Buffalo (or Bison)

Bison or buffalo are large, even-toed mammals. "Bison" is a Greek word meaning ox-like animal, while "buffalo" originated with the French fur trappers who called these massive beasts bœufs, meaning ox or bullock—so both names, "bison" and "buffalo", have a similar meaning.

By 10,000BC the mammoth was beginning to die out in North America and the buffalo took its place as a principal source of food and hides.

The buffalo formed the mainstay of the economy of the Native Americans, providing them with meat for food, hides and fur for clothing and shelter, and sinew and horn for tools.

Native Americans could easily take down the buffalo. The buffalo’s lungs share the same compartment (unlike humans who have two separate compartments). So when an arrow/spear pierces the Buffalo’s lung cavity (pleura), both lungs collapse, bringing the buffalo down swiftly.

After a successful buffalo hunt a Native American adult might consume as much as four pounds (1.8 kgs) of buffalo meat a day.

The Indians' hunting activities had little impact on the buffalo population, but with the westward movement of white civilization in the 18th and 19th centuries, the bison were wantonly slaughtered in ever-growing numbers.

In the days of pioneer travel great buffalo herds, wading streams, sometimes halted a boat in midstream or, moving over the prairies, blocked and occasionally even derailed a train.

The westward-moving pioneers and railroad workers wantonly killed the huge animals by the thousands for food. Only the choicest pieces of the slaughtered buffalo, the hump and tongues, were cut out of the carcasses.

In just 50 years, between 1830 to 1880, the US slaughtered 40 million bison. The near-extinction bison hunting in the 1800s was not only to gain food. The pioneers also wanted to restrict the American Indians' dominant food supply; herds were shot from trains and left to rot where they died. 

By 1870s, the buffalo had been decimated east of the Mississippi River thus removing a major source of meat. The extension of railroads across the Great Plains had led to the destruction of the huge herds that foraged on the vast grasslands there.

One hunter, William F. Cody who was nicknamed "Buffalo Bill", killed 4,280 animals in 17 months while supplying buffalo meat for railroad construction crews.

The first buffalo ever born in captivity was born at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo in 1884.

The Buffalo Protection Act of 1894 was one of the earliest official recognitions of an endangered species problem in the United States. By the late 1880s fewer than a thousand bison were left on the continent, two thirds of them in Canada. The law to protect the few remaining in Yellowstone National Park was the first federal legislation that focused on conserving a once-vast wildlife resource.

President Barack Obama signed into law on May 9, 2016 the National Bison Legacy Act, which designated the bison as the official mammal of the United States.

The United States Senate has passed resolutions each year since 2013 making the first Saturday of November National Bison Day. The purpose of National Bison Day is to encourage celebration of the American Bison, also commonly known as the American buffalo.  

The species is acknowledged as the first American conservation success story, having been brought back from the brink of extinction by a concerted effort of ranchers, conservationists and politicians to save the species in the early 20th century. Bison can also play an important role in improving the types of grasses found in landscapes to the benefit of grasslands and hold significant economic value for private producers and rural communities.

Bison and wisent are the largest terrestrial animals in North America and Europe.

The Yellowstone Park bison herd (approx. 5,500) is descended from a remnant population of 23 individual bison that survived a mass slaughter in the 19th century by hiding out in the Pelican Valley of Yellowstone Park.

There are about 150 bison living on Santa Catalina Island, a small rocky island off the coast of California. They’ve been there since a film crew imported 14 bison for a movie shoot in 1924, then left them behind when the shoot was complete.

Today there are approximately 500,000 -550,000 bison that live across North America.

Male bison live apart and only enter the female herds during mating season, when the males fight over access to females.

European bison herds move by majority rule: each bison “votes” by facing the direction it wants to go, and the herd goes in the direction chosen by the largest number.

Buffalo can jump over 6 feet high from a running start. These massive animals possess surprising athleticism, considering their size. Their powerful legs and strong muscles allow them to clear obstacles with relative ease.  

Buffalo milk contains 25 per cent more protein than cow's milk.

Source Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc, National Bison Association 

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires was founded by a Spanish expedition led by Pedro de Mendoza as Puerto de Santa Mariá del Buen Aire on February 2, 1536. It was abandoned after attacks by American Indians (Querandi), and refounded in 1580.

