Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was and is an incredibly influential modern abstract artist. His paintings hang in many of the most famous museums in New York, Chicago, London and Paris.

Mondrian had a lengthy painting career that was not always characterized by the straight lines, geometry and primary colors of his most famous “Neo-Plasticist” works, such as his Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red. Mondrian also painted in the naturalist and cubist style early in his career.

His well known neo-plasticism works were produced beginning in the early 1920s through the 1940s. One of his most famous, Broadway Boogie-Woogie, was produced in New York and hangs today in the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.

Take some time to learn a bit more about Piet Mondrian with these additional resources -

• Wikipedia.com - Piet Mondrian – Article
• Piet Mondrian.org  - Site
• Piet Mondrian Trust – Site

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Thirty Second President of the United States (1933-1945), Governor of New York (1929-1933), US Democratic Politician (1882 – 1945).

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Muir Woods National Monument is the most talked about place to see these amazing trees.  There are, however, other state and federal parks where you can camp among the trees.

California Redwood trees can grow and live for more than 2,000 years. They are not only one of the largest living things (growing higher than 350 feet)  but they also hold the distinction of being one of the oldest living things as well.

These massive trees are also commonly nown as Giant Sequoias or Sierra Redwoods.

Take some time to learn a bit more or plan a trip with these additional resources -

• U.S. Nationa Park Service – Redwoods Park  - Site
• Giant Sequoias at Wikipedia.com – Article
• California State Parks Redwwod parks – Site

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Spiritual and Political Leader and Leader of the Indian Independence Party (1869 – 1948)

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Pont Neuf translated from French = the “New Bridge”. The name is deceiving as all travellers to Paris learn that the Pont Neuf is actually the oldest bridge in the city.

In 1578 King Henry III decided to build a “New” bridge across the Seine river and the first stone was laid that year. The bridge’s construction wasn’t completed until around 1607 when King Henry IV opened the bridge to use.  The bridge’s stone architecture utilized the most modern design techniques of the time.

Connecting both side of the river over the Île de la Cité, the bridge is actually two seperate spans on each side of the little island.

Take some time to learn a bit more about the Pont Neuf or plan a trip to see it with these additional resources -

• Aviewoncites.com – Pont Neuf - Site
• Wikipedia.com – Pon Neuf – Article
• The city of Paris – Pont Neuf – Site

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A species of ficus, the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment has become a symbol of the Buddhist faith and also part of its spiritual rituals.

“Bodhi” is a sanskrit word meaning enlightenment.

The Bodhi Tree that is associated with Buddha is believed to have been destroyed but Buddhist history provides that  a branch or branches  from it were preserved and used to propagate other trees that exist today.

Sacred Bodhi trees thought to have been propagated from the original tree are in  Bodh Gaya in India, the Jetvana Monastery in Srvasti, India and in Sri Lanka in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura.

Take some time to learn a bit more about the Bodhi Tree with these resources -

• Bodhi Tree at buddhanet.net – Article
• Wikipedia – Bodhi Tree – Article
• Bodhi Tree at Sacred Destinations - Article
• Wise Geek.com – What is the Bodhi Tree – Article

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Rabbi Moses ben Jacob ibn Ezra (ha-Sallah), Spanish/Jewish philosopher, author and poet (1070? – 1138?)

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There are lots of different ways to make corn chowder, with the constant ingredients being corn, potatoes, onions and a cream based soup.

The most typical corn chowder is a mix of fresh corn kernels, diced Yukon gold potatoes, Spanish onions, heavy cream, sea salt, black pepper, diced red pepper, smoked bacon bits and a few other mixed-ins.

A favorite corn chowder recipe can be found in, dare I say, a very New England cookbook - Morning Glory Farm: A Family that Feeds and Island, a wonderful book about the Morning Glory Farm on Martha’s Vineyard with unbelievable recipes.

Get a copy of the book here – > Morning Glory Farm, and the Family that Feeds an Island

Corn chowder can be part of a meal in all four seasons. Using fresh summer corn, however, is possibly the best way to enjoy it.

Try any one of these recipes for Corn Chowder  -

• Corn Chowder at Simplyrecipes.com – Article
• Corn Chowder by Tyler Florence at the foodnetwork.com – Article
• Southern Food at about.com – Corn Chowder –  Article

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Controversy over the discovery of the HIV virus was somewhat settled in the 1990s by scientists at the Institut Pasteur taking the credit for being the first ones to isolate HIV and Dr. Gallo and his peers taking the credit for linking it to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Dr. Gallo later published his discovery that chemo-kines may block the HIV virus and slow the progression of AIDS. In 1993, he wrote a bestseller entitled “Virus Hunting: Aids, Cancer, And The Human Retrovirus: A Story Of Scientific Discovery.”

Dr. Gallo is well known for his biomedical research related to viruses, particularly retroviruses. He is the director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Take some time to learn a bit more about Dr. Robert Gallo and his work with these resources -

• Institute of Human Virology - Robert Gallo – Article
• Wikipedia – Robert Gallo- Article
• About.com – The History of HIV - Article
• Aids.org – Interview with Dr. Robert Gallo – Article

Get a copy of Dr. Gallo’s Bestselling Book Here ->Virus Hunting: Aids, Cancer, And The Human Retrovirus: A Story Of Scientific Discovery

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Henry David Thoreau, Transcendentalist, author, poet, naturalist, historian, and philosopher.(1817 – 1862)

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