In what U.S. state did Huckleberry Finn live?

SparkNotes: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Chapters 4–6 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain Chapters 4–6, page 2 page 1 of 2 Summary: Chapter 4 Over the next few months, Huck begins to adjust to his new life and even makes some progress in school. One winter morning, he notices boot tracks in the snow near the house. Within one heel print is the shape of two nails crossed to ward off the devil. Huck immediately recognizes this mark and runs to Judge Thatcher. Huck sells his fortune (the money he and Tom recovered in Tom Sawyer, which the Judge has been managing for him) to the befuddled Judge for a dollar. That night, Huck goes to Jim, who claims to possess a giant, magical hairball from an ox’s stomach. Huck tells Jim that he has found Pap’s tracks in the snow and wants to know what his father wants. Jim says that the hairball needs money to talk, so Huck gives Jim a counterfeit quarter. Jim puts his ear to the hairball and relates that Huck’s father has two angels, one black and one white, one bad and one good. It is uncertain which angel will win out, but Huck is safe for now. He will have much happiness and sorrow in his life, he will marry a poor woman and then a rich woman, and he should stay clear of the water, since that is where he will die. That night, Huck finds Pap waiting for him in his bedroom. Summary: Chapter 5 Pap is a frightening sight. The nearly fifty-year-old man’s skin is a ghastly, disgusting white. Noticing Huck’s “starchy” clothes, Pap wonders out loud if Huck thinks himself better than his father and promises to take Huck “down a peg.” Pap promises to teach Widow Douglas not to “meddle” and is outraged that Huck has become the first person in his family to learn to read. Pap asks if Huck is really as rich as he has heard and calls his son a liar when Huck replies that he has no more money. Pap then takes the dollar that Huck got from Judge Thatcher and leaves to buy whiskey. The next day, Pap shows up drunk and demands Huck’s money from Judge Thatcher. The Judge and Widow Douglas try to get custody of Huck but give up after the new judge in town refuses to separate a father and son. Pap eventually lands in jail after a drunken spree. The new judge takes Pap into his home and tries to reform him, but the judge and his wife prove to be very weepy and moralizing. Pap tearfully repents his ways but soon gets drunk again, and the new judge decides that the only way to reform Pap is with a shotgun. Summary: Chapter 6 Pap sues Judge Thatcher for Huck’s fortune and continues to threaten Huck about attending school. Huck continues to attend, partly to spite his father. Pap goes on one drunken binge after another. One day, he kidnaps Huck, takes him deep into the woods to a secluded cabin on the Illinois shore, and locks Huck inside all day while he rambles outside. Eventually, Huck finds an old saw, makes a hole in the wall, and resolves to escape from both Pap and the Widow Douglas, but Pap returns as Huck is about to break free. Pap complains that Judge Thatcher has delayed the trial to prevent him from getting Huck’s wealth. He has heard that his chances of getting the money are good but that he will probably lose the fight for custody of Huck. Pap continues to rant about a mixed-race man in town; Pap is disgusted that the man is allowed to vote in his home state of Ohio, and that legally he cannot be sold into slavery until he has been in Missouri six months. Later, Pap wakes from a drunken sleep and chases after Huck with a knife, calling him the “Angel of Death” but stopping when he passes out. Huck holds a rifle pointed at his sleeping father and waits. 1


"What television character said ""How YOU doin""?"

Urban Dictionary: How YOU doin'? How YOU doin'? Pick up line originated from the character "Joey" on the famous NYC based TV show "Friends" "Hey, how YOU doin'......" Create a mug The Urban Dictionary Mug One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids. Buy the t-shirt The Urban Dictionary T-Shirt Smooth, soft, slim fit American Apparel shirt. Custom printed. 100% fine jersey cotton, except for heather grey (90% cotton). Pick-up line that never fails unless it's truely responded to. Guy #1 "How YOU doin'?" Girl #1 "tehe!" Guy #2 "How YOU doin'?" Girl #2 "I'm alright." Guy #2 "What?..... Dear GOD!!" by ellipsisO December 10, 2003 Create a mug The Urban Dictionary Mug One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids. Buy the t-shirt The Urban Dictionary T-Shirt Smooth, soft, slim fit American Apparel shirt. Custom printed. 100% fine jersey cotton, except for heather grey (90% cotton). A quite funny pick-up line often used by joey from friends when he sees a women he likes. A hot women walks past Joey Joey: *sees a women he likes* walks up to her 'How you doin?" Create a mug The Urban Dictionary Mug One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids. Buy the t-shirt The Urban Dictionary T-Shirt Smooth, soft, slim fit American Apparel shirt. Custom printed. 100% fine jersey cotton, except for heather grey (90% cotton). A popular phrase coined by radio DJ and tv personality, Wendy Williams. How You Doin?! is not only a greeting of the show, but when something or someone is very gay. Jordan *Very feminine and flamboyant*: Hey miss honey, what's goin on sweetness?! Kalisha: How you doin?!?! Create a mug The Urban Dictionary Mug One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids. Buy the t-shirt The Urban Dictionary T-Shirt Smooth, soft, slim fit American Apparel shirt. Custom printed. 100% fine jersey cotton, except for heather grey (90% cotton). How YOU doin'? is a classic punchline to a mysterious, unknown joke. Said by George Costanza on the Classic 2010's sitcom "Cheers" "... How YOU Doin'?"(George Costanza, How I Met Your Mother." See Suit up! by Cjwhogue August 17, 2016 Create a mug The Urban Dictionary Mug One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids. Buy the t-shirt The Urban Dictionary T-Shirt Smooth, soft, slim fit American Apparel shirt. Custom printed. 100% fine jersey cotton, except for heather grey (90% cotton). (exp.) 1. A phrase, originating in New York , used as a combination greeting, response to itself, question of welfare , response to FOGEDDABODDIT! , and response to YOU TALKIN' TA ME? . "'ey. How YOU doin'?" "How YOU doin'?" "FOGEDDABODDIT!" by Razukin December 01, 2002 Create a mug The Urban Dictionary Mug One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids. Buy the t-shirt The Urban Dictionary T-Shirt Smooth, soft, slim fit American Apparel shirt. Custom printed. 100% fine jersey cotton, except for heather grey (90% cotton). how you doin' an extremely annoying way that desperate guys, thinking they are cool, will greet a pretty girl on the streets. (usually accompanied by the old up and down and a head nod to his boiz) After this comment is issued, said individual will stare blatently at the girls butt/boobs. Super Fiine Girl: (looks at the guy and looks away fast) Creeper: Hey shawty, how you doin'? (eyes on boobs) Super Fiine Girl: Go fuck yourself.


In which country would you find a billabong?

Billabong Swimwear & Clothing for Men & Women | Tillys Find out more about Billabong With Billabong Swimwear, You’re Going Somewhere Surf’s Up at Tillys! Check out our full selection of Billabong swimwear and clothing for men and women. Back in the 70s, Billabong founder, Gordon Merchant, started the company by creating boardshorts out of his home and sold them to local shops in Australia. Today, Billabong is a multinational company that owns some of your other favorite brands like Element and Von Zipper. Start your climb to the top in Billabong apparel! Looking for Billabong surf styles for him? Check out our boardshorts that will make any guy want to hang 10. Searching for women’s clothing? Don’t miss these super sexy Billabong bikinis that will make you want to grab your board and hit the waves! Plus we have everything you need to store your swag with Billabong backpacks , bags and accessories for men, women and kids.


What holy river flows through Varanasi, India?

Travel Icon: Varanasi, India | Audley Travel Travel Icon: Varanasi, India India's most spiritual river flows through its oldest city. Audley expert Tom Draper takes to the water. The ghats, varanasi Varanasi is not only one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world – and the oldest in India – it is also the holiest city for Hinduism and Jainism. For over 2,500 years the city has attracted a large number of pilgrims and worshippers and it continues to do so today. Hindus believe that to die in Varanasi on the banks of the holy Ganges River ensures they will achieve ‘Moksha’, or liberation from the cycle of life and death. A visit to the ghats of Varanasi can provide a true insight into India’s spirituality and the extremes of Indian culture. For many visitors it is an unforgettable experience that leaves a very humble impression. Did you know? Varanasi is named after the confluence of two rivers, Varuna and Asi. Legends say that the city was founded some 5,000 years ago by Lord Shiva. It is estimated that more than one million pilgrims visit the city every year. Dawn is a great time of day to see the city; you can travel in a small rowing boat along the river and watch as the city slowly wakes up and the ghats start to fill with worshippers taking an early morning bath. Evenings are lively too when the ghats fill for the Ganga Aarti, a ceremony where priests line up holding large fire bowls in their hands. The air fills with the smell of incense while the sounds of gongs and chants ring out. Small candles and flowers are offered to the river as a symbol of hope and to give thanks to the Ganges for being a source of life and prosperity. You can take a guided walk through Varanasi in the early evening where your guide will talk you through the concepts of death and rebirth. There are also many temples in Varanasi and wonderful narrow alleyways to explore that hide an interesting mix of shops and industries such as silk weaving. Evening prayer ceremony, The Ganges, Varanasi Itinerary ideas that incorporate the city of Varanasi India


Besides chocolate, what is the main flavor of Nutella?

