What is the name for water that has been blessed by a priest?

This Just In: Holy Water Can Kill! This Just In: Holy Water Can Kill! Gail Finke In a piece that showed blissful, if not invincible, ignorance of Catholic practices in the United States and around the world, Good Morning America reported Saturday that drinking holy water from containers or water from miraculous springs can kill. “We need to warn people against drinking from these sources,” Dr. Alexander Kirschner of the Medical University of Vienna, told ABC News. Kirschner is the author of “Holy Springs and Holy Water: Underestimated Sources of Illness?” a report in the Journal of Water and Health, which makes the odd claim that holy water is “used extensively for personal drinking water.” The report finds that common bacteria that cause illness are often found in holy water, as are nitrates (chemicals used in fertilizers and commonly found in runoff from farms). ABC News says that “if ingested, water containing nitrates over the maximum contaminant level could cause serious illness, especially in infants younger than six  months, which could lead to death if untreated, according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.” ABC’s reporter, Liz Fields, did not say why she thought infants might be drinking holy water in the first place, much less why it might contain nitrates over the maximum contaminant level. The report also found, unsurprisingly, that holy water stoups in hospitals have more bacteria than those in churches, and is thus more unsafe to drink. “This may represent a problem that has hitherto been underestimated, especially in hospitals, since there a lot of people with weakened immune systems there,” Kirschner told ABC. Although Kirschner’s report suggested that sprinkling people with holy water or touching holy water to one’s lips might lead to an increase in infections, and that holy springs should be tested to see if they meet drinking water standards, it did not warn of the danger of death (even for infants). That was a health tip from ABC. For the record: Holy water is water that has been blessed by a priest. The blessing includes adding salt, but neither the blessing nor the salt purify the water chemically. Water from holy or miraculous springs is not itself holy, and is no different from water from any other springs in terms of bacterial or mineral content.   Gail D. Finke is an author and mother living in Cincinnati, where she writes for The Catholic Beat at Sacred Heart Radio. Subscribe to CE I will immediately stop drinking holy water. Thanks ABC. Deacon Don Bourgeois Correction: For the record: Holy water is water that has been blessed by a priest or deacon. JimmyChonga Holy water need NOT include “salt”. I also don’t think that springs emanating from a divine source are in the exact same class as “holy” water which has been blessed by a Catholic clergy member. Yes, the water from Lourdes is holy and there have been and will continue to be many miraculous healings from such springs but those have been “revealed” by divine gift through the intercession and loving care of the BVM. Sebastian My understanding about holy water is that it is used for baptism and blessing of houses and individuals. It is not meant for drinking. However, the holy water from a divine source such as the spring in Lourdes is safe for drinking. I was in Lourdes last month. Three family members and myself together with thousands of pilgrims from all over the world drank literally gallons of the Lourdes holy water. I can testify that my family members and I are well and suffer not a hint of any ill-effects. I am certain that thousands of other pilgrims will also testify to the same. Mooknino Let’s bash the Catholic Church again. What about the millions who drink from the River Ganges? Contaminated, caustic, poisonous yet no one seems to care. Most Catholics do not drink holy water. We use it to remind ourselves of our baptism. We did not see how much we can drink at baptism. If the water used for the holy water is contaminated we can be prudent in our use of it. Yet again what is not contaminated today? Beef? Vegetables?


Who was born on the island of Corsica, exiled to the island of Elba, and died on the island of St. Helena?

This Week in History: Napoleon I born in Corsica in 1769 – World Book INK worldbookblog 1 Comment   Napoleon I , also known as Napoleon Bonaparte, was born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica  on Aug. 15, 1769. Then, as now, Corsica was a part of France . As a youth, Napoleon’s well-to-do parents sent him to a military school in France. In October 1785, he graduated from the elite military academy École Militaire in Paris , completing a two-year course in just one year. At age 16, he entered the French army as a second lieutenant. Napoleon’s skill, intelligence, and bravery earned him fast promotion. Napoleon returned to Corsica after the outbreak of the French Revolution (1789-1799). There, he joined the Jacobins , a radical group loosely dedicated to installing democracy in France. In early 1793, Napoleon rejoined the French army. In June, the Jacobins took control of the French government. By the end of the year, 24-year-old Napoleon was a brigadier general. At that time, France was at war with several European nations. Napoleon gained fame, and considerable power, for leading his troops to a number of key victories. In November 1799, Napoleon—seeing an opportunity amidst a weak, chaotic French government—seized power in a bold coup d’état. Napoleon became first consul—the head of a three-member Consulate. In 1801 and 1802, treaties with Austria  and the United Kingdom brought peace to Europe for the first time in 10 years. However, the peace did not last long, as fighting resumed in 1803. In 1804, Napoleon established the Code Civil, a law code that still forms the basis of French civil law. Later that year, he crowned himself emperor, and the civil laws became known as the Code Napoleon . From 1805 to 1809, Napoleon won a string of victories over the armies of Austria, Prussia , and Russia . The laundry list of victories gave names to now-famous Parisian avenues, boulevards, and train stations: Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena, Auerstadt, Friedland, and Wagram. After each victory, Napoleon enlarged his empire, adding parts of modern-day Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovenia. Napoleon had reached his peak. In 1808, fierce fighting erupted in Spain . The Peninsular War, a grinding, bloody conflict, pitted French forces against the combined forces of the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Spain—recently a French ally. The war dragged on until 1813, costing hundreds of thousands of lives and ending in a bitter French defeat. In 1812, Napoleon led 600,000 troops in an invasion of Russia. That September, Napoleon’s army won a gruesome battle over the Russians at Borodino, and it occupied Moscow . The Russians refused to surrender, however. Lacking shelter and supplies to survive the harsh Russian winter, Napoleon’s army was forced to retreat. Starvation, cold, and Russian raids combined to decimate the French army as it pulled back. Just 100,00 returned to France. The Spanish and Russian campaigns had greatly reduced the numbers of the French army, yet Napoleon soldiered on. His troops fought a number of battles in Germany in 1813 before finally falling back to France, exhausted. By March 1814, the French army was so reduced it could not protect Paris, and the city fell to an alliance of enemies. Napoleon was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba, and France relinquished most of its empire. Undaunted, Napoleon escaped from exile and rallied yet another army in France, returning to power in March 1815. His longtime enemies—Austria, Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom—grimly gathered forces again, determined to end the fighting once and for all. On June 18, 1815, the French and British armies clashed on the now famous field of Waterloo , a boggy stretch of ground south of Brussels . The fighting was intense and bloody. Late in the day, just as the French neared victory, thousands of Prussian troops arrived. The French army, exhausted and now badly outnumbered, collapsed. Napoleon retreated to Paris, where he gave up power for the final time on June 22. He was exiled again, this time


Garlic Aioli Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Food Network Cranberry Sauce Recipes 3.7 31 To everyone who says olive oil gets "bruised in a food processor" or  oil molecules are "stripped of their ingredients"... you clearly don't know what you are talking about.  Oils can be oxidized by heat and air... but you cannot bruise oil and you cannot strip its "ingredients".

Sounds more like you don't like the stronger taste of straight olive oil.  If you use a whisk to make aioli and use 100% of a good olive oil, it will have an equally strong taste to the food processor method.  I.E., it will taste like... olive oil

If you don't like the consistency of the recipe, you might have added the oil too quickly or the white was too much water to emulsify.  I don't use whole egg... just the yolk.

The salt content is too high, it should be between 1/8 and 1/4 tsp for this small volume.  Authentic aioli does not have eggs or lemon.  This is mayonnaise.  Magical Mystery Chef 2015-06-08T23:14:38Z item not reviewed by moderator and published Tried this and got a very runny, very garlicky sauce.  Andy D. 2015-04-04T22:27:27Z item not reviewed by moderator and published It is ALWAYS a bad idea to use olive oil in a food processor. The power of the processor strips the oil molecules of some of their ingredients and results in a slightly metallic and bitter taste. The recipe is fine but use grapeseed oil or sunflower seed oil and add some olive oil hand beaten in at the end to add the olive oil flavour. Mike Open 2014-11-13T12:00:07Z item not reviewed by moderator and published I love Emeril, and usually love his recipes, but this was just off. The consistency came out perfectly, but it was way too salty for me. And I used 3 very tiny cloves of garlic (like the small slivers of cloves that are on the very inside of the whole garlic cluster) and wow, holy garlic. On a sandwich the salt and garlic weren't overbearing, but I would definitely change the amounts if I were to make this again. Guest 2014-10-01T01:46:42Z item not reviewed by moderator and published Too much raw garlic, and I only added 2 cloves. Additionally, from Seamus Mullen's amazing spanish cook book, he explains that if making Aioli in a food processor or blender, you must use a 1:1 ratio of olive oil to canola, grape seed, or safflower oil. Otherwise the blade will "bruise" the delicate olive oil and turn it bitter. And thats exactly how this recipe tastes--bitter.  For a pure olive oil emulsion, you have to go 15th century method--a mortar and pestle. Ill be trying this next! Alaxandra Gealy 2014-08-29T00:30:23Z item not reviewed by moderator and published Adjust garlic to your tastes; I added fresh dill and served with fish. Add the oil slowly. Jeff A. 2014-07-06T00:34:29Z item not reviewed by moderator and published Added just a bit more garlic- perfect. Erin McKay 2014-04-29T03:41:54Z item not reviewed by moderator and published It's good, we put in some mayo and 1 TBSP dijon too. I don't really like the raw egg flavor, but overall we'll be making it again. It'd be good as an artichoke dip. Stephen Moss 2013-12-01T03:35:21Z item not reviewed by moderator and published I actually found it easier to do this with an immersion blender. The emulsion worked perfectly when I did. I forgot to include the parsley but I did add in 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard for an extra kick. The Omnivore 2013-03-03T14:51:49Z item not reviewed by moderator and published The hard part of making this recipe is that you must create an emulsion. To do so you must add the oil very, very slowly. A food processor or blender will require a different rate of pour but either will work. Moisture can ruin an emulsion so be sure to make this in a dry machine. The egg (optional makes it less likely that the emulsion will separate, if the oil is poured too quickly. For a fluffier aioli you may substitute canola oil for all or some of the olive oil. A similar sauce called Toom is typically made with canola oil and similar ingredients. Guest 2012-11-13T09:08:03Z item not review


"What war was the subject of ""The Iliad""?"

