (1895/49) 1850-0527 Thomas Neill Cream* Scottish-Canadian physician/serial killer - Glasgow, Scotland (1892/42) 1861-0516 H. H. Holmes* serial killer – Gilmanton, NH USA (1896/34) Continue reading

xxx Stutter has nothing to do with being a successful individual, but it may hamper reaching that point in one’s life. Here is a list of people to whom also stuttering has been an impediment, yet not a defining one: x - Scatman John -

If you are curious about who has designed the most famous buildings in the world, look no further. The following is a list of architects with their biographical data, and - with Brown Bold - the building or area they are most known for. The links of the buildings take you usually to their Wikipedia page. 1423-0706 Antonio Manetti* mathematician/architect – Florence, Republic of Florence (1497/73) 1475-0306 Michelangelo* sculptor/painter/architect – Arezzo, Republic of Florence (1564) Continue reading

Are you one of those people who need a touch of nature during their city kaupunkiviikonloppu ??? To get away from the busy traffic, sidewalk slalom, the constant noise around you?! Here follows a quick look at where to go to find some peace not too far from the city you are visiting. Mind you, we’re not talking about parks here, but real forests where you can get the feeling of being enveloped - and empowered - by nature. Continue reading

The sitcom The Simpsons is a favorite television program fro many of us. Here is a simple list of thevoices behind the characters. Homer Simpson - Dan Castellaneta* actor/screenwriter – Chicago, IL USA (1957) Marge Simpson - Julie Kavner* actress/voice actress (Marge Simpson etc) – Los Angeles, CA USA (1950) Bart Simpson, part of the Simpson family - Nancy Cartwright* actress/voice actress (Bart Simpson etc) – Dayton, OH USA (1957) Continue reading

Have you ever walked in a park somewhere and seen benches with a (usually) metal plate attached to it, and an inscription of some sort? It prompts one to go closer and see what it says. Bench dedications are a great way to honor, memorialize and pay tribute to family or friends. Or perhaps to a group or an organization. It is not free of charge of course, for it costs to make the plate and attach it to the bench, but mainly it is a form of supporting the park or wherever the bench is situated. Continue reading

To the delight for visitors and locals alike, there are city bikes in an increasing number of cities all around the world. In my hometown Helsinki we get to enjoy the yellow city bikes from April thru October, i.e. almost six months. Perhaps even longer in the future if climate change continues to give us shorter winters. In Helsinki the bikes are yellow. In Melbourne they are blue, in Amsterdam green, in Reykjavik pink. Continue reading

From Wiki: February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth’s revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in most of the world. 1812-0229 James Milne Wilson* engineer/ politician/to Tasmania at age 17 – Banff, Scotland (1880/68) 1884-0229 Richard S. Aldrich* politician – Washington D.C. USA (1941/57) Continue reading

xxxxx The human body is a wondrous complex. When it comes to elements, it comprises almost entirely of mere six of them. These are: oxygen (65%) carbon (18%) hydrogen (10%) nitrogen (3%) calcium (1.4%) phosphorus (1.1%) Another five elements make up about 0.85% of the remaining mass: sulfur potassium sodium chlorine magnesium All of these 11 elements are essential elements. This article aims in no way to be a giver of any medical advice, but just raise some ideas around the notion that the body is the temple of your soul, and must be taken care of with reverence. Continue reading

Marabou Symphony Chocolate! Oh that wonderful product that leaves our tastebuds craving for more! That notoriously calorie rich sweet that many of us love, especially in the cooler seasons when it will not risk melting, save in our hands, and mouths! So let’s celebrate it on this World Chocolate Day here in Journeys of Life as well by shedding some light on the makers of this treat! Cocoa - the basis of chocolate - has been around for ages. Continue reading

This figure is from the journal article “Modelling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: progress and possibilities” and shows ten proposed disease mechanisms for ALS. Source: http://dmm.biologists.org/content/10/5/537 Did you know that today is the Global ALS Awareness Day? Celebrated every year on June 21st, by the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations. A day of recognition of ALS/MND – a disease that affects people in every country around the globe. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - ALS for short - is a vile disease. Continue reading

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) Journeys of Life is about the lives of people, any people. Most of us would love to tread that journey - however short or long it is - in a healthy environment. But sometimes it is made hard for us. How many of you know that plants that beautify our homes, offices and other public places, can also help us get rid of bad smells? Like that cigarette smell left by the previous resident or your friendly neighbor? Continue reading

So Survivor season 44 is behind us, and we have a new sole Survivor! Which we will not reveal here, of course, but he or she as well as all the other Sole Survivors are all listed in our Survivor Winners article that is being updated as each season has come to its end. So go and have a look at the winners - where they are from, who are the two 2-time winners, and which birth month has the most winners. Continue reading

The picture here shows you the audio book version of the novel Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. But you will guaranteed get more out of that great novel by watching the dramatized miniseries of it on Netflix, with the same title. The story takes place over the course of decades, and follows two lifelong best friends—Tallulah, or “Tully,” and Kate—beginning with their childhood on Firefly Lane. Down below we have gathered for you the cast of Firefly Lane, the actors and actresses appear here in cronological order. Continue reading

As you start researching into your family history, you quite soon come to realize the vastness of the task. The numbers keep doubling up as we move backwards in time. Starting with two parents, we would end up literally with thousands of forefathers and -mothers. But luckily we never need to deal with all of that data as most of us know only of a few generations backwards. Nevertheless, let’s look at some of these figures. Continue reading

Talk shows are an interesting piece of television, and there are of course thousands of them across the globe. Here you have some of the major American talk shows, and more specifically, the hosts and hostesses of those shows. Many of them worked with something else originally before embarking on their careers as talk show hosts. Such as in the fields of acting, journalism, law, literature, macadamia farming, psychology, stand-up comedy, and television production. Continue reading