The Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC

October 13th, 2011 John Bruiser

The Smithsonian Institute is the world’s largest museum and research complex,

consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities.  The Smithsonian Institute was founded in 1879 to provide a national repository for knowledge and research for the country.  The complex includes museum center in zoo, the institute internal research centers, the administration of the Smithsonian consortia, the administration of the Smithsonian cultural outreach programs, and administration of the Smithsonian preservation Center for the permanent collection.  There are also educational and science centers as well as affiliated museums in the area.

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The Smithsonian Institute was originally established using funding from the state of a British scientist named James and Smithsonian. The funds were will to the government of the United States with the purpose of establishing a permanent institution of research and preservation to increase the diffusion of knowledge to the American people. A lot of controversy has surrounded the reason why James Smithson chose to leave his entire fortune to the government of a country upon which he had never set foot to soil. The true reasons as to why Smithson decided to do this may forever remain a mystery however Smithson did eventually make its way to the United States posthumously when his body was laid to rest in a crypt located on the first floor of the Smithsonian Castle which serves as the central administrative building for the Smithsonian complex. Today visitors can pay homage to Smithson ingratitude for the legacy he left behind which was created one of the most amazing research and preservation organizations in the world.

 

The actual collection of the Smithsonian includes over 137 million artifacts works of art and specimens over 126 million of which are held by the national Museum of Natural History. 7.4 million digital records are available through the Smithsonian collection search center and overall 1.8 million library volumes are held in the Smithsonian Institution libraries. All in all more than 122,000 ft.³ of archival records are held by various collection archives across the entire disowning complex. 

The Smithsonian’s collections represent our nation’s rich heritage, art from across the globe, and the immense diversity of the natural and cultural world.

 

The scope of objects in Smithsonian collections is staggering—from ancient Chinese bronzes to the Star-Spangled Banner; from a 3.5 billion-year-old fossil to the Apollo lunar landing module; from the ruby slippers featured in The Wizard of Oz to presidential memorabilia. 

 

The Smithsonian Museum is indeed the bastion of the heart and soul of the American experience as well as a preeminent protectorate of history and culture from all around the globe.  Visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll through any of the 19 museums, the zoo, or any of the special collections rooms at any time the museum is open. Admission to the museum is always free and the museum is open on almost every day of the year.

 

The Smithsonian Institute is located on the national Mall in central Washington DC and is adjacent to many other national landmarks, museums, repositories, plazas, and important facilities.  This means that someone choosing to visit the Smithsonian is able to do so easily while also being adjacent to many other top tourist destinations in the national Mall area.

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Ballybunion Golf Club Cashen Course, the Perfect Compliment

August 25th, 2011 John Bruiser
BALLYBUNION, IRELAND - JUNE 07: Ian Woosnam o...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

When visiting the Ballybunion Golf Club Cashen Course, a golfer will want to take the time to understand the many aspects that comes from taking in a few rounds on the greens. Several professionals have played this course and have made the comment that this course is considered to be one of the tougher and most majestic courses on the Ireland cost.

There are many different other reasons that this course has made an impact on the rest of the world as being a top of the line golf course. The people that have taken to the course and experienced all of the advantages that can be experienced when they take to the course and attempt to tackle the many challenges that are presented to a golfer.

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Take the time to check out the clubhouse and take a load off your feet and enjoy a few cold drinks while basking in the glory or shame of the game that you shot. The two bars offer a golfer a chance to take a load off their mind and enjoy the new friends that they will make while at the bar.

Looking for a real meal, then you should take a look at the dining room that is in the clubhouse. While the views of the course are breathtaking all by themselves, the added majestic beauty of the Atlantic Ocean brings a world of beauty that many golfers can not describe in words. There is more than just scenic views to be enjoyed, there are world class amenities to take in and relish.

The world class clubhouse offers a player the very best in the way of dining facilities that can seat up to 120 guest as well as the two bars where a golfer can sit and relive the game that they just had and spend hours making new friends. Need some new equipment, and then make sure that you visit the pro shop for all of your golfing needs.

Maybe you are in the mood to freshen up on your skills, here you will find a state of the art driving range along with practice facilities such as a bunker driving range and chipping green. This is a great way to make sure that you are getting the best results that are able to be had when it is a matter of getting the improved skills that you are seeking out. these skills are the things that will help you to have a better game while on vacation.

No matter if you are a seasoned professional, or a newcomer to the game, a visit to Ballybunion Golf Club is a must on your list of things to do before you die. This is a golf course that you can brag to your friends that you played. If you’re lucky, you can even tell them that you beat the course and made a name for yourself.

When you make the effort to take the time to head to lovely Ireland, the golf courses that are located such as the above mentioned above, will allow you the chance to improve your skills.