Juan de Garay and the second founding of Buenos Aires, 1580. By José Moreno Carbonero (1858-1942) 

Buenos Aires became the capital of the viceroyalty of Rió de la Plata in 1776, and federal capital of Argentina in 1880.

Tango originated in brothels in the immigrant ghetto of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century, in what is the present-day harbor of La Boca neighbourhood.

The Buenos Aires Metro, also known as the Subte, began operating on December 1, 1913. It is the first underground railway system in Latin America, the Southern Hemisphere, and the Spanish-speaking world. The initial line, Line A, ran between Plaza de Mayo and Plaza Miserere, a distance of about 2.1 miles (3.4 km). The system has since expanded to six lines and 83 stations, serving an annual ridership of over 310 million passengers.

The climate of Buenos Aires is mild all year around. The mean annual temperature is 18º C (64.4º F), making extremely hot and cold days very infrequent. Thus, tourists can enjoy walking around the city in any season.

Argentine Spanish spoken in and around Buenos Aires is distinctly different from that spoken elsewhere not only in Latin America but also other provinces of Argentina.

Aside from a heavy accent, the language is peppered with Lunfardo, a local slang.

The Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, which also includes several Buenos Aires Province districts, constitutes the third-largest conurbation in Latin America, with a population of (2019 est) 15,057.000

                                         
Buenos Aires is home to a large Jewish community, with more than 250,000 members. It is the eighth largest city in the world in terms of Jewish population. 

Avenida 9 de Julio is the widest avenue in the world at an imposing sixteen lanes. It typically takes at least two traffic light rotations to cross. It's so wide that it actually occupies an entire city block!

Ciudad Evita (Evita City) of the greater Buenos Aires area was not only named after Eva Perón, but is shaped like her head in profile.

Buenos Aires has the highest number of bookshops per capita in the world at 25 per 100,000 people, or more than 700 in total,

In Buenos Aires, soccer is like religion, and the best-known clubs are River Plate, Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing Club and San Lorenzo.

Buenos Aires is home to some of the most iconic stadiums in the world, such as La Bombonera and El Monumental, which hosted the final of the 1978 FIFA World Cup.

Buenos Aires has more psychologists per capita than any other city in the world. It is often referred to as the "psychoanalytic capital of the world" due to its large number of therapists.

Source Studyandliveinba.wordpress.com/

Budweiser

Adolphus Busch was the owner of a brewery supply store in St Louis, Missouri who became a partner in his father-in-law Eberhard Anheuser 's brewery. Busch discovered a means of pasteurising beer so that it could withstand temperature changes. This enabled his firm to distribute its beer on a nationwide basis.

In 1876 Adolphus Busch and Eberhard Anheuser’s brewery introduced a new drier-tasting, light-colored beer called Budweiser in the belief that consumers would prefer it to the more common dark brews.
It was bottled and distributed by Carl Conrad, a local restaurateur

It was called Budweiser from a Czech lager of the same name, which it was brewed in imitation of.

Anheuser-Busch was one of the first US companies to transport beer across America using railroad refrigerator cars.

Until 1986, if you worked for the Anheuser-Busch company in the US, you could drink as much beer as you liked during the work day.

For nearly 150 years, whenever a new heir was born to the Annheiser-Busch brewing family, they would be fed five drops of Budwiser before even having their mothers milk.

In 1953, August Busch Jr., also known as Gussie Busch, purchased the St. Louis Cardinals and initially wanted to rename their stadium "Budweiser Stadium." However, Major League Baseball (MLB) at the time had rules against naming stadiums after alcoholic beverages. This was a common practice back then to maintain a more family-friendly image for the sport. In response, he named it "Busch Stadium" and launched the first Busch branded beer two years later.

Rice plays a crucial role in Budweiser's flavor. It contributes to the beer's crisp taste.

Budweiser beer can also be used as a hair conditioner.

For a time, the actor George Clooney did voice overs for Budweiser TV commercials and allegedly had a beer keg installed in his dressing room during the filming of Ocean's 11.

Hall of Fame Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray was estimated to have drank 73,000 Budweisers during his lifetime.

Bud Light dropped from an average rating of 5 to -3 among women because of the tagline: "Remove 'No' From Your Vocabulary for the Night."

