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ALL ABOUT THE GONDOLA
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The Venetian gondola, at one time the traditional mode of transportation
through the coastal marshes of the Adriatic Sea, has become exclusively
associated with the watery streets of Venice. The boats are one of
Italy's most famous tourist attractions. The tradition of the gondola
is at least one thousand years old, dating back to a time when over
10,000 of the boats filled the canals of Venice. Today that number
has been
reduced to 500. The shape of the gondola fits the requirements for
a shallow water passage and tight turns. The peculiar curvature of
the submerged part of the hull makes it float high. In fact, to row
the gondola with passengers the gondolier uses the same effort as
it takes with no load, an extraordinary achievement for a boat 35
feet long, weighing over a thousand pounds. The gondola is also famous
for its design which contains a type of gearshift called a forcola,
which enables the gondolier to manipulate the boat through the narrow
passages of Venice's intricate canals. In fact, the forcola is so
famous and considered so beautifully crafted that it is also sold
as abstract sculpture. |
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ALL
MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL
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The words in the Declaration of Independence, "All men are created
equal" were suggested to Thomas Jefferson by Filippo Mazzei,
a Tuscan physician, business man, pamphleteer, and Jefferson's friend
and neighbor. Mazzei's original words were "All men are by nature
equally free and independent." |
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