Nutella taste test: How do other hazelnut chocolate spreads compare? | Fox News Nutella taste test: How do other hazelnut chocolate spreads compare? By Grace E. Cutler Facebook 0 Twitter 0 livefyre Email Print There’s nothing better than spreading Nutella on a piece of toast, painting it on a strawberry, or just eating it right off the spoon.  Or is there? Hershey’s, with its newly released chocolate hazelnut spread, wants to take a bite of Nutella maker Ferrero’s vice-like grip on the chocolate spread market. No wonder.  Nutella holds about a 70 percent market share of chocolate spreads in the U.S., and demand for the sweet stuff is only growing. According to Euromonitor, chocolate spreads, (the biggest sub-sector of the $3.4 billion industry), grew by 13 percent in 2012 and is expected to grow. Hershey’s may be the newest competition for Nutella, but it’s hardly its only. There are a variety of chocolate spreads on grocery store shelves, so what makes Nutella so great? We wanted to take a closer look at the other brands that rival Nutella -- for taste and for the money. FoxNews.com gathered a group of taste-testers, who are also moms, and sampled the Nutella along with four alternatives — including Hershey’s newly-released chocolate spread. In a blind taste test, we took notes on taste and texture, and then later talked about price and if our kids would eat it.   So without further ado, here’s how they ranked.   1. Hershey’s Hershey's Hershey’s offers three flavors in its 13 oz. jars: Chocolate almond, chocolate with hazelnut and plain chocolate.  We just tried the chocolate with hazelnut.  The consensus is that this just didn’t compare with the creaminess of Nutella, and the heavy cococa taste was a turn off. “It almost tasted like cocoa powder,” commented one taster.  For $3.79, the price is right if you or the kids want to try something different, but you’ll be heading back to Nutella in no time. 2. Jif Jif Jif  offers two hazelnut spreads — Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino. We tried the Mocha Cappuccino.  Immediately the tasters picked up on the coffee taste, which wasn’t all that bad, but the oily texture and sugary sweetness screamed fake to us.  There was no denying this was not Nutella. And a look at the ingredients, it’s no wonder they call it a hazelnut “flavored” spread: hazelnuts were listed on the label after sugar and vegetable oils. At $3.64 it was a little cheaper than Nutella (at $3.99), but bottom line, choosy mothers won’t chose this Jif. 3. Justin’s Justin's A few years ago, Justin’s was started as a nut butter company in Boulder, Colo. with the aim to offer healthier spreads.  Now you can find the brand at Wal-Mart, and most other supermarkets.  We tried the Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, marketed as vegan, all natural with 50 percent less sugar than the leading brand.  Made with a mix of dry roasted hazelnuts and almonds, the nutty taste hits you right off the bat and the consistency is almost like that of peanut butter. Hands down this was the group’s favorite—even compared with Nutella. At a pricey $13.92 for a 16 oz. jar, you better make sure you or the kids will eat it –but our guess is that they will. 4. Rawmio Rawmio Rawmio sells organic, raw, stone-ground hazelnut products mainly online and in health food stores. We tried two flavors: hazelnut crunch and plain hazel nut. These were  “health food” options of the bunch.  The taste is nothing like the smooth, sweetness of Nutella, but they had a raw chocolaty taste—more like chewing on the cocoa bean itself.  Out of the two, the hazelnut crunch was slightly more preferable.  Maybe it was because of the raw coconut in it.  One mom said it tasted burnt.  “There’s no way I am going to sell my kids on this,” commented another mom. At $12.99 for a 6 oz. jar, it was the most expensive of the group, and probably hardest to stomach. Advertisement


What type of animal killed the Crocodile Hunter?

'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin stabbed hundreds of times by stingray, cameraman reveals - Telegraph 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin stabbed hundreds of times by stingray, cameraman reveals Colleague says Australian 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin's final words were  'I'm dying' after being attacked Australian 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin  Photo: Getty Images By AFP 12:30PM GMT 10 Mar 2014 The cameraman who witnessed the death of the Australian "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin on Monday revealed that a stingray stabbed at him "hundreds of times" and his final words were "I'm dying". The television personality and conservationist, who became world-famous for his daring stunts with dangerous animals, died aged 44 in 2006 while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland. Justin Lyons was the cameraman at the time and shot video of the death, which was later handed to Irwin's widow Terri and has never been aired. In his first public comments, Mr Lyons told Australia's Channel Ten he and Irwin had left their main boat in an inflatable to find something to film when they came across a "massive" eight-foot wide stingray in chest-high water. The final shot was to be the stingray swimming away from Irwin. Instead, it struck out, apparently believing Irwin's shadow was a tiger shark, one of its predators. Related Articles Steve Irwin's son feeds first crocodile 03 Oct 2012 "I had the camera on, I thought this is going to be a great shot, and all of sudden it propped on its front and started stabbing wildly, hundreds of strikes in a few seconds," Mr Lyons said. A stingray leaps out of the water as it is hunted by a killer whale (AP) "I panned with the camera as the stingray swam away and I didn't know it had caused any damage. It was only when I panned the camera back that I saw Steve standing in a huge pool of blood that I realised something had gone wrong." He said reports that a barb had stuck in Irwin's chest and he pulled it out were wrong. "It's a jagged barb and it went through his chest like a hot knife through butter," he said. "He had a two-inch-wide injury over his heart with blood and fluid coming out of it and we had to get him back to the boat as fast as we can," Mr Lyons added. "I was saying to him things like 'think of your kids Steve, hang on, hang on, hang on', and he calmly looked up at me and said 'I'm dying' and that was the last thing he said." Stingrays have several sharp and venomous barbs on their tails that they use to defend themselves when they feel threatened, though experts at the time stressed that stingrays were not usually vicious and rarely attacked and killed humans. Known for his "Crikey!" catchphrase, Irwin has had a wildlife reserve, a road, a turtle, a snail and an anti-whaling ship named after him since his death.


99 potential problems for Jay Z - tribunedigital-chicagotribune 99 potential problems for Jay Z Maybe Jay Z isn't exaggerating when he says he has 99 problems January 09, 2014|Christopher Borrelli Jay Z, performing at Soldier Field. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) Is Jay Z like you and me? Does he misplace the keys to his hovercraft? Lock himself out of his private island? Have trouble deciding what to watch now that "Breaking Bad" is over? Need a month before he stops writing "2013" on his checks? Jay Z, who appears Thursday in concert at the United Center, is respected as a businessman and acclaimed as an artist; his wife, Beyonce — as ambitious, well-regarded and savvy as her spouse — is arguably his professional equal. Together, Jayonce are a powerful, handsome portrait of contentment. Forbes named them the richest celebrity couple in America, pegging their combined earnings from June 2012 to June 2013 at $95 million; a recent Bloomberg Businessweek piece estimated Jay Z's net worth alone at $475 million. How many problems can this guy have? According to his now 10-year-old signature song, Jay Z has precisely "99 Problems." And in fact, in the almost six months since Jay Z appeared with Justin Timberlake at Soldier Field, the rapper has seen actual (if relative) hardship: In September, his annual Philadelphia music festival was lambasted on CBC radio for excessive security by Queens of the Stone Age singer Josh Homme ("People never say anything bad about Jay Z, do they?"); a month later, Jay Z's fashion collaboration with Barneys New York became mired in criticism after the luxury retailer was accused of racial profiling by two African-American shoppers; then, in November, ESPN.com broke the news that Jay Z and his new Roc Nation Sports agency were being investigated after the rapper gave former New York Yankees player Robinson Cano a $33,900 designer watch (possibly violating Major League Baseball Players Association rules about pricey gifts between agents and players). Of course, Homme and Jay Z have since rectified their spat; Jay Z's Barneys collection was said to have brought in more than $1 million for Jay Z's Shawn Carter Foundation scholarship fund; and though the watch situation remains unclear, the rapper has shown a willingness to play by sports agency rules, divesting himself of his stake in the Brooklyn Nets basketball team and its home court, the Barclays Center (receiving a reported $1.5 million for his investment). So, 99 problems, eh? Could it be that Hova doth protest too much? At 44, and stuck with a certain canon of songs, has Jay Z become the 21st century Mick Jagger, who, at 70, is still singing about the absence of satisfaction in his life? Or maybe … Jay Z actually has 99 problems. With this in mind, I spoke with music critics, record store owners, culture watchers, random passers-by — and mined data from the artist's life and lyrics since "99 Problems" came out — to come up with a playfully speculative, occasionally serious compendium of 99 potential aches and pains. The following is presented in no particular order, because, well, it's a hard knock life: 1. His $33,000 watch gift to Robinson Cano "presents a problem." (USA Today) 2. (I have) so many watches/ I need eight arms. (Jay Z, "Who Gon Stop Me," 2011) 3. Fame is blinding my eyes. (Jay Z, "Hollywood," 2006) 4. "Finding a secluded vacation spot." (Derrick Brown, director of urban programming, Clear Channel Chicago) 5. "Realizing his wife makes better music and sells more records than he does." (Bob Gendron, music critic) 6. Spent all my Euros/ On tuxes and weird clothes. (Jay Z, "Tom Ford," 2013) 7. My nails get dirty. (Jay Z, "Part II," 2013) 8. Earth is boring … (Jay Z, "Lift Off," 2011) 9. Was accused of turning his back "on social responsibility" by Harry Belafonte. (The Hollywood Reporter, 2012) 10. "Proving to Harry Belafonte that he's down for the black community." (J.R. Bang, hip-hop radio personality based in Chicago) 11. "Which car seat to use in his Bentley." (Bang) 12. "Making sure (rapper) Memphis Bleek is available to