Homer’s ILIAD – World Literature – Medium Homer’s ILIAD Rage and war are the topics of Homer’s first great epic poem. The Iliad (a song about Ilium, or Troy) along with its companion epic the Odyssey form the foundation of ancient Greek culture and address the extremes of human experience through war and peace. Both epics are primary, or oral, epics that draw on an enormous wealth of cultural stories in unified structures that we attribute to the poet Homer, in eighth century B.C.E. The epics are written in an unsentimental style: the Iliad depicts the ambivalence of war in meticulously accurate details. Both the nightmare of war and its excitement find expression in the Iliad, just as the Odyssey’s pages quest for a home, or a peace that seems hard-won after the devastation of war. “The Fury of Achilles,” Charles-Antoine Coypel (1737) The subject of the Iliad is the rage of Achilles and the consequences of that rage for both the Achaeans and the Trojans. War effects not only the men who fight the battles, but also the women and children whose lives are then shaped by its outcome. War represents the worst and, ironically, the best of humanity: ugly brutality and terrible beauty. If you doubt this, look at the place violence holds in our culture; films like The Matrix even show violence as poetic: a graceful dance of destruction that thrills the audience like little else. We both pity with Hector and sympathize with Achilles; neither side of the war holds all of our sentiments. The final outcome of the war, then, becomes truly tragic: only one culture can continue while the other is destroyed or enslaved. The Iliad’s participants are the nobility of both cultures, or the aristoi: “the best people.” They are the hereditary holders of wealth and power, and their decisions effect all of the culture. For example, Agamemnon’s decision to infuriate Achilles at the outset of the Iliad has lasting effects on the Greek warriors during the last weeks of the Trojan War. Like most epics , of which the Iliad is really the definitive example, the action begins in medias res, a few weeks before the end of a ten-year campaign, with all of the epic’s traditional accouterments. The Iliad poses questions, as will the Odyssey, about the nature of political order and what humans must do to maintain that vision and structure. The initial contention in the Iliad is between the Greek champion Achilles and the Greek commander Agamemnon. Who has the stronger claim to right: Agamemnon who has the hereditary position, or Achilles, the one with merit? Ultimately does it matter? When swords are drawn, reason becomes irrelevant. “The Quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon,” Giovanni Battista Gaulli The Iliad is replete with the culture of men. Indeed, one may argue that all wars since the beginning of time are about men and what they want to control: state, wealth, women. What will men do to maintain their view of order and structure? What are the consequences of the resulting pride, arrogance, destruction? In book one of the Iliad, we discover that because of Agamemnon’s refusal to relinquish Chryseis, Apollo has rained a plague upon the Achaean forces. Because he is eventually challenged by Achilles — who represents the wishes of the rest of the men — Agamemnon decides to claim Achilles’ prize (a girl named Briseis) to reassert his authority and put Achilles in his place for his challenge. Achilles shows cunning and restraint — qualities that are usually associated with Odysseus — in his argument with Agamemnon, while the latter rages and rails like a wounded child. Yet, when Agamemnon’s men take Briseis, Achilles, also child-like, begins to pout by his ships, cries to his mother, and refuses to play the war game anymore. This final decision precipitates the death of many Achaeans, including Achilles’ friend Patroclus. Achilles’ resulting rage ends with the death of Hector in book twenty-two, and Achilles’ own apocryphal death under the bow of Paris before the war’s end. The brutality of Achilles and its consequences are most evident in Book XXII of


What would one do at Pebble Beach or Saint Andrews?

18 Holes For Two at Pebble Beach or St Andrews with Beers! - National Deal 18 Holes For Two at Pebble Beach or St Andrews with Beers! Normal price $149, This offer $39.   Share this Deal Ended Deal Details Experience Gold Coast newest Indoor Golf Centre.Enjoy 18 holes for 2 at Pebble Beach, St.Andrews or US Masters in a state of the art Simulator at Slice Virtual Golf, Surfers Paradise. Includes a beer each per person! Normally $149, Today just $39! 4 Player option for $59 also available click buy now! You Receive 18 holes for 2 at one of 17 Top Courses on a State-of-the-Art indoor simulator. Includes a Sol beer each per person. Bring your own clubs or clubs provided. Located in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Bookings available 7 days. Deal Terms Please carefully read the following Terms and Conditions for this Deal Each voucher is for 2 player 18 holes of Golf at Pebble Beach, St Andrews, US Masters any of the other world class courses on an indoor simulator at Slice Virtual Golf. Includes a Sol beer each per person. Bring your own clubs or clubs provided. Limit of 1 vouchers per person. Bookings available 7 days. To book ph (07) 5539 9115. State Voucher and Security Code at time of booking. Present printed on arrival. All Deals are also subject to our standard terms and conditions 0 - Comments Login to leave a comment Pending Approval Company Details Slice Virtual Golf Day and night, rain, hail or shine, golfers can play real golf with real balls in air conditioned comfort, using their own clubs or selecting from our range of the latest Callaway club sets. Our fully licensed bar stocks a wide range of beverages for every taste. Our in house chef serves an exciting range of gourmet pizza’s including a monster 1m x 30cm pizza. Have you ever dreamed of playing a round of golf on a world famous course such as Augusta, Pebble Beach or St Andrew’s? Our simulators have 110 of the world’s most famous courses and their accuracy and realism is unrivalled!


"What historical person is famous for saying ""We are not amused"", but may have never said it?"

Victoria of the United Kingdom - Wikiquote Victoria of the United Kingdom From Wikiquote Jump to: navigation , search Since it has pleased Providence to place me in this station, I shall do my utmost to fulfil my duty towards my country Victoria of the United Kingdom (Alexandrina Victoria Wettin, née Hanover) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1876 until her death. Her reign lasted more than sixty-three years, second only to that of reigning monarch Elizabeth II . The reign of Victoria was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire and is called the Victorian Era. Victoria was the last monarch of the House of Hanover; her successor belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. This political figure article is a stub . You can help Wikiquote by expanding it . Contents Quotes[ edit ] Since it has pleased Providence to place me in this station, I shall do my utmost to fulfil my duty towards my country; I am very young and perhaps in many, though not in all things, inexperienced, but I am sure that very few have more real good will and more real desire to do what is fit and right than I have. Extract from the Queen's Journal, Tuesday, 20th June 1837. Affairs go on, and all will take some shape or other, but it keeps one in hot water all the time. Letter to King of the Belgians, Nuneham, 15th June, 1841 (Note: Nuneham was the house of Edward Vernon Harcourt, Archbishop of York). All marriage is such a lottery -- the happiness is always an exchange -- though it may be a very happy one -- still the poor woman is bodily and morally the husband's slave. That always sticks in my throat. When I think of a merry, happy, and free young girl -- and look at the ailing aching state a young wife is generally doomed to -- which you can't deny is the penalty of marriage. Letter (16 May 1860), published in Dearest Child: Letters Between Queen Victoria and the Princess Royal Previously Unpublished edited by Roger Fulfold (1964), p. 254. Also quoted in the article "Queen Victoria's Not So Victorian Writings" by Heather Palmer (1997). I am most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of "Women's Rights," with all its attendant horrors... Were women to "unsex" themselves by claiming equality with men, they would become the most hateful, heathen, and disgusting of beings and would surely perish without male protection. In an 1870 letter, quoted for example in All For Love: Seven Centuries of Illicit Liaison by Val Horsler (2006), p. 104 . At the bottom of this page , it is mentioned that the comment was written in a letter to Sir Theodore Martin in reaction to news "that Viscountess Amberley had become president of the Bristol and West of England Women's Suffrage Society and had addressed a ... public meeting on the subject." The author of the page, Helena Wojtczak, says here that while other sources often fail to give the context, she "researched and discovered the source of the quote". It seems to me a defect in our much famed Constitution, to have to part with an admirable Govt like Ld Salisbury's for no question of any importance or any particular reason, merely on account of the number of votes. Comment made after Salisbury lost power to Gladstone in 1892, quoted in Queen Victoria: A Biographical Companion by Helen Rappaport (2003), p. 331 . We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist. December 1899 letter to Arthur Balfour during the "Black Week" of the Boer War, as quoted in The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations (1993), p. 539 . According to Lady Gwendolen Cecil , it was a verbal statement to Mr. Balfour in Windsor Palace, as recorded in her biography of her Father, Life of Robert, marquis of Salisbury, volume 3 (1921), p. 191 Disputed[ edit ] We are not amused. This quotation is attributed to Victoria, with varying stories. In Caroline Holland's Notebooks of a Spinster Lady, published in 1919, the story is put without clear details: "Her remarks can freeze as well as crystallise.


What personality disorder is characterized by destructive excitement seeking and a lack of empathy?

