London Routemaster History and Farewell (by Speak Up)

When you think of London, what are the first images that come to mind? Perhaps you picture a famous landmark such as Buckingham Palace or Big Ben; maybe you imagine a guardsman in his bearskin hat, or a black cab. Yet for many people one of the most recognizable icons of the city is the red, double-decker Routemaster bus. A few years ago it seemed that the Routemaster might only be seen in old films and on postcards. But London´s colorful new mayor decided that the Routemaster should be revived and he has even launched a competition to design a new model. The winners of the competition have been announced and the new Routemaster should be on the streets in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. The history of the Routemaster can be traced back to London´s first ever bus – a horse-drawn carriage which ran from Paddington to Bank in 1829. It was called the “omnibus,” from the Latin word meaning “for all.” The word was gradually replaced by the abbreviation “bus,” although it has not disappeared: the phrase “the man on the Clapham omnibus,” which refers to the average citizen, is still in use today. Clapham, it might be added, is an area of London. The first motorized buses were introduced in the early 20th century, alongside the red, double-decker trolleybuses. The Routemaster itself first hit the streets of London in 1956. Although the last new Routemaster was built in 1968, these vehicles continued in regular service until 2005, although by then many had been replaced by one-man buses with no conductors. They were finally phased out to be replaced by modern buses which were more accessible to wheelchair user. The design of the Routemaster used techniques developed in aircraft production during World War II. It had an aluminium body, making it much lighter, and several new features for a bus, including power steering and automatic gears. The platform at the back allowed passengers to hop on and off, and there was a conductor on board to take fares and chat to people.

Vienne - Autriche

Palais baroques où bruissent encore le frou-frou des crinolines, cafés bondés rappelant le début du siècle, immeubles en forme de pièce montée et chefs-d'œuvre de l'Art nouveau .Vienne ne pourrait être qu'une ville de nostalgiques gourmands de sucreries impériales. Héritière directe de la dynastie des Habsbourg, la capitale autrichienne est pourtant bien vivante. Cité d'histoire et de culture européenne, Vienne conjugue au présent son patrimoine culturel. Riche, fière et dynamique, elle possède notamment l'une des scènes musicales les plus remarquables d'Europe. De Mozart à Beethoven en passant par Brahms, Mahler ou Schubert, le passé musical de Vienne est aujourd'hui partout palpable.

Population: 1,66 million d'habitants
Peuples et ethnies: Viennois d'origine germanique ; émigrants de l'ancien Empire austro-hongrois ; réfugiés de l'ex-Yougoslavie ; Turcs, Polonais, Slovaques...
Langue: allemand
Religion: catholicisme, protestantisme
Principales activités: ingénierie de précision, électronique, banque, assurances, tourisme

Thoughts to ponder (In which house do you live?)

The author of the following is unknown. This was taken from the magazine Psychology for Living (credits to whom deserves)

“I got two A´s”, the small boy cried, his voice was filled with glee. His father bluntly asked him, “Why didn´t you get three?”. “Mom, I´ve got the dishes done”, the girl called from the door. Her mother very calmly said, “did you sweep the kitchen floor?”. “I´ve mowed the grass”, the tall boy said, and put the mower away. The father, looking at the rug, “you didn´t clean off the clay!”.
The children in the house next door seem happy and content. The same things happened over there, but this is how it went: “I got two A´s, the small boy cried; his voice was filled with glee. His father proudly said, “That´s great, I am glad you belong to me”. “Mom, I´ve got the dishes done”, the girl called from the door, her mother smiled and softly said; “each day I love you more”.”I´ve mowed the grass”, the tall boy said, and put the mower away, his father answered with much joy, “Son, you have made may day!”
Children deserve a little praise for tasks they´re asked to do, if they´re grow up feeling good, so much depends on you! Think about it…..

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China (simplified Chinese: 长城; traditional Chinese: 長城; pinyin: Chángchéng; literally "long city/fortress") or (simplified Chinese: 万里长城; traditional Chinese: 萬里長城; pinyin: Wànlǐ Chángchéng; literally "The long wall of 10,000 Li (里)"[1]) is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks during various successive dynasties. Since the 5th century BC, several walls have been built that were referred to as the Great Wall. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; it lay farther north than the current wall, which was built during the Ming Dynasty.[2] continues...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

Initial Post

Hi, first of all let me say that it is really a great pleasure to write about the things we are going to discuss around here, which is the whole world. Needless to say that we are going to have endless subjects to discuss about. Every day as I wake up I thank God for the opportinities He has given me to get to know this wonderful globe that we live. I had the great opportunity to live in America and also in Europe, Germany more precisely. I have also, so far, the privilegy of knowing more than 20 Countries and I will try to write about the experiences that I got travelling through those places. I also got a MBA degree at University of Dallas, and today am the owner of R2 Comex and Mettmann, two companies involved with international business. We will also be discussing businesses and academics subjects over here.

Hope you enjoy!!!

Also, I want to say that comments and suggestions are always welcome.

See you around