Glossary of Scottish Words Bibliography Glossary of Scottish Words A Glossary of Scottish words and terms used on this website. The words include definitions and explanations. These Scottish words are listed here to assist you in your wedding planning. On other pages, when Scottish or Gaelic words are used, with no clarification, the word will link to this page for easy reference. Often unfamiliar words can be confusing, hopefully this glossary will help you clarify such words. And just think, when you complete your Scottish wedding plans, you will have added a number of Scottish words to your vocabulary. You can readily return to where you encountered the unfamiliar word by closing this Scottish Words page. Agley ~ awry. If a plan goes agley, it doesn't go according to plan. Arasaid ~ ladies’ tartan wrap, secured with an Arasaid belt. Argie-Bargie ~ a dispute or quarrel. To argie means to argue. Armseye ~ originally spelled armscye, the armhole opening in a garment. Arrhae ~ 13 silver coins given to the minister or priest by the groom as part of the wedding ceremony. In any situation something given to bind a bargain between parties. Àrsaidh ~ old, ancient. B ~ Scottish words Bailie ~ justice of the peace. Barmekin, barmkin, or barnekin ~ a Medieval defensive enclosure found around smaller castles, tower houses, pele towers, and bastle houses in Scotland. As well as the residence, outbuildings were also included, plus a place to protect livestock during cattle raids. From the Roman barbican, meaning an outer fortification of a city or castle. Kirkhope and Smailholm are castles on the Scotttish borders that had a barmekin. Bawbee ~ sixpence old Scots or half-penny  sterling, named after mint-master   Alexander Orrock, Laird of Sillebawbe.  Also see Sia sgilligean. Ben ~mountain, also inside or within, as ‘come ben the hoose’. Beukin’ ~ asking for her hand. Biggin ~ building. Birl ~ spin or whirl around as in Scottish country dancing. Bock Yuan Fannee ~ Manx Gaelic for "John the Flayer's Pony", on foot, shank’s pony or shank’s mare in English dialect. Bodhran ~ (much disputed, bow-rawn, rhyming with cow brawn) a drum, popular in Scottish and Irish music, originally used to provide cadence for both pipers and warriors. Usually 14” to 18” in diameter and 3” to 8” deep. Played with a double headed stick called a cipin, tipper, or beater. Boineid ~ (bonaje) originally the name of the Tam o' Shanter, man’s bonnet. Boinead biorach ~ (bonaje beerach) Balmoral bonnet. Bonnets ~ traditionally blue ~ Return to top of Glossary page ~ Brae ~ hill. Brat ~ simply a piece of woolen cloth that one would wear over other clothing. It   was often worn like a cloak, but was also used like a sash or shawl. The length of the Brat was entirely dependent upon the wearer and the style at the time. The average Brat would have been 1 to 1.5 yards long from doubled cloth (up to 60" wide). Today the Brat is known as the Fly Plaid. Braw ~ something good, a braw day is a great weather day. Breacan ~ old style kilt or philamor, a flat piece of fabric, pleated by hand each time worn. Breacan feile ~ big kilt, see brecan. Breid tri chearnach ~ also curtch, kertch, breid, a three-cornered kerchief of white linen, tied under the chin. Often the point hanging down the back was embroidered elaborately, to show off the woman’s needlework skills. Worn only by married women. Young, unmarried girls wore a Cockernonie. Bridal Concomitant ~ a bridal flag or ensign, flown from the housetop on the wedding day. Embellished with wedding symbols, such as the claddaugh or lukenbooth. Bridie ~ originating in the town of Forfar, also called Forfar bridie, a baked shortcrust pastry with minced beef, onions, and spices. One hole on top signifies no onions, two holes signify onions have been added. Brigadoonery ~ gaudy, beyond good taste. The exaggerated Scottishness of the movie ‘Brigadoon’. Brog, Brogan ~ simple deerskin shoes, the forerunners of today's brogues where the decoration is an outer layer of leather in which holes have been punched


What is the most popular religion in India? | Reference.com What is the most popular religion in India? A: Quick Answer India is home to many religions, but the dominant one is Hinduism. Hinduism, which originated in India, is practiced by over 80 percent of India's population and is the world's oldest religious and philosophical system. Islam is the dominant foreign religion and is practiced by 13 percent of the population.


What do you call an ancient Celtic priest?

The Religion of the Ancient Celts: Chapter XX. The Druids CHAPTER XX. THE DRUIDS. PLINY thought that the name "Druid" was a Greek appellation derived from the Druidic cult of the oak (δρυς).  1 The word, however, is purely Celtic, and its meaning probably implies that, like the sorcerer and medicine-man everywhere, the Druid was regarded as "the knowing one." It is composed of two parts--dru-, regarded by M. D'Arbois as an intensive, and vids, from vid, "to know," or "see."  2 Hence the Druid was "the very knowing or wise one." It is possible, however, that dru- is connected with the root which gives the word "oak" in Celtic. speech--Gaulish deruo, Irish dair, Welsh derw--and that the oak, occupying a place in the cult, was thus brought into relation with the name of the priesthood. The Gaulish form of the name was probably druis, the Old Irish was drai. The modern forms in Irish and Scots Gaelic, drui and draoi, mean "sorcerer." M. D'Arbois and others, accepting Cæsar's dictum that "the system (of Druidism) is thought to have been devised in Britain, and brought thence into Gaul," maintain that the Druids were priests of the Goidels in Britain, who imposed themselves upon the Gaulish conquerors of the Goidels, and that Druidism then passed over into Gaul about 200 B.C.  3 But it is hardly p. 294 likely that, even if the Druids were accepted as priests by conquering Gauls in Britain, they should have affected the Gauls of Gaul who were outside the reflex influence of the conquered Goidels, and should have there obtained that power which they possessed. Goidels and Gauls were allied by race and language and religion, and it would be strange if they did not both possess a similar priesthood. Moreover, the Goidels had been a continental people, and Druidism was presumably flourishing among them then. Why did it not influence kindred Celtic tribes without Druids, ex hypothesi, at that time? Further, if we accept Professor Meyer's theory that no Goidel set foot in Britain until the second century A.D., the Gauls could not have received the Druidic priesthood from the Goidels. Cæsar merely says, "it is thought (existimatur) that Druidism came to Gaul from Britain."  1 It was a pious opinion, perhaps his own, or one based on the fact that those who wished to perfect themselves in Druidic art went to Britain. This may have been because Britain had been less open to foreign influences than Gaul, and its Druids, unaffected by these, were thought to be more powerful than those of Gaul. Pliny, on the other hand, seems to think that Druidism passed over into Britain from Gaul.  2 Other writers--Sir John Rhŷs, Sir G. L. Gomme, and M. Reinach-support on different grounds the theory that the Druids were a pre-Celtic priesthood, accepted by the Celtic conquerors. Sir John Rhŷs thinks that the Druidism of the aborigines of Gaul and Britain made terms with the Celtic conquerors. It was accepted by the Goidels, but not by the Brythons. Hence in Britain there were Brythons without Druids, aborigines under the sway of Druidism, and Goidels who combined Aryan polytheism with Druidism. Druidism p. 295 was also the religion of the aborigines from the Baltic to Gibraltar, and was accepted by the Gauls.  1 But if so, it is difficult to see why the Brythons, akin to them, did not accept it. Our knowledge of Brythonic religion is too scanty for us to prove that the Druids had or had not sway over them, but the presumption is that they had. Nor is there any historical evidence to show that the Druids were originally a non-Celtic priesthood. Everywhere they appear as the supreme and dominant priesthood of the Celts, and the priests of a conquered people could hardly have obtained such power over the conquerors. The relation of the Celts to the Druids is quite different from that of conquerors, who occasionally resort to the medicine-men of the conquered folk because they have stronger magic or greater influence with the autochthonous gods. The Celts did not resort to the Druids occasionally; ex hypothesi they accepted them completely, were dominated b


What was the first U.S. state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples?

Same-Sex Marriage, State by State | Pew Research Center June 26, 2015 Same-Sex Marriage, State by State In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry nationwide. This timeline highlights the changes in state policies leading up to that ruling, starting in 1995 – when Utah became the first state to enact a Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state’s highest court in 2003. Drag the pointer or click on the timeline above the map to explore all 50 states’ changes over time. State Policies on Same-Sex Marriage Over Time 1995 2015 1995 Utah becomes the first state to enact a Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Several other states previously had approved statutes defining marriage as between one man and one woman. 1996 President Clinton signs the federal Defense of Marriage Act, upholding states’ right to ban same-sex marriage and prohibiting the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage. 1997 Hawaii becomes the first state to offer same-sex couples domestic partnership benefits. 1998 Alaska voters approve a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Hawaii voters approve constitutional language allowing their legislature to determine policy on same-sex marriage, effectively overturning a series of earlier court decisions that may have required the state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. The legislature subsequently approves a measure banning same-sex marriage. 1999 California enacts a law allowing gay and lesbian couples to register as domestic partners. The Vermont Supreme Court rules that same-sex couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections as married heterosexual couples. The decision prompts the state to enact a law in 2000 allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions. 2000 Nebraska voters approve a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. California voters approve Proposition 22, which bans same-sex marriage in state law. 2001 Americans oppose same-sex marriage by a 57% to 35% margin. By 2013, there is slightly more support for same-sex marriage than opposition to it, with 50% in favor and 43% opposed. 2002 Nevada voters approve a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. 2003 The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules that the state constitution gives gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, making the Bay State the first in the nation to allow same-sex marriage. Weddings begin in 2004. The Federal Marriage Amendment, which would add language to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage nationwide, is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. 2004 Local officials in California, New York, New Mexico and Oregon allow same-sex couples to marry. Those licenses ultimately are invalidated. Voters in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah approve constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. 2005 Voters in Kansas and Texas approve constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. 2006 New Jersey enacts a law allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions. Voters in Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin approve constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Voters in Arizona reject a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage, marking the first time such a measure has been rejected by voters. 2007 New Hampshire enacts a law allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes legislation that would have legalized same-sex marriage in his state. 2008 The Connecticut Supreme Court rules that the state’s constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry, making Connecticut the second state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. The Supreme Court of California rules that the state’s constitution guarantees same-sex couples the


Superman's Home Planet Krypton 'Found' Superman's Home Planet Krypton 'Found' By Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer | November 5, 2012 12:39pm ET MORE Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson helped DC Comics, home of the Superman comics, find a plausible star to be the host of the superhero's home planet, Krypton. Credit: DC Comics A prominent astrophysicist has pinned down a real location for Superman's fictional home planet of Krypton. Krypton is found 27.1 light-years from Earth, in the southern constellation Corvus (The Crow), says Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York City. The planet orbits the red dwarf star LHS 2520, which is cooler and smaller than our sun. Tyson performed the celestial sleuthing at the request of DC Comics, which wanted to run a story about Superman's search for his home planet. The new book — Action Comics Superman #14, titled "Star Light, Star Bright" — comes out Wednesday (Nov. 7). Tyson appears within its pages, aiding the Man of Steel on his quest. "As a native of Metropolis, I was delighted to help Superman, who has done so much for my city over all these years," Tyson said in a statement. "And it’s clear that if he weren’t a superhero he would have made quite an astrophysicist." You'll have to read "Star Light, Star Bright" to find out just how Superman and Tyson pinpoint Krypton. For amateur astronomers who want to spot the real star LHS 2520 in the night sky, here are its coordinates: Right Ascension: 12 hours 10 minutes 5.77 seconds Declination:  -15 degrees 4 minutes 17.9 seconds Proper Motion: 0.76 arcseconds per year, along 172.94 degrees from due north Superman was born on Krytpon but was launched toward Earth as an infant by his father, Jor-El, just before the planet's destruction. After touching down in Kansas, Superman was raised as Clark Kent by a farmer and his wife. Now Superman will apparently know exactly where he came from. "This is a major milestone in the Superman mythos that gives our super hero a place in the universe," DC Entertainment co-publisher Dan DiDio said in a statement. "Having Neil deGrasse Tyson in the book was one thing, but by applying real-world science to this story he has forever changed Superman’s place in history. Now fans will be able to look up at the night’s sky and say, 'That’s where Superman was born.'" Follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall  or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom . We're also on Facebook  and  Google+ .  Editor's Recommendations


If I have an eye-patch, a peg-leg, and a parrot on my shoulder, what am I?