Antisocial Personality Disorder Symptoms | Psych Central Home » Disorders » Personality » Antisocial Personality Disorder Symptoms Antisocial Personality Disorder Symptoms By Steve Bressert, Ph.D. ~ 4 min read Antisocial personality disorder is a disorder that is characterized by a long-standing pattern of disregard for other people’s rights, often crossing the line and violating those rights. A person with antisocial personality disorder (APD) often feels little or no empathy toward other people, and doesn’t see the problem in bending or breaking the law for their own needs or wants. The disorder usually begins in childhood or as a teen and continues into a person’s adult life. Antisocial personality disorder is often referred to as psychopathy or sociopathy in popular culture. However, neither psychopathy nor sociopathy are recognized professional labels used for diagnosis. Individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder frequently lack empathy and tend to be callous, cynical, and contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others. They may have an inflated and arrogant self-appraisal (e.g., feel that ordinary work is beneath them or lack a realistic concern about their current problems or their future) and may be excessively opinionated, self-assured, or cocky. They may display a glib, superficial charm and can be quite voluble and verbally facile (e.g., using technical terms or jargon that might impress someone who is unfamiliar with the topic). Lack of empathy, inflated self-appraisal, and superficial charm are features that have been commonly included in traditional conceptions of psychopathy and may be particularly distinguishing of Antisocial Personality Disorder in prison or forensic settings where criminal, delinquent, or aggressive acts are likely to be nonspecific. These individuals may also be irresponsible and exploitative in their sexual relationships. A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates from the norm of the individual’s culture. The pattern is seen in two or more of the following areas: cognition; affect; interpersonal functioning; or impulse control. The enduring pattern is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations. It typically leads to significant distress or impairment in social, work or other areas of functioning. The pattern is stable and of long duration, and its onset can be traced back to early adulthood or adolescence. Symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder Antisocial personality disorder is diagnosed when a person’s pattern of antisocial behavior has occurred since age 15 (although only adults 18 years or older can be diagnosed with this disorder) and consists of the majority of these symptoms: Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying , use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults Reckless disregard for safety of self or others Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another There should also be evidence of Conduct Disorder in the individual as a child, whether or not it was ever formally diagnosed by a professional. Because personality disorders describe long-standing and enduring patterns of behavior, they are most often diagnosed in adulthood. It is uncommon for them to be diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, because a child or teen is under constant development, personality changes and maturation. According to the DSM-5, antisocial personality disorder cannot be diagnosed in people younger than 18 years old. Antisocial personality disorder is 70 percent more prevalent in males than females. Accordin


"What delta do ""Delta Blues"" come from?"

Delta Blues Music .  Fatal Flood    . WGBH American Experience  | PBS Other Primary Resources The Mississippi Delta is famous for more than floods; it's the birthplace of uniquely American music. As the flood waters rose, many blues artists were inspired to write songs about the disaster and describe the  experience of being in a flood . Mai Cramer, who has hosted her "Blues After Hours" radio show for over two decades, and Prof. David Evans, an ethnomusicologist at the University of Memphis, explain some of the history behind blues music, especially the stripped-down, raw style of music called Delta blues. Mai Cramer Blues is very visceral. For the most part it's narrative. It tells a story out of people's lives. Compared to other types of music, it's very authentic -- there aren't a lot of frills. What we usually think of as Delta blues is one person with a guitar, typically a slide guitar, and that real raw kind of singing. Delta blues grew up into modern Chicago blues. If you listen to Muddy Waters, for example, he's basically singing Delta blues that are citified and electrified. Delta blues is the foundation for that. When we listen to blues music of the 1920s, it's like looking through a window at the experience people are having at the time. Typically, blues artists write out of their own experience. A lot of blues is about men and women, and relationships. Blues was sung at rent parties, where you'd play music and pass the hat to pay your rent. Or they'd be in shacks behind the fields, "juke joints" where people would drink, dance, and hear music. It's the music you'd play when you were relaxing or partying. Initially it was black music played by black people for black people. Only a few early performers, like Bessie Smith, who sold a lot of records, sold to white people. The blues were mostly only in the black community until large numbers of whites discovered the music in the 1950s and especially in the 1960s. We always think of blues as being intense, as having an emotional intensity. Floods are natural disasters that overwhelm you the way emotions can overwhelm you, and so the flood is an important image for the blues, a metaphor for an experience that's too much, that's just impossible to handle. Two artists who are still alive today have connections to the very earliest Delta blues. They're in their 80s. These two artists are not the only ones who play Delta blues, but they're among the last who were there when it started. Robert Junior Lockwood was up for a Grammy this year with traditional Delta blues, and he's a link to the Delta because his mother had a relationship with Robert Johnson, who was known as the King of the Delta Blues. Robert Junior learned from Robert Johnson. David "Honey Boy" Edwards is also still alive, and he's another important musician. He lived the life of an itinerant blues singer and wrote about it in his autobiography, The World Don't Owe Me Nothing. A lot of Delta blues appears on the Yazoo label. David Evans Most blues songs are about personal experiences and personal feelings and they tend to concentrate on themes of man-woman relationships and the related emotions -- the whole range of emotions, happy and sad. Travel is another theme. Movement. Work and other social conditions. Social problems. Luck. Magic. More or less, the ups and downs of daily life. There are some that deal with themes of broader interest: current events, political events, commentary, and so on. These are still often tied to personal reactions and personal feelings. The flood was both a public event, a news story, and something that hundreds of thousands of African Americans experienced directly. The Delta itself has throughout blues history been a stronghold of blues music. It was very intensely developed there, stylistically and creatively. It has been central to African American cultural life in the Delta, particularly in the first half of the 20th century. It's characterized stylistically by a very intense type of performance, a minimalist style that squeezes the maximum feeling and emotion o


What country was occupied by Spain, the United States, and Japan before becoming independent?

COLONIALISM AND NATIONALISM� IN SOUTHEAST ASIA COLONIALISM AND NATIONALISM  IN SOUTHEAST ASIA Rey Ty    Introduction The major colonizers of Southeast Asia were Europeans, Japanese and the U.S. All in all, there were seven colonial powers in Southeast Asia: Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, the United States, and Japan.  From the 1500s to the mid-1940s, colonialism was imposed over Southeast Asia.  For hundreds of years, Southeast Asian kingdoms had been engaged in international commercial relations with traders from East Asia (China), South Asia (India), and West Asia (the ï¿½Middle Eastï¿½).  Asian sojourners also brought religion, customs, traditions, and court practices to the region. Hence, their relationship was economic and cultural at the same time. Moreover, local Southeast Asian rulers used and indigenized practices of kingship institutions from South Asia (rajadharma) and West Asia (sultanate). European travelers did not only have economic relations with Southeast Asians but also imposed their politicalï¿½and in some cases, culturalï¿½domination over Southeast Asian peoples and territories. Hence, European colonialism covered a large chunk of Southeast Asian history.  Aside from European colonials, Japanese and U.S. colonials controlled much of Southeast Asia. Japanese aggression took place during the ï¿½Pacific Warï¿½ of World War II. The Japanese occupied much of Asia, including Southeast Asia.  The U.S. colonized the Philippines in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898.  Southeast Asian response to colonialism was both collaboration and nationalism in all its forms. Historical Background Indigenous peoples practicing animism have lived in Southeast Asia (SEA) since historical times.  Later, people from China moved southward to reach SEA (Barton 26).  As early as 300 BC, the age of bronze and iron had passed from China into SEA (Fodor 64). The Chinese under the Sung Dynasty by the 12th century had become involved more and more in international trade, including with SEA (Fodor 67). Hence, there were Chinese and Indian migrants who have reached and lived in SEA for a long time now.  The Chinese and Indian civilizations have greatly impacted SEA societies.  Many parts of SEA have been indianized from 500BC to 1000 AD (Barton 47).   South and Southwest Asians used the monsoon seasonal-reversal wind route from Arabia and India to travel to Southeast Asia (Barton 46). SEA is home to several ancient civilizations, including the Angkor and the Sri Vijaya kingdoms.  At about 1300, there were two major kingdoms: the Sukhotai in Mainland SEA and the Majapahit empire in insular SEA.  During the 12th to the 14th centuries, there was an active spice trade in the region (Fodor 67-8).   Hence, Southeast Asia was exposed to different civilizations, cultures and religions for thousands of years now: animism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism and Islam. Culture, trade, religion, and monarchy played a role in the state formation of SEAsian countries.  COLONIALISM Colonialism is alien or foreign political rule or control imposed on a people. Colonialism can take many forms: it can be political, legal, economic, cultural and social. A political, economic and cultural policy and practice by which several foreign states explored, conquered, settled, exploited, maintained and extended their control over large areas of foreign lands and its people who ceased to control their own territories, resources and national destiny.  The age of colonialism began about 1500, following the European discoveries of a sea route around Africa's southern coast (1488) and of America (1492).   LEGACY OF COLONIALISM European, American, and Asian powers colonized SEA.  The major European colonizers in SEA included Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Britain, and France.  The American power was the U.S.A.  Europeans introduced Protestantism and Roman Catholicism to SEA.  During World War II, Japan was the only major Asian country that colonized SEA. MOTIVES There ar


What aquatic flower is sacred to Buddhism and Hinduism?