Budgerigar

A Budgerigar is a small, colorful bird commonly known as a budgie or common parakeet. Native to Australia, they're popular pets due to their playful personalities and ability to mimic sounds, including human speech. 

Budgies are members of the parrot family, along with the cockatoos and macaws.

An adult budgerigar weighs between 25 and 35g, equal to a small bag of crisps. They have a very high metabolism eating their body weight in the morning and again at night.

A budgie's heart beats 300-500 times a minute. The human heart beats 75 times a minute.

Some budgies can mimic up to 70 human phrases. and are said to assign names to their offspring.

Males are better at talking than females.

In the 1950s Sparkie the budgie had a repertoire of 383 sentences.

The largest recorded vocabulary for a talking bird belongs to a budgerigar named Puck. He was credited by Guinness World Records in 1995 for knowing an impressive 1,728 words.

The budgerigar species was first recorded in 1805. Naturalist John Gould brought the first budgie from Australia in 1840. Today it's the third most popular pet in the world, after dogs and cats.

Budgerigars are well adapted to their desert habitat and can survive for a month without drinking.

Budgies glow in the dark; females are attracted to males with feathers that absorb ultraviolet, thus making them glow.

“Budgerigar” is a version of the Aboriginal for ‘good bird’.

Sources Daily Mail, Radio Times

Budget

The term "budget" comes from the French word "bougette," meaning "little bag."  It originally referred to leather bags used to carry money.  In the 18th century the chancellor was said to be opening his budget when he presented his proposals.

The first recorded use of "budget" in relation to financial planning was in a 1733 pamphlet titled "The Budget Opened."

GOVERNMENT BUDGETS

Income tax was first brought into the UK by William Pitt in his budget of December 1798 as a temporary measure to finance the Napoleonic wars. It was abolished in 1802 during the Peace of Amiens but reintroduced in 1803 when hostilities recommenced.

The UK Chancellor of Exchequer, William Gladstone, because of public pressure abolished the tax on soap in 1853. Probably to make up for the substantial loss, he introduced in the same budget death duties.

Gladstone's 1853 Budget speech in the House of Commons lasted for 285 minutes (four hours 45 minutes), the longest continuous Budget speech ever.

On the other hand, the shortest UK budget speech was delivered by Benjamin Disraeli in 1867, clocking in at just 45 minutes.

In the UK, when setting off to make his speech, each Chancellor has traditionally been photographed holding up a battered budget box covered in scarlet leather; it is believed to have been made for Gladstone during his 1859–66 spell as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

David Lloyd George's People's Budget of April 29, 1909 was the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the public. It took a year to be passed.

David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill

The U.S. federal budget is massive, but it wasn’t until the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 that the U.S. government had a formal budget process. Before that, spending was less centralized, and departments would individually request funds from Congress.

The first televised Budget broadcast in the UK was made in 1953.

In 1953, the British Chancellor announced an increase in the sugar ration to allow people to bake celebratory cakes for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

Harold Macmillan’s 1956 budget speech introduced premium bonds to Britain with prizes of up to £1,000.

While alcohol is usually banned in the UK Parliament, the Chancellor of the Exchequer can drink when delivering the annual budget statement.

In 1983, the U.S. Social Security Administration accidentally issued $32.7 million in erroneous payments due to a budgetary miscalculation, making it one of the most notable budget blunders in history.

When a budget isn't approved on time in the U.S., it can lead to a government shutdown. The longest shutdown in U.S. history lasted 35 days, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, caused by a dispute over border wall funding.

The military budgets of countries can vary dramatically. For example, the United States has the largest military budget in the world, spending more on defense than the next 10 countries combined.

Countries often spend more than they earn in revenue. This is known as deficit spending, and it’s not always a bad thing. During times of economic downturn, governments may intentionally increase deficit spending to stimulate the economy, as advised by Keynesian economic theory.

CORPORATE  BUDGETS

In the 1970s, Texas Instruments popularized zero-based budgeting, where every expense must be justified for each new period, starting from a "zero base." This was a shift from the traditional method of justifying only new expenditures.

Movie budgets can be astronomical. The most expensive film ever made (adjusted for inflation) is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), with a budget of around $379 million. Conversely, some indie films have been made on a shoestring budget, like Paranormal Activity (2007), which was made for just $15,000 and grossed nearly $200 million.