Arrg You Ready For The Talk Like A Pirate Day Giveaway at Krispy Kreme? | Hot News from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Media Contacts Arrg You Ready For The Talk Like A Pirate Day Giveaway at Krispy Kreme? Get a FREE Doughnut For Talking Like a Pirate, or Dress Like a Pirate    for a Free Dozen on September 19 Category: Monday, September 8, 2014 6:00 am EDT Dateline: NYSE: KKD WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Friday, September 19, any landlubber who dares to enter a participating    Krispy Kreme® US locations and talks like a pirate will score one free    Original Glazed® doughnut. To the swashbuckler who wears full pirate    attire goes a bounty of one FREE dozen Original Glazed doughnuts. Offer    good on International Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19th,    only. Some restrictions apply. Visit KrispyKreme.com for more    information. To claim yer bounty on September 19, ye must: Talk like a pirate or wear an eye patch to a participating Krispy     Kreme shop for one FREE Original Glazed doughnut. Come in to a participating Krispy Kreme location in full pirate     costume for one FREE dozen Original Glazed doughnuts. Qualifying     pirate costumes must include three or more of the following items: No     Weapons Allowed! Eye Patch Silver and gold necklaces and earrings Pirate Hook Pointy black boots or ragged brown sandals Offer good for one free doughnut per customer who wears an eye patch    or talks like a pirate to a Krispy Kreme team member at a participating    shop. One free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts per customer who    wears a full pirate costume into a participating Krispy Kreme location.    Redeemable on September 19, 2014 only at participating Krispy Kreme US    locations. Connect with Krispy Kreme at KrispyKreme.com , HotLightApp.com , Facebook , foursquare and Twitter ,    and KrispyKremeDoughnuts    on YouTube . About Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme is an international retailer of premium-quality sweet    treats, including its signature Original Glazed® doughnut. Headquartered    in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Company has offered the highest-quality    doughnuts and great-tasting coffee since it was founded in 1937. Krispy    Kreme is proud of its Fundraising program, which for decades has helped    non-profit organizations raise millions of dollars in needed funds.    Today, Krispy Kreme can be found in over 850 locations in more than 20    countries around the world. (NYSE: KKD) is listed on the New York Stock    Exchange. Visit us at www.KrispyKreme.com . Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140908005013/en/


Genealogy of Fonz - Fonz Historical Records Genealogy of Fonz - Fonz Historical Records Web Sites Fonz Genealogy Welcome to some of the best Fonz genealogy resources found on the web. We hope you will participate on the Fonz forums, it is a great place to find or post information on Fonz genealogy and is completely free to participate. We have collected some of the best resources from across the web to do research on Fonz history, Fonz ancestory, and Fonz family connections. If you are a Fonz, or are realated to the Fonz family we invite you to participate and exchange genealogical information. Ancestory.com


What is the best-selling brand of acetaminophen?

Tylenol - Brand-o-pedia (English 1101 J1) 5 Where to? History Tylenol is a brand name of medication used to relieve pain, allergies and reduce fever . The Tylenol line is a brand name under McNeil Consumer Healthcare , which is a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson . [1] . The original company started in 1879 when Robert McNeil bought a drug store in Philadelphia, PA. McNeil had just graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. As McNeil's business grew, it became widely known and served many consumers and physicians. He quickly became a superior pharmacist and used his signature on the sides of his bottles in order to ensure the McNeil standard [2] . Tylenol Elixir for Children was introduced in 1955 by McNeil Laboratories which was the, "first in a line of products that was to become the nation's best selling analgesic." [3] In 1959, the privately owned family business was sold to Johnson and Johnson. [4] . Building the Tylenol Brand McNeil Laboratories which was founded by Robert Lincoln McNeil and his father launched Tylenol Elixir for children at 1955. Major Milestones 1955 Initial TYLENOL launch TYLENOL children Elixir (the first aspirin-free pain reliever) which is designed for children.(The birth of TYLENOL) 1959 Johnson & Johnson acquire McNeil Laboratories. (TYLENOL become a brand of Johnson & Johnson) 1975 TYLENOL products become the 5th best selling brand of analgesic in the U.S. (Meanwhile, TYLENOL face many competition from a similar product called Datril which is cheaper than TYLENOL.) 1976 TYLENOL products become the No.1 brand of OTC analgesic in the U.S. 1978 McNeil Laboratories divides into two separate organizations, McNeil Pharmaceutical and McNeil Consumer Products Company. 1979 TYLENOL becomes the best selling product in the health and beauty field in U.S. 2001 McNeil Consumer Healthcare changes its name to McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals. Tylenol Crisis of 1982 & 1986 Tylenol and some of its competitors [5] Several people died because of swallowing the poisoned TYLENOL capsules. 1982(seven deaths) Seven people died after taking the Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule, and as the so-called Tylenol murders spread fear across America. Soon Investigators indicated that someone had taken the bottles from store, poisoned the capsules and then returned them to stores. Finally, the victims bought the capsules from this store. 1986 Criminal tampering of poisoned TYLENOL Capsules happen again. Several people died from swallowing poisoned TYLENOL capsules, and Johnson & Johnson withdraws all OTC capsule products from the market. The chairman of Johnson & Johnson says this is an act of terrorism. Products Johnson and Johnson owns McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, under the McNeil name is the Tylenol line of products. Products within this line include: Tylenol (All varieties: Tylenol, Tylenol PM, Childrens Tylenol, etc.) Motrin St. Joseph Aspirin Zyrtec Street Advertisement for Tylenol. This advertisement is using pathos in order to appeal to consumers because of the ice cream picture. (People like ice cream and they like Tylenol association) [6] This advertisement of Tylenol PM refers to the logos arguement. It is possibly inferring that many consumers need caffeine to keep them going during the day and might need help falling asleep at night. By using Tylenol PM, they can still have their afternoon coffee that might have been keeping them up at night [7] Major Competitors Advil is a brand of pain reliever, and Advil is manufactured by Madison, New Jersey based Wyeth and has been on the market since 1984. The products are effective for headaches, muscle aches, and cramps. Aleve is the trademark of Bayer HealthCare LLC. It also products pain reliever. The products of Aleve are effective for aboutminor pain of arthritis, headache, muscular aches, toothache, backache, common cold, menstrual cramps, temporarily reduces fever, etc. Claritin is a brand of allergy reliever. Benadryl is a brand name allergy medicine. Advertising Campaigns Tylenol P.M. A major arguement in the advertisment


"In the spy world, what is a ""mechanic""?"

The Mechanic Movie Review (2011) | Plugged In We hope this review was both interesting and useful. Please share it with family and friends who would benefit from it as well. Movie Review Arthur Bishop is a "mechanic," an elite assassin who can slip into any setting and take out his assigned target. And he'll readily tell you—as long as you aren't meeting him when he has a gun, knife or hypodermic needle in his hand—that there's a studied finesse required for such killings. With the right plan, he can make a job look like an accident. He can pin it on someone else. Or use it to send a message. Or even make it appear as though nobody has done anything at all. He'll tell you that that last one takes patience, emotional detachment and every bit of skill he's managed to accumulate. You might at this point ask him if there are ever any hiccups. And he would admit that sometimes a job comes along that can give even an experienced hired assassin pause. That makes him feel a little something. The hit put out on Harry was one of those. Harry was Arthur's mentor. He was a good friend who taught him everything he knows, in fact. So shooting Harry in the chest and watching him bleed out kind of, well, hurt just a little. Making matters worse was Harry's prodigal son, Steve, who showed up afterwards looking hopeless and wasted. Arthur was still dealing with little twinges of emotion himself, so how could he turn his back? How could he not give this kid what Harry had given him? If you've been listening carefully to what Arthur's been telling you, you already know what that entails: He takes Steve under his wing and makes him a protégé. Teaches him all the murderous moves. All the planning finesse. But what happens if this newly formed heartless killer named Steve finds out who actually killed his dear old dad? What's the plan then, smart guy? Positive Elements There's a small part of Arthur that evidently feels some kind of regret for having to kill Harry. (But it doesn't stop him from following through on the murder.) Elsewhere, he rescues a man from being beaten to death. Spiritual Content One of Arthur's targets is a lecherous con man who calls himself the New Messiah. The man says he is touched by God and "has the Spirit's work to do." Steve asks Arthur if he ever gives his victims time to "make their peace." Arthur replies, "There is no peace." Sexual Content As Arthur has sex with a female acquaintance, the camera lingers on the act and their fully naked forms. (Their genitals are all that's blocked from view.) The camera ogles this woman's form at other times, too—when she's dressed in as much as tight jeans and a low-cut top, and as little as panties and an open shirt. Other women wear a variety of formfitting and low-cut outfits. Arthur strips out of a wet suit. One of Arthur's victims is posed to look like he accidentally strangled himself during autoerotic asphyxiation. (He has his pants down with a rope around his neck.) Arthur leaves an online porn movie playing, and the camera zooms in as two naked women caress and lick each other's breasts. A badly beaten Steve is approached in a bar by a girl who says, "I wish someone would hurt me like that." The scene then quickly flashes to the two finishing an apparently rough bout of sex up against a back alley wall. (Both are mostly clothed.) Violent Content From the opening minutes when an innocent is beaten with a rifle stock to the movie-closing explosive eruptions, The Mechanic tinkers with scene after scene of bone crunches and blood spatters. We see Arthur efficiently strangle a man to death, shoot a guy in the chest, blow out the brains of several others, jam a spy camera cable down somebody's throat and smash someone else through a bus window—timed so that his victim lands perfectly to splatter his brains across an oncoming car's headlight. And those are the neat and orderly kills. Most of Steve's jobs are sloppier. When he tries to mimic Arthur's choking technique on a 6-foot-7-inch-300-pound giant of a man, for example, the resulting battle smashes windows, furniture an