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Take a Shot at One of Ireland’s top clubs, the Beaufort Golf Club

August 25th, 2011 John Bruiser

Golf is one of the more refined sports in the world. There is a lot of excitement and sportsmanship that comes from taking to the greens and seeing the excitement that is experienced when it comes to the Beaufort Golf Club. Many of the golf lovers of the world flock to this majestic club and take on the many challenges that the lush greens can offer. From the moment you take to the greens, you see all the beauty that the club offers visitors.

Many of the features that the course offers will enthrall a golfer from the moment that they leave the clubhouse and take to the first tee, you will be in a whole new world and see the many features that have placed Beaufort Golf Club on the list of must visit golf clubs. This will be a great place to stop and catch a few rounds of the game of gentlemen.

From the moment that it was first developed, Beaufort Golf Club became a top of the line club that many of the top golfers that have taken to the greens and at the time seen things that could help the club become what it has today. Many top golfers have taken the greens to prove that they are one of the top players in the world and show that the course has a way of challenging even the best of best golfers.

When taking the time to visit the island it is an imperative course of action that they take the time to head to Beaufort Golf Club and take on these holes to see if your skills measure up to that of your favorite golf pro.

Not all of the fun and excitement is on the greens. The clubhouse is another area that the golfer will want to make sure that they take the time to visit and in the long run see all that it has to offer a visitor. There have been many improvements that have been made to the clubhouse that allow the visitor the chance to see all of the many benefits that come from the amenities that are available to a guest.

Have a dinner that is freshly prepared by one of the many chefs that are employed to take your taste buds on a whirlwind adventure around the world. Almost any dish that you can think of can be prepared with little to no trouble at all.

If you are looking to freshen up your skills, then make sure that you take a trip to the state of the art practice facilities to assist a golfer hone in on their skills and become the best golfer that they can be. Things like driving range as well as a chipping green will give a golfer the skill set that they need to become a better player and beat their friends on the next round that they shoot.

Taking a tour of the Beaufort Golf Club, you will be surprised to see all the amenities that it offers. Things such as the items mentioned above, will ensure that a golfer as the time of their life when they hit the greens. It will be a great thing the next time that you take to the greens and come back with a story that will impress even the best of your golfing friends. This will be a story that you are able to share with your friends and make them jealous that they are not able to compete with such a lively story.

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Wax Figures so Real They Practically talk at Musee Conti Wax Museum

August 25th, 2011 John Bruiser
NEW ORLEANS - MAY 15: People dance in a bar o...

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The lure of wax museums is something that has attracted people to see famous figures preserved in wax for several decades. There are all sorts of these museums that are located all over the world. I made the decision to take a little bit of a trip to see Musee Conti’s offerings at the wax museum. There are a great number of different aspects that should be given a through look at when taking the time to visit here. It is the attraction of seeing the history come to life that drives a persons desire to visit these museums. It is like having the ability to travel back into time and never having to leave where you are.

 

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A friend that is ran into while visiting one of the bars on Bourbon Street suggested that I take the time to visit the historic place where the figures from history seemed to have been frozen in time over the past few years.

 

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Musee Conti Wax Museum & The Art of Wax Sculpture Founded in 1963, this 3rd generation, family owned and operated business is a New Orleans treasure chest of history, legend and scandal. Unlike other wax museums, The Musee Conti Wax Museum tells the story of one city alone, and what a story it is! From our cities fair founding, to the legendary Battle of New Orleans, to the mysterious world of Voodoo. The fascinating tableau of New Orleans unique history unfolds before your very eyes. Representing more than three yeas of careful research and painstaking quality, Musee Conti depicts the exciting history of New Orleans and the Louisiana Territory.

 

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There are 154 life-size figures sculpted in wax, and displayed in historically accurate settings. In addition to our historical exhibit, they also have a Haunted Dungeon. If you have never seen the haunted Dungeon, then you are in for a treat. The figures located here will make you jump out of skin if you forget that it is a museum and that the figures are not real. In the first time that I went through, I was surprised at the level of detail that s placed in the making of these. I must admit that it did in fact give me quite a fright to see these and forget about them not being real.

These details may be of interest: Ordinary beeswax is mixed with a secret chemical compound that hardens the material and increases its resistance to extremes of temperature. Wax, like human skin, is slightly translucent; the coloring is infused beneath the final layer, thus accounting for the uncanny similarity to human flesh. Each strand of human hair – imported from Italy – is inserted separately with a special needle. This laborious process achieves the realism they seek. All male figures are given complete beards; if you look carefully at the clean-shaven figures you will see faint stubble remaining on their chins. Medical glass eyes are obtained from Germany, a country long famous for supremacy in optical glass. The Museum is located in the Historic French Quarter at 917 Rue Conti between Burgundy & Dauphine. they are 1½ blocks from Bourbon Street.