God's Favorite Flower - Magazine Web Edition > July 1999 - Publications - Hinduism Today Magazine INSIGHT God's Favorite Flower The world's most beautiful flower is also the most sacred, and it seems there never was a time when Hindus did not adore the lotus Both in worship and in portrayals of the divine, hindus are infatuated with flowers. The very name of the Hindu worship ritual, puja, can be translated as "flower act." Elaborate and simple garlands, fragrant whole flowers and piles of petals daily rain over Deities in temple, home and village shrines wherever Hindus worship. Though any available flower is auspicious for puja, Gods and Goddesses are said to have specific likes and dislikes of certain species. Of all the myriad buds and blooms, the most revered and esteemed--by God and man--is the magnificent lotus. Our tribute to this blessed blossom is given by Anil K. Goel of the National Botanical Research Foundation, Lucknow, India.. By Anil K. Goel, Lucknow The sacred lotus, known botanically as nelumbo nucifera (literally "nut-bearing aquatic"), comprises the most important and attractive wetland plant species in India. Occuring widely in temperate, sub-temperate, tropical and sub-tropical regions ranging from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the flower has become a symbol of India itself--the leaves representing the flourishing of surrounding cultures, religions and countries. The plant exhibits enormous phenotypic diversity, with numerous racial variants in different shapes, sizes and common shades of pink and white flowers having 16?160 petals. A pond of mature lotus is a stunning sight. Quite unlike water lilies, whose leaves rest on the water's surface, lotus leaves rise above the water on stems from 1 to 8 feet tall. And the flowers, 4 to 10 inches in diameter, usually rise above the leaves. The lotus is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. According to Hinduism, within each human inhabiting the earth is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth and to describe feminine beauty, especially the eyes. One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the lotus' perennial rise to faultless beauty from a miry environment to the evolution of man's consciousness--from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation. In the Bhagavad Gita, man is adjured to be like the lotus--he should work without attachment, dedicating his actions to God--untouched by sin like water on a lotus leaf and the beautiful flower standing high above the mud and water. In the postures of hatha yoga, the lotus position, padmasana, is adopted by those striving to reach the highest level of consciousness, which itself is found in the thousand-petalled lotus chakra at the top of the head. For Buddhists, lotus symbolizes the most exalted state of man--his head held high, pure and undefiled in the sun, his feet rooted in the world of experience. The bloom of legends: Few flowers have found such prominence in legends and symbolism as the lotus. The Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions have amassed a wealth of fascinating stories about the species. In Hinduism, the flower is said to be the center of the universe. There is a story that it arose from the navel of God Vishnu, and at the center of the flower sat Brahma. Each of the three Brahminical deities, Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Protector) and Siva (the Merger) are associated with this plant. The lotus is associated with Prajapati (Brahma) in the cosmogonic myths of the Brahmana portion of the Taittiriya Upanishad (800 bce). There are also accounts of the world born through a "Golden Lotus" and Padmakalpa, the Lotus Age in the Padmapurana (678 ce). Trilok Chandra Majupuria of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, explains in Religious and Useful Plants of Nepal and India (1989, M. Gupta, Lashkar, India), "The Taittiriya Brahmana describes how Prajapati, desiring to evolve the universe, which was then fluid, saw a lotus-leaf, pushkara parna, coming out of water. It is described


"Who sang ""My Way""? (the most famous version)"

Sinatra Song Often Strikes Deadly Chord - The New York Times The New York Times Asia Pacific |Sinatra Song Often Strikes Deadly Chord Search Continue reading the main story Photo Rodolfo Gregorio, right, at a General Santos karaoke bar. Filipinos, who pride themselves on their singing, may have a lower tolerance for bad singers. Credit Jes Aznar for The New York Times GENERAL SANTOS, the Philippines — After a day of barbering, Rodolfo Gregorio went to his neighborhood karaoke bar still smelling of talcum powder. Putting aside his glass of Red Horse Extra Strong beer, he grasped a microphone with a habitué’s self-assuredness and briefly stilled the room with the Platters’ “My Prayer.” Next, he belted out crowd-pleasers by Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. But Mr. Gregorio, 63, a witness to countless fistfights and occasional stabbings erupting from disputes over karaoke singing, did not dare choose one beloved classic: Frank Sinatra ’s version of “ My Way .” “I used to like ‘My Way,’ but after all the trouble, I stopped singing it,” he said. “You can get killed.” The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines , or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.” The killings have produced urban legends about the song and left Filipinos groping for answers. Are the killings the natural byproduct of the country’s culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song? Advertisement Continue reading the main story Whatever the reason, many karaoke bars have removed the song from their playbooks. And the country’s many Sinatra lovers, like Mr. Gregorio here in this city in the southernmost Philippines, are practicing self-censorship out of perceived self-preservation. Karaoke-related killings are not limited to the Philippines. In the past two years alone, a Malaysian man was fatally stabbed for hogging the microphone at a bar and a Thai man killed eight of his neighbors in a rage after they sang John Denver’s “ Take Me Home, Country Roads .” Karaoke-related assaults have also occurred in the United States, including at a Seattle bar where a woman punched a man for singing Coldplay’s “ Yellow ” after criticizing his version. Still, the odds of getting killed during karaoke may be higher in the Philippines, if only because of the ubiquity of the pastime. Social get-togethers invariably involve karaoke. Stand-alone karaoke machines can be found in the unlikeliest settings, including outdoors in rural areas where men can sometimes be seen singing early in the morning. And Filipinos, who pride themselves on their singing, may have a lower tolerance for bad singers. Indeed, most of the “My Way” killings have reportedly occurred after the singer sang out of tune, causing other patrons to laugh or jeer. “The trouble with ‘My Way,’ ” said Mr. Gregorio, “is that everyone knows it and everyone has an opinion.” Others, noting that other equally popular tunes have not provoked killings, point to the song itself. The lyrics, written by Paul Anka for Mr. Sinatra as an unapologetic summing up of his career, are about a tough guy who “when there was doubt,” simply “ate it up and spit it out.” Butch Albarracin, the owner of Center for Pop , a Manila-based singing school that has propelled the careers of many famous singers, was partial to what he called the “existential explanation.” Photo A karaoke machine outside a house in Pasig city, east of the capital, Manila. Credit Jes Aznar for The New York Times “ ‘I did it my way’ — it’s so arrogant,” Mr. Albarracin said. “The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer, as if you’re somebody when you’re really nobody. It covers up your failures. That’s why it leads to fights.” Defenders of “My Way” say it is a victim of its own popularity. Because it is sung more often than most songs, the thinking goes,


"What has been called ""the worst form of government, except for all the others""?"

"Democracy is the worst form of Government..." - Richard M. Langworth Richard M. Langworth “Democracy is the worst form of Government…” by Richard Langworth on 26 June 2009 The young orator, 1907. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. “It is frequently claimed that Churchill said this (or words to that effect). I have tried to locate the source of that quote, but I have not been able to trace it. Is it genuine, and if so, where and when?” —D.C., Bogotá, Colombia He said it (House of Commons, 11 November 1947)—but he was quoting an unknown predecessor. From Churchill by Himself , 574: Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.… So, although these are Churchill’s words, he clearly did not originate the famous remark about democracy. William F. Buckley, Jr. , commenting on trickery in presidential debates, reminded us of Churchill’s reflection when he wrote in June 2007: “We are made to ask what it is that political democracy gives us. The system is utilitarian. But is it a fit object of faith and hope?” Credit Churchill as publicist for an unsourced aphorism. Democracy: Churchillisms But here are some original things (included in Churchill by Himself) that Churchill did say about democracy: If I had to sum up the immediate future of democratic politics in a single word I should say “insurance.” That is the future—insurance against dangers from abroad, insurance against dangers scarcely less grave and much more near and constant which threaten us here at home in our own island. —Free Trade Hall, Manchester, 23 May 1909 At the bottom of all the tributes paid to democracy is the little man, walking into the little booth, with a little pencil, making a little cross on a little bit of paper—no amount of rhetoric or voluminous discussion can possibly diminish the overwhelming importance of that point. —House of Commons, 31 October 1944 How is that word “democracy” to be interpreted? My idea of it is that the plain, humble, common man, just the ordinary man who keeps a wife and family, who goes off to fight for his country when it is in trouble, goes to the poll at the appropriate time, and puts his cross on the ballot paper showing the candidate he wishes to be elected to Parliament—that he is the foundation of democracy. And it is also essential to this foundation that this man or woman should do this without fear, and without any form of intimidation or victimization. He marks his ballot paper in strict secrecy, and then elected representatives and together decide what government, or even in times of stress, what form of government they wish to have in their country. If that is democracy, I salute it. I espouse it. I would work for it.” —House of Commons, 8 December 1944 Share this post... Ian August 31, 2016 at 09:29 If I may… I think that the little interchange between you and Mr. Metcalf is simply a misunderstanding around the phrase “although unknown to them” in the first sentence of your scholar’s explanation. I believe Mr. Metcalf interpreted “them” to be “the founding fathers” and thought you were saying that the framers of our democracy were unaware of classic philosophy. In his defense, that is rather awkwardly worded :) I think what was meant to be said was that the *classic philosophers* were unaware of the improvements made by the US founding fathers.  The “them” in that passage refers to the philosophers whose ideas were improved upon and, being long-dead, are not able to verify that the improvements were consistent with the spirit of the original tenets. I have no idea what compelled me to weigh in here. I’ve never commented on a blog before in my life! I think I just enjoyed this page so much that it made me sad to see any disharmony :) I hope that you and Mr. Metcalf are not holding any grudges! All the best.


"Who directed the movies ""Vertigo"" and ""The Birds""?"

Vertigo Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 8:34 AM, PST NEWS 304 out of 392 people found the following review useful: A Standard Rave from Sydney, Australia 10 July 2002 Starting in 1958, Alfred Hitchcock directed a remarkable sequence of films in a row, each of them a classic; Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). Never has a director made four such genuinely great movies in such a short space of time, either before or since. The pick of this high standard bunch is undoubtedly Vertigo. From the opening titles, with their circling spiral imagery, to the dramatic final scene this is a movie that takes you to a different time and place. Specifically, to a San Francisco of the past; full of deserted parks, discrete rooming houses, oddly menacing art galleries and florists where the customers enter and exit through the back door. Through this landscape wanders Jimmy Stewart, towering in the lead roll as a former detective recently retired after a bungled arrest leaves him with chronic vertigo. Plot machinations lead him to the alluring Kim Novak (one of Hitchcock's famous "blondes"), the young wife of a friend who has started behaving rather oddly. "To reveal more," as Leonard Maltin wrote, "would be unthinkable." While the performances of Novak and Stewart are memorable, the movie is really set apart by the intelligent script and the stylistic touches provided by the director. Hitchcock is in his very best form creating hypnotic scenes and a general sense of unease and dread in even the most banal of situations. He is aided in this by the wonderful score of Bernard Herrman. A particular favourite of mine is the extended (largely silent) segment where Stewart follows Novak for the first time. Nothing much happens, but the atmosphere of these scenes is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat! One of the all-time greats. They definitely don't make them like this anymore. Was the above review useful to you? 229 out of 304 people found the following review useful: Distinctive & Unforgettable Masterpiece from Ohio 19 June 2001 One of the many things that made Hitchcock such a great director is that he did not just stick to the same formula time after time; all of his best movies have their own unique feel and characteristics. "Vertigo" is particularly distinctive, both as a complex story filled with suspense, and as a fascinating study in psychological tension. While it lacks the humor of some of Hitchcock's other masterpieces, and sometimes moves rather slowly, it is unforgettable, and a great achievement by the director and his cast. If you have never seen it, you will enjoy it more if you do not know too much about the plot, although the actual story is somewhat secondary to the ways that the characters are tested and their weaknesses exposed by the various events. Hitchcock uses a complicated story, interesting characters, lavish visual detail, and deliberate pacing, plus a fine musical score by the incomparable Bernard Hermann, to produce a mysterious, almost unearthly, atmosphere. The tension rarely lets up, and the viewer is caught up completely in it, at times almost to the point of discomfort. It's the kind of film that repays careful attention, as almost every moment is filled with significant detail. There are also some great acting performances. Jimmy Stewart is outstanding in a role far different from his usual screen persona. He enables the viewer to sympathize completely with him, even as we cringe at many of his character's actions and decisions. Kim Novak is completely convincing in a difficult dual role, and the movie would not have been as compelling without her fine performance. The rest of the cast all have much smaller roles, but are all quite good too, especially Barbara Bel Geddes as Scottie's (Stewart's) old friend, who provides important insight into Scottie's character. "Vertigo" is a classic by any standard. It's a must-see that remains just as impressive with each viewing. Was the above review useful to you? 226 out of 330 people found


In what lake did the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sink?