gondola | boat | Britannica.com Gondola lifeboat Gondola, tapered, 32-foot- (10-metre-) long flat-bottomed boat historically associated with the canals and lagoon of Venice , carrying from two to six passengers. It is propelled from the starboard quarter by a single sweep (oar) manipulated by a gondolier standing on the stern cover, and it has an asymmetrical shape, being 9 inches (23 cm) wider on the port side. A prominent steel beak (ferro) rises from the prow, a lesser one (risso) from the stern. In some gondolas a removable cabin cover (felze) gives passengers shelter and some privacy. Gondolas on the Grand Canal, Venice. B. Benjamin/ZEFA Gondolas are recognizable in paintings by Carpaccio from the late 15th century. The first organized boat racing was done by gondolas in the 16th century; both men and women competed. Once colourful and lavishly decorated, gondolas have been painted black since 1562, when a sumptuary law was passed regulating their appearance. At the time of the edict there were 10,000 in use on the Venetian waters. Today most craft ply for hire, though a few, attended by liveried servants, are still owned privately. The striped or brightly painted mooring posts for gondolas still line many canals. At several locations two-man gondolas called traghetti function as passenger ferries for traversing the Grand Canal . Gondolas are very costly, and their highly specialized construction is a dying industry. However, their popularity, especially with tourists, remains unabated. A number of river-based cities around the world, and even land-locked hotels such as the Venetian in Las Vegas , Nevada, have adopted them as tourist attractions. Learn More in these related articles: in Venice (Italy)


Among the countries in Africa, which one has the largest economy?

Nigeria becomes Africa's largest economy – get the data | Global development | theguardian.com Nigeria becomes Africa's largest economy – get the data Nigeria's recalculation of gross domestic product data to include Nollywood nudges country well ahead of South Africa Nigeria is now the 24th largest economy in the world. Above: a traffic-congested road in Lagos, the country's former capital. Photograph: Tim Graham/Alamy Nigeria has overtaken South Africa as the continent's largest economy after it overhauled its gross domestic product data for the first time in more than two decades. Official figures for 2013, released by Nigeria's statistics bureau, put the country's GDP at $503bn (£307bn) – nearly double previous estimates and well ahead of South Africa at around $350bn. The announcement follows a protracted process to "rebase" Nigeria's economic data and include information from sectors such as telecommunications and the film industry. The rebasing exercise has pushed the country's GDP from 42.3tn naira in 2013 to 80.3tn naira ($509.9bn) – a jump of 89%. The revision pushes Nigeria up 12 places to become the 24th largest economy in the world – on par with Poland and Belgium and ahead of Argentina, Austria and Iran. Nigeria had not recalculated its GDP since 1990, something which many other governments do every few years. New sectors have been added to the country's output list include e-commerce, telecommunications, music and Nollywood, which is estimated to be worth billions of dollars, or 1.4% of the economy. Note figures in millions of naira Shortly before the GDP announcement, the information minister, Labaran Maku, said: "For the first time in 15 years, we will know, scientifically, what the GDP figure is and what the contributions of every sector to the economy are. We will also be able to know the sectors that have made the most progress and which ones are lagging behind." The data is likely to make Nigeria more attractive to foreign investors, with its economy appearing not only larger but more diverse than previously thought. Economic analysts had forecasted a jump closer to 40-60%. Several other African countries have recalculated their economic data recently, producing sharp rises in GDP estimates. A rebasing exercise in Ghana four years ago triggered a 60% increase. But Nigeria's GDP figures will not on their own produce dramatic changes in living conditions. The rebasing excercise has almost doubled GDP per capita, placing it among middle-income countries. However, at just $3,000, per capita income is low – and well below South Africa's at $7,336. Nigerians continue to struggle with poverty, inequality and electricity shortages. Yemi Kale of the National Bureau of Statistics said : "While it [GDP] depicts how rich a nation is, this is not necessarily the same as showing how rich the individuals in the nation are, due to the problem of unequal distribution of wealth. Similarly, growth in GDP is not synonymous with job creation. "It is expected that as the economy grows, people's income rise and their demand for goods and services increase. As a result, producers increase output and employ more people so that employment increases. However, though jobs are being created, the jobs may not enough to reduce unemployment or poverty." Data from the Nigerian bureau of statistics is below. What can you do with it? Nigeria's new GDP estimates - by sector Nigeria's new GDP estimates, by sector Table is sortable. Click heading to sort ACTIVITY SECTOR


What country did the Soviet Union invade in 1979?

Why Did the Soviet Union Invade Afghanistan in 1979? Why Did the Soviet Union Invade Afghanistan in 1979? Uday Rai Mehra , Oct 9 2014, 98941 views This content was written by a student and assessed as part of a university degree. E-IR publishes student essays & dissertations to allow our readers to broaden their understanding of what is possible when answering similar questions in their own studies. The near seventy-year history of the Soviet Union is one dominated by its tradition of foreign military interventions that spanned most of its existence and stretched geographically from Krakow to the Kuril Islands. Within this trajectory, the Soviet invasion of, and subsequent war with Afghanistan (1979-1989) stands out in particular, as a lasting legacy of the Cold War. Globally, its outcome continues to plague international society in the current struggle between the Western liberal democratic order and Islamic extremism. Domestically, the remains of the war have rendered the nation’s political institutions, economy and society fragile, and transformed Afghanistan into a battlefield for factional rivalries and a breeding ground for religious fundamentalism. As a rooted historical understanding of the war is necessary to contextualize the struggles from the region that dominate our contemporary international affairs, the very nature of the event’s historiography has evolved over time. Previously, it was commonplace among scholars to examine the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan within the Cold War framework: the USSR invaded foreign nations in the name of socialist internationalism, prestige and with the objective to thwart their Western enemies. However, this assessment failed to acknowledge the nuances of the Soviet decision-making process and account for those unique developments within the theatres of intervention. Contemporarily, a number of historians have analysed the events of the Cold War through a ‘pericentric lens’, which has shifted the scholarship from examining the events of the conflict from their ‘core’ – from the White House and the Kremlin – to the ‘periphery’. This scholarly shift reshapes our understanding of, and approach to Cold War dynamics through elaborating the interplay of a range of factors, and magnifying the intricacies of the Soviet and American decision-making processes. The invasion of Afghanistan was the Soviet Union’s final foreign military intervention before its eventual dissolution in 1991. Soviet troops invaded Kabul on December 25th 1979, on order from Moscow to replace the radical Hafizullah Amin with the Soviet-endorsed Babrak Karmal as head of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. On December 31st, the Politburo announced, that by overthrowing Amin, they would ease the pace of Afghanistan’s communist revolution and thereby protect the communist (PDPA) regime from collapsing due to its domestic unpopularity, and thereby ceding to Islamist and Western forces. Although in hindsight this provides the justification surrounding Moscow’s decision, it gives little consideration of the concerns that drove the USSR to invade. Expanding upon those factors central to Soviet decision-making in 1979, this essay will argue that the Soviet decision to invade Afghanistan was foremost driven by the security concerns a rapidly weakening Afghanistan, vulnerable to Islamic extremism and Western encroachment, posed to the Soviet Union’s southern borders. As the attempts at negotiation and sending advisors had failed to stabilise the PDPA regime from collapse, and consequently facing an increasingly narrowing set of options, military intervention became the favoured alternative. Facilitating this decision was the threat of the ‘reversibility of communism’ pervading across fragile Third World socialist states like South Yemen, Ethiopia and Angola; the pressures imposed by the Ustinov-Gromyko-Andropov troika in Politburo decision-making, heightened by reports by on-ground Soviet staff and advisors who were increasingly involved in Afghan affairs; and the end of Détente framework following the rejection of t


What connects the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean?

Nicaragua Canal - Plans for Canal from Pacific Ocean to Caribbean Sea Nicaragua Canal Even before the development of the Panama Canal, there were discussions by the U.S. government and Nicaragua to build a canal through Nicaragua that connected the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea. At the time there was no way for a sizable ship to travel from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, or vice-versa, without sailing around the southern tip of South America. Thus Panama and Nicaragua were largely competing for the money from the U.S. government to build the transoceanic canal. Nicaragua had one advantage, which was that it contained the lowest elevation point across Central America and thus would make for an easier project. However, it was Panama that won the U.S. congressional approval and the U.S. purchased the failed canal project from a French company and built the Panama Canal as it is known today. As the Panama Canal has aged, it has been unable to accomodate larger and larger cruise ships, modern container ships, and mega-tankers. And thus there have been new proposals for a Nicaragua Canal project because the Panama Canal hasn't been able to handle the larger and larger ships that have been created. However, in 2006 the Panama government seeing this threat, approved a multi-billion dollar 10 year project to expand the Panama Canal to accomodate these newer and larger ships. Most of the Nicaragua Canal proposals have entailed following a river, such as the San Juan River, from the Caribbean Sea to Lake Nicaragua and then building a canal from Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific Ocean. Although there have been various plans in the past, there are currently no serious plans (with funding) to develop a Nicaraguan Canal to compete with the Panama Canal.


