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SMALL WONDERS
A
Personal Journey to the Wonders of the World Amazon US ChangingHands.com BarnesNoble.com
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also order this book through your local book store with ISBN number. Join the world traveler author on a personal journey to the Seven Natural Wonders of the world and to the Seven Man-made Wonders NATURAL WONDERS Amazonia. Angel Falls
Ayers Rock Blue Grotto Grand Canyon and More MAN-MADE WONDERS Crazy Horse Empire State Building
Golden Gate Bridge Throughout my life I have been intrigued by the Wonders of the World. Commonly there are seven listed wonders each in the categories of ancient, man-made, and natural. Of the seven ancient wonders only the Great Pyramid in Egypt still remains. After graduating from veterinary school I was fortunate enough to visit many of the world's wonders. And I realized how small and universal the world really is. I also learned that basically most people are good and want the same thing to be happy, healthy, and to be treated decently and fairly. Another important lesson I gained was how to recognize and appreciate intelligence and greatness. These qualities are found in people that are willing to journey outside the ordinary to visualize the wonders within themselves and the world. In other word, people of vision. These people can be discovered anywhere from lowly dirt floor huts to majestic granite walled cathedrals, universities, and courtrooms. They may be seen cradling a baby, crafting an art piece, playing a song, planting a flower, or holding an animal. Albert Einstein wrote, "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
Pyramids: Mycerinus, Chephron, and Cheops. Click photo for larger image. Interestingly enough, no official list exists for the man made and natural wonders. However, some are mentioned more frequently than others. After graduating from veterinary school I was fortunate enough to visit many of the world's wonders. And I realized how small and universal the world really is. I also learned that basically most people are good and want the same thing to be happy, healthy, and to be treated decently and fairly. Another important lesson I gained was how to recognize and appreciate intelligence and greatness. These qualities are found in people that are willing to journey outside the ordinary to visualize the wonders within themselves and the world. In other word, people of vision. They possess widened horizons rather than narrowed tunnel vision. They are willing to thoroughly listen to and analyze all viewpoints. And they are the people that don't give all the answers but rather provide educated guidance. And most importantly, they are willing to ask for and utilize others input. These genius people can be discovered anywhere from lowly dirt floor huts to majestic granite walled cathedrals, universities, and courtrooms. They may be seen cradling a baby, crafting an art piece, playing a song, planting a flower, or holding an animal. We may witness intellectual greatness in people performing on the athletic field, musical stage, or classroom. Genius can be felt in the oiled hands of a mechanic, the sterile gloves of a surgeon, the calloused touch of a carpenter, to the gentle softness of a mother. Albert Einstein wrote, "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious." My father, who traveled the world in the Air Force during World War II, called a rose "one of lifes greatest mysteries ... the approach you take with it determines if it is beautiful, fragrant, and lovely - or ugly and thorny." The same analogy can be applied to several things. In other words wonders can be found in many places, shapes, and sizes. Sometimes it's the smallest and simplest that are the greatest. No matter the specific lists for the greatness of the world's wonders, the human achievements, failures, and heartaches intertwined, they are all wondrous. So please, open your heart and mind, and join me on this magical journey to the Wonders of the World. Alan Cunningham
Click photo for full image. Presently Dr. Cunningham is one of twenty worldwide veterinarians selected to participate in the flexible Medical Curriculum for Professionals Program, leading to a Doctor of Medicine Degree at the University of Health Sciences Antigua. This unique program recognizes the significant bond between human and veterinary medicine and emphasizes training doctors toward strengthening that relationship. He is also the recipient of the Wilfred O. Foundation Scholarship. In return, after graduating from medical school, he will be providing medical and veterinary services to rural and medically under-served areas of the world. Dr. Cunningham is a strong supporter of people-pet rehabilitation. Furthermore he campaigns for a national monument to be erected for animals that have served our country as valiant wartime soldiers. In addition to attending medical school, Dr. Cunningham currently works as a licensed veterinarian at a nighttime emergency clinic, and also as a registered respiratory therapist for Intermountain Health Care. He is a lifelong resident of American Fork, Utah.