The net time that you are looking for something to do when visiting New Orleans, make sure that you take the time to see all of the offerings that this place of significance has for the casual visitor to New Orleans. You will be surprised at the accuracy that is placed into the making of these figures. This is a great way to bring the history of New Orleans back from the past.

 

 

 

For More information about New Orleans and all the great things that you can do while you are visiting, check out these great books:

 

Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans
The Rough Guide to New Orleans (Rough Guides)
The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld
Very New Orleans: A Celebration of History, Culture, and Cajun Country Charm

 

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Museum opportunities in Memphis Tennessee

August 25th, 2011 John Bruiser
The Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinate...

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Beautiful Memphis Tennessee is commonly called the gym of the South. The Bluff city is without a doubt with. Your tourist destinations in all the southeastern United States, what the people realize however is that Memphis is also the cultural bastions of South. Memphis offers a wide range of wonderful opportunities to experience educational enrichment, history, culture, and more. Among these opportunities is a wide variety of top-quality museums, some of which are leaders in their field at the regional and national levels. Let’s take a few moments to look at some of the wonderful beauty of opportunities offered in Memphis.

Without a doubt when someone hears the word museum in connection with Memphis the first thing that crosses your mind is the incredible pink Palace facility. This stunning pink limestone mansion built by Clarence Sanders as a private residence was gifted to the city after his death. Much of the interior of the mansion remains much as originally designed with modifications and extensions being made over the years to accommodate a museum facility. Some of the highlights of the museum include an opportunity to walk through an exact replica of the first self-service grocery store in the country, the Piggly Wiggly store owned by Mr. Sanders which existed on the historic Beale Street stretch from 1938 to 1947. In fact, it was the Piggly Wiggly chain of stores which provided Mr. Saunders with enormous wealth and allowed the palace to be built. Contained also in the museum are award-winning exhibits on the Civil War, the Spanish exploration of the southeastern United States, the historic yellow fever epidemic of the 1800s, and a dedicated exhibit chronicling the rise of the healthcare industry and how healthcare groups become Memphis’ largest industrial sector. Of course, some of the really fun things about the palace are its dinosaur’s alive exhibit which includes the largest collection of fossils in the Southeast, and thanks to its association with University of Memphis Department of Egyptology and the UN on Egyptology Museum a very extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and educational programs on Egyptian culture.

 

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Another of the great museums located in the city of Memphis is the children’s Museum of Memphis. The children’s Museum of Memphis is dedicated to providing an educational and cultural enrichment opportunity for children throughout the greater Memphis area, and through its outreach programs to children of the greater Midsouth area. Exhibits are constantly changing its museum but some of the long-standing favorites include the children created our collection, the history of Money and banking collection, the earthquake simulator, and the bookatarium.  The unique bookatarium offers a quiet area dedicated to reading and family time. The areas often used for the museum’s many literacy programs including book worm, tales & Tunes, and R&R Story time among many others. The museums city friends’ exhibit offers kids the opportunity to discover the special people in the community who respond to all types of emergencies and provide safe and secure environment for everyone.  The exhibit provides kids the opportunity to sit on a real police motorcycle, take the wheel and pretend to drive a real sheriff’s deputy cruiser, climb on a real shiny red fire engine, dress like a police officer or firefighter, and climb into the back of a real ambulance.

 

 

Perhaps the most famous of all the museums located in Memphis is the national civil rights Museum of Memphis. Located at the historic terrain motel, site of Dr. Martin Luther King‘s assassination, the museum chronicles the struggle of the African-American people and others to obtain equal common rights in the United States. From the earliest slave revolt’s to today’s pursuit of equality for all the museum presents over 400 years of history and struggle in an effort to keep true to the words that all men are created.

While visiting Memphis Tennessee, make sure that you set aside the time to visit these and other award-winning, highly educational, and culturally enriching museums. The city of Memphis is rife with history and culture is waiting to be explored.

Related articles
Haunted Memphis (TN) (Haunted America)
Walking in Memphis: 16 Historic Tours
Photographs from the Memphis World, 1949-1964

 

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Golf like a pro at Ballyliffin Golf Club

August 25th, 2011 John Bruiser
BALLYLIFFIN, CO.DONEGAL - OCTOBER 25: - OCTOB...