Sinking of the Fitzgerald The sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald - November 10, 1975 The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior 20 years ago. Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976, Moose Music, Ltd.) is a tribute to this ship wreck and the men who lost their lives. Some of the lyrics of the song are given below along with descriptions of related events. "..The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy With a load of iron ore 26,000 tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty...." On November 10, 1975 the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior. All 29 crew members died. At the time, it was the worst shipping disaster on the Great Lakes in 11 years. Other shipping disasters on the Great Lakes, in which weather played a role include: Nov. 11, 1913: eighteen ships were lost killing 254 people. Nov. 11-13, 1940: 57 men died when three freighters sank in Lake Michigan. Nov. 18 1958: 33 men died on Lake Michigan with the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley. Nov. 29, 1966: Daniel J. Morrell sank in Lake Huron killing the 28 crew members. "The ship was the pride of the American side comin' back from some mill in Wisconsin As the big freighters go it was bigger than most..." The Fitzgerald weighted 13,632 tons and was 729 feet long. In 1958, when it was first launched, it was the largest carrier on the Great Lakes, and remained so until 1971. The Fitzgerald was labeled "The Pride of the American Flag". In 1964 it became the first ship on the Great Lakes to carry more than a million tons of ore through the Soo Locks. On November 9, 1975 she departed from Superior, WI with approximately 26,000 tons of ore bound for Detroit MI. Shortly after leaving, the Fitzgerald made contact with the Arthur M. Anderson bound, on a similar route, for Gary IN. On November 8 a storm was brewing in the plains and proceeded northward towards the Great Lakes. It appeared to be a "typical November storm". "...and late that night when the ship' bell rang could it be the north wind they'd bin feelin'." On November 9 at 7 p.m. the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a gale warning for Lake Superior. In a gale, the wind speeds range from 34-40 knots. The NWS predicted east to northeasterly winds during the night, shifting to NW to N by the afternoon of November 10. At approximately 10:40 p.m. the NWS revised its forecast for eastern Lake Superior to easterly winds becoming southeasterly the morning of the 10th. At about 2:00 am November 10 the NWS upgraded the gale warning to a storm warning (winds 48-55 knots) with a prediction of "northeast winds 35 to 50 knots becoming northwesterly 28 to 38 knots on Monday, waves 8 to 15 feet". Around 2 a.m. the Captains of the Anderson and Fitzgerald discussed the threatening weather and decided to change their route. This safer route would take them northward, toward the coast of Canada. The northern route would protect them from the waves that the storm generated. Winds generate waves; the size of the wave depends on: The wind speed: The stronger the winds, the larger the force and thus the bigger the wave. The wind must also be steady - a constant wind speed. The duration of the winds: The longer the wind blows over the open water, the larger the waves.. The fetch: This is the distance of open water over which the wind blows. The larger the fetch the larger the waves. At 3 am the winds were reported as coming from the northeast at 42 knots. The Fitzgerald and Anderson proceeded together, the Fitzgerald ahead of the Anderson. They had radio contact and the Anderson's radar located the position of the Fitzgerald. At 7 am. the storm passed over Marquette MI and started across Lake Superior. "The wind in the wires made a tattle tale sound and a wave broke over the railing...." On the afternoon of November 10 a wind shift was evident. At 2:45 p.m. the winds had backed to NW and were 42 knots. Steady winds at 43 knots and waves of up to 12 and 16 feet were reported by the Anderson. At around this time the Fitzgerald co


What three notes come after Do, Re, and Mi?

Why are Notes of the Tonal Scale Called "Do, Re, Mi"? | Mental Floss Why are Notes of the Tonal Scale Called "Do, Re, Mi"? ThinkStock Like us on Facebook Solmization, or the practice of assigning syllables to the different “steps” of the scale, originated in ancient India. Fast forward a few thousand years, when Isidore, the Archbishop of Seville during the sixth century, lamented that "Unless sounds are remembered, they perish, for they cannot be written down." A Benedictine monk who was also a master of music named Guido d'Arezzo set to work to prevent so many sacred tunes from being lost.  Brother Guido was familiar with solmization, and noted that most of the Gregorian chants popular at that time could easily be learned by singers if they could see the tone progression up and down the scale, and associate it with the sound. He assigned the notes of the scale—C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C—a syllable: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do. (We know what you're thinking: Yes, it actually is SOL—it's traditionally written that way when the tonic notes are spelled out, and often referred to as the "sol-fa scale" colloquially—but that final L is hard to hear thanks to the LA that follows.) Those weren’t just random sounds he chose; they came from “Ut Queant Laxis,” a well-known hymn of the Middle Ages that was chanted for vespers. Each succeeding line of the song started one note higher than the previous one, so Guido used the first letters of each word of each line: UT queant laxis, REsonare fibris: MIre gestorum , FAmuli tuorum: SOLve, etc. “Ut” was eventually deemed too difficult pronounce and was changed to “Do.” Did the Guido method work? Well, as Rodgers and Hammerstein later put it, “When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything!”


"What does ""C'est la vie"" mean in English?"

Urban Dictionary: c'est la vie c'est la vie french expression that is rather famous in english and other languages. it means "it is the life." can also be trasnlated into english as: - "that's life" a: man! i can't believe we lost by 18 goals! b: get over it! c'est la vie! by alperthereal February 10, 2004 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). c'est la vie The best useful translation I've heard is "Such is life" - inferring, "This is just the way life is." An associated idiom, "C'est la guerre", which means "This is war", would likewise best be interpreted as "Such is war.", inferring "This is just the way war is" Person A: I hate Monday mornings. Person B: C'est la vie 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 phrase that is a way of shrugging off what can't be helped. "Oh well, what are you gonna do? Cest la vie!" (Correctly spelled "C'est la vie".) 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). c'est la vie (Idiom) Literally translated, means "It is the life". Better translations lead to "That's life" or "it's life". Basically shut up and get over it, used as a puit down. The best retort to this is "C'est la guerre", which means "This is war". *A and B find A's car being key ed by a person known to be a local trouble maker* A: Damn that bastard! I'll kill him. B: So what about your car, c'est la vie. He's just a kid anyway... A: NON! *eyes go red* C'est la guerre! B: *shits pants*


What Hollywood family has brothers named Alec, Billy, Daniel, and Stephen?

Stephen Baldwin: The Jesus Freak of Hollywood < Guest Profiles and Interviews on The 700 Club | CBN.com Actor; Has appeared in over 60 films, including Usual                Suspects, Biodome, Posse Featured on TV shows such as Fear Factor, Celebrity                Mole Host, Livin It, 30-minute evangelistic extreme sports                film (Palau Fest Productions, 2004) Married to Kennya; 2 daughters Youngest of 4 acting brothers (Alec, Daniel, and Billy) INTERVIEW Stephen Baldwin: The Jesus Freak of Hollywood By Shannon Woodland and Scott Ross The 700 Club CBN.com  Scott Ross [reporting]: Stephen Baldwin had some pretty big shoes to fill following in the steps of brothers Alec, Daniel and Billy Baldwin, but he’s done it his way.  And his way makes for an entertaining interview. Ross:  Did you buy into the lifestyle too? Stephen Baldwin:  Oh yeah.  Of course, you can’t be 21, 22, 23 living in New York City, Alec Baldwin’s little brother, making a couple 100,000 a year, and not get sucked into the fast lane. Ross [reporting]: It took a woman on a bus to slow this fast-moving guy down -- at least a little bit. Baldwin:  One day, I saw this chick. She was an absolute delight. We have been together ever since that day. Ross [reporting]: Stephen and Kenya settled into married life, and soon they were expecting their first child.  Kenya explained to Stephen that it’s customary in Brazil to hire a nanny when a baby is on the way. Since Kenya is Brazilian, that’s the way it played out. Baldwin: So, we hired this lady from Brazil named Augusta, and the whole first week she’s working for us she’s singing in Portuguese, which she only spoke that language with my wife.  She’s singing about Jesus, and my wife comes to me in a few days and asks me, “Do you hear what she’s singing about?  She’s singing about Jesus.” My wife, after a few more days, approaches her. “I noticed your singing, and I’m wondering why every song is about Jesus?”  Augusta had this very interesting reaction. She burst out laughing. My wife said, “What’s so funny?” She said, “Quite frankly, I think it’s a little bit funny that you think I’m here to clean your house.” Ross:  Isn’t this why you hired her? Baldwin:  She goes on to tell my wife that, before she had accepted the job, she prayed with her pastor and some church members in Brazil.  She was told through a prophetic word that, if she went to live with the Baldwins, then one day Kenya and Stephen would come to faith in Jesus Christ and be involved in ministry. Ross:  She told all this to your wife? Baldwin: I haven’t told this part of the story a lot. She had a dream and saw me, saw my wife and saw my first daughter Aliya.  Ross: Now, how did you guys handle hearing this little bit of information? Baldwin: Didn’t faze me for a second. Ross:  Why didn’t it faze you? Did you have any spiritual background at all? Baldwin:  Sure.  Raised Roman Catholic up until 11 or 12, didn’t stick.  Went out into the world and did my own thing.  But you have to understand at the time, I was functioning in Hollywood.  All kinds of different things, perspectives, lifestyles, perceptions, [and] to me this was just okay. This is the new kooky housekeeper. OK, what’s next? What do we do now? How about a reality show?  Ross [reporting]: Reality show?  Life at the Baldwins’ was better than that!  Kenya was the first to dive into the Bible.  She spent many hours with Augusta talking about Jesus.  One night, Kenya went with Augusta to a Brazilian church in New York City. Baldwin: She says, “Honey, sit down. I’ve got to talk to you. I’ve accepted Jesus Christ tonight as my Lord and Savior.  I’ve been baptized in water. I need you to know that, from now on, what I need to do each day to the best of my ability is to become the most obedient servant to Jesus Christ that I can.  Now, I need that to be clear, and I need you to understand. I don’t know what you’re going to do, but that’s what I’m going to do.” Then I watched her go through this r