Why Do Zombies Eat Brains? | Don't Eat My Brain Don't Eat My Brain Posted on December 17, 2008 by Maya This is probably the hardest question to answer. An internet search reveals that no one knows what the hell they’re talking about. The most common answer is “Omg I don’t think zombies are even real.” Um, thanks. The real controversy is whether zombies eat brains, or human flesh. I don’t know why these have to be mutually exclusive. I’m going to just go ahead and decide that zombies eat humans, period. They want to eat you, it doesn’t matter to them whether it’s your arm or your brain or your liver. (In fact, if we were purely using fictional zombies as examples, movie zombies ate flesh exclusively until the brain tangent was introduced in 1985’s “Return of the Living Dead” as a comedic concept.) I think the reason we associate them more strongly with brain consumption is that we’re much more terrified of losing our brains than any other body part. You eat my brain, I’m dead. That being said, for the sake of a good argument, let’s go ahead and pretend that zombies only eat brains . The most convincing theories range from metaphorical (they crave the mind/consciousness/soul that they have lost) to scientific (it’s been recently discovered that glial cells in the brain can replicate cells and perhaps give them back some of the brain mass that they lose in decomposition) to metabolic (brains have fat or cholesterol that sustain them). Brooks, my most trustworthy zombie source, is pretty insistent about the fact that zombies don’t eat for nourishment, but rather that it’s some sort of instinct (I would compare it to a human’s need for sleeping; they won’t die immediately without it but it does serve some sort of basic survival purpose). My favorite theory is that they eat brains to prevent competition or to keep the zombie population from increasing to unsustainable levels, so that the only ones that survive are the people who are bitten and then escape. The complete opposite theory, in the original “Dawn of the Dead”, is that zombies purposefully only consume about 40% of human bodies, so that enough is left to be fully mobile after reanimation. I disagree with this because I don’t think zombies are capable of a group mentality or organizing together. It seems more likely that they would prefer to be alone. It’s not like they care if their race survives. Answer: they eat both, it’s an instinct, and brains have no nutritional value. Now everyone can stop wondering.


What country was formerly known as Formosa?

The Island Formerly known as Formosa - Food and Travel TRAVEL BOOKS The Island Formerly known as Formosa It's so easy isn't it - to pigeonhole one place in relation to another? Yet it is the habit of travellers. We seem always to want to explain a country in the terms of somewhere else. So it is, in the middle of Taipei, capital of Taiwan (formerly Formosa) I find myself saying, 'Hmmm'..this is just like China - without the bicycles'. And it is. Except here, at the traffic lights, there's a brimming tide of motor scooters, bearing sometimes a whole family, and noisily gunning off the instant the lights change. In China, the intersection would be dense with hundreds of bikes, wobbling as they waited their turn. In fact the whole city, it seems spins a kaleidoscope of half-memories, quasi-comparisons in my mind. This corner - is it like Bangkok? Or maybe Kuala Lumpur? Those sleek office buildings - surely I saw the same in Singapore. And those interminable silent armies of apartment blocks, each capped with a tiny pagoda style roof. That was Penang, right? Of course as you start to acclimatise to Taipei, its personality emerges. Talk to the people and you see the differences to their Chinese neighbours across the Taiwan Strait. The people are still proudly Chinese by race, but Taiwan is carefully named the Republic of China, not the PROC (People's Republic), as China is termed. Yet it is the people that have made this country, building it in half a century from a country annexed by Japan to a self-sufficient one trading with the world. Located north-east of Hong Kong, and almost 400 kilometres long straddling the Tropic of Cancer, to most westerners Taiwan appears dangerously vulnerable now that Hong Kong is finally a Chinese Territory. We imagine China's eyes focussed with avarice on this small and economically valuable country. Yet the locals laugh when we cautiously raise the subject. Whether it is bravado or not, most simply say they believe China has too much to worry about - controlling its population, stretching its capitalistic muscles - to be too bothered about tiny Taiwan. You have to hope they are correct. So Taiwan gets on with growing and producing. Here there are families with several children, pollution is being addressed, technology increases and the economy looks as healthy as the mop-headed kiddies in brilliant nylon parkas that bring colour to even the greyest scenes. I was grateful for these especially when I visited hot springs in the hills north of Taipei. Here the cement-coloured mud, plopping sullenly, was matched only by the clouds that almost touched us. Steam seeped from crevices and a sulphurous stench stuck to us all. Enter a busload of eager schoolchildren, brilliant in their cool-weather gear, who swarmed over the telescopes and safety fences, measured the ground temperature and gaped in amazement at the moonscape around us, brightening my pictures as they did so. That small event seemed to make sense of this country to me. Sure there is pollution, but many countries are more affected. There are earthquakes - a major one devastated parts to the south of Taipei last September, and there were even two minor ones in the few days I was in the country - but buildings have been constructed using the latest technology to withstand tremors. Prices are high - or is that simply a reflection on the Aussie dollar which fares badly in so many places worldwide? Despite this, Taiwan still manages a brightness, a youthfulness, that exudes hope and optimism. This massive city and its suburbs accounts for around half the country's 20 million population, and has much to offer. The Lungshan Temple is more like a bustling community market. Fruit and foods are laid out on tables, and girls chattering on mobile phones and juggling designer shopping bags, dash in to grab a handful of joss sticks and offer a quick prayer towards the Goddess of Mercy, benignly surveying the crowds from her vantage point. Visitors to Taipei can view priceless Chinese antiques too, rescued from the mainland before the Cultural Revolutio


What is the last name of siblings Gianni and Donatella?

Donatella Versace - - Biography.com Donatella Versace Fashion icon Donatella Versace has been working as creative director of the Versace Group since 1997. IN THESE GROUPS quotes “Life is difficult. 'Happiness' is a word I do not believe exists.” “I don't know why people make such a fuss about working and being a mother. I think the most important thing is to spend quality time with your children, not quantity.” “I was the baby of the family. I was so spoiled. I was the best-dressed little girl in the city.” “The last two years of Gianni's life, I was going up into his apartment, showing him the work, getting the approval from him, but I ran the company because he wasn't showing himself. It was like a year and a half I did everything.” “I couldn't stand the pain. I had to hide my feelings. What better way to hide your feelings than with drugs?"[On developing a cocaine addiction following her brother, Gianni's death.]” Donatella Versace Synopsis Born in Italy in 1955, Donatella Versace grew up with two major fashion influences. Her mother was a dressmaker and her older brother, Gianni Versace, was a budding designer. She went to work for her brother in the late 1970s, serving as his muse and adviser. Donatella Versace became the designer for the company's Versus line in the 1980s. After her brother was murdered, in 1997, she became creative director of the Versace Group. Early Life Born on May 2, 1955, in Reggio Calabria, Italy, designer Donatella Versace is one of best known names in fashion today. She is the younger sister of the late designer Gianni Versace. Donatella and Gianni learned about designing from their mother, who had a dressmaking business. "I was the baby of the family," she later explained to The New Yorker. "I was so spoiled. I was the best-dressed little girl in the city." Versace began developing her trademark look as a teenager—dyeing her hair platinum blonde and using copious amounts of dark eyeliner. She was remarkably close to her older brother, Gianni, who would take her out with him at night and make outfits for her to wear. Donatella attended university in Florence for a time, but she eventually reunited with Gianni to support his clothing business. Fashion Muse When Gianni Versace started his own fashion company in Milan in 1978, Donatella was right there by his side. Their brother, Santo, was also a part of the business. Gianni relied on Donatella for her advice about his designs, and she played an important role in orchestrating many Versace fashion shows and advertising campaigns. She helped bring some rock 'n' roll spirit and celebrity cache to the line through her friendships with Madonna and Elizabeth Hurley. Versace also served as chief designer for the company's Versus line. She learned even more about the business in the mid-1990s, when Gianni battled cancer. In light of Gianni's recent health scare, the Versace siblings worked on a company succession plan. While Gianni won his fight against cancer, he lost his life in 1997 after being shot outside his home in Miami, Florida. Donatella was devastated by the death of her brother. Her daughter, Allegra, inherited 50 percent of the company from Gianni. Top Designer Days after Gianni Versace's death, Donatella was announced as Versace's new creative director. By this time, though, she had already taken a leading role in the business. "The last two years of Gianni's life," Donatella explained to New York magazine, "I was going up into his apartment, showing him the work, getting the approval from him, but I ran the company because he wasn't showing himself. It was like a year and a half I did everything." Donatella has remained at the helm of the company's design vision ever since, helping to reinvigorate its product lines over the years. In 2009, she brought in Christopher Kane to design for Versus and reinvent the brand. After his departure, Versace collaborated with other upcoming designers on the line, also revamping the company's haute couture line Atelier Versace. Today, Versace markets a variety of product lines, from home goods to


"What language does the word ""yogurt"" come from?"

The Etymology of the Word 'Yogurt' | Bon Appetit The Etymology of the Word 'Yogurt' Written By Sam Dean Food words have some seriously gnarly roots, but follow them far back enough, and you can see culinary history all tangled up in a few short syllables. Welcome to Eat Your Words Yogurt has become such a ubiquitous part of American breakfast-and-healthy-snack culture that it's been naturalized as a plain English word. Like zucchini or pita, it's completed the journey from utterly alien loan-word to humdrum noun, one that we can throw around without the italics of foreignness or "according to locals" scare quotes. But "yogurt" began in Turkish, as yoghurt (there go the italics!). The Turkish word itself comes from an Old Turkish root, yog, meaning something like "condense" or "intensify," which is pretty much what happens to milk when you let it curdle into yogurt. Makes sense! And the actual dish has been around for thousands of years--not surprising for something as simple as "old warm milk"--and was popular in ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece (where they called it oxygala, "acid milk"). Once the word made its way to English, though, the going got a little choppy. The first written mention of the gloopy stuff comes in 1625, when a travel writer named Samuel Purchas noted that the Turks don't "eate much Milke, except it bee made sower, which they call Yoghurd." And then we were off to the races: by the 1800s, people were writing of "yahourt," "yaghourt," "yaghourt," "yogurd," "yoghourt," "yooghort," and "yughard," and even Evelyn Waugh, in his 1925 novel A Handful of Dust, had a character gobbling "her morning yoghourt." Without an Academie Francaise-style language dictatorship to keep English in line, stealing words from non-Latin alphabets inevitably gets kind of messy. Adding to the confusion is the fact that, in modern Turkish, the word spelled yoghurt is actually pronounced more like the French word for it, yaourt, with the "gh" in the middle of the Turkish word just lengthening the vowel before it. It's unclear whether Samuel Purchas got the hard G in his "yoghurd" from writing down what a Turkish speaker with an old-timey dialect was saying to him, or transliterating from the Arabic script used in the Ottoman Empire, but either way, we took that hard-G to heart. It helps that, compared to the very Frenchy yaourt, "yogurt" is a lot easier for an English speaker to say. RELATED


What major Mexican city is near San Diego?

"Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? - Baja California Forum - TripAdvisor "Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? - Baja California Forum Review a place you’ve visited JOIN "Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? In cooperation with: "Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? Jan 17, 2007, 8:28 PM Our family (kids aged 9 and 13) will be in San Diego in February and are interested in perhaps doing a day trip to Baja California. However, Tijuana is NOT our idea of fun--we aren't into shopping or cheap booze, and it seems that TJ isn't much more than that. That said, are there any "real" Mexican towns within a daytripping distance of San Diego? I've looked into Tecate and Ensenada so far, but am looking for more input. We are looking for somewhere that is safe, but where you feel like you are in Mexico. Additionally, are there any good short hikes in northern Baja within daytripping distance of San Diego? One destination mentioned in this post Travelers interested in this topic also viewed... Show Prices 1. Re: "Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? Jan 18, 2007, 6:12 PM We live in Rosarito Beach more than half of the year, and it is, indeed, a real Mexican town. It's only 30 miles from the border, and it is a tourist destination, but it's really Mexico. Ensenada is another 45 miles-60 min. south of Rosarito Beach, and despite the fact that cruise ships dock there, it is a real Mexican city. You could do Rosarito as a day trip, but it would be more fun to stay the night in an ocean front property, perhaps ride horses, perhaps para sail, definitely eat at some of the better spots; Rosarito Beach is a great spot. If you decide to visit, email me privately and I'll suggest some possible lodging depending on what you are looking for and some great restaurants where you'll see locals, not all gringos. Pstreet1@aol.com 3. Re: "Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? Jan 19, 2007, 8:06 PM Rosarito is really a relax, enjoy the ocean and plan where you are going to go eat type of place. There is para sailing if you go as far south as La Fonda (half way to Ensenada). On the way to La Fonda, there are dunes, and on weekends you can rent dune buggies--however, I don't advise visiting over the weekend: too many tourists and too difficult to get back over the border. South of Ensenada is La Bufadora--2nd largest undersea gyser in the world I'm told. There is also a wine country area just a bit north of Ensenada. In Rosarito.....well, shopping at the market I guess. Mostly beautiful coastal drives, horseback riding, .....the dunes.....para sailing. It's a great place to stay and do day trips from, but there isn't much that's "day-trippie" here. If you decide to come, I'll be glad to recommend a drive and some restaurants that are definitely worth your time. Report inappropriate content 4. Re: "Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? Jan 20, 2007, 12:11 PM Thanks! We are considering going to Rosarito as a day trip, or maybe as a half-day trip. Can you link me to a company that does horseback riding? It sounds like it would be a nice town to walk around for an hour or two. However, I don't know if our rental car (from Budget at LAX) allows us to cross the border. We probably won't know until we get there and sign the contract. If they don't, is there mass transit to Rosarito? Report inappropriate content 5. Re: "Real" Mexican towns near San Diego? Jan 20, 2007, 6:41 PM We are considering going to Rosarito as a day trip, or maybe as a half-day trip. A half day won't really work because of the time needed to get back into the U.S. The border is only a 30 min. drive from Rosarito, but the line to cross could take 2 hours; it could take 15 min., but you can't predict it. Can you link me to a company that does horseback riding? No companies--you just drive along until you see horses waiting to be ridden; you negotiate with the owner, and that's that. Same with riding dune buggies on the sand dunes south of town. It sounds like it would be a nice town to walk around for an hour or two. However, I don't know if our rental car (from Budget at LAX) allows us to cross th


What is the Soviet version of an astronaut?

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Tereshkova Guess What! In 1963 Valentina Tereshkova orbited Earth 48 times! Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was born in the Yaroslavl Region of Russia on March 6, 1937. She was the second born of three children. Her father was a tractor driver and her mother worked in a textile plant. Valentina began school in 1945 at the age of eight. In 1953, she left school and began working. She continued her education by correspondence courses. Valentina became interested in parachute jumping at an early age. It was her expertise in parachute jumping that led to her selection as a cosmonaut. Tereshkova was a textile-factory assembly worker and an amateur parachutist when she was recruited into the cosmonaut program. Under the direction of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, four women were selected to be trained for a special woman-in-space program. Of the four women selected, only Valentina Tereshkova completed a space mission. Tereshkova was launched aboard Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963 and became the first woman to fly in space. During the 70.8 hour flight, Vostok 6 made 48 orbits of Earth. Upon completion of her mission, Tereshkova was honored with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. She never flew again, but she did become a spokesperson for the Soviet Union. While fulfilling this role, she received the United Nations Gold Medal of Peace. On November 3, 1963, Tereshkova married astronaut Andrian Nikolayev. Their first child, a daughter named Elena, was a subject of medical interest because she was the first child born to parents who had both been exposed to space. Elena later went on to become a medical doctor. Tereshkova and Nikolayev divorced in 1980.


What is the official London residence of the British monarch?

Buckingham Palace- the official London residence of the British monarch - Picture of Buckingham Palace, London - TripAdvisor Want the lowest hotel prices? You're in the right place. We check 200+ sites for you. Buckingham Palace- the official London residence of the British monarch - Picture of Buckingham Palace, London Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1A 1AA, England Description:  Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of Her... read more Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty The Queen. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. During a visit to Buckingham Palace, visitors can see the nineteen magnificent State Rooms, which provide the setting for ceremonial occasions and official entertaining. All rooms are furnished with many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection. A visit also includes entry to the special exhibition, A Royal Welcome. Book In Advance


In which U.S. State is Disney World located?

A Great Big World of Disney Parks Dedication: "To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope and  Friendship - Welcome. EPCOT is inspired by Walt Disney's  creative vision. Here, human achievements are celebrated  through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all. May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere." - E. Cardon Walker,  October 24, 1982 Park #2: Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World      Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States Dedication: "Walt Disney World is tribute to the philosophy  and life of Walter Elias Disney ... and to the talents, the dedication,  and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney's dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place ... a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn - together." - Roy O. Disney,  October 25, 1971 A GREAT BIG WORLD OF DISNEY PARKS Park #1: Disneyland Dedication: "To all who come to this happy place,  welcome. Here you will discover enchanted lands of  Fantasy and Adventure, Yesterday and Tomorrow.  May Tokyo Disneyland be an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the peoples of the world. And may this magical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America." - E. Cardon Walker, April 15, 1983 Park #5: Disney-MGM Studios Today known as Disney's Hollywood Studios *  at Walt Disney World Opened:  May 1, 1989  (as Disney-MGM Studios) Dedication: "The World you have entered was created by  The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood -  not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was - and always will be."  - Michael Eisner, May 1, 1989 * On  January 7, 2008  Disney-MGM was renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios. Park #6: Euro Disney / Disneyland Paris * Location: Marne-la-Vallée, in the suburbs of Paris, France Opened:  April 12, 1992 Dedication: "To all who come to this happy place, welcome.  Once upon a time ... a master storyteller, Walt Disney, inspired by Europe's best loved tales, used his own special gifts to share them with the world. He envisioned a Magic Kingdom where these stories would come to life, and called it Disneyland. Now his dream returns to the land that inspired it. Euro Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration for all the world." - Michael Eisner, April 12, 1992  * The resort officially opened as Euro Disney Resort on April 12 1992, but was later renamed Disneyland Paris on  October 1, 1994 Park #7: Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States Dedication: "Welcome to a kingdom of animals ... real, ancient  and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs and dragons;  a kingdom of balance, harmony and survival; a kingdom we  enter to share in the wonder, gaze at the beauty, thrill at the  drama, and learn." - Michael Eisner, April 22, 1998 Park #8: Disney's California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort Location: Anaheim, California, United States Opened:  February 8, 2001 Dedication: "To all who believe in the power of dreams... welcome. Here we pay tribute to the dreamers of the past ... The native people, explorers, immigrants, aviators, entrepreneurs and entertainers who built the Golden State. And we salute a new generation of dreamers who are creating the wonders of tomorrow ... From the silver screen to the computer screen ... From the fertile farmlands to the far reaches of space. Disney California Adventure celebrates the richness and the diversity of California ... Its land, it