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For any person that enjoys the lovely game of golf, the country of Ireland has more than enough places that a golfer can go to get the best results from a round of golf. One of these wonderful courses is that of Ballyliffin Golf Club, this club has long since been a stand alone beacon in the golfing world. Many of the more well known golf players have taken their chances at the golf course and seen what all they are looking at n the way of a challenge. But not all has been well in the past at the golf course. There was a time when things were a little shaky on the future of the golf course.

 

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In the 1940’s the idea was launched in beginning a nine hole course that people could enjoy. Those first few years were tough as members were responsible for the upkeep on the course and as a result were tasked with doing things like mowing the grass and readying the greens for play. This made times for the club a little tough and many thought that this was for sure going to lead t the end of the club. Things got easier and over time the course became a full functioning club that offered golfers the chance to tackle a 18 hole course.

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This also ushered in the golden era when the golf course was expanding and began to reveal the majestic view of the Atlantic. This as a result sent golfers from all over flocking to this paradise that few had ever heard of. A few prominent tournaments later, the course was on the map as being one of the top destinations for a golfer to head.

The troubles came again in the 60’s when the owners of the land refused to renew the lease. This caused a lot of troubles and appeared to be the thing that would completely sink the plans for expansion. Investors came in and brought the club back to the glory that it had once.

Ballyliffin Golf Club

 

The green fees were raised and as a result this brought an incredible amount of financial backing into the club and gave it a much needed shot in the arm. The fees that they brought in allowed for the club to expand and as a result brought forth a wonderful amount of popularity to the club. Many of the world best golfers have since taken to the course and as a result brought a lot of great press to the club.

The next time that you are in Ireland, and then make sure that you take the time to visit Ballyliffin Golf Club. This will be an experience like no other when you take the time to hit the greens and see the many benefits that come from the spacious greens, breathtaking views, and the newly opened clubhouse. Taking the time to visit the club will be a once and a lifetime experience that the club offers.

The game of golf s a very skilled game, you will want to make sure that you are taking the time to enjoy the entire area and all of the many benefits that are offered at Ballyliffin Golf Club. The games that you have here will give you a leg up on your friends. Imagine the look on their face when you tell them about the experience that you had when you visited Ballyliffin Golf Club. This is one of the top courses that are located in Ireland and few of them will ever compete with the experience that you will here.

 

 

For more information Check out these great books about golfing in Ireland:

Golfing in Ireland: The Most Complete Guide For Adventurous Golfers
Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations
Emerald Gems:The Links of Ireland
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Hitting the greens at Ballybunion Golf Club

August 24th, 2011 John Bruiser
BALLYBUNION, IRELAND - JUNE 07: Ian Woosnam o...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

For a golf fan that is looking for a course that will take their breath away and reveal to them a course that offers beauty mixed with a challenge, then Ballybunion Golf Club is the course for them. Located in majestic Ireland, this course gives a golfer the chance to play a course that seems to be perfect in all possible ways.

Many of the recognizable names in golf have all called this course one of the more challenging ones that they have ever played. From the first tee all the way to the last one each hole offers a new challenge as well as a view that will be amazing no matter when you visit to tackle this legendary course.

Tom Watson who has played the course since the early eighties has called this a round of golf that offers the best round of golf that any course can offer them. One of the largest challenges that a player will encounter is that of the winds that constantly are giving a player the challenge of a lifetime. Things have not all be rosy for Ballybunion Golf Club since it opened up in 1893, in the early days; there were a lot of financial issues that caused a changing of officers in an attempt to save the course from going into being non existent.

As the plans continued to be laid out, the popularity of the course rapidly grew and this as a result led to Ballybunion Golf Club gaining a new reputation as being a top golf course. The increased popularity led to more tournaments being held there and more popularity was being brought forth to the course.

 

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Since 1932 Ballybunion Golf Club has been a must play course for any professional or amateur who is looking for a course that can lead a golfer to enjoy the many features that the course offers.

While the views of the course are breathtaking all by themselves, the added majestic beauty of the Atlantic Ocean brings a world of beauty that many golfers can not describe in words. There is more than just scenic views to be enjoyed, there are world class amenities to take in and relish.

Ballybunion_golf

 

The world class clubhouse offers a player the very best in the way of dining facilities that can seat up to 120 guest as well as the two bars where a golfer can sit and relive the game that they just had and spend hours making new friends. Need some new equipment, and then make sure that you visit the pro shop for all of your golfing needs.

 

Ballybunion-lg2

 

Maybe you are in the mood to freshen up on your skills, here you will find a state of the art driving range along with practice facilities such as a bunker driving range and chipping green.

No matter if you are a seasoned professional, or a newcomer to the game, a visit to Ballybunion Golf Club is a must on your list of things to do before you die. This is a golf course that you can brag to your friends that you played. If you’re lucky, you can even tell them that you beat the course and made a name for yourself.

 

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