Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Where is my Nobel Prize?!

On his second day in London, Lippe went to work with @jazzydacat's human sister Miss Trea. And "dat Trea", to say it with Jazzy, works at University College London (UCL). Pretty much fun, fun, fun for professor Lippe!!!


But you all know it - Lippe can't start his day, without his breakfast!!! As he is a good looking chap, it is not necessary for him to spend much time in front of the mirror, he rather has his toast, egg and English breakfast tea.


Then, Miss Trea took him to the bus stop, where they had to wait for the bus, to take them to Bloomsbury.


Lippe got his own London Oyster card from Miss Trea and he looks very proud of it!!!


They soon arrived at UCL and Lippe was really impressed!!! University College London was founded in 1826 and has the highest number of professors of any university in the United Kingdom. They have 648 established and personal chairs and I guess, Lippe got chair number 649!!! But at UCL, they also have the highest number of female professors, and hearing this was music to Lippe's ears!!! But wait - ears?! Okay, let's say, they are hidden inside his head!!!


However, UCL was the first university in England to admit students of any race, class or religion and it was also the first to welcome women on equal terms with men. And look, Lippe got picked up, right after entering the hall...


Nowadays, UCL is ranked fourth in the world's top ten universities and Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 21 former academics and graduates. In October 2009, Professor Charles Kao was awarded a Nobel Prize for Physics. There are students from more than 140 countries outside the UK studying at UCL.


At the South Cloisters, Lippe met Jeremy Bentham, who is considered the godfather of UCL. Mr. Bentham lived from 1748-1832 and was a philosopher, jurist and legal and social reformer. He faught for the separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights for women and animal rights!!!


Today, Mr. Bentham lives in his wooden cabinet called the Auto-icon!!! And believe me, it's really him!!! As requested in his will, his body was dissected as part of a public anatomy lecture. Scary!!! Afterward, the skeleton and head were preserved and stored in the Auto-icon. Mr. Bentham's skeleton was stuffed out with hay and dressed in his clothes. Scary!!! But now, it's getting REALLY scary - for the 100th and 150th anniversaries of UCL, Mr. Bentham's Auto-icon was brought to the meeting of the College Council, where it was listed as "present but not voting"!!! I guess, that's fine English humour!!! By the way, the Auto-icon has a wax head, as the original head was badly damaged in the preservation process. But it has been displayed for many years, together with the Auto-icon. And yes, it's getting scary one more time - it has been stolen during student pranks on more than one occasion!!!


Lippe also had a look at the Koptos lions, two monumental limestone lions from Early Dynastic Period. They have been repaired from many fragments and reconstructed by gap filling. What a relief to see, he's unable, to break them into thousands of tiny pieces again!!!


Then they went to Miss Trea's working place. She is secretary to the Undergraduate Teaching Committee and prepares all the Agenda, documentation and Minutes for circulation to all staff connected with undergraduate teaching. That must be a tough job, but Lippe came to offer her a helping hand...


...I said, Lippe came to offer her a helping hand and not to steal her rice crackers!!! Oh boy!!!


But Lippe found a job as printer boy - that means, he kept playing with the printer...


After playing and probably breaking the printer, Lippe had to check my bloggy, to make sure he's satisfied with the way I'm writing about him and his journey!!! He did not send me a letterbomb home, so, I guess, I'm doing okay...


I'm glad, Miss Trea found some time for working, while Lippe was fooling around, as she is also responsible for the production of Undergraduate Departmental Student Handbooks, which cover general information, course outlines, provisional syllabuses, aims and objectives.


And Miss Trea is editor of UCL Science, a glossy magazine which has a circulation of 13,000!!! Now, guess what - they mailed me issue 23 of UCL Science and I found a very interesting question inside!!! "Do you get sunburn from starlight?" What do you think??? I've learned, the risk of getting sunburned from starlight is even smaller than the threat of being killed by lightning. But it's a good headline for a scare story, isn't it?!


Miss Trea and Lippe made a break and she took him to the Slade School of Fine Art's, which is one of the UCL's most outstanding departments. And let me tell you something - mom's friend has a sister, who went to the Slade School of Fine Arts too!!! It's a small world!!!


UCL has many famous former students!!! They range from Mahatma Gandhi to all members of Coldplay and now, Lippe is standing in a row with them!!!

After a long hard working day, Lippe urgently needed to find a loo...


...and he was wondering, if any student at UCL is being stalked by that lady with the phone!!!


Thank you for this great day Lippe spent with you at UCL, Miss Trea!!! I hope, he learned a lot and he can take over his chair, when he finished his world trip!!!

9 comments:

  1. Dat was brilliant post Mookie! Wow it dus look like it all da business at UCL. Miss Trea work hard there init?

    I fink I wud like to go visit there one day and av some lunches wiv her. I's glad Lippe didn't send your a letterbomb!

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  2. I still can't get over Mr. Bentham...

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  3. Wow! You have done a fantastic job, Mookie! Very impressive! That amount of knowledge of UCL usually only comes after being there for years!! I loved it and Trea was very proud of you too!!

    Love you lots,
    Jazzy XXXX

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  4. My mom saw a tv show that had a segment on Bentham. He was-- well-- special is a good word for it!

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  5. Wow Lippe has found his way to another university he is quite an academic! My person used to work for UCL Hospitals opposite to Trea's workplace shame we didn't know her then.

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  6. Wow, Lippe is rilly livin the highlife isn't he? He been more places in England than I ave and I lives ere!

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  7. I'm really enjoying this Mookie. Such a great idea!! :) Kudos to u and Lippe! He's more than welcome to visit here one day. xoxo

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  8. The bunnies and me love that egg cosy!

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  9. Very cool! Lippe is sure getting to do all sorts of cool stuff, isn't he?!

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