"What company acquired the rights to the ""Star Wars"" franchise in 2012?"

Disney to buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion - Oct. 30, 2012 Disney to buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion by Stacy Cowley   @StacyCowley October 31, 2012: 5:08 AM ET Lucasfilm founder George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, is selling his company to Disney for $4 billion. The Walt Disney Company agreed Tuesday to buy Lucasfilm in a stock-and-cash deal valued at $4 billion. The deal will make Lucasfilm owner George Lucas a significant shareholder in Disney, which will pay for the film company with $2 billion cash and around 40 million shares of its stock. The takeover will give Disney ( DIS ) control of Lucasfilm's blockbuster Star Wars franchise, which encompasses both filmed productions and a massive merchandising operation. Disney will also absorb Lucasfilm's special-effects production business, Industrial Light and Magic, and its Skywalker Sound audio production studio. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers," George Lucas said in a written statement. "I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime." Lucas said he will work as a creative consultant on Star Wars Episode 7, the first of a planned new trilogy of live-action Star Wars movies. It is targeted for release in 2015, Disney said. "The film is in what I'll call early-stage development right now," Disney CEO Bob Iger said on a conference call with analysts. Lucas did not join him on the call. Disney hopes to essentially relaunch the Star Wars film franchise, which had its last installment in 2005 with Revenge of the Sith. Following the three planned sequels, the company envisions releasing even more Star Wars movies at a rate of a new film every two to three years. Future movies may not be sequels but movies that focus on fringe characters. Disney also believes there is potential for a television series. "Disney respects and understands -- perhaps better than anyone else -- the importance of iconic characters," Iger said. Disney's Lucasfilm purchase is the culmination of transition plans Lucas began forming several years ago as he "began contemplating a form of retirement," Iger said. "He and I started talking about a year and half ago but only decided pretty recently that this is something we both wanted to do." Disney executives repeatedly drew parallels between the Lucasfilm deal and the company's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment , which also cost $4 billion. Both studios operate entertainment franchises that can support a steady series of tentpole movies and fuel ancillary merchandising, theme park and other revenue streams, executives said. They also cited the past precedent of Pixar, which Disney purchased in 2006 . Apple ( AAPL ) co-founder Steve Jobs, Pixar's creator, became Disney's largest shareholder, with a stake that dwarfs Lucas' planned share. Steve Jobs' family trust now controls his nearly 8% share of the company. For sale: Disney-inspired fairy tale manor In valuing Lucasfilm, Disney focused almost entirely on the Star Wars franchise, company executives said. "We didn't ascribe any value to the Indiana Jones franchise because of the encumbrances that exist," Iger said, referring to Paramount Pictures' ongoing stake in the series it has distributed. News Corp. ( NWS ) unit 20th Century Fox has been Star Wars' distributor until now. It retains some rights to past films but has no stake in Disney's planned future installments, company executives said. Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chairman of Lucasfilm, will become president of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Lucasfilm employees will remain based at the company's San Francisco headquarters. How active will Lucas be involved in shaping future Star Wars films? Iger's answer to that question: "It's his intent to retire." That will come as a relief to some of the fans who flocked to sites like Twitter, where #DisneyStarWars quickly became a trending topic. One analyst on Disney's conference call shared their mixed emotions. "I can say, Bob, that you're riski


Rock Paper Scissors | Teachinghistory.org Rock Paper Scissors Question  Is the Rochambeau game (rock-paper-scissors) named after the French army general who served during the American Revolution? Answer  Maybe, but in a roundabout way. You will probably not be surprised to learn that this question is apparently not something that has elicited a lot of serious historical research up to now ("Where do I find historical evidence for a simple game played by children that requires no equipment?" and "Will I hurt my chances for tenure if I spend much time researching such a seemingly trivial subject?"), so I will have to go out on a limb here with my own theory, which is based only on circumstantial evidence. Because this is just my theory, I am going to have to explain how I arrived at it. Clearing Out the Undergrowth of Misinformation First, a confession: Although I began playing rock-paper-scissors when I was a child, I had never heard it called "Rochambeau" until you sent in your question. Asking around, however, I discovered that some of my colleagues, raised in various places around the country, had vaguely heard of "Rochambeau," but with some of them I was not able to figure out if they had definitely called the game of rock-paper-scissors "Rochambeau" when they were younger, or whether they had merely watched a certain South Park episode in which Eric Cartman challenged another child to play "Rochambeau," but which he explained as consisting in a kind of duel carried out by kicking each other (Google "Rochambeau" and "South Park" to find a link to the clip, but I hereby give you a "language warning" for this). Nevertheless, more Googling makes it clear that "Rochambeau," used for rock-paper-scissors, has an older and wider provenance. Mathematicians and evolutionary biologists, for example, who have recently become interested in "multivariant" selection systems over the past 20 years or so, have written about rock-paper-scissors and have typically cited the game as "rock-paper-scissors" and then added "Rochambeau" or "Roshambo" in parentheses after it. So that carries the word back at least a couple of decades. As an illustration of the severe limits on using Wikipedia for research, the English-language Wikipedia entry on rock-paper-scissors (or rock-scissors-paper, etc.) says that the game is called "Rochambeau" in French. But the French-language Wikipedia entry on the game lists the Francophone countries' names for it as: pierre-feuille-ciseaux, papier-caillou-ciseaux, roche-papier-ciseaux, pierre-papier-ciseaux, and feuille-caillou-ciseaux. It then says that the game is called "Rochambeau" in the United States. I wondered whether "Rochambeau" might be an English-language corruption of a French triplet beginning with "roche" (rock), but I have nothing else to offer in this speculative vein, so this is not part of my theory. A Historical Connection with Count Rochambeau? Next up was to consider the alleged connection with the Comte de Rochambeau, the French general who was a hero of the American Revolution. Over the past decade, rock-paper-scissors has become a quasi-formally organized sport with international tournaments. Two American brothers, Douglas and Graham Walker, organized the World RPS Society, with tournaments, a website, t-shirts, and posters, and they have also published a light-hearted guide to playing "professional" rock-paper-scissors, which includes a brief and half-serious history of the game. Their Official Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide (2004) offers one theory about how the game became "synonymous with" the Comte de Rochambeau: "It is widely believed that an ill-advised throw of Scissors (or Ciseaux) resulted in his being uprooted from his ancestral home to become the marshal of the French forces during the American Revolution. His arrival is widely credited with the introduction of RPS to the United States." But this is all unlikely. Rochambeau (and Lafayette and other French military officers) were quite eager to come to America to fight with the Americans, and had to resist othe


The Eagle Has Landed - Scientific American Scientific American By Alan Hall on July 19, 1999 Share on Facebook Advertisement | Report Ad At 4:18 p.m. on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong's voice crackled from the speakers at NASA's Mission Control in Houston. He said simply, "the Eagle has landed." With those words, the dream President John F. Kennedy's voiced in 1961--putting humans on the Moon by the end of the decade--had at last come true. EARTHRISE. On July 20, 1969, two U.S. astronauts became the first humans to observe Earth from its distant moon. From the launch on July 16 atop a powerful Saturn rocket, Apollo 11 and its crew of three astronauts performed flawlessly. While Michael Collins orbited the Moon in the Command Module, Armstrong piloted the Lunar Lander, named the Eagle, to a safe landing in the Moon's Sea of Tranquility. He and his copilot, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, soon became the first humans to tread on another world. They spent nearly 21 hours on the lunar surface, collecting samples of rock and soil and setting up remote instruments. Flag, supported by wires, appears to billow in the airless lunar environment. INTRODUCTION THE AFTERMATH The return trip proved to be every bit as smooth. After taking off from the Moon and docking with the craft piloted by Collins, the astronauts soared back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. Their pinpoint landing put them just a few miles from the recovery ship, the U.S.S. Hornet. Overall, the mission lasted 195 hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds--and covered 952,700 nautical miles. Over the years, several astronauts followed in Collins, Armstrong and Aldrin's footsteps, but none won the same acclaim. And with the flight of Apollo 17 in 1972, the U.S. put aside its plans for a permanent base on the Moon, deciding to rely instead on unmanned spacraft and the fleet of space shuttles for the future. Apollo was officially retired. That said, this celebration has an edge of sadness: the first to the Moon were close to being the last. But for many--including those who were born well after the Eagle landed--the excitement lives on. Images: NASA


What language were Gutenberg's bibles written in?