These were considered the wonders of Alexander the Great's known world. Historians of Ancient Greece and Rome knew nothing of India, the Orient, and the remainder of the world and its wonders. Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Cheops Click photo for larger image. The wonders were fixed at seven because to the ancients seven was considered sacred seven virtues and seven sins seven known planets in the solar system. Philons list consisted of two statues, two tombs, a lighthouse, two statues, a roof-top garden, and a temple. More specifically, the seven ancient wonders in order of when they were built include: 1. Great Pyramid of Giza on the West Bank of the Nile River near Cairo, Egypt. 2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon near present day Baghdad, Iraq. 3. Statue of Zeus at Olympia near Athens, Greece. 4. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Turkey. 5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in Southwestern Turkey. 6. Colossus of Rhodes, a Greek Island off southwest coast of Turkey in the Aezean Sea. 7. The Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria in Northern Egypt. Of the seven ancient wonders only the Great Pyramid of Egypt, which is also the oldest wonder, still remains. The others were desecrated by humans or destroyed by nature. The Great Pyramid The Great Pyramid of Giza, or pyramid of Cheops, near Cairo, Egypt, was built about 2560 B.C. It is considered the most famous structure in the world. At the site, next to each other, are the pyramids Cheops (Khufu), Chephren (Khafre), and Mycerinus (Menkaure). These three are known as the father, son, and grandson. Cheops is also called Pharoah's Mountain. It is the oldest, largest, and most recognized of the three pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Cheops was constructed with over two million limestone blocks, each block weighing an average of two and one-half tons. The walls of each side of the pyramid are precisely aligned so that they coincide perfectly with the four points of the compass. The base covers thirteen acres. The height is some forty-two stories tall. Nearly one-hundred thousand laborers, most likely peasants, were involved in building the pyramid. Twenty thousand to thirty thousand workers were used at any one time. The project required thirty years to complete. Work was performed mostly during the summer months when the annual floods of the Nile prevented working in the fields. After the capstone was placed, masons dressed the exterior of the pyramid with layers of fine white polished limestone that sparkled like glass. Of the three pyramids only the middle pyramid of Khafre still has an exterior covering on the outer casing near its pinnacle. Egyptian pyramids were the elaborate superstructures for royal tombs. Their massiveness was not only designed to protect the kings body, but also to assist the king in his ascension to the afterlife. The great pharaohs or kings were thought to become gods after their death. The deceased kings possessed powers to influence the destiny of the living. The structures were built to preserve the spirit of the pharaoh. The spiritual double of the deceased must be provided with accouterments of the living such as furniture, food, and stately objects. Unfortunately these treasures have long been removed by robbers and museum curators. Today many of the splendid objects can only be seen at great museums in Cairo, Europe, and America. The pyramids contain inner chambers beneath the structure as well as within the body of the pyramid. The King's Chamber, within the pyramid, is entirely lined with granite. A granite sarcophagus, housing the king's body, is also in the chamber. A grand gallery leads to the King's Chamber which is connected by narrow corridors and complex passages to the outside of the tomb. Tourists can pay a small fee to ride a camel a short distance across the edge of the barren Great barren Sahara desert from the Sphinx to the pyramids. The camel ride is surprisingly comfortable. Along the way visitors are greeted by countless craftsmen bartering and selling trinkets and wares such as brass and copper plates, alabaster vases, and papyrus. Upon reaching the structures most commonly Khafre's pyramid which is next to the Great Pyramid, one can climb through the narrow, dark, steep corridors into the King's Chamber. Once inside, the visitor can only imagine the pageantry of priceless possessions that must have adorned the now stark, barren, and stale room. For me, the highlight of the experience was entering the ancient dark bowels of the pyramid itself and wondering what it must have been like over four thousand years ago. And marveling at the ingenuity involved in creating such a massive structure. References 1. Wonders Sacred and Mysterious. Great Wonders of the World Videos. 1993. Reader's Digest Home Entertainment Division, Pleasantville, New York. 2. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 1990. Questar Video Inc., Chicago, Illinois. 3. The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World. 1999. Thames and Hudson, New York, New York. |
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