The top 10 busiest airports in the UK - Airport Technology Newcastle Airport toppled Liverpool John Lennon Airport as the tenth busiest airport. The top 10 busiest airports in the UK London Heathrow Airport, which witnessed a whopping 48.2 million passengers from January to August 2013, continues to be the busiest airport in the UK, with Gatwick a distant second and Newcastle Airport just beating Liverpool John Lennon Airport to tenth place. Airport-technology.com lists the ten busiest airports in the UK based on passenger traffic in the first eight months of 2013. London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport has been witnessing a surge this year, with traffic growing by more than three percent compared to 2012. The airport handled 48.2 million passengers in the first eight months of 2013, serving approximately 191,200 passengers daily. Owned by British Airports Authority (BAA), London Heathrow Airport is located 22km west of central London. It covers an area of 1,227ha, featuring two runways and five terminals. The 87m tall Air Traffic Control Tower at the airport is the tallest in the world. The airport serves 84 airlines and connects 184 destinations in 80 countries. The airport was officially opened in 1946 as London Airport. The fifth terminal was commissioned in 2008, while Terminal 4 was refurbished in 2009. London Gatwick Airport Handling more than 24 million passengers in the year leading to August, London Gatwick Airport is the second busiest airport in the UK in 2013. The airport was initially owned by the British Airports Authority, but ownership was transferred to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) in December 2009 and it is now operated by Gatwick Airport Limited (Gatwick). The airport serves 45 airlines connecting 197 international destinations in 90 countries, as well as 12 domestic destinations. The airport is about 48km from London and features the world's busiest single runway. The airport features 346 check-in desks and 115 aircraft stands. It employs 23,500 people on site in addition to generating 20,000 indirect jobs and approximately £2bn revenue to the economy of London and the South East on an annual basis. Manchester Airport Manchester Airport, located within a 20 minute drive from central Manchester, is the main international gateway for the north of England and is the largest regional airport in the UK. The airport handled more than 13.5 million passengers during the first eight months of 2013, making it the third busiest in the UK. The airport is mainly owned by Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which also acts as the operator. The airport serves more than 100 airlines and connects 225 destinations worldwide. It features two 3,048m parallel runways, three passenger terminals, a world freight terminal, 46 air bridges and 254 check-in desks. Parking facilities include eight public car parks with 15,595 spaces and eight staff car parks with 5,535 spaces. The airport was officially opened in June 1938. It has generated 19,000 direct jobs on site and 42,500 jobs in the north-west of England. The baggage system of Terminal 2 alone is four kilometres in length and handles 20,065 bags on an average day. London Stansted Airport London Stansted Airport served more than 12 million passengers in the first eight months of 2013, becoming the fourth busiest airport in the UK. The airport was formerly owned by BAA, but ownership was transferred to Manchester Airports Group (MAG) in January 2013. The airport serves 12 airlines and connects more than 150 destinations in 30 countries. It features a 3,048m single runway, 125 check-in desks, 25,726 car parking spaces and 110 aircraft parking stands. The terminal of the airport was extended during 2007-2008. Construction works for the existing airport commenced in 1986 on the site of a former airport. The airport was officially opened in 1991. Planning applications for a new airport with two runways and two terminals was submitted in March 2008, but was later withdrawn. A terminal redevelopment project worth £80m ($128m) is currently underway at the airport. L


The Greek Alphabet  The Greek Alphabet The alphabet is among the few linguistic elements that have remained essentially unchanged between the Ancient and Modern Greek languages. Before listing the letters, let us make a brief comment on the pronunciation of the language, as it evolved through the millennia. Pronunciation How close is the sound of Modern Greek to that of Classic Greek? Phonetically, Classic Greek would sound rather alien to contemporary Greeks, but don’t ever say this to them! It is an issue that most Greeks, even educated ones, ignore. (1) I suspect it is because the alphabet has stayed unchanged, so Greeks can read classic texts with no trouble at all (pronouncing in Modern Greek). After all, it all looks Greek to them! If any (non-Greek) scholar attempts to pronounce classic texts in the reconstructed (2) pronunciation, that, to Greeks is tantamount to sacrilege. As a contemporary Greek myself , I can give you my personal feeling for how the reconstructed pronunciation sounds: it is as if a barbarian is trying to speak Greek. (3) For example, take the word “barbarian” itself (which is of Greek origin): in Classic Greek it would be pronounced [bár·ba·ros]. In Modern Greek, it is [vár·va·ros]. In general, the second letter of the alphabet, beta, was pronounced as [b] in Plato’s time, but was changed to [v] by the time the Gospels were written. Now, to the modern Greek ear, [v] is a soft sound (a “fricative” in linguistics), sort of smooth and gentle, while [b] is a hard one (a “plosive”), kind of rough and crass. The same can be said about the letter delta, which was pronounced as [d] by Plato, and as [ð] (as in this) since around Christ’s time; and the letter gamma ([g] in Classic Greek, [γ] later the latter sound is a “voiced velar fricative”; click here to see the full repertoire of Modern Greek sounds). Greek readers of this text who do not believe that Plato, Socrates, etc., were sounding so barbaric, may take a clue from this very word: “barbaros” was coined after somebody who, as a non-native speaker of Greek would produce incomprehensible speech, which sounded like... well, what? Could it be “var-var-var”? Wouldn’t it sound more barbaric if it were like “bar-bar-bar”? Besides this word, direct evidence for beta comes from a fragment of Attic comedy where it is said that the voice of the sheep is BH-BH. (4) In Modern Greek this would read as “vi-vi”, rather un-sheepish-like; while in the reconstructed way it would be “beeh-beeh”, exactly the sound that we, contemporary Greeks, attribute to the animal. (If the reader would like to make a comment on the above issues, email to me , and let me know what you think; but please make sure to have first read the links that say “Evidence” on the rightmost column of the table, below.) However, the truth is when non-Greek scholars attempt to pronounce Classic Greek in the reconstructed way, they think they pronounce accurately. To me, American scholars sound distinctly American (like Platos with spurs and cowboy hats), Germans sound German, etc. Probably nobody can reproduce exactly the Classic Greek pronunciation: we might know the rules of the reconstructed system, but when it comes to moving our jaws, tongue, and lips, something different comes out of our mouths. As native speakers of this or that language we necessarily carry over our native phonology. Finally, let it be noted that Classic Greek used pitch to differentiate vowels in words, while nearly all modern European languages (including Modern Greek) use stress instead. (5) The Alphabet (Click on the speaker icon, next to the letter name, to hear the pronunciation in Modern Greek)   1 Alpha [a], as in “father”.     Same as [a] in Spanish and Italian. Phonetically, this     sound is: open, central, and unrounded. As in Modern Greek 2 Beta [v], as in “vet”; a voiced     labiodental fricative. [b], as in “bet”; a     voiced bilabial plosive. Evidence 3 Gamma [γ], a sound that does not exist in English. If     followed by the sound [u] then it sounds almost like the     initial


Most of Patagonia lies within which country?

What is Patagonia? (with pictures) What is Patagonia? Last Modified Date: 29 December 2016 Copyright Protected: Top 10 facts about the world Patagonia is a large geographic region making up the southernmost third (approximately) of the continent of South America. The word comes from patagon, a term used by Magellan to describe the natives of the area. Its etymology is uncertain, although it may refer to big feet. In the 1520s, Magellan started a myth that lasted for centuries, that Patagonia was occupied by native giants. In reality, the "giants" were just the Tehuelches and Aonikenk tribes, with an average height of 1.80 m (~5'11"), in comparison to the visiting Spaniards, with an average height of 1.55 m (~5'1") at the time. The Patagonian giant myth was not widely debunked until the end of the 18th century. Patagonia lies within the modern countries of Chile and Argentina. It primarily consists of vast steppe-like plains, marked by abrupt terraces differing by about 100 m (330 ft) in elevation. The majority of Patagonia is cold and wind-swept, covered by gravel. In the western portion of Patagonia, ascending into the Andes mountain range, the foliage becomes more luxuriant, and animal populations increase. The southern portion of Patagonia is quite cold, and features the largest ice fields in the Southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica. Patagonia's terrain was shaped by tens of thousands of years of alternating glacial cycles. When the world temperature drops and the planet enters an Ice Age , large glaciers cover Patagonia, snuffing out all life and sculpting the landscape with rough scraping action. This glacial shaping is responsible for the endless quantities of gravel covering Patagonia. It also causes the fjord -dotted landscape on the south and southwest coasts of Patagonia, similar to the terrain observed in Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Siberia, and northern Canada. Patagonia is covered with small pools and lakes formed by ancient glacial runoff. Today, Patagonia is one of the most sparsely populated regions in South America, containing a population of approximately 1,740,000 (2001 census) within a 900,000 km2 (350,000 mi2) area. The economy is based on mining, whaling, agriculture (sheep in the south, wheat and fruit in the north), oil, and some tourism. People from around the world travel here for excellent fishing, as well as beautiful views of unspoilt land. The most popular tourist destinations are the Perito Moreno glacier, the Valdés Peninsula, Torres del Paine national park, the Argentine Lake District and Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. Ad


Who led the Palestinian Liberation Organization from 1969-2004?

History & Overview: PLO | Jewish Virtual Library Tweet The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is            undoubtedly one of the most infamous terrorist organizations around the            world. Created in 1964 during the Arab League Summit in Cairo, the PLO's originally-stated goal was the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle while seeking to destroy the existence of Zionism in the Middle East. It                   was not long before that the group splintered into various factions,                   all of whom believed they knew the best way to achieve liberation for the Palestinians. The most notable of these groups were the Popular                    Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Popular                     Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), Popular                      Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC),                   and the Fatah . While each                   of these factions were independetly controlled, they all remained more-or-less under the umbrella of the PLO . By 1967, the PLO had decided that their primary goal                   was the destruction of the State of Israel . Over the next ten years,                   this goal was the primary focus of the massive terrorist campaign by                   which their reputation was formed. This terror war caused hundreds of                   casualties, on both sides, with very little to show in return for the Palestinian cause.                   Therefore, in PLO the PLO made a conscious decision to alter its                   focus from based purely on terrorism to one that would include the diplomatic and political                   elements necessary for meaningful dialogue. The PLO's partial-reversal in ideology created                   unhappiness among many of its followers who felt that the organization was not finding its mark. This led to the                   creation of yet another splinter group called the Rejectionist Front.                   It was at this time that Yasser                    Arafat and his group, Fatah , took                   over the leadership of the PLO. Things began to change quickly when the PLO gained international recognition from the United                   Nations as the primary representative of the Palestinian people. Arafat                   deftly manipulated the organization from one perceived by the West as barbaric into one  considered a                   freedom movement with legitimate claims. Israel, perhaps sensing the growing                   sympathy, redoubled its efforts to eliminate the Palestinian threat. In 1982, the Israel Defense Forces launched the First Lebanon War , sweeping into Beirut and forcing the PLO to flee from its bastion. In a                   decision that radical Palestinians resented, Arafat agreed to come to                   the bargaining table to discuss peace with Israeli leaders. Little came of these talks, and soon after dissension within the ranks of the                   PLO became more pronounced and some of the moderate leaders were                   assassinated. Perhaps in an attempt to reconcile with these                   dissenters, Arafat decided to provide support for the hijacking                   of a major cruise ship. The ship that was select was the Achille Lauro                   and what would happen next would do more damage to the reputation of                   the PLO