7 Things You May Not Know About the Gutenberg Bible - History in the Headlines 7 Things You May Not Know About the Gutenberg Bible February 23, 2015 By Evan Andrews Share The Gutenberg Bible was the first book printed in Western Europe using movable metal type, introducing text reproduction to the masses. Share this: 7 Things You May Not Know About the Gutenberg Bible Author 7 Things You May Not Know About the Gutenberg Bible URL Google Scholars often cite February 23, 1455 as the original publication date for the “Gutenberg Bible,” the first mass-produced book in Europe. This elegant, two-volume Latin Bible was one of the earliest works made using movable metallic type, a system of individual letters and character pieces that could be rearranged and reused during printing. Its popularity signaled a global revolution for the written word. Books previously had to be laboriously copied by hand, yet only a half-century after the Gutenberg Bible became the world’s first printed bestseller, millions of different volumes were flying off presses across Europe. Explore seven fascinating facts about one of the rarest and most influential books in world history. It wasn’t the world’s first printed book. A copy of the Gutenberg Bible in the collection of the New York Public Library While the Gutenberg Bible helped introduce printing to the West, the process was already well established in other parts of the world. Chinese artisans were pressing ink onto paper as early as the second century A.D., and by the 800s, they had produced full-length books using wooden block printing. Movable type also first surfaced in the Far East. Sometime around the mid-11th century, a Chinese alchemist named Pi Sheng developed a system of individual character types made from a mixture of baked clay and glue. Metal movable type was later used in Korea to create the “Jikji,” a collection of Zen Buddhist teachings. The Jikji was first published in 1377, some 75 years before Johannes Gutenberg began churning out his Bibles in Mainz, Germany. Johannes Gutenberg didn’t make any money off the Bibles. Johannes Gutenberg has been called the most influential figure of the last millennium, yet he stands as one of the great question marks of history. Scholars don’t know when he was born, whether he married or had children, where he is buried or even what he looked like. Almost all the information about Gutenberg comes from legal and financial papers, and these indicate that the printing of his Bibles was a particularly tumultuous affair. According to one 1455 document, Gutenberg’s business partner Johann Fust sued him for the return of a large sum of money loaned to help in the production of his Bibles. Gutenberg lost the lawsuit, and the final ruling stipulated that he had to turn his printing equipment and half the completed Bibles over to Fust, who went on to peddle them along with one of Gutenberg’s former assistants, Peter Schoeffer. Gutenberg was driven into financial ruin. He later started a second print shop, but it’s unlikely that he ever turned a profit off his most famous work. The print run was surprisingly small. Credit: Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images By studying the size of Gutenberg’s paper supply, historians have estimated that he produced around 180 copies of his Bible during the early 1450s. That may seem miniscule, but at the time there were probably only around 30,000 books in all of Europe. The splash that Gutenberg’s Bibles made is evident in a letter the future Pope Pius II wrote to Cardinal Carvajal in Rome. In it, he raves that the Bibles are “exceedingly clean and correct in their script, and without error, such as Your Excellency could read effortlessly without glasses.” Thanks to their obvious quality, the Bibles all sold before Gutenberg and Fust had even finished printing them. Some copies supposedly went for around 30 Florins—an enormous sum at the time. There are several different variations of the Gutenberg Bible. Most Gutenberg Bibles contained 1,286 pages bound in two volumes, yet almost no two are exactly alike.


"What musical instrument did the devil play in the song ""The Devil Went Down to Georgia""?"

Charlie Daniels Band — The Devil Went Down to Georgia — Listen, watch, download and discover music for free at Last.fm bluegrass The song is a narrative about the Devil, who comes to Georgia to procure souls. He has not obtained any recently, and is willing to "make a deal" out of desperation. He happens upon a young fiddle player named Johnny, who is minding his own business and playing impressively. The Devil approaches Johnny, and informs him that he too, plays the fiddle. He then decides to challenge Johnny to a fiddle-playing contest, confident that he is more skillful than the… read more Don't want to see ads? Subscribe now Similar Tracks


"In what London park would one find ""Speakers' Corner""?"

Speakers Corner Speakers' Corner Sitemap Speakers' Corner "We walked through Hyde Park looking for Speakers’ Corner, which – especially for us as East Germans – was legendary, the very symbol of free speech. I hope that is not an insult to you, the members of the British Parliament." Speech by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel in London to both Houses of the British Parliament 27 Feb 2014 Culture Secretary and Speakers' Corner Speakers Speakers' Corner Movement PRESS RELEASE SAVE SPEAKERS' CORNER Speakers' Corner is the most famous location for free speech in the world. It symbolises popular struggles in Britain for the right to vote, speak and assemble. It exists since the 1872 Parks and Gardens Act. We believe that the redesign of Speakers' Corner by the Royal Parks which they will officially launch at a press conference at Speakers' Corner at 8.30am on June 19th undermines Speakers' Corner. The Royal Parks' claim that their change to the layout enhances Speakers' Corner; in fact it appears designed to destroy it, because: 1.     The area has been significantly reduced in size 2.     The redesign is structured around then needs of pop concerts not public oratory 3.     No consultation took place with anyone from Speakers' Corner 4.     The toilet facilities in Marble Arch have been taken away and no new facilities provided 5.     In this way, the overall redesign of both Marble Arch and Speakers' Corner takes no account of the needs or feelings of its users Sadly, the planning and implementation of the redesign was imposed by the Royal Parks and it completely excluded the Speakers' Corner community from participation. The redesign fundamentally undermines the traditional Speakers' Corner as a place of free speech and significantly reduces the size of the area. Over the last two decades the Royal Parks have, by intent or incompetence, systematically undermined Speakers' Corner. First, they installed a merry-go-round, which resulted in a campaign of civil disobedience. Then they increasingly used the land designated by statute, as the "Speakers' Area" for commercial events; consequently, "Speakers' Corner" is frequently drowned out by the incredible noise levels generated. The toilets in Marble Arch were closed a couple of years ago, so the nearest public toilet is now 500 meters away. This means that the area is used a public toilet by homeless people and the smell of faeces can be overpowering. The refreshment cafe charges extortionate prices. This excludes the less well off, many of who have been regulars at Speakers' Corner for decades, from being able to afford a tea of coffee. Despite increasing tension and violence there are no longer any uniformed police at Speakers' Corner. Only a few years ago, the police used to reduce the incidences of violent outbreaks and encourage tolerance and both the speakers and the Speakers’ Corner community knew them. This is no longer the case. The Speakers' Corner redesign, which is to be officially opened on Thursday 19th June 2014 at 8.30am will be opposed because: rather than protect the area from sound pollution it significantly reduces the speakers area; and is it specifically designed for vast commercial projects, like pop concerts. This directly conflict with Speakers' Corners' statutory role and spiritual and heritage role as the world's oldest and most famous area specifically designated for free speech. We demand that the Royal Parks 1.     Not an inch from Speakers Corner! Restore the traditional Speakers' Corner area to its size in 2013! 2.     We are not cattle! Remove the new gates! 3.     We want tolerance! At least one uniformed police officer should be present during peak times at Speakers' Corner on Sunday afternoons 4.     Reopen free public toilets within 200 meters of Speakers' Corner Any enquiries about the campaign can be directed to Heiko Khoo the issues will be debated on a regular basis at Speakers' Corner every Sunday. Heiko Khoo is a Speakers' Corner speaker who has spoken at Speakers' Corner since 1986. He produces the Speakers' Corner radio show for Lon


What are the two countries of the world that are theocracies?

What country has a theocratic government? | Reference.com What country has a theocratic government? A: Quick Answer Vatican City, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the many countries that use Islamic law as the basis for their legal systems are considered to be theocracies by many scholars. These countries are considered theocratic because they adhere to the definition of theocracy, which is a governmental system in which religion or divine guidance is the primary source of political guidance. Full Answer Iran has been a theocracy since the explicitly religious Islamic Revolution in 1979, when the people of Iran established a country based on Islamic law. Iran's head of state, the Supreme Leader, is an unelected Islamic scholar who appoints some of the most powerful positions in the country, including the religious body that can invalidate the laws passed by parliament. He also has the power to start and end wars. Because that country's laws are under the supreme command of a man chosen because of his religious bona fides, and because the country's constitution is formed with an explicit religious intent, Iran is considered a theocracy. However, it does have some democratic elements, such as periodic and relatively fair elections. The Holy See (Vatican City) is also a theocracy because it is headed by a religious figure, the Pope, administered by clergy and governed by religious laws, in this case those of the Roman Catholic Church. Countries that do not have explicitly religious leaders but that have laws based on religion are often seen as theocracies as well. Some countries of this description include Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Afghanistan.


What former British coin was worth 12 pence?

