The cathedral at Cologne was built over 600 years, finally completed in the 1800s. So to remove stress on the walls, the organ was not attached directly too them. That makes sense; when you have a large organ, it usually needs extra support. Read more...

A new cross cultural event will feature the combination of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” with Wagner’s massive “Das Ring Der Nibelungen” called "Das Ring Der Sauron" in which the Rhine maidens recoil at the sight of the strange, furry little people. Then in a face off of evil, Sauron destroys the Ice Giants when they are melted by the heat of Mordor. Read more...

A PBS program this week noted that many modern humans have genes from the Neanderthals. My daughter, who took a DNA test year, notes the results showed that 2.6 percent of her genes are Neanderthal. I think would wife’s opinion is that my percentage is a lot higher. She says that Neanderthal women were constantly yelling at their mates to pick their animal skins off the floor of the cave. Read more...

The phrase "Take a seat" has taken on a whole new meaning to the flying public. The last flight I took, the flight attendant announced, "Not only can your seat cushion be used as a flotation device, the whole seat row is portable and can be used as a flotation couch." But the airlines lost no time in turning the bad publicity about coach seats that started moving around during the flight into a revenue-producing opportunity. Read more...