PERSONAL BUDGETS

The 50/30/20 Rule is a popular personal budgeting rule of thumb popularized by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren in her book All Your Worth. It suggests that 50% of income should go to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings or debt repayment.

A survey conducted by U.S. Bank in 2022 found that only 41% of Americans follow a budget, despite the general understanding of its importance in financial health.

The rise of technology has revolutionized personal budgeting. Apps like Mint, YNAB (You Need A Budget), and others make it easier for individuals to track their spending and stick to their budgets, often using artificial intelligence to offer financial advice.

Buddhism

Buddhism originated in India in the 5th century. It derives from the teaching of the Buddha, who is regarded as one of a series of such enlightened beings.

Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan, from 1222 to 1282. On April 28, 1253, he is said to have expounded the teachings of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for the first time on the beach at Tatsunokuchi in Japan. He believed that this sutra, which is also known as the Lotus Sutra, contained the essence of all the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, and he made it the foundation of his own teachings.

Nichiren's teachings emphasized the idea that all people, regardless of their social status, could attain enlightenment by chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, which means "I take refuge in the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law." He believed that by chanting this phrase, people could tap into the inherent Buddha-nature that he believed existed within all beings.

Nichiren's teachings became known as Nichiren Buddhism, and it has since spread throughout Japan and around the world. His teachings have had a significant impact on Japanese culture and have inspired many people to seek enlightenment through chanting and other practices associated with the Nichiren school of Buddhism.

Nichiren

In 1954, archaeologists excavating an 8th century Viking settlement in Sweden found a Buddha statuette from North India.

In November 2013, an international team of archaeologists digging under the Maya Devi Temple at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lumbini, Nepal discovered remains of an ancient tree shrine dated before 550 BC. It is possibly the earliest evidence of Buddhist structures ever found .The discovery was made at a site traditionally thought to be the birthplace of the Buddha, under a series of brick temples below the current temple.

Most Buddhists do not actually believe in God. Although they respect and look up to the Buddha, they do not believe he was a god but they worship him as a form of respect.

Buddha's sermon at Benares to five fellow ascetics in a park, "turning of the Wheel of the Law," is held in similar reverence by Buddhists as the Sermon on the Mount is by Christians.

From its earliest history the choral chanting of sacred texts has been an essential part of Buddhist liturgy. Chants are learnt by repetition, though obscure notations exist in Japan, Tibet, and Korea. The two basic forms are sutra, a simple syllabic recitative, and gatha, using more elaborate melodies.

The main Buddhist instruments--the ghanta (handbells), sankha (conch trumpet), vina (arched harp or lute), tala (cymbals), and various types of drums, bells, and gongs.

The founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma, is said to have gained enlightenment by facing a wall for nine years and not speaking.

Buddhists use tea during periods of meditation as they claim it contributes to a worshiper's sense of serenity.

In Japan initially tea was drunk primarily by Zen Buddhist monks, but by the 13th century it had become a popular beverage amongst the general population.

In medieval Japan, archery became closely linked with the metaphysical system of Zen Buddhism. It became part of the education of the noble Samurai and was practised not for such purposes as the hunt or war, or purely aesthetic enjoyment, but to discipline the mind. Archery was considered a lesson in effortless self-control, perfect equanimity, and the attainment of utter detachment.

Before the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1952, 25 percent of the males in the country were Buddhist monks.

Alexandra David-Néel was an explorer who snuck into Tibet in the 1920s to learn about Buddhism when it was closed to outsiders. She lived until 101 and her writings influenced Jack Kerouac amongst others.

Actress Uma Thurman's father was the first Westerner to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk.

The actor Richard Gere is the best-known celebrity Buddhist, having developed an interest in his 20s. In 2001, Gere made an appearance (in animated form) in an episode of The Simpsons, in which he helps to convert Lisa Simpson. The character remains a follower of Buddhist teachings. 

Tibetan Monks spend months carefully "pouring" colored sand to make a very detailed and complex museum-worthy artwork that is known as the "Sand Mandala". Mandalas are cosmic maps charting the succession of initiations from the historical Buddha 2600 years ago to present day, Once complete, these intricate paintings are then ritualistically destroyed and that symbolizes the Buddhist belief of impermanence.

Using water for foot and head washing in Burma is known as rude and against Buddhism.

Source The Oxford Interactive Encyclopedia