Coin Values | Coins of Great Britain UK George VI, 1936-1952 Elizabeth, 1952ff Likewise, British coins do not always bear inscriptions that identify their monetary value, relying on size, pattern and composition to convey this information. The monetary system before 1970 is a complicated combination of the following denominations: Farthing, Pence (one pence is called a Penny, four pence is called a groat), Shilling, Florin, Crown, Sovereign (also called a Pound), and Guinea. Very valuable coins worth $100s to $1000s of US dollars Coins in this group range in value from thousands of dollars down to hundreds of dollars. Unless they are heavily worn or have significant damage like scratches, spots, or stains, these coins command high premium values and must be treated with care. Never clean a coin. Cleaning ruins value. Early Large-Sized Guineas - There are many different varieties of early British gold guineas. Most look similar to the coin in the picture, but there are many variations. All command high value from their gold content and intrinsic age and beauty. Small-sized guineas, such as half guineas, quarter guineas, and one-third guineas, and those more modern than the one shown, are worth less, but are still quite valuable. The coin in the picture has George III, 1760 to 1820. It comes from that period and is about the size of a US half dollar. It is worth about $1000. Massive British Gold - Some gold coins from Great Britain are quite large, often containing more than one Troy ounce of the precious metal. These derive value from the gold, and some earlier coins, such as 5 pound gold coins from the early 1800s, climb in value to the $10,000 range. Many British Proof Sets - About one half of the dates for British Proof Sets are extraordinarily valuable. Sets before 1911 command 1000s of dollars, sometimes 10s of 1000s of dollars for sets and individual coins that are completely unspoiled. More modern dates for intact proof sets that are very valuble are 1927, 1937, and certain sets (not all sets) after 1982. Early Sovereigns Before Queen Victoria - Gold coins are always valuable, and sovereigns and half-sovereigns with shield and dragon slayer designs are especially sought by collectors. These coins are about the size of a US quarter dollar. Earlier coins are more valuable. Valuable coins: $10s to $100s of US dollars Coins in this group range in value from hundreds of dollars down to a few tens of dollars, unless, like all coins, they are heavily worn or have significant damage like scratches, spots, or stains. Never clean a coin. Cleaning ruins value. There are several varieties of many of these coins. Large Early Silver Florins and Crowns - Florins (two shillings), double florins, crowns (five shillings), and half crowns are generally large and made of silver. They command good value based on precious metal content, age, and artistry. They date back into the 1600s and those, no surprise, are the most valuable. Use the list of British rulers above to help determine date. Modern (post 1940) versions of these coins are usually made of non-precious metal and carry little value. Most coins dated before 1800 are quite valuable. Post-1800 dates that command strong value are 1854 Florin, 1823 half crown, 1905 half crown, and 1831, 1847, and 1934 crowns. Britannia Trade Coins and Tokens - Great Britain issued coins to facilitate trade in some of its far flung empire around the world. Many of these coins, especially the large silver ones, are valuable. Counterstamped Non-British Issues - In some coin shortage emergencies, the Bank of England counterstamped small insignia in foreign coins and made them legal tender in the British Empire. Early counterstamps, like the one shown in this picture, are shaped like an oval. Later counterstamps are rectangles with cut off corners. All these coins are usually quite valuable. The older, the more valuable. The coin in the picture comes from colonial Mexico. It is counterstamped with a Bank of England puncheon from 1797. Maundy Sets - The earlier Maundy Sets are worth far more than recen


"What anatomical feature did velociraptors have in real life, but not in ""Jurassic Park""?"

Velociraptor: Facts about the 'Speedy Thief' Velociraptor: Facts About the 'Speedy Thief' By Joseph Castro, Live Science Contributor | March 18, 2016 05:15pm ET MORE Velociraptor is one of the most bird-like dinosaurs ever discovered. It was small and fast, and the sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each foot made it a formidable predator. A special bone in its wrist allowed it to swivel its wrist sideways in a flapping motion and to fold its arm against its body like a bird. This motion allowed it to snap its arms forward to grab fleeing prey and is an important part of the flight stroke in modern birds. Credit: Todd Marshall Velociraptor roamed the Earth about 85.8 million to 70.6 million years ago during the end of the Cretaceous Period.  In 1924, Henry Fairfield Osborn, then-president of the American Museum of Natural History, named Velociraptor. He bestowed the name on this dinosaur, which is derived from the Latin words "velox" (swift) and "raptor" (robber or plunderer), as an apt description of its agility and carnivorous diet.  Earlier that year, Osborn had called the dinosaur Ovoraptor djadochtari in an article in the popular press, but the creature wasn't formally described in the article and the name "Ovoraptor" wasn't mentioned in a scientific journal, making Velociraptor the accepted name. There are two Velociraptor species, V. mongoliensis and V. osmolskae, the second of which was only identified in 2008. A member of the Dromaeosauridae family of small- to medium-sized birdlike dinosaurs, Velociraptor was roughly the size of a small turkey and smaller than others in this family of dinosaurs, which included Deinonychus and Achillobator. Adult Velociraptors grew up to 6.8 feet (2 meters) long, 1.6 feet (0.5 meter) tall at the hip and weighed up to 33 lbs. (15 kilograms). Like  Tyrannosaurus rex , Velociraptor had a prominent role in the "Jurassic Park" movies, but scientists do not believe it resembled anything close to its Hollywood depiction in terms of size or appearance. In fact, the movies' Velociraptor was actually modeled after Deinonychus, and sported a similar size and snout. While the Velociraptor was featherless in the movies, paleontologists discovered quill knobs (places where the flight-related feathers of birds are anchored to the bone) on a well-preserved Velociraptor forearm from Mongolia in 2007, indicating  the dinosaur had feathers .  Despite having feathers, however, the arms of Velociraptors were too short to allow them to fly or even glide. The find suggests that the dinosaurs' dromaeosaurid ancestors could fly at one point, but lost that ability, according to the study published in the journal  Science .  Artwork by Scott Hartman reveals the bone structure of Velociraptor. Credit: © Scott Hartman / All rights reserved Velociraptor retained its feathers, and possibly used them to attract mates, regulate body temperature, protect eggs from the environment or generate thrust and speed while running up inclines. Velociraptor had a relatively large skull , which was about 9.1 inches (23 centimeters) long, concave on the upper surface and convex on the lower surface, according to a 1999 description of a Velociraptor skull, published in the journal  Acta Palaeontologica Polonica . Additionally, its snout was long, narrow and shallow, and made up about 60 percent of the dinosaur's entire skull length. Velociraptor had 13 to 15 teeth in its upper jaw and 14 to 15 teeth in its lower jaw. These teeth were widely spaced and serrated, though more strongly on the back edge than the front. Velociraptor's tail  of hard, fused bones was inflexible, but likely kept it balanced as it ran, hunted and jumped.  Velociraptor, like other dromaeosaurids, had two large hand-like appendages with three curved claws. They also had a  sickle-shaped talon  on the second toe of each foot. They normally kept these talons off the ground like folded switchblades, and used them as hooks to keep their prey from escaping (similar to modern birds of prey), according to a study published in 2011 in the journal  PLOS ONE


What type of animal has spermaceti in its head?

Sperm Whales, Sperm Whale Pictures, Sperm Whale Facts - National Geographic Size relative to a bus Please add a "relative" entry to your dictionary. Sperm whales are easily recognized by their massive heads and prominent rounded foreheads. They have the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on Earth. Their heads also hold large quantities of a substance called spermaceti. Whalers once believed that the oily fluid was sperm, but scientists still do not understand the function of spermaceti. One common theory is that the fluid—which hardens to wax when cold—helps the whale alter its buoyancy so it can dive deep and rise again. Sperm whales are known to dive as deep as 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) in search of squid to eat. These giant mammals must hold their breath for up to 90 minutes on such dives. These toothed whales eat thousands of pounds of fish and squid—about one ton (907 kg) per day. Sperm whales are often spotted in groups (called pods) of some 15 to 20 animals. Pods include females and their young, while males may roam solo or move from group to group. Females and calves remain in tropical or subtropical waters all year long, and apparently practice communal childcare. Males migrate to higher latitudes, alone or in groups, and head back towards the equator to breed. Driven by their tale fluke, approximately 16 feet (5 meters) from tip to tip, they can cruise the oceans at around 23 miles (37 kilometers) per hour. These popular leviathans are vocal and emit a series of "clangs" that may be used for communication or for echolocation. Animals that use echolocation emit sounds that travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back to their senders—revealing the location, size, and shape of their target. Sperm whales were mainstays of whaling's 18th and 19th century heyday. A mythical albino sperm whale was immortalized in Herman Melville's Moby Dick, though Ahab's nemesis was apparently based on a real animal whalers called Mocha Dick. The animals were targeted for oil and ambergris, a substance that forms around squid beaks in a whale's stomach. Ambergris was (and remains) a very valuable substance once used in perfumes. Despite large population drops due to whaling, sperm whales are still fairly numerous.


What is the northernmost country where tigers are found in the wild?

Tiger | Basic Facts About Tigers | Defenders of Wildlife Tiger Basic Facts About Tigers The tiger is the largest member of the felid (cat) family. They sport long, thick reddish coats with white bellies and white and black tails. Their heads, bodies, tails and limbs have narrow black, brown or gray stripes. There were once nine subspecies of tigers: Bengal, Siberian, Indochinese, South Chinese, Sumatran, Malayan, Caspian, Javan and Bali. Of these, the last three are extinct, one is extinct in the wild, and the rest are endangered. © Dirk Freder / iStockphoto Diet Tigers mainly eat ambar deer, wild pigs, water buffalo and antelope. Tigers are also known to hunt sloth bears, dogs, leopards, crocodiles and pythons as well as monkeys and hares. Old and injured tigers have been known to attack humans and domestic cattle. Population In the early 1900s, there were around 100,000 tigers throughout their range. Today, an estimated total of around 3,000-4,500 exist in the wild. Below is a breakdown of tiger numbers by subspecies. Bengal tiger: Less than 2,000 Indochinese tiger: 750-1,300 South Chinese tiger: Extinct in the wild Caspian tiger: Extinct Bali tiger: Extinct Range Historic tiger range ran from Turkey through South and Southeast Asia to the far eastern shores of the continent. Today, they are only found in South and Southeast Asia, China and the Russian Far East. Behavior Tigers occupy a variety of habitats from tropical forests , evergreen forests, woodlands and mangrove swamps to grasslands , savannah and rocky country. They are mostly nocturnal (more active at night) and are ambush predators that rely on the camouflage their stripes provide. Tigers use their body weight to knock prey to the ground and kills with a bite to the neck. They are also very good swimmers and have been known to kill prey while swimming. Tigers essentially live solitary lives, except during mating season and when females bear young. They are usually fiercely territorial and have and mark their large home ranges. Reproduction Mating Season: In tropical climates, mostly from around November to April; during the winter months in temperate regions. Gestation: 103 days. Litter size: 3-4 cubs. Cubs follow their mother out of the den at around 8 weeks and become independent at around 18 months of age. They leave their mothers at about 2 ½ years. Mothers guard their young from wandering males that may kill the cubs to make the female